Author's Note: I'm lazy. Sorry for the lack of updates on well, everything

Anyway, this chapter may be a little OOC, but eh, everyone changes in 17 months. I just couldn't keep Isshin serious, the whole time, it just doesn't suit him.

Anyway, please enjoy and give me some feedback people!


Ichigo slammed his fists on the dining room table, almost breaking it with the sheer force he used as a result of the combination of his worry, anxiety, frustration and anger. What in the hell did goat-face mean? 'Not able to contact Soul Society?' So for the last 17 months, while he wallowed in the pits of rejection and despair over the fact that no one 'bothered' to contact him, he finds out not only that there was a good chance they couldn't, but that others KNEW and didn't tell him? He was positively enraged, and was fairly sure if this was some sort of comic, steam would be blowing out of his ears. The nerve! How dare they make decisions for him! If he had known…, h-he could have started training earlier, and might have been able to save them…

No contact? That meant everyone he knew on the other side could be…. -No, he couldn't think like that. Right now, all his emotion bottled up from the past 17 months had reached their boiling point, and there was nothing he could do to stop the onslaught of words pouring from his mouth.

The eldest Kurosaki knew the look on his son's face. The younger's face was set in a tight grimace, his fists clenched with the nails digging into the flesh of his palm, small trickles of blood seeping down his forearms. His eyes had dilated, the previously amber hues appeared almost golden in quality because of the extreme rage and emotion the boy was feeling. He could clearly see the stance his son was set in, cornered like a wounded animal, prepared to lash out at the closest object. Isshin knew he would have to try defuse the bomb quickly, otherwise this would quickly turn into a verbal war, a serious fight- much unlike the two's previous quarrels.

"I can't believe you'd keep something like that from me…" he spat, in a deadly voice, as he dropped his head, the orange bangs now teasing his eyebrows concealed his eyes, that were undoubtedly narrowed into slits. He didn't bother shouting, keeping his voice low, but still sounding like he was vainly controlling thinly veiled fury.

The eldest gulped in worry, never having seen his son so positively furious in his life. It was now or never. He had to get the point across, and subdue him to a state where he would listen, because at this point, one wrong move and it would all be over. All the emotions his son had tried to bury in the last 17 months would break through the mask he always wore, and the elder wasn't entirely sure if he'd be able to handle it.

"It wasn't just me; it was decided as a group, Ichigo." The eldest Kurosaki spoke in a relatively calm voice, in a futile attempt to pacify the beast raging just below the surface.

Unfortunately, his comment seemed to enrage the boy further as his lips twisted into a silent snarl.

"Who the hell is in this so-called group?" Ichigo snarled, his fury growing with each passing excuse. Isshin mentally prepared himself for the explanation, already fearing his son's reaction. If the answer set him off, there would be nothing the elder could do, and he might as well toss all hopes of pacifying the boy out the window.

"… The only people who know- myself included-, are Yourichi, Sado, Inoue-san, Ishida-san, Kiskue, and now you." The elder soundlessly cringed at his son's reaction. The boy was now positively enraged, his eyes almost seemed to glow in the twilight, while the eldest mentally prepared himself for the onslaught of emotions, about to be released.

"Ishida, Chad and Inoue were in on it too? What the fuck! Who gave everyone the right to make decisions for me!" he growled, his voice no longer quiet as its volume was slowly rising with each word he bit out.

"They were just trying to protect you" Isshin attempted to reason, already knowing it was a futile effort. Ichigo was absolutely livid, and Isshin was sure nothing would work until he vented some of the pent up emotions he kept within for the past 17 months. The elder's own patience was diminishing, and his temper rising, as he could only pray his only son didn't say something that would make him lose control of his own frustration.

"'It's not their decision, or yours! It's MY life, you can't just go ahead and not tell me something like THAT, because you're 'protecting' me, and expect me to just accept it! Did anyone stop to think about how it felt for me?" Ichigo roared, his previous prohibitions of keeping his voice to a reasonable level forgotten. All he could feel was the pure undiluted anger of the past 17 months coursing through his veins.

The elders face twisted slightly into a pained grimace, the only visible sign of discomfort from Ichigo's words, while on the inside; he was steadily losing the reign over his own temper.

Stop pushing Ichigo; you're going to get answers that you don't want. The eldest silently begged.

"Stop it Ichigo, it wasn't our intention to ignore how you felt!" the elder commanded, his voice rising with every word. This was going too far. Too much more and he wouldn't be able to control his own words…or actions.

"Bullshit, you all went ahead and chose what you thought was best for me without taking ME into consideration!" The orange haired boy spat, his lips curled into a snarl, fists clenched to tightly that there were crescent shape wounds imbedded into his palm.

"We didn't want you to shoulder the burden! Can't you see? If we had told you earlier, you know what you would have done? You would have just gone and tried to regain your powe-" Isshin tried fruitlessly to explain to his only son, his own voice now yelling in chorus with Ichigo's.

"Of course I would have! I wouldn't just stand around and watch my friends suffer like some piece of scum! Like you said, we have no idea what's happening there! They could all be hurt, injured or even dea-"

"I KNOW!"

"And another thin-…wait wha..?" His father's worlds ran through his mind once more, as multiple emotions ran past his face. First was the recognition, then all the blood that had rushed to his head from his previous shouting match slowly drained away, leaving him looking pale, and simply vulnerable.

