New story, New story, New story, New story, New story
This is my first strictly Bleach fanfic, instead of my two Harry Potter Bleach crossovers. I feel excited.
Not sure how to categorize this one. I guess it's angst. Or tragedy? I have no clue. I'll just put something in and I'll change the genre later if people tell me what category it falls under.
Its emotional. Because I don't do fluffy happy stories. Not sure why. Maybe because I'm a serious person.
So, the story. I just randomly got his idea. I started writing it out but then I stopped and thought of another idea. Then I combined them. I think it will work out quite well.
Yay for emotional crap! I don't know why I'm good at it! But it works so let's just go with it!
So yeah... I don't own Bleach! Hope you like it.
Also! This takes place in some weird period after Ichigo got his powers back after Aizen but doesn't include the events of the most recent Bleach chapters.
Ichigo stared at the solemn face of Ryuuken Ishida, then to the side at the look of horror on his own father's face. "I have what?" He deadpanned, not wanting to believe what the doctor was telling him.
"You have lung cancer." Was the straight reply, his blank face failing to hide the sadness in his eyes.
"Can it be treated?" The substitute-shinigami choked. There was no way he had cancer. He was only eighteen!
"I'm afraid not. It is the final stage, any treatment would be useless." The older man explained softly, depressed at the state of the young man, who certainly didn't deserve such a fate.
"How long do I have?"
"A few months at the most."
Isshin let out a strangled sob and Ichigo looked at him with sad eyes.
"And at the least?" It almost killed him to ask, but he needed to know what to expect from his disease.
"Two weeks." Ryuuken couldn't look at the student anymore, his eyes darkening before he shut them, brow furrowing from the pained look on the boy's face. For he was just that, a boy. For all others treated Kurosaki Ichigo, he was only eighteen. He was eighteen and dying. He would not even live long enough to graduate high school. The thought of a boy, the same age as his son, having his life cut so short was crippling. He had to deal with death on a regular basis as part of his career, but it always killed him when it happened to the young.
Isshin stared at his son, his beautiful, powerful, selfless, caring, kind son. Isshin thought his heart was going to die, looking at the despair that nestled deep into his son's beautiful chocolate brown eyes as the realization sunk in. He felt tears begin to fall down his face but he didn't care, this situation was completely justified to cry over. His son, who had done so much for Soul Society and the Living World, was having his life ripped away from him by an inescapable enemy, disease.
Isshin had noticed that his son had not been well for a while, but had not thought it was so bad. Had seen Ichigo fighting or coming back from a fight, coughing harshly. A few weeks ago he had noticed his son coughing blood for hours after being thrown into a building by a hollow. He had tried to let him examine him, but Ichigo just waved him off, assuring him that he was fine. He had continued to worry until he had received a call from Ichigo's school, saying he had collapsed during gym. He had rushed over, only to be told that Ichigo had had a coughing fit during the mile and had collapsed, coughing up blood. The nurse was incredibly worried, explaining that Ichigo had been frequenting the infirmary lately but had made her promise to not call Isshin. When Ichigo regained consciousness Isshin had rushed him off to Ryuuken's hospital to get a medical exam. Ichigo had objected at first, until he had begun to cough hard, sounding like he was coughing his lungs out, and had trouble breathing in the hospital waiting room.
And now this.
Isshin wanted to fight Ryuuken's words. He wanted to say that Ichigo could beat this. But he was a doctor too; he knew there was no escape once cancer entered the final stage.
Ichigo sucked in a shuddering breath, his eyes screwed shut, and both the older men in the room felt depression weigh in them. His brown eyes snapped open and a pained smile stretched over his face, which made the men feel even worse, Ichigo was trying to make them feel better, he was trying to make it look like he was fine. "Well," his tone an attempt at being lighthearted, and failing miserably by the dull look in his eyes, "I don't want anyone to know."
"Ichigo…" Isshin attempted, knowing his son would not be doing himself any favors by hiding his condition.
Ichigo's eyes turned hard despite the fact that there was less fire in his eyes, "No. I don't want people worrying over me. I won't tell them unless they figure it out themselves. Don't tell anyone. At least not until….."
