Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, John Clare's poem First Love, or Dante Alighieri's poem La Vita Nuova. I do, however, own this story.
First Love
I ne'er was struck before that hour
With love so sudden and so sweet.
Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower
And stole my heart away complete.
My face turned pale, a deadly pale.
My legs refused to walk away,
And when she looked what could I ail
My life and all seemed turned to clay.
And then my blood rushed to my face
And took my eyesight quite away.
The trees and bushes round the place
Seemed midnight at noonday.
I could not see a single thing;
Words from my eyes did start.
They spoke as chords do from the string,
And blood burnt round my heart.
Are flowers the winter's choice
Is love's bed always snow
She seemed to hear my silent voice
Not love appeals to know.
I never saw so sweet a face
As that I stood before.
My heart has left its dwelling place
And can return no more.
-La Vita Nuova-
"In that book which is
My memory. . .
On the first page
That is the chapter when
I first met you
Appear the words. . .
Here begins a new life"
Kurosaki Ichigo's alarm clock rang loudly on the bedside table. He was a deep sleeper, so it would ring for at least twenty full minutes before he actually stirred. He finally stretched out his arm and turned the alarm off before slowly easing the covers off his body. He felt dizzy from lack of sleep, it was three AM before he had put his laptop down the night before, but he knew it would subside with a good shower and a light breakfast. Thinking about a warm shower motivated him to get out of bed.
He had a relatively small one bedroom apartment. He was on the second floor of an eight story apartment building. His father and student loans paid for the rent. His house was well furnished; he had enough space in his bedroom for a queen sized bed, a small desk in which to do homework, and a loveseat. The only bathroom
in the apartment was directly connected to the bedroom. In his living room he had a couch, a lay-z-boy and a stereo. Next to the stereo on the back wall, stood a small bookshelf where he kept his school books, art history books, and books he read for entertainment. He had a small end table by his couch where he kept the house phone. Another phone hung next to the refrigerator in the kitchen, which was connected to the living room by a bar countertop. He didn't have room for a dining table, so he ate on the bar countertop. He used to live with Shinji but the coming and goings of Hiyori always got on his last nerve. He liked the solitude, for the most part.
Walking into the kitchen, Ichigo casually glanced at the only piece of art that he had in his apartment: a very expensive photograph called The Boulevards of Paris (1843) by William Henry Fox Talbot. Ichigo mounted it on the hallway leading up to his living room. He let no one touch it.
In the kitchen, Ichigo began making his breakfast: a hot bowl of rice with nattō on top. It had been a while since he'd made a decent Japanese breakfast, and he was craving it after such a long time. As he sat on the bar countertop, he organized his thoughts on the day ahead.
After breakfast he figured he would continue his project for physics, and get as far as he could before he had to stop by the bank to make his withdrawal. After a quick bite to eat, he thought it would be good to visit his family. He hadn't had a chance to visit them since the funeral and he thought he'd hang out with them for a while before he headed to Inoue's.
Thinking about these things Ichigo glanced at his watch and realize it was already eight thirty AM. If he wanted to get a significant amount of work done before going to the bank he had to start soon…
--
Rukia and Nel hastily walked through the mall in Tokyo, trying desperately to hold on to all their shopping bags without falling over. They had been shopping all morning, looking for the perfect dresses to wear that night.
"Hurry up so I can put these down," Nel exclaimed behind Rukia, lightly pushing her, "This is heavy, my fingers are getting numb!"
"Don't be so whiney, buck up!" Rukia said, panting slightly.
"Yeah well, you can say that, I'm holding more bags than you," said Nel, walking into the food court behind Rukia.
"Yeah, well, I'm smaller than you, aren't I," Rukia said. It was more of a statement than a question. "Look, there's an empty table," she said, pointing to a small table near the middle of the food court.
They sat down hastily, glad to have a place to set down their bags and relax their sore legs. They had called Renji before leaving the apartment, asking him to accompany them to the movie theatres. He was meeting them at the food court.
"You want to eat here before going to the theatres?" asked Rukia.
"Yeah, let's see if Renji wants to… where the hell is he?"
"I don't know, he said he'd be here at eleven-thirty sharp," replied Rukia, quickly glancing at her watch.
"Well he better get here soon or –"
"Or what," a voice behind Nel cut in "gonna throw your purse at me?"
Rukia squealed and jumped up from her seat when she saw Renji.
