Finally.
Chapter Four is finally complete. Many of you from the last thread know what transpired to cause this coming out so late, and what was more frustrating was that the outline was done and I was just beginning to write it when my comp went down.
Part of the beginning was lost, due to it not being moved in time as my old C Drive is now shot, but most of the back ups were on F & G, so I came out of it better than I hoped.
Like I mentioned in the other thread I am a bit concerned considering it was over 9 months before I was able to write again, and some of what I wanted to write (some ideas) was not yet entered in the outline when the comp went down, so this chapter did turn out a little bit different from what little I can recall from back then.
This chapter is something I wanted to do in giving a bit more background, before we got into the fun, though the way some of it kept ballooning in size you'd think I was taking lessons from Kubo himself.
Please by all means, C&C is welcomed. For those who notice spelling and grammer errors, please point them out so I can fix them.
Thanks to all of you who are still reading. I hope you enjoy!
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Disclaimer: Bleach is created by Tite Kubo and is distributed by Weekly Shonen Jump, Shueisha,Studio Pierrot, TV Tokyo, Adult Swim, & Viz Media. Ah My Goddess is created by Kousuke Fujishima and is distributed by Kodansha, Afternoon Magazine, AIC, Tokyo Broadcast Station (TBS), Animeigo, Geneon, Media Blasters, ADV Films & FUNimation Entertainment. No infringement is intended.
"If I only had five lives! Then I could be from five different towns... and stuff myself full on five different types of foods... and have five different jobs... and I could...
...fall in love with the same person five times."
-Orihime Inoue, 'Halcyon Days', Bleach Chapter 237
Blessings In Disguise
Book I: Be Careful What You Wish For
Chapter 4
-You Can Pick And Choose Your Friends...-
It had been a wonderful day, Orihime Inoue had thought as she stretched her back. The sun was still out and a soft breeze was brushing against her skin, cooling some of the summer heat that had been present.
To her left was Ichigo Kurosaki, who was walking her to his home as she was to stay the night with his family. She lifted and tilted her head, allowing some of the breeze to catch and cool her neck and spied a look at him.
Family...
For as long as she could remember, family had meant only her and Sora Inoue, her brother. She knew that she had parents, but she hadn't seen them that often, and what little she had remembered in that time with her brother had always seemed to unnerved her. Her brother in that time had doubled as her mother and father, raising her on his own, working to keep them clothed and fed as well as being there for her when she needed him. However though what they had between them was special she had known on some level what they had wasn't the norm per se, yet she would not have traded it for anything.
And then fate had come along one day to cruelly turn her world upside down.
She continued to look at Ichigo. He continued to walk on, keeping his head straight forward, his arms around the straps to her pack and doing his best to give the impression that nothing was amiss, and that the weight of her pack was no problem.
The pack, yes... Boy, was that heavy. Just thinking about it really made her appreciate that she was able to get some help from some of the underclassmen who had been walking by. They seemed so eager to help out when she - Orihime quickly shook her head, bringing her back to the present. She turned to Ichigo and again thought about the new man in her life- No, the new family in her life.
She smiled.
It had been different in her time living with the Kurosaki's than it had been with her brother, but she could not help but notice that the bonds that had kept her and Sora close had existed on an even stronger level within the family. Every time they laughed, the time they spent together, even the times of scuffling between siblings she could not help but compare her life with Sora with her time with the Kurosaki's.
Even now the thought made her feel guilty, wondering what things would have been like had things turned out differently. Would her family have been similar? Such thoughts died quickly, as she found herself remembering meeting her parents. She then hummed to herself, focusing her thoughts on the man she was with.
"Inoue", he said.
Something in her briefly twisted. 'He did it again'. She stopped walking and looked downward. 'What did I do? Is he upset at something'? She saw his feet come into view and she realized that he was now just in front of her. She raised her head and frowned.
"Did I do something wrong, Ichigo-kun"?
His brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"This is the fourth time you've called me 'Inoue', today."
She saw him retreat in thought before he turned away and began walking. Her stomach clenched that maybe she did forget something important. She knew that she could be ditzy at times but she did make sure she remembered the important stuff, like his birthday which was still a few weeks away. He then he prodded. "And that's strange because...?"
She blinked in surprise. "You haven't called me that since the first time we met. Is something wrong?"
He again had that bewildered look on his face as he studied her. She began to feel her cheeks heat up as she saw his concentration intensify, becoming all at once self-conscience. 'Is there something on me? She looked downward to double check her wardrobe. Finding nothing out of the ordinary she looked up and caught Ichigo staring at her with a rather stunned expression. She blushed and was about question his expression when she was cut off.
"Ichigo."
"Yo pops. What's up?"
Ichigo's father stood before them with an expression she had never seen him wear.
'He looks angry', she thought in realization.
"Something wrong, dad?", Ichigo asked.
"We need to talk. Now."
She gulped before Isshin turned towards her and gave her a fond smile. "It's nice to see you could make it Orihime-chan. Yuzu and the girls are inside." She turned to Ichigo and saw that Ichigo continued to stare at his father before she blinked and bowed to Isshin.
"Thank you for having me, father." She rose and walked past the two Kurosaki males and into the shrine. She looked over her shoulder to see both of them continue their staring contest as she continued on, wondering exactly what was going on.
"Orihime-neesama!"
Orihime turned and smiled, greeting the youngest daughter of the Kurosaki's. "Yuzu-chan!" Momentarily forgetting what was happening outside the gate, Yuzu grabbed both her hands in hers and gently pulled her along towards the shrine.
She found herself smiling as Yuzu began to tell her of everything little Keiichi had done since he had been brought home. When they finally reached the shrine they saw Karin standing in the genkan holding the door open for them.
"Hey Orihime-nee", greeted Karin with a wave. Before Orihime could return the greeting another figure walked up behind Karin.
"Welcome, Orihime-chan", greeted Belldandy.
Orihime smiled and bowed. "I apologize for the intrusion".
"Nonsense", Belldandy replied and gestured for her to come inside. Orihime walked up and before she could remove her shoes found herself caught up in a hug from the older woman. Closing her eyes she returned the hug, enjoying the warmth the other woman gave.
'So different', her thoughts from earlier resurfaced. 'So different from what I had before'.
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Nothing had mattered anymore.
The world. People. Life.
Her brother. Her sole companion for as long as she could remember was dead.
And their last words to each other had been one of anger, over something as stupid as a gift of hairpins that he had wanted to give her.
The bullying she had received had reached a tempest a few weeks ago. Not only had she been beaten, but the girls who had ambushed her had cut her long hair out of jealousy and spite. She had been fast becoming the object of attention from much of the boys in her school, and many of the girls who had felt slighted about what they perceived as her showing off had been part of the beating.
Sora, her brother, had often complimented her hair and how much of a beautiful young woman she was becoming, and she had taken them to heart. Once the bullying started, those compliments had turned into a source of fear, knowing that the more she received the more they would harm her. The hairpins were meant to enhance her looks, she knew, but all she could think about was the pain that would be in store for her. In fear she had rejected them, and in turn had what would be the first and last fight with her brother, for he would be killed in a hit and run accident the next day.
She barely remembered what happened after she had been informed, and the police had escorted her to the clinic in which her brother had been rushed to. She had not seen the body, and had not moved from her seat as the doctor had tried to give her some details, but she had not heard them.
She didn't know how much time had passed since the doctor had left her in the room. Minutes. Hours. It was all the same. It wasn't until she felt hands on her shoulders that she found herself brought back to reality.
"Hello Orihime". The woman who knelt in front of her held a calm and reassuring gaze. Her gaze had been reassuring for a moment, before she remembered she was alone again. The woman's face fell slightly, but again tried to speak to her. "I am so sorry for your loss. I promise you that we will do everything we can in this time to help you."
After a moment she was left alone again. When the woman returned, she had introduced herself as the doctor's wife, Belldandy. Having learned that she was alone, Belldandy had talked to the authorities to allow her to watch over Orihime until proper arrangements could be made.
Wordlessly, aimlessly, she was led to a car and taken to her temporary residence, the Kurosaki home. When they had reached the entrance she had called out to someone. After a moment a boy her age walked through, and she had introduced them.
The following days had gone by in a flurry of activity, from her temporary settlement at the Kurosaki's to the cremation ceremony for her brother. At the end of the week Orihime got word that she never realized could happen.
She had been found by her parents.
Sora had nothing good to say about them whenever the subject came up, and more often than not those conversations had ended with him telling her that she's better off not knowing. With those thoughts in mind the sheer anticipation had her stomach in knots.
The boy, Ichigo, had been with her. After learning of her circumstances he had been very cautious but at the same time very curious about her. He had been friendly and had tried to to get her to open up to her. Talks between them had been brief, as she herself could not bring herself to open up yet. His younger sisters had also been inquisitive, with the one she learned was named Yuzu had done her best to make her smile.
Though she hadn't spoken much, she had been watching. At first watching the siblings interact had been too much, reminding her of the happy times with her brother, but after a few days she couldn't help but feel rather captivated by the entire family. There existed here a fullness that she had not known had been lacking.
To see how their parents acted around them, to see them play with their children, to see those children be so carefree, to the emotions that built when she had been invited to partake in it; she had wondered if maybe perhaps Sora was wrong.
It would be a few days more before she would meet her parents, Hikaru and Kozue Inoue. Her aunt, Risa Inoue, when learning about Hikaru and Kozue reclaiming Orihime had insisted that she would also be joining them at the Kurosaki home.
The first sign that there might be a problem had been during Hikaru and Kozue's arrival. While they both were dressed decently Hikaru had reeked of cigarettes and made no attempt to disguise his "admiration" towards Belldandy.
The second sign that there might be a problem were the people who were not present. Isshin had been called to the clinic earlier and was not present to greet them, while Risa Inoue would be arriving late, being stuck in traffic.
The third sign that there might be a problem had been Ichigo, who had been acting restless upon the arrival of Orihime's parents and witnessing Hikaru's open flirtation on his mother. He had been watching both parents like a hawk while keeping himself between them and his sisters.
About thirty minutes after Hikaru and Kozue's arrival Murphy decided to make his presence felt.
Risa had finally managed to call the Kurosaki household to inform the others that she would be arriving momentarily. Belldandy had taken the children to greet her, leaving Orihime alone with her parents for the first time in 9 years.
Orihime had continued to look at them, many times in the last half hour trying to match whatever memories she could bring up to the people before her. Not finding much other than what little description Sora had given she decided to ask the question that had been knawing at her for several days.
"F-father?"
"Haah...?", he responded, somewhat disinterestedly, returning his gaze back towards his wayward daughter now that it seemed that that hottie wouldn't be back anytime soon.
