AN: So.. a bit earlier than I thought. sorry of the chapter is a bit rushed or incomplete. I didn't actually sleep since I posted the last chapter. I felt like ti wasn't explaining much about what I had in mind, and I still don't think I sent the message through with this chapter, but I did my best. Please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Bleach and all its characters belong to Tite Kubo.
Bold: Senna
Italic: Memories
*Story Start*
"Ichigo.. when will you remember me?" I could hear her voice. I tried looking around me, but all I could see was darkness. I tried pinpointing from where her voice was coming from, to no avail. "Who are you?!" I shouted.
At my question, I could feel a pair of slender arms wrapping around me. I tried catching a glimpse of her, but the grip made me unable to properly turn around, so I just eased and relaxed in the awkward hug. It felt reassuring, and comforting.
"I'm sorry about what happened Ichigo.. I pushed too hard and got you injured because of my impatience".
Was she the reason I fainted? Wasn't she just a dream? "What.. what do you mean?" I inquired.
"Ichigo, can you remember the ribbon you gave me?".
I couldn't quite picture what she was talking about, until I recalled the few details I could remember of the dreams. It was strange, how the memories of the dreams were slowly coming all together. He could remember giving a small gift to her, but not much else. "The only reason I'm still alive is because of you, Ichigo. Because even though your soul was forced to forget about me, your heart never did".
At that moment I could feel her arms unfolding around me. I turned around, only to get captivated by her eyes. Amber colored eyes full of affection. Her purple hair was undone, hanging around her face. She was wearing a light-brown shirt, with a brown skirt and maroon tie. Her face looked worried, but she looked happy.
"It's time to wake up Ichigo". She gave me a light push, that made me start falling on my back. I didn't feel in danger, as I felt like she wouldn't ever hurt me.
"Remember me this time.. idiot". I heard her mutter the last part.
I slowly opened my eyes, and found myself in my room. My head couldn't stop pounding. It was like a sledgehammer was hitting my skull from the inside.
"How are you feeling Ichigo?" asked Isshin with his usual booming voice as he came inside the room.
"Please lower your voice, Oyaji" I managed to get out with a wince.
"Thankfully I was the one that came upstairs to check up on you. I wonder what your sisters would have thought after seeing how much their brother grew up" he said jokingly. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed, but my headache made me grimace, making the red in my cheeks dissipate.
"Jokes aside, what happened? I know you haven't been sleeping well, but slipping in the shower? You were never this clumsy Ichigo, I'm worried".
"I'm alright Oyaji, I just felt a bit drowsy and slipped". I replied
"How strong is your headache Ichigo? Are you feeling nauseous?"
"I'm alright Oyaji, just let me get changed and head to school". As soon as I tried to get up, my father forcefully laid me back down. I started to protest, but the look he gave me made me stop on my tracks.
"You received a mild concussion when you hit your head on the wall. The twins were worried sick after you passed out, but I convinced them to go to school and check up on you when they come back. I took the liberty to inform the school that you're not coming. I can tell your friends if you want, so they might come to check up on you as well after school".
"It's nothing to worry about, Goat-Face. I just slipped in the shower, there's no need to inform everyone about it" I replied.
"They're your friends, Ichigo. They have the right to worry".
I waved him off, telling him I didn't feel like having visits. It would make me feel pretty awkward, without thinking about what my old comrades might say. Yes, I lost my powers, but that didn't mean I became defenseless or a damsel in distress, dammit!
"I'm also ordering you bed rest and no strenuous activities for at least 24 hours. I don't want to risk anything".
"I said I'm alright Goat-Face! Stop treating me like I'm one of your patients!" I argued back.
"Ichigo, until I know if your concussion is serious, I want you to rest".
He handed me a couple of pills and a glass water.
"These are painkillers, they should help with that headache. Now take them and rest, I don't want to see you awake when I come back" he said as he left the room and headed towards the clinic.
".. thanks.. Oyaji" I said quietly, but I was sure that he heard me.
I swallowed the pills with a gulp of water, and laid on my bed. I could remember the dream. The headaches were a bad side effect, but I could remember her. I could remember her smile, her eyes, and her voice. Was it because of the concussion? My thoughts were a bit jumbled, and the headache was not helping me in the matter. I decided to think about it once I woke up again.
