Erich waits patiently in a corner of Sado’s main room, dozing off and on as he waits for Kurosaki to arrive. Sado is less patient despite looking calm, his aura rippling with so many emotions Erich cannot decipher them.
It’s understandable, of course. They’re about to drop quite a bombshell on Kurosaki all at once, from the existence of kami and yokai in the world to the fact that they’ve decided to heal him and return his powers. And all because Inari Ōkami deems him worthy of her blessing.
He yawns and rolls onto his side, front paws stretching out and tail thumping against the wall. His movements draw Sado’s attention away from the door, and the teen watches in bemused fascination as Erich makes himself comfortable.
::Waiting is tiring,:: Erich admits with a touch of amusement. His earlier nap with Alexis was enough to clear his head; all he feels now is the boredom of waiting and the ever-present worry that comes from carrying about a hoshi no tama tucked beneath his chin.
“Ah.” Sado glances at his phone. “He’ll be here soon.”
Erich hums and settles into silence, tail twitching every so often as he waits. Though Sado is right, it isn’t too long before someone knocks on the door and Sado lets Kurosaki into his apartment.
He sits up and observes the orange-haired teen; Kurosaki looks better than Erich expected, his hair less limp and the dark circles beneath his eyes less pronounced. He looks like he’s actually slept — good sleep, healing sleep — and… it pleases Erich. They’ve been having an effect on Kurosaki, even beyond healing his soul.
“What’d you want to talk about?” Kurosaki asks as he drops on the couch and slouches against the arm, facing Sado. “You said it was important..?”
“Yes.” Sado frowns and glances at Erich.
Kurosaki follows his gaze and scowls, straightening from his slouch and crossing his arms over his chest. “This a Shinigami thing?”
“No. It’s… something else.” Sado fidgets, hand rising to touch something underneath his shirt, then nods to himself. “Shinigami and Hollows are not the only beings hidden from normal sight. Apparently yokai and kami exist as well, and… two of them have been lingering in Karakura for the past few weeks, helping all four of us sleep and helping you heal.”
Kurosaki’s scowl deepens, disbelief mingling with a haunted, wounded look that sours Erich’s stomach and forces his paw before Sado has a chance to introduce him. He’d expected that Kurosaki would take their existence harder than the rest, but this… no. Ishida is right. Kurosaki needs to know that his wounds are healing.
Moving fully into the human world is like shaking snow from his fur. The weight of existing partially in each world falls away and the floor creaks and shifts beneath him as his weight becomes real to it.
Kurosaki starts and stares at him with wide, shocked eyes, and even Sado freezes for a moment, giving him a calculating look. There’s a difference between seeing and seeing him, Erich knows. Remaining partially in shinkai masks a part of him from the world, even from those who can see him when he wanders the liminal space between the worlds.
::Greetings, Kurosaki Ichigo.:: Erich waves his trunk in greeting, inwardly amused at how Kurosaki reacts with a small, awkward wave of his own. ::I am a baku, one of two who have settled here.::
“Huh.” Kurosaki slowly relaxes and leans forward, surprise giving way to consideration. “That’s… different. So… helping us?”
Erich bobs his head in agreement. ::Yes. My companion Alexis felt the rise in your nightmares and came to investigate, then called for me to assist her. We are baku. Soothing nightmares is our purpose.:: He watches Kurosaki absorb that, then continues gently, ::And when we saw the wound to your soul, we set about finding a way to help you heal.::
Hope flickers through Kurosaki’s aura, though nothing reflects in his expression. “Why? You don’t know me or how I became wounded. Why try to do something like that?”
::We are protectors and, to an extent, we are healers as well. The wounds to your soul…:: Erich sighs and scrubs at his face with a paw, trying to gather his thoughts. ::We may not be soul-healers but the idea of simply leaving such a wound without even attempting to heal it… neither of us were interested in that.::
Something in his words makes Kurosaki slump back, the last of his tension draining away and relief taking its place. “Protectors, huh?” he murmurs, then blows out a breath and gives himself a shake. “If you’re not soul healers, then what can you do about… this?” ‘about me’ lingers in the air between them, though Kurosaki’s tone is not unkind. He sounds genuinely curious and hopeful, still able to anticipate good news despite everything he’s been through.
