Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

A/N- Thanx to all the people who have reviewed this fic, you guys are great. Thanx for all of your support.

Chapter Thirty-Seven - Near the Breaking Point

Ichigo and Rukia had been out in Karakura Town, on patrol, and they were exhausted when they finally made it back home. There had been an unusual amount of Hollow prowling around the town and both the Squad Five Captain and vice-captain had been forced to work over time to destroy them. Opening the door, Ichigo motioned for Rukia to enter the house first and then he followed, closing the door behind them.

"It's good to be back home," Rukia said as she and Ichigo entered the den.

"I know what you. . ." Ichigo's words trailed off as his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness of the den and he saw that the room was completely trashed. "What the hell. . . " It was at that moment that his gaze fell upon his son, who was lying face down on the floor of the room. "Toushirou!"

Both Ichigo and Rukia hurriedly crossed the small distance that separated them from their son and dropped to their knees at his side. Ichigo gently rolled the child over onto his back and gazed down at him. Shiro's blue-green eyes were wide open however they had a glazed over appearance and they were fixed and staring straight ahead.

"Toushirou!" Ichigo called out, gently shaking the child in an attempt to rouse him.

No response.

"Ichigo," Rukia said, her voice filled with the concern that she felt for her son. Her eyes were focused on her son and she knew without a doubt that this wasn't some minor thing. "There's something seriously wrong with him. What should we do?"

Ichigo scooped Shiro up into his arms and carried him over to the couch. Placing his son down gently, Ichigo turned back to his wife. "You stay here with him while I go upstairs and call Dad. With any luck he'll be able to tell us what's wrong with him."

Rukia nodded and sat down on the floor beside her son.

Ichigo dashed upstairs and grabbed the phone that was on the night stand. He quickly dialed the number for his dad's clinic and then listened as the phone rang, silently urging his dad to hurry up and pick up the phone. Then, after a couple of rings, a voice came over the phone, "Hello?"

"Dad, it's Ichigo. I have a problem and I really need your help."

Isshin instantly picked up on the worried tone in his son's voice and he dispensed with his usual taunting. "What is it Ichigo?"

"Rukia and I came home a few minutes ago and we found our house trashed and Shiro lying face down on the floor. He's completely unresponsive and we have no idea what's wrong with him."

"I'll be right there."

With that the line went dead.

Ichigo placed the phone back in its place and then raced back down the stairs, taking the steps three at a time. He quickly entered the den and walked over to the spot where Rukia knelt at their son's side. "Any change?"

Rukia shook her head. "No. I've been talking to him but he doesn't show any sign that he hears me, he just continues to stare straight ahead. I don't know what to do."

"Dad's on his way," Ichigo told her in a reassuring tone, placing a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. "Maybe he'll be able to shed some light on the problem."

"I hope so."

About ten minutes passed and then the two concerned parents heard the sound of the doorbell. "I've got it," Ichigo said, running from the room. Seconds later he returned, followed by Isshin who was carrying a black bag with him. Isshin hurried across the room and dropped to his knees at his grandson's side, placing his bag on the floor beside him. Rukia quickly got to her feet and stepped back to stand beside Ichigo, so that Isshin would have more room.

"Toushirou," Isshin called out sharply.

The boy remained unresponsive; he didn't so much as bat an eyelash.

Isshin picked up the young boy's hand and placed his first two fingers to the inside of Shiro's wrist. The boy's pulse rate was normal. Next Isshin grabbed the stethoscope that was draped around his neck and checked his grandson's heartbeat and breath sounds, both of which were normal. Pulling a small flashlight from his bag, Isshin shined the light first in Shiro's right eye and then his left. Neither were affected by the light; they both remained completely fixed.

Rukia and Ichigo watched from a few feet away as Isshin examined their son and then they gazed at him expectantly as he got to his feet and turned to face them. Their faces fell however as Isshin shook his head. "Shiro's vital signs are all completely normal. The only thing that's off is the fact that his pupils didn't react to the light which could mean a number of things but there's nothing I can find that explains why he's unresponsive."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Ichigo asked.

"Maybe if you take him to the hospital they'll be able to find some explanation for Shiro's condition," Isshin said, packing his stethoscope and other supplies back in his bag. "They can run tests on him there that I can't do, even at the clinic. If you want I'll come with you and we'll see what they have to say."

Ichigo and Rukia glanced over at one another briefly and then Ichigo nodded. It wasn't as though they had any other options. Ichigo gently scooped his young son up into his arms and together the small family traveled the distance to the nearest hospital where Shiro was quickly admitted and the tests began.

