Nighma: As I promised, it is December. This is chapter one of part two of the Echo Series and a REMIX (or rewriting) of my old version of it. The old version was never finished. The new remixed part one can be found on my profile under the name Echo [Remix] (stupid site took away the brackets).

Once again, the overall theme is an album (literally in song form) of events. The underlying theme in the series is echoes. Title comes from the merging of "echo" with "cough", taken from "hiccough", which is an alternate spelling for "hiccup" that I prefer. Both words have a special meaning in this fic.

HUGE thanks to previous version and Echo [Remix] reviewer Quetzalcoatls for providing some much-needed motivation! *Dances* Thank you so much!

Slow beginning is slow. Bear with me.

I only own the plot of this story. I'll only say this once.

Chapter I: Very Bad Vibes

Night slowly descended over Karakura Town with the last of the sun's rays tainting the horizon orange red and signaling the oncoming darkness. The town's sleepy inhabitants readied themselves for sleep and the next day. A calm, natural silence overcame the town as evening turned to night.

On the rooftop of an apartment complex, Ichigo's lazing figure opened an eye. Yawning, he stretched briefly before jumping onto the edge of a roof and then into the air where he seemed to fly. Orange locks at near-neck length fluttered from his movement, as did his shihakushō. Time to get to his nightly watch.

He strolled through the air, eyes attentively watching the sky and land for any possible threat. A slight twitch of the head indicated that he listened out for anything suspicious, or perhaps reached out with his senses for anything he could not see or hear. By the time he made his third steady round of surveillance, he was quite sure all was well. Or so it seemed. Though satisfied, he couldn't help a nagging desire to fight from creeping up in the depths of his soul. He never admitted it to anyone, especially himself, but he truly enjoyed a good fight. It was…his nature. Instinct.

A small, knowing and slightly sad smile slipped onto his face as he concluded his roaming surveillance, landing gently atop a telephone pole. Sliding his hands into his sleeves, he crouched low, almost predatorily, scanning the horizon. He continued to stay in that position even after sensing and seeing nothing after a few long minutes, his eyes closed and continuing to reach out with his senses.

Considering what was happening to him, he was reasonably surprised after the War to find that he still had his phenomenal power he gained while training for three months in the Dangai. That time with the Menos Grande, the day Shirōgetsu, his Hollow, saved his sorry ass, was what he figured to be one of the many spasms he had experienced since; a sort of reversing flux of his powers resulting from the…well, that. So amiss…that…he still surpassed the abilities of any typical Shinigami and, this is just a guess of his, Vizards as well. He had a very experienced guess as to why the latter seemed so.

As for beings unable to sense him, over the course of the last month training within his inner world with Zangetsu and Shirōgetsu, he managed to control that. Now he could will himself to be sensed or unrecognizable, along with curbing his vastly superior reflexes, strength and all else he had demonstrated during his battle with Aizen…He had no choice but to learn to control that. In fact, the first thing he learned to do was control his strength, taught to him by Urahara after he woke up. Before that, seals were placed on him by the former captain so he could at least enter his body without ripping it apart… (1)

…After all, he didn't want to kill anyone else…(2)

It was around ten thirty, after a few easy Hollow, when he decided it safe enough to return home. He told his sisters, specifically Yuzu, he would try to be home by eleven. Jumping down from a pole, he decided to walk back to his home for once, or at least half the way. So he used shunpō, staying on the ground, until he was about a mile from the Kurosaki residence. From then on he walked, allowing him this time to think over the few strange things that had been on his mind within the past few weeks.

A month had passed since he reconciled with Shirōgetsu and four and a half months had passed since he woke up, ergo, after the Winter War. To Ichigo, it felt as if so much more time had passed. Only four months? Could it really be? So much had happened since. That effort he put into reconciling with his Hollow was definitely worth it, though…

Urahara being weirder than usual was perhaps the only thing that really stood out in his mind, aside from the obvious, which were no Shinigami posted in the town. Ol' Hat-and-Clogs wasn't letting anyone into his store, making up some bullshit excuse about renovations or something. But if the man had to have his secrets, Ichigo was at least thankful it wasn't during a time when they were in need of his assistance.

A familiar pain starting from the center of his chest to the very ends of his whole body rendered him immobilized for a second. By now he was so used to it, he no longer made a sound when episodes hit him. Yes, of course they hurt, but he tried not to let it show too much; the contorted grimace on his face, closed eyes and his shaking frame were bad enough. He willed himself to breathe evenly and distracted his mind by thinking of the usual greeting he would get from his father when he arrived home and how he would go about thwarting him…

It worked. He only noticed after the pain went away how much of a strain it was having on him for the umpteenth time as he stumbled from disorientation, exhaling deeply. A part of him wondered if this was just a slower, less merciful version of that unfathomable pain he felt after defeating Aizen, the time he should have lost his powers. Or so he believed. It wasn't better this way. A part of him wished he really had lost his powers that time. The other part of him was grateful for a second chance…

…Though that didn't stop the fear and the pain from hurting…

Just a few blocks from his home, he returned to the roof of the apartment complex he had rested at to retrieve his pack and carry his body to the ground before reentering it; he had begun his surveillance after finishing his homework. It was no new schedule of his to do this before coming home from school.

