Chad, Orihime, and Ichigo watched silently as Ishida's nurse, whose nametag read Mihara Ayako, lifted Ishida's shirt and pressed the diaphragm of her stethoscope to his bare chest. Both of Ishida's eyes were closed. His cheeks were still wet with tears, and his breaths were quick and slightly shaky, but other than that, he looked like he was sleeping.
After a while, Mihara readjusted Ishida's shirt, turned to the teenagers, and smiled reassuringly. "Don't look so worried. Your friend has a temperature of 38.6°C (101.5°F), but that's still a low-grade fever. We see this often in near-drowning patients. They lose a lot of body heat when they're submerged under water, and developing a fever is how the body compensates for the heat that is lost."
"There isn't anything else wrong with him, is there?" asked Orihime.
"Well, his blood pressure is a bit low, but his father made a note in his chart stating that he has a history of hypotension, so I'm not too worried about that. His breathing rate and heart rate are slightly faster due to his fever, but both are stable and his oxygen levels are back to where they should be. I should be able to take him off the cannula in another hour."
"Can't you give him any medicine for the fever?" asked Chad.
Mihara shook her head. "Medicine isn't recommended for low grade fevers since they usually resolve by themselves. The best medicine for him now is rest and plenty of fluids."
Suddenly there was a crackling sound on the speaker. "Ayako-san, when you're finished with Ishida-san, please go to room 815; Itsuki-san needs your assistance immediately."
Mihara frowned and pressed the call button. "I can't leave now, Kaori-san, I need to…"
"Go on ahead, Mihara-san," Ichigo said quickly. "We can handle things from here. Just tell us where the extra washcloths and a basin are, and we'll try and bring his fever down."
Orihime nodded earnestly. "Your other patient needs you more. The three of us can take care of Ishida-kun."
"That isn't your job to do," Mihara protested. "You three aren't even supposed to be here right now. You're not family, and Ishida-sensei wouldn't like it if…"
"My father owns the Kurosaki Clinic, and he taught me how to take care of patients who have a fever," Ichigo said quietly. "I understand if Ishida's dad doesn't want us around right now, but Ishida is our friend and we're not leaving him alone in the hospital while he's sick. Please, Mihara-san. Let us stay and take care of him."
"It's the least we can do," said Chad.
Kurosaki…so this is the boy who saved Uryuu-kun's life? Mihara studied Ichigo closely. She was sure Ishida Ryuuken would disapprove of her leaving his son alone with three teenage friends, but she also had the feeling that Ichigo truly meant what he said about caring for Ishida.
Finally Mihara nodded. "All right then. The basin is in the cabinet below the sink, and the washcloths are in the bathroom. Cover him lightly. Remember, his fever is mild, so there's no need to cool him down excessively. Make sure he drinks lots of water when he wakes up. I'll come back and check on him later, but call me immediately if anything changes, all right?"
"We will," the three teenagers said as Mihara left the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click. Once she was gone, Ichigo ran a hand through his hair and let out an angry growl.
"This is all my fault," he muttered. "Ishida didn't get a fever because he was underwater for a long time, it was because I forgot to keep him warm after we pulled him out!"
"Don't, Ichigo," Chad said firmly. "We don't know that for sure, and at any rate, blaming yourself isn't going to help Ishida get better."
Ichigo scowled, but nodded. "You're right, Chad. Sorry about that." As he stood up and headed to the bathroom, he continued, "I'm going to get the basin and fill it with water. First things first, we have to make Ishida more comfortable and try to bring his fever down."
"But Kurosaki-kun, what about his…" Orihime started to say, but Ichigo interrupted her.
"I know, Inoue," he said darkly as he came back to Ishida's bedside with a water-filled hand basin and several clean washcloths in his arms. "I felt it, too, but we can't do anything about it right now. As long as nothing's changed, I don't think we have to worry about that just yet. Come on, guys. Help me get these wet and put them on Ishida's forehead and arms."
