It had been two days since Renji had visited him and barely a day since Unohana came to check on him. It seemed that their news had caused Ichigo a decline. He coughed violently and hacked up half a lung in the process. There were blood rags in a messy pile by his feet that Inoue couldn't dispose of because Ichigo constantly needed her care. It was late in the night so the servants were all asleep, she wouldn't dare disturb anyone, she was too thoughtful a person. She patiently, lovingly held a cloth over his mouth as he spit up more blood. So much blood, where does it all come from Inoue thought worried that he had lost too much blood. She also couldn't run to get him something to eat because if she wasn't there Ichigo may as well drown in his own blood. She felt so helpless and wondered how Ichigo must feel.
Finally after what seemed like days Ichigo's coughing subdued. He seemed to be alright for now but Inoue was poised and ready for another coughing fit. She moved closer to look into his eyes; he was in a daze, from all the pain Inoue imagined. "Kurosaki-kun" she called out to him. For a few moments there was no response, but he eventually came to his senses. Inoue relieved searched in her pack for the herbal remedy designed to coat throats and dislodge any materials. That's what Isane told her anyways. She mixed with water as instructed and helped Ichigo drink the bitter concoction. She wished the tools necessary for preparing tea were with her, but she had placed them in the adjacent room to avoid clutter, maintaining ambience was essential for Ichigo's health. She finished giving him the medicine and sat there quietly watching Ichigo as he caught his breath. When she felt it was safe enough to leave his side she got up and cleaned up the bloody mess around them. She placed the room in proper order and sat down behind him. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Inoue asked softly holding his hand. For awhile Ichigo didn't say anything just looked up into space, when he turned his head to look at her Inoue was shocked by his appearance. For the first time she was able to see the seriousness of his condition. It was eating away at him, trying desperately to snuff out the light of his enormous soul. Inoue wanted to cry then but she held back her tears and silently waited for him to answer.
"Just keep doing that" he finally replied, his brown eyes never leaving hers. Inoue at first wasn't aware of what he was talking about when she noticed that she was absently stroking his hand. She smiled and acknowledged his request. A few minutes passed between them, their eyes still in contact, when she felt him shudder. Inoue was suddenly angry, she watched him hopelessly as he coughed uncontrollably, and she winced to see him hurt. This time Ichigo threw up his insides, all over himself and his bed. Amazed at how much was in his stomach and lungs, Inoue grabbed a bowl and lifted his head to the side so he could get rid of whatever was left. After he was finished she got a few towels and began to carefully clean his face. Ichigo could do nothing but lay there; he hadn't the strength to lift any of his limbs. He began to cough more and Inoue cried out in fear as she continued to tend to him. More liquids poured out from inside and Inoue thought that he would die if he kept on like this.
Just then an angel answered her prayers as Isane pulled back the panels and came rushing in. She quickly pulled a kit and swiftly put together some items. Within seconds she had jabbed a small needle of medicine into his arm. A short incantation later Ichigo had stopped coughing. He was still awake, but barely there. Inoue sighed in relief and looked at Isane with thanks.
"He'll need a bath" Inoue said picking up some fresh towels. Isane nodded and knew what to do. Shevgently picked the substitute shinigami and a shunpo later she was with Ichigo in the bath house. A minute later Orihime walked in and was at his side again.
"I'll take care of his room and alert Unohana right away" Isane said, but before she could shunpo away,Ichigo spoke up.
"No I'm okay, you don't have to alert Unohana of anything". His voice was croaky and exhausted.
"But Ichigo, it would best if Unohana knew the extent of what you went through just now." Inoue protested.
"Yes, then she can have some medicine prepared for such circumstances" Isane added.
"Alright" Ichigo succumbed. "But wait to till day-break" he asked.
