Chapter 25
A day after the whole ordeal to stop the Kuchikis alliance with Aizen, Isshin visited Ichigo in the middle of the night, he woke him up in order to share some important news with him. Isshin kept the punches, and the drama, to a minimum since he didn't want to wake up Rukia and the twins. Not to mention that the neighbors would call the police if they were to listen to his dramatic antics in the middle of the night, he decided not to risk it.
"Tokyo?" Ichigo asked surprised, after Isshin explained "with the Kuchikis?"
"Why the skepticism?" Isshin questioned with a smile "they owe you quite the favor, don't you think?"
Ichigo blinked, when his father stepped into his room in the middle of the night with some "important news" he wasn't expecting this.
"Let me see if I get this correctly," Ichigo rubbed his sleepy eyes "the Kuchikis want to have dinner at Tokyo with our family? Out of the blue?"
"Not exactly," Isshin said as he took a seat on the bed next to Ichigo "Karin, Yuzu and my third daughter are not coming" he explained "I'm closing a deal with the Kuchikis, but they want you to be there as well."
Ichigo nodded.
"When?" he asked.
"Next weekend," Isshin smiled "I wish the girls could come but these are not vacations."
Ichigo understood.
"So…" he said "why tell me in the middle of the freaking night instead of telling me while having breakfast like a normal father would?"
Isshin chuckled to hide his worries, he told him as a secret because he didn't want Rukia to ask too many questions, he wanted to keep the whole thing underwater as long as possible. It was a miracle that after almost two months together no one had put two and two together, Isshin didn't want to see their faces when they were to realize their relationship to Byakuya, he felt like a coward but he couldn't help it, he didn't want to see Ichigo and Rukia hurting because of this.
"Isn't it exciting to share secrets like this like father and son?" Isshin joked "it makes everything funnier!"
Ichigo scoffed.
"I have school tomorrow," he complained "now I'll fall asleep in class."
"Don't worry," Isshin patted him on the shoulder "I called Ukitake and explained, you can sleep tomorrow morning and go to school at lunch time" he looked pointedly at Ichigo "you fell from the motorcycle, you need to rest more."
Ichigo sighed relieved, he was thankful for that.
"I'll take Karin, Yuzu and Rukia-chan to school," Isshin added smiling "so don't worry about anything" he smiled proudly at Ichigo "you did an amazing thing, son."
Ichigo scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Thanks, dad" he said slightly embarrassed.
Isshin decided not to make fun of his blush, it was late anyway. He said goodnight and went back to his room, he didn't know what the Kuchikis were planning to make them go to Tokyo with them but he was not going to deny Ichigo a well-deserved trip, he was proud of him. He just wished that he could enjoy more time his friendship with Rukia.
He didn't see this whole thing ending well.
The next day, at lunch time, Rukia spotted Ichigo putting some notebooks into his locker. Isshin briefly explained how he had fell from the motorcycle while doing something for his boss and Rukia bit her tongue to curse at whoever was endangering Ichigo's life like that but, once Ichigo explained over dinner how proud he was about saving his boss from doing a risky alliance, she didn't find the courage to say anything. Seeing Ichigo so confident and happy always had that effect on her, she didn't want to rain on his parade.
"You look way too chirpy for someone who's motorcycle is ruined," Rukia pointed out frowning as she approached him "seriously."
Ichigo smirked at her while leaning against the lockers with his hands inside his pockets.
"Aren't you happy for me?" he asked.
Rukia rolled her eyes, he was still extremely proud about himself.
"I'm happy for you," she admitted sincerely "but I'm mourning for the motorcycle, will it be fixed soon?"
"I knew that you were only attracted to me because of my motorcycle," Ichigo joked while shaking his head "are all girls the same?"
Rukia scoffed.
"Careful with the sexist remarks," she warned him "how many other girls have you take for a ride anyway?" she asked crossing her arms.
