Heeey, sorry for having you all waiting. Only some chapters left, enjoy. This chapter has been beta by the wonderful yaoiloverXD
Warning: Heavy angst and dark themes ahead.

Shiro accompanied me home. We held hands the entire way there without a single care in the world, ignoring strange or disgusted looks. I've lived enough in the world of pain and I would not be bothered by someone else's opinion in our relationship. We were happy like we were and that's all it mattered.

We stopped in front of my house and I took a deep breath. We had to say goodbye until Monday. Our foreheads were pressed together as we looked into the eyes of the other. His golden irises always managed to make me feel like I was floating no matter how much I stared into them. His lips brushed mind and I closed my eyes in bliss. If that was how happiness felt I didn't want it to stop.

"See ya' in Monday, Ichi." We parted and Shiro sighed softly.

"Love you Shiro." I whispered.

"I love ya' too." He said back louder than me.

We were happy inside our happiness bubble, unaware of someone watching us from afar.

I kissed Shiro goodbye on the cheek before getting inside my house. I closed the door of the house softly behind me before taking my shoes off. I was about to say that I was home out loud but I shook my head. I didn't want to that, not yet. I heard footsteps coming from the stairs and I saw my dad coming down. A smile was making its way towards my face, that until I found myself jumping to the side in pure instinct as I saw an object flying towards me. It crashed into the door, the glass shattering everywhere. It was vase. I stared wide eyed at my dad, wondering what that had been about. Maybe he had mistaken me with a thief because I had come in so quietly… I saw I was wrong when I noticed he was throwing daggers at me with his eyes. What did I do this time?

I saw a punch coming my way and I rolled to the side before getting up and rushing upstairs. I heard him following me behind quiet closely but I managed to get into my bedroom and lock the door. I panted harshly as I felt my heart thrumming loudly in my ears out of pure fear. I thought these situations wouldn't be repeated again. I believed we were getting better. Was it all a lie?!

I fished out my phone from my pocket, almost dropping it due to my shaking hands. I quickly searched Shiro's number and typed four letters as I heard the loud banging of the door behind my back…

HELP.

I quickly rushed to my bed and got on it to open the window. It wasn't much later that I saw Shiro rushing down the street. He looked up and saw me on the window. I must have looked absolutely terrified because his worry seemed to increase tenfold. I got back inside my room and opened my closet to look into a box. I always had a rope in case of emergency and I had to escape. Unfortunately for me I haven't had the chance to use it because after the beating I was… Well, unable to move.

"Wait there, Ichigo!"

I nodded and I threw the rope out of the window, tying it tightly to the bedpost. I helped Shiro climb up. I running away just would serve to make it worse in the end. I didn't know what I should do… Once Shiro was inside my room he gripped my shoulders and shook them a little.

"What happened?"

"My dad is-"

Just as I was about to explain, the door was burst open with a kick from my dad. Shiro embraced me as if he was trying to protect me. This was crazy… I haven't should sent that text Shiro. What was I thinking? Now the two of us would be in danger and he would know about everything, about my dad's past abuse.

Dad came into room fuming and seemed to get even angrier at the sight of Shiro. My boyfriend seemed to sense the hostility coming from my dad and stepped in front of me before Isshin could deliver a punch towards me.

x.x.x.x

Shiro's POV

I stood firmly in front of Ichigo, golden eyes glaring hard at the man in front of me. My bruised cheek was throbbing painfully but that was nothing. I had been in tons of fights before. Against thugs bigger than me, against armed guys even I had gotten into some problems with some Yakuza's members. Not to mention the drug dealers my stepbrother hanged out with. Beat the shit out of them had been fun when I left the group. This man wouldn't intimidate me.

"Get away from my son!" The man yelled angrily.

"I won't do that, sir." I answered.

He marched towards us and tried to punch me in the face again but I quickly grabbed his fist. However, before I could twist his arm, he threw his other fist towards my stomach. I gasped for air but didn't relent in my stance. If I did then Ichigo would be in danger. I couldn't allow this to happen to him anymore. Not because of me.

