The Hero's name Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – Waking up

Chapter's Music - Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie

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He was laying on a cold, rocky floor. Everything in his body hurt, like a truck had used him as a road. And he wasn't alone. He could hear others' breathing patterns beside his own, he could feel hands touching his body and he could hear, far away, fading voices that appeared to be calling him. A sweet voice, that made him remember ice cream and rainbows and another rougher one that remembered him of strawberries and swords…

"Katsuo, come back…"

"Please, wake up honey…"

He tried to squeeze his fingers and when he was able of doing it he heard two gasps and someone grabbed his hand, while another one touched his cheek softly. He swallowed the excess of saliva, tasting a taste of iron that made him realize he probably bitten himself, drawing blood. His eyelids felt like they weight tons, however, when the voices turned more urgent and the touches more fierce, he made the last effort of lifting them.

Two persons were looking down at him, two pairs of brown eyes, two orange manes and two equally worried, but at the same time, relieved expressions.

"Mom… dad…" Katsuo croaked and Orihime sniffed, the tears falling over her son's face. "Don't cry…" he said, trying to reach his mother's face, but failing.

"You're still weak, please rest a little more…" Ichigo asked softly and Katsuo looked at him.

"Thank you!" he said, remembering the last image of his father beside him in the fight.

Ichigo looked at him, confused, but had no time to ask anything, because his son's eyes were once again closed; his breathing pattern calm and his face with a lingering smile.

The orange haired man grabbed his son under his neck and under his knees, rising with him against his chest. Orihime tried to argue, but her husband looked at her with a resolute expression that made her understand how serious he was about that arrangement. She smiled at him in understanding and grabbing his right arm, the three of them started walking towards the exit.

Gin was expecting them, some meters away, resting against a cave wall like he had no care in the world.

"Ready to go back?" he asked, noticing their approach and Orihime nodded, while Ichigo didn't even spared a glance in his direction.

"Thank you…" she said, stopping in front of the grey haired man and bowing as a signal of respect.

Gin looked at her surprised, like she was from another planet, while Ichigo shook his head with a bemused expression in his face. When Gin's surprise expression disappeared he chuckled.

"Aizen was definitely right, you are a sight to be held and an enemy to be feared…" he replied, while walking away.

Ichigo lost his amused expression at the mention of the former captain and a vindictive shine took over his eyes.

"Later…" Orihime said, touching his shoulder and he understood what she meant: in that moment all they should be worried about was the boy in his father's arms.

"Later…" he agreed, with a softer expression.

Orihime couldn't explain why, but all the darkness that made her fears resurface when she was walking the opposite direction just looked silly at the prospect of having her son back, it was probably the hope in her that was growing stronger and stronger at the sight of him, or the feeling of leaving that dark place… She couldn't be sure, but she welcomed that with open arms.

When they exited the cave, the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, the forest a lighter green and the birds' sounds were turning the place into a very enjoyable sight. Using his flash-step, Ichigo crossed the raging river, waiting only a millisecond for Orihime to join him. Gin was walking behind them, but neither of them paid him any mind, both mesmerized by their son's peaceful face and rosy cheeks.

The boy nudged his father's chest and sighed, and Orihime giggled at the sight.

"Just like when he was a baby…" she said, with a smile so bright it could compete with the sun.

"I miss that… Maybe we really should have another baby…" he said, in a teasing tone.

"Yes, and calling him Kisuke…" Orihime replied, with a fake thoughtful expression.

"You know what? Forget about that…" he said and she laughed, grabbing his arm and her son's hand.

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The walk was tiresome, especially for someone whose last nights were spent awake and worrying. When the family reached Soul Society, the gate was closed, his giant protector sitting beside it, playing cards with a ruffled Ukitake; apparently the man had some sleepless nights as well, according to the dark shadows under his eyes.

"Ukitake-san!" Orihime called, when the man rose to a standing position and ran to meet them halfway. "What are you doing here? You should be resting!"

"Expecting your delightful companies, my sweet girl… And don't worry, my health is better than ever..." he said, kissing her hand. He looked to Ichigo's tired face and noticed the boy over his arms. "Let me…" he said, extending his own to help the younger one relieve his burden.

