"What'cha reading?" Rukia questioned.
Ichigo flinched and looked up at Rukia, as though he had just snapped out of a trance.
"It's a book I found," he answered. "Someone left it at the back. It has no library tag, so I assume it belongs to someone. I took it for safe keeping, but once I opened it… It tells an interesting story."
"Okay." Rukia raised her right brow. "What is it about?"
"It's a journal from the late 1800s written by some guy named Kisuke Urahara," Ichigo said.
Rukia chuckled. She knew Ichigo well enough that once he got into a book there was no stopping him. He would sit in her café for weeks, sipping tea or hot chocolate, reading. Just reading.
"You want the usual then?"
"Tea this time," Ichigo replied. He looked down at the book again, flipping to the next entry. "Thanks."
She ruffled his hair and turned on her heels. "No problem."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes in order to make out the harsh writing. He had to follow the letters with his fingers every once in a while, in order to decode what word he was looking at. He read:
July 12th, 1882
We are joining the United States in something called the Egyptian Expedition.
We have been warned by Captain Yamamoto that we should not be keeping any records of this expedition. It is supposed to be a secret to the world, a mission that no one would ever find out about. Not even our families know where we shall be spending the next month.
I cannot help but to disobey his orders. This is the greatest adventure of my life! Even if the artifact is not found, I am still pleased to have been invited on this mission. Yoruichi is the only one who knows of my journal.
We are part of a secret group from Japan. We are to be guided by 3 US Navy ships, who shall be kept on record as a cover up for the real mission. Their crews are going to help ours sneak deeper into Egypt, reaching Giza as indicated on an ancient map.
We should be arriving any day now.
That's all I have! Time for breakfast! It's a fresh catch of fish today. We'll be making sushi out of whatever remains of our rations from when we left Japan.
Ichigo sighed and sat back in his seat. He saw Rukia boiling the water for his tea behind the counter. He gave her a smile and she waved back.
"You're gonna burn yourself out if you keep reading like that," said a woman from behind him.
Ichigo placed a sticky note onto the page then shut the book. He turned around and smirked, "Hey, Tatsuki. How's it going?"
She shrugged. "Could be worse, could be better. Can I join you?"
"Sure."
Ichigo's gaze followed Tatsuki as she took a seat opposite of him. She shrugged off a blue backpack and placed it on the ground in front of her. "So," she said, "what have you been up to?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Same as always. I'm still working at the library. We got a new employee last week. He travelled here from Mexico, but he was apparently born in the United States."
Tatsuki's eyes widened. "Really? What's he doing in Japan?"
"He said he was fascinated by Japan's culture. So, he moved to Karakura."
Tatsuki nodded and folded her legs just as Rukia arrived. She placed Ichigo's tea down on a coaster then glanced at Tatsuki. "Do you want anything?"
"Coffee. Black, please."
"Gotcha!" Rukia hopped off.
Ichigo took a sip of his tea. He reached for the journal, but stopped when Tatsuki started to speak again. "So," she grinned, "aren't you gonna ask what I've been up to?"
Ichigo blinked. "Oh. Well, yeah, sure. What's up?"
Tatsuki reached into her backpack. A silver trinket was pulled forth. It sparkled in the café light. "I came in second at the finals for women's boxing! Isn't that great?"
Ichigo smiled. "That is. Congratulations!"
She chuckled, "They weren't pushovers either. That last girl was tough! She almost knocked me out! I'm tellin' ya, it's not like the dojo around here. These girls work out, hard, unlike you."
Ichigo pouted. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Tatsuki snorted. "Oh c'mon Ichigo. When's the last time you beat me?"
Ichigo shrugged.
"Never," she answered. "You've got the skills, but not the competitive drive. You could be a real champ!"
Ichigo shook his head. "Naw. That stuff's not for me."
"Too bad," Tatsuki sighed. "You always have your nose in a book."
"Can't help it," Ichigo answered.
