A/N: Here's chapter 2, lovelies. I'm going to respond to reviews here, 'cause it makes me feel cool. And all sorts of cool people do it.
Disclaimer: All characters and property belong to Tite Kubo and Viz Media. Slipped Away belongs to Avril Lavigne and RCA/JIVE music group.
Nypsy: Okay yes, I know there are all sorts of rules and stuff for that. But it's part of the story. Just wait, everything will become clear.
Firework's Feelings: I know, I know. (joins in sniffing) I knew it was part of the storyline, but I almost wimped out. (shaky smile)
Okay, here we go.
I hope you can hear me, 'cause I remember it clearly: the day you slipped away, was the day I found it won't be the same. I've had my wake up – wont' you wake up? I keep asking why. And I can't take it, it wasn't fake. It happened, you passed by…I miss you.
She wakes.
Where she is, is unclear to her. She looks up. Above her is a blue sky. Clouds move slowly across it. It's partially blocked by tall buildings. A small cat leaps around by her feet.
She sits up slowly, flexing her hands. A blue scribble is written on her palm: IK WAS HERE. Who is IK? she wonders. Is IK me?
Who am I?
For the first time, she feels a small stab of panic. She searches her brain. Comes up empty-handed. What is her name? She cannot remember. How old? How did she get here?
She stands.
Walking, at least, she remembers. One foot in front of the other. She makes it to the end of the alley before she starts feeling a little bit dizzy. She rests her hand on the wall, and then looks out in front of her.
She's in some sort of village. There are a few people who are wearing these loose black jumpsuit things that could be mistaken for dresses. All of these people are carrying swords of some kind. Others are wearing shorter tunics, or rags. She looks down at her own clothes: a boxy T-shirt, sweatpants, thin-fitting shoes. She pulls out her T-shirt, reading the label upside down. It reads KARAKURA HIGH SCHOOL. What is Karakura? she wonders. Is it a mascot? Is it a person? Maybe it's a town. But a town where? What country?
She scratches the back of her neck. A few pieces of hair come away with her fingers. She looks at the strands, then pulls some of her hair in front of her face. It's auburn. Long, too. Almost to her waist. She decides to find a mirror so she can see what the rest of her face looks like.
"Hello?"
She jumps at the voice. Looking around her, she sees a girl, a few years younger than her own age (whatever that is), and about two feet shorter. The girl has short hair with beads in it, and it's red. Blood red. She has square - framed glasses and a small, turned up nose. She's outfitted in a purple tunic tied with a saffron sash, and her feet are bare and dirty.
"What's your name?" asks the girl. "I'm Kaori."
She shrugs. "I don't know. I don't remember."
"Huh?" asks Kaori. "What do you mean, you don't remember?" Kaori gets a little bit closer. "How can you not remember?"
She backs up a little, away from Kaori. "I just…don't. I woke up here in this alley. I don't remember anything before that."
Kaori draws up short. "Huh? What do you mean? What about the konso, do you remember that?"
She knits her eyebrows. "Konso? What's that?"
Kaori relaxes a little bit. "Oh, I guess you were just a normal human. Still, though, it's weird that the Shinigami wouldn't have told you what was happening…you know," Kaori adds, seeing her confused look. "The Shinigami is the one in the black robes like the ones walking around here, the one who stuck the hilt of their sword through your head."
She shakes her head, confused. "I don't remember anything like that happening."
"What?" snaps Kaori. "How did you die, anyway?"
She is shocked, and now the panic is back. "I'm dead?" she squeaks. "That…"
"Yes, you're dead. You're in the Soul Society, aren't you?"
She looks around. "Well, I wouldn't know anything about that. I don't even remember how I…died. The last thing I remember is…" She swallows. "Waking up. Before that…"
"So you don't remember anything," muses Kaori. "Well, we need to name you, first of all. I mean, you can't go walking around without one. How about…Sadako?"
"Okay," says Sadako. Nothing stirs within her at the name. Is thiswhat her name was in life? Sadako? She cannot remember.
"And you should come and stay with me," Kaori says. "Just until you get your memory back." She tugs on Sadako's hand, her beads shaking. Sadako is not sure when this will happen, if ever.
"Um…" Sadako says, slowly following Kaori as she drags her along. "Um…I don't really know if…"
"Oh, it's fine," Kaori says. "I live with my mom and my brother. We're not really related. We just all died around the same time, and so…" She leans in. "But don't bring that up," she whispers into Sadako's ear. "Mom likes to pretend that me and Ronin are really her kids, so we play along."