"Ho-how...umm....", she paused, as if trying trying to phrase the question correctly. Kozue, who had been busying herself by taking in everything in the room after their hostess had left also turned to her, waiting.
"Do...do you think things would have been better, if we had stayed together?"
Her mother frowned and turned thoughtful of the question while her father snorted and crossed his arms.
"I don't know, but your brother probably would have still run away, little shit that he was. I'm still amazed that he took you with him."
Orihime stared, trying to believe what she just heard.
"That he'd be able to support both you and him, how the hell did he get the money for it?", he grumbled.
"Oh, you remember how he used t' be", Kozue responded. "Remember how he hid his money whenever he had any instead of giving it to us? He must've found a better hiding place after we found that last stash."
Hikaru grunted in affirmation.
"And would you getta look at this place", Kozue continued, happy to express this thought after they had arrived. "You'd think that these people were loaded, but they ain't got nothin' worth anything."
Orihime blinked as her mother then popped a stick of gum into her mouth and began to chew. "I mean," Kozue began inbetween chews, "This chick lives in a freakin' temple. And they ain't got nothin! Don't make no sense."
"Either that or her old man is givin' it to her pretty good if she ain't complainin'", Hikaru laughed.
Orihime couldn't believe what she had been hearing. To hear her brother bad mouthed and now hearing them talk about the people who had taken them in was beginning to overwhelm her.
"Oh", her father said, looking at her, "We don't have a lot of room in the car, so when we go we can only take a few things. Grab whacha need now, we'll send out for the rest later".
Orihime nodded, sniffling. "I-I'll go get Oniisan's urn and then-"
"Hey", her father interrupted. "I said 'your' things. You don't need that."
"But, we were supposed to take it together to the family-"
"I said leave it.", her father demanded, beginning to get irritated.
The tears that had been threatening to fall finally came.
"Stop that."
"But, but..", her hands came up to her face as she rubbed her nose and sniffled.
"I said stop it!", he hissed at her. When she didn't he finally stood up and reached forward to grab her wrist.
She cried out in pain as she was pulled forward and fearfully looked up at her father's angry visage. "Orihime I told you to-"
He never finished, as at that moment an orange topped blur barreled into him, causing him to fall awkwardly back into his seat and into Kozue.
He quickly got his bearings and stood up and found the woman's brat in between him and his daughter, who was now on her knees clutching her arm.
"How could you do that!?", the boy hissed at him, fists clenched. "How could you do that to her? She's your daughter, right!?"
"Out of the way boy."
"No", Ichigo responded, now slipping into a stance.
"Move, boy".
"Make me."
Orihime, who had been nursing her aching arm while tears had continued to fall looked up in surprise, shocked at being saved and now watching her savior standing up to her father seemingly without fear.
Kozue had been watching from her seat wide eyed, still trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"Brat", Hikaru threatened, "Get out of my way or so help me I'll-"
"-do what?", another voice interrupted.
Hikaru turned from the boy to the owner of the voice, who was accompanied by his now horrified sister.
Belldandy stood a several feet away from him, arms to her side. Yuzu and Karin were behind her, Yuzu clutching at her mother's dress and Karin standing just off to the side, glaring at Hikaru.
Hikaru found the woman's hard gaze boring into him and felt something in his stomach shift. "Well?", she prodded, "What is it you were going to do to my son"? Though her tone had been even, he could feel the weight of her words behind them and found himself breaking eye contact with her. "For that matter", she then continued, "what were you doing to Orihime-chan?"
Ichigo, who had never moved from his position or stance answered. "She was crying and her told her to stop and when she didn't he grabbed at her." His eyes never waivered as he met Hikaru's glare with his own.
"Ichigo", Belldandy began, "Take Orihime and your sisters to their room".
Ichigo nodded and turned to help Orihime up. She clutched at his arm as he began to lead her away, turning his head to keep watch.
"There's no need for that, we're leaving", Hikaru stated. "Orihime-"
"She will not being going with you", Belldandy stated.
Hikaru's eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. "She's my daughter and we're going to-"
"You will NOT be taking her".
Ichigo had turned the moment he saw Hikaru take that first step, but found himself momentarily stopped as Orihime continued to clutch at his arm, her eyes on her father.
"If you have any problems with what I have just said", Belldandy continued, noting Hikaru's clenched jaw, "you may take them up with my husband. He will be returning soon".
A myriad of negative emotions played across Hikaru's reddened voice. Looking between each of the adults and the brats he came to a decision as he contemplated the final member yet to arrive.
"Kozue! Get up! We're leaving!" Kozue nodded and got up as her husband grabbed her hand and pulled her along. He paused long enough to glare at his sister before turning it to Belldandy. He finally turned to his daughter, who was cowering behind the boy. Holding her gaze for a few seconds he snorted and pulled at his wife, storming out of the Kurosaki home.
"Hikaru-niisan!", Risa cried, following after. Before she got to the door, she turned back to the rest and bowed, "Please excuse me for a moment". She then turned back to where her brother and sister-in-law left and ran after them.
As the footsteps retreated and it became apparent that they were alone, Belldandy turned and her expression turned somber as she saw Orihime begin to cry. Ichigo had began to shuffle, his defiant anger now replaced with uncertainty as the girl he had befriended and now defended had not let go of his arm.
He looked at his mother, unsure of what to do. Reading the look on his face, Belldandy approached them and kneeled to their level. Both Karin and Yuzu hesitantly approached the still crying girl before stopping, waiting for what their mother would do next.
Gently reaching out she brushed a few strands of hair out of Orihime's face, causing Orihime to gasp at the unexpected touch. "I am so sorry, Orihime-chan", Belldandy told her, her own expression somber. Orihime hesitantly moved away from Ichigo as she turned her attention to the older woman. Belldandy's mood alleviated only slightly as she noted Orihime had yet to let go of Ichigo's hand.
Placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder, Belldandy brought Orihime closer and pulled her into a hug. Orihime gasped again as she felt the woman's encircle her to hold. "I am so sorry", she repeated. Loosening her hold she looked Orihime in the eyes. "I want you to know Orihime", she started, holding Orihime's gaze. "That no matter what happens, I promise you, you will never be alone".
Orihime blinked as she took in Belldandy's words. A few moments ago she had seen her world crushed again with the words of her brother now verified. Now as she gazed at this woman she found herself playing the woman's words in her mind over and over. She turned and saw Yuzu and Karin, both who smiled at her, with Yuzu giving a small wave. Finally she she turned her head to see Ichigo, who was still standing in the spot she had left him in.
As she looked at Ichigo all she could see was his back as he stood between her and her father with no fear in his stance or words. Without a thought for himself or the consequences he stood steadfast as her father had threatened and had not flinched. Seeing him stare at her she contemplated the boy she had only met not two weeks prior. He finally smiled and nodded curtly at her, as if giving her his approval.
Blinking, she finally turned back to their mother, who was smiling at her. Sniffling once more, she smiled as she buried her face into the woman's chest, holding on as she cried once more, this time knowing that things would be changing for the better.
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Orihime pulled away from the hug and smiled. "Thank you so much for having me", she said.
"Your more than welcome anytime Orihime-chan", Belldandy replied. "Is Ichigo with you?
"I think he's still outside with father", Orihime said before turning around to see both Karin and Yuzu waiting for her.
"Oh! Yuzu! I have some new recipes that I wanted to go over with you!", she exclaimed. Karin gulped as Yuzu began to talk to Orihime on what kind of ingredients they would be needing. 'Oh gods I hope it isn't anything like the butter salted pickles she had last time', Karin thought.
Before they could continue on they turned at the sudden commotion of voices outside. They each turned but saw Belldandy at the door looking on but blocking most of the view.
"I didn't hurt them that bad!", they could hear Ichigo say, and become quiet. There was something in the way he spoke that they could tell that was different from the usual kind of fights he had with their father. "And besides, even if I did they deserved it!"
"Ichigo!"
All three of the girls looked at each other, wide eyed. Karin then turned to Yuzu who turned still, her eyes now at the door. Rarely did their father take that tone. Yuzu began to walk to the door before being stopped as their mother opened her palm as a signal for her to stop. "Niisama", she whispered.
Orihime though felt her stomach twist. In the two years that she had known the Kurokaki's she had never seen anything like what was happening now. From what she could hear she understood it had to do with what happened earlier. Both Ichigo and Tatsuki had come back to class though Ichigo had some scrapes on him, but that in itself had not been anything out of the ordinary.
Silently they watched as their mother had walked out to the two men. From the look on Isshin's face he had not noticed her approach. After a moment he picked up the backpack that Ichigo had been carrying for Orihime earlier and made his way toward them. Slipping off his shoes in the genkan he slid the door shut behind them, cutting off what they could see of Belldandy and Ichigo.
Isshin saw the three girls before him and sighed before ushering them into the family room. Taking a seat he looked at Orihime. She and both the girls were tense and kept looking towards the door.
"Orihime", he said, catching her attention. "Do you know what happened earlier today? With Ichigo?"
Both Yuzu and Karin turned towards her, eager to hear anything to explain what was happening with their older brother.
To their disappointment she shook her head. "No. After lunch Ichigo-kun and Tatsuki were a little late in getting back, and he had looked like he had been in a fight. But he didn't say anything about it, and Tatsuki didn't say anything either so I didn't really think anything of it."
Isshin crossed his arms and sighed. Before he could ask anything else they heard the front door open and both Yuzu and Karin jumped from their seats and ran to the door, Orihime and Isshin following shortly after.
"Ichi-nii!"
"Oniisama!"
They both stopped as they saw their mother alone at the genkan. Sliding the door shut behind her she held her head down for a moment as she drew a breath. Something in that expression tore at Orihime's heart as she finally looked up.
"Bell", Isshin began, "Where's Ichigo"?
"He'll be back. He...he just needs to think about what happened".
Before Isshin could reply she looked at Yuzu. "Yuzu, let's finish preparing dinner now".
Orihime could only watch as Bell ushered Yuzu into the kitchin. Both Isshin and Karin followed, asking her what had happened. Orihime turned towards the front door, hoping that Ichigo would come back.
And through it all one thought kept persisting itself. That through all this she couldn't help but be reminded about Sora, that they had fought a day before he died. She had never argued with him in all the time they were together until that day, and on some level understood that whatever happened outside, Ichigo had never argued with his parents like that either.
"Ichigo-kun", she whispered, and prayed with all her might that tragedy would not find a way to strike again.
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'Why did I say that?! Why did I say that!', Ichigo thought for the hundredth time. After realizing what he had said he had instantly regretted it. The look on his psud- 'no, she *is* mom - dammit! Dammit!' The anguish on her face as he uttered those words wrenched at his heart even now.
