Chapter 11; Rust-Colored Vigor
"Inoue!" He shouted, before breaking into a coughing fit. The air stung his lungs and eyes. Ichigo forced himself up, desperately searching the rubble filled landscape. It looked like an 'end of the world' scene from a sci-fi movie where an alien invasion is wrecking havoc and destroying everything. Most of the buildings in this area were either completely or partially crumbled, filling the streets with bricks and debris. The air was thick with ash, dust, and the powder-remains of the construction materials. From the closest standing building to him a large, black plume towered into the sky, tarnishing the fading star light.
The smut alit red, catching the glow of a cero fired not too far off. What happened yesterday felt like nothing in comparison. Yesterday they could handle it. Yesterday things were tedious and difficult but they had it all under control. Come nightfall, the novice tactics were deemed useless when the wrath of Aizen's hollow army faced them. It left them with no time to even think of the problems that might have risen between them.
Ichigo clambered over the lowest portion between two large piles. He ignored the sharp bits that were cutting into his palms and leaving traces of blood on their edges. "Inoue!"
Not surprisingly it had become too much for her. So he had voluntarily been taking her to where the squad 4 members had set up shelters and what-not. Simply going from one place to another was simple. He was adult enough, able enough to do it. He wasn't quite sure what happened; he was carrying her, they'd been up in the air near the tops of the sky-scrapers when out of the dark they were ambushed, it felt as if something had slammed into them. This was surprising judging how fast they had been going. The next thing he knew he was on the ground, his kind, long-haired nakama no where insight.
He was afraid, a fall like that was close to nothing for him but she was a human. He raised his hand to his mouth to amplify the sound. "Inoue! Can you hear me?"
If only I was better with this reiatsu thing! Where are you? His foot slipped, in a small wave of rubble he slid all the way down the side to the wet pavement. Ouch. His whole backside hurt. He gave it a second for the ache to die down before trying to stand up. He grabbed the closest large chunk for support but he unexpectedly touched something cold and fleshy.
Ichigo looked; his fingers had brushed against a pale-ish hand. Gasping, he drew back. His shock rang in his ears, throat tightening. "Hey?"
He was hoping for a response but there wasn't one. Without help from that rubble chunk he stood up. Watching his footing, Ichigo walked around it to find the source of the hand. Slumped against it, body half-covered in rubble was a lone, female shinigami. Her eyes still open, mouth agape. Her torso seemed completely crushed in. She was obviously dead.
Ichigo instantly clenched his hand over his mouth, his body heaved from the gruesome sight. Here, in this under-belly of the chaos, what else was there to find but such depressing sites? He scrambled away, his eyes noticeably watery. The stench of mild decay still stung his nose. Somehow he managed to push past the need to puke, it felt as if he were swimming in sweat. His heart palpitated wildly.
He wiped the sweat off his face, trying to regain composer. That was the first uncovered body he'd come across during the war. The image stuck in his mind but he tried to continue. His voice was weaker than before. "Inoue?"
I have to find her. I have to get her out of this place. At least now he could see the tall, whole buildings ahead. At least the entire town wasn't like this; where black seemed the prominent color. To think, not a hollow stronger then a Menos had showed up, yet there were already parts that looked like this. He halted, realizing he'd forgotten something. Where's Zangetsu?
Great! I lost both of them in a place like this. As loud as he could he called again, his tone beginning to hint at desperation. "Inoue?!"
His eyes strained, finally catching the hardly audible reply. "...Kuro...Kurosaki-kun?"
Stumbling around in a circle, his eyes plied through the black. "Hold on, I'm coming! ...Where are you?"
"Over here!" He heard her voice again but it seemed to echo all around him. The ground trembled. All around him rumbled as the rubbish shifted unsteadily. She had finally responded but for some reason his worry just kept increasing. She was there, and yet he couldn't find her.
Ichigo barely managed to not trip over the inconveniently scattered scraps. When he didn't respond for a length of time he heard her shout again, worriedly. "Kurosaki-kun?"
Her voice sounded closer, detectable. In a hurry Ichigo shuffled over a broken, angled piece of asphalt. Sounds suddenly seemed to come from all over; some from the turmoil surrounding them, other's origins were unknown. He had at last been beginning to feel at ease when he heard a frightened scream from the direction he was headed. Once his feet hit the ground he was instantly off, running as fast as he could go. His feet kept catching onto things as he raced through the dark, making him seem like an unsteady mess. What it was on the ground below him he didn't care to look. "Inoue! Hang in there!"
