Chapter Twenty-Four: Calm of the Storm.

I really hope you enjoyed the first arc! I know I only have over 200 reads (for that, I'm really grateful), but thanks for sticking with it for the past 24 chapters!

The following chapter will be where a BOC Voting List will be posted. I'm still not sure how I'd even go about doing that, but it seems simple enough. Anyways, just comment on it for who you'd like to see Abaron and Shori end up with! The characters with the most amount of votes will, obviously, be the BOC.

If you have any suggestions on how you'd like them to be paired during the story, let me know! I'd love to hear your ideas!

Abaron's POV

The days since Aizen’s betrayal had passed quickly. My time in Squad 4’s Intensive Care Unit had served me well. Even though my spinal cords were completely shattered, they were able to fix me up, good as knew.

I was glad to hear that Ichigo and the others were treated more like guests, rather than as intruders. Since his recovery lasted only half the time of mine, he was already out and about. Of course, not until he apologized to me about a billion times. It was so irritating! He kept me up half the night, saying how damned sorry he was. I had to throw a vase at his head to get him to shut up so I could finally sleep. Captain Unohana wasn’t all that happy about it, thoughm and regardless of my injuries, she had me clean it up. No, that’s wrong—she made me clean it up.

The others were supposed to go back to the World of the Living tomorrow. I just wish that I had more time with them before they did. I wanted to talkto Ichigo without having the impulses to throw flower holders at his head. I wanted to talk with Orihime about how she felt towards him. I wanted to beat up Ganju for when he beat up Ichigo, just for the fun of it. And I wanted to talk to Uryū, because I just knew that we both had questions for each other.

With a huff, I stared out the window. The sky was as bright and blue as it always was. The clouds left just as fast as they came, as they circled the air outside the protective barrier around the Seireitei.

I evoked how annoying it was to get through that thing; I got airsick as soon as Kūkaku had launched us, and speaking of Kūkaku, I just remembered what she made me promise her before she left:

“I expect to see you mopping my floors when you’re all fixed up!”

I groaned. I knew that I was still under her contract, but does she have to make me work the moment after I get better? Now I know how Ganju feels. I groaned again. She’s so insistent, yeesh. Maybe, if at all possible, I could escape before she could force me to work. Yep, that sounds like a good plan to me!

“I’m so bored!” I looked around the room. A shining sink sat in the corner of the room, connected to two counters. The doors of the cabinets underneath it were open, revealing several bottles of cleaning and healing supplies. Next to the cabinets were two cans; one yellow, one black. The yellow can was filled to the rim with old needles, while the black was filled with quite a few pieces of garbage. Next to the cans was the door, which was shut. On the opposite side of the door was a closet, wide open and full of blankets, sheets, and robes. Across from the closet was a small table, and strangely enough, it had several vases filled with various types of flowers (I wonder who they’re from?). Beside that was a wooden chair, which had been vacant for the last forty-eight hours.

I haven’t had any visitors since then. It’s gotten rather boring. My wounds were healed, so I didn’t understand why I couldn’t walk around. Maybe it was for the best to just stay here, despite all that. I’d probably just get in the way of everyone while they treated.

But to be honest, I could really care less if I’m in the way or not. I’ve been in here for days; the least they could do is get more people to visit me.

I looked at the clock on the wall above the door.

“Only three-thirty, huh…?” That means that it’ll be dinner time soon. I looked at my stomach. Nope, I’m not hungry yet. I swung my legs out of the bed and crossed to the closet. I fished through the shelves until I found a fresh black robe. Slipping it on, I walked over to the door and pulled it open.

“…what are you trying to do, poison us?! This crap wouldn’t pass for dog food!”

“I only bring what they tell me to, sir.” I followed the voices into the next hall, where two injured men were harassing a guy from Squad 4. Congregated at the end of it were four others, who looked uneasy.

“We’re the patients here! Bring us some better food!”

“What’s with all the noise?” I asked, coming up behind them.

“It’s Squad 11, again,” the girl answered, keeping her eyes on the scene. 
“Now it’s the food they don’t like.”

“…you maggots don’t know who you’re dealing with—“”Do you men have some complaints about the way you’re being treated?” The men jumped in their casts. Craning their heads over their shoulders, they saw Captain Unohana standing behind them, smiling.

