Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach

Chapter 1

Ichigo smiled as he held his Mom's hand, even though it was raining, and he'd lost the fight against Tatsuki. He loved being with Mom, better than anything. Though he loved his baby sisters too, they just couldn't do a lot, they were too little still. He looked over at the river and frowned as he saw something….a girl! He pulled free of his Mom and ran down the hill, yelling at her to get back from the bank.

"Ichigo!" he heard his Mother scream and then it hurt!

Ichigo screamed in pain before rolling across the grass. He lay, gasping for breath and then he pushed up, hearing his Mom scream for him again. He blinked, he felt strange, but he staggered to his feet, eyes wide as he saw a monster. Where was his Mommy? He looked around, terrified and then he saw her, leaning over something. "Mommy!" He called, stumbling towards her only to fall as he stared with wide eyes…that was him! He looked down, finding a strange chain coming from his chest and leading to the other him. "Mommy?" he crawled over to her.

"Mommy can't hear you," a strange, voice said, and he looked at the monster with wide eyes.

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Masaki was terrified as she gently reached for her unmoving son. He was still breathing but completely unresponsive. She had seen a Hollow, had created her bow and been ready to fire, only for the most intense pain she had ever known to consume her. Her bow had vanished and now she couldn't see or sense the Hollow. She felt weak and her mind went back to her childhood, to hearing the Kaiser Gesang and she was terrified. Was it possible he was waking? Had he taken her powers? She stroked her sons face, if there was a Hollow there then she knew they would soon be dead. There wasn't a mark on him…his soul must still be there, or he'd be dead, unless…she looked around futilely, she could no longer sense or see spiritual beings. "Ichigo?" she called, hating the weakness in her voice, she didn't have long. She reached her hand out, searching.

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"Mommy?" He reached out for her hand, could she see him? He was so scared, but the monster was gone now. He scrambled closer, curling into her.

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Masaki felt something take her hand and then there was the feeling of something leaning into her. "Oh Ichigo," she whispered, wrapping her arms around the soul of her baby. She was praying Isshin or Urahara or someone had sensed the Hollow and was coming. Why hadn't it attacked again. "Ichigo you need to listen to me," she whispered. "There should be a chain linking you to your body, you need to try and get back into your body, quickly. Lay on it and focus on getting inside," she urged him, not knowing how long she had or when the Hollow would return.

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Ichigo curled into his Mom's embrace, sobbing, terrified. When she spoke he forced himself to listen, not understanding but she sounded scared, so he crawled out of her arms and towards the other him. He looked back at her and his eyes widened. "Mom!" He screamed as the monster reappeared, moving towards her. Ichigo didn't even think, forcing himself to move, getting between it and her and then he gasped in pain, legs giving way.

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Masaki turned, hearing something, seeing a footprint appear in the mud, knowing it was the Hollow she braced herself, but she wasn't hit. She heard a shuddering breath behind her and looked back to see Ichigo's body go utterly still, his chest no longer moving with breath and she turned back, reaching out blindly to try and find her son. Had Ichigo saved her? She felt something under her hand, small and unmoving. "Ichigo get up, run, please," she begged even as she collapsed.

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Ichigo lay on the grass, stunned and then his Mom was there, begging him to run. How could he leave her? "Mom!" He pulled himself up as she collapsed before looking up and glaring at the monster as it laughed.

"How sweet," it sneered. "Foolish child, giving up your life for hers. I prefer women, but you will make a good meal," the creature told him.

Ichigo scrambled to his feet and moved to shake his Mom's shoulder and she looked up at him.

"Run Ichigo, go to Daddy," she pleaded, before her eyes closed.

"Mommy?" He looked from her to the very still body to the monster, torn.

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Grand Fisher leered at the sight of the unconscious woman and the child's soul. Even so young, his power was strong. Hers had been too and yet now it was all gone, she would still tasty he was sure. Then he paused, looking around, before snarling. Two powerful signatures were moving his way, fast, another, weaker one was coming from a different direction. He looked at the Mother and son, there was no time to enjoy his meal. He moved quickly, wrapping the boy's soul in his tentacles as the child began screaming before he retreated from the Living World, dragging the child with him.

