This chapter gets kinda dark. It is M-rated for a reason.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach
Ichigo weaves under the kick as it flies over him harmlessly before releasing a punch to the sternum that struck true as his attacker stumbled back from the strong blow. "C'mon you're a hand to hand specialist and we're hand to hand, How're you losing!" he shouted at the violet-haired girl who scowled at him before getting into a ready stance.
She ran at him in a mad dash as he got into a defensive position to block whatever hit she sent at him. He was ready for the leg sweep she sent and lifted his leg to avoid the blow. He wasn't expecting it to be a feint and she soon had her legs wrapped around his neck with him pinned to the ground. He would have enjoyed the position if his senses didn't pick up something in the foliage that he had to look at. He had gotten rid of Aizen and while the Academy didn't suspect him, Ichimaru was and the silver-haired teen had been on him like white on rice.
"Hah, gotcha!" she yelled in joy as she moved her hips slightly. Ichigo looked right at Ichimaru, he couldn't see him but he knew the man was there. He vanished not much longer which made Ichigo narrow his eyes, he didn't know when the teen was going to act but the suspense was becoming too much for him. "Do you like being under me like this Ichigo-kun?" she flirted with the boy below her in an attempt to make him blush.
"No, now get off, please," he grumbled from underneath her as he looked up into her yellow eyes. She had gotten much more flirty and she had jumped him three times this week and it was grating on his will. He liked Yoruichi but now was not the time and if she got too close Ichimaru could try and use her to get to him.
Ichigo fell to one knee, spitting blood into his hollow mask as he did so. Ulquiorra had gotten him bad, he had gotten his legs and arms with deep cuts so he was basically immobile and he had to watch as Inoue stood there, Ulquiorra's fingers against the back of her head. "Inoue-chan look at me," Ichigo ordered the orange-haired girl who swapped her tear-stricken gaze to him. Ichigo had seen better days, he had half of his Hollow mask with the other half lying in pieces at his feet he had blood pouring out of his body and his Zangetsu was shattered.
"Everything will be fine. I'm gonna save you it's a promise!" he shouted as he struggled to stand and got to a stagger as he stood on shaking knees. He made his way to her only to be kicked back by Ulquiorra. He gasped in pain as he made contact with the cold marble floor. Ichigo had never felt so much pain in his life, it felt like his veins were running pure fire, not blood. His eyes had screwed themselves shut in pain and his body felt like jelly.
"Kurosaki-kun." whispered the girl as Ichigo shot his eyes open to look up at her, despite the pain. "I love y-" whatever else she was going to say was cut off by a green ray of light going straight through her skull and completely obliterating the top half of her head. Ichigo watched wide-eyed and jaw-dropped as the body collapsed on the floor and blood pooled around her body. "It is all your fault." Ichigo dragged his gaze from his dead friend to the man standing there.
"If not for you she would have lived a peaceful life but you dragged her into this mess." Ichigo ignored everything else the dark-haired pale man said as he saw pure red. His sword rapidly reformed, much to the shock of Ulquiorra as Ichigo snarled and gnashed his teeth.
"Urusai!" he shouted as his mask reformed and covered his whole face, his body paled as his hair cascaded down his back. His mask grew two horns that sprouted out of the sides of his head and his cuts rapidly healed as he stood. "URUSAI!" the hollow shouted as it vanished from Ulquiorra's sight which made him widen his eyes in shock at the speed increase. Ichigo reappeared in front of the pale-skinned man and swung down on him which was hastily blocked by the Arrancar as he tried to keep up with Ichigo's speed.
Ichigo showed no restraint though as he took one hand off his sword before reaching forward for Ulquiorra's head with his clawed hand. Ulquiorra had to leap back to avoid being hurt but before he even fully touched the ground he was blasted back by crimson flames. "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" the orange-haired hollow screeched as it leaped after him through the smoke his attack had made. Ulquiorra hadn't even recovered from the blast before Ichigo was on him swinging like a madman.
