Hi everyone! New chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoy it!
Has anyone watched the Korean drama Fated to Love You? I usually hate romance, but this one is just awesome, I strongly recommend it!
I proofread myself a bit quickly so there might still be mistakes.
Thank you all for your patience with me and I'll do my best to write more from now on!
Cheers!

Chapter 25:

They were standing in an empty street, lined with houses and small gardens, everything irreproachably clean. The sun was shining over their heads, well on its way to setting, lighting the surroundings with a soothing, warm orange light.

"Where are you, Professor?" Hermione asked, looking at the teacher. But the man was already looking at the corner of the street, and sure enough, they heard the sound of footsteps before someone turned the corner.

It was a teenager, with bright orange hair and hazel eyes. His face was set in a scowl and he had his hands stuck in his pockets, gray uniform and messenger bag a testimony to the fact that he'd just been at school. Looking at the adult standing by them, they could see the resemblance, but the teen, though he looked grave, wasn't nearly as scarred or tall, and his hair wasn't the same color. They followed him as he walked, then followed his gaze as he stiffened and took a left before stopping near a streetlight, scowl deepening by the second as he took in the scene.

"Oi, you punk!" One of the five guys fooling around yelled suddenly. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

He rushed at the teenager when he didn't answer, intent on 'beating some respect into his freaky orange head', only to find himself unconscious on the ground five seconds later.

"What the hell's wrong with you? You kick Yama-chan down then tell us to get outta the way?"

The teenager didn't move, completely unfazed even as yet another punk charged at him, only to get a foot to the face and then be thoroughly crushed into the solid ground, much to the horror of his little friends.

"Quit yakkin'!" Memory-Ichigo suddenly yelled. "All of you bastards, look at that!" He pointed at a bottle of milk lying broken on its side, the water and flowers it had contained spilled on the ground. "Question number 1: what the hell is that? Yes, you in the middle!"

He was talking with an authority which seemed only natural in him and made the three grown-ups cower.

"Um, uh... A tribute for the kid who died here recently?"

"Absolutely right!" Ichigo punctuated his reply with a strong kick to the guy's face. "Okay then, why would that bottle have fallen over?"

"Well, we were skateboarding and knocked it over..." One of the two remaining guys stuttered out.

"You bastards!" Ichigo shouted as he knocked them both down. "I dare you to do that again! I'll make it so that people have to lay flowers for you too!"

His anger was so palpable, so very real and burning, that the group fled with their tails between their legs, screaming apologies without even looking back at the teenager standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. Shaking his head with a sigh, he turned around and to the streetlight.

"I'll bring some flowers for you tomorrow." He said seemingly to the empty air, and Ron started snickering, only to choke as the translucent figure of a little girl appeared in the street, a broken chain dangling from her chest.

"Thanks for chasing them away. Now I can rest peacefully, Onii-chan."

The memory faded away, and they found themselves standing in another street, watching Ichigo walk down the sidewalk. It appeared to be the next day, as there were flowers peeking out of his messenger bag.

"That was a Plus." Kurosaki told them. "Now we'll see a Hollow."

"Oi!" The little girl didn't show herself, but instead, Ichigo heard a scream, followed by an inhumane howl, and started running towards it. There was an explosion, and then, they watched, dumbfounded, as a gigantic bug-like monster with a white mask and a hole through its stomach appeared amidst the dust raised by the impact. The Plus girl came running out of the smoke and darted towards Ichigo, who called out to her to run before following. The girl fell, and Ichigo went back to help her, but right as the Hollow descended on them, a black butterfly fluttered right in front of its face, and then Kuchiki Rukia stood there, sword in hand as she slayed the beast. Without a word, she disappeared, leaving a dumbfounded teenager standing in the street with a bunch of oblivious humans.

Again, the memory faded.

They found themselves back in the Headmaster's office. The DADA teacher took back the memory.

"You now know the difference between a Plus and a Hollow."

"What was that chain?" Sirius asked curiously.

"The Chain of Fate. The person is considered dead once it is broken. Technically, I am dead even though my human body still lives, which allows me to continue living in it."

