Disclaimer: not mine

So the markers I was using to indicate sign language aren't showing up right, trialling a different kind in this chapter.

Chapter 4

Ichigo walked out of the house and towards the Hollow that had dared attack his family. He knows he's being watched, not just by here but by Urahara-san, hiding on a nearby rooftop, and one of Aizen's spy cameras. Urahara had taken to watching him when he was in town, ever since he'd felt that Visored watching him. It meant he had to keep things simple. For his family's safety, Aizen had to think his Dad was still totally powerless, that he and his sisters were ignorant of the truth. And the last thing they needed was the Shinigami learning of Karin's Quincy powers. It was hard, to keep from flashing fang or golden eyes at the creature laughed again. Urahara would know of his blades, but Aizen didn't and he didn't want that bastard knowing anything more about him than was absolutely necessary.

The Hollow lunged for him and he dodged, lashing out, tripping the Hollow, slamming an elbow into its back as it went down. It was taller than him but not stronger as he let the expected power flow through his limbs, his old reputation as a brawler made it an obvious way for his powers to manifest. As soon as it as down he moved in and slammed it's masked face into the concrete, once, twice and then it cracked into pieces, killing the Hollow. He shook out his arm and took a deep breath, taking in the scents around him before heading back inside.

He knelt down beside the wounded Shinigami and gently tugged her hands aside to check her wounds, forcing himself to ignore the smell of her blood. "How do you heal?" he asked, keeping his eyes on her injuries. "It's deep," he told her as he stripped his shirt off to use to put pressure on the wound. His Dad had said Shinigami healed faster than the living but that it also varied.

"We have Healers," she answered, sounding dazed.

"Okay," he looked up as the door to the saferoom opened and his Dad stood there, glancing down at the dark haired Shinigami. He moved through to the clinic and then returned with supplies, kneeling down beside him and Ichigo wanted to tell him to leave before she worked it out but looking at her…she already suspected something.

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"I'm going to give you an injection of pain medication," Isshin warned her and she stared at him with wide, wary eyes.

"Dad?"

"See to your sisters Ichigo," he told him, offering a reassuring smile and Ichigo hesitated before slipping away. Isshin drew out the syringe and filled it before injecting her.

"He killed the Hollow," she whispered and Isshin nodded.

His cover was blown but perhaps she could be convinced not to tell, if not for his sake then the children. "I will need to clean and stitch the wound, I can do it here or in the clinic," he told her, and she nodded, carefully shifting her uniform to leave her shoulder bare and he went to work.

"Shiba-Taichou?"

"Kuchiki-san," he responded even as he took needle and thread to her wound. "I apologise but no one here can heal in anything but the human methods." He stitched the wound quickly and carefully, not wanting to hurt her and needing to stop the blood loss. Thankfully his emergency kit had been well supplemented by Kisuke in order to treat spiritual beings many years ago. He finished his work and covered the site with bandages. "Girls, if one of you could spare some pyjamas for our guest?" if his powers were fully restored, he would be able to heal her, unfortunately while he could see, hear and touch her, that was the extent of his powers at the moment.

"I'll get some," Yuzu offered, dashing upstairs.

He glanced over to see Ichigo hanging back, eyes lowered. "Can you set up the spare futon?"

#Sure# he signed, heading upstairs to get it sorted out.

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Rukia glanced at the boy as his Father spoke to him, he didn't answer, instead he moved his hands in a strange way and then went upstairs. She glanced back at Shiba-Taichou, but he didn't look confused, though he caught her look and smiled sadly. "Ichigo was injured badly as a child, he was unable to speak for a long time and even now finds it difficult. What he did just now is called sign language, it was created to help the deaf and mute communicate easily."

She blinked at that explanation; humans had done that? Incredible. Then she thought of why the information had been given and felt bad. She'd thought the boy curt, ill-mannered, with his abrupt, choppy sentences but it turned out he just had trouble speaking. The idea of losing the ability to speak, even only for a limited time was not something she wanted to contemplate.

"Don't worry about it, Ichigo's used to people assuming, it's why he sticks to sign language outside of the house, unless he's with a friend. He spoke to you because he assumed you don't know sign."

