Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach
AN: Next chapter ahoy. Hope everyone likes it!
Karakura Town
June 17th, 1996
Rain...I never realized how much I hated it, until this day...
Standing at the entrance to the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo looked up at the sky. He figured that he was taking a risk being here since the Soul Society had started to notice how many times he was in the World of the Living. But...he couldn't not be here, not this day. This day...nine years after his oldest sister had been born. The day, in his original timeline, that he had lost his mother.
If things went anything like he remembered, Grand Fisher would be hunting somewhere along the river. The Hollow was a crafty bastard though, and Ichigo still wasn't good enough at concealing his reiatsu. If Fisher sensed that he was being hunted, he'd vanish and come back at a later date. The newly promoted 3rd Seat couldn't let that happen...he couldn't let that monster escape again.
That was the reason he was in Karakura, to prevent Grand Fisher from leaving the town alive.
"Ichigo," his father's voice spoke up, "Ayumi should be leaving her practice soon."
It was a sign of just how serious the situation was, that Isshin didn't joke around with his only son.
"I know," the younger man replied, brushing a strand of wet hair from his face, "Yuzu and Karin okay?"
Isshin nodded slightly, "Yeah, they're both in bed now. I don't think they're happy about it but..."
"I don't want Grand Fisher coming after them," Ichigo finished, "thanks old man."
"Ichigo...are you sure you can handle this?"
The orange-head looked up at the storm clouds. He wanted to say yes, and it wouldn't really be a lie. In pure power and skill, Grand Fisher was no match for him anymore. Rukia had managed to nearly bind him with a low-level bakudo, and that was in that damn power-draining Gigai of Kisuke's. With the power Ichigo had now, he wouldn't have any issues in that sense.
What worried him, was that Grand Fisher may use his lure. Ichigo couldn't attack Rukia or Masaki, and he knew that is what that bastard would use against him given half a chance. And Ichigo knew just as much that he couldn't use his Bankai. He didn't want to hurt his sister with his power. The thing would be overkill anyway, but the extra speed may be just what he needed...after all, Fisher was fast for his size.
No, I can't think like that. I won't let that bastard escape again...
Turning back to his father, Ichigo flashed a cocky grin, "Yeah, I can handle myself goat-chin. Just keep an eye on the place will ya?"
Isshin nodded, the serious look not once leaving his face, "I can do that. Just don't expect me to do any fighting."
"Too old?"
"You are so cruel to your poor father!" Isshin pouted, before turning serious again, "I am serious though Ichigo. I'm powerless right now, and I can't do anything to help."
Ichigo thought on that for a second, before a flash of inspiration hit him.
'Oi, Zangetsu, Halbmond...could either of you stay materialized long enough to cover the clinic while I deal with Grand Fisher?'
"I cannot," Halbmond answered, "I could only do so before because you believed me your zanpakutō."
'Zangetsu?'
There was silence for a second, before the Hollow voice answered, "I can stay materialized long enough. It will weaken you though, since my power is being split. Quincy boy will have to cover for me."
"He is correct," the other spirit answered, ignoring the nickname.
Ichigo blew out a breath, 'I can deal with that. I don't want to leave my family undefended. Get out here Zangetsu.'
A flash of white-red light revealed Ichigo's reverse-colored zanpakutō. Zangetsu waved at Isshin, who just raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you leaving him here?"
Ichigo shrugged, "Insurance. I'm heading out now, keep an eye on things will ya?"
"You know me Ichigo, I never let anything past me."
"Make sure you don't let anything happen to my beloved first daughter!"
Smiling slightly at the two, Ichigo flashed away. The smile slid off his face as soon as he was out of sight though. As he shunpo'ed through the downpour, the only thing on his mind was reaching his mother and sister before Grand Fisher did. He still didn't know why his mother hadn't been able to kill the Hollow...her power was amazing. But he wasn't about to take the risk that whatever prevented her from killing Fisher the first time would happen again.
And so, he flashed across Karakura, leaping from building to building, as fast as he could. He couldn't afford to move slow, not right now. He wouldn't let that bastard of a Hollow get the drop on his mother this time, no matter what it took.
"You will not fail Ichigo. So long as you have your determination, nothing can stop you."
'Thanks Old Man.'
