"Nīsan–Nīsan please! Please!"
"Nīsan, why are you standing there?! Please! Please help us!"
"Nīsan! Stop standing there! Please! He's hurting us! Stop him!"
Ichigo takes a deep breath, eyes wandering aimlessly across his ceiling. He slowly releases the breath before he silently turns over on his side. Exhausted eyes stare at the wall as Ichigo curls into a ball.
The bags underneath looked like shadows in the faint moonlight shining through the crack of his closed curtains. His skin looked whiter than the sheets of his bed and his hair was loose and tangled in a mess.
Ichigo slowly closes his eyes and sighs. He just wants some rest, not a horrific reoccurring nightmare of that damned demon's vision. He takes a deep breath and grabs his blanket to curl himself into it.
It's been a week since his mother's anniversary. A week since that damned demon. A week since he last slept any fucking amount.
A muffled thud makes Ichigo snap his eyes open. He slowly sits up from his bed, hand reaching for his sword. No more thuds happen.
Ichigo carefully stands up from his bed with his sword clutched tightly in his hand. He silently walks across his room and towards his closed door.
He knows he's just being paranoid. He definitely knows. Yuzu always tosses and turns in her sleep, sometimes hitting her hand or foot against the wall, Rukia is sleeping in his closet, no matter how many times he attempts to get her to sleep in the twins' room, Kon doesn't seem to have the biological need to sleep and likes to wander around, and Isshin, no matter how annoying it is, tends to rummage through the kitchen for something to eat during the rare moments he leaves the clinic. He's just being paranoid.
Ichigo unsheathes his sword with a careful and practiced ease, leaning the scabbard against the wall with barely a thud. He opens his bedroom door and steps out in silent footsteps as it creaks loudly in the dead silence.
He quickly starts his age-old routine he created months after his mother had died. Checking the house for any intruders or possible entryways since Isshin never even thought to lock up the clinic during nights.
The bedrooms are first. The twins'–making sure their window is locked and covered by a curtain and making sure they were both alive–and Isshin's just to make sure no one intruded, then downstairs is next.
Ichigo made sure early on that no furniture blocked the view of the living room from the stairs, giving him the ability to see both the locked sliding door to the backyard and the entrance to the kitchen. He walks to the left side of the living room entrance to make sure the front door is closed and locked. The windows are next, uncovered but locked–one even glued shut since it couldn't lock. He steps over the loudest wood panel on the floor after finishing the living room check and heads to the kitchen.
He inspects the locked kitchen window from afar first. His eyes always slide over the rest of the kitchen as he walks backwards to inspect the locked clinic's second entrance. He presses a hand against the hollow section against the wall next to the kitchen entrance, making sure it hasn't been opened up. On his way back towards the stairs, he glances out of the sliding door, double-checking that the wisteria tree is still in full bloom.
When Ichigo walks back up the stairs, he reaches a hand up and lets his hand brush against the cord that pulls down the attic stairs. He doesn't tug it down before he walks back down the upstairs hallway. He enters the twins' room once again.
His footsteps are silent before they stop at Yuzu's bed. Ichigo watches her chest gently moving up and down, no sound coming from her breaths. A small smile grows on his exhausted face. Her constant concentration breathing has gotten better.
"You're doing well, Yuzu..." Ichigo leans over and gently kisses Yuzu's forehead. He stands back up before he pulls up Yuzu's blanket to cover her upper body. Even if it was almost summer, he doesn't want his sister to be cold.
Ichigo silently makes his way over to Karin's bed across from Yuzu's. He stares at her furrowed scowl, watching her hands twitch. Another nightmare...
Ichigo reaches for one of her hands and gently squeezes it. "You're okay... sleep well..."
Karin instinctively wraps her fingers around Ichigo's hand, turning towards where he stood. The orange haired teenager smiles and brings her hand up to kiss her knuckles. Silly child.
He carefully puts Karin's hand underneath her blanket before he pulls it up to her chin. Her scowl slowly dissipates, calming into a soft expression exactly like their mother's when she would tend to the flowers of the Butterfly Estate. One of the two times Masaki was ever truly relaxed.
Ichigo sighs softly before he walks back out of the room. He eases the door shut with barely a sound, not wanting the twins to wake up. They deserve the rest.
"...'chigo? What're you doing?" Rukia's sleepy voice makes Ichigo turn his head towards his bedroom. Rukia had cracked the door open with a palm rubbing at her eye.
"Nothing Rukia... you can go back to sleep." I needed to make sure the girls were okay.
Rukia lowers her hand and stares at Ichigo with an exhaustion of her own. "You've got to get better at lying."
"Lying isn't something I like to do, Rukia-san," Ichigo says with a twitch of a smile. Rukia blinks at him, an odd look in her eyes. He stares back, his mouth partially open. He didn't speak about his paranoia out loud... Oh.