She looked Ichigo's newest book over. "Well, at least it's not Shakespeare this time."
Ichigo gasped. "How dare you? Shakespeare is a god!"
Tatsuki laughed. "Sure, if you speak alien."
"It's not that hard to understand…"
Tatsuki scoffed and smiled as Rukia appeared with her coffee. Ichigo tore open his satchel and took out the Merchant of Venice. "Here," he said, handing it to Tatsuki. "Open it to a random page and read what's there. I'll prove to you that it's not hard to understand."
Ichigo watched Tatsuki's eyes light up with enthusiasm. She could never resist a challenge. "Alright, fine." She took the book and cut it open, almost in half. Ichigo watched her eyes scan the page for a place to start, then she read,
"The first, of gold, which this inscription bears:
'Who chooses me shall gain what many men desire';
The second, silver, which this promise carries:
'Who chooses me shall get as much as he deserves';
This third, dull lead, with warning just as blunt:
'Who chooses me must give and hazard all he has.'
But how will I know if I have chosen right?"
A soft grin was on Ichigo's lips. Tatsuki stopped him before he could say anything, "I remember this scene! You're not out of the woods yet, Ichigo. Morocco chooses the golden chest because he believes gold suits Portia. That's romantic, isn't it? How come Shakespeare chose that one to be the wrong chest?"
Ichigo answered immediately, "Because it's not what's on the outside that counts, and Morocco saw Portia as only a possession to show off, that's why he was wrong. It was a skull inside that symbolized how his thinking would forever leave him to die alone."
Tatsuki bit her lip in thought. Ichigo could feel excitement filling his chest. There were very few things he took pride in, but knowing his Shakespeare was one of them. Tatsuki sighed, "Alright, you got me."
"See?" Ichigo chuckled, "it's not that hard to interpret Shakespeare's meanings."
Tatsuki smiled too, a hint of pink on her cheeks.
Rukia stood above the two, her arms folded. "Glad to see you're feeling better, Tatsuki."
"I am, thanks." She stood up and took her plastic coffee cup in hand. "Thanks for entertaining me for a bit, Ichigo. Hopefully I'll see you again soon." Tatsuki zipped up her backpack and lugged it over her shoulder. Ichigo watched her leave.
"She seems much happier now," Rukia commented.
"Now?" Ichigo inquired. "What do you mean?"
"She was really bummed about coming in second place. If I didn't know her, I'd say she was gonna cry, but you cheered her up. You have such a strange way of doing that. This place is always happier when you're here."
Ichigo knew his cheeks were turning red – they were burning. "Th-Thanks, I guess?"
"Heh, you're welcome." Rukia smiled and marched back to the counters.
Ichigo let his eyes adjust once more to the quaint little café. The scent of coffee and other spices filled the room, along with the musk of old wood. The café was hot from all the people marching in and out all day. Ichigo could feel sweat gathering on the back of his neck.
The 21-year-old librarian checked the time. The rustic clock indicated 4:45. The café closed in 15 minutes since it was a Sunday, but Rukia usually let him sit inside while she cleaned.
Ichigo went back to the journal.
July 15th, 1882
We arrived, it seems, just in time for the fighting to stop. It was early evening when we docked on shore at Alexandria. Smoke has blanketed the city.
I can see signs of war everywhere. Children crying. Bodies still. Men wounded.
We are summoned above deck.
July 16th, 1882
We are forced to wait as Yamamoto negotiates with the Captain of the American fleet.
He came back hours later and informed us that we'll be brought deeper into the desert soon. It shall be in three groups at a time, and most likely at an inconvenient time. So, we must be ready at all moments.
This concerns me greatly.
Are we not supposed to be here? I feel more like an outcast each hour. I thought we were welcome in Egypt. Then again, we did sneak into their land in the middle of a war.
It's all happening so quickly.
I'm worried that we're a distraction for the American army, or that Yamamoto isn't telling us something. What could they be hiding?
