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I Am The King	By : HollowedRose Category: Bleach > General Views: 9190 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and its characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. They are a work of fiction. I do not make any money out of this.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Chapter 12 - Worry
To Renji's surprise, Uryu was able to get out of bed in only a few hours. He was glad he had insisted the Quincy ate some food. He still didn't look very well, he was pale and seemed to move with some difficulty but it was better than not being able to move at all. Renji was going to give him at least a day to recover and then take him to Urahara but the Quincy insisted they went as soon as morning came.
Uryu couldn't sleep at all the entire night. After much thinking he realized he couldn't do anything to save Ichigo sooner than what it would take for Urahara Kisuke to open the portal to Hueco Mundo. Still, he wanted to amend for his past mistake of not telling anyone what happened. He listened to Ichigo and didn't betray him but because of his silence Ichigo ended up getting captured by the enemy. It was his fault, especially since Ichigo wasn't himself and as such he was not in the right mind to make a correct decision. He should've acted upon what his rational thoughts screamed at him to do but instead he was foolish enough to think that even if he listened to him then everything would work out somehow.
However, on the inside, he dreaded the meeting that he was going to be a part of, or better said, the center of attention. The angry looks, the blame, and everything else, he deserved them all and he knew it. He had no plans to defend himself, nor to deny his monumental and temporary stupidity.
As soon as morning came he got dressed and both him and Renji slowly made their way towards Urahara's Shop. They walked in silence, neither of them in the mood for small talk in such a serious situation.
He found it strange to see other people minding their own business, adults going to work, kids going to school, people in general living their lives. While those people went about their own business Ichigo was probably going through hell. A person's most horrible day could easily be another's happiest. Life was horribly unfair, concluded Uryu. Even the nice weather after almost 3 days of raining seemed to want to spite him with its warmth. Everything seemed to be so very wrong.
It took them a bit longer than usual to get to Urahara's place but Renji didn't want to push the Quincy. He let him take his time because he knew he was desperately trying to gather the courage to face the Shop owner. Uryu was no coward, far from it, but somehow, at that moment, he seemed lost, more of a scared adolescent than a fearless fighter.
When they got there and went inside Uryu froze at the sight before him. Not only was Rukia there but also Toushiro, Matsumoto, Yumichica and Ikkaku. He wasn't comfortable with having to speak about what happened to Ichigo to so many people, but before he could protest Renji seemed to have guessed and spoke.
"Don't worry, they are leaving."
Uryu didn't say a word and simply sat down.
Toshiro, Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika got up and stepped outside the shop. They weren't exactly happy about being shoved aside like that but Renji had insisted and in the end Toshiro simply gave up and asked the other three to stop arguining any further and just do as they were told.
"So what is the mystery Ishida-san, why couldn't Abarai-san tell us and be done with it?", said Urahara, his tone more serious than usual.
Renji sat down as well, his eyes fixed on Ishida. He was worried about him, and even though he blamed Ishida to some extent for what happened he also understood why he hadn't betrayed Ichigo. What would he have done if he was in Ishida's place? He thought about it but he gave up when he couldn't reach a decisive conclusion. A part of him would've wanted to keep what happened a secret if Ichigo had asked him while the other part would've probably wanted to drag the idiot to Soul Society and keep him there where he'd be safe. Although, on second thought, perhaps nowhere was safe with such strong Arrancars, since one of them was able to defeat Ichigo, and not only that. Renji didn't even want to imagine what poor Ichigo went though.
Uryu found it was very hard to face Urahara and Rukia, and he was still arguining with himself whether to tell her or not. He was starting to wonder where the hell was his courage. Perhaps he was too scared to admit to the error of his judgment, fearful of her reaction, or maybe he just knew how disappointed and angry she'd be at him. "Kurosaki will hate me if I tell Kuchiki-san," Uryuu said tiredly.
Renji looked at Uryuu with pity. Yes, Ichigo would hate him most likely, but Rukia was much closer to Ichigo than they were, and he was sure that when the time would come for them to bring him back, only she would be able to really be there for the Substitute Shinigami. Rukia was strong, she could handle it, of that he was sure. They didn't have an easy life in Rukungai, so they were used to many horrible things happening around them, and as much as he hated to see her upset, he concluded that it was necessary. "I'm sorry Ishida, but Rukia stays."
Uryuu cringed and finally gave up. Either way, he had to start talking since they were waiting for him to speak. He took a deep breath and began.