“H-hello there, C-Captain!”
“We d-didn’t realize y-you were s-standing right there.”

“Obviously you’re feeling better if you’re up and able to criticise,” she commented. “Just the same; you would do well to remember that you are in my care now, and that I am in charge of everything that goes on here. As such, while you are under this roof, the members of my Squad 4 have your lives completely-- in their hands.” They screamed when she opened her eyes. I think I screamed a little, too, on the inside.

“We’re sorry! We’re sorry! We’re sorry!”
“I-it won’t happen again!” Running down the hall, they crashed into a boy who was carrying a tray of soup.

“Well! I wonder why they’re acting as if I’m some kind of ghost...” I couldn’t hold in my laughter any longer. Their reactions to just a little change in her facial expression were just too much. Covering my mouth with my hands, I turned away to prevent her from seeing it. She seemed oblivious to the effect that she had on them—I mean the effect she had on all of us. No matter how sweet she acts, she’s still the only person who could ever frighten me to the point of where my limbs went numb by simply smiling.

Everyone seemed to be on edge today. No matter where I turned, there was always someone moping or stuck in a dark and depressive state. It was rather discouraging; now that I was out of the hospital, I was in a great mood. And why shouldn’t I be? Aizen is gone, which makes everything just peachy! Only for me, though. Squads 3, 5, and 9 have been in disarray all week, I’ve noticed.

When I went to check on Izuru earlier he refused to talk to me, and just walked away. Momo was still in a coma from her injuries, so I couldn’t try and console her—though, I doubt she’d even listen to me, anyway. She loved Aizen, maybe even more than just as her Captain. And Shūhei, well… I haven’t been able to find him yet. I knew he was still in low-spirits because of Kaname’s betrayal. I guess Rangiku must feel the same way about Gin.

“Hey!” I turned around to find who it was that called my name. The only person I saw was Orihime, who was leaning out of a window two floors above me. “Abaron, come here!”

“Okay,” I jumped up in the air and landed on the window sill. Grabbing onto the windows themselves, I pulled myself inside, joining not only Orihime, but Chad and Uryū, as well. “So what’s going on?”

“I’m finally finished,” Uryū announced. He held a gray shirt out to Chad, who stared at it uneasily before taking it. “Since we can’t go back to the World of the Living dressed like Soul Reapers, I’ve made new clothes for all of us—nice, huh?”

“Uh, yeah, but, it’s sort of different; you changed something.”
“Yeah! It’s better, huh? As for you, Orihime, I couldn’t duplicate the design your old shirt had, so instead, I did this one with some lace down on one side, then sewed these flowers here at the bottom! What do you think?” She stared down at the shirt.

“Uh, yeah, cute,” She didn’t sound all that enthusiastic, but I doubt he would notice, seeing as he was in a complete trance of how good he made the clothes look.

“I’m glad you like it,” said Uryū. He turned around and took a pair of black pants and a white, long-sleeved shirt that were set over the back of a chair. The first thing I noticed was the thin blue cross it had on the back. “From what I could remember, you wore something like this when we were underneath Urahara’s shop, but since it was so plain—“

”You added a Quincy cross to spice it up?” He didn’t say anything. “Thanks, Uryū, I really like it. I’ll be sure to wear this the next time I go to visit the World of the Living.”

“What do you mean?” he asked. “You aren’t coming back?”

“I’m a Soul Reaper—not a human,” I said, folding the clothes up and putting them under my arm. “I’m only allowed to go there under special orders. Sorry.” Uryū pushed up his glasses. His hand lingered momentarily in front of his mouth before he dropped it at his side and turned around.

“I also made this one for Rukia,” he said, pulling out a blue dress and laying it out on the table. “I made it kinda like the one she was wearing when she came to our world the first time.” Orihime took it from his hands and held it out.

“Yeah, this is great!” she said, grinning.

“You’re better at making clothes for girls than guys, aren’t you, Uryū?”
“What?”

“Hey, I know! I’m going to take Rukia her dress and show it to her right now!” She ran from the room, still holding out the dress.

