Hey there, I'm back again! And again I'm putting the last chapter of 10 Days off because I just can't bring myself to end it:/ I'm upset yet happy at the same time…anyway, here's chapter seven!

-:-

Rukia

To my surprise I fell asleep on the couch maybe ten minutes after Saki got off the phone with Hisana. I tried fighting it at first, but Ichigo kept running his hand through my hair, not that he seemed to notice, and eventually it was out of my hands.

I only slept for half an hour and when I woke up everyone was seated in the same places as before. Saki was sitting in Ben's lap in the middle of the floor with both Kenji and Rina in her lap. She was leaning back against him and he had his head resting against hers. The kids were silent, no emotion showing on their faces at all. Ichigo was still sitting on the floor next to me, playing with my hair while staring off.

Sitting up, I looked over at him, getting his attention. "Have you heard anything?" I asked, knowing they wouldn't have.

Shaking his head he answered quietly. "Nope."

I nodded and looked away from him, knowing I couldn't hide the worry on my face. He understood and just continued messing with my hair.

"Feeling better, Rukia?" Saki asked, looking over at me curiously.

"Yes, thank you," I said, sitting up and leaning back against the arm of the couch. After a moment, I hesitantly continued. "Are we really just going to sit here and wait?"

"What else can we do?" Saki answered, looking at me sternly.

Knowing she was right, I couldn't help the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. Instead of answering her rhetorical question, I just laid my head on my knees and willed myself not to cry. Ichigo reached over and grabbed my hand carefully.

"Rukia," Saki spoke up, not continuing until I looked over at her. "Do you want me to make us coffee?"

I only nodded although I appreciated my sister taking care of everything. She carefully sat the kids onto the floor before trying to stand. Ben, who had wrapped his arms around her waist, kept his grip on her, causing her to fall back into his lap.

"Benjiman," she said, sounding annoyed although when she looked over at him she frowned before continuing in a hushed voice. "I'll be right back, Sweety, just watch the kids, alright?" After she said this, he reluctantly let her go and allowed her to stand before heading into the kitchen.

Suddenly there was a loud ringing noise before Ichigo pulled his hand away from me and reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. Pressing the call button, he held his phone up to his ear before saying, "Hello?" He listened for a moment, his usual glare crossing his features again. "I'm downstairs…yeah, the apartment right under Mina's…she's," he began, glancing over at Kenji and Rina. "I'll explain once you get down here."

Without any warning the door opened, gaining all of our attention. A tall, dark haired man let himself into my apartment, not seeming to realize he had just barged in. He had on black dress pants and a long-sleeved button up shirt that was rolled up to the elbows. The man looked older, someone who seemed too old to be a friend of Ichigo's.

"Dad, you don't just walk into peoples' homes!" Ichigo exclaimed, glaring up at his father. I was extremely surprised; I couldn't find any similarities between them.

Ignoring his son's scolding, he asked, "Why are you here?" Glancing over, he saw Ben, looking more confused.

"Dad, this is Rukia," Ichigo began, gesturing toward me and causing his father to smile for the first time. "We met after what happened on Monday. Rukia, this is my dad."

After turning his smile toward his son, he stepped closer to the couch and held a hand out to me. "Hello, Rukia, it's nice to meet you. I'm Isshin Kurosaki."

Reaching out, I shook his hand, trying to keep the worry off my face. "It's nice to meet you too." When he smiled down at me, I realized how much it made him look like his son, disproving my prior thought; all he was missing was a natural glare above his identical amber eyes.

When pulling his hand away, he turned his attention back to his son, his smile disappearing from his face. "So, where's Mina? I thought I'd come see her and the kids."

"She's in the hospital," Ichigo quickly answered, causing his father's neutral expression to fall into one of shock. "I'm not sure if she was trying to kill herself or what, but she had multiple cuts on her arms. Shenji and Ren found her and brought the kids here, that was only like half an hour ago."

"Oh my God," Isshin muttered, pressing his hand to his forehead absently in a familiar gesture. "Have you heard anything from Shenji or Ren?"

Ichigo shook his head but before he could answer Saki returned to the living room with a tray of cups. When she saw Isshin, she stopped, forcing a smile. "Hello, who are you?"

He returned the gesture, although it was just as fake as Saki's. "I'm Ichigo's father, Isshin. Who are you?"

