Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

Chapter 13: Family?

Without words Tensa grabbed Yuki into his arms and didn't let go of her until she shouted that she couldn't breathe. Ichigo just had a smile plastered on his face, not saying anything, he was happy. But one thing made me uncertain, leaving them to hug and do what family loving humans do; I went searching for the other Yuki. But found her very quickly, she was standing in the kitchen looking out of the window. Her hand grasped the rim of the table that her knuckles whitened.

"Yuki? What is wrong?" I wanted to sound motherly, but it didn't come out the way I wanted.

"Nothing…" she continued to look outside "Uhm… Rukia" Rukia? What happened to Mom? "I know who is going to kill you, I can stop it, but I will hurt you more than you can imagine." And where on Earth did this come from. She turned away from the window, bloodshot eyes. "I need to speak with everyone". Not knowing what to do, I only nodded and followed her back to where the laughs and happy mood came flowing from.

The next situation was kind of… awkward. Both Yukis' was staring at each other.

"What. The. Hell?" The violet eyed girl in the bed shouted, almost choking on the words.

"Dude, really? I am you." She gaped at herself, turned to Tensa, her eyes begging for answers. "Don't worry I will explain everything to you in due time, but for now, I need you all to listen."

I had a sudden nervous feeling, the feeling that actually scared the living day lights out of me.

"But… you are… me?" the newly revived girl asked "I have another twin! Yay!" This was not the time to make jokes and go about monkey business.

Everyone glared at her, her other self included. "I can't believe I just said that." the girl standing in front of me whispered.

After a few moments of starring at her, she sighed and motioned me to go sit. Ichigo nodded at me and signaled that I should go sit next to him. And this freaked me out, just a little. "Now, what I'm going to tell you… will change the future." she walked across the room and slowly came to a halt at window. "This thing, wants to destroy our family." she breathed in slowly as if to encourage herself "Because without us, it won't ever exist."

And yet again, I was confused.

"At the moment, in the future, where we are from; we are 7 children." Just like that both Ichigo and I choked on our breath and moved a little away from each other. "Yeah… well, we would've been 8."

"8? What happened?" Byakuya's voice didn't sound to emotionless now.

"When… mom was eight weeks pregnant…" a sign of tears in her eyes showed "… we had to abort, because the baby was killing her." Now I knew why she was crying, and for some unknown reason, my hands dropped to my stomach and a feeling of disappointment swept over me.

I was glad that I have 7 children with Ichigo, but having 8 would have been better. Knowing that I already lost one child, and might lose more, I don't know what I should do. Fight?

I felt Ichigo's hand on mine, silently comforting me.

"This thing…it isn't a hollow or human or Shinigami… because…" she slowly closed her eyes and inhaled "It is the fetus that was never born."

"What?" Ichigo and I whispered together, knowing that this news is the worst thing we could possibly get.

"Yeah, our brother that died, because of us… is alive and exacting his revenge." her voice held venom and deep hatred.

"That's what he meant…" the orange-haired-just-revived girl said looking into her own violet orbs. "So our brother that was never born… kind of got revived… and decided to come kill us! Great! Now we have to kill our own brother!"

I wanted to question her, but Isshin cleared his throat and his eyes begged Ichigo and me to explain.

"Dad, I think you know now, Tensa and Yuki, are my and Rukia's kids from the future and now it looks like another one of our kids… is here to kill us." His voice was too serious to be Ichigo's. He stood up, leaving my hand to fend off the cold air itself, and walked to Tensa and Yuki at the bed. "It think it is time you two go back, you can't fight-" he struggled to say it "-it."

"Wah? What do you mean Dad?" my oldest son questioned his father's motives, but in his eyes, he told me he already knew why.

"You can't fight something… this close to you. I don't think of him as my son… so I will save our family." He flexed his right arm and took hold of Zangetsu. He then walked to the door, paused, then walked through the door into his family's living room.

"Ichigo!" I ran after him, I didn't want him doing this alone. And I will help save my family.

"No! Rukia, you are going to stay here. I can't lose you now." He was at the door ready to make a run for it, but I grabbed hold of him.

"Please… You can't do this alone, you aren't strong enough."

"She is right, Kurosaki" I jumped at Byakuya's voice behind me.

"No offense, Byakuya… but this is my family. I need to protect them. I almost lost one child today, I won't have another kill them." He looked at me "Please, stay here. And Byakuya… please protect them." Did Ichigo just say please to Byakuya? This was indeed at day of miracles.

"Kurosaki! This isn't only your family! I'm sick and tired of you thinking everything is only on your shoulders. If they are my niece and nephew, you can't stop me from fighting." With this Byakuya passed by me and looked Ichigo in the eyes. I had never seen him like this, so emotionless, yet his eyes burned with passion to protect. They nodded at each other.

"Rukia, midget… please stay here." Our eyes didn't meet, but I wanted it to. And just like that, both of them were gone.

What could I do?

Nothing…

A warm sense crept over my skin, everything is going to be okay, and I know it. It is Ichigo we are talking about. When I was back in the room where Yuki and Tensa were, I was confused yet again. "Where is… the other Yuki?" Tensa's eyes were glued to me… "She touched-" he pointed at Yuki, that was laying in silence "-her, and… well disappeared."

