Chapter: 37

The group stood over what remained of Sharif's body. He was nothing more than a pile of bones and melted flesh. Strands of his hair remained, swimming in a puddle of goop, chunks of body parts sticking up like icebergs in the sea.

It was a horrifying sight to watch him deteriorate to such a state. Linnette had to turn away and cry into Rukia's shoulder. Rukia held her and stroked her back as she sniffled and sobbed.

Rukia shared in her sorrow, but seeing such a thing had her worried more for Ichigo. She feared he would suffer a similar fate. This made her more determined than ever to save him. It also made her even more worried.

Veneno stood over Sharif's remains without a word.

Though he hadn't known Sharif for long, his death had an effect on him. He was sad he was gone. He was angry at Yagi. He was worried Ichigo would meet the same end.

Clenching his fists, Veneno threw back his head and screamed at the sky. He had no tears. He couldn't cry. All he could do was bellow, venting his fury and sorrow for all to hear.

His screams caused Linnette's cries to stop and she wiped away her tears.

Veneno stopped to catch his breath and panted unevenly. It was as if he were crying but the tears would not come. His breathing were shaky gasps. Finally he calmed enough to turn back to the group. In his eyes were flames of determination and rage. The rage he had inside he would unleash on Yagi. Until then, he would keep it bottled inside.

He would avenge Sharif and save Ichigo. By killing Yagi he could achieve this and end up saving countless others.

The group shared in his feelings and were more determined than ever.

Though Shinji could no longer stand, he would accompany them. Though Rojuro was in pretty rough shape as well, he would fight until he could no longer move, if that was what it took.

"Let's go," said Rukia.

The others nodded and followed her.

Yagi took one step after another, putting distance between him and the group. There was no sign of them so he felt he had traveled far enough. He glanced down at the wound in his side and put a hand to it. Blood was soaking his perfectly white clothing, but there was a bigger problem of bleeding out. The battle had caused the wound to open further, but thankfully the bleeding had stopped. Just to be on the safe side, he had to treat this as soon as possible.

He took a container from his belt and opened it. Inside was something similar to a liquid bandage. He squeezed the bottle over the wound, sealing it closed. The liquid was clear and fixed to his flesh. It looked as if he had sealed the wound with masking tape. Now he didn't have to worry about it reopening.

He returned the bottle to his belt and looked around to get his barrings.

There was a small forest further ahead of where he stood. A smile crept onto his face. What better place to hide the one he was looking for?

Ichigo looked around for his sisters. They had run off and left him alone in the living room some time ago. Ichigo had built himself a fort out of blankets and pillows. He had grabbed whatever he could to support the blanket draped over the back of the couch and kitchen chairs. It wasn't easy, but it was a lot of fun to build. He grabbed another blanket and threw it over the armchair and dragged the coffee table behind the couch and under one of the blankets so he had a place to put his toys. To keep the blankets from sliding down, he held them in place with heavy books and tucked them into the couch cushions.

Satisfied with his work, Ichigo went off in search of his sisters. He was eager to show off his fort but he couldn't find them anywhere. They weren't in their room and they weren't in his, though they shouldn't have been there to begin with. He checked the bathroom, the hallway, the back yard, and the front yard. Even the clinic. At least he tried. The door was locked.

As he was checking the kitchen, he heard giggling. Thinking they were hiding in one of the cabinets, he opened the doors and checked inside, moving pots and pans aside. They weren't there.

The giggling was coming from the living room. Ichigo went back to his fort only to find that his sisters had already discovered it. Not only that, but they had completely taken it over. They had moved their dolls and stuffed animals and puzzles inside and were laughing.

Ichigo growled in annoyance. All his hard work and now he couldn't enjoy it.

He didn't spend all that time making an awesome fort just for them to come along and take it from him. He made it for himself, not them.

He marched over to the fort, with every intention of making them leave.

"This is great," said Yuzu. "It's so nice in here and there's lots of room for toys."

"And if you open this flap here, you can even watch the TV. And here's the remote! Ichi thought of everything. Everything but snacks."

"I found a pudding cup."

"Great!"

Ichigo was even more upset now. That was the last pudding cup and he was saving it for himself. That's why he had brought it into the fort in the first place. It was his good-job pudding and it would taste better inside the fort. Eating it outside wouldn't be the same. He was going to call it fort-pudding and everything!

