HELLOOO MY DEAR READERS! (Or what's left of them) How's it going? I've decided that since I took a three month break, I will be posting a new chapter at least once a week! I'll try my best, but I'm only allowed on the computer on weekends so… meh. I'll try my best though! So, let's stop my rambling and here we go! OH, AND ANOTHER THING. THERE WILL BE NO LEMON IN THIS STORY, YOU HEAR ME? I DON'T LIKE LEMON BECAUSE I AM A TOTAL PRUDE. THANK YOU.
You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.
-Desmond Tutu
L I F E .
Ever since Ichigo opened up to us about his past, he became a lot less secretive. He also looked less worried than before, mainly due to the fact that he wasn't hiding half his life from us. Christmas passed, and we were into the beginning of January. My birthday was in a few weeks, and truthfully I wasn't looking forward to it. I would be eighteen, the age where one would touch adulthood. It also meant that I had to decide soon on what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I enjoyed my singing career, but I wasn't so sure if I wanted to continue being one.
"Hey, Rukia."
"Hm?"
Ichigo had snapped me out of my thoughts. We; Tōshirō, Renji, Ichigo and I, were sitting in my room on a Saturday afternoon with nothing else to do. Byakuya had gone to his office to pick up something, which he had gone for an hour ago. "Your birthday's in a few weeks, am I right?"
"That is correct."
"Well, I was wondering, what would you like?"
"For what?"
"A birthday present, genius."
I shook my head, choosing to ignore his smart remark, "I don't want anything, Ichigo. You don't have to get me a present."
"But I insist! You're turning eighteen aren't you?"
"Well yes but-"
"Kurosaki, don't tell me you haven't gotten Rukia a present yet?"
I turned to Tōshirō and raised an eyebrow indecorously, "Don't tell me you've gotten me something!" He nodded, and so did Renji. I rolled my eyes and folded my arms, "Thank you, I guess. Ichigo, you really don't need to get me anything."
"But these two kiss asses already got you something! I'll feel bad if I don't!"
"Did you just call me a kiss ass, strawberry?"
"So what if I did pineapple?"
Tōshirō and I sighed as the two were now yelling at each other with their faces not so far apart. This was a daily thing—the two of them fighting— they would argue over the smallest of things, including who was the one who normally got to decide what we were going to eat for dinner. Before either of them could hit each other, there came a knock from the door.
"May I come in?"
"Yeah."
One of the many maids who worked in the house poked her head through the door, "Master Byakuya is calling for you. He has bought lunch." The minute she had said this, Renji and Ichigo had gotten up and had sprinted out of the door, both yelling on how one of them was faster than the other as they ran down the corridor. Tōshirō rolled his eyes and helped me up, "Come on, we better get down quick before they finish all the food." I nodded and we walked out, making our way downstairs into the dining area. As we entered, we found Ichigo and Renji already grabbing the food that was served, which was a variety of Dim Sum. I looked over the two to find Byakuya sitting at the end of the table; two people were sitting on either side of him.
"Kaien! Miyako!"
"Ah-hah! I was wondering where you two were!"
I walked towards them and took a seat next to Miyako who gave me a friendly smile.
"Those two haven't changed since we last saw them, now have they?"
"Sadly no, they haven't. How are things, Miyako?"
At this, Kaien smiled, showing of his extremely bright set of teeth, "Ah, that's the reason why we're here, Rukia! We've got great news!" At Kaien's words, me and Tōshirō gave Ichigo and Renji a sharp kick to their shins, causing the both of them to stop their dispute and give a short caterwaul of pain. They sat down quietly while continuously rubbing their shins, making everyone's attention on Miyako and Kaien.
"Okay, well... the good news is..." Kaien's grin grew wider as he looked at his wife, her smile just as wide as his.
"I'm pregnant!" she cried.
It took a few moments for the information to sink in, and as soon as it did, the two of them were drowned with cheers of congrats; I threw my arms around Miyako and smiled. Kaien was patted on the back by a beaming Renji and congratulated by Tōshirō. Byakuya smiled slightly at the sight of our celebration until Ichigo waved his hands.
