The Dragon's Queen

by Jo Terry

A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.


Chapter 24

Ichigo takes a deep breath and steps over the threshold of the last place he thought he would ever visit again — Nichibotsu Bar. It was a place he had frequented during a very unpleasant time of his life, which led to an even more messed up situation for him.

Pulling out a familiar stool to sit at the familiar bar counter, he greets the familiar face behind it with a, "Yo."

"Hey," Rukia returns the small smile he gives, her hands in the midst of wiping the whisky glasses methodically with a piece of drying cloth. If she is surprised at his visit, she doesn't really show but she glances up at him a few times from her work when she asks, "What are you doing here?"

"Urahara says to meet here at 8.00 pm. And since I don't have any place to go after dropping my son off, I thought I'd come by earlier," he explains.

Ichigo briefly thinks about how, on any given day during the time when he and Rukia were still close, he would've elaborated on why he was there earlier: that Kazui is having a sleep-over at Hana's because her brother invited him to play his new Buzz Lightyear toy, Yuzu's on night duty at the maternity centre, and Orihime… That wouldn't have really been the topic he'd have to talk about with Rukia if his life hadn't crossed the path that it had, would it? But for the sake of conversation — and the fact that Rukia always listens, he supposes he would've probably told her how Orihime has been avoiding him for the past two weeks, even more so than before. He and Kazui haven't seen her awake and they don't dare to disrupt her sleep because… well, people who are ill need lots of sleep.

However, he and Rukia are no longer close.

"Urahara invited you to my brother's birthday party?" the bartender interrupts his thoughts.

"What?"

She chuckles and Ichigo loses sight of her when she bends down to store the glasses below the bar counter. "He didn't tell you we were throwing a party for my brother, did he?"

Ichigo groans in agitation. "He said we're meeting here to discuss Ulquiorra. Why the hell would I want to celebrate Byakuya's birthday?" he sort of whines, spitting her brother's name along the way.

"Watch it!" Rukia warns, slapping the cloth on the counter in feigned annoyance as she re-appears from behind the counter. "Nii-sama took time off to come here so we could celebrate it together because I have school and work."

Ichigo snorts, "Well, it's his birthday."

"We've been doing this every year for the past ten years. He doesn't want to break tradition."

"He doesn't seem like the celebrating type. Why did you even start?"

Rukia busies herself with the bottles on the shelf before she replies quietly, "I asked for it. We almost lost each other during the war."

Ichigo feels the slap in the face at the mention of the war. The fucking war that caused so many losses. "I'm sorry…" he begins.

But she quickly waves him off. "It's fine. It just dawned on us that we're not as… imperishable as we'd like to think. Life is precious, Ichigo. Doesn't matter what kind of being we are, our time can get taken away in a blink of an eye. So, Nii-sama and I promise we would always spend our birthdays together to celebrate every year of each other's continued existence."

"That's sweet, considering it's Byakuya that's part of the pact. And really hard to believe, too," Ichigo scoffs.

"You're entitled to your opinions." Rukia shrugs, placing an empty shot glass in front of him. "What do you want to drink?"

"Iced tea, if you have," he says, sliding the glass back towards her. "Or coffee."

Before Rukia questions him about it, another familiar face appears behind the counter.

"Kurosaki Ichigo! Fancy seeing you here after all these years. Are you actually rejecting my bartender's offer?" Nichibotsu exclaims, putting his hand out for a handshake.

Ichigo returns the gesture, lifting himself off the stool a bit. "Nichibotsu. It's been a while."

"Yeah, I knew it was you when I heard your voice from in there," the owner jerks his thumb over his shoulder towards the back room. "How do you and Rukia know each other?"

The girl in question beats Ichigo to a reply even though she is on the other end of the counter making his iced tea. "We were classmates for a while before I went back to Fukuoka."

Ichigo raises an eyebrow but quickly remembers that of course, Rukia has to make up a story about herself in order to blend in in the human world. "Yeah, she used to go to Karakura High School."

An image of her appearing at his classroom window crosses his mind and he tries really hard not to remember that that was the time he had fallen for her. Urgh… I need to get a grip on myself. No use taking a walk down memory lane when it only leads to nowhere.

