Hi everyone!

Here comes Chapter 39!

Disclaimer, reminder, warnings, all as per usual:

Friendly reminder: this story will be slightly AU and some characters might be OOC. For anyone who is not into YAOI, please do not read any further, this is not going to be your cup of tea :) To all of you who made it this far, I know you know what this story is about, so fear not and enjoy :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, they all belong to Tite Kubo-Sensei etc., etc.

WARNINGS: Spoiler alert for anyone who is not up to date with the manga and only watched the anime! Somewhere along the way might contain, but is not limited to include: dark themes, suicidal thoughts, heavy sexual content, yaoi and some other themes not suitable for under-age readers. Read at your own risk and discretion! :3

Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! I know, I'm late. Haven't posted anything in forever :(

A big "Thank you!" to ZooFan for their continual support :)

To answer your question, I recently opened an account on AO3, but I have yet to post this or any other stories in there. Considering my slow updates (due to my currently extra busy life), I didn't want to start posting only to disappoint people (like I did here – sorry everyone!)

Believe it or not, I also want to thank Krellash for the not-so-nice review. It is comments like the one he/she shared that prompted me to start writing yaoi in the first place. Although I myself am straight (both literally and sexually), I met tons of people with different believes, cultures, nationalities, sexualities, tendencies etc. – blame it on ship life if you must xD. Because of the knowledge gained by sharing my life with amazing and different people, I'm open-minded and accept others as they are. God forbid we were all the same – life would be boring xD xD xD

Just a heads-up, this chapter will be... Morbid. I really need to learn how to write this kind of chapters too, no matter how hard I find them… Another reason why it took me forever to post it :/

Enough with my rant, let's get this chapter going.

Chapter XXXIX

A pale man with short dark-brown hair, muddy black eyes and wet ragged clothes wanders the dirty alleys of Karakura, unperturbed by the heavy rain that falls from the skies above.

He stumbles every now and then, cursing his life and the monsters that brought him into existence.

"Would have been better had I never been born", he mumbled to himself uncaring whether he'd be heard. Not that the dingy street he walked brimmed with people. In fact, due to the weeping skies, there was hardly anyone roaming the roads, especially now at night.

The man knew where he was going, or so he believed. Being an addict most his life, his memory tended to play tricks guiding him everywhere but not where he was supposed to be.

He needed his fix and wanted it badly.

"Shizuya* better have the stuff!", he started talking to himself again: "Last time he gave me barely two days-worth when the deal was two weeks-worth! Or was it?", he questioned himself before continuing: "Can't remember. We did talk right after I got my pills. I'll have to check the terms, unless they get soaked again."

Having reached an old warehouse, the man quickened his steps, only to falter when he entered and hid from the rain.

"Damn it!", he shouted: "Where is he?! We were to meet for a new deal. Shit!"

Trembling from the cold and his rising urge, he crossed his hands to his chest running them up and down his shaking body, pacing in circles within the battered warehouse.

"I need it so badly. It's coming.", he panicked: "I must get my hands on something ANYTHING! Just take the pain away. I can live with my fucked-up life but why can't the damn ache disappear? It hurts. The fuck did I do to deserve all this shit?"

In his frantic rambling he never heard the steps taken by a strange figure as it approached his feverish body. At least not until the entity spoke in a hushed voice: "Sounds like you could use an analgesic."

Startled and scared, the guy jumped out of his skin. Facing a man taller and broader than him was never a good sign in the deplorable parts of Karakura. It nearly always ended with him being either beaten or fucked to near death and, sometimes, both.

Thus, when he angrily spat: "Who the fuck are you?", he expected a slap or a punch. When neither came besides a badly concealed chuckle, his anxiety rose tenfold.

"Who I am is irrelevant,", started the new guy: "But you may call me Kaminari*."

Having realized that the strange man dressed as Death didn't attack him, the brown-haired one stated in annoyance: "Whatever. Get lost! This is no place for people like you. Unless you want to be mugged and killed, you have no business coming all dressed-up in these parts."

The other's snickering was soon followed by a nonchalant comment: "Funny you'd mention the word kill. You wouldn't be psychic, would you?"

Willing his goose-bumps away, the brown-haired man confidently stated: "Everyone knows what these streets are for. Not even cops come here unless they've got a death-wish."

Nodding, as if having already known, Kaminari added: "Good thing I'm not a cop then. I'm here on business."

Intrigued, and much more relaxed with the stranger's attitude, the addict asked: "What kind?"

"One which could work both ways."