"Wait wait, wait... Miyako, you're pregnant?"
The woman nodded excitedly.
"So doesn't that mean..."
I removed my arms slowly from Miyako and turned to the orange haired teen, my eyes narrowed slowly. "Mean, what, exactly?"
"Doesn't that mean you two had se-"
Tōshirō had beaten me to it as he shoved a whole Pao into Ichigo's mouth, "Don't be vulgar." Ichigo gave Renji a deadly glare as the tattooed man began to howl with laughter. Ichigo chewed viciously on the Pao that Tōshirō had shoved into his mouth. The rest of our lunch was our constant questioning about the baby, which had been revealed that Miyako was already two months pregnant. We celebrated and laughed until evening, and Miyako and Kaien had decided that it was time for them to go home. We waved goodbye as they left and I smiled, "Wow! Can you believe it? Miyako's pregnant! I'm so happy for the two." The others agreed, and soon I announced that I would be going to bed. When I had finished showering and I had changed into my pajamas, I went out of my bathroom only to be greeted by Ichigo who was flipping through my sketchbooks.
"What the hell is up with her and bunnie-"
"Ahem."
He jumped as he saw me at the doorway, quickly putting my sketchbook back onto my drawer. "Oh, hey. I was waiting for you." I raised an eyebrow before hanging my towel onto the back of my door. I approached my bed and slipped into the covers, causing Ichigo to jump off and sit on my floor.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"Then why are you sitting on the floor?"
"Because you're lying down on your bed."
"So?"
He gave a small cough and turned away, his face as red as Renji's hair. I cocked my head to the side before realizing on what he was worried about. I threw my head back and began to laugh, "You are such a child, Ichigo! Are you really so innocent that you can't sit on the same bed as a girl?"
"Shut up! It's not funny, alright?"
"Well I think it is. Renji and Tōshirō don't seem to have a problem with doing so."
"Well that's because Renji's a pervert and Tōshirō's as romantic as a lamp!"
I gave a small chuckle before looking back up, "So what did you want to tell me?" His face was still pink as he spoke, "Okay, first of, I want to know what you'd like for your birthday."
"Ichigo, I already told you, I don't want anything."
"Well, I want to get you something, and you've already done so much for me, so just bear with me here. What would you like?"
"I don't want anything, Ichigo!"
"Midget! I'm getting you something whether you like it or not! I'm rejecting all your protests, you got that?"
"Wha- What the hell? You're refusing the birthday girls' requests? What kind of tyrannical issue is this?"
"Button it! I don't need any crap from the one whose birthday's coming up, you got that? You're supposed to be grateful and go all sparkly eyed and say, "Oh, how thoughtful of you Ichigo!" and not say how you don't want anything at all!"
"You... "How thoughtful of you!" my ass! And I don't go sparkly eyed!"
I glared as he stuck out his tongue and waved his hand near his ears like an immature child, he stopped after a few moments as we stared at each other. I shrugged, "I don't want you to get me anything, but if you must know, I like to draw."
"Wait, you mean those bunnies in that sketchbook of yours were drawings?"
"Yes... why?"
"Holy crap, those are awful!"
He quickly dodged as I threw my pillow at him.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! It's just... I never actually thought of you as the type who liked cute animals."
"Is there a problem?" I demanded, my eyebrows furrowed.
"No, no, no! I'm just saying, that's all. Well thanks for telling me anyways."
"You're welcome. What was the other thing you were going to tell me?"
"Oh, well... I was wondering if you and the others would like to follow me somewhere tomorrow."
"Sure... where do you want to go?"
"Secret, you'll find out soon enough."
We awoke at nine in the morning, Ichigo had already told the others on his idea, and after a whole ten minutes of begging (mostly on Renji's part) the others agreed to follow. We walked out of the mansion, Ichigo trotting in front of us.
