hey guys!!! so sorry about promising that deadline, but i've been under alot of stress lately and it's still not over. so i'll be pushing my deadline back a week. sorry. on the bright side, this is my longest chapter!! so enjoy. oh, and thank you everyone who reviewed, sorry if i forgot to reply to any of you. and thanks toshiro-lover (i got her name right!) for stealing my fire about how much fun i had with this. just kidding, love you babe!

so please enjoy.

"He's my brother." Toshiro said

Kane glared at Toshiro, a mixture of surprise and hatred danced in his grey-blue eyes. His eyebrows furrowed and his nose crinkled in disgust. "Get home now." He demanded. "Or would you like me to drag you there?"

Kane reached out his arm to grab the boy, but Rukia stepped in-between and slapped him in the face. "How dare you!" she exclaimed, "Being older doesn't give you the right to be a jerk!"

He grabbed the wrist that had smacked him and pulled her toward him, snaking his arm around her waist. "And what are you gonna do about it?" he brought his face dangerously close.

Ichigo grabbed Kane by the neck of his shirt and pulled him around to face him. "This." He said as his fist met the other's face.

Kane staggered backwards, cupping the side of his face with his hand. "You're gonna regret that." Kane spat. Ichigo simply glared at him. "What's that cocky look for, huh?" still Ichigo said nothing. "You're really starting to piss me off!" Kane shouted as he pulled out a knife.

Many things happened at once, Renji put himself protectively in front of Rukia as did Uryu for Orihime. Customers fled the restaurant and the owners got on the phone to call the police.

Kane ignored all the commotion going on in the restaurant, he only had one thing in mind, and that was to make Ichigo pay for what he did. He brought the knife around aimed at Ichigo's gut. The intention was not to kill, but he wasn't about to just let Ichigo walk away unharmed.

Ichigo prepared himself for the blow but it stopped in mid swing, right before the blade had come in contact with him. The teen looked down, shocked. Toshiro had stepped in the way and had caught the blade in his hand, stopping it. The blade was deep in his hand and Ichigo was amazed that the boy hadn't made a sound.

"You will not hurt him." The boy said, stepping closer to his brother.

Kane glared at him. "I'm only gonna warn you once, you piece of shit, get outta my way or I'll kill ya." Toshiro took another step forward until he and his brother were centimeters apart.

"You will not hurt him." He said again. Faster than Kane could react, Toshiro balled his free hand into a fist and brought it crashing into his brother's gut. Kane let go of the knife and doubled over. Toshiro dropped and kicked it out of reach. Grabbing a fistful of Kane's hair he pulled his face up to meet him.

"Get out." Toshiro commanded.

"I will not take orders from you!" Kane screeched as he grabbed the hand that was gripping his hair. He gripped it so hard it caused Toshiro to yelp and let go. The older boy picked him up and threw him across the room. Toshiro hit the wall head first and he crumpled into an unmoving heap on the floor.

"You bastard!" Ichigo yelled as he lunged for Kane. The brother side stepped and brought his knee into Ichigo's stomach, causing him to spit up blood. Chad ran up and slammed his fist into Kane's face. He flew across the room and landed in some tables.

Ichigo got up and walked over to the teen. Grabbing him by the shirt the orange haired teen lifted him up to meet his face. "I really hate people like you who think they have the right to do whatever they feel like."

"Like I care." Kane spat. Ichigo shook him.

"This is a warning, next time I see your ugly mug treating someone like that again, I'll beat the ever-living daylights out of you, understand?" He threw Kane to the floor and turned toward the others.

But fate has a strange way of favoring our enemies, and as fate would have it, Kane was thrown in the same direction Toshiro had kicked his knife. He picked up the knife, looking at it for a second before his mind was made up. No one had gotten away with degrading him like that in the past and he wasn't about to start letting people do it now.

He ran at Ichigo bringing the knife around, ready to strike. The orange haired teen turned in time to see Kane coming at him and it was all he could do to bring his arm up to shield himself. The knife bit into the flesh of his arm, tearing it as it cut smoothly across. Blood flowed down its length and Kane laughed evilly. The laugh was cut short, however, when the sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance. His face contorted into a look of frustration.