"I'm Rukia's little sister, Saki Kuchiki," she answered. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Yeah, sure. Thank you."

She nodded before handing everyone a cup and placing her own on the coffee table. After quickly heading back into the kitchen, she returned with another cup of coffee and two juice boxes for the kids. Once she had handed them out, she took a seat on Ben's lap, earning another surprised look from Isshin although she didn't seem to notice.

Again there was ringing, this time coming from Ben's phone. Carefully holding onto Saki's arm, he shifted to his left before pulling his phone out of his pocket and answering it. After a moment he said, "Mom? Are you there?"

Saki took the phone out of his hand and pressed the speaker button. "Yeah, Benny, I'm here. She's stable and resting at the moment, they said she should be fine but they want to keep her here for a few days. She hadn't lost as much blood as we thought, so there was no transfusion necessary."

"Have you talked to her at all?" he asked, absently grabbing Saki's hand that held the phone and pulling it closer.

"No, she won't talk to anyone. She was awake for a few minutes, but she wouldn't answer anything the doctors asked her," Ren answered, her fatigue leaking into her voice.

"Are you sure she couldn't answer them, Ren?" Isshin asked. "She might have been pretty dazed or lightheaded from losing all that blood."

"I-I'm pretty sure…Isshin?"

"Yeah, it's me," he answered, smiling slightly.

"Well, they won't allow visitors at all today, so Shenji and I are coming back. We'll be there soon, alright?"

"Okay, see you soon, Mom," Ben said before ending his call and pocketing his phone. It was silent for a moment before Ben laid his head on Saki's shoulder and began crying quietly. Quickly turning around in his lap, she hugged him tightly before he returned the gesture.

No one knew what to say, we were all upset and worried. Isshin took this as his chance to approach the kids, sitting down on the floor and pulling them into his lap. Ichigo laid his head on the couch next to me, staring off again. Carefully I laid a hand on his head; we all sat silently as we waited for Ben's parents to return.

Ren and Shenji arrived fifteen minutes later. When Isshin was saying hello Ren began to cry and I wasn't sure what about seeing him pushed her to do so. Not long after they arrived Isshin asked if they wanted to go to lunch and although they seemed reluctant, he convinced them to go. Ren decided to take Rina and Kenji so that Ben wouldn't have to look after them; she and Shenji each grabbed one of their grandkids before waiting at the door for Isshin.

Before leaving, Isshin approached the couch and knelt down next to Ichigo. Seeming confused, Ichigo sat his head up and looked up at his father. Isshin smiled at his son's confusion before telling him goodbye and hugging him. Ichigo seemed even more surprised but returned the gesture; before pulling away completely Isshin kissed his son's forehead. Then he left after saying goodbye to the rest of us.

"Aw, Ichigo," Saki said, smiling over at him. "That was cute."

He shrugged, smiling slightly. "It was weird."

The four of us spent the next few hours at my apartment, not doing much. Saki made us a light lunch, although none of us really ate much of it. After a few hours Hisana called Saki again and told her that they were coming over for dinner; she said she was going to prepare something for all of us, including Ichigo and Ben. While we waited for my siblings to come we idly watched TV. Ben eventually laid down on the floor with his head in Saki's lap and fell asleep and Ichigo took a seat on the couch next to me.

After a few hours of everyone being silent I began to feel drowsy myself and allowed myself to rest my weight against Ichigo. As I started drifting to sleep I heard the door open and sat up unwillingly. When I looked up I saw Hisana and Byakuya standing in the doorway.

Yawning, I rubbed my eyes tiredly and when I wasn't expecting it Hisana approached me and hugged me tightly. "Are you okay, Sweety?"

Returning the gesture, I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you."

She pulled away from me before stepping over to Ichigo and hugging him as well, obviously surprising him. "What about you?"

After a hesitant moment he awkwardly hugged my sister back. "I'm alright, thanks."

Pulling away from him, she approached Saki and knelt before hugging her, careful not to wake Ben. "Saki, why don't you wake him up while Rukia and I set up dinner?"

"Alright," Saki answered as Hisana released her grip on her and headed toward the table. Standing I followed her and began distributing plates around the table. Ichigo quickly stood and began helping me set the table while Saki began carefully shaking Ben awake and Byakuya brought the containers he had been holding to Hisana.

