I loved reading the reactions about the last chapter! Let's see what you think about this one.
Happy reading.
Chapter 10
Grimmjow expected Ichigo to step into his house and punch his face while yelling how much of a motherfucker he was. It was the only possible route and, considering how much time had passed without seeing each other, Grimmjow would've been more than glad to punch him back. He wanted to beat him to a pulp, he wanted to make him bleed and, in the midst of everything, perhaps he would be able to make him listen to him.
None of that happened but Grimmjow wasn't surprised.
After all Kurosaki Ichigo had always been, for a lack of a better word, unpredictable.
Ichigo was already on guard when Grimmjow threw the front door open, he avoided the punch and kicked Grimmjow's shin without hesitation. The blue haired teenager fell painfully on the ground and Ichigo ran inside the house, closing and locking the door behind him, Ichigo smirked proudly at that and without thinking too much he ran upstairs towards Grimmjow's bedroom. He knew by heart the whole house and he felt weird after seeing how little everything had changed.
Once he was on the second floor he kicked the bedroom door and it opened, Ichigo's breath hitched for a second when he saw Rukia's sleeping for on Grimmjow's bed.
"Midget" he said under his breath and ran towards her side.
He took a sit on the bed next to her and put a hand on her forehead, she was boiling. She was also panting and her hands were cold, it was as bad as Ichigo imagined and he wanted to punch himself for being so damn careless. He was so focused on getting to his job on time that he didn't stop to offer Rukia a ride home, this was all his fault.
"I'm sorry" he said and then took out of his backpack the Preptol bottle "I shouldn't have left you alone, I'm an idiot."
He made her drank the medicine while carefully supporting her head. Relief ran through his system the moment she saw her accepting the liquid without trouble, now all he had to do was wait. She was still unconscious but it was a matter of time for her to wake up, he wondered if she was used to the side effects of the Preptol or if he would have to help her deal with those.
"Fuck!" Grimmjow exclaimed angrily while getting into the house through his bedroom window "what the fuck is your fucking problem?!"
Ichigo didn't take off his eyes of Rukia.
"Keep it down, asshole" he said angrily "she needs to rest."
Grimmjow scoffed.
"Whatever" he said carelessly "had I known a girl was enough to make you visit me I would've used her sooner, but I didn't take you as straight."
Ichigo stood up from the bed and glared at Grimmjow.
"What did you do to her?" he asked menacingly while clenching his fists "for you to get a girl involved in this is low, is this what you do now?"
Grimmjow crossed his arms and Ichigo, who still wanted to punch him, noticed how his arms were really toned. He had been exercising and judging by the dangerous glint of his eyes he was ready for a fight. Well, Ichigo was also ready, hell he was actually expecting one.
"If you really want to know what I did to her, check her neck" Grimmjow said smugly "I never managed to do anything more because after that she started praying, then she passed out on my arms."
"Praying?" Ichigo questioned cautiously "that's weird."
Grimmjow laughed.
"You're such a bad actor" he said amused "I know she's a novice, she told me."
Ichigo cursed under his breath.
"What do you want?" he asked Grimmjow, he needed to change the subject so he wouldn't have to reveal Rukia's circumstances "I'm leaving the moment she wakes up so just tell me what the fuck you want."
Grimmjow sighed heavily and took a seat on the floor, next to the bed. The action took Ichigo by surprise but he, reluctantly, did the same.
It was weird, for both of them, to be in this sort of situation. When they broke up Ichigo swore to never talk to him again, he swore to never come back to his house and now he was here, breaking the promise he had done to himself. Grimmjow on his side had promised himself to make sure that Kurosaki Ichigo could never be happy, that's why he tracked him, that's why he kept tabs on him but, before he knew, all of his plans changed. That's why he decided to use the mysterious girl, he just wanted to inform him about something extremely important.
"I don't have all day" Ichigo said angrily and Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair frustrated.
Why was so hard to make Kurosaki Ichigo listen? He would have to speak quickly.
"All I want is a truce" Grimmjow said finally and Ichigo gaped.
"A truce?" Ichigo asked apprehensively "I thought…"
"That I haven't moved on? That I cry for you every night? That I masturbate while thinking about you?"
Ichigo glared at him and then looked at Rukia's sleeping form, she was breathing evenly now and she looked less feverish.
"She can't hear us" Grimmjow said annoyed "stop worrying over her, you already gave her the medicine, didn't you?"
Ichigo scoffed, he was confused and angry but if what Grimmjow was saying was true this was his chance to make the peace with his past, at least with a portion of it.
"Why a truce?" he asked "why now?"
Grimmjow looked at his ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"You know how my parents divorced, right?" he started.
