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Satsujin felt... let-down. Similar to the feeling you get when all the best of something are gone, and only the damaged, small, and/or useless ones remain. The reason the zanpakuto felt this way was because he had yet to meet a captain and not some snot-nosed, unseated noob swinging his sword like a wooden baseball bat and charging at him with false courage or farfetched wishes for glory and promotions.

"Tch." Another idiot down. Two more got flicked off his sword to land in the same pile. Were they underestimating him because of his non-threatening looks? Maybe he should ditch his former master's appearance... But no, he remembered with a smile, this will be the perfect disguise for when I finally go to kill that woman, who took away the only source of fun I had. Speaking of which, where is she? Satsujin jumped onto a rooftop and closed his eyes. Then he whirled around and cut through an officer before snarling through the halves of the body at the man who had been behind his comrade.

"You're in my WAY!" he roared. "All you little flies keep popping up and delaying me from my prize!"

"Taunt us all you want! We are m-men of the Thirteen Court Guard-" SLASH.

"Shut your mouths, you have no right." Satsujin almost snapped Goro's neck with the force he used to look to his right. Then, a long, Cheshire cat-like grin stretched across his former master's features, not suiting him at all. "Found her."

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"Aw come on Dad!" Yuzu whined. "I'm not that fast!"

"Oi!" Karin shouted. "Don't ditch us like that, wait up next time!"

"DAD, I swear, if you dash off like that again I'm gonna kick you in your ugly..." Ichigo trailed off as he saw Isshin standing facing them with his hand in hers, smiling like everything in the world was right and revolving around the sun again, which it was. Ichigo slowed, and he was vaguely aware of Yuzu losing it and running headfirst into her arms while sobbing her heart out. Karin followed soon after, all cover of toughness lost to reveal the young girl who also just missed her mother, who hadn't been there to pick her up from school for all those lonely years. For Ichigo, time slowed down as he unconsciously clenched his hands into trembling fists and looked down. He'd daydreamed of this moment when he was younger. Of Yuzu, Karin, and Goat Face all crowded around her and smiling. But he'd always been watching from the side, seeing them happy. Beyond that, he'd scolded himself to stop daydreaming, and the bitterness had welled up inside. That's when the famous scowl that his friends knew him for had been born.

But she was here. And he was almost twice as old and when he had been when she'd died. But still, he'd-

"Come back to Earth, Ichigo," a sudden but gentle voice whispered in his ear while warm arms embraced him. After a few seconds, she pulled back and rested her hands on his shoulders. Brown eyes met brown eyes, and Masaki spoke.

"My cute little boy has grown into a handsome young man!" she smiled. Before she could continue though, she was pulled back into another hug, tighter and rougher this time.

"Mom."

That one word held so much unspoken meaning. It also set off the crying and sobbing in the twins again, and they ran to give their mother another hug.

"Oh my, wait a second there- WOAH!" The combined jump of Karin and Yuzu sent all four of them tumbling to the ground in a big jumble and tangle of Kurosaki. Then they all started laughing. Tears of joy ran down the girls' eyes while both they and Masaki, along with Isshin, just laughed outright. Ichigo couldn't help it and he didn't want to, he just sat up and beamed a true smile at his mother, one that he hadn't done in eight years, before joining in with the laughter.

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Why hadn't he attacked?

They'd been right there, doing stupid family stuff and just standing around in front of him, perfect targets. He'd had his spiritual pressure completely hidden and concealed, as it was one of his special abilities. It concealed everything within a ten foot radius of him, and was undetectable to even most captain-level soul reapers. It had been that way for the past twenty minutes as he'd been killing soul reapers, and there'd been a perfect opening while they'd been all piled on top of each other with no places to move immediately to get out of harm's way, or even protect each other because of their tangled limbs restricting movement. So then why...

Why hadn't Satsujin killed her?

Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it...

Well then Satsujin, I guess you're not as heartless as you'd like yourself to believe.

"Who's there!?" Immediately after, the zanpakuto cursed his stupidity. The orange one and the black-haired one had looked in his general direction. Now they were getting up and looking around suspiciously, while Ichigo reached for the sword on his back.

Ichigo?

Yeah, that's the one the Miss is always talking about. Come on Satsujin, you know that you know his name because I do. Our connection isn't broken yet.

SHUT UP WEAKLING! Just shut up and stay right there. See as your own body attacks your friend and kills her, and I'll relish the look of betrayal and hurt on her face when she sees it's you. I'll relish the pain of her family! You can just sit right there.

"I think not!" Goro said. Satsujin clamped his mouth shut. But that wasn't the only part Goro was taking back. His sword arm felt tingly, and it was lifting up to his neck.

What the hell do you think you're doing!?

I'd rather kill both of us than have you hurt a hair on Miss Masaki's head, or her family's for that matter.

YOU'RE CRAZY!

No my friend... you are. But don't worry. We'll be united as one spirit when we cycle back to the world of the living. It'll just be you and me together, like old times.

Like old times... Satsujin thought, in spite of himself. In his moment of hesitation, Goro swung the sword up.

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