I hope mitsiko-kun is still reading this…and again, thanks to katsumi-san…behan, and everyone….
Ah, and everyone, I guess the last two chapters had been kind of lame, I'm not satisfied with them, so I hope with this chapter I could get you to give me more reviews (I know, I'm awfully greedy, but I need nourishment!).
-your review monster-
Ah well, tralalalala….-goes off into own place-
Really, truly long. So bear with me.
Its awkward to write 'her son'. Rukia is hard to write. But whatever, they could be ooc…but I wish they're not. –sigh-
Have a happy reading!
Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns the entire bleach universe. I'm just using his characters for my own enjoyment and, hopefully, your enjoyment too.
VIII. Nostalgia
There was blood all over him. The hand tightly holding the zanpakutou, was bloodied not by his blood. He had struggled to gain control of his body, and he had won, but not at such a price.
"Rukia!"
Had he shouted out her name? He wasn't sure, all he knew was that his heart pounded hard on his chest, every beat resounding with the fear he barely kept in check, increasing with every second she lay on the ground not moving.
He heard the distinctive 'clang' as Zangetsu fell from his hand, the weight slowed him, and he forgot he knew how to shunpo in his haste to reach her. A few more steps and he could comfort her, bring her to the Unohana, make sure that she would be okay.
A distinctive blur stopped him on his tracks. Byakuya.
"Kurosaki." he had never heard his name said so abhorrently
Not only that, as soon as he made an effort to sidestep him, six pairs of hands and arms held him. He was awfully tired and hurting, but of what importance was that compared to his need to get near to Rukia? He thrashed about, but his aching bones merely intensified the pain.
"You might have saved her from the soukyoku and the arrancar, but that won't allow me to let you see her from now on."
His eyes narrowed, feeling his contempt for this man rise to his throat like bile, and he loathed himself for knowing and understanding the reason for it. But that was secondary to everything he felt.
He watched, enviously, as Renji came to take Rukia into his arms, gingerly and tenderly, he tried to escape his captors one more time before Byakuya placed senbonzakura on his neck, applying the tiniest pressure enough to draw a few drops of blood.
"I could kill you right now." Byakuya's eyes were colder, harder, as he applied more pressure, drawing more blood. "The only person stopping me right now is Rukia, pray that she lives, Kurosaki."
He sat straight up in bed, newly awakened and fell back as the pain numbed by sleep and the medicine came back full force.
"Renji?" he knew who it was who could go inside the room of an injured person with such noise.
Renji held him roughly by his shoulders, his dark brown eyes ablaze with anger.
"Ichigo, you bastard! How dare you do that to Rukia?! I tried to stop her, you know. But what did she keep on telling me? 'Ichigo needs me! I'm the only one who could stop him!' it was Ichigo this and Ichigo that!"
Renji let go of him and he fell back to the bed, pain shooting to every part of his injured anatomy. He ignored the pain; he was listening intently to what his unwelcome visitor was ranting on.
"And now what? She hasn't woken up in two days, you blubbering fool!"
Renji was calmer, his hands on hips, looking at him with troubled eyes.
"She…that…What are you to her?!"
"Ichigo? Are you ready to go?"
An orange-haired woman was fixing things in a bag, it was she who asked him. An orange-haired woman.
Ah, yes, Orihime.
"We're going home?"
"Yes, you have been here for more than a week already, and you live in a clinic. Its okay."
He stood up from where he was on the bed, caching the fragments of his dream. Was that really a dream? He felt it all. The raw emotions. Wait, the names. What were they again? Damn, he forgot. Make sure he better keep paper and pen near when it happens again.
She opened the door.
"Ichigo, faster. Your father and sisters are waiting at the lobby."
"Orihime, do you remember--?"
She looked questioningly at him, patiently waiting for him to finish his question.
"Nothing. Lets go." He said cheerfully.
Thoughts were swarming in her head. In front of her were pictures. How tall he has grown! He'd surely be as tall as Ichigo, that she was sure, the hair was even more luxurious than she remembered, the eyes no less bright. The same impish grin he always had on his face.
