Chapter 1: New Year, Wrong Start
*Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, just the OCs*
"Are we ready?"
Naoko adjusted her hairclip, "So impatient Brother. We still have time if you want to change."
"No thank you," Uryu adjusted his glasses. "I'm perfectly fine with what I'm wearing. It's just New Year's."
To that, Naoko rolled her eyes and straightened out her kimono. "It's not just any New Year's. This is the first one we get to celebrate as a family. You, me, Grandma, and even Mom and Dad."
When put like that he could see her reasoning for wanting to dress up. However, he wanted to be warm and comfortable, so he opted for normal casual wear. Naoko took the formal route and wore a deep blue furisode printed with snow covered pine trees and mountains. A thick, fluffy white shawl rested around her shoulders. Her hair had been gathered up and pinned atop her head with her feather fascinator as the lone accessory.
Holidays were not something Uryu ever really celebrated even when their grandfather was alive. They were barely acknowledged and now… Now he had friends and family to celebrate with.
"I'm ready if you two are," their grandmother said coming up to them.
She was clad in a dark forest green kimono with flowers patterned around the lower half and sleeves with a red and gold obi around her waist. A heavy dark brown haori sat atop the outfit to provide extra warmth and protection from winter's chill. Her silver hair was tied in a loose bun with matching accessories stuck in.
"Before we go I want to give these to you," she dug in her purse and pulled out two otoshidama and handed one to each of them.
Uryu took his feeling a little surprised that he would receive one. He hadn't gotten an otoshidama since grade school. Naoko let out a strangled squawk at having seen the amount inside. Uryu followed and found fifty thousand yen inside. Fifty… thousand… he counted again to make sure.
"Grandmother, I-I can't—" He stammered, but the older woman silenced him with a raised hand.
"You can and you will. It's a gift Uryu, returning it would be very rude," she said the latter with a wink. "You both mean very much to me and I want this to be a good year for you both. Besides you could think of this as my way of making up for all the years I wasn't able to give you anything."
He supposed she was right, but it was still a lot of money and she had been generous at Christmas as well. Even though gift giving is not widely practiced in Japan on that day, unlike in the West their grandmother justified it by saying she was part German and is following their customs. That little tidbit had certainly surprised both siblings.
She chuckled at their shock, "Oh yes my mother came all the way from Germany to marry my father. Because of that we always practiced Christmas and all its traditions long before anyone else did."
Uryu had been gifted with a large sewing kit with his name engraved on it. The kit was filled with thread of every color, needles of every length, and so many other little things. He even received German language books and a textbook detailing the history of European fashion. His sister received the furisode she now wore, boxes of books, and an archery set.
Something about all those gifts bothered Uryu. Perhaps it was merely him not being used to such thoughtfulness, though it almost felt like she was trying to give them a memorable holiday as if it would be their last. The teen shook his head, no that couldn't be it. This was their first holiday season together, of course his grandmother would want to make it special.
"Let's head out then before it gets too crowded," Setsuna said as she slipped on her gloves.
Uryu followed and tried to banish that nagging cynical feeling.
The temple grounds were as crowded as Uryu expected them to be. People clad in bulky winter coats, women in brightly colored kimonos, and excited children gathered together to ring in the new year. Crowds were not Uryu's thing, he had a wide personal space bubble, but he ignored the discomfort at seeing his grandmother and sister happy.
"I'm gonna go on ahead and look for Mom and Dad," Naoko announced right before running off.
Setsuna chuckled warmly, "She's certainly excited." She looked around with the distant look of one deep in their memories. "I remember the first New Year's your grandfather and I spent together after getting married."
"Really?" Uryu was always intrigued to hear family stories.
The pair meandered through the crowds as she spoke, "It was about a year and a half after the war ended. Everyone was still recovering from the losses and damage dealt. We didn't have much like everyone else and prayed for the same things, a year of good health and good luck. I remember being surprised by how crowded it was, far worse than this. I suppose everyone wanted to pray for a better year and for those they lost."
"Did you lose anyone?" He asked gently.
Her smile turned slightly melancholy, "Not during the war, it was shortly after actually."
Uryu winced, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… uh…"
She seemed to sense his discomfort and patted his arm reassuringly, "No worries, dear. It was a long time ago. Ah, it seems your sister was successful in her hunt."
The Quincy looked up to see his sibling with their parents. His mother, wearing a deep pink floral kimono, waved to him while his father gave a slight nod. Their relationship was still not what anyone would call good, however it had slowly transitioned from bitter cold to awkwardly tepid. Upon getting closer, his mother pounced on him and wrapped her arms around him in an exuberant hug. Showing affection through physical contact, a trait clearly shared by mother and daughter, was another thing Uryu found himself slowly growing accustomed to.
"Happy New Year, my sweet son!"
