Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ The Pain of Remembrance ❯ chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A/N: I'm glad the first chapter of this story was so well received. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and alerted it. Here's another chapter for your review. I know it's shorter than the first but I promise to make it up to you.

Enjoy!

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< /b> Three days.

Three days since he had killed that bastard Aizen.

Three days since the cheers of victory were heard in both worlds.

Three days he had been sitting in the same hospital room staring at her unconcious face.

Ichigo flipped another page of the magazine he was holding. He wouldn't even lie and say he was reading it; he no longer even knew the name of the book in his hand. He couldn't take his mind off of the battle nor off the woman in front of him.

When Orihime's shield fell he rushed towards Aizen at speeds he didn't know he possessed. They fought furiously, neither man saying anything. Aizen forgoed his usual speeches designed to throw his opponets off guard and instead met every strike of Ichigo's sword with one of his own. He had been cheated out of his power and he wanted her blood to pay for it. Ichigo had fought many opponents before, human, hollow, and shinigami; but he could only recall one other time he had been so furious in battle.

His fight with Grand Fisher.

Just as he yearned to see Fisher's blood spill, he wanted Aizen's to flow like a waterfall. He concentrated on nothing but slicing the mans flesh from his bones. Ichigo wasn't sure whose morbid thoughts they were, his or his hollows; but he didn't try to stop them, nor did he question where they origionated from. He simply accepted his sick need to kill Aizen in some of the most painful ways possible.

He allowed the battle to draw out. Ichigo recognized the fact that he could have killed Aizen at least two other times during their battle but he had not. His hollow cackled in the inner workings of his mind and he felt the dark creature's happiness from the lengthy battle. Ichigo knew he would repremand himself later for giving in to the desires of his hollow. No....not just his hollow. He would at least admit to himself that on a much more primal level he also wanted to drag out the pleasure of killing Aizen.

He felt horrible for it.

He may not be an innocent man but he was far....very far from evil. Ichigo felt he had tainted a portion of his soul by giving in to the dark emotions he had. Every cut he landed on Aizen after the initial opportunity he had to kill him made him cringe inside now. He had briefly turned into the very monster he fought to keep back in the vizards underground training area. He allowed those thoughts to drift to the back of his mind as he opened a senkaimon to get to his father and Orihime. Words he had vaguely heard during his battle were coming back clearly to him. Perhaps they had been the catalyst to throw him into the murderous rage he experienced.

"She's in shock........"

"She's seizing........"

"......open the senkaimon now!"

Though he felt as if the kami may not listen to him at this point he prayed hard as he searched for her reiatsu. He finally located it at Ishida-san's hospital. Ignoring the shocked looks of the shinigami around him, he rushed past them trying to get to her room. Hands reached out to try and hold him back and he fought them desperately. Urahara, who he failed to recognize had been with him the entire time, finally rendered him unconcious with a kido spell when he continued to resist.

When he awoke, he found himself lying in a hospital bed, the familiar play of muscles telling him he had been placed back into his body. Rukia, Renji, and Sado sat in chairs along the wall but they ran to his bedside when they saw his eyes open.

"Ichigo, how are you feeling?" Rukia asked with concerned eyes.

He struggled to sit upright and Sado reached out to help him. He fought a wave of nausea as his head rolled in pain. "I've felt better."

A breath of air that could have been a chuckle came from Renji. "Baka. At least your alive. I can't believe you're in as good condition as you are....considering who your opponet was."

Ichigo paled as he remembered why he ran to the hospital in the first place. "Inoue!" he shouted and tried to get out of bed. Two pairs of strong arms held him in place. "Let me go guys! I have to see if she's okay!" he screamed to Sado and Renji.

"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed right in his face. He stopped his struggles at her stern tone. "Calm down. I'm sure your father would appreciate it if you didn't open the wounds he just closed a few hours ago. Inoue's alive, she's unconcious, but alive."

Ichigo closed his eyes and said a small prayer of thanks allowing his body to now relax. "I still want to see her."

Rukia's eyes softened. "Of course. Let me go find your father first and have him check you out since you just woke up, then we'll all go see her."

She returned with his father a few minutes later and for once his old man did not hit him in greeting. When Ichigo turned to meet his father's gaze as the door opened, he saw a smile grace the older man's face. He was sure he had imagined it, but he could have sworn he saw tears gather in his fathers eyes. The moment passed quickly as Isshin closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"Just woke up and you want to go tearing out of here already. I'm glad your friends decided to stay with you." he teased as he went over to his sons bed.