It's my fault she's down here in the first place, if I hadn't been so careless! Ichigo's adrenalin pumped determination through his veins. Slowly, slowly, the darkness was growing lighter. Objects and his over all surroundings seemed more there.
At last he spotted her! Amidst an encircling of ten or fifteen grinning hollows. Tsubaki streaked through the nearest, destroying it. But the fall of their comrade angered them. Tsubaki plowed horizontally through another one's head. Despite her strange fairy with hollow killing capabilities both she and they knew she would eventually fall prey to their numbers. That was when the representative stepped in, easily breaking into the core of that little party. Before they knew it he was standing on top one of the oddly-shapen white heads, Orihime over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Ichigo smiled in a cocky way. "Too slow."
"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime shouted with a relieved smile. As swift as lightening he carried her. They were down the back of that one, out of that collection of now angry, annoyed hollow, and up the steep incline of yet another desolated building. Orihime couldn't help but marvel at how fast, and amble... and strong he was. He halted abruptly, catching a distant glint of metal.
"Kurosaki-kun!? They're coming! They're coming!" She squeaked watching the hollows crawl up behind them. Why'd he stop?!
"Don't worry." He coaxed, changing his direction towards the object that had caught his attention. Pounding, thumping, crunching sounds warned him of the hollows pursuit. His feet moved with surprising ease over the uneven, jagged pile. Is it? The darkness was slowly lightening, the shape gained more definition. It is! It's Zangetsu!
Ichigo's free hand was already groping the air, his fingers impatiently yearning to clasp onto its hilt. Seeing its striking form protruding from the rubble was enough to click him back into a more regular mind set. They didn't stop or slow; he grabbed the hilt and, as he tore it out of the ground, blue flowed into it. The streak of its removal sent a ferocious crescent at their pursuers.
It must have destroyed one or two because the upset sounds heightened. Ichigo kicked off the ground, jetting them up into to the air, and away from that wretched place. "I'm sorry about that, are you alright, Inoue?"
Orihime's head twisted back, she wished she could see his face. "I'm alright, thank you, Kurosaki-kun."
Good. He thought. They got higher and higher till they broke through the ugly black smog. Orihime felt utterly tranced by the wondrous view. The smog spread out like a rippling terrace beneath them. The sky had changed from its star-spangled blue-black to a breath-taking mixture of jade and purple that was dotted with little fading lights. Singularly stranded streaks of sunlight had finagled their way over the distant peaks. They couldn't see the ground, nor the shinigami, nor the hollows; it was as if they (her in her awkward position over his shoulder) were alone. It was so terrifying and yet exhilarating at the same time.
When I don't have her to worry about I'll come back and clean this place out. Ichigo vowed as he made his way over the black smog.
As Orihime was watching behind them several large, winged hollows burst up through the black. "Kurosaki-kun! Behind you!"
Ichigo picked up his pace. "Don't worry about it. They're just hollows; they can't keep-"
He was cut short as one of the large creatures barreled into him from the underlying layer of soot-cloud. The unexpected SMACK! was followed by the redirection of momentum; Ichigo and Orihime were propelled higher into the sky. His arms struck out, gathering friction. They slowed to a stop but once he had released her Inoue slipped off his back.
"Kuro-saki-kun!" She screamed. Unlike him she was not as agile and steady in the empty space... She fell like a stone in water, tumbling through the vast blue ocean of the sky.
"Inoue!" He felt rather stupid, to be frank. She puffed away through the black cloud. The hollow was still hovering around, it watched the girl... the creature licked his lips and pursued her parachute-less free-fall, but before it could gain any measure of distance it found itself in two large pieces that slowly disintegrated away.
Ichigo could go much faster then she could fall, wisps of that smog trailed behind him as he broke back through to the dark world. The pack of tracking hollows dive-bombed after him. The mainly-orange-ish form was directly bellow him, the sole of his attention on the task at hand.
She would scream, but the rushing wind took her breath away. She was so stunned she hardly even felt the fear that was bashing away at her insides as she fell farther and farther. She knew the ground had to be coming...soon. I hope Kurosaki-kun is okay... The moment the thought finished the falling just about stopped; arms secured her. "Kurosaki-kun!"
His expression was extremely serious. Ichigo caught her in both arms. He was glad he did but he only seemed tense. He managed uprightness but they were still falling. Attentively he checked behind them. The hollows were still pretty far back. What should I do...? Ichigo's thought process was interrupted; a sudden, red beam shot past them from down below, barely missing them. It came so dangerously close; he could feel the heat still warming the air. In a static flash he was crouching on the ground. Tall white-masked menos were slowly gathering around to join in the fun, some how arriving swiftly with their large, clumsy size. Damn it. He set Orihime down, reaching for the hilt of his zanpaktou. "Inoue, get behind me."
