"Wow!" Rukia breathed. She leaned over the thin railing as she stood on a small leverage in her white, spaghetti strap dress that stopped at mid-thigh. It flared out from the waist. Her white sunhat that was topped off with a red ribbon around it, was threatening to blow off at any moment. She held it with one hand with the other resting on the railing. She watched as the waves under the cruise boat sloshed and slapped against it. She laughed as she ran onto deck and spun around in circles, looking up at the night sky.
"Nii-sama, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed. Byakuya looked up form his novel that he was reading on top of a sun-baking chair. He smiled sadly as he remembered Hisana had quite a similar reaction when she went onto the same cruise boat. He closed his eyes slowly as he felt the presence of Soi-fon next to him. She used shunpo, which was quite useful, only when Rukia wasn't looking.
"Kuchiki-tai-, I mean sama. Dinner is ready," she said formally, bowing. Byakuya nodded as he stood up. "Inform my sister when she is done having fun," he said in his normal cold tone. Soi-Fon nodded and looked over at Rukia who fell onto the deck boards by being too dizzy. Instead, she supported herself with her arms behind her as she looked up into the night sky. Soi-fon walked over and joined her.
"So, what ya doing?" she asked casually. Rukia asked for that not long ago. That all maids and servants and such talk to her casually. Only when Byakuya wasn't around though. Rukia smiled.
"Looking at the stars… aren't they pretty?" she said quietly. Soi-fon looked up with her. She made a teasing sour face.
"There's no fun in that. They aren't that pretty." Rukia laughed and punched Soi-Fon on the arm lightly. "Even you're more prettier," she said teasingly. Rukia's eyes widened as a smile lit her face along with a half insulted expression. Soi-Fon looked at her innocently. "It was a compliment!" Soi-fon's eyes became alert as she felt a hollow coming. She tensed her body as anger filled her face. Rukia became slightly scared.
"Soi-Fon? What's the-" she stopped mid-sentence as she screamed soon afterwards. She was plunged into the dark, cold river water. She looked towards the surface fearfully. The boat was capsizing. She was losing air fast. She reached out for the light the moon held. Before she fainted, the black crowding around her eyes, she saw-
Orange…
Her eyes fluttered open as warmth engulfed her hands. So… warm… she smiled as she closed her eyes again. Every morning, she woke up with warm hands, but she had no idea why. Her happy dream was disturbed as a slap woke her up. She shook her head as her eyes snapped open. She looked into the eyes of a demon. She screamed and hid under the covers. Ichigo made a sour face behind his ever-faithful mask. Am I that ugly…?
"A-ano, Kurosaki-taichou, you shouldn't do that to patients!" a feeble voice said. Ichigo snarled at him to back off. Rukia sat up slowly and peeked out of the top of her covers. She saw a small boy around 14-15 that had sleek black hair that went up to his chin, and tired droopy eyes. They were wearing those garments… Shinigami… Rukia thought. She blinked. What… why did I think that? She asked herself mentally.
"Bitch?" someone called out to her. She looked around to glare at the voice that called her that. But her anger faded away as she stared into those eyes. Those eyes that were gold with black irises, surrounded by another splash of black. The mask that covered his face was something that resembled a skull, with a few red swirls on the left side. Suddenly, it all came back to her.
"Are you feeling better yet, bi-"
"Ichigo…" she murmured. The one with the mask gave a look of surprise. The other boy also seemed surprised too. She stared at the golden eyes longer. A tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered the photo. The photo where he was young, and happy, and carefree. Not like the thing he was now.
"You're… here…" Ichigo swallowed as soon as she said those words. I'm here all right…
"What do you remember?" he asked carefully, worried that if he muddled up his words, then she would be lost to him.
"Everything," she said with determination coming back into her eyes. The small boy left and went to Unohana-taichou to inform her that the patient has woken up. They stared at each other for another longer before Byakuya's conversation from 2 days ago popped back into his head.
Flashback
"Don't lie Kurosaki. I know you love my sister," Byakuya said coldly. Ichigo stood there in shock. Then, he burst out laughing.
"HAHAHA! HER?! ME LOVE HER?!" He continued to laugh until a vein popped on Byakuya's head.
"Is it really that funny if someone falls in love with my sister?!" Byakuya half shouted, half demanded. Ichigo started to roll around on the ground, gasping for air. As soon as he stood up, he fell down laughing again. Byakuya glared at him darkly.
"Keep mocking her if you will, Kurosaki, but know this. If you go near her again, I promise you, Senbonzakura won't be far from your tail." He stood up and left in a classy noble way, Kurosaki still rolling around laughing. As soon as he heard his door slam closed, he stood up and dusted himself off.
Fuck…
End Flashback
Just as Ichigo turned around, he was shoved aside by Byakuya.
"Are you alright, Rukia?" he asked with slight worry in his voice. Now for Byakuya, that was a lot.
"I'm fine, Nii-sama. What happened?" she asked in a daze.
"Fucking Hol-" A nice step on the foot shut Ichigo up as Byakuya shook his head.
"Nothing. The boat just smashed too close to the ledge of a small cliff." Rukia raised a brow at this. They were right in the middle of the river, if Rukia could remember correctly.
"How did I end up here? Why is everyone dressed like this?" Ichigo and Byakuya exchanged telepathy messages.
Tell her.
No.
