A/N: If you were previously subscribed to this story, I recommend that you restart. I've re-written iris! The first two chapters have an extra 10,000 words of content spread out over four chapters. The last half of chapter four is completely new!
"You really need to talk with Uryu," Tatsuki said. She still had that bruise on her forehead, though it was yellow with age. The gashes on her side were now just long scratches, though they were an angry red. Tatsuki complained that she was sore, but she wasn't hurt.
A week had passed since Sora, and it was a new weekend. Tatsuki would normally be with Inoue, but Inoue had asked to be alone, at least for a night. Ichigo was intimately aware with how grief affected people differently, so they were perfectly willing to let her do so.
And a week was also a long time to go with just emergency wards. Ichigo had layered them over each other as the week passed, as well as some generic protection, but it wasn't the same as the old ones. They'd have to be made from scratch.
Ichigo sighed and looked up from his homework. Tatsuki twirled her pencil in her fingers. "Yeah, I know. I was planning on talking to him tomorrow." Tomorrow was Sunday, so that would be the best time to track Uryu down and to sit on him so he couldn't escape.
Tatsuki frowned. "You sure? Maybe go see him tonight. That way he has tomorrow to deal with it."
Ichigo thought about it. Uryu liked to show the rest of the world that he was pretty much unflappable. Unfortunately for him, Ichigo and Tatsuki knew how much effort that actually took. "Yeah, that does sound better. I'm worried he'll run away from me though."
Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. You both have been through too much shit together to do that."
"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. Tatsuki would know. She had been there right alongside them both. "He has been avoiding Rukia though."
"And she's been attacked to you like a limpet," Tatsuki said. She frowned. "I know it's just your spirit leaving your body, but it is not fun to watch you collapse like that."
"It's not fun for me either," Ichigo said. He ended up with bruises that he didn't need because of it. Also… "But I do want to talk to Uryu about making myself visible to you."
Tatsuki blinked and then grinned. "Oh, yeah. You make Naomi visible whenever we visit. It'd be interesting to see you as a spirit. Especially with that sword you keep complaining about."
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah. And then you get to see me swing it around like an oversized baseball bat."
"Why do shinigami get swords anyways?" Tatsuki asked. She still smirked at him for providing that image to her. Asshole. "It sounds cool, but…"
"I have no idea," Ichigo said, shrugging. "But it's annoying. I don't mind learning zanjutsu, really. It would have been nice to have a bow though."
"Pretty sure it couldn't have been a bow," Tatsuki pointed out, "Uryu was always insistent that Quincy are the only people with spiritual energy that used bows."
"At least those that aren't miko," Ichigo added, amused.
Uryu had meant that Quincy were the only group of people that used bows an arrows- at least that one that were large enough to be qualified as a separate entity, at least. They had, after all, met several miko and priests that used bows as well. In fact, it was a miko that had suggested that Ichigo use a physical bow if he didn't have the time to make one out of spiritual energy during a fight.
It also meant that Uryu had known about shinigami for a long while. And that was something that Ichigo refused to let Uryu keep a secret. Not from them.
"Yeah," Tatsuki said, also amused. "You'd best call Uryu. He's probably worried about you."
"I'm worried about him," Ichigo sighed. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Uryu. "You good with keeping Rukia busy?" he asked.
"Of course," Tatsuki said. "Make sure to bring your bow, yeah? It's been a couple of fights where you've been shit out of luck because you forgot it."
"I know," Ichigo muttered, "It feels like I've been forced into more situations that need my bow than I have been."
Tatsuki frowned. "Like, ever since Rukia got here, things have been crazy?"
"Yeah," Ichigo said. It couldn't be the spiritual energy aspect, either. "It's only been a week, but…"
"Keep track," Tatsuki said. "Two incidents isn't enough to make a theory."
"Okay," Ichigo agreed.
His phone vibrated. At the apartment.
That meant the small flat that Uryu had a lease on. Uryu still had his room at Uncle Ryuken's place, but the apartment was where they all went when they needed their privacy. Ichigo should have honestly expected that Uryu would be there.
On my way. Ichigo replied.
"You going now?" Tatsuki asked.
"Yeah," Ichigo said. He packed an overnight bag, and grabbed his homework and his laptop. He slipped his bow over his shoulder. The twins had a small roof at their window, so that's where Ichigo would sneak out.
And why did it get to the point that Ichigo had to sneak out of his own home?
"Good," Tatsuki said. "I'll go keep Rukia busy. Good luck."
"Thanks," Ichigo said.
It was easy to climb onto the low-hanging roof and wait for Tatsuki's signal. Rukia was downstairs, which was why Ichigo was able to grab his stuff. Tatsuki just needed to make Rukia look away from the windows and doors.
It didn't take long. Tatsuki was good at what she did, and her personality was enough that Rukia had decided to keep an eye on her whenever they were together. Ichigo dropped to the round and rolled to the side. He crouched there for a second to make sure that no one would look outside.
Ichigo walked away still crouching. With his bow strung over his shoulder, he felt calmer than he had in the past week. Because with a bow, Ichigo was assured of his ability. He felt like he could actually take care of himself, in a skilled manner.
There really was nothing like being smacked into walls to remind him that for as strong as he was, Ichigo was not the best there was. It was unfortunate that Uncle Ryuken didn't still teach them. Uncle Ryuken could have taken care of that himself. He was the best at that.
As soon as Ichigo was out of the way of any sight lines from the house, he broke out in a brisk jog. It wasn't too long to the apartment. Uryu had chosen the apartment for its location between everyone's homes.
Uryu had long since given Ichigo and Tatsuki their own keys. Uryu hadn't given Chad and Inoue their own yet, but those two had yet to ask, either. Ichigo figured it was only a matter of time, really.
"Oi, Uryu!" Ichigo called when he shut the door behind him. He dropped his bag on the couch. Ichigo wasn't afraid of being loud here, because one of the first things they had put up were privacy wards. No one needed to hear Ichigo blow himself up trying to form a bow.
"In here," Uryu replied from the far back room.
The apartment was two-bedroom, and only the back one was used as an actual place to sleep. The other room was used as one giant closet and storage area. They tended to do any homework and other stuff in the living room at the low table.
Ichigo went to the bedroom. Uryu was sitting on a cushion, leaned against the wall. Instead of his usual sewing, Uryu was knitting. It was a scarf, from what Ichigo could see of it, in purples and grays.
"Hey," Ichigo said softly. He placed his bow on the stand near the bedroom door. "You okay?"
Uryu only ever knit when he was thinking too hard to sew properly, and therefore didn't trust himself with a needle. He occasionally did commissions, but this definitely wasn't one of those. The last time Ichigo had seen Uryu knit was after their cat had just died.
"I'm fine," Uryu said. He didn't look up from his knitting. Wow. Barely even tried, Uryu.
Ichigo sighed and kneeled next to him. Slowly, so that Uryu could stop him if he wanted to, Ichigo gently pulled the knitting needles and yarn away from Uryu's hands and set them aside. And then Ichigo grabbed Uryu's hands because that was the only way to get Uryu to focus on him ever since they were small.
"You are really worked up about Rukia," Ichigo said. He let go of Uryu's hands and sat next to him.
"Your powers of observation astound me," Uryu said after a long moment. Ichigo relaxed when he heard that familiar dry tone. That meant for all that Uryu was upset, it wasn't something that needed a full family intervention. Full family interventions tended to get awkward.
"Bastard," Ichigo said fondly.
"You came here to talk," Uryu said pointedly.
Ichigo sighed. "Yeah. About shinigami."
Uryu snorted. "I guessed."
