Hiya all.
This fic was written both as a gift fic for my bestest friend in the world; the lovely, the amazing Kiss-san. And also as part of the 2022 Halloween event - Be the monster, at our Discord server, hosted by me and Kiss.
There are a couple of writers participating and they will, throughout October, post their own stories as well. So go check them out as well if you can. It would mean a lot.
My fellow writers are;
- Alastair
- asgardianhobbit98
- PhantomGypsy13
- SerenaJones
- Seth's Kiss
- YaoiHime420
- Mishiko Shinsei
Thank you for your attention and time, and without further ado, enjoy the story 3
It was almost too good to be true. Aizen's reign had finally come to an end.
His influence over Hueco Mundo was gone. And she was finally free.
She no longer had to run, to hide, to fear. She no longer had to look over her shoulder to prevent the tyrant from capturing her and using her against the people she holds dear.
She was finally, finally free to go home.
She opened a portal, but hesitated at the last second before going through.
Would her children even recognize her?
She looked nothing like she did before, she didn't even look human anymore.
This hollow form had even scared herself the first time she had seen it.
But no. Now was not the time to second guess. This wasn't about her, this was about her kids. She needed to see them; To let them know she was still here, still alive.
Resolve steeled, Masaki Kurosaki stepped through the portal to finally go home.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It wasn't hard to find the Kurosaki residence. The adres was still the same after all these years.
She peered through the window and discovered that only Isshin, her husband, was home at the moment.
She had missed him greatly. The need to see him, to speak to him, overrode any rational thought. She entered the house, not even trying to hide her presence.
In hindsight it wasn't surprising to find him awaiting her in his Shinigami form, blade drawn and ready to strike.
She needed to let him know who she was before disaster could happen. Yet when their eyes locked, all words just dried out.
Isshin's stance faltered. "Masaki?" he whispered, eyes wide.
She let out a sigh of relief. "Isshin, dear. I am beyond glad you recognize me."
"Wha- How?" he sputtered, not able to form a proper question.
Masaki resisted the urge to hug him and instead asked. "Do you recall what happened?"
That sobered him up quick. "How could I not? That hollow killed you and devoured your soul. So how are you here? How is this possible?!" He gestured to her hollow form.
Masaki smiled gently, which to Isshin seemed like a wicked hollow grin. "You have our son to thank for this. When he fought Grand Fisher he was somehow able to free my soul from its grasp."
They both let that sink in for a while.
"I look forward to seeing him." Masaki said, thinking of her son. "The twins as well. I've missed them so much."
Isshin grimaced, which immediately worried Masaki.
"Please tell me my children are safe, Isshin."
He looked down. "They are. All safe and healthy. But…"
"But, what?"
Before answering, Isshin looked her straight in the eyes. "In order to defeat Aizen, Ichigo sacrificed all of his powers. He won't be able to see, let alone be able to sense you."
Now that was a lot to take in. Not only was her son the one to thank for getting rid of the one keeping her away from her family. But she also now knows he can't even see her anymore.
Never mind all that, why was Ichigo even fighting such battles?
Inside her, Masaki was experiencing a roller-coaster of emotions, but she put them aside for now. Right now the only thing that mattered was that her son and daughters were safe.
"Tell me, Isshin. How have they been doing? How have you been doing after I… after I died? It couldn't have been easy for anyone."
His eyes started to water, and he stayed quiet. Masaki nodded, not needing to hear the words to feel his pain. "When will they be home?"
"Masaki, I don't believe it's a good idea for the kids to see you like this. They would freak out."
"Maybe. But I'm their mother, no matter what form I take. Once they know it's me, it will be alright, we'll just take it easy."
"It won't be alright. They have been through a lot. Let's not add them seeing their mother as a monster."
That word stung deep. Monster.
After waking up in Hueco Mundo and discovering she was turned into a hollow, Masaki had a hard time convincing herself she wasn't a monster.
It was hard not giving in to her new instincts, to hunt, to kill.
Only the thought of one day seeing her children again kept her sane.
Hearing Isshin calling her what she was so desperately trying not to think herself as, was very painful.
