It's an ATLA crossover in terms of the world it is (very loosely) set in but you do not need to have seen it to understand this story! Alas, this chapter is a little explain-y but please stay with me.

For my loveliest Nova-bean – I hope you like this! (sorry you got stuck with me again!)
It's a full IchiHitsu fantasy AU series for you! I even put in Yukio specifically for your enjoyment~

…

Air I: The Ruins of Junrinan

When the night is longest, the winds show their true power. It shall be then, when the moon turns blue and a new star joins the night sky, the Avatar will conquer or perish. Remember, the power of only one element can bring peace.

Small pebbles crunched under their feet as they walked along the empty beach. The wind was chilling to the bone, ice cold and stinging on Ichigo's skin. The ocean was calm on his left, and gentle waves pushed their way up the rocky shores with the incoming tide that would wash away the group's footprints, if there were any. To his right, lush green fields stretched back to the mountains they had come from. Long grass swayed in the breeze but it was quiet, almost eerily so.

Ichigo wasn't surprised at the dissonant stillness and lack of life, however; they were in the old Water Kingdom territory now.

"The stars are pretty tonight, don't you think?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, hearing Renji's words and Rukia's slight giggle behind him. They were walking a few steps behind and flirting terribly under hushed tones.

Night had fallen but it wasn't dark, the moon and stars too bright that evening. Their shine was mockingly cheerful, a sight that was supposed to be beautiful but was only a hindrance – a threat even.

Ichigo used to love the stars. Now he hated them.

They bound him to a fate he did not want.

Nothing scared Ichigo Kurosaki more than being the next Avatar.

He didn't ask for it. He didn't want it.

He especially didn't want it now, nine years into the worst war the world had ever seen, a war that was practically already won by their enemies, the Water Kingdom.

The burden was heavy on his shoulders, certainly heavier than his knapsack which only caused him mild back strain. He shouldn't have had the responsibility of being the Avatar on his head – he was just a kid, after all.

Nineteen and gangly, but a kid nonetheless.

"Damned stars," he muttered quietly as he walked along the shoreline, and he kicked a small rock up the beach for good measure.

Renji snorted, interrupting Ichigo's muttered complaints. "Yeah the damned stars that gave you the power of bending all four elements."

Ichigo sighed sufferingly. They'd had this argument before, many times.

"For the last time," Ichigo gritted his teeth. "I can't bend all four elements. I can only bend air."

Element benders were rare, just not in this particular trio. Renji was one, an Earthbender, while Rukia could Waterbend. Ichigo was a bender too, not that anyone was surprised. His father had been a Firebender, his mother a bender of air, and Ichigo had skewed air.

Or so they had thought.

He had loved being an Airbender, and he still did. But when the Elder Monks travelled down from their mountain temples to meet him, no one could deny what he was; the new Avatar, a person capable of bending all four elements, a person capable of entering the 'Avatar State' and causing mass destruction.

They were said to be chosen by the Gods, one person per lifetime, and the Avatar's role was to maintain peace between the four continents – the Fire State, the Air Realm, the Water Kingdom and the Earth Empire.

Well, the last Avatar had failed; a man named Zangetsu. The Avatar had been killed before the war had even broken out, the Water King clearly buying himself some more time before another Avatar would be ready.

Tag, and Ichigo was it – the next Avatar, one that was surely bound to fail just as terribly, one that was never going to be ready.

Nothing terrified him more.

"Yeah, yeah" Renji chuckled. He was a good friend, just not an empathetic one. "Quit complaining. You're the most powerful being on the planet, live a little."

Ichigo bit his tongue and continued on walking as Rukia caught up to him. She patted his arm sympathetically, her violet irises saying she understood, but her mouth saying nothing.

Ichigo had known Renji for the better part of four years. He was strong and loyal, but Gods was he an ass. He was originally from the Earth Empire, but his accent wasn't obvious. He had been homeless as a young teenager, and kicked from the great city of Hueco Mundo, the Earth Empire's grand, albeit snobby, capital.

"Tell me you're not buying the whole 'the stars are pretty tonight' crap?" Ichigo whispered to her.

Rukia sent Ichigo a small smirk then, smart enough not to answer that. She nodded her head forward, as if to say 'come on'.

They walked on, over the rocky shores.

They had been walking for hours – well, years really, but it had been three days since they left their last hideaway. Ichigo had liked that one, actually. Up in the mountains, where the air was fresher, where the trees were peaceful. They could have lived their lives out there, and no one would have ever found them. For a month, it had been good. They had healed, rested, and overcome illness. They had fed and trained without fear of capture.

It was tempting to Ichigo, to run away and never have to deal with being the Avatar. Unfortunately, the stars bound him, and fate had him by the neck. The Gods looked down on him from above, and they laughed.

Ichigo had no choice but to serve them, and eventually master all four elements. He had to learn them in the order of the Avatar Cycle – air first, fire second, then earth, and finally water. That meant he had to find his father first. Only Isshin could teach him Firebending – he was a true a master, a captain in the Fire State's army before-

Before he was captured by the Water King.

"When will you be home again, Dad?"

"When the war is won, Son. Stay strong for me. I love you, Kiddo."

"I love you too, Dad."

He hadn't seen his father in nine years, and everyday got harder than the last. He had hope though, that Isshin was still out there somewhere. Hope was a dangerous thing, but Ichigo had to hold on to it. It was more than he had for the fates of the rest of his family.

