The Sun and the Moon

Chapter 2

Footsteps.

He heard footsteps outside his cell. He could not be mistaken. The nights up in the Shrine of Penitence were so dead silent that he could not fail to detect the rhythmic sound of footsteps getting louder as the person making them approached nearer.

Rukia?

No, it couldn't be her. Ichigo chided himself for even giving himself such hopes. How could he even hope to see her again? As much as his heart desired it, he was not completely sure if he was ready to face his own demons.

Suddenly, the sounds he heard just a moment ago stopped. Had he been imagining them? Perhaps he had. Sometimes he would pass out from hunger, and he would dream of days long gone, confusing them with reality. The scenes from the past tucked away in the recesses of his mind would unravel once again, like an old black-and-white roll of film, carrying with them the carefree emotions he enjoyed back then in those moments. He remembered the way the dim streetlamps casted their shadows on the midnight asphalt, her strong convicted voice as she rambled on and on something along the lines of "towakke" and "be more careful next time", the sound of silence as the night stretched in the space between his bed and his closet door. Strangely, his most vivid recollections were not their time together in battle at Hueco Mundo, but instead those little moments when his world simply consisted of him and Rukia in his hometown Karakura – school in the afternoon, shinigami business in the evening. But most of all, he often recalled the look in her eyes in those times when she regarded him directly, her violet eyes reassuring him her complete faith and trust. It always made him feel like he could do anything he desired in the world.

He could hear the footsteps again. It was getting louder now, and Ichigo could not recognize the reiatsu of whoever it was approaching. The cell had been designed to block reiatsu to prevent the prisoner within from any attempts to break free. Furthermore, hunger and thirst over the few days in detention had drained him of the energy to even try and decipher the identity of his unexpected visitor. Finally, the footsteps ceased. Ichigo stared at the big heavy metal door through half-lidded eyes. He barely even had enough strength to remain conscious. Even without sensing reiatsu, he knew that his visitor stood on the other side of that door.

There was a muffled exchange of conversation, and then silence. For a moment, Ichigo thought whoever it was probably was not a visitor after all. Perhaps Soul Society was just checking on him to see if he was already dead and saved them the trouble. Or maybe they decided it was better if they eradicated a serious threat to Soul Society as early as possible. An incantation was spoken, breaking the silence and through his clouded thoughts, and then there was a sharp metallic sound of the lock hitting the ground.

A small hatch at the bottom of the door was brusquely opened by the same guards who brought Ichigo into the cell days ago. "—we still advise you to be careful nonetheless, fukutaichou." Ichigo did not need to hear the guard's warning to know the identity of the red-haired visitor sitting cross-legged on the floor with his eyes closed outside the cell.

"That will be all. You may leave."

The guards seemed to regard the vice captain briefly with suspicion. Abarai Renji could not blame them. The Central 46 had probably considered all possibilities of escape the prisoner in the cell could have, and some of them involved intervention from certain comrade shinigamis, which of course included himself. He was finally left alone outside the cell, but as if to prove his theory, the guards stationed themselves insconspicuously a good five metres away from where he sat.

Renji focused his attention back to the man now being held captive in the cell. It was completely dark inside, save for the dim illumination provided by the full moon outside. Even still, Renji could tell that Ichigo was in a bad shape. He was suddenly thankful that the Kuchiki-taichou had requested for an order that banned Rukia from ever coming near Kurosaki Ichigo's cell.

"Yo, Renji," the other man's words sliced through the silence of the night, the characteristic sloppy smirk on his face the only indication that this defeated, lifeless man was indeed Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Ichigo…" Renji was rather taken aback; he did not know why. Perhaps he expected something else, anything besides a smile from a man on the death row. "Daijoubu ka?"

Ichigo stared back at him for a moment, that smirk still frozen on his blood-streaked face, then the man closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the wall. "Do I look all right to you at all, idiot?"

