Marriage for a Million: Love is Eternal
original story by missyromanticme15
this story by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter Eight: Answers to Old Questions, and New Questions
Isshin's health was deemed stable enough for travel, so one day, with permission from his physicians, he bought several train tickets to Ibaraki Prefecture on Japan's east coast. Rukia could hardly believe her ears when Isshin told her the trip's purpose, and she had sat there at his family lunch, staring for a second before collecting herself. She should have known. It was bound to be... interesting, to say the least.
At 10:00 AM, Rukia helped Ichigo pack for the day-long trip and, once they were cleared by Ichigo's police guards, met Isshin at the crowded Karakura Town train station. It was funny; even with the bustling streams of people, the clatter of luggage, and the tinny voices on the overhead intercoms, Rukia felt calm, even detached somehow. Maybe she was getting used to the fallout of the fraud scandal by now.
Everyone was quiet on the trip across Japan's countryside, even Isshin, and once they left the station at Ibaraki Prefecture, they took a pair of cabs to the coast itself, to a remote region called Turtle Bay, for all the turtle species that lived there. It was beautiful, but not a tourist attraction; this place served a different purpose.
The Turtle Bay Penitentiary.
"Ichigo, you can speak with him first, if you want," Isshin told his son after the group stepped into the visiting room.
Ichigo nodded. "Okay. Thanks, dad."
Rukia hung back with the others and watched. Despite this being a minimum-security facility for white-collar criminals, Rukia and the others had already been thoroughly searched and checked over by the guards, and this place certainly had the dismal air she'd expected: white tile floors, gray cinderblock walls, stark lighting. At least there was air conditioning.
This room had several booths, with thin metal bars separating the visitors' side from the inmates' side. For the moment, only the Kurosaki family was visiting, giving them some privacy. Ichigo sat at a wooden chair and folded his hands on the small counter in the booth. Opposite him sat Kaien Shiba, in a pale blue uniform. His hair was messier than Rukia had seen, but he managed a faint smile at the sight of his cousin.
"Decided to pay you a visit, Kaien," Ichigo said cautiously. "This was the earliest day they'd let us come on over. How..." He swallowed. "How are you holding up?"
"Don't worry, Ichigo, it's not like The Shawshanks Redemption in here," Kaien said with a chuckle. "I'm holding up fine so far. But damn, the food makes me miss all those power lunches I used to have in London and Cardiff. You know?"
Ichigo chuckled back. "Yeah, I can't imagine a gourmet getting hired here."
Both cousins fell silent for a moment, Kaien staring down at Ichigo's hands, his eyes wavering. Finally, Kaien spoke up again. "I was jealous."
Ichigo stiffened. "You what?"
"Of... of you." Kaien looked up, his eyes earnest. "Ichigo, I'm sorry. You know how much we competed growing up. And uncle Isshin... I felt like he favored you, like I was just in your shadow. And you're so popular, with all the papers wondering about your private life, gossiping away about who you'd date or end up marrying or what idyllic countryside house you'd buy for your family..."
"Kaien -" Ichigo started.
Kaien held up a hand. "Hey. Look, Ichigo. I tried to hide it, tried to focus on my own life and my own business, but damn, it was tough not comparing myself to you and wondering why not me? And when I heard that you were happily engaged to a waitress in some Cinderella story and were planning a huge wedding... I was happy for you. And it made me reflect on myself, too."
Ichigo sat there, quietly listening. And Rukia, for her part, hung onto Kaien's every word. She had never properly heard his side of the story like this before.
"As you might've guessed, Ichigo, I didn't handle it that well," Kaien admitted. "I took a flight to Japan for your wedding with a head full of misplaced anger and spite. And when uncle Isshin had his heart attack, a dark part of me thought 'hey, this is my chance at the top spot!' Remember that? We got into that fight at the hospital, and your wife here broke us up."
Ichigo nodded. "I sure do."
"I was a mean bastard. I realize that," Kaien said heavily. "I had such a shitty perspective on everything. I never stood a chance at the CEO position, being that kind of man. I..." He sighed shakily. "I ruined it from the start, Ichigo. My branch of the position was in the tank, and... well, you know. I got desperate. You remember our talks."
