Chapter 23: Masaki

6 years ago

Masaki smiled as she watched Ichigo play in the puddles ahead of her. Beside her was her second son, Shiro. The tiny white haired boy had become silent over the years. His dark eyes seemed so sad all the time. It made her worry about his future. He looked up at her causing his yellow umbrella to tip back. Smiling softly she gave his tiny hand a slight reassuring squeeze before looking away towards Ichigo who's hat had fallen off his head in his play. Laughing lightly as she shook her head at his silliness she and Shiro approached her firstborn son. "Ichigo, you're getting all wet!" she yelled at the sunset haired boy who was getting soaked by the rain.

Placing her umbrella down she went to fix her son's hat so that it didn't fall off of his head again. Ichigo is always so prone to getting sick. She thought bemused at her son's antics when suddenly she no longer felt the rain on her skin. Looking over she was that Shiro had picked up her umbrella and was holding it over her head. "Thank-you Shiro, honey." she told him as she took her umbrella back from him. "Ichigo honey, please walk on this side." She pointed to her right side.

She watched as that adorable frown appeared on her son's face. "But Mama, if I do that I can't protect you properly." Ichigo told her. "If I walk on this side, I can."

Oh! He's just so cute! she squealed inwardly."Oh Ichigo." she chuckled lightly. I should cook their favorite dinner tonight. She began to think about the ingredients and if she had them stocked in their pantry when she felt Ichigo release her hand.

"What's that girl doing?" She heard him ask as a feeling of dread filling her stomach.

Looking towards where her son was staring she saw nothing there, as always. "What girl?" she asked.

Then a miracle happened, her baby boy spoke. "No." It was a single word, but still a word. Masaki covered her lips as a gasp left them. She was so shocked that Shiro had spoken that she hadn't quite realized the danger they were in.

"But-" Ichigo began to protest.

She was Shiro nodded towards the girl. "Wait." He told his brother. She didn't see it, but knew when it happened. As her eyes looked upon the water it suddenly seemed to explode upwards dozens of feet into the air. One word registered to her mind in that moment. Hollow. Fear gripped her heart as she grabbed up both boys under her arms and ran. Though she couldn't see it, a monster known to the Shinigami as Grand Fisher was high on her tail and closing in on her with every beat of her heart.

Suddenly her feet seemed to trip on air. Masaki went down with both boys in her arms."Mom!" Ichigo's scared voice cried out. Masaki grasped both of her boys tightly to her when Shiro somehow wiggled out of her grasp and threw his umbrella at the indivisible creature.

He suddenly turned towards her, his golden/black eyes seeming to flow at her. "Get up Mom!" Shiro yelled.

Grabbing him and pulling him back into her arms, Masaki found herself too frightened to move. She'd always known that it would happen one day. That they might come across a hollow and that she'd have no way of protecting her children from the monster. A defining sound pierced the air suddenly causing her to cry out as she covered her ears. Masaki's screams echoed in the air as something hard and heavy landed on her lower back.

Suddenly darkness filled her. Masaki felt as if something was pulling her, pulling her away from her children. No! she thought as she began to fight against that feeling. That was when she felt a horrible pain. It was as if something was tearing her very soul apart. Screaming, she pulled away from that feeling and then nothing.

She heard nothing.

Felt nothing.

Saw nothing.

For the longest time it felt like she was just floating on air. Then a small voice filled her mind. I'm sorry Mama! Please come back! I'll be a good boy! The sound was familiar . It took her a moment to realize that the voice belonged to Shiro. Her baby was crying. He was crying for her to come back to him. Then she felt heat spreading from her chest throughout her body.

Her eyes opened. It was dark and everything was blurry. She tried to speak but nothing seemed to work. She couldn't move either. Panic began to set in. Something was wrong!

Then there were doctors everywhere and Isshin, her wonderful, loving husband was there. The doctors were saying something about her being trapped inside her body. Yes! That's what it felt like. She was trapped and couldn't speak of move or eat on her own. She had no way of letting people know she was still here! She was alive!

A tear ran down her cheek when she saw Shiro come in with Ichigo one day. Her white hair boy was back to being silent. He also had a black eye. Ichigo explained to her that the kids at school were saying had things about how she was brain dead and that Shiro got into a fight with bullies about it. The two boys settled in for a few hours before leaving. They came every week, sometimes bringing Karin and Yuzu.

For years she silently watched her babies grow up from a hospital bed or in a wheelchair at the new facility that Isshin had moved her into. The nurses were nice and took diligent care of her. The older ones would talk about their children and grandchildren to her, worried about their future. The younger ones complained a lot about boyfriends, though a few did tell her about being engaged over the years.

She also watched Isshin's grow old. His eyes were always so sad. She knew he was putting on a brave face for their children. He always talked about them to her, except for Shiro. He rarely spoke about him and when he did it was always that boy. This worried her.

