Sanctuary

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, so please no suing involved. I’m just a fan who loved the show so much and incidentally found a little bit of an opening and ripped it open.

“Is that the last of them?” He landed on the ground in true warrior style before standing up as the beast behind him began to disintegrate into nothing.
“Mm!” His female companion smiled looking up at him with her big eyes. “I don’t sense anymore in the area.
“Good….” He finally turned to look at the female who had her bags of groceries at her side and his head in her lap and nearly felt like hitting the cement face first at how cozy the two looked. If any ONE of his friends passed by it could almost look romantic as his head was resting on her knees. “I-Inoue!!!” He stared almost blankly at her more appalled by the way things looked and she then turned her eyes up at him and the innocent look that never outgrew any maturity she may have endured over time still clung to her big gray eyes and instantly the subject fell to nothing. Without another word passed between them he retreated back into his body, momentarily glad that Kon had been left at home as that moment would’ve been enjoyed thoroughly by the lecherous Mod Soul.
“There really has been a lot of hollows…” She commented, quieter than her usual disposition.
“Yeah…” He just strolled beside her carrying the heavier of the two bags. Upon reaching the small store that could very easily go unnoticed by many they opened the door. Once slid open they were greeted by their usual group who just seemed to lay about lazily to anyone who didn’t know better, but in truth the discussion had been put on pause momentarily.
“So what did we miss.” Ichigo commented while Inoue informed Tessai that it was alright that they had gone to retrieve the food.
“Nothing… we’re back where we began.” One Ishida Uryuu spoke up voicing the look of frustration on the faces of those who have repeatedly helped him out of tight spots.
“In any case we really can’t sit around here thinking on this.” Ichigo brought a hand up to scratch his head. “Just on the way back Inoue and I fought off a group of hollows.”
“They’re appearing more frequently.” Rukia sat up at attention and then once more the group fell quiet. As soon as they had a loud roar filled the room.
“Go.” Rukia commanded the others nodding as if to wordlessly tell them that she will be looking further into the matter. That was all it took as the group had vanished all at once.
“That boy….” The voice of one Yoruichi muttered watching the group leave. She glanced around the room laying her eyes upon one person important to her heart and sighed. It was almost painfully obvious that the young carrot topped male had added her among the list of females in his life to desire. Come on, the first time he truly laid eyes upon her she was nude, an image she was sure to have burned into his retinas and stored away in his memory. Nonetheless, Ichigo was a serious boy, partly faulted to the large amounts of reiatsu he possessed.
“Powerful, and his character remained the same after all this time.” The voice of Kuchiki Rukia piped up, finding that even as time passes her powers never properly returned to her.
“But… He lives through the motions of life not quite enjoying what he is given.” Yoruichi added softly feeling the heavy stare of longtime friend Urahara on her back.
*~~**~*~*~
My name is Kurosaki Ichigo… I am now seventeen years old and I am a high school student and… Representative Shinigami. Two years ago I had been living my life as normal as one who can see ghosts can live it. Then one day I saw a girl slay a monster of extreme power. If I had known that interacting with this girl my life would change so drastically I think…I like to think I would’ve still chosen to do so. At that time I had a kind of conceitedness to me. My life involved school, my friends, Keigo, Mizuiro and Chad, and my family. Oh yeah and maybe helping out a stray ghost or two. But now… I find I have more friends than I cared to acknowledge and made some others along the way, and they’re the reason I continue to fight. I want to protect them and those close to them, and the people close to them… etc.

I guess you could say after gaining my powers as a Shinigami… I grew up just a little. After you’ve saved the girl who once saved your life, taking on what you could better describe as vampires, avenge my mother by killing her killer, and save both the human world and soul society from a Shinigami gone bad what else is there to do?

“I’m home…” I called out lazily wondering when the old man would strike, after all I was later than usual… and eerily enough… none came.

“Ichi– Nee!” Yuzu called out from the TV room. With a tired sigh the shoes came off and I made my way there to find them all sitting with dinner with them. Karin feeding her face, Dad going on about something and Yuzu on the move to start a bowl of food for me.

“I’m not hungry.” I told her and she frowned sitting back down.

“Well join us anyway… Ayame is going to be on TV.”

“Ayame…” I had to pause to recall the face of the cousin I hadn’t seen in well… five years. “Why?”

“They’re airing the international dance competitions on the television…” Yuzu smiled in a way I hadn’t seen her smile in a while.

“She’s on…” Karin said lazily somehow drawing the attention of both my father and youngest sister. And sure enough on the television had been the petit girl I once knew. She looked like she really hadn’t changed that much physically, but her hair was now in a longer length and was slicked back into a bun that sat upon the back of her head. As soon as I heard the slow intro to the song in the background I already knew I wouldn’t be paying too much attention… Perhaps it was then I should’ve just gotten up and left like I always do chalking it up to “teen angst” or something of the sort, but something was off. Maybe I’m working too hard these days.

“She hasn’t changed much has she?” Yuzu asked watching the cousin she always seemed to admire gracefully, lithely making her turns and spins. She kicked up a leg and her partner caught it slowly moving it upward and in the end supported her back with his arms while making a spilt across his body. The move looked… kind of raunchy in any other sense but I could just hear Ayame now…
“Its not about how it looks it about what it symbolizes, the passion, the desire, the human need to touch and be touched! Blind passion in the throes of love, or an escape from the tragedy of life.”
“No, She hasn’t.” I responded. Ayame was always like that, romanticizing the reasons people do… Those things. While I always chided myself for turning away like a young boy who doesn’t know how to react, even after receiving a talking to about the ways of life…Not to say I don’t think of these things! I am a man! But I’m no pervert! Why am I justifying myself to you?!?
“-Don’t you think Ichigo?” Yuzu looked at me and I realized she was rather chatty this evening.
“Huh?”
“You weren't’ listening at all!!!” She accused and I just sighed.
“Sorry, its been a long day.” I finally stood no longer finding the point in pretending to be interested.
“Its always a long day! You’re never home anymore!” She whined and I paused waiting for an attack from the father person when I turned and glanced at the old man he didn’t move but sat and stared at me, unnervingly.
“DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING BY STARING?!?” I finally yelled at the old man who only turned back to the television and waved me off.
“Nothing else seemed to get to you otherwise.” Biting back a growl I just stormed up the stairs to my room and slammed the sliding door shut. Even with that done he could still hear their murmuring…
*~*~*~*~


“That’s my angel…” A woman smiled from her bed looking at the pair on the television. With a small moan she reached her hand out to grab the remote and she shut the television off.

“She’s talented…” A nurse said clearing off the tray of hospital food.

“Of course… She gets it from her grandmother…” the older woman merely laughed before coughing a bit.

“Well Kurosaki-san…” The nurse smoothed out the older woman’s hair. “I’ll leave you be.”

“Kimiko…” The older woman started.

“I know.. The radio…” The young nurse smiled and turned on the radio, adjusted the volume to something low enough for the woman to hear, but not loud enough to wake her roommate. Once the nurse left the room the woman sighed.

“What do you want with this old woman…?” She asked turning her gaze to the darkest corner in the room. “Whatever power I had has withered up with time.”

“I don’t believe that for a second, Kurosaki Mina.” The shadowed being came to light and she merely gasped at the blonde woman. “But it doesn’t matter, for you have something my lover needs, and have it he shall….