Bleach 1. Talking with friends

**Greetings and welcome to my new story :). It has been a very long time since I've posted here and I'm curious as to how this story develops. I have little planned out except from what you're going to be reading!**

Yes, this is a bit of a romantic story, I can't help it! It's not a standard coupling, but a curious one. It's an Ichigo-Isane couple, one I haven't seen often. I thought it'd be refreshing, especially with the weird hair colours!

Anyway, I hope you read and enjoy the story enough to post a review. Feedback is a great tool to improve with :D.

~Twan

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"Kurosaki-taicho!" she shouted, seeing her Captain fall down on his knee, leaning heavily on Zangetsu. "Dammit" Ichigo cursed himself, "Guess I'll need to put some more effort into this." He spat out the blood that was collecting in his mouth and stood up, pulling Zangetsu out of the ground. "You've gotten tougher, Renji!" He called across the courtyard. Icigo's eyes twinkled in enjoyment as he cracked his neck.

"Ah, thank you, Ichigo!" Renji grinned his signature grin and swung Zabimaru forward again, locking swords with Ichigo. "Getsuga Tensho!" he hollered and the blue energy sprung forward in a blink, hitting Abarai full in the face, swinging him backwards. "Yo, Renji, are you alright!?" Ichigo asked as he used shunpo to follow Renji to his landing place. The Red head was grinning as his jacket was torn and a large gash was formed on his shoulder "I've been better.".

Back at the barracks Ichigo has his wounds being tended to while sharing a glass of water with Renji. "So, you've really improved, Renji. You actually had my sweating this time." He had his teasing grin on his face as he poked Renji in the ribs. "You know it was a dirty trick, to release Getsuga Tensho like that!" Renji retaliated as his shoulder was bandaged.

With a nod the two medics excused themselves and left the room. "So, Ichigo-taicho, how has life as the Captain been? I haven't been able to see you for a while because of it." Ichigo shrugged. "Nothing special, I train my troops, I do as much paperwork as possible and go to bed. It's a life, I suppose." He looked at his desk, nearly filled to the ceiling with paper. "How can you seriously have so much paperwork here?" he asked as he turned back to Renji.

"So, you and Isane are still not speaking?" Renji asked after another sip of the water. "No, she still doesn't allow me to come home." The sorrow filled Ichigo's voice as he swirled the water in the glass. "I really miss her, Renji, I haven't seen her for two weeks now." He threw back the glass and drank the water in a big gulp. He put down the glass and stood up and walked onto the porch of his office. "So what are you going to do about it?" Renji asked as he stood beside his nakama. "Give her time, give her space, stand beside her or behind her, wherever she wants." Renji's lips curled softly in a smile: "And be there when he or she finally gets born…"

A soft knock on the door broke the conversation. "Yes, enter." Ichigo ordered as he walked back inside. "Taicho, Ukitake-taicho is here for you." A small girl in shinigami robes reported, her head deeply bowed. "Please send him in.".

The white-haired captain walked in with a light thread, apparently feeling healthy. "Greetings, Kurusaki-taicho!" He greeted with a smile, "Ah, Abarai-fukutaicho, greetings to you too!". "Please, Ukitake-taicho, call me Ichigo, and come in.". Ichigo gestured to the desk and the free chair. "Aila, please get Ukitake-taicho some tea.". Ichigo said to appaerently nobody, but a "Yes Taicho" as heard from behind the door. Ichigo shook his head as Ukitake chuckled softly. "She always listens. I know she means well, but dammit."

"So, Ukitake-taicho, what brings you to the Eight Division?" Ichigo asked as he took a seat behind his desk. That's when Renji spoke up. "Kurusaki-taicho, Ukitake-taicho, if I may be excused, I have duties to fulfill at the Sixth barracks." Ichigo nodded and Renji shunpo-ed out of the office. At the same moment Ilia stepped in with a tray with two cups and a pot of tea. "Thank you, Aila, please make sure that the First Squad is ready for patrol." Ichigo ordered, referring to the first of four squads that Eight Division consisted of. "Yes taicho." Ilia nodded and stepped out and closed the door.

"I'm here to ask you to talk to Isane, Ichigo." Ukitake started as Ichigo poured. "Look, Ukitake-taicho…" Ichigo started but Ukitake interrupted, "Please, call me Jūshirō." The older man asked. "Look, Jūshirō," Ichigo swallowed a bit, having difficulty making the switch. "Isane made it clear she didn't want to see me for a while after what I did in the Living World, I'm going to respect the wish of my wife." Ichigo put the pot down and took his seat.

"Your wife is nearing the completion of her pregnancy, she needs her husband, Ichigo, even if she doesn't know she wants it." He mulled over the words of wisdom Ukitake gave him as he gently blew on his tea to cool it down. A deep, booming voice spoke up in Ichigo's mind, "He is right, Ichigo. And you know it.", Zangetsu added. "I suppose I could try and visit her…" he finally conceded.