"No, I'm the one that will escort my son to a bed!" Ichigo replied and without waiting another second restart walking to a gate already open. The giant saluted him, but Ichigo's eyes were trained in front of him, unable of noticing anyone else beside the boy inside his protection.


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The Abarai household's door was open, he could hear the faint voices of their habitants through the wooden walls.

"You have to rest!" Renji was yelling, stomping with his feet and Ichigo imagined him wandering around his daughter's room to stop her from running away.

"I need a bed to lay my son!" Ichigo yelled and when Orihime reached him she admonished her husband with her motherly stare.

An immediate rampage was heard throughout the place, four pairs of feet beating the floor just like enraged elephants. Ichigo could discern the thundering of Renji, the smallness of Rukia, the quick jumps of Kaoru and the howling of someone unexpected to him: his crazy father. He could feel other reiatsu approaching: Ishida and Chad's that were skyrocketing with anxiety.

"Katsuo!" Kaoru screamed, popping from the back of the house, with her parents and Isshin right beside her. She ran to Ichigo and Orihime, only stopping when she was a hair away from her boyfriend's body. She observed his pale face, his cheeks still tainted by his tears' tracks and his soft smile that finally made her sight.

"He is alright…" Orihime said, smiling down at the girl whose smile brightened her tired face.

Isshin kept his distance, while Renji directed Ichigo to one of the rooms where he laid Katsuo in a futon. When his son backed away they locked eyes, and Ichigo saw his father's brimming with tears.

"You're such a bastard!" the younger man said and with a swing of his arm, he punched his father right in the nose. Isshin looked dumbstruck, not his normal face after a punch from his son, but an apprehensive one.

"I didn't know what Aizen did with Orihime-chan… What Kisuke said was that maybe something was wrong with her and Katsuo and the answer resided with Gin… He told me he was going to revive him to know what happened… to know about what Grimmjow saw in Las Noches…" Isshin said, observing his feet instead of his son's face.

"Isshin-san…" a soft voice spoke from beside him and he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. He looked up, seeing Orihime's face shine with tears. "I know that what you did was to protect us… I know you thought this was the best way to help Katsuo, keeping it a secret so you could act quicker… But please, don't ever hide anything like that from us again…" she begged, with a smile wavering.

"Tsh, stupid old man, trying to fix everything by himself…" Ichigo scoffed, with his arms locked, in a way that told Isshin he was already forgiven. "And now here he is, crying like a baby…" he finished, with a teasing smile gracing his lips.

"Speaking of baby, where is Hanako?" Orihime said, looking behind Isshin like he could be hiding the girl between his body and the wall.

"She was with Shunsui… it's incredible how good he is with children since he is such a lazy drunk bastard…" Isshin said, with a contemplative look. Orihime looked at him with reproachable eyes and he smiled apologetically.

"I'm sure she is perfectly content with him!" the woman said confidently, while watching her son's chest rise and descend calmly. Kaoru was beside him, touching his hair softly, while her parents observed sadly.

"She was… until she felt your reiatsu approaching us…" a male voice said from the hallway and when Orihime and Ichigo turned they saw their daughter running toward them, her arms open and her smile almost blinding them with happiness.

"He is back! Katsuo-nii is back!" she said, running through Ichigo's open arms and entering the room where her brother was sleeping. The father was left dumbstruck, his smile frozen and his arms empty. Orihime couldn't stop herself from giggling at her husband's sad puppy eyes. However, his disappointed expression was immediately replaced with an amazed one at seeing his children finally together and safe.

"This is really perfect…" Orihime whispered, locking her hand with his. He looked down at her and without taking his eyes from hers he nodded, feeling the warm from her fingers spreading through his arm.

Shunsui approached the group and with Isshin observed the family inside the room.

"We are really lucky…" the flamboyant man said, with a meditative look.

"Yes, we are… We have amazing kids…" Isshin said, making Shunsui look at him, surprised. "Do you really think that during all those years I wouldn't notice who Orihime was?" Isshin said. "Don't you think that I would link her powers with your wife's family?" Isshin arched his eyebrow in a comical way that made Shunsui crack a smile.

"Please, don't tell anyone, it wouldn't be good for her to know about her past life or her family's connections…" Shunsui replied and Isshin nodded.

