Flowers For Ichigo

Flowers For Ichigo Chapter 2

Author’s note: MERRY CHIRSTMAS! And Thank you so much for all the reviews and questions! To answer the main one- it will be cleared up in this chapter why Ichigo thought the flower was for him. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.


Also sorry it took so long. I had wanted to get a couple more chapters written before I posted this one. The chapters should come more frequent depending when I get it back from my beta; she’s got finals XD. Also who is the mystery person!? I would love to tell you that but I don’t think you will till the next chapter. I will say this though a few people got it right. ><


Beta insert: Beta also has a case of the dumbs and forgets to look back in her email sometimes. Sorry! Please don’t kill me!

It was finally free period and Ichigo still couldn’t get the whole flower issue out of his head. The more the thought about it, the more it bothered him. It wasn’t like him at all to be so worried about something so little as this. What Ichigo wanted to know more than anything what was this person’s objective.


It was obvious enough that this person was in fact confident enough to send him, of all people, a flower. There were many other ways people could express themselves, rather than sending a flower. They could have approached him.

Why a flower?

Why seeking his friendship?

What bothered him more then the flower itself was the fact that he was hoping- no, anticipating- this mystery person’s next move.

“Yo, how long are you gonna stare at the board, Strawberry?” Renji asked, from his seat in front of Ichigo.

“As long as I want, Pineapple,” he said, sighing.

“Hmmm…” Renji leaned closer to Ichigo’s face for a better look.

“What the hell do you want? You’re starting to piss me off.”

“You’re bothered by it!” Renji said. Looking at him incredulously, Ichigo scoffed.

“Why, he does have a brain!” Holding back a reply, Renji ran a hand through his hair and looked at Ichigo seriously.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you ever since you received the flower.” Glaring at Renji, Ichigo listened on.

“What is it?”

“How did you know it was for you?” Blinking in shock, Ichigo continued to stare at him.

“Huh?”

Getting more interested in Ichigo’s lack of retort, Renji looked at Ichigo even more seriously. “How did you know it was for you? It wasn’t like there was a note or anything…Right? So how did ya know that it was meant for you? It could have been meant for one of your sisters or something, or an admirer of you father’s. Why did you assume it was meant for you? Couldn’t this be all a mistake?

…..Eh?

‘Yes, King, please do tell us. Why did you think it was for you?’

Ignoring his inner hollow, Ichigo continued to stare in shock. Why had he thought it was for him? Clearly there had to have been a note, right?

Right?

Thinking back over the events of that morning, there wasn’t a note… Now that was strange. There had to be something that stood out in his mind that made him think that it was for him.
Right?

There must be something wrong with his head. It just seemed like it was meant for him. Right? But thinking at the situation more rationally, couldn’t have been for one of his sisters? Even for his father from one of his patients? Then why had he just assumed that it was for him and been thinking and being bothered by it all morning?

“Earth to Ichigo!” Waving his hand in front of Ichigo’s face, Renji tried to get the substitute shinigami’s attention. “What the hell is up with you, man?” Renji sounded somewhat concerned as he continued to stare at his friend’s (if you could call him that) blank stare.
Snapping out of his train of thought, Ichigo stared at Renji before grabbing his things and heading for the door.


“Tell Rukia I’ll call her later on tonight. I’ve got to leave early today,” He said, and rushed out of the door towards his home.

This day was getting stranger and stranger for Ichigo. He kept trying to figure out in his head what the hell was happening to him today.

‘Yo, you’re acting really weird, King.’

Stopping a few blocks from his home, Ichigo went inside himself to confront his inner hollow in hopes of getting answers.

‘You know something, don’t you?’

‘Even if I did, like I told you earlier it’s something that you must peruse on your own. Even though I’m thoroughly enjoying this spectacle.’

‘Cut the shit. Why must I do this on my own? The more I think about it, the more confusing it gets. The more this doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.’ Ichigo clenched his fists, completely frustrated with this situation.

‘It would make sense if you really looked.’ Suddenly, as if he were being thrown out of his own mind, the link ended.

“What the fuck?!” Screaming in frustration and outright aggravation, Ichigo started to head to his house again. He slammed the door as he came in, and walked to the kitchen where he left the flower on the table for Yuzu to put in water. It was still there where he left it.


