Back again with another chapter! :D Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of the time jump. I really hope it made sense, if it's written weird please let me know. This is continuing from the end of chapter nine! :) Okay enjoy!

Michiru's POV

As I turned in my seat, I expected to see some random couple that Ichigo and Rukia had met since getting married. They were quite the popular couple themselves and when I glanced back at them, I was stunned to see him. Hisagi. He stood there with some girl dangling from his arm, she looked a little familiar, and an awed Renji next to him. Our gazes locked for a long while and I wondered if he missed me as much as I missed him. It killed me to see he was with someone else but he seemed happy and that's exactly what I wanted. Besides, our relationship ended years ago, he was entitled to date whoever he wanted.

Finally I turned away to glance at Renji before getting up to join them. As I walked up to the group, I felt Hisagi's eyes on me but tried to ignore them. I took a deep steadying breathe and gave them a warm smile.

"Hi." It was all I could manage and when I glanced at the girl at Hisagi's side, I saw her glare at me. I tried to ignore it and have a pleasant conversation. I thought Renji would speak because I spoke to him directly but he continued to stare at Rukia who didn't seem to notice who he was.

"Hey." Hisagi's single-word response was quiet and airy. I risked a glance at him and realized he hadn't taken his eyes off me. I opened my mouth to say something but Ichigo interrupted.

"Hey, what the hell's your problem?" His words were directed at Renji and Rukia finally glanced up at him, her eyes taking on a expression of disbelief.

"Renji! I didn't even notice you there." She smiled up at him happily and he finally blinked before returning the gesture.

"Hey, Rukia."

"You know him?" Ichigo caught us all off guard, how didn't he remember Renji? Rukia answered him while she rolled her eyes.

"So do you, idiot. Renji Abarai. He went to school with us." Ichigo's eyebrow cocked slightly and he gave his wife a confused look. She sighed and continued. "Remember our sophomore year? You hated him because he liked me." His face slowly took on an expression of understanding that was quickly replaced with anger.

"Oh." Rukia laughed and nudged him.

"Calm down, that was years ago." She rolled her eyes once she turned away from Ichigo and gave me a frustrated glance. She was always sick of Ichigo's constant overprotective attitude and frequently let me know. Again I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by the person standing behind the counter.

"Are you going to order or what?" Hisagi's head turned and he nodded. Another woman, a very pregnant woman, spoke up after getting my attention.

"How about we meet you guys at your booth? We'll be there in a few minutes." I blinked at her words and it took me a while to speak.

"Oh, okay." I glanced at Rukia, who nodded, and followed her and Ichigo back to the table. As we sat down I noticed Ichigo let Ruk slide in next to the wall before taking the only open space next to her. He was sitting closer than before but she didn't want to make him more mad by telling him to give her room. She bit her tongue and took a bite of the pastry she'd ordered with her coffee. I sat across from her and took a sip of my coffee.

A few minutes later, we were joined by Renji, Hisagi, and their girlfriends. Renji slid in next to me after glancing at Hisagi and carefully pulled the pregnant woman down next to him. The other woman sat next to Ichigo before dragging Hisagi down next to her. She still had an unpleasant look on her face which she directed at me. At first everyone was silent but luckily we had Rukia there to open her mouth.

"So, what are you guys doing in town? Do you live here?" She glanced between Hisagi and Renji but the girl on the other side of Renji was the one to answer.

"No, we're here visiting my parents. Well, Hisagi just needed a break but we're all staying in my parents' house." She gave Rukia a friendly smile and it was obvious that Ruk's earlier comment about Renji liking her didn't phase her.

"Oh, who're you?" One of Rukia's tiny hands reached down and pulled her legs up on the seat as she smiled at the pregnant woman.

"I'm Mina Aburamai. I'm Renji's fiancé." Her smile grew into a full fledged grin and she lightly grabbed Renji's hand. He smiled down at her and rested his other arm across the back of the booth. Rukia raised her eyebrows and her smile grew more sincere.

"That's great. I'm surprised someone as nice and soft spoken as you tamed Renji." She let out a loud laugh, a classic Rukia cackle and absently leaned closer to Ichigo. Mina laughed softly and shrugged.

"It wasn't as hard as it seemed. He must have fallen for my sweet innocent charm."

"I wouldn't call it innocent, Miss No-Sex-Before-Marriage. Look how that turned out." The girl at Hisagi's side finally spoke, her gaze on Mina. Her face now held an amused smile.

"Hey, he's very persuasive." Mina chuckled quietly as her hand found it's way to her stomach.

