Recap:
"Stop right there Rukia! Is this some kind of joke!? You look at me properly!" Ichigo called before trying to push himself up in a push up position; Izumi obviously pushed him down harder before he could fully get himself up.
"Don't move!" Rukia's voice boomed making him stop his struggling. "Don't even try to move one step form there! If you try to follow me!" she paused seeming to compose herself before she looked back towards him. "I'll never forgive you!" she finished with small tears in her eyes which shook Ichigo to his core. "You're going to die anyway, conserve your energy and try to linger on for a moment longer; spend your last few moments on earth with that girl behind you."
A light rain began to drizzle down on the scene while Izumi watched everyone with a calculating look; Ichigo wasn't dead yet, if they left fast enough she would be able to save his life. She stared at Byakuya as he made eye contact with her and slowly pulled his hand from his Zanpaktou.
"Very well, I'll just leave him be then. Those two attacks were vital, his chest and collarbone have been thoroughly injured. He should die within a half hour. Even by chance if he does happen to live, not even a speck of Soul Reaper Powers will be left within him." Byakuya commented seeming to be talking more to himself then to anyone else around him. He wasn't too keen on letting him off but he knew the boy would die sooner than later. Looking towards his second in command he nodded his head.
"Renji." The red haired man nodded his own head before stabbing his sword into the air and twisting it like a key; suddenly a white and black Japanese style door appeared with the opening wide. Black butterflies fluttered out of the opening as the three soul reapers made their way in; as soon as they were through the door slide shut.
Izumi immediately sprang up onto her knees and shifted towards Ichigo's face trying to see if he was still conscious; she continued to push down on his wound while doing so. She was met with an anguished face before a pained scream left the boy's mouth. Tears poured from her eyes as she realized just how useless she was at that very moment. All she could do was cover his wound and hope that she could get him through the night.
....
Izumi's point of view
The cold rain poured around us as hot blood covered my finger tips. The rain seemed as though it wanted to wash away the mess of red before me; though the deep red color wouldn't, not it couldn't stop flowing from Ichigo's wounds. The enemy took Rukia minutes ago, it was safe for me to move him now. I should take him to Kisuke, I need to move. My body needs to move. I have lost men before in battle, I've watched my friends be consumed by monsters; I've killed people before and have never faltered. Not once. These are all facts and actions that I have committed and or lived through; so why? Why won't my body move!? Why can't I save my friend!? Please!
"Oh Ichi." the words slipped from my lips as I wiped my face with my wrist still managing to smear blood across my cheek.
My chest felt as if it was going to implode as I sat helplessly clutching both of my numb hands onto Ichigo's back. Even though the enemy had left multiple minutes ago, I still fid myself in shock. This was it. I crossed the line this time. I failed my mission; I've failed to uphold my promises. Ichigo is going to die, right here, right in my arms and my body is refusing to move. There's so much more I want him to experience in life. His life is too precious to just be stolen away! There's so much I need to be doing! I don't have time to sit here and feel sorry for myself!
A hand clapped down on my shoulder as whimpers continued to leave my lips. I didn't even have to look up to know whose firm grip it was. I felt so vulnerable, so weak; it's disgusting. Honestly sickening.
"Stand up Izumi. Now is not the time for this." Kisuke's voice was cold as he spoke to me. He was upset, I don't blame him; I broke his rules. Tessai came into view on the other side of Ichigo's body not long after; water drops slid down the older man's face as he stared down at the blood pooling around us. Even with my vision blurred, I could see the saddened expression Tessai looked from me to the young boy on the ground. Pathetic tears and whimpers continued to leave my being as I looked down in pity to my cold numb fingers. They intensified greatly when the old man leaned down and scooped him up into his arms, putting him perfectly out of my reach. Without my permission, my body lurched forwards in an attempt to grab hold of my childhood friend. However, the iron grip of the man behind me kept me on my knees as Tessai disappeared.
A loud wail left my lips as the old man disappeared and the weight of everything suddenly came crashing down on my shoulders. I gripped tightly onto Kisuke's wrist as he continued to hold me in place. No words were exchanged between the two of us as tears continued to roll down my cheeks only to be lost in the rain. These tears weren't only for Ichigo, I knew that much. There was so much weight, so much pressure in my chest, on my shoulders, on my back. I couldn't breathe. Loud screams and anguished cries left my lips as I clutched onto my dear uncle's wrist. I can't stop it. The cries, the pain, the pressure; I'm suffocating. My screams continued until there was a rough strike to the back of my neck afterwards it felt as though the rain had stopped and the pressure vanished.
