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Glad you all liked the first chapter!

Chapter 2

Masaki stood, leaning against Isshin, cane in her other hand, unable to tear her eyes away from the stone in front of them. it should be her name on there, not her sons, not her baby boys. He'd ben barely nine years old, his whole life ahead of him. Maybe if they'd told Ichigo more about the Spiritual World he may have survived. It was hard to believe he would have been ten today, she had missed so much of the last year as Kisuke, Tessai and Ryūken had fought to stabilise not only her but Kanae. She supposed one good thing had come of that, her girls had a surrogate big brother now in Uryū. He could never replace Ichigo and he never tried to, but anyone who upset the girls would find themselves on the wrong end of his sharp tongue and sarcastic wit. She liked to imagine that he and Ichigo would have been good friends if given the chance.

Sōken Ishida had been so helpful, looking after all three of the children and he had begun teaching the girls alongside their 'cousin'. Unlike Uryū though, they were being taught the very basics since they were so little Isshin hadn't been too pleased, but she would not have her children vulnerable. According to Sōken, Yuzu seemed to have inherited the Quincy abilities which likely meant Karin took more after Isshin. It would become clearer as the girls grew up. Thanks to the closeness of their families, when Sōken had been attacked by a group of Hollows, Isshin had responded quickly, purifying them while the Quincy held them back.

Isshin's powers had returned faster, ever since the attack and he could now leave his gigai and use Engetsu, although he had admitted that he was still not fully back to his old power level which had them a little puzzled.

She reached out slowly and touched the stone as Isshin placed the offerings down. What was the point? Their son wasn't peacefully within Soul Society, his soul had been consumed by a Hollow and would never be freed so long as it lived. Tears fell silently from her eyes even as her husband gently began to lead her away.

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Aizen finished his notes and sat back, he had been forced to alter several of his plans and he was not impressed. He had sent Grand Fisher after the Quincy, not the boy. He had been aiming to make the hybrid child toughen up, not get him killed. His plans would have to find a new focus, he'd been watching the twins, but their skills seemed more defined towards either Shinigami or Quincy and they exhibited very little Hollow power, unlike their older brother. He would have to focus on the older twin, organise things so that she would undergo Hollowfication, like the Visored. That would increase her power, but would it be enough? he would have to push things back a few years though due to her age and he would continue to search for any sign of Ichigo's soul in any of the worlds.

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Starrk watched his charges as the two played in the sand. Maybe it would have been kinder to take the boy to the Living World so he could be sent to Soul Society, but he hadn't been able to do it, not when Lilynette had become so attached to the kid. Despite living with them in Hueco Mundo, being exposed to their Hollow power, it had taken quite a while for Ichigo's Chain to undergo Encroachment. It had been painful to watch, and they had always stayed with him when the next link was destroyed. It had been very strange when he told them about the voice in his head, the way he described it sounded very Hollow.

They had stayed with him through his transformation which hadn't been normal either. Starrk had seen a soul or two become a Hollow and usually their body burst apart to reform and then the mask appeared, in Ichigo's case his mask had formed first, alongside his Hollow hole, as he screamed and writhed in the sand. His transformation had appeared more painful because of that and had attracted a lot of Hollows who had been crushed as they approached, seeking an easy meal.

He was small but that made sense due to his age. His mask was white with red markings and horns on the top. His body had remained rather human looking, though his skin had bleached to white with red marking on it. He had spikes on his shoulders and a tail while his orange hair had grown out. He had been rather wild, running on instinct, at first but that had lasted a surprisingly short time before he had understood they weren't going to hurt him. It had been strange….it hadn't been Ichigo in those first days, but it had been something sentient and he wondered if it had been the voice Ichigo had heard, taking control until the boy could.

Slowly he had changed, becoming Ichigo again, though not the Ichigo they had found years ago. He had remembered them which had made Lilynette happy. He had remembered how he died which wasn't such a happy thing. He didn't remember a lot about the Living World, but he remembered his family and they had spent many hours retelling him things he had told them in those first days he had spent with them to help him solidify those memories because he didn't want to forget his family.

