Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach
Chapter 12
The wind picked up with a howl like a wolf. The first crack of lightning made his father look much more ominous than usual. The rolling boom of thunder followed reluctantly with a rumble that found be felt through Daisuke's shoes. That was how powerful the storm was. The rain pounded on the roof and rolled down the back window like tears down a face.
Daisuke would never understand how his father was able to make himself so intimidating. Shigeo stood still like his was made of the marble on his walls. Piercing eyes judged and studied every feature on Daisuke's face.
"Daisuke, I'm glad you came by. We need to discuss your faults as a son of mine," Shigeo said in his dominant voice.
"Yes, we need to discuss our faults."
"Our?"
Daisuke kept his distance. His face was impassive. More emotion would only make his situation worse.
"I'm sorry for running out on the meeting yesterday, sir. My emotions got the better of me. It was wrong for me to hide my secret hobbies. I know that putting my needs before the needs of the family is selfish, insulting, and infantile. Will you forgive me, sir?," Daisuke finished with a smooth voice.
"You ask for forgiveness?"
"That is not all I came here for. You are also at fault, Dad. You have shown no interest in my life or my hobbies. I bet you don't even know my favorite color. I came here to tell you that I refuse to let you take music away from me. I am twenty-four-years-old, Dad. You don't own me. You can't just drop me off and forget about me because I'm a grown man."
Shigeo stood up and walked towards Daisuke with his face unchanging. Shigeo glared up at Daisuke with venom. Daisuke held his ground and glared back. The only thing to break their tension was the thunder outside.
"I am your father. Treat me with respect."
"Respect requires both parties. I'm sick of giving you respect if you won't give me an inch."
"Ah, respect, huh? Let me tell you a story about Keiji," Shigeo started, not moving a centimeter from his son. "Keiji was in your position several years ago. He had a peculiar hobby. He liked to paint, you know, those oil paintings or whatever."
"I don't remember that."
"Good. I told him to stop, and he continued. Since he didn't listen, I set all of his paintings on fire. He confronted me and said the exact same things you did. Eventually, he got over it and took on a new hobby. Now, Keiji is the top salesman in the company. Silly hobbies like music and art don't help in the real world," Shigeo finished in his booming voice.
"How could you do that to your own son?" Daisuke said in disbelief, his eyes failing his hard emotions.
"It was for his own good. Besides, Keiji is happy now."
"Who are you to decide what makes him happy or not?"
"His father and yours. Don't forget that you are my son. I can ruin your entire life in a second if you test me again," Shigeo spat while grabbing his son's collar.
Daisuke narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. Daisuke didn't understand why he had to be in a family like this one. His father didn't care one bit for his sons. It was truly torture.
"You may be my father by blood, but you've never been a father to me. I've had it with this family," Daisuke exclaimed in a loud voice, his temper finally peaking. "I wish I was never a part of this family!"
Shigeo howled and cackled, gripping his sides. "Without my money, you'd be nothing! You're lucky I'm not like my father. He would have beaten you down and broken your spirit. Out of all my sons, you are the most insane, Daisuke. Takeo seems normal compared to you and your ghost stories. All you are is a delusional waste of a son."
Daisuke didn't respond. His face darkened with a hateful stare. Daisuke wanted to punch his father in the cocky nose, but violence wouldn't solve any of his problems. Daisuke's white knuckles started to ache for release as he clenched even harder.
"It is in your best interest to give up that music dream of yours. I'll make you a deal, actually. I'm being generous since you like music so much. You can continue to play music, and I'll make sure that the Kurosaki family moves into a nice cardboard box after I take everything they own. You can always drop the music and your sweet Karin's family will be safe from me," Shigeo bargained with an evil smile.
Daisuke gasped. Shigeo gave him a knowing smile now that Daisuke proved his theory. Daisuke had no choice, he couldn't bare to let his father destroy that family.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on that family," Daisuke said in a threatening voice.
"So you're willing to stop playing music for the Kurosaki's? I'm surprised. I was hoping I would get the pleasure of taking them down. They are a huge patron of Soul Inc."
"Do you realize what you are doing? All of this is for stopping me. This has blown way out of proportions!"
"Well, I'm serious. I'll have people looking for you at concerts and practices, so don't try to disobey me," Shigeo told him while poking his shoulder with force.