He had to get away. He had to think. He had to force that image out of his head.
-Coward-, his subconscious taunted.
Shoving that thought aside, he continued to run. As he came closer to the town he slowed to a walk, not bothering to check which direction he was heading. His thoughts and emotions jumbled, his concentration was only focused enough to barely avoid other pedestrians and that horn blaring. Wait-
He blinked as the present viciously forced it's way back into focus as he realized he was in the middle of the street. With oncoming traffic in his vision he dashed to the sidewalk, grabbing the signal light pole to help him stop. Still holding the pole, he began to catch his breath and tried to calm his racing heart. When he was satisfied that he was back to his normal heart rate he raised his head to get his bearings.
Ignoring the stares and snickers from the bystanders who had been witness to his near accident he continued to look around. With a start he recognized exactly where he was at and removed his hand from the pole. 'Is it still here?', he thought and ran, very much keeping an eye on traffic this time.
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The preparations for dinner had nearly been completed, however no one in the house would admit to being hungry at that moment.
Both Isshin and Belldandy had spoken quietly, and the girls had tried to occupy themselves with what they could do to help in the kitchen. The business and light-heartedness that had been the norm was missing this evening, as each was trying to understand what had happened earlier.
It was at that time they heard a knock at the door. Scrambling for the front door, Karin could see the shadow of a figure through the shoji screens and scrunched her face. Grabbing the door she forcibly slid the door open, causing the door to hit the end with a loud crack.
"ICHI-NII! WHERE HAVE YOouuu...", she trailed off, as she got a look at the two who had jumped back at the force she had come through with. Face reddening she brought her head down and clenched her teeth for a few seconds before looking up and brushing her ponytail back behind her. She could hear the others behind her.
They looked familiar, well, one of them looked familiar, as the other one had most of his face bandaged up. 'Waittasec', she thought. 'Wasn't this the guy who came over with Ichi-nii to see Keiichi?' She bowed to them and apologized for her 'greeting'. Looking at the bandaged one up and down, she squinted at him trying to place a face when she realized that this was other guy who came with Ichi-nii to the hospital.
"What happened to you?"
"Karin!", she heard her mother.
"Um, uh, sorry, but uh, if your here to see Ichi-nii he's not here right now so uh..."
"He's not?", the shorter of the two, Mizuiro asked.
"I'm sorry", Belldandy offered. "But he isn't".
"Oh", Keigo said, face lowering slightly. "Do you know when he'll be back?"
"I'm sorry", Isshin replied, stepping forward. "But we don't know exactly when he'll be back. I also have to apologize but now isn't the best of times."
Both boys eyes widened before they both bowed. "We're sorry for the intrusion", Mizuiro offered, "but Keigo here wanted to thank Ichigo for what happened earlier today".
Isshin's eyes lit up at those words. "For what happened earlier", he repeated, looking at Keigo with interest now, studying the bandages and remembering what Ichigo had said during their argument earlier.
The boys both nodded.
Isshin the slid the door open fully. "Please", he gestured to the inside of their home, "come in".
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With no small bit of hesitation Ichigo turned the final corner and took a few steps before pausing. Taking a breath he turned his eyes forward and looked in the direction of his home. His old home.
No fanfare awaited him. No shout from Karin from one of the windows. No Yuzu to greet him. No father hiding from some corner to ambush him in some sort of screwed up training.
He swallowed as he tried to ignore the hollow feeling in his stomach.
The only thing familiar that greeted him was the smell. The smell of food being cooked, though far stronger than it had ever been. He smirked at the easy reason for that now. A combination home/clinic was easily able to absorb near any scent of food however this combination helped enhance it.
"Irrashaimase!", he was greeted as he went through the entrance. Acknowledging the greeting with a nod he took a few steps onward before stopping and took in the view.
"Have a seat, son, and I'll take your order in a minute!", the cook called out as he set a few bowls of ramen down to hungry customers.
"It's ok, just looking around", he replied as he again took in his surroundings. The place had been completely revamped. 'Or was it always liked this', he thought to himself. Nothing familiar remained of his old home.
Sighing, he turned and began to make his way out before being stopped by the greeter. "Please take this", she said, holding out a piece of paper. Taking the menu he pocketed it and thanked her as he walked out.
He stopped a few feet away from the entrance and looked upwards. A chill went down his back and he sighed. Rubbing the back of his neck he rolled his shoulders as he again began to move forward. The distraction of seeing his old home - now a ramen shop momentarily set aside much bigger problems.
'What the hell am I going to do?' He winced as his mother's face came to the forefront again. The words he said just before also joined in. 'I'm not your son!', he had shouted. 'Damn it all'. He again felt a chill as he again contemplated the last few days.
This woman, now his mother, Belldandy, he found was an extraordinarily kind woman. So much so that he knew without a doubt that even if he hadn't screwed up with his wish, changing his life and hers, that this was someone he could have trusted, confided in and cared for. There was just something about her that with a look could simply put him at ease in a way no other person could, save Masaki, his real mother. And even then Belldandy had a way of making it seem easier.
He shivered again, the implications of what he did again coming to focus. The bits and pieces that had come to him from the life that he had only reinforced those feelings for her. He had vowed to never forget his mother, Masaki, but holding off his emotions towards Belldandy had been near impossible. He recalled what she had said a few days earlier when they brought Keiichi home. She did mention that the confusion he was experiencing would fade in time as he readjusted. 'But what does that mean exactly?', he thought.
He held out his palms and looked at them before stretching them forward, fingers linked and cracked his knuckles. 'I don't really think I'm that different'. When he had first contemplated it that first night back home he had freaked out a bit when he realized that in a sense he had in a way replaced someone. 'But it's still me, isn't it?', he questioned himself again. He rubbed his head again as another thought came to fore. 'I don't feel too different. Outside of what I feel for her I still am who I am. These feelings that I get from just looking at her, they're not fake. Does readjusting mean that I become like he was, knowing what he knew? I know that if I concentrate I can pull some of what has happened before, but only if I attempt to search, but even then I don't know exactly what I'm looking for. Or like what happened earlier. I can't believe I knew Orihime, I mean, he knew Ino- no - damn it all!'
And there had been those times too. The flashes that had come from simply interacting with something or someone. His sisters. Inoue. His mother. He had an easier time with those flashes as they gave him a frame of reference to work with when trying to recall other things. He then grimaced as he recalled one particular change he could've done without. 'Shi-ichi... god what an embarrassing nick name... I can't believe Tatsuki came up with that from that old backpack...'
Tatsuki...
His initial assessment about her and remembering their time together proved correct after being around her earlier. She was pretty much the same girl that he knew before; tomboyish and strong. Upon seeing her he recalled how his competition with her had ignited his youthful pride as well as hers. He both groaned and chuckled at how Tatsuki had managed to get the upperhand on him this time around. Ever smiling and ever ready for a good throw down, be it with him or anyone else stupid enough to try something to her...or him, he grimaced.
He felt his male pride prickle a bit as he began to realize just how much Tatsuki seemed to look out for him, at times having his back more than once whenever he got in over his head. Not that that was a bad thing, she had more than once helped him out in the life he once had but it was different than it was before. He recalled that he still was picked on and threatened by pretty much the same idiots for his hair color amongst other things but she was now more involved in those fights than previously. Helping him... watching him. And like before, they had sent more than their fair share packing.
His spirits slightly lifted as he felt his pride swell in that those same idiots he had sent on their merry way mostly alone back then without much or any help at all. He frowned though as he recalled the fight earlier, something had been a bit different. No stranger being in brawls before, he realized that this time around he had found it easier to move his body and without realizing until later moving fluidly from stance to stance. While he had studied fighting and had his 'lessons' from his father he found himself at times too busy just trying to push through these punks instead of going through proper kata patterns and movements. This time he had surprised himself and barely found himself tired. He clenched his fists, knowing it had been due to the extra training he had here.
He blinked as something tickled the back of his mind. There had been that one incident with Kanegawa getting a cheap shot in. If it hadn't been for the new guy, he didn't know what shape he'd be in at this point. 'Waitasec...'
With a start he realized that that event had pretty much played out exactly as it did before, and after a brief moment of concentration concluded that indeed there were no differences. "Hmmmm...".
Coming to a stop he found himself at Yumizawa Children's Park. Everything here seemed to be in place, and after finding a bench he sat and steepled his hands together and rested his chin on them, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees. He sighed as he again reviewed the crux of his current problem.
"Higher, mommy! Higher!", a child cried out. Turning toward the voice he watched a young boy on the swings with presumably his mother behind him, pushing him forward as he came back in her direction.
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"Watch, Mama! I know I can go higher!" Ichigo cried, kicking hard at the height of his backward swing, attempting to gain acceleration to go higher than his last flight up.
'Just a bit more, then I try that cherry bomb trick Hijiri told me about!'. The cherry bomb trick was to get as high as you could on your forward swing, and at the highest point attempt to throw yourself backward. Holding the chains the trick was as you go straight down the seat would catch you before you hit the ground, making a large sound as the chains straightened out. The perfect cool move for an 8 year old to make!
'Mom will really be surprised at this!', he thought gleefully. Fully intent on impressing his mother (as well as quite a few onlookers) he kept building up speed, and calculating at what point he should act on his trick.
'NOW!", he thought, tightening his body and then immediately straightening out, changing the swings direction and momentum. But just as he was moving back he forgot to swing his legs back, getting the seat back under him in time and went crashing back-first into the sandy ground, the impact harder as the back of his knees hooked the seat, causing him to bounce slightly has the chains tightened, pulling the seat back a bit.
"ICHIGO!", he had hazily heard his mother cry. His eyes and chest stung as the air was forced out of him, and his legs hurt from being caught on the seat of the swing. Feeling someone remove his legs from the swing he was brought to a sitting position and felt himself being steadied as a hand firmly rubbed his back.
He coughed hard several times as air forced itself back in his lungs and squeezed his eyes shut, allowing a few tears to fall. After a moment he turned to his mother, who was cradling him in her arms. All of a sudden embarrassed by all the people staring at him, he attempted to stand to quickly dust himself off.
He barely made it to his knees when his mother grabbed him and fiercely held onto him. "Ichigo, please don't do anything like that again. You could have been seriously hurt", she had said as she held him. He looked up into her face and saw that she had teared up herself. Feeling extremely guilty he lowered his head to her chest and apologized. She held him ever tighter at that.
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He blinked at that memory, now knowing that had been the last time he had done something to cause his mother pain. She had been extremely worried for him and she held onto him fiercely for a good time before they left.
'She really did have a good grip on me, then. The last time she did that was...'
He frowned.
'Was...'
