Oh My White Butterfly!
By Uchiha Xairylle

Chapter Twenty-One : Negation

Soi Fon's wakizashi-like zanpakutou turned into a stinger that fit perfectly on her hand and middle finger. Ichigo quickly kicked off the ground to stop her. Soi Fon poised to strike without any further ado when all of a sudden, an Adjuchas landed beside her and she ended up stinging that instead. Her crest manifested on one of its limbs and she tumbled to safety before it could fatally hit her. Ichigo grunted and sped towards his son.

Otousan!

"K-Ke—"

A yellow light shot from the sky and ate the delicate Shiro Chou. Rukia released a shriek of utter pain. It hurt Ichigo's ears as she writhed on the ground. No one was touching her but her screams sounded like she was dying, like she was being torn apart.

"Damn it!" Ichigo's Vaizard mask wore off as he pounded on the Negation from Hueco Mundo he looked up at his Shiro Chou who was frantically and desperately trying to fly towards him. But it was futile and the small butterfly was pulled up towards the gash in the sky.

You're going to have to kill me before you get him!

With his full strength, Ichigo leaped and just when he thought he was at level with his Shiro Chou, he surprised to see that there was no white butterfly.

And Ichigo could not believe his eyes.

There was a child sitting on white light. A child in Shinigami robes!

He was slightly smaller than Yachiru and he had black hair and Ichigo thought this child resembled him much except that the boy had jet black hair instead of orange. Ichigo's eyes widened as he felt his body in mid-air. The boy's violet orbs steadied at Ichigo as they hovered and gasped.

"K-Ken'ichi?" Ichigo managed to say.

As if recognizing Ichigo's voice, the little boy gasped and rushed to the edge of the white light and began to hit the wall of Negation.

"Otousan!" he cried as his small fists made thumping sounds against the seemingly unbreakable glass wall of Negation. Ichigo felt a weird sensation climb up his spine upon hearing the actual voice of his child. But there was a more important situation at hand.

His son was being taken to Hueco Mundo right before his eyes!

"I'll get you out of there even if I have to die trying!" Ichigo swung Tensa Zangetsu and hit the Negation wall. Sparks flew but nothing happened.
"Otousan, please save Okasan! Okasan is dying!" Ken'ichi's palms were flat on the yellow walls as he continued to slowly ascend.
"We'll both save her now stand back!"

"Otousan, behind you!" the boy pointed and true enough, three Adjuchas were aiming their fangs at Ichigo. The orange-haired Shinigami in Bankai had no trouble deflecting and countering. However, this move made him plunge towards the ground.

Away from his son who was being taken to the open gash in the sky.

"Ken'ichi!"

"I… I…" the boy stuttered and from the side of his son's face, Ichigo could see something manifesting. It was white, black and red… It was a mask. No mistake! It was a Hollow Mask!

"Otousan…" he could see half of his son's face and a single tear fell from his exposed eye. Ichigo could see Ken'ichi's face being eaten slowly by the white wisps of the darkness of his Hollow side. Ichigo cursed as another Adjuchas came from above.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! MY SON NEEDS ME!" Ichigo bellowed, pulling out his own mask again, "GETSUGA TENSHOU!"

The dark crescent shot from Zangetsu and Ichigo kicked off from the Adjuchas to propel himself upward towards Ken'ichi who looked on with confused eyes. Ichigo's mind and heart was racing. If he was losing his son today, he might as well die now.

"Ken'ichi…!" Ichigo called. The boy gasped.

"Listen to my voice. Remember my voice. If you hear something else don't listen. You are strong. You are strong, Ken'ichi…!"

Ken'ichi's small hands was touching his face, feeling whatever it was that was eating his persona. Ichigo could still see the tears in his exposed eye that was looking helplessly at him.

"You are stronger than that Hollow, son, so get up and show him what you're made of!" Ichigo hit the Negation wall. Sparks flew again. Nothing happened. He was about to say something when an Adjuchas pulled on his leg.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Ichigo cursed as he was drawn farther from the image of his son, "KEN'ICHI!"

"KEN'ICHI! YOUR STRONG BECAUSE YOU'RE MY SON!"

