Nostalgia

Prologue (possibly part 1, if I decide to have another part)

Standard Disclaimer Applies

A/N: This story has been collecting dust in my computer for a long time, and initially I hadn't meant for it to be read or anything like that, but then I decided I wanted to share it. But anyway this story at some points may not revolve around the initial couple that I want to write about but it will tie into it, but yes I did choose an unconventional couple as a secondary or as a primary (as of right now I'm not really sure) but so what I kind of like them together.

2 A/N: Just a reminder that this story is AU, and if at some point I do decide to incorporate elements of the true story line then it will much different and it most likely not involve the main characters in their usual spots, that and it will happen later on and it will be much more of a horror element than it is in the show.

…

The sky was too blue, the birds too happy, and the sun too bright, everything was smiling when it should be crying with the loved ones of Masaki Kurosaki. Her funeral was filled with the heart breaking silence of all, Isshin did not cry he couldn't. He knew that she would want him to put on a smile for their children, so instead he smoked, the same way that she complimented him on their first date, it was the only thing he could do to not break his promise to her of being strong.

Isshin looked down to his left to see his two daughters Karin and Yuzu with tears in their eyes, as if they weren't sure if this was real or not, in that moment he regretted bringing them here. He hated that their last memory of their mother would be of black clad adults with insipid and lamented expressions on their faces. He would have to make it up to them.

He then turned his attention to his 9 year old son, Ichigo, he was the most shaken up. His brown eyes were open so wide that they were sure to hurt, and his body was shaking, and silent tears streamed down his young face. Isshin pulled him slightly closer to him, wrapping his arm across his chest, and this triggered the break of the waterfall, his tears began rolling down his face uncontrollably and his voice cried out a loud shriek, causing everyone to jump.

Isshin, without looking up or to his daughters who grabbed each of his arms as he kneeled down, engulfed Ichigo in an enormous embrace and felt his tears soak his suit, but he did not care, his children were the only thing that mattered now, he had to do all he could to provide for them and be a good father.

As he kept holding onto his son, he heard a feminine voice call his name.

"Isshin?" He looked up to see Masumoto Rangiku, his sister-in-law, his former sister-in-law, look down at him with a small smile and red eyes. He didn't remember the last time he saw her, but for a moment he thought he saw Masaki and a smile etched his face, but blinked only to reaffirm his first view of her.

Isshin stood up, while keeping his hand on Ichigo's head. "Hi, Masumoto… It's regretful we have to meet again under these conditions." His voice cracked slightly at the end.

She nodded slightly, then looked down at the twins, and Ichigo, and smiled slightly.

"They've gotten so big, last time I saw Ichigo was when he was 6 years old, and Yuzu, and Karin were so tiny. I should have never moved away…"

Isshin ran a hand through his short black hair, and settled it on Karin's head. "No, Masaki would have wanted you to pursue your dreams, besides these aren't your children they are ours, mine and Masaki's."

Masumoto shifted her weight on her feet for a moment before replying. "Yes I realize that but now that she is gone I regret not spending time with her, I feel so bad about how we parted ways on a sour note. I want to make it up by helping raise them."

"Ah well I expected this to come up, and since I'll be busy with the clinic and all I wouldn't mind having a helping hand, but don't worry about it if it gets too hard on you. I won't force you to do this." Masumoto immediately shook her head.

"No I want to do this, for my sister. I don't want her to think I didn't love her after everything that happened between us." She gave Isshin a weird look which he choose to ignore.

"Well then I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Isshin then turned away from her, and walked over to Masaki's newly made grave site, he dropped his cigarette a while ago, and right now he didn't feel like remembering the times that he spent with Masaki. The thought of her bright smiles, and her joyous laughter made his stomach turn.

"Daddy, when is Mom coming back?" Isshin braced himself as he looked down at his young daughter , Yuzu, whose eyes were wide and spilling over with tears. Isshin looked to Karin, who eyes were downcast and then to Ichigo who looked like as if he never had a happy moment in his life.

"I-I don't know." Isshin managed to whisper slightly under his breath.

Masumoto stood by herself looking at the man her sister left behind and their three beautiful children. She took in a shaky breath, it wasn't fair at all that they were so unhappy. She felt a twinge of jealously when she arrived at the funeral, and no asked about how she was doing after all these years away only to come back to her only sister's death. Even in death people would look over her to her sister Masaki.

She threw her hair behind her shoulder as she took one last lingering look at Isshin. He was stronger than any man she had ever met, no wonder Masaki turned down all those other guys. Masumoto found herself in that moment becoming attracted to the man her sister left behind, although she wouldn't realize this till much later.

…

Isshin sat on the couch with his fingers raking through his thick black hair, he just put his three young children to bed, now all he needed was someone to tuck him in, to whisper soothing words into his ear, to tell him that everything was going to be alright; he needed Masaki.

The tears began to fall silently down his cheeks, it was going to be so hard to come back from this, and the kids how were they going to be happy after their one rock that held them all together?

This was all too much for one man to handle alone, maybe he would hold Masumoto up to her offer. She wanted to be a part of hi s children's life, and he wanted time to grieve for his beloved wife.

Leaning his head back on the sofa, Isshin looked up at the ceiling thinking that at any moment his eyes would see the roof burst open and the gates of heaven would open giving his dear wife back to him and his children. But such a thing did not happen, and thus he was not able to sleep even a little that night.