"How is that possible?" Arthur Weasley asked, looking skeptical.

"You will find that 'possible' and 'impossible' are meaningless words when it comes to me." The hybrid answered, and there was a well-concealed bitterness in his voice as he spoke. "I lost my powers once but managed to regain them in a process which effectively involved my death. It's complicated and not a story I am willing to tell you about right now. We will now proceed to the releases of a Zanpakutô. As mine is an exception, I asked a friend of mine if he would be willing to let me show you what a normal release is."

He pulled out another memory, and then, they were standing in the middle of a very clean street, with white pavement, lined by flawless white walls topped with golden tiles, and with a cloudless blue sky over them. Ichigo was standing there, clad in the same black uniform they'd seen on Kuchiki Rukia a few minutes earlier, although he was holding a big cleaver-like sword in his hands and was bleeding from a cut above his left eyebrow.

The man across from him was entirely bald, with red tattoos at the corner of his eyes, and was similarly injured, though he'd applied some kind of paste to the wounds which had stopped the bleeding. Both were standing at the ready, visibly in the middle of a fight.

"Who's your master, Ichigo?"

"I only learned from him for ten days so I don't know if he can be called my 'master', but he did teach me fighting."

"Who?"

"Urahara Kisuke."

The bald man widened his eyes in shock. "So that's it. He's your master... Then killing you without going all out would be seriously rude." He shifted his stance so that the pommel of his Zanpakutô would be stuck against the scabbard. "Grow... Houzukimaru!"

There was a flash of light, and then the sword and scabbard changed into a long wooden spear with a jagged blade and some red material dangling from its end.

The memory shifted to another scene. They were standing in a very dark room with high ceilings and lines upon lines of small, square-shaped alcoves on either side. A silver-haired, red-eyed man was standing there, clad in a long trench coat.

"Kariya!" He turned to the entrance -or more like a hole blown through the wall, only to find an orange-haired teenager standing there, naked blade in hand. Ichigo clasped his left hand over his right forearm.

"Bankai!" Light exploded around him, and when the dust dissipated, they saw that his clothes had changed to a long coat with ragged edges the inside of which was a deep crimson, and his cleaver-like sword had changed to a straight black blade with a handle shaped like a swastika. "Tensa Zangetsu."

Ichigo charged, along with the tall Hispanic male standing behind him, and the scene dissolved.

"My Bankai is something of an anomaly." Kurosaki said calmly. "Usually, a Zanpakutô's second release is gigantic and highly destructive. I will not show you any for now, though, as I am sure my fellow captains would strongly dislike it were I to go around showing the extent of their abilities to complete strangers." He raised a hand to stop them from protesting. "I will, however, show you the destruction an all-out fight can cause."

And just like that, they were whisked off into yet another memory.

This time, they were standing in a swirling void of nothingness. Things whizzed past them from time to time, howling and shapeless, and they found themselves growing nervous as they could see nothing anywhere. A quick glance at Kurosaki, however, assured them that this was normal, and suddenly, they understood why. There was a light coming towards them, and soon, they could make out the figure of the captain as he came running on some sort of glowing pathway. They gasped as they saw the dreadful state he was in.

His clothes were tattered and torn, his body stained with blood, littered with scars. He sported several gaping wounds, though, by some miracle, he wasn't bleeding anymore, and the left side of his torso looked to have been horribly burned, smoke still rising from the flesh. None of this seemed to affect his resolve and speed, though, as he breezed past them before suddenly stopping. His eyes blazed gold as he raised one hand and reached out with one finger and suddenly, the void before him ripped open to reveal a blue sky under him. He stepped through the portal and they shouted in alarm as he dropped down like a stone, surroundings blurring together with unbelievable speed.

Hermione closed her eyes and pursed her lips tightly, trying to contain her nausea, before suddenly, everything was normal again, and they saw that Ichigo had stopped. He was now standing at the very edge of a desolate hill overlooking what they could only assume to be Soul Society, eyes somber as he looked down at what had once been an immaculate town of white walls and golden roofs. Slowly, he sheathed his Zanpakutô.