In the next few minutes we had the table set up and everyone was taking a seat. Saki and Ben sat beside each other across from me and Ichigo while Hisana and Byakuya took the smaller ends of it opposite of each other.

We all began placing food on our plates, although the initial four of us didn't take as much as Hisana wanted us to. Although he was as upset as the rest of us, Ichigo made an effort to make comfortable conversation, which I appreciated. Hisana answered a few of his questions, but after maybe five minutes of him trying to get to know her, she brushed him off and completely turned the conversation on to him.

"What about you?" she asked, causing him to cock an eyebrow. "What do you do?"

"I'm a professor at Karakura University, I teach Literature," he answered, able to keep his tone conversational.

"Really? Wow, that's…interesting," she said, a weird smile on her face. Her comment only seemed to confuse Ichigo further, but Saki quickly elaborated.

"He seems too simple for that, doesn't he?" she asked Hisana, a small smile on her face.

"Yes, I just didn't know how to say it in a nice way," she responded while looking back at him apologetically.

Laughing, he glanced over at me before readdressing my sisters. "That's exactly what Rukia said."

"Is it?" she continued, glancing at me quickly. When he nodded she just laughed and continued with more questions. "How long have you been teaching Literature?"

"This is my third year at KU, but I taught at Karakura High before that."

"I bet you make a lot of money, huh?" she pressed, causing him to laugh.

"Hisana," I exclaimed, unable to believe her.

"What?" she asked, smiling at me innocently. "It's not like I asked how much he makes. Calm down, Ruk." Again she turned her attention to him. "Is that a yes?"

He shrugged. "I make enough to…live comfortably, if that answers your question."

"It does," she answered, laughing as well. After a moment of silence, she glanced at Ben and hesitantly asked him, "When do you have to go back to school?"

Seeming surprised that he was being addressed, his quiet response was delayed a moment. "Next week."

When he answered an evidently upset expression crossed Saki's features. Hisana noticed and smiled at her warmly.

"What are you going to do when he goes back to school, Saki?" she asked.

Glancing at our older sister, Saki was silent as tears slowly started filling her eyes. As a deep frown appeared on her face she began sobbing before covering her face with her hands. Everyone was surprised by her reaction and sat silently as we all tried to think of what to say or do. Eventually Ben carefully laid a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stand and hug him tightly. Again, this shocked him but he carefully returned the gesture while she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Saki," he began tiredly. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want you to leave," she answered, her response muffled.

Clearly embarrassed, he spoke to her quietly while we all stared at them. "Calm down, it's not like we can't still talk-"

"It's not the same," she insisted, sounding slightly angry.

"Well, I-…I have to go back eventually," he said, sounding tired, obviously not knowing what to say.

Pulling away from him, she glared down at him before retorting. "I know that."

"Then…what do you want me to do?" he asked, only making her angrier, which was evident as her hands balled into fists. When Ben seemed to notice how angry he was making her he tried to continue, but before he could say another word she slapped him across the face. His head now cocked to the side, he stared off, wide-eyed as a shocked expression crossed Saki's features.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Benjiman," she exclaimed, carefully laying a hand on his now-red face before pulling him closer and hugging him again. "I'm so sorry, I don't know wh-…I'm so sorry, Benjiman!"

"It's…alright…," he said quietly, just allowing her to hug him.

She began crying again while resting her head against his carefully. "I'm sorry, Ben," she said one more time before pulling away from him and heading toward the door.

"Saki," Hisana began. "Don't leave."

She ignored our sister and left. Ben quickly stood and followed her, not excusing himself this time. We all sat silently, no one knowing what to do. Ichigo glanced at the door anxiously a few times, obviously wanting to be involved in calming Saki.

"It's alright, Sweety," Hisana said to him, noticing his concern. "She'll be okay, I'm sure Ben can take care of it." He nodded, stilling glancing over at the door. While he was looking away Hisana nodded at Byakuya, earning a confused look from myself. She noticed, smiled and waited for Ichigo to turn back to them.

"So, Ichigo," Byakuya spoke up in his low, monotone voice. "What was your last relationship like?"

Seeming shocked that Byakuya would ask such a thing, Ichigo looked at Hisana and then me before returning his gaze to my brother. "Uh…what do you mean?"

"What was it like? How did it end?"

