Once and then again

new longest chapter. i had to spend the day writing this in an attempt to feel competent, enjoy and reveiw.

Chapter eight

Isshin was pacing.

To be honest pacing was too mild a term for what he was doing.

He was walking in a large loop around the corridor, every now and again he would pause in front of a door, staring at it as if it held the key to the universe and then the pacing would begin again. Screams echoed around the corridor coming from beyond the door and each time he heard them Isshin flinched.

Yamamoto stood watching his son panic, he seemed relatively calm compared to his son but on the other hand it wasn't his wife threatening to hurt him. Or at least never let him touch her again. Another wave of screaming came through the door, this time however it broke off part way through. Isshin froze and even Yamamoto moved forwards slightly- the hang on his staff going stark white.

For a brief moment it was silent, then it was broken.

Thin and wavering but still strong a cry echoed through the room and into the corridor.

The door creaked open. Unohana's head poked out and looked round the room focusing on Isshin's still form, she smiled, "you can come in now."

Isshin darted past her into the room. Out in the corridor Yamamoto waited awhile-giving the family their moment before following them into the room. Isshin was leaning over bed staring in adoration at a small bundle that Misaki held. Yamamoto leaned forward slightly and managed to make out a tuft of bright orange hair.

Misaki looked up and saw him, managing an exhausted smile. "Hi, do you want to hold your grandson?" she leaned forward slightly holding the bundle out towards him.

Yamamoto reached out and took the child cradling it in his arms, he looked down at the child just as it opened its eyes. Clear brown eyes gazed upwards with startling clarity and the boy gave a gummy smile. Yamamoto's eyes softened slightly with tenderness as he looked down at his grandson. He hadn't held a child this young since his own son was a child and he found the feeling surprisingly nostalgic. Isshin grinned at his father, filled with paternal pride.

"We thought you might like to name him."

Yamamoto looked up at Misaki in shock and at Isshin nodding next to him before turning back to the baby in his arms. He thought for a moment.

"Ichigo," he decided, placing one finger into the child's strong grip, "One who protects."

Xxx

Ichigo was scowling. At eight years old he was not quite as intimidating as he had hoped to be but it got his message across as he gazed up at the three punks who stood before him, cracking their knuckles threateningly.

"Hey Strawberry, what have I told you about that hair of yours, flattered as I am that you're trying to imitate me that piss poor dye job just pisses me off."

Ichigo sighed before sweeping out one leg and knocking the older boy to the floor. He jumped forward so that he was kneeling on the other boys back and pulled one of his arms up so that he couldn't move.

"One, I'm eight years old, what kind of eight year old dyes their hair? This is my natural colour. Two my name does not mean strawberry, it means one who protects got it?"

The two others recovered from their shock leapt forwards to avenge their fallen leader, Ichigo managed to take one out with a punch to the face and was just spinning round to take care of the next when he was pushed away by a black blur crashing into his legs. Tatsuki looked up at Ichigo as the three boys got back to their feet, she grinned a feral smile at Ichigo, a smile he couldn't help but return as the two of them lunged forwards.

Later, as the two of them walked home, Ichigo favouring one leg, Tatsuki with a gash running across her cheek, Tatsuki couldn't help but ask, "You know, with your hair a name like Ichigo is just asking for trouble, what were they thinking of?"

"I dunno," he replied "Mum and Dad said it just came to them. They said they thought it fit."

"Yeah well," Tatsuki pushed her neck to one side with a loud click, "Bet you can't beat me home…strawberry." With that she took off, Ichigo following with a loud "Hey!"

Xxx

Behind him he heard the bow creak and hum with reiatsu as a voice demanded through teeth that where obviously gritted "Explain. Now."

xxx

Urahara smiled happily, "you know it would probably be a lot easier to explain if I wasn't being threatened." With that he dropped to the floor, leaning backwards on one hand and once again snapping open the fan. Cautiously Uryu sidled back into view and the kids formed a line in front of him, watching expectantly. Chad and Orihime joined them, injuries healed by Yuzu's kido.

