Well I'm back again. I had a bit of free time so i decided to bust this chapter out, so I hope that it's up to standard and that you enjoy.

(Name) = main point of view

(Flashback) = Flashback

"Speech" 'Thought'

Hope you enjoy so here it goes.

Chapter 6

(Urahara)

He was doing a final inspection of Ichigo after Tessai had healed the majority of the boys' injuries with kido. Nothing could really be done about the broken ribs at the moment. The majority of the other injuries had been taken care of, but there was still going to be some nasty bruises in some areas. Around the ribs and his legs were the main effected areas while the rest of his body was in pretty good shape considering what he had just been through.

Again Urahara was amazed at what this boy could handle, and he thought that he still had a long way to go until he reached his peek. But he wasn't too focused on that right now, he was still in high spirits about his friend being able to find something to take up her time and to be proud of once again.

Suddenly his body tensed a little bit as he felt a presence that he knew from long ago in the distance. At first he didn't think it was anything but when he focused on it he was pretty sure he knew what it was. But he was also a little surprised that this person would actually be here now, but he couldn't ignore it because he was pretty certain that this feeling had to be him.

Even though the person was hiding their reiatsu he knew exactly what to look for with this particular case. He had never gotten along with him and whenever this man was locked onto something he could just feel a chill in the air and the feeling of an empty space devoid of anything somewhere made the back of his neck tingle.

This person was so good at hiding his reiatsu that he could make it feel as if there was an empty void in his place. Almost as if he was also concealing the natural reiatsu in the atmosphere that lingered around his body, but you would only notice this if you knew what to look for. He thought that this method was rather effective because most people would be searching for any flickers of reiatsu to confirm that there is a presence, rather than looking for the opposite and feeling for an empty space. He really didn't have a good feeling about this as he felt it nearby, and also very close to where he could feel Yoruichi.

"What's going on Yoruichi?" he asked himself quietly as he kept probing for any changes to either presence.

Eventually the void began to move further away and he was able to relax a little. However he couldn't fully relax because he wanted to know what had happened, but he decided that he would just wait until she came back. Just in case it was actually nothing

He knew that Yoruichi was more than capable of protecting herself. But there were things in this world that even she wouldn't be able to stand up against under normal circumstances. And if he was right this person was right near the top of that list of people and not just because of his skill either.

"Great timing there Kurosaki, you couldn't have held out for another half an hour?" he said as a half-hearted joke to the unconscious teen.

But all he could do now was wait and see what happened when she came back.

It was about twenty minutes later when Yoruichi walked casually through the front door of the small sweets store with a smile on her face. Urahara who was sitting crossed legged at the entrance of the main corridor wasn't completely sure if he should be happy or worried about this smile. So as she was about to walk past him he had to ask what had happened.

"You feeling ok Yoruichi?" he said as he looked up at her.

"Yeah I'm great, I was really able to clear my head but I'm a little tired now from the training." she replied casually.

"Is that so? That training really got you thinking did it?" he asked while raising his fan slightly until it was just below his chin.

"Yea you could say that, the potential is a little mind blowing so I just had to get my head straight again." she then ran her hand through her hair and Urahara was able to see a lotus flower in her left hand.

He was a little curious as to why she had it. He had to confirm it, even though he already had a pretty good idea.

"Oh that's a nice flower. Why do you have that? Did you happen to meet anyone while you were out on your walk?" he asked as he brought his fan up to cover the lower half of his face.

"No not really although I thought there might have been someone around but I couldn't find them. Oh yea this flower is nice I just happened to find it on a swing in the park and thought it was too nice to leave there." she said while looking down at the pink flower in her hand.

That was one of the possible scenarios he thought might have occurred, but he was a little confused as to 'why now?'

"Oh that's nice. Well then you should probably go get some rest, you must be pretty tired after this week's training with Ichigo. And we will take him back home soon." he said while slowly getting back up to head down the hall.

"Oh? How is our substitute shinigami doing anyway?" she said as if she had only just remembered who she had been with all week.

The way in which she had asked made Urahara pause for a second with very mild shock as he looked back over his shoulder at her. 'What was going on in that girls mind?' he thought.

"He's pretty beat up but he'll live to see another day. But I would say that it's a good thing you stopped when you did. Because if he had taken much more I fear he may have suffered some serious long term damage" Urahara said as he carefully pivoted on the spot to face Yoruichi and pulled his fan up to his face again while looking at the woman.

