Let me say this farewell,

To where you leave no shape behind.

But even if we now walk in different directions,

I look forward to the chance we meet again.

.

Let me say this farewell,

To where you come home no more.

But know that I'd run miles and miles in the dark,

To find you amongst your piles of thoughts.

.
Session 1: Under Blue Skies—There is No Such Thing as Clemency
Chapter 2: Farewell to My Silver Linings
.

It was dark. And there was pain.

Were his eyes open? Around him there was only a void.

Was he dying?

People say that at the height of their death, their whole life will flash right before their eyes. But as far as he could tell he hadn't seen anything.

So maybe the whole thing was all a lie. Maybe you saw nothing but hazy colors and heard nothing but dull noises, because there was nothing for Ichigo, only pure darkness.

And maybe it would be easier to just accept what was happening to him. But if he did, what would happen? Would embracing this darkness be the same as embracing death?

No, he wasn't dying, he knew the world was still there.

He was still there.

Or else he shouldn't be able to feel the awful clash of pain and numbness spreading throughout his chest. It was unbearable and he wasn't sure how long he could hold on for.

What reason though, would he need to hold on?

Slowly, he began to hear voices around him... alarmed voices. They were calling for something.

For him?

He felt small hands holding onto him while worried voices, panicked voices, and tired voices kept sounding off in massive confusion.

"Someone do something!"

"Pick up Inoue-san!"

"Don't hold him that way, it's worse."

"Rukia, you can't do anything for Ichigo, let Urahara see him."

Ah. He was finally beginning to remember something. Hueco Mundo, the Winter War. That's right, he had fought to protect his hometown and rescue Inoue.

Inoue.

She was safe now... Wasn't she?

"Kurosaki-kun!" A voice cried out, distant and detached, yet worried. A voice that he seemed to know very well but for some strange reason, could not relate it to a face.

It was weird how the sound of this voice was different from the others; Where it felt like they were trying to pull him out of the darkness, this one felt like it tried to reel him further in.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Strange how the tone also sounded so... desperate?

A heavy sigh was heard next, no wait, a sob. Someone was crying. She was crying.

It was Inoue crying.

For him?

Where was she? Was she okay? He knew there was something wrong, something a little off about Inoue when he had last seen her.

But what was it? Why couldn't he...

When he tried to think back on it, think about her, it only made the pain in his chest ache more, and still her image wouldn't come up. It was as if he suddenly couldn't remember how she looked liked.

No that couldn't be it.

Long auburn hair, big grey eyes, bright smile... That was Inoue. He remembered, but he still couldn't picture her, she was completely lost to him.

Perhaps she too was lost within this darkness he found himself sumerged in.

He tried not to think about it anymore, because it made this more difficult to handle, and he was so tired already, and...

"Kurosaki-kun..."

There were other people who would say that dying was like dreaming, just that the tricky part was waking up.

And the end was like nothing he had felt before.

Like nothing he would ever imagine.

That was why Ichigo found himself letting go to the soft sound of her voice that continued to call out to him —Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun— allowing himself to be lulled by it. Not fighting the numbness that was overcoming him.

Voices continued to overlap each other, causing more confusion. He felt the numbness spreading, it felt heavier, weighing him down. His chest ached terribly though, right at the hea–

This couldn't be real, the pain felt real but...

More confusion, more voices, and more cries. The unbearable pain, and then finally, nothing.

.

[30 days later—Kurosaki Household]

.

His eyes were open. And there were faces.

Of Chad, Ishida, and Rukia... They were smiling, relieved.

Wait... Where was Ino–

"Kurosaki-kun!"

A resounding smack was heard from where the door crashed against the wall, jolting Ichigo upright and startling everyone else. Orihime sheepishly took a couple of steps inside with wide eyes and cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment.

"Ehehe... sorry... Did I interrupt something? I-I can just go-"

"No stay Inoue." Rukia spoke out reassuringly, "Ichigo woke up just now, it's no big deal." She raised her hand and motioned for Orihime to come closer.

Orihime hesitated, casting an unsure glance at Ichigo before quietly making her way inside the room and sitting right next, or rather, nestling closely to Rukia.

But it was when their eyes briefly met for that mere second did Ichigo recall something that almost felt out of his reach. He remembered the way she looked at him. The same look of absence and confusion she had given him before passing out when he had last saw her. It seemed so long ago... he had almost forgotten.

It brought back a familiar pain in his chest too but one that he could endure; nothing more but a dull ache now.

