Tamix- Yeah, I finally got motivated enough to type this up! Sorry it took so long I got grounded......anywho enjoy! As usual, beta-d by TealEyedBeing.
Ch. 2
Masaki stared at Bryan, at a loss for words.
"R-really? You hate him that much?" She whispered tearfully.
"Honestly? Yes. Yes, I do," Bryan said. "I would've liked it better if he would have died."
Before Masaki could hit her husband, Kisuke placed himself between the two.
"Before this gets ugly, could I suggest something?" He asked in a light tone that was at odds with the tense atmosphere.
"This really doesn't concern you," Bryan said coldly.
"Actually, it does. How about this: Ichigo stays with me. Bryan doesn't have to see him, and Masaki can come see him whenever she wants to."
There was silence for a couple minutes while the two thought about thisproposal. Then Bryan spoke up.
"That works for me. As long as I don't have to see the brat, I'm fine."
Masaki took a bit longer to decide.
"I guess its okay. As long as I can visit him."
"Of course you can," Kisuke said warmly. Masaki looked gratefully at the blonde.
"Thank you so much for all you've done."
"It's really no problem."
"Not many people would heal a dying teenager and then agree to take him in." Masaki's eyes sparked like she knew something. "But then again, you're not a regular person are you?"
"Oh, come on we don't have all day," Bryan said, impatiently dragging Masaki out the door.
"Come by whenever you want!" Kisuke called after them. He barely finished the sentence as the car door slammed, the car roared to life, and peeled off.
"Well, he's a friendly guy," Kisuke chuckled to himself. He turned, still chuckling softly, to go into the house.
He stopped dead in the doorway.
Ichigo was sitting up on the couch.
"Ah, Kurosaki-san you really shouldn't be up yet," Kisuke said smoothly. Ichigo's mouth formed into a light frown, and his eyebrows furrowed.
"Why not? I feel fine," He said stubbornly. Kisuke smiled, moving to the teen's side.
"You may feel fine, but you really should be resting, even if it's just lying down."
Ichigo's scowl grew, but he did as Kisuke asked, lying down to look up at the shopkeeper curiously.
"I had weird dreams," The teen started.
"You would," Kisuke said simply. "You had a high fever when you arrived here….was it only last night? It feels like it's been weeks."
"Huh? Last…night?" Ichigo looked confused.
"You were injured. Your mother brought you here because she thought I could heal you. She seemed pretty desperate, and you were dying, so I did," Kisuke explained. Ichigo still looked vaguely confused.
"I was injured? How?"
"Your mother said you were attacked by a large dog your neighbors couldn't control."
"Huh? Dog?" Ichigo looked even more confused now.
"Yes, don't you remember?" Kisuke asked, quickly becoming rather confused himself.
"Yeah, I remember everything. None of the people on my block, let alone my neighbor's even have a dog…"
Now Kisuke was even more confused, and rather frustrated.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, pretty sure."
"Then what hurt you?" Kisuke questioned. "Or who?"
Ichigo stared off into space, obviously trying to remember.
"I-I don't remember. Funny, that's the only thing I can't remember," Then teen said finally. Kisuke frowned a little, but instantly replaced it with his usual smile.
"Well, I suppose you'll remember in time. We can wait."
"I guess. So what am I doing here?"
"Weeeeell…"
"…"
Kisuke shifted a little.
"You're staying with me," He said finally. Ichigo's eyes widened almost comically, and he shot up, grabbing Kisuke by the shoulders.
"What?!"
"Whoa, slow down there Kurosaki-san…"
"Ichigo."
"Hmm?"
"Call me Ichigo. Honorifics make me twitchy, so just call me Ichigo."
"Well alright…Ichigo."
"Now answer me! Why am I staying with you?" For a not-yet-recovered person who was very recently close to death, Ichigo had a surprisingly strong grip. Kisuke felt the orange head's fingers almost bruising his shoulder, and resigned himself to explaining.
"Well, your mom brought you here like I said before. I healed you, and she wanted to see you this morning. She brought your stepfather along…" Kisuke stopped here because Ichigo had gone stiff, and the blonde could see him shaking.
"Hey, you okay?"
Ichigo shook his head and returned to normal, though he was still rather pale.
"Nothing. It's….nothing, I'm fine. You can keep going."
"Alright, if you insist. Well, she brought your stepfather along with her. Masaki-san appeared to be happy to see you, but your stepfather…not so much."
"I don't like him," Ichigo whispered suddenly.
"To tell you the truth, I really didn't either," Kisuke confided with a smile. "And your stepfather said he…didn't want you around. So I offered to take care of you. That way your stepfather doesn't need to see you and your mother can come see you whenever she wants."
"And my stepfather won't come?" Ichigo asked with a slightly worried look on his face. One that made Kisuke want to do whatever the teen asked, if only to keep him safe and see him happy.
"Not if you don't want him to."
Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."
"You really don't like him, do you?"
"No, not at all..."
The two were silent for a couple moments. Ichigo then broke said silence by yawning rather loudly. Kisuke chuckled a little.
"You're still tired. That's understandable since you've been through so much these last 24 hours," The blonde said understandingly. "You should get some rest."
"I am kind tired." This sentence was punctured by another large yawn, and Ichigo lay back down as his eyes slipped shut. Kisuke smiled, watching the orange head drift into sleep. The relaxed atmosphere was broken by a loud ringing. Ichigo's eyes shot open, and Kisuke got to his feet, grumbling.
"Sorry, sorry. It's a friend's phone. She left it here." Kisuke crossed to the table, picked up a small phone, and turned it off, cursing it. It had been peaceful watching Ichigo sleep, and Kisuke cursed whatever fate had made the phone ring.
"Damn Soul Reapers," Ichigo heard him mutter under his breath.
"Umm…what's a Soul Reaper?" Ichigo asked curiously.
Tamix- Okay TEB I think I got everything. I was a wee bit distracted lol. Hope you enjoyed, reviews make me write more! ^^
