Okay, so I started a new IchiRuki fic, so that's why I haven't updated for this one yet. I promise this will get done, so no one panic, please:3 I will take my time and make sure I give both stories the same amount of time, so please don't think you'll only get an update for this once a month or something. I'd love it if some of you could check out my new fic and tell me what you think so far! But if you don't have the time, I completely understand:D Anyway, thanks for your patience with this story, I really appreciate it!
-:-
The day after Saki and I had gone to Rukia's sibling's house, I got up at five to get ready for work. With my new job I wasn't able to take Saki to school myself, so I had to wake her up early each morning and drop her off at my dad's.
After work that day I decided to drive home before picking Saki up from Dad's. I figured I'd shower and change so when she was home I'd have more time for her. When I pulled into my driveway I was surprised to see Rukia's small black car. Getting out of my truck, I hurried to the front door and opened it, confused when I saw Rukia and Saki sitting on the floor.
"Hello, Ichigo," Rukia said after noticing me in the doorway. She smiled happily not seeming to realize my confusion.
"Hey," I said, looking down at Saki. "Did Dad bring you home?"
"No," Rukia quickly answered, frowning nervously. "I hope you don't mind, but I picked her up. I came by but noticed your truck was gone and I figured you were still at work. I knew Saki was already out of school, so I checked at your father's house. I really hope you don't mind."
"It's fine, I don't care," I answered, smiling slightly. "Did you need something?"
She shook her head and smiled again, relieved. "No, not really. I was just…bored. Is that…okay? That I just came over?"
I knew it wasn't a good idea for her to just start hanging out at my house, but I figured this one time wouldn't hurt. "It's fine, come over whenever."
She nodded and looked back down at Saki, her smile growing. They continued their conversation they had been having before I came in. Kicking my shoes off, I said, "I'm going to take a shower, I'll be right back."
"Alright," Rukia answered.
That night Rukia stayed with us for dinner and afterwards she sat on the couch, sitting and talking for a few more hours. The rest of that week Rukia began to get into the habit of coming over after I got off of work. She always picked Saki up from my dad's, which I appreciated. The more she came over the longer she ended up staying. Wednesday night she stayed until one in the morning and intended to drive home, but I wouldn't let her. After arguing for another hour, I got her to sleep in my bed and I took the couch, surprised when I woke up three hours later still in a good mood.
Thursday after work when I got home I saw that Rukia had gotten Saki ready for her appointment. After showering and changing I was ready as well and we headed out to Rukia's car. I helped Saki into the back seat and then got into the driver's seat, backing out of the driveway and heading toward her doctor's office.
I was nervous and I wasn't sure why. I hadn't done this in a long time and it was making me anxious. Plus, seeing how much more it had grown would be a little unsettling. Rukia seemed to notice my anxiety and grabbed my hand.
"You okay?" she asked, obviously concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered, smiling down at her slightly before turning back to the road.
"Are you sure you want to come? If you're too uncomfortable, you can just…drop me off or something. I'll understand."
"I'm not uncomfortable, just a little nervous. I'm not dropping you off," I answered, earning a small smile.
"Alright, alright," she said, squeezing my hand before dropping it and looking back out the window.
We reached the doctor's office quickly and I parked in one of the many vacant spots. "Is anyone here?" I asked, pulling the keys from the ignition and looking over at Rukia.
She laughed. "Yes, it's just that they usually only see a few patients at a time. It's less stressful for everyone that way."
"Ah," I said, smiling also while pushing the door open. Rukia did the same and got out, getting Saki out and sitting her on the ground. After grabbing her hand, Rukia approached me and waited until I led them to the door. Opening it, I held it open for them and quickly approached the check-in area with Rukia.
"Hello, Ms. Kuchiki, how are you?" the receptionist asked, only glancing up at before typing her name into the computer.
"I'm great, thanks," she said, smiling while leaning against the counter and waiting.
Saki randomly dropped Rukia's hand and held her arms out to me. I gave her a concerned glance before picking her up and turning my attention back to the two women in front of me.
"Okay, Dr. Kobayashi should be with you shortly," she answered, looking fully at us for the first time, her smile falling. "Oh, I'm sorry, can I…help you?"
Rukia laughed. "No, he's with me."
"Really?" the woman asked, her eyes widening as she held her hand out to me. "It's so nice to meet you."
I shook her hand while cocking an eyebrow. "Um…you too…"
She laughed, her grin returning to her face. "When did she tell you?"
"About a week ago," I answered, smiling slightly.
"What's your name?"
"…Ichigo Kurosaki," I said, still wondering why she was so curious.
"I can't believe you finally did it, Rukia!" she exclaimed, turning her gaze to the short woman at my side. "Do you feel better?"
"Of course," Rukia answered, smiling back down at the receptionist.
