Okay, so I'm back! :D I know it's only been a few days, but I feel like I haven't written in forever! I keep making plans for this story and then forgetting them, only to remember in less detail, ha ha. But I have a basic idea of what I want to do, and I hope I do it justice!

Anyway, I'll just get on with it. Chapter 14!

-:-

Rukia and I stayed in place on the couch, ignoring the TV and just talking. She asked me a lot of questions about my family and my life before I had Saki. She questioned me about my high school and began asking about girlfriends prior to Maiko when Hisagi came into the room, a serious expression on his face.

"Hey, Rukia, can you come here for a second," he said, gesturing to the cell phone in his hand.

"What? Who is it?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"…Just come here," he persisted, glancing at me before looking back at her.

"What?" she asked again, looking at me, noticing my confused expression. "Why can't he know?"

Sighing, Hisagi tried to get her to just listen again, but she wouldn't have it. "Just tell me who it is, or I'm not going anywhere," she demanded, a glare now crossing her features.

"It's Kaien!" Hisagi retorted, his expression hardening as well.

Surprise and what appeared to be worry crossed her face, quickly being replaced with annoyance. "What does he want?" Her voice was full of hate and anger.

"He wants to talk to you, come here," Hisagi stated, putting the phone to his ear again and saying, "Yeah, that was her…Who was…? Oh, I'll let her talk to you about that…just hold on! You're lucky I even told her…" Again, he turned to Rukia. "You coming?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared up at him while seeming to think it over. "I suppose, although he doesn't deserve it," she answered, causing Hisagi to nod. Standing she turned to me, leaning closer and kissing me quickly, surprising both me and Hisagi. "I'll be right back," she said, smiling down at me.

"Nice," Hisagi said, grinning back at us and holding his cell phone back to his ear. "Wha-…oh, uh…you'll just have to wait and see if she tells you about it," he answered, escorting Rukia into the guest room we had shared the night before, shutting the door.

Looking after them for a second, I thought about my options and stood. Without any more hesitation, I headed toward the closed door and pressed my ear against it; thankful that they had put Rukia's ex on speaker.

"What do you want, Kaien?" Rukia demanded, her voice dripping with venom.

"I just…," I heard his voice, beginning his explanation. "I was wondering…, how have you been?"

"Me, oh, I've been great. After you left me, I realized just how unhappy I was in the first place. I am stuck with my horrible job, but at least I can support myself and do what I've always wanted. I can finally move to Tokyo without worrying about what someone thinks about it," she answered, bitterness filling her tone.

"Oh,…well…I'm glad," he said, causing my glare to deepen.

"Oh, I bet," Rukia said with a laugh. "And by the way, when were planning on telling me about Kyoko? Do you think it's not my business? Because it definitely is."

"Rukia, I wasn't trying to keep it from you. I just…I wasn't sure when it would be a good time to tell you. I wasn't ready to talk to you again," he said, causing her to laugh once again.

"But now is? Why? Why do you want to talk to me now?

"Because…I miss you…and I was wondering if you wanted to-," she interrupted him immediately.

"Well, I guess that's just too bad for you," she said, a smile now in her voice. "Because I'm dating someone and there's no way in hell I'm going to jeopardize it so we can see each other, even if it is just a 'friendly visit'."

"Oh…well, good…I'm happy for you," he said, trying to sound happy it seemed. "But it doesn't matter, Rukia. I just want to see you again. Bring him along, I don't mind."

"You're out of your fucking mind," she said, humor in her voice again. "He knows a lot about you, and I don't think he wants to see you either. But who knows, maybe I'm wrong. Either way, I don't want to see you, so that's that."

"Please," he began, his voice softer now. "Please, Ru. Just…let me come see you sometime."

She sighed and when she answered she seemed to be hinting at pity. "Look, I don't want to mess this up. And you'll definitely be a complication. So, I'm sorry, but no."

"Rukia, I just want-," his voice was cut off as I heard my name being called.

"Ichigo, where are you?"

Turning toward the familiar, feminine voice, I shushed her quietly, causing her to cock an eyebrow when I came into view.

"Ichigo, what are you doing?" Mina asked in a hushed tone, stepping closer to me and hearing the voices on the other side of the door. "Are you eavesdropping?" she question, surprise crossing her expression.

