Hey guys, just figured I'd take a break from my other story to work on this one. This story just seems easier and less complicated to develop. I'll get back to work on it soon, but its good to take breaks, you know? So I'll get started on this one for a while. In this story, Byakuya and Rukia own a café that they have been living and working in for their whole lives. Imagine a nice and breezy Spring Saturday afternoon, and here, we meet the Kuchikis. Let the journey begin!
Chapter 1: Complications
"Rukia, I need you to take care of these orders for me, I will be back in a bit."
"Yes, brother!" The raven-haired girl walked up to the register and took an elderly woman's order. She was working at her brother's coffee chop, the Gryphon Café in Karakura town. It was small, but homey, and Byakuya had a nice living quarters built upstairs. When you work at a coffee shop, your world becomes smaller, the customers are usually native to the town around you, you rarely get to experience travel, and pay is cheap, but she didn't dare say that in front of her brother. Sure, it may be small to her, but frankly, she didn't care in the least, for this is where she grew up; the wooden floor, the stage for acts in the corner, the round tables, and dimly lit environment would always have a place in her heart as her home. She didn't prefer anything else.
She printed out the receipt and gave it to the lady and showed her to an empty seat. The woman thanked her and slowly headed for the table. Rukia then put her elbows on the bar and put her head on her hands and sighed. Glancing over to the stage she smiled at the sight, the raised platform, grand piano, microphone and two small Marshall amps have been there for as long as she could remember. Byakuya liked the sound of Marshall amps the best, so he got two for the stage so performers wouldn't have to worry about bringing their own.
Of course, no one has played here on over a year and a half…
She sighed once more, remembering how she loved hearing the performers play on the stage during the day, she remembered singing along and dancing in her younger years too. She knew all the classics and now was musically adept at identifying songs from the 60's and 70's and some 80's. She loved the bands The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The White Stripes, and the Foo Fighters, but her all-time favorite band is Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks being her personal Idol. She played piano herself and was pretty good at it. She hadn't played it in a while due to schoolwork and such.
"Rukia you have to get back on that instrument…" she said dreamily to herself and then started cleaning the register and bar.
After about a half hour later, Byakuya came back. "Oh, welcome back brother! Where'd you go?"
After closing the café door behind him, he turned the open sign around so the "Closed" side was showing. Her eyes widened and caught a lump in her throat.
"Brother we don't close for another 6 hours, is everything alright?"
"Rukia, follow me."
She knew something was wrong when he said that because he looked straight at her as he said that. She gulped and followed him upstairs.
As they arrived to their living area, they sat down and Byakuya took out the papers from his suitcase and placed them on the table in front of him. "Rukia."
Rukia looked up at him. "Yes brother? Is everything alright?" He shut his eyes and slowly shook his head. "As you are an adult now, you should hear this. Our café has recently been running through a deficit and we've been losing more money than we're making." He got up and walked towards the window and looked outside at the traffic and pedestrians walking by. His eyebrows furrowed a bit but then coughed and looked back at Rukia.
"In other words, our café is in trouble and if we don't find a way to make ends meet soon, we could be out of our business."
Rukia couldn't believe her ears and despair was engulfing her. "w-what can we do, brother?"
"Well, what we can try is se who is performing around town, performers more often than not draw customers, and therefore bring us more business."
Rukia understood what he was saying. So all we have to do is see who can perform and we will be saved!
Rukia began to gain hope and a smile grew on her face and balled her fists. She stood up and brushed herself off. Byakuya raised his eyebrow and watched her with his arms behind his back.
"Well then all we need to do is get someone to perform! How hard can that be?"
Rukia thought she saw the slightest hint of a smirk on her brother's face as he turned around and looked out the window once more.
"Then I will leave it up to you, Rukia" and with that, he returned to his room, but caught himself. "Ah, and could you reopen the store?"
Rukia still frozen in shock from what he asked her, hook her head and started going downstairs without answering him. Me? I don't know many people outside the music club at school, who can I possibly get to perform here that's half-decent?