Orihime and Chad nodded as they each dipped a washcloth in the basin and twisted it dry. Bringing her washcloth to Ishida, whose blanket was folded neatly over his waist and left his arms and chest uncovered, Orihime laid it gently against Ishida's right arm. As she did so, Ishida shuddered and let out a tiny whimper that nearly broke her heart.
"Shhh," she whispered as she felt the washcloth slowly absorb the fever-induced heat through his skin. "I know it feels cold, Ishida-kun, but you have to bear with it."
"He'll be all right, Inoue," Ichigo said as he placed another washcloth on Ishida's forehead. At the washcloth's cool touch, Ishida gasped and suddenly arched his neck, but Ichigo shook his head and pressed his hand firmly against the washcloth, ensuring that it stayed in place.
"Easy there," Chad murmured as he draped another washcloth across Ishida's left arm. Eventually Ishida relaxed and his head fell back against his pillow, but as his friends continued their ministrations, a few tears slipped unnoticed down his cheeks.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
Ichigo looked up as he carelessly threw the washcloth he had been using to wipe the sweat away from Ishida's face into the water-filled basin. "What is it, Inoue?"
Orihime hesitated and bit her lip. "Ishida-kun's reiatsu…it's not getting any better."
Ichigo's face darkened. "I know," he said quietly. "It's been over thirty minutes since he passed out, and the room's as cold now as it was back then."
Chad didn't speak, but he knew what the others were talking about because he felt it, too. Shortly after Ishida lost consciousness, they had all felt something deep inside of him shatter, causing his reiatsu to plummet to nearly undetectable levels. The sudden drop in Ishida's reiatsu left behind a cold, empty chill in the room, an icy feeling that only Chad, Ichigo, and Orihime could detect. They knew this because Mihara hadn't been bothered by the cold at all. And yet, despite his weakened reiatsu, Ishida's vital signs remained stable. It didn't make any sense.
From the bed, Ishida's face suddenly twisted in anguish, and he let out a shaky gasp as his hands slowly tightened into fists. His breathing became faster and irregular as though he were trying very hard to keep from crying, and his shoulders began shaking as well.
"Look at him," Orihime whispered, her hands flying to her mouth. "He's in pain!"
"We don't know that for sure, Inoue," said Ichigo, but he knew he was just fooling himself. Any idiot could take one look at Ishida and tell that he was in distress. This is just like when he had his nightmare, except back then, he was more scared than hurt like he is now.
"I can't watch this," Orihime said quietly. Then, as Ichigo and Chad looked on in surprise, she placed her hands to her hairclips. "Shun'ou. Ayame. Souten Kisshun."
"What?!" Ichigo exclaimed as Orihime's hairpins sparkled and her two fairies appeared before her. "Inoue, you can't heal him now! Mihara-san is coming back to check on him soon, and if she finds out that his temperature went back to normal in one hour, then…"
"I know," Orihime replied. Turning to her fairies, she said, "Shun'ou, Ayame, I don't want you to heal Ishida-kun's fever, but please, can you heal his reiatsu for me?"
Ichigo and Chad were stunned by Orihime's request. "Is that even possible?" Chad wondered.
The two fairies flew over to Ishida and briefly bathed him with pale golden light before shaking their heads. "Our apologies, Orihime-san," said Shun'ou. "But you're asking the impossible. We can't heal Ishida-san's soul. It's beyond our abilities."
"Y-You can't heal him?" Orihime stammered. "But why not?"
Ayame looked sad. "Ishida-san's resolve has been shattered, and his heart has suffered a great emotional blow. Our powers have no effect on intangible objects such as the heart and soul."
"Ishida's resolve has been shattered?" Ichigo echoed in disbelief. "How?" No. No way. It's impossible. Ishida has always been strong-minded and stubborn, never afraid to back down from a fight. What could possibly reduce him to such a pitiful state?
Shun'ou folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "That, we don't know. Rest assured, Ishida-san's resolve will recover slowly on its own, but I'm afraid that for the time being, his heart has closed itself off within a barrier where all he knows is fear, doubt, pain, and sadness. As long as his heart remains closed within that barrier, he will not wake up."
