A/N: Ok, I'll be honest you guys, after my last chapter I've been totally writer's blocked. No joke, I completely couldn't figure out a proper continuation after Rukia's long soliloquy. That is…until now.

Same as always, please read and review.

Chapter 4
The Consideration

Ichigo took large hulking steps down the wooden staircase. The scowl on his young adolescent face skulking more than it normally does. His slender frame contrast the loud thudding made by his feet as he continued his descent from the confines of his room.

His mind was dead quiet.

Middle of the afternoon and already things are turning inside out, not to mention to tremendous heat refusing to die out. He didn't want to think about anything right now, not a single refrain or murmur in his head. In truth, he's trying to escape himself.

Ichigo couldn't understand anything anymore, loosing the grip of what he can see and what he can feel. The line dividing the two factors slowly fading away. It'd almost seem like he doesn't know himself at the moment. And the middle of all the commotion in his soul is the naïve raven-haired girl nestled in his closet.

The past events still occupied his memories. He thought he knew her well and vice versa. He thought wrong… they both did, and now the questions and answers they kept rejecting are slowly eating them up.

He still doesn't understand, and his silent thoughts reflected it.

Ichigo marched down, his stampede-like pacing ending as he took steps on the ground floor of the Karakura clinic. His sisters were busily watching TV, perhaps distracting themselves from the heat, compensation in this ruthless weather or so it seems. The orange-haired young man had a couple of empty plates in his hands, the ones him and Rukia used earlier. He subtly dragged them over to the sink, and timidly began washing the dishes.

Meanwhile in the dinning table, not so far in view from the sink, settled Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's overly enthusiastic father. The doctor was quietly sitting on the far end of the spotless wooden table, a cup of steaming coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

His eyes trailed back and forth as he read the news buzzing about in their not-so-ordinary town. After taking a couple of sips from his cup of joe, he caught eye of something else out of the norm.

"Oiy, son, why so quiet over there?" He asked, lowering down the newspaper from his vision to get a good look on his eldest son.

Ichigo heard him well. He considered whether to reply or not.

"I'm… fine." He answered in a stoic tone, nearly matching Chad's regular mood.

"You sure? You look like there's something bothering you. Got something you can't get off your chest or something?" Isshin continued, now bearing a more concerned look.

What? What the hell, dad, I'm quietly washing the dishes over here, I don't look anywhere near like a guy with a problem. A quick thought finally popped into Ichigo's subconscious.

"Hmm… it's about a girl, isn't it?" His father suddenly let out an unexpected question. Ichigo winced upon immediately hearing, shocked in more ways than one.

How'd he…? But… a-and then…WHAT THE HELL?! He babbled to himself as he rigidly turned his head a 90 degrees to eye his father confusingly. He was so surprised that he couldn't even post a denial or return a sarcastic remark.

"Ha ha, I'm right aren't I?" Isshin gloated a bit before removing himself from his seat. We walked over to Ichigo, his hands shuffled in the pockets of his doctor's coat. Ichigo simply raised a brow. Part of him wanted to mouth off and get as far away from his estranged father as possible, while another kept him standing in his place, thinking to himself that maybe he has some words of wisdom that can help him in his current predicament.

Does dad know about Rukia? No, he can't possibly…

"Ichigo, have I ever told you about what it was like when I first met your mother?" Isshin then began. He leaned back onto the kitchen counter so he won't have to stand. Ichigo decided to hear his father out this one time. He returned his head forward and peered his eyes down. He continued washing the dished, but he was all ears.

"You see, your mother and I weren't always at good terms, you know." Isshin said.

What?

"Wait, that can't be right, you and mom always seem so happy of what I remember." Ichigo interrupted, he was already halfway done in his dishwashing.

"Well, this was before we were married. Trust me, before we used to argue A LOT." The father corrected, staring upward. It seemed like he was even flashing back to various memories he could remember. Ichigo wished he could see them right now, gestured moments of his mother.

Mom...

But all he still remembered about her was that fateful night. Where everything changed... the only night in his life he wished he could take back.

"I don't know why but at first, I always saw her as the straight-forward, serious kind of person…" The doctor continued, causing the 15-year old to oddly raise a brow. When he was a kid, he always saw his mother as the caring person. Now his father was shedding some unsettling light about her.

It's always been hard whenever they discussed about her. But somehow, Ichigo felt comfortable about this particular story.

"…And according her, I was a weirdo overactive goofball when she first caught sight of me." Isshin continued, there was no dispute on this comment.

"The point is, Ichigo, at first expression, me and your mom believed that we're total opposites and as naïve as we are, we were both convinced that we would always get caught in a struggling debate every time we're inside the same room."

"That is… until we got to know each other."

Isshin's last comment garnered Ichigo's attention once more.

"It was kind'a funny." The father of the Kurosaki household chuckled to himself. "You know, you'd be surprised how different you're going to look at people once you understand who they really are completely."

"Masaki…"

"Ah... the more I spent time with her, the more I got to know her. The real her, the one that's given our family so much. Behind her serious look, she's really a kind and caring person." Isshin was to himself, a smile was at the corner of his lips. Ichigo knew what his father was feeling right now.

Yeah… I miss her too, dad.

"So whoever this girl is, son… just give her a chance." The scruffy doctor ended. He playfully punched Ichigo's shoulder one last time before walking back to his seat.

Giver her a chance, huh?
Get to know the real Rukia?

"Any questions?" Isshin followed up, putting the newspaper in front of his face to return to his reading. On last time, he gathered the orange-haired adolescent's attention.

"Uh… yeah, I actually got one." Ichigo did think up a question at the moment.

"Well, what is it?"

"Why are you reading a newspaper so late in the afternoon, dad?"

End of Chapter 4

A/N: I always liked serious Isshin. I'm not saying that the goofy dad is bad or anything but with the exception of his introduction in the Vizard story arc, we haven't gotten to see much of the SERIOUS ISSHIN KUROSAKI.

Might as well wait for upcoming Bleach episodes, maybe they can answer my plead.

Anyways, please review, ok? Would appreciate it.

Peace out.