"I'm not leaving the hospital old man but I am going to Inoue's room." Isshin met his son's determined stare and sighed in defeat.

"I knew you would as soon as you woke up. Do me a favor and take it easy though. Not all of us have such amazing abilities as she does. You tear those stiches in your side open and you won't have the benefit of having them rejected away. I'll have to wind up sewing your scrawny ass back together again."

"Who you calling scrawny old man?" Ichigo said as he got to his feet and faced his father. The two men held their stare for a moment before Isshin put his hand behind his sons neck and brought their foreheads together. Ichigo watched his father close his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He felt the fingers curl into his neck and he could see the tension practically melt away from his dad. This surprised Ichigo more than anything. He had no idea his father had been that worried.

He had always been given so much freedom and his father may have pestered him about where he was, but when he didn't answer, they would only fight for the moment and the subject would drop. When his father showed up as a shinigami, Ichigo realized he had always known where he went, where his injuries came from, and he didn't so much as question him let alone warn him about the dangers he could face. To see his father show this much emotion over his well being humbled Ichigo. He raised his own hand to his fathers neck and clapsed him just as tight. No words needed to be expressed between the two. No matter the problems they had or would face soon, they simply embraced the fact that they were both alive and well. Their slightly broken family was still intact.

The moment passed and Isshin, once again acting like his old self, led the group into the room Ichigo now sat in. She looked the same as she did when he opened the door that day. Eyes closed, long black lashes laying against her pale cheeks, lips parted slightly as she breathed deeply in her sleep.

No.....that was the false deception she put out. It only looked like she was asleep. Any second he expected her to roll onto her side muttering something about aliens or the little blue men in her strange dreams; but that wasn't going to happen. His father explained to him she was in a coma.

Her arm was heavily bandaged and laying atop two pillows. Everything from her shoulder to the tips of her fingers was covered. He sat down heavily in the chair next to her bed and tried to listen as his father explained what they had done to save her. He could only catch pieces of the explaination as his brain was trying so hard to process the sight of her laying there looking broken. She had given so much to ensure the war was won, to make sure they were all safe. It just wasn't fair that she was laying in that bed and not him!

"Control your reiatsu or I will have you leave this room."

Ichigo turned his head sharply to glare at whoever had spoken, but was shocked to see Ishida's father in the doorway. He walked around the bed and checked some of the monitors connected to Orihime.

"She's competely exhausted her reiatsu not to mention the extensive injuries she suffered to her arm. Her body went into shock at the blood loss and she suffered a few seizures because of that. She's in a coma now but I expect her to pull out of it." Ichigo listened to the stoic doctor's explanation and was about to thank him when the man began speaking to his father instead. "That's how you should have dumbed it down for the boy. Amazing how much of an idiot both of our sons are."

"Just who do you think you are referring to when you say that Ryuken?" Ichigo whipped his head around to see Ishida standing in the corner. He missed seeing him when he entered the room.

"I should have said disrespectful as well. And you only prove my point by asking such a ridiculous question." Ryuken said without bothering to look at his son.

Ishida tensed slightly and fired back at his father. "If you weren't such...." his sentence trailed off and he averted his eyes hoping his statement would be left alone. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't.

"Weren't what Uryu?" His father asked, eyebrow raised in a silent challenge. "An extrememly competant physician? Not to mention one of the only two physician's even capable of treating Inoue Orihime's condition. For that matter it took both of us working on your friend to even save her life. Was that something along the lines of what you were going to say?"

Ishida didn't answer nor look in his father's direction. He kept his gaze averted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Still a coward." Ryuken began walking out of the room but spoke to Isshin without turning around. "Kurosaki, your son may stay but make sure he keeps his ridiculous reiatsu lowered. I don't need anything interferring with my patients recovery."

"Seriuosly, what's with this 'Kurosaki' business? And she's my patient too!" Isshin hollered to the silver haired man even though he had already left the room. Everyone was silent as they took in the information Ryuken had shared with them.

"How long is she going to be in a coma dad?" Ichigo asked.

"I wish I could say." Isshin sighed. "However long it takes is the only answer I can give you." He patted his son on the shoulder. "Try to have faith Ichigo. Stay with her for now but your sister's will be here soon. They've missed you."