Ichigo sighs through his nose before a wry smile grows on his face. He gently shakes his head as the realization puts Rukia into a stupor of utter shock. This probably isn't something that should be happening.
"I think the roof is a good place to talk. Don't you think?" Ichigo starts, making Rukia stare at him incredulously. "The way you're reacting tells me this should be impossible."
"...why is it always you? And how are you not shocked?!" Rukia finally speaks up, the shock moving out of the way for exasperation. Ichigo smiles just a bit wider as he walks past her to get into his bedroom, not before giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek.
"Rukia-san, I promise you, the impossible doesn't exist when I'm involved," Ichigo says in his amusement.
Rukia just huffs in her suffering and turns on her foot to follow him. "That should be impossible in itself."
"It definitely should be... but it's not."
Ever since he could remember, Ichigo's always wondered about spirits and his gift to see them. He could see them, but most humans couldn't; and none of the demons he ever met and slain could see them too, even Yushirō.
Ichigo could see them–couldn't even tell the difference between spirit and human until after his mother had died. Masaki could see them too, joining in on conversations Ichigo thought he was having with someone alive. Karin could see them pretty early on in her life, barely two years old and scowling up at any spirit that tried to bother Masaki or Ichigo. Yuzu could always sense them, but she hasn't been able to see even a wisp of them until recently.
It further proved that demons weren't created by some divine force or some possible deity. If they were anything spiritual, they themselves should be able to see the souls of the dead aimlessly wandering the Earth until they find their own peace, or are helped to be at peace. It also proved that demons have insatiable hunger for physical blood and flesh and not of the souls of spirits, like Hollows.
On another note, he wonders if Hollows can become intelligent, like demons. Inoue Sora was able to speak–was able to remember his life as a human. Even the one that had harmed Ichigo's physical body while Kon was inside of it for the first time had spoken intelligently.
He was awfully curious about it. Maybe he'll be able to delve more into that another time.
Currently, he's more focused on souls in general. Everyone–everything has a soul, as Rukia had explained the first time they had met.
When a living soul dies and is sent to Soul Society, they continue to live as a spirit. When a spirit dies, their soul is put back into the Living World as a newly born human.
When a living soul that has died stays wandering in the Living World for a certain amount of time and without a way to pass over, their soul turns into a Hollow–or more like reborn as a Hollow. When a Hollow dies–or is cleansed, their soul will either be sent to Soul Society or Hell based on what they did in their human lives; and all the souls that they have eaten are released and sent back to the Living World to be reborn.
It all revolves around souls. Truly an interesting concept to think about, especially when demons are not a part of the cycle of souls.
Demons are an outlier. When a demon is slain, its soul does not transform into a spirit. It just simply disappears. Ichigo knows the soul doesn't die, but it would be too hopeful of him to think that they all end up going straight to Hell. But, maybe they do.
Maybe the creation of demons through Kibutsuji Muzan was something never meant to happen. Maybe it broke the laws of the universe and as such, demons are punished to immediately be sent to Hell. But, that's another curious thought to think about another time.
Ichigo gazes up at the clear night sky, mentally counting each star he sees. Rukia sat next to him with her head leaning on his shoulder.
"Has any other Shinigami given their powers to a Human before, and that Human survives?" Ichigo finally breaks the calm around the two of them. Rukia stays neither relaxed nor tense as she sighs.
"It's very rare, but yes. It is illegal for a Shinigami to give their powers to a Human. If Soul Society finds out, I may be sentenced to a few years in prison. At least," Rukia answers quietly. "But in all of those cases, there was never any evidence of... whatever this is."
"Were either parties allowed to live long enough for it to be shown?" Ichigo asks, putting away the talk about Rukia's apparent extreme law-breaking for another time.
"...no."
Ichigo hums with a smile, not surprised, but a little disappointed. He leans his head back and stares at the waning gibbous standing above them.
"Everything is still a blur about that night–when you had given me your powers. I still don't remember much, and definitely not too clearly. But... I sometimes feel it. A shock going through the center of my chest. It–I keep thinking–"
"That there should be a scar... something to show that you aren't going crazy whenever the shock happens?" Rukia cuts in, explaining what he was thinking to the dot.
Ichigo sighs quietly and lightly touches the center of his chest. "It's forbidden for Shinigami to give humans their powers–the power of Shinigami. I assume the most common sentence is execution. Neither the Shinigami nor the human involved with the giving and receiving of powers live long enough for any documentation of what's happening to us."
"It's likely Soul Society knows about this outcome, and that's why it's ruled to be forbidden," Ichigo continues in his thoughts. His fingers twitch and slowly curl around his shirt.
"There would have been some documentation–some evidence if they knew," Rukia refutes the possibility, making Ichigo scoff under his breath.