"You're the only one," Ichigo confessed and then shrugged, the smirk was not leaving his face "ironic, isn't it? The first girl that enjoys wild rides with me happens to be a novice, who would've said?"
Rukia blushed slightly.
"Riding a motorcycle is not a sin" she retorted.
"And making out with the owner of the motorcycle is not a sin either?" Ichigo questioned.
"Shut up!" Rukia gasped while leaning next to him against the lockers.
Lunch time was barely starting. The students were running to the cafeteria and to the school gardens to enjoy the free hour, Ichigo had just arrived to school but he wasn't looking forward to classes, he wanted to keep enjoying his excellent mood and he was sure that lectures and math problems were not going to help him.
"I was worried, you know?" Rukia mentioned quietly "when they told us about your accident…"
Ichigo sighed as he took her hand and gave her a little squeeze.
"Sorry," he apologized "it wasn't serious anyway, so don't think about it too much."
Rukia simply shrugged.
Ichigo looked in front of him, there was a wonderful sunny day out there and they were forced to spend it between books and dull white walls, it didn't feel right. He looked at Rukia standing next to him, Ichigo supposed that he owed her an explanation, since he didn't give her details regarding the accident, but he didn't feel like talking while all of the boys around them kept looking at them and whispering. Even after so much time the rumors about the mafia princess and her loyal servant were not dying down.
Ichigo wondered what to do; should they go to the unused classrooms? No, that would only fuel the rumors even more, they needed a place without prying ears.
"Where's Riruka?" Ichigo asked her.
"Infirmary," Rukia answered and then chuckled "she tried to explain basic math to Renji, she's trying to cure a headache as we speak."
Ichigo laughed, he could picture that and he was sort of glad, since Riruka was not going to need Rukia for the time being Ichigo decided to steal her for a while.
"Hey, midget" Ichigo called as an idea struck him "want to break a couple of rules with me?"
Rukia looked at him and blinked once.
"What are you thinking?" she asked.
Ichigo simply smirked at her.
Grimmjow wanted to play dumb, he wanted to keep enjoying his nap under the tree but Kurosaki Ichigo and his fucking orange hair were hard to ignore, especially when the idiot was running while holding the gorgeous novice's hand. Grimmjow observed them as they kept getting closer to the back of the school and hid behind the bushes surrounding the garden.
"Fuck" he muttered.
He stood up, he didn't fancy to see them all chummy together but they were idiots if they believed that no one would discover them making out behind the bushes.
"Move," Ichigo said while extending his hand, he was already over the wall to help Rukia jump to the other side "the faster we go, the faster we'll come back."
"I'm not sure," Rukia admitted as she grabbed Ichigo's hand "if Ukitake-sama finds out…"
"He won't," Ichigo assured her as she pulled her up "they won't even notice we were gone."
Rukia was about to step over the wall next to Ichigo, she just needed a little impulse but she was interrupted mid-jump by someone appearing behind her.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Grimmjow asked.
Rukia gasped while Ichigo let go of her hand due to the shock.
"Shit!" Ichigo muttered as Rukia fell.
Grimmjow was fast enough to catch her before she could reach the ground. The blue haired teenager smirked at her cockily as he enjoyed her surprised face and her widened eyes, he was not complaining about the fact that she seemed comfortable on his arms, and Ichigo's annoying face was making it worth it.
"Get lost, idiot" Ichigo hissed "we have something to do."
Grimmjow looked at Ichigo questioningly.
"I know that you're quite the rebel," he said "but why drag my cute little novice into your mess?"
"She wants to come with me" Ichigo smirked not missing a beat.
"I'm still not sure this is a good idea," Rukia complained as Grimmjow helped her to stand on the ground carefully "what if someone discovers this?"
"Stop worrying" Ichigo said while extending his hand once more "we'll be back before we get in trouble, I promise."