"Isn't this great. Karin? It's warm in here, too."

"Yeah. Great place to take a nap, isn't it?"

"And to play. There's enough room for lots of people to come in. I bet mommy would-" Yuzu went silent.

Ichigo's heart sank.

It had been six months since her death. There were still times when they would forget and try to include her in everyday conversations. Once Ichigo had a nightmare and called for her first but she never came. That's when he remembered she would never answer his call. In school, his teacher would tell him to bring something home and show it to his mother and father, which only made him upset. They had a special mother's day celebration at his school and he was the only one there without his mother. No mother to watch him, no mother to share food with him and he tore up the half-made card because he felt it was pointless. He had no one to give it to.

His sisters were in the same boat. They had both joined a kid's club for girls and recently the club had a special mother-daughter sleepover party. Yuzu and Karin stayed home while all the other girls had fun playing with their mothers and eating junk food. Sometimes they would forget and ask after her. Yuzu would wonder if she would have liked what she made that day or would have enjoyed certain movies. Karin would wonder if she would have played soccer with her or done painting.

Every now and then those slip-ups would happen, which would then lead to an uncomfortable silence and the feeling of depression. Often Yuzu would start crying which would then make Karin cry, which she would always fight. Then Ichigo would begin.

Yuzu started sniffling. "It might have been nice... if..."

Ichigo's heart ached. He could feel himself tearing up. He had to fight it. He didn't want to cry. He didn't want his sisters to cry.

He could hear Yuzu fighting to hold it back. If she started...

Ichigo had to get his mind off this sadness. He had to change the subject. He had to get them to cheer up.

"Roar!" Ichigo beat the side of the blanket with his fists. "Roar! I'm a scary monster! This is my fort! Grr! Roar! I've come to take it from you!"

His sisters were quiet for a moment, then Karin spoke up. "We know that's you, Ichigo."

"I don't know this Ichigo of whom you speak. But he sounds super cool and awesome. But he's no match against me! Grr! Grr!"

"Stop it!" yelled Yuzu. "You'll wreck the fort!"

"You mean my fort! This fort is too cool for you girls!"

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

Karin threw one of their toys out the opening but it missed him. "We're not leaving. It's our fort, you dumb monster."

"Oh, yeah? You will defeat me? How? You're just a couple of girls. Girls are too weak to defeat a monster!"

"Oh, it's on now!"

They peeked between the blankets and threw their toys at him. Ichigo ran around the fort growling and stomping his feet. When they ran out of toys to throw, he forced his way into the fort and playfully attacked the two giggling and screaming inside. They pushed him with their tiny hands and beat him with pillows.

"No!" he yelled dramatically. "I cannot be defeated by two girls! No!"

"Get him, Yuzu!" Karin beat Ichigo savagely with a pillow. "That's it! Get him!"

They were all laughing and having a great time. No one remembered their sadness.

They played together and remade the fort when Ichigo tore down one of the walls with his foot, rolling to avoid Karin's swings. They made it even bigger and they all played in it together now that there was peace in their kingdom. Their father even allowed them to eat their dinner in the fort. He had little choice since there were no chairs at the table. In fact, there was no table. The children had dragged it into the living room and used it as part of their expansion. It was great. They even slept in it that night, having a kind of slumber party.

It took two full days but their father finally made them take it down.

A Captains meeting was called and all available Captains arrived at the Head Captain's instruction. The meeting room was very empty compared to the last time they held a meeting. Hitsugaya wanted to attend the meeting but Unohana would not permit him to leave the sickbay with his injuries. While he lay in bed, she attended the meeting and would relay the information back to him after they were dismissed. Two of the three Vizard Captains were also absent from the meeting, still assisting Linnette beyond the walls. Mayuri, who was still working on a cure in his lab, was also not present.

"Might I ask why an attack occurred within the Seireitei and no one bothered to inform me?" asked Byakuya coldly.

"Yeah, what gives?" added Kenpachi. "I'm in the dojo kickin' ass and teaching my Squad members a lesson in strength and no one bothers to come get me? No one tells me that there's an enemy in the Seireitei? Come on! What's up with that?"

"The attack was done quietly," said Soi Fon. "No one knew about it."

"Anyone that did was rendered helpless by that Quincy with the mirror. The other guy killed them all."

