Chapter Two

Ichigo hummed to himself a tune, some tune his sister Yuzu loved to listen to. He personally hated the song, but she listened to it constantly, and by constantly, he meant it. She would put it on repeat, and sing along as loudly as her little lungs would allow.

But he sang it anyway, not because he liked it, but because it was the only real song he could think of at the moment.

Exams had drained him completely. He could only read various wrong answers to a stupid question for so long before he began to lose brain cells. It wasn't so much a matter of finding the right answer to the question, but a matter of which was the least stupid of the bunch. The questions were all stupid, in Ichigo's opinion. He preferred simple math equations to the dumb scenarios they gave. 'How many apples does Gojyo have if Hakkai has...blah blah blah'. Whatever, in Ichigo's high opinion. He groaned to himself as he approached the door to his home. He could already feel the spiritual pressure of his father waiting for him, waiting to jump and attack his own son, behind the door.

Ichigo had found out from Hat and Clogs about his father. He hadn't believed it at first, his dad had never been able to see the dead, but after finding out the reason for his father's lack of spiritual pressure he understood. He'd given it up for his mother, but after doing so, some must have slipped back in, because if Ichigo searched for it really hard, he could feel it. It was like trying to find the direction of the heater in an already warm room- difficult, but manageable.

He stood to the side and opened the door. His father came rushing out suddenly and wound up face down in the cement sidewalk, mumbling loudly about unappreciative sons and such. Ichigo rushed into the house and grabbed a plate from his youngest sister's small hands.

"Good Evening Ichi-nii!" his sister smiled at him cheerfully.

"Hey." His other sister said vaguely from underneath her baseball cap. She shoveled in rice like a tractor shovels rubble and didn't show signs of slowing down. Ichigo was startled that she'd even bothered to say hello at all. Karin hadn't been very talkative since Ichigo had returned. In fact, the reasoning behind that was that Karin was pissed at Ichigo. He didn't know how his sister had found out, but she knew, and hated him for putting himself in such danger. The entire first week he'd come back she would barely even look at him. She didn't even utter a sound in his direction until a whole month after his return. Normally, she was very rambunctious, and he'd expected her to just duke it out with him and beat him up. She'd taken her anger in silently however, somewhat proving her to be a woman, and had refused to speak to him about it.

Maybe it was that she knew it was really an untouchable subject, or maybe she was just more worried than she'd ever been. Whatever the case, at least she was speaking to him again. He settled down next to her, avoiding having to stare at her from across the table, and relaxed into his seat.

"Hey." He replied. And dug into his own plate. He looked at his plate and saw that Yuzu had made takoyaki tonight. "What's the occasion?" he asked. It wasn't often his sister bothered to go to the trouble of making such meals.

"Nothing really!" his sister answered. "I just thought it'd be a nice meal considering the game is tonight. Are you going to watch it with Karin?" she asked hopefully. She had noticed her sister's coldness to their only brother, and was doing to best to mediate, despite not knowing the real reason why.

Ichigo thought about it. He kind of wanted to. He wasn't sure how Karin would react, but he did miss the mutual understanding they now lacked. Karin strategically avoided Ichigo's face and continued to eat.

"Well," he said unsurely. "I suppose I could watch the first few innings, but I need to study for tomorrow's exams, so—"

"Yay!" Yuzu threw her serving stick into the air and caught it, much like a baton. Ichigo smiled slightly as his sister continued to do a baton dance with a rice covered stick. His father had entered and was brushing off the dirt from his earlier fall when he walked in on his daughter's dancing.

"Celebrate!" he shouted much-too-loudly and joined in on her dance.

"You idiot! Stop making a fool of yourself!" Karin shouted at him, annoyed as her father tried to do what he thought was break-dance. After some bantering and cheering and grunting and crying (most on Isshin's part) the small family settled down in front of their equally small television. They turned on the game and sat, side by side, on the small couch.

After a time each began moving their positions. Yuzu fell asleep on her father's shoulder in the fourth inning, and Ichigo moved to the floor and leaned against the front of the couch. By the seventh inning, Isshin moved Yuzu to her room and ended up falling asleep, snoring for all the neighborhood the to hear by the eighth.