"Yeah. I remember." Ichigo hunched forward. "Kaien, just promise me you'll make it. You've got time. Learn to forgive yourself. I... I really don't want to see you suffering anymore."
Kaien made a funny sound. "What the... Ichigo..."
"It's tough enough for me to face the mirror," Ichigo sad earnestly. "I know a little bit of what this feels like. You have to pull through. Try."
Kaien took a long, slow breath. "Well, you're right that I've got a lot of time to think about it. It'll be five years 'till I'm eligible for parole, after all. I can't guarantee you anything, Ichigo, but... I'll remember this talk. I will."
Ichigo sat there for a silent moment before he nodded again. "Thanks, Kaien. Hey, um... Rukia might want to talk to you, too."
Rukia looked over at Isshin, who motioned to the booth. "Go ahead," he said.
Ichigo got up from the wooden chair and Rukia sat down, her mind whirring. Something told her that Ichigo and Kaien had kept their talk brief on purpose. Maybe it hurt too much to see each other in a place like this to say any more. She couldn't blame them.
"Kaien," Rukia said gently. "How are you?"
"Could be worse," Kaien said with a shrug. "You're looking good, Rukia. So... is married life treating you well?"
"Well enough, thank you." Rukia made up her mind. This was enough small talk; she needed to know a few things. "Kaien," she said, more firmly this time, "I feel like I never got a fair chance to get to know the real you. I only saw you when you were at my wedding, or clashing with my husband during Isshin's health crisis. Something tells me that's not the real you."
Kaien chewed his lower lip, glancing down. "I..." he said. "Yeah... that's a fair point. Rukia, I'm sorry to you too. I gave you hell for marrying my cousin and leaving me in the dust. It was envy, plain and simple. And you didn't deserve to pay for that."
Rukia recalled what Kaien had told her in that hallway of Isshin's hospital: "With Isshin dead, your husband's likely to gain more money and power. Wasn't that the whole point of why you married him?" She repeated Kaien's words back at him and added, "Kaien, back then, you didn't know if that was true. You just wanted it to be, didn't you, so you'd have less reason to envy my marriage? Since I'm a shallow gold-digger and Ichigo is a cold bastard? You'd take us down to your level."
Kaien blinked. "You know what... I never thought of it like that in my head, but you're right, Rukia. I wanted you both to be monsters so I would be the upstanding one, the one who cares about the family and our image. I wanted it to be true, like you said, but another part of me knew it really wasn't. And it drove me nuts."
"Don't worry, you were starting to drive us nuts, too," Rukia said with a forced chuckle. She sobered. "Kaien... I don't want to think of you as just a bad guy. I've hardly known you for a few weeks. There has to be more than just your angry spite and the fraud scandal, and your fear of letting down your uncle."
- If there wasn't anything else, Isshin and Ichigo would never have come here. -
Kaien took a long, slow breath. "Earlier into my career in the Europe branch of Kurosaki Industries, things were... better. I felt so proud of what I was accomplishing, and yeah, I loved the London nightlife. And my little sister Kukaku would visit from Ireland to party it up, or I'd visit her branch in Dublin and she'd show me the local sights and attractions. And yes, we shared more than a few pints of Guinness over there." He smiled. "And there was this girl, Miyako. She was a few rungs below me, and had transferred from the Japan branch. Damn, she was a beauty, and smart as hell."
Rukia felt the corners of her lips twitching. "Kaien, you never told me there was a girl! Why didn't you ever say something?"
"Well, it didn't last long. We only went on a few dates, and called it off long before I met you," Kaien admitted. "It was just a fling, really. Miyako... she always knew just what to say, and every time I saw her, I didn't ever want to leave her company. She taught me a thing or two." He grew misty-eyed, his smile wider. "Makes me wonder what could have happened if things kept going after that. She taught me about what it means to have your heart with someone else."
Rukia cocked her head. "I'm sorry?"
"What she meant is..." Kaien hunched forward, his face serious, his eyes locked onto Rukia's. "When you have a real friend, or a comrade, Rukia, you create a piece of your heart in them, and you live in them. Sounds corny, I know, but hear me out. Even if something were to happen to you, or worse, you'd live on in them, and they'll preserve you as the friend you were to them. It's like... immortality, I guess. Heart is something that's gifted and shared, not kept to yourself."