Grimmjow didn't miss the glint behind Ichigo's eyes, the idiot was happy and he wanted to share that happiness with Rukia. He felt the need to make fun of his ex but he decided to let it aside, it was not common for Ichigo to go around creating mayhem and jumping the school walls to have fun, and Grimmjow thought that he somehow deserved it, so he decided to help him.
Without a warning Grimmjow grabbed Rukia by her waist and lifted her so Ichigo could grab her by her forearms, both boys smirked at Rukia's little yelp and once Ichigo had her he smiled down at Grimmjow.
"Are you going to turn us in?" he asked him.
Grimmjow scoffed as he turned around.
"Bring me a hot dog and I'll keep my mouth shut" he promised while waving a hand and walking back to the school grounds.
"Thank you!" Rukia exclaimed while smiling.
Grimmjow didn't even turn around as he heard them jumping to the other side of the wall.
Byakuya sighed heavily as he kept studying some documents on his computer, it was lunch time but he couldn't concentrate. The whole last month had been an emotional rollercoaster for the whole family; seeing Rukia at the ridiculous convention, finding out she was falling in love with the scoundrel that was hiding her, Soujun's terrible mood because of that, the almost alliance with Aizen, Kurosaki Ichigo stopping them from fucking up and now the upcoming trip to Tokyo.
Byakuya knew they owed the boy a lot but he wasn't sure on how to proceed regarding his reward. Was it okay to go and celebrate the boy's achievement before finding Rukia? Would leave Karakura for a weekend change anything? He didn't know but he couldn't pause work, it was clear as day that he needed to leave the town to sign the alliance with Isshin and the new hospital branch was going to be opened at Tokyo.
He had to leave town for the weekend, but he had been avoiding it ever since he discovered that Rukia was in Karakura.
"It makes no difference…" Byakuya muttered to himself.
He knew, deep down, that no matter how close they were Rukia was not looking for him, she was avoiding him. So, what if he was not in town? Nothing would change, she was going to keep pretending to be a normal girl with no ties to her family and, once the weekend was over, and he was back he would start looking for her again and that was it, like a never-ending story.
"I'm tired as hell," Byakuya scoffed as he ran a hand through his already messy hair and closed his eyes tightly "what would you do, Hisana?"
Silence was the only answer he received inside his lonely office.
Rukia smiled as she took a seat next to Ichigo next to the riverbank.
After they left the school grounds they stopped by McDonald's and bought lunch, they walked in a comfortable silence to the outskirts of the city and, once they reached the river, they took cover under the bridge. Both teenagers sat on the grass and started to eat their hamburgers while enjoying the moment, a light breeze caressed them both and Rukia's anxiety about breaking the rules was slowly fading.
Being with Ichigo had a calming effect on her.
"Let's keep this a secret from the old man," Ichigo suggested as he finished his French-fries "if he finds out he'll kick the hell out of me."
"Agreed!" Rukia chuckled "but if he finds out I'll use some fake tears and tell him how you kidnapped me."
Ichigo rolled his eyes as he stretched his legs on the grass.
"The little novice is not as innocent as before," he taunted while smirking at Rukia "Riruka would be proud."
Rukia nodded as she finished her hamburger.
"This was unexpected," she admitted "do you run away whenever you're happy?"
Ichigo shrugged, how to explain that this was all he wanted to do today? They were sitting side by side and enjoying the afternoon together, with no teachers, no idiotic boys gossiping about them and no boring lessons. This was peace, and Ichigo valued peace more than anything because there was a time in which his life was frantic, chaotic and overwhelming.
He never wanted to go back to that, and he wanted to let Rukia know about it, it was time.
"After my time as the prodigal son was over and I went back home," Ichigo said "I used to walk home following this path, it was longer but the quiet times in this riverbank helped me to tuned out all of the noise around me" he sighed "in here my father was not looking at me worriedly and my friends, Kaien and Renji, were not looking out for me wondering when I would go back to Grimmjow and the fights."