"Shh," I responded, grabbing her arm carefully and pulling her away from the door.

"Who are you listening to?" she asked, a frown now on her face.

"Rukia's ex-husband called her and I…wanted to know what he was talking to her about," I answered, diverting my gaze from her when she smiled knowingly.

"Well, why do you care?" she asked, causing me to sigh loudly.

"Because, we're together, now you can stop that," I answered quickly, her smile widening.

"You are-!" she began, causing me to press a hand to her mouth.

"Shh!"

"Okay, well, I'll talk to you later than," I heard Rukia say, frustration clear in her tone. "Bye."

Hearing her approach the door, I quickly and carefully pulled Mina to the couch, sitting and pulling her down next to me. Rukia and Hisagi emerged from the guest room and took their place in front of us, Rukia cocking a brow.

"Hey, Mina," she said, smiling down at her. "What do you need? Weren't you resting downstairs?"

Grinning up at Rukia, she nodded. "Yeah, I was. I was trying to find you. Where did you put Michiru's bathing suit and your dress? We're doing a load of laundry."

"First of all, why are you doing anything?" Rukia asked, a serious expression on her face again. "And secondly, they're in the bathroom downstairs."

"Okay, thanks," she answered, looking up at me, obviously wanting to know what had happened with Rukia's ex. Instead of intruding, she just nodded and retreated, Hisagi following and grabbing her arm to help support her down the stairs.

"What was that?" I asked, trying to seem clueless.

"That was…stupid. And I'm really sorry to ask you this," she began, scratching the back of her neck nervously. "But, would you mind if I had lunch with Kaien sometime after we get out of the traffic?"

Her question shocked me; I couldn't believe that she had agreed after sounding so pissed off. I guess my expression gave away my surprise.

A frown crossing her features, she stepped closer to me and grabbed my hand. "I won't if you don't want me to. But he said you can come too, and I was hoping that you would…"

I knew that she must have a reason for agreeing and I knew that she didn't want to see him alone, so I agreed. "Yeah, that's fine. I don't mind."

Her eyes widened noticeably. "Are you…sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm just surprised that you agreed to see him; you seem to still be pretty angry at him. Which is completely understandable."

Her surprised expression fell into an upset one as she nodded and averted her gaze from mine. "Yeah, I just…I don't know…I let him talk me into it, I should have just told him no and hung up…" Her frown deepened as tears began to fill her eyes.

Surprised and concerned by her reaction, I pulled her closer by the hand and wrapped my arms around her. She wasn't quite as tall as I was while sitting, her head resting on my shoulder as she began to cry quietly. "Rukia, what's the matter?" I asked, running my hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her.

"I'm sorry," she said through her sobs. "That was just too much. Hearing his voice just…brought back too many memories. I'm sorry, I'm being ridiculous."

"No, you're not. Don't apologize," I said, pulling her closer as she just shook her head and wrapped her arms around my neck tightly.

After a few minutes she seemed to calm down, pulling away from me to wipe her eyes. Without another thought I pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, realizing how I was treating Rukia like a child. She seemed to notice and smiled, not finding it as strange as I had apparently. Pulling me closer again, she kissed my cheek before hugging onto me a second time.

"Thank you," she said, pulling away from me again. She took her place next to me on the couch and grabbed my hand, scooting closer to me. Seeming to want to brush the subject of Kaien away for now, she started asking me more questions as her voice started to give away her exhaustion. Laying her head on my shoulder, she began to drift to sleep. I watched some TV for a while until I heard Rukia's quiet snores.

Glancing down at her, I noted that she had finally fallen asleep. After turning the TV off, I carefully picked her up, careful not to wake her and headed toward the guest room, opening the door and heading toward the bed, keeping the lights off. After I reached the bed, I pulled back the comforter and laid her down. She tried to keep her grip on me but after I began standing upright, her fingers slid from my neck and my T-shirt, her arms falling to her sides.

After closing the door, I pulled the blanket back on my side and laid down, Rukia curling up to me immediately. Like the night before, I fell asleep within minutes.

-:-

The next morning I woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door before it creaked open. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw Mina's face hovering over mine, a large smile on her face.

"Aren't you two awake yet?" she asked, her smile growing as I tried to sit up and put some distance between us.