"I agree with you, your wife and daughter are dead, that branch of the royal family no longer exists, even if it is your daughter's soul reincarnated she is not that person… she might have a god's power, but she is only human…" Isshin concluded the conversation and Shunsui turned to look at the display of different affections in front of him.

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Katsuo was starting to get restless, just like he used to be before waking up. Kaoru was looking at him with veiled eyes, while everyone held their breathe, until he stopped moving and his eyelids opened. He looked up at her, his expression a mirror of her own: amazement, wonder, fear and doubt. He raised a trembling arm and touched her cheek with his fingertips. Kaoru molded her face against his hand and smiled, feeling the warm of his hand swipe through her body.

"Kaoru…" her mother called and looking around, she saw that Rukia was not looking at her, but at Orihime and Ichigo, both of them in a distant position, right beside the door. She understood the message immediately: she loved him without any doubt, but in that moment his parents needed that alone time with their son, they needed to mend their relationship and rebuilt the trust and faith in each other.

"I will come back later…" she said, kissing his forehead and feeling his hand squeeze her own. She still had to hear his voice, but right now, those touches and those traded looks were enough to mend her heart.

"I love you…" he said with his eyes and his smile and she answered with her own secret expressions, only reserved to him.

When the Abarai family left, closing the shoji door, Orihime and Ichigo observed how Hanako ran from where she sat, strangely quiet, until they were alone in the room.

"I'm sorry…" the little girl said, bowing her head in shame. Orihime and Ichigo gasped, but before they could say anything, their son took the lead.

"I'm one the one that has to say sorry, I hurt you and dad and mom, because I couldn't admit my own weakness, I made you cry… And I couldn't be more ashamed of my tactless actions, I should have told anyone, from the first time you warned me… but I couldn't, I was too scared of letting you down, of hurting you in any way… But in the end, by doing so, I hurt you even more…" he said, looking at his sister and parents, with guilty eyes. "Please, forgive me…"

Orihime sobbed and running to her children, embraced them in a bone-crushing hug, feeling their reiatsu fusion with her own in a secure blanket. Katsuo tried to be strong, but feeling his mother touch after all these time, made him forget all the pretenses and started crying in her shoulder, just like he used to, whenever he hurt himself playing in the park.

"Dad!" he called in a croaky voice and Ichigo didn't need another invitation to join the family hug. His long arms tried to encase the three people, like there was no tomorrow, like he could protect them as long as he kept them inside his bubble. However, like life showed him, keeping your loved ones close wasn't a reliable tactic for keeping them safe; Katsuo being a living proof of that…

"You have nothing to be sorry about… You were so brave, so strong… I'm so proud of you!" Ichigo whispered in his son's ear, while Orihime kept caressing his face with an amazed look and Hanako clinged to Katsuo's arm like a monkey.

"Who was that man?" Katsuo asked, when his family was a bit calmer and his mother stopped from touching ever surface of available skin.

"Someone that will no longer hurt you!" Orihime replied, surprising her son with the fury in her voice. It was the first time he heard such venom coming from his mother's mouth and noticing how her reiatsu flared he knew that this mysterious being was going to have a ticket to the highway of hell, presented by Kurosaki Orihime herself…

Katsuo looked at his father and saw that his eyes had darken, his scowl menacing and cold, like he was ready to slash someone, limb by limb… Seeing how their demeanor changed because of that question, Katsuo decided to disperse the tension.

"So… why is gramps' eye peeking from the door?" he asked and they could hear a shuffle behind the door. Ichigo cracked a smile when he heard his father's curse at falling, probably over his behind and when he opened the door, found him in the floor, with the most innocent expression he could manage while being found eavesdropping.

When Ichigo gesture for him to enter, the man jumped inside and with a watery smile, ran to his grandchild and took his face between his hands, looking inside his eyes.

"You're the kind of man I always dreamed as having for a grandson!" he told him, with the light of pride shining in his eyes.

Katsuo blushed and looked down, while his parents smiled serenely at his bashfulness. They had their son back and for now, not even Aizen could darken that happy thought…


Such a happy chapter, right? After all that drama and gloomy scenes we have the family together again! But we still have to see Aizen meeting his destiny, so don't worry, we will see a bit more of Orihime's dark side...

Please, comment! I need your support!