Rukia kept quiet and listened intently.
"I used to walk in this riverbank along with mom," Ichigo whispered "she loved this part of the town."
Rukia nodded to let him know he had her full attention, he never mentioned his mom and she never asked, she didn't know how to do it without hurting him.
"My mom died when I was nine years old," Ichigo muttered as Rukia reached out for his hand, Ichigo took it without hesitation "she picked me from the dojo and a drunk bastard ran over us, well…" he gulped as he squeezed Rukia's hand "she took me out of the way and saved me."
Ichigo scoffed.
"Did you know that I was named after "the one who protects"?" he smirked bitterly "ironic, isn't it? I never managed to protect her back then."
"You were just a child…" Rukia mumbled.
"I know," Ichigo said "but that doesn't make it any easier."
Rukia frowned sadly as Ichigo explained what happened after. He explained how the family dynamic changed, how hard it was for his father to keep his job and try to be there for his three children, how Yuzu decided to keep the housework and how Karin stopped being a crybaby. Ichigo also explained how hard he tried to keep it together, how he tried not to blame himself and not to worry his father but, as he grew up, everything just kept getting harder.
"I accumulated a shit-ton of resentment," Ichigo admitted as he looked at the river "I was angry at myself, I was angry at my life and I wanted to let it all out so I started fighting and looking for trouble," he shook his head "you've no idea how easy is for someone with orange hair to find one or two bastards to punch."
Rukia's brows knitted at that.
"But my father realized what I was doing," Ichigo explained "he sat me down for a lecture one night and I exploded," he grimaced "I yelled at him, I begged him to blame me for the fact that the love of his life was dead," he squeezed Rukia's hand "it got so damn bad, and loud, that Karin and Yuzu tried to intervene and calm me down," he looked up as his jaw tensed "I didn't listen and I ran away from home leaving my crying sisters and my worried as hell father behind."
Rukia tensed as she imagined that scene, it was hard to see it, after all she had been living with the Kurosakis and the warmth and love that they shared was amazing. She just couldn't believe what Ichigo was saying, she didn't want to believe it.
"That's when you went to Grimmjow…" Rukia whispered.
"Yeah," Ichigo nodded "the bastard was my safe place back then," he let go of Rukia's hand and put an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to him "you know the rest, it took a while but I went back and put myself together."
"Yes, I know" she nodded sadly as she remembered Ichigo's words that day in the unused classroom, how a brokenhearted Ichigo went back and cried like a baby while his father welcomed him with open arms "I'm sorry," Rukia said "you, of all people, didn't deserve to go through all of that."
"I'm not proud of everything I did," Ichigo confessed "but it helped me to appreciate everything I have now."
Rukia smiled, he was starting to sound cocky again.
"A loving family, wonderful friends and a cool job," Rukia enumerated as she looked at his smirking face "you've been blessed, carrot top."
"You forgot to mention that God sent me a badass novice," Ichigo pointed out "but yeah, I cannot deny that I've been blessed."
Rukia rolled her eyes and poked his forehead to hide her blush, was she God-sent? What was up with him today?
"I'm really happy for you, carrot top" Rukia said "and thank you for trusting me with this," she sighed "I don't even know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," Ichigo assured her as he held her chin and looked straight at her eyes "having you here listening without judgment is enough."
Rukia smiled at that and Ichigo leaned down, she closed her eyes instinctively and he kissed her tenderly, there was no rush and she put her arms around his neck. Rukia didn't tell him but she also felt extremely blessed at being here with him, she didn't want the moment to end, she didn't want to go back to school or to worry about her family for now, she only wanted Ichigo.
Once the kiss ended Rukia opened her eyes slowly as she let that last thought sink in.
She wanted Ichigo.
