Hello everyone! I'm a bit late with this. I wanted to have chapter 5 done and ready by Friday or Saturday but I didn't like how it flowed so I scraped it and started over.

The wedding flashback was really hard for me because I spent so much time trying to figure out what wedding tradition would match Bleach the most and I looked and read into it so much and started to over think that I didn't feel comfortable writing a wedding that was a traditional Shinto. And going for a Christian wedding didn't float. So this is what I came up with...

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 5.

—(Flashback)—

It was a small event. Probably under 50 people. But it was intimate, just close family and friends, and everyone was so happy to be there to celebrate. It wasn't a traditional Shinto or even Christian wedding as neither the Kurosaki's or Yasuda's were particularly religious.

It was held on a warm day in May, in a secluded area of a park near the edge of Karakura. Shaded by trees, Ichigo walked Yuzu down the path toward her future Husband and their family. She was beautiful in her white kimono. It was light and airy, pure white bar the faint coral tint to flower appliqués on the sheer outer layer. During the engagement he could tell when she was thinking about going to look for her wedding outfit. Neither her mother or sister to go with her and as much as she knew Ichigo would gladly go with her, it was something special for a woman to do with the women closest to them. It was why Ichigo was so... deeply happy when Hiro and his mother came to their home one day.

Ichigo had only met Annya Yasuda a hand full of times, but every time he and she got on like a house on fire. They joined forces in their teasing of the two love birds during dinners and sharing embarrassing stories. They shared baby photos and often sent candid pictures of the two back and forth. She was a gentle woman, all smiles and fresh baked goods every time she came to their home. Her long hair appeared more like gunmetal grey with the strands of white among the black. She was a small woman, around Yuzu's height. She had the same soft grey eyes as Hiro, though hers were a bit rounder and they crinkled more at the corners. But that day there had been this look in her eye full of hope but hesitation as well. Hiro was her only son and really all she had left since her husband and daughter had passed.

"Yuzu..." she said softly, "I don't want to be presumptuous, but I was hoping maybe after lunch, You and I could go shopping... and maybe look for a kimono or dress. Which ever you prefer."

Ichigo glanced toward Yuzu to gauge her reaction. He knew she wouldn't react badly but he hadn't expected tears. Apparently neither had Hiro or Annya.

"Oh no dear please don't cry!" Annya gasped, arms raised like she wanted to reach out to Yuzu but couldn't bring herself to. "I don't mean to over step...!"

"No!" Yuzu exclaimed. "I'd love that. Thank you." She finished gently.

So after lunch, Ichigo and Hiro waved as the two left the house.

She had gushed to him about it when she had found it but he hadn't seen it until today. Maybe it was just because she always got so excited that her descriptions usually turned into squealing that he never could picture what it fully looked like. Even if he did have a full description... he didn't think he would have been able to imagine just how beautiful. But maybe it was the look on her face that really made her glow.

And suddenly that look was directed at him full force as she smiled up at him. And everything they had gone through became worth it for this moment.

—(Present)—

"Ichigo it's you!" Hiro gasped, reaching out and gripping onto his shoulders. "How long have you been here? You don't look that much older from the last time I saw you? What are you maybe 50? How did you die? What about the kids?..."

Ichigo chuckle as the man continued to fire question after question. "Calm down Hiro, I pretty much just got here. The kids are all fine. I'm happy to report that you are a Grandpa."

Hiro suddenly stopped, mouth open. "Grandpa." He breathed out. "Wow."

Ichigo huffed out another laugh as he pulled the man in for a hug. "Man I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Hiro replied before pulling back. "But if you just got here, it's been years you should be older...?"

Ichigo nodded along with his brother's questioning tone. "Yeah I don't really have a solid answer for you other than these kinds of things just happen to me. Won't know until I can ask someone with more knowledge on the subject... Maybe Kukaku would know... Kisuku probably would."

A short moment passed as Ichigo wondered about what was going on with his soul now. He brushed it off with a quick mental "what can you do", before looking back to the other.

"When we get somewhere more private I'll tell you all about your kids. I don't suppose you know where Yuzu is?"

He watched as Hiro suddenly deflated. Ichigo had a bad feeling about that as the fire in his chest burnt just a bit hotter, more protective fury feeding the spark that had been steadily growing.

"No." Hiro murmured, as the two began to walk. "When I got here, I tried going to the Seireitei. I thought maybe she would have gone there or was found and taken there because of your father and sister. As soon as I got close the walls slammed down I went to each of the gates... the guards... At best they refused to answer and I was told to turn around, at worst I was completely ignored."

Ichigo felt his eye twitch with irritation as his jaw clenched. That small fire turned into a burning inferno. How dare they. How dare they treat his brother like that. If his father was as boastful about his children as he was while in the world of the living, Yuzu's name would have been well known around soul society. As soon as Hiro said her name it would not have caused them any trouble to alert Isshin or Karin at least. Unless Isshin somehow tamed down his need to be an obnoxious asshole. Shiro cackled in the back of his mind before his attention was pulled back to Hiro. He was pretty proud of his ability to stay outwardly calm... relatively.

