Chapter 9
Warning: Themes
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach
Please Enjoy!
Nova stared softly at Chad as they both took a sip of their coffee. He and Chad had been 'hanging out' for about two weeks now, just walking around in the city and going to lunch together.
"Yasutora?" Nova asked softly. Chad looked up from his coffee mug and frowned slighty. It was somewhat wierd for Nova to start up a talk with him like this. He was just as awkward starting up a conversation as Chad was.
"Yes?" Chad replied as he took another sip of coffee.
"We've been hanging out for awhile now..." Nova paused to take a deep breath. "Yasutora, what do you think of me?"
Chad raised his eyebrow in suspicion. "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, don't make me say it." Nova turned his head slightly to the window.
Chad inhaled softly. "Nova, I do like you. I mean, you're easy to geet along with and you're good-looking." Chad chuckled lightly when he saw Nova blush. "But-"
"-But Ichigo." Nova finished for him. "You have a family with him.
"It's not just that. We're in love. We're committed to each other."
Nova inhaled and exhaled dissapointedly. "I know."
Awkward silence reared its head as the two sat there trying not to look at each other. Nova stared out the window of the coffee shop while Chad played with his now empty mug. The ringing of Chad's cell phone broke the silence. Chad took out the phone and put it on speaker.
"Hello?" Chad asked.
"Sado! Where the hell are you?! The meeting with the state advisors to close the contract with have been here for twenty minutes!" Junui angrily shouted. "You were on the shortlist to be here! If you wanna keep your job, get your ass over here now!!" The phone slammed angrily on the other end.
Chad lowered his head and put his hand on his forehead. The meeting was a big deal. If it want well, it could mean a major payraise for every employee at work. How could he have forgotten? He had been planning for this for weeks now, and at the last minute he completely forgot.
Chad let out an annoyed sigh. "Damn." the large man softly cursed. Nova frowned, hearing that mild profanity, words so rarely used by the other man, slip from his lips in such an highly irritable way.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept you all day." Nova
"We really shouldn't be doing this in the first place. It's against office rules. If someone from the office sees us, we'll both lose our jobs. I'm sorry, Nova. We can't do this anymore."
Chad got up and left without another word. Nova got up from his seat and walked up from behind him, but Chad turned back around. "Please don't follow me." the large man remarked, leaving the coffeeshop and the hurt red-head behind.
...Ring Ring...
...Ring Ring...
...Ring Ring...
Chad tried to ignore the ringing of his cell phone as he hastiliy drove his car through the streets of KaraKura town, trying to get back to the office. He couldn't afford to miss this meeting; he was already half an hour late.
...Ring Ring...
...Ring Ring...
The phone continued to ring. Chad eventually gave up on ignoring it and roughly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear, only one hand now steering the wheel of the car.
"Hello? Chad asked in an slightly annoyed tone.
"Dad?"
"Ken'Ichi, I really can't talk right now. I-"
Dad, where are you?" Ken'Ichi asked angrily. "You and Daddy promised me you'd be watch me run at my track meet."
Chad suddenly remembered what he and Ichigo promised his child last night. They promised they would clear their schedules to be their for their son's track meet. Chad hit himself on the forehead slightly for forgetting. He had been with Nova all day, it just slipped his mind. "Ken, I'm so sorry." Chad replied. "Something just came up and I... wait, what about your father?"
"He didn't show up either." Ken'Ichi replied.
"Oh, so... how was it?"
"Stupid. You would've known if you'd been there."
Chad sighed. He did deserve that in a way.
"Dad, can you at least pick me up from Ryosaka? I'm really sore."
"I'm sorry, but something just came up that I really can't miss it. Besides, you told me the meet doesn't end until 6:00."
"It's 6:30!" Ken'Ichi frustratedly replied. Chad looked at his watch and huffed frustratedly, muttering silent curses under his breath.
"Can't you ask your father?"
"He's not even picking up his phone. I can't reach him."
"Son, just walk back. Ryosaka's not far from home." Chad reassured.
"Dad, can you please just turn the corner from wherever you are and come to Ryosaka? Everyone's already left and I'm so sore. It's like a fifteen-minute drive from the Wakazi district." Ken'Ichi assured.
"Ken, I'm about five minutes away from losing my job. Just walk home." Chad remarked. "I'm really sorry and I'll make it up to you."