"It should have been reported. The Seireitei is large. If something is happening in one single location, it's possible that no one else will know about it unless they are also in that area. My office was too far away so I didn't sense anything," said Byakuya. "If it had been reported, we might have been able to handle the matter quickly and stop the attack. We might have been able to save lives."

"Or added to the count," said Komamura. "My understanding was that the Quincy with the mirror picked off each and every Soul Reaper he found, whether they were attacking or fleeing. Though he left them alive, he rendered them helpless. The other Quincy simply butchered them. Between the two of them, I'd say it's possible that any Soul Reapers left unharmed did not bother reporting it out of fear that the reinforcements would also meet a similar fate."

"It's true," said Unohana. "There were Soul Reapers who did call for aid and anyone who showed up ended up one of two ways. It might have not been reported because someone realized the pattern and thought they were saving lives by not reporting it to a Captain."

"Yeah, I know," said Kensei. "Their objective was to wipe out as many of us as possible. My guess is that they were hoping for us to call for back-up and have a Captain show so they could be defeated."

"But a Captain did arrive. Captain Hitsugaya faced off against one of the Quincies."

"And won."

"You didn't see his injuries. On the surface it didn't appear to be too bad but inside was much worse," said Unohana. "He just barely made it out of there alive."

"And he had the opportunity to call for back-up and report this to the rest of us."

"But he didn't because he was worried that it would result in someone getting killed. He told me so himself," Unohana went on. "He discovered that his Zanpakuto gave him an edge in his fight against the blood-wielder. No one else would stand a chance against him. Anyone who showed up would have ended up getting cut which would have only made the Quincy stronger. So that's why he didn't report it. He didn't want more people coming to his location and getting hurt or worse."

"It should have still been reported," said Byakuya. "Even if it was just a warning to stay away."

"Would any of us have listened?" she asked. "If you heard that we were under attack and should hide, would any of you have done that? I'm certain that we would have all gone rushing to the location ready to fight."

"So it was to help us," said Komamura.

"Or that no one was able to report it, like we said before," said Kensei. "Anyone who tried ended up one of two ways."

"At least the threat was taken care of."

"Not quite," said the Head Captain. "There is still the matter of their leader. Not to mention Kurosaki's condition."

Everyone grew silent.

"I understand that the two Quincies who arrived were here on a mission. That mission was to wipe out as many Soul Reapers as possible. However, they also had plans to use Kurosaki against us as well. I heard that one of the Quincies admitted that they were paving the way for Kurosaki's return to the Seireitei."

"It's true," said Kensei. "I heard it myself. They intend to use Ichigo to attack us while he's not in control of himself. And when Ichigo's time runs out..."

Kensei grit his teeth, knowing Ichigo's fate.

"Ichigo will die."

Everyone looked at Unohana who had spoken those cryptic words.

"That is their intention, correct?" she continued. "I heard it before. The drug they injected him with is a type of poison. It will kill him. Basically, we're left with two choices. We can either let Ichigo rampage until his time runs out and dies a horrible death... or we kill him ourselves and save him further pain while also saving ourselves."

"Yes, that still stands to reason," said Soi Fon.

"And Ichigo is getting closer to the Seireitei by the second. Those Quincies even mentioned it. They were here to prepare for him, I think."

"There were many reasons for them being here."

Then the Head Captain turned his attention towards Kensei. "You were the last one to speak with Captain Kurotsuchi on the matter. Has he made any progress?"

Kensei was afraid to answer, knowing it would condemn Ichigo to death. Even if he said Mayuri was close, which he wasn't, Yamamoto wanted a yes or no answer. Kensei had to answer with a single word and that word would seal Ichigo's fate.

"Well?"

Kensei gulped. "No, Head Captain. Captain Kurotsuchi has not yet come up with a cure."

"I see."

"But he's still devising one. It's only a matter of time."

"Time that we do not have," said Soi Fon. "I don't know how much longer we can wait for him."

"We can't. That's the truth of it," said Byakuya.

"He is right," said the Head Captain. "We've run out of time. There's rumor that Kurosaki will not last the day anyway. And once he arrives, he will not stop unless he is stopped."

Everyone knew what he meant. Ichigo would not be able to control himself. The only way to stop him was to use force. Otherwise, his rampage would only end when his time ran out.