"Was it really that bad? Wow. I'm glad that he's a tough one or that could have been ugly, but he is stable now right?" she said a little concern and a touch of guilt showing on her features.

"Yes he should be fine after a good night's sleep. So there is no need to worry" he said as he started to walk towards the room Ichigo was resting in.

"Well I'm relieved about that. Which room is he in?" she asked while following Kisuke.

"This one." he said while sliding a door to his left open to see Ichigo on a futon resting. But it looked as if he might be slowly starting to stir.

Urahara studied her expression and watched as Yoruichi knelt down next to Ichigo taking in his appearance. He could see a little worry as she looked over the injuries, and then he saw a small smile appear on her face. He thought that she must be relieved or proud that he had made it through in a week. Then Ichigo let out a small groan that sounded something like "Yoruichi" and shifted his head, Ichigo's whole body tensed for a moment then relaxed again.

When Ichigo was still again he thought he saw pain and confusion cross her features for only a second before Ichigo started to really wake.

'What's going through your head right now Yoruichi?' he thought as the young shinigami half opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.

(Ichigo)

Ichigo was having an amazing dream at that moment. He was in a bright and vibrant garden filled with many fruit trees that had a stream running down the middle. He was resting propped up against a large apple tree and surrounded by lush green grass. He was very tired for some reason but he couldn't quite remember why, all he cared about was relaxing in the beautiful garden that he had found himself in.

His eyes slowly fell shut as he gave into the fatigue and he was consumed by darkness for a moment. But when he opened them again he was startled to find a pair of golden eyes staring into his. It actually took him a few seconds before he was able to pull his eyes away and look at the rest of the body that the eyes belonged to. So when he finally did look around he found he was still in the garden with Yoruichi down on all fours wearing only a tank top and boy shorts leaning in close to him, her face only inches from his. He couldn't help but be fascinated as her hair slowly waved about in a gentle breeze which caused a few stray strands too dance around in front of her eyes.

He felt his cheeks growing warmer as the proximity and beauty of the woman sunk in and he started to feel just a little self-conscious. If this was heaven than he never ever wanted to leave, that's what was going through his mind as she slowly reached up and placed her hand on his chest. He felt his heart skip a beat as her soft hand made contact.

But as soon as she made contact, memories started to flood back. Memories of his training, images of her in his arms and startled golden eyes looking up into his. All this came flooding in as he suddenly remembered everything that had happened.

While he was remembering he was also watching Yoruichi run her hand down his chest and around to his right side.

"Yoruichi?" he said in a small voice as she planted her hand over one of his ribs. But he was completely caught off guard as pain racked his entire body when she started to put pressure on his rib. He looked back into her eyes trying to figure out what she was doing but when their eyes connected he was shocked to see a smug look on her face. As another wave of pain shot through his body ripping him from the pleasant garden and throwing him into darkness again.

It was at this moment that he started to come to his senses and felt very heavy, but at the same time very comfortable. He figured that he was probably on a futon in Urahara's shop and that experience must have been a dream after passing out. He felt pretty good for what he remembered going through so he guessed that Tessai must have helped him out quite a bit.

He was actually shocked for a moment as he thought about how clear headed and perceptive he had just been. Whereas normally he would have woken up dazed, confused and completely clueless as to where he was.

When he had processed all of this he opened his eyes halfway and had a quick look around. He was in one of Kisuke's spare rooms with Urahara sitting against the wall and Yoruichi on her knees close by. He was again a little surprised to find that he had been right. But even though Tessai had fixed him up Ichigo felt tired as hell, 'it must be the week finally catching up to me' he thought.

"How are feeling Ichigo?" He heard Urahara ask from the side.

"Uhh been better. But I'd say pretty good considering what I put myself through this week" he replied in a sleepy tone.

"Well that's very good to hear Ichigo. And Tessai will take you back home shortly." Urahara said while observing the situation. He was studying how the pair would react after their incident earlier.

"Thanks for that because I really don't think that I'll be moving on my own anytime soon." Ichigo replied while trying to move his body but failing.

"Yeah you make sure to get a good rest Kurosaki. And I know your habits so no extra training for now. But don't worry maybe we can finish off you're training when you are fully recovered?" Yoruichi said as she looked down at the resting teen.

His whole body flinched on instinct when she said that, which he regretted instantly because the jolt to his ribs sent another wave of pain through him.