He got in a deep cut on Ulquiorra's thigh before swinging again and getting blocked but did not care as he swung down on his side which again was blocked. He didn't stop swinging through and on the next swing cut into the boy's side about six inches before redrawing his blade and bringing it overhead to swing down on Ulquiorra's head. Ulquiorra was still reeling from the pain of being slashed into as he blocked the swing. The Snarling Hollow face howled as it tilted it's head back and soon a red and black orb started forming in between its horns.
Ulquiorra watched wide-eyed as the red orb formed above his head. He could do nothing though since if he pulled back his sword Ichigo would simply cut him in half so he closed his eyes as the red orb howled on top of both of them, obscuring the whole building in a red bubble.
He was knocked back into the present by Yoruichi bringing her face up right in front of his. "You sure you don't want me?" she flirted and Ichigo only thought of how Ichimaru could kill her.
"Get away!" he yelled as he shoved her off before flash-stepping away to go vent his frustration on something or someone.
That had hurt both emotionally and physically. She didn't know why he had gotten so mad at her for something she had been doing for weeks but when he had said it he had said it so hatefully and he was so angry with her. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as she flash-stepped to her dorm so no one would see her tears.
He reappeared right in front Urahara who was in the process of working on some kind of machine, not that Ichigo noticed as his head was too full of emotions. Kisuke glanced up and saw the wave of emotions in Ichigo's eyes the sadness, grief, pain, anger, frustration, and Urahara knew the symptoms all so well. "You really should see Unohana-taichou about that Traumatic Stress, it's tearing you up," he commented offhandedly as he returned to his work.
He had seen Ichigo have these same moments where he would have flashbacks and knew it was affecting him more than he would admit it. "I know I know, I haven't gotten around to it," he mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head while he let out a deep sigh. In all honesty, he didn't want to go through the hassle of having to make up an excuse for the woman he also didn't like being in a hospital or in this case a care unit for longer than possible and going to see her would affect that.
"What happened this time, see someone you knew?" the blonde questioned, still not leaving his work.
Ichigo shook his head despite the grey-haired teen not being able to see it. "Yoruichi was flirting and I remembered the last person that got close to me," he mumbled staring at the floor as he thought of how she had died, her blood flying everywhere.
That statement made Urahara turn around and raised an eyebrow at Ichigo. "And then what?" he pried from the orange-haired time traveler.
"I freaked out and I couldn't get the image of her getting killed too, I shoved her off and came here." he murmured still not taking his gaze off the floor.
"While I can understand why you reacted that way, she won't. You should go apologize." his statement was met with a nod by the person on the couch. "Well go do it." Urahara waved his hand in the direction of the door as he said so. Ichigo nodded as he stood up and walked to the door and pulled it open before being stopped by the blonde's voice. "The me in the future. He told you to make a new future right?" he questioned the orange-haired man.
His answer was a nod so he continued. "Then maybe you should take a chance with Yoruichi-san. You can't make a future alone after all and besides, Aizen is dead and I doubt Yoruichi can't take care of herself," he said his peace before returning to his work, engrossing himself in his usual hobby as Ichigo left.
Ichigo sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair while he weighed his options. He could take a risk and date Yoruichi which would make her happy as well as himself, or he could continue with his objective and keep the peace and focus entirely on his duties. He started his walk to Yoruichi's, hoping he would come to a decision by the time he got there.
Ichigo stood there in front of Yoruichi's dorm door as he shook his head, not believing what he was going to do. He raised his hand and knocked on the wood door and stood there waiting for her to answer it. He was nervous and anxious about this and could only hope she wasn't too upset with him. When a minute passed and she didn't answer the door he knocked again, this time he heard shuffling but again no answering the door.
"I know you're in there Yoruichi-chan, open the door please," he called out in frustration and sadness.
"Go away Ichigo!" she yelled at him through the wood door and he couldn't hold back the wince as he remained standing.
"You really aren't going to open the door?" he questioned again and when he got no response he got his answer. He sighed softly before taking his sword out of his sash and laying it against the wall next to him before sitting down against the wall as well. He crossed his legs as he sat there, he had become patient over his years in the forest and he could stay here for hours if he needed to. "Come out when you are ready to talk," he spoke one last time, knowing she heard him as he shut his eyes.
