The final chapter of the arc! I hope you all enjoy. Please read the end note for info about the upcoming HIATUS.
Year: 1993
Rukia gazed up at the strange building before her. Mr. Orikasa had told her it was a shop, but honestly, it didn't look like one. It was so old and dusty Rukia would have been surprised if it had ever gotten a single customer.
Then again, the sign at the front did say "Shiba Shop", so, maybe it was one. She'd have to think about it.
Mr. Orikasa was now talking to the owner of this "shop", a woman that called herself Kukaku Shiba. Rukia thought she was even weirder than her store. She wore these skimpy bright red clothes and had this spiky hair. (And only one arm!) Rukia wasn't sure how she felt about this whole…arrangement.
"You are sure you can watch after her, right?" Mr. Orikasa asked carefully.
"Yeah, yeah, I've helped raise a few brats in my day. Don't you worry your pretty little head, Byakuya," the lady said. "Go run to your office. I've got it all handled."
Mr. Orikasa nodded, but he didn't look to happy about it. He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes the same way he had at Rukia when he found out she'd pushed another kid at school. (That jerk was asking for it in her opinion, but she said she was sorry anyway.) It took him a moment, but eventually his face softened again, and he turned to her.
"Rukia, behave while you are here. I will be back to collect you at five o'clock." Then, putting a hand on her shoulder, he said more softly, "Make sure to tell me if anything happens while you are here, understand?"
Eyeing Kukaku Shiba and the shop, Rukia gave him a firm nod. After that, the two adults exchanged words, words that Rukia weren't really paying attention to. She was too busy craning her neck to try and get a peak inside the small building. It was dark and shadowy. She clutched her Chappy doll a little tighter to her chest.
"Goodbye, Rukia," Mr. Orikasa said. He was already stepping into his car.
When did that happen?
Rukia felt a little helpless waving goodbye to her new guardian. Now it was just her, this strange woman, and the shop. She tried to tell herself that she wasn't nervous. It worked, sorta.
"Hey, kid." Rukia straightened up in surprise. "You're name's Rukia, right? How old are you?"
Biting the inside of her cheek, Rukia nodded before saying, "I'm eight."
The lady hummed and said, "I saw you staring at my shop before. You curious?" Rukia shrugged in response.
"It looks weird," she said quietly. The lady barked out a laugh.
"I guess it does. You'll be disappointed when you see the inside, though. It's pretty normal." Rukia looked up at the woman then, wondering what her definition of normal would even be. The woman looked back, grinning. "Wanna take a look?"
"Yeah," she rushed out.
"Then step right up for the grand tour!" the lady exclaimed. Rukia almost shuddered. She was very loud for an adult, wasn't she?
"Tour?" she asked.
"Yeah, 'tour.' You are our honored guest, Miss Rukia." She finished off with a dramatic low bow that made Rukia blush a light pink. When the lady stood up straight, she was holding out her one hand for Rukia to hold.
Still clutching her Chappy doll tightly to her chest, Rukia reached out and took it. She couldn't help but think it felt a lot like Mr. Orikasa's, calloused and a little bit rough, but warm.
Hoisted over the porch, and guided through the door, Rukia was brought into the shop. Much to her surprise, it turned out that Shiba's definition of normal was the same as anyone else's. It was a convenience store like any other with snacks, magazines, phone cards, and other very normal things. Rukia was kind of disappointed.
Behind the cash register of this store was a (relatively) normal looking man. He was probably about as tall as Mr. Orikasa but was twice as wide. He was flipping idly through a magazine when they walked in, but the second he noticed them, his eyes widened.
"That's the kid?" he asked.
"Yeah," the lady answered with a grin. "She's a cutie, isn't she?" She patted Rukia on the back, glancing down at her and asking, "Why don't you introduce yourself?"
"Oh," she stuttered for a moment, "My name is Rukia, uh…Rukia Orikasa."
