A/N: Long time. Well here is the second chapter. It's named after the song, "Coffee Shop Soundtrack," by All Time Low. Amazing song. And I must say, the title has nothing to do with the chapter itself – there is no coffee shop; just the name of the song. Just thought I should clarify if people get confused. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Nay.
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Chapter 2: Coffee Shop Soundtrack
He was walking in the dead-middle of the street. Cars flew by him in slow motion, allowing him to only see a blur of light. It was as if he wasn't really there, but he continued to walk wearing his white doctor's coat.
Sounds were unclear and everything was muffled as if he was holding his hands tightly against his ears. He felt so alone, but for some reason he kept on walking as if looking for something urgently.
Then, he began to jog, although he did not understand why. Soon, it became a full out run. After a few seconds, directly in front of him, in the middle of the street, was a stop sign. He ran all the way until it was inches from his face.
He breathed heavily as he stood in the middle of a cross section that looked deserted. Then, a black butterfly, or possibly a hell butterfly, flew through the small space between his eyes and the steel. He turned his head slowly to follow its flight, only to realize it had become dark, and the butterfly was then seen clearly as the moon shined behind it in the sky.
That was the dream he relived so many nights back when it had first began to stop. But that night was the first time in a long time that he had it again.
'Another morning that will lead to another wasteful day'; that's what he had learned to live by every time his eyes fluttered open from the night's sleep. Every morning he found himself sleeping on top of his covers wearing the previous day's clothes. He pulled himself up and dragged himself into the shower to wash the slow decay of his life off of his body to make way for the current day's rot.
It was routine; everything he did mirrored the day before and day the before that and so on. He finished his shower, went downstairs to make two slices of toast to go, and then walked to work.
That day the sun was shining brightly; the birds were chirping; and the cold wind seemed anything but harsh. But days like these didn't matter. No matter what was happening, he always saw a cloudy sky equipped with rain and the air was always bitter. That was how he felt, but he refused to let it be completely shown to the outside world. If everyone else was fine, why shouldn't he be?
He walked into his childhood house and was making his way to the clinic part when he quickly caught his father's fist in mid air. He refused to look at him and instead, sighed.
"Everyday it's the same thing. Haven't you realized you haven't caught me off guard in years, old man?" Ichigo said softly with annoyance in his tone.
"Ah! So then it's only a matter of time before you slip up, my son!" he yelled cheerily, giving a hard slap on Ichigo's back. Ichigo jerked forward and quickly turned to glare at his father. He shook his head and continued on his way to the office mumbling, "Crazy old man."
Karin was sitting at the desk, talking on the phone, "Yes – Yes, of course. Tomorrow at two-thirty. We'll see you then," she finished, hanging up the phone and seeing her brother giving her a peculiar look.
"What?" she said as if he had gone mad.
"I thought Yuzu was working the desk today?" he asked with confusion.
"Oh she is. She had to go out and get some rice for dinner later. She should be back soon," she said while writing the appointment down.
Ichigo frowned and looked at the clock. "What time did she leave?"
She continued to flip through the pages looking at the day's appointments, "Hmm, about six. You know her; always getting up so damn early."
His eyes widened. "It's eight-thirty!"
"What? Oh, well maybe she decided to get more while she was out."
"You know she never does that. She goes by the plan!" he yelled getting worried.
"First, you need to calm down. And second, she's nineteen now. I'm pretty sure she'll have a reason for being late," she said to him like he was crazy.
"You don't think this is worth worrying over?!" he asked incredulously.
"No. No I don't. Because everything is fin-" she began before her eyes widened and her back straightened. "Did you- feel that?" she asked softly and hesitantly.
Ichigo's face was full of horror, showing his understanding, causing him to quickly turn around and sprint out of the clinic; onto the street.
He continued to run and his heart was beating faster than it had in years. He felt his little sister's reiatsu growing smaller and smaller and the immediately pulse he felt back in the clinic scared the hell out of him. All he was certain of was that she was in danger.
