~FIREFLY KNIGHTS~

Bleach Copyright Tite Kubo

Firefly Knights Copyright Illand Girl

'For those that need a Guardian.'


Chapter 2: Caught


Ichigo never came by the clinic the next week.

As depressing as it may sound, that was the highlight of my week; waiting for my old friend to come say hi. Which was probably good since I worked in a clinic and all, but still. My work was dull; restocking shelves, making sure everything was neat and organized, cleaning the halls and mopping. Taking inventory was the most tedious since it took forever but was oddly satisfying.

About a week later Isshin was insistent that I come over for dinner. However, I felt hesitant to accept. Not because I was evading the Kurosaki's, not at all. The actual reason had mor to do with Isshin being unaware of my current situation.

"C'mon! You and your mother are invited! I'm sure it would be a great get together!" Isshin said. I paused in my work, biting my tongue to keep from correcting him. There was no mother to invite to dinner, just me, and I had a horrible feeling that wouldn't go over well with the family man. Especially since he kept joking about adopting me some day. So, I plastered on a fake smile and rejected him.

"Thanks, but Mom works long hours, and she usually goes to bed the moment she gets home." I lied while busying my hands with sweeping. Isshin paused for a moment, his eyes changing from bright and jovial to curious for a split second. Then they returned to normal before he sighed as though I had rejected his confession.

"It breaks my heart when a family refuses an invitation to a free meal!" Isshin cried and I did my best to ignore it.

"I am sorry, Mr Kurosaki, but I... We really can't come. Perhaps once we are both settled, we can come over for dinner. I will thank you for the invitation though." I said before putting the broom away. I glanced outside quickly and noticed it was still daylight despite it being almost 7. Time to close up for the evening. I ushered my boss out the door, insistent that I close alone since he had done it himself more than once this week alone. Once I had finished cleaning, locked up, and meandered home, I arrived home to a very quiet flat. I stood at the door, dropping my bag and staring into the darkness. Nothing shifted inside. The studio apartment didn't make a single noise. With a sigh, I wandered through it. Light from a streetlamp outside flitted through the clear window and bathed the little to non-existent furniture I had in a warm glow. The sun had set just before I made it home, making me realize just how cold it actually was with the lack of the sun's warmth.

Still wearing my coat, I made myself some instant ramen while huddling up with my small heater. If I could make it just a few more weeks, it would warmer up outside. Then I could save up and afford another heater for the bathroom, maybe one for the kitchen too. It would be cheaper than heating the flat as a whole.

I ate my meal, changed, and then huddled in my bed in front of my heater for warmth. The entire time I chanted in my head that it was only another month or two, nothing more.

I could do this.


The next day Isshin insisted I take a day off work, despite tomorrow being my official day off. He didn't care and promptly handed me my pay a week early before kicking me out. It raised alarm bells instantly. Did he know what was going on? Would he try and take me back? I felt a hint of fear rise up my spine at the idea of going back to her. To him .

I opened the envelope and found he'd even given me a bonus. I needed to give this back to him somehow, or at the very least do some more work to make up for the extra money.

With my money deposited into the back, I found myself wandering aimlessly to the mall. I wasn't planning on buying anything per se, just window shopping and maybe if I saw something worth it, I would consider it based on the price tag. What I wasn't counting on was the number of teens in the mall. It was crowded half an hour into my window shopping, with me bumping between chests as I tried to slide between people. I finally broke through one crowd and made it to the wall, leaning back against it with a sigh.

"Naomi?"

I turned at the voice, slightly surprised to see Ichigo standing not far from me. A smile worked its way onto my lips.

"Hey Ichigo. Long time no see." I said before walking a little closer to him. He looked down at me as I stopped a modest distance away.

"Sorry, I kept meaning to come by and say hello, but my Dad's a pain and I was finishing up finals." He explained like he felt he was in troubel for not showing up. It was kind of cute. I laughed a little.

"What are you sorry for? It's no big deal. Say, why are you here now?" I asked. Ichigo glanced around then, scanning the crowds as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Actually, I was here with a friend, but I guess he wandered off. What brings you here?" Ichigo asked as his stance slipped into a more casual curve. I smiled before waving my hand with a flourish, gesturing to the many shops in the mall.

"Oh y'know, checking out the sights. I was debating on getting a few things but mostly just relaxing. Your dad kicked me out of the clinic today." I explained. At some point we had started walking and I hadn't even noticed until now.