Contemplating, the junkie decided to see what the stakes were. If it was good enough, he could make a recommendation and get a better deal for his needs. On the other hand, Shizuya was easily angered when given useless info and was even worse when trying garbage stuff. If he wanted to check the other out, he'd have to inspect the goods firsthand: "Got anything on you worth the time?"

Kaminari nodded and said: "For the right information, I could give you something to get the edge-off, if you know what I mean."

Not expecting such a forthcoming answer, the addict's eyes widened in stupor: "You serious?"

Before anything else could come out of his mouth, a pack of pills was suddenly flying in his direction smacking him in the face. As he grabbed for the goods, he heard Kaminari say: "Here's a sample. But you better make it worth my while."

Not wasting time to read the plastic foil, he popped three pills straight in his mouth. Minutes, maybe seconds later, he felt his pain melting away. The constant ache he had around his chest and joints was replaced by numbness and euphoria.

Well acquainted with the sensations running through his body, he couldn't repress a few moaning sounds from spilling out of his lax lips: "Oh… Oh fuck yes. This is the stuff."

Kaminari keenly observed the junkie. As soon as those delighted sounds started to flow freely from the other's mouth, he firmly pressed with his business: "Now, I believe you owe me some information."

Panting in bliss, the addict relaxed and sat on the muddy floor uncaring of anything and everything else. The pills were good. Better than anything Shizuya had ever given him. If he were to bring this guy to his dealer, he'd get an amazing treat. If not, he could always ask Kaminari to become his new seller.

"Hah… Ah… Right…", he panted as he gathered his bearing: "Shizuya is your man with stuff like this. No one's allowed to trade without having an agreement with him first. If you try, you'll end up as rat-food."

The black-dressed guy nodded as if aware of the usual requirements and asked: "Anyone else?"

Shrugging, the brown-haired guy replied: "He's the only one I've met. Plenty of others, but he is the only one to keep his word."

Smacking his lips as if tasting something bitter, Kaminari dejectedly exclaimed: "Such a shame."

"Why?", wondered the junkie from the floor: "You've got history with him?"

"Not quite.", Kaminari half-heartedly answered before elaborating: "He got his head shot about an hour ago. Cops are ransacking his domain as we speak."

"WHAT?! No way! I always meet him two streets from his warehouse. If cops were so close, we'd hear them."

The addict's exclamations were met by a jerk of the other's right hand who patiently said: "You must have been pretty out of it. We're on the other side of town."

In normal circumstances, the junkie would have been worried. But with the goods in his veins, he felt indifferent and rather lax: "Meh, no wonder I couldn't find the bastard. Damn, now I've gotta find a new distributor. Do you have any idea how hard that is?"

Moving along as if the addict never spoke, Kaminari pointed out: "Looks like you owe me one. You've got my stuff but gave me no noteworthy information, especially since you're in the wrong place."

Heedless of the unspoken threat, the junkie asked: "The fuck you want then? I told you what I know. It's not my fault the data was/is shitty."

Disregarding the foul mouthed guy who couldn't be older than twenty-nine, Kaminari pressed on: "How about I make you a deal? You see, I happen to have quite a few Miss Emma's* lying about. Since Shizuya has so kindly run out of business, let me be your exclusive supplier and in exchange, you'll do me a single favor."

Mulling the idea in his clouded mind, the junkie wondered: "What kind?"

"One which you're rumored to be very good at.", said Kaminari with a hidden smile: "I need someone permanently gone in any way you see fit."

Having expected a hefty demand, the addict shook his head while stating: "You should know I only perform when special circumstances are met. After all, I'm no dispatcher."

"Of course.", agreed Kaminari before venturing on: "But you see, the target so happens to be of your preferred age and gender. If you decide to play with them, I won't mind, so long as it results in their premature departure."

The junkie did his best not to move or show signs of interest. He had no idea if he was successful or not, but one thing rang in his bell. The guy, Kaminari, knew a lot. Maybe a little too much.

Rare had been those who requested his special services. Even Shizuya had asked him once and swore to never mention it again. Other than his late supplier, a Yakuza boss had come for that kind of favor. He did get a sweet reward and an even better toy, but it was worrisome that someone outside those two influential persons knew about his secondary craving.

"This must be my lucky day!", he elatedly thought in his drugged state: "I get a good deal and a little candy on the side."

Not wanting to miss out on a possibly delectable agreement, he rose and extended his hand to the other saying: "Deal."

"Excellent.", stated Kaminari who placed his left hand in one of the mantle's pockets. Pulling out a phone, he handed it to the junkie with a few instructions: "Take this burner, make sure it's safe. Whenever you need some, send me a message and we'll meet. Keep it close and away from prying eyes. When the target is ripe for the picking, I'll contact you."