	2. At the Fourth Division in a flash

**With all the followers showing up in my mail box, I figured I'd go write and post this. I want to thank everybody who subscribed to the story, I really appreciate it :D. When I opened my mailbox the day after the I posted the story I was surprised, nearly shocked at the amount of new followers, I loved it.**

I hope you appreciate the moment between Ichigo and Isane. The reason she is referred to as Kurosaki-fukutaicho instead of Kotetsu is because they are married. I'm not sure what the tradition in Japanese culture is. If one of my reviewers knows, please let me know so I can keep doing my best to keep a level of authenticity in the story.

I'd also like to thank **_vinneyyoung _****for his review ^.^ .**

I hope this chapter finds you well.

~Twan

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It was late in the evening when Ichigo was sitting on the porch of his office. He was admiring the sunset when he heard the sliding of his office door. By the footsteps he heard his fukutaicho step in. "Taicho?" she gently asked as she stepped towards the porch. "Here." Ichigo raised his hand, "What is it, Amira?" He asked without turning towards her.

The young woman kneeled behind her captain, "A Fourth Divison messenger was here to speak with you, sir…" She started gently. Ichigo nodded for her to continue. "She reported that you should make your way to the Fourth as quickly as possible, there appear to be complications with Kurosaki Isane-fukutaicho. She made it sound urg…" Amira continued but when she looked up, Ichigo was gone.

Thanks to the incredible speed of his shunpo, Ichigo appeared at the Fourth Barracks in under a minute. The guards at the gate did not even notice him passing until he stopped and the reiatsu had time to settle around him. "Where is she!?" he demanded at the front desk, scaring the seated girl. "Uh… uh…" she stuttered when Hanatarō called, "Kurosaki-taicho!" This drew Ichigo's attention after which Hanatarō gestured to come. "In here." Ichigo used shunpo to cross the distance and stepped into the room after Fifth Seat Yamada Hanatarō. "Ichigo!" Isane called out, "What are you doing here!?" she asked, her frustrations rising with the appearance of her husband.

"Fourth Squad sent a messenger stating my wife has complications. Of course I come!" He answered in his defense. Hanatarō stepped between the argueing couple. "His complications aren't that serious. I think Simma, our Seventh Seat was a bit overzealous when she called for you, it was simply the baby kicking a bit harder than it had before." He explained, smiling reassuringly towards Ichigo.

"Isane…" Ichigo softly spoke with urgency in his voice, "Are you really alright?" he asked, locking his amber eyes on her grey ones. She was left speechless for a moment, recognizing the worry and love in his eyes and voice. Isane nodded. "I'm well, Ichigo.". He sighed of relief and wanted to walk out of the room, knowing she still didn't want to talk to him. "Ichigo…" Isane softly spoke, calling his attention. He turned around and looked at Isane. "Yes?" he asked, looking at her beautiful face, the face he had fallen for when she healed him after that fateful fight. "I love you." She whispered to him.

Ichigo closed the door and walked to the bed, sitting down next to her on the chair. He took her hand in his, squeezing it as he bent forward and kissed her ever so softly. "I love you too." He whispered, his eyes shimmering with emotion. He didn't show this side of himself often, not even to Isane, but he was happy he was allowed at her side again.

"Can you stay the night?" she asked him after spending several minutes in content silence. "Of course" He answered with a soft smile before kissing her again. Isane smiled in reply and dozed off, her hand in her husband's. As the night crept by slowly, Ichigo couldn't fall asleep, he kept looking at the soft silver hair of his wife, running his free hand through it regularly and enjoying the scent of it. His memories went back to the reason they had been fighting about for months. His anger had gotten the best of him, the urge to protect those closest to him got too strong then, he acted without thinking.

"Ichigo…" Hanatarō asked softly during the moment, seeing his old friend was sitting with his sleeping wife and gestured for him. Ichigo gently let Isane's hand go and placed it on the bed before stepping out of the room. "Hanatarō, I never thanked you for taking care of Isane." Ichigo started but was interrupted by Hanatarō. "Ichigo, you don't need to thank me, Kurosaki-fukutaicho is my fukutaicho and your wife. It was my duty as your friend to take care of her when she came in with her complaints." Ichigo nodded in acceptance of the explanation. "But still, thank you."

Hanatarō smiled at the show of appreciation. "That's not why I asked you out here for. It's about the baby…" Ichigo's alarms went off. "There isn't something wrong with the baby, right?" he asked. Hanatarō raised his hands and smiled while shaking his head. "No no, the babies are alright.". "Then what?" Ichigo asked before he hit him. Did Hanatarō just say babies, like more than one? "Wait, Hanatarō, are you saying we're having twins?" Ichigo asked loudly out of surprise. Hanatarō nodded happily. "That's why the kick was stronger than before. Before, they kicked separately, so while they kicked more frequent, we didn't know. But the last few times they kicked simultaneously, increasing the power of the kick."

