Be a good boy.

The first time he heard that phrase, he didn't understand it. Not really.

Be a good boy for daddy.

The words themselves echoed around his brain like some sort of broken rubber ball that couldn't stop. He sat with his knees tucked to his chin and rocked back and forth against the wall. He hadn't been able to sleep after he left. He was sure he'd twisted his wrist again, and his shoulder felt weird. The throbbing in his lower back was almost enough to make him weep. He wouldn't, though. He swallowed and knew that this wasn't over, not by a long shot. He'd make him suffer for going to the hospital and letting someone like Ryūken Ishida see him in that condition. He didn't want to think about what would happen over this weekend. He figured he would be okay, though, the girls would be home, so he should be fine.

There was a knock and he looked up to see it was Karin.

"Anaki," she said. "How are you feeling?" she asked, concern lining her face. "Pop told me about what happened. How'd someone get the jump on you anyway?"

Ichigo sighed and looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it, it's over and done with so don't worry about it."

Karin narrowed her eyes at him then shook her head. "I was just coming up to say Yuzu and me are heading to the beach this weekend with a couple of girls from the soccer team."

Ichigo tried to keep his face neutral, and he thought he had. He hadn't because Karin noticed the flinch. She had no idea why, though. He nodded. "So we're on our own for food, huh? I better do the cooking. Last time Pop tried to make something, the pan caught fire…" he said with his face twisting into a smile. It looked fake, though, now that Karin looked at him.

"Yeah, maybe order take out, but we're heading out in a little while to go," she said and turned and left.

Ichigo watched her go and nearly let out a sob. He didn't want to be alone with him all weekend. He had to find something to do. He had to find a reason to get out of the house. He grabbed his phone off the table and texted Tatsuki. A few minutes later she responded that she had a martial arts meet in Kyoto over the weekend. Ichigo swallowed and texted Chad. He stared at his phone for twenty minutes without moving until Chad responded, saying he was working this weekend at the animal shelter. By now, Ichigo's hands were shaking. He texted Uryū next. By now, his mind kept repeating a mantra begging that something could be done this weekend with him.

Hey, anything going on this weekend for you?

A few minutes later, Uryū texted back. Um, not really. Why?

Ichigo breathed out and smiled. Good. Just was wondering if you and Orihime wanted to go to the park tomorrow.

Ichigo was so focused on his phone he didn't hear his door open and he blinked in surprise when his phone was snatched out of his hands. He looked up to see Isshin looking at it. He then texted back on his phone and then glared at Ichigo and tossed the phone back to the bed.

Ichigo shakily picked up the phone when he left, slamming the door slightly.

Uryū had answered. Sure, what time do you want to meet up? I've been wanting to take Orihime out on the weekend for a while.

His father had typed in a response, though. Oh, sorry, some family stuff came up. Next weekend?

Ichigo bit down on his lip and looked up toward the door. This wasn't good at all. He'd never done that before. He'd never interfered in anything he planned with friends or when he was asked to do something by the Shinigami. He blinked and pulled out the drawer and realized his badge was gone. He swallowed and shut it again. He couldn't even get out of his human body without that. He put his head back down on his knees and stared at the phone. He could tell Uryū. He could tell him the truth. He could get him to come and help him leave tonight. He could. But…no. He was serving penance after all.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Uryū stared at the phone. That concerned him. He looked up to see that Orihime and Rukia had arrived at his apartment.

"What's going on? You've been putting me off since I arrived yesterday. You wouldn't even tell me where you went last night after I got here," she said with a frown. "You just said to go to Urahara's until this morning, that there was something important we needed to talk about."

Uryū glanced at Orihime. "Look at this," he said and passed her the phone.

"What…that's weird…" she said softly.

Rukia grabbed the phone from her and looked at it. "Why's this weird?"

"Come in, it…it will make sense soon," Uryū said and ushered them into this kitchen. He slid the file over to Rukia.

Rukia picked it up and looked through the pages, and as she did her face changed. "Wait, is this what I think it is?"

Uryū nodded. "We don't know what's happening to him for sure. Ryūken thinks that it's Isshin…" he said quietly.

Rukia looked at him. "Why?"