"Kurosaki, where exactly are you taking us?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Tōshirō raised a brow, giving me a quizzical look before turning away. As we entered the limo, Ichigo whispered something to our driver who nodded without hesitation. He started the engine and drove, the rest of us sat at the back in a comfortable silence.
Ten minutes passed before the limo had pulled up in front of a tall, white building. Almost immediately I recognized the place.
"Ichigo… isn't this Karakura's local hospital?"
The orange haired teen nodded, his knotted eyebrows threatening to withdraw itself from its usual position. Renji rubbed his shoulder—a thing he would do when he was confused.
"Why?"
"Would you shut up and wait, Rudolph? You're going to find out."
We entered the building. The atmosphere was quiet yet peaceful; nurses were patrolling the pastel colored corridors. I looked through door to door, each room wielding a patient with either their family or alone. I shuddered at the thought of losing your family; Ichigo had gone through that, so why was he still functioning?
"Kurosaki! It's been a while!"
I looked to the front to be greeted by a beautiful female with long emerald hair, almost instantly she gave off the exact same aura as Orihime.
"It's nice to see you too, Nel," Ichigo nodded at her, "how's everything?"
"Ah, it's been okay. Business here's been rather slow, but it's not like I mind or anything, it's better this way. You know, less people to suffer…"
"Yeah… Oh!" Ichigo turned to us and took a step to the side, "Nel, I'd like you to meet the people I'm staying with now. This is Rukia Kuchiki, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji the Pineapple."
"STRAWBE-"
I stepped on the tattooed man's foot, "Idiot! Don't you dare yell in a hospital!" I seethed, slapping him repeatedly over the head. The woman called Nel laughed, "It's alright, the patients could use some liveliness around here once in awhile." I smiled after giving Renji a deadly glare.
"So how old are you Nel?" Tōshirō asked.
"Oh, I'm seventeen turning eighteen this year!" she declared proudly, jabbing her thumb to her chest (which, surprisingly, was bigger than Rangiku and Orihime's.)
"I've been working as a nurse for quite awhile now, it's kind of a part time job to help pay for my rent. I live alone." She sighed, "Well, I better go, it was nice seeing you, Ichigo!" she smiled at him before bowing at the rest of us. I watched as she walked away, whistling a soulful tune as she did so.
"How do you know her, Kurosaki?" asked Byakuya, an eyebrow raised in mild curiosity.
"Oh, I used to hang out with her when I'd come by. She's really nice."
"She seems to be pretty into you," I teased, smiling as a small blush crept onto his face.
"No… she's just a friend."
"Ichigo's right, she's way too good for him."
And with that statement, Renji had to stop a nurse to ask for an ice pack to cool down the swelling eye that Ichigo had given him.
"Here we are."
I peered into the room that Ichigo had brought us into. It was small yet cozy, the curtains were drawn and a girl with raven hair was lying down on a bed. Her fringes were like curtains, they parted to show her pale skin. Her medium length satin like hair was pulled into a high ponytail. As Ichigo entered the room, she sat up, a smile plastered on her face.
"Hey, Ichigo!"
The teen smiled, his face softening slightly, "Guys, I'd like you to meet my sister, Karin Kurosaki." The girl looked behind her brother and jumped as she caught sight of us. Almost immediately she bowed, "Ah! Rukia, Tōshirō, Renji and Byakuya! It's so good to finally meet you! Ichigo's told me so much about you guys!" We returned the gesture as she sat up. I stared at her, she was very pretty, and in no way possible held any resemblance to Ichigo. 'She must have gotten her looks from her father,' I thought as I remembered the description Ichigo had given me of his dad. Her eyes travelled back and forth, they went rather quickly but I couldn't help but notice that it lasted a little longer on Tōshirō.
"Thank you for letting my idiot of a brother stay with you." She bowed once again, ignoring Ichigo's scowl.
"You are most welcome Karin; your brother has been the same idiot as before, if you must know."
"Rukia!"
"I like your sister, Ichigo, she speaks the truth."
"Renji, you better shut it or I'll-"
"Hm. I like this girl."
"BYAKUYA?"