"So we're having twins?" Ichigo asked again, still not really comprehending it. He had struggled for the idea that he was actually going to become a father for about five minutes before it actually clicked, so this would take a couple minutes. "Nurse." Hanatarō gestured for the woman in pink. "Please get Kurosaki-taicho some sake, he has something to celebrate." The nurse nodded and quickly returned with a large white flask and two cups. "Twins?" he asked again, slowly regaining composure about the news. "Yes, Ichigo, twins. And you can go tell Kurosaki-fukutaicho as soon as she wakes up. But for now, we have to celebrate with a drink." Hanatarō said, guiding Ichigo to his small office where he poured the drink. "Congratulations, Kurosaki-taicho!" Hanatarō said, offering the sakazuki to the future father who drank it in one sip, settling the nerves and bringing clarity.

"Hanatarō! We're having twins!" Ichigo shouted with enthusiasm. "Twins!" He shouted again as he jumped out of Hanatarō's window and onto the roof with one powerful jump. "WE'RE HAVING TWINS!" Ichigo literally shouted from the rooftop.

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_A sakazuki is a saucer-like cup meant to drink sake. It can be seen in the anime and manga when Kyōraku Shunsui drinks his sake._


	3. Confrontations

**Greetings readers, welcome to chapter 3 :D. This story is developing quite fast, I never write this much, but hey, what is a bored individual going to do :).**

Today's chapter is a bit of a revelation, nothing too much, trying to keep some tension here. But we have a good man popping by.

I'll be honest with you, the update cycle as it has been the last few days isn't normal. I'd expect the coming chapters to be weekly-ish since I don't work well on schedules.

The thank you this time goes to Bloodlinenaruto for the review :). As always with reviews, please write something, it makes me happy to see them coming in and reading what you thought about the story. But if you can, write something constructive, the story isn't perfect and I'd love feedback on pointers, doesn't matter what.

So, without further ado... The chapter:

~Twan

Walking in with a cup of tea and a small plate of sandwiches, Ichigo greeted his wife. "Good morning Isane." He whispered as he put the breakfast on the nightstand. He had slept besides her on the chair during the night and was happy to see her awake. He bent forward slowly and gently kissed her, something he hadn't had the chance to do in weeks. "I brought you breakfast." He gestured to the plate on her stand.

Isane smiled at the gesture. "Thank you." She looked at him curiously "Why are you so happy?" "For the first time in weeks, I was able to kiss my wife, which makes a man happy." He explained, leaning back with a mysterious grin on his face. "And we're not having one baby, we're having twins." He couldn't contain the secret anymore.

Isane's eyes went big, "Twins?" She couldn't believe it, there were no twins in her family, and twins were rare in Soul Society. "Are you sure?" Ichigo nodded happily. "Hanatarō told me last night after you went to sleep." Isane's surprise was slowly turning into happiness. She always wanted a big family and twins were a quick way to get such a family. "I'm glad, that way our child won't be alone." Ichigo nodded in confirmation and leaned in for another kiss when a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Kurosaki-taicho, there is an emergency at the Eight division. We need you, sir." Ichigo looked at his wife with regret. "I could have Amira look after it…" he said, trying to convince himself as much as trying to convince Isane. "Go, I'm supposed to receive a check up anyway." Ichigo nodded, "I love you, Isane." and he steps out of the room after Aila, his Fifth seat.

"What is the big emergency, Aila?" Ichigo asked annoyed as they moved quickly to the exit of the building and sped up to shunpo. "Several seated officers of the Eleventh have broken in and are looking for a fight. Some of the guards tried fighting them but lost." Ichigo sighed and accelerated in front of Aila, arriving at the Division in seconds, his fist slamming in between his Fourth seat and the Eleventh's Seventh seat, breaking up the fight.

Ichigo's reiatsu was flowing around him, forcing the people around him to their knees because of the pressure. "You have made a grave mistake…" he whispered to the Seventh seat, approaching him when an empty tin can hit him in the head. This broke Ichigo's concentration, and in Ichigo-style irritation he threw his fist up and shouted "Who the hell threw that!"

"Yo, Ichigo!" Ikkaku called, his sealed zankapto on his shoulder as usual. "What's with breaking up of the fight?" he asked, looking surprised at the shattered ground. "That wasn't necessary, we were just having fun." Ikkaku explained with a grin.

"Go have fun somewhere else." Ichigo said in a cold tone, his calm composure returned. He turned around and was ready to shunpo away when Ikkaku appeared I nfront of him. "Come with me." And shunpo'd out of sight. Ichigo followed suit and quickly caught up with the bald man. "Keep up, if you can!" Ikkaku challenged and sped up, trying to stay in front until he nearly ran into Ichigo, who had easily overtaken Ikkaku.

"What is this about, Ikkaku, I have more important things to do than play tag with you." He was clearly annoyed, wanting to be with his wife. "I'm here to give some good advice, Ichigo." Ikkaku answered, his tone now serious. Ikkaku shunpo'd away again to land on the roof of a building and sat down.

When Ichigo joined him, Ikkaku started, "You can't keep protecting everybody." Ichigo wanted to stand up and argue the point when Ikkaku simply pulled him down by his haori and continued. "I know you want to be the protector, that's you, that's how you work." Ikkaku wasn't looking at his friend but in the distance. "Being protected means you never experience pain, loss or suffering. You don't get to grow up and become stronger. Protecting those that don't want to be protected can even lead to anger and argueing, but you already know that, don't you?"

