Disclaimer: Not mine
I have put flashbacks in italics
Chapter 2
Isshin paused to watch his children in the kitchen, happy to see Ichigo smiling as he watched his sisters, even as he sipped from a sealed mug. It hurt, to think of how close he had come to losing his son, and it had all been his fault. But Ichigo had given him another chance to be a proper Father and he had grabbed on to it. He still had nightmares about what had happened four years earlier due to his negligence. His son had undergone a drastic change, but he was still Ichigo at his core and for that he was thankful. He dreaded to think what could have happened if he hadn't thought to check on him that day during his lunch break.
Isshin locked the clinic door and went through to the house to make himself some lunch, but something made him pause and glance up the stairs. The house felt…eerie, too quiet. Uneasy now, he went upstairs and looked in on Ichigo only to find him shaking in the bed. He walked over and found he was still asleep…or unconscious? Either way he was burning up, temperature far too high. He checked his pulse and found it strangely slow and then he saw a strange looking wound on the side of his neck and frowned. Maybe this was more than a normal food. Had he had a bad reaction to a bug or animal bite? He went to the bathroom and wet a cloth, placing it on Ichigo's forehead before he pulled out his cell phone and dialled. "Ryūken? I need your help, it's Ichigo." His clinic was set up more for dealing with injuries than illnesses and with the strange felling he was getting, better to have someone spiritually aware available to help.
By the time the other man had arrived Ichigo was lying utterly still on the bed, eyes opened but unseeing, breathing far too slow, as was his heartbeat. He would have called an ambulance except he for his growing feeling this was no normal illness. Ryūken frowned when he saw Ichigo's condition, sitting on the edge of the bed to run his own checks on the teen. Ichigo made no sign he was aware of them at all, just staring fixedly up at the ceiling. Ryūken pinched his skin to no reaction and then he lifted his arm up a bit and let go, both men watching Ichigo's arm drop lifelessly back to the bed. They both knew that was a very bad sign. "Ichigo, can you hear me?" Ryūken called to him directly with no change. "How long has he been ill?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen him all week." That got him a cool look, one eyebrow raised. "Like you see much of Uryū," he shot back. "Ichigo does this sometimes, he needs time to himself, so he basically vanishes. Though this was longer than usual. He was in bed this morning and I noticed the fever. I assumed it was just the flu, it's going around."
"This is no flu," Ryūken agreed. "Closer to a coma, he appears completely unresponsive to stimuli. However, he is showing no difficulties with breathing. Normally I would call an ambulance and admit him at once."
"But?"
"This does not feel like an illness or brain injury. There is something lingering about him, not Hollow or Shinigami. Have you tried to get him to drink?"
"No," Isshin picked up the cup and Ryūken lifted Ichigo's head, letting Isshin drip some water in and to their relief the teen swallowed without issue.
Ryūken frowned and then jerked back in shock as the teens eyes changed from brown to black and gold. Isshin saw his reaction and moved over to look, eyes widening in horror. He could not see spirits, but he could see his sons eyes change to those of a Hollow.
"We…can't..stop this," the voice sounded strange, echoing in the room.
"Stop what?" Isshin demanded. "Let my son go Hollow."
It let out a choked laugh. "Thanks…get…saving King. Bastard…was killin' 'im."
"What happened?" Ryūken asked, managing to keep a cooler head than Isshin. Seeing his eyes change and another voice speaking was intriguing, even the feel of his Reiatsu had changed, darker, almost acidic.
"Did somethin'…controlled King's mind…drank…King's blood…killin' him slow….killed the bastard…" his eyes flickered brown and he fell silent.
"Hollow?" Isshin called while Ryūken looked Ichigo over again for signs of anaemia as well as the red mark on his neck.
It took several minutes but his eyes changed again. "King…in here… not responding… us… workin' on it…"
"What happened to his attacker?"
"Killed 'im…bled all over…swallowed…changin' King…"
"Are you trying to tell us Ichigo was attacked by a vampire?" Ryūken asked, disbelief clear but there was no further response.
How he wished Ryūken had been wrong with his assumption of what they had been told. Two medical professionals and there had been nothing they could do as the foreign blood burned through Ichigo's body, changing him. Thankfully, he hadn't been fully changed, it would have been difficult to explain why he never aged past thirteen. His pulse was so slow it was almost undetectable, though it would increase some after physical activity. There were even times when he had to be reminded to breath as well. And it wasn't coffee, tea of juice in that mug. Thankfully between him and Ryūken, sourcing blood was easy. He hadn't wanted to go to Urahara for help, unsure what the scientist would do. Isshin had been a Captain himself and yet had never seen or heard of beings like the one that had attacked his son, he knew what Urahara was like with something new or mysterious.