"Yeah, he mentioned you'd been putting in a lot of hours. Doesn't your mom get worried? I remember her being super paranoid and protective all the time." He said before glancing around. I flinched from his words before looking the other way to hide my reaction.

"Nah, she's gotten softer. Doesn't terrify me anymore- oh look that's pretty!" I said glancing at a cute necklace in the window. A pretty oval of vines was the pendant, all silver too. 8,000 yen...

Nevermind.

I turned to hear Ichigo letting out a snort.

"You still get distracted by shiny things, you idiot." he said under his breath. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Coming from the boy who was so gullible he thought he could reach a magical land at the bottom of the pond if he sung to the fish?" I challenged. Ichigo turned bright red before glaring at me.

"Coming from the girl who convinced me of that?! Thanks for letting me get soaked too you brat! I had pond smell for weeks!"

"I know! I was the only one you hung out with." I said, breaking into a grin and laughing. Ichigo looked away with a scowl as he pouted. Murmurs of words under his breath about how mean I used to be to him. I noticed then that his eyes were the only thing that had really changed about him. They were sharper, angrier. And yet they still had the same light that I remembered them having when we were younger.

"Hey Naomi? Are we best friends?"

"Well duh!"

I had missed him.

Oh man I've missed all of this so very much.

For the next few hours, we walked aimlessly around the mall, talking of old times. Teasing each other like 3 and a half years hadn't been put between us. I even managed to get that old laugh and grin out of Ichigo once. It was harder than I remembered it being, but the sound made my heart sore. Ichigo looked down at me, his eyes softer than when we first met up.

"You really haven't changed a bit, have you, Nao?" Ichigo mused. I glanced up at him and shrugged.

"Well physically I guess I have but..." I trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Nah, you look just like before." Ichigo said. I snorted, not sure how to take that. Considering the warm smile that was still on his face I decided it was a good thing to him. So I let it go as we continued our walk about. A couple hours later, we stood at the entrance to the mall. The sun was setting, darkness was crawling in. It was time for me to go home.

"I can walk you home, it's getting dark. And you always did have a lousy sense of direction." Ichigo said bluntly, holding to door open for me to walk outside first. I gave a mock laugh.

"Ha ha! Nah, it's alright, it's not that far anyway. Closer to here than the clinic." I said while trying to hold back a shiver as a cold wind blew straight through me.

"Yeah, well it sounds like it's on the way to my house. I'll walk you until we split paths." Ichigo insisted. I smiled; he really could be a nice guy when he wanted to be. I let my finger run through the snow to scoop some up before throwing it at the side of his face. The snow was probably one of the few clean patches left around the muddy city. A sure sign of spring approaching.

As the cold snow dripped down the side of his face, Ichigo flinched before glaring at me.

"Are you kidding me?! You're such a brat!" He shouted in such an angry tone that it might've scared someone who didn't know him that well. I just smirked before sticking my tongue out, feeling confident. Only seconds later, I deeply regretted that as he shoved a fistful of snow down my collar. I squealed as a wicked chill ran down my spine while the snow melted inside my old jacket. I did a little dance to try and get rid of the snow from my clothes. Moments later, when the shock wore off, I laughed it off though despite the wicked smirk on Ichigo's face.

"That was dirty snow you jerk." I said, wiping the slightly off-white snow from my jaw and neck. Ichigo snorted before carrying on his walk.

"Whatever, you deserved it." He muttered. I continued beside him for a while, and we continued to joke about things. My teeth started to chatter though, and my neck felt bitten by the frosty wind blowing at us. I ducked my head further into my coat to try and hide from the wind, the shiver from before resurfacing.

"Yeah we- hey, are you cold?" Ichigo asked mid-sentence.

"Wh-What would give you that idea?" I tried to shrug it off by walking faster. A few seconds later I felt something drop on my head and looked up at Ichigo's scarf being draped across my skull. I blinked in surprise as he scowled, looking ahead of us rather to me.

"Idiot, dress properly or you'll get a cold. And get a new jacket, that thing's on its last legs." Ichigo informed me. I quickly wrapped the scarf around my neck before stuffing the rest down my jacket for warmth. The material was soft, and I enjoyed the warmth I got from it being on Ichigo just prior. A smile slipped on my lips as I caught up with him.

"You chivalrous dork. How the heck don't you have a girlfriend?" I asked teasingly, opting to ignore the jacket comment since I quite liked this one. Ichigo's cheeks tinted slightly.

"Because everyone thinks I'm a hoodlum who picks fights all the time." He muttered.

"Oh, so they know the real you?" Ichigo glared. "I'm kidding, you only pick fights when they're worth your time."