Thick black smoke was billowing up from the huge fires ravaging Seireitei, small black silhouettes rushing from place to place to try and stop the blazes. The once tall towers of the Shrine of Penitence had been reduced to ashes, and bodies littered the ground. A single step of Shunpo brought the young man in front of a pair of double doors with the number 5 engraved on them, and he slowly walked through, nodding at the people who bowed at him.

"Captain!" They turned to see a small girl with brown hair held back in a bun rush forward and bow. "Captain Unohana should take a look at those wounds, captain." She said, but he shook his head.

"How many men did we lose this time, Hinamori?"

"Ten, captain."

He closed his eyes briefly. "Make sure to notify me when the time for the funeral is set."

"Yes, captain."

He paused. When he spoke again, it was in a louder voice so that everyone around would hear him. As soon as they understood he was addressing them all, each and every one of them stopped whatever they were doing to stand at attention, respect obvious in their eyes.

"You have all fought valiantly, and defended Seireitei with all your might. I am proud to call you my men. Tomorrow, we shall honor the dead and mourn our losses, but tonight, we all need rest. You are dismissed. Go home."

They all stared at him, a new brightness in their eyes, and then bowed deeply as one.

"Thank you, Captain Shihouin!"

And then, they slowly dragged themselves into the barracks.

"You're too good for this world."

They turned, only to find a rugged man standing there, wavy brown hair tied in a low ponytail, clad in the typical Shinigami garb, except for the bright pink haori slung over the captain's white haori. He had two swords, and a serious case of five o'clock shadow. Deep grey eyes met mismatched orbs as Ichigo turned to face him.

"They need rest. And we lost ten men today." The young noble merely answered, to which the other captain only sighed and stepped forward, looking around.

"Your division was amongst the most harshly hit. Aizen's been targeting you more and more these days."

He said nothing to that, choosing to change the subject instead.

"Where's Ukitake-san?"

"The smoke's bad for him. Retsu-chan decided to keep him in the fourth's barracks until the air was clean enough again."

Ichigo nodded.

"Come on. I don't think Renji, Byakuya and the others would say no to a cup of sake or two."

Kyoraku smiled.

"Thank you, Ichigo." And as he followed and walked past them, the Order members distinctly heard him repeat "too good for this world" under his breath, eyes shining with gratitude and affection as he caught up to the Shihouin Clan Head.

Once again, they found themselves back in the Headmaster's office, feeling slightly disoriented before they turned back to the Hybrid, who, for some reason, looked slightly confused - and embarrassed.

"Who was that?" Ron asked bluntly.

"The girl was my lieutenant, Momo Hinamori, and the man was the Eighth Division Captain, Shunsui Kyoraku. As you have seen, the damage caused by the battle was extensive, and this was a scene from the aftermath of a fight which had actually taken place in Hueco Mundo, not Soul Society. The fact is that our abilities generally cause mass destruction, and that anyone not gifted with a consequential amount of reiatsu must be far from the place where the captains fight. Maybe I can arrange a mock fight with someone later on so that you can get an idea of the way we fight."

They all mulled over what they had seen silently, before Harry spoke up.

"You said you would explain how you'd died several times."

Kurosaki's eyes darkened at that, but he didn't object.

"One of my friends has the ability to reject events. This allows her to resurrect people."

"Can we see?" Bill asked tactlessly, much to his mother's indignation.

"Bill!" She exclaimed.

Ichigo hesitated, but then nodded his head.

"I guess." He said hesitantly. "This took place seven years ago, when I was fifteen. The friend I was talking about... I think you've met her, actually, Orihime Inoue."

"Ah, the girl who came to heal you!"

He nodded at Tonks.

"Indeed. Seven years ago, Aizen kidnapped her and took her to Hueco Mundo. Soul Society refused to send a rescue party so my friends and I took it upon ourselves to go free her. It was... hard. I didn't have as much power as I do now, and most of our enemies were far more powerful than I was. In the end, Ulquiorra killed me."