Ichigo didn't reply, he was quiet and looked down. He wasn't used to being confronted with his mistakes. As a captain, he could do a lot with impunity. But here he was being, called on his mistakes again. "Ichigo, you need to apologize to your sister, what you did was wrong. She might not forgive you for what you pulled if you don't move fast."

The men sat in silence for minutes, just looking over Seireitei and pondering the words that were shared. "Alright, now, I'm going to have some fun." Ikkaku said, standing up. Ichigo was still mulling over the words Ikkaku had shared when his friend said, "I do mean what I said, you need to talk to her, soon." Ichigo just nodded and kept staring off into space.


	4. History Explained

**Author's notes: Another chapter, and this time we have a flashback :D. I think this chapter is pretty awesome. It's set several years into the past, where it was Kurosaki-fukutaicho instead of taicho. One has to start somewhere ;). I hope this chapter finds you well :D.[/b]**  
**~Twan**

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With the big thump, Ichigo hit the ground. He groaned from the pain. His chest was slashed up badly. The Arrancar was laughing. Tensa Zangetsu was lying just out of reach. "Dammit." Ichigo whispered as he forced himself up, the bad cut on his chest tearing open further from the muscles. Ichigo picked up the black blade. "I'm not done with you!" he shouted and shunpo'd upwards and swung his blade in a downwards motion but was easily blocked by the Arrancar.

"You shinigami can't even come close to the power of the Arrancars!" he cackled from behind his mask. That is when Ichigo took several large jumps backwards grabbed his Soul Communicater from out of a pocket. "This is Kurosaki Ichigo, requesting removal of my limiter." The Bird symbol on his chest lit up and then vanished in small shards of energy. The removal of the limiter allowed Ichigo's massive reiatsu to rush freely. The cuts just vanished off of his chest. "Now, let's try this again!" Ichigo shouted and shunpo'd back up. His speed was as spectacular as it always was and before the Arrancar knew, his sword-hand was cut off. "You see, when Captain-level shinigami are sent into the real world, they have their power limited to about 20% of the total." He had a wicked smile on his face and with one easy sweep cut the Arrancar in two.

While this minor league Arrancar disappeared, Ichigo was slashed from behind. "By removing the limiter you are blinded…" The voice sneered. Ichigo howled in pain and jumped from the attacker. "It's a coward's way to attack from behind…" he commented as he turned around. Locking eyes with his opponent, Ichigo's eyes went cold. "You're the one who has been cutting down members of my squad!" This Arrancer looked different. Where the previous one was big, boasting of his power and showing off, this one was a small woman, lithe in appearance but clearly powerful. "My name is Mari." She said, "And indeed, I was the one hunting down shinigami, hoping to find someone powerful enough to play with me." She grinned with a menacing look.

Ichigo jumped forward, releasing all his reaitsu in the strike. The woman effortlessly raised his blade in a sliding block, stepping out of the strike. "You are strong, maybe even strong eno…" she wasn't finished in her sentence when his struck her from behind. In the blink of her eye her shoulder went from a well-functioning limb to a bloody mess. She smiled, "Impressive…" In the same timespan it took her sustain the damage, she easily healed it.

"Vuelta a cenizas, explosion." Mari wishipered to her blood-dripping blade. The katana disappeared in ash before reforming to two shoulder mounted kido cannons. The white armor on the cannons rapidly covered her body in a thick layer. "My Resurrección…" Mari smiled gently before disappearing from sight and returning behind Ichigo. "FUEGO!" she shouted and both cannons on her shoulders fired simultaneous, blasting the full force into Ichigo. The shinigami was launched from point blank range into the building, going straight through and into the next, creating a sizeable crater.

It took a moment for Ichigo to recover, using Tensa Zangetsu as a crutch to help himself standing. "Dammit." He muttered before shaking the feeling. "This one's tougher…" he said to himself before shunpo'ing forward. Another two energy blasts were fired towards Ichigo, but he raised Tensa Zangetsu. "Getsuga Tenshō". The release of the attack cancelled out the energy blasts, but both fighters were blown backwards by the explosion. Ichigo landed in the river while Mari crashed into another high rise.

"Kurosaki-fukutaicho!" Two voices shouted, moving in to support him. "Stay back!" Ichigo shouted, getting up. "She's too powerful for you!" His two subordinates shunpo'd back, understanding that if they meddled, they would only endanger themselves. It took some effort but he was back on his feet and standing while Mari was moving towards him in a casual pace. "You see, I'm the 12th Arrancar, Izu Mari, Gatekeeper of Los Nachos." She smiled and aimed her cannons on Ichigo. "My armor is one of the strongest in the whole of Las Noches." When Ichigo looked closer he saw she was relatively unscathed. He sighed and cracked his neck before vanishing from sight and appeared behind her at point blank range. "Getsuga Tenshō" and the fierce red energy leapt out of the sword at her neck.