"Ichigo used to come here a lot for a couple of years back in the day when I first started this bar," Nichibotsu tells Rukia when she brings Ichigo's drink over.

The orange head begins to panic a little inside, chanting within his head a prayer that Nichibotsu will not talk about him getting pissed drunk every single night because he was depressed about the love of his life not returning to him. The man knows at least that much of his secret. And now, Ichigo hopes he doesn't put two and two together and realise that Rukia was — is? — said love of his life.

"Have I ever told you that I was in a medical school before I switched majors, Kuchiki-san?"

"No, I can't say you have," Rukia says, her eyes travelling back and forth between the two men. She can probably 'hear' what's going on in Ichigo's head. One of those times their bond is not working to his advantage.

"Ichigo and I were coursemates," Nichibotsu continues, unaware of the awkwardness between the two people around him. "Then, I switched to biochemical engineering after the second year and started this bar. Ichigo was one of my frequent supporters. But he disappeared what… five, six years ago?"

Ichigo gingerly nods, not feeling up to confirming his guess.

"And then, I found out why," Nichibotsu says with a huge grin as he reaches over the counter to slap a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Our man here had gotten married! He even had a kid. Ichigo turned into a responsible family man who doesn't drink anymore."

Ichigo shrinks a little at the way Nichibotsu removes his hand from his shoulder and gestures towards his iced tea. He doesn't have to look at Rukia to know she has on her not-quite-reaching-the-eye smile as she pretends to laugh along with her boss.

"Must've been a massive change," she murmurs.

"Love can do strange things, Kuchiki. You'd know that," Nichibotsu teases. "Rio says you daydream after you and that doctor started getting serious…"

Literally saved by the bell, the trio turn their heads towards the entrance as the door opens with a chime when a man walks into the bar and seems to halt all activities because every bloody person stops everything they are doing to stare — and bloody ogle — at him.

"Nii-sama!"

The bloody traffic stopper gives his sister a nod when he hears her calling him and approaches the bar, taking a stool two seats down from Ichigo.

"You must be Kuchiki-san's brother," Nichibotsu says, offering his hand. "I'm Nichibotsu Tetsuya. Welcome to my bar."

Ichigo is relieved Nichibotsu does not blurt out his past but any more of that cheerful voice of his and Ichigo is going to beg to be stabbed in the eye.

Guarded as ever, Byakuya takes a second's hesitation before he shakes Nichibotsu's hand. "I trust my sister has been serving you well."

"Ah yes, she is one of my best bartenders."

Ichigo wonders what the stick-up-his-arse really thinks about his sister working in a place like this. It's not very Kuchiki-like to make drinks for people in the dead of the night and be in the company of such… patrons. If he thought Ichigo himself was bad for Rukia, does he have any idea what sort of people would come over to the bar?

"Kurosaki."

"Byakuya."

And so begins the antagonism between them. There is a pregnant silence before Nichibotsu whispers something to Rukia, which elicits a nod as she begins to remove her black apron.

"Would you like a drink, Nii-sama? I can make you one before I pack up and we can head to the private room booked for our gathering," she says.

"Get us all two bottles of Hakushu."

Snob…

"Hai…" Rukia says with a bow and leaves the two men at the counter with the rising tension.

Until Ichigo decides to open his big mouth, as always. "You're an arse of a brother," he says, but continues before the other man could say anything. "But Rukia still worships the ground at your feet despite that. You absolutely do not deserve her. Happy birthday, though."

Byakuya is seething and Ichigo can feel it. However, the Captain's voice remains calm when he hurls back — in his arrogant way, "Neither do you. And it pleases me to no end that she will never be involved with the filth that you are."

It hurts. Kami, it hurts so bad, Byakuya might as well have sliced Ichigo down with Senbonzakura. But the former Shinigami swallows every bitter bit of it and accepts it as another despair Yhwach promised he would experience for the rest of his life.


"The 12th Division has confirmed that Ulquiorra Cifer is now completely human. How a dead Hollow — a former Espada, at that — has transformed into a living human being… this is still under investigation," Urahara announces in the presence of the small group gathering in the private room of Nichibotsu Bar.

Renji, Tatsuki, Karin, and Chad arrived shortly after Nii-sama. Urahara came in late, earning a cold, disapproving glare from the Birthday Boy, despite the cheesecake he brought along with him.