Heading back down, she turned the "Closed" sign to "Open" and then headed back to her post. She began to look at her address book and found some numbers that belonged to her friends that all played an instrument. It being a Saturday, she expected most of them to pick up their phone.
As she ran across the name "Abarai, Renji" The first name in her address book, she dialed and waited for his reply.
"Hello?"
"Hey Renji, its Rukia! How are you?"
"Fine, just doin Ukitake's homework, you?"
"I'm just working right now, how are you getting his homework?"
"Ahhh~, I've always been lousy at history, the past doesn't really matter to me, ya know?"
"Yeah, I hear what you're saying, say can I ask a favor of you?"
"Sure, anything for you, Rukia."
Rukia smiled apologetically to herself. She knew Renji always had a crush on her, but she couldn't really say the same for him back. Ever since she met him her freshman year, she knew he felt something towards her.
"Well, how are your sax skills holding up? Wanna perform here next weekend?"
"eeehhhhh, I'm actually going camping with the guys next weekend, but anytime after that!"
"I see….thanks anyway, Renji."
"Yeah, I'm sorry Rukia, I'll start practicing soon though, see you at school on Monday!"
"Ok, take care."
"Bye"
-Click-
Rukia sighed to herself. Well, at least he said he would be available the week after, she thought to herself. Renji is probably the best sax player at her school. Not quite a professional, but he plays 1st Saxophone in their competition Jazz band. Rukia, herself plays Piano in the same Jazz Band, led under their director, Rojuro Otoribashi, but we call him "Rose" because of his personality. When she first joined, she thought he was a girl because of his long, curly and flowing blonde hair. He is a talented musician though, he can play over 17 different instruments with ease and is a master of music theory, so that helps us when we are trying to write a solo for the songs we play at competitions.
She decided to call a few other of her friends, since no one was coming in. She called her friend, Nanao, a trumpet player, who couldn't because she had a lot of homework to do, Ikkaku, an expert trombonist said he doesn't know any solo pieces so he wouldn't come, and then her friend Rangiku said she couldn't come because her Alto Sax was in need of repair from her dropping it.
Sighing heavily, Rukia decided not to call anyone else, fearing that she would just get similar answers. Not letting it get the best of her, however, she decided to call the newspaper and put an ad in. She found the number and dialed it.
"rii~iing, riii~iing, -click- hello, Karakura Daily, Urahara speaking how may I be of service?"
"Yes hi, my name's Rukia Kuchiki and I'm from the Gryphon Café," She said as sweetly as she could muster through her disappointment, "Ah yes, the little café on Broad, what can I do for you today?" she flinched at his words.
"y-yes, I'd like to put an ad in tomorrow's paper that says 'Looking for performers'"
"ahh, ok. Since Byakuya has done me many favors in the past, This one will be on the house!"
Rukia was glad to hear that! The less money spent, the more money saved. And that saying means much more to her now that she's learned of the situation that her beloved café is in. "Sounds great! Have a good day, Mr. Urahara!"
"You too, miss Kuchiki, later!"
-click-
Pumping her fist, she knew she had done something that would make Byakuya proud. All she had to do now was wait for performers to either call or walk in and hopefully, things will go back to the way they once were. At that moment, a customer walked in and looked expectantly around him. Rukia greeted him joyfully:
"Welcome to the Gryphon Café!"
~The Next Day~
A newspaper dispenser stood alone on the corner of the street, when suddenly a hand reached out and dropped a quarter into the machine, noiselessly dispensing a newspaper. The Hands, connecting to a lean, but toned body, walked over to a bench and sat down. The mystery person took a sip of his coffee as he flipped through the pages until something caught his eye: "Performers welcome, Gryphon Café on Broad Street, walk-ins welcome!" Taking a sip from his coffee, he smirked to himself, brushed his carrot-orange hair back, grabbed his guitar case and begun walking back the direction he came. Lucky me! I just moved here and already some opportunities arise!