TITLE: The Ghost Of You
AUTHOR: BLEACHIDIOT22487
GENRE: Romance/Drama/Tragedy/Humor
RATING: T for language, violence, mention of rape, and homosexuality (rating will change in future chapters)
WORD COUNT (CHAPTER): 1,000-2,000 or 2,000-3,000, depending on the chapter
STORY INSPIRATION: My Chemical Romance's hit single "The Ghost Of You" off their 2004 album Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge.
IMPORTANT: I added homosexuality to my rating warning not because I have an issue with it, but because some people are sensitive to the subject. I DO NOT have an issue with homosexuality in any way, shape, or form, and I do not have any issues with people who practice homosexuality. If you who is reading this practices homosexuality, please know that I do not have any problems with it, and I apologize if I offended anyone.
DEDICATION: To all the fellow IchigoxRenji fans out there. We know that it's damn near impossible, but if we keep the hope alive, it just might happen. :)
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CHAPTER I
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Five weeks ago, the Kurosaki clinic would have been a hive of activity, alive with the energy of a, for lack of a better term, "odd" family. The usual would happen, Ichigo would arrive at his house past his curfew, only to be ambushed by his psychopathic father the moment he walked through the door. Then, while he and his father would engage in a pointless bar-room style brawl, his sisters would look on with humorous expressions, not bothering to break up the fight for the announcement of dinner.
But that was five weeks ago.
Now, all that inhabited the house was an eerie, deathly silence. All energy that had once radiated from the building had ceased, replaced by an empty, lifeless aura. The house would have been taken for abandoned, if not for the singe individual that remained. Sprawled out across the couch, Ichigo stared blankly at the bland ceiling, body motionless. His empty, brown eyes were drained of all emotion. If not for the fact that he was visibly breathing, his firm chest rising and falling continuously, he would have been mistaken for a soulless corpse.
His family was gone. Four weeks ago, he had come home to an empty house. It hadn't phased him greatly at first. Even though it wasn't normal for his whole family to be gone at eight o'clock at night, but he had reassured himself that there was nothing wrong. But as minutes turned into hours, his anxiousness rose gradually. By the time he woke up the next morning, there had been no sign that they had returned. Days went by without any word from his family, and as days rolled into weeks, Ichigo had lost all hope.
He rarely left his house, only once ever so often to get food, and maybe once he had left to go out for dinner with a few friends from school. Ichigo could vaguely recall the last time he ate, only remembering that it hadn't been much. His stomach constricted, then let out a low, prolonged growling noise. His mouth was as dry as cotton, not having drank anything in the past two days. His blinked suddenly as a loud knock came from the door, pulling him back to the present.
Slowly pulling himself up from the worn couch, Ichigo stumbled across the living room. As he approached the door, he rubbed his face in a half ditched attempt to remove the dark circles from under his eyes. As his thoughts came together, he realized how much of a mess he must have looked like. He hadn't bathed in days, and the clothes he was wearing had been on his body since yesterday. He opened the door, blinking as he recognized the man standing on his doorstep.
"Hey, Ichigo, how're ya-" Renji cut himself off as he saw Ichigo's haphazard appearance and cold glare. "Doing?" He finished his sentence, his voice holding less enthusiasm than before, and his trademark grin gradually leaving his face.
"What're you doing here, Renji?" Ichigo snarled, his voice coated with annoyance.
"Kuchiki-taichou told me 'bout what happened to your family. Sorry…" Renji's voice trailed off briefly. "The Soul Society wanted me to come in an' stay for a while. To make sure you're alright, stuff like that."
"I'm fine, Renji." Ichigo's voice remained cold, and he began to close the door when Renji stopped it half way.
"Ichigo," Renji peaked his head through the door. "I jus' wanna help. I didn't come here to start any trouble, just to help get ya back on track."
Ichigo stared at the older man. Even though Ichigo wanted to close the door and return to his couch, there was something in Renji's eyes that made him act otherwise. It was probably the rare glint of true honesty that shone in them. Sighing, Ichigo stepped out of the doorway, allowing Renji to enter. "C'mon, get in."
His grin quickly reappearing, Renji briskly strode into the house. He walked into the kitchen and looked around. He had never really seen the full inside of Ichigo's house, just bits and pieces of it. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Renji turned to Ichigo, who was making his way back into the living room. "When was the last time you ate?"
"Don't know." Ichigo blandly replied, switching on the television set. "Maybe about three days ago. Wasn't much, though."
Renji frowned, folding his arms over his chest. Three days since Ichigo had food? That thought slightly frightened the older man. Had he not been sent down to check on Ichigo, there would have been no telling when the orange haired man's next meal would have come. Watching Ichigo for a few more seconds, Renji turned and opened up the refrigerator, scanning through the food items. "Well, guess I should probably make somethin' for dinner."
"You? Cook something?" Ichigo spat in disbelief, walking into the kitchen and watching the older man with vague curiosity.
"Despite popular belief," Renji sighed in annoyance, pulling a package of bacon from the refrigerator. "I am fully capable of opperatin' modern technology."
"Wow, lots of big words in that sentence," Ichigo sarcastically marveled, leaning against the wall. "You even know what half of them mean?"
"Yes." Renji glared at the younger man, becoming slightly agitated. He pulled a frying pan out of the cupboard and placed it on the oven top. "Sure can tell that you're glad to see me." Renji grumbled, pulling a bottle of Crisco and pouring some into the pan. He put his free hand over his nose, face scrunching up in a disgusted manner. "Jesus, how 'bout ya take a shower while I'm cookin' dinner."
"Why?" Ichigo growled.
"Because I can smell ya from in here." Renji cautiously tossed a few strips of bacon onto the frying pan, steam rising from the meat.
"Fine." Ichigo stalked up the stairs, muttering curses at the older man under his breath.
"Hmph." Renji superiorly scoffed, watching the younger man as he defiantly paced up the stairs. From what he could tell, this whole situation, Ichigo's family practically disappearing into thin air, had turned the once laid back orange haired shinigami into a ticking time bomb. Or at least a variation of a rabid wolf. And, quite frankly, Renji found the boy's attitude to be insulting, and it pissing him off. But, as he had said, he wasn't here to start trouble. He was sent to help Ichigo, not degrade his very existence any more than it already had been.
Hmm, so whatda ya think? Yeah you're right, it does suck. Meh, it's my first try at somethin' like this, so what can ya do? Flame me if ya want, 'cause it's frickin cold where I am.
Review if ya want, I won't make ya.