"He won't talk," Uryū said. "Ryūken tried, but he just got mad at him. Gave the police some story that some random stranger jumped him night before last. That's impossible. Even without his Shinigami abilities, he could have taken out one human. And now?"

"And he didn't fight them," Orihime said softly. "His knuckles were clean, there was nothing to say he tried to stop them. He knew who did this, and he didn't stop them."

Rukia looked at her and Uryū. "How…what do we do?"

"We need to get him to Soul Society, away from Isshin, and maybe get him to tell us what's happening," Uryū said with a sigh. "I don't know anything else to do."

"We can tell Isshin he's been summoned to Soul Society for something," Rukia suggested. "But I don't know if I can get them to actually back me up on that.

"But this message worries me most," Uryū said as he tapped the phone. "He was trying to get out of the house, and then this that he suddenly has family things going on."

"He should be fine with the girls at home, right?" Rukia asked. "I mean, if it is his father, he wouldn't do something with the girls there, that would be too risky."

Uryū nodded. "I just don't know who to trust."

He sighed and slid the small journal over toward her. She opened it and saw that it wasn't a journal, it was more of sketchbook. Throughout the pages were various sketches and doodles that were, quite frankly, disturbing. It could be written off as stuff Ichigo had seen as a Shinigami. There were sketches of gory dismemberments, grisly wounds, and worse. She shut it and Uryū sighed.

"I found this too," he said and showed her the flash drive. "It has a password though, and I haven't figured it out yet. "And this," he said and tapped the pill bottle.

"What's that?" Rukia asked.

"It took me a bit to identify it. It's ketamine. There's no conceivable reason for Ichigo to have this, it's an animal tranquilizer."

Rukia nodded. "I'll go talk to my brother. Maybe he can help," she said as she stood up. "I'll be back when I find out something."

Rukia left and headed through the senkaimon quickly. She made her way to the sixth division to find her brother. She knocked on the door and waited for him to call out. She opened the door and saw him and Renji were both at their desks.

"Do you need something, Rukia? I thought you had gone to the World of the Living for the day," Byakuya said as he flipped through papers.

"I need your advice, nii-sama."

Byakuya looked up at her and nodded. "What is it?"

She still had the file Uryū had given her. She handed it to her brother. "I…I don't know what to do."

Renji got up and came around to see what it was that she'd given Byakuya. As he scanned it, he realized it was some sort of a medical file detailing someone who had been in an emergency. He saw that the person had been beaten up badly, and sexually assaulted just as badly. "Who is this?" Renji asked, noting that the doctor was listed as Uryū's father, Ryūken Ishida.

"Ichigo."

Both Byakuya and Renji looked up at her sharply. "What?" Renji asked.

"This is his file. I don't know what happened, but Uryū said he made up some story about being jumped by someone. But he has his power back, and even without it, he could have defended himself from any human." She swallowed. "But whoever did this, he didn't fight. He didn't have any defensive wounds. And he refuses to say who did. Uryū…he says that he thinks it…was his father."

"Isshin Shiba?" Byakuya said and looked at her. "How could that even be a possibility? He has done so much to help Ichigo."

Renji swallowed and glanced at Byakuya. "What do we do? He…he's one of ours. Both are."

Byakuya nodded. "This…this accusation is heavy. We can't do anything without some sort of proof. The head captain will want to hear of this. I'll go discuss this with him. After everything that Ichigo has done for us…I can't imagine him ignoring this situation."

"There's…something else, Nii-sama."

Byakuya looked at her. "Orihime healed him up, and confirmed what that says. But…Uryū had gotten a message from him, asking if he wanted to go do something tomorrow, then almost immediately said, no never mind, I've got something else to do. Uryū is worried that something is going to happen after this thing at the hospital."

"We should go through," Renji said and looked at Byakuya.

"I cannot yet. I'll send you with Rukia. But do not confront Isshin Shiba. Do not engage him. If you can find proof, come back to me immediately and I will intercede," Byakuya said as he stood and headed out of the office to see the head captain. Renji looked at Rukia and they both headed out to the senkaimon and the World of the Living.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo knew that he wouldn't hear anything the rest of the day. He didn't leave his room, though. He wasn't going down there with the girls both gone. He had no idea if he was even home. His father was extremely good at hiding his reiatsu, and Ichigo still was terrible at sensing it. He got up and started to grab his notebook when he heard the door open behind him. He swallowed and saw his father was there.

