Tite Kubo owns "Bleach", and all of that stuff. However, the plot is mine.
Stopping quickly and whirling sharply about, Rukia unsheathed and drew her zanpakuto in a fluid motion, only to then stumble in shock at the person before her. "Kurosaki Isshin?" She sputtered in disbelief and amazement. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that he was not only wearing a shinigami uniform but also seemed to have a captain's cloak raggedly draped over his shoulder along with a sheathed zanpakuto.
"Yes. Kurosaki Isshin, father of Kurosaki Ichigo, former shinigami of the Gotei 13. It is a delight to finally meet you, without the normal pretense." He smiled, somewhat ironically but with an overlaying sense of real pleasure.
Rukia's mouth hung open and her eyes widened dramatically in astonishment. "But, Ichigo said that you never could see spirits. You also didn't see me whenever I stayed at your house!" With an uncharacteristic squeak and only the slightest hint of a blush, Rukia clapped her hand over her mouth at the admission.
On the other hand, Isshin merely chuckled in amusement. "I've always known. I know Urahara and Yoruichi; I know about Kon. In fact, I even gave him the protective amulet to help him ward of hollows that might try to attack him."
"Then why didn't you ever help?" The words forcefully burst out from Rukia's lips despite her attempt at restraint and discretion, as surprise and shock at the sudden revelation wrenched the questions out from Rukia. "Why did you let Ichigo's mom die? He suffered so much from it. Why didn't you defeat the hollows that attacked your family? Why did you let Ichigo suffer through so much?" The pleas tearfully poured out.
Frowning, Isshin flash-stepped too quickly for Rukia's eyes to follow and appeared behind and beside her. She shrank a little in apprehension. "I sealed my powers, as the first and only test-subject of Urahara's special reiatsu suppressing gigai in order to be with Masaki. Unfortunately, it had done its job too well." He sighed, deeply and without his usual flair for drama. "I wanted to be human again, to have the chance to live happily and simply with the woman I loved and still love, without any involvement in the affairs of spirits. Perhaps though, we cannot defy destiny, at least not completely." He murmured the last part softly. "And then I had to stay and raise the family."
"I'm sorry." Rukia apologized. "Really, I didn't mean to try to… I have messed up too." She remembered how, because of her, Aizen had gotten the Hogyoku and Ichigo and Inoue and Chad and Ishida and everyone had nearly died. "I understand."
"No harm done. "Isshin replied in better humor. "Perhaps it was time anyways to tell the truth." He smiled. "Masaki! Our son has grown up so well, and is so lucky to have such a wonderful girlfriend as Rukia!" Tears of joy poured out of his eyes.
Rukia flinched back at the quirky persona of Isshin, though she was somewhat used to it, she supposed. At least, she was more used to it than anyone outside of the close circle of Kurosaki family and friends. Suddenly, she was struck by a thought. "What do you mean by girlfriend?! " She shouted in outrage, with a red blush lightly tinged across her face.
With a surprised and somewhat puzzled expression, Isshin stopped his weird crying. "No? Really?" He seemed truly mystified by Rukia's denial. "But, the depth of feeling between you two, it must be the power of love! Even I can feel the bond you two share." Loudly and enthusiastically, he protested. "At home, after you stayed in the real world, I could see him moping and thinking about you. And when you finally returned, he cheered up greatly and was his normal self again." He muttered to himself. "I wonder when he will ever make me a proud grandfather."
Gasping in outrage, Rukia smacked Isshin over the head. "Baka!" Then, she paused in the shock of realization. She had just smacked Ichigo's dad. She had just smacked another, seemingly quite powerful, shinigami. "Ah! Sorry about that." Smiling sheepishly, she apologized, sporting an embarrassed blush across her face.
"Um, it's alright." Isshin rubbed his head. "Don't worry about it; I get more injured trying to attack Ichigo every morning, as I think you know."
Rukia nodded, with an exasperated smile on her face. "Though, why did you suddenly come to me right now? Do you know anything about Ichigo's situation or location right now?" She returned to the main issue at hand.
Isshin frowned. "Yes, partially. First, I finally regained the full use of my shinigami powers today. Seeing your distress and the disappearance of my son, I decided to come and help you. Second, I believe that Urahara knows something." He made an irritated face. "He always does, and is really annoying about it. In light of that, I had the feeling that you would be needing my help for whatever is about to happen."
Understanding, Rukia gazed at him steadily. "Thank you, sir." She said simply. "I have the fullest confidence that you are a strong shinigami, if Ichigo is any indication. In that case, let's head to Urahara's shop then." And she, turned towards the Urahara shop.
"But, aren't you curious?" Isshin protested, his innocuous face up again. "Don't you want to know how powerful I am?" Ignoring him somewhat, Rukia began to flash-step away. Catching up easily, Isshin pouted. "Fine, I'll only give a hint for now, since you're being mean, but someday you'll come asking me. I am at least as strong as a captain." He grinned widely, and somewhat childishly. Again, Rukia ignored him.
Quickly, without too much further useless and irrelevant prattle, they arrived at Urahara's shop. Rukia opened the sliding screen door and stepped into the dark and seemingly abandoned shop. "Urahara-san? Are you here?" She called out as she scanned the place for signs of the inhabitants.
Isshin stepped in front of her. "Oi! Kisuke, get out here already!" He hollered loudly, as he flared his reiatsu a bit, startling Rukia a little in its strength.
"Ara, ara. So many people today, at such a late and unusual hour. You do know you that you are all interrupting my dinner?" Urahara stepped out onto the patio, muttering and tsking behind his opened fan. "Now, can I help you with something?" He asked, suddenly serious.