Ichigo elbowed him in the side. "Bastard," he repeated, a little less fondly. Only a little, though. "You knew about shinigami a long time ago. Where? And why do you hate them?"
Why didn't you tell me? Ichigo thought, but didn't ask. He'd be lying to himself if he learned that Uryu didn't tell him something important like this didn't hurt. Just a little bit. But there had to be a reason.
Uryu sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That is a… long story."
"No shit," Ichigo agreed wryly, "But you've kept it a secret this long. Even from me. I'd like to know before I get any further into this thing from Rukia."
"She basically kidnapped you," Uryu muttered. Ichigo blinked at the unexpected sheer bitterness in his tone.
"Um, yeah," Ichigo agreed. Because how else could they explain how he interacted with Rukia? "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to stay with you."
"That's right," Uryu said, and smiled. It was a small smile, but Ichigo would take things where he could.
"So," Ichigo started, returning back to the elephant in the room. "Something happened. You hate shinigami. But that's not much of a story."
Ichigo waited. Uryu was silent, but it wasn't because Uryu didn't want to tell Ichigo. He could tell the difference between Uryu's thinking silences and his stubborn silences. This was one of the former.
After a couple of minutes, Uryu sighed, long and loud. "I learned about shinigami from Grandfather," Uryu said.
What?
Ichigo grabbed Uryu's hands out of sheer reflex. He had accidentally trained himself to do so whenever Grandpa was mentioned. No wonder Uryu had been knitting. It was around Grandpa's death that Uryu started knitting to keep his hands busy.
Ichigo had met Ishida Soken a few times when he was younger, but they were always brief meetings. He knew that Grandpa started teaching Uryu after Uncle Ryuken stopped teaching them anything. But since Ichigo's mother was his main teacher, Ichigo had never spoken to the elder Quincy about training.
Grandpa had been kind, and an efficient teacher, but that was all Ichigo really knew about him.
That means Mom knew about shinigami too. The thought came to Ichigo unbidden, and he paused. Then he decided to ignore it for now. The idea of his mother keeping secrets hurt, but Uryu was more important right now. Ichigo could deal with his own problems later.
"What did he tell you?" Ichigo asked.
Uryu didn't speak for a moment. "What did Kuchiki-san tell you about shinigami?" he asked instead.
Ichigo frowned at the new direction, but thought about it. Uryu was leading him somewhere. "She said that they were in charge of keeping balance. They helped lingering spirits move on and purified hollows. Though I don't understand how purifying hollows is different than just killing them."
"Quincy don't purify them. We don't send them on. We just kill them," Uryu said quietly.
Ichigo stopped. "What?"
Uryu sighed and rubbed his tempo. "That is what Grandfather said. It's why the Quincy were slaughtered."
"Slaughtered?" Ichigo managed. Because Mom had taught him their history. There had been a decline in Quincy being born in the past century. But Mom didn't say anything about them being slaughtered.
"Yeah," Uryu agreed. He smiled wryly. "It happened a couple of centuries ago, I think. Our families are some of the last Quincy families that are still alive. It's why Father and Aunt were engaged when they were our age."
Ichigo still thought that was weird. Mom had always cheerfully treated Uncle Ryuken like her brother. Bringing up their previous engagement was about the only time Ichigo ever saw his uncle looking completely exasperated at something.
"I may not be fond of your father, but at least Masaki's relationship with him meant that we did not have to get married," Uncle Ryuken said the last time Ichigo had brought it up.
Mom and her sheer exuberance as also the reason that Uncle Ryuken was never surprised by anything Ichigo ever did. If he didn't know him as well as he did, Ichigo would mistake that quiet fondness as irritation.
"That still doesn't explain why you jumped straight to attempted murder," Ichigo pointed out.
Because in the past few days, Ichigo had learned that shinigami were organized enough to have a structure of command. And a structure of command implied military, with the way Rukia went on. If Uryu did kill Rukia, there was no doubt that other shinigami would have come to kill them back just as hard.
"Because I was there when Grandfather was killed," Uryu said quietly.
Ichigo squeezed Uryu's hand, and leaned into his shoulder. Ichigo knew that Uryu was there when Grandpa died. Ichigo and Tatsuki were the ones to deal with the aftermath of that, because Uncle Ryuken wasn't going to. This was the first time that Uryu mentioned that Grandpa was killed though. Before, it had always been when he died.
"What happened?" Ichigo asked. He'd have to tell Tatsuki later. She needed to know, especially if Uryu was bringing up memories of Grandpa.
"Grandfather was teaching me how to make a bow," Uryu said. He stared at the far wall as he remembered. "But there were hollows. Grandfather told me to hide and that he would hold them off until the shinigami got there."
They never did, obviously. Ichigo grabbed Uryu's hand tighter.
"There's more," Ichigo said. Because if the shinigami just didn't make it in time to save Grandpa, Uryu would be angry, but not furious. Uryu would blame all shinigami, but not hate them on sight. At least not to attempt murder.
"Oh, they got there on time," Uryu said. He smirked as if it were funny. "They just didn't come out until after Grandfather had died."
"Shit," Ichigo muttered. There really wasn't much that he could say to that. Uryu smirked at him, this time with honest amusement. It still felt hollow.
Ichigo closed his eyes and forcible detached himself from the situation. He wasn't going anywhere, so comforting Uryu would happen in a few minutes. There was- something felt wrong with the story. Not on Uryu's part, nor the obvious. It was because-
"Rukia stepped between a stranger and a hollow to protect them," Ichigo murmured as he thought it through. Part of it was because Rukia had an almost casual disregard for her own safety. Most of it was because Rukia was proud to be a shinigami, and the way she acted made it seem like that was the proper thing for a shinigami to do.
"One shinigami doesn't change what they did, Ichigo," Uryu said.
"Two," Ichigo replied.
Because Ichigo decided, just now. He was shinigami, regardless of how it happened. Ichigo would follow through with this. He would have to figure out whether or not he'd be able to keep his zanpakuto after Rukia regained her power. But Ichigo would continue the work he was doing.
Ichigo liked being able to send lingering spirits on. He liked having the guarantee that killing hollows wouldn't destroy them permanently, even if that was new information.
It was something that Ichigo had been thinking about since he helped Inoue Sora pass on. It wasn't until now that Ichigo figured everything out though. Because Ichigo was Quincy, and now he was a shinigami. There were things he could do that he wouldn't be able to if he were just one or the other.
Uryu squeezed Ichigo's hand in return. The grip was almost painful. Then Uryu let out a breath that was both amused and exasperated.
"You aren't giving this up," Uryu stated.
"No," Ichigo agreed.
Maybe with Ichigo as a shinigami, Uryu would also try not to kill Rukia again. Not to mention that Uryu would be interested in testing Ichigo's new abilities. Quincy and shinigami had different power sets after all, though there were some parallels that Ichigo could draw.
There was also the fact that Rukia had no idea what Quincy were. Shinigami were structured enough to send shinigami on missions and assign them to divisions. That spoke of government and there was no way that every single shinigami knew what went on. Ichigo sure as hell didn't know everything that went on in the Japanese government. But maybe, as a shinigami, Ichigo could find out.
Maybe he'd learn about what happened to Grandpa.
Uryu sighed heavily and looked resigned to the situation. Well, Ichigo was Kurosaki. They tended to inspire those sorts of feelings in others. Even other Kurosaki. It was a gift, apparently.
"Fine," Uryu said shortly. "I don't like shinigami, and I never will. But if you're going to be doing this, that leaves me no choice. I am going to make you the best damn shinigami there is."
Ichigo started at Uryu. That was. Well, then. Maybe Ichigo could change his mind?
Uryu smirked. "You don't get a choice, Ichigo."