"What?" Orihime exclaimed in horror. "That can't be!"
"Well then, how do we break through this barrier?" asked Chad.
Ayame shook her head. "The barrier was created by Ishida-san himself, and we don't have the power to destroy it," she said. "Orihime-san, you and the others must try to get through to him. If anyone can save him from himself…it's you three. Best of luck."
"Wait!" Orihime screamed, but it was too late. The two fairies vanished in a twinkle of light and reappeared as petals on her hairpin.
It was several minutes before anyone dared to speak. "Ishida-kun's heart…trapped in a barrier where all he knows is sadness?" Orihime whispered. "A barrier that he created? Why would he do something like that?"
Ichigo didn't know what to do. Is this why the room feels so cold, why your reiatsu is so weak? Ishida…what the hell happened to you? And where are you now?
A soft cry from the hospital bed drew everyone's attention to Ishida. Tears were now pouring down his cheeks in streams as he sobbed quietly into his pillow. "Sensei…" he whimpered. "Help me…please…"
Orihime, Chad and Ichigo stared at Ishida in shock. It was not Ishida's voice that they heard just now, but the terrified pleas of a frightened little boy. They had never heard Ishida sound so vulnerable before, even when he was yelling at the paramedics, and it scared them to the core.
"I have to do something," Ichigo muttered as he quickly reached out and laid his hand over Ishida's. Ishida gasped and tried to pull his hand away, but Ichigo held on.
"Ishida, can you hear me? It's Kurosaki. Look…I know you're in there somewhere, and that you're afraid to wake up, but that's okay, because me, Chad, and Inoue…we're all here, and we're not leaving you. You really think we're going to let you shut us out just like that? Don't give up, Ishida. Hang in there. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Remember the time we fought the Menos Grande together in the park? Back then you…"
Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and heavy rains fell relentlessly around eight-year-old Ishida Uryuu as he ran through the forest where he'd spent so many hours training with his sensei. The rain plastered his hair to his face, drenched his clothes, and mixed with the tears falling freely from both eyes, but he did not care. He had no idea how long he had been wandering around trying to find shelter from the rain, but his body was numb with cold, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep running.
Finally his knees buckled, and he collapsed headfirst into a large muddy puddle. His small hands dug into the wet ground beneath him as he tried to push himself up, but found that he lacked the strength to do so. All the while, the rain continued to fall mercilessly on him, chilling and soaking his shivering form. Overwhelmed by fear, confusion, and cold, Uryuu slowly curled into fetal position and gave in to his tears. "Sensei…" he pleaded. "Help me…Sensei…"
"I don't think I ever thanked you, Ishida-kun," Orihime whispered as she gently wiped Ishida's face with a handkerchief. "Thank you…for saving me from that horrible captain who blew up his men. When Aramaki-san was carrying me away, I saw the tips of a white hand flying at us. Then just when I thought it was about to grab us, it exploded. That was you, wasn't it? You shot an arrow at the hand to protect us so we could get away. But you stayed behind to fight, and…"
Orihime was almost in tears by now. "Why did you send me away? I could have helped you fight! Instead I was left by myself, not knowing whether everyone else was alive or dead…" Her face twisted in pain at the memory, and finally she let her tears fall. "Ishida-kun, please…"
Chad laid a hand on Orihime's shaking shoulder. "It's all right, Inoue. It's all right."
Ichigo clenched his fists in frustration. He had lost track of how long he, Chad, and Orihime had spent talking to Ishida, holding his hand and reassuring him that everything was going to be all right, but in the end, it made no difference. Ishida continued to cry and thrash about in his sleep with no sign of improvement, and worst of all, his reiatsu remained as cold as ever.
Ishida squirmed uncomfortably in his bed. "No…" he moaned. "Sensei…"
Ichigo frowned. Every time he calls out a name, it's always "Sensei," never "Dad." Why is that? Does this mean the two of them aren't close? Ishida's dad owns this hospital so he's obviously still around, and he made Ishida stay at the hospital overnight, so he must care for Ishida. But then…why hasn't he stopped by to see how Ishida is doing? Where is he now?