Either they waited until he died from the poison or they would end his life themselves. Those were their only options. Options they've known for some time and hoped for another.

There was no other way.

"I am sorry."

The Head Captain made up his mind. He weighed the options and made the call.

"I hereby order Ichigo Kurosaki's execution. If he is still in Hollow form and beyond reason, kill him. If no cure is found or made, end his life. It is the merciful thing to do. It will spare him further pain and save countless lives."

Kensei kept his mouth shut. He wanted to scream. He wanted to yell at the Head Captain and tell him to wait just a little longer. He wanted to plead with him, but his voice was gone. His hands were shaking and his heart was aching but he could not make a sound. He was paralyzed.

Even if he could find his voice, it didn't matter. They had run out of time. Not only that, but Mayuri wasn't close to finding a cure. In truth, everyone feared that by the time he did find one it would have been too late for Ichigo.

Was this really their only choice? Was this the right thing to do?

Ichigo was in agony. He was on a rampage. His body was breaking.

Maybe it was right to end his suffering.

In doing so, they would spare him further pain and save lives.

Killing Ichigo was exactly what the enemy wanted. They were doing as the Quincy wished from the very beginning. This wasn't right. They were playing right into his hands.

What other choice did they have?

"Don't die, Ichigo. Please. I couldn't bear it."

Ichigo opened his eyes. He felt his body behind carried away by a current. He lifted his head with great difficulty and saw the rising water pulling his body like an ocean wave. He was in his Inner World again. Which meant everything he had just heard was in his mind. More memories.

He didn't know how long he had been out this time, but it was long enough to show him many visions of his past. During that time, he had flashed back to when he had first met Rukia and gave him his Soul Reaper powers, rescued her from her execution, and heard Orihime pleading for him not to die as he battled Grimmjow. Moments from his past that had an impact on him and his life, however small. They were meaningful moments.

Then he had a memory that seemed very insignificant. He was at school, hanging out with his friends. Talking. Just talking. It was just before class and they were gathered together. Nothing happened. No danger, no Hollows, no fights and no discussion of such things. They were just being normal teenagers, talking about normal things. It was nothing important.

So why would he remember such a thing? Come to think of it, most of the memories he was revisiting were of simple things. Getting a snack from his mother, his father caring for him when he was sick. All simple things. Only recently had he started seeing clips from his battle history.

Why was this happening? Why was he seeing the things he was in such an order? It wasn't every single moment in his life. Just a few clips. Why were such things so important? Why was he seeing them?

Then he remembered another moment. A moment that impacted him for the rest of his life. A moment he would never forget.

It was just a moment. A fragment of his past. He could identify the exact moment with just his tone of voice and the word he spoke.

"Mom? Mom?"

It was raining.

She was on top of him.

"Mom?"

She wasn't moving.

He was scared.

Ichigo's heart ached. He would always remember that moment. He would always feel guilty. No matter how many times he was told it wasn't his fault. No matter how many people said it. He would always feel guilty.

He shut his eyes tight, the pain coming back. Not from his current situation, but from the pain of his past.

If only he hadn't run off as he did. If only he could see it was a trick. If only he hadn't put her in danger.

"It's my fault."

Ichigo realized he wasn't the one who had said it. It was another memory. It was Cedric's voice. He had spoken those words when Linnette was in peril. When he and Victor had failed to protect her.

Ichigo had told them both it wasn't their fault, but they felt guilty no matter what he said. Just as Ichigo felt when his mother died. Everyone told him the same thing he had told Victor and Cedric. It was the same.

"That's why it effected me," Ichigo said aloud. "It was a combination of things, but that's one of them. Why didn't I see if before? The way they felt... It was the same way I felt that day. The guilt. The pain."

In a way, it was like looking at a piece of himself.

The fear of losing Linnette, the reality of losing his mother...

Ichigo shut his eyes tight again. He had so many feelings and memories to process. He kept wondering why he was seeing what he was seeing. What the meaning was behind it all. He must have been seeing these things for a reason. The fever must have been effecting his mind to some extent, but he wasn't sure that's all this was. These weren't fever dreams. These were real memories. His memories.

He could hear his friends calling out to him, in play, in danger and in worry. He could see their faces. Smiling, screaming, crying. Laughing.

Ichigo looked back at the crumbling buildings. Everything was shattering around him.

