Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ The winds of change ❯ Unreal ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

"It still feels unreal doesn't it?" A bubbly orange haired girl asked eyeing her friends as they walked down the street, illuminated by street lights and passing cars. It was already quite late at night as the group made their way home.

"Wha...- Oh, you mean our graduation Orihime? Yeah, I still can't believe we all made through it! And who would have guessed that a bratty kid like Ichigo could completed it? With top grades even!" a girl with spiky black hair said as she laughed.

"Hey! I am not an idiot Tatsuki!" An orange haired boy yelled indignantly to the girl who just smirked. A boy with tattoos and

blazing red long hair who was walking next to aforementioned boy laughed too and wrapped his arm around scowling boy's shoulders and pulled him close.

"Aww, calm down Ichi, we all know how smart you are!" Ichigo only scowled and muttered to himself.

"Whatever!" The group snickered. The red head then whispered something in the scowling youth's ear, the others were only able to understand only parts of it

"You know, when we get home... And... Afterwards I can..." the rest went unheard, though the blush on other boy's cheeks was visible. A black haired, short girl looked the two and asked teasingly.

"Oh what was that Renji? We couldn't quite hear you?"

"Shut up Rukia, it's none of your business!" The girl just laughed and ruffled Ichigo's hair.

"You are just too easy to rile up!" Ichigo made a lunge for her but missed as the girl dodged behind a very tall Mexican looking boy while grinning widely.

A short boy with black hair and friendly face cleared his throat.

"You Ishida got the best grades of our whole school! That's quite

something."

"That's right, the genius of our group! But why didn't you tutor me in math?! All the times I asked, and you keep turning me down!"

A Boy with brown hair and a loud noise wailed.

"It was nothing." The top grade student answered as he pushed his glasses up his nose. It was then that the nine teens crossed a road. Just as they reached the other side a shout was herd.

"Itsygo wait!" A green haired child yelled. Ichigo turned around and saw the girl running towards him, her parents far behind her. However at that moment a car approached fast.

"Nell look out!" The child looked to the side and her eyes widened for a second before a loud screeching could be heard and she felt an impact

and somewhere distinctly herd yelling. Seconds later she opened her eyes drowsily, feeling something warm

drip onto her. She sat up quickly and let out a yell

"Itsygo!"

The teen lay partly on top of her, blood trickling down his face, a car speeding away in distance.

"Ichigo! Ichigo!" Renji called frantically as he reached the two, shakily

touching the boy laying on the street,bleeding. "Ichigo, oh god, talk to me, Ichigo!" Rest of the group gathered around them, horrified expressions on their faces, Mizuiro calling for an ambulance. People started gathering around the group. Nell's mother hugged the girl as she started crying and repeating that she was so sorry.

"Please hold on Ichigo..." Renji whispered.

A door opened to a quiet room.

"Hey Ichi." Renji greeted the boy as he entered the very familiar, pristine white room.

"I am sorry that I didn't come to see you yesterday. Things have been... pretty hectic lately, you know." Renji explained as he sat down on the chair next to bed where an unmoving figure lay, just like always. He was quiet for a while, watching as the person next to him kept steadily breathing, the silence only broken by the machines next to the bed that kept Ichigo alive.

Renji looked away, his gaze moving to the only window of the room. A black winged butterfly landed on the windowsill. It landed their, wings not moving. Renji kept his eyes on the insect for a moment.

"You know Ichi, I met this guy the other day... He's in the same college as me and Rukia, he's studying history as well... Anyway we talked a lot and... He... You know... He asked me out." Ichigo lay on the bed peacefully, his face expressionless, without showing any signs

acknowledging that he herd a word that Renji said, just like he had for over two years now.

There had not been many times in the past two years that Renji had seen Ichigo move. He had sometimes slightly turned in his bed, mumbled something unintelligible, and moved his hand. But he had not wake up.

Renji looked down and then up again at Ichigo.

"Of course I didn't go out with him." he continued, voice thick. "But you know... I am lonely. I have been lonely for a long time now Ichi." He moved closer to the man and grabbed Ichigo's limp hand and leaned his forehead against it. He tried to control his erratic breathing, and moved his head up and blinked his eyes.

"It's been so long now... I miss you so much Ichigo... It's been just so damn long, it's not fair." Renji moved his other hand to Ichigo's forehead and brushed aside a strand of hair hanging over his eyes and kissed his knuckles.

