8- Loneliness can be very Real
The orange haired Kurosaki sighed as he pushed open the door, seeing Shirosaki turn in the mirror with a hurt look, as if he was rejected by the one thing he wanted most. Slowly brushing the eerie feeling away, Ichigo walked into his room, tossing his clothes into the hamper, ducking his head as his father went flying at him.
"How many times do I gotta tell you to knock it off?" he growled, narrowing his eyes at the man as he rubbed his chin that collided with the wooden flooring. "I'll be in my room, get me when supper's ready." With that, he stepped fully into his room, shutting the door with a light sigh.
Still… He lifted some boxers out of the open drawer, growling as he slowly put them on, shutting his brown eyes. Shirosaki's acting unusually odd today. A little off…why does he want me to go to sleep now? Slowly letting his brown eyes flutter open, he heaved a sigh, lying down with a deep frown, the right side of his face against the pillow as he faced the window, covered by the curtains, a little sliver of light peering through. Shutting his eyes once again, he took in a steady long breath, letting it go slowly.Guess he wants to spar some more, or…
His thoughts died there as he slipped off into the darkness.
The albino figure looked over his shoulder with those golden eyes, slightly frowning once he saw Ichigo walk up to him hesitantly. "Hey, partner." he scoffed, turning his attention forward to the clouds again, watching them with half-lidded eyes. "Everything all right?"
"You saw me a few seconds ago, Shirosaki," he sighed, shaking his head. "Nothing could happen in a matter of a few seconds."
The albino shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Is there something wrong?" the teenager questioned, walking over and sitting down next to the duplicate. "You looked like…you were in pain earlier." Shirosaki looked to the opposite side of the questioning form, his arms crossed as he tilted his head down to the ground. "You are, aren't you?"
He placed a pale hand on the form's shoulder, feeling the Hollow half tense at the tender touch.
The white form looked over at his light half, looking down on the ground moments later. "Not really," he breathed, "I was just thinking about what that Kuchiki chick said. Still…if it was true, then problems could escalate."
"How?"
Shirosaki scooted away from the kind touch, looking at the orange haired Kurosaki with narrowed golden pools. "Everyone would question everything about you…and me, they would kill me without a seconds thought…and put you in a fucked up experimental place where they can mentally damage you."
"Now you're jumping to conclusions." Ichigo frowned, placing his left hand against his face, shaking his head, gasping once he saw the albino's fingers wrapped around his wrist, yanking him forward so they had forced eye contact. "S…Shirosaki?"
"I don't think, I know. I've heard it from a lot of people; they'll make you rot in a dungeon or whatever they call it! I don't want that to happen!"
"If you continue to live in my body and appear every single time a Hollow shows up, they'll do that too!" Then Ichigo blinked, processing what his dark half had said, staring at him with wide dull chocolate colored eyes after he finally realized what the white figure meant. Taking in a small breath, he dropped his head. "Dammit…Shirosaki…it won't happen."
"What do you know? You think just because Rukia's keeping this a secret means everyone else will! That fucked up twelfth division Captain will take you in…and possibly…" He stopped, seeing that Ichigo snapped his head up, brown eyes narrowed as he fisted a handful of the white kimono, pulling him towards himself, faces inches apart as he growled.
"Nothing…will happen!" he shouted, seeing those golden eyes widen slightly as he pushed him down, pouncing on top of the white form, pinning his wrists down with a snarl, glaring at him with those usually calm and collected brown eyes. "Why don't you believe me! I get that we hated each other earlier…and slowly…it changed, but why the hell don't you believe me!"
The demon stared with wide eyes, finally seeing that Ichigo's eyes were watering up a bit. "I…Ichigo…"
"Shit," He removed his left hand from the Hollow's right wrist, wiping his eyes, "I don't get it…I don't get you at all. First you're obsessed with taking over, then all you want is a fight, then…you soften up…and now, now you're completely different." He slowly removed himself, flash stepping away and sitting in a solitude place, thinking of why his dark half was so different. "I don't get it," he repeated, resting his forehead on his knees, "I don't get it at all."
Shirosaki slowly got up with a worried look on his face, his hands holding him up from behind as he looked down on the ground, shutting his eyes as he brought his right hand up to his face, wiping away warm tears.
Tears…
Something that was entirely new to the albino.
Yuzu sighed as she placed her soft hand on her brother's shoulder, shaking him gently as she watched his eyes slowly glide open, bringing his left hand up and wiping his cheeks off, seeing that only his left had the tear, which made him quirk a brow, sitting up as his little sister sat down next to him.
"Are you all right, Ichigo?" she asked, placing a hand on his bare arm, the feeling rippling through his skin as he shuddered, slowly nodding.
"It was just a bad dream," he spoke slowly, turning his head so he was facing the soft-brunette, seeing worry cover her face plainly, making him veer away while clenching his fists. "You know…of mom."
She nodded slowly, standing and wrapping her arms around his neck, holding his head close, her right hand's fingers running through his orange locks, holding back her own tears. "I know…Ichigo…but…we should keep moving on, for her sake."
"Yeah," the pale form replied, slowly closing his brown orbs, "yeah."
888
The Kurosaki family sat at the dinner table in silence, Ichigo slowly eating his rice as his eyes kept glancing out the window. On the fifteenth time, Isshin finally decided to perk up the mood, slamming his palms on the table as he stood, glancing around at the surprised faces of his family as they darted towards him, giving the man their full attention.
"What the hell, dad?" Ichigo spoke, brown eyes slowly going back from wide to normal, his grip on the chopsticks lost and dropping them. Feeling the bittersweet taste return, ruining his appetite.
