Fate (A Bleach Fanfiction)

Chapter 143: Kariya! Countdown to Detonation (2)

Kuroki's pov

I sighed heavily staring out of the window, things were starting to get out of hand and everyone was on edge. I wasn't surprised to hear that Izuru felt obligated to bring Orihime here, he always seemed like a very nice person. From the interactions I've had with him, he was always polite and fun to talk to. "I'm sorry to ask this as soon as you got here but can you heal Uryu's wounds?" Chad asked, he was reluctant to ask since he didn't want to bother her. I understood why he was, she had just come from the gate and was already using her powers to heal those who needed it. "It's alright, Chad." Orihime bent down beside Uryu, softly smiling down at him. "You don't have to heal me fully. I just want to be back on my feet as soon as possible." Uryu stated, I shook my head as I knew he wasn't going to back down very easily. Uryu was one of the most stubborn people that I knew, "Have you even been listening to anything they were talking about? You need your rest if you want to fight properly along with everyone else." Orihime stated, well it seemed more like she was demanding him go rest more than he wanted to. Ririn agreed with her while I just sighed, "Everyone's been on the move since last night, I say all of you need your rest." She pointed out, she had a point but I don't think anyone was willing to rest with Kariya on the loose. And with what he has planned, we all need to stay on our toes and stop him. "We will get word right away if something were to happen. Don't worry about being in fighting shape so soon, take your time and properly rest." Renji said, "That goes for you too, Kuro." He added, everyone looked at me and I could tell they thought I was going to start an argument with him.

"That's fine with me but nobody, and I mean, Nobody.. Is locking me in some room to prevent me from fighting Kariya. Ichigo is not going to fight him alone, not this time. I'm going to fight alongside him whether you all want me to or not." I stated, everyone was silent as they took in my words.

"Alright. Nobody is going to lock you in a room to keep you from fighting." Ichigo crossed his arms, "And if we learned anything from the last time they locked you in a room, nothing will stop you from fighting the big bad even when you're not supposed to." Toshiro stated, crossing his arms.

Taking in Renji's promise, Uryu closes his eyes and relaxes while Orihime begins healing him with her Sōten Kisshun. "Who is still available?" Toshiro asked, turning to Izuru. "The only remaining Soul Reapers available are from the Eleventh Division since their captain was busy. It prevented them from receiving any orders." Izuru explained, that explains why I haven't seen Ikkaku or Yumichika in a while. "Since they haven't had any involvement in any of the clashes that took place this afternoon, that leaves them being the healthiest division left." Renji explained, Toshiro turned away for a moment as if he was thinking about something to say but he didn't. Everyone broke off into little groups, taking time to rest and come up with a plan. I decided to go freshen up so Rangiku showed me where to shower, the showers here were very nice and nobody could just walk in which made me at ease. I didn't have to keep my guard up all the time, especially in such a secure room like this. When I stepped out, I wrapped a towel around me and walked into the room.

"Kuro,"

I jumped out of my skin, letting out a shout and turned around to find my brother sitting on the bed. "Ichigo, you idiot! You can't just sneak up on people who just got out of the shower like that!! What are you doing in here?" I questioned, he handed me my clothes and sighed. I took the clothes from him, going back into the bathroom to change and came out. Ichigo patted the spot next to him on the bed, which let me know that he wanted to talk. I sat down next to him, "I came to check on you. I was worried about how you were feeling, after all, you did just have surgery.." He seemed like he wanted to say more but he held himself back, we never really did resolve the fight we had earlier.

"I'm sorry that I locked you in a room and barred you from fighting. All I wanted to do was keep you safe and clearly I underestimated your ability to stay locked up anywhere.... It broke my heart when I found out that you were in the hospital after that fight, I was trying to avoid that. I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you needed me." Ichigo apologized, his eyes met mine and I could see the pain in his eyes. I reached over and grabbed his hands, holding them softly and looked into his brown eyes. It's funny now that I look at them, the emotion that I could read from him were easy but his eyes.. He had a kindness in them that I hadn't seen since before our Mom died. It gave me a sense of familiarity and comfort, that even if everything was falling apart, he wouldn't let me get swallowed up by that feeling of helplessness and anguish.

"Ichigo, you don't have to apologize. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I didn't listen to you and look where that got me. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you when you were only looking out for me. I rushed off without thinking about my condition, all I really wanted to do was help. I can't sit on the sidelines while everyone else is out risking their lives to save not just our town but their home as well. I'm sorry that I made you feel guilty about not being there when Eli kidnapped me, that wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry that I said those awful things.. I was just really angry with you for locking me in a room with nothing to do to help the others. I'm so sorry, you've always been there for me when I needed you the most. I shouldn't fault you for not being there when Eli kidnapped me, after all.. You came after me and you didn't let me fall deeper into despair after I gained my hollow powers. Thank you for being here when I need you." Ichigo smiled at me, pulling me into a hug which I gave back. I let myself sink into my brother's warmth, smiling happily as he accepted my apology.

"It's nice to see you two forgiving each other with a good old hug." My smile only grew bigger as I saw Renji standing in the doorway, "What do you want, Renji? Can't I have a moment with my little sister without being harassed?" Ichigo quipped, pulling away from me. I giggled at his question as Renji walked into the room, "Well, I'll have you know, I wasn't coming to tease you. I came to check up on my girlfriend and tell you guys that were about to eat." Renji crossed his arms, "Food?!" I perked up, standing to my feet.

"Yeah, the squad prepared a meal for everyone."

"Come on!!!" My stomach rumbled, "Let's go eat!!" I grabbed Ichigo's hand and Renji's, dragging them both out of the room. They yelped behind me as I ran as fast as I could, "Will you slow down?!!"

"Yeah, Kuro. There's no need for you to rush. There's plenty of food to go around." Renji agreed.

"Not when you have the Twins and Ishihara around! I'm not letting them get the chance to eat everything!!"

"You're killing me, Kuro." Ichigo whined.

"Suck it up." I said, making him growl in annoyance.