Jūshirō woke first the next morning to find Ichigo wasn't in the futon with him. At first, he panicked a little, then realized he was still in the room, just over a little bit. He was seated on his knees again and just staring off into the distance.
"Ichigo?" he called, and he turned toward him with his sightless eyes.
"Yes, Shujin?" he answered.
"What are you doing?" he asked, sighing.
"Nothing," he said and crawled on his hands and knees back over to him and sat down before him.
Jūshirō wished he knew the best way to handle the whole situation. He thought that today would be a good test to see what could be done with him if the power infusion worked a second time as it had before with Rukia. He knew that one way or another, they would be further ahead than they had been. He just hoped that it wasn't too much for Ichigo to become a Shinigami once more.
"Ichigo, today they'll be trying to give you your powers back, in the hopes that your soul form will be more stable than your human body. Are you ready?" he asked, placing a hand against Ichigo's cheek, finding it cool once more.
He nodded. "Yes, Shujin."
"Come, let's get over to the fourth where we'll be trying this. Kurotsuchi-taichou and Unohana-taichou have worked very hard on this project for a while now. So, whatever comes of it, know that we're trying everything we can to help you," Jūshirō stood and helped Ichigo to stand. He was still unsteady on his feet, Jūshirō noted. He held to his hand as gently as he possibly could while still holding onto him.
They walked slowly to the fourth division and gained quite a few stares along the way as they went. People were curious, and at that moment, Jūshirō was glad Ichigo couldn't see. Though, he did seem to be capable of sensing the people who came close to him. They arrived just as Shunsui was getting there.
"Jūshirō," Shunsui said. "Ichi-kun," he put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder as he spoke.
"I think we are ready for this," Jūshirō said as they went into the fourth to find Unohana.
They came to her office to find her sitting behind her desk with Isane and looked up as they approached. She smiled and stood up, coming over and putting a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.
"Ichigo. Today we will see if we can't return your sight to you," Unohana said gently.
Ichigo nodded in acknowledgement. "I know. Shujin and Omo told me."
"Shujin and Omo?" she asked, arching a brow at the two of them.
"He insists on calling us his owners so those are they words we chose for him to use instead of what he called that other man," Jūshirō explained, still holding to Ichigo's hand.
Unohana smiled and patted his arm lightly. "Let's go into the exam room and see what we can do for him."
She led them to a room with monitors which Kurotsuchi stood behind, watching as they came in. He would stay quiet since he caused panic in Ichigo before. He didn't look happy about it though as he worked behind the monitoring devices. Unohana led Jūshirō and Ichigo to the exam bed and indicated Ichigo should sit down.
"Now, originally, we were going to do this the same way as it happened before. When an empowered Zanpakutō pierces his body, it should reignite the Shinigami core inside of him. We know the power is still there, only drained. So, we're going to give it something to feed off of." Unohana put a gentle hand on Ichigo's arm. "This, of course, is complicated by his condition. But we may be able to pull his soul form from his broken human body. Then, it may be up to Urahara to construct a Gigai for him to use instead of his human body if it is destroyed in this process. Or it maybe possible to augment his human body in some fashion."
Jūshirō still held his hand loosely. "Do you wish to hear anymore about what they are going to do?"
Ichigo just shook his head. Jūshirō nodded and let go of his hand. Ichigo reached for him again, but Unohana pushed his hands down on his lap.
"We'll begin," she told them and retrieved the Zanpakutō that they had worked so hard on.
Jūshirō and Shunsui turned and stepped outside of the room. Luckily, the room had glass around it so they could see inside. They looked up to see that Urahara had come to watch as well.
"This is taking a great chance," Urahara stated as he looked in the room. "I hope this goes well."
"He will be better if you can restore his sight." Jūshirō was certain of that fact.
Inside the room, Unohana was standing beside the bed and waiting for Kurotsuchi to give her the go ahead. They could hear everything through the open door. Jūshirō looked over at Urahara.
"Will his father be coming to watch?" he asked.
"No, I'm his eyes. He is with his daughters and dealing with the human details. It seems that soon he will be required to make some sort of appearance, so his body or his Gigai will have to be made stable." He stared through the window for a moment. "I think I can do something to his human body, augment it with aspects of a Gigai."
"Augment it?" Shunsui asked as they watched the events begin to unfold.
