Warnings: Errors in Grammar, Spelling, Etc. Out-Of-Character Moments. This Fanfiction Series Contains Original Characters. This Fanfiction Series Follows The English Dub Anime (Like All of My Fanfictions Do). This Fanifiction Series Contains Original Ideas, Some Meant to be Explained in the Far Future. Don't Like That, Don't Complain About It and Just Simply Don't Read It. :) It's As Simple As That. Please, Do Enjoy! You Have Been Warned. Oh and Some Scenes Have Been Left Out Along with Some Dialogue, and Some Dialogue From the Anime Has Been Reworded Along with Some Scenes Have Been Changed by the Slightest.
Follows only Episode 8 and not all of episode 8 is shown in this chapter, and the ending-ish of it will be at the beginning of the next chapter. Originally, I wanted to combine episode 8 and 9 but that was putting too much stress on me whenever I was working on this so the next chapter will be of episode 9 (and the ending of episode 8). I apologize for it taking me a week (or so) to create this chapter but like I just stated, this chapter originally was going to contain two episodes and I was stressed out to the point where I only made a paragraph or five every other day and sometimes not at all.
Please, do enjoy reading and I will be seeing you soon enough, my darlings. Bye for now! I'm updating this fanfic on weekends from now on but not every weekend, more like every few weekends or something! So, patience!
June Seventeenth had finally arrived. The sky was a beautiful light blue as Hana and the Kurosaki family trailed up a hill towards the graveyard. Hana was walking alongside Ichigo, Isshin just a few steps in front of them. Walking ahead of the three of them were Karin and Yuzu, Karin being the furthest up the hill than the rest of them while Hana and Ichigo were the furthest down the hill. Out of the five of them, only Isshin and Yuzu were carrying a bag but Hana did have a half-empty bottle of water in her right hand. Altogether, they were dressed in casual clothing (example: t-shirts, jeans, not-so-formal shoes, sundress, etc).
Hana took another sip at her water as she listened to the birds that chirped around them. "Today is going to be one long day..." she thought. She really hadn't be looking forward to that very day, dreading it instead. "On the bright side, it's beautiful out here..." As she looked up towards the sky, she suddenly began to recall the night before and she started to blush slightly. She recalled walking up in Ichigo's arms and she noticed how close their faces were to one another. She had blushed a ton and she had pried herself out of his tight grip, accidentally waking him up in the process. After that, they had gotten ready and here they were, walking with Ichigo's father and sisters. "...I can't believe I started blushing... That seems to be happening more often now, me getting flustered. But why...?" She continued to stare at the sky as she walked and the blush in her cheeks slowly faded away.
"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked her suddenly, his eyes on her. "You've been really quiet since we left the house." Truthfully, he was worried about her. He was always worried about her when this day would come, more so than usual this time around; Hana wasn't usually one to show her emotions in front of anyone and the fact that she had gotten teary eyed in front of him the previous day made him more concerned about her. It was like her feelings had gotten too intense for her to just hold them back until she was alone.
Hana looked over at him. "Oh, I'm fine. Just don't really have much to say today." She took another sip of her water before she finally put the cap back on the bottle. "I never really have much to say on this date ever if I'm honest."
"I don't blame you," Ichigo replied back as he looked away from her. "Today's... Well, today is going to be a very long day." Hana let out a very gentle giggle and Ichigo looked back at her. "What? Did I say something funny?" he asked, confused.
Hana shook her head. "No, it's just that I thought moments ago that today is going to be one long day and you said it out loud just now, only slightly reworded. I couldn't help but laugh at our similar mindset." Ichigo half grinned as he looked away from her, their conversation dying down.
Up ahead, Yuzu started to complain to Karin about the walk up the hill. "Boy, we're never going to get to the top." She had her right hand raised to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the sunlight. Behind the two of them, Isshin's eyes seemed to light up in anticipation. Hana and Ichigo were still walking behind him, Ichigo placing his hands in his pants pockets.
