Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Bleach.
Summary: Why architecture became his life's profession.
Author's notes: AU, because I fail at writing swords clashing against each other. Ichigo-Rukia centric. Italics and sentences aligned in the middle are things in the past.
Warning: Slight OOC-ness (maybe?) of a certain emerald-eyed person. I try to avoid major OOC-ness.
Chapter Two: Her Dream, His Ambition
He glanced at his watch that was strapped on his left wrist, at the same time bringing his forearm upwards and his timepiece closer to his face. His watch was rectangular-shaped, with curves at the four edges where the sides connected. The surface was a clean, clear glass that made reading the time easy. It was 2:13PM, which meant that the meeting has already been underway for about almost fifteen minutes. Ichigo breathed deeply, acutely aware that a certain pineapple head would be shooting daggers his way the minute he stepped into the meeting room.
He reached the company's lobby finally, and was greeted by swarms of people clad in their business suits; waiting patiently for their lift up the building. It wasn't surprising. Lunch hour has just ended, and everybody was getting back to their respected tasks. Ichigo glanced wearily across the floor, occasionally looking at the faces of people he does not even know. They looked like they were burning in their jackets. Standing quietly next to him was a short, plump man whose head was half-balding with a small, burnt brown suitcase in one hand. He was sweating like his life depended on it.
Ichigo instinctively raised an eyebrow at this scenario, and gazed down to look at his own clothes. He had wore a plain but crisp buttoned-down men white shirt that day, obviously skipping the "tuck-in" practice; along with a vintage flat front pants that clung very nicely to his long legs, giving him an overall notable look. The saying that simplicity is more suited him indefinitely. He wondered momentarily why people even bother dressing up in suits, if they were only to gain pools of sweat in retrospect.
Deciding that how the others dress for work was the least of his problems, he shrugged. The short, plump man that stood next to him apparently didn't quite agree with his idea, as he openly sized Ichigo up and down; scrutinizing Ichigo's attire as if he was a distinguished fashionista (although that was certainly not the case). Ichigo paid him no attention, although he could see that the short man was clearly unimpressed. An electronic chime sliced through the air. It was the long-awaited signal by everyone on the floor.
"Excuse me, but are you done yet?" Ichigo began, as he barely glanced (this was done deliberately for effect) at the guy who was gawking at him. The short man, startled; took a step back carelessly on reflex, but soon regained composure as he wiped off the sweat of his naked forehead with a crumpled kerchief.
"You…what do you mean by that?" the short man stammered. His eyes had grown wide as China saucers. Ichigo shrugged his shoulders, as if telling the guy to just drop the act.
"Whatever, guy, I'm stealing a spot in the elevator," he said offhandedly, and Ichigo did just what he said. He strode to the one nearest to him, allowing a little squeeze against his frame from the other passengers in the cramped square space. He needed to get his ass to the meeting room as soon as possible.
"Hmph, I was expecting a much fancier meeting room, not a stuffy one like this."
At this relatively rude and unwelcomed comment, Renji raised his rather impossible eyebrows. The busty secretary woman wearing what should be the most revealing business suit ever created on the planet paced around the office idly, clearly unimpressed. She absent-mindedly flicked the ends of her wavy golden locks as she continued to mutter incomprehensible words under her breath. Renji wondered if she ever knew how disturbingly annoying she looked doing that flicking of her hair.
"Matsumoto, mind your tongue."
His voice was firm and heavy with admonition. It was her boss, and she immediately obeyed. Renji rolled his eyes. 'So the woman could actually stop blabbering,' he thought silently as he watched her slowly and dutifully retreat to the side of her superior. She promptly sat on the arm of the armchair her boss was sitting on, shifting closer to his side until her chest was only inches away from the side of his face. She sat cross-legged, showing off her creamy thigh (this Renji was not sure whether was done intentionally). Renji secretly marvelled at her smooth skin, but said nothing. Matsumoto caught his eyes, and winked.
"Abarai-kun, we came here strictly for business purposes, you know," she said suddenly. She was almost purring like a feline. Renji could feel his face grow hot. She raised her eyebrow, practically amused. Who'd thought he'd have his cheeks smeared with crimson with petty remarks?
"Just joking, silly," she continued, her voice dangerously seducing, and she winked again at him. Renji said nothing, but he quickly turned away. His face was beet red.
The male sitting at the armchair feigned a cough. He cast a disapproving look at his secretary with his emerald eyes, (who happily ignored him as she stared at a reddening male) glanced at his branded watch and cast a questioning look at Renji.
