Does Man Make the Monster?

Chapter 10

An End to Make Anew

(A/N Wow, so it's finally here. Chapter 10! As for those that are asking, no, this is not a Toshiro/Ichigo romance story. I apologize if it came off like that to some and I apologize to those that were hoping that it was. I also apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I was struggling to write this chapter to begin with and then some shit happened in my personal life that did not help my anxiety and depression. I ended up not writing for quite a while due to that. So again, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter.)

SOUNDS/sounds

Thoughts/writing

Inner Voices

(Last Time)

"All I ask is that you j-just stay with me through this. I don't w-want to be alone."

There was no way Toshiro was just going to leave him alone in this miserable state. Ichigo had no one else to help him. He dad wasn't there and Ichigo sent Ryoko away. He didn't want her to witness what was happening to him. He didn't want to scare her. Toshiro hated to watch this unfold but there was nothing he could do to stop it. The transformation had to run its course for however long it took to complete. Ichigo was undoubtedly scared out of his mind by this fate he couldn't escape from. He owed Ichigo far too much for his service and he respected the man greatly. He wouldn't say it to Ichigo's face but he did. He also still had enough respect for his former captain to not leave his son to suffer alone.

"Don't be stupid. I'm not going anywhere. It's my duty as acting captain to protect people," Toshiro said, getting up to get a dry blanket from their supplies. "And besides, if I even thought of abandoning you Isshin would have my head on a silver platter."

"Yeah, h-he would... All the same, th-thank you," Ichigo gave a ghost of smile through his pained expression.

Ichigo curled into a ball as Toshiro place the fresh blanket over the form investigator's soaked body. There really was nothing else to do now but for wait it to end and hope for the best.

(Present Time)

The minutes slowly ticked by as the cloud covered sun started to filter in through the dusty windows. The rain was still coming down hard at times but was supposed to clear around noon. As for the situation there wasn't much to be done but let everything run its course. For Ichigo that was complete torture. Once it hit it hit hard. Toshiro couldn't do much but watch. The captain did, however, put up a barrier to keep unwanted visitors out; both living and the dead. They didn't need other shinigami showing up and asking questions. Not to mention keeping the local hollows from also investigating.

Ichigo's body was just a total mess. In the earlier stages he had thrown up a couple of times just from the pain alone. His muscles would contort and stiffen up. His body temperature would fluctuate rabidly; one second he was freezing and the next he felt like he was on fire. His hair had started growing a lot faster. Toshiro could actually see it growing if he stared at it long enough. It now reached down below his shoulders and was a mix of bright orange and streaks of white. The horn on the left side of his head was close to maturity and was still a great source of pain. Thankfully most of the bleeding from that had stopped from but Ichigo still bled a little from his nose and mouth a times.

Ichigo skin was an unhealthy pale and looked like was on the verge of turning white. His hands were also going under a change. His fingers became armored with dark back talon on the ends. At some point Ichigo had to kick his shoes off because they were too confining. His feet had also changed. This was still just the early stages. No doubt more was to come but how much? Again it was just a waiting game.

Kaneki walked out of his apartment. It was about mid-afternoon. He had decided to play hooky that day. He just didn't feel like getting up. He sort of regretted it some but he couldn't change it now. He needed to head on over to work. He shut his door only to see a small plastic bag hanging off the door handle. He pulled it off and looked at it. This was odd. The bag contained a note and another USB drive. He opened the letter and read it.

Dear Kaneki,

I'm writing you because you need to leave your apartment for a while. I'm going to do something very stupid and I know the CCG is going to come to my apartment to do an investigation. For your safety pack some bags and relocate for a little while. I would do it by this evening and no later. I know that this is very short notice but I'm asking you to trust me. This will be the last time we communicate. I just wanted to tell you that it was a pleasure to meet you. Too bad we never really got to know each other. You take care of yourself. Give Yoshimura the last of the data on the drive. I hope this helps some.

Good bye.

Kaneki read it over a couple of times. The letter didn't sound good. He hurried over to Ichigo's apartment and knocked on the door. He waited but there was no reply. He knocked a little harder this time but still no one came to the door. He knocked once more but still the apartment was silent. Kaneki looked at the note again and started towards the stairs. He didn't like how this sounded.

Last time we communicate? Kaneki thought, folding the note up and slipped it into his pocket with the USB drive. I don't like how that sounds. Not at all. I want to talk to him but… I hope he hasn't left town yet.

Ryoko was not liking the orders she was given. Not at all. She had a set of instructions on what she should do in the next few hours. It was Toshiro that told her what was happening. She wanted to see Ichigo but Toshiro said that he wasn't ready to accept visitors just yet. They had also just changed locations. It pained her not to see Ichigo but she understood. She would keep her distance until Ichigo was ready.

She still hadn't seen Kusaba for quite a while and she was worried for the former investigator. He left so bitterly the other day after he learned the truth. Perhaps it was best he wasn't around if that's how he was going to act. She ran everything over in her head as she walked down the street. She knew Ichigo wasn't dead but she had to pretend that he was. She would have to lie to everyone. She would have to say that she saw Ichigo jump from the bridge and that a shinigami also witnessed the 'suicide' and quickly collected Ichigo's soul. She had to make it sound convincing to Yoshimura and the other. She knew she could from the way she was feeling right now.

She suddenly stopped at a park entrance and looked to her right. She saw Kusaba sitting at distance on a bench with his back to her. She debated if she should walk up to him or leave him alone. If he didn't wish to talk no doubt he'd let her know. She sighed and let her feet carry her into the park and up to the bench.

"Ku-Kusaba…?" she asked softly as the man jumped a bit.

"What do you want?" he asked, keeping his back to her.

"I just want to talk…" she said, walking around the bench. "I haven't seen you in a little while. I was getting a little worried."

"There's nothing to worry about I'm still here…" he huffed, crossing his arms.

"Yes, I can see but… I just wanted to tell you that Kurosaki…"

"What about him?"

"He's… He's not well… I've been barred from seeing him for the time being. I just thought you might like to know…"

"He's changing, right? Into a hollow?"

"Yes…"

Kusaba got to his feet and started to walk off. Ryoko stood there for a moment, unsure. Should she pursue him or just let him go? She bit her lip a little but picked up her feet and followed him at a small distance. She trailed behind him a few minutes before he finally stopped dead.

"Why are you following me?" he asked, turning around to look at her.

"I just… I don't know…" she lightly shrugged. "I really am worried for you."

"Stop worrying over me… I'm nothing to worry over," he grumbled, pushing up his glasses.

She sighed and cast her eyes down but paused. She noticed something wrong with him. He turned around and started to walk away again.

"Kusaba, stop," she ordered and he did as instructed. "When did it happen?"

"What happen?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Th-there's a link missing from your chain," she said just loud enough for him to hear.

He put a hand on the chain and plate before walking off again.

"Kusaba!" she cried out, chasing after him. "Stop please!"

"Leave me alone," he snapped, running from her. "Go bother someone else!"

"KUSABA!" she screamed but he just kept running away from her.