His fingers twitched briefly, betraying his uneasiness, before he raised his wand to his temple once more and they were sucked into the past again.

Everything was stark white. There was a steep staircase leading to an open door in front of them, and at the top stood the man the Professor had killed a few weeks ago. They also saw a young man standing with his back to them, half of his top torn apart to reveal a muscular body covered in bruises. They moved to the side to get a better view of him, and realized with a start that it was actually Ichigo, but with spiky orange hair and deep brown eyes. He was staring determinedly at Ulquiorra, who was talking in a monotone.

"I am the Cuarta Espada, Ulquiorra Ciffer. I am the fourth most powerful Espada." He raised his hand slowly... and then drove it brutally through the young man's chest. Karin and Yuzu screamed. Hermione buried her face into Ron's chest, and there were a lot of startled exclamations and horrified gasps. Tonks and Molly had their hands clasped over her mouth.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. You can't defeat me. And even if you could, there are still three Espada more powerful than me. No matter how many times you stand back up and fight..."

He jerked his hand out of the teen's chest. Blood splattered on the ground as the orange-haired hybrid spat out a mouthful of crimson liquid and coughed, collapsing to the ground.

"...your side will never win. Looks like I overestimated you. You didn't improve as much as I thought you would." He gazed down at the dead body laying at his feet, then added. "It's over." And then he walked away, still talking.

"If you can still move in your current condition, then go home. If you can't, then die here. Your road ends here anyway, Shinigami."

There was a burst of reaitsu from the corpse, and the sword he was still gripping even in death changed from a long, slim black blade to a cleaver-like sword.

The scene shifted. The blue-haired man, Grimmjow, was standing there, looking at a small child with a broken mask on her short green hair and tear tracks on her face. He also held something covered with a cloth under his arm.

"Move, brat."

The child didn't, merely stuttering incoherently as she stared up at him, and he chose to ignore her, instead turning to the corpse lying there. He kicked it with such strength that it went rolling, and scoffed when he saw the large hole in the center of his chest.

"Che. I knew it."

He made to step forward, ignoring the small child's cry of 's-stop!' and tore off the piece of material covering the bundle under his arm, only to reveal a chained and gagged Inoue, who fell to her knees by the corpse, gag cut off with a single swing of Grimmjow's sword. She stared down at the dull, open eyes of the man who'd been killed trying to rescue her.

"Heal him." She gasped, eyes snapping up to the Espada, who just plopped down on a boulder and stared back at her, before she raised her hands to her hairpins and two small fairy-like creatures jumped to life and created a glowing orange shield like the one they'd seen a few weeks earlier.

The child started crying hysterically, screaming about how she'd been weighing the teen down and how he'd taken the full brunt of an attack to protect her instead of fending it off. Halfway through her teary tirade, Grimmjow grew bored and yelled at her to shut up.

"Say one more word and I'll crush you!" He growled, making her swallow fearfully. "He'll heal even if you're not bawling. So sit back and watch."

Black wisps of energy were slowly rising from the gaping hole in Ichigo's chest, and the girl looked to be struggling to heal him, brows furrowed in concentration and small beads of sweat slowly running down her beautiful face.

"Who could have done this?" She murmured, more to herself than to Grimmjow, but he answered anyway.

"Ulquiorra. I don't know whether he noticed or not, but he's got that nasty habit to give his enemies a hole at the exact same place he got his." He paused, scowling in anger, before adding. "I'll teach him... what happens when you steal someone else's prey!"

Ichigo's hand twitched, prompting the three people in the destroyed room to lean forward in anticipation, and life returned to his eyes as he stared upwards.

"Nel... and Inoue?" He asked, his voice raspy with shock.

The two girls were getting teary, but were rudely interrupted by Grimmjow stomping his foot on the ground.

"Shut up! If you've got time to whine, then use it to heal him faster!"

"G-Grimmjow? What are you doing with Inoue?" Ichigo stammered. It was strange to see him looking so very young and human, compared to the cold, strong man they knew.