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Kisuke and Shinji dropped to the ground, Zanpakutō drawn. They froze for a second, searching for the Hollow only to find no sign of it and then Kisuke was sheathing Benihime and rushing over to Masaki's side, kneeling down. "She's alive, barely," he announced in relief.

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Shinji knelt beside the small child, already knowing what he would find, the child was too still. "He's gone." He stretched his senses out but he could not feel a human soul. He almost wished he hadn't been meeting with Kisuke over gigai maintenance today, he wouldn't have felt this from their warehouse, wouldn't be having to deal with a dead child and near dead Quincy. He picked the small body up and laid him next to his mother before looking up as Isshin stumbled into sight.

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"No…" he groaned, stumbling over to drop to his knees next to his wife and son.

"Masaki is still alive Isshin, we need to get her back to the shop. Her power is gone," Kisuke told him and Isshin felt his heart seize as he looked at his son.

He looked unharmed, as if he was merely asleep but when he reached out to touch his face, his skin was already cooling thanks to the rain. "His…soul?"

"We don't know, the Hollow must have sensed our approach and retreated."

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"Ichigo isn't here," Shinji offered since Isshin had no power, or would it be coming back now with Masaki so close to death? He felt for his one-time fellow Captain. He'd met Masaki once, at the wedding, but a blind man could see how much Isshin loved her. He'd even passed photos of his children on to them via Kisuke. He had never had children, but he had seen many killed over the centuries and it was never easy to see such potential snuffed out. None of them were saying it but they all knew the truth, the Hollow had either consumed Ichigo's soul here, or taken him back to Hueco Mundo to do so, it would be better for Ichigo if he had been eaten here.

He saw Kisuke lift Masaki into his arms before turning and running for his shop. "Come on," Shinji urged Isshin to his feet and then gently lifted Ichigo's body, not willing to make the man carrying his sons corpse. Maybe he should leave the body to be found by the authorities but too many questions would be asked over a body with no apparent cause of death. He easily held the limp body with arm as he hauled Isshin up, pulling him along as he used Shunpo to get away before anyone else saw something they shouldn't.

When they arrived Tessai was waiting for them and his shoulders slumped at the sight of the small body, but he gently took it from Shinji and carried it away while Shinji got Isshin inside to dry off and warm up before he went too badly into shock. He didn't bother looking for Kisuke, knowing better than to interrupt as he worked to save Masaki's life. He was forcing tea down Isshin's throat when the door opened and he was shocked to see a man he had seen at the weeding, Masaki's cousin or something.

"Where?" the man demanded and Tessai reappeared, leading him to the lab.

They sat in silence for hours before the three men reappeared, all exhausted looking. Isshin finally looked up from the table.

"She's stable," Kisuke said and Isshin slumped in relief.

"What happened to her?" Shinji asked for him.

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"Auswählen," Ryūken answered as he collapsed onto a cushion and accepted the tea Shinji pushed towards him.

"And that is?"

"A power that allows Yhwach to forcibly take the power of other Quincy," he answered dully. "Masaki was not the only one affected. My…my wife is comatose," he admitted, hands gripping the mug too tightly.

"I'm sorry," Isshin whispered and Ryūken nodded.

"Your children?" he asked, unsure if they would have been affected with their interesting heritage. Uryū had been spared, somehow, something for which he was very grateful. He may still lose his wife; he could not bear to lose them both.

"Masaki and Ichigo were attacked by a Hollow," Shinji answered, sparing Isshin.

Ryūken saw the sheer pain on the ex-Shinigami's face at the mention of his son. He did not like the man overly much, although he did respect him for giving up everything to save Masaki from that Hollow. Still, he would not wish the loss of a child on anyone.

