...
…
—"I made her for one reason and one reason only."—
…
…
"Use me."
Ichigo could feel the power.
It ignited everywhere.
And he couldn't stop himself from thirsting it, from needing it, for wishing it to be one with him. His teeth gritted as he reached deep inside the girl, keeping another hand on her shoulder to keep her still. Another shrill cry left her plush lips as he pushed deeper, and when he felt the power literally in his hand, he yanked it backwards, out of her for his own uses.
You wouldn't even comprehend how shocked he was when a bolt of light formed between them, and when he pulled his hand from inside her, the light formed together. Before he knew it, he lifted his arm, and found himself staring at the sleek, large blade. It was about as tall as Ichigo was, and with a dark blade, shining beautifully in the light. It wasn't as heavy as it appeared, for he was hold it for another few seconds over his head.
"Use me."
Ichigo felt the power surge, leaving Orihime, and formed inside of him, alive and thickening.
—"If you cannot save your own mother, how do you think you will save yourself?"—
Ichigo's eyes flashed blue.
Clenching his teeth, he crouched lowly, watching as the hollow roared and charged forward.
What're you?
Orihime flickered her silver, glowing eyes open before her lips parted, "…I am power…"
His eyes narrowed, and before he knew it, his body launched from the ground, and raised his sword high, roaring out his battle cry.
I will protect you!
…
…
Kisuke paused from slicing down his last hollow, and turned his head briefly. When he saw the two very different powers unite, he smiled fondly under his tipped hat.
"Ichigo-san sure is trying his best."
Yoruichi rolled her eyes, stretching out her tired muscles, "Tell me about it."
…
…
Ikkaku grinned wide as he stuck the cigarette between his lips, shifting the gear on the truck. The camouflaged, topless vehicle scurried down the street, and when he made a sharp turn, Momo took that chance to rise onto the hood of the car, the wind bringing her long hair from her bun, and she spread her legs wide, face hard as she watched the hollows pounce and roar.
"Time to get 'em, girly!" Ikkaku hooted, fully enjoying his time as he swerved the car this way and that way. Yumichika frowned, but did not comment as he ran a hand through his short, silky hair.
"You know what Kenpachi said. If we damage this car like the last one, he'll have our asses," the black-haired put in, his frown deepening as he regarded his longtime pal.
"Yeah, yeah!" Ikkaku waved him off with a wide smirk, turning the car around another corner, entirely appreciating his view under Momo's flying skirt. She did not seem to notice as she flipped off the car's hood and landed lithely on her feet. Ikkaku continued racing down the street as Yumichika glanced back over his shoulder, already analyzing as the hollows gathered around Momo.
"She better win."
Ikkaku's smirk widened, "Obviously, you don't know Momo well enough."
And with that, they sped down the street as Momo smirked, readying her bokken, "Let's rock."
…
…
Renji thrust the magazine into the machine gun. He licked his lips as he completely overtook the gun. He jammed back the lever in the front, clicked off the safety, checked the back pedal, and smirked when it clicked properly.
As the Shrieker roared out its anger, searching for him below, Renji's smirk widened. He propped up his weapon, and positioned himself over it, continuing to grin all the while as he sat on the rooftop of the tall building. As he aimed, one eye squeezed shut as the other went behind the sight, the hollow turned its head towards the curious noise.
His finger pressed against the trigger gently.
"Open that pretty mouth," he murmured, mostly to himself.
The hollow's eyes spotted him, and it crowed, prying its mouth wide.
Renji's finger prodded back onto the trigger, and the blue-white energy swept through the air, and into the hollow's mouth. The monster's brains blew clean out and it fell heavily onto the ground before vanishing completely.
Renji's smirk widened once again until it turned into a fierce leer as he raised his gun to his lips, blowing off the remaining smoke, "Of course, Rukia's mouth is the prettiest…"
…
…
Rukia, though, was in her own little space.
"Oops!"