The woman at the desk looked back at me and noticed Saki for the first time. "Oh, who are you?" she asked her, laughing quietly when Saki hid her face in my shoulder.
"Her name's Saki, she's my daughter," I answered, not even trying to get Saki to speak with the woman. Lately she had begun regressing and now she would barely speak to anyone she didn't really know.
"She's very cute," the woman said, waving at Saki when she gave her a glance. Saki's reaction was to lay her head back on my shoulder and ignore her gesture. "She's really shy, huh?"
"Oh yeah," I answered, nodding slightly.
Suddenly a door to my left opened and a tall woman stepped through. "Rukia," she said quietly, smiling when Rukia turned to her.
"I'll talk to you later, Mai," Rukia said to the receptionist before approaching the other woman.
I followed and Saki pulled closer to me.
"Hello, Rukia, how are you?" the woman asked, glancing at me slightly before leading us through the door and down a hallway.
"I've been pretty good, thanks," she answered absently, glancing back at me as well.
"That's good to hear," the woman said. We finally reached the room she had been looking for and stepped inside. She closed the door and Rukia immediately got onto the small bed, the thin paper crinkling under her weight. I looked down at her and she just smiled while the doctor looked through her folder.
It was silent for a few moments as the doctor glanced between Rukia and myself. "And who is this?" she finally asked, causing Rukia to laugh quietly.
"This is Ichigo Kurosaki, he's the father," she said, absently kicking her feet.
"Well, it's nice to finally meet you," the woman said, not turning her gaze from Rukia's folder.
"Uh, you too," I said, standing off to the side, waiting for the appointment to begin.
"Well, Rukia, I know I told you we'd be doing an ultrasound today, but you've already had three and everything appears to be perfectly fine. If you'd like, we can do it anyway, but it's really not necessary. But it's all up to you," she finished, setting the file aside and looking down at Rukia.
She shrugged, glanced at me, but answered quickly. "Nah, I'd prefer we don't."
"Alright, then," Dr. Kobayashi said, sitting down and glancing at the file before continuing. "So, do you have any concerns? I can ask you the general questions of our checkups, but I can see in the last six months you've always answered them exactly the same. Has anything changed drastically?"
She shook her head. "No, not really. I…have no complaints," Rukia answered, shrugging slightly.
"Are you positive? If anything's bothering you at all, you should tell me."
"I'm positive."
"Alright, then we'll just get your new weight and you can check out," the doctor said, leading us into the small hallway where the scale stood.
When we got into the hallway, Rukia asked me to take Saki and get the car ready. I agreed and dismissed myself, waving at the enthusiastic receptionist. After starting the car and pulling up to the doors, I waited while Saki stayed silent. Dr. Kobayashi carefully helped Rukia to the car, feeling the need to help her in her seat; Rukia surprisingly didn't object.
"Again, I'm sorry you came all the way out here for nothing," she told Rukia, glancing at me as well.
"It's alright, don't worry about it. Thanks for everything Shiori, I really appreciate it," Rukia answered.
"Not a problem. Have a good afternoon," she answered, standing and carefully closing Rukia's door.
After waving, Rukia leaned back in her seat as I pulled out of the office's parking lot. "Sorry we came here for nothing." She spoke up but didn't look at me.
"It's fine," I answered, heading back to my house.
"Well," Rukia began, looking back up at me. "Since we have so much time on our hands, do you want to help me get some stuff ready?"
"Sure, what did you have in mind?" I asked, checking my blind spot before changing lanes.
"I don't know, where do you start with this kind of thing?"
I laughed quietly. "What did you want to do? Get one of your guest rooms ready?"
"No, I was thinking more like shopping. I don't have a single thing and I'm starting to panic a little." She looked up at me and asked, "Is that okay?"
"Yeah, that's fine," I responded, looking at Saki in my rearview mirror. "Saki, do you want to come with us or stay with Dad?"
She looked back at me and shrugged. "I'll go to Grandpa's," she said tiredly.
"Okay, let me call and make sure he's not busy," I answered, absently grabbing Rukia's cell phone off the dash board and dialing his number. After two rings he picked up. "Hey Dad, it's Ichigo."
"I figured," he responded. "I only have one son."
Rolling my eyes, I continued. "Whatever. I was wondering if you were busy or not? Rukia and I were going to get some stuff for the baby and Saki doesn't want to come."
"I'm not busy, bring her over," he answered enthusiastically. "How long will you guys be gone?"
"Not that long, we'll try to hurry."
"Don't worry about it, I was just curious. Stay out as long as you need to."
"Alright, well, thanks Dad. We're on our way, so I'll see you soon."
"Okay, Ichigo. See ya." With that we hung up and I sat Rukia's phone back on the dash board.
"Is he busy?" Saki asked, leaning her head back against the seat tiredly.
"Nope," I answered, redirecting the car as I headed toward my dad's house.
