Betaread by DawnieWrites :)
Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone's hand is the beginning of a journey.
At other times, it is allowing another to take yours.
~Vera Nazarian
Chapter 4
The Start of the End
He saw the last of the day slip behind the horizon. Then he heard his brother calling him from the living room, "Ichigo, inside."
He obeyed his brother. There was something in Sosuke's gentle voice that, even as a child, Ichigo understood the subtle authority it possessed. He may fight against it, be irritated, yell, scream and shout, but it always ended with the same result. Ichigo stirred, lifting himself into a seated position and took in one extra-long breath, taking in the scents around him. After a few seconds, his brother repeated his command. Ichigo rolled his eyes and was going to respond when he stopped. He reminded himself, What difference will it make if I argue with him?
Ichigo walked into the house and joined his brother at the dinner table.
"How was your day?"
"It was okay."
"Did anything happen?"
"No."
"Mine was rather interesting. I spoke with the Captain-Commander."
Ichigo hunched his shoulders. Whenever his brother spoke to the Captain-Commander, it always resulted in more restrictions being placed on him. "What did he want?"
Sosuke sipped his tea. "Some business regarding the fifth division, that's all really."
"Oh," Ichigo took a bite of his food.
"But he told me that he would like to speak with you sometime soon."
Ichigo raised his eyebrows, surprised. "What? I don't think I've ever said more than two words to the guy. What does he want?"
"It's nothing to worry about, just a little chat. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise, Ichigo," he placed his cup down. "By the way, your birthday is next week."
"Yup, same time as last year."
"And you'll be how old?"
"Did you seriously forget? I'll be sixteen."
"Sixteen," Sosuke frowned. "It seems only yesterday I was assigned to be your guardian."
"I guess so," Ichigo mumbled.
"Enjoy your last week being fifteen." Sosuke said.
"What's with the sad face, bro? It's not like the world is going to end," Ichigo grumbled.
They finished dinner in silence. Ichigo retired to his bedroom afterwards. Sosuke went into the kitchen. He placed his cup in the sink, rinsing it, his mind focusing on the meeting with Yamamoto that morning. All he had wanted was too reaffirm Ichigo's situation. Even as Sosuke stood there, his fingers becoming wrinkled from the running water, arrangements were being made with the Royal Guards to come take his brother. He dried his hands, taking off his glasses and placing them down onto the table. Ichigo's fate would soon be decided. And Sosuke smiled, for a brief second, looking like the demon he truly was.
The night was silent. The air was still. Leaves hung motionless in the trees. A distant howl of a lonely wolf echoed through the empty, vast forest. It was a sad cry, as if it was longing for company in this vacant space. A shadowy figure was crawling on its hands on knees, causing the bushes to shake. It stood up, pushing aside low branches, thick vines, and took extra care not to trip over the large roots that stuck out from the ground. He stopped for a moment. The sounds of rushing water could be heard. Was there a river nearby? He could use a drink of water. No, he had to keep moving.
He broke away from the protective trees and he stood in the clearing. The motionless world suddenly twisted and turn, colors as bright as bejeweled insects were spinning. The shadow now took the shape of a human boy that clutched onto the sides of his head. He waited for the world to solidify. He bit his lip. And then, as quickly as it had started, it stopped. The small boy lifted his head up. Panicking, he started to run.
As he ran, the world around him started to crumble beneath his feet, becoming a massive drop-off. The boy's eyes widened when he saw this but he knew he could not stop. He kept running for what seemed like an eternity until finally, he stopped. There, he stood on the edge of a cliff, bits of rock tumbling down as he stared over the edge. The darkness obscured his vision but he could tell that the bottom had to be hundreds of feet below.
He backed away, fearing for his life, when he felt something touch his back. The boy turned around to see another man. It was someone he knew.
The boy smiled.
"Brother," the older man said.
The boy opened his eyes and tried to speak. No words came out. He touched his throat, unable to understand why he suddenly lost his voice.
"Why are you here? Are you looking for a way out?" the man questioned.
The boy could not answer. The man stretched out his hand towards the boy, who was too terrified to move. Fingers squeezed around his neck, causing the boy to cough.
"There is no way out, Ichigo. You'll be trapped forever…" the man's smile grew. It was the same demonic smile the boy had seen once in his life before.
Ichigo, hands trembling violently, grabbed his brother's hand, trying to pry them off his neck. He was losing air…he felt his head swelling…his thoughts swirling into one…his death…his freedom…slipping away…soon to be trapped behind a closed a door.
Ichigo's eyes opened. He shot up, gazing around his small room. The first thing he noticed was that it was dawn, the white walls in his bedroom painted with shades of blue and pink. His body was very hot as if he were on fire. He shoved his blankets off and stood up very slowly, his whole body shaking. He scrambled out of bed, slid his bedroom door open, and sat down at the table.
