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Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach.

AN: This is the second (or third, once again depending on how you look at it) chapter of SAStF. On a side note; I'm so proud! Our Swedish icehockey team won the final agains Findland! yay Now we have 7 olympic gold medals from the winter olympics in Turin =D Anyway, second chappy; here it is.

Chapter II - The HUGDH and aftermath.

The Hollows huge outlet of power led them to a park near the school. Ishida and Sado were already there, trying to handle it, but they weren't doing very well. Just as Ichigo and Renji ran through the gates to the park they saw Orihime racing in on the playground from the other side of the park.

Both Ichigo and Renji realized that it would take much power to take out this one, even though it wasn't a Menos Grande. They stopped for a sec and looked at each other, before they charged at the Hollow at the same time, yelling "Bankai!".

This drew the Hollows attention from Sado and Ishida to Renji and Ichigo.

"Mmm... you smell tasty... let me eat your tasty souls!" the Hollow growled in its semi-human voice.

"Nope, we're not on the menu today! Sorry pal!" Ichigo said just as he jumped into the air to bring his sword down on the Hollows mask and hopefully crack it.

Of course, with Ichigos luck, that wasn't what happened. The mask didn't crack, in fact, Ichigos zanpaktou didn't even touch the Hollow. It is amazing that so huge creatures (if you can call Hollows that) can move so fecking fast.

This was what Renji secretly classified as HUGDH, of just HH for short. It stands for Huge Ugly God Damn Hollow, Huge Hollow is the more neutral classification. Actually the swearwords between "Huge" and "Hollow" changed depending on Renjis mood at the moment. If Renji was really mad, he would just stick more curse-words in there. Right now, though, HUDGH would suffice, because the Hollow in itself was proving more difficult than ordinary.

"Oi, Ichigo! Watch out!"

The Hollow had launched an attack on Ichigo when he had tried to move for a better position to strike again. Ichigo, however, didn't have much time to react, because even with Renjis warning the Hollow came in too fast, and all Ichigo could do was to look at the Hollows claw-like hands as it came sweeping towards him.

"Oh, shit."

That was all Ichigo had time to utter before he was swept of his feet and slammed into a nearby house wall.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Orihime ran for Ichigo where he lay unmoving on the ground. At the same time a red-hot anger started burning inside Renji.

"Aaah!" he screamed as he attacked the Hollow that had started to move in on Inue and Ichigo. The Hollow, though, had been so concentrated on the reiatsu of Ichigo and Inue, so it didn't notice Renji until the last second. Zabimaru cracked the Hollows mask, but Renjis left arm got a whack from one of the Hollows claw-like hand as it in desperation tried to defend itself. It didn't succeed.

As soon as Renji was upright again, the whack had unbalanced him a bit, he was running for Ichigo. Ishida, Sado and Inue was kneeling beside Ichigo, trying to find out what was wrong with him.

"How is he?"

"Well, he hit his head, his left arm looks kind of funny and he seems to have broken a couple of ribs. Listen, we should really get him to his dad. Inue can't really do much for broken bones that haven't been set. There's a chance that they'd heal wrong..." Ishida answered, keeping a cool head, but with a worried expression on his face. He also kept trying to push his glasses further up his nose, even though he would push them into his head if they'd go further up.

"Then what are we waiting for? Chad, could you lift him? I don't think that my arm can handle it right now," Renji said.

"Un."


When they arrived at Ichigos house, Renji jumped up through the window and got his gigai and Ichigos body. They knocked on the door when they had gotten Ichigo back into his body. The bloody wound on Ichigos head was not a pretty sight.

"Hai! What can we... d... Ichigo?!" Yuzu was really shocked to see Ichigos closest friends standing there, with her brother unconscious in Chads arms.

"Um... there was an accident... Ichigo's really hurt! Get your dad! Hurry Yuzu-chan!!!" Inue ordered quickly to keep Yuzu from asking questions.

"Dad!! Hurry, Ichigo's hurt!" Yuzu just turned around to shout for Isshin.

"Come in! Hurry!" she turned back to the group on the doorstep.

Karin came to the door having heard the commotion.

"What happened?!" she exclaimed.

"Well..." Ishida started, "there kind of was an accident and Ichigo got really hurt."

Chad had already pushed his way through to that he would be able to get Ichigo to the treatment room as quick as possible.