Her eyes widened slightly as her heart skipped a beat… what? She looked at him, really looked at him, and it felt as if she was meeting him for the first time. This was Kurosaki Ichigo, there were no more secrets, no more parts of him that she didn't know. This was the selfless boy that helped her without really knowing her, the strong, handsome, caring boy that lost his mother, got lost and, after several hardships, stood up again and took control of his own life.
This was a wonderful boy, and Rukia realized right then that she wanted all of him.
"I'll go to Tokyo next weekend," Ichigo told her interrupting her thoughts, he didn't notice her surprised face "my boss invited me and my father," he smiled proudly "once I come back I'll start planning my birthday with Renji and the others, I think I'll ask my dad to lend us his bachelor apartment."
"Your birthday?" Rukia breathed out, her heart was not calming down.
Ichigo nodded.
"July fifteenth," he informed her "I don't usually celebrate but a lot has happened so I think that something small won't hurt."
Rukia tilted her head, several ideas popped inside her head.
"So," she cleared her throat trying to focus on the conversation again "should I get you a present?"
Ichigo ran a hand through his messy orange locks.
"Don't even think about it," he warned her "as long as you are there that'll be enough," he seemed to ponder that for a few seconds "but I won't complain if we kiss more than usual that day."
Rukia laughed as she threw her arms around him once more.
"Deal" she agreed, she already knew what she wanted to give him.
Ichigo thought, as he looked at Rukia's stunning eyes, that the rain had finally stopped. He thought about thanking her later for it, he just didn't know how, so he simply leaned down again and kissed her once more.
They didn't go back to school until classes were over.
The rest of the week went by without much trouble.
Grimmjow and Ichigo kept trying to ignore the rumors surrounding them and Rukia. For Ichigo it was easy, he was looking forward to his trip to Tokyo with the Kuchikis and he was a pro at ignoring undesired attention, especially inside school. Grimmjow on his side was gaining popularity, and he joined the soccer team to work his way for the sports scholarship, he still had a few school years left but he was not regretting enrolling into Seireitei so he ignored the looks and the whispers by focusing on his studies as much as he could.
Rukia and Riruka kept visiting Yoruichi and hanging around town. Yoruichi and Riruka would often worry about Rukia and how she kept dwelling on facing her family, but ever since Ichigo informed her about his birthday she left aside her family issues and focused on what to get him, she wanted to discuss it with her godmother but Rukia knew that she wouldn't approve her idea, so she decided to talk with Riruka later on.
Between school, hanging with friends and avoiding the gossipers the weekend arrived and Ichigo was about to leave with his father.
"Try not to destroy the house, okay?" Ichigo said as he put his suitcase inside his father's car "I mean it."
Rukia rolled her eyes.
"Try not to risk your life for your boss, okay?" she retorted "I mean it."
Ichigo frowned.
"You're still butthurt about the motorcycle, aren't you?" he asked.
Rukia nodded.
"You've no idea" she scoffed.
"It should be repaired by next week," Ichigo told her as he opened the passenger's door "will you miss me?"
Rukia rolled her eyes at that.
"You know I will" she mumbled.
Ichigo smirked cockily and got inside the car. Isshin came out of the house then, he was being followed by Yuzu and Karin who were listing all of the reasons why he should leave the credit card behind, they were insisting so much that Isshin handed it to them without much resistance.
"I trust you'll keep them under control, third daughter!" Isshin exclaimed while Karin and Yuzu went back inside to do some online shopping "we'll be back on Sunday night."
Rukia nodded smiling.
"We'll be okay, Oji-san!" she promised.
Isshin said goodbye and then got inside the car, Rukia stood there until she could no longer see the car and then went back inside the house. Karin and Yuzu were already ordering fast food, and Rukia decided to enjoy a girls' weekend with them.
Ichigo and Isshin reunited with the Kuchikis on Friday night at the hotel.
All of them were wearing suits since Byakuya informed them about the reservations he made for dinner at The Kitcho. Ichigo was sort of nervous as the Kuchikis' chauffer drove towards the restaurant, he felt quite grown up by being surrounded by successful adults, he tried not to gulp once the car stopped outside the exclusive restaurant.