As I closed my eyes I whispered "What's your name?"
I felt someone answering, as softly as a mote of dust falling through.
"My name is S-"
I couldn't hear the rest before I blacked out from my tiredness.
I woke up late in the afternoon. My headache had subsided, and I was feeling much more well rested. My eyes trailed down the side of my bed, and the sight of my sisters curled up against the mattress warmed up my heart. As I was about to get up I heard a knock on the door.
"Come in" I called.
As the door opened I was able to catch a glimpse of the person. I realized I was hoping it to be someone else once I saw the mop of black hair, and not violet.
"What brings you here 'Suki?"
"What's with the disappointed look? After I went through the trouble of bringing you your missing notes and the homework due to tomorrow. Ochi-sensei is really strict when it comes to homework. Are you still feeling sick?"
"I get that, but sensei is one of the few that does her job for the students, and not for the money. My headache passed a while ago, Oyaji game me some painkillers this morning. Did my father ask you to come here?"
"No, I just got worried. I might have made Orihime tag along, but I've seen how you treat her after you discovered her feelings for you, so I decided to refrain. How are you really, Ichigo?" asked Tatsuki.
"Nothing really gets past you huh.. 'Suki?" at my remark she lightly punched my arm, giving me a slightly offended look.
"I've known you since we were four. If I didn't notice something was wrong with you what kind of friend would I be?!" She responded.
"About Orihime... could you please tell her I don't see her that way?"
"Why don't you man up and tell her yourself? Don't you owe her at least that much?" She glared at me.
"It's just that.. since the loss of my powers things have not been the same between me and the others".
Her eyes gained a sympathetic look. She struggled to imagine what it would be like to have the power to defend all your loved ones, just to lose part of your soul so suddenly. Rukia and Urahara had explained to her what a Zanpakuto really was, and it was at that moment that she really understood how much Ichigo had sacrificed to save Karakura.
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Tatsuki.
I mouthed 'later' to her as I felt the twins stirring up beside me.
"Sorry girls, did we wake you?" I asked them as they rubbed the sleep out of their eyes.
"Ichi-nii!" They both cried out as soon as they regained their bearings, and started hugging me.
"Easy girls, Ichigo just woke up. It's better to give him some space and let him breathe".
"Tatsuki nee-chan? What are you doing here?" asked Karin, while her twin sister was busy hanging on Ichigo's neck.
"I just came by to talk to your brother. Can I ask you girls to leave us alone for a couple of minutes?"
The twins gave me a longing look.
"We waited the whole day to talk to you Ichi-nii! It's not fair!" Yuzu started overreacting.
I hugged both my sisters, even as Karin was slightly resisting just for appearance's sake.
"Don't worry, I'm gonna spend the rest of the evening with you girls, so just give me a few minutes with Tats, alright?"
Yuzu reluctantly nodded, abandoned her brother's embrace and left the room with her sister.
"Let's cut to the chase Ichigo. What's wrong with you?" asked a worried Tatsuki.
"It's an idiocy, I seriously don't want you to start doubting my sanity"
"We've met Shinigami, remember? You fought a god-wannabe, what else could make me doubt I am any less sane than you?"
"It's just that.. I've been having these weird dreams lately. I could never remember them, but I was certain they weren't only dreams. I felt like they were memories".
"Like.. nightmares?" Tatsuki enquired.
"They're not really nightmares.. it's just hard to explain. It's like there's someone in my dreams who Is trying to communicate with me. I know it can't be my Zanpakuto or anything spiritual-related, since I completely lost my reiryoku".
"Are you sure about that?"
"I went to see Urahara-san when the dreams first started. I asked him to check if there was something wrong with me but he said that since he couldn't get a single reiryoku sample from me due to my lack of it, it was highly unlikely that it was a soul related problem".
"Could they be memories of your past incarnations? Or maybe something to do with parallel universes?"
I bit back a laugh "You've been reading way too much manga 'Suki".
We started grinning at that, and she lightly punched my shoulder.
"You can't blame me when our lives resemble a manga from Shonen Jump" she said with a smile.