Now…back to thinking of how to thwart his father's home welcoming …

As he walked home, he continued to reach out with his senses to scan the town. Thus it was not as much as a surprise it might have been when he arrived home to see…well, what appeared to be nothing but his house. But he knew better. There was an unexpected surprise visitor around…

You'd think they would know better by now…

Sighing softly, he continued walking past his house and towards the outskirts of the city. Just as he knew it would, the presence he felt followed him as he walked. His feet lead him to the local soccer field, which seemed dark and eerie in the darkness of night. He walked to the center of the court and suddenly turned around.

"…Come out," he ordered, his expression stern, but his posture unguarded.

Seemingly from out of the sky itself, a dark figure landed onto the ground in a kneeling position. Amiss it being so late into the night, Ichigo could make out the black shihakushō that made up the figure's garb and a head of dark hair that was lowered. It was a Shinigami.

"I apologize for appearing so suddenly, Kurosaki-san," the Shinigami, male in voice, responded. "I, Kouzuki Kouta (3), bring a message from Soul Society."

Ichigo blinked in surprise. This was not good timing at all. "…Oh? After being so quiet, what does Soul Society want with me, now?"

The messenger was silent for only a brief moment, as if able to tell there was something wrong, before saying, "…I've come to tell you your father, Kurosaki Isshin, was promptly summoned by the Gotei, thus had to leave on very short notice, and apologize on his behalf."

Again, Ichigo blinked, relaxing from his tense pose he wasn't consciously aware of. "Ah," he exhaled softly.

Raising his head, the shinigami, indeed male, continued, "I'm also to assure you that your family will be taken care of until his return."

Ichigo sighed softly, closing his eyes. "…I'd take it by that he might be gone for a while?" he asked, thinking how to explain this to his sisters.

"Yes. Even I do not know why that may be."

Another soft sigh escaped from Ichigo's lips. He opened his eyes, looking away briefly in thought. "Right…Thanks for telling me..."

The messenger nodded shortly. "Of course, Kurosaki-san." He then lifted his head just as Ichigo glanced briefly at him and turned away.

Perhaps it was the simple fact that he hadn't heard from Soul Society until then. Perhaps it was that look he saw on the messenger's face as he began to look away. Whatever it was, as he walked away to return home and felt the messenger use shunpō to return to wherever, Ichigo began to feel a little suspicious. Something, somehow, was just off. But looking at it logically, of course the messenger was telling the truth. It was probably just the fact that he didn't know who the messenger was. That's all.

…That's strange…

Maybe he was just tired, but he sighed yet again. This was just wonderful. His father wasn't going to be around during a time God knew what could happen to him when that happens. If it came to it, and he was sure he'd know just when he would need to, he would ask for one of his friends to look after his sisters. Though…now that he thought about it…

His brows furrowed from his stupidity as he realized he forgot to ask about the most important thing…

…Just what did the messenger mean by his family "would be taken care of"…?

And why was he worried about it?

After he arrived home, he gathered his sisters in the living room and explained what the messenger told him. They took it easily and considering all they'd been through, it was no real surprise, though Karin did ask how they were going to provide for themselves. Ichigo, though unsure himself, told them what he thought, which was that he was quite sure they was going to be taken care of. If necessary, he would go to Soul Society himself to get some answers. They would see how the first day without their father went first.

Thus, Ichigo said goodnight to his sisters before eating a late dinner, as if nothing had ever happened. After eating and washing his dishes, he cleaned up for bed and retreated to his room. Upon entering, he saw Kon getting himself comfortable in one of his drawers. The mod soul said his goodnight as he snuggled under one of the shirts in the drawer, much to Ichigo's amusement. It still surprised him that Kon didn't even complain about having a drawer of shirts as a bed or even ask for a bed of his own. Maybe he was just glad to not have to worry about acting like a doll anymore…

Ichigo sat on his bed and rested against the wall, stretching as he closed his eyes. What the messenger said went through his mind a few times. Perhaps his father sent a messenger. That would make sense. Though why he didn't just leave a note also passed through his mind…

But he was probably just being paranoid…

…He would only close his eyes for a short while…let his food digest…

The world was quaking and trembling, but that was no surprise anymore. Both Hollow and zanpakutō spirit watched the sky and buildings as they shimmered and cracked. Shirōgetsu sat beside Zangetsu's pole, resting his arms on his legs and dark eyes darting around the inner world. The lower folds of a black garb closed around his right side and he closed his eyes, lowering his head and grasping onto the pole.

