Ebon Phoenix [#1] [Complete]

Nightmare

Chapter 6

Nightmare

It was dark and raining. The fog had settled around him, enveloping him in its embrace. Thunder boomed in the distance, following its blinding predecessor.

Ichigo stood in its midst, confused and disoriented. He didn't where he was or how he had gotten there. He couldn't understand what was going on. His mind wasn't working properly, it wasn't working like it was supposed to be, he couldn't -- he couldn't think. Everything was marbled, yet the sense of dread was unyielding, the only thing that his mind could process, could understand.

His body moved of its own accord, one foot stepping in front of the other. He walked for what seemed like eternity, with no destination or hope of salvation, until he reached the edge of a graveyard. The air around him sung of death and solitude, but still, his body pushed on. Ichigo begged it to stop, to bring him to safety instead of peril, with no luck. Slowly, the dark silhouette of an aged house came into view. It wasn't long until Ichigo found himself pushing open the door and creeping inside.

He heard voices, at least, he thought they were voices, he couldn't quite tell anymore. They were hushed, their meaning lost on Ichigo's foggy mind. His body trekked forward, hauling itself up a flight of stars. Ichigo could make out a form huddled over a chair with... something sitting in it. Suddenly there was a loud hissing sound in his mind. It was loud, and the sound hurt. The man gripped the sides of his head, willing it to stop. He briefly registered something brushing against the side of his ankle, but left as quickly as it had come. He saw figures moving, but they were muffled and darkening. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain -- like fire -- crawling in his chest, and then,

He woke up.

Cold sweat stuck his clothes to his lithe form. His heart was beating far too fast to be possible, and Ichigo found that his disorientation had followed him into the real world. His head throbbed and his chest ached, unbelievably so. Ichigo tried to send something, anything, to Dumbledore to alert him of his unsavory state, but he couldn't get his magic to work. Panic spread throughout his being. He threw the covers off of his body, suddenly scorching hot. Sweat dripped off his brow in rivers. Ichigo swung his legs over the side of his bed, and made the mistake of trying to get up. His legs trembled under his weight and he sunk to the floor, his back to the edge of his bed.

He heard muffled yells inside of his mind, but he paid them no mind. Ichigo commanded his magic, he mumbled spells and jinx, trying to just get it to work. His flustered impatience took the last of what little energy he had left. The door to his chambers opened slowly, and then it seemed to slam open, vibrating the floor under Ichigo. He recognized someone coming in, shaky and cold fingers touching him, grabbing him, shaking him. The world suddenly turned sideways as his mind finally gave way to fatigue.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Hermione found herself to be a very observant person, she noticed things that many did not. Ichigo's absence was something everyone noticed. At first, nothing seemed amiss. It wasn't uncommon for the man to miss a class here and there, after all, he was a busy man. At least, as far as Hermione, Ron, and Harry knew. Although they were still skeptical about the man -- as they should be -- Ichigo had never harmed anyone in the school, in fact, he was helping them. He got onto some bullies who were teasing Neville. He helped Hermione with homework, Ron with girls, and Harry with his woes. He helped everyone in some way, even Slytherins, albeit only a few. Some just refused any type of help.

It was when he missed an entire day's worth of classes that they began to worry. Students would take both curious and worried glances to where the wizard would usually stand, and slowly hushed whispers spread. Even teachers seemed curious to where Ichigo had gone, which made Hermione very apprehensive. 'So, it's not something that was planned...' The young girl thought back to when Ichigo had told them about why he was really at the school. She began to worry that maybe he had gotten himself in trouble, something her and her friends seemed to do on a daily basis. Nodding to herself, she scribbled down a note and passed it to Harry, who read it and in turn passed it to Ron.