Ryuuken cringed at the strangled last word and nodded; knowing Uryuu would be mad at him when he found out his father knew and didn't tell him. He would respect the boy's wishes; he would not have many more before…. He snapped out of that thought, not wanting to finish it.
Isshin still wanted to object but the dim fire in his son's eyes made him nod silently, he would do as his son wished, even if he knew it would crush his daughters when they found out. Ichigo was always the one protecting others and hated being treated like he was weak, even if he now was. "Alright, but you'll have to take it easy on your Soul reaper duties, you will make it worse if you fight."
Ichigo grit his teeth but nodded stiffly, knowing his father had a point. He would try, but he wouldn't let it stop him if his friends were in danger.
The Kurosaki's left the hospital after Ryuuken gave Ichigo some pills that would help with the coughing fits and the pain. Ryuuken took Isshin aside for a moment, "Make sure you watch him Kurosaki, the final stage is incredibly painful, make sure he takes his medicine even if he says he's fine. He'll put up a tough front but he needs to be on the medication if he's going to live longer. Look out for him and try to keep him from strenuous activities; it'll just aggravate his lungs." Isshin just nodded and walked home with his son, keeping his eyes on the tall boy the whole way.
There were no further incidents for three weeks, which made Isshin think that his son would be alright for longer than Ryuuken had said. He managed to hide his condition from his friends and sisters, not even Urahara or the visiting shinigami caught on.
Ichigo was walking home with Uryu from school when he suddenly stopped, gripping the front of his shirt as he started coughing harshly. Uryu was at his side instantly when he leant up against the wall lining the road, staring into his face to try and see what was wrong. Ichigo forcibly paused in his coughing fit and gasped, "Get my dad," before he was once again busy trying to clear his lungs.
Uryu was off like a shot, heading straight for the Kurosaki Clinic and using Hirenkyaku despite the fact that people might see him, Ichigo's coughing did not seem healthy at all, it made him feel like it demanded attention as soon as possible. He slammed the door to the clinic open and Isshin looked up, startled. He was alone, which was a bit odd to Uryu, but he just slumped, trying to catch his breath.
"What is it Uryu?" Isshin's voice was concerned, as befitting a doctor, but it turned painfully serious when Uryuu gasped out, "Ichigo." Isshin snatched a small bag and a bottle of water sitting on a counter and raced past the panting Quincy, heading directly for Ichigo.
Uryu was concerned when they reached the substitute to see him on the ground coughing blood onto the road. Isshin grabbed his son by the shoulders and propped him up so he was sitting upright, leaning onto his father's shoulder. The older man pulled a bottle out of the bag and wrenched the cap off, shaking two pills into Ichigo's open palm, handing him the water once he tossed the white pills into his mouth.
Isshin looked over his son's face, worried as he managed to get his breathing under control. Then he turned to Uryu who was watching the pair of them with a suspicious look on his face and concern in his eyes.
Ichigo wiped the blood off his mouth and swallowed, "Thanks, that was a bad one. Haven't had one in a while so I thought I'd be alright without my meds."
"Stupid son, you're supposed to take them every day to prevent fits." Isshin scolded, worry layering his every word.
"Sorry," Ichigo just mumbled before he noticed Uryu standing over them. He sighed and got to his feet, his father steadying him when he staggered, feeling lightheaded. "Thanks for getting my old man Uryu, I owe you one."
Now the archer frowned, "No, you owe me an explanation. Why are you on medication? What do you mean it's been a while since you've coughed like that? What is wrong with you?"
Ichigo cringed, "Yeah I guess you do deserve to know. Just not here alright?" He walked back to the clinic, leaning heavily on his father every time he felt dizzy.
Uryu watched as Isshin helped his son into a chair as if he would break before taking a seat himself. "So."
Ichigo glanced at his father and sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to escape this explanation with the Quincy, "I'm on medication because I'm sick. Real sick. The meds are supposed to help, but I haven't been taking them the last few days since I thought I didn't need them."
"Sick?"
Ichigo nodded, a resigned look on his face, which didn't suit the headstrong soul reaper at all, Uryu didn't like it. "I have lung cancer. We didn't catch it until it was too late for treatment. The meds are supposed to prevent my coughing fits."
Uryu frowned, unable to wrap his head around the idea of the fiery substitute having a life threatening disease. "How long…?" Wanting to know how long he had known, and therefore been hiding it from them.