Isane nodded her head again and disappeared. Inoue smiled and made sure Ichigo was comfortable before she fixed him a bath. She did her best to suppress her growing apprehension. Usually Inoue did not need to give him a bath because he could manage it on his own; she would always be sitting outside the bath house in case anything happened to him. Once she was finished fixing the bath she moved over to him and began carefully removing his soiled clothing, which wasn't much, he only wore a loose fitting white robe. Her eyes never once bothered to glance at the direction of her nether region, not even her peripherals caught any site. She covered him with a towel told Ichigo to look away, he obediently listened and Inoue undressed until she was only in her bra and underwear. She entered the bath and did her best to lower Ichigo in the bath with her. She held onto him lightly and washed away anything that still clung to his form. She ran her fingers through his brightly colored hair getting his mane wet. Ichigo let out a groan of bliss when she did this. Nothing had ever felt so wonderful. In this intimate moment between them Ichigo knew then that there was nothing to hide from Inoue, not ever. He also realized that he loved her, these past few weeks unveiled a startling truth. Inoue would always be there for him, to the very end. He saw a different kind of kindness that no one had seen before. Their long discussions and never ending silences drew him closer to her. The love he felt for her was pure, not tainted by lust, so hard to come by. He smiled to himself, thankful to be in her embrace. He could think of no better person to look after his needs in this time in his life.
When Inoue was pleased that he was clean she leaned back into the large tub and let his head rest on her chest, which to Ichigo felt like an ultra-soft pillow. He ignored the fact that he was resting on her large breasts. The entire time they said nothing to each other and after half an hour Isane returned.
"I'll need some help" Inoue said to the vice-captain. Isane quickly stepped over to the side of the tub and grabbed Ichigo from under the arms and pulled him out. At this time in his sickness Ichigo no longer cared if these two women saw him naked. He probably wouldn't have cared if Renji was in Isane's place
When he was out Inoue quickly covered him and got out of the tub soon after while he looked away. Inoue had intelligently placed a bathrobe where Ichigo lay, she dried what she could off and helped him place his arms in the sleeves. Isane then proceeded to pick Ichigo up and take him back to his room,noue quickly followed.
When Inoue entered the room she was pleasantly amazed at the order of the room. The bed sheets had been changed, the mess was gone, no traces whatsoever and her tools were all placed in accessible places. There were even new supplies mixed together with the old. Tea brewed not too far from Ichigo's bed. He was comfortably tucked in and waiting for Inoue to sit beside him.
"Are you alright now" she said getting comfortable in her usual spot.
"Yup" he said cheerfully trying his best to comfort Inoue's worries. Isane handed Inoue a small cup of tea, while they exchanged a look. Ichigo lifted his head and let Inoue feed him the liquids. This time it didn't taste so bad. When he was finished Isane stood up and headed towards the doors.
"I will report this to Unohana at day break" she said keeping her promise to Ichigo. With that said she disappeared into the dying night. Ichigo looked at Inoue and wondered for a moment what she was\ thinking about. Inoue got up and grabbed an extra blanket. She turned the lights out but did not bother to close the panels, she let the cool breeze flow and the moonlight reign freely. She sat down beside him placing the blanket around her frame. After a few moments Ichigo asked the most peculiar question sending waves of embarrassment through Inoue's body.
"Lay down with me?" his voice was quiet and barely audible. Isane had drugged him with sleeping pills and Inoue knew about it. Slowly Inoue moved into a comfortable position beside him. "Inoue can you do that thing you did in the bath" he words were slightly slurred. Inoue only smiled and lifted her hand to reach his mop of hair. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, not too long after they were both asleep.
Even though his health wasn't any better than the night before he wanted to go outside. When Isane and Unohana came earlier that day he had asked for Isane to take him to the garden. She agreed and set up a little spot for him by the cherry trees, so that when high noon came that he would shaded by the blossoms. Ichigo had to marvel at these healing women, they knew how to exactly take care of the sick down to the very last detail. Instead of Inoue joining him in the garden another good friend of his came to supervise him. Her small figure sat perched on a rock not too far away. Rukia was in deep thought and clearly troubled.
"You know I'm right here" Ichigo raised his voice as much as he could. Sensing the strain in his voice she jumped from the rock and landed right beside him on the blanket.
"I'm sorry Ichigo. I didn't want to disturb your lovely afternoon" she said looking up at the sky.
"A change in company is always welcome" he reassured her. "Not that Inoue's is bad" he added.
"Of course" she replied still looking up at the sky, she seemed like she was off somewhere else, her eyes distant.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked curiously.
"I'm going after Aizen" Rukia said honestly.
"Ya I know, Renji filled me in on it. I hope I get better within this month" he gritted his teeth together.
"No, not in a month, right away" she said looking at Ichigo.
"What?" Ichigo questioned. What could she possibly mean.
