Ichigo was silent, taking in and processing everything Miku had told him. A missing father and...suicide. God. Good god. This poor girl. Slowly, his hand curled around hers and he gave it a gentle squeeze, but still kept his eyes on the sky above them. Miku was grateful for that, as now her face had turned a deep, deep red. "...We're here to see my mom." Ichigo spoke finally, closing his eyes. "...I've seen ghosts for as long as I can remember. I see them so clearly...that I couldn't tell the difference between the living and the dead when I was little." Miku stared up at Ichigo as he spoke, surprised he was even telling her. She had shared her own story, yes, but.."I had never seen her cry, or get mad. Not even once. Parents moods have a big effect on their kids, and I think she knew that. Whatever happened to me, if I was with her, I was okay. And not just me. Yuzu and Karin, who were four at the time, and dad...all loved her as much as I did. She was the center of our universe." Ichigo trailed off for a moment and opened his eyes, glancing down to see Miku staring at him intently. He never talked about this with people, but to be honest, he was glad that she was listening, paying attention to his every word. Ichigo adjusted himself so he was sitting a little closer to Miku, keeping a hold of her hand. "Dad told me my name means 'one who protects', That's when...I remember thinking...I wanted to protect my mother. Who always protected me."
"It was raining that day. It had rained hard the day before, too, and the day before that. So the river was way up. But this girl was standing there with no umbrella. Standing there like she was deciding whether or not to jump. And..back then, I couldn't tell the dead from the living." Miku's heart dropped, as she felt she knew where this story was going. Oh god...now she was giving Ichigo's hand a light squeeze. He had closed his eyes again, his head lulled back towards the sky. "At first, I just wanted to protect my mother, then my sisters were born, and I wanted to protect them too. That's why I started going to the dojo, And as I got stronger...I wanted to protect..more and more people. I didn't see what cut her. Maybe it was a piece of glass, or a bent piece of metal hanging from a passing bus. But..she died trying to protect me. And..the girl was gone. I tore the heart out of our universe. Me. It was me."
Miku wanted to hug Ichigo. To hug him and tell him that it wasn't his fault, that he shouldn't be blaming himself. But she just..couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to do it. So instead she just held onto his hand and hoped that he could sense what she was thinking. Miku couldn't tell if he did, but still, Ichigo opened his eyes again and stared down at her before slowly smiling. "Hey...thanks. For listening." All Miku could do was nod. She just..couldn't find her voice. And then Ichigo made her feel even more uneasy and flustered when he pulled her into a somewhat awkward hug. "I want to protect you, too. Just like you've protected my friends and family. Thank you Miku. I know you don't have any power like I do, but you've put yourself on the line for the people I care about. Thank you." "..y-you're welcome..?" Was all Miku could manage. Ichigo laughed and let go, then noticed someone approuching them and stood, waving. "I think that's your brother?"
Mafuyu waved back as he reached them, flowers in his arms that matched the kind Miku had brought. "Hey, I've been looking for you..and you must be Doctor Kurosaki's son? I've seen you a few times when I drop Miku off at his clinic. It's nice to meet you." It was an awkward greeting, but Mafuyu seemed happy that Miku was out talking to someone. Ichigo introduced himself, and then bid the Hanasaki siblings goodbye, glancing back at Miku and smiling before he left to rejoin his own family. Miku got to her feet and began to follow her brother towards her parents graves. Even though their fathers body had never been recovered, Mafuyu had insisted that a gravestone was made for him. But just as they got close, Miku froze.
Karin and Yuzu were standing on the ledge of some sort of drop, a steep hill or a cliff? Miku didn't know how to describe it, she wasn't good with words. But..they were with some girl, and standing behind her was a hollow.
AN: FINALLY! sorry it took so long, everyone, and thank you so much for your support! I'll try to start updating regularly. I apologize if this chapter wasn't that great, but huzah, I can sorta kinda make my ship sail!