AN: Hey guys and welcome to the Fourth Chapter of "Healing What Is Broken."

I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!

Now, I already know that this chapter is going to be controversial and some will not be pleased with how things went in here but know that I do everything for a specific reason and never because I am lazy or such which is far from the truth.

Now, without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!

"Talking."

'Zanpakutō / Hollow talking.'

'Thoughts.'

"Quotation."

*Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing*

(Flashback and time skips)

"Attacks / Zanpakutō release."


"Argh... Where the hell am I?" The Substitute Shinigami groaned as he woke up from his slumber, his hand clutching tightly at his aching head.

He tried looking back on what happened and frowned when nothing came to mind. His memories fogged while blurry pictures flashed in his mind.

Seeing as recalling the events that transpired bore no fruits Ichigo had instead opened his eyes and looked around the room he was in.

The sight he was met with made a deep frown to adorn his face.

The room looked like any other room in one of the Division Barracks in the Soul Society, but some features were distinctive.

White metal beds were spread across the room with folding screens spread between each bed for privacy with a small white bedside table filling the empty spot between the bed and the folding screen.

It did not require Ichigo more than few seconds to come to the realization that caused the frown he currently had to adorn his face.

He was in the Fourth Division Barracks.

Why? That he has yet to figure out as his memories were still blurry although they continued to get more clear as time went by.

The only thing that Ichigo seemed to remember slightly was a fight he had with his inner-Hollow, and that made him feel uneasy.

He took the time as he waited for more of his memories to come clearer and scanned the bedside table near him and scowled when he saw two sets of flower resting on the table.

The flowers themselves were not the reason behind his scowl rather the state they were at was.

Most of the flowers were withered while some managed to remain healthy. From what Ichigo could see the flowers were of all colors while one set had orange stand out the most while the other had white.

'Probably Inoue and the midget,' He thought as he pointed the similarities between his friends and the colors that stood out.

Orange like Inoue's hair and the color of her powers and White like Rukia's Zanpakutō and her snow.

Suddenly, a massive headache assaulted him which caused him to wince and tightly hold his head as he waited for the pain to go away.

As he did so, the fogged memories in his mind seemed to completely clear up.

His fight with Kenpachi, the disadvantage he had for most of the fight, and the finishing blow that... Killed him. He remembered it all, and he grimaced as he recalled those events.

He could not believe that he lost the fight, but that was pushed to the side as he thought about how he died once again.

Memories of his fight with Ulquiorra back at the top of Las Noches flashed through his mind. The way the Fourth Espada had pierced his chest with his Cero was something Ichigo would never forget as well as the next time he woke up only to see Ulquiorra critically wounded with Tensa Zangetsu impaled deep in Ishida's stomach.

Even today he still did not know what fully transpired that day but thanks to his Hollow he knew that he somehow transformed into a Hollow form that allowed him to be on par with Ulquiorra or perhaps even stronger than him, he did not know.

'I'm glad that you remember that form Kingy 'cause that wasn't the last you've seen of it thanks to you being a weak ass as you are' The wicked voice of his Hollow sneered.

Ichigo hissed at his Hollow's words. 'What the hell are you talking about you bastard?'

'Oh... I'm talking about how ya pansy died in your fight against that large piece of shit and allowed me to take over and use that form again so I could teach him a much-needed lesson,' His Hollow gleefully said, a much sicker version of Kenpachi's grin adorning his face.

Upon hearing what his Hollow told him Ichigo had widened his eyes in shock as panic took over him.

His Hollow had managed to take over and assume the same form he did in his fight against Ulquiorra. Did his Hollow hurt anyone? Did he damage the Seireitei? Or did he... Kill someone? Those were questions Ichigo had dreaded as he thought about his Hollow spreading chaos across the Seireitei for god knows how long.

His worried thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice spoke.

'Worry not Ichigo, from what I have seen no harm had befallen your friends although the one you fought against did suffer heavy damage,' Zangetsu spoke, his tone soothing Ichigo.

Ichigo sighed in relief. 'Thanks, old man Zangetsu, that bastard's lucky he did not harm anyone but Kenpachi too much or else I'll be down there kicking his ass again,' He abhorred his Hollow with a threat.

His answer was a scoff from his Hollow. 'Pfff, I would like to see you try. Your luck will not last forever Kingy, and the second it runs out I'll be knocking on your door,'

Luckily for Ichigo, his bickering with his Hollow was abruptly interrupted when the door to his room had opened and a figure stepped inside.

"It seems that you are finally awake Ichigo, I was starting to get worried," The melodious voice of Unohana spoke as she neared his bed.

