Chapter 3: In the Loop, Out of the Know
A/N: I have been listening to a lot of "Wizard People, Dear Reader", which is making my writing a bit facetious in part of this chapter. If you haven't heard/watched it, look it up.
April 5th. 4:30 p.m.
Ichigo flopped onto his bed as only angsty teenagers can and pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes in a "why me?" type of position. But he knew why. He knew he was being unreasonable. It wasn't anyone's fault that things were like this, and he knew he should not have taken his frustration out on his friends. He stayed in bed for another hour contemplating how life was unfair and reasoning himself back to reality, until he was called down to dinner by Yuzu.
"Onii-chan!" Her sweet voice rang up the stairs for the second time, and he rolled out of bed with the grace of a walrus. His heavy footsteps fell upon each stair as if he carried the burden of Atlas, and he walked into the dining area followed by a cloud of gloom. He slid into his usual seat and kept his eyes downcast until he was pulled out of his brooding with a swift kick to the shin. "What the…" Ichigo yelped as he looked up across the table into the face of the Crimson Pineapple himself, Renji Abarai.
"Nice of you to join us, Ichigo", Renji replied without a hint of irony. "Would you look at what Yuzu put together for all of us? This looks great, Yooz!" he shouted the last part into the kitchen. Yuzu stuck her head into the dining room for a moment and grinned at the two of them so wide her eyes were invisible.
"Yooz? Really? The next time you say that it will be the last thing you ever say," her brother snarled, then, suddenly distracted, looked around the room and asked,"Wait a sec, where's Rukia?"
"Hollow", Renji replied with disinterest while he looked over the spread on the table in earnest. "It was just right outside; she's got it covered."
"I can't believe this." The perturbed teenager looked up and shut his mouth as Yuzu, Karin, and his dad entered the room. Rukia came in a moment later acting completely normal.
The senior Kurosaki stood at the head of the table as everyone else took their seats. "This is a special occasion," he announced. "Today, my third daughter brings to dine with us her future husband!"
Yuzu gasped and clapped her hands, looking between Renji and Rukia with glee, while Karin sighed and executed a textbook example of side-eye. "What are you talking about, Goatbeard?" she asked reluctantly.
"Ahem!" Rukia stood, clearing her throat, and looking around the table. "Thank you, Kurosaki-san, for your warm welcome and continued hospitality, but I am sure you are mistaken. Renji and I are only sleeping together, not engaged", she informed the group matter-of-factly and sat back down.
"What?!" Ichigo screamed in an undignified fashion as he stood. "Wait, What?" he tried to recover, and failed. "I mean, don't you think that is kind of inappropriate to talk about in front of Yuzu and Karin!?"
"It's not like we're babies, Ichi-ni" Karin interjected. "Besides, the only one here who is scandalized is you."
"Oh, Karin, don't tease your brother. You know he is an innocent boy", Isshin managed to say with a straight face. "Rukia and Renji's love is a beautiful thing. There is no reason to hide it."
"Auughhh! Good GOD! What is wrong with this family? Why can't you ever be normal?!" Ichigo complained, and shifted his focus to their guests. "I don't care what you two do, as long as you aren't doing it here!" he demanded with the complexion of a tomato.
Rukia and Renji displayed absolutely no shame whatsoever. "We are far too busy with our current assignment to engage in such frivolity. Your fears are unwarranted", Rukia responded in a faux offended tone.
"Can we please eat now? Poor Yuzu's hard work will go to waste if we let this feast get cold," Renji pointed out.
The Kurosaki household got to eating and the rest of the dinner conversation was much less controversial. After dinner, Ichigo was struck by the fact that after the initial awkwardness, everything felt surprisingly normal. He was finally beginning to come to terms with everything that had transpired that day and was beginning to drift off to sleep when he remembered how he had lashed out at his friends at lunch. A wave of guilt washed over him. He groaned and got up. There was no use trying to sleep now. He threw on a sweatshirt and jogging pants, went downstairs, and put his sneakers on at the door. "I'm going for a run, if anybody cares," he called into the darkness. There was no response.
He started at a moderate pace and let his mind wander. The night air was chilly, and there were few street lights in his residential neighborhood. He made his way to the main road that led to the adjoining neighborhood. Once he reached the better-lit road, he increased his speed. His mind started to clear as his breathing settled into a steady pattern, and the stress he was holding onto started to melt into the pavement.
He kept his pace for about fifteen minutes and stopped at a park with several vending machines along the bordering sidewalk. He stopped at one to get a drink and catch his breath; it had actually been awhile since he had run like that. He opened his drink and took a sip, relishing the quiet of the evening. It wasn't especially late, only a little after ten o'clock, but much of Karakura was asleep at this time on a weeknight.
