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.

“And have it he shall…” She rolled her eyes flipping her blonde ponytail. “What kind of bull was I spitting out.” She glared at her reflection.
“He’ll come to you if you don’t go to him.” Her reflection berated her and she glared harder.
“Shut up!” She stamped her foot as the reflection proceeded to cross her arms. “SHUT UP!”
“I didn’t say anything…Now you’re no better than a common murderer.”
“She was sick!” She looked at the mirror. “I put her out of her misery and suffering…”
“If you had let me do it.” It was time for the face in the mirror to glare. “You wouldn’t be reasoning stupid stuff out. That man… He wants the Gate of Hearts and get rid of the family that discarded him.”
“Kaya…” She finally turned her back on her “reflection”. “Shut. Up.” She walked away leaving her “reflection” To watch her leave.
*~*~*~
“Father, it’ll be okay!!” This was the scene one, Kurosaki Ichigo, met coming down the stairs for breakfast. His father hunched over a package crying rather dramatically, Karin sitting not to far away in a rigid seated position and the housewife in training Yuzu patting the man’s shoulder.
“What kind of world is this when your mother dies and gets buried before her CHILD knows about it?!?” All at once the tears ceased and he raised his fist shaking it at no one in particular and fire in his eyes. Then before Ichigo knew it the man was back to bawling. It was going to be a bizarre day… wait.
“Grandmother died?” Ichigo frowned as his eyes traveled to the ceiling as he recalled the old woman, who had managed to earn a mostly permanent spot on people to not converse with EVER, at his mother’s funeral.
‘That stupid girl… She could’ve lived had she been thinking rationally rather than of that spoiled son of hers.’` The very words that marked the old woman for dislike…possibly because its true… if she hadn’t been worried about a child who lacked the ability to tell ghost from humans, at that time, it would have been he who would be gone, but at least his guilt wouldn’t weigh him down as much.
Even though technically speaking it was not he who destroyed Grand Fisher… in his mind it put him at ease to find no shred of his existence further; and his guilt only served to grow a part of him, as like his constant fear that those who surround him will vanish one by one because he wasn’t strong enough to protect him, he does the one thing he could… No… no can’t go back to the sad truth behind it all.
“Yes… She died a little while ago… father just got the family tablets just now… with a new name engraved into it.” Yuzu said and it only sent the older man into a fit of rolling on the floor with his tears like waterfalls. Seriously… if any other time but now, Some would have to say his father is seriously ill.
“I’m going to school…” Ichigo swiped toast forgotten in the toaster.
“Ichi-Ni!” Yuzu looked at him.
“Let him go, Yuzu.” Isshin regained nearly all control of himself… as if the previous tears were all a show. “As his family it seems we aren’t good enough for him anymore.” Really, the way his father has been these days was starting to creep him out. Just being so agreeable, just… being not himself… it was like he was purposefully driving a wedge between Ichigo and the family… or was Ichigo doing the driving here?
“I’m going...” He reiterated not wanting to dwell on it. All he knew was something bad was brewing… and he had to know what if he planned on keeping his precious portrait of people protected.
*~*~*~
“Really, Inoue-San, its not necessary…” A slightly nervous Ishida…was standing outside the school waiting for the rest of their group to appear. Unfortunately as the school years went by they group had been broken up into different classes.
“No! What kind of girl do you like? I need to know these things if I’m to help you!!!” She paused.
“None of these.” He answered quickly looking away from the gathering of females that had begun since classes had released them all. The girl can be annoyingly so determined when she wants to be.
“You’re not even looking!”
“Inoue-San.” Ishida looked at her then ran his eyes over the groups only to have something pink catch his eye… pink? “Inoue-San… look.” His eyes rested on a young lady… with black ringlets and dressed in pink and white for the day. Where everything was yellow the time before it was with white flashes of pink roses… even the doll in hand dressed like her. There she stood by the gates rocking back and forth on the heels and balls of her feet a wistful smile on her face as she waited. Patiently waiting for something.
“Its that girl. Why’s she here?” Inoue moved to take a step forward as if to run and ask the girl why she was here when all at once reiatsu disturbed the area and the explosion of glass sounded coinciding with a roar. Shrieks followed and student and faculty alike rushed from the building remotely injured and those already outside fled for their lives.
Turning back to the building they could see what they expected a hollow… but as if right on cue three others appeared. Shit was probably the most applicable term, there were a lot of people around sure half were fleeing others injured by the shattered glass and what not… Aw hell it didn’t matter a lot of lives were going to be in critical condition or worst if they didn’t move fast.
“Santen Kesshun!” Inoue had moved in front of a couple of first years blocking a hit aimed right for them. Not even noticing their savior, much less noticed being saved, the first years retreated holding cut arms and what not.
“Inoue-San!” Ishida directed his attack above her head, where a miniature Hallow with wings had been flying right at her, his arrow piercing through it breaking it up into pieces and vanishing.