"Three days ago when we were attacked I felt something very strange. At first I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination or not but somehow I felt there was something wrong with Kurosaki. I decided it was best to go and see for myself if he was alright or not. To my surprise, when I got to the place where I assumed the fight took place there was no one there. With some effort I focused trying to find his reiatsu and once I managed to locate him I figured he was not in Karakura anymore, and that he was in Kieboru."
Uryu stopped for a while, thinking it was better not to mention how he stole a car. He didn't want to lose their respect even more than he was going to in a few minutes.
"I went there wanting to see if he was really there and I found him, in the park near hotel Yume where we went afterwards. He didn't seem to recognize me at first. He was covered in blood, his injuries were serious and no matter how hard I tried to convince him to let me call Inoue-san and others who could help him he refused. He even attacked me when I tried to ignore his request. I couldn't understand him at all. He was acting strange, at some point even saying he hated me. He was hallucinating though, but that I did not know until I carried him to the hotel and went back to cleaning his remaining wounds. I had to tranquilize him just before we left the park."
"He was hallucinating?" asked a very curious Urahara.
"Yes, he thought I was the one who... raped him," said Uryu and looked at their shocked faces.
Rukia and Urahara froze, his fan stopping in mid-air. "Are you sure?"
"It's true, the guy, Grimmjow, said it himself when we fought him yesterday. He... bragged about it," said Renji, his fists shaking with anger.
Urahara was feeling as horrible as the rest of them or even more so for somewhat being responsible when it came to involving the boy in the war. "That is really strange, I never knew evolved Hollows would also get back the sexual urges they had before their deaths. How about his form? How does he look like?"
"He looks exactly like any other human or Shinigami, except for the hollow hole he has in his stomach and the remnants of his mask on his right cheek. Ishida, please continue," said Renji urging Uryu to continue, since he knew that what they all heard until then was only the beginning.
"I've never seen Ichigo so terrified in my life until the moment he woke up. It was horrible to see him broken like that, wanting nothing more than to forget the hell he was forced to go through. He even told me he wanted to die...", said Uryu, not wanting to embarrass Ichigo further but knowing it was better to tell them the truth so they could help Ichigo when the time came to rescue him. "I didn't want to push him to tell me things he certainly did not want to remember but I had to know as much information as possible about our enemy. I said some horrible things to him and we ended up fighting, but after that I think Kurosaki felt much better because he was able to talk about it. Later when I went back to Karakura Town I ran into Kon and Abarai and that's when I felt Kurosaki's reiatsu the same as the night it first happened. I sent Abarai back to Soul Society and asked him to bring Captain Unohana and someone else who could protect Kurosaki. I drove back to the hotel and that's when I saw Grimmjow holding an unconscious Kurosaki. I lost it and attacked him. Neither of us saw Kon until he took Kurosaki and jumped through the window. He left me there and went after them. I obviously followed and soon afterwards Abarai appeared and engaged him into battle."
Uryu felt horrible for saying so many things about Ichigo, so many embarrassing things. It was like invading his privacy but in a way he had no choice since it was the only way to save him, perhaps even from himself.
"While Captain Zaraki was fighting him Ishida told me what happened, what the bastard did to Ichigo. That night it was the second time. Grimmjow said it himself, he bragged about it and mocked Ichigo, talking about him like he was nothing. I want that fucking asshole DEAD!" yelled Renji while hitting his fist on the wooden floor, suddenly waking up Rukia from her shocked state.
Until then she couldn't even speak, let alone move. She was frozen in her spot, horrified at how desperate Ichigo must've felt and terrified by the fact that he was in Hueco Mundo with his rapist. It never crossed her mind that something like that could ever happen to Ichigo. She was so angry she felt the need to lash at someone and that certain someone ended up being Uryu because one second she was in her spot and the next she was grabbing Uryu by the shirt and yelling. "Ishida you fool! How could you hide something like that from us? You're an idiot! And so is Ichigo, both of you are. You're both nothing more than two stupid brats!" said Rukia, let go of his shirt and ran outside.
"Kuchiki-san, what's wrong? Where are you going?" yelled Matsumoto after her once they saw her leaving the shop, looking extremely upset.
She never answered.
When they figured Rukia wasn't coming back they decided to call the rest of the Shinigamis in the hope that togheter they could come up with a good rescue plan once they were in Hueco Mundo.
Ishida never felt Kon's presence who was in the next room listening in on their conversation. When Urahara asked Kon to join them since he also seemed to know what was happening, he refused, saying it wasn't such a good idea and luckily Urahara didn't insist.
