A/N: Who's ready for round 2?! Thank you for the warm welcomes back and the positive reviews, I was so excited to begin this project and to see it come alive and for everyone to enjoy it just gives me an amazing drive to continue writing. Stay awesome!

Disclaimer: Bleach characters belong to the man who owns Bleach. Curse you Kubo!

Chapter 2: Denial


Day: Unknown. Time: Unknown.


Sitting there was like sitting on a display. They were three dolls dressed in black, propped up in a perpetual state of despair and longing.

Being too fidgety meant you didn't care.

Being too sad was melodramatic.

Being stoic seemed right. Her legs were crossed, hands in her lap. Kioko and Kenta sat on either side of her, heads hung low.

Each condolence whizzed by like bullet from a barrel.

"…Is there anything I do for you?"

"I hate that this happened to you..."

"This must be terribly hard for you and the kids…"

"..You know I'm just a phone call away."

"How sad... You and the children are in my prayers. God bless..."

"Please, don't hesitant to talk. I'm here anytime you need me…"

"…My sincere apologies."

"I can't imagine what you're going through..."

"…If you need a break from the kids, I'll be glad to take them."

"He did a great service to our community. Your husband was a great man…"

Orihime blinked. "…what?"

Kioko stood in her bedroom doorway. "Mommy… can I sleep in here with you?"

Orihime rubbed her hand over her face. She could hear the low drone of the television. She turned to the bedside clock. It read 11:47. It was Sunday. A day after the funeral.

Orihime pushed her hair out of her face. "Come here." The six year old hopped under the covers and cuddled there next to her mother. "Having trouble sleeping?" Kioko nodded. "Well that makes two of us."

Kioko played with her mother's orange waves, wrapping them around her own dark strands of hair. "Do you think he can see me dance?"

Orihime sighed. "Kioko… how…?"

"In heaven?"

Kioko never ceased to amaze her. Orihime's breath caught. She had never explained the concept of life, death, and heaven to Kioko. Kenta, yes, once, when he saw road kill during a walk from the park. But Kioko, she was so sweet and innocent that she never once seemed to care where past souls went. She was always capable of making new friends and her own fun to worry about death and such.

"Do you think he can watch me dance from heaven?" Kioko continued.

Orihime turned the channel to a more suitable program. She stopped at a channel that hosted old cartoons. "Yes, Kiki," the rabbit dodge another quick death by tricking the hunter into believing it was duck season. "He will see you dance in heaven."

11:53.

Everyday… everyday it felt like she was floating further and further away from him. She refused to look at him as the casket lowered. Watching him leave, acknowledging his death… she'd break down. And she needed to stay strong for Kenta and Kioko.

11:58. Kioko's eyes were becoming heavy. She didn't try to fight it.

Orihime expected nothing less from their reactions of the news. It only reiterated her reasons for staying tough. No one would be strong for them. It was her job, as their mother, it was up to her to show them that life went on and it was important not to dwell…

"Mommy…" Kioko whispered softly. "Can you sing me the song…?"

Orihime pushed her hands through her daughter's silky dark hair. "I don't know all the words… How about I hum it?"

Kioko responded with a soft purr of approval.

The mother began the humming the melody to Over The Rainbow, a song both of her children seemed to enjoyed. So she hummed, and hummed until her daughter fell asleep in her arms.


Monday, April 16, 2012 at 3:55:17 PM


Orihime inhaled, open mouthed. It was hard. It was hard to remove her hands from the stirring wheel. It was hard to un-grip her fingers and place the car into park. But she did, and she got out of the car.

Piles of parents and first graders stood outside of the auditorium. Rukia's tiny frame walked out, holding the hands of both Sanji, dressed as a half bitten leaf, and Kioko, a butterfly. Orihime was very grateful for she wasn't sure if he knees would carry her to the front door. "Orihime, I got the call. I'm so sorry." Rukia said as she approached her best friend and handed Kioko over to her mother. "I called and said I'd pick up the kids for you."

The mother pushed both hands through her orangey hair. "No, I, um… I wanted to tell them myself."

Kioko tugged on the side of her mother's skirt, looking for her attention. Sanji, the leaf, watched the exchange passively; with his right thumb in his mouth- a habit Rukia was in the process of breaking.

