Thank you: Ctornello, Darke13, Drake Vallion, ryuriedargon, hornet07, Antex- the Legendary Zoroark, Hanna kurosaki-chan, God of Spirits- Spirit Black, and the Guests.

A/N: Writer's block is annoying as all hell; sorry for the wait, everyone. I got a review mentioning plot holes, and I would be happy to fix those up if they were pointed out. If anyone sees plot holes or the like, please mention them to me. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

Shadow Ataraxia

Chapter Seven

Bona Fide

'Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.' -Buddha

Gin Ichimaru, Captain of the Third Division of the Gotei 13, was bored to tears. I mean really, what did Aizen think he was doing sending Gin to watch over a little kid? Kids were annoying and well… he's Gin. He's no good with kids, hell, he's no good with people in general. It made no sense that he of all people was sent to look after this child.

And yet, here he was.

Gin, his reiatsu suppressed to a point of non-existence, watched with vague disinterest as the former Ichigo Kurosaki ripped into another Hollow. 'The kid's scary,' Gin admitted privately, just as the Hollow that was once Ichigo began feasting on the unidentifiable lump of bloody flesh that used to be an Adjuchas. This was the eighteenth killing Gin had witnessed today, and Gin was sure that the little monster had eaten more before he got there.

'Do make sure he is well-fed, he said,' Gin thought to himself, 'So far I haven't even really done anythin' ta help him, 'cept kill that Adjuchas fer him. Creepy. And Aizen's prolly plannin' ta make the kid an Espada. That doesn't bode well.'

If Gin was a bit more empathetic, he would've winced as another Hollow was bisected with the kid's scarily long claws.

'Aizen doesn't need another powerhouse, he already has Barragan an' Harribel. Ichigo Kurosaki is bound ta be strong, he's already on the way ta Vasto Lorde. If Aizen gets his hands on him… I may not get my chance,' Gin frowned, for he was not a loyal soldier. He had his own agenda, and said agenda involved killing that bespectacled bastard. No way was he letting Aizen become too strong to kill.

Gin, once again, witnessed another mindless slaughter as another Hollow's chest caved under the orange-maned Hollow's fist. Jeez, this kid was brutal. Then again, he was a Hollow. Hollows don't tend to care much for the little things: like mercy.

'What can I do, though?' Gin wondered, 'I can lie ta Aizen 'bout the kid's strength, but honestly there is no way he won't find out eventually. Kill 'im? If it comes to that, but I can't now. For all I know, the kid'll wanna go against Aizen instead.'

Gin scowled, eyes scanning the endless white desert and equally pale trees. Nope, no camera flies. It seemed like Aizen finally trusted him enough to give an honest report. Or this was some mind-numbingly intricate test.

"Grreeeee!" the Hollow that was once Kurosaki screeched as it fought with yet another Hollow, a low-level Menos, clawing and discharging ceros left and right. Gin flash-stepped away as one red doom blast threatened to punch a hole in his chest. He opened his eyes ever so slightly to glare at the former Kurosaki, but obviously the child couldn't see him, so it was for naught.

Dammit. He didn't want to be stuck babysitting a Hollow when he could be sifting through Aizen's experiment reports or practicing with Shinsō. He had better things to do, yet he had to do Aizen's bidding, lest he suspect Gin. It was annoying, but Gin knew where to draw his lines.

According to the records in Soul Society, the Third Division's taichō was currently on Hollow duty in Hueco Mundo, which was so true it was hilarious. Usually they (they meaning Aizen, Tōsen, and him) had to bullshit their way through so that they could take extra-long trips to the realm of the Hollows, but for once their mission was pretty accurate.

The Hollow kid finished its adversary off with a whip of its tail, and next thing the opposing Menos knew, it was knocked out cold. Then dead. Very dead.

The menacing-looking child gobbled up another Hollow (it really didn't need Gin's help) and licked the blood from its sickeningly long claws.