“So, what do ya say, Chad? Why don’t you try that on and see how it fits?” Reluctantly, he left the room to change into it. Uryū stared out the window, looking accomplished.

“So, Uryū, when did you figure it out?” He pushed up his glasses again.

“Right when I met you.” “Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“Given everything that was going on at the time, I didn’t think it to be that important. And besides, would you have told me yourself?” I got caught on my breath. Would I have told him?

“I guess that, given everything that was going on at the time, I didn’t think it to be that important.” He scowled at my remark. “Uryū, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Well, um, I was wondering why you helped Ichigo,” He gave me a strained look. “He’s a Soul Reaper, right? I thought they were the sworn enemies of the Quincy.” Again, he pushed up his glasses. The sun outside reflected and bounced off of them, momentarily blinding me. But then the sun was covered by the clouds overhead. “Or is it just because he’s your friend?” He scowled once more before walking out of the room. “Hey, I’m not done talking with you!”

***

The sun was setting—and fast. I couldn’t help but feel sad that the others were leaving tomorrow morning. I’d miss them, and the moments we shared during our efforts to save Rukia. I thought back to when I said that I didn’t trust them. I guess that after everything that happened here in the Soul Society changed that. We risked our lives for each other, and as a result, we unintentionally created this… this unnatural bond—and it was all thanks to Rukia.

Just another thing I owe her for.
Wait, where is Rukia, anyway? She wasn’t in Squad 13’s barracks, or Squad 4’s or Squad 6’s, from where I just came from…

“Rukia!” I called, raising a hand to my mouth. “Rukia?!” I walked down to the end of the street. “Rukia, where are—ouch!” I flew backwards, scraping my elbows as I skidded across the ground. There was a grunt of pain and a gasp of shock. “Who—Ichigo, of course, it was you.” I glowered at him before standing back up.

“Sorry, Abaron,” he said, massaging the palms of his hands. After brushing himself off, he stood up beside Orihime, who looked surprised. “I was in a rush.”

“What for?”

“We were looking for Rukia,” said Orihime. I saw that she was still holding onto the dress of Uryū’s that she wanted to give to her personally. “So we went to visit Renji and Captain Kuchiki, to see if they knew.”

“And did they?”

“No,” said Ichigo. “But I think I have an idea of where she just might be.”

***

“Aha, I thought I’d find you here.” It turned out that Rukia had come to Kūkaku’s house. When she spun around, I noticed that her nose was bleeding. I also noticed that Kūkaku’s hand was clenched into a fist. Oh, jeez.

“Ichigo, Abaron, Orihime…”

“Sorry to interrupt your little chat,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. He was more relieved that he didn’t have to keep running around the Soul Society to find her. “But right now, we should probably head back and try and get some rest before tomorrow. In the morning, they’re gonna open a gate for us to return to our world. And you’re still not back at full health.” Rukia sighed.

“I have to tell you something,” she began, her voice wavering hesitantly. “It’s only right that you’d be the first to know. I’ve decided, Ichigo… to stay here, in the Soul Society.” To be honest, I was a little shocked. I thought that, after all that happened, she’d want to go back with Ichigo and stay in the World of the Living. I wonder why she chose to stay…

“Well, that’s fine. Good for you.” “Huh?”

“It sounds like you’ve made up your mind,” he continued. “So there’s not much else to say. If you’ve decided that you want to stay here, then that’s what you should do.” Kūkaku leapt out in front of us, making me jump.

“Hah, so you two finally showed up,” she said, putting out her fist.              

“Hello again, Kūkaku,” Orihime greeted. She began swinging her arms back and forth at her side.

“Well, I-I—“”So you’re checking out and leaving in the morning, huh? Then stay and have dinner with us tonight!”

“Well, thanks, I would, but I don’t know if I could—“ Before we were able to finish speaking, five knuckles connected with our noses, causing them to bleed. I held it gingerly in my hands, staring in absurdity at Kūkaku.

“Not this again,” she said, her eye twitching. “The correct answer is ‘yes, I’d love to stay for dinner.”