She slowly came to a stop as she watched his fleeing form vanish over the crest of a hill. She looked down at her chain and silently counted her own links. They remained the same number. They had died roughly died around the same time so why was his chain…? Hitsugaya's words from the other day suddenly hit her.

"That chain has a time limit and it varies between people. You don't seem to be an angry person so chances are you'll last quite a while down here before your time runs out. Those that bare a grudge, grow angry, become jealous, and so on will have a much shorter time as hollows are negative souls."

"That's right," she covered her mouth with a shaking hand. "Oh, Kusaba!"

It was just about closing time with Yoshimura and Yomo returning from their errand. Kaneki came out of the kitchen drying of his hands. He reached into pants' pocket and quickly raced around the counter.

"Yoshimura, sir," Kaneki said just as the manager started up the steps.

"Oh, Kaneki," Yoshimura said, stepping back down.

"I have this for you," he pulled out the USB drive and handed to the aging ghoul.

"Good. I'm still going over what I have from the other day," Yoshimura said, putting the drive up in his own pocket.

"There's… There's one more thing," Kaneki reached into his other pocket and held out a folded piece of paper. "This was found with the drive."

Yoshimura opened the paper and read over the writing. The look on his face worried Kaneki that much more. Yomo also had a look at the note. Both men looked at each other a little concerned and confused.

"Did he hand this to you?" Yoshimura asked.

"No, it was hanging off my door when I left," Kaneki said, fiddling a little with his apron. "I went to his door but he didn't answer. Do you think he's been caught?"

"I can't say. Finish cleaning up and then come upstairs when you're done," Yoshimura ordered.

"Yes, sir," Kaneki nodded and turned back around toward the kitchen.

Toshiro quickly went to work on getting rid of anything that could link Ichigo to his persona as Incognito. First thing that had to go was the costume. He pulled that out from under the bed. He found some old blooded clothes in a trash bag under there, too. He looked at the list in his hands. He had to clean a few bloody spots from the floor, tub, and the front door. He even grabbed the last of the artificial flowers and put them in with the old bloodied clothes.

It was close to dusk by the time Toshiro had cleaned and gathered everything to be disposed of. He made sure he had his own belongings as well. He had a lot to handle but he was going to manage. He needed to make sure nothing was found. Best place was to leave the evidence in the Dangai. The Kototsu would deposed of the evidence soon enough on its weekly cleaning. It was a pain getting a new one after Aizen destroyed the original. Thankfully, Kurotsuchi was able to develop another one and it has been working perfectly.

Toshiro opened a Senkaimon and tossed in the unwanted items. It was about time for the Kototsu to come through anyway. He closed it back up and gathered his things back to take to the new location. He'd come back in a little while to get the ball rolling with the 'suicide.' He walked out and locked the door back. There was one more loose end he needed to tie up there. He walked down the stairs and waited for Kaneki to return from work.

It didn't take too long for Kaneki to return to the apartment building and he was a little surprised to see the white haired boy standing at the base of the steps. He quickly hurried over, hoping that the kid might shine a little more light on what was going on with Ichigo.

"H-hey, um… By chance do you know what happened to Ichigo?" Kaneki asked as the kid said nothing and pulled out an odd little device from his leather coat. "I'm… I'm worried about him. Is he still in town or did he leave already?"

"You needn't worry about him. He's in good hands," Toshiro said, holding up the device.

A split second later a thick cloud erupted from the device, blasting Kaneki in the face. Toshiro quickly bolted while Kaneki was left a little dazed. Toshiro needed to make sure Kaneki had no memory of him. That was one more hanging thread tied up. Kaneki should snap out of his daze in a moment or two.

Toshiro arrived at an old abandoned two story house. The windows were boarded up and the rusted gate was chained. The yard was highly over grown with vegetation and vermin came and went freely. Honestly, the place looked like it could go at any moment but it was holding. He dropped his stuff off just inside the room Ichigo was staying in. For the most part Ichigo's transformation was complete. There were still instances when something minor would change.

"I've taken care of the evidence," Toshiro said, pulling out a battery operated lantern and turned it on. "All that's left now is the suicide."

The bright LED light lit up the old dark bedroom. Most of the original items were still there although it looked like the place had been robbed and squatted in before. A lot of the more worthless items littered the floor and graffiti covered the walls. There were even some illegal items on the floor, scattered here and there.

He walked over to Ichigo who set on the old bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. Toshiro had spread out a large clean cover onto the old dusty bed. It had proved to be a better spot for Ichigo than the unforgiving cement floor of the warehouse. Even here Toshiro had to put up a barrier. He was going to make sure everything was contained.

He saw Ichigo looking at him with his golden eyes. They seemed to glow brightly in the artificial light. His gaze was intense Toshiro had noticed, and yet, there was no ill will behind his eyes. Toshiro stopped just beside Ichigo and let out a tired sigh. He set the lantern down on the old dusty nightstand. Toshiro saw a piece of paper sitting on the stand. Ichigo must have finished writing his 'suicide note.' Toshiro would take that with him when he'd leave to get the gigai ready.

"How are you feeling?" Toshiro asked and Ichigo just shrugged.

"Like shit," he grumbled into his knees.

"Should have known that answer…" Toshiro said, scratching the back of head. "I told Fueguchi what to do. She understands her orders. Your father and Urahara are also ready to do their part."

"Are you sure this plan of yours will work?" Ichigo asked, turning to fully face Toshiro.

"The percentage for failure is low," Toshiro assured. "Try not to worry about it. Do you think you can eat something?"

"I'm doing well just holding down water," Ichigo groaned, uncurling his body and stretched out his legs. "I don't want to eat just yet."

There really was a massive change in the former substitute-shinigami. The Ichigo from last night to the Ichigo now looked like two different people, well, beings for that matter. His skin was just as white as snow and his hair now reached down to his waist still streaked with thin bands of white.

He had one lonely horn on the left side of his head that bent at sharp angles. His fingers were armored and came to sharp black tips. His feet remain somewhat like they had always been but each toe had a long talon on them, making his toes look longer. Ichigo had long since taken off his suit coat and shirt. He had several dark bands running out from a center point in his chest and around his shoulders to his back. Toshiro had a feeling that's where the lines converged in the middle of his chest was where the hollow hole would be. Ichigo's face had some odd markings of its own. His left side had short triangular stripes coming down from his hairline; the outer line being just a little longer. His right side had one single band with a slight curve that come from his hairline and ran over his eye. It ended just under his jawbone.

His mask had tried to form several times but Ichigo kept breaking it off whenever it did. It hadn't tried to form in a while now. So there was no telling what it looked like and if it would eventually over take his face. Also if needed Ichigo could call it at will like he once had. Ichigo wasn't in the mood for experimentation at the moment. He was still trying to stabilize himself and that was all he cared about.

"Are you going to be all right? This might take a while," Toshiro and as Ichigo gave a small nod.

"I think the worst of it is over with," Ichigo answered, looking at his clawed fingers and rubbed his wrist. "Huh? Looks like that's trying to grow in."