"Ichigo," Unohana said. "I'm going to pierce you with a Zanpakutō that we've created. It should infuse you with power and your reiatsu should return in full."
Unohana nodded toward Kurotsuchi who returned the nod. She pressed the blade to his chest and carefully pushed it forward. The room flooded with familiar reiatsu almost immediately. There was a smoky screen that appeared around him, and as that faded, Ichigo sat there, returned to his shihakuso, looking very woozy where he sat.
"It worked," Urahara murmured beside them, sounding almost surprised.
Ichigo fell back onto the bed, his human body still fragile. Unohana used a glove and pushed his soul form from his body, separating the two of them. The Ichigo that wore a shihakuso again blinked and Jūshirō saw that his eyes were black and gold instead of brown. Unohana put her hand against Ichigo's face.
"Can you see, Ichigo?" she asked quietly.
He just nodded with eyes wide. He looked next to him where his human body laid. He then looked over toward the window and locked his eyes on Jūshirō and Shunsui. Both of them entered the room and looked at him.
"Ichigo?" Jūshirō said softly. "How do you feel?"
"Better. Not so weak," he answered, staring at Jūshirō with his unsettling eyes. He blinked and closed them. "But Owner took away my sight. I shouldn't have it…"
"Shouldn't have it?" Shunsui asked and sighed deeply.
"Oh, Ichigo," Jūshirō whispered and put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.
Unohana sighed and glanced over to Kurotsuchi. "Are his readings stable?"
"Everything appears normal," he answered, causing Ichigo's eyes to open and he stared at him for a second before he closed them again.
Urahara began to examine his human body. "I can't restore his eyes in his human body, with or without Inoue's help. I'm afraid that he'll have to cope with that in the World of the Living. As far as the rest, I might have some ways to bolster the bone structure."
Ichigo held his head down and Jūshirō put a hand on his back. He noticed that he looked somewhat different in his shihakuso. He put his hands in his lap and looked to not know what to do with himself.
"Having his sight back will make things a bit easier on everyone," Shunsui said hopefully.
"Is there any reason behind the coloration difference?" Jūshirō asked as he rubbed Ichigo's back slowly.
Unohana approached and tilted Ichigo's head up. "Open your eyes for me again."
Ichigo complied, opening his eyes and showing the strange black and gold coloration that normally could be seen under his mask. It was a little unsettling to look at him like that. His body had carried with it scars from his human body, though they appeared somewhat less visible on his soul form. Unohana looked him over and cast a kido on him and shook her head.
"I can find no reason for it other than appearance," she told them as she let his chin go. He immediately looked down and closed his eyes again. "You should take him back and let him rest. Urahara will take care of his human body. I can find no reason to keep him here."
Jūshirō nodded, moving his hand from Ichigo's back and taking his hand instead. "Are you ready to go back?"
"Yes, please," he said quietly as he hopped off the bed, glancing at his human body before he left the room with Jūshirō leading the way.
Shunsui stayed in the room with Unohana and Urahara, though as Jūshirō and Ichigo left. He watched them go, seeing how easily Ichigo clung to Jūshirō. He could tell that his companion was growing more attached to Ichigo day by day despite the frustrations.
"Unohana-taichou, what do you think of his progress so far?" Shunsui asked, stepping closer to his body and looking at it. The scars on his face stood out now that he was not in the body.
She sighed, looking at the body with a kind glance. "I think he is doing as well as can be expected. What do you think of his progress?"
Shunsui was silent a few seconds. "I think that he has a long way to go."
Urahara walked over and cast a kido over the body. "I'll see what I can do for his body. I'm actually surprised it survived having his powers returned to it. I will inform Isshin that we have accomplished our task of restoring and separating his soul form from his body. He will likely be coming to visit in the next few days."
"Does he know of the arrangement with Jūshirō to watch over him?" Shunsui asked. "He also should know about how we've had to take on the 'owner' role for him, so it does not surprise him."
"I'll inform him of everything when I see him tonight," Urahara assured.
Shunsui nodded his head toward Unohana and Urahara and headed out of the room. He wanted to go to help Jūshirō with Ichigo as much as he could, especially knowing that his father would be coming to see him soon. They would have to prepare him for such a visit. He only hoped that he fared well enough with it.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
Ichigo clutched at Jūshirō's hand tightly as they walked back to his home. He kept his eyes closed, feeling strange about having sight back after he had just gotten used to not having it. He supposed if he ever went back to the World of the Living, he would have to cope with being blind there. At least he hoped he could cope with it. He wasn't sure now what he could cope with.
