A/N: God, I had such a busy week and I had a few things to take care of Monday and Sunday. But I'll try to manage my time wisely so I can stay on task :D. I'm such a bubblehead!

Disclaimer: does not own Bleach. I do own all characters originated from my brain.

One week later.

"That doesn't make any sense."

Tamotsu smirked and fingered her thin purple bra strap. "It makes perfect sense," he whispered.

Misoka fought the urge to shiver. She didn't want him finding her weakness in his touch, or the way she melted when his chocolate eyes scanned her body after they'd make love, or how now, when he lay beside her with his shirt off like that and nothing on under either... He'd use it against her for the rest of their lives.

Instead, the girl shook her head. "That doesn't make Jacob a pedophile."

"It does." His hand slowly traveled from her shoulder to her neck, tracing her skin there for a moment before creeping his long fingers into her short light brown hair. "...Jacob fell in love with Bella, but he didn't imprint. The only reason he was drawn to her is because of Renesmee, who didn't exist yet. This leads me to conclude that Jacob had fallen in love with one of Bella's potential eggs in her ovaries which would make him a pedophile."

All Misoka could do was feel and hear. She had forgotten what he was saying long before. Now all she heard was his smooth, liquid gold voice murmuring in her ear. And her mind soon liquefied when the tips of his fingers began to massage her scalp. "The story is sick and terribly thought through. I can show you at least three sentence fragments in the book and endless mistakes in the movie."

She didn't know when, but his face was soon close to her own and his lips were running down her jaw. "I should have never shown it to you," she managed. "You psychoanalyze everything."

It wasn't long before the purple bra strap had completely disappeared, as did the rest of the garment.

Misoka sat up. "My aunt will be home soon."

Tamotsu leaned in and kissed her slowly. "Will she mind if I stay for dinner?" He joked.

"Probably not." She said plainly. "But my uncle will."

With that he backed off and handed her a sweatshirt off the floor. Misoka watched him stand and slip on his jeans.

"You haven't wanted to go home since last week." She stood too and handed him his T-shirt. "What's been going on?"

The man who I thought was my father isn't. I've been fed lies all my life. I feel lost until I meet him. I have to meet him…

Misoka watched his thick arms contract and flex as he buckled his belt and slipped on his shirt. His voice was as deep and distant as if had ever been. "Nothing."

Misoka knew something was up, but she wouldn't pry. When the time came, he would tell her. She wouldn't push him or pull him the way others tried to do around him, or the way he could do to others. He needed a little simple in his life.

Misoka watched him pull out of the driveway just as her uncle's car was pulling up. Her aunt was in the car too. She didn't mean to giggle, but it was hard for her to ignore the deafly glare her uncle sent her boyfriend's way.

…

He couldn't go home. Not just yet.

Tamotsu dropped his bag by the chair and pulled out his laptop onto the table.

Sitting in his favorite coffee shop, Tamotsu turned on his computer and waited as it hummed to life.

He was the type of guy who was always prepared. Prepared for pop quizzes, surprise attacks, deflated car wheel, etc. But he was not prepared for this.

So he had to study up. Research this man whom he'd meet in the near future. The man that is the reason he even exists.

There was only one other even in his life he was not prepared for….

He remembered the last conversation he had with his grandfather. As a thirteen year old, Tamotsu was very emotional. After getting into his first fight, he seemed to reevaluate a few things, especially after the talking with his grandfather. He told him not to fret. He told him about his grandmother and how his father had to grow up fast because he felt the world on his shoulders. His grandfather told him to slow down. Life moves too fast.

Tamotsu sighed and typed in his password. He even remembered his funeral…

"He was an honest man, living an honest, humble life. Taking care of others before him self… Realizing other's pain before his' own..."

Tamotsu watched all the sad faces around him. Some he knew, most he couldn't recognize. The thirteen year old was surprised at how many people his eccentric grandfather knew.

But why wouldn't he have so many friends? He was nice, giving, and funny. He helped about everyone in town, from minor injuries to the occasional cold. He was loved and for that, he was mourned.

The casket was drawn lower and lower into the ground as the priest continued on.

Most managed to huddle under the large tent, but others were left to fend for themselves in their black skirts and trousers.

There were sniffles and tears, the most from a pregnant Yuzu-obasan and Hitomi. It was the hardest of all breaking the news to Hitomi. She had just remembered playing in Ojīchan's yard and pretending the old man wasn't sneaking her candy under the dining room table. Now she was crying on her father's leg at his funeral.

She understood the concept of life and death. It was simple. If the frog's heart was beating, it was alive. If it wasn't beating, it was dead.

Ojīchan was the frog.

"May we all bow our heads in silence as we send our last goodbyes. He will receive them in heaven."

What Tamotsu didn't understand, what made him angry, was his father.

