Fic: In Good Company
Title: In Good Company
Rating: G
Character: Ichigo, others
Words: 925
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or anything affiliated
Summary: SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 423! Ichigo thinks about his life as a now.
The first time he really knows there are shinigami around him is when Inoue looks over to the left and opens her mouth to say something. Ishida elbows her and he can imagine that whoever is there has said something.
It might be Renji, or Rukia. It might be anybody he’s come to know and won’t even feel anymore. His friends are all shuffling around awkwardly and giving each other meaningful glances. Like he hasn’t been there before.
Chad’s head is tilted towards the left and is Ishida’s side long glances. Inoue stares at him with a strained smile. The same kind of faces all of them had in homeroom before they’d sneak out for a hollow attack.
“I can’t save your asses this time. Ishida I hope you don’t screw up the job. Then again you really can‘t beat my record can you?” They had to go help people who needed it- not him. Ichigo sat down on the grass and watched Chad and Inoue understand it and smile while running off. Ishida himself seems torn about it like he can’t decide if he should be angry about his less than most thought out first impression or if he should pity Ichigo.
They dragged the Quincy along anyway leaving him there on the grass next to the park.
“This is creepy. Don’t hang around me and make this worse than it has to be.” He doesn’t know if there is or was someone next to him and it could have been said for no reason at all. He can’t know anymore.
---
The next time he’s really obvious about someone being there right next to him is because Keigo, who can see spirits more than him now, damnit, cringes and Mizuiro gets a sickly green look to his face. Tatsuki’s eyes are wide and she’s covering Inoue’s ears who simply waves.
It’s pretty damn obvious who would get that kind of reaction.
“Shut up Hiyori no one wants to hear you scream like that. God damn no wonder Shinji was so eager to get out of that warehouse.” If Shinji’s there, and he probably was because he can see the fight play out on the expression of his friends faces. He can’t help but smile a little at the two fighting each other again.
Were they in their normal clothes? Were they shinigami again?
That feeling of something there has been gone for months now but there’s that feeling that a stranger’s just passed you in a crowd. That some part of him was still aware of a now absence because Shinji and Hiyori left to go to Urahara’s or someplace.
Ichigo doesn’t think he’s imagining it but he probably is.
---
Karin comes home at night as late as he used to, thankfully without scuff marks. No one in the house talked about what happened to him and how he can’t see spirits anymore.
Yuzu almost drops the remote in shock when a repeat episode of Ghost Bust comes on- the one they filmed at Karakura that he was in too.
They’re all sharing that look.
“…This show still hasn’t been canceled?”
“DADDY WILL MAKE YOUR BOO-BOOS BETTER MY-”
There is a satisfying crunch when he heard his dad’s nose break by the heel of his foot. Karin raised her eyebrows while finishing off the leftovers. Yuzu’s put the TV on mute to get the bandages for him.
“The football game next week is…” For the first time in months he can spend the night in with them and make their football games and pick them up from craft club.
Isshin’s an idiot but the blinds flutter even though there isn’t any wind tonight and Ichigo knows that he doesn’t have to worry about them for a while now. He’s still their number one but they’ve got more than enough help to be able to safely walk around as they wished.
Yuzu’s dolls don’t go missing anymore and Karin doesn’t have to be afraid to be outside alone.
Strangely Kon decided to stay with him instead of going with the other modsouls back to Urahara’s. The lion plush doesn’t say anything but they both know it’s because someone has to look at for Ichigo now.
He’s okay with that, a little.
---
Tatsuki’s killed her first hollow with the help of Keigo and Mizuiro and they’re all at Urahara’s now getting more information about the arrancar leftover in Las Noches- Grimmjow and Neliel are the only ones he cares about but they won’t tell him anything.
It’s a bitter feeling in the pit of him stomach and he wants to yell at them all. He was the one who had to give up everything so they were safe, he had to deal with not knowing anything anymore, he was always in a danger he can’t help.
And then there’s an odd shadow on the floor of his room. His powers aren’t back- won’t come back anytime soon- but still he knows enough to understand what it is.
Ichigo can’t see his friends or understand them anymore. He can’t be involved with what they do (and he thinks that’s a bit of karma for what he did to Tatsuki and the others) but he still feels something. It took months to figure out what it was and to give up hope that it was his powers returning early. It’s a sheltered feeling when he think he’s alone or an over bearing one when he’s with friends.