He should still be without his sight. Owner had taken it away, after all. He wasn't meant to have things that Owner took away anymore. But Shujin and Omo were glad he could see once more. His eyes apparently looked wrong, so he would just keep his eyes closed so he didn't have to deal with the outside world. He would just follow Shujin back to where he was staying. Was it a home? Could he call it that? He wasn't sure.
He sensed they were nearing the estate. He looked up quickly, taking in the place with his eyes quickly before closing them again. He was led into the house and once more, opened his eyes to take in the world around him inside the house before he averted his gaze back down and closed his eyes again.
"Ichigo?" Jūshirō's voice pierced his darkness. He couldn't look at him. Good boys didn't look at Owner. "Please, Ichigo, look up?"
He picked his head up and opened his eyes for Jūshirō. He saw the white-haired captain smiling gently at him. He stole glances around the room before his eyes settled on his face. He had such a kind face.
"Would you like to go see the koi?" he asked.
Ichigo took a quick breath. Seeing the koi would be nice. He hadn't seen them yet, but he had liked the times when Shunsui and Jūshirō had taken him out to the pond. He nodded slowly and Jūshirō beaconed him to follow. He walked behind him, following him through the house until they were outside. It was beautiful, Ichigo realized. It had been almost seven years now since he'd been outside, and now he was surrounded by trees and a sparkling pond. As they approached, the koi could be heard splashing about in the pond.
Jūshirō knelt by the edge and motioned Ichigo to come sit by him. Ichigo dropped to his knees beside him and looked into the pond.
"They're so much bigger than I thought," he said in a low voice.
He was mesmerized by the movement of the fish in the pond. They danced below the surface of the water in a smooth dance. His eyes followed their moves so intensely that he didn't notice Jūshirō watching him carefully. The way the water cradled the orange and white fish was drawing every bit of his attention. He leaned forward and put his hand in the water. Immediately, one of the koi came up and nibbled at his wiggling fingers. He huffed a breath and smiled a little.
"They're very tame and friendly," Jūshirō said from beside him. "Do you like them?"
Ichigo nodded and continued trailing his fingers in the water. "They're beautiful."
As he watched them, he wondered if he could live like this, without Owner. He still felt like he needed to be told what to do, and he wanted to be of use to both his Shujin and Omo. He would find ways to be useful, especially now that he had his sight again. He would do things for them, and show them how much he appreciated them and how they were taking care of him. The hadn't thrown him away yet even though he hadn't been very useful yet. Now, he would be, though. He needed to make them understand that he was willing to do whatever it took to keep them happy.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
Urahara waited in the tea room for Isshin to get there. He had brought Ichigo's body back with him and been working on doing something to help with his bone structure. There wasn't a whole lot he could do to a human body, but he could try to help him out as much as he could. He looked up as he heard someone come into the shop.
"Kisuke," Isshin said as he came in and sat down.
"Isshin, how are you today?" Urahara asked as he adjusted his hat a little.
"As well as I can be. How did the procedure go?" Urahara saw that he was just going to get right to the point it seemed.
He put down his cup of tea and sighed. "The procedure worked and his soul form was successfully separated from his human body. I've been able to do some work on his human body to help with the bone structure, but there's not much I can do that wouldn't be obvious to others. He'll need to come back and be in that body at least some of the time," he explained.
"Was his sight returned?" Isshin asked, watching as Urahara poured another cup of tea for him.
"In his soul form, yes, though his eyes are the black sclera and gold iris that he normally has under the vizard mask." Urahara sighed, taking his hat off for a second to scratch the top of his head thoughtfully. "It may have something to do with the way the hollow part of him was trying to syphon power off creatures around him."
"I see. I will go to see him soon, but he'll have to come home to talk to the police again soon. I've arranged a day next week for that." Isshin took the tea and sipped it without much thought.
"There is something you should know about his progress," Urahara began. "Ukitake-san and Kyroku-san have taken over his care."
"He's no longer in the fourth?" Isshin looked at him with an arched brow.
