Disclaimer: Tite Kubo and Shounen Jump are the owners of Bleach. I am but a humble fan, borrowing Kubo's characters for my perverse fantasies. They don't make me any money either. Seriously.
Chapter One: Karakura
"Last stop, Karakura West! Final call for all passengers!"
At the sound of the booming voice, he gave a half-smile. Standing up out of his seat, the orange haired youth gave a sigh, stretching his arms above his head. Before settling his right arm back down to his side, he swiped his bag off of the rack above him.
Stepping off the train gingerly, his shoes made a dull echo as they hit the stone of the Karakura station. He let out a breath, the could air crystallizing it in the air before him.
"Sure is good to be back. Karakura... it's been ten years..." He whispered softly. Giving a satisfied sigh, Ichigo stretched his hands up and looked towards the night sky.
"And already I can see that nothing has changed." Ichigo lamented. Quirking an eyebrow, Ichigo turned his attention to the clouds above him, rolling over to cover the night sky.
"Looks like it could snow any minute now..." Ichigo said, in an uninterested tone. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Ichigo set out from the station towards the streets below. The main station, Karakura Central, would have deposited Ichigo in the middle of the bustling city: down town. However, despite Ichigo's yearning to check out the old place, he instead opted to get of at Karakura West, a more suburban area. It was where Ichigo had grown up, and his house wasn't more than a mile from the station.
Taking in the scenery for a moment, Ichigo recognized the neighborhood, a small area of shops and restaurants. Pinpointing the street he was to follow, Ichigo made his way across the town.
To Ichigo, being back in his old neighborhood was quite nostalgic. He hadn't been to Karakura for ten years, yet he still knew it like the back of his hand. It was an odd feeling, all the old memories rushing over him. His childhood, his house, his family and friends, her...
Ichigo shook his head, banishing this line of thought from his head. Suddenly, Ichigo remembered why he had avoided coming back for all those years. This town held more than just old memories. Besides, not all of those memories were good ones.
It really had been a long time though. After all, Ichigo had left the town ten years ago, when he was 14. Certain events had driven Ichigo to seek a more peaceful, solitary life outside the city limits. As such, he had left town, finished high school while living alone, then flew to America to study in Chicago. By the time Ichigo returned to Japan, he was 23, had a degree in education and his English teaching credentials, and hadn't so much as talked to a single figure from his past since his departure. That had been a year ago.
"Huh... wait, aren't you..?"
Ichigo stopped, turning to the sound of the voice. There was a man standing in front of him, shorter than him by a head with his black hair cut short and smart. He wore an expensive looking white winter coat and long dark slacks, holding a bag of wrapped gifts. He was looking up at Ichigo with intense scrutiny. Ichigo blinked for a moment, then his memory clicked.
"Mizuro, is that you!" Ichigo said, surprised. The man gave a nod, then a smile. "So it is you Ichigo! I knew it, I'd never see anybody else with that shade of hair in my life!" He said jokingly. Ichigo clenched a fist.
"Right to the hair... this place never does change, does it?" Ichigo said, feigning anger. Mizuro gave a laugh. "Yeah well, sorry. Old habits die hard." He laughed. "And talk about old habits... how long has it been since I've seen you man? It has to have been at least eight years."
"It's been ten." Ichigo said. Mizuro gave a nod. "Yeah, you haven't been to Karakura once since you left all that time ago. Man that was a crazy time. Don't blame you for wanting to get out, personally. Still, would it have hurt to visit once?" Mizuro said cheerfully.
"Yeah, I've been busy..." Ichigo lamented. "What about yourself? You still live around here?" Ichigo asked curiously. Mizuro gave a nod. "You know what they say, few people leave the west side of Karakura. I'm still well off, though. I went into the family business, didn't even bother with university. I married a girl from work a few years back. Other than that, life's been normal around here." Mizuro finished, as if trying to drop the subject. Ichigo gave a grin, he hadn't missed the real bomb dropped.
"You married? My my, the pimp himself settled down. How old is she?" Ichigo asked slyly, a nod to Mizuro's old preferences in older women. Mizuro gave a blush. "Aiko is only a year older than me, for your information." Ichigo gave a whistle, "Aiko huh? How exactly did she get you to settle down, will all those girls you used to carry around?" Ichigo asked. Mizuro gave a chuckle. "She never had to deal with any of that. I was smitten after our first conversation, and once I realized I had a shot with her, I sent those girls away..." Mizuro gave a light laugh, "It was a nice, if strange twist, me chasing after a girl as opposed to the other way around."