Ichigo nodded, he had been living with him when that happened and he even heard some of the fights while supporting Grimmjow through the whole ordeal. His parents always thought that they were sleeping even though the yelling could be heard all over the place, it was weird for Ichigo considering how his parents loved each other deeply so he never went through something similar.
"Well" Grimmjow said "the old man never recovered, you know? He was crazy about mom but the bills were piling and he was unemployed so I guess that she asked for the divorce just so he wouldn't get in the way while she earned enough money to give me a decent life."
Ichigo nodded again, he knew that too. What was Grimmjow's point?
"Well" Grimmjow continued "I've been living with mom and, while it's hard to believe, the old man never stopped coming to beg for forgiveness. Hell, the bastard haven't even had an adventure, can you believe that?"
"I remember he was scared shitless of your mom" Ichigo commented "that could be the reason."
Grimmjow shrugged.
"Who knows? Mom prayed for him the whole time and, while I'm not religious, I cannot help but believe that it worked."
Ichigo frowned and looked sideways at Rukia's sleeping face.
"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked cautiously.
"The old man got an amazing job" Grimmjow said and Ichigo's eyes widened "he's been on it for a few months now, he saved enough and he proposed to mom again."
"Did she accept?" Ichigo asked dumbfounded.
Grimmjow nodded solemnly.
"He literally pulled out some apartment keys and told her that he had prepared a place suitable for someone like her, he told her that he was ready to be the man she needed. Quite a pansy, don't you think?"
"Apartment keys?" Ichigo asked, it was taking him a while to process the whole information.
"Yeah" Grimmjow said scratching the back of his head "he's renting this cool place and we'll be moving with him in three days."
Ichigo frowned, he imagined that he wouldn't like where this was going.
"Where is this apartment?" he asked apprehensively.
Grimmjow smirked at him and Ichigo tensed, it had been a while since he had seen Grimmjow bragging about something.
"It's on the same building where your father's bachelor apartment is" he said the smirk never leaving his face "you know, a thirty minute walk from your home."
Ichigo felt as if he had been punched on the stomach but he kept his impassive pose, he had learned that from Byakuya.
Don't let them know you're upset the Kuchiki heir said showing your emotions is like telling them where to stab you.
"What about your school?" Ichigo asked, although judging by Grimmjow's face he could already imagine what he was going to say. Now the fact that Grimmjow wanted to contact him more than anything made a lot of sense.
"That's the thing" Grimmjow said calmly "my mom wants me to have a better education so I am already enrolled in your school, Seireitei High School."
Ichigo was seeing red.
"We'll be classmates, asshole" Grimmjow summarized smiling.
Ichigo couldn't help it anymore, he threw himself at Grimmjow and pinned him to the ground with all of his strength. His sudden movement took Grimmjow by surprise so before he could process what was happening, Ichigo punched him straight on the face and felt himself smirking when he felt the bone cracking, he had been dying to do that for a while.
"You did it on purpose" Ichigo whispered darkly while looking straight at his eyes "you just can't leave me alone!"
Grimmjow's nose was bleeding badly and he was enraged too, so without hesitating he spit at Ichigo's face and the orange haired teenager stood up out of disgust and shock. Ichigo used his own shirt to clean his face but that was a mistake, Grimmjow took that chance to tackle him and this time Ichigo was the one pinned to the ground with Grimmjow on top of him. The orange haired teenager tried to fight back but, just as he suspected, Grimmjow had been exercising. He was stronger than Ichigo remembered.
"Listen to me!" Grimmjow barked straight at his face "I don't give two shits about you thinking that I haven't get over you, think what you want!"
"Fucking bastard!" Ichigo yelled angrily "what's the point of doing all of this?! What's the point if we'll see each other every fucking day?!"
"Isn't it obvious?!" Grimmjow asked while grabbing Ichigo's hair and pulling as hard as he could "I want to make a truce before stepping into your prestigious fucking school!"
"What for?!"
"So none of your fucking friends harass the hell out of me!" Grimmjow explained upset "what is so hard for you to understand?!"
Ichigo stopped struggling and closed his eyes to count to ten. All the while he tried to ignore the way Grimmjow's body was over his, it didn't repulse him but it wasn't the same as before, they were both angry at each other and they both wanted to beat the shit out of each other. Grimmjow seemed to be extremely comfortably, he even accommodate himself over Ichigo and, due to their previous yelling competition, they were both breathing heavily.
"Get the fuck off me" Ichigo said while looking at Grimmjow.
"Or what?" Grimmjow asked amused.
"Rukia might wake up at any minute" Ichigo answered "get the fuck off me."