Ichigo fought off the blush that threatened to spread over his cheeks. "T-Thank you Captain Unohana, but why did you worry? I wasn't out for a long time was I?" He nervously asked.

"Oh, you were out for three whole days Ichigo. Your friends had started to become restless, but luckily you are now awake and with that, the restlessness of your friends should stop. I myself was quite worried as I expected you'll be awake after two days and not three," She frowned.

"Three days?! Just how bad was I injured?" He asked in bewilderment.

"I'm afraid you were injured quite badly. The large slash Captain Zaraki had inflicted on you was rather gruesome, and your chance of your survival was quite low and the injuries you sustained afterward only decreased your chance,"

Ichigo scowled when Unohana mentioned the wounds he sustained after he was impaled by Kenpachi. Those wounds were made to him while in his Hollow form without him even having a memory of them or everything that happened during that time.

As if she read his mind Unohana had spoken. "Forgive me for my intrusion but would you tell me what was the form you assumed after Captain Zaraki had inflicted his finishing blow on you?"

Ichigo tensed but spoke none the less, knowing full well that if it was not Unohana who asked then it would be the Head Captain and he would rather deal with the Captain of the Fourth Division than that old man.

Upon thinking about it for a bit Ichigo realized that out of all the Captains Unohana, Toshiro, Kyoraku, and Ukitake were his favorite in that order.

Those Captains were among the few who showed him kindness and did not look down on the fact that he was human like most of the other Captains or just did not flat out hate him like Byakuya and that weirdo Captain from the Twelfth Division.

Then there were Captains like Komamura and Soi-Fon who cared little about him and the Vaizards who he still had trouble to consider Captains seeing as how he was still used to how they used to be when they trained him in the abandoned warehouse.

The talk he had with Unohana had yet to leave his mind especially the last part of the conversation that left him dumbstruck and blushing heavily.

None the less she was the only Captain who approached him to warn him about Kenpachi and show her support for him despite her odd ways of showing it and for that Ichigo was very grateful. There were many mysteries behind the girl known as Unohana Retsu, and the more Ichigo thought about it, the more entranced he became.

Oddly enough his Hollow was quiet this time which was very unlike him seeing as whenever his thoughts drifted to one of his female friends his Hollow would always tease him.

He was half-tempted to ask his Hollow why he was quiet but he quickly shrugs it off seeing as he never wants to be the one to initiate a conversation with that bastard.

The reason for why Ichigo liked Ukitake and Kyoraku was because they were nice and always sociable to him as if he was a full-part Shinigami and did not treat him any different because of his origins.

Toshiro, on the other hand, he liked because he knew that despite his cold exterior, underneath Toshiro was still a child in heart and when ignoring his cold attitude he found his company to be pleasant like when they were stationed in the living world when the Arrancars appeared. There was also Karin who told him about the Captain and how he helped her and her team with their soccer games quite often and how he seemed to visit her whenever he can. The last made Ichigo like and dislike Toshiro at the same time because while the child Captain seemed to care about his sister, he hoped it wasn't the kind of care he thought it was or otherwise he and Toshiro will have a loooong talk. He did hazily remember Karin telling him about why she can't be in a relationship with the young Captain even if she wanted to, which she vehemently denied.

The orange-haired substitute snapped back to reality when he realized that Unohana was still staring at him in anticipation as she awaited his answer. There was another thing he could spot in her eyes other than her anticipation but he could not pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Ahh... Well, there's no easy way to explain it other than that I died from that hit and my Hollow took over and somehow that helped me to survive the attack," Unohana frowned.

"Well, I am glad that the Hollow managed to help with your condition. From what I understood from Miss Inoue this was not the first time this happened?" Her inquiry caused Ichigo to tense even more.

"Y-Yea... When I fought against the Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra, he blew a hole in my chest using his cero and it killed me. From what I know it seems that Inoue cried out for me and my Hollow responded to it by taking over and assuming that form before he killed Ulquiorra," Ichigo nervously scratched the back of his neck as he waited for Unohana's reaction.

"I see. This is an impressive ability. Your Hollow must care a lot about you if he saved your life two times already,"

'You have no idea how wrong you are...' He sweatdropped.

"Now, I would like to examine you to see how your injuries are so if you may remove your shirt so I could get a better look at the injuries," Unohana request.

Ichigo looked a little startled from the request but complied none the less as he knew that should he not comply Unohana's spooky face will make an appearance and Ichigo did not want that.

Once he took his shirt he heard Unohana inhale sharply which caused him to blush slightly as he became slightly self-conscious.