Inside of her own high-tech portal, Rukia readjusted the slim headset on her head, and moved around the floating, transparent screens in front of her. When she came across what she needed, she widened the window, sneering up her lip when she saw the other Fishbone heading directly towards Ikkaku's car.
"Ikkaku, ten o'clock." She murmured into the microphone in her head piece. "And stop fooling around."
"Aye, aye!" Ikkaku said through his own walkie-talkie. She could see him peeking out from the top of the car, he aimed with his Steyr machine gun, and blasted off. The hollow disintegrated before it even hit the ground. Yumichika also popped his head from the window and waved towards Rukia, where her camera was perched over the traffic light.
She sighed irritatingly, "Stop acting like idiots and hurry towards Sector Four. Ishida and Nemu should be there waiting for you."
"Whatever you say," Ikkaku teased back, his bald head vanishing back into the truck.
"Fools…" Rukia sighed as she pushed away the window and brought another shining, floating screen to watch.
…
…
Kill it.
Kill it.
Kill it.
Never in his life had Ichigo felt the enormous amount of hate and fury inside of him, the feelings swirled with the power, and he flew in the air, like he was defying gravity, as if there was nothing that could keep him down on this earth.
The hollow roared loudly as Ichigo neared and dodged out of the way from its long claws. With one slice of his large sword, the beast was gone and he landed safely on the ground below. The fires consumed the stores, the wreckage, and his eyes glowed even brighter as his heart pounded.
This power…
He'd felt it before. Somehow, somewhere in his life, he'd been bestowed this kind of power, and it never felt so good. He felt like a whole different side of him had been released, as though he'd been waiting to burn this energy so long ago. He wasn't the scowling, temperamental, older brother anymore, who somehow managed to get good grades even though he had orange hair.
No.
He was someone else.
—"Why would you ask such a question? You're Hichigo. And you're my beautiful son."—
Ichigo blinked back to reality – or whatever the hell this place was – when three hollows jerked their heads in his direction. When one pounced, shrieking at him, he hopped back lithely, his body already in tune with the power flowing around him. One opened its mouth wide, and crimson power charged from its sharp teeth.
Ichigo's eyes briefly widened before he leaped back forcefully, and swiped through the launched attack with the sharp blade of his sword. The second threw its power also, and Ichigo dodged out of the way in time to see it blast past him, and it exploded a few yards away in the sky a second later.
—"Your power is not about you. It's about the people you help, and how you use it."—
Ichigo glanced down.
Big mistake.
"Oh, fuck!"
He did not know how, and he did not want to know how, but he was not on the ground. He was hovering in mid-air, but somehow, he could feel something underneath his feet, as if it were the ground. The ground was at least twenty feet below, and he nearly flailed when he lost his balance.
"AGH! Dammit!" He righted himself, out of breath as his mind escaped from the heavy fog. His eyes found the angry hollows and his eyes widened when they directed their attention to the glowing girl, her back arched, red hair flowing over her slim body, and her face soft and beautiful. Without wasting a moment, the hollows rushed to her.
Ichigo's eyes tightened – forget the no-gravity bullshit.
With his newfound power, he launched himself from the very air, raised his sword, and delved it straight through one of them. The hollow vanished in thin air, and Ichigo glowered up at the second one, watching as it roared and stomped its feet in rage. With sheer lazy grace – as if he'd done this a thousand times – he swept back his sword, and called out,
"Getsuga Tensho!"
Orihime gasped sharply, "I reject."
The power erupted almost instantly, and sprung forth, the shape oddly resembling a crescent moon. The white-blue attack bounded forward and made a large explosion. The hollows wailed their pain, and vanished a second later. When Ichigo regained his right mind, and landed safely on the ground, he blinked rapidly as the life and fatigue washed over him.
Somehow, familiarly, he jabbed the large sword on the ground and staggered to the ground, his muscles already aching and his eyelids heavy. He breathed in and out raggedly, and his stomach churned as he thought of everything that passed over this night.