He concentrated.
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It was raining, he could recall.
He had hurt, and knew that he had been hit with something hard. He tried to move, but realized he couldn't. The rain was still falling, but he found that he was dry. He could feel that he was under something, no, under someone. 'Mom', he realized with a start.
Before realized it he was suddenly in her arms. Wearily he opened his eyes and tried to focus on the face of his mother. "Mommy"?, he had questioned and found himself caught in a hug harder than he could ever recall.
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'That night at the riverbed....', he thought. 'Mom died that night', he had remembered. 'But something else happened here'. For a brief second his memories of Masaki appeared to him of that night. The blood...
'NO'!
Forcing himself to shove that thought aside he stood up and looked at the direction of where that was on the riverbed. Something else had happened there, but nothing was coming up. 'Might as well check it out', he thought as he stood up and took off.
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Isshin studied Keigo's bruised face. Both boys were now seated in the family room, with the girls spread out around them. At Isshin's request Keigo had removed the bandages that were wrapped around his face and had held in a breath as he took in the bruises. He shortly after had pulled out a stool to sit in front of Keigo. "And you say you have bruises on your torso as well?" he asked. Keigo nodded and winced, holding in a yelp as Isshin lightly touched one.
"They hurt, but they do look a lot worse than it is", he winced again. "If not for Kurosaki-san...", he trailed off. Karin was next to her father, studying the boy's face like he was a work of art at a museum. Getting up Isshin left to find some cream and fresh bandages for the boy.
"So your saying that Oniisama saved you?", queried Yuzu, who was also staring at the boy hopefully. Keigo nodded, a little bit embarrassed to talk about it now.
"The way those other guys were chasing him, if he hadn't saved him I don't think Keigo would walking around right now", Mizuiro supplied.
"Didja you hear that mom, pop?! Then that means Ichi-nii didn't do anything wrong!", exclaimed Karin.
Isshin sighed as he sat back down in front of Keigo. "Be that as it may, that still doesn't excuse Ichigo for taking it as far as he did".
"I know it may seem a bit mean to say, Kurosaki-san, but that gang finally got everything they got coming to them", Mizuiro added. They've never been known to hold back on anyone. I know that Hayashibara had threatened Keigo awhile back but from what I know Keigo listened to what he said."
Keigo nodded. "He was kinda pissed that I had been hitting on his girl", he filled in for the rest. "I listened to him completely when he threatened me, but today the teacher had put us in the same group. When he found out..well...", he gestured to himself.
"You mean he still went after you even though it was because of the teacher?", Orihime asked.
Keigo nodded again, blushing now as he really became self-conscious of himself. 'To be in this condition being watched by both Orihime Inoue and Belldandy Kurosaki', he internally lamented, clenching a fist and holding a small river of tears in.
Belldandy noticed his expression and fortunately for Keigo misinterpreted it. She walked toward him and laid a hand on his cheek. Keigo's face went red at the touch, to the point where he *knew* that the color his face was now enough to camouflage whatever bruises there wer. Unlike before though with Isshin he didn't wince, though he could feel his face tingle, as well as other places. 'Oh, please don't look down', he silently prayed.
She finally pulled her hand away from Keigo's cheek and paused for a few seconds, blinking. "You were right", she finally answered and smiled, "they do look worse than they are. I believe you should start feeling better later on tonight."
Keigo mutely nodded, face still red from his touch. Nearby Karin snickered at him. Finally Isshin was in front of him again with the bandages and cream, and instructed Keigo on how to apply it. Behind them, nobody noticed Belldandy intently looking at her hand.
"Are you sure it's ok? I don't have any money on me right now...", Keigo replied, still stunned from earlier.
"Don't think twice about it", Isshin mentioned. "I'm more surprised at how that bandage was wrapped earlier. Was it wrapped like that by the nurse?"
"No, uh, actually -ack!", Keigo yelped as the bandage was wrapped around his lower jaw. "I, uh, took it off for a bit and put it back on. It was getting in the way and it hurt a bit."
Isshin hummed at that as he continued to wrap. "The nurse probably didn't wrap it correctly the first time. This time you should be a bit more comfortable." He gave further instructions on when to remove it later as well as how to properly wrap it again when he needed to put it back on. "I will agree with my wife though, you should be feeling better soon. She has a knack for knowing these things", he mentioned, allowing himself a small smile.
Mizuiro looked at his watch and noticed the time. "Keigo", he signaled.
Keigo looked at him and nodded. Turning back to the Kurosaki's and Orihime, he explained. "I apologize for sounding rude, but Mizuiro and I can't stay long. We were hoping to catch Kurosaki-san to thank him, but..."
"It's ok", Belldandy replied. "We are grateful that you were considerate enough to do this, and we are thankful to you that we have the full story on what happened earlier". The other girls in the room all nodded at that, though Isshin stayed silent, watching. "If you don't catch him later you are more than welcome to come visit again."
"Really?", Keigo perked up while Mizuiro hid a smirk at his reaction. Belldandy nodded and Keigo laughed, scratching his head. "Well, we can probably stay another 15 minutes or so..."
The fifteen minutes had passed by quickly, with some small talk, mostly on Keiichi and how he'd been since being brought home. With a bow and another thank you for extra bandages and medication, both boys left the household. As everyone turned to go back into the house, Yuzu stayed by the door, eyes following the boys as they went beyond the temple gates. Looking upward, her thoughts continued on her brother.
'Niisama, where are you?'
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The day was just starting to approach it's evening, the blue sky overhead beginning to take on the twinges of a darker shade of blue and the horizon was just starting to show a red hue indicating that sunset was close at hand. The wind had picked up slightly, giving more refreshment from the heat of earlier.
Ichigo made it across the final street to the riverbed, the same part he was sure where that event had taken place. Finally making it to the edge of the riverbed incline he gasped.
The river flowed by as before, however on his side of the river there was what he thought was a pond just off to the side. He went to take a closer look.
'What the hell?', he had thought as he took in more detail.
The 'pond' he could see stretched out from the river, just barely connecting to it, allowing some excess water to both enter or exit pond. He walked slowly around the perimeter, as the pond itself was the shape was close to being a circle. 'It has to be some 40 - 45 feet to the other side'. Kneeling at the edge he peered into it, trying to get an idea of how deep it was.
'Where the hell did this come from'? Something was tugging at the back of his mind. Closing his eyes he began to concentr-
"Shi-ichi?", he heard someone cry in the distance.
He opened his eyes and stood up and turned. 'Tatsuki..'
"Shi-ichi!", she called again. She was jogging towards him now. Looking at her, he could see that she was dressed for her evening run. Within seconds she was next to him, jogging in place. A sheen of sweat could be seen on her face and arms, but she hardly looked winded. In fact, with her hair bobbing up and down and the look in her eyes she appeared like she was just itching to take off at full sprint.
"I thought that was you", she mentioned.
"Tatsuki, what are you doing out here?"
Tatsuki stopped jogging in place and gave him a half lid stare. "I'm out on stroll", she drolled sarcastically. She then gave him a quick once-over. "I could ask you the same thing, Shi-ichi. You're still in school uniform. What happened to make you come out here?" Her eyes slightly widened and she placed a hand to her head and sighed. "And here I thought you had long given up on trying to solve the Karakura Town Mystery", she mumbled.
"Wait, wait, the what?"
She frowned at him, hand still on her forehead. "That's not funny, Shi-ichi, especially how you used to used to say that being the one who had been there when it happened you should be able to figure it out".
"I what", he replied before looking down and concentrating. 'That's right', he recalled. 'That night', he closed his eyes and focused. 'After mom had held me she collapsed.
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"Mommy! Mommy! Are you alright?!", he cried, as she laid herself on the ground.
"I'm... I'm fine dear", she responded weakly. "I'm just tired, that's all. As long as you're safe that's all that matters". She reached out and cupped his face. "Everything will be fine from now on, you'll see".
It was still raining. Realizing that he was still wearing his rain jacket he swiftly unbuttoned it and covered his mothers face as best he could. He had to get help and he couldn't leave her here. He was beginning to panic when he heard someone calling out to him.
Looking behind him he saw a few people at the top edge of the incline to the riverbed. Some were already running to him as best they could in the rain.
"HEY!", one had cried. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" Finally getting close enough, they had briefly paused when they noticed his mother's state.
"We have to help her", he said, tears in his eyes. "Please", he pleaded.
One immediately knelt next to him, holding an umbrella over him before shouting over his shoulder. "SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULENCE!"
As others raced to respond a few more came closer. Some walking past them, a few more kneeling next him.
"Kurosaki-san?" one breathed in surprise.
"You know her?", asked another.
"Yes, she and her husband run a clinic. I.. I go there...", she stopped herself as she noticed Ichigo. "You're her son, aren't you? Are you ok, what happened?"
"It's, it's my fault. I- I saw someone, and, and-"
"Did you see what happened?", the man next to him asked. "There was this bright light and a sound that sounded like an explosion went off".
"What?", he asked, confused.
Others were making their way over, and he could barely make out some of the conversation the growing crowd was having. "Did you hear that?" "Yeah I did" "That was some light show" "Was it lightning?" "Never seen lightning like this." "Sounded like some kind of bomb, like you hear on the tv shows" "Holy shit, look at that crater!" "Does lightning do that?" "Maybe some kind of terrorist attack!" "Stupid, why here of all places!" "Yeah, if were an attack it'd be bigger, right?" "That's not funny!" "Maybe some chance weather phenomenon."
The comments would blend together as he turned his attention back on his mother. 'Please be ok, please be ok', he inwardly chanted.
It would not be long before they were both picked up.
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Ichigo blinked and snapped his head back, seemingly to avoid the fingers next to his face.
Tatsuki snapped her fingers one more time before bringing her hand back. "Shi-ichi, you're zoning there. What's up?"
"Nothing, nothing, Tatsuki." He fought hard to ignore the rush of feelings that memory provoked in him. Another instance in which he somehow hurt his mother. He grit his teeth in frustration as he remembered what happened earlier.
I brief image of Masaki's face filled his thoughts, wearing the expression his mother Belldandy had earlier and his heart clenched. 'Would I... would I be doing this if she were still with us? I'm the one at fault. I'm the one who's been screwing up. Maybe...maybe dad was right'. He let out a breath.
"Shi-ichi, what wrong?"
He noted her change in tone but still answered in the negative. "It's ok, Tatsuki. It's nothing".
"Don't give me that", she curtly replied. She took a step forward and looked up at him, and he could see the concern she had.
"Really, what's wrong?"
'You're useless without me Shi-ichi', she thought, not unkindly as she could see him mulling his answer over in his head. 'The same mama's boy I remember from when we first met'.