She obeyed the command, tucking herself behind his back. The small, yellow light finally caught up to them, in a glowing-magical sort of way it disappeared back into her hairclip; Tsubaki. Normal hollows hadn't given Ichigo so much trouble since the very beginning. You can do it, she pressed her hands together. I know you can.
There's nothing to be worried about. I've still got quite a few tricks up my sleeves. Bits of condensed reiatsu, slivers of black-red, visibly began to slip from his body as he raised Zangetsu straight in front of him. Ichigo positioned his hands, his hard amber gaze at the impending enemy. "Bankai!"
The reiatsu burst around him. Inoue, so close in proximity, was entwined in that energy. It lacked any texture but felt both freezing and searing at the same time. Her eyes clamped shut as it passed over her, by the time she opened them one of the menos were already tottering backwards.
"Things are going to get really fast, just shut your eyes, count to twenty, and when you open them we'll be there. Alright?" He breathed. All she could do was nod. "On my go. 5..." He put his hand in front of his face. "4..." The mask quickly formed. "3..." He reached back and grabbed her hand, to which she couldn't help but blush a little. "2...1...GO!"
Orihime had hardly even shut her eyes when she felt an almost collision with him, she knew he'd pulled her under his one arm. They were off the ground. Their movement, the air around them, the sounds she heard, it all seemed so violent. 20...19...18... Orihime counted. But one point curiosity bragged her to disobey, she opened her eyes. The speed was awe-striking, the site both dizzying and terrifying. She had to be going the fastest she ever had or otherwise ever would in her entire life. The ground far below and the background of the situation spun. Her stomach seemed to turn with it. Flush against his side she could feel the cadence of his muscles as he swung his sword, as he slowed just long enough to slice through his opponent before again flashing away again bullet-speed. She closed her eyes tight. How can he even tell where he's going or what he's doing? He truly is amazing, isn't he?
Orihime was scared but she knew that this boy she thought so dearly of had made a promise to himself. For that she knew that she was extremely safe.
xXxXXxXXxXXxXx
"Whoa..." Renji took the words of both their mouths. "It's a mess here too. Do you see that?" His short companion was already entranced, staring out at Karakura. Not only was the destruction and extent of war blatantly obvious, she could see a furry of what appeared to be black lightening rumbling it's way toward them.
In a shower of hollow blood she watched it shoot through a Menos. Rukia watched it's progress intently, forgetting entirely about the squadrons filling out behind her. Wait a minute. "That's Ichigo!"
"What?" Renji followed her gaze. "You don't say... Man, he's fast, isn't he?"
"Well, is he alright?" Rukia asked, squinting in hope of getting a glimpse of her friend. Renji put his hand on her shoulder with a reassuring grin.
"Of course he is! I bet you he's just showing off! You know how he is." Renji laughed.
A Fourth Division girl with her long, brown, hair in an upward spouting ponytail approached them. "Abarai-fukutaichou, Kuchiki-sama, all the wounded are receiving treatment and the able are awaiting your orders."
"Well, we shouldn't keep them waiting, c'mon," Renji began to head off but Rukia quickly grabbed his sleeve.
"Wait, Renji, look!" The black lightening flashed high into the air before crashing into the lower part of the hill.
xXxXXxXXxXXxXx
He was successful. Truth was, he'd been counting himself and he made sure in those twenty seconds he trashed their pursuers and any hollows along the way. Their 'crash' wasn't elegant at all, the ground gave in to his impact and his power; it bowed into a dusty crater around them.
Ichigo set his cargo down carefully, she thanked him but he noted how she dodged his blazing, yellow eyes. That thing, the mask, he suddenly wanted it off as soon as possible. He didn't let the fact that she was afraid of him hurt, rather he felt bad for having frightened her.
His hand was already on it when he saw the two nakama running down the bivouac hillside. His eyes locked with Rukia's as he swiped the mask away. By her expression he knew that she saw, and he knew he was going to get an ear-full later. He allowed himself one heave of exhaustion before composing a straightened stance of importance. "Renji, Rukia!"
Orihime, who apparently hadn't even noticed the two till their foot-falls stopped short at her side, grinned insanely wide. "You guys came!"
"Of course we came. We're Nakama, aren't we?" Rukia replied, her tone noticeably less scolding then it would have been had she been stating that to Ichigo. "We asked for permission from the Captain to bring some back up."
