A stranger, a struggler and white.

Notes:

It will be a graphic story, with blood and bodies and yucky stuff like that. As I said in chapter 2, I want to keep things as graphic as possible since it's closer to reality.
And I love realism. A lot.

One small thing, since I read the chapters again, and some might be thinking Ichihime did the do in the bathroom in chapter one, but no no. The two only kissed, no sexy time.
Yet.
;)))

Anyway! I'm cheerful but this chapter is not! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

"Do you know what I wanna do later?"

"Be a princess?"

"No you silly! I wanna be a farmer!"

Little eyebrows raise up, the child impressed and confused at the same time.

"A farmer? But, you have everything you want when you're a princess! You don't have to worry about anything and you're always clean!"

The little girl pouted at the sky, little arms folded on her chest in a fake angry pose.

"What if I don't want all that money and glittery stuff? What if I want to ruin my back digging in the ground to see trees and other things grow?"

"Hime..."

The little girl turns her head go face him, the unusual scowl on her face gone, finally blooming into her radiant smile.

"I don't want to be in a grotto alone, praying that stuff I don't understand. I wanna be with you. Always. Even yucky in the mud."

A gasp, and Ichigo opened wide eyes to the night sky, the cold air whipping his face, spreading the thin layer of sweat on his skin. He couldn't move his body, he remembered, the lung miraculously still giving him some air to breathe while his brown eyes tried to get used to the night.

Still the same place, the same tree, the same blood all around him. His blood. The beast he had hit still vanished, or maybe it was preying on something else now.

... Something or someone else?

Ichigo forced his eyes open, chest shaking with the shock of the realisation, coughing out blood once again, more violently this time. Orihime... She was too close! The monster could attack her and he wouldn't be able to do anything!

Cursing under his breath, the young man gritted his teeth together, gathering his courage and what was left of his intact muscles to drag himself pitifully and only a few centimeters away. That wasn't enough! He had to go away! She would get hurt because of him! That couldn't happen!

I can't leave her alone! I can't leave her behind in this shitty world! She needs me alive! He yelled at himself, unable to let a sound other than grunts escape his bloody mouth. His fingers were digging in the dead leaves, the small mushrooms that he knew were safe to eat and the ones that weren't. He barely could grasp the handle of his sword when he felt and heard footsteps walking closer to him.

"How pitiful. To see the son of the great Grand Chief Isshin crawl like a bug in the mud... Your ancestors must be rolling in their graves."

A deep voice. A man.

Ichigo couldn't allow himself to focus on two things. It was either crawl and live, or stop and die. The choice was easy.

His pride was hurt, his curiosity itched him to look up, stare at the man and have answers. But not now... He had to go away from the Stone.

For Orihime.

"Why do you fight?"

"Because I want to protect!"

"Isn't it better to talk, instead of fighting?"

Ichigo frowned, turning his little head to Orihime, watching her lay her hands between the tiny daisies to not destroy them.

"Talking is not good! People don't listen! They yawn or roll their eyes! No one wants to talk in a conflict : both sides are here to fight, beat each other up to win."

"It's cruel!"

"It's life."

For Orihime... His ever peace loving woman, hating the idea of blood being spilled unecessarily, without any other emotion than anger. For Orihime, her kind smile and peaceful mind. For his love... He had to keep going, and live to protect her.

"You're always hurt when you defend me..."

Careful and steady hands wrapped the light cloth around his shoulder while Orihime's face was covered in a veil of sadness.

"... It was for you."

"I know, but..."

"Hime, I couldn't let this bastard insult you! I couldn't stand and do nothing."

She sighed and slapped him on his arm lightly, but enough for him to yelp.

"I don't care about my honor! Or anything else for that matter! If you and I aren't together, then how can I be protected? How can we be there for the other if one of us fights until his death?"

He lowered his eyes.

"Ichigo... I don't want you to die for me. Because then I'd be without you for far too long, and won't be able to find you in the great sky."

He couldn't die... Couldn't walk away from her and leave her to herself, to a dangerous and perverted world. Couldn't leave her at the mercy of her expectant people.

The orange-haired man coughed another time, stopping against a tree to rest from his long journey. His muscles were burning in fatigue, his skin dripping in sweat from the exercise and the inner fight.

This damn body was giving up, refusing to move farther away. Ichigo brought his hand to wipe the blood off his mouth, blurry eyes scanning the dense forest. The man was still behind him, obviously enjoying himself as he watched a bloody, tired and dying man trying to win against Death.

"Why... You..."

"Why am I doing this?" He interrupted, and now Ichigo could tell his voice was muffled by a scarf or something blocking his mouth. "Simply because I can."

Before Ichigo could scowl at the fuckery that was those words, the man walked past him, long strides taking him to a spot farther. He lowered himself, digging under a pile of leaves, shaking off his muddy hand with obvious disgust and coming back to the future chief.

"This... Could interest you."

Even with the cloth on, his smile was undeniable, cruel mirth dropping from his eyes as he dropped with a heavy thud what he had previously been holding.

It landed in front of Ichigo, rolling and rolling until it was stopped by a small rock.

A human head.

The missing scout's head, to be more precise.

Ichigo yelped, the surprise and now the pain making him quiver. The night air bit into his skin, freezing his movements, turning him into the same stone the head had been stopped by. This man... What had happened?!

"Rejoice, he didn't touch the Stone." The unknown man told him, waving his hand here and there, as if to clear the atmosphere. "I was worried he had been killed too fast, but thankfully, he did his job quite well before informing the others. I wonder... What will happen now? Haha!"

A short ecstatic laugh bursted from his lips, Ichigo shaking in his final awaken moments fear and so much anger building inside of him. But he couldn't talk anymore, darkness taking him once more.

The stranger kept laughing maniacally, head thrown back and hands gripping his clothes to stabilize his body.

"Aah, but I'm such a bad man to let you die here in the woods, mh? You need to be with your people."

Enthusiastic, the strange man picked Ichigo up, off from the cold earth, and whistled for a long time before a black horse, similar to Kea, trotted to him. The stallion stopped, head snapping back in anticipation of carrying someone it didn't know, but the man couldn't care less. He dropped the young man on the saddle, humming to himself as he tied the light-haired's feet, making it impossible to drop on the ground.

"Hm, now, now... One last little thing, Kurosaki Ichigo... You can't go home without this. After all, without my precious remedy, you will be dead before the horse can take you to your people! And that's not acceptable, no, no!" He shook his head dramatically, opening a small vial to pour all of it on Ichigo's torso, liquid immediately slithering its way inside his body to heal.

"Now... Bye!"

The horse was sent at its fastest speed back to the camp, traveling through the dark frozen night, the lonely moon no longer visible.

"I will be careful. Always, Orihime. I'll come back to you."

"And I will await your arrival. Hoping you'll be as safe as possible."

Notes:

This is a transition chapter, so a bit less consistent, more dialogues and flashbacks... Sorry it's a bit short haha!

BUT, it's what is necessary my friends! Remember to review if you liked!