The biggest change Ichigo had undergone had been mentally. It had taken months for Ichigo to show signs of awareness, though the Hollow had managed to communicate occasionally, and the more he had learnt the more he wished the vampire was alive so he could kill it himself. It had turned his son into a mental vegetable, if not for his spirits he would have remained one. They had spread the story of a hit and run accident to explain his condition to the school, making a false report to the police who had accepted it, after all why would two people of such standing in the community lie? It had taken over a year for Ichigo to speak again, his words slurred, but it had been such a relief to see life in his eyes and to hear his voice. Ichigo had to relearn a lot as he recovered, though his spirits worked with him in his mind as well on the things they could. However, it wasn't a perfect recovery. There were still times when he wouldn't come down to breakfast and Isshin would check on him only to find him lying on the bed, eyes vacant and body lax. The frequency of such regressions had decreased but it seemed he would always suffer from them. Maybe if he had become a full vampire his mind would have snapped free of the compulsion from the one that had attacked him but there was no way to know. It had been his hybrid nature that had allowed his body to assimilate the vampire blood and keep it from changing him fully, making him even more unique.
Ichigo's condition had a massive impact on the family. The girls had been inconsolable when they had seen their brother lying on the bed, unmoving, hooked up to some machines. Ryūken had supplied monitors to observe his condition and they had used an IV to keep him hydrated until his body had rejected the needle. After that they hadn't been able to inject anything. Yuzu and Karin had insisted on helping to care for their big brother, despite only being nine at the time, though Isshin would not let them help with certain things, he knew Ichigo would be mortified enough to know Isshin had handled that aspect. They had learnt to roll him to keep sores from forming, how to carefully give him fluids so he wouldn't choke on them and Yuzu had cared for his hair, braiding it once long enough. It had been thanks to Karin they had realised he needed to drink blood, she'd had a cut on her finger, covered, but her hand had brushed his lips and then she'd screamed in shock when his fangs had appeared in reaction.
Ichigo had to be home-schooled once he was able to do so, while they didn't think he would try to drink from someone he had remained fairly non-verbal for several years. His sisters could read his body language and eyes with ease, others couldn't. Karin had found a way to learn sign language, teaching him as he regained dexterity in his fingers, it had been good therapy. Chad and Tatsuki had visited while he was 'comatose', both obviously devastated by his condition. Chad still visited once a week at least and he never asked questions when he saw something a little odd, or reacted negatively when Ichigo had a bad day and either regressed or lashed out. Ichigo often clung to Chad, seeking a sense of normality from his quiet friend. The teen would often bring his guitar and play for hours while Ichigo just sat and listened.
Puberty had been horrendous, teenage hormones and new vampire hybrid did not mix well. Ichigo had been easy to anger and would become frustrated, snapping at everyone, sometimes physically. Isshin was glad his gigai was as sturdy as it was, and that the twins own powers were growing, for their own safety. He'd never actually harmed the girls, managing to pull back and they had trusted that he always would. Isshin had never let on that it was physically painful when Ichigo lashed out at him, taking the punishment while talking gently to him to try and bring him back and it had always worked. Isshin had only been bitten the once and it had been incredibly painful so at least the vampire had ensured his son had never felt that pain, though his methods had left a lot to be desired. It was why Ichigo rarely made eye contact and Isshin suspected it was part of why his son remained so quiet, worried he would do to them what had been done to him. Thankfully, he had calmed a lot over the last eight months. Sometimes it felt like just yesterday he had found him in his bed, and yet it had been four years.
He was just relieved Aizen had stayed away and quiet, Ichigo was nowhere near ready to face him. He trained with all three of his children now, teaching them to fight hand to hand and with weapons. Karin had shocked them all by manifesting a Quincy bow but had joined the school archery club after that to train her aim. Yuzu took to the theory of Kido like a duck to water and he had managed to talk her through the beginning ones. He didn't have enough power yet to leave his gigai or utilise Kido, though he thought he would soon. Ichigo's spirits would manifest on their own when they pleased which had been a massive help. It had been a shock the first time he had seen the white copy of his son, once he had begun being able to see spirits again. It had been obvious that one was the Hollow, but you wouldn't know it from the way it acted with Ichigo. It…he was always so gentle as it helped Ichigo with whatever he needed. He would even feed Ichigo on the bad days, tenderly bathing him as if Ichigo was the most precious treasure in existence. He wondered what the Visored would think if they ever saw, to have proof that they could get along with their inner Hollows. Or was it different for Ichigo since he had inherited his from Masaki?
Once Ichigo was able to understand, he had sat with his children and had told them the truth about himself and their Mother. Karin had glared at him for days after, refusing to speak to him while Yuzu had nearly knocked him out with a frypan the next time he acted the idiot, scolding him. Ichigo had just stared at him, looking utterly lost and it had broken his heart to hear his whispered question.
"It's not my fault?"