"Well congratulations, I'll have to come over and meet her sometime." Ichigo said happily. Mizuro gave an agreeing nod. "Yeah, we need to get together. Besides meeting Aiko, the three of us, You, Keigo and myself, need to go out." Mizuro inquired.
"Oh god, Keigo is still around here too?" Ichigo laughed at Mizuro's somber nod. "So how is everybody doing? You know, Keigo and Chad, Ishida and Tatsuki?" He asked curiously. Mizuro put turned his eyes up to think, placing his back down on the sidewalk.
"Well... Keigo is just fine. That idiot moved to an apartment downtown, but we still meet for drinks every Friday night. He's works all kinds of jobs. Hasn't stuck to one thing yet, but he seems happy regardless." Mizuro gave a small laugh. "Never did get over you leaving, though. You should hear him every time he's drunk, it's 'Ichigo this', and 'my wing man that'. Ichigo gave a nod and a smile. "Sounds like Keigo." He assured.
"Chad's fine too. He works days as a construction manager, and plays with his band at clubs some nights. We still talk, on occasion." Mizuro said. "I don't talk with Ishida all that much, but I heard from Chad that he's working down at the city hospital with his dad. Tatsuki... oh, I haven't seen much of her in awhile. She was working as a martial arts instructor, but she left town for a tournament about two months ago, and I haven't talked to her since. She may already be back for all I know, but she lives over on the east side, and I never go there." Mizuro's face turned serious for a moment, and he looked back at Ichigo. "She never got over you leaving either, but not like Keigo. I hear she went on a warpath trying to track you down. She was pissed, man. If I were you'd I'd try to find the time to apologize, or at least let her hit you a few times."
Ichigo nodded, satisfied. "Yeah... I figured that. I didn't mean to just abandon you all, it's just that..." Mizuro held up a hand, halting his friend. "Don't worry about it, man. I know you, you're the kind of guy who works through anything in time. You just needed that time. You didn't abandon anybody, no matter how much Tatsuki bitches. Now here, hold this." Giving his bag to Ichigo, Mizuro reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "So how long are you in town for? We all need to get together."
"I'm in until about New Year's, then I'm heading back to Tokyo." Ichigo replied. Mizuro gave a nod, jotting a note down on his phone. "Alright, then I'll call you when I-... oh, of course, that's what I was forgetting!" Mizuro interrupted himself, snapping his fingers in realization. "I almost forgot, can't believe I did! You wanted to know about the others, and I totally forgot her! Last I heard, Ru-".
Ichigo gently pushed the bag back into Mizuro's hands, and sent his friend a glance. It was neither hostile nor confrontational, it almost looked... sad. Yet it was icy, and held an ultimatum: Mizuro wasn't supposed to talk about her, no matter what.
"Like I said, I'm glad to know everybody is doing fine." Ichigo said coolly. "You're right, we really should go out sometime. But right now, I have to head home, say hello to the family. Call the clinic when you've got a date." With that, Ichigo turned, walking down the street towards his old house. "It was good seeing you Mizuro." Ichigo said absently, waving to his old friend without turning back to face him. Mizuro stared after his friend for a few moments, before replying.
"You too Ichigo..." He trailed off, staring after his friend's receding back. Mizuro stood in place for few more minutes, until the cold was too much for him, and he turned to continue on his way. Yet all the way home, the same question was nagging Mizuro.
Why had Ichigo not wanted to hear about his old girlfriend?
XxXxX
"We've now arrived at Karakura International. Thank you for flying with us. Be sure to-"
At the sound of the stewardess, she was up in an instant, throwing off her seat-belt and dashing out into the isle to obtain her carry on. The two men sitting next to her, both obviously businessmen, shot her dirty looks for her rather manic behavior, but the disdain was lost on her. Tonight nothing could get her down, she just knew it.
