Forgotten to bleed wither and fall away

this was originally only going to be one chapter but then I realized that there was a few things I wanted to add. I'm sure you'll enjoy watching people understand just what they have done.

Ultimate Trogan- Glad you enjoyed it. I do like being unexpected, in a good way. I just liked the idea of everyone wanting to help him but in a way they are also condemning him to isolation and death.

Guest- Thank you.


Chapter 2,

Sitting in his cluttered lab he thought over his biggest mistake. It was not the vizards or Aizen, it was leaving Ichigo. Abandoning him. He wasn't even here to apologize to, removed from the reincarnation cycle forever.

Never would Ichigo learn about his quincy mother or watch his sisters grow up. They hadn't even thought something was wrong when he had stopped showing up to school. They had just believed that he needed time away from them all.

In the corner of the room a blue sword of reishi crackled.

-x-

They had him that they would always be there for him and when he had come knocking they had ignored him. The vizards had broke their promise and had been left to think about the one that they had lost.

"Heh, in the end it had been someone from soul society that had been there for him."

Though the statement was not wrong he could not help but disagree with it. "In the end it was a friend that had been there for him."

-x-

In worry of Kuchiki's mental state Unohana-taicho had been ordered to keep an eye on him. When Rukia had been called up by her she had been afraid of what was going on. To help alleviate some of this panic Renji had come with her to the forth division.

"Unohana-taicho you wanted to see me?"

Looking round the gentle captain came up to them and spoke quietly as to prevent anyone from listening in,"Yes I was wondering if you had seen Kuchiki-taicho anywhere?"

"No, i'm afraid not. He's not in the Kuchiki manor. We will go look for him."

"Thank you."

Looking up to her usually loud companion they both knew where they was going, with grim faces they headed to the living world.

When they got there they could sense nii-sama's location immediately and went straight there. The apartment that Ichigo had been living in-an expensive looking one- was clean and tidy. They also noticed that all the floors were wooden and any furniture that could stain had been covered in a blanket. A perfect place for someone who had been hacking up blood to be living in.

The large windows that took up the one of the walls in the sitting room faced out over Karakura the starry sky currently in view, on the balcony were pots with flowers and other small plants. There were a few paintings on the wall that seemed to be in Byakuya's style of painting (a great artist when he decided to make something).

Overall the simple home was not how she would expect Ichigo to live.

What caught their attention was the stacks of books piled in the corner. Some where human medical books, ways to relieve pain, get rid of cramp, ease breathing for those that stuggle to do so, ways to prevent dizziness and fainting, what to do when you have sensitive skin. The list went on. Others were books that she knew either belonged in the Kuchiki library, to Unohana or to the Seireitei library. Kido healing for patients with low reiatsu and the such.

"Did taicho read all of these to try and help him?" Renji asked in surprise and she couldn't blame him, she was surprised too. There had to be a good hundred books.

But then, she remembered when Ichigo's spirit had disappeared and nii-sama had gone over to his body and carefully wiped the blood from his face, gently tugged his clothes straight and picked him up.

Rukia thought of how careful he was to make sure his head didn't hit the door as they walked out and made their way to the Kurosaki household, even though there was no one in the body to feel pain.

Thinking of that she was no longer surprised and she wondered what had happened during the time that he had been ill for.

In the kitchen were plastic cups with straws, light and easy to hold. In there it was spotless, they moved onto the next room. The bathroom was also just as spotless, a stool was sat next to the bath. They find a empty room and a bedroom that obviously belonged to Byakuya.

The last door they went to was the other bedroom. Light filtered through the small gap, pushing the door open they walked in.

There was a window with half open curtains. The one nearest the top end of the bed was embroidered with flowers, at the end of that bed was a table with a bonsai tree on it. There was a side table with a lamp and a pencil that was so small it had to be hard to hold. Littered over the bed were books of plays she recognized from Ichigo's shelf. The sheets and pillow cases were plain and probably changed often.

On the floor Byakuya sat rested against the bed, the wooden frame digging into his back, his head hung forward in a way that must have hurt his neck and by the soft breathing and closed eyes he appeared to be asleep. His knee's were pulled up to his chest. In that gap his arms were wrapped around what appeared to be a notebook.

They gently slid it from his grasp and looked inside.

Dear Byakuya,

I wanted to thank you for looking after me while I have been in such a poor state, I hate that I have caused you to worry. I have noticed the growing pile of books in the corner and would bet that there are more that I just could not see.

If your reading this then your probably going through my stuff which means that I have died. I know that you have lost a lot of people so I hope that my death does not cause you too much upset.

If you become depressed I give Rukia full permission for a couple of free punches to the face (Please don't do too much damage).

I know you realize this but if it were not for you paying for my accommodations I would not know where I would have stayed. I am writing this is because I am afraid that I will not be able to do so soon, not when it has become a struggle to lift my hand high enough to turn a page and I don't think that I will get a chance to tell you with my fever caused delirium.

When I had first realized that I would die I was afraid that I would be alone, I had not expected anyone to visit me never mind you but I am glad you did. I may have only had one friend but it was the best friend I could have ever asked for. Thank you Byakuya, for everything.

Ichigo.

P.S - I'm not aware if you have noticed but you called me by my first name. I have won.

"Oh, oh. Nii-sama..."

"Shit."