Why wasn't his father crying? Why wasn't he upset? He wore a frown, a scowl even, but not a tear? Not a weep? A sound?

Why wasn't daddy crying for his own daddy? Tamotsu would cry for him when it was his time!

Did daddy even care?

Tamotsu hid in the bathroom of the reception hall, crying enough tears that would suffice both him and his father.

There was a knock on the door. "Tamotsu?" Tamotsu ceased his sniffling. "Monkey come out, please."

Tamotsu wiped his face with a paper towel and tried to compose himself. But once he opened the door, seeing his mother staring down at him with her gray eyes and that black dress made him burst out in tears again. Orihime rubbed his back soothingly. "It's okay. It'll be alright. It will."

Pitiful, he knew that, crying in his mother's lap as he would a child. But Tamotsu couldn't keep it all in, everything was so sudden. Why did he go? Why did he have to leave, it wasn't time yet!

Orihime lifted his chin with her hands. Her smile was so soft, so soothing, it caused fresh tears to roll down his cheeks. "He was in a lot of pain and he's in a better place now."

Tamotsu nodded. He rubbed his face with his hands and returned to the service. His father was talking to Karin-obasan. They were nodding, speaking low. Everyone seemed to be speaking low.

Isshin's words seemed to tumble into his mind again, about how his father had to grow up so fast. His father knew the day would come, he had been prepared. He had already cried once he realized that.

Tamotsu just hoped that he wouldn't cry, much like his father. But time moved slowly and, hopefully, and God willing, when that day came, he would be prepared…

Tamotsu continued on his search. Stories of Sousuke Aizen popped up all over the search engine. Reality, stock market, public relations.

Tamotsu was impressed. He owned half the town, and even more of the state. If he read further, he had branches all over the country.

"One of the most successful entrepreneurs at the age of twenty-five." Read one source.

Graduated from one of the top five ivy-league schools with three degrees in business.

But Tamotsu came to an impasse. His father's company came up in one article… it was odd. It said there was a brief partnership but it ended abruptly.

Tamotsu went back and searched again, this time adding the company's name to the search box and then his father's.

Sousuke Aizen Ichigo Kurosaki

He clicked the first option.

"We're sorry. This page has been taken down due to a few slight issues. Come back later and it'll be up and running in no time!"

Tamotsu went back and tried the next page, the page after that, and another. All said the same thing, or something akin to it.

Tamotsu leaned back in his chair and tried again, this time with typing his mother's name into the search box.

Sousuke Aizen Orihime Kurosaki

Still nothing worked. Not even images, but one. One worked. One blurry image of a woman holding a child, walking out a supermarket. A picture with a man ushering the two into a car. There were other camera men surrounding them which made it all hard to see, but Tamotsu knew. It was him and his mother and his father, all pushing to get into the car.

Tamotsu closed his eyes. It was like a bad dream… or a bad memory.

The link to the picture sprawled out a new map for him to follow, all leading to dead ends. Kuchiki Brand rung a bell. They ran some sort of business, he couldn't put his finger on it. Either way, a woman name Rukia Kuchiki tied in somehow with his father. Each page denied him access.

But he kept on digging, digging until he couldn't take it anymore. There were endless pieces to the puzzle, yet he could only fit a few together.

But when he drove home it only made him angrier. Why was all this kept from him? He demanded answers.

Tamotsu walked down the steps to his father's den. There the man sat with his back turned from his desk, talking on his cell phone. "Screw the protocol. Get us in there-"

"How could you have done it?" Tamotsu demanded.

Ichigo turned and glared razors at his son. He told the person on the other end to give him a minute before hanging up. Everyone knew not to bother Ichigo at work unless it was a crisis. Of course to him it meant a fire or death, but to Orihime, it meant a broken plate or a recipe fell through. "Excuse me?"

"How could you have done that to mom?" Tamotsu bellowed.

Orihime handed Hitomi a wet dish so she could dry it. Hitomi had really grown into her own! She had Ichigo's every feature but managed to snag Orihime's small nose. And the girl had taken on the gene of baking. She's already talked about expanding BabyCakes.

Then duo heard was the muted sound of shouting from down below. No words were comprehensible, but the voice was unmistakable.

"What did she every do to you?!"

Ichigo shook his head. "You know nothing." He stood from his chair and stared his son down. "I do not have to explain myself to you."

The girls waited as the house went quiet. It was rare such heated arguments occurred. A dispute or two, but any loudness that arose was happy.

Tamotsu turned on his heels and headed for the stairs.

Ichigo sat back down and Tamotsu stopped in his tracks. "No wonder she went to him." He snarled. "No wonder she did what she did, you were selfish. You didn't care about anyone but yourself."