What an absolute nightmare!
Ichigo wiped the sweat from his forehead and gazed around the room. It felt more confined than usual, as if it were being compressed by large invisible hands. The walls, windows and doors seemed to be pulling towards him. He retrieved a glass of water from the sink. Sipping it, Ichigo closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax. He reopened them, and stared at Sosuke's door. Ichigo grimaced.
He tried to keep his spiritual pressure in check. He knew if he became too excited or upset, his brother would wake. Yet, Ichigo could not help but allow his dream to replay in his mind, consuming him with unwanted thoughts.
"Brother was trying to kill me…" he said in disbelief. He repeated the words. They didn't sound right. Over the years, Sosuke and Ichigo had had their disagreements but he was positive that Sosuke would never try to kill him.
Ichigo's back stiffened as he heard someone knock softly on the front door. He turned his head, waiting to see if the visitor knocked again. It was very odd to have people stopping by this early in the morning. Maybe it was one of the captains? After the third knock, Ichigo felt as if he could no longer ignore the guest. He walked towards the door and opened it cautiously. It was…
"Rukia?" Ichigo said, his insides suddenly filling with both delight and surprise.
"Good morning, Ichigo. I'm glad you're among the living."
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I'm here to speak with you, of course."
"Uh, okay," Ichigo replied. "One second." He reached over to a coat hanger and gripped his brother's coat. Pulling it on, he stepped out into the corridor with Rukia, shutting the door quietly behind him.
For a moment, they stood there, staring into each other's faces. She looked as nervous as he was and her eyes were baggy and red, as if she had not gotten enough sleep. Ichigo could only guess this had something to do with her meeting yesterday. Why she would come all the way out here so early in the morning though was beyond him.
"Let's walk," she said
"Uh…sure." Ichigo agreed. Moving was better than just standing here. "Where do you…"
"Just far enough."
"I don't want to wear this thing, hold on," Ichigo went inside again, throwing off his brother's coat unceremoniously on the floor and grabbing his own shinigami garb, his sword fastened to his back. A little cautious voice in the back of his head told him he ought to tell Sosuke where he was going. But then he remembered his nightmare and felt too afraid to speak to him.
Rukia waited for Ichigo, her face solemn as she stared at the sky. When Ichigo shut the front door behind him, the pair set off. The tension between them grew with every step. Rukia wasn't making eye contact with him. Ichigo watched as she fiddled with her thumbs. She was itching to tell him something, but somehow the words just wouldn't leave her mouth.
It was Ichigo who finally broke the ice, "So, how are things in the home of the oh, so wonderful Sixth Captain?"
Rukia smiled, "All right, I guess. I have nothing to complain about. How is everything with you?"
"Nothing is going on," Ichigo rolled his eyes. "My brother was telling me last night to enjoy my last week of being fifteen. How weird is that? Bet he's planning a party or something."
She frowned. "I don't really think that's something he would do," she stopped. "Ichigo..."
Ichigo stopped a few paces ahead. "What did the captain say?"
"Huh?"
"This has something to do with your meeting right? I haven't seen you since last week when you told me about it. What happened?"
"He told me I'm going to the human world," she said.
Ichigo blinked, wondering why this had been such a hard thing for her to say. "That's great! Your brother is finally letting you test your strength? When do you leave?"
"Ichigo, I'm leaving today" she replied. "And I won't be back for six months."
It was Ichigo's turn to fall silent. Rukia…would be gone…for six months? Rukia? Gone? He felt his insides go numb. Six months without her? He tried not to let his distress show. He was happy for her, but at the same time, she was his only friend in the soul society. Six months without the comfort she had given him was more than he could bear.
She sighed. "Ichigo, I was told that Captain-Commander wanted some of the newer recruits to go into the human world for a while—"
"The Captain-Commander wants you to go?" Ichigo interrupted her.
"I guess so. But it's not just me. He had a whole list of people from other squads—"
"How many other people?"
"Quite a few," Rukia said, irritated that Ichigo kept interrupting her. He took note of the change in her tone and kept his mouth shut. "I came here this morning to give you something since I won't be here for your birthday," from her pocket, she pulled out a small blue box, wrapped with a bow. She was blushing slightly because of how her temperament had change so suddenly. "Here."
Ichigo looked down at the box, puzzled. He stretched out his hand for it, reminded suddenly of how his brother had reached out for his neck. Just as his fingers were touching the tips hers, there was a loud shriek. He turned on the spot and annoyance bubbled within him. Momo was standing not too far from the pair, her face in complete panic.
"Ah, geez..." Ichigo grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "Don't you think it's too early for that?"
