34Took an FMM break and felt compelled to write a little more for this story. Wrote this chapter today. Sort of lazy writing - in that, once it's on paper, it stays.
If you enjoy anything about this chapter, please do R&R. Good or bad. Always love to hear from you!
Junichiblue
Chapter 2
They followed the path in silence, leaves and small twigs holding a brittle conversation beneath their feet, one that seemed far too loud to their sensitive ears.
They were still on watch, as they had been for the weeks since their abrupt departure from their life. From their home. From their family.
Every night Ichigo would sleep in short drifts, his senses too on edge and too brittle to let him rest for long. But when he did, he dreamt; of smiles, of meals, of conversations and daily chores. Of their small ranch at the end of town, and it's too tiny one room hospital.
He could see the tumbleweeds rolling by. Smell the hay. Hear his sister's laugh turn to a scream.
He'd jolt awake each time, breathing hard and covered in sweat that he couldn't spare.
There was no home. No family. Not anymore.
Ichigo turned his head and brushed another thick, leafy branch out of his way with his shoulder as they descended far too slowly into the valley below. Despite his growing wariness, and thirst, he didn't dare break any branches. He didn't risk damaging the foliage on this thin path, lest he meet up with the locals. Given their efforts to conceal their presence, he was sure they wouldn't take kindly to any trespassers, even less to any who showed disregard for their land and their privacy.
The thick underbrush prevented him from seeing far ahead, assessing the terrain. The canopy above cut much of the light, allowing brief patches of sky and light to slip down between the leaves and reach the forest floor, where Ichigo and Zangetsu's feet caught often on roots and small rocks.
Their steps were quicker now, less careful. They were losing light.
The path sloped downwards, though. There was no doubt about that. He could tell by the trees that grew here, and the subtle but growing dampness of the earth below his feet, that they were heading towards the bottom of the valley. Towards water.
Ichigo swallowed against a dry and sticky throat.
There was no doubt.
X X X
They walked for nearly an hour, the light leaving them faster as they descended into the valley. Ichigo's thirst was a true burn now. A dull ache had begun to drum inside his skull. The branches and leaves seemed to clutch at them harder, pulling at their skin, his clothes.
Colours were washed away into greys and inky shades of black. He could still see the path though.
There had actually been a few small openings in it along the way, clearings just large enough for them to bed for the night. And if they'd tucked close together, a small fire would have been safe.
But he couldn't afford to stop.
He was too warm. He'd been moving steadily. But he'd stopped sweating.
Ichigo had taken up the front, Zangetsu panting behind him, heavy horse breath blowing loud and hot just behind his nape. A comfort. And a worry.
Ichigo moved a heavy branch that slung itself across the path like a big lazy thing. And then he tripped. One of the endless damn roots had caught his foot, and he stumbled forwards. As he lost his footing, his grip went with it, and the branch in his hand snapped back at him, its ends whipping him in a sting across his front. It abraded his face and arms as he fell, barely catching himself on his hands and knees, cursing as he toppled and landed hard on the ground.
"Sonofabitch." Ichigo's face pulled up from the dirt, eyes clenched shut in a grimace.
He coughed and tried to spit the dirt from his mouth in vain.
Nothing to spit it out with.
His head was banging harder now too, after the sudden drop and rise in blood pressure. He pushed himself to his knees, scrubbing the dirt from his mouth with his forearm.
He blinked a few times, and looked up. To see nothing.
No, not nothing. Just no more leaves in his face. His eyes widened, a burst of hope running through him.
It was a clearing. He was out of the brush. It was nearly dark, but the moon had begun to rise, and he could see at least that much.
He was just beginning to try to rise, just beginning to feel something like relief, when a sound made him startle. Ichigo pushed himself back to his feet in a hurry. But he'd moved much too quickly, and the trees around him suddenly spun.
A voice. The sound had been a voice. Close.
"Well now. You're far from home, ain'tcha?"
The clearing spun away from him, and Ichigo hit the ground again, an endless darkness beyond the darkness swarming over his vision. He cursed internally. He was going to pass out. And he was helpless to do anything about it. He couldn't do a thing to protect himself or Zangetsu but drop into darkness, chased by the last words he heard.
"Now, what are we gonna do with you?"
X X X
He could hear sounds around him; shuffling of feet, voices. They were distant, meaningless. But one sound caught his attention and he strained for it.
Water. Splashing. A light refreshing sound.
Something held him down, though it took no effort at all. He was so weak. So, thirsty.
Then something touched his lips. It was soft, heavy at first, enticing him. But most importantly, it was wet.
"Common now, son. Drink up." Ichigo didn't need telling. It was automatic - even if his mind wasn't all there - to open his mouth, to reach for the drops of water that fell on his lips.
"There we go. That's a good boy."
He moaned when it was gone.
"Hush now. We'll get there."
The cloth was replaced, wrung out slowly over his mouth again, and he took every drop he could get, lifting his head to grab at the cloth with his teeth and pull every bit of water out of it, until it was taken away.
"Not too quick now. Or you'll be sick."
He didn't know how long they kept it up, but at some point, he'd fallen back asleep.