"Now we are," I heard Rukia's small, tired voice say as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. She still had an arm wrapped around my waist as I sat up, causing Mina's smile to widen even more.

"Come on, Renji made breakfast, come eat," she demanded although she sat on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Renji made breakfast?" Rukia asked, her nose wrinkling at the thought, causing a small smile to cross my own features.

"Yeah, don't sound so surprised," Mina said, laughing quietly. "Firemen take turns cooking when they're on duty, so he's had plenty of experience. He's great."

"Ah," she responded, a more serious expression crossing her features. "How are you two, anyway? How did your little talk go?"

"Oh, it was fine. I felt pretty bad for getting so mad, he's just…really anxious. And I know that's not an excuse for being so stupid, but…he apologized and I don't think we're going to have any more problems," she answered, causing Rukia to smile also.

"Good," she stated, releasing her grip on me and standing from the bed. "I'm glad. Do you think he'll have any more problems with drinking?"

"No, he should be fine," Mina answered, attempting to stand. When I noticed she was having trouble, I stood quickly on the side she was sitting on and helped her up. "Thanks," she mumbled, smiling up at me.

"I'm going to get dressed, I'll be right there," Rukia said, grabbing the clothes Michiru had left her for the day.

"Alright, hurry," Mina said, grabbing my arm and leading me down the stairs. "How are you two doing?" she asked, smiling up at me.

Rolling my eyes slightly, I answered, "We're fine. We just decided to date last night, so nothing's new."

She nodded, her smile growing as we entered the kitchen. Rukia came down a few minutes later dressed in jeans and a purple T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a small ponytail.

"Mornin' Ruk," Hisagi said, smiling up at her as she entered the kitchen.

She smiled tiredly and nodded. "Good morning," she said, taking a seat next to me.

We finished breakfast quickly, Rukia and I clearing the table and rinsing the dishes as Mina, Renji, and Hisagi sat in the living room. After finishing with the dishes, Rukia decided to swim again and asked me to sit outside with her. I agreed and waited for her to get dressed, retrieving a towel for her.

The other three decided to stay inside so Rukia and I went out. She jumped in right away and I sat along the edge as she emerged from the water. She swam to the edge next to me, resting her arms along it while looking up at me. She didn't seem as excited this time, content with staying in place.

After a few silent moments, I decided to ask about a topic we hadn't talked about in a while, hoping she wouldn't be hesitant to talk about it. "Rukia?" I asked, causing her to look up at me.

"Hm?"

"What were the rumors going around that caused you and Kaien to break up?"

Her expression fell noticeably, making me nervous. She nodded suddenly and said," I guess I should have expected that…"

"You don't have to tell me," I said quickly, feeling guilty immediately.

"No, I don't mind, I just wasn't expecting it," she answered, sighing quietly. "There were these kids, these two boys to be more specific that I always thought were really nice. They had helped me when I dropped my groceries all over the front lawn once; they seemed harmless. Well," she continued, rolling her eyes at the memory. "One day I got home from picking Kyoko up from school. Kaien was still at work and Kyoko went inside to do her homework right away. I was getting some things from the car and they approached me."

Again, she sighed and pushed some hair out of her face. "Well, I thought they were going to help me or just wanted to talk. I welcomed them happily; they weren't older than twelve, but I'm pretty convinced that they were ten. After I sat some things down, I turned back to find them glancing at each other. Confused, I started to ask them what they were doing, but they just stepped closer and started talking about how they knew I was 'interested' in them."

"What?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know, right? Anyway, they just got closer and closer and one of them tried to kiss me; it was the most awkward thing I've ever experienced. After I pushed them away and told them they took my kindness the wrong way, they started telling everyone that I tried to get them to sleep with me. Their parents called and told me they'd call the cops if I ever spoke to their kids again. Kaien found out soon after that and that's when all of our problems began." As she finished her story she pulled herself out of the pool and looked up at me. "And now you know," she said with a smile.

"That's just…ridiculous," I said, unable to believe that her ex-husband would ever leave her for something so stupid.

"Yeah, I know. But the whole situation made me realize what an ass Kaien really is, so in a weird way, I'm kind of glad it happened," she stated, her smile growing.

Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I pulled her closer, causing her to smile.

"You're getting soaked, stop," she said, pulling away from me.