"I was hoping he would bring some happiness back to this family…" Isshin snarled while trying to break free from my grip in his right hand. His other fist twisted, deepening its strength against my abdomen making me gasp again. How could a drunken man hold such strength…? "But instead he came out as a damn faggot!"

I looked back at Ichigo and he was looking at us with a mixture of fear and shame. I wouldn't allow Isshin to make my lover think that our relationship wasn't right. We were happy just like that! I tightened my grip in his hand and managed to grab the other by the wrist and pry it away from my stomach. He was putting a lot of resistance. Too fast for even me to prevent the hit he brought his right leg up, his knee colliding with my stomach making me lost my strength momentarily. Isshin freed his hands and grabbed my left ankle as I was doubling over in pain. I heard Ichigo gasp and I saw running towards us as my head collided painfully with the floor. I saw white and black dotting my vision and heard a sound that was like crystal breaking. When I recovered my ability to see, I watched as Ichigo fell to the floor on several shards of crystal with a trail of blood falling down his neck and face from his head.

"Ichigo…!" I screamed his name and he twitched but didn't move nor answer. I tried to get up to go aid him, however, my ankle was tightly gripped yet again and I was being dragged away from him. I tried fighting him, my nails racking the wooden floor making an awful sound but I didn't care. My only thoughts were that I had to help him. I had to help Ichigo. He could die from that wound.

Isshin dragged me to the edge of the staircase. Step by step, I felt my head hit each stair on the way down. That was nothing. He dropped me when we got to the bottom of the stairs. My body wouldn't respond at all. I felt dizzy and my consciousness was slowly slipping away but the pain was so bad that it prevented me from doing so. He pulled me up by the neck and slammed body against the wall, my already damaged head probably making a dent in it. But I did not cry out. I had to check up on Ichigo… I had to make sure he was okay. Compared to what he had went through…

That was nothing.

x.x.x.x

Ichigo woke up with a pounding headache. He stood up slowly and noticed that there was blood pooled around him. That was when he felt the pain. Burning hot pain shot through his body like needles. He brought a hand to the back of his head where it felt worse and his widened when he saw all the blood. How he had managed to get up escaped from his comprehension. He heard a muffled sound, like something being repeatedly hit against the wooden floor. Taking a step to his right, he noticed as his sense of orientation was completely wrong as he took it to the left instead. Groaning in pain and frustration, he used the wall as support and walked towards the stairs. The way down them looked definitely longer than normal because of the severe damage his head had taken when he was hit. Slowly going down, he felt his feet wet as he stepped in something but he couldn't make out what it was at the moment. His vision was getting blurry and his steps were getting more irregular. Only a few steps from reaching the floor, he tripped and fell down. Luckily he didn't hit his head again but his right arm took the damage of the fall instead. He felt all numb, the pain going almost unnoticed by him. He heard the same pounding sound again, this time sounding louder. Trying to get up with the help of his left arm and the wall, he continued walking passing the hall into the living room.

What he saw made his eyes widen and the fear took a tight hold of his heart. The white walls and the wooden floor were splattered with blood. He had never seen so much blood together since…since… Since the car accident.

"My sweet son," a voice said as a figure appeared form behind the couch, his hands and face covered in blood. But it was not his. That's what Ichigo feared the most. "I saved you from the wrong path you took… Come back to me. We'll start over."

Ichigo shook his head, taking a step back. He was completely horrified. Why? Why his father had came so far as hurting the one Ichigo loved most? His loved one… Shiro! Where was Shiro? He looked around frantically, searching any traces of his lover but he was nowhere in sight. When he noticed his father had come closer was already too late.

"Why Ichigo? Why do you want to tear this family apart?"