Ichigo, Rukia and Isshin were sitting out in the waiting room, where they'd been for several hours, when a doctor came out to talk to them. The child's worried parents and grandfather immediately got to their feet and turned toward the doctor expectantly.

"We've run every test we can think of and to be completely honest with you we have no idea what's causing this," the doctor told them, shaking his head. "We can't find anything physically wrong with your son. Does Toushirou have any mental problems that we should be aware of?"

Ichigo glared at the doctor. "No."

"Calm down Kurosaki-san," the doctor said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I was merely trying to find an alternative explanation for why Toushirou refuses to respond to anything. If we don't find out what's causing it then we have no way to treat it."

"So basically what you're telling us is that you can't do anything for him," Ichigo said, barely managing to control his anger.

"Well. . ."

"Dad can you help me get Shiro dressed?" Ichigo asked, turning to face his father. "We're leaving."

Isshin nodded and the two of them started back toward the room where Shiro was.

"Now wait a minute," the doctor said quickly, gazing back and forth between Ichigo and Isshin. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

Ichigo turned to face the man, a look of warning in his brown eyes. "What harm could it do? You just got through telling us that there's nothing wrong with him. If there's nothing wrong with him then there's no reason for us to stay here."

And without another word Ichigo and Isshin walked down the hall to the treatment room where Shiro lay. A few minutes later they returned and Ichigo now held his son in his arms. "Come on Rukia. I can only think of one other person who may be able to help us."

Rukia knew exactly who her husband was referring to and she nodded her head in agreement.

Ichigo led the way back to the house that he shared with his wife and son and that's where they parted ways with Isshin. "I have to get back to the clinic but give me a call as soon as you know what's going on with him okay?"

Ichigo nodded and he, Rukia and Shiro entered the house. The small family made their way down to the basement and, since her husband had his hands full, Rukia used her reiatsu to activate the Senkaimon. The gate glowed blue for a moment and then the portal to Soul Society opened. Traveling quickly through the tunnel that connected the world of the living with Soul Society, Ichigo and Rukia soon arrived in the Seireitei with their son. As soon as they arrived the two worried parents quickly made their way to Squad Four, where they were hoping someone might be able to shed some light on Shiro's mysterious illness.

When they arrived at the Squad Four barracks Rukia knocked on the door, which was soon opened by the Squad Four fourth seat, Hanataro Yamada. "Hello Rukia-san."

Rukia nodded at Hanataro and said, "Is Captain Unohana around?"

Hanataro glanced at the child that Ichigo held in his arms and nodded. "She's in her office."

"Thank you," Rukia said as she and Ichigo hurried down the hallway. When they reached the office Rukia knocked on the door, a little harder than she'd intended to however it seemed to get the message across. A voice called out from inside, "Enter."

Rukia slid the office door open and then allowed Ichigo to enter the room before her. Following him inside she closed the door and then came to stand beside her husband and son. Captain Unohana glanced up from her paperwork and her eyes widened as her gaze fell upon the child that Ichigo held in his arms. "What happened?"

"We don't know," Rukia replied. "We came home from patrol and found him lying face down on the floor. His eyes were open but he wouldn't respond to anything. We have no idea what could possibly be causing this and the doctors in the world of the living couldn't find anything physically wrong with him so that's why we brought him here. We were hoping you might be able to help us."

Captain Unohana got to her feet and walked around to the front of her desk. "Bring him and come with me."

Ichigo nodded and he and Rukia both fell into step behind Captain Unohana. The Squad Four Captain led the way down the hall to a small room which had a bed in the center. She motioned toward the bed and Ichigo obediently placed his son down upon it.

"Please wait outside," Captain Unohana said quietly as she leaned over Shiro.

Rukia was reluctant to leave her son however Ichigo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she nodded and followed him from the room. Ichigo and Rukia left the small room and made their way out into the hallway, where they sat down to await Captain Unohana's return.

Ichigo and Rukia were still sitting in the hallway when Renji and Isane walked past on their way down the hall to Isane's office. As they came closer to the couple Renji glanced down at his childhood friend and his former rival, a questioning look in his eyes. "What are you guys doing here?"

"There's something wrong with Shiro," Rukia replied. "He's completely unresponsive."

Renji shook his head. "Your kid's sick and again you bring him to Soul Society?"

Ichigo glared at Renji. "We took him to a normal doctor, in the world of the living, first. They couldn't find anything physically wrong with him so we decided that this was our last option."