My smile widening, I pulled her back again, shrugging. "Oh well."

Rolling her eyes, she laid her head on my shoulder. "Now I guess you understand why I am so bitter towards Kaien. He knew it was a lie and so did everyone else, but it made him look bad. So he did what was easiest for him; he left. Well, actually, he kicked me out, but you know what I mean. And I've never really been able to forgive him for that…"

Pulling her closer, I said, "Oh well, it's his loss. The bastard doesn't deserve you anyway."

She laughed and looked up at me. "Thanks," she said, earning a nod. "Well, I told you all that…why don't you tell me exactly what happened between you and Maiko that really messed things up."

"What do you mean?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow slightly.

"I mean," she began, sitting up and slightly pulling away from me so she could turn her body toward me. "What happened between you two that was so bad that you never wanted to date again. Was it really just the drugs and the way she treated Saki? Not that that's not a good enough excuse, but I'm just curious."

I shrugged, trying to remember what she did that really had made me set against dating. I knew that the fact that she abused our daughter was a huge reason for that decision, but there was bound to be more. "I'm not really sure," I began, running a hand through my hair absently. "I guess…it was just the fact that she was my first girlfriend and we were pretty serious. I trusted her way too much and I tried to ignore her obvious flaws. When I found out she was using drugs while pregnant with Saki, I just completely stopped trusting anyone. I focused on just taking care of Saki and that was all; I sort of forgot about a lot of other things."

"Wait a minute," Rukia interrupted, a confused expression on her face.

"What?" I asked.

"Maiko was your first and only girlfriend?"

Laughing quietly I nodded. "Yeah."

"But why?" she asked, leaning her elbows on her legs while resting her head in her hands.

"What do you mean?"

"Why? Were you just not…interested during high school? Or were they not interested in you?" she asked, a smile crossing her features.

"Oh, well, the girls at my high school were all the same. They bored me, honestly. I didn't care for them, but a few seemed interested in me I guess. At least that's what my friends would tell me, but I never paid any attention to them. I guess you could say I cared more about my grades than my social life."

She laughed at this. "What a strange teenage boy," she said, causing me to roll my eyes.

"What about you? How many guys have you dated?"

She smiled before looking away. "Well, you have to remember that I'm three years older than you and I was more social than you during high school. So, it's definitely more than one." Her smile grew as she looked back at me, thinking it over. "I had…four boyfriends in high school. And I dated the fourth one a year after high school before we finally broke up. Then I dated a guy I met at work; that only lasted a few months. Then I met Kaien, and now I'm with you, so…seven in total. Not that many."

"If you say so," I said, smiling back at her.

Rolling her eyes while maintaining her smile, she continued. "It makes more sense why you were so unsure about dating me. It would be pretty hard if you've only dated once before this. Anyway, what else did Maiko do?"

"Well…she lied a lot. When we did have split custody and I would drop Saki off, I would ask her if they had enough food or whatever. She was too prideful to let me know that she had no money and Saki would go a weekend with barley anything to eat."

"Are you serious?" Rukia asked, her brows pulling together slightly.

"Yup. And she always lied about her drugs, of course. She would look fine when I got to her house and she'd reassure me over and over that she was clean. When I'd come back to pick Saki up, she'd be high and not even know where Saki was," I answered, noticing the full glare that crossed her features.

"What a…bitch," she said, causing me to laugh slightly.

"Exactly."

"Well, haven't you seen any women that have caught your eye since everything that happened with Maiko? Anyone you thought you might be interested in?" she persisted, her scowl leaving her face as fast as it appeared.

"Well, yeah. Just because I didn't want to date doesn't mean I didn't notice anyone. When I first saw you, I thought you were pretty cute, but I thought you were a bitch too," I answered, causing her smile to widen.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, shrugging. "But I guess I deserve it; I was pretty bitchy to you at first."

"Eh, I wasn't very friendly either."

She shrugged again, scooting closer to me. Seeming done with the water, Rukia grabbed the towel I had gotten for her and pulled it around her shoulders, sitting next to me again and laying her head on my shoulder. After a moment of silence we heard the gate to the pool open loudly, turning to see Kon standing in the doorway, smiling down at us.

"Hey, Kon," Rukia said, smiling back at him. "You're here to clean the pool again?" she asked, surprise clear in her tone.