For the first time in eight years, Ichigo snapped. Angry tears ran down his face as he yelled. "Tear this family apart?! Me?! You are the one to blame! You started acting all violent when mom died! I asked uncle Kiyoshi to take my sisters away because I was afraid you would take it out on them! I took all the pain! ALL YOUR PAIN AND MINE!" Not caring about his arm, he punched Isshin in the face, throwing him to the floor. "I fell for Shiro because he made me happy! Made this world less of a living hell because of you! Do you know how guilty I felt since she died? How unworthy of being loved again I felt? Do you?!" He stared at his dad as he panted after his rant. His lungs were burning, his head and arm hurt like hell but those didn't compare to the hurt he felt in his heart. Isshin was staring back at him with wide eyes, like reality was sinking in.

After those eight years… Ichigo had talked again to him. He felt happy for a brief second but was immediately replaced by a deep pain and guilt. He looked at his bloody hands as tears started running down his face. What had happened to him? All he had ever wanted was to protect his family and when he lost Masaki he thought he had lost everything. He blamed his only son for his wife's death when he was already suffering deeply from it. After Ichigo recovered from the accident it was when all started. He had to be quiet, he took the beatings silently because he could do nothing more or his vocal cords would get worse. Isshin was glad because he couldn't protest.

He couldn't hear his son's cries of pain. His begs for his daddy to stop hurting him.

When one day he was able to talk again he looked so happy when he came from school with his friends. Isshin had been so angry. Why he had been so happy when it was his fault his wife had died? He contacted a psychologist that had been fired several years ago because of his extreme methods of dealing with people. Four sessions were enough to make Ichigo fell silent until now. He had made the kid feel so guilty about distracting her mother when asking her something that made her lose concentration resulting in the terrible accident that made him swear he would never talk again or her mother would be very disappointed at him.

And not talk Ichigo did until Shiro came in.

When Isshin came back to reality he heard the guy's name being yelled again and again until the voice turned hoarse. He got up as fast as he could and rushed to see his son kneeling in front of the bloody form of his lover. If the kid wasn't dead yet it was a miracle. His coffee colored eyes widened as he was the scene. He… he had done that? He tried approaching them to help but Ichigo screamed again.

"Leave us alone! Stop hurting him!" Ichigo hugged Shiro tighter, his heart screaming in his rib cage that he should do something fast or he would lose Shiro for good.

Isshin took a step back as his son stared at him with hatred towards him evident in his eyes. Never had he seen that look on Ichigo. His son hated him. Isshin wasn't so surprised, for Ichigo he was the main source of all his pain.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly, but it was loud enough for Ichigo to hear. His eyes didn't change but he stopped looking so tense. "No amount of apologies can fix what I have done. So please, let me at least help him."

Ichigo pulled Shiro towards his chest a little more, not caring his clothes were getting soaked in blood. He looked down at the sickly pale face of his lover and forced down a sob as it pained him to see Shiro in such a state. His cheek was purple from the first punch he took, traces of blood were falling down his forehead and neck, one of his knees was twisted in a way that even make him feel sick. About the internal damage… it could be even worse than the external.

"Do you want me to call an ambulance instead?" Isshin said after some seconds of silence. Ichigo lifted his gaze and nodded slightly before returning to look dead worried at his lover. Isshin took the phone from the nearby table and called an ambulance. He gave them their direction also telling them that it was urgent because the boy was almost not breathing. When the call ended, he let the phone fall to the floor and walked to the small cabin that was at the other end of the living room. Ichigo was looking at him warily… until he took a gun and pointed at them.

Fear overtook his expression as he shielded Shiro with his arms. His mind couldn't comprehend what was happening. His dizziness was getting even worse as he felt his heart pounding fiercely. The fear transformed into surprise and horror when his father pointed the gun towards his temple.

"I can't guarantee my mental state won't get worse and that I won't go after you again." A small and sad smile appeared in his face as his finger tightened over the trigger. "I'm sorry, Ichigo, I hope he survives and you and your sisters find happiness from now on."

"W-what are you…?"

"I'll be finally reunited with Masaki… Although I'm sure she hates me now." A few tears ran down Isshin's face as he thought of all the bad things he had done over the years. She could never forgive him for what he did to his own children.