"Good," she answered quietly, closing her eyes. Although she had been regressing and having more trouble with her social anxiety, but she was getting better at speaking her mind when she was around us. I wasn't really sure how I felt about that.
"Are you alright?" Rukia asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror, obviously concerned.
"Yeah, just tired," she said, not bothering to open her eyes.
"Alright," she responded, seeming content with Saki's answer.
The rest of the ride was quick and quiet. I pulled into Dad's driveway quickly, Rukia stating that she would just wait in the car. I nodded, helped Saki out before I picked her up, and headed toward the door. Without knocking, I stepped in and found my dad sitting on the couch, seeming to be waiting for us. It was very rare for him to be sitting around on a weekday, I was a little concerned.
"Hey, Dad, you alright?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow slightly when he just looked up at me.
"I'm fine," he answered absently, standing and taking Saki from me, worrying me further. "If you want, you can leave her here tonight."
"Do you want her to stay?" I asked, unable to hide my suspicion.
He shrugged, but obviously did, the way he looked down at Saki. "You want to?" Still, he had a neutral expression.
She shrugged as well, seeming to notice his odd behavior as well, but nodded. "Yes," she said, knowing he wanted her to.
"Dad," I said, getting his attention again. "Did something happen after I hung up? You were fine on the phone."
"I am fine," he persisted, smiling slightly, although it was obviously forced. When I just looked back at him sternly he laughed dryly. "I just had a rough day and I don't feel like being here by myself."
His response really surprised me; regardless of the situation, I had never heard my dad say he "had a bad day". It also made me more concerned. "Do you want me and Rukia to just…stay here? We can always get that stuff another day."
"No, go on. Rukia's waiting. I'll watch Saki," he responded, finally smiling genuinely, although it was still pretty weak.
After a hesitant moment, I answered, "Alright. But when we're done we'll come back and stay for dinner. Is that alright?"
"Sure, sounds fine," he responded, nodding slightly. "Now go on before she gets mad."
I laughed quietly. "Okay. Call me if you need anything," I said, feeling like I was talking to Saki.
"Will do," he answered, waving and taking his place on the couch again, placing Saki in his lap. Taking another glance at them, I ignored my concern and left, approaching the car before getting in. Rukia seemed to notice the worry on my face immediately.
"What's wrong?" she asked, a frown already crossing her features as I pulled the seatbelt around myself.
"I don't know. He said he had a bad day and that he didn't want to be alone. He asked if Saki could spend the night," I answered, still looking at the house.
"Oh, that's all?" she said, causing me to sigh quietly.
"That's not normal at all for him. And he looked…depressed. I don't know, it's probably nothing. But I told him we'd stay for dinner. Is that alright?"
"Of course. And I'm sure he'll be okay," she said, absently reaching over and patting my hand. "Maybe he's honestly just lonely. I mean, after all those years having you and your sisters in the house, he's bound to feel that way. It's probably just hitting him since he's used to us being over so much. It probably just bothers him when we're gone."
Her logic made me feel a lot better. "Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks," I answered, smiling slightly.
She nodded and returned the gesture before adding, "So, ready to go?"
"Yeah, I guess so," I answered, starting the car and backing out.
-:-
Three and a half hours later we were pulling out of some baby store's parking lot, both exhausted. Who knew picking all this shit out could be so tiring? The back seat was full of the stuff we had gotten, but it didn't even make a dent in how much we needed.
Pulling up to the exit of the outlet, Rukia spoke up. "You want to grab something to eat? Pre-dinner?"
I shrugged, laughing quietly, but knowing I didn't have the money for it. "Can we just go back to my place?" I asked, causing her to laugh.
"Alright, that's fine. Do you want to get Saki first?" she asked, absently kicking her shoes off, pressing her feet to the heater under the dashboard.
"No, we're going to go back anyway. Besides, she'll just get annoying while we put the stuff away."
"And, there's not really room for her at the moment," Rukia corrected herself, glancing at the backseat.
"And that," I responded, nodding slightly.
We quickly reached the house before Rukia got out and started grabbing things from the back. Getting out quickly, I said, "Hey, put that down."
She looked at me and cocked an eyebrow. "Why? I'm capabl-," she began before I was at her side, taking the bag from her. "Ichigo."
"Go inside," I said, ignoring her persistence and grabbing more bags before ushering her into the house. After sitting the stuff down, I quickly retreated and grabbed the rest, also placing them on the floor of the living room.
"Oh, shit," I said. "This is supposed to go in your apartment."
She laughed but shrugged. "Oh well," she responded, leaving it and heading into the kitchen. Deciding I'd put it back in the car later, I followed her, quickly and carefully pulling her into a chair. "What are you doing?" she asked, obviously annoyed.
"I'll make 'pre-dinner', just sit down," I said, not waiting for her response before approaching the fridge and looking inside. "What do you want?"