"I'm going to get you the antidote. The palace in Hueco Mundo has been vacated and I'm going there to see if I can find anything, if not then I'll just have to find Aizen and steal it from him" Rukia said with her iron-will.
"Rukia no!" Ichigo raised his voice loudly, enough for him to damage his throat. "Don't be silly" he said.
"I won't be going alone. Renji has agreed to come with me, we're leaving tonight" she said. Ichigo wasbaffled. Rukia meant to go, and by the sounds of it there was nothing he could do to stop her. He knewbetter than to argue with her. He grabbed her hand and forced her to look at him.
"You be careful then Rukia, don't go risking yourself for me again" Ichigo demanded.
"I'll be safe" she half lied, she knew it was a dangerous mission and that if trouble came knocking thatshe would answer fiercely.
"Okay" Ichigo said laying his head back down but still holding her hand firmly.
Inoue hated to be away from him this long, but she was assured by Unohana that Isane was with him. After they had spoken Inoue went to the kitchen for some lunch. They had it already prepared and offered to deliver the food to them, but Inoue insisted that she take the tray herself. Grabbing the pack of new supplies from Unohana she made her way to Ichigo's bedroom. Finding the room vacant she let the pack slip onto the ground and peered outside. Her eyes found them by the Sakura trees and her heart sank in her chest when she noticed Ichigo holding Rukias hand.
Quickly she retreated into the room nearly dropping the tray in the process. She regained hercomposure and fought the tears welling up. Why did she feel this way? The darkness in her heart forced its way out, filling her mind. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs and announce to the world the displeasure of what she had just witnessed, but even more she wanted to let this feeling of hate overtake her. Rukia. The name rang in her ears. For a moment she wished that they had never met, that way Ichigo wouldn't be in this predicament. Coming to grips with herself she realized the monster in her heart was winning. She took back her wish and offered up a quiet apology, to herself, Ichigo and Rukia. She fixed herself up and walked outside heading towards the duo. She placed the tray down and smiled.
"Rukia-san stay for lunch" Inoue chirped.
"Oh thank you Inoue, but I must get to my duties" she looked at Ichigo briefly and got up. "I must speak with my brother" she said bowing and taking her leave. Inoue bowed her head in return and watched Rukia leave, she no longer felt those feelings anymore. She looked at Ichigo and smiled. He tried to smile back but was unable to because of his thoughts on what Rukia had just told him.
"Is anything bothering you Kurosaki-kun" she asked taking the small pack at his side to make sure everything necessary was in there.
"No I'm fine Inoue" he said. "What's for lunch" he said trying to ignore his thoughts.
It was the worst day of his life, next to the death of his mother. A few days ago he had caught the common cold, but mixed with his current state it could become very dire. His temperature sky rocketed and the howling wind and rain did nothing to help the situation. Unohana had already prepared in case this would happen, Inoue was already well prepared. Minutes ago she had injected him with some mild pain killers because his wound was eating away at him. He didn't want to look as Inoue had to remove the gauze from his wound. She was prepared to clean it because it oozed more often than before. A cloud of rotting flesh reached his nostrils which Ichigo gasped on. He turned away and waited for Inoue to finish it, but the scent was too powerful for him. The incense had no effect and Ichigo began to choke on his own fluids. His body went into a state of shock, for a moment it seemed he passed out while his body still thrashed trying to breath.
In that small moment he drifted away to a dark place, it was cold and barren, but he soon caught a glimpse of glowing light heading towards him. Ichigo thought that he had died, but was soon assured he was very much alive when the familiar aura of his mother descended upon him.
"Kazaa" he said looking up from the ground. The woman held out her hand for her son to grab, he
"Let me stay with you" he whined.
Byakuya concentrated his reiatsu and swiftly stabbed the object into Ichigo's chest penetrating his lung. Ichigo let out a loud scream that surely woke the entire household. Inoue pulled out another one of the same object and Byakuya repeated the process. Ichigo arched his back in pain and finally the thrashing subsided. Inoue bowed her head in thanks to the lord of the house and went about her duties. She removed the needles which were no full of Ichigo's lung liquids. Then she got out another object that was intended to be placed in his mouth. It removed anything stuck in his throat, releasing the outer shell of the contraption she placed the inner workings on the mat beside her. The shell served as a temporary respirator, it kept his passage clear and providing him with air. Ichigo settled into a deep sleep. Byakuya got up looked at Inoue.
