Author's Note: Well, uh. . . that was probably a rather long wait for a chapter that was ultimately rather short. But on the bright side: This is mostly build-up, and will have the last of Ichigo only brooding for a while. Next chapter we're getting back into action.

Rukia had left rather too soon for Yuzu's liking, resuming her duties after she had escorted the girl to the Shiba quarters. A friendly face had been good, as Yuzu felt very unsure about this. Her father was waiting, she had been told, but that was about it. She hadn't disliked life at the village. Sure, it was rather a lot like being alive- which made you wonder what the point of it all was, if being dead just meant doing the same things you did when you were alive, only without electricity or running water- but she had liked it. She wasn't sick anymore. She had been doing things that had mattered, in their own small way.

Then stern-faced men and women had accompanied her away from all of that, allowing only a brief goodbye. There had apparently been quite an effort to find her; whoever her father was, he was apparently very important. A captain (whatever that meant around here), and a nobleman.

As she was ushered into a well-furnished salon, she wondered to himself what he was like. He had left them before her and Karin had even been born, she knew. Would he be stern and cold? Would he be like lords from the movies, all about power and politics? Would he try to marry her off in some sort of alliance?

All sorts of images ran through her mind. Tall, short, bearded, shaved, bald, hairy, large, small…

Trying to distract herself, she looked around the room. It looked quite old, given its style of fashion. Elements of more modern, western ideas were present, like couches or armchairs, but most of it looked like it came right out of a medieval period piece. Nervously, Yuzu stood in the middle of the room, wondering if she could really sit down- everything looked so… strange, and so fancy.

"Hey, kid."

For a moment Yuzu thought it was her father, but realized a second later that it was the voice of a woman. She turned to face her. She wore silken robes, all right, contrasting with the grim practicality of the black uniforms the shinigami wore, so she was probably nobility. She looked nothing like what Yuzu had imagined a noble would, though. She had a confident grin on her face, a pipe at the corner of her mouth, and her half-long hair was kept up in a simple-looking sort of headscarf. One of her arms looked odd- mechanical, Yuzu realized on closer inspection. Her clothes revealed rather a lot of cleavage, and all in all she looked more like a well-dressed punk than some noble lady. Something about this put Yuzu at ease.

"A-ah," Yuzu said, and bowed. "I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

The woman laughed, and took the pipe in her prosthetic arm.

"No need to get all stuck-up, kid. We're family." She took a step forward, and extended a hand. Hesitantly, Yuzu took it. Her grasp was rather a bit firmer than Yuzu liked, but she was too polite to mention it.

"I'm Shiba Kukaku, see," she said, putting an arm on Yuzu's shoulder. "Your second cousin, or something along the lines. You can think of me as an aunt."

"Kurosaki Yuzu," Yuzu said meekly. She stood quiet, looking up at the atypical noblewoman. She really was nothing like what Yuzu had expected, but not in a bad way.

"So…" Kukaku said, just before the silence got awkward, "how's the afterlife treating ya? The lads what brought you here didn't give you any trouble, did they?"

"O-oh, none at all," Yuzu said. "They were um, very professional."

"Professional's just another word for boring," Kukaku scoffed. "But, good enough, I suppose…"

"Um…" Yuzu said quietly, "what about… my father? They said I was supposed to meet him."

"Oh, him." Kukaku said. "Yeah, the big idiot's on his way. Held up with work, but knowing him, he probably dropped everything the moment he heard they found you. He's not an outstanding nobleman, but he cares about family."

Yuzu blinked. Kukaku did not appear to have much respect for him.

"Big idiot?"

"Oh. Er…" Kukaku said, scratching her head. "Sort of a jargon we got going. We're not very formal here in the Shiba clan, not if we can help it. He's the head of our clan and all, but that don't mean he gets to act like he's all that. Keeps us equal. Know what I mean?"

Yuzu did not, but she nodded politely.

"Well, speak of the devil," Kukaku said, and nodded to the door. "I think I sense him coming now."

"Sense?" Yuzu asked.