Time comes and goes in a whirlwind of events, flicking moments and memorable occurrences.

For one little Ichigo four years passed since the birth of his twin sisters. It had been amazing to see the girls grow day-by-day. As the big brother, he took it upon himself to entertain and keep the two company whenever his parents were busy or otherwise occupied.

Save for bullies, who hated his hair of all things, and the occasional scary episode his father displayed ever so rarely, life had been good to the young orange-headed kid. Being seven and just weeks away from his birthday, Ichigo was brimming with energy.

He started school where he met some new kids, but mostly just a lot of toughs. The teachers were somewhat nice, but he felt they didn't like him much. Funny. Other than that, studying wasn't so bad and he enjoyed it. After all, it gave him new ideas to use whenever he spent time with his sisters who were growing so fast and were even talking!

'Kakate' which ended up being 'karate' was another story. Tatsuki, a girl he met at the dojo was constantly kicking his but! It wasn't fair, but he didn't really want to beat her.

Every time he was paired with her, he instinctively pulled his punches back, not even aware of doing so. Her black hair reminded him of Karin which was the main reason behind his faltering.

Tatsuki's punches hurt! He had found out first hand on day one. As he trained, he learned to either avoid or block being hit, but he had problems throwing attacks of his own as his punches were sloppy and slow.

That was another reason why bullies came after him. Having heard that Ichigo couldn't beat a girl, they used it as an excuse to call him names and hurt him whenever one or both of his parents were late to pick him up.

On the bright side, he felt himself becoming faster. Although he was bad at kicking back and wasn't as strong as some of the other kids, Ichigo was swift and able to avoid most injuries and hurts. That didn't mean he backed-down. If confronted, he fought no matter the results.

As it stood, today was one of those days when no one bothered him. After the training, where Tatsuki won, again, he changed and waited for someone to pick him up. It was raining, so everyone was already gone. Only Ichigo was left outside the dojo wearing a white shirt and a set of comfortable blue trousers. Thanks to the extended roof and his yellow raincoat, he was safe from the rain. With nothing better to do, he started to hum a soft tune while patiently waiting for either his mother or father.

Ichigo didn't mind her lateness. To him, it was normal. He easily forgave his parents knowing that they were doing their best.

"It's not easy to work, take care of Karin and Yuzu, cook, clean and do everything.", he thought to himself: "Mom is the best! She can do so much and more! And she is never upset! Even when the teachers tell her I was bad, she never yells like some other parents do."

Happy to have the best mom in the world, a crazed dad and two adorable sisters, the little one continued to hum, unaware of hungry eyes watching his every move.

"Man, Kaminari is a God-send.", spoke the brown-haired junkie in his run-down apartment several days after meeting the enigmatic man.

"Who knew messing streets would be so profitable?", he continued to talk to himself: "The guy has such good stuff. Sometimes I wonder where he gets it from, but who cares? I've never felt this great before. Even better, since he showed me the little pigeon, I've been fantasying non-stop."

Remembering the photo-message he received from Kaminari made him shiver in delight. Unable to stop, he pulled the device from his torn-jeans clicking away until he found the picture he had been thinking about.

"So, cute.", he commented in a hoarse voice: "I bet he is as tasty as he looks. Can't wait to get the green light from Kaminari. All this waiting is making me nuts."

Visualizing everything he had planned for his morsel, the addict panted with rising arousal: "Adorable. I'll be really careful with this one. Gotta be gentle and nice… Make him feel so good… Then we'll feel good together. I can already imagine it. He'll be my precious jewel. I might even give up on the pills for him. After all, my job is to make him disappear, it isn't necessary to end his life."

He was so strung-up, he nearly creamed his pants. He needed to rub one out before his mind turned to mush and he remained without clean pants.

As he was making his way to his bedroom, the phone in his hand beeped. A message arrived.

Reading the contents, a toothy grin blossomed on his face: "Well, would you look at that. Kaminari says the cutie-pie will be all on his lonesome self after practice. Splendid! Simply outstanding."

Laughing like the mad-man he was, the junkie shushed himself as he spoke out loud: "I better hurry. Wouldn't want mama-bear to ruin my chances. Kaminari did explicitly say not to touch the woman.", huffing a bred breath, he internally grinned: "Good thing I never made any promises. Accidents do happen and if she gets in the way… Well, it's not like I can be held responsible. Besides, so long as the little guy falls in my hands, everything'll be fine. What does it matter if I make it look as if both drowned? I mean, the rivers around town and the areas my prey frequents are brimming and begging for fresh meat."