The Kitcho happened was a three Michelin star restaurant, the whole place was high class and Ichigo fought the urge to gap openly once they stepped inside.
He wasn't surprised when the waiter led them towards a private area, he still didn't know what the Kuchikis wanted to talk about but it didn't matter, Byakuya was always dramatic as fuck. Once they reached the round table they all took their respective seats, Ichigo took a seat between his father and Ginrei while Soujun and Byakuya faced him.
"I can tell that until now our trip to Tokyo will be quite successful," Ginrei pointed out happily "I couldn't think of a better restaurant to celebrate the opening of the new branch of the hospital."
"Our business alliance is stronger than ever," Isshin agreed satisfied "we do have a lot to celebrate tonight."
Ichigo smiled, his father was happy, that was enough for him to keep working hard, the fact that the adults around the table trusted him enough to be here with them made him feel quite proud. After deciding what to eat, and some idle chatting, Ichigo noticed how Byakuya didn't seem to be paying attention to the table, he kept looking at the restaurant door as if expecting someone to show up, was some else coming?
"Remembering something, son?" Soujun asked Byakuya while smiling slightly, he had noticed Ichigo's curiosity.
Byakuya looked aside, he decided not to grace that with an answer.
Ichigo looked questioningly at Byakuya.
"Did something happen here? Is this place special?" he asked curiously.
"Byakuya met his late wife here," Soujun explained smiling "she stepped into the restaurant and Byakuya," he chuckled "dropped his wine all over her dress just to be able to talk to her."
Ichigo tilted his head while chuckling, that didn't sound like Byakuya.
"For real?" he asked.
Byakuya scoffed.
"It didn't happen like that exactly," he explained coldly "but yes, this was the place."
"Ever since then we come to this restaurant whenever we're in Tokyo," Ginrei said while smiling fondly at the memories "good things happen to us after coming here," he shook his head "you might call it a silly family superstition."
"I do remember when you told me about that night," Isshin mentioned while looking at his best friend "I was surprised at how she didn't hate you on sight."
Ginrei laughed.
"Oh, her blue eyes threw daggers at him when she realized what happened to her gorgeous dress," he said "we were lucky that she didn't punch him."
"What was her name?" Ichigo asked.
"Hi-" Soujun was about to answer but Byakuya interrupted him.
"Talking about the past is not worthy," he said while looking at Ichigo and changing the subject quickly "in fact, the reason of this meeting is to talk about the future."
"The future?" the orange haired teenager asked curiously.
Ginrei and Soujun exchanged a look.
"Boy," Soujun started "you're young, but no one is able to ignore your potential and your intelligence" he praised and noticed how Isshin smirked proudly "we wanted to reward you with this short trip and" he nodded at Ichigo "we also have a proposition for you."
Ichigo smiled as he looked at Byakuya who cleared his throat.
"Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya said seriously "if you accept, I want to make you my successor."
Isshin's smile faded as he spit the sake he was drinking and started to cough violently while Ichigo simply gaped.
"Oh my," Ginrei chuckled as Ichigo stood up and started to pat his father on the back "I guess that was unexpected."
Isshin paled, Ichigo? Kuchiki Byakuya's successor? How? Why? A sudden image of a certain violet-eyed girl flashed on his mind and he gulped, Rukia was the heiress, what the hell?
"What do you mean by successor?" Isshin questioned worriedly "you have a daughter!" he exclaimed "how come Ichigo…?!"
"Calm down," Byakuya interrupted him "the last thing we need is for you to have a heart attack right now."
"He's right," Ichigo nodded as he took a seat again, he was shocked but he decided to hear everything before jumping to conclusions "let Byakuya explain."
Isshin took a deep breath and nodded once.
"My daughter is the only heiress," Byakuya said "the assets, the fortune and every single property will belong to her" Byakuya explained "that will never change."