"Kid, you got a lot to learn," Kukaku said with a grin. "Sensing energy's a real basic thing. Maybe we'll get you into the academy one day."

"Oh. Um." Yuzu said, not sure what to say.

"For now, I'll give you two some privacy. And remember, if he's being too stupid, I'll always be there to knock some sense into him." Kukaku said with affirmative cheer, and walked out of the room.

Yuzu could hear a stirring further down the house, a rumbling as if somebody had knocked some furniture over. She was filled with all sorts of expectation, racing through her mind… any moment now, he'd be here.

What burst through the door so hastily was, much like Kukaku, nothing like what she had expected. Shiba Isshin ran on through the doorway, and abruptly slid to a halt when he saw her, going from urgent to stunned in an instant. For a few seconds he just stared at her, and Yuzu stared back.

He looked a bit younger than she had expected, like he was in his early thirties. A short beard framed his face, slight enough that you might think he had just forgot to shave for a couple of days. His hair was short, a simple chestnut brown, and he wore the shinigami uniform with a white coat on top of it. He looked dazzled and amazed, and in his face, Yuzu thought she saw a little bit of her older brother Ichigo. He looked like a kind man, overwhelmed and vulnerable.

"So, er," he said, as if not sure what he should say, "er. Hi. I'm uh, I'm your dad." Lamely, he waved at her.

Yuzu blinked, not sure what to really say. She had had so much anticipation for this, and undoubtedly he had, too. Now that he was there, in the flesh, it felt a bit difficult to process. Politeness won out, though.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." She said simply, blurting the words out.

"Come on now, I'm your pa," said Isshin awkwardly. "I mean, I get if you don't want to think of me that way. I uh, I don't want to force anything on you..."

He looked so oddly vulnerable, sounding as if he just barely kept his voice in control, and Yuzu knew he couldn't be a bad person. She said nothing, simply taking a few steps forward, and putting her arms around his waist in a tight hug. Somewhat awkwardly, Isshin reciprocated, feeling a little stiff to the touch.

"So um… well, this is nice," he murmured. "I sorta thought you'd be um… I dunno, angry. 'Cause of… well, you know…"

"It's okay." Yuzu whispered. It was rather an indescribable feeling. She felt him, strong and tall, as she held him close. It felt... right, somehow. She had never known him, but now, seeing him, she felt a connection. He was a good man, she hoped- certainly nothing like a stern, political nobleman from history.

"Well, um… I'm not really sure what to say." Isshin murmured. "Um, welcome? To your um, new home? I'm afraid we don't have a room for you just yet…"

"It's just fine." Yuzu said firmly, letting go and taking a step back. "Everything's fine."

"That… that's good, then," Isshin said, and nodded. "Er… I actually have a lot of work, and I'm going away on a mission tomorrow… being a captain means you don't have too much free time."

"Oh." Yuzu said, sounding a little disappointed. Quickly, she followed up, "I mean, that's fine. If you have a job, you have a job."

"I'll be here all day," Isshin reassured her. "And Kukaku has agreed to stay here, to keep you company. I want you to feel at home here. Everything in this place belongs to us, the Shiba. We have servants, and money, and you'll have everything you need."

"Servants?" Yuzu hadn't considered that, and wasn't sure she liked the idea of being waited on.

"Well, sort of," Isshin mumbled. "We are a noble clan, after all. One of the major families, even. So…"

"It'll be fine." Yuzu said again, quite firmly. "Everything is going to be fine."

oOo

Slowly, Ichigo's eyes went over the text written out on the page in front of it, without actually managing to concentrate on reading it. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, the thought dawned on him that he must've spent the last hour or so like this: Lying on his bed, trying to read the textbook that he needed to get through by next week, but at the same unable to register what he was actually reading. Come to think of it, what was the text even about…?

Sighing, Ichigo shut the book, turned around to lay on his back, and covered his eyes with his arm. The entire day had been just like this. He tried to go after his life normally, he tried to take care of all his regular tasks, duties, chores, and whatever else there was, but he just could not keep his mind on it. No matter what he tried, his mind always drifted back to that night. The Gotei's punishment.