"You…you…you...You just ran off without telling your brother anything," she shouted. "He's been worried sick! He got me up and asked me to help him look for you! He thought you might have gotten hurt…or...captured...or killed!"
Rukia and Ichigo stared at each other. "He does realize that I've only been gone for like, ten minutes right?"
"It doesn't matter! You know better than just to run off on your own without telling anyone!"
Ichigo was about to retort when Rukia overrode him. "He wasn't alone, Vice-Captain."
"That's all very fine, Rukia. But Ichigo knows that he's not allowed to just go anywhere he pleases, " she turned her attention back to him. "Come on, we're going back!"
Ichigo's temper boiled over. His nostrils flared as if he were a dragon about to breathe fire. His hands balled into fits and he started to shake out of suppressed rage. All the years of being trapped, all of his brother's expectations of him, all the Soul Society's stupid little rules…they were all building up inside of him. He was so sick of lies, of being trapped, being treated like he was five. He just wanted to beat up the girl who admired his brother so much. He wanted to wipe that silly look of disapproval on her face.
He opened his mouth. Now was the time. He could bellow at the little brat. He could scream and shout all he wanted at her! How badly he wanted to take out all of his pent-up anger on her…
Rukia touched his shoulder and he looked at her. There was a moment, her eyes lingering into his, telling him something that only he could understand. Suddenly, it didn't seem worth yelling at the little brat before him.
"Vice-captain, I wish to come back with you two," Rukia said. "I brought Ichigo therefore I should formally apologize to Captain Aizen for worrying him so much."
Hinamori considered her request then nodded, "Fine."
Together, the three of them set off to back to Ichigo's house. Ichigo was looking down at the ground, his face in its usual scowl. This was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. It wasn't like he had been gone all day, breaking all the rules and tormenting people. He was just walking around with his good friend. Why was that such a crime?
He felt soft skin make contact with his own, and turned his head to find Rukia's fingers wrapped around his arm. He knew this gesture well; whenever he had gotten in trouble, she had done this. It was a gesture of comfort and understanding. Sometimes if he was feeling testy, he would shake her off, but now, he felt he needed her kindness.
Ichigo was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't realize that he was climbing up the stairs that led to the front door. He also hadn't noticed that Rukia had let go of his arm or that Hinamori was so far ahead of them. Momo made it to the top of the stairs first. Ichigo could hear her voice floating down, sounding very authoritative and overjoyed by her success. On his way up, he saw a little piece of paper on the stairs. For no particular reason, he bent down and pocketed it. Noticing Ichigo had fallen out of step with her, Rukia looked over her shoulder. He smiled at her.
When he finally made it to the top, Sosuke was standing at the door. His attentions immediately fall upon his brother. Sosuke's face didn't appear angry but a flash of fury crossed through his eyes. Ichigo knew that he was in for it but he didn't care. Instead, he glared right back into his brother's intense gaze.
Rukia brushed his side but did not grab his arm. She stood, straight back, with her head held high. "Captain Aizen, I wanted to apologize for taking Ichigo out without your permission. He—"
"It's not your fault at all," Sosuke cut her off, still looking at Ichigo. "It's his. You two are dismissed."
Momo bowed her head in respect before leaving. Rukia, however, hesitated, rooted to the spot, looking at Ichigo. She didn't want to leave her friend behind in such unpredictable conditions. And also, Ichigo knew, she wanted to say good-bye. This might be the last time they would see each other for a very long time. However, the look on Sosuke's face told made her flinch. She gave Ichigo one last smile, before heading down the stairs.
Once she was gone, Ichigo felt Sosuke's hand grip his upper arm as he pulled back into the house. He let go of Ichigo before stating, "You're not to leave the house today."
Ichigo didn't respond.
"I have to go. There is urgent business within my division. I'll deal with your reckless behavior when I get back."
"Reckless? Reckless? All I did was go on a walk with my friend! How is that reckless," Ichigo started. "I'm not a little kid, Sosuke! I'm going to be sixteen!"
Sosuke turned his back on Ichigo, gathering up papers from the table. "You think that these rules have no purpose. You think that I enforce them because I enjoy it. You think, you assume, but you don't understand anything. If I tell you something," his face turned back to Ichigo's, "I expect it to be followed. You are supposed to tell me where you go and what you're doing at all times. "
Ichigo sat down on the chair, his face in his hands. He had nothing to say to his brother. For once in his life, he was glad that his brother was locking him up in his own house. This would give him time to think…
Sosuke left without saying another word to Ichigo, leaving his brother to his own reckless thoughts.
Author's Note:
Quick update. Sry about the confusion before, my computer is a silly little beast. Anyway, this was just a redit of the old chapter from the original story. I liked it though so I am putting it into this one. Things are going to pretty much be moving much more quickly…so…yay!