With Ichigo's transformation, Starrk's days of lazing around and sleeping had ended. First it had been keeping the kid under control, now it was training him. While their power tended to kill anything that got too close, Ichigo had had a close call when he'd accidentally wandered too far away. At first, he had tolerated the boy for Lilynette's sake, but the boy had grown on him, accepting them so easily despite what they were. Now, his death would hurt and anger him, not as badly as Lilynette's would, but she was part of him. So they trained Ichigo and worked to push him towards evolving. Not just to keep him safe, but because they both missed his expressive eyes and cute expressions, so long as he had his mask on they would never see them again.

There was another reason to train him, despite their isolation, even they had noticed the changes over the last few years. He had left the two a few times to look around, going so far as to where he could see Las Noches, the so-called castle of another powerful Hollow, Baraggan. It had changed drastically recently, and he had felt several new powerful signatures, not all Hollows. So, he had moved their group on, further away from the area, not wanting them to be in danger. Maybe before Ichigo had joined them he would have stayed or even approached, seeking more company for the two of them, but he was content with it being the three of them. And who knew how those within would treat the young Hollow? Ichigo was strong for his age but it would take time for him to evolve and remove his mask.

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Uryū walked along the banks of the river as he did every year. He paused at one particular spot, staring at the water. This was where his cousin had given his soul to defend his own Mother. He often wondered if he would have had that kind of strength at such a young age. In the four years since he had done his best for Ichigo's sisters, helping them with homework, training, bullies and housework when Isshin was swamped by work and Aunt Masaki too weak. He knew that technically she wasn't his Aunt, that she had actually been promised to his Father once, but it was easier to consider them family in that way. Part of him envied the girls, they still had both of their parents while his Mother had died almost two years ago, despite everything that had been done to try and stabilise her. He would always be grateful to Urahara-san for his aide, it had been him, Uncle Isshin and Shinji's odd group that had helped him see that all Shinigami were not the same. After all, Soul Society had not saved his Grandfather, that had been Uncle Isshin.

Only Yuzu still trained with him regularly, she had inherited her Mother's Quincy abilites the strongest. Aunt Masaki had even passed her own Quincy cross to the cheerful girl. Karin took after Uncle Isshin, now able to see ghosts as if they were still alive, just like Ichigo had been able to. She attended a dojo when not training for soccer, although she would still come to some of their training sessions to give them both a different opponent to sharpen their skills. Aunt Masaki had even pushed Uncle Isshin into teaching her some very basic Kido and sword skills, just in case.

In honour of Ichigo, he came to the river every year, feeling closer to the boy he had never met here than he did at the cemetery. He dropped his school satchel and put the bunch of flowers down at the river's edge, kneeling to pray that the Hollow who killed Ichigo would soon be purified so that his cousin could be at peace. After a few minutes he stood, pushing his glasses up and straightening his uniform before picking up his bag and deciding to wander for a bit.

He was nearing a bridge when he heard a noise, tensing as he reached out his senses, before checking the Spirit Ribbons, something he had just learnt to do. No red ones so no Shinigami nearby, no Hollows either. Humans…he should keep walking. He went to but then sighed and moved silently closer, seeing a group of thugs surrounding someone in the uniform for Mashiba Junior High School who was tied tightly in a chair. He saw who had to be the ring leader rip something from around the other teens neck and sighed before setting his bag aside and adjusting his glasses before walking towards them. He did detest bullies and now that he was closer he recognised these ones as some who had been hassling kids from the twins school. His skills may be for fighting Hollows but that training also made him a very dangerous opponent for a human. He moved straight for the leader, knowing their kind the others would likely run once he was down. Sure enough, when the leader was out cold on the ground, most of them ran, those that didn't weren't much of a challenge and soon he was cutting the other teen free of his bonds.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, handing over the coin he had found in the leaders hand. He got a head shake in answer. "I am Ishida Uryū."