"Kurosaki," Byakuya spat out the name like it was venom, "here dived into the water and saved you. What he was doing there, beats my knowledge," he added, glaring at said man. Rukia nodded slowly and turned to look at him suspiciously too. Ichigo shrugged.
"I had to handle the Hollow-" STOMP. He winced in pain.
"Hollow?" she asked, with a tilt to her head.
"Uh… well… Those trees! Yes, I had to handle those trees, they were hollow." Ichigo slapped himself mentally with the blunt side of his sword. Rukia raised an eyebrow in an I-don't-believe-that look.
"So you're a tree cutter…" she asked slowly. Byakuya looked at him with interest. So what are you going to say to get out of this now, Kurosaki?
"S-Sometimes…" Ichigo mumbled. Fucking way to go King, his hollow voice echoed in his head. Yea, I'm a fucking lumberjack. Great. Ichigo hissed back in his mind. Fuck off.
"Ok…" she was cut off as she heard a knock on the door. The 3 turned to look at the door. "C-Come in!" Rukia called out. A gentle looking woman with a plait that went down the front of her came in smiling gently, with the boy that was there earlier. The woman looked at the small boy and smiled.
"Thank you for informing me Yamada-kun. That was a very well done job you did there."
"Keh. What good job? All he did was run to you with his tail between his legs!" Ichigo snorted. Byakuya sighed and left, saying something about attending to important matters with his division. The woman with a white haori (that had a kanji letter 4 on the back of it, Rukia noticed) turned to him and gave him a motherly look of, 'that wasn't nice.' Ichigo turned away like a stubborn child. Rukia laughed inside her head. The woman came over to Rukia and held her hand gently. Rukia's eyes saddened as a small smile came to her face. She's as gentle as Hisana-nee Sama…
"My name is Unohana Retsu. The young boy over there that helped you was Yamada Hanataro. And this orange haired child is Kurosaki Ichigo. We're here to help you." Rukia's expression darkened.
"Then tell me. Where am I?" Rukia asked quietly. Ichigo turned away, Hanataro gulped and Retsu just gave a small look of 'I knew you were going to ask that.' Retsu looked over to Ichigo as if asking permission to tell the whole truth. Ichigo was about to shrug his shoulders and say I don't care but Byakuya Kuchiki's face came into view. He shook his head thoroughly beside Rukia while she concentrated on the kind woman.
"Well Rukia, you are in-"
"RUKI-CHAN!!" someone screeched. Rukia rubbed her ears before looking at the source of the sound. She looked at the door where Orihime, Rangiku and Momo were standing. Uryuu and Toshiro just hung in the background. The 3 of them ran to her to hug her like hyperactive dogs. Rukia blinked before being crushed in a rather large hug. She started to gasp for air.
"G-guys?" Rukia squeaked. Ichigo roughly pulled them off with less force than what he normally uses and growled.
"Can't you see she's in a freaking hospital bed," he growled in a low and husky tone. The 3 girls gave him snide faces that said 'ho, ho, ho! Is someone worried?'
"Kurosaki-taichou, I never knew you were the type to actually care," Rangiku snickered. Orihime smiled at him innocently with Momo. Ichigo gave them an icy glare so they turned around and started to nervously converse with Rukia.
"So, Ruki-chan, can you remember us?" Momo squealed. Rukia blinked. Ruki-chan… that has a cute ring to it…
"Yep!" Rukia said, nodding enthusiastically. They all cheered and sighed in relief. Retsu watched them, smiling like she always was and Hanataro left due to some problems with the other patients in the 4th division ward. Ichigo just sat in the chair in the corner and glared lightly. A hell butterfly flew next to Ichigo from the window and landed on his shoulder. Ichigo listened to the butterfly intently and nodded as the fluttering thing flew away. He stood up and left quietly, gaining no one's attention except the one of Rukia's small gaze that watched his long black haori flutter lightly as it disappeared out the door.
Ichigo trudged to the elevator and sighed loudly as he lightly took his mask off a centimetre away from his face after pressing the level 1 button on the top floor. He breathed in the air that wasn't coming through the mask and breathed in deeply. He hated that smell. It was the same here with souls as it was in the living world. The hospitals or wards, they all smelled the same. Death, drugs and the stench of blood. Ichigo wrinkled his nose and sighed again, placing the mask back on securely.
He stood up straight as the doors to the 1st division opened. He walked straight into the 1st division captain office, seeing as the vice-captain decided to have his own room due to the multiple times many people tried to get to Yamamoto-Sou-taichou in an emergency. Yamamoto stood there, leaning on his gnarled cane while Byakuya who stood in front of him made no move to look. You could feel Ichigo's reiatsu anywhere, whether it is faint or strong. The buffoon, as Byakuya once said, had no control of his reiatsu whatsoever.
"Kurosaki-taichou, I have much to discuss with you and Kuchiki-taichou," Yamamoto boomed. Ichigo nodded. No shit, Sherlock. "Please, stand beside Kuchiki-taichou." As Ichigo moved forward, he could have sworn that he saw Byakuya shuffle over slightly. Kurosaki directed his attention towards Yamamoto.
"The central 46 has decided. Kuchiki Rukia, younger sister in law of Kuchiki Byakuya…" he paused. Ichigo gulped while Byakuya could feel a drop of sweat drip down his neck. "Will join Soul Society." And that was when you could hear the 2 hearts being crushed.
Author's Note -
Yay! She has her memories back! XD
Who knows, she might lose them again... :3
