INTRODUCTION

Welcome back to the Blade of the Shinigami. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not Own Bleach. Please remember to leave a little review when done. Thanks.

Blade of the Shinigami

Season One

Episode Ten: Turn Back the Pendulum (Renji Kurosaki) part 2

Renji stared in disbelief at the two men who had suddenly appeared. He felt as if he were in the middle of some ones bad horror movie and that any minute now the director would pop out of the shadows yelling, "Cut!"

Yet he knew this was no movie or dream. This was real. He was really here as two men in tailored suits, wielding swords were about to fight with demonic looking monsters. Monsters, that a few seconds ago, seemed intent on killing him.

Suddenly Renji heard the snap of fingers that seemed to bring him out of his malaise. He then saw the smiling face of one of the men, the one called Yumichika. "Hey there handsome," Yumichika said. "Are you alright? Any broken bones or anything?"

Renji just stared at him and shook his head.

"My, my," Yumichika said with a smile. "You seem to be going into shock. Just take deep breaths and calm yourself down." Yumichika looked into Renji's eyes and then said, "Well, what's this? What an interesting glow you have there." Yumichika brushed the hair from Renji's face causing Renji to knock his hand away.

At the same time Renji saw the other guy, the one Yumichika referred to as Ikkaku, slice the head off the smaller demon dog leaving only the large one remaining. "C'mon you ugly fuck," Ikkaku yelled. "At least try to make this fun for me!"

The dog raised its massive paw and swung it down at Ikkaku with surprising speed that caught him of guard. Ikkaku used his sheath to block the massive blow but was then struck by the dogs other paw and was launched down the street. His body lay motionless as the demon sprinted at him with its mouth open and its fangs bared, ready to strike.

"Hey!" Renji said as he noticed that Yumichika wasn't even paying attention to the fight behind him. He seemed happier to feel Renji's body to ensure there were no injuries. But Renji couldn't help but notice how Yumichika's hand lingered in certain places. "Hey!" Renij yelled as he brushed Yumichika's hand off of him. "You're friend looks like he's in some trouble! Don't you think you should help him?"

Yumichika sighed and looked back at Ikkaku with a bored expression and said, "That wouldn't be very wise to do. Ikkaku doesn't like people interfering with his prey. If I were to get involved…well…he may just end up wanting to fight me too."

The demon dog slowly made its way closer to the fallen Ikkaku and growled as it bared its teeth. "Heh," Ikkaku said as he looked up. "That was pretty good. I guess I underestimated you a bit didn't I you mangy mutt." Ikkaku got to his feet and held his sword out. "Let's try that again."

The beast leapt at him and he quickly side stepped the attack and swung his sword right through the beasts' jaw, lopping off the top half of its head. The demon faded away to nothingness as a triumphant looking Ikkaku stood looking on. "Shit!" Ikkaku said. "That wasn't a challenge at all! Damn, these things are getting weaker and weaker."

"Or perhaps you're just getting too strong?" Yamachika asked with a smile.

"Shit, I hope not," Ikkaku said as he wiped some blood from his chin. "It'll sure be boring if I can beat most of these things so easily." Ikkaku walked over to the two men with a triumphant smile plastered on his face. He leaned his blade over his shoulder as he seemed to look Renji over. "How are things over here Yumichika? I see this guy's alive. How about the girl in the car?"

Yumichika shook his head solemnly. "She has unfortunately passed on from this world." Yumichika said.

"Hmm," he said. "So we got ourselves only one survivor huh?" Ikkaku shrugged. "Could have been worse I guess. Usually is. Guess it's our lucky day. Or maybe you were the lucky one kid? Or you got some talent? Which is it Yumichika?"

"Huh?" Renji asked. "What the hell are you talking about? Who are you guys anyway? And what the fuck were those things!"

The two men continued to talk, seeming to completely ignore Renji's questions. "It may be a little of both Ikkaku." Yumichika said as he got to his feet. "Come take a look."

Ikkaku sheathed his sword in the sheath attached to his side and to Renji's amazement the sword seemed to vanish. "W-what the fuck!" Renji yelled as he tensed up. "What are you guys?"

Ikkaku knelt next Renji and grabbed his face with both of his hands. Renji immediately tried to fight him off only for Ikkaku to hold his face tighter. Despite his thin frame he was incredibly strong and Renji felt as if his head was caught in a vice. It was clear that this man could snap his neck with little effort. "Hey, settle down you bastard!" Ikkaku said as he gripped Renji's head even tighter. "You don't have to be conscious for me to do this!" Ikkaku stared into Renji's eyes for a moment and then let him go and got to his feet. "Pretty impressive. I've never seen that level of Riatsu from a newbie before."

