An: Sorry it took so long to update but the next chapter is here now. Thanks to all those who are reading and a special thank you to those who continue to review my work. Your words are a great encouragement for my writing and I really appreciate all the encouragement. I hope you will also continue to inspire me in the future.

So on to the story.

Chapter 6:Resolutions

“Oyaji!”

The paper lowered at the same time a panting Yuzu entered the kitchen, her eyes wide with worry.

“He’s not there...Ichi-nii...have you seen him?”

Che, that idiot.

He raised the paper again.

“Who cares? That kid is old enough to...”

Thwap!!

The solid sound of bundled paper met his head, causing the coffee he had been about to sip to slop over the table cloth.

“You know you could at least act a little more concerned, you carefree old man. That’s your only son who was brought home last night by some huge wrestler guy, bleeding all over the floor and all beaten up. Show some concern...”

Across from him, Yuzu’s eyes had filled with tears with the reminder of last night, threatening to spill over at any minute. He sighed. That baka...worrying his sisters...I really should give him hell for worrying my precious girls if he dares to come back...

He let the paper lower again to the table.

“Tsk...Who would be concerned over such a foolish son that let himself get beaten up by a bunch of punks....” at this the tears spilled over, causing him to back track and opt for a more antique expression, “Ah...Yuzu, Yuzu-chan, don’t cry over that idiot. Come to the warmth of Daddy’s manly chest and it will all be better...”

“Onii...chan...”

He sighed inaudibly at the broken whisper, even more affected by that than her not even moving towards him at all.

“Alright,” he said slapping down the paper exaggeratedly, striking a heroic stance as he stood, “I will go and find your wayward brother and bring him back home. I will search to the ends of the earth, fast on worms and dirt...I will run on hot coals...I will do it if it will make my precious girls happy...”

“So hurry up and go,” Karin returned pushing him to the door, “and don’t bother coming back until you find him, you hear me baka jii-san.”

“Yuzu-chan, Yuzu-chan...Karin-chan is being mean to Daddy again...” and the fake water works on his end began.

Antics aside, it was really hard to imagine that the man now walking down the street was the same as the one described above. Gone was the goofy, unserious father. No, those two words were the exact opposite of the expression now seen on his face. Not even the flirting, interested looks were enough sway him today as they would have normally. No, the handsome dark-haired man, coolly smoking a cigarette, was all business right now.

Che, he thought as he started up the hill, that kid is still too easy to read. It hadn’t been hard to figure out where he would have gone to at all...stupid kid...

Never mind, he still hated that place.

He brushed the thought aside as the large iron wrought gates came into view. It didn’t matter how many times he visited, he couldn’t help but think then, he would never get used to it or like this place. He ignored the way his hand tightened on the bag he held as he passed through the gate- he’d at least matured past that.

He found him exactly where he thought he would- orange head bowed, hands buried in his pocket, over the lonely stone memoir. He sighed again. The kid really hadn’t changed...

“Yo,” he greeted with a small wave.

“Leave me alone.”

“Is that any way to talk to your father?” the voice returned in a familiar manner, “and I came all this way ...”

The boy didn’t respond.

He sighed. This was Ichigo. He was never going to make it easy...he should have known that much.

“Here,” he said trying another tactic, letting the bag hit Ichigo in the head purposefully, “Yuzu made you some food since you were foolish enough to run out of the house without any.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Take it.”

He ended the sentence with another hit to the orange head.

“I said I don’t want it.”

“I said take it.”

A throb of annoyance started to beat palpably at Ichigo’s temples as the bag hit again.

“I said I don’t want it! Just go home and leave me alone!”

“Ah, stop behaving like such a spoilt child. I said you should take it.”

The bag collided with his head again and his temper ran over. Before he could control his actions, he’d rounded quickly on the smirking older man and smacked him one, straight in the jaw. The hit collided solidly, sending the older man back a few steps.

“I...said...I...don’t...want ...it,” Ichigo punctuated angrily now, “So just stop kidding around and leave me the hell alone!”

“Tch...you still hit like a girl,” came the reply to the tirade as Isshin turned to face him, wiping the trickling blood from his busted lip with the back of his hand. “but at least you’re acting normal. Brooding and moping doesn’t suit you.”

His response made Ichigo feel exhausted all at once. With a heavy sigh, he resolutely turned his back on him.

“Just go home,” he said tiredly, “I’m sure you didn’t come all this way to bring me breakfast but whatever it is...just leave it alone and go home.”

The bag lowered as he noted the tightening of the boy’s already clenched fist. He was this wound up, huh? He should probably get to the point then…

He turned and faced the same direction, wondering where to begin.

“I hope you’re not expecting me to say sorry,” he began after a while, “because I’m not- so if you were expecting some crappy thing like that, you should just forget it.”

The boy didn’t take the bait. He fancied he was that hell bent on ignoring him until he spoke.

“They were after me again, weren’t they?”

This was not what he had been expecting. Questions, anger maybe…but not this quiet resignation.