An awkward silence ensued for a couple of minutes, and it was Tatsuki who broke the silence.
"What were the dreams about?"
It took me a couple of minutes to come up with proper words to describe what I was experiencing, and I was still lacking.
"I feel like they're memories, not just dreams. I feel like I forgot someone who was really important to me".
"How can you be so sure they're not just dreams? Could it be that you hit your head a bit too hard?"
"I doubt it Tatsuki. These.. visions. These memories.. are too vivid to be fake, or imagined".
"Is there a common factor between these dreams?" She asked.
"There's always this woman. All I can remember right now are her eyes. She keeps trying to reach me, but every time we get close she disappears. Sometimes she dissolves in smoke, other times in fall leaves. Her eyes are of a beautiful shade of Amber.."
"It might be that what you're having are future memory, not past. Ichigo... do you think you might have feelings towards her?"
"'Suki, I'm sure she is part of my past. I think I rememb-" my breathing stopped.
A memory resurfaced, and I saw her figure surrounded by a golden glow. Her visage was full of tears, and it brought a pang of pain through my heart. I felt myself being suspended a dozen feet above a body of water, garbed in my shinigami robes.
"If the world ended, you'd disappear too. I don't want that to happen. I'd rather sacrifice myself than let you die!"
Her words full of emotion echoed in my mind.
"SENNA!" I cried out her name, and I almost lost my footing when the scenery changed back to that of my room.
Tatsuki hurried to help me stay upright, her eyes scanning the frantic look on my face.
"Are you sure you're alright Ichigo? I thought you were having a seizure for a moment!"
I remained mute, my vocal chords failing on me. I successfully suppressed a whimper.
"I think she's dead Tatsuki. I think she sacrificed herself, to save me. I failed to protect my loved ones again".
Tatsuki hugged me tightly, trying to take me out of my funk.
"Ichigo, don't be so hard on yourself. If she's appearing in your dreams then maybe she might not be as dead as you thought, so don't give up yet". I nodded, even if I didn't completely believe her. But still, there must've been a reason for her presence in his dreams. Maybe something that might've triggered these visions he saw in his sleep... before these dreams he never remembered even meeting her. The void in his heart though was still there: he just didn't know she was the reason.
"We will figure it out together, so for now sleep. You're still under orders of bed rest".
"Yes ma'am!" I mocked her.
"Don't be such a smartass, or I'm gonna sic two worried sisters on you!" She warned.
"You wouldn't dare" I managed to whisper.
I knew I shouldn't have tempted fate when I saw her smirk at my last remark as she headed towards the twins' room.
"Karin, Yuzu! Your big brother is not following the doctor's orders!"
I immediately felt fear creep up in my spine, as suddenly I could see from the doorframe the silhouettes of my dear sisters.
The smile on my usually kind sister reminded me of a certain Gotei 13 Taicho, as it sent shivers to my spine.
"Ichi-nii, you weren't about to do anything that might worsen your health, right?" said Yuzu while slowly walking closer to me, with a sickening sweet smile on her face.
I looked at Karin in search for help, but she just avoided my gaze and took a couple of frightful steps back from her twin sister.
"You're on your own this time, Ichi-nii!" she said as she ran away from the conversation.
"Don't worry Yuzu, Tatsuki was just kidding. I'm feeling a bit tired, do you mind if I go to sleep? I'm not really feeling up for dinner tonight, and I know you always do your best to prepare dinner for all of us. Is it alright if I eat maybe later tonight or tomorrow morning?"
"Ichi-nii, you need to take better care of yourself. I'm going to make you some rice porridge, since it might be easier for you to digest. Follow Otou-san's indications, alright? We're worried for you".
"Alright Yuzu, I'm looking forward to dinner then. I'm just gonna take.. a quick...nap" I tried saying as a yawn burst through my mouth in the middle of my sentence.
Yuzu just switched the lights off and left me to my light slumber, as I slowly dozed off...
AN: I don't think the next chapter will come as soon as this one, or if it will be of the same lenght. I hope you enjoyed, please leave a review. Constructive criticism is well accepted, and positive reviews are welcome. Have a great day!