"But dad-" Ken'Ichi pleaded but Chad hung up the phone before he could finish. He had to get back to the office and make the meeting. He did feel bad for hanging up on his son like that, but he figured he'll make it up to him somehow.
Ken'Ichi was on his way home Ryosaka elementary school, exhuasted and still coated in a thin layer of sweat. 'I can't believe this.' Ken'Ichi thought. He was actually kind of glad his fathers didn't see him run at the track meet. The track meet was a diseaster to say the least. For track and field, Ken'Ichi was a sprinter who would usually run his specialties, such as the 200 metres dash (1/2 lap) and 400 metres dash (1 lap). If he had ran one of those, winning his heat would be out of the question. But this time, things got switched around. One of the runners for the 300 metres dash (7.5 laps) dropped out sick at the last minute and there were no alternates to take his place. The Coach unexpectadly took Ken'Ichi out of his regular heat and placed him into the 300 metre heat. about twenty seconds after the starting signal went off, Ken'Ichi could already feel himself getting winded by just keeping up, let alone taking the lead. He finished last in his heat, almost a minute after everyone else finished theirs and posted one of the slowest times of the day, a failback that cost his school the overall best time.
As if that humilating defeat wasn't bad enough, his fathers Ichigo and Chad never showed up, after they promised they would both be there. They didn't even call beforehand or afterwards to explain why tey wouldn't be there or apoligize for aking it. He understood that with their schedules things change, but the least tey could've done was call.
As he tiredly made his way to the old bridge, he stopped and leaned over the rail to take a look at the river to the side of him. Seeing it made him actually somewhat glad his dad couldn't pick him otherwise he probably may have missed the beautiful view. The setting sun being reflected onto the river, giving the deep blue water a sharp and corresponding contrast to the dusk-setting sun made Ken'Ichi stand in awe and forget his troubles for the day... or at least for that moment.
His peaceful gaze was suddenly cut short when he saw multiple shadows creeping up on his body. He turned around to see about four boys, all dressed in dark blue gakuran uniforms, cornering him into the railing of the bridge. Ken'Ichi heart began to beat out of his chest as he saw one of the boys reach into his pocket and pull out a boxcutter.
"What do you want?" Ken'Ichi frightengly asked.
The boys simply smirked and stay silent.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Ken'Ichi asked again, his body starting to tremble.
The boy holding the boxcutter than walked slowly out of the semi circle that kept Ken'Ichi trapped. The boy was taller then the rest of his crew, being probably 6'1. He had shoulder-length dirty blonde hair that was pulled back into a messy ponytail and had a small line shaped scar on the right side of his cheek.
"We go by 'The Punks'. We saw your faggy daddies picking you up from school." The boy said as his group began to circle in on Ken'Ichi with each word he said. "Fucking queers like them aren't welcome. You and your fag family aren't welcome."
Realizing what this was, Ken'Ichi tried to cut through the thugs by crouching through and tackling them out of the way, but this lead to no avail as the clearly stronger boys puched Ken'Ichi in the face to the ground.
Without another word, the boys all pounced on a helpless Ken'Ichi.
"Kurosaki-San!" shouted the nurse.
A few seconds later, Ichigo walked out of a recovering patient's room. "What is it?"
"You need to see this. It can't wait." The lady nurse motioned for him to come to the lobby. When they both arrived, the ambulance was parked right outside with a stretcher coming in through the first door. The sheet was covering up the body, but all that could be seen of the body was a badly beaten and bloodied hand that poked out of the stretcher.
"Who is it?" Ichigo asked as he walked up to the stretcher to pull the sheet off. What he saw however, made his entire body weak and limb, and his eyes nearly pop out of his sockets.
Back at Chad's work building, the secretary of Chad's floor rushed into the meeting hall, interrupting the lecture Chad was giving on his company's finacial history. Everone but Chad shot her a cold glare that told her to leave, but she simply shook her head and bowed.
"What are you doing, Mitoku? Can't you see we're busy?" Junui said in a frustrated tone.
"I'm so sorry for interrupting, but It's completely urgent." Mitoku replied. "I have a message for Sado-kun. It really cannot wait."
"What is it?" Chad replied.
"I'm so sorry Sado-kun, but it's your son, Ken'Ichi-kun..."
Chapter 10 (Part 3) will be up soon. Please Please Please R&R.