"What?" Toshiro asked as Ichigo held his arm and saw a slight red fuzz on his wrist.

Ichigo rolled up his a pant leg to look at his ankle. He didn't seem to have the hair there. AT least not yet. He checked around his neck and chest. Nothing there either, so it must just be on his wrists. He looked back down at his wrists again and shrugged.

"It's nothing," Ichigo answered dully and waved him off. "I'll be fine. As it is, you need to get ready. This is your own debut as a 'ghoul' after all. Make it good."

"Yeah, this should be interesting. So I need to look for someone with a large metal briefcase, right?" Toshiro asked, walking over to a new smaller duffel bag and pulled out some clothes.

"Yes, that's the best way to tell who's an investigator," Ichigo nodded.

"That doesn't seem too hard," Toshiro said, dropping a skull mask to the floor and rubbed his shoulder. "My shoulder's still not up to par. I used a healing kido but…"

"It's not going to give you too much trouble, is it?" Ichigo asked. "I don't want you to…"

"I'll be fine. I've fought with worse injures than this," Toshiro snorted, he also pulled out some fresh bandages for his shoulder and cheek. "This shouldn't be too hard."

Akane groaned as she started back home from the supermarket. In her hands contains several plastic bag full of groceries. She'd be going back to work in just a couple of days but she was confined to the office. She snorted at the idea. No doubt Ichigo must be swamped with work. She almost laughed at it. As much work as he left her containtly this seemed almost fair. She rounded a corner and almost ran into someone.

"I'm sorry," she said, quickly. She was still adjusting to having only one eye. "I didn't mean to—Mado?"

"Oh, Hayashi, I wasn't expecting to see you out and about," the old investigator said, picking up a few items that fell from the bags. "How is your eye?"

"It's… It's fine," she said as he handed back the food items.

"I'll take a couple of those bags for you," he offered, holding out his hand.

"I'm missing an eye, I'm not crippled," she huffed, walking around him.

"I'm just trying to do you a courtesy," Mado said, quickly catching up to her. "Please, allow me."

He took the bags from her left hand. She knew the old coot was up to something. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to let him get far. She noticed that he had a quinque with him and his arm was out of the sling.

"You on patrol?" she asked as he sighed. "Where's Amon?"

"He's back at the office working on some of your partners' paperwork of all things," he grumbled, looking over at her. "By the way… There are some rather nasty rumors going around lately."

"What sort of rumors?" she asked, keeping her gaze forward.

"About your partner," Mado stated. "He's resigning. Did you know?"

She hung her head for a moment before giving the man a nasty glare.

"Yeah, he told me something about it," Akane said as she kept moving. "He told me he was tired of the job and wanted to leave. He didn't really elaborate."

"Amon told me the same thing."

"Then why are you asking me?"

"You are his partner. So I would assume you're his closest confidant."

"Mado, whatever his problem is, it's his and his alone. Don't go putting your nose where it doesn't belong!"

Mado adjusted his jaw are her sharp response. She was staying tightlipped. She was no fool. He smiled and decided to dig a little harder.

"About Incognito… What are your thoughts on him? I don't mean what you put in the report," Mado said as she clinched her jaw in aggravation. "We all come from battle with certain feelings we don't wish to tell. I just want your take on him. You and I are the only ones to truly fight him."

She stopped and looked right at him. His smile pulled a little wider across his sunken face.

"My thoughts? My thoughts are mine and mine alone," she snapped as Mado scowled.

"Please, I just want to know," he begged. "I found him to be a very odd person. Not really one for conflict but will fight when he has no choice. Never once did he use his kagune against me. How about you?"

"What are you trying to get at?" she huffed.

"I just want to know straight from you. Did Incognito use his kagune when you fought him?" Mado asked, moving in a little closer to her.

"No. He just used his bokken and fists," she said, stepping back from him. "It was in the report."

"You also stated that he searched through your clothes?"

"Don't bring that back up," her cheeks flushed pink.

"Yes, but he knew where to look, right? For your hidden weapons?"

"Are you trying to say… Are you trying to tell me that you think Ichigo is Incognito?" she hissed, looking disgusted. "Give me a break! Have seen how fast that bastard moves? No human can do that!"

"And yet, just briefly, you mention some sense familiarity with him in the report," Mado pressed.

"Do you know how many ghouls I've faced down that managed to get away?" she retorted. "There's a chance I faced him before."

"But what does your gut say?"

"It says it's hungry and wants to go home and eat," she went to grab the bags from his hand but he pulled them away from her. "You dick! Give me my bags back!"

"I'm asking you an honest and serious question," Mado stated, looking into Akane's angry glare.

"Mado, if you don't gave me back my groceries I'm going to hit you," she snapped, balling up her hand.

A split second later Mado did get hit in the jaw but not by Akane. She was left standing there a little stunned as Mado was slammed into an iron gate. She had seen something, no, someone land the punch. She turned to her right to see a small boy dressed in black leather pants, a black long sleeve shirt with a skeletal print on his torso and arms. Over that he wore an unzipped black leather vest and fingerless gloves. His hair was bright white and spiky. One his face wore a cheap halloween skull mask.

Mado pushed himself off the gate and looked at his mini attacker. He rubbed his sore jaw and took a step forward. He smiled at the young ghoul, spitting out a bit of blood. The kid packed one hell of a punch. He spit again and wiped his blooded lips.

"Now, what do we have here?" Mado grinned, dropping Akane's bags and pulled his briefcase out in front. "A little ghoul, perhaps?"

"But what do I have here?" the ghoul chided, pointing at Mado. "An old geezer harassing a young woman?"

"It's not wise to mock an investigator, boy," Mado growled, pulling out his quinque.

It was long and curved towards the end like a hook. The weapon was almost as long as Mado was tall. That didn't look too threatening. That was until spread out like a large fan with hooks on the end. On second thought…

"I'm going to enjoy this," Mado swung the quinque forward as the kid jumped back.

The ghoul child than jumped up, flipping over their heads, and came back down, grabbing the discarded bags of groceries and tossed them at Mado. The man quickly cut through them. The items splattered and sprayed everywhere, coating the investigators and the surrounding area in food.

"H-hey," Akane shrieked, looking at the mess that littered the paved ground. "That was my dinner!"

"I'll reimburse you," Mado called back, chasing the kid down the sidewalk. "Go home!"

"Bullshit," she snapped, chasing after them both.

This was turning out better than he expected. Toshiro had managed to find an investigator. It took him a while but he managed to track one down. The man looked a little familiar so chances were he might know Ichigo. He just had to lead the man toward the 'suicide' sight. For an older man he certainly was spry. He had to keep the old man's interest, which wasn't hard. He'd slow down just enough to engage him briefly. He noticed the redhead was following them as well. Was she one, too? Whatever, they were almost there. He reached up and he touched an ear piece.

"Get on the bridge," he said quietly into the mic.

"Yes, sir," came a dull reply.

Within a couple of minutes they should be there. Toshiro looked back to see the man still following but the woman wasn't there. He knew better than to think she just gave up. He expanded his senses. From his left? He ducked as a throwing knife just missed his head. That could have ended poorly.