Sitting timidly opposite him, Karin asks, "When you say he's human, do you mean…"

"He possesses not a single ounce of active spiritual pressure. Apparently, his reiatsu gradually decreased during his stay here. During his arrest, he was put under a truth kido where he was interrogated and observed as both human and soul. After two weeks, Soul Society has declared Ulquiorra Cifer to be a perfectly normal human being, rid of any extraordinary powers or spiritual pressure that he first appeared with," Urahara replies.

"He had extraordinary powers when he first got here?" This time, it's Ichigo who asks.

And Rukia can't fault him for the incredulity in his voice. He was told that the former Espada had been spying on his family. Ulquiorra could've hurt Kazui during that time.

"Shifting from one place to another," Nii-sama clarifies. "Extraordinary, but not much of a power. Other than that, he was and is as harmless as any human being who has no knowledge of the spiritual world."

The entire room is silent, and Rukia isn't sure if it's because no one has anything else to contribute to it; now that they all know Ulquiorra Cifer is officially off the jurisdiction of the spiritual world or because no one really knows what to do at Nii-sama's birthday 'party'.

Everyone has had a piece of the cheesecake, although none has made the move to ask for a second helping. The cake is barely half-eaten. But Nii-sama has been gracious to refill everyone's whisky glasses every time they are empty. Two bottles of Hakushu is quite a lot for the six of them; and Ichigo seems to be quite contented with his iced tea. Rukia has a feeling she'll be having cheesecake and whisky for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next two days. Nii-sama doesn't like to waste and he can't possibly take them back with him to Soul Society.

It is Urahara who breaks the silence when he clears his throat and turns towards Ichigo at the other end of the table. "Ichigo-kun, I know you haven't got the chance to speak to your wife…"

Ichigo grunts irritably at that even as he directs his attention to his old trainer.

"But we'd advise you to find an opportunity to do so soon because we'd have to release Cifer one of these days as he is not a spiritual being. However, he will have to report himself to the authorities as a John Doe and apply for Japanese citizenship in order to continue his life as a normal human being. The only person who can vouch for him is your wife because she was the one who found him and whom he stayed with for over six weeks…"

Rukia feels the lump in her throat as she imagines what it would be like for Ichigo to have to accept another twist in his life. While she and Uryuu have been allowed to move on, Ichigo continues to receive blow after blow, all because of Yhwach's curse.

"I have nothing to say to her. She can do whatever she wants with her life as long as she doesn't let that guy go near my son."

"Well… yeah, that's one thing you need to talk to her about, don't you think so?" Renji says, nudging his elbow at Ichigo next to him.

Ichigo lets out another grunt before taking a sip of his tea.

"I'd try to make arrangements for the two of you to talk at my apartment," Tatsuki speaks up on the other side of Renji. "But she threw me out of your place the last time I was there."

"I'm sorry…" Ichigo heaves a sigh. "Then again, it's my house and you're welcome there anytime. So don't worry about it. Urahara…"

"Yup?" the shopkeeper perks up with a burp, much to everyone's disgust.

"Did Ulquiorra mention if he will continue staying at the apartment?"

Urahara and Nii-sama exchange a look. Rukia suspects they hadn't planned on discussing this.

Getting a nod of approval from Nii-sama, Urahara straightens his posture and begins, "He is quite adamant on going back to the apartment. And…"

Ichigo visibly scowls at Urahara's pause. "Spit it out, Geta-boshi. What else did he say?"

"This is why we're urging you to have a talk with Inoue," Urahara murmurs.

He is obviously quite drunk but at the same time, he's trying to keep himself sober enough, which is surprising for everyone, but not as surprising as what he reveals next…

"We do not know if this is his own speculation but apparently, Inoue has plans to move to another prefecture with him."


Abhorrence aside, Byakuya finds himself feeling empathetic towards Kurosaki. Before the meeting, the 6th Division Captain and Urahara decided not to mention this part of Ulquiorra's interrogation unless Kurosaki asked about it. And he did, which puts them in a spot. They both knew this turn of events, if it happens, would devastate the former shinigami-daiko, notwithstanding the lack of emotions involved in his marriage to that ryoka woman. Inoue Orihime's moving to another prefecture would ultimately grief their son, and Kurosaki is fiercely protective of him.

