Disclaimer: I own nothing
It seemed just like any another summer night in Karakura Town. In the grand scheme of things, one could probably say that it really was just a typical Karakura Town evening. The Kurosaki household however, didn't seem to be aware of that fact as they got ready for dinner.
"Only three places, Karin?" Isshin asked as he took notice of the table his daughter was setting. "Who's not eating dinner? Karin, you're already in perfect shape you don't need to diet! Or is it Yuzu? Yuzu! You aren't overweight either! You are both my wonderful and beautiful daughters!"
Karin only shook her head as she ignored her father in favour of setting the table. Yuzu, on the other hand seemed to be in distress since she ran to her father and kept reassuring him over and over that neither she nor her sister were dieting, and that they would both be eating dinner with him.
Once Isshin was finally convinced that neither of his daughters was skipping meals, he made the obvious conclusion via the process of elimination. His brow furrowed and his lips pursed as he began to formulate his next question.
"No, Ichi-nii isn't skipping dinner either," Karin said as soon as she saw the look on her father's face. She smirked as she anticipated his reaction to what she was going to say next. "He has a date."
True to form, Isshin did not disappoint his daughters as several emotions seemed to fly across his face. Curiosity, sadness, glee, concern, and then finally it settled into a look that screamed pride at anyone and everyone in sight.
"It's about time!" he exclaimed, taking a seat and drinking a bit from the glass that Yuzu set in front of him just before she joined him and Karin at the table. "He should've done that a long time ago. He's not getting any younger after all!"
"Says the old man who gave him a strict curfew even when he was in high school," Karin said as she smirked at him.
"That was then!" Isshin argued, waving his hand as if the action would support his claims. "He's older now; he should be enjoying his life and focusing on giving me grandchildren!"
"He's in university," Karin pointed out quickly as she noticed the startled look on her twin's face. "He should be focused on studying, not giving you grandchildren."
"Yeah," Yuzu nodded energetically. "Onii-chan is still too young to be thinking about children!"
Meanwhile, upstairs in his room, Kurosaki Ichigo was enjoying his dream. He was somewhere, he didn't know exactly where, but he knew he was safe. He was with someone, they were laughing, smiling, doing nothing else except enjoying each other's company.
It wasn't often that he had dreams as pleasant as the one he was having at that moment and he decided that he would enjoy it for as long as he could. Just after his decision was made however, a startling pain at his midsection caused him to abandon the content feeling of the dream and sit up on his bed.
He glared at the stuffed animal on his lap, obviously angry at being forced to awaken, and abruptly at that. Kon was waving his arms and jumping up and down, his mouth opening and closing, apparently trying to tell Ichigo something. Ichigo scowled as he pulled off the headphones covering his ears and caught the last part of what the annoying toy was saying.
"—be late!"
Ichigo slapped Kon aside as he furrowed his brow and racked his head to try to remember what it was he was late for. Glancing outside his window, he saw that the sun was starting to set, it was dusk. Something he was going to be late for at dusk.
Then it clicked, he had a date.
Hurriedly getting out of bed with a muttered curse, he made his way to his drawers and quickly pulled one open to grab a change of clothes. Giving his under arm a cursory sniff, he winced and shot a quick glance at the clock. Deciding that he still had time, he tossed the clothes onto his bead and dashed to the bathroom for a quick shower.
As soon as he got back to his room and got dry, he started pulling on his clothes. Kon checked the clock and sighed. Ichigo really was going to be late.
"Oi! You should call her," Kon said as he tossed Ichigo's mobile phone towards him.
"Right," he said as he caught the device thanks to his Shinigami reflexes. He had her on speed dial, one-always one- and called her as he was pulling on his pants.
One ring.
He had on his pants and started pushing his arms through the sleeves of his shirt. He buttoned it up quickly.
Two rings.
A tie, he knew he had to wear a tie. It was a silly notion, but he wanted to look his best for her. She deserved it.
Thre-
"It's me," he said as soon as the person on the other side picked up. "I'm going to be a bit late."
He winced as he put on his watch, pinning the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he waited for her to say something. Whatever she said, it didn't seem to be harsh as he smiled and started to fix the long sleeves of his shirt.
"Yeah, I was asleep." He admitted anxiously. He paused as the person said something then glanced down and gave Kon an irritated look. "Kon woke me."
"I know," he rolled his eyes and addressed the plushie. "She says 'thanks'."
Somehow knowing that the toy would want to steal the phone from him, Ichigo dodged as Kon leapt up then trapped the thing facedown under his socked foot.