For the longest time she didn't see Shiro after his twelfth birthday. Ichigo came by every week like clockwork, but no Shiro. She was introduced by Ichigo to his new friend Chad, who was told the story about how Shiro saved her and Ichigo from the monster that day. The way her eldest son spoke made Masaki realize that Ichigo had a bit of a hero complex with Shiro. She laughed inwardly. Thinking how odd that the eldest would look up to his younger brother like Ichigo did with Shiro.

It wasn't until Shiro was thirteen when he reappeared. Masaki barely recognized him. As soon as he took off his sunglasses she saw that he had another bruise on his face from a fight. Worry filled her. "Don't sorry Mom." Shiro stated with a small smile. "I took this for Ichi." He pointed at the bruise before sitting down in front of her wheelchair. He explained in a quiet voice that he had been seeing a counselor over the last year. That he needed an emotional break from having to see her. Taking her hand in his, he began to ask her forgiveness. That he knew about the hollow that had attacked her before he'd been born. That he knew he looked like said hollow. He just wanted to reassure her that no hollow would hurt their family ever again. The gold in his eyes glowed when he said this. She truly believed him too. After this, Shiro came twice a week to read her favorite books to her or to bring something that Yuzu had made her.

When Ichigo had gained his powers, Shiro told her about it. He would grin with pride and tell her that it was nice to have a partner now. "Don't sorry though." He reassured her. "I won't let no hollow bastard hurt Ichi." He promised and left soon after. Moments later Isshin showed up and began telling her about the week at the clinic and about the children, including Shiro this time.

Now in the present Masaki heard Isshin's words to their son's. She wanted to cry so badly. When she saw Ichigo return, she wanted to frown because though that was her son, the look in his eyes were not Ichigo's. Something didn't make sense here. Then suddenly heat filled her entire being. She felt like she could breathe again. Memories appeared in her mind of things she could never have seen as she'd been stuck in been for years. She saw herself being used to lure in innocent souls to their deaths. She began to cry and brought her hand up to her mouth before gasping out a single word as the emotional overload took its toll on her. "Isshin." And suddenly she had her husband's arms around her, his scent filling her nose and his own tears falling upon her head.

Both Ichigo and Shiro stood side by side as the rain began to subside. The monster who had hurt their mother and taken her away from them was gone. They had defeated him together and brought justice to all the souls he had devoured. Out of his peripheral vision Shiro saw Ichigo's animated body come running towards them. "Ichigo!" he yelled with an ecstatic tone.

"Kon." Ichigo greeted the soul mod before seeing the raised brow on his brothers face. "Right. Getabushi gave Rukia a mod soul so my body didn't just lay around while I'm in soul form. Kon is a slightly modified soul mod, as he's made from an actual soul." Ichigo shrugged. "He's technically illegal by Soul Society standards, but I couldn't let Urahara take him back and destroy him."

Shiro looked at the panting soul mod that was slumped over. When Kon looked back up, her have to say Shiro was the scariest thing next to a hollow that he had the unfortunate luck to meet. Black/gold eyes that looked like they could see straight into his semi perverted mind. It was unnerving. "What is it Kon?" Ichigo's voice saved Kon from doing something embarrassing, like possibly pissing himself.

"Right," he stated as he remembered why he had come outside yelling like an idiot. "it's your mom."

Both young men looked at each other before rushing off. Ichigo knocking Kon's soul mod ball out of his body before stepping back inside it as Shiro flash stepped back into the medical facility and stepping back into his body. Rushing down the hall, Shiro grasped the wood on the side of the doorway. His eyes shook with emotion as he saw his mother, awake and cognitive once more. He felt Ichigo bump into him from behind causing both young men to almost fall over in Ichigo's haste to get there.

"Mom?" Both young men spoke in unison.

Masaki felt more tears run down her cheeks as she turned her head towards the voices. Suddenly she had her arms full with two young teenage boys. One on each side grasping her, and hugging the daylights out of her. It felt good though! To feel them I her arms once more, it was more than she ever dreamed she'd ever be able to do again. When Ichigo's eyes opened she not only saw moisture in them, she saw emotions she recognized as his own. Whatever she had seen earlier, she definitely was going to ask about; but much later. For now, she just wanted to hold her two boys.

M-Angel: Yay, I got a chapter out! I've been working on this chapter for awhile. Sorry it took awhile to get out. Work has been so hectic, plus my car broke down, and now I have to get a new computer for it...this month had just been a bad one. Hopefully this week things will get better.

LeegionLee - Thank-you. I'm glad you think so. ^_^

Mokushiroku115 - Yes. I did have fun with this chapter. Masaki is going to slowly come to realize how much she has missed in the next few chapters as she recovers.