Disclaimer – I don't own Bleach

Send Off

By Crimson Skies

Dai found himself wondering again exactly what he was doing. The hospital's stark atmosphere made him uncomfortable. He pushed his insecurities down and focused on finding the correct room number. When he reached the room he found the door slightly ajar. Laughter could be heard form inside. That didn't seem to be the right kind of atmosphere for a dying man's room. He glanced down again at the paper in his hand, checking the number on it against the number of the room. They matched.

Maybe he didn't need to be here? He'd gotten the call this morning while his father was still at work. If his father had picked up the phone Dai probably would have never found out about his uncle's condition. His father hated his uncle. Dai had found out shortly after his eleventh birthday that his father blamed his uncle for his mother's death. He had never exactly found out why.

Dai only had vague memories of his uncle. In his mental image was an orange haired man with a permanent scowl. Oddly, he didn't remember ever thinking the expression was scary. He'd certainly seen his uncle often, up until the age of six. That had been the age when his mother died. His father had strictly forbidden him from seeing or speaking to his uncle. Now at the age of sixteen he stood outside his uncle's room. His father would probably kill him but…

…but his uncle was dying. And Dai was the only member of his family that could go. His grandfather had passed away some time ago and his Aunt Karin was in another country. Even if she took a flight immediately she probably wouldn't make it. Something inside Dai demanded that he go. It was just the right thing to do.

Bracing himself, he knocked on the door. The voices paused. Then there were footsteps. The door was opened the rest of the way. On the other side was and older looking woman. She looked surprised. She must have seen the hesitation on his face because her features melted into a warm smile.

"Who is it Orihime?" a voice called from inside.

"Ah, another visitor!" she said. Stepping aside, she gestured for Dai to enter.

He flashed the woman a grateful smile as he walked past her. Inside the room there was a group of people standing around the hospital bed. They parted for him when he approached. As he caught his first glimpse at the man who was his uncle for the first time in over ten years he panicked. What if his uncle didn't remember him? How was he supposed to explain?

All his worry was for nothing. When the man in the bed caught side of him his eyes widened in recognition. "Dai! You're here!"

Dai's weak smile grew a little stronger. He waved a bit, though he felt silly afterwards. "Of course I'm here," he said, finding his voice. Taking a good look at the man in bed, he felt his smile slipping. For a moment he'd thought maybe there had been a mistake. With the seemingly light atmosphere in the room he'd thought maybe his uncle was just sick or injured. But no, this man was definitely dying. For a man who should have been in his early sixties, he looked twenty years older. His hair wasn't even entirely gray. There were stubborn streaks of orange still. The deep lines, pale complexion, and tired eyes gave it away. And he was thin. Very, very thin. Dai chewed at his lower lip. "Of course I'm here," he repeated softly.

"None of that," the man scolded. His voice was strong even if nothing else was. "Come here, kid." He waved weakly to a space at his side. Once again the people parted. This time they didn't just move out of the way, but headed toward the door. Dai noticed as they walked past that most of them looked to be his uncle's age.

"We'll just be down in the cafeteria for a bit," one of the men said. He walked with a cane and limped a bit. From his manner Dai guessed that it was more from some kind of old injury than from age. He caught Dai's gaze with sharp eyes. It was creepy then, the way he pushed his glasses up his nose and the light reflected of the lenses. Then he proceeded out the door, listening to the rapid speech of the woman known as Orihime. He was followed closely behind by a few others.

One man paused near the doorway. He was a giant of a man. At least it seemed that way to Dai. "See you later, Ichigo," he said.

"Yeah." Dai's uncle actually smirked. "Later, Chad."

"It's Sado," the man sighed. Then he nodded solemnly before following after the rest.

Then Dai was left alone with his uncle. He came to stand by his uncle's bed. The dying man's stare was unnerving. Nervously, Dai glance around the room trying to think of what to say.

"This is a nice room," he said finally, feeling pathetic.

"Ishida, the man with the cane, owns this hospital."

"…I see." Dai looked back at his uncle and found him still staring.

"Am I making you uncomfortable? Sorry. You just look so much like Yuzu – your mother," he explained. He chuckled a bit. It turned quickly into a rasping cough. Dai started at the harsh sound. He wondered if there was something he should do. Just before he was about to call a nurse the hacking subsided. Ichigo saw his panicked look and shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter. I'm dying you know. There's nothing they can do," he said.

"They said you refused treatment," Dai said then.