"Speak for yourself. This hill's no problem. And please, don't let Dad hear you say that," Karin responded.
However, it was far too late for that warning because their father had already overheard. Isshin began doing a handstand and with him doing so, Hana and Ichigo both paused their walking to stare at him. "You can do it, Yuzu! Hang in there!" Karin and Yuzu stopped walking to look towards their father, both of them sweat-dropping at the sight of him doing a handstand. "You see?! Dad's on your side!"
"Never in this lifetime did I think I'd ever witness him doing a handstand," Hana lowly remarked to Ichigo. "Although, I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly just throws out his back and complains about it being someone, or something, else's fought for causing it." Ichigo hmphed, nodding.
"Now you did it," Karin complained. "Just ignore him or else he'll never stop." She turned back around and continued up the hill. "Giving guys like him attention only encourages them." She was speaking loud enough for not only Yuzu to hear her but for Hana, Ichigo, and Isshin to hear her as well.
Isshin narrowed his eyes slightly as his eyes lit up in anticipation again. "You're wrong about that. I'm automatically encouraged, even if you ignore me!" He suddenly took off up the hill while remaining in a handstand. As he went up, he suddenly began sliding and as he slide past Yuzu, Yuzu was forced to hold down her dress to protect her modesty. "Father Slide Attack says this way to the top!" Isshin exclaimed as he slide towards Karin.
"And daughter says," Karin started. She turned and kicked him in the head with her right leg, sending him rolling back down the hill. "Go back to the bottom!" Isshin shouted as he rolled down the hill. Ichigo pulled Hana out of the way as Isshin rolled all the way back down the hill and out of sight. "Now we can walk in peace for a while," Karin stated to Hana, Ichigo, and Yuzu before she started walking up the hill again with Yuzu right behind her. Hana and Ichigo slowly followed behind them again.
"Phew, man, it's hot," Ichigo stated as he shielded his eyes from the sun while pausing his walking momentarily. He was sweating a little. "Even for the middle of June, this kind of heat's a little unusual." He suddenly felt something wet going down his face and it took him a second to realize what happened. Hana had dumped the rest of her water on his head. "What the hell, Hana?!" he exclaimed as he looked at her. "What was that for?!"
Hana smirked as she stood beside him. "Hey, you were the one openly complaining about how hot it is. So, I decided to help you cool off for a bit. You're fucking welcome, man." She walked past him and he yanked her back towards him, wrapping his arms around her. "Whoa! Hey! What gives?!" She squealed as Ichigo shook the water out of his hair, the water getting on her. "Hey!" She started laughing. "Stop it! Gosh, you're like a dog!" Ichigo smiled a little and he released her from his grasp, his revenge complete. "Jerk." Ichigo immaturely stuck his tongue out at her. Hana turned her head towards him and she smiled, shaking her head at him before she looked away again. She was about to take a step further up the hill but Karin's words made her pause.
"Someone's up there already," Karin stated. She stared up ahead towards the tip of the hill.
"Wow, they had to climb up there pretty early to beat us to the top," Yuzu stated. Behind Karin and Yuzu, Ichigo was freaking out while Hana blinked in surprise as they all stared at Rukia and Sayuri. Rukia was wearing a light creamed colored dress with a matching hat, the hat in which she took off as she waved it, and her hand, at Hana and Ichigo, a big smile on her face and secured to her back was a backpack. Sayuri was wearing a light pink colored dress and she waved shortly at the two before rubbing the back of her head, a nervous smile appearing on her face. Yuzu turned her head towards Hana and Ichigo whom remained behind her and Karin. She pointed towards Rukia and Sayuri. "They're waving like they know the two of you."
"Ummm... Well..." Hana hesitated, still surprised that Rukia and Sayuri were there. Why were they there? Are they stupid? Hana thought that it was made clear that she and Ichigo didn't want to have to deal with any Soul Reaper business, not that Hana had much to do with that anyways.