Ichigo hadn't meant to stay for the whole game, but by the ninth inning, he was completely engrossed in the game.

It was close. It was 3 to 2, Giant's leading, but with the Tiger's next batter, it was most definitely going to wind up a tie. He looked up sideways at his sister, who was staring intently at the screen. Her eyes were livid at the prospect of the Tigers losing-she was forever a Tigers fan- and wouldn't take her glare off of the screen for anything. He looked at his sister discreetly and began to really look at her. She was almost 14 now, and it was showing. She'd gotten taller, and her hair had even grown out a bit. Though she still kept her tomboy attitude and looks for the most part, Ichigo could see traces of their mother in her now. She had their mother's nose and chin, and it was starting to show that she was beginning to have their mother's eyes as well.

It almost made him nervous. What would he do, when his younger sisters began to date? What would he do to the boys that came knocking at the door, trying to call on his Yuzu, his Karin? Well obviously he'd punch their lights out. Or Karin would. Whoever got to the door first really. He couldn't imagine his sister Karin ever dating. Not that she wasn't pretty, she was plenty of that now, he just knew that his sister's standards were high. If she were to even think about dating, she wouldn't settle for some random guy who asked her out just because he thought she was cute. She wasn't easily flattered.

Yuzu however...well, Ichigo would come to that when that time came.

Right as Ichigo was finishing this train of thought, a knock was heard at the door. Ichigo glanced to his sister, who didn't look like she was going to miss a second of this game, even if it were God at the door. Ichigo sighed and got up, grudgingly heading for the door. This had better be important. He thought irritably to himself as he opened the door.

Thinking on it later, Ichigo realized he shouldn't have opened the door at ten at night. After all, robberies were becoming common, not to mention it was night. But of course Ichigo was tired from a long day of exams and of sitting on his ass watching TV, so he wasn't really thinking straight.

So when opening the door, Ichigo was horrifyingly shocked to see someone whom he really shouldn't have opened the door for. Two people in fact.

For there in his doorway stood the devilishly smiling Arrancar Grimmjow and the coldly expressionless Arrancar Ulquiorra.

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Grimmjow chuckled as he looked on the shocked face of Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Long time no see Shit-face." it took Ichigo a moment to register all of this. Not only were two very strong Espada standing in his doorway, but they were both in...was this right? Were they in gigai form? And why were they dressed like gang members?

"W-What do you want?" he asked, defensive and shocked. He nearly backed away from the door, but thought better of it. He didn't want them to see his innocent sister sitting on the couch watching the television.

"Heh. You're dumber than you look. And that's pretty stupid to start with."

"Aizen-sama requests your presence." Ulquiorra was never one to waste a moment.

"Che, I was getting to that." Grimmjow muttered angrily. He turned to Ichigo, grin gone and thin eyebrows closely knitted. "Come on, we got a couple other stops to make."

"What'd'you mean?"

"Duh, you're not the only bitch we need to steal." Grimmjow bared his teeth in amusement and took his hands from out of his pockets.

"Why are you in gigai form? What's with the leather jackets? What is this? I've beaten you before Grimmjow, I'll do it again." He warned, taking on a sudden offensive stance.

"Heh! What a joke. With your precious family inside? I don't think so bitch. Let's go." Grimmjow was getting impatient, and when Grimmjow became impatient, things usually had the tendency to get destroyed, or obliterated. Either one worked for the hot-headed dead man.

Ichigo stopped and his fingers gripped the side of the door harshly, causing his fingers to turn white. "You wouldn't." he stated, daring the Espada to piss him off. Grimmjow straightened his shoulders out slowly and took a step closer to Ichigo, close enough to breathe hot air into his face.

"Don't tell me what I will or won't do punk. I don't answer to your authority."

"You will answer to Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra interrupted with his unquestionable comment. "Kurosaki Ichigo. If you do not come with us willingly, we will be forced to take you violently. I don't think it will be worth it on your end, because either way we will take you back with us."