Rukia leaned forward and glanced around Ichigo and Hisagi to see the unknown woman. "Who are you?" Her words were friendly but informal. That was just how she spoke but the girl obviously thought of it as rude. She gave Rukia a stern look before stating her name.

"Ryō Kunieda, Hisagi's girlfriend." Her eyes flickered to me but quickly returned to Rukia. She obviously thought her tough tone would cause Ruk to back off but I noticed my friend's face fall slightly before she glared back at the slender woman who still had a hold of Hisagi's hand.

"Excuse me, bitch. No reason to have an attitude." Rukia's words were gruff and angry, she didn't appreciate the girls tone. She definitely didn't appreciate her cold glare that returned her own words. "Don't give me that look, you're the one being rude."

"You call me a bitch and I'm rude?"

"Yes. Calling you a bitch makes me honest, not rude. Acting like a bitch makes you rude, get it?" Ryō opened her mouth to talk but Hisagi cut her off by pulling his hand away.

"Will you knock it off?" He gave her a frustrated look, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Me? What the hell did I do?"

"Rukia's right, you're being rude. You had no reason to talk to her like that." The girl glared at him before standing, her fists balled up. He stood also and I thought he'd leave with her but he merely took a step back and let her get out. Her eyes widened at his actions and she stomped off, taking her coffee with her. Hisagi sat back down and sighed.

"Sorry about her." Rukia told him it was fine and Mina reached across the table to pat his hand. He gave her a small forced smile before the conversation continued. Mina looked up at Rukia and grinned.

"So, who're you?" Her smile grew warm.

"I'm Rukia and this is Ichigo. She's Michiru," she said as she gestured towards me. Mina looked around Renji and greeted me.

"Are you two married?" Her voice was addressed to Ichigo and Rukia again.

"Yup." Rukia answered shortly.

"Do you have any children?"

"Yup," she answered again before continuing. "We have a daughter, she's three-months old." Mina's face brightened at the mention of babies.

"Do you have any advice? I mean I'm doing the prenatal stuff I should be, but what about after it's born?" Rukia shrugged before answering.

"Just get ready to never sleep. Ever." She belted out another laugh and Hisagi glanced around Ichigo to see her.

"You really had a kid?" She turned to face him and nodded.

"I'm a beast, it was a breeze." Everyone at the table laughed, though Ichigo's was less enthused. He rolled his eyes before laying an arm around her shoulders. Mina sat up and turned to me again.

"What about you? Are you married?" I shook my head, responding without words. "Are you dating anyone?" This time I had to speak, I had to explain my horrible situation with Tadashi.

"Sort of," I started and Mina laughed softly at my words. Her face grew serious once she realized that I wasn't amused.

"Oh?"

"I started seeing this guy a few months ago and..." I glanced down at my hands, hating the view of that ridiculous large diamond ring. "My parents arranged a marriage. I'm getting married in a few months." I made it clear that this was not good news, I forced it into my tone.

"They what?" Rukia's voice caught my attention and my head turned towards her.

"But...aren't you over the age of eighteen?" Mina spoke up again, concern seeping in her words. I shook my head after swiveling my gaze to her.

"I will be in six months which is a month too late." I quickly glanced around the table, hating the attention I was getting. They probably thought I was pathetic, I didn't even fight my parents on it. Once again I let my mother run my life because I was too scared to defy her. Hisagi was a perfect example of that. My eyes flickered to him briefly and I felt my chest tighten. My feelings for him sprang to life the minute I saw him but he obviously moved on. Everyone starred at me without speaking. I looked around at them all and sighed.

"Will you all stop?" In the corner of my eye I saw Rukia turn to look up at Ichigo. He tipped his head and furrowed his brow. His gaze went back to me and he spoke.

"Michiru, why don't you..." He struggled for the right words but everyone else at the table spoke in unison.

"Do something about it?" They offered the appropriate phrase. Again I sighed and shook my head.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it." My gaze dropped and I found myself starring into my cup of coffee. A large hand reached out and touched my arm. When I glanced up I saw Hisagi's concerned eyes piercing me but Ichigo's the one who continued to talk.

"We're sorry, we're just...worried about you. You've done everything that woman's told you to do since..." Once again, he cut himself off but this time he didn't want to finish his sentence. Hisagi's hand stiffened slightly and after a moment he pulled away. I pulled back also, resting my hands in my lap where they balled up into fists. I stood and grabbed my light coat.

"I have to go," I stated, not looking directly at anyone. I picked up my oversized purse and waited for Renji and Mina to move. Instead of sliding out after Mina, Renji turned to me and grabbed my arm.