"Abarai, your architect is seven minutes late," he stated matter-of-factly without a hint of humour in his voice. Renji immediately turned to look at him, brown orbs versus emerald irises. He could see that this Shorty placed punctuality at a high level, as Hitsugaya kept glancing at his watch. Renji could be as clueless as the person next in line, but he knew they were going to screw this up if he didn't do anything fast. He imagined having to report a failure to his superior and shivered involuntarily. He forced his brain to think of a cover-up to buy some more time.
Anything really, in order to save his own ass. Ichigo's can burn and rot in Hell for all he cared.
"Toushirou-san," Renji began. "Please wait just a little longer. He will be here any minute now," he finished as courteously as he could, at the same time offering an apologetic smile. Hitsugaya looked at him doubtfully, but agreed to wait a little longer. He was not a fan of the one waiting for someone.
As soon as he finished speaking, heavy footsteps echoed through the first room at the front. The sound of the door being closed was heard next, followed by hurrying footsteps against the marble floor. The sound grew louder, and then it stopped just outside the door to the meeting room. Renji cleared his throat in anticipation, silently hoping to God that it was Ichigo.
And as if God was answering his prayer, it was. The orange-haired male emerged into the room where the trio sat, and was instantly welcomed by Renji's accusing look and a couple of expectant stares from the company's guests. Ichigo ignored the pineapple and turned to face the two visitors instead.
"I apologize for being late. I had to settle a few things earlier today," Ichigo said truthfully, and he gave an apologetic bow at them. Matsumoto eyed him closely. His current profile didn't seem to match the rumours she had heard about him being an arrogant bastard.
"It is fine," answered Hitsugaya, and he motioned him to sit down.
"Before that, let me introduce myself-" Ichigo started, but Hitsugaya put up his hand and shook his head. He gave him a smile that told him he already knew who he was. Ichigo blinked his surprise, but complied. He took a seat next to a bewildered Renji on the leather couch. None of them spoke.
"It is a pleasure to finally meeting you, Kurosaki Ichigo," started the short male visitor suddenly, breaking the momentary silence. He leaned forward in his seat. Matsumoto stood loyally next to him.
"And not forgetting Abarai Renji, to meet you is also a pleasure of mine," he added.
Ichigo and Renji both exchanged wondering glances, but both remained quiet. They simply waited for what was to come next.
"Anyway, I will again introduce myself because Kurosaki-san was late," Hitsugaya said solemnly, but without contempt for the latecomer.
"My name is Hitsugaya Toushirou, and I come as a representative of the Hyourinmaru Legacy Corporation," a momentary pause. He glanced at his secretary. Matsumoto smiled and gave a courteous bow at the two sitting gentlemen.
"And this, this is my secretary. Her name is Rangiku Matsumoto. She's the best around."
Ichigo and Renji looked at her, and nodded in unison. As she bowed, her cleavage came generously into view. Renji's eyes widened, definitely agreeing that the woman standing before them is most definitely the best around, but Ichigo poked him sharply in the ribs; making him retreat his ogling eyes. Matsumoto noticed this peculiar exchange, and giggled softly. Hitsugaya raised one eye brow knowingly. Unbeknownst to the two males, the situation occurred often, and almost each one was in the same fashion, except that all the previous ones lacked a guy with a reflex such as Ichigo's.
"P-pardon me," Renji stuttered as he rubbed his recently-poked side that was aching. He glared at Ichigo, but Ichigo didn't see it. He was too busy paying attention at the two figures before them.
"It's really fine, Abarai-kun," Matsumoto piped up, again winking at him as she gave him that smile. Renji only sighed. She was clearly making fun of him.
"And that's that," Hitsugaya announced. He feigned a cough, trying to drive the current situation back to his original point. He put up one hand, and without turning to her, demanded for the company's file that they had brought along earlier.
There would be enough fan service for today.
"Matsumoto, I would like to have the proposal."
"Yes, here it is," the busty woman replied quickly, returning to the side of the armchair with a thick file in her hands. Renji noticed that her fingernails were polished and beautifully manicured. She handed the file over to her boss carefully.
"This file contains our proposal to your company," Hitsugaya told them, at the same time placing the file on top of the low table made of expensive mahogany. He made an effort not to bump the fine China set.