"Nope! No way! Nope, nope! Never seen them in my life!" Ichigo frantically shook his head. "Neither of us have!"
Karin lifted her right hand to her chin. "There is something familiar about her. I wonder if I've seen her somewhere before."
Ichigo stopped shaking his head and he slapped his right hand against his forehead as he threw his head back. "No! Don't say that!" He suddenly struck a pose and pointed towards the two Soul Reapers that waited at the top of the hill. "Hey, I just remembered! I think we do know them!" Hana looked towards him and instantly covered her mouth to prevent from laughing her ass off as Ichigo started doing weird movements. "In fact, they are from our class back in middle school! Maybe we should go talk to her or something, Hana!" Ichigo continued, grabbing onto Hana's arm. "We'll go and have a little chat with her, and you two go on ahead to Mom's grave without us, okay?" He dragged Hana up the hill with him as Hana finally started laughing out loud, no longer able to hold it. "Gah!" Ichigo sped up, dragging Hana more forcefully and he also managed to grab ahold of both the Soul Reapers before running out of sight with them...
"What are you two doing following us here?" Ichigo asked as he stood in the middle of a forest path with Hana to his left. Rukia and Sayuri were standing right in front of them, a large amount of space between them. The two of them shouldn't be there, not with it being what date it was. That day was certainly not the kind of day to be dealing with any kind of bullshit.
Rukia had her arms crossed. "Isn't it obvious? We're here in case a Hollow shows up." That was a very good reason for them to be there.
Sayuri placed her hands on her hips, slightly glaring at Ichigo. "We're not stupid enough to just allow you to come here with your family, and Hana, and risk all of you being attacked. So, here we are. Your fellow protectors on this fine day. You're welcome, Strawberry." She understood that the date was very...special, in a way, for the two but she and Rukia couldn't just risk them being attacked.
"Way to keep a low profile in front of my family," Ichigo remarked sarcastically, showing that he was annoyed. "Why were you waving at us like that?"
"I suppose I could have been a bit more discreet," Rukia admitted. "I just didn't think of it." Her mind was on other things. Normally, she would've thought that through more carefully.
"Yeah. No kidding," Hana commented, crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes at Rukia. She felt that something was wrong, she just wasn't sure what it was. But something was definitely wrong. Or, at least, something was on her mind.
"So, what are you upset about?" Ichigo asked Rukia.
"Actually, I'm not upset about anything," Rukia pointed out. She looked down at the ground for a few seconds before she spoke again. "Listen, about your mother, I heard you mention that someone killed her." Hana clenched her fists, knowing that the topic was very hard for Ichigo to talk about.
"I didn't say that," Ichigo stated, his hands in his pockets.
Rukia continued speaking. "But you never said who killed her."
"Listen, just drop it, okay?" Ichigo didn't want to talk about it, especially not with her.
"Rukia," Sayuri remarked in a warning tone. "Maybe you should listen to him. Just this once." She could tell that Rukia was going to push the topic further. She hoped that Rukia would take her warning and zip her lips. However, the opposite happened.
"When I first met you, you said you'd been able to see spirits since you were very young," Rukia continued, ignoring all the warnings she was getting. She wanted to speak what was crossing her mind. "Ichigo, I need you to answer one more question. Your mother, could she have been killed by a Hollow?" She glanced towards Hana as Ichigo's eyes widened from shock at the question. "And Hana, is it possible that your parents were also killed by a Hollow?" Hana didn't look towards her. That was another thing Rukia and Sayuri didn't know: they didn't know how Hana's parents died. "Don't you think that it's possible?" Rukia asked them both. "If your spiritual capabilities were that high as a child, and with Hana being what she is, then there may have been a Hollow whom sensed you and as a result, you lost loved ones."