He didn't know how long he sat there as he thought over all kinds of things. He eventually got bored with that so he turned to his sensing ability and sensed her as she went through her dorm. First, she had been in her kitchen making some kind of food before she had walked into her Living room and had eaten the food before she simply went into her room and slept. She laid there, peacefully sleeping for hours and hours to the point where Ichigo himself had to open his eyes and confirmed it was indeed night.
When meditating he channeled his core, saved energy and closed his eyes so it had the same effect as sleeping so he did not even slightly tire from sitting there for so long, by his guess he must have been sitting there for roughly eighteen hours longer than he had ever sat or slept but he would gladly wait for eighteen more for her. He didn't notice when it started to rain until he felt one drop hit his eye and he slowly became soaked from the wet liquid.
Nevertheless, he stayed there, waiting for her to notice his presence and he would make amends no matter what. He noticed her start moving and she went to the bathroom and started to undress, causing him to snap out of his sensing with a blush adorning his features as he looked up at the rain.
He waited close to ten minutes before he went back into his sensing, noticing she was done with her shower and eating breakfast. She then suddenly dropped her toast and snapped her head in his direction, it would seem she noticed him as she ran to the door and swung it open before peeking her head out. "What are you still doing here!" she yelled as she crouched in front of him and looked at him with so concern in her eyes.
"Like I said, I was waiting for you to come out so we can talk," he spoke softly as the girl in front of him huffed before grabbing his arm and proceeding to pull him into the apartment. Ichigo grabbed his sword right before he got shoved in and the door was slammed.
"And now we're both wet, thanks a lot Ichigo." she pouted as she shook her head like a cat, shaking some of the water out of her hair in the process. She pulled out a hair tie before tying her hair up in a loose ponytail to keep it off her wet back and looked up only to see Ichigo watching her with such intensity it startled her. "What?" she questioned the boy in front of her as she put her hands on her hips.
"Sorry." he started causing her to furrow her eyebrows. "Sorry for being an ass, Sorry for rejecting you, Sorry for just doing everything I have the past few weeks. I've been going through some... tough... things and I took out my anger on you. That wasn't right and it took Kisuke to tell me that for me to realize it, so I'm sorry Yoruichi-chan." he finished his apology to the girl in front of him as he hung his head in shame for all of the things he had done to her.
Yoruichi stood there, shock on her face at not only his apology but how he could be so sincere and nice and make her want to forgive him so easily. She sighed as a warm smile came over her face. "I forgive you, berry-boy." she couldn't help but tease him slightly and was greeted by Ichigo's smiling face looking back at her.
"How 'bout a hug to seal it?" he asked, spreading his arms wide as water dripped from his figure making Yoruichi take a step back in fear. "Don't-" she began but did not finish as she quickly had to try and run from the orange-haired teen as he tried to hug her. She did not get very far before being caught though and soon his arms wrapped around her midsection and pulled her into his chest, soaking her to the bone as he rubbed his arms up and down her back to make sure it spread.
She had at first struggled but soon simply let him hold her as she buried her head in his wet chest. They both stood there in the middle of her living room, dripping onto the floor and despite the cold water Yoruichi had never felt such warmth from anyone in her life and she enjoyed it as much as possible. "Ichigo?" she asked him as she angled her face up to see his own.
"Hm?" he hummed in reply and she took that as acceptance of the question.
"Did you mean it when you said you're sorry for rejecting me?" she questioned the boy as a small blush crept up her cheeks. Whether it was from the cold or the question Ichigo could not tell as he smiled down at her. "So if I were to ask you now, you wouldn't say no?" she seemed hesitant as she asked him the question.
He leaned down by her ear so his breath was tickling her skin as he whispered, "That Kitty-chan, is a secret." he pulled back as he took in the new pinky rose blush on her cheeks. He chuckled before reaching a hand down and rubbing her wet violet hair. "Ja ne!" he told her as he turned and walked out the door, leaving a blushing and wet Yoruichi in the middle of her dorm. "Damn him," she muttered as she went to go take a shower and dry herself. Despite her words, the smile on her face didn't leave for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, with Kisuke himself he was walking to Squad Four barracks with an umbrella protecting him from the light deluge. He made it to the door for the care unit and opened one of the doors open as he stepped in, folding his umbrella as he did so. He held the curved handle of his umbrella and used it as a makeshift cane as he walked to the Attendant. "Greetings, would it be possible for me to have a meeting with Unohana-taichou?" he asked the woman who smiled before going back to her work.