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Ichigo stumbled and fell to the ground as he was released, staring around in shock. What had happened? Where was he? He wanted his parents! Looking up he saw the moon and looking around all he saw was white sound.

"Now then boy, time to eat," the monster said and Ichigo's eyes widened in horror before he was up and running, something inside screaming for him to move.

He could it hear it laughing as it chased him, and he felt tears prickling in his eyes. He didn't want to be eaten! He stumbled, gasping, as a heavy feeling slammed into him, but he forced himself upright, he had to keep running!"

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Starrk looked out over the sand, sensing something, then he saw a small form as it stumbled in the sand and to his shock then got back up, running. He stood to see better, was this another Hollow that could survive their presence? He saw a Hollow chasing the smaller form and it did more than stumble when it hit the range of their power. It collapsed, writhing and screaming as it was crushed to death. He saw the small one turn around to look and then it sat, curling up.

"What are you watching Starrk?" Lilynette demanded as she scrambled up the dune beside him, only to watch the Hollow as it died. "That doesn't look like a Hollow," she said when she saw the small thing on the ground.

"Then go look," he shrugged, hiding his curiosity with his usual laziness, besides, as the weaker of the two of them, she was less likely to damage who or whatever it was down there. She glared at him, muttering about laziness before moving down the dune.

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Ichigo turned around at the sound to see the monster dying, or he thought it was. When it went still he collapsed to the sand, exhausted and terrified. He just wanted to go home! He curled up, hugging himself, it was really cold here. He shivered, sniffling, fighting tears. He heard a noise and his head shot up, looking around only to see someone coming towards him…a person? He watched warily as they came closer, not able to see much cause they were wearing a cloak or something.

"Hello?" a voice called, and he blinked, it was a girl?

Ichigo slowly stood up as she got close, seeing a weird helmet thing on her head, covering one of her eyes. "Hello," he finally said.

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Lilynette called out as the small thing moved, obviously hearing her approach and then it stood up and she was shocked to see a severed Chain of Fate. A human soul? How was he not being crushed? He finally answered her and…he sounded really young. That Hollow must have brought his soul here to eat in relative peace. Now the poor kid was doomed, either he'd be eaten or become a Hollow himself. Maybe they could at least send him back to the Living World where he might be found by a Shinigami? "My name's Lilynette, what's yours?"

"Ichigo, Kurosaki Ichigo. Do you know where my Mom is?"

"Sorry but she's probably in the Living World."

"Living World?" he titled his head to the side and she almost squealed, he looked so cute. Maybe they could keep him?

"You're in Hueco Mundo. You died and I'm guessing that Hollow brought you here."

"He was trying to hurt Mom," Ichigo whispered and she winced, poor kid. "I want to go home."

"I know, but…you can't go home anymore. See that chain?" she pointed, and he nodded. "It's broken, it means you're…well, you're dead." She'd never had to tell someone they were dead before. She saw his eyes widen in shock and fear. "You could stay with us? Starrk's really lazy but you'll be safe with us. We're really powerful so no one will try and eat you," she offered.

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Ichigo stared at the strange girl in shock. He was dead? He knew what dead was, his Daddy was a Doctor, but he couldn't save everyone, and he always said the family clinic wasn't meant for the really bad stuff. But how could he be dead? "I can't go home?" he whispered, and she shook her head. He bit his lip but then nodded and walked towards her.

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Starrk looked up as Lilynette returned, surprised to see what looked like a little boy with her. He blinked as he saw the severed chain hanging from his chest. Well…that was unexpected.

"Ichigo this is Starrk. Ichigo is going to stay with us," she announced had Starrk stared at her. He had no problem with company that could withstand being near them, but a human soul? What would they do when he turned? But he knew that look, she would not be moved on this and honestly, he didn't want to make her. So, he nodded and nudged the two young ones into the safety of their cave, the kid probably needed sleep as well. Dying had to be traumatic.

TBC….

I had Masaki able to feel Ichigo since Tatsuki seemed able to feel not only the Hollow but Orihime when attacked by her brother