Fuck.
What the hell is going on?
—"If you open your eyes, Hichigo, maybe you'll see what is in front of you."—
Who the fuck is Hichigo?
Whose memories were these?
His life was typically normal, besides the minimal scuffles he had because of his weird hair. He'd never been called out of his name, and he did not think anything of the world, until this night. He swallowed, sweat dewing on his panting, tired body. Scowling, he stood, and stared down at the black, large sword in his hand. To his surprise, the sword began to fade, becoming transparent, and then swirled into a light of yellow and sapphire petals and spun directly behind him in beautiful spins.
Orihime!
Snapping his head around, he was almost horrified to see Orihime on the ground, her slender back to him. Her long, thick hair pooled around her and she seemed even smaller as the glowing hole in her chest filled and vanished.
There was silence.
"Orihime!" Ichigo shouted his thoughts, forgetting about his problems and questions of his life and the world.
Without a second thought, he rushed to her side, and scooped an arm under her delicate shoulders. She was unconscious, but her face was relaxed, peaceful, and her body seemed perfectly fine. His face softened, and the scowl vanished as he watched her slumber, breathing in and out evenly. With a chuckle, he pressed the heel of his free hand against his forehead.
"Damn…"
"This is pretty surprising," mused a voice from behind him. Ichigo jerked in surprise, "Are you doing perverted things to Orihime-sama?"
Ichigo's head snapped around, his eyes narrowed dangerously, but then widened when he saw the small, black feline on the ground staring up at him with large, golden eyes. Quickly, he darted his gaze around, searching for the occupant of the masculine, deep voice.
"Hello…?"
"Yes?" Again, his eyes went back to the cat, still watching him.
Ichigo shook his head. He was getting out of control. "Dammit. I'm imagining things."
"No,"
Ichigo's eyebrow twitched, The cat just fucking said something.
"You're not imagining things, Kurosaki Ichigo."
Oh…What the fuck?!
As soon as Ichigo opened his mouth to cry out in shock and complete horror, the cat raised a paw, eyes twinkling playfully, "Do not…" He paused, "What do the kids say these days?" He seemed to mull it over for a second before nodding his small head, "freak out, is it?"
Ichigo gaped openly at the feline.
"Urahara-san is giving you exactly fifteen seconds to decide. You can either release Orihime-sama, forget this ever happened, and leave. Or you can follow me and we can reach out to you, Kurosaki Ichigo."
Ichigo's eyes flashed and darkened, almost black.
Sure, he did not know what was going on.
Sure, he was holding a mysterious, beautiful woman in his arms, who'd just bestowed power onto him.
Sure, the cat was talking to him—oh, damn the cat is talking.
With that, Ichigo stood, Orihime in his arms, and sighed.
"I guess I don't have much of a choice."
Ichigo could've sworn he saw the cat smirk.
…
…
There was a loud beep, and a head shot up.
"Hmmm~?" Ichimaru Gin glanced up curiously and instantly found the flaring alarm going off above his head. Smiling quirkily, he glanced over at Zommari, who had his hands behind his back, scowling. "Is something wrong?"
"It seems the Hollows have all been dispatched." The dark-skinned man murmured, eyes narrowing dangerously, "That thing, prototype two got away. Our shield has been infiltrated by that damned Kuchiki and they've disabled all our cameras."
Gin stepped behind a worker, watching as he typed something into the space, and a screen popped up, the picture blurred rather strongly. "Would you mind zooming in?" Gin asked quietly when he saw the person move. The worker nodded vehemently, sweat breaking onto his brow as he hurried to move the picture closer. When it was clear enough, Gin leaned forward, taking in the orange hair.
Suddenly, Gin's smile widened until it appeared it would crack his face in two halves.