"Oh," Renji said, picking up on the concern in Ichigo's voice.

"Is he going to be okay?" Isane asked, a concerned expression on her face.

"We don't know," Rukia said, her voice breaking. "Captain Unohana's with him right now but we don't know anything other than that."

Isane turned to Renji. "You stay here. I'm going to go and see if Captain Unohana needs my help."

Renji nodded and watched as Isane hurried down the hallway. As soon as his wife disappeared around a corner Renji sat down beside Rukia to wait and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Rukia placed her hand on top of Renji's, appreciating his attempt to comfort her.

A couple of hours passed before Captain Unohana and Isane reappeared in the hallway where Rukia, Ichigo and Renji were waiting however as soon as they did the trio jumped to their feet and gazed over at the two Squad Four officers expectantly.

Captain Unohana shook her head, a baffled expression on her face. "I'm sorry Rukia, Ichigo, but I can't find any explanation for his illness."

Tears appeared immediately in Rukia's eyes. Ichigo wrapped his arm around her and held her, at the same time gazing over at Captain Unohana. "Is there any change?"

Captain Unohana shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Nothing I tried managed to bring him out of his trance. He's still completely unresponsive. Would you and Rukia like to go back and see him? Maybe your presence will help to snap him out of it."

Ichigo nodded and he and Rukia followed Captain Unohana back down the hall to the room where their son lay. A couple of bags of fluid now hung on a rack above the young boy's head, connected to tubes that were in his right arm.

"Shiro. . ."

"It's okay Rukia," Captain Unohana said in a comforting voice. "The IVs are just to keep him hydrated, that's all."

Rukia nodded as she walked across the room and sat down beside her son. Placing her hand on her son's forehead she gently brushed back the stray lock of white hair that had once again fallen over Shiro's left eye. "Shiro-chan, it's Mom. Can you hear me kiddo?"

Shiro remained motionless and his blue-green eyes continued to stare straight ahead.

Ichigo walked over to his son's bedside and placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. Turning to face Captain Unohana he asked, "Should we take him home?"

Captain Unohana shook her head. "Even though I couldn't find anything wrong with him I think it would be in Toushirou's best interest to stay here at Squad Four. At least until he snaps out of this, just to be on the safe side."

Ichigo nodded and gazed down at his wife. "What do you think Rukia?"

Rukia nodded, continuing to stroke her son's soft hair.

"Don't worry Rukia," Captain Unohana said in a comforting voice. "I'm sure he'll come to soon. Until then we'll take good care of him."

"Thank you Captain Unohana," Rukia said softly.

Rukia and Ichigo spent the next couple of days at their son's bedside in Squad Four, keeping vigil and hoping that he would snap out of this strange trance that he seemed to be under. Shiro still had not regained consciousness and did not acknowledge his parents' presense in his room. He simply lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, his eyes never blinking.

"Ichigo I'm scared for him," Rukia said in a soft voice.

"He'll be okay Rukia," Ichigo said in a comforting voice, gripping his wife's hand.

At that moment Shiro gasped and sat straight up in his bed, as though he were awakening from a nightmare. The boy's eyes widened further and his breathing quickened as he gazed around the room with a frantic expression on his face. Rukia jumped to her feet and quickly pulled her son into an embrace, holding him with one arm and running her free hand through his white hair. "It's okay Shiro-chan, you're safe."

Shiro tensed as his mother pulled him into her arms but his breathing slowed a few seconds later as he realized who it was that was holding him. "Mom. . ."

"What happened Toushirou?" Ichigo asked as he sat down beside Rukia on the edge of Shiro's bed.

Shiro pulled away from his mother and gazed up into his dad's face, a thoughtful look in his blue-green eyes. "It was weird. It was like I was watching my life flash before my eyes, only it wasn't MY life that I was seeing but. . . most of it's gone now."

Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a knowing look before quickly refocusing their gazes on their son. "I think you should lay back down and rest Shiro-chan," Rukia told him in a gentle voice, once again running a hand through his white hair. "You've been through a rough ordeal."

Shiro started to protest however Ichigo placed a hand on his son's shoulder and gently pushed him back down onto the pillow. "Do as your mother says Toushirou."

Shiro rolled his eyes in his dad's direction however, despite all of his protests, it was only a matter of minutes before he was sound asleep. Rukia pulled the blanket up to her son's chin and tucked the edges in around him and then she and Ichigo got to their feet and left the room. Together they made their way down the hall to Captain Unohana's office and, once there, Ichigo knocked softly on the door.