She opened the overhead, her bag falling out and right into her hands, a bit of good luck, she thought. Giving a nod to the stewardess, she hurried off the plain, her eyes looking out of the windows of the terminal for her first glance of Karakura in ten years The bright lights of Karakura's downtown seemed to fight back the cold darkness of the night, and she basked in her city's familiar warmth.
"Karakura City... I've missed you. Glad to be back." Giving a contented smile, Rukia gave a skip before exiting into the terminal. She passed through a series of corridors and check points, retrieved her bag (It had been first on the cargo belt, another spot of good luck), and dashed out into pick-up area, her form shivering slightly as her body hit the cold winter air. Reaching a hand into her bag, Rukia withdrew a red scarf and a long brown winter coat, throwing them on to combat the cold she had in truth missed so much.
"Much better. Now then, where is Nii-sama? He said he would be here..." Rukia swiveled her head to and fro, looking for her supposed escort. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a tall, slender looking man, with long black hair held in place by a ceremonial hair piece, a hair piece she would recognize anywhere, as a family heirloom. Rukia grabbed her bags, running towards the car.
"Nii-sama!" Rukia shouted. The man, dressed in a stylish black suit and dark blue tie, looked up to get a good view of her, before taking the cigarette out of his mouth and crushing it under his expensive looking leather shoes.
"Rukia-" Byakuya started, before said girl dropped her bags and threw her arms around his waist. His normally impassive face adopting a more uncertain look, Byakuya froze for a few moments, before giving his younger sister a few pats on the back.
"Yes, yes, I have missed you too Rukia. We have many matters to discuss, ones that we cannot get to until you unattached yourself from me." He finished. Rukia pulled away, giving Byakuya a guilty smile. "Sorry, Nii-sama."
"Pay it no mind." Byakuya replied. Stepping back, he looked her over.
"You have grown in the last ten years," Byakuya said, almost proudly, "You are an adult now. I am sure Hisana would be proud." Rukia gave a sad smile at the mention of her departed sister. Byakuya and Rukia really weren't blood related brother and sister. Back when Rukia had been little Hisana had taken care of the two of them. She had fallen in love with and married Byakuya, only to die five years later. Ever since, Byakuya has considered Rukia to be his true sister, and had treated her as such. Even so, the death of Hisana had weighed heavily on Rukia, back when it happened. Her death, among other... incidents, had caused Rukia to leave home at age 15.
After three years away on her own, Rukia had worked up the courage to write a letter to her brother. When she had sent it, she fully expected him to not respond, or to be angry with her. No such thing. His response had been cordial, a combination of respect for her choice to move, and no-so-well contained joy over her break up with her previous boyfriend. Byakuya had never really liked the boy in the first place. Rukia had continued to write letters to Byakuya and her other friends whenever she could. However, this was the first time since she ran away that she was actually in Karakura again. Despite all the letters, she had never really worked up the courage to return in person. To tell the truth, even now she wasn't sure she was ready for this.
However, Rukia didn't have a choice this time.
"Shall we go then Rukia?" Byakuya inquired, gesturing to the sleek black car next to his person. "Dinner will be prepared soon." Rukia gave a nod. "Sure Nii-sama, let's go home."
Byakuya nodded. "Yes... home."
XxXxX
As Ichigo turned the corner onto the next street, he stopped, taking the sight in. Nostalgia flew over him in waves, and all at once he let out a smile. His old street, yet another place that had seemingly been frozen in time. As he walked down the side walked, his head constantly turned from left to right, looking at the homes of his old friends. Right as he turned the corner, there was Tatsuki's house, and across the street from it, where Orihime and her brother used to live. Farther down was Chad's house, across the street and a few doors down from Ichigo's own. Ishida's was further down, as was Keigo's and finally Mizuro's at the far end of the street. There were so many others, Chizuru's house, and... the Shiba's. Not to mention-"
His steps coming to an abrupt halt, Ichigo stopped dead, turning to look at the darkened house next to his own. While the other homes on the street housed windows radiating a warm light, this one sat silent and cold. It's old occupants had long left it, and no one had come to claim it since. The grass grew wild, the paint peeled and the windows lied dark. As the rest of the block seemed to withstand the test of time, this house alone had seemingly succumbed to time's curse.