"Afraid that my little novice might find out that you had something with me?" Grimmjow asked sardonically and that was enough for Ichigo.
He pushed Grimmjow off him and once they were both on their feet Ichigo grabbed him by the front of his shirt.
"She's not your little novice" he hissed "don't say anything like that ever again."
Grimmjow chuckled.
"There's a hickey on her neck that proves otherwise, did I touch a nerve?" he asked "fine, listen to what I have to say and I won't tell her how much fun we used to have in the bed in which she's asleep."
Ichigo let go off Grimmjow and put his hands on his pockets.
"She already knows, pig."
Grimmjow's eyes widened.
"What the hell?" he asked surprised "what do you mean?"
Ichigo smirked at Grimmjow's dumbfounded face.
"I told her everything today" Ichigo admitted.
Grimmjow groaned while covering his face.
"This is magnificent" he said sarcastically "no wonder why she said she would pray for me to find repentance."
Ichigo sighed and looked at Rukia. He suddenly thought that perhaps Grimmjow's bed wasn't the best place for her to rest.
"Asshole" Grimmjow said calling his attention "you care a little bit too much for her, don't you? Don't tell me you actually think you deserve someone like her?"
"Deserve? Someone like her?" Ichigo asked frowning "what do you mean by that?"
"Well, she's quite gorgeous to begin with" Grimmjow said as a matter of fact "but besides that she's a novice, she literally is like a pure soul. As far as I'm concerned people like us, who only a year and a half back were doing all kind of atrocious, sinful things, don't even deserve to breathe the same air as hers."
Ichigo felt a pang of remorse on his chest.
"She doesn't care" Ichigo said angrily "she didn't judge me."
"Which only proves that she's a good person and that you, fucking bastard, shouldn't be anywhere near her" Grimmjow said smirking.
Ichigo didn't want to believe the fact that Grimmjow's words were making sense to him. He didn't know Rukia but the small time they had shared actually proved to him that she was a good person, she barely cursed, she made him go to church and while she forced him to help him through blackmail she actually cared about his work schedule and his time with his family. She was living inside his closet and she hadn't complained once! Although Ichigo suspected that his closet was somehow better than the convent.
So why was doing a girl like Rukia near someone like Ichigo? He never questioned this new and unique friendship, until now. Her relationship with him had brought her problems, Ashido and Grimmjow were proof of that.
"You know I'm right" Grimmjow said "or what? Were you planning to keep her with you to use her as a fresh start? I mean, she's pretty different from the girls from the brothel perhaps having her by your side would make you forget that part of your life, was that your plan?"
"I'm out of here" Ichigo said finally while taking his cellphone out of his pocket.
Grimmjow observed how the orange haired teenager dialed a number angrily and wondered if he had pushed him too hard. Either way he was curious, how did Kurosaki Ichigo end up with a novice as a friend? It didn't make sense, no sense at all. The bastard wasn't even religious, what was his deal?
"Yo" Ichigo said to the person at the other side of the line "can you pick me up? I'm at Grimmjow's house and no, I won't answer questions right now, just come pick me up."
He hung up angrily and looked at Grimmjow.
"You have fifteen minutes to tell me what the fuck you want" he said "make this end quickly."
"I thought you hated whenever I ended up quickly" Grimmjow said and Ichigo clenched his fists.
"I know it's hard for you" Ichigo said "but try not to be a pig, okay?"
Grimmjow shrugged.
"Here's the thing" he said "I'm not asking to be part of your gang of anything, I don't care about that, but as long as you manage to be civil with me and not to tell anyone about our past I'll let you, and the sleepy beauty, have a peaceful life at school."
"That's all this truce is about?" Ichigo asked "seriously?"
"Well" Grimmjow said "you have her as a fresh start, I also want my own fresh start, is only fair."
"Is not what you think" Ichigo said "how do I know that you don't have hidden intentions?"
Grimmjow shrugged.
"You don't" he said "my parents are getting their shit together, I want to get my shit together too. You know what my dream is and your school has amazing scholarships for colleges, I don't want anyone to ruin this for me."
"So you're afraid that I might use our past to fuck you over?" Ichigo asked.
"I'm not afraid of anything" Grimmjow retorted "but yeah, I just want to get the hell out of this city and, since I'm not a rich boy like you, I cannot depend on my parents for this."
Ichigo sighed. It was better than he expected and if he was careful he would be able to get some advantage over the whole thing. Well, he would have to give it a chance. Grimmjow was afraid that he might fuck up with him but Ichigo was the same, if Grimmjow wanted he could also ruin him forever. Byakuya wasn't aware of his past and Ichigo was planning on growing, professionally speaking, inside the Kuchiki enterprise.
