~*~ Okay, time for the long chapters. =P This chapter is almost twice as long as any previous, but as implied with the title "Gain", you can see that healing is starting to begin. I'm going to try to update weekly, but as the story deepens, I may not be quite ready to post chapters that often. Please, enjoy this latest chapter! ~*~


Sins of the Father

"The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children…"
The Merchant of Venice (3.5.1)

Chapter Six

Gain

"Honey, I'm home," Tatsuki teased as she entered Ichigo's apartment. "Orihime's with me."

The shy red-head followed her closely, both of them laden with binders and magazines. The girls dropped their loads on the coffee table as Ichigo came out of his bedroom.

"Hey, Nurse Inoue," he called as he headed to into the kitchenette, a towel still covering his damp hair. "Can I get you girls something to drink?"

"Bring me a Coke, would you darling?" Tatsuki asked.

"Orihime?"

"Same for me, please." She sat on the couch and looked about nervously as Ichigo joined them with three cans of Coke.

"Kon's not here. He went out with some friends to the movies."

"You sent him out, you mean," Tatsuki scoffed, rifling through an overstuffed binder.

"Told him you and I had a hot date," Ichigo said mischievously, pulling her close and blowing in her ear. She squealed and elbowed him in the ribs. He let out a grunt and doubled over momentarily.

Orihime couldn't gold back a snicker as she opened her Coke. She seemed much more comfortable knowing that Kon was gone.

"Now, if Ichigo will stop acting like your crush, maybe we can get some work done."

Orihime flushed. "Tatsuki."

The three friends laughed before getting down to business.

"What colors did you say again?"

"Light blue and sea foam green," Ichigo relpied, thumbing through one of the home décor magazines. He threw it back on the table. "Dang it. Can't see anything without my stupid glasses," he growled, heading off to his room.

"How'd you talk him into helping us again?" Orihime asked.

"Threatened him."

"Ah… Well, light blue and sea foam green… Pretty specific colors, huh?" She dog-eared pages as she flipped through a magazine. "Any idea what this is for?"
"Kon's girlfriend is moving in. It's their favorite colors," Tatsuki replied.

"Really? I didn't know he was – "

She cut Orihime off with a smirk. "I'm just kidding you. I'm not sure, myself."

"It's just… for a friend," Ichigo informed her, picking up the magazine again.

"Oh, all right. Must be a very special friend to go to all this trouble," she said, but seemed satisfied with the answer. "How about something like this?" She indicated a photo in one of the magazines.

"Wow, that actually looks pretty."

"It looks okay to me."

"Maybe the curtains from this picture?"

"Oh, that would be gorgeous!"


By the time Kon returned from his late movie, the living room of the apartment was strewn with magazines, the three friends lost in the pages, doing their best to piece together a room for Ichigo's "friend".

"What happened here?" Kon asked from the doorway.

"Working on something," Ichigo called from the middle of the mess. "Would you get us a Coke while you're up?"

Kon carefully picked his way to the fridge, calling back over his shoulder, "Why didn't you tell me Orihime was coming over?"

"You wouldn't have behaved," Tatsuki called back.

"Hi, Kon," Orihime said softly, thanking him as her another soda.

He flashed her a charming smile, then turned to Tatsuki.

"I would have, too," he pouted, clearing a spot on the couch.

The three of them turned to him.

"Oh really?" they chorused.

His pout intensified. Then he shrugged.

"No."

"And that's why I didn't tell you," Ichigo replied. He moved a page to the collage they had made.

"Perfect!" Orihime cried. "I think that's it."

"Lovely," agreed Tatsuki.

"I think it'll work," said Ichigo.

"Light blue and sea foam green?" asked Kon.

They all turned to him again.

"What?"

They laughed, leaving him clueless as they helped Orihime pack up her things.


A short while later, the girls were leaving for their shared apartment a few blocks away. The twins had helped them carry their load to the car and bid them goodnight.

"What was that all about?" Kon asked as they traipsed up the stairs to their apartment.

"Do you remember that guy… Aizen, I think? The guy you and Rukia used to be friends with?"

"Yeah… He got messed up in drugs and crap and we haven't spoken to him in a long time. Why? Is this for him or something?"

"Not exactly." Ichigo waved his question away and continued, "Wasn't it just a few months ago that you stopped talking to them?"

"Yeah…" Kon was thoughtful. "About six months or so, I guess."

Ichigo paused to open the door.

"One of his friends, that… Oh, what was his name? Had the tattooed tongue and only one eye?"

