Chapter 15
There are a couple of things you have to take into consideration before reading this chapter:
-It's SUPER important for the plot, seriously, some questions may arise but I swear everything will make sense in future chapters.
-There's a video call in this chapter, I tried to write all of the participants' points of view on it so I hope is not confusing, let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
Riruka woke up at nine on Sunday morning.
Her mother went to the supermarket to buy groceries and left breakfast ready for her, so she made her way to the dining room and got ready to eat, once she was seated she turned on her cellphone. She was sure that there would be more messages from Rukia, ever since the weekend started she had been sending her several pictures, including a selfie with a black horse.
Riruka was glad that her friend was having such a great time.
She noticed how there were two new messages from her, and Riruka opened the first one while drinking her orange juice.
From: Runaway loser.
"Hey, I changed my profile picture on twitter for this one, what do you think about it?! Let me know."
Riruka checked the attached picture and smirked. Rukia looked like a classy, young girl eating strawberries under the shadow of a huge tree, it was a nice picture, she was about to compliment her about it when she remembered that she hadn't opened the second message.
From: Runaway loser.
"There's a gorgeous waterfall near here! Ichigo took me there in the middle of the night and I loved it. We also kissed several times, it was nice."
Riruka spit the juice she was drinking and started to cough violently.
Rukia and Ichigo kissed?! She thought alarmed what the hell?!
Renji yawned as he checked his phone for the first time in the morning, he had been ignoring it since a message woke him up at dawn. He didn't need to read it to know that, for some reason, Ichigo texted him at such a crazy hour. Once the sun was out and he decided to stop ignoring his best friend and opened the message.
From: Orange haired idiot.
"I kissed her, she kissed me, we kissed, am I dreaming? Am I going to hell because of this? Dude, that was the best kiss I've ever had, no kidding. I am going to skip breakfast, I cannot stop smiling and Urahara will give me hell because of that. WAKE UP, IDIOT!"
Renji laughed hard, it was just a matter of time, who would've thought that Ichigo would make a move? Shrugging he decided to ask for the details later because he was right, Urahara was going to torture him.
Isshin knew deep inside that something had happened.
The first sign was that Ichigo tried to skip breakfast saying that he was "tired", Kisuke didn't allow it of course, the mad hatter jumped on Ichigo's bed until he agreed to get up, take a shower and have breakfast with everyone.
The second sign was that Rukia was wearing, slightly noticeable, pink lipstick. Isshin knew that it didn't belong to her, he knew that the girl didn't have make up, not only her perfect skin didn't need it but he was pretty sure that after escaping a convent the less of her worries were cosmetic products. So it obviously belonged to one of the twins and judging by their faces they knew everything that happened, Karin was smirking as if she had won the lottery and Yuzu was blushing as if she had heard something quite indecent.
Isshin didn't know how to feel about it.
The lipstick was obviously a poor attempt to hide the fact that she had been making out the whole night with his son, but it wasn't working because now Rukia was blushing under Yoruichi's knowing smirk.
"So…" Yoruichi said as everyone started to eat "how did you all sleep? Did something interesting happen last night?"
Ichigo coughed while sipping his orange juice.
"You should be more careful, carrot to" Rukia said while patting him lightly on the back.
Isshin raised an eyebrow, they were both still very comfortable with each other, even after Yoruichi's obvious teasing, there was no awkwardness between them and he couldn't believe it. What exactly happened last night? After sharing one or two kisses in the middle of the night he was expecting Rukia, the novice, to be a blushing mess while Ichigo should be avoiding the girl's gaze but none of that was happening.
It was as if nothing had changed between them.
Urahara chuckled.
"Well, I thought that all of you youngsters would spend the whole night doing something exciting, but everyone went to bed early" he said pretending to be disappointed "shouldn't you all be having wild lives? Sneaking outside to do forbidden things? You're wasting your lives!"
Ichigo scoffed.
"Yeah, sure" he said "once I sneaked out of here when I was five, you gave me hell for that!"
"You were five!" Urahara said dramatically "now it's different! In fact, you're grounded for not going out at night! You'll help me at the farm all day!"
Ichigo gaped.
"What the hell?!" he asked outraged "hell no! I have things to do! Tomorrow is a school day, we brought our stuff to do homework, right?!" he asked looking hopeful at Rukia.
She frowned at him.
"But we do not have homework for tomorrow," she said confused "I didn't bring my school stuff."
Karin and Yuzu chuckled.
"Midget," Ichigo said disappointed "you were supposed to lie."
"Oh" Rukia said and then chuckled "sorry, but lying is a sin, remember?"
Ichigo crossed his arms.
"I'm not starting another debate so let's leave it at that" he said and then looked at Urahara "I'll help you but I'm not cleaning chicken poop, not a chance."
Urahara nodded.
"Don't worry! We'll have fun!" he assured him with a huge smile "you'll feel like a renovated man by the end of the day!"
"Why? Is farm work really good for the body?" Rukia asked curiously, she had heard about how farm work was healthier than anything that could be done in the city, so she supposed that was what Urahara was talking about.
Ichigo shook his head.
"That's his way of saying that I won't be able to move a muscle tomorrow," he said, the annoyance was evident on his voice "do you realize that I still have to go to school and work, right?"
Urahara shrugged and dropped the topic. He didn't want Ichigo to start talking about his work, besides he didn't want to torture him at the farm, he just wanted him away from Rukia for a couple of hours because Yoruichi wanted to talk to the girl and that was important. He knew that Yoruichi was nervous but at the same time she was dying to talk privately to the girl. Rukia was, after all, her goddaughter.
"Talking about tomorrow…" Isshin said changing the topic "Rukia-chan, do you have plans for tomorrow after school?"