The recoil once again knocked Ichigo away but he remained standing. Mari's back was smoking and a clear crack was seen in the thick, white armor. "A good effort, but not good enough!" She hollered before turning around and, using her Sonīdo to face Ichigo. She fired her cannons at him but as soon as she stopped firing her essence started to scatter around her torso. "How…" she whispered as she realized she was dying. "Getsuga Kuresentoburēdo*." Ichigo whispered, severly injured from the blast. "My whole power focused onto the tip of the sword." Ichigo explained to the disappearing Mari, his last word spoken as the last parts vanished.

Ichigo woke up three days later, covered in bandages in the Fourth Division. At his side was Kotetsu Isane, softly sleeping. He was surprised to see her when a nurse walked in and noticed Ichigo looking at Isane. "She has been sitting there for the past three days." She whispered before noting a few things on the chart and walking out again.

*Getsuga Kuresentoburēdo: Moon Fang, Crescent Blade. Instead of a sweeping wave of energy, all the power of this attack is focused in the tip, allowing far greater piercing power. This allowed Ichigo to penetrate the thick armor of Mari without a 10 meter running start.


	5. Goodbye old friend

**Author's notes: Hello! Sorry it took me so long to update. I had this chapter posted over at Bleach Asylum but for some reason never updated the Fan Fiction version! I am so very sorry :(! But it's true what the other writers say, reviews do help me to write faster. It's not so much that I want the ego-stroking, because believe me, my ego gets enough stroking! It's about the feedback that we grave. We want to hear the reason why you chose to subscribe to the story, what you love, what you hate! It helps me getting better :D. But anyway, to make up for missing an update, I have two chapters for you tonight!**

**~Twan**

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They were walking through the Forth Division gardens. It had been several months since Isane sat beside Ichigo's bed for 3 nights. During that fight, Rukia got gravely injured. "Kurosaki-fukutaicho, thank you for meeting me here." Isane started as she guided Ichigo to the bench. "Please, Isane, call me Ichigo. I'm a fukutaicho just like you. No need to be formal." He smiled friendly to her. She nodded, "Very well, Ichigo." She swallowed for a moment. "The reason I asked you to come here is about Kuchiki Rukia-san. She is not doing well."

Ichigo's eyes went wide. He brought Rukia in a month ago with complications after a battle they had both be involved in. Rukia had taken a blade to the stomach. The others that had accompanied them had healed her enough to bring her to the Forth. She had been in a coma since then and Ichigo had been beside her bed every day. "Her injuries have proven to severe for us to heal…" she continued. "We can't wake her from her coma either." Ichigo looked at Isane with shock. "What I'm trying to say is that you should probably say your goodbyes…" Isane nodded and got up. "I'll be my in my office." And with that she excused herself.

There he sat, beside the bed, holding her hand. "Rukia…" he whispered, squeezing her hand. "I'm sorry, Rukia." Tears rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you, sorry I wasn't able to keep you safe." His voice got louder and louder as his frustration grew. "It should have been me!" he slammed his fists down on the table, shattering it. "Why couldn't I protect her!?" he shouted.

Isane's hand fell on his shoulder. "Ichigo…" she whispered to him, allowing her reiatsu to poor out, the calming sensation meeting his angry reiatsu. The mixture of reaitsu finally calmed Ichigo and she took him in her arms as his anger gave room for sadness grief. "Ichigo, you were her protector, but you are forgetting something." She whispered as she held him. His anger started to spark again. "And what did I forget?" he asked. "She was just as much your protctor as you were his." She answered in her calm voice.

A sigh escaped between Ichigo's lips as Rukia's soul was slowly reincarnated. When Ichigo looked up from the hug with Isane he looked upon an empty bed. He was just speechless when he let go of Ichigo. He took the necklace he gave her from the dresser and walked towards the door. "Thank you, Isane." He said softly before disappearing.


	6. Family arguments

**Chapter Six is more recent than Chapter Five, but like I said, it is to make up for forgetting to update! Oh, and if anybody might be curious as to why I haven't connected the Shiba clan yet in this, I haven't done so because we don't know how Ichigo will react and I'm curious how it will go down in the manga. Plus, it's not important to the story yet!  
~Twan**

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Found alone in the garden, meditating with his blade across his lap. His fuku-taicho didn't dare interrupt him since she got into the office. It was late last night when he was asked to come to the Fourth Division. "What is it, Amira?" he asked in his usual voice, knowing she was there since the moment she entered. "There is a visitor for you, Taicho. Should I send her in?"

Ichigo was silent for a couple moments and then stood up, putting Zangetsu back on his back. He then stepped into the office and faced his tiny fuku-taicho. Well, Amira wasn't that tiny, she was 1 meter, 60 centimeters, but with his good two meters, Ichigo towered over her. "Your sister is here." Ichigo nodded, "Send her in, please." He moved to the sofa where he took his seat, looking at the door, wondering which sister would walk in. "Ichi-nii." The voice said as she stepped as she slid the door open. "Hey." He smiled friendly to his younger sister.

She straightened her shinigami robes and took a seat. "I heard Isane-nee is okay?" Ichigo nodded. "We're expecting twins." He smiled, hoping this would evoke some happy emotion from his sister. "That's nice." She said. The two sat in silence as Amira walked in with plum tea and excused herself again. The love of the tea flavor was something the siblings shared a love for. Ichigo poured his sister a cup and one for himself as they sat in the awkward silence.