"M-mom won't hate you…" Ichigo felt complied to say. "S-she'll be mad but… She can't hate you or me; she will always love us… Because that's how she is."

Isshin looked surprised by his words but smiled nonetheless. "I guess you are right." He pressed the gun completely against his temple, feeling the cold metal in his skin.

"W-wait! You don't have to…!" Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of the shot echoed through the room and the house. Ichigo stared wide eyed as the dead body of his father fell to the carpet, staining it with his blood. The only thing he remembered next was the scream that tore his throat and the distant sound of the ambulance siren.

x.x.x.x

Ichigo opened his eyes. It was night time and everything was in silence. Through the hospital's bedroom window a cool breeze moved the curtains slightly.

The fog in his mind caused by the analgesics was still there. Seeing that there was no way he would go back to sleep, he stared at the white ceiling trying to continue to keep his mind blank. The simple act of breathing hurt. Still, he strained himself to overcome the pain and forget about it. It wasn't that difficult considering that it was something he was used to, unfortunately.

Surprising enough, he was still alive. However, he wished for his suffering to just end right there, tear off the IVs that were keeping him alive and let nature continue with its cycle. Fate wasn't so kind to him and gave him a bravado that made him want to still fight against the odds. This didn't mean he still didn't carry the weight of his hurtful past on his shoulders.

He made another effort to not give in to the pain. His hand went to press the button to call a nurse so they could give him another dose of morphine but he stopped. No, drug himself until he could fall asleep wasn't the solution. Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed.

He heard something and a sensation of déjà vu filled him suddenly. Opening his eyes and scanning the room, he moved his head to the side. Now Ichigo could heard a paused and calm breathe. He had the feeling that at that moment he wasn't alone in the room and he believed it must have been someone they had put in the other bed…

Ichigo saw the shadow of a hand that was approaching him very slowly. He couldn't tear his eyes away. It was a hand he recognized. But from where?

"W-who…who's it…?" He asked in a quiet voice that sounded hoarse.

A dark chuckle. Ichigo again searched for the button on the side of the bed. Once the shadow was closer to him, Ichigo held his breath in. The shadow took another step towards him. In that moment, his face was exposed under the moonlight coming through the window. That hand was about to grab his face…

Ichigo screamed and protected himself with his arms, ignoring the protest his injured body made. Why wasn't anyone coming to see what was happening? He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, causing him to try the block sound by covering his ears with his hands. However, the sound was inside his skull, pounding. An irrational fear took control of him as in his mind the whole incident was played all over again. All the blood, the cries of pain from his lover, his own pain… He started backing up until he fell from the bed, throwing the IVS with him but he didn't stop retreating until his back collided with the wall. He was slowly panicking, not enough air was entering his lungs.

After some tortuous minutes of panic and terror, he heard steps and voices that made him whimper. The lights were turned on and a nurse crouched down in front of him.

"Calm down Kurosaki-kun, it's okay," the voice said calmly, hugging the terrified teen softly. "It was a nightmare."

"H-he…he was h-here…" He stuttered completely frightened, forgetting about his silent vow towards anyone who wasn't his lover. "R-right here!"

"There's no one else here apart from you and me. Please, calm down."

His head was hurting a lot, almost making him unable to think. Another nurse rushed in with a syringe in her hand.

"H-he was trying… trying to h-hurt us a-again…!"

"No one is gonna hurt you here, Kurosaki-kun." She whispered, rocking the teen back and forth to calm him down.

"Shiro! W-where is him…?"

"It's okay. Both of you are save now. I'll stay here with you."

Ichigo's breathing evened out slowly and his head rested softly on the nurse's shoulder. He felt a warmness he had missed. It reminded him of those times when his mom would comfort him when he had nightmares.

Slowly, they brought him back to his bed and they worked over the IVs and connected them to his arm again. Once they made sure they were okay, the nurses shared a sad look. The one who had carried the syringe inside before took it again and walked over to the teen to inject the sedative. It wasn't long that Ichigo fell into unconsciousness again.

Dreaming of a world… A world where Shiro and him were happily living together.