Ichigo stared. And sighed. And then Ichigo thought about it, and smiled. "This means that you have to take sword lessons too," he said. Because Rukia said that every shinigami had a zanpakuto.
Uryu stiffened. "No. Absolutely not."
"Nope. You are going to learn," Ichigo said brightly. He shook his head. "It'll be good for you. Besides, if I have to learn, then so do you."
"No," Uryu said flatly.
"Sorry! It's already been decided. You are learning how to use a sword." Ichigo said cheerfully. "You and Rukia will just have to deal with it."
"I said no, Ichigo," Uryu said.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. What did you say? Oh, you said that you want to learn how to use a sword? Well, why didn't you just say so, Uryu! I'd have loved having you around since we first started," Ichigo said.
Ichigo was absolutely delighted when Uryu turned a truly fearsome scowl in his direction. Ha. Much better than before.
"I hate you," Uryu said.
"I love you too," Ichigo returned. He smiled cheerfully. Yuzu did the exact same thing when she knew she had won an argument. And Yuzu had to learn that from somewhere. Ichigo recalled the day she passed him in skill with both pride and fondness.
And yeah, okay, Uryu would put Ichigo through hell as they trained. He always did, and he always had fun doing so. At least this way Uryu learned something new, and had something to distract himself with. Besides, Ichigo felt weird learning a new skill without Uryu around.
Ichigo still made sure that he was holding Uryu's hand though.
"Ichigo, Uryu, you guys here?" Tatsuki called the next morning. "I have breakfast from Yuzu!"
Ichigo blinked away slowly. Uryu did the same next to him. They were curled up in bed facing each other. Ichigo was wrapped in a duvet and Uryu had somehow gotten tangled in both a blanket and the bed sheets.
Ichigo groaned and looked at the clock. It was… only ten in the morning. Well, technically they slept in, but that didn't mean that Ichigo felt more awake than he normally did. Ichigo and Uryu did stay up pretty late talking.
"How late were you guys up anyways?" Tatsuki asked when she found them. She sounded amused. Ichigo managed to not flip her off, though it was a close thing. Tatsuki sighed and crawled into bed next to Uryu.
"Morning," Ichigo yawned. Tatsuki wouldn't go away until they were both awake. "How are Yuzu and Karin?"
"The twins are fine. They understood why you left without a goodbye," Tatsuki said, "Rukia was irritated that you left without warning, but she didn't raise a fuss. I think Yuzu got to her."
"That's good," Ichigo said.
"So," Tatsuki started, "Did you manage to convince Uryu to take sword lessons with us?" Ichigo couldn't see her through Uryu but he definitely could imaging her shit eating grin.
"Yeah," Ichigo confirmed. The sheer hilarity that would be Uryu with a sword helped wake him up.
Uryu groaned and covered his face with his blanket. "Shut up."
"Sorry," Ichigo and Tatsuki said. They weren't sorry at all.
"I hate you," Uryu muttered.
"Love you too," Tatsuki replied easily. She threw an arm over Uryu's waist and leaned up to look at Ichigo. "But really. It's ten and I have breakfast."
"Ugh, fine," Uryu said. He wasn't that upset. It was Yuzu's cooking after all. Yuzu's cooking was the best.
"Get ready. I'll set the table," Tatsuki said. She then got out of bed to do exactly that.
"Hey," Ichigo said into the silence. "You okay?"
Uryu blinked at him. He was farsighted, so there really was no way that he saw Ichigo as anything other than a fuzzy orange blob. But he could still make out where someone's face was.
"…I should be asking you that," Uryu said after a moment.
Uryu had grown up knowing about shinigami and what they did. Ichigo had learned of their existence literally a week ago. And then the war against Quincy just last night. There was also the fact that Mom hadn't told Ichigo any of this. Ichigo, at the moment, had more reason to be upset than Uryu.
"I'm fine," Ichigo said. That wasn't entirely a lie. "A bit worried on what I'm going to tell Yuzu and Karin though." Because there was no way that Ichigo wasn't going to tell them this.
Uryu winced. "Yeah. I'll help."
"Thanks," Ichigo said. "…Should well tell the others?"
The others being Chad and Inoue. Inoue was already part of it, if only because of what happened last weekend. But Tatsuki would have told her anyways. But Chad knew about Ichigo's abilities and being a shinigami, but not of this.
"I feel like we should. They know everything else," Uryu said.
"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "I don't like keeping secrets from them." Honestly, Ichigo would have probably told them anyways. But this was Uryu's secret too, and he deserved a say.
"What about your father?" Uryu asked. They wouldn't be telling Uncle Ryuken anything. They operated on an unspoken, mutually agreed, strict need to know only basis with him. Besides, he probably already knew anyway.
Ichigo thought about it. "No, I don't think so. Dad's never… he's never been interested in knowing what's going on in our lives. He's too focused on the clinic."
Uryu hummed. He didn't say anything else. They both climbed out of bed after a moment. Uryu reached for his glasses on the side table. Ichigo immediately went to go look through his overnight bag.
"Well, shit," Ichigo said. "I forgot my school uniform." He could go home to grab it, but he really didn't feel like it. Besides, Rukia might not let him leave without her. And he had absolutely no intentions of bringing her to the apartment.
"I think you have a spare here," Uryu said, "the skirt was torn, remember?"
"Oh yeah. Do you think you can fix it for tomorrow?" Ichigo asked as he grabbed his clothes for the day. He didn't think they were doing anything particularly active, so a graphic tee and some shorts would be fine.
Uryu snorted. "Of course. But you'll need to get either new pants ore a new skirt anyway. You're hitting a growth spurt."
Ichigo blinked and looked down at his legs. "Really?"
"Yeah. You're about a centimeter taller," Uryu said. He was the best at noticing things like that. Ichigo shrugged and took that as fact.
"Sure. Shame, though. We're still first years." Ichigo said.
"Skirts should be fine," Uryu said. "If you buy pants, buy them a size larger. You'll grow into them that way."
Ichigo nodded. He frowned and placed his hands on his hips. They didn't feel wider, but if he was growing taller, it was probably only a matter of time. Mom had pretty wide hips. "Yeah, thanks."
When they finally went to go eat, Tatsuki had already set everything out. Ichigo smiled when he smelled the food. Yuzu made Uryu's favorites. Either Tatsuki told her something happened, or Yuzu figured it out for herself.
"…Can you thank Yuzu-chan for me?" Uryu asked.
"You can thank her yourself," Ichigo said.
"You'll have to get used to Rukia being around, Uryu," Tatsuki said.
"Especially since she's staying with us," Ichigo said.
"What?" Uryu asked, staring hard. "Why is she staying with you?"
Uryu would have learned this earlier if he wasn't avoiding them. Ichigo sighed. "Because Rukia is good at fake crying, apparently. And Goat-Face is still weak to that. But she's sleeping in the twins' room. They said that I have too many people over for it to be comfortable to have another person sleeping in my room."
"Thank the gods for small mercies," Tatsuki said dryly.
Uryu blinked. "They are going to kill her. Or traumatize her. They traumatized me and I don't sleep in the same room as them."
Tatsuki smirked. "Why do you think they decided that? Besides, Rukia can take care of herself."
"She isn't scarred for life already?" Uryu asked curiously.
"It's only been a week," Ichigo said and rolled his eyes, "And the twins are not that bad."
"No, they're worse," Tatsuki said, "though they have been on their best behavior. Rukia is still a guest."
Ichigo sighed. He knew that, objectively, the twins were terrifying. They grew up with Ichigo, Tatsuki, and Uryu as siblings. Having them around to help raise Yuzu and Karin apparently shattered any sort of sense of limits they might have otherwise had. Any restraint they showed was because they both normally found acting out too much of an effort. But the twins wouldn't actively tease someone.
