Bleach 1. Happy Endings are Just Make Believe

Note: This takes place 20 years after Ichigo defeated Aizen. In order to make this fanfiction run more smoothly, Ichigo never lost his powers and Xcution never existed.

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><p>"Iiiiiiii-chiiiiiii-gooooooo!" Ichigo Kurosaki lept to the side just in time to see a flamboyantly dressed man fly past him, right into a display of oranges, knocking them all over the place.<p>

"Oi, Keigo. What the hell are you doing back in Karakura Town?" He bent down and started picking the oranges back up before any employees came and kicked Keigo out before he even had a chance to catch up with his old friend.

"Ichigo, you can be so cold! If you aren't happy to see me I can just leave!" He crossly turned his back to him. _Is that supposed to faze me?_

Ichigo sighed, "You haven't changed at all Keigo. That's not what I meant, I just thought you moved to Shinagawa to be with Yuzuki-san and- oi, what's wrong with you?" He was cut short when he realized that Keigo was crying.

"Ichigo, she dumped me! he just outright dumped me!" He grabbed Ichigo and pulled him into a giant bearhug, crying his eyes out.

"The hell'd you do to her? And stop, people are staring." He said while shoving him back, almost knocking him into the oranges again.

"Why do you think I'm the one that did something!" Keigo sighed and barely whispered, "I just flirted with her sister, a little.."

"You're a pig." With that Ichigo grabbed his groceries and headed to check-out.

"Ichiiiigo, I was kidding!"

"Then what the hell happened? Hurry up and tell me, I have to get back home. Daisuke's bringing his girlfriend for dinner tonight and if I don't-" He never got to finish.

"Ichigo, your son has a girlfriend! What kind of father are you, he's only ten years old!" At Ichigo's dumbfounded look, he backtracked. "Uhh.. I mean, twelve..?"

"Jesus Keigo, where the hell have you been? The twins are turning 15 in a week." Keigo's heart stopped. A dark auroa formed around him.

"Fi.. fif.. fiteen! Are you SURE!" That can't be right! That means we're o.. o.." He gulped, "Old..." A bunch of customers turned to look at the scowling orange-haired man in a dress shirt, tie, dress pants and loafers and the screaming, crying, scruffy-haired man in a blue and orange, flower covered shirt with khaki shorts and flip-flops.

"I think I remember how old my own children are, Keigo." Ichigo angerly rang up his items in the self check-out line. "I would have invited you to their party, but you've dropped off the face of the planet for the past couple months."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry Ichigo. It's just that Yuzuki's mom got cancer. You know, the one that lives in Europe.. we had to go over there and take care of her. But she suggested I come back to Japan to look after the house and I just couldn't stand being there without her, so I decided to come back to Karakura for a while." At Ichigo's dazed look, he responded, "I'm not going to say "I was kidding" this time."

"Keigo.." Ichigo was at loss for words. He's only seen Keigo this solemn a few very rare times before, he never knew what to say.

"Ah, it's okay Ichigo, no need for words, I'm sure everything will work out on its own." Ichigo cracked a smile and walked towards the exit, and Keigo trailed behind. "You know, for someone so small she sure has a hell of a lot of reiatsu. Hey, maybe when she dies and goes to Soul Society, she'll become a Shinigami! How awesome would that be! Then you could see her and maybe you could-"

"Keigo". At the cold sound of his voice, Keigo just stopped talking all together and waited for his old friend to continue. "Keigo, I gave up my position as a Substitute Shinigami long ago. I have absolutely no connection with Soul Society. I don't. My old man doesn't. Karin doesn't. Urahara doesn't. My wife doesn't. Chad doesn't. No one does. That's in my past." Keigo just stood there awestruck.

"You're really sticking to that, huh? I seriously thought you would have budged by now. What do you do when you sense a Hollow?"

"Keigo! Enough!" Keigo jumped at his tone of voice. "The World of the Living and Soul Society were never supposed to mix. Humans and Shinigami are supposed to be kept in seperate worlds. There are other Shinigami, TRUE Shinigami here that take care of the hollows."

"Okay, Ichigo, I get that part, but what about Rukia?" After that, Ichigo froze.

"What are you talking about? She's happy, I'm happy. We made our desicions, and we're sticking to it. Life's better this way. Keigo opened his mouth to say something else but Ichigo beat him to it. "I gotta go. Call me later, maybe we can hang out with Mizuiro or something and have a conversation without mentioning soul society. Got that?" At Ichigo's glare, Keigo just gulped. "Right, well, see ya!" Ichigo waved before running over to his car.

"Tch," Keigo smirked. "Ichigo, it's only a matter of time before you become a Shinigami again. I know you haven't lost your powers, I still feel them burning inside of you. I know you don't want to put your family in danger, but they're already in danger. Especially Daisuke. His reiatsu is almost as powerful as yours was. I just hope you'll be able to accept the fact that he's destined to be a Shinigami, just like you are."

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><p>"Stupid Keigo, who the hell does he think he is! Doubting my willpower, mentioning Soul Society, he's crazy." He punched the dashboard in anger. "Bastard. Life's been perfectly fine like this. I don't need to be a Shinigami, it's just not right.." He sighed and looked up at the Shinigami Substitue Badge hanging from his mirror. When his kids asked, he told them that it was some toy his sister's won for him at a fair when they were younger. They then quickly changed the subject and forgot all about it. When he looked back at the road, his heart almost beat out of his chest; he saw a little girl running right in his lane.<p>

"Shit!" He sharply whipped the wheel to the right, almost taking out a telophone pole in the process. He wrenched the brake and pulled to a shaky stop on the side of the road before jumping out of his car and running over to the girl. "Hey, are you o-" He stopped short when she turned around. She was floating a bit and had a chain coming out of her chest. "Oh, you're a plus."