"Shake on it."
"What, you don't trust me?"
"Shake on it!" Daisuke growled with his hand out.
Daisuke took Shigeo's rough hand and shook it tightly. No regrets. Daisuke was willing to do this for the Kurosaki's. They seemed too precious to be turned rotten by his father's evil hand.
"There, are you happy? Your childish interests are saved, but the music is gone. Perhaps you should try baseball again?" Shigeo seriously told his son.
Daisuke couldn't hold back anymore and nailed his father in the jaw. He didn't punch hard enough to break anything, but maybe a gross bruise. Daisuke's hand throbbed from the constant pressure of clenching his fists and then hitting his father's boney jaw.
Daisuke turned and left his father, while Shigeo shrieked in laughter like a madman. It was like he was begging Daisuke to hit him again. As the storm intensified, Daisuke's raging hatred for his father only grew.
The heavy pitter-patter of rain on her umbrella started to worry Yuzu. She was almost home, she thought. Honestly, Yuzu couldn't tell because the rain made vision difficult. The rain was freezing cold. Even the mist coming from the raindrops gave Yuzu a shiver.
She was out because they had run out of butter. She was planning on making a cake for Kaito because his birthday was coming up. She was trying a new recipe, so she wanted to practice. Yuzu didn't really want to go out in the storm, but she wanted to go during her break.
"Hey there," called a gruff voice as she passed a foreclosed building.
Yuzu turned to see a soaked-to-the-bone man leaning against the brick wall. His expression was unreadable because of the rain. Yuzu knew this was trouble, so she promptly turned and stormed off. That would have worked if another man hadn't blocked her.
"Where do you think you're going?" the brassy toned man teased.
"Excuse me, I'd like to get home," Yuzu said in her most assertive tone.
Yuzu started to pass the man, but he grabbed the frilly umbrella and tossed it on the ground. Yuzu gave a weak glare and picked up the umbrella cautiously. It was all in vain because Yuzu was already uncomfortably wet from the pounding rain.
"We can take you home," said the gruff man while placing a hand on her shoulder. "Cutie."
Yuzu, having enough, stiffened and smacked his hand off her shoulder. The gruff man daintily retreated his hand and gave a low chuckle.
"You should learn some manners," Yuzu growled.
"Manners? Aw… She thinks we're the type of men that have dignity," the brassy man called to his friend while grabbing a hold of Yuzu's wet hair.
She gripped his wrist and tried to break his hold on her hair, but it was no use. Yuzu started to get scared as the other man grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away from the sidewalk. She had heard about them on the news. They liked the harass women on the street. They must have thought that the storm was a perfect cover.
The door next to them swung open wildly. "What do you think you're doing!?" shouted Hajime.
Yuzu took a sigh of relief as the men stopped dragging her away. This wasn't Kibe Bakery, though. How come Hajime just happened to be at the right place at the right time?
"None of your business, beanstalk," the brassy guy mocked.
Hajime boldly took a step forward and ripped their hands off of Yuzu. It hurt her when Hajime jerked their hands off, but that was nothing compared to what could have been. The one guy still gripped Yuzu's hair tightly. Hajime punched the guy quickly in the stomach to make him let go.
Once she was free, she scrambled to pick up the butter that had fallen, but Hajime pushed her away, physically telling her to run home.
"Damn you…" one grumbled.
"You aren't great criminals if a beanstalk like me can easily fend you off," Hajime taunted to keep their attention on him as Yuzu ran. "Seriously, what idiots think that a storm would cover your crimes."
"That's it!" the brass guy shouted once he recovered from the surprise punch.
He grabbed Hajime by the throat and slammed him against the brick. Hajime had no experience in fighting, so he thought it would be best to have them waste time on him. Hajime had called the police once he saw them. Now, it was a matter of keeping them here for a little longer.
The brassy guy pulled back his fist and punched Hajime hard in the face. Hajime felt a crack as the fist nailed him in the nose. Automatically, a burning pain spread to Hajime's nose. It felt warm and wet. It was probably wet because blood started to ooze messily down to his chin and stained his shirt.
Hajime closed his eyes in recoil. He wasn't going to cry, but his eyes watered with the pain. Hajime grit his teeth to keep from crying out, but clamping his mouth made it hard to breathe.