"You guys brought back up?" Ichigo asked. Silently frowning about it himself. He didn't agree with using unranked shinigami in this war. Some of them couldn't even fight a regular hollow without assistance. It was a pitiful waste of their lives. "Which captain did you get permission from?"
"Kuchiki-taichou." Renji answered with a smirk as Rukia got that sparkly look in her eyes.
"I told you he was getting soft." Ichigo snorted.
"It was only because he said 'That boy will surely destroy the town single-handedly with that chaotic fighting style of his if someone's not there to keep a leash on him'." Rukia explained with a meaningful look.
"What am I, a dog?" Ichigo grumbled. A leash? Would Byakuya even use that word? It was just a noun but he couldn't see Byakuya using it. Do they have leashes in the Soul Society?
"I'd lean more towards a puppy..." Renji stated with a smirk. Ichigo glared at him, but Renji just grinned in response.
"Hey, listen up, you big buffoons. We have work to do, there's no time to start this now. Renji, there are people still waiting for your orders, why don't you should give them the courtesy of your presence? We'll walk Orihime up before we join you ourselves." Rukia directed.
Renji grumbled but agreed, striding back up towards his subordinates. Rukia waited a moment, then commanded the other two to follow her.
"...wasn't that kinda pointless?" Ichigo asked with a dead-pan look of confusion. "I mean, couldn't we have all just walked up at the same time?"
"I want to talk to you privately, so it's easier to just shake him now." Rukia answered. Orihime quietly twiddled her thumbs, watching the two walking beside her.
"I see." Was all he answered, knowing she was making sure he got his ear-full before anything else happened.
xXxXx
"I thought we talked about this, I thought it was solved!" Rukia shouted with hints of deep frustration. "You left...I thought you had gotten rid of it. But what were you doing...becoming it?"
"Hey, it's not like that." He objected. "You don't understand Rukia, I'm not broken, I can't just be fixed. This is the closest thing there is to a permanent fix!"
Her deep violets burned into him skeptically. "There is nothing you can do?"
"I solved the problems; I crushed him, I can control him now so don't be flippin' out on me, okay?" The intensity between them was burning away.
"Alright. You better stay out of trouble with that thing." She huffed as she allowed her will to bend to his side of the argument.
Thanks. He thought with semi-sarcasm.
"C'mon, let's get going then, there's a war to fight." She commanded in that strict-ish tone of hers.
"Yeah, yeah." He muttered, following her from the secluded little spot towards where all the other shinigami were bustling about their tasks. Shouts parted the crowd as several body-filled stretchers were carried up the hill. A ring of surrounding Kidou Corps fired their spells at the groups pursuing hollows, and any others that dared to venture too close.
Ichigo spotted Inoue helping someone out of one of the tents, when she saw him she quickly finished and ran up to catch him before he left.
"Are you heading back out there?" Orihime asked.
"Yeah." He nodded. "I've gotta get back out there."
"Well," She gave him an encouraging smile. "Do your best, 'cause I can't wait to eat burgers with Kurosaki-kun and the others."
He gave her one of his kindly, gentle smiles. "Me too."
Her eyes stayed glued to his back as he hurried off to catch up to Rukia. Good luck! She wished him, not knowing that was the last time she would ever speak to him.
xXxXXxXXxXXxXx
Ichigo's dripping strands sent an occasional droplet of water down his face. He felt horribly numb. He flipped on the fan, as he left the steamy bathroom for the less humid lengths of hallway. His mother was standing against the wall by where the stairs came up. When she saw him the nervousness that veiled her beautiful face disappeared and she grinned.
Masaki couldn't just hold back. He had been gone for so long, how could she be contented just hanging back? Her son, her beautiful, wonderful child; how dear he was. How precious he was. She was so relieved when he came out. Not being able to see him made his being there just seem like a cruel lie. But now she smiled at him. "Dinner's ready, are you hungry, Ichigo?"
But his eyes averted hers. Masaki walked towards him with a questioning look. He ignored it, emptily he walked past her. In a low voice dripping with regret as his hair did with water he mumbled. "I'm not hungry."
The boy went into his room. Masaki pouted as the door softly closed. Ichigo? Here she thought things were becoming alright again. But a thought dawned on her... what if it wasn't? What if he wasn't alright?! Her eyes burned holes into his door. What if... he was hurt?
That was the moment things went back to not-okay. That was the moment Ichigo began pushing himself more and more away. Masaki's eyes swam, standing there she had a chance to go over everything in her head with a new angle. "How could he be okay?"
