A/N: I have no clue what made me write this, but I attribute it to an angsty mood, the fact that it's midnight, and I watched the Family Stone this morning. I nearly cried writing this and that's huge.
This is for DI-13's drabble contest, under the prompt Dress.
Disclaime: I own nothing, it's all Tite Kubo's. BUt I do own Kurosaki Sora, so I might have me a loophole here. BWAHAHA
He sat on the couch, photo album placed in his lap. His body complained from his hunched over position, but he didn't have the heart to move. He glanced up, feeling a sadness come up and swallow him.
The sun had died a short time ago in his eyes. He was clinging to life, and he knew it. He didn't even know the reason, but he had an idea.
The sounds of shuffling feet, muffled whispers and quiet shushes caught his attention and he almost smiled. He turned his head to see all five of his children standing there, almost guiltily.
His oldest daughter, Masaki stepped forward. "Daddy?" She asked, her voice soft and quiet. Today was a quiet kind of day, depressing in of itself.
Ichigo didn't say a word, just held out an arm, beckoning for his daughter. Saki nodded, and almost tripped over herself in her rush to curl up against her father. The other children took this as their cue to step into the room, getting closer.
Sora, Masaki's twin, settled in the great armchair in the corner of the room. It was large enough for two people, which was proven when Emiko settled herself into his lap. Sora just smiled at his baby sister, pulling her closer.
Yorunii curled up at Ichigo's feet, laying her cheek against his knee. He ran his fingers through her dark auburn hair, smiling down at her. Ryuu, the youngest Kurosaki, sat in the loveseat, stretched out. He leaned his head back over the arm, closing his eyes.
Ichigo looked over his kids, proud of all of them. They were the perfect combination of him and his wife, the joys of their lives. They made up for everything bad Ichigo had ever done, any life Ichigo had ever taken, every drop of blood that coated Ichigo's hands.
Sora, the oldest by four minutes much to his sister's chagrin. He was a couple inches taller then his twin, both of them sharing the same orange hair and crystal eyes. He was mangaka, cleverly hidden under the pseudonym of Tite Kubo, drawing the story of his father and mother in a manga he had lovingly dubbed Bleach. He was a fierce protector of his family, especially his sisters. Quiet and focused, there were days Ichigo had to remind himself that it was truly his son.
Masaki was a doctor, top surgeon in her hospital, driven, focused and at the moment, two months pregnant with her first child. She wasn't married, having gotten pregnant from a one-night stand that had caused ripples of discord through the entire family until they all realized that Saki wasn't backing down from the challenge. Ichigo loved her for her strength, something he knew she inherited from her mother.
Emiko was next, the wild child. Ichigo was sure that she had more hollow in her then any of the others. She was vicious and crazy, but strong, loving intelligent. She could sing, milking that talent for everything it was worth, hitting the top spot on the Oricon for the eighth week in a row. Her hair was pale honey color, currently streaked with blue and pink and cut in spiky locks falling around her face. Her eyes were a near gold-brown, more evidence for Ichigo's hollow theory.
Yorunii was quiet, smart and gentle. Ichigo always worried about her, knowing that someone was going to use his daughter for something wrong. She had inherited his deep brown eyes and her mother's dark auburn hair and huge heart. She could never turned another person away, always doing her best to take care of them. She was currently in college, working to be a social worker to help kids with abusive parents.
Ryuu was a ladies man, the girls flocking towards his good looks and easy manner. He never did wrong by them, knowing that his sisters would kick his ass if he ever did, but he did have a lot of female friends. He looked a lot like Ichigo did when he was young, though Ryuu's hair was a copper color and his eyes were a dark gray color, that turned almost black when the boy was angry.
Ichigo looked down at the photo album in his lap and swallowed. He moved the arm he had around Saki and flipped the first page open, knowing that his heart was going to break by the time he was done. He knew he had to do it though.
Smiling up at him from the picture was himself and his wife, a tall, auburn haired woman with a bright sun-like smile and glittering gray eyes. She was dressed in a flowing white dress, her wedding dress, a glowing bride.
His chest ached with how much he missed her.
Saki nestled closer against him and he could feel her tears wetting his shirt. Yorunii curled up tighter on the floor. Emi buried her face against Sora's chest, who just watched, his face calm. Ryuu didn't move, almost as if he was forcing himself to ignore the album.
Ichigo flipped to the next page, this one showing a pregnant Orihime stretched out in a rocking chair. She was clothed in a yellow sundress that did nothing but emphasize the huge bulge that was her stomach. She was smiling, always smiling. There was nothing that she wouldn't smile about.
