One Month Later…

"You WHAT!" Kukaku screamed in fury, throwing her sandal at her brother. He didn't even try to flinch away, letting it him square in the face.

"I'm sorry! We were playing tag! He's so sneaky!"

"IDIOT" Kukaku roared, using her other sandal to smack her brother repeatedly. "How do you lose him!? He can't even hold in his reiatsu!" She was beyond mad as she gripped his ear and dragged him out the house, tossing him in the direction he came from. The sun was beginning to set and the forest that surrounded their house was mostly safe. But mostly wasn't enough for her.

"Keep looking, and if anything happens to him, it's your head!"

Ganju flinched away from her but nodded, his gaze growing serious. "I know, I'm sorry." He turned and ran to begin his search. Kukaku grumbled under her breath about idiot brothers before turning to the forest with a weary gaze. The bad feeling that had lingered all day just intensified.

Ichigo paused, glancing around and wondering how he had gotten so far into the forest. The lizard he had been chasing was long gone, and now only the shadows crept towards him. He placed a hand on the hilt of his asauchi strapped to his back, finding reassurance for a moment before he let go and did a slow turn. He couldn't make out where he had come from, and the sun was below the trees, hiding away any path he may have torn through.

There was a roar in the distance, the sound making goosebumps ripple eon his skin. Ichigo swallowed, honey brown eyes flickering around as he tried to spot where the noise had come from. He tried to make his presence less known, but he wasn't very good at hiding his spiritual pressure yet. It was only after a moment that he noticed the forest had gone eerily silent, not even the wind blew by. His heart quickened, thumping loudly in his ears and growing stronger in his tiny chest. Something snapped and he jumped, ready to face it. The voice of his anisan was desperate in his mind and he didn't question the demand when he spoke.

'King! Run!'

Ichigo curbed his curiosity and bolted, trusting the voice of his anisan to let him know when they were in danger. He slipped into shunpo, the trees flickering by in a blur as he tried to get away. The earth trembled under his feet, and he realized with dawning horror that something was chasing him, its heavy footsteps sending vibrations through the ground. After a while he began to tire, unused to having to run for such a long time at his fastest speed. He yelped as a root caught his foot and he landed on the ground harshly, scrambling up as fast as he could to keep running.

Just as he took a step into shunpo, he felt his hair get rustled by the swipe of something large that had been aiming for his head. Anxiety swelled up in him, closing his throat. Ichigo ran again, his legs felt like stone and his vision was beginning to darken around the edges, his ragged breaths unable to keep up for the amount of air he needed. He chanced a glance behind him and caught the gleam of a bone white mask approaching fast, towering over him.

'Reach out, King! Make a path, you know how!'

Ichigo wasn't sure about what his anisan was talking about, he didn't even know kido let alone zanjutsu, and even if he did, he had made a promise. Another howl from behind made him jump in terror and he take in gasping breaths. He was running out of air, his body wasn't listening anymore.

'We have to get away! Need it! We Need to get away!'

Though the haze in his mind Ichigo could feel the need, the instinct to keep going.

'Reach out, King! Reach or we'll die!'

Fear clawed its way into Ichigo's throat. No, he couldn't let them die, not when they still had so much to do together. With great effort though his running, he brought up his right hand to the sky and pulled. When the air in front of him split open into darkness, he didn't even hesitate to run in. He caught himself on instinct as he began to fall, looking back over his shoulder just in time to see the space he had come from snap shut.

He stopped and sagged in relief, taking in large, gasping breaths until he began to calm down. With his hands on his knees he looked around though sticky bangs. It was dark, and the walls flowed like tar on either side of him. He cringed away, sure that something bad could happen if he were to touch them.

'It's okay king, keep going.'

Ichigo swallowed but nodded his head, and after a while of walking, he was able to see the pinprick of light that could only be the end. He quickened his pace and stepped through the gateway, landing flat on his face with a mouthful of sand. Ichigo sputtered and coughed, sticking his tongue out and spitting out the gritty grains that stuck to him. Brown eyes widened as he looked around, nothing but sand surrounding him for miles. A crescent moon hung low in the sky and he felt distinctly exposed. He bit his lip and lowered himself to his belly, his eyes searching his surroundings for any threats. There was only silence.

'King, we can go back. Just think of home and reach out again.'

He stood back up hesitantly, for once grateful for his size. The dunes loomed high over him and kept him hidden, but it also meant it was hard for him to see. He reached out, thinking of his fathers and their cozy manor. He tugged and tried not to let fear curl around him when nothing happened. He shifted, his brows drawn down in concentration as he tried again.