"Kaien..." Rukia felt her breath catch in her throat. She had no idea Kaien had held such a life philosophy, and she'd never thought of a person's heart like that. Certainly not her own. She kept it guarded, safe, against anyone who'd try to hurt her. And to hear this...
"Some part of me has faith that what you and Ichigo has is real," Kaien went on. "I haven't gotten the chance to find out for sure... but it's possible you've already given him a piece of your heart, and you've got his. You live in each other. You'll preserve each other as partners, even if something drives you apart, and if you never see each other again."
Rukia felt tears burning under her eyelids. Kaien seemed to inexplicably understand her marriage better than she did.
"And remember one other thing," Kaien told her. "Don't ever lose yourself, Rukia. What makes you happy, give you hope, what you want in the future more than anything else... don't forget those things. Don't let real life, or despair, swallow you up. Fight for what you want, and be the best you that you can. If Ichigo loves you like he says he does, then he'll understand. He'll know what has to be done."
"What are you saying?" Rukia blurted out, hands clasped tightly in her lap.
"I'm just telling you what I wish someone had told me," Kaien said. "I thought too much about how I could take Ichigo down, and not enough about what I really wanted for myself. Hell, if I could have kept Miyako, I could have turned out a little different. She'd never let me get away with saying any of this."
Rukia swallowed. "Kaien... thank you. I thought I'd always hate you for the things you said, but after everything you told me... I can't. I'll pray that you find peace and accept yourself for who you are, however long it takes. Please, Kaien, find that release."
Kaien nodded once. "I think I will, Rukia."
Rukia got up and let Isshin have a turn talking to his nephew, joining up with Ichigo and his sisters. She held Ichigo's hand in hers and looked up fondly at her husband. "Your cousin's a smarter guy than I gave him credit for," she said. "I... I'm glad we came here."
Ichigo squeezed Rukia's hand and smiled. "Me, too."
During the train ride back to Karakura Town, and all thought that evening, Rukia had Kaien's words bouncing around in her head. What was she to do? What would Ichigo do, and where was their marriage, and each of their lives, headed? For now, she couldn't really say. But Rukia was confident that the boh of them would figure it out. And that she'd find that inner peace and happiness someday, too.
.
.
"Whew. That should do it for today."
Riruka Dokugamine, after a long, hard day at work with her start-up organic food business (Sunny Harvest Foods), locked the shop's front door and wiped her brow. She had long since learned that face-to-face business really built up a customer base around here, and it didn't hurt that she used to have work as a fashion model. Plenty of gentlemen were only too happy to come in and buy organic ingredients, though it wasn't just her winning smile that brought in the crowds; she knew business inside and out. This time next year, she'd probably open a second location, too.
There weren't many cars or taxis out on the street this time of night, and Riruka liked the calm of it all. It was like a photograph from the wall of a coffee shop, a lone, lovely girl going down the street under a street lamp as a lone taxi motored past.
Then her cell phone rang, and she jumped at the noise.
Riruka stopped and dug her phone out of her designer purse and answered. "Oh! Good evening, chairwoman."
"Good evening, Riruka," came Tier Halibel's voice. "How are you?"
"I'm just finishing up a work day at the shop," Riruka said casually, smiling. Her best friend loved to know how business was going. "Old Mr. Sakamoto came in with his wife today and nearly cleared out my legumes section! They're practically covering half my overhead all by themselves."
Halibel chuckled. "I'm glad business is going well." Then her tone grew more somber. "Riruka, listen... about Ichigo Kurosaki..."
Riruka stiffened and her eyes widened at the mention of Mr. Kurosaki's name. She felt herself start to sweat. "Wh-what's the matter?"
"I've heard that the environmental protection agency of the Society took a bold chance by hiring Ichigo Kurosaki," came Halibel's voice. "It's all over the papers and radio. They're saying that he is desperate to fix his image and that of his company. Some say that he's trying to seal a busted dam with a Band-Aid."