"Little brat," she called out.

"Almost there," he muttered to himself.

He rounded the corner, putting the bridge in good view. He looked up to see that the gigai was awaiting orders.

"Climb over the railing and hold your position," he said, once again into the mic.

"Yes, sir…"

He watched as Ichigo's doppelganger started to climb over the safety rails. No doubt this will cause a stir from the others on the bridge. This was the final stage. He used shun-po to lose the investigators. He landed on a rooftop where he could watch everything. The duo came to a stop and started looking for their target on the street. Where did that brat go?

Suddenly, the sounds of screaming people caught their attention. They turned towards the bridge, thinking the ghoul ran that way but what greeted their eyes was not a ghoul but an adult male standing on the edge of the bridge. One of the lights from below him lit up his face just enough to be identified by the investigators. They stood there shocked for a moment before their senses came back to him.

"ICHIGOOOO!" Akane took off like a shot with Mado right behind her. "Don't do it! Don't jump!"

"What the hell is that idiot doing?" Mado yelled, trying to fight through the crowd that was gathering to watch. "Let us through! MOVE, DAMN YOU!"

"Ich-Ichigo! Please, let me through! Move! I have to stop him," she cried, trying to push through the crowd.

"Move! Now," Mado opted to use his quinque as a show force. "Make a path! Let us through!"

People started to part a little more with such a weapon leading the way. Toshiro watched as they drew closer and closer. He tapped the earpiece again.

"Move a little closer to the edge."

The gigai did as instructed. He was now on the teetering edge. There was a wind that was making it hard to stay still.

"Ichigo! God, no! Ichigo," Akane screamed tried to get to him. "Please, don't move!"

"Move out of the way," Mado kept shoving people but so many were crowed together they had nowhere to go. "Kurosaki! Kurosaki, don't jump!"

Toshiro continued to watch the pair worked their way up the bridge. People will watch some of the most disturbing things just for sport, pleasure, or curiosity. It looked like the police were already being called out as he saw flashing light and distant sirens. The pair of investigators were close enough now. He put his hand to the mic again.

"Get ready."

"Ichigo, don't! Please don't do it!"

"Kurosaki! Stay where you are until we get there!"

"Now jump."

The orange haired gigai just stepped off the small concrete ledge and gravity did the rest. A mass of collective gasps and screams echoed out into the night air. The gigai hit the water hard and thanks to the rain earlier that morning the current was moving fast. People quickly migrated to the other side of the bridge to get another look. The investigators were pulled along with the current of people. Akane managed to squeak between a few people to get to the railing of the bridge. She looked down spotting something floating downstream. Without thinking she started to climb up the rails but Mado grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"Let me go! That's my partner down there," she screamed, trying to pull out of his grasp.

"You can't save him! You'll just end up the same way if you try," Mado fought to get her to stay off the railings. "Don't be stupid, Hayashi!"

"That's my partner," she screamed, trying to get away from him. "I can't leave him out there! I can't! I can't!"

"Calm down! Stop pulling! I'm not letting you go," he snapped at her, using all his strength to keep a grip on her. "He's gone! He's gone, Hayashi! Do you understand?! We can't do anything to help him! It's up to the police now! They'll get to him before we can!"

"H-how can you say that?" she cried, still trying to pull out of his grip. "Let go of me, damn you! I have to do something!"

"HAYASHI," he snapped, grabbing her shoulders and shook her. "Get a grip! You can't help him! He's gone! He's gone, damn it! There is nothing more either one of us can do for him! You can't save him!"

At those last words Hayashi pretty much crumbled to the cold ground. Mado kept a firm grip on her as she broke down crying and screaming. There really was nothing else that they could do. It was up to the police to fish him out of the river. Mado also had to call it in to the CCG what he just witnessed. This was not going to be easy. Especially when word got to his partner, Amon. It might be best to call him first before things got blown out of proportion.

Yoshimura stepped out and locked up the café. Kaneki was going to stay there for a little while until whatever Ichigo warned about calmed down. He hadn't gone far when he saw Kaya running straight for him. She looked panicked and shocked. She stopped just in front of him, trying to catch her breath.

"Kaya, what's wrong?" the manager asked as Kaya tried to calm her lungs.

"I just… I just… I just saw…" She held unto the manager for support.

"You just saw what? Calm down. Catch your breath."

"I just saw Kurosaki… H-he… He just j-jumped from the… Bridge into the river!"

"What?" Yoshimura breathed, trying to get Kaya to stand up straight.

"Kurosaki… He jumped into the river… From the bridge not far from here…" Kaya repeated between gasps. "I watched it happen. I had to tell you… I had to let you know…"

Yoshimura just stared down at her in shock. He didn't know what to say. He was not expecting this. Not in the least. Kurosaki Ichigo just…? He had to process this some. His mind wandered back the strange note Kaneki had shown him. Yoshimura had simply thought the man may have skipped town and wanted to break contact. Yet, there was something odd that had been pulling at the back of his mind after reading the note. He didn't want to think that the words meant something else. He had no idea that Kurosaki was that bad off. He acted perfectly normal. Well, sort of normal… Normal for him, the manger guessed. He ran a hand down his wrinkled face and let out a long breath.

"This is… Come back with me back into the café," he said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me everything there."

Amon sat quietly in his office with his face hidden behind his shaking hands. He just got off the phone with his partner and was given the horrible news of his friend. Amon was very shocked and didn't want to believe the words that came out of Mado's mouth. He wanted this whole ordeal to be fake and pretend that this was a horrible dream. It was bad enough to lose a comrade in battle but this was another matter altogether.

Amon felt like a fool for not noticing just how bad off his friend was. Ichigo had put up a pretty good front or at least… The more Amon looked at everything the more he saw the cracks. Had he been ignoring them or did he honestly not see them? He didn't know. His body felt numb in a way and his mind was just being pulled in every direction. How could this have happened? Amon just couldn't wrap his mind around anything.

He started to cry as reality slowly started to creep in. He wanted to deny that this happened but he couldn't. He didn't know what to do or if there was anything he could do. His mind started to go over about what if he saw Ichigo on the bridge? How would he have done things? What if he noticed Ichigo's troubles before it came to this? He wanted to blame himself for not helping his friend. There was nothing he could do now and that's what stung the most. Ichigo was now far beyond help and there was nothing no one could do.

Toshiro returned to the dark, abandoned house and was surprise to see Ichigo sleeping. It was best not to bother him given how traumatic the day had been for him. Toshiro got out of his costume and put back on his street clothes. He thought about maybe getting some sleep as well but he was still a little wired from the mission.

He walked back outside and just started to walk around Tokyo aimlessly. Maybe this would help calm him down some. No doubt word of the 'suicide' was making waves already. It would only be a matter of time before the TV stations started to broadcast the 'sad news.' With luck things will go smoothly. The note left behind seemed convincing and would hopefully work.