Rukia blinked.
"Not really" she answered casually "I was planning on going straight home, why?"
Isshin cleared his throat, he had been avoiding telling her what happened at the hospital but there was no way around it. Besides, judging by how the day was going he wouldn't have many chances to tell her about the blood tests, so it was now or never.
"I want to take your blood tests again" he said, he tried to sound as calm as possible but her reaction was what Isshin was expecting.
Rukia paled immediately and accidentally dropped her fork on her plate, clearly apprehensive about going near needles again.
Ichigo frowned at his father.
"Why?" Ichigo and Rukia asked at the same time.
Yoruichi's eyes widened as she realized that Rukia's hand was trembling slightly. The girl probably felt her gaze on her because she hid her hands under the table, Yoruichi noticed how Ichigo's hand moved under the table too, he was obviously comforting her by holding her hand. She wondered if her fear of needles came from going to the hospital constantly or if it had something to do with the convent although she doubted that touching the subject would do any good, the girl was obviously terrified.
Isshin scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"An intern ruined the previous ones" he admitted "I'm sorry, I…"
"An intern?" Ichigo asked upset "I thought that you were going to take care of them personally, why was an intern handling them?"
"Calm down, Ichigo" Rukia said frowning at him "let your father explain."
"Thank you, Rukia-chan" Isshin said and then sighed heavily "well, I was on my way to pick up the tests when I realized that someone else was going to the lab too. Interns are not allowed inside the lab without supervision so I got curious and followed her just to make sure that she wasn't breaking any rules."
He took a deep breath before explaining the rest.
He told them how he followed Sung-sun and how she was talking on the phone with her cousin and Senna, he explained how all they wanted to know was Rukia's last name and why she visited the hospital along with Ichigo just days before. He let aside the comments he heard about Rukia's physical appearance and how they speculated why she had gone to the hospital, Rukia didn't need to know about that. As he kept talking Ichigo was getting more upset and by the time Isshin finished telling everything Ichigo was obviously tense and angry.
"Senna, again?!" Karin asked aghast "damn, can't she just give up already?"
"Well, this time perhaps I am to blame" Rukia said sighing "I threatened her back at school, remember?"
"Yeah," Karin said "but she was following us just so she could see Ichi-nii, she's crazy!"
"She's scary too," Yuzu said "how did she know about your blood tests? That's some serious detective work."
"Or an awful coincidence" Urahara suggested, although he had to admit that it sounded as if this Senna had some serious issues and was informed about Ichigo constantly. He wondered if it would be worth it to investigate the girl, she couldn't represent a threat, right? Either way, it was better to have all the bases covered.
"I'll talk to her parents again" Isshin assured seriously.
"It seemed that it didn't work the last time" Ichigo said bitterly "perhaps I should talk to her."
Karin scoffed.
"Sure," she said sarcastically "you'll end tied up in her basement where she'll use you as a sex…"
"Karin!" Rukia and Yuzu admonished her at the same time and she chuckled.
"It's the truth! She's crazy as hell!" Karin excused herself "Ichi-nii shouldn't go near her!"
"Well, that's true" Rukia agreed "besides this time it's my fault, and I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."
"There you go again with…"
"Oh, you know it's true!" Rukia interrupted him "it's okay, I'll just take the tests again."
Ichigo could tell that she was still feeling guilty about her being used by Grimmjow and that she didn't want to take the tests again but he refrained from saying anything, there was no point. He just couldn't believe how Senna was fucking up not only his life but also Rukia's now, what was her deal? And how did she manage to find someone to help her?
"What about the intern?" Ichigo asked looking at his father "is she going to face the consequences?"
Isshin nodded.
"Of course she will," he said without hesitation "I transferred her case to the board they'll choose the appropriate punishment, although I can tell most of them will vote for her dismissal."
Rukia frowned, something about that didn't sound good to her but she didn't know if saying something would help her situation. She knew that Ichigo would simply tell her that she was being ridiculous for worrying over a girl who obviously wanted to hurt her, or just to mess up with her, so it wasn't worth it. Shaking her head she pushed the thought away and decided that she wasn't going to interfere.
"It's okay," Rukia said finally "I'll go tomorrow after school to the hospital."
Isshin nodded gratefully, the faster the better. He needed those tests, it was the only thing left to figure out how bad her condition really was.
"Well, now that that's settled and breakfast is over" Urahara said while standing up and pointing at Ichigo "I want you to run as fast as you can towards the stables! Now!"
Much to Rukia's surprise Ichigo obeyed and he seemed scared while running out of the dining room. Rukia blinked and before she could say anything Urahara followed him immediately and Rukia heard Ichigo yelling things like "I just ate! Do you want me to throw up?!" before he was out of the house.
Karin and Yuzu turned to look at his father.
"Can we go?!" Karin asked with her eyes shining "I charged my phone the whole night just for this moment!"
Isshin crossed his arms.
"The last time you uploaded it to YouTube," he said seriously "what if Kaien makes it go viral again?"
"I won't upload it this time!" Karin said and Yuzu nodded "I promise!"
"Fine, I'll go with you just to make sure" Isshin said.
Rukia was about to ask why Ichigo's torture was such a big deal for the family but the twins ran out of the dining room and Isshin followed them. She thought about following everyone but Yoruichi stood up and smiled kindly at her. Was Rukia's imagination or was she nervous? She didn't know her that well but for some reason that was the impression that she was giving.
"Well, this is the perfect opportunity" Yoruichi said "I've been dying to show you something, come with me."
Rukia smiled at her and followed her.
Yoruichi ended up taking Rukia to the master bedroom.