Snickering at his train of thoughts and the beautiful chick he'd be devouring with his whole being, the junkie took a tattered brown jacket, making his way out.

"Wait for me little one. Daddy is on his way to take you to your new home."

Running at the top of her speed with the occasional Hirenkyaku for good measures, Masaki found herself a street away from the dojo Ichigo frequented.

"Hopefully I'm not too late.", she whispered to herself as she regained her lost breath.

"Honestly! Isshin can be such a dummy.", she exasperatedly thought while casually walking to the dojo where he son was waiting: "I can't believe I caught him sleeping in the clinic when he was supposed to pick Ichigo up. Good thing I checked his office after getting the girls. Next time, he'll fetch the twins and I'll take our boy. It will be better since the kindergarten is closer to the clinic and I can do some shopping when passing around these areas."

Nodding to herself and thinking of ways to make sure Isshin would listen without making a fuss, she realized something was amiss. Isshin had insisted on being the one to pick Ichigo from the dojo as a mean to have a little father-son time. It was unlikely her husband forgot such an important duty after nearly begging her to let him be the one to go.

"I wonder if something's going on.", she worriedly thought: "Lately, I've seen him randomly falling asleep in the most bizarre and unexpected ways. It can't be anything spiritual. I'd know. So, what could it be? Maybe we should take a little vacation… Close the clinic for a couple of days, find a nanny for the kids and relax, just the two of us. Kami knows we've barely had any time to ourselves."

Masaki's thoughts and worries evaporated as soon as her eyes landed on her son who was waiting for her arrival underneath the dojo's extended room. Smiling as she always did whenever her son was nearby, she approached while calling out to the humming boy.

"Ichigo."

Having heard his mother's voice, Ichigo smiled with all the warmth of the sun on a summer day. Without a second thought, the child covered his head with the raincoat's hoody and happily ran to meet his mother.

Chuckling at her son's eagerness, Masaki opened the child-sized umbrella she had brought along hers. It was to give the little one an extra layer of protection. As she did so, she kindly talked: "Hi sweetie. Ready to head home?"

"Uh-huh.", was the automatic response which she accepted with a smile of her own. As soon as he was under the safety of the umbrella, for some strange reason she had yet to understand, Ichigo removed the hoody from his head, freeing his stunning orange locks from their confinement.

"Great. Anything you'd like for dinner?", she asked in hopes her son wouldn't be too mad for her lateness. In reality, it was Isshin's negligence, but as a mother, she couldn't but feel responsible in her own ways. At least, Ichigo didn't seem to have caught on her thoughts, for her son was deep in concentration.

"Um…", he started as he looked at the few passing cars: "Curry?"

Hearing the request which came out as a shy question made her laugh on the inside. She didn't want to make her baby feel as if she was mocking him. But it was really hard. Sometimes she wondered where her son got all that cuteness from. It certainly didn't seem it came form Isshin's side of the family. At least, not as per her best intel she gathered from Urahara-san nor from his cat-friend Yoruichi.

"Alright.", she happily nodded and added: "We'll stop at the grocery close to home. Will you help me carry the bags?"

She knew the answer to her question. Nevertheless, it was always adorable to see her son's attempts at behaving like a grown-up.

"Of course!", said Ichigo: "I'm a big boy now."

Enjoying every second of her boy's innocence, Masaki proudly said: "Thank you, you're very helpful."

Moving ahead, the two had reached a pedestrian crossing where they waited for the light to turn green. After the zebra, they would move further away from the houses and go in the sub-urban area where few cars passed-by. The railroad was, fortunately, on higher grounds.

Therefore, Masaki had only to watch out for the hill close to the river-bank. Ichigo did enjoy the sight of the river on sunny days. They often did go down the hill and walk as close to the river as they could. Although it was summer, the weather had been rough, making the river swell to surreal proportions.

Seeing Ichigo stay close to the road instead of the river-side filled her heart with happiness and pride: "My little one sure is more reliable than Isshin.", she thought: "How could he have fallen asleep before getting our son, especially with this downpour? I'll have a word with him after we get the kids to bed tonight."

Lost in thoughts, the mother failed to see a speedy truck rush through the desolate roads, only taking notice when she heard a startled: "Ah!"

Taking in her son's soaked and slightly muddy face, she crouched to Ichigo's level, pulling a large handkerchief from her purse.

"Oh my. What a mean truck.", she said as she got the dry cloth closer and closer to the boy's face: "Are you ok Ichigo?", she rhetorically asked: "Let's switch. I'll walk on the roadside."

