Time to Say Goodbye (End)

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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The food that Ichigo ate tasted the same as it would if it was made out of physical matter. It was not his first time eating something made out of Reiryoku, but he still couldn't get over the peculiar sensation. His body was already used to digesting Reiryoku right from the air, so the food just disappeared the moment it entered his esophagus.

Kūkaku and Yoruichi shared the same experience as they also already finished their meals. Only Masaki was still eating at the table. She couldn't digest Reiryoku as fast as the rest of them. To make Masaki more comfortable, they talked to each other over tea. They would get her involved sometimes, so she didn't feel left out.

When the dinner finished, Masaki stood up and offered to wash the dishes. At the same time, Ichigo offered to do the same out of habit. Kūkaku didn't waste a single breath to immediately let them do the dishes. She thought it would be a great idea to let Ichigo spend more time with Masaki. Masaki was not the mother whom he knew, but Kūkaku thought it would let him cope better.

Splash!

"Ooh, sorry. Did that hit you?" Masaki apologized as she accidentally dropped a bowl into the water-filled sink.

"No, don't worry. Getting wet is something to be expected when you are washing the dishes," Ichigo brushed off the apology.

Silence engulfed the space between them for a few seconds. Ichigo was enjoying her presence, so he didn't mind, but Masaki was different.

"Uh, can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Sure. You can ask me anything." It was something that he didn't say willy-nilly. He didn't see anything wrong with telling it to her because she was his mother.

"Why are you so kind to me? I thought you were trying to woo me at first, but you have been treating me respectfully up till now."

Ichigo hummed and turned to her with a teasing grin. "Do you want me to treat you lewdly?"

Masaki waved her hand frantically with a red face. "N- Not necessarily, but I would understand your gesture that way."

"Well, you don't typically harass the person you are wooing. There is that and the fact that I just feel like it."

Ichigo shrugged and then went silent. He noticed that Masaki had stopped moving but ignored it.

"I feel very welcome. It's like I am part of the family. You also treat me like one. I don't want to question your kindness, but what did I do to deserve this?"

Ichigo ignored the question. He thought she would let it go, but she didn't. With a light sigh, he put down the plate he was washing and then cleaned his hand from any soap. Facing Masaki with a solemn look, he crossed his arms. Masaki was taken aback but didn't back down. He met his gaze as if telling him to do his worst.

"Truth is often hurtful and disappointing. Do you still want to hear it?" Ichigo said somberly.

"It's better than living blissfully in the lie," Masaki responded resolutely.

"You remind me of someone important in my life. She was everything to me—my world, my friend, my hero, and my light. I lost her to a Hollow a decade ago. Imagine my surprise when I saw someone who looked exactly like her," Ichigo explained simply. "There you go. It's not that profound, is it?"

Masaki took her time to process his words. When she had digested everything, she dodged his gaze. Ichigo was confused but immediately understood what happened when he saw her red cheeks. He concluded that she must be embarrassed for her deduction.

"I am sorry for your loss," Masaki squeaked out.

"It's all in the past. I have…" Ichigo wanted to say that he had moved on but trailed off as he looked at Masaki. A small part of him was still wishing she would remember him. "Well, thank you. But how do you feel about it?"

Masaki shyly looked up and avoided eye contact to the best she could. "W- Well, that was quite heavy, but I am afraid I am going to disappoint you. I could never be like her—I might even taint her image, so you would resent me for it. I hope you don't expect much from me. Hehe…"

Ichigo chuckled lightly. His throat rumbled pleasantly, sending a shiver down Masaki's spine. Extending his hand, he ruffled her hair. No words were exchanged, but they felt closer than ever.

"No one is expecting you to do something. I am helping you for a selfish reason, so you can also be selfish and behave the way you like," Ichigo reassured gently.

Masaki nodded silently and then resumed washing the dishes. Ichigo followed suit and they finished the chore in silence. As Ichigo was about to go to his room, Masaki did the unexpected: she asked him if she could spend some time talking to him since she didn't feel tired yet. Ichigo agreed and took her with him.

Since Ichigo wanted to do Jinzen first before sleeping, he took Masaki to the porch. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Masaki broke it by asking him about his important person who looked like her. Ichigo's smile charmed and saddened her at the same time. He talked about what an amazing person she was before she went to Soul Society and she was not aware of it.