Rukia observed the room around her with fascination. The room had a four poster bed in the center, the bed hadn't been made but the only thing that looked messy were the several papers that were over it and there were also lots of books on the left side of the floor, while on the right side there was nothing but a bedside table. The room was big, really big, and it had a balcony that had an amazing view of the garden and the woods behind the house.
"I'm sorry for the mess" Yoruichi apologized "Kisuke likes to read at night, he always keeps his side of the bed messy."
Rukia shrugged.
"It's okay," she said "what did you want to show me?"
Yoruichi smirked as she opened the drawer on the bedside table and took out a photo album. Rukia blinked confused but Yoruichi extended her hand and told her to take a seat on the neatly made side of the bed, next to her. Rukia did so and Yoruichi sighed.
"Listen," she said, Rukia could tell that it wasn't her imagination, Yoruichi was really nervous "before I start talking I want you to know that I am, and I always be, on your side."
"My side?" Rukia couldn't help to ask, she didn't understand.
Yoruichi ran a hand through her purple hair.
"When you went to my store for the first time I recognized you immediately" she confessed while taking Rukia's hand "you almost gave me a heart attack, girl. I thought that you were…" Yoruichi gulped "well, you'll understand better after you see this."
Yoruichi handed her the photo album and she let go off Yoruichi's hand to grab it.
"Take a look at the first page" Yoruichi told her and she did so.
Rukia's eyes widened and her breath hitched when she saw the first picture. Yoruichi was laughing while hugging her mother, Kuchiki Hisana was on the picture and apparently she was having a great time with Yoruichi, they were both wearing fancy dresses and they had obviously been drinking.
"What?" Rukia asked while looking at Yoruichi with shock written all over her face "you knew my mom? You know who I am?"
Yoruichi smiled sadly at her while nodding.
"Hisana was my best friend" she said and Rukia gaped "Kuchiki Rukia, I am your godmother."
Rukia thought about several things in less than a minute, she thought about leaving the house running and fleeing to another city, she thought about begging Yoruichi not to tell anything to her father and she also thought about asking why she hid the information until now, but words were failing her and her hands were trembling so she kept quiet.
Yoruichi laughed hard after seeing Rukia's dumbfounded face.
"Rukia, relax" she said while putting an arm around her shoulders "I haven't told anyone that you're a Kuchiki, I'm not calling Byakuya and I know what happened at the convent. I told you, I'm on your side."
Rukia gulped.
"Why?" she asked "how do you know about the convent? How do I know that you're not lying?"
Yoruichi sighed.
"Well, you haven't seen Byakuya storming into the house demanding me to hand you over, right?" she asked "and besides, I promised Hisana that I would look after you."
Rukia frowned.
"Then why can't I remember you? Why I never saw you back at the mansion?" she asked.
"Because you were just a baby back then and because Byakuya-boo is a fucking idiot" she said unapologetic "Hisana brought you once here when you were a baby, I was at the hospital when you were born and I even visited the mansion quite often" she explained "but after Hisana's funeral he moved to Tokyo with you, he ignored all of my communications attempts and I didn't see you after that."
"I didn't go to the funeral" Rukia said sadly "I don't remember much but…"
"You were nothing but a child" Yoruichi interrupted her "besides, you were with her every single day, you were the joy of her life, you didn't deserve to see her in a box."
Rukia nodded while ignoring the lump on her throat.
"Daddy became really overprotective after that" she said "I never complained but it would've been nice knowing my godmother before the convent, I would've looked for you."
Yoruichi scoffed.
"Have I been allowed into your life sooner I would've murder Byakuya for even suggesting that shitty place for you" she said angrily.
"So…" Rukia cleared her throat after a few seconds of silence "do you really know everything that happened?"
Yoruichi nodded.
"After seeing you walking into my store I asked Kisuke to investigate" she admitted "I was shocked and angry, I still am" she sighed "are you okay?"
Rukia looked at her and smiled a little.
"I will be, eventually" she said with confidence "I'm not going back there, the bruises faded already and I've been having fun. I'm finally going to school…"
"A school packed with boys" Yoruichi said smirking and nudging Rukia lightly on the shoulder "for a novice you're quite daring!"
Rukia chuckled.
"So… you're on my side?" she asked finally "really?"
"Of course," Yoruichi assured her "this is what Hisana would've wanted."
Rukia nodded.
"Yeah," she agreed "had she been alive everything would've been different, I'm sure of that."
Yoruichi patted Rukia kindly on the head.
"So, this is what you wanted to tell me? That you're my godmother?" Rukia asked happily "it makes me extremely glad! I cannot wait to ask you about mom. Were you really close with her?" Rukia asked curiously.
Yoruichi nodded.
"Do you remember how shitty her family was?" Yoruichi asked.
Rukia nodded.
"I met them in really unusual circumstances" she said shuddering "I never forgot them and I also remember daddy getting completely angry whenever they would try to visit me at the mansion."
"Those bastards do not even deserve a single picture of you" Yoruichi declared angrily "well, I was born and raised in the same town as Hisana, that's how we met. We became inseparable at school and when we got old enough we decided to escape, I had money and I just couldn't leave Hisana with her so called family" she cleared her throat "she was the sister I never had."
"Was your family horrible too?" Rukia asked carefully.
Yoruichi frowned.
"Not exactly, well at least not like Hisana's" she explained "my family cared more about social and financial status than anything else and they had introduced me to possible suitors for me, I was going insane."
"I can imagine" Rukia said while remembering her father's promise about finding a husband for her.
"So, we escaped together in the middle of the night after finishing school" Yoruichi continued with a smile "Hisana was a nervous wreck! I swear I thought she was going to pass out at some point!" She chuckled "but we escaped in the end and got ourselves a nice room in a building reserved for ladies in the middle of Tokyo."
