The Light in her Dark
Ichigo closed his locker door after depositing his bag within, then locked it with his numbered key, glad to finally not have to carry it everywhere in this place, the shedding of the extra weight being a welcome reprieve to his aching shoulders.
He'd come and collect his stuff for class later after lunch had finished, as of now the bathroom was calling his name and he fully intended on answering it.
He really needed to get a school bag, his backpack was far too unwieldy for everyday school.
''Hey Kurosaki!'' a voice from down the hallway addressed him and effectively caught his attention.
Looking down the hallway to his right Ichigo scowled at the approaching forms of Tomoo and his gang, the look on their faces told him all he needed to now about their intentions, smirking faces full of their own self-confidence and bravado as they stopped before him but a breath away, their body language meaning to come across as threatening and imposing as they seemingly backed him up against the lockers.
Ichigo felt exasperation overcome him as history seemed determined to repeat itself, though this must be a new record in time from school's starting to a confrontation, Yokochini and his gang of idiots took at least a week into the semester to build up the nerve to approach him.
He'd have to give Tomoo that, he seemed confident in himself as he stood there smirking brazenly with his hands in his pockets, his grey eyes locked onto his with excited glee, it would seem his appearance and height advantage alone wasn't enough to intimidate him.
But still what little these punks didn't know, he wasn't some wimp they could easy cow down to their will just because they outnumbered him.
''The hell do you three want?'' Ichigo snapped at them in annoyance, hands and body instinctively shifting into a familiar aggressive stance as he eyed the three before him and prepared for the inevitable violence that was sure to come, afterall they didn't look like they'd tracked him down when he was alone to have a well mannered talk.
Tomoo let out something between a scoff and chuckle at Ichigo's attitude, seemingly amused at his clear dismissal of them, though if one looked closer they could see the tell tale signs of irritation and indignation bubbling within his eyes at the disregard Ichigo showed, the other two at his sides seemed to bristle also at Ichigo's words.
''You're real ballsy for a new kid ain't you carrot-top, but I guess it can't be helped since it's your first day here, you don't know the rules of this place yet.'' Tomoo replied in a condescending tone while closing his eyes and shaking his head, before looking to Ichigo again and shrugging his shoulders and removing his hands from his pockets, slowly curling them into fists. ''No matter since we'll happily teach you them.''
Unimpressed, Ichigo merely stared at Tomoo as he performed his pathetic intimidation pantomime.
''Oh yeah? And what rules would they be exactly?'' Ichigo responded with belittling indifference, his muscles tensing at the building of tension between him and the three boys, ready to burst into action at the slightest provocation from them.
Tomoo's smirk seemed to widen at the question.
''Simple, freaks like you should watch their mouth and if you mess with me you better be ready to see your own blood!'' and with that Tomoo sprung forward, fist raised back with the intent to slug the object of his animosity across his jaw, so confident in his initiative to land the first blow that he didn't foresee that his intended target was all too ready for the attack.
Ichigo shifted his head out the way of the fist that was seemingly preordained to bruise his jaw, not caring to even watch as it flew past his head and hit the metal of the lockers behind him with a deafening clang, he did watch however as Tomoo's face contorted with a pained grimace as his bare knuckles met the unrelenting metal, yet before the boy could fully appreciate the pain running through his nerves, Ichigo grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him down and towards himself.
Tomoo's eyes widened at the move as he felt his centre of gravity shift, and seconds later bulged out his sockets and gasped for air as Ichigo brought a knee up to crash against his solar plexus, then following with a punch across the bridge of his nose that sent him stumbling backwards towards Aoi and Kaito, both of which looked on in shock at what the new kid had just done.
Tomoo stood there for a moment hunched over and gasping for air as he comprehended what just happened, his hand coming to grasp at his now bleeding nose, rivulets of red seeping through the gaps of his fingers as he scowled with murderous rage at the orange haired boy that looked at him with an equally pissed off scowl of his own, though his spoke more of exasperation and annoyance, as if he was not worth the effort.
''Yeah, that ain't gonna happen creep, so why don't you and your little band of losers get lost, I'd rather not have to deal with the matron on my first day because I made you three have to stay in the nurses office for the next few weeks.'' Ichigo offered cockily with a smirk as cracked his knuckles and prepared himself for the inevitable retaliation.
Practically foaming at the mouth with indignation Tomoo turned to his two friends and began to snarl at them.
''What the hell are you two waiting for, hurry up and kill the freak!'' Tomoo screamed in rage at Aoi and Kaito before he launched himself at Ichigo once more.
That was seemingly the catalyst that was needed for the hallway to turn into an all out brawl as Aoi and Kaito followed his lead and threw themselves at Ichigo also with clenched fists and determined faces, though nowhere near as crazed as their leader.
Tomoo once again met the lockers as Ichigo spun round him and shoved him into the hard metal via a shoulder to the back, he then spun and directed a punch in Kaito's open guard and stomach causing the boy to gasp and stumble back two steps holding said organ, though that didn't stop him for long as he quickly recovered and along side Aoi threw a punch at the orange haired boy.