Like his anger deep inside, the Negation wall exploded. Ichigo's eyes widened. That explosion took place at the exact spot where his son was. Ichigo could still feel the air against his body as he plunged headfirst towards the ground. Was his son dead?

Was his Ken'ichi dead?

Ichigo's mask wore off.

Out from the billowed smoke from the explosion, Ichigo could see something small plunging towards him. He didn't need to check twice. That small thing was his son! Ichigo sliced off the arm on his leg and kicked off towards his son. The small boy was swiveling downwards and Ichigo could only imagine how the child was feeling now.

"Gotcha!"
"Ara!" the boy exclaimed and his little hands held onto Ichigo's arm.

Ichigo felt like he wanted to cry as soon as he felt his son in his arms. The boy looked up at him. Half of his son's face was still wearing a mask.

"Otousan…!"

But even before anything else, another pillar of light shot from the sky. It was a second Negation but this time, it had Ichigo inside its walls.

Wasn't there even just a piece of heaven to let him rest with his son!

Screw Hueco Mundo!

"Otousan, we're breaking out." His son spoke coldly much like how Rukia would.
"What?" Ichigo looked at the boy in his arms.
"A Negation can be broken by another Negation."

That was it and the boy's small fingers clutched onto Ichigo's haori. In an instant they were surrounded by a cube of yellow transparent light. This was the exact thing that Rukia was in before!

"Soyou were the one using Negation to shield your mother!?" Ichigo exclaimed. Their surroundings exploded and the pillar of light dispersed. Ichigo lost no time and flash-stepped towards Rukia. To Ichigo's surprise, she was no longer wearing her Shinigami robes. She was wearing a white kimono and Ichigo's eyes widened.

He had seen her in this state before.

Rukia had lost her Shinigami powers!

"Okasan!" Ken'ichi reached out in tears for his mother. With haste, Ichigo picked her up when he found a stinger over his shoulder.

Holy shit!

"Bala!" the boy shouted.

Bala? Ichigo's mind raced. His son was able to use Hollow techniques?

A blast shot out from his hand and towards Soi Fon but the 2nd Squad Captain simply deflected it. The boy gasped and Soi Fon grinned, posing to gracefully strike the little boy in Ichigo's arms.

"Scatter."

Was that salvation or doom?

"Senbonzakura."

Salvation.

A wave of pink petal blades surged towards Soi Fon. The woman cursed and leapt back, tumbling and twisting to avoid the hundred blades that were at her.

Pink never looked so nice.

"Kuchiki-taichou, what is the meaning of this!" Soi Fon glared from mid-air at Byakuya who was calmly looking at her as he stood below, "You know the orders, don't you?"

"Yes. We were to eliminate the Adjuchas and kill Kurosaki Ichigo's Shiro Chou." Byakuya replied simply and the wave of pink flew back towards him and killed three Adjuchas that were about to maim him, "Those were the orders."

"Then why are you stopping me!" Soi Fon glared again.

"Because the orders were to kill the Shiro Chou. Do you see a Shiro Chou, Nibantai Taichou?" Byakuya raised his hand as if to warn her that he could still speed up his control of his sword.

"That child is the Shiro Chou!" Soi Fon insisted.
"No." Byakuya said coolly, "That child is my nephew."

If Byakuya hadn't saved him and his son, Ichigo would've commented on how he twisted logic and dropped out common sense. Byakuya sent Ichigo a glance and the Shinigami Representative gasped before sprinting for Urahara's house.

"Wait!" Soi Fon posed to run after Ichigo when a wall of pink hindered her way.
"I told you, that child is my nephew." Byakuya spoke as he adjusted his scarf, "By all means possible, do not lay a finger on him."

Ichigo did not bother finding the door. He went in through the window and immediately closed it before setting Rukia and his son to one side. Ichigo released a heavy sigh as he leaned on the wall and sat down.

"Okasan…" Ken'ichi had crawled beside his mother and shook her gently, "Okasan…"

Ichigo pushed himself off the wall and straightened Rukia on the floor so that she was lying down properly. With her skin so pale, she looked like a lifeless doll in her white kimono.