"Well, if this isn't sweeter than a lollipop~?" The silver-haired hummed lightly, playfully. "Hichigo-san, welcome back." His grin widened, and Zommari slanted him a look when he turned.
"You know him—Huh? Gin-sama. Where are you going?"
Gin tossed a thin hand over his shoulder, waving at the man, "Tellin' Aizen-sama the great news."
…
…
"Ichigo-saaaan~ you're here!" The getaboshi rejoiced as Ichigo opened the door to the roof. From here, Ichigo could see the view of the destroyed city, flames licking at the buildings. The building was very tall, a skyscraper, and Ichigo stepped onto the flat rooftop. The wind wafted hard and Orihime's thick locks of golden-red flew everywhere, lavender in his nose.
"Your coat," Ichigo murmured as the wind grew stronger.
Kisuke blinked, "Eh?"
"Give me your robes. She's cold." After all, his school jacket had been burnt in the fires, and he did not appreciate her being exposed to anyone, especially to this suspicious man. The bucket-hatted man sighed heavily, but continued to smile as he removed his dark, top robes and pushed it out towards Ichigo. Ichigo stepped forward, continuing to glower at the man, and stopped at arm's length. Yanking the cloth from his hands, Ichigo quickly shifted Orihime's weight on one arm, and wrapped the material around her front, keeping her warm. With a soft grunt, he rearranged his grip onto her, and pulled her against his chest tightly. When Urahara's hand reached towards the girl, brushing against an amber strand, Ichigo pulled back, scowling deeply at the man.
Urahara waved his fan playfully at the teenager, "So possessive~"
"Shut the hell up, getaboshi. I want to know what's going on and I want to know right now," Ichigo snapped at him.
"You sure do have a temper," the pale blonde heaved a sigh, "More so than when you were younger."
"I don't know you, idiot!" Ichigo was seriously getting pissed off. The man was dancing around the real objective, and making Ichigo even more tired than he already was. The agitation was starting to build into a headache, and the only thing keeping him from lunging at the strange man and beating the answers out of him was the strange, stunning girl in his arms.
Something flashed in Kisuke's eyes, but it was gone just as quick. Ichigo clenched his jaw as the man lowered his head and sighed heavily, "I guess I cannot help it if your memories were tampered with, Ichigo-san."
Memories?
"Excuse me?" The orange-haired choked, "My memories are completely fine! I remember my entire life exactly how it is and I think I would remember meeting your weird ass sometime after—"
Kisuke raised his head, a small smile on his lips, "But you feel them, don't you?" Ichigo froze, "When you're with us, when you're with…" He glanced down at the unconscious redhead, and sighed, "They come back to you. The more you wish to go on, the more your memories come forth until you are unable to deny them."
"Nothing. Is. Wrong. With. My. Memories." Ichigo seethed, speaking between clenched teeth, his eyes hard. "This night doesn't exist. I did not meet any of you and before I know it, I'll be back in my room, in my bed, with my dumbass father—"
Urahara perked up at this, "Isshin? How is he doing?"
Ichigo literally shook. "Dammit! Shut up!"
"Calm down, Kurosaki Ichigo," Ichigo had almost forgotten the cat was still there, and still speaking. Can't anything be normal tonight?
Urahara, though, smiled again, "Sumimasen. I am overstepping certain boundaries. Your mother did say you were incredibly stubborn," He sighed again and locked eyes with Ichigo, "Fine. If wish for tonight to not be real, I can make it so, Ichigo-san. But do you really want that?" He glanced down at Orihime, a fallen angel, "Do you really want to move on from this?"
In response, Ichigo tightened his arms around the fragile girl, so very small in his arms, and breathing evenly, against the cold ridges of his neck, telling him that she was alive and all was well. She smelled good, so very good, and her warmth brought his own. In his mind, the deepest part of his soul, he felt like he knew her from somewhere, had met her before, had stared into those wide silver eyes before. But if he had, he would've remembered someone like her. Who would forget? But now, as Urahara asked this question, could he really turn his back – after everything that had happened tonight – and continue on with his life?