"You just lay still and get better! I want you in top shape so that we can get this over with!"

"Grimmjow!" Inoue exclaimed in horror. "You're making me heal him just for that?"

"Shut up, I said!"

"He was dead, and I let you save him! Stop complaining and hurry the hell up! Ulquiorra'll be back as soon as he guesses what's going on here. So before tha-"

The raven-haired Espada reappeared right behind him, and he froze, whirling around.

"Ulquiorra..." Grimmjow said defensively.

"What are you doing, Grimmjow?" He stepped forward. "Why are you healing an enemy I defeated?" The Sexta just smirked. "No answer?"

No one dared make a sound as he gazed at Inoue, who averted her gaze. Kurosaki, Hermione noticed, narrowed his gaze at the picture, trying to identify the girl's feelings. Shame? Fear? He didn't like this.

"No matter. Aizen-sama ordered me to watch this woman. Give her back to me."

"Bite me."

Ulquiorra's "what?" was just as quiet as usual, but full of menace, though Grimmjow didn't seem to care in the least.

"So? You're quite talkative today, Ulquiorra." He charged, and there was a stream of light which the emotionless Arrancar blocked with a single hand. They fought briefly, the blue-haired man brazenly provoking the Cuarta, before suddenly, he managed to throw a very small black box outlined with purple energy into the hole in his chest, and he disappeared with a muttered "shit". He then quickly explained what the Caja Negación was as the triangular shield which had protected Inoue from the debris fell away, then ordered her to speed up the process, only for her to refuse.

In a flash, he was holding her by the throat, but she kept refusing, arguing that if she healed the fallen hybrid, Grimmjow would only hurt him again. Furious, he started to strangle her...

A hand clasped over his arm with a vice-like grip, and they saw that even half-dead, Ichigo had found the strength to get up and stop him, eyes full with resolve even as his muscles trembled with exhaustion and he could barely stand upright.

"Let her go. Heal me, Inoue. Please."

"What?"

"Heal my wounds. And... his, too."

And it was only then that they noticed that Grimmjow's arm was charred and smoking from stopping Ulquiorra's cero.

Fifteen minutes and a lot of provoking later, which actually made the two enemies look more like sparring buddies or rivals than anything else, the two were in the air, red-rimmed black reitsu pouring from Ichigo's sword hand to engulf his Zanpakutô. When he landed, he didn't look the same at all.

Their surroundings faded away.

"Three hours later, Ulquiorra killed me again." Kurosaki said quietly as they came back to the present.

Karin and Yuzu were openly crying, burying themselves in their father's arms as they shook violently, staring fiercely at their brother as if afraid he would disappear anytime. Ginny scuttled closer to Bill and grabbed his hand, imagining herself in the twins' place and shivering in horror while the adults looked at the Kurosakis. Isshin's eyes were suspiciously bright, but he didn't say anything, and merely tried to comfort his daughters to the best of his ability. Ichigo, though, didn't so much as glance at them.

"You died twice... in three hours?" Harry croaked out. Everyone looked visibly shaken. "I died once... and it was really unpleasant."

The DADA teacher looked vaguely surprised at that.

"Unpleasant? The Killing Curse is one of the most peaceful ways to die, though."

"Yes." Harry conceded. "But still."

They shared a long look, eyes darkening in mutual understanding before the older man nodded slowly.

"Yes." Ichigo finally said softly. "I guess it can be quite terrifying."

"Weren't you scared?" Blaise asked quietly.

The young teacher hesitated briefly.

"Things were very hectic. There was no time to be afraid. We just had to get in, fight our way to Inoue, get her, get out. It was a constant struggle, and the slightest faltering could get us all killed. We weren't fighting only for ourselves and our survival, but also for the others. To get back and know that we'd all made it home safely. To get to our friends who were also battling their own opponents and needed our help. It was dangerous, and we were risking our lives, yes. But we didn't have time to feel fear. There was only the urge to win."

They considered his words carefully, amazed by the way this young man thought, his strength and the fact that he'd already been thinking like that at the tender age of fifteen, when they themselves had only been whimsical brats right in the middle of their teenage crisis.

