I apologize for the summary, but these things are such a pain.

Take My Hand was inspired by Operation: Big Brother by Sariniste on ff . net and Swinging Pendulum by Cywscross on Ao3, if you haven't read them you should totally go do that. Like now. And then come back here and cry with me since neither of them are finished.

This fic takes place during the Deicide arc, just before Ichigo uses the Final Getsuga. I'm ignoring the arcs that come after that, so there will be no Fullbringers or Quincy war here. Hope you enjoy!

She's not sure if it's the quiet or the lack of any reiatsu around her that wakes her, but Ichigo can tell she's not where she last remembers being before she even opens her eyes. Her body feels like one giant bruise, sore down to her bones, and when she tries to sit up too fast she's hit with a wave of vertigo that sends her back to the ground.

She breathes through the feeling, trying to settle her stomach as the world spins around her. When she no longer feels like she'll throw up she tries to sit up again, slower this time. Once she's up she notices a distinct lack of sword anywhere on her person and that her normal shinigami garb has been replaced for a plain white yukata.

There's a split second of panic before Ichigo notices her zanpakuto laying beside her, wrapped neatly in its bandage sheath in Shikai form. She takes another breath as she calms down, wrapping her fingers around the hilt helps even though she still feels too weak to stand.

Her eyes close as she reaches for her inner spirits, getting tired acknowledgment from both of them. Their presence helps her relax further. Her reiatsu may be dangerously low but she still has her sword and that, more than anything else, settles her nerves.

Opening her eyes, Ichigo finally takes the time to look around and finds herself in a forest clearing. The grass around her looks scorched and some of the trees that are closer to her look worse for ware.

She glances down at herself looking for injuries, but finds none, the white cloth of the yukata she's in isn't even dirty. She's sore and she's weak, but other than that she seems to be fine. Odd considering the last thing she remembers is the fight against Aizen.

"Where the hell are we?"

"We're in a fuckin' forest, what does it look like dumbass." Shiro remarks snidely.

Ichigo rolls her eyes, ignoring him in favor of looking around some more. It's quiet in a peaceful way and she can't sense anyone else around her, but there's a familiar thick quality to the air.

"Are we in still Soul Society?"

"Most likely in the outer Rukon districts," Zangetsu says calmly.

She nods. "Yeah, but how did we get here?"

Zangetsu sighs. "While I'm not sure, I suspect the hogyoku's involvement."

"Fuckin' marble," Shiro grumbles.

Ichigo sighs as well, that thing has big a bigger pain in her ass than anything else she can remember. She promises herself, as she pulls to her feet, that if she ever sees that stupid little overpowered marble again she'll find a way to destroy it.

She dusts herself off and settles her zanpakuto on her back when she gets to her feet, easily adjusting to the familiar weight. She looks around the clearing again, at a loss as to what to do.

The sudden snap of a twig, loud in the pervasive quiet, makes her tense, her hand back on her zanpakuto. A loud roar follows as a low level hollow jumps out at her, bone jaw open wide and claws extended. It takes almost no effort on Ichigo's part to kill it, smoothly slicing the hollow in half before it even reaches her. Zangetsu is back in its bandage sheath and on her back again as the hollow's corpse hits the ground.

She watches idly as it starts to dissolve. "I guess we should get going huh?" She says, more to herself than anything else.

Just as she's about to step into shunpo, having picked a random direction to start moving in, she hears a cry in the forest. It's something nearby but out of sight, and she's not sure, but it almost sounds like a small child. What would a kid be doing this far out in the woods?

Ichigo's hand unconsciously moves back to Zangetsu's hilt as she starts moving closer to the sound. It's not long before she finds it, a little ways behind the tree line there's a little white bundle on the forest floor. It squirms and cries as she gets close enough to see that it's a baby.

Her hand falls from her zanpakuto and she crouches down to get a better look at them. The baby is a cute little thing, maybe six months old with fluffy brown hair and big teary eyes the same color, and they go quiet as they see her. A soft smile curves her lips as she looks at the baby and she reaches her hand down to touch them.

She freezes as her fingers brush the cloth the baby's wrapped in, sensing a distinct and terrifyingly familiar reiatsu.

Aizen.

Jerking away, Ichigo's eyes go wide as she looks at him, halfway drawing her sword in an instinctive move to defend. What the hell is this?

Shiro roars in anger, his dual toned voice resonating in her ears. "The fuck are ya waitin' for! Kill 'im!"

She doesn't respond, eyes still locked on the small form on the ground. Zangetsu remains quiet.