He kept walking. He didn't stop until he made it to his room and found the box of letters. With the return address, he wrote a letter to him, saying he needed to meet him, he needed to find out the truth and why he left him. He told him to meet him on Sōkyoku Hill at three in one week.

Tamotsu leaned back from his desk. He folded the letter in half and shoved it in an envelope.

One week later.

"Do we really need to get me new clothes…? I mean, I think the ones I have are fine."

Misoka stopped to look at her boyfriend. "Tamotsu they're… alright." She grinned and grabbed his hand. "But this is college we're talking about! You can't go to college without buying new clothes!"

Misoka tugged him into the closes store and began looking through T-shirts. Tamotsu wandered, not looking for anything in particular. He didn't necessarily hate the mall, it just wasn't his scene. Too many people, too many ogling girls. He was used to it, but it still made him uncomfortable nonetheless.

Tamotsu curved his finger under a scantly item of clothing and lifted it up for her to see. "I like this."

Misoka turned from looking at a cute camisole. Her eyes widened and then she smiled. "For you?"

Tamotsu pressed the red lace bra against his chest, grinning jokingly. "Yeah, it's a good color on me, don't you think?"

Misoka snagged the lingerie from hands. "Why would I get this when I'd only have it on for a few seconds?"

Tamotsu bent down and gave her nose a kiss. "Good point."

Misoka grabbed the cami off the table, added the bra to the pile in her arms and dumped the contents on the counter.

"Tamotsu!"

Misoka looked up. A silver haired beauty blinked, looking beyond her, astonished.

"Gina!" Tamotsu exclaimed behind her.

Before she knew it, Gina was reaching over the counter, her arms all over Tamotsu's brawny body, hugging him. "Hi!"

Tamotsu's arm came around her waist. "This is my girlfriend, Misoka."

At that, Gina's pink finger nails began drumming along the counter impatiently, the smile she kept on her face began to falter.

Misoka grinned wearily. "Hi. I remember you."

Gina's brow crumbled in thought. "I… I don't remember you?" She swiped each item of clothing, giving the lace bra a long glare before ringing it in. "Did you go to the same school as us?"

It wasn't that Misoka didn't like Tamotsu's ex-girlfriends, she just didn't particularly care to encounter them.

Misoka blushed. "Yeah, we were in physics together…. But I was in a lot of after school activates with Tamotsu. Writer's Ink, Year Book Club, Honor's Society, Homecoming Committee… countless fundraisers-"

"Actually!" Gina interrupted, smiling bright again. "You two went to Homecoming together. I remember now. And it was Tamotsu and Hana who won king and queen, right?"

Misoka reduced to a tiny speck. God she hated that name. She hated all their names. Hana, Gina and Meko.

And Homecoming, it wasn't a complete disaster. Though, throughout the whole school, bevies of girls at his feet, Tamotsu had chosen her to take to the dance. Besides seeing him and Hana dancing together, wearing their crowna and taking pictures, it was a great night.

Gina flicked her silver hair over her shoulder. "Your total is eighty-four, thirty-nine."

Misoka went down to grab her wallet out of her purse, but when she looked up, it was alright paid for. Tamotsu tuck his hands back in his pockets.

Gina handed Tamotsu his receipt, holding his eyes longer than Misoka liked. "It was nice seeing you again."

Tamotsu nodded. "You too."

When they walked out the store together Tamotsu immediately brought Misoka close to him and kissed her on the mouth. "You're my girl," he said and squeezed her sides.

As Tamotsu pulled out the car keys, Misoka couldn't help but glance back at the shop through the glass window. Gina was glaring down at the register, tapping her fingers against the counter again.

He handed her the shopping bag. "Look, I can't stay out all day today. I got somewhere to be."

"Okay." Misoka smiled. "Just don't get into trouble."

The man smirked. "I'll try."

Tamotsu dropped her off and drove towards the outskirts of town. He hoped he'd be there. He had anticipated this all week.

It was an old hill, dry and worn out and Tamotsu parked his old Audi on the edge. He sat on the hood and glanced at his wrist watch. The small hand lay on the three while the big hand stopped on the one. The thin red one took its time around the face, allowing the minutes to go by. Tamotsu lay back and watched the city from the hill. There, he waited. And waited… and waited...

…

Orihime knew he was a grown man but goodness! Staying out to eleven definitely wasn't his style.

Orihime was worried. His behavior lately has been unacceptable. The things Ichigo told her he said to him… the lateness, the cold shoulder he's been giving everyone in the house. Poor Hitomi, so out in the blue… She'd know one day… maybe not at all!

When she told him, she expected him to be surprised, angry… but this attitude was beyond her.

The front door slammed and Orihime jumped. Keys jingled and the hall closet opened and closed. Tamotsu slumped into the living room and plopped down on the sofa next to his mother. She stared at him for a few seconds, not knowing where to start, so he did for her.

