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Chapter 5

Old Friends

The sun shone proudly in the light blue sky. Puffy white clouds drifted by occasionally while the red, yellow, and orange leaves spun in the air. A small gray bird with an orange belly, the Daurian Redstart, flew by, indicating the coming of winter.

It was such a beautiful day and Ichigo longed to step outside and taste the autumn air. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to. According to Unohana, patients in Las Noches could go outside once a week if they had been in Las Noches for at least four months. Of course, their conditions would have to be checked and a nurse would have to escort them. Ichigo couldn't wait to walk through Karakura Town again.

But at the moment, going outside wasn't what Ichigo had been really excited for.

Today, he was going to see his family and friends.

Ichigo fidgeted on his bed as he stared at the digital clock. He watched in anticipation as the "0" in 3:50 changed to a "1." Nine minutes left.

Ichigo looked back at the pictures taped to the wall. He observed the picture of his bachelor party. Ichigo was standing in the middle, with a stupid grin on his face and his arms around two men. One of them was Uryu Ishida, a spidery man whose lips were pursed. Uryu wasn't much of a party person. Ichigo knew that Uryu would have preferred staying home and reading, but went to the party out of obligation. Like Rukia, Uryu was a lawyer. Ichigo briefly wondered if they knew each other.

The other guy, was Yasutora "Chad" Sado. Chad was a huge person of Mexican descent. He was about six inches taller than Ichigo, so Ichigo had to raise his arm up high, which looked pretty awkward. Chad was a vet.

Next to Uryu was a guy with brown hair. His cheeks were red and he held up a glass of wine in his hand. Keigo Asano, the former class clown, was a comedian. Ichigo had known Keigo since middle school.

Standing next to Chad was a small guy with blue hair. Even though Mizuiro Kojima looked like a prepubescent boy, he was quite popular with the ladies, including older ones. The real estate agent was a charming fucker.

Ichigo's gaze shifted to a photo of a much younger Ichigo sparring with a girl with boyish hair. The girl, Tatsuki Arisawa, was Ichigo's childhood friend. He hadn't seen Tatsuki in a while since she was always traveling, participating in karate tournaments. Tatsuki was famous now. In fact, she was the strongest woman in Japan. The only times Tatsuki would come back to Karakura was during the holidays or when she offered a few lessons. Last night, Tatsuki posted on Ichigo's Facebook wall that she was visiting him today.

Ichigo looked at another picture. The picture was taken at the house he grew up in. Ichigo was frowning as he watched his father Isshin give his younger sisters, Karin and Yuzu, a giant bear hug. Karin was trying to wrench free from her father's iron grip while Yuzu hugged Isshin back. Karin, the middle child, was a news reporter. Yuzu, who was a year younger, was a chef.

Out of the corner of Ichigo's eye, he saw Toshiro walk into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. His spiky white hair was wet and flat.

"Not going to shower?" Toshiro asked.

"I already did," Ichigo replied.

Toshiro slipped on white jeans and a light blue polo shirt.

"You seem excited," Toshiro said as he plopped onto his bed. He opened up a book and began to read.

Ichigo lay down. "Of course I am." He glanced at Toshiro. "Whatcha' reading?"

Toshiro turned the book to Ichigo's direction. It was titled The Jungle.

"My therapist lent me this," Toshiro said. "He said I was a smart guy so I should read it."

"What's it about?"

"It's disturbing," Toshiro said. "It critiques capitalism by talking about the awful shit workers in the meat packing industry go through. Do I need to go into detail about these conditions?"

"No, you don't."

"It kind of makes me sick to read."

"Then why are you still reading it?"

"OCD, remember?" Toshiro said. "I can't start a book and not finish it."

"Ask your therapist if I can borrow that," Ichigo said. "I'm kind of interested."

"Sure." Toshiro tucked a bookmark into the book and closed it. He carefully placed it on the bedside table and smiled.

"It's time."

Toshiro kissed a young, black haired woman with a round belly. Ichigo's heart pounded as they stood in the common room. His family and friends were probably in the elevator right now. Ichigo wondered how they would react once they reunited. He was pretty sure that Isshin and Yuzu would be crying. While he waited, Ichigo watched Rangiku hug her friends. All her friends were models so Ichigo couldn't help but occasionally glance at their large chests and bottoms.