Even so, he still remembered every little detail about it. The front porch that her sister always used to sit on in the morning, the flat section of the roof she used to play on, the small hole under the left side of the house he had always hid in whenever they played tag or hide and go seek. There was the small pond in the front lawn, where her annoying brother used to take his tea, and there... there were the two bedroom windows, hers and his own, level with one another and no more than three feet apart. How many times did he cross between those two windows, how many nights did he spend, lights out, sitting on the window sill, as the two of them talked the night away...
With a shake of his head, Ichigo returned to the present. He was angry, not so much at her, or the house, but at himself, for remembering the good things about this house, and not the bad. He wasn't supposed to remember how good it used to be, because if he did, then...
Passing a hand through his unruly hair, Ichigo suddenly felt very tired. He had spent ten years trying to forget everything about her, and to have all of his work shattered at the mere sight of where she used to live... it was sobering.
Giving a sigh, Ichigo walked a few more steps, until he was standing before another house. Above the garage a large sign glowed softly, "Karakura Clinic" spread across it seemingly advertising to nothing. Ichigo walked up the driveway and steps, since he had left his dad had repainted it a fresh coat of white, and replaced their old rickety door. Still, as he stood before the door of his old home, Ichigo felt like he was home. He raised his fist to knock, but pulled away at the last second. It was only now that Ichigo realized that he had no idea what he was going to say.
After he had left, Ichigo hadn't said a word to any friends or family. He hadn't even so much as written a letter to his family until about two weeks ago, when Ichigo had written his dad to ask if it was okay to come home for the holidays. Ichigo had received a letter back within a few days, which told Ichigo that he could not only come, but that attendance was mandatory. So now here Ichigo was, standing before the door, no clue what to say. Should he apologize for, or explain his actions? Should he defend them as correct? Should he simply give whoever answered the door a big hug and admit he missed them? Ichigo realized this was a pivotal moment, and he needed to figure out what the right thing to say was.
Failing that, he simply forced himself to give a few sharp knocks on the door, figuring he would stammer something out... eventually.
There was a moment of silence, nothing but the light winter breeze rattling the few stubborn leaves that had yet to fall the season beforehand. Then, voices.
"I've got it, I've got it!" A feminine voice called out. there was a click of a lock being undone, and with a turn of the nob, the door was opened.
Ichigo was greeted by the sight of a beautiful women, one who it took him a second to recognize. She had changed a lot, her light brown hair grown out and placed up in a neat clip. She was taller, at least a head and a half so, though still not quite able to look Ichigo in the eye directly. A gasp came from her lips, a slight shimmer in her amber eyes. Ichigo bit back a gasp himself. It was eerie, just how much she reminded him of their mother, who had died so long ago. But no, she was long gone, the person before him now... it was his younger sister. For a moment, Ichigo stood silent, not quite sure of what to say, if anything at all. Then he saw the emotions running wild in his younger sibling's eyes, and he realized that this moment wasn't about easing his own worries. It was about easing his family's. Sighing, Ichigo gave a soft smile.
"Hey there Yuzu, you've sure grown up." He said affectionately. The girl took one step back, a disbelieving look contained in her eyes.
"I-...Ichi-ni?" She called timidly, her meek voice barely carrying to Ichigo's ears. From beyond the hallway, another head poked out from around the corner.
"Hey Yuzu! Who is... it..." the head trailed off, as Ichigo's form fell into the line of vision. The blue eyes remained trained on Ichigo for a moment, as if in doubt, before the head pulled around and an entire body came into view. Without a second wasted, she marched towards the door with heavy steps.
Despite the anger evident in Karin's eyes, Ichigo couldn't suppress the smirk on his face. Karin had grown up too, though in a much different way. While Yuzu had grown into the body of a women, Karin hadn't grown so much as she had been stretched. She was taller than her twin, and thinner. Though she possessed none of the curves her sister had, Karin had a sort of striking, more stern beauty to her. Her hair was longer than he remembered: brushing the tops of her shoulders but still as straight as ever.
"Hey Karin-" Ichigo was cut off mid sentence, as a powerful fist connected with his stomach. Ichigo doubled over in pain clutching his stomach, her strength had grown too. Ichigo looked up to find himself eye to eye with the raven haired girl, dark blue eyes piercing his defenses.