"How could he do that to me?" He whispered. "Does he know how much this means to me? Does he even care?"

Orihime placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tamotsu, please… what are you talking about?"

"Him, mom. Him! I told him to meet me on Sōkyoku Hill… He didn't show up." The manic pushed his hands through his floppy hair slowly to calm himself. "….He doesn't care… he doesn't want to know me…" His hands balled into fist on his sides. "I… I bet he was a thousand other kids just like me…."

Orihime didn't know what to say. Every word he said could have been right, but she couldn't prove him wrong. Aizen was a mysterious man with mysterious ways. He worked on his own agenda, no one else's.

Orihime closed her book on her lap. "…Tamotsu..." She licked her lips and thought. "…Maybe he's scared."

A thick brown brow was lifted. "What?"

"Maybe he was so excited that he got scared and just couldn't bring himself to see you." Orihime smiled. "You know, he's human, just like me and you."

Tamotsu blinked. "That seems… plausible."

Yes! She had finally tapped into his logic. For Tamotsu, if it wasn't probable, it wasn't anything. He had to see it to believe it.

Orihime patted his shoulder. "Why don't you just take a break? I have cookies in the oven! Take a warm shower and they'll be on the kitchen table, hot and ready for you."

And suddenly he was like a babe again. The five year old that hopped and jumped around all day until he was completely drained.

Tamotsu nodded slumped further into the sofa before standing and heading for the stairs.. "Okay mom."

As Tamotsu made his way up to his bedroom, he stopped before his parent's bedroom door. It was slightly open and the bedside lamp was on so he knew his father was up.

He knocked before opening the door. His dad was standing, wiping his reading glasses clear of smudges the way he always does. "Tamotsu?"

"Dad…" Tamotsu stepped all the way in and closed the door behind him. "I just want to apologize for what I said earlier this week… it was out of hand and I'm disappointed in myself."

Ichigo ran a hand through orangey-gray hair. "Anger gets the best of us at times. I forgave you the second after you said it."

Tamotsu stepped a few feet forward. "Dad…. Can you tell me what really happened?" Tamotsu watched his father's face switch through a few emotions before settling on his usual stoic. "The real story of why I'm here?"

Ichigo sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him. "Well, you won't find the information anywhere else."

The boy grinned and sat. "Don't worry, I tried."

"Had the best technicians in the country to take it all down." Ichigo nodded, remembering. "We would have been ruined if I didn't."

Tamotsu had had a lot of time to think up on that hill. Why was he striving for something he couldn't reach? The more and more his father spoke, the more things became connected. Lost dreams became found memories and lies came to the light.

"Well…" Ichigo rubbed the bridge of his nose before taking his glasses off again. "Your mother and I met in college….."

Weeks later.

Hitomi carried a heavy box of books outside to the car. "Does Tammy have to go so soon?!" she whined.

Orihime held the cheeks of her daughter and squeezed lightly before handing the box off to Ichigo. "Hitomi, it's the end of summer, you knew this was happening."

Hitomi pushed her hair behind her ears. "Aww! But… but…"

"Hitomi, I'll come back!" Tamotsu shouted from behind the Audi. "I love your mac and cheese too much."

Ichigo pushed a comforter into the back seat. "Hitomi, you'll be fine." He made a small grunting noise before finally getting the whole blanket through. "Can you go in the house and grab me a bottle of water?"

Hitomi nodded and ran back inside.

Orihime pushed the books onto the other side of the car, leaving room for Hitomi's slender body to fit through. When she looked up, she wasn't surprised, not at all. She was more irritated, annoyed even. What took you so long?

"Tamotsu."

"Huh?" Tamotsu looked at his mother and turned when she nodded to something behind him.

"He's scared… he's human, just like me and you."

But he didn't seem human. He was larger, bigger then what he envisioned in his mind. He was larger then life himself. As two leather shoes walked across the driveway up to the small family, everything else in the world melted away.

Orihime stared at the two, face to face now. Tamotsu was leaner, maybe from all the baseball he played, but strapping and muscular nonetheless.

And Aizen… He looked no different. The shades he wore hid all expression in his eyes and time had touched the edges of his hair around the sides and back. He wasn't holding the cane she'd seen him with in a recent picture he was in. He could be so misleading.

Besides that all, he was still the same.

Tamotsu bowed his head and came back up. "I'm Tamotsu Kurosaki."

For an awful and heart wrenching moment, Orihime thought he was going to turn, walk back to his car and have his chauffeur drive him away. For a moment, she thought he didn't like what he saw.

But slowly, ever so slowly, a smirked formed on his face.

So, yes, there's one more chapter left. And it will end predominantly Ichihime since we've focused on Tamotsu for so long.

Rocka.