"You!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. "You bastard, you don't call people! I missed you!"
Renji readily wrapped his arms around Rukia and laughed. "You're never home to pick up the phone!"
"That's why they invented cell phones!" Rukia exclaimed. She let go of Renji and set herself back down on her chair.
Nel got up from her chair and hugged Renji after Rukia. "Don't bother Rukia, he's too busy with his school to be calling us up," she said sarcastically. Rukia and Nel laughed at this.
"Yeah, yeah, keep laughing," Renji said, feigning contempt, "I was gonna invite you guys to a bonfire next week with a few friends but since you're so hostile, I don't know…"
Rukia and Nel both started talking at the same time, laughing and exclaiming how they were just joking. They slapped his arm and asked him about the bonfire.
"Well, who's going?" Rukia asked smiling broadly at Renji.
Renji got comfortable his chair and answered, "A few people, some you know and some you don't."
"Like…?" Nel chimed in.
"Well Matsumoto's going," at this, Rukia and Nel perked up and expressed their delight, "-yup, as is Nemu, Shuuhei, Ikkaku, and Hirako Shinji, one of my classmates at Todai, and his girlfriend, Sarugaki Hiyori." Rukia and Nel squealed whenever Renji mentioned someone they knew.
"Shuuhei?! Hisagi Shuuhei?! And Nemu, oh I missed Nemu," Rukia said with excitement, "I haven't seen Nemu since last year when we all went down south…"
"Who's this Shinji guy?" asked Nel, "How come you haven't introduced us, you've been at Todai for three years!"
"Well, I just met him, didn't I!" exclaimed Renji, "He's a really cool guy; down to earth. You'll like him. His girlfriend on the other hand…. She's an acquired taste."
Rukia and Nel laughed and Nel said, "Why, she a bitch?"
"That's an understatement. But sure, you could call her a bitch. I personally call her an angry rabid monkey." All three laughed at this.
"Mm, so I guess she and I will get along," Rukia said, "after all, we bitches gotta stick together."
"Oh I can see you two hitting it off real well," Renji replied, sweat dropping.
After recovering from laughing, Rukia asked, "So who's driving?"
"Uh, Ikkaku's driving Shuuhei and the girls; I'm driving Shinji and maybe you two if you come. We're meeting up at the beach."
"Okay, yeah I guess we'll go… we don't have anything planned, do we, Nel?"
"I don't think so… but who cares, we'll cancel, I wanna go to the beach!" Nel replied.
"Okay then," Rukia laughed, "count us in, Renji!"
"Great! So what're we watching?"
"Umm, I don't know, let's go see what's showing…" Rukia answered.
"Let's eat, first!" Nel whined.
"Yeah, I'm starving," Renji agreed, putting a hand on his stomach.
"Alright fine, but we have to hurry, Nel and I have to get home and get ready… wait, why don't we just buy some hotdogs at the cinema and eat them while we watch the movie?"
"That sounds good… I'll get nachos!" said Nel, gleefully.
"Fine, Renji, can you help us carry these out to the car?" asked Rukia, pointing to their shopping bags on the ground.
Renji started off the chair and replied, "Yeah, sure, where did you park?"
The three dropped off the bags in Rukia and Nel's car, and walked to the movie theatres, which was only about ten minutes away. They bought the movie tickets, the food, and ate while they waited for the movie to start. They got out of the movie theatres at around two, and promised to keep in touch between now and their trip to the beach.
--
Kurosaki Ichigo was on his bike, on his way to his family's clinic. He had to admit he was kind of nervous… in what state would he find his family? Would they be going about their business as usual, or would he find them still in mourning? They had buried Kurosaki Masaki but a month ago, but she had died two months ago. Would he meet smiling faces, or eyes swollen from many shed tears? If the latter was the case… he was afraid to go. He didn't want to sink back into his usual depression; but he couldn't possibly put off seeing his family any longer. He was sorry he hadn't gone sooner…
He parked his bike right in front of the clinic and walked up the front steps. The spare key was in the usual spot, under the flower pot his mother had placed right outside their door. Ichigo noticed that the whole plant was dying… no one had watered it in over two months. Stepping inside his house, he felt a strong feeling of nostalgia overcome him. He took in a deep breath and sighed… it smelled the same after all these years. It only made his heart ache for his mother.