Ichigo smiled, but there was no happiness in it, and his eyes darkened, "A few weeks. Almost a month now. I've lasted longer than the minimum estimate, which is good I guess…"
"Minimum?"
"I'm in the last stage of the cancer. It can't be treated. I only got an estimate of how long the doctors think I have left." His smile turned wry and Uryu felt a pressure on his chest.
"An estimate?" Not wanting to know how long his classmate had left but needing to know anyway.
"A few months at the most. The minimum was two weeks, which I have thankfully passed." Ichigo attempted a pleased smile, but it twisted into a grimace as pain flashed across his face and his body curled up, his arms wrapping around his sides. Uryu could see the teen's teeth clenched so hard a muscle in his jaw stood out and he realized Ichigo was trying to hold in his cries.
Isshin laid a hand on the teen's shoulder for a moment before he looked up at Uryu, "I think it's time for you to go home, you can ask your father for more details, he was the one who diagnosed Ichigo." Isshin did not wait for the boy to respond, guiding him outside and shutting the doors to the clinic and locking the door, turning to 'open' sign over to 'closed.'
Uryu stood still for a moment, trying to digest what he had just been told. Ichigo had cancer. Final stage cancer. Ichigo was dying. Only eighteen and dying. With only a few months left. His rival was dying, not even likely to live long enough to graduate. A boy with near god-level power was slowing dying, his incredible reiatsu useless in the face of an opponent impossible to fight, disease.
Kurosaki Ichigo would not die in battle like the warrior he was, he would die in a bed, coughing his lungs out as he lay helpless to do anything. The fact that the spirited, powerfully kind boy would die no matter what anyone did almost made him collapse, his legs grown suddenly weak under his realization. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that someone so powerful and selfless and self-sacrificing wasn't going to be able to graduate, wouldn't be able to grow up, go to college, get married, have a family, grow old and die a peaceful death like he so deserved. He was having his life ripped away prematurely, cruelly. Uryu hated whatever God had done this to his rival, his friend; making him have such a fate after all he had done for not only the Living World, but Soul Society as well.
He used a wall to support himself until he could stand on his own and headed for his father's hospital, intent on getting answers.
The next week went by slowly. Uryu would watch Ichigo like a hawk if they were in the same place and would refuse to give an explanation to their friends as to why he was doing such a thing. Ichigo had only smirked faintly when they asked him if he had done anything to warrant being watched and said, "It's just Uryu being himself."
Their friends didn't believe him of course, watching the two of them as well, trying to figure out what had caused the change in the Quincy's behavior. They had not found anything out so far, but were curious when Ichigo sat out for Gym class all week, telling them he "wasn't feeling well," which only caused Ishida's head to snap towards him and drag him off, demanding questions the whole way. Ishida had actually sat out with Ichigo a few days, sitting with him as he asked the orange haired boy questions in a whisper.
Then Ichigo had missed school on Monday, his father calling in sick for him, and Ishida had been tense all day.
When Ichigo had failed to return to school on Tuesday, his friends thought it odd, but dismissed it as a mild sickness and were sure he would be back tomorrow.
Wednesday came and Ichigo was still absent. Ishida was even more tense, and actually fidgeted throughout his last few classes before racing out once the first chimes of the dismissal bell rang. The others thought it strange, but did not connect Ishida's weird behavior with Ichigo's absence.
The fourth day Ichigo missed school; his friends thought something was wrong. Ichigo never missed school this long, unless he had been seriously injured in a fight, but since Ichigo had not fought any hollows recently there was no reason for him to miss school for so long. Ichigo rarely got sick, and when he did he got over it unnaturally fast. Tatsuki had years of stories of her oldest friend getting over sicknesses that left others bedridden for weeks in a few days. She couldn't remember the last time Ichigo had been out for more than a day or two. Ishida had actually left while their homeroom teacher had been in the middle of reminders for tomorrow, going past the dismissal bell, and had ignored the woman when she yelled for him to get back to the classroom. She had raced into the hallway to make him return to his seat but he had already disappeared. Their friends were suspicious now, they would make Ishida fess up when he was at school tomorrow, they decided.
