IC CONTACT FOR THE BOX // TEXT | VOICE | VIDEO

[bladeisme]

"Yo, you've reached Kurosaki Ichigo. Leave a message and I'll try to get back to you."

Comments

Dec 17; voice

[bettermonster]

[Leaving frantic messages: one of Josh's beloved pastimes.

The first is from early that evening. He tries to take the fact that it went straight to voicemail as a sign that Ichigo doesn't have his phone on him in preparation for later that night. Still, some of that anxiousness is present in his voice.]

Uh, hey. It's Josh. The moon's almost out. I guess we covered everything you'll need to know, but... if you need anything, just let me know, okay? Either way, I'll talk to you later.

--

[The next is a couple of hours after moonrise. He is significantly less calm.]

Alright, so, I didn't change, and I'm guessing you didn't either? Th-this has never happened before. I have no idea what's causing it. The snowstorm? No, no, weather's never been a factor before, so it's gotta be something about this crazy place... [Annnd he's gotta stop himself there; he can get a bit rambly when he gets the chance.]

Look, just... Call me as soon as you get this. [Click.]

--

[And another few hours later... The continued radio-silence is getting to him. Is he freaking out more than necessary? Probably.]

Oh, god. You changed, didn't you? You totally did. Shit. [The next part comes muffled as he mutters to himself.] Donna's magic definitely screwed me up, I know it. Story of my life.

Okay, okay, uhm. [Brief pause.] I hope it's going alright, and you're somewhere safe at least. Whenever you manage to get back to your phone, give me call, alright?

voicemail; june 29th

[gehennawind]

Hi. Umm. Hi. It's Paloma. I--

I want to apologize. I'm sorry for acting like a, a big idiot. Thank you for everything you said. Sorry. Okay, bye.

permavoice

[bladeisme]

Paloma-

[Geez, she sounds so panicky.]

I told you, it's alright. You don't have to apologize. Okay?

June 25, voice

[goodanswer]

Uh... hey. It's Yosuke.

permavoice

[bladeisme]

[It takes a little while for Ichigo to reply, due to his blind (haha) fumbling around with the phone, but he manages to call Yosuke back eventually.]

Yosuke? What's up?

[Are you okay, he hasn't heard from you in a while.

...Granted, he's been dead for seven days, but still.]

[goodanswer]

[oh - he answered after all. that's a relief. the delay is totally excusable.]

Um... not much. I'm out.

[...of jail, that is. and he knew he had to contact Ichigo as soon as he could, but now that he has, he doesn't know what to say. oh hey, I saw your disgusting and horribly mangled body last week?]

...How are you?

July 2nd | Voicemail

[pitythefool]

Hey, Kurosaki-kun, this is Adachi. Just... calling to check in. Guess it's a little late for me to be doing so, but...

[There's a weary sigh from the other end of the line.]

Sorry, just - just gimme a call or something when you get this, okay? ...Seeya.

permavoice

[bladeisme]

[Well, it takes a bit-but he does eventually call back.]

Adachi-san?

[Gosh, he sounds tired...but then again, he probably had every right to be. He'd heard about the other getting killed by the same crazy bastard that slit his own throat open, so...]

Did you just get back?

[Like dying's an unexpected trip, instead of...well, death.]

Permavoice

[pitythefool]

That's one way of putting it. I guess you must've gotten back a little while before I did, huh? ...Man, I'm sorry. I would've tried calling you sooner, but...

[But yeah. He got sent on an unexpected vacation. He could almost laugh at how morbid it all sounds but decides against it.]

audio;

[fuorilegge]

Hey.

You.

[Guess who?]

[bladeisme]

[He can't quite help the rush of fear that runs up his spine when he hears the voice on the other end-since passing out due to the utter horror of his soul leaves a mark on you-but like this, it's much more manageable.]

...Yes?

[Did Claire tell him Ichigo's number or something?]

[fuorilegge]

I want an explanation about that thing you were screaming about the other day.

What do you mean, I have too many souls.

July 27th | Voicemail

[pitythefool]

Hey, thanks again for having me last night. I, uh...

[He swallows.]

Sorry. If things got... awkward. At any point.

[bladeisme]

[Hello adachi, you are calling when Ichigo would much rather prefer to be dead right now. Or unconscious. Something to take the insane hangover away.]

Hnnngh? Wha-Oh. Oh, yeah...

[....Most of last night is a huge blur, really.]

Hey....don't worry about it, alright? Everything's okay now.

Sept 1st, text

[the_word_is]

I'm back. Are you okay?

voice;

[bladeisme]

[Back-

...oh.

Failed again.]

I'm...okay, I guess.

[He's really, really not. Not after what happened before...]

Are you?

voice / 9/13

[goodanswer]

[Oh, boy.

Here goes nothing.]

voice

[goodanswer]

Um... hey.

I just wanted to say thanks, for a few weeks ago, when you were trying to talk me out of that freakin' stupid network post I made. 'Cause, you know, I'm trying to contact everyone about it and say sorry, and... you were one of them. So, sorry. And thanks for trying to help.

That's all.

[he'll leave it at that and not mention all that other shit that's happened in the meantime.]

...be careful out there. Bye.