With those words of encouragement in his head, Ichigo focused on tracking down his mother and sister. Masaki's power was quite easy to find, with the still-growing power of his sister right next to it. Feeling them both okay drew a small smile to Ichigo's face. At least, until he felt something else nearby.
Something dark.
"Damn it!"
Pushing more speed into his legs, Ichigo arrived just in time to see Ayumi pointing down at a girl about to fall into the river. Grand Fisher's lure...the Hollow itself opening its mouth wide, as Masaki moved in front of her daughter to take the blow...
Sometime Earlier
"Mom!"
Nine year-old Ayumi Kurosaki had a wide grin on her face, as she saw her mother smiling down on her from the doorway of the small building. The young girl ran up to her mother, who smiled and picked her up for a hug. Ayumi was every bit as attached to Masaki as Ichigo had been at her age, and it showed. Not that Masaki minded in the slightest...she loved having her daughter so attached to her.
"Did you have fun today Ayumi?" the Quincy asked, her smile never once leaving her face.
The young girl nodded, "Yup! Tatsuki's been teaching me all sorts of tricks!"
"Oh really?" Masaki asked, turning her head to look at the only other girl in the dojo, "Well, did you say thank you?"
Ayumi frowned, before turning her head away from her mother's face, "Thank you!"
A slightly taller, black haired girl, nodded her head. A small blush lined her features at the bright smile Masaki was giving her, as she scratched the back of her head in a very Ichigo-esque gesture. Tatsuki Arisawa hadn't changed at all, and Ichigo would have said as much, had he been there. Since he wasn't, the young girl only had to deal with Masaki.
"You're welcome," Tatsuki said.
Masaki's smile never left her face, as she set her daughter down, "And thank you. Ayumi's lucky to have such a good friend."
Tatsuki didn't say anything to that, instead going back to practicing. Masaki's smile turned a little sly at that, since she knew the poor girl probably wasn't used to praise like that. Or with talking to her friends parents and being thanked by them. She wasn't here to embarrass Tatsuki though.
"Come on Ayumi, I have a surprise to tell you!"
"What is it Mom?" the girl asked, her voice taking on an excited tone.
"Umbrella," Masaki said, laughing lightly at the pout her daughter sent her when she almost forgot her umbrella.
Once everything was situated and the two were on their way home though, Ayumi turned back to her mother. The eager look was back on her face, childish curiosity making her already large brown eyes look even bigger. Masaki chuckled lightly at the look, as the pair walked along through the rain.
"You want to know the surprise?"
"Yes!"
Masaki laughed again at the eagerness of that question, "Ichigo's here to visit. He's waiting at home for us right now."
Ayumi's eyes went almost comically wide, "Ichi-nii is here?!"
"Yep!"
If Masaki had thought her daughter was excited when it was a surprise, she was pleasantly surprised by how eager Ayumi was to see her only brother. Masaki did wonder why her daughter hadn't started questioning why Ichigo didn't seem to age though...she was quite smart for her age after all. It was probably her excitement overriding anything else really. Ichigo's visits were few and far between, because of his increased responsibilities in the Soul Society. The fact he spent as much time with his sisters as he did was a miracle really.
A well-received miracle nonetheless though. Masaki may have known the real reason Ichigo was in town this day, but she was just happy to see her son and daughters interacting. It was a rare treat after all.
"Hey, Mom," Ayumi's voice broke into her thoughts.
"Is something wrong dear?" Masaki asked.
"What's that girl doing?" the young girl asked, a confused tone to her voice.
Masaki's head immediately snapped up, as she looked where her daughter was pointing. Standing by the river, was a slightly older girl in a white dress. Her eyes were hidden by her black hair, as she stood by the raging river. No umbrella was in sight, despite the downpour that was making the river nearly overflow its banks. The Quincy could see why her daughter was worried and pointed the girl out.
It looked like she was about to jump in the river and drown herself. A horrible sight...but nothing on what Masaki could see hovering a fair distance away from the girl. A Hollow...that had to be Grand Fisher. Ayumi couldn't see the Hollow, and didn't see that it was opening its mouth, prepared to eat her whole.
"Move Ayumi!" Masaki shouted, pulling her daughter behind her.
"Mom?" the girl squeaked, before her eyes widened as she finally saw Grand Fisher, "AHH!"