Isshin took a puff from his cigarette and watched the smoke curl and disappear before attempting a response- even if it didn’t quite need the effort.

“Hmmm.”

The teen was quiet again but he could see the tension tighten his body. His hands clenched and unclenched by his side.

Watching him, the ghosts of old thoughts haunted him. Drawing on the cigarette, he forcefully pushed them aside. But the ghosts from three years ago were being annoyingly stubborn today…

Three years ago-it seemed closer than that but it had already been three years- three years since he had introduced his son to this life. It had seemed like a good enough idea back then. The boy had shown immense potential and his spiritual energy had been an overwhelming force.

However, he hadn’t accounted for anything else happening during that time and what had been a good decision had turned into a big mistake pretty quickly. He’d ended up losing more than he could ever have bargained for instead of gaining what he’d thought he would.

Shit, he’d lost his wife and almost his own life twice…And for what??

He’d done nothing but condemn him- his only son. Condemn him to a life of abnormalities. Never again would the boy ever live a normal life because he’d made that choice and opened those doors so very prematurely. At that very moment, on that fateful day, he’d cursed him with the same fate he’d wanted to avoid in the first place, almost shattered him…

He might like to have thought in the end he’d at least saved him or saved something after it was all said and done- they were both still here, right?- but more and more, he didn’t think there was any truth in that. He hadn’t saved him then…all he had done was merely postponed the inevitable and now it was only a matter of time again…

The past, like it always seemed to do, would come back and bite him in the ass.

Isshin sighed and leaned off the stone epitaph he’d been supporting his weight on.

What did any of that matter now anyway? He knew what he had to do now. He wasn’t as nearly as naïve as he had been back then. He knew better and he wasn’t going to let the past repeat itself. This time, things would be different.

This time, he wouldn’t fail.

“Why is it that I always seem to hurt the people around me?”

The quiet question brought his attention to the present.

“It’s the same as before. Because of me…Mom…Mom died. Yuzu and Karin were hurt so badly. You…you nearly got yourself killed- because of me…”

That night echoed with startling quality in Ichigo’s mind again. His hands tightened, half moons digging into the soft skin of his palm.

“I couldn’t do anything then…not this time either. What good is it then…this power, this ability if I can’t do anything? If I’m still so weak? What good is any of it if I can’t even protect the people around me? If I can’t even protect myself? I only hurt them…that’s all I do…I hate it!!! I hate this…”

“Then why are you accepting it!? Why don’t you do something about it?”

The words came out harsher than he expected but this self-pity was loathsome to him. Too much- it reminded him too much of the immature him, thinking the same thing after that night- No, he wouldn’t let him resign himself- not when he could still change things for himself…

“Is that the type of man you’ve become, Ichigo? A coward that so easily is ready to turn on his heels and run? That’s not the kind of man I raised you to be- nor the kind your mother raised …”

That set him off.

“Shut up! What do you understand?”

Isshin forcefully crushed the cigarette out under his foot before answering, his tone very sombre.

“More than you think kid.”

The tone of voice reminded Ichigo that he was right and all at once he felt ashamed.

“Oyaji…”

“Look Ichigo,” Isshin cut in, “It doesn’t matter anymore. As much as we all want it to be different, that night did happen- everything happened and she’s gone. People died. As bad as it was, it’s the past now. There’s nothing to be done about it. No matter what we do or think, it won’t change any of that. But if it makes you feel this bad, then don’t just feel bad about it- do something about it. Get stronger. Get stronger and atone for it by protecting as much as you can. Get stronger and make sure that there will never be another night like that again. There’s no use in just having these feelings if you aren’t going to do anything but feel sorry. If you feel regret, get stronger to overcome it. If you feel afraid, get strong enough to conquer it. I didn’t raise any cowards Ichigo , so stop running! Stop running away from the things you fear and get stronger to beat your demons...and if it’s him that you fear, get stronger to beat him into submission!”

Get stronger ka?

If only it were that easy...

“It was never going to be easy since it’s come to this,” Isshin continued in a calmer voice, “you can’t change the past Ichigo, but you can make a better future. It’s up to you what will happen now...your decision to make...so ask yourself- what do I want to do?”

The boy didn’t respond and he thought perhaps he wouldn’t answer him at all but then, he spoke.

“Oyaji...I want to get stronger. I don’t want a repeat of the past. I don’t want anyone else to be hurt because of me. I...I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to protect them- Yuzu, Karin...everyone that I can...”

“That’s a heavy resolution,” Isshin returned now, serious, as he took up a familiar stance, digging his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “Are you willing to put your life on the line to keep it?”

Ichigo glanced down at the stone memoir. He owed it to her…

“I won’t die so easily,” he responded, “I won’t give up this life that she gave me so easily. I told her I would protect her and I didn’t. This time, I won’t fail. I’ll protect everything that is important to me- Karin, Yuzu, this town, everyone… I won’t say anything heroic like I’ll die trying ...but I won’t go into it half-assedly either. I won’t die foolishly but I want to do this...even if it costs me my life.”

“Those are some strong words.”