"I... see." Riruka felt a flash of anger. Ichigo Kurosaki and his cousin Kaien had made some mistakes... no, it was mainly that buffoon Kaien Shiba who had wounded the company with his fraud scandal. Ichigo didn't deserve any of this! How dare the press mock him?
Riruka took a deep, calming breath. "Yes, I know... I approached his wife and made the offer. She was receptive, and when she told Ichigo, he got right back to me. He called from his home phone and said yes."
There was a moment of silence, and Riruka heard herself breathing rather hard into the receiver, her free hand tightly gripping the straps of her purse. It felt weirdly heavy at the moment.
Halibel made a tiny sigh on the line. "Riruka, I've known you for years. We've done so many wonderful things together, and I'd never accuse you of sabotage. But I need to hear it from you that you're doing this for the right reasons. And that you understand the potential risks."
Riruka felt her breath catch in her throat. It had been a long time since her best friend had even slightly doubted her on... anything, really. This almost felt personal to her. Or rather, Halibel must be thinking that it was personal to Riruka. Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't just another man.
"Halibel, I'm aware of the... history I have with Mr. Kurosaki, but you know I'd never jeopardize the Society," she said carefully. "I really think that he deserves this chance. And the environmental protection program could use the help. He's a smart one. And this will generate some buzz for us."
"The old saying 'all press is good press' isn't true. Just remember that," Halibel told her. "But okay... I'll keep my distance from you and the Kurosakis with this project. And yes, I'll make sure that Mila Rose and Apacci stay away, too. They've been pretty reckless these last few weeks."
Riruka breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I just didn't want your opinion of Rukia-san, or the bad press against the Kurosakis, to dampen everything. I'm just helping good people who need it. Strictly business."
"Just please make sure it stays that way," Halibel said. "Mrs. Kurosaki has been nothing but hostile to us, and she is not suitable material to join us or represent us at all. Inviting her to our tea party last month was certainly a mistake."
Riruka was of the opinion that doubting and harassing the Kurosakis was the real mistake. She kept that to herself.
"I only ask that you be careful with this," Halibel added. "The Kurosaki family is a live wire right now. I just don't want to see you get hurt on their account, Riruka."
"N-no, of course not." Riruka swallowed. "I know Ichigo well. And I've gotten on better terms with his wife. We'll work this out."
There was another short pause. "All right. Have a good night, Riruka." Halibel hung up.
Riruka stashed away her phone and trudged along the sidewalk. She hardly felt like a subject in some artsy photograph at the moment, just one girl alone out here. Part of her was concerned that Halibel was right about the Kurosakis, and another was hurt that Halibel would even slightly doubt Riruka's judgment. Well, all that was left now was to prove herself against the nay-sayers near and far.
And why did Riruka think she had heard a tone of hurt in Halibel's voice? Whatever the chairwoman's feud with Rukia, Halibel was no ice queen. Surely, deep down she was sympathetic to the Kurosakis, too. Whatever Rukia might way, Halibel did have a good heart. She just wasn't always the best at showing it.
.
.
Dating Nelliel was a little awkward, but the girl was just having so much fun during this last week, so Grimmjow couldn't help but smile and enjoy it with her. She'd chatted away tonight during dinner at a nice restaurant (as nice as Grimmjow's wallet could manage) and Grimmjow hadn't missed that warm gleam in Nel's eyes. She barely seemed to notice what she was eating, instead savoring the evening with her best friend.
"You said Karin recommended this place, right?" Nel said warmly as she finished off her barbecued meat in the crowded restaurant. She had to speak up over the general chatter around them.
Grimmjow nodded, toying with his noodles. "Yeah, Karin said this is the best place for South Korean food in town. Looks like she was on to something." He gave her a modest smile and watched through the window as a shiny yellow taxi drove by.
"She sure was," Nel said, moving on to her fourth plate. The girl had an appetite like Grimmjow had never seen. He wasn't going to complain about the bill, though.
Grimmjow kept toying with his spicy noodles, and Nel leaned forward to look closer.
"What's the matter, Grimmjow?"
Grimmjow started. "Uh, nothing."
