Being left behind by someone was painful, like a knife twisted inside your chest. Even if you are ready for it to come, it would still hurt you badly. It hurt more if you were left behind by those close to you.
In the first place, if one could prepare themselves for it to happen then there would never be the word "regret".
Inoue Orihime sat inside her room, fiddling with her hair anxiously. She had been feeling down since Ichigo's revelation about him being a Shinigami.
The boy now felt so distant, far from her reach. She could feel him running further and further away. She knew that even if she wanted to, there was no way for her to follow him.
To be his equal and stand by his side.
To her, Ichigo had always been the hero. He was a hero to many, even when he wasn't a Shinigami. But to her, his heroic figure had a deeper meaning. She met him before meeting his twin brother, Shirou. That might be why her first love was Ichigo, not Shirou.
She admired him greatly and fell for him the day he saved her, and more when he saved her for the second time. It was a blooming desire, warm feeling welled inside her heart, a raw emotion that people called love.
"Uuhhh, what should I do?"
That someone was trying to do something reckless. To save his friend, one that gave him the power of Shinigami. Orihime was also friends with that someone, but she didn't know the situation, kept in the dark by the other party.
If not for someone wearing a striped hat and clogs appearing in front of her and told her everything that night, then she wouldn't even have realized the problem. But she still couldn't help Ichigo in any way.
"What are you thinking? What are you trying to do, Ichigo-kun?"
What would he do, if there was a way for her to reach him. She would do everything in her power, to be beside him.
Orihime knew that she was a weakling, that's why she always prayed for Ichigo and his twin. But prayer wouldn't be able to allow her to stand by their side like a true friend.
"I hope I have power. Power to protect the person that's precious to me. Power to help those that are important to me. If I can't do that, what kind of a friend I am."
As if her prayers had been heard by God, a voice resounded in her head. Her vision blurred, and the scenery around her shifted into the darkness.
Then, in the darkness where there was no source of light and even her own figure seemed to blend in with the surroundings, melting into light.
There, a golden light appeared and took the shape of a human, six of them to be exact. They were humanoid figures with golden outlines, not showing any of their features.
Their form was so blurry that she could only see their outline and a golden light around their bodies with wings flapping to keep them afloat.
Then, as if answering her call, their voice echoed in the empty darkness.
"Don't worry, Orihime. We will be here to help you."
That voice felt familiar. It felt warm and comforting, making her want to believe in them. Their voice was soft yet full of strength and confidence. A female's voice, yet powerful.
But why was it familiar? Where did she hear that voice? No matter how hard she tried, Orihime couldn't remember anything.
"We are the source of your power, we are the one that make your wish come true."
"If you wish for it, we will help you."
"Hah! If you still don't understand it, then let me make it simpler." One light sounded ruder than the others, his voice authoritative and forceful. "We're your so-called power. Use us to do anything you want. We can shield, heal, and attack. Your choice."
"My choice?" Orihime muttered, taken aback by everything that was happening.
"That's right, your choice."
"Everything is yours to choose."
"To heal or to protect, or even to harm."
"It is not something that you should worry about."
"You will always have the control of everything in your hands."
"We're only the power to push forward, your determination and your strength to use it is the key."
"Nothing to be scared about."
"You're a strong woman, and I believe you can handle everything."
"Now, return and think. What do you want?"
Orihime blinked, and she found herself in her room again, eyes wide in disbelief. Her hand traced over to her hairpin after sensing something unusual from it. Her power, the presence from earlier. It originated from the hairpins given by her brother.
Tears welled up from her eyes, her heart beating loudly. Sadness and happiness mixed together, and she wept loudly.
"I'm...not...powerless?"
Even now, her brother protected her and gave her a push.
***
A loud sound echoed in a room that looked similar to a boxing training center. Large fists struck the hanging sandbag, pushing it backward. With his fist being used to the pain, the owner continued his activity.
The said owner was Sado Yasutora, a friend of Ichigo and Shirou, a young man that's known to have a scary face and large body but a heart of gold.
He stopped and looked at his fists. It wasn't enough, the power he currently had. It wouldn't be enough to protect Ichigo and everyone.
A few days ago, he saw those monsters in the city and Ichigo and his friends fighting them.
When his friend told him the truth about him being a Shinigami, he understood everything. But he also felt powerless. A bystander, a mere spectator. He was not an athlete or a karateka. No matter how strong his punch was in the human's term, he would still be considered weak by them.
And that frustrated him. Being so strong yet so weak, he was left behind while those who were close to him were fighting.
Sado's eyes looked at his fist. What a useless power.
Bam!
His fist struck true to the sandbag, pushing it a few centimeters to the back.
What a useless power!
Bam!
What's the use of his giant body if he couldn't protect his friends?!
Bam!
What a useless—
Bang!
"Haa... Ha..."
Breathing heavily, Sado looked at his trembling hand.
Sweat dripped from all over his body to the floor, and he was exhausted from all of his workout. His body slumped to the ground as his mind drifted off to his earlier memory. He knew Ichigo was doing something, and it would be something reckless for sure.
That guy was too reckless, but it was also his charm.
He was a man with a heart, a man that's ready to sacrifice himself to save his family.
And supporting that boy was his brother, Kurosaki Shirou, careful but just as reckless. Both of them were Sado's important friends who never judged him from appearance alone.
Yet, Sado was just a bystander. Nothing to help them, nothing to support them, not even able to protect himself in their battlefield.
"Can I be strong enough to help him? Can I be as strong as those monsters?" He murmured under his breath. His voice was quiet and filled with determination, as if a prayer toward heaven. Or perhaps, to the hell itself.
He knew it was an absurd request. To become stronger than a monster was a foolish wish. He would need a miracle, and a miracle wouldn't just happen from wishing it to be.
Still, he knew he could do it. Strength was something he had—something he was proud of. No one was stronger than him in this gym. That's why he knew he would get stronger, and when he reached that point...
He would be there, beside them.
Clenching his fist, he gritted his teeth, determined. He looked at the sandbag that had become a victim to vent his frustration. It looked worn out, and a few cracks were present on its surface. It wouldn't last any longer.
An image of that masked monster from the other day overlapped the sandbag. When he saw that, anger and the feeling of weakness overwhelmed him. He knew that it was dangerous, and Ichigo was fighting that monster.
If only his fist could destroy them!
"Arrghh!"
Shouting desperately, Sado's fist flew like a bullet toward the sandbag. A hot feeling welled up inside his body, burning his arm. The heat became unbearable and–
Boom!
–released itself from his fist. The sandbag exploded, the iron chain that had been holding it melted to liquid and dripped down. Sand and dust filled the entire room, blinding the giant. As the sand cleared out, the result was shown.
Sado was surprised to see the change, and he could feel the burning pain from his right arm.
He turned to see his right arm, only to be greeted with the sight of a giant arm, covered with dark and rough armor. Red lines creating a pattern were etched on the surface.
The size had also increased, and his face morphed into that of confusion.
It was not a human's arm.
But it might work against those monsters.
A happy smile nudged at the corner of his lips, but he refrained from laughing. Now he had a power he wanted to gain. This power was something he could use to help them.
"Now then, how should I explain this?"
He looked at the destruction he caused and scratched his head.
The owner of the gym would definitely scold him.
***Chapter End***
Hmm, a bit of development for the crew.
For more, give us stones! I might drop a chapter suddenly when we get a lot of it! I am easy to bribe ;)
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