He didn't know what he was doing. When he got there, he didn't know what he was going to do, but that he was going to do it. He had a chance to protect someone again and there was no way in hell he was going to fail.
He began to weave through cars, seeing how there must have been a pile up from something, but he was going too fast to see a door left open and he cut his left bicep on the damaged steel. He hissed, but refused to slow down.
He turned the corner and froze; ironically beside a stop sign. His breathe was caught in his chest as his mouth hung slightly ajar. He saw his sister lying on the ground next to a delivery truck, which was left parked in the middle of the street. There was a dent in the truck from he could only assume was made from his sister hitting it. The driver of the truck had evacuated when the chaos began. Cars were scattered all over the cross section; one was even left on the sidewalk with the driver's door left open.
He could tell his sister was unconscious from the bleeding he could see down her temple. But the one thing that stopped him from going to her was the sight of a large hollow planning to attack not his sister, but the one standing in front of Yuzu.
With a quick jump, she brought down her blade and split the hollow in two. She watched as it seemed to evaporate into thin air before turning and kneeling down at Yuzu's side.
Ichigo's body seemed paralyzed. He couldn't move. His mind just found it too hard to believe what his eyes were showing him. He watched her small, elegant movements as she laid Yuzu down directly in front of her. It all seemed to be a dream. His senses began to fail him; sounds were muffled, everything that was unimportant in his eyes was a blur, and the simple matter of breathing became complex as air remained caught in his throat.
Finally, as he saw her hands raised on Yuzu's head, illuminating a blue light, he slowly moved his feet in that direction. It was a slow pace at first, but it soon turned into a jog, in which he stopped five feet before reaching his destination. "Rukia…" he said in such a soft tone, you could have easily mistook him for someone else.
At the sound of her name, she stopped using her kido and looked up slowly, delivering a serious look his way. She stood up and walked the short distance between them still giving him a stern look. She had changed slightly, almost as if she aged. She was now a couple of inches taller and delivered a more womanly shape.
He searched her eyes for understanding and perhaps in a way, urging her to speak. He began to open his mouth, but saw her firm posture relax and her violet eyes soften. She reached up slowly with her right hand and placed it on his left arm. He looked down in surprise, only to understand that she was healing him. He looked back at her and saw her sincere face focusing on his arm.
She seemed to have finished and he began to speak, "Thank-" but he was cut off by her phone signaling another hollow.
Her eyebrows furrowed from the interruption. "Take Yuzu back to the clinic. She's just unconscious. She'll be fine," she said, before turning around and shunpoing away.
He looked into the direction she went for a moment, unconsciously moving his right hand up to feel the warmth from where her hand had just been. He let out a large breath and moved quickly to bring his little sister back to the clinic.
"How's she doing?" Karin asked with guilty eyes as she looked down at her sister's motionless body.
Ichigo pulled his stethoscope down to his neck after listening to Yuzu's breathing. "She's fine. She'll be out for a little while, but once she's up she'll be fine. Maybe a little light-headed but other than that, everything should be okay," he said turning to look at his worried sister.
He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, everything's fine. Don't you dare blame yourself. This was an accident. Okay?" he said sincerely.
She nodded slightly and then took a seat next to her sister. Ichigo gave a sympathetic smile and then exited the room.
"Dad? What are you doing?" Ichigo questioned with confusion. He had walked out into the reception area and saw his father walking toward him wearing his white coat.
"I'm coming out of retirement for the day, son! Leave everything to me! The Kurosaki children have had enough for one day!" he said with determination.
"Come on. You can't handle all of thi-" Ichigo began, but was soon cut off by a knee to the abdomen; knocking the wind out of him.
"I told you it was a matter of time before you let your guard down! And besides, I've done this job much longer than you, my boy! Now get out of here and take a load off!" he yelled with a smirk as he took Ichigo's white coat off and pushed him out the door in a matter of seconds.
Ichigo looked back at the door that his father had just slammed shut. He glared as if he could burn holes straight through the door and directly into his father. He exhaled a growl and then turned around. His back straightened from surprise.