"Uh yeah that sounds good I can't wait." He said getting a little nervous at the idea of having to do more of that 'training' with Yoruichi. But then he shook the feeling off as he remembered what had happened earlier, and thought that it could be pretty good after all.

"Ummm, Yoruichi. I'm really sorry if I did anything out of hand to make you uncomfortable earlier" he said while looking up at the dark skinned woman with almost hopeful eyes.

This is what Urahara was waiting to observe. He wanted to know if his hunch about what he felt earlier was right or not. And he was really hoping he was wrong.

"Oh thaaat, no don't worry about it. It was just the adrenaline and the tension of the week getting to us; it's no big deal Kurosaki. After a good rest you will be back to normal again so I'm not fazed. Okay?" Yoruichi said in a rather uncomfortable tone as her eyes darted around the room trying to find something other than the boys' face to focus on, but because of this she didn't catch Ichigo's face falling and his eyes losing a little of their normal light.

'Bingo, dam I hate it when I'm right sometimes!' Urahara thought after observing the brief exchange. Although now he was becoming a tad more worried about Yoruichi's encounter earlier that evening.

"Oh yea you're right it was just the stress messing with my head sorry I had to have my weird moment in front of you, but I'm glad we cleared that up now." Ichigo said a little quieter than before.

"Nah its fine don't worry about it. It happens" she said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Hahaha yea it does, well thank you anyway. When you train me it seems that within a few days I improve by amounts that would normally take years of training and I'm sure that I will this time too." He said as he looked back up at her while fighting to keep his eyes open which were getting heavier and heavier.

"It's all you Kurosaki I'm just there to nudge you in the right direction. I'm not any better at teaching you than Kisuke would be". She said a little embarrassed.

"I wouldn't necessarily call this a simple nudge in the right direction Yoruichi." Urahara stated behind his fan.

"What are you trying to imply Kisuke? That my methods are overboard or something?" Yoruichi snapped as she gave Urahara a glare.

"Oh no nothing like that at all." Urahara said with his hands raised in mock surrender.

Ichigo let out a small chuckle just as he succumbed to the darkness and passed out again.

"But I can't say the same for him though." Urahara quietly stated.

"Shut it!" she snapped as her sharp ears picked up his quiet comment.

(Urahara)

While Yoruichi was saying what she needed to him in the background. He watched Ichigo sleep as some of her words had made him think of the red heads growth so far and the potential he still has. And he thought about what the future may have in store for him.

'It's all on you now to take the next steps because I feel that you're gonna need as much strength as possible, as you tackle the obstacles that will block your road ahead. And they will pop up in front of you even earlier than you think Kurosaki. Even if you do have the strength to rival a captain, you will probably be pushed even further.' He thought as Yoruichi was coming to a close and Tessai walked in.

"Ah Tessai good timing, would you be able to return young Kurosaki home? We don't want to keep Ishin wondering what's happened to his son for too much longer now do we." Urahara asked as he watched the large man with dark glasses and corn braids, wearing a pair of denim overalls with a white shirt. Lean down and lift Ichigo in his massive arms.

He didn't know why exactly, but for some reason it seemed like Ichigo was having anything but a restful sleep. But he didn't bother with that detail too much as Tessai walked out of the room with Yoruichi behind him. Both heading separate ways at the door.

"You'd better get ready to really fight for what you want Kurosaki-kun, because you have one hell of an opponent coming up" he said to no one in particular as he watched Yoruichi head towards her room.

The next day played out like a normal Monday would. Urahara opened up the shop near midday and tended to the few customers that would come by his store.

How his store actually survived no one knew for sure.

It was generally pretty quiet around the store except for when Jinta and Ururu would argue and Tessai would have to finish it each time. But Urahara was brought from his usual daydreams when Ichigo's friends Orihime, Ishida and Chad came around later in the afternoon. He assumed that school must be finished if they were all here, although said red head was surprisingly absent.

"Hello you three what can I do for you on this fine afternoon?" he greeted the group as they came closer to the front of the shop.

"Hello Urahara-san we were just coming to see how Kurosaki-kun's training was going". Orihime said in a pleasant tone.

Urahara was a bit confused at this comment.

"What training? He finished his training yesterday." Urahara stated in a confused manner.