To that question he could find no appropriate answer. Renji pondered again on the reason why he came to visit in the first place. Rukia's actions earlier in the day almost made him act on the impulse to help Ichigo break out of his cell, but his calmer and more logical mind reminded him afterwards that he needed to think of a better, more rational solution. He thought that maybe a conversation with Ichigo would help him come up with something, but looking at the resigned man across the cell, it felt almost hopeless and impossible.

Renji recognized the kidou binds that held the orange-haired man immobilized. He was surprised that Soul Society felt the need for such advanced security to keep the prisoner down, especially given the injured state Ichigo was now in. But when he remembered the events of that night, the monster that committed all those crimes, the bloodshed that occurred, the shivers that ran down his spine made him think that it was a good decision for Soul Society to take. He almost could not believe that that monster was the same man looking so helpless across the dark cell.

In his reverie, he had not noticed the silence stretch out between the two of them. The other man was now gazing at the full moon, the expression on his face hidden from Renji's view. "Is she… all right?"

Renji knew very well who he was referring to. "Yeah, she is."

When silence was the only response he got, Renji continued, "but she won't be able to visit you for now."

Renji closed his eyes. This man, this broken man had killed many people. This monster deserved to die. But this man, Kurosaki Ichigo… he was also a friend. His comrade. An honourable shinigami who lived by his ideals. An important man to Rukia.

"Renji."

He looked up at the other shinigami still gazing at the bright orb in the night sky. "Will you do me a favour and make sure…" Ichigo hesitated for a while, then he turned to face Renji, the determined expression on his face reminding him of their very first battle in which Renji had lost.

Renji gave a grunt of acknowledgement. He sure did not need the idiot telling him what to do. "I do that even when you're around, idiot."

A look of understanding was shared between the two men, and then finally one of the guards came. "Visiting time is over, Abarai-fukutaichou. You will have to leave the premises now."

Renji gave his friend one last glance. "Arigatou, Renji."

Finally, the hatch was closed.

As the guards led him down the steps of the Shrine, disappointment weighed heavily on Renji's heart. He knew that once more, he had failed Rukia again.

He must be dreaming.

Of course he had to be dreaming. He knew that. What else could it be but a dream, if right now, at this very moment, the person whom he would like to see the most in these desperate times sat cross-legged in front of him, rambling on blithely about something while ploughing her way into her teppanyaki dinner in that messy way she always does, often getting her into a fight with him over the cleanliness of his bedroom floor.

This is not real, for the waif-like figure would definitely not appear in this dark musky cell, right now – but wait! The background changed and the darkness and emptiness of the cell transformed into the familiar shapes and lively colours of his bedroom in Karakura. Ichigo stared down in disbelief at his own clothes. His own tattered and dirty black kimono was now replaced by his casual jeans and a T-shirt with bunny prints, which he remembered Rukia had acquired previously as a free give-away during some Chappy convention. He had barely even realized that suddenly, in place of his own dark feelings moments ago were now familiar feelings he had once experienced at this exact moment, a lifetime ago.

The petite shinigami now held a look of annoyance obviously directed at the only other person in the room. "Ichigo, are you even listening to me?"

What was she talking about? He had been too preoccupied with the incredulity of the situation that he had not been paying attention. "Heck if I could remember," was all he thought, and merely gave a non-committal grunt. For that response he got a whack on the head from the raven-haired girl.

"Towakke."

It was strange. Ichigo knew that this was a dream and yet, the Ichigo that existed then at this memory was experiencing it as if it was all in real-time. "As I was saying," Rukia's voice jolted him back into the conversation again.

"You shouldn't be making your sisters worry about you all the time," Rukia said as she finished off the last bits of rice in her bowl. "Or your friends, for that matter. Disappearing away like nobody's business like that… you should be more responsible, you idiot. I may be able to tolerate your foul mood but the others –", she gulped down a glass of water, "—you really should be more considerate, Ichigo."