"And what would you need with me, Academy student?" came the voice of the Captain herself from behind him and a smile found it's way onto Urahara's face as he turned, taking in the appearance of the attractive Squad Four Captain. He bowed low for the Captain while spreading his arms in a dramatic fashion as he did this before straightening, his smile still on his face.
"Splendid to meet you Unohana-taichou. I came to ask if it would be possible for you to make a home visit to my friend," he asked his question, drawing a raised eyebrow from the black-haired lady.
"Why not come here himself and send you to ask?" she questioned the blonde who chuckled slightly.
"He has had this problem of his for quite a few months now and when it became clear he wouldn't do it himself, I sent myself," he added as he gestured to himself with a dramatic flourish of his hand. Unohana let a small smile come to her face at the gestures of the Academy student they were amusing, to say the least.
"And what happens to be wrong with him that he would need my direct attention?" she didn't have anything planned any time soon so she could do it, but the need for her especially and not her Lieutenant was strange.
"He does not have anything physically wrong with him," Urahara commented as a small frown came upon his face. "He does, however, have a rather severe case of PTS and has been losing sleep as well having rather traumatic flashbacks during the day." he finished with an even deeper frown than he started with.
That shocked her, an academy student with PTS was borderline unheard of. Souls since dead very rarely ever got PTS since they had already been killed and there wasn't much that could traumatize a dead person. And if they had it before dying, never in recorded history had it been brought into the Soul Society with them since to many, death was the ultimate type of trauma. "And why, does an Academy student have PTS?" she questioned in a rather serious voice. The last time she had seen someone with PTS had been the Supreme Captain himself and that was because of the amount of carnage and war he had gone through.
Gears turned in Urahara's head as he thought of a plausible excuse. He couldn't tell the woman his friend was from the future and had gotten the PTS from a war that had not even started, he would be seen for therapy in that case. "I do not know Unohana-taichou, he refuses to say anything about it to me." on the outside he still held a concerned frown for Ichigo but on the inside, he was smirking deviously, leave it to Ichigo to make up an excuse for himself.
"Who is this person to you?" she asked the blonde as she sent off a hell butterfly to find her lieutenant and bring her to her.
"He is my roommate as well as my best friend," he answered dutifully and Unohana nodded in acceptance. The woman went up to her attendant before checking her schedule and finding she had literally nothing to do. She nodded in acceptance of that as she stood back to her full height. It was just at that moment her lieutenant arrived via shunpo and the man and woman now stood in front of Urahara.
"My Lieutenant has never dealt with a patient like this, may he come?" she asked the dusty-haired blonde in front of her who nodded happily.
"Where are we going Taichou?" the black-haired man asked the woman.
"Mr..." "Urahara madam." "Urahara-san here has a friend with PTS who we are going to go check out right now." she started as she filled in her apprentice on the way to the dorm, Seinosuke and Kisuke holding umbrellas to cover the three of them as they moved.
Ichigo sighed in contentment as he dried off his hair in the bathroom before getting dressed in some sweatpants and went into the kitchen to make himself something. He heard the front door open and multiple people walking in. "Hey Kisuke, we're outta shrimp!" he shouted over his shoulder to the blonde as he stood to his full height. "We probably need..." his sentence left unfinished as he turned around to see the Captain of the Fourth Squad, her Lieutenant, and Kisuke behind them both smirking like the devil.
Now for the lieutenant in front of him, he thought he was standing stock-still was because he was embarrassing himself in front a Captain, but for Urahara and Unohana, they knew better as they watched Ichigo's eyes glaze over. He shakes out of it a few moments later and bows to the Captain and Lieutenant in front of him. "Hello, Unohana-taichou, Yamada-fukutaichou!" he spat out as he continued to bow, trying to shake the image out of his head.
He hadn't known the woman well, but the Unohana from his timeline had been kind yet had died as well and because of him. He raised his head back up and stared into the kind visage of the Captain. He averted his eyes a moment later and looked anywhere but her, mainly glaring at Urahara. "Greetings friend of Urahara-san." she greeted the strawberry-haired boy in front of her.
