A/N: …huh…I don't really have much to say right now so I'll just say that this is more of a filler chapter than anything else. It's still long-ish but more good stuff will be coming the next one…yeah.
Disclaimer: I don't own bleach. Not that hard to figure out.
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His body felt numb, besides the searing pain engulfing him. It hut to move anything when he tried and when he did, it just made the pain worse. He was having trouble breathing, as if a weight was on his chest. His head hurt horribly, the most too, and when he tried to open his eyes, he was met with a blinding light that sent needles into his skull. He let a small gasp escape his lips and after a couple minutes, he tried again, slower this time. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the room, to him it was as bright as the sun, but they eventually did so. He was in his room, under two thick covers and with Rukia lying beside him, head resting on the side of his bed.
Ichigo was confused. Everything was fuzzy and when he tried to concentrate on remembering what was happening around him, his head hurt more again. He lifted a hand to it but found that even that hurt and was challenging.
There was moaning coming from Rukia before she raised her head and rubbed her eyes, vision blurry. Once it had come into focus, her eyes rested on Ichigo, now conscious, and was instantly awake.
"Ichigo!" but was quieter when she saw him wince from her voice, which really wasn't that loud. "How do you feel?" she said with a whisper of a voice.
Groaning before he replied, he said, "Not too good." And instantly shut up as he heard his own voice. It was raspy and hoarse, not sounding like his own; worn and overused like after going to a concert and screaming way too much.
Rukia fidgeted a bit before standing up, "I'm going to go and tell your dad you're awake. I promise I'll be right back." She said as she stood up and walked out the door. She looked back with a soft smile before silently closing the door behind her.
Ichigo just starred up at the ceiling as everything came back to him. He was sick. Very sick. And he had a sickening feeling that he was going to get worse, his hollow promised him that.
Talking outside his door caught his attention but he wasn't able to make out what they were saying. The owners of the voices soon entered to revile Rukia with Isshin who looked at his son with some relief in seeing him awake.
"Hey, so, how do you feel?" he asked in a quiet voice. He didn't need an answer though because Ichigo's eyes told it all. He was suffering. In pain, hurt, and…scared. That emotion was a little shocking, but who could blame him? Isshin didn't know what was going on yet and his son certainly didn't, to a degree.
Ichigo was having trouble focusing on his father's image and this was taken notice of for his dad came over and talked to him in a calm, hushed voice, "You're going to be okay, Ichigo. We'll find what's wrong and fix it. It may just be a bad virus for all we know." He smiled reassuringly as he proceeded to check his vitals.
"How long have I been out?"
"Ichigo," he replied, temporarily ceasing whatever he was doing, "You've been unconscious for three days. You've spiked a high fever the whole time and we hadn't been able to wake you." Ichigo's face grew depressed at hearing this.
"Oh…I'm sorry."
"What the hell are you sorry for?" Rukia demanded but put a hand over her mouth as soon as the words left it. Ichigo winced again and groaned as the 'needles' turned into 'daggers'. She mouthed a silent apology before turning away slightly, facing the wall.
"I think," Isshin continued for her, "That what Rukia was trying to say was that it's not your fault and that you have no reason to feel sorry. If anything, we should be the ones apologizing for not getting you enough help."
"No, you shouldn't." he replied and let out a weak sigh.
"Um…do you want any food?" Rukia inquired, "You must be hungry."
"I'm not actually. But I should probably try to eat something though, huh."
"Yeah, that would help." She said, "What do you want to eat?"
"Surprise me."
"Alright. I'll ask Yuzu to make you something." Rukia said as she left the room to go find Yuzu.
Isshin fumbled with is instruments for a couple minutes, "Can you describe what you feel for me? It'll help me get a better picture of what's going on."
"Well, my whole body aches, I feel really weak, my heads pounding, and I'm starting to have a dull pain in my chest." He described with a slightly sarcastic voice.
"Your chest hurts? Where exactly?"
"In the center, mainly."
"Is it okay if I feel to see how sensitive it is?"
"Sure."
He gently touched Ichigo's chest and found that he cringed whenever he pressed down in the center of his chest, right where he indicated the pain was specifically. From there, it radiated out from that spot. "That's concerning. Keep me informed on it if it gets worse or things like that."
"Yeah, okay."
There was a light knock at the door and Yuzu's sweet voice was heard from the other side. "Come on in sweetie. Just keep your voice down." She entered in an apron and a small try containing a bowl of, humorous, chicken noodle soup. Rukia was in tow behind her.
"Hey Ichi-nii! I got your food. I hope it's okay."
"Thanks Yuzu." His dad helped him sit up and Yuzu set the food in his lap. He ate it slowly but it was enjoyable; very warm and easy to swallow but it burned as it swam down his throat. The food felt good and comforting in his empty stomach and gave off a pleasant feeling. "It's really good," he stated after eating a couple bites, "Thanks."
"It's no problem! I'm glad you like it." she said as she beamed with happiness at the compliment, "Tell me if you need anything else to eat. I'll be happy to make it for you!"
"Alright, I'll be sure to do that." He promised as she walked back downstairs with a small bounce in her step because it looked as if her big brother was doing better.