"That's you two," Ichigo murmured, pointing to the picture. "She was carrying you two, Saki, Sora." Saki sobbed and Sora gulped, a tear sliding down his cheek. He tightened his grip around Emi.
The next page held Orihime staring off, smiling gently at two children throwing water balloons at each other. She had on a blue dress on over a pair of jeans, the dress no doubt mean to hide the fact that she couldn't button her pants. She was pregnant again, this time with the wild child. Ichigo drew his finger over her cheek, tears welling up in his eyes.
He turned the page, his gaze glued to the next picture. Orihime was curled up on the couch, her black gown that she had worn to the Teacher-of-the-Year ceremony wrinkled. On hand was settled on her stomach, she was pregnant with Yorunii this time, and her arm wrapped around the two year old Emiko nestled against her side. A six year old Saki was resting with her head on Hime's thigh, while Sora just leaned against his mother, legs pulled up so he didn't bother Saki. Hime's head was resting on the top of his.
"I miss her," Yorunii whispered, almost to herself. Ichigo nodded, unable to voice it aloud. He missed her too, so terribly that he couldn't believe he was still breathing.
"She'd be in here in a minute if she saw us," Ryuu stated harshly, straightening. "You'd know that she'd be yelling at us, trying to get us to cheer up. So stop looking at that stupid book."
"Shut up, Ryuu," Emi snapped, looking up from her perch on Sora. "Just because you can't deal with the fact that she's gone doesn't mean we all can't."
"Oh yes, because you all dealt with it wonderfully," Ryuu snarled, his voice rising slightly in volume. "You ran off for a for a week, and Masaki went out, got smashed, slept with someone, and came home knocked up."
Saki winced, trying to bite back a sob. Sora turned a look at his brother, obviously annoyed. Yorunii gasped while Emi's head swung back, as if Ryuu's words had struck her.
"Enough," Ichigo ordered, his tone final. "Ryuu, that was uncalled for."
Ryuu bit his lip, sighing angrily. He looked away, unable to keep his father's gaze. "Sorry," He muttered. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Saki whispered back. "We all miss her, and it still hurts. But, Ryuu, maybe you should look at the pictures."
"Why?" Ryuu snapped, his eyes narrowing. "So I can see what's gone?"
"So you can remember what she looked like before she got sick," Sora's deep voice echoed through the suddenly silent living room. Ryuu's head snapped to look at him so fast, his neck cracked. He winced from the momentary pain, but just stared at his older brother.
Everyone was quiet at that moment, all of them unable to say really anything. They all knew how bad their mother had looked at the end, the sickness eating away at her. Emi had stated once that she had just wished her mother had died in some kind of accident, it would've been easier on them all.
Ichigo rose, causing both Saki and Yorunii to move and look at him oddly. They watched him go the hallway and pull out a wrapped box hidden deep within. He walked back to the living room and placed it on the table, staring at it. All of the children stared at it as well.
"I got it right after she had gotten sick," He said, his voice shaking with his tears. "I had gotten it, just for today, so she could unwrap it and feel better. It was her birthday gift."
"What is it, Daddy?" Emiko asked, sniffling. Masaki and Yorunii were both full out crying now, and Ryuu was wiping his eyes fighting the sobs.
"A blanket," Ichigo answered softly. "I had told Ishida to make it for me. It's a blanket made up of all her old dresses, the ones in the pictures, even her wedding dress. I couldn't give it to her."
He gulped and closed his eyes, trying to imagine what his wife would do now. He knew it almost instantly, almost smiling at the obviousness of it. He picked up the box and handed it to Masaki, who gasped and shook her head.
"It's for the baby," He said softly, pushing the box to her. "Orihime would've wanted you both to have it."
Masaki nodded, understanding. She began crying even harder, while Ichigo stood there, watching her, feeling old and time-worn. He sighed.
---
September 15th was cold. Five people stood in the graveyard, huddled around two headstones, shivering in the wind.
They were all crying, except for the eldest. He just stood there, arm wrapped around his pregnant twin sister, face completely composed.
"We all knew Dad wasn't going to last much longer," He said softly, catching his siblings' attention. "They were soul mates. Besides, everywhere Mom went, Dad followed. We all knew that."
Emiko wiped her eyes, trying to force herself to stop crying, "What was it Mom always used to say?" She asked. "About her and Dad?"
"She wished she could live five lifetimes," Yorunii and Ryuu recited at the same time. They both looked at each other for a moment, before Ryuu wrapped his arms around his older sister, crying into her shoulder.
"And fall in love with the same person five times," Saki finished, tears pouring down her face.
---
She is Life and he is Death, and as a circle is never broken and it has no end, their love is the same.