Now it was up to Isshin and Urahara to do their thing. Isshin was to act like the mourning father and Urahara had to keep Ichigo hidden when moving him out of the city. They thought about just letting him travel through the Dangai as Urahara and Kurotsuchi had recently figured out how to make tunnels that led off to other locations. However, Ichigo was a physical being while gigai easy transitioned due to their composition. Urahara would have to come over and install a spirit converter and that might be more trouble than it was worth. So Urahara would come over and basically smuggle Ichigo out of Tokyo back to Karakura using the company truck. It was also to be used as a way to transport Ichigo's belongings back home.

Toshiro stretched his arms into air and yawned. Just walking around was calming him down. He had moved Tsukiyama's body from the warehouse and put him in a slightly more populated area. With luck someone had found him by now, whether it be another ghoul or some sort of law enforcement. He couldn't just leave the body alone in the old warehouse. No doubt, even that bastard had family somewhere.

He yawned again and rubbed a tired eye. It might finally be time to return to the old house. He rounded the corner and saw the redheaded woman from earlier. She was sitting on a bench at a bus stop. She had her hands covering her face as she sobbed quietly. Given that she was alone meant she was most likely trying to distant herself from the chaos at the bridge. She must have been close to Ichigo and this just tore her to pieces. He felt a little guilty given her sorry state.

It was best not to get involved. He had done enough damage for one evening. He started moving when he saw a man walk up to her dressed in a long coat. He had chin length gray hair and a bit of chin fuzz. He handed her a small handkerchief and went to leave but she latched onto him instead. He looked highly unnerved by this sudden act. He was trying to gently pull her off but she wasn't letting go. The whole scene looked hilarious. The man looked a little panicked and irritated at the same time. He wanted to be friendly to her just not that friendly. He was struggling to pull out of her grasp without being overly forceful. No such luck.

Toshiro picked up his feet again and walked behind the back of the bench. He kept up with the flow of the people on the sidewalk. He was trying not to laugh but the man caught a look at Toshiro's failed attempts. He looked even more agitated seeing Toshiro's smirking face. Toshiro tried to push his chuckles back and act like any other person, rubbing his sore bandaged cheek. He kept moving leaving them behind as he rounded another block.

Kaneki splashed a little cold water on his face from the bathroom faucet and lightly patted his face with a dry towel. He looked up in the mirror hanging on the wall in front of him. His face was still a little red mostly around his eyes. How could Kurosaki do such a thing? The man didn't seem the type. When Yoshimura and Kaya came in with such gloomy looks… He never even thought…

He rubbed his nose and looked back down into the shiny, white sink. He had been crying off and on for a little while. Yoshimura had offered to stay the night given how Kaneki had taken the news. Kaneki agreed not wanting to be alone. Kaneki turned and walked out, turning off the light. He walked into the café where Yoshimura had a cup of hot coffee waiting for him. Kaneki sat down as Yoshimura cleaned up a little before walking over with his own cup.

"Are you feeling any better?" the old ghoul asked and Kaneki silently shrugged. "I wish I knew what to say but I don't know anything else that hasn't already been said."

"H-have you seen Mrs. Fueguchi?" Kaneki asked, looking down into darkness of his coffee.

"No… She has yet to come by," Yoshimura answered, picking up his cup and took a small sip. "I'm hoping that she might shine some light on what has happened."

"Yeah…" Kaneki breathed, closing his eyes again. "I just…"

"There was nothing you could do, Kaneki. It was his choice," Yoshimura sighed. "A lot of people hide behind smiles and happy-go-lucky attitudes. Some have turned hiding pain into an art form."

Kaneki remained silent closing his eyes. This just seemed… He never thought… His mind was a complete mess not knowing what do or how to feel. He felt his nose burn a little as he fought back a couple more tears. This was just so unexpected. He still felt a little bit numb like this wasn't real.

"It's just that… I knew he was dealing with something but… I never thought he'd…" Kaneki mumbled.

"Like I said you can't always tell and you can't blame yourself for not noticing," Yoshimura sighed. "I didn't even notice anything odd with him. He masked his problems well."

"It's just… I felt if I had known maybe I could have…"

"I told you not to blame yourself for his actions. As much as you would have liked to have helped there's nothing you can do now. Kurosaki is beyond anyone's help."

Those words stung and they stung because they were the truth. No one could help him now. Ichigo was gone. But… But maybe like Mrs. Fueguchi he could come back? Could that be a possibility?

"What if he comes back like Mrs. Fueguchi did?" Kaneki asked as Yoshimura pondered the idea.

"It would be his choice to contact us," Yoshimura clarified as Kaneki cast his eyes down again. "I'm hoping that he does but… I don't feel like he will. I can't even imagine what was going through his mind when he jumped."

"But why wouldn't he come back? At least to us…"

"It's just a feeling I have… I may be wrong of course but…"

"You're s-saying not to hold my breath?"

"Yes, something like that. This is his problem to deal with, not ours. Give it some time. He might show up, just not anytime soon."

Kaneki nodded and put a hand around the warm cup in front of him. That gave him a little hope. He rubbed his eyes and picked up his drink. He could only hope that Kurosaki would contact them sooner or later. He hated losing someone that he wanted to call a friend, even if they weren't really all that close.

"Touka! Touka, come here quick!" Hinami yelled, standing in the door of Touka's bedroom.

"What?! Is something wrong?!" the young woman sat up with a start, looking around. Her dark hair was a mess.

"Get up! You have to come see this," Hinami almost screamed, running back into the living room. "Hurry or you'll miss it!"

Touka threw off the covers and got to her feet. She rubbed a sleepy eye as she saw Hinami standing anxiously in front of the TV. It was late and she had school in the morning. What was Hinami so excited about? This had better be good. Touka stopped and turned to look at the TV.

"…police and the CCG will be working together to uncover why CCG investigator Kurosaki Ichigo, Rank 1, jumped from a bridge into the river located in the 20th ward…"

"What…?" Touka breathed.

"…Witnesses say he seemed distant and emotionless as he climbed over the safety railings onto the narrow ledge of the bridge. Fellow investigators Mado Kureo, 1st class, and Hayashi Akane, 1st class, also witnessed the bizarre suicide. The two tried to reach him but he jumped before they could make contact with Kurosaki. Police have started a search for his body and will continue on through the night into tomorrow. Police and the CCG are asking people who might have information to please report it to their local offices. We will have more on this story tomorrow morning when additional information is available to us…"

Touka slowly sat down on the floor, looking at the TV in shock. Kurosaki, was…? He was… She was just knocked speechless. This almost seemed like an odd dream. Like this wasn't real but it was. Normally she would hear something like this and not bat an eye but… This was different. She had contact with him, she had spoken to him, and at one point even respected him. He wasn't just a face in the crowd.

"Why do you think he…?" Hinami asked and Touka shrugged.

"I haven't the faintest idea," Touka said, getting back to her feet. "Frankly, I don't care one way or the other."

"You're lying," Hinami replied sternly. "You had a pained look for a moment."

"So? The man committed suicide. Big deal," Touka answered, walking back to her room. "Yeah, I was little surprised but that was one of the investigator that tried to hunt you down."