"Who'th you?" came a voice to the left of Gin. The silver-haired Shinigami stiffened and backed into the darkness, not wishing to be seen.

The Hollow looked up, looking way too curious for a blood-thirsty monster.

Standing a few meters away was a small little girl with neal hair and a cracked mask on her head. She looked at the Adjuchas with big, brown eyes and look of curiosity on her face that could be described as 'adorable' were you not Gin Ichimaru.

The Hollow slowly stalked up to what could only be an Arrancar and snuffled in her face, making the girl giggle.

Far behind her, two other Arrancar were screaming, "NEL!" and flailing their arms dramatically. The Hollow growled, a particularly alarming sound, but the child Arrancar just smiled down at the former Kurosaki - who was actually significantly taller than her, but had a habit of walking around on all fours.

"It'th okay," she said, patting the Hollow on its head, much to its visual confusion, "'Dose are Nel'th bwudders, they're vewy nice."

"RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY!" they both screeched, and Gin was quite sure that even the Espada in Las Noches could hear those two. Once they were at Nel's side, the skinnier of the two with a bug-like mask leapt at Kurosaki, and tried to karate chop the Hollow on the head.

His hand whacked pitifully against the Adjuchas' mask, not even denting it. The Hollow stared up at him balefully, golden eyes narrowed a bit as if it was trying to understand just what the hell this stranger was trying to do.

"Yow!" the bug-like Arrancar clutched his hand, crying and curling into a ball on the sand.

"Pethche! That wathn't vewy nice!" Nel shouted, then turned on Kurosaki, "And ya coulda hurt Nel'th bwudder and den we'd only be Banditth: Nel-Don!"

"Kyah?" the Hollow looks down at Pesche, still writhing in apparent pain, then to Nel, who was giving him a very serious look that didn't quite fit on her plump face and had her small hands at her waist in clear disapproval. One of its claws went up to touch its mask, and it seemed to wonder why its mask hurt the Arrancar.

The third Arrancar, a giant, colorful thing, kneeled down next to Nel and spoke in an exaggerated whisper, "Nel, we gotta get outta here, dats a dangerous Hollow, don'tcha know."

"Dain-jer-os?" Nel pronounced awkwardly, glancing between her unhurt brother, hurt brother, and the Hollow, "No, he didn't mean it, didja?"

It tilted its head.

"Thee?" Nel said triumphantly, as if that was an indication of its innocence.

"Begone, evildoer!" Pesche, who had recovered himself, flew to his feet, pointing righteously at Kurosaki. The Hollow backed up slightly, tail flicking behind it.

"He ithn't evil! He didn't mean ta hurt ya, Pethche!" Nel insisted, then looked at Kurosaki, "Maybe he could play with uth! Then we'd be… What'th your name?"

The Adjuchas shook its head a bit, warbling at them.

"Kiyo?" Nel's eyes lit up, "Ith that your name?"

Kurosaki, who still wasn't capable of speech, just stared blankly at her. Nel squealed.

"Yay! Now we're Bandits: Nel-Don-Pe-Ki!"

"Nel-" Pesche gave her an incredous look, "He can't join us! Can't you see the murder in his eyes?!"

The Adjuchas's golden eyes blinked back guilelessly at Pesche, who continued pointing at it like 'killer' was written in blood on its face. Then again, the Hollow was still standing on the corpse of its last meal.

"Don't be thilly!" Nel shook her head, "C'mon, Kiyo, let'th play Eternal Tag!"

It looked between the three of them, tail flicking almost anxiously, "Rah?"

"C'mon! Try ta catch me!" Nel went bolting off, Pesche and the third Arrancar shooting one another looks before running after her. It hesitated for a moment, looking down at hole to the Menos Forest.

It sneezed, shook its head, then followed the Arrancar.

A minute after Kurosaki had disappeared in a flit of sonido, Gin reappeared, staring off after them.

Why was he always given the strange jobs? Why couldn't he just spy on another taichō or a Central Forty-Six member or something? Why did he have to babysit a Shinigami and Quincy child turned Hollow turned friendly, lizard monster? Why him?

Despite that, he had gained rather useful information. At least now they knew where the former Tercera Espada had run off to.

Gin decided that he had spent enough time watching over Ichigo Kurosaki. He leapt out of the tree he was standing upon, shunpoing toward the palace in the distance; he had a report to give.

Karin Kurosaki was many things - a soccer enthusiast, a nine-year-old girl, a twin - but she was not, in any way shape or form, a coward. No, Karin was a girl with courage, a girl who would sooner punch someone and speak her mind than back down. She'd grown up that way, her parents always encouraging her to stand up to bullies and defend her beliefs. That was her way of life.

But, there are always exceptions, always a limit to just how much one can take before breaking down. Karin had never reached that limit, but honestly, she felt like she was getting close to losing it. Because Karin was scared.

Because Karin could see monsters.

It hadn't been happening for very long, she vividly remembered a time when she saw only things that normal people could see, a time when visiting the graveyard didn't elicit a feeling of jittery fear. But ever since Karin had visited her brother's grave a month back, she could see things that she shouldn't see. Crying children missing limbs, scared adults with chains connected to their chests. Monsters with white masks and holes where their hearts should be.

Karin was too young to even consider not telling her parents, so tell them she did. Sadly, the first person Karin went to was her mother.

Masaki had had a nervous breakdown on the spot.

"No, no, no, no, not again," she had whispered to herself, hands digging to her hair and eyes dilating with a foreign sort of terror. Karin hadn't understoof what was going on, even as her father hugged Masaki tightly and muttered nonsense words of comfort. She didn't know what had brought on such a response from her mother.

It would take a few years for Karin to understand why.

Isshin, surprisingly, had taken the news well, and succeeded in calming down his wife before she could do something drastic. Masaki had had to go to her bedroom to regain herself, and Karin had been given a bear hug from her dad.

"We'll explain soon, Karin. For now just stay away from them and tell me whenever you see a monster," Isshin had said, ruffling his daughter's short hair. Karin had nodded, then went to find her sister.

And so she waited, but Karin was scared. Why did she see people with chains on their chests? Why did she see monsters?

And then Yuzu saw them. They had been eating dinner one night when Yuzu had frowned and looked over her mother's shoulder, before asking who 'the sad man with the chain' was. Masaki had needed to go into her room again.

Neither twin understood why they could see strange people others couldn't see or why their mother and father were reluctant to tell them anything. Karin went from scared to confused, then finally angry. Why wouldn't they tell them anything?!

And so Karin had talked to Tatsuki, the twins' closest friend.

"They're everywhere! I can't even play a soccer game without one popping up outta the ground! It's really annoying. Yuzu sees them too, but my parents won't talk to us about it, even though I'm sure they believe us. Kaa-san freaks out whenever I even imply seeing them, but her and Tou-san won't talk about it! I just don't know what's going on anymore!" Karin had raged, gesturing wildly.

Tatsuki, who was sitting placidly on her bed, said, "Seeing monsters and things that normal people can't see… odd, but I believe you. I sometimes see strange shadows, I wonder if that's anything like this. And your mom freaked out? Is she okay?"

"I don't think so, she's been feeling even worse than usual lately," Karin sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Karin remembered a time when her mother was bright and cheerful, with an infectious sense of humor and a strong voice that was never ignored. Her mom was like a sun, drawing in everyone around her. She was still just as kind and motherly, but after what happened four years ago, something inside her mom just… broke. There was no other word for it. All of a sudden, jokes were sparse and smiles were weak, words were soft and her protectiveness bordered on obsession.

"I see," Tatsuki's eyes darkened a bit, "Well, your dad said he'd talk to you, right? Just wait a bit longer, he might tell you both what's going on soon. If not, then you should confront him."

"Okay. Thanks Tatsuki."

And so Karin went back to waiting, she went to school and paid little attention to the instructor's teachings, but she began hyper-aware at family meals, searching for a clue to what had been going on. Just one slip-up, just an inkling of the truth.