Or. Well… Ichigo decided not to worry. Rukia could take care of herself.
Her. Huh. He thought about it. It had been a while since he started using 'he/him/his' pronouns. And he wasn't- it wasn't uncomfortable, really, but it was. Sort of like wearing an old, comfortable, worn-down shirt. He could continue, because nothing really was wrong, or he could grab a different shirt. Just for the change.
"Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked when they were finished. "What's up?"
"Hm? Nothing, just thinking." Ichigo replied.
"About?" Uryu asked.
Ichigo hummed. "I'm thinking about switching pronouns," he told them.
"Huh," Tatsuki said, "really?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Not one hundred percent. But I'm thinking about it."
"Well, tell us when you decide," Uryu said.
"Of course," Ichigo agreed.
"So, Ichigo," Tatsuki started as she stood up to grab them all ice cream from the freezer. "How goes shinigami training anyways?"
"As well as I can hope for right now, I guess," Ichigo said. There really wasn't anything going on that he hadn't already told Tatsuki. "Rukia is just focusing on zanjutsu right now."
Uryu frowned. "Why did you have to get a sword in the first place?"
"I don't know," Ichigo did not whine, "but Rukia says that zanpakuto are a shinigami power. Or something. She said that shinigami are given blank swords when they enter their academy and then those swords absorb their spiritual energy. And since Rukia gave me her power…"
"Ichigo gets a sword," Tatsuki finished. "Though having a sword does not mean that he knows how to use it."
"It'd be easier if I had a bow," Ichigo agreed. "That zanpakuto feels wrong. I think it's actually Rukia's, adjusted to my height."
"…She literally gave you her power," Uryu mused quietly. Then he looked serious. "How did she do that, exactly?"
Ichigo shrugged. There was a reason that he hadn't told them, never mind that Uryu wasn't around to tell, either. And Ichigo really didn't feel like telling them now. So Ichigo was stabbed in the heart? Who cared? He's still alive and kicking.
Tatsuki frowned at him. "Ichigo," she said sharply. Uryu matched her stern expression.
Ichigo held out for an impressive twelve seconds under their combined gaze. He sighed and rubbed behind his ear. As much as he hated lying to them, Ichigo hated worrying them even more. And they really wouldn't let this go.
"Ichigo," Uryu repeated sternly.
"I may have been stabbed, no big deal," Ichigo said. He said it as quickly and as quietly as he could on the off-chance that they wouldn't hear him properly.
Yeah, right.
"Stabbed," Uryu said flatly.
"Stabbed, huh?" Tatsuki repeated.
They both looked at Ichigo like he was an idiot. Their faces were blank, but Ichigo could feel their fury- fury they felt on his behalf. Uryu's hands glowed as he gathered energy, as if here going to draw a bow. Tatsuki clenched and unclenched her fists as she wished for something to hit.
"It's fine. I'm fine," Ichigo said. Because he would like or Tatsuki and Uryu to not attack Rukia. Ichigo wouldn't be able to hold them both off.
Tatsuki glared at him. "All right, then. Strip."
Ichigo blinked at her, thrown. It took him a second to realize that they might want to check him over for any injuries. "Uh, sure, okay."
He took his shirt off and put it on the table. He hadn't put on a bra yet so his breasts were bare to the world. Ichigo looked down and placed a hand over his heart. For all that he was okay, it was easy to remember the pain of a sword in his chest.
Uryu reached over and held out a hand. Ichigo looked up at Tatsuki and Uryu, and they both had a strange look on their face. "May I?" Uryu asked.
Ichigo shrugged, unbothered by his partial nudity. "Go ahead," he said, and put his hands in his lap. Uryu pressed two fingers over Ichigo's heart, fingers glowing with spiritual energy.
Ichigo didn't have any scars from that night. His clothes weren't stained with blood. He assumed that was because of how he changed outfits, from his school uniform to the black uniform of the shinigami. Or Rukia had some really good blood remover. Either way, other than the hole in the side of his house, there was no physical evidence of what happened.
"Nothing feels wrong, or even particularly changed," Uryu said, frowning. "At least, physically. The change to your reiryoku and your spiritual energy is obvious."
"Makes sense though, right?" Tatsuki pointed out, "It is his spirit that got turned into a shinigami."
Ichigo shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it was easier to give me a new power because I already had my own?"
Uryu sat back, and hummed. "Maybe. Put your shirt back on, Ichigo."
"That's a thinking silence," Tatsuki said, "It's not just that, is it?"
"No," Uryu replied. He looked pensive. "But I don't know yet."
"See, things like this is why I needed you around a week ago," Ichigo said. "Anyways, tell us when you get an idea, yeah?" He pulled his shirt back on.
"Of course," Uryu agreed. He blinked and mused, "I wonder if you can create your bow outside of your body?"
Ha. Ichigo knew that Uryu would be more interested in what Ichigo could and could not do. If Yuzu got Ichigo's cheerful manipulation, then she got Uryu's mad scientist streak. At least Ichigo could tell Uryu about all of his ideas now.
"Probably," Ichigo said slowly, "It might be harder, though. I noticed that I leak more spiritual energy now."
Uryu snorted. "You do. We'll have to work on it."
"How about trying to see if you can make your spirit visible?" Tatsuki added. "I want to see what you look like."
Uryu looked thoughtful. "I'd like to see that s well. Especially that sword of yours, since it's apparently so oversized."
Ichigo sighed, though he was grateful to have Uryu around. "Yeah, yeah. You'll have to talk to Rukia though. I don't have a way to leave my body without that glove of hers."
Uryu grimaced. "I guess."
"Ha! You'll be fine, Uryu. Rukia's not that bad. Despite, you know, everything," Tatsuki said.
"Our definitions of fine tend to be very different," Uryu replied flatly. He didn't look like he was going to decline, though.
"Rukia really isn't that bad," Ichigo said, "a bit uptight, maybe. But I talked to the twins and we'll break her of that sooner or later."
"Is that so," Uryu said, smirking. He settled down. "Putting that aside. I want to see if there are any changes when you create a bow."
Ichigo frowned. "Ugh. Can't we just see how my physical bow works?" he asked.
Uryu nodded. "We can do that later. But you've got shinigami powers now. I'd like to see how they affect your Quincy abilities."
"Oh, this'll be fun." Tatsuki said, snickering.
She couldn't see spirits since she didn't have spiritual energy. But Tatsuki grew up with Ichigo and Uryu, and that made her more sensitive. She was also there when Ichigo and Uryu were learning the very basics. Tatsuki had watched as they got hurt and burned as they trained.
"Ichigo, bow," Uryu ordered.
"Fine. Quit being so pushy," Ichigo muttered, and went to grab his Quincy cross.
"Quit being so hesitant," Uryu replied automatically.
Tatsuki started laughing, the bitch.
"Good morning!" Inoue greeted them cheerfully the next morning.
"Morning," Ichigo replied, which Tatsuki and Uryu echoed.
"Good morning," Rukia greeted, smiling at Inoue. She was already fond of Inoue. Not that Ichigo could blame her. Inoue was incredibly easy to like.
At least the smiling was better than the frosty glare that Rukia greeted Ichigo with earlier. For all her continued lack of spiritual energy, Rukia managed to bring the temperature down a couple of degrees around her.
"You look better," Tatsuki said, and poked Inoue's shoulder gently. Since her shoulder was the pink of a new scar, Tatsuki must mean Inoue's cheerfulness. A night on her own was probably just the thing she needed.
"It is good to see you well," Uryu said.