"You bastard!" Another blow, this time a slap to the face. Ichigo's head hit the door frame, and he grunted as he swallowed the rising blood in his mouth. "How dare you leave for so long and then just waltz in here like you left yesterday!" There was no hate in his sister's eyes, but there was anger, and sadness. Tears began to form in the corners. "You're such a..." Karin trailed off, throwing her arms around her brother's waist and crying into his stomach. In truth her affection only served to further irritate the sore spot, but he didn't dare show it. "You're such a jerk..." she muttered, beating her fists weakly against his chest. Looking up, Ichigo say Yuzu spouting some of those same tears, and soon both his sisters were crying into his lap. Letting his bag slide from his shoulder, Ichigo fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around the pair's heads and bringing them tightly to his chest.
"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you hurt so much. You'll have to forgive your stupid brother..." Ichigo comforted in a soft voice. Closing his eyes, Ichigo gave a sigh.
"I'm home..."
XxXxX
Rukia flopped back into her chair, giving a satisfied sigh of content. It had been ages since she had eaten a meal that well prepared, hell she had been living mostly on instant ramen for the past few years. It felt good to have a home cooked meal for a change. Well, as much as you could call that made by a hired chef "home cooked." At the sound of her fork coming down on her plate, a maid swooped in from the corner of the dining room to take her empty plate away. Rukia mumbled her thanks, to which the maid only bowed.
"It was great Nii-sama!" Rukia said cheerfully. Byakuya gave a nod. "Yes, that new chef is much better than the last one, I do not regret my choice to do a small shuffle of the staff. I shall inform him that you liked the meal." Pushing out his chair and flicking the napkin from his lap to the table, Byakuya stood up, a calculating look in his eyes.
"Now then Rukia, if you would be so kind as to have tea with me in the parlor. We have some things to discuss." Byakuya said with no particular affliction, as he turned his back to Rukia and began to walk towards the aforementioned room. Rukia gave a shout of "Sure!" before jumping up and following her brother out of the dining room. Coming to a sliding door, Byakuya lead Rukia into the only Japanese style room in the house, a tea room. Kneeling on her side of the table, Rukia leaned back on her hands.
"This house is incredible Nii-sama! While I wasn't expecting a hovel when you told me about buying a new house, but I didn't expect this!" It was all true, Rukia had not expected to find her older brother living a life of luxury in a beautiful mansion within the upscale Northern Karakura. Rukia couldn't help but smile, This large house in the middle of the city suited her brother much more then their old house in the suburbs. Her brother liked to be in the middle of everything ninety percent of the time, and relaxing in solitude the other ten percent. Back in the suburbs it had been about a fifty fifty split, and even then she could tell it had annoyed him.
The sliding door next to Byakuya opened slightly, and another maid entered the room, placing two cups of steaming tea and a pot on the table, before giving a bow and departing. Byakuya wasted no time picking up his cup and taking a careful sip.
"Quite. With Hisana's passing,and your sudden disappearance, work became the only real thing in my life worth doing. By the time you had written me, my performance had seen me to the position of Chief Executive Officer." Rukia gave a giggle. That was her brother.
"By the way, the topic of your return brings me to the real issue I wish to discuss with you." Byakuya said in a business-like tone, an almost harsh undertone within. Rukia picked up her cup, giving her brother a smile. "What is it Nii-sama?" She chirped.
"I of course read you most recent letter, and while I apologize for being blunt, I will have you know I don't buy your farfetched reasons behind returning to Karakura for an instant. So tell me, why is it that you have come back?" Byakuya said firmly.
A slight gasp, and with a clatter Rukia's cup fell to the floor beside her.
XxXxX
A few minutes after their initial... er, reunion, Ichigo finally managed to detach Karin and Yuzu from his person. Picking up his bag once more, Ichigo set his feet into the house for the first time in ten years. Stretching his hands above his head, Ichigo gave a bright smile.
"Man, the longer you're away, the better it feels coming home. This is ten years worth of it." He sighed contentedly. Karin gave a snort. "Revel in it while you can, you know that if you show even the smallest sign of leaving the house, old goat-beard will hand-cuff you to the bed." Karin said snidely. Yuzu laughed, while Ichigo gave his sister a curious look.
"That reminds me, where is dad anyway?" Karin gave a groan.