It was Friday now and Ichigo was still out. Ishida paled when homeroom started and the orangette was still missing. His friends noticed and exchanged slightly concerned glances. Ishida had been tense the past few days, but had not been so obviously worried. That Ishida had looked pointedly at Ichigo's seat and had such a reaction made them begin to worry, maybe something was wrong with Ichigo? They tried to turn their attention back to the lesson but found their eyes straying back to the tensed back of Ishida and the vacant seat of Ichigo.
They cornered him when he was about to escape to eat his lunch alone, something he had been doing since Ichigo's absence. He glared defiantly at them for a moment before noticing their stubborn faces. "Come with me after school. I'm visiting Kurosaki anyway, you might as well come." He pushed past them with a tired sigh and vanished for the lunch period, leaving his friends to exchange confused looks.
They were quiet the rest of the day, even Keigo strangely silent from the resigned look on Ishida's face. The Quincy was unnaturally quiet and the tired look in his eyes told them something was wrong. That it was related to Ichigo just made them even more curious, since the archer made it clear his usual dislike of the Subsitute soul reaper, and was now clearly disturbed at something to do with the boy.
He waited impatiently for them at the dismissal bell, actually shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he practically demanded them to hurry up with his eyes. He spun on his heel as they gathered in front of him and led the way down the street at a brisk pace, not looking behind him to see if they were following. The others exchanged worried looks, what could be wrong that Ishida was practically rushing to get to it?
He came to a stop in front of the Kurosaki Clinic and glanced behind him for the first time since they left school, a warning in his eyes, before he rang the doorbell of the house. Muffled voices passed through the door before it opened, revealing Yuzu. The little girl let them in, not even greeting them, before she rushed back deeper into the house. Ishida took his shoes off hurriedly and followed her, the others rushing to do the same. They stopped in the living room, where Karin was sitting on the couch, her eyes red and her hands clenched in her lap. "So they finally figured it out huh?" the girl asked, her voice hoarse.
Ishida shook his head, "No, they just noticed I was acting off."
Karin scoffed before scowling at the others, though it was weakened by the red rims around her eyes and the fact that her lower lip was beginning to tremble. Ishida placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and the black haired twin looked down at her hands. He then turned and headed up the stairs to the bedrooms without a look at his other friends.
The others were terribly confused as they followed Ishida. Yuzu was acting very out of character, very quiet and not at all like the friendly, bubbly little girl they all knew her as. Karin was angry at them for some reason and had been crying. And what was that about them finding something out? Ishida clearly knew something major that they did not. They each mused at what it could be when Ishida passed through Ichigo's bedroom door without hesitating. The others stopped before the doorway, few of them actually having been there before, and surprised at how easily Ishida entered his rival's room. They entered as quiet voices reached them, Ishida's voice sounding terribly concerned and almost guilty, they couldn't make out the responding voice.
The sight that met them made them stop in their tracks, gasping in shock.
Ichigo lay in his bed, propped up by several pillows under his torso, blankets covering his legs. Ichigo looked like hell; his skin was almost transparent it was so pale, his usually vibrant orange hair was limp and hung over his eyes, he looked thinner than he had been a week ago, his face pinched and his cheekbones more prominent, his usually warm chocolate eyes were sunken and dull.
He laughed at something Ishida had said, a weak, pathetic sound, before he started to cough harshly. The coughing continued for over a minute and Ichigo gripped his side with one arm, the other hand pressed firmly to his mouth as he tried to control it.
Ishida looked worriedly at Ichigo and grabbed his hand once the coughing passed, looking down at his palm and furrowing his brows worriedly. The others by the door noticed something dark in his hand and the coppery scent of blood was in the air. Chad frowned and came forward to stand over his friend, "Ichigo…" He rumbled worriedly, now that he could see the blood the Quincy was wiping off Ichigo's hand.
Ichigo gave him a ghost of a smile, a pained stretch of lips that held little amusement. "Sup Chad? How have you been?"
"Fine, everyone's fine. What happened to you? You missed school for a week." The large half Mexican murmured worriedly, taking in his friend's condition with dark eyes hidden behind thick hair.
Ichigo scowled, "Yeah, I'm not exactly in the shape to go to school," He chuckled, as if there was something funny about his condition, "As you can see."