"I see…" she wanted to ask, but it wasn't her place. What kind of injury would have left him unable to speak? He had knelt in front of her and she had seen no sign of scaring on his throat or any other sign of injury.

"Head injury," Ichigo's voice nearly made her jump and she looked to the staircase to find him standing there, watching. He offered her a shrug and slight smile. "Better than I was."

"And improving every year," Shiba-Taichou smiled at his son who looked away, seemingly embarrassed by the pride in his Father's voice. At least she now knew the names of two of the children, she glanced at the dark haired girl who was glaring slightly, arms crossed.

"Karin," Ichigo called and the girl looked at him, moving to his side when he held his hand out.

"Are you okay Ichi-nii?" she demanded, and he nodded, letting her look at his hands for injuries.

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"Alright children, time for bed!" Isshin called, getting up as Yuzu appeared with an armful of clothing. "Yuzu, Karin, if you would help our guest to clean up and change." The girls nodded and he went to Ichigo's side, doing his own check that his son was unharmed. #Blades or fists?# he signed so that she wouldn't understand.

#Fists. Anyone watching when I was younger would assume I know how to fight bare handed.#

Isshin nodded, glad Ichigo had thought it through. He reached out and ruffled the messy braid and Ichigo swatted at him half-heartedly.

#Dad, what will we do? What if she tells?#

#We move. I've had preparations in place since I chose to save your Mother. Soul Society can't find us if we leave the country. I have id for Chad as well should he chose to come.# he assured his son. He'd had paperwork for Chad made when the boy had remained by his sons side no matter his condition, such a loyal friend could not be replaced and Sado was an orphan, not many would question his disappearance. "You set the futon up?" he asked and Ichigo nodded.

#My room.# he signed and Isshin nodded, there wasn't enough spare room in the girls room for it.

"You'll be okay?" he asked softly and Ichigo nodded but went to the fridge to pull out a sealed pack to warm up.

He always tried to drink after a fight to be safe and with a stranger about to sleep in his room it was even more important. #Who is she?#

"Kuchiki Rukia, member of the Thirteenth Division under Captain Ukitake. She was an unseated officer last I knew, though she may have been promoted since." He put the kit back and straightened out knocked over furniture, at least there were no massive holes in the wall or anything. Get some sleep, we can work things out tomorrow."

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Kisuke slipped away, ever since Shinji had reported the odd sighting to him, he'd been working hard to keep an eye on the family whenever they left the protections on their home. The boy had changed a lot since he was a child, he had been such a cheerful thing the handful of times Kisuke had spotted him before Masaki's death. He'd become angry, closed off, except with his sisters after she had been killed. Then a few years later he had vanished, Kisuke had looked into it, seen the report of a hit and run that had left him in a coma. It made sense that something so traumatic would have brought his powers out early.

It was the way Isshin had pulled back that confused him, he had seen Ryūken heading into the house several times in that first year, carrying medical equipment so he believed young Ichigo had been badly wounded, so why not ask for their aid as well?

His plan had already been derailed, though if his powers were already awake there was no need for Kuchiki to transfer hers to Ichigo. It seemed the family was tending to her injuries as well, which meant the gigai he had prepared wouldn't work, she may not even come to him for one at all. He would need to make a new plan, again. He hoped Ichigo was as god at messing up Aizen's plans as he was his own. Then again, the odds of this plan ever being needed and then working had always been very low.

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Ichigo lay on the futon on his floor, hearing the soft breathing of the sleeping Shinigami in his bed. He wasn't sure what he thought of her just yet, she'd been willing to die defending his family, had attempted to transfer some of her power to him to save them all, but she now knew about his Dad and that put them all in danger.

"So end the threat."

'It's not that simple,' he answered absently. 'That would bring other Shinigami looking for who or what killed her, just as dangerous.'

"So make her forget about us," he could practically hear Shiro rolling his eyes and Ichigo snarled mentally. No, he would not use those powers, he would not take another's free will from them.