Ichigo was quick enough to catch the arm of Kaito and throw him off to the side into to Tomoo just as the boy was pushing himself away from the lockers, effectively causing the black haired boy to crash into the unforgiving metal for a third time.
It was then Aoi's turn as he thrust an elbow down into the boy's skull when he'd tried to tackle Ichigo around the waist and bring him down, though to Ichigo's surprise the boy still held on tight to his waist even when his brain was no doubt rattling around his head, Aoi seemed to have the most muscle out of the three of them and could clearly take a hit.
''Get the hell off me you bastard!'' Ichigo roared as he kicked Aoi's legs out from under him, just in time as he heard Tomoo charge at him with a cry from behind and then careen into his chest just as he turned round with a shoulder barge of his own causing the pair of them to trip over the downed form of Aoi and crash to the ground in a grapple, though Tomoo was quick to situate himself atop Ichigo.
Two blows of his fists was all Tomoo could achieve across Ichigo's face before said boy managed to buck him off to the side from on top of him, the blows leaving angry smarting red skin across his cheeks and a furious scowl to descend across Ichigo's features.
A kick curtesy of Kaito narrowly missed Ichigo's face as he rolled away and picked himself up from the ground, taking advantage of Kaito being off balance due to one foot being off the ground, Ichigo grabbed the raised leg and quickly tripped the boy over where he landed hard on his back against the worn wooden floor, the air leaving his lungs at the impact with a great gasp.
Before Ichigo could follow up with the assault he found himself ducking under a swing from Aoi at his side, the blow just missing his temple and forcing him to switch his attention and offering a vicious kick to the side of Aoi's ribs in response, causing the boy to stubble off to the side holding said part of his body, from the ground Kaito took advantage of this lack of attention and sent a kick at the back of Ichigo's leg making him stumble and though Ichigo caught himself from falling with a pained grunt he quickly found Aoi waiting from behind as the large boy once again choose to grapple Ichigo, this time choosing to hold back his arms and lock them in place from underneath.
Ichigo quickly threw back his head in response to the move, soon the bony part of the back of his skull met the soft cartilage of Aoi's nose in a sickening crunch and howl of pain from the boy, though again he surprised Ichigo, while he let go of Ichigo's left arm to bring his own hand to his beleaguered nose, he kept a tight hold of the other arm.
Before Ichigo could bring his now free arm round and throw a punch at the boy that still held him in vice, he found it to be once more immobilized in a tight grip as Kaito came to his side to assist his friend in holding the surprisingly strong new kid in place.
''You sons of bitches, let me go!'' Ichigo roared at his captors, though they only responded by kicking at the backs of his legs, effectively bringing him to his knees with a grunt of pain and anger.
It was then that Tomoo finally made his presence known once more, having wandered off down the hall after Ichigo threw him from him.
''Good, hold him still.'' he said as he came to stand in front of the struggling Ichigo who tried to pry his arms away from the two boys before shooting Tomoo a venomous glare and a snarl of clenched teeth.
Though Ichigo's eyes widened slightly as he took in the malevolently smirking form of Tomoo as he loomed over him along with the bright red blood that dripped still from his nose, a red the same shade as the small fire extinguisher Tomoo now lugged in both hands, with the intent to cause pain shining in his grey eyes, it was at that an understanding birthed itself in Ichigo's mind of just how unhinged this boy really was, he was no simple bully, there was something much darker at play here.
''You should have just listened and took your beating kid, now it's gonna be so much worse'' Tomoo said with mocking glee as he began to raise the fire extinguisher up high and Ichigo truly couldn't tell if he was aiming for his head or his body, either way this was going to hurt.
''One squashed strawberry coming right up!'' Tomoo cried out in sick merriment, his insult only adding to Ichigo's fury as he continued to glare at the psycho before him with burning brown eyes.
But before Tomoo could bring the blunt object down, something peculiar happened, the side of his face was suddenly bombarded with a clump of soaking wet toilet paper.
A resounding squelch filled the hallway as everyone froze in shock at the out of place happening, the hallway that what was once a bustle of a brawl became frozen in time as Tomoo's face became drenched, his black hair now sticking to the side of his head as a soggy white mush fell to the grown and landed at his feet.
Stupefied the boys could only remain seemingly shellshocked as all eyes fell on Tomoo who's look of surprised bewilderment could almost be comical if not for the dense atmosphere that had thoroughly seeped the hallway.
Almost as one the four boys looked to the end of dim corridor in the direction in which the projectile was most likely flung.
There Kaede stood, a hand still outstretched and dripping with water, looking just as shocked at what she'd done as the four boys in front of her, her red gaze wide and almost disbelieving as she looked to them.
Burning brown eyes met blood red ones as Ichigo locked his gaze with Kaede's, his eyes full of questions that Kaede had not the answers to, both uncertain for different reasons, before she broke their gaze and redirected them to the furious form of Tomoo who's shock had quickly been subsumed by rage.