Tōshirō raised an eyebrow at the girl on the bed, he eyed her with interest as he asked, "I heard you like to play soccer."
"Ahah... Yes, I do, though since I have now landed in this stupid state, I don't think I'll be able to actually walk ever again." She sneered, glaring at the television screen in front of her.
The room fell silent at this statement, from the corner of my eye I was able to see Ichigo's fist tighten slightly.
"Ichigo, stop blaming yourself for this," she mused, closing her eyes and lying back down onto her pillow, "what happened to me was nobody's fault. Stop blaming every single damn thing on yourself, I don't need your protection." She crossed her arms and turned her head towards the window, refusing to make eye contact with her older brother.
"Ah... you're right." Sighed Ichigo, rubbing his neck, "hey guys, I'm going down to the cafeteria, who wants to follow?" the three other men had decided to follow, and as the door closed behind them I was suddenly well aware of the fact that I was alone with Ichigo Kurosaki's younger sister.
"It's good to meet you, Karin." I started, hoping that I'd be able to strike up a non-awkward conversation.
"S-same to you, Rukia... can I call you that?" she asked, staring at her hands. I nodded and she went on.
"I'm a really big fan of yours," she muttered, a tinge of red spreading across her cheeks, "I like you a lot, mainly since you're one of the only singers these days that aren't whiny, sissy, annoying and too cute. You're... you're really cool." She finished, her eyes not meeting mine.
I smiled, "Thank you very much, I appreciate it."
"And you're letting my brother stay at your house! That's just amazing! Even if he was in the Yakuza." she laughed, running her fingers through her hair.
"You know about it?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Of course, he's my brother. I yelled at him about it at first, but... he was doing it for me..."
"Does... does Ichigo talk much... about the times before the accident?" she asked, I shook my head slowly, "No, he's not very comfortable with that topic."
"Figures."
She chuckled, her head buried in her hands. I stood there and listened closely, only to realize that the girl was now sobbing. I sat next to her as her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably, "I'm... I-I'm very grateful, Rukia. I'm happy that you took my brother in, it's the happiest I've seen him in... a-awhile." I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and whispered, "I'm happy too. Your brother's a great person, Karin, he really cares for you." I had heard that she was tough, so why was she breaking down like this?
"For... for the p-past two years... I've tried to put on a brave face; it's the only thing I could do to make Ichigo stop worrying about my freaking well being. He was suffering just as bad as me, but he focused all of his attention onto me, and it sucked so much when he stayed the nights here, because sometimes I'd wake up to see him with his head rested on my bed side, he was always dreaming of that day and he was always crying, he'd always be saying the same thing, "I couldn't save them." Every time. It was so damn stupid because Ichigo was the toughest bastard I knew. He never cried over anything, and seeing him do so made everything feel... wrong. It just didn't fit. At all. I'd have to be the adult sometimes and calm him down, which I'm horrible at, the one who would always calm his temper down was our mum, but she got killed, and I had to take on the damn role. I was only eleven, and it was too much for me to handle half the time. Now though... when he had first moved in with you guys, he came to visit. The minute he had entered those doors, I nearly died of a heart attack. Even though he had his usual stupid scowl, there was something about him which just seemed... so much happier. In the months to come, he was practically back to normal; Tough, loud, obnoxious and stupid. That was the Ichigo I knew, and you, Byakuya, Tōshirō and no matter how much he'll object, even Renji... made him so much happier. I just... I'm really grateful for that. I'm really..." I held her tight as her sobs deepened, and we sat quietly until she had calmed down. As soon as she did, she rubbed her eyes—her nose as red as a tomato.
"I needed that... thanks."
"You're welcome."
"Sorry for just... randomly crying like that. I haven't cried in awhile, and you're like the type of person who you can spill every dark secret you have and you won't judge me. I hope I didn't freak you out or anything."
"Of course not," I shook my head, "we're only human, we deserve to express our emotions every once in awhile."
The boys returned soon after, luckily for Karin, she had calmed down by then. We stayed for another few hours before it was time to bid farewell.