"You're off the hook for now." Kane said. "But if I see you again, you're dead!" and without further explanation he fled the restaurant.

Renji came up behind Ichigo and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We should go too." He said. "We don't want to be held up by the police, you and Toshiro need to get to a hospital."

"Not the hospital," Ichigo responded "My house is closer and easier to get to. Plus we'll get immediate attention."

"Fine whatever, if that's how you want it, let's just go." Renji said. "Since Chad drove me, I can drive you guys to the clinic in your car."

"No way, Renji! You only have your temps, there is absolutely no way I'm going to let you drive my car."

"But I'm a good driver!" Renji protested.

"I don't care, I said no. I can drive it myself."

"Not with the way your arm's bleeding." Rukia interjected. "I won't risk you loosing consciousness."

"But-"

"We're wasting too much time!" Uryu shouted. "Ichigo, go get in my car, I'll take you and Toshiro to the clinic. The rest of you, just figure it out."

Ichigo rushed over to where Toshiro lay and scooped up the boy with his good arm. Then, before anyone could say anything, he ran out the door. "Idiot" Uryu muttered under his breath while following.

The drive to the clinic was short, and soon they had arrived. Ichigo was about to grab Toshiro again when Uryu stopped him.

"Let me, you go and get your arm looked at.

"I'm fine." Ichigo protested, jumping out of the car. He swayed a little and had to grab the side of it for support.

"See, no you're not, now get inside." The orange-haired teen complied.

Upon entering the house, he was met with his dad, who was about to engage him in one of their usual fights, until he saw the blood flowing from his son's arm.

"What happened, Ichigo?" He asked completely serious.

"Just a little fight, nothing too big," Ichigo shrugged "just wrap it up and I'll be fine."

Isshin shook his head. "It'll need more than just a wrapping, Ichigo. Come on, I'll get you fixed up."

"Hold on," Ichigo stopped him. "I got a friend I need you to look after too. HEY URYU, YOU COMMIN'!" he yelled out the door and right into the face of an unsuspecting Uryu.

"You don't need to shout." Uryu said indignantly, "you almost made me drop him."

"Hehe, sorry about that." he apologized while holding the door open. Quickly, Isshin cleared one of the rooms and motioned for Uryu to place the boy on the bed.

"Ichigo," his father said, "let me clean up your wounds first, then I'll look after your friend." Ichigo was about to protest, about to tell him to take care of Toshiro first, but his dad had already begun to clean him up. "It'll probably take longer for him, that's why I'm doing you first." He explained. Ichigo nodded his head, understanding.

"Give me your keys, Ichigo," Uryu said, "I'll walk over to the café and get your car."

"Sure," Ichigo replied, tossing the keys to his friend. "Just don't wreck it."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Uryu smirked as he walked out the door. After he had gone, Isshin finally finished cleaning Ichigo's wound and putting medicine on it.

"I'll get Yuzu to wrap it while I look at your friend." The man told him. He called Yuzu and told her what he wanted her to do. He then went into Toshiro's room and shut the door.

After a little while, Yuzu had finished bandaging him and Uryu had returned. He told Ichigo that the others had made it home without any interference from the police, not that they had any fault in the matter anyway. he announced he was heading home as long as he was no longer needed.

"so I'll see you at school?" Uryu asked as he turned to leave.

"Yeah, probably." Ichigo replied. "Just get home already, I know your father doesn't like you to be home late for dinner."

"I'm going," Uryu sighed. "Just get better I guess."

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo waved as Uryu left. He then grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and plopped down in front of the television. After a while, his father came in.

"How is he?" Ichigo asked.

"As for his hand," Isshin replied, "He'll be fine, but I think he may have a small concussion, which wouldn't be so bad if he were conscious. In his unconscious state, we can only hope he doesn't go into a comma. If he doesn't wake up by tomorrow, we'll take him to a hospital." Ichigo nodded his head in agreement.

"and Ichigo," he continued, growing a bit more grim. "How much do you know about him."

Ichigo was confused as to why his father was asking him this, but he answered anyway. "I know he's shy around people, mainly, I think, because of his age and how he looks. I also know he's a freaking genius but not much more than that."