Although wet and a little unhappy at the unexpected shower, Ichigo heatedly opposed to the idea: "It's ok. I'll stay on this side. I'm wearing a raincoat, so I'll be fine! I'll protect you mom!"

Smiling at her brave boy, Masaki refrained from laughing, but she couldn't pass on the opportunity to tease him a little: "How reliable. But no way! I can't leave the roadside to you when you haven't won even one match against Tatsuki-chan."

Having distracted Ichigo with her words, she made quick work of cleaning her son's pouting face all the while hearing incomprehensible mumbling.

Humored by the grouchy behavior, she jokingly added: "I have no idea what you're saying like this."

The instant she finished her sentence, Ichigo scowled as hard as he could while cutely hollering: "I said, I got a hit in her defense last time and today too!"

Ignoring the rarely seen frown, Masaki removed the handkerchief like a magician, cheerily exclaiming: "There! All cleaned-up! Let's get going.", she said while caressing those soft, if a little wet, locks: "Dinner won't make itself."

Nodding in understanding, Ichigo's sullen face turned into a shy one. Seconds later, the little one gathered enough courage to timidly ask: "Mom, can… Can we hold hands?"

"Of course, we can!", Masaki happily agreed. Before Ichigo was born, she promised herself to cherish every single instant she had with her children. Puberty would hit too quickly. Until then, she wanted to make sure her babies were always happy and carefree. And if she used these memories as ammunition and embarrassing material in the future, well, that was her secret and no one else's.

They were halfway home and still on the hill near the riverbank when a man suddenly jumped in front of them, startling both Masaki and Ichigo. Taking in the wet hair plastered to a pale face, the drenched clothes which had seen better days and the shoes full of holes, Masaki had no doubts that the man was either member of a gang or someone in a bad spot. Either way, she knew it would be better to let the other make the first move. To let him believe he had the upper hand.

"G'day Missy.", the stranger said in a hoarse voice: "Be a dear and hand over that lovely purse you've got on you."

Without a second thought, she extended her purse: "Here.", she calmly said: "We don't want any trouble."

Smirking under his breath, the man whose eyes were covered by his hair continued as if he were high: "No trouble Missy, no trouble. Just a nice chat under this lovely weather. Keeps folks and prying eyes inside their houses you know."

Choosing to stay quiet, least she provoked the man in any way, Masaki pulled her son closer to her body, hoping the little one would keep silent as well.

"Oh!?", the stranger suddenly exclaimed as if struck by an important notion: "Guess what Missy? There's nothing valuable in here."

Masaki would have cursed, but she'd never fall so low, especially with Ichigo by her side. So far, the little one was doing an amazing job. By the slight shivering, she was sure Ichigo was trying to hide his fear by putting on a brave face.

"What did you expect?", she wondered: "I went to pick-up my son from his training. I didn't think of bringing much with me."

Clicking his tongue in disdain, the man raised a finger moving it in a no-no way: "That's no good.", he said: "Such a naughty liar you are Missy. And how were you to pay for your shopping?"

A pin-pricking sensation ran down Masaki's spine at the male's words. The guy must have been following them since the dojo. Glancing quickly at Ichigo, she followed suit and remained quiet.

What would be the point in telling the mugger there was more than enough cash for groceries? Compared to many women who could spend a small fortune even when buying provisions, Masaki wasn't one for shopping sprees. Even less when the weather was this unfavorable.

"What to do? What to do?", challenged the man in a sing-song manner: "Since you're trespassing, I can't let you go without proper compensation. It's bad for business an' all."

Snapping the fingers of his right hand, he suddenly exclaimed: "I know! Why don't you head home and bring some good stuff? Money, jewelry, medicine… You even get to pick! But leave the kid here. He'll be good company. No one wants to stand alone in the rain, wouldn't you agree?"

Shaking her head in denial, Masaki paled: "Please, anything but my son."

"That's not how things work here!", the guy shouted only to calm down and state: "It was your fault for coming this way. You could have gone around the blocks, taken a cab or something, but here we are. It's only proper you fulfill your duty by paying up. Unless you want to soak the ground in something else besides the rain?"

As he said so, he pulled a gun from the jacket's inner pocket. Paling at the sight of the weapon, Masaki earnestly considered materializing her bow. She wasn't one for murder, but she didn't know what else to do. Quincy powers were to be used exclusively on Hollows. From old tomes, she knew Quincy arrows eradicated souls, but she had no idea what would happen to a living human.

Fortunately, she wasn't the only one coming up with an escape plan.

