Ch 2: Secrets worth Keeping
"Nicole??"
"Ichigo??"
They stared at each other for awhile until Rukia broke the silence.
"You can see us?" she asked.
"Yeah she can see us Rukia." Still, with eyes locked on her, he could not believe the person that was once there eight years ago is standing before him. "Its been years since I've seen or heard from you, Nikki."
"Yeah it's been quite some years Ichigo." She ran up to him and hugged him for the longest. The embrace they had you could have thought it meant something more but, didn't. She pulled away from him and gave him a funny look, "Umm, I hate to crack jokes on you so quick but what with the shinigami get up?" she laughed for a bit but stopped to see a serious look on Rukia's face. "Oh my fault, I'm Nicole Takahashi, Ichigo's long lost best friend."
"You haven't been lost you jackass! You have been living in the U.S. We just fell out of contact when we were 14, due the phone bills we ran up on our parents." He said giving her an evil look.
"Hey it's not my damn fault you wanted to stay on the damn phone all hours of the night; when we live in two different time zones!" she said glaring back at him. "Pain in the ass."
"Takes one to know one baka!"
"Either way you two," said Rukia, "I am Rukia Kuchikia friend of Ichigo's and a shinigami."
"Wait, your really a damn shinigami then huh Ichigo?" she said taken aback by this new found information on her friend.
"Yes, well I am really a shingami representative. I'll explain the whole story to you once I'm back in my body; but how the heck did you come here without letting me know?"
Oh boy! Here goes the yelling.
"Well, our fathers thought it would be a nice surprise for the both of us to not tell you I was coming back and for me not to know that you didn't know I was coming. I found out this morning on the way to the airport that you did not know I was coming. So blame it on the two dumb asses we call fathers." She said walking back to his bed and taking a seat.
"I'll be back." He said leaving Rukia and Nikki in there.
---- ---- ---- ----
"So, how long have you and Ichigo been friends, Rukia?"
"Since he was 15 years old and we've been friend ever since," she said taking a seat in the chair by the desk. "How long have you two been friends?"
"Since birth, but I am a few months older than him since he was born in July and I was born in March. Both of our fathers have been friends since they were kids as well. I guess it's something they figured would have happened if they had kids."
"Oh, alright."
"Rukia, how old are you? You look about the same age as the both of us but yet you said you've been friends with him since he was 15." I said looking at her. I knew she said she was a shinigami but I wanted to know.
"Well, I am a shinigami and I've lived more than 20 of your life times. I guess you'll figure it out from there."
"I see."
---- ----- ---- ---- ----
"Kon! The fuck is taking you so damn long to come in my room and get the hell out of my body?" I said choking the hell out of him by my shirt.
"Get off me! I'll be your ass in this body Ichigo! I am no longer soft. So I can beat your ass if you keep trying me!" he said moving around.
"We'll see about that."
I dragged Kon down the hallway up to my room with Rukia's gigai following us. Millions of questions were going through my mind.
'Why did she come back?'
'Why is she here?'
'What made her want to come back to Karakura after so long?'
At least one thing I knew in my heart was…
She did finally come back to me.
Wait! What am I say? She just my best friend; she has no feelings like that towards me. She's gotten to be so beautiful but she wouldn't have any feelings for me. Nothing more than our lasting bond of friendship. I bet anything she still sees me as the orange haired odd ball buddy of hers.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
"About time Ichigo." Rukia said getting up and going over to her gigai and getting back in. A pill dropped on the floor, a green one.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was having some trouble with this dumb fuck." Taking this badge like thing with a skull on it and placing onto his body; once again another green pill flew out of the mouth and onto Nikki's lap.
"The heck is this?," she said picking it up and examining it.
"It's a mod soul. That right there is Ichigo's mod soul; his name is Kon." Rukia explained. "If you put it into any body, it will come alive with the life of that mod soul."
"I see very interesting."
"Yo Nikki, put it into that stuffed lion on the table but make sure you hold him in your hand and not close," said Ichigo. Who was ready to throw Kon around the entire room.
She picked up the stuffed lion and placed the green ball into its mouth. Holding him out and looking at him. "This fucking this is dead," and with that she threw him into a wall.
"Grrr, Ichigo Im'm going to beat the living shit out of your right now!" the stuffed animal stood up and faced everyone.
Heavenly breast of pillows before me and its not even nee-san's.
"Soft pillows of heaaaaaaaveeeeeeen…" he yelled jumping at Nikki, only to feel the window against his face and body.
"I now see why you told me to keep his ass at a distance," she said shaking her head. "Now Ichigo, explain to me how you became a shingami representative when your not even dead."
"Well you see this is what happened…" He explained about the night when he friend met Rukia when she appeared in his room and a hollow came to attack him and his family. Being stubborn as he is, he ran in front of the hollow trying to pick a fight with it. The hollow tried to get him but Rukia jumped in front of him blocking the hollow and becoming seriously injured. She gave Ichigo her power and instead of taking some he toke all of it, saving her and his family as well. Then he talked about the whole Aizen situation. How he and a few of his friends went to the Soul Society to save Rukia and Aizen along with captains Gin and Tousen, became the enemy of Soul Society and a threat to the Seireitei. He also talked about how Aizen sent his Arrancars to get Orihime and brought her to Hueco Mundo to use her for their purpose. After he got her back with the help of Rukia, Renji, Chad and Uryu; Aizen has not made a move since. He also mentioned about the Bounts as well before Aizen went after Orihime.
"Well damn, I've missed a lot. I wish I can be a shinigami as well." Nikki stated with a smirk on her face.
"Well, I don't think you can..." Ichigo said.
"She does have a very strong resiatsu. More on the same match as yours Ichigo. On a captain level at that." Rukia stated in a short of shock. She didn't pay attention to how high Nikki's resiatsu was but she finally figured it out.
"So? Is that a good thing? Cause if so, I want to become a shinigami as well with the help of that Urahara dude."
"We shall see in the morning or later on this week," said Rukia and with that she got up. "I'm going to bed. See you guys in the morning…" and with that she left the room.
----- ----- ------ -----
"Well, we have a week left before school starts. I'll be too busy with classes to spend time