"Anybody home?" he called out. "Old man… Karin… Yuzu," he called, but still there was no answer. Hmm, he thought, I guess they're not home.
Their dog, Kon, hadn't come to greet him at the door; that should have been the first tell tale sign of their absence. They must've gone to the park or something of the like. He went into the kitchen to get a glass of water, and as he drank, he saw that on the calendar on the fridge, someone had written that Karin had a soccer game today. Oh… that's where they are… He figured it was at his old high school, where his sisters now attended, so he decided to join his family there. But first, he wanted to visit the place that haunted him the most in this house…
Ichigo walked slowly but deliberately up the stairs to the attic. Opening the door, you could tell that no one had been inside since his mother's death. His mother usually kept the artwork dusted and in perfect condition, but without her ministrations, the whole place was dusty and almost forlorn. Ichigo closed the door behind him, and leaned back on it. He stayed that way for at least a full minute, taking in the room. The walls were filled with shelves large and small where there were small sculptures, paintings, photo albums, books, and essays. The back wall directly in front of Ichigo was left without shelves, and was instead reserved for paintings, large and small. On the floor there were the bigger sculptures, and a few chests and chairs neatly organized. This was Kurosaki Masaki's collection, passed on to her son, Kurosaki Ichigo. It was a collection of all the artwork she had accumulated throughout her life. When her wealthy parents died, all the paintings and sculptures in their large, elegantly decorated home and her own father's art collection were passed down to her. And now it all belonged to Ichigo.
Ichigo walked slowly to the middle of the room and sat on the floor with his knees close to his chest. As he looked straight ahead, he rested his arms on his knees. Straight in front of him was his mother's most prized painting: The Lady of Shalott (1888) painted by John William Waterhouse. It hung in the center of the back wall, where the sun from the few windows in the attic could shine upon it. On the wall reserved for paintings, it was the centermost work of art. It was almost as if she was the queen of the collection, and she watched over it carefully. His mother loved this painting; she told Ichigo it was the most difficult piece of art to obtain. Everyone in the world thought it had disappeared from the face of the earth. Masaki didn't want to inform anyone of where the Lady was. As far as she was concerned, the Lady belonged to her, and she wanted to keep her away from nosy, prying eyes. Ichigo intended to keep it this way.
Ichigo reflected on the Lady for a few minutes before prying himself away and heading to his old high school. He wanted to surprise his family there…
--
Ichigo had his arms propped over the fence separating the high school soccer field and the sidewalk. He spotted his family on the bleachers with their dog, Kon fairly quickly. The game was almost over, so he decided to approach them then. It was the last play, and Karin's team was already a goal ahead of the opposition. Ichigo watched his little sister try to shoot the ball into the goal, but it was stopped by the other team's goal keeper. It didn't matter, however, as the game was over, and Karin's team was already up a goal. He watched as the girls' soccer team cheered and huddled together in a group hug. Karin always wanted to play with the boys, but the high school absolutely disallowed this. After one season with her team, she befriended the girls and decided that they were just as tough as the guys. He saw his dad going nuts on the bleachers, and Yuzu happily cheering next to him. Ichigo was slightly surprised, but glad, to see his family smiling.
Ichigo walked around the fence and walked up to his family. Kon was the first to see, or rather smell, him. He came bounding up to Ichigo, jumping up at him and licking his hands. Ichigo bent low and ruffled the hair on his head. When Yuzu saw who Kon had run up to, she screamed, setting off panic in her dad, and ran up to her big brother.
"Yuzu! What's wro-" Isshin didn't finish his sentence as he saw his young daughter run up to his son.
"Onii-chan!!" Yuzu sobbed, burying her face in Ichigo's chest. Ichigo held her and almost felt like crying with her.
"Hey, Yuzu," Ichigo said, lamely.
It wasn't long before Karin saw what was going on. Isshin saw her pushing back tears before turning to her friends and telling them she had to go. He stood back as she walked up to Ichigo.
"Hey, kiddo, I saw you win just now," Ichigo told Karin, still holding on to a crying Yuzu. Karin smirked at her brother.
"I didn't think I'd see you here so soon, Ichi-nii," Karin responded, "I gave you at least another month of sulking alone in your apartment."
Ichigo sweat dropped at her comment. "I see you have so much faith in me…"
Yuzu let go of Ichigo so as to let Karin hug him too, which she did.