"Riatsu?" Renji asked. "What's that? And what's with the vanishing swords!"

Ikkaku and Yumichika looked at Renji with a bit of shock. "You could see his sword?" Ikkaku asked. "Wow. Newbies usually take months to train their eyes to that point."

"You should go contact headquarters." Ikkaku said to Yumichika. "Tell them that the targets have been purified and we got one for pick up."

"Pick up?" Renji asked.

"Right." Yumichika said as he walked away and pulled out an iPhone from his pocket.

"Hey!" Renji said to Ikkaku who had pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the dirt from his face. "Hey! Hey god damn it, I'm talking to you! Who are you! What the hell is going on!"

"Would you shut up for one freaking minute?" Ikkaku yelled causing Renji to go silent. "Shit! Look, things will be explained to you when the time is right! Just shut up and wait or I will knock you the hell out!"

Just then, Yumichika walked back as he put his phone away. "Change of plans." he said. "We've been ordered to take him to one of our safe houses."

"What?" Ikkaku asked. "That's against protocol. Why would we do that?"

Yumichika shrugged and said, "Orders came from the Commander himself. We gotta take him."

"Take me?" Renji yelled as he got to his feet. "You assholes aren't taking me anywhere! I don't know who you are but I know you guys aren't cops, military or the PSIA! I'm not going anywhere with you weirdoes!"

"What makes you think we were asking you for permission?" Ikkaku asked.

"Ikkaku, please." Yumichika said. Yumichika then placed his hand on Renji's shoulder and said, "Look, you saw those things right? Well, those are demons. And once a demon is drawn to you others will be as well. For some reason demons work that way. You're in danger handsome and we're here to protect you."

"Tch," Renji said dismissively as he brushed Yumichika's hand aside. "Demons? Man, you guys read way too much manga."

"Listen kid…!" Ikkaku said impatiently.

"No you listen!" Renji said. "I don't recall asking for a bodyguard and I don't need a babysitter. So thanks for the help back there but I'm outta here." Renji turned and waved at the two men dismissively as he said, "Later Q-ball."

Suddenly a vein popped out on Ikkaku's head as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. With flames in his eyes he looked at Renji and yelled, "Q-BALL!"

Yumichika sighed and said "Oh boy."

Ikkaku stormed off behind Renji and quickly caught up to him and stepped right in front of him. "Can I help you?" Renji asked.

"Listen kid," Ikkaku said as he clearly was fighting to keep his temper in check. "I get the whole rebellious bad ass shtick you're working with ok. I'm sure it works wonders with the ladies. But this ain't no game. Your life and the lives of those you care about are now in danger. You are now on the radar of every demon in the city. You'll probably get killed before you get half way home. And if you do somehow make it there, you're family will be in danger as well. So…"

"Wait!" Renji said as he through up both hands. "Let me guess, is this where you say, "Come with me if you want to live?" Spare me ass hole. As if I'd believe some bald animal exterminator with a sword. Now get out of my…"

Without warning and before Renji could finish his sentence Ikkaku punched him in the face lightly and Renji collapsed to the ground unconscious. "Dumb ass kid!" Ikkaku said as he looked at Renji sprawled out on the floor.

"Ikkaku!" Yumichika yelled as he ran up and dropped to his knees and checked Renji's vital signs.

"I warned his ass!" Ikkaku asked. "Everyone heard it!"

"Did you have to hit him so hard!" Yumichika yelled. "You know these humans can be brittle! What if you killed him!"

"C-mon Yumichika, I know how to hold back." Ikkaku said.

"Oh really?" Yumichika said. "Just like with that other human we found seven months ago?"

"Tch, that wasn't my fault!" Ikkaku said.

"You hit him so hard he had a heart attack and died!" Yumichika yelled.

"How was I supposed to know he had a heart condition!" Ikkaku yelled back.

Yumichika sighed and stroked Renji's face. "But did you have to hit him in the face?" he asked. "This could bruise him."

