On the Knife's edge between life and death.

Sakura watched all of this not sure of how to take it or what to make of it but stood there none the less taking in the sight before her.

Ichigo reared backwards. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but he had been caught off gaurd by Ryo's sudden fury and had just managed to get away with a shallow cut. Something was off here. Very off.

Ryo looked at Sakura and nudged his head to ask her to come and nurse Benishihones wounds she was badly hurt "Help my zanpaktou spirit please she's hurt badly... And YOU!! Your about to feel my wrathe!!" Ichigo had made the fatal mistake of pissing Ryo off.... He charged without a second thought and slammed his blade against his with amazing force and pressure...

Sakura flicked over to Benishihone and sighed as she began treating the wound. Her hands hovering above the wound as she used her gifts to heal the wounded Zanpakuto Spirit.

Ichigo grit his teeth as he staggered backwards in the air trying to get out of the way a couple of times before he narrowed his eyes and summoned his mask, true it was his fault and he'd accept that that he messed up and accidently hurt her, that had not been his intention but he wasn't about to let Ryo kill him either. "I'm sorry, hurting her was not my intention." Ichigo said his voice coming out slightly shrill. "Trying to burn off the liqour." He said lightly.

Ryo jumped back and said... "Liquor??.... Where the hell did you get Liquor in Soul Society it's a great offense in Soul Society for an underage man to drink?...." Ryo groweled.... "I smell foul play from a noble family..." Ryo was hated by the nobles and was often targeted by them by any means nessecary even if it meant taking out his lover...

Ichigo looked at him, to drunk to really think about it since he knew it wasn't right for him to drink but he had been lost in the moment playing a game. "Kuchiki-taicho..." he murmered shaking his head. It was perhaps the first and only time he had ever addressed a Captain with title but then again his head was really buzzing on him, and he lost his footing going down towards the earth only to regain it just above and held his head boy did it throb! He was sixteen just turned sixteen and really not old enough to be drinking that was for sure!

Ryo had once told Sakura about his issues with the nobles and how Byakuya was the worst known for opposing him.... "BYAKUYA!......" Ryo's anger exploded she had only seen his true power when he was angry once but it definately wasnt good his spirit pressure filled the air and super heated it as he prepared to go too Soul Society and fight a duel to the death only Sakura could stop him at this point...

Sakura blinked and Shunpo'd up to Ryo appearing before him. "This won't solve it, it's just what he wants Ryo please calm down." She said as she floated there before him. Sakura looked at him as she moved unafraid of being hurt by him and hugged him wrapping her arms around Ryo. "Don't do this Byakuya will win the moment you take up this fight. Even if you kill him he will win. He's counting on it." She said as she held him.

Ichigo sighed as he straightened up releasing his mask. "It's not you." He said as his head throbbed. "Byakuya has this thing against me." he had a feeling that Byakuya was doing it again.

Ryo calmed himself slowly at her touch.... then said... "We both fell for his cheap tricks he'll pay for this!..." He glanced down at her father then said... "but right now I have more important things to worry about rather than beating the hell outta that old bastard..." He floated down to where her father stood then looked at her and said... "I'm ready ask away...." He stood there silently...

Sakura took a deep breath as she looked at the man she loved he had floated down while holding her so they were both on the ground then at her father. Ryo was willing to talk about it while her father was be closed off about it. "Ryo...what excatly happened between the two of you?" she asked looking at him.

Ichigo sat down off to the side holding his head and just waiting for the dull roar to stop. He'd get even with Byakuya later for this one. He wasn't sure how just yet but he would get even with that Fool Captain later on. Of that he was certain.

Ryo stayed silent a moment then said... "Iv'e already told you if you remember that there was a man that left my deceased wife for dead with a bunch of hollows then fleed to the human world and that id been searching for him ever since..... that man was your father..." He waited for the man to speak up and defend himself...
(OOC: I got nothing for the side of her father so thats all you..)

Sakura looked between them and listened as Seishiro Hitsugaya sighed.