"Ichigo Kurosaki," he commented getting a nod from the Squad Four captain. "Why are you here Unohana-taichou?" he asked the question bugging him.
"Urahara-san here," she gestured to the blonde behind her as a feeling of dread came over Ichigo. "Told us of your condition and we are here to try and help you with it," she explained why the two were there as Ichigo shot Urahara the darkest glare he possibly could without adding Reiatsu to it. "Now, let's get started." spoke the woman as her lieutenant took a seat on one of the armchairs and so did Unohana as Ichigo begrudgingly took a seat on the couch but before doing so he passed Urahara on the way.
"You better pray we don't spar anytime soon." the orange-haired boy hissed before taking a seat on the couch.
"Now then, we will start with what is the reason for your PTS?" she questioned the boy in front of her who simply deeply exhaled through his nostrils as he leaned his head back against the couch. Ichigo really did not want to talk and he knew he couldn't do a complete lie and that he would at least have to tell her some truths and he was not looking forward to it. The boy sat there for at least another full minute with three sets of eyes on him.
Just as Unohana was about to repeat the question, he started. "There're many different times when I saw somethin' I wish I didn't but this is what started it and the worst of 'em." He gave one last heavy shaky breath before starting. "I was eatin' dinner with my family while I was human, we weren't poor but we weren't rich either we were that middle-class and we got by. My sister had made us these Udon noodles and my other sister had made this spice our mom had taught her before she died and she treated it like it was this sacred thing and refused to tell any of us it.
"I remember my dad doing this weird dance when he tasted the noodles and broth, said it tasted just like mom used to make it," he said with a nostalgic smile filled with pain and sadness. "He had this poster of our mom on the wall, it was like ten foot tall and wide as a door and every time we did something good he would run up to it, crying and shouting how we were growing up so well." the boy waved his arms as he said it shaking his fists to the sky in an exaggerating manner.
"My sisters were laughing at it and I had hit him over the head, yelling how he was stupid but everyone was having a good time. That was how my dad was, he kept us happy by being an idiot and made us forget our mom's death and kept us smiling. And as I was yelling at him and his dumbness, the ceiling suddenly burst open, splinters went everywhere and I remember how I was just kept looking up wondering what was happening.
"The ceiling looked like a truck had fallen through it and me and my dad just stared up at it, wondering what the hell made it happen. Then my youngest sister, eight years old let out this horrible scream, it was so bad I didn't even know noises could be so high-pitched. Me and dad turned around and just saw her, raising in the area like she learned to fly. Me and my dad ran right up and got her left arm, tugging her back with all of the force we had.
"My sister's face as she was there, just standing there in the middle of the air as she screamed. Me and my dad tried so hard to pull her back in but then her arm cut in half. Just," he raised his arm and made a chopping motion in the air as he said it. "Like that. Me and my dad went tumbling with the arm in our hands. It poured so much blood and my dad jumped away from it as he ran up to my sister, trying to save her. But I just kept staring at the arm as it poured blood on me, I didn't care I just couldn't get the look on my sister's face out of my head as I stared at the arm in my hands.
"My sister's scream got me though and I looked up as she got raised sideways making her look like she's laying down. Then she just starts disappearing from her head down to her waist. Suddenly it's just all gone and all that's left is my baby sister's legs as the air held them for a little while later. There went my little sister, my sweet eight-year-old little sister just got chopped up and she was gone, just like that." he snapped his fingers once, his eyes empty and cold as he kept them fixed on the door to the dorm.
"I remember just watching my dad, he'd been standing right under her and now he was underneath my little sister's legs as they poured blood down on him. He just stood there, looking up at the legs like they were the last things in the world and I'm sure if I coulda heard, I woulda heard him crying. The legs disappeared a few moments later and my dad just stood there in a puddle of blood and then I just saw him collapse and fall like a bag of rocks as if there was no point in standing anymore. I knew then and there that my dad was gone and what little of his sanity that was there after mom died went away.