"Oh! That's where she met daddy!" Rukia said.
Yoruichi nodded.
"We got part-time jobs and enrolled in college, we were finally living like we wanted to" she said "a few years after that my family reached out to me and tried to fix things with me, so I went to have dinner with them and Hisana came with me" Yoruichi crossed her arms "I ended up talking about everything with my family, and once the dinner was over and I was leaving the restaurant along with Hisana and that's when she met Byakuya" Yoruichi told her smiling "somehow he managed to spill his drink all over her dress, she hated him in that moment!"
Rukia's eyes widened she hadn't heard that part of her parent's story.
"After that he did everything in his power to keep talking to her!" Yoruichi told her while laughing "their love story is extremely funny!"
Rukia smiled.
"I would love to hear it!" she said excitedly.
Yoruichi cleared her throat.
"Yeah, we'll have time for that" she said and then took a deep breath, they didn't have much time and she needed to tell her some important things "I also want to tell you something about your family, about Ginrei-sama."
"Granddaddy?" Rukia asked.
Yoruichi nodded.
"Yeah, Ginrei-sama has not been feeling well" she explained and Rukia's eyes widened "he has been going constantly to the doctor for check-ups and nothing bad had happened but…" Yoruichi sighed "he's been worried sick about you, girl."
Rukia felt guilty after hearing that, she loved her granddaddy.
"Do you think I should visit him?" she asked "I can't! If daddy sees me, if I get close to the mansion they'll…"
"Calm down" Yoruichi told her kindly "I wasn't going to suggest a visit, that's way too risky. In fact, I was just going to suggest a call. I have his number and my phone is untraceable."
Rukia closed her eyes while pondering her options, she didn't expect her weekend to take such a weird turn but at the same time she was happy at having someone who understood her situation. Yoruichi was trustworthy and she wasn't pressuring her to do anything, she was just suggesting a call and besides, Rukia missed her family more than anything.
Especially her granddaddy.
"You don't have to tell him anything you don't want to" Yoruichi told her.
Rukia nodded.
"Call granddaddy," she said smiling "I'll give him a piece of his mind for even daring to get sick."
Yoruichi smiled at her and took out her cellphone.
Ginrei frowned as his cellphone rang. He knew that the people that had the number were limited, extremely limited, and ever since he retired from the company several business partners would call Soujun and Byakuya instead of him, so whoever was calling had to be a close friend or family. He wasn't in the mood to talk but he knew better than to be rude and ignore a call. When he picked up his cellphone he realized that he was receiving a video call, that was extremely weird, luckily he knew how to take those. So he accepted and saw himself through the video as the call connected and once it did his eyes widened.
"Ginrei-sama!" Yoruichi Shihouin greeted happily through the video call "how are you feeling?!"
Ginrei was surprised but looking at Yoruichi smiling at him brought him lots of good memories so he smiled back. He was glad that Soujun and Byakuya weren't at home, he was going to be able to talk peacefully without interruptions.
"Yoruichi!" Ginrei greeted kindly "to what do I owe the honor of your call?"
Yoruichi rolled her eyes, she was in a messy room with several papers behind her. She looked relaxed and her hair was tied in the usual ponytail.
"A little bird told me you weren't feeling okay" she explained "so I decided to cheer you up. Are you alone? I might share one or two indecent jokes."
Ginrei laughed, Yoruichi was never going to change.
"I'm all alone," he assured her "my useless son and my useless grandson are running some personal errands and, apparently, the maids don't think that an old man like me is fun enough for them so they are not paying much attention to me."
"Oh, how wrong they are" Yoruichi said scoffing "although that's for the best, imagine if one of those maids tries to get inside your bed? What would a handsome, defenseless grandpa like you do?!"
Ginrei couldn't stop smiling, talking with Yoruichi always had that effect on him. She was like breathing fresh air, he used to love see her teasing Hisana and getting on Byakuya's nerves, those were the golden old days.
"How have you been? How is Kisuke? Business is booming as usual?" Ginrei asked and Yoruichi waved a hand.
"Business is booming," she agreed "but our bed is filled with books and papers, by this point I think he married me just because I don't give him hell about loving his work more than sex."
Ginrei shook his head.
"It's good to know you haven't changed," he said smiling "and I don't mean to be rude but I'm extremely curious, did you really call just to cheer me up?"
"Of course!" Yoruichi said offended "although I'm not the one who's going to cheer you up, is someone else."
Ginrei frowned.
"I am unable to think about someone who would brighten my day more than you right now" he told her.
Yoruichi smirked devilishly and Ginrei tilted his head confused. That smile only meant trouble, or that Yoruichi was about to prove him wrong, either way he couldn't wait to find out what Yoruichi wanted to show him.
"You're so wrong" Yoruichi told him and without prior notice she changed her camera angle.
Rukia allowed Yoruichi to put an arm around her shoulders so they could both watch the camera. Rukia's heart skipped a beat as she saw her granddaddy, she smiled at him although for a second she felt like crying, she really missed him. Rukia observed how Ginrei gaped at the sight of her, he was really shocked.
"Hi granddaddy," Rukia said weakly "how are you feeling?"
Ginrei couldn't hide his surprise and for a second he thought about yelling at Rukia and demanding answers. He wanted to ask her how she found Yoruichi, he wanted to ask her why she kept avoiding them, he wanted to ask her what she was thinking about forgetting her medicine at the convent and he wanted to ask Yoruichi their exact location but he knew that it wouldn't do any good. Besides, all of those things weren't important, the only thing that Ginrei found relevant was that Rukia was fine.
He didn't notice he was crying until some tears fell down his cheeks.