"Hey… I'm right there with you, Ichi-nii," Karin said sadly. Ichigo not only heard the sadness in her voice, but physically saw his sister fighting back tears. It was hard to believe, but he could see that the tough, headstrong Karin he was used to was suffering just as much as he was.
In the moment's mood, Ichigo didn't see Isshin's elbow come at him. It made full contact with his face, sending him flying about seven feet. Yuzu squealed and Karin looked at her father, slightly shocked.
Ichigo ran back to his dad and yelled in his face, "What the hell, Old Man?!"
"Don't 'what the hell' me, boy! That's what you get for not coming to visit your mourning family!" With that said, Isshin abruptly jumped on Ichigo, pinning him to the ground, folding his right leg over his back. Ichigo managed to free his hands and punched Isshin in the chin, sending him flying (as per usual) into the bleacher and large banner the school had made with the team's name on it that was being held up by loyal supporters. Everything went tumbling down with Isshin. In the chaos, Ichigo could see his dad attempting to escape the mess, but failing miserably. Ichigo saw this as a chance to escape.
"Come on girls; let's get home so we can talk! Don't worry about dad, he can find his own way home!" he said hurriedly, quickly ushering the girls away without another look back.
"But wait, Onii-chan, what about Ottou-san?!" Yuzu exclaimed.
"Shut up, Yuzu, keep walking!" said Karin, grabbing her sister's arm to keep her from running back.
"But Ottou-san-"
"Don't worry, he knows where we live (sadly)!" And with that, the three siblings ran home.
--
Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu were in the Kurosaki home's kitchen, catching up. Yuzu was working on homemade ice cream while Ichigo and Karin sat on the counter.
"I'm sorry I got to the game too late and I didn't see you score," Ichigo apologized.
"That's okay, Ichi-nii. But you should have seen me! It was awesome, I was unstoppable! Those other girls didn't know what hit them," Karin said, excitedly. Ichigo smiled at her.
"I'm glad you've kept playing since… well, you know," Ichigo said.
"Yeah… well it's been pretty different around here. Yuzu's kind of taken over what Mom did…"
"It's so hard to do everything when I have so much homework, though," said Yuzu, "I don't mind doing the cooking, but Okaa-san was amazing… she kept the house clean and fed us and helped us with homework and kept Ottou-san happy all at once… I don't know how she did it. Sometimes I feel like we took her for granted…" Yuzu was on the verge of tears after saying this. Karin went to her and put an arm around her shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay, Yuzu. You do a great job," said Karin, trying to comfort her sister.
"I just miss her…" Yuzu said between sobs. Ichigo went to her and hugged her other shoulder.
"We all do, Yuzu," Ichigo said. When Yuzu continued making the ice cream, Ichigo and Karin sat back down.
"What about you, Ichi-nii," Karin started, "how've you been holding up?"
Ichigo shrugged, "Fine… I guess I could be better."
Karin smiled and said, "I think that goes for all of us, Ichi-nii…"
"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner…"
"Hey, don't worry about it. We understood that you needed time alone to get your head straight, right, Yuzu?"
"Yeah, Onii-chan, we're just glad you're here now," Yuzu replied.
Before Ichigo could say anything, they heard a loud bang at the door. Isshin was home…
"Oh, Mother," Isshin yelled, walking through the threshold with his hands dramatically in the air, "our children don't appreciate me! They leave me to fend for myself when I need them! What am I to do?!"
"Ottou-san!" Yuzu cried, running to him to check if he was alright.
"Oh, brother," Karin said exasperated.
"'Oh Mother'?" Ichigo repeated.
"Yeah, it's his new 'thing'," Karin answered.
"Ah," Ichigo said, knowing all too well what Karin meant.
"My son!! Won't you come give papa a hug?!" Isshin cried spreading his arms open for Ichigo.
"Not after you elbowed me in the face!" Ichigo retorted.
"But that was necessary, my son! How else will you learn manners?!"
"Whatever, Old Man, I'm not hugging you!!"
"Come to Papa!!" Isshin yelled as he launched himself on Ichigo, hugging Ichigo's face to his chest.
"Get it off!" Ichigo yelled, and Karin came to his aid.
--
After the ordeal in the kitchen, the Kurosaki house was actually silent. Karin and Yuzu were in the kitchen washing their ice cream dishes while Ichigo and Isshin sat silently on the sofa. Ichigo was telling Isshin about his plans for that night.