Inoue beamed at him. "Yes! My shoulder is much better now than last week. Kuchiki-san is amazing!"
Rukia sniffed imperiously to hide her blush. "I got top marks in kido," she said.
"Kido?" Uryu asked curiously despite himself.
Uryu and Rukia were awkward around each other, to Ichigo's slightly worried amusement. Uryu, because Rukia was shinigami and all that entailed. Rukia, because she remembered that Uryu had tried to kill her. She also had no knowledge about Quincy whatsoever. Ichigo had confirmed that as soon as he could.
"They are our spells," Rukia said. She looked like she was going to add something but refrained. Uryu nodded and didn't ask anything else.
"Hey, where's Chad?" Ichigo asked. They weren't late, so Chad still had some time. But it was unusual.
"I don't know," Inoue said, and looked worried.
"He'll be fine," Tatsuki said. She pat Ichigo on the shoulder.
"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. He was well aware of Chad's durability and strength. If there were anything that could actually hurt him, they would know. Everyone would have probably heard about it on the news by now.
"Let's just head to class," Uryu said, "If Sado-san requires help, then he will ask."
Ichigo sighed as they started walking to homeroom. "Chad doesn't like asking for help. We know this."
"Strange. He takes after you, then." Tatsuki said.
"That is not true!" Ichigo denied.
"Because we browbeat you into it," Uryu said.
"Didn't they do that to you too, Ishida-kun?" Inoue asked glibly.
"…No," Uryu said.
"Oh, we did," Ichigo confirmed, smirking once attention was turned away from him. "We totally did."
"I hate you all," Uryu said flatly.
"It's okay, Ishida-kun! We love you too," Inoue said cheerfully.
Rukia didn't say anything, but she had an expression on her face. Ichigo recognized that look. Well then. If Rukia felt homesick and lonely, then Ichigo would just have to work harder to be friends with her. Like hell Ichigo was going to let anyone look that lonely around him. That just wasn't allowed.
Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at him when she caught his eyes. She nodded, which was all Ichigo needed. Inoue was already fond of Rukia and Chad didn't have anything against her. Now Ichigo needed to get Uryu to tolerate Rukia more than he already did. Yuzu and Karin were already helping at home, and Dad's exuberance was good for some things.
Ichigo figured that everyone was more inclined to help since Rukia didn't say anything, or react, to Ichigo wearing a skirt.
Chad didn't come in for homeroom. He didn't show up for their next two classes, either.
Ichigo shared a look with the others, and noted their worry too. It wasn't like Chad to just… not come to class. If he was held up by something, he usually sent them a text so they didn't worry.
"I'm checking up on Chad after school," Ichigo told them at lunch. Rukia frowned at the mention of Ichigo skipping, but didn't disagree. Ha! Ichigo knew that she liked Chad. It was impossible to not like Chad.
"Where is Sado-san?" Mizuiro asked.
They all studiously ignored Keigo, who fawned over Rukia. She took his attentions with complete grace, and looked only marginally irritated. Ichigo really wasn't sure how she was so patient with him, considering that she had a temper. Though that might be because Keigo helped her figure out how things worked without judgment.
And then Keigo was kicked away. Rukia looked surprised at his sudden disappearance. They all looked up.
Ichigo blinked in surprise. Both at the appearance of this guy, but also that he had managed to sneak up on them in the first place. Ichigo recognized him, if only through sheer proximity. There were enough students at Karakura High that Ichigo didn't usually come into contact with any of the thugs. They came at him and Chad usually once or twice a week, but they all had different classes.
Why this guy was here, bleached blond hair and everything, so inconsequential that Ichigo didn't even register them, was a mystery.
"Kurosaki!" the guy bellowed. He pulled out brass knuckles. "You bastard! I've been quiet long enough! I'm the only one here that gets to have bleached hair!"
Ichigo sighed. Tatsuki and Uryu looked irritated. Mizuiro smiled, which meant there was probably a molotov cocktail in hand.
"But Ichigo's hair is natural," Rukia said, looking surprised. Ichigo was gratified that she got ready to hit the guy anyways.
"Oh, it is!" Inoue agreed cheerfully.
She was not daunted by the thug looming over them at all. She smiled beatifically up at him when he turned his attention to her. And her chest. Well, now they definitely had to get rid of the idiot- and before Inoue did it herself, too. None of them liked people that ogled Inoue.
Before anyone could move, the thug was punched. Then he flew through the air into the chain link fence along the perimeter of the roof. And then he fell to the ground and stayed there.
"Oh, hey Chad," Ichigo greeted automatically, recognizing his shadow. And then he saw the bandages. "Wait, what the hell happened? Are you okay?"
Ichigo stood up and started poking at the bandages. Gently, and with a practiced eye that he got working part-time at the clinic. There was the faintest smell of the cream Ichigo had given Chad for bruises. Nothing smelled like blood.
"What the hell happened to you?" Tatsuki asked and raised an eyebrow. "You look like you got run over by a car."
Chad grunted. "No, it was a motorcycle and I took that guy to the hospital."
"What?" Uryu managed and stared up at Chad. Ichigo stared at him. Even though they knew how durable Chad was, it was something else entirely to be presented with it. Only Inoue seemed to take that statement in stride, and that was because she got into the strangest accidents.
Ichigo frowned and poked at Chad's bandages again. It was about the only way to make his displeasure known without yelling. "Is that why you're covered in bandages?" he demanded.
"No," Chad denied, "those are from the steel beam that fell on me last night."
"A steel beam," Ichigo repeated faintly. He stepped back to look Chad in the eye. "And you didn't think to call?"
Chad, at least, had the decency to look sheepish. "I may have forgotten."
"Well, don't forget in the future," Tatsuki ordered. "You're tough, we get that. But you're sure friend too." Inoue and Uryu nodded in agreement.
"When did you get a cockatiel, Sado-san?" Mizuiro asked.
Ichigo blinked, thrown from his staring. He looked and- yeah, Chad was carrying a cockatiel in a cage. He had been so caught up with Chad being injured that he hadn't noticed.
"I got him last night," Chad said. He placed the cage down. Ichigo quickly handed Chad the extra lunch box that Ichigo made that morning before they both sat down.
"Did you get the bird at the same time you got injured?" Rukia asked. She gazed steadily at the bird.
Ichigo frowned. He focused and… oh, yeah. There was a spirit attached to the bird. He glanced at Uryu who frowned as well.
"Yes!" the cockatiel chirped, "Sado-nii-chan saved me last night!"
It was a kid.
That was a child spirit attached to the bird. Ichigo sighed. He was already aware that the kid would be more trouble than they were worth. Ichigo would deal with it, though. It was a kid, so he really didn't have a choice.
Well. Ichigo had wanted Chad to know when anything important happened, even if he wasn't directly involved. Ichigo didn't count on Chad being the one to bring important things to him though. That's what he got for doubting the universe.
"Hey," Ichigo said. He kneeled in front of the bird. "My name is Ichigo. What's your name?"
"Hello Ichigo-nee-chan!" the bird said. What a polite kid. "My name is Yuichi!"
Ichigo smiled and carefully opened the bird cage. After a moment, Yuichi hopped onto his finger.
"Nice to meet you, Yuichi," Ichigo said. He stood and placed the small bird on Chad's shoulder. Yuichi immediately relaxed and hopped closer to Chad's face. Ichigo grinned. He knew that the kid was attached to Chad. Being saved from a falling steel beam would do that.
"Hey kid," Tatsuki greeted, "I'm Tatsuki." That set off a round of introductions. Even Keigo had been brought back.