"What do you want, Yuzu?" he asked as he blew cold air on the tea to cool it down. "I'm here to see my big brother" she said, startled by the bluntness of the question, becoming the shy girl she was when she was younger. He sipped his tea as he observed his sister gathering herself again and picking up her cup. "To be honest, Ichi-nii, I'm here to try and convince you to apologize to Karin."

Ichigo sighed as he heard her reason. "It happened three months ago and he had no business doing what he did without coming to me first." Now it was her time to sigh. "Ichi-nii, they discussed it at length before he did anything. It was none of your concern. You should've been happy!" Ichigo calmly set his tea cup down and then sat back. "She is my sister, with dad gone, he should've come to me first." He simply said, explaining his reasoning.

"We're not little anymore, Ichi-nii! We're both seated officers in the Gotei! You can't expect us to act like little girls who run to their big brother for permission whenever we want to do something!" Yuzu said, pouring her heart into the plea. "What is this we-stuff all of a sudden?" he asked, leaning forward. His voice had something scary in it. "It's we because Karin and are twin sisters, and yes, I do have a boyfriend." She huffed, putting her tea down.

"It's not about having a boyfriend, Yuzu, it was about the fact I wasn't told about anything until after the fact." He explained, trying hard to not lose his temper. "You're not dad, Ichigo." Yuzu said angry as she stood up. "You should've been happy that it happened!' and walked out without even having a sip of her tea.

Amira walked in about a minute after Yuzu stormed out. "Taicho?" she asked carefully, standing at the door. "Yes, Amira?" he asked tired. "Would you like to talk?" she offered, wanting her taicho to feel better.

"I'm not good with words, Amira." He said as he got up and stretched his back. "But you already know that." He gave her a small smile. "Yuzu wanted me to make amends with Karin about her engagement with Tōshirō ." But I just can't accept it. He wants to marry my sister but doesn't come to me for permission?" Ichigo's annoyance with the situation rose.

"What exactly happened when you found out?" Amira asked worried. "That's a whole different story, Amira." Ichgio sighed and stepped out of his office into the Division garden, sitting under his tree, meditating.


	7. It's a start

**I was so bored at school I actually wrote! OMG, I KNOW RITE! Yes, this bored. And honestly, I'm glad I did. I'm really happy with how this turned out. I had a piece in there first that went like "The happiness of my sisters, wife and children are a reason I'd die. And it's also a reason I'd kill." but felt it was more me trying to be bad ass than legitimately Ichigo. So that got cut and instead we get this being happy bit which felt better suited in the chapter. So, yeah, whoo for me :D. Oh, and I hope the conversations are better readable now. I got feedback from about how the conversations weren't as easy to read, so I went for this way. Please let me know it this is better!**  
**~Twan**

* * *

"Ichigo" the old man whispered, jarring Ichigo from his sleep. He looked at the floating man in the long coat standing in his room. His very empty, sparce officer's room in the Seventh Division quarters. "Yo, Zangetsu." Ichigo said groggily. "Couldn't this wait until I meditated again?" He knew that if his spirit would take physical form it would be serious.

"We need to talk." The spirit commanded. "There is something wrong."

Ichigo's mind slowly turned on. Mornings weren't his strong side, let alone being awoken in the middle of the night for an important conversation.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked, sitting up in bed.

"Her zanpakto is still angered, Ichigo. I can feel her."  
"Who?" Ichigo asked, being as clueless as he often was when he talks went about emotional situations.

"Kaze gādian." Zangetsu simply said.

After a long, silent moment, Ichigo sighed. "I guess it's as much the sword who was angered as it was the one wielding it."

"Ichigo, make amends with her." the sword again commanded, as if he was the wielder and not the one being wielded.

"Why? They went behind my back, he should have come to me first!" Ichigo growled, the old anger flaring up in his heart once again.

"Because she is your sister. You have been her protector for a very long time. It's time you accept that you can't protect her from everything." The spirit continued patiently, knowing how his partner was really feeling.

Ichigo sighed, falling back in his bed. He wasn't angry, not really. It was disappointment. Not even disappointment in Karin, but in himself. Ichigo couldn't even bring himself to say his name, let alone think it out loud. He proposed to her! He propesed to his little sister without asking him for permissoin first. Of all people, the little squirt should be the one with who'd have the respect for traditions to come to her older brother.

"If I'd go to the Eleventh now, not only would Karin try to kill me, but there is a pretty big chance Yachiru would try too." Ichigo commented after minutes of silence. Zangetsu nodded in agreement.

"Ichigo, you need to accept the situation. It is not healthy, not for you, to stay like this." The spirit finally said before disappearing. Ichigo just grunted in annoyance. He knew he wouldn't sleep for the rest of the night.

After another hour of turning in his bed, Ichigo finally decided to climb out. He grabbed his haori and put it on. It was the best he had, since Soul Society appearantly didn't believe in a bathrobe or anything like it.