"I didn't have a choice." he said in a low tone. "They had taken a living child and ran with her. She was injured but...I didn't know she was dying. I had to make the choice and I made it. Believing that while I was chasing the hollow the Fourth would arrive and heal her." Seishiro stood there. "I managed to save the child but on the way back discovered that she had died while I was going after the hollows." Seishiro closed his eyes he had made a fair share of mistakes but this one ate at him. His Shinigami Partner in that fight or the child....and she had wanted him to save the child.

"Captain commander Yamamoto wanted me to return to the Seireitei and I couldn't. I couldn't face everyone knowing that I had failed being able to save her. I believed that by sealing off my powers and living here as nothing more then a mortal would ensure that I recieved the punishment nessary for my faliure." he said as he stood there.

Sakura was quiet it wasn't that she didn't believe her father, she wasn't sure what to do at the moment and so simply remained quiet.

Ryo was silent then walked up to the man and punched him hard in the face and grab his shirt.... With tears in his eyes he said... "You should have told me.... we were at one time best freinds and yet... yet you... YOU COULDNT EVEN TELL ME THE TRUTH?!" He looked at seishiro confused and angry all he wanted to know was the truth from the person he once called freind...

Seishiro didn't block the blow and accepted it. "How could I tell you?" He asked looking at him. "How could I tell you that I failed and because of that she had died..." He closed his eyes. "I killed off the hollows but allowed it to go that it was my fault because it was. This way....there was an outlet for the pain." Seishiro said looking at Ryo, he had made so many mistakes in the past and now this one. He had done what he could to make sure that Ryo had a place to let that pain out at, to make sure that it didn't eat him alive, even if it meant that one day they would be fighting to the death. And to make sure that Ryo never had time to question and figure out the truth he attacked first. No the problem was his daughter. Sakura refused to accept that outcome that Seishiro believed was the only one that was fair to Ryo.

Ryo grabbed him and said rather loudly... "YOU THINK I GIVE A RATS ASS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED?! I JUST WANTED TO KNOW THAT YOU TRIED..... thats it..."He let him go then sighed as he turned to gether himself a moment while Sakura spoke up...

Seishiro shook his head. "But I left her side on the battle field." he said in a low flat tone. It hurt to this day if he had stayed could he have saved her.

"You said you where counting on the fourth..." She said softly.

"yeah, a few of the fourth division had arrived just as they took off....she told me to go save the child she'd be fine..." Seishiro closed his eyes. "It wasn't until after that I learned she had died." He looked at Ryo. "Sorry Ryo I should have told you..." But he felt like he was such a coward.

Sakura looked between them and sighed. "But you where there until help arrived. You where with her until the fourth Appeared and only left her side because she said she'd be okay you did everything you could dad."
Seishiro shook his head then hollared in pain as a fist connected soundly with his head a second time. Courtisy of one Kurosaki Ichigo. "Who..."
"Susbtitue Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki." He said as he stood there glaring at him. "Quit being such an Idiot, Ryo's not looking for a scape goat he's looking for the truth and knowing that you where there for her until help arrived is better then thinking she was alone and there was no one with her at all because his idiotic best friend who is a HITSUGAYA wasn't smart enough to know what's most important!" Ichigo ranted who boy the liqiour was doing fun things to him at the moment.

Ryo was very surprised to Ichigo understanding so well of how Ryo felt it made him kinda happy to have someone other than Sakura understand him..... "Seishiro.... I have waited over 100 years to say this one thing to you......." He walked over and kneeled down tears in his eyes... "I forgive you my freind you did all you could thats all I could ask for...."The tears dripped down his cheeks slowly and that was unusual for him...

Seishiro looked at him and took a deep breath. "Thank you." he said and reached down placing a hand on Ryo's shoulder. "Thank you and I'm sorry I could not have done more to bring her back to you." He said in a low tone. There was no anger but for the first time in over a hundred years Seishiro Hitsugaya felt the tears he had denied himself fall.