''You!'' he snarled, his immature voice shifting to a false baritone filled seething malice, all directed at the small pink haired girl at the corridor's end that took a step back when the fury of his address reached her ears.
With a face full of rage Tomoo turned fully to face Kaede, throwing the fire extinguisher to the side as he did so, it's weight leaving a slight dent in the section of diseased wooden floorboards as it landed with a great echoing metal chime that would indicate that the cylinder was actually empty.
Kaede took another step back shakily at his aggressive actions, hoping to reach the corner of the corridor she'd previously came from in her search of those she now wished to flee, the one she knew was but a few steps behind her, her face beginning to morph into trepidation and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she'd been right, she was already beginning to regret her rash and stupid actions no matter how noble her intentions may have been.
In response to her slow retreat, Tomoo took his own measured step towards her, insidiously, eyeing her like a predator would prey, fist now empty clenching tight enough to white his knuckles, before he then took another step closer, wanting to close the gap as much as he could before she inevitable fled.
And that was all that was needed, like a baby fawn hearing the snapping of sticks in the far forest, Kaede turned and ran, not spearing the boys in front of her another glance and not daring to look back.
Tomoo was quick to her tail, even after she quickly disappeared around the corner of the intersecting corridors and out of sight, though he could hear her light footfalls against frail wood as she ran from him in clear panic, a smirk overcame him and a thrill of excitement filled his nerves, this could be fun.
Ichigo watched as Tomoo ran after the girl that had selflessly just saved him from a possible concussion, more than likely worse, he saw the sick smirk take over his features before he disappeared around the same corner that she had moments ago, like those that held him still he was still processing what had just happened, though Ichigo was the first of the three to gain clarity, understanding fairly simply that he'd just been saved and his recently gained knowledge of the bully imploring him to act before the creep could inflict too much suffering on her, she'd just protected him, and he was resolved to return her actions in kind.
With that a look of undiluted determination burned in a blazing fire in his eyes, his teeth clenched and scowl hardening as he turned his attention to the two that still held him in submission, it was time he took this seriously.
The air burned at Kaede's lungs as she thundered down the corridor that seemed to have no end, her hair clinging to her sweat drenched brow and each breath painful as she took in great inhales of stale air to fuel her body as she ran, she'd almost tripped once and she could barely hear anything over her sharp breaths and the frantic beating of her heart, but even so she could still hear him.
Tomoo's advance that grew steadily louder as he got closer and closer, soon he'd be right at her back, it felt like she'd been running for eternity, while in truth barely thirty seconds had passed, yet it was plenty of enough time to scrutinize her rash actions.
She was such a fool.
She'd just set herself up for more torment, and no doubt Tomoo wouldn't let this end with a single momentary beating, she'd forever be a target of his animosity now, far more than before for being a simple freak, why did she get involved, all because a stranger was nice to her? did it feel owed of her due to his kindness? maybe because she didn't want to be a hypocrite and tarred with the same brush as everyone else in this place? was it all worth it now when all paths from her surely led to pain.
She didn't have much time to dwell on her regrets and rueful hindsight before a hand caught a fistful of her hair and stopped her dead in her tracks as she felt her head be forcefully yanked back, the sound of rubber soles filling the hallway as two pairs of feet fought for traction on the smooth wooden floor.
''Got you freak!'' Tomoo practically cheered in ambivalence, both hateful and mirthful, turning Kaede by her hair to face him as she let out a gasp of shock and pain, uncaring at how her hands instinctively came up to grip at his wrist and forearm, clawing at them in a pitiful attempt to make him relinquish his hold of her.
He took delight in how her freaky red eyes shone with dread as they locked their gaze with his own and how she struggled in his grip, still clawing at his hand while she tried to pull away from him, though he kept her firmly in place.
Kaede let loose a pained grunt and grimace as she registered the pain like a caress of fire pulling at her scalp, feeling the impossibility of the task to get him to loosen his grip of her hair, her eyes hardened as she gazed into the merciless grey ones of her assailant, forcing down her dread and panic for the moment, she allowed herself to feel nothing but blistering anger at him, channelling all her hate for this place in a single look, yet all he did was smirk as he took notice of the change in her eyes.
''That was real stupid of you back there you know?'' Tomoo taunted her rhetorically while brushing his free hand over the side of his face that was still wet from Kaede previous improvised attack, his words playfully malicious.
Kaede replied by letting one of her hands release their grip on Tomoo's wrist and then swung it forward in an attempt to punch him across the very same cheek he currently motioned to in a moment of ironic defiance.
Though Tomoo was quick to catch the offending fist with his free hand with consummate ease, while simultaneously releasing her hair from the other hand, then proceeding to twist Kaede's arm behind her and throw the girl from him with all his might, where she eventually met the unrelenting form of the hallway's dull yellow walls, not expecting such a move and with one arm behind her back Kaede was unprepared to guard herself from the impact, the result birthing a great pulsing pain that flashed across her face, chest and knee as they took the brunt of the impact, the air fleeing from her lungs at the force in which she met the wall.
