Chapter 16: East of the Sun
~Ichigo~
Today was the day his cast came off and he felt like a new man - high off the exhilaration that he had two arms again, the dexterity afforded with two opposable thumbs and full command of his fingers to hold the scalpel steady as he sliced and sutured away. He had arms to do complex surgery with and of that he was unbelievably grateful. It felt good to be in control- full possession of his faculties, his arms healed and his mind eager, ready to sew, stitch, split and mend someone back into form.
Being allowed back into the hospital- Ichigo felt whole again.
This.
The busy, people-filled corridors, the sight of doctors in coats, and nurses with charts, patients hobbling about, the sterile smell of hospital antiseptics and the bright fluorescent light; heck even the lousy coffee- this was what he missed.
It felt good to be back.
Now don't misunderstand- he loves his midget, would proclaim it loud and proud, rub it gleefully in the face of one Kuchiki clan leader if he could. The woman was the missing link he never realized he needed and he did not regret his time spent with Rukia, the time he spent healing his arm that brought him time and gave them both the push they needed to pursue a relationship that went beyond the realms of platonic and be happy- the 2.5 month he spent playing invalid and seducing Rukia Kuchiki- worth every fucking second of it.
But this?
This was where he was needed and where he wanted to be.
There was something about the certainty of knowing where he stood, of knowing he was holding the scalpel to a body and for the next hour or so he was the man in charge, human frailty is an obstacle that he overcomes with skill, knowledge, and experience. With scalpel at hand, he had a purpose; he was given a mission- a gatekeeper between life and death, to preserve the life of the patient lying on the operating table, whose life he was entrusted with and he performed his duty with conviction and above all, dedication.
As he walked down the hall, he could see some new faces regarding him curiously. Nervous chatters, whispering from one ear to another as curiosity melded into understanding as information was passed along and processed. They looked at him with awe, an aspiring example to become, a kind of disbelief to his presence within the hospital.
All at once the whispers started, as with the surreptitious glances and begrudging nods of respect.
"Good morning Dr. Kurosaki."
The hallway full of snotty interns, nurses, doctors and other medical staff cleared a wide berth for him. He made his way down to the hospital lobby desk where he knew Rukia was waiting, not minding the stares and not so-secretive gasps of surprise amongst the staff. Some of them had been convinced that he wasn't coming back- hospital administrators and trustees don't like wild cards like him, at least not with how he handled volatile situations anyway.
Certainly he was right to save the poor woman but was his action considered appropriate for a surgeon? Did he needlessly endanger his own future and the reputation of the hospital by jumping in front of that woman? And no matter how slight the injury was; even if it was to his non-dominant arm, it just sends the wrong sort of message – he was wild, reckless and didn't care about his own safety, was this the sort of surgeon they would want traipsing around the hospital, working in the OR, was this the standard the hospital wanted to promote?
He was just a fourth year neurosurgery resident, and with three more years to go the man was a ticking time bomb- a legal lawsuit just waiting to happen and no amount of positive publicity and cute news segment was going to cut it.
Can the hospital handle that sort of liability?
Thankfully the various department heads and Mer vouched for him- commended him for his bravery, praising him as a brilliant but selfless surgeon for setting the precedent by literally putting patient's safety before his own. It was decided unanimously that his ban from the hospital and from surgery for the 2.5 month while his arm healed was punishment enough and he would learn hopefully to not repeat the same mistakes again.
Ichigo snorted.
If there was any mistake on his part it was only that he didn't act fast enough and couldn't sneak a few blows to the bastard before security showed up.
If he had a choice he would eagerly raise a salute to those profit-minded, money-driven vultures with his middle finger. What decent human being would just sit by and watch a crazy-ass psychopath take a bat to his poor defenseless, not-to-mention pregnant ex-wife?
Under Rukia's insistence (read: insistent kicks and nagging) though, he reluctantly promised to take his own health and safety into account when he's put in similar situations in the future. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset her and make her cry.
The woman seemed satisfied with the promise she extracted, so for now at least, life was good.