Ginrei and Soujun nodded.
"Her name is already on every single will," Ginrei said smiling "the Kuchiki fortune cannot be taken from her, even if she were to get married in the future, we have taken every single legal precaution to assure that not even a husband will get a single yen from her."
"Of course she's still a minor," Soujun said while resting his chin on the palm of his hand "but her financial future is already secured, we have no worries about that."
"That must be one hell of a spoiled brat" Ichigo thought but refrained from saying anything.
"Then," Isshin said "what does being the successor mean?"
Byakuya looked at Ichigo then.
"My daughter will stand at the head of the company in the years to come," he explained "but being the boss does not guarantee that she'll take my job as well, she is free to decide how to handle the company and what to do with it but you," he nodded at Ichigo "have been learning and working with me long enough to stand next to me."
Ichigo understood then.
"You want me to be her right-hand man in the future" he summarized.
Ginrei, Soujun and Byakuya nodded.
Isshin was having trouble breathing.
"But rest assured, this does not mean that you'll be her slave," Soujun explained "we recognize your efforts, your loyalty and your skills" he smiled "if you accept, in the future, we want you to be part of the board of directors as well."
Ichigo's heart was racing miles per second.
"For real?" he asked.
"We're not immortal, boy" Soujun chuckled "and someone like you, working next to our girl in the company that my father built, will give us some peace."
"Only if you accept of course," Byakuya said "you're still young and other choices might appear, but if you continue with us, we want you to be at ease, your efforts and hard work have not gone unnoticed."
Ichigo couldn't contain his smile. This was his dream! To be a lawyer in one of the top companies around Japan, he had been fantasizing about this kind of opportunity ever since he was a pre-teen and it was finally happening. Having the Kuchikis support was huge! Byakuya actually recognized him! Ichigo was about to accept, until a certain question popped up in his head.
"I've dreamed about this even before high school," Ichigo admitted, his voice was trembling slightly from excitement "I cannot believe it."
Ginrei smiled fondly at Ichigo, he loved the boy as his own grandson after all.
"But before I accept…" Ichigo said while looking at Byakuya "do you think I'll get along with your daughter? I don't want to create any family misunderstanding."
Isshin tried to calm his breathing, he couldn't believe the situation they were in. Ichigo was asking if he could get along with Byakuya's daughter, because he didn't know that Byakuya's daughter was watching movies with his sisters right now. Isshin felt the need, the strong need, to bang his head against the table, how did this happen? How did he allow this to come so far?
Ginrei chuckled.
"Oh, she'll be your biggest challenge, son" he assured Ichigo.
"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, he didn't fancy the idea of arguing constantly with a spoiled rotten heiress but he didn't want to disrespect the Kuchiki clan either.
"She's a riot," Soujun mumbled while sighing "the love of our life and our biggest headache for the time being."
Ichigo blinked twice confused.
"My daughter is living overseas," Byakuya said as he ignored Isshin choking on his drink again, "we do not have the best relationship right now."
"Why?" Ichigo frowned.
"She blames me for being apart for so long," Byakuya explained simply "I didn't count on her ignoring me and, due to unfortunate circumstances, now there's a boy next to her that she's unwilling to leave."
Isshin held his breath as he fanned himself with the menu, his forehead was sweaty.
"That scoundrel will stop being a problem eventually," Soujun scoffed and then shrugged at Ichigo "our girl spent her early years learning about the family business, she adores the mansion and the enterprise, so once we deal with this boy and her attachment to her life overseas we will introduce you."
"I hope you bond immediately," Ginrei laughed "she's reckless, smart and strong-willed" he winked at Ichigo "someone as responsible and brilliant as you will make an interesting combination with her."
Ichigo chuckled, it sounded as if Ginrei was setting him up but having something to do with Byakuya's daughter seemed like a suicidal thought. Not to mention that Ichigo thought that, no matter how amazing the Kuchiki heiress sounded, no girl could compare to Rukia.