Suddenly, the bridge of Ichigo's nose got cold. Ichigo turned and dodged an incoming kick just in time. He didn't need to hear the voice to know who it was.

"ICHIGO-AHHH!" Isshin cried as he slammed into the wall.

"What the hell dad?!" Ichigo snapped. "Is that how you greet your sick son?!" Isshin wasn't moving, so Ichigo was sure that the impact knocked him out. Ichigo was about to walk over to Isshin when a bunch of familiar voices called out for him.

"ICHIGO!"

"ICHI-NII!"

A grin spread across Ichigo's face as he turned around. Standing in front of him were Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki, Chad, Keigo, Mizuiro, Uryu, his wife Nemu, and their 2 year old son, Soken.

Yuzu ran up to Ichigo and wrapped her thin arms around him. She cried into his shirt.

"ICHI-NII!" Yuzu sobbed.

Ichigo patted her back and gently pushed her away. "Yuzu, you're 25 years old. Stop acting like you're 5."

"B-But Ichi-nii! You're in a mental hospital!" Yuzu wailed. "And Orihime-chan divorced you!"

Karin grabbed Yuzu's shirt and pulled her away. She smacked her head. "Sometimes, you talk too much." She glanced up at Ichigo while Yuzu rubbed her head and whimpered. "Hey Nii-"

"ICHIGO!" Keigo tackled into Ichigo. Ichigo stumbled back, but managed to keep his balance.

"ICHIGO I'M SO SORRY!" Keigo cried.

Ichigo patted his back. "It's fine, Keigo. It's not your fault." He paused. "How's Midori?"

Midori was Keigo's on-and-off girlfriend. Last time Ichigo checked, Keigo and Midori were dating.

Keigo's lip quivered. "She dumped me on Friday. Said I was too immature for her and we could never have a future together."

"Doesn't she say that all the time?"

"Yeah but this time she meant it!"

Mizuiro stopped beside them and pulled Keigo off. "Mr. Asano, stop being such a drama queen. We're here to have fun, not worry Ichigo."

"Stop addressing me so formally!" Keigo said.

Ichigo smiled. It was nice to see some things never change.

Uryu, Chad, and Tatsuki walked up to them. Nemu trailed behind with Soken in her arms. Ichigo had always wondered what Uryu saw in Nemu. Sure, she was pretty and seemed smart, but she was so…quiet. Ichigo couldn't remember having a single conversation with her. In fact, he couldn't remember Nemu talking to anyone except Uryu.

"Ichigo…" Tatsuki hugged Ichigo. "Ichigo, I'm so sorry."

Ichigo hugged her back. "Don't be."

"You don't understand," Tatsuki said. "I-I could've stopped this from happening."

Ichigo shoved Tatsuki away and grit his teeth. "There was nothing you could've done." He hated seeing people take the blame for something that wasn't their fault.

Tatsuki stared sadly at Ichigo. "Ichigo, I knew Grimmjow."

Ichigo stared blankly at Tatsuki. The gears in his brain seemed to have stopped moving.

"You know how Karakura Elementary has people with different jobs visit the kindergarteners and tell them about their jobs?" Tatsuki asked. "Well, Grimmjow visited Orihime's class to talk about boxing. He called Orihime "pumpkin" cause of her hair color and that pissed her off. The day was already going badly for her so she invited me over that night to rant. Then some guy broke into the house and Grimmjow, who happened to be walking by, saw this and knocked the guy out. Sometime later, I went shopping with Orihime and we bumped into Grimmjow and his friend. After that, Orihime and Grimmjow grew close and hung out with each other a lot." Tatsuki's gaze fell. "I didn't think something was going on between them, and I thought you knew about Grimmjow so I never told you about him. I'm sorry, Ichigo."

Ichigo stared at Tatsuki, unsure what to feel. The first thing he thought was, Grimmjow's a boxer? Huh, that explains the stance he took.

"Tatsuki…" Ichigo began. Tatsuki flinched, as if she was expecting Ichigo to yell at her.

"Is Grimmjow a good person?"

Tatsuki looked up at him, startled. "Huh?"