Unohana for her part fought to hide the blush that threatened to spread across her cheeks when she saw Ichigo's body.

His body was one that Unohana could only describe as that of a god of war. Well-toned muscles of his arms pulsed with every move he made while his chiseled chest rose with each breath he took.

She grimaced when she saw the many scars on his body. Such a young boy yet his body tells an entirely different story.

Unohana quickly shook herself out of her daze as to not make Ichigo uncomfortable with her gawking that to her luck he had yet to spot and examined his body.

The moment Ichigo felt the hands of the Fourth Division Captain touch his body he shivered in what felt like pleasure. Those hands were so soft, and the touch was so tender, yet it would sometimes become coarse. In a way, her touch described Unohana's character perfectly.

His cheeks turned a much heavier shade of crimson the longer her hands lingered on his body, and his mind seemed to numb from time to time when her touch was too much for it. If he would've paid attention, he would've realized that Unohana had long since finished her examination and just continued to touch him.

After what seemed like forever Unohana's hands had left Ichigo's body which made him scowl briefly before he shook it off and awaited the Captain's evaluation of his condition.

"From what I could see your condition is quite good. Your injuries seemed almost to be entirely healed, but I would insist that you stay here for another night so you could rest and allow your injuries to heal completely," She spoke as she flashed Ichigo a kind smile.

He wanted to refuse as he felt fine but he knew what would await him should he do so so he crossed his hand and mumbled his acceptance.

Unohana smiled, happy that the orange-haired agreed to stay out of his own will and did not have to be convinced to stay.

She debated with herself about what she should do, biting her lips as she considered each option. Should she ask him what was weighing on her mind or should she push that back and ask him sometime in the future?

Now was a good chance for her to ask but she was unsure as Ichigo had already shared much with her when he spoke about his Hollow and what happened in his fight against the Fourth Espada.

"Ichigo, may I ask you something that I have been wondering about?" She asked, her internal conflict already decided.

"Sure, what is it Captain Unohana?"

"Why is it that you are so adamant in protecting your friends? You seemed to care very little about your life whenever someone you know and have a bond with are being threatened," Ichigo was caught off-guard by Unohana's question and scowled as he remembered that day in the river.

"I... I don't want to talk about it, but I consider you a friend I can trust, so I'll tell you," His expression soften. He did not know why but he already considered Unohana as something akin to a dear friend, and he felt that he should tell her about his mother.

"When I was little my mother was the center of my universe. Whenever I was feeling down from being beaten by my friend Tatsuki in our karate class just seeing my mother when she waited for me at the entrance made me feel much better. But one day, when we returned from the karate dojo after another class something happened. I saw a girl almost drowning in a river on our way home and went to help her despite my mother warning me not too, and then everything went black. The next thing I remember is lying on the ground with my mother on top of me, limp and unresponsive. At first, I thought she was sleeping so I tried to nudge her awake but I after a few minutes I realized that was not the case and when I did my whole world seemed to crumble down. That day I made a vow to myself to atone for the failure of protecting my mother and finally fulfill the meaning behind my name even if it costs me my own life," By the time Ichigo had finished Unohana was close to tears.

That boy... He suffered so much yet he does not hold a grudge against the world. Instead, he does his very best not to allow anything like what happened to his mother to repeat to another person he cares about. That boy is truly something special.

"I-I'm really sorry Ichigo, I did not know. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable," Not really knowing what to say, Unohana apologized in a shaky voice.

"It's okay don't worry about it. Although I do have something to ask you as well Captain Unohana,"

"Hmm? What is it you wish to ask?"

"Back when you warned me about Kenpachi I saw something that made me wonder. I saw the same pain and sadness I have when you tried to intimidate me with your creepy smile. I don't know what happened to you that caused you to shoulder the same feelings as I do but because of that, I felt kind of close to you. Despite not knowing you that well there's something that makes me feel as if you are a very dear friend to me that I could trust, but most importantly you understand me seeing as you feel the same sorrow I do. I wanted to know what was it that caused you to become like this?" Ichigo's heartfelt confession made Unohana's eyes widen in shock.

That confession was the last thing Unohana had needed to know that Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami, and the guy she fell in love with was indeed something special. Over the course of the years Unohana had met many people man and women alike and had her fair share of dating - although the best her dating had reached was a second date - but no one had ever seemed to notice the feelings she hid beneath the surface. Whenever she used her infamous smile people would bolt out of the room covered with sweat, but none had ever managed to look behind the smile. Most saw it as a tool the Captain used to get what she desired while others thought of it as the way the pacifist Captain spread panic and fear without fighting. Perhaps it was one of the reasons, or perhaps it was only one, but one thing was sure and that there was more behind the infamous smile than a mean to get things or to spread fear and panic even if those two were also a part of it.