Should I write myself out of the history books,
and mark a place in time for every chance you took,
Don't get me wrong I know you've got your life in place -
I've yet to take the hint,
Some day
I'm sure I'll get the picture,
and stop waiting up...
She stood against the same lamppost that she sat against when transferring her powers to him. She leaned against it with her arms crossed over her chest and this time, she was waiting for him.
He started from her feet and took in her every detail. She was wearing camel-colored boots that went up to her knees. Her maroon mini-skirt flared slightly with a button-down camel-colored long-sleeve shirt that seemed to fit perfectly as it accented her every curve.
When it all comes down,
to a sunrise on the east side,
will you be there to carry home,
the remains of my wasted youth,
this wasted time on you
has left me shaking in waiting,
shaking in waiting for something more.
He watched as the corners of her lips curved slightly into a smile. The wind blew her raven hair gently off her shoulders, revealing more of her porcelain skin. He shook his head slightly to come back to reality. "What are you doing here, Rukia?"
She chuckled slightly and rolled her eyes as she leaned off the lamppost. "Nice to see you too, Ichigo," she said sarcastically. She walked slowly toward him and he took into memory every step.
Tonight is alive with the promise of a street-fight,
and there's money on the table,
that says your cheap-shots won't be able,
to break bones.
I've yet to break a sweat
I'll make your past regret its future.
Here's to you.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not an answer."
She frowned slightly in suspicion. "I'm here because I choose to be. What kind of question is that?" she asked with irritation.
"A pretty good question," he added coldly.
She frowned at him. "What's wrong?"
When it all comes down,
to a sunrise on the east side,
will you be there to carry home,
the remains of my wasted youth,
this wasted time on you
has left me shaking in waiting,
for something more.
He gave a disgusted chuckle. "If you don't even know why you're here, why don't you just go?" he said more as a statement as he turned and began to walk down the sidewalk.
She watched his retreating form. His once ripped jeans were now clean and fit appropriately. He wore a navy blue sweater that fit snug enough to show a well toned body underneath the cloth. His hands were now placed in his pockets as he left her stunned behind him. He had changed so much and she was having trouble grasping that.
Make all of my decisions for me,
I've never taken the fall for deceit,
I'll keep a secret if you keep me guessing,
The taste of your lips says we shouldn't have met like...
She quickly ran up and turned around in front of him, holding her hands out against his chest to stop him. His nostrils flared and he turned his head to look away from her.
"Ichigo," she said urging him to talk to her. She just wanted to understand. Her eyes were blazing into his ambers, but she noticed now that his eyes had a sheet of ice blocking him from the rest of the world.
Make all of my decision for me,
I've never taken the fall for deceit,
We'll keep a secret if you keep me guessing,
The taste of your lips says we shouldn't have met like this
He grabbed her wrists gently and held them there for a moment. She really was there; right there in front of him. He wasn't dreaming after all. After all this time she became his reality once again. But then, he snapped out of it, and pushed her arms away as gently as he grabbed them. He still did not look at her, "Just leave me alone," he said softly before walking off without taking a glimpse back.
I can keep a secret if you can keep me guessing,
The flavor of your lips is enough to keep me pressing,
for more than just a moment of truth between the lies told,
to pull ourselves away from the lives we leave back home...
I can keep a secret if you can keep me guessing,
The flavor of your lips is enough to keep me here...
Her chest felt heavy as she watched someone she thought she knew push her away without using much effort. She was too shocked to move and she was too hurt to try.
Ichigo closed his eyes tightly as he continued to walk away. He wanted more than anything to stay and talk to her; to stay and be around her, but he couldn't. He was too stubborn and too hurt. Eight years changed him. He couldn't revert backwards if it was only going to go back to the way it was the day before. So he continued to walk away; away from the past.
When it all comes down,
to a sunrise on the east side,
will you be there to carry me home,
the remains of my wasted youth,
this wasted time on you
has left me shaking in waiting,
for something more.