Nothing.

He huffed in annoyance and was about to try once more when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He threw himself to the side, missing the slimy appendage that grazed his hair. Honey brown eyes widened when he saw the tentacle twist midflight and snap back towards him. Ichigo clawed at the sand, trying to gain purchase, but it kept slipping though his hands and feet. It circled around his waist twice over, knocking the breath out of him and squeezing. He cried out in pain, the sound barely audible with his lack of air. The world spun around nasciously as he was twisted and brought face to face with teeth larger than his arms. They were bone white and rancid breath blew in his face as they opened wide, making him want to puke. Fear settled itself in his belly and he squirmed, gripping at the appendage and kicking his feet.

'King! Use the sword!'

He grabbed at the hilt but stopped, his heart racing and hands trembling. He had made a promise. And with that came the vision of his father's darkened eyes and haunted face. He squeezed his eyes shut, time seemed to be moving so slow.

'I can't!'

The grip around his waist tightened and the taste of iron filled his mouth. He felt his bones creak under his skin, and something wet coming from his mouth choked off his scream.

'KING!'

'Ichigo! Please!'

He just couldn't.

A chuckle escaped the beast that held him and Ichigo followed the trail of red that dripped into it's mouth. It hissed in a distinctly pleased way when the blood trailed down it's slimy tongue.

'Hold out your finger, king! Pour in everything you've got!'

It was easy to point his finger, he was practically upside down in the things mouth as his blood continued to pool into it's tongue. It seemed to be savoring the taste. He straightened out his right hand, index finger pointing at the back of the things throat and poured in everything he had. A red swiling ball formed in his hand, glowing with power and sucking the air out of the way. The thing holding him tensed and abruptly snapped its jaw shut.

Ichigo screamed as teeth pierced his arm, but didn't dare lose his focus. He didn't know how his arms was still on, didn't question why his veins looked black against his skin, he could only pour all his desperation into the tip of his finger.

'Let go!'

The beast opened its jaw once more in pain and Ichigo saw the red ball of light expand out and burn through flesh. He was dropped to the ground and took in huge gulps of air, gagging when he was covered in a spray of blood. It dripped from his head and mixed with his own, staining the white sand around him a dark crimson.

He turned, ignoring the screams of pain behind him and ran the best he could.

'Reach!'

He pulled and felt tears prick at his eyes when the void opened in front of him once more. Home, his fathers, he wanted his fathers!

This time, he didn't stop to catch his breath.

Shunsui's guts were twisting in a way that reminded him of a bloody house and a dead cousin. He shifted, meeting Jushiro's eyes across from him and he could see the white-haired captain felt it too. He looked away, trying to focus on the words his mentor was saying but he just couldn't. His instincts were screaming at him.

'Prepare yourself' He jumped slightly at the voice of his zanpakuto and his heart rate increased. She was never one to speak much, and the fact that she did meant he wasn't wrong about his feeling.

When a garganta opened in the middle of the captains meeting, dread filled him. Even so, he lowered a hand to the hilt of his sword, noting that the other captains had done the same. Hollows were stupid, but they had never encountered one idiotic enough to make a gateway into the heart of Seireitei. No, something was off. He glanced towards the soutaichou, and after years of knowing the man, he could read his uncertainty as well.

The sound of running feet brought his attention back to the void and he braced himself. What came out was not what he expected, at all.

If he hadn't known his son's reiatsu so well, he wouldn't have been able to recognize him covered in so much blood. Red tears were sliding down his cheeks and a majority of him was covered in crimson. His heart stopped when scared, brown eyes locked on to him.

"Otousan!"

Shunsui was moving without realizing it, catching Ichigo and reeling at the smell of iron that clung to him, noting how the cool liquid seeped into his clothes. Ichigo clung to him before going completely lax and passing out.

Chaos erupted around him and Shunsui could barely move in his shock. Jushiro was next to him in an instant, batting his hands away and letting Unohana scoop Ichigo up, her hands glowing green before she blurred away.

Shunsui's hands were left stained in red and trembling, his eyes wide. He looked up, watching as a pale Jushiro chased after Unohana and the bloody trail in her wake. His hands wouldn't stop shaking, and he didn't know when he had fallen to his knees.

A heavy hand on his shoulder brought him out of his shock and he jumped, glancing at the commander with barely concealed despair.

"Go"

He didn't need to be told twice.

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I am procrastinating so much ;-;