He knew full well that he was spending too much time thinking about it, that it kept coming back when it shouldn't, that he should just let it go and move on. But at the same time, the substitute Shinigami could not help but to feel that he was doing the right thing in not letting it go. He and the others had talked about it time and time again, that they were in way over their heads by involving themselves in things regarding to Soul Society, and that they would do best to stay in good terms with the Gotei… but didn't this execution that he and Tatsuki witnessed show just how unforgiving and vengeful the Gotei could be? Perhaps they were not the side to stick with… especially with them allying themselves with that bastard of a shopkeeper. But then again… the Gotei was also who Rukia fought for. Her, Isshin, and the rest of Ichigo's family at Soul Society…

With his thoughts going in circles like that, Ichigo kept lying on his bed for quite a while. Ultimately, he might have even dozed off, had a sudden sensation not startled him- namely, several reiatsu signatures suddenly appearing.

Ichigo bolted up, any feeling of sleepiness immediately gone. For one short moment, he thought that perhaps that assassin captain had returned to finish her job and take him out as well- but then he recognized some of the reiatsus. His father. Rukia. And a third person that… seemed awfully familiar.

For a moment, Ichigo remained sitting on his bed, uncertain on what to do next. Following a sudden impulse, he then grabbed his Shinigami badge, used it, and left the house, leaving his body behind. While the reason that Rukia and Isshin were here was probably not a good one, there was little doubt that they would be able to snap him out of his brooding mood.

oOo

They had all arrived without trouble, Isshin heading the expedition. He had been careful in his selection of officers- the Gotei could not risk taking serious casualties before the war had even begun. For all his constant and consistent silliness, Isshin was a keen enough strategist, and some thought had gone into who would come and who wouldn't.

Rukia had been his first pick, not because she was the most experienced or outstanding fighter, but because she was strong enough, knew how to take orders, and seemed to connect with his son- something they might find useful in a scrap. Fourth division, on his request, had supplied Kotetsu Isane for medical duty, that Hanataro kid acting as her aide. He had picked Soifon as his only fellow captain to join the expedition, because she was fast, utterly lethal, and obedient. She had protested some, insisting her role as spymaster and assassin were less direct, but Isshin had convinced her in the end, citing Yamamoto's authority, and that there would be plenty of first-hand intelligence where they were going anyhow. Getting outside would do her some good, he thought- maybe some time spent with Yoruichi would make her a bit less tightly wound.

Rounding off the expedition force was Nemu, there on Mayuri's insistence- to gather data, he surmised. The girl made him a bit uneasy, being artificially made and eerily quiet, but there was no denying she would be able to pull her weight. All things considered, they had more than enough strength to face down anything short of a Vasto Lorde invasion.

As they stepped down onto the pavement, landing on the familiar ground of Karakura town, Isshin felt a sense of anticipation, almost dread. This place, he had once called home. In it, somewhere, was the woman he'd left behind, who he'd have to face sooner rather than later. It looked the same yet different, this street. He'd walked it before...

His nostalgic reveries were interrupted, as he sensed the arrival of a familiar reiatsu- his son. It lifted his spirits, and heartily, he walked forward. Somewhat apprehensively, the others in his group followed behind.

Ichigo landed a few yards away, walking forward. The prospect of meeting his father again had left him with mixed emotions, which, to his surprise, were mostly positive. As much as he resented him having left, knowing why, knowing there was a reason, and above all knowing he had a father, meant... something. Enough to want to see him.

Aside from that, the thought of seeing Rukia again was just all-around… calming. Sure, it might not have been that been long since he had last seen her. But with everything that had happened recently, reuniting with her might just be what he needed, if only to remind him of the times when the practices and actions of the Gotei barely concerned him.

His mood was darkened, though, as he saw the people in their tow- or one of them, at least. The murderer from before. His brows furrowed into that familiar scowl, and he stopped in front of them.

"Son!" Isshin said cheerily, taking a few steps forward, arms extended. At the same time, Rukia shot Ichigo a quick glance from the back, making it clear that she would not interrupt this moment between father and son.