"Well, as I told you my name is Urahara, I run a shop for those that are…spiritually inclined."

"I thought it was a candy shop." Said Karin

"Well, yes, it is disguised as a candy shop."

"Then why did you hire us?" she demanded, arm crossed.

"Wait a second, this is the guy you've been working for!" exclaimed Tatsuki in shock. "You said he wasn't a paedophile!"

"Er...I'm not." Urahara managed over the sound of Yoruichi laughing so hard she fell off her rock.

"You look like one." Uryu pointed out, fixing him with a glare, "I thought you were going to explain."

"Yes well, I was just getting to that, as I was saying, I run a shop that caters to the needs of the more spiritually able…people like exiled shinigami, humans with a high reiatsu, things like that. Well I was just taking a little stroll with my lovely friend when we happened to stumble across your fight. Naturally we couldn't just leave you all alone so we decided to step in. you'd think that people would be a bit more grateful really." He sniffed in mock sadness.

"And why did you hire us?" Repeated Karin.

"All of the people who work in my shop have above average reiatsu, you fit the bill." chirped the man.

"Explain what you did with Ichigo." Chad demanded harshly, tired of the man's stalling, next to him Karin fingered the hilt of her blade threateningly.

"What's with the hole?" Mizuiro asked.

"Well… this is where it gets a little more complicated…you know what happens when a chain of Fate breaks, yes?" almost collectively the group flinched and Orihime let out a strangled sob. "There is a way to prevent the body from dying however in order for that to occur he will have to become a shinigami."

"Won't that make him dead anyway?" pointed out Orihime, tilting her head to one side.

"Not in the same way, he'll be able to get back into his body and, providing he spends some time in his body without leaving it again his chain of fate should mend."

"What's the catch?" Tatsuki glared at the shopkeeper with blatant mistrust. "There's always a catch."

For the first time Urahara looked at them seriously, no sign of a smile on his face. "In order for this to work the shaft I flung Ichigo into speeds up the rate of the chain of fates decay. He will either become a shinigami within the next three days he will become a hollow."

As soon as the words had left his lips there was a blade at his throat. Urahara made no move to evade or block as he was pushed backwards. Tatsuki glared, an inch away from his face. He still did not move, every one of them, even the less observant, could tell that he had allowed her to get that close and that, had he not let her she wouldn't even be able to scratch him.

Tatsuki never looked away from Urahara, still meeting his gaze even as she issued orders to the others. "Mizuiro, ring the school, tell them we won't be in for a couple of days. Try and think of a good enough excuse that they don't investigate if you can. After that go with Chad and Orihime to the house, put a shield around it. Chad Orihime, go to the house; get everything that we might need for three days. Uryu, tell your boss that no one will be at work for a few days, do try and be convincing, no one ever buys the 'fell down the stairs' excuse you always use. You!" this was addressed to Urahara and was filled with venom. "You may be stronger than me but if you have turned my brother into a hollow then so help me I will find some way of hurting you."

With that she pulled away from Urahara, her axe melting back into a sword and then out of existence as she went.

Xxx

Two days and twenty three hours later and there had been no movement from inside the hole. Uryu, Karin and Tatsuki had taken to glaring anytime that Urahara came near. The tension among the group was so great that it could have been cut with a knife-something Urahara had tried before a rock to the head, courtesy of Karin, stopped him. Thirty two minutes into the final hour something changed. The hole exploded.

Xxx

It was dark and cold. Those were Ichigo's first thoughts; it was also really hard to move. As Ichigo lay there weakly the darkness changed, in the distance there was a light, as Ichigo squinted at it the light moved, rushing towards him.

When Ichigo opened his eyes there was light. Above him he could see the sky, grey and overcast as it was. Blinking Ichigo looked around. He was standing on the side of a skyscraper; the surrounding area was odd though. Parts of the area were made up of skyscrapers, tall glass buildings that stretched up into the sky. On the ground however, connecting each building together were white houses, with terracotta tile roofs. They were old fashioned and unfamiliar…and yet…at the same time it was a place he knew like the back of his hand. Those buildings, unfamiliar as they were, felt like home. Ichigo had taken two faltering steps towards them when a voice stopped him, calling his name.