"Grandaddy," Rukia said with sad eyes "why are you crying? Are you sick?"
Ginrei shook his head.
"I'm sorry" he said chuckling "I'm just so relieved that you're okay, so relieved."
Ginrei observed how Rukia's eyes watered.
"I'm sorry" she said "I know I've been worrying you but…" she cleared her throat "why are you in bed? I heard you weren't feeling okay and I didn't believe it! You have more life and energy than any other man I know! Grandpa Soujun used to say that you were going to outlive all of us!"
Ginrei shook his head chuckling.
"This is nothing" he assured her "I just needed to rest for a while, looking at you is making me feel better actually. How's your health? Are you eating well?"
"I'm fine," he told him "I haven't had crisis and I'm surrounded by amazing people, everyone's been kind with me."
Ginrei thought that it was a long shot but he couldn't help to ask.
"Where are you living?" he asked suddenly "who is helping you?"
Rukia bit her bottom lip. She knew that he would eventually ask her something like that but there was no way in hell she was going to answer, she was relieved to find out that he wasn't seriously ill but she refused to keep talking to him if all he wanted to know was her location to take her back to that hellish place.
Yoruichi felt how Rukia tensed up after that question and she gulped, the girl was ready to leave the room at the minimal provocation, those weren't good news.
"I'm glad that you're okay, grandpa" Rukia said lowly while standing up and Yoruichi's eyes widened "I just called to let you know that I'm okay but…"
"Rukia, wait!" Ginrei said.
"Let's calm down" Yoruichi said while grabbing Rukia's hand strong enough to prevent her from leaving the room "Ginrei-sama won't ask more of those questions so let's keep talking for a while, okay? Sit down, please."
It took Rukia five seconds to obey and once she did so Ginrei sighed.
Ginrei realized then, he would've to be extremely cautious otherwise Rukia would stop talking to him at once, he didn't want that.
"I'm sorry" he said kindly "calm down, please."
Rukia simply nodded and Ginrei thought quickly about which subject he could touch. Sighing he looked at his side and smiled at her sketchbook.
"You know," Ginrei said "I've been admiring your artwork these past days, you never stopped drawing the rabbits" he help up the sketchbook and Rukia smiled at him "I really like your drawings."
"Thanks, granddaddy" she said "you were the only one that actually admired my work, Grandpa Soujun never praised me."
Ginrei noticed how she was avoiding talking about Byakuya, she was either extremely resentful towards him or she wasn't ready to even hear her own father's name. Ginrei didn't know how but he needed to let her know that Byakuya loved her and that everything was a horrible mistake.
"Don't say that" he said "Byakuya also loved them, he still keeps some of them on his desk."
Rukia scoffed.
"Well, apparently he stopped loving them because he ignored all of the letters I sent with drawings" she said bitterly "he also ignored all of my cries for leaving the convent, quite convenient, uh?"
Ginrei sighed, Byakuya wasn't a safe topic to touch if they wanted to keep the conversation going smoothly. This was becoming way too difficult but he needed to make Rukia listen.
"Rukia," Ginrei said finally "I know this is hard for you but I want you to know a few things" he took a deep breath "we're all worried sick about you, including Byakuya, we want to bring you home and we're not planning on sending you back to the convent, Rukia you're the most important person in our lives."
Rukia cleared her throat, that sounded way too good to be true.
"So…" she said cautiously "there's not a husband chosen by father waiting for me at the mansion?"
Yoruichi gaped.
"What?" Yoruichi asked outraged "hell no! Who told her that?!"
Ginrei sighed.
"It was a lie told by Byakuya to justify the years inside the convent" he explained "I feel the need to kill him every single day I remember."
"Byakuya-boo really lost his shit, didn't he?"
"But if it's a lie" Rukia said "why did you all leave me there? Why didn't you visit the whole last year?"
"I..." Ginrei started to say but after a few seconds he shook his head "I think it's better if Byakuya does the explaining."
Rukia frowned.
"I'm not planning on talking to daddy anytime soon" she said determined "and I love you and I miss you but I want to keep enjoying this freedom for a while more."
Ginrei had to remind himself that Rukia was fifteen and that she had just escaped a very restrictive place, not to mention that she had always been carefree and adventurous, so forcing her to come back would be like cutting her wings, Ginrei didn't want to do that.
"Do you realize that sooner or later you'll have to face us, right?" Ginrei asked "not only to give explanations but also to receive them."
Rukia nodded.
"I'm not an idiot" she said pouting.
"I wasn't suggesting that" Ginrei said calmly "but we're family and Byakuya is your father, he might not show it but you're breaking his heart by rejecting his attempts at talking to you."
"Well, he broke mine" Rukia retorted "did he even look at the letters?!"
Ginrei sighed, he couldn't tell her why they ignored the letters, not yet. So he decided to make a deal with her, he could tell that she wasn't staying with Yoruichi otherwise she wouldn't have called him. Ginrei remembered how she told them that a boy was helping her, he needed information but he also needed to be in Rukia's good graces so he didn't have another choice.
"If I agree with this, will you consider the idea of approaching us? Will you, once you're ready, talk to us? We do owe you explanations and we're going crazy without knowing where you are or with whom."
"If I agree with what exactly?" Rukia asked confused.
"With you being "free" for a while more" he explained "it goes against my better judgement and right now I'm fighting the urge to send our security team to all of Yoruichi's properties."
Yoruichi laughed, she obviously found that idea extremely funny.
"So, if I promise to talk to you sooner or later you'll convince daddy and grandpa to stop looking for me? Won't they become way too suspicious?"
Ginrei shook his head.
"I cannot convince them to stop looking, they will never stop" he said "but I can delay the search, I can send them in your opposite direction and I can pretend to look for you while they are busy with work."