"Come downstairs, son," he said and Ichigo nodded, closing the drawer and following him.

Isshin pointed to the living room and Ichigo realized what this was. The girls hadn't left for a weekend in a while, and this hadn't occurred since the last time they were both wrong. He swallowed and sat down, staring at the floor. He should have grabbed one of his pills before this, but it was too late now. He flinched as Isshin fell into the couch beside him.

"I'm displeased with your actions," he said and flicked on the TV. "So I thought we'd have a bit of fun, tonight, yes? Watch some new videos I found and play with some toys."

Ichigo nodded and looked to see that The Bag was beside him. Ichigo remembered vividly the first time he had seen The Bag. It wasn't long after the second time he'd come to him, when he brought a plain black bag into the room with him. He supposed the things inside The Bag were supposed to be pleasant for some people, but the way Isshin used them it was anything but. The Bag appeared in nightmares sometimes, and he had to shake them away as he heard the clinking of metal on metal when Isshin moved, sliding a hand down his leg.

"Are you going to be a good boy?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded slowly. He had to be, or he might do something bad to the girls. "I'll b-be a good boy," he said as he felt his hand sliding down between his legs and he was trembling again.

"And why will you be a good boy for daddy?" he asked and Ichigo gasped as his hand clenched him.

"T-to make sure that we're a happy family."

"And it is hard to be a happy family since you took your mother away from us, isn't it?" he asked and Ichigo saw the video start on the TV. "Remember when I found you with this kind of thing, when I found out what you wanted me to do to you, to punish you for what you've done to us…"

At that moment Ichigo gasped out because his defenses inside his inner world exploded while he was trying to keep Shiro from seeing what was happening now. He would know. He would know it all… He couldn't think straight but he winced as he was pushed down over the coffee table. His head was wrenched up to see the television by the hair.

"You like watching those boys, don't you?" he breathed into his ear. "Begging their daddies to fuck them, to hurt them, punish them, like you want…"

Ichigo's eyes were burning and he just wanted to disappear as the images began playing on the TV. Watching them was rare, and he was glad of that. They were more violent and depraved than ever before. Images of what were billed as fathers and sons played over and over and he just stared at it, trying to ignore reality, trying to focus on what was on the TV. He didn't do a very good job once he heard the Velcro on The Bag open. And then, he couldn't keep Shiro at bay anymore, because he wouldn't let him as an incredible feeling of anger flooded his mind.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

The moment Ichigo began blocking them from the outside world, Shiro flew at the house with everything he had. The ice shattered and flew everywhere and Shiro felt the absolute horror rush through Ichigo's entire soul. He was occupied, though, and still hiding what was happening right at that moment. So Shiro took that moment and threw the door wide and entered Ichigo's hell he kept locked away.

"What is this?" Isshin said, snatching a worn magazine from a much younger Ichigo's hands. Ichigo looked at him with wide and frightened eyes. His ribs were still sore from the day before when he'd said something about his mother.

Isshin looked at it and back at Ichigo. "Where did you get this?"

"A boy at school gave it to me…" he muttered.

"We'll talk about this later," he said and left the room, leaving thirteen-year-old Ichigo sitting on his bed.

Later that day, after his sisters had gone to a friend's house for a sleepover, he came back and drug him down to the living room. He held the magazine in front of him. "Is this what you want?"

Ichigo's face colored. It was a magazine story about a father and son's incestuous relationship written out like a manga. His friend had given him just that one section when he wondered what it was he was reading. It was graphic and very violent. The boy had been caught drinking sake, and the father punished him by spanking him, but then it went from there. The boy begged his daddy to stop, that he was hurting him...but the daddy didn't stop, and the boy started to like what was happening by the end.

Ichigo tried to tell him no, that it wasn't anything like that, he just wanted to see what it was, but he had been cuffed on the jaw. He was trying not to cry out as he was flung over the back of the sofa and when he tried to yell, his father's hand clutched around his mouth and the world descended into a world of pain. He tried to make it make sense. He tried to think about it.