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Chapter Four is finally complete. Many of you from the last thread know what transpired to cause this coming out so late, and what was more frustrating was that the outline was done and I was just beginning to write it when my comp went down.
Part of the beginning was lost, due to it not being moved in time as my old C Drive is now shot, but most of the back ups were on F & G, so I came out of it better than I hoped.
Like I mentioned in the other thread I am a bit concerned considering it was over 9 months before I was able to write again, and some of what I wanted to write (some ideas) was not yet entered in the outline when the comp went down, so this chapter did turn out a little bit different from what little I can recall from back then.
This chapter is something I wanted to do in giving a bit more background, before we got into the fun, though the way some of it kept ballooning in size you'd think I was taking lessons from Kubo himself.
Please by all means, C&C is welcomed. For those who notice spelling and grammer errors, please point them out so I can fix them.
Thanks to all of you who are still reading. I hope you enjoy!
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Disclaimer: Bleach is created by Tite Kubo and is distributed by Weekly Shonen Jump, Shueisha,Studio Pierrot, TV Tokyo, Adult Swim, & Viz Media. Ah My Goddess is created by Kousuke Fujishima and is distributed by Kodansha, Afternoon Magazine, AIC, Tokyo Broadcast Station (TBS), Animeigo, Geneon, Media Blasters, ADV Films & FUNimation Entertainment. No infringement is intended.
"If I only had five lives! Then I could be from five different towns... and stuff myself full on five different types of foods... and have five different jobs... and I could...
...fall in love with the same person five times."
-Orihime Inoue, 'Halcyon Days', Bleach Chapter 237
Blessings In Disguise
Book I: Be Careful What You Wish For
Chapter 4
-You Can Pick And Choose Your Friends...-
It had been a wonderful day, Orihime Inoue had thought as she stretched her back. The sun was still out and a soft breeze was brushing against her skin, cooling some of the summer heat that had been present.
To her left was Ichigo Kurosaki, who was walking her to his home as she was to stay the night with his family. She lifted and tilted her head, allowing some of the breeze to catch and cool her neck and spied a look at him.
Family...
For as long as she could remember, family had meant only her and Sora Inoue, her brother. She knew that she had parents, but she hadn't seen them that often, and what little she had remembered in that time with her brother had always seemed to unnerved her. Her brother in that time had doubled as her mother and father, raising her on his own, working to keep them clothed and fed as well as being there for her when she needed him. However though what they had between them was special she had known on some level what they had wasn't the norm per se, yet she would not have traded it for anything.
And then fate had come along one day to cruelly turn her world upside down.
She continued to look at Ichigo. He continued to walk on, keeping his head straight forward, his arms around the straps to her pack and doing his best to give the impression that nothing was amiss, and that the weight of her pack was no problem.
The pack, yes... Boy, was that heavy. Just thinking about it really made her appreciate that she was able to get some help from some of the underclassmen who had been walking by. They seemed so eager to help out when she - Orihime quickly shook her head, bringing her back to the present. She turned to Ichigo and again thought about the new man in her life- No, the new family in her life.
She smiled.
It had been different in her time living with the Kurosaki's than it had been with her brother, but she could not help but notice that the bonds that had kept her and Sora close had existed on an even stronger level within the family. Every time they laughed, the time they spent together, even the times of scuffling between siblings she could not help but compare her life with Sora with her time with the Kurosaki's.
Even now the thought made her feel guilty, wondering what things would have been like had things turned out differently. Would her family have been similar? Such thoughts died quickly, as she found herself remembering meeting her parents. She then hummed to herself, focusing her thoughts on the man she was with.
"Inoue", he said.
Something in her briefly twisted. 'He did it again'. She stopped walking and looked downward. 'What did I do? Is he upset at something'? She saw his feet come into view and she realized that he was now just in front of her. She raised her head and frowned.
"Did I do something wrong, Ichigo-kun"?
His brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"This is the fourth time you've called me 'Inoue', today."
She saw him retreat in thought before he turned away and began walking. Her stomach clenched that maybe she did forget something important. She knew that she could be ditzy at times but she did make sure she remembered the important stuff, like his birthday which was still a few weeks away. He then he prodded. "And that's strange because...?"
She blinked in surprise. "You haven't called me that since the first time we met. Is something wrong?"
He again had that bewildered look on his face as he studied her. She began to feel her cheeks heat up as she saw his concentration intensify, becoming all at once self-conscience. 'Is there something on me? She looked downward to double check her wardrobe. Finding nothing out of the ordinary she looked up and caught Ichigo staring at her with a rather stunned expression. She blushed and was about question his expression when she was cut off.
"Ichigo."
"Yo pops. What's up?"
Ichigo's father stood before them with an expression she had never seen him wear.
'He looks angry', she thought in realization.
"Something wrong, dad?", Ichigo asked.
"We need to talk. Now."
She gulped before Isshin turned towards her and gave her a fond smile. "It's nice to see you could make it Orihime-chan. Yuzu and the girls are inside." She turned to Ichigo and saw that Ichigo continued to stare at his father before she blinked and bowed to Isshin.
"Thank you for having me, father." She rose and walked past the two Kurosaki males and into the shrine. She looked over her shoulder to see both of them continue their staring contest as she continued on, wondering exactly what was going on.
"Orihime-neesama!"
Orihime turned and smiled, greeting the youngest daughter of the Kurosaki's. "Yuzu-chan!" Momentarily forgetting what was happening outside the gate, Yuzu grabbed both her hands in hers and gently pulled her along towards the shrine.
She found herself smiling as Yuzu began to tell her of everything little Keiichi had done since he had been brought home. When they finally reached the shrine they saw Karin standing in the genkan holding the door open for them.
"Hey Orihime-nee", greeted Karin with a wave. Before Orihime could return the greeting another figure walked up behind Karin.
"Welcome, Orihime-chan", greeted Belldandy.
Orihime smiled and bowed. "I apologize for the intrusion".
"Nonsense", Belldandy replied and gestured for her to come inside. Orihime walked up and before she could remove her shoes found herself caught up in a hug from the older woman. Closing her eyes she returned the hug, enjoying the warmth the other woman gave.
'So different', her thoughts from earlier resurfaced. 'So different from what I had before'.
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Nothing had mattered anymore.
The world. People. Life.
Her brother. Her sole companion for as long as she could remember was dead.
And their last words to each other had been one of anger, over something as stupid as a gift of hairpins that he had wanted to give her.
The bullying she had received had reached a tempest a few weeks ago. Not only had she been beaten, but the girls who had ambushed her had cut her long hair out of jealousy and spite. She had been fast becoming the object of attention from much of the boys in her school, and many of the girls who had felt slighted about what they perceived as her showing off had been part of the beating.
Sora, her brother, had often complimented her hair and how much of a beautiful young woman she was becoming, and she had taken them to heart. Once the bullying started, those compliments had turned into a source of fear, knowing that the more she received the more they would harm her. The hairpins were meant to enhance her looks, she knew, but all she could think about was the pain that would be in store for her. In fear she had rejected them, and in turn had what would be the first and last fight with her brother, for he would be killed in a hit and run accident the next day.
She barely remembered what happened after she had been informed, and the police had escorted her to the clinic in which her brother had been rushed to. She had not seen the body, and had not moved from her seat as the doctor had tried to give her some details, but she had not heard them.
She didn't know how much time had passed since the doctor had left her in the room. Minutes. Hours. It was all the same. It wasn't until she felt hands on her shoulders that she found herself brought back to reality.
"Hello Orihime". The woman who knelt in front of her held a calm and reassuring gaze. Her gaze had been reassuring for a moment, before she remembered she was alone again. The woman's face fell slightly, but again tried to speak to her. "I am so sorry for your loss. I promise you that we will do everything we can in this time to help you."
After a moment she was left alone again. When the woman returned, she had introduced herself as the doctor's wife, Belldandy. Having learned that she was alone, Belldandy had talked to the authorities to allow her to watch over Orihime until proper arrangements could be made.
Wordlessly, aimlessly, she was led to a car and taken to her temporary residence, the Kurosaki home. When they had reached the entrance she had called out to someone. After a moment a boy her age walked through, and she had introduced them.
The following days had gone by in a flurry of activity, from her temporary settlement at the Kurosaki's to the cremation ceremony for her brother. At the end of the week Orihime got word that she never realized could happen.
She had been found by her parents.
Sora had nothing good to say about them whenever the subject came up, and more often than not those conversations had ended with him telling her that she's better off not knowing. With those thoughts in mind the sheer anticipation had her stomach in knots.
The boy, Ichigo, had been with her. After learning of her circumstances he had been very cautious but at the same time very curious about her. He had been friendly and had tried to to get her to open up to her. Talks between them had been brief, as she herself could not bring herself to open up yet. His younger sisters had also been inquisitive, with the one she learned was named Yuzu had done her best to make her smile.
Though she hadn't spoken much, she had been watching. At first watching the siblings interact had been too much, reminding her of the happy times with her brother, but after a few days she couldn't help but feel rather captivated by the entire family. There existed here a fullness that she had not known had been lacking.
To see how their parents acted around them, to see them play with their children, to see those children be so carefree, to the emotions that built when she had been invited to partake in it; she had wondered if maybe perhaps Sora was wrong.
It would be a few days more before she would meet her parents, Hikaru and Kozue Inoue. Her aunt, Risa Inoue, when learning about Hikaru and Kozue reclaiming Orihime had insisted that she would also be joining them at the Kurosaki home.
The first sign that there might be a problem had been during Hikaru and Kozue's arrival. While they both were dressed decently Hikaru had reeked of cigarettes and made no attempt to disguise his "admiration" towards Belldandy.
The second sign that there might be a problem were the people who were not present. Isshin had been called to the clinic earlier and was not present to greet them, while Risa Inoue would be arriving late, being stuck in traffic.
The third sign that there might be a problem had been Ichigo, who had been acting restless upon the arrival of Orihime's parents and witnessing Hikaru's open flirtation on his mother. He had been watching both parents like a hawk while keeping himself between them and his sisters.
About thirty minutes after Hikaru and Kozue's arrival Murphy decided to make his presence felt.
Risa had finally managed to call the Kurosaki household to inform the others that she would be arriving momentarily. Belldandy had taken the children to greet her, leaving Orihime alone with her parents for the first time in 9 years.
Orihime had continued to look at them, many times in the last half hour trying to match whatever memories she could bring up to the people before her. Not finding much other than what little description Sora had given she decided to ask the question that had been knawing at her for several days.
"F-father?"
"Haah...?", he responded, somewhat disinterestedly, returning his gaze back towards his wayward daughter now that it seemed that that hottie wouldn't be back anytime soon.
