Yusei was wading through the tall grass attempting to make his way to the growling and screaming coming from the area where his mother and that thing were thrashing about. He refused to call that monster his father under any circumstances. As far as he was concerned, his brother had said it correctly when he referred to the man as a sperm donor. They had both agreed long ago that Ichigo Kurosaki had stopped being their daddy the day he walked out of the door and abandoned their family. Ichigo had no one to blame but himself for how they felt about him because it had been his decision to leave. Their Daddy had told them about what had really happened to the great and wonderful man their mother had told them about for years on their fifteenth birthdays but had sworn them to secrecy to not let their mother know he had told them.

Something white and snarling streaked past him through the tall grass. Yusei was not sure what it was but he guessed it was Hisoka. He envied his brother for being a half beast like their Daddy. For years he had wished it had happened to him. Halting his steps as the animal his sperm donor had become rose up out of the thigh high grass, he stared at him in disgust. The sight of that terrible creature made him rethink all those years he had hated his brother and been jealous of him. Is that thing what he would have become? His revulsion evolved into rage as the thing held up his mother with his horrid claws wrapped around her neck. Before he could move, his brother was there and stood up out of the tall grass.

"Oh, my god," he breathed when saw his brother. He would have thought it was their Daddy standing there in his half beast form.

"Grimmjow," Ichigo growled staring at the feline, blue haired male standing in front of him. He dropped Nami from his clutches, allowing her to fall unchecked to ground.

Nami was thankful for the cushion of the thick, overgrown grass when she fell straight down to the ground. Coughing and rubbing her neck, she winced and tried to pull away when a pair of strong hands grabbed her upper arms.

"Mom, it's me," Yusei hissed, pulling her away as they both stared in horrified awe at the two creatures facing each other.

"Yusei!" she gasped, throwing her arms around his neck so tightly she nearly choked him. She glanced at him and swallowed convulsively to rid herself of the lump in her throat. The pale stricken face of her son as he stared at what used to be his loving father made her want to cry. Something else made her want to cry too and she swallowed again so she could ask her next question. "Your Daddy...is he..."

"No, he's not dead," he answered, his gaze never wavering from the two beings who were still at a standoff. He did not want to tell her about their Daddy's arm yet; knowing he was alive would be enough for her at the moment. Mesmerized by the sight of his brother in his half beast form, he was struck by the similarity between Hisoka and their father. Apparently it was so similar, or Ichigo was so stupid with his tiny bestial brain, that he did not get this man was not Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow?" he repeated as a question this time. Maybe he was getting it.

"No," Hisoka growled, revealing his lethally sharp fangs. He had never drawn blood like their father but there was a first time for everything. The man in front of him appeared to be a worthy victim. Ichigo would deserve to have his throat ripped open for everything he had done to their family - his family.

"Hisoka," Ichigo breathed, instantaneously turning back into his human form. "Son..."

"Don't call me that," he snarled in return, springing backwards to avoid the touch of the hand outstretched to him.

"I'm sorry. I'm -" He lowered his eyes to the ground. Sadness and regret overwhelmed him. What had he done?

"It's too late. I don't want to hear it," he snapped back at the man, curling and uncurling his clawed hands at his sides. He was visibly shaking and his voice faltered as he spoke his next words. "I will kill you."

Ichigo's head snapped up and he swiftly changed back into the reptilian creature. Smirking evilly before carefully replacing the mask on his face, he taunted, "Fine. Try to kill me if you can, but know this...I have no qualms about killing you."

"I would hope not," Hisoka countered, grinning viciously back at him. "I would not want you to go easy on me. And I'm not a coward who hides behind a mask. Bring it on, Old Man."

"Hisoka, no!" Nami screamed to have a big hand clamped over her mouth.

"Mama, shutup," Yusei whispered in her ear holding the feisty struggling woman tightly with his other arm. His father had always remarked how incredibly strong she was and now he was getting a firsthand taste of it. The muscles in his upper arms bulged and was already growing sore from trying to hang onto her as the two halflings jumped at each other growling with teeth bared and claws ready to strike.