Ichigo breathed heavily through his nose, a hand grasping his chest and his brows furrowed as he awoke from a painful sleep. The pain wasn't as bad as it usually was, as it was fortunately more manageable when in his body, but he could still feel that it was overall worse than it was when they first started. That was somewhat hard for him to take in, considering. He cracked an eye open, looking over to glance at his clock. It was past midnight. He was awakened from sleep by this thing. This had never happened before…

Closing his eye, he ground his teeth as he lay down with a groan, pressing his head into his soft, welcoming pillow. He felt it was time to no longer avoid the inevitable. It wasn't easy to make the decision he came to, not one bit, but he realized he had to cease his duties as the Shinigami Representative.

Tomorrow would be the last day.

It had to be.

The next evening, Ichigo watched the sun as it slowly set behind a cluster of orange-red clouds. He stood on the edge of another apartment complex, his body resting behind him on the roof and looking as if he were taking a nap. Closing his eyes, he lowered his head as a cool breeze passed through the air. This would be his last nightly patrol. He just needed a moment to let it sink in…

He then abruptly jumped from the building into the air, going at a casual pace and beginning from the edge of the town. He would take it nice and slow this time, and almost hoped a Hollow would show up and give him some excitement on his last day.

The night dragged on tediously slow, though he wasn't complaining. This could be the last time for a long while he'd ever be able to see his hometown from the sky, up and personal like this. He rather enjoyed it. After a long while of surveying the town, he glanced around himself as he stood on a telephone pole, sighing softly. He then looked to the dark evening sky, enjoying the familiar sounds of night…

Something he never noticed before caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, causing him to focus in on it, looking in its direction. He blinked. Then blinked again, rapidly, as if to clear his vision of an illusion, skeptic and confused.

Using shunpō, he appeared standing before it, eyes wide and still thoroughly baffled. Closing his eyes, he regained his composure, and as surprise gave away to annoyance, he took in a deep breath and exhaled. He was standing before what was Urahara Shōten. Now, though, it looked more like a very old abandoned building, boarded up and even dingy with age. To Ichigo, it wore Urahara's seal of prank approval, yet didn't seem at all like a prank. Instead, it seemed more like an attempt to make the building look older and vacant much later than it actually was. Almost like…erasing the history of it ever once being a store…

Curious, somewhat troubling, but nonetheless…

Placing his hands on his sides, Ichigo glanced away, wondering why his old mentor would get up and leave so suddenly and in such a manner without so much as a message written in fake blood on a wall. Sure, the man was underhanded, secretive and just a tad nuts…but this seemed just a little unusual to Ichigo. And after his father left to Soul Society, no less.

As he pondered that particularly troubling thought and reminder, he slowly returned his gaze to the once-shop. Nothing but unusual, out-of-the-ordinary yet not truly alarming events had occurred in the past few months. Narrowing his eyes, he couldn't shake off the feeling that they were somehow all related…

…Still. He narrowed his eyes, sighing. On second thought, he really didn't know what Urahara would have done. Perhaps it only seemed strange to him.

He arrived home just before midnight and put up with weak protests from Kon before placing them both in their respective bodies. He then collapsed on his bed, eyes closed and blocking out all sound, all noise, all voices, and stayed still…This was seriously draining him. Perhaps it really would be best if he stayed out of his Shinigami form from now on. It was just too risky otherwise. And it wasn't as if Karakura Town was no longer going to be protected. With Chad, Orihime and Uryu, not to mention the many others like Uryu's father, there was absolutely nothing but his pride getting in the way.

His stupid pride…

So what if he was the one who killed Aizen? So what if he was the one who fought the bastard one-on-one, if not surpassed him in power and was the deciding factor in whether or not they would win or lose the war. So they won because of him. It never got to his head. It really hadn't. But still. He wanted to continue protecting Karakura Town, even if there was no longer such a need for him to do so. It was just so natural to him. It was practically all he did since he first became a Shinigami, ingrained into him since day one…

Protect Karakura Town.

Groaning softly, he placed a hand over his eyes and let himself drift into an uneasy sleep. He would talk to his friends, all of them, about his decision at school.

…He had always been a guardian…

But now he had to move on.

Notes: Because I'm beginning to panic. Pardon me.

(1) If it isn't obvious, the majority of the inspirations for this series come from another fanfic called A Protector's Pride. It's in my favorites list. GO FRIGGIN READ IT. To me, Bleach doesn't exist anymore. That fic does. I hope you get what that means.

(2) In this series, Ichigo killed Aizen, thus what "anyone else" meant. Ichigo is a kid, you know. How did he kill the bastard? You'll find out...er...eventually...

(3) Random character is random. No importance. Also, I took vast liberties with the messenger. I know the messengers in Bleach have their faces hidden, but...*waves liberty license*

Another note, act like the story of Bleach as you know it doesn't really exist. Can you do that? Sorry for this chapter being all over the place...R&R, please~!