"Is Grimmjow a good person?" Ichigo repeated.

Tatsuki thought about his question. "Generally."

"Good." Ichigo scratched his head. "It's fine, Tatsuki. I appreciate your honesty." He paused and stepped back to get a decent view of everyone. "Look, I don't want to spend the day hearing all of you apologize. Tell me something happy."

Tatsuki smiled after a moment. A light blush appeared on her face. "Well…"

Ichigo's eyes widened as Tatsuki locked her fingers with Chad's. Chad smiled slightly.

"Oh my fucking god!" Ichigo laughed. "Chad, you finally got the balls to ask her, didn't you?"

Chad had been in love with Tatsuki since high school but never acted on his feelings. The big guy was surprisingly shy. It was more than wonderful to see Chad muster the courage to ask Tatsuki out, and for her to say ''yes.''

"How long?" Ichigo asked.

"Two days," Tatsuki said, beaming.

Ichigo smirked. "Well, try not to beat up Chad too often, 'kay?"

Tatsuki's eye twitched. Ichigo prepared to dodge the punch that was definitely going to come. Her punches were strong enough to create a dent in someone's head. Fortunately, Isshin leaped in between them just as Tatsuki made a fist. Unfortunately, Isshin wrapped his arms around Ichigo so tightly, he couldn't breathe.

"ICHIGO!" Isshin cried. "MY ONLY SON! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH! COME HOME NOW!"

Ichigo's arms ached so badly, they might as well have been broken. Unable to tell his hysterical father to let go, Ichigo gasped for air. For the first time in a while, Ichigo was sincerely concerned that death was just around the corner.

Karin smacked Isshin's head, forcing him to let go of Ichigo. As Ichigo panted, he mentally thanked Karin for saving his life.

"Karin, why'd you hit your poor father so hard?" Isshin whimpered as he rubbed his head.

Karin glared at Isshin. "Ichigo looked like he was going to pass out!"

"I can't help that I missed my boy so much!"

Ichigo half closed his eyes. His lips slowly curved into a smile. Seeing the glow in Tatsuki and Chad's faces as they held hands and Karin scolding Isshin made Ichigo realize how much he missed them. It was as if his friends were physically linked to him and without them around, a part of Ichigo would be missing. Ichigo turned to the one person he hadn't greeted yet.

"Still quiet as always, Uryu?" Ichigo said.

Uryu smirked and pushed up his glasses. "I don't have much to say."

"Bullshit," Ichigo said. "There must be something interesting going on. Are you working on any cases now?"

"Actually, I am," Uryu answered. "You know how that serial killer was arrested? Well, I'm the prosecutor."

The serial killer was a man who called himself As Nödt. Before his arrest, Nödt kidnapped children and crucified them. He was infamous for writing "Fear Rules All" with the victim's blood.

"Is there actually someone defending him?" Ichigo inquired. It seemed strange that anyone would want to defend someone so cruel.

"Some people doubt he's the real As Nödt," Uryu explained. "I could be prosecuting against an innocent man but all the evidence does not favor him."

"Good," Ichigo spat. "Someone like him deserves to rot in hell."

Uryu cleared his throat. "So what about you? Anything interesting happen since you've lived here?"

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot! I need your help."

Uryu sighed. "Of course you do. Who'd you piss off this time?"

Ichigo flushed. "Kuchiki, Byakuya's sister."

Uryu's jaw dropped. Even the calm, stoic Nemu jumped slightly. Uryu groaned and rubbed his face.

"Jesus, Kurosaki. What the hell did you do?"

Ichigo scratched his head. "Well…his sister is a bipolar sex addict-"

"A bipolar sex addict?" Uryu interrupted. "Kuchiki, Byakuya's sister is a sex addict?"

Ichigo waved his arms. "Just shut up and listen. Basically, I won her trust and she opened up to me about her coitus."

Nemu placed a hand over Soken's ear while Uryu grimaced. "Please don't tell me the details."

"Shush. Anyways, I asked her if she was always "like that" and she got mad. She accused me of judging her."

Uryu shrugged. "Well, it does sound judgmental."