"Rukia-san, you said so yourself. If Soul Society finds out, the best sentence you can get is to go to prison for a few years. And I'm going to assume the only way to get that sentence is if your government believes that you had no other way." The orange haired teenager turns his head to finally look down at Rukia. He smiles wryly at his reason further being proven by the Shinigami refusing to look away from the night sky.
"...if–if they find out... we must keep this a secret," Rukia finally speaks once more after a few moments of silence.
"Ara, ara, Rukia-san! I never took you as someone who'd break so many laws and lies to the government about it!" Ichigo teases the black haired female, making her turn her gaze towards him with a fierce glare. Ichigo laughs lightly and gazes back up at the night sky.
"I have a feeling this will get revealed one way or another... but we'll work together to keep it a secret until the time comes, hmm?" He speaks softly, holding out his hand towards Rukia without looking.
The calm silence wraps around them once more as Rukia grabs his hand with her own. They stay sitting on the roof of the Kurosaki Household, even as the night dies and the morning comes alive.
"BOHAHAHA!" Ichigo releases a loud yelp at the sudden shout, jumping back like a cat. He stares at Orihime with wide eyes as he places a hand over his heart.
"Inoue-san... what the hell are you doing?" He asks incredulously. Orihime still had her arms crossed with her hands over her shoulders like she was scratching them.
"Oh? Do you not know about this?" Orihime tilts her head in honest confusion, as if whatever she was doing was normal.
Ichigo glances back down at her arms and narrows his eyes in thought. It did look familiar... oh.
"It's to do with that appalling scam of a show, "Ghost Bore" or whatever it's called, right?" Ichigo guesses while attempting to keep his smile on his face. Orihime lowers her arms with a blink.
"Goat Face forces us all to watch it last night... Dan Konan, or whatever his name was, will be filming live in Karakura Town..."
"It's called "Ghost Bust"! Here! I'll show you how to do the pose and then we can do it together!" Orihime starts to raise her arms once again, making Ichigo mentally groan. "BOHAHA–"
"BANZA~I!" Tatsuki startles both orange haired teenagers when she suddenly stands behind with her hands grabbing Orihime's arms to raise them in the air.
"Ta... Tatsuki-chan?! What?! What?!" Orihime exclaims as Tatsuki forces her to start walking away from the heavily relieved Ichigo.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bohaha is coming with me!" Tatsuki looks over her shoulder and gives Ichigo a smile and a wink. He smiles back and nods his head in his thanks.
"Why?!" Orihime asks loudly, incredibly confused by her best friend's behavior. Ichigo starts walking again, quickly catching sight of Keigo and Mizuiro when they walk towards him.
"Yo, Ichigo!" Both do the Ghost Bust pose with wide smiles.
"BOHAHAHA!"
Ichigo stares at them, completely silent before he catches Chad walking over in his peripherals. He turns his head and watches the usually quiet teenager do the pose in his own silence.
The irritation grows, barely leaking out of his self control to make his eyebrow twitch. Ichigo glances between the three boys before he silently walks over to the opened window.
"That just ruined all of your chances of convincing me to go and watch this scam of a show live," Ichigo declares, Keigo immediately protesting loudly with his hands raised.
"What?! Ichigo! A popular show representing Japan is coming to our town! If you don't go watch this, you're as good as dead as a Karakura resident. From tomorrow on, you'll be known as "the guy who didn't go see it!"" Keigo rants as he grabs Ichigo by the shoulders.
"Ara, ara, Keigo-san... How creative of you!" Ichigo compliments tightly, still smiling while he steps out of the dramatic teenager's hold. "Also, what's with this "our town"? You're from Naruki City, yes? Why do you pretend to be from here just for this scam?"
"Y-you're being so mean, Ichigo~! Even–even after I went to all that trouble... to invite Kuchiki-san too!" Keigo cries loudly. Ichigo looks over Keigo's shoulder, finally noticing Rukia in a polite curtsey towards him.
"How is it going, Kurosaki-kun?" Rukia asks in her way too cheerful persona. Ichigo sighs quietly and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"I might rather take Goat Face over being here right now," Ichigo thinks as he tries to calm his irritation.
Why does it have to be during his struggle to get back up from that damned demon's Blood Demon Art that this scam is happening? Especially when he's gone a week with barely a wink of sleep?
The incessant chatter and excited rabble of the audience for the scam of a show pounds against Ichigo's skull with every second. He doesn't even bother to cover his exhaustion, nor his prayer to any god out there that he does not want to be here, with a smile. He didn't even want to bother with getting dressed in decent clothes for a casual outing.
It was the twins, after Isshin absolutely refused to listen when they said they didn't want to go at all, who managed to convince him to go. He just wanted to try and get some sleep, but the mere thought of leaving the girls alone with Isshin without him as a buffer made his heart pound in trepidation.