“You know, I was thinking that dinner tonight would be great.”
“Yes, thank you f-for your hospitality.” She directed us inside the house, taking us down the long, wooden stairs and leading us into the main room. Already inside were Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko, Ganju, his friends, and several other men from the Rukon District. Ichigo and Ganju began to stuff food into each other’s mouths, in the hopes of making the other choke. I sat down beside Rukia, who began to stare down into her lap.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, grabbing two buns from the tray in front of me. Without hesitation, I threw them at Ichigo and Ganju, hitting them right on their foreheads.

“What the hell was that for?!”
“You’ve got some nerve—“

“It’s nothing,” she said, snapping out of her daze. She smiled at my persistent expression before sighing in defeat. “I’m just glad that it’s all over.”

“It’s far from over,” I muttered, replaying the images of the Menos that appeared to take Aizen and the others away. “Not by a long shot. If anything, it’s only just begun. But one good thing came out of this.”

“And what’s that?”
“You’re still alive. That’s all I ever wanted—to see you alive. It might’ve been too much to ask for that you were unharmed, but in the end, just knowing that your skin is intact, and your heart is still beating… it’s enough.”

“Thank you, Abaron. Thank you for everything.”

“Oh, hey, it was no big deal!” I laughed modestly. “Besides, it was because of Ichigo that you’re alive. He’s the one who saved you.” I caught Rukia looking at Kūkaku, who stared back with a grin and a chuckle.

It really is over. Finally.

“This is the official Senkaimon, for your departure from the Soul Society,” The doors opened, revealing a bright blue light; the last time I saw this was when Byakuya and Renji had gone to find Rukia, when she was in the World of the Living. “It incorporates Reishi Henkanki specifically for you.” We were here to see them off, for what I knew wouldn’t be the first time. I bet they’ll be back here in a matter of weeks—a month tops. Several others had shown up, mostly out of obligation. Some came out of thanks, to show their appreciation for what they did. Among them were Captain Komamura, Byakuya, who had finally healed up, Captain Unohana, Shōri, Captain Ukitake, and Renji.

Jushiro stepped forward and called Ichigo’s name. I watched as he pulled a small badge from his shihakushō, and handed it out to him.

“This is for you.” Ichigo took it and began to flip it around in his hands.

“Uh, what is this thing?”

“A Substitute Soul Reaper badge,” he answered. “Over the centuries, there have been a few other incidents where Substitute Soul Reapers have been deemed useful. They, too, were given this badge as proof of their status. You can use it to become a Soul Reaper whenever you wish to do so.” His expression grew solemn. “Of course, such a mere token can never really repay you for what you have done here.”

“It’s alright,” said Ichigo. It looked to have surprised Jushiro for some reason, as his eyes had widened. “The reason I did it all was because I wanted to. But I’ll gladly accept this,” he added with a chuckle. “It’s an honor; thank you.”

I turned my head and saw the others talking to Rukia.

“There’s something here for you, too, Rukia, that Uryū made for you!” Orihime held out the dress from yesterday.

“Oh, but, since I’m staying here, I won’t need a dress like that—“”Rukia, you have got to wear this dress!” “Okay, alright then, I will!”

“It is time!” The Senkaimon’s light grew brighter as it opened.

“Try not to kill us, okay?” I punched Ichigo in the arm. He glared down at me.

“There’s a good chance we won’t see each other again for a while, so you decide to hit me?”

“It’s exactly for that reason why I did punch you,” I said. “Just… don’t be so reckless anymore, alright?” He flashed me a quick smile before following Orihime, Chad, and Uryū through the gates. But then he paused, and stared back at Rukia, who clutched her dress tightly in her arms.

“Well, see you around, Rukia.”
“Yeah. Thank you, Ichigo.”

“Thank you, Rukia,” he said, staring back at her from over his shoulder. “Thanks to you, now it will finally stop raining.” And along with the rest of them, his spiritual pressure disappeared. I felt the heaviness that weighed on my heart fade away.

Because he returned to the World of the Living, our connection was broken. The next time I saw and came in contact with him again would be where it would restart. I’d miss our connection. I’d miss hearing his voice in my head. I’d even miss feeling the pain he felt from both his emotions and his injuries. In general, I’d just miss him. He would always be a big part in my life.

I looked up at the sky, where the Senkaimon had been.

                                                                              “Goodbye, Ichigo.”