"Uhh.. yes, I am. Sorry for making you swerve out of control like that... most people can't see me so I forgot to look where I'm going. Heehee.." She rubbed the back of her head as sweat dripped down her forehead.

Ichigo angerly sighed. "Okay, just as long as you're alright." He sharply pivoted and quickly walked back to his car. _Okay, maybe that was a little out of line.. I probably shouldn't have just left like that. But what the hell? Seeing ghosts isn't normal, and I'm supposed to have a normal life, godammit._ Ichigo climbed back into his car and carefully started to drive back home again. He noticed the sun sinking into the horizon and a smile started to grow across his face.

Ever since he married the girl of his dreams, he's been happier. He gone through hell when leaving behind his Shinigami life, and at first he couldn't resist pulling out his Substitue Shinigami Badge or reaching for Kon everytime he heard a Hollows' distinctive screech. Neither could his wife; she hated the thought of anyone getting hurt just as much as he did. But as time moved on, it got easier, and he became happier.

At first it was just him and her.. the world was in their hands. Everywhere they went, the sun shined on them, the birds sang for them, and the wind whispered to them. Sure, to the naked eye they seemed like two young fools in love, but anyone who knew them knew otherwise. They've been through hell and back together; nothing could tear them apart now.

Ichigo didn't think life could get any better, but weddings and children proved him wrong. Not only did he marry an amazing girl and have two amazing children with her, his friends did too. In fact, the only one who remained completely single was Mizuiro, but that wasn't a surprise. He'd forever be the womanizer of the group, no one could imagine him actually being faithfully tied down.

**"Miageta yozora no hoshitachi no hikari"**

Ichigo jumped and was pulled out of his reverie by his blaring cell phone. He looked down for a split second to see his wife's picture ID come up on the second. He looked at the clock on the dashboard and his eyes nearly jumped out of his skull. "Shit, I'm late!" He hit ignore and sped home, knowing that his son was going to give him hell when he got home. _Where the hell did Daisuke get his disrespect from? Jeez, what kind of prick kid punches his own father and yells in his face on a regular basis? Must be some gene from his mother's side of the family. _Racing home, he started to hear a voice he hadn't heard in a very long time, a voice that made the blood run cold in his veins...

"Remember precious King, I'm always here, I'll always be watching, and if you don't be careful, there's no telling what I might do.."

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><p>To be continued...<p>

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Ahahaha, so I've never done this before.. I want to make this into a chapter story, but I seriously have no clue what I'm doing. I have the general idea of where this is going in my head, but suggestions and ideas for the future would be grrrreat..

A beta would really help, also any sort of review would help, so please review! Anything from "This is absolutely amazing" to "This is absolutely horrible" will help. I just need guidance, so please be as harsh as you want.


	2. I Swear I'm Not Schizophrenic

_**Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes. **_

_**~Hugh Prather**_

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><p>"Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes; Nothing of him that doth fa-"<p>

"Shut up! If you're gonna read shitty books like that, at least keep it to yourself. I'm trying to focus."

"On what! That stupid game you're playing! All you do is going around killing random people!"

"Call of Duty is the complete opposite of a "stupid game", you just wouldn't understand, brat."

Sibling fights like this were extremely common in the Kurosaki household. Mr. and Mrs. Kurosaki got tired of hearing them argue, so for the twins thirteenth birthday they let them re-model the basement however they wanted, with hopes they wouldn't hear every single word of their heated arguments. Thankfully, it worked. Even though they shared the same birthday, that's about the only similar thing between them; they were about as different as sun and moon.

One loved William Shakespeare, taking long relaxing baths, and baking while the other found interest in (violent) video games, spending time at the gym and charming various girls. When they designed the room together, their different styles clashed immensely. One wanted bright colors; yellow, orange, pink; while the other wanted deep colors; purple, blue, gray. She insisted on bookshelves and easels and he pushed for gaming consoles and high-tech television and stereos. Eventually they came to an agreement and created a room that captured both of their interests.

The walls had plush indigo carpet for wallpaper and deep mahogany hardwood floors, with white throw rugs meticulously placed. There were bookshelves and feathery white couches and multicolored cushions on the west wall, and many different video game consoles along with a plasma screen on the north wall. The south wall was relatively empty except for an acoustic guitar and a painting easel, since that's where the staircase was, and the east wall included a non-alcoholic bar and a mini-fridge along with a popcorn maker. Right in the middle of the room was a pool table, the room was a haven for both of the twins and they generally escaped there almost everyday after school.

"You're always mean whenever you bring a new girl home, I think it's stress." The orange haired-girl pulled her long hair up into a ponytail as she spoke.

"You seriously think _I'm_ stressed over bringing a girl home?" The boy paused his game and widened his amber eyes. "Are you kidding me? She's just a girl, we'll probably break up in a few weeks anyway."

"Daisuke, that's so rude!" She slammed her book shut and narrowed her eyes at him. "Why would you even bother dating if you think like that?"