"No, actually, I came to see Michiru. I didn't realize you guys would still be here," he said, looking behind him, his smile widening. "Come on," he said, pulling the small woman into view.

"Oh, who's this?" Rukia asked, grabbing my hand while leaning around me to see better.

"This is my girlfriend, Kisa. She's a little shy," he said with a laugh. Pulling her closer, he continued. "That's Ichigo and Rukia, they're friends of Michiru."

The woman held a hand up, avoiding eye contact with either of us. She was short, probably Rukia's height, if not even shorter. She had long blonde hair that laid flatly down her back and ending at her hips. Her eyes were huge, yellow and gray orbs slightly hidden by her long bangs.

"Hey, Kisa," Rukia said, smiling up at her and standing, still holding onto my hand. Tugging on my hand, I stood also and we approached the couple, seeming to make the small woman shift nervously.

Rukia held a hand out to the woman saying, "It's nice to meet you."

She looked at Rukia quickly and placed her hesitant hand in Rukia's. I held my own hand out to her, causing her to flinch away noticeably. Kon placed a hand on her shoulder and slightly pushed her closer to me. "It's alright, go ahead."

Without another word she held her hand out to me blindly, looking down at her feet. I took it carefully, curious and a little concerned as to why she seemed so afraid of me. "It's nice meeting you, Kisa," I said, unable to help the slight frown that crossed my features when she only nodded and pulled away from me quickly.

Kon laughed and pulled her closer again. "I told you she's shy. Anyway, I'm going inside. How long should it be until Michiru gets here?"

"Uh, a few hours at least," I answered.

"Oh…okay, no big deal," he said, heading inside.

"We're coming too," Rukia said when he started to shut the door after Kisa entered the kitchen. He nodded and left it open as Rukia pulled the towel closer and grabbed my hand again, dragging me inside.

She went upstairs to change while I joined the rest in the living room. Kon had just finished introducing Kisa to everyone and was pulling her around, forcing her to at least shake their hands. She seemed okay with Hisagi and Mina, but when Kon placed her in front of Renji she pulled away from Kon and took a few steps away from them.

Cocking an eyebrow, Renji said, "What's the matter?"

"I think she's afraid of bigger guys; bad experiences and stuff-"

"Shut up, Kon," she said, glaring up at him.

Renji laughed and turned his attention back to Kisa. "I won't hurt you, promise."

"Shut up," she repeated, this time to Renji himself, only causing him to laugh louder.

Reaching over, he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, shaking her hand before she pulled it away. "Don't touch me!" she yelled, causing his smile to fall immediately.

"Whoa, I'm sorry. I was just messing with you," he said, glancing at Kon before looking back at her.

She pushed some hair out of her face, avoiding his gaze before answering, "It's fine," in a low voice. "I'll…be right back," she said to Kon before heading down the hallway and entering Michiru's room, closing the door behind her.

"Is she alright?" Renji asked, obviously concerned.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. She's just kind of…nervous around people she doesn't know. I think she's sort of mad at me too, for making her wait so long to see Michiru," he answered, still smiling. "Really, don't worry about her. She'll be alright."

He nodded, leaning back against the couch again. Rukia came down the stairs and stood next to me, glancing around at everyone. Hisagi smiled up at her and elbowed Mina while saying, "Mina here told us that you two are dating now."

Rukia returned the gesture while rolling her eyes. "Yeah, and?"

"Well, when were you going to tell us?" he continued, raising an eyebrow at her while his smile grew.

"I don't know, I mean, it's really not your business," she stated, causing him to laugh.

"Whatever," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "We all knew anyway; you two are pretty obvious."

"I guess. Kind of like how obvious and desperate you were with Michiru?" she asked, smirking up at him.

"Ouch, low blow, Kuchiki," he said, grinning back at her.

"Well, you know-," she began, her cell phone interrupting her loudly. "Hold on." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed a button before holding it up to her ear. "Hello?"

Her brows came together as she glanced at me. "Yeah, okay, one second." She held the phone out to me, saying, "It's your dad."

Confused, I grabbed the phone from her and held it to my ear, hearing his voice immediately. "Son, you need to get over here, now." His voice seemed angry and worried, concerning me.

"Why? What's going on?" I asked, noticing everyone watching me curiously.