As the meeting/party dismisses, Byakuya watches as Kurosaki exits the private room of Nichibotsu bar, looking confusingly resolute and defeated at the same time. It is not in his capacity to care about what's going on in that orange head, but Byakuya knows he can't say the same for his sister. Rukia may have moved on. However, he can see that she still cares deeply for the person who once shared her soul.

And speaking of her moving on…

"Rukia."

His sister looks up from packing the leftover cheesecake in the box. "Yes, Nii-sama?"

"A word with you."

"Sure," she says, setting the boxes of cake and whisky aside and taking her seat again. "What is it, Nii-sama?"

Byakuya purses his lips and studies his sister's face to catch her distress over the issue Kurosaki is facing. She hides it well, he notes; her Kuchiki training in place. But he knows her better.

"Do not be too troubled over this…"

"I'm not…" she interrupts but is quickly silenced by her brother's hand, uncharacteristically grasping hers over the table.

"Kurosaki is a grown man. I am certain he is capable of managing his own issues. My current concern is about you and the Quincy."

At the mention of her new partner, Rukia spots a blush on her cheeks, something Byakuya used to see a lot on Hisana before she was weakened by her illness. Inwardly, he has to remind himself to be present and not be taken by the memory of his late wife.

"Wh-what about me and Uryuu, Nii-sama?"

"A Kuchiki does not stutter," he reminds her, more for his own amusement than to reprimand her, and continues before she has the chance to apologise for it. "While I do not oppose of you finding happiness, I feel it is my duty as a fellow shinigami captain to caution you of the impermanence of your state of relationship. Your investment will inevitably lead to…"

"A heartbreak," Rukia cuts in quietly. "I get it, Nii-sama."

Byakuya nods. That's all he wants to hear from his sister: that she understands that she and Ishida will have to part eventually. But, "I'm also not saying that you should end it right now."

Rukia's violet eyes widen quizzically at her brother as she waits for him to continue and Byakuya returns her reaction with a rare, solemn tilt of his lips - a sign of him replacing his dutiful shinigami role with that of her brother. After the war, he has been practising this more frequently.

"I married your sister even when I knew she was dying. So believe me when I say I know how you feel about getting into a relationship that you already know will be short-lived. Over the five years that we had, we lived every day as if it were the last, treasuring every moment to the best of our abilities. And when she breathed her last, despite how I felt we should've had more time, I also knew I had to be grateful with whatever was given to us."

Giving her brother's hand a squeeze, she lifts it up to press her lips on his knuckles. "Thank you, Nii-sama," she chokes. "I wasn't expecting that, honestly."

"You were right not to," Byakuya huffs - or something as close to that, as he removes his hand gently and presses his palm onto her crown before he gets up from his chair. "However, I know I've never told you much about your sister and I do want you to realise that I can indeed relate to what you are going through."


It is a Friday but Rukia has told Ishida that she would be leaving work earlier that night because of her brother's birthday and a meeting with Urahara about Cifer, which would be held at Nichibotsu's. She did invite him to the gathering but he had an evening shift, so he said he would pick her up at 11.00 pm instead.

Ishida arrives at the bar to see Abarai, Arisawa, and Chad leaving the premise after they bid goodbye to Kurosaki who's standing outside, smoking his cigarette. He has never seen his cousin smoke before. Then again, they haven't met in a long time. Too much has changed.

Locking his car, Ishida is about to head inside when he is spotted by Kurosaki. The two men share a look before the orange head lifts his cigarette hand in greeting.

"Ishida."

"Kurosaki." And after a moment of contemplation, Ishida approaches his cousin. "Why are you not inside?"

"The meeting finished 20 minutes ago. We were out here talking for a bit. The gang just left," Kurosaki explains, quite calmly and with no trace of his usual sarcasm, Ishida notes.

"I take it the meeting went well?"

Kurosaki scoffs.

And there it is…

"I don't feel like talking about it. Pretty sure Rukia will fill you in on how pitiful my life is right now."

"Kurosaki…"

"No worries. I'm good, Ishida."

"I'm sorry."

The orange head chuckles. "Thanks."

