Don't stand still, Go Foward
Blood coated hands ran through blood coated white hair. Tears were streaming down hi face as he rocked back and forth, clinging to the lifeless body. He body shook, his shoulders trembled as he cried. He couldn't hear anything but his own voice, repeating the same word.
No no no no no no no.
He knew that whenever he felt a hand touch him he would scream and try to shrink away more until the hand left. He could feel the body in his arms become colder and colder. He wasn't sure how much time had pasted.
He didn't care. If anything he wanted to be frozen in time. He didn't want to go on. He didn't want to take any steps foward, not without...
Not with his—
He felt hands grip his shoulders and pull. He screamed. He felt them take him away. He saw them take him away. He tried to go after them but he was tired and weak. He only had the strength to scream out. He was pulled into...a hug? He looked to see Rukia through teary eyes. He stopped fighting. He leaned into Rukia and wept. He felt more weight on himself. He heard the voices of Renji and Matsumoto. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he knew he was surrounded by his friends.
He soon fell into a deep, undisturbed slumber.
When he awoke he found himself in a bed. He sat up slowly, his wounds protesting against it, but he ignored them. How long had he been here? Noting his wounds only ached, he figured a few days.
He was unaware of his surroundings and failed to notice the small figure of Rukia standing by the door watching him with worried eyes. His eyes, were glazed over, clearly remembering the horrible events that took place days before.
Tears started to fall once again, though his face expressionless, they still fell. He remember watching him fall. His wings of ice shattering. His small body falling as blood trailed behind him in the air. His heart stopped when he caught him and saw the fatal wound. Teal green eyes opened up, filled with pain.
But he smiled.
He smiled and whispered his last words to him.
He smiled a little as he clutched the sheets as more tears shook his body.
Rukia looked away and silently closed the door. There was no way she could help him. She couldn't say she understood his pain. Even though Kaien meant a lot to her, she couldn't say she loved him as much as those two loved each other.
He was released from the Fourth Division and returned to the real world. Everything went on as if the war never happened. Each day he started to open up a little more to Orihime, Chad, and Ishida. He even talked to his father and sometimes cried into the older mans arms. He became more active in his sisters lives as well. Playing soccer with Karin and helping Yuzu cook.
But everyone knew he was still in tremendous pain on the inside.
He lay awake on his bed, covered in sweat. Tonight he had a nightmare. A nightmare that was a mere memory of that day. He sat up, his breathing labored. He quietly got dressed and left the house. He walked aimlessly for a few minutes around the sleeping Karakura town. He soon found himself sitting by a lake he brought Hitsugaya to on his birthday. Of course, then it was frozen.
That was the day he taught Hitsugaya how to ice skate.
Also the day they first kissed. He remembered it perfectly.
Hitsugaya was shaky at first, but quickly got the hang of it. He wasn't a prodigy for nothing. Even though he got the hang of it, even professionals fall every now and then. Hitsugaya braced himself to hit the ice hard, but instead found an arm around him.
This was the first time he saw the boy have a tint of red in his face, and he knew it wasn't from the cold. He found himself inching closer and closer to the boy.
Then Hitsugaya closed the gap.
Time stood still as the two reiatsu swirled together in harmony. The two only broke the passionate kiss for air.
Only a week later, he wakes up with the small captain up against his chest in bed.
He removed his shoes, rolled you the bottom of his pants, and placed his legs in the water. It was cold at first but soon he adjusted. He remembered the time he pushed Hitsugaya in. The captain soon pulled him in as well.
The smile on his face faded. He looked down at his reflection in the water. He remembered the words Hitsugaya had said to him before he pasted away.
I love you, Ichigo, but promise me, you'll go foward.
He knew what he meant. Hitsugaya didn't want him to stay frozen in time, only lingering on memories.
Living in the past.
No.
He won't do that. He'll go foward. He'll continue to live.
He'll live for the both of them.
Ichigo looked up into the starry sky and smiled.
A true smile and said...
"It's a promise."
End
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I have a thing with wondering how Ichigo and Toshiro would deal with the death of the other. Hope you enjoyed it! It's 1:53 am, this took long but I like it.