Not able to keep her balance after the disorientating blow she then crashed to the ground, her lip bleeding in a stemmed stream of red and knee scraped raw, a dull groan escaping her lips as her defiance started to leave her, though she still glared up at Tomoo from behind her hair, even if her eyes had lost some of their fire.
''I guess I should have seen it coming, one freak standing up for an another freak, and just like him you need learn your place.'' Tomoo said, his every word steeped in threat, before a look of irritation bordering anger took hold of his features and he raised his foot back, his intend clear to see.
Kaede's eyes widened as she realised he intended to kick her in her stomach, she instinctively braced herself, muscles tensing and eyes closing shut as she waited for the blow to come.
Soon Tomoo's foot came striking forward, quick, low and unrestrained, his face completely focused on his victim, too focused that he ignored the world around him, never noticing the sound of charging footsteps heading straight for him, his eyes only catching a flash of orange in his peripheral vision.
''THINK FAST ASSHOLE!'' an enraged shout came from Tomoo's side and no sooner were the words spoken did Tomoo feel a fist crash into the side of his face, his vision going temporarily white from the impact, the strength behind the blow so great it snapped his head to the side and forced bloody spital to eject from his mouth, the shock of knuckles against cheek bone fraying his nerves and sending a wave of pain down the side of his face and neck.
He'd never felt pain like it before, and he hated it.
Caught off balance with only one foot anchoring him to the earth, Tomoo soon found himself lifted from his feet and hurled across the hallway like a discarded doll, eventually crashing to the hard, splinter coated floor in a crumpled, moaning heap, his head taking a nasty knock as his vision swam and a daze took hold of his perception.
Kaede looked on in unabashed amazement at the scene before her, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, looking to the crumpled form of Tomoo in disbelief, who even now struggled to raise himself from the ground with shaking limbs, moaning pitifully as his body ached from the aftershock of the blow he'd just received and the subsequent fall he'd took.
She then turned her head to the one that it truth had unknowingly been the catalyst to the situation she found herself in, and the one that now protected her from the pain Tomoo offered so freely.
He'd came to help her she'd thought in surprise as she looked up at the orange haired boy incredulously, she was sure he'd simply run away after her intervention, not once did it cross her mind that he may come back for her and repay her help with his own, a confusing feeling began to bubble in her chest, first a decompressing relief and then a shudder of unknown warmth as he cast her a quick glance from the corner of his eye, the anger therein softening for a second before resurging in full when he noticed the bleeding cut at her lip, his eyes hardened and a determined look settled across his features once more before he then turned his gaze to Tomoo.
She could feel his anger, literally feel it against the air above her skin, like a pulsating flame of heat with him at it's source, physically it was like a feather's touch, no different than stepping from the shade into the kiss of sunlight, but even so she couldn't help but notice it, like a sudden breeze from what was once still air, yet she didn't feel threatened by it, whatever this unfamiliar sensation was, it surrounded Ichigo and in consequence her also, in a blanket of warm refuge.
But it's rage seemed to slowly caress her skin.
Ichigo stood where Tomoo once did, his face a mask of unbridled rage as he glared with an accompanying scowl at the slowly rising form of Tomoo, his teeth were bared in a snarl, parted slightly as he clearly tried to catch his breath while his chest practically heaved.
He'd managed to dispose of Aoi and Kaito with little trouble after Kaede's little stunt and with Tomoo out the way, he was certain neither would be interrupting him any time soon, he doubted they'd even pulled themselves of the ground yet.
After, he'd ran down the corridor as fast as his feet could carry him, determined to reach Kaede before Tomoo could do something too severe, confused why she'd put herself in danger for him but grateful, he didn't really know the girl, that much was true but it didn't matter to him one bit, not when she was putting her own safety on the line for his benefit, he'd do no less for her, so when he caught sight of her crashing to the floor with Tomoo poised to kick her from above, he'd launched himself at them without abandon, making sure not to hold back on his strength as his fist met his face.
Now he stood between her and Tomoo, glaring down at the insane creep, who had finally managed to pull himself from the ground and turned to face them both, his rage was palpable across his face, his eyes wide in a stare that bordered manic, his left cheek already beginning to swell and flushed an angry red, but the boy still looked unsteady, still amidst the daze that he couldn't seem to shake, there was little fight left, were he older he'd probably recognize it as the onset of a mild concussion, though he was cognizant enough to realize the fact that the last blow had knocked the strength from him, while his opponent looked practically unscathed, this kid was clearly not like the others here.
His pride was thoroughly trounced.
The ringing of a bell suddenly broke through the dense atmosphere within the corridor, causing all three to look away from each other in the loose direction of the cafeteria and yard, knowing such a sound signified the end of lunch hour, meaning they'd soon have company, in fact if they listened closely they could already hear the excited chittering of far off voices that grew steadily clearer with each passing second.
Tomoo's scowl increased at the knowledge a teacher or another kid could round the corner at any moment, payback would have to wait, he looked back to Ichigo who stood protectively over the horned freak, a jolt of disgust and venom creeping down his spine at the sight of the two.
Though Ichigo only smirked at him in response to the look, infuriating Tomoo in the process.