"Oh really that's strange I wonder what he's doing then because he didn't come to school today, and we just assumed he was too focused on training to think about school or anything else." Orihime said with an expression that was bordering on worried.

When Urahara heard the explanation he thought he might have an idea as to what had happened.

"Oh I see, but there is no need to worry. He had a pretty hard work out over the weekend so he probably just decided to take the day off to fully recover" he said to calm the group before they jumped to any conclusions.

"Yeah you're probably right. I was just getting a little worried for a second because he hadn't answered his phone or replied to our messages all day." The girl said as the two boys on either side nodded at this statement.

"He probably just turned off his phone; I'm sure that he's just fine and wants to have a good rest that's all." Urahara said to the teens as he started to get the feeling that something was a little off when he really started to think about the issue. Normally Ichigo would be up and about after a night's sleep no matter how beat up he was.

'He couldn't be upset about what happened with Yoruichi last night could he? No he's not the type of kid to get worked up over something little like that. Well surely not to this extent anyway.' He thought while the three teens were talking between themselves. Eventually they accepted his explanation and decided to head home.

He figured that Ishida didn't believe him and was most likely getting an off feeling about this situation just like he was. But he was probably keeping quiet to keep Inoue from getting too worried and for that Urahara was grateful.

Urahara wasn't sure why, but this just didn't feel right to him. He tried to brush it off but his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to check this out for himself. He quickly went and told Tessai that he was going out for a bit then quickly made his way out of the store.

On his way out he saw Yoruichi who had just come back from doing a few errands.

"Where are you rushing off too Kisuke?" The dark skinned woman asked just before he walked passed her.

"I need to check on Ichigo" Urahara stated flatly

The lack of humour or playfulness in his voice set off alarm bells in her head. "What's going on did something happen to him?" she asked as a heavy feeling started to build up in the bottom off her stomach.

"Oh it's nothing I'm sure, I just wanted to see how he was doing after last night" he called over his shoulder as he walked past her and leapt up to the nearby rooftops and headed for the Kurosaki residence.

The way Urahara was acting who was always calm and collected in any situation even when he fought made Yoruichi very uncomfortable. She had learned to trust Kisuke's gut feelings about ninety five per cent of the time over the years, because he was almost always right.

So only after a few seconds of pondering, she also left the shop and headed for the Kurosaki residence.

As the two grew nearer they knew something was odd because they felt Ichigo's reiatsu jumping up and down sporadically. They stopped on the roof of a house across the road from the Kurosaki residence when they saw Kurosaki Ishin standing on the top of a lamp post in front of them.

But what got their attention was that he wasn't in his normal human form, but in his former shinigami uniform. With a large portion of his white captains haori hanging from a badge attached to his left shoulder, also with a serious look plastered on his face which was an even rarer sight.

"I was wondering when you would get here" Ishin said in a nonchalant tone.

"Hello Ishin it's been quite some time now hasn't it" Urahara said with a warm tone

"Hmm yea it has. But enough of that I hope what's happening with my boy has nothing to do with you? I knew he was training with you but this is just un-heard of." He said with an undercurrent of worry in his voice and a pain in his eyes of a parent helplessly watching something horrible happen to their child.

This made Yoruichi worry even more and her stomach flipped as Ichigo's reiatsu spiked unnaturally high for a split second. She wanted to see him and know what was happening.

Urahara was trying to understand what Ishin meant. But at the same time in the back of his mind he was impressed with the level of reiatsu that this boy actually had. "Can we see young Ichigo?" he asked now needing to see for himself what was actually happening.

"Sure but just be prepared" Ishin said as he turned and headed for the house.

"Prepared for what?" Yoruichi asked after they had entered the house and were walking up the stairs on their way to Ichigo's room.

"You'll see" Ishin replied as they reached the landing and he put his hand on the door knob.

Urahara was more than curious now as to what could be behind the door while he watched the door being slowly pushed open and they walked in.

Yoruichi let out a small gasp as the sight before her shocked her. But it wasn't only her; Urahara was also stunned at what he was seeing but at the same time his curiosity was off the scale.

Before them was Ichigo lying in his bed unconscious with a blanket covering the lower half of his body while the rest was bare. His face was covered in sweat and his fists kept clenching every now and again as his reiatsu would spike.