"So, Inoue healed you again after that?" Theo asked curiously.

He stiffened slightly at that.

"No. Let's just say that... I came into a very useful ability of Shiro's."

His features darkened and he tightened his jaw, and they decided to let the subject drop as it seemed to be sensitive.

Again, there were a few minutes of silence.

"So, this Aizen... Who's he?" Tonks asked at last.

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair.

"Aizen used to be the captain of the fifth division."

"Isn't that yours?" Ron interrupted rudely.

"Yes, it is. I took over a few years ago. Anyway, he started experimenting on Hollowfication a few centuries back, with the help of two other captains, Ichimaru Gin of the third division and Tousen Kaname of the ninth. He is a master illusionist, thanks to his Zanpakuto's powers. Kyoka Suigetsu, release phrase "Shatter". Though it isn't a particularly powerful Zanpakuto it has the ability to ensnare all senses in an illusion. Anyone exposed to its power at least once can be put under an illusion at any time. It's extremely dangerous."

"Shouldn't you have lost already, then?" Draco said. "After all, no offense, but the only thing he has to do is to put you all under an illusion and have you kill yourselves off."

Ichigo's features tightened at that, as he remembered Hitsugaya's despair when Aizen had made him stab Hinamori, thinking she was the traitor, but he quickly gathered his composure.

"Aizen doesn't participate in most battles. He mostly stays back and sends Hollows and Arrancars. And his sword has a weakness. Touch it once, and you're immune. For a reason none of us can understand, he seems to like this, seeing all types of creatures destroy themselves. He's... very lonely."

Sirius snorted at that.

"Please, lonely? From what you've told us, he's got thousands of minions to obey his every whim!"

"Followers don't make for good company." Kurosaki answered softly. "And more often than not, power builds a wall between you and others. Aizen's been on a different level for a very long time, and gave up on finding anyone capable of understanding him. In the end, he decided to build another world."

"That's ridiculous." Emeline Vance scoffed.

"It isn't." Ichigo protested calmly. "Aizen is neither an idiot nor a psychopath. He's a genius, but also extremely powerful, insanely so, and determined to get to his goal. Killing the Soul King would be nothing to him, like crushing a bug under your shoe. However, for this, he needs a hundred thousand souls to create the Ouken, the key to the King's dimension. And that is the reason we're all at war now."

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked softly, looking for once dead serious.

"Seven years ago, when everything began, Karakura was the place with the highest concentration of spiritual energy, which he would need for the Ouken. However, we managed to defend it until the damage caused by the constant fighting made the inhabitants evacuate and scatter across the world. Consequently, there is now no real place he could use for the process. Karakura has become a ghost town, and what was initially a single battle over Karakura, an all-out war."

"From what you tell us, though, there is no way mere humans could ever be of any use in this war..." Lucius said.

The young man smirked at that.

"That's where you're wrong. Humans have unlimited potential. My friends were originally mere mortals, but prolonged exposure to my ever-leaking reiatsu led to them developing powers of their own. Though they were never Shinigamis, they're all well-known fighters of this war, and quite powerful too." He paused to help himself to a glass of Brandy a house-elf had popped in to bring him. "Brandy anyone? No? Your loss. Anyway, Aizen was quick to understand that he'd need humans to win this war, and enlisted the help of several wizarding clans. Though their participation has yet to be confirmed, the King is making ready to retaliate and face a civil war."

"I guess your clan would then get involved?" Snape said.

Ichigo gravely dipped his chin.

"Unfortunately, yes. In that case, however, someone else will lead this part of the war in my stead. Even I can't be fighting on two fronts at the same time, I'm afraid."

"So, how did he convince them?" Sturgis Podmore asked, prompting a casual shrug from the hybrid.

"Power and wealth have always been what moves humans the most. Some of the clans are desperate for status and recognition, and others are displeased with our King's pacifist policy over the past few decades."

"So you think he would be targeted?"