He doesn’t feel lonely at all, despite everything.
Rating: G
Character: Ichigo, others
Words: 925
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or anything affiliated
Summary: SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 423! Ichigo thinks about his life as a now.
The first time he really knows there are shinigami around him is when Inoue looks over to the left and opens her mouth to say something. Ishida elbows her and he can imagine that whoever is there has said something.
It might be Renji, or Rukia. It might be anybody he’s come to know and won’t even feel anymore. His friends are all shuffling around awkwardly and giving each other meaningful glances. Like he hasn’t been there before.
Chad’s head is tilted towards the left and is Ishida’s side long glances. Inoue stares at him with a strained smile. The same kind of faces all of them had in homeroom before they’d sneak out for a hollow attack.
“I can’t save your asses this time. Ishida I hope you don’t screw up the job. Then again you really can‘t beat my record can you?” They had to go help people who needed it- not him. Ichigo sat down on the grass and watched Chad and Inoue understand it and smile while running off. Ishida himself seems torn about it like he can’t decide if he should be angry about his less than most thought out first impression or if he should pity Ichigo.
They dragged the Quincy along anyway leaving him there on the grass next to the park.
“This is creepy. Don’t hang around me and make this worse than it has to be.” He doesn’t know if there is or was someone next to him and it could have been said for no reason at all. He can’t know anymore.
---
The next time he’s really obvious about someone being there right next to him is because Keigo, who can see spirits more than him now, damnit, cringes and Mizuiro gets a sickly green look to his face. Tatsuki’s eyes are wide and she’s covering Inoue’s ears who simply waves.
It’s pretty damn obvious who would get that kind of reaction.
“Shut up Hiyori no one wants to hear you scream like that. God damn no wonder Shinji was so eager to get out of that warehouse.” If Shinji’s there, and he probably was because he can see the fight play out on the expression of his friends faces. He can’t help but smile a little at the two fighting each other again.
Were they in their normal clothes? Were they shinigami again?
That feeling of something there has been gone for months now but there’s that feeling that a stranger’s just passed you in a crowd. That some part of him was still aware of a now absence because Shinji and Hiyori left to go to Urahara’s or someplace.
Ichigo doesn’t think he’s imagining it but he probably is.
---
Karin comes home at night as late as he used to, thankfully without scuff marks. No one in the house talked about what happened to him and how he can’t see spirits anymore.
Yuzu almost drops the remote in shock when a repeat episode of Ghost Bust comes on- the one they filmed at Karakura that he was in too.
They’re all sharing that look.
“…This show still hasn’t been canceled?”
“DADDY WILL MAKE YOUR BOO-BOOS BETTER MY-”
There is a satisfying crunch when he heard his dad’s nose break by the heel of his foot. Karin raised her eyebrows while finishing off the leftovers. Yuzu’s put the TV on mute to get the bandages for him.
“The football game next week is…” For the first time in months he can spend the night in with them and make their football games and pick them up from craft club.
Isshin’s an idiot but the blinds flutter even though there isn’t any wind tonight and Ichigo knows that he doesn’t have to worry about them for a while now. He’s still their number one but they’ve got more than enough help to be able to safely walk around as they wished.
Yuzu’s dolls don’t go missing anymore and Karin doesn’t have to be afraid to be outside alone.
Strangely Kon decided to stay with him instead of going with the other modsouls back to Urahara’s. The lion plush doesn’t say anything but they both know it’s because someone has to look at for Ichigo now.
He’s okay with that, a little.
---
Tatsuki’s killed her first hollow with the help of Keigo and Mizuiro and they’re all at Urahara’s now getting more information about the arrancar leftover in Las Noches- Grimmjow and Neliel are the only ones he cares about but they won’t tell him anything.
It’s a bitter feeling in the pit of him stomach and he wants to yell at them all. He was the one who had to give up everything so they were safe, he had to deal with not knowing anything anymore, he was always in a danger he can’t help.
And then there’s an odd shadow on the floor of his room. His powers aren’t back- won’t come back anytime soon- but still he knows enough to understand what it is.
Ichigo can’t see his friends or understand them anymore. He can’t be involved with what they do (and he thinks that’s a bit of karma for what he did to Tatsuki and the others) but he still feels something. It took months to figure out what it was and to give up hope that it was his powers returning early. It’s a sheltered feeling when he think he’s alone or an over bearing one when he’s with friends.
He doesn’t feel lonely at all, despite everything.