His mind wandered back to the pre-dinner conversation. He wasn't particularly surprised to learn about Rukia and Renji's relationship, although the fact that he wasn't surprised did surprise him. He supposed that after all, they were potentially centuries older than him; it stood to reason that they would take part in more mature relationships than he and his peers did. It just never actually occurred to him before. He was just starting to wonder whether they were trying to get a rise out of him or if they were really that oblivious to human norms when it came to their candid admission, when he was brought out of his musings by a soft voice.
"Umm, Kurosaki-kun? What are you doing out here?" the voice asked. Ichigo turned around to see Orihime standing a small distance from him, hugging a jacket to her form that was not quite heavy enough to protect her from the chill in the air. Ichigo noted her pink cheeks and thought that she must have been outside for several minutes at least to be as cold as she appeared.
"I was taking a run," the former shinigami started, then remembered why he was out here in the first place. "Listen, Inoue, I really am sorry for how I acted this afternoon, especially toward you. There is no excuse for it. I guess I was shocked and took it poorly…" he trailed off and looked up to gauge her reaction.
Her face was not what he was expecting. Her brows were drawn up and together about as far as they could go, eyes wide, lips pursed, and cheeks a much bolder shade of pink then they were just a moment ago. She looked mortified.
"Ah, ha ha ha, d..d…don't worry about it, K…K…Kurosaki-kun" she stuttered, trying to recover by casually scratching the back of her head and grinning. "I understand it must have been a lot to absorb all at once."
He allowed a one-sided smile at her antics. "Yeah, it was. It was still no reason to take it out on you," he countered, relaxing as his confession eased his guilty conscious a bit. "I'll have to apologize to everyone else tomorrow".
"You mean you didn't see Abarai-fukutaicho and Kuchiki-san tonight?" the healer asked, surprised.
"No, I saw them. They nearly caused me to choke during dinner with their big announcement," Ichigo answered.
"What big announcement?" Orihme asked, innocently.
"You mean they didn't tell you? I would have thought at least Rukia would have said something to you, but I guess nothing they do is normal," he complained. "I guess I'm not the only one around here who isn't in the loop on everything".
"What are you talking about, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime pressed. She was starting to worry. "Did something bad happen? Did they receive any news from Soul Society about the hollows?"
Ichigo shook his head and sighed. "I only wish it was something useful like that. I guess there is no harm in telling you, it's not like they were trying to be discreet or anything. Rukia and Renji are together," he watched as a dim understanding started and stalled across Orihime's features. "I mean, like, 'together' together. Rukia flat-out told us the nature of their relationship at dinner tonight."
Orihime's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "That is wonderful! Oh, I am so happy for them!" she squealed, bringing her fists to her mouth and twirling around in a small circle. Ichigo felt a small tightness in his chest, witnessing her pure joy. It had been some time since he'd seen her so genuinely happy.
"Well, that makes three of you, at least. My old man and Yuzu are practically planning their wedding"
"What?! They are engaged?! Why didn't you say so? That is even better news!" Orihime squeaked as she closed the distance between herself and Ichigo, so that they were only an arm's length apart. She looked up into his face in an attempt to read his expression; his previous statement didn't come without a dose of sarcasm.
"No, Rukia quickly informed us that that was not the case," Ichigo informed her as he looked back at her freshly disappointed face. Now that it was so much closer, he was able to observe that her teeth were chattering slightly. "What were you doing out here anyway, Inoue? You are not exactly dressed for the weather." he asked.
"Oh, that…" she began hesitantly. "I sensed a hollow just past the park before you got here. It was gone before I arrived; I only live two blocks away from here, but it seems like Abarai-fukutaicho got here first". She looked up at him under her eyelashes to shield herself from any potential negative reaction .
What she found on his face, however, was only compassion. "I'm sorry you had to come out here for that, Inoue. I forgot that I am the one the hollows are supposedly after; I shouldn't have gone out without making sure Renji or Rukia knew." He paused a moment, glad to see her face relax, but bothered by her shivering. "Let's get you back home," he said, before starting off toward her apartment.
"Oh, no, Kurosaki-kun! You don't need to walk me home," the auburn-haired girl protested. "It's only a couple blocks..."
"And let a nice girl like you walk home alone at this time of night? I think not." Ichigo replied matter-of-factly. "My old man would kick my ass if he thought I was going to let you go off alone".
Orihime smiled sheepishly and fell into step beside him. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun," she said, and added softly, but just audibly enough for him to hear, "even now, you are still protecting me".
He hoped she didn't notice the tips of his ears turning red as he made sure to walk just a step ahead of her.
A/N: In the next chapter Ishida will push the story forward a few months and give us his insight on what happens in the meantime. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews and thanks for reading!