"Stop it!" Ichigo yelled. "Just shut up!" Rukia let out a gasp as she stared at Ichigo. Sayuri sighed lowly and shook her head, disappointed with Rukia and she looked towards Hana, frowning more than she already was when she saw that Hana was trembling. "Why does everything always have to be about Hollows with you two?" Ichigo asked, bringing Sayuri into the mess despite her not really being a part of the conversation. There was no freaking Hollow there that day, alright? There was no Hollow during the house fire that killed Hana's parents!" He tightly gripped the side of his jeans. "You'll never understand the pain and suffering I have to live with every single day. You'll never understand what Hana, and I, are going through." Ichigo started walking towards Rukia and Sayuri, walking past them as he spoke. "So, sorry to wreck your theory but all the usual suspects, like Hollows, Serial Killers, Thugs, they're not to blame. I am." He took off running, leaving the three of them behind.
"Wait, Ichigo!" Rukia yelled, calling out to him.
Sayuri sighed again. "Way to go, Rukia." She approached Hana, noticing that she hadn't moved from her place or even said a word in a while. "Hana, are you okay?" She reached out to touch her but was shocked when Hana suddenly pushed past her. Hana ran from the two of them, running after Ichigo. Hana had never been sure as to what had exactly happened to Ichigo's mother but she knew, deep down, that it hadn't been his fault and she wanted to let him know that. Sayuri looked towards Rukia, glaring at her. "Once again, way to go, Rukia."
"That...was insensitive, wasn't it?" Rukia rhetorically asked, not really wanting an answer since she knew that what she said was a bit insensitive. Sayuri answered with a nod anyways and Rukia frowned before sighing lowly. She should've just kept her mouth shut...
Ichigo stood in front of some stairs at the end of the path in the forest, his head down as he stared at the ground. His teeth and fists were clenched as he thought about his last memory of his mother. "...When I was little, Dad told me that my name meant 'he who protects'. Up until then, I had just wanted to protect my mother and my sisters. But that day, I knew I was meant to protect that little girl, too. That's all I was trying to do. But instead, Mom died trying to protect me from going into the river. I never saw what caused it. I never saw it coming. But I knew when I looked at her, Mom was dead. That little girl was gone. I remember thinking how I was going to explain what had happened to Karin and Yuzu? We all loved Mom. She was always the center of our universe, the heart of our family. And now that heart had been cut out by me." Ichigo dropped to his knees, his palms against the ground and he began to sob a little loudly. He didn't think anyone was around, but he was incorrect.
Arms wrapped around his waist and Ichigo didn't dare look to see who it was that was witnessing him cry. "Please, don't cry. Don't cry, Ichigo..." Ichigo's eyes widened as tears streamed down his cheeks. That was Hana who spoke. It was Hana who had her arms around him. She was seeing him in such a vulnerable state. "It wasn't your fault... It wasn't, I know it wasn't... You were just a young boy... What happened to her wasn't your fault at all... You didn't kill her, Ichigo..." Hana sniffled and she laid her head against Ichigo's back as she remained sitting, on her knees, beside him. She didn't know what compelled her to do it but she hesitatingly revealed the true death of her parents. "...Rukia was right about a Hollow killing my parents. They weren't killed in a house fire..."
Ichigo moved quickly, turning his head towards Hana. Hana jerked her arms away from him as she quickly removed her head from his back while Ichigo was moving to sit up straight, his body still facing towards the steps ahead of him. He stared at Hana with wide teary eyes. "...What...?"
Hana slowly explained what happened. "My parents and I... We were at the park when it suddenly appeared... I didn't want to leave the park, you see, and it was getting late... If I hadn't caused us to stay there a little longer... Mom would've been able to go back and deal with the Hollow without Dad or I being there in harm's way... Dad died first. He was protecting me... Mom died next, just as quickly despite how skilled she was... And the Hollow, it just left like I was nothing and I was alone, an orphan... That's when... That's when Urahara and Yuki came... So, if it is anyone's fault for being the cause of their loved one's death, it's me... Not you, Ichigo... It wasn't your fault that your mother died... Bad shit like that always happens to good people... You didn't cause it, something else did... I'm absolutely sure of it..." She wiped her cheeks as she began to cry. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you... You hadn't known about Hollows when that story about the house fire was made up...and I should've told you sooner than now but... I'm so, so sorry, Ichigo..." She sniffled. "So, please don't cry anymore over something you had no control over..."
