Sorry for the long wait. I have a good idea for what will happen now. You may or may not like it, but we'll see. Thank you for your patience!

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Masaki hadn't done this before, but now she took a moment to observe her son's soul reaper form. He had these strange guard thingies and his huge sword was on his back, but other than that he had the same outfit as the other soul reapers she'd met. But he had a different aura than them, a much more powerful and diverse one.

She smiled and clasped her hands, he was so strong now. A strange sensation tingled in her clasped hands. When she looked down, they seemed... slightly transparent. It wasn't very noticeable though. She could've imagined it.

"Mom, Karin, Yuzu, just stay back."

"Why, is something there?" Masaki looked up along with the girls.

"Don't worry, it's probably nothing but... we'll go check it out just in case. In the meantime, you girls chat with Mom, you've got a lot to catch up on," he smiled again. With that, Ichigo and his dad pushed of the ground and landed onto a nearby rooftop to look around and try to pinpoint what it was that they'd heard. Suddenly, they were joined by two people gracefully alighting down next to them. One held their hat so it wouldn't fly off as pink fabric rippled around him, and the other's kind eyes found Ichigo and his dad and smiled softly.

"Nice seein' you here, ex-captain Shiba," the first person said.

"I trust you've been doing well since we last heard news of you in the World of the Living?" added the second one.

"Oh! Yes, but this is a surprise. Captain Kyoraku, Captain Unohana, what are you doing here?"

"Scouting out the enemy in our midst."

"An enemy?"

"Yes, and I believe I've found him," Captain Unohana said with some surprise in her voice, catching sight of the limp figure in the distance. She flash stepped over a few roofs with the other three reapers in tow, and she gasped slightly when she stopped down beside him. "It's none other than the patient I'd been tending to before the Captains' meeting." She checked him over before coming to the conclusion that he had somehow sustained a deep sword wound on his shoulder, close to his neck. Closer inspection of the blood on the blade revealed that the cut had been made by his own sword, like he'd tried to cut his throat only to swerve away at the last millisecond. There was also the blood of Court Guard members, which seemed unlikely considering the type of man Goro was, but the evidence didn't lie. She also couldn't feel his spiritual pressure unless she really concentrated and specifically searched for it, and even then it was muted. Captain Unohana's eyebrows knit together worriedly. Shunsui's eyes widened, he recognized the man too. Ichigo's insensitivity broke the tension.

"Oi, who is this guy?" he raised one eyebrow in a skeptical expression. "He looks like a hobo or a farmer."

"Hey watch your mouth! This guy's apparently trouble enough for two captains coming in, so don't judge him only based on appearances," scolded his father.

"Well how the hell am I supposed to know at first glance? You gotta admit he just looks like an innocent civilian," Ichigo shrugged.

"Why don't you use that brain of yours to assess the situation!?" Isshin retaliated, sending a punch Ichigo's way. He ducked quickly and threw his own punch at his dad, who dodged it easily by turning his body to the side and letting the punch go past him. Soon enough the two were engaged in a fistfight while arguing with each other. The rest of the Kurosakis arrived a few minutes later, which was impressive considering the maze that the Seireitei was. While Yuzu and Karin just sighed at their antics, Masaki blinked.

"Well, I guess the book was accurate after all," she said, clearly surprised. That reminds me...

"Excuse me Captain?" she asked politely, calling up the the fourth division leader. "I don't want to sound impatient, but have you finished treating my companion? Goro?"

Captain Unohana turned to Masaki, slightly surprised. That's right, she can't see him from that angle below the roof. This will be a shock for her. "In regards to that, you should come see for yourself Mrs. Kurosaki."

"What do you mean?" She asked, getting a little worried. Above, Isshin had finished putting the pieces together and his serious expression brought the squabble between him and his son to a close, much to the confusion of the latter. He jumped down from the roof and put his arm around his wife's waist in a secure hold, then he landed next to Captain Unohana with a mighty leap back up. Masaki gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.

"Goro!" she exclaimed.

Ichigo looked between the two, surprised. "...Mom," he started, secretly happy at being able to say the word. "You know this guy?"

"Yes," she said, rushing to his side and making sure to avoid the small pool of blood. "When I first arrived in the Soul Society, I had no idea about anything, even who I was. This man reminded me that I was Masaki, and he even offered to bring me to the Seireitei so I could go home to my family. Captain," she addressed Captain Unohana with worry and apprehension. "What happened to him?"

Retsu's gaze softened for a half second, but only for that long. "Goro cut his own body with his sword. His sword also bears the blood of other soul reapers, and he is the one with the ability to hide his spirit energy incredibly well. By all accounts, he is now a criminal," she said, and started to rummage in her coat for something. She started to assemble some ingredients.

"We were sent here to retrieve him for the other captains," Captain Kyoraku added. Masaki gasped, horror shown in her eyes.

"He would never kill or hurt anyone! He is a helpful, kind man, there's no way-"

"No way I'd what? Murder? Slaughter? Laugh? Well I did. And I enjoyed it," Satsujin said maliciously. The three Kurosakis and the captains stiffened.

"Goro, wh-"

"Quit calling me that. I am SATSUJIN, not that pathetic excuse for the man you call Goro!" he yelled, trying to reach for his sword and sit up. Ichigo and Isshin immediately drew their zanpakuto, and not even two seconds had passed before their swords were at Goro's throat. A small dribble of blood trickled down the side of his neck and dripped onto the orange tiles of the roof.

"Make one move against my mother, and you're dead," Ichigo growled, venom lacing his words. For the first time in a while, a crescent of blue flashed through his eyes, though no one but Satsujin could see. Behind him, Masaki inhaled sharply. Ichigo...

Satsujin snarled in an untamed, wild way. Suddenly he froze. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, then came back. A new light seemed to be in them. He groaned.

"...Where am I? OUCH! Goddammit my shoulder is killing me..." Goro mumbled, trying to stretch. When for some reason he couldn't, he saw the two swords at his throat. He followed the blade with his eyes to where the wielders were. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.

"Are you... Ichigo Kurosaki?" he asked. He grew more excited. "The hero of the Winter War! I have some important news, your mother..." he trailed off uncertainly when he saw the look in the teen's eyes. Murderous.

"Did I do something wrong? My name is Goro..." he relaxed a little when the expression left Kurosaki's face and was replaced by confusion. He looked to the side. "Miss there you are! So you did meet your family after all. I'm so happy-" his face darkened. "That I'm in the perfect position to KILL YOU!" Satsujin screeched maniacally, trying to lift himself up. At this point, Captain Unohana had finished preparing the sedative and quckly, she administered it. Goro and Satsujin went limp in Goro's body before Satsujin could try anything.

Captain Kyoraku slung the man's limp form over his shoulder, and announced, "He's an unstable soul. They're rare but I've seen a few. We'll bring him to the other captains, but I don't know what they will say. I won't sugar-coat it for you: Most likely, he'll be executed." More sincerely, he added, "I'm sorry," with a soft glance at Masaki. Then the two captains left before anyone was able to parse what exactly had just happened. On an impulse, Masaki looked at her hands again. They were trembling, and the orange roof tiles could faintly be seen through them. The tiles were almost imperceptibly getting clearer with each passing second.

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