He sat in the shower an hour later, sobbing into the water, mortified at what had just happened and not knowing what to do. He looked up as Isshin came in and knelt in the shower with him.

"I love you, Ichigo. I do. But I hate you so much for what you've done. But I love you too much to send you away, and you look so much like your mother. So, this is ours. Do you understand this? No one will know about this. It isn't their business what I do with you because you belong to me. You are mine because of what you've taken. You are going to be my good boy."

A year or more later, Ichigo was pressed to the wall, Isshin's hand cutting off the blood on the sides of his neck and making him dizzy as he did so. He didn't even remember what it was, but he didn't think it was anything. He was just high. He'd figured out it was the pills that made this happen. There was a look in his eyes, one that he knew immediately what was going to happen. A hard day at the clinic, too many pills, it didn't matter. He was stress relief. He was important. And his father loved him, of course he did. Like all those boys who had daddies that loved them enough to claim them like his father had. Not everyone did that, and it made him special, especially since it was so easy to have discarded him. He didn't scream anymore, though. He'd realized it was pointless.

Shiro was almost driven to his knees by the intensity and number of things hidden here. He blinked and was rocked with another, more recent one.

"You can't even keep the power you earned from that unholy thing inside you." Pain, blood, but never where anyone could see. "You're useless. You got everything from your mother, and you wasted everything. It is always wasted on you! Why do I even bother to give you my love? Huh? Why do you deserve it? Maybe your sisters would be more deserving…"

"No!" he yelled, stumbling to his feet, an entirely human boy before his Shinigami father. "I love you, and I want you to love me, I'll be good, I promise, I'll be a good boy!"

"You're dirty, that's what you are. Soiled, tainted, disgusting. I should kill you myself and cleanse this world of that creature."

"Please, no, daddy…" he said and when he called him that, Isshin's eyes blew wide and Ichigo knew it. It would divert him away from talking about the girls. It would keep him from threatening to hurt them. Even if it meant he'd suffer for it. He was fifteen now, and he should have been able to stop it, run away, anything, but he wouldn't. He'd call him daddy, and he'd let him do whatever he wanted. For his sisters, but there was also a part of him that wanted him to treat him like this again…to be daddy's good boy again.

Shiro was almost breathless as he stumbled through another memory.

"Well, look at you. You know, I realized something," Isshin said as Ichigo stood in the restored Shinigami form. "I wasted a perfectly good chance to teach you some very important lessons while you were a Shinigami before. I, for some reason, though you might tell someone what happened between us," he said as he walked around him, looking him over. Ichigo's hands were in fists and he was shaking. It had stopped after Rukia. All of it. Then, when he lost his power, it was so much worse than before. But now, he wasn't scared of Ichigo telling someone. He knew he wouldn't now. "But I realized what a good boy you were for daddy, right?"

Ichigo swallowed the bile rising in his throat. He wanted to say no, but he nodded instead and glanced over to see that The Bag was on the floor. His breath hitched.

"Now, you understand. I'm not so much more powerful than you, right, son? You are strong, and you could leave easily. But you won't, and you won't break the rules, will you?"

Ichigo shook his head as he felt hands sliding under the shoulders of the kusodo, pulling it off his shoulders. "You didn't answer me, son."

"I…I won't."

"Do you love me, son? Like those other boys loved their daddies?" he asked as he moved around and pulled at the obi on the hakama. "I love you like they loved their boys. You're my boy, right?"

Ichigo swallowed a ball as he felt the material slip off his hips to pile at the floor. He could stop it. He could leave right then; he could move faster than his father. He was probably stronger than him now.

"I love you, daddy," he whispered instead as he felt hands on his bare hips now. "I'm your good boy."

"Of course you are," he said…

Shiro stumbled out of the house and fell to his knees, vomiting as much as a spirit could vomit, which turned out was quite a bit when they were this disgusted. "Zangetsu!" he cried out, looking at his other half. "What…what is this…"

"Ichigo's hell."

Shiro's eyes widened as he could feel the outside world suddenly. Ichigo was done fighting Shiro because he knew that he had broken through the barriers he'd erected.