"You'll visit again?" she asked as we were near the door.
"Of course we will." said Tōshiro.
"See ya later, Karin." Ichigo waved and gave his sister a quick hug, we turned and left the hospital, Karin's words were still replaying in my mind.
"Ichigo was the toughest bastard I knew. He never cried over anything and seeing him do so made everything feel... wrong."
From the time that Ichigo had moved in, he never did cry. I'd seen Renji cry when his parents kicked him out of his home, I'd seen Byakuya cry when he had adopted me for the first time and I'd seen Tōshirō cry when he had found out that Aizen was abusing Momo. I'd seen the three men that I was living with cry more than once, but Ichigo hadn't, even when he told his tale to me. The stupid idiot had gotten in trouble so many times over the couple of months for starting a fight in school due to his hair color or cockiness, thanks to his skills in martial arts he'd always come out less injured than his opponents.
I turned to find Tōshirō staring at me, "You know, how you can think so much and not explode will always be a mystery to me."
"Very funny, Tōshirō. Anyways, I have a very strong feeling that Karin has a small crush on you." I smirked.
He raised an eyebrow. Amongst the four, Tōshirō was always the second least fun to tease behind Byakuya, he almost never reacted with embarrassment or anger, "Your eyes are in knotholes. I'd like to see you try saying that to Kurosaki."
"Are you trying to get me killed?"
"After that statement then yes, I think I do."
I rolled my eyes before turning to Renji and Ichigo who were now quarrelling over God knows what. I smiled, Tōshirō and I took a quick glance at each other before kicking the other two in the knees. They turned to us, utterly flabbergasted, and soon, the four of us began to yell at one another while Byakuya stood awkwardly in the background.
Yup, life was great.
I stumbled backstage and smoothened my outfit, I had just performed at my concert and much to my amazement, the crowd had begun to sing Happy Birthday to me. It was quite a delight. I walked to my dressing room to be greeted by Yumichika who sat with his legs folded on the sofa. He closed the magazine he was reading and looked up.
"So how was the concert?" he asked.
I grinned broadly—smiling so wide I thought my lips were going to crack. "The audience was awesome. They sang Happy Birthday."
"This just shows you how big of a fan base you have." He nodded, getting up and helping to remove my makeup.
"Well enough about me, how are things with you?" I asked, cringing slightly as he pulled the pins out of my hair—each coming off with a rather painful jerk.
"Hm? Me? I'm fine... Actually, I met someone."
I perked up at this, it wasn't everyday that Yumichika would find someone, "Are you serious?"
"Well, we're not dating or anything! In fact, I don't think he plays for the other team." He shrugged, now wiping the eye shadow off me.
"Oh... well he might! I mean, you'll never know! Don't be so negative, Yumichika!"
"Rukia, he loves violence, he loves sports, he flirts with girls and he drinks quite a lot."
"Oh." I frowned, "So why do you like him?"
"It's... it's hard to explain."
"Ah, so this is one of those 'I'm-confused-about-my-feelings-so-I'm-just-gonna-be-clueless-about-it-in-front-of-him' feelings?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
He walked back to my dresser, placing back the makeup case onto the table. "You know, it's really hard to find gay men here. Most are either too afraid to come out or are afraid of admitting they're not straight. It's quite frustrating, really. If you're gay, you're gay. That's one of the main reasons why I hate being one; you're just too scared to go on a simple date with your boyfriend because you're afraid you'll get beaten up by those street punks on the road." Yumichika sat on the stool while I sat with my legs crossed on the sofa.
"You know, I think the real reason why guys beat up gays is because they might be one themselves but they're too afraid to admit it." I stated, nodding at myself in agreement, "I mean, what's the point of beating up a homosexual? Is it because the sight disgusts you or is it because you're angry that you know that you want something like that but you're afraid what people will say about you so you take out your anger on them." Yumichika smiled.
"You're a very bright lady for your age."
"Thanks."