"Because, Maiko's here and she's trying to take Saki. You need to get here and get her out of my house!" I could hear more of the anger in his tone.

"I have no way of getting there, Michiru's at work-," I began, Kon interrupting me.

"Michiru has another car in the garage. Or you can use mine," he said, seeming to understand the seriousness of the situation.

"You just better get over here and soon. She's demanding to see you, so hurry up." With that Dad hung up, causing me to end the call and hand Rukia her phone back.

"Can I use her other car, Kon?" I asked, causing him to nod.

"Yeah, I'll go get the key," he said, heading back toward Michiru's bedroom.

"What's going on, Ichigo?" Mina asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Saki's mother's at my dad's house; she's trying to take Saki home with her," I said, slipping my shoes on quickly.

"Don't you have full custody of her?" Hisagi asked, a serious expression now on his face.

"Yeah," I said, noticing Kon coming down the hallway with Kisa quickly. He tossed me the keys and I continued. "I've got to go, I'll be back," I said, heading toward the door. Rukia was right behind me, looking at me questioningly, as if for permission. I nodded and we exited through the garage door.

Unlocking the car, I jumped behind the wheel, Rukia getting in the passenger side and pushing the button above my head to open the mechanical garage door. After backing out she pushed the button again and I headed toward my dad's house, speeding slightly. Rukia seemed nervous by the unfamiliar way I drove, realizing just how serious the situation was.

It didn't take me long before I pulled into my dad's driveway, parking and exiting the car quickly, Rukia right behind me. I pushed the door open and stepped in, glaring at the woman standing in the living room holding Saki.

"Daddy!" Saki yelled, tears running down her face as she held her arms out to me. Maiko pushed her arms away and returned the glare when she noticed Rukia standing behind me.

"Put her down," I said angrily, ready to make her if she refused.

"I'm glad you're here," she said, her bloodshot eyes darting towards Rukia before returning to me. "But I don't understand why she's here." Her glare deepened as her teeth clenched together.

"Put Saki down, right now," I said through my own clenched teeth.

"Oh, shut up," she said, carelessly dropping Saki to the floor. "This isn't about her, it never has been!"

Pushing her aside, I picked our daughter up and turned back to her. "What the hell's the matter with you?" I screamed, my glare deepening further.

"Shut up!" she yelled back, stepping closer to me. "This has nothing to do with Saki! Ichigo…," she began, calming down as tears filled her eyes. "I miss you." Placing a hand on my arm, she continued to inch closer to me.

"No! Get away from me!" I yelled, pushing her away, causing her tears to run down her face. "I don't give a fuck about you, Maiko! I tried to get you help a long time ago and you obviously haven't gotten any better. Just stay the hell away from me."

She stared at me in disbelief, stepping closer again. I only pulled Saki closer and backed up until I was next to Rukia. Glancing at Rukia, her glare returned to her face immediately.

"You bitch! You better stay the hell away from him!" she shouted, charging at Rukia with clenched fists.

After quickly stepping in front of her, I grabbed Maiko's arms with one hand, having trouble holding her back with Saki in my other arm. "Stop it! Get out of here now!"

My dad approached us quickly and took Saki from me. "Get her out of here, Ichigo!"

Annoyed by his orders, I grabbed her and pulled her over my shoulder, kicking the screen door open and dropping her in the front lawn. She glared up at me and stood, trying to get back into the house but I blocked her way.

"I'm gonna kill that bitch!" she screamed, slamming her fists into my chest angrily, trying to push past me.

"Get the hell out of here, now!" I ordered, getting tired of her rampage.

"No! She can't have you! I'll kill her, I swear I'll fucking kill her-!"

"Listen to me!" I yelled over her as I grabbed her shoulders roughly, causing her to shut up and glare up at me. "You're high as hell. You need to calm down right now. Get out of here and don't come back, do you hear me? Don't expect to ever see Saki or me again. Leave, or I'll call the cops myself."

Her glare faded as she frowned up at me. She grabbed my arms and stood on the tips of her toes, putting less space between us. After so many years I knew what she was doing and I pushed her away before she had the chance to kiss me.

"Stop it, Maiko. Leave. Now."

Seeming to get the hint that I was being serious, she allowed her glare to return, emphasizing the red in her eyes. She took this chance to pull her hand away from me and slap me across the face before storming off.