"Thanks, Sherlock," Ichigo said sarcastically. He reverted back to his somewhat helpless tone. "I tried to make her understand that I wasn't judging her, that I wanted to be her friend. But she ran off."

Uryu was silent. Ichigo suddenly realized that everyone else was staring at him. They had heard the story. Ichigo's face grew warm. Without warning, Isshin grabbed Ichigo's shirt and punched him.

"What the fuck, dad!" Ichigo wiped his bloody nose and pushed Isshin away.

"Bad Ichigo, bad!" Isshin scolded. "I didn't raise my son to be a stupid dog who can't keep his mouth shut!"

"I wasn't talking to you!" Ichigo snapped.

Keigo licked his lips. "Kuchiki, Byakuya's sister is a sex addict? On a scale of Tatsuki to Orihime, how hot is she?" Mizuiro smacked the back of his head. Tatsuki glowered at Keigo fiercely, causing him to shrink back as he rubbed his head. Ichigo wanted to punch Keigo for that, but he needed to hear Uryu's insight.

Uryu tapped his chin. "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday."

Uryu sighed. "I personally think that you should leave Kuchiki alone for now. What you said was very offensive and she doesn't sound like the most forgiving person. Just give her some space and maybe she'll forgive you."

"Maybe," Ichigo repeated.

Uryu shrugged. "Hey, I don't know what goes through her mind. Maybe she'll forgive you. Maybe she'll decided that you hurt her too much."

Ichigo winced. "I hope to god that the latter doesn't happen."

Uryu stared at Ichigo. "You're really serious about becoming her friend, aren't you?"

Ichigo nodded solemnly. "Rukia is alone. She needs someone."

Uryu smiled. "Don't we all?"

There was a moment of silence, which Ichigo found comforting. Of course, this silence had to be broken and of course the person who ruined the moment was Isshin.

Isshin was bawling. "Oh Ichigo, you're so kind! I'm so proud of you!"

Yuzu, whose eyes were filled with tears, nodded vigorously. "Don't give up, Ichi-nii!"

Isshin and Yuzu cried in each other's arms while Karin scowled, clearly annoyed and embarrassed by the waterworks. Ichigo normally felt the same but at the moment, he didn't mind.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo thought he saw Rukia standing in the hallway. But when he looked out of the common room, she was gone.

Time flies when you're having fun. Oh how true that statement was as Ichigo watched his friends and family leave. An hour had passed but to Ichigo, it felt like minutes.

"We'll see you next Sunday, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called out, waving at Ichigo.

Ichigo waved back and forced himself to smile. He knew he should be glad that he got to see everyone again, and he was, but Ichigo couldn't help but feel…lonely.

"Bye Ichigo!" Mizuiro said.

"Bye! Say hello to Ayame for me!" Ichigo replied. Ayame was Mizuiro's wife. For some reason, she held Ichigo in low regard. The feeling was mutual, though. In Ichigo's opinion, Ayame was too controlling. It was surprising that Ayame allowed Mizuiro to visit in the first place.

Tatsuki suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as the short-haired woman marched up to him. Chad trailed behind.

"What's wrong-?"

"Ichigo," Tatsuki murmured. "I know you're wondering why Orihime cheated on you."

Ichigo's hand twitched. He felt hollow all of a sudden.

When he didn't respond, Tatsuki said, "Of course you are. That was stupid of me to say." Her gaze lowered. "I want you to know that I have no idea why Orihime was unfaithful. I tried talking to her, but she kept pushing me away." Tatsuki looked back up at him, her eyes filled with determination. "But I will not stop until she confesses."

"I won't, either," Chad said. "All of us won't."

Ichigo stared at Chad and Tatsuki. He looked over them. Uryu, Keigo, Mizuiro, his family, and even Nemu smiled at him.

Ichigo smiled back, for real this time.

Tatsuki playfully punched Ichigo's arm. "See ya next week, Strawberry!"

Ichigo laughed. "Hey, you know I hate being called that!"

Everyone said goodbye one last time before walking into the elevator. Toshiro hugged Momo gently while Rangiku blew kisses at her friends.

As Ichigo stood there, he felt a sudden surge of determination.

He was going to find out what went wrong between him and Orihime.

And he was going to win Rukia's forgiveness.