"Ho-how...umm....", she paused, as if trying trying to phrase the question correctly. Kozue, who had been busying herself by taking in everything in the room after their hostess had left also turned to her, waiting.
"Do...do you think things would have been better, if we had stayed together?"
Her mother frowned and turned thoughtful of the question while her father snorted and crossed his arms.
"I don't know, but your brother probably would have still run away, little shit that he was. I'm still amazed that he took you with him."
Orihime stared, trying to believe what she just heard.
"That he'd be able to support both you and him, how the hell did he get the money for it?", he grumbled.
"Oh, you remember how he used t' be", Kozue responded. "Remember how he hid his money whenever he had any instead of giving it to us? He must've found a better hiding place after we found that last stash."
Hikaru grunted in affirmation.
"And would you getta look at this place", Kozue continued, happy to express this thought after they had arrived. "You'd think that these people were loaded, but they ain't got nothin' worth anything."
Orihime blinked as her mother then popped a stick of gum into her mouth and began to chew. "I mean," Kozue began inbetween chews, "This chick lives in a freakin' temple. And they ain't got nothin! Don't make no sense."
"Either that or her old man is givin' it to her pretty good if she ain't complainin'", Hikaru laughed.
Orihime couldn't believe what she had been hearing. To hear her brother bad mouthed and now hearing them talk about the people who had taken them in was beginning to overwhelm her.
"Oh", her father said, looking at her, "We don't have a lot of room in the car, so when we go we can only take a few things. Grab whacha need now, we'll send out for the rest later".
Orihime nodded, sniffling. "I-I'll go get Oniisan's urn and then-"
"Hey", her father interrupted. "I said 'your' things. You don't need that."
"But, we were supposed to take it together to the family-"
"I said leave it.", her father demanded, beginning to get irritated.
The tears that had been threatening to fall finally came.
"Stop that."
"But, but..", her hands came up to her face as she rubbed her nose and sniffled.
"I said stop it!", he hissed at her. When she didn't he finally stood up and reached forward to grab her wrist.
She cried out in pain as she was pulled forward and fearfully looked up at her father's angry visage. "Orihime I told you to-"
He never finished, as at that moment an orange topped blur barreled into him, causing him to fall awkwardly back into his seat and into Kozue.
He quickly got his bearings and stood up and found the woman's brat in between him and his daughter, who was now on her knees clutching her arm.
"How could you do that!?", the boy hissed at him, fists clenched. "How could you do that to her? She's your daughter, right!?"
"Out of the way boy."
"No", Ichigo responded, now slipping into a stance.
"Move, boy".
"Make me."
Orihime, who had been nursing her aching arm while tears had continued to fall looked up in surprise, shocked at being saved and now watching her savior standing up to her father seemingly without fear.
Kozue had been watching from her seat wide eyed, still trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"Brat", Hikaru threatened, "Get out of my way or so help me I'll-"
"-do what?", another voice interrupted.
Hikaru turned from the boy to the owner of the voice, who was accompanied by his now horrified sister.
Belldandy stood a several feet away from him, arms to her side. Yuzu and Karin were behind her, Yuzu clutching at her mother's dress and Karin standing just off to the side, glaring at Hikaru.
Hikaru found the woman's hard gaze boring into him and felt something in his stomach shift. "Well?", she prodded, "What is it you were going to do to my son"? Though her tone had been even, he could feel the weight of her words behind them and found himself breaking eye contact with her. "For that matter", she then continued, "what were you doing to Orihime-chan?"
Ichigo, who had never moved from his position or stance answered. "She was crying and her told her to stop and when she didn't he grabbed at her." His eyes never waivered as he met Hikaru's glare with his own.
"Ichigo", Belldandy began, "Take Orihime and your sisters to their room".
Ichigo nodded and turned to help Orihime up. She clutched at his arm as he began to lead her away, turning his head to keep watch.
"There's no need for that, we're leaving", Hikaru stated. "Orihime-"
"She will not being going with you", Belldandy stated.
Hikaru's eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. "She's my daughter and we're going to-"
"You will NOT be taking her".
Ichigo had turned the moment he saw Hikaru take that first step, but found himself momentarily stopped as Orihime continued to clutch at his arm, her eyes on her father.
"If you have any problems with what I have just said", Belldandy continued, noting Hikaru's clenched jaw, "you may take them up with my husband. He will be returning soon".
A myriad of negative emotions played across Hikaru's reddened voice. Looking between each of the adults and the brats he came to a decision as he contemplated the final member yet to arrive.
"Kozue! Get up! We're leaving!" Kozue nodded and got up as her husband grabbed her hand and pulled her along. He paused long enough to glare at his sister before turning it to Belldandy. He finally turned to his daughter, who was cowering behind the boy. Holding her gaze for a few seconds he snorted and pulled at his wife, storming out of the Kurosaki home.
"Hikaru-niisan!", Risa cried, following after. Before she got to the door, she turned back to the rest and bowed, "Please excuse me for a moment". She then turned back to where her brother and sister-in-law left and ran after them.
As the footsteps retreated and it became apparent that they were alone, Belldandy turned and her expression turned somber as she saw Orihime begin to cry. Ichigo had began to shuffle, his defiant anger now replaced with uncertainty as the girl he had befriended and now defended had not let go of his arm.
He looked at his mother, unsure of what to do. Reading the look on his face, Belldandy approached them and kneeled to their level. Both Karin and Yuzu hesitantly approached the still crying girl before stopping, waiting for what their mother would do next.
Gently reaching out she brushed a few strands of hair out of Orihime's face, causing Orihime to gasp at the unexpected touch. "I am so sorry, Orihime-chan", Belldandy told her, her own expression somber. Orihime hesitantly moved away from Ichigo as she turned her attention to the older woman. Belldandy's mood alleviated only slightly as she noted Orihime had yet to let go of Ichigo's hand.
Placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder, Belldandy brought Orihime closer and pulled her into a hug. Orihime gasped again as she felt the woman's encircle her to hold. "I am so sorry", she repeated. Loosening her hold she looked Orihime in the eyes. "I want you to know Orihime", she started, holding Orihime's gaze. "That no matter what happens, I promise you, you will never be alone".
Orihime blinked as she took in Belldandy's words. A few moments ago she had seen her world crushed again with the words of her brother now verified. Now as she gazed at this woman she found herself playing the woman's words in her mind over and over. She turned and saw Yuzu and Karin, both who smiled at her, with Yuzu giving a small wave. Finally she she turned her head to see Ichigo, who was still standing in the spot she had left him in.
As she looked at Ichigo all she could see was his back as he stood between her and her father with no fear in his stance or words. Without a thought for himself or the consequences he stood steadfast as her father had threatened and had not flinched. Seeing him stare at her she contemplated the boy she had only met not two weeks prior. He finally smiled and nodded curtly at her, as if giving her his approval.
Blinking, she finally turned back to their mother, who was smiling at her. Sniffling once more, she smiled as she buried her face into the woman's chest, holding on as she cried once more, this time knowing that things would be changing for the better.
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Orihime pulled away from the hug and smiled. "Thank you so much for having me", she said.
"Your more than welcome anytime Orihime-chan", Belldandy replied. "Is Ichigo with you?
"I think he's still outside with father", Orihime said before turning around to see both Karin and Yuzu waiting for her.
"Oh! Yuzu! I have some new recipes that I wanted to go over with you!", she exclaimed. Karin gulped as Yuzu began to talk to Orihime on what kind of ingredients they would be needing. 'Oh gods I hope it isn't anything like the butter salted pickles she had last time', Karin thought.
Before they could continue on they turned at the sudden commotion of voices outside. They each turned but saw Belldandy at the door looking on but blocking most of the view.
"I didn't hurt them that bad!", they could hear Ichigo say, and become quiet. There was something in the way he spoke that they could tell that was different from the usual kind of fights he had with their father. "And besides, even if I did they deserved it!"
"Ichigo!"
All three of the girls looked at each other, wide eyed. Karin then turned to Yuzu who turned still, her eyes now at the door. Rarely did their father take that tone. Yuzu began to walk to the door before being stopped as their mother opened her palm as a signal for her to stop. "Niisama", she whispered.
Orihime though felt her stomach twist. In the two years that she had known the Kurokaki's she had never seen anything like what was happening now. From what she could hear she understood it had to do with what happened earlier. Both Ichigo and Tatsuki had come back to class though Ichigo had some scrapes on him, but that in itself had not been anything out of the ordinary.
Silently they watched as their mother had walked out to the two men. From the look on Isshin's face he had not noticed her approach. After a moment he picked up the backpack that Ichigo had been carrying for Orihime earlier and made his way toward them. Slipping off his shoes in the genkan he slid the door shut behind them, cutting off what they could see of Belldandy and Ichigo.
Isshin saw the three girls before him and sighed before ushering them into the family room. Taking a seat he looked at Orihime. She and both the girls were tense and kept looking towards the door.
"Orihime", he said, catching her attention. "Do you know what happened earlier today? With Ichigo?"
Both Yuzu and Karin turned towards her, eager to hear anything to explain what was happening with their older brother.
To their disappointment she shook her head. "No. After lunch Ichigo-kun and Tatsuki were a little late in getting back, and he had looked like he had been in a fight. But he didn't say anything about it, and Tatsuki didn't say anything either so I didn't really think anything of it."
Isshin crossed his arms and sighed. Before he could ask anything else they heard the front door open and both Yuzu and Karin jumped from their seats and ran to the door, Orihime and Isshin following shortly after.
"Ichi-nii!"
"Oniisama!"
They both stopped as they saw their mother alone at the genkan. Sliding the door shut behind her she held her head down for a moment as she drew a breath. Something in that expression tore at Orihime's heart as she finally looked up.
"Bell", Isshin began, "Where's Ichigo"?
"He'll be back. He...he just needs to think about what happened".
Before Isshin could reply she looked at Yuzu. "Yuzu, let's finish preparing dinner now".
Orihime could only watch as Bell ushered Yuzu into the kitchin. Both Isshin and Karin followed, asking her what had happened. Orihime turned towards the front door, hoping that Ichigo would come back.
And through it all one thought kept persisting itself. That through all this she couldn't help but be reminded about Sora, that they had fought a day before he died. She had never argued with him in all the time they were together until that day, and on some level understood that whatever happened outside, Ichigo had never argued with his parents like that either.
"Ichigo-kun", she whispered, and prayed with all her might that tragedy would not find a way to strike again.
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'Why did I say that?! Why did I say that!', Ichigo thought for the hundredth time. After realizing what he had said he had instantly regretted it. The look on his psud- 'no, she *is* mom - dammit! Dammit!' The anguish on her face as he uttered those words wrenched at his heart even now.