"First of all, what kind of business do you wish to have with us?" Renji inquired. The usual I-dunno-anything look he's been sporting since the start of the meeting had all but disappeared, a solemn one now in its place. Neither he nor Ichigo made a move to touch the proposal. Instead it lay quietly on the table, untouched.
"Why don't you see it for yourself? There's the proposal right there in front of you."
Renji shook his head.
"Unless we're really interested, there's no need for us to look through the whole proposal," he answered coolly. Hitsugaya looked at him in the eyes.
"I like your straightforwardness, CEO Abarai," remarked Hitsugaya as he leaned backwards.
Renji said nothing in reply.
"I shall let my secretary explain and make things brief."
"Thank you very much."
Hitsugaya glanced at Matsumoto. She nodded her head. She stepped forward, and started to speak.
"Hyourinmaru Legacy Corporation, or HLC for short, is interested in building a theme park."
At the moment only the sound of the running air-conditioner could be heard.
"A theme park?" Ichigo repeated, slowly, rather sceptical. He pronounced it so that every syllable was enunciated clearly. The signature scowl of his was painted all over his face.
"Yes, you heard that right, Kurosaki-kun. HLC is interested in building a theme park," she let her voice become slightly louder at the word 'theme park' to make her point. "This theme park will be international. We aim to make it absolutely big. The promotions team will handle that matter, so there's no need to worry about that."
It didn't matter to Ichigo if it was to be super big or medium or susceptibly small, what he's interested in was the reason behind this shared project proposed by the HLC. Why did they choose Bleach Corps? Also, why another theme park when Japan has already had plenty?
"Now what we're looking for is a creative architect. That's when you come into the picture," Matsumoto added, pointing at Ichigo in the face for added emphasize. She waited for the young architect to say something, but he didn't.
"Don't you have any questions to ask, Kurosaki-kun?" she inquired. Ichigo shook his head. She stared at him with a disapproving look painted on her oval-shaped face.
"Unless you don't plan to elaborate further . . ." he mumbled.
"I don't plan not to," answered the curvy female quickly, almost a little too cheerfully.
"This project is still under consideration, to be completely frank. Yes, we've prepared the necessary proposal to get this project going, but unless Bleach Corps agree to this, it will remain an idea. Obviously," Matsumoto concluded.
She said nothing more, and Ichigo took this chance to speak. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Minus the part of a creative architect, why do a big company such as HLC will be interested to hold a cooperative project with us Bleach Corps? We are not yet a super multinational company like HLC, and I'm sure all of us know of this."
"Precisely. We're just a middle-ranking company trying to survive and perhaps make it big someday," Renji chimed in (he's still the CEO after all). It intrigued him that a relatively small company as Bleach Corps should attract a nationwide company's attention such as the HLC.
Hitsugaya sighed and grinned. He leaned forward once again, but this time his hands rested on the cap of his knees.
"That is precisely why we want to hold a cooperative project with Bleach Corps. Since it is still a growing company, nobody really gives a hoot," he answered coolly. Ichigo and Renji openly stared at him.
"Please, don't be offended, Kurosaki-kun, Abarai-kun," Matsumoto said quickly and reassuringly. "What he actually means is that he likes it that your company haven't been sniffed off by the pesky noses of the media."
"Indeed. It's only natural that people don't go around sniffing at the small-shots. That also goes without saying that the refined jewels that Bleach Corps has are still undiscovered," he continued. Both Renji and Ichigo exchanged confused looks.
"You are a wonderful CEO, Abarai, and I am sure this is not the first time you're told about it."
Renji remained quiet. He couldn't quite rule out the truth behind that claim, although he'd been told that often enough by other higher senior workers he'd gotten close with. When Hitsugaya saw that Renji was contemplating, he turned his attention to the only scowling male in the office.
"And you," Hitsugaya continued, "You are a talented architect, Kurosaki, and I trust that you yourself know that well."
Ichigo looked at him suspiciously.
"We know you love building things, so what the HLC is doing is simply offering you a chance to enjoy doing what you enjoy doing most."
Ichigo kept quiet. It was true that he was known as one of the best architects out there; after all that could only be true since he had diligently and tactfully climbed up the hierarchy. He let out a long breath slowly. He could easily see where Hitsugaya was coming from. It was one of his personal reasons for staying at the Bleach Corps, despite the numerous job offers from various A-level companies that he'd received. It was all thanks to the big-shots hogging the entire spotlight that he was able to lead a good life with a rather hefty salary, and still stroll easily in the public.