"Why wouldn't you, Aya?" He retorted, waiting for a response, when he didn't get one, he continued. "Don't be bitter over my relationships just because you can't get a boyfriend. Maybe if you stopped reading retarded shit like that and got a life you could find someone."

"I'm not "bitter" over your relationships," she crossly stated, "I just don't see why you would go out with someone who you know you're not going to last with. And don't say things like that! Plenty of guys of liked me..."

"Then why are you still waiting for your first kiss? We're turning fifteen in a week Aya, don't you find that a little ridiculous?"

Aya sighed. "I don't really care. All the guys that have been interested in me run because they're scared. At least that's what they told me."

Daisuke laughed, "Yeah, right. What the hell are they scared for? Do they think you have the guts to hurt them or something?"

"No," Aya glared at him until he stopped laughing, "They're scared of YOU and of DAD. You both intimidate them, I just haven't found a guy willing to stand up to you both."

"Well they should be scared of me!" At Aya's disbelieving look, he scoffed, "Why shouldn't they be? I don't know why they're so scared of our dad, but they know I'll beat the shit out of anyone who even thinks about hurting my sister. And who would wanna risk that?"

"Oh Daisuke, you are so conceited," rolling her eyes, she got up and started to head upstairs.

"It's not being conceited if it's true," he smirked and went back to playing his video game.

As Aya was heading upstairs, she heard a knock at the door. _It must be Michiyo-san, Daisuke's new girlfriend._ She heard her mom answer the door and heard the distinctive voice the infamous Michiyo Isoya. She was a new student this year, but all the guys instantly fell for her. Her and her twin sister, how ironic, recently moved to Karakura Town from Aomori, and she was a long-legged, green-eyed blonde beauty, a very rare sight in Japan. And of course, the one to wrap her around his finger was no other than her delightful brother. She got to the top of the stairs and shut the basement door just in time to see her mom politely introduce herself, even thought she probably knew this relationship was heading no where.

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><p>"Hello, Mrs. Kurosaki! My name's Michiyo Isoya, it's a pleasure to meet you!" She smiled a huge fake smile and enthusiastically reached out and shook the woman's hand.<p>

The dark haired beauty laughed, not because she was thrilled, but because she was expected to fall for this faux-sweet act. "Nice to meet you too, Michiyo, Daisuke's told us so much about you," Which was untrue; it was Aya who mostly explained Michiyo to her and Ichigo. "And please, call me Rukia. Mrs. Kurosaki makes me sounds old!" Their laughs mingled together, as Rukia pulled off her picture-perfect-sweet-human-mother-who-was-definately-never-a-Shinigami-and-was-certainly-just-as-old-as-her-husband facade. _If only you knew how old I really am.._

"If you don't mind me asking, Mrs. Kurosa- ahh, Rukia-san, where is Daisuke?" Michiyo hungerly looked around for her son, as Rukia inwardly rolled her eyes.

"Oh, he's downstairs playing some video games," Aya bounced over and joined the conversation. "See that door in between the television and the computer? Just go down those stairs."

"Thank you!" Michiyo's face radiated excitement and she rushed over to the door.

"Well then," Rukia sighed, "While she has fun playing with his joystick, wanna help me with dinner?"

Aya's eyes widened. "Mom! Don't even joke about stuff like that!"

"Who said anything about joking?" She laughed at Aya's horrified expression and headed towards the kitchen. "Never mind, we can't start cooking anyway until you're damned father gets back with the eggs and panko." She rolled her eyes as she took out her cell phone. "Where the hell is he, anyway? He's supposed to be here by now." She quickly dialed his number, but he ignored it and sent her straight to voice mail. "That bastard."

"Uh, what?" Aya looked confused over her mother's half-deadpanned-half-confused expression. "Is he.. okay?"

_IS __he okay..?_ Rukia shook her head. "Of course he's okay! I'll be right back, I'm just gonna step outside."

"Kay, I'll be in my room, call me when you want me to help with dinner." As Aya turned around and headed to her room, Rukia stepped outside.

_That idiot, where the hell could he possibly be? _She looked at the sinking sun, slowly dipping into the horizon._ I swear, if he's not back home in five minutes.._ Before she could even finish that thought his car whipped around the corner and crookedly parked in their gravel driveway. He jumped out of the car, grocery bag in one hand and cell phone in the other and ran over to her.

"Rukia, I- gaah!" She punched him in the jaw and glared at him as he fell backwards. "What the hell, bitch!"

"Maybe you should be here on time, or at least answer me when I call you, fool!"

Ichigo angerly sighed. "I ignored your fucking call so I could get here faster!"

"Well what took you so long in the first place!" She put her hands on her hips and stared as him as he got up and suddenly had the urge to knock him back on the floor; it's hard to be intimidating when you have to crane your neck back just to look at the other person.

"Relax. I ran into Keigo, and then on the way back I thought I almost hit someone, but it was just a ghost. No big deal. It's not like a Hollow ate me." He shrugged it off and trudged up to the house.

As Rukia watched him go, she shook her head in anger. _Stupid strawberry..._

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><p><em>This girl does not shut up.<em> Ichigo twitched in annoyance, half-listening to the mindless rambling of his son's new girlfriend, whatever the hell her name was. _I think it started with an N.. maybe an I..? It doesn't even matter, she won't be around for long. _He glared at his son, irritated that he was such a womanizer. It's like raising a little Mizuiro. _I just hope she's not using her mouth for other thi- wait, what the hell am I thinking! _He started turning red and dug into his Hambagu Steak. He felt someone kick his foot and looked up to see Rukia smirking at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. _She's thinking the exact same thing as me. _He smirked back and then turned his attention back to that girl.