"Don't…go…" Ishida whispered. The others froze. "Ishida?" Ichigo asked carefully.
Tears streamed from Ishida's eyes. "Don't…go…" he repeated. "Please?"
"Ishida-kun, we're still here!" Orihime cried tearfully. "We're right beside you! Why can't you sense that we're here?"
She has a point, Ichigo thought. How can we comfort someone who doesn't even know we're here? What are we missing? Ishida…what's making you suffer so much?
Ishida's face crumpled as he began to cry softly. "Don't…want…to be…alone…" he sobbed.
"What the…?" Ichigo was confused. If Ishida's afraid to be alone, then why did he close his heart to everything outside of his own pain? He's just isolating himself even more, the idiot!
He heard a sniffle beside him and turned to see Orihime sitting on the bed beside Ishida. "I know what it feels like to be alone, Ishida-kun," she whispered, wiping her tears away. "My big brother was the only family I had, and when he died, there was no one else left to take care of me. I felt so alone, it was awful! I didn't know how I was going to live without him, but then Tatsuki-chan became my friend and she taught me how to laugh again! I don't know where I'd be today without her."
Chad nodded. "We are the same," he said quietly as he sat down beside Orihime. "I lost both parents when I was eight years old. I didn't have any other relatives to take care of me, so I was sent to Mexico to live with my abuelo. I was so angry and misguided back then, but Abuelo got through to me and taught me to be a better person. If it were not for his guidance, then I would probably be living on the streets of Mexico right now, or worse…I'd be dead."
Ichigo sighed and hung his head. "Listening to the two of you talk…how can I even compare? My mother…I loved her so much, and it destroyed my family when she died. I didn't want to believe that she would leave me all alone, but you know something? I wasn't alone. I still had my dad and my sisters, and we helped each other through the pain of losing her. I can't even begin to imagine what it'd be like to lose my entire family. We were all pretty lucky, the three of us, to have people who were there to comfort us when we needed it the most."
"And Ishida?" asked Chad. "Who did he have to comfort him after his grandfather died?"
"I don't know." That was the truth, but even as Ichigo said those words, a horrible realization had pushed its way into his mind. Inoue was nine when her brother died. I was nine when Mom died. Chad was eight when his parents died. How old was Ishida when his grandfather died? Wasn't he around eight or nine, too? That means we all lost someone we loved when we were around the same age! I still had my family, Chad had his abuelo, and Orihime had Tatsuki, but who did Ishida have to turn to after his grandfather died? Seeing how his own father hasn't even come by to see him, he probably wasn't around much when Ishida was young. That means Ishida had no one to comfort him after his grandfather's death. He really was all alone…
"I had no idea," Ichigo murmured. As his heart swelled with sympathy and sadness toward Ishida, his reiatsu involuntarily flared as well, filling the room completely with its power and warmth. Orihime gasped, and Chad blinked in surprise. His reiatsu…it's as powerful as ever. But…
"Kurosaki-kun, don't!" Orihime exclaimed suddenly. "If you release your reiatsu like that, hollows might track us down here! We can't put Ishida-kun's life in danger!"
"Ah, sorry, you're right," Ichigo apologized as he tried to put a lid on his reiatsu. What was that strange feeling just now? After my reiatsu flared up, it seemed like for a split second, I felt Ishida's reiatsu wavering, as though…wait! That's it!
"Inoue, Chad!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Ishida's really good at sensing reiatsu, right?"
"Yeah," said Orihime. "What of it?"
"I think I know how we can get through to his heart!"
Uryuu had no idea how long he had been lying in the rain, but he was too cold and weak to move. For the first time in his young life, he wondered what it felt like to die, because he was almost certain that he would die in this storm. His sensei was dead. His father did not love him. No one else knew or cared that he was in this forest. He was all alone…
Somewhere in the distance a hollow roared, making him cower in fear. "No…no please…" he whispered. He had seen firsthand what hollows had done to his grandfather and countless other people, and he didn't want to share their fate. "Help…somebody…"
Suddenly he heard a twig snap and gasped. Someone else was in the forest with him!