"I'm leaving now," he said as he glanced around his room to check if he left something important. "I'll see you in a bit. Bye."
He slipped the phone into a front pocket and patted his other pockets to check if they contained his wallet and keys. Nodding his head in confirmation, he stepped off Kon as he quickly headed for the door.
"Behave," he warned the lion.
"Yeah, yeah," Kon replied as he rubbed his face. "Don't keep her waiting!"
Back downstairs Yuzu had a puzzled look on her face. She looked over to the stairs and gave a small frown. "He should've left by now. He's going to be late."
It was as if her words had reached her brother since they soon heard a door slam upstairs followed by his footsteps as he came barrelling down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom step and glanced over to his family.
"I'm going."
"You're late," Karin pointed out and he had the decency to look foolish. "Hurry up and go."
"Take care Onii-chan!" Yuzu said as Ichigo was turning to go. He gave them a small smile and a nod before he slipped on his shoes and left the house.
"My Ichigo," Isshin proudly said with tears in his eyes as soon as the door clicked shut. "He's fina-"
"Shut up and let's eat in peace old man," Karin cut in shaking her head at her father's silliness. "Yuzu can you pass me the soy sauce?"
Somehow, Ishida Uryuu never expected the hospital to be busy during summertime. Then again, he never expected to be friends with the Shinigami either but he was, sort-of, if you considered people who fought on the same side but argued constantly with each other as friends. Maybe it was just his rotten luck, but he had no time to ponder on those things at the moment since another clipboard was thrust into his hands and he was directed to interview another patient to get the man's medical history.
While he listened to the man and wrote down important details, he took a look at the clock hanging on the near wall. It was getting late- he was late. Stifling a sigh, he wrapped up what he was doing, and handed the patient and the file to a nurse. She gave him a small nod, indicating that he could go, and he walked to the staff lounge. He stuffed the identification card dangling from a strap on his neck into his breast pocket, seemingly annoyed by the piece of laminated cardboard that kept reminding him of its presence with every move he made. Pulling out his mobile phone while he opened the door to the lounge, he took one look at the room and found it to be empty. He quickly dialled her number and waited for her to pick up.
She answered on the third ring.
"Hi," he said as he slipped his other hand into his pocket, relaxing just a bit at the sound of her voice. "No, I'm fine."
He smiled a bit, shaking his head as he listened to her talk, asking questions about his well-being.
"I'm fine. Really," he said gently but firmly, chasing away her doubts. "A bit tired, but that should be expected."
His smile widened just a bit, not really noticeable unless someone was looking very closely. She was concerned, worrying that he was doing too much. It made him feel warm inside, knowing that she was there and that she cared.
"You don't have to wait for me."
He sighed. She wasn't hearing any of it. She'd wait for him to arrive. It didn't matter to her, as long as he would drop by.
"I'll try to be there soon, I promise," He turned feeling another person's presence behind him, knowing that it would be his father. He raised a hand, asking the doctor for a chance to end the call before resuming his duties. His father gave small nod. "I have to go, I won't work too hard. See you."
"You can go now," his father said as soon as Uryuu flipped the phone shut, his face wearing the unattached look that it always did. "I only wanted to tell you that I would be here until late and that you shouldn't forget to lock the house before you go to sleep."
"I understand," Uryuu replied. "I'll be going then."
"Good work today," Ryuuhan said as soon as Uryuu had gathered all his belongings. He smirked at the weary way his son carried himself. "And don't make that girl worry too much."
Uryuu stared as his father's back as the older man left the room. Pushing up his glasses, he lifted his bag before he smirked at the empty room.
"You should remind yourself of that when you make Mom worry, old man."
In a two-unit apartment in Karakura, delicious smells were emanating from the kitchen of the second floor unit. Since the occupant cooked every day, it should have been a given that the aroma wafting about would be mouth-watering, but the remains of the ingredients on the counter told another story. Carrots, potatoes, bell pepper, tomato sauce, and meat –promised a nice dish- followed by what seemed to be peanut butter and maple syrup. All of those ingredients were now simmering inside the same pot on the stove.
Inoue Orihime stepped to the stove and sampled her latest creation. She smiled and nodded to herself when she tasted it, happy that dinner was ready. She turned off the stove and placed a lid on the pot so it wouldn't cool too quickly. Seeing the mess on her countertop, she grimaced.
"I have to clean that before he gets here," she said before she started to gather the left-over ingredients and stored them away in her refrigerator.