"King," he gasped, feeling incredible shame and humiliation at being found out. Shiro closed his eyes and covered his face because he couldn't move. He was frozen in absolute horror, and torn between anger and Ichigo's conflicted emotions. At the same time, Shiro knew he loved his father deeply, and at the same time he was afraid of him. He wasn't afraid of what he could do to him, he was afraid that he'd do something to his sisters. He loved him and hated him. He was disgusted by himself, and he wanted to be punished and hurt because of what he felt he'd done.

"No, King," Shiro said softly as the rain started again. Only this time, it wasn't rain. It was ice.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

He woke up in the middle of the night and knew why he couldn't move. He felt the metal, metal that he could break if he wanted to, of course. But he wouldn't. He panted through a shock of pain up his spine and blinked with his face buried in the pillows. He heaved a breath, finding it hard to breath in the position he was bound. His arms were behind his back, cuffed, and then cuffed to his ankles directly. He coughed into the gag. It wasn't a gag, well, it was, but it was one that jacked his jaw open. This is why he hated The Bag. He twisted his head to the side and saw Isshin had fallen asleep on his back. He couldn't remember when they'd come upstairs to his father's room. He didn't want to remember what happened between the space of time since he woke up that morning and now.

He hurt unbelievably bad and he knew he'd put one of the awful plugs into him and left it when he passed out. He'd apologize when he woke up and realized he'd left him like this. He'd swear he didn't mean to, and he'd sit with him on the floor of the shower and pet his head and tell him how good he was to have endured such a thing all night. There was a huge puddle under his face though and he tried to scoot away from it. Every move jostled him, though. He stopped moving and just panted into the sheets. Maybe he'd suffocate, and then he wouldn't have to wonder if he should tell anyone. Maybe someone would finally see what happened when he couldn't speak it.

Times like this, when he was between, in this space where he was unable to move out of fear that doing so would cause Isshin to be angry at him, were the times that he thought the most about this whole thing that he went through every day since he caused his mother to die.

You didn't.

I did.

King, you didn't kill her.

I might as well have. If I hadn't been born…

If you hadn't been born, I would have gone to one of your sisters. I was going to be in one of her children, Ichigo.

You don't understand.

I understand really well, King. I just got done living through nearly ten years of your life in the worst possible way. He's messed with your head. Something's wrong with him, not you.

You exist, so that alone makes something wrong with me.

King, stop, you can't, just break those handcuffs, get up, and leave, please…

I can't. I can't do that. I'm deserving. It's my penance.

For what? For existing?

That's enough.

Shiro went silent and he found a way between sleep and waking. He flinched when he felt Isshin's hands on his wrists, unlocking the cuffs.

"You did a good job, such a good job," he said as he ran hands down from the small of his back to the back of his knee as he lowered his ankles.

Right now, Ichigo just wanted to be let up. That's all. He winced as the plug shifted but didn't come out. Isshin leaned over. "That will stay, understand?" he said into his ear and Ichigo felt his heartrate increase. "And it will stay all day, and if it doesn't, I will lay you out like this and then show your sisters what you let me do to you while they're gone."

Ichigo swallowed and nodded, feeling the release on the gag as he worked his jaw and hoped that he wasn't going to…

"But first," he said and grabbed Ichigo's head and pulled him to the floor in front of him. "Deal with this."

Ichigo nodded. He didn't know if he was high yet, but he might have been. He didn't want to test him, though. "Good," he said, and Ichigo heard the sound, the slight slurring. Good, he thought. He was on a narcotic. At least the day would be quiet.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Renji and Rukia stepped out into the World of the Living and went to Uryū's apartment. Uryū came out and nodded to them. "I haven't been able to get a hold of Ichigo all weekend. I went by and no one answered, but I can't ever tell if Isshin is there, he masks his reiatsu well. I've also noticed he can cover other people's reiatsu. So, I have no idea if Ichigo is there."

"What day is it?" Rukia asked.

"Monday, and I…" Uryū started but his phone rang. He saw it was Ryūken. He put him on the speaker. "What is it, Ryūken?"

"Uryū, I…I pulled some strings. I got the kit pushed through he lab over the weekend. Uryū, there's a DNA match to Ichigo's indicating a parent/child relation. There's no doubt. I can't stop it, though, the police already have it, and I'm not sure what is going to happen. I…had hoped for more discretion but when I asked them to test against his own blood, I think someone got suspicious."