"No hugs or I'll break your fingers." Ichigo said firmly.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Isshin said, transitioning to a firm pat on Ichigo's shoulder. "Good to see you again, kid."

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo murmured. "I was wondering..."

"Yuzu is safe and sound with us now," Isshin said, answering the question before it could be asked. "I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her, but..." He shook his head wistfully. "The things I missed out on, eh?"

"That's... that's good," Ichigo said, and nodded. "Still, what are you doing here? What's she doing here?"

Missing the edge in Ichigo's tone, Isshin said,

"Well, no need to thank me- you and Rukia seem to get along, and-"

"Not her!" Ichigo snapped, perhaps a little bit too quickly. "I mean her." He nodded at the assassin, who met his glare with stoic indifference.

"Ah." Isshin said. "Her."

"Yeah." Ichigo said flatly. "Her."

"Listen, we're here on an important mission," Isshin started to explain. "We think Aizen's taking an interest in the world of the living, so we're here as an expeditionary force just in case. She's one of our best fighters, and an experienced intelligence agent too-"

"Yeah, she's real good at murdering children." Ichigo said darkly.

"Anyway," Isshin said, "we're here now because there's a war coming and we need to be prepared." He looked Ichigo in the eye. "I know you've had it rough, son, but a storm's brewing and you might just get caught up in the middle of it. We're not perfect, but we're what stands between Aizen getting everything he wants."

"...sure," Ichigo said uneasily, his old doubts resurfacing. On the one hand, a stone cold murderer. On the other, his father exuding well-intentioned honesty.

"We'll have duties to perform and such, but eventually... I'd like to visit the family. If that's all right."

It was odd to see such a powerful man, captain and everything, sound so uncertain.

"Sure, I guess," Ichigo said and shrugged. "Just give me a heads up. I don't want to be near it when you and mom work through whatever issues you have."

Isshin just nodded soberly. "You've got my word on that one."

There was a silence, just long enough to be awkward.

"...so you lot will probably need someplace to stay, right?" Ichigo said at last.

"We'll manage," Isshin said. "See you around, Ichigo."

"See you," Ichigo murmured. As the group went on their way, Rukia and him exchanged another quick glance- enough to make him understand that she'd come by to see him soon enough.

Now alone, and no less confused, Ichigo looked after them. A storm coming... well, that was one way of putting it. When it came, where would he stand?

oOo

Among all sentient hollows residing in Hueco Mundo, the throne room of the fortress Las Noches had always been a place spoken with only the highest reverence. It was here where the strongest of their kind, as well as their king, Baraggan Louisenbairn had once resided, and with him, his army. If a hollow entered this place, it meant either one of two things: Either he was a member of said army, and Baraggan's favoured… or he was in deep shit.

As Grimmjow entered the throne room, all he could feel was a certain bemusement. Back before he was turned into an Arrancar, the only interest he had in this place was to maybe sit on its throne as king one day. Granted, it had been a rather half-hearted ambition, seeing as Baraggan had already been king for so long without being overpowered, but it had been an ambition of his nonetheless. Now however, Baraggan ruled no more, having been overthrown by a certain someone who was even stronger- a certain someone who just earlier had sent his Shinigami lapdog to order Grimmjow here.

Even now, Grimmjow couldn't for the life of him not remember the girl's name- not that it mattered to him, anyway. She was just another one of Aizen's Shinigami lackeys, with her only outstanding feature being to him how little she seemed to fit into any of this. But at the same time, he had to admit that the girl was braver than he had expected: When she had entered his quarters earlier to relay Aizen's orders, she had been barely intimidated by him, despite her catching him in a rotten mood as she interrupted his nap. Instead, she calmly waited until he agreed to come along, and refused to leave until he did so.

