Between Ichigo Kurosaki's limits, a faint mask seemed to emerge.
There was also a voice that tempted him. It whispered that if he surrendered and gave his body over, everything would be solved.
"Yes… give me your body, and all your worries will disappear…"
The faint trace of a Hollow mask flickered across Ichigo's face.
But Ichigo's answer was firm. He would never agree. He would never allow himself to lose control and become a Hollow that only devoured human souls.
The mask slowly dissipated.
At that moment, a figure appeared before Ichigo inside the training area-one that shocked him.
"Dad?"
It was Isshin Kurosaki.
With Ichigo's inner Hollow power spiraling out of control and finally being released, Isshin no longer needed to suppress it. Because of this, his own Shinigami powers returned. Although Isshin had intended to remain only a doctor to protect his children, the suppression of Ichigo's Hollow power had stripped him entirely of his Shinigami abilities, leaving him as nothing more than human for years.
Ichigo's voice trembled slightly. "Dad… you're a Shinigami too?"
Isshin's expression hardened. "Ichigo, stop training."
"But… I don't have any more time…"
Ichigo tried to continue swinging his Zanpakutō, but Isshin appeared at his side instantly, gripping his son's wrist so he couldn't move.
"Today… is your mother's death anniversary."
Ichigo froze. His grip on Zangetsu faltered, and the blade fell to the ground with a dull thud.
"Let's leave."
As father and son returned to their physical bodies and walked away together, Kisuke Urahara tilted his head, watching them from the side. He flicked open his fan and said lightly, "My, my… looks harmonious."
Karin and Yuzu followed as well until all four of them arrived at Masaki Kurosaki's grave.
Silence hung over them.
Perhaps it was because one seat in their family would forever remain empty.
Isshin looked quietly at the headstone, his thoughts slipping back in time.
After he sealed his powers and lost his life as a Shinigami, he never returned to Soul Society. His presence there had disappeared; his reiatsu vanished to the point it couldn't be detected. He had opened a clinic in the human world instead, surviving on the medical skills he had learned at the Shin'ō Academy.
Back then, Masaki was still in college. She often teased him whenever she saw him in his white coat.
He told her the reason behind losing his Shinigami powers was that he had been punished by Soul Society. Masaki had understood the truth from the start but played along with the lie anyway, acting as though she believed it.
For Masaki, it had never mattered. Whether truth, lie, strength, weakness-she accepted it all.
Isshin remembered one time they went to the movies together. The story had been heavy and forgettable, but he never forgot the line used by the old man who compared his lifelong partner to the sun. At the time, Masaki had cried while listening. Isshin never forgot the meaning behind it.
To him, Masaki was his sun. She drew everything toward her, forgave everything, and illuminated everything.
Everyone in the family had loved her. Being near her made them happy.
Now, the sun was gone.
Rain began to fall from the sky as the Kurosaki family put down flowers at her grave and opened their umbrellas. Thick drops struck the petals, making them quiver under the weight like fragile hearts.
Ichigo felt a heaviness settle in his chest.
He remembered clearly: June 17, 1995. The day his mother died.
It had been raining then too-just like today. The river was swollen from consecutive storms. A girl had been standing near the water without an umbrella. The wind pushed her unsteadily as though she might fall at any moment.
Ichigo had always been able to see spirits from a young age and could not distinguish them easily from humans.
At that time, his only desire was to protect his mother. Later, when his sisters were born, he extended that same promise of protection to them as well, pushing himself to grow stronger.
That day, he had ignored his mother's warning voice and rushed out toward the girl by the river.
But in the end, it was his mother who died instead of him. He didn't understand why. Had it been a simple accident? Or had they been attacked? All he knew was the blood flowing from her body while she had shielded him. The girl by the river had vanished.
Now, he knew the truth. The girl had been Grand Fisher, a Hollow that could mimic appearances. The same Hollow masquerading as his mother had once kept him from striking it down.
He clenched his fists quietly. If he encountered it again, there would be no hesitation.
Beside him, Karin pressed her hands together and prayed silently. "Mom, please don't worry. Dad, Ichigo, Yuzu, and I are all fine."
Yuzu's tears fell freely, as they always did each year on this day.
Karin wrapped an arm tightly across her sister's shoulders. "Don't cry every year on this day. We're already grown up."
Yuzu sobbed into her arms anyway. "I know… I know…" The words broke apart as she clung to Karin for comfort.
…
Meanwhile, in Soul Society.
Soi Fon cradled a black cat in her arms with rare affection, playing softly.
Shihoin Yoruichi amused, ended up letting with Suì-Fēng hold her.
On the rooftop of the Research and Development Institute, Yuta let the cold air sweep past him as he tossed three shards of Hōgyoku into the sky.
Each one was wrapped in a transparent containment shell designed to stop reiatsu leakage.
He exhaled quietly, his thoughts sharp.
Would the Royal Guard already have noticed the creation of the Hōgyoku?
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