There was no way he was alright. How could he possibly be just fine? Masaki took a step to the door. "Ichigo?"
She'd been so glad to have him back that she hadn't really thought that he might be lying to them. What happens to children... if some stranger had their hands on them? Her hand covered her mouth as she gasped. No!
xXxXXxXXxXXxXx
"Urahara." Rukia greeted.
"Kuchiki-san?" The shop-keeper returned the greeting curiously. "What brings you to my shop this time?"
Despite her very serious attitude she couldn't help but grin a little. "I have a challenge to propose to you."
XxXxX
Masaki was as careful as she could; carrying the plate flat so that the curry didn't leak into the veggies. She didn't really have any fingers useable at the moment but mentally she was crossing them. She was hoping that that horribly abandoned air he had when she saw him in the hallway was just her imagination. She held her breath as she twisted the handle.
Ichigo sat on the edge of his bed, trying to plan, and at the same time trying to convince himself to detach. I can do this but until I have it worked out I have to make sure that I affect them as less as possible. Then they'll be safe. I can fix this, and it will be normal again. If I put it that way... it doesn't sound too hard.
"Hey!" She greeted him. "I brought you up some food."
He felt a bit annoyed; he was trying to accomplish something here. "I said I wasn't hungry."
"Well now, here it is for when you do." Masaki stated, setting it on his desk. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine, just glad to be home, Mama." I replied as naturally as he could. But his friendliness caused her to decide to sit next to him. No.
"Now, what's going on in that head of yours? Seems there's something on your mind, do you want to talk about it?"
"I'm fine." He sighed, his voice sounded older than usual. "Could you just please... leave me be?"
"Oh." Masaki frowned, but complied. "Alright." What am I going to do? Like many things in life, it was just getting started.
xXxXXxXXxXXxXx
The sun had long since set; in fact it was quite late. The small TV buzzed the news although no-one sat there to watch it. Tatsuki held a tall glass beneath the faucet. She could hear the faint mumbles and knew her father must have left it on again. She shut off the water, raising the glass to her lips for a sip. She just couldn't think without her throat tightening and getting the horrid feeling all over. Hoping water would help to ease her throat she'd snuck on down.
Tatsuki opened the fridge and stared at its lighted brilliance in hope of finding something to snack on. The food supply failed her.
Disappointed, she shut the door of the large appliance and resigned herself to going back up to her bedroom. But she stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Well, I should probably turn off that TV, huh? Tatsuki walked back to the living room.
The glass cracked into hundreds of pieces upon impact, these pieces were pushed from their source by the now freed tidal of water. The miniscule flood of water and glass rolled out around her bare feet. Her hand was still erect and in cup-holding position. The headline blaring its news into her head; Missing Child Found.
Her breath shuttered, her throat was so constricted she could hardly breathe. "He's back."
She was so surprised that no thoughts even went through her mind, that no emotion was transferred or processed. It was almost as if, despite all her hoping, that she never imagined she would have the chance to see him again.
xXxXXxXXxXXxXXxXx
The sun was sinking below the distant horizon, it was late. Rukia returned to her little base of a park with weary accomplishment.
What a hectic day… definitely. And what had followed? How in the world was his father a shinigami? She did not see that one coming. She stopped, realizing that she stepped on something as she entered the sand. Stretched in large, capital letters in the sand was a message she realized was for her. It read; THANK YOU!
This is from that one girl? She wandered. Ichigo's friend. What was her name again? Tatsuki...right?
Tiredly, she smiled.
xXxXXxXXxXx
"Now calm down, Masaki. I understand what you're saying. I can tell you right now that he is going to be fine. He just got back at first, he was probably just happy to be here. Now that he's over that 'come back shock', if he really did get kidnapped, then his mind must be engrossed in all that happened. He probably does have a lot on his mind and you shouldn't take it personally. I checked him over, and besides the..." Isshin gestured across his chest. "Ichigo is in fine physical condition. Tomorrow more people will come to talk to him and analyze him, so they can find who did this or what happened. If they can't, if we can't make it better in here;" He pointed to his forehead, then to his heart. "And here. Then we'll find someone, a child therapist, someone who will know what they're doing, and we won't stop until he does, okay? The battle's not over yet, but I promise we will win." Isshin was ranting in an attempt to completely comfort his dear hunny-bunny, when there was a loud rapping on the door.
"Who could that be at this hour?" Masaki wondered aloud, trying to sniff away the tears that were still in her eyes.
Isshin rubbed her shoulder as he passed her for the door. Tatsuki pushed her way in before the door was opened all the way. She panted, out of breath. "Where is he? He's here, right?"
