Sorry for the long wait! But here it is! The last chapter!

Chapter 22

Renji was running to his fallen friend before Shiro even hit the ground. He slid down on his knees, not even noticing the cement and gravel tear into his pants; his only concern was Ichigo. There was blood everywhere. Without conscious thought, the redhead whipped off his shirt to hold against his friend's neck. He felt hot tears in his eyes watching the bright red liquid spread through the clothing. Renji's head snapped up when Byakuya kneeled next to him. "The ambulance is on its way." He nodded; he hadn't even noticed the man on his phone. Through tear-blurred eyes, he saw his lover place his hands on the bleeding neck wound. From a dim memory of high school biology, Renji realized the carotid artery must have been cut. The normally cheerful redhead choked back a despaired sob. His best friend was dying. Dying.

In the distance a faint echo of sirens could be heard; Renji prayed they would get here soon. With some renewed hope he pressed harder on the wound. The figure below him gave a grimace of pain. Both men watched anxiously as leaden brown eyes opened. "Ichigo?" Renji's voice cracked. Those once bright chocolate eyes turned toward him sluggishly.

"Renji." Ichigo breathed. His voice was so faint they had to strain to hear him. "Tell-" The orangette was wracked by a horrible cough. Renji felt panic rising in him again. This couldn't happen. The ambulance would be here soon. All Ichigo needed to do was hold on.

"Don't. Don't talk." Renji pleaded. Those brown eyes turned to him again. While still glassy and dull, they held that determination that was so characteristically Ichigo.

"Tell Toshiro I'm sorry. That he got involved." Ichigo coughed again. This time Renji could feel the blood seeping onto his hands. He felt it dripping onto the cold ground. When Ichigo got his breath back he paused. Then, as if it took all his energy, Ichigo placed his hand over Renji's. He waited until Renji met his eyes. Then he spoke. "Tell Toshiro I love him." For a brief second the tanned hand gripped his own blood-coated ones, before falling lifelessly to the ground. Renji watched those brown eyes fade completely.

"ICHIGO!"

The next few moments were a shock-filled blur to Byakuya. His heart had screamed in protest when he watched that hand fall. Paramedics he had not heard approach, ripped both himself and Renji away from Ichigo. He watched them shout medical jargon at each other as he held his sobbing lover to his chest. As Ichigo was loaded into the ambulance Byakuya was blank. Eventually reality wormed its way into Byakuya's broken mind. He had enough clarity to realize they needed to follow the ambulance to the hospital. No one even realized the dead body near by vanished.

When Rangiku saw the two men arrive with bloody hands and tear-filled eyes her world turned bleak. It was as if the hope she always carried with her bled out too. She felt the tears rise but they refused to fall. All she felt was despair. It was so strong that it actually stopped the tears from dropping. Rangiku fell back into her white chair next to Toshiro's hospital bed. She turned heartbroken eyes to teal ones. They easily read her despair.

To Toshiro it felt as if his world crumbled. It was as if everything he had or thought he had was gone. Everything he had hoped for or desired evaporated when he saw the blood. His eyes burned from the need to cry but he had no more tears left. He had cried so much over his mistakes and the what ifs that now, he had nothing left to shed for the loss of his future. For both his and Ichigo's.

Warm brown eyes opened to a bright blue sky. As Ichigo gradually came to he realized he was lying on the ground. He felt the leafy blades of grass against his arms and neck. Slowly turning his head, he took in the large expanse of green that continued to the horizon. There, the striking green met the vivid blue. Even though the colors seemed exceptionally bright, they were comforting, almost welcoming.

"Ichigo." The soft, child voice made Ichigo freeze. He sat up and there, to his right he saw a young girl. The last time he had seen her was five years ago. Then, she had been covered head to toe in bandages.

"Yuzu." He breathed. Yuzu turned her bright coffee eyes to him and smiled.

"Hello big brother." Ichigo just watched her. He couldn't believe he was seeing one of the little sisters he had missed so much.

"I did my best to keep my promise Yuzu." Ichigo told her. Yuzu's bright smile turned wistful.

"I know you did Ichi." She reached out a small hand and laid it against his cheek. "We're all so proud of you." Upon hearing his deceased family was proud of him, Ichigo felt his guilt skyrocket."

"I should have saved you. I should've saved you, Karin and Dad." He cried, tears sliding down onto the hand pressed against his cheek.

"Ichigo. You have to stop feeling guilty. The past is the past." Ichigo looked down, unable to take the soft spoken words. But the hand forced him right back up. "We're all okay Ichigo. We're happy."

"How can you be happy?! It's my fault you all died!" He shouted, breaking away from his sister to pace away. Yuzu just watched him sadly.

"We just are Ichigo. It was unfair and cruel how we died, but it wasn't your fault. It never has been. And we never blamed you. That's why I wanted your promise then. I wanted you to have your own happiness." Yuzu stood. As she did, two other people appeared next to her as well. To her right was Karin, with her dark hair and eyes; she nodded at him with a slight smile on her face. The other was their father. He gazed at his son with pride filled eyes. "We all do." Ichigo felt tears spill from his eyes at seeing his family. He wanted to go to them so badly. "You have to make a choice Ichi. Just know whatever you choose, we love you." The three people faded as if they had never been. They were gone before Ichigo could ask what they meant.

Toshiro sat holding his love's hand. Thankfully, the orangette had survived the surgery. It had been close though. He had flat lined in the ambulance and almost bled out before he could be stitched up. That had been hours ago. Hours since the doctors said Ichigo should have woken. But still, Ichigo lie there peacefully and Toshiro feared he never would.

So Toshiro sat there, holding that limp hand. He talked occasionally, when the silence grew too heavy to bear. He had apologized numerous times for the things he said, and the things he had never said. Toshiro regretted not saying his true feelings before. But he didn't know how to tell an unconscious man. Instead, held on to that hand as if it was his lifeline and begged Ichigo to come back. "Ichigo. Please. I want- I need you with me." Toshiro thought he might have imagined it but he thought he felt the hand twitch. So he kept talking. "Ichigo, please come back to me." Toshiro felt disheartened when the hand hadn't moved. Until he looked up.

Ichigo's eyes fluttered. Toshiro watched, barely breathing, as lids opened to reveal tired, but warm chocolate eyes. Ichigo gave him a small smile. "Hey Toshiro." He said a little raspy. "I heard you calling me."

Toshiro felt tears coming to his eyes once again. Only this time, they were from happiness. He couldn't stop himself from launching at the orangette. Toshiro buried himself in the uninjured side of the man's neck. He felt Ichigo wrap his arms around him and smiled. Toshiro pulled away long enough to mumble, "I love you," before digging back into the neck again.

Ichigo gave a light chuckle. "I love you too, Toshiro."

Now just the epilogue!
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