"He's-"
"ICHIGO!" Ichigo turned to face the source of the shrill cry, his vision filled for an instant with a foot, before it connected heavily with his face, sending Ichigo flying back out into the front yard. The cold night had frozen the grass blades over, and Ichigo gave a curse of pain as he landed hard on the lawn. Squinting up, Ichigo found the form of his father standing in the doorway, an all-too-rare serious expression on the old man's face.
"So, my idiot son returns." Isshin stated in a cold tone. "After such a long time away, don't expect to get off easily. Prepare for your punishment." Striding over to Ichigo, Isshin grabbed his son by the collar, and held out a fist, ready to strike. Ichigo clenched his fists... but only for an instant, then he let his open palms fall to his sides.
"Punishment huh?" Ichigo said. "Sounds reasonable. Do your worst old man, it's not like you can even punch that hard."
For an instant, Isshin's fist faltered a fraction, unclenching from its form. It was back a blink later, and Isshin gripped his son's collar a bit tighter.
"So you're not going to fight back?" Isshin inquired, "My son would always hit back, no matter the reason for his beating. How am I supposed to believe he'd be any different now?"
Ichigo gave a small smile, holding up his empty hands. "Don't get me wrong old man, if this were any other time or place, I'd show you just how strong I've gotten." Ichigo let his smile falter, and he found it hard to look his father in the eye. "I guess... I figure I deserve it this time."
Isshin locked eyes with Ichigo, giving his son an unblinking stare. "Ten years ago, you wouldn't have hesitated to hit me back... heh." With a grin, Isshin released his grip, and Ichigo fell to the ground with a surprised yell. "I was afraid that you would have stayed the same punk you were before. I'm glad to see you've actually grown up. Welcome home, Ichigo." Isshin said proudly, before slamming his fist into his son's face with a terrible might.
Ichigo, who had been at that moment picking himself up, fell back into the ground with a loud slam, cries of pain coming from the orange haired boy. "The first one was for making your sisters cry. The second one was for calling me old."
Looking left and right between her crippled brother and her gleeful father, Karin gave a nod. "Glad things are back to normal already. Now then, when the hell is dinner?"
Yuzu jumped up, cheeks on fire. "Oh my god!" She yelled. "I never even started! Ichi-ni came to the door, and then dad and... oh, I need to hurry!" Giving a mad dash, Yuzu rain into the house at lightning speed, almost knocking Isshin clear off his feet. Giving a chuckle, Ichigo stumbled to his feet and began his trek inside.
"Might as well go help her..." Ichigo thought to himself. Bending over to grab his bag, Ichigo moved to enter the kitchen, but stopped short. Slowly, he reached down into his back, clutching a small object in his hand.
"Hey dad!" Ichigo called. Isshin turned, just in time to catch a small red talisman Ichigo had thrown at him. Masaki's protective charm, the last memento of her Ichigo had. Looking up, Isshin saw Ichigo give a smile. "Thanks, she helped me get through a bunch of stuff... but I don't need it anymore. So I'm returning it, just like you asked me to." Turning, Ichigo rounded the hallway and left Isshin's vision. grasping the talisman tightly, Isshin gave a chuckle. "Our son's grown up well, eh Masaki?"
Ichigo entered the old kitchen, immediately assaulted by the smells of a several different spices and vegetables, as well as the frantic mutterings of Yuzu as she set about trying to do a 20 minute job in five minutes. Smiling, Ichigo put his bag down on the kitchen table and walked up to the counter. Without a word, Ichigo picked a knife for himself and began to cut up a few nearby cucumbers. At the sound of his knife hitting the cutting board, Yuzu looked up for the first time, casting her brother a perplexed look. "Ichi-ni?"
Ichigo gave a shrug. "You seemed a little overwhelmed, so I thought I could help." Ichigo said calmly, easily finishing up the cucumber and moving on to a batch of fresh herbs. Yuzu raised an eyebrow. "Since when could you cook, Ichi-ni?" She asked doubtfully. Ichigo laughed, feigning a hurt look. "Is it that odd? Well, ever since that time Ori- I... mean... er-" Ichigo cut his sentence off, giving a cough. "I mean, you see, well you can't live by yourself and not know how to cook! So I took a few classes at my university... you know, just to get acquainted, hehe..." Ichigo gave a bashful smile. Yuzu cast her brother an almost skeptical look, but was distracted when the timer next to her went off. Any doubt about Ichigo's story went out the window as Yuzu gave a yelp, franticly pushing an assortment of ingredients in Ichigo's direction.