The large man grinned in a way too like Shiba for it to be a coincidence. "I'm Ganju Shiba," he said. "I'm Kukaku's bro."
Brother? She supposed that made sense. They didn't look too similar, but their coloring, their eyes, and even that grin kind of gave it away.
"So much time, so little to see," Shiba said. "We should move on, Rukia. Oh, and Ganju?"
"Yeah, sis?"
"I don't pay you to sit around reading magazines. Get back to work!" she barked out. Ganju scowled in response, throwing his magazine down on the table. He muttered something about how she, "didn't pay him at all," but before Rukia could hear the rest of what he had to say, she was ushered off into the backroom.
At least, Rukia thought it would be a backroom. It ended up being an entire house!
It was an open area, traditional looking with sliding doors and a single hallway with plenty of windows. The hallway connected to a variety of rooms, and Kukaku made sure to stop by all the ones that she called "important."
This included one of the guest rooms, a spacious dining room with a low table, a kitchen that Rukia was not allowed inside (she only saw the door), and that was about it. It was pretty short for a grand tour, but Rukia had enjoyed it. Shiba was actually really nice, and she would try and tell funny stories or jokes about anything they came across. It made Rukia wish the tour was a lot longer. Shiba had to have something interesting to say about those "unimportant" rooms.
"And with that," the woman said grandly, "the tour is over. Any questions?"
Rukia had at least one. This place was big, too big for just two people. The apartment she and Mr. Orikasa lived at was much smaller, and it still felt too big sometimes. (He was talking about moving, though.)
She just had to ask, "Do just you and Ganju live here?"
Kukaku shook her head. "Naw, we've got two others, Tessai and Yoruichi. You'll probably meet them soon. Anything else?"
Rukia was about to say no, but at the very last minute, she was reminded of something. "Where's the bathroom?"
She was pointed toward a little room near the shop door. Rukia rushed out a thank you before going in to do her business. By the time she stepped out, Kukaku wasn't there anymore.
Rukia paused for a moment, frowning. She looked down the hall, peeked around the door to the shop, and even snooped around a few of the rooms.
Nothing. Her guide was nowhere to be found.
Just as Rukia was getting ready to find a place to simply sit down in defeat someone did come by, or rather, something. The most beautiful black cat she had ever seen slunk out of a far door, barely giving her a glimpse of its shiny coat before disappearing out of the door at the very back of the house.
Rukia's sock covered feet padded after the cat before she even had time to think about it. Did Shiba mention having a cat? She didn't think so, but this cat was far too pretty to just be a stray. It looked far too shiny and soft. She wanted so badly to get a good look at it, to maybe pet it.
She followed it out of the back door to a patio, one of the last places Shiba had shown her. The backyard was just as dusty as the front yard, but at least the light color of the dirt made it easy to spot the little kitty.
There it was sitting on the ground just beyond the porch, licking one of its paws, its bright golden eyes half lidded, its tail flicking lazily behind it. The dust didn't even seem to touch its wonderful fur. Rukia closed the door quietly behind her, but the second it hit the frame, the cat's ears stood up straight, alert and its head turned toward her.
Biting her lip, Rukia decided to approach slowly, not wanting to spook the poor thing. Holding out a hand, she shuffled forward, crouching down low. Before she could even get close, the cat stood up gracefully and darted a few meters away, toward the perimeter wall.
Rukia pouted, frustration and disappointment bubbling up in her chest. She had to try again.
She decided to go a little faster this time around to reach the cat before it had the chance to run away again. Setting her Chappy Doll on the porch for safe keeping, she walked quickly toward it. The cat bolted before it was even in reach, but hey, she was closer this time. That alone encouraged her to try again.
She tried again, and again, and again, for no reason more than "why give up now?" and each time, she was going a little faster. She quickly went from a fast walk to a jog, but it was around the time she started running that things went wrong.
The cat was just in front of the perimeter wall, tail flicking back and forth playfully, and Rukia just had a feeling that this would be it, that this time she could catch it. She sprinted forward, fingers just brushing against its soft fur, and watched as it bolted right. She hit the wall face first.