Used to being ignored by adults and scared for his mother, Ichigo's eyes had strayed from the stranger looking for a way out. At one point, he saw a rock close to his feet. Glancing between his mother and the mean man, Ichigo slowly picked the stone with in his trembling hand. It was just in time to see the guy point something at his mom.

It was an object he saw once on TV. He had asked his daddy what it was. Isshin's explanation hadn't been very clear, but he knew it was bad. Very bad.

With the stone hidden behind his back, Ichigo did his best to calculate the distance between him and the meany. If they were to get away, he'd have to aim at the the head. Daddy had told him never to do that unless he was in big trouble. If the meany wanted to hurt his mom, he'd have to face the consequences.

In a burst of adrenaline, Ichigo threw the rock hitting the bad guy in the eyes. Apparently, all the times he played skipping stones had paid off. Not only was he able to throw pebbles and small rocks far, he had some strength behind his hands to boost. His bravado faltered as soon as the man started screaming: "Fucking hell!"

Taking the golden opportunity, Masaki disregarded her umbrella as well as Ichigo's. She picked him in her arms and ran as fast as she could. She knew chances they would reach the safety of their home were slim to nonexistent. But there was another option. One she hoped the guy would fall for.

In the short distance they created, they could clearly hear the perpetrator yell: "GET BACK HERE! I'LL FREAKING KILL YA!"

Ignoring the angry shouts, Masaki continued running. She soon saw a few apartment buildings on the opposite side of the road, along with them there was a small park.

Hearing heavy footsteps catching up with them, she rushed to the park and lowered her shivering child, hiding him behind one of the four trimmed bushes surrounding the playground.

"Ichigo.", she spoke while caressing his hair: "I need you to stay here while I get help."

Shaking his head in the negative, Ichigo grabbed her, clinging with all the strength he could summon in his small hands: "I can't leave you alone!", he exclaimed.

Taking a calming breath, Masaki tried to reason with her little protector: "Don't worry, I'll hide over there.", she said pointing to a narrow passage between two buildings: "Promise me you'll be quiet, and you won't move unless I call you."

Feeling the urgency in his mother's words, Ichigo reluctantly submitted to her wishes: "I… Ok."

Masaki was ready to pay homage to Fates for blessing her child with obedience. With any luck, there will be time for that after they got out of their precarious situation: "Thank you. I'll be right back."

With a final caress, she swiftly left the playground, thankful for the pouring rain. It was coming down so hard that her footprints would disappear from the park before the man could reach them.

Just as she entered the tiny passage, a shadowy figure bolted forward. Heart in her throat, Masaki stilled her breath, willing the man away. Even though, something told her she had been seen.

Her fears were confirmed when the guy looked in the direction of her hiding place with a creepy grin. Due to the clouds, the alley was obscured, but there was no mistaking that smirk. Taking a few silent steps back, Masaki prepared to dash.

Living close-by, she had the terrain advantage. If she was to take the little pathway until the end, she'd end up near the garage entrance. Too bad the garage was made of metal. Without the remote, it wouldn't budge. Entering the building was also not an option without the proper controller.

However, on the opposite side of the street there were other buildings. Some were offices, others were apartments. If she could reach them without being shot, she'd be able to call the police.

Ready to cheat by using Hirenkyaku, she stopped dead in her tracks for the stranger did something completely unexpected. He turned away.

"He saw me.", she thought: "So why is he not coming after me? It doesn't matter. I must call help. The police station is rather far from here. It will be faster for Isshin to come and get us by car."

Dialing the right number, she was glad it didn't take long for the line to be picked-up. Not wanting to give her husband a chance to enter his hyped-mode, she hastily whispered: "Isshin, keep your voice down and get in the car. We were chased by a dangerous man and are now at the park near the Nashiri* buildings. He has a gun."

For a change, Isshin dropped his silly antics assuming his serious demeanor. Listening to the other's suggestions, Masaki elaborated: "I can't use Hirenkyaku, its speed could hurt Ichigo. Leave the girls with Emika-san*. Tell he it's an emergency, she'll understand. Can you also call the police for us? Thanks. We'll be waiting for you."

While Masaki talked on the phone, the soaked junkie felt on cloud nine. The woman was finally out of the way and would hopefully get lost somewhere away. From the little he noticed, the kid wasn't with her. Which meant only a few things…

"Damn!", he exaggeratedly exclaimed: "They sure are fast on their feet. Freaking kid has some spunk on him.", snickering to himself, he casually added: "Can't wait to see him writing underneath me with all that heat. Definitely more succulent in person. That's how things are, I guess. A picture can never match the beauty of the real thing."