"Take care of your mother and sisters."

"I will, Dad."

Ichigo swallowed and walked on. His legs moved, as his heart clenched.

This war had torn his family apart. It had torn the whole world apart.

It had started when the Water Kingdom attacked, deciding expand their territory to the entire globe.

For the first few months of the war, the other nations struggled to fight back. Earth, Air and Fire united to defend what was theirs. For a fleeting moment, the tides turned as the Fire Army closed in on the Water capital but a tsunami of terror returned.

The Water King was usurped by his own son.

Gin Ichimaru was psychotic – he had killed own his family to take the throne. He craved power, and his war path was far clearer than that of his predecessor; kill anyone and everyone to get to the top.

It didn't do his people any good; three years ago, in an episode of his own paranoia and madness, King Ichimaru turned on his own people. He didn't need them anymore. Ichimaru sat on the throne in Hueco Mundo, now controlling the entire Earth Empire, now using their armies. The Water Kingdom fell; their civilians were eradicated, Ichimaru only sparing his most loyal soldiers. The survivors – if any – lived in hiding, or in Earth Empire prisons.

And so they should.

Ichigo spat harshly on the rocks as they passed. Beside him, Rukia tensed.

Ichigo sighed, he hadn't meant to startle her, and reached out to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly; Rukia didn't relax under his hand and he supposed he couldn't blame her.

Being that she was a Waterbender, Ichigo had found it hard to accept her friendship, though she had certainly earned it over the years. Ichigo hated the Water Kingdom people, civilians or not, but especially the benders that helped make up their terrifying armies. He had made his peace with Rukia, after she and Renji had found him and she had healed his injuries all those years ago. It had been hard to accept – a surviving Waterbender as one of his two only allies – but he had to grudgingly admit that Rukia was not evil like the rest of her people. She used her bending to heal, not using it for combat unless in desperate self-defence.

Her name, however, was too hard for Ichigo to swallow. Kuchiki. She was the younger sister of the Water Kingdom's Captain in the Southern Territory, Byakuya Kuchiki. He was vile. He had led the attack on Karakura, Ichigo's home – his sanctuary. It had been a small village on neutral territory, popular with passing nomads, but most of the people living there were Air citizens, like Ichigo's mother. Byakuya Kuchiki's attack killed everyone in the village that day, except for Ichigo. His mother and younger sisters hadn't survived, and truth be told, a part of Ichigo had died there with them.

Rukia never spoke of her brother. Ichigo never spoke of him either.

He was dead now, and that's all that mattered. Gin Ichimaru was the real Water Kingdom enemy; he was evil to his core.

By comparison, the Air Lord and Earth Emperor were good men. Well, they had been good men. Ichimaru had seen to their elimination. Aizen, the fair and kind leader of the Air Realm, and Tosen, the blind and calm Earth Emperor had perished, and with them so had the hopes of their people. The Earth Empire had been captured by Ichimaru, and Air Realm was under attack immediately after, leaving the people floundering. Some escaped, like Ichigo had, but many hadn't been so lucky.

The only surviving leader on the side of good was the Fire Commander, old man Yamamoto. He was ancient, but Ichigo had grown up on the stories of his heroics. Yamamoto currently held the Seireitei, the Fire State's busy capital. It was the impossible for Ichimaru – an impenetrable city with high walls. It was where many refugees had escaped to; it was where Yamamoto was building up his forces, readying to strike a counter attack on their enemies.

It was where Ichigo's little guerrilla gang was headed – eventually. Ichigo didn't want to be the Avatar, but he would do whatever he could to stop Ichimaru, and bring peace back to the world.

The first step was learning Firebending from the best, and the best was Isshin Kurosaki. Ichigo's first goal was to find his father, and so he, Rukia and Renji carried on walking.

The band of three continued along the grey shores, for hours and hours. For as long as it took to reach-

"Must be getting close," Renji sighed, now a few steps ahead. "The stones are becoming icy."

Ichigo glanced down, noticing the slight frost over the millions of small rocks they walked over. He nodded; they must have been getting close. After a few more minutes, they felt sleet falling on them, like weak snow.

"Junrinan should be just around this point," Rukia murmured, consulting the map, her hands trembling slightly in the cold as she held it open, angling it under the moonlight. "In the cove."

Ichigo nodded and they pressed on.

Junrinan was – prior to the fall of the Water Kingdom – the capital of the Water Kingdom's Northern territory. It was made almost entirely of ice, giving it the nickname 'Winter's City'.

It was where the old Water King and his family lived in their grand ice palace. It was the former Crown Prince killed his own father and younger brother, stabbing them in the back quite literally. It was where Isshin had been sent with his Fire troop to fight back. It was where Isshin was captured, never to return home.

Just the thought of it made Ichigo's blood boil, the fire in him not dormant. He was half Firebender, after all, even if he couldn't yet manipulate flames.

Junrinan was the next point of call in Ichigo's search for his father. He knew the Water Kingdom had captured the Fire State's army, and they had done so in the Kingdom's little capital. Ichigo didn't know what had happened after that, if perhaps they had been held in prison there and been in Junrinan they day Ichimaru unleashed terror on his own people, or if he had taken them to the Earth Empire when he had conquered Hueco Mundo. Ichigo didn't even know if his father was still alive, but he had to find out.

Rukia gasped as they rounded the corner and even Ichigo and Renji had to pause as they looked on at the once thriving Water capital.

Junrinan was in ruins.