"Nothing? "Grimmjow, you've been so quiet on our date. Is something on your mind? You can tell me." Nel gave him an imploring look.
Grimmjow took a sip of Coke and tried to mentally articulate the abstract thoughts that swirled in the back of his mind for the last week. What should he tell her? Hell, what could he tell himself?
He settled for the immediate. He put on a bigger smile. "It's just that I haven't really had a steady girlfriend before, Nelliel. This is new to me. I might stumble a few times."
"Oh, that's okay, Grimmjow. Nobody's perfect." Nel finished her fourth plate and motioned for the waiter. "And I think you're a fine gentleman." She smiled, toying with a lock of her hair. She went pink. "I... I mean, you're having a good time too, right? You've been so quiet on our last two dates, and tonight..."
Grimmjow opened his mouth to deny it, but dammit, Nel's cheery energy and bashfulness was so infectious.
"I'm just tired. I've been up since 6:30," he said, which wasn't untrue.
"Oh yeah, that warehouse job, right?" Nel said with a sympathetic noise. "I'd be a wreck if I had to be up that early for work." She looked up when the waiter arrived. "Another drink, please, and another beef plate."
The waiter nodded and checked with Grimmjow, who shook his head. The waiter walked off.
"Anyway..." Nel rested her elbows on the table, chin in her hands. "For our third date, I had something really fun in mind, Grimmjow. A way to burn off some of this dinner."
Grimmjow perked up. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
Half an hour later, Grimmjow found himself at a dance class full of excited couples two blocks down from the restaurant, and when the coach turned on the music, Nel took the lead, guiding Grimmjow through what he assumed was a type of salsa dance, based on the upbeat Latin music playing.
"This is nice, isn't it?" Nel said fondly as she went through the motions. To Grimmjow's eyes, she was so damn graceful, moving like a pro, her body nothing but lithe curves. He felt his face warm and his heart race, and not just from the dance.
Grimmjow stumbled and slipped a few times, but Nel corrected him and he felt himself settling into the pattern of moves. "You used to be so shy," he commented, out of breath. "We haven't really talked that much in the last two years, have we? Are we making up for lost time?"
"What do you think, mister smooth-moves?" Nel panted as they kept moving. The room seemed to be a blur. "This is really nice. I'm glad we're doing this, Grimmow. I mean us, just being ourselves together."
"Yeah. I think so, too."
The music stopped and the instructor clapped, complimenting everyone's progress. As he wiped his sweaty brow, Grimmjow glanced at Nel chatting with one of her many girlfriends who was also here, and couldn't help but remember one thing. Nel hadn't even tried approaching him until the trauma of Isshin's heart attack, and then the fraud scandal... things had been shaken up and moved so fast in the last month, and Grimmjow was seeing a side of Nel he thought he'd never see again.
He did like dating her... but was it only an escape from their lives? Nelliel wasn't the only one, either; Grimmjow remembered the long phone conversation he'd had with Rukia yesterday. The poor girl was trying her best in these times, and by the sound of it, Ichigo was starting to come around, too. But the confining house arrest, Ichigo's shame, the future of Isshin's company, the shark-like tabloids, the Lady Royals Society... Rukia was fending off problems on every front, and it was getting to her. Grimmjow had been there for her during the engagement, and she needed him even more now.
"I was so happy when I realized that I married the right man," Rukia had said on the phone. "But right now, I... would it sound bad if I said I don't know how to get that back?"
"You'll find it, Ruks. Somehow, some way," Grimmjow had told her. "You just have to know what's truly important to you, and how to get it. And let go of whatever's holding you back."
He'd felt so confident about those words, but thinking back on them, just what was Rukia going to do with that idea in mind? He hoped he hadn't done some damage.
Grimmjow shook his head again. Where was he headed? What about him? He felt himself being swept along on a current that was both exciting and confusing, but dammit, Nel was happy with him. Was he Nel's proper boyfriend? Or was it something more temporary...?
- I can't ruin this night with thoughts like those. Leave it for now, Grimmjow. Nel's here. Be there for her. -
Grimmjow got into position with Nel as the next song started, and once he got moving, he found it easy indeed to leave his thoughts behind and stay in the moment. For now.
