Ichigo stirred restlessly beneath his covers. He glanced at the clock.
12:45 He sighed loudly. He was just being paranoid.
He waited.
He waited.
12:46 How did a minute feel like forever?
He gazed outside his bedroom window.
"why is it so quiet?" , He thought.
Ever since he'd lost his shinigami powers he was in constant fear.
Every night he'd dreamed of his sisters being strangled in midair. Being tortured by something Ichigo could not see. His father lay dying in his own blood. Ichigo, could not see what had caused all this. He hated being helpless at the thing he used to be so good at. He woke up screaming, "I cant see! Where is it?" Yuzu came running in.
"Ichi-nii?" Ichigo sobbed into his pillow.
"I cant see…I couldn't save you…" Yuzu slept in Ichigo's been from then on. Whenever he woke up from a nightmare she would hush him and rub soothing circles on his back. "its okay Ichi-nii, im safe, im here", She crooned. Ichigo held her as though afraid she would disappear with the daylight.
And it was so quiet.
The voice, the one he'd wanted for so long to disappear, was gone.
He'd wondered if he died. Ichigo thought so hard, he hardly realized it when he felt him stir in the back of his head.
It was so slight, he'd hardly felt it. Ichigo called in his head, "is it you? Are you still there?" It did not stir again, But Ichigo could feel it, feel him there. Like he was resting. Too weak to talk or move.
Yuzu had gone to a friends house. Ichigo feared to go to sleep.
He scanned his head for the voice. 'If you're there, if you can hear me, please answer somehow..' he felt a flutter of something.
'Hello? Are you here?' it stirred a little more aggressively this time. 'Come on! You can come out! I know your there!'
It began to surface slowly.
"uuuuhhhhhh…..", The Voice groaned weakly.
"Its you! Can you hear me?"
"nuuuuhhh…."
"come on"
"..Wha….where…"
"its me"
"whoooo…whoo..am..I? who…are….youuu?" , It spoke again.
"its me! Ichigo! Do you remember me?"
"Iiiii…chhiii…", It mumbled weakly.
"that's right. I-Chi-Go"
"..nuuhh..ki…kinnn..kiiiing?"
"yes"
"ichi….gooo.." It suddenly sprang to life.
"Ichigo! Where? Huh?" , The voice yelled.
"you're back" ,Thought Ichigo smiling.
"Where..Where was I?"
"…I don't know..I lost my spiritual power..that probably caused you to go away for so long.."
"I…", The Voice said, "wha-Why?"
"why what?"
"Why did you call me back? You hated me!"
It scanned through his memories, his thoughts, to find a logical explanation for Ichigo's behavior. As he searched, he felt all the pain and loss and heartache Ichigo had felt. He felt Ichigo's desperate feeling to feel needed and sorrow. His desperation for companionship. The Voice looked into his memories. Ichigo had rarely eaten. He lived the memories in Ichigo's dreams. He felt how frightened and scared Ichigo had felt. He lived the tears and the blood and the rare happiness.
"…..You…called me…because.."
"I missed you"
"..Humph….thought I'd never see the day…"
"Shut up.."
Ichigo was very weak with his insults now. What happened to the boisterous bad ass attitude he'd directed towards him? The Voice felt a surge of anger.
Ichigo felt it and winced.
"Why have you gone all soft while I've been gone? Not eating and crying..! Im ashamed to live in this body"
"hmm" , Ichigo replied tiredly. This scared him. It was like the Ichigo he knew had faded into the night and a new Ichigo replaced him. He hadn't even the strength to put effort into his insults.
"whats wrong with you? What happened to you?"
"….Life.."
As Ichigo wished The Voice kept him company throughout the night.
"As much as I hate you…I love you , stupid.."
That was the last thing Ichigo heard of his other half before he faded into a dreamless sleep.