So, he went straight home after school ended. Ichigo even let the twins dress him up despite it being his turn to run the Butterfly Estate for the week at night. Thankfully, they dressed him in one of the Demon Slayer Corps uniforms.
His normal black dress shirt, buttoned up for the unfortunate occasion, his pink tinted vest, his suit jacket, his butterfly haori, and his Chelsea boots were all the same. Yuzu chose for him to wear a black miniskirt instead of his usual pants and Karin decided he should wear black stockings today. His hair was brushed and straightened down his back, his butterfly clip holding it in a low ponytail. Yuzu's expert strokes of eyeliner made his eyes pop and Karin had forced him to sit still so she could paint his nails a pale pink.
A heavy sigh leaves through Ichigo's nose as he finally stops walking right at the edge of the audience. He faces forward when he hears multiple footsteps.
"Kurosaki-kun, you came! Oh! And you dressed up!" Orihime exclaims cheerfully with her hands clasped in front of her.
"Moshi, moshi!" Ichigo greets tiredly with a wave.
"Killin' it once again, Ichigo!" Keigo compliments brightly, his ears turning a faint pink as he leaves the group with Mizuiro. Chad nods silently in greeting, his own blush barely able to be seen, before he wanders away.
Ichigo's mouth manages to twitch into a small smile before Isshin suddenly wraps an arm around his shoulder.
"My baby girls dressed him up! He should know better than to skip family time!" Isshin shouts loudly right next to Ichigo's ear. His fists clench around the fabric of his haori, Ichigo's eyes staring blankly past his friends. The migraine slamming into his head with a metal wrench gets even worse.
"Stop making it seem like this is a punishment. And stop touching me." Ichigo takes a deep breath to calm his steadily mounting irritation.
"It isn't a punishment, Goat Face! And stop hugging Nīsan! You know he has a migraine!" Karin scolds, roughly hitting Isshin's arm off of her big brother's shoulders.
"Yuzu~! Your sister is being mean to Daddy!" Isshin cries loudly, turning towards the strained smiling Yuzu.
"You're going to make Nīsan's migraine worse if you keep bothering him." Yuzu continues to smile as she points towards the audience. "Anyway, shouldn't you be finding a good spot for us to watch the live show?"
"Don't worry, Yuzu! If I can't get a good spot for you, Daddy 'll carry you on his shoulders!" Isshin puffs up his chest with a grin before he sprints towards the audience.
Ichigo relaxes his posture with a loud sigh, wincing at the sharp pain travelling through his neck. He glances down when he feels a tug on his hand and sees Yuzu staring up at him with worry.
He smiles softly and leans down to kiss Yuzu's forehead. "Goat Face will be busy for a while. Go find a good spot with Karin while you can."
The brown haired girl perks up with a sunny smile before she reaches over to grab her twin's hand. Karin gives Ichigo a knowing glare at what he was trying to do, but follows along with Yuzu's pull.
"Kurosaki-kun... I'm really sorry about before," Orihime speaks up, now that his sisters and Isshin weren't around. Ichigo blinks before tilting his head.
"About what? You've done nothing wrong," He states, making Orihime look even guiltier.
"About the whole Ghost Bust thing earlier today... Tatsuki-chan told me about how much you hate things like this..."
"Oh, that. It's okay, Inoue-san! It's all just for fun. Keigo-san and Mizuiro-san do it because they know I despise scams like this," Ichigo reassures his fellow ginger.
Tatsuki rolls her eyes with a smile and lightly elbows Orihime's side, making her squeal in surprise. "I told you he wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Now, go and get us a spot."
"M'kay!" Orihime smiles cheerfully before she walks right into the audience. Tatsuki's smile immediately turns into a worried frown as she steps closer.
"What's going on? You're not paying attention, more so than usual, you don't eat during lunch–if you ever pop up somewhere to hang out, and it looks like you haven't slept in days," Tatsuki asks lowly. Ichigo couldn't hold back his wince at the question, his face seemingly aging before Tatsuki's very eyes by the amount of exhaustion he shows her.
"...a demon showed up on Mama's anniversary. I dealt with it easily enough, but... that damn Blood Demon Art was-was something," Ichigo finally speaks about what had happened, in an incredibly concise summary. He shivers when flickers of those damned visions flash past his eyes. He hugs himself around his stomach with another sigh.
"I-I haven't slept any kind of amount since. I keep–I keep seeing it play out in my head..." With a shake of his head, Ichigo quickly forces himself out of his mind. He forces a smile on his face in an attempt to reassure the extremely worried Tatsuki.
"You should go find Inoue-san before she ends up somewhere she isn't supposed to be." Ichigo glances around and pauses when tawny eyes find amethyst. His smile widens just a bit in his genuine happiness, and focuses back on his childhood friend.