"Tatsuki-chan? Do you know how late it is? Where are your parents?" Masaki questioned.
"It's twelve thirty-two, and my parents are asleep. I just have to see him, please, please, please, please?!" Tatsuki begged, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep that night if she didn't.
"I think he's asleep but you can peek in and check." Masaki gave her permission, she halted Tatsuki again. "He's not really... past anything, so if you do talk to him mind yourself and give him space, okay?"
"Don't worry, Ms. Kurosaki. I will, I promise." She was polite but her impatience showed in her voice. The Kurosaki parents moved out of her way.
The path was cleared; no more trial, just this and now. Please don't be a dream. Tatsuki mentally begged. It sure felt like one as she held her breath and very slowly opened his bedroom door...
XxXxX
I wonder if Urahara sells something that could help... Ichigo wondered hopefully, rubbing his feet together. Maybe if Mama would let me out... I'm not sure if she will so soon. He sighed, pressing his forehead onto the cold pane of glass. What does my future hold?
"Ichigo?" The reflection in the glass showed the light leaking from the cracked door.
"Huh?" He sat up straight and looked at her. "Tatsuki?"
Many things were strange, particularly as of late. Strange happenings, strange feelings, the base-line of life had become definition strange. So that perhaps it wasn't so strange that he was there, or that, despite him being there, she still wouldn't believe it, or that she must have stood there for an eternity. Even than she somehow knew that this moment was a marker, a division in her life, with which she would remember the time before and time after as segments, was not so strange anymore. Tatsuki smiled, thick with affection. "Welcome Home."
XxXxX
How things continued... well nothing really got any better. Masaki didn't want him outside by himself, so he had no room to seek his solution, an unfortunate cause-and-effect string it was. With no solution he continued to distance himself as much as possible from his family, which made them think he was depressed. So they took him to people to talk to, different doctors and specialists, with whom he got no where with. In the end it was a big mess.
Isshin and Masaki worked hard to find their solution, which might have been easier if they weren't trying to solve the wrong problem. He didn't see Rukia, and he didn't attend school. Tatsuki became extremely busy with Mid-term tests and only got to visit twice. He was lonely, confused, he felt stuck and trapped.
A week or more had passed; he lost count of the days. He didn't realize just how far down the path his parents had first supposed he was walking. But they did, and they were running out of options when he would no longer even engage them.
It was a Tuesday, having gotten out of school early Tatsuki came over to hang-out.
Masaki seemed relieved out of her mind to see Tatsuki. "I'm so glad you came!" She exclaimed, ushering Tatsuki in. "Maybe... maybe you could get somewhere."
"What do you mean?" She asked, rubbing the strap of her backpack.
"Ichigo hasn't been doing so swell since...that. I'm sorry if we're suddenly putting lots of pressure on you but maybe you can accomplish something." Isshin injected, joining them by the door. They meticulously described what they were trying so hard to accomplish... although she saw right away there was no forcefulness behind it.
"Alright..." Tatsuki murmured, she set her backpack on their couch and headed up the stairs. She felt so suddenly thrown into a serious situation. Was she unnerved or just uncertain? She couldn't tell. She nearly burst into his room. He was standing at the foot of his bed, staring out the window. He turned to look at her but muttered no greeting. His eyes seemed frighteningly vacant.
"Hey, how ya doing?" Tatsuki asked, suddenly hopeful. She could more-so understand what his parents were saying just by looking at him. He didn't answer her. "What'cha doing?"
No reply either... Man, he really needs to do something...or go somewhere, get out of this place for a while might make him livelier. "I have an idea." She smiled kindly at him.
"Come with me." Tatsuki requested. "Let's go on a walk."
Ichigo's head shifted back to the open window, that vacant look in his eyes somehow deepening. "I can't."
Thrown into a very serious situation; Tatsuki frowned in irritation. This clearly wasn't working. So Tatsuki left his room, the moment his door shut her guard went down and sympathy over took her. He's doing really bad... What do I do about this? She took a deep-breath, searching for her resolve. Nothing else they've done is working... so it's up to me to fix you. She stormed down the stairs with as determined an expression as she could wear. She marched right up to his mother, who was busy in the kitchen. "May I take him outside?"
Masaki looked skeptically at her husband but he nodded in an allowing and encouraging manner. "Yes, that's fine. Just don't stay out too long."
"Don't worry, Ms. Kurosaki, I wont let anything happen to him." Tatsuki promised. She bolted back up the stairs and practically crashed into his door. Inside she found Ichigo... exactly how she left him. He paid her no mind but she noticed him obsessively clenching and unclenching his fist.