That, but somehow he wished this were a dream.
"Ichigo-san?" Urahara murmured, keeping his eyes on the teenager.
"Too slow,"
Ichigo's eyes widened. Before he could turn his head, something touched his neck gently, and then edges of his eyesight began to fade. When his arms slipped from underneath the girl, tattooed limbs caught her carefully, and he felt his body sway.
Orihime.
The girl he'd met earlier let go of the sensitive pressure point on his neck, Rukia, and glanced at his staggering body, "Boke, give us a proper answer when you are ready."
Urahara was quiet.
And Ichigo felt himself slip from the earth.
Don't…
—"Open your eyes, Ichigo, and I'll explain as best as I can."—
…
…
"GOOOOOD~!"
Ichigo's eyes snapped open.
"MOOOORNIING~!"
A tic developed on his temple.
"ICHIIIIIII~!"
The door burst open.
"GOOOOO~!"
Just in time, Ichigo dodged out of the way, rolling from his bed, and his father hit the wall roughly, creating a body-print and several spider-web, cracks in the wall. Instantly, Isshin pried himself from the wall and grinned bashfully, bits of paint and drywall in his hair.
"THAT'S IT, ICHIGO! BRACE LIFE WITH YOUR CUNNING BOLDNESS!"
Several veins throbbed on the teenager's face, "What the hell is wrong with you?" He hissed venomously at his father, "DON'T YOU HAVE PATIENTS TO TAKE CARE OF?!" The house literally shook from his raging, but Isshin wasn't the least bit intimidated.
"Nooo~!" The older Kurosaki chirped, "I am here for my children and my children only, Ichigo! I know you have missed me since I've been so very busy lately, and so, I will bestow my presence upon you to help your dying plea for father!"
Ichigo crooked a brow, "Since when have I ever had a dying plea for you?"
"Aren't you going through a tough time right now?" Isshin said lightly, "After all you're a growing boy, and Valentine's Day is almost here, my son!"
Ichigo's eyebrow twitched, "It's November!"
"NEVER TOO LATE!" Isshin thundered, shaking a fist now, "As a Kurosaki, you must find the perfect woman and cherish her for the rest of ETERNITY!" With a bright smile, he turned back to Ichigo, who watched him, stupefied and frustrated, "But right now, you'll have to settle for the single life and live with Daddy-chan!"
RIIIIIP!
Ichigo's eyes widened with horror.
With his rather impressive chest exposed, he grinned widely down at his offspring, "As your father I will give you all the love and support you need! Come, Ichigo! Leap joyously to your father's bosom!"
From below, Karin casually turned in her seat as Yuzu set the table. After their father's stupid demand, there was a giant uproar and the house shook once again that morning.
"W-WHAT THE HE—" Ichigo's hollered protest cut through the house the next second, "GET AWAY FROM ME!" There were a few crashes, muttered curses, and Isshin tumbled down the steps the next second, bruises covering his weeping face.
"Otou-san!" Yuzu cried, rushing towards him.
Karin sighed heavily, already breaking apart her chopsticks as Yuzu fussed, "Ichi-nii's having it rough again," And then proceeded to stuff her face.
…
…
Slam.
Dammit.
Ichigo slowly slid down his door, groaning softly.
Last night was a dream.
Ichigo mashed a hand against his forehead.
Last night was a dream.
Shit.
Last night was a dream…
…right?
No.
The memories were blurry and unclear, but he knew it was right, he knew he'd seen those things, he knew he had heard right, and he knew he wasn't crazy.
Ichigo grumbled a curse, but stayed otherwise quiet in his small room.
And I remember…
Silver eyes.
A bright smile.
Long, russet hair.
"Use me."
Orihime.
He clenched his jaw tightly.
I don't want to forget.
Something ignited inside of him and spread powerfully, and he was standing before he knew it.