"Nnoitra?" Kon asked.

"I think it was him… Yeah… Had a girlfriend – "

"Sweet girl, crazy wild green hair, though."

"What was her name?"

"N – N-something… Nel! Nel and Nnoitra! That was it."

Ichigo grabbed his brother by the shoulders.

"Do you now her full name?"

Kon frowned at his twin. "You okay, bro?"

Ichigo released him and shook his head. "Sorry. She may… She may know something about my patient. It may help me reach him."

"Oh… Why didn't you say so? Yeah, I think her name was, like, German or something? I dunno. Anyway, it was Nelliel Tu Odel-something."

"Odelschwanck?"

"Yeah, that sounds right. She the girl?"

"Would her green hair have been close to sea foam, by any chance?"

"Yeah."

Ichigo nodded. "She has to be the girl. Any way I can get ahold of her?"

"I can go talk to her for ya. I know where Nnoitra lives… And I think she used to kinda have a thing for me, ya know?"

"Kon, you think every girl has a 'thing' for you."

Kon shrugged. "Anyway, I'll talk to her, okay?"

He went into his bedroom while Ichigo slumped on the couch. Kon returned shortly, half undressed.

"I do not think every girl has a thing for me."

"Name one."

"Orihime. She can't stand me."

Ichigo could not hold back the laughter.

"What's so funny?" Kon demanded.

"Orihime may be the one girl in the world who actually does have a thing for you."

Kon stared at him for a moment.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I'm dead serious, but don't ever tell her I told you."

"Really, really? No joke?"

"I promise."

"Awesome," sang Kon, dancing back to his room.

"Are you gonna talk to Nel for me?"

"You bet, little brother!"

Ichigo scoffed. "You forget, Kon. I was born first."

"My comment had nothing to do with birth order."

"Kon!"


The next afternoon, Kon was knocking on the door of Nnoitra Gilga's apartment in the slums of the city.

Ichigo had asked him to set up a time and place he could speak to Nel, concerning a "mutual friend". Even after an hour of Kon's badgering, he refused to give any more information. Kon knew it had to have something to do with his brother's patient and the room they had been designing, but he would never betray Ichigo by telling more than he was allowed.

To Kon's surprise, a young woman answered the door. She wore an off-the-shoulder pink top and torn blue jeans. Her pale green hair fell heavily over her left eye.

"Hey, you're – "

"Kon."

"Yeah. Long time since I've seen you around here. Looking for Nnoitra?" she questioned, standing in the doorway.

"Actually, I'm here to talk to you."

"Oh?"

"Who is it, Nel?" came the harsh yell from inside the apartment.

"Just an old girl-friend," she called back.

"Where's my sammich?" Nnoitra growled.

"Just hang on a minute." Nel stepped into the hall of the apartment building, slamming the door on the string of curses that followed.

"Sorry about that. What did you want? And please be quick about it."

"Remember my brother?"

"The stuffy shrink who looked just like you? I think I met him once, yeah."

"Yeah, that guy… You see, he has a… 'mutual friend' he'd like to talk to you about."

Nel frowned, but did not refuse. After some convincing, she agreed to meet Ichigo on the next Saturday for lunch at a little bistro near he and Kon's apartment.

"I better get back," she said finally, tossing the hair out of her face in a habitual motion. The green hair flew off her eyes just long enough to show a nasty yellow and purple bruise.

"What was that? What happened?" Kon asked her.

"What was what?" Nel scowled and sounded slightly offended.

"Your eye. How did it get bruised?"

Nel laughed it off. "Oh, silly me, I fell down the steps a couple of days ago."

She turned and reached for the doorknob. Kon stopped her with a gentle hand on her wrist. She turned to glare back at him.

"Is he hitting you?"

Fear, then anger flashed across her features.

"Let go of me."

"Is he hurting you, Nel?"

"I told you. I fell," she insisted through gritted teeth.

Kon removed his hand. "Okay. Whatever you say. If you decide to talk to Ichigo sooner, call me, all right?"

"Fine." She took the small card with Kon's number from him.

"Next Saturday, then?"

Nel softened a little, seeming to realize he was only concerned for her sake. "Next Saturday… Thanks for coming by, Kon."

She turned quickly to the door and slipped inside to face the hail of curses from Nnoitra. Kon heard her crude replies through the closed door.

Where those tears in her eyes? Kon wondered as he turned to leave. He shook his head to clear it before leaving the building. He returned home, waiting for Ichigo to get home from work so that he could tell him everything he had found out that day.


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