"I will call for a squad to move him into Unohana's care" he said disappearing.
At first Inoue was hurt, because she felt like she wasn't capable of being Ichigo's caretaker. She looked at him and began to run her fingers through his hair. "Oh Ichigo" she sighed bowing her head in defeat. The sickness almost won tonight and would have if Byakuya wasn't there. She cried all by herself for a while until she heard the approaching steps of afourth squad. She wiped her tears away quickly and began preparing for Ichigo's move.
The room was naked, white and sterile. Almost too sterile, she didn't like it at all. In the hours that Ichigo slept she ran some errands. She went back to the Kuchiki residence and gathered some of his things, which weren't a lot. She even went as far as to ask Byakuya if she could take some flowers from the garden, without a word he just nodded and sent her on her way. Then she scolded herself for not returning home to get some of Ichigo's things and there was no way she could do it now. She wondered if it was possible at all to get someone to crossover, but she was too shy to ask. Then she realized that Ichigo's family hadn't been informed of his situation. Early in his sickness Ichigo had asked that his family stay out of this. They had complied, but Inoue wondered if now was an appropriate time to finally tell them. Perhaps some comfort direct from home would help Ichigo get better. While in the halls of the 4's squad compound she ran into Hanatarou.
"Oh Hanatorou" she exclaimed disregarding the fact that she had just bumped into him.
"Orihime-san" he smiled bowing. "How are you?" he asked.
"Oh I'm fine" she replied. For now she was fine, but the strain on her emotions was wearing her down and Hanatoro could tell just by her appearance.
"How is Ichigo?" he asked, his voice softer than before. Inoue didn't know how to respond to him. After last night she didn't even know how Ichigo was or was going to be.
"He's managing" she gave the best response. Before he could say anything more Inoue spoke up again.
"Hey Hanatorou, could you do me a favour?" she asked kindly.
"Umm I can do my best" he said confused, wondering just what she was going to ask him.
"If you ever get the chance to go to Karakura town, do you think you could get some of Ichigo's things and possibly let Urahara know about what's going with Ichigo" she finished.
Hanatorou thought about the extent of the favour and concluded that it was something he was capable of doing. "Oh yes for sure Orihime. In fact I'm sure my captain will gladly send me to Karakura town immediately" he said remembering a report about that specific location. Apparently they were running low on supplies and needed to restock. Of course the report was just a way for that idiot Momohara to get remedies for the common cold. "I will speak with Unohana as soon as I'm done here" he said lifting a case of medicine so that Inoue could see.
"Arigato Hanatorou san" she said bowing and taking her leave. She gripped the bunch of flowers in her hand and wondered if Ichigo had woken up.
Returning to consciousness felt much the same as before, awful. His dreams were painfully cruel to him, teasing him with prospects of excellent health and peaceful shiny days. His eyes hurt, but there was little light in the room. Already he was aware that he was no longer at the Kuchiki mansion, the scents lingering in the room told him so. One thing for certain, Inoue was still with him. He sighed in relief when he felt her reiatsu. She was near him, he moved his hand and brushed along something warm.
"Ichigo!" she said startled blushing at where his hand was. His hand lay beside her thigh, his fingers lightly grazing her leg. "How do you feel" she said moving from his touch and facing him, she was still sitting on the bed. For some reason Ichigo felt compelled to keep in contact with her. This place felt inhuman and after what happened last night he wanted all his senses to know that he was still alive. He moved his hand to rest on her knee.
"I feel groggy" he let out a deep breath.
Inoue was a bit uncomfortable with the position of his hand. It made her heart soar, butterflies filled her tummy and shivers pulsed down her back. "That must be the painkillers" she struggled to say.
"Oh ya, they work wonders, but nothing like having you around" he smiled tickling her leg. Inoue let out a giggling scream, her body squirming closer to him. Her cheeks were red because of what he had just said, but was thankful that her hair was blocking her face. Suddenly Ichigo sat up while his hands moved to her waist.
"Ichigo, you shouldn't move too much" she managed to get out trying to look at him seriously while resisting the urge to laugh, it was like he knew just how to touch her and where.
"I feel fine" he said lying. In fact his muscles over exerted himself just to sit up, but he needed to exercise. He stopped tickling her and looked deeply into her eyes. He reached up and pulled away some strands from her face, his fingers tracing her jawline.