"Yasutora Sado," the other boy spoke softly as he stood, surprising Uryū with his height.

He nodded and went to retrieve his bag and the basic first aid kit within before calling the police to report the unconscious thugs.

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Ichigo knelt in the sand, panting heavily even as he made sure not to take his eyes off her, he'd learnt that the hard way. He knew the training was for his own safety and most of the time it was actually fun, but sometimes he thought his big sister was a bit mean. Starrk wasn't a big brother type, and Ichigo had a Dad back in the Living World, so he considered him a kind of Uncle since he looked after them. he didn't know how long he'd lived with them, there was no real way to keep track of time here and he'd been told he wouldn't age like a human anymore.

He'd never been back to the Living World, living off the Reishi in the air and other Hollows. He was never overwhelmed by those he ate, thanks to Shiro. As soon as he ate a Hollow, Shiro would consume it, absorbing its power while silencing the soul. Shiro said he'd been with him since he was born but Ichigo had never heard him until after he died, and he had been in control after Ichigo had become a Hollow. Sometimes he wondered what his parents would think if they knew what he'd become and that scared him a little. He missed his little sisters a lot, but he had heard how Hollows would target their families. He didn't think he would hurt them, but he wouldn't take the risk. Besides, even if they could see him, he knew he would scare them now.

Lilynette grinned at him and then stepped back. "Better!" she called, and he sighed, flopping down.

He heard her laugh and then she was sitting beside him. He turned his head to look at her and then she reached over, running her fingers though his hair and he closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation.

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Lilynette smiled as Ichigo relaxed, falling asleep. It was still shocking how much their lives had changed since Ichigo had come to live with them. Sometimes, she felt a twinge of guilt over his staying here, but she had asked him if he wanted to return to the Living World to be sent on to Soul Society and he had chosen to stay with them. Watching his transformation from human to Hollow had made her feel bad, they should have taken him back. Opening a Garganta would have gotten the attention of a Shinigami who could have then sent Ichigo on. Instead they had helped him through his transformation, had worked to help him grow as a Hollow, to learn how to survive. He wasn't the same kid he had been, but he wasn't like most other Hollow's either.

She knew Starrk was keeping them on the move for a reason, that he was worried about something, so she'd started working Ichigo even harder, making sure he fed more often as well. She wanted to get him to at least Adjuchas level before he worked out how to become like them. she didn't think it'd take long for him to evolve, not with how powerful he'd been as a mere human soul. Plus they didn't have to worry him being overwhelmed by the souls of other Hollows he consumed thanks to the being he called Shiro. She didn't know who or what Shiro was, but he was a big help.

At least Starrk wasn't so lazy anymore.

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Karin and Yuzu stood outside of Karakura High School, Uryū and Shinji beside them. It was their first day of High School and while their Mom had wanted to come she had been unable to. Ten years after she had her powers stolen and she still had good and bad days but at least they still had their Mom, unlike their cousin. He was starting at university this year, studying medicine, but he had still come to make sure they got to school okay.

Shinji had come too since he was the best of his group at blending in, no one would ever call any of the Visored 'normal', but they had become good friends and training partners. Karin knew they were holding back massively when they spared but she was still a living human after all, it's not like she had a Zanpakutō. Training against them had helped both Yuzu and Uryū increase their speed when it came to firing their bows. It turned out that while Yuzu took after Mum, she had enough Shinigami in her that her arrows purified Hollows, just like a Shinigami.

Grandpa Sōken had been looking forward to seeing them off to high school and Uryū to University, but old age had finally claimed him two years ago. It had affected all of them, Uryū the worst as it left him with only his Dad. He'd taken to spending most of his time at the shop or the Kurosaki home rather than his own, not that anyone minded. They all missed the peaceful presence of their Grandfather, his wisdom and kindness but at least they had the surety that they may see him again one day.

"Ready for this?" Shinji asked and the twins exchanged a look before grinning and stepping forward.

TBC….