A/N: iris updates... again! it's been a while, but this is my child, i'm not abandoning it i promise. i don't think the chapters are going to be as long as they have been from this point forward. i got too used to my chapter size for all our days and it's leaking over everything lol.
thank you to everyone who has commented! it really does help me push forward.
The thing was, Ichigo didn't really pay attention to the date. Not really. And not until it came up suddenly. For the first couple of years after Mom died, it was a constant haze of pain. That specific day didn't feel all that different from any other. The following years after that, Ichigo was used to just putting one foot in front of the other. He didn't pay attention then, and had developed some pretty good selective obliviousness.
His sisters and his dad were also pretty good at ignoring the date. Tatsuki and Uryu knew by now to let it be, and taught their other friends to do the same. Was it healthy? Probably not, but it worked for the Kurosaki family. Besides, it wasn't as if they neglected their familial duties when the situation came around.
It was just… they'd all gotten so good at not paying attention that the eve of Mom's death always came as a surprise somehow.
"Ichigo!" Kon yelled, jumping onto his bed and hitting Ichigo with his plush arms. It was more annoying than anything, but irritation welled up. "It's morning! Time to get up!"
"I'm awake, dammit," Ichigo grumbled. He grabbed Kon by the head and threw him at the door.
"You're up!" Kon said smugly, patting his chest proudly. Stupid stuffed animal didn't even have the decency of staying on the floor.
Ichigo glared at Kon balefully. Because Ichigo couldn't do much more than throw Kon. Yuzu, for some godawful reason, had decided that Kon was hers. And no one touched anyone or anything that Yuzu considered hers.
Kon, the brat, had decided that being Yuzu's was the absolute best thing ever. Especially since Yuzu sent Kon to do minor chores around the house, like waking Ichigo up in the morning if he didn't get up at what Yuzu considered an appropriate time. Kon delighted in annoying absolutely everyone.
Sometimes, Ichigo despaired of how much he put up with for his sisters. Inoue was right, Ichigo was a total pushover.
"How the fuck did you even get in?" Ichigo muttered under his breath as he climbed out of bed.
Kon scampered out of Ichigo's bedroom through the open door. Ah. Of course. Why did Ichigo ever think teaching the twins how to pick locks was a good idea? Oh, wait, because it was.
As always, Kon was eager to report his task as complete to Yuzu. Ichigo would worry more if he wasn't already aware that Kon was terrified of Yuzu. Which was how it should be.
Ichigo sighed and rubbed at his face. Kon had a plushie body, which made him more of a menace than a true threat. They'd thankfully already trained the worst of his behaviors out of him, though whether Kon understood why some things were bad was still up in the air.
Seriously. Ichigo was going to track down the asshole that somehow managed to program perversion into the mod soul. That shit was learned behavior. Ichigo was going to be having words with them, and absolutely no one would be happy about it.
At least Kon was better than Dad waking him up. Dad was too energetic in the morning. If Ichigo ever doubted where he and his sisters got their… uh, friendly disposition, he just had to look at Dad to remind himself. They all got the same smile when they decided to be deliberately obtuse.
In light of that, Ichigo was grateful that Kon woke him up in the morning. Which Ichigo would never admit to. Ever.
That did not mean Ichigo didn't grumble about the wakeup regardless. He changed into his uniform, ran a brush through his hair, and went to go put on his usual accessories. He fit his watch on his wrist, glancing at the time.
Ichigo paused.
He stared for a long moment. Static enveloped his heart, like pinpricks, before the feeling faded, just a little. He sighed heavily and looked out the window. The forecast yesterday said the entire week was supposed to be hot and beautiful. What a difference, compared to that night.
"It's tomorrow, huh," Ichigo said to himself.
The door opened again and Ichigo turned around. Rukia stood in his doorway. She was in uniform, but had a cheery yellow butterfly hair clip holding her bangs away from her face. Said hair clip had a delicate Quincy cross pattern painted in yellow glitter on its wings, so faint that you could only see it if you recognized the design.
That was definitely a claim made on Yuzu's part, wasn't it. Ichigo wondered if Rukia was aware that Yuzu decided that she was now Kurosaki. When did Yuzu make that decision, and did she talk to Karin about it?
Ichigo wasn't certain how he felt about it, really, especially today. Not much he could do about it though. If Yuzu made the decision to adopt Rukia, then Rukia was now family.
...though Ichigo looked forward to Uryu's reaction. Especially since Uryu made the hair clip for Yuzu in the first place.
Rukia stared at Ichigo with an odd expression. "Ichigo?"
"What?"
"I came to check up on you," Rukia said, eyebrows raised. "I wouldn't put it past you to go back to sleep to spite Kon."
Ichigo snorted. "I would, normally," he admitted, grabbed the rest of his bracelets. "But Yuzu was the one that sent him to wake me up."
