Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Affiance
Chapter 1
7 years later
Ichigo eyes opened to the darkness of his room; the sound of his radio having roused him from his fitful sleep. He could barely hear the lyrics as they strained to cut through the sound of the rain beating down harshly on the rooftop. He closed his eyes in an attempt to recapture sleep, but the lyrics, and the rain, continued on. Ichigo hadn't slept at all the previous night. He could hear the rain, with its furious beating, all too well through his ceiling. I chose the top floor of this building, why? He sighed and shifted just enough to view his alarm clock.
6:00 A.M. it read.
The blinking red lights of his clock were all he could see. It was too early for the sun to have risen, of course he wouldn't know the difference as he doubted a single ray of the sun's light could permeate the cloud cover. He pushed his comforter to his side, got up from his bed, his feet hit the plush carpet below and he made his way to his window. He yawned as he pulled the black curtains open.
Ichigo didn't enjoy seeing the city as he did now. He could see the entire cityscape from his apartment on the tenth floor. The city was still shrouded in the darkness of early morning. The light of Tokyo's many buildings making a striking contrast. The gutters were overflowing with rain water into the streets and onto the sidewalk. The streets themselves had been flooded by the torrential rain long before he had gone to bed the night before and now, after hours of a storm, it was only worse.
It was so dreary; he hated it, the rain, that is. He watched a few minutes more as the city began to awaken. Some commuters were already heading to work; running quickly to the doors of taxis and busses, some headed to their destination on foot; carrying umbrellas, briefcases and, in some instances, nothing at all above their heads.
He let the curtain slide shut and began to get ready for work. He did not bother with his radio, letting the music fill his bedroom. In the darkness, he struggled to find his light switch and once he located it, light filled his room.
And all but burned his retinas.
Ichigo cursed and shut his eyes again. He had yet to get a good night's rest for the past few days. He was finishing a rather long story and being both the photographer and the writer of said piece was taking a toll.
This is what happens when you can't choose between two majors. He had majored in both photography and journalism at Tokyo University. He recalled who helped him make his decision. He smiled only to let it fall and his scowl deepen. Why did he have to think about that?
This thing, the article, was killing him.
He wanted no, needed for the article to be perfect. It was to be run as a cover story, his first since being employed by Senbonzakura Weekly. Despite its somewhat cheesy name, Senbonzakura was one of Japan's top magazines. It covered everything from entertainment to medicine to national and international news to politics and gave the leading newspaper, The Tokyo Shimbun, a run for its money despite being published only once week. He slowly opened his eyes again, allowing them to adapt to the abrupt change in lighting and made his way to his bathroom.
Ichigo scowled at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes held bags beneath them and he looked as if he'd fall over dead at any moment. Nothing coffee couldn't fix, lots of coffee.
oOo
He was in and out of the shower quickly. He knew if he stood beneath the water for much longer, he'd fall asleep.
Senbonzakura was pretty lax on workplace attire. He was glad he didn't have to parade around in a suit. Today and everyday at the office, he wore a black button-up dress shirt, a tie, slacks and usually, a pair of nice shoes. However, he preferred his black Converse and as he was lacing them up a simple chime filled his room.
Ichigo glanced over his shoulder from his place at the foot of his bed to see the glowing screen of his cell phone flicker.
Only one person on Earth would text him thisearly in the morning. After grabbing everything he needed from his room, switching off his radio, grabbing his phone and turning off the light, Ichigo made his way to the kitchen. He thought whether or not he had enough time to make coffee and huffed when he concluded that the liquid energy would elude him until he got to the office. He sighed at that. The office coffee usually came out like crap. He'd admit he was a slight coffee snob.
Ichigo finally turned his attention to his phone, tapping the screen awake and had his earlier suspicions confirmed.
From: Inoue
Happy Birthday, Kurosaki-kun! ^_^
I'll see you at lunch!
P.S. I told Ishida-kun to text you too. Tell me if he doesn't!