"In exchange of me agreeing to talk to all of you at some point?"
"And in exchange of you telling me about the boy who's helping you" he said and noticed how Rukia's eyes widened "you can leave aside his name and where he lives, but I need to make sure that you're not being used."
Rukia nodded as she crossed her arms. Ginrei was sure that she was thinking about what to tell him without letting him know big clues, she was extremely smart and judging by her smile she was having a great time, why couldn't the girl simply come back home and have the same great time under his protection?
"He's..." Rukia started as she cleared her throat "amazing, actually. He found me the same night I escaped from the convent, he has a job and goes to a prestigious school. He hasn't asked for anything in return of helping me, he introduced me to his family and they accepted me with open arms, no one knows my last name."
Ginrei frowned, just as he thought there wasn't enough information for him.
"Anything else?" He asked curiously.
Rukia had a sudden flashback of the kisses she shared with Ichigo the night before, she thought about the way he held her and how amazing she felt back then. She blushed prettily and smiled fondly before answering.
"I like him a lot"
Ginrei faked a smile at Rukia, he didn't like how she was smiling while thinking about the boy. She was getting too fond of him and judging by what she was saying he wasn't going to let her go for the time being, there was no mistake, Rukia was falling for whoever was helping her.
Ginrei didn't know if it was mutual, hell he was expecting it wasn't, if that boy somehow ended up breaking her heart she would be forced to come running home and while it sounded horrible, the prospect of Rukia coming back home, heartbroken and tearful was better than the prospect of her falling in love and deciding that she didn't need her family anymore.
Ginrei was extremely glad that Yoruichi was keeping an eye on Rukia, that meant that the boy was trustworthy otherwise Yoruichi would've taken Rukia with her. Still, would he be able to find out the boy's identity through Yoruichi or would he have to investigate on his own?
"Granddaddy," Rukia said interrupting his thoughts "what about grandpa? I don't want to make him worry too much too, are you going to tell him about this?"
Ginrei sighed, at first he thought about telling Soujun but after seeing Rukia blushing and smiling at the thought of a boy he decided against it.
"No, I won't tell him."
"Why?" Rukia asked curiously.
"Well, he would've supported us, but if he finds out how much you appreciate this boy of yours he might be a little bit..."
"Jealous?" Yoruichi suggested with a smirk.
Ginrei nodded.
"Yeah, when you told us how a boy was helping you he got a little bit... mad" he explained "it's better if we wait a little bit."
Rukia scoffed.
"Why would grandpa be jealous? A friend is helping me," she reasoned "shouldn't he be thankful for that?"
Ginrei raised an eyebrow at her.
"What?" Rukia asked.
"Can you swear to me that you haven't shared something quite intimate with this boy?"
Rukia gaped and Yoruichi laughed.
"Grandpa!" Rukia said blushing "I'm still a novice! A virgin! Remember?!"
Ginrei almost thanked God for that.
"I'm glad," he said "so you haven't kissed him either?"
Rukia blushed deeper and looked at the ceiling, Ginrei could swear that by this point Yoruichi's laughter could be heard all over the place.
"Can we change the topic?" Rukia asked.
Ginrei nodded.
"Yes, please" he said, just like Soujun he didn't like the thought of Rukia on the arms of some hormonal boy, she was their child so that was hard to imagine "in fact, there's something I want to ask you."
Rukia nodded.
"Go ahead" she said.
"Do you have money?" Ginrei asked and Rukia blushed.
"I have enough for a few days more" she admitted "I was thinking about getting a part-time job so..."
"No" Ginrei and Yoruichi said at the same time.
"But..." Rukia tried to say but Ginrei interrupted her.
"Rukia, listen" he said "I understand that you want to be independent, sort of, but I don't like the idea of you working, I mean some youngsters do it but, didn't you say you want to enjoy your freedom a little bit more?"
"Well, I still have mom's card" Rukia said "but something tells me that daddy can track it."
"Yeah, he can" Ginrei agreed and then sighed.
"I can help you" Yoruichi said to Rukia "it's no big deal, I can cover all of your expenses..."
"Thank you," Rukia said "but I don't think it's right..."
"I'm your godmother!" Yoruichi reasoned.
"Yes, but I still think that I would be abusing your kindness" Rukia explained "besides I don't need much..."
"There's no need for you to worry about money" Ginrei said sternly "the fact that you, of all people, are thinking about getting a job is ludicrous, I will not accept that. Therefore I'll help you."
"But..."
"I won't let Byakuya or Soujun find out about this" Ginrei said "I'll send you one of my cards to Yoruichi's store, she can give it to you so you don't have to worry about us locating you."
"Would you really do that? Won't daddy track your card?" Rukia asked.
"Rukia, you're my only granddaughter" Ginrei said "I love you and, while I still have my doubts about you living with strangers, I want to be able to be there for you one way or another" he said "and no, Byakuya does not track my finances, I did not spend my whole youth and adulthood building the company so my grandson could control what I do with my money."
"Is it really okay?" Rukia asked unsure.
"Girl," Yoruichi said rolling her eyes "you're literally the only heiress of the whole clan, let your granddaddy spoil you rotten."
Ginrei nodded.
"Yoruichi is right" he said "this is your money, Rukia. I'm basically just saving it for you."
"Then I accept" Rukia said smiling "thank you, granddaddy."
Ginrei smiled back.
"Don't mention it," he said "use the card without reservations, I'll make sure to check that it has enough money every week."
Rukia nodded.
"Also" Ginrei added "be sure not to tell about the card to anyone, if it goes missing you don't want to suspect about any of your friends and since they do not know your last name it'll be better for you, otherwise they'll ask too many questions."