Rukia winced, and nodded in understanding. Placing her in the twins' room might've been a bit mean, but Ichigo felt no regrets. Besides, he really did have the others over too often to make it a good fit.
"Well, since you're up and dressed we may as well go down for breakfast," Rukia said, and led the way downstairs.
"Good morning, Onii-chan," Yuzu greeted cheerfully.
Karin sat at the table, face pressed into the surface. She raised a hand tiredly at him and made a low groaning noise in his direction.
"Morning," Ichigo returned, and patted Karin gently on the head. Poor girl, she refused to stay in bed while Rukia was around. It didn't stop her from falling back asleep downstairs though. "Kon wasn't a bother last night, was he?"
"No, Kon-chan was very well behaved," Yuzu assured him.
Considering that they had Kon for almost two weeks now, it was habit to ask that every morning. Yuzu smiled a closed-eye smile, one that Ichigo recognized from Tatsuki when she barrelled past her usual anger and went straight to lethal.
Ichigo glanced at Kon. Despite being a stuffed animal, Ichigo could see the sweat forming on his brow. Good. Yuzu would make sure Kon didn't backslide to his previous ways. It'd been this long already, and despite appearances, Kon wasn't stupid. Ichigo wondered how long it would take him to realize, or to understand, why Yuzu deliberately terrified him.
Rukia looked pleased too, which meant she was working with Yuzu. Ichigo might normally feel sorry for that combination, but if that was what it took.
"Okay Karin, time to grab Goat-Face from the clinic," Ichigo said, turning to Karin. He reached over and nudged her back up.
Karin glared tiredly at him, but moved automatically towards the clinic.
"Good morning my lovely children!" Dad crowed when he came in from the clinic. Karin followed after him yawning.
Ichigo dodged the tackle and kicked Dad aside, making sure to aim him away from anything breakable. Karin yelled at him, more awake than when she left. Yuzu made sure that they actually sat down at the table for breakfast. Kon sat in the high chair Yuzu set aside for him, his appearance making Dad's eyebrow twitch.
Kon, gloriously, was just outside Dad's strangeness meter. A meter that Ichigo didn't even know existed prior. Which made having Kon around worth it.
Rukia, somehow, took it all in stride. She followed the flow of the energy, making sure to step aside, or to push back, as needed.
Yeah. Rukia could definitely be Kurosaki with that kind of attitude. Ichigo wondered what her life was like back in Soul Society that she was able to handle this. Or why she decided that their brand of insanity was normal, because she hadn't blinked an eye since the beginning. She didn't even ask if this was a Human thing, like she often didn when something confused her.
"Yuzu, I'll help with dishes," Rukia said, and did just that.
"Oh, okay Rukia-san!" Yuzu beamed at her.
The rest of them cleared the table, leaving the actual dishes to Yuzu and Rukia. Ichigo eyed the two of them as Yuzu cheerfully walked through the best ways to get food off of plates. Rukia paid serious attention.
Ichigo couldn't help but smile. Yeah, Ichigo could definitely see why Yuzu decided that Rukia was family. It was good- the Rukia that they had come to know was much better than the prideful shinigami he first met. They'd have to find a way to keep in contact with her when she finally returned to Soul Society.
Mizuiro stood outside waiting for them when they left the clinic.
"Oh, morning Mizuiro," Ichigo greeted, echoed by the others. "Were you waiting outside for too long?"
"No," Mizuiro said, looking up from his phone. He did a quick glance over Ichigo, and seemed assured by what he saw. Then he glanced at Rukia, a question in his eyes.
Ichigo shrugged. He hadn't told Rukia about the date and didn't feel like telling her anytime soon. He would, if no one else brought it up with her first. Though they probably wouldn't. Rukia was Ichigo's responsibility, or something.
Mizuiro nodded minutely at the answer. "Well, shall we be on our way?" he asked, and started walking.
Yuzu and Karin kept up the cheerful chatter. Karin was especially excited, as she was meeting her new teammates after school. The co-ed team was coming along wonderfully, she said. Not to mention that Karin had already brow beaten the soccer club into with the rules already.
"I said you'd be fine," Ichigo said proudly, ruffling Karin's hair.
Karin scowled and shoved his hand away. But she didn't do anything to hide how she preened at the compliment.
"And the cooking club?" Ichigo asked Yuzu.
"I'll be club president by next term," Yuzu said, nodding firmly.
Normally they wouldn't be club presidents in Elementary, but Yuzu was persistent. There may or may not be bribes going on in the background either, though Ichigo figured that showing off her cooking skills to the teachers was bribery. It was the cooking club. Besides, Yuzu was by no means the first person to do so- just the best.
"You're doing well then, Yuzu-chan," Mizuiro complimented her, smiling proudly.