Ichigo stepped back to stand next to Rukia. She still watched the bird. "We're going to help him move on," he said. Ichigo didn't have anything against spirits sticking around, but there was… Ichigo had never seen a spirit interact with humans before. Not without something else being the cause.
Rukia nodded slowly. "The task will be easy. Getting there will be slightly more difficult."
"How so?" Uryu asked quietly.
"Because that child is attached to a living being," Rukia explained, "a bird, yes, but one that is capable of speaking."
Uryu frowned, "Which implied that there is a reason that Yuichi chose a bird."
"Shit," Ichigo sighed. He ran a hand through his hair. "I was expecting there to be something but. That sounds a bit worse."
"Of course," Rukia said, "we should be fine with Yuichi here for now. Keep an eye out. A spirit like Yuichi will attract hollows."
"Chad," Ichigo spoke up, "you're coming to my place after school. Got it?" At the very least to check Chad's bandages. He was good at taking care of himself, but it'd make Ichigo feel better.
"Fool, you have lessons with me after school today," Rukia said. She kicked Ichigo in the shin.
"Fine," Ichigo said and rolled his eyes. "Come by around dinner time. You can bring Yuichi if you want. My sisters would like to meet him anyways."
Chad and Yuichi relaxed. That made sense. Chad was protective of children and wouldn't want to separate from Yuichi. Besides, the bird was cute. Chad adored cute things to the point of embarrassment sometimes. Or, embarrassment in other people. None of Ichigo's friends did shame very well.
"Okay," Chad agreed. Yuichi nodded too. Ichigo couldn't help but grin at the pair of them.
"Okay, now eat," Ichigo ordered, "we made that for you so you damn well better finish it."
With that, Ichigo turned to his own lunch. Ignoring Chad after giving him an order was the best way to stop Chad from protesting. That, Ichigo had learned not a month into their friendship. At least regarding his own health.
Chad paused but sat down with them. "Thank you," he said as he unwrapped his lunch. Ichigo knew that Chad would like it because he had made sure that they put in some of Chad's favorites.
"Why'd you have Yuichi anyways?" Keigo asked.
Yuichi hopped from Chad's shoulder to the top of the cage. Keigo started talking to him about nonsensical stuff. Ichigo always knew that Keigo was just a giant kid at heart. Well, at least he was keeping Yuichi distracted.
"A friend introduced us last night," Chad said, "after the steel beam fell, they handed him over. They said that I would be able to take care of him better."
"Sado-nii-chan is very strong!" Yuichi chirped.
"He is," Ichigo agreed, "though he might be a bit dumb since he didn't think to ask any of us for help."
Chad sighed, "I will try more in the future."
"You'd better. We worry," Tatsuki said.
"Hm. Well, we'll check your injuries after dinner," Ichigo said, "I'm all for your inhuman durability, but I'd still like to look them over."
"I don't have anything beyond bruises and cuts," Chad said. He sounded vaguely offended that Ichigo doubted his medical skills. Ichigo just stuck his tongue out at him.
"That doesn't mean that it won't be easier with help!" Inoue said cheerfully. Chad deflated at her comment, which was why Inoue spoke up in the first place. Ichigo grinned at her.
Yuichi started giggling. It was an odd sound coming from a bird. Ichigo could almost see the image of a young child from the corner of his eye. Ah. It disappeared when he actually tried to focus on it.
Ichigo was pleased with how that conversation went though.
That night did not turn out to be so pleasant.
Ichigo swore as he helped carry bodies into their hospital beds. Yuzu and Karin were rushing back and forth, carrying supplies for Dad to use, and doing their best to keep everyone stable.
"We're just a clinic!" Dad yelled into the phone. Even as he yelled to the secretary at Karakura Main Hospital, Dad looked over those with the worst injuries. "Dammit! Just tell Ishida that Kurosaki is calling in a favor! Those beds will open up!"
Uncle Ryuken loved being a doctor. It was his chosen profession, and luck had it that it was a career that his mother approved of. He despised most of the rules and regulations that he had to follow as the director of a major hospital that dealt with politics instead of the health and care of his patients. He would have to look for loopholes- which Uncle Ryuken was familiar with- but he would help. The Kurosaki Clinic was way too small to deal with a major car accident!
"Fuck," Ichigo said and refrained from wiping at his brow. His hands were bloody. "Oi, Dad! We've just run out of beds!"
"Put clean sheets on the ground!" Dad yelled. He sewed someone up, a gash that bled sluggishly. "As soon as that's done, move people around! Worst injuries on the beds, cuts and scrapes on the floor! Keep them stable until the fucking ambulances get here!"
"On it!" Yuzu and Karin said. They retreated to the storage room and came out with armfuls of sheets. They hadn't touched anyone yet, so they were clean.
Ichigo swore and helped. What a terrible time for Tatsuki and Inoue to not spend the night over. Yet they were Kurosaki, and they moved forward.
It was a tense thirty minutes until the ambulances arrived. They took the majority of the victims to the hospital, and left the few that the clinic was actually equipped to handle. Eventually even those were cleared of concussions, their scrapes and bruises tended to, as family picked them up to be taken home.
"Shit," Ichigo said. He almost rubbed at his eyes before he caught himself. His hands were covered in blood.
"You did good," Dad said. He smiled tiredly at them. Dad sighed and pulled his gloves up. "Go clean up. We can eat after."
"Okay," Yuzu said. Both she and Karin blinked tiredly at them.
"Yeah," Ichigo sighed. They would not have appetites tonight, but they knew not to ignore food placed in front of them. "Grab the sheets you two. I'll start scrubbing."
"Okay," Karin said. She and Yuzu started picking up the sheets that served as beds. Then they stripped the actual beds. Damn, but they would need so much bleach to clean this up.
Ichigo went to grab the cleaning supplies. It was mindless, if tedious, so it was easy to just… go through the motions. Not think about it. Blood weirded him out, even though he was good at ignoring it.
"Ichigo," Rukia said. Ichigo blinked, startled to see her standing there. He looked at the clock- huh. An hour passed while they cleaned. "Here. It is not a meal, but it is better than nothing." Rukia handed Ichigo a glass of juice. The twins already had their own glasses.
"Thanks," Ichigo said. He honestly had forgotten that Rukia was even there. They had all told her to stay out of the way when the patients started coming in. That time was a haze of adrenaline and worry, but Ichigo thought he might have seen Rukia's surprise when Dad snapped at her.
Rukia watched them finish cleaning with an odd look on her face. She was enough of a busy body that Ichigo thought she would offer help, but it seemed like she kept their previous words to heart. Rukia sighed and grabbed their empty glasses before turning to the house. Rukia was careful not to touch anything.
"I'll make dinner," Ichigo told Yuzu. She spent the most time in the clinic of the three of them. After that disaster, she'd help Dad with the paperwork. Of the three Kurosaki children, Yuzu might be the one to actually inherit the Clinic.
"Okay," Yuzu said, relieved. She worried too much. Just because they all loved Yuzu's cooking the best did not mean that no one else could take care of themselves. Ichigo was the one to teach her.
"I'll stay down here too, I guess," Karin said. She yawned.
"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo agreed. He rubbed their hair with his now-clean hands before he went back inside. Rukia sat on the couch. She was quiet. "Oh, hey. You okay?"
"I'm fine," Rukia replied automatically. "I knew that this was a clinic, but it seems that I did not understand that until tonight."
"Makes sense," Ichigo said. Most of Dad's appointments would be during school hours. Ichigo shrugged. "We're small, but we can deal with pretty much anything that doesn't need surgery. We rarely need to though."
Rukia hesitated. "I was unaware that you are a healer."
"I am not," Ichigo said, and rolled his eyes. Him, a healer? He could stitch someone up decently enough, but that really was it. "I'm practically a glorified nurse."