"I'll follow your advice" Rukia promised.
"Now, may I ask for something in return?"
Rukia crossed her arms and nodded.
"Would you call me at least two times every week? Just to make sure that you're okay?"
Rukia smiled.
"I will, I promise" she said happily "I have a cellphone actually, so I'll also write to you, as long as daddy doesn't find out."
"I'll set up a password for my phone, just in case" Ginrei said "I'll be waiting for your bunny drawings."
"I really miss you, you know?" Rukia said "I thought I would die inside the convent without seeing you again."
"Don't make me cry, child" Ginrei said "I'll never forgive myself for not visiting you and getting you out of there" he paused as if he remembered something "I know you hated the place but, did they treat you well? Were they nice to you?"
Yoruichi felt how Rukia tensed up and wondered if she would tell him the truth, she was praying that she would, if the Kuchikis were to find out then justice would be served.
Rukia gulped, she wanted to tell him everything, she wanted to tell him how many days and nights she starved, how much the bruises hurt and about the basement, but seeing him on bed while being worried sick about her made her think twice.
She couldn't tell him, it would break his heart and she didn't want to hurt him.
"Talking about the convent is not worth it" Rukia said finally "I'm outside now and I'm talking to you! Don't you feel happy?!"
Yoruichi frowned, she wasn't going to talk.
"Of course I am" Ginrei said smiling "although I would be happier if I could hug you."
Rukia sighed.
"Give me time, granddaddy" she said "I... I don't want to risk daddy finding me, something tells me he will send me to that place again."
"He won't," Ginrei said "why are you doubting your father so much? He loves you, Rukia."
Rukia frowned.
"He abandoned me there" she said and then remembered the day her father visited the school, she remembered how he implied that he would send her back "and... I cannot tell how I know this but he sort of admitted that he might send me back, I heard it from a reliable source."
Ginrei frowned.
"That source is not reliable at all" he said "but even if that stupid idea were to cross his head I would stop it, I won't allow him to send you away from home, you have my word."
"I also remember how he wouldn't look at me as I grew up," Rukia continued bitterly "I always assumed that he didn't like how much I look like mom, I was like a painful reminder of the love he lost."
There was a deafening silence of a few seconds in which Rukia avoided Ginrei's gaze. She had never shared that theory of hers with him but she always believed that, sometimes it was even hard for her to look in the mirror so she supposed that it was the same for her father.
"I don't think that's the case..." Yoruichi said carefully "I mean..."
"Father! We have some amazing news!" Someone yelled and Rukia and Ginrei's eyes widened when they recognized Soujun's voice.
"I have to go" Ginrei said "they are back, I'll send the card, let me know once you have it."
"I love you! I miss you!" Rukia said.
"I love you too" Ginrei said quietly "and I miss you terribly every, single day."
The call disconnected and Rukia hid her face on Yoruichi's shoulder. Her granddaddy was fine and he was on her side, they still had a lot to talk but for now it was enough, she couldn't believe how much she missed him, she was dying to run to the mansion and hug him but for now it wasn't possible. Thinking about Ginrei, Soujun and Byakuya she started to cry.
"It's okay," Yoruichi assured her "take your time, let it out."
Ginrei put his cellphone on his bedside table and sighed, he closed his eyes and ignored the couple of tears that ran down his cheeks. Rukia was safe and sound, Yoruichi was keeping an eye on her and for now that was enough. He made his way downstairs towards the studio and his eyes widened when he noticed the amount of documents that were on the desk.
"What's all this?" Ginrei couldn't help to ask.
Soujun smiled at him as Byakuya started to arrange every single folder in different sections.
"I came up with an amazing plan to lure Rukia out of her hideout" Soujun explained as he handed Ginrei a pink sheet.
Ginrei's eyes widened as he read.
"Chappy convention! The biggest one in Karakura!"
Soujun smiled proudly.
"We offered one of the company's buildings and we're calling all of the Chappy branches to participate" he explained "free original merchandise, plushies, purses and all of that stuff will be available. The next week, once all of the girls who are obsessed with the rabbit show up to the event, we will be there with our security team to find Rukia and bring her home."
Ginrei gaped.
"Do you think she'll go?" Ginrei asked.
"She will," Byakuya said without taking his eyes off the documents "there's no way Rukia will ignore an event like this."
Ginrei nodded as he wondered if he would be able to persuade Rukia not to go.
"I was thinking" Yoruichi said while walking with Rukia in the garden "tomorrow come straight to the store after school, I'll go to the hospital with you."
Rukia smiled, it took her a while to calm down after the call with Ginrei but she was fine now so they decided to go and enjoy Ichigo's torture at the hands of Urahara.
"Thank you!" She said sincerely "having you there will help me, a lot"
"I noticed your reaction at breakfast," Yoruichi commented "are you afraid of hospitals?"
Rukia shook her head.
"I'm afraid of needles" she explained "I was apprehensive towards them when I was little but once I was inside the convent the nurse..." she gulped "she wasn't that nice."
Yoruichi put an arm around her shoulders as they kept walking.
"I don't mean to pressure you" she said "but I think you should tell Ginrei-sama about what they did to you, they need to be hold accountable."
Rukia sighed.
"I wanted to tell him" she admitted "but I don't want to hurt him and you heard him, he already feels guilty."
Yoruichi sighed.
"Well," she said finally "you have all the time in the world."
"Thank you" Rukia said "having someone who knows everything is reassuring, having a godmother feels nice."
"Don't hesitate to come to me for help" Yoruichi told her "I'll keep your secrets, every single one of them" she promised smirking devilishly "I'll never tell your overprotective grandparents and father how you escaped at midnight to kiss a boy in the middle of the forest."
