Hello there! :) So, here's my next IchiRuki fanfic, which also happens to be another Stephen King based novel story! :)
Just so you know, this story will be based on the movie because I have yet to read the book. I've been wanting to for some time now, and I have it, I just haven't gotten the time, I suppose. So yes, this is based on just the movie. But we all know that I don't stick to the exact plot anyways, so I guess it doesn't matter. :D
One more thing! I'm pretty sure this fic is going to be more gory than Rukia, just because Stephen King's version is so gory. I'll try to make all you lovers-of-gore satisfied with how I depict those scenes.
Anyways, here's chapter one! Hope you enjoy!
There was a storm the night before we went to the store. It was a pretty bad one, knocking one of the neighbors' trees down and tearing off a lot of the shingles of our house. As Rukia and I went outside to inspect the damage the next morning, I could hear her sigh as she wrapped her arms around her small frame, trying to block the wind. I felt my usual scowl deepen as I stared at the house.
The sliding glass doors had been struck by a torn branch from the neighbors' tree and was smashed in, glass laid out all over the kitchen floor. Several shingles lay about the yard, along with the branch that had shattered our door, and the fence around the backyard had two sides that had fallen over. I sighed also, running a hand through my spiky, untamed hair.
Rukia glanced at me before speaking. "How much do you think it'll cost to fix?" she asked, squinting as she peered up at me.
I stared at the house for a moment longer, still silent, before replying, "More than we can afford."
I noticed her roll her large eyes. "What a great answer," she snapped sarcastically.
"Just shut up, I'm not completely sure. Don't get bitchy, it's not like this is my fault," I answered angrily, still not looking at her. I shifted my weight from my left foot to my right, keeping the gap between us as we usually did. Things hadn't been going so well with us lately. We'd been married for ten years now, but it seemed like ever since our son, Kiba, was born we grew farther apart.
"I'm not being bitchy, you ass! This is horrible, I think I have the right to be upset about this! What the hell-?!" she started, stopping when she noticed Kiba approach us. The nine-year-old looked confused and worried, but soon grinned when we both smiled back at him. The smiles were forced, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Mommy, Daddy, what are we gonna do about the house?" he asked, looking from me to Rukia.
Rukia looked at me, obviously wanting me to answer. "We'll fix it, don't worry," I stated, noticing Rukia roll her eyes again. I ignored her.
"How long will it take?" he asked, his attention back to me.
I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Not too long. I'll start today, okay?" I responded, trying to ease his worries.
"Does that mean you're going to the store?" he questioned, now excited, seeming to forget about his concern. He always like to go the store, no matter which one it was, but I never really understood why. I just had to remember that he was a nine-year-old, after all.
"Yep. You wanna come?" I asked, absently placing my hand over my eyes, shielding them from the morning sun.
"Yeah!" he answered. "Mommy, you should come too!" he said, turning back to her.
She shook her head, her raven hair blowing in her face before she brushed it away, annoyed. She still had her fake smile plastered on her face, though. "I'm sorry, Sweety, Mommy's busy today. I've got to clean the house, it'll take-" she began reciting her usual excuse before Kiba cut her off.
"The house is trashed. You can't do much until Daddy fixes it. Come on, please!" he asked, smiling when she sighed in defeat.
"Fine, I'll come," she said, now not even trying to pretend to be please. I guess sitting in the truck next to me was too hard to bear. "Just let me go get a jacket, it's freezing," she said, her face blank.
Kiba noticed and looked up at me, worried again. I smiled back down at him, trying to be more genuine this time, and shook my head to an un-asked question. "She's fine, Kiba. She's just worried about the house. Don't worry about it."
He nodded, still looking concerned. "Go get in the truck and buckle up, we'll be out there soon," I said, watching as he walked toward the jet black vehicle. Just then, Rukia stepped out of the house, pulling one of my sweatshirts over her head and matting down the hair that stuck up after wards.
"I hope you don't mind," she said absently. "All mine were dirty."
I shook my head, dismissing the subject. "Look, I'm sorry I called you a bitch, or said you were acting bitchy, or whatever. This is just...stressing me out. I'm sorry," I said, taking a step closer to her, breaking the invisible boundary we usually respected.