Kon thought that being there while Uryu told the story would be difficult for the Quincy and also for Rukia, seeing Ichigo's body yet knowing he wasn't actually there. Deep down inside he always wanted to have a body of his own, a real human body, but he didn't want Ichigo's, not anymore, nor ever for that matter. His fingers absently touched his knee, almost as if he was still feeling the pain the Arrancar inflicted on him, but he knew it was all in his head since the nice Shinigami Captain healed him. From what Ishida said, Ichigo appeared to be considerably more fragile than he imagined and he feared what Ichigo might've done once he woke up and realized he was in enemy territory. When Rukia started yelling the only thought that passed through Kon's mind was how she even managed to last so long. He couldn't leave her alone and so he quickly and quietly left the shop through the backdoor, his mind set on following Rukia. He didn’t bother her however, he knew she needed to be alone, so all he did was observe her from a distance.
He really didn't feel comfortable being in Ichigo's body but Renji told him it was best if there was someone who could move the body at any time in case the Arrancars ever came back for it. He couldn't argue with that so in the end he reluctantly accepted to stay the way he was. The more he followed Rukia the more he figured she was heading towards Ichigo's house and once she got there she almost sneaked inside and headed straight for Ichigo's bedroom. He wanted so badly to comfort her, to hold her in his arms, but he couldn't, Rukia would never allow him to do such a thing, he'd probably beat him to a pulp if he even tried.
Since the meeting was so early in the morning there was still enough time to get dressed and go to school in Ichigo's place. Ichigo's father was going to come back sometimes during the morning and Kon didn't think he could face him... because he knew, the man knew he wasn't his son and he would surely ask him where Ichigo was. It was bad luck he had to be out of town exactly when the Espada attacked Ichigo. He couldn't, no, he didn't want to be the one to tell him what happened to Ichigo.
As much as it pained him to disturb Rukia he had to get inside the room and get ready for school. He wasn't surprised when he didn't see Rukia anywhere in sight, she was in the closet obviously, the only place where she could think in peace.
"Kon, do you think we can save Ichigo?" asked Rukia, surprising Kon who was putting a few books in Ichigo's backpack.
He stopped what he was doing and sat on the bed. He felt exhausted. Should he be honest with her or lie and pretend everything was going to be fine? He wasn't sure which option was better.
"Kon, tell me... the truth," continued Rukia softly when Kon didn't answer.
"I don't know."
Rukia clenched her small fists tighter, the pain wracking her heart only growing in intensity. The moment she saw the blue haired Arrancar her instincts screamed at her to keep Ichigo away from him, but she was so much weaker than him. She lacked the strength to protect Ichigo. The truth was that she was always worried when Ichigo was forced to fight. When it came right down to it Ichigo never wanted to fight Hollows, it was her who convinced him to do it in the first place. She felt responsible for what happened to Ichigo, and in a way she realized others were probably feeling the same way. They all either pushed him or involved him one way or another into a war that didn't concern him.
"I'm sorry nee-san but I have to go to school," said Kon interrupting her depressing thoughts and making her realize how bad it was for her to stay in the closet and cry over things that happened and that couldn't be changed no matter how much she or anyone else wished to be changed.
The only thing left for her to do at that moment was to at least make sure Aizen would never have Ichigo's real body, even though there was only a small possibility he was interested in it. If Aizen wanted he could've ordered the Espada to take Kon as well but he didn't, so they assumed it was of no real value to him. He knew that specific part of the story even before Ishida told them what really happened to Ichigo.
"Wait!" said Rukia and suddenly opened the closet's door. "I'm coming with you Kon, we need to make sure they'll never get Ichigo's body. I might not be able to do much if they attack again but if I can buy enough time for you to run away then you might have a chance of escaping."
Kon wasn't about to argue with her. He didn't like putting her in danger like that but she was right, none of Ichigo's friends would ever allow anyone to take what was left of him. He didn't miss the pained expression she couldn't hide the moment she saw his face. Walking around as Ichigo was going to be hell for him.
They both went to school without noticing Toushiro following them from afar. The truth was that he was worried about all of them, but he didn't really want to show it. Being the only Captain sent there by Soul Society he felt responsible for their lives and he was going to make sure none of them was going to die while under his command, even if to do that meant keeping an eye on them at all times. He wasn't worried about the rest since they were at Urahara's place, probably training that very moment but he did worry about Kurosaki's human friends. They might've looked older than him but in reality he was the one who was much older than all of them. He knew he still acted childish sometimes, like earlier when he wanted to be there when the Quincy would relay the events of what happened, and he was still upset about not knowing what really went down that day, but he knew Urahara well enough to know that if he refused to say anything then it was better to avoid any future questions regarding the issue.
"Ko-Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san!" called Orihime from the opposite street when she saw them.