He had to get away. He had to think. He had to force that image out of his head.
-Coward-, his subconscious taunted.
Shoving that thought aside, he continued to run. As he came closer to the town he slowed to a walk, not bothering to check which direction he was heading. His thoughts and emotions jumbled, his concentration was only focused enough to barely avoid other pedestrians and that horn blaring. Wait-
He blinked as the present viciously forced it's way back into focus as he realized he was in the middle of the street. With oncoming traffic in his vision he dashed to the sidewalk, grabbing the signal light pole to help him stop. Still holding the pole, he began to catch his breath and tried to calm his racing heart. When he was satisfied that he was back to his normal heart rate he raised his head to get his bearings.
Ignoring the stares and snickers from the bystanders who had been witness to his near accident he continued to look around. With a start he recognized exactly where he was at and removed his hand from the pole. 'Is it still here?', he thought and ran, very much keeping an eye on traffic this time.
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The preparations for dinner had nearly been completed, however no one in the house would admit to being hungry at that moment.
Both Isshin and Belldandy had spoken quietly, and the girls had tried to occupy themselves with what they could do to help in the kitchen. The business and light-heartedness that had been the norm was missing this evening, as each was trying to understand what had happened earlier.
It was at that time they heard a knock at the door. Scrambling for the front door, Karin could see the shadow of a figure through the shoji screens and scrunched her face. Grabbing the door she forcibly slid the door open, causing the door to hit the end with a loud crack.
"ICHI-NII! WHERE HAVE YOouuu...", she trailed off, as she got a look at the two who had jumped back at the force she had come through with. Face reddening she brought her head down and clenched her teeth for a few seconds before looking up and brushing her ponytail back behind her. She could hear the others behind her.
They looked familiar, well, one of them looked familiar, as the other one had most of his face bandaged up. 'Waittasec', she thought. 'Wasn't this the guy who came over with Ichi-nii to see Keiichi?' She bowed to them and apologized for her 'greeting'. Looking at the bandaged one up and down, she squinted at him trying to place a face when she realized that this was other guy who came with Ichi-nii to the hospital.
"What happened to you?"
"Karin!", she heard her mother.
"Um, uh, sorry, but uh, if your here to see Ichi-nii he's not here right now so uh..."
"He's not?", the shorter of the two, Mizuiro asked.
"I'm sorry", Belldandy offered. "But he isn't".
"Oh", Keigo said, face lowering slightly. "Do you know when he'll be back?"
"I'm sorry", Isshin replied, stepping forward. "But we don't know exactly when he'll be back. I also have to apologize but now isn't the best of times."
Both boys eyes widened before they both bowed. "We're sorry for the intrusion", Mizuiro offered, "but Keigo here wanted to thank Ichigo for what happened earlier today".
Isshin's eyes lit up at those words. "For what happened earlier", he repeated, looking at Keigo with interest now, studying the bandages and remembering what Ichigo had said during their argument earlier.
The boys both nodded.
Isshin the slid the door open fully. "Please", he gestured to the inside of their home, "come in".
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With no small bit of hesitation Ichigo turned the final corner and took a few steps before pausing. Taking a breath he turned his eyes forward and looked in the direction of his home. His old home.
No fanfare awaited him. No shout from Karin from one of the windows. No Yuzu to greet him. No father hiding from some corner to ambush him in some sort of screwed up training.
He swallowed as he tried to ignore the hollow feeling in his stomach.
The only thing familiar that greeted him was the smell. The smell of food being cooked, though far stronger than it had ever been. He smirked at the easy reason for that now. A combination home/clinic was easily able to absorb near any scent of food however this combination helped enhance it.
"Irrashaimase!", he was greeted as he went through the entrance. Acknowledging the greeting with a nod he took a few steps onward before stopping and took in the view.
"Have a seat, son, and I'll take your order in a minute!", the cook called out as he set a few bowls of ramen down to hungry customers.
"It's ok, just looking around", he replied as he again took in his surroundings. The place had been completely revamped. 'Or was it always liked this', he thought to himself. Nothing familiar remained of his old home.
Sighing, he turned and began to make his way out before being stopped by the greeter. "Please take this", she said, holding out a piece of paper. Taking the menu he pocketed it and thanked her as he walked out.
He stopped a few feet away from the entrance and looked upwards. A chill went down his back and he sighed. Rubbing the back of his neck he rolled his shoulders as he again began to move forward. The distraction of seeing his old home - now a ramen shop momentarily set aside much bigger problems.
'What the hell am I going to do?' He winced as his mother's face came to the forefront again. The words he said just before also joined in. 'I'm not your son!', he had shouted. 'Damn it all'. He again felt a chill as he again contemplated the last few days.
This woman, now his mother, Belldandy, he found was an extraordinarily kind woman. So much so that he knew without a doubt that even if he hadn't screwed up with his wish, changing his life and hers, that this was someone he could have trusted, confided in and cared for. There was just something about her that with a look could simply put him at ease in a way no other person could, save Masaki, his real mother. And even then Belldandy had a way of making it seem easier.
He shivered again, the implications of what he did again coming to focus. The bits and pieces that had come to him from the life that he had only reinforced those feelings for her. He had vowed to never forget his mother, Masaki, but holding off his emotions towards Belldandy had been near impossible. He recalled what she had said a few days earlier when they brought Keiichi home. She did mention that the confusion he was experiencing would fade in time as he readjusted. 'But what does that mean exactly?', he thought.
He held out his palms and looked at them before stretching them forward, fingers linked and cracked his knuckles. 'I don't really think I'm that different'. When he had first contemplated it that first night back home he had freaked out a bit when he realized that in a sense he had in a way replaced someone. 'But it's still me, isn't it?', he questioned himself again. He rubbed his head again as another thought came to fore. 'I don't feel too different. Outside of what I feel for her I still am who I am. These feelings that I get from just looking at her, they're not fake. Does readjusting mean that I become like he was, knowing what he knew? I know that if I concentrate I can pull some of what has happened before, but only if I attempt to search, but even then I don't know exactly what I'm looking for. Or like what happened earlier. I can't believe I knew Orihime, I mean, he knew Ino- no - damn it all!'
And there had been those times too. The flashes that had come from simply interacting with something or someone. His sisters. Inoue. His mother. He had an easier time with those flashes as they gave him a frame of reference to work with when trying to recall other things. He then grimaced as he recalled one particular change he could've done without. 'Shi-ichi... god what an embarrassing nick name... I can't believe Tatsuki came up with that from that old backpack...'
Tatsuki...
His initial assessment about her and remembering their time together proved correct after being around her earlier. She was pretty much the same girl that he knew before; tomboyish and strong. Upon seeing her he recalled how his competition with her had ignited his youthful pride as well as hers. He both groaned and chuckled at how Tatsuki had managed to get the upperhand on him this time around. Ever smiling and ever ready for a good throw down, be it with him or anyone else stupid enough to try something to her...or him, he grimaced.
He felt his male pride prickle a bit as he began to realize just how much Tatsuki seemed to look out for him, at times having his back more than once whenever he got in over his head. Not that that was a bad thing, she had more than once helped him out in the life he once had but it was different than it was before. He recalled that he still was picked on and threatened by pretty much the same idiots for his hair color amongst other things but she was now more involved in those fights than previously. Helping him... watching him. And like before, they had sent more than their fair share packing.
His spirits slightly lifted as he felt his pride swell in that those same idiots he had sent on their merry way mostly alone back then without much or any help at all. He frowned though as he recalled the fight earlier, something had been a bit different. No stranger being in brawls before, he realized that this time around he had found it easier to move his body and without realizing until later moving fluidly from stance to stance. While he had studied fighting and had his 'lessons' from his father he found himself at times too busy just trying to push through these punks instead of going through proper kata patterns and movements. This time he had surprised himself and barely found himself tired. He clenched his fists, knowing it had been due to the extra training he had here.
He blinked as something tickled the back of his mind. There had been that one incident with Kanegawa getting a cheap shot in. If it hadn't been for the new guy, he didn't know what shape he'd be in at this point. 'Waitasec...'
With a start he realized that that event had pretty much played out exactly as it did before, and after a brief moment of concentration concluded that indeed there were no differences. "Hmmmm...".
Coming to a stop he found himself at Yumizawa Children's Park. Everything here seemed to be in place, and after finding a bench he sat and steepled his hands together and rested his chin on them, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees. He sighed as he again reviewed the crux of his current problem.
"Higher, mommy! Higher!", a child cried out. Turning toward the voice he watched a young boy on the swings with presumably his mother behind him, pushing him forward as he came back in her direction.
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"Watch, Mama! I know I can go higher!" Ichigo cried, kicking hard at the height of his backward swing, attempting to gain acceleration to go higher than his last flight up.
'Just a bit more, then I try that cherry bomb trick Hijiri told me about!'. The cherry bomb trick was to get as high as you could on your forward swing, and at the highest point attempt to throw yourself backward. Holding the chains the trick was as you go straight down the seat would catch you before you hit the ground, making a large sound as the chains straightened out. The perfect cool move for an 8 year old to make!
'Mom will really be surprised at this!', he thought gleefully. Fully intent on impressing his mother (as well as quite a few onlookers) he kept building up speed, and calculating at what point he should act on his trick.
'NOW!", he thought, tightening his body and then immediately straightening out, changing the swings direction and momentum. But just as he was moving back he forgot to swing his legs back, getting the seat back under him in time and went crashing back-first into the sandy ground, the impact harder as the back of his knees hooked the seat, causing him to bounce slightly has the chains tightened, pulling the seat back a bit.
"ICHIGO!", he had hazily heard his mother cry. His eyes and chest stung as the air was forced out of him, and his legs hurt from being caught on the seat of the swing. Feeling someone remove his legs from the swing he was brought to a sitting position and felt himself being steadied as a hand firmly rubbed his back.
He coughed hard several times as air forced itself back in his lungs and squeezed his eyes shut, allowing a few tears to fall. After a moment he turned to his mother, who was cradling him in her arms. All of a sudden embarrassed by all the people staring at him, he attempted to stand to quickly dust himself off.
He barely made it to his knees when his mother grabbed him and fiercely held onto him. "Ichigo, please don't do anything like that again. You could have been seriously hurt", she had said as she held him. He looked up into her face and saw that she had teared up herself. Feeling extremely guilty he lowered his head to her chest and apologized. She held him ever tighter at that.
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He blinked at that memory, now knowing that had been the last time he had done something to cause his mother pain. She had been extremely worried for him and she held onto him fiercely for a good time before they left.
'She really did have a good grip on me, then. The last time she did that was...'
He frowned.
'Was...'