Taking a deep breath he made a choice.
"I have two conditions" Ichigo said while smirking at Grimmjow "the first one is that you have to cut ties with Ashido, I hate that idiot, I don't want him near me or the midget."
Grimmjow frowned.
"He's useful" he excused himself "the fact that he sent me information is what brought you here, why should I let go off such a nice source?"
"We're both going to be on the same school" Ichigo said as a matter of fact "if you really need to talk to me you'll just have to ask me directly, I won't avoid you."
Grimmjow smirked, that was true besides the Ashido bastard wasn't cheap.
"And the other condition?" he asked curiously.
"I want you to keep an eye on the midget" he said and before Grimmjow could say anything he added "from a safe distance, just to make sure that nothing's happening when I'm not around."
Grimmjow crossed his arms smugly.
"Explain yourself" he said "because for you to actually ask me for this, is quite eventful."
Ichigo ran a hand through his hair frustrated.
"I cannot explain everything" he said "but she might have some problems for being near me, but pushing her away is not an option."
Grimmjow frowned.
"You reputation precedes you" he said "I'm guessing that you already made public that you're close to her, has some of the assholes you hate threaten her?"
"Not yet" Ichigo said "but the whole school already saw her walking with a sweater with my name on it."
Grimmjow chuckled.
"You're such an idiot" he said "but fine, I accept."
"That easy?" Ichigo asked surprised.
"I messed up with her so I'm already expecting divine retribution" Grimmjow explained seriously "if I do this for her, not for you, God might forgive me."
"You're not religious, asshole" Ichigo said.
"I'm not" Grimmjow agreed "but my mom is, do I have to repeat how damn lost my father was? I'm telling you messing up with religious girls is not something anyone should do."
Ichigo sighed and extended his hand.
"Do we have a deal then?" he asked.
Grimmjow nodded and shook his hand; both teenagers tried to ignore the feeling of shaking hands again after so much time.
"Grimmjow…" Ichigo said after a few seconds of silence "do you still feel…?"
"Carrot top?" Rukia asked groggily interrupting Ichigo and his eyes widened, she was finally awake.
When Rukia opened her eyes she found herself face to face with Ichigo and Grimmjow.
She smiled at both of them, although she probably looked like a mess, she was feeling high, really high and that was just one of the several side effects of the Preptol. She really just wanted to keep sleeping but judging by the room in which she was she wouldn't be able to stay much longer. Trying not to look like an idiot she stood up on the bed, with Ichigo's help, and looked at both teenagers, she didn't know why but she laughed.
"Is she okay?" Grimmjow asked.
Rukia nodded but Ichigo shook his head.
"Her medicine has some side effects" he explained "come, Midget. Someone will come to pick us up soon."
Rukia nodded again with a silly smile and was about to step down of the bed but she tripped clumsily, to her surprise Grimmjow was the one who catch her.
"Thank you" she said and laughed again "I like you better when you're not threatening to steal my virtue."
Grimmjow blushed and Ichigo glared at him.
"You did what?!" Ichigo asked angrily.
"I didn't mean it!" Grimmjow hissed and Rukia put her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.
"Rukia?!" Ichigo asked dumbfounded.
"Sorry" she said while groggily resting her head on Grimmjow's shoulder "I don't feel really well."
"I have no complaints" Grimmjow said while smirking smugly at Ichigo.
"That's enough" the orange haired teenager said fuming "we're getting out of here."
"Wait" Rukia said and then looked at Grimmjow's face "may I pray for you?"
Grimmjow gaped and nodded.
Ichigo observed, annoyed, how Rukia put her forehead against Grimmjow's and started a small prayer. He didn't understand most of it but it sounded deep and judging by Grimmjow's astonished face she was probably praying from the bottom of her heart. Ichigo frowned, the midget had never prayed for him and they even went to church together, did she like Grimmjow even after the bastard basically kidnapped her? Either Rukia was an idiot or she trusted way too much, not to mention that Ichigo didn't like the compromising position she was sharing with Grimmjow.
"Amen" Rukia said finally and passed out again.
Ichigo rolled his eyes as Grimmjow carefully put her on his arms.
"Let's pretend that never happened" Ichigo said.
Grimmjow simply nodded.
When Kaien received Ichigo's call he knew his cousin had walked all the way towards Grimmjow's house. He never used his boss's car to go anywhere besides his home, school and work. The Kuchikis were strict and their cars had GPS, so when Ichigo asked for a ride he grabbed his keys and called Renji so he wouldn't have to go alone to pick up Ichigo towards his ex's house, once they arrived they parked outside and waited, they had done this more than once so they were used to it.