His birthday…was today? At the top left-hand corner of Ichigo's phone, the date read: 06/15/11. He had almost forgotten his own birthday. How pathetic was he?
His phone chimed again and, sure enough, another text came through.
From: Ishida
Inoue told me to wish you a Happy Birthday. So.
Happy Birthday, Kurosaki.
P.S. I'm doing this simply out of obligation.
Ichigo, laughing lightly, placed his phone back into his pocket. He was almost out the door when he remembered: the last time it rained, he had lent Inoue his umbrella and he had yet to get it back. Damn…
oOo
Ichigo arrived at the Senbonzakura Weekly Headquarters just after seven with his hair plastered to his face and droplets of water falling upon his shoulders. His office was located on the top floor of the six floor building. He rose to his current status as a top writer rather quickly and had acquired his own corner office instead of a stuffy, little cubicle. Another perk of his office's location was the break room right next door. Thus, he had quick and easy access to his vice, even if it was total crap at times.
He spent the first few minutes at the office answering calls and messages from his friends: Chad, Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo; as well as, his father, Isshin, and his sisters, Karin and Yuzu. They all wished him a Happy Birthday. He had plans to meet up with his friends later that night and he was to visit his father and sisters that weekend.
Once his computer monitor was up and running, he logged on to Senbonzakura's network, and his personal and work e-mails. Since he pulled an all-nighter to complete his article, he had a relatively free day. That is, if Yamamoto didn't spring something on him and the chances of that happening were one in one. So, he couldn't get too relaxed. He doubted being found sleeping on his desk as if it were a bed and having all his documents, and possibly his computer monitor, scattered across his office floor would be viewed as professional by any of his colleagues.
It was astounding to Ichigo just how filled his e-mail inboxes could become overnight. Before he left work yesterday, he had shuffled through both, deleting what wasn't and reading what was important. It seemed as though he'd be doing the same thing over again. After filtering out the annoying spam messages and ads, he was left with few messages to deal with.
As he was scanning the screen, Ichigo's eyes landed on an unfamiliar e-mail address. Well, it wasn't unfamiliar; he just hadn't seen it in so long. He was about to open the message when the door to his office swung open, hitting the wall with bang.
"ICHIGO!~" came the bubbly, or was it tipsy?, voice of Matsumoto Rangiku.
He turned his attention from his computer to Rangiku as she sauntered in. She, like their mutual friend Inoue, was a happy-go-lucky type of woman and was rather blessed in the body department. Her heart shaped face held clear, blue eyes and long, wavy blonde hair fell past her shoulders to her mid back.
"Good morning, Rangiku-san."
She looked a little happier than usual, if that was at all possible. Ichigo couldn't help but think that she had already hit the bottle, which was not a rare occurrence. It was Friday after all.
"Why not start the weekend early?" she once said.
In Ichigo's three years of working here, Rangiku arrived at work drunk or hungover a total of ten times.
"Rangiku san," Ichigo began, "are you drunk?"
"Of course not!" she said, appalled. "It isn't as easy to sneak liquor into the office like it used to!" She pouted slightly as she leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed beneath her chest.
"How many cups of coffee have you had today?" he asked.
"Six. Why?"
Mystery solved.
"Nothing. Did you need something?"
"Oh, yes!" Rangiku pushed herself off the door to stand, her jubilant tone becoming slightly serious and more businesslike. "Surprise floor meeting with Yamamoto today."
Ichigo wanted to put his head through the drywall of his office. Floor meetings were always extremely boring and extremely tedious. They were held at least once a month, usually. At times, once week. He despised them. The meeting always consisted of the same old facts and figures. How the company was doing, open job slots for new employees, promotion chances, budget cuts, overseas assignments…etc. Today would be no different.
"At what time?" he asked as he stifled a yawn. His eyes drifted to the clock to find that it was nearing eight.
"Right now." Rangiku answered with boredom lacing her voice.