"Tch, whatever!" Ikkaku said as he reached down and picked Renji's body up and threw him over his shoulder. "As if I care about his face. Let's go Yumichika, we need to get to the safe house."

~~~~~~Sometime Later~~~~~~

Renji moaned as he began to wake up. He found he was in a small clearing of a forest and was surrounded by large oak trees and think bushes. He could hear the nearby hiss of a snake and the tweeting of birds. The trees were so densely packed together that very little sunlight streamed through and there was not even the slightest hint of a breeze. It was oppressively hot as Renji got to his feet. It was then he noticed that he had no shirt on and wore only a ragged and filthy pair of cargo pants. He had no shoes on either and his hair was wild, matted and dirty.

Wiping the sweat from his face, Renji looked around for any sign of people. Where am I, he wondered. What is this place? How did I get here? "Hello!" he yelled. "Can anyone hear me! Is anyone out there!"

Just then Renji heard a deep growl coming from behind him. He turned to see a small opening in the dense forest leading down a tunnel of trees and bushes. Cautiously, Renji walked over to the opening that was big enough for him to pass through and looked down into the deep darkness. "Hello!" he yelled. Again he was answered with a growl.

Renji took a deep breath and nervously entered the tunnel of trees and bushes and slowly made his way through the forest. The further he walked the darker and hotter it became until he felt as though he was in a furnace that was closed off from all light. Renji stopped and considered walking back but when he turned he found it was too dark for him to find the path back. Realizing he had no choice he continued on and after a few moments he saw a faint light in the distance.

The light grew larger and brighter as he walked, until he made his way out into another small clearing. This clearing was so much like the one he'd left Renji started to believe that he may have walked in a circle. But then he noticed a large black mass sitting in the center of the clearing. At first the thought it was nothing but a large rock until he saw the mass move and undulate. "What the hell is that?" Renji said nervously.

In response, a large growl came from the mass and then to Renji's shock he saw a pair of yellow and black, snake-like eyes glaring at him. And then Renji heard a deep feminine voice say, "My name…do you know it?"

"W-What?" Renji asked nervously.

Suddenly the mass began to spread out and a black head with a flat neck. It was easily the largest snake…no…the largest animal Renji had ever seen. As the mass began to unfurl Renji gasped as he saw the black leathery skin. The front of the snake raised high into the air and was now towering over him and was as high as any tree in the forest. Its neck bones were flattened like a cobra and it bared its dripping fangs menacingly. Venom dripped from its fangs and burned the ground where it fell. Its skin was pitch black and slimy and it stank of a smell Renji couldn't quite place. With a hiss in its voice the snake again said, "My name human! Do you know it!"

"N-No!" Renji yelled. "I-I don't!"

"Then you shall be consumed." The massive snake said as it lunged towards Renji. Renji screamed and leapt out of the way just before the snakes' massive jaws closed in. He quickly scrambled to his feet and sprinted back through the entrance and into the deep darkness. Behind him he could hear the snake hurtling towards him as it gave chase.

In a panic and unable to see anything ahead of him Renji stumbled and rolled to the ground. He could hear the hiss and roar of the snake as it closed in. He quickly got to his feet and ran. He no longer knew if he was on the correct path. He couldn't tell where he was going anymore. He just ran. He ran as fast as he could. A moment later his foot seemed to snag something on the ground and Renji tumbled forward and through a think patch of bushes and out into a clearing.

Renji took deep breaths as he rubbed his aching head. As his vision cleared, to his horror, he noticed that the large snakes' body had surrounded him. Looking up he saw the creature towering above him glaring down. Renji screamed as the snake opened its mouth and unhinged its jaw. Again he heard its voice. "You are not yet worthy of me!" It yelled as it lunged down and consumed him.

"Hey!" Ikkaku yelled as he slapped Renji hard across the face. Renji woke up with a fright. He was drenched in sweat and he felt as if every nerve was frayed. His vision was blurred as though he were staring through the bottom of a bottle. His head was throbbing as he fought to see through the glare of a light above him.

"Ugh." Renji said his head tilted forward as though he was about to pass out again. "W-Where am I?"

"You're at one of our undisclosed safe houses." Ikkaku said. Renji's head tipped forward as he sat in the old solid wood chair. He seemed on the verge of passing out again. Ikkaku slapped him lightly a few times and snapped his fingers. "Hey! Wake up!" he yelled. "We can't have you passing out and wrecking up the place again!"

"W-What are you talking about?" Renji said as he became more alert.