She pulled out a rag and wiped the counter clean, grinning as she cleaned the rag and hung it to dry. All she had to do now was to wait for him to arrive. She undid her apron and hung it on its hook. She washed her hands and gave a quick glance around her apartment.
It seemed as if everything was ready and that nothing was out of place. She made sure to clean her apartment that morning, dusting every place she could reach, and some places she normally couldn't. She was certain she kept everything looking neat and tidy, no books or magazines lying around, no spare scraps of cloth or pieces of thread wandering about either. Despite all her cleaning efforts, she couldn't help but feel nervous.
She had a date.
It was important that her place was clean, that it was orderly, but still retained its homey feel. She wanted him to be comfortable in her home, to be able to relax in a space that was so much hers. To feel like he wanted to come back and know that he'd be welcome any time.
She was still glancing around nervously, when she was startled by the sound of her phone ringing. Apparently, she was so nervous that something as familiar as her own mobile phone could make her jump.
Shaking her head and berating herself lightly, she went inside her room and picked up her phone from the desk.
He was calling.
She took a deep breath to steady herself and answered.
"Hello?" she asked, seeing what the time was on her alarm clock as he greeted her, she wondered what was keeping him, so she asked. "Is something wrong?"
He was alright, that was good, Orihime smiled a bit then furrowed her brow. If he was fine, what was with the call?
"Are you sure?" she asked concerned for his health. "You're not sick or hurt, right? You're not working yourself to exhaustion or doing something that'll push you to your limits, right?"
He didn't like making her worried. She is sure that he's telling her the truth and not just making something up or giving her a watered down version of events. She'd find out if he did.
"If you say so," she replied, still a bit worried for him. Then she perked up as she remembered, "Dinner's ready, I'll keep it warm so it'll be good later when you get here. I promise I won't eat it without you."
"What? No way!" Orihime argued, shaking her head even though she knew that he couldn't see her. "I made this dinner because we were going to eat it together, it wouldn't be the same if I ate it alone. I'll just wait for you, I know that if it was the other way around, and you'd wait for me too."
"No worries," she assured him, her phone cradled by both her hands, eyes wide, and a blush on her cheeks. "I'll be right here."
She knew someone was with him then, a small change in his breathing, not that anyone would notice, but she did, and being one of the people who could read him made her feel very content. He had to go, he probably had more work to do.
"Make sure you don't. I'll see you soon."
He ended the call after that. She shook her head. He worked too hard; he wanted to reach his goals too much; he wanted his father to be proud of him. She knew that the only thing she could do was make sure she was there for him whenever he needed her, so she was.
And he was there for her.
Kuchiki Byakuya was never the type of person who shows his emotions. Emotions made one weak, vulnerable, human. They had to be kept in control at all times or else they would lead one to ruin. A display of such was rude, indelicate, and utterly lower class. Overtly showing emotions were for lesser people, not for shinigami, and definitely, not for one from the Kuchiki Family.
Which was why he could not directly prohibit Rukia from going to the real world for the day, it would have been a display of worry, an emotion. As much as he would have liked to keep Rukia locked up in her room safe from both hollows who would try to eat her and substitute shinigami who would try to take her away from Soul Society, he would not succumb to the temptation of displaying emotion as many of his subordinates have done. The act would have broken his pride. Byakuya did the one thing he was certain would keep Rukia from going and still keep his pride intact.
He ordered Renji to do it.
In her room, Kuchiki Rukia was doodling in her sketchbook. Her skills at drawing were still far below that of her Nii-sama's, therefore she spent every spare moment she could practicing that skill. Finishing up her doodle, she knew she had to get going soon or else she'd be late.
As she was putting her desk in order, a knock sounded on her door. Without even glancing at the direction of the door, she said, "Enter."
"Yo Rukia," Renji said as soon as he slid the door open. "You going somewhere?"
"Yes," she absently replied, still fixing up her drawing things. "Did you need something?"
"Well," Renji said sheepishly, averting his eyes even though she wasn't even looking at him. "See, Captain kind-of…uh, how to put this?"
"Renji!" Rukia stood, annoyed that her friend was taking too long. "What is it?"
"We-ell," he stammered, still not willing to meet her eyes. "Captain Kuchiki ordered me not to let you go to the real world today."
"Really?" she asked, contemplating on reasons as to why her brother would not have allowed her. "Does he require my presence?"
"I don't think so," he answered her honestly. "I think he just doesn't want you to go. Why are you going, anyway?"
Rukia suddenly turned away, but not before the red-head could see her blush. Seeing how Rukia almost never blushed, it piqued his interest.