''You should probably go and help your friends before someone sees them, they're probably still crying on the floor right now, might be embarrassing if someone found them first.'' Ichigo taunted Tomoo, knowing right now he held the advantage, but also wanting him to leave before anyone found them in this precarious situation.
Tomoo grit his teeth at that, wanting nothing more but to lunge at the orange haired boy, though his rationality won out in the end.
''This isn't over, just you wait kid, you two freaks better watch your backs from now on.'' Tomoo threatened as he began to make his way down the hall, passing Ichigo and Kaede as he went, shoving his shoulder into Ichigo's own aggressively as he did so. ''No one humiliates me.''
Ichigo didn't respond to the contact, nor the threat of future confrontation, he only followed Tomoo's retreating form with his hard eyes, not willing to relax until the boy was gone and out of sight, eventually letting out a breath through his nose and manually forcing himself to calm.
In the end it was the sound of bare palms hitting wood and the slight rustle of clothes that caused him to pull his eyes away from the end of the corridor, to the pink haired girl behind him who had sat herself up with her back against the wall.
She didn't look at him, or at least he thought she didn't, a curtain of pink hair obscured her eyes from him, and her head was lowered, giving him a close-up view of those prominent horns of hers, but by the way she seemed to focus on the abrasion at her knee, touching it tentatively with probing fingers, flinching at their contact with the damaged skin, he was sure he wasn't the object of her attention right now.
He was wrong, red eyes through a veil of pink flicked from him then to her knee in sporadic intervals, watching for what his next action would be apprehensively, not knowing what to expect from the unusual boy that had just fought for her, she just hoped it wasn't pity that drove his actions.
Ichigo crouched down beside the girl, looking over her state for a second before eventually speaking.
''Hey, are you alright?'' he questioned genuinely concerned for her wellbeing.
She didn't respond for a moment or two, causing Ichigo to frown in worry, though she did eventually speak but so quiet Ichigo had to strain his ears to hear it.
''I'm fine.'' Kaede whispered out, her hands coming to grip at the end of her red skirt, not liking how vulnerable she felt right now and how just as she feared she could feel what she thought was pity roll from the boy in waves, pity for the freakish girl that couldn't defend herself, pity for the lonely outcast, she hated it, she didn't want or need it, it made her feel small and frail.
She was wrong, it wasn't pity but simple concern, pity would imply that one felt they were above the other, if anything Ichigo felt kinship with the girl before him through their shared strife in this situation, and above all appreciative of her for acting when she didn't need to.
Unconvinced Ichigo reached out with a hand to the wound at her knee, wanting to appraise it himself but was met half way be a tiny, pale frail hand that gripped his own with surprising strength and kept his at bay, surprising him slightly before the girl before him eventually raised her head to look at him fully.
His first thought was the feel of her hand, it was soft, and surprisingly cool to the touch, the next was truly how startling her ruby gaze was now that he was only a scares few inches away, a fierce look of warning within them as her features began to form into a displeased frown.
''I said I'm fine.'' she reiterated to him, her tone clearer and more forceful now. ''I don't need your help.''
There was a fire in her eyes now, small and fleeting true, birthed from suppressed embers rather than kindling, seems they shared something in common, they didn't like to be coddled, good, Ichigo didn't like treating people as if they were made of glass and would shatter at an ill touch.
But still she didn't want his help? Too bad, she should have thought of that before she put herself in harm's way for him, she was getting his help whether she liked it or not.
''Like hell you don't, you're bleeding, you idiot.'' Ichigo offered a rebuttal while scowling at her, he watched in amusement as her eyes widened at his words before she offered him her own scowl of displeasure, clearly not liking the insult.
''I'm not an idiot, carrot-top.'' she growled back at him heatedly, her sullen mask slipping to a more assertive one, he'd seen it once before when confronting him over Maru the previous night.
Ichigo's eyebrow twitched at the insult but he then gave her a smirk, he felt like he'd just caught a glimpse of her true self behind the persona she seemed to wear around here, it reminded him a bit like Tatsuki.
''Yeah? Well you could have fooled me pinky, now come on you look like a mess.'' Ichigo while gripping at the hand she still held out stretched at him and began to pull her up from the ground where she sat.
Kaede gave a startled cry and wide eyes as she was hauled from the ground by the stronger boy, eventually finding herself being lead down the corridor, her hand still in his, her protests falling on deaf ears while her knee stung with every step.
Could this day get any stranger for her.
Some few moments later she was sat on a bench across the hall adjacent to the bathrooms, looking down at her hands in her lap as Ichigo knelt before her, a wet clump of toilet roll in his hand and a practically empty roll of bandage he'd managed to scavenge from a first aid box on the seat beside her.
She let out a small hiss when the cold, wet paper touched her knee, it's sting undeniable to her senses, as was the close proximity of the also injured boy that didn't seem to care about his own scrapes and welts as he attended to hers, his lip was swollen and red raw, fire like hair dishevelled and sweaty, yet his concern seemed to be reserved for her alone, it was so strange and unsettling, but still it didn't change the fact that she was having prolonged contact with a boy, and a boy unlike any other she'd met at that, one that was benevolent in intent, in turn her cheeks burned red.