"Look around you." Ikkaku said as he stood aside so Renji could see. "Look at what you did to the place." Renji saw that he was in an old, dusty room with only one lonely light bulb hanging from the rickety, wooden ceiling. The room smelled of dust as if the place hadn't been exposed to fresh air in years. There were a few scattered pieces of old furniture. Most of which were covered in cob webs and a thick layer of dust. Most of the chairs and the one table were flipped over and broken. A large wooden book case lay face down and a few old books and papers lay scattered about. It looked like a tornado had hit the place and the entire room creaked as though it were moments from collapse.

"What I did?" Renji asked as he saw Yumichika standing up and hurriedly trying to wipe all the dust that was on him as though it were some deadly disease.

"Hell yeah!" Ikkaku said. "You're Riatsu started flaring up a few minutes ago and started throwing things around. Shit, I thought the entire place might come down. I had to slap you're ass awake before you did anymore damage!" Looking around the room Ikkaku said, "Tch! Look at this mess! I bet the Captain is going to make us clean it!"

"Calm down Ikkaku." Yumichika said. "It's not like he could control himself. But I have to admit, that was an impressive display of Riatsu." Yumichika walked up to Renji and smiled. "So how's your head there handsome?"

"Whatever." Renji said as he tried to get up when he noticed he had been tied down to the chair. "What the hell?" Renji yelled as he struggled to free himself. "What's going on here!"

"Settle down!" Ikkaku yelled. "You were being unreasonable so we had no choice but to strap you down!"

"Let me go you sick freaks!" Renji yelled as he fought in vain to free himself. The more he struggled the tighter his bonds became. "God dam it!"

Just then everyone heard slow, heavy foot steps emanating from outside the nearby door. Renji was silent as he heard the ominous steps get closer and closer. He could also hear the continuous sound of bells jingling with each step. "Looks like the Captain is here." Yumichika said as he stepped away from Renji.

"Tch, it's about damned time!" Ikkaku said. "I'm not interested in baby sitting this kid all night."

The door swung open with a deafening bang and standing just outside the door was easily the tallest man Renji had ever seen in person. The man's body covered the entire doorway. He was so tall and his chest so broad he had to bend and twist to pass through the low door. When he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, he seemed to command the attention of everyone. His very presence was both frightening and awe inspiring as Renji had never seen someone like him before.

He was easily six foot six or six foot seven inches tall with a broad muscular chest and large arms. He had a long face with pronounced cheekbones and hairless eyebrows. He wore an eye patch across his right eye and had a long thin scar running down the left side of his face and eye. Unlike the other two who wore suits this man wore a pair of ragged, black jeans which were torn at both knees and a weather beaten, black leather biker jacket that was open revealing his muscular chest and he had a sword strapped to his waist. His hair was styled in thick spikes with bells attached to the end that jingled every time he took a step.

"Hello Captain Zaraki." Ikkaku said.

"Hey Captain." Yumichika said. "Here he is."

The Captain stared down at Renji with a piercing stare that made his blood run cold. This son of a bitch looks like a serial killer, Renji thought as he fought the sudden urge to pee himself. Suddenly, to Renji's surprise a small girl, who looked no older than eight years old peered over the man's left shoulder. "Is this the guy you were talking about baldy?" the girl asked as she looked down at Renji.

Clearly annoyed Ikkaku yelled, "Quit calling me that!"

The girl turned and stuck out her tongue playfully at Ikkaku before turning back towards Renji. "This guy seems like a weirdo, Kenny." she said. "I don't like weirdoes."

Renji gulped and took a deep breath but remained silent as he stared back defiantly. Then the large man smiled as though he could see through Renji's futile attempt at bravery and it entertained him. With incredible speed, the man Ikkaku called Captain Zaraki reached out and grabbed Renji by the face. Zaraki's hand was incredibly large and was easily able to grab Renji's entire face as though it were the size of a child's. Renji fought in vain to free himself but the man was amazingly strong and held Renji's face firmly in place. Despite his best efforts, Renji couldn't move so much as an inch.

Zaraki bent down and stared into Renji's eyes for a moment and again smiled. "Nah." he said. "This guy's no weirdo. This guy is a warrior. He just doesn't realize it yet. He might be interesting if he survives long enough."

Zaraki let go and stood up straight as Renji gasped for air. "Son…of…a…bitch!" he yelled as he glared up at the man. "I don't know who the fuck you guys are but when I get loose I am going to call the cops!"

Ignoring Renji the three men turned to each other. "Hey Captain." Ikkaku said. "What the hell's going on? This isn't the usual protocol. Why'd we bring this guy here instead of back to Seireitei?"

Captain Zaraki shrugged and said, "Don't really know. All I know is that The Old Man told me that someone wanted to speak to this kid before we took him. I was ordered to have you bring him here and escort the visitor."

"Who is he?" Yumichika asked. "Is he a Shinigami?"

"Nope." Zaraki said. "He's definitely not one of us. I've never seen the guy before. But he knows about us and more importantly he has some pull with the Old Man. Old Man Yama didn't look happy about it when he gave me the order."