Behind him, standing on a pole of all things, stood a man. He was middle aged with long curly dark hair. On his face he wore tinted black shades and his clothes were a ragged black cloak. Ichigo frowned, "Who are you?" he asked, deliberately ignoring the fact that the man felt even more familiar then the strange white buildings.

He man frowned, "What are you talking about? It's me, Zangetsu."

"My sword?" the words echoed around the strange world. "How can you be my sword?"

The man…sword…sighed and when he next spoke it was in a tone filled with regret and sorrow, "So you still can't remember. I thought there was no one on earth who knew me better then you. Just as there is no one on earth who knows you better then I." as he spoke the man moved, walking so that he was standing sideways on the pole. He still looked down at Ichigo, "Aren't you scared of falling?"

"What? No I never fall here. Sideways is how it's meant to be."

"Really?" the man smiled. "How did you know that?"

Ichigo paused and, in the moment he was still, he was falling. He fell towards the ground. Screaming as he fell.

Next to him the man appeared again, "You can still scream like that huh? If you have time to scream then you have time to gather the reiatsu in the air to halt your fall."

"What? I can't do that!"

"You did it as a shinigami. You will be a shinigami again. Find the box that I am in and draw me out before this world is destroyed. If that happens you will become a hollow." The man's tone was dry, as if he was pointing out something that everyone should have known. There was a splash as Ichigo fell into a pool that had appeared out of nowhere as, above him the man stopped, standing on the air as hundreds of white boxes fell past him into the water.

Ichigo was sinking down into the water trails of bubbles spinning up to the surface. As he sank he was thinking. Ichigo had never been good at sensing reiatsu, a source of annoyance from all members of his family.

"Shinigami… I have to find the box that contains shinigami powers. How? How do you tell? Wasn't Uryu saying something about that…when I took out that hollow and nearly got caught. He was saying that there was a really easy way to tell. What was it? What was the way to tell?"

He frowned hard, trying to remember and, as he did it came to him. "Red!" he exclaimed, almost sitting up in the water. Looking round, in a sea of white there was only one red ribbon. He reached for it and pulled the box towards him, flinging open the box he stared at the weapon inside. It wasn't his. The blade was thin and black. It had a square hilt guard and was slimmer than his actual sword. He frowned pausing. This sword, like Zangetsu, felt familiar.

"So you found it." The man was smiling, "You should remember this much at least. Now Ichigo, pull me out."

Ichigo grabbed the hilt, it was warm under his touch and felt…welcoming. Ichigo drew a deep breath and pulled

"Bankai!"

Xxx

The hole exploded.

The group darted to their feet, weapons instantly in hand, Mizuiro's shield already up. Orihime peered into the gloom, tentatively calling, "Ichigo?"

"Ichi-nii?"

"Nii-san?" the twins called, trying to get closer.

From the smoke a figure emerged. It was dressed like a shinigami except it wore a fitted black coat that was long enough to trail down to its feet. Its hair was the same vivid orange that the group could associate with no one but Ichigo but it was the figures face that drew their attention. The figure wore a bone white mask that covered its entire face. Two lines were painted onto the mask just above the left eye; the lines were painted in a dark blood red.

The figure held a sword in one hand, it was black and thin, nothing like Ichigo's usual massive zanpakuto. As they watched the figure raised its sword. Without thinking Tatsuki slid into her fighting stance, out of the corner of her eyes she saw Uryu raise his bow and Chad active his arm. Then the figure did something none of them expected.

He slammed the hilt of the sword backwards into his face. The mask cracked and a corner of it dropped to floor giving the figure room to slide his fingers under the mask and push it upwards off his face.

Ichigo's scowling face looked out at them.

The boy had time to let out a cranky "What the hell happened?" before he was jumped.