"Yeah, that's right. All they could have done is prolonged the inevitable. It's easier this way," Ichigo told him. Silence stretched out between them.

"I'm sorry," Dai blurted finally.

"For what? None of this is your fault." His uncle shifted a bit against the pillows, as thought trying to make himself more comfortable.

"It doesn't…you're not bothered?"

"By what? Dying? Meh. Minor detail," Ichigo scoffed. Dai gaped at him. Dying? A minor detail?

"I mean that…well…I never came before."

"Oh that. I told you, little idiot, it's not your fault. You didn't even know, right? No don't answer that. I'm not trying to fault your father or something. What happened, he could never understand it. The way things were handled was probably not the best, but no one's to blame." The cough returned then. It sounded even worse than it had a minute ago.

"Still…"

"You know," Ichigo interrupted. "I'm glad you came. That's enough." Then his face twisted and he looked like he'd just remembered something. "You know, you should expect another call some time this week. I left some stuff for you in my will." He looked pleased at the surprised look on Dai's face. "What, you though your uncle wouldn't leave you anything? Damn it kid. That question was rhetorical," he interrupted when Dai opened his mouth to answer. His voice was light, but his eyes and breathing looked strained.

"I should…I should get a nurse. Or one of the others," Dai said, backing away a step.

"Nah. Stay. Just stay for a couple minutes more."

"But…"

"So that you don't regret it later. That's all. It's about time. I'm tired of being sick…weak…" The dying man was staring at the trembling hand he held in from of his face. Then he sighed and let it drop back on the covers. Dai felt torn. Swallowing, he moved back to the side of the bed once more.

"How can you…how can you know that? I could call the nurses. They could…they could do something."

"By the time they get here it'll be too late. Dai, when you know death like I do it's easy to tell," he was in pain, it was obvious. Somehow he still managed to sound amused.

"But the others…the ones here before…?" Dai started. Ichigo shook his head minutely.

"They knew. You're the one who needs the resolution. Me too, I guess."

Dai was stunned. He, who didn't even really know this man, was the one that needed to be there? He didn't understand. But if he hadn't been able to do this one thing for his uncle, he thought he'd regret it. Perhaps that was what had made him come, the gut feeling that he'd regret not having done this. If nothing else he'd let his uncle know that he hadn't forgotten him.

"Yeah, I guess so," he murmured back. His eyes were blurry. He felt like crying, all for a man he barely knew. But this man was his uncle. Suddenly he wasn't so sure about having no regrets. In the few moments he'd been in the room he realized something. He'd always had a sixth sense for people. Right now he wished that he'd been able to know his uncle. Something told him he was an extraordinary man. If he hadn't come, would he regret not having known his uncle? He couldn't find any words to say.

"Hey, don't worry about it," came a soft whisper. "I said I was glad you came, didn't I?"

Dai smiled at his uncle. The kind of man who could banish insecurities he realized. No, he would not regret coming. He would regret not having known his uncle better, but he would not regret learning what he had that day. There were no words to say then. Dai just stood next to the bed, to simply be present for his uncle. Long minutes passed.

The end came in an anticlimactic sort of way. Dai watched his uncle close his eyes. Oddly, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk. And then his breathing stopped. He was gone. Just like that.

Dai stood staring for a whole minute before turning towards the door in something of a daze, thinking faintly that he should call the nurse. He was halfway to the door when he heard a rustle behind him. He froze at the sound of someone standing up. Turning to look over his shoulder, he whirled completely around at what he saw. His eyes widened as his jaw dropped.

At the side of the bed stood a man in dressed entirely in black robes. His back was to Dai as he looked down at the lifeless body. There was a huge sword strapped to his back. The only bit of real color Dai could see on his person was the bright orange of his hair, an unusual color he'd only seen on one other person. The figure turned slowly to face him. Dai's feet caught as he stepped back, making him fall on his ass. He stared up into the face of his uncle. The face, it was exactly the same. The only difference was that it was younger. The man who stood before him was young, maybe a few years older than him.

The orange haired man smirked at him. Dai stared in bewilderment as he spoke a few, short sentences to him. And then he was gone, leaping straight out of the fourth story window. Scrambling to his feet, Dai rushed to the window. On a nearby roof top the man stood flanked by two people dressed in similar garb, a woman with dark hair and a man with bright red. The orange haired man looked straight at him and waved. Then the entire group vanished before his eyes. Those final words echoed in his head.

"I'll see you around, Dai. And do me a favor will you? Tell the others…I'll be waiting…"