"Not what I meant and you know it," Hinami huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Touka, you really did seem a little hurt by the news."

"Why do you even care?" Touka turned back around.

"Why do you?"

"I don't."

"Stop lying."

"I'm going back to bed," Touka said, turning back to her room.

"Touka…" Hinami whined. "Please… I know you better than you think and I know this is bothering you because you're avoiding it."

"I'm not avoiding anything," she grumbled.

"Touka…"

"I'm not. Honest."

"Touka…"

"Look… It happened and man killed himself."

"Touka…"

"Hinami."

The girl sighed and turned off the TV.

"You're not going to tell me? You've been acting odd recently as it is," Hinami pointed out. "Ever since that last encounter you had with Incognito you've been acting differently. I want to know why. I want to know what's bothering you."

Touka sighed. She was trying to protect the girl from the truth but clearly the young teen wanted the whole story. Touka turned on her toes and walked back over to Hinami. She sat down on the couch and motioned the girl to sit next to her. Touka nervously knitted her fingers together.

"You might not like the truth," Touka warned.

"I can handle it," Hinami said, puffing out her chest a little.

"I found out the other night that Incognito is…" Touka struggled with her words. "Well… Incognito was Kurosaki Ichigo in disguise."

Hinami just stared at Touka and her heart skipped a beat. Kurosaki was…? The man that chased her and just killed himself was…? Hinami turned away and stared hard at the floor.

"He told me that he felt guilty with what had happened with you and your mom. He took on that persona to protect you," Touka said, pushing a knot down from her throat. "I didn't like it and so I didn't tell you. I knew you looked up to Incognito and I didn't want to soil your vision of him, even if I didn't like it. I didn't want to hurt you."

Hinami drew in a shaky breath and closed her eyes. Everything came crashing in all at once. Incognito was the investigator the chased her and he was the investigator that just jumped off the bridge. This just seemed too unreal. Why? That's all she could do, was just ask herself why. Why did he do all this? Why did he suddenly kill himself? Why would he protect her? Why did he feel guilty? Just so many questions flooded her mind.

Tears started the build in her eyes as she realized just what had happened. He had risked everything for her; she was a ghoul and a complete stranger to him. He didn't have to do what he did. He had no obligations to uphold. He did this purely on his own. He felt that he had to right a wrong by protecting her but now he was… He was gone. She felt a little sick to her stomach as she suddenly let out a cry and tears poured down her cheeks.

Touka quickly wrapped her arms around the girl and lightly rocked her. This was why she didn't want to say anything. Touka hated to watch Hinami cry. The girl had been through enough and she didn't want to add it but Hinami wanted answers. So Touka caved and this was the end result. The truth usually hurt in some way and to the young teen this was agonizing.

The following morning Ryoko showed up at the café. She told Yoshimura and the others what had happened or least what they needed to hear. She acted mournful by what he did. She stated that she had no idea what was going through his mind and why he killed himself. She said that she came back to his apartment and found him gone. She went out looking for him when she saw him on the bridge just before he jumped. She explained what a shinigami was and that one had watched the suicide happen. Before she could reach Ichigo, the shinigami gotten to him first.

She said that he put up no resistance and let the shinigami guide him on to the next world. She never even got to tell him goodbye. She also told them that the police and the CCG were already at his apartment looking for clues as to why he would kill himself. Kaneki realized that was why Ichigo didn't want him at the apartment. He ran a huge risk of being caught if he had stayed.

Ryoko hated lying to them but those were the orders given to her. All of this was to protect Ichigo. She had yet to see him and Toshiro kept him hidden. This was very painful and she hated seeing everyone's sad faces. Grant it, they didn't know Ichigo all that well but that still didn't mean that they didn't feel hurt by the events. He had done a good bit for them.

Also that same afternoon news had gotten out in the ghoul community that the Tsukiyama Shuu was found dead late last night. He was murdered but it was odd in the way that it happened. There was no trace of another ghoul's scent on him. Only the smell of two humans lingered on him but had they been with the CCG the body would have been removed and disposed of. So that really left the question of who killed Tsukiyama? Of course his family was in a total uproar and wanted to find the humans that killed him. They even offered a reward to find the humans responsible and bring them in alive.

Rumors spread about who could have done it. The two most feasible theories were that they were a couple of vigilantes with stolen quinque and the other was that they were former investigators also with stolen quinque. No one knew and so theories were being thrown about. This news also hit Kaneki hard as well. It was just one thing right after the other. He asked Touka what she thought of it and she just said he deserved what he got by finally biting off more than he could chew. She didn't seem to care too much.

Then of course Ichigo's suicide was another large topic. Kaneki really had to push himself to keep working. The suicide also came with its own rumors. Most ghouls seemed happy at the news of Hawk's demise, claiming that the streets would finally be a little bit safer. If only they knew the truth about Ichigo and what he had done just prior to his suicide. There were a couple of times where even the meek Kaneki had to bite his tongue. Yoshimura had told Kaneki to quit early, noticing how stressed the young man had become.

A couple of days passed and the police had yet to retrieve a body. They feared Ichigo had been washed out into the bay. Unless he washed up somewhere chances were he wouldn't be found. The CCG and police looked over everything they could think of. They searched both Ichigo's apartment and his office for clues. The only thing was the suicide note found on his futon. He had left no other clues as to why he jumped off the bridge. The note was fairly simple and spoke of how stressed he had become and how it had taken its toll on his mind and body. He stated that he had wanted to leave quietly but once news got out, people started talking behind his back. It drove him that much farther into depression. He tried to stick it out but was unable to do so resulting in his death.

A day after that, the CCG held a memorial service for Ichigo. Ichigo's father and sisters attended the service as well. The company and individuals gave their condolences to the family; especially, Akane, Amon, and even Mado. Mado explained everything he saw that night to the Kurosaki family. Akane was still struggling with the whole ordeal and didn't feel like talking about it in any great detail. Isshin thanked Mado for giving him the firsthand account of what he saw the other night.

When the memorial service ended Isshin took the girls back to the hotel that the CCG was paying for. Urahara was bunking in the next room over. Neither one had yet to see Ichigo but did talk to him on the phone several times. Toshiro would lead them over that night now that the service was over. Isshin couldn't wait to see his son. From the way Toshiro explained things to Isshin and Urahara the former substitute shinigami was a far cry from what he once was. Isshin and Urahara were anxious to see the final result of the transformation.

Around 1 in the morning Toshiro led Isshin and Urahara to the old abandoned house several blocks from the hotel. They snuck in through the back going over the wall and out of sight of those on the street. Toshiro lead them through a busted window and up the rickety old steps. Toshiro pushed opened the door to the bedroom and stepped aside to let the former captains into the room. There were a couple of LED lanterns that gave the dark room some much needed light. Honestly, this house was a wreck and this was by far the cleanest area found.

Ichigo was sitting on the old bed with a cover pulled over him. He looked like he was sitting in a loose ball. His father approached first with Urahara right behind him. Tension was running high. This would be the first time Ichigo had shown his new form to anyone other than Toshiro. Isshin drew in a deep breath and slowly let it back out as Ichigo turned his head towards him. There was no getting around the large horn, peeking out from under the covers.