Nami realized her son was bare-chested when he held her against him. Ceasing her struggle to get out of his grip and jump on the man attacking her other son, she peeled his hand away from her mouth.

"Where is your shirt?" she inquired, keeping her eyes on the fight ahead of her.

"Um..." He still did not want to tell her about his Daddy's arm. He felt she had enough shocking events to deal with at this time. It was time to redirect her attention which he had become a master of doing through the years. "Mitsu kissed Takeshi."

"Look you, don't try to distract me," she warned him. Instead of him redirecting her focus, it was his brother that managed to do it by emitting a high-pitched, panther like shriek as he grabbed the orange haired beast around the waist and picked him up. She watched in distress and terror as he slammed the other man to the ground before he dropped down on top of him. All she could see was the grass swaying as they rolled together and continued their fight.

"It's like watching one of our schoolyard fights. It's kinda sad really," Yusei muttered with disappointment evident in his voice.

"So why don't you jump in and make it better? Isn't that what you do?" Nami inquired sarcastically, surprising her son and making him smile.

"MOM! Are you actually asking me to get involved in a fight?" He was finding it hard to not laugh when she came to herself and her mouth dropped open before her hand flew over it as if to keep herself from saying anything else rash. Laying down on his back in the grass to stare up at the blue sky that reminded him of his Daddy's eyes, he decided to relax while waiting for the physical altercation taking place close by to end. Closing his eyes, he sighed noisily before saying, "No. I won't jump in. This one is all Hisoka's fight. Besides, from what you told us, he always loved Ichigo more anyway. He will only be giving the man what he deserves since Dad's not here to do it."

Nami glared at him in disbelief at what she was seeing and hearing. The one time it would have been perfectly all right for him to insert himself into the middle of a fracas he chooses not to. Shaking her head, she stood up in an attempt to see what was going on. Lifting her foot to take a step toward the swaying grass and the awful sounds of the epic struggle taking place, she was stunned when his fingers suddenly wrapped around her wrist to stop her.

"Don't go, Mom," he said, opening his deep brown eyes to look at her. "I'm serious. Let Hisoka handle it. Since Dad's not here to protect you and defend our family honor, let him do it."

"What?" She was growing more baffled by her son's uncaring attitude and skewed thought process by the minute.

"It's a man thing," he responded off handedly, shrugging lazily as if the two men were having a simple disagreement instead of a battle to the death.

"Ohhhh...no wonder it makes no sense." Nami's attention was once again diverted when the Commander and Hana came through the grass toward them.

"Are you okay?" Hana inquired with obvious concern as he looked at the scratches and bruises on her neck.

"I'm fine," she assured him, pushing his hands away when he tried to examine the injuries.

"What's going on?" General Muguruma inquired, looking toward the source of movement and noise a few yards away.

"A pissing contest," Yusei helpfully submitted.

"Oh," the other two men replied in unison without doing a thing.

"You're all crazy as hell," Nami grunted, plopping down in the grass beside her son.

"Wish we could see. It's got to be a great fight," the General muttered grumpily.

"Unbelievable," she snorted in annoyance. "My son could die and no one will stop it."

"He won't die. You should know that," her other son rejoined with a condescending tone. "A few scrapes and bruises won't hurt him. I doubt if he even gets that."

Nami thought back to the fight at school that had taken place a few months ago. Hisoka had accidentally caused an altercation to break out between him and Takeshi in his attempt to defend his sister. He had single-handedly taken out Zaraki but all of his burly pals as well. The whole concept still seemed ridiculous and foreign to her to just 'duke it out' and call it a day. And men have the nerve to call women confusing. Tell a woman she's beautiful, pretend all other women are loathsome hags, add in some chocolate and wine and that is all a female needs to be happy. But beating the hell out of someone to save face while abusing the physical one just did not make sense.

"I'm going to the hospital. Bring my son when he's done," she told them, preparing herself for the long trek across base to the infirmary. She could no longer stand by and listen to the horrible keening sounds and watch the thrashing grass while wondering what the hell was happening to her son.