"...nd so my mom decided to finally settle down here in Karakura Town, although I don't know why it even matters where we live since me and Ayumu basically raise ourselves anyway. Not that I really mind because I mean, it must be hard being a single mom, I know she has to work, so I guess I understand why she's never home, it'd just be nice to see her once in a while, but as long as she's happy I'm happy, and so far I'm really loving this town anyway and.."

"Well look at you and your nice little family."

Ichigo looked around trying to locate where that familiar voice was coming from, refusing to acknowledge where it was really coming from.

"It'd be a shame if-"

_Shut the hell up you bastard, don't even think about touching anyone in my family._

"Whoever said I was going there? Not me. I was suggesting what if something were to happen to-"

_Just shut the fuck up and go away!_

"Why should I? I haven't had any fun in a while. Maybe I could-"

_No, I defeated you a long time ago, so just stay the fuck away! _Ichigo slammed his fist into the table, wishing it was his damn inner Hollow's face. He looked up to notice that everyone was staring at him. "Uhh.. muscle spasm."

Aya looked at him with sympathy in her big, purple eyes. "Are you okay, daddy?"

"Huh? Uh yeah, I'm fine!" Ichigo put on a huge smile and prayed that it would be enough to stop the rock slide of questions.

"Are you sure?" Daisuke looked at him in contempt. "You look like you just saw a ghost." The Kurosaki family broke out into laughter over the long-time inside joke while what's-her-face shyly tried to laugh along with them, although it was obvious she didn't know why. Even though it pissed off Ichigo sometimes, it was no secret his kids could see ghosts. Everyone assumed they would thanks to his and Rukia's massive reiatsu. It was kind of a family secret, when they were really young and were just starting to notice ghosts, Ichigo and Rukia helped teach them the difference between living humans and dead spirits so that they wouldn't get mixed up between the two, like Ichigo always did when he was younger.

Daisuke and Aya never planned on telling anyone that they could see ghosts. The only people that knew were family and close family friends, such as Orihime and Kisuke. When the twins were young and they invited people over to their house, sometimes ghosts would appear and they'd panic and stare at Ichigo or Rukia asking a silent question; "Is that a ghost?" So in response, they would always say, "What's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost." To let them know that it was a ghost they were seeings. As they grew older and started to notice the difference themselves, they started to tease each other every time someone got a panicked expression on their face.

Right now, Ichigo wished his reaction came from seeing a ghost. Not from arguing with his inner self. "Sorry, Daisuke, but is it okay if I skip out on the rest of tonight? I know you were looking foward to me meeting your new girlfriend but.." _But what? I'm fighting with my inner Hollow and I just want to go to sleep and attempt to shut him out? Like Hell I'm saying that. _"But.."

"But you're obviously not feeling well." Ichigo looked over and saw Rukia starting at him with fake-worry. "I mean, look at you, you're all pale!" _Am I..?_

Daisuke craned his neck to look at his father. "Shit dad, you really are pale. Yeah, go ahead, we wouldn't want you puking your guts out at the table."

"Gross.." Aya stuck her tongue out in digust.

"Thanks." Ichigo turned to that girl. "Nice to meet you.." _Shit, what is her name..!_

"Nice to meet you too, sir." She smiled warmly, too dense to notice that he forgot her name. "I hope you feel better!"

Ichigo fake-smiled and took his plate to the kitchen before heading off to bed.

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><p>Soft, sinewy hands were caressing his face when Ichigo woke up. He glanced outside to make sure it was still night before bringing himself to look at the woman lying next to him.<p>

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Rukia took her hands away from his face. God, she's always look so good in the moonlight.. it shined on her raven black hair, danced on her soft skin, and brightened her violet eyes.

"No, it's okay.." Ichigo smiled and took her hand in his.

Rukia put her hands on either side of his face and they shared a long, deep, kiss. Too soon, she pulled away. "Ichigo, something's bothering you." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Ichigo sighed. "Rukia..." he tried to say something else but got lost in her gorgeous eyes. _How am I supposed to tell her something like this, right now? When everything is perfect.._

Rukia kissed him and once again, pulled away much to soon. "Okay then, don't tell me now. Tell me when you're ready. I'll be here regardless, Ichigo. But don't make me worry. I'd hate to see you get hurt without even knowing what's going on..."

"Rukia, you know I wouldn't keep anything important like that away from you.." He let go of her hand and played with her hair with his left hand while his right hand snaked its way down her side. He felt her shudder underneath his touch. "I just don't even want to think about it right now. It doesn't matter." He grabbed her waist, pulled her on top of him and kissed her.

Most married couples seem to lose their spark for one another after being married for ten years or so. Ichigo didn't understand how that was possible. After all this time, kissing Rukia still felt brand new. Every touch and every hug brought him alive and filled him with pure happiness. Sparks still flew between them so effortlessly, not once has he ever found himself not radiating joy with her around. As she deepened the kiss and their tongues wound together, he slowly pulled her legs down until she was straddling him.

She softly moaned as she felt his cock slowly but surely growing in size. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up into a sitting position so that she could wrap her legs around his waist, before taking his shirt of completely. She opened her mouth in a silent sigh as his lips danced on her neck and collarbone, while his hands were circling on her thighs, getting closer to the fold between her legs. She knotted her fingers in his hair as he continued to take the breath out of her.