Tatsuki stays still as Ichigo lightly kisses her cheekbone. He sighs quietly and smiles down at the black haired teenager with gratitude before he walks away. Tatsuki watches him leave; her hand touching her own cheek.
"...idiot..." Tatsuki mutters affectionately. Her face burns a nice rosy shade while she goes to find Orihime. Even though it's barely been two minutes, Orihime could either end up on the other side of town or inside the actual abandoned hospital in that amount of time.
"This all seems so fun! What kind of festival is this?" Rukia looks up at the orange haired teenager with bright eyes. Ichigo blinks down at her before he shakes his head.
"This is a TV show–oh, nevermind. Why did you come? There's not much to do here other than watch," Ichigo asks, not even bothering to explain what a show was, let alone explain an actual television to her.
"It seemed fun," The cheerful statement makes Ichigo fight the urge to rub his face in, "but Arisawa-san said that while you hate this kind of thing, you would be forced to be here. She wanted us all to be here for you."
A ghost of a smile forms on Ichigo's face. Tatsuki is always looking out for him even when he doesn't need it.
"You're balancing school, demon slaying, and Shinigami work all together, and with what happened... you're still recovering, but you can't afford a break. Relax and make the most of this festival," Rukia continues with her arms crossed and a small smile on her face.
"Ara, ara! I didn't expect you to be so concerned over my health! Rukia-san, what a pleasant surprise!" Ichigo teases, making the Shinigami's smile quickly turn into a scowl.
"Whatever. Now, this Tee-vee show... is that what this festival's all about?" Rukia asks, staring up at the hospital. Ichigo's eyebrow twitches at the separated syllables before he looks up as well.
"Yes... but still... I wonder if there really is a spirit here. It is an abandoned hospital," Ichigo speaks his thoughts, inspecting the shattered windows of the hospital.
"How come?"
Ichigo turns towards Rukia at her question. "Hm? Oh, well... It's pretty standard for a psychic show. Abandoned hospitals are filled with the souls of those who died, but wouldn't Soul Society have dealt with those spirits already?"
"...not exactly," Rukia eventually answers, solemn and alert. "The Pluses who have died in hospitals usually wander away pretty quickly. Most are usually obsessed spirits, a few may be earthbound. The sensor in Soul Society rarely picks up on earthbound spirits due to them being naturally assimilated with the land."
"Coming through!" One of the light crew rushes past the two, catching Ichigo's eye.
"The one circumstance where an earthbound spirit shows itself is–"
A booming howl, not unlike a Hollow's, rings in Ichigo's hypersensitive ears. His head snaps up with wide eyes as he stares at the hospital.
"–only when a human trespasses on its territory!"
...will there ever be a day where Ichigo can relax? This is getting ridiculous, even for his standards.
Karin swallows back her sudden nausea, placing a hand on her stomach. Yuzu instinctively reaches out and grabs her arm in case she collapses.
"Karin-chan?! Karin-chan what's wrong?" Yuzu whispers, careful not to bring any attention to themselves. Karin just stares at the abandoned hospital with exhausted irritation.
"We should have just went home after Goat Face disappeared," She states monotonously. Damn it, she knew this was a bad idea.
Tatsuki's nails bite into the skin of her palm. She swallows back the sudden urge to flee from the scene and presses her shaking fists into the sides of her legs.
"What... what is this...?" Tatsuki hisses under her breath. She fidgets with her feet, debating if she should grab Orihime and leave.
This definitely wasn't a demon. Ichigo would be sprinting right towards the abandoned hospital, regardless of the crowd, if it was. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear the bloodcurdling howl as if it was right next to her ear. And this feeling... this dread was unnervingly familiar.
She jumps and snaps her head to the side when something snags at the sleeve of her shirt. Her eyes stared at the slightly terrified Orihime who had her hand grasped tightly around the sleeve.
"Orihime... you can hear it?" Tatsuki asks, not necessarily shocked, but definitely not expecting it.
Orihime smiles with shaky reassurance. "I-I thought so... Tatsuki-chan too?"
Chad stands next to Keigo, silent in his worry and unnerved alarm. This is most definitely not his imagination.
He couldn't see anything, but he knew something was there. In front of the hospital. That is the thing that was howling, screaming so angrily in its pain. It makes every single fight or flight instinct in his body.
Chad frowns and gives the crowd around him a cursory glance. Keigo was next to him and Mizuiro was standing next to two women. Ichigo stood around the other side of the crowd with Rukia and his younger sisters were huddled near the front. Tatsuki and Orihime stood close to each other in the middle of the crowd.
"Ichigo will head to his sisters. I'll head over to Arisawa and Inoue." The rudimentary plan forms in Chad's head as he prepares himself for any possible fight, even a fight against something he couldn't see.
"I can't freakin' believe this! Do you guys have any idea of what you've done?!" The teacher booms loudly with his arms crossed, glaring down at the group of students standing in front of him.