Ichigo groaned. Floor meetings that took place in the morning usually lasted more than two hours. If he was lucky, he would be able to enjoy half of his lunch hour.
"Let's go."
oOo
As Ichigo had suspected, the floor meeting lasted well into the twelve o'clock hour. It had been the first since the end of May and there was a lot to catch up on. He had sent a text to both Inoue and Ishida and the three had agreed to meet for lunch at a one.
The sixth floor board room was being vacated rather quickly as Ichigo and his coworkers went off to their lunch break. He sighed. Food was just around the corner, that and coffee that didn't taste like gasoline.
"Kurosaki, may I have a word with you before you leave?" came a voice from behind him.
Ichigo, shoulders slumped, turned to face his boss.
Yamamoto was a rather old man. His head held no hair, but a rather long beard and a set of whiskers that more than made up for it. A pair of scars crisscrossed atop his head. He could be seen as an intimidating man, but Ichigo knew of his kind heart. Though, Yamamoto was very strict on the rules of workplace.
"Yes, Yamamoto-san?"
"It is about the assistant I wish to place with you."
"Assistant? I hardly need an assistant, sir." Ichigo said. He had had this same conversation about a week ago. A new employee was to start this week and Yamamoto was entrusting her to Ichigo. She was to become a full-time staff writer, but Yamamoto wished for Ichigo to show her the ropes.
"It is her first job writing. I've seen her work. She is an excellent writer. But you know, from your own experience, the way this floor is. They can be quite hostile here at times. She needs someone to watch her, if only a little." he stated.
There it was. Yamamoto's oh so craftily hidden Heart of Gold.
He was right about the sixth floor. Workers up here had a tendency to be ruder than others and used new workers for their own gain. He knew all too well what they were like.
Ichigo sighed.
"When does she start?"
"She'll arrive later today. I'll send her to your office."
oOo
Inoue Orihime flipped the sign hanging from the glass door from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED' as she watched the rain fall on the streets and pelt the windows. She hummed lightly as she returned to the kitchen. Ishida-kun and Kurosaki-kun would arrive soon and she needed to prepare lunch. Orihime now owned a small café that was one block down from both Ishida's and Ichigo's workplaces. It had become tradition for the three to meet every weekday for lunch.
Orihime was quite proud of her small shop. It was named, simply, Inoue's. She hadn't bothered with a fancier name. After, high school she had majored in the culinary arts. Her instructors had praised her unique cooking style. She soon found, however, that substituting salt for sugar was very frowned upon in the field of food.
She was now an excellent cook and baker and her friends loved her cooking. She learned to save her more eccentric dishes for home.
The door to the café opened and two figures had walked in.
"Good afternoon, Inoue-san." said Ishida as he made his way to his usual spot near the register. Ichigo followed behind him. Both were glad to be out of the pouring rain.
"Hello, Ishida-kun! Happy Birthday, Kurosaki-kun!" she called from the kitchen.
"Thanks." Ichigo called to her and sat on the chair to Ishida's right.
"Hard to believe you actually made it to twenty-five with your idiocy."
"Screw you, Ishida."
Ishida Uryu was a tall, thin, bespectacled man with inky black hair. He worked as surgical intern at Tokyo West Hospital. He had a talent for sewing and other crafts which he often proved in the clothes he often made for Orihime and her best friend, Tatsuki.
He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose as he spoke, "I can't stay long today." he said to orange haired woman.
"It's okay. We had a late lunch today." she said.
"Neither can I." stated Ichigo.
Orihime exited the kitchen with a tray holding three coffees and three sandwiches.
"It's okay. You both are busy. Besides, I need to open back up soon. So what are you two doing today?"
Ishida was the first to answer. "I'm scrubbing in on a craniotomy that's scheduled at three. Did you hear of the car accident near the wharf this morning? The only survivor suffered a lot of damage. So they paged me. It was supposed to be my day off, but I wouldn't want to miss out on this. And you Kurosaki?"