"Even to save your family?" Ossan spoke up and Ichigo flinched, they had a point.

Could he take a life to save his family? Then again…she was even less 'alive' than he was. She was a spirit, already long dead or born in Soul Society. His sisters had their whole mortal lives ahead of them. He sat up and looked over at the bed, she looked so small and vulnerable lying under the covers, it wouldn't take much at all. He hesitated but then moved closer, reaching for the part of himself he hated, knowing his eyes were more gold now, his fangs extended. "Listen to me Rukia," he murmured in her ear, hearing the way his voice had changed, becoming silky like His had. "Stay asleep, you're safe here," he whispered when she shifted slightly and she stilled, head tilted in his direction. "That's it, sleep deeply and dream of pleasant things. Let go of all thoughts concerning Shiba Isshin. Kurosaki Isshin is not him, that is a silly idea, they are nothing alike." Would that be enough. "Stay deeply asleep but open your eyes Rukia, look at me," he ordered and slowly her eyes blinked open, her head rolling on the pillow so that she could look him in the eye. He didn't need the light, his eyes adapted for the darkness, the room lit only by the moonlight but that would be enough light, he was pretty sure anyway, he remembered what looking into His eyes had done. He kept eye contact and sure enough her pupils dilated. "What kind of idea is Kurosaki Isshin being Shiba Isshin?" he asked.

"Ssssillly," she slurred quietly.

"Yes, it's a very silly idea. If asked for a report on what happened, you will tell them that you fought and killed the Hollow. You will not speak of the Kurosaki family. Our involvement was unimportant, not worth even thinking about. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she sighed, and he smiled, it was working.

"Sleep till morning and when you wake you will not remember this," he commanded and then looked away and snapped his fingers in front of her eyes to break the trance, looking back to see her eyes fall closed again, no change in her breathing or anything else to signify she had woken even briefly. Hopefully that was enough to keep them safe.

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Rukia woke slowly, feeling a strange bed beneath her. She blinked up at the ceiling and then slowly sat up and looked around, trying to remember what had happened. She'd been….ah, she'd fought and killed that Hollow and the family had taken her in to tend to her wounds. She laughed to herself, she had been so silly, thinking for a second that the man reminded her of the dead Shiba-Taichou, honestly they were nothing at all alike. It must have been pain and blood loss that had made her think that. She got out of the bed and found her uniform folded and waiting for her. She held it up to find it had been cleaned and repaired, that was nice of them. She changed quickly and then slipped away, not wanting to trouble them further. She quickly sent in a report that she had found a slightly stronger Hollow but had purified it, there was no need at all to mention the Kurosaki family.

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Jūshirō looked out the window of his office, sighing softly. He hoped he had done the right thing, sending Rukia to District 3600, which just happened to be sitting on the jūreichi. She had been begging for an assignment to the Living World for years, just as her brother demanded she be kept safely within Soul Society. It had not been a comfortable position to be in. She needed the experience if she was to become a seated officer, he believed she had the skill and power, it was only experience she was lacking. Given time he knew she could rise to at least lieutenant.

The assignment should be safe enough, despite the number of Hollows that congregated there. If she did run into trouble, Urahara was available to aid her. He had always liked the younger Captain and he had never believed he was behind the Hollowfication, especially since his own lieutenant was involved. He had always known where they had run to, but he had never said anything, instead using the store to purchase sweets and ensuring Urahara received the supplies needed to support any Shinigami in the area. His moral code may not always align with the majority, but he did have one and he would not leave Rukia to flounder.

Then there was the ex-Captain of the tenth, though he may still be as powerless as a human, he didn't know. But if he had regained any of his powers then he too would step in if needed. He knew the man had lost his wife several years ago and that they'd had three children. He was interested to see how the children developed as they grew, and he had done what he could to ensure they remained hidden from Kurotsuchi. As much as he respected and cared for Yamamoto, he also looked forward to when Kyōraku would become Soutaicho. He could influence his best friend and he had been just as frustrated and angered by some of Yamamoto's decisions as he had been.

All he could do for now was wait and see and hope his illness didn't play up at the wrong time.

TBC…