Nestled in a deep cove, the icy hills surrounding the bay had created no haven from what must have been a vicious attack. It looked like a tornado had ripped through it.

Ichigo spotted the once grand palace easily – a large, regal structure torn apart. Some of the original turrets still stood, the crescent moon symbol of the Water Royals imprinted into the ice, but most of the royal residence had crumbled, and now lay at the base in a mess of ice boulders.

The streets and the small houses that had filled them were equally as destroyed, many nothing but debris. Boats scattered the small harbour, some half sunk, others lying sideways on the rocks. There were some that had somehow survived the damage and were rocking gently on the water, bound to the mostly destroyed central pier, and abandoned forever.

Ichigo didn't doubt that the water was even colder than the air. It was black under the night sky, an ominous reflection.

The small city had been levelled by Gin Ichimaru alone, and now it was uninhabitable. How many hundreds of 'innocent' people had been killed that day?

Ichigo heard Rukia suck in a shaky breath; though her loyalty was not with her traitorous king or the Water Kingdom, it must have been hard to see the once proud capital of her territory like this. Renji clapped her shoulder but said nothing; what could any of them say?

Ichigo sighed and moved on, climbing up onto the start of the rubble to get further into the bay. He tried to push down how much these ruins made him think of what Karakura must look like now. He had to focus, he had to try and find information about where his father might have been taken when he was captured here. Behind him, he heard Rukia and Renji follow after only a small moment of delay.

They were quiet as they climbed and slipped, slowly moving higher over the incoming tide as he drew up closer on the ice rocks.

Eventually they made it into the heart of Junrinan, but they were no less climbing over rubble. Ichigo was making a jagged beeline to the palace, figuring any information about the capture of the fire army must be in there.

"Shit!" Renji hissed all of a sudden and Ichigo was ripped from his retrieve in alarm as he saw the burly redhead drop low behind an ice boulder and pull Rukia down beside him.

Without asking any questions, Ichigo followed suit and threw himself over the boulder to join them. All three of them were pressed into the side of the ice, breaths hitched, scared to make a single sound.

"What did you see?" Ichigo asked eventually, tone hushed but urgent.

They had been on the run and in hiding for four years. He knew what Renji's 'shit!' meant – potential enemies were close.

"Junrinan isn't abandoned," Renji muttered, and carefully he poked his head around the boulder.

Ichigo and Rukia shared a tense glance before they too turned and poked their heads over the ice rock.

Ichigo saw what Renji did; smoke, only just visible under the bright moonlight, coming from the chimney of one of the still standing shack-like houses by the shore. It was barely noticeable, considering they hadn't seen it earlier.

"Civilian squatters?" Rukia offered, voice hushed.

Occasionally they ran into squatters in abandoned or destroyed villages. They were usually harmless – just civilians trying to get out of the cold, or put a roof over their family's heads. They weren't always harmless however, sometimes they were looters, scavenging through the empty towns, taking what they could to sell later.

"Maybe," Renji murmured. "But we have to assume the worst."

The worst? Water Kingdom soldiers.

"We need to make a move," Ichigo murmured. "If they're soldiers, we need to get the jump on them before they know we're here."

"What if they're civilians?" Rukia asked hurriedly. "We can't hurt them if they're innocent."

Ichigo bit his lip from making a remark that would have definitely upset the girl (along the lines of any civilian hiding in Water Kingdom territory couldn't be innocent). Instead, he shot Renji a look, hoping to have the bigger man on his side.

Renji regarded the smoke ebbing from chimney again, mulling over his position. For a moment, they were silent, as if hoping to hear voices to get an indication of the amount of and type of people they were dealing with. Nothing could be heard, however, just the sounds of the gently lapping water on the rocks, and the undamaged boats hitting the pier softly.

"I'm with Ichigo on this one," Renji sighed at last as Rukia deflated slightly. "They could be guard soldiers."

"Guarding what?" Rukia hissed. "Junrinan is nothing but rubble now."

Renji shrugged, turning back to look at her, "It's still the royal capital."

"We can't take any chances," Ichigo added quickly, the reminder of the royals spurring him on.

He felt less sorry for Junrinan remembering it was the place where Gin Ichimaru was raised.

To say Rukia was unhappy was an understatement, and if this backfired on them, the guys were sure to be hearing about it for weeks to come. Still, if they were right, it might just save their lives.

Ichigo and Renji nodded and made to move again, climbing silently over the boulder. They edged towards the small house by the shore, barely standing beside its destroyed neighbours. Navigating over rubble and between other partially standing structures, the three of them slipped into the shadows and eventually to the shack. They hugged the walls as they moved around to the window. Ichigo poked his head around, but the curtains had been drawn. No lights were on, but the gentle flicker of a fire was now more obvious.

The three of them continued to creep around the house in total silence, reaching the front door. It was tricky to keep quiet now, as they had to step down into ankle deep water to reach the door. The shack, from the front, was partially sunk, submerged slightly with the high tide.

Ichigo and Renji stood either side of the door, preparing to burst in and attack. Rukia stood behind Renji, looking entirely uneasy with the situation.

Ichigo made the hand gestures they had learned to call the plan. He would go first, sending any occupants flying with a gush of air, and Renji would come in behind them, using his Earthbending to pin or crush, depending on what they found. Rukia was to stay out of the way – she didn't fight, she healed and they needed her if this went wrong. It was important that they kept her safe.