"Unohana-san thought that him being somewhere calmer like Ukitake-san's estate would best help with his healing. She seems to think that it has helped so far. At the fourth, he was alone, which was detrimental to his progress." Urahara didn't know how Isshin would take the next part. "But also, he has taken to calling them Shujin and Omo."
Isshin blinked rapidly for a second. "Why is he calling them that?"
"He wanted to have an 'owner' again. It was more of a need. They're trying to deprogram the training that was beaten into him over the last six years, but reversing it is difficult." Urahara sighed and sipped his tea again to give Isshin time to absorb what he was saying. "Ichigo needs the structure right now. Taking it away causes him too much stress and anxiety."
Putting the teacup down, Isshin's face was inscrutable. "So, what manner of relationship do they have with him?"
Urahara was worried that the question might come up. "So far, it is a matter of providing structure to his world. He follows the rules they set and listens to their words."
"How he is going to learn to live without commands when someone is still commanding him?" Isshin said with a frown.
Urahara sat his own teacup down and put his hands on the table. "They don't 'command' him. They are simply providing an environment that he can exist without stress and anxiety so he can heal."
Isshin looked unsure but he nodded. "If you believe it is necessary, I won't say anything against it when I visit him. Are there any other things I should know?"
"He is your son more than anything, and you need to remember that. No matter how different he may be from the Ichigo we used to know, he is still Ichigo. He still has some of those traits, most buried deep inside out of necessity over the last six years." Urahara knew that this was the hardest part of the whole situation for Isshin. "Your son is still there. He just is a different person now."
"When he comes back to talk to the police, how do you think he'll do?" Isshin asked, spinning the teacup between his hands.
"It may be difficult for him to go back to his human body after he's gotten used to being able to see again in Soul Society." He paused and tapped the side of his cup.
Isshin nodded sadly. "It is a good thing his sisters are out on their own now. I can get away with them not seeing him. I think that it would be too much for Kon to handle."
"Yes, I doubt Kon would be able to act like Ichigo as he is now at all. It is better this way even if we do not have Kon as a substitute for Ichigo." Urahara paused again, thinking for a moment. "Do you think the human police will need much from him?"
"I don't know," Isshin admitted. "They just said they needed to speak to him about the case against the perpetrators. I was hoping that the video would be evidence enough for them, but they are attempting to make the claim that everything was consensual, and Kanjiro lost his mind and killed himself at the end."
"How can they claim that was consensual?" Urahara asked, truly surprised.
"According to them, everything was done agreed upon ahead of time. They have to prove that it wasn't in order for them to be convicted," Isshin said sadly. "He may have to testify at court as well."
Urahara didn't like that prospect at all. "To stand up in court? I don't know if he will be able to do that, especially in his condition now."
Isshin sighed, running a hand over his head. "He has to be able to tell them what happened. That's probably what the meeting with him will be about. The police will see how he tolerates talking about what happened."
"No matter what, this will be hard on him." Urahara knew that even just coming back to the World of the Living was going to be difficult on him.
Isshin stood up. "I'll be back tomorrow to visit him. I'll see you then." He turned and left, leaving Urahara alone with his thoughts.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
Visiting Ichigo in Soul Society was something that Isshin was looking forward to in some ways, and not in others. He knew that his son was in there somewhere, he only had to find him. At least that was how he felt about the situation. He walked between the worlds and thought about the reasons he was making this visit to him. He came out and was met by Rukia.
"Rukia," he said kindly. "How are you?"
"I'm well. I came to take you to Ukitake-taichou's estate so you can see him. I, um, haven't been to see him in a week or so I'm not sure how he's doing this time," she told him as they walked through the Serietei. "I've been busy with division work lately."
Isshin understood. There was a part of him that didn't want to see Ichigo either. He couldn't let that part of him ruin his chances with his son, though. He may have been different, but he was still his son no matter what.
Rukia knocked at the door. It was answered quickly by the white-haired captain. "Shiba-san," he said with a soft smile. "Come in. Ichigo is at the kotatsu."
He led Isshin into the house, toward the room with the kotatsu sitting in it. Ichigo was seated at the side, eyes closed and still. Jūshirō approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Ichigo, your father has come to see you," Jūshirō explained.