"No, you are definitely a healer," Rukia denied. She looked at him thoughtfully, as if approaching a problem. "Your control over your spiritual energy is terrible. But, perhaps, kaido, is something you can work with more easily."
"Kaidō?" Ichigo asked. "Wait. Is that the energy you used to heal Inoue and Tatsuki last week?"
Rukia nodded. "Kaido falls under kido, as kido is the broad term for our spells. Kaido is both easier and harder to cast. Easier, since there are no incantations to memorize. Harder, because one must be intimately aware of the differences in energy to heal."
Well, fuck. Ichigo had terrible control so there was no way that this wouldn't somehow blow up in his face. But. He could heal. Maybe not well, and it would take more work, but he would have the ability. "I'd still like to learn," he said.
"Then I will teach you," Rukia said. She smiled. "You are exhausted, but that may help. And I can at least demonstrate."
"You sure? Your spiritual energy is still gone," Ichigo said. Perhaps because he still kept hold of it, Rukia's energy did not regenerate as quickly. And Rukia still held some tiredness from healing Inoue and Tatsuki.
"You are not physically or spiritually injured," Rukia said, "This requires no effort on my part. And, I am not trying to heal anything. It is just a demonstration."
Ichigo frowned, but sat down next to Rukia. "Okay."
"Hand," Rukia ordered. Ichigo placed his hand in hers. "Kido are cast from the hands as a general rule. Due to the sensitivity in our hands and our fingers, it is the easiest way to learn the differences in all of our spells."
That made sense as a spell system. Quincy spells tended to focus less on the control aspect and more on the intent aspect, which was why Ichigo could actually cast them in the first place. And wards.
"I wonder if I'll be able to? My hands are pretty scarred from archery," Ichigo said.
"It is fine," Rukia said. She frowned and concentrated. "Your hands may be scarred in your body, and may have left the same mark on your soul. But swordsmanship does the same, and your hands are still functional. While hands are not required for spell casting, if recommended, it requires incredible control. Which you do not have."
"True," Ichigo agreed.
"Ah," Rukia sighed as her hands started to glow green. "Here we go. Your control over your spiritual energy is terrible. That does not mean that you are unable to feel."
Ichigo hummed. He didn't tell her that his spiritual sense wasn't the best, either, for all that he found it easy to keep track of his family. But Ichigo closed his eyes and concentrated. Ichigo could feel Rukia's spiritual energy against his hand. It was cool, like he had stuck his hand in the freezer. But it wasn't uncomfortable.
That wasn't entirely it, though, was it? There was… it wasn't warmth. No, that would be anathema to Rukia's entire spiritual being. Her presence. No, it was cold, but… More? Like… a cool drink on a hot day. Jumping into a swimming pool in the middle of summer. Something that was cold, but gave relief.
"I think I can tell," Ichigo offered slowly, somewhat awed. It was different than the energy he gave to bolster spiritual reserves. "At least, I can feel the intention."
Rukia pulled her hands away. Ichigo opened his eyes and the green glow dissipated. "That is good. Using kaido is as much a mental state as it is manipulating your spiritual energy for healing. That is why healers are hard to come by, even considering that we are trained as warriors first and foremost."
"You aren't a healer?" Ichigo asked. He stood and walked to the kitchen. He needed to make dinner. Something simple but filling. Ichigo did not have the energy to do anything complicated.
"No," Rukia said, "I can cast kaido as needed, and is required for all shinigami to know, but the Fourth Division did not offer me a position."
Ichigo frowned. Why the hell would shinigami give their medical division the number four? It seemed like both a great irony and a perfect fit. Though, Ichigo supposed it made sense since they were the apparently the medical division for spirits.
"How many divisions are there?" Ichigo asked absently as he started pulling out pasta. Western-style noodles would be good. Luck of lucks, his mother being quarter German made he and his sisters lactose tolerant. Rukia, he had noticed, ate whatever was put in front of her.
"Thirteen," Rukia replied. She said proudly, "I am an unseated member of the Thirteenth Division."
"Huh," Ichigo said. He wondered if each division had as set a role as the Fourth Division did. It would make sense. Rukia mentioned an other division. The Twelfth Division, that sounded like they dealt with technology.
"Onii-chan!" Yuzu called. She sounded worried.
Ichigo immediately put everything down and hurried into the clinic. Yuzu and Karin were holding Chad up, and Ichigo remembered that he was supposed to come by for dinner.
It would be a comical image if it weren't for the sweat covering Chad's brow. Or the fact that Chad looks seconds away from falling unconscious. Or that even so, he held the handle to the bird cage tightly in his fist. Ichigo frowned and went to take Chad from his sisters. He handed Yuichi's cage off to Yuzu.
"What the hell, Chad?" Ichigo murmured. He sagged under Chad's weight, but Chad was lucid enough to pick his feet up until they reached a bed.
"I'm sorry for troubling you," Chad rumbled quietly. Ichigo helped him take off his shirt, since his back seemed to be what troubled him. Dad entered the clinic soon after, frowning.
"No, you don't get to be sorry," Ichigo snapped. "You'd be sorry if you didn't come here. But never be sorry asking for help!"
"Please don't be too hard on Onii-chan," Yuichi chirped sadly. He hopped in place and his feathers were ruffled. Wait, what happened that made Yuichi call Chad 'big brother' more familiarly?
"I'm not angry, Yuichi, just worried," Ichigo sighed.
Ichigo knew that Chad was looking for another part time job, so although he spent time at Rukia's sword lessons with everyone, he left far earlier too. But this was something else. It figured that the one time Chad left right after school was the one time that Chad actually ended up injured.
Oh, wait, no. There was that steel beam that happened last night. What was going on? It wasn't like Chad was normally a danger magnet-
Ichigo narrowed his eyes and very carefully did not look at Yuichi. Chad hadn't been this injured until the kid showed up. He wasn't blaming Yuichi, but… Chad had never been so stubborn about receiving help, either. Chad has his pride but he also wasn't stupid.
Ichigo turned his attention to Chad's back. Dad was prodding at it gently. It looked like a giant burn and bled sluggishly. Ichigo scrunched his nose at the smell. Yuzu looked horrified and Karin looked sick.
"This was caused by a hollow," Ichigo said. He nudged his dad out of the way and placed his hands on either side of the injury. He started to channel his spiritual energy into the wound. It wasn't kaido. But, replacing the hollow's spiritual energy with his own would at least prevent the injury from getting worse. And would actually help, since Ichigo liked Chad, and spiritual energy tended to follow emotions and whatnot. Even when it wasn't meant to heal.
Dad frowned but didn't ask questions. He bandaged Chad's back with quick efficiency and put him on an IV. "You are staying the night," Dad ordered.
"He can stay in my room," Ichigo offered. It wasn't the first time.
"He should stay down here," Dad said, tiredly. "It'll be easier to keep an eye on him."
"Um," Yuzu said. She frowned at Ichigo. "What were you making? I can finish dinner."
"Oh, just some pasta," Ichigo said. He eyed her and she nodded at him. Yuzu wouldn't overtax herself then.
"Sado-nii-chan, you don't mind pasta, right?" Yuzu asked.
"No," Chad said. He carefully didn't look at Yuzu. Ichigo smirked. He was immune to Yuzu's puppy eyes but no one else was. Even Tatsuki, who could put up a decent fight, gave into them eventually.
"Karin?" Ichigo asked when he stepped away from the bed. He didn't need to worry about Chad's injury too much. It was still a nasty wound, but without the hollow's spiritual energy infecting it, it could be worse. And Dad was good at what he did, personality aside.