Kon cringed, almost feeling guilty for not being Ichigo. Orihime was told about what happened to Ichigo, at least the part with him being taken to Hueco Mundo but Renji warned him not to tell her about the other thing. He didn't need to be warned though as he had no intention of telling her anyway.
Once she got close and no one could hear her she started asking him all sort of questions. Kon didn't know how to answer without mentioning the rape.
"We'll do everything in our power to save him. I give you my word," said Rukia and forced a smile on her face to reassure Orihime that they were doing everything they could to save Ichigo.
"I know Kuchiki-san, I'm just worried..." said Orihime in a very sad voice.
"We all are," continued Rukia, trying to calm the poor girl who was close to bursting into tears.
The day started out bad and it continued the same way. While they were able to lie to Orihime and assure her everything was going to be fine it wasn't the same with Chad. They knew he was dying to ask them questions and because of that they tried to avoid him as much as possible.
Ishida arrived at school two hours later and although he seemed to be the same as always, Rukia knew better. There were small clues that gave him away, like the almost clenched fists, or the slightly furrowed eyebrows, but above everything else was the murderous look in his eyes which only someone hardened in battle would be able to see. Rukia almost felt sorry for yelling at him but when she heard what happened to Ichigo and how Ishida didn't tell anyone, her anger took over. She knew that what she said made Ishida feel worse than he already felt and because of that she felt the need to apologize for her earlier behavior. They were young, of course they'd make mistakes, no matter how mature they thought they were.
"Ishida, can we talk?"
"I don't have time to waste right now Kuchiki-san, as you can see I am busy studying," lied Uryu as he was not in the mood to be further insulted.
"Please, it will only take a moment," insisted Rukia.
Uryu figured he had no choice so he closed his notebook, got up from the desk and followed her to the rooftop. Their short interaction wasn't missed by Chad who was sure they were hiding something from him.
Uryu kept his mouth shut the entire way there. He didn't know what more he could say to her. Once they got on the rooftop Rukia turned around.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier today. I was angry, I didn't mean to lash at you the way I did, I know that what happened isn't entirely your fault."
"Don't apologize. Like you just said, even though it wasn't entirely my fault, it still was to some extent."
Rukia didn't say anything else and left, leaving him alone until the bell rang and he had to go back to class as well. He was grateful to Rukia for apologizing and also for not lying to him by saying he held no fault in what happened. The rest of the classes went by slowly and he couldn't wait to be finished so he could leave. The worst part of it all was seeing Ichigo sitting in his usual spot in class but knowing it wasn't actually him.
As soon as the bell announcing the end of the last class rang he practically dashed out of the classroom and outside the school's gates. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he never noticed the person following him until he was grabbed by the wrist and forced to stop in his tracks. He turned around in anger and was surprised to see who it was that had stopped him.
"Chad, what-"
"Tell me the truth," said Chad, still not letting go of his wrist.
"What are you ta-"
"The truth. Renji didn't tell me everything, I know it and you know it too. Tell me," insisted Chad.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Uryu, trying to sound as calm as possible even though he was everything but calm.
"I promised Ichigo that I will fight for him, that I would protect him and he promised he'd protect me. He kept his word but I failed him. Why did Ichigo hide from us, from me, what happened?"
"I gave him my word that I will never tell anyone," said Uryu when he realized there was no way Chad would leave him alone if he kept denying everything. He didn't want to tell him the truth though, so all he could do was hope that Chad would understand and leave him alone.
"Hn, but I still want to know."
"Look, I'm busy, I don't have time for this, I must leave now," said Uryu, trying to free his wrist from Chad's iron grip but failing miserably. "Let me go!"
"After you tell me I will."
"Stop! This is insane, this is not you, you've never acted this way before," said Uryu in a very annoyed tone.
"I've never had any reason to act this way before. Tell me!" demanded Chad, for the first time ever Uryu noticing the imposing presence the other had.
He stopped trying to free his wrist and relaxed. There was no way he'd tell Chad what happened, even if the big guy would threaten to beat him to a bloody pulp. If Ichigo ever managed to survive, Uryu knew he would forever hate him if he told what happened to more people than he already had. He might still hate him though, considering he told Rukia and Urahara, but he could live with Ichigo's hate if that meant saving him. "Take your best shot, but I give you my Quincy word that I will never tell you anything, even if that means getting killed for my silence."
Chad felt like he'd been hit in the head with a blunt object, perhaps even worse since a blunt object to his head would hardly even hurt him. If Uryu was so decided to not say anything then something really bad must have happened, and he was decided to find out from Ichigo himself if need be. He'd never beat up Ishida to find out the truth, he wasn't like that.