Renji had quieted down and listened as the three talked. It was clear he couldn't escape yet. The best he could do was to listen and learn as much as he could. He'd remembered his father teachings about something like this when he was younger. If he could laugh he would at the thought that something he once considered to be yet another useless lesson his father taught him would actually come in handy.

Zaraki walked over to the front door and opened it and standing there was a man covered in shadow. "Come on in." Zaraki said.

The man walked into the room and into the light and Renji at first gasped and then smiled as he saw the familiar face. "Dad!" he yelled happily as he saw his father staring back at him.

"Dad?" Ikkaku asked. "You're this guys' father? Who the hell are you old man?"

"Ikkaku…" Yumichika said disapprovingly.

"No!" Ikkaku said. "This is a load of crap. Who the hell is this guy!"

"Shut up!" Isshin said commandingly. "I didn't come here to answer the questions of some inconsequential Second Lieutenant. I came to speak to my son. Now get out and leave us alone."

Ikkaku glared at Isshin who still kept his eyes squarely on his son. Before he could say anything Ikkaku felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking back he saw it was Yumichika who silently shook his head. "Tch!" Ikkaku said as he turned and walked out the door with Yumichika trailing behind.

Zaraki turned towards the door and looked down at Isshin. "Tough talk." he whispered. Isshin remained unfazed. "You should know that The Old Man gave me two additional orders. He told me to give you five minutes alone with the kid. So that's what you get…five minutes. Not a second more than that. That kid is now the official property of The Order. Which brings me to the final order I was given. If you try anything funny, I was given authorization to deal with you…with extreme prejudice."

Isshin remained unfazed as though he hadn't even heard Zaraki's threat. The Captain smiled and walked past Isshin and out the door, closing it behind him.

"Dad!" Renji yelled in relief. "Damn, am I so glad you're here! Those guys are off their rocker! Untie me so we can get the hell out of here!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that son." Isshin said. He stared at his son with a blank emotionless face. It was though he wasn't even looking at his son but rather some unimportant blade of grass or nondescript brick wall. Having his father look at him that way stung him far more than his words.

"W-What?" Renji asked in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"I said I can't help you Renji." Isshin said. "Not this time. You stumbled across something you shouldn't have. Something I was trying to shield you and the rest of the family from. I warned you son. I told you that you needed to be careful of the decisions you make. That you would have to live with those decisions for good or bad. Now you will have to live with this."

Isshin took a deep breath as he watched his son staring up at him with a doe eyed expression. It had been years since he'd seen Renji look at him like that. He could see the confusion and fear and his son's eyes. He could vividly remember his son, no older than three, tugging at his pant leg and raising his arms out to be picked up by his father, his protector. His protector, Isshin thought. But he knew the time for protecting his son had passed. Isshin looked away from Renji as he felt his resolve begin to waiver.

"Renji," Isshin said. "One day I planned to explain things to you, when I felt you were ready. I wish I could do so now. But…you are still not ready. All I can tell you is that what I do now, I do to protect you, your brother and sisters and your mother."

"Why are you doing this?" Renji asked. His voice was cracking under the pain. "I can't believe you Dad! I'm in real trouble here and all you care about is trying to teach me another damned lesson!"

"Don't you get it Renji!" Isshin yelled. "You've exposed yourself to something that I can't afford to expose the rest of them to! I'm trying to protect my family!"

"I thought I was your family?" Renji asked in a whimpering voice. The question stabbed Isshin down to his core causing him to look away from his son. Isshin felt a momentary shiver though his spine and sudden dizziness.

His protector, he thought. He could feel his body shivering as though an ice cold breeze blew around him. It was then he heard a faint noise coming from behind him. Slowly turning to his son, almost as if he was afraid of what he might see, he saw Renji crying bitter tears as he cursed his own fate. Renji, Isshin thought as he continued to fight to keep his resolve. This must be done, he kept thinking to himself.

"I'm sorry." Renji said. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry. I'll never, ever do it again."

"Renji," Isshin said in a voice so low he himself almost couldn't hear it. It was as if he were focusing so much of his energy to get through this that he had none to spare to speak. "Listen to me son," he said. "I know now, that I have failed you in so many ways. I tried to convince myself that I was doing the right thing. That my way was the right way. But now I must admit my failure."