His dad and Rukia talked with him for a little more as he ate; only being able to finish less than half of it, even though they pushed him to eat more. It was a Monday in the afternoon. Around 4:30 apparently, and Rukia had, reluctantly, attended school today, urged to by his dad. She told him how all his friends and classmates had asked about him, clearly worried too. They talked about these things for a while as Ichigo just listened, mind still somewhat foggy. It was really quite nice to just listen to them with Rukia drawing diagrams on her sketch book occasionally to help 'give him a better picture' and his dad being overdramatic as usual. All of it made a smile grace his features.
As he lay there, a sickening feeling encased him originating from his stomach and chest. The horrible, despicable sensation a person gets right before they throw up settling in his gut. His chest ached even more, like when you push on a fresh bruise really hard. Cringing, he moaned as he rolled onto his side and his body scrunched up from the pain.
"Oh no, not again!" Rukia paled from beside Ichigo she watched him contort on the bed, eyes shut, trying to persuade these unwelcome sensations to leave.
In his mind, a cold voice echoed barley audible sounds of laughter that he wasn't paying attention to, but was aware of none the less. In one more convulsion, he spilled his meal and other liquids residing in his stomach over the side of his bed, and…into a bucket his dad had though ahead of to prepare just in case. He didn't just throw up vomit, but blood as well coming up afterwards in thick globs. Definably not a good sign. All the while, Rukia rubbed his back, not knowing what else to do.
Once he had nothing left to give, he slumped over the side of his bed and shook violently all over; eyes dilated and unfocused, looking to the floor.
"Rukia, go get him some more blankets. Hopefully that'll get him warmed up at least." She went into the hallway closet in hast and quickly returned. She and Isshin draped Ichigo with the blankets, trying to stop his shivering. "This isn't good. We need to get some fluids in you, Ichigo. You've lost too much as it is."
Ichigo tried to form the words for a response, but it all came out as a strained, garbled mess. They both tried to get some forms of liquid into him but all they managed to do was make him cough it back up, along with more blood. "I need to get an IV in him now. Keep an eye on him and I'll be right back."
Running downstairs, he gathered his supplies including two bags of sodium chloride (fluid used to help re-hydrate) and a dose of morphine (high powered pain medicine). Supplies in hand, he rushed back up the stairs to the suffering youth. In the room, Ichigo was breathing with difficulty and had broken out in a cold sweat, drenching his sheets, and was shivering even worse than before. He was also gripping at his chest with his shirt clenched in his fist. They got the IV in him without any problems and just waited for something to happen. Waited for an outcome that would show a sign.
They soon got one for his shivering started decreasing, albeit slowly, but decreasing none the less. Breathing became easier and his hand slowly relaxed its grip on the crinkled shirt. Panting, eyes still closed, he just laid there.
Isshin ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. They all just sat there for a while, no one saying anything. An uneasy tension settling in the air. The only sounds were of Ichigo's heavy breathing; slow and strained. Isshin turned around and he saw, from the corner of his eye, Karin and Yuzu standing in the doorway, having come up hearing everything. He walked over to them.
"Will he be okay?" Karin questioned for both of them. His shoulders sagged slightly before he just motioned them in to see their brother. They stood beside his bed, looking down on him. He cracked open his eyes and his gaze fell upon two sister shaped blobs beside him and gave them a weak smile. He would always give them comfort, even when like this.
"Ichi-nii, please get better soon. I know you can pull through this." His brown haired sister said. He managed to nod his head ever so lightly to respond. She returned the gesture with a forced smile, as did Karin, and both walked back out.
Turning back towards his son, Isshin made sure he was as comfortable as he possibly could be. He even brought in a small T.V. for him. Since he was deprived of essential nutrients and fluids for being out for over three days and hadn't really eating anything or been able to keep it down, he got a bag of nutrient enriched fluids and hooked it up to him. Hopefully, that would help any new problems pertaining to it from occurring.
Ichigo watched the small T.V., barley comprehending, but glad for the distraction. He didn't know how long he had been watching it for, maybe a couple minutes of a couple hours. He wasn't sure. He was aware of the numb sensation closing around his being, leaving everything with a light tingling feeling. That would be the morphine kicking in.
He found his eyelids starting to fall and, unable to keep them open any longer, let them. Rukia took notice and left the room without making a sound, thinking he was asleep. She went downstairs to just let him be for a bit and ate dinner with the stressed family for a change.
Before Ichigo succumbed to the persuasiveness that sleep offered, he had a pinching feeling in the back of his head. A vile, distorted voice echoed through it, quiet but evil. 'I hope you enjoyed this little appetizer, King, 'cause this is only just the beginin'. Next, you're gonna feel pain like you've never felt before, an' I'm gonna love every minute of it!'
That voice tore his thoughts from everything else, leaving him in a distressed state at those words. Fearing what he might have in mind. Scared for not only himself, but those around him; for what was to come. Unable to do anything about it.
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A/N: Sorry if this one was a little more boring than the others but it'll help for the other chapters later on. Still not much to say, but if it interests you, these things that Ichigo's going through like the stomach stuff and chest pain are all actually things that I went through myself about a year ago and just as bad (like emergency room bad), hence where the inspiration came from. XD Please review and I will love you forever! XD Thanks for reading! :3