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and continued, "Anyways, if you really like this guy, then I guess you should try? Well, I don't know because I've never been in a situation like that before. What I do suggest is that you just be friends with him, since that's the only thing you can do right now."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Well, if you really are looking for a guy, then I could always introduce you to Ichigo." I deadpanned.
Yumichika led out a laugh, "Rukia, just because the guy's never had a girlfriend doesn't mean he's gay! Don't be so hard on the poor guy!"
"Nah, that's what we do. We tease each other."
Yumichika chuckled, shaking his head as he pulled his sling bag over his head, "Well, I better get going." He smiled before looking at the door; I turned to see Renji leaning against the door frame, a small smile on his face.
"You were great."
"Thank you."
Yumichika gave me a wink and walked out, leaving me and Renji alone in the room. "Happy birthday, Rukia." He gave me a swift kiss on the cheek and stretched his hand out. I smiled and slipped my hand into his, making our way out of the building.
"So, did you walk or drive here?" I asked, looking up at his tall frame.
"Walked. Tōshirō had to borrow the car and the limo was being used by Byakuya."
"Well," I smirked, hooking my arm around his, "you could do with a little exercise, you've gotten rather tubby."
"What! Are you serious? Have I rea- Rukia that isn't funny! You know how much I care about my weight!" he yelled as I began to laugh.
"Would you calm down? It was just a joke! You're really sensitive about your looks, goofy tattooed man." I chuckled as I playfully bumped into him.
"Fine, fine. Hey, did you know that Ichigo doesn't have a driving license?"
"Really? Well I can't say that I'm surprised, he didn't actually have time for that with his family's death and all."
"Mm. Do you think we should bring him for the test?" Renji asked, in the past couple of months, Renji and Ichigo's hate for each other subsided. They had become friends, though the two would still argue almost every day.
"Well, I don't know. We should ask him when we get back."
"Yeah..." we walked in silence, my eyes examining the atmosphere around us. "Where did Tōshirō and Byakuya go?"
"Tōshirō went to visit Karin while Byakuya went to some meeting." Renji answered, looking up at the clouds.
"Ah, so Tōshirō's finally gone to visit this week? I went on Tuesday."
"I went on Wednesday. You should hear some of the stories about Ichigo; he used to get into fights all the time in middle school. That explains why his head's so screwed up."
"I second that. Though I think he probably was dropped as a child."
"Oh, that too. I really like Karin though; she's a pretty cool kid. Strong too. She nearly beat me in arm wrestling the other day."
"Of course," I grinned, "she is related to Ichigo after all. Have you heard about their dad? He was one crazy lunatic."
"Of course I've heard of their dad, he sounded like one crazy assed father. I kind of wish though that my parents loved me like Ichigo's." He shrugged his shoulders. I kept silent, knowing well that his parents were a touchy subject. They were perfectionist, and it had gotten so torturous to the point that Renji practically transformed into a robot. It was all too much for him, so they got into a really big fight and they kicked him out of the house.
"Ah, we're home."
We turned into the gates, making our way around the fountain and into the mansion. "Wait... why's everything so dark?" I asked, noticing that most of the lights in the house were off. He smiled and clicked a switch; the lights in the living room turned on and every one of our friends were standing with a grin on their face.
"Surprise!"
I blinked, soon noticing the balloons and the huge, 'Happy Birthday Rukia!' sign hung behind them. "Wait... did you guys do all of this for me?" I asked, shocked but delighted.
"Of course!" yelled Renji, "Well, it was mostly me and all so-"
"Hey pineapple!" Ichigo called, "Come a little closer so I can smack you for taking all my credit!"
"Would you two shut up! It was my idea, the two oafs over there didn't even think of it at all." Tōshirō rolled his eyes, glaring at the two taller men.
"Rukia!" yelled Rangiku, throwing her arms around me, "you're... you're an adult! We can go drink sake together now!"
"Matsumoto, if you even try intoxicating my sister with that horrible liquid I will fire you as her manager."
I laughed as I was pulled into the crowd, nearly everyone was there. Ishida, Orihime, Hisagi, Tatsuki, Momo... nearly all our friends were present.