"Most likely. But he is very capable of defending himself, and surrounded by a trustworthy guard, the members of which are the best we can offer. Loyalty to the King comes first for them."

"If you're sure..." It was Sirius. Ichigo sneered at his doubtful look.

"I am."

They looked at him. He seemed very confident, nonchalant even, as he sipped quietly at the Brandy, eyes half-closing as he enjoyed his drink. Speaking of war, strategies, possible attempts against his king's life and upcoming battles didn't appear to faze him in the least, and they realized with a jolt that it most likely didn't. He'd been involved for almost a decade, and had become one of the prominent leaders of the conflict, consequently putting him in a position where he got a lot of responsibilities weighing on his shoulders. For some reason, though, it was as if he were a born-leader, a born-fighter, a born-protector.

'The One Protector' indeed. Kurosaki Ichigo lived up to his name and more.

"So you need us to fight the rebellious clans."

"Indeed. You would, however, be given intensive training beforehand, at my mansion. Otherwise, it would be like sending a bunch of lambs to the slaughterhouse."

"Thanks." Bill said sarcastically, and the young man merely raised an eyebrow and shrugged in a way that clearly said 'What? It's true.'

Eventually, Dumbledore turned to the gathered members of the Order of the Phoenix.

"I think all of you should be able to make your decision without regards to what the others chose. Know that whatever you decide, you are free to refuse and will not be resented if you do."

"Of course." Ichigo said as he carefully set his glass down, and they suddenly felt compelled to listen to him as he straightened up in his chair, eyes determined as he looked at them all. "Dumbledore is right. I understand that you just got out of one war. I understand that you want peace, and are afraid, especially given the fact that I showed you all those horrors. Should you chose to come, I can guarantee no survival or return. I can, however, assure you that all will be done to give you all your chances. I want you to know that you are in no way obliged to go. I nor any in Seireitei will hold a grudge if you don't." There was only sincerity in his gaze as he looked at them, and they found that they couldn't doubt him, as he practically radiated truthfulness.

He stood. "I will leave you to your thoughts now. Whatever you decide, I leave at the end of term. If you want to come, tell me, and we can start training before we can all go to Japan."

And just like that, he swept out of the room, quickly followed by his father and two sisters.

o-O-o

He breathed in deeply as he stepped out of the stuffy office, and started down the corridor, only to stop dead in his tracks as he heard his sisters calling out to him. Spinning around, he found them standing by the gargoyle with their father. Golden met brown, and Isshin slowly nodded, hands gently resting on his daughters' shoulders. He squeezed once, then let go and walked away without looking back.

The siblings stayed where they were, staring intently at each other, before Ichigo gave a soft sigh and turned. They quickly got the message and hurried after him as he went down to the Main Hall and through the Entrance Doors in search of fresh air and some privacy, which he found by the far side of the lake. They hesitantly joined him as he stood looking at the still waters, neither daring to break the silence and the peace their brother so visibly enjoyed.

For a split second, Ichigo's features relaxed as he let his eyes slide shut and just enjoyed the breeze caressing his face, and it was strange, Karin reflected, to see how different he looked when his face wasn't tense in worry, anticipation, or determination. Right now, in this moment, he was almost... twenty-two. And then, suddenly, he wasn't anymore, and he was the man they knew so well once more, and she stepped forward, realizing how much they'd pushed him away that he didn't show them his real self anymore.

"Ichi-nii..." He tensed slightly but didn't turn around.

She breathed in deeply, trying to muster up the courage for this. It was important, crucial even. Because they couldn't go on without their brother much longer, because their selfishness had kept their father apart from him, because Ichigo's involvement in this war was a direct consequence of his desire to protect them. All of this, in the end, was their fault, and instead of thanking him as they should have, they'd just rejected him under the pretense that he selfishly risked his life over and over again, without any consideration for their feelings.

"We need to talk."

Aaand... cut! Did you like it? Still not much action, sorry! But things are coming to light now. I've got a presentation on thursday, wish me luck! But I hope to get back to writing after that. Let's hope I can actually overcome my writer's block.

Until next time, guys!