"Thank you, Mizuiro-nii-san!" Yuzu chirped.
Ichigo wondered if he'd need to intervene between the two of them at some point. He never thought that this friendship was something he'd have to worry about the first time he brought Mizuiro home. Then again, Ichigo had made the comparisons between Yuzu and Mizuiro from the start. Ichigo might have subconsciously set them up to see the fireworks.
Rukia glanced between Yuzu and Mizuiro, then looked to Ichigo with a question in her eyes. Ah, right. Rukia hadn't seen Yuzu and Mizuiro interact like this before.
"Don't worry about it," Ichigo told her quietly.
"If you say so," Rukia said dubiously with another glance at the pair.
Rukia obviously decided to make plans to avoid Yuzu and Mizuiro if the two of them ever went out on their own. Which was smart of her. And cute, because it meant that Rukia thought she would be safe if she did so. Yuzu and Mizuiro, in the event that they decided to do anything, would reach wherever they so pleased. No one would be able to escape.
Ichigo decided to leave Rukia to her misconception. Ignorance is bliss and all that.
Yuzu and Mizuiro kept up their conversation until they reached the elementary school gates. When Yuzu and Karin passed the threshold, Ichigo felt the usual ripple of the ward pass over them, muting their presence from his senses.
"Have a good day at school, Onii-chan!" Yuzu said as she and Karin walked to the front entrance.
"See you later," Ichigo called.
He turned on his heel and led Mizuiro and Rukia to the high school. Mizuiro immediately started speaking with Rukia, peppering her with questions about this and that. Ichigo made a note to get something for Mizuiro as thanks for keeping Rukia's attention off of him.
Though, Mizuiro decided that he liked Rukia, for a given value of liking on his part.
Whatever. Fickle as Mizuiro could be, should it suit his moods, that didn't mean he wasn't also a great friend. Maybe Mizuiro liked Rukia for herself, or as entertainment. Or even both. Mizuiro definitely liked Ichigo because of his entertainment value. He just happened to like Ichigo as a person too.
"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun, Kojima-kun, Kuchiki-san!" Inoue greeted cheerfully when they made it to their classroom, her greetings echoed by the others.
Tatsuki and Uryu looked him over, studying Ichigo intently. Then they glanced at each other before visibly deciding that they didn't need to worry about it for the moment.
"Morning, Inoue," Ichigo returned brightly. He carefully ignored the quiet explanation that Tatsuki gave Inoue at her confusion with his response.
Yeah, Inoue had been absent last June, hadn't she? And Tatsuki didn't drag her into their group until last Fall. This would be the first year that Inoue was around for the anniversary.
Uryu turned to return Rukia's own greeting, and froze once he recognized the hair clip Rukia wore. Ichigo watched with glee for the reaction. Uryu went red, then pale, and then his eyes narrowed so much that they looked closed. Then he pressed his hands to his face under his glasses, muttering German curses under his breath.
That reaction was just as fantastic as Ichigo anticipated.
"Ichigo?" Rukia asked quietly, looking at Uryu worriedly. Yeah, that reaction was not subtle at all.
"Don't worry about it," Ichigo said, cheered up. Huh. That was probably why Yuzu waited until today to give Rukia the hair clip in the first place. He'd have to do something nice for his sister as thanks. "You haven't done anything wrong, I promise."
"If you say so," Rukia said dubiously. She brushed some stray hair out of her eyes, bringing attention to the yellow hair clip again.
Uryu continued to hide his face in his hands. He trembled faintly, probably with suppressed rage or something. Yeah, Uryu was totally aware that Yuzu was the one who gave the hair clip to Rukia. And Uryu couldn't do anything about it.
"He'll get over it," Ichigo said.
He looked to Tatsuki, who had her phone out and quietly recorded Uryu's reaction. She gave Ichigo a thumbs up, which he returned. Nice. Yeah, that was a memory to keep. He'd have to ask Tatsuki to send it to Yuzu and Karin as well.
Rukia glanced between all of them and nodded to herself. She might not understand the exact context, but she clearly recognized a prank when she saw one.
The rest of the day, thankfully, passed by as normal. It was quiet, and Ichigo paid attention to the lessons. He wasn't going to be here tomorrow, so best take some good notes. His friends kept a careful eye on him, but also didn't bring attention to him. Ichigo loved them for it. He was okay, but he knew that if he wasn't, they would step in.
Of course that didn't last when Ichigo went home. Dad had to go and ruin the general calm of the day during dinner. Making plans for tomorrow was an energetic affair. Rukia and Kon were audience to the chaos, adding noise but not really part of the planning.
Dad really knew how to distract them. Ichigo would have fallen for it too if he didn't know better. Yuzu and Karin would figure it out sooner or later, but Ichigo wouldn't point it out to them. Might as well make it a family tradition or something. Learning and recognizing when Dad was just being Dad, or when Dad was being sneaky.