Just from the letter they had gotten a clue on what had happened now they felt as if they were intruding. The two had made a peaceful home for Ichigo to stay in, away from those who wanted nothing to do with them.

Placing the notebook back where it had been before the two left silently. Unohana had understood why and was just pleased to know where he was.

-x-

Not often did Ishida arrive to class late. But this time he had been hours late, the day almost over and no one had contacted the school to tell them where he was. Or the other kids for that matter that had also walked in with him.

She felt a small spike of fear at the student that was missing and had been for a year, at the group of solemn people that were Kurosaki's friends. Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, Sado, Orihime and Uryuu. Fear worsened by the vase of flowers held in Orihime's hands.

Ishida walked up to her a bowed from the sound of his voice he had been crying,"We appologise for our lateness, we regret to inform you that Kurosaki Ichigo had died due to illness two weeks ago. His funeral was held this morning."

To that the class fell silent. What could they say.

Placed on his desk were a vase of flowers as bright as the young mans hair.

-x-

"Hello Kuchiki-taicho, this situation seems to have caused you some distress so you will have to visit me a couple of times."

"Understood."

"I would like to start with asking what has caused such a change in heart with Kurosaki-san."

Kuchiki's gaze which had been focused on the floor looked up to hers tiredly but with anger,"When you have helped someone bath because they can not reach their own shoulders, helped wash and trim their hair, helped them dress, sat there for hours knowing your the only person who would give them their time of day, when you have carried them to their bed, cleaned their blood from the floor and spent hours, days looking after them, you tend to see them in a different way."

Kuchiki Byakuya had been there for Kurosaki when they had not and that was what hurt the most.

-x-

Now knowing the importance of his own little sister he couldn't help but think of the two young Kurosaki's.

He had let Rukia walk in the house first, she had been there before and might be able to lessen the blow to the two girls.

"Rukia! We haven't seen you in ages! Hey do you know where nii-san is? The last time we saw him was like... a year ago!"

"I'm sorry Yuzu, i'm so very sorry."

"Rukia, where's Ichi-nii?"

He thought that now would be the best time to walk in, he didn't want to drag this out after all. When he had entered he schooled his face into it's usual Kuchiki mask. Ichigo's sisters were not fools. When they saw the too still from in his arms they practically collapsed onto the floor. The fact that his spirit was not also there caused them to cry in understanding.

Byakuya hated that he had to leave his friends body there, with the man that could not be called a father. With the one who had betrayed him long before Ichigo had ever learnt of shinigami and hollows.

He walked out promising to Ichigo to watch over his sisters in his place.

-x-

Isshin once believed he had children, Kuchiki Byakuya had taken them away from him, said that they were not safe, that he was not protecting them.

He only wanted to train them up so they wouldn't be killed by the quincy.

Now he hasn't heard from them since, though he knew where they lived, Kuchiki's barriers locked him out and no one ever opened the door to him.

Isshin once believe he had two children. The boy named Ichigo had died with Masaki. The person he had watched grow was not his son.

-x-

"Hey Ichigo, I came to visit during sunset. That's your favorite time of day after all. Yuzu's becoming a famous chef I hear. You know there was another war..."

He sat down on the floor and picked the weeds from his grave. He looked at the pictures sat there, Byakuya had contributed one of his own. It's a picture of them sat in one of the parks during the summer when Ichigo had still been well enough to go out. Byakuya has ice cream on his nose and his eyes are crossed, Ichigo is laughing at him. his smile is bright. The the original image is sat in his pocket.

"Rukia's the new captain for the thirteenth and Kyoraku is actually good at being the Soutaicho. I would have come sooner but this was lasted so long. They were thinking about dragging your sisters into it so I brought them to our apartment. They have been safe there behind the barriers though your room remains untouched. Instead mine has been taken over."

For once he allowed himself to cry.

"Rukia actually punched me, I have now learnt not to piss her off. It ends terribly. I believe the rest of your friends are doing fine too. I got injured and have been taken out of the gotei," His head too silent. He couldn't remember what it had been like before Senbonzakura, he wonders how Ichigo stayed sane through it all. "Abarai has taken my place. Kurostuchi is finally gone... then again so is many people. Urahara has locked himself away at the loss of Yoruichi and Tessai. I left Rukia as the clan head and took up looking after your sisters instead. They miss you. When you died Kenpachi actually looked sad, along with that blue haired arrancar. How you make friends with people like them I will never know."

The sun disappeared below the horizon and the stars became visible.

"Oh I knew I was forgetting something! Turns out your mother Masaki was a quincy, Yuzu's been getting lessons from Ishida. I'll come by tomorrow if I can."

He walked away to the place that had become his home. He didn't want to miss dinner after all.


This needed a more solid end, here it is. For the last part I wanted to add after the quincy war. This time it was years long. Enough for Karin and Yuzu to have left school. Rukia captains 13th, Renji is captain for 6th. Yoruichi and Tessai are dead and so are the children. Byakuya pointedly kept Ichigo's friends and family in the living world. Many other people also died.

If your wondering about the flower thing in the classroom part it's something that happens in japan. If a student dies a vase of flowers is left on their desk. If a vase of flowers is placed there while the person is still alive it is a form of bullying, they are saying that they wish that the person was dead.

I really enjoyed writing this even though it was sad and I hope you like it.

Please leave a review I'm interested in what you think- Luna