Tears began to run down Isshin's face as he looked up at the roof. He took a deep breath as he tried to compose himself. "It's funny," he said. "When you live as long as I have you start to think you know everything. You foolishly believe you understand things better than anyone. But the truth is, no matter how long you live, no matter what experiences you may have, nothing prepares you for raising a child."

Again Isshin looked at his son. Renji had stopped crying and was no leaning forward in his chair and was looking down at the ground between his feet. "Renji I have failed you in many ways." Isshin said. "I pushed you so hard growing up that I eventually pushed you away. But if there is one thing you gained from me it was strength. You are stronger than your brother and sisters. You are resilient. You can adapt and find a way. You will need to rely on that strength in the coming months and years my son. I have faith in you for that."

Isshin turned to leave and as he reached for the doorknob he paused. He heard Renji ask, "So that's it then? You're abandoning me?"

"No, my son." Isshin said. "Perhaps one day you will learn the truth of things. On that day I hope you can understand why and forgive me my failures. But know this Renji. There will be a time in the future where you will have the freedom to go and do as you please. When that day comes do not seek us out."

Renji looked up in shock and saw his father look back at him. In all his years he'd never seen his father look at him like that. His father's eyes had the look of death in them. "If you do, you will leave me no choice Renji," Isshin said. "I will kill you." Isshin opened and closed the door behind him without another word.

Kill me, Renji thought as he again began to cry. Kill me? Kill me? Kill me? Kill me? "Dad," he whispered. He could feel his anger rising as all sadness seemed to melt away from the heat of his growing rage. "Dad!" he screamed as he felt a strange feeling wash over his entire body. Suddenly his eyes began to glow pale white.

Then he heard the raspy female voice of the large snake in his dream "Will you do it?" she asked. "Will you let yourself be consumed by hate and despair? He hates you! He abandoned you! Your own father has turned his back on you! Will you let your hate and lack of understanding be your guide?" Renji roared as his entire body released a massive blast of power, shattering his bonds and chair. More power blasted out of his body enveloping everything in white.

Just outside Isshin walked heavily. It was like he was wading through thick sand. He could feel every fiber in his being telling him to turn around and return to his son. He wanted nothing more than to release him and take him home even if he had to fight his way out. Even if he had to kill he would bring him home. But he knew he couldn't. To do that would bring disaster to everyone. This went far beyond just his family.

As he walked up the small hill towards his car, Kenpachi Zaraki stood with his arms folded halfway up the hill watching Isshin walk up. Just as Isshin was about to walk by, Kenpachi stepped in his way. Isshin stopped but did not look up at the man. "Enjoy you final heart to heart with your kid?" Kenpachi asked with a smile. "Do you feel good abandoning your son to the wolves?"

"For someone tasked to protect humanity you seem to take too much pleasure in our misery." Isshin said blankly.

"Hmph." Kenpachi said. "It has nothing to do with misery. If you are in misery over this then don't accept it. Either fight to change it or move on. Those who don't fight yet want to walk around like the world is against them really pisses me off."

Angry, Isshin looked up at Kenpachi and said, "You know nothing about what I am fighting for."

Kenpachi smiled a big toothy smile and said, "Maybe so, but I do know what the eyes of a killer looks like. The eyes of someone who has taken lives die more and more with every life they take. I see it in your eyes. You have killed hundreds."

Isshin looked up at the half moon high in the sky and whispered, "Hundreds. If only it were so few." Isshin put his hands in his pockets and walked around Kenpachi towards his car.

"Who are you?" Kenpachi asked.

"Me?" Isshin asked. "I'm just another bad father."

At that moment the small building where Renji remained exploded. Kenpachi was momentarily shocked by the display. The little girl that was hanging over his shoulder skipped up next to him and stopped. "Ohhh," she said as she looked at the explosion. "Yay!" She exclaimed as she clapped happily. Kenpachi looked back at the boy's father. He kept walking towards his car, he hadn't even looked back.

Turning back to the now obliterated building Kenpachi smiled at what he saw in the center of the all the destruction. Down the hill where the building once stood was now a large crater and in the center of that crater stood Renji. He stood at the heart of a large white sphere of energy that seemed to whip about wildly. The sphere grew and grew and began to take shape into the form of a large snake over several stories in height.

In the center of it all stood Renji with energy pouring from his body, eyes and mouth. It was clear he had lost all control. "Dad!" he roared as he hovered inches off the ground. Suddenly Kenpachi appeared right in front or Renji and punched him in the stomach causing Renji to double over and fall forward unconscious. Kenpachi caught Renji's body and held him effortlessly draped over his arm. Kenpachi smiled and said "This guy might become something very interesting."

