Letters to Father
Familiar Feelings
Things are hidden
Away from sight
Secrets
Will they be ridden
No matter how much Ichigo swallowed he couldn't shake the strange feeling in his throat. The orange haired teen also couldn't shake the odd feeling he had in regards to Shiba Kaien. He arrived at the estate with Rukia hot on his heals. The corners of his mouth twisted up in frustration, while he messed with the strap of his bag. He wondered if they should simply push the button on the intercom outside of the house, but a flash of white caused him to turn his head to see Toshiro.
Ichigo noticed the preteens composure was far more relaxed then he'd ever seen the boy. The kid's sense of style was more in line with a high school students then an elementary school student. Rukia though seemed more tense. "She's got that damn crush on Shiba sensei. She's at his place, and has the chance of running into his wife. Of course she's going to be nervous."
Rukia reached out to push the button when the white haired preteen pulled out something from his pocket, and made as if he were pushing a button. The small walk in gate at the side swung open as Rukia's violet eyes blinked a few times while Toshiro simply slid in through the old fashioned entrance way as if he were used to coming and going from the place. All these thoughts rushed out of Ichigo's head when a rather large pig wearing a bow came hurtling out of nowhere across the yard.
"The Shiba-clan is crazy." Ichigo's current thought was in time for a young man to come hurtling out of nowhere.
"Bonnie! Come back!"
"Bonnie?" Ichigo noticed the pig turn to look at the guests indicating she knew her name very well. The pig stared at them until the young man was almost near enough to grab her. She quickly surged forward, and the orange haired teen realized suddenly that she was after Toshiro. The boar knocked Toshiro over before he could pull the preteen to safety. A laugh he never though would escape Toshiro's lips came then as the pig began to kiss the preteen like a dog.
The young man stopped short. "Yo! Toshiro! What brings you to the Shiba estate?"
"I'm..." The white haired child couldn't say anything as the big kept showering affection on the boy.
The young man pointed a finger at Ichigo. "Who are you? I recognize Kuchiki-san, but not you. Punk."
"You're one to talk."
"I'm Shiba Ganju, the self-proclaimed number one pig rider in Tokyo prefecture."
Ichigo leaned over to whisper into Rukia's ear. "And I thought my dad made Shiba sensei look sane."
"If your dad's insane then why do you and your sister Karin find him creepy?"
"That..." Ichigo shook his head as the pig finally stopped greeting Toshiro in order to walk off while Ganju wasn't looking.
Toshiro stood up and dusted off his clothes. "Kaien-dono and Miyako-dono said we could come here to study, though it was just supposed to be Kurosaki and me."
"Well I don't like the look on that punks face. As far as I'm concerned..."
"Ganju-chan!" A female voice caused the young man to flinch as a woman wearing a rather nice kimono came down the stairs.
Ichigo's eyes widened and his jaw dropped for a few seconds at how pretty the woman was. "She must be sensei's wife. What's he doing marrying some chick half his age? Creep." The teen then glanced over to see whether or not Rukia was trying to hide her crush on Kaien. Ichigo's eyes instead widened as he saw the look of absolute admiration in the small female's eyes. He felt his mouth twist slightly. "What is up with her?"
The orange haired teen looked back and forth between the two Shiba family members until Ganju muttered something under his breath, and disappeared from sight. Miyako simply continued to smile. "It's good to see you Ichigo."
"I guess." A sudden jab in the ribs caused the teen to let out a gasp of air before looking down at Rukia.
"Why don't I show you guys inside?"
The fifteen year old male swallowed, but the action did nothing to satiate the discomfort he felt coming into such a nice place. He glanced over at Rukia and noticed the fact she acted very much like a princess in regards to her mannerisms. Toshiro also seemed comfortable with the place despite the fact he seemed like the last person to ever be comfortable in such a setting. "At least the building is done in the traditional Japanese style. I don't know what I would have done had the place been one of those lavish Western mansions."
They arrived at the sitting room to find an old fashioned table with a ton of cushions surrounding the table. Miyako said something about bringing them snacks before disappearing behind one of the paper walls. Rukia flopped down onto the cushions in a rather unintelligent manner causing Ichigo to flinch. Toshiro on the other hand sat down, and even for once seemed quite relaxed. The older teen began to pull out his math homework and noticed Toshiro did the same.
Rukia tilted her head. "So... what do you need tutoring on." A silence fell over the room as both male youths stopped digging through their bags. Both looked at her as if they were hiding something. "Wait... what..."
"I don't think Kurosaki needs tutoring."
"Really? What kind of grades did you make at your old school?"
"Average."
"If you made average grades then how..." Rukia shook her head. "How did you even get in unless it's for that reason? And how come you don't need tutoring?"
Miyako choose to come back in that moment with snacks. She knelt down on a cushion at the short end of the table so she could hand out the treats. "Ichigo-kun? You wouldn't happen to be getting the grades you do on purpose?"
The orange haired teen chocked on the green tea he was handed. A fist slammed against his chest. "Hold on a second. Why would I do such a thing?"
"I wonder why." The laugh in her voice caused Ichigo's cheeks to turn red, and she slid through the door allowing the three high school students to freely study. The way Shiba sensei's wife acted familiar with the fifteen year old honestly caused the teen problems.
Rukia's pencil tapped the top of her papers. "You rag on me for having a crush on Kaien-dono, but it is rather obvious you've a crush on Miyako-dono."
"I do not! She's just... just..." The teen's voice softened. "She's like my mom. That kind of feels weird you know."
"Miyako-dono acts like a mother acts?"
"I guess you could say that." Ichigo glanced down at his papers. "That's not it though. I can't place my finger on what's bothering me."