"Okay, so you can cook well right? Good, then can you please chop those up? Oh, and make sure to put that rice in the steamer. So you'll need water, oh, and some spices too. Butter's in the fridge, but it has to be softened, you'll have to do that. Then there's the sauce..." As Yuzu continued on her never-ending list of demands, Ichigo gave a sigh. What had he gotten himself into?
XxXxX
As one of the maids busied herself with picking up the fragments of Rukia's shattered tea cup, Rukia sat stiff, her eyes looking anywhere but into her brother's. He said nothing, but continued to stare at her, his sharp eyes boring a hole straight through to her brain. Rukia gave a shiver. She wasn't ready for this. Obviously she was going to have to tell him eventually, that was the whole reason she had come! Yet she had hoped it would be on her terms, when she was ready. Damn Nii-sama for being so perceptive!
"W-What do you mean, you don't b-buy it?" Rukia stammered, her first words in over ten minutes. In a rare moment of... well any emotion, Byakuya raised an eyebrow.
"Rukia, as much as I enjoy playing this game with you, I would rather not dance around the issue for the next hour. We both know your justifications for this visit were groundless. You have not visited me, despite repeated urgings I might add, for ten years. Yet now suddenly you find that you must come back, and this month of all times. I want to know why."
Rukia gave a deep sigh, trying unsuccessfully to let the butterflies leave her stomach. Her brother had always been like that, and she wondered to herself why she figured she would be able to fool him this time.
"Well... you know I've been gone for over ten years and... well I've grown up, as you've said. And um... certain er... things happen as you grow up..."
Byakuya remained silent, allowing his sister to finish her story. However his eyes never left her's, and Rukia couldn't help but feel like he was scrutinizing every little fidget.
"Um... what I'm trying to say is that... I've been, well, seeing someone for a couple years now."
Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment, and Rukia instantly went for the save.
"D-Don't worry Nii-sama! He's nothing like the last one! R-Renji-kun is a rather influential businessman! I met him at work, he's very nice. We were friends for a few years... and then things kinda escalated and-"
Byakuya raised a hand, and Rukia instantly dropped her train of thought. Byakuya took a breath before beginning: "While I feel some... apprehension after seeing you old choice in boys, I understand that finding a soul mate is part of growing up, and I would have expected no less from you. From what you have told me, this man sounds much better than that orange haired brat. However-!" Byakuya cut Rukia off as she tried to interject, "I must meet with this man before I will approve of anything."
Rukia audibly swallowed, now shaking in fear. "Ah... y-your approval. Yes Nii-sama, that's what I came for because you see I-" she halted, unable to continue "I-"
"Yes?" Byakuya asked, his face neutral, yet his eyes already beginning to piece together her ultimate confession, "You?"
Rukia took a deep breath, and looked her brother square in the eye.
"I-"
XxXxX
After placing the last of the various dishes on the table, Ichigo took up his old seat across from the old man. Karin and then finally Yuzu settled in, and with that Isshin began digging in. Karin as well, however Yuzu refrained, giving her family a once over.
"I'm glad..." she began, the tears coming back to her eyes again, "to have everybody at the table again. Without Ichi-ni it just felt so-!"
Ichigo placed a firm hand on his sister's head, shooting her a smile. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere, not for a long while. So eat already, you put way too much work into it as is."
Yuzu gave a small giggle, but began loading her plate. "Yes, I'm looking forward to this, after all Ichi-ni helped me cook it."
Karin looked up once, shooting her brother a skeptical glance. However she already had half the food on the table in her mouth, and from the satisfied look on her face, Ichigo could tell she had no complaints. "I only did a few small tasks, Yuzu is the real one who cooked all this." Ichigo said passively, digging into his own meal. Ichigo took a moment to savor it: it had been far too many years since he'd had Yuzu's cooking. Only now did Ichigo realized how much he missed it."
"So then Ichigo!" Isshin screamed, already having finished his first serving, "Tell me, what was with the sudden request to return home? Did you just miss us that much?" His tone was joking, but the look Isshin gave his son was anything but. Ichigo gave a nervous laugh.