"I have an important announcement, my lovely children," he said, sounding like an excited five year old, the seriousness on his face gone. "I will be taking you, Yuzu and Karin, with me on a trip to a private hospital. Ichigo, you're the oldest, so I entrust the house to you."
"Hold on -" Karin started to protest but soon fell silent when their dark haired father raised his index finger, silencing the girl.
"I'm taking you two only because they have heard about how helpful Yuzu is in ordering and organizing medicine, you, Karin, they heard about how fast you are at taking people from room to room. Only underage, but they'll take you and train you. I, on the other hand, have to go into schooling to learn more about medicine to help anyone who is wounded anywhere, herbs and all that." he explained, taking in some air and slowly releasing it, his eyes traveling over to his only son, seeing that he was frowning, yet brown eyes flickering in sadness. "Ichigo, I need you to keep this home intact, and if daddy comes home and it's not…you'll be in big trouble."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he scowled, pushing the chair out and standing, walking away. Stopping at the stairs, eyes trailing over the familiar faces he'd never see again. "Have a safe journey." was all he said before running up the steps and into his room, slamming the door shut as Karin fell down in her seat, completely shocked.
"Ichigo's gonna be all alone, until we come back…" she breathed, looking over at Yuzu who was hunched over the table, realizing that too, covering her face with her hands, silently crying. "Truly alone…"
888
The next day, Ichigo walked down the stairs in his original clothing, since it was his day off from school. Brilliant brown eyes scanning the empty house. They left…without a word of 'good-bye'. he thought sadly, walking over to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down in it, placing his elbows on the wooden surface, placing his face into hands. I'm alone, really alone this time…
"You're forgetting about me, partner." Shirosaki hissed, sounding displeased. "I'll never leave you, for the time being. Until that day…"
"I know," he muttered, slightly removing his face form his hands, immediately standing up, turning and seeing Renji standing there with a questionable look. "What the fuck are you doing here, Renji!" he demanded, seeing those brown eyes the Zabimaru possessor owned stare blankly.
"Were you just…talking to yourself?" he asked, seeing the orange haired teenager's eyes widening slowly, quickly shaking his head. "Then who were you talking to?"
Ichigo frowned, baring his teeth, tackling the redhead down, pulling his left fist back, about to punch the living daylights out of the taller male if Rukia hadn't leapt forward, kicking him in the jaw. The eldest Kurosaki sibling falling back with a groan of pain as he sat up, glaring at the two Soul Reapers, seeing serious eyes stare back.
"You're can't control HIM after all, I presume?" Rukia frowned, crossing her thin arms, wearing a white dress with crème colored laces. "Ichigo…I thought you were able to handle it, that's why I took the beads off."
"I can," he frowned, lifting his right hand and wiping his bottom lip hurriedly, blood oozing from it. "Dickhead here didn't stop his questions so I just snapped, alright? I didn't kill him, so don't worry about the damn beads." Standing, he walked over to the stairs, only stopping when Rukia called his name.
"Ichigo, where is everyone?"
Looking over his shoulder with a dirty, irritated, look, he simply answered, "Out."
Walking up the stairs, he blocked out the sounds of the two shinigami as he lifted his left hand, grasping the handle to his room, pushing it open with his shoulder to see Kon laying there with a bored expression.
"Is Rukia downstairs?" he asked, sounding desperate. Cracking the door open more, Ichigo motioned for the, "go ahead, all yours". Noticing this, Kon bounded off the bed and darted off. "Rukiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! My beloved Rukia!"
Growling, he shut the door, trudging over to his bed and laying down on it, slowly shutting his eyes, left hand's fingers curling, holding onto the white fabric as he inhaled through his nose, releasing air from the same site. His mind slowly being consumed into the darkness that he eagerly wanted to be in. Away from it all.
Ichigo slowly opened his eyes, lifting his head, seeing that his head was resting on his dark half's chest, seeing those white locks gently dance in the wind inside his inner world, those alabaster arms at his sides, only his right one around the Soul Reaper's waist. A groan suppressing past his lips as Shirosaki turned his head, brows twitching.
He looked so peaceful, yet in pain as well. Pleasurable pain as he gasped out, a soft color of red fading into his pale cheeks.
Brown eyes trailed down, noticing why. His knee was against the Hollow's nether regions, a soft blush forming on his face as he lifted that specific knee up, placing it beside himself, laying his head back slowly on the warm chest, surprised he hadn't found a hole in the albino.
Sighing, he looked back up at the handsome form's face. "I…" he spoke softly, lifting himself up, placing his chin against the white attire wearing form's shoulder, closing his eyes as he tilted his head, mouth near the Hollow's ear. "…don't want you to go."
Shirosaki tensed, the breath blowing against his ear tickling it as he slowly opened his eyes as he turned his head to face Ichigo, seeing that his eyes were shut, right hand clenching tightly onto the fabric above where his heart was supposed to belong and be.
The brown eyes he had slowly begun to love were shut, lightly tanned lips parted as soft breaths were taken in and released. Relaxed features were displayed before him, a warm smile slowly crossing his features.
Raising his unoccupied hand, he reached up, brushing the orange bangs out of the High Schooler's face, seeing his brows crease after a while, then release their tense appearance, fading into the calm face once again. Leaning close, he chuckled, not able to help it, since Ichigo looked so sweet and innocent when he slept. Calm, relaxed, and vulnerable, unlike when he was awake. Noses barely touching, their breath brushing against the other's lips, the albino abruptly pulled away, disgusted with himself for thinking such things about the boy he may never see again once he had his own body.