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Recap: 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.

"Wait!" Masaki called, reaching out to the captains, but they had already gone. "Stop..."

"Mom?" Yuzu asked, peering up at her mother with a concerned look. She still couldn't believe her eyes. Her mother, her beautiful kind, dead- she breathed, alive mother... Yuzu started to cry, diving into her mother's arms. Karin marched over and held Masaki's hand in a death grip. Her heart was so warm, but fearful. Should she embrace this feeling? Or would it be taken away again?

"Oh girls," Masaki said softly, hugging them to herself. "It must have been hard, all those years." Ichigo looked at his mother, feeling a sunset in his heart. His hazel eyes warmed and he felt such a peaceful wholeness in his inner world. He wished these moments would go on forever.

"Isshin?" Masaki spoke. "We have to go help Goro," Masaki said.

"Masaki, he's a criminal. I don't know if there's anything we can do for him," Isshin said, resting a hand on her shoulder, and savoring the touch.

"Isshin," she said, turning to look him in the eye. "Without his help, I would be bumbling around in a forest somewhere with no memory, miles away and worlds apart from you and the kids. He was kind enough to bring me to you. Shouldn't we do something in return?" Isshin sighed, rubbing his temples, and Ichigo spoke for him.

"Then we have to go help him," Ichigo said, stating it simply without room for doubt.

Isshin relented. "I agree. As you put it my dear Masaki, we owe him a huge debt. Okay! All of you stay here, I'll go save... whathisname."

"His name is Goro. And I'm not letting you go alone!"

"Yeah old man, there's no way I'm staying behind while you go running off to save the day. I'm coming with you."

"Then who would stay and guard my dear Masaki? Ichigo, use your head!"

"Ichigo dear, I meant that I would go with him." Masaki winked. "I'm not as powerless as I may appear."

"No way!" the twins shouted, silencing the rest of their family. "Mom, there's no way we're letting you go again!"

"If you do," Karin said, "I'll come with you. And I won't go, no matter how much danger there is!"

"So stay with us," finished Yuzu. "Please."

"Girls..."

"Masaki, they have a point. I'd really prefer if you stayed here."

"I may be the only one able to convince the leaders here that Goro should be spared," she argued. There was a heavy silence as Isshin considered the options.

"Well," he heaved a sigh, "I guess we'll all have to go together then. You girls don't want to be separated from Masaki, and Ichigo and I need to protect her and save this troublesome Goro. Tch. Okay, Ichigo, grab the girls, I'll get Masaki, and we'll flash-step to the captain's meeting hall. That's where they probably took him. Any objections? No? Good, let's get this over with."

Then we can go home.

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Kyoraku gently lay Goro on the ground in front of Yamamoto. "Here he is, Head Captain. What should we do with him?" Goro's half lidded eyes rolled madly, trying to see the room, but unable to because of his body's position on the floor and the effects of the sedative. All the Captains knew the rules, and all of them knew what had to be done. It was just a matter of the Head Captain announcing it.

"Tell me about this man," Yamamoto commanded. Get the formalities over with.

"His name is Goro, Head Captain," said Unohana. "According to Captain Kyoraku, he was travelling with Ichigo's mother to the Seireitei. He looked like a normal Rukon civilian, but then was shown to have an unstable zanpakuto. He released himself from the room where I'd left him and slaughtered many officers." At this point, Shunsui took over.

"We know this because their blood was found on his sword, and interestingly we found Goro's blood too, like he'd tried to kill himself only to stop at the last moment and hit a nonvital spot. When he woke, he was crazy and bloodthirsty, but then he suddenly stopped and switched to a calmer demeanor, before becoming bloodthirsty again, and wanting to kill Mrs. Kurosaki. We believe that he is an unstable soul where the zanpakuto has gotten too corrupt and powerful, and is now trying to take over," Kyoraku finished. Everyone waited while the Head Captain mulled the situation over. Except for the captain of squad 12.

"May I take him on as a research subject? I don't get an opportunity like this very often, you know," Mayuri grinned. "I have only been able to study a case like this once before, and the man died before I could finish my tests." Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.

"I think not, Captain Kurotsuchi. You have gone well beyond your allotted research funds for this year. Any other time I may have considered it." The rest of the captains felt a small wash of relief. It made most of them uneasy whenever Kurotsuchi wanted to experiment on living souls. Leave it to the Head Captain to find the perfect reason for him not to. Death was far better than whatever that squad 12 madman did to his "subjects."

"This man, Goro," Yamamoto started, thumping his wooden cane, and the captains fell silent, "is accused of murder and potential future havoc due to his actions and his soul's instability." The Head Captain stood tall, before announcing, "His punishment is-"

"Wait!" a voice interrupted. The doors of the hall banged open, and five small silhouettes stood framed in the large doorway.

"HMM?" The Head Captain raised an eyebrow.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," started Byakuya, but Soi Fon interrupted.

"Kurosaki! This is a captains' meeting, why are you barging in? You have overstepped your bounds this time-"

"Come on Soi Fon," Isshin said, let's have none of that now. We just came to talk. Besides, which Kurosaki are you referring to?"

"What do you mean, 'which Kurosaki'-"

"Miss!" Goro exclaimed from the center of the hall, where he lay on his side on the floor. Isshin, Ichigo, the twins, and Masaki turned to him. "I'm so glad to see you! Last thing I remember is seeing you and your family together, and then next thing I knew I was here. What's going on?"

"Silence!" yelled Soi Fon. "Criminals shouldn't talk."

"Wait, what? Captain, why do you say that... hey Miss, do you... Miss!?" Goro's tone turned to astonishment as he looked closer at Masaki.

In the past few seconds, she had faded so much that she resembled a mirage, or a fragile piece of glass shot through with only the barest bits of color. The wall and pillars were astonishingly clear behind her, as were the faces of her family as they gazed straight through her at each other.

"What's happening to me? Ichigo, Isshin!?"