Ichigo felt his mind reeling from the revelation. His crazy dad was a Shinigami? And a Captain at that?

"Dad, what was that?" Thankfully Karin asked the question he was too shell-shocked to articulate.

Isshin sighed and messed his hair. "Before I met your Mom, I was Captain of the Tenth Division. There was an issue with a Hollow killing some of my unseated division members, and something seemed off. Like someone was manipulating things behind the scenes. So I decided to investigate."

Even Yamamoto seemed interested in the story.

"I found a hollow attacking my men. It was strange, though. While having blades for arms is not unheard of, this hollow fought like he'd trained to use them. He could parry and thrust as well as any shinigami, and that was only the beginning. He attacked the weakest of our party unerringly, setting traps and using tactics to expose them. A red mass filled his hollow hole, and that mass exploded at the end of our fight. That was no ordinary hollow."

"And yet no one had heard of this hollow. It was clear, in hindsight, that someone was suppressing the news, though, at the time, I had no idea it was Aizen. As I prepared to engage, someone, probably Aizen again, stabbed me in the back under the cloak of an undetectable illusion. The wound was debilitating, and I nearly died at the hands of the aberrant hollow. He had me pinned, watching as he charged a Cero, and suddenly she was there."

"She was reckless and brave, bold and aggressive. But when I saw her, there was no other." Isshin seemed to shake himself out of his reverie as his children looked on in absolute silence. Was this their silly father? Was this the same man that named a ridiculous flying-double kick after himself? The same man that attacked Ichigo at every opportunity?

It was a side of their father they rarely witnessed. A solemnity he rarely showed.

"We defeated the hollow in the end, but not before it bit Masaki's shoulder. And in our victory lay our downfall. Somehow, the hollow infected Masaki. Urahara would know more on how, but that hollow invaded her soul and attempted to turn her there and then. But the problem was, she…," here he paused for breath, "your mother was a Quincy. A living human that can shape reishi, or spiritual matter, and use it to fight spiritual beings."

Yamamoto was suddenly grateful the Twelfth division captain was not privy to the content of his communications. Mayuri Kurotsuchi would have loved to get his hands on the children of such a union, living or dead.

Isshin continued. "A Quincy's power, though, is utterly incompatible with hollow energy. The attempt to corrupt her should have ended in a soul explosion, shattering her soul and destroying the hollow. But how could I let that happen when it was my fault she was injured, my life she had condemned herself to save? No, my duty was clear."

"Urahara created a bridge between our souls so that I could enter Massaki's and cleanse the corruption that was taking over. But the corruption was too tightly wound into her very essence to kill without killing her in the process. So I used my powers to suppress it. It cost me access to my spiritual ability, but it saved her life."

"But now my powers were lost to me, not gone, but committed elsewhere. I could not return to soul society. I had to aban…" here he looked at the captain commander's cocked eyebrow, "take an unplanned leave of absence until my power returned. So I settled down in the living world. I opened a clinic. I married a wonderful woman and had three amazing children. I was content."

"And then a hollow killed her, killed Masaki. I've always suspected that others also orchestrated that attack. My wife was a Quincy- and a strong one at that. No mere hollow could ambush her, could kill her. Yet somehow, one did. And I could do nothing."

Ichigo recognized the sickly feeling of self-hatred. It seems he and his father had more in common than he realized; they had each blamed themself for her passing.

Isshin continued, morose. "I watched as my perfect life crumbled around me, as my children grieved. And I was still powerless."

He turned and looked at his son. "Ichigo, I've known you were a soul reaper since you first donned your shihakusho. And I'm proud of you. You are so much your mother's son, protecting others because you can. Masaki and I had feared that the hollow's corruption had transferred to you after your birth, and I knew it to be true when her death did not release my spiritual ability. But two weeks ago, I felt Engetsu stirring. I felt my power, long absent, trickle back to me. And I had to grieve your life in secret. I am proud of who you have become, but protecting others does not preclude trusting them. To make me hide my grief and pretend I didn't know my son had died was a cruel thing."

Ichigo felt like Kenpachi had punched him in the gut. "Dad, I…" He knew he had messed up, and he would not run away from it. Not now. Not ever.

He bowed in repentance. "Dad, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Or Yuzu. Or Karin. I only wanted to protect you, all of you."

Isshin smiled sadly at his son. "I know, Ichigo, you always have done your best to live up to your name of 'first guardian.' But life can be cruel, and a well-meaning defense does not mean no one will get hurt." Isshin grinned as he continued, "you know that 'With great power comes great responsibility."