Hands in the pockets of his slacks, Ishida stands there rather awkwardly as Kurosaki finishes his cigarette and stubs it into the smoke bin next to him. He is actually quite relieved that Kurosaki isn't going to tell him what went down at the meeting, certain he isn't the person Kurosaki would want to rant to, even though he did wrap up his wounds five years ago.

"Well," Kurosaki heaves a sigh. "I'm going to head back home now. See you around."

"Sure," Ishida says with a nod before he steps away towards the door of the bar, but he is stopped in his tracks when Kurosaki calls out to him from the window of his car. "Yeah?"

"All the best with Rukia," he says, and before Ishida could think he was being sarcastic, he continues, "I mean it, man."

Ishida mouths a 'thanks' as the other man drives off. Curious about what just happened, he makes his way into the bar to look for Rukia, in time to see her and her brother coming out of the private room.

"Ishida-san," the captain greets him.

"Kuchiki-sama."

Turning to his sister, Kuchiki says, "I shall make my leave, Rukia. Do contact me immediately if anything comes up."

"I will, Nii-sama," Rukia replies with a quick bow. "Do you need a ride back to Urahara's?"

"I'll find my way back on my own," he says before he turns back to Ishida. "I trust you will take my sister home safely."

What in the world… "Of course, Kuchiki-sama." Then again, Ishida should've expected this. Dating Kuchiki Byakuya's little sister comes with threatening glares and mocking tones from her over-protective brother.

The minute the stick-up-the-arse is out of the bar, Rukia reaches up on her tiptoes to give Ishida a peck on the lips. "Let me get my bag and we can go," she says, shoving two boxes into his hands.

Back in the apartment 10 minutes later, Ishida finds himself thinking about all that Rukia has told him as he puts the water to boil in the kettle while Rukia goes for her shower. He and Kurosaki may not be on good terms most of the time, but even he feels a little enraged at how Inoue is treating his cousin. However, what goes on in her mind, no one truly knows. Does her mental illness really justify what she is doing to her family? Ishida isn't one to judge, though. And his only concern is Rukia, knowing how she overthinks everything that goes on around her.

Ishida places two cups of coffee on the coffee table just as Rukia comes out from her shower and takes a seat on the settee. Draping an arm around her, Ishida pulls her in for a kiss on her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she says, cuddling into him. "My brother had a talk with me after the meeting."

"Hmm… does that talk allow us to be in this position?"

Pinching his side, Rukia glares up at him. "He is not against our relationship, Dragon."

"Neither does he approve of it, Shinigami. And yes, those were his words," Ishida retorts, gathering her legs across his lap.

Rukia huffs, adjusting her limbs around the Quincy to make herself comfortable. "Maybe he's changed his mind."
Ishida gasps. "Perish the thought!"

"Uryuu!"

"Okay," he snickers. "What did he say?"

"He wants me to know he understands what we're going through."

"And what is that?"

"This…" Rukia begins, her index finger mindlessly drawing circles on Ishida's chest. "His relationship with my sister lasted only a few years before she died. And they got married knowing they only had a short time together."

Honestly, Ishida doesn't like to be reminded of how temporary their relationship is expected to be. He hates it. But knowing that Byakuya understands and supports them really means a lot to the Quincy… especially because he is a Quincy. "Well, that's…"

"Yeah…"

He and Rukia have come this far - they can even finish each other's thoughts without voicing them out. It's more than he could ever ask for. And it scares him not to know when they will be forced to part. But he can't let this fear and the anxiety of knowing their days together are numbered get in the way of them enjoying the moments they have with each other.

"I've never said this before but you know I love you, right?" he says, affectionately cradling her face with both hands. Before Rukia manages to reply, Ishida presses a thumb over her lips so he can continue, "I also want you to know that I'm grateful for this chance to be with you. And when the time comes for us to…"

Rukia nods in understanding, saving him the ordeal of having to say those painful words.

"I will still be grateful that we've had a chance to be together."

"You're a horrible person, Dragon."

"Wha-?"

"How on earth did you make me fall in love with you?"

Ishida thinks he has died and gone to heaven.


It's been… almost a year? I'm so, so, sorry. It's quite a struggle picking this up again even though more than half of the chapter was written last year. I'll try to update as often as possible while the entire world is on lockdown. Stay safe, people.