Save Me From the Dark

Wake Up

So I had planned on releasing this chapter Wednesday, but the past few days have been really busy. Y'all get a little bit of everything  this chapter. Some sprinkles of angst, a teaspoon of humor, a dash of fluff, a scoop of intrigue, and a whole bucket of plot. This is officially the most dialogue I've written in one chapter. Switching topics now to Jump Festa 2022, OH MY GOD! I cannot put to words how excited the teaser has made me for the final season of Bleach. And the new version of Number One was the reveal I didn't know I needed. Nothing could have made the teaser more perfect. Except for maybe changing the release date from next October to something a little sooner. Oh well, more time to rewatch Bleach multiple times. Anyways I've been super chatty, I hope y'all enjoy the new chapter!
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"Captain, we're picking signs of a strange spiritual pressure in The World of the Living," the third seat of Squad 12, Akon, said as the notification flashed across the wall of monitors.

"Where exactly?" Captain of Squad 12, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, asked.

"Karakura Town, sir."

'How long are you going to sleep, King?'

Ichigo woke to a soreness radiating through his entire body. He rubbed the blurriness from his eyes as he slowly sat up. The last thing he remembered was passing out on the street not too far from Orihime, but here he was in his room. As questions began to form in his mind about how he ended up in his room they were soon silenced by the raucous laughter of his dad down stairs.

Ichigo slowly stood. His legs wobbled beneath his weight, but he ignored the weakness as he made his way down the stairs. As he reached the bottom he heard more than his dad in the living room. Chad, Uryu, and a bandaged Orihime all sat around the room. Chad and Uryu both sat on the carpet next the coffee table, cups of tea cooling on its surface. Orihime and his dad sat on the couch. She nursed her cup of tea as she rambled on about the latest episode of Laugh Hour.

"Ichigo, you're awake. I was wondering how long you'd use your injury as an excuse to sleep in," Uryu said as Ichigo joined them on the carpet. Chad nodded at Ichigo as he sat next to him.

"I could've been dying for all you know. You didn't even bother to pick up the phone when I needed you," Ichigo spat as he stole Uryu's tea.

"Hey! Give that back!" Uryu said as he reached across the coffee table for the cup.

"Nope, this is payback for not answering your damn phone like a grandpa."

Ichigo took a sip of the tea only to promptly spit it out.

"What the hell kind of tea is this?" Ichigo exclaimed as he pushed the cup back to Uryu.

"Oh! It's a special blend I made with tomato mint tea and green tea. I thought it'd help in case you had a headache when you woke up," Orihime explained from the couch. "You know, if you wanted a cup of tea you could have just said so. There's plenty left in the kettle."

"Thank you, Orihime, but I'm actually feeling just fine without the tea," Ichigo said quickly, hoping to avoid drinking more of the strange combination of tea.

"Heh, like I would ever do such a poor job at healing my own son that he would have a concussion!" Isshin said with gusto, "However, I'm grateful for your concern over my poor son's health, dear Orihime."

Orihime blushed at the man's words, "Well I... I always worry about Ichigo. Why wouldn't I worry about his health now?"

Isshin smirked.

"Quit it, old man, you're freaking her out," Ichigo said as he knocked his dad upside the head.

"My son is so mean! You see how mean he is to his own dad, Orihime?" Isshin whined, exaggerating the very, very minor injury. If it could even be called that.