Hmm, I thought I updated yesterday. Sorry.
" What do you mean I did not make any reservation?" "If I did not have confirmation of my reservation, would I be here expecting to be seated."
"Please sir, could you please lower your voice. And as I have told you, I do not see your name in our system. Perhaps you have made the reservation at another restaurant."
"WHAT?! So now you are saying is that not only am I a liar but also an idiot!"
'That voice, it sounds like ...'
"Please sir, once again I must ask you to lower your voice. And could you please vacate our premises."
"Why you piece of fu..."
"Language, Renji, mind your language."
"Huh?"
"Is everything alright, Aramaki-san?"
"Oh, Ukitake-sama, everything is fine, everything is more than fine. Let me just bring you to your table."
"Oi, we are not done here."
"Konnichiwa, Renji."
' What the hell, how could she have greeted me so calmly even though we have not seen each other in ages.' "Rukia." He was relieved that her name came out smoothly.
"Friend of yours, Rukia?" Ukitake Jushiro asked his wife.
"Yes. Someone from my childhood." Ukitake Rukia answered as she looked at her past standing in front of her with his family.
"Ah, Renji-san, would you and your family like to join us seeing there has been a mix-up with the reservation?" Jushiro warmly suggested.
"No thank you, Ukitake-sama. We do not want to impose on you and your wife." Thanking the man , Renji was ready to escape out of the restaurant when just moment ago he was butting heads with the struck-up host to dine there. But before he could get his foot out of the door. His impetuous wife has to open her mouth.
"Why thank you Ukitake-sama, it will be a honor to dine with you and your wife. We are celebrating, you see. So the more the merrier. Lead the way, host-chan." The snooty host did not look too pleased but he did as he was ordered.
Grabbing his wife's arm, he hissed at her. "Do you know who we are dining with?"
"Your first love, right." His wife looked at him straight in the eyes as she continued. "The one you have not seen in more than a decade. So there will be lots of catching up to do. Now let's go. I am starving."
She ran to hold their daughter's hand and he stared at the woman he loved thinking she really was a piece of work.
(* _ *)
"Where are my manners. Let me introduce myself to you formally. I am Ukitake Jushiro and this is my wife; Ukitake Rukia nee Kuchiki."
"Nice to meet you. I am Abarai Renji, this here is my wife Matsumoto Rangiku and the little lady is our daughter; Inoue Orihime. "
Pleasantries was exchanged and they settled for small talk as they have their meal.
"So Rangiku-san, you mentioned that you are celebrating? May I be so bold as to know what is the special occasion?" Ukitake politely inquired.
" We are celebrating our little Hime's bakery of being in the black for the last 2 months." Rangiku grinned with pride. She reached over to hold her daughter's hand, squeezing it with love.
Said girl smiled and said softy. "It has been 3 months that we are making a little profit. Oto-san made the reservation 2 months ago."
"Congratulations. Will your husband be joining you in the festivity?"
"HUSBAND! WHAT HUSBAND?! When did some scum stole you from us?"
"But I am not married. You should know that, oto-san. Ukitake-sama must have the wrong impression." Orihime quickly assured an erupting Renji.
"I am sorry. I thought that Inoue is your married name."
"Calm down Renji. You are getting flustered over nothing. Your face is almost as red as your hair. Let me explain. Though we kept saying that Orihime is our daughter, she is but biologically she isn't. She did not come out of my ..."
"RANGIKU!"
"RANGIKU-SAN!"
Renji and Orihime shouted at the same time to stop Rangiku from saying what she should not.
"What is wrong with the two of you?" Rangiku grumbled in exasperation. "What were you thinking as to what I was going to say?"
"Just let me tell the story. After all I was right there from the beginning." Renji hastily interrupted her before there was another foot in the mouth incident.
Before he begin, Renji turned to his wife, communicating with his eyes and twitching of his eyebrows that there will not be any interruption from her in any way.
She stuck a piece of food in her mouth and nodded at him with a defiance glare.
Sighing, he reminisced what brought this no longer little girl into his world.
"Orihime is or rather was the sister of our former colleague at the police department."
"Was that how you met, as colleagues?" Rukia interrupted anxiously as she has wondered how in the world did Renji ended up with someone like her."
"Yes. But we were in different departments. I was and still am with narcotics. Whereas Ran was from vice." Renji elaborated.
"It figures." Rukia mumbled under her breath.
"Did you say anything, Ukitake-san?" Rangiku asked knowingly.
"No, Rangiku-san. It was nothing." Rukia answered sweetly. 'You won't catch me addressing you as Abarai-san." Rukia thought bitterly.
"Was." " Does that mean that you are no longer with the police force, Rangiku-san?"
"That is correct, Ukitake-sama." " There was a little complication during the birth of our babies and so Renji and Hime advised me to concentrate on getting my health back."
"How many did you have?" Jushiro asked in astonishment.
"Threee." Rangiku gushed in motherly pride.
Whipping out her cellphone, she showed the Ukitakes the pictures of her chldren.
"Here's one of Hime with Rie, Raidon and Renzo. Don't they look adorable, all four of them." "Rie is the oldest, Raidon is the middle one and Renzo, as his name states is the third child. Although, including Hime, he should be the fourth and ..."
"OH MY GOD!" Dropping the mobile phone in Jushiro's hands and startling everyone, Rangiku suddenly cried out in surprise.
"What is it, Ran?" Renji asked in concern. He reached out to his wife but she leaned on him and snatched both of Orihime's hands in hers.
Apologies, but I have to end it here. My browser kept crashing on me. I will try to update as soon as possible.
Question : Do you want me to edit it as this chapter or would you rather I post it as the next chapter?
Too much frustration over the browser and so did not really proof read.