~...~

"Mrs. Jaegerjaques?" the nurse called, gently touching the slumbering woman's shoulder. She bit her lip when Nami sleepily moaned in way that sounded like a grief-stricken howl. Isane had been the one saddled with the dreadful task of explaining her husband's condition to her when she had arrived at the hospital looking quite the worse for wear. She had treated the woman's wounds while she cried which had brought tears to her own eyes. It had been difficult to comfort her and even hours later when she had come to check on her, tears had still been rolling down her swollen face in silence. When Dr. Unohana had okayed giving the inconsolable woman an injection of a potent sedative, she had gratefully complied and administered the shot. After Nami had fallen asleep, she had called for an intern to pick the sleeping woman up and move her to the room where her husband would be recuperating after surgery.

"What is it, Isane?" Nami inquired drowsily throwing back the covers and hopping from the bed.

"I've got two pieces of good news for you," she said, placing her arms around the unsteady woman before she fell to the floor.

"What is it?" she asked, leaning heavily on the tall nurse. She was grateful not only for the physical strength of the kind nurse but the emotional strength as well.

"Colonel Jaegerjaques is out of surgery and doing well. Your sons just arrived. Hisoka has a big gash over his right eye that is getting stitched but he's fine," she informed Nami, feeling her go limp in her arms. Sitting her back down on the bed, she sat down beside her to be a literal shoulder to lean on.

"Thank you," she whispered, unable to cry although she felt like she wanted to from sheer relief. "What happened to - "

Isane shook her head that was leaned against the other woman's. "Don't ask."

"Oh, my baby," she gasped, feeling the tears slip from her eyes. How could her tender-hearted Hisoka live with the knowledge of being a murderer?

"Mom?" he called from the door.

"I'll leave you two alone," Isane said, getting up from the bed.

Nami put her arms around her son when he sat down beside her. She held him like she did when he was a little boy. Feeling his body shudder, she bit her lip as the emotional dam inside of him broke and he cried; great gulping sobs that tore at her heart and ripped apart her very soul. She could not stop herself from crying along with him. She had never felt so emotionally fragile and incapable in all of her life. Even her own father's abandonment had not caused her this much grief or fear. Ichigo's sudden disappearance had not effected her as badly as she thought it would have or stirred up any trauma from her past. However, she had been forced to push past her own pain to be strong for her family. Taking a deep breath to gather every sliver of courage within her, she set her mind to saving to her son before she lost him forever.

"Mom, I killed him," Hisoka announced as if she did not know what had happened.

"Sweetheart, we don't have to talk about this now. Whenever you're ready we can - " She stopped short when he sat up and stared at her.

"I have to talk about it...now. I can't stop those last moments from playing over and over in my head. I have to tell you what happened, Mama. Please, let me tell you," he begged, staring at her with his red rimmed blue eyes that seemed to be glowing with his unspoken anguish.

Nami took a shaky breath, nodding her head for him to continue. If he was ready, she would have to be. She listened silently as he told her the story of what happened.

Hisoka had worn Ichigo down and weakened him. Finally he was poised to take the fatal strike, sitting on the broken and wounded man's chest glaring down at him. At the last minute, his hate and resolve wavered leaving him unable to take that final blow to end the man's life.

"Do it. Do it!" Ichigo yelled, turning back into his human form which would only make him weaker and less able to fight back. "Kill me. Or I'll come back and kill your whole family. I will kill your father first, then your mother, your sister, and lastly your brother. You will watch them all die before your very eyes."

"How could you do that? How could you do that to your own family?" he asked, his face wearing the repugnance he felt.

"Because I let my pain and hate get the best of me. There's no hope for me now. Kill me...or I'll make all of you pay."

"But why?"

"Just do it!" Ichigo bellowed, closing his eyes and holding his breath.

Hisoka allowed the wrath and hatred that had collected over the years to take hold him, pushing all rational thought from his brain. Thrusting his lethal claws into the chest of the man beneath him, the man he had once called Daddy, the man who threatened to kill everyone he loved; his fingers pushed through muscle and bone feeling them give way beneath the razor sharp nails. His fingers wrapped around the soft beating organ that once was believed to be the source of all emotion. Too far gone to care about the agony that registered on the other man's face, he squeezed the heart he held in his hand. Feeling it straining to pulse in his palm that clutched it, he growled at the man when his brown eyes opened.