He had never truly realised how much guilt his son carried for his Mother's death. And he knew that was partially his fault, they had never truly talked about what had happened. Ichigo had become a ghost after her death, he had thought it was because he had always been so close to her, had begun training him as he had been trained to try and break that mood…had Ichigo seen the training as punishment? That conversation had shaken him badly.
He sighed and stepped into the room, smiling. "Good morning children!"
Morning Dad Ichigo signed around his mug and Isshin reached out to ruffle long orange locks gently, getting a small smile with slightly red stained teeth, a hint of fang showing. It was one of those days then.
"Bye Ichi-nii, Dad," Yuzu hugged them both before going to grab her school bag. Karin waved and followed her twin, leaving the two men.
"Any school work for the day?" Isshin focused back on his son who had moved to do the dishes.
Ichigo paused in his work to answer, Just some reading. Chad's coming later.
"Have fun, I'll see you for lunch," he offered and Ichigo nodded.
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Ichigo ran a towel through his hair to get rid of the majority of the moisture, wiping the steam from the mirror to look at himself. Fiery orange hair fell to a bit beneath the bottom of his shoulder blades in a wet mess and he went to work combing it and then tying it back out of the way. The eyes that stared back at him were no longer warm brown but amber, thankfully not the gold of His. Once tanned skin was pale and smooth, not a scar to be seen, even those he'd gained as a child had vanished. He'd grown tall, hitting 6'3" before stopping, he'd put on muscle, but he hadn't bulked up, his form lithe and quick but strong, too strong for a human. He didn't know how it had truly affected his looks because they would naturally have been changing as he grew up anyway. He figured there had been some change because he could remember what He looked like thanks to Shiro, they were predators and looking good would help draw prey to them.
He opened his mouth and studied his teeth, specifically the wickedly sharp fangs his canines had become, running his tongue across them. he'd never bitten anyone, though there had been some close calls in the past. He'd felt much more in control over the last few months though, like everything was finally settled. That didn't mean his instincts didn't scream to sink his teeth into warm flesh and drink the blood hidden beneath but he could control it. And at least he wasn't limited to a liquid diet, he would have really missed Yuzu's cooking if he was. He chuckled and let his fangs recede to clean his teeth, not that he seemed to need to, but it was habit.
He finished drying and dressed for the day in sweatpants and a t-shirt. That was one advantage to being home schooled, no uniform. Though working at his own pace was nice too. It was easier to memorise things now, though whether that was due to the vampire blood or Ossan quizzing him in his sleep he wasn't sure. He went to his room and grabbed the book he was reading for English, settling down to read after he turned the radio on, drowning out the noises from outside.
He felt bad, lying to his family, but he couldn't help it. How could he explain the nightmares of his sisters staring vacantly at him, bloody bite marks on their throats? He could remember when He had taken him, hearing that silky voice in his ear as it drowned out everything else, taking away everything that made him Ichigo. It was why he very rarely spoke; he was terrified of putting someone into a trance. He knew he could, he could feel it, just like he knew eye contact could draw someone in as well. He also remembered staring into His eyes, unable to look away, drowning in them. He tried to always make sure if he had to look at someone's face that he looked at their nose or forehead, not their eyes. Maybe if he had someone who could teach him, but he had to rely on his instincts and the aide of Ossan and Shiro.
The urge to hunt was the hardest to control but he didn't have to fully control it, just who or what he hunted. He hunted Hollows, the beings that had taken his Mother. His Dad had helped teach him to fight with fists or blade and those skills had been honed by fighting his spirits before they deemed him ready for a real fight. He sucked at Kido, unlike Yuzu, and he couldn't summon a bow from nothing like Karin, but he could fight. He would call up his blades and then let instinct and trained responses take over. It felt so good to let go and revel in the bloodshed. It wasn't like he was really killing them; he was just sending them on to a better afterlife than the one they had eating human souls. He only ever hunted at night to keep his family out of it and while sunlight didn't hurt him he still felt reluctant to leave the house while it was up.
If he could change anything, it would be how broken his mind was because of Him. Sometimes he'd wake up in the morning only to find days had passed without him having any knowledge of them, because he had reverted into the food mind that He had forced him into. He had asked Chad once what he was like when it happened (though his friend thought it was a side effect from being hit by a car and sometimes he wondered if Chad could accept the truth, accept what he had become) and what he had described sickened him, he might as well be dead on those days, only automatic bodily functions working. He had told Chad he didn't have to stay on those days but according to his sisters he hadn't listened and would sit beside the bed, playing his guitar. It hurt, knowing he had such a loyal friend when he was lying to him. Maybe.. maybe Chad could understand?
He groaned and shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the book, he wanted his homework done so he could hunt once the sun was down and the others asleep.
TBC…
I have changed Ichigo's age for meeting Rukia to give him time to adjust to his changes.