Renji nodded his affirmation, and after a moment, Rukia shook her head, seemingly to herself, before she gave her nod of confirmation.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo counted them down from three on his fingers, allowing them a moment to gear up. His last finger dropped and he charged, busting the door off its hinges with harsh push of air before he ran in after it.

He only saw darkness in the room but he felt the air shift with movement from the occupiers. Instantly we waved his arm, flinging it towards them, but before the air could send them flying, ice cold water hit Ichigo square in the chest and sent him flying back out the door. It was a blur as he spun through the air, registering vaguely Renji's red hair disappearing inside the house to carry on the attack.

Ichigo managed to use his Airbending skills to slow himself in the air, and cushion his fall to the water. He couldn't control it entirely with the shock he was feeling, nor the weight of his knapsack on his back, and he ended up plunging in the ice cold water, just narrowly missing the unforgiving rocks around the bay.

In an instant, something grabbed his ankle and Ichigo opened his eyes underwater, alarmed to find a human hand grasping his leg, and dark eyes staring at him from below. Even in the dark, Ichigo caught the golden hair, and then the sharpened teeth as the creature's mouth opened in a wicked grin. Ichigo screamed, the sound nothing but a gurgle, before he was suddenly pulled up and out of the water by a strange force, his ankle slipping from the monster's grasp. He landed harshly on the main pier as Rukia screamed his name, arriving at his side. She had used her own bending to pull him from the water, he realised. Ichigo tried to thank her between coughing up water.

"What was that?" he hissed, mentally trying to catch up. What the hell was that thing that grabbed him under the surface?!

"Water," Rukia told him quickly, pulling him to his feet.

"Water?" Ichigo questioned, the pieces coming back together in his mind as it clicked. Rukia wasn't talking about the monster in the water, but the fact it was a water attack that shot Ichigo out there in the first place.

And water attacks meant-

Just then a scream was heard from the house, but one that was certainly not Renji's. It was definitely a woman's scream, and Ichigo was up and running again. He ditched his sodden knapsack off his shoulders quickly and leapt up into the air, using his Airbending to propel himself off the ice pier and back into the ankle deep water by the front door as he rushed in behind his Earthbender friend.

The scene he walked in on had him grinding to a halt in the entrance way, and a moment later, Rukia ran into his back, stumbling back a little.

Renji, head to head with a woman whose hands were alight with fire. Renji was pushing a large rock towards her, one that had burst through the ice floorboards of the shack, and the woman was melting it from the other side, the rock slowly becoming molten between them.

At Ichigo and Rukia's appearance, the woman took one hand off Renji's rock and held it up to them in warning.

"Back off," she hissed, her light blue eyes fierce, her hair as wild and orange as the flames in her hands. She looked older than them, but still very much a young woman.

Renji didn't look ready to back down, but Rukia slipped around Ichigo and moved swiftly towards him, shoving her friend harshly off his stance, causing the rock to collapse under the woman's fiery hands.

"They're civilians," Rukia hissed quickly as Renji sprung back up. "They're not soldiers!"

Ichigo barely had time to catch up with that fact, too entranced by the fact there was a Firebender in front of him, one that might well know where the Fire armies were taken nine years ago. At Rukia's words, the Avatar inspected the woman closer.

She was certainly no soldier. She wore no uniform, clearly had no professional training. She had fear in her blue eyes, her flaming hands still held up, unsure if she was going to be attacked again.

Only when Renji seemed to back down completely did the woman's arms start to lower, though the fires in palms remained.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"We're just passing through," Rukia assured her quickly. "We mean you no harm."

"No harm?" the woman scoffed. "That's not what has occurred here just now."

That's when Ichigo spotted the body at her feet. It was dark with nothing but the fire on the woman's hands for light, but Ichigo could just vaguely see the pale skin of another person lying unmoving on the floor.

"We thought you might be soldiers," Ichigo answered when Rukia seemed lost for a response. "We've learned not to take chances."

"And we have learned the same," the woman turned to him, her eyes still as ferocious, her flames growing brighter for a moment.

Ichigo saw himself in the woman then. There was someone who knew what it was like to be on the run, and in hiding. There was someone who knew to spend every day worrying she would be attacked. She was an innocent civilian, a young bender like them, spending every day of her life just trying to stay alive.

"I am trying to find my father," Ichigo explained then, feeling himself inching closer to becoming a roasted Avatar by the second. "He was Firebender… like you."

Those steely eyes regarded him, narrowing slightly with distrust.

"I can heal," Rukia added then, her voice slightly pleading, still trying to squash the tension in the room. "Let me heal your friend."

She gestured to the body on the ground between the woman's legs, and the woman swallowed, clearly considering it.

Her eyes shot up to Renji, as if remembering him, and under Rukia's harsh glare, Renji sighed and softened his stance, holding his hands up in surrender. Ichigo did the same when the woman turned back to him. Finally after a moment, the woman stood down to.

She shot fire back into the fireplace, allowing more light into the room, before the flames in her hands extinguished. She dropped immediately to the body beneath her, crouching over it as she tried to rouse it awake.

"Toshiro," she murmured. "Come on, I need you to wake up."

Rukia moved quickly to the other side of the body as Ichigo stepped around them to get a better look too.

It was a boy, one that had to be around their age, perhaps a little younger. He was small in stature, his hair whiter than any snow Ichigo had ever seen. Limp, eyes closed, but breathing as Rukia's magic water healing began over the gash on his head that was bleeding heavily.