…..

Ichigo was asleep for a total of 10 minutes when the dreams started. At first it was a sweet memory of him and his family when they went to the park one day, they all ran around in circles as his mother stood in the middle with her golden hair whipping across her face in the wind and gleeful laughter erupting from her small frame.

"Ah I'm gonna get ya!" Isshin said as she chased his three young children, he easily caught Yuzu and Karin , but Ichigo kept running as fast as he could in circles around his Mother and then around a nearby tree.

He looked back to catch a glimpse of his Father running to him only to see no one there, nothing there, only darkness, and he could feel his young heart pump faster.

This was how it all started.

He couldn't move, not that his movement was restricted, or anything of the sort. He was frightened so much that his legs would not respond to him.

Then that's when he heard it, the sound, the voice, the scream, but he could see nothing, only hear the scene as it played out. He heard the muffled scream of his Mother, then the sharp intake of breath of his Father, and then there was silence.

Deafening Silence.

The next thing that happened jolted young Ichigo from his dream, it was the face, the face of that man. It jumped out so fast that he hadn't the time to react, he was still too afraid to, so he did the only thing he knew how- run.

Run out of the darkness, and run out of the dream.

Ichigo jumped awake from his dream, it happened again. He wanted his Mother, maybe today wasn't her funeral, maybe it was all just a bad dream like the one he just had, but then he felt the all to familiar chill.

"No." He pleaded to the air, as tears started to form in his amber colored eyes.

"Momma please, please don't come back tonight."

…

"Orihime!" A supposed sweet voice said from the kitchen. The young girl rubbed her tired eyes, and stood up from underneath the table she once laid. She shuffled her small feet towards her mom the fastest she could.

"Yes, Mommy?" Orihime asked her in a slightly tired tone. Her mother, a young woman of 24 years of age, turned to look at her daughter with a look of pure disgust. Was she always so bright when she was younger?

"It took you long enough brat! Your father is coming home tonight, and you know how good for nothing he is. I don't feel like cooking dinner, and your brother is at work, so I want you to cook tonight." Her mother had hair a few shades darker than her daughter, and eyes the color of onyx; she would have been beautiful if she wasn't always so angry, and bitter, but she was so for a number of reasons.

Maybe it was due to her being a prostitute, or maybe it was her being a mother very early on in her life, and had to marry a no good alcoholic, and take care of his son at the ripe age of 15 years old.

"What should I make?" Orihime inquired softly, her Mother rolled her eyes, why did she always have to be so damn timid.

"I don't know just make something before he gets here. I don't want to have to deal with him while he is in a bad mood." Orihime shook her head, and watched as her Mother crossed the small Kitchen and slide open the ragged door to the lone bedroom in the house, and side it close as she stepped inside.

Orihime then got to work. She checked the pantry and the only thing she saw was a large stash of her father's favorite alcohol. Was this what he spent his money on- their money on?

Orihime did the first thing that came to mind and grabbed as much bottles as she could at a time and poured the beverages down the drain, and as she held the last one that was half way full she looked questioningly at the bottle and wondered what was so good about it that made her father love it more than her? She brought the bottle to her lips and took a large and greedy gulp, instantly regretting it.

The burning sensation that traveled down her throat all the way to her stomach made her want to gasp aloud. It hurt so much it feel like acid was getting poured down her throat. She took another sip to see if maybe she just drunk too much but then she soon realized that it still felt the same, and too soon after the drink's contents went down the drain.

"Where's my food at!" Her father stammered into the kitchen, Orihime was surprised that she had not heard him coming in; he usually was so loud when he came back home.

"I couldn't find any food." Orihime answered back timidly as she watched with wide eyes as her father rummaged through the pantry for his alcohol. He turned around suddenly and his brown eyes immediately took on the look of death and his large hands formed into fists.

"Girl where is my food!" He took a huge leap at her and grabbed at her hair, and if she was willing to stand up for herself she would have been able to avoided the pain surging through her scalp by moving out of his path. He tugged her head backwards with a swift tug and she fought the urge to scream out in pain.

"I said where is my food." His breath smelled of alcohol- a lot of it. She looked into his eyes that were glazed over and red.

"There is no food to make." He gave her another swift tug back to where her back was parallel to the ground and her neck was in an awkward angle due to his firm grip on her hair. She couldn't hold it in and she screamed out. It hurt so much she was sure she was bleeding.

Her mother shuffled out of the sole bedroom with her hair disheveled and her eyes half open.

"What's going on here?" For a second Orihime could almost believe that her mother really cared for her well-being, but the feeling was only fleeting when her mother saw her husband and she took a step back towards the bedroom with her hand on the door as if waiting for him to come over and attack her.

"Oh its nice you decided to wake up whore. Where do you get off stashing my food when I am hungry and want to eat it?" All the while he still held a firm grip on Orihime's hair. Her mother gave her small glance then looked back up at her steaming husband.

"There is no food Ryu. You spent all the damn money when you blew it all off on sake and prostitutes."

"Well it's better than giving the money to you. You don't let me drink and you don't have sex with me if I pay ya." He let go of Orihime in the process causing her to fall on her back but she was paid no heed as her mother and father were about to get into yet another fight.

So she quietly shuffled back to her safe spot underneath the table in the corner where she hoped no one would hurt her, or see her.