"Do you think I should go inside?" Renji, who was sitting on the passenger's seat, asked.
Kaien shook his head.
"He'll come out" he said "he sounded upset so I'm guessing that he won't be staying much time."
It was then when the door opened and Renji's eyes widened. Ichigo was coming out of Grimmjow's house with an unconscious Rukia on his arms, he looked pissed and Rukia looked extremely paled. Without being able to help himself he got down of the car and approached Ichigo.
"Is she okay?" he asked worriedly.
Ichigo nodded.
"Just open the door for me, please" he said exasperated "I seriously need to leave this fucking place."
Renji nodded and opened the door of Kaien's car so Ichigo could get on the backseat along with Rukia. Grimmjow then came out of the house and his nose was bleeding. Without saying a word, the blue haired teenager handed the backpacks to Renji who simply nodded at him and once everyone was in the car Kaien drove away from Grimmjow's neighborhood.
Kaien looked curiously at the back seat through the rear view mirror, his cousin had an unconscious girl on his lap and he was looking at the city passing by through the window, he was sulking. Whatever happened must've been awfully interesting, he wondered if he would be able to ask without getting punched.
"So…" Renji started "are you going to share?"
Ichigo scoffed.
"Do I look like I want to talk?" he asked.
Renji shrugged.
"No" he admitted "but do I look like someone who will give up for something like that?"
Ichigo sighed.
"Start from the beginning" Kaien said before his cousin could talk "I do not know the full story."
Ichigo rolled his eyes and told them everything, Renji already knew about the confrontation with Ashido in the bathroom but Kaien was really surprised. He also explained to them how Grimmjow approached Rukia who, by some sort of awful luck, ended up unconscious and therefore kidnapped. That's why he ended up visiting Grimmjow who just wanted a truce because he was going to be their new classmate and he didn't want to get into troubles with Ichigo.
"To summarize" Renji said amused and worried at the same time "God hates you."
"I'm starting to believe that" Ichigo admitted "I don't know what upsets me more, the fact that I ended up coming back or the fact that the asshole felt way too comfortable using Rukia for this."
Renji shrugged.
"You're both safe and sound" he said "that's all that matters for now."
Kaien nodded agreeing with him and there was a silence of a few minutes. Kaien kept driving and Ichigo looked at Rukia's sleeping face, he couldn't get out of his heads Grimmjow's words about how someone like him didn't deserve her, he somehow believed that.
"Do you think…" Ichigo said finally "that Rukia would be safe if I push her away?"
Kaien frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked confused "why am I getting some self-loathing vibes here?"
"I mean, everything was fine" Ichigo started "then she gets involved with me and the assholes at school are gossiping about her, then Ashido and now Grimmjow. I mean she's so damn oblivious to everything, can you believe she actually prayed for Grimmjow before leaving?"
Renji chuckled.
"Don't laugh!" Ichigo said annoyed "I mean if this was a normal friendship nothing would've happened, but well… you both know everything I did before and it's not as if it happened ten years ago, it's pretty recent and, fuck. I don't deserve to be near someone like her."
"I'm going to stop you right there, dear cousin" Kaien said angrily "first of all why are you listening to Grimmjow of all people? You ended up things badly with him, he would say anything just to make you feel inferior."
Renji nodded.
"Yeah, besides what exactly are you planning to do?" he asked "are you going to leave her alone after promising to help her? You're not that kind of asshole."
"But…" Ichigo tried to say.
"But what?" Kaien continued "you had a bad time and ended up doing some stupid shit? That's normal, it happens to the best of people all the damn time. You ended up going back home, you pulled yourself together and look at you, you're working at the best enterprise in the whole damn city."
Renji nodded.
"And before you excuse yourself saying how your father helped you with the job, don't forget that your boss threaten you with firing you if you didn't meet his expectations during the first month" he said "you earned the job."
"You're also one of the best of the class" Kaien added "but if this is about fooling around with women, that's over, right? Didn't uncle Isshin made you take STD's tests during six months straight? You're clean!"
Renji nodded.
Ichigo sighed.
"Perhaps you're right…" he said unsure "we all have the right to a fresh new start, don't we?"
Renji and Kaien nodded.
"Enjoy your new friendship with Rukia-chan" Kaien said jokingly "who knows? You might finally give uncle some amazing news, he has been waiting for you to have a girlfriend."
"Don't be an idiot" Ichigo said "we barely know each other."
"But it's like destiny, don't you think?" Renji asked "she spent months planning to escape the convent and when she finally does you end up hitting her with your boss's car, perhaps she prayed for God to find someone to help her and here you are!"