"I love you Ichigo. That's never gonna change, I promise you that here

and now. You are the best thing that ever happened to me and the two

years you lived with me were the happiest of my life." Renj then

softly kissed Ichigo's fore head and added softly. "But I just want to

be happy again." He then let the tears come.

Black winged butterfly moved and flew away.

Noises... steps? Distant flicker of... light?

Silence.

Noises again... a voice?

Feeling of movement of his own arm.

Silence.

Feeling of opening his eyes.

Light. A woman, dressed in white in front of him. Her eyes wide,

expression... startled?

The woman quickly moving, speaking.

Blackness again.

Unknown time later blackness that started to feel less over powering.

Ichigo felt tired when he heard a voice. Felt pressure on his hand. A different voice.

"Ichigo..." A male voice. It sounded familiar. Ichigo suddenly got the feeling that he wanted to know who this voice belonged to. He needed to see.

So he opened his eyes.

His senses were momentarily overwhelmed as his consciousness returned.

"Ichigo!" He was in a white room his brain processed, a red headed was next to him, holding his hand.

"Ren..ji?" Renji eyes were teary and he laughed as he went to hug him tightly.

"Ichigo! Oh my god...! Welcome back."

"Over three years?" Ichigo repeated. Three years...

"Yes. Three years, one month and eighteen days." Renji explained quietly.

The two were in hospital room. Ichigo had just learned that he had spent over three years in that room. The car accident on the night of their graduation had caused him a severe head trauma, which had lead to his coma. Three years of his life had just passed by.

Renji was holding Ichigo's hand. His presence felt so comforting that moment, when everything else felt so unreal.

"It's okay Ichigo... This must be confusing you right now, but it's okay." Ichigo locked his gaze on Renji.

Renji looked at him so intently, he held his hand so gently. Maybe everything would be okay...

"It's just so unreal Renji. Three years... what's happened?" Renji laughed quietly.

"That's pretty vague question Ichi. A lot has happened." Ichigo just stared at him. Renji felt his heart ache. How could he tell him...

"Rukia and I are going to same college. We are both majoring in history, as we wanted. Inoue works in a kinder garden. Ishida is studying law. Chad joined the Marines. Mizuiro and Tatsuki are studying in France for a year. Yeah, they went together about two years back. Keigo became a police officer." Ichigo's startled expression made Renji smile.

"Just kidding. Keigo's a hair stylist. You know he chose that profession to get girls." Ichigo actually laughed at that. It had been a long time since Renji had last heard that laugh. He had missed it.

"No way..."

Ichigo was quiet for a moment then said softly

"I love you..." Renji gulped... This was so hard...

"Ichigo... I love you to " Something about Renji's serious tone made Ichigo suddenly worried. "And I want you to know that no matter what you can always count on me, always." Ichigo held his breath, not knowing what to do or say. Renji held his hand tighter.

"But Ichi..."

It had been a week since Ichigo had left the hospital. His progress had been fast and it seemed that he would fully recover. His body had had trouble adjusting after his over three years of near complete stillness, but it seemed that his physical condition could be restored to it's full potential.

Ichigo neatly made the bed he had been sleeping on just minutes ago. The room had little furniture in it, a bed, a bookshelf, an armchair and some kind of plant on a small table, but the room had a cozy atmosphere. His hands absently smoothed the covers, as he was lost in his thoughts.

Flashback:

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Ichigo!"
Orihime and Rukia rushed in Ichigo's hospital room where he currently was sitting on his bed gazing out the window. At the sound

of the two voices Ichigo turned in their direction and let out a real smile.

"Hey Rukia, Inoue!"

He hadn't realized just how comforting seeing them would be. Rukia was still as short as ever, Inoue's her was as red as he remembered. Both of them were smiling radiantly at him, even Rukia. Inoue then proceeded to hug him.

"Kurosaki-kun, it's been so long! It's so good to see you again." Her voice was heavy with emotion as she let go of him.

"It's good to see you too Inoue." Ichigo replied and was stunned when Rukia also hugged him. During the ten years that he had known the girl he didn't remember her hugging anyone...ever.

"You idiot, being in coma for years, what the hell were you thinking? You... you... idiot." Ichigo was even more stunned at Rukia's teary voice (and from the light smack on the head he received from her after she finished speaking).

"Sorry." he replied feeling touched. Rukia smiled and snorted.