Ichigo made no response to her admonition. He laid his back on the floor and placed his hands on the back of his head, staring quietly at the ceiling. He understood why Rukia was worried. There were times when he could clearly hear his hollow's voice, that screechy voice which sounded like nails across a blackboard, vividly in his head, disconcerting him. And in those times, he would steal away into the night and disappear for a day, even two, trying to block out that voice in contemplative solitude. But he also knew that Rukia understood the difficulty he was going through right now.

The female shinigami set down the empty bowl unceremoniously on the low table and leaned her back against the closet door in gastronomical satisfaction. "Ichigo, you…"

She sighed, the sound grabbing his attention. Rukia now had her eyes closed in contemplation. "You'll be fine."

Ichigo considered her words thoughtfully. "Whatever it is you're thinking… That thing, you…" This time, the large violet orbs of her eyes regarded him fiercely with something he could not decipher, but whatever it was strengthened his resolve. "You will defeat it, Ichigo."

"Everything will be all right."

"Everything will be all right." Her words rang over and over again in his head like a broken record. Then suddenly, his bedroom disappeared into the darkness of the cold filthy cell, his clothes returned to their shabby state, and the petite figure in front of him gave him one last smile before slowly fading into the nothingness.

"Everything will be all right, Ichigo."

"Rukia!" he shouted to the silence of the night.

The screamed word echoed against the metallic walls of the spacious room. His eyes shot open, still readjusting themselves to the vast expanse of the darkness. Beads of cold sweat dripped down his face, his breathing ragged.

Of course, he had been dreaming.

A noise outside his cell had awoken him up from his slumber. He could hear the muffled conversations as the door was being unlocked. Ichigo gazed at the Soul Society sky, which was no longer black but suffused with oranges and reds; the dawn sky was beautiful but he could not find it in himself to appreciate it. His heart thumped vigorously. He knew that the last day of his life had finally come.

"Everything will be all right, Ichigo."

He did not want to die.

He still had a lot of things he wanted to do. He wanted to be doctor someday, just like his father, although he had never admitted that to anyone, much less to his old man, for he knew he would hear no end from his lunatic of a father if he ever did. He wanted to visit America too, one day, perhaps with Rukia, and they would eat hamburgers and he could take her to the biggest Chappy convention in the world there. He wanted to tell her someday, one day he will, his deepest feelings – but not like in that sappy melodramatic way they do in the shoujo mangas the female shinigami read.

He might not be able to admit it to her but…

He wanted to live the rest of eternity with her.

"It's time."

As the guards led him out of his cell for the first time in weeks, sunlight falling on the walls of the shrine, its warmth caressing his frigid pallid skin as dawn was breaking over Soul Society, Ichigo had never felt as afraid of death before as he did now.

His heart was beating furiously.

So quickly it thumped, as if his heart was trying to compensate during its last few moments for the rest of its lifetime it has to forego. Ichigo had been led forcefully by the guards out of the shrine, and it seemed to him like almost half an hour had passed that they were walking around Seireitei grounds towards an unknown destination. Wherever it was, Ichigo knew there lay the object with which they would pierce his soul's heart and his existence would disappear into reishi… cease to nothingness. That thought made him break out in cold sweat despite the warmth the now overhead sun beat down on Soul Society.

"Where exactly are you bastards taking me?" He had all but lost his voice. His throat was parched like the dry sands of Hueco Mundo, and his muscles screamed in agony with every step he took. The kidou binds were still in place, crushing his arms into his torso, making walking the only movement possible. Thankfully, his wounds had festered to a point of infection where he could no longer feel any sensation in those areas. Despite such a wretched existence, Ichigo could not get rid of in himself the burning desire to live. The only consolation in this situation he could find was the reassuring weight of Zangetsu dangling on his back.

None of the hooded guards spoke in reply, annoying Ichigo further. He cursed under his breath, and finally they reached a compound which appeared to be the grounds of one of the squads of the Gotei Thirteen. This was hardly what he expected when he thought about where his execution might take place. As the guards shoved him roughly forward along the corridors, a few junior shinigami passing by regarded him and his company in horror.