Feeling overwhelmed, Sadako decides to just do what this girl wants. For the time being. And who knows? Maybe she will get her memory back. It could happen.
Kaori tugs Sadako through the confusing walls in the Soul Society. Sadako searches in her mind for anything…anything at all. But she can't recall a thing.
There's nothing.
Nothing at all.
**!**
"URAHARA! CUSTOMER FOR YOU!" Renji shouted from the back room, leaning on his broom. From the front room, he heard Jinta shout.
"It's not a customer!"
Too late. Urahara already emerged from the underground training room. "How can I help you?" he called, snapping out his fan and striding cheerfully to the front room. Hearing Ururu's "Oh, no," Renji dropped his broom and ran after him.
He stopped short. It was Ichigo. But it sure didn't look like the Ichigo he knew. This Ichigo was wearing his school uniform, the top half of which was bloody and gory. His eyes were rimmed with red. And cradled in his arms was Orihime Inoue.
"Oh," Urahara murmured, the smirk wiped from his face. "Oh, dear."
Ichigo didn't say anything. Renji was frozen in the doorway, his hand clenched so hard around the sliding door that it snapped. Ichigo didn't even blink at the noise. His eyes seemed to be frozen open, wide and staring. The whites were pink and bloodshot.
"What's wrong?" called Rukia's voice. No one answered. She came pounding into the room, pulling up short when she saw Ichigo. Renji could almost see the wheels turning in her brain.
"O-Orihime?" she whispered weakly.
Ichigo's head fell forward and he dropped to his knees. It was completely silent in the room. Renji swayed a bit on his feet, and his fingers found Rukia's shoulder and squeezed tightly. Rukia swayed with him, her fingers clutching over his. "Orihime?" she repeated again, dully. "O…ri…hi…me…?"
Liquid diamond splashed onto Orihime's cheek. Ichigo was crying? Ichigo Kurosaki was crying? Somehow, those words didn't fit together. Renji stumbled backward as Rukia hit the floor, her body sagging.
"Okay. Okay. Everyone calm down," Urahara said. He leaned forward and slid his arms under Orihime's back. Ichigo's finger's tightened their hold. Urahara tugged again.
"Let go of her," Urahara said.
"No."
It was whispered, barely heard. But then Ichigo came alive. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" he shouted, standing. His body twisted and his eyes burned. "GET AWAY FROM ORIHIME!"
"Tessai!" Urahara yelled. The big man lumbered up behind Ichigo and chopped the back of his neck with the side of his hand. Ichigo croaked and gurgled and fell to the floor, Orihime rolling limply from his arms. A trail of blood smeared the floor that Renji had carefully swept a few minutes earlier. Orihime's hair covered her face.
Kisuke picked her up, closing her eyes with his finger.
"Where are her hairpins?" came Ururu's voice.
Everyone's gaze shot to her head. The blue hairpins were gone.
"We'll ask Ichigo when he wakes up," Urahara said gently. "Renji, please take care of him. Tessai, accompany me to the back room, if you please. Jinta, please prepare beds for Ichigo and Miss Rukia. Ururu, please contact misters Uryū and Sado. Now." Kisuke padded out of the room, Tessai following him. Renji scooped up Ichigo, slinging him over his shoulders. He went through the mess he'd made of the door and into the back room.
Laying Ichigo down on the table, he unbuttoned his bloody shirt and tossed it aside. Grabbing his "Red Pineapple" shirt, he sponged off Ichigo's chest and slipped the t-shirt on. Then he carried him to the bed Jinta had made up for him and put him in.
"Sweet dreams, Kurosaki," he muttered, then went back for Rukia, sliding her in next to Ichigo. No sooner had he pulled the covers up over her than she opened her eyes, sitting up slowly.
"Renji?" she said, her tongue slowly forming the word. Her large eyes met Renji's small ones. They filled with tears.
"I'm sorry," he grated out, his throat feeling like gravel. He held out his arms, and Rukia fell into them, her back convulsing with tears.
We're trained never to cry. Crying shows only weakness. But he had to admit, Rukia should be allowed to cry at a time like this. He patted her back awkwardly, aware of wetness spreading over his chest where Rukia's face was resting. He pulled her into his lap and put his arms around her, holding her as her body spasmed with grief.
The door slid open, revealing the Quincy. "What's going on?" he barked. Chad flanked him.