"Thank you," Ichigo said, reaching up to touch his son's face that was spattered with his blood. "Don't hold onto the pain. Let it go so it doesn't make you cruel and twisted. Don't hate me. Please forgive me. Thank you for saving me from my misery and protecting your family."

Nami held her mourning son as he burst into another fit of heart wrenching sobs to pour out his grief and pain. She ignored her own tears and let them fall down her face with abandon. Holding onto him, she remained silent until his body stopped shaking uncontrollably and his crying subsided.

"Do you remember what I told you? After your fight with Takeshi?" she inquired, wiping away the tears from his face with her hands.

"That physical force is necessary to protect some things?" he asked, sniffing as she nodded in affirmation. "Why?"

"Sometimes even killing is necessary to protect what you love. Don't you ever, ever let this be a source of regret for you. Ichigo would be disappointed if you let it turn you into what he became," she managed to tell him before her voice deserted her completely from her throat constricting so tightly with overwhelming emotion.

"Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry,"he apologized, starting to tremble again.

"Don't be," she said, holding his face to make him look into her eyes. "Promise me, you'll never be sorry for this no matter what. Ichigo would want it that way. Promise me like you promised him. Grant his last request. Let it go..."

"I-I pr-promise," he stammered, laying his head against his mother's chest. The memory of what he had done returned with nauseating clarity as he listened to the steady cadence of her heartbeat and felt her heart beating against his cheek. "I won't regret this. I did what I had to do."

"What happened? Is everyone all right?" Grimmjow questioned as he was rolled into the room. Momentarily stunned by the sight of the emotional train wreck that was his wife and son, he almost forgot to ask where the rest of his family could be. Before he could utter the question, Mitsu skipped into the room and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hi, Daddy!" she chirped happily, looking flushed as if she had just ran from somewhere.

"What's up, Pop?" Yusei asked, giving his father a kiss on the forehead.

"Uh, I don't know. All of you are acting...weird," he mumbled, unsure how to handle what was going on. He repeated his two inquiries from earlier, sincerely wanting an answer. "What happened? Is everyone all right?"

"Everything is fine. We are all fine," Nami proclaimed with a tight smile on her face.

Grimmjow grunted in disbelief. He hated it when his wife lied to him. If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was if Nami said everything was fine it was anything but fine. Giving each family member a wilting glare as if to scare the truth out of them, he sat back in the wheel chair allowing the lingering effects of the anesthia from the surgery to keep him calm.

"Let me tell you something, I've lost my arm not my mental capacity for rational thought. I know something is seriously wrong here and someone better tell me what," he demanded, giving them each another hard glare in turn.

"I killed Ichigo, Dad," Hisoka confessed, holding his mother's hand tightly.

Nami felt like he was going to crush the bones in her hand he was squeezing so forcefully in his nervousness but she would not dare to complain. The boy being so forthcoming with the truth was hard enough. She bit her lip to hold her peace while her eyes stayed on her husband. She hoped the pain killers and sedatives in his system were enough to keep him from going into shock from the news.

Before Grimmjow could respond, Yusei volunteered his own unsettling revelation which at the moment was really no big deal. However, he hoped it would be enough of a diversion to get his father's mind off of Hisoka's disturbing confession.

"Mitsuhime kissed Takeshi Zaraki!" Yusei announced, once again trying the ploy of misdirection with his father. He was a mental magician of sorts who liked to use the power of 'think about this instead of that' to divert people from subjects too painful to think about. For once he was using his powers for the good of someone else instead of selfish purposes like saving his own behind.

"She did what? With who?" their father asked, glaring at his daughter solely this time.

Mitsu coughed self-consciously as her blush turned from a soft pink to the deep crimson of humiliation. The whole family breathed an audible sigh of relief and it seemed to lighten the stifling situation. They would cover the other subject at a later time when Grimmjow was more physically and mentally strong. When all of them were more physically and mentally strong.