Tatsuki stood to the far right with her hands on her hips and an expression that says she should be anywhere, but there at the moment. Orihime appeared nervous, with her hands clasped behind her back. Rukia appeared every bit as guilty that she did not actually feel with her expression downcast and eyes closed.
Ichigo stood in the middle, smiling brightly as he rocked back and forth on his heels and hums a small tune. Keigo looked distraught that he was even caught up in Ichigo's craziness. Mizuiro looked put out. And Chad has his arms crossed, not even paying attention to the teacher.
"Take a look at this! It's an image that aired nationwide from a live broadcast TV show that filmed in our town yesterday!! NATIONWIDE!" An image of a shouting and irritated Ichigo appeared on the television screen. He was kicking a guard away from him in that current moment.
Ichigo continues to smile as if he wasn't even listening. "Kanonji-san shouldn't have so many damned guards when he doesn't need them."
"Well, then?" The teacher stalks forward in an attempt at intimidation. "Kurosaki, do you have anything to say when you look at this?"
Ichigo stares at him dead in the eyes. His smile turns sharper before he exaggerates his head turning towards Keigo.
"Ne, ne, Keigo-san. Do you still have those smoke bombs?" Ichigo asks with a gleam in his eyes. Tatsuki pales and immediately takes a step back, grabbing Orihime's hand.
"The moment he gives the signal, we're running!" Tatsuki whispers towards Orihime, making the orange haired teenager blink at her.
"What do you mean? What are you–"
"Asano! Are you carrying contraband?!" The teacher shouts loudly as he whips his head towards the incredibly betrayed teenager.
"Ichigo~! How could you! I thought we were friends!" Keigo cries out in an almost hysterical manner, grabbing the front of Ichigo's haori to shake him back and forth.
"I need a distraction," Ichigo answers simply, making Keigo shake him even more.
"YOU'RE SELLING ME OUT FOR A DISTRACTION?!"
Ichigo just smiles while holding out his hand. "Yes."
Keigo cries dramatically as he turns towards Mizuiro. Mizuiro suddenly appears like he was incredibly focused on an important message on his phone, Keigo kneeling on his knees with his arms hugging Mizuiro's legs.
"There, there, Asano-san. Ichigo will make up his betrayal to you tomorrow," Mizuiro states, still "distracted" by his phone as he pats the brunette's head. Keigo continues to cry and digs one of his hands into his pocket.
"A good friend doesn't sell their friends out! A good friend gives their traitor friend what they ask for!" Keigo glares through his tears, still hugging Mizuiro.
"And that good friend helps their traitor friend with their distraction, hmm?" Ichigo adds on with a bright smile.
Keigo sniffs loudly and takes out two smoke bombs from his pocket. "I expect compensation!"
He slams the smoke bombs onto the ground. The teacher coughs loudly as he gets a lung full of smoke.
"Now!" Orihime squeals loudly when Tatsuki drags her out of the classroom. Rukia suddenly blinks when she's suddenly carried out of the smoke filled office by Chad and looks over her shoulder. Mizuiro and Keigo were booking it behind them, Ichigo the last to leave the room.
"KUROSAKI!"
"Ara, ara. It seems Kagine-sensei's a bit mad at me! I wonder why?" Ichigo exclaims brightly.
"You're the one who started all this! Did you really think that was a good idea?!" Rukia shouts loudly, before she turns her glare at Chad. "And you! Put me down! I'm not a doll!"
"Chad-san can't exactly do that at the moment, Rukia-san! Kagine-sensei will catch us if we stop for even a moment," Ichigo suggests for Rukia to hold off for just a bit longer. Rukia just glares at him with a heavy scowl before crossing her arms.
"Don't worry, Kuchiki-san. Once we get out of the school, we're home free." Tatsuki grins at the Shinigami, exasperation tinged with excitement at escaping their hot headed teacher.
Ichigo starts running a bit faster, catching up with Keigo and Mizuiro. He leans forward and kisses Keigo on the cheek.
"Text me whatever you want as compensation, Keigo-san! And I'll get you more smoke bombs soon," Ichigo states brightly before he continues to speed up.
"You–I–no–no–um..." Keigo attempts to stutter out a response, face bright red.
"37," Mizuiro calls out with a slight glare towards the brunette. The number makes Keigo grin despite his flustered expression.
"Winning!" He cheers loudly. Tatsuki and Orihime take their turns to glare at him at the gloat. Chad silently sends his displeasure and jealousy through his demeanor.
"Winning? Winning what?" Ichigo calls over his shoulder.
"Nothing you need to worry about!" All of his friends, excluding Rukia who just stares at them all weirdly, shout at the same time.
Ichigo stares at them for a moment longer before facing forward again. They pass by another student in the hall as they turn a corner. Ichigo slides to a stop and whirls around.