He listened quietly as Rukia began to explain what had happened to him after he lost consciousness and what would happen to him —his powers, that is— in any moment.

Ichigo already knew what was going to happen, so as Rukia continued to talk he couldn't help but find himself watching her and how she comforted Orihime by patting her head softly while Orihime muttered disconcertingly to herself, "I made such a scene... Wahh I'm so embarrassed." Atleast that's what Ichigo understood.

It was strange to see Rukia act so gently around Orihime, in a certain way that a mother would do with her child, he supposed. What was even stranger though, was how Orihime almost seemed to revel in the comfort, like she needed it.

Okay it may have not been that strange —Rukia was always kinder and gentler with Orihime and well, Orihime freaking out over something trivial wasn't unusual either— and yet he could still feel it, this feeling of panic. For reasons he didn't know.

(Or hadn't realized.)

Stop.

He needed to cutoff these thoughts from progressing into dangerous ground. It was all in his head, he had been worrying so much about Orihime ever since she left for Hueco Mundo that he was beginning to imagine things that might not even be true. She was here, right in front of him and she was safe, that was all that mattered.

So why couldn't he get rid of this feeling?

Because when he looked at Orihime, it felt like he was not just looking at her but that he was looking into her and this, this image of Orihime was lost, bleary, and blue.

Ichigo pushed these thoughts back into the recesses of his consciousness. If it truly was a problem, then it would be one he would have to deal with later.

He took another glance at both Orihime and Rukia, sensing neither of their reaitsu's.

This was how it was going to be from now on, wasn't it?

Despite the thoughts muddling inside his mind, he was able to speak out smooth and evenly.

"I'd like to go outside."

.

.

Watching Rukia disappear was simple enough. Simple like blowing an aged dandelion into the wind, seeing how it carried each little piece away.

It was the thought behind it that made it complicated.

His soul was burned down in the heat of war, in the name of the town he needed to defend, and those he desired to protect. With the end result leaving him both vulnerable and powerless.

He would no longer be the substitute shinigami, Rukia's partner, the punk who saw spirits.

He would be normal, still a punk, but just a regular teenager.

No more soul society, no more midgets living in his house, no more of her ugly rabbit drawings, no more fighting hollows, saving lost souls, no more fighting alongside friends, no more Zangetsu, Renji, Toshiro, Matsumoto, Kenpachi, Byakuya, and no more–

"Self-pity isn't like you."

Ha. Rukia didn't even need to speak and he could already hear her reprimand him and any comment, or hell movement, would earn him a swift kick to the stomach. To make sure the lesson left its mark.

But in the end she would have been right. So he'll just take her advice.

He had no need for regrets.

"What's with that face Ichigo? Don't be so sad, even though you won't be able to see me I'll still be able to see you."

Lighthearted teasing was always better than heartfelt goodbyes. Rukia already knew that. He could tell that she was trying to avoid the despised feeling of pity and sorrow.

Just like he was.

"Yeah right, I'm not sad! And why would I be happy about something like that?"

And so he would join her and scratch his neck roughly with a meaningful scowl.

Rukia smiled softly back as another piece of her faded away. Ichigo wished the best for her and everyone else in the Soul Society.

.

.

There were lots of things he could—wanted to— have said...

Goodbye.

Take care.

I will miss you.

I'm glad to have met you.

Good luck.

Farewell.

But he went with a simple–

"Thank you."

And she was a leaf in the wind.

.

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Sorry it took me a while to update D: Not exactly edited but Ill come back later to fix it. If you anything that seems awkward or could use a double check, please let me know!

Now thank you to all who reviewed, faved, and followed :)

Special shout out to Bleachers, Peccare, Summer Eclair, Ermilius, Guest (you know who you are), Wolfchik55, and Kyiyino! Thank you for reviewing~

Also if anyone has questions or just simply wants to talk to me, when you review at the end put 'RP' (for role play XD haha just kidding for Reply Please) and I'll make sure to get back to you~

Real Author's Note Time!

Sorry that not a lot went on in this chapter, I'm just getting the playing field ready for bigger stuff to come. Be glad to know that I got this fic like 80% planned out already, granted its still mostly in my head ^^! But I do know that there will be about 5 sessions and for session 1 we're already halfway through, only 2 more chapters to go.

Next chapter though we're going to tangent off from canon and things should get a little more interesting.

If you're wondering why Rukia got special attention at the end of the chap, it's because I wanted to include Ichigo's feelings about her as well since she's important to him too.

Please review! Let me know what you think!

Take care~