"How - How can you say something like that?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
His eyes were like steel. "Just look at you! You're a hollow!"
"True, but, I'm still me. Still the Masaki who married you."
"Are you? Really? It could be a trick. Aizen might be imprisoned, but that doesn't mean his schemes have run dry."
So that was the problem. Easy enough to fix, she just had to convince him it was really her.
"Do you remember? Our first wedding anniversary. You had it all planned out. A picnic at the park at sunset, the house full of flowers when we got home after. You told me being with me was the best decision you ever made.
Or when I was pregnant with Ichigo and he was nearly there. You would panic over every complaint I had, going all doctor mode on me, making sure I was as comfortable as I could be. It was driving me up the walls and I would send you to a store far away to pick up something specific just to get a couple minutes of peace."
His tears started falling from his eyes. "It really is you." He said as he finally sheathed his sword.
"Yes, dear, it's really me."
For a second it seemed like he was going to hug her, but instead he turned his back to her, hand rubbing his chin and covering his mouth.
Instead of being happy, like she hoped he would be, he became agitated.
"Isshin, what's wrong?"
"You can't be here." An ominous tone entered his voice.
"What do you mean?"
"You are dead. Your soul devoured."
His tone was starting to scare her. "Yes, I was dead. But death isn't the end, you know that, Isshin. My soul was freed. Yes, I turned into a hollow, but I retained my memories by some miracle. I'm still me. I know it's unheard of, but stranger things have happened."
"... I suppose."
"I thought you'd be happy to see me," she said in a small voice, deeply hurt by his reactions. "But you're not."
Isshin chuckled darkly. "No, I'm not happy. I'm furious."
Masaki slowly, carefully approached him. "I can understand the pain you've felt…"
"No you can't!" he shouted, interrupting her mid sentence, startling her. "You died! You died and you left me alone!"
Alone? He wasn't alone. He had the children. "You weren't alone."
He ignored her. "You died. After everything I sacrificed for you. My powers. My position as captain. My life! EVERYTHING! I gave it all up for you." He paused to catch his breath. He looked at the floor and said: "And then you die. And you leave me behind with three traumatized kids who look to me for guidance. Do you have any idea how heavy a load that is?" he looked back up at her. "No, you don't. Because you weren't there."
"Isshin…" she said, but he wasn't done.
"I did what I could. But, I gave up everything for you. Not them."
Now she could deal with his accusations towards her. She could hardly deny them, but this, this was something else. She did not like where this was going.
"You left me all alone with that burden," he finished.
This was not okay. This was one step too far. "Our children are not burdens, Isshin." She replied, voice strong.
"Oh, yes, they are. The only reason they exist is because you wished for them. Everything I've done since I met you, was for you. I didn't want kids, you did."
"It's not like I wanted to die. I never meant to leave you alone."
"THEN WHY SAVE ICHIGO?" he screamed in fury before lowering his head, sobbing. "Why did you shield him?"
"Because he is my son! It was my duty to protect him! Like any parent should do! You protect your child at all costs. Even if that cost is your life. Isshin, please. Please tell me you've been taking care of them. Please tell me you've been the parent they needed."
"They're still alive, aren't they." The indifference in his voice was clear for her to hear.
"You don't sound thrilled about that."
"Sometimes." He sighed. "Sometimes I wish Ichigo would have died instead of you."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Masaki was steaming on the inside. How dare he? "What. Did you. Just say to me?"
Their eyes locked again, both on fire with anger. "You heard me."
"Isshin. Did you - do you resent Ichigo for being alive while I wasn't?"
"I do."
The fact that he didn't even need to think about that chilled Masaki to the bone. "Have you ever punished him for that?"
"Punished him? No. It wasn't his fault." Before Masaki could exhale her breath of relief, he added: "But I did knock some sense into him when I needed to. The boy would be nothing more than a sulking mess if I hadn't. He needed it."
"You hit him?!"
"It made him the man he is today. He's strong. Strong enough to have beaten Aizen by himself."
"You did not just tell me that! You abused him!"
"I prefer to call it 'tough love'."
"What about Yuzu or Karin? Did they receive your 'tough love' as well?"