"An auction, eh?" Isshin said.
"Yup," Ichigo replied.
"Well… I'm glad you're not giving up the habit."
"I don't think I ever could…"
"Your mother would be happy to hear that… have you been up to the attic?"
"Yeah… it looks just like she left it."
"I haven't been able to go in."
Ichigo looked at his dad peculiarly, and then looked away pensively.
"I can't bring myself to get ten feet from it," Isshin continued, "the girls go in every once in a while, though. They just… sit there and look at the art." Isshin rubbed his eyes with his right hand and leaned back in his seat. Suddenly, Isshin looked a decade older than he actually was, sitting on his couch, thinking about his dead wife.
"I'm sorry Old Man…"
"Don't be. It's not your fault. These things happen, and I'm just gonna have to get used to it. But you, Ichigo, don't let this get you so down. You have your whole life ahead of you, and a lot of things going for you. Are you still dating that girl?"
"Inoue? Yeah… I'm taking her to the auction with me tonight," Ichigo answered.
"Good… I'm glad you're not going alone. You need someone there for support."
"Yeah, I guess I do…" Ichigo didn't know what to say. He was glad his dad wasn't asking too many questions about Inoue.
"Why do you still call her by her last name, boy? Haven't you two been dating for a while now?" asked Isshin.
"Yeah, about four years," Ichigo answered.
"So haven't you two gotten closer, or at least enough to start calling each other by your first names? I want some grandchildren, boy!"
Spoke too soon, Ichigo thought, exasperated. "Shut up, Old Man! I'm not even thinking about that!"
"Well, start thinking boy, I won't be alive forever and I don't want to die without grandkids!"
"Damn it, Old Man! I don't even want to marry her!"
"You don't?! Then what the hell are you doing with her?"
"I… that's a good question…" Ichigo said, sullenly.
Isshin looked at his son in surprise when Karin and Yuzu walked back into the room.
Karin stopped and stared at Isshin and said, "What's with the tension in this room? Have you been getting serious again, Old Man?"
"Of course not, what makes you say that?!" Isshin exclaimed, changing his demeanor immediately.
"What were you guys talking about?" asked Yuzu.
"Nothing, don't worry about it, Yuzu," Ichigo said, "Well I'm gonna get going." There was an immediate protest from his sisters and father. "I have to, I have to be somewhere in an hour and a half," Ichigo said, looking at his watch.
"So be late!" said Karin.
"I can't, kiddo, I'm sorry," said Ichigo.
"Aww, come by more often, Onii-chan!" said Yuzu, getting up to hug Ichigo.
"Yeah, I will, I promise," Ichigo said. They said their goodbyes, and Isshin made his usual "scene," and with that, Ichigo left to get ready before picking up Inoue.
--
Rukia and Nel were in pajamas with their hair wrapped up in towels after their showers. They were eating before heading off to the auction, as they wouldn't have time to stop by a restaurant.
"Don't eat all the pepperoni!" exclaimed Rukia to Nel.
"Whatever, you're a slow eater," laughed Nel.
Whoever saw the girls arguing would think that they didn't get along well, but this was entirely untrue. The girls had been best friends since primary school; they had lived only a block away. They didn't go to the same
school, as Rukia went to an exclusive private school and Nel's parents could only afford to send her to public school. Nel always had to work hard to get what she got. Rukia admired her greatly for this.
"I really liked seeing Renji today," said Rukia.
"Yeah, I missed him! I swear it had been way too long," Nel said, taking a sip of soda.
"Oh I know, I miss the days when we would go to the arcade or swim in the river," Rukia said, reminiscing.
"I miss our trips to Osaka!" squealed Nel.
Renji and Rukia grew up attending the same prep schools, and he would always go with Rukia when she would hang out with Nel. He and Nel became good friends as well. When Rukia and Renji's family would fly down south to Osaka, Rukia would pay for Nel's way since Nel could never pay for it herself. There their threesome became a foursome, as they were also good friends with Shiba Kaien. The Shibas and the Kuchikis were good friends; Kaien's dad and Rukia's brother did business together. It was also no secret that Kuchiki Rukia was in love with Shiba Kaien.
"Yeah, me too… I miss Kaien," Rukia said, looking away.
Nel gasped and said, "Oh, I'm such an idiot! I'm sorry for bringing it up, Rukia!"
"No, don't worry about it; I don't mind thinking about it… I think about it all the time."