Ichigo pulled away from her chest and started planting velvety kisses on her face. One of his hands continued to snake up her leg while the other took her hand in his and their fingers intertwined. They pulled away from each other just long enough to stare into each others eyes, _I love you_ plainly sketched in their pupils. As Rukia leaned in for another kiss, her wrist started pulsing in pain.

"Ow, Ichigo, what the hell.." She looked down to see his hand clamped around her wrist in a death grip. She started to feel him shaking and when she looked up at his face, her breath caught in her throat. "I.. Ichigo..."

A black aurora was inching its way into his eyes.

"Rukia.. get away.." His voice was strained and his whole body was trembling, like he was trying with every ounce of willpower he had to stop his Hollow from taking control of his body.

"Ichi-"

"Rukia! Get the hell away from me!" He stopped shaking long enough to throw Rukia across the room. She hit the wall with a thud and and she landed her head was bleeding and her wrist was already bruising. _Shit, shit, shit, shit_.. Rukia stood up and was about to dart out of the room but "Ichigo" pinned her to the wall, clasping her hands together, staring down at her with black and yellow eyes.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, Rukia?"

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><p>"No Mr. Bunny, you can't eat that.. that.. that's my strawberry ice cream.." Aya tossed and turned and she continued to dream about peculiar things, like usual. However, this was no ordinary night.<p>

"So, this is Aya Kurosaki?"

"Shh, don't talk too loudly, you don't want to wake her."

"Why not? I thought her parents quit being Shinigami?"

"They did, but they never lost their powers. If they hear us.."

"Doesn't matter. We, along with their precious daughter, will be long gone by the time they find their Gikogan."

"So where do you think their son is?"

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><p>"Are you positive, Ishida-kun? I don't feel anything.." Orihime Inoue raced alongside her husband towards her long-time best friend's house, trying to sense something out of the ordinary but came up with nothing.<p>

"I'm absolutely certain, Orihime. There's a strange reiatsu near Kurosaki's house, I could never mistake that kind of reiatsu." Uryu Ishida reached for his Quincy cross, just to be ready in case there was more lurking around.

"Never mistake what kind of reiatsu?" Following Ishida's lead, she reached in her pocket to grab a hold of her Shun Shun Rikka pins.

Ishida glanced at Orihime with a look of disgust on his face. "That reiatsu belongs to a Shinigami."

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><p>To be continued...<p>

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><p>Author's Note:<p>

Ahahaha, so I wrote this chapter the day after I wrote my first chapter. I was originally going to wait and see if I got any suggestions, and I was going to try to add them into the story, but I decided against it because this chapter is already too long for my taste. So I'll try to add in any suggestions I get, if I get any, in the next chapter.

So I still don't really know what I'm doing, and I still aren't entirely sure where this story's going. I have a few things in my mind that I know is going to happen, but any suggestions or comments would be insanely awesome, and I will be forever grateful for any types of reviews, good or bad.

For those people actually reading this story, thank you sooooo much. You have no idea how happy it makes me that people are actually interested in my story. I promise I'll keep this updated. Thank you! 3


	3. Everlasting Peace is Boring, Anyway

Arthur's Note: I plan on introducing Soul Society in the next chapter or so, so for anyone who reads this story, or even if you don't, it would be a really big help if you go on my profile and vote on my poll for favorite couples, since I'm not sure who to pair up and who to leave single. Thank you. (:

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><p><em><strong>Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong-these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.<strong>_

**-_ Sir Wi__nston_****_ Churchill_**

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><p>Rukia was sure she was black and blue by now. Ichigo's damned inner Hollow was abnormally strong, and he's been slamming her around the room for twenty minutes by now.<em> If only I could get to the closet, I could get my-. <em>Her thought process was cut short when "Ichigo" suddenly appeared in front of her. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her up to a half-crouching, half-standing position.

"Now why is it that Ichigo gets all the fun? I'm a part of him, I deserve a little fun too, don't chya think?" She smirked devilishly and his hand started to creep up her shirt. Rukia's eyes grew wide.

"Get the hell away from me, you bastard!" She kneed him in the face and sent him clear across the room. _I don't care that he's in Ichigo's body, I am NOT letting him touch me like that!_

"Bad idea, Rukia. I always get what I want." Suddenly, he was in front of her again. He held her hands together and shoved her down on her knees. His other hand reached in his pants, and when Rukia realized what he was going for, she clamped her mouth shut immediately. _No fucking way in hell._

Her eyes were shut tight and she was preparing for the worst, when she suddenly felt a familiar reiatsu, and then heard "Ichigo" scream in anger. When she felt that her hands were free again, she looked up to see him pinned to wall with Quincy arrows.

"Sorry, didn't mean to walk in on you two.." Rukia looked behind her to see Uryu Ishida standing in her window, his Ginrei Kojaku in hand, smirking with a glint of dark humor in his eyes.

"That's not funny, Ishida." As she stood up and brushed herself off, he jumped down into their room. "But thanks, anyway."

"No problem." He glanced at "Ichigo", who was obviously struggling against his arrows. "Anyway, I think you need to see something."

"Can't it wait? I have to figure out how to-"

"No." Rukia turned to Ishida with surprise apparant in her eyes. "I'm sorry Kuchiki. I know you want to help Kurosaki, but this is important."