Sakura shook her head. Geez they were a handful. She sighed as she checked on Benishihone. "There's no such thing as something that can not be forgiven, no crime so great it can not be undone, no sin so terrible it will make you forsake except for one." She mused lowly to herself as she felt something inside of her shift. The only sin the only crime that could not be forgiven was trying to become the 'King' of all. Her father had tried, had honestly tried and as Seishiro dropped to his knees to offer what comfort to his friend. She looked at them.

Ichigo sighed as he sat down the throbbing really was ridiculous. He couldn't wait for it to go away since he could not go home like this.

Ryo stood up and walked over to Sakura there was still one or two peices of buissness to take care of before he went to the Soul Society.... He knelt down beside Benishihone... "Ready to go home?..." She just nodded and with that he took her back into his sword then he took Sakuras hand and turned to Seishiro...

Seishiro looked between them as he watched Ryo take Sakura's hand and shook his head not in a no I won't approve manner but more of a marveling at the way things were going manner. "You'll take care of her..." He said although he really didn't have the right to ask he had to. Sakura was his baby and part of him was afraid that he would loose her now for good.

Sakura smiled a bit and nodded to her dad. She was sure she was safe with Ryo.

Ichigo stood and groaned. "I'm going back with you two when you go." he said looking at them. "I need Rangiku's hangover remedy..."he mumbled. And perhaps to pester Toshiro a bit while he was at it as well.

Ryo nodded with a grin then heard Ichigo's request and started laughing thinking of Rangiku's 'cure for a mans hangover' move that she once tried on Ryo..... "If I were you I wouldnt want to get stomped into the dirt by Orihime and Rukia..." Her little remedy was rather sexual...

Seishiro looked. "Rangiku? As in Rangiku Matsumoto right?"
"yeah." Ichigo said holding his head.

"Take Ryo's warning and don't go near her right now....trust me there's a reason her drinking buddies are all guys young man. And if you think about it carefully...."
Ichigo turned a bright shade of red that put those orange locks of his to shame. The deathberry took a deep breath and held his head.

"If you know Rangiku then you know Toshiro. My suggestion go talk to him and he'll be able to help you."

"T'Shiro?" Ichigo slurred a little as he had been all morning. "Toshiro doesn't drink...."

"No..." Seishiro said in an agreeing tone. "But he does have to sober up a rather drunk Vice-captain quiet often right?"
Ichigo nodded. "Alright....I'll talk to T'shiro." He said lightly.

Sakura tipped her head. "Um....Ichi-kun...."

"Be fine." Ichigo said with a certainity that he really wasn't feeling at the moment.

Ryo snickered then said.... "You could always go to her for a quick booty call...." He started laughing at the thought then he realized he'd faint from embarrassment before he could ever get that lucky.... "Ichigo....... your a virgin arent you?...." He tipped his head... "It just dawned on me that you fainted from having a heart attack at accidently seeing Orihimes boos last week.... and yeah..." He said no more figuring they could guess what he would say next....

Sakura also turned... if he wasn't it would be too dangerous to allow him to continue to try for Excaliber. She waited to hear his answer as well.

"What the hell!?" Ichigo shouted looking at him face beat red going right down his neck as well. "So...so what I fainted! And what the problem if I'm not excatly concerned about getting laid at the moment!" He shouted at Ryo. "I've got more important things to worry about at the moment like keeping those around me alive." He said as he looked at them. Then groaned and held his head. "Will this blasted headache just goo away...." he groaned.

Ryo grinned and patted him on the head... "Thats good now you will be able to weild Excaliber..... maybe...." He whispered in his ear and said... "Be sure the next time you see her boobs not to be afraid to grab and squeeze sometimes a woman needs a man to be a man..." He started laughing as he walked away and prepared to open the portal....

Sakura looked at them and shook her head as she walked over to Ryo hearing Ichigo...and it wasn't pretty.

Ichigo let loose a string of curses and colorful words as he pinched the bridge of his nose. No matter how hard he tried to be good in that aspect he was still a teenager and still had raging hormones. "Bakayarou." He finished off with.

Sakura sighed. "I don't even want to know what you said to him Ryo." She said shaking her head as Ichigo approached them getting closer yet.