The twins dived forward to latch themselves around his waist, Keigo attempting to do the same only to be stopped mid-flight by a fist to the face, he fell to the floor sobbing about Ichigo's punch being just as strong. Orihime ran forward crying, followed by a slower Mizuiro, smiling in relief. Uryu and Tatsuki gave them a moment before wading in, hitting Ichigo over the head and yelling at him about rushing into things. Chad stayed where he was, waiting until Ichigo looked over at him before giving the thumbs up.

Over all of the chaos Ichigo's voice could be heard, "No seriously, what the hell happened? Why are you crying? Will someone please tell me…is that my body! What the hell happened to my body? Why aren't I in it? Tatsuki! Stop laughing and explain goddamnit!"

Xxx

It was night there…and winter. It was not usually, the place was most often spring, the clearing filled with lush green grass, the ring of trees surrounding it filled with colour and the ground around them dotted with bright splashes of pink and purple and blue that were the flowers growing there. Now though it was winter. The trees were bare, twisting up to reach towards a black sky, a bleak grey moon the only source of light. The grass was dead, drowned in a blanket of snow. The flowers were gone.

Music filled the area, the soft notes emitting from the centre of the clearing.

In the centre of the clearing knelt a woman. Her face was pale and delicate, framed by soft blonde hair that shone golden, two strands slid down across her face, framing her pure silver eyes that were themselves framed in golden lashes. Her hair was done up in an elaborate twist on her heads and held in place by a strange comb, it had only two large teeth and a long thin handle from which dangled a row of beads.

The woman wore a dove grey kimono that was edged in gold, silver patterns swirling across the fabric. The obi was a soft yellow and secured with a silver pin.

In one hand the woman held a shamisen, and in the other hand she held a bachi which she was using to pluck the strings of the instrument.

It was from this that the music came.

The woman was largely still, aside from the playing, she did not fidget, she did not shift. The woman was waiting and she would, if it became necessary, wait forever.

Fortunately she didn't have to.

There were footsteps in the snow, the crunching loud in the relative silence.

The woman finished the song before placing the instrument on the snow beside her, she turned around, somehow managing to do so without rising from her knees or wrinkling her Kimono.

The girl stared at the woman for a moment before flinging herself forwards, wrapping both arms around the woman's neck and squeezing as the woman's arms came up around her. The woman did not speak, merely held her as she sobbed, rocking back and forth until the cries turned to hiccups and then silence.

The girl raised her head and looked around, "What happened to this place? Everything's dead."

When the woman eventually answered her voice was soft, lilting, as musical as the notes she had just played. "Your world reflects your soul, when you are at peace this world is spring, when you feel joy it turns to summer. When you are troubled the leaves fall to autumn, you are sad so this world is winter."

The girl took a moment to consider that, "They're going to remember." She whispered in a broken voice. "They'll remember and then they'll know and they'll hate me. It was all my fault." Tears started to well in the girls eyes and the woman brushed them away with a gentle hand.

"Yes, they will remember and yes, they will know but…hate you? That is something they will never do. You are theirs as much as they are yours, you shouldn't forget that." The woman leaned forward and placed a brief kiss to the girl's forehead. "Go home, I'll always be here and so will they, they are your family after all."

The girl smiled a watery smile and turned, leaving the clearing behind. Along the path her footprints made in the snow small splashes of pink and green could be seen again.

The woman smiled as the snow began to melt, only small patched being left behind.

Spring had come again.

Xxx

Across the town, in a small sweet shop a phone rang, Urahara picked it up.

Across the phone, slightly tiny from the electronics came a voice, "Hey, Urahara, you rang didn't you, what do you want?"

Urahara narrowed his eyes, face hidden in shadow, "I think you should come back to Karakura, there's something you would be very interested in."

did you like? oh the suspense would be killign me if I didn't write it and therefore know exactly what happened.

the thing I said earlier about competence well, for some reason word had fucked up a story that I spent the last year and a half writing. I had two chapters left to go before moving onto editing! for some reason all my punctuation and paragraphs are gone and a space has been added between every character! I have essensially got 120 full pages of block text and I can't figure out how to fix it other then going through it all manually. If anyone has any ideas please tell me, take pity on someone who had to write their fanfiction through tears of misery and loss.