"Rukia Kuchiki, right? Yoruichi had told me about you."
She didn't know how to answer this woman. After a brief meeting, Yoruichi had gone back to Karakura, for whatever reason she didn't know, but now hat she was faced with this…
"Haruko, did he…did he even ask about me?"
There. The question prying on her mind for as long as she missed him. She turned to face Haruko, the green, slightly uptilted eyes looking at her.
"Why, yes, he did. Always. Especially in the first months, almost like everyday." She gave a (nervous?) little laugh. "And, honestly, I didn't know how to answer him."
A momentary wave of loneliness swept through them, only to be lost when Haruko asked her if she would like to drink tea and she accepted, returning back her attention to the framed pictures. She felt a little guilty that she felt happy when Haruko answered yes, but she couldn't change the fact that she was happy.
Haruko let the sweet aroma of tea linger on her senses for a few seconds, and then sighed. There really was no help for this. She would be lying to herself if she admitted that she had never wished for Rukia to come back. That long ago night four years ago, when Yoruichi had told her of Yuri.
"The parents of this child, they're powerful?"
"Well, the father has defeated captains, and the mother is powerful enough to be a seated officer."
"No, I couldn't Yoruichi-san."
Yoruichi had left that kid in that old, catholic, worn-down orphanage, she had told her so, if she would ever change her mind. It took her a week to make a final decision.
"The new kid? A week ago?" the kindly nun was leading her way.
"Well, yes, I'm sorry to bother you, Sister."
"Oh, it's okay. There he is, sleeping like a lamb."
She saw a head full of orange hair, it was just plain orange, not really what you would call a carrot top. She went nearer to him. She had few experiences with little kids. Doing it could change her life forever.
She sighed. Yoruichi had told her that there was a possibility that the parents would come to get the child, it might sound selfish but she had no one to turn to. She never expected the mother to turn up today, though she had been warned last night.
A tall man, with long hair the color of midnight. She doesn't know him and what was he doing looking at a picture of her? He was wearing weird clothing too.
"Who are you?" the man placed back the frame on where it was supposed to be and faced her.
"Kuchiki Byakuya."
Kuchiki? Yuri's surname is Kuchiki.
"What are you doing here?"
"I am Yuri's uncle." Uncle, that's why they have same surname.
She shook her head. She wanted to forget that degrading conversation.
She looked at the petite, black-haired woman. Trying to make something out of all of this.
"Rukia?"
She called out to her, and felt something close to empathy when she saw that she bent her head to wipe her face. Is she crying? She couldn't know, for Rukia had her back turned to her.
"Orihime."
Ichigo called out to her at the door. She faced him, her beautiful hair following her every movement.
"Why aren't you staying here?"
"Well, Ichigo, I…"
He was troubled. Why wouldn't Orihime stay the night here, or the whole month they would be staying here in Karakura?
Orihime merely smiled. She couldn't really tell him the reason now, could she? She couldn't tell her husband that she couldn't bear hurting herself when in his room. That he speaks another name, a name he doesn't even remember when he's awake. Especially when in his room, the other times they stayed here in Karakura, she had always avoided sleeping after him.
How could he not remember her? Was it so selfish of her to want to take her place in his life? To be the one to make him smile and laugh? To make him be himself in her presence?
Too many wants, and too many desires. Her Ichigo.
"Orihime, wait for me, I'm packing again. Come inside while you're waiting for me, I couldn't take it if my wife catch cold. Please, Orihime."
"Y-yes. Of course, Ichigo."
Yes. It wouldn't be too selfish of her if she prayed that he wouldn't remember. After all, it was a long time ago, he was with her, maybe what he felt for her might not compare to what he felt for Kuchiki-san, but it was she who was by his side, she whom he had chosen to share his life with. That must account for something.
"I'll come inside, Ichigo, after I have taken a fresh breath of air."
Is it angsty enough? Pls. tell me. Anyways, I loved the first part of this chapter, this is one of my fave chaps, my fave chaps are 1, 2,5 and 8.
i was wondering cause i felt...ah whatever, how ould you like this to end, ichiruki? or ichihime?
you decide.