She was amazed by the person Ichigo described and Ichigo found it humorous. He told her stories until she eventually fell asleep on his shoulder. He smiled softly at the scene before putting her head on his lap. After making sure that she was comfortable, he did Jinzen and dove into his inner world.

When morning came, Masaki woke up to find herself extremely well-rested. She recalled the amazing stories Ichigo had told her the night before and then realized that she must have slept on him. Abruptly standing up, she knocked the blanket off her body. She wanted to apologize to Ichigo for her embarrassing display and thank him for taking her into her room, so she immediately ran off.

"Oh, you are awake?" Kūkaku greeted her the moment she stepped foot in the hall.

"Ah, Kūkaku-san. Good morning," Masaki said politely. "Do you know where Ichigo-san is?"

"Ah, you are late. He just left to save the world."

Masaki tilted her head in confusion as she looked at Kūkaku asking for an explanation. For some reason, her chest tightened in anxiety.

…

"General Yamamoto told me that some Nobles tried to spy on you during your training, but you don't have to worry. We already take care of it."

"Oh, they did?"

"Hm. Rest assured for I clean the scene off any of your Reiatsu."

Unaware of what his unannounced departure did to Masaki, Ichigo and his companions calmly walked through the Garganta that he had created. They were not heading to Hueco Mundo yet as Ichigo wanted to say goodbye to his family and friends.

When they got out of the Garganta, Ichigo immediately sped off to his house and went to his sister's bedroom. Isshin was outside of the house when Retsu and Yoruichi caught up to Ichigo. Retsu didn't care much about the former 10th Division's Captain but found his reaction priceless. Isshin smiled wryly before retreating into the house.

Ichigo barged into Karin's room when she was putting on her panties. Her brother's presence shocked her enough to almost make her have a seizure. Anger took over, but it immediately disappeared when Ichigo hugged her warmly. She was in her underwear, but she cast her embarrassment aside in favor of pulling him close.

"Ichi-nii, what happened?"

Instead of answering, Ichigo kissed her head. "I will see you in a few weeks, Karin."

As Karin digested his words, Ichigo separated himself and then patted her head warmly. When Karin realized what Ichigo was going to do, Ichigo took his hand off her head and then phased through the door.

"Wait, Ichi-nii!"

Cursing her stupid brother, she hastily dressed up and then chased after him. She found him in the kitchen hugging Yuzu in his physical body. It had been some time since she saw him in his body. She wanted to scream at him but couldn't. Karin didn't want to ruin her sister's day.

"Onii-chan, why are you suddenly being so sweet? Do you want me to make you something?" Yuzu asked abashedly.

"Ah, I just think it has been some time since I last hugged you," Ichigo responded with a smile.

"Mou, you can just tell me when you feel like it."

"Haha. I know; I will do it from now on."

When Ichigo separated himself from Yuzu, his eyes met Karin's. With a soft smile, he ejected his soul out of his body and let Nova take over. He told her to take care of Yuzu and then disappeared with a Shunshin. Karin gritted her teeth and clenched her hands in frustration. She glared in the direction where her brother had gone until she heard Yuzu's sob.

'S- She knew…' she concluded.

Not even saying goodbye to his father, Ichigo went to the Urahara Shop. He went there to say goodbye to Chad but also met Rukia. The petite Shinigami didn't understand why he wanted to say goodbye but told him to be careful regardless. The farewell with Chad was a quick affair. The gentle giant wished him luck and told him that he would follow after him soon.

Leaving the Urahara, he went to the Visored headquarters which was where Orihime was training her power. The bountiful airhead was elated when she saw him but immediately felt sad when she heard the circumstances.

"I- I guess we are too weak to follow in your footsteps, huh?" Orihime muttered.

"You will come around as long as you stop viewing yourself as weak," Ichigo reassured her with a smile as he caressed her head.

"Well, take care, then, Ichigo-kun!" Typical of Orihime, she cheered up quickly.

Ichigo smiled and then turned to Shinji. His face immediately turned serious as soon as their eyes met. Shinji nodded his head in assurance. He knew what the look meant. Ichigo had told him about when he should guard Orihime.

"See you, everyone."

With a mask on his face, Ichigo tore the air open. His eyes met Orihime's stunned gaze as he and his companions stepped into the Garganta.