"Well I did miss you guys," Ichigo said, realizing how true it really was, "Yeah... I really did miss you all. This city too, and most everybody here. I missed this whole place, leaving it felt like I had lost an arm, or something like that."
Isshin packed away a second helping of rice, before giving his son a smug glance. "But that isn't the only reason, is it boy?"
Ichigo stopped eating mid-bite, looking up to meet his father's gaze. "No but... just what are you implying old man?"
Isshin's gaze didn't falter, a smile growing on his bearded face. "How did their old house strike you, eh? Were you surprised to see the state? Sorry to tell you, but they moved out only a little while after you did."
Ichigo banged his chopsticks down onto his bowl with a terrible force, causing Yuzu to give a start. "If you've got something to say just fucking say it old man!" Ichigo practically shouted. Isshin sighed.
"Stubborn kid, you came here to see Rukia-chan, right?"
Frozen, in an instant the room froze. All the tension between the father and son, it held suspended, then cracked. With a fury, Ichigo slammed his fists into the table, standing up from his chair.
"Who the hell-" he began, reaching across the table and grabbing his father by the collar, "Would want to see that bitch!"
There was a mad fury in Ichigo's eyes, a fury he hadn't felt for years. The look on his face had caused Yuzu to shrink back from the table, even Karin's eyes had widened in shock. Yet as if to openly mock his anger, Isshin gave his son a grim smile.
"So then, you haven't made up with her after all. I had some hope but... ten years and still so much anger, such a shame." Isshin's face shifted, adopting a more serious look. "Don't you think it's about time you forgave her... forgave yourself?"
Ichigo let go of his father, falling back wearily into his seat. "Even if I wanted to do such a thing," he said, all the anger now replaced with the voice of a man weary of the world, "she's gone. Why do you think you haven't seen her for all these years? She skipped town right before I did. Heh, I guess she finally had enough of me. No, it's better this way. Meeting her... it would only be bad for both of us."
Ichigo silently returned to his meal, and after a few moments so did the rest of his family. The awkward silence continued for a few minutes, before Karin's voice finally cut the tension.
"So if you're not here looking for Rukia," Karin said, ignoring her brother's cringe at her name, "What are you here for?" Ichigo stopped eating, putting his chopsticks down and looking at his family.
"I've been gone a long time, and a lot of stuff has happened." Ichigo began, taking in a breath. "Most of it I always reasoned I could tell you later, that you'd be fine hearing five, ten even fifteen years down the road." Ichigo gave an hollow laugh, looking up to meet the gazes of his family. "Not this one though, I think you guys have the right to hear this one first hand."
Isshin raised an eyebrow. "So?" He pushed, "What's going on?"
Ichigo took a deep breath: now or never. "The truth is I-"
XxXxX
"I'm engaged."
"I'm getting married."
XxXxX
A/N: About bloody time I finished this one. At any rate, cliffhanger ending because I'm a jerk, but then again I pretty much gave this little twist away in the summary, so was it necessary? Meh.
So this story has been... 2, 3 years in the making? It has gone through rewrites, revisions and entire overhauls... and yes, all three of those things are different. I've had this idea of Ichigo and Rukia being ex-lovers for ages, and I want to get this one right. Hence all the revision work.
So I know what you old fans of mine are thinking: "Oh great, Kazukagi is releasing ANOTHER story that he will never update." Not true, for I have prepared in advance! I have the first five, yes you heard right, FIVE chapters already written. The other four need some minor edit work, but everything is mostly there. I'll be releasing once a month, so that means almost half a year of guaranteed updates! Never let it be said I don't go the extra mile for you guys.
A quick note for you ardent shippers: Be warned up front that Orihime and Renji have big roles in this story, and they do spend the majority of it (perhaps all of it?) In the pairing configuration of Ichigo/Orihime and Rukia/Renji. Of course there will be Ichigo/Rukia everywhere because I roll like that. So if you don't want to see Ichigo kissing Orihime or Renji and Rukia acting like a couple, just leave. It ain't ending any time soon. Just some fair warning.
At any rate, hope you enjoy! Feel free to pop off a review if you find the time. See you next time!