Title: The end of the world
Characters: Ichigo, Isshin x Ryuuken
Word Count: 905
Rating: PG
Summary: Isshin has some news to break to his son.
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He should have never come home. Or better yet, he should have just stayed in the Soul Society, where things at least made sense still. Just anywhere but in the one of the clinic rooms listening to his father exuberantly explain how he's going to make the family whole again, and how Masaki would only want him to be happy.
But instead he had come home straight from school, and was a bit taken aback to find Isshin waiting for him inside. And when he was somberly asked to come with the elder Kurosaki, to talk about an important family matter privately, Ichigo felt a pang of fear shoot through him. So he didn't put up the usual fight and quietly followed his father into one of the empty clinic rooms.
"I wanted to tell you about this first, before I tell the girls," Isshin had begun once Ichigo had taken a seat on the bed. The older man went on, sounding more and more nervous with each word. "I'm really not sure how to say this, to make this easy for any of you."
"It's ok, Dad," Ichigo said encouragingly, "I'm not a kid anymore. I can take whatever you have to tell me."
Isshin gave his son a smile in appreciation before trying again. "Well do you remember when I went to that doctor's seminar last year, son?"
"Yea, you left Yuzu in charge of the house, and she became a total rule nazi."
"That's really not anyway to speak of your darling little sister, Ichigo," Isshin lightly scolded before continuing, "Well while I was there, I well, I met someone. And after some careful persuasion we began dating-"
"Ah, so you want to tell us you've got yourself a girlfriend now," Ichigo cut in, in an attempt to make this easier on them both. Though he wasn't completely happy with the idea of his father dating, no woman should have to endure that horror, he wasn't going to stop his dad from living his own life.
Isshin though just nervously chuckled. "No, not really. What I want to tell you is that I have a new wife. You see over the weekend, when I told you I was going to the hot springs, you know, the one you all refused to go with me for, I eloped. So you and the girls now have a new mommy."
Ichigo could swear he had felt the world tilt, as the words hit him with the grace of an 18-wheeler. "You got married to some complete stranger without telling us?!"
"Ruki isn't a stranger, I told you we've been going out for about a year now. I just didn't tell you kids about it since I didn't want you to be disappointed if it didn't pan out. Ruki is a really terrific person that I'm sure you'll just love."
"B-but you could've warned us at least that you going to get to this, this- What kind of name is Ruki anyway?"
"Ruki is just a pet name, for Ryuuken."
"Ryuuken? What kind of name is 'Ryuuken' for a woman?"
"Oh silly boy, Ryuuken isn't a woman. He's a man just like you and me. And between you and me he's a real catch. Really easy on the eyes, if you what I mean, wink, wink, nudge ,nudge."
"You got married to a guy!!"
"Yep, he's a widower just like me, as well as a doctor. And when you put everything into perspective there isn't too big of an age gap, really nothing bigger than there was with your mother. He's even has a son who's your age. Why you two even go to the same school, coincidently."
"Wha- who?"
"Uryuu Ishida. Which reminds me, Ruki didn't want to completely abandon his last name so we decided to have ours combined, so I'm now Isshin Kurosaki-Ishida. But if you don't feel comfortable with adding the 'Ishida' you don't have to."
If the shock from the last of the news of his father's re-marriage hadn't rendered him brain dead, Ichigo was sure he would've made himself an orphan by now. But instead he just sat there dumbly wondering why the universe decided to turn against him. It wasn't until the elder Kurosaki told him that he'd be sharing a room with brand new brother, Ishida, that Ichigo finally snap back to the present. But that was only to promptly faint.
"So how did your boy take the news?" Isshin asks Ryuuken, as he joins the man at the small restaurant table.
"Not too differently than your own," the other man answers, glancing up from the menu. "Just replace the yelling with stupefied gaping. Of course I could tell he wasn't too thrilled with the idea of living under the same roof as me again. But if the pictures I found stashed under his bed, and bleeding nose that went with his lose of consciousness are any indication, I think he's secretly happy with the bedding arrangements."
"That's good to hear," Isshin says merrily while picking up his own menu. "I was worried that they wouldn't take to sharing a bed until we can get a new one too well. I guess that just proves how well our boys have grown up."
"Something like that," Ryuuken mumbles, happy in the knowledge that despite his son's foolish fancies that at least he still managed to inherit his good taste.