"You honestly didn't have to do all of this for me." I whispered to Tōshirō as soon as I had gotten a hold of him.
"Don't be stupid. You're turning eighteen; of course you deserve a party like this. You should thank Byakuya though, he bought all the decorations." He informed, I smiled as he passed me his present.
"Happy birthday, Rukia."
I opened the gift, inside was a bracelet with my name engraved onto it. I gasped, "Holy crap! How much was this?"
"I'm not telling."
I half heartedly rolled my eyes before giving him a hug, "I love it."
"You're welcome."
Byakuya soon approached me and passed me my gift, it was a new phone. I smiled and thanked him; he gave a curt nod and disappeared quickly into the crowd after wishing me. The next to tap my shoulder was Ichigo; I turned around as he held a wrapped present in his hand.
"Ah... Happy birthday, Rukia. Thanks... for everything." He muttered, his face slightly red.
I smirked at his shyness before taking the gift from his hands, as I un-wrapped it I had to use all my strength to not squeal.
"You got me a Chappy doll? These are hard to find! How did you-"
"Well... I sort of, you know, went looking. You know, nothing much."
I grinned, "Thank you so much, Ichigo!" He shook his head and gave a small cough.
"Don't mention it."
The night went on with laughter and cheers, it wasn't until Rangiku had stopped her ranting fest about the music industry that Renji pulled me away from the crowd. He dragged me into one of the many guest rooms and stopped.
"Happy birthday, Rukia."
"Ah, thank you, Renji."
He took a breath, his hands were behind his back, "I didn't know what to get you. You know, I don't think any present I could get you would be able to top off Byakuya's. Did you know he was going to buy you a new car? He didn't though, because everyone kept telling him that you'd go spoilt if he did so."
"Hah, that's nice."
"So I kind of... you know, went with my instincts and got you this." He withdrew a box from behind his hand; I took it from him slowly and opened the box. As soon as I did, I led out a huge gasp.
"You... you got me a promise ring?"
"Well, we've been dating for quite a while now haven't we? It was about time I did something before you lost interest!" he protested, his face rather bashful. I crossed my arms, "How much was this, Renji?"
"Oh my God, Rukia would you stop worrying about the price!"
"You're right," I sighed, "I'm sorry."
He waved at me and said to not apologize. I took out the ring and examined it, it was silver and the words, "Two hearts connected' were engraved onto it. I smirked, "Corny much?"
"Oi! Don't make me tell you how much it was!"
I chuckled before running towards him. I threw my arms around his neck and crashed my lips against his. We stood that way; our lips fiercely glued together, my arms around his neck and his hands on my hips, the two of us unaware of the commotion going on downstairs. It was perfect, the two of us together, there wasn't anyone else who I wanted to be with but with Renji. The moment was perfect, and I smiled through our kisses. It was again, too perfect for me to dream of.
Well of course; all perfect moments had to end at some point.
"SWEET BABY PENGUINS! WHAT THE FREAKIN' HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?"
I gritted my teeth, turning to the man at the door way.
"Ichigo Kurosaki..."
His jaw was dropped and his face was the deepest shade of red I had ever seen on a person, he was holding a camcorder in one hand. "MY GOD! THAT WAS LIKE... TWO ANIMALS ON THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC OR SOMETHING! AND I GOT EVERYTHING ON TAPE!" he pointed to the camcorder in his hands, another present that Byakuya had given me earlier.
"I'VE GOT TO SHOW THIS TO BYAKUYA! HOLY CRAP YOU TWO ARE SCREWED!"
"ICHIGO KUROSAKI, DON'T YOU DARE!" shrieked me and Renji.
Ichigo had already turned from the door, sprinting down the staircase with us hot on his heels.
Sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder how our street still stayed intact with the Kuchiki's and the three other boys living in it.