"Ha! Look at that! You gave him a bloody nose already. Just kick his ass already, damn it!" the gruff man shouted in glee.
"In time… I just want to watch his pained face a little longer," the brassy man said in a low voice.
"Sicko," Hajime managed to sputter. He gathered some of the blood in his mouth and spit it at the brassy man.
The brassy man took a step back as he frantically wiped the blood from his face. Hajime kicked his feet out from under him and let the brassy man knock his head into the pavement. The gruff man pulled out a switchblade and stepped towards Hajime.
"You're lucky that my partner is weak. I'm not a pushover like him."
Hajime needed the police to arrive now. That man looked like he wasn't afraid to stab Hajime if he wanted to.
The gruff man threw the blade at Hajime. Hajime was able to dodge the blade coming for his face barely. Those big ears of his had to suffer. It was only a knick, but his right ear started to bleed as the blade passed by. The man charged forward to grab the blade from the wall and slammed Hajime into the wall, effectively knocking the wind from Hajime's chest.
His nose throbbed painfully. The man pulled the knife from the brick and pointed it at Hajime. He pressed the side of the cold blade to Hajime's cheek.
"I not going to kill you, but I'm going to ruff you up a bit."
Hajime groaned as the cold blade drew blood on his cheek. Hajime struggled but the blood loss from his nose gave him a pounding headache. The fuzziness in his head made focusing difficult.
The man heard the sirens and started to run for it. Hajime grabbed him by the wrist and stopped him in his tracks. Hajime felt an uncomfortable crack in his stiff shoulder as the force caused his arm to pull.
"Let go!" the man frantically shouted while beating on Hajime's arm.
Hajime's grip only tightened as the man nervously slammed his free hand. The cold rain was actually helpful in this situation, for his arm became numb. The pain no longer bothered him. The only thing that was bothersome was the cracking of his fingers from the pressure.
His fingers couldn't bear another second as they ripped painfully from the man's wrist. The man took off, leaving his partner behind, but a policeman dashed forward to tackle him down. He struggled, but a gun pressed to his head was able to convince him to stop.
Hajime stumbled back and leaned on the wall, clutching his left arm protectively. His eyes were glued to Yuzu's umbrella which was filled with rainwater. An officer came by and dragged the unconscious man into his vehicle.
"You were the one who called right?" asked an officer with a huge nose and small eyes.
"Yeah," Hajime sputtered, getting the water from his lips. "Those men were attacking a young lady, so I tried to stop them."
"Thank you, sir. Your bravery is greatly appreciated. By the way, let us take you to a hospital. You look terrible."
Hajime grunted as he lifted his body from the wall. "Please, don't worry about me."
"I really think it is smart to go to the hospital. That nose doesn't look so good," the officer begged.
Hajime wobbled and grabbed Yuzu's umbrella and dumped the water out. "I think I'll survive. Plus, I need to return this umbrella to its owner."
Yuzu was still shivering even though she had changed clothes and was wrapped in a warm blanket. Her family surrounded her with worried looks on their faces. They had already gotten the story from Yuzu. They were all worried, but Ichigo was the most bothered by the information.
"You should have taken lessons from Tatsuki. Even Chad would have taught you a few defensive moves. That's all you need, really," Ichigo mumbled.
Isshin was clinging to Yuzu as if she would disappear if he let go. "Oh, Yuzu, Daddy's so sorry. I should have been with you," he whined.
"Dad," Karin groaned. "I think you're suffocating her."
"Karin, you're so cold!" Isshin cried.
"Ichigo," Rukia said while placing a hand on his shoulder. "We should go look for Hajime."
Asuka slowly stepped towards Rukia, hugging Rukia's leg. Her big violet eyes were slightly glossy. "Mommy, is Auntie Yuzu okay?"
Rukia and Ichigo both smiled softly at their daughter. Rukia placed a hand on Asuka's head and brushed the silky strands with her fingers. "Don't worry, Asuka. She's just fine," Rukia said kindly.
"Yeah," Yuzu croaked. "I'm fine."
"Asuka, why don't we go and play? I'm sure Kaito could use a good scare," Ichigo said while grabbing Asuka's hand, which earned a naughty smile from Asuka as she giggled and dragged Ichigo upstairs.