"Yoruichi!" she heard Shiba yell out in anger. She must have said more, but Rukia wasn't listening. She was too busy dragging herself up from the ground. Her face and arms hurt enough to make her eyes start stinging with tears. She blinked them back the best she could and tried not to sniffle too loudly. She didn't want to look like a baby that would cry over a couple of scrapes. After a moment, she managed to focus back on Miss Shiba.
The woman was there, holding the black cat up by its scruff, glaring furiously at it. The cat didn't look to happy either. Being picked up like that couldn't have been comfortable, but it wasn't struggling.
"We don't treat guests like that, Yoruichi! That's Byakuya's kid!" Shiba scolded.
Huh. That was Yoruichi? It wasn't excatly Rukia was expecting.
"It was just a game. I didn't think she would actually hit the wall," the cat sulked.
Rukia blinked. Her brain did a double take.
"…It can talk?" she asked with wide eyes.
Tossing the cat to the ground, Shiba said, "Yeah, Yoruichi's special like that." The cat landed gracefully on its feet, of course, (or rather his feet. It sounded like a he, Rukia thought.) Shiba continued, waving a hand, "Come on. Your face is all scraped up. We can get you cleaned up in the shop."
Rukia was brought inside again after that and guided into the main shop. She was sat down on a tall bench while Shiba rummaged through a drawer behind the counter.
While her back was turned, Ganju walked in the door, a heavy looking box in his arms. He took one look at Rukia and winced.
"Hey Ganju," Shiba said without even looking up, "get a wet towel for me, okay?"
He quickly put the box down on the counter, said, "On it," and hurried off.
Soon enough, Shiba had all she seemed to need to fix up Rukia's scrapes. They didn't look too bad once they were all bandaged up, but Rukia was pretty sure Mr. Orikasa was going to notice.
Once she was done, Shiba let out a long sigh.
"Ganju," she said, "look after Rukia for a bit. I still have something to take care of in the…storeroom."
"No problem," he said with a frown, eyes darting to the door. Rukia took that time to gently prod at her face, poking at her nose.
"I'll be back in a few, Rukia," Shiba said with a reassuring smile, one that looked just a bit apologetic. Rukia nodded at her, and the woman hurried away.
The second the door closed, Ganju asked, "What happened?"
"I was chasing Yoruichi," Rukia said simply. "I ran into a wall." Ganju let out a chortle.
"I'll bet big sis is pretty mad, huh?" he asked, humor in his voice.
Rukia frowned, saying, "She blames the cat…but it wasn't all his fault!" Ganju raised an eyebrow, a half smile on his face. In the end he just shook his head.
"Why don't you pick something from the store?" he eventually asked. "Anything you want."
"Really?" she asked with awe.
He shrugged. "Go for it."
Rukia still wasn't sure about it, but Mr. Orikasa had told her that it was rude to say no when someone gave someone gave something to you. She climbed down from her seat, landing softly on the ground, and just as she was about to pick an aisle to explore first, the box that Ganju had carried in caught her eye.
It was cracked open a bit, just enough for her to get a glimpse at some of the packages inside. She glanced up at Ganju for a moment, questioning. He gave her a nod, and that was all she needed to pry it open the rest of the way.
It was candy wrapped up in brightly colored packaging, but it wasn't just any candy. It was the special Chappy Gummy Candy that was barely even in stores yet. They only started airing commercials for them last week. Her mouth watered.
"Can I have one of these?" she asked softly, eyes still on the candy.
"I said anything, didn't I?" he said with a laugh. "Just don't eat them right now. Lunch is soon and Tessai will be pis…I mean, very mad if you spoil it."
A grin broke out on Rukia's face as she grabbed one of the top packets. She stuffed it quicklky into her pocket, though she could only fit about half of it. The rest ended up flopping out. Whatever, as long as it didn't fall out, she didn't care.