"I would never hit girls."
"So you do admit you've been hitting Ichigo!"
"FINE! I hit him. No big deal. He's good."
"Good?! He's sixteen! He fought in a war he had no business in. And from what you've told me, he fought on the front lines! Battling adults, who not only are multiple times more experienced in battle, but who also would not hesitate to kill him if they could. Why did you let it go so far?! He is a child! And your responsibility! You should have kept him safe!"
"I couldn't have stopped him from fighting, even if I wanted to."
"Yes you could have! You're his father! You just didn't want to."
"Pray tell, with what power could I have stopped him?"
She deadpans and gestures at his Shinigami form.
"This is a recent change. I haven't had powers for decades, as you well know."
"Bullshit, Isshin! And even if that was the case, you could have asked Kisuke to help you."
"I did. I did ask Kisuke for help. And he did a fine job training Ichigo for combat."
She stared at him in disbelief. "I can't believe what I'm hearing right now. You are…"
Whatever she was going to say was drowned out by the sound of a door opening, followed by a very familiar voice.
"We're home!" Ichigo shouted from the entrance of the house. He and the twins were home. "Dad, are you here?"
Tears ran down Masaki's mask as she heard her son's voice she had longed to hear for so long.
She turned towards the hall where her children could appear at any second. In doing so, she had turned her back towards Isshin. Big mistake.
Isshin draws his sword again and points it at her.
Yuzu is the first to arrive in the living room. The small child freezes once she sees a hollow just standing there, in their home.
"Karin! Get your brother and sister out of here!" Isshin yelled.
Karin runs into the room and sees the scene. She nods at her father and grabs Yuzu, pulling her back into the hall. "Ichigo, get back! There's a hollow in our house!"
"What?! Where's dad?"
"He's taking care of it!"
The three Kurosaki children then disappear back outside. Masaki calls out to them to wait, but her plea falls on deaf ears.
She wants to go after them, but Isshin suddenly appears right in front of her. His sword pointed straight at her head.
"What are you doing?"
"You died." He spoke without any emotion. "You're not really here. It would be too complicated. You're dead."
Masaki started backing away from him. "Isshin, don't do anything stupid now."
"Like what? Killing a hollow that invaded my home? No one will question it."
"You - You want to kill me?"
"YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD!" He screamed in rage and attacked her.
Masaki already knew her power was nothing compared to his. If he wanted her dead, there was little she could do about it. Desperate to get away, she destroyed one of the walls and jumped into the air. He was right on her heels, though, and wasn't letting her get away.
While trying to dodge his attacks, she spotted her children in the street. The girls were looking at the battle, while Ichigo looked … lost.
Isshin used this distraction, and cut deep into Masaki with his sword.
Masaki fully focussed on Isshin again. "You're actually trying to kill me." She didn't want to believe it, but reality was cruel.
Isshin continued his act, he replied loud enough for the girls to hear. "Of course I'm trying to kill you, hollow! You invaded the wrong house!"
"Isshin, please! Stop this madness!"
But no matter what she said to convince him to stop, he wouldn't. Every attempt she made was rebutted. She was losing hope she would make it out alive.
Meanwhile.
"Karin, what's happening?!" The only thing Ichigo could see was that the wall of their house blew up and his sisters were now looking at the sky.
"Dad's fighting a hollow."
"What kind? Adjucas? Arrancar?" He was visibly worried and agitated about not being able to do anything. His hand that would normally hold a sword twitching, reaching for something that wasn't there.
"No, just a regular hollow." Karin didn't seem too worried about it, which calmed Ichigo down, if only a little.
"Really? Then what's taking so long? Shouldn't be too much trouble for him."
"Something feels wrong," Yuzu said, biting her lip in concern.
"What do you mean?" her sister asked.
"The hollow doesn't seem hostile, like it doesn't want to fight. And dad's clearly holding back, I can tell. He acts like it's fine, but something is bothering him. And then there's the hollow's voice. It's so familiar. I can't put my finger on it," Yuzu said, trailing off, lost in thought.
"Now that you mention it. Yeah, it does sound familiar," Karin said.