"What happened?" Keigo burst out, his face pale at the condition of his friend registered. He had never seen Ichigo like this, never seen him looking close to weak, Ichigo was always incredibly strong in his eyes and anything else was unheard of.
Ichigo sighed and even that sounded weak, "I'm sick, real sick Keigo. I can't go to school anymore. Sorry, I won't be able to play with you anymore." He did smile that time, a smile full of pain and remorse.
Mizuiro shook his head, dismissing the idea of Ichigo not being able to go to school; he couldn't be that sick could he? "What do you mean Ichigo? What's wrong with you?"
"I have cancer."
The room went dead silent as the visitors stared at their friend. The silence came to an abrupt end when the window shot open, revealing the dark forms of Rukia and Renji. The soul reapers stared at the prone form on the bed, not fully realizing who it was, before they jumped into the room and turned to face the group.
"Ichigo?" Rukia murmured, almost to herself. "What happened to you?" That was a demand, a rather loud one.
Uryu turned to face the petite shinigami and glared down at her, "Please quiet down, the last thing Ichigo needs is loud visitors. If you wish to question him, do it at a reasonable volume."
Rukia stared at the Quincy for a moment, stunned that he would be defending Ichigo, before she turned back to Ichigo, who had not made a move to get out of bed.
Ichigo gave them a wry upturning of his lips, "Nice to see you too Rukia, though I think I'll see you sooner than I planned. Permanently."
"What do you mean Ichigo?" Renji questioned, his voice muted compared to its usual brashness.
"I'm dying." He deadpanned, making everyone but Ishida flinch.
"What? That's impossible!" Rukia and Renji burst out. Several of the humans mirrored their statements, shock written on all of their faces.
Ichigo did not retort, as almost all of them expected, but quietly nodded his head. "Yeah. I have lung cancer. It's in the final stage, so there's no avoiding it. I likely won't last rest of the month."
The defeated tone he spoke of his illness with made the others flinch, never wanting to have to hear that tone from him. Ichigo was a fighter, that he was being defeated by something he couldn't even try to fight against was unfathomable.
"I can.." Orihime offered, not wishing for her friend and crush to fall victim to such an unfair opponent, sickness.
Ichigo just shook his head, "No you can't Inoue. Your abilities wouldn't work on my disease; it's too far gone to do anything."
Orihime flinched and looked at the floor guiltily.
"It's not your fault. I didn't catch it until a month or so ago. I've lasted longer than I expected to anyway."
The door opened to reveal Isshin, who just looked around the room before his gaze settled on the shinigami, "You might as well tell the Soutaicho about this. He'd be finding out soon enough, given the fact that Ichigo's reiatsu has been decreasing steadily for the past few weeks." The pair startled before they even realized the man was right. They paused, unsure of what to do, before Isshin gestured to the window for them to do as he suggested now. The glanced back at Ichigo once before they left and he waved a little at them, a tired smile on his face. When they were gone Isshin came up to his son's bedside and took the chair next to it, placing a hand on Ichigo's forehead for a moment before he placed a few pills into his son's waiting hand and a bottle of water once he had thrown them into his mouth. Ichigo gave his father a grateful smile and dropped back into the pillows, his eyes immediately drooping.
Ishida and Isshin ushered the rest out of the room and shut the door quietly, leaving Ichigo to sleep in peace. They were silent as they went downstairs and were met with the incredibly sad eyes of Yuzu. She noticed the stunned looks on their faces and her eyes began to well up with tears before her twin grabbed her and led her over to the couch so they could sit and comfort each other.
"He really is sick, isn't he." Tatsuki said. It wasn't a question. She tried to wrap her head around the fact that her oldest friend was dying at eighteen. That the boy she had known as a crybaby when he was young was going to leave the Living world and make so many people cry at his departure. She couldn't imagine how the others who knew Ichigo would respond. It was too sudden. Too unexpected.
"Yes. He has been sick for a while but it has gotten much worse." Isshin answered quietly.
"How long has it been this bad?" That was Keigo, very resigned from the thought of his friend leaving them.
"I didn't learn of it until a month and a half ago. He didn't let me examine him when he was looking ill a month before that. I finally dragged him to the hospital when he passed out in gym." Isshin closed his eyes, brow furrowed in anguish.
