Chapter 10

Author's note: I'm running on fumes. Review please! Thanks and enjoy!

"Ichigo Kurosaki, please stand." He did, his expression stoic as he raised his right hand. He spoke his oath to tell the truth and only the truth, sitting down when he finished. All fifteen judges of the supreme court were looking at him like he was an ant, the Chief Justice standing up.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you wish to go against the constitution, the second amendment."

"Yes your honor," he replied, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach.

"Every neko must marry, associate, and breed with a neko of similar sin. Why do you wish to repel this amendment?" Ichigo swallowed thickly, standing up.

"I wish to repel this amendment because it goes against the basic human rights. I have many followers who feel the same way." The judges looked to the many people who sat in the benches behind him, every single one of his followers here for this day. At that moment he started strong. The process was long, follower after follower called to the stand. Shiro tried to be as convincing as possible, the court session going on for three long hours.

"This meeting will be continued a week from now." Ichigo sighed when he adjourned the meeting, feeling they were too close to end it now. Due to its severity he understood it wouldn't be solved in a day, but already he was tired.

"You did good," Shiro told him, patting his shoulder. He nodded, standing up. He turned around, seeing his old friends. They were a small gang, Uryuu giving him a small smile. He walked over to them, Orihime giving him a hug.

"I never thought this day would come," she exclaimed quietly, Ichigo waiting for Shiro before they all walked out. His legs hurt from sitting down for so long, stretching once the cold winter air touched him.

"Do you think it'll all work out next week?" Orihime asked, Ichigo shrugging. The many people who had came dispersed, shaking his hand or thanking him for taking this major step.

"It will take time. All things like this take time," he sighed tiredly, walking to his car.

James got out the car, smiling broadly. Ichigo's eyes went wide when he saw a masked guy with a gun slowly walk up behind him, James smile slowly falling as he looked behind him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ichigo ran down the steps, Shiro running after him as James fell to the ground, the people around them screaming as they scattered to get away. The man raised the gun to his head, Ichigo jumping onto the roof of his car and sliding to the other side.

Bang!

Ichigo panted, his eyes wide as the man fell to the ground, his eyes becoming lifeless.

"I-Ichi..." Ichigo swirled around, seeing James on the ground, a small puddle of blood surrounding him. Shiro ran over, his phone to his ear as he called an ambulance. His hand was shaking visibly.

Ichigo tore open James shirt, seeing that two bullets had gone through his stomach, the other having taken most of his left ear.

"It's going to be alright," Ichigo assured him, putting pressure on the wounds. James groaned in pain, his eyes tearing up. He coughed, blood rising up and staining his teeth.

"Y-you gonna fix me do-" he coughed up more blood, Ichigo increasing the pressure. His hands were stained with his blood, Ichigo trying hard to make the bleeding stop.

"Te-Tell my baby girl I-I love her," James told him through clenched teeth, Ichigo applying more pressure with a growl.

"No, you're gonna tell her. You're gonna marry her and have kids. But you need to stay with me, you understand?" Ichigo told him as calm as he possibly could, his hands slipping from the amount of blood coming from his wounds. He heard the ambulance finally, blood sliding down James cheek.

"T-Tell her," James grit out, taking one of his bloodied hands into his own.

Ichigo had never lost a patient, and he wasn't about too then.

"Stay with me James!" He yelled when he closed his eyes, his hand becoming limp in his.

"James! James!" He yelled, pushed away by an ER as they finally got there. He watched as they put him on a stretcher, his pulse faint. Ichigo didn't know he had started to cry till Shiro wiped away a tear. His hands dripped with his blood, his pants and shirt stained by it. He looked to the Courthouse, seeing the Chief justice standing on the steps. He looked to him, his eyes stoic. He could do nothing.

Ichigo sat in the hospital waiting room, Shiro sitting next to him. He had taken him home to shower and change before bringing him here. He had talked to his boss, but because he knew him he couldn't do his surgery. They couldn't let his emotions lead to irrational thinking.

Shiro held his hand, Ichigo laying his head against the wall. The man who had shot him was his ex drug dealer, the same man who had shot James before. Ichigo had thought James past wouldn't catch up to him. How wrong and stupid he was. He opened his eyes at the click of heels, seeing James girlfriend. Her makeup was a tad smeared, her straight hair for once not red carpet ready. She ran over to him, Ichigo standing up and catching her. She cried against his chest, Ichigo feeling the wetness of her tears through his shirt. He felt hopeless, Shiro standing.

"Why?" She sobbed, Ichigo rubbing her back.

"I-I was gonna tell h-him," she sobbed brokenly, Ichigo sitting her down between him and Shiro who had sat back down.

"It's going to be alright," he told her softly, rubbing her back till she finally stopped crying. She took in shaky gasping breaths, wiping her face with a handkerchief Shiro had given her.