"Idiot." Ichigo returned the smile. It felt like things between them

hadn't changed. Then the door to his room opened once more and Ishida

and Keigo entered.

"Iiiiichigoooooo! You have finally returned to the world of the living! I, Asano Keigo, have come here to welcome you back! You- Ack!" He was cut off as he had been proceeding to hug Ichigo by a familiar fist on his face.

"About time you woke up Kurosaki." Ishida said as he entered the room, ignoring Keigo twitching on the floor, and pushed his glasses up.

"So you still haven't changed to contacts, huh Ishida?" Just then he heard soft knocking from the door. Ichigo wondered who it could be as he didn't expect anyone who wasn't already present.

"Come in?" The door opened once again and a little green haired girl stepped inside smiling widely.

"Ichigo!"

"Nell?"

Present:

Ichi go smiled at the memory as his hand stilled above the bed. Chad, Tatsuki and Mizuiro had called him as well. It seemed like they were doing fine, but Ichigo still had trouble imagining a tomboy such as Tatsuki and a womanizer such as Mizuiro together.

Ichigo then heard parts of a muffled conversation or rather argument from another room of the house. Two voices.

"... what do you want me to do?! He is... and you can't expect... I thought you understood that..."

"I DO understand but have you even... and what do you..."

Ichigo had a feeling he knew what the two were arguing about, and he quickly made his way to the front door and quietly left the building.

Ichigo wandered aimlessly, the streets filled with people and noises of traffic. It was cloudy outside, seemed like it would start raining soon. He noticed absently that the café that used to be right next to the building he just exited was gone and replaced with a busy looking bakery. Things had changed.

Still feels unreal... As if this all is distant and unreal

Ichigo was currently living in the same apartment that he used to share with Renji before his accident. Renji and he had been living together there ever since Ichigo's father died of lung cancer when Ichigo was sixteen. That had been a hard time for Ichigo, who had now lost both of his parents to cancer, but he had been strong and was able to go on with Renji's and his other friend's support. Thanks to them he even found the strength not only to survive, but be happy.

Ichigo had lived in the same apartment with Renji since he left hospital a week ago, but with a drastic difference.

Renji had found someone else.

A blond haired and rather quiet man named Kira Izuru. Ichigo was temporarily living in the two's quest room and the situation was in milder terms rather awkward.

The moment Ichigo had found out Renji was with someone else he had been shocked. After he had had time to think it over he had felt angry, betrayed, confused, and out of place. Ichigo wanted so much to hate Kira for taking Renji from him, to hold a grudge against Renji for finding someone else. It would have been so easy, and deep inside of him, a part of him perhaps harbored those feelings.

But Kira had made Renji happy. Ichigo understood, what it must have been like for Renji after his accident. He knew him. And as much as he hated feeling alone, he knew he would much rather have that than Renji feeling unhappy because of him. Renji had done so much for him during all the years they had known each other, and Ichigo knew that part of him would always, always love the red head no matter what happened.

But what he needed to do now was to let go, and allow both of them to move on.

Ichigo didn't stop walking until he reached a park that was nearly empty of people due to the bad weather. He stayed there even when rain started slowly dripping from the sky.

What he needed to do first was to move out from Renji's apartment. He was a burden for Renji, no matter what the man said, and Renji was the last person he ever wanted to bother. Ichigo had inherited his all his father's property years ago and he was certain that the money should be enough that he could rent an apartment for himself. He briefly wondered what living by himself would be like.

As long as I don't burden him anymore, I quess it doesn't matter

A black stray cat made it's way to Ichigo as he sat in a park bench. The cat looked thin, and it's fur was dirty and shaggy. The cat looked at Ichigo with its big, yellow eyes and then it lay down and rolled over on its side without breaking the eye contact. Ichigo looked at the cat a moment and then started scratching it behind it's ear, not caring whether the animal had fleas or such. The cat looked like it needed some petting. The cat started purring, and Ichigo couldn't help but smile a little.

Then suddenly a voice called his name.

"Kurosaki?"

End of the first chapter! So if anyone wondered why Karin or Yuzu were not mentioned it's because I decided to completely leave them out of the story, sorry if this disappoint's anyone! Also if anyone is waiting for Ichigo and Renji go back together later in this fiction, I am sorry but they wont, there will be another pairing, you will see in the next chapter (yes, he is that voice at the end). I apreciate if you review and I am open to any suggestions for this story! Constructive criticism is welcome. I will try to update as soon as I get the time to write more!