~~~Present Day~~~

Ichigo sat in the booth across from his brother as he stared at his empty bottle of beer. Renji was polishing off his fourth bottle and put it down with a thud that woke Ichigo from his trance. "So that's the story." Renji said. "When I woke up I was in Seireitei and I was soon placed in a rookie class and began my training."

"You didn't try to escape?" Ichigo asked.

Renji nodded his head. "Several times." he said. "When I first got there I wasn't what you'd call a willing soldier. Each attempt was what you'd call a spectacular failure. I quickly learned that it's kind of hard to escape when you don't know where you are, how to get out or where you're going." Renji gave a small bitter laugh. "Eventually I had to accept that I really had no choice. So I trained. It usually takes four to five years to graduate from the academy. But I finished in just over a year."

"They said I was a prodigy!" Renji said as he laughed. "Can you believe it? Me of all people, a prodigy?"

"And when you got out, didn't you try to find us?" Ichigo asked.

"You kidding?" Renji asked. "The second those bastards let me out after graduation I made a beeline for the house. But when I got there…." Renji paused as though he was trying to gather himself. "I saw you all…eating dinner together. You were all laughing. You seemed so happy. That's when I knew…I knew why dad wanted me to stay away. I knew what I'd be exposing you to if I stayed. So I…left. Never looked back."

Ichigo nodded. "Two days after you disappeared, mom and dad told us that you'd run away. Dad said that you wanted something else for you life. It hit us all pretty bad. I just…couldn't understand why you would abandon us like that. Mom would put on a brave face in front of us but…at night…I'd peek into her room when she thought I was asleep and I'd see her crying. And dad…well…dad seemed sad for a long time. We all were. But after you left dad seemed to change. He wasn't as stern as he used to be. He didn't push us nearly as hard. He smiled more. He laughed more. I always thought he did it so that we wouldn't worry."

Renji nodded. "Our father smiling and joking?" he said. "I'd pay money just to see that."

"Yep!" Ichigo said with a sad smile. "He seemed to really change after you left. So what did you do after that? Did you try to find answers from The Order about what was going on? Or how dad even knew about them?"

"Of course!" Renji yelled. "I looked in every book I could find. I scoured every computer data base and I asked everyone I could talk to."

"Well?" Ichigo asked expectantly.

Renji shook his head. "The Order is an ancient sect that prides itself on secrecy. Even if you're a member, if there is information they don't want you to know about, you won't know about it. Period."

"So then what did you do?" Ichigo asked.

"There was nothing to do." Renji said as he drained the last of his beer from his glass. "At least for now, I'd hit a brick wall. So I got to work as a demon hunter. The rest is history."

Ichigo took a heavy sigh as he sat back in his seat. His mind was racing to process all of the information Renji had told him. Renji had stumbled onto the truth about the existence of demons. That much was clear. It was a truth their dad somehow knew about and tried to protect them from. But why would he turn his back on Renji? What was his connection to the Order? Now more than ever Ichigo knew his families' murder was no unfortunate coincidence. Whatever their father was trying to protect them from caught up to them. And Ichigo knew he needed to know what that was.

"Ichigo," Renji said. "We need to talk about America."

"I'm not going to America Renji," Ichigo said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm not joking around Ichigo!" Renji yelled causing others in the diner to stare. Calming himself, Renji leaned forward and whispered, "I think I know what dad was trying to protect us from."

"Really?" Ichigo asked.

Renji nodded and said, "Yeah. He wanted to protect us from this. This life that I have to live. He failed to protect me because I was too stupid to see it. But I can protect you Ichigo. You're the only family I have left. I won't lose you to this life."

"I don't need your damned protection Renji." Ichigo said angrily. "I'm not the same kid who needed his big brother to beat up a bully. I can take care of myself."

"Oh yeah!" Renji said with a smile. "I remember that. What was that kids' name? Reiichi…something right? Whatever happened to him?

"Oshima Reiichi got kicked out of school a couple years back." Ichigo said. "And no matter what you say I'm not going anywhere!"

Renji sighed. "Sorry Ichigo, but you don't have a choice," he said. "I'm already getting the arrangements together and…" Just then they were interrupted by the sound of a phone. "Shit." Renji said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black phone that looked a bit strange. Ichigo quickly realized that phone looked just like the phone Yoruichi was using the other night. Renji quickly looked at something and put the phone back in his pocket. "I gotta go," he said as he got to his feet and grabbed his jacket. He took some money out of his pocket and put it on the table. "For the meal and drinks," he said. Do me a favor and take a cab back to Urahara's, will ya?"

"Where you going?" Ichigo asked despite already knowing.

"I got business." Renji said.

"What business?" Ichigo asked.

"My business." Renji said as he walked away. "See you later bro."

Annoyed, Ichigo sat back in his seat as he watched Renji walk out to his car, hop in and drive away. Once Renji was gone Ichigo began to bite the nail on his thumb as he tried to make sense of everything he'd learned. Someone had to know something. And that someone was in The Order. Renji was many things, but he wasn't good at getting information from people without the use of violence. The subtle art of annoying people until they caved and gave you want you wanted was only something a younger sibling could do effortlessly.