But that's not what was shocking. His torso and arms were covered in thin red lines that criss-crossed randomly across his entire upper body. The pair were confused as to what the lines were exactly because they weren't there the day before, that is until they saw a thin red line slowly materialise above his right eye about five centimetres long and watched as a red substance started to ooze slowly from it. As soon as they had seen this they realised that every one of those lines on his body were cuts.

As soon as she realised that they were cuts covering his body Yoruichi was almost sick at the sight, but she was shocked even more as she saw that the bed sheet was soaked red. Her chest tightened and here stomach was turning as she tried to figure out what was going on in front of her. She couldn't figure out who was cutting him and how. When she looked over at Ishin her stomach dropped even more when she saw the hardened look on his face and the pain that was in his eyes.

When she looked back at Urahara his face was slightly paler than normal, but he still had a calculating look on his face while he studied the bleeding boy in front of him.

"What do you think Ishin?" Urahara asked.

"Hah what do I think? Well at first I thought it might be Zangetsu teaching him something, but as it's gone on I'm becoming less and less sure Urahara" He replied as his eyes never left Ichigo.

"Hmmmm I think you might still be right Kurosaki" Urahara said as he reached up and pulled down slightly on the brim of his hat.

"What do you mean?" Ishin asked confused and a little scared of the answer.

"Well last week Ichigo came to me and asked me some rather interesting questions about something Zangetsu told him" Urahara said as he pulled the brim of his hat down in front of his face.

"And what was that?" Yoruichi asked impatiently.

"He told me Zangetsu said that his Vizard form was still incomplete. That there was much more to becoming a real vizard other than just siphoning that overwhelming raw power from their inner hollow." He said. When he saw that the other two were listening intently he carried on.

"He said that to become more efficient he had to become almost like a level two vizard."

This shocked and confused the two people listening but they didn't say anything and kept listening to what Urahara had to say.

"Zangetsu said that Ichigo would need to become more in tune with his hollow to reach his full potential. That he needed to see things from a different angle to broaden his perspective and to improve his fighting efficiency. Meaning that Ichigo needed to develop his animalistic instincts to help him survive and to help him utilise his hollow's power fully." Urahara explained. As he finished he saw the shocked and worried expressions on both of their faces.

"So you're saying that Zangetsu and Ichigo's hollow could be doing this to him now?" Ishin asked slightly bewildered.

"Most likely, from what I can discern yes." Urahara said

"But that's crazy doesn't Zangetsu want to protect him? Not cut him to pieces." Ishin asked feeling confused.

"Yes but this may be his way of protecting him. He may be teaching him something important that will help Ichigo in the future. He may think that he needs this now rather than later. But even if it isn't, all we can do is wait until Ichigo wakes up to find out what happened exactly." Urahara thought out loud.

"So you're saying that we can't do anything for him?" Yoruichi asked helplessly. She looked at the cut up boy on the bed with hints of tears slowly building up in the corners of her eyes. The fact that he was going through all of this pain and struggle and she could do absolutely nothing to help, other than watch and worry made her more frustrated with the situation.

"I am afraid so. Wouldn't you say Ishin?" Urahara said as he turned to look away from the boy and at his father.

"As much as it pains me you are right, we're just going to have to sit and wait for him to get through this himself. But you two should head home I'll look after things here and I will call you if anything develops" Ishin said with defeat in his voice.

"Are you sure? We could stay and help with the wounds or something" Yoruichi asked wanting to be of some use to them. Even if it was just cleaning she couldn't stand not doing anything at the moment.

"No I insist you go take it easy and I'll see you later on okay" Ishin said in a tone that didn't allow for any further discussion.

When she heard his tone and saw the expression on his face she gave in, knowing that he felt the same way, and she couldn't take away the only thing he could do as a father at that moment.

"Okay but make sure to get in touch with us if anything happens" She said as she looked back at the red head on the bed.

"Well with that settled I suppose we will head off and we'll see you if anything changes. See ya" Urahara said as he gently grabbed Yoruichi by the shoulders and guided her out the door and back down stairs. They left the house leaving Ishin alone in the room with his son.

(Yoruichi)

As she headed back to the shop with Kisuke she couldn't shake the image of Ichigo on that bed, covered in cuts and blood. It sent chills down her back thinking that it could be his own zanpakuto doing this to him. The part that was frustrating her most was the fact that she just didn't know what was happening and didn't know if it would be alright.