He even invited Rukia along.
"I don't mind," Rukia said, blinking up at Dad. "But what are we doing?"
Dad, of course, steamrolled right over that question. He turned his attention back to Ichigo and the twins. Right, he'd leave the explanation to Ichigo. Overexuberance and being loud to ignore others worked for Dad. At least Rukia knew she wasn't getting an answer from Dad if her frown was anything to go by.
Yeah, Dad's energy wasn't easy to get used to. Ichigo wasn't used to it, and he grew up with it. But Dad's personality was pretty easy to understand.
Karin only got really interested in the proceedings when Dad named her Staff Director. Or, really, the one in charge. Yuzu, as always, would make their food while Dad and Ichigo carried everything.
Not that Ichigo minded, really. It was the easiest part of the entire affair. Ichigo would have to keep an eye on Dad though, to make sure he didn't drop anything on accident. He never meant it, but it still somehow always happened.
Ichigo and his family would head over to the graveyard in the morning where they'd clean up and spend time together. Uryu and Tatsuki would head over later with their own offerings and spend lunch with them. Chad would be there normally since Ichigo brought him the first anniversary after they met, but he unfortunately couldn't make it this year.
It'd end up being something of a party at Mom's grave, no matter how much they planned otherwise. Ichigo might've been worried if he didn't know how much his mom would appreciate the energy. She'd find a properly respectful gathering boring.
Most of the time, Ichigo wondered what Mom had ever seen in Dad. Why she ever wanted to marry him in the first place. Then Dad went and did something that would make Mom happy if she were there, and Ichigo stopped wondering about it. At least until Dad went and broke the moment, but still.
"That looked fun," Rukia said later, when they finished their homework. Ichigo never thought that Rukia would like doing it, but she was pretty focused. He figured it was her constant curiosity with how the Living World did things compared to Soul Society.
"That's one thing to call it," Ichigo said, "An annoyance is another."
Rukia frowned like she didn't understand. Ichigo sometimes wondered what her life was like that she didn't blink an eye at the insanity. Their neighbors were used to them by now, but the Kurosaki Clinic still got odd glances every once in a while.
"Really? Your dad is loud, yes, but not so bad to live with," Rukia said slowly. "He is not disrespectful, and provides the necessities for your family. And he very clearly cares about you."
Ichigo stared at Rukia, thrown for a loop. She had to understand how odd that sounded, right? And how low that bar was? Because what Rukia just described were the literal bare necessities.
Ichigo could and would complain about his dad about the world ended, but he knew Dad loved them. He did more than simply provide food and shelter. Dad would spoil them rotten if they let him get away with it because Dad's love language was actions and gifts. It was Ichigo and his sisters that reminded him that they did, in fact, have a budget. Ichigo's earliest memories were of Dad trying to make him laugh.
Yes, Ichigo had to pick up a lot of the slack when Mom died. Dad dealt with grief by making sure that their bills were paid and had money for the necessities. He tried his best, even if sometimes that best might not have been enough. When Ichigo and Yuzu and Karin weren't annoyed at their dad, they did their best to help alleviate the stress. They never doubted that their dad loved them fiercely.
So yeah. Rukia put the bar for good parenting kind of on the ground there. Even if they didn't talk, Ichigo and the twins would seek out their dad to spend some time in the same room. Part of the reason they worked in the clinic was because it was where Dad spent most of his time. It was also where he didn't put on the dramatics like he did in their house.
Ichigo must have stared a little too long because Rukia frowned at him. "What?"
He sighed and turned away. You think spirits would have learned from all of their lives' mistakes and build something better in the afterlife. "Just wondering about something. Can I take tomorrow off from shinigami duties?" Not that it would stop Ichigo. It'd be nice if Rukia agreed and didn't try to do anything though.
"What? Of course not!" Rukia said, glaring at him, "There is no such thing-"
"Rukia," Ichigo said, and turned to her. His expression must have been something else since it stopped her speaking near instantly. "Please. It's important."
Rukia frowned at him, thoughtfully this time. She leaned back and watched him. "What is?"
"Tomorrow is the anniversary of my mother's death," Ichigo told her. He turned to look back out the window and watch the setting sun.
It was clear skies. The forecast said there would be rain later in the week, but it should be beautiful tomorrow. Ichigo was torn between grief that the day was so unlike his memories, or relief that their visit to his mother's grave would be beautiful. Mom deserved nice things.
"Ichigo," Rukia said quietly. He didn't turn to see her expression. Rukia wasn't one for pity, but he was still scared to see it. Rukia sighed. "It's- we'll have to be on call in case of emergency. But we can take tomorrow off."
We? Ichigo smiled. Rukia really was a good person. "Thanks, Rukia."
0o0o0