Ichigo glanced up at the girl after he'd finished cleaning the graze, not noticing his effect on her, before he began wrapping the small amount of bandage around her knee, it was ironic he thought, the one that was outcasted in this place, held more human decency than those that claimed to be normal, yet she was the only one he'd seen in this place with any worth as a person, anyone else probably would have left Tomoo and his gang to continue their abuse, well that wasn't fair, not many would risk their own wellbeing for a stranger.
It was admirable of her, and yet.
''That was a really stupid thing to do you know, you could have gotten yourself hurt even worse if I didn't make it in time.'' Ichigo's statement broke the silence between them, causing Kaede to look from her hands to him, a frown beginning to grow again at his words, yet before she could respond he continued. ''But, thanks for doing what you did, I'm grateful, that creep probably would have split my head open if you didn't distract him when you did, so thanks for saving my ass.'' Ichigo thanked in a joking tone while offering her a benign smirk as he tied a knot in the bandage at the side of her knee.
The look of genuine appreciation in his eyes along with the affectionate smirk on his lips struck Kaede for a moment where she could just simply stare at him, before she eventually gave him her own small smile, a little awkward at it's lack of use.
''Sure.''
With his work on her leg done Ichigo stood from his knelt position and then proceeded to take a seat on the bench next to Kaede with a sigh, said girl following his every movement, more out of curiosity now than cautiousness.
Ichigo then lent back against the sill of the window behind him, hands coming to rest behind his head while he looked to Kaede from the corner of his eyes, the heat of sunlight magnified by glass plains almost uncomfortable against his back, yet it bothered him little as he was more entranced at how said light made the Kaede's pink hair almost shimmer.
''Your name is Kaede right?'' Ichigo questioned the girl, more rhetorical than anything else since he knew he was right, but waited for her response either way out of curtesy.
A look of pleased surprise flashed across her features, surprised that he remembered her name, surprised at how nice it sounded for her name to be spoken from his lips, how nice to actually hear her name be said without any negative connotations.
''That's right, Ichigo.'' Kaede responded shyly, not needing to say his own name back out of propriety, yet wanting to see how it felt on her tongue to speak his name either way, and in doing so she decided that she liked it, though she did have to suppress a smirk when her mind birthed an image of a strawberry, she felt he wouldn't appreciate that if his reaction this morning in homeroom was anything to go by.
Ichigo looked away at that, eyes glancing up at the ceiling, as if he were in deep thought.
''I'm not normally good with names, but I guess you made an impression.'' Ichigo said while giving a small chuckle while looking to the girl beside him. ''I thought you were gonna whale on me last night when you thought I was chasing your puppy, you weren't exactly the friendliest you know.''
Kaede just averted her gaze at that, a hint of embarrassment taking hold of her features, but in doing so she also flicked her eyes across the still quiet corridor, the pinch of panic she felt with the mentioning of Maru within the orphanage's walls quelled when she saw they were indeed still alone.
A stern look answered Ichigo, instantly erasing what mirth he was trying to conjure with his previous statement, he could clearly make out a streak of anxiety within her ruby gaze that told him he'd erred in some way, though he was ignorant to what it may have been.
''Don't talk about Maru here, if Tomoo finds out about him, he'll hurt him or worse, just to get at me.'' Kaede said in a voice that held an nervous undertone, it wasn't so much as pleading with Ichigo, rather beckoning him to realise the seriousness of what she spoke, something that Ichigo recognised, he honestly didn't think the girl beside him would ever willing plead to someone.
Ichigo gave a suffering sigh at that while removing his arms from behind his head and allowing them to rest at his sides, to be even having this conversation, this place really sucked.
''Right, sorry I wasn't thinking, don't worry I won't tell anybody about him, you can trust me to keep him a secret.'' Ichigo said with total sincerity, understanding due to first hand account just what that creep Tomoo was willing to do to another person, and didn't want to imagine what he would do to her little puppy.
Kaede examined the face of the boy before her, looking for any sign of deceit or malintent, yet all those brown eyes of his held was a sense of conviction in his own honesty, he practically radiated trustfulness, and there was just this strange pull about him, a sense of gravity that drew one to him.
It was strangely comforting, like the feel of sunlight on your skin when stepping out from a shadow, and for some reason against her better judgment she felt she could trust him in this, that he spoke nothing but truth to her.
Yet before she could respond to his proclamation, a voice interrupted their conversation, startling the pair.
''Ichigo Kurosaki!'' A furious voice thundered from down the hallway, causing both boy and girl look to it startled.
There at the end of the hall stood the Matron, her arms crossed and a furious expression upon her face.
''You have some explaining to do young man!''
Apparently Tomoo was a sore loser.