"So, since I couldn't get any information I decided I'd wander the districts to look for her. So that's what I've been doing since. For all the good it's done me. I haven't even made a dent. And there's always this thought in the back of my mind that I'm just missing her but that might just be me." Hiro sighed. "But I don't want to go back to the Seireitei until I'm sure Yuzu isn't out here. I miss her so much."

Ichigo took a moment to really take in his brother-in-law. He was run down. His eyes where tired and he was thinner than Ichigo ever remembered him being. His shoulders were slumped but Ichigo wasn't sure if that was exhaustion, sadness, or the obvious hunger his brother in law was feeling. It was honestly probably a mix of both. He wondered about when the last time Hiro stopped. When he took a moment to sleep. To eat... It seemed to him the saying you can sleep when your dead didn't apply. It was more "I can sleep when I find my wife". He looked back to look where they were walking.

"Do you remember Yuzu or I talking about the Shiba Clan? We told you about them right?" Ichigo told everything to his children it the form of his stories, going into sometimes exaggerated detail, but when he and Yuzu told Hiro about heir family history and the spiritual world he couldn't remember how detailed they had been.

"A little bit yeah, but I forgot the clan name. I couldn't ask around about them." Hiro laughed slightly. "Real helpful aren't I?"

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo said, patting the others shoulder. "That's were I'm going to find now. I'm hoping Kukaku can at least tell us if she's heard anything. That will hopefully help us narrow down where Yuzu is. Last place I knew the clan home was in West Rukon, probably around District 20. I'm hoping we can catch wind if they've moved when we get to a better district. You are coming right?"

"Of course Ichigo." Hiro nodded.

"We're going to have to be careful. The soul reapers are already looking for me. Pretty funny that they are so interested now." Ichigo groused. "And I just got here those assholes can't let me enjoy my afterlife for a damn moment?!"

Hiro hummed with a gentle, slightly tired smile. "No rest for the wicked."

"Hey what are you trying to say?!" Ichigo demanded playfully, wrapping an arm around Hiro's neck, pulling him in for a loose head lock. He ducked his head while doing this and the dark haired man laughed patting at Ichigo's arm. Ichigo almost let out a breath of relief as the black clad soul reaper passed them without a second glance.

"So annoying!" He nearly whined when he released his brother, who was quick to right himself.

He supposes the payoff would make up for the annoyance. He kept talking himself about the delayed gratification he would get when he broke into the Seireitei again. This time with his brother-in-law and hopefully his litter sister. Of finally getting some answers from friends and family alike. What had been so important that they needed to leave their responsibilities in the world of the living to him. He wondered briefly why he cared so much all of a sudden. He had gone decades without caring what they chose to do. Maybe it was how Hiro had been suffering quietly by himself in Rukon. How they had treated him at the gates while he looked desperately for the love of his life. How his adopted Ishida's had been filled with self-doubt and anger after their parents went to soul society and didn't return. How only one person from soul society bothered to visit even when he didn't know he was there. Maybe it was because he was finally dead and feeling better than he had in a while. Because no matter how it might seem from the outside, Ichigo felt like he had the power in this situation.

Or was this something he had locked away because he didn't want to deal with it. Something jagged and sharp and angry. Something fiery and maybe self-righteous. When he was younger no one ever said he was the most in touch with his emotions. But in their new beginning Ichigo knew he had locked away feelings and he locked more away when he thought it was needed. He let them stew and simmer and now it seemed they were ready to finally boil over.

"Ichigo?" Hiro called out to him gently pulling him back out of his thoughts. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm..." Ichigo hummed. How was he? "I think I'm angry. It's just been so long since I've felt this angry that I don't even know why I'm angry."

Hiro was silent for a little bit before he smiled softly.

"You know," he started slowly. "Yuzu use to worry about you a lot."

Ichigo quirked an eyebrow because that was a common know fact.

"Before I met you and we were just really getting into our relationship, she told me about your dad and sister dying. How she knew you were sad and angry but didn't allow yourself to really grieve like you encouraged her to. How you took care of her and the house, the bills, schooling, everything. She told me about how something similar happened when your mom died as well. How after a time you didn't allow yourself to feel and dedicated yourself wholly to something. For a while she was sad that you didn't share your sadness with her like you allowed her to share with you. She said it was silly but that a part of her thought maybe it was because she wasn't good enough."

Ichigo reared back, instantly ready to deny that that's what it was. But Hiro raised a hand to calm him down.

"She knows that that isn't what it is. You thought it was another way to protect her didn't you. Protect her from how you felt because you felt so strongly about it. You got so use to setting aside your own feelings that you don't really know how to share them or express them." He paused again. "You're emotionally constipated."

"Gee thanks for the diagnosis Doc!" Ichigo snarked. "You got an emotional laxative that will help?!"