But also the feeling of not being able to do anything was bugging her to no end; she always hated the feeling of being useless. That's why she had trained so hard in the past to make sure she couldn't feel like that again. And yet those feelings were eating away at her, now that someone close to her was in a situation right in front of her and she could do absolute jack for him. Even though it was a silly thing to be thinking about at that moment these ideas were popping into her head none the less. Along with the idea that he was working so hard whether he liked it or not and was improving by leaps and bounds and would only continue to improve even further eventually leaving her behind. This made her feel even more helpless.

These thoughts and feelings were tormenting her until she felt a hand on her shoulder which snapped her back into reality. She stopped to see Urahara there next to her with an empathising look on his face.

"I know this is hard and you want to help. But all you can do now is have faith that Kurosaki will overcome whatever it is that is doing this to him and believe that he can pull through in the end. Like he always does" Urahara said in an attempt to calm the dark skinned woman before she worked herself into a frenzy.

Yoruichi looked back at her long-time friend and smiled as she thought that he was right. Slowly the feeling of despair began to drain away and a fire was starting to burn within her once again.

"Yeah you're right Urahara, he always pulls the carpet out from under you whenever you think you've got him all figured out. And no doubt he will do it again this time." She said as her belief in the teen's abilities allowed her to shake the image of the cut up body to the back of her mind for now at least.

"Thanks Kisuke I needed that." She said as she started to run back to the shop with Urahara smiling at her following close behind.

The next day dragged on for Urahara and Yoruichi. Both of them were anxious for various reasons. Urahara was worried about Ichigo yes, but he really wanted to know what was happening and why the substitute shinigami's zanpakuto would go to such extreme lengths.

Yoruichi was worried about Ichigo himself, she wanted to know if he was alright or if he had gotten worse or if there were any other changes. The goddess was worried about the effects this could have on his mind. But first she wanted to get rid of the helpless feeling by helping out as much as she could and she wanted to see the young shinigami.

All in all they both wanted to visit the boy. But they had decided to respect Ishin's words and let him be alone with his son for now unless anything happened. So Yoruichi had started keeping tabs on Ichigo's reiatsu, even though it was jumping about sporadically she was feeling for any distinctive change that would alert her to a change in his condition.

Even though he wouldn't show it she was pretty sure that Urahara was doing the same. This had made doing her normal errands almost impossible since she was way too focused on Ichigo's reiatsu off in the distance to focus on anything else. So she had ended up sitting around the shop the entire day.

She was so in tune with his reiatsu that she would jump to her feet every time it would spike higher than normal or if it would suddenly drop, ready to take off at only a seconds notice. Really this wasn't good for her nerves at all but she couldn't stop for long because she just had to know what was happening. She wasn't quite sure why but the idea of not knowing what was happening with the boy just made her chest tighten and her breathing become heavier.

In short she was just shy of becoming a complete nervous wreck

She had sat quietly in the shop when Ichigo's friends had come after school asking about him again. If she had started talking she knew that she might have said something that would make them worry too. So she let Urahara do all of the talking and tell them that Ichigo was still doing some extra training but that it would be done very shortly, so there was nothing to worry about.

A little while after the trio of teens had left; Urahara was watching Yoruichi on the verge of pulling her hair out. He let out a small chuckle at how the legendary Yoruichi Shihoin was acting because of one teen.

"Hey Yoruichi lighten up or else you're gonna….." He said but was silenced mid-sentence as they both felt Ichigo's reiatsu sky rocket and wasn't showing any signs of going back down.

As soon as Yoruichi felt this she knew that something had just changed. And she couldn't sit and wait any longer. Urahara must have thought the same thing because he only looked into her eyes for a second and they were off.

Yoruichi was flash stepping as fast as she could leaving Urahara behind as she rushed to the Kurosaki residence. "What's going on Ichigo?" she said as she felt his reiatsu increasing as she got closer to her destination.

But then suddenly her body froze for a split second and she almost missed her step as something she was hoping wouldn't happen, just happened. She took off again pushing her body past its limits to get there as fast as possible. Her body was screaming in protest but she ignored it and kept pushing forward.

"It can't be? He wouldn't! Not like this" She said

She couldn't believe it no matter how hard she searched she couldn't find it.

Ichigo's reiatsu had just disappeared. One second it had been there coming out in monstrous amounts then it had suddenly vanished along with any signs of him and his existence. Normally there was only one explanation for this, but she was hoping to god that it wasn't the case here.