"Hello, Ichigo," Isshin said, standing over his son with a sad smile. "It's been a while."

"Yeah… I guess it has been," Ichigo breathed. "I suppose you'd like see what I look like?"

"Yes, actually, we would," Urahara said as Isshin looked over his shoulder at him with an agitated look. "What?"

"Hmhm… You never change, do you, Hat 'n' Clogs?" Ichigo chuckled a little and reached up with his clawed hands to remove the cover off his head. "Well? This is me…"

The cover fell to the bed, revealing the person underneath. Ichigo felt somewhat uncomfortable showing his father and Urahara his new form. Even a little embarrassed in fact. He was nothing like he had been just a few days ago. Isshin and Urahara stood motionless and silent for a moment, taking in everything before them. Ichigo nervously scratched the back of his head waiting for their response.

Isshin and Urahara weren't expecting the transformation to make it this far. They looked at everything before them. Ichigo had varying dark markings on his ivory face and there were even more markings that peaked out from under his sleeveless jersey, wrapping around his shoulders. His hands seemed to have armored plating that ended in large black talons with thick red tuffs of hair that covered his wrists. His bare feet were also clawed and had changed in shape just a touch. He had one lone, sharp horn that jutted out from the left side of his head, poking out from under his waist long orange and white hair. Lastly his eyes were a vibrant gold set on deep black.

"Well… S-say something…" Ichigo grumbled, pushing down the knot that was building his throat.

"My poor son," Isshin cried out and quickly slammed into Ichigo with a large bear-hug.

Ichigo let out a panicked yelp as he was forced onto the bed with his dad squeezing the life out of him. Both Urahara and Toshiro grimaced as Ichigo struggled to get air back into his lungs. Toshiro could empathize with Ichigo to a degree. He had been on the receiving end of those 'hugs' many, many years. How Ichigo survived all these years with Isshin as a father was beyond the small captain.

Isshin finally let up enough for Ichigo to drawn in some much needed air. Ichigo was finally able to push his dad off enough to sit back up. He coughed a little between the lack of air the dust the circled him.

"Are you trying to suffocate me?" Ichigo barked out as his dad went hug him again. "Get off me, Old Man!"

"I was just sooo worry for my little boy! Do have any idea how much I—umph!" Isshin was cut short with a foot planted square in his face.

"You don't have to smother me to tell me that you're worried," Ichigo snapped, giving a hard shove with his leg as Isshin fell back, landing on his butt. "Geez… I'm still sore and I swear you were trying to break me in two, Goat Face! Do you not know what restraint means?!"

Isshin sat up straight and rubbed his aching lower back. A big smile was planted firmly on his face as he looked up at Ichigo. Ichigo scowled and crossed his arms in annoyance. He knew his dad meant well but he could be over the top and dramatic at the worst of times. Isshin grinned and got back to feet before calmly sitting down on the rickety old bed. Ichigo eyed him cautiously.

"Sorry, about that, Ichigo. I'm just so glad to see that you're still you," Isshin said as Ichigo looked at him a little puzzled. "I was somewhat worried that maybe… Well, listening to Orihime's and Uryu's accounts of when you faced Ulquiorra back then… I just wanted to be sure that I still had my son."

Isshin ran a hand down his scruffy face and Ichigo's annoyed scowl faded. His father had been legitimately worried and why wouldn't he be? Any good father should worry about their children no matter the age. Ichigo lowered his eyes and looked at the rumpled covers surrounding him. No doubt his sisters were in the same boat. They also had to be worried. Ichigo needed to ask if his sisters knew what was really going on and that he wasn't actually dead.

"A-hem…"

The Kurosaki family turned to look up at Urahara as he took a step closer. More than likely Urahara wanted to examine Ichigo to ascertain just how much the young man had changed. Toshiro handed the blond another lantern and Urahara turned it on.

"Well, now, let's get a good look at you, shall we," Urahara held up the light as Ichigo pulled off the last of the covers from his legs and turned to face Urahara. "My, my… This certainly is not what I was expecting. Stand for me please."

Ichigo got to his bare feet and took a couple of steps from the bed. Ichigo was dressed in a jersey and some long pajama bottoms. Urahara looked him up and down, muttering things to himself. He circled Ichigo several times before facing Ichigo straight on.

"Well, this doesn't look too good. The represent I was working was to stop it before he really got started," Urahara sighed and Ichigo looked disappointed. "Of course that doesn't mean that I didn't think of this scenario as well. I have been working on something to lessen your hollow appearance and powers after they had fully matured. How much of an affect it will have on you is unknown. I'm not even sure if it's safe to try it to be honest."

"So you're saying that you might not be able to…" Ichigo's voice faded.

"Not fully… It might help you look a little more human but it's not going to fix what's happened to you," Urahara groaned, taking off his hat. "Also the represent might actually do you more damage than good at this state. It could very easily backfire and cause you to become even more of a hollow than you already are. I will continue my research of course but I'm just letting you know not to get your hopes up too much."

"Yeah… In a way I've kinda resigned myself to this so… If you can't… I guess I'll just have deal with it," Ichigo put on a weak grin and brushed his long hair from his face. "As long as I'm still me I don't really care what I look like."

"Are you certain about that? Given how you look and that you're still living you won't have much freedom," Urahara cautioned. "I know looks aren't everything but…"

"Yes, I thought of that, too," Ichigo looked down at his hands. "I don't like hiding but for right now it might be for the best until we can figure something out."

"I'd have you stay with us but you're supposed to be dead so… Not to mention…" Isshin said, looking his son up and down.

"He'll stay with me for now. I will have no problem with it and it will give me a better opportunity to study him in greater detail," Urahara said, rubbing his chin and leaned in closer to Ichigo. "Now you can go where you want, within reason of course, but you will be confined to shop grounds for your own protection. At least for a little while."

"I figured that much out," Ichigo snorted, pushing Urahara out of his face. "Stop pointing out the obvious! It's not helping!"

Suddenly Toshiro turned and ran out the door. There was the sound of a small scuffle out in the hall. What was going on out there?

"I thought I told you not to follow me," Toshiro's angry voice echoed down the short hall.

"I-I'm sorry… It's just that I h-haven't seen him in a while and I was getting worried," a woman's voice quickly replied. "You wouldn't even talk to me about him when I asked a simple question! What else was I to do?"

"Obey my orders and stayed away," Toshiro snapped.

"T-Toshiro… That's enough," Ichigo called out towards the door. "Let her in. If he wants to see me just let her. There's no point now in keeping her out."

Toshiro walked through the door first and a few steps behind him followed Mrs. Fueguchi. She was rather apprehensive to enter the room given how Toshiro lashed out at her. She had her eyes and head pointed towards the dusty floor. She wanted to see Ichigo and yet she didn't. She missed Ichigo's company but she didn't want to sully the image of what he used to be. Now that she was there she was actually having second thoughts. Maybe she should have stayed away like instructed. She wasn't invited here after all.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't h-have come," she bowed and went to leave when she felt a hand grab hers.