He concentrated.
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It was raining, he could recall.
He had hurt, and knew that he had been hit with something hard. He tried to move, but realized he couldn't. The rain was still falling, but he found that he was dry. He could feel that he was under something, no, under someone. 'Mom', he realized with a start.
Before realized it he was suddenly in her arms. Wearily he opened his eyes and tried to focus on the face of his mother. "Mommy"?, he had questioned and found himself caught in a hug harder than he could ever recall.
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'That night at the riverbed....', he thought. 'Mom died that night', he had remembered. 'But something else happened here'. For a brief second his memories of Masaki appeared to him of that night. The blood...
'NO'!
Forcing himself to shove that thought aside he stood up and looked at the direction of where that was on the riverbed. Something else had happened there, but nothing was coming up. 'Might as well check it out', he thought as he stood up and took off.
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Isshin studied Keigo's bruised face. Both boys were now seated in the family room, with the girls spread out around them. At Isshin's request Keigo had removed the bandages that were wrapped around his face and had held in a breath as he took in the bruises. He shortly after had pulled out a stool to sit in front of Keigo. "And you say you have bruises on your torso as well?" he asked. Keigo nodded and winced, holding in a yelp as Isshin lightly touched one.
"They hurt, but they do look a lot worse than it is", he winced again. "If not for Kurosaki-san...", he trailed off. Karin was next to her father, studying the boy's face like he was a work of art at a museum. Getting up Isshin left to find some cream and fresh bandages for the boy.
"So your saying that Oniisama saved you?", queried Yuzu, who was also staring at the boy hopefully. Keigo nodded, a little bit embarrassed to talk about it now.
"The way those other guys were chasing him, if he hadn't saved him I don't think Keigo would walking around right now", Mizuiro supplied.
"Didja you hear that mom, pop?! Then that means Ichi-nii didn't do anything wrong!", exclaimed Karin.
Isshin sighed as he sat back down in front of Keigo. "Be that as it may, that still doesn't excuse Ichigo for taking it as far as he did".
"I know it may seem a bit mean to say, Kurosaki-san, but that gang finally got everything they got coming to them", Mizuiro added. They've never been known to hold back on anyone. I know that Hayashibara had threatened Keigo awhile back but from what I know Keigo listened to what he said."
Keigo nodded. "He was kinda pissed that I had been hitting on his girl", he filled in for the rest. "I listened to him completely when he threatened me, but today the teacher had put us in the same group. When he found out..well...", he gestured to himself.
"You mean he still went after you even though it was because of the teacher?", Orihime asked.
Keigo nodded again, blushing now as he really became self-conscious of himself. 'To be in this condition being watched by both Orihime Inoue and Belldandy Kurosaki', he internally lamented, clenching a fist and holding a small river of tears in.
Belldandy noticed his expression and fortunately for Keigo misinterpreted it. She walked toward him and laid a hand on his cheek. Keigo's face went red at the touch, to the point where he *knew* that the color his face was now enough to camouflage whatever bruises there wer. Unlike before though with Isshin he didn't wince, though he could feel his face tingle, as well as other places. 'Oh, please don't look down', he silently prayed.
She finally pulled her hand away from Keigo's cheek and paused for a few seconds, blinking. "You were right", she finally answered and smiled, "they do look worse than they are. I believe you should start feeling better later on tonight."
Keigo mutely nodded, face still red from his touch. Nearby Karin snickered at him. Finally Isshin was in front of him again with the bandages and cream, and instructed Keigo on how to apply it. Behind them, nobody noticed Belldandy intently looking at her hand.
"Are you sure it's ok? I don't have any money on me right now...", Keigo replied, still stunned from earlier.
"Don't think twice about it", Isshin mentioned. "I'm more surprised at how that bandage was wrapped earlier. Was it wrapped like that by the nurse?"
"No, uh, actually -ack!", Keigo yelped as the bandage was wrapped around his lower jaw. "I, uh, took it off for a bit and put it back on. It was getting in the way and it hurt a bit."
Isshin hummed at that as he continued to wrap. "The nurse probably didn't wrap it correctly the first time. This time you should be a bit more comfortable." He gave further instructions on when to remove it later as well as how to properly wrap it again when he needed to put it back on. "I will agree with my wife though, you should be feeling better soon. She has a knack for knowing these things", he mentioned, allowing himself a small smile.
Mizuiro looked at his watch and noticed the time. "Keigo", he signaled.
Keigo looked at him and nodded. Turning back to the Kurosaki's and Orihime, he explained. "I apologize for sounding rude, but Mizuiro and I can't stay long. We were hoping to catch Kurosaki-san to thank him, but..."
"It's ok", Belldandy replied. "We are grateful that you were considerate enough to do this, and we are thankful to you that we have the full story on what happened earlier". The other girls in the room all nodded at that, though Isshin stayed silent, watching. "If you don't catch him later you are more than welcome to come visit again."
"Really?", Keigo perked up while Mizuiro hid a smirk at his reaction. Belldandy nodded and Keigo laughed, scratching his head. "Well, we can probably stay another 15 minutes or so..."
The fifteen minutes had passed by quickly, with some small talk, mostly on Keiichi and how he'd been since being brought home. With a bow and another thank you for extra bandages and medication, both boys left the household. As everyone turned to go back into the house, Yuzu stayed by the door, eyes following the boys as they went beyond the temple gates. Looking upward, her thoughts continued on her brother.
'Niisama, where are you?'
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The day was just starting to approach it's evening, the blue sky overhead beginning to take on the twinges of a darker shade of blue and the horizon was just starting to show a red hue indicating that sunset was close at hand. The wind had picked up slightly, giving more refreshment from the heat of earlier.
Ichigo made it across the final street to the riverbed, the same part he was sure where that event had taken place. Finally making it to the edge of the riverbed incline he gasped.
The river flowed by as before, however on his side of the river there was what he thought was a pond just off to the side. He went to take a closer look.
'What the hell?', he had thought as he took in more detail.
The 'pond' he could see stretched out from the river, just barely connecting to it, allowing some excess water to both enter or exit pond. He walked slowly around the perimeter, as the pond itself was the shape was close to being a circle. 'It has to be some 40 - 45 feet to the other side'. Kneeling at the edge he peered into it, trying to get an idea of how deep it was.
'Where the hell did this come from'? Something was tugging at the back of his mind. Closing his eyes he began to concentr-
"Shi-ichi?", he heard someone cry in the distance.
He opened his eyes and stood up and turned. 'Tatsuki..'
"Shi-ichi!", she called again. She was jogging towards him now. Looking at her, he could see that she was dressed for her evening run. Within seconds she was next to him, jogging in place. A sheen of sweat could be seen on her face and arms, but she hardly looked winded. In fact, with her hair bobbing up and down and the look in her eyes she appeared like she was just itching to take off at full sprint.
"I thought that was you", she mentioned.
"Tatsuki, what are you doing out here?"
Tatsuki stopped jogging in place and gave him a half lid stare. "I'm out on stroll", she drolled sarcastically. She then gave him a quick once-over. "I could ask you the same thing, Shi-ichi. You're still in school uniform. What happened to make you come out here?" Her eyes slightly widened and she placed a hand to her head and sighed. "And here I thought you had long given up on trying to solve the Karakura Town Mystery", she mumbled.
"Wait, wait, the what?"
She frowned at him, hand still on her forehead. "That's not funny, Shi-ichi, especially how you used to used to say that being the one who had been there when it happened you should be able to figure it out".
"I what", he replied before looking down and concentrating. 'That's right', he recalled. 'That night', he closed his eyes and focused. 'After mom had held me she collapsed.
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"Mommy! Mommy! Are you alright?!", he cried, as she laid herself on the ground.
"I'm... I'm fine dear", she responded weakly. "I'm just tired, that's all. As long as you're safe that's all that matters". She reached out and cupped his face. "Everything will be fine from now on, you'll see".
It was still raining. Realizing that he was still wearing his rain jacket he swiftly unbuttoned it and covered his mothers face as best he could. He had to get help and he couldn't leave her here. He was beginning to panic when he heard someone calling out to him.
Looking behind him he saw a few people at the top edge of the incline to the riverbed. Some were already running to him as best they could in the rain.
"HEY!", one had cried. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" Finally getting close enough, they had briefly paused when they noticed his mother's state.
"We have to help her", he said, tears in his eyes. "Please", he pleaded.
One immediately knelt next to him, holding an umbrella over him before shouting over his shoulder. "SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULENCE!"
As others raced to respond a few more came closer. Some walking past them, a few more kneeling next him.
"Kurosaki-san?" one breathed in surprise.
"You know her?", asked another.
"Yes, she and her husband run a clinic. I.. I go there...", she stopped herself as she noticed Ichigo. "You're her son, aren't you? Are you ok, what happened?"
"It's, it's my fault. I- I saw someone, and, and-"
"Did you see what happened?", the man next to him asked. "There was this bright light and a sound that sounded like an explosion went off".
"What?", he asked, confused.
Others were making their way over, and he could barely make out some of the conversation the growing crowd was having. "Did you hear that?" "Yeah I did" "That was some light show" "Was it lightning?" "Never seen lightning like this." "Sounded like some kind of bomb, like you hear on the tv shows" "Holy shit, look at that crater!" "Does lightning do that?" "Maybe some kind of terrorist attack!" "Stupid, why here of all places!" "Yeah, if were an attack it'd be bigger, right?" "That's not funny!" "Maybe some chance weather phenomenon."
The comments would blend together as he turned his attention back on his mother. 'Please be ok, please be ok', he inwardly chanted.
It would not be long before they were both picked up.
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Ichigo blinked and snapped his head back, seemingly to avoid the fingers next to his face.
Tatsuki snapped her fingers one more time before bringing her hand back. "Shi-ichi, you're zoning there. What's up?"
"Nothing, nothing, Tatsuki." He fought hard to ignore the rush of feelings that memory provoked in him. Another instance in which he somehow hurt his mother. He grit his teeth in frustration as he remembered what happened earlier.
I brief image of Masaki's face filled his thoughts, wearing the expression his mother Belldandy had earlier and his heart clenched. 'Would I... would I be doing this if she were still with us? I'm the one at fault. I'm the one who's been screwing up. Maybe...maybe dad was right'. He let out a breath.
"Shi-ichi, what wrong?"
He noted her change in tone but still answered in the negative. "It's ok, Tatsuki. It's nothing".
"Don't give me that", she curtly replied. She took a step forward and looked up at him, and he could see the concern she had.
"Really, what's wrong?"
'You're useless without me Shi-ichi', she thought, not unkindly as she could see him mulling his answer over in his head. 'The same mama's boy I remember from when we first met'.
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