Tatsuki opened the drawers of his dresser and began shuffling through.
"T-Tatsuki?" He asked.
"Your parents said it was fine so you have no excuse." She replied, turning back around to face him. "Put your arms up."
He obeyed with the slightest of reluctance. Tatsuki pulled his pajama shirt off over his head revealing the small child's half-bandaged torso. Said bandages also ran down his arms to a little past his elbows. The contour of his ribcage was incredibly visible; he was scrawnier than she'd ever seen him. Her eyes narrowed but she made no comment as she slipped his arms into the sleeves of a white shirt. He simply stood, contented as she buttoned up the line of buttons that extend down the front.
"Sorry, but I'm not helping with the bottoms." She told him, handing over a pair of black shorts. She went back to dig for socks. "I'm not looking."
Tatsuki procrastinated as much as she could to give him more time. She called out before turning around; when she did she was happy to see he had changed into the shorts. After she slipped the socks on his feet herself she forcibly dragged him into the bathroom so she could so she could take a comb to the orange bushel growing from his head.
"...why are you doing this?" He asked quietly. "I don't need your help with this kind of stuff."
"Well, you clearly aren't doing this stuff yourself." What perplexed her the most was how he could be so obedient yet so resistant. She had to tow him by his hand, if she let go he probably would stop walking altogether. He kept his line of vision straight forward, not meeting the eyes of any of his family members as she towed him trough the house and out the front door.
The heat of the sun, the fresh air, it all made him feel a little uneasy. He tried to pull his hand out of hers. "I don't want to walk with Tatsuki."
"I don't care." She responded fiercely.
Her words seemed to have an almost physical effect; he winced. "Why are you being so harsh?"
"Because your parents are being too soft, and it only seems to be fostering this depression. You've changed, I mean... what happened to being happy-go-lucky... what happened to it all going away?"
"Depression...?" He repeated.
Tatsuki halted abruptly, meeting his enormous ambers. "What did you eat for breakfast?"
"Breakfast? Why?"
"Just answer the question!" She yelled.
"I-I didn't eat breakfast. I wasn't-" He stammered.
She cut him off. "What about dinner? Last night."
"Yes..."
"Don't lie to me."
"...a little bit."
"When's the last time you ate decently?" She asked, her voice slightly gentler.
"Not for a while." He answered truthfully. Tatsuki began pulling him again, her hand twitch as her fingers tightened on his wrist. They went towards the busier part of town, where they stopped in front of a Taiyaki vendor.
"I'll take five, please." She requested, digging in her pockets for change. When the man handed her the paper bag she shoved it into Ichigo's arms. "You're eating all of those before you go home."
Finally she let go of his hand. Slowly she walked away. What will he do now? Soft padding sounds, his feet following behind her. Thank goodness. She resumed normal pace.
Ichigo pulled one of the fish-shaped cakes out of the bag. His eyebrows were raised as if he was worried but otherwise he was expressionless as he nibbled on the treat.
Tatsuki wasn't sure where she was going next; she just pushed forward through the town. After around fifteen minutes she spotted a good stopping point, where the hill came cut off with a steep drop at a brick wall that lined its steep side. The onward sight was beautiful. "C'mon, let's sit."
"Isn't that kinda...dangerous? And close to the road?" Ichigo asked not very happily.
"Don't be like that, it's perfectly fine." Tatsuki ushered him over. He sat about two feet to her left, leaving a distance between them, an action that didn't go unnoticed. She scooted towards him a foot.
"Did you want to talk about it?" Tatsuki asked him.
"Talk about what?" He asked, dully.
"About what's bothering you so much, about what happened? I promise if you don't want me to tell anyone, I won't."
"I told you, I don't remember."
"Dummy." She lightly punched his shoulder. "I know that you really didn't forget. If you didn't remember what happened, then you wouldn't be acting this way."
"That's a good theory." He muttered weakly.
"So then what happened?" She pressed. But he remained silent; he reached into the brown-paper bag for his third taiyaki. At least he's eating them. Tatsuki rested her hands on top her knees. "You got attacked again, didn't you?"
"I did." He confirmed through a mouthful.
"So..." She drew out, wishing he'd expand upon it, but he just kept eating. Seriously, he's hopeless. "Why don't you tell me what happened with that? You got away safely, right?"
Still with no eye contact, he paused; the half-eaten taiyaki inches from his mouth. "I killed it."
Tatsuki blinked in surprise. "You killed it?"