He clenched his fists. "The hell with this." Ichigo tried to pull himself into a sitting position. It was too difficult to do on his back. He rolled over onto his stomach. Spitting out water, he pushed himself up onto his knees. He physically crawled through the water, inch by inch.

"What the hell are you doing, King?"

"I can't just sit around and do nothing."

"It's not like you're in any shape to do anything."

"Shut up." He wasn't done yet. There was no way he was giving up.

He knew now why he was seeing those visions of the past. Why he was seeing those memories in particular. There was meaning behind it.

All those people he loved, all the ones he cared about. All those lives linked to his. People who were counting on him and people he was depending on as well. They gave him a reason to keep going. Why he had to stay strong. Why he couldn't give up. He had to protect them.

Yagi.

That was another reason why he was seeing those memories.

"I'm not going to let him win. He thinks he can just do whatever the hell he wants. I've got news for him. He can't. He thinks he's won. He thinks I can't fight back. He wants to use people. Use me. I won't let him!"

His white doppelganger lifted his head slightly to look at him. "In the state we're in... You know we won't last much longer. I know what the Quincy said was true. The more we fight back, the less time we've got. The weaker we'll become."

Every time Ichigo lost consciousness, his body would be put into a state of rest. When he resisted the transformation, he would lose strength, causing him to pass out. It was a no-win situation. If he rested, that Hollow would take over. If he fought back, it would put tremendous strain on his body, weakening him. If he didn't fight back, he would last longer.

However, simply being in that Hollow state was destroying his body. Resisting or not, what it came down to was what was going to kill him faster. He was going to die either way, but the difference rested upon how quickly it would happen if he resisted or not.

Ichigo could feel his body giving out on him. He knew how bad it was. He knew resisting would kill him faster, but even when he did nothing he was going to die from this serum.

At this point, he just didn't want to go down without a fight. If he was going to die anyway, he was going to go down swinging. He no longer cared about lasting a while longer to be cured. Now he just wanted to last long enough to defeat Yagi.

"I'm not giving up. I'm not going to lie here and let this happen. Let him get his way. If he wants me dead, then he's going to accept the fact that I'm taking him with me. I'm not going down without a fight. I'm taking him down. I'm going to give Yagi one hell of a fight. He thinks I'm weak like this and can't do anything. I'll show him how wrong he is. I just want to last long enough to fight him one last time."

His Hollow watched him with curious eyes. He could see Ichigo's body was shaking. He could barely crawl, let alone stand. Ichigo was determined to fight one last battle. He wanted to spend however long he had left fighting.

"I guess I could help you out, King."

If they put all the energy they had left into one final attack, Ichigo may have a chance. Using everything they had left, Ichigo would be able to stand. However long he could last was up to his body. Eventually, it was going to give out, even with all the determination in the world. That was just how it was. Until that happened, though, Ichigo would fight. Fight with everything he had left.

"You do realize, King, that if we do this... there is no coming back. This will be the last time."

This was the final attack. There was no more passing out and resting just enough to regain consciousness for a few minutes in excruciating pain. They were using everything they had. Which meant, when this energy was gone, it was over. The next time Ichigo passed out, he would not wake up. Everything had to be done in this final round. There were no more chances.

The next time he lost consciousness, the Hollow would have complete control up until the moment he died. That was the reality. Once this energy was gone, it was gone. Ichigo would not be coming back.

It was something Ichigo was already aware of and accepted. He knew this.

"Yeah. I know. But I'm doing it anyway."

His Hollow smiled weakly. "Then let's give him hell. One last time."

Ichigo opened his eyes and saw Yagi standing over him with his weapon held high.

Thinking fast, Ichigo rolled out of the way of Yagi's Seele Schneider and into a crouching position. He felt something in his hand and looked down. He was still holding onto his Zanpakuto. Unconsciously or consciously, he wanted to fight.

Yagi faced him with a look of annoyance. He had run out of patience.

Feeling some strength return to his body, Ichigo stood.

"This would have been so much easier had you just given in some time ago. I never thought you could last this long."

Ichigo lifted his sword and prepared to attack. "Go to hell."

"Not before you."

That was all the encouragement he needed to move forward. He was fighting for his life and the lives of others. He was fighting to stop Yagi once and for all.

