After Ten Years - Chapter 21
Rukia came downstairs to find Shizuku lounging on the living room couch reading a book. However, Rena was nowhere in sight.
'Where's your sister?' Rukia asked.
'In the dining room...' Shizuku answered numbly, not looking up from his book.
Rukia sighed as she made her way to the kitchen. 'I told her to stay away until I cleaned it up...' She mumbled tiredly. She rounded the corner expecting to see Rena wandering aimlessly through the blood that had littered the ground earlier.
To Rukia's pleasant surprise and charm, Rena was sitting happily at a sparkling clean table, with every color of paper lying in front of her with boxes of crayons, pencils, and markers splayed all over. There was no sign of blood or abnormalities anywhere. Apparently, Squad Four was kind enough to clean up the mess when they came to collect Homura.
'Are you making your cards?' Rukia asked with a smile as she pulled up a chair next to her daughter.
'Mm-hmm...' Rena sighed, feeling her mother's arm around her shoulder.
'Homura will be fine, dear.' Rukia tried to comfort her.
'I know...' Rena answered shakily. 'But-' She sniffed, starting to cry slightly. 'It was so hard to see her like that. Her pale face it just-' Rena began to cry into Rukia's arm. 'Why?' She cried. 'Why does everything horrible have to happen to us? What did we do to deserve it all?'
Rukia shifted in her chair as Rena climbed onto her lap, wrapping her mother's arms tightly around her.
'We didn't do anything dear...' Rukia sighed, looking for an easy way to explain. 'Bad things do happen to good people. We're not absolved from suffering completely just because we try to do the right thing all the time. Everyone goes through tough times. The only thing we can do is cling tightly together like a family and push through our troubles. Hardships are a part of life...' Rukia finished. 'Do you understand?'
Rena nodded slightly. 'What does 'absolved' mean?' She asked.
'Excused. Like: We're not excused from suffering. Or-'
'I get it...' Rena nodded enthusiastically, climbing off her mother's lap and back into her own chair. Just like her old, happy self, she picked up her pencil and began drawing a very disproportionate cartoon cat.
'Whose card is that going to be?' Rukia asked, watching with contentment.
Rena held it up to look at it, thoughtfully tapping her chin with her pencil. 'I don't know yet...'
'Can I join you?' Rukia asked, reaching for the nearest felt-tipped marker and piece of green paper.
Rena was slightly surprised at her mother's offer of company, but she dare not refuse it.
'Sure Mom!' She smiled happily. 'I guess this one can be Homura's. You can work on Kentaro's, but don't make it too girly!' She giggled.
Rena and Rukia worked happily at their art projects for some time and finally their cards were finished. Both girls were proud of their work, for neither of them were particularly blessed with magnificent drawing skills.
Presently, Shizuku came in and sat down at the table with them. With a huge sigh, he plopped his elbows onto the table and rested his chin in his hands.
'You look bored...' Rukia smiled.
Shizuku nodded glumly. 'I am...' He groaned. 'Are you girls done yet?'
Rukia nodded as she began picking up the remainder of their craft supplies. 'We're just cleaning up now. Is all your homework finished for tomorrow?' She asked.
Shizuku groaned again. 'Do I have to go tomorrow?' He half-whined.
'There's nothing wrong with you. Do you want to graduate or not?' Rukia asked with a smile.
'Not without Homura...' Shizuku grunted.
Rukia chuckled. 'That's a good answer, but I'm afraid you still have to go tomorrow. Not my rules, but the Academy's...' Rukia reminded him.
Rukia was about to say something else to Shizuku, but her hungry stomach told her she had better save it for later and get some lunch on the table.
'Are you two hungry?' She asked.
'Yes!' Shizuku exclaimed.
'I've been waiting for you to ask that for like, forever!' Rena added.
'I'm sorry...' Rukia sighed, 'My mind hasn't exactly been in one place today... What are you two hungry for?'
'Anything!' The two children chirped in unison.
Rukia chuckled as she opened the refrigerator door and gazed in. Her smile fell as she gazed into her dismally empty fridge. Their leftovers were almost all consumed. All that remained from the previous week was the soup she had made earlier.
