Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Cessation ❯ Chapter 3

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

They were all still awake when he finally arrived back at the house to collect his body, the twins studying in the kitchen and his father sitting in his office. Not really in the mood to confront either one of them at that moment, he managed to suppress his reiatsu long enough to pass by the twins without them noticing. Instead he sought out Isshin, barging into the office without so much as a knock or welcome.

“They offered me a position, Dad. As taichou.”

“Bastard!” Both men turned in shock as Karin burst through the half open door, neither of them having even noticed her approach. “You fucking bastard! How dare you? Just because you’re some damn war hero you think you can fuck with people’s lives with no regard for their feelings just to get what you want? You’re a fucking self centred asshole, you know that?”

“Enough, Karin!”

Ichigo slammed a fist onto the desk, the unexpected action sending Karin stumbling back a pace or two in surprise. Ichigo had never raised his voice in anger to her before. “That’s enough, Karin.” He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair in desperation. “Please.”

She glared at him and then at Isshin, who met her gaze calmly. “Why should I stop? And you’re just as bad, you’re not even trying to stop him from doing this to us!”

“Shut up, Karin!” Ichigo slumped against the desk and ran his hand through his hair again, gripping the messy strands tightly and closing his eyes with a loud sigh. “We need to talk, don’t we?”

“No fucking shit.”

Ichigo tightened his grip in his hair, and Isshin found himself trying to remember the last time he had seen his son look so utterly defeated. “Go and get your body, Ichigo.”

Ichigo nodded and pushed himself away from the desk, stepping carefully around Karin and leaving the room. She swore under her breath at him as he moved past and aimed a kick at the closing door.

Isshin sighed and got out of his chair, resting a hand on her shoulder and reaching past her with the other to reopen the door. “Come on Karin, we‘ll talk somewhere else.”

She nodded mutely, and followed him down the hall.


“Kuchiki-fukutaichou?”

Rukia glanced up from the stack of paperwork she was forging Ukitake-taichou’s signature on and waved the messenger in. “What is it?”

“A message, Kuchiki-fukutaichou.”

“I gathered that, you idiot. Who is it from?”

He gulped, and passed her a piece of paper. “The Kuchiki Clan, Kuchiki-fukutaichou. Requesting an immediate meeting.”

Well that explained his ignorance. For some reason the Kuchiki Clan’s messengers were all half wits. She was surprised they hadn't hired Ichigo.

“They’re always requesting an immediate meeting. They can wait for once, I‘m busy here. Pass that on, will you?”

He nodded and turned to leave, tripping over his own feet in the process. She shook her head at him and sighed, restacking some of the papers she had already signed. She knew the message wouldn’t be delivered.



“You‘re a fucking bastard. You should have told us you were leaving before!” Karin slammed her glass down onto the table, sending water sloshing over the sides and across her books, ignoring the small squeak emitting from her sister sitting in the opposite chair.

“When, Karin?” Ichigo stopped pacing and turned to face her, clenching a fist at his side and shrugging off the hand that Isshin placed on his shoulder as he stepped closer. “When we were in the middle of fighting a war? When you were still acting as if you were on the frontlines, prepared to kill at the slightest noise? When Yuzu was dying in hospital and you couldn’t forgive yourself for letting her help? When, Karin? I didn‘t have a chance!” He stopped, and took several deep breaths to calm himself. “Then Yuzu finally woke up, and you were both so happy. I felt okay, we were all sure I was okay so things went back to as normal as we could get them. I didn’t want to spoil it by making you worry about something that might not even happen. I was protecting you!”

“Maybe I don’t want to be protected! I’m sixteen now Ichigo, sixteen. I’m not some kid you can just completely disregard because you’d rather bang your dead girlfriend then live with your family!”

“What the fuck? That doesn’t even make sense!”

“Oh come off it, Ichigo! We all know that you’re only saying that you’re gonna die because you can’t bear the thought of not being able to fuck Rukia whenever you please. It’s so blatantly obvious, the way you practically salivate whenever she steps into the room.”

“What? Where the fuck did you get that idea from, Karin? I wouldn’t do that to you, and you damn well know it. I love Rukia, sure, but that doesn’t mean I would give up my family when I know that she’ll wait for me no matter what.” He moved around the table and stood in front of her, crossing his arms over his chest. “I may be a selfish bastard at times Karin, but I would never do that to you. To you, or to Yuzu or even to our idiot father. God, why won't you believe me?”

"Believe you? Why should I believe you, when you've lied to us so many times before? When you've betrayed us before!"

“How the fuck did I betray you, Karin? By keeping you from knowing about me being a shinigami so that I could protect you? By fighting in the war and almost dying to stop Aizen from killing you both? Tell me when, Karin. Everything that I have done, has been for the good of you and Yuzu, and you damn well know it. So don’t give me that bullshit!”

“Just stop it! Please!”

Both Karin and Ichigo turned to face Yuzu, who was trembling in her chair. “Please, stop fighting.” She let out a small sob, and buried her face in her hands. “Please.”

Ichigo sighed and moved around the table so he could wrap his arms around her shoulders and pull her against him. “I’m sorry, Yuzu.” He glanced across at Karin, who had risen from her seat and was heading out of the door. “Why can’t you believe me, Karin? I love you. Isn‘t that enough?”

She turned and regarded him coldly. “If you did love us, Ichigo, you wouldn’t leave.”







“Enter.”
Rukia slowly opened the door to the Kuchiki meeting hall and stepped inside, noting with some discomfort that the hall was full, all of the Elders and the New Charter in attendance. This obviously wasn’t a trivial matter.

“You are late, Kuchiki Rukia.”

She bowed, fighting to keep the traditional blank look on her face as she faced Kuchiki Takahiro, the clans eldest male. “I was working at my division. Forgive me for the delay in proceedings.”

All she got in response was the slight twitch of the left eyebrow, and the half turning of his body to face the New Charter. “What was it that you wished to discuss with Kuchiki Rukia?”

The head of the New Charter, Kuchiki Hideyoshi rose to his feet and faced them, a flicker of a smirk passing across his face. “We feel that something is compromising the remaining honour of the Kuchiki family. Tell us, Kuchiki Rukia, what is the relationship between yourself and the human boy, Kurosaki Ichigo?”

She stopped herself from choking just in time. “What do you mean?”

“Are you his friend? His comrade? Or his lover? Surely by now you would understand what a relationship is, Kuchiki Rukia.” Hideyoshi stepped out into the aisle and made his way down to her. “Or dare I say it, are you all three?”

Rukia straightened and met his gaze defiantly. “What is my personal life to the clan, Hideyoshi?

“The clan relies on it’s members to uphold it’s reputation. By associating yourself with this boy, you are degrading the whole clan.” He smirked and watched as her face twisted in surprise, then delivered the final blow. “The thing is, Kuchiki Rukia, it must end.”