Ichigo picked up the money Renji left him and got up and left the diner. He hailed a cab and got into the back seat. He gave the cab driver the address and quickly fell into deep thought as he stared blankly out the window.

Twenty minutes later he pulled up in front of the club. He paid the cabbie and walked out towards the front door. There was already a long line of men and women waiting to enter and it was clear things were already in full swing.

"Hey buddy, back of the line!" a guy yelled as Ichigo walked by to the front. "Who the hell does that asshole think he is?" said another guy as Ichigo ignored them.

"Don't worry about it!" another guy said with a smug smile. "It's not like he could get in dressed like that anyway! The big bruiser of a bouncer will probably kick his ass just for trying!" People nearby laughed and anxiously looked on to see what they new was going to be a sure rejection.

Tessai was standing at the door with two other equally large bouncers going through the business of checking ID's and deciding who looked good enough to enter when Ichigo walked through the crowd. Without a word Tessai nodded to Ichigo who nodded back and opened the door allowing Ichigo to enter.

"What the fuck?" One of the guys yelled as everyone else began grumbling amongst each other.

"Whose dick do you gotta suck to get in to this place?" Another pissed off person yelled.

"Fuck this!" Another man said as he stepped out of line and began walking to the front. "If that guy could just walk in why can't I?"

"Heita don't!" The man's friend yelled as Heita walked up to Tessai.

Tessai towered over the man and adjusted his glasses as he looked down at him as he approached. Heita nodded as he tried to walk by and Tessai swiftly slapped Heita across the face with the back of his hand, dropping him to the ground like a rag doll. Heita's friends ran up and picked up their barely conscious friend as Tessai adjusted his glasses and said, "Your night is done. You two are banned for two months. Get out of here."

Inside, Ichigo walked through the din of sweaty, drunk men and women as they danced to some new song Ichigo couldn't place. "Ichigo!" Someone yelled over the music. "Hey Ichigo!" Ichigo turned to see Urahara sitting in his favorite booth with three new, barely dressed girls around him. "Come on over and have a drink!" Urahara slurred. It was clear he had already passed the point of no return.

Ichigo shook his head and waved him off and walked to the back where another bouncer stood in front of the door to the back. Seeing Ichigo approach, the man opened the door without a word and let him in. Ichigo found himself instantly grateful for the immediate silence he experienced as the bouncer closed the door behind him.

Ichigo took a deep exasperated breath and removed his shoes before walking to his room. As he reached his open door, Urahara's black cat swiftly walked out of the room and past him down the hall. Ichigo paid it little attention as he walked into his room and collapsed on his bed.

Ichigo closed his eyes and despite not feeling tired he felt as though he needed to rest. What to do, he thought. He needed to get answers and the only way to do so was to find an organization he knew nothing about, without letting his brother find out. Kisuke and Rukia claimed to be unable to help and Renji would rather beat him to death than take him to The Order.

Ichigo opened his eyes and looked to his left and saw a small, gift wrapped box sitting on the nightstand. He reached over and looked around the room before slowly ripping the paper away revealing a small black box with a postcard taped to the top. Written on it was:

"In case you want to keep proving how big a man you are."

There was the imprint of red lipstick under the words. Ichigo gave a little chuckle and opened the lid of the box. Inside was a black phone. It was the same black phone that Yoruichi had that night. It was also the same phone Renji had.

Ichigo pressed the power button and on the LCD screen he could see a map of most of Tokyo and a blue dot he knew represented his location. But then there was a red dot several miles away and Ichigo instantly knew what it represented. Ichigo leapt to his feet and grabbed his coat as he ran out of his room, down the hall and through the door that led to the garage.

He quickly picked a pair of random keys and began pressing the alarm button. In the distance he could here the alarm on the car sound off. Ichigo kept pressing the button over and over as he ran through the rows and rows of cars until the sound got closer and closer. Finally he saw the car. It was a Candy Red Honda NSX Coupe. Ichigo ran up to the car and hopped in and put the key into the ignition.

The car roared to life and Ichigo drove out of the parking space and headed towards the exit. Just like the Porshe, this car also had a button installed that controlled the garage door. If I can't convince someone to take me to the Order, I'll just have to get them to find me. He thought as he took off down the street.

Yoruichi stood under a street light at the corner watching as Ichigo sped by, so focused that he clearly didn't notice her. Yoruichi smiled and said, "This is going to be really fun." She then turned and walked back to the club.

~~~~~~To Be Continued…~~~~~~

Next Time on Blade of the Shinigami: Ichigo takes the battle to the demons and gains some unwanted attention.

Blade of the Shinagami

Season One

Episode Eleven: Ryoka

"Draw your swords all ye saints and sinners!"