Ichigo blinked. "Did you seriously just quote 'Spider Man'? I thought we were having a moment!?"

Isshin laughed, and suddenly the solemn soul reaper was gone, replaced by the exuberant facade he usually wore.

"Don't doubt your Daddy's wisdom! If I hadn't prepared you all these years, you would never have survived something as stupidly dangerous as attacking the Seireitei!"

Isane Kotetsu wasn't the only one who doubted his decision-making. "Prepared!? Do you mean attacking me at every opportunity with some ridiculously named move? That's not preparation; that's insanity!"

As Isshin began a well-practiced rant on the elegance of his names, Ichigo noticed that Yuzu smiled and Karin scowled at the return of the familiar family dynamic. For a moment, he could pretend that nothing had changed, and so could they.

He would let them all have that moment.

###

Ichigo was not surprised when Yamamoto wanted to speak with him after the revelations from his family. He did seem surprised when the captain commander turned it into a teaching moment.

"Do you know, Ichigo Kurosaki, why I demanded that your father return to service?"

Ichigo pondered, well aware that a considered response was preferable to a quick reply.

"Because of the traitors? We are missing three captains."

Yamamoto nodded in agreement. "That is certainly true. I would be foolish to allow a man of Isshin's strength to languish in the living world with the war on the horizon. But, there is more to it than that."

Ichigo considered this as they wound towards the Yamamoto estate and its familiar gardens.

"If it's not just a matter of Dad's strength, then there must be some reason why you are doing this now, including the bit about the leave of absence…." Ichigo thought out loud before coming to a realization. "It's because of Central 46, isn't it?"

Yamamoto allowed his pride to be evident. "That is correct, Ichigo. They would not have been able to accept a traitor back into the fold. But, since Aizen destroyed that council, duties under their purview, like discipline for captain class Shinigami, have come under my domain. I will have to come up with a suitable punishment beyond the loss of status, but with that and a 'lost' form requesting a leave of absence, when the Central 46 is reconvened, they will not be able to protest, even if they question his return."

Ichigo appeared confused, so Yamamoto continued. "Without a formal leave of absence, Central 46 would see your father as a traitor for marrying your mother." Yamoto easily ignored Ichigo's growl of distaste. "Understand Ichigo, above all else, sincerely or not, Central 46 claims to value duty. They would never accept someone who betrayed his duty regardless of his reasons. But a prodigal son, one who took leave to repay a debt and returned to fulfill his obligations? One who was suitably punished already for his transgressions, each committed in the name of integrity? It is not the decision they would arrive at if it were their responsibility, but it is above reproach. They would not celebrate it, but they will tolerate it."

"But why do you have to do what they say? Why do you need to make it so that they can tolerate Dad returning to duty?"

Here Yamamoto sighed and took a moment to respond. "Ichigo, how would you feel if you got in trouble for being late to school, but someone else, who was even later, was excused because his father is a prominent politician?"

Ichigo scowled in distaste. "It would make me mad."

"Why would that make you angry?"

Ichigo pondered briefly, analyzing his emotional response. "Because it's not fair."

"Exactly. To administer the law to some and not others is to weaken it. Once people believe that the law does not apply to them, they lose respect for the law as a whole. They begin to ignore other laws, telling themselves it is only just to do so."

As Ichigo nodded along, Yamamoto considered how to phrase the next point. What had Isshin said, 'With great power comes great responsibility?' It was an apt quote, regardless of the alleged arachnid origins.

"Ichigo, as my level of power, no officer could arrest me, and no army could suppress me. If I did not subject myself to the law, no one could compel me to do so. No living human can suppress all others through their own strength."

"But I can."

As Yamamoto continued, seemingly lost in bitter memories, Ichigo found he could not picture that level of strength, "I have spent centuries building this society. It is not perfect, I know, but I have improved the lives of reapers and ryoka alike. I have violently suppressed rebellions. I have burned those who would carve out private kingdoms until naught but ash remained. When I started, the afterlife was a place of anarchy and violence—a never-ending war from a never-ending stream of the spiritually empowered. I turned warlords into guardians and hapless victims into citizens. With my blade, I earned peace. With my sword, I demanded security. With my blood, I forged a society."

Here the head captain seemed to come to, grasping his cane with both hands. Ichigo waited, enraptured by the commander's tale, as Yamamoto's voice grew bitter.

"But I am a warrior. I am not meant to rule. I know too well, 'power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.' If I did whatever I wanted, if I refused to bow to any other authority, I would be just another warlord carving out his private fiefdom. That is a fate I abhor."