10/3, around noon

[holyfight]

[Orihime wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but she suspected she had died.

The last thing she remembered was stopping to help a sleeping Alternian, then seeing a big, black bush. A very relaxing big, black bush. That was just Orihime's luck - killed by a bush. How uncool.

As soon as she'd drug herself out of the graveyard and across the street to the Bara House, though, she found it empty. Thinking the other residents were probably out somewhere, she decided to go ahead and take a bath.

After an hour or so, she had managed to get rid of all the dirt and sweat and had dressed herself in a comfortable (khaki) set of sweats, but Ichigo was still nowhere to be found. Curiously, she checked his room and saw his bed was made; he must have either gotten up very early or not come home at all last night.

Deciding to let it lie for a little while, Orihime went ahead and straightened a few things around the house up. She brought a few scraggly-looking wildflowers in for decoration. She crushed some crackers and cereal up to make pancakes out of. Even after doing all these things, Ichigo was still nowhere to be seen.

Figuring he'd had enough time to show up or check in or at least let her know where he was, she decided to give him a call. And of course, that went to voicemail]

Hi, Kurosaki-kun! It's Inoue! I was just curious where you were and wanted to check in with you!

Ne, you should come home as soon as possible, though. I have some things I have to tell you. Oh, and I'm making pancakes! They'll be really good, I promise! And if you complain, I'll eat your share, too!

Bye bye!

[She doesn't sound angry or scared or anything but perky, really. But she really wanted to make sure Ichigo knew Aizen was out there now before he wandered around too much]

[bladeisme]

[Ichigo had been lying around Adachi's house, generally still feeling awful and numb and vaguely upset in ways that he didn't want to feel anymore. Everything was just too hard to deal with - why couldn't he just be left alone? His withdrawing from most of the world worked, with only Adachi around to see his despair and hopelessness (and even slightly encourage it).

He doesn't pick up the phone as it vibrates, not wanting to talk to anyone. What was the point? Just leave him alone in his dark pit in this house. He'd come back in a few more days...

But, eventually, he does turn on his phone and check his voicemail. Who called him? Jonathan?

When he hears Orihime's voice, it's like everything stops. He doesn't know how to feel, or how even to breathe as he hears her cheerful message, her perky voice chirping away in his ear.

...How could she be happy? She'd died, and he couldn't stop it at all. It didn't make any sense...

Before he really even realizes what he's doing, he gets up from where he was lying and heads back towards the house, opening the door and quickly going inside - homing in on the soul in his sight.

He doesn't say anything, doesn't alert her to his presence in any normal way...but for some reason, he thinks she'll know that he's come back.

She always did, after all.]

11/7

[soulcandy]

[When Kon had come back, he hadn't seen Ichigo around. But he had assumed that Ichigo was just out and about, not that anything bad had happened or anything. So he went to bed that day, assuming everything was fine.

When Ichigo didn't come back the next day, that was when he started to get worried. And that was when he finally called Ichigo's phone, to at least see if he would answer or not.]

[bladeisme]

[Answer he does, although by now the apathy has settled in. So when he finally calls Kon, his voice sounds nearly flat and uninterested.]

Hello.

The 20th | A neatly wrapped package outside your door...

[electedofficial]

[Wrapped in shining paper with iridescent ribbons, the package is both unassuming and suspiciously neat considering the wear and tear creeping in around the edges of Verdance Bluffs. Folded inside a small gold envelope is a type written note:]

HE IS MY SAVIOR
SAVING ME FROM MY MISBEHAVIOR

[Inside, Ichigo will find half of a very particular mask. The Hallow mask, gleaming at a high polish. It pulses, drawing in any who look upon it with whispers from a past that never existed in Verdance Bluffs itself.]

March 23rd

[holyfight]

[Orihime had been out scavenging to distract herself when Ichigo returned and started his fight with Jotaro. By the time she got back, the two had thrashed each other fairly well into the dirt. So she instinctively defaulted to her natural state as a "Healing Item", as Ginjo had referred to her.

But that didn't mean Ichigo wouldn't get an earful while she healed him. He couldn't get out of her dome once it was in place anyway]

You... You dumb boy! I was so... I was so worried!

[Although, to tell the truth, she was also relieved. Ichigo wasn't just alive again - he had his Fullbringer powers. Orihime was never really sure what happened to them or why he'd gone from Fullbringer back to Shinigami again - and Ichigo had never told her, either. But if he had some of his normal powers again here, it was a blessing of the highest order]

[bladeisme]

[Oh. There she is. He's lying on his back, a little bloody but mostly exhilarated. It'd been so long since he'd had an actual spar that he didn't even care that his body ached and that he was pretty sure he had a hairline fracture in at least one of his bones.

And as she comes over, he gives a goofy smile - only to stop at seeing the sadness and worry and relief in her soul, the way she sounds nearly in tears...

He sinks a little deeper into the earth, instantly feeling like an asshole. He'd just charged home without even talking to her, getting into a fight in his joy over having powers again. He didn't even think how she'd feel, or how worried she must have been that he'd never come back...]

...I'm sorry, Inoue.

[And he sincerely looks the part - all of enthusiasm and happiness has faded away, because orihime is upset and he caused it. Again.]