Ichigo took a long drink of his coffee before answering. He needed that.
"I'm getting an assistant. She is supposed to show up today, so I need to be there when she arrives."
"Wow, Kurosaki-kun! An assistant already?"
"How did you manage to get an assistant, Kurosaki?" Ishida asked in disbelief.
"I happen to be good at my job, Ishida." Ichigo replied as he glared at his old friend. "Since she's new and the sixth floor can be hell to a newbie, Yamamoto wants me to watch her. I'm basically a babysitter."
"I wouldn't leave the poor girl with you." Ishida said, egging Ichigo on.
"SHUT. UP." Ichigo growled.
"Calm down." Orihime laughed nervously. Much to Orihime's dismay, Ichigo and Ishida's bickering lasted through the rest of lunch. Before Ichigo left they discussed plans for that evening and he walked out into the rain.
oOo
When he arrived back at his office, the first thing to catch Ichigo's attention was his computer. It sat idly, waiting for his return, with the same web page on screen. And that email. He let out a breath and sat as his desk. He was hesitant. He could just delete it and no one would ever know. She would never know. For all she knew, he had changed his e-mail and thus her attempt at contacting him would be for naught.
To:
From:
Subj: THIS WAS YOUR IDEA. NOT MINE.
No way.
He clicked the header and the e-mail was displayed. He couldn't believe it.
Dear Strawberry,
Do you remember what this is? This is an e-mail from the past in case you're stupid orange head has forgotten. I'm in your room as I write this. I'm on your laptop. You know the one I put a giant Chappy the Rabbit sticker on a few days ago?:p I wonder if you still have it…
Well, this was your idea.
First, Happy 25th Birthday, Carrot-top!
Second, Ha! I've been 25 for six months already! :p
Third, if I'm not in the room right now, your ass better go find me and do what you said you would.
What did you say? Well.
You. Kurosaki Ichigo have promised to marry me. And you better. I don't want to be a cat lady. I prefer bunnies. :3
Coming back to you yet?
…
I'll just get started early.
Ichigo. I LOVE YOU.
(NOT!)
No really you're my best friend. I do love you. I bet you've already fallen head-over-feet for me, huh? And you've been sabotaging my dates so you can keep me to yourself!
Jerk.
Well what are you waiting for. MARRY ME. XD
Love you, (really)
Rukia (Kurosaki) ;P
Rukia.
Rukia.
Rukia.
Rukia.
Her name, it played like a broken record in his mind now. When? When was the last time? The last time they…
Rukia…
He hadn't thought it and he rarely said it. Her name.
It was best to delete it. She'd never know. She would never need to remember. To remember him.
Ichigo's phone rang, piercing the heavy silence.
"Kurosaki. I'm sending her to you." It was Yamamoto. His assistant, the newbie, was here. Good a distraction. From… whatever this was. He didn't remember. They didn't remember. How could they could they forget this stupid promise of theirs. They were so naïve. They actually thought they would be…together.
He missed her. He missed the girl who she used to be. The one existent in only that e-mail.
There was a sudden knock on his door.
"Come in." he said as he turned to face the door as it swung open.
Ichigo saw the deep, endless pools of violet, the eyes of woman he hadn't seen in three years.
WOW. I LIKE IT.
First time I've written Yamamoto, Ishida and Rangiku. Sorry if their OOC.
RANGIKU IS SO FUN TO WRITE! She is definitely showing up more in this. XD
I'll fix any errors.
Kinda a filler/set-up chap. But the drama is there. I think I may change this to Romance/Angst…
So tell me what you think! PRETTY PLEASE! I hope this isn't crap. I have self-esteem and self-worth issues apparently.
Oh well.
This would have been up earlier but I was lured by Transformers. I CAN'T STAY AWAY I LOVE THOSE MOVIES! XD
Soooo um yea.
COOKEHZ TO ALL. (and hugs)
(^_^)O
S.B
S.B