"Happy New Year to you as well Mother," he said while returning her hug, albeit with less enthusiasm, but no less love.
"Uryu!"
He turned to see Ichigo walking up to him. The other teen was dressed in regular winter clothing while his younger twin sisters sported red and pink kimonos. The girls walked past the boys and oddly right up to Uryu's grandmother who smiles and starts chatting with them.
Uryu noticed someone missing, "No Kuchiki?"
Ichigo shrugs, "Nah, she wanted to spend the holidays with her family in Seireitei."
"Understandable," the Quincy adjusts his glasses. "Though I thought she would want to stay close and keep an eye on her new captain in case he does something stupid."
At that Ichigo flushed and scowled, "If anyone does anything stupid it'd be my old man, not me."
"True," he paused then asked quietly. "Are you doing alright?"
Uryu and everyone else had been shocked when Captain Ukitake announced his retirement and offered his captaincy to Ichigo. The Winter War had taken its toll on the sickly man and had been persuaded by family and friends to step away from active service. What really hadn't surprised Uryu was Ichigo accepting the job. The brash idiot was always so willing to help people no matter what...
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's not like anything is official yet, your mom made sure of that."
From what Uryu heard, his mother had made quite the fuss about Ichigo being drafted so suddenly. She argued for him to at least be allowed to finish high school, because "I will not let my best friend's son be a high school dropout!" The extra few years would allow for a better candidate to be found or at least give Ichigo time to think his decision through. It did feel like the Gotei was picking Ichigo because of his strength and how people were touting him as the hero of the Winter War, despite the teen's protests.
"And what about you?" Ichigo gave him an appraising look. "You okay?"
Uryu shifted slightly at his friend's gaze. "I'm fine."
Ichigo's deadpan expression clearly said he was not buying it. Had they really become close enough that they could read each other so easily? Or was Uryu losing his stoic touch? The Quincy sighed and looked at his grandmother who was still talking to the Kurosaki twins, but now Naoko had joined them.
"I keep feeling like something is going to happen, though I can't tell what."
Ichigo shrugged again, "It might be lingering paranoia from fighting in Hueco Mundo and having to keep our guards up all the time. Or maybe something is coming and if it is you've got us to help you."
"I feel so relieved," Uryu said dryly.
"Tch, whatever. Come on, Chad and Orihime said they'd be here, let's go find them."
The holidays ended and life resumed as normal with Uryu returning to school and Naoko resuming her homeschooling. Naoko sat at the table munching on mochi while trying to figure out her algebra homework. Words made more sense to her than numbers, though that did not make word problems easier or equations with letters in them.
Maybe Brother can help me, she looked at the clock and saw with delight that his school would be letting out soon. She set her pencil down and slowed the last of her snack before leaving the table to dress for the chilly outdoor weather.
"I'm gonna meet up with Brother, Grandma," she called out while pulling on her boots.
"Aright then, but before you go I have a list of things I'd like you to get on your way back." Setsuna handed her a slip of paper and money.
Naoko pocketed the items, "Okay, be back soon."
"Naoko, wait."
The teen did and her grandmother seemed to hesitate. It was odd to see a woman always so sure when she spoke or acted looking hesitant. "Yeah, Grandma?"
"Nothing I just... I love you."
Naoko blinked and smiled, "I love you too. I'll be back soon."
"Did we finally get everything?" Naoko asked as she hiked the tote bag up to her shoulder.
Uryu scanned the short list and nodded, "That's it, though I have no idea what she would want roasted pine nuts for."
"Or why we had to go to this store in particular. It's almost on the other side of town. Anyway, maybe she's trying a new recipe or something."
Uryu didn't respond to that as they started walking toward home, so instead she inquired about his day. He had finally become used to such questions and even started to enjoy them. It was nice talking to someone about what he was learning, griping about his classmates antics (i.e. Keigo and Chizuru), and weekend plans. Warmth and contentment cautiously settled in his heart during the journey home.
Once they arrived, however those pleasant feelings slowly evaporated in the atmosphere of the house. There was a still silence hanging in the air like a heavy pall. While the place was not often a cacophony of sound and activity, it was never this still.
His sibling seemed to be oblivious to the changed ambiance. "I'm gonna ask Grandma where she wants this stuff."
Uryu nodded and headed for the kitchen. His grandmother always had snacks and hot tea at the ready and while he possessed a finicky appetite her food could always tempt him to eat. Maybe I'm being paranoid, he thought as he reached for a mug from the cabinet. Everything's fine, Aizen is gone and things are peaceful now.
Naoko's shrill frightened scream tore apart any hope Uryu had that their peace would last.
*I'm sorry for the short length, but the next one will be longer. I can't explain it, but this chapter wanted to be written primarily through Uryu's POV. I hope it worked out and you guys liked it. Please review and I'll post again Jan 31st.*
