In Common (Ichigo Kurosaki x Reader)

First Pain.

The shock of you getting beat up then catching Ichigo with Orihime was too much for you. All you wanted was to have someone there for you, but in the end, everyone leaves you behind in the dust. It's always been that way. All you can do is hang your head and curl into a ball as a way of protection from the world around you.

That's how it should have always been.

Walking down the street from school, you avoided the wary glances of pedestrians and turned into an empty park. Lifting your beaten face up, your eye widened to see that you were at the same park Ichigo asked you out at. Shuffling onto the swings and dropping your bag, you finally released.

Cradling your face in your hands and feeling your body rack with sobs, you released all of the pain and the emotion and the hurt that you've been holding in all day. Large teardrops ran down your scratched cheeks onto the dusty ground below.

"Wh-Why, Ichigo? Why..?" You just couldn't comprehend it. It was killing you on the inside. You were falling in love with the knucklehead and he just blindly tossed you aside. You could feel your entire body being crushed with the realization of being abandoned once again. "Ichigo.."

After crying out your feelings, you wiped your puffy eyes and realized something very very important. You couldn't go home looking the way you did. Digging in your skirt pocket and pulling out your cell phone, you shot a quick text to your older brother, telling him that you were staying over Rukia's house for the next few days because of some big project. Getting the okay from him, you picked up your bag and sighed.

You had to find a place to stay for the next few days to heal your wounds inside and out. But, since everyone you knew would just betray you in the end, you were lost in your thoughts for the rest of the day. You aimlessly walked through the streets until you suddenly stopped.

A clinic was sitting right in front of you. Maybe your luck hadn't run out completely just yet. Taking in a deep breath, you walked into the clinic and let your eyes gaze over the pristine white walls before a booming voice made you jump.

"Welcome to our clinic! How may I-- Oh, dear! What happened to you?" A middle-aged man with black hair and noticeable stubble widened his eyes as he zoomed to you and looked over your injuries. "My goodness... Come, come."

Without responding to the man, you were rushed to the back of the clinic and quickly treated for your wounds with a new set of clothing. You sat on one of the beds with bandages littering your body and an eyepatch over your swollen eye. Reason, you had no idea.

Doctor Isshin (you learned his name while he was bandaging you up) smiled softly at you before patting your head. "You go to Karakura High, I presume. Do you happen to know my son Ichigo?"

Your reaction was all that he needed. Your eyes widened and the pain that you seemed to forget came crashing back down tenfold on your body. "Ah.. You must be [Y/N] then." You nodded slowly before crawling back and laying down on the bed. "Whatever Ichigo did to make you look that way, I'll make sure he apologizes to you." With those words reverberating in your head, you dozed off into a peaceful sleep.

x.x.x.x

Ichigo went straight to his room after school, not being able to find his beloved all day. Staring at the ceiling, he could do nothing but remember the pain that spread across [Y/N]'s face when Orihime forced herself onto him. She didn't even give him a chance to explain. "[Y/N].."

He couldn't lay in bed in peace so he walked downstairs to see his father and sisters peacefully watching TV. "Ah, Ichigo! Finally out of bed!" Isshin pushed himself off of the couch before hooking an arm around his eldest child. "I think we need to have a very important talk."

The two of them walked to the clinic, making sure the lights turned off. "I had a guest come in today, battered and bruised and heartbroken. She didn't even realize where she was until I said a certain word." Guiding his son to the sleeping [Y/N], he gave him a soft smile. "I think that you owe her an explanation."

The orange-haired male couldn't believe his eyes. The one he has been looking for all day was sleeping right there under his nose. Now that he got a proper look, she looked so fragile with all of the bandages all over her body. Whoever did this would pay, but right now, he had to prove himself innocent.

Sensing his father pat his head then leave quietly, he took in a deep breath and sat on the bed where you laid peacefully. All Ichigo could see was your grief-stricken face and the dried tear streaks running down your cheeks. He felt horrible. How could he have let this happen to her? Running a hesitant hand over each and every wound, he ground his teeth together before pulling the blankets back and crawling into bed with your unconscious body.

"I'm so sorry, [Y/N]... When you wake up, please don't run away... Let me explain everything." He muttered into your hair before softly wrapping his arms around your body and pulling you close. Seeing how terrible you looked, he had to at least make sure nothing would come for you as you slept. Placing a gentle kiss on your forehead, he soon joined you in slumber.

What he didn't know was you were awake as soon as you felt his presence and silently wrapped around his back. "I won't run away, Ichigo.. I promised you I wouldn't any more." With those words, you re-joined him in a deep deep sleep.