"If you're a Firebender…" Renji muttered to the woman, coming to watch beside Ichigo as he too gazed down at the boy who was finally starting to stir, groaning softly. "Then he's…"

Ichigo had not forgotten why he was soaking wet, or how he had been flung from the house in the first place. He stared down at the injured boy, watching as the woman helped him sit up. The boy's eye lids opened, revealing the most breathtaking teal irises.

They were like ice, and undoubtedly so was his heart.

Ichigo finished Renji's sentence, feeling his fist tighten at his side.

"He's a Waterbender."

…

Waterbenders were evil. Ichigo had known that for the last nine years.

They were vile and disloyal, and as cold as the element they controlled.

Rukia was an exception, Ichigo realised, but then again, she had never used her powers for anything other than healing. She had been hurt by the Water Kingdom too, having been exiled by her evil brother.

Now, Ichigo sat across from one, and had to fight every urge to reach across and strangle him.

Toshiro was his name apparently, and he was fresh faced at only eighteen years of age. He wasn't innocent though, as Ichigo had realised having received the brunt of his earlier attack. He used his powers for combat, and he was clearly powerful – not that he looked it currently, spaced out as he stared down into his tea instead of drinking it.

Rangiku was the woman's name, the Firebender. Somehow they were friends, despite the facts of history.

Rangiku was chatty, like many of the Firebenders were. Stereotypically, their personalities were warm, personable, erratic and fun, but Gods do not provoke their tempers.

She asked all about how the three of them – an Airbender, a Waterbender and an Earthbender – had become to be friends, and Rukia had done her best to explain how they had all met while on the run, all the while stepping over the dangerous topics of how they had all ended up on the run in the first place.

Eventually Rukia had asked the return question, far nicer that Ichigo would have, of how the Rangiku and Toshiro had met.

"I was orphaned when I was a teenager, and I got taken in by a childhood friend's family," Rangiku explained. Rangiku squeezed Toshiro gently, though the boy ignored it and the ongoing conversation. "This one's family actually. Toshiro was only young at the time, so I became his au pair."

"His nanny?" Renji repeated, a chuckle on his lips until Rukia elbowed him in the side.

Rangiku shrugged, "Used to be. We're family."

The two looked it too, not in appearance but certainly in how close they appeared to be. Toshiro hadn't spoken yet, in fact Ichigo wasn't convinced he was mentally all there, if the vacant look in his eyes was anything to go by as he continued to stare into his tea. Still that could have been put down to the fact most Water Kingdom citizens seemed to have zero emotions as the best of times… Or perhaps the concussion he'd received thanks to Renji sending a rock straight into his forehead.

Rukia had managed to heal the injury for the most part, but still a thin scratch ran down the boy's forehead and disappeared in his white eyebrow. Rangiku had been much friendlier after the truce was established, and she had managed to create a bigger fire to warm them all up, while Rukia managed to manipulate the water out of Ichigo's clothes and knapsack so he was dry again.

Despite the little shack being made of ice, it was incredibly warm inside.

The five of them now sat around the fireplace, warming up and picking at a dreadful fish dish Rangiku had prepared for them. It was no wonder Toshiro was as skinny as he was, if his old au pair was serving him food like that. Ichigo didn't feel sorry for him though, and if he was Rangiku, he would have purposely poisoned the kid by now.

"How long have you been two been in hiding?" Rukia asked then. She clutched a hot tea between her hands and blew on the steam gently.

Rangiku seemed to hesitate, glancing down at Toshiro for a moment, as if expecting a reaction from him and yet getting none.

"About three years now," Rangiku murmured. "Since the fall of Junrinan. We've only returned recently."

Toshiro moved then, lifting the tea to his lips and finally taking a sip. Ichigo's eyes watched his every movement, not trusting a Waterbender's hands for a moment. The boy's hands did not shoot water out at him this time however, but they trembled as he lowered the tea cup to his lap again.

Rangiku didn't say more than that on the matter, and Rukia seemed too uncomfortable to ask further follow up questions.

"My father was a Firebender," Ichigo stared at Rangiku now, searching her face for answers. "He was imprisoned nine years ago after being captured here, by the Water King."

His words were almost spat, and Rukia flinched beside him while Toshiro only tilted his head, studying his tea again.

Rangiku inhaled deeply before sighing.

"Most of the Fire troops captured that day have now been taken to Hueco Mundo, I believe," Rangiku murmured, "to fight for the Water King..."

Her sentence was left hanging, and she seemed to regret her words instantly, silencing herself and awkwardly reaching for her own tea.

Ichigo felt the blow to his heart.

He imagined his father, imprisoned and hopeless, forced to fight for the enemy or risk being killed if he disobeyed. It crushed Ichigo's hope significantly, because he knew his father, and he knew Isshin would have rather died than fight for an evil king.

The Avatar swallowed. No, he couldn't think like that. He couldn't make those assumptions. He had to at least try to find out if Isshin was still alive.

"Hueco Mundo it is," Ichigo murmured, reaching for the map in Rukia's lap and opening it up.

Hueco Mundo was a few weeks journey, at least.

"We're not going there," Renji murmured to Ichigo, speaking the exact words Ichigo didn't want to be told. "It's the most dangerous place on Earth right now."

"We have to," Ichigo gritted his teeth. "We need him."