"Heh… I don't know how you do it," marveled Nel.
Rukia shrugged, "I've come to terms with his death." Nel wrapped her arms around Rukia's arms and placed her head on Rukia's shoulder.
"You're so brave. I don't know if I could even get out of bed with so much tragedy in my past. First your sister… and then Kaien."
Rukia looked out into space before answering, "It was all meant to be. There's nothing I could do to change fate, so I'm better off being happy with the moments I spent with them instead of drowning in my misery. Plus, how could I sink into misery with you, Renji, and Matsumoto to cheer me up whenever I needed."
"Of course we did, Rukia. You're our friend, we'll always be here whenever you need us," Nel said, giving Rukia's shoulders a tight squeeze.
"Okay! Let's go get ready! Takashi will be here soon," Rukia laughed.
"Let me finish this piece!" Nel said, stuffing the last slice in her mouth.
The girls then quickly ran to the master bathroom of their apartment and finished dressing themselves. Rukia never took too long, she liked the simple look, but Nel always took forever to do her hair. When they were finished, they stood together in front of their closet mirror.
Rukia was wearing a peach colored dress that reached just above her knees. It was strapless, with beautiful embroidery in the bust area, decorated with peach colored rhinestones. It was tight in the chest area, but fell loosely down her torso. The bottom seam wrapped itself right above her knees, keeping the dress in place. Around her neck she wore a matching choker with peach colored pearls. On her wrist she had a bracelet that matched the chocker. Her hair was combed neatly and fell softly on her shoulders. On her feet she wore delicate slippers with a small heel. The color scheme of the outfit made her skin glow, making her look like a goddess.
Nel was wearing a fitting black halter dress that went just below her knees. It dipped low in the back, and stopped on her waist, leaving her barebacked. She wore high heeled slippers with it, and matching earrings and bracelet. She had her hair pulled back into a bun. She too looked beautiful.
"I love that dress! You look stunning," exclaimed Nel, referring to what Rukia was wearing.
"Thanks, so do you!" as Rukia said this, the bell rung. "Takashi's here, let's go!"
They hurriedly grabbed their purses and headed to the door. There, Takashi greeted them and led them to one of the Kuchiki family's Rolls-Royce. They drove off quickly; they didn't want to be late.
--
Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime sat uncomfortably across from one another. They were waiting for their food in Shiodome. It was an elegant restaurant, but not so much that it would make Ichigo or Orihime feel uncomfortable.
Orihime looked at Ichigo, and smiled warmly. "Thank you for inviting me."
"No problem, I told you not to thank me," Ichigo said smirking, resting his head on a fisted hand.
Inoue blushed and said, "Sorry."
"No need to apologize either!" chuckled Ichigo, rolling his eyes.
"Okay…" Inoue said, almost in a whisper. Ichigo shook his head and smiled. "So what painting do you want to buy?"
"The Bridge at Argenteuil."
"I bet it's beautiful," Inoue said, smiling.
"Yeah, my mom really wanted that one… she waited a long time for it to be up for sale." Inoue smiled, not knowing what to say.
"It'll be our four year anniversary soon," Inoue said.
"Oh?" Ichigo said, a bit taken aback.
"Yes, and I was thinking maybe we could go somewhere special."
"Sure, you tell me where, and we'll go," Ichigo said kindly.
Inoue perked up and said, "Well, I was thinking maybe we could make a trip to Okinawa together."
Ichigo raised his eyebrows at the suggestion. "Well sure… It's been a while since I've been to Okinawa. Sounds good!"
"Good! How'd it go with your family today?" As Inoue said this, the server dropped off their food.
"Well," Ichigo said, taking a bite of is chicken, "they're doing really well. I saw Karin win a soccer game."
"Oh that's wonderful! I really miss them."
"I'll take you to see them sometime soon, then." They softly smiled at one another.
After their dinner, they set off to the auction, and arrived with only a few minutes to spare.
--
The auction was being held in a medium sized auditorium. There were three sections of chairs neatly organized in front of a small platform. It was quickly filled with people; spectators and bidders. Bidders were to give their names and contact information at the front desk, in case they won one of the paintings being auctioned. They were given a number, and were supplied with a paddle. The paddle had the bidder's number on it; when a bid was placed, and an item won, the auctioneer knew who the winning bidder was.