Uryū looked at Renji and Rukia. "What…what's going to happen?"

"It depends on him. He can run, no doubt. He might try to do something to Ichigo if the police get there first, I don't know, Uryū, and I have no idea how fast it will happen…" he said with concerned voice. "I couldn't get hold of anyone in the police that will talk to me about it."

"Alright, um, okay…" he looked at Rukia and Renji.

"I'm going to get Nii-sama," she said and took off at a run back out.

Renji was just stymied by what was happening. "We…we need to get to him. Now."

Uryū nodded. "Okay, um, we can go tell them that…that…something, I don't know, we'll think on the way there," he said as they left at a near run.

Renji exhaled as he knocked on the door. The door opened and Karin stood there glaring. "What are you doing here this early? We haven't even had breakfast yet."

"Um, just wanted to see if Ichigo wanted to go…go…" Uryū stammered, going completely blank for what they were going to do.

"Go?" Karin asked, arching a brow.

"Go…help me surprise Rukia for her birthday. Um, he's good with that sort of thing," Renji said with a sudden grin.

Karin narrowed her eyes at him. "Whatever, he's up in his room. He said he wasn't feeling well this morning, so don't bother him too much."

Renji and Uryū nodded and headed up. Uryū looked up because he heard cars. Shit, that was going to be bad for everyone. They needed to get Ichigo out of the house before they got here. Renji knocked lightly on the door.

"What do you want?" they heard.

"Yo, it's us," Renji said.

There was a sound and then he answered, "Come in."

Renji opened the door and to anyone it would seem Ichigo was just fine. He looked placid, sitting cross legged on his bed with a book his lap. He looked up at them. Renji, though, saw that his eyes were bloodshot badly, and there were some very light bruises around his mouth. If the light hadn't been perfect, he wouldn't have seen it at all.

"Hey, wanna come with me to work on a surprise for Rukia?" he said, trying to sound casual.

"I guess, I mean…" he started but the doorbell rang followed by loud knocking. Ichigo frowned and got up, heading to the door.

"Hey, no, let your pop get that," Uryū said.

Ichigo stopped and turned back to him, but when he did he staggered almost into the wall. Renji moved quickly and grabbed him by the arm. "You okay?" he asked.

Ichigo shrugged him off and started to say something, but the bell rang again. He headed down the stairs and both Renji and Uryū followed at a clip. They got to the bottom just as Karin opened the door.

"What is our house today, a train station?" she growled then realized there were two uniformed police officers at the door. Ichigo came to a stop just at the bottom of the stair, almost being run into by Renji.

The female officer, though, saw him, and Ichigo knew her from the hospital. She had been one of the ones that had taken his statement.

"Shouldn't you still be on bedrest?" she said and Ichigo paled. The girls didn't know anything more than he got jumped and stabbed. They had not been told the rest that had been reported by the hospital.

Karin looked from her and back to Ichigo. "Oh, when he got hurt," she said, remembering that he'd been to the hospital. "Well, not much keeps my brother down for long. No random jackass jumping him is gonna lay him low for long."

The female officer walked in, past Karin and looked at him. "But that's not exactly what happened, is it?"

Ichigo shook his head and swallowed. "That…that…I gave my statement. That was what happened." He was really regretting how bad the weekend had been right now because he was struggling to hold himself together.

"What was it, then?" the other officer said. Ichigo didn't recognize this one.

"Th-that I was walking and a guy grabbed me, and he stabbed me with a knife…and…" Ichigo said, looking between them.

"What did he look like?" she asked.

Ichigo opened his mouth and tried to remember what he'd said. "Uh, dark hair, dark eyes, I don't know, it was night…and…I think he had jeans…"

She sighed. "That's not what you said before."

Ichigo shifted and crossed his arms. "Well, I don't know, I…I…it was a lot that happened," he said and looked away from them just as his father came down the stairs behind him.

"Officers, can I help you?" Isshin said as he came down by Ichigo and put an arm around his shoulders. "Is this about the incident the other day? As you can see my boy is already up and about! He heals quickly," he said and squeezed Ichigo's shoulders. Ichigo was still avoiding the officers' gazes.