"I figured out I was pregnant today," she whispered, touching a hand to her stomach.

"He needs to fight. He needs to s-stay." Ichigo stared off into the distance, his heart throbbing painfully. Eight long hours past before the doctor came out, Ichigo standing, waking up James girlfriend. Shiro helped her stand, the doctor's face not telling them anything.

"How is he?" Ichigo asked, the doctor taking a deep breath.

"He made it through the surgery." Everyone exhaled in relief, but the doctor wasn't done yet.

"He can no longer hear in his left ear. Also, one of the two bullets severed some tendons in his spine. He can no longer move his legs." The doctor didn't tell them they had lost him several times on the table. He didn't tell them that he nearly lost his liver. But with one look, Ichigo already knew.

"Can we see him?" His girlfriend asked, the doctor nodding.

"He is in ICU at the moment. He is already awake." The three hurried there, hearing laughter from his room.

"Ichi!" James exclaimed hoarsely, his girlfriend going to his side. The nurse in the room left, giving them a few minutes of privacy. Ichigo and Shiro left when his girlfriend started kissing all over James face, Ichigo promising he would come see him tomorrow. It was obvious the two love birds needed privacy.

They rode in the car back to his home in silence, Shiro driving as Ichigo rested. He held his hand all the way home, Ichigo feeling comforted by the small gesture. He tried to give himself a mental check like he usually did after a surgery, but it was hard. He spent a long time trying to get his blood from beneath his finger nails, the notion just too real.

They got home, Ichigo heading straight for his room. Shiro followed, holding him from behind when he stopped in the middle of the room. He loosened his grip when he shifted to turn and face him. He rested his head against his shoulder, Shiro running his hands through his hair.

"You gonna cry?" He asked, Ichigo snorting softly.

"No." Shiro nodded, reaching down and picking him up by the back of his thighs, carrying him bridal style. Ichigo yelped in surprise, holding onto his neck so he wouldn't fall.

"What are you doing?" He asked in confusion as he left the room, Shiro carrying him upstairs. He had never been up here since he met Ichigo, but he thought he might as well check it out now. Ichigo seemed uncomfortable being carried around like this but Shiro didn't have any plans to put him down just yet. He reached the top of the stairs, seeing a large room, a large window placed against the far wall.

"Can people see in?" He asked, Ichigo shaking his head no. Shiro thought of things to do in front of it, going to a random closed door. He had Ichigo open it, seeing a wall covered in paint. He raised an eyebrow, walking in. There was a bucket of water balloons, a closet full of buckets of paint not that far away. He put Ichigo down, a frown on his lips.

"If you're not going to cry, might as well have fun," Shiro told him, taking out buckets of paint. Ichigo felt it hurt too much to do anything, but couldn't help but smile when he began to strip down to his boxers.

"I'm not going to do this," he told him, Shiro looking to him. He threw a water balloon at him, Ichigo rolling his eyes.

"Undress or I'll do it for you," he told him, Ichigo sighing. He shook his head, unbelieving of his actions as he began to strip down. He stood awkwardly in his boxers, Shiro using a small hose like thing to fill up the balloons with paint. Ichigo looked to the wall. He had done that once he moved in, wanting to leave his mark in the world somewhere. He was a kid with a dream too big for this world, or at least thats what his boss told him.

"Here." Ichigo took the balloon he gave him, frowning down at it. The hose must have worked well because he already had a bucket full of filled balloons.

"Throw it." Ichigo looked to Shiro, his eyes asking him why. Shiro shrugged.

"You want to release your anger don't you?" Shiro asked, Ichigo about to say no. A balloon was thrown at his leg, Ichigo jumping away from the sudden impact.

"Why did you do that?!" He snapped, another thrown at him. He dodged it, the balloon and its contents splattering onto the ground. He threw his own, the balloon smacking Shiro's chest. Shiro seemed a tad surprised, dumping the balloons onto the ground. Ichigo scurried to get some, throwing one that splattered all over Shiro's hair. He smirked, yelping when he got one to the stomach.

His anger slowly ebbed away as he threw more balloons at him and got attacked by some, eventually managing to laugh as they got thoroughly painted. He tackled him to the ground, rolling around in the many colors. It started to become hard though so they headed to the bathroom, leaving a mess behind. They showered together, Shiro kissing him as he washed the paint from his hair. They went to bed, the sun having gone down a long time ago.

"Thank you." Shiro hummed in response as he fell asleep, opening an eyeball.

"You gonna cry?" He asked as he swung his arm over his waist, Ichigo shaking his head.

"I can't tell you the worst is over, but just remember to smile aw'right?" Shiro slurred, Ichigo smiling. His american accent came out with that one and he thought it was cute. He kissed his nose, breathing deeply as he relaxed.

"Aw'right," he mimicked, Shiro slapping his ass in revenge.