Almost an hour had passed since the matron had approached them in the hall, and in that time both Ichigo and Kaede had been escorted to the matron's office and subject to condemning accusations of false perpetration against Tomoo, Aoi and Kaito, what followed was a one sided trial, where the Matron like a magistrate behind her desk, acted as judge, jury and executioner, whatever evidence Ichigo presented to the contrary was instantly dismissed almost belittlingly so, she was clearly treating him as an upstart outsider and delinquent, so after awhile he chose to just give up on professing his and Kaede's innocence, and simply stopped caring what the windbag in front of him spouted.
During this Kaede had remained silent, just staring at her feet, though her face was set in an annoyed if resigned frown, her arms by her side in dispassion.
This and also the fact that the Matron didn't seem to care that the girl was clearly injured served to infuriate the orange haired boy to no end, yet like the girl beside him he understood that he'd gain no foothold with the adult before him, his emotions only served to confound things as the deep scowl on his face caused the Matron to double down on her tirade to what she assumed to be defiance from the twelve year old boy.
Now the pair sat just outside the office door upon creaking chairs, the hallway had grew dimmer in the time they'd been pulled away from the day's schedule, it was almost three in the afternoon now and the sun had dipped considerably, it's golden haze mellowing to what would soon be a warm orange akin to a fire's glow, said light now bathing the two from the windows in front of them as the shadows grew longer in their creeping tendrils.
Both had been quiet for some time now, mainly because Ichigo was ruminating the day's events and Kaede was unwilling to speak due to the furious frown on the orange haired boy's face, it had been there for a full fifteen minutes now, ever since Ichigo's father had arrived at the Matron's request and was now in discussion within the office they once resided.
The silence once normally welcome, now felt suffocating to Kaede, though it would soon come to an end.
''Jeez, everyone in this place sucks, like seriously everyone here is either down right miserable or cruel, even the teachers.'' Ichigo suddenly spoke with a frown, his tone annoyed and exasperated as he closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, his sudden voice causing Kaede to look to him.
''She didn't even ask if you were ok.'' he continued, his voice holding a certain level of venom as he directed his gaze to her. ''The hell is wrong with people in this place?''
Truthfully, Kaede couldn't answer that question as she was far to accustomed to how people treat her that it was nothing but normal to her, luckily she didn't need to voice an answer as at that moment the Matron's office door opened once more and the form of Isshin Kurosaki stepped out into the hallway and eventually coming to stand before them.
Her nerves began to rise again as she and Ichigo looked to the Kurosaki elder, he was a bear of a man, tall and intimidating, she'd never seen an adult like him, a great deal of muscle hid under the blue tropical shirt and white doctor's coat he wore as he crossed his arms, and though his attention remained upon Ichigo, the stern, critical look that painted his features was in her opinion intimidating, so much so that she looked down at her lap when his eyes briefly flicked to her.
''So, you wanna tell me what really happened today Ichigo, because I know you're not one to give out a beating for no reason?'' Isshin eventually said after he'd finished appraising his son, clearly he didn't buy the narrative the Matron was trying to spin.
Ichigo let out a sigh at his father's words, but complied nonetheless, with that he spent the next ten minutes recounting the true events that had unfolded some sparce hours ago, and when he was finally done he awaited his father's judgment, to which Isshin merely looked at his son impassively for a good few moments.
Before said Judgment came in the form of his knuckles crashing into the top of Ichigo's head.
''Gah!'' Ichigo cried out in more shock than pain as his father's fist met his head and then remained atop it, practically forcing his head down to be level with his chest, though Ichigo still managed to glare up at his old man after he'd regained his senses.
''What the hell was that for old man, you almost cracked my head open!'' he practically roared out while trying to push his father's hand from his head with minimal success, in fact Isshin seemed to just exert more force at the resistance.
''Silence! That was for getting in a fight on your first day, what are you trying to set a new record or something my delinquent of a son!'' Isshin shouted back at his troublemaker of a son while matching his displeased expression, though it loosened shortly after and he removed his fist. ''But I'm glad you stuck up for yourself and for someone else that was in need also, you may have caused a headache, but at least it's a headache I can be proud of Ichigo.''
After razing his head back up, Ichigo simply stared at his father's approving expression, his own anger at the happenings of today slowly bleeding away at his father's words.
Meanwhile Kaede merely looked on with wide eyes at the bizarre interaction between the father and son, she may not be a subject matter expert but she was sure fathers weren't meant to rattle their son's brain within their head, and that sons shouldn't openly shout at their father, yet here was evidence to the contrary as she watched the two and their usually violent, yet clearly loving bond.
She soon averted her eyes as a sting of jealously nipped at her chest at the sight, parental love, what a fallacy, it was such a bitter notion to her and something she'd thought of many a tormented night as she lay in bed when sleep would not take her, her own mother and father must I have thought her a monster, too disgusted by her to raise her, to love her, so in turn they abandoned her to this life of loneliness and misery.
Not for the first time did she speak a mantra of hate in her head to the two people that should have gave her unconditional love and consciously chose to discard her.
But before her sullen thoughts could turn to scorn, a shadow suddenly fell over her, looking up from her lap in surprise she soon discovered it's origin, as the warm glare of the dipping sun in front of her was usurped by the towering form of Ichigo's father.
