Ichigo's Insomnia

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter Four

A few weeks later….
Karakura Graveyard

The Kurosaki family was walking up the steps to the temple, the day of their mother's birthday bringing them back to her grave once again. Ichigo walked up the steps behind his father and sisters with Yoruichi walking alongside him. Yoruichi noticed that on the way up the stone staircase that, despite Ichigo's happy face this morning, he seemed rather down.

Ichigo's nightmares had stopped since that first night Yoruichi stayed with him. While her presence in the house was a bit uncomfortable for Ichigo, such as how she always seemed to wear nothing but tank tops and short-shorts when she was lounging around the house. Yoruichi got a kick out of teasing the boy but stopped just short of full-on seduction since she was always around his sisters and didn't want to set a bad example for them. Both Yuzu and Karin liked Yoruichi and found her presence, like Ichigo, soothing and comforting.

Yoruichi put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Ichigo, you alright?" she asked. He hadn't really spoken about his mother since Yhwach's defeat and now here they were visiting her grave.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, smiling at the comforting face of his friend. He'd come to enjoy their time together and found that sleeping in her embrace was the most relaxing thing he'd ever had in his life. "Just forgot how long this staircase is…."

Yoruichi could tell that something was bugging him from the forlorn look in his eyes but decided not to press it. She had a good idea what it was and if she was right she didn't want to force the issue. Still, Yoruichi wanted to remind Ichigo that she was there for him so she took hold of his hand and squeezed it gently.

To Yoruichi's inner delight, Ichigo squeezed back….

Later that night….
Graveyard Shrine

The family was all comfy and cozy in their sleeping bags but while everyone was sound asleep, Ichigo was not. He shivered in his sleeping bag while the rain outside pelted the shrine keeping them covered from its deluge. With Yoruichi's help, he'd faced down the troubles that'd plagued his heart and had defeated all of his demons.

All except one….

"Mom!" a little Ichigo squealed as he opened the door, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. "Mom!" he called out once more.

Masaki Kurosaki came out of the kitchen and saw Ichigo coming towards her with the flowers. "Why, Ichigo," she softly said, kneeling down in front of her son. "They're so lovely." Patting her son on the head, she kissed his forehead. "Thank you, Ichigo."

Ichigo wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and hugged her, basking in the warmth of her love. "I love you, Mom…" he whispered. "Happy birthday."

Masaki wrapped her arms around her son and smiled. "I love you too, Ichigo. It's just too bad…."

Pulling away, Ichigo looked at his mother confused. "Too bad about what?"

"That you couldn't save me."

When Ichigo blinked, he found himself by the riverbed once more, his mother's dead body covering him. Blood trickled down his side as her fatal wound bled out all over him. "M-mom?" Ichigo called out. It was his most horrifying memory all over again as he shook his mother but she didn't move. "Mom?"

"Hahahahahahah!"

A hand grabbed the little boy by the head and yanked him up. Yhwach, in the guise of the new Soul King, laughed wickedly as he showed the boy the corpse of his dead mother. "You failed her, Ichigo!" Yhwach laughed into the boy's ear while he cried. "You have always failed her! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Ichigo closed his eyes before wailing in despair….

Snapping out of his nightmare, Ichigo sat up straight and took deep breaths. When he felt a wetness on his cheeks he realized that he'd been silently crying in his sleep. Looking over, he saw that Yoruichi was sound asleep next to him in her purple sleeping bag. The look of her serene, beautiful face in calm slumber helped relieve some of the fear in his heart before looking up at the rain. Right now he didn't really want to be here.

Right now he just wanted to see his mother….

Ten Minutes later….

Yoruichi opened her eyes and yawned, feeling a bit uncomfortable in her sleeping bag. She was so used to the feel of a large spacious bed or futon and a sleeping bag was far too cramped for her. She thought about turning into a cat but didn't want to freak Yuzu and Karin out. 'Although…' she thought with a lewd smile, 'Turning back to normal in front of Ichigo would be well worth it.' She looked over to see if Ichigo was okay only to find that the boy was gone.

Sighing, Yoruichi got out of her sleeping bag. She was sure of what been bothering Ichigo and knew exactly where he went. "Ichigo…" she murmured softly before putting her shoes on and grabbing an umbrella. Quietly, she left the room….

Meanwhile….
With Ichigo

Ichigo stood in front of his mother's grave, the rain mixing in with his tears. He felt worse than he did when he failed to kill Grand Fisher. When he'd fought Yhwach he'd been confident that he would finally avenge his mother's death.

Instead, he'd been soundly defeated and left on the ground in despair. Had it not been for Uryu, Renji and Aizen, Ichigo would be dead or worse.

"Mom…" he whispered, hanging his head in shame. "I'm so sorry. I tried to avenge you but…" he shook his head and sighed. "I failed you."

"No, you didn't."

Ichigo whirled around to see Yoruichi behind him. The werecat held an umbrella over her head and stepped forward, covering them both. She patted the boy's cheek and smiled softly. "Having trouble?"

Reluctantly, Ichigo nodded. "Yeah," he said before turning away. "Sorry. I didn't want to wake you. I just…needed to be alone for a moment."

"I see," Yoruichi turned to the grave. "Did you have another bad dream?" she asked, the rain continuing to come down on their umbrella.

"Uh huh…" Ichigo mumbled. Looking down, he looked at the name on the tombstone and cried a little silently. "I failed her. I…I wanted to avenge her, to make Yhwach pay. But in the end…." He turned away when he remembered his horrible defeat at Yhwach's hands. "I failed her. I couldn't defeat him. Not on my own. Just like I couldn't defeat Grand Fisher. Yhwach was right." He turned back towards the grave and sighed. "Yeah, he did steal my mom's powers but I'm the reason she died that night and-"

Yoruichi put a finger to his lips, silencing him. "You're wrong. You're more wrong than you know, Ichigo," she said, patting his cheek. She turned towards the grave and smiled. "Your mother would be proud of you. You stood before Yhwach like a man and fought him as hard as you could. And guess what? You did beat him. It doesn't matter if you had help. You beat him just the same. You aren't a failure. You aren't weak." She cupped his cheek and smiled with all her heart. "You're the bravest, kindest and strongest man I've ever met."

Tears ran down Ichigo's face as he stared into Yoruichi's eyes, the pain in his heart melting like ice. He smiled as he took hold of Yoruichi's hand and squeezed. "Thanks, Yoruichi. For everything."

Yoruichi smiled in return. "You're welcome." She knelt down at the grave and smiled at it. "Your mother would be proud of you." She squeezed Ichigo's hand gently and smiled. "C'mon, let head back." She took two steps away from the grave before suddenly bending over in pain. "Ahh!"

"Yoruichi!" Recognizing that Yoruichi was having another flare-up of pain, Ichigo quickly scooped her up into his arms and lifted her bridal-style. As the rain came down on them, he clutched her tightly. "Stay with me," he pleaded.

"Guhhh…" Yoruichi groaned as her body was wracked with pain, her condition picking the worst possible moment to rear its ugly head. The pain wasn't as bad as usual but she was still disoriented. After a few moments she took deep breaths and the pain subsided. "It's alright, Ichigo. I have you, after all," she smiled. As Ichigo carrier her back to the shrine, she chuckled. "I think your mother would be proud her son grew up to be such a gentleman," she said, hugging his neck.

"I think…I think Mom would be glad I have a friend like you," Ichigo replied, secretly enjoying carrying the woman. As they came inside the shrine, they were both glad to see that his family was still asleep. Grabbing a spare towel, the two dried themselves off before turning in for the night….

To be continued