For every end a beginning - round 3 BRFC
Yarly, I passed round 2! Yayz~ This is also my very first-ever attempt at yaoi. How'd I do?
Genre: Friendship, Angst, (romance?)
Characters: Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryuu
He would always remember.
He would always remember the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo.
He would remember their supposed "rivalry". Eternal enemies, the Quincy and the Shinigami.
He remembered when the carrot-head would watch intently over his shoulder as he carefully stitched together cloths and lace and buttons.
When he would watch the archery club (from a good distance, as if he were hiding from something) as they nocked and aimed and fired.
When they grew stronger together, breached Hueco Mundo together, fought-not physically by each other's sides, but with their spirits, all the same.
Yes, he would always remember.
But would Ichigo?
---
They had returned to Karakura Town, to find that the battle had already been won by Soul Society. They returned-Inoue, Kuchiki, Sado, Kurosaki, and himself-dusty and weary and nearly broken, but relieved that it was over. They had expected to be welcomed, honored, recognized.
But as soon as they entered the other battlefield, they were suddenly brought to the all-too familiar black state of unconsciousness.
And when they came to, there was nothing.
He had felt something drop. Well...not drop exactly. It seemed like something that was always there-pushing down at him-was suddenly gone, but he couldn't figure out just what it was. It made him uneasy.
There was the classroom, just like it had been before it had all happened, his classmates seated at their desks, chatting away.
Just like they always did.
There was the teacher at the front of the room, gathering her materials (according to the clock behind her, class had just finished), there was Sado sitting in his corner, silently writing something down, there was Inoue talking animatedly with Chizuru-who was searching for a moment to catch her "Hime" off guard-and Tatsuki, who kept glaring at the bespectacled red-head, waiting for her to make her move so she could deal some moves only the second-strongest woman in Japan could execute.
And there, in his usual spot by the window, sat Kurosaki Ichigo.
He seemed even more moody than he usually was, gazing out the window as if he were waiting for someone. Ishida walked over.
"Kurosaki?"
Ichigo turned his head, scowling at the Quincy.
"What?"
"Do you remember what happened...after we left Hueco Mundo? To the other captains."
"The hell are you talking about?"
Ishida blinked rapidly and hastily pushed up his glasses. (He still marveled at Inoue's healing skill-she had revived his entire hand)
"You know, when we won! What happened after that?"
"Look, I don't know how you know my name, Glasses. I don't even know who you are. But if you need any help, my dad's a doctor. I don't know if you've gone crazy or something, but leave me alone, okay? And why aren't you wearing the school uniform?"
It hit him like a thunderbolt-the realization that Kurosaki's memories had been wiped clean, his reiatsu too, which was why the atmosphere had felt so abnormally light. Had Sado's been as well? And Inoue? Was that why they were not huddled in a group by Ichigo like they always were?
Uryuu didn't even want to find out. He dashed out the door (he heard a faint "Hey!" but ignored it, running down the stairs and out of the building, not even looking where he was going. His feet seemed to move of their own accord, auto-piloting him outside. His surroundings were nothing but a blur as his thoughts flurried by.
How?
The Memory Chikan, of course. It must have been of a very strong variety, to wipe out even Kurosaki Ichigo's memories.
When?
After they exited the portal? Before? When they entered Soul Society? It didn't seem to matter.
Why?
He halted abruptly, vaguely aware of his white shawl floating around him from the sudden stop and his chest thumping madly inside him.
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why had their memories been wiped? Why hadn't they done it do him? And their reiatsu! Why had they erased the power of their allies? Was it to prevent any more intruders? Was it because Kurosaki was too powerful? Why had they left him with his Quincy powers still in tact? Was it sympathy? Because he was the last Quincy?
"Why!?" Ishida found himself yelling out loud. His voice sounded weak, hoarse. It seemed like a joke; his usual composed self, screaming at the heavens, and the gods that he knew were there somewhere, who had decided that it was better to push them out of their lives.
A terrible, terrible joke that couldn't be undone.
"Hey."
He didn't need to look to see who it was.
"You forgot your stuff in the classroom."
Ishida turned and forced a smile at his tall classmate, his nakama. Or was it former nakama, now that his memories were gone? He accepted his things with a muttered "thanks" and began to walk home.
"Hey!"
"What?" he asked irritably. Couldn't he be left in peace?
Kurosaki grunted in a very Kurosaki-like fashion. "Look, sorry if whatever I said back there offended you, okay? I just feel weird today."
Uryuu allowed a small smile. "It's fine. Not your fault."
"Yeah, well."
"See you in class tomorrow."
"Huh."
Uryuu started home again, but was interrupted once more.
"Wait..."
"Yes?"
"What...what is your name?"
"Ishida. Ishida Uryuu."
"Yeah. See you in class then, Uryuu."
They parted ways, the Quincy one, the ex-shinigami the other. But despite being burdened with a secret, Ishida Uryuu couldn't help but feel that perhaps with one story's end there began another.