X X X
He woke suddenly, panic clawing at his chest, mouth still too dry, screams and fire and dying all dragging at his senses as the world around him rushed in to replace it. A hand on his chest kept him down, his breathing ragged but beginning to slow.
"Ah, there there. Don't try to sit up just yet."
Ichigo was just beginning to focus, beginning to take in the man in front of him, the room behind him. The bed beneath his back. No more trees, or roots or rocks. He was in a small cabin, windows on each side, a thick doorway ahead. He let himself fall slack against the sheets, watching the man turn away from him before turning back.
"Here. You'll be wanting more of this." He held out a glass of water, not nearly the size Ichigo wanted, but it was a start.
He practically snatched it, though his arms felt buttery. The man reached around and lifted his head for him, and though he wanted to, Ichigo didn't protest. He cared more about water than anything in this world, and he pulled it down his throat in four quick gulps.
"It's good, yes?" The man smiled at him, eyes laughing. "Another?"
Ichigo nodded, and the glass was lifted from his hand. Something rushed through his mind, then and he jolted forward again, stomach roiling a little – like the man had said it would.
"Zangetsu!" His voice was strained, a rasp catching on a dry cough.
"Your stallion. He's doing very well." The man nodded down at him. "It was you we were worried about."
Ichigo didn't try to speak again right away. Another glass of water was placed in his hand, no offer to lift his head this time. Take it slow was the message.
"You can see him in the morning, when you're on your feet." Take it slow and stay in bed. Ichigo nodded back. But he had one question still.
"How long?" he asked carefully, just a whisper this time.
"Have you been here? Two days. You're lucky we found you when we did."
X X X
The sun was up and so was Ichigo. He'd been allowed to leave his room under Urahara's care for an hour yesterday. Long enough to see Zangetsu. The big simp was doing just fine. In fact, the stall he was in was downright cushy, full of food and water, and Zangetsu had been looking a tad too regal for Ichigo's liking. His horse had attitude to begin with. He didn't need any more.
They greeted with a fierce head rub though, both equally relieved to see that the other was alive and well.
He'd spent part of that hour with Zangetsu. And the other part taking in the town around him. It was breathtaking, especially when compared to Ichigo's home out on the plains, which was dry and hot, farmland and a lot of dust. Everything here was fresh and green, colours vivid and smells pleasant on the senses. He'd been told he'd slept through the storm, the one he'd been hoping for all that time.
The town itself wasn't big. One single long street, lined by rows of buildings, all of it nestled amongst long grasses and rich farm plots. They were part way down a valley, a shelf of land their home. The clearing itself was expansive, and they were surrounded by trees and forest that sloped gently up one side, the way Ichigo had come. The other side, behind the trees, was a back drop of mountains.
He was told that the bottom of the valley rested a little ways beyond the tree line. There was fresh, clean water at the foot of the mountains. Good swimming and good fishing. It was like some sort of dream life to Ichigo. Swimming holes were shallow and often muddy in the dry season, when you wanted it most. And fresh fish for dinner? He'd only had dried or smoked, and only on a few occasions. Men were more interested in cattle and pork where he'd lived.
Now, he was up again, yesterday's hour of exercise being enough for him at the time.
He was better after another night's rest. He still felt weak, but it was less from thirst now or hunger. He'd been hydrated and fed well. It was the weeks of constantly being on the move with little food or water than had finally caught up to him. He'd lost weight he hadn't even noticed. But now that he'd seen himself in a mirrored surface, he was a little shocked. His muscles had tightened down to an almost wiry look that he didn't like. Like when he'd been a teenager. He'd finally started to grow into himself and now it looked like he'd fallen back into the past. Except that he looked tired, and older somehow too.
He was healing though. Inside and out. The outside took care of itself, but it was the insides that needed tending to. He'd been told that by the man who'd spent the most time with him. Urahara was his name, and he'd noticed Ichigo's nightmares. They hadn't talked about it yet, or what had brought him here. Ichigo had tried, but nothing had come out. And why should it, when no one had believed him before.
He pulled his shirt on and ran a comb through his hair. It stuck itself right back up to where it liked to be, and he shrugged. It was bright orange. There was no hiding that. So, why not let it stand on end as much as it wanted to. That had always been his view of things like that. You couldn't hide different.
You sure could kick the neighbour kids asses when they made fun of you for it. But you couldn't hide it.
He stepped up to the mirror and glowered at his own reflection as he turned his head to check on one of his many fine scratches.
He had a tree he'd like to find and turn to kindling.
He'd noticed something odd when he'd risen earlier to clean himself up and dress. He'd been give a bath of warm water and some privacy, and he'd taken to ridding himself of the dirt and gunge that his caretakers had so politely saw fit not to touch.
He wasn't too worse for wear after all of it. But there was one thing. A mark on his neck, at the side. Where the branches had caught him? It didn't look like scratches though, almost like, two small puncture holes. He frowned. Had he been bitten by a snake? Nobody had said anything about it, and he wasn't ill. So, nothing to worry about then. They'd heal up as good as the rest.