CHAPTER DONE. Woot! I'm so sorry for the slow updates! I've got end of the year exams coming up and I've been studying like crazy –laughs- Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed! My birthday's next Friday, I can't wait xD My mum's was today though. I made her breakfast in bed... I burnt the toast. It was awesome. Oh, and thank you for all your reviews! I have hit the 150 target! Please keep them coming! They're making me extremely happy! X3
SukiAmaya- YES THE LAST SONG. WHERE IS IT? XDDD SUNDAY HAS PASSED, IT'S STILL NOT HEREEE. xD I do that too when I read/ watch something emotional o.o Yes, Byakuya and Hisana are very emotional people ;_; I HATE YOU TOO FOR WRITING SO WELL XDDD ... NNOOOOOOOOO DON'T GIVE HIM MY NAME NNNNOOOOO.
CloudRed1988- ... O_O Please don't curse me. Actually, your review made me laugh xD
Eelgirl13- xD Yes... I'm so sorry –hides-. Anyways, yes! I tried to keep it interesting! It was really fun to write, (especially Hisana's character) yay! Thanks for liking it :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
xXmysterious-unknownXx- YEEESSSSS AND HOW ABOUT YOU RACHEL NG WEI KUCHIKI YING? BYAKUYA IS ANGRY AT YOU FOR NOT UPDATING REMEMBER ME. YESSS HISANA POV F. T. W. HAHAHA I'M STILL ALIVE RACHELLL!
AwesomeAnimeStarIchiRuki- :D Yay! I'm glad you liked it! xD Yes, humor is the best medicine. Sadness... meh. No way. It does give the story more interesting points though. Haha! Yes, that idea sort of came to me at the last moment, and as soon as I thought of it, I IMMEDIATELY WROTE IT LIKE A MAN WOMAN. Thanks though! I hope you enjoyed the chapter (:
Kicyslawa- Hello! Yes, I love that poem... It's so touching –sniffs- (; I'm glad you did! Yeah, it was pretty depressing to write haha. Yes they are definitely fun to write... (: Well you'll just have to wait and see ;D Ichigo's always getting into trouble, no? xDDD I'M SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME! THANK YOU :D
Crystal Amethyst- Wah! Hello! Yes... I'm sorry for the slow updaters DX School's been a pain in the ass. Ah! You better go update! I'm going to go check out your stories after I upload this chapter xD YES! I'M HAPPY YOU LIKED IT! Yes, Byakuya is such a softie when it comes to his family . He's cool that way. Haha! YES. Renji's lucky Byakuya can't use Bankai in this fic... –hugs back- thank you so much!
Anime-lover-2410- Thank you! Welcome, new reader! xD Yes... It is... I'm a very dramatic person... I watch too many drama programs... but thanks! I hope you liked the chapter!
Ke- Hello Khai Ern! :D IT IS HERE!
Amulet Misty- xDDDD hahaha, yes! I loved writing her personality! I was like, Woot! Go Hisana being a bad ass! Heh. Ichigo. He is such an idiot. Yes, GORY! GORY! I'm a sadist! Yes, that's how a Kuchiki goes down, they go down fighting! xDD Yes! Humor is always the best medicine!
Mightynickki- :D hahaha thank you! Yeah, I realized that I was being rather dramatic at times, so this chapter's a bit more on the fluffy side, thanks! I tried to make it as nice as possible! X3
CrestFallenFeline- :D YAY! I WILL STALK- ... I mean check out your profile. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! (:
Summer- WHOA YOU REVIEWED TWICE. Haha. I like you. You're very nice. xD Anyways, sorry if this chapter wasn't suspenseful! Hmm, you'll just have to wait, my dear friend (; Ah, that will be explained soon enough, Ichigo still has a few mysteries up his sleeve, thanks! Sorry for the late update! School and tuition have really been piling up on me -.- xD I AM SO HAPPY THAT I HAVE SUCH A DEVOTED FAN! PLEASE KEEP READING ;D :O YOU WORK? WHAT DO YOU WORK AS? I KNOW I'M BEING A STALKER BUT I'M CURIOS :OOO
R&R.
It will bring Ichimaru out of commission.
I'M IN DENIAL THAT HE IS DEAD BECAUSE HE IS NOT OKAY.