He walked out into the corridor and looked around. His whole Division was deep asleep, except for the guards on the walls. Ichigo casually walked down the halls in Earth sweatpants and his haori trailing behind him.

He walked around the Division halls for about an hour before decideding where he'd go. With a flash he was outside, in another flash he was in the Hero's Garden. The Seventh Division was the only Division that had anything like it. It was created when Ichigo became the Captian of the Seventh.

It was a garden with two large stone walls erected and water elements and grass. It was a beautiful garden. On the stone walls were the names of every Shinigami that died under Ichigo's command. He let his hand caress the cold stone slabs, feeling the etched names of all his men slip under the tips of his fingers. He walked the entire length, remembering most of the orders he gave that lead to the deaths of his men. He felt intense sadness by every name he remembered, every face he saw. Then he stopped at the end of the wall and looked down. At the end of the walk way between the two stone slabs stood a small pillar. It was maybe waist high. On top of the pillar was a handle cut out of the stone. Ichigo put his hand on the handle like he was trying to pull the blade form the stone.

Even though it was a stone pillar Ichigo felt like the fire of the sword ran through him. The handle of the fire-type Engetsu filled his heart with flames as he let go and sat down before the pillar, his legs crossed. "Hey old man..." Ichigo whispered, looking at the name etched in the pillar. 'Kurosaki Isshin'

The light slid into the garden as the hours crept by. Ichigo had been sitting before the stone for several hours, pondering on the choices he made, the actions that lead to him having two angry sisters and an angry wife. He sighed and decided that, if he wanted to be able to protect his sisters, he would need to apoligize, badly. But first, he needed to visit a man about a thing.

He stretched his legs and got up, putting his hand on the stone handle. "Thanks, dad." Ichigo whispered and stood up, looking somewhat like the proud, powerful man he is. He made his way to the barracks on foot, decideding not to use his shunpo so his people could see him, even if it was in his sweatpants and his haori.

Several men and women bowed with respect to their captain and he nodded back in response. When he entered his room he took a quick shower and put on his uniform, making sure it was properly nodded. He put his haori on and placed Zangetsu on his back.

Amira knocked on his door. "Taicho, the officers are waiting for you." she called to him through the door.

"Thank you, Amira, but today's meeting will be postponed." Ichigo answered as he opened the door.

Amira looked at the man standing before her. This wasn't the man she saw last night, the man who was emotionally wounded and filled with sadness. This man had a goal. This was her taicho, the man she chose to follow. The man the whole Division chose to follow.

"But Taicho..." Amira tried but Ichigo raised his hand.

"Today you are in command. I have several personal issues to handle. Some of which you know. I do not wish to be disturbed unless something really big and bad steps into Soul Society that needs cutting." He sound completely at ease, even allowing a small joke.  
"Understood, Taicho." Amira nodded and allowed her captain to pass.

As soon as Amira cleared the way, Ichigo disappeared from sight. Flashes of him could be seen on the roofs of several buildings as he used shunpo to make his way to the Tenth Division. The guards at the Division gates felt a slight breeze as Ichigo passed by them.

It took even Hitsugaya Tōshirō a moment to realize what had entered his office, or better yet, who had. "Kurosaki-taicho." Tōshirō overly formal, even for him.

"Tōshirō." Ichigo greeted as he leaned in the window. "We need to talk."

The white haired taicho looked at his orange-haired counterpart with a stoic face. "Kurosaki-taicho, last time we 'talked'" Tōshirō said, disdain coming through his voice with the word talked, "you tried to kill me."

Ichigo nodded, "Yes, I overreacted." he admitted. "And I am sorry, I shouldn't have tried to kill you." he sighed and locked eyes with the younger taicho. "But she is my little sister, it is my task to protect her from pain, and you were and are a threat to that, as much as I am now."

Tōshirō sat quietly in his office chair, looking at Ichigo. "What are you saying, Kurosaki?" he finally asked.

"What I'm saying is that I'm happy for you two, that I wish you well." Ichigo explained calmly as he turned his gaze to the courtyards. His eyes gazed far into the world while he sat in the window frame, patiently waiting.

"Kurosaki..." Tōshirō started, "Why?" he asked. "Why were you so angry when we told her and why are you accepting it now?" after a short pause.  
"I was angry because the situation with my sister was developing to a stage where I wouldn't be able to protect her. I wouldn't be able to keep her safe from pain." He sighed, still gazing out onto Seireitei. "And I am accepting this now because I have no choice and I don't want to be a source of pain and grief for her."


	8. A young woman, for a moment again

**Ever noticed how inspiration comes at the strangest times? This came to me during a boring class and took a while. So I'm sorry it took a while to write. I have another two chapters waiting to be finished so it shouldn't be too long a wait from now on  
~Twan.**

* * *

****He was running down a field, sword on his back, part of his division trailing behind him, their zanpakto's in hand. Ichigo had a grin on his face as he stopped and faced them, drawing his zanpakto. The men and women under his command stopped in formation and presented their blades. "First stance!" Ichigo went, moving into the stances one by one, practicing the standard moves. He knew that once they were fighting Hollows it would go very differently, but the stances would make a good basis.

