Chapter 2
Sunday evening was spent with his friend Shinji, the pair sitting silently round the chess board. Ichigo didn't realise he was sighing as much but eventually Shinji got sick of it and responded with a loud huff of his own. That snapped Ichigo out of his funk, his usual scowl in place as he met his friend's eyes.
"What?" Ichigo didn't normally snap, he was usually so congenial that his rough response to Shinji's huff made the blond's eyebrows shoot up and his back straighten.
"Oh nothing, absolutely nothing." Shinji rolled his eyes before twiddling his bishop with his middle finger. "Or at least nothing I'd ask a grouch anyway."
Ichigo's breath came out in a rush and he turned his attention to the game again, reaching out and moving a pawn one space forward.
"Ok, maybe I will ask as you've never put your queen in danger before so you're clearly distracted. What's up?"
"Nothing." Ichigo glanced at his friend quickly and huffed when he saw Shinji's clearly disbelieving look. "I had an argument with my father that's all. He's disappointed in me."
Shinji snorted before moving a piece to take Ichigo's queen. "That's a first. Thought you were the perfect child who could do no wrong. So, what did you break?" Shinji waited for a response but none came. "Ok, did you buy something too expensive? Erm, did you say something you shouldn't have?"
"I asked to go outside."
Shinji frowned instantly, turning to the game in front of him for a second. "But you know you can't right? You could die, you've always known that. Your condition, what the hell were you thinking? Have you idea how embarrassing it is to get my temperature taken before I come and see you in case I kill you myself?"
Ichigo didn't reply, knowing the story Shinji had been told as a child. Ichigo had never been sick a day in his life as far as he knew but his father had concocted an illness that kept his son locked away from the world for his own good. It meant no awkward questions or invitations from the friends Sousuke did allow round.
"Yeah I know but I just wanted to do something for my birthday next week. It was stupid I know that."
"You don't know how lucky you are to be able to stay here all the time. My father is trying to get me to join his practice as a junior solicitor but tch, boring." Shinji wasn't stupid, he'd aced all of his classes but had zero interest in using his brains the way his father wanted him too. It was a foreign concept to Ichigo, the idea that he could say no to his father. "Where did you want to go anyway?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Do you want me to come round? I could smuggle in some booze, always wanted to see you drunk. Or would that kill you?"
Ichigo snorted, shaking his head before knocking his king over, the game unwinnable. "No, I don't think it would kill me, I've had plenty of glasses of wine with dinner. Father wanted to invite Orihime Inoue round for a birthday tea but I think he'll still be too annoyed with me to do it."
Shinji visibly shuddered. "When I finally open my own design house I will be sending the fashion police round to her to arrest her for crimes against decency. Serious, how long before you're married to her?"
Ichigo chuckled and shook his head. "Never if I have anything to say about it. Clothing choices aside she's a nice girl but we have nothing in common. She doesn't even like music, can't read sheet music and doesn't understand the greats at all. We'd be strangers in the same house. And I'd have to put the musical instruments into the gym to give her a room." Ichigo shook his head, not noticing Shinji's incredulous look at his naivety. "What if she wanted two rooms as well? One to sleep in and one to, I don't know, sew? Paint? What if we had to share the room? I'd never be able to escape her except in bed at night!"
Shinji laughed out loud, shaking his head at the poor innocent boy. Shinji had noticed Ichigo's complete lack of social knowledge. He'd no idea about popular culture, most modern technologies and seemed to be completely asexual. Shinji had been taught for years to not bring up things like the internet, mobile phones, mature content or anything like that. Ichigo didn't even own modern music or a television and had been kept pure and unsullied. Shinji had been dying to ask the boy if he'd ever had an erection but was too scared that their time might be monitored.
"I'm sure you'd survive if it ever did happen but we'll hope for another future." A knock at the front door drew their attention and signalled Shinji's time being up. "Look I'll keep Friday night clear and I'll be round with beer. You'll not like it but you'll drink it anyway." Shinji headed to the door, going to pick his jacket up but was stopped by a firm hand on the sleeve.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Ichigo whispered the request, leaning forward which made Shinji mirror him. Ichigo hesitated when their faces were close, nibbling on his lower lip for a second. "I asked my father if he would take me to see the sky burn, but he said it was too dangerous."
"Ichigo, you know I'd love to indulge you in a bit of reality but he's right, it's too dangerous for you."
"No, I'm not asking you to take me. I usually sneak up onto the roof to watch it on my birthday and if you're coming round I was wondering if you would come with me?"
Shinji's eyes went wide, surprised at the other's admission. Ichigo had never gone against his strict lifestyle in all the years the boys had known each other. "I'd love to."
Ichigo straightened with a proper smile on his face. Another knock sounded at the door again, this one a bit more forceful. Shinji slung his jacket on quickly, heading to the door and slipping his shoes on before sending a quick smile Ichigo's way. "See you Friday."