Orihime bent down to her daughter's height. "Hi baby!" Kioko giggled when her mother tickled under her chin. "How was it?"

But her smile faltered. "I didn't see you... or daddy…"

"I'm sorry I missed it… Oh, but you're such a beautiful butterfly, baby..."

Small, uncontrollable, tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Kioko asked, touching one curiously.

It was then Orihime knew she probably looked a mess. She'd already rubbed her eyes and nose until they were sore and red, and had run her hands through her hair a thousand times, a nervous habit of hers. But she smiled at her daughter anyway, and kissed her round, pink, cheek.

Rukia touched her arm as she stood. "Orihime, do you want me to come home with you, I can help with anything."

"No…" Orihime looked around the parking lot. The performance was over. Many parents were leaving to go back home or back to work. Orihime glanced at her watch. 4:23. Kenta was at soccer practice. "… it might be best if you just give us a day, maybe?"

Rukia walked her back to her car silently, not actually knowing what to say. As her best friend she found it her duty to make sure she was okay, especially in a time of need like this. She knew Orihime would do the same.

"Do you need me to drive?" Rukia asked. Orihime was in no condition to be behind the wheel. Her eyes… there was something wrong, anyone could see that. And it just made her wonder… with Renji in the same profession, this-that look- could be worn on her face on day.

Orihime finished strapping down Kioko to her booster seat. "No, I'll be fine…" Orihime smiled, thanked her friend, promising to call her later before driving off.

Orihime inhaled. How… just how do you explain…? As she drove nearer and nearer to Kenta's soccer field, her throat began to swell up. "Hey sweetie… What do you want for dinner?"

"PB&J!" Kioko squealed, causing her signature pigtails to bob about beside her.

"Okay," Orihime exhaled. "We can do that."

The duo waited in the car parking lot for a few minutes before practice ended. Her son waved to a few friends before running up to the car and hopping in the passenger seat.

Orihime threw on a brave smile. "Kenta! How was your day?"

"I got this scrape!" The eleven year old lifted his leg and pointed to the long, thin cut under his knee. He grinned proudly. "See?!"

"Mmhmm!" The mother drove off from the field and waited until she was down the road before starting up. "I was just asking your sister what she wanted for dinner… what about you? Huh?"

Kenta lifted a suspicious brow. "Anything?"

"Anything." She repeated.

"Like… ice cream?"

Orihime laughed. "Yes! Yes, like ice cream!"

Kenta thrust his fist into the air in front of him. "Score!"

The trio stopped at a nearby supermarket. Orihime and Kioko took one cart and Kenta took another, filling in with what they wanted to eat for dinner. French toast, Twizzlers, rocky road, PB&J, lasagna, hot dogs, marshmallows, Oreos, macaroni and cheese- all of it. Orihime should have relished seeing the pure joy and excitement on their faces. But she knew it wouldn't last long and the news would come soon; bringing their highs all the way down.

Kioko placed crumbled Oreos in her PB&J sandwich. The jelly slid out from the bottom when she bit into it, but the six year old didn't mind. The fact that she was able to decide her own dinner was enough to make her happy for a week.

Kenta took a different approach, beginning with dessert and then moving on to the meat. He had already finish a bowl of rocky road and made his way to the lasagna and mac and cheese.

"Kids… I have something to tell you…" Orihime looked down at her empty plate. "It's about your father…"

Kioko stopped her chewing and took a sip of juice. Her chubby cheeks were covered in peanut butter. "He said he was coming to my play…"

"Baby… something happened today and…" She shook her head. She just needed to rip it off like a band-aid. "And it resulted in him not being there."

"What are talking about?" Orihime looked over at her son. His thick eyebrows pulled together, much like his father.

The mother pushed loose hairs behind her ears. "Your father was hurt… badly…" she whispered, looking at one curious face to the next. "…and he died."

The room grew silent. The mother was afraid to look up, to look at her children. She felt so guilty for causing them such distress, such pain. She didn't want to be the one, but she had to be the only one who could tell them such news.

"But… my play…" Kioko whispered.

Kenta threw his fist down on the table, causing everything to shake. "Our dad is dead and all you can think about is some dumb play?!"

"Kenta!"

"Is that why you have us eating all this junk?" The eleven year old flipped over his plate and stood up. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

Kioko burst into tears, whining loudly.