Karin, however… she was pale, and Ichigo thought that it wasn't the sight of the wound as it first was. "Hm?" Karin asked and looked away from Yuichi. "Sorry. Hey, what's your name?"
"I'm Yuichi!" he chirped. Still downtrodden since Chad was injured, but happier now that Chad was tended to.
"Nice to meet you, Yuichi-kun," Yuzu greeted before she disappeared into the house.
"Yeah, what she said," Karin mumbled before following after her twin.
Ichigo frowned after her. He hoped that Karin was okay. She tended to overwork herself if no one reminded her to stop. Dealing with the car accident on top of dealing with the elementary school to get her co-ed score team going would be enough to make anyone tired. Hopefully dinner and a good night's rest would bring some color back to her.
"I'll redo your bandages tomorrow morning. Keep the IV in until it runs out, but you don't need to replace it." Dad said. All of Ichigo's friends knew the bare basics of medical care, including how to insert and remove an IV safely. Dad pat Chad on the shoulder. "Ichigo will keep you company until bedtime."
"Duh," Ichigo snorted, "I'll keep an eye on them." Because Yuichi wasn't going anywhere either.
"My son! So wonderful!" Dad wailed before heading inside.
"Chad," Ichigo said, and eyed him. Yuzu had put Yuichi's cage on an empty table next to the bed. "Where the hell did you come across a hollow?"
The only reason that Ichigo didn't demand to know why Chad hadn't called for help was because Chad had stumbled to the clinic. Obviously, with that kind of injury, getting away was more important than taking the time to make a phone call. Considering how out of it Chad was when he made it to the clinic, he likely didn't think about it at all.
Chad didn't answer him.
Ichigo sighed. "Yuichi, why is there a hollow after you?" he asked. Gently, gently. This was a kid.
"There isn't a hollow after me," Yuichi said promptly.
"Why don't you pull the other one?" Ichigo asked. Though Yuichi may or may not know. Kids were smarter than most people gave them credit for, but sometimes they did things without thinking.
"Ichigo," Chad said. He looked mulish, which-
Okay, yeah. Ichigo could be the most stubborn of idiots. But he wasn't so stubborn that he refused to ask his friends for help. Ichigo, Tatsuki, and Uryu? They learned a long time ago that life was easier if they relied on each other. Inoue didn't even learn the lesson.
Chad was the newest in their little group, but it had been nearly two years. And Chad wasn't stupid or unreasonable, normally. Ichigo and Chad had made that promise. To fight for each other since neither of them liked fighting just for themselves.
"Chad," Ichigo said, going for serious. If Chad acted like he didn't remember that promise they made to each other, something else was going on. And Ichigo did not like that. "We promised, right?"
There was a lengthy pause. Chad sighed heavily and rubbed at his eyes with his free arm. "Yes. I'm sorry," he said.
"Promise?" Yuichi asked curiously.
"We promised that we would fight for each other," Ichigo said. He was relieved that Chad seemed more reasonable. And if Ichigo was thankful, then it was bad. "Now, Yuichi, so I can keep my promise. Why is there a hollow after you?"
"…He isn't after me," Yuichi said after a moment. "It's just a game of tag."
"A game of tag isn't lethal," Ichigo said. Because if Chad didn't have his insane durability and strength, then Chad would be dead. And if tragic accidents like falling steel beams were a common occurrence, then there had to be other deaths. "Chad, who had Yuichi before you?"
"A friend," Chad said. Chad did tend to wander a lot, when not with them. "But they did say that Yuichi was cursed."
If a hollow is chasing you, then of course it would seem that way, Ichigo thought. That also explained why Yuichi was attached to a bird. What better way to inform others that they were in danger? Yuichi was too nice of a kid to do otherwise.
"Okay. It's safer here in the clinic than if you left. With the wards, we'll know if a hollow gets close." Ichigo said.
"Thank you," Chad and Yuichi chorused.
"Yeah, yeah, thank me later." He started back to the house. "Now, it's nearly dinner time. You need to eat, Chad. You'll heal faster with food. And then we can figure out what to do about the hollow."
"Morning," Ichigo yawned when he went downstairs the next morning. "Is Karin okay?" he asked Yuzu. Karin didn't give Ichigo her usual response when he knocked on their bedroom door. Rukia had been waiting for him at the stairs.
"Karin-chan feels sick," Yuzu told him, brow furrowed. "She says she's well enough to go to school, but…"
"Is Karin sensitive to hollow energy?" Rukia asked as she stepped off the stairs behind Ichigo. "I could feel the hollow's spiritual energy even from upstairs when Chad arrived last night."
"No, she shouldn't be," Ichigo shook his head, "Karin is strong. If the hollow's spiritual energy was affecting her, she'd have affected it right back."
"I wonder what-" Rukia started.
"Ichigo! Sado-kun isn't here anymore!" Dad yelled from the clinic.
"What," Ichigo said flatly and ran to the clinic to check. Yup. No Chad and no Yuichi in sight. Ichigo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think that I am actually going to kill him."
"You won't," Rukia denied from behind him. She frowned. "What is the likelihood of Chad being at school?" she asked.
"Slim," Ichigo said. "I'll check anyways." If anything, he'd be able to catch up with the others before he went out searching. Tatsuki would help, since the others needed to keep good grades in school. Chad was injured, and Yuichi was being stalked by a hollow. Thankfully Ichigo texted the others last night. They wouldn't be surprised.
"Ichi-nii," Karin called. Ichigo turned and saw her taking the stairs step by step. She looked feverish, and tired.
"Karin? Are you okay?" Ichigo asked. He went to put a hand on her forehead. Karin had a fever, but it wasn't dangerous. Yet. She was shivering slightly. "You should go back to bed."
Dad was overzealous, but he wasn't a bad doctor. Ichigo wouldn't mind leaving Karin in his care while he was out looking for Chad.
Karin shook her head. "I'll be fine. I can go to school," she said stubbornly.
Ichigo was about to reply before his phone went off. 'Sorry I left. Hollow can blow things up' was the text.
Ichigo stared. And then he started swearing. He forwarded the text to the others and then sent his own 'Chad being an idiot. Require help to find him.'
'Seriously takes after you' was Tatsuki's response.
'Okay!' was Inoue's response.
'Already looking,' was Uryu's response.
"Okay, Rukia, let's go," Ichigo said. He yelled, "Oi, Dad, call the elementary to excuse Yuzu and Karin! I'm skipping!"
"What a dishonorable son!" Dad wailed from the clinic. He rushed to cry in front of Mom's poster. Ichigo ignored him. That was as much of a confirmation that he was going to get out of Dad.
Chad had been injured. Chad, with his inhuman durability, who could survive things that would kill normal people. Ichigo quickly packed an extensive first aid kit. He had the feeling that someone would need it by the end of this.
Chad was a good runner due to his height. Ichigo decided that wearing something easy to run around in would be best. His uniform was comfortable, but his workout clothes would be better.
"Let's go," Ichigo said a couple of minutes later. He rubbed Yuzu and Karin's hair before he sped out the door. Rukia ran with him. "We can check all of Chad's usual places, first."
They ran around for twenty minutes before Rukia started slowing down. Huh, apparently her gigai had limitations. They walked, catching their breath and resting before they started running again.
"Where the fuck are you, Chad?" Ichigo muttered as he checked his phone.
No texts from Chad. He did get texts from Tatsuki, Uryu, and Inoue about places they had been. All together, it seemed that Chad hadn't gone to any of his usual haunts. That made sense, if Chad was trying to stay away from anyone.
Then Ichigo got a text from Yuzu.
'Karin-chan left the house. She threw up. I'm looking for her.'
0o0o0