Sighing, I turned back to see Rukia holding Saki, my dad standing behind them with his hand on Rukia's shoulder as they all stared back at me. Saki held her arms out to me as she continued to cry quietly. After approaching them, I took Saki and held her up to my shoulder as she hugged onto my neck tightly.

"You okay, Son?" Dad asked, seeming more normal now that she was gone.

Nodding, I said, "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. What about you, Saki?" I asked, looking down at her. "Did she hurt you?"

Lifting her head from my shoulder, she shook her head and wiped her face. "I'm okay, Daddy," she answered.

"I'm so sorry, Saki. I should have known not to let her near you again," I said, pulling her closer and resting my head against hers carefully.

"It's not your fault, it's okay," she answered, her voice muffled as she laid her head against my shoulder again.

"Come in, Ichigo. Sit and calm down a little," Dad said, approaching me to nudge me toward the couch and shut the door swiftly. I obeyed and took a seat on the couch, Rukia sitting next to me quickly while I sat Saki in my lap.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this," I said, looking down at Rukia.

"Don't worry about it, it really wasn't your fault," she said, leaning closer to me. I only nodded in response.

We waited at my dad's house until we knew Michiru would be home from work. We called her and asked her what the plan was for the night. She told us that we could meet her and the rest of the group at the mini-mart she had parked at the last time and we could check out what was going on with the traffic jam. Agreeing, we said we'd meet them there soon.

After the call to Michiru, I directed Rukia into my dad's clinic got his attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think we're going now."

"Oh, alright. Are you taking Saki with you?" he asked, gesturing toward the girl in his lap.

"Uh, no, if you don't mind I'm going to let her stay here a few more days," I answered, glad to see that she seemed happy about the idea again.

"Okay. Go say bye to Daddy, Masaki," he said, placing her on the floor as she quickly approached us.

Hugging onto my legs tightly, she smiled up at me. "Bye Daddy!"

Smiling, I bent down and picked her up, hugging her carefully. "Bye, Saki. Be good, alright?"

"Okay," she answered, pulling away and kissing my cheek quickly.

"Love you," I answered, kissing her forehead before handing her to Rukia.

"I love you, too," she said while hugging onto Rukia's neck tightly. "Bye, Kia! I love you, too."

Surprised, Rukia smiled up at me before saying, "Goodbye, Saki, I love you, too."

Dad seemed surprised, but just stood and approached Rukia, taking Saki and patting Rukia's shoulder lightly. "See ya, Ruk. Make sure my son comes and visits again soon, will you?"

Rolling my eyes while Rukia nodded, I said, "I have to come get her, I'll be back soon."

"Then I won't see you again for another year, right?" he asked, grinning at me.

"Whatever, we have to go, so bye," I answered, causing him to laugh loudly.

"Yeah, yeah. See ya, Son. Love you, be careful getting back," he said as Rukia and I headed toward the door.

"You too, see you soon," I said before shutting the door behind us. After making sure the keys were in my pocket, we approached our doors and got in the unfamiliar car. I carefully pulled out of the driveway and headed back towards the traffic jam.

"I'm really sorry you had to…be a part of that," I said, glancing over at Rukia as she stared back at me.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault and I'm just glad I could be there for you and Saki. So don't apologize," she said, her voice serious although I could see a small smile on her face.

I nodded and returned the gesture. "I'm glad you were there. She stresses me out more than anything."

Grabbing my hand, she said, "That's understandable. I can't imagine how you're dealing with all of this."

"I don't even know," I said, sighing tiredly.

"Well, let's hope the stupid traffic clears up soon so we can go home," she said, sounding agitated.

"Yeah, I need to call my boss again," I said, worried about that whole situation.

"Has he been understanding about everything?" she asked, worry leaking into her own voice.

"Not really, he's been pretty pissed. But I think everything should be okay," I answered, causing her to nod. A moment later we pulled up to the familiar little car Michiru had driven and allowed me to barrow earlier.

As we stepped out of the car, the rest did the same. "What happened?" Mina asked as we headed toward our parked cars.

"It's a long story," I began, explaining our encounter with the rest of the group as we continued to our destination.

-:-

Okay, there you go! :D Chapter…14, I think, ha ha! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and please review!