"Hmph, easy for you to say squirt. Most people walk away from you when you try to start a fight." Ichigo said. I, however, felt my mood dampen. Memories from before I had initially left Karakura town flooded to the surface.

We continued quietly until I stopped in front of my apartment. I cleared my throat and forced a smile up to the carrot top.

"Thank you for walking me home. I'll be fine from here. I'd invite you in but- um well, no one's home." I informed him. Ichigo raised a brow.

"So what? You'll be home, right?" he asked curiously. I blushed slightly.

"Ichigo... I know we're just friends but you're still a guy and I'm still a girl..." I said before looking down in embarrassment. I caught the understanding, then embarrassment, and then a slightly mortified look crossed his face. I felt a tinge of hurt at that. Even though I only liked Ichigo as a friend, nobody likes being thought of as ' ew '.

"Right, gotcha. Well then, I guess I'll see you around. Bye." He said almost a little too quickly before wandering off to his house. I watched him go before making my way up to my flat. It was only when I was upstairs that I realized I still had his scarf on. I took a whiff of it, smelling a scent that was entirely Ichigo. It brought me another wave of warmth and comfort. I smiled and hung it up neatly on the coat rack.


"Naomi! Naomi! Where are you?"

"Here!" I called back to the voice. My slim fingers gently rolled the perfectly crisp snow beneath me into a ball. A devious look on my face as I planned to toss it at my friend. Mother appeared, looking exhausted and paranoid as she looked around.

"Naomi, you can't keep running off alone." She said to me with a frown. I mirrored the frown before looking at her and pausing my activities.

"I'm 9 Mom, you don't have to worry about me so much." I said before standing on my feet and picking up the smaller ball.

"I suppose, but you have been wandering too far from home. Come now, it's not safe to be out here by yourself." Mother said while offering me her hand. I frowned before looking from her to the person beside me. Bright eyes glanced between the two of us as I tilted my head to the side in question.

"But..." I looked at mom again with a confused look. "I'm not alone."


I woke with a slight start, nearly coughing out a lung.

I tried sucking in as much air as I could in between coughs, getting lucky enough to breathe in some raspy breaths a few moments later. I noticed that my lungs were on fire, along with my throat, and that the heater next to me had shorted out.

This was not going to be good.

I checked the time on my tiny alarm clock and noted it was already 9am. I was late as it was, so I skipped showering and simply went about my morning routine, then made my tea and toast before slipping my hair into a bun and leaving out the door.

I coughed a few more times, but after sipping my tea in a travel mug, I managed to ignore my sore throat enough to eat my toast and walk to work.

It was only when I got to the doors of the clinic that it dawned on me today was Sunday and the place wasn't even open. So, I stood there, muttering curses and multiple profanities to myself, before I closed my eyes and hit my head on the door once. When I opened them, I realized I was wearing Ichigo's scarf. Might as well return it... If he lived where I remembered him living, then his house was only a ten-minute walk from here.

It was an easy stroll, and I could vaguely remember the buildings I passed by. I gave a slight cough before rounding the final corner to the house, glad it was in view. Although the weather was getting warmer by the day, it was still a little too chilly for me. Granted, I was always a little on the cold side.

The house came into my view, I smiled before taking off the scarf and neatly folding it over my arm. Not that Ichigo would care, but it was common courtesy, nonetheless. I knocked on the door and waited for a while before a girl answered it.

"Hi, I'm a... Well a friend of Ichigo's. He lent me his scarf yesterday and-"

"NAOMIIIIIIII!" Isshin shouted as he greeted me from behind the girl. I smiled before giving a wave at his antics. "Did you come all the way here just to see Ichigo on your day off?! Oh you are way too good for that boy! HEY ICHIGO! NAOMI IS HERE! Oh you look cold please come in!"

I only laughed lightly at Isshin before stepping inside after they moved.

"No no, I actually forgot that work was closed today. And since I walked all the way here, I figured I could at least give this back." I explained despite Isshin hustling around to fix me some tea. He had caught on that I loved oolong and insisted that Yuzu, the girl at the door, make me some. She happily obliged as Isshin took my coat from me and ushered me in. I relented, finding the entire display endearing. Sometimes it felt nice to be fussed over.

"Really, I don't need to stay. I just figured I could take a walk is all." I explained.

"Nonsense! You came all this way! You could at least stay for a short while." Isshin said before grinning at me. I laughed at his insistence; he really must be a great dad.