Now that they were in the throne room however, the girl did seem a bit relieved… though that could always just be a lapdog's satisfaction over seeing its master. Said master was sitting high up on his throne, busy talking to someone kneeling in front of him, so that he didn't take notice of Grimmjow and the girl. As they came closer, Grimmjow could recognize the other person… who turned out to be Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow made a grimace. The last thing he'd need right now was having to deal with this emotionally dead suck-up of an unnecessarily high-numbered Espada…

"…will not be necessary. I already have someone in mind to carry out this mission." Grimmjow could hear Aizen say as him and the girl finally got to where Ulquiorra was. At the mention of a "mission", Grimmjow's ears perked up. All the girl had told him was that Aizen wanted to see him. Why exactly that was, she didn't know.

"So, ya wanted to see me, Aizen-sama?" Grimmjow spoke up. Ulquiorra, who was still kneeling down next to him, shot him what probably was an angry glare for his disrespectful behavior, or something like that- with his never-changing expression, that was hard to tell. Grimmjow just smirked at him in response. At the same time, he could see from the corner of his eye how the girl walked over to Aizen's side, who in turn didn't pay any attention to her.

"That I did, yes." Aizen said, ignoring what the Espada in front of him did between each other. "Grimmjow, I presume you recall what I said during the last war council?"

Grimmjow's grin widened. He was starting to like where this was going. "Wasn't it something 'bout a lil' poke to test our enemies?"

Aizen nodded. "Correct. I have decided that the honor of carrying out this mission will be… yours. You are to take your subordinates, and attack a certain place in the world of the living- meet up with Szayelaporro for details. You are to wreak havoc, test their strength, and if possible kill some of their higher ranked officers. You will be given notice to retreat once I deem your actions sufficient. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Grimmjow said, smiling contently. He really had been sitting idly on his ass for far too long now, so what better way to fix this than to slaughter some humans, and potentially even Shinigami?

"I must object, Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra interrupted Grimmjow's happy thoughts before he could properly indulge in them. "Someone such as Grimmjow is not suited for such a mission. With your permission, I will take care of it."

Grimmjow glared at his fellow Espada. Who did that ass think he was? Grimmjow was about to snarl something back at him, but before he could, Aizen spoke first.

"That is enough, Ulquiorra." He said, his tone level. "You will not carry out this mission. You will remain here in Hueco Mundo, and keep any and all of your objections to yourself. Is that clear?"

There was a moment of silence. Then: "…Yes, Aizen-sama."

"Well then, if ya don't need me anymore," Grimmjow said, trying his hardest not to laugh out loud. "I'll be on my way- unlike some others here, I got an important mission to carry out, after all."

With that, he turned around and left, smirking satisfied. He got to carry out the first attack of the entire war, and got to see Ulquiorra get knocked down a peg… this day could hardly get any better.

oOo

With a series of quick slash effects, the screen was cut into pieces, revealing behind a young blue-haired swordswoman performing a victory pose to a short, heroic-sounding musical piece. At the same time, the character of Uryu's choice, a large gorilla wearing a tie, was kept in a small box at the edge of the screen, where he was clapping for the victor. While normally, this would've bothered Uryu quite a bit, right now the feeling of how unreal this situation felt was simply too strong for him to feel any bitterness over his loss.

As per Orihime's insistence, the two of them had gone to her flat to 'hang out a bit'. While this in itself didn't exactly bother Uryu – far from it, actually – the fact that this was real, actually happening, still proved itself to be quite hard to believe to him. The fact that Orihime had quite easily beaten him at a video game that he fancied himself to be decently good at only added to this.

"Won again!" She exclaimed cheerfully, as they returned to the character select screen. "Do you want to go another round, or do you surrender yet, Uryu-kun?"

"Uh. I think I've had enough for now." He said, cursing himself almost immediately for his brief answer. Being this flustered just wasn't like him…

"Hm. Well, if you say so." Orihime responded, sounding a bit disappointed, but still getting up from the couch to turn of the television and the console. Having done so, she hesitated a moment.

"Say… what do you think about this new Shinigami force that arrived earlier?"