That was three days ago. He was released from the hospital the following morning but he came back to her room everyday and stayed for hours. Their other friends would come by as well. The shinigami would only spend a few moments each time, as they had many of their own still wounded and a lot to repair in the wake of Aizen's defeat. Ishida and Sado would bring lunch to the room, always bringing another bento with them. They somehow knew he would already be there. Most of the time they simply sat in silence around her bed. Any conversation they started would enevitably lead to things that were better left to discuss another day.

Perhaps the most surprising visitor to Ichigo was Urahara. The man always knew what was going on but he liked to stay in the shadows. However, everyday Urahara showed up with his mischevious smile on, waving his fan around. Although, when he looked at Orihime, his smile faded and a somber, guilty look filled his eyes. Tessai would accompany him but all he could do was weep silently in the background.

Flowers of every shape and color filled the room. Outrageous bouquets from the vizards sat in one corner, most signed with Shinji's ridiculous backwards writing; though one was from Hiyori with a note thanking her for her help. A large bouquet of orchids sat near the window, from Tessai and Urahara. Other smaller arrangements from variuos shinigami littered the room. There was also a vase of tulips from his sister Yuzu sitting next to her bed. He had been surprised when his father led his sisters in the day before. Yuzu was already crying when she entered. She sat the flowers on the table before gently squeezing the healers free hand and speaking softly to her.

Karin came to stand by him instead. After a few moments of silence she finally spoke to him.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Yes." Was his strong, confident answer.

She looked at him for a moment with eyes that seemed to belie her age. "Did you get him Ichi-nii?"

Ichigo only paused for a moment before he answered her. "Yes." She nodded her head and smiled at him reassuringly. Ichigo knew he would soon have to speak to his father about Karin's ability to see the hollows and shinigami. He worried about the danger she was being placed in by her reiatsu growing. He was drawn out of his thoughts by Yuzu throwing herself onto him and hugging him tightly.

"Don't worry onii-chan, I'm sure she'll get better." her voice was broken by her sobs.

Ichigo almost chuckled. She was trying to cheer him up but she was the one crying. "Did the old man tell you she was in here?"

"No, we saw Tatsuki-chan earlier. She told us how Orihime-chan got hit by a car." Karin answered nodding her head quickly towards Yuzu's direction when she wasn't looking.

Tatsuki. His friend since childhood and now Orihime's best friend. He was scared to call her. On one hand he wanted to tell her he brought her back. She was alive, hurt, but she would be okay. On the other, he was worried about Tatsuki's reaction to Orihime's condition. She was fiercly protective of the gentle healer and to see her like this....well, he didn't know how Tatsuki would react. Whatever would happen, he had to make the phone call.

He hesitated when she answered, unable to make his mouth say the words he needed to. Somehow though, she knew it was him.

"Ichigo?"

His startled squeak was enough of an answer for her. "I know. I've already been up there."

"Huh? When?" was his intelligent reply.

"I felt her presence the moment she came back. I've been up there all day. I just came home to eat and I'll be back. I checked up on you too baka, but you were still out."

"Oh." he swallowed heavily, still nervous for some reason.

Her quite voice came over the phone. "Ichigo, thank you."

Once again he could only give her stunned silence.

"Thank you for bringing her back. She'll be...." Tatsuki had to pause as her voice became thick with tears and Ichigo clenched the phone so hard he though it would break. "She'll be okay. I know she will. Thank you." She hung up but not before Ichigo heard her begin to cry.

He might have brought her back but he didn't save her. She saved them all. He had failed to protect her yet again. Guilt decended upon him heavily and he leaned back in the chair to watch her silent figure.

He had a lot of free time on his hands and unfortunately for him, though there was a lot he could think about, one thing in particular kept coming up.

"I love you Ichigo."

He felt his face heat up as he remembered her confession, and her kiss. Ever since that moment his mind had been in turmoil. He still couldn't believe that someone so sweet, so loving, could be in love with him.......and he never even had a clue. Now, knowing her feelings, he searched back through his memories of any time they spent together and he could admit that sometimes her behavior had been a little....different. Maybe he remembered a blush on her face when he really didn't know the reason why or seeing her looking at him but at that time he had only thought she had something to say.

He felt like an idiot.

Maybe he wasn't the first person to pick up on subtle signs from people but to miss something like this? He sighed heavily and looked at her sleeping form. Okay so he was an idiot but he wasn't completely blind. He was a normal, well kinda normal, healthy teenager. Yeah he knew she was beautiful. Incredibly beautiful, but whatever....he wasn't a shallow person. Inoue was one of his dearest friends. She was someone he swore to protect, someone he could speak openly to, as much as his personality would allow anyway.