After signing in, Rukia and Nel sat in the third row, close to the stage. Takashi decided to stay outside with the car; he would be called in when Rukia had the painting.
Rukia and Nel watched as the auctioneer walked onto the stage, where there was a podium waiting for him. Rukia was surprised to see that he was Caucasian. The man stood behind the podium, surveyed his audience, and spoke.
"Welcome and good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is John Peel, and I will be conducting this auction." The man spoke perfect Japanese, which surprised most people in the audience. "As is stated in your catalogue, four exquisite paintings will be auctioned this evening: two French nineteenth century Impressionism paintings, Oarsmen at Chatou, 1879 by Auguste Renoir and The Bridge at Argenteuil, 1874 by Claude Monet; Venice: The Dogana and San Giorgio Maggiore 1834, a British landscape painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner; and The Love Letter, 1750, an eighteenth century French painting by François Boucher. We will begin the auction with Oarsmen at Chatou." As he said this, two men brought out the painting and placed it carefully beside the podium. "For those of you who are new to the auctioning process, some brief instructions: I will call out a price, if you wish to place a bid, just raise your paddle. The highest bidder wins the painting. Now, the suggested opening bid for this painting is ¥3.1 million, any bidders?"
A paddle quickly rose to the air, followed by another, now making the bid ¥6.2 million. Another, and then another, and then another bidder raised their paddles, raising it to ¥50 million.
"¥100 million, any takers?" Another paddle rose into the air. "There it is, ¥200 million, does anyone want to beat this man's bid for ¥200 million?" And someone did. "¥400 million, anyone for four hundred million?" The auctioneer waited ten seconds before announcing the painting sold for ¥200 million.
"Enjoy your painting Mr. Kobayashi," said Mr. John Peel, looking at the papers on his podium. Oarsmen at Chatou was taken away while The Bridge at Argenteuil was being brought in. "This next painting is The Bridge at Argenteuil by Claude Monet. It's a beautiful impressionism painting, so let's start the bid at ¥5.1 million."
Rukia straightened up in her seat and was about to raise her paddle, but was beat to it by someone behind her.
"First taker, for ¥5.1 million, ¥10.2 million, anyone?" Rukia raised her paddle quickly. "¥20.3, we're looking for ¥20.3!" Another bidder to Rukia's left raised his paddle. "¥40.6!" Rukia raised her paddle again, placing her highest bidder, but the bidder behind her raised his paddle instantly after she did. "¥162.5 million! Anyone got ¥162.5?" A bidder to Rukia's right raised her paddle, but Rukia beat hers out immediately. "¥650 million is next!" The bidder straight behind her raised his paddle once more. This made the bid next bid ¥1.3 billion, which, coincidentally, was what the painting was bought for last time it was up for auction. Rukia raised her paddle with confidence. "There's ¥1.3 billion, we're asking for ¥2.6 billion, does anyone want to go higher?" After a few seconds, the auctioneer again pointed to the man straight behind Rukia. "¥5.6 billion, anyone got it?"
Rukia looked at Nel in shock. Nel looked back at Rukia with her eyes wide. While Rukia laggardly raised her paddle, Nel ducked behind her chair and looked back at the person who was trying to outbid Rukia.
"Rukia!" Nel whispered fiercely, slapping Rukia in the arm.
"What?!" Rukia whispered back, as the auctioneer asked for ¥10.4 billion.
"It's a guy! And he's really, really cute! Weird hair, though," Nel whispered, giggling.
Rukia looked at Nel like she had grown two heads and said, "What?! Who cares, no he's not! Let me see!" Rukia ducked with Nel and peered at the man behind her. She was shocked by his bright orange hair. He had a boyish face that Rukia was strangely attracted to. He looked about her age, and he was handsome, alright. She saw him worriedly raise his paddle again.
"¥20.8!" the auctioneer announced, looking at Rukia, who had stood back up in her chair.
"Good looking or not, my ass if I'm gonna let him get it," Rukia whispered fiercely. She raised her paddle elegantly, which was met with gasps from everyone in the auditorium. She looked ahead at the auctioneer with a smug face; she knew the boy couldn't possibly offer anything higher.
--
Ichigo saw a slender hand raising a paddle directly in front of him, and he knew it was over. He couldn't go any higher… the next bid would be ¥41.6, and he couldn't pay that. The auctioneer looked at him, announcing the new price. Ichigo threw his head back and waved it off, indicating that he was done. After about five seconds heard the auctioneer as he announced The Bridge at Argenteuil sold to "Miss Kuchiki."