"I-I'm sorry but I cannot talk about it... Not now at least," Unohana replied, her voice slightly shaking.

Ichigo's expression briefly fell before it returned to being neutral.

"I see. It must be something harsh. Don't worry I won't push you to speak about it I'll just wait until you're ready," Ichigo told her tenderly, his tone showing the sincerity behind his words.

"T-Thank you,"

Silence lingered in the room afterward as both Ichigo and Unohana had no idea what to say. While Ichigo maintained a steady gaze on the wall in front of him Unohana's gaze was set downward as she contemplated on her next actions.

She was delighted that she managed to learn as much as she did about Ichigo and to hear him say that he considered her as a close friend enough to confide her with such information made her heart flutter but she did not want it to end there. No, Unohana was not that kind of woman. She would not settle for anything below what she desired unless the odds were truly against her and it did not look like it in Ichigo's case.

A few minutes had passed before Unohana had steeled herself enough to follow through with her intentions. True, she was a very old soul who had experienced much in her life but whenever it came to matters of the heart Unohana Retsu had always felt like she was nothing more than a young adult in this area. Being the Captain of the Fourth Division was something that taxed her greatly in many ways. One of those taxes that burdened Unohana was the loneliness that accompanied her job. She was a girl, and no girl wanted to be lonely but serving as a Captain did not give her the privilege of pursuing a love interest. Between saving life and serving the Gotei Thirteen as she did for most of her life in the Soul Society between going to dates with men in order to vanquish the loneliness she preferred the former. True, she did try to date when the loneliness was hard to bear, but it always ended the same. It always was some Shinigami who wanted nothing more than to get into her pants and then gloat to his friends that he had sex with the beautiful Captain of the Fourth Division. Of course, she never did allow anyone that privilege which is why she had not been sexually active for a very long time.

"Ichigo I apologize for the intrusion once again but may I ask you another question?" Unohana voice snapped Ichigo from his daze.

"Sure what is it Captain Unohana?"

"Are you in some sort of a relationship with Orihime Inoue or perhaps another human?" Ichigo's cheeks turned crimson in embarrassment.

"N-N-No..."

"I see," Unohana said, her melodious tone not betraying any of her emotions or intentions.

Slowly she got up which alarmed Ichigo as he wondered if perhaps he said something wrong that caused Unohana to leave.

But Unohana did not leave as Ichigo thought. No, she stood still and gazed intently at Ichigo's eyes while The tip of her tongue unconsciously licked her plump lips before she did something that caught Ichigo completely off-guard.

She leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

The kiss was chaste but also one that allowed Ichigo to know what Unohana felt. It was passionate, full of adoration and also lust.

The feeling of Unohana's full and plush lips on top of his sent shivers of pure pleasure down his spine while the emotions he sensed behind the kiss made his mind go haywire.

But Ichigo's current state did not stop him from reacting to the kiss, and that's what he did as he returned the kiss with equal passion as he as well allowed Unohana a rare peek into the emotions he did his very best to hide from the world. He did not know what took over him at that moment as his mind was still in chaos from the kiss but when he returned it, he felt a feeling he never felt before. He felt whole. He felt as if he finally accepted a part of him he never accepted before.

The Captain widened her eyes in return before bliss took over her and caused her to close her eyes and moan as soft trembles of pleasure took over her.

They did not know how long the kiss had lasted. Be it seconds, minutes, or hours it did not matter as for them it felt as if it ended too soon.

"C-Captain Unohana?" Ichigo asked in bewilderment after regaining his breath.

Their cheeks were flushed and they breathed ruggedly as they continued to look each other in the eye with the only thing now connecting them was a thin trail of saliva.

Unohana had giggled before she spoke. "Why I did not think that the act of kissing no longer spoke for itself. Perhaps it's been too long since I used such a mean to express what I want,"

"I will say it bluntly Ichigo. I. Want. You. You were always the subject of my thoughts in one way or another before it turned to what it currently is. Like you said to be not too long ago. I look at you and see the same thing I know so well about myself. I never came across a man such as yourself. A man so kind and forgiving but at the same time extremely fierce when needed. Ever since you and your friends had invaded the Seireitei in order to rescue Kuchiki Rukia, I had found myself interested in you. In Hueco Mundo, as we traveled back through the Garganta I was awed by the amount of spiritual pressure you had as you explained to me the meaning behind your Bankai's coat. But recently my feelings for you had become much more than just lust. They turned into love as I really looked at the man whose body made me wet on more than one occasion. I looked from aside as you went to great lengths to protect your friends. How you invaded the Seireitei to save Kuchiki Rukia, how you infiltrated Hueco Mundo in order to rescue Orihime Inoue, and how you sacrificed the powers you worked so hard to achieve in order to promote the safety of everyone around you. Everyone has a tiny bit of selfishness in them, but when I look at you, it is as if you do not possess even that tiny fraction. My dreams turned from ones where I imagined you taking me into dreams of me having a loving relationship with you," She spoke while Ichigo continued to look at her. His eyes widened with each sentence.