"Is it someone we know?" Ichigo asked, worried something might have happened to someone he cared about.
Before his mind can come up with worst case scenarios, his sister speaks again: "Yes! Yes, we do know her! It's - It's mom!" Yuzu shouted in sudden realisation.
"Are you sure?" Karin asked, already knowing her sister was right. She had to ask, just in case.
"Yes!"
Ichigo's mind was reeling. "Mom's a hollow?"
"But if that's mom, then why is dad trying to kill her?!" Karin gasps in horror.
Yuzu runs forward. "Mom! Dad! Stop fighting!"
That got both their attention and Isshin faltered in his next attack. Masaki used that moment to get to her daughter.
"Yuzu, you remember me? Even if I look like this?" Masaki's hollow mask was stained with tears.
"I never forgot, mom."
Yuzu goes in to hug her mother when she is brutally pulled back by Isshin. "Stay back! It's trying to trick you! Stay away, Yuzu."
He pushed Masaki away and continued the fight.
Ichigo checked up on Yuzu, who had fallen to the ground. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you, big brother."
"Are you sure that's mom? It could be an imposter."
Yuzu looked Ichigo straight into his eyes, her own shining with conviction. "It's mom. I'm willing to bet my life on it. I saw her eyes, brother. That's our mom." By the end of her sentence, Yuzu had started crying.
Ichigo looked at Karin for confirmation. Karin nodded at him, while trying to keep her own tears at bay.
That's all Ichigo needed. "I believe you. We need to stop this fight right now. Karin, tell me their exact location."
"How's that gonna help?"
"Just tell me."
Instead of getting the answer, the ground next to him exploded, like something had impacted the ground with force. Ichigo knew it had to be one of the two. "Who was it?"
"Mom," Karin said as she went to stand between the scene and her sister, to protect the latter.
"Dad, please stop!" Yuzu begged.
He didn't listen. He wasn't stopping. "Shit! He's going to kill her!" Karin screamed in desperation.
"Not on my watch." Ichigo calmly said. He studied where his sisters were looking and deduced the location of his parents.
He ran and placed himself in front of his mom, facing his dad. Arms open, blocking the path with his body. "Dad! Stop!"
He didn't stop.
He could have, but he didn't.
Seconds seemed like hours. Everyone but Isshin looked in shock as Ichigo's body was cut clean in two.
The twins shrieked in horror as their father had just killed their brother right front of them.
Masaki was frozen and Isshin didn't say a word.
Ichigo gasped as his spirit separated from his body, the link in between completely broken.
This feeling wasn't new to Ichigo, so he recovered from shock first. He turned towards his mom, now able to see her.
"Hi, mom," he smiled sadly.
"Oh, Ichigo, my beautiful boy. Why did you do that?" She broke out into tears. "You're dead. No, no, no. This should not have happened. I should not have come here. This is my fault."
Ichigo held back his own tears and hugged her. "It's okay," he said to her. "It was my turn to protect you."
She managed to smile at him through the tears. Masaki hugged him back with one arm and used the other to call her daughters into the hug as well.
The four of them have never been so happy and sad at the same time.
After a minute of them hugging, Karin pulls away first. "You should get out of here, mom. I can feel other shinigamis coming."
Masaki let go of her children and nodded. "Yes, I've caused enough damage." She stood up, not yet ready to leave, but she knew she had to.
"No, mom. I'm not letting you go alone again."
"Ichigo, there's nothing you can do. Let me go. You are a spirit now, you don't have your powers. You won't be safe with me in Hueco Mundo."
"I know."
"What are you doing?!"
Before she could stop him, Ichigo broke his soul chain.
He screamed in agony as he transformed into a hollow. The process didn't take that long, as he wasn't resisting the change and not much later it was done.
Ichigo had become a hollow himself.
"What have you done? This is irreversible!"
"You can scold me later, mom. Right now, we gotta go." Ichigo turned towards his sisters and was relieved there was no fear or anger in them towards him. "We'll see each other again. Promise."
"You better hold that promise, brother. Or I'll find you and kick your ass."
"Take care of mom for us, big brother. I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too."
One final hug and they went their separate ways.