"Otousan, Okasan is dying." Ken'ichi was holding his mothers hand in his trembling little fingers, "I don't want Okasan to die because of me."
"She's not dying."
"Otousan, please…" Ken'ichi pleaded with his father, "I'm going to give Okasan her reiatsu back."
"And then what? Change into a Hollow?" Ichigo's voice cracked.

Damn it, he was not going to cry in front of his son!

"I will change back into a Hell Butterfly."
"Like I will ever let that happen!" Ichigo put his hands on his son's shoulders, "Look, there's a way out of this, all right?"

"Yes, I must return Okasan's Shinigami powers." The boy wearing half a Hollow mask looked straight at him. This was the exact way Kuchiki Rukia looked at him before she left for Sereitei after saying, "Don't follow me." His eyes were violet — glistening violet. Even though there was a war being waged outside, Ichigo was surprised at how calm the boy was. Ken'ichi was trying to look strong even though Ichigo could see the tears from his eyes. The boy tried hard not to shudder, tried hard not to cry. And yet, no matter how hard he tried, there are just some feelings that the eyes can not deny.

"Otousan, you must choose between me and Okasan and I suggest you choose Okasan."
"Stop talking trash! I can save you both!"
"Otousan, I don't want to live without a mother."

"And Rukia wouldn't want to live without her son!" Ichigo shouted and he minded how his fingers were tightening around his son's shoulders. With a quick move, Ichigo pressed his son's head against his chest, "And I don't want to live without either of you. Trust me… I can… save you both."

God damn it, he was crying.

"Otousan…" Ken'ichi said lowly, "I can feel your arms around me but I can only feel half of the warmth. I am still incomplete."
"Then we will make you complete." Ichigo was shuddering. His tears were falling. Damn it all, he could not stop those from falling from his eyes. It stood true. There are certain feelings the eyes can not deny.

And they manifest as tears.

"I will kill all those Hollows outside and then we will get the 4th Squad to help you and your Okasan." Ichigo said firmly as he looked at Ken'ichi, "Is that clear?"

"I will use Negation on me and Okasan." Ken'ichi said, "Once we are in it, the Hollows will cease to feel me and they will stop coming then you can dispose of them easily."

My son is BRILLIANT just like his dad.

"Okay, just don't overdo it."

The boy nodded.

With one last look, Ichigo kissed his son's forehead before dashing out the door. The boy sighed and touched his mother's face. The boy smiled and from underneath them formed a cube-like structure made of yellow transparent light. Ken'ichi felt the Hollow Mask on his face and looked at his mother before stroking her hair using his small hands.

"Okasan, I'm going to trust Otousan on this one but if he fails, one of us will have to teach him a lesson after this."

And then Ken'ichi smiled and whispered, "But if all turns well, I want to go to the park."

Yes, the park…

And it is at the park where as of the moment, several Adjuchas have fallen from the sword of a bearded Shinigami with a white Captain's robe around his shoulder. The man straightened and stretched his arm.

"Hey, there, Ishida, you still holding up?" Isshin grinned and behind him was a white-haired man in glasses and a suit as he fired arrow after arrow.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Ryuken effortlessly fired a several consecutive arrows at five up-coming Adjuchas. Isshin whistled lowly as the Hollows fell and for a moment, there was silence.

"The last time I did this was when your son was born." Ryuken complained, taking out a cigarette from his pocket.

"I've killed sixty-seven now!" Isshin boasted.
"I've lost count of mine."
"What, you getting too old to remember?"
"They were far too many." Ryuken lit his cigarette and put it in his mouth.
"Tsch. Show off."

Both men looked at the sky. The gash was still there and they could see several Hollows coming their way.

"Fine, then, let's start from zero." Isshin looked up at the sky, "If a Vasto Lorde falls, that counts as five."

- End of Chapter 21 -

Author: Chapter 21 is short! I don't know why but it is! Hope you don't kill me for it! This was supposed to be part of Chapter 20 but Chapter 20 is already TOO LONG! My gawd! Thanks to all of you who read this far! My next update will probably be tomorrow because… well, just because. –smiles- Cheerios and Bankai to us all!

Okay, so the little butterfly isn't dead. Don't kill me yet. This story has several chapters to go!