55. wishing on dying stars
Title: White Tower Waiting4 (When All Other Lights Go Out)
Word Count: 830
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Ichigo sank into the hot spring with a small groan, letting the hot water wash over bruised muscles and cut skin. The steam rose in ghostly waves, concealing even more injuries from Youruichi and the rest of the world.
Zangetsu had been harsh.
Not that Ichigo wanted him to let up; not in the slightest. He was running out of time.
He could feel it, escaping with a vindictive pleasure to places unknown. It seemed that the extra days they had accidentally gained from their impromptu meeting and subsequent chase with the garbage-eater-thing in the tunnel was constantly being stolen back, with interest, leaving even fewer precious hours than they had been counting on.
Ichigo sighed and tipped his head back, face upturned to the encroaching night darkness, then closed his eyes and dreamed.
He doubted very much that Uraharra had told Yourichi everything about the doll that brought Zangetsu to the real world. Ichigo suspected that she would have never even considered doing this if he had, and if that really was the case, old sandal-hat knew that and had not said anything for just that reason already.
He didn't think it wise to waste one of the few considerate things Uraharra Kiske had probably ever done in his entire life, even if it was as per quota obscenely dangerous.
Ichigo dreamed, and the war with Zangetsu continued.
There was no mental rest, no break, in this test. When the deadline of three days was made, it meant three days, and nothing as petty as a sleep was considered. He would have to succeed, or Zangetsu would eventually kill him - but then, that was also on par with Uraharra's usual.
He landed hard, skidding several feet before the concrete graciously stopped him. The edges of his vision were grey as he struggled to focus on which of the several Zangetsu were real. The copies blurred and swung crazily for a handful of seconds, and in that time Ichigo managed to work out that it was the concussion he had picked up several exchanges earlier that was causing the trouble, not Zangetsu himself.
"Get up Ichigo." The sword stood where he had been when Ichigo had been thrown, watching him with a keen stare from behind his glasses. Ichigo didn't move. "The rain is washing away the stars."
That didn't make any sense to him, and as the sentence registered, his gaze drifted from the black figure to the dark sky at the wrong angle. Storm clouds rolled across the night sky in this inner reflection of himself, and beneath their onslaught only six stars glowed weakly.
Six fixed stars and a seventh falling across the stormy divide.
"They need you to get up." Zangetsu urged, but Ichigo heard a reprimand about his reckless stupidity. He didn't move.
Protect them. He asked of the largest, giving off the gentlest light.
"You can't stay there." (Lazy moron.)
Be safe. He prayed to another that struggled, and yet was cheerful just the same.
"This isn't going to help you." (I'm talking to you, Ichigo!)
Keep living. He urged one of a pair that was further away from the rest, but were gravitating slowly inward to them.
"I'll drag you to you're feet if I must." (Don't you dare waste my time with this nonsense, Ichigo.)
Be brave. To the other who wavered, but chased the tail of that comet.
"Did you want to live?" (What do you think you're doing on you're face like that?)
Hold onto you're pride. He teased the one that held the others in line around him.
"Did you want to fight?" (I'll give you a fight, you rude little shit.)
Have faith. He begged the nearest.
"Did you want to win?" (I thought you made me a promise?)
Give back blame for what wasn't your fault. He wished on that falling star as it fled. Forgive yourself.
"What are you going to do, Ichigo?"
His eyes fell closed.
They opened again to his reflection in the hot spring, fuzzy and unfocused in a gaze that failed to pass the storm clouds in his minds eye. He looked back up, trying to find the stars he had wished on beyond the stone and cloud.
He would have to hurry and catch up with them. Because even when the clouds moved in to hide all his stars from view, they would always be chasing her and he had never needed his eyes to find her. And when they were all met again, he would run her down and lead that falling star back to her place in the sky among them all, where she belonged.
Ichigo staggered to his feet, forcing focus into his eyes and confidence into his stance. "Bring it on, old man."
Zangetsu smiled in satisfaction, and Ichigo could swear he felt that illusive star come into their sights.
(When night falls onto this town
Somewhere in the world, the sun rises)
-Loop, Sakamoto Maaya
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My long hiatus is finally over, at least for now. So of course the first thing you'll get from me is my favorite running theme-string. Enjoy!
PS. The song "Loop" by Sakamoto Maaya has been officially dubbed the theme song for my White Tower Waiting series. It is in Japanese, but find a translation, or ask for one. The lyrics are just to perfect for this moment of their relationship. Will soon edit the previous WTW chapters to have their song lines added at the end, so check them out again.