He cared about her, just like he did all his friends but love.......?

That was something he had never thought about. He loved his family and friends, he had loved his mother deeply, but he had never had feelings of that nature for anyone. He didn't know what to do.

He didn't want to hurt her. That was the absolute last thing he wanted to do but....

He tossed his magazine aside angrily and crossed his arms over his chest. He was tired of thinking about this already. He would decide what he needed to do when she woke up. He was a man of action and was never good at coming up with a plan. That was more Ishida's style, but he be damned if he asked that bastard for help with this of all things.

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< br>
It really was a lovely dream.

She was sitting at lunch with just her beloved Kurosaki-kun enjoying the food she made the two of them. Tuna and red bean paste ramen. That's how she knew it was a dream. Ichigo would never eat one of her favorite treats; no one would really, besides Rangiku-san. Still, even though she recognized it was a dream she hoped she never woke up.

Lunch.....alone......with Kurosaki-kun?

Definetly a dream she wouldn't mind staying in.

The pain didn't register with her at first. She absently rubbed her arm when the tingling began. It wasn't long before it felt like her arm was on fire. Ichigo's dream face never changed even when she began crying and clutching her arm to her chest. His face faded away until all she saw was the thick darkness and felt the burning pain. The blackness gave way to reality and she was now greatful she could hear the voices of her powers in her mind.

"Orihime-san?"

"Wake up Orihime-san."

"Oi! Can you hear us woman?"

Tsubaki's shrill voice penetrated her mind and she found the energy to respond.

"Guys, what happened? Why does it hurt so badly?" she asked them with a sob within her mind.

"Nevermind that Orihime-san, you need to heal yourself!" Shun'o said.

"Please Orihime-san, give us the order." Ayame said.

"If I'm hurt like this what about you guys? Do you even have the strength to heal me? I'm having trouble even telling how much reiatsu I have." Orihime replied.

"Would you quit asking pointless questions and heal yourself already!" Tsubaki yelled at her.

She could hear the uncurrents of panic in his voice and that worried her more than anything. The pain was so intense now. Ripples of fire laced up and down her arm and were spreading throughout her body. She was still in the darkness; her eyes felt so heavy she didn't even try to lift them. Though she desperately wanted to see where she was, she knew she was powerless to do anything other than what her powers urged her to do.

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He was just tired of the damn silence at this point.

How many times in the past three days had he simply longed to hear her sweet voice calling out? He'd gladly sit right now and listen to one of her crazy dreams involving robots, or aliens, or wasabi covered foods coming to life and trying to take everyone out. If she wanted to ramble on about how the clouds reminded her of cute furry animals he'd gladly listen. Anything.....anything would be fine as long as she'd wake up.

He also needed to apologize to her. Though he had sworn he would protect her, he allowed her to get kidnapped and badly hurt. Remorse flooded his body. He trained with the vizards to control his hollow and learn to use his power in battle, but it had still not been enough to keep her safe. In the end, she had been willing to sacrific herself for her friends lives. That would have never happened if only he had the power to defeat Aizen and the Espada on his own.

Once again he went into a long internal rant about the injustice of her laying in the hospital bed.

A flicker......

He sat upright and stared at her still form intently.

For just a moment he was sure he felt her reiatsu spike. He wasn't particularly good at sensing reiatsu but he'd been so focused on hers lately that he was sure he'd felt it spike.

He watched her form for several long minutes before slumping back into his chair in defeat. Was he hallucinating now? Was he so desperate for her to wake up that he was imagining things? Not that he had decided anything on that, as he was now simply referring to her confession in his mind; he just wanted to see her eyes, hear her voice, assure himself that she was alive and he had brought her back from that hell and whatever happened to her over there hadn't damaged her. Grimmjow's words rang ominously in his head as he thought about that.

Without warning, her golden dome appeared over her body and he could only stare at it in wonder. He shot out of the chair and rushed over to place his hands on it. He ran his fingertips over the smooth surface and bathed himself in her calming reiatsu before a large grin, that none of his friends had ever seen, covered his face. Without looking away from her Soten Kisshun, he backed up to the door before ripping it open and screaming for his father. Yelling in the hospital was probably one guarenteed way to get himself kicked out by Ishida's stoic father but that didn't matter.....

She was awake.

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