Deciding to leave the bothersome woman to her destiny, he slowly approached the playground. A fitting place to hide a kid. Glancing around, he looked at the man contraptions, paying close attention to those which had entrances and exits or anything that could keep a child away from the rain.

"Come out wherever you are kiddo.", he started saying as he eyed and mentally eliminated some of the options by staring at the ground: "I won't hurt you. Sorry I scared you before. I was a little edgy with the grown-up around you."

Hearing no response and no movement, he tried to goad the kid out by saying: "I promise to leave her alone, if you come out and talk to me."

"I don't bite.", he said as an afterthought, only to snicker and add: "Much.", in his subconscious.

Having roamed the park for a while, he saw no signs of disturbances. But he was sure the woman left the kid here. The shallow dents in the ground, courtesy of the lady's shoes, were a dead give-away to a guy who had spent years in the slums.

Searching the ground as best he could, his eyes took in the decorative shrubs.

"Oh? Bushes.", he said to himself as if wondering if that could be an option: "Such lovely places… Perfect to hide masterpieces. How much do I bet my prize is enveloped in leaves?"

Grinning like a mad-man, he walked to the first bush he came across. Thanks to his snooping, it was the farthest from the frightened Ichigo who fought against his instincts to leap away. Not that far from him, from the obscured passageway, Masaki watched with fearful eyes as the man moved towards the greenery.

Having reached its targeted decoration, the addict sang as he stomped on the first unfortunate shrub: "One bush down, four to go and I'm readying to take your shirt off."

Moving along, he went to another still singing in an unhinged voice: "Second bush down and your pants follow suit. But worry not there's more to do."

Next one was too close for comfort, making Ichigo terrified while Masaki was going out of her mind with worry.

"Third bush down and guess what I'll do, I'll gobble you up with my sweet tooth."

Unable to stand still, Masaki came out of the passageway, screaming at the top of her lungs: "ICHIGO RUN!"

And run he did. With all the speed he had in his frozen legs, Ichigo dashed from his hiding spot with only one thing in his mind: his mother.

Upset at the woman's reappearance, the junkie hollered: "Hey! We were about to meet. Stupid wrench! Fuck this Missy. Now you've gone and pissed me off.", he said as he raised his weapon aiming it at Masaki's chest: "Say goodbye to your lovely kid. You won't be seeing him again."

As the guy was pulling the trigger, Masaki was materializing her bow. Even as she was letting a single arrow soar towards the assailant, she knew it wouldn't make it in time.

A horrified scream escaped small lungs: "NO!"

For a second, everything stilled save for the echoing sound of a fired gunshot. And then, more yells could be heard. Only, they were frustrated the screams of a deranged man, one who had gone and lost his mind.

"Argh! FUCKING HELL! See what you've done there, Missy?! Now you're both dead.", the junkie screeched in annoyance.

When he pulled the trigger, he blacked-out, or so he had thought. Something did pierce his shoulder, but the shot was made. Somehow, hell knows he had no idea how, the kid appeared at his mother's chest, taking the bullet from behind.

Looking at the two unmoving bodies bleeding on the ground, he knew he had killed them both. The kid couldn't survive a wound like that, and judging by the mother's wide open eyes and stillness, she too accompanied the tyke to the other side.

"Meh.", he shrugged his shoulders after letting out an exhale: "Kaminari will be happy the kid is dead, but I was so looking forward to play with him."

Moving to the two downed people he had eliminated, he angrily stared into the lifeless eyes of the woman who, in his opinion, ruined everything.

"You know,", he venomously said: "If I could, I'd kill you over and over again just for taking my morsel with you."

Taking the same pathway Masaki had hid for a time, he took his leave mumbling all along: "Oh well. The deed is done. Gotta text Kaminari and tell him his good news. Freaking bitch got in the way, but I'll keep that to myself. Will make him give me double anyway. Afterwards, he can do whatever he wants. By the time he finds out, I'll be long gone, or not. Who cares."

Seconds later, a black car screeched to a halt in front of the playground. The car was halted in such a way that someone from the park could easily jump in.

Seeing no one around, the driver exited the vehicle, eyes alert and ears sharp, listening for any sign of danger while searching for his wife and child.

His search came to an abrupt stop, when his eyes landed on two motionless bodies lying one atop the other.

Recognition hit him like a slap to the face. There was no overlooking that head of orange, even darkened by the weather and rain. But more importantly, he couldn't mistake the figure of his beloved wife.

As soon as he saw the bodies, Isshin rushed towards the duo a scream leaving his lungs before it registered in his brain: "MASAKI! ICHIGO!"

Blood.

So much blood.

It was all his mind could see besides the two entangled corpses.