Rukia gasped while blushing madly and Yoruichi laughed.
"That idiot!" Rukia said "he assured me that no one would notice!"
Yoruichi laughed.
"Kisuke is a private detective, what the hell did you expect?!"
"Should I apologize?!" Rukia asked "I never meant to disrespect your house or to abuse your trust and..."
"Girl, calm down" Yoruichi said "stop being so uptight, as long as he didn't pressure you and as long as it was just a few kisses you're not in trouble."
Rukia sighed.
"I liked it," she said smiling shyly "although I never expected to have my first kiss a few days after leaving the convent."
Yoruichi smiled.
"Well, you chose a nice boy" she praised "does he treat you with respect? He's my godson but I'll beat his ass if he hurts you."
"He's being extremely nice to me" Rukia said smiling "sometimes I think he's an idiot, he doesn't know who I am and he already introduced me to his family, isn't he too trusting?"
"He has this hero complex" Yoruichi said "but I'm glad you found each other."
Rukia smiled and then she realized that they were now reaching the farm area, she could hear Karin and Yuzu laughing and she wondered what was happening. It wasn't until she was standing next to the twins that she realized what the whole deal was.
Ichigo, the same boy that looked like a criminal and had badass tendencies was running away from a cow and he was shirtless. Rukia chuckled at his horrified face as the enraged cow kept following him around the place, there was mud on the floor and it was obvious how Ichigo was struggling to keep running.
"Well," Yoruichi whispered playfully on her ear "did your midnight swim include a lot of touching? Is a novice supposed to let muscly guys like this to touch her?"
Rukia gaped as she observed Ichigo's toned arms and broad chest, he was definitely muscly, she blushed as she remembered how close they were last night and how much she enjoyed his body against hers. She thought that perhaps Ichigo felt her gaze on him because he turned to look at her and she blushed, much to everyone's surprise he blushed too.
"Don't get distracted!" Urahara yelled while smiling but it was too late.
The cow managed to get a hold of Ichigo and bit his rear angrily.
Rukia, Karin and Yuzu winced as Ichigo cursed out loud, Isshin and Urahara laughed.
"You should start coming every weekend" Yoruichi told Rukia as she took a picture of the moment with her cellphone "this has been quite the interesting weekend."
Rukia laughed as she agreed with her.
This had been the best weekend of her life.
Riruka was falling asleep in front of the TV when the most amazing news she could've expected were announced.
"Can you repeat this new information to us?!" A reporter said.
"Yeah!" A young boy, wearing rabbit ears, said enthusiastically "we're calling to all the young girls around Karakura! A very generous, and anonymous, benefactor just lent us their building and resources to create the Chappy Convention!"
Riruka sat up immediately and got closer to the TV.
"What can we expect about this convention?!" The reporter asked.
"Lots of free, original merchandise" the boy said "plushies and purses, everything you can imagine! You might even have the chance to meet the benefactors of the whole event who will give one lucky winner a ticket to Chappyland!"
Riruka gasped as she texted Rukia.
There was no way in hell that they were going to miss this opportunity.
I liked this chapter, I love the Kuchikis, what about you?
So, I'm so happy about how everyone enjoyed the kiss! There are more of those to come so stay tuned! And for those who are worried about them, don't be. They'll discuss the kiss in the chapters to come, I'm quite excited about the next one. The high school scenes come back and… perhaps Senna will talk with Rukia?! WHO KNOWS?!
Joking, you'll find out soon!
Now, to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter:
andy cma: Thank you, your review means a lot to me, let me know if you enjoyed this chapter! Okay?! Kisses!
Brunna Aprigio d: Thank you! I actually have the whole story planned out so don't worry, I won't abandon it! Let me know what you think about this chapter, take care!
Natsumivat: ¡Me encanta que te haya encantado el capítulo! Gracias por tu review, te prometí que iban a haber más escenas así jajajaja. Déjame saber si este cap te gusto igual y espero leer tus comentarios, prometo mucho más ichiruki en los siguientes, cuídate mucho. ¡Besos!
FicsXd: Muchas gracias por tu review, me alegra que te haya gustado el capítulo. La verdad tenía mucho miedo de que el capítulo anterior fuera demasiado largo pero no pude cortarlo, me alegra que haya valido la pena. Déjame saber qué piensas de este, cuídate y besos.
Achalida: Thank you for your review! I'm so happy you enjoyed the kiss scene, I tried to make it really romantic hahaha. Let me know what you think about this chapter, okay?! I'll be waiting for your review, kisses!
Queen of Ice and Shadows: I loved your reaction! Thank you so much for your review! Don't worry you won't have to wait so much for them to get a little bit more… intimate. Grimmjow comes back in the next chapter, I promise! Let me know if you liked this chapter, kisses!
RukiYuki: I'm so glad the update made you happy! I love your reviews and I can't wait to read your reaction about this one! Love you, take care!
Jobananasan: As always your reviews make me smile! I love them! Isshin knows about the prostitutes but he doesn't consider those romantic experiences, I'll also explain that in the chapters to come! There's still a lot to unpack! I can't wait for you to read the chapters to come and I'm dying to read what you think about this chapter! Let me know if you liked it, okay?! Take care, kisses!
Nejes: A hot and nice kissing session! Hahaha! Thank you for your review! Let me know if you liked this chapter, okay?! Kisses, take care!
Ichirukitrash4ever: Thank you so much for your review! I smiled when you wrote how happy the update made you! I tried to make the kiss lowkey hot and for what you wrote I guess I succeeded! Let me know if you also liked this chapter, okay?! Thanks again, kisses!
Your reviews are what keeps the story going so keep them coming! Thanks again!
Pd. I apologize for my grammar mistakes.