"Santen kesshun, I reject!" At these words, Orihime's hairpins sparkled as Hinagiku, Baigon, and Lily appeared to create a golden shield that completely surrounded Ishida's hospital bed. Turning back to Ichigo, Orihime said, "It's done, Kurosaki-kun. Any hollows passing by won't be able to sense our reiatsu through the shield."
Ichigo nodded. "Good work, Inoue. Now, here's what we're going to do. Remember back in Soul Society, when we were in the cannonball and Yoruichi-san told us to pour all our reiatsu toward the center? If we were able to break into Seireitei with the power of our reiatsu, then surely we should be able to break through the barrier around Ishida's heart! You guys ready to try it?"
Chad and Orihime nodded and moved to the left side of Ishida's bed while Ichigo stood on the right side. "Let's do this," said Chad.
Raising their hands above Ishida's chest, the three teenagers closed their eyes and concentrated on finding the barrier surrounding Ishida's heart. After a while, Chad's eyes opened. "I feel it," he said.
"I do, too," Orihime whispered. "It's so…cold, like a block of ice."
"That's what I'm sensing, too," said Ichigo. "All right, guys, think good thoughts and concentrate on pushing through that barrier!"
With that, the teenagers closed their eyes once again and focused their reiatsu directly against the barrier surrounding Ishida's heart. On the bed, Ishida's breathing suddenly became more and more agitated as his body began to quiver. "No…no…" he moaned tearfully. "Please…"
Ignoring Ishida's pleas, Ichigo stubbornly pressed forward. "He's resisting," he muttered. "He's not letting us in. Come on, Ishida, don't do this…"
"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked suddenly. "Do you remember the myth we read in class about Queen Niobe?"
Ichigo frowned. What a totally random question to ask at a time like this. "Queen Niobe? That's Greek mythology, right? Which one was she, the one who killed her children?"
"No, you're thinking about Medea," said Chad. "Niobe was the queen whose fourteen children were killed by the god Apollo and his twin sister Artemis as punishment for her pride."
Orihime nodded. "The pain of losing her children was too much for Niobe to bear. She could never stop crying for them, and later her heart turned to stone, along with the rest of her body. Eventually she turned into a rock that still weeps for her children to this day."
Ichigo was amazed that Chad and Orihime could remember so much about a mythical queen, but then again, they weren't near the top of their class for nothing.
"What if…" Orihime sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "What if Ishida-kun's heart has already turned to stone? What if he never wakes up again?"
Ichigo shook his head. "Don't think like that, Inoue," he said quietly. "We'll bring Ishida back, one way or another, you'll see."
Orihime nodded sadly and focused her attention back on Ishida. Come back to us, Ishida-kun. Please let us in, she begged silently.
Let us share your pain, thought Ichigo. You don't have to carry it all on your shoulders, Ishida.
Let us help you, thought Chad. Don't push us away. Don't close your heart to us.
Ishida's back arched as he suddenly cried out in pain, and it took all of Orihime's self control not to break her concentration. With her eyes still closed, she imagined the combined power of everyone's reiatsu surrounding Ishida, lifting him up, embracing him and healing his broken heart. Focusing on that mental image, she felt her powers swell to greater proportions. Ishida-kun…
Uryuu kept his eyes closed as he lay completely still in the rain. He wondered how much longer he could survive in this storm. Maybe if he just fell asleep…
A soft hand gently touched his shoulder. With a startled gasp, he shrank back and weakly raised his head to see who was there. It was too dark to see clearly, but he was able to make out three dark shadows leaning toward him. His eyes became large with terror. "No…no…no!" he whimpered.
"Whew. I thought he was dead," said a young boy's voice.
"Don't be afraid," said another voice, soft and deep. "We're not going to hurt you."
Who are these people? What do they want with me? Overwhelmed with fear and confusion, Uryuu broke down and began to cry.