Yuzu, surprisingly, was the first to break.

"Tou-san, what's going on?" Yuzu asked as she stepped in front of the television, blocking Isshin's view of the baseball game.

Isshin looked bewildered, "What, Yuzu?"

"What is going on?" Yuzu repeated slowly, her doe-like brown eyes suddenly sharp.

Karin placed down the plate she was washing in the sink (it was her turn to clean the dishes) and joined Yuzu in a physical representation of their defiance.

"You said we would talk Tou-san," Karin said, "So let's talk."

Isshin gaped and looked terrified at being cornered by his two daughters out of nowhere, but that soon bled away and was replaced by a somber seriousness.

"Okay. Sit here, I'll get your mother," Isshin said as he stood and walked upstairs. Karin did as she was told and sat, but her twin was either too angry or too impatient to join her. A full minute later, a grim-looking Isshin and nervous Masaki came back down the stairs and sat across from their two living children.

There was a moment of quiet before anyone spoke, Karin calm as a lake, Yuzu now clearly agitated, Masaki a bundle of nerves and her husband's face set in stone.

"We didn't want to tell you, not now, not ever," Isshin started, looking his little girls in the eyes, identical brown eyes meeting, "We thought it was for the best that none of you ever know about the other world and… we hoped that you three would never be able to see them."

Karin and Yuzu froze. Three.

"It was a mistake. We knew that we needed to tell you both, but we put it off… your mother and I wanted to wait until you two were old enough to understand."

"See what? Understand what?" Karin whispered, knowing that what her father was about to say would change everything.

"Understand what it means to see ghosts."

There was a long silence, and Karin and Yuzu just stared at their father in shock. Ghosts? That's what they had been seeing?

Masaki let out a quiet sob, hunched over with her hands covering her face. Isshin put a comforting arm around his wife, looking as if he was close to breaking down as well.

"Your brother could see them too, for his whole life," Isshin stated, pain in his voice, "You probably don't remember, but he would sometimes talk to them and would bring them gifts, even though we both tried to keep him out of it."

"Onii-chan… he saw them, just like us?" Yuzu was tearing up, just like she always did at the smallest mention of their big brother. Karin was well on the way to joining her, despite her efforts against such an outcome.

"Yes," Masaki spoke suddenly, "He saw them, just like you two. Ichigo loved… he loved it. He loved talking to ghosts, but he could never… never tell them apart from the living."

"Wait," Karin made a 'T' with her hands, "Onii-chan had it, and we now have it, can you two see them? There's no way that's a coincidence."

Masaki was silent again, but reached out and took the suddenly despairing Yuzu's hand, making her smile through tears.

Isshin sighed heavily, a hand raking through his dark hair, "You're right, Karin, just like always. Your mother can see them, but I can't, at least not anymore."

"Anymore?" Yuzu asked tearfully, finally sitting down.

"I… I'm what they call a Shinigami," Isshin said slowly, "My job was to lead souls to the afterlife safely, but through certain circumstances, I lost my powers."

"Shinigami? As in death god?" Karin frowned, confused. No way in heaven or hell her dad was a god, must be some sort of agency or something. Their father was a good man, and he had his calm moments, but she could not see such a nutcase being in charge of anything but her and her sister.

"Yes. We're not gods, but that is the gist of it," Isshin said, "I came down from Soul Society - the afterlife - on a mission and met your mother. I lost my powers and decided to stay here, next thing I knew we were in love."

Isshin smiled weakly, hugging Masaki, who leaned into him and looked up at her girls.

"I'm a Quincy, a special kind of human that can see spirits and fight the bad ones," Masaki stated softly.

"Tou-chan," Yuzu was frowning, tears still in her brown eyes, "If you're a death god from heaven, does that mean you're dead?"

Isshin winced, "In the most technical sense. I was born in Soul Society, I was never really a living human."

Both girls looked horrified.