He was trying to be vague with his words. He didn't want the strangers knowing what he was, he already had a big enough target on his head. Ichimaru didn't know who the Avatar was but he knew he was out there somewhere. Last time Ichimaru had word of where to find him, Karakura had been destroyed and Ichigo's family had been killed.

"He's not the only Firebender out there," Renji argued, slightly less concerned about revealing Ichigo's identity. He gestured to Rangiku as if it was proof. The woman glanced between them, confused.

Ichigo shook his head and seethed. It was easy for Renji to say that any Firebender could teach him, and to be fair, Ichigo was sure the guy was right about that, but what Renji failed to take into account was Ichigo's need to find his father.

He needed his dad. He couldn't do this alone.

Renji was definitely the stereotype of Earthbender personality. Thick, stubborn, pigheaded. Of course he was the good parts too; genuine, loyal, enduring and all that, but he rarely considered other's feelings before he opened that big mouth of his.

"He's my dad," Ichigo gritted out quietly, not wanting to raise his voice while they were still supposed to be careful of attackers. If his father was in Hueco Mundo, Ichigo would find him and break him out. He had to learn Firebending. The stars had bound him as the Avatar, as much as he feared it. "And he was a captain. We need-"

"Your dad was a captain?" Rangiku cut in, seemingly need to clarify that.

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, eyeing her cautiously, unsure what difference it made to her. Rangiku's expression was surprised, but also like she had made a connection.

Instantly, Ichigo felt his guard go up.

She glanced at Toshiro who was now regarding Ichigo closely, those icy teal eyes now pierced his soul. They were no longer vague-looking or dull. They were sharp, focused. Intense. There was no expression on that face, but Waterbenders were seldom expressive. Ichigo tensed, feeling no trust for the boy. He was a Waterbender after all, he could betray them at any minute. He could even be a spy. Toshiro held his stare, not blinking once.

At his palms, Ichigo felt the air stir, ready to fight.

"It doesn't matter," Renji huffed, seemingly obviously to the growing tension. "We're not going to Hueco Mundo. You can learn Firebending off any-"

Immediately Ichigo sent that air wave into Renji, knocking him back into the wall. Rukia slipped between them and pushed Ichigo's hand away, yelling for him to stop. Furious, Ichigo shook his head and stood, storming from the room.

He felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt like an Airbender that had no air.

…

Outside, Ichigo remembered how cold it was away from the warmth of Rangiku's fire. He was glad his clothes were dry again, but it might not have mattered. He was fuming, his blood running hot in his veins.

He was no closer to finding his father than before, and now he had a Waterbender in his company (again, Rukia was the exception). Not to mention, he'd had his ass kicked earlier by said Waterbender and then was almost eaten by a sea monster.

Also, Renji was an asshole.

Sometimes it was just too much, sometimes he needed a break.

His friends were familiar with that, so he knew they wouldn't do something as dumb as follow him out.

Logically, he knew why Renji had been so defensive, of why he was so desperate to stay away from Hueco Mundo. The place hadn't been kind to him, and that was bound to be bringing up some traumatic memories for him.

Still, Ichigo was frustrated. Renji didn't know fear like Ichigo did, he didn't know what it was like to have the weight of the world and the world's Gods on his shoulders.

The Avatar huffed, walking over the rocks around the bay's shore, and eventually sitting himself on a boulder, one that sat well out of the water. The stars still shone brightly and he glared at them, as if this was their fault.

It was, at least partially.

For several minutes, Ichigo seethed on that rock, glaring at the stars, then at the Junrinan palace, then at the water that lapped with false innocence against the rocks, and eventually to the squawking Albatross bird that was hunting over the bay. The water stretched out to the horizon, though Ichigo couldn't discern between the water and the sky where black met black.

He was in bad mood, and he wasn't even sure he had the right to be. He was just frustrated.

This was why he needed his father. He really couldn't do this on his own. He didn't know how to be the Avatar, he needed Isshin's help. Isshin knew everything.

It was after almost an hour of seething that Ichigo felt the air shift behind him. He turned sharply, always expecting an attack, and found Toshiro crouching on a rock not too far away. The Avatar stared at the boy, but he seemed to have very little interest in Ichigo for the moment.

He hoped down off his rock, and landed gracefully on the one below by the water's surface. He crouched and stared down at his reflection in the water. Ichigo stared at the boy just as hard and a moment later, the boy's hand struck quickly, plunging into the icy water and pulling out a fish. Ichigo's brow furrowed as Toshiro seemed to inspect the fish for a moment as it flapped around in his hand.

In a sudden strike, he brought a knife down on the fish's head.

Ichigo hadn't even seen the blade on the boy until now, and he watched with wide eyes as Toshiro flicked the head back into the water and climbed back onto his rock. He sat casually, headless fish in his lap, before he brought the blade back out and began to carve.

It wasn't a knife exactly, somewhere between dagger and a short sword, but it was a weapon in the hands of a Water Kingdom citizen, one that could bend, and that left Ichigo extra wary.

So far Toshiro hadn't said anything to him, or even looked his way, but he had to know Ichigo was there.

Ichigo stared openly, forgetting for a moment about Renji's words earlier, or the annoying Albatross constantly diving for fish over the bay, as the boy cut up the fish. Eventually he turned to Ichigo, finally acknowledging his presence, and held some fish meat out to him.

"Sashimi?" he offered. His voice was deeper than Ichigo had expected, smoother too.

"It's raw."

"It's supposed to be," Toshiro informed him. Nothing in his voice or expression gave away emotion. Ichigo wasn't sure he had any.