"You can't die Ichigo not like this. Hold on I'm coming" she said as she could see Ichigo's home drawing nearer in the distance.

When she reached the house she burst through the unlocked front door and bolted up the stairs to the red heads room. As she entered the room she stood there shocked as she took in the scene before her.

Before her was Ishin propped against the wall, hands holding the bridge of his nose with blood pouring from it. He had tears trailing down his cheeks as he looked over at his son. Yoruichi turned to look at the boy too and her chest suddenly felt like it had been hit by a truck, and then she was almost sick as tears slowly began to well in her eyes while she took it all in.

Ichigo was lying there with even more red lines than the night before covering his body, but they were also wider and deeper now. It looked almost as if he had gone through a mulcher. And on his face was half of his hollow mask slowly crumbling away to reveal his cut up face.

But what was the final blow to her mental state. Was the lack of any presence or reiatsu coming from his unmoving body.

She only stood there not quite ready to accept this scene before her as reality yet, wishing that she could hurry up and wake up from this horrible dream. She started to slowly stager towards Ichigo while in the background she heard the sobs of Ishin and a quiet "crap" that alerted her to Urahara's arrival.

Her legs felt like lead as she dropped to her knees next to the bed and reached up to place her hand on his clenched fist. Reality finally struck her as she felt the last traces of warmth slowly draining from his skin. Tears were now freely trailing down her cheeks as the cool feel of his skin sent chills through her body.

She watched as the last few pieces of the mask fell from his face revealing his handsome features. She thought she could see a few traces of tears that had come from his closed eyes and mixed with the blood on his face.

"No…. no…. no… no nooo! Not like this you're not supposed to die now Ichigo you idiot! You're supposed to become a great shinigami that will continue to shock and amaze everyone for years to come and live a long and happy life. It's not supposed to end now. What are your friends and family going to do without you here huh?" She started yelling hysterically to the lifeless boy as she pulled his hand up to her cheek

When the cold skin touched her face it sent a chill through her body which seemed to calm her down for a short period. She took a deep breath then started to whisper very softly into his cold hand "Ichigo what am I meant to do now? Who's gonna keep me guessing? Who's going to keep me wondering what they're going to pull out of the bag next? Who's going to train with me to protect our friends? Who's going to make me laugh at their antics from now on? Tell me Ichigo who's gonna do that if you're gone, don't go Ichigo stay with me please?" She kept pleading with no response, she didn't fully understand why but this was all just flowing out like a burst dam. She couldn't stop she just had to tell him.

Ishin and Urahara were both listening quietly as the shop keeper tended to Ishin's injured nose. But this shocked the two, Ishin more than Urahara. But they were both surprised to hear the famous goddess of flash, the legendary prodigy leader of the second squad breaking down as she was. Obviously they hadn't been present during the incident with Stark so this was the first time anyone had ever witnessed her in this manner.

"Come on Ichigo don't go. What are you gonna do about your sisters huh? Who's gonna look out for them if you're gone? Who's gonna look after your friends now? Who's going to keep me believing again after so many years? Don't you take that away from me Ichigo! Come back to me ICHIGO!" She screamed the last part out as she finally lost it and started to cry next to the bed regret and loss consuming her.

In a fit of anguish when she received no reply from him, she pounded her fists on his cold chest twice with the little strength she had left in her. She then curled herself into a ball beside the bed as she let the remorse take hold of her.

For a while the three adults just sat there in shock at what had just happened to Ichigo. No one said anything the only noise in the room was the quiet sobs coming from Ishin and Yoruichi. Everyone was in too much disbelief to say anything coherent at that time.

Yoruichi was beginning to sink deeper and deeper into darkness when she felt the tiniest flicker of something. She only felt it because she was so close to the body but she was certain she felt something, something that wasn't meant to be there anymore. That something was more than enough to spark a flame of hope in her. The two men looked at her a little confused as Yoruichi used her sleeve to wipe the tears from her face then lifted herself up and placed her ear on the boy's chest.

Suddenly new tears started to spill from her eyes but this time they were tears of relief. As she heard a very faint beat where his heart would be, it was faint but it was still a beat which meant that he wasn't completely gone yet.

The only coherent thing able to leave her mouth that moment was a very quiet "He's still alive" she said shocked as joy and relief flooded her system and she couldn't stop the tears no matter what she did.