She paused and looked down at the hand clutching hers. It didn't look human. She took in every little detail from the sharp, black talons to the thick ring of deep red fur on the wrist. She slowly let her brown eyes follow the long muscular arm up and finally met the face of the hand's owner. Everything froze inside her as she locked eyes with him. She wasn't expecting anything like this. He looked more like a demon than a hollow in her opinion. He had a horn, black markings on colorless skin, clawed fingers, long hair, and dark eyes that also burned gold.

Just out of sheer shock and instinct she went to pull away from him but he wouldn't let go. Panic was setting in and she raised her hand to strike only have that hand caught as well. She struggled again to pull free only to find herself be pulled hastily into a warm embrace. It wasn't tight but snug enough to make sure she didn't break free.

"Calm down. Look at me," Ichigo said gently into her ear. "I'm still me, Fueguchi. Please… It's me."

The creature's voice was indeed that of Ichigo's. Her body shook as she slowly looked up at him again. She made contact with his strange eyes again. She studied them for a few quiet moments as a faint line of tears started to build in her eyes. Despite what they looked like now they were still Ichigo's. Now that she really looked at him, all of his features were still there but the dark markings distorted them. She blinked as the tears fell, staining her cheeks. He then flashed her a bit of a goofy grin. That sealed it for the formal ghoul. This was most definitely Ichigo.

She finally stopped shaking as realization took hold. She felt like such an idiot. She was trying to run from the very person she had come to see. She shouldn't have come and this was the reason why. She wasn't ready to see him and in some way she felt Ichigo wasn't ready to see her either. She had gotten too hasty and pushed her luck. There was nothing that could be done now. She was here and she wasn't going anywhere.

He finally let go of her and stepped to the side. She saw the other two men in the room. She had heard them talking but really hadn't paying too close to what was being said. She regarded them both with a faint nod. Ichigo slowly guided her a little farther into room. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"This is Mrs. Fueguchi Ryoko," Ichigo said as she turned to look at him. "She was the first soul I made contact with since my powers returned."

The blond man took the first few steps and put on a wide smile.

"Well, now… How do you do, Mrs. Fueguchi?" Urahara greeted with a polite bow. She looked quite surprised. "Hm? Is something the matter?"

"Y-you can see me?" she asked and Urahara smiled at her.

"As clear as day. I'm Urahara Kisuke," he said, happily. "It's a pleasure to you."

"He's a former shinigami captain," Toshiro pointed out bluntly.

"What?" Ryoko blinked her jaw dropping a little.

"Yes… But we won't get into that," Urahara said, giving Toshiro a bit of a glare. "I haven't heard about you."

"Neither have I come to think of it," Isshin said, walking up to stand beside Urahara. "She's cute but she's little grown for you, don't you think?"

Ichigo's eye twitched as he glared at his father. His old man always knew the right buttons to push.

"Don't even start that," Ichigo snapped as his father tried to look innocent. "There's nothing like that between us!"

"Oh, come now. Don't be shy," his father egged on. "You're a grown man there's nothing wrong with liking a woman."

"Knock it off," Ichigo hissed.

"Well, they did seem awfully close just a moment ago," Urahara added as his white fan suddenly appeared, coving his mouth.

"She's married for crying out loud," Ichigo hissed, clinching his teeth in anger.

"Oh, an affair?! Now this is quite interesting," Urahara turned to look at Isshin.

Ichigo was getting more and more agitated by the second. Ryoko looked a little lost and confused by this whole thing. She stepped back to put a little distance between her and the heated argument. She felt Toshiro step up beside her with his small arms crossed and watched the scene with a dull gaze.

"Now, Ichigo, I know I taught you better than that," Isshin snapped, getting right in Ichigo's face with his own deep scowl. "You don't go messing around with another man's woman!"

"For the last time, it's nothing like that," Ichigo bit back, almost clunking his head into his father's. "There is no affair going on between us! Now knock it off! Both of you!"

"You know he'll never admit to such a thing," Urahara replied, sharply from behind his fan.

"You're seriously not helping," Ichigo snapped, turning his attention over to Urahara.

"They're only doing that because they know they can get a reaction out of you and you're just letting them do it."

Everyone turned to look at Toshiro as he stood motionless beside Ryoko. Ichigo then turned back his father and Urahara. The mini captain was right. He always let this two get the better of him every single time. He snorted and crossed him arms in aggravation.

"But I must admit there does seem to be something going on between them," Toshiro turned to look at a shocked Ryoko. He winked at her to show he was only joking.

Ichigo jumped and turned to face Toshiro. His anger was really set off now.

"Whose side are you on?!" Ichigo barked.

"Not yours, clearly," the captain snorted.

It was now clear what was going on. Ryoko let out a slight chuckle, watching Ichigo argue with the others in the room. Everything was just in good fun. Even though Ichigo was angry there was no ill-will backing it up. It was more of a deep aggravation than anything. Her chuckling soon turned more into a hard laugh. The argument was quickly halted as they turned to look at her as she wiped a joyful tear from her eye.

"This is funny to you?" Ichigo grumbled.

"Hahaha! They're only d-doing this because they love and respect y-you," she said, happily. "Hmhm! It's quite cute, really."

Isshin then wrapped a large arm around Ichigo's neck and dug his knuckles into the top of Ichigo head.

"If we didn't pick at you wouldn't think something was wrong?" Isshin smiled, digging in a little harder as Ichigo tried to pull free.

Ichigo finally broke free and quickly returned the maneuver back to his father. But was little more careful not hurt him with his fingers.

"OW! Owww!" Isshin whined as Ichigo let go of him.

"Clearly you're feeling better, Ichigo," Urahara said, closing his fan with a snap. "It's good the see the old you back."

"Yeah, I guess so," Ichigo smiled widely, rubbing the back of head. "I've actually kind of missed all this craziness while I've been here."

"Well, you'll certainly be getting a lot more of it when we returned to Karakura with us," Isshin said, patting his son the back. "We have a lot to catching up to do and I'm sure Orihime, Uryu, and Chad will be happy to see you again."

Ichigo replied with his own laugh. Ryoko liked seeing Ichigo smile like this for the first time. It was a truly happy smile compared to all of the other ones she had seen. This was the real Ichigo, the Ichigo she had never seen until now. She was happy for him. It looked like he had found his place again in this cruel world. She wiped her eyes again, feeling a few tears trying to build.

"He's something else, isn't he?" Toshiro said, looking up at her. "You should have seen him back in the day. He was truly something. There is no one else like him because he's truly is one of a kind."

"Yes, I can tell and I'm glad to have met him," she smiled back at the young captain, before turning back to Ichigo as he talked animatedly with his father and Urahara. "Like you said, he truly is one of a kind."

(A/N And that's is that. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I was in a dark place when I wrote this and this was a bit of dark chapter. I wonder how much of that showed in my writing. I don't know when I get to the next chapter but hopefully it won't be too long.)

Millie M. Banshee