The wind blew her skirt faintly into the air as she watched him turn the corner. She began to walk the opposite direction with her head bowed down to the ground. It had been eight years since she last saw anyone in Karakura Town. She had been promoted to Vice Captain, under Captain Ukitake those few years ago and ever since then, she had fewer assignments in the living world due to them only being appropriate for unseated shinigami.
She didn't really care about if it was appropriate or not. Hell, if she had a choice she would do the living world assignments herself, but her new promotion called for different work; not to mention her brother actually expressed how proud of her he was.
She had to admit, the last time she saw Ichigo it didn't end very well. But it had been eight years. She figured he would have forgotten that by now. Who was she kidding? She knew he wouldn't have forgotten; she knew she, herself, hadn't. She just couldn't understand how Ichigo pulled a one-eighty. She wanted to talk to him; she wanted to see where the boy she grew to know so well had gone to.
She heard a thud a few feet ahead of her, causing her to look up vaguely startled.
The young woman held her hands over her mouth as her eyes began to fill with water. She had apparently dropped a grocery bag on the sidewalk from her surprise. "Rukia?" she asked, not believing her eyes.
Rukia smiled softly. "Hey Orihime," she said calmly, causing the red-headed woman to fling herself onto her into a tight embrace.
"I can't believe it," Orihime whispered with her eyes closed, with her chin over Rukia's shoulder. "You're actually here."
Rukia continued to smile genuinely. "Is it that hard to believe?" she asked jokingly.
The two parted. "Kind of. It's been years since any of us have seen you. I was afraid I wasn't going to see you again. I mean you didn't even say bye or anything," Orihime said sadly, folding her hands in front of her.
Rukia frowned in guilt. "I know. And I feel terrible for that. I'm sorry."
Orihime stared innocently at her for a moment before delivering a sincere smile. "You're forgiven."
Rukia smiled in return. "So tell me what's been going on," Rukia said bending down and picking the grocery bag up and handing it to her friend.
Orihime took the bag and initiated the two to continue walking down the sidewalk. "Hmm, well let's see. Chad is in Mexico as a bouncer in a night club, Uryuu is running his father's hospital, hmm, what else?" she said with one arm hugging the bag to her body, while she tapped her pursed lips with her pointer finger of her free hand. "Tatsuki is running the dojo she trained in and I have my own cooking program going!" she said cheerily.
"Wow. You all have made a future for yourselves," she paused. "I'm proud of you."
Orihime continued, "And Ichigo took over for his father at the clinic full-time now."
Rukia was brought back to that heavy-chest feeling from earlier. "How has he been?" she asked softly, almost holding back the question.
"Well, to be honest, no one has really seen Ichigo in awhile. But the last time I did, he wasn't looking too good. I don't really know what happened to him. All I know is that he's been so secluded ever since, well," she hesitated, feeling terrible to put the blame anywhere, "ever since you stopped coming back."
Rukia felt like she ran into a brick wall. As if her guilt could get any worse…
"Ah! Rukia I didn't mean-" Orihime shrieked seeing her friend's expression.
"No, no. It's fine," Rukia said holding her hands up to stop her. There was an awkward moment of silence until Orihime spoke again.
"Maybe you should talk to him. I know he avoids people and everything but he's coming to the wedding. You could do it there."
"Wedding?" Rukia questioned.
"Oh my god! I forgot to tell you!" Orihime yelled in surprise, but a goofy smile was all over her face. Rukia just stared at her confused. "Uryuu and I are getting married this weekend!"
"What?!" Rukia stiffened in surprise, but then wrapped her arms around Orihime's neck in excitement. "I can't believe it! Congratulations!"
"Thanks. And well, I know its short notice, but well, do you think you could be my bride's maid?" she asked hopefully.
Rukia gave a huge smile with gentle eyes. "I'd love too."
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Depressing stuff. Alright. Next chapter is the wedding. You know the drill. Tell me something. Thanks. Later