Finally, they reached a shoji door, on which the sign reading "roku" indicated that this was indeed a Gotei 13 squad building, particularly belonging to the sixth squad.

One of the guards on his left grabbed a fistful of his orange hair, yanking his head down and bringing him on his knees as the other guards knelt in a similar fashion in front of the door. "We are the guards of the Shrine of Penitence, bringing the criminal Kurosaki Ichigo as instructed."

There was a brief moment of waiting, then the shoji door was opened brusquely, revealing the only occupant of the spacious room, so ornately decorated. At the far end of the room stood a colossal wooden desk holding stacks of paper, behind it was a huge poster bearing the squad's insignia and number. Ichigo stared in shock at the red-haired shinigami greeting them at the door. He had half-expected to have Kuchiki Byakuya to bring him to wherever it is he was about to meet his death, not Abarai Renji.

"Let go of him," ordered the lieutenant, his gaze meeting Ichigo's own surprised one.

To this command, the guards seemed hesitant to obey. For a moment they looked around at one another, then the one in front who appeared to be the leader spoke, "That is not possible, Abarai-fukutaichou. This one here is a dangerous—"

"Hardly the treatment to give to an acquitted man, eh?" Renji interrupted. The leader of the guards appeared taken aback by this revelation. Before anyone could verbalise the question hanging in the minds of everyone present, particularly of the criminal in question, Renji produced a scroll tucked away in his obi and unraveled it in front of their shocked faces. Ichigo searched his friend's face for answers but the red-haired lieutenant merely continued, reading from the scroll:

"An edict from the Central 46. The criminal Kurosaki Ichigo, deemed as a serious threat and menace to Soul Society's security by the Central 46, has been, upon recommendation and petition by the undersigned five captains of the Gotei 13, released from the death penalty to be carried out by the Technological Bureau and Department, hitherto the punishment advised by the Central 46 for the convict's aforementioned crimes described in the previous edicts. The criminal shall henceforth be handed over by the Guards of the Shrine of Penitence to the sixth squad of the Gotei 13, under the supervision of Abarai Renji-fukutaichou."

At this junction, Renji looked up at Ichigo, on whose face shock was written all over, and continued, "Within 24 hours, the criminal Kurosaki Ichigo must pass through the gates of Senkaimon and be henceforth banished into the real world, banned from utilizing his shinigami powers, his fate upon natural death of the organic body to be decided upon by the Central 46 at a later date."

Renji stopped, gazing back at the horrified expression which now replaced the initial shock on Ichigo's face. Before he could read out the rest of the edict, the guards released their hold on Ichigo, muttered incantations to remove the kidou binds, and bowed towards Renji one last time before disappearing from the grounds of the sixth squad.

Renji heaved a sigh of resignation and peered back into the parchment, dictating the last paragraph of the edict, "Any registered shinigami of the Gotei 13 who makes contact with the criminal in exile will be charged with the serious offence of high treason towards Soul Society."

Time seemed to stretch an eternity as the two comrades regarded each other in intense silence. Finally, Ichigo struggled to get on his feet, his arms tired from restricted circulation brought on by the tight kidou binds. Both men knew exactly what this meant. To be quite honest, Renji was not so sure whether the other man preferred this news to impending death.

After staring at the floor for what seemed like hours, Ichigo finally looked up to see Renji staring at him as if searching his expression for meaning. The injured man gave a weak smirk and snorted before saying, "24 hours?"

"I have 24 hours, eh, Renji?"

The lieutenant gave Ichigo a small nod of affirmation. Although his friend kept up a tough front towards him with regards to the news, Renji was quite sure that had their roles been reversed, had it been him instead of Kurosaki Ichigo who had to face this fate, he would have rather, like he knew Ichigo did right now, had been executed under the death penalty.

"Then, can you take me to her?"