Ichigo turned his head toward his voice and blinked his eyes. Isshin was taken aback a little by the strange appearance they had without the mask. He looked up at Isshin for a short time before he lowered his head again and seemed to be staring at his hands.
Jūshirō sighed and sat down beside him, taking one of his hands. "Ichigo. You can talk to your father, can't you?"
His voice was quiet when he spoke. "If Shujin wants."
Isshin moved forward and took up a spot at the kotatsu. Jūshirō sighed in apparent exasperation. "Ichigo, that's up to you. I can't tell you what to do all the time."
"It's okay," Isshin tried with a soft smile. "I came to see him; however he is."
Ichigo looked up, locking his odd colored eyes on Isshin for the briefest of seconds before looking back down toward his hands. He looked better than he had looked in his human body. His body wasn't emaciated like in the human world.
"I'm glad they were able to restore your powers, Ichigo," Isshin said. "I see that you seem to be doing better than the last time I saw you. Have you done anything special since you started staying with Ukitake-taichou?"
"I like the koi." His voice was just barely above a whisper. It hurt Isshin's heart to hear him like this but he kept his face from showing it.
"He does have a nice koi pond," Isshin agreed. "Do you go visit it often?"
"I can see them now," Ichigo looked up briefly before he looked down again. "They're pretty."
Isshin smiled. "Um, I came today to tell you that next week, the police need to see you."
Now, Ichigo's head did come up, and he stared at Isshin with wide eyes. "Go back?"
"Just for a day, if even that," Isshin assured. "The police are trying to keep the men who did this to you locked up, but they're trying to say things were all consensual. So, they need you to tell them it wasn't."
"Consensual?" Ichigo echoed, just staring at Isshin still.
"That will be hard on him right now," Jūshirō said from beside him as Ichigo clutched at his hand. "We cannot go with him in Gigai, there would be too many questions."
Isshin nodded. "I thought if he needed it, you could stay with him in soul form. I know that he has come to rely on your presence."
Ichigo turned toward Jūshirō with a frantic look on his face. "You will stay with me?"
Jūshirō smiled at him and put a hand on his head. Ichigo turned into his hand and closed his eyes. "Of course, if that is what you want."
Isshin began to understand what Urahara was talking about with the connection that Ichigo had made with Jūshirō. He regretted that he couldn't be that person for Ichigo, but perhaps it was better this way. At least here in Soul Society, he didn't have to deal with thing from the human world. He forced a smile and tried again to talk to him.
"They will just ask you to tell them what happened. What did happen, Ichigo? Can you tell me before you talk to the police?" Isshin thought it might help to practice this ahead of time.
Ichigo stared at him again. Jūshirō spoke up, squeezing his hand tightly. "It would be a good idea."
He took his other hand and put it on Jūshirō's hand. "Okay."
"Just tell me in your own words what happened, starting six years ago," Isshin told him.
"Um," he stammered to start. "I-I don't remember clearly anymore."
"Just do your best," Jūshirō encouraged.
Ichigo nodded slowly. "Ah, I saved his phone from being stolen. He-he invited me to drink sake… Then everything gets blurry. I was tied up, I remember. I couldn't get away from him. He took me to our room. He told me I was going to be his pet. There were others, his brother and they were to be serviced like Owner however they wanted." He swallowed and looked down.
"That's very good," Jūshirō said, reaching out and petting his head again.
"I'm sure they'll ask specific questions," Isshin sighed, knowing that while that was a good short summary but they'd need more. The way Ichigo was clutching Jūshirō's hand, he didn't think he could tolerate any more. "But that's enough for today."
Ichigo stared at his hands again, eyes closed now, breathing heavily. Isshin moved to stand up and resisted the urge to reach out to him. He instead kept his distance. "Ichigo, I'll go now. I'll be back next week to take you to the World of the Living for the meeting. I hope you have a good day. I love you, son."
Ichigo looked up at him, still clinging to Jūshirō's hand. "I love you," he whispered and looked down immediately.
Isshin left the house, holding his tears until he was outside. He stood outside and broke down. Luckily, he was alone, so no one saw his breakdown. He just had to let it out somehow. He finally leaned back against the door, panting. He heard someone nearby and looked up to find Rukia had come to retrieve him. He was grateful that she had given him time.
"Are you ready to go back?" she asked him tentatively from the side of the house.
"I am," he answered and wiped his eyes once more. "Time to go home."