"Uh.. hai.." Rukia took one last glance at her husband, and then reluctantly followed Ishida out of the room.

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><p>"She cocks her leg back, thrusts it forward, and the ball shoots towards the net at exhilarating speed! But wait! The goalie jumps high, and hits the ball out of the net! The crowd goes wild as as the ball flies towards the stand, surely going fast enough to take someone's head off! Oh no! The ball is heading right towards two celebrities- Daisuke and Aya Kurosaki! Only one person can save them now! The crowd gasps in awe as Orihime Inoue slides in front of them, and chants with urgency ringing in her voice; "Baigon! Hinagiku! Lily! Santen Kesshun, I-"<p>

"What in the world are you doing, Orihime?" Orihime screamed as she turned around to see Ishida and Rukia walking up behind her.

"Oh! Ishida-kun! Kurosaki-san! You're here!" She smoothed down her skirt. "Hahaha, I was just imagining how awesome it would be if the Kurosaki's were as famous here as they were in Soul Society an-"

"Aya! Daisuke!" Rukia pushed Orihime out of the way, raced over to her unconscious children and started shaking them. "What the hell happened!"

Ishida stepped over and knelt beside Rukia. "They aren't hurt, but considering that the ones who did this were Shinigami, I was under the impression that it was some kind of kido spell.."

Rukia placed a hand on Daisuke's chest and heavily concentrated. After a minute, she opened her eyes and bluntly stated, "This is Hakufuku."

"Hakufuku..?" Orihime looked at Rukia for clarification.

"Hakufuku." Rukia repeated. "A Bakudo spell, it's a technique that muddles the consciousness of its target, causing them to black out."

"So, they'll be okay?" Orihime widened her eyes in hope.

"Yeah, they'll be fine. What I'm concerned with is who the hell did this. You're right Ishida, this is most certainly the work of Shinigami. So who are they, what do they want with my kids, and are they affiliated with Soul Society, are they acting on their own, or are they part of a group with other Shinigami who disbanded from Soul Society?" She looked at Ishida and Orihime. "Ishida, can you carry Daisuke back inside for me, while I carry Aya?"

"No problem, Kurosaki." Ishida picked Daisuke up in his arms and walked towards the house, going ahead of the girls.

As Rukia picked up Aya, she turned to Orihime and slowed her walking. Orihime followed suit. "Inoue, what exactly happened?"

"Well..." Orihime pondered over how to begin the story. "Me and Ishida-kun were up late coming up with new designs for his fashion line when all of a sudden he froze up. I thought he just sensed a Hollow, but he jumped up and raced out of the house with such urgency that I had to follow him. When I caught up to him, I asked him to explain and he said he felt the presence of Shinigami in the direction of your house, but it wasn't of any Shinigami he knew. I tried to concentrate and I couldn't sense anything but he assured me that there was something there..."

* * *

><p>As Uryu Ishida raced towards the Kurosaki's with his wife by his side, he couldn't help wondering why Shinigami would suddenly show up here in Karakura Town. Except for generic Shinigami who cleansed the town from Hollow's there's been none. Now suddenly, two appear in the direction of the Kurosaki's, and on top of that he also sensed a dark presence. For some reason, it felt familiar. He tried to dig deep inside the recesses of his brain to try to figure out who, or what, that was... but he couldn't come up with anything.<p>

"Ishida-kun..." He turned to his left and saw Orihime looking at him with concern in her eyes. "That reiatsu.."

"Do you recognize it, Inoue?"

"It.. it's Kurosaki-kun.." She stammered and started to blush as she said it.

"Kurosaki.." Ishida concentrated hard and realized why it felt so familiar; this was the kind of reiatsu he felt in Hueco Mundo and in Hell when Ichigo lost control and his inner Hollow took over. "Kurosaki! Inoue, we have to get there now!"

"I know." They both picked up speed, but as they reached the Kurosaki Home they stopped in their tracks.

"Aya!" Ishida widened his eyes to see the younger of the twins on the ground. _Is she unconscious or..? _He couldn't even bring himself to imagine the alternative.

Orihime raced towards the girl. "Soten Kisshun!" As Ayame and Shun'o spread their healing shield out over Aya and Orihime kneeled down beside her, movement in their eldest son's bedroom window caught Ishida's eye.

"Shit, it's that Quincy and that healing girl," announced the guy with spiky blue hair.

"Are we fighting or running?" The dark-haired girl questioned.

"I don't think that's your decision to make." Ishida brought up his Ginrei Kojaku while Orihime reached for her Shun Shun Rikka pins.

"Actually, I think it is." The boy reached behind up to grab an unconscious Daisuke while the girl held a sword up to his throat.

Ishida's eyes widened in fear. _A Zanpakuto?_ He was torn between lowering his bow or firing it. "Let him go."

The girl smiled. "Then let us go."

As Ishida was about to respond, a dark reiatsu suddenly shook the air.

"That's Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime tried to move towards the reiatsu, but Ishida grabbed her arm, lowering his bow in the process.

"Inoue, don't. It's too dangerous." As he pleadingly looked into her eyes, the mysterious duo in the window started to move.

"Perfect timing." The guy tossed Daisuke at the couple, forcing them to break apart and catch him as the female opened up a portal with a key, hanging on the necklace she was wearing.

While Ishida caught Daisuke in his arms, Orihime questioned the two, "Who are you?"

The guy turned around and answered cautiously. "I am Bartolome Cardona, and this is Graciela De Leon. Remember them well, you will most certainly hear them again."