"Do you know where Onii-chan is?!" Yuzu exclaimed, standing up, "He's in heaven, right? Is Onii-chan okay?!"

Isshin opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, then looked away. Masaki stood up and hugged her youngest daughter.

"He's in heaven, honey. We don't know exactly where he is, heaven is a big place, but he's there. Ichigo's probably practicing his karate and making a bunch of new friends. He's okay," Masaki assured Yuzu, who began crying again. Karin wiped away a stray tear, a burden lifted from her shoulders that she had been unaware of until that moment, 'Onii-chan is okay.'

Karin stood up and joined the hug, Isshin followed suit. The family of four, once a family of five, hugged each other, assuring one another that they were okay, they weren't going to lose another. They were okay, everyone was okay, even their dead brother.

She imagined Ichigo playing by a brook in some far away place, laughing with faceless children. Ichigo practicing his karate in a brightly-lit dojo, a girl that looked suspiciously like Tatsuki with him. Ichigo grinning at her, beckoning her to come play with him.

Karin smiled to herself, having no idea just how wrong they all were.

Things were changing, and everything was far from okay.

Uryū Ishida - twelve, almost thirteen years old - shifted from one foot to the other, expertly hiding his frustration. His eyes flickered to the window and back multiple times, as if checking to see if the world had gone anywhere when he was looking away.

"-simply splendid academic performance, I swear, he hasn't missed a single homework assignment!" The smiley woman said, sifting through Uryū's records with a look of awe on her face, "I think he's more than capable of skipping a grade… or two!"

Sitting across the desk from the vice-principal, Ryūken Ishida simply blinked at the woman, adjusting his glasses.

"...I see. Now why exactly have you pulled me away from my work, Oshiro-san?" Ryūken asked tersely, clearing agitated that he wasn't at the hospital stitching up someone's stomach or something of that nature. Uryū clenched a fist, a familiar anger rising up in him at Ryūken's apathetic treatment of the world.

"Oh," Oshiro-sensei blinked her big blue eyes, looking like a startled cat. She cleared her throat, "Oh, yes. I wanted to discuss possible arrangements we could make for Uryū-kun. He'll be starting his final year of middle school this coming September, but I believe he could very well attend high school when the summer ends."

"No," Ryūken said sharply. Uryū stiffened, feeling cold, "I don't want him gaining a bigger ego than he already has-"

"Ryūken!" Uryū hissed.

"He has become much too full of himself, attending high school a year early will only encourage that behavior."

Oshiro-sensei looked mystified, "But surely-"

"I've been away from my work too long," Ryūken stood up, turning around to face opposite of where Uryū was standing, "Good day."

Uryū seethed, both his fists clenched and face screwed up as his so-called father left the room without even glancing at him.

"Uryū-kun," Oshiro-sensei stood up, her hands laid flat on her desk, "Is your father well? He seems distraught… may I speak with your mother?"

Uryū - still glaring at the door - said, "My mother is dead, and Ryūken is no father of mine."

Oshiro-sensei gaped, and was apparently rendered mute, as she didn't say or do anything as Uryū left the room.

He stormed outside, not even glancing at his father as he walked home. Ryūken got in his car and drove off to the hospital, leaving Uryū alone, as he had always been. At least, as he had always been since his grandfather was murdered because of those Shinigami.

"Gah!" Uryū twisted around and kicked a brick wall, letting all his rage power the kick. He didn't even flinch as his big toe made an alarming cracking sound, didn't let pain cloud his eyes. He had felt much worse.

A passing couple was startled at his sudden display of violence and flounced off. He paid them no mind.

Uryū didn't care much for anything these days, except perhaps the familiar and disgusting reiatsu that pulled at his senses even from miles away.

There, past the high school and the mall, a Shinigami and his children lived within a clinic. They didn't belong in Karakura Town, they didn't belong in the Living World!

The Kurosaki family wouldn't be there much longer, Uryū thought venemously. He'd make sure of it.

To be continued...