"Shhh, it's okay, you're all right now." Uryuu flinched as someone else laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Don't touch me, he silently begged.
The sky suddenly became brighter, and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut to block out the light. Then he realized that it was no longer raining, and he cautiously opened his eyes to see a soft, golden light surrounding him on all sides. "H-how…" he gasped, his tears momentarily forgotten.
"It's all right. I created a barrier to keep out the rain and the hollows," a young girl's voice spoke up. "You're safe now."
As Uryuu let his eyes adjust to the light, he realized that the three shadows kneeling beside him were really three children about his age, two boys and a girl. One boy was dark-haired, dark-skinned, and extremely tall, and he wore a gold medallion around his neck. The other boy was not as tall as the first and had bright orange hair sticking in all directions. The girl had honey-colored hair that fell to her shoulders, and she wore two flower hairpins in her hair. Her hairpins looked as though they were missing several petals.
Uryuu's eyes widened. "W-Who are you?" he stammered.
The other children smiled. "It took a while, but we finally found you," said the orange-haired boy. "Come on, we're bringing you back with us."
"I don't understand," Uryuu murmured. He tried to sit up and was surprised to find that he had the energy to do so with ease. Looking down at his clothes, he had another shock when he realized that they were slowly drying. Even his tears were drying from his face, and for the first time in ages, he felt warmth slowly creeping back into his bones. "What's happening to me?" he whispered.
"I'm using my Shun Shun Rikka to warm you up," the girl replied. "Three of them are keeping out the rain, and two of them are healing you. Are you still cold?"
"I…" Uryuu frowned. Something wasn't right. He was sure that he'd never seen these children before, yet there was something familiar about them that told him that they were not his enemies. So far they had done nothing but help him. But was it safe to trust them?
The orange-haired boy snorted impatiently. "Look, we don't have all day. I told you before, we're here to bring you back with us. Do you think you can stand?"
Uryuu tried to stand up, but instantly felt dizzy and fell sideways into the dark-haired boy's arms. "I don't think so," he whispered. "I'm sorry."
"No problem." The dark-haired boy easily scooped Uryuu up in his arms. "If you can't walk on your own, then we'll carry you. Come on, let's get out of this place."
As the four children made their way through the forest, the girl with honey-colored hair made sure her barrier covered them at all times to keep the rain from falling on them. She reached over and took Uryuu's hand in her own, squeezing it gently. The orange-haired boy walked in front of everyone else, every now and then turning his head to give Uryuu a friendly grin. Uryuu stared back at him in confusion, unsure of how to react. How could anyone be so cheerful?
"Almost there," the dark-haired boy whispered as he tightened his grip on Uryuu.
Uryuu looked around at the friendly faces surrounding him and finally relaxed as a small, soft smile slowly crept to his lips. For the first time in what seemed like a long time, he did not feel so alone anymore.
"Keep concentrating your reiatsu against the barrier! I think we're almost there!" said Ichigo.
"No…we're already there," said Chad. "Can't you feel it? The barrier is starting to melt!"
"What? Whoa, you're right!" said Ichigo. He felt the icy barrier surrounding Ishida's heart beginning to tremble beneath the force of his incredible reiatsu, and he quickly glanced over at Ishida. The dark-haired boy had stopped shaking entirely, and his sobs were subsiding as well. Ichigo's eyes widened. "Look, Ishida's calming down! It's working! Push through!" he yelled.
The three teenagers concentrated hard and focused their reiatsu into one giant burst of energy that collided against the barrier with powerful strength. Suddenly Orihime gasped. "Did you feel that?" she whispered.
Ichigo and Chad felt it, too. Warmth. Ishida's reiatsu, which had been dormant for so long, suddenly flared up and burst through the remains of the barrier that had imprisoned his heart for so long. Unable to withstand the rejuvenated force of his reiatsu, the barrier collapsed entirely, and a welcome surge of warmth swept throughout the room, pushing away the chill that had taken residence there for the last few hours.
"The barrier's down!" Ichigo exclaimed excitedly. "Ishida's reiatsu is back…he's going to be okay!"