"You felt Ichigo's reiatsu disappear, right? You have to know something about it. You always do." Rukia demanded to know straight out, worrying evident on her features.
Calmly, Urahara responded, carefully choosing his words. "Yes, I felt his reiatsu disappear. But, I'm afraid I don't know entirely why."
Rukia caught the last part, and its disclaimer. "So then, you do know something. Please tell me, us. We have to find out what happened to Ichigo and save him." She pleaded, feeling a rising sense of guilt towards and concern for Ichigo.
Urahara sighed, and sat himself on the patio. "I have a theory." He paused, before collecting himself and preparing to explain in greater detail. "Ichigo has always been an odd factor, in the sense that he is in the middle. For example, he is a shinigami, but has hollow powers as well." Ignoring Rukia's startled and protesting expression, he continued on. "More relevantly, he is physically alive but also dead at the same time."
"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" Upset, Rukia angrily commented. "Is that even possible? Explain!"
"I can only do so partially." Came back the semi-evasive response. "Because of the training I put him through to regain his shinigami powers, I believe that his hollow side was also awakened. This lead to the development of his vaizard powers. This made him increasingly powerful…" He trailed off for a second, almost in apprehension, before continuing. "However, as part of the process, I also had to sever his Chains of Fate…"
"How could you Kisuke? I trusted you with my son!" Suddenly enraged, Isshin lunged forward and struck at Urahara with his zanpakuto, blowing him back and slamming him into the side of the shop, hard.
Clutching his hat and cane, Urahara slowly and painfully righted himself. He coughed a bit, and tried to explain and continue his explanation, while ignoring the hands clutching at his collar and the blade resting firmly against his side. "Yes, well, Ichigo was determined to do anything, anything at all, to regain his powers. You know he had to save Rukia." Still simmering in rage, Isshin reluctantly lowered his blade, though he still stood in a semi-aggressive stance.
"Yes, I know." Rukia was the one to respond, with her head bowed low from her shame. So, it had been her fault, in everything. She was the cause of all of this.
She was startled when Isshin lifted her head up and gently patted her on the back. "No, don't blame yourself. In the end, it was his own decision; I suppose. We all know how stubborn he can be." Isshin chuckled, somewhat bitterly.
"He's right, you know." Urahara reseated himself somewhat gingerly. "It is also my fault; again I apologize." He lowered his head in apology, as Rukia caught the reference to his deception concerning the Hogyoku. "But regardless, I severed Ichigo's Chains of Fate. And, his hollow tried to emerge at that point and devour him. Anyhow though, that made him technically dead. Yet, his body remained alive and functioning, as if the spirit was still connected. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but now… Now, I think that there might have been some bond still between his body and his soul, even without the Chains of Fate. I just don't know what."
"Uhm…" Rukia mouthed in confusion. "Haven't you ever tried that method before? Didn't you already know what would happen?" Inwardly, she cringed at the pain Ichigo must have gone through in order to regain his powers just so that he could save her. At the academy, the instructors had described the process of a plus turning into a hollow. It had sounded decidedly agonizing.
Urahara smiled nervously and fanned himself deftly. "Actually, never." He chuckled nervously to himself as both Rukia and Isshin seemed to be suddenly wreathed in an angry aura even as they began to pulse with barely suppressed reiatsu. "I had heard about it and researched the old records about it while I was still captain and head of the Technology and Development Bureau. However, I had never actually practiced nor seen nor even heard of the method before."
"Well, then." Rukia ground out. "What suggestions do you have now for us?"
Sighing, he responded wearily. "Nothing." He snapped his fan shut and stood up. "Ichigo should reappear eventually, though only he will know what went on in his absence. He most likely is some in-between state from which he should return from after some time. So, the only thing we can do is hope and wait." And, he turned and walked back into the darkness of the closed shop. "Goodnight, Kuchiki-san. Goodnight, Isshin."
Rukia, somewhat let-down by the vague response, turned to Isshin. "Now what?"
"Let's head back home. I guess he's right. Right now, we can only wait, and hope." Isshin responded, seemingly disliking Urahara's suggestion. "Well, that's Kisuke for you anyhow. He's acted like that, for who knows how long."
She nodded in reluctant agreement. "How do you know Urahara anyway? Does it have something to do with your supposed captain class powers?" She asked him.
He just chuckled. "Maybe, maybe not. I'll tell both you and Ichigo together, when he returns. In the meantime, I guess I'll fill Karin and Yuzu a little in on what's going on. They do have a right to know."
Absently, Rukia agreed. "Of course. I think I should talk to them too; besides, I also need to ask them if I can borrow some clothes again, and sleep in their room too. I'm going to stay until Ichigo returns, and it would be too weird sleeping in Ichigo's closet, without him there." For a moment, she paused and shuddered at the sudden feeling of loneliness. In truth, it would be terrible to sleep there, in a room so full of Ichigo's presence, but without him actually there.
Of course, Isshin broke the somewhat somber mood that descended upon Rukia. "Haha! Hmm, I am so proud of you Ichigo! You really have found a beautiful flower to be with you; a lovely princess who even sleeps with you. Though, you did try to hide this from me. But, the master always finds out!" He broke out laughing, loudly.
Irritated, embarrassed, and blushing, Rukia whacked him over the head. Hard. A number of times. No longer caring that Isshin was Ichigo's father, or that he was a former captain-level shinigami of the Gotei 13. Not in the slightest.