Ichigo lifted his head higher out of spite. "Oh yeah? Says who?" he challenged.

"That would be me." Everyone turned to face the roof, from which the familiar voice had come.

"Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra gave a quick bow and Grimmjow faltered for a moment, obviously not knowing his master had been there the whole time. Ichigo stiffened and looked up at the traitor. For there he was, hair slicked back and beady brown eyes gazing at him sharply.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. I highly recommend that you come with these fine gentlemen before I tell them to go inside and rough up your family a bit. Are we agreed?"

Ichigo was caught. He glared at the man with all of the hate he could muster, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to save his family. Could he save his family? He couldn't just take this lying down! But...

Images of Aizen slicing Ichigo in half in the Soul Society came to his mind in vivid detail. If he could, and would, do that to him, what would he do to his family?

A loud growl erupted from behind him, and he heard his sister yell happily in her quietest voice at the screen. The Tigers had scored. Aizen raised an eyebrow at Ichigo questioningly while the target of his unwavering gaze twitched. It wasn't Ichigo's nature to just give up without a fight. Every muscle in his body screamed at him to release himself into Shinigami form, to free himself from the bind and fight Aizen, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow to the death.

But death was closer than Ichigo liked to admit as a possibility, and closer to his family than he would even consider thinking about. While Ichigo's body wanted a fight, his mind wanted peace. For the first time in his life, Kurosaki Ichigo was being faced with truly giving up without a fight. And as much as Ichigo hated it, he was slowly inclined to accept the offer.

It wasn't for himself, he told himself, it was for his family. For his sisters.

"Ichigo! Hurry up! What's going on over there?" Karin shouted a whisper from the living room.

"Nothing!" he answered and his brow creased further. He couldn't just not fight. But he couldn't let his family get hurt either.

He was off guard and was being left to improvise. But improvising off of nothing wasn't a skill he really had a talent for. He was alone. Alone to make the decision-fight or flight. Literally, in both cases.

"If this helps your decision," Aizen called from the roof lazily. "We already have your little girlfriend."

"Y-You son of a –"

"Language, Kurosaki Ichigo." Ulquiorra reminded him, coming up in a sudden flash from his earlier place. His hand was whipped out, fingers pointed to Ichigo's neck, threatening to take it off.

"So? What is your choice? Come peacefully...or coming with the knowledge that your family is in pieces?" Aizen offered the bargain to him calmly, but Ichigo had a hard time seeing straight. He didn't have a choice. That was what Aizen was telling him.

"You'll regret this. I'll make you regret this." Ichigo forewarned. Aizen chuckled.

"If only Ichigo-kun, if only."

"Don't be so familiar with me!" he shouted angrily. Ulquiorra came from behind and grabbed Ichigo's arms behind his back, restraining him from being able to make any sudden movements.

"I don't see why not. We'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on Ichigo-kun." By the time Ichigo had opened his mouth to protest, Ulquiorra had already jumped into the waiting garganta that was hovering in the sky, like a giant mouth waiting to devour fresh meat. Aizen's gaze followed them until they disappeared into the black chasm, then without moving his head, set his focus on his Sixth Espada.

"Grimmjow. Rough up the family a bit. Make the neighbors think it's another break in."

"Ahh." Grimmjow answered, and Aizen disappeared as well. Grimmjow was left alone on the front porch of he Kurosaki Clinic, wondering just what 'rough up' implied.

"Ichigo! WHAT are you doing? Get in here!" shouted Karin, volume at its normal setting, from the couch. Grimmjow's lip curled into a simper.

He would leave it to self-interpretation.

Author's Note: I'm not quite sure where I'm going to go from here, but hopefully, I'll plan everything out tomorrow. I'm not working or anything, but I might need to return my uniform to DK. They sent me a holiday card, isn't that thoughtful? The library doesn't do that. :(

I feel bad for doing this to Ichigo. Don't worry though, he's going to wreak havoc in Hueco Mundo, so his fighting spirit isn't going to be tampered with all that much. I like the guys that just never seem to die. Reminds me of my German heritage. :)