"I want to finally know how it feels to be the one who is protected instead of being the one who protects. I want to know how it is to be rescued instead of being the one who rescues. I want to be the subject of someone's worries instead of someone being the subject of mine. I want to know how it feels to have someone to help you get rid of your burdens instead of being the one who helps. I think about a man who will be able to give me all of that. A man who will be able to love me for who I am even when I tell him my most horrible secrets and my mind always conjure your picture," Unohana confessed, her voice never wavering as she told Ichigo exactly how she felt.

Unohana was never one to drag things. Whenever she saw young romance, she always frowned at how long it took the couple to confess their feelings even though it was obvious to others exactly how they felt. She knew that she loved Ichigo and she knew exactly what her opinion about the orange-haired substitute was so there was nothing that stopped her from acting on her feelings.

"I-I don't know what to say. I always thought you were an awesome Captain and an amazing person who dedicated herself to a noble cause. You are a healer but at the same time you are as much of a warrior as Kenpachi or any other Captain is when needed. You are not afraid of anything, and you have years and years of experience and wisdom. Not to mention that you are also very beautiful and gentle but also terrifying when needed. A-And when you kissed me, I was shocked, but after a second the shocked turned into a feeling I never felt before. I felt as if I was finally whole, as if I accepted a part of me that I always refused to accept before. You already know plenty about me, but I still don't know a lot about you, and I would like it if we could get to know each other more," Ichigo replied, not thinking about how he laid out his feelings out in the open for the first time in so many years.

Unohana's eyes widened in response as she listened to what Ichigo had said. When she decided to go through with confessing, she allowed her mind to think of a few reactions. She imagined Ichigo being creeped out and attempting to run, she imagined him shut down in shock, she imagined him politely reject her, and she imagined him hesitantly tell her that he is not sure what to think and that he cannot respond to her feelings at the moment. But her mind had never thought of the possibility her heart yearned for. Yet, here he was accepting her feelings and reciprocating them as well as showing his sincere desire to get to knwo her.

"S-So what does that mean?" She found herself stuttering, unsure of how to proceed from there.

"I guess we are in a relationship now aren't we? I mean I may suck at those kinds of things but I at least know that since we feel the same about each other then we are in a relationship," Ichigo said as he flashed Unohana a small smile.

Unohana just widened her eyes as if she did not believe what she heard before she cracked a wide smile at Ichigo before she claimed his lips with hers in a passionate kiss. A kiss full of love and gratitude.

"Ichigo I need to tell you something before we progress any further," Unohana told him as they broke the kiss.

"You see. A relationship between a human and a soul will not be something that others at the Soul Society will think nicely of. But the possible opinion others might have about our relationship isn't what I wanted to tell you. There is a law here that forbid any relationship between a soul and a human with death awaiting those who break it," Ichigo's eyes widen in horror.

"W-What? Are you sure about that Captain Unohana? I don't want to see you get hurt because of our relationship," He sincerely told her, causing her eyes to widen once again at how selfless this man was.

"Yes, I am sure about it Ichigo. It may be a risk, but that is a risk I am willing to take. I never felt the same thing I feel for you towards another guy. I did have a short relationship a long time ago, but it was a relationship made out of lust and the need to satisfy one's needs and not love. I am a lonely woman and being the Captain of the Fourth Divison does not allow me the privilege of dating, and even on the occasions that I did manage to date, it was always someone who wanted nothing more than to bed me and then gloat about it to his friends. I want to be with you Ichigo; you make me feel special, and you allow me to experience things I never experienced before. We'll just have to keep our relationship a secret," Unohana informed him.

"I understand. As long as you are okay with that than I am fine with that as well. And if those bastards will find out about us and will attempt to kill you then I will raze the Soul Society to the ground. After all, no one will harm those I care about," His words sent shivers down Unohana's spine as tears came to her eyes.

'So this is how it feels to be protected,'

'Thank you, Ichigo,'