"Enter."

Ichigo slid the door open and he and Rukia entered the office.

"Is something wrong?" Captain Unohana asked as Ichigo and Rukia entered her office.

Ichigo shook his head and Rukia replied, "Nothing's wrong. Shiro-chan just woke up."

"That's wonderful," Captain Unohana said, a soft smile on her face. "How is he?"

"He's asleep now," Ichigo replied. "But when he woke up he said it was like he'd been watching someone's life flash before his eyes but that he couldn't really remember any of the specifics. I think this was a more extreme version of the episodes he's been having involving Captain Hitsugaya's memories."

"You may be right," Captain Unohana said in a thoughtful voice.

"I think we need to speak to Ukitake about this," Ichigo said, his gaze shifting from Captain Unohana over to his wife. "I know he decided that Shiro shouldn't know anything about Captain Hitsugaya but these episodes keep getting worse and I'm beginning to think that keeping this information from him may be doing him more harm than good."

"I agree," Rukia said.

Rukia and Ichigo both turned to leave the Squad Four office and Captain Unohana got to her feet and followed them to the door. She knew how they felt about the decision regarding their son however she was still convinced that the knowledge should be kept from Shiro, for his own good.

Together the trio made their way across the Seireitei to the Squad One barracks. When they arrived there, Ichigo knocked on the door and then slid it open, without waiting for an invitation to enter. Rukia and Captain Unohana followed Ichigo inside the room and Head Captain Ukitake glanced up as this unusual group walked across his office.

"Can I help you?" Ukitake asked in a confused voice as the trio came to a stop in front of his desk.

"We need to talk to you about Shiro." Ichigo said.

"How is he?" Head Captain Ukitake asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"He woke up," Rukia said. "Which is the reason we need to talk to you sir. When Shiro woke up it was like he was waking up from a nightmare, he was terrified, and then he told us that he'd been watching someone's life flash before his eyes. He was really freaked out and I'm worried about him."

Ichigo nodded. "I think we should tell him what's going on, with the visions and stuff."

"Ichigo. . ."

"He thinks he's going crazy," Rukia said. "And the visions keep getting worse."

"I know how you feel Rukia," Captain Unohana said in an understanding voice. "But if we tell Shiro that he's Captain Hitsugaya's reincarnation that knowledge could trigger a reaction far more severe than the one you just witnessed."

Head Captain Ukitake gazed over at the two concerned parents. "I realize that the two of you have Shiro's best interests at heart but I still think that telling Shiro that the visions he keeps having are the memories of a deceased captain could be dangerous, both to Shiro and to Soul Society. I'm sorry but I still don't think that you should tell him."

"This is our son," Ichigo said angrily.

"I'm sorry Ichigo," Ukitake said, a look of genuine sympathy in his eyes.

Ichigo growled low in his throat and opened his mouth to say something however his words were cut short when he felt a gentle hand on his arm. "Come on Ichigo. Let's go back and sit with our son."

Ichigo nodded and together the two parents left the Head Captain's office.

Ukitake sighed as he watched Ichigo and Rukia leave his office. Captain Unohana walked around his desk and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Jyuu, they'll be fine. They're just worried about their son but deep down they know that what you're doing is the right thing."

"Is it Retsu?" Ukitake asked, gazing up into his wife's gentle eyes.

"I hope so," Unohana said softly.

Ichigo and Rukia made their way back to Squad Four however they didn't return to their son's room. Instead they stood in the hallway and discussed their options. "What do you think we should do about Shiro, Rukia?"

"I don't know," Rukia said, sounding torn. "I don't want to do anything that puts my child in danger, either emotionally or physically, but I hate to watch him suffering. He thinks he's going crazy."

"I know," Ichigo said, running a hand through his orange hair. "Maybe we should wait and see what happens with him. If things continue the way they are now then we'll tell Shiro about Captain Hitsugaya even if we're ordered not to."

Rukia nodded.

"Come on Rukia," Ichigo said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Let's get our son and go home. I'm currently pissed off at Soul Society."

Rukia nodded again and together the two parents made their way down the hall to Shiro's room. Ichigo scooped his son up into his arms and Shiro didn't so much as move as his dad picked him up. Once he had the child in his arms Ichigo turned back to his wife. "Let's go."

A/N - and thus ends another chapter of Shiro's story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and tell me your thoughts. And on a side note I've once again posted a poll to determine the gender of the upcoming arrival to the Kurosaki family, and it's actually working this time, so if you would like to participate your opinion matters. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.