He got his arm back- it healed beautifully with no lasting damage caused and Rukia- his face broke into a smile that had his interns stopping dead in their tracks. A nurse passing by muttered something about how he might have broken them but meh, they'll live.
Ichigo wasn't the least bit concerned when he had Rukia and a date to look forward to.
He had it all planned out.
They were going to have a nice, typical date- a nice outing somewhere on the marina seafront by Bell Street Pier, maybe go on a ferry ride and then have dinner at the restaurant he picked out. Simple, nice, sweet and afterwards they can go back home and cuddle and –
What the effing fuck?!
XXX
He nearly tripped on his way down the stairs as his eyes widened in surprise at the middle-aged man talking to Rukia. He would know that tacky Hawaiian shirt from just about anywhere and that beard- Ichigo made a face. Did his father even put any effort into grooming before he rolled out of bed that morning or was he just trying to ruin his only son's life and scare Rukia away with it?
With his scowl firmly in place, he barked angrily at his father as he made his way to the pair.
"Oi! Goat-chin! The fuck are you doing here?"
"SURPRISE!"
Kurosaki senior was a kid high on sugar as he launched himself at his son but the young man was having none of it as he easily sidestepped and chose to let his progenitor sail through the air, not the least worried about the crash that ensued.
Instead he grasped the petite woman by her shoulder, concerned about her well-being- mentally and psychologically. Hopefully his girlfriend was made of sterner stuff, because if the old man did anything to her at all- made her doubt his love for her or worse made her think that she was undeserving of it all, well there will be hell to pay.
"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
She looked shocked- as though she couldn't quite believe that his own father had tried to tackle him and was now lying face down on the hospital floor. As were the handful of onlookers who were surveying the scene, aghast and worried until the older man bounced back on his two good feet- undeterred by the slightest as he tried to then wrap his son in a chokehold.
Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. Now was so not the time or place for his antics.
"Cut it out right now!" he hissed before shoving his elbow into the older man's gut and easily reversed their position as Isshin was momentarily doubling over in pain.
"You're embarrassing me in front of my girlfriend. Behave!" he growled before releasing his hold.
The dark-haired man recovered almost immediately, still coughing as he thumped his son on the back-proud as though he wasn't a victim of his son's brutal force merely seconds ago.
Rukia didn't quite know what to say to this. Whatever image she had conjured of Ichigo's father (a man he seemed to share an exasperating familial bond with) Isshin was altogether not what she had imagined. Ichigo told her that his father was a strict doctor who made sure he always came home by seven for dinner, showed him how to defend himself against neighbourhood bullies who called him names and bullied him into doing their homework just because he skipped a few grades at school, and made sure he got a head start to school by being his personal alarm clock.
It certainly wasn't her fault if she drew conclusions from their conversation and came up with the image of a bespectacled, strict disciplinarian- always making sure that his children were on time, well-mannered and well-behaved.
And this man in front of her?
This man was so far removed from that image she conjured. For crying out loud he just tried to attack his son in front of all these people and she just spent half an hour trying to shut the man up while she was waiting for his son! No man who fathered a moody, tsundere-y creature such as Ichigo has any business being so chatty and utterly chipper.
She face-palmed inwardly at the memory of their earlier conversation.
XXX
"My wife was the prettiest thing ever! You know how sometimes you just have an epiphany that your life is never going to be the same the moment you see someone? It's like the stars just aligned themselves so perfectly that day and in that moment I caught a glimpse of a true miracle. I'm talking about love at first sight and I know you youngsters make fun of that these days-"
"No sir I wasn't goi-"
"But my Masaki is different. She was it for me! The woman was made of everything good that this blue planet could offer done right! She was perfect just by existing you know?"
Rukia wanted to interject that she didn't, in fact, know that because she had never laid eyes upon this talkative man before let alone his supposedly gorgeous wife.
She glanced at her watch, playing with the hem of her dress as the man droned on.
Where was Ichigo when you needed him?
He better not be having second thoughts about their date or she was siccing Nii-sama on him.