"Hana..." Ichigo didn't know what to say but he felt the urge to hold Hana. So, he did exactly that. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her head. He was still sobbing like Hana was but his sobbing was more silent now than it had been. He was surprised, yet not surprised by the information Hana had told him; something like that occurring in her childhood seemed more likely to him, in a way, because of whom she was born as but because of that false story he had been told some time ago, he had believed she hadn't dealt with anything like that as a kid. He wasn't mad at her for not telling him the truth before but he wasn't exactly happy about hearing the truth either. And despite what Hana told him, he still believed it was his fault his mother died... He still didn't believe that anything else had been the cause of her death... It was too hard for him to believe that when, all this time, he had been blaming himself for what happened...
"...Your hair isn't dry yet..." Hana mumbled as she pointed out that fact suddenly. Ichigo rolled his eyes and held her closer to him. For good measure, he made sure his wet head was against her dry one since it seemed to bother her so, so much right then and there. "...You meanie," she continued. Ichigo smiled a little as he heard the pout in Hana's tone and he rolled his eyes again. Even in that state, they could somewhat cheer each other up slightly by doing something they'd usually do towards one another.
The two of them remained in their position for quite some time before they pulled apart. However, neither of them made a move to stand up and they remained on their knees, on the ground across from each other. More time went by, the two remaining where they were still as they silently looked at either each other or their surroundings. Both of them had slowly calmed their tears, no longer sobbing. It wasn't long before they heard the cries of Kon coming from a hill above them. How he was coming from a hill near them (Hana's back was to the hill and Ichigo was facing towards the steps still, his back towards where he and Hana had came from) and not from where they had came from since he (Kon) had been with their Soul Reaper friends wasn't exactly known, but there was no time for questioning logic temporarily. "Ichigo, help! Hana! Emergency! Mayday! Rukia and Sayuri are in trouble! Where are you?! Ichigo! Hana!" His cries for help turned into loud panicked grunts as he lost his footing at the end of the hill's edge and he fell down onto Hana's head.
Hana let out a low sigh. "Nice landing, Kon." She pulled him off her head gently, only for Kon to be snatched out of her grasp by Ichigo. She blinked several times, ten times in total, before she shook her head, quickly realizing that some yelling was about to erupt from Ichigo. She slowly stood up, brushing off the dirt on her pants, especially dusting herself off at her knees.
"I am really not in the mood for you right now, Kon!" Ichigo exclaimed, glaring at Kon as he got off the ground, holding Kon in front of his face. Even though Kon hadn't landed on him, Ichigo was already pissed off at the poor Mod Soul.
"Rukia and Sayuri are in trouble!" Kon repeated loudly. He started whimpering as tears formed in his buttoned eyes. Ichigo hummed, staring at Kon with a scowl.
Hana took a step towards Ichigo and placed her right hand on his left shoulder. "Let's go see what kind of trouble they've gotten into at a time like this. Can't be too bad, right?" She looked at Kon. "I'll assume that the two of them are up the hill you fell from. Am I correct?" Kon nodded slightly. "Mmm. Alright. Onward we go, I suppose. Lead the way, you two." The way she spoke sounded like she was bored and irritated at the same time. That day just wasn't the kind of day to have trouble brewing...
I apologize for any dialogue or anything being repeated. I have realized that I do make a habit of repeating stuff, mostly for emphasis but sometimes because I fuckin' forget that I've wrote it already at another time so I apologize for anything you see that you've might've seen in any of the previous chapters. Same goes for author's notes. 0-0
Word Count: 4,265