"Eh, I don't know. Something light," she answered, causing me to turn around.
"Why, are you feeling okay?" I asked, earning an aggravated glance.
"Good God, do you always worry so much? I'm just not that hungry."
I blinked, not having expected that. "Sorry."
Her glare quickly faded into a frown. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. Anything's fine, thank you."
I nodded but repeated, "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, thanks," she answered, smiling slightly.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive," she answered, her smile growing until I nodded and turned around.
Digging through the fridge, I finally decided to just heat up leftover soup, pulling the small pot out and placing it on the stove top, turning the eye on. Grabbing a ladle from the drawer next to the stove, I stirred the content absently, turning the eye down. Setting the ladle aside, I turned and looked down at Rukia. "Are you feeling any better now that we have some stuff?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest absently.
She smiled and nodded, leaning back in her chair. "Very much, actually. I just can't wait to have the room done and ready."
"It shouldn't take long, your guest room's already empty," I answered, turning back to stir the soup.
"Yeah…," she responded, before hesitantly continuing. "Do you think that room will be big enough?"
"Yeah, it should be fine. Not all of the stuff we get will go in there," I answered, noticing her strange tone.
"I don't know…," she continued, looking away when I glanced at her.
"If you're really worried about it, we could always move you into the guest room and make your room the baby's."
"I just…I wanted to ask you something," she said, seeming to completely change the subject.
Sitting the ladle aside and turning around again, I cocked an eyebrow. "Um, alright. What is it?"
She squirmed in her seat, but she was obviously trying to keep a grin off her face. "I was wondering if…maybe it would be a good idea if…I moved."
Completely shocked, my face fell immediately. After a long moment of silence, I answered. "I told you, if you want to move, don't let me stop you. Are you still thinking about going to Tokyo?"
Her face fell as well, a frown crossing her features. "No, you misunderstood me, Ichigo. I don't want to move away from here. I want to move here." She coughed slightly as my expression shifted again. "That is, if you don't care."
"You want…to move in…here?" I asked, completely forgetting about the boiling soup behind me.
"Well, maybe not here. I was thinking…maybe we could…move to another house. A bigger one." When I didn't respond her frown deepened. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, I just…I mean, that's…that would be really hard, Rukia," I said, running my hand through my hair absently.
She smiled and stood, approaching me. Reaching around me she turned the eye off and then grabbed my hands, looking up at me. I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable; she hadn't acted like this since we had been together. "It doesn't have to be," she said, her smile growing at my discomfort.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Pulling me closer, she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed me, only surprising me more. "I love you, Ichigo," she said after pulling away from me. "I'm sorry for everything that I've…done to you. I just want things to be like they were before."
"I...," I said, not able to continue. This was so out of the blue.
After a few more moments of silence, she stepped away from me and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well? Don't you have anything to say?"
I wasn't sure if she was just acting this way because of her more recent mood swings, or if she genuinely meant it. Either way, I honestly wasn't sure how to respond.
"Well, I…I don't really know what to say…," I answered quietly, trying to walk around her obvious anger.
Instead of responding, she continued to look at me sternly and awaited my own answer. "Rukia…why…where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
"It's not all of a sudden," she said harshly.
"What do you mean?"
"This has been…eating at me for weeks. Ever since I first saw you again at the super market, I've wanted to apologize."
"Why didn't you?" I questioned, causing the evident glare on her face to subside.
"I just…I was afraid of your reaction. I still am. Please, Ichigo, can't you forgive me?" Her tone was extremely sincere and I couldn't help but step closer to her and grab her hands.
"Rukia, of course I forgive you; I did a long time ago."
"Then what do you think of us moving in together?" she asked, stepping closer to me and leaning some weight against me.
"Rukia...," I began, sighing tiredly.
"What?"
"I don't know if that would be a good idea."
"Why not? It would be so much easier on both of us, especially when the baby gets here. And you and Saki wouldn't have to struggle as much. At least think about it." Her expression was serious, and I couldn't help but nod.
"Alright," I answered, causing her to smile. Returning the gesture, I pulled her closer and hugged her carefully. She wrapped her arms around my waist tightly.
"Do you think we should head back to your dad's now?" she asked, her voice muffled.
"Yeah, probably," I answered, sighing before pulling away from Rukia and stepping toward the door, picking up my coat and slipping it on.
After grabbing her coat and putting it on as well, she approached me and grabbed my hand before I led her to the car.
-:-
Okay, so I am SO SORRY for how long it's taken me to update this tiny chapter. I've been super busy with school, which always seems to be my excuse now a days, although it's a legit one, ha ha. Anyway, schools winding down to a slower pace and after next week I should be able to update both fics pretty quickly. Anyway, thanks so much for always putting up with my crazy updates. Thanks again! Please read and review!