"So, how about it, Renji?" asked Hitsugaya, shifting his attention to the red-haired CEO as he saw Ichigo deep in thought.
Renji glanced at the proposal lying idly on the table, then at Ichigo, before swiftly turning his gaze at Hitsugaya. It was a good chance for the company. Being able to work together with such a big-shot would be great for the company's overall reputation, not to mention that it would also provide to be a benefitting experience avenue for the fairly young organization.
"It's a go if the architect says so."
The company was founded by the three of them, together, although Ichigo had refused to have his name listed as one of its founder in the company's official registry. Still, there was obviously no way that Renji would go accepting a project before getting an agreement from the carrot-top.
"Kurosaki?"
Ichigo instantaneously drew a sharp breath.
"Fine," he paused. If the HLC wanted to construct a theme park (another stupid one) that badly, and aims to make it huge, he would just want to know the particulars. There were already plenty of theme parks around the country, and anything ordinary for a concept would simply not cut it. Ichigo tilted his face upwards, amber orbs looking directly into emerald eyes. If it was something stupid and not substantial enough, he was going to drop the project.
"What will this theme park of yours feature especially?"
Ichigo knew that it wasn't recognition that he sought after all; when he made up his mind to take up architecture as opposed to the field of medicine as many people have predicted. A good lot of people were shocked at his decision, but his family was supportive enough. His insane father was extremely supportive, which came across as something completely natural and not surprising coming from him.
"Son, it doesn't matter what field you choose. Because papa will always be behind you!" and Ichigo gave his old man one of his many two-foot kicks in the face for talking in a strange way.
Ichigo didn't exactly know when it started, but he was soon caught up in sketching random blueprints of various buildings, a mechanical pencil always ready and raring to go between his fingers. Some were plain and boring as hell, while others are more inspirational and futuristic. So far, his creations were celebrated, but none came without the blazing critiques. He welcomed it all, because he was in love with all of his creations.
Still, one dream remained.
"I thought you wouldn't ask," Hitsugaya answered, pausing momentarily before continuing. "The central theme is Chappy the Bunny. Do you know of that popular television series?" and all the rest of Hitsugaya's words fell on deaf ears. His heart skipped a beat, and he almost could not believe his ears.
"Oi, Ichigo. Have you already sent your university application form? The due date is in another two days, you know," Renji said idly, as he sat on one of the wooden chairs in the library. Ichigo was sitting across of him.
"Idiot, are you even listening to me?" Renji hissed, careful not to let his voice get too loud.
Ichigo scowled his famous scowl.
"Yeah, I heard you. I already sent the form a couple days ago."
"What was it that you applied for? Gynaecology?"
"Don't be an idiot. I won't apply for that, geez." It was not his field of interest.
"Then what?"
"Architecture."
There was a look of disbelief in Renji's eyes.
…
"But it was her dream," Ichigo started suddenly, after a few moments of silence. Renji didn't turn to look at him, but his ears were alert and he listened.
It was her silly little dream, but he had made it his (current) biggest life goal, and of course he made sure to make it not known. She had no idea.
"It was her dream. She wanted to play in a big, big theme park. She wanted to take many happy pictures, to ride the Ferris wheel, to ride the biggest roller-coaster ever."
He could almost grin as he turned to look at Renji who was next to him. He was going to make it so this would become the eighth wonder of the world.
"She told me all about these things, about her dreams."
Renji only smiled. He understood completely. He was the only one who knew about it.
"Never mind that we're no longer together."
His friend's biggest life goal that originated from his ex-girlfriend's little dream.
"If there's one thing I can do for her, Renji, it's that."
Who would ever think that the holy mission would ever come knocking on his door by itself? And that the messenger would be so damn short?
"It's that one thing. I'm going to build that theme park she always dreamt of."
Ichigo thought that if all of this was true, then he must have not risen from the wrong side of the bed today.
Renji looked at him. Those amber eyes were vibrant, once again.
Even a whole mountain of skin-tingling and hair-standing Chappies will not stand in his way.
"It's going to be full of those stupid Chappies, but Hell, I don't care."
Everything was worth it if it was for Kuchiki Rukia.
Author's thanks: Thank you guys for giving my story a chance! I deeply appreciate it. I really didn't expect such kind words. I know I write *very* long chapters, but I just enjoy describing things. (though I probably could have overdone it) In which case please don't be afraid to inform me!
This might be weaker than the first one though.
Again, I welcome any tips, pointers, suggestions and of course, review!