"No…", he whispered as he fell to his knees. He then gently took his son. Although covered in blood, he quickly found a pulse, indicating that his boy somehow made it.

With hope, he then took Masaki, who, compared to Ichigo, had no pulse. She wasn't breathing and she was cold… Too cold.

"No, no, no… NO!"

Shaking like a leaf, Isshin performed CPR on his own wife, pleading with all his being he'd be able to save her.

He was so focused on saving Masaki, that he completely forgot his son's injuries. Too shocked with the reality of the situation, he continued the CPR even after the police came and the paramedics arrived to continue in his stead. He remembered calling the cops, but not an ambulance.

Later, he'd be told, that the paramedics were contacted by one of the apartments residents.

The medical technicians had first taken care of the bleeding child and had him sent to the ER. They could already tell there was no helping the woman. Regrettably, her heart had been pierced, killing her instantly. It was likely she died before she hit the ground. Nevertheless, they performed their duty until they ran out of options and were left with no choice but to inform the stunned man of the bad news.

Hearing their words as nothing but murmurs, Isshin could do nothing but stare as Masaki was placed in a black bag all the while mumbling: "Please, don't let it be true. You can't… You can't be gone."

Once her body was taken away, Isshin crumbled to the floor a final agonizing scream escaping his lungs: "MASAKI!"

In the Kuchiki mansion within Seireitei, dinner was being served. It was a small feast rejoicing the Clan Heads triumph over those who tried to assassinate him in recent years.

Besides Kuchiki Byakuya, only two other persons were present to celebrate the event. Those being Hino Tomoya and Kurohoshi. Kuchiki Rukia, who had not been privy to the incidents, was spending that night, as well as many prior ones, in the safety of the Thirteenth Division's barracks.

Kuchiki Byakuya had already arranged a meeting with his sister in order to inform her properly and without disturbances the following morning. But for now, he felt his two bodyguards and division members deserved a reward for their assistance.

Two bites later, Hino Tomoya soundlessly collapsed to the floor eliciting panicked calls from his partner and a shocked stare from his Taichou.

At the same time, in another dimension a yell reverberated within the walls of a cold place, chilling many occupants to their bones.

"DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!"

I know this one is shorter than my previous chapters, but let me tell you, I freaked out more than once.

Also, I am well aware that Ichigo lost his mother when he was 9 not almost 8, but for the sake of this story, she died one year earlier. Still on June 17th mind you. There is a reason behind my madness and I hope this won't anger you (much)

I hate killing characters, be they mine or others :/

As for the morphine addiction stuff, if you find anything wrong (besides my junkie being able to run a bit and being a total creep) feel free to correct me. I'm not trying to make fun or deride his situation or anything like that. Morphine addiction is very serious business and one I don't recommend to anyone. Just take this into account: morphine's chemical makeup is similar to heroin since they are extracted from the same plant.

Those who abuse morphine in high doses put themselves at risk for easily overdosing. Signs of overdose: slurred speech, inattention, intense drowsiness, fever, elevated blood pressure, increased thirst, lower back or side pain, decrease in responsiveness, extreme sleepiness, swelling, no movement, slowed breathing, muscle cramps, spasms, pain, or stiffness. This all happens because morphine depresses our central nervous system. Overdosing can lead to unconsciousness, coma or slowed breathing to the point of death.

I'm still shivering at this data and not in the good way.

Change of topics for all of our sake.

Oh! And can you guess what happened to Hino Tomoya (Ossan in disguise)?

If possible, let me know where you think the "other" dimension was. I hope I managed to confuse two places xD

*Shizuya* – Created from the Japanese 静 (shizu) meaning: "quiet", combined with 耶 (ya) meaning: "wrong, evil, depraved, vicious, perverse, heterodox". This guy won the lottery meaning his name turns out to be Silent Devil. Sometimes I wonder if everything is alright with me… Coming up with dark names makes my spine tingle in worry.

*Kaminari* – From the Japanese kanji 雷 meaning: "thunder".

*Miss Emma* – One of the common street / slang names for morphine. It is also referred simply as "M", or "monkey" (I wonder why?), "roxanol" and "white stuff" (too close to heroin in my humble opinion, but who am I to judge?). I found this information online, so let me know if I'm wrong.

*Nashiri* – a play on the Arabic name Nashira which is a girl's name meaning: "the bearer of good news". I thought it was fitting considering the circumstances :)

Too bad it didn't help much in the end :'(

*Emika* – the fictional neighbor I created in the previous chapter. I knew I could use her again. Besides, the situation simply called for a little intervention xD

Until next time, I wish you all a fantastic day! :D