"So I made the Central 46, and I shunned the power I would otherwise possess. I could not leave power in the hands of one, so I left it in the hands of many, that each might check the other. I could not let noble families hoard power and pass it from father to son, regardless of ability, so I added judges, learned men who had risen to the top of the governmental bureaucracy, to the council. I could not prevent men from seeking power, so I carved out a piece of my soul, a shard of Ryujin Jakka, and forged the Sokyoku so that the price of abandoning principle was visible to all."

"You disagree with me regarding the execution of Rukia Kuchiki, and indeed the traitor has proved that the order was not legal. But let me tell you this, Ichigo. If Central 46 had not been killed and ordered the execution of your friend, of my friend, I hope that I would follow their command. If I abandoned the rule of law, I would betray my resolve. I would condemn this society that I have so labored to build."

Ichigo seemed ready to disagree, but Yamamoto would not let him interrupt now.

"That I have the power to do anything I want makes it even more important that I allow the law to guide me. For it would be easy to say, 'I think this is wrong, I shall disobey,' but where would that end? At what line would my judgment stop trumping the authority of the government. What would happen should my judgment be compromised? It would be easy to start, and so, so hard to stop such a precedent. So I refuse to start. To set aside the law once would inevitably destroy the foundation of our society. And that would be a far greater sin."

Ichigo starred as the Captain-Commander quickly departed. Yamamoto taught by asking questions and inviting discussion. What he had just heard, though, was a tirade.

Or a confession.

Ichigo turned to consider the words themselves. He knew instinctively that he disagreed with the commander's thoughts on the law, though he also knew it would be foolish to dismiss them quickly. What happened when the law itself was unjust? When the rulers and the judges erred? What was the greater sin, obedience to an unjust law, or righteous disobedience to a just law?

Ichigo weighed thoughts against ideals and found the scale would not settle. What was correct, when nothing was right?

He felt sympathy from Zangetsu and sighed. He could not answer these questions, but he could train. For now, that would have to suffice.

###

Ichigo knew he was too agitated for the Room of Reflection, but as ever, stubbornness prevailed: he decided to try again. Besides, Isane wanted him to work on his control before the sealing ritual. He did not know of a better way to do so. Here he had felt the pulse of his own dread, endured the beats of his anger, and experienced the fog of frustration clouding his aura. Most failed to recognize the feel of their reiatsu as they could not recognize a recording of their voice; Ichigo knew no such luxury.

But when the door closed and repulsed his aura, Ichigo found his expectations subverted. His reiatsu was no longer choppy, like a sea blown by a storm. It was like a river, broad and deep, with a generally calm surface and a steady current. His spirit was more tranquil than he had ever experienced. And it was a shocking thing. He had expected his emotional turmoil, all the tearful goodbyes and sad farewells, to overwhelm him. He had expected the Captain commander's words to shake him. Instead, while he certainly still felt the grief of separation, the uncertainty in his decisions, it did not cause the same reiatsu vibrations he had felt before. His reiatsu, at least on the surface, was steady. Calm. His power was still far too strong, far too potent, to complete the trial, but what before meditation had mimed, he had suddenly found.

It was as baffling as it was exhilarating. That was progress. 'Now,' Ichigo thought, 'if only I knew how to repeat it.'

Still, progress was progress. When Ichigo's aura first stabilized, he found it easier to resist than the unstable aura he had previously emitted. It was like he was swimming in a river rather than swimming in a stormy sea. Each was dangerous, but the chaotic nature of a rough sea makes it harder to counteract the tides and swim to safety. A river, on the other hand, ran in one direction. The constancy of the current made it possible to progress. To Advance.

But why? What had changed since the last time he was here, that his aura had steadied?

Since he had last left this horrible room, he had spent his time with his friends. He had given Orihime a shoulder to cry on and traded barbs with Uryu. He had entrusted Chad with Karin and Yuzu. He had mentally prepared himself for the conversation with his family.

He had come to terms with saying goodbye.

Was that it? Did his acceptance bring this breakthrough? Just like knowing his sword begot power, knowing himself bore control? It was a revelation worth pondering.

Slowly but surely, Ichigo stood up. He knew if he took one step, his body would topple. But now, his goal was closer, his path clearer. His resolve remained, and so did he, unbroken.

Unbent.

Notes:

A big thank you to everyone that's reading this and the fic as a whole.

I'll probably release future chapters on Friday or Saturday, but if a chapter is ready early I'll try to get it out early as well.

Tune in next week for a new chapter, 'Sword Spirits'