"Byakuya," I said, glaring at him, but Hisana brushed me off for him.

"He's just asking him a question, calm down Rukia," she said, turning to Ichigo herself. "Well?"

"Um, I…I don't know. It ended well, I guess."

"Who ended it?" Hisana continued.

"I did."

"Why?"

"Because…well, I…"

"Leave him alone," I said, glaring at both my siblings.

"Fine, sorry," Byakuya said coldly, obviously not meaning it. "Let me ask another question: what's the longest you've ever been in a relationship?"

"Byu, knock it off," I exclaimed, although they both ignored me, only pushing Ichigo to answer.

"I-I don't know…five months maybe." He was obviously uncomfortable with the interrogation but he seemed unwilling to speak against them, most likely out of respect. He continuously scratched the back of his neck nervously, although he was able to keep eye contact with both Hisana and Byakuya.

After a moment of reflecting on his answer, Hisana turned to her husband and grimaced. He nodded slightly in return and continued to stare Ichigo down before moving on. "Okay," he began seeming to think of how to state his next question. After a moment of hesitation he spit it out. "Have you ever hit a woman?"

Ichigo's eyes widened but before he could even think about answering I slammed my hands against the table while standing, causing Ichigo to jump noticeably. "That's enough," I said through my teeth, glaring at them angrily. "I think it's time you two left." My heart was racing; I had never been so angry with my siblings before and it almost frightened me, but I would never let it show.

"Rukia, we were just-," Hisana began.

"I don't care, just…leave." Although I felt like I was going to start crying myself, my tone was firm and they knew I meant it.

Frowning, she nodded and stood, Byakuya quickly following. "We're sorry, Rukia," she said as she approached me. When I didn't answer she turned to Ichigo and apologized again before leading Byakuya out of my apartment.

When the door closed behind them I let out a sigh while sitting back down in my seat. Resting my head in my hands, I shook my head slightly, knowing Ichigo was watching me intently. "I'm sorry about that, Ichigo."

"Don't be," he said, still staring at me.

"I am; that was ridiculous. They were completely out of hand."

"Really, it's alright. You're their sister, they're trying to protect you, I get it."

Looking up at him, I managed a smile. "Thank you."

He shrugged it off, smiling for a split second before his earlier, serious expression returned. "Can I ask you something?"

After hesitating a moment, I nodded. I knew what was coming.

"Why did they ask…if I had ever hit a woman?"

Immediately I averted my gaze; I didn't want to talk about this but I figured if there was someone I would rather tell, it would be Ichigo.

"You don't have to tell me," he quickly said, but I shook my head.

"No, I need to tell someone. For my own sake…" I laughed quietly. "I haven't even admitted it to Kon and Kisa, although they didn't really need me to." This only seemed to confuse him further, so I took a deep breath and began explaining.

"About a year ago…I finally got out of an abusive relationship." As I said this I glanced over at him, expecting shock on his face. To my surprise, he was patiently waiting for me to continue, a neutral expression on his face. "We dated for almost a year before he started to hit me. At first it wasn't too much, not that I'm trying to justify it, but it wasn't nearly as bad in the beginning."

"What made him hit you the first time?" he asked quietly, still no emotion showing on his face.

"He thought I was flirting with some guy when we went out to dinner," I answered, suddenly feeling ashamed for not ending it after that first night. When he didn't answer I continued. "Because that was the first time he had ever hurt me, I assumed it wouldn't happen again. Stupid, I know, but I did. He promised me it wouldn't, he apologized and I fell for it. Then whenever Raiden got angry, he would immediately go back to hitting me. After a few months it was a regular thing…"

"Weren't you scared?" he asked, obviously knowing the answer.

"Of course," I answered, refusing to return his gaze.

"Then why didn't you leave?"

"Because I…," sighing irritably, I continued. "I still cared for the idiot. Even after he beat me on a regular basis, I still loved him. It's so stupid, but I did."

"It's not stupid," he insisted.

Ignoring his statement, I pushed on. "After a few more months he stopped caring about leaving bruises; instead of making me cover them up he just told me I wasn't allowed to see anyone. I wasn't allowed to even talk to my family and the only friends I had were Kon and Kisa. I couldn't invite them over but sometimes Kon would come over anyway; he hated Raiden and he wasn't afraid of him.