"Would you shut it already? She's just being polite you creep." Ichigo's voice carried in from the doorway of another room. I laughed at Isshin's positively crestfallen appearance. He took off pouting in another room, crying about his ' no good son' to himself.

"C'mon Ichigo. Lighten up. He means well." I said with a grin. Ichigo scratched the back of his head, looking pissed off. As per usual.

"Yeah well it gets on my nerves," he said before looking down at me. "You don't have to stay either, it's not like we're going to be disappointed if you leave."

Well, that was a blunt way too put it. Instead of feeling crestfallen though I felt a wicked grin slip onto my face. Ichigo noticed the change in expression, freezing on the spot. I took a big breath of air. Ichigo made a move for me as though to stop me.

"Hey, Naomi-"

"ISSHIN! ICHIGO IS PICKING ON ME!" I cried.

Within seconds Isshin came flying from another room and round-housed Ichigo into the wall. Yuzu walked into the room carrying a tray of tea.

"Ichigo stop picking on Naomi!" Isshin shouted.

"Hello! You must be Naomi. Dad and Ichigo have talked about you a lot." Yuzu said. I snickered a little, watching the father son duo fight nearby.

"Bastard! I was being honest!" Ichigo shouted.

"Only good things I hope?" I asked. Yuzu smiled back.

Ichigo crashed into the wall.

"Of course! Let's go to the dinner table to have this tea." Yuzu offered before leading me to another area of the room. Isshin slammed into the ground before Ichigo tripped and fell on him.

"This house is really nice." I said while taking a seat at the table. Yuzu poured me some tea before offering it to me. I took it with a thanks before giving a slight cough and sipping my tea.

All at once the fighting ceased and Isshin came to a sliding stop beside me.

"See! I knew you'd get sick wearing that ratty jacket!" Isshin pointed accusingly at me. I pursed my lips and looked to the ceiling in complete denial.

"Dammit you cracked my neck," Ichigo whined while rubbing the nape of his neck. His honey brown eyes caught my indigo and I gave him a sneaky smirk. "You must be satan."

"I'm fine Mr Kurosaki. It's probably just a cold." I said, doing a 180 to ignore Ichigo and address his father. The son glanced at me but didn't say anything as Yuzu buzzed along about how nice it was to meet one of Ichigo's old friends. Karin entered a while later and although she was brash like Ichigo when we were introduced, I found I related a lot more with her than Yuzu. Still, both girls were very sweet, and watching Isshin interact with his kids was just too adorable.

I stayed for tea, and somehow was roped into lunch, though I never ate much. Finally, I called it quitting time at two. I really needed to go to the grocery shop, and then sleep early to make up for the crappy sleep I'd just had. At the door Ichigo stood beside me, having been threatened by Isshin to see me out.

"You don't actually have to stand here. I am capable of walking out a door by myself." I teased. Ichigo smirked.

"You sure? Remember first grade where you always crashed into the glass door at the front of the building?" He taunted. I couldn't help but laugh at the memory.

"Okay, fair enough." I said before pulling on my shoes. Ichigo frowned as he glanced over my ratty old jacket. The same one I had had for three years and torn a little in places. I loved it though; it was my favourite jacket.

"My old man's right. You'll catch a cold in that thing." Ichigo said while he pulled a loose string from one of the frayed ends. I swatted his hand away though as he rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" I insisted before waving goodbye and nearly jogging out the door. There was no way I was going to get sick from such a small thing.

No way at all.


I got sick the next day.

Just to make sure Ichigo and Isshin weren't right, I was fairly positive it was the broken heater and not the ratty jacket's fault. And oh boy was I ill. Not just ' my throat hurts and I'm dizzy ' sick, but ' I'm vomiting, and I think that cloud's a mushroom and my temperature's so cold it's on fire ' sick. I didn't even bother to go to work and just called it in. Forget work, I had a hard time getting out of bed. My heater kept quitting and I decidedly cocooned myself in my blankets and wanted to wait it out.

So, imagine my surprise when I got a knock on my door at 8pm. When I swung it open, swathed in three blankets with barely my nose poking out from beneath, I was even more surprised at who was standing there.

It was Isshin.

Within a matter of seconds, I could see the understanding of my situation come onto his face as he took in the chilled apartment in a rundown location along with the lack of lights or much furniture visible in the room.

Within a matter of seconds, I realized that everything I had built up over the past few months had just crumbled and washed away.

I was caught.


Chapter edited: March 9/2024

Tumblr: Plznomonkeys

Thanks for reading.

Cheers.

Iland Girl