To All of Eternity

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Stand Up Be Strong

The path back to the surface was equally as boring as the descent. With the mystery of the Dungeon lost, it only proved to be a tedious journey. The lack of monsters obstructing their path only served to be a small silver lining.

Ichigo took a small moment to bask in the sun. The fresh air had become a commodity in comparison to the stifling dampness of the dungeon. To not partake in such indulgence would surely shave some of his health.

"Do you want to have dinner with me, Ichigo?" Asfi inquired, her tone neutral for a woman inviting a man for a nightly meal.

At the question, he almost grew flustered at the bluntness. It was only due to the small comfortability and his lack of romantic feelings that he did not. "Sure, if you're paying of course," he agreed though he did not meet her gaze.

"Rather discourteous of you, having your date pay for you," the captain of the Hermes familia giggled as she began to walk down the street.

"You offered so you pay," he shrugged, his mind composed now. "It ain't always about gender."

"Touché. Anyhow, what do you think?" she asked, curious as to his opinion of the structure. Her mind also wondered if he could tackle the middle floors on his lonesome.

Finding the overall experience rather boring and tiresome, Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck. "Boring," he replied, sighing a bit. "Are the deeper floors more challenging?"

"Yes," Asfi said simply as she pulled out a book from a pouch. Opening it, she scanned through its contents and began to read it. "How does a dog that breathes fire sound?" she asked.

Thumbing his chin, the substitute shinigami thought for a moment.

At that very moment of thought, a white-haired boy bumped into him. Unfortunately for the boy, Ichigo's unyielding poise formed a solid wall. This combined with the momentum of both parties, caused him to fall on his side.

Ichigo looked down at the boy and offered a hand to him. "Are you alright, kid?" he asked.

The boy, seeing Ichigo's chiseled upper body underneath the shinigami's shihakusho, quickly became intimidated despite the friendly gesture. "I-I-I'-m s-sorry!" he yelped.

"It's alright," Ichigo replied with a small amused smile, "you gonna stay down there?"

"O-Oh! R-Right..." the boy mumbled sheepishly as he took the substitute shinigami's hand.

His fumbling hands were sweaty and his calluses were small but hard. It was also small, perhaps even smaller than Rukia's but a bit bigger than Karin's or Yuzu's own.

Yet, when they clasped hands, Ichigo felt something... Strange.

He couldn't put a finger on it but perhaps the closest sensation was when he was given flowers by the small girl. A feeling that elicited a strange sorrow and melancholy but rather than just that, there was a bit more. In essence, it felt like he had his very soul reflected into him.

"E-Er... Uh, s-sir..." the boy said nervously as he tried to remove his hand from Ichigo's grip.

Seeing this and snapping back to reality, the orangette blinked in confusion for a bit before letting go. "Sorry about that," he apologized dispassionately as he looked at his hand. Strange... I felt like someone was looking at me.