As soon as his wrist was no longer being held by his classmate, Uryu turned around, apologized and went on his way, leaving Chad alone in the empty street.
It took Chad a while to move from his spot and once he did he turned around and headed straight towards Urahara's Shop. He passed Kon and Rukia on his way there but he didn't even notice them, too focused on his goal of becoming stronger in order to save Ichigo.
"He's going to be fine," said Kon once he noticed how worried Rukia was when Chad ran passed them.
"I know," confirmed Rukia and they both continued walking back to Ichigo's house.
The closer they got to it the more Kon wanted to turn around and head in the opposite direction. Rukia was probably the only thing keeping him from running away. When they finally got home Kon was so tense that even Rukia noticed and wondered why exactly the Mod Soul didn't want to go home. She got her answer when she opened the door and noticed Kurosaki Isshin talking to Yuzu inside the kitchen. She figured Kon was scared of facing Ichigo's father, but she couldn't really blame him since she felt the same way. Between worrying about Ichigo being a prisoner and finding out what really happened she didn't have much time to think about Kurosaki Isshin. The man had totally slipped her mind and she didn't know how to react. She simply did not know what to say to a man who had nothing to do with the war and who's adolescent son had been raped and then kidnapped because of a sick and twisted former Shinigami who wanted to be God. How much was she even allowed to tell him? Somehow it felt wrong to hide such a thing from him.
"Ichii-nii, welcome home!" said Yuzu and ran towards Kon.
"It's good to be home Yuzu," answered Kon forcing a smile on his face. The child was so sweet when she wasn't torturing him with silly games and dressing him in ridiculous clothes.
"Ichi-nii, please help me find Bostov, I looked everywhere for him and I can't find!"
Kon looked at Rukia and agreed to help Yuzu find... himself once Rukia nodded that he could leave. He couldn't have been more glad to get away from Isshin, knowing very well what he really was. He wondered if Rukia knew though. He almost felt like smacking himself for being such a coward but he couldn't help it.
The moment Yuzu left the room Rukia noticed how the man's expression changed. If before he appeared to be calm and collected his expression changed to barely suppressed rage. Rukia's eyes widened impossibly as he stared down at her. He couldn't possibly know... could he?
"Kurosaki-san, I..." started Rukia but didn't know what to say next. Somehow she felt intimidated by the man before her.
"Urahara Kisuke told me," said Isshin, passed by her frozen form and left the house.
Rukia felt the sudden need to sit on the closest chair.
The only reason Isshin was still at home when Kon and Rukia got back was because he wanted to see with his own eyes that his son's body was still in the world of the living. He managed to pretend in front of Yuzu and Karin that everything was fine but once his daughters left with the Mod Soul his rage broke the dam to his weakened facade. He didn't have the strength to hide from Rukia. He knew very well what she was and he wasn't sure he could have a calm conversion with her at that moment, so he left the house and headed straight to his wife's tomb.
When he got back that morning and saw Urahara Kisuke waiting for him somewhere close to his house he knew that something was wrong. He invited him inside since he knew his children were not at home and waited for the man to start talking. In the few moments of silence many terrifying scenarios crossed Isshin's mind, but nothing in the world could've prepared him for what he was told next. He couldn't say anything and when the silence stretched for too long Urahara simply got up and quietly left the house, knowing his old acquaintance needed some time alone.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he couldn't even remember getting to the tomb, but there he was, in front of his wife, the woman who died for her son, the son he failed to protect.
"Masaki, perhaps I should've told our son the truth a long time ago. I'm sorry... for allowing such a thing to happen to Ichigo. I knew very well what he was doing but I didn't stop him thinking it was best to let him do what he wanted. You know how he is... actually, you don't, he changed since that day, but... what I'm trying to say is that I probably couldn't have stopped him even if I wanted. He's just like you, willing to sacrifice his life to protect those he loves. I'll bring him back Masaki, I promise!"
For the first time since his wife died he stood before her tomb without smocking. He wasn't one to hold grudges against mindless Hollows, but he couldn't help but hate this Grimmjow who dared to hurt his son in such a manner. For a second, the thought of dragging Grimmjow to his wife's tomb and slowly burn him with a Kidou until he apologized to Masaki ran though his head but he dismissed it, thinking that it was Masaki who didn't deserve to have such a disgusting display take place before her grave.
He sat down next to her tomb and stayed there thinking until the night came and he remembered he had to go home to Karin and Yuzu who were probably worried about him.
He got up and left, but not before giving his word to Masaki that he was going to bring back Ichigo.
TBC
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I Am The King