"Michiru, don't leave." I tried to pull away but he wouldn't let go, his grip tightening slightly. "When's the next time we're going to get to see you?" My eyebrows were turned down in the best glare I could muster up and I continued trying to pull my arm free.

"I don't care." The harsh words were a lie, I was lashing out in anger. I missed Renji, it was great to see him and even better to see Hisagi. Renji frowned back at me and I had to fight to keep the glare on my face. "Move, Renji." He squeezed my arm.

"Please stay Michiru." I was so close to giving in and staying but I knew I had to leave, had to get out of here. They'd push me into fighting my mom over the whole arranged marriage and I wasn't sure I could do that. I opened my mouth to tell him to get out of my way but Rukia interrupted me.

"Let her leave, Renji. We'll all have lunch somtime while you guys are in town. Just let her go." Her gaze shifted between me and Renji, a concerned glaze to her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, his fingers released my arm and he slid out of the seat. I quietly thanked him and coasted out after him. My gaze turned to Mina.

"It was nice meeting you and..." My mind went blank as I tried to remember Hisagi's girlfriend's name.

"Ryō." Mina answered with a warm smile. I nodded and took another step back. My head turned to Renji and Hisagi.

"It was good to see you two again." With that I turned and headed toward the exit. As I opened the door I saw Ryō steaming in the car, her gaze falling on me. She glared, her gesture icy. As much as I wanted to return her cold expression, I forced a smile and waved in a friendly manner. I really couldn't blame her for acting so possessive, she was really lucky to be with Hisagi. As I took another step farther from the vehicle, I felt a large hand grab my arm, stopping me. When I turned to see who it was, I was surprised to see Hisagi standing in front of me. His forehead was creased with concern.

"Hey, are you going to be okay? You look really upset." His hand was warm on my arm and I could feel Ryō's eyes on us. Hisagi didn't seem to notice and if he did, he didn't care. His eyes didn't leave my face and the worry in his face didn't fade.

"I'm just..." My head shook slightly and tears stung my eyes. "I'm handling it, thanks." After a moment, he pushed past the subject.

"It's...really good to see you." His hand slid down to my wrist and my stomach fluttered. "I've missed you, Michiru." A small grin spread on his face and he put a little less distance between us. As much as I wanted to step even closer, I forced myself to pull back and look up at him.

"I missed you too, Hisagi." His face fell and he nodded before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I really have to go..."

"Can we have lunch or something?"

"Do you think Ryō would like that?" Again he smiled, amused.

"I don't really care." I couldn't stop the grin from creeping up on my face.

"You're with her, Hisagi, you better care." My feet pulled me back another step but he strided forward, canceling out my actions.

"Can we?"

I thought about it, thought about how much my mother would hate me seeing him again. I realized that if Tadashi saw me with Hisagi, he might get the wrong impression and get angry. The fact that I wanted to go was enough reason to say yes, the other two were just pluses. I guess that's my answer.

"Sure, when?" The smile on his face grew and he thought about it.

"Well, I can't be sure when I'll be free, Mina has a lot of stuff planned. If you give me your number I can call and let you know when I'm free. Would that be okay?" I couldn't contain my laughter but I was already reaching in my bag for a pen. "What?"

"Smooth, Hisagi."

"Thank you, I'm glad you noticed." Once I found a working pen, I grabbed his wrist and began writing my number down on the palm of his hand. After a few numbers were scrawled down, I felt him pull his hand away slightly.

"What?"

"Knowing me, I'll wash it off. You're safer with paper." Another laugh escaped my lips and I pulled out a scrap piece of paper from my bag, ripping a small shred off. Once my number was on it I held it out to him.

"There, happy?"

"Definitely." He pocketed the piece of paper and took another small step closer to me. Before I could react, I felt his arms wrap around me tightly and my eyes shot wide open. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach but I wouldn't let myself hug him back. He didn't pull away and for the briefest moment I rested my head on his chest. Again I felt Ryō's gaze on us and drew back from Hisagi's grip.

"Well, I'll see you, Hisagi." I smiled before turning away, heading for home. My chest tightened and I knew my feelings for him had never gone away, they were merely pushed aside. He seemed to be exactly the same but people change. As much as I wanted to pick things up with him, there were still obstacle's in my way. He had a girlfriend, I had a fiancé and a crazy mother who'd do anything to keep me from Hisagi.

You're crazy, he's not interested in you anymore. He has his precious Ryō, he didn't need you making things complicated. Just be happy to see him and have a friendly lunch. He's over you, get over him.

Okay, sucky ending but I hope you enjoyed regardless! :) Please review!