A bout of nervousness flooded beneath her skin as the older man looked down at her, although quite sure she wouldn't be met with the same treatment as Ichigo, his almost calculating gaze caused the muscles in her abdomen to coil in tension, she watched as his eyes flicked across her features, to her horns and her hair before settling on the very eyes that looked to him also, yet like his son he didn't look at her in disgust, nor aversion, but unlike Ichigo there was something within his eyes and it wasn't curiosity at least not in a novel way, but more of an understanding at just what he was looking at, it was different and unnerving like he knew a secret about her that she herself was not privy to, his eyes flicking back once again to her prominent horns.
And then his demeanour suddenly changed, as his hands came to rest at his hips and a wide smile bloomed to life at his lips, his entire aura shifting to that of exuberant cheer.
''Well now, Kaede was it? My name is Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's father and greatest daddy around, my son told me he'd met a cute little lady in the woods last night but I thought he'd just dreamed it up, but yet here you are.'' Isshin exclaimed with an unabashed and jubilant smile, clearly not caring at how his words brought great embarrassment to the two children before him as their faces flushed red. ''I'd always known Ichigo would start catching the attention of pretty girls, but I didn't think it'd be so soon!'' he mused benignly while rubbing his bearded chin with one hand.
''The hell are you saying old man!'' Ichigo shouted out in great embarrassment, his cheeks as red as his namesake and an overall panicked look taking hold of his features, mortified at what his idiot of a father was saying.
Yet before he could continue to berate his foolish old man, to his shock he found a large hand courtesy of his father across his mouth, sealing any further protest from him and clamping down hard enough to make any resistance on his part a non-issue, no matter how much he tried to pry the hand away.
Undaunted at his son's outburst Isshin continued onward steadfast in his address to the suddenly bashful pink haired girl before him that looked uncomfortable at his attention and had cast her eyes back down into her lap, her cheeks a blazing red.
''Please accept my apologies at all the trouble my idiot of a son has caused you today and my gratitude for saving him from a beating that would no doubt have caused him to become even stupider than he already is.'' Isshin said with a serious sincerity as he bowed his head slightly to the girl.
Unsure what to do in such a situation, having never had such an interaction with another, Kaede remained silent as she looked to the much larger man, her hands coming to grip at her skirt in nervous uncertainty, her eyes flicking from Isshin to Ichigo for a few breathless moments of awkward silence before she offered the Kurosaki patriarch an almost indecipherable nod of her head and accompanying ''umm'' of acknowledgement, her hands gripping at her skirt tighter as she did so as the sense of discomfort became almost unbearable.
At her withdrawn response Isshin raised his head from his bowed posture, looking to the unusual girl that kept her head down, gaze timid and away from his own, a look of empathy flooded his eyes and he held back a sigh, before he turned to his troublemaking son that still struggled to rid his grip at his mouth.
''Right then, come on Ichigo it's time we should be heading home, Yuzu and Karin are waiting for us at the reception, we don't want to keep your sisters waiting now do we?'' Isshin said joyfully as he released his hand from his son's mouth, the young boy almost throwing the offending appendage away from him as he glared up at his father as said man began to make his way down the hall to the reception in question, smirking at his son as he did so, not before sending the pink haired girl a final lingering look and then turning a corner out of sight.
Watching him depart in a mixture of relief and bewilderment Kaede's attention was soon usurped by a grumbling to her right as Ichigo ruminated over his father's insistence on causing him embarrassment and annoyance in equal measure, the boy letting out a suffering sigh and running a hand through his messy orange hair before finally casting his gaze over to her once more, an apology in his eyes, coupled with the dull annoyance not meant for her.
''Sorry about that, my dad can be an idiot sometimes; well most of the time.'' Ichigo said in an apologetic tone before sighing and getting up from his seated position and placing his hands in his jean's pockets, Kaede's red eyes following him with an attention that would make some unsettled due to their appearance, but had little effect on Ichigo, in fact he offered the girl a smile, a genuine smile. ''I should get going before that idiot comes back, but I'll see you tomorrow Kaede?''
Kaede could only nod at the question, not fully comprehending it's meaning, feeling nervous at the prospect, yet hopeful and unsure, a confounded mix of unfamiliar feelings stirred up from reclusion by the sudden interruption of this orange haired boy that seemed to shine before her.
A fragile hope found genesis.
And with that the strange orange haired boy began to walk away down the corridor following his father's footsteps, Kaede stood from her seat as she watched him go with a glint of curiousness in her red demon like eyes, a nip of unfamiliar warmth pooling at her chest and nervous intrigue dancing atop her pale skin, for once the dreadful promise of tomorrow didn't feel as suffocating.
''See you tomorrow, Ichigo.'' Kaede whispered out tentatively to the now vacant hall, unsure hands gripping at her red skirt and eyes looking to the bandage at her knee, as her world suddenly became a little brighter.
Thank you for reading this chapter, please Follow, Favourite and Review if you enjoyed it and want more, I love hearing constructive criticism.