"Thank goodness!" Orihime sighed as she squeezed Ishida's hands. "He must have recognized our reiatsu and known that he wasn't alone anymore, so he came back!"
"See that?" said Chad. "He already looks different."
Sure enough, there was a definite change in Ishida's appearance. For the first time in hours, he truly looked as though he were sleeping. His sobs had faded, his body had stopped trembling, his breathing was more regular, and his tear-streaked face looked relaxed and calm. But…
"Why isn't he waking up yet?" Orihime whispered. "Did we do something wrong?"
"No, I think he's all right," said Chad. "We should just leave him alone."
Orihime spun around. "Sado-kun…?"
"Ishida was trapped for hours," Chad explained. "He must be very vulnerable right now. If we try to force him to wake up now, he might think we're dangerous and barricade himself again. I don't want that to happen. The best thing we can do for him is to let him sleep and recover on his own."
"You're right," Ichigo agreed. "And when he does wake up, we don't mention anything about the pool, his nightmare, his grandfather, or anything else that might upset him and send his heart back into hiding, okay? Not until he's ready."
"But when will that be?" Orihime asked as she took out her handkerchief and wiped Ishida's tears away.
"I don't know," said Ichigo. Hopefully not too long.
Ichigo looked at his watch and yawned. 4:55 a.m. I can't believe it's almost dawn. He glanced over at Orihime, who had fallen asleep on her cot, and Chad, who was leaning back in his recliner with both eyes closed. Ichigo couldn't tell if Chad was awake or not, but it didn't matter. He himself had awakened from a 30-minute nap not too long ago, and Chad was still awake then. As long as one of us is awake to keep an eye on Ishida, it's okay if the others sleep.
With a sigh, Ichigo stood up and went to check on Ishida. Ishida no longer required supplemental oxygen; Mihara had come by the room hours ago to remove his nasal cannula, saying that he was well enough to breathe room air without it. His breathing still had a harsh quality to it, but for the most part it was softer in sound. Even more importantly, he had not cried or even made a sound in his sleep for quite some time, which was, in Ichigo's opinion, a great improvement.
Looking down at Ishida's sleeping face, Ichigo reached out and gently laid a hand on Ishida's forehead. Ishida's skin was still warm to the touch, but it definitely felt cooler than before and was not as flushed in appearance. Good, Ichigo thought. His fever's finally going down.
Suddenly Ishida drew in a sharp intake of air and began to stir. As Ichigo held his breath and watched in anticipation, Ishida's dark blue eyes slowly flickered open. Ichigo smiled.
"Hey, you're finally awake," he said quietly. "How are you feeling?"
Ishida slowly turned his head to look at Ichigo, blinking sleepily. His eyes were cloudy and unfocused, his eyelids drooping as though he could barely keep his eyes open. He did not speak, and there was no emotion on his face aside from sheer exhaustion.
Drained, Ichigo realized with a pang. That was the only word he could think of to describe Ishida at that moment. Physically drained, because he doesn't look like he has the energy to move. Mentally drained, because of whatever hell he went through in the past that ended up destroying his resolve. Heck, he even looks paler, as though he's been drained of his blood…
Shaking the disturbing thoughts from his head, Ichigo reached out and took one of Ishida's hands in his own. "Squeeze my hand, Ishida," he ordered.
Ishida closed his eyes and didn't move, making Ichigo wonder at first if Ishida even understood him. Then he felt it: a soft, barely perceptible squeeze as Ishida weakly curled two fingers against his hand. It was enough for Ichigo to let out a huge sigh of relief. Good, at least he's responsive.
Remembering Mihara's words about keeping Ishida well hydrated, Ichigo uncapped a bottle of spring water and stuck a straw in it. Setting the bottle on Ishida's bedside table, he slipped his arms around Ishida's shoulders and slowly lifted him up. At the sudden movement, Ishida's eyes flew open in surprise and he let out a weak cry of protest.
"Shhh, it's okay," Ichigo whispered, giving Ishida's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry, I know you're tired, but I need to get some water in you before you go back to sleep, all right?"
