When Shiro woke again, he was lying on something soft and a cool weight pressed against his jaw. "Hnnn." He tried to turn his face away from the cold. Blinking away the groggy aftereffects of unconsciousness, he looked up to see Ichigo's dad leaning over him. He was lying in one of the clinic exam rooms and an ice pack was held against his cheek. Isshin took one of Shiro's hands and placed it against the pack. When he was sure he wouldn't drop it, he pulled out a small light to check the dilation of his eyes.
The teenager squinted as the light was passed in front of him. He could see Chad standing in the doorway between flashes.
"It doesn't look like you have much more than a mild concussion." Gentle prodding at his ribs made Shiro wince slightly. "Just bruising here. Nothing broken." Ichigo's dad almost seemed to be talking to himself. Pulling back a ripped sleeve, he began cleaning a long scrape that trailed the length of Shiro's pale forearm. When he glanced down and it immediately started to sting. He didn't remember getting it. Must have happened when he hit the pavement. Isshin was quiet for a few minutes, but Shiro knew it wouldn't last long. Sighing, he figured he'd get the inevitable over with.
"Aren't you going to ask me what happened?"
Isshin stopped what he was doing and gave him a level look. "Do you want to tell me?"
Shiro looked up and blinked, nearly dropping the ice pack. He'd always seen Ichigo's dad as such a goof. His suddenly serious demeanor caught him off guard. "Not really."
"Then don't worry about it." He went back to cleaning the scrape. Satisfied that he'd removed all of the grit and dirt, he disinfected it and wrapped a length of protective gauze around Shiro's arm.
"Thanks."
"Again, don't worry about it."
Shiro frowned. He wasn't used to anyone's help let alone having anyone really give a damn in the first place. Isshin watched the confusion play on his face. "My children are quite fond of you. My son in particular."
"Is he. . ." Shiro swallowed and forced it out. "Is he here?"
"Not at the moment. He called a little while ago and should be back soon."
Mildly panicked golden flicked back up. Shiro was afraid he knew everything and wasn't sure why that bothered him. Holding his breath, he waited for what he'd say next. Now that he wasn't in immediate danger anymore, he was sure he would be quickly ushered out the door and told never to come back. So he was surprised to hear what Isshin actually said.
"Try to take better care of yourself and not worry them so much." Shiro blinked. Having a pretty good idea what the teenager had been thinking, the older man smiled a little. "Get some sleep. Ichigo should be back by the time you wake up." With that, he left the room. Chad merely nodded in his direction and followed him out, leaving Shiro alone in the dark. He lay back and listened to the sound of the storm rumbling outside, wondering how he'd gotten tangled in such a mess.
. . . . . . .
Ichigo tore across town, keeping a wary eye behind him just in case Grimmjow recovered and decided to chase him down. But he'd hit the ground pretty hard and the by time he got up, Ichigo was most likely long gone. The small relief was short lived. Coming up to the building, he slowed to a stop, unsure of how to proceed. He was right in thinking Shiro's guys wouldn't let him through. Several people blocked his way this time and no one offered to show him in. Taking a breath, Ichigo refused to back down. Catching the wary eyes of the nearest person, he called out to them.
"Look, I need to talk to him. Let me in before I break in." Anger clouded his vision with just a hint of panic. He wasn't sure what he'd do if they didn't step aside. It had the potential to get ugly. A taller figure stepped forward and Ichigo recognized him from the first time he'd been brought here. Dingo? Banjo? He couldn't quite remember the name.