“That’s strange, did Yuzu hear me this morning?” Shrugging, Ichigo picked up the flower and, after looking through some cabinets, found a empty single flower vase and put water in it. Looking at the flower, twirling it in his hands for a few seconds, he finally put the flower in the vase and brought it to his room, setting it down on the windowsill.

Leaning back in his bed he stared at the flower as if entranced. It really was pretty. Reaching his hand out, he delicately- as if the flower would fall apart- touched the petals, not wanting to destroy the flower. Stroking the petals, one thought came to mind.

How soft

As if the gentle touch caused the flower to awaken, the blossom glowed. As if it were talking to him, words and emotions filled his head.

Friendship

‘That is what this flower means. I had wanted to find the perfect way to express the feelings that are flowing through me, as they never had before. You’ve shown me that friendship can be made and sustained if one so truly desires it. You are someone whose existance I cannot forget nor ignore, no matter how much I tried. I fear your existence. Please don’t make me feel anything more than this…’

As if pulled from a dream Ichigo sat up abruptly from his bed in a pool of sweat. It was all so surreal. The entire dream, what the hell had it all meant? Looking at his alarm clock blinking 7:45pm, he realized he must have been out cold. Heading for the door, Ichigo looked back to the flower once more, and shrugging off the odd feeling in the back of his mind he headed down the stairs.


“Anybody home?” Glancing around the house, Ichigo heard some noises from the kitchen and headed there.

“In the kitchen, Ichi-nii!” Yuzu replied, setting dinner on the table.

“Where’s the old man and Karin?” He questioned, sitting down at the table yawing.

“Dad called and said he had urgent business and will be gone for a couple of days. He said he left some money in the pot by the door if we need anything while he is away and Karin is staying at a friend’s tonight.” Finished with putting dinner on the table, Yuzu sat across from Ichigo.

“Ah~. Hey, Yuzu, you know that flower I told you to put in water this morning, what happened? I found it on the table when I came back home.” Ichigo asked as he dug into his dinner.

Glancing at her brother strangely, Yuzu looked up from her food.

“I didn’t forget. There was nothing there to put in water.” Starting at his sister almost stupidly, Ichigo blinked.

“Huh? I put it on the table for you, what do you mean there was nothing there?”

“I’m telling the truth- when I looked there was nothing there…are you feeling okay, Ichi-nii?” Setting his chopsticks down, Ichigo stared at her and thought back to when he came home… he thought it was weird himself. Even though it hadn’t been in water at all and in the heat of the house all day, the flower was in perfect condition. That was strange.

Maybe…

“Never mind,” he said and, picking up his chopsticks again, Ichigo finished his dinner and rushed upstairs. Locking himself in his room, he approached the flower and closed his eyes to concentrate on the bloom, letting his reitsu flow. It started to glow with someone else’s reitsu. ‘That’s why Yuzu didn’t see it. Someone had masked the flower with their own reistu to hide it. That means whoever left this wanted me to see it.’ He realized. So that answered it.

The flower was meant for him.

And the person who sent it was someone from Soul Society.

Grabbing his cell from his pocket, Ichigo called Rukia.

“Yo, Ichigo. What happened today? You completely disappeared. I was waiting for your call; Renji told me what he asked you about and how weird you were acting afterwards. What happened?” Rukia questioned.

“Never mind that, things just got much weirder.” Ichigo began explaining everything- from Yuzu not being able to see the flower and how once he touched it he had that dream and about the message and the weird things Shirosaki was saying to him all day.


“Now this is getting interesting. I’m going to look into a few things, let me know tomorrow if you get another flower. I’ll see you in school.”


Hanging up the phone, Ichigo ran a hand through his hair. As he laid down in his bed he decided there was nothing more he could do about his situation today. He would sleep on it in hopes things would be clearer in the morning.

Getting up the next morning, Ichigo felt a twinge of anticipation- had he received another flower from his secret admirer? He hoped things would be much clearer. Getting dressed, Ichigo grabbed a small breakfast and headed for the door. He was hesitating slightly, he realized, before he shut his eyes and opened the door. Opening his eyes and looking down at his doorstep there it was.

His answer.

There it was another flower. If his memory served him right from the years of his mother’s love for flowers, this one was a white bell flower.

Picking up the flower and putting it in the house, Ichigo headed for school. Ichigo started to smile his thoughts came to another conclusion from all this.

He wanted to meet this person.

He really did.