"Don't you think I fought for your opinion in that decision? I KNOW you think like that son, because I do too! Stop being so selfish!" The eldest Kurosaki roared, his own temper now off the handle, his fury matching his son's earlier rage. All his previous attempts to calm it had flown out the window.

"S-selfish?..w-what the hell are you saying?" Ichigo, tried to defend, his eyes wide, as he gaped slightly at his father's accusation. He wasn't selfish! He never fought for himself, only those around him. Not once did he ask anything in return! How was that selfish?

"For the last two years, we've all watched you! Watched you wallow in self-pity, with that god damn broken look on your face, even if you try to hide it by masking it. Do you know how it felt, to WATCH you, know why you were acting that way, and know a way to fix it, but not be able to tell you!"

His father's words struck a chord in him, as he froze instantly. He was right….. They were all hurting too. All the downcast looks that Karin spared, all the tears Yuzu shed, all the tension wafting around the house like a thick cloud suddenly made perfect sense…. They were close to her too. They were hurting just as much as he was….and he didn't even notice….

"D-dad…. I-"

"Don't bother. This is serious, Ichigo." All traces of his previous anger evaporated from his voice. Ichigo could hear it much more clearly now. His father's tone was flat, there was no accusation, only simple stating of facts. He could hear the exhaustion that laced his old man's voice. Even though he never acted like it, Ichigo could tell his father was tiered. Tired from lying to his son, tired from worrying about Soul Society, for the time he himself had remained in ignorant bliss.

Ichigo let out a deep sigh, before bowing his head and murmuring quietly.

Isshin raised an eyebrow, not only because of the low volume of his son's voice, but because of what he thought he had just whispered.

"What did you just say?" Isshin asked skeptically, an eyebrow raised at the orange haired teen.

"I said….I'm sorry." Ichigo mumbled, still barely audible but his father caught the words, before a wide smile spread across his lips.

"It's okay, lets head down to Urahara's to see if we can do anything about connecting to Soul Society, now that you've got your powers back." Isshin instructed, standing slowly before heading towards the front door.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, and decided to comment over the seeming eagerness in his voice.

"Why are you so keen to send me back there, Goat-chin?" He asked; weary of the answer as suspicion laced his tone.

"So you can bring my third daughter back to me of course! I assume she was pregnant with my grandchildren when she left, yes?" Isshin ending up shouting the end of his sentence, as Ichigo horridly socked him in the jaw, while trying to contain the raging blush spreading across his face, resulting in him looking much more like his name.

Ichigo was about to send another punch his father's way, before a hauntingly familiar sprirtual pressure surfaced in the skies of Karakura, as his head snapped to the direction he felt it from, as he instantly set off running towards it.


Rukia!


Kuchiki Rukia was by no means a selfish person.

Even in her days in Rukongai, she had always held others above herself, giving her food away for the starving children even though she was just as hungry, even taking beatings for those who physically couldn't hand another confrontation. When she became a shinigami, and even when she was adopted into the noble Clan of Kuchiki, the belief that her own welfare came after those around her held strong. The innocent souls she was protecting, and the helpless bystander's safety, were much, much more important than her own.

It was moments like these, that made her seriously rethink her lives choices, seeing as even standing on the edge of the world of the living, tasting the sweet euphoria that is freedom for even a second, suddenly seemed incredibly selfish.

How long had it been since she had seen a sky that was neither jet-black, nor blood-red?

How long had it been since the warm rays of the sun had caressed her cheek?

She…she didn't deserve this 'freedom'.

This made her loathing for the man who called himself 'god' multiply. Not because he had robbed her of the few other things she held precious; her friends, her morals, her chastity, hell, even her own soul! No. It was because he had stolen something she didn't even know you could lose. He stole the notion of 'home'. Even if one is bound by chains in a cell, they can still pride themselves in knowing that, that dank, horrid cell is not their home. Not the place they felt comfortable in. Somehow, in the time she was gone, the world of the living ceased to bring the comfort, and warm feeling to her heart it used to bring. No. It was simply The world of the living now. To her, the pale blue skies were wrong. Somewhere along the line, the crimson skies of Soul Society had replaced the pale blue ones from her memories. Somewhere along the line.. the new 'Soul Society' had become her home.

Even standing here, bathing in the warm glow of the sunlight high above the streets of a place she once called home, it still felt like there were iron chains wrapped around her wrists, preventing her from feeling like she was 'home', along with whispering voices calling out, telling her 'you don't belong here'.

She took a shuddering step forward, reinforcing her shaking resolve to do this. If she didn't, then who would? Ichimaru-sotaicho would no doubt send somebody stronger, and more capable, who would definitely slaughter Ichigo with no remorse. She had to do this. She had to remove his spirit energy, everything he had managed to regain….otherwise….otherwise, 'god' might decide that the world of the living would be an appropriate place to dominate next. And if that happened….then everything. Everything she had sacrificed -, including her own soul and sanity-, would be for naught.

She allowed her eyes to close softly as she felt two distinct reitsu approach from either side. She let her defenses to slide, allowing the malevolent, dark corner of her mind to run rampant, as she pulled the hollow mask down over her face…


I'm sorry. Ichigo.