"After we had been dating for about two and a half years Saki, Hisana and Kon took me out to lunch one day and addressed what was going on. I wouldn't say that they were right but I pretty much suggested it. They asked me if I wanted to leave him and I said yes, so they helped me move out and they were there when I told him that I wanted to break up with him."

"How did he react?"

"He was furious. He acted like he would hit me even with them watching, but Saki got between us and dared him to. Of course he didn't, so he just stood aside as we all collected my things and left. About a week later I started seeing him everywhere; he was obviously 'keeping an eye on me'. So I started taking Kon with me everywhere. After a few months it got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore, so Hisana helped me file for a restraining order; after that he stopped bothering me."

"Have you seen him since?" he asked.

"Nope, not at all."

"That's good," he said, still staring down at me.

I nodded and for no reason at all started crying, covering my face with my hands. Without hesitation Ichigo stood and knelt next to me, hugging me tightly. After pulling my hands away from my face, I rested my head against his shoulder. Hesitating myself, I eventually wrapped my arms around him as I continued to cry. He waited silently, patting my back comfortingly while I finally began to calm down.

As I was about to pull away from Ichigo the door opened, surprising me. Saki and Ben entered together, both looking happy until they noticed that I had been crying. Saki looked like she was going to ask but suddenly didn't. "Where did Hisana and Byakuya go?"

"I made them leave," I answered, obviously surprising her.

"Why?"

"They were being rude to Ichigo."

She didn't seem to understand but didn't push it. There was a moment of silence and Ichigo took this as his chance to pull away from me and stand, turning toward my sister.

"Are you alright?" he asked, obviously concerned.

She smiled although she seemed embarrassed. "Yes, thanks. I'm fine."

"What about you, Ben?" I asked, smiling up at him. "She hit you pretty hard."

He laughed quietly. "I'm alright."

"We're going to go upstairs and see the kids for a while," Saki said, openly grabbing Ben's hand. "Shenji and Ren didn't want to rent the hotel room again, is it alright if Ben stays here tonight?"

Surprised, I nodded. "Of course."

"Alright, thanks," she said, smiling before stepping back toward the door. "We'll be back later."

"Okay, bye you two."

"Bye," she stated quickly before leading Ben out the door.

"They look better," Ichigo stated, smiling slightly.

I nodded. "I know…I've never seen Saki so…involved with someone."

"Really?"

"Yup; even her boyfriends, she never really cared about them. She's always had a hard time becoming attached to people, even her so-called friends. I've never seen her so dependent on someone before."

"Do you think she'll be okay when he has to go?" he asked, looking down at me.

"I don't know…but I think whatever he said to her out there probably made it easier. At least I hope so."

"I think it did," he said, earning a smile.

Ichigo stayed for two more hours before dismissing himself; he had a class at nine-thirty in the morning and wanted to make sure he had everything ready for his first day back. As he was leaving Ben and Saki were returning. They said their goodbyes as they passed in the hall before Ichigo waved at me a last time and left.

I made Saki and Ben some tea and once they finished it Saki surprised me by dismissing both herself and Ben to bed before trying to lead him down the hall. I was going to say something but Ben beat me to it.

"I'll take the couch," he said calmly.

"Ben, you're too tall to sleep on the couch," she protested.

"I'll be fine," he assured her. She didn't seem to want to let it go so I jumped in.

"It's a pull out couch, he'll be alright. Besides, he's being a gentleman, don't ruin it," I said, causing her to laugh before nodding.

"Alright," she answered, although she seemed disappointed. "Well come help me grab some blankets."

He nodded and followed her down the hallway. While they were down the hall I pulled the cushions off the couch and pushed the coffee table out of the way before grabbing the metal handle and pulling. Having trouble, I tried using both hands, but it still wouldn't budge. Sighing angrily, I tried again before a hand landed on my shoulder and gently pushed me aside. After stepping back I saw Ben, now clad in black sweatpants and a purple T-shirt, grab the handle and pull the bed out with ease, smiling at me.

"Thanks," I said, smirking back at him.

He laughed quietly before shrugging it off. After we pulled some sheets onto the mattress and I spread one of the comforters over it, he sat along the edge of the bed. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Rukia," he said, smiling up at me.