....
Back at the Urahara shop Tessai laid lightly on top of Ichigo to get his body heat to rise. He wasn't too keen about doing it, but he did know that the boy was a treasured friend to Izumi, and was also becoming a person of interest to his master. As he laid over the boy he could feel him start to shift, seeming as though he would be waking sooner than later. And he was correct. Not even a moment later Ichigo's eyes slowly popped open and stared directly up into his glasses before the boy let out a startlingly loud scream.
"Oh you're getting goosebumps! What a relief!" he said without acknowledging the boy's freak out. He was far too happy he could finally stand up and check on Izumi, to really care about the boy's scare. Tessai was afterall, loyal to his master and their members.
"Too close! You're too close!" Ichigo screamed while shoving at Tessai's head desperately trying to shove him back and away. During his pushing he managed to get a good look at the older man's face, and memories of his past times at the Urahara shop came floating through his mind. "I know you! You're with that hat guy! Aren't you!? Why are you in bed with me!?" Ichigo continued to scream until he felt it, the pain rattling through his body, and the memories that came crashing back.
Looking around while pondering the fact that he wasn't dead, Ichigo noticed that he was in a room he had never seen before. Tessai had disappeared from his view and now he was left completely alone in an unknown territory. The memories of his injuries were clear as day to him, and he was thankful that he was alive; however, he felt as though he was forgetting something crucial to him. No, two specific things that were crucial to him, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Uh oh, you shouldn't move around too much Kurosaki Ichigo; your injuries haven't healed properly yet. If you keep moving around, you could die and I really don't want to deal with the wrath of Izumi if you do." Urahara mumbled the last part more to himself than he really wanted the boy in front of him to hear. The older man wasn't quite done dealing with his young niece yet, and wasn't ready for her to run to the young problem child too early.
"Hat guy." Ichigo mumbled while feeling a cold sweat cover his being; his last encounter with the man before him. He had made him a deal to keep Izumi from leaving. The thought of his best friend made everything crash back to his mind; she was a crucial part of his heart and mind. "So, this must be your house then?" He questioned while scanning the room and thinking of his dear friend. He figured she was the one to bring him to her uncle; she was the one to save his life. A humorless chuckle left the boy's lips when the older man nodded his head confirming that he was indeed in Urahara's house.
"So she did it again. Izumi bailed me out when I was in trouble yet another time." he said grimly while glaring down at the floor thinking of a certain raven haired girl he couldn't save. A clicking noise of disapproval came from the older man's lips making Ichigo look up at him in confusion. Was he wrong? Did she not save him?
"You saved me? Not Izumi?" he questioned slowly while gripping his aching shoulder. He was a little disbelieving, ever since they were children Izumi has always stuck her nose where it hadn't belonged and saved him to the best of her abilities.
"Oh? What's this? Your tone is unexpected. Even if it was Izumi who saved your life, you make it sound as though she would've done something wrong." Kisuke questioned while keeping his angry tone under lock and key; Izumi had been saving this kid's life for years and he seemed not even the least bit thankful.
Silence consumed the room while Ichigo held a sad expression and simply stared at the floor thinking of his failure. He let her go. He wasn't strong enough to save Rukia, there was no reason for him to be alive right now. Those were his thoughts at least.
"Oh right, did you also find Uryuu? How is he? Is he here too!?" he questioned worriedly while looking up into the man's eyes once more. He didn't remember much about Ishida being there, he just knew that the boy had taken on an injury while trying to defend Rukia.
"No sir. He's already gone. He lost a lot of blood, but his injury wasn't vital. Even if I just left him lying there, he wouldn't have died for another two days. So I just treated his injury on the spot. When he left, he was worried, worried about you, and worried over Izumi." Kisuke commented while thinking about the dark haired boy he had treated. Izumi was completely unconcious at that point; she had both physically and mentally tired herself out that she was just hurtig herself more by staying awake. He took away her pain, he had to. If he had known the quincy boy was still concious to see the whole thing, he would've handled the situation a little differently however.
"He was worried about me and Izumi?" Ichigo questioned before thinking over his words. "Wait, what's wrong with Izumi!?" silence followed as Kisuke became a little upset in thinking about the girl in question.
"She's currently unavailble." he mumbled while looking up towards the ceiling.