"I proposed to her after 15 months of dating and that was it- the single best decision I had ever made in my life. It didn't matter that my family didn't approve of her. As far as I was concerned, I have her and we have each other and that was the only thing that mattered. We were married for thirteen years. Thirteen blissful years that I would never trade for all the money in this world. We have three beautiful children; two girls and a boy. My girls are twins- it runs in both our families. And my boy-" the dark-haired man smiled- "my boy takes after his momma. He was beside himself when my Masaki died in a road accident. I don't think our family ever truly recovered from the hole she left behind. Those thirteen years were the best time of my life. Even now, I can't help but feel that she's still here with me, you know?"
Okay, so the chatty man sounded sad and she wasn't heartless despite what her Kuchiki education tried to drill out of her so she tried to give him a sympathetic pat on the back but that seemed to have sent the wrong message to the man as he eagerly grabbed her by the wrist and turned to her with a gleam in his eyes.
She could feel the goosebumps on her arm rising. Her fake Kuchiki smile was now a 100% in effect.
"Sir? Kindly retract your arm."
"Of course, Miss. But I couldn't help but notice that for a beauty like yourself, your ring finger is surprisingly bare. Now I don't mean to intrude and obviously it's too late for an old-geezer like me; but my son, while he's not as good looking as yours truly when I was his age, isn't half bad. Well, he is a bit of a nerd- Masaki's side of the family, what can I say? But he's a good man. In fact he works right here at the hospital!"
There was now a wide megawatt grin on the man's face and Rukia didn't know if she should start running for her life. Her other hand went to grasp at the cell phone in her coat pocket.
"I could introduce you two!"
He still wasn't letting go of her hand. Her eyebrow twitched.
"Sir that won't be necessary. I have a boyfriend."
"My son's better looking than your boyfriend."
She snorted.
The heiress wasn't typically in the business of showing off but she was pretty sure if she were to show the man a picture of Ichigo, the former would think twice about making stupid comments like that.
Has he even seen her Ichigo in a suit? And that aside, she wasn't that shallow- there were other things that she valued besides looks.
Ichigo was sweet, caring and sincere. Heck he even jumped in to save a patient at his own expense; she'll like to see this stranger's son try to top that.
"My boyfriend is a neurosurgeon," she smirked.
"Well what a coincidence! So is my boy!"
If she could face-palm, she would but the situation and their location demanded that she act like the polite, graceful noblewoman that she was brought up to be.
Face-palming and berating an elder in public, no matter how annoying he was? Major no-no in Kuchiki 101!
"One date that's all I'm asking for. Just one date with my boy and I swear you won't even think about any other man. Ever again- trust me!"
The stranger winked at her and the heiress was annoyed to say the least- she was just about to speed dial Ichigo when the man himself appeared.
XXX
While she was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of Ichigo's father being the same man who had been talking her head off for the past thirty minutes with how beautiful his wife was and how happy their marriage made him, the Kurosaki father and son duo were embroiled in an animated discussion as the son questioned his father about the purpose to his visit.
"Why didn't the twins say anything?"
"Papa begged them not to."
As if on cue his phone dinged. Karin's text message was short and succinct- Sorry.
Oh he's going to show her just how sorry she's going to be- she was off his Christmas list, not just for this year but for the next ten years as well. And the dirt he hadn't even told old goat-chin on her and Toshirou.
Oh baby sister this is so on!
XXX
He growled, "You're interfering with my plans."
"Oh Masaki!" Isshin was bawling theatrically, attracting once more the attention of curious onlookers, much to Ichigo's chagrin, "Why didn't you take me with you? If you could just see for yourself how our horrible son mistreats his father who only wanted to surprise him and make sure he's ok. Is that so wrong for a father to just drop by for a friendly visit?"
The tips of his ears pinked from the attention of the gathering crowd.
"Stop making a scene!"
"B-But Ichigo! Papa hasn't heard from you in ages! I had to make sure that my only son is still alive and kicking. And when I heard from Karin-chan that you finally manned up and asked Rukia-chan out on a date? Well I just had to see my future daughter-in-law in person."