Ishida gazed dully at Ichigo but didn't answer. His body was limp and felt extremely heavy, and Ichigo wondered if he would be able to support Ishida with one arm while he reached for the bottle. Nah, I shouldn't chance it. Just as he was about to set Ishida back down, however, another arm slipped beside his own and held Ishida upright.
Startled, Ichigo looked up. "Chad…"
"I'll hold him," Chad said quietly as he sat on the bed and placed his hands firmly on Ishida's shoulders, letting Ishida lean against his chest as support.
Ichigo nodded and brought the water bottle to Ishida. "Come on, open up," he coaxed as he gently poked at Ishida's mouth with the straw. "You need to drink something, Ishida." Because you're dehydrated from both your fever and all the crying you've been doing for most of the night, he finished silently, but he kept these thoughts to himself.
With a soft sigh, Ishida parted his lips with just enough room for Ichigo to slip the straw into his mouth. "That's it," he said as he saw water moving through the straw. "You're doing great."
Ishida drank slowly for what felt like several minutes, but after finishing about half the bottle, his eyes finally closed and the straw slipped out of his mouth. Ichigo then set the bottle down and Chad carefully lowered Ishida back on the bed.
"I'll put the rest of the bottle by your bed so that you can have more when you're thirsty," said Ichigo. When Ishida didn't respond, he frowned. "Ishida?"
Ishida's soft even breaths were the only sounds coming from him, and Ichigo smiled. "Asleep, huh?" he murmured. "I don't blame him, it's been a long night for all of us."
Chad patted Ishida's arm and stood up. "Get some rest, Ishida. The three of us aren't going anywhere tonight. If you need us for anything…"
"We'll be right here." Startled, Ichigo and Chad turned to see Orihime standing beside them. She swiftly moved past them and kneeled beside Ishida's bed, grasping one of his hands with her own. "And tomorrow, after you leave the hospital, I'll heal you so that you're all better, okay?"
Ichigo and Chad exchanged smiles. "He'd probably like that," said Chad.
Orihime nodded and rose to her feet. "I thought I felt him squeeze my hand just now," she said softly.
"Then he probably did," said Ichigo. "He's tired, but he knows we're here...all of us." Stifling a yawn with one hand, he added, "Come on, let's get some sleep before the sun comes up."
Exhausted from the hours they spent watching over Ishida, the three teenagers settled down in their respective "beds" and fell asleep almost immediately. As the sound of their slow, steady breathing filled the room, Ishida's eyes briefly opened. A small, tired smile tugged at the corners of his mouth before he closed his eyes and drifted back to a peaceful sleep.
Thank you…
To be continued…
A/N: Whoooooooo...this was a very hard chapter for me to write (especially all the angsty scenes), so I hope you liked what you read. As always, R/R, please!
A few notes:
1) The true extent of Shun'ou and Ayame's powers has yet to be revealed in the manga, but for this story, I put a limit on their powers.
2) Ishida is a child in his inner world because the way I saw it, that's when all his troubles began. Losing his grandfather at a young age was the first major turning point in his life that contributed to his breakdown in the last chapter. In addition, a teenage Ishida wouldn't have been receptive to others trying to help him, but a young Ishida, still innocent and vulnerable, would have been more accepting.
3) It's not a mistake that young Ishida didn't recognize Ichigo, Chad, and Orihime in their child forms, because he never knew them at that age.
4) Ichigo's excellent bedside manner comes from years of watching how his father interacts with patients at the Kurosaki Clinic.
5) I'm a big Greek mythology buff so I couldn't resist comparing Ishida's tears to those of Queen Niobe. Niobe was the Queen of Thebes who boasted that she was superior to Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, because she had seven times as many sons and daughters as Leto did. To punish Niobe for her arrogance, Apollo killed her seven sons while Artemis killed her seven daughters, leaving Niobe to weep endlessly for her loss until she turned to stone. Regarding Queen Medea, there's a lot of information about her on the web so you can look up her story if you're interested.