Looking back up at Ganju, Rukia noticed that he had picked up his magazine again.
"What are you reading?" she asked, leaning to get a better look at the cover.
"Shōnen Jump," he said glancing at her. "You can read with me if you want."
Rukia had heard of that magazine before. It was a manga magazine, right? She had never read manga before, but she was curious to see what exactly Ganju was looking at.
"Yes, please," she said, dragging her stool closer to his. She climbed up, needing a hand from him to get situated fully, and leaned in as well as she could. Bringing an arm around her, he brought the magazine closer and flipped to the first page.
He explained the backstory for each chapter the best he could before proceeding to read each chapter aloud. She could read each one just fine by herself, but she wouldn't tell him that. She liked the funny voices he would use for the characters, liked how he would yell the sound effects. It left her enraptured.
Occasionally she would ask a question about a specific character, or about some of the weird powers a few of the stories had, and though Ganju's explanations sometimes just confused her more, she would nod her head like she understood, if only to continue the story.
Around the time they got to the end of the magazine, a man that was even larger than Ganju walked through the back door. His hair was in braids, he had a very large moustache, and skin the color of milk coffee. He would have looked scary, if he weren't wearing an apron. He was carrying two large lunchboxes, one kid sized lunchbox, and one teeny tiny lunchbox (a good size for a cat, Rukia thought).
"Sweet, lunch break," Ganju said, stretching the moment his feet hit the floor.
"Here," the man said to Rukia, holding out the kid-sized box. This must have been Tessai. With a quiet "thank you" she accepted the lunch. She held it in her hands for a moment. It felt warm and was wrapped up in a light green cloth.
"Where should I eat this?" she asked.
Ganju, who had already cracked his open and was digging in swallowed heavily before saying, "We usually take our lunchboxes wherever. You can eat with me if you want, though." Rukia was about to say yes, but she stopped herself at the last moment. She had almost forgotten!
"My Chappy Doll!" she said. "I left it in the back. I need to go get it." Not waiting for a response, lunchbox in hand she scurried to the main house and through the hallway.
She didn't mean to leave that doll. It was her absolute favorite! Mr. Orikasa had bought it the day he adopted her. She couldn't afford to lose it. Opening the back door, she was relieved to see…it was perfectly fine. She let out a sigh of relief that turned into a squeak when it rolled towards her all by itself.
Where the doll was stood Yoruichi, head lowered. It took her a moment to realize that the cat had just nudged her doll to her. Rukia picked the doll up, bringing it close to her again. With a careful frown, she set her lunchbox down on the porch right before sitting down close to Yoruichi but not too close.
"Sorry," he finally said.
Pursing her lips, Rukia shook her head. "I shouldn't have chased you."
"No, it was my fault," the cat said firmly. "I should have been more careful and not stood so close to the wall."
Rukia stayed silent for a moment, then. She didn't want to say "I forgive you," even if that was what Yoruichi was looking for, because that would imply she thought it was Yoruichi's fault, so instead she asked, "Can I pet you?"
Yoruiuchi snorted a bit at that, cracking what had to have been a smile, but soon enough, he slinked towards her. He approached slowly and pushed his soft head under her hand. With a smile, Rukia began scratching him softly behind the ears, satisfied. Eventually, the cat was almost fully in her lap, and she was eating her lunch, smile still firmly on her face.
The lunch was good. Incredibly good. It had fried fish, apple slices, and even a few heart shaped onigiri. It was plain, but tasty. She made her way through the lunch, giving Yoruichi little pieces of her fish now and again, and Yoruichi looked like he was in utter bliss, stretched out and happy.
Given enough time, there wasn't a crumb left of the lunch, and Rukia was perfectly full. All she was left with was an empty box. She glanced around, wondering where she should put it.
"You can leave it here," Yoruichi said, putting a paw on the ground. "I'll take it to Tessai." With a frown, Rukia set down the box. She wasn't sure how you could take away a bento box without hands, but maybe the cat would manage?