"What's this?" he said in a teasing tone. "Rukia, you're blushing. It's as if you're going to the real world for a date or something."
He saw her flinch and he entered the room to make sure she was fine. When he saw her face though, he saw that her blush had deepened and she was avoiding his eyes.
"So, it is a date!"
She flinched again and scowled at him. Putting her hands on her hips, she tried to intimidate him. It would have worked, if she wasn't as red as a tomato.
"Renji!" she said in her sternest voice. "I'm going to Karakura Town, and unless there is a valid reason, you cannot stop me."
"I guess I have no choice," Renji said, shaking his head as he put a hand on Zabimaru's hilt. "Don't say I didn't warn you, but Captain did say to keep you here at all costs."
"Bakudo number four, Hainawa!"
"Oi! Rukia!" Renji struggled against the kidou. "You didn't have to do this."
Rukia glanced back at him for a moment. "Sorry Renji, I promised Ichigo."
With that she was gone.
In hindsight, it was probably not a good idea to have trusted Remji to make sure that Rukia would stay put. An explosion from the direction of Rukia's rooms confirmed it. His Vice-Captain probably carried out the order the same way he did everything else, rush in head-first without thinking about the consequences.
Byakuya supposed that he would have to trust Rukia to take care of herself this time. If she got hurt or gave any indication that she was upset because of this little outing of hers, he knew that he would be visiting a certain orange-haired substitute shinigami and giving said substitute a kidou lesson wherein Byakuya would be firing off kidou and Ichigo would be the target.
In the real world, Rukia shook her head as she arrived at Urahara's shop to get her gigai. It was really unusual that Renji would lie to her and say that it was an order from her brother. He was her best friend, he didn't have to lie to her, and he could've just told her that he didn't want her to go.
"Kuchiki-san!" Urahara Kisuke greeted as soon as she entered the shop. "Your gigai is upstairs where you left it. We took the liberty of dressing it up for you."
"Ah," she said distractedly. "Thank you, Urahara-san. The payment-"
"No need," he said, shaking his hand. "This one's on the house."
"Thank you," she bowed before she allowed Ururu to lead her upstairs.
To say that Urahara dressed her gigai was an understatement; the false body had on a form fitting ¾ sleeved shirt that had a v-neck collar covered by a vest, the trousers were also fitting and had vertical stripes on them, making her legs appear longer. Her hair was done up by a simple yet stylish clip at the back of her head.
As soon as she got in her gigai, she stretched her limbs so she wouldn't feel stiff and sluggish later on. Then she heard music playing. Rukia wondered what it was for a few seconds then realized that it was actually her phone ringing.
"Hello? " she answered, forgetting to check who was calling. Thankfully, the caller was nice enough to identify himself.
"I really should have anticipated this," she sighed, more amused than annoyed really. She knew that university was stressful for him. "You fell asleep, didn't you?"
She paused, smiling at herself in the mirror while listening to him admit that he was sleeping. When he did, she gave a small chuckle.
"I knew it," Rukia said smugly. Then her eyebrows lifted as the person on the other end said something that surprized her. "He did, really? That was nice of him; thank him for me will you?
She heard him thank someone, and then she heard a thud, as if someone, or something, was forcefully shoved there.
"What was-" she started to ask, but thought better than to do so. "Never mind."
Her caller said something else that made her smile. Really, she thought, sometimes, the simplest things could make me smile.
"Okay," she replied. "See you soon."
As soon as she hung up, Rukia checked to see if she had all of the things she needed. If she wanted to be able to tease him later, she had to get to their meeting place before he did. Good thing for her, it was close.
"Thank you, Urahara-san, I'll be going now," Rukia smiled as soon as she was downstairs. She started heading towards the exit when Urahara called out to her.
"Enjoy your date, Kuchiki-san!" he said cheerfully, waving his fan at her enthusiastically.
"It's not a-" she started to argue. She shook her head and blushed. Might as well admit it, everybody seems to know, anyway. "I will Urahara-san."
With that she left the shop, looking more nervous and happier than Urahara Kisuke had ever seen her be.
"'A very close friend' huh, Kurosaki-san?" Urahara said as he watched Rukia walk off. "A very close friend indeed."
Author's note: So~ I thought this up while I was procrastinating on a report. I was re-reading the manga, then it hit me how cute that picture was on chapter 298. So yeah, this is the result. It's almost one in the morning and I've been burning my eyes all day, so please forgive me for any OOC-ness, misspelling, grammatical errors, and the lame way I ended the story.
On another note, please review if you've got the time. Thanks for reading. ^.^