When Isshin appeared he seemed to be worried, but also strictly professional, as if he, right now, wouldn't care or try to think about the fact that it was his own son he was treating. No matter how much he and Ichigo fought, Ichigo was, through it all, his one, and only, son. He was sure that he would have acted the same if it had been Yuzu or Karin that had been hurt.

When Chad had put Ichigo down on the hospital bed Isshin had showed him to he got strict orders to get out of the room. Isshin also told him that he was not to be disturbed, so everyone was to keep out of the treatment room.


While Isshin took care of Ichigo, Yuzu patched up Renjis arm. Some stitches had to be put in, but Renji took it all in stride. Right now he couldn't concentrate on anything but worrying about Ichigo. That was, of course, what everyone in their small group of people was doing right now, but... Renji felt guilty somehow.

'I should have been able to stop that hollow easily, but no, I just had to let Ichigo have a go at it first. Kuso! Why am I such a baka?' Renji thought.

"Abarai-kun? Are you alright now?" Inue inquired.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I heal fast. Don't worry about me."

Everyone in the room fell quiet, as they all sank deeper into the swamp of worry for Ichigo. Just when they were about to go crazy from Renjis pacing Isshin came out of the room where he had treated Ichigo.

"How is he?" everyone asked as one.

"He's unconscious right now, but he'll pull through. He's a tough boy."

"How bad was his injuries, dad?" Yuzu was really worried and you could tell that Karin was too. She hadn't said anything since they had showed up at the front door.

"Well, his left shoulder was dislocated, but I fixed that. His arm will have to be in a sling for about six weeks, though, and he shouldn't be up and about in at least two. His ribs'll be troubling him too, but I've fixed those to the best of my ability. What worries me most is his head. There is a small chance that he might not wake up..." while saying all of this Isshin sounded very cold. Like he was trying to distance himself from it all, as if it wasn't truly happening.

"You kid should go home. He probably won't wake up tonight, but if he does, I'll call you alright? I know that all of you are good friends of my son."

Those in the group that had met Kurosaki Isshin before this could almost not believe it. This was such a different side of him, they had never seen it before.

"Um, could I see him before I go? It's just... I have a feeling that this whole thing won't sink in if I don't get to see it for myself."

This was a request that surprised all of the other people in the room. Renji wanting to see Ichigo?

"Sure. Come this way."

Kurosaki Isshin led Renji down the hallway to the room where he had been taking care of Ichigo.

"I'll leave you alone with him for a while," Isshin said as he backed out of the room. "Take your time."

"Okay."

It was a pretty solemn Renji that turned and looked at Ichigo. Ichigo was unnaturally pale, and he looked so small and frail where he lay on the hospital bed. Renji went up and stood next to the bed. Then he just stood there for a while and looked at Ichigo. He noticed that he breathed kind of shallow, as if even though he was unconscious he felt the pain that his body was in.

"Hey, dude. You should have been more careful with that Hollow. But who am I to scold you, huh? A. I was sent here to help you, and you being injured is obviously not helping you much. B. If you hadn't been there, and jumped before me, it probably would have been me laying in that bed instead of you..."

There Renji trailed of and fell silent. Once again he just stood there and looked at Ichigo.

What I meant to say, I guess, is... get well soon. Wake up for us. Inue is really a wreck and Chad is quieter than usual, and you know that's not good. Just... get well."

With that Renji reached down and squeezed Ichigos hand once, and then turned around and went out of the room. He didn't see Ichigos hand closing, as if he was squeezing Renjis hand back...


Two weeks had passed by, without Ichigo waking. Renji stopped by every day for at least an hour, or for as long as he could without having to go away to fight a Hollow. Inue, Ishida and Chad all took turns to come and visit too, but as they had to keep up with school on top of things they didn't have as much time as Renji (who didn't really care much if he flunked math or not).

Renji just sat by Ichigos side and talked to him. About the previous Hollow, or some messed up thing that happened in school, or the fact that Urahara still didn't feed him enough and still called him a free-loader even though he helped around the shop when he had time.

Then one day, when Renji was visiting as usual. He sat there telling him about last nights Hollow when he saw Ichigos hand move. Renji stopped talking, and reached over and took Ichigos hand in his own, slightly larger one.

"C'mon man. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand."