Mayuhorin

Chapter Four

A crack of thunder echoed throughout the early morning sky. Rain poured from the sky, dark clouds obscuring what would have been daybreak. Momo and Toushiro watched from inside, their faces pressed up against the sliding glass door that led to the porch. They had been woken up by the storm earlier and came out to watch it. There weren't often storms of this size where they lived, so it was a very exciting experience. Mayuhorin and Orihime were still asleep, probably more used to this sort of thing than they were.

The lights were all out, with only the occasional strike of lighting in the distance lighting things up. Whenever thunder boomed in the distance, Momo and Toushiro would jump a little, no matter how much they braced themselves for it. They could see that it was downpouring outside, the rain nearly as loud as the thunder.

"Whoa…" Toushiro said.

"Whoa…" Momo said in agreement.

"That's a lot of rain…"

"Yeah…"

"I've never seen a storm like this before."

"Does it do this often around here?"

"I dunno, it was yesterday, so maybe…"

"I read up on the area and didn't see anything about rain being frequent."

"It's really downpouring now though…"

"Yeah, it is…"

They were silent for a while, content to observe the spectacular downpour.

"So what do you want to do?" Momo asked.

"Huh?"

"You know, what will we do? We're going to be here all summer, so what should we do here?"

Toushiro thought about it. He hadn't actually thought about what they would be doing over the summer. The excitement and anxiety of seeing his sister again and the worry for his mother drove such thoughts from his mind. Now that he thought of it, they would be spending a whole summer in a place they knew nothing about. What was there to do her? Surely there must be something, but he had no idea what they would be doing to pass the time. It would be a boring summer if all they did was sit in the house all day. His face must have shown a bit of embarrassment, because Momo apparently knew what he was thinking.

"So you don't know?" she asked.

"Sorry, I guess it slipped my mind," he said awkwardly.

"Don't worry, we'll ask your sister. She'll probably know a bunch of things to do. Did she mention anything while you were talking last night?" Momo asked. Toushiro stared at his feet.

"We didn't actually talk much last night," he admitted.

"What? But you've been apart for years! Surely you must have wanted to tell eachother what you've been doing, what you like to do for fun, and that sort of thing! You two have a lot of catching up to do!"

"That's the problem," Toushiro said, "There's just so much to say but no words to describe it. I don't know what to say to her. Nothing I say seems to be able to sum up what I feel. How am I supposed to just tell her everything that's happened over so many years? How can you even sum up that sort of thing? We've just been apart for so long…"

"Well I'm sure that you'll find something to talk about," Momo said, "You're still the same people, right? You two got along back then so you should get along now."

"Yeah, hopefully, but I can't help but feel a little odd around her, like she's a little different from before…"

"Oh that's just a little bit of unfamiliarity. You've probably changed a bit too. After you've gotten used to eachother I'm sure you'll realize the bond you two share is the same you shared back then," Momo said encouragingly, "Just give it some time, it would be unreasonable to expect things to immediately go back to normal between you two after being apart for so long."

"Suppose so," Toushiro said, gazing at the rain. After a few minutes he spoke again, "Is it letting up?"

"I dunno, maybe a little," Momo said.

"I think the clouds are getting lighter, so the rain will probably stop soon," Toushiro said.

They continued watching the rain as the flashes and booms of lightning became less and less frequent. The sky was getting lighter, the storm clouds thinning and daylight showing through them. The rain decreased, and soon was reduced to only a drizzle and the dark clouds turned into an overcast sky.

"You two are up early."

Momo and Toushiro turned to see Mayuhorin standing behind them, her spiky hair a bit more droopy than normal. She rubbed her eyes and gave a big yawn, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face.

"How did you sleep through all of that?" Momo asked. Mayuhorin shrugged.

"Guess I'm a heavy sleeper. Or maybe I'm used to it. Or both. This wasn't that big of a storm really, we've had way worse."

Momo was about to ask about how often they had storms like this, but just then her stomach growled, causing her to blush.

"I don't suppose you have any food?" she asked with an embarrassed grin.

"Sure, just a minute," Mayuhorin said with a yawn. She walked over to the kitchen, dragging her feet along the way, "Is oatmeal okay for you?"

"Yeah, sure," Toushiro said.

"I'll have brown sugar and raisins in mine!" Momo said. Mayuhorin reached into the kitchen cabinet and took out a box of oatmeal. She poured some into three bowls and then put some water on the stove to boil.

"You want some coffee?" she asked, walking over to a coffee machine on the kitchen counter, "I already prepared the water, coffee grounds, and filter last night before going to bed, so you'll only have to wait a few minutes for it to be ready."

"Coffee? But aren't we too young for that?" Momo said.

"Don't see why we would," Mayuhorin grunted sleepily, her eyes still half closed, "How 'bout you Toushiro, you want some?"

"No thanks 'Rin, I don't really drink coffee much," Toushiro said. Mayuhorin shrugged and went back to preparing the coffee. Within minutes she had prepared herself a cup of steaming hot coffee, its slightly bitter scent wafting in the air.

"Um, are you still watching the water?" Momo asked. Mayuhorin looked over and saw that the pot of water she had put on the stove was boiling. Taking a sip of hot coffee, she poured the hot water into the oatmeal.

"Give it a bit of time to cook the oatmeal and cool down before you eat it," Mayuhorin said.

"I know how to eat oatmeal," Toushiro said shortly.

"Still stubborn after all of these years, eh?" Mayuhorin said with a lopsided grin, "You always were a bit rude and stubborn at times, little bro."

"Be quiet, you're only twenty seconds older than me," Toushiro said, rolling his eyes. Mayuhorin giggled a bit. "And what's so funny?" Toushiro asked.

"Nothing, it's just that last night you were so formal and sensitive I thought you'd changed. I'm glad that you're still your rude, stubborn old self."

"You're glad about that huh?" Toushiro said, taking his oatmeal and walking over to the table.

"Don't you want any toppings on your oatmeal? It's bland on its own," Momo said.

"I'm fine with it," Toushiro said.

"Okay, but I'm having brown sugar and raisins on mine," Momo said. She immediately began rummaging through the kitchen cabinets and soon pulled out a bag of brown sugar and some oatmeal. She began spooning brown sugar into the oatmeal.

"Wow, is that enough?" Mayuhorin remarked upon seeing the large amount of brown sugar she was putting in the oatmeal.

"Yeah, sure it is," Momo said, continuing to scoop brown sugar into her oatmeal. Mayuhorin rolled her eyes and walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out a plastic carton of strawberries, taking several out and putting the rest back. After washing them off she began slicing them up and adding them to her oatmeal. Toushiro meanwhile was sitting at the table, his plain oatmeal just getting cool enough to eat. He took a spoonful of it and was about to eat when he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"Hey! You guys should have woke me up before cooking! I have to be awake to look out for you!" Orihime said, "Say, what are you cooking?"

"Oatmeal," Toushiro said, returning to his meal and bringing the spoon to his mouth.

"Oatmeal?" Orihime said, her eyes wide, "Noooooooooooooooooooo-" Toushiro turned to see her running as if in slow motion.

"Um, Orihime?" he asked, lowering his spoon.

"-oooooooooooooooooooo…" Orihime continued to shout, making running movements in a slowed down fashion as if she were in slow motion.

"Orihime?"

"-ooooooooooooooo!" Orihime finally reached Toushiro and knocked the spoon from Toushiro's hand and snatched away the bowl of oatmeal. "You can't eat this stuff! Neither can you two!" she ran over and grabbed the bowls of oatmeal from Momo and Mayuhorin too. Momo, who had just finished stirring in enormous amounts of brown sugar and raisins into her oatmeal stepped forward, greatly upset.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, "I just had it the way I like it!"

"I couldn't let you eat it! Tell me, what is oatmeal?" Orihime said.

"Um, oats?" Toushiro said slowly.

"Yes, but what's another word for oatmeal?" Orihime asked.

"Porridge?" Momo said, not exactly sure where this was going.

"And what's another name for porridge?" Everyone remained silent. "Gruel!" Orihime said loudly, "Don't you get it? Oatmeal is a type of gruel! And you know who eats gruel? Pirates! Gruel was a staple for the pirates of old times! Now today there is piracy in Somalia, and what is a staple food there? Gruel made from millet! Don't you see? Gruel turns you into a pirate!"

"That…makes no sense…" Momo said.

"Well I'm your caretaker and I can't take any chances," Orihime said, "I'll cook breakfast for you."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Mayuhorin said, "Remember what happened when you tried cooking for your old boyfriend?"

"Orihime, are you sure this is such a good idea? I really don't think I should eat this."

"Oh come on. I already told you, I'm a licensed Fugu chef. I got an online degree from the University of Tijuana. It's perfectly safe, so eat up."

"Then why aren't you eating any of it?"

"Because I made it for you, so make sure to eat every last bite!"

"He got better…eventually…" Orihime said.

"He was in the hospital for three months!" Mayuhorin said, "Why don't we just go into town for breakfast?"

"Oh, but I really wanted to…oh forget it. Fine, we'll go out to eat…"

---

They sat at a table in a small restaurant waiting to be served breakfast. There were only a few other people present, all of them elderly. It was still early in the morning, and the recent rainstorm no doubt kept numerous people at home. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, and they were all glad to be spared Orihime's cooking.

"I still say I would have done a fine job cooking you dinner," Orihime grumbled.

"We were having breakfast!" Momo said incredulously.

"Were we? Well you still would have liked it! I even brought over a pound of giblets that will go to waste now!"

"What are giblets?" Momo whispered.

"You don't want to know," Mayuhorin said.

"So what are you guys going to do after we're done eating? I'm sure you must be looking forward to a summer of fun!" Orihime said, changing the topic.

"Well, we haven't really thought of anything yet," Toushiro said.

"Yeah, we were hoping that Mayuhorin might suggest something to do," Momo said.

"Me?" Mayuhorin said, "I don't really know what you'd like. I suppose we could go camping or something."

"That would be an awesome idea!" Orihime said enthusiastically, "I can't remember the last time I went camping! Oh boy this will be so much fun! I'm going to bring marshmallows and sausages and potatoes and we'll roast them over the fire and we'll all sleep out under the stars or in a tent or whatever and we'll go hiking around and do all sorts of stuff and pick wild berries and go fishing and steal honey from bee hives and climb trees and roll around naked in poison ivy and-"

"Actually I was thinking maybe we'd go by ourselves," Mayuhorin said. Orihime stopped abruptly.

"What? But-but I'm your guardian! I'm-I'm responsible for you…" she stuttered.

"Well, about that…you're only a few years older than us, and when you take mental age into consideration…well, it just seems that maybe it would be better if we did things on our own and didn't have you with us all the time," Mayuhorin said.

"Does…does this mean you don't like me?" she whimpered, seemingly on the verge of tears.

"No no no! Nothing like that! It's just that, well, I'm older than I used to be and Toushiro is my age and Momo is a year older so it just seems…unnecessary for you to babysit us. It's nothing personal," Mayuhorin said. Orihime suddenly smiled.

"Oh I get it; youthful rebellion huh? Yeah, I guess a wise old person like me would just be a drag on your fun. Don't worry, I'll let you guys go on your little camping trip as long as you're careful, and when you come back I'll be there to tuck you in and give you baths after you've gotten this sense of rebellion out of your system, okay?" Orihime said, giving each of them a pat on the head. Toushiro sat still in shock, Momo seemed like she was going to faint, and Mayuhorin covered her face with her hand. Momo opened her mouth to speak but Mayuhorin nudged her.

"Don't bother, that's the most you'll get out of her," she said quietly.

"Give us baths?" Momo whispered incredulously, "I'm only three years younger than her!"

"I can hear you talking!" Orihime said in a cheery voice, "It sounds like I'm gonna have trouble getting someone to take their bath!"

Momo was just about to protest that she was perfectly capable of bathing herself when she noticed the waitress coming with the food. She pushed the thought from her mind for the moment, deciding that she would force herself to believe that Orihime was just kidding.

The waitress put a plate of French toast sprinkled with powdered sugar in front of Momo, a Belgian waffle in front of Toushiro, and hash browns and sausage in front of Mayuhorin. The waitress then went back to the kitchen, returning moments later with a tray of food for Orihime. There were two giant pancakes, scrambled eggs, heavily burnt toast, maple syrup, and a jar of grape jelly. Momo and Toushiro watched in horror as Orihime dumped the eggs onto one of the pancakes, crushed and sprinkled the burnt toast over it, unscrewed the table's salt shaker and pouring half of the salt onto it, spooned jelly and poured maple syrup on it, squirted ketchup and mustard onto it, and finished by putting the other pancake on top of the disgusting concoction like a sandwich. They winced as Orihime took a bite, and forced themselves to look away and eat their own food. Mayuhorin looked on with amusement, apparently not at all surprised by Orihime's behavior.

When Orihime was done, she gave a big yawn and stretched her arms.

"That sure was a great meal, huh guys?" she said, rubbing her stomach, "I feel like I could go a whole three hours without eating after a meal like this. I guess I should go pay now." She got up and walked from the eating area to the counter to pay for the meal. Momo and Toushiro immediately turned to Mayuhorin, stunned by what they just saw.

"How the hell does she not weigh three hundred pounds?" Momo asked in shock.

"I honestly have no idea," Mayuhorin said, "Let's just go before she gets hungry again."

They got up and followed after Orihime. After the meal was paid for they followed her to her car and began driving back towards the house. Near the outer edge of town though, Orihime suddenly stopped and pulled over to the side. Before anyone could ask why they were stopping, she rolled down the window and stuck her head out.

"Hey Rukia, you need a lift?" she shouted. Everyone looked out and saw that a short, dark haired girl was walking alongside the road, wheeling a bike along the wet pavement. She froze and didn't speak. Orihime got out and walked over to her. She was very short, even shorter than Toushiro, and was several years younger than them.

"Do you need help? Did your bike break again?" Orihime asked kindly. Rukia nodded, not speaking. "I'll drive you home then. Get in the back seat; I'll put your bike in the trunk."

"Thank you ma'am," Rukia said softly, running over to the car. Orihime picked up the pink and purple bike and went to put it in the trunk. When Rukia opened the door to the car, she froze, her eyes wide. "Y-You… she gasped

"Hey Rukia, it's been a long time," Toushiro said with a nod, moving over to make room for Rukia.

"You remember Toushiro, right? Mayuhorin says you guys used to know eachother quite well," Orihime said. Rukia nodded and slowly got into the car without saying a word. Orihime closed the door behind her and went to the driver's seat.

"So Rukia, how have you been for all these years? I recall hearing that you'd moved up here, but I completely forgot and never thought I'd see you. How are you?" Toushiro asked.

"I'm fine," Rukia said quietly, her hands fidgeting in her lap. A bit confused at her behavior, Toushiro watched her as she sat quietly. It did not take long to get to Rukia's house, which was just on the edge of town a relatively short distance from Mayuhorin's house. When she and Orihime got out to remove the bike from the trunk, Momo turned to face Toushiro and Mayuhorin.

"Why is she so shy?" she asked, "No wait; forget the shyness, how did she end up here? If Toushiro knows her, she must have been from near your old home, how did you both end up in the same town so far away from where you used to live?"

"Father is a real estate agent. His travelling for his job is one of the reasons he's always gone," Mayuhorin explained, "Anyways, when we moved up here he helped get them a home nearby for a low price."

"But what about the shyness?" Momo asked.

"Come to think of it, she was always really cheerful before. What happened?" Toushiro asked. Mayuhorin remained silent for a moment.

"Don't you remember?" She finally said.

"Remember what?" Toushiro asked.

"How Rukia reacted to…you know…" Mayuhorin said slowly. Toushiro's eyes widened.

"You mean…" Toushiro suddenly grew pale.

"Yeah, you weren't around her much after that, but she was quite traumatized by it. It hit her every bit as hard as it hit us."

"What are you guys talking about?" Momo asked, "I don't understand." Toushiro took a deep breath.

"Rukia…was Yuuki's best friend. She was like part of the family. It…it was her who found Yuuki when she died…"

"Oh…" Momo said, stunned by the revelation, "I see…" She immediately felt ashamed for accidentally breaching such a sensitive topic, and remained silent even after Orihime returned to the car and drove them back to the house. Unsure of what to say, she said nothing when they got out of the car and went inside.


First of all, let me apologize for getting this out so late. I really have no excuse, I just kept procrastinating. Second, thanks for reading and thanks to AznVKai, Merciless Ruby, DW64, animelover24271, SunsetRainbow, Assault Godzilla, and Momo21 for reviewing! I'll try to get the next chapter out a bit more quickly! Please review!