I want answers.
…
…
Yuzu perked up when she heard the familiar footsteps making their way down the stairs. When she spied the orange hair, she quickly stood, bowl ready for him.
He passed right by her, to the genkan and slid into his old converses.
"Onii-chan?" She called curiously, watching her older sibling. He was wearing a white long-sleeved loose shirt and a dark jacket over that, along with his green scarf, fitting jeans, and his hair messily thick and bright. "W-Wait, Onii-chan, where are you going?"
Ichigo opened the door and waved casually over his shoulder, "Ja ne."
And the door closed behind him.
…
…
"We should go window-shopping!"
"Why don't we visit the old shrine?"
"Did you do your homework for Math?"
Ichigo stood in the middle of all the chaos, the people walking past him, the children whining, the couples flirting. He tucked his hands in his pockets and peered upwards, staring up at the building. It was a office building, many coming in and out, and he could see the people on computers in the windows, the chatter and human life.
His eyes narrowed.
Just last night, he'd watched a hollow being thrown through that building. Now, it just appeared as it did any other times. As if it'd never happened. Scowling now, he glanced at the street, where the cars honked and the lights changed. There, he could've sworn he watched Yoruichi – or whatever the hell her name was – slam a hollow into the ground, killing the monster instantly.
When he felt something in his pocket, he frowned curiously. Yanking out his hand, his eyes widened a fraction when they came across the bright sphere.
Last night wasn't a dream.
As he stared down at the Hogyoku, a goofy smile lit up his face. He wasn't crazy – even though he had no idea how the ball had gotten into his pocket – and if he wasn't crazy, that meant what happened last night was completely, otherworldly real.
His smirk widened, eyes softening.
And that meant Orihime was completely, otherworldly, beautifully, entirely real.
As Ichigo was mulling this over, flabbergasted, someone knocked their shoulder into his. Ichigo blinked several times, and then glanced over.
"Hello~!"
"…Eh?"
"I'm so very sorry. Did I hurt you?"
"EH?!"
Standing in front of him was a very familiar woman with long purple hair tied up in a neat bun, dark skin, slender, golden eyes that shined with obvious bogus sincerity and brightness. She was smiling at him openly, but he could see the hint of her seductive, sly charms underneath it all. Dressed in a nice, dark suit and high heels, she appeared stunning, ready for work, and to take Ichigo completely off guard.
His mouth opened before he could stop it, "Y-Yoruichi-san, you—"
Her slender hand clamped onto his mouth, and Yoruichi's thin eyebrow twitched. But she continued to laugh and smile prettily, "Yoruichi? What has gotten in your head, dear boy? Did I bump you too hard?" She glanced over her shoulder, and Ichigo looked too in order to see the police officer standing just a few feet away, peering at them curiously, something in his eyes from the name.
When she looked back at him, giving him a sharp glare, he decided to stay quiet as Yoruichi continued her act.
"Why don't I take you to the hospital, ne~? I'm sure you shouldn't be walking around when you're mistaking people." She released his mouth and took a rough hold of his left arm. He tucked the Hogyoku in his pocket the next second. She jerked him from the crowded sidewalk, and continued to walk. When her pace picked up, Ichigo hurried to follow, almost wincing when he felt his arm pulled to its limit.
She tugged him around a corner, in a dirty alley, slapped her hand over his mouth again, and looked out to the sidewalk. Just then, the same burley police officer jogged past them, obviously searching for the two. Yoruichi smirked cunningly when he went in the opposite direction and released Ichigo.
He frowned, "What the hell was that? Was he chasing after us? Why're you wearing that and—W-What the—! Wait! What the fuck are you doing?!"
Yoruichi peered over her shoulder curiously, blinking at the orange-haired. Her dark jacket had slipped off and she was currently unbuttoning the clasps of her white blouse. Ichigo felt the overbearing blush rise to his cheeks, and he hurried to place his hands over his eyes.