A bitter, but warm and spiteful storm of lightning and ice. Ichigo glances around the hallway, trying to find whoever he sensed.
"Ichigo! You idiot, we have to go!" Tatsuki grabs Ichigo's wrist and starts to drag him towards the exit. The orange haired teenager continues to glance over his shoulder.
A 15 year old teenager with black hair framing both sides of his face, stormy blue eyes covered by glasses, and pale skin stood against the corner of the hallway. He stares down at the ground, the florescent lights creating a gleam against his glasses.
He starts walking once more as the hotheaded teacher sprints down the hallway to chase after Ichigo and his friends.
Ichigo hums a soft tune as he walks around the empty clinic with a full laundry basket resting against his hip. He walks past the glass doors of the clinic entrance and the flamboyantly dressed man that stood outside.
His hair was pulled into its usual yakai-maki bun, held up by his butterfly clip, and he wore a cropped band t-shirt, a high waisted denim skirt, and his butterfly haori. The clinic just closed and Ichigo was starting to clean up from the morning.
"That wasn't Don Kanonji. I just imagined it." Ichigo freezes, staring straight ahead. He blinks once and takes a deep breath before he turns towards the clinic entrance.
Don Kanonji stood outside with a cloak on. Ichigo blinks once and sighs quietly in his exasperation. Why is this happening to him?
"Sorry sir, but on Thursdays, the clinic is closed in the afternoons." Ichigo pretends to not even recognize the man.
"I've come to invite you out for a drive, my #1 Pupil!" Don Kanonji booms loudly, clearly horrible at staying incognito as he throws off his cloak.
Ichigo stares at him for a long moment before slamming the door closed. He locks it with one hand.
A long moment of silence passes between them before Don Kanonji grabs one of the door handles. "Why did you lock the door, my #1 Pupil?!"
"Isn't it an appropriate reaction when a high school student deals with perverted stalkers? How did you even find out about my clinic?" Ichigo asks cheerfully through the glass door.
"Oh... How cruel... I'm a big star now... I thought it would cheer you up to come visit you incognito..." Don Kanonji speaks softly in an almost pitiful tone. Ichigo's eyebrow twitches, still smiling.
"You wouldn't know incognito if it slapped you in the face, Kanonji-san. It's impossible to believe you even know the word when you're wearing insanely flashy clothes like that," Ichigo states while pointing at the suit Don Kanonji was currently wearing.
"But... this is my plain suit..." Ichigo sweatdrops at the honest statement. "I already invited along your friend."
Kami-sama please grant him patience with this man. Ichigo takes a deep breath and focuses his attention on Rukia.
"L-look, Ichigo! He bought me all of these top-quality bean paste sweets from Hotei's Store!" Rukia exclaims in her joy and excitement, arms filled with bags of sweets.
Ichigo just smiles tightly, eyes closed. "You told this pervert where my house was for bean paste sweets? Ara, ara... I'm not even surprised."
"Nīsan! Quiet down! Are you finished with grabbing the blankets? I need to start the laundry!" Yuzu shouts from the clinic's second entrance. She blinks rapidly when she notices Rukia and Don Kanonji locked outside the clinic.
"Why did you lock Rukia-chan outside with a pervert?! Nīsan! She could get hurt!" Ichigo squawks in surprise as Yuzu practically runs him over to unlock the clinic door.
"She was the one to tell him this address..." Ichigo mumbles under his breath, slowly sitting up from the ground.
"Young girl! I am no pervert! I am a star!" Don Kanonji exclaims with a flourish of his hands, only to be swatted by Yuzu. Rukia bends down, a hand blocking her mouth from view.
"It's a Hollow. Let's go," She whispers with a deadpan expression. Ichigo sighs softly and nods his head.
He crawls from the ground and breaks into a sprint once he leaves his body. He looks over his shoulder, cupping a hand next to his mouth.
"I'll be back soon, Yuzu! All the blankets are in the laundry basket!" Ichigo shouts before he focuses on running with Rukia.
Yuzu smiles brightly as she waves goodbye. "Be safe, Nīsan, Rukia-chan!"
"Boy! Where are you going?! Don't leave me!" Don Kanonji takes a step towards the street, only to quickly backtrack when Yuzu suddenly appears in front of him.
"Nīsan's doing something important, pervert! Now go away!" Yuzu declares with her cheeks puffed out and her arms crossed in an attempt to look menacing.
"Thank you, Kami-sama, for this intervention," Ichigo speaks out loud, smiling up at the sky.
"Hey! Don't ask for Hollows to appear!" Rukia scolds harshly. "If you let your guard down like that, we won't know what will happen!"
"Ara, ara. Should you be saying that to me, Miss I'm Happy I Got Free Bean Paste Sweets Kuchiki?" Ichigo snarls back cheerfully.