"And next time," Graciela turned around the glared at the two. "We'll be ready to fight, so be ready to die." They stepped into the portal and were gone in an instant.

"Dammit." Ishida gently set Daisuke on the ground and turned to Orihime. "Are you able to heal them?"

Orihime shook her head. "No, I don't think their injured, just unconscious. Maybe it-" She was cut off as another blast of dark reiatsu shook the atmosphere.

"Can you stay here and watch them while I go over there?" Ishida looked over to the area where the reiatsu was coming from while Orihime nodded her head. With that, he ran towards the other side of the house.

* * *

><p>"So Ayame and Shun'o returned to their hairpin form and I watched over them, and then you and Ishida-kun showed up."<p>

Rukia had "worried" plastered all over her face. "What kind of portal was it?"

"I don't know." Orihime looked up at the stars. "It wasn't a Senkaimon and it wasn't a Garganta, so I don't think it linked to either Soul Society or Hueco Mundo."

Rukia stared at her friend in surprise. "Are you suggesting that they may have come from a different dimension?"

"It's been done before.." Orihime was referencing to the Valley of Screams.

"I can't see that. Maybe they just discovered a different method of transportation between dimensions.." By this point they were inside Aya's room, and as Rukia laid Aya back into bed and exited her room, she noticed Ishida leaning against the wall in between the twins' rooms, waiting for them.

"Kurosaki's back to normal, I think.. I let him down, but he just slid down the wall and sat there unmoving."

"So that really was Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime widened her eyes and looked at the door across the hall that lead to his and Rukia's bedroom.

"Unfortunately, yes, it was.." Orihime turned to look at Rukia and almost jumped out of her skin as she noticed the various bruises coating her skin.

"Kurosaki-san..!"

Rukia slightly turned to look at Orihime. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine." She reached over and shut off the light, immersing them in darkness once again in order to divert the attention away from her and back on to the matter at hand. "Do you two mind leaving right now? It's late and depending on when the twins were placed under that spell I might have a load of questions to answer when they wake up, and I have to go talk to Ichigo..."

Orihime tugged on Ishida's arm. "Of course! Do you want me to call you tomorrow, Kurosaki-san?"

"Actually, can you just meet me at Urahara's tomorrow around two? I need to talk to him about this, anyway. He's bound to know something." Rukia turned away to look in the direction of her room. "I don't know if Ichigo's going to be there.. but I will be, regardless."

"Hai! I'll see you then, Kurosaki-san!" Orihime took Ishida's hand in hers and dragged him out of the house.

"Are you sure it was alright to just leave her with Kurosaki like that, Inoue?" Ishida turned back to look at the receding house. "What if he loses control again?"

"Kurosaki-san knows what she's doing." Orihime turned and smiled warmly at Ishida. _Kurosaki-san, I really do hope you know what you're doing..._

* * *

><p>Rukia opened the door to her room and softly padded over to where Ichigo was sitting Indian style with his head in his hands. "Ichigo..?" She knelt down in front of him and tried to take his hands in her's, but he wouldn't budge. "Ichigo, please-"<p>

"Rukia." Ichigo's voice was shaking as he responded. "I am so sorry."

"Ichigo, don't apologize, that was not your fa-"

"Rukia!" Ichigo snapped his head up and raised his voice. "Don't you dare say that wasn't my fault! I should be stronger, I should be able to control that! I should.." His voice trailed off as his eyes adjusted to the dim light and he noticed the bruises that patterned her face. He lightly touched the one on her cheek. "This shouldn't have happened..." He put his head back down.

Rukia held onto the hand he had on her face. "Ichigo.. I'm not sure why that just happened, but this honestly wasn't your fault." She felt him tense up when she said that. "Your inner hollow has always been unnaturally strong. It was only a matter of time before he started to show again. It's been a little over seventeen years since we gave up our position as Shinigami. In those seventeen years, it was peaceful. We didn't have to stress over anything abnormal, and there was absolutely no reason for you to be suspicious of your inner hollow. Unless something happened that you decided to keep from me."

"I... mm.. ler... ta..." Rukia rolled her eyes at his muffled response.

"If you're going to talk to me, at least lift your head up so I can actually hear what you're saying, idiot."

Ichigo slowly picked his head up and avoided her gaze. "I heard him earlier today." He snuck a glance at Rukia to judge her reaction, but she didn't seem surprised.

"I knew something was on your mind. I suspected your inner hollow but didn't want to ask you about it. I figured you'd talk when you were ready to talk." Ichigo sighed and finally looked at her head-on.

"I don't know what to do. It's horrible to even consider what might have happened if Ishida didn't show up when he did, and at least you knew what was going on. What if I was all alone with Aya or Daisuke when that happened? I don't know.." He trailed off, not even wanting to think about the aftermath.

"I hate to say this, but..." She lost her train of thought when she looked into Ichigo's eyes. _When was the last time I saw his eyes like that? Filled with that much pain and desperation..?_

"But..?" Ichigo crinkled his eyebrows in confusion.

Rukia took a deep breath of air before continuing. "I.. I think it might be time to take up our Shinigami duties again. Not officially, but we should at least train so that we're stronger then we are now. And maybe while doing that you'll become strong enough to defeat your inner hollow again. And.. and I also think we should tell the kids."

Ichigo looked at her as if Chappy was dancing on her head. "No way in hell."

"Why not?"