"Don't worry about it, Sweety, you can stay here whenever you need to," I said, returning the gesture. Regardless of how big of a guy Ben was, he always reminded me of a child when he smiled like that.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

"Of course," I stated, brushing it off. "You'll have to tell me what happened with Saki later, alright?" I said after glancing to make sure she wasn't close enough to hear.

He laughed quietly but nodded. "Sure."

"Alright, well goodnight, Ben. Sleep well," I said, absently touching the messy bun he had pulled his hair back into.

"Goodnight, you too," he answered, his smile widening. The gesture alone stunned me; I saw a hint of his brother's effortless charm and found that I was almost blushing. Laughing it off, I hugged him tightly. He hugged me back carefully before I pulled away and turned the lights off.

Heading down the hall, I knocked on the guest bedroom's door quietly. "Come in," Saki said before I did so.

"Goodnight, Saki," I began, smiling down at her as she sat on the bed in her plan yellow pajama bottoms and a tank top. She had also pulled her hair out of her face; it now rested between her shoulder blades in a wavy ponytail.

She smiled up at me before standing and hugging me. "Goodnight, Ruk, I love you."

"I love you, too. If you need anything let me know alright?"

"Okay, thanks," she said as she pulled away from me. "Thank you for letting Ben stay."

"Of course, it's not a problem at all. But you might want to claim him before I do," I joked, causing her to laugh loudly.

"Shut up," she responded, her tone light.

"I'm serious. His smile melts my heart."

She laughed again, her face tinting pink slightly. "Okay, okay."

"Alright, I'll leave you alone," I answered. "Goodnight, Saki. I love you."

"Love you, too. Sleep well."

"You too," I answered while she climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up to her shoulder. As I left the room I flipped the lights off and cracked the door the way I knew she preferred. After making sure all the lights were off and checking the lock on the front door another time, I climbed into my own bed and quickly drifted to sleep.

-:-

Ichigo

Monday morning I woke up to the sound of my alarm. Carelessly hitting the snooze button, I sighed tiredly and sat up before actually turning the alarm off. The clock read seven-thirty in large, red digital numbers, causing me to grimace; I hated waking up early.

As I pushed the comforter off and swung my legs over the edge of my bed I glanced at my alarm again, realizing the date. May 11th. It had only been a week since Renji's death. Seven days ago, Renji was probably waking up around this time…

"Stop," I said aloud, closing my eyes before taking a deep breath; this wasn't a good way to start my first day back to class. Standing, I forced myself to forget about it, focusing on getting ready. After taking a quick shower I got dressed, not missing the formal attire, regardless of how mild it was, even if it was just a white button-up shirt and black slacks.

Deciding I didn't really feel like eating breakfast, I made a quick pot of coffee, grabbing a to-go Styrofoam cup and filled it before popping the lid on. Although I knew I would be early, I grabbed my keys and my satchel before leaving for work.

I was a little worried about having so much extra time to myself before class, but a few of my colleagues took care of that. One of the younger Chemistry professors came into my room before approaching my desk. "Hello, Kurosaki, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks Tomori." I didn't know the woman very well but she had always seemed friendly.

She opened her mouth but before a word escaped she closed it. A frown was on her face, only causing me to smile.

"Really, I'm alright."

She nodded. "If you need anything, Kurosaki, please let me know."

"Okay. Thank you," I answered.

"Regardless," she began, her frown finally leaving her face. "Did you have a good week off?"

"I did, actually. I was able to see his family-"

"Abarai's?"

"Yeah. I hadn't seen his parents or his little brother for a long time, so that was nice," I responded, assuming she had read about Renji's death in the paper.

"How is his wife?" she questioned, absently playing with the ring on her left hand.

"She's…not good. She's have a really hard time dealing with it."

Her frown returned. "I guess so…" A few students started filing into my room, causing Tomori to glance at the clock on the wall. "Would you mind giving me her address later? I'd like to send her and the children something, a card or something, if that would be okay."

I couldn't help but smile up at her. "Of course, I'm sure they would like that. Thank you."

She brushed it off. "Like I said before, let me know if you need anything. Have a great first day back, alright?" Before I could respond she stepped closer to my desk before leaning over and hugging me, surprising me. After I quickly patted her back she pulled away and smiled before excusing herself.