Kaien hit the brakes of the car violently and then looked at Ichigo.
"SHE ESCPAED FROM A CONVENT?! YOU'RE HIDING A NOVICE?!"
Ichigo promised right there to kick Renji on the balls.
Kaien dropped Ichigo and Rukia at his house and, after explaining Rukia's situation to him he left along with Renji, who promised to apologize with Rukia for revealing her secret so carelessly. Luckily the twins didn't notice anything strange and Ichigo allowed himself to rest for a while.
Once Rukia was safe and sound on Ichigo's bed he sighed. Her fever was gone and her cheeks had recovered some color, he checked her neck and saw, angrily, how Grimmjow had managed to leave a fucking mark. It infuriated him but hopefully it would fade in a day or two.
Sighing he went downstairs, it was dinner time and tonight even his father would be present.
"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu said happily as Ichigo took a seat in front of her.
Ichigo frowned and then looked at Karin who was smirking at him.
"Why do I feel like I'm going to be interrogated about something?" he asked apprehensively.
It was then when his father stepped into the dining room and without previous announcement threw a flying kick at Ichigo. The orange haired teenager avoided it quickly and with a swift movement kicked his father back. Ichigo smirked proudly at his father started to praise him about a quick reaction.
"Stop it, you two!" Yuzu pouted "we have something to tell you!"
Both Ichigo and Isshin took a seat and waited for the twins to speak.
"Today we went to Ichi-nii's high school" Karin started "he had forgotten his lunch."
"So we took Karin-chan's bicycle but we were followed" Yuzu continued.
"Followed?" Ichigo and Isshin asked at the same time.
Yuzu nodded.
"Apparently Senna wanted to see Ichi-nii too" she explained casually.
Karin smirked at her brother's reaction. He tensed and clenched his fists, always the overprotective one.
"Did she say something to you?" Isshin asked cautiously, he didn't like that girl and he wanted her as far from his family as possible.
"Oh, she was really rude and she demanded to be the one to deliver the lunch" Karin said while waving a hand "but before she could actually do something some helped us."
"Someone?" Isshin asked "who?"
Yuzu smiled.
"Rukia-nee!" she said surprising both Isshin and Ichigo.
"Rukia-nee?" Ichigo asked confused.
"Oh, Ichi-nii she's beautiful!" Yuzu said with dreamy eyes "she has gorgeous violet eyes and the kindest smile I've ever seen! How come you told her all about us but you never brought her home?!"
Isshin blinked. This couldn't be true, or it was quite the scary coincidence, how come that just recently Kuchiki Ginrei mentioned Rukia, Byakuya's daughter, and now his daughters were talking about a girl named Rukia too? Could it be the same person? But according to the Kuchiki clan Rukia, the only heiress, was studying overseas and didn't want to come back home? What was happening? And how come Ichigo, the same reserved teenager that was overprotective of his sisters, told this Rukia everything about them? Something was off.
Ichigo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"The midget is crazy as hell" he muttered annoyed "did she fight with Senna?"
Karin shook her head.
"She said that violence wasn't the Christian thing to do" she said and Isshin gaped "so she threatened her with calling you, you should've seen Senna's face! And I'm pretty sure she noticed that Rukia-chan was wearing your sweater, that was priceless."
Isshin was starting to worry, he knew that Ichigo didn't know that Byakuya had a daughter, well… now he wasn't so sure. He needed answers.
"Oh" Isshin said smirking suggestively at Ichigo "who's this Rukia-chan? Where did she come from?"
"Don't look at me like that, old man" Ichigo said annoyed "she's new in town and she just enrolled at my school, we're friends, that's all."
Isshin pouted.
"That's mean, son!" he said dramatically "I'm getting old! I at least want to see you going on dates with pretty ladies!"
"He went to a date with Rukia-chan!" Karin said while smirking at Ichigo who frowned at her "they went to café, that's where he shared his family life with her!"
"Rukia-nee said that I looked like sunshine and that Karin-chan was badass!"
Isshin observed how Ichigo groaned embarrassed.
"Can you stop torturing me now? Is that too much to ask?" he asked his sisters.
"On one condition!" Yuzu said smiling "you have to bring Rukia-chan to have dinner with us!"
Perfect Isshing thought that way I'll know if this Rukia is actually Byakuya's daughter.
"You won't give this a rest, will you?" Ichigo asked and both twins shook their heads.
"She saved us, your sweet sisters, from the Senna bitch" Karin said smugly "it's the least you can do."
"Fine" Ichigo said finally "I'll bring her this Friday, will that make you happy?"
Yuzu nodded and then looked at her father.
