Chapter 38 The missing piece

Ichigo Kurosaki's point of view

The morning light hit my face through the curtains and I groaned at it. It felt early. The air was cold even under the covers. I could hear talking down in the kitchen which told me the girls were making breakfast. I sighed to myself. They were so normal. They didn't have many worries. Just you wait till your older, and then all the worries in the world seem to stay on your shoulders.

No. Ill protect them from that. I always will, powers or no powers.

I sat up finally opening my eyes and stretched my arms. They clicked from being stiff for so long. It was once again another reminder of how weak I had gotten.

No, I told myself I wouldn't think like that anymore. What's done is done. I protected and fought and now I still can, not like I use to, but still it's something.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stared at my hands. A habit I had started since becoming just a normal human again. It was as if every morning I was checking to see if I was still alive, to check if I hadn't crumbled to dust yet. It was stupid really, but still I found myself staring at my hands thinking to myself, yes you are still real, yes you do still exist.

I sighed, also a habit that had become very much constant and normal.

I slouched to the wardrobe and looked through different t-shirts and pants. For the past week I had just picked things without looking and shrugged them on. I had a feeling that the girls and dad were starting to notice my absence in caring.

I took note to actually pick todays outfit. A slim fit purple t-shirt with red trimmed edges along the arms. The writing on the front read 'nice vibe' it was a t-shirt I use to love so I picked it thinking it would do its job in showing the family I wasn't actually suffering from anything at all. I pulled it over my bare chest and started looking for pants next.

Slimming dark blue ones looked the best and I pulled them on. There, now it looks like I'm bothered. I ruffled my hair but didn't check in a mirror and walked out the room heading for all the commotion downstairs.

Yuzu was busy making what looked like toast and also pan cakes. Karin was sitting at the table having an argument with dad. She was glaring at him while he was pleading with her about something. They argued so often I took no notice and sat down next to them.

"Morning Ichigo" Yuzu was as chirpy as ever and smiled brightly while sliding pan cakes onto a plate then placing them in the middle of the table. Dad and Karin snatched up two each and started munching away while still glaring at each other. The toast then came to the table and I picked up a piece and stared at it like it was something I had never eaten before.

Everyone stared at me as if they were expecting me to put it down, I realized that that's what I had been doing every morning. I took a bite and smiled just for their benefit, and maybe a little for myself. It was the right thing to do as everyone seemed to relax and went about chatting to each other like normal. I joined in a couple of times and relaxed into the back of the chair.

No matter what happened in my life my family were always themselves, crazy, but normal in their way. I laughed to myself and shook my head.

After the one piece of toast was consumed I left the table and headed for the door and slipped on some shoes.

"Were are you off?" My dad was standing there staring at me arms folded. He always did this, acted tough and trying to look stern while asking what I was up to.

"Just going for a walk" I simply told him and pulled on a jacket. It was the truth, this time I wasn't making an excuse to sneak of and do shinigami duties, I was actually just going for a walk, there wasn't much else to do while school was out.

"hmm, well, be back by seven"

"Seven!" I glared at him "How old do you think I am?"

"seven is tea time, be back by then" He sniggered then walked off back into the kitchen where I could hear Karin yelling at him again about something else this time.

I groaned at him and walked out.

The sun was out today, I wouldn't call it a summers sun, more like a spring sun. It wasn't close enough to warm everything up, the air was chilling but refreshing. I stared up at the almost clear sky and tried clearing my mind of all unwanted thoughts.

Just walk today, just walk, everything will be fine. Let's not think about those things again. It's gone now. Doesn't matter anymore.

I started walking. Walking seemed the only way lately to cast the thoughts away from myself. Every time I stayed still they seemed to pounce back upon me.

I walked down my street right to end at a forked road and thought about which way to go. I was heading for the park, but there's two ways to get there. Either go through town, or go down by the river and along it.

I picked the river. I hadn't walked that way in a long long time.

It was a much longer route to reach the park, but it meant there was more time to clear my thoughts.

I wonder what Inoue, Chad, and Ishiada are doing. I wonder what Rukia's doing.

No. Not again. Leave it. Forget about it. It's not worth the pain anymore. I'm over this. Over it.

The only thing I thought about until I reached the river was the crunch of my feet on the cold hard ground. One step, two step, one foot in front of the other. That's all that matters.

The rivers side was up ahead. A hilled grass verge lined the outside of it. I walked down it towards the edge of the industrial river and kept along its side. The running water was calming. I also couldn't believe how quiet it was. There didn't seem to be anyone around. But the grass verge seemed to separate this place from the rest of the town. It was like a little bubble of nature hidden away.

I stopped a couple of times just to gaze at the water. The sun light rebounded of the rippling surface. It was beautiful. It had an orange hue to it. It looked so warm and inviting even though the air around me was freezing cold.

I carried on walking again. The river went straight then curved around then straight again. It was like following a giant snake's path.

Birds cawed overhead but I kept my eyes straight ahead because a strange feeling entered my chest. My spine tingled, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I was sensing something. Something I probably wouldn't be able to see. It was a ghost of a reaction from what I use to normally sense. But this time it was stronger. A warning. My body shuddered. My feet stopped in their tracks and I watched the hill ahead. I was alone still, but yet every single sense in my body screamed at me.

It was impossible to tell what they were screaming at me. Run, or stay? It was mixture of all things. But the one thing that confused me most is that I felt excitement. A pure surge of excitement that I hadn't felt for what seemed like forever. It overlapped the rest of my feelings and so I stood my ground watching the space in front of me.

Light foot falls could be heard. Is it just some stranger walking? If it is then why are my senses going all crazy? Is it a shinigami? I wouldn't be able to see them or hear them if it is.

The air around me seemed to chill even more, or maybe it was because I had stopped walking, or maybe it was because I had almost stopped breathing. The footsteps were getting closer. I found myself not even blinking as I squinted against the sun to try and see up ahead.

A figure walked over the hill. The sun blocked my site of it. It made it a black silloete. It got closer. My spine tingled again. My hands clenched into fists.

The sun finally eased up on my eyes. The black figure was now white. As white as the finest marble. White skin. White as snow.

"Ichigo?"

It was him.

-Just watched the hell chapter/hell verse, bleach movie 4 OH MY GOD it was amazing! I wish id seen it sooner, i was told online that it wasnt coming out till December and then a while after that to actually even see it online and a while after that before i could buy the real version on DVD here. but when looking at the trailers for the 100th time I found people said they've seen it online! after months of waiting and it was already available! I cant wait for the dvd! it was the best moive yet, another reason showing people that bleach has not changed! Also getting the new game for the ps3 cant wait for that, i think its based of the 4th movie not sure but cant wait for that as well :) if your bleach fans u need to see the film! (random rant there sorry) keep reading x-crossing-danger-x