"There's been some new evidence acquired, and I need both of you to come down to the station for a little while," she said as she glanced at Karin and Yuzu who were staring at the scene.

"What for?" Ichigo blurted. "There's…there's nothing else to say! I just…I don't remember everything exactly because…because…"

"Because you were lying then, just like you're lying now," the male officer said and the female one glared at him.

"Stop, don't antagonize the vic."

Karin frowned and moved up. "What does she mean you were lying, Anaki?" she asked.

"I'm not lying! I just…don't remember, that's all, and I don't want to go anywhere, so just…"

Renji saw the grip that Isshin had on Ichigo tighten and the set of Ichigo's shoulders seemed to wilt at the touch. "I think he's been through enough, don't you?" Isshin asked.

"I really need you both to come with us," the female officer repeated, but this time she locked eyes on Isshin. "Please. I don't want to make a scene in front of your daughters, Kurosaki-san."

Isshin blinked. "What? I don't understand, my son and I aren't leaving unless we know why."

The female officer sighed. "I was hoping to do this privately rather than in front of your daughters, Kurosaki-san. But, since you're going to insist, Isshin Kurosaki, I'm afraid you are under arrest."

Isshin blinked and shook his head. "For…what?"

"Kurosaki-kun," she said, looking at Ichigo. "Can you come over here, sweetie? Away from him," she said gently.

Ichigo tilted his head to the side. "I don't…what are you doing? Why would you arrest my father? He hasn't done anything…I don't…"

Renji stepped up behind him. "Ichigo, do what she says."

Ichigo turned to look at him and then Uryū. "No. He…he didn't…" he said as he stared at him. "He…what did your father do?" he asked Uryū, realizing that the only possible explanation was the Ryūken had called someone.

"Ichigo, he did what he thought was right, I…I didn't have anything to do with it…" Uryū said nervously, looking at Renji and back at him. "He just wanted to help."

"I don't need his help!" Ichigo growled and shook his head. "I didn't need him to do anything but fix my side so I could leave!"

"I know, I'm sorry it has to be this way," Uryū said as he glanced at the female officer. "He told them to check the kit against your blood because he…he…knew you were protecting someone."

At those words, Isshin's eyes went wide and he locked eyes on the female officer. Of course, he knew immediately what that meant. He knew what would happen if they took a kit and checked it with Ichigo's DNA. He knew that they would have immediately seen that it was familial. Isshin sighed and shook his head.

"It's okay, son. We'll get it sorted out. Don't worry, I'm sure it was just a mistake, so let's go with the officers so we can get everything settled," Isshin said as he turned a far too bright smile on him.

For some reason, Ichigo felt a sudden rush from inside, and he knew it was Shiro. He shook his head and tried to push Shiro down, but in doing it, he was also dropping outer barriers. The female officer looked very concerned as he looked at her.

"Ichigo?" she said and stepped forward. "You are going to be safe, okay? He can't hurt you anymore."

Ichigo winced, jerking back from her. "Wha…no…there's nothing…why are you saying this? I can't…why…what…" he was losing all of his controls that he had retained tightly. "I don't need your help!" he yelled. "None of you! Just leave me alone, I'm fine…I don't…"

He wasn't fine, though. He was starting to hyperventilate as he tried to control it all. He was trying to focus on the floor at his feet like he did when he needed to escape into his head. When he looked up, the lady was cuffing his father and talking quietly to him. He shook his head and looked at her and then the other one who was staring at him. The male officer moved toward him and moved to grab him. Instinctively, Ichigo lashed out, kicking the guy away from him and pushing backward into the wall.

"Don't touch me!" he screamed at him, his breath heaving at the sudden rushing blood in his ears.

"Ichigo," he heard his father say and he looked up at him to see him smile at him. "Be a good boy for daddy," he said as he turned away.

Ichigo lost it then, the world blurring in and out as he felt someone holding him and he wanted to get them off him. He just wanted them to get away from him, to stop…

"Ichigo!" he heard and he turned to lock eyes with Renji's dark ones. "Ichigo, calm down, you need to calm down, okay? It's me!"

Ichigo grabbed Renji's arms and looked at him. "Am I a good boy?" Ichigo asked just before he passed out into his arms.