"I'll pass," Ichigo informed him curtly.

"Suit yourself."

With disgust on his face, Ichigo watched as Toshiro bit into the meat he had cut from the fish and chewed it. He turned back to gaze out at the water.

Ichigo kept his eyes on the Waterbender, full of distrust. Under the moonlight, Toshiro's hair was even more vibrant, almost a light source of its own, and his skin was pearl white. Not discreet, that was for sure, but he didn't seem concerned with the prospect of being attacked that night.

There was quiet but distinctive splash of water, and Ichigo did a double take, spotting the golden haired monster that had grabbed his ankle earlier. Its head was poking out of the water, staring at Ichigo, mouth open and licking its pointed teeth hungrily. One eye was covered by wet hair, and the other was glinting in the dark.

"You can't have him," Toshiro muttered to the creature. "There's a whole Albatross out there for you."

The creature turned its hungry gaze on Toshiro then, and it seemed to hiss a little, as if communicating. Toshiro rolled his eyes and threw some of his fish, namely the tail and spine, down to the creature.

"Here you go, Lazy."

The fish parts landed on the rocks, and the creature reached up out of the water for it. Grinning its evil smirk, the creature then disappeared under the water again, taking its snack to go. Ichigo caught the scaly emerald sheen of its fish-like tail under the water as it disappeared.

"It's a… mermaid?" Ichigo couldn't help but question out loud.

"Merman," Toshiro corrected. "Yukio."

"It has a name?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

"Of course he does."

"What? Are you friends with him?"

"I used to be," Toshiro murmured. "We went to school together."

"You… huh?"

Ichigo frowned, trying to picture an absurd school with human kids and merfolk mixed, sitting casually at their desks as a giant squid taught them algebra.

"Until his parents died and his heart turned cold and he became a merman," Toshiro shrugged, speaking rather quickly albeit casually. "Yeah."

"What."

Ichigo had a million questions about that, but only a statement came out.

"When Waterbenders let their hearts turn cold, they lose their humanity," Toshiro explained slower, matter-of-factly, gesturing to where 'Yukio' had now caught the low flying Albatross in what was a splashy battle in the middle of the bay. "They become monsters."

Hm. Well that explained Ichimaru being a monster, though he had clearly escaped the fish tail.

"And you're friends with that?" Ichigo stared incredulously at where the splashing had now stopped, and the Albatross was no longer seen flying the night sky.

"Oh no, he'd eat me if he got the chance," Toshiro clarified, seemingly unfazed, "so I try to keep him well fed."

"That's insane," Ichigo decided.

The boy shrugged, "Not really."

Okay, well a couple of things had been established that night. Number one, Renji was an asshole. Number two, Toshiro was a nut case.

"I suppose I'm not surprised," Ichigo muttered, feeling that bad mood rising again. "Though I was under the impression all Waterbenders were monsters anyway."

"Because Airbenders are so innocent," Toshiro muttered, tone deadpan despite the intended sarcasm.

"We didn't start a war," Ichigo shot back and for the first time that evening, Toshiro showed emotion. He laughed.

"What about your honourable king, Air Lord Aizen?"

"He was a hero."

"He was a murderer," Toshiro corrected. "I'm sure he still he is."

"You don't know anything!" Ichigo snapped, getting to his feet. He wouldn't hear such awful slander. "Aizen tried to save his people, that's more than can be said for your king. Ichimaru killed his own people!"

Toshiro's sharp gaze was furious when it turned on Ichigo.

"Look around, you idiot," he spat with venom, gesturing back to the ruins of Junrinan. "Look at the damage. Can you honestly tell me you think Ichimaru did this? Only wind could do damage like this."

Ichigo wasn't expecting the boy to show so much fury, and yet he did. At the bottom of the rocks, the waves lapped with more power, like they too were angry. Toshiro wasn't the only one bubbling with rage though; Ichigo was livid. He didn't dare break eye contact, not even at the temptation to look at the ruins again and see if Toshiro's words held any merit.

"Aizen was killed before the fall of Junrinan," Ichigo growled. "If you're going to lie, at least get your timeline right."

"If you're going to be ignorant, at least be honest about your stupidity."

How dare he imply Aizen was a murderer. Aizen was kind, he had fought for the safety of his people, and he had died a hero. He had died at the hands of the Water King.

"Why you little-"

"I'm disappointed," Toshiro sighed, cutting Ichigo off as he leaned back on the rock, resting on his palms. "I had hoped if I ever met you, Ichigo Kurosaki, that we might have got along better."

Ichigo's next retort was stolen from his throat in shock.

"How do you know my family name?" he asked instantly. Nobody had said last names during their introductions.

Toshiro glanced over at Ichigo once more. His eyes swept Ichigo's form for a moment before he returned to gaze back out at the ocean.

"I know everything about you, Avatar."

Toshiro's words were deliberate and measured, as if Ichigo should have already known that.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked impatiently. Fair enough Toshiro had caught the Avatar clues after Renji's stupid slip up, but what did he mean he knew everything about him? He couldn't possibly.

"He means we know your father," Rangiku's voice, gentle in the night, was soft and contrasting against the anger Ichigo was feeling.

He turned sharply to face her. She was rugged up and standing so close he was surprised he hadn't felt her coming, let alone heard her. She was holding fire in her hand, using it like a lantern to guide her in the dark.