More students were coming in and one of the more outgoing guys in my first class of the day watched our encounter, standing a few steps away. When Tomori was gone he turned to me and smiled. "You and Tomi?" he simply asked, smiling at me.

"You know she's married," I stated, rolling my eyes at his comment.

"So? I mean-," he began before I cut him off.

"Sit down, Hashimoto."

Laughing, he apologized and took a seat. After another five minutes or so the majority of my class was seated, waiting for me to begin. There weren't a ton of students in the nine o' clock class, there usually weren't, but I still had a lecture hall-styled room. It wasn't huge, but big enough to make it look somewhat vacant with most of that class in the room.

Not bothering getting up from my seat, I spoke up. "Good morning, everyone. How was last week?"

There was a moment of silence, which was strange, but eventually a girl, Honda, spoke up. "It was okay, we got through The Poisonwood Bible pretty quickly."

"Really? Did you like it?"

She nodded and when no one else added anything, she continued. "Yeah, it was really interesting. Do you think we could go over some of the symbolism though?"

"Of course. What about the rest of you?" I asked, looking around. Again it was silent, confusing me. "What's wrong, are you all just tired?" I questioned, understanding. It was Monday after all.

Again there was a hesitation, but Honda spoke up again. "We want to know…how you are."

Surprised, I took a moment to think it over. "I'm okay. I'm tired, but," I began, shrugging the rest off.

"Was he a close friend?" Hashimoto asked, a serious expression now on his face.

His bluntness also surprised me. "Yeah. He was my best friend."

"What…made him do it?"

"He lost his job last year and ever since then he's been pretty depressed," I answered. There was another oddly silent moment but another student suddenly contributed to the conversation.

"Where did you meet him?" he asked.

"We used to work together at Karakura High."

"What did he teach?" Honda questioned.

"German," I said, amazed by how easy it was to talk to my students about such a sore subject.

"That's why he lost his job, isn't it? He taught such a rare subject," she said, frowning.

"Yeah, the school had to completely cut his class because they lost almost three-fourths of the foreign language budget."

"That's why it was so hard for him to find another job," Hashimoto added.

"Exactly," I said, smiling at them weakly.

"Why'd he study such a…strange language?"

"His father's German, he's been speaking it his whole life," I answered, absently leaning back in my chair. Again the class was silent, not seeming to have any more questions. "Alright, let's get to work, guys." They all began pulling their materials out of their bags while I waited quietly. "Thanks for asking," I added, smiling at them genuinely.

Honda returned the gesture before speaking for her class. "Of course, Kurosaki."

-:-

After a long day at work I finally arrived at home. Tossing my bag on the floor and kicking off my shoes, I immediately laid down on the couch, resting my arm over my eyes while spreading out. Sighing tiredly, I didn't even try to stop myself from falling asleep. As I was about to readjust myself I felt something tug at my hair before hearing, "You must be exhausted."

Before the second word escaped her mouth I jumped, sitting up and facing the small woman before releasing a sigh of relief. "Ren, you scared the shit out of me," I said, running a hand through my hair absently. "What are you doing here?"

"Well Shenji's staying at the hospital with Mina and the kids and I couldn't stand to be there so long. I remembered where Renji and Mina kept the spare key you gave them to your apartment, so I figured I would get some cleaning done. I'm sorry for scaring you."

"It's alright," I said quickly. "How is Mina?"

Ren frowned deeply while shaking her head. "We got some bad news."

Feeling panicked, I stood before asking, "What? What's wrong?"

Sighing, she spoke as tears built up in her eyes. "The reason Mina…did that was because…she found out that she's pregnant."

Shocked, I immediately sat back down on the couch, not knowing what to say. After a few minutes of thinking about it I started feeling angry at Renji even though I knew there he couldn't have known. Although it was illogical, I was still pissed but kept my mouth shut; I would never say anything in front of his mother.

"Are you okay, Sweety?" she asked, resting a hand on my shoulder.

Carefully taking her hand, I nodded. "Are you?"

She nodded as well but started crying. I stood and hugged her tightly. I couldn't imagine what Mina had been thinking when she found out but I figured she was terrified. Remembering my promise to Renji, I told myself I had to figure out a way to help them.

-:-

Okay, so sorry for the weird ending and the late update:/ But I don't have much school left so I'll be posting much sooner! :D Promise! Please review! Please! Thank you!