Isshin beamed as he held out his hand to a muted Rukia standing to his son's left.
"I've heard so much about you from the twins. This meeting is long overdue," the older man was smiling as he shook her hand, "My name is Isshin Kurosaki- father to Yuzu, Karin and one Ichigo Kurosaki. Nice to meet you, Rukia-chan!"
Sliding the bang behind her ear, Rukia gave a demure chuckle and curtsied.
"And you, Dr. Kurosaki. It's clear to see where Ichigo got his good looks from," she flashed a teasing smile at Ichigo, who immediately turned red and became flustered.
"R-Rukia, don't encourage him!"
"Call me Papa. Gah she's so cute!" the older man shouted enthusiastically before enveloping her in a bear hug, making her yelp in surprise from the sudden loss of gravity.
Ichigo jumped into action, immediately wrestling his beloved from his father's hold and cradling her close to his side as he glared at Isshin.
"Hands-off!" he growled menacingly, "or I'm dropping you off straight away at the airport and sending you back to Japan."
"B-But Papa just got here! You can't do that!"
Ichigo's frown deepened. "Tell that to someone who cares! Now do we have a deal or not?"
Isshin had the presence of mind to at least look sheepish at his son's warning and raised his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright you win! No man-handling Rukia-chan unless you're Ichigo Kurosaki. Got it."
His son nodded at the reply and gingerly set his lover back on the ground but still kept a hand at the small of her back, ready to sweep her back into his arms at the slightest provocation.
"So how long are you staying for?"
"Just for a day. I have a flight later this evening to go to California and visit the twins."
"Great!" Ichigo's eyes brightened, as he eagerly shuffled both his father and Rukia out the hospital doors, "I'll drop you off at a hotel so you can catch some shut-eyes before your next flight."
"Oh hell no!" Isshin fought back against his son's tight hold, "I didn't endure all those hours flying economy, sitting in those cramped seats next to some of the most obnoxious passengers and listening to their loud snores, just to spend my first time in Seattle inside a hotel room.
His son narrowly dodged the incoming punch as the elder Kurosaki resisted the former's push through the doors.
"Well what do you want me to do then? Bring you around town so you can play tourist?"
"Why my boy-" Isshin grinned, giving his son a thumb's up sign- "that's the best idea you had all day."
Ichigo snorted.
"Yeah over my dead body. I have a date with Rukia."
"W-Wait-" Isshin hurriedly pulled out a pocket sized notebook from the depth of his shirt pocket- "the calendar says that the chi today isn't suitable for a first date. The charts seem to indicate a great many things can go wrong. Please consider rescheduling- the last thing I want is for this thing between you and my dear third daughter to not work out all because you started off with the wrong date to begin your dating life."
Ichigo's nostrils flared. It was so typical Isshin to pull some mumbo-jumbo crap like this on him. As if anything could come between him and his date with Rukia. The stars have aligned themselves perfectly for today and he'll be damned if his plans fell apart just because his father decided to play tourist for the day.
"Oh I'll show you-"
XXX
Ichigo made a motion to grab his father by the collar but the older man was surprisingly nimble for his age and dodged the many attempts until Rukia decided that she had enough of both of their childish antics. Sighing deeply, she stepped in as peacemaker, grabbing her boyfriend's arm sleeves and tugging on them.
Attention successfully gained, she said to him, "Let's reschedule, Ichigo."
"Like hell we're going to reschedule! It's not our fault this man drops by unannounced. We shouldn't have to change our plans the last minute just to entertain him."
"Play nice," she gritted, pulling him down to her eye level as she hissed, "He's your father and it's just for a day. It's not like he makes a habit of dropping by every month."
"He better not be," he muttered darkly.
"Think of it this way- do you want him to come spend the night with us or do you want to get this over with?"
His face quailed. Oh hell no! It was bad enough his father was interrupting his date but to ruin his sexy alone time with Rukia?!
Scowling, Ichigo nodded. He understood what was at stake here.
"That's the spirit!" crowed Isshin triumphantly as he got his way, "think of it as a mini-Kurosaki family outing. What better way of introducing Rukia-chan into the family?"
Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. His fist clenched- he was dying to rearrange his father's face- if anything just to swipe that annoying smirk off his face.
Sensing his murderous intent, Rukia slipped her hand into his, rubbing soothing circles to the back of his palm and looking at him with those notorious puppy dog eyes of hers that she knew he could never say no to. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair in pure exasperation before pinching the bridge of his nose.
He was definitely going to regret doing this.
XXX
And he was right.
Not only did Isshin manage to make him cancel his date with Rukia- not a major thing, just something that he'd been planning for since two weeks ago and ruin his day, the man also single-handedly ruined any opportunity he had of talking to Rukia, butting in every single time he was trying to have a meaningful conversation with the woman of his dreams.
The older man was the third wheel and if he didn't know any better, Ichigo would say that his old man enjoyed playing gooseberry, loved to embarrass his only son and make the latter's life difficult.
When Rukia suggested taking a selfie with him at the Space Needle- a step towards their commitment in becoming a couple, his father photobombed it; when he offered his jacket to the woman because he could see her shivering, the older man intercepted it and claimed it as the single nicest thing that his son had ever did for him.
And just when Ichigo thought it couldn't get any more embarrassing than that, it seemed that he underestimated his father's capabilities in wreaking havoc.
Kurosaki senior was caught trying to buy candies for a bunch of elementary school students and was mistaken as a potential kidnapper instead by the supervising teacher. Ichigo had spent the next hour or so, with Rukia's help, explaining to the security guards that his father while stupid and ignorant meant well and would never harm those children.
No plans it seemed survive the machinations of Isshin Kurosaki.
XXX
And now they were seated inside a nice restaurant- all three of them looking a bit worse for wear, Rukia especially seemed a bit more tense than usual as she cut into her salmon steak, enjoying an early dinner. Ichigo gripped the knife hard and stabbed at the filet mignon viciously.
He cannot wait to get rid of his father and hopefully salvage whatever's left of his relationship with Rukia. That is IF they can make it through dinner in one piece.
"So Rukia-chan what are your thoughts on babies? Am I going to be a grandfather soon?"
Ichigo digressed. For the love of all that's holy, Isshin's mouth should just come attached with a zipper.
XXX
Surprised, Rukia choked on her food. Ichigo reached over to give her a few good thumps to the back before glaring at the man seated to his right.
"Stop scaring her off, old man! You nee-"
"I would like them."
Ichigo's eyes widened. What the fuck?! Why was she playing along?
"Not now anyway," Rukia blushed as she dabbed at the corner of her mouth primly with her napkin, "But in the future, I think I'll like two- maybe a girl and a boy. I think being an only child would be too lonely and the age gap between them shouldn't be too big."
Ichigo looked at her like she had grown a third head and she was beyond embarrassed.
"You never told me that!"
And judging from her response it was something she had given a lot of thought about. Ichigo prided himself on knowing everything about her and this?
This little nugget of information was something he never knew about.
She blushed, "You never asked."
Her boyfriend backtracked.
She said 'them'- as in more than one, as in she wanted to make babies (note the plural form) with him.
He gulped, taking hold of her smaller hands and pressing a kiss to the back of them. The way the colour swarmed to her cheeks and made its way down her neck was just too cute for words. And really the idea of Rukia wanting to make babies with him was making him hot under the collars.
"I'll give you as many babies as you want."
Rukia Kuchiki did the most unladylike thing he had ever seen as she squeaked at his reply- adorably, he might add before pushing her chair back noisily as she excused herself to the toilet, mumbling something about needing to powder her nose.
He didn't even notice the goofy smile he was sporting until his father pointed it out to him.
"Get a room you two," said a smirking Isshin as he sipped at the port wine, and casually slid a square velvet box towards his son, "at this rate I'll be a grandad in no time."
Brought down from his high, Ichigo scowled. This man was forever finding new ways to torment him. He pocketed the box immediately- the contents of it were too precious to open in a public setting like a restaurant.