Making sure to grab her Chappy Doll, she got up from her spot on the patio and walked back into the house. She decided to take a second to look around by herself.
She found what looked like more bedrooms and managed to take a quick peak in the kitchen, but that was about it. There wasn't much to see.
The only interesting thing she found the whole trip was a storage room. It was dark, too dark to get a good look at any of the labels, but at one point her foot found a seam in the ground.
Getting on her hands and knees, she felt for the strange seam. She quickly realized that it must have been some kind of trap door. It probably led to a basement or something. She felt around for handle or latch, but the second her fingers settled on something–
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
Rukia snapped up from her crouching position and quickly turned around. In the lit doorway was Shiba.
"Nothing!" she said. Was she not supposed to be down here? She wasn't sure, but she knew it was better to play it safe. Shiba raised an eyebrow at Rukia, but she said nothing more. She led Rukia out of the room and shut the door behind them. Rukia let out a very quiet sigh of relief.
"I was looking for you earlier," Shiba said, cracking a smile. "I was wondering if you wanted to play a game."
Rukia looked up at Shiba, tilting her head. "A game?"
"Yeah, it's called 'Overlord.'"
Rukia let out an "ooh…" of awe. "What's it about?"
Shiba brought a finger up to her chin. "What do you think it's about?"
Well, Rukia wasn't sure what it was about. She had never heard of the game before, and the name wasn't a lot to go on. Still, Shiba was looking at her expectantly, so Rukia decided to give her best guess.
"Is it like a game of pretend?" Shiba nodded. Rukia continued, making it up as she went along, "Then, there's probably this bad guy, he's called the 'Overlord," and a good guy has to try and stop them because…" Rukia hesitated. What was a good reason to stop someone? After a moment, her eyes widened, and she said, "They kidnapped someone!" She was sure she had gotten it right.
"Exactly!" Shiba said. "And guess who's the Overlord…" Rukia had a pretty good guess.
She looked up at Shiba, chest puffed out like one of the heroes from Shōnen Jump, and cried, "You! You kidnapped Ganju, didn't you?"
"Bwahahaha!" Shiba cackled. "You have discovered my evil plan. If you wish to get him back, you'll have to get through me, hero!"
Rukia could see it. She was a great hero, an Ancient Samurai that was going to defeat this Evil Overlord to free her friend, Ganju. Her foe laughed maniacally, running to the front of the shop to grab her captive by the back of his shirt.
Sure, he may have sounded confused, but that was actually fear! Don't worry Ganju! They ran out to the yard of the shop (she meant the Overlord's Estate, of course) and the battle began.
You will pay for your crimes, Overlord!" Rukia yelled, brandishing her stick (sword).
"Ha! You couldn't beat me in a hundred thousand years, Samurai!" Shiba yelled.
"What's going on?!" the kidnapped Ganju cried.
The game ended up being some of the most fun Rukia had in a while. Ganju did eventually catch on, playing his part well. Soon enough, Rukia was sweaty, panting, but still laughing, hoping that the game would never end.
Like all things, though, it eventually did. She defeated the Overlord with a mighty blow from her sword and ran off into the sunset with her rescued friend via piggyback ride.
By the end, she felt worn out, but happy, and she was torn between wanting Mr. Orikasa to never come back so she could stay here forever, or for him to come back immediately so she could tell him all the amazing stories she had about her time here. Still, was sure of one thing.
She couldn't wait to come back next week.
Wow, we actually made it to the end of the Substitute Shinigami Arc! I'd love to simply power through, but I'm gonna need a break. Everyone, enjoy your Holidays because I'm going to come back with the Soul Society Arc on JANUARY 30.
I will see you then, hopefully with the next arc ready to go for you all. Remember, your reviews and favorites give me life, and make sure to spread the word about this fic, now that the first arc is complete. These things are always better when you can read them all at once.
(Update! Go to the AO3 version of this story on this chapter to see some ART done by me for Rukia's birthday!)