"You know my father?" Ichigo asked, cautious. He didn't trust Toshiro in the slightest, but he had hope for Rangiku, being a Firebender like Isshin.

She nodded, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Isshin Kurosaki," she murmured. Ichigo's heart stopped.

Dad.

"Captain spoke of you often," Toshiro murmured. Ichigo turned back to him, finding him carving into the rock with his blade. "He didn't tell us you were an idiot, of course."

Ichigo would have strangled him, but Rangiku appeared quickly between them, blocking Ichigo's view of the boy, as if anticipating an attack.

"Isshin was so proud of his son, the Avatar," she told Ichigo calmly. "He was distraught when we heard his hometown had been attacked. He had hoped your Avatar powers might have saved you."

Ichigo's eyes blew wide. Isshin had heard about the attack on Karakura?

"How do you know him?" Ichigo asked Rangiku, reaching out for her wrist and gripping it desperately. "Is he okay? Where can I find him?"

"It's unimportant how we know him," Rangiku answered carefully. "Just that we do. He escaped from the prison when Junrinan fell. He went home, hoping he would find you there."

"Home?" Ichigo queried, not taking his eyes off the woman. She smiled softly at Ichigo, twisting her wrist out of his grip and catching his hand gently, squeezing it. Her palm was warm and comforting.

In her other hand, the flames lit her face in the most beautiful orange. Ichigo was sure many would be taken with Rangiku's beauty; she certainly was the prettiest woman he had seen. He had no interest though, knowing long ago where his interest truly laid.

"Katara?" Rangiku winced, seemingly stuck on the memory. "Kara-something?"

"Karakura," Ichigo breathed, saying the name. It tasted bitter in his mouth, even now.

"That's the one," Rangiku lit up excitedly. "Your father is in Karakura, awaiting your return."

Ichigo exhaled suddenly, taking a step back and letting Rangiku's hand fall from his as he digested the news.

"Ichigo! Run!"

He couldn't go back there. He couldn't go back to Karakura.

He just couldn't.

…

"Mum!" Ichigo screamed.

He held up his arm to shield his eyes from all the dust as he struggled through the chaos. Dust was flying everywhere, he couldn't see anything. He could only hear the screams.

Karakura was under attack.

"Mum!" Ichigo called again. "Where are you?!"

He had tears streaming down his face, and fear beating in his heart. He felt frozen, like he couldn't remember how to Airbend all of a sudden. He was useless. He was the Avatar and he was useless.

Something knocked him over and Ichigo fell onto his back, the wind knocked out of him as he slammed into the dirt. Immediately a soldier was hovering over him, Ichigo only had time to register the blue crest on the breast of his uniform. The water and the waves wrapped into a circle.

He saw the glint of steel under the sunlight as a blade was brought down, plunging towards Ichigo's chest. He screamed, holding his hands up to block the blade and instinctively, air shot forth, blasting the soldier away and sending his sword clattering nearby.

Shocked and breathless, Ichigo jumped back to his feet. Feeling more confident with his powers again, he spun in a tight circle, sending air through the dust cloud and clearing it for a moment.

Ichigo could see again, but he almost wished he couldn't.

Around him, bodies littered the ground. Still.

Ichigo's neighbours, his friends – still.

Gasping, Ichigo reeled back from the horror and immediately tripped. Once again he fell back and hit the ground. Lifting his dazed head to see what he had tripped on, Ichigo's heart stopped.

Karin. Her eyes open but dull, lifeless.

Ichigo screamed but not a sound came out. He scrambled to his knees quickly, leaning over his younger sister and rolling her body over. She was warm, but she had no life.

More tears streamed from Ichigo's eyes as he struggled to comprehend what was surely the worst dream he had ever had.

He noticed Karin's arm was outstretched, as if reaching for something. Ichigo's eyes followed the line her arm had made. Sob left his throat as he spotted Yuzu, just as dead, at the bottom of the porch steps.

Standing on shaky legs, Ichigo stumbled over to the other twin, but as he reached her, he heard a scream – his mother's scream.

It was coming from inside the house and Ichigo rushed in. He poked his head around the wall into the living room. He saw Masaki sat in a chair by the table, white faced and trembling. She had her wrists bound and a knife to her throat. The blade was held by a tall man with long dark hair. He wore a Water Captain's navy blue uniform.

"I will only ask once more, Mrs Kurosaki," the man said calmly. "Tell me where the Avatar is, and perhaps I'll let you live."

"I don't know who the Avatar is," Masaki pleaded with him.

"My sources tell me he lives here in Karakura," the man continued. His voice was smooth, commanding, "and it's not a very big town. I am certain all the residents would have known him."

Ichigo's breath caught and he swallowed harshly. This attack was because the soldiers were after him?

He must have breathed too loudly because Masaki's eyes fell to him, and the captain turned, spotting him by the entrance.

"Ichigo!" Masaki gasped, her eyes filling with horror. "Run!"

"Mum, I-"

"Who is this now?" the man asked, curious. Ichigo was too scared into the man's eyes.

"He's my son," Masaki's voice shook. "He has no powers, he's just a kid. Ichigo, get out of here. Run!"

The soldier had his full attention on Ichigo now, and the teenager felt his eyes slide up to the captain's face.

"Run, Ichigo! Please go!"

Ichigo's eyes dropped to his mother once more, sparing her a final glace. Her soft brown eyes were full of fear and tears.

He couldn't disobey her.

So Ichigo ran.