"Why!" Kenta yelled once more. He rubbed his eyes, feeling tears coming on. "…" Kenta turned and ran out the room.

Kioko sniffled, looking up to her mother. "W-why is K-Kenny mad at m-me?"

Orihime grabbed her daughter, pulling her in and hugging her tightly. "He's not mad at you, baby. He's just very sad…"

Kioko hid her face in her mother's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "What did I do?"

"It's not your fault, Kiki." Orihime kissed her on her forehead, soothing her. "You did nothing wrong..."


Monday, April 23, 2012 at 5:08:51 PM


"Ms. Inoue… I highly doubt you'll receive all of his social security benefits since you've been divorced from him for… four years, now."

Orihime rubbed at her temples. Hours ago she was laying quietly in her bed with her daughter, now, she was once again spun into a web of finances and benefits… why couldn't she just be left alone?"

"Now about that pension…"

The mother squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, can we take a break?"

"Orihime," Tatsuki started, "its better if we deal with this now."

"Can I just have a second to breathe?"

"Of course…" Her lawyer cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Ms. Inoue, I believe it's best if I come back tomorrow, when we're all refreshed."

Tatsuki lead the lawyer out, apologizing for his time. "It's really just a tough time right now…" Tatsuki supposed, hoping to provide an adequate excuse for Orihime's behavior.

"It's fine. Many widows go through this stunt." His glanced down at his ringing phone before continuing. "I just don't want any insurance companies swindling her."

Tatsuki made it back to the kitchen. Orihime still sat in a kitchen chair, facing the window to the backyard.

"Here," Tatsuki placed a glass of water in front of her. "You haven't eaten anything in days."

Orihime shrugged and looked out the kitchen window. "Not hungry…"

"Orihime, Keitaro is-"

"Have spoken with your mother?" Orihime said slowly, in deadpan voice.

Tatsuki folded her arms. As Keitaro's sister, she knew the… issues he and their parents went through. Orihime didn't want to believe their problems stemmed from her- and they didn't- the family feud went way beyond her and her children.

"The bitch didn't show up to his funeral… she should be dealing with all this shit. Not you."

Orihime shrugged again. "That's what happens when you're disowned…"

"Mommy…," Both women looked over at the doorway. Kioko leaned against the frame, rubbing her stomach. "My belly hurts."

Her mother sighed, exasperated. "Kioko, I already gave you your medicine."

Kioko shook her head. "…But it still hurts…"

Orihime stood and lead her daughter out of the room.

Tatsuki placed her hands on her hips. She was running away again. For as long as she's known her brother's ex-wife, she had always run away from conflict.

The short haired woman checked the refrigerator for dinner. They had cooked meals from neighbors and friends that would last them for weeks.

"I guess its meatloaf again, tonight." Tatsuki placed the pan into the oven and turned to see an empty table and chairs. "If anyone will bother to eat, anyway…"


Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 9:38:04 PM


Orihime walked by so fast she didn't notice her at first. But who could ignore those large gray eyes that reflected off everything and everyone.

"Kioko, what are you still doing up?"

Her and aunt were sitting on the couch as if was a lazy afternoon on the weekend. There was work to be done, school work to be finished... the multiple cups of coffee she had throughout the day hadn't provided the solace she craved.

Kioko blinked slowly. "My belly hurts."

Orihime shifted a pile of papers from one arm to the other. "You have school in the morning!"

"But I can't go to sleep!" Kioko whined.

Tatsuki sat up, helping Kioko up too. "Orihime, she doesn't have to go back to school just yet."

"They are my children and I'll raise them however I want."

Tatsuki placed her hands on her hips. It was going to be one of those battles, huh? "You've hardly been raising them at all."

Orihime could feel her cheeks getting hot. She pointed at the ceiling and told Kioko to go to her room before storming into the kitchen.

"Orihime, I know what you're doing…" Tatsuki said trailing behind her. "You're ignoring it."

Orihime pushed her hair back, frustrated. "Ignoring what?!"

Tatsuki waved her hands around. "Ignoring everything!" Orihime poured herself another cup of coffee, shaking her head to her sister-in-law's reasoning. "You're sheltering out everything and anything that has to do with him."

The mother winced.