July 18th, 1882
The news came immediately this morning. We are being moved in right now.
"Ichigo!"
The orangette's head snapped up.
Rukia had a small smile on her lips, one that spelled regret. "I'm sorry, Ichigo. I'm going to have to kick you out now. I've got a date tonight so I cleaned up early."
Ichigo nodded. His own smile reassured Rukia that he wasn't upset. "That's fine with me. Can you put the rest of my tea into a to-go cup?"
"Sure thing!" Rukia hopped off.
Ichigo began to gather his things. He had some loose papers spread across the coffee table. They were notes he was supposed to be looking over for his boss. He collected them into a neat pile and placed them into his satchel. Then he carefully placed the journal he'd found into a separate pocket in his bag. Rukia returned around the time he was done.
"Here," she said, handing him a green to-go cup.
Ichigo bowed his head gently. "Thank you. Good luck with your date!"
He noticed her cheeks turn red. "Th-Thanks!"
Ichigo turned towards the door, taking a sip of his tea as he went. He noticed Rukia had also added some more boiling water to it. It may have dulled the flavor a bit, but the tea bag would enhance it again in no time. Ichigo enjoyed strong tea.
A sigh left blossom-pink lips as soon as the fresh air hit him. Ichigo stopped as he reached the creek, peering into the dark water below. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water before the wind picked up and the water shimmered. Ichigo shivered. The wind was oddly cool for this time of year. He noticed the tips of the leaves were beginning to turn yellow.
"Jeez, September only just started. Karin would be throwing a fit," he said to himself.
Ichigo turned into the woods. He travelled through a hiking trail for a little more than five minutes before it opened again. There were a few houses to the right, and about twice as many to the left. Ichigo travelled down the right, stopping at a small, blue house. He approached the door and placed his key in the lock. He twisted the key and waited for the click, then he put the key back into his pocket and entered his house.
"Mrrow?" Came the call from Ichigo's cat, Tensa.
Rukia had found the kitten in the back of the café. Someone had left him alone. With a bit of insistence, she managed to persuade Ichigo to keep him. Ichigo named him Tensa and took him home. That was three months ago.
"Hello, Tensa. Your eye looks much better today."
Ichigo kicked off his boots and made his way slowly towards Tensa. One blue eye was wide with caution, while the other could only be half-opened. Tensa had been beaten and starved before being left at the café. As a result, the kitten was stressed and easy to agitate. Renji would tease Rukia about her being too scary to comfort the animal, and they both watched in awe as Ichigo got Tensa to eat from his hand. That was the true reason Rukia insisted that Ichigo take Tensa home.
"Are you hungry? I bet your food dish is empty by now."
Tensa blinked.
Ichigo chuckled and wandered into the kitchen. He took the bag of cat food out of a lower drawer and poured some into a dish. Tensa sat about a meter away.
"Come on. You know I don't bite."
Tensa wouldn't move. Ichigo grabbed a handful of cat food and slowly laid down on the ground. He extended his hand to the cat. Tensa took a couple of steps forward at a time. He stopped to sniff the wooden floors, then he would take another few steps. It didn't take long before he licked Ichigo's hand and started to eat from it.
"Good boy…" Ichigo murmured. Tensa purred at his voice.
Ichigo waited for Tensa to finish his meal before getting up – this included watching Tensa to make sure he ate all the food in his dish. Ichigo slowly moved to a sitting position. Tensa hopped up onto his leg and purred happily. Ichigo scooped the young cat into his arms and carried him into the living room. Ichigo laid down on the couch and Tensa adjusted accordingly. Ichigo slowly drifted to sleep with Tensa resting on his chest.
Hello and thank you so much for reading my fanfiction! No need to worry, more chapters are indeed on their way!
This story is paced differently than my other fanfictions as well. This is because I'm trying a new style of writing, and I'm rather enjoying it so far.
Leave a review and let me know what you think. Cheers!
~Midnight