Masaki forced herself not to grab her daughter and run, knowing it would be pointless. Instead, she raised her arms, already gathering reishi to form her bow, even as she knew she would have to take at least one blow on her Blut Vene. But...
My powers!
The moment Masaki felt her bow start forming, it vanished. She swayed on her feet, suddenly powerless. She could still see Grand Fisher, but there was nothing she could do to stop him. The Quincy shut her eyes, prepared for the sharp bite of Grand Fisher's teeth...determined to shield her daughter with her body, if she must. But the pain never came.
Opening her eyes slightly, Masaki saw the back of a shihakushō. And atop it, a head of orange hair. She deflated in relief, adrenaline leaving her body in pure relief at being alive. Ichigo was here...and she knew...she knew he would never let any harm come to her or her daughter.
"Are you okay Mom? Ayumi?" Ichigo asked, his voice strained with anger.
"I'm fine," Masaki replied, not mentioning how she had just lost her powers...Ichigo would undoubtedly be able to sense it anyway.
"Ichi-nii?" Ayumi asked, "Wha..."
Ichigo's shoulders dropped slightly in relief, "I made it in time then. Please, get out of here. I don't want either of you getting hurt."
Masaki felt her maternal instincts rising, her urge to keep her son out of harm's way nearly overwhelming her. But, she knew she wouldn't be able to help him. Not now...not until she found a way to regain her powers. So she just nodded, her normal smile replaced by a grimace, as she picked Ayumi up.
"Mom! We can't just leave Ichi-nii fighting that monster!" the little orange-haired girl protested.
"He can win," Masaki said, a promise in her voice, "He'll win, and come back to us okay."
"Mom! Ichi-nii!"
As his mother carried his struggling sister off, Ichigo turned back to facing the Hollow in front of him. Grand Fisher was screaming in pain, as his arm bled from where it had been severed. Even as he watched, Ichigo knew it would regenerate though...and he was right, as a new arm popped out of the Hollow's side. Fisher flexed the arm, turning his massive mask on Ichigo.
The shinigami had forgotten just how ugly this Hollow was. The lure was like an angler fish, but Grand Fisher's body was like nothing more than a bastardized hamster. It didn't help that the Hollow had a permanent grin fixed on its face, even more so than Zangetsu when he was pretending to be an Inner Hollow. Said grin looked particularly viscous, now that Ichigo had gotten in the way of a meal, and wounded the Hollow.
Something that shinigami had been failing at for fifty years.
"I am impressed boy," the Hollow finally spoke, "it's been some time since a shinigami has actually wounded me. But you got in the way of a meal. You're lucky your soul will be tastier than those women, or I would torture you before I killed them!"
"Not. Happening," Ichigo replied, flaring his white reiatsu.
If Grand Fisher could, he probably would have raised an eyebrow, "Oh? You've got some power boy! I'm going to enjoy eating you after all!"
Ichigo didn't say anything, as he vanished into a shunpo. Zangetsu's blade came forward, aiming directly at Grand Fisher's mask. The Hollow flashed away in a rudimentary sonido, dodging the anger-fueled blow. Ichigo's sense flared, and he jumped over a return attack from the Hollow, its 'fur' coat shooting past where he had been standing. When he dropped out of the air, Zangetsu came down on the extended 'fur', slicing it into two pieces.
Grand Fisher roared in pain, and shot forward. His left hand...the one with the memory seeking nails, was extended to pierce Ichigo's chest. The shinigami knew of that ability, and wasn't about to give Grand Fisher an opening to form his lure into his mother...or Rukia...or Ayumi...or anyone. He couldn't let that happen.
"Ichigo..."
'What?'
"You should still be able to use your powers."
Ichigo didn't need to ask, to know what Halbmond was referring to. White reiatsu gathered along Zangetsu's blade, as Ichigo dodged around Grand Fisher's clumsy- compared to Grimmjow at any rate -attack.
"Getsuga Tensho!"
The red-rimmed white attack cleaved clean through the fur Grand Fisher attempted to use as a shield. The Hollow screamed in pain, as the Getsuga cut through his body. An entire side of his body was vaporized, blood pouring from the wound. The Hollow stumbled, attempting to maintain his balance past the extreme pain. Ichigo watched dispassionately as he struggled.
"Damn you brat!" Grand Fisher somehow got out, "You will pay for this!"
Ichigo knew what was coming...the Hollow would merge with his lure to escape.
That was not happening this time.
"You aren't getting away."
Before the Hollow could even blink, Ichigo was standing in its face, Zangetsu coming down in a wide arc. A Getsuga was held in the blade, as it pierced Grand Fisher's massive mask.
"Getsuga Tensho!"
A final scream came from the Hollow, as it began to dissolve into reishi. Ichigo dropped out of Shikai, and sheathed his blade. His hands shook as he did so, and a raspy laugh came from his lungs. He had finally done it...finally avenged his mother. Grand Fisher was dead and gone, and could hurt no one any longer.
So why did he feel numb?
"It will pass Ichigo," Halbmond spoke up, "You are numb because the mission you set yourself is complete. You have just not realized it fully yet."
'Heh, you always know what to say Old Man.'
Shaking himself to get his mind working properly, Ichigo flashed away from the river.
Some distance away, Masaki continued to run with her struggling daughter in her arms. She resisted the urge to cry in frustration, frustration at her inability to help her son. He was fighting to save her, and she couldn't do anything to help him. That would be bad for any mother. It was all the worse for Masaki, as she never wanted her children to fight Hollows. That was her job, and Isshin's should he ever recover his powers.
It shouldn't be up to her son to protect her and his sisters. It should be her back there, fighting Grand Fisher while Ichigo got Ayumi to safety. But because something had drained her powers, all Masaki could do was run, with Ayumi...now settled down and sobbing into her shoulder.
It was for her sake, that Masaki didn't cry herself.
"Ichi-nii..." Ayumi cried, "What if he gets hurt?!"
Masaki hid a grimace as those words hit home, "Ichigo will be fine dear. He's powerful."
"I don't care!" the girl shouted petulantly, not caring if she sounded even younger than she was, "I don't want him getting hurt!"
"Who's getting hurt?" a male voice asked, as Ichigo appeared in front of the pair.
"Ichigo!"
"Ichi-nii!"
The shinigami smiled, as Masaki set his younger sister down. Ayumi immediately ran up to Ichigo and latched onto him in a fierce hug. He wrapped his arms around her, and held the girl as she sobbed into his shihakushō. Masaki walked up slower, a worried look on her face. The shinigami moved his face from his sister, and looked at his mother. He smiled wearily, getting a return smile from his mother. Masaki had worried for nothing...Ichigo was nothing if not powerful, she knew that from the moment she first saw him.
Grand Fisher probably hadn't even stood a chance.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Ayumi broke the silence, looking up with a tear-streaked face.
Ichigo smiled down on his sister, "Of course I'm okay. It'll take more than that to take me down sis."
Ayumi smiled weakly, and buried her face in his shoulder again. Making sure to not jostle his sister too much, Ichigo walked up to his mother. A serious look had come into his eyes, as he looked her up and down. Masaki knew exactly what he was going to ask, even before he did. She sighed, and looked away. The cross on her wrist hung limply, no power flowing into it.
Considering that she had normally always had at least some reishi flowing into the weapon to keep it in a 'ready' state...it wasn't a good sign. Whatever had happened, had left her with no power beyond still being able to see Hollows. Fat lot of good that did her. She couldn't fight anymore.
"My powers are gone Ichigo," she said softly, "I don't know how, but they are."
"I noticed," the shinigami replied with a sigh, "we need to figure that out. Or I'll have to blackmail Shinji into keeping an eye on the place."
Masaki should have felt insulted by that, but she knew it was just Ichigo being Ichigo...overprotective and all.
"That might be best," the younger woman said, "I'll see if Ryuu-chan can figure out a way to restore my powers. Otherwise, your father will have to get his back."
What was left unsaid, was that it would be a temporary measure. As both elder Kurosaki's looked at Ayumi, who had not moved from her position clinging onto Ichigo like he would vanish, they had an unspoken agreement. It was only a matter of time before Ichigo's younger sister would have to embrace her own shinigami powers. When that time came, it would become her duty to protect Karakura, like Ichigo himself had done so many years ago.
And, they were going to make sure she was ready for it.
AN: And there we go. To answer a review: Yes, Ayumi is this timelines 'Ichigo'. No, that does not mean she'll be a fem!Ichigo. I made that mistake in the original, and we're being very careful to avoid it this time.
I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter though!