"You'll love her dad! She's like a princess, so elegant and kind!"
Isshin nodded as happy tears streamed down his face and he ran towards Masaki's poster.
"Mom! Our useless son is finally going to bring a girl home! I might acquire a third daughter!"
"Shut up, old man!" Ichigo yelled while grabbing the newspaper and throwing it at his father's head while Karin and Yuzu laughed.
Please, Masaki. Please don't tell me our son is fooling around with his boss's daughter, don't tell me he's such an idiot! Isshin thought desperately.
"I should go back to the closet" Rukia said while accepting gratefully the tea Ichigo gave her "you must be tired too."
When Ichigo came back to his room she was already wearing her pajamas and she was sitting on his bed nervously. She was probably remembering how she prayed for Grimmjow, he wanted to tease her about it but there was no need, it was obvious how part of that was because of the side effects of the Preptol.
"It's okay" he said "are you feeling better?"
Rukia nodded.
"I'll pay for the Preptol, carrot top" she said while blushing slightly "was it hard to find?"
Ichigo shook his head.
"We were lucky" he said "I found some at my work, don't worry about it. My boss gave it to me for free."
Rukia's eyes widened.
"I should thank him" she said "although that would be weird, I mean he doesn't know me."
"Don't worry about anything, midget" Ichigo said and frowned when he saw her exposed neck "you'll have to wear my sweater, or a scarf, tomorrow at school."
Rukia blushed and nodded.
"Did he do anything else to you? You can tell me" Ichigo said and Rukia noticed how he clenched his fists angrily.
Rukia shook her head.
"I'm sorry" she said "I was careless, I didn't want him to use me to call your attention. How was your conversation with him?"
Ichigo sighed.
"I'll tell you everything tomorrow" he said while looking at the wall "we both should rest for now."
"Does it bother you? To see this on my neck?" she asked curiously.
Ichigo frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"You've been avoiding my gaze the whole time" she explained and the smiled at Ichigo's surprised face "I'm not an idiot, carrot top."
"I don't want to sound like a caveman" Ichigo said apologetic "but the thought of him touching makes my blood boil."
Rukia sighed.
"You know, if it really bothers you" she said shyly "you can replace it, it won't bother me."
"Uh?" Ichigo asked "do you realize what you're saying? Weren't you like wearing a nun's garments just last week? Now you're giving me permission to leave a hickey on your neck?"
Rukia shrugged while blushing.
"It bothers me" she said "I mean I don't know Grimmjow so when I realized the mark was there I felt… uncomfortable. But, if it were you at least I would give consent, do you understand? I don't want any random boy to choose what to do with my body."
"That doesn't make sense" Ichigo said chuckling "let's see, you're ordering me to give you a hickey so now, instead of Grimmjow's mark, you'll have mine? It'll make you feel better?"
"It'll make me believe I had a saying in this whole thing" she explained and blushed deeper "unless you don't want to… I mean…"
Ichigo chuckled and hid his face in the crook of her neck.
"Are you sure?" he asked huskily against her skin.
She shuddered but nodded.
Ichigo proceeded to kiss and bite her neck, just over her previous hickey, and sucked enough to leave a better looking one. Rukia didn't know why it felt so good but she wasn't complaining and judging by Ichigo's contempt sigh he enjoyed the whole thing too.
Ichigo wondered if would face some divine punishment for this but in the end he decided that it would be worth it.
Kurosaki Isshin was used to stay up late reading, it was an important part of his job to keep up to date his knowledge in the medical field so, whenever his children were already asleep he would pick several medical journals to read before bed. That's why when Ichigo came late at night to talk to him he was surprised.
"Dad" Ichigo said while stepping into the living room "can I talk to you about something?"
Isshin nodded, he avoided to behave goofily, it was obvious how Ichigo had something important to tell him.
"Sure, son" he said "what is it?"
Ichigo took a seat in front of Isshin and sighed heavily.
"Uhm… this is about Rukia" Ichigo said "I wanted to ask you something."
"About my future third daughter?" Isshin asked smiling and Ichigo frowned.
"Stop saying that, old man" Ichigo said annoyed "but yeah, about her."
"What is it?" Isshin asked curiously "I won't lie, son. I'm pretty impressed, Yuzu seems to love her already and she won Karin over, I thought that it would be impossible to have a girl over without Karin giving her quite a nasty glare."
Ichigo chuckled at that.
"So, what is it? Isshin asked.
"Rukia's family situation is pretty special" Ichigo started "she's running away from her father and well… looking for a life on her own."
Isshin frowned as his parental instincts kicked in.
"How old is she?" he asked.