She gave me a skeptical look, crossing her arms over her chest before taking a step away from me. "It's fine," she said, still not meaning it. Rukia never seemed to let go of anything I did.
I nodded, about to let it go, but decided to try again. "I mean it, Rukia, I'm sorry." I took another step towards her, lightly grabbing her arm. All I wanted was to patch things up with her, for Kiba's sake more than for my own. He was too young to have divorced parents, and that's what seemed to be the only option Rukia was willing to consider.
She acted like she was going to pull away again, but noticed Kiba watching us. Then she turned back to me. "Look, just forget it, okay? I already said, I forgive you," she said, her small eyebrows knitting together in frustration. "I don't know why you're acting so weird, but just knock it off. You act as if Kiba can hear us."
"Why does he have to be around for things to be okay? Even when he is, their not! We just fake it, for his sake, but it's not like it's helping! He's not stupid, he knows there's a problem!" I exclaimed.
"Why do you care?! You've never cared before!"
"Bull shit!"
"Why are you acting like this? What's your problem!?" she asked, now pulling her small arm out of my grasp.
"This is my problem! I can't even apologize to you without you getting mad at me!" I said, causing her to look away guiltily. "Rukia...what happened to us?" I asked, feeling a frown tug at my features.
She snapped her head back to look at me again. "This isn't the time to talk about it. We need to get to the store and fix the house. Now, let's act like we made up and we can talk later," she said, smiling pleasantly, so that Kiba would notice. I sighed, not wanting to play her little game, but decided it would be better for Kiba.
Rukia took a few steps closer before hugging me, resting her head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her small body, the action almost foreign to me now. After awhile, she pulled away, still smiling pleasantly. "We'll talk tonight," she said before striding to the truck. I stood there a few seconds before following her.
The store that we went to was a mixture of a hardware store and a grocery store. I honestly don't even remember the name of it, we just called it The Store. The front entrance was all wide windows that stretched from top to bottom, allowing anyone who passed to easily see inside. We lived in a small town, so whenever you went to The Store you usually knew most of the people there.
As we approached the store Rukia said, "It looks like it's going to rain again."
I nodded. "You're right. Come on, let's get inside before it starts," I said, opening my door, and stepping out. Rukia and Kiba exited on the other side of the truck, walking ahead of me into the store. I stared at the darkening sky absently, and then followed them inside. As I walked into The Store, I saw Rukia talking to someone, holding Kiba. I approached Rukia and soon noticed that the person she was talking to was Kisuke Urahara.
"Oh, hello, Kurosaki!" he exclaimed, waving enthusiastically. I nodded my hello and took my place behind Rukia, standing a little closer than she probably liked. "How are you?"
"I'm good, thanks," I lied. "A little stressed about the house, but other than that, I'm fine. How about you?" I asked, only half interested. I was eager to get back to home and get something done.
"I'm great, thank you!" he answered. "Kiba's really growing, he looks just like you," Kisuke said, roughly ruffling Kiba's orange spikes, making him pull away. Kisuke only laughed and apologized. We talked a little bit, but nothing that interested me enough to listen. He said he had to go, so we ended our conversation and headed toward the hardware section.
"Let's hurry up and get out of here," Rukia said, sighing.
As I was about to reply, I noticed something moving towards The Store quickly, suddenly. I turned my gaze to the window, gaining Rukia's attention. "What is it, Ichigo?" She asked, but I didn't answer. She then turned her head toward the window and saw what I saw. A thick layer of fog was sliding across the air, seeming to seep from a certain area in the distance, spreading. Everyone was watching, the chatter that was filling the building only seconds ago had died down. That's when we saw a figure run toward The Store, screaming bloody murder, sending a chill up my spine.
Okay, so that's it! :) It's kind of...fast, I think, for a first chapter, but that's how the movie is, I think.
Also, did anyone notice how mean Rukia was? Yeah, well, no worries. Thing's change before you know it! :D
Anyways, I hope you all liked it. Please review! Please and thank you! :D:D:D:D