"I remember that day. The teacher took him to the nurse but she never told him what was wrong. Ichigo didn't go to classes the rest of the day and wouldn't tell us what was wrong." Chad murmured quietly.
Ishida nodded, "I didn't find out until two weeks ago when he collapsed on the way home from school."
"And now his condition has taken a bad turn." Isshin stated quietly, so that his daughters wouldn't hear, "The girls finally found out when he couldn't get down the stairs without help. That was on Sunday, by Tuesday he didn't have the strength to leave his bed. Uryu has been coming over and helping as much as he can but it's not easy, he hasn't been improving. I'm afraid of what might happen if his condition continues to worsen."
They were silent at that. Ichigo already looked so weak and he was coughing up blood, what would happen if he got worse? They didn't want to think too deeply about it and said their goodbyes to Isshin and the girls before leaving. They separated to their homes as they left the Kurosaki home, depression weighing on all of them in different magnitudes. They tried not to think of what it would be like without Ichigo, but their thoughts kept straying back to their friend lying weak in his bed, unable to move without assistance. They turned to their families with heavier hearts.
Soul Society
The captains and lieutenants were quiet as they waited for the Captain Commander. Rukia (who had been promoted to the lieutenant of the 13th division several months ago) and Renji were busy staring at the floor, their captains watching them curiously; wondering what caused their abnormal behavior. Both lieutenants had spoken to their captains and requested for them to arrange a captains meeting but would not tell them why, only that it was very important. The captains had shrugged and put in a request to the Soutaicho. And here they were.
The Captain Commander walked in at that moment and started the meeting with a rap of his cane. He turned to eye Byakuya and Ukitake, "Now what is the reason for you two to request a captains meeting?"
Byakuya turned a cold eye on Renji, "My lieutenant came to me and asked that I put in a request for a captains meeting."
Ukitake nodded, "Mine as well."
The Soutaicho turned to the two lieutenants, who were still focused on the floor, "Well? What is the need for this meeting?"
They looked up and exchanged looks before they came around the lines of captains and lieutenants to stand opposite of the Soutaicho in front of the door. Rukia stepped forward, "When we visited the Living World a few days ago we visited Ichigo. He was not well and he told us that he was very sick and that he would be seeing us permanently soon."
There was genuine worry in Ukitake's eyes as he looked at the sadness on his lieutenant's face, "Sick? How is he sick? Can Orihime not help him?"
Renji shook his head, a touch angrily, and frustration was clear in his voice, "No. He said the sickness was too far along for her powers to do anything. He said he won't likely live longer than a month. He has cancer."
"He can't even get out of bed and he looks so weak," Rukia added, cutting the dead silence of the room, "He's thin and pale, I don't even think he can sit up without help, he was propped up with pillows when we saw him. And his reiatsu is so weak, it's so fragile and there is so much less of it than usual. I've never seen him like that." She trailed off sadly as her eyes darkened.
The room was silent as its occupants tried to absorb the fact that the substitute was going to die, in such a pathetic condition. It was hardly fair, a cruel end to such a strong and vibrant boy. He wasn't even going to graduate from human school. Someone so strong was being cut down by such a heartless opponent, disease.
The silence was immediately broken when the shrill noise of a phone rang out. Kurotsuchi reached down and yanked out his device, growling, "What is it?" rudely.
His face blanked and he looked up at the Soutaicho with an odd expression on his painted face.
"What is it Kurotsuchi?" The old shinigami grumbled, the news of the subsitute's fate leaving him in a bad mood. He did not particularly care for the boy, but he did feel pity for him, death by disease is an almost insulting way for a warrior to die.
"The devices monitoring reiatsu activity of Karakura Town picked up unusual activity a few moments ago. There was a large spike of reiatsu before it died down completely and disappeared. The reiatsu signature matches that of Subsiture Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo." No one in the room moved, "Kurosaki Ichigo is dead."
DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN
Hah. I be evil. I don't know what is with me and killing off the main character. This is the second fic where I do that. Of course the first was a suicide but still...
Working on the next chapter already. well, not really. I'm THINKING about the next chapter. Haven't written anything yet cause I just finished this one!
But yeah, got finals next week... Not looking forward to it. But strangely enough i might be writing more, to lower some of the stress from studying.
Okay so... this chapter is done and I'm leaving now. Review please!