At these words Ishin jumped to his feet and was at Ichigo's side in a second, with Urahara standing behind him. When he had also confirmed the same sound, the tension in the room seemed to drop a few notches and everyone was able to relax for a second.

But the relief was quickly replaced with disbelief as Ichigo's body started to make a hissing noise and steam started to seep from the majority of his wounds, as they began to stitch themselves back together right before their eyes. The trio continued to watch in awe as the once diced flesh became almost completely normal again, except for a few very thin scars from the much larger wounds.

Then suddenly everyone jumped back as Ichigo's back arched and his body seized for a couple of seconds, then his body jolted fiercely and he fell back on the bed limp again.

It was quiet for a few seconds as the last of the steam dissipated and everyone waited to see what would happen next.

Then Ichigo's eyes flew open and he gasped as he bolted upright in his bed filling his empty lungs with air, he continued to suck in great big gulps of air as he looked around to take in his surroundings. His whole body was heaving and shaking furiously. His eyes were filled with panic, fear, disbelief and shock all at the same time; as they darted around franticly trying to find anything that might be a threat. And then after he had swept the room and determined that there were no threats he looked over at the three other occupants of the room.

He seemed to pause for a second on each person's face. As he looked at each face he seemed to relax little by little as he saw the expressions of each individual. Almost as if it were confirmation that he was back and he was alright.

He looked up and found an intrigued expression etched into Urahara's features, which seemed to allow him to think a little clearer. Then as he looked at his father the on edge and jumpy feeling seemed to disappear as his shoulders sagged and relaxed. But when his eyes fell on Yoruichi traces of tears starting to well in the corners of his eyes were visible as the last of his nerves seemed to dissipate.

"Yorui-… mmph!" he started to say but was abruptly cut off as the goddess threw her arms around the boy and pulled him as close to her as physically possible while burying her face in his chest.

She was totally lost for words at that moment. So many emotions were rushing through her it wasn't funny; she was overwhelmed with joy and relief that he was back. But she was also furious that he had made her worry like that, but then again she was glad that he had pulled the carpet clean from under her feet just when she thought he was out for the count.

Tears continued to flow and she buried her face even more into his chest as she felt him place a hand on her back and gave her a gentle rub, letting her know that he was really there.

"OOOOOH my goodness boy! Don't do that to a father it's not good for the heart you know." Ishin said in an exhausted tone as the emotion and stress from the last two days took hold of him. "But in saying that, that definitely makes you my boy. You don't give up even at the end" He finished as he dropped down onto his butt and propped himself up with his arms looking at the ceiling with a few stray tears making their way down his cheeks.

"My my you gave us one hell of a scare there Ichigo. Also this may be a silly question but how are you feeling now?" Urahara asked while wiping the sweat from his brow after Ishin had said his share.

"Really? Sorry about that I guess. I am tired as hell and my mind is buzzing around at a million miles an hour but I'm definitely glad to be back." Ichigo said slowly with a look of relief on his face.

"Haha yes I can imagine. But it looks as if someone is happier that you're back than the rest." Urahara said with a chuckle.

As soon as this comment had left Kisuke's lips, Yoruichi instantly let go of the boy and stepped back very quickly putting her back against the wall.

"What are you saying? It was just the spur of the moment action because of the events that had just taken place! Nothing more than that!" she said very quickly as she tried to brush off her behaviour.

"Hmmm. Well I guess it is thanks to her that I'm back." Ichigo said as he looked down at his palms still in a minor state of shock.

"What do you mean?" she asked in a confused tone as she looked back at the seated boy.

"Well right at the end when I had stopped my hollow from getting dad. I was so tired that I was about to give up, but then I heard a voice calling out to me telling me I had unfinished business here. So I dragged myself back with that voice as my guide." Ichigo said with an undercurrent of fear in his voice at the thought of what could have been.

Yoruichi kept looking at Ichigo while he slowly turned to look up and into her eyes. But when her eyes met his she found warm brown eyes looking at her with gratitude and absolute adoration in them. She felt a blush coming to her cheeks but she didn't care about that right now, she was just glad that he was alive and here.

"Hmmm well I'm very glad that Yoruichi was here to rein you back, but I'm dying to know. What the hell happened to you?" Urahara asked with interest while Yoruichi let out a small growl at what he could be implying.

Ichigo's features hardened as the memories of the last thirty six hours came flooding back.

So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think okay?

again im always open for constructive criticism so feel free.

anyway until next time see ya