Ichigo tilted his head to the side. "Well... It's not the same. I should say 'I purified it'. Basically I sent it to 'Heaven'."
"Wow, how in the world did you manage that?" She gawked.
"It's complicated." He took another bite.
"We've got time." Tatsuki stated. "C'mon, dude; we're alone. If you don't want me to, I won't tell anyone. Have I ever done anything to invade that trust? You've always trusted me with this stuff before, why not this time, Ichigo? This attack isn't all that happened. They don't take up two weeks of your life! So please, Ichigo, please confide in me so that I can help you. Tell me what happened to you."
Ichigo lowered his fish-cake, he gave in. Staring out at the sun, he spoke softly; "The whole hollow thing is how the story ends. The day it happened, that Friday, I was going to go straight home! Just like I had been asked to. But it didn't work out that way because... I was kidnapped." Tatsuki didn't interrupt; while she had him talking she planned to let him. She remained quiet and attentive. Ichigo ate another mouthful, honestly surprised by how hungry he felt. "I knew them though, but it had been from so long ago that they didn't remember me. They helped me to realize something I should've been paying attention to. I'm sick, Tatsuki."
"Sick?" Tatsuki implored. In what sense of the word does he mean it? The boy's fingers dug into the poor pastry fish. "Ichigo?"
"I stayed. I could've come home but I stayed with them because I'm sick. It's contagious... and dangerous. So I stayed." He kept saying, his words sounded like an apology even though there was no 'sorry'. "I wasn't going to come back... so late the next night I snuck back into my house to say good-bye..."
Tatsuki realized he had regained that vacant look in his eye, and that he was crying. "I stood over my Mama, and I asked her to forget about me. Then I hugged little Yuzu until she fell asleep. Somehow... Somehow I went back to that place; to those people. I did all that because I was trying to protect them from myself. I did all of that but I still failed; I couldn't do it in the end. Everyone looked so sad, I couldn't do that to them! So I thought I could try to come back. I thought if I could do something about it, I could make it alright to not just disappear. So I finally left that place. That was when the hollow attacked. Rukia helped me, and she took me home. After everything was said and done; after I was officially home again. It was 'Hey, Ichigo, guess what? Your father's a shinigami!'"
"My father's a shinigami!" He laughed in hysteria. The taiyaki's tail was compressed into a ball that Ichigo chucked at far as he could, the whole action brimmed with anger. He finally looked Tatsuki in the eyes, allowing her to see into those windows of emotion. "My father is a freakin' shinigami! Any other time sure that would've been pretty neat! But after all that... he's a shinigami; so he knew! He knew I was sick! He knew that every second I spent with them I was hurting them! Yet he did absolutely nothing about it! He did nothing to protect them, nothing to help me..."
Tatsuki put her arm around his shoulder and leaned on him as if to give him a hug. "I was wrong, Ichigo, you haven't changed a bit, have you? It's alright to be mad sometimes, ya know? I'll help you figure it out! I understand now why you're acting like this... to protect them."
"You're too close." He muttered, recoiling. "Tatsuki, please."
"You're so worried about everyone else, when in reality you're the one suffering the most. So I'm not going to move! Because I know you don't really want to push everyone away. So I'm going to stay here with you. 'Cause I don't care! Even if I catch this sickness! I don't care. I know that it's not worth leaving you like this." Tatsuki objected with a false tad of annoyance. "And I know your mother would feel the same way."
The ambers burned, gleaming in a sense of agonized confusion. Ichigo didn't pull away anymore, he knew he was so out-of-sorts, and unsure of what in the world he was even doing that he was not himself, and he was indeed depressed. He was drowning and lost within a flood of turmoil.
xXxXx
Ichigo pressed the palm of his hand into his forehead, thinking hard about what Tatsuki had said. He paced obsessively. His feet stopped; again he concentrated hard, trying to stop the overflow. It was like trying to hold onto a pile of beach sand. When he devoted all his attention to it, it felt like he had reined it all up but the moment it broke those tiny grains slipped through his fingers.
The thing that broke his concentration this time was the sound of his window sliding open. Ichigo lowered his hand, looking up to the window. Rukia crouched on the frame, watching with dissatisfaction. "Rukia?"
"Sorry, it's been a while, kozou." She apologized.
"What are you doing?" He asked, rubbing his arm. He was...pleasantly?...surprised. He wasn't sure how he felt.
"I was just thinking. I'm not really sure what's been eating you or why you seem so upset. But..." She offered out her hand in an inviting manner. "Don't you think it's about time we saved the world?"
Chapter End
