Ugh super, super, SUPER late… Sorry! I had bad writer's block! :'( Anyway, things have calmed down quite a bit in school now, so I think I will finally be able to update regularly! Hooray! (P.S. I may update every other week instead… sigh…)
Chapter 4: The Park
Toshiro finished his story, tears silently streaming down his face. He is completely still, like a statue. His eyes are glazed over, and his head is bowed. Yuzu and Isshin are hugging each other sobbing like idiots. Karin's eyes are soft, but still retain the hardness they usually have.
I stare at Toshiro, able to understand what he is feeling. My own mom was murdered right in front of my eyes. I had jumped into the river to save a girl that I saw, but was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, my mom was lying dead on top of me. It took me years to forgive myself and to figure out that it wasn't my fault she had died.
A ghost creeps up behind Toshiro; a malicious glint in his brown eyes.
"Karin-" I begin to say.
"I've got it, Ichi-nii." Karin gets up from her chair and nonchalantly walks behind Toshiro with her chopsticks in her hand. She grabs the ghost by his ear and drags him away.
"Let go of meeeee!" he wails, trying to free himself. He is then hurled through the front door. Karin walks back, and accusing eyes are on her. She just shrugs and acts like nothing happened.
Toshiro stirs, noticing that Karin moved. He finds me staring at him and stares into my eyes, seeking desperately for warmth. I give him what he needs, and the corners of his mouth twitch upwards, thankful. He looks away again, his mouth frowning and his eyes full of pain.
"Let him stay with us okay dad?" Yuzu sobs into Isshin's chest.
"Of course Yuzu! Of course he can stay!"
Toshiro looks at the duo, his eyes distant. "I c-can take care of myself. D-don't bother yourselves t-trying to take c-care of me…" he stutters, tears now ceasing to fall.
"Nonsense! The Kurosaki's never let anyone suffer!"
l~ ~ ~l
"Toshiro, how about you take a walk with Yuzu and I to buy some groceries for tonight?" I ask, knowing the answer is going to be yes anyway.
"Do I have to?" he grumbles, standing up from his nap on the couch.
"Nope! But we would like you to come. Please!" Yuzu chimes, giving Toshiro her best puppy-dog eyes.
"Alright, fine. But I'm not carrying anything!" he exclaims.
*Dramatic screen swirl*
"We're home!" Yuzu shouts as she open the door. She only has a small bag in her hand, while it seems Toshiro has offered to carry everything. He wobbles into the kitchen, his arms stacked full of many different items that tower at least two feet above his head. I rub the back of my head in amusement. He wouldn't let any of us carry anything in return for treating him kindly. I almost had to threaten him to let Yuzu and I even carry one item.
Toshiro neatly stacks everything onto the table. He puts the desserts together, breakfast foods, boxes of toys, and others in neat piles. One of the items threaten to fall, but Toshiro dashes towards the object just as it starts to fall. He catches it in a dive and hastily puts it in a safer spot.
"Wow Toshiro! That was amazing!" Yuzu gasps. Her eyes have a large sparkle in them, and it seems as if the lighting has gotten brighter around her.
I sigh and start putting everything away.
"Do you need any help… Ichigo?" he asks, seeming to struggle with the question. Is he frightened of me? If not, then what?
"Sure. Just… uh… put these in that cabinet over there." I indicate to a small neatly stacked pile of boxes.
"Ichigo… why are you trying to help me?" he asks once everyone is out of earshot.
I pause, my hands in midair. "Why? Because… it's the right thing to do. Besides, you remind me of myself," I reply, setting down the item and tussling his hair. He swats my hand away and grumbles, making me laugh.
"When I was nine, my mother died. Before that, she was my whole world. I would do anything to protect her, and I even joined a dojo. But two days after my birthday, we were walking home from the dojo and I saw a girl. It looked as if she was about to jump in and drown. I took off and tried to save her. I was somehow knocked unconscious, and when I woke up, my mom was lying over me. Only a few seconds later did I realize she had died." I have a grim smile on my face, and my eyes start to tear a little. I reach for another item to put away, but I am unable to move. Toshiro's arms are around my waist and his head is resting in the small of my back.
We stand there like that for a few moments, until he releases his grip on me. He rubs his arm and looks sheepishly away. He starts to blush and tries to hide his face. I lay my hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Toshiro."
He nods his head in reply. "I-Ichigo… do you blame yourself for-"
"No. I learned that it wasn't my fault she had died. Apparently that girl I saw was a ghost and… it wasn't a nice one, either. I don't know how it killed my mom, but it somehow did."
"That must be rough." Toshiro says. You must really know how I feel… Although I completely blame myself for my family's death." He looks at his feet in shame.
I put my finger under his chin and force him to look up at me. I look him straight in the eye with a serious expression. "Never say it is your fault. It wasn't your fault, and it never will be. You hear?" He slightly nods and I lift my finger away. I suddenly smile and request, "Hey, you wanna go to the park?"
l~ ~ ~l
Chirp, Chirp. We stop in our tracks to listen to the birds sing. The melody shifts a bit from a quick tempo to a slower, calmer song. I spot a lonesome bench near us and we sit on it. A few birds circle around some trees off to the distance.
"This is peaceful," I say as I casually lean back and rest my arms on the top of the bench. Something soft hits my arm, and I look to see Toshiro slightly resting on it. I wrap my arm around his shoulders. We sit there, listening to the birds. All of a sudden a flutter of wings sounds. Two pure white doves crisscross above our heads and alight down onto opposite sides of the bench. Toshiro and I blush, knowing that doves symbolize love and peace. I start to withdraw my arm, when Toshiro clasps it with his hand.
"Stay like you are. It feels nice, for a change."
"As you wish," I say, a twinkle of humor in my eye.
The two doves are cooing softly and slowly getting closer to the other. It is a dazzling sight; watching them dancing to a beat of their own and making it seem graceful. They stop their dance as the reach each other and they put their heads under their wings and start to sleep.
Toshiro moves his head and rests it on my chest, his eyelids closed and his breathing peaceful. He looks like an angel. My angel. I softly stroke his hair, and before I know it, I drift off to sleep.
"Heh. There he is. That brat. It's time for some payback," a mysterious person murmurs to his buddies.
"We are going to get him so hard for the damage he caused us," one of the others mutters back.
They retreat into the darkness, still plotting.
Finally finished! It only took what? 7 or 8 weeks? Anyway, I'm not that pleased with this chapter. I decided (with help from smokepelt) to add some background information and some fluff. But since this is Bleach we are talking about, there is no such thing as a storyline only made up of fluff. Warning: next chapters contain some awesomeness! Reviews are welcome and ideas greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!