Renji met their eyes. "There was an accident," he said slowly, his tongue swollen. "Orihime… Orihime didn't…" He swallowed. "She didn't make it."
Both Chad and Uryū's eyes widened. Chad's hand tightened on the door, and the thin wood snapped. Another door down.
"That wasn't your idea of a joke, was it?" Uryū gasped.
"I wish it was," Renji murmured. Rukia gave a shuddering gasp in his arms. Chad's Adam's Apple went up and down violently as he swallowed hard.
"When?" he asked, in that endearing way of his. That is, with the bare minimum leaving his mouth.
"I don't know," Renji said. "Ichigo turned up about seven minutes ago. That's all I know." He rested his head on top of Rukia's closing his eyes. "We'll have to see if we can't find out some more from Ichigo when he wakes up."
**!**
"Lieutenant Matsumoto! Captain Hitsugaya! There is an urgent message here from Urahara Kisuke in the World of the Living!"
Rangiku turned her head carelessly. "Oh, what is it now?" she drawled. Tôshirô sighed and put down his pen. He was swamped in paperwork, as usual.
"It's top priority!" the messenger urged. "Here." He gave Rangiku a piece of rolled up paper and vanished.
"Hm. What could this be?" Rangiku mused. She unrolled the paper and stared at the four words printed in big black letters. "Oh no. Oh, my goodness!" She clutched at her chest, the paper shaking in her hand. "What? This can't be!"
"What is it, Matsumoto?" Tôshirô asked her.
Her hands shaking, she gave her captain the paper. Her wide blue eyes were filling rapidly, and her lower lip was trembling. Alarmed, Tôshirô looked down at the page.
ORIHIME INOUE IS DEAD.
**!**
Groaning, Ichigo sat up. He looked around.
"Zangetsu?"
It was the first time he'd woken in his inner world without being met by either Zangetsu or his Hollow. But now he didn't see anyone.
It was also the first time that it had been raining in his inner world while he was there. The rain fell in sheets, plastering his hair to his head. His eyelashes made triangles in front of his face, and his uniform stuck to his body. He stood slowly.
"Hello?" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Zangetsu? ZANGETSU?"
He looked around. Something moved down at the end of the building. He ran toward it, his socks slipping on the slick surface of the building. Where are my sandals? he wondered. He tripped and slid the rest of the way down the building, stopping at a pair of black socks outfitted with white sandals. He looked up.
"Hello, Ichigo," his Hollow said gloomily.
Another first: Ichigo couldn't recall his Hollow being anything but elated to see him. He knit his eyebrows at his alter ego. "What's your problem?" he asked.
The Hollow raised his eyebrows at Ichigo. "What do you mean, what's your problem? Can't you see? It's raining." He gestured around.
"Yeah, I've noticed." Ichigo got up. His Hollow's yellow eyes followed the movement. He sighed and shivered.
"I hate the rain," said the Hollow. "Both me and Zangetsu hate the rain. It's so cold. Dismal."
"Orihime…always loved the rain…" Ichigo murmured. His face tightened. "Where is Zangetsu, anyway?"
"Sulking, I imagine," said the Hollow, shaking his head. Water flew from his spiky hair. "He always did like that woman of yours."
"Huh?" Ichigo said, confused.
"You know." The Hollow looked angry. "I mean the one that you let die."
Ichigo attacked almost before the Hollow could do anything, but he brought up the white Zangetsu in time. He knocked Ichigo's blade away and sighed, sitting down on the rain-soaked surface.
"The worst part is…" he murmured. "Once it stops raining, it takes forever for this thing to dry." He poked at his clothes. "I have to sit around in wet underwear for days."
Unbidden, an image of his Hollow sitting around in his underwear rose in Ichigo's mind. He gagged and forced it down.
"I don't have time for this," Ichigo said angrily. "I need to get back." He sheathed Zangetsu and disappeared.
"See ya around, Ichigo," the Hollow said gloomily, as the real Zangetsu appeared before him.
"…Sorry," the Hollow apologized.
Zangetsu looked off into the distance, his glasses splattered with raindrops. Far away, thunder rumbled. "You made him mad," Zangetsu murmured.
"It's a particular specialty of mine," murmured the Hollow. He picked at his sandals. "How could we have let her die?" he groaned.
"I don't know," murmured Zangetsu. "Let the kingdom grieve…Our queen is dead."
R&R?