Laid to Rest

He had relived the nightmare all over again. The very same nightmare that haunted every waking hour and bound him in his dreams. The night when the horrors first began. The night down by the river, with Rukia. The plane crash, the wounded and the dead, a terrifying sight even for those who have seen it before. The crowded clinic, his frightened siblings and father. He remembered the girl who warned him, Alice, the American girl who had tried to escape a fate worse than death only to have it follow her as her own shadow.

He remembered the bandages on his father's finger, the tooth he played with like a toy. The weight of the nightstand, heavier than he thought. The jarring crack as it crashed down upon his father's head, shattering his skull. The scream as Yuzu was attacked. The bloody act of mercy – so he said – The deafening gun-shot, the first of many, but the most frightening of all.

The night Ichigo's world was turned upside down.

The night he murdered his family...

He thought he could escape it, at least save Karin. He believed he could do that much at the very least. And yet there he stood with a gun in his hand, his beloved little sister in his sights.

I'm so sorry...I messed up! I couldn't save Yuzu or dad...All I could do was stop them becoming like 'them'. All I could do was sit back and watch our family fall apart.

I couldn't save Chad or Orihime or Tatsuki...I couldn't protect them either! I let my friends die all around me, unable to do anything. I couldn't even protect myself! But I was given a second chance to find you and to save you. Why did I have to screw up again?!

I'm sorry Karin...

I may not have saved you from death. I may not have been there when you were crying at night, scared and alone. I may not have been able to tell you how I felt when I had the chance. I may have been a lousy brother long before this all began. I may not have spent enough time with you, like a real family should.

I may not have done any of that...But at the very least I can do this...

I can let you be with Mum and Dad and Yuzu.

Happy ever after in the next life...

As a human.

Not as a soldier, or a warrior. Not as a monster either. Just a girl. The girl you used to be. That's right! With this gun I'll turn back time and you can all be a family again. And this time I promise...When my time comes, I will come find you and I'll stay with you for as long as it takes, even if it's eternity...

I will stay by your side...

Until you can forgive me...

These words remained in Ichigo's mind. No matter how much he wanted to say them, his body refused to allow it. His throat closed up, pained breaths billowing in and out with choked wheezes. Tears welled up in his eyes, making it hard to aim.

"I'm sorry..." he managed to whisper, as quiet as the sigh of the wind, only just loud enough for her to hear him. Her eyes narrowed and her head cocked to one side, no longer able to comprehend his broken heart.

Ichigo closed his eyes, but he saw the muzzle flash pierce the darkness in a blinding supernova of bright white light. The sound, like thunder had never seemed louder. The recoil knocked his arm aside and forced him to stumble, but he managed to stay on his feet, even as they shook like reeds in the breeze.

He could smell the smoke amidst the stench of death, suffocating him.

The taste of iron wet his lips, covering him from head to toe, feeling it dripping down over the course of his flesh, absorbing into his clothes and skin.

Ichigo opened his eyes and sank to his knees.

At long last his voice returned and so the boy screamed.

High atop Sokyoku hill, they gathered. At this highest point in all of Soul Society the whole of the Sereitei could be seen. Not only that, beyond the great walls down below, the putrid grey stain on the horizon remained. The ocean of animated corpses, lost without their master, once again fuelled only by hunger. For now they posed no threat, but they could not simply be ignored.

However the dead were the last thing on the minds of those gathered upon the sacred ground this day. Ichigo Kurosaki clutched Rukia's sleeve as he advanced, maintaining a mask of sombre contemplation. Rukia could feel the heat drain from Ichigo's fingers and noticed him falling out of step at times.

She said nothing about it, knowing full well she was doing the same.

Alice offered her support but was gently waved aside. She fell in step with the others once again and made her way to the crowd of shinigami already waiting near the edge of the cliff. All around them were candles, one for each loved one slain. Every friend, neighbour, squad-mate, sibling, son, daughter, husband, wife, mother and father. Every comrade and acquaintance and familiar face. All were to be remembered for their sacrifice.

Ichigo stared down at the unlit candle clenched tight in his fist and kneeled to place it alongside another. He silently bid farewell and rose to his feet beside his closest friends whom offered their support. Alice patted his back and said soothing things while Rukia embraced him and wept for the tragic loss of Karin Kurosaki. Together the trio shed their tears and consoled one another, for each of them had lost something with the death of the young girl.

Alice had lost a great friend. She had thought the child nothing more than a brat at first, but when they had been the last survivors from Karakura town they had grown close, sharing a bond akin to sisterhood. They faced the cruel and violent world together. Now Alice felt empty, the companion by her side no longer there.

Rukia had also been close to Karin. She was hesitant to approach her at first due to her existence as a shinigami but had slowly grown to know Karin, just as she had the rest of the Kurosaki family. She also owed the young girl for saving Ichigo and breaking the chains of servitude Mayuri had forced upon him. For bringing back the one she loved she owed her everything, but her debt now remained unpaid with her untimely departure.

And of course, Ichigo lost the final member of his family. Having let it all slip through his fingers now he was left alone. Of course he had friends, but the bond of family is precious, something Ichigo had only learned when it was too late. Now and forever in his dreams, Karin would appear alongside the rest of his family. They would all be smiling and waving, waiting for him to join them.

But now was not yet the time. There was much more left to do before Ichigo could reunite with his family. For now he had other vows to fulfil. He swore to protect more than just his family and while his friends remained he would be sure to defend them until the very end.

He cast a glance over to a candle larger than the rest, enshrouded in decorations and a wreath. Ichigo knew who it belonged to and closed his eyes as he bowed, honouring the courageous efforts of the man who had given his life to save everyone presently gathered on Sokyoku hill.

Former captain commander Jushiro Ukitake had fought to his very last breath to stop Mayuri and end his evil ambitions. He alone had shouldered the burden of the disaster and carried it to the very end. He had sacrificed his life to save Soul Society and all mankind in turn. Thanks to his efforts, the future of all living things remained. Just as the flowers will shoot up from the soil and bloom once again, man had been given the flicker of hope, the driving force to one day stand tall and live free once again.

The gathering remained on the hill until sunset, then in the fading light of day, just as the darkness threatened to swallow up the entire world, each and every candle was lit.

No matter where they stood, all across soul society, the vibrant flames burned on in the night. No matter how much the darkness devoured, it could not claim the candlelight. It was not only an homage to the dead, but a message of hope to all who had survived.

No matter how much we have taken away...No matter how much the shadows of death may claim...There will always be that flickering flame in the distance. There will always be something, no matter how small. And no matter how far away that flame may be, it is never out of reach.

We all yearn to feel the heat from those flames and so we struggle on, guided by it's burning light.

That is why mankind keeps on fighting.

That is why mankind will survive.

For this is only the beginning...

The time has come...

For the counter-attack.

END

Well, that's the end of that chapter, but as you may have guessed there is still more to come to round this zombie-slaying epic into a trilogy. But as it is the end of a story get ready for some sappy crap because I just have to say it. First of all, you read this far, so thank you so much. Whether you reviewed or not, you still stuck with this story and (hopefully) read both this and it's prequel in their entirety. For doing so I am overjoyed. I really hope you enjoyed it since that's one of my main reasons for writing.

This story took over 30 months to write, of course a few of those months were just the breaks between chapters. But even with all that, those of you who tagged along on this journey, thanks. Every review was just another push forward and hopefully helped mold this into a better story. And now, after three years this part of the journey has reached it's end. But I hope to see you again in the final part of the 'World of the Living Dead' trilogy.

Finally (I swear it's the end of this sappy tirade now) I just want to say thanks for reading.

And please don't forget to review!