"Nothing about his family or home life?"

"No," Ichigo didn't like where this was going. "he doesn't talk about those things, why?"

Isshin sighed, "I'm not placing the blame in his family, although it's probably what I suspect, but I hope it isn't."

"You're not making any sense, old man." Ichigo said, growing impatient.

"That boy… well I checked for any extra injuries and well, it's not pretty."

"What are you talking about?"

"There were bruises, Ichigo, large ugly ones covering his torsoe, along with a few cuts and burns. Bruises on his arms too, ones that only could have been made by hands. Also, there were scars across his wrist, as if he had attempted suicide before." Ichigo's jaw dropped. "I can't be sure if it's domestic violence, but it's the most probable cause. If he wakes up between tonight and tomorrow, I want you to try and find out, but do it carefully."

"Me? Look, I want to find this out too, but I'm not good at 'doing it carefully'."

"But he's more likely to talk to you than to me. Please Ichigo."

"Alright fine."

"Thank you, also, I'll need you to stay home tomorrow, but just in the morning, especially if he's still unconscious. With him here and Karin sick I-"

"Wait," Ichigo interrupted. "Karin's sick?"

"Yes, she had a fever this morning, I think it may be the flew. Anyway, I have a meeting and need you to stay home, alright."

"Yeah, sure no problem." Ichigo let out a yawn. "We'll I'm going to bed."

"So early?" Isshin was surprised; his son never went to bed so early.

"Yeah, it's been a long day and I'm tired so, goodnight." He said as he headed off to bed.

* * *

Sunlight shone threw the window, illuminating the white room. In the bed, the boy stirred, but did not open his eyes. He didn't know where he was, but at the moment, he didn't care. His only reality was the fact that he was comfortable; everything else was a foggy blur. But that was okay him. After a while, though, his curiosity got the best of him.

Slowly and reluctantly, he opened an eye, and then another. They scanned the room, taking in their surroundings. As if triggered by this simple act, memories came rushing at him, overwhelming him and threatening to send him back into the inky blackness. But he stayed awake, processing everything that had happened to him. Once the realization of what those memories meant hit him, he sat up in the bed, only to fall back down, clutching his head.

"So, you're awake." A voice came from the doorway. Toshiro turned to see Ichigo standing there. "Finally, if you hadn't woken up by the time my dad got home, we would've had to take you to the hospital."

"Where am I?" Toshiro asked.

"My dad's clinic, well my house too, their kind of connected." Ichigo answered.

"Oh, what time is it?"

"About ten in the morning, are you hungry?" Ichigo asked him, figuring he would be after missing both dinner and breakfast.

"TEN IN THE MORNING! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" Toshiro exclaimed. "I have to leave, I have to get home." The boy jumped out of bed, but his feet gave out and he would have fallen had Ichigo not caught him.

"Woah! What's the rush?" Ichigo asked, placing him back on the bed.

"I need to get home, Ichigo."

"Look," Ichigo explained, "I can't let you leave until my dad gives the okay."

"But I… I have to get home my… parents will be worried.

"Then we'll give them a call, and let them know you're fine. We can even give them the address if you want them here." Ichigo was about to go grab the phone when Toshiro stopped him.

"No, you can't. please, Ikari will be angry." Toshiro pleaded.

Ichigo frowned. "You went from worry to anger, Toshiro, those two normally don't coincide."

"I just-"

"What's going on, huh?"

"None of your business." He looked away.

"None of my business? I'm your friend of course it's my business."

"No it's not, it doesn't concern you." He huffed.

"How many times do I have to say it? You're my friend so it does concern me."

"Drop it, Ichigo!"

"Just tell me already!"

"Just shut up!" Toshiro turned further away from the teen.

"TOSHIRO!" he grabbed the boy and made him face him. Toshiro started struggling against his grip, beating his fists at him, trying to make him let go."

"Get off me!" he screamed, "don't touch me!" upon hearing the panic in the boy's voice, Ichigo immediately let go. "What do you know, huh? Why do you persist on this, 'I'm your friend so it's my business too'? You're no better than anyone else in this world so why…"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"You want to know what's going on, but it's none of your concern!"

Ichigo practically yelled in frustration. "How many times do I have to say it before it sinks into that thick skull of yours? I'm you friend so it very much is my concern."

Toshiro snorted. "Maybe for now, but in the end you'll be just like them and…" he went almost to a whisper. "I don't want to loose you too."

"You won't." Ichigo said softly.

"How do you know?"

"Try me." Toshiro looked up confused.

"What?"

"I'll prove to you that friendship does matter and I won't throw it away so easily."

"How?"

"Just answer a question, this thing that's bugging you, that you're so sure I'll throw away our friendship over."

"Fine, what do you want to know?" Toshiro sighed.

"The bruises and cuts on your body, how did you get them?" Toshiro's eyes went wide.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on; don't play dumb, I already know about them."

"My brother's like to play rough." He made up an excuse, but Ichigo would not be swayed so easily.

"I don't buy that." the teen persisted.

"It's a long story."

"I've got time." Toshiro seemed to think about it for a long time. But he knew Ichigo would find out some how, so he decided better to get this over with.

"You have to promise, Ichigo, promise you won't breathe a word."

"I promise."

Toshiro took another long pause before beginning his story. "My mom got married, twenty-five years ago, to Ikari. They were really happy; he loved her more than life itself. He had a good paying job and was able to buy her a nice house on the edge of the town surrounded by lots of trees and other foliage. She loved nature, planting gardens and everything that goes with it, so Ikari bought her lots of land.

"After four years of marriage, they decided they wanted children and they had Makoto, my oldest brother. After two more years they had Jiro, and they loved both of their sons. But my mom wanted a girl so when Makoto was four they had Renzo and Kane, my mother loved them all but still really wanted a girl so they decided to try one more time and they had Dai.

"My mother was slightly upset by not having a girl, but she still loved all of them to the fullest extent of her love. Two years after Dai was born, Ikari was asked to go on a company retreat for his work. He promised he would only be gone a few days and my mother knew she would be able to take care of things at home. While he was away, a man broke into the house one night and raped my mother.

"Ikari was furious when he found out, and even more so when he found out she was pregnant. He begged her to either have it aborted or given up for adoption but she refused. She tried to think of it as a blessing within a curse and, though this idea has never been spoken, it was also probably because she hoped this would be the girl she was waiting for. But no, eight months later, one month early, I was born and he started drinking.

"My mom, I guess, thought she could still love me as much as the others, but for some reason she couldn't and I became the incarnation of my father's sin. But I never understood at that time, I was only five, I thought maybe it was because I wasn't showing her that I loved her enough. So one day, I tried to show her that I did love her, I went out into the garden and picked a handful of flowers. I remember clearly the look on my mother's face when I handed them to her. her eyes welled up with tears and she cried. I thought it was because I wasn't supposed to pick the flowers, but nothing I said, no matter how many times I apologized, nothing would make her stop crying.

"That's when Ikari came home. He was furious already, he had been fired from his job due to the fact he had started drinking too much. When he saw my mother crying and me their, well I guess something snapped. He grabbed me by the hair and drug me away from my mother. He took me deep into the woods and beat me half to death. After that, Ikari was almost never seen without a bottle in his hand, and my mother never looked at me after that. Some of my brothers even started drinking.

"The abuse became a common thing to, from just slapping to a full out thrashing, and my mother constantly feigning ignorance. I used to wish she would come and stop him. I used to dream of her wrapping her arms around me and… telling me she loves me, but that, that's just wishful thinking… not even that anymore." Here he stopped, voice trembling and the smallest hint of tears in his eyes, but he somehow managed to keep his face passive.

Ichigo looked down at his toes, then, as if compelled by some unknown force, he reached out and embraced the boy. Toshiro stiffened, but Ichigo did not let go. "I know," he said. "I know I can't possibly begin to imagine the hell you've been through, but no matter what comes along in your life, please know I will always be their for you. I am your friend, Toshiro; I want to help you, even if all I can do right now is be there." Ichigo tightened his grip as the boy buried his face in the teen's shoulder and cried.

"Always, Toshiro, I will always be there for you."

yay! i loved writting that chapter, now please tell me what you thought.