Save Me From the Dark

Tie the Noose

So, um... Long time, no see right? I apologize for the unintentional (checks nonexistent watch) six month hiatus. Life happened, college happened, so this story did not. Anyways, this chapter was an absolute bitch to put together. I deadass rewrote this damn thing not once, not twice, but a grand six times. I originally had intended to post this chapter a month ago, but after letting it sit a bit I rewrote it one last time. Please love and appreciate it... pretty please. Honestly, I'm still not entirely satisfied with it, but I need to move forward with this story because I am dying to get to the exciting parts.

(IMPORTANT)
Which, that kinda leads into the next thing I wanna ask y'all about: Hell arc or nah? I'm personally leaning towards it cause it'll replace the presence of the Quincies, and allow for some familiar faces from the original Save Me from the Dark to return. So, I guess just tell me what y'all think in the comments.
(IMPORTANT)

On a side note; if you haven't seen the latest TYBW trailer I'll put it up at the top with your daily dose of Ichihime. And I apologize for the long ass AN.

Have some art before you head to the start of the chapter! I decided to redraw a picture from my favorite ending, Mask.

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Ichigo gazed out the window of the classroom, clouds rolled lazily by in large, billowing puffs of cotton. Exhaustion plagued his features as he slumped against his desk. The teacher's droning about some subject or another did nothing to stave off the grasp of sleep. Ichigo's eyes closed for a moment only to spring open what felt like seconds later as his head slammed into the desk.

"Mr. Kurosaki, if my lesson is that boring, you can stand outside. I'll talk to you after class," The teacher said, having noticed Ichigo nodding off throughout the period.

Ichigo grunted as he grabbed his books and his bag and walked out the door. He passed Orihime who, clearly concerned, watched him carefully as he walked by. Once outside, he made his way down the hall, a ways out of the view of the class and slid down the wall. Ichigo placed his head between his knees as he felt a headache coming on. His dreams from last night haunted him, yet they gave him a strange sense of hope he hadn't felt in over a year. Ever since he'd woken up at 3 am this morning, Ichigo had been able to feel the spiritual pressure of those closest to him, and others that were further away more faintly.

A commotion from another classroom startled Ichigo. His head snapped up to the source of the sound to see Uryu sprinting out of his class. Ichigo frowned, closed his eyes, and focused. It was faint, but it was a hollow's spiritual pressure. No doubt Uryu's communicator had alerted him of the being's presence because Afro Dude was terrible at his job.

Ichigo sighed and let his head fall back against the wall. He didn't miss that life. He didn't miss having to skip class. He didn't miss bailing on his sisters. He didn't miss the lies. He didn't miss the feel of Zangetsu in his hands. He didn't miss the adrenaline from the fights. He didn't miss...

'Quit lying to yourself.'

Shit. Dammit. Damn it all. He missed it. The power to protect. After last night, he could feel his powers returning, but not fast enough.

'You know what you need to do.'

Determination set in as the bell rang. As his teacher came out of the room to speak to him, Ichigo brushed passed them, ignoring their calls for him to stop, and headed to the gates of the school.

"Ichigo! Wait, Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned around to see Orihime running after him.

"You need something, Orihime?"

Orihime paused for a moment to catch her breath, "Are you ok?"

Ichigo smiled softly, "Yeah... Yeah, I think for the first time in a while I really am."

He quickly waved goodbye before leaving the school grounds.

Two figures stood on a roof neighboring Karakura High School. They watched as the two orange-haired teens parted ways.

"You're absolutely certain that he's the one?"

"Yeah... He's the one alright. Bright orange hair, a permanent scowl. There's no doubt about it."

One of them smirked viciously, "Ichigo Kurosaki. So oblivious to the plans that we've laid out for you."

A strange sensation ran through Ichigo as he walked down the sidewalk. He glanced around, looking for what could've set him on edge. Nothing around him seemed out of the ordinary, and he couldn't exactly rely on his ability to sense spiritual pressure. Ichigo shrugged to himself and continued on his way.

Orihime was concerned. Plain and simple. She'd sensed something had been off about Ichigo the moment he stepped into the school yard earlier that morning. His behavior could have been played off as the effects of yesterday's attack, but something happened last night that shot that theory to hell and back. It had been brief, and Orihime had almost thought it was her wishful thinking, but she felt Ichigo's spiritual pressure last night. No matter how weak it was, she'd recognize it anywhere. Yet it was different than it was before. It was darker, more dangerous.

Orihime frowned as she returned to the school building. Ichigo had left right as lunch had started, which was a strange occurrence now that he didn't have to fight hollows. Orihime decided as she grabbed her own lunch from her locker that she'd have to talk to Uryu about Ichigo's strange behavior once he got back from dealing with the hollow across town.

When she met up with Tatsuki, Chad, Keigo, and Mizuiro on the roof of the school, Tatsuki asked, "Where's Ichigo? He'd better not have gotten in another fight with those punks from the rival high school."

Orihime giggled slightly at that before forcing a smile, "No, he went home after class. I think he's tired after yesterday's hollow attack, he kept falling asleep in class."

Chad and Tatsuki frowned, catching her smile for what it was.

"Something's up," Chad said as he put down his lunch. Tatsuki nodded in agreement.

Orihime sighed, "He said he was ok, so we need to have faith in him."

Darkness settled quickly over Karakura Town as a late evening storm rolled in. Uryu walked by himself through the torrential downpour with only an umbrella to shield him from the rain. As he walked, he replied to Orihime's rapid fire texts asking if he'd noticed anything particularly strange about Ichigo today. Her questions sparked a memory from the night before. Uryu had briefly woken up in the middle of the night due to a disturbance in the usual spiritual pressures in Karakura Town. At first, he thought he had sensed a hollow, but the more he focused it felt like Ichigo's spiritual pressure, only it was barely there and much darker than it had been before.

Uryu continued to trudge through the rain as he once again found himself in a puzzling situation with Ichigo at the center. He shook his head and sighed, the day Ichigo wasn't unknowingly causing problems would be the day that hell froze over.

Uryu paused for a moment. His head buzzed with the alarming sensation of someone watching him. Uryu whipped his head around, trying to get a good look at his surroundings through the rain. Two unknown spiritual pressures were closing in on him, yet he couldn't pinpoint where. A flash of movement caught his eye as a man with long black hair and desolate eyes seemingly floated past him.

A burning pain flared up from his side seconds later. Uryu recoiled from the source and turned to look at his attacker. It was another man with long black hair, yet his was slicked back to reveal cruel and angry eyes. Uryu went to draw his bow, but collapsed from the pain as a sword was pulled from his side.

The two men took in their handiwork before they left. Uryu laid there, lying in the rain as he bled out. His vision blurred and faded to black as he heard the distant sound of sirens.