Sunset in Heaven

Chapter 10

"C-Chichi...?" The voice didn't sound or feel like it came from him. It sounded so far away and so eerie to be his. Not far from him, an anguished pitiful shriek broke the night's silence and he knew who the voice belonged to.

He knew it but he didn't care who it was anymore. He didn't care what it was that made her cry in agony like that. All he cared about was the figure in front of him, the one pinned on the wall, with blood oozing from his body and down from the wall to the ground.

He felt like he was suffocating. "Chi..." He couldn't move. Juushirou was alive just earlier. Why was he pinned on the wall as a bloodied corpse now? Why was he lifeless and cold now? And he knew, there was no one who would ruffle his hair anymore, no one to call him son, no one to share hundred-year-old stories to him... No one to call chichi... No one to treat as family... No one to look at him warmly, even if he did something mischievous... No one to love him as much as Juushirou did... "Chichi..."

He wanted to cry. He wanted so much to cry his heart out until he dies... But there was no shoulder to lean on anymore, no more comforting words and warm, gentle hands to make him feel safe. Juushirou was gone... His guardian, his beloved father was gone...

And he was still in that position when he felt the attack coming from his left. He dodged just in time and everything returned to normal. He could hear the other Shinigamis' presences now; he could hear the sobs, the mumbles, and the shriek that came from the woman who had just attacked him.

"It's you, isn't it!?" Momo was crying but her expression was twisted into fury. "You killed Aizen-taichou!!!" And she attacked him again. "Hajike, Tobiume!" And fire erupted from her zanpakutou, about to burst Ichigo's whole body with it when Toshirou stepped in the way and blocked the fire with his zanpakutou. Rangiku and Renji immediately subdued her and Ichigo watched as she tried to struggle against them. Toshirou immediately gave the order that she be imprisoned for a while for attacking someone.

"My condolence, Kurosaki." His expression was his usual scowl but his eyes held the deep sadness and pain for the loss of Juushirou. "And also, I apologize for Hinamori-fukutaichou's behavior." He bowed a little before he moved away.

Renji went to Ichigo's side the moment Momo had been taken away. "Ichigo, Aizen-taichou was on the other side of this wall. Your reiatsu was still all over the place because you fought with him here earlier. No one could sense anyone else's reiatsu beyond the vicinity except yours, Aizen-taichou's, and Ukitake-taichou's."

Ichigo heard it. He knew that he was going to be arrested until he was proven innocent. But he had no mind nor will to argue. Let them do what they want.

Renji shook him when he didn't answer, and when he still didn't answer, the redhead shook him harder, his nails digging onto Ichigo's arms painfully. "Listen, Ichigo. From the looks of things, it will seem like you killed Aizen-taichou and Ukitake-taichou tonight. Don't you understand!? You will be executed too!!"

"I will never... hurt chichi..." He answered, feeling that his hoarse voice still sounded so far away. His mind still couldn't comprehend what was happening and his body was still too shocked to move.

"I know. I know... and I also feel bad about what happened to Ukitake-taichou..." Renji answered, still shaking Ichigo lightly. "But Ichigo, if you don't go now, they will arrest you. It's not a matter of not trying to escape to prove that you're innocent, Ichigo. Everyone will think that you did it and will not even doubt the evidence pointing the crime to you." Renji felt like breaking up as well. First Rukia, then Ichigo too. And his friend had just experienced death once more.

And before they knew it, the Kidou Corps had already arrived and bound Ichigo using a Bakudo.

"Ichigo Ukitake, you are by now arrested for taking the life of two Taichous just because they knew of your dark secret." One of them said and Ichigo looked at him with a dead expression. He didn't know what they were talking about. "Aizen-taichou left a message on his office table, telling us that you are, in fact, not a Shinigami but a Vizard, a creature with both Shinigami and Hollow powers. The letter says that he will try to confront you about it tonight, and that if he didn't come back, the only one who could've murdered him was you. The evidence clearly says that Aizen-taichou tried to confront you about it earlier but you lashed out at him and killed him. Your father, Juushirou Ukitake-taichou came here and probably saw what you did to Aizen-taichou. And you killed him as well."