Ichigo let out a breath as the door closed after his friend, glad he'd opened up to the blond. He's always felt comfortable around him, a little guilt at hiding his true condition but there had never been a reason to tell him the truth.
iiiiiii
The next few days flew by; his routines were so familiar to him that he could just coast along. He still performed well in his lessons and maintained his harsh training schedules but he knew his heart wasn't in it fully. His midweek evening with his father was stilted and short, their private session with Ichigo's ability the only thing he came for. Ichigo knelt on the floor below his father, one hand entwined with his father's on the knife as it sliced through his side. His scream was loud and his head flew back with the pain from the vicious thrust but he felt his body react the way it always did. His father did not flinch from his demon eyes and the cold stare he returned to his son showed he was still upset. The overly harsh cut spoke for itself as well.
Ichigo fell to the side when his father released him, gasping as his hands pressed against the now healed wound in his side. His ability worked on him as well, healing whatever had released it but left him with a scar that reflected how the wound was inflicted. That one was wide and sensitive, still pink and angry and he grit his teeth to combat the residual pain from it. His whole body ached after a session to reverse his father's condition, the older man not wanting to show any trace of his advancing years. It was something Ichigo couldn't heal but he could help. Sousuke Aizen had been fifty seven when Ichigo was born but now that Ichigo was eighteen, he looked in his late thirties from using his son's body to keep himself young. Ichigo knew it was a small thing and since it was well within his capabilities he would be a selfish son to not help. But the larger the wound or the more damage he had to reverse meant the bigger the wound being inflicted and the more pain Ichigo had to deal with afterwards.
Thursday was a dreary day, making Ichigo hope for a break in the weather for the next day but the day passed like many others, his trainer leaving after lunch as usual. Ichigo was in the gym later after lunch when he heard a crash outside, the boy running over to the window in time to see a pair of legs landing on the metal grate right outside. Ichigo let out a cry which drew the stranger's attention, Ichigo stepping back and holding one hand over his mouth. The face that looked back on him was as young as his own, paler skin though and bright blue eyes dominating Ichigo's view. He did notice the brilliant blue hair topping the boy at his window but the crooked grin made him blush and the wink that followed made blood run elsewhere. Ichigo blinked and the boy disappeared, Ichigo running to the window to find him when another pair of legs hit down in front of him. The other body took off down the stairs, Ichigo now out and perching his bottom on the window frame to track the two's progress down his ladders. They stopped at the bottom, Ichigo wondering how they would get down, the steps stopped far above the street but the blue haired one just bent down and released a ladder from under the last platform, the two males hopping down before taking off across the main road.
Ichigo's breath was coming hard as he realised how close he'd been to a way out all along, a way that meant he could come and go as much as he wanted.
Ichigo tore out of the gym, heading for his bedroom before he stripped out of his gym gear, dressing in his grey suit and putting his good watch on. If he was going outside for the first time, he'd be dressed properly. His father and all of their guests always wore a suit so Ichigo knew that was how he should be dressed. He propped his foot up on the gym window ledge to tie his shiny black shoes before checking his watch against the clock in the gym. He had no visitors coming round until his trainer the next morning so as long as he was back for then no one would know he was ever away.
He climbed out on to the metal grating, glancing up to the small climb he normally did easily before looking down at the long drop to the ground. He didn't rush, didn't want to have any stupid accidents so it took a while for him to reach the last ladder. He hesitated at the top of it, glancing around but didn't see anyone around so he turned and climbed down, his foot hitting the concrete before jumping back up. It took a couple of calming breaths for Ichigo to relax his grip and step off the ladder.
Ichigo stepped out of the alley and looked around at all the buildings he'd looked down on for seventeen years. The number of details he'd missed was astounding and he walked with his mouth stupidly open as he soaked them in; the colours were so different than he'd seen from his windows, shades hidden by the distance. He'd not known that the road and the pavement were different shades of grey, the path under his feet flecked with red and white chips that had been pressed into the concrete. The main pavements were slabbed and there were random whiteish blobs on it, something he wasn't sure of having never experienced chewing gum. He studied people's faces as they passed him, seeing all the variations he'd never knew existed as well as all the different clothes he'd never experienced. A number of people had flat boxes against their ears that he didn't understand and he was freaked out a bit by the bicycles that passed him, jumping back at the sheer speed.
He walked across the road with a small crowd of people, stopping at the corner and looking back at his home, glancing up and making out his windows high above him. He stood and memorised all the surroundings to help him find his way home again and decided to count his steps away from his street so he could count back. Hansel and Gretel clearly had the right idea. A large dirty lorry passed him closely and he jumped back, frowning at the men who jumped off the back and pushed large metal receptacles up to the back before a mechanism lifted them, tilting them before lowering them again. Ichigo was fascinated by it, stopping and watching the men put the metal bins back before the vehicle moved again, more bins being pulled from an alley and emptied before it moved on, turning onto Ichigo's street.
Ichigo shook his head as he smiled, filing that experience away with the rest. Even the smell he tried to keep a hold of, regardless that it was unpleasant. What he didn't realise was that the refuse truck was due to empty the trash in the alley he'd come down in, and one of the jobs of the cities workers was to check the fire escapes, sending in teams to fix them or even just closing the path to the houses if it was found to be open. Ichigo was watching a group of children walking across the road, giggling and shoving each other slightly which drew a soft motion from the lead adult and was too far to hear the ladder clatter back up and when he crossed the road after the children, he headed into the park with only the thought of building up as many memories as he could, in case he didn't have the courage to come out again.
Next part: Cue Grimmjow busking in the park!