“Thank you.” Inoue smiled at him then turned her attention back to the hallow whose attack she had deflected only moments ago. It too seemed to be of the smaller variety, only not flying. This one had claws and only managed to keep off the ground if not for its companion hold it up.
Taking careful aim Ishida released his arrow at the carrier hallow who moved at the proper moment to dodge the attack. With a bead of sweat forming and not a moment wasted, he took aim again. Looking at the flying hallow before him he noticed its body covered with red markings… something duly noted for a later moment, right now he had to destroy the beast. Before he could release his Arrow the ground wavered beneath him and crumbled, leaving only but a moment before he would have been swallowed by the earth.
A glance told him it had been the initial Hallow that had appeared. A quick glance let him know Inoue was doing fine with her “Santen Kessun” so back to the first hallow. This one too had red markings on its body and crouched down on the ground his right palm resting on the cemented earth.
“Where is the Gate…” The supposed hallow growled out before standing tall. Flexing his fingers he rose the hand in Ishida’s direction. Looking again the beast stood thin, but muscular and perhaps a centimeter taller than Ishida. “You don’t know…” This hallow seemed to have concluded on his own. “Then die…”
Ishida could smack himself for letting so much time go by and he hadn’t attacked. Even more so when what looked to be a clear ball of air headed in his general direction, at a fast pace.
“I’d rather not.” He muttered making his move just in time for the ball to explode, the after shock of it sent his thin body flying to the side. Still as what had grown over time Ishida had learned not to waste an opportunity and attacked. Fortunately more on target… but… was it him or were these hallows hardly a threat. But who knew, because not even a moment later…
“The hero…” Ishida thought sarcastically as a blur of orange rushed past him to rescue Inoue… wait… rescue Inoue… When had she let herself get so caught up between the pair she had been defending against…WHEN?!?
Pink….
*~*~*~*~*~
“IDIOT! Who In their right mind day dreams in the middle of a fight?!?”
“Kurosaki-Kun I’m okay!” Inoue protested looking at Ichigo.
“I had everything under control.” Ishida glared at the orange haired male right back.
“Yeah right, leaving it to you Inoue would be dead now!” Ichigo stomped his foot forward leaning on it fist clench almost as tightly as his teeth.
“I. Had. It. Under. Control.” Ishida gritted out between his clenched jaw as well.
“No really I’m fine see!!” Inoue knocked herself on the head with her fist before making a muscle. “Besides I was being careless!”
“Don’t try to cover for this bastard!”
“You just couldn’t resist playing hero again could you?!?” Ishida blurted out. “What would you do with yourself if you never got the chance to play hero?!?”
“What bullshit are you talking about now?!?” Ichigo grew angrier and Ishida stood up tall and composed… rather more cocky having a new weapon in his arsenal.
“Really if you weren’t busy playing hero, feeling like EVERYONE needs you to make it in this rough battlefield called life what would you do? Maybe mind your own damn business!”
“You…” Ichigo was burning with the need to his the spectacled nuisance before him.
“Inoue-San, take care.” He nodded at the girl who only watched helplessly as her friends glared and almost fought one another.
“Uh… OH! Okay.” She gave a tiny wave.
“Get back here!!!” Ichigo growled as the male only continued to walk, or more like right, stomp away.
“Kurosaki-kun…”: Inoue held her hands up awkwardly unsure if to touch him to ease the temper or to leave him be.
“Are…. You really okay?” He whirled on her making her jump at the angry look.
“Yes!” She turned and started strolling slowly away from him… his cue to notice they were heading home for the night.
She smiled at him… that same stupid smile. How could he know what she was thinking when she smiles like that. Always telling him to not worry about her, and it seemed every time she said those word… he worried more and more. Perhaps it may have had something to do with his adolescent fantasies of those breasts of hers… well at least they started there in the beginning. But as he grew older and grew wiser in those kinds of areas.. He started seeing more than those breasts bouncing around… and then altogether at once it seems just outright X-rated dreams about the girl in general. The kind of dreams that included taking advantage of her innocent disposition… but… he wouldn’t entertain those thoughts too much.
How could he? He has a full house of his father, two sisters, a mod soul (or two if Ririn decided to drop in to “bother Kon”), and Rukia. In the middle of a particularly boring lesson he would till he noticed things *ahem* arising and desiring far too much attention, even worst if a hallow appeared and it was instant battle mode…In the end what it all boils down to is the fact that he believes with every fiber of his being, since the Aizen kidnapping her fiasco… He loved her and there was not a damn thing he could do about it… much less when her feelings seem to lie with the annoying, spectacled, dress sewing, QUINCY. Lucky bastard has no idea what he’s got.
“Hmm?” Inoue stopped. “Its her again.”
“…?” Ichigo returned to reality looking off ahead where Inoue was looking. Before them was that girl. With the white and pink dress, sitting on the curb inspecting her doll. It was then she seemed to have notice two pairs of eyes on her and looked up at the couple. She just sat and blinked a few times before standing and smiling.
“ICHIGO!!!!!”