Uryu took a deep breath. He had no idea how she came up with this subject all of a sudden, considering that all they had talked about thus far were minor things. Small-talk. This being Orihime however, it did not surprise him that she would so randomly change subjects. And at the very least, it took things into more familiar territory for him…

"Well, I'm not really surprised that the Gotei would send some of their people to watch over this place now. I mean, remember what Arisawa-san told us about Kurosaki-san behaved in front of their last force that showed up here… and don't forget, these Xcution people were henchmen of this Aizen guy. It only makes sense that they'd want to keep a close eye on this town now."

"I suppose you're right…" Orihime sighed, now returning to the couch. "I just… kind of hoped that things would be a bit more normal now, you know? With no Shinigami or hollows in our lives. But I suppose that won't happen anytime soon now."

"That's just how it is once you first enter this world." Uryu said, while making an effort to give her what he hoped was an assuring smile. "You hope that things return to normal after a while, and as you do, your exact definition of what is "normal" shifts, and in the end, this all becomes normal to you."

In response, Orihime however simply shook her head. "I already kinda figured that." She grumbled. "What I meant was that I would prefer it if we didn't really have this entire war business looming over us…"

"…Oh." Uryu got out, completely taken aback otherwise. What else could he really say now?

"Still, thanks for telling me. It's good to know that."

"Uh- you're welcome!" He quickly said, once again cursing his loss of words. Letting his mind race, Uryu tried to quickly come up with something else to say, but before he could think of anything, Orihime already spoke again.

"So, by the way. What do you think is going on between us? Like, what do we have going here?"

"Uh-uhm," Uryu said, a bit confused. He thought he knew what she meant, or at least he hoped she did, but the question was as sudden as it was blunt.

"You know, feelings," Orihime said, sounding oddly casual. "You seem to like me. Isn't that right?"

If had Uryu been speechless before, the entire concept of language was lost on him now. Repeatedly, he opened and closed his mouth with the intention in mind to say something, but ultimately doing little more than breathing through it. After this not entirely dignified silence went on for several seconds- which to Uryu felt quite a bit longer- Orihime brought him salvation by breaking it.

Orihime nodded. "Ah, I see. Well, for me, I'm pretty certain that I do like you… I'm just not really sure to what extent yet."

By now, some understanding of human language had returned to Uryu, and he managed to get out some words. "I- uh- I mean, it's probably the same for me. I think? It's just- I don't think that I can really talk about this yet."

"That's fair." Orihime giggled. "If you prefer it, we can just pretend that I didn't say anything, and just take things slowly. See how things turn out. Would that be fine with you?"

For a moment, Uryu hesitated. Then, after a few more seconds, he nodded, saying "Yeah. That's fine."

As if this all wasn't surreal enough already…

oOo

Having left the organizing of a headquarters to Soifon- the girl was nothing if not efficient at practical details like those- Isshin had headed to the one place he at once wanted and didn't want to go to. He could have done it in minutes even with a lazy shunpo, but had opted for a walk instead. It had been a poor choice, but somehow he could not race toward what was awaiting him.

A knot had formed in his stomach, a big ball of anticipation and dread, and he'd had to force his legs forward. It is like ripping off a band-aid, he had thought, you do it fast and even if it hurts, it's better afterwards.

In the end, he let himself in through a window on the upper floor, briefly wondering if he shouldn't- but then again, it couldn't put him in more trouble than he already was in. Quiet as a mouse he walked down the stairs, sensing for that familiar reiatsu signature...

...and there she was in the living room, looking right at him. She sat in an armchair, her expression void of emotion. With a simple gesture, she pointed at a chair opposite her, and Isshin sat down wordlessly.

He hadn't been sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't... whatever this was. They sat in awkward silence, staring each other down, and Isshin only waited for her to give her the earful he deserved. He'd expected screaming. Anger. Maybe crying. Objects thrown his way, or maybe an armour-piercing slap. Instead, he got an unrelenting, dead-eyed stare.

"So, um... you knew I was coming," he said lamely, awkwardly scratching his head.

"Please." She said, her tone neutral. "My abilities aren't what they once were, but you, I could sense from a mile away."

"Never... never did bother to hide myself much," he mumbled.