"But we'll leave that until she comes back," Soujun concluded, he didn't want to keep talking about Rukia while being away from Karakura, he wanted to go back soon "what do you think about this, boy? Are you up for the challenge?"
Ichigo smirked at the Kuchiki men.
"Yes, Sir!" he nodded without hesitation.
"Awesome," Soujun praised and then looked at Isshin "you must be proud of your son, Isshin?"
Isshin nodded as he cleared his throat, he couldn't speak and he felt as if the walls were closing on him. Was he sweating? How did everything become even more complicated over a simple dinner? How was he going to explain later one? The Kurosaki patriarch took a large sip of his glass as everyone stared at him questioningly.
"Are you okay?" Byakuya asked.
"I'm…" Isshin tried to say, he thought about revealing everything there, he thought about telling everyone where Rukia was and to apologize, but he didn't find the courage "I'm shocked, proud and sort of confused."
Ichigo laughed as Ginrei decided to raise a toast to celebrate new beginnings.
Isshin kept quiet for the rest of the dinner while thinking about the Kuchiki heiress living oblivious to all of this in his house. He decided to contact Yoruichi at the first chance he could get.
The Kuchikis' accountant was finishing his report, Byakuya always requested one at the end of the week just to make sure that there were not inconsistencies with the cards usage. The accountant took one look at Soujun's list of expenses and sent it through e-mail, he did the same with Byakuya's list and was about to send Ginrei's when he noticed something peculiar.
He frowned at the amount of items that were bought the last month and went through them.
"Sundresses, school materials, female hygiene products…" he read and then frowned deeper "pads and plushies?"
Since it was the weekend he decided to send the e-mail with an urgent subject towards Byakuya, could it be that Ginrei-sama had lost his black card and was not aware? It looked as if a teenage girl had been using it regularly, what was going on? The accountant highlighted the unusual transactions and once the e-mail was sent he turned off his computer. He was unaware of the amount of problems that single e-mail was going to cause to Kuchiki Ginrei.
Thank you for reading!
I just wanted to point out some things before going forward, I take quite a lot between updates so…
- Remember how at the end of chapter 20 Soujun shows something to Byakuya? Keep that in mind in the chapters to come.
- Remember the last scene in chapter 24 where an unknown boy reached Karakura? Keep that in mind as well.
I'm writing those reminders because the story is near the end and I always take ages with updates, so I don't want you to forget that. I am planning to finish this story before the year ends, I don't know if I'll make it but wish me luck. I'm fighting against a huge writer's block right now and I struggled a lot with this chapter so reviews will be extra appreciated this time.
Now, to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter:
Jobananasan: Your reviews are always the best! I love them, and yes, things are getting complicated for Rukia but I hope you enjoy the Ichiruki-ness in this chapter, let me know what you think, okay? Oh, and don't worry, Byakuya will have quite the eye-opening experience that you're waiting for! Thank you so much for reading! Kisses!
diah77: Thank you for your review! Yes, I had to rush the last chapter but I'm glad you liked it! Everything will be revealed pretty soon! I promise! I actually can't wait to write it! Did you like this chapter? Let me know, take care!
Guest: No revelation yet but suuuuper soon, really! Thank you so much for your review! I'm so happy you like the story, I'm actually nervous about people getting bored with it! Did you like this chapter? Let me know, I'll be waiting for your review! Kisses!
RukiYuki: Thank you so much for your review! It always makes me happy to see your notifications! Did you like this chapter? Let me know, okay? Thanks again! Take care!
Stickman6969: Hero-Ichigo is my favorite Ichigo! Thank you so much for your review! What do you think about this chapter? Did you like it? I'll be waiting for your review, your words mean a lot! Kisses!
Thanks again and see you in the next one!
Pd. I apologize for my grammar mistakes.