They were…but those were the truest reflections of his feelings. He didn’t want anyone else to be hurt because of him and he was going to try his darndest to make sure that it wouldn’t happen again.

“Here.”

Ichigo stared down at the bag being offered to him before reluctantly accepting it. He already had a good idea now of the contents...

“You should go then,” Isshin said now, “He’s probably waiting for you already.”

Ichigo didn’t doubt that.

He gripped the bag tight, suddenly happy his father had come. His lips almost curved at the thought.

“You know,” he said now, “this is kind of funny.”

“Funny?” Isshin returned a little puzzled.

“Hmm,” Ichigo returned, staring off in the distance, “I never thought I’d see the day you would start acting like a real responsible father.”

Isshin laughed.

“As long as you’re a pain in the ass brat, I guess there’s sometimes I gotta act like that too,” he returned.

“Whatever,” Ichigo returned as he turned to walk past him, “just hurry up and go home, baka jii-san. You know how much you dislike this place.”

But didn’t they all...

“I’ll go...in a minute,” Isshin returned.

Ichigo made a sound to indicate he’d heard him and then with a small wave over his shoulder, he left, leaving his father alone with the remains of the woman, the center of their world…the woman who had died to save him- and the reason he wouldn’t allow himself to fail this time. He refused to lose any more precious things…

He went directly to his destination and found his father’s words to be quite true.

He was indeed waiting, seated idly on the steps of his shop. Seeing him there, he wondered now how he had not recognised him the first time but that man had wiped himself cleanly from his memories...and acted excellently in his pretence of not knowing him at all that time.

“Ahh...if it isn’t Kurosaki-kun,” he began, rising from his seated position, “What brings you here?”

“You can quit it,” he responded, “the act. I already remember.”

“Is that so?” the shopkeeper returned, “Then what can I do for you, Kurosaki-kun? I’m sure you’re not here to catch up on old times.”

“You already know,” the boy answered, “but in case you want me to say it out loud, I want you to finish what you started.”

“That,” the shopkeeper responded, “is a tall order. It won’t be easy. Are you sure Kurosaki-kun?”

“I didn’t ask for easy,” Ichigo responded.

“In that case, then right this way, Kurosaki-kun. We’ve been waiting.”

“We?” Ichigo questioned as he followed him up to the door.

“Aa,” the shopkeeper responded opening the door, “we.”

“It’s about time.”

He started at the voice.

“Tatsuki!? What...?”

“Not just Tatsuki-chan,” the shopkeeper returned, “everyone is here.”

Everyone, Ichigo realised as he entered fully, included Sado and Orihime. Rukia still hadn’t returned from her report to Soul Society though it seemed.

“What are you all doing here?” he questioned now.

“They’re here for the same reason as you,” the shopkeeper offered.

“Same as me?” Ichigo questioned.

“This guy here…he explained everything to us- about these hollows and what they do, about you and what happened yesterday,” Tatsuki responded, “…I don’ fully understand it even now- but I know what happened yesterday. That wasn’t a dream -even if I still find it hard to believe. These bruises and cuts aren’t an illusion- they hurt like hell!”

“ Even so,” she continued, “after last night and hearing things from this guy, there’s just no way we could even think about continuing in ignorance. We can’t just sit back and let those things kill people and consume souls. So we made the choice- all of us- we don’t want those things hurting anyone else.”

He was going to say those thoughts were nice but only thoughts since they couldn’t do much else but then Sado spoke up.

“So, you said that once Ichigo came, you’d tell us more about these new abilities we all seem to have gotten since last night…”

“Ah, yes,” Urahara responded, “that…”

Ichigo’s brows drew together.

“The little ‘gift’ you’ve all received, courtesy of Kurosaki-kun…Hmm…to explain…I think you’ll understand better once we start.”

“Start what?” Ichigo asked, truly puzzled.

“Training,” the shopkeeper answered.

As soon as he said that, another familiar voice added, “And I think we can help with that…right Renji?”

“Is this really alright?”

It was already three days since that day and he was currently sitting on a rock, watching the orange top and red-head go at each other- something his eyes didn’t even waver from on her entrance or question.

“Those kids...will it really be alright for them? Even with this...” she began again.

“He’s going to need all the help he can get,” he returned without looking at her. “Those kids will be all he has.”

She sat down next to him.

“I admit, they have quite a bit of potential. That Arisawa girl, she has a natural style to my own. She would be great to teach some of my techniques...”

“Trying to create another Soifon?” he asked half-jokingly.

She glared at him before looking back out into the night.

“We tried before,” she said softly after a little while, “And in the end, there was only so much we could do. It could be the same this time- only more people would be injured… And don’t think I’m saying this because I doubt you- you know better than that…but those things…those kids could die if this fails.”

“Aa,” came the reply, “That’s why I definitely won’t fail this time.”

And with this, it had come full circle- all the resolutions had been made…

But like the best made plans, they were only playthings for the devils handiwork.

This chapter is a bit on the slow side but it’s the foundation for a lot more so I hope guys will still like it. Please review and let me know what you think