"Fifteen"
Isshin did the math and cursed inwardly. If his suppositions were right, Ichigo was talking about Kuchiki Rukia.
"What's her last name?" Isshin asked.
Ichigo shook his head.
"She doesn't want to use her father's last name any longer" he explained "so she hasn't told me that."
Isshin's eyes widened, that was another red flag.
"The thing is" Ichigo continued "that she's sick, she has a really weak immunological system and she had a crisis today."
Isshin sighed heavily. It was just like Hisana-san then? He was now ninety nine percent sure that this was Kuchiki Rukia.
"Do you want me to check her?" he asked and Ichigo nodded.
"I'll pay you, I mean she's…"
Isshin raised a hand for Ichigo to stop talking.
"Take her to the hospital tomorrow after school" Isshin said "it's just a check-up so there's no need to make a fuss about money."
Ichigo nodded gratefully.
"Thanks, dad!" he said.
"No need to thank me, son" he said happily "I cannot wait to meet my future third daughter!"
Ichigo glared at his father and threw a medical journal at him.
"She's not your third daughter, damn it!"
Isshin laughed and hoped that this Rukia wasn't Kuchiki Rukia otherwise there was no telling what Byakuya would do.
Well, he would get his answers tomorrow.
You have NO idea of how much time I've spent writing this. My cats and my mom kept interrupting me and then words would fail me and now I can only expect that you understand most of it, seriously, what's up with people (and cats) about talking to me when I'm on the computer? Anyway, I hope you liked it and in the next one papa Isshin meets his third daughter.
I've been dying to write about it for a while now.
So, what do you think Isshin will do? Will he spill the beans or will he keep the secret? Take a wild guess and we'll see who wins, okay?
Now, your reactions for the last chapter were priceless. All of you made me smile, thank you.
Achalida: I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I honestly wasn't sure about how everyone would perceive it, but I'm really thankful that you're still reading! Let me know if you also liked this chapter! Kisses, take care!
Bleach power: I loved your review! I'm glad you like Byakuya suffering, I have more scenes planned about it! Thank you for your congratulations, I really appreciate it! Let me know if you liked this chapter, I'll be waiting for your review! Take care! Kisses!
Shirayuki992: I loved your review so much that I don't even know where to start! Well, thank you so much for your support, it had been a while since I last saw one of your reviews so it made me really happy! Thank you, your words meant a lot. I hope you liked this chapter and I cannot wait to read what you think about it! Let me know, okay? Kisses and thank you again!
Haru000: Thank you so much for your review! I do plan to explore that part of them more, I think it's necessary for both of them, I'll just wait for another few chapters. Thank you so much for your support! Let me know if you liked this chapter, okay? Take care, kisses!
IronClawedDemon: Oh, okay I respect that. Thank you for reading until there, take care.
Obananasan: OH MY GOD I WAS SO NERVOUS ABOUT YOUR REACTION AND YOU DIDN'T DISAPPOINT ME! HAHAHA! Okay, seriously thank you so much for your review, I understand the trope you're talking about and I must (guiltily) admit that I used to enjoy that when I was younger. Although, that's not the case in this story and hopefully you were able to find some insights here. Thank you so much for your support and I will be expecting your review! Let me know what you think about this chapter okay? Kisses!
uchihaNaruto247: Thank you so much for your review! And thank you for your support too! I'm really glad you think it fits the story perfectly, seriously! I'll be waiting for your reaction about this chapter, take care and kisses!
kleinegirl87: Si, yo también lo creo JAJAJAJA. Me alegro mucho que no te moleste, millones de gracias por tu review. Déjame saber si te gustó este cap también, besos.
RukiYuki: Thank you so much for your review! Yes, Ichigo and Grimmjow HAHAHA. Let me know what you think about this chapter, kisses! Take care!
Natsumivat: Siempre adoro tus reviews, y tenemos eso en común, la verdad es que solo leo Ichiruki pero no me molesta ver a Grimmjow cerca de Ichigo JAJAJA. Me gusta que estes contenta con el drama escolar, a veces siento que pongo demasiado de eso pero es un guilty pleasure JAJAJA. Espero tu review para ver qué opinas de este capítulo y para cualquier duda estoy a la orden. Besos.
Vick Greystark: YOUR REVIEW MADE ME SO HAPPY THANK YOU! Yes, they had sex HAHAHA. Oh, I'm so glad you liked that Grimmruki scene, I might add some more because I enjoy them too. About Ichigo and Grimmjow's sexuality I might explain in another chapter because those two still need to talk, thanks again. Let me know what you think about this chapter, kisses.
See you all in the next update.
Pd. I apologize for my grammar mistakes.