"Hyah!" Ichigo swung sideways at Yagi who blocked. Ichigo kept pushing and their weapons were forced apart. He swung again and Yagi blocked. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo swung again. No matter what, he had to win.

"Just give up already," Yagi told him. "It's pointless."

"It's not pointless!"

"You're killing yourself."

"I don't care!"

"I don't understand why a person would put themselves through this. It doesn't make sense." Yagi pushed Ichigo back. "What good would killing me do anyway? You're going to die no matter if I live or die. Is this a revenge thing?"

"It's everything!" Ichigo yelled and swung at Yagi's chest.

"You're a fool."

Yelling, Ichigo threw Yagi backwards into a tree. Ichigo took a step back and swung. "Getsuga Tensho!"

Yagi disappeared and the trees were obliterated. There was a huge gap in the forest from his swing. Some tree trunks were reduced to half their size and started to tumble under their own weight and lack of balance. Yagi was not among them.

Ichigo braced himself against his sword, panting heavily. Using that attack had weakened him. Now he knew not to use it too often. As powerful as it was, he didn't want to weaken himself further by overusing it. He needed every ounce of strength he had.

"Rah!"

Ichigo spun around and blocked the attack coming at his back. Yagi pressed hard against Ichigo's sword with his Seele Schneider. Ichigo put everything he had into his sword and through sheer power, he split Yagi's weapon in two.

Yagi jumped back and watched his weapon crumble. He sneered at Ichigo and drew another from his belt.

They collided with each other and the force created a massive gust of wind that bent the trees away from them. The two broke apart and came at each other again.

"I don't understand you," said Yagi. "Why won't you give up? Why are you putting yourself through this?"

"I have too many people depending on me," answered Ichigo. "I have to protect them."

"Let them fight for themselves. You can't do everything for them."

"I know that! But... But I can't let them fight alone! Not without me!" Ichigo pushed Yagi back. "They're all fighting for my sake. I can't let them do that. Not alone. This is my fight, too."

"You have foolish reasons." Yagi kicked Ichigo in the stomach, successfully pushing him back. "I think I see why you're so willing to fight. You're guilty. You know this whole thing is your fault. You got yourself into this mess."

"That's not the reason!"

Yagi swung his weapon down over his head and Ichigo blocked. Their weapons sent sparks into the air. Ichigo braced his sword with both hands, holding it up over his head as Yagi tried to slice down.

"You brought this on yourself," Yagi told him. "If you hadn't tried to save that stupid girl, you wouldn't be in this mess. I know you explained that you did it for others as well, but that just proves your foolishness. You should have let them die and saved yourself all this trouble."

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt my friends!"

"Even at risk to yourself?"

"Of course!

"Fool!" Yagi snapped. "Don't you see that you could have avoided all this if you hadn't come to me? I knew you would come to try to save that girl... I know that's how you are, but I still don't understand why. Why would you be that foolish?"

Ichigo remembered. "It's the same reason your parents did what they did for you."

Yagi stopped pressing down on him with his weapon. Then after a moment, he started pressing again, harder.

"They were fools, too. I still don't understand that." Yagi pressed down harder, a cracking sound slowly beginning to rise up from their weapons. "It wasn't necessary. We could have all escaped through that door to the outside. Why would they foolishly offer to stay behind while I left alone?"

"Because they knew if they had all gone, they would have been noticed."

"I know that!" Yagi snapped at him. "What I don't understand is why they chose to stay and have me leave. The smart choice would have been to leave me behind and have the Hollows get me while they fled to safety. That's what I don't understand!"

Ichigo couldn't believe this man. Did he really not understand the reason why?

"It's because they loved you," Ichigo told him. "They wanted you to live because you meant so much to them. They felt you were worth that sacrifice. They cared that much about you."

"It's a stupid reason!" Yagi bellowed. "It doesn't make sense! Why die and let another live? It doesn't follow logic! I was a child. They could have had more children. What made me so special? A child is a child. They could have gotten away and had another child. They didn't have to die."

Ichigo couldn't believe this was how Yagi thought.

"It's the Soul Reapers' fault anyway. If they had shown up to help like they were supposed to, they wouldn't have had to die! So the fault is really theirs! No one would have had to die if they had shown up to help!"

Yagi pressed so hard that his new weapon snapped like the first one. He kicked Ichigo in the face and chased after him as he fell back. He kicked Ichigo again and stood over him as he lay on his back.