"You know- when I told you I needed mom's ring I actually meant that you can FedEx it over or something. I didn't actually mean for you to come in person and crash my first date with Rukia."
"Pfft. As if I would entrust you with Masaki's ring without giving it in person? And miss seeing Rukia-chan- the mother of my future grandchildren? Boy, it's like you don't know your old man at all!"
Isshin continued unperturbed, even as his son's scowl deepened.
"I had to see for myself what kind of woman you've gone and gotten yourself attached to. You get it from my side of the family Ichigo- men from my side of the family love dearly and we don't move on. Once we have our eyes set on her, bam! That's it for us- no take-backsies, no reset button. Loyal monogamists like us, son? We're a dying breed- almost like freaking unicorns at this time and age! I can't have you tying yourself to a woman who isn't going to be deserving of your affections and deprive myself the opportunity of having grandbabies to spoil."
Ichigo's eyebrow twitched.
"Why are you talking as though I'm some prudish woman whose reputation is at stake?"
Isshin took another sip of wine.
"Because I know you, Ichigo. You might put up a cool guy persona and act like you're too cool for the ladies. But I know the son that I raised with my Masaki- you're the sweetest little cinnamon roll underneath that tough guy, leather jacket exterior. The boy who scrapped his knees defending his sisters, my baby boy who was an absolute angel because he loved his momma so much that he slept through the night unless he was hungry, the same boy who didn't stop crawling into our bed whenever there was a storm outside until he was six, the boy who cried when we told him that Mr. Goldfish wasn't coming back. And the way you love- is the way I love, you will never be able to let go."
Ichigo quietened down to let his father speak. It wasn't every day that you get to see the serious side of Isshin Kurosaki at work.
"You love- so deeply, so wholeheartedly; always trying to spare others the grief if you can shoulder the pain yourself. But boy, I am your father- it's my duty to worry about my children- even ones who are as proud and hardheaded as you. I can't believe you didn't even tell me you got injured and made Yuzu and Karin promise not to tell me. Thank God someone in the family still loves Papa enough to tell me stuff. What were you thinking?"
Ichigo pursed his lips, properly chastised for once by his father. This sort of conversation between them hasn't happened since he got caught fighting in middle school.
"I'm fine. Rukia took very good care of me."
Isshin gave him a suggestive smirk, complete with the wriggly eyebrows that made him chuckle too.
"Oh I'm sure she did. And I can see that you've made the big leap and moved in with her."
"That took guts. I know it's not easy to make changes- to leave your comfort zone to start something new-" Isshin clinked his glass to Ichigo, sounding like a man who spoke from experience, knew firsthand the struggles of entering something new without any certainty in the road ahead- "I am proud of you for taking that step. So are you going to tell me in person when she says yes to the big question or do I have to receive the wedding invitation through the mailbox?"
The younger Kurosaki rolled his eyes.
"Stop being so dramatic! Thanks to you she might never say yes- you probably scared her off with all your stupid antics."
Isshin chuckled.
"Ichigo, brain surgeon you may be but you don't know women. That girl just confessed to wanting to have children with you. And that- that is not something a woman decides lightly. Trust me- she'll say yes when the time comes. Besides," the man grinned, "I can get in with the times. Being married is not a prerequisite to have children and you can still give me grandbabies as long as it's something Rukia-chan is on board with."
"S-Shut up!"
It's not fair to spring this on him. It's not like he's ever imagined a cute little girl with Rukia's hair and his eyes or a boy with the typical Kurosaki family colouring. He can even be a carbon copy of Byakuya- he didn't care. It was the idea of Rukia with a round belly, and swollen feet, walking barefoot around in their house that was making all sorts of fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach. Children of their own- he would like that and really why stop at two, they've got good genes and he can always try to convince her to make more with him.
He coughed delicately as Rukia emerged from her trip to the ladies' room. She seemed less tense, which was always good.
"W-We're still too young for this parenting shit."
"Of course, my boy. I understand. It will happen when it needs to happen," said Isshin, still smiling and surprisingly calm, "now let me get the bill. It's the least I could do after all the trouble I caused."