To Inoue they were dangerously close, but she had no strength to pull away from him. It appeared as though he was getting closer to her face, her eyes met his while her cheeks flushed with pink. Just then Unohana walked in. Inoue quickly pulled away and got up. She moved to the head of his bed she spun a knob so that his bed folded perfectly to his sitting position.
"Ichigo, you're awake and looking well considering what you went through last night" there was a hint of concern in her voice as she sat down beside the bed. She looked so regal, his posture was lady-like, hands laid across her lap while her feet folded to the side underneath her chair.
"Ya I feel much better thanks to Inoue" he said looking at Inoue, he acted as though nothing had just happened, while Inoue could do nothing but think about it. Her embarrassment eminated off her in waves, her heart still racing. She couldn't help but wonder what might have happened if Unohana hadn't disturbed them when she did and she didn't know what to feel afterwords. Was she grateful or upset at the intrusion? Either way Inoue couldn't tell, instead she pushed it to the back of her mind and walked towards the window to arrange the flowers she brought Ichigo.
"Byakuya is the one to thank" Inoue said sadly, remembering what happened last night. She still felt terrible about it, the more she tried not to think about what happened the more the scenario's played in her mind. She saw herself attending his funeral, clouds hovering just overhead and even bigger one of regret towering over her. She saw Ichigo's family, the looks on their faces, the endless tears. What would she have said? It would have been all her fault and she would have lived with it the entirety of her life.
Sensing the distress in Inoue's reiatsu, Unohana spoke up. "When caring for others, it is not always easy. Believe me Inoue-san, I struggled in my younger days" The fourth captain's voice was soothing and Inoue was relieved somehow by her kind words, it never failed to amaze her how easily Unohana had mastered her use of words. She smiled and picked up the flowers placing the vase on the table beside Ichigo.
"Hai" Inoue said sitting back down on the bed. Only this time she sat at the feet of his bed far from Ichigo's reach.
After that matter was settled, which Ichigo was oblivious to, since he wasn't fully awake when Byakuya stabbed him with those ridiculousy large needles, Unohana got right to buiness. "I'll will be keeping you here until you are over your cold. Since you body is overheating trying to kill the infiltrators, your sickness has reacted badly to it." Unohana explained.
"It's almost like Aizen designed it that way" Ichigo grumbled.
"I'm not so sure that Aizen was the one who created this illness" Unohana corrected Ichigo, for a few seconds she appeared in deep thought trying to untangle the truth of it.
"Then who?" Inoue asked.
"That is still unknown, but there are several leads" Unohana replied. Ichigo had to keep his concern unspoken. He thought about Rukia and Renji, their mission. He wondered if they were aware of this information and these leads. Again Unohana suprised them.
"Rukia is aware of these details. She came to my office a few days asking about you and I told her about what we had discovered. I think she secretly read the reports after I left my office" Unohana folded her hands neatly on her lap. Of course Unohana had wanted it to happen that way, the healer purposely left the reports out in the open for Rukia to see. She knew that their mission wouldn't be approved and that Rukia would go by herself without any need of it. The only thing that concered Unohana was the danger involved, but she wouldn't send any shinigami on a death mission if she herself had properly assessed the situation.
So that's why she left Ichigo thought. He sighed and hoped for Rukia's safe return.
"Anyways I wanted to check on you and let you know what will be going on for the next few days. You will have some more extensive tests taken, new meds administered and with luck you can return to the Kuchiki residence. Byakuya has agreed to let you return, since I can already tell you don't like it here" she smiled. "But this time I will post an experienced 4th sqaud member at the estate just in case" she said looking at Inoue with sympathy.
"and Inoue?" Ichigo asked worried.
"Inoue will still be looking after your needs here and back at the estate" Unohana reassured him. Ichigo let out a sigh of relief looking at Inoue. "You are doing very well Inoue-sam, I am impressed with you ability to learn so quickly" Unohana finished getting up. "Now I have other patients to attend to. Your first meds will arrive shortly" she said heading for the room.
"Arigato" Ichigo and Inoue said in unison breaking out in laughter afterwords. When they were completely alone they looked at eachother in silence. The rest of the afternoon passed in this manner before they laughed again. Not even the rainclouds outside could disturb their peace, the wild thunderclaps spelling out certain doom.