"You want to know why I hate Soul Reapers that much? That's why! They never came! They left us there to die! Why are you loyal to them? Why are you one of them?"

Ichigo frowned. "You're so mad at them for leaving you behind? Aren't you doing the same thing to your own men? You used one as a freaking shield! You're no better than them in that case!"

"I may not know why the Soul Reapers left us there to die other than the fact that they only cater to their own kind. I don't kill people for fun. It's strategic. My parents still had some fight in them. The people I leave to die can no longer serve me. Or I'm in danger and need someone to take the hit for me. The only thing that matters is that I'm alive. That's what's most important."

"So you're own parents die to protect you and you get nothing from that?"

"All I learned was that they were foolish. Had I been in their place, I would have let them die. That's why when they told me to escape, I did... And never tried to help them. I watched the Hollows tear them apart. The only other thing I might have learned that day was that my life was more important than anything else. Something I keep with me to this very day."

"That wasn't the reason for their sacrifice!" yelled Ichigo. "They did it because they loved you. Don't you understand anything about bonds or people or friendship and love?"

"It is foolish!" Yagi fired an arrow past Ichigo's head. "I can never understand such a thing. Why throw your life away for someone else? It's better to live! Anyone who does that... Anyone who willingly throws their life away and dies is a foolish moron who didn't deserve to live in the first place! They got what the deserved!"

Ichigo's mother flashed before his eyes. He remembered his mother's smile.

Ichigo's body was surfing with energy. He sprang forward and punched Yagi as hard as he could in the face. He couldn't stand anyone talking that way. Yagi not only insulted his own parents but he had insulted Ichigo's mother. No matter how long she had been gone, he still loved her with all his heart. She was no fool. She didn't deserve that. He wasn't going to allow Yagi to talk that way about her.

Yagi was hit so hard, his body flew backwards and fell into a bush. Yagi grabbed his jaw and rubbed it. He looked in Ichigo's direction and glared.

Ichigo was so worked up, he was shaking. He stood tall and took several deep breaths trying to calm himself. He was so angry.

Yagi climbed out of the bush and growled at him. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you go so far for them? Can't you make more friends? What are they to you? What makes them so special?"

Ichigo didn't know how to answer.

"Never mind. Whatever you tell me will just be more nonsense. You'll just be repeating yourself, I'm sure of it." Yagi sighed. "But you doing this to yourself... It's astounding. You do realize that you wouldn't be in so much pain if you had given up a long time ago, don't you? But instead, you fight back and try to maintain your form even though it's killing you."

All this time, Ichigo never stopped fighting.

"It makes no sense to me. Why would anyone put themselves through it? Just to keep yourself from hurting others? It's foolish. I don't know why you fight as you do. My reasons make sense. Yours... Why do you care so much? Why are they so important? A person is a person. Can't you find others? Why are you willing to go through so much for them and their sake?"

Ichigo opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Instead, he remembered.

The first time he met Chad and when they became friends. The gold coin his grandfather gave to him. It meant nothing to Ichigo but it meant so much to Chad. That was why he fought to protect it and return it to him. Choosing to fight for others. That was what they agreed to do.

Ichigo remembered losing his mother. How she tried to protect him. He lived but he lost her. He wanted to protect others for the same reason she wanted to protect him, and to make sure he never lost anyone ever again. He would become strong for them. He would be a protector.

He remembered two years ago standing on Linnette's porch stargazing. He remembered seeing her looking up at the sky and remembered that Victor was watching her.

That was love.

He remembered Veneno being so afraid. Then he found a home. He got to live. Ichigo remembered how he tried to help Veneno and how he cared about him. He still did. They were friends. As friends, he wanted Veneno to be happy. He wanted to help him.

Now Veneno was returning the favor. He was fighting as hard as he could for Ichigo because they were friends. He didn't want to lose Ichigo anymore than he wanted to lose him or any of his friends.

"Forget it," said Yagi. "It's a waste of time. A fool will always do foolish things."

Ichigo gasped seeing Yagi flash away and reappear in front of him. Yagi back-handed Ichigo across the face and the blow caused Ichigo to spin halfway around and drop to one knee. Suddenly he became aware of his weakened state and knew he couldn't drag this fight out. He had to stop Yagi quickly before his body gave out on him.

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