Several hours were spent training in this fashion. They would run a through the training grounds, up hills, down slopes, through rivers and on fields. Then in an open field they would practice stances or mock-fight and run some more. Ichigo was one of the few taicho's who would personally train his own division once in a while.

"Kurosaki-taicho!" called the newest of his recruits when they walked back into the barracks. Ichigo stopped and turned around, spotting the youngling. "Ah, Sami-chan." He smiled to her.  
"I..." the girl blushed brightly and looked to the ground.  
"Hmm?" Ichigo asked, half-urging her to formulate her sentence.  
"I just wanted to say thank you for the lessons!" she blurted out in a ramble of words.  
The sheer cuteness of the young girl made him smile. It reminded him of his sisters when they were just starting out.  
He smiled at her, "It was my pleasure, Sami-chan. Keep practicising."  
She nodded enthusiastically and quickly hurried to her quarters

And just like that, the taicho was alone again. He sighed as he looked around on the parade ground. The square was empty except for a few members rushing to the dinner halls. He stretched and put Zangetsu on his back again and decided this was as good a time as any to make his way to the Eleventh.

A few quick steps and he set foot on the backwall of the Division, overlooking the barracks and wondering where his sister would be. She should be in her quarters, taking time off. He reached out with his senses and scanned for her. Even after years of practice he was terrible at it, but his sister felt so like him he could pinpoint her with relative ease. After a few moments of probing he detected her location and disappeared from the wall and appeared in front of the door.

Karin had far better skills in detection than her brother would ever have but she was startled when she heard the knock. She was writing a report at her desk and was so fully concontrated on her task she never felt the energy appear before her door. "Karin" she heard through the door.

Karin stared at the door, unsure what to do. Tōshirō had told her how Ichigo explained his situation but was she ready to forgive him too? She had been mad at him for weeks and was quite willing and able to be so for weeks to come, but here he was, her brother. After a few minutes another knock was heard. "Karin, open the door please." Ichigo's voice didn't sound annoyed or agressive, but there was that subtle undertone their father had when they needed to talk. That tone all parents have when their children don't want to listen but know they should. Karin sighed, she stood up and opened the door.

Standing straight was Ichigo, he had a soft smile on his lips and was waiting patiently. "Yo" he said as he always did and raised his hand in greet. "What?" Karin asked angrily, glaring up at her brother. Though she was a grown woman now, she never really gotten beyond 5 feet 10, so she was always looking up at Ichigo. "Can I come in?" he asked, ignoring her angry tones. She sighed again but allowed him entry.

"Karin." Ichigo started as he found his way into her living room. His younger sister took her seat back at her desk, facing him from across the room. "What do you want?" she asked in an ice cold tone.  
He took a deep breath. "I'm here to apoligze" He said as kept standing.  
"Apologize? You tried to kill my fiancé! That's not something you can fix with an apology!" her temper started rising. Ichigo could feel the energy radiating from her. It was so familiair to him, it felt like himself and like their father.  
"Yes, I did." He agreed calmly.  
She was startled with the sudden agreement, not expecting him to be so open about it. Ichigo took the seat across the desk and sat down calmly, putting Zangetsu against the chair.  
"Why?" she asked, collecting her thoughts.  
He took a moment to formulate his thoughts before speaking. "Since Dad's gone I felt like I had to protect you from everything. I knew you were big girls, strong women who can fend for themselves, but that didn't make me feel less responsible. And out of the blue Tōshirō declared you were engaged to be married. I felt I was losing you, felt I couldnt protect you. This feeling always resolved itself by destroying the threat, as I have before. Without conscient thought I lashed out." He spoke in calm tones, keeping his eyes on his sister.

Karin was silent, surprised at the calm tone of his brother but also the love that seeped through the whole explanation. She looked him over and saw nothing but sincerity on his face. And why did she expect something else? Her brother had never lied to her.

"I thought it was I angry because it was a slight to the family, that my friend would not speak to me first, but after introspection and a stern speaking to from Zangetsu I came to this realisation." He concluded as he had his hand on the pommel of his blade, feeling the connection.

Karin nodded silently and stood. She walked around the table and climbed on her brother's lap, burying her face in his chest, softly crying. She wasn't the strong Eleventh Division fourth seat now, she was a young woman who was being held by her big brother. Karin almost never let her emotions out, so this was a dam breaking in her. She had not cried when she graduated Shino Academy, she had not cried when Rukia died, she had not cried when Ichigo got married or when Isane got pregnant. She had not even shed a tear when her father died. But this broke the dam, the fact she realized her brother would protect her no matter what happened. This allowed her to lower her defenses for a while, to be a young woman again.

They sat on the chair for several minutes, his sister safely in his arms until a clock struck the hour and Karin stirred again in his arms. He gently let her go as she stood. Ichigo raised too and took her head gently between his hands and kissed her forehead. The room was silent as Ichigo took Zangetsu and made his way to the door when she heard her say "In four months." Ichigo turned around to look at his sister. "The wedding is in four months." Her voice croaked a bit from crying. Ichigo nodded and stepped out of the door


End file.

Bleach, Drama, Family