XXX
The car ride on their way to the airport was shorter than he remembered. Before he knew it, his father had already checked in on the flight and was waving them goodbye just outside the departure doors.
Ichigo wished the twins all the best in dealing with their father. They were going to need it- in spades.
The pair quietly made their way back into the apartment. He had her hand in his and he was ready to collapse in bed- tomorrow was a new day and he'll need to do something to make it up to her for ruining their first date.
"I'm sorry I ruined our date today. My dad is just-" he huffed, trying to find the right word to describe Kurosaki senior- "impossible."
"I think your dad's fine."
"Now I know you're just being nice," he teased, tugging her inside the apartment as the door shut behind them, "Don't worry. I'll start. He's crazy, eccentric, annoying, ev-"
"He's your dad. He's got the right to be concerned about his son. And I can't believe you didn't even tell him you broke your arm."
She took her shoes off and pressed a kiss to her boyfriend's cheek before disappearing into the bathroom. As the sound of running water filled his ears from the opened door, so too did the sound of Rukia's voice.
"So what did your dad say about me?"
"What?"
He could literally hear her rolling her eyes.
"Oh don't play dumb. You guys definitely had a bit of father and son bonding at the restaurant just now and he said he wanted to see his son's girlfriend in person. So did I pass?"
"Well it certainly helped that Yuzu and Karin can't shut up about you. They like you. As for my dad, I'm pretty sure he thinks you're the best thing that ever happened to me."
He pattered loudly over to the bathroom, kissing her softly on the forehead before wrapping his arms around her. Their reflection- Rukia, now makeup-free but still glowing and him, the luckiest bastard in the world- stared back at him. His heart was so full and that was something even a ruined date couldn't take away.
"My family loves you. And I'm sorry my father ruined our date. But what if I told you that I'm the reason he came today?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean?"
He reached for the box and placed it in her hands.
"Goat-chin came by to give me this," he said, "open it."
Rukia's eyes widened. Inside the box, was a simple gold band set with a small diamond at the centre. The diamond solitaire was simple, modest and everything she could ever want.
Her heart stopped.
"Ichigo I can't!" she spluttered, "This is too soon. I'm not rea-"
"Tch! Give me some credit won't you? I'm not proposing to you right now. We've barely even been on a normal first date thanks to my crazy old man."
The heiress heaved a sigh of relief before tilting her head upwards to meet his gaze.
"So why are you showing this to me then?" her eyebrows furrowed and she pouted, "You better not be thinking of proposing to some other girl with this ring, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Wow! Your level of trust in me is truly remarkable, Rukia," Ichigo deadpanned, "Let me finish, won't you? This is different. I know you hate surprises and I promise you this is not something I want to spring on you without warning so this is a promise. More specifically," he wet his dry lips, "my promise to you. It was my mother's and I think she'll want her future daughter-in-law to have it. For what it's worth I think my mom would have loved you."
Rukia swallowed.
Now this is really too much- Ichigo was planning to propose to her with his mother's ring? The wonderful woman that Isshin had spent an entire afternoon waxing poetry and singing praises for- this ring belonged to that woman, Ichigo's mother, the woman who held their family together- could she ever deserve such a precious heirloom?
"I need you to know that this is on the table. Years from now, hopefully not too long, you will wake up and realize that you're ready. When that happens-" he could feel something pricking at the corner of his eyes, his breath choking; thankfully Rukia wasn't making a fuss out of this-
"When you decide it's time, when you're ready, I want you to tell me. And then I'd ask you. Properly- this time, to marry me."
His hands grasped Rukia's- still holding onto that velvet box and eased it from her hands, pocketing it once again into his trousers and there it will stay- for now at least.
He kissed her on her lips with all the tenderness he had within him because his father was right- he loved too deeply, cared too much to ever let her go. In this lifetime at least he's stuck with her- for better or worse, in sickness and in health.
"I'll be waiting."
Hese's corner:
Edited.
I made it. I kept my promise and happy birthday to me!
Sorry I ruined the date between my babies but this is for the greater good. One more chapter to go.
Tell me what you think.