"So why are you here?"

The question was the first hint of emotion he'd felt, acidic and accusatory.

"Um..."

"No, really. Why are you here. Why, after over fifteen years, are you here now?"

Isshin stayed quiet, a little baffled, his mouth opening like a goldfish's.

"It's an honest question. Answer." Masaki demanded. She took a few deep breaths, Isshin noticed, and it was clear her controlled front was out of effort.

"It... seemed like the right thing to do," he mumbled. "They blew the lid on me having family out here anyway, so..."

"So what, hm?" Masaki said. "You'll come back, be a dad to Ichigo and Karin when it suits you? When the great call of being a Shinigami doesn't get in the way?"

"...I'd hoped..." Isshin said and trailed off, not quite sure what he had hoped for.

Masaki drew a sharp breath, and Isshin could hear it very clearly as it flew in through her gritted teeth.

"Just tell me one thing," she said, her voice trembling. "Yuzu. Is she..."

"Safe and sound!" Isshin said hastily. "Got her in a manor and everything. She'll have all she need."

Masaki nodded, and took another couple breaths.

"Fifteen years," she said. "Fifteen years, I've worked myself half to death while looking after the kids, by myself. You just up and leave, out of nowhere, and..." She threw her hands up in the air, as if there was too much to say for words to convey.

"I'm sorry." Isshin said emphatically. "I didn't have a choice-"

"You're sorry." Masaki said flatly. "One moment I have a loving husband, three children and a bright future. The next I'm left to fend for myself. It's a wonder I haven't had a mental breakdown."

The words cut at Isshin like a knife to the heart. Having left her behind, only having been able to watch his family from afar... it had hurt him. More than anything in his life. But it had been Masaki who had suffered the worst of it, for circumstances out of both of their hands, and he'd do anything to undo it.

He only wished he could say all of that. Instead, he managed,

"Like I said... sorry."

"I don't want your 'sorry'." Masaki said bluntly. "We managed fine without you. I told them you were dead, because that is what you are to me."

"I didn't have a choice."

He wanted to spray the words out, angrily and with passion, to defend himself and blame... well, everything, but he couldn't.

"Is that so?" Masaki said flatly. "You couldn't have taken us and run, then? You couldn't have fought back? You didn't even try."

"I... you don't know the Gotei. Not like I do." Isshin said quietly. "They'd have found us, and... there are things worse than death, Masaki. Things my kids shouldn't have to go through because of their father."

"A brave sacrifice, was it?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice. "Nobly running from your family, to save them from suffering..."

"You don't have to believe it." Isshin said. "It is what it is. I didn't come here to ask forgiveness, 'cause I don't think I deserve it anyway. I just... it felt like the right thing to do."

"Get out." Masaki said sharply. "I can't stop you from seeing Ichigo, or from being in this town, but for as long as you stay here, you stay out of my house. Get out."

Isshin nodded, and stood up. Quietly, he marched out. The band-aid had been ripped, and although painful, it was better... just not by a lot.

After he was long gone, Masaki finally allowed herself to break down in tears.

oOo

The sun had just set, and Karakura town was dark and asleep, awaiting morning. However, it would not be allowed to rest for long, or at least not a certain group of people. There was a tremor through the fabric of reality, and opening like an eye into the void itself, the gateway expanded. Through the darkness stepped Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, an anticipatory grin plastered across his face. Behind him were his posse, his group of loyal fraccion: Shawlong Kufang, D-Roy, Ylfordt Granz, Edrad Liones, and Nakeem Grindima. Standing at least a hundred feet above ground, Grimmjow and his companions drank in the sensations of the city; so many reiatsu signatures... and of course, the most recognizable ones. Shinigami. Strong ones at that.

"Well, whaddaya say, boys?" Grimmjow said, almost gleefully. "The boss-man gave us one thing to do. Wanna oblige him?"

"Your wish is our command, my king," Shawlong said, being the most formal of the group. The other fraccion nodded and grunted with approval.

"Too right," Grimmjow said. "Well then... let's go paint the town red, boys."