"Kioko's stomachache is her telling you she's hurting emotionally. And Kenta… Kenta hasn't left his room in days." How could she be so blind? This… this isn't dealing with it. Being in denial won't help. This… "What are you doing?"

Orihime sat down, sorting out her papers. "I have to finish this report."

Tatsuki stared at the mother as she opened her laptop. "But you're on leave," she stated incredulously.

"I called my co-worker and she dropped it off." Orihime sipped her coffee and rubbed her tired eyes. "I have to finish it. My boss wouldn't care if I was strapped to an IV on life-support."

"You might as well be." Tatsuki shouted. She slammed Orihime's laptop shut and continued. "I know you are hurting. I know it's killing you inside. But he was my brother too… You just have to face the fact that-"

"Tatsuki!" Orihime yelled before she could finish. She just wanted her to stop. She wanted her to stop and go away and to never bring him up again. "I have to finish this."

The dark haired woman gave up. It was obvious her mindset wasn't going to budge. Tatsuki would just have to budge harder. But as she looked down at her sister-in-law, with her disheveled auburn hair, and wide, tired eyes… she knew now was not the time.

"Fine." Tatsuki said and left her to her work. She checked on her niece, making sure her face was washed and her teeth were brushed.

"How does your stomach feel?" Kioko's aunt asked as she helped tuck her into bed.

Kioko shook her head. "Not so good..." the six year old droned.

"You know, Kiki," Tatsuki started as she sat on the edge of her bed, "it's okay to feel upset or sad… or even angry." She played with a ear of a teddy bear before continuing. "When my father passed away, I cried for days."

And she did- no thanks to her mother, who was absolutely impossible. All she cared about was the estate and which family member received what amount of money from his will. Keitaro got nothing.`

"So if you ever need to talk about it, I'm here, okay?" Tatsuki waited until the child nodded before tickling her under her chubby chin. She giggled a little before heading towards her lamp.

Kioko pulled down her blanket. "Wait!" She shouted. "…I don't like the dark."

Tatsuki smiled. "I'll leave the hallway light on then, okay?"Kioko nodded and curled back down under her pink princess covers and waited until sleep overtook her.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 2:46:57 PM


"Tatsuki…" Orihime shook head. "Why are we here?" She looked around the wide empty halls and pushed her sweater further up her shoulders. "I thought you said this was taken care of."

The halls of the bank were so cold. Everything was crisp and pristine. The floors looked mopped and buffed. Each drawer reflected brightly off the ground. And each footstep the teller took made a sound that bounced off the walls.

"It's important that you're here," Tatsuki responded. "There's a lot of stuff in here that's obviously meant for you."

It was hard enough clearing out his apartment. Finding little things from their old lives together only brought the pain to the surface

The teller stopped at a gate and led them down another hall. He stopped at a drawer and opened it with a numbered key. He handed the safety deposit box to Tatsuki.

"Do I have to look in a meaningless box?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Tatsuki hissed.

"What will the box do?" Orihime shouted. "What will happen if I look-" Orihime couldn't stop the sinking feeling in her stomach. There was so much… so much one could fit in such a small box.

Orihime picked up a small ring. To anyone else it would look like a ruby class ring- it would mean nothing. But this ring meant the world and more. "Why… Why…" She shook her head. "I don't want to be here anymore…"

There were other contents in the box too. Copies of other important legal documents, younger photos her and Keitaro together. Even a picture of Kioko as a baby.

Orihime picked it up and squeezed it to her chest. "I… I miss him… so much." Tears slipped past closed eyes. Her heart sunk further in her stomach as she said the words out loud.

Orihime looked down at the crumbled picture and the class ring. It was warm, as if he was only wearing it the other day. "This… He's really gone isn't he?"

Tatsuki nodded. Even the bank teller felt touched by her affirmation.

She shook her head again. He was in her arms, wearing his leather jacket, smiling at her, kissing her, making love to her… but… "It's easier to pretend..."

"Orihime, I know," Tatsuki smiled. "It gets better."

"But..." Her face felt heated, and the vein in her forehead throbbed. "I was trying to be strong... but…" She couldn't breathe. She felt as if she'd implode.

She took a deep breath, whispering, 'he's gone…', and cried.


I think it's high time that our loveable, strawberry-haired male character makes an appearance, hm? I haven't forgotten about him, so hold on to your britches! Tightly!

Rocka.