"Have some decency, would you?! This is public, you know!"
"Hichigo," a sliver of amusement was in her voice, "No need to worry. After all, I came prepared." Hesitantly, he pried his fingers from his face, and his frown deepened when he saw the sleeveless black top and constricting tights. The costume she had on earlier was pooled around her bare feet, and she quickly let loose her hair, the violet tresses falling elegantly down her back. Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned towards him,
"Well?"
Ichigo glowered down at her.
"What?"
"Aren't you wondering why I'm here?" She asked, frowning now.
He glanced away, "Not really."
Heaving a sigh, Yoruichi's frown deepened, "Look, I didn't have to come and get you, Hichigo. I was just trying to be kind since you are Masaki's son after all. We were good friends; your mother and I. I intend to take good care of her son."
Ichigo continued to glare at her, "My name's not Hichigo. It's Ichigo. I-chi-go!" He pronounced slowly.
She sharpened her stare, "Whatever you want to call yourself, it doesn't matter to me. I came to take you to Kisuke."
Ichigo crooked a brow, "You mean that getaboshi?"
A smirk played around her lips, "He really does like it when you call him that, you know." She stared up at him, golden eyes twinkling, "Now," she gathered up her clothes rather quickly, "Are you coming or not?"
Ichigo's eyes tightened, "Will you give me the answers I'm searching for?"
Her smirk widened, "Even more."
—"I wish I could tell you how it works, Hichigo."—
…
…
"Are you serious?"
"Very much so."
Ichigo stared at the hole in the ground, as wide as a tire and appeared as deep as a black hole. Sweat dripped down from his temple to his jaw. Scowling deeply, he leaned forward a bit, hoping to find an end to the hole below his feet.
Glancing back at the purple-haired woman, he grumbled, "You can't be serious."
She rolled her golden eyes, "Hichigo, if you don't go, I'll shove you in."
"Dammit! My name isn't Hichi—" His words choked up when his feet touched nothing. Before he knew it, he was spiraling downwards. He shouted out in shock as his stomach flipped and his lights whirled in front of him. He could vaguely hear Yoruichi giggling joyfully a few feet away, but he paid it no mind when the tunnel he landed in began to twirl around and around, much like a slide or rollercoaster. His heart dropped and then jumped in his throat when it went completely dark, and then he slid out, completely spent.
He landed face-first on his face, and groaned loudly. His stomach churned. He felt something land on his back roughly, Yoruichi, and she stood the next second, stretching with a big smirk, "I always love that thing."
She stepped forward, on his spine, and then the back of his head, giggling all the while as Ichigo gave grumbled protests. Rising his head, he found that he was in a room, as big as his own, and there were no windows, but steel walls and floors. The only route of escape would be the whirly-thing behind him – which he did not want – and the strange, iron, hexagon shaped door in front of them.
Yoruichi slipped open a pad on the wall and pressed her hand against the emerald green sensor.
"Handprint accepted. Welcome, Yoruichi Shihōin."
Ichigo blinked, "…Huh?"
The doors slid open.
Gaping, Ichigo stood, as everything flooded in front of him, people he didn't know, people he didn't want to know, machines that appeared they were from the exploding future, technology that floated in mid-air and glowed brighter than the sun, and through that he saw the getaboshi speaking loudly to a group of people, a few he could recognize – Rukia, Renji, Momo…
And through them, he could see long, amber hair falling down a slender back. When the doors slid open, the girl turned and the silver eyes found his.
His lips parted.
Yoruichi smirked once more, "Welcome home, Hichigo."
…
…
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others. I've been working hard on finishing my stories a little more quickly. I'm so happy I could get the chapter out today before I head out of town for the weekend to check out colleges. It is finally time for the truth behind most things with Ichigo and his memories, though I won't reveal everything. I'm not that lenient.
Thanks for reading, and please leave a review. They make me smile.
-Star