"Why should we? They don't need to know! They're not in any danger right now, and if we.." Rukia looked like she was debating between telling him something or not. "What is it?"

Rukia thought about sugarcoating it, but at the fierce look in Ichigo's eyes, she decided to just be blunt about it. "Aya and Daisuke were targeted."

* * *

><p>The night time breeze rustled the black cat's fur. She was sitting on the roof of The Urahara Shop, staring at the sky and picking apart the different reiatsu that were clashing together earlier. It wasn't long before she felt the presence of her long-time companion next to her.<p>

"What are you thinking, Yoruichi?" He turned to her, blonde hair falling over his gray eyes. That man seriously needed a haircut.

"I'm thinking we should tell them what we know, Kisuke." She turned back and looked at the glowing moon. "They'll rush into things regardless, the least we can do is guide them in the right direction."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Kisuke took off his infamous hat and ran his fingers through his hair. "That's not what I was asking, though."

Yoruichi turned to him and narrowed her eyes. "Are you wondering what my opinion on the Kurosaki twins is?" When Kisuke nodded his head in response, she laughed and earnestly replied, "Does it matter what I say? You're going to do whatever you want, anyway."

Kisuke laughed breezily. "Yeah, that's true."

After a few minutes of silence, Yoruichi got up and stretched her legs. "Well while you're busy changing destinies, I'll be in Soul Society attempting to get all the information I can before they show up at your shop, asking all those questions."

"Thanks." Kisuke smiled in appreciation as Yoruichi jumped off the roof. _Get ready Aya Kurosaki and Daisuke Kurosaki, you're entire world's about to change..._

* * *

><p>"Is that supposed to be our new Captain?"<p>

"No way, look how tiny she is!"

"And she's a girl!"

"A hot one, at that."

"You guys are disgusting. It doesn't matter, as long as she's strong."

"Well, I don't trust her."

"You don't even know her."

"Shhh, don't let her hear you!"

The Shinigami walked towards her new division, flaunting her distinct haori, nervously. She had no idea what to expect as a captain, and no idea how her subordinates would treat her. She looked at the crowd she was supposed to lead from this point on.

"Hello, I am Akane Komura, brand new Captain of the Ninth Division. Nice to meet you all." As she bowed to her new comrades, she couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking of her. _Are they silently comparing me to their previous captain? _As she straightened back up, she came face to chest with a tall, muscular guy with black hair, brown eyes, a 69 tattoo on one side of his face and a long scar running down the other side of his face. She had to crane her neck back just to look him in the eye, and she blushed with embarrassment. _I don't think a Captain should be this short..._

"Hello, Komura-taichou, and welcome to our division. I'm Shuhei Hisagi, the vice-captain of this division." He firmly shook her hand, trying not to laugh at her red face. "Along with being the Gotei 13 Security Force, we're also in charge of the Seireitei News Magazine. I've been the head of both for a long time now, so feel free to come to me if you're stressed out or feel overworked. I'll be more than glad to help."

"Thank you, Hisagi-san." Akane smiled warmly at her new partner. _Hopefully I'll be able to protect these people from the threat that's bound to come, sooner or later..._

* * *

><p>"Excuse me?" A girl with ragged hair and bulging eyes stared at the two pathetic underlings bowing down to her.<p>

"I greatly apologize, Cuevas-sama, but we had to let them go." Bartolome looked at his partner in crime in a silent plea for help.

"I also greatly apologize, Cuevas-sama, but we couldn't risk fighting both Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue." Graciela looked up and stared into her leader's cold eyes. "Bartolome didn't have his Zanpakuto on him and I-"

"Enough of your excuses!" Teresa Cuevas's voice boomed and ricocheted throughout the room, echoing and making the people around her shudder in fear. "I sent you on a simple mission, and you come back with nothing. Don't you understand how great of a threat the Kurosaki's are to us? They could ruin all of our plans!"

"But, Cuevas-sama-"

"Shut your mouth, De Leon. I don't care for your excuses. Go back to your quarters, I'll decide on how to deal with your incompetence later, I have more important issues to worry about at the moment."

"Hai, Cuevas-sama." Bartolome and Graciela responded at the same time, stood up and trudged back to their quarters.

A similar-looking girl came up behind Teresa. "What do you plan on doing now, Cuevas-sama?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Teresa scoffed at the girl's question. "We must focus all of our strength on assassinating the Kurosaki family."

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p>Arthur's Note: Thank you to Ritochao for suggesting that I make the antagonist's name's Spanish. And I promise that Akane was the last protagonist OC. (:<p>

Well, this took me pretty much the entire day to write. I kept typing out scenes and then deleting the whole thing because it just didn't flow right. Hopefully I fixed that and this chapter flows as well as the previous ones, but if it doesn't please let me know.

Reviews, suggestions, and plot ideas are insanely helpful, so please, seriously please, leave a review or PM me, whichever you prefer, it would be such a huge help.

Also, please vote in the Bleach Couples poll I have up on my profile. I plan to make some people a couple in this story, but I need your help to decide who should be with who. I also plan on writing various one-shot's when I get writer's block for this story, or when my imagination is running rapid and I need to get some of my ideas that just won't fit in this story out, so your input would be awesome. :D

Whew, that was a long note. Anyway, please leave a review so I have some motivation to write faster and some suggestions and ideas so I can write better.

Thank you for anyone who reads this. :D


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Bleach, Drama, Suspense