Erich’s ears perk up at this promising turn, because it’s everything Alexis and he had hoped for and everything they didn’t expect to see. ::We can, and did, go to others and ask for assistance.:: Carefully, cautiously, Erich reaches beneath his chin with his trunk and brings forth the hoshi no tama. Both teens stare at it with wide, startled eyes, and Kurosaki’s hands begin to tremble in reaction. ::We went to Inari Ōkami to petition her for aid and this was her answer. A gift from her and her myōbu, that you may heal and regain your strength.::
Kurosaki whines and Sado reaches out to pull him into a hug.
He gives them time. Tucks the hoshi no tama back beneath his chin and looks away.
(He’d never meant to cause distress.)
“Why would Inari Ōkami… that’s a… I don’t understand,” Kurosaki whispers eventually, not pulling away from Sado’s embrace.
::Inari Ōkami knows the decision you made. Knows that you chose to stand between a conquerer and all the worlds. Is there any surprise that she would choose to aid you in return?:: Erich asks. He crawls closer, pleased that neither teen tenses at his approach, and pats Kurosaki’s knee with his trunk. ::It is a gift freely given and comes with no expectations of repayment or championing, only that you continue to be yourself.::
“And… and this will work?”
::Yes,:: Erich reassures with another gentle pat. ::Already the bleeding is slowing and the jagged edges of your wounds are smoothing over. So long as you continue to want to heal, you will become whole again in a bare few months.::
Kurosaki frowns. “So long as I want to heal?”
::This gift… we are not forcing healing upon you, merely giving your soul the strength and resources it needs to heal itself. But that healing can only happen if you want to be healed. It is all up to you and you alone, even if we have been doing this without your knowledge so far.::
The teen mulls Erich’s words over, still leaning into Sado’s side, gaze focused on the floor. “Why come forward now?”
Erich smiles wryly and shakes his head. ::Ishida Uryuu woke up while I was soothing his nightmares. When he discovered what we were doing, he insisted you be informed.:: Erich inclines his head, ears tilted back and tail tucked around his hind legs. ::Forgive us for doing this without speaking with you first. Our domain is dreams, not souls, and… we should have asked first.::
“Huh…” Kurosaki considers him with a conflicted expression, then asks, “And if I’d have said no?”
A shiver ripples down Erich’s spine and his tail lashes against the floor before he can still it. The idea of allowing such damage, such pain, to continue is abhorrent to him, but… ::Alexis and I would have done what we could to sway you, but… we would have accepted it. We kami and yokai who look after humans often do things without consideration, but… we do not often go directly against your spoken word.::
A hand settles on his head and Erich stills, eyeing Kurosaki in confusion.
“Hey, it’s alright. You… I didn’t expect to ever… thank you…” Kurosaki closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, before swallowing hard and continuing, “I wouldn’t have refused. I’m not refusing. I wish… I wish you had told me sooner, but… but you stepped forward when someone pointed the problem out to you. Thank you, baku-san.”
::The older human… Urahara? He had his own plans that would have worked in time.:: He remains silent on the effects those plans would have likely had on Kurosaki’s soul; for all he knows, Urahara might have found a way around it in time. But this… Erich thinks this is probably for the best, even with the side-effects it is likely to have on Kurosaki.
“Hat’n’Clogs..? He was trying to… heal me?”
::From my understanding he wasn’t making much progress just yet, but… yes. He was trying his best.::
Kurosaki takes another uneven, shuddering breath, then carefully smooths his hand over Erich’s head. “Thank you for letting me know. Can you tell me anything else of… of how you’re healing me?”
He leans into the touch and a pleased rumble-chuff escapes his throat before he can smother it. Erich’s never felt anything quite like this before, with Kurosaki’s hand sliding through his fur or his nimble fingers scratching just right behind an ear. It’s no wonder Alexis had melted the moment Inoue began to pet her if this is what she was experiencing.
It takes a breath or two for him to gather his scattered thoughts, since Kurosaki seems content to continue to pet him instead of letting up. ::I will tell you everything I know,:: Erich agrees, ::I have no guarantee on time-line for the future, but I will keep nothing from you.::
“Thank you.”
Erich huffs and crawls close enough to prop his chin on the couch cushion. ::It is your right and we were in the wrong. Telling you is the least I can do.:: He closes his eyes and settles his thoughts, then begins to explain. ::So, to begin, this is what the myōbu told us…::