"It's a fuckin' trick! Kill 'im! Now!"

Again, she ignores him, frantically trying to figure out what to do. Fuck! What's she supposed to do about this? She doesn't know how the hell this happened, much less how to deal with it! Shiro might be right, this could be a trap or a diversion to keep her occupied while Aizen destroys Karakura, and if that's the case then she doesn't have time to waste.

She can feel Shiro's vicious satisfaction.

Ichigo takes a deep breath and tightens her grip on her zanpakuto, the bandage sheath fluttering as she draws it fully, resting it at her side. Regardless of whether this is a trap or not, Ichigo knows what she should do. She knows what this man has done, the things he's put her friends through, the things he put her through, and she should kill him.

No matter what he looks like at the moment.

Ichigo hardens her heart and glares at Aizen in determination, approaching him again. She raises her zanpakuto directly above him, positioned to strike dead center in his chest, a strike that such a small body would never survive.

She tries to swallow the unease that comes from what she's about to do, the distaste that lies thick on the back of her tongue, but she's not entirely successful. The sight of him, small and helpless and so so young, brings back hazy memories of her sisters. The association is hard to shake and it churns her stomach.

"What are ya waitin' for! Fuckin' kill 'im already!"

Her shoulders tense, raising her zanpakuto just a hair more, and she takes a fortifying breath. Ichigo looks at him, refuses to turn away from what she must do, she will not hide from what is right. She brings her sword down.

But then, he does something that makes her freeze, zanpakuto a hair's breadth from his chest. Something she never thought she'd see from him.

He smiled, wide and sweet and innocent.

It was an expression she'd never seen him make. She'd seen Aizen smile, but it was always with malicious intent, taunting, gloating looks that frightened her more than anything. She'd had more than one nightmare about it, watching as he slaughtered her friends all while wearing that same condescending look.

None of those smiles ever reached his eyes, none of those smiles were ever real. This was. He looked almost exactly like Yuzu and Karin did when they were little, when they were helpless. That image, one or both of her little sisters lying there instead, crushes her resolve.

She cannot do this.

Shiro rages at her as she puts her zanpakuto away, the bandage sheath quietly wrapping back around it, and crouches down again.

"What the fuck are you doing!?"

Ichigo ignores him.

Zangetsu is still silent.

When she reaches for Aizen again, she notices something she hadn't before, Aizen's reiatsu was low. Extremely low. Low enough that even when she was touching him she could barely feel it. It was unsettling.

Since she'd met him, introduced to the wrong side of Kyouka Suigetsu, his spiritual energy had always been enormous. As she'd steadily caught up to him it'd been less so, but always substantial. What she could feel from him now was more like a single drop of water compared to a vast ocean.

If this was Aizen's doing, why would he make himself look so weak?

The question bounces around in her mind as she gathers him up, tucking the white cloth more firmly around him as she settles him into the crook of her arm, but it still leaves her baffled. From what she knew about him, appearing weak would never had been something he'd do, it probably wouldn't have even occurred to him that he could. Something like this would have been completely out of character for someone as arrogant as Aizen.

A glint of the light caught her eye as she stood and she looked down at Aizen. Tucked in the cloth around him was a small familiar little marble. She scowled as she saw it, plucking it away from him, and held it up for closer inspection.

It looked… odd. Ichigo had seen it up close before, embedded in Aizen's chest, but for some reason it looked different. It glittered as she turned it in the light but there was none of that unearthly glow she'd associated with the hogyoku, no swirling array of colors like trapped smoke.

It looked just like a regular marble.

What the hell?

Sighing Ichigo tucked it back into Aizen's cloth. There was nothing to do about it at the moment, she'd talk to Urahara about it once she got back to Seireitei.

Soft babbling brought her attention back to the baby in her arms, he smiled at her when she looked at him, that same soft, sweet smile from before, and it brought an answering curve to her lips. He waved his little fists around, still babbling at her, and her heart melted.

Like this there was no resemblance to the cruel, cold, lonely man she'd fought.

She waved one of her fingers in front of his eyes, watching as he giggled and reached for it, and let him catch it. He promptly stuck it in his mouth, just like a normal child. It startled a laugh out if her.

Who would ever believe that this was the man that had tried to tear Soul Society apart?

With that thought, she could feel Shiro's anger cool, even he wasn't keen on killing a baby. He didn't like it, but he'd live with it.

From Zangetsu she got a faint feeling of approval.

As Ichigo stood there she came to a decision. She'd keep him with her til this could be figured out and they'd go from there. Which meant that for the moment she was stuck with an infant.

She tugged her hand away and tucked him more firmly in the crook of her arm, making sure Aizen was secure, before she turned back the way she'd chosen earlier. With that she stepped into a short shunpo, looking down at Aizen again once she'd stepped out of it, checking him over for damage. He looked around curiously but didn't seem any worse for ware.

She nodded, looks like it'd be fine to shunpo with him in that case, and steps into a longer one. The forest blurs around them as she takes off, wind whistling in her ears and they move quickly, leaving the clearing far behind.

The forest was massive, and even as she moved so quickly very little changed. Ichigo continued the same way for hours and only managed to find a few hollows. Honestly she was getting sick of all the trees.

It was late in the afternoon when she finally found something. At first she couldn't really tell what it was, but as she got closer she could see a few shacks, possibly a village.

She sighed in relief as she saw it, glancing down at Aizen. "Hopefully we'll be able to figure this out soon." One more Step and she was in the village.

The sight of it up close was startling, while it was a welcome change from the monotony of the forest, everything in the near vicinity looked like a stiff wind might blow it over.

Of the few buildings standing only one or two looked even marginally habitable, several tilted dangerously to one side, built of rotting wood and missing sections of the roof. She couldn't see many people, but those she could looked just as bad as the shacks, dressed in ragged, filthy clothing.

Ichigo had heard about the conditions in the Rukon, but she'd never imagined it was this bad. There was an air of resignation that hung heavy here. She could see it reflected in the eyes of those she passed by. What was this place?

"The outer districts are some of the most dangerous, most don't survive here. Your short friend talked about this, don't you remember?"

She shook her head, eying a man sitting on the ground near one of the shacks.

Shiro scoffed. "Fuckin' weaklings, all of 'em, who gives a shit what happens to 'em."

She glares at him mentally, but he just returns it, totally unrepentant.

Zangetsu sighs at them. "Now is not the time for this. We should be moving Ichigo."

They both quit at the reproach. Ichigo looks down at Aizen again, watching him look around curiously for a few moments, before tucking him more firmly in the crook of her arm and approaching the man she'd been watching.

"Hey old man, can you tell me where this place is?" He looks at her suspiciously, fiddling with the block of wood in his hand, and doesn't reply. Her eyes narrow. "Hey! Old man, can-"

He cuts her off. "'M not deaf, can hear ya jus' fine."

She stares at him expectantly and he just stares back. "Well?" She asks impatiently.

"Well what?" He asks, imperiously raising one of his eyebrows.

Ichigo sighs in frustration. "Can you tell me where I am or not?"

"64th Western Rukon district."

"Thanks," She says, clipped, before she starts walking away.

She doesn't get very far before he calls out to her again. "If I were ya, I'd get rid of the dead weight."

She stops walking and turns to face the man again, eyes narrowed in a glare. "And what does that mean?"

He waves his hand toward Aizen. "That's not gonna do anything but slow ya down. Best be gettin' rid of it before ya get ya self in trouble."

Ichigo's expression darkened. "Thanks for the advice," she hisses. "But I think I'll take my chances." Then she turned and stormed away, leaving that dump of a town and the old man behind.

Once she hits the treeline she takes off in a flit of furious shunpo, headed east and hopefully towards Seireitei, her fit of temper making her a little reckless. She stumbles on several hollows as she moves, low level wretches that take her almost no effort to dispatch, and they only serve to irritate her further.

"Mother fucker!" She curses as she nearly trips over another hollow. "Where the hell are these pieces of shit coming from?" Ichigo swings Zangetsu, cleanly slicing through the bug like mask of the hollow and glaring at it in frustration.

"Your reiatsu is in flux. You need to calm down Ichigo." Zangetsu's normal monotone grates on her further and her grip on her zanpakuto tightens.

Shiro snickers. "She's jus' mad that tha old man could see right through 'er. Had no problem tellin' 'er to drop 'im like a sack a' taters. It's fuckin' hilarious." He laughs mockingly.

"Shut the fuck up Shiro!" She snarls.

"Make me."

She opens her mouth to snap at him, but a small cry brings her up short. Ichigo looks down, Aizen looks back at her, eyes bright with tears. She stares at him for a moment, stunned.

She's made him cry.

Ichigo had made Aizen cry. What the hell is her life?

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, forcing herself to relax and sheath her zanpakuto. When she's gotten her temper back under control she looks at Aizen again. His eyes are still glassy and his breath hiccups in his chest, but he doesn't look like he'll start screaming soon.

Sighing, she brushes a stray lock of hair back from his face. "Sorry," She murmurs. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Her soft tone soothes him and he settles back in her arms. Warmth curls in her chest as she watches him, like this Aizen is honestly quite… cute. She sighs adjusts him in her arms, making sure he's secure, before taking off again in shunpo.

They travel for hours, till the sun starts to set, before Ichigo decides to find a place to rest for the night. She's lucky enough to find a hollowed log that looks big enough to fit both her and her zanpakuto, and she pulls Zangetsu off her back, lying it on the ground before carefully sliding in herself.

She settles Aizen on her chest, trying to make sure he won't fall before she lets her arm fall. Rolling her shoulder as best she can in the small space, she sighs in relief. He might not weigh much but holding him in her arms for hours has definitely made her a little sore.

Aizen babbles at her and kicks his feet a little, looking around with interest. She chuckles as he wiggles around, stroking a hand down his back and lying the other on Zangetsu's hilt. He settles easily enough after that, soothed by her gentle hands, and soon his breathing evens out as he falls asleep.

"I think now would be a good time to figure out an actual plan." She murmurs as she watches Aizen sleep.

"That's wise."

She sighs, eyes closed as she tries to relax. "Once we get back I'm going straight to Urahara. That damned hat 'n clogs'll get a piece of my mind if this was part of his plan."

"What, not takin' the little shit t' tha fuckin' clown?" Shiro jeers.

She shudders at the thought. "Never. Doesn't matter if this is only temporary or not, I'd never wish that creepy fuck on anyone."

"You very well may not have a choice. You know what the Gotei 13 is like, they'll demand you release him to them."

Ichigo's eyes snap open. "No," She hisses, louder than she'd meant to as Aizen stirs, and she sets her hand lightly on his back. "No. The one thing I'm sure of is that this is a normal child. Aizen would never make himself look this vulnerable."

Zangetsu sighs. "I agree, but that won't stop them."

"Then they'll have to go through me."

Shiro scoffs. "Too fuckin' noble for yer own good."

"Fuck off Shiro." She says without any heat.

"Rest Ichigo. In the morning we'll continue heading to Seireitei."

Her jaw cracks on a yawn. "Yeah. 'Night." She settles further into her bed of dead leaves and shuts her eyes. The events of the day finally catch up to her and she slips easily into sleep.

Ichigo's rudely awoken by a growl and loud crash, reacting without thinking she brings Zangetsu up in defense, clutching at the weight on her chest. She's still half asleep when she shunpos away, glaring blearily at the snake-like hollow perched over the broken log she used for shelter.

With a huff she swings her zanpakuto, sending a nameless Getsuga at it. Even with minimal power the beam of compressed reiatsu is fast. Faster than the hollow. Before it can dodge her attack collides with it, splitting open its chest and destroying its mask, and it screams as it falls to the ground.

As soon as she's sure it's no longer a threat she sheaths Zangetsu and yawns. What is it with attacking her while she's asleep?

"You've recovered more of your reiatsu which is drawing more attention to you." Says Zangetsu, sounding faintly amused.

"Don't care, shoulda left me alone." She grumbles.

A loud wail startles her and she quickly looks down. Aizen, teary eyed and mouth open in a wail, cries against her chest. The hollow attack must've scared him awake.

Ichigo smooths a hand down his back. "Hey now," She says softly, "No need for that." She rubs soothing circles into his back, trying to calm him.

"Noisy little fucker," Shiro grumbles. "Can't you shut 'im up?"

Ichigo clenches her jaw to keep herself from snapping at Shiro. She takes a deep breath before she answers, forcing her tone gentle. "Would you like to deal with him?"

Calmly, she keeps stroking Aizen's back, bouncing him a bit, and slowly his wailing trails into little distressed hiccups. She smiles at him despite herself as he calms down. Eventually he smiles back.

"We should be going Ichigo." Says Zangetsu. "You'll only attract more attention if we stay."

"It ain't like we can't take 'em." Shiro jeers.

"Do you want him to cry again?" Ichigo asks. She doesn't wait for a reply as she tucks Aizen firmly against her chest.

She turns to the east where the sun is just starting to climb over the horizon and takes off in a flit of shunpo. Hopefully they'll reach Seireitei before nightfall.

For clarification, I'm picturing Ichigo at about the strength of an unseated officer here, which for Ichigo is very low. But she can still use shunpo and take out minor hollows without issue.

Please leave a review to let me know what you thought! And come say hi on tumblr at delilahnoir!