"Then my other sister who'd been sitting in her chair too scared to do shit got picked up the exact same way. I think my biggest regret of that night is not doing anything to try and help. I simply held the arm of my dead baby sister as I watched my other little sister float into the sky the same way my other sister. My sister didn't scream though, she just kept crying and stared at me, she just stared and stared. She wen different to my baby sister though and everything below her chest was gone."
He then turned to the Captain of squad Four who was staring at him wide eyes. He stared his deep dead eyes right into her own eyes. "Tell me taichou, you ever seen someone's lungs fall right outta their body? I have. I watched as my little sister's lungs fell right out and crashed against the floor but they didn't burst, they simply bounced away and one rolled to me and one rolled to the front door like it was going to try and get away. But the worst part was when I saw her heart just hanging there by strings and it bounced as it beat in the empty space like it was on a trampoline.
"Then I watched my sister suddenly drop out of the air and vanished halfway to the ground like she went into some portal to somewhere else." The shinigami-to-be let out a lifeless chuckle as he stared back at the floor. "I remember thinking on how she took my mom's recipe to the grave. I musta looked insane, sitting there in a puddle of blood and laughing like a madman while holding a little girl's arm. It had been so funny back then I still don't know why it was so funny but my dad didn't seem to care.
"My dad was so fucked in the head, I think he was actually brain dead when he died. He didn't struggle or anything he just accepted it as he got picked up and ate. This time though he got swallowed whole and then it was just me, on my knees in a puddle of blood laughing my guts out with a lung in front of me and an arm in my hand. To this day I don't know why the Hollow didn't kill me and I've come up with two solutions. The Shinigami came and killed it and left me there, or the Hollow was so full it didn't bother eating me and fucked off."
Urahara had left sometime in the middle of the memory recollection and had gone to places Ichigo didn't know. The lieutenant was throwing up in the bathroom but the captain was just sitting there in front of him, staring at him with wide shocked eyes. "I understand if it takes you a minute to get your words doc." he chuckled lifelessly. "Took me three months to say a word." the teen told her before he put his hands on his knees and raised to his full height as he walked into his room, softly shutting the door behind him in the process.
The captain sat there for fifteen more minutes before standing and slowly walking to the bathroom and opened the door to reveal a shaky Seinosuke Yamada hunched over the toilet. "C-Come Suke, we've overstayed our welcome." she slung her lieutenant's arm around her neck as she shunpo'd to her office to do many things regarding Ichigo Kurosaki.
A few minutes later Yoruichi walked through the front door, Kisuke standing outside as he leaned against the wall. "Good luck," he told her as he walked off to try and lose the sadness in his heart for what he had just made Ichigo relive.
Yoruichi bit her lip as she opened the door to the bedroom, walking in silently before shutting it with a soft click behind her. She took a few steps forward, the bed coming into view as she did so. She strained her ears and there she heard it, the soft sniffle and she was sure he was crying and if the shaking of his shoulders was any indication he was. It hurt her heart to see him crying in ways that she didn't know she could hurt. She padded over before lifting the covers and sliding in, hugging him from behind as she did so.
"It's okay," she whispered as she rubbed his chest. "I'm here it's okay," she murmured as she hugged him with all the love she could possibly muster. Her saying that seemed to turn on a valve as heart-wrenching sobs made their way out of his throat and his shaking intensified. He turned in her grip and hugged her back, burying his head in her purple locks as he did so. The wet tears made into her hair and back but she didn't care, as long as he felt better she would do anything for him.
The sudden realization hit her hard as she realized that she would do anything for him no matter the cost. Perhaps that was what love was, the willingness to do anything and everything to keep the person you love happy. She buried her face in his chest as he cried into her hair and despite the gloomy circumstances Yoruichi couldn't help but feel warm, knowing she loved Ichigo Kurosaki.
So, yeah. Heavy chapter, I tried to lighten it up with some fluff at the beginning and end of it but nevertheless, I know it was a pretty dark chapter from the flashback to the explaining. Just to clear some things up, what he told Unohana was somewhat true in how his family was brutally murdered by a hollow but not in that way which will be explained later on in the story. Also, this is a few weeks after Ichigo killed Aizen.
There are numerous grammar mess-ups and the swearing was not me being lazy but how I feel Ichigo would say these things since he is so emotional.