He felt Inoue rub his arm in comfort, but he didn't pay her any mind. He opened his eyes and saw as "Miss Kuchiki" and her company left their seats and headed for the door. He couldn't quite see Miss Kuchiki very well, she was a short woman, and was being obscured by her friend behind her. Her company had quite unusual aqua colored hair.
Ichigo scowled as he watched them walk through the doors, and decided to go after them.
"Ichigo! Where are you going?" whispered Inoue.
"Wait here," was Ichigo's short reply. Inoue watched him leave with a frightened look on her face.
Ichigo walked through the doors, and quickly got visual of the two women. They were stopped at the corner, and the aqua haired woman was on a cell phone. Miss Kuchiki had her back turned to him. When the woman on the phone saw him walking towards them, she said something to Miss Kuchiki that Ichigo couldn't hear, and they started walking again. He walked a bit faster to catch up.
When they were within earshot, he called out to them. They didn't stop, but acted like they didn't hear him. Walking quickly, he called out to them again. Slowly turning left, they again ignored him. Seeing as they weren't going to stop for him, he walked behind them and decided to speak.
"I can offer you ten percent over what you paid for it," he said, confidently. "You'd be getting back your money, and making a profit."
Miss Kuchiki scoffed and said, "You really want it, don't you?" She still hadn't turned around to face him.
"I came with the sole purpose of purchasing that painting."
"And how is that any concern of mine?" The aqua haired woman beside her gave Ichigo a side glance.
A scowling Ichigo smirked and said, "I see. You just can't stand losing, so you outbid everyone so you can have your way." This caused her to stop. Her friend beside her was caught by surprise, and looked at Miss Kuchiki anxiously.
"Has it occurred to you that maybe I also came to this auction with the sole purpose of purchasing that painting?" Ichigo was taken aback by this response.
"I-I… well…" he stammered. Miss Kuchiki slowly turned on her heel and looked straight into his eyes.
She glowed. Her fierce violet-blue eyes bore into his heart like none before them. Her ivory skin seemed to hold a translucent glow; it was as if she had just stepped out of a painting. He was stricken by her elegance, and the graceful manner in which she held up her head, ready to confront him. Raven hair fell softly around her face, and her eyes burned with an intense passion, making her seem a mystery, a mystery Ichigo was dying to discover. Her soft lips were curled into a knowing smirk, as if she knew what he was thinking. She was the most beautiful work of art he had ever seen.
"You what?" The sound of her voice took him out of his reverie. She crossed her delicate arms bellow her chest. He looked at her a bit longer before speaking.
"Whatever your reason, I'm sure I wanted it more." He looked deep into her eyes while saying this. It seemed to make her a little uncomfortable, but she did not back down. "But it's alright," he continued before she could say anything else, "You keep it. I wouldn't possibly dream of taking away a spoiled princess's new toy."
Ichigo saw Miss Kuchiki's company try hard to suppress a laugh. He could tell Miss Kuchiki was fuming, but repressed it quite well.
"Well I'm sorry you're such a sore loser. But don't worry, next time I'll remember what a sensitive boy you are and try my hardest not to hurt your feelings," she said savagely, in a calm and collected manner. Before he had the chance to say anything, she quickly turned around and walked quickly away and down the front steps of the large building that housed the auditorium.
Ichigo's scowl deepened and his eyes turned to slits. He ran to the top of the stairs and watched as Miss Kuchiki and her company walked towards a brand new Rolls-Royce, where a chauffeur held the door open for them.
He held on to the railing and yelled out, "Enjoy the painting!" Miss Kuchiki's friend looked back at him and smirked, but Miss Kuchiki herself did not look back. He watched them get in the car with a scowl on his face. He was again stricken by Miss Kuchiki's elegance as she got into the vehicle.
He doubted he would ever see her again, but he would never forget her face. He would never forget her fierce eyes; those eyes that seemed to hold so many layers, so many facets of herself. Facets that he regretted never having the chance to discover…
--
A/N:
So I updated over a month ago. Lol
Sorry, everyone!! Busy, busy…
too many things happening at once lol
I was extremely surprised
and really pleased all the reviews so far!!
I hope this chapter
wasn't too sucky… I'm not happy with it, anyways :-/
Please
R&R!