"Ichigo!"
Rukia and Ichigo sprint past the few people walking around the street. Ichigo slides to a stop when he senses the spiteful storm once again. He whirls around, the hair loose from his bun flying into his face.
Stormy blue eyes stare into tawny brown eyes. Ichigo tilts his head as his eyes narrow in suspicion and confusion.
"Ichigo! You idiot–let's go! What's got you so distracted lately when you're running?!" Rukia shouts angrily, grabbing the orange haired teenager's wrist.
Ichigo barely resists the Shinigami, too distracted in his staring contest with the boy in his high school uniform. He finally looks away when he almost trips over his own feet.
"Something's not right." Ichigo stares up at the clear sky, exhausted expression unnervingly blank. His haori, that somehow transferred with his spirit, flutters in the breeze that picks up.
"There's no Hollow. Again. Rukia-san, is that odd phone of yours broken?" Ichigo asks, lowering his head to watch Rukia struggle to drag his physical body out from an alley.
"I told you, it's called a Denreishinki! And I don't know. I just pass on the orders I receive from it." Rukia glares at the orange haired teenager, still dragging Ichigo's body. "Now hurry and return to your body! It's heavy."
"Ara, ara! I didn't expect you to stoop so low and start insulting the person helping you out," Ichigo retorts with a smile. He easily dodges the punch Rukia aims at his side by twirling out of the way and towards his body.
"Fighting among friends?"
Ichigo, now back in his body, instinctively reaches back for his sword that wasn't on his person at the moment. He and Rukia turn and stare at the person that suddenly appeared without a sound.
"What a disgrace."
The teenager from earlier, now wearing an oddly all white outfit, stood with perfect posture and his hands behind his back. "Good evening, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san."
"...moshi moshi, Priest-san–or I assume you are with that... outfit of yours," Ichigo greets back as he steps in front of Rukia. "I apologize, but how do you know our names, Priest-san?"
"Kurosaki-kun, you can see spirits, correct?" The priest-looking teenager completely ignores Ichigo's question to ask his own.
Ichigo stays silent, hand twitching to wrap around the hilt of a sword that wasn't there. Damn that broken Denreishinki! He didn't have time to grab his sword as he raced to defeat the Hollow that wasn't here!
"It looks like I have another stalker, Rukia-san... did you tell this one my personal information too?" Ichigo questions Rukia as a form of an answer to the strange teenager. Rukia glares at him and kicks his shin in retaliation.
"Ah. A new Hollow is here," The teenager states casually, facing towards the right.
BEEP. BEEP.
"An order! It's... it's really here!" Rukia exclaims, staring at her Denreishinki. Ichigo straightens up before fully facing the Shinigami.
"Rukia-san, which way?"
"That way." The teenager points towards the right, looking over his shoulder. "You're not at that level of understanding, and yet... you call yourself a Shinigami?"
Something rings in the back of Ichigo's mind as a cross falls out of the teenager's sleeve and hangs off his wrist. Something deep in memories long since faded perks up at the sight of the cross.
Ichigo watches, completely transfixed, as an electrifying blue suddenly bursts out of the strange teenager's hand, forming a bow. He raises his other hand towards the cross centered in his palm and seems to grab a drawstring that suddenly appears. An arrow takes shape out of the bow as the teenager draws his arm back.
The arrow is released, a streak of electric blue piercing through the sky. Ichigo faintly hears the Denreishinki stop beeping.
"The signal... disappeared!" Rukia states, almost breathless in her shock.
"Priest-san... what the hell are you?" Ichigo asks quietly. He still continues to stare at the direction the arrow had been sent to.
"Ishida Uryū. Quincy." Ichigo finally looks back over towards the teenager and immediately focuses on the oddly shaped cross imprinted on the back of his outfit.
Uryū turns around, glaring with a hatred and spite that almost surprises Ichigo. "I... hate Shinigami."
"What?" Ichigo blinks at the sudden declaration.
"Don't you get it, Kurosaki Ichigo? What I'm saying is," Uryū's glare turns almost disdainful, "I... hate you."
"But... I'm not even a Shinigami..." Ichigo can't help, but think, earning a snort from Rukia.
He's a Demon Slayer first, Human second, Shinigami last. Well... Ichigo's not too oblivious to not notice his position as a Shinigami may become second on his list of priorities. So, maybe this hatred of Uryū's does still include him...
Hey! Hope you all like the new chapter! I apologize for not updating the past two weeks. I intended to post last week, but my job got really busy and I needed a break from writing. Updates will hopefully go back to being every other Sunday, but be prepared for possible sporadic updates from here on out!
It's Thanksgiving Day for me in America, so Happy Turkey Day for those who don't celebrate it! I hope everyone who is celebrating it is enjoying it with family and/or friends!
I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Bye.
WhovianWhoudini