Yuzu's face remained unchanged. She was worried sick about Hajime. It had been a long while since she felt such an uncontrollable anxiety. It was back when Ichigo was reckless and left home for long periods of time to fight enemies. She was able to hide it much better back then, although Karin had always been the master.
All was quiet until the door slowly opened. A weak Hajime walked in with Yuzu's umbrella lazily placed on his shoulder. His left arm laid limp. His shirt's collar was bloodied from his nose and the cut on his ear. Hajime's hair was flat against his head.
"Hajime, come here right now!" Isshin exclaimed while letting go of Yuzu. "We need to treat you."
"Thank goodness, you're okay," Rukia sighed.
"I just can by to bring back Yuzu's umbrella. Please, don't worry about me. I'm just going to head home and rest," Hajime told them.
Karin walked up to him and dragged him away by his right arm. "Like hell you are. Your nose is definitely broken, so don't be an idiot and pretend like it doesn't hurt. Are you trying to show off in front of my sister?"
Hajime gave no comment. He simply walked over and gave Yuzu her umbrella. They looked at each other for a solid two seconds until Yuzu shifted away.
Hajime started to walk away, but Isshin guarded the door. "No, this is a clinic and it is our job to help you."
"I can't afford it," Hajime said weakly.
"Then, it's free."
"No, I can't accept that."
Isshin chuckled warmly. "Too bad. You don't have a choice."
Hajime's shoulder slumped in defeat as he hobbled towards an open room. Isshin followed him but looked back at Yuzu, asking if she wanted to come. Her blank expression answered him, and Karin decided to help instead.
"So," Rukia drew out. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"Oh, got it. Worried."
"Huh? How'd…"
"I lived with Byakuya after all. It's not like my brother wore his heart on his sleeve. I had to learn how to pick up on things like that. Plus, you know Ichigo. He likes to play tough guy all the time."
Yuzu giggled softly at the last comment. "I should have known better, Rukia."
Rukia poked Yuzu on the cheek. "Don't hide away, okay? It doesn't help to run."
Yuzu understood exactly what Rukia was trying to tell her. Feigning innocence wasn't going to make anything go away.
Yuzu stood up and smiled her usual smile. "Gee, you're full of wisdom."
"Hey, I've been around for a while."
She walked up to the room where they were treating Hajime and stepped right in. Karin had finished up the bandage with ice on his right forearm, a treatment for bone bruises. Isshin and Karin simply looked at each other.
"C-Can I talk to him for a little?" Yuzu tried to say bravely.
"Uh, sure," Karin awkwardly said while standing and leaving the room with her father following close by.
Yuzu stepped closer and sat next to a soaked and shaking Hajime. Hajime didn't even turn to look at her. He only slumped and stared at the ground.
"So, uh, what were you doing at that abandoned property?"
"I was looking because Granny and I aren't making enough money to pay rent at the current place."
Yuzu felt bad for asking. Now, they both looked at the ground, not daring to glance at the other.
"It looks like that break is minor. You won't need realignment," Yuzu said out of the blue.
"Yeah."
"And that cut on your ear, it should only be a small scar."
"Uh-huh."
"That bone bruise is going to be a hassle, but that cut on your cheek should heal just fine."
Yuzu grabbed the unopened band-aid that Karin left out and applied it to Hajime's chilled cheek.
"Thank you. Seriously, you are always there for me, Hajime," Yuzu said softly. "It's my fault you got hurt."
"I wanted to protect you, so it was worth it."
The corners of Yuzu's lips turned slightly at that last comment. She placed one of her warm hands on the other side of Hajime's head. She felt his cheek twitch as she pressed her lips on the skin right above the band-aid.
"D-Does it feel any better?" Yuzu said sheepishly with a slight blush.
"Y-Yeah…"
Hey
I updated once again. So, tell me, what do you think of Shigeo Nakatani? I'm wondering because I hope I am giving the right signals from him.
Also, you might be wondering, "Why is Daisuke losing his mind over the fact that jazz is being taken away?" The answer is that jazz is the only thing that makes Daisuke feel unique since he is currently living a life that is highly oppressive.
Peace ᕕ(꘠ヮ꘠)ᕗ