"We became one again." Yuki's voice sounded so alive and that gave my heart a little bit of peace, but not enough. The sun was just starting to rise, the yellow skies cried for a beautiful day and it looked like it was going to be one.

"Anyone want breakfast, grandpa's making pancakes!' Isshin cried out in pure joy, with his silly face painted on. I nodded and walked out the door, not taking a glimpse at the two teenagers signing. On my way over to the kitchen, I had the sudden urge to go to Ichigo's room, it had been weeks since I have been there. I wasn't dusty, only smelt of soap. Yuzu must have cleaned it a bit. Plopping on the bed, my eyes drifted through the room. I had been six years since I met Ichigo, six years I only could dream about now. "Please be safe, Strawberry".

XXX

"Grandpa…" Isshin turned to me, still with a plastered smile on "Thanks". He only nodded and continued making pancakes. The smell was something I have been longing for, weeks ago when… mom made them. After her death, no one was in the mood for eating together anymore, especially Dad.

"Yuki…" Tensa's voice snapped me back to reality "Is it really him?" We both knew who he was; he was our little brother. The one mom and dad cried about; only Tensa, Hisana and I knew what was happening. My other siblings were too small then. But they knew something was wrong. Isshin walked to the table, place our plates in front of us and just smiled.

"How can he want to destroy our family… won't it kill him too?" Both Tensa and I didn't even touch our food, knowing that Dad was somewhere with uncle Byakuya, fighting our brother.

"I think… that's why he is doing it-" our eyes connected "-when he held me captive… there were no emotion… not like uncle Bya who chose to that why… but he had nothing. It was like he wanted to be dead."

"But why didn't he kill himself?"

"Because he probably has your father's pride." Isshin sat down at the end of the table, wiping his face with his hands. The smile was gone. "If he truly is a Kurosaki, he won't. Has your dad ever told you about the two years your mom wasn't here?" We shook our heads. They always avoided those questions, never telling us. "Well, your dad was in such depressing state, I wanted to kick it out of him… but no… Only Rukia could do that." Streams of fake tears rolled down his cheeks, making his way over to the giant picture of Grandma Masaki, he mumbled something of "mysondoesn'tloveme" and "hedoesnotletmeint".

XXX

The smell of pancakes filled the air, making me extremely hungry, but Ichigo's bed was too comfy to get out of now. I rather choose his scent that lingered on the pillow, than the smell of food that just made me angry that Ichigo wasn't here to enjoy it with.

I turned to get more comfortable, but felt something, a paper, under his pillow. I lifted the pillow to find a photo of us, probably when I came back last year. He was holding me around my waist, smiling. Where I was trying to get loose and most likely cursing at him.

"Ichigo… Strawberry!" Everyone in the supermarket looked at me as I was yelling for Ichigo, he had disappeared and left me stranded.

"Calm down! Midget. I'm right here!" he came walking with a trolley with Orihime just behind him.

"Kuchiki-san!" She smiled and gave me a hug, leaving me breathless. I gave a weak smile, not saying a word. "Look! Tasuki bought me a camera!" her face gleamed with joy.

"That's really nice of her."

"Yeah." We continued to walk stopping every few seconds, so that Ichigo can throw something in the trolley. "I thought, because I'm going to Tokyo to study and I won't see any of you for a while…that I'll take pictures of you, to remember you!"

I started to giggle. "No… sorry Orihime. I don't do photo's" I gave my fake smile, hoping she would buy it. But no, she started to tear up.

"Please Kuchiki-san! Just one?"

"Yeah, come on Rukia… give her a pretty photo, here between the cereal and coffee." Ichigo could really piss me off sometimes.

"Please?" Orihime begged again.

"Sorry, Orihime… It is just not me." I turned toward the racks, deciding what cereal to take… chocolate or strawberry. Unconsciously, I took strawberry.

"Kuchiki-san…. PLEASE!" the tears started to roll from Orihime's eyes and everyone in the row started to stare at me again… when two arms flung around me, grabbing me by the waist.

"Smile Rukia!' Ichigo picked me off the ground, pulling my back into his stomach.

"No you moron!"

SNAP!

"To late now. Thanks Kurosaki-kun. I got the photo."

That was probably the only photo of me and Ichigo and he is keeping it under his pillow?

I wanted to stare at it awhile longer but a reiatsu sparked above the house. I jumped out of the window on instinct. The light was growing above me, it wasn't normal, but I knew it from somewhere; Yuki and Tensa! I was the same as when they arrived!

"Mom! Get back inside!" Tensa yelled from the window, getting ready to jump, but he suddenly stood still… he must know the reiatsu?

The ball of light crashed to the street, creating a small cloud of dust. As quickly as it came… it was gone again. But in the hole in the ground… there were no one.

"MOMMY!" a small voice came from the side, hitting me and throwing me across the sky.

Glued to my side a boy, looking around 5 or 6 years old, with bright orange hair and amber brown eyes, clung to me with tears in his eyes.

Yuki and Tensa rushed over to me, both awe struck by what just happened.

"Raidon! How the hell did you get here?"