He smoothed out his shirt and turned towards the doorway. There was a knock just as he reached for it. Perfect timing. He pulled it open to bright sunlight and birds chirping, and one Urahara.
The sun was just up and Ichigo was always one to be up with it, often before it. He was used to that on his family's ranch. Chores often needed to be started before the day did. But Urahara had made a strange request of Ichigo the other day. He'd asked that Ichigo please remain inside his cabin until the sun had reached the town's centre. Not before.
"You're our guest. And those are our rules." Ichigo's face must have told of his doubt, because Urahara had sighed and continued, offering very little more, but enough that Ichigo could accept it, for now.
"The wildlife around here can be... unpredictable if you aren't familiar with it."
They'd had breakfast first; fresh eggs, warm from the oven bread with a pat of fresh churned butter, slices of tomatoes with parsley, and a thick slice of ham. It was heavenly. It was also too bad Ichigo couldn't get used to this.
The entire town was up by the time breakfast was served, and every time he looked up, he was being checked out. A group of kids peered through one of the windows of the town's small bar as Ichigo looked up from his meal, a piece of ham hanging from his mouth. They giggled and ran back out into the street when he nodded at them.
After breakfast, Urahara gave him another, more thorough tour, introducing him to the townsfolk as they walked, most of whom were busy with chores at this time of day. There was one building that stood out from the rest, nothing really different about it, except that it stood a bit further down than the other cabins. And nearby was a small rock outcropping. It jutted out of the ground, not quite looking like it belonged there, its centre bouldered over as if something were beneath it, a cave perhaps? Or an old abandoned well?
"Is that a cave?" he'd asked. Urahara hesitated for a split second.
"Just a small one. But it wasn't safe for kids to play around, so we covered it up." Ichigo raised an eyebrow or two at that. Those were some damn big boulders to be moving around, even if you had machines and horses.
"Wow," he muttered as they continued by. "What's the building next to it?"
"Hm? Just another home."
"Huh. Why is it so much further out than the rest? It seems sort of out of place, you kno-?"
Ichigo hadn't even finished his question when he suddenly felt like the air around him had dropped a few degrees, hairs rising in response along the back of his neck.
"Damn." Ichigo looked around to see if the trees were moving. They were not. "Where'd that cold wind come from?"
Urahara seemed to stiffen too. Though he didn't seem to be shivering like Ichigo was.
"Did you feel that?"
Urahara looked at him blankly for a moment.
"No. Now that's really all there is to the town. I'll take you to the water next." And suddenly he was steering them away - a firm hand at Ichigo's back - from the small building, and leading Ichigo towards a wide and well used path that led down into the valley.
The message was clear, though. Stay away from that building.
He'd come back up from the water on his own an hour later. Urahara had his own chores to tend to. So Ichigo had been give some trust, which was weird because he was starting to feel even more creeped out as the day went on. Something about that house had stayed with him, as if someone inside it could see him down at the water's edge, even from all the way up there.
He followed the same wide path back into town, then turned in the other direction, into the fields beyond. He wanted to be alone for awhile. Perhaps he was just getting used to it, being on his own. With all these people around him, who felt so much like a large family, he was starting to feel less and less like he belonged here.
He stopped as he passed by that cabin. And he found himself staring at it for a long moment. He tilted his head slightly. A feeling was growing inside him. He wanted to walk right up to the door, throw it open and catch whoever was inside, in the middle of whatever they were doing. The sensation that whoever was inside, knew he was standing there grew exponentially.
On the other hand, all he wanted to do was run and never look back at that house at all.
He turned and kept on walking, quickly, giving the building a wide berth. He needed open air and sunlight.
X X X
"I see you found Wolf trail." Ichigo jumped, nearly clearing the grass. He spun around and glared hard at the man who'd startled him. How had Urahara even gotten so close without Ichigo hearing?
"Wolf trail?"
"Yes. That's the path you were on. There are a few trails we use when we wish to visit with the outside world. That one, we only use during the day. But at night it belongs to the wolves."
Ichigo wasn't one to be afraid of the world. He grew up around animals, at ease with nature. But he visibly blanched. They may not go after a man, but Zangetsu, no matter how Ichigo thought of him, was not a man. An easy meal for a pack of dedicated wolves.
"Oh, but you needn't worry, young man. The wolves don't bother us here in town."
Ichigo made small sound, a grunt of confusion; a question.
"There are much worse things out there than wolves." Ichigo's eyes studied the man's face, confused and frowning.
Urahara stopped talking and smiled wanly. Oh. Ichigo wasn't really asking. And now he'd said too much. He sometimes had a way of doing that. Not that it happened that strangers fell into their midst very often. No. Not often at all. Even if the rarest ones stumbled onto a pathway than lead into their land, they never made it this far. The wolves got them first.
"You know. Big cats. Snakes and such." He smiled again.
Ichigo looked back at him, trying not to show how unconvinced he was.
Something was off about the man, about this place, about that building.
It was indeed beautiful. And everybody was smiles and kindness. So, generous to him. He owed them.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that the moment he left, they would all sigh in relief, as if they'd been using all of their energy to hide something big.
Something almost right under his nose, had he known to look for it.