'I guess we had better eat this soup...' She mused to herself. 'It's likely to go bad if we don't. Kentaro might be able to eat something of it as well.' She turned to her hungry children who seemed to be watching her like little vultures. 'Are you two okay with some soup, and I'll make whatever you want for dinner?'
'Sounds good, sounds good, sounds good!'
Before Rukia could say or do anything else, her children swiped the jar from her hands and eagerly dumped it into the nearest pot.
As the contents in the pot started to simmer, even Rukia's mouth started to water. Going without breakfast wasn't pleasant for anyone, adult or child.
Uneven footsteps coming down the stairs brought Rukia out of the kitchen.
Kentaro clung tightly to the handrail with a hungry look in his eye.
'That smells really good...' He sighed.
'I'm going to bring some up to you in just a few minutes okay?' Rukia assured him. 'Back up to bed...'
'But can't I eat down here with you? I feel fine, it's not like I'm actually sick or anything.' Kentaro whimpered slightly.
'I know, but I think you should still stay in bed for at least a day or two.'
Rukia watched Kentaro's face fall in disappointment.
'How about we bring our food up with yours and eat with you?' Rukia tried.
Kentaro's eyes instantly brightened. 'Would you?' He asked.
'Only if you turn around and head back to your bed in the next five seconds.' Rukia bargained playfully.
Kentaro limped back up the stairs and stopped at the top, looking back down to Rukia at the bottom. 'You won't forget will you?' He asked.
'Of course not... Bed!' She repeated with a smile.
Kentaro showed his disappointment and frustration, but disappeared back to his room in a few short seconds.
'You're actually gonna let us eat upstairs?!' Rena blurted out, peaking from around a corner.
'You scared me...' Rukia breathed.
'Sorry...'
'Go get some cookie trays from the cabinets; I guess we'll use those for mock-tables...'
'Okay!' Rena hurried back to the kitchen, with Rukia following her slowly.
'Hey Mom what do I do now?!' Shizuku called frantically from the kitchen, causing Rukia to practically run the rest of the way.
Rukia found Shizuku practically bouncing over the furiously boiling soup. The liquid was a mere hair away from boiling over the top of the pot.
Rukia gasped, hurrying over to the stove, whilst picking up a potholder along the way. With one hand, Rukia shut off the hot burner, and with the other, removed the pot from the heat.
'When in doubt Shizuku, turn the burner off...' Rukia sighed, lifting the lid. 'Is it burnt?'
'You can actually burn soup?' Shizuku asked incredulously.
Rukia sighed, apparently, cooking wasn't Shizuku's forte. 'Get some bowls out... Rena? Spoons please!'
Presently, the group of three in the kitchen managed to prepare everything and situate the meal on the cookie trays. Finally, Rukia found herself slowly climbing the stairs while desperately trying to balance four steaming bowls of soup, a stack of spoons, and a package of crackers, all on the most bent of cookies trays she owned. All the while, she was trying to remind her younger two children to keep their voices a little lower.
-X-
'Careful, it's still kinda hot...' Rukia warned as she set Kentaro's bowl of soup onto his lap.
Rukia had pulled over a chair, and Rena and Shizuku had decided to sit on the edge of Shizuku's (which Kentaro was borrowing during his ill time.)
Lunch proceeded quietly as Rukia let her mind wander to Ichigo and Homura, who were now at the Squad Four Health Center. Undoubtedly, Homura was in surgery already, and Ichigo was probably fidgeting in his nervousness.
-X-
Meanwhile, Ichigo felt like he had watched the second hand go around and around its circular path for days. Homura had been rushed away to the operating room some time ago, Ichigo wasn't sure exactly how long, but he was sure it was at least a while.
Ichigo impatiently drummed his fingers on the armrest of the chair he currently occupied, watching mesmerized as the second hand wound around and around. When would he finally be able to see his daughter? Ichigo was never a patient person to begin with, but along with the fact that his oldest daughter was in surgery for severe head trauma wasn't calming his nerves either.
Ichigo finally got bored of watching the clock, and to calm himself decided to take a walk through the long halls of the Health Center. The Health Center wasn't as big and expansive as Ichigo thought and remembered, so he shortly found himself back in Homura's room, minus Homura of course.
Fortunately for Ichigo, Rukia had been trying to get him to read more, so he had brought a book along with him. In his haste it was the only thing he probably remembered. He flopped himself back into 'his' chair, and no sooner than his eyes focused on the little black letters on the page, he was brought to attention by the sound of squeaky wheels.
Homura was finally being wheeled back into the room. Although she was still asleep, the color of her skin had brightened just the slightest noticeable bit. A clean white bandage was wound carefully around her injured head.
Ichigo instantly pushed his chair as close to her bedside as possible. Unohana approached quietly from behind.
'She was awake for a minute or two in the other room. She probably just needs to sleep off the anesthesia. She should be awake again in an hour or so.' Unohana forced a small smile. 'She should be fine. The damage was much less than we anticipated.'
'Thank you...' Ichigo choked.
'This isn't the first time you've been in this position... Leaning over a family member's hospital bed, filled with worry...' Unohana remarked referring to when Rukia was hospitalized after giving birth to the twins.
Ichigo nodded slightly, not letting his emotions show.
'I'll leave you with her...' Unohana replied with a polite bow before quietly leaving the room.
Ichigo wrapped his large hand around the much smaller hand of his sleeping daughter. Her delicately built hand fit comfortably within his. It was cold to Ichigo's touch. Cupping his hand gently under hers, and then placing his other on top, Ichigo gently began to rub, silently praying that Homura would wake up sooner than later.
Ichigo felt himself zone out for a bit as he reflected on everything his daughter seemed to stand for, particularly, the young man she seemed very found of. The young man she had tried to protect.
Ichigo was drawn from his thoughts when he felt a light squeeze in his hand.
His heart leapt as he squeezed gently back, massaging with his thumb, as if willing Homura to wake up.
Homura's eyelids fluttered for what felt like forever until slowly, a part of her violet eye was visible.
'I'm here Homura...' Ichigo whispered, squeezing her hand harder.
Homura's eyes were still once again as her hand became limp in Ichigo's. Ichigo's eye stung him as he watched his sleeping daughter. Gingerly, he adjusted the bandage that was wound around Homura's head. To hide his tears, he lowered his head and hid his face in his hands.
The only noise Ichigo heard was the sound of his own muffled sobs, when suddenly, a weak voice spoke up.
'Daddy?' The voice came from the bed.
Instantly, Ichigo's ears perked up. That voice could only belong to his little girl. He looked up, and sure enough Homura's eyes were open, and she looked like she wanted to speak.
'Dad?' She repeated weakly, wincing slightly.
'I'm here Homura...' Ichigo answered her, his heart exploding from joy and relief. His little girl was going to be okay.
Homura's lips started to move, but no more words came out.
'What's the matter?' Ichigo asked slightly urgently.
Homura's hand strayed up to her head. 'My heads hurts...' She whimpered slowly and painfully. She tried to lift her left hand, but it was attached to a painful IV. 'What the-?' She grunted, trying to move it.
'Do you remember anything?' Ichigo asked.
Homura rubbed her head as tears came to her eyes. 'I remember anything...' She mumbled weakly. 'I could never forget it. I was never so scared in my whole life...' Homura grunted again. 'I got hit, didn't I?' She asked slowly.
'I'm afraid you did...' Ichigo sighed. 'But you owe Kentaro both your thanks and mine. From what your uncle said, Kentaro saved your life.'
'Is he okay then?' Homura asked, as urgently as her slowed speech would let her.
'I believe so...'
Homura let out a big sigh of relief, holding her aching side tenderly with her free hand.
'Is Mom okay too?' Homura asked slowly.
'She is...'
'Good...' Homura sighed as her eyes closed again. Slowly, a contented grin spread across her face.
Once his daughter was asleep again, Ichigo looked to the clock on the wall. Noticing that it was late, and past both her bedtime and his, he pulled the blanket up to Homura's chin, where he knew she liked it. He kissed her cheek lightly before reclining back into his own straight-backed chair. Putting his hands behind his head, he closed his own eyes, letting his relief envelope him and wishing that Rukia could know that Homura was awake and okay.
-X-
AN: Well this chapter was rather smooth and emotionally steady. I hope everybody likes it. Sorry it's a little late coming out, but writer's block was totally kicking my butt this week. Every time I wrote it, I didn't like it, so I would erase it and start all over, until I finished the chapter you just finished. Thank you so much everybody for your continued support and advise/critiques! I appreciate it more than you know! Feedback please!
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