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A Shadow of What Was	By : katami Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 49594 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
Author's Notes: Many thanks to all those who've reviewed. Your interest and support is much appreciated. And never fear, there is a method to my madness and I have no plans to stop work on this story. Heck, Shadow has spawned it's own darn universe in my brain. *Head desk* Bleach has far too many tempting boys to play with. *Glares at Renji and Uryuu*

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The four of them were walking back toward base. Him, Rukia, Hitsugaya and Karin. Karin was coming to visit him, or at least that was official story. Unofficially, she spent four nights or five nights a week with Toushiro depending on their workloads. They would have married years ago if not for the war and Soul Society's rules. Ichigo knew they had whispered plans to marry once Karin entered Soul Society, since Hitsugaya wasn't a noble and no one could say a word about who he married then. Not that marrying a Kurosaki would exactly bring his standing down; in terms of sheer power their family was impressive. Three captains and one seated healer.

He wondered for a moment what it would have been like to share such plans with Kisuke. If the other man would have even wanted to make such plans with him? He gave up the thoughts and tried to focus on the present, the four of them walking and the paperwork awaiting his attention when they got back to base.

He and Rukia walked a little ways ahead to give Karin and Toushirou the illusion of privacy and to talk themselves. They had handled everything from squad business to trying to find a nice guy for Rukia during the walk home. The former usually accomplished far more than the latter, but it was still amusing to try. Tonight they were silent save for Rukia's reiatsu fluttering nervously around them. Ichigo wanted to tell her to quit it, but he could sense the love and concern underlying the gesture. She was worried about him. And not without reason, he admitted privately. His thinking had never been all that clear where Kisuke was concerned. He was never going to be completely rational about Urahara or his feelings for him; love wasn't rational. A few hours and talking with Zangetsu and Benihime had helped calm him down about how to handle the situation with the blonde though.

Urahara was in no immediate danger. He was frightened and tired, but unhurt. He didn't need Ichigo to go tearing after him in a panic, upsetting him further and possibly drawing attention to him. His love didn't need any more attention after his stunt with the hollow.

He glanced back at his sister and Hitsugaya, gentle laughter drawing him, and felt Rukia's reiatsu spike with worry. "Stop that," he snapped at her. "I don't need you fussing over me. I'm fine. Just because it's Urahara doesn't mean I'm going to do something stupid."

Rukia gave him a long look saying she believed him about as much as she believed Renji when he claimed to be late because of paperwork rather than a certain Quincy. She knew better than to push him though, especially on Urahara. Kisuke was the one thing he didn't talk about unless it was purely on his terms. She sighed an gently touched his arm, offering whatever small comfort she could before her eyes lost focus and she cocked her head as if straining to hear some far off sound.

A glance at Karin showed the same look of concentration. Both Karin and Rukia were better at subtle energy work than he or Toushirou though, so they were likely to sense disturbances first. When the 10th division captain narrowed his eyes Ichigo gave up any hope for a quiet, early evening to deal with his grief privately. Not necessarily a bad thing. He had always been more action oriented anyway, he thought slipping from his body. The chance to beat the stuffing out of something might be just what he needed to help put Kisuke from his mind.

Reiastu erupted around them, dark and chaotic, with the eerie chill that only came with the formation of a gate. A gate from Hueco Mundo. Ichigo felt his head shoot up as individual spirit signatures washed over him. And one in particular, long unfelt, but utterly unmistakable...at least to him.

Ulquiorra.

He felt Shirosaki stirring in the depths of his soul, the hollow's dark, cool anger a counterpoint to the burning rage he felt. He felt Rukia startle as his mask began forming. That long dormant wellspring of anger and rage lurking inside him had burst back to life and the edges between him and Shirosaki were blurring. All that mattered was that Ulquiorra had returned and that the Espada would die. The others, and there were others, didn't matter. The only thing he cared about was killing Ulquiorra, repaying him for taking Kisuke. "Rukia, take Karin and run," he ordered in that odd rippling voice of the hollow.

"Ichigo...,"

"Do it," ordered Hitsugaya sharply. He could always be counted on to think of Karin's safety thought Ichigo approvingly. While his sister was far from helpless, she was nowhere near strong enough to face an Espada. Eventually she would be a seated Shinigami, probably a captain, but at the moment she was still merely human and not ready to fight Arrancar.

Karin gave Hitsugaya's hand a squeeze and there was something in her eyes that was all too familiar to Ichigo and tugged at his heart strings - worried acceptance. She knew she couldn't fight and that Toushirou had to; she didn't like it, but she knew that was the way things were. "Be safe," Ichigo heard her whisper before she took Rukia's hand and fled.

Five Arrancar stepped into the street around them, blocking all retreat. All of them were members of the old Espada noted Ichigo with mild interest, wondering what had caused Aizen to send them out. Grimmjow stood blocking the path to the base, smirking and elbowing Ulquiorra who looked as disinterested as he always did. Wonderwise blocked an alley, still looking a couple eggs short of a dozen. Halibel and Yami stood blocking the retreat to the Kurosaki home, sneering at Karin and Rukia. Five to three with one non-combatant were not good odds.

They stood there staring at each other for a moment, neither side seeming eager to break the stalemate. Then Halibel moved, it might have been towards Karin and Rukia, Ichigo couldn't tell, and Hitsugaya didn't care. He reacted. He was between the two women and the Arrancar instantly, sword out and ice in his eyes. That broke the stalemate and Ichigo lunged for Ulquiorra with a dark snarl.

Grimmjow struck at his left side, forcing him to dodge an giving Ulquiorra precious milliseconds to twist out of his way. He hissed at the catlike Arrancar, earning a frown rather than the shit eating grin Grimmjow usually gave him. Ulquiorra came at him and he dodged a blow that could have taken off his head.

He saw Rukia block an attack from Wonderwise and watched as Hitsugaya tried to freeze both Halibel and Yami in one blast. Then he was dodging a cero blast from Grimmjow and trying to avoid blows from Ulquiorra.

He watched as the normally impassive Arrancar's eyes grew wide. "Grimmjow," he said, motioning to something occurring behind Ichigo with a small tilt of his head. The blue haired Arrancar nodded his understanding and Ichigo lunged to try and stop him. Behind him were Karin and the others. Ulquiorra blocked him by viciously attacking, drawing his attention back to the former forth Espada. He felt the gathering energy of a cero blast and heard Karin scream. Rage spiked inside him, power pouring out of him, black and silver mixing in a wild storm of reiatsu. He knocked Ulquiorra away and whipped around.

Grimmjow was just releasing a cero blast. The malignant red energy slammed into the space between Karin and Halibel, forcing the Arrancar woman to release the hold she had on Karin and knocking his sister away. Hitsugaya darted in and grabbed his lover, pulling her close and glaring icy hatred at Halibel for touching her.

"What the hell, Grimmjow!" snarled Halibel, earning a shrugged grin from the former 6th Espada.

The dark energy of another gate washed over them all, it was far off however, and they had other concerns.

Ichigo slid gracefully away from a blow Ulquiorra leveled at him, not sure whether to get closer to Hitsugaya to help him protect Karin or try and give him space to work in and lure off whatever Arrancar he could. A cero blast from Yami that narrowly missed him convinced him that spacing themselves out more might be a good idea.

The was an explosion in the distance and Benihime began wailing. Ichigo froze as conflicting impulses tore at him - help Kisuke or kill Ulquiorra. There was no choice though and he knew it. Kisuke. It was always Kisuke.

"Grimmjow, now," commanded Ulquiorra, firing a cero blast at him and sending him rolling head over heels into Yami. Grimmjow grinned and used the break in formation to run. He darted past Yami and Halibel, sending a cero blast back at the two to distract them. Rukia blocked the blast by tossing Wonderwise into its path.

"What the hell are you doing, Ulquiorra!" snarled Yami.

"What I have to," murmured other Arrancar, grabbing Ichigo before he could follow Grimmjow and tossing him back into Karin and Hitsugaya. "I would suggest fleeing, but do as you will," he murmured to the three other Arrancar.

"We will be in touch, Shinigami," he announced before using sonido and fleeing.

Ichigo snarled and leapt to his feet, wanting to follow Ulquiorra but knowing he had to get to Kisuke. He darted past the stunned Arrancar who looked lost for a moment before disappearing back into Hueco Mundo. "Ichi-nii!" cried Karin.

"Let him go. This is something important to him," murmured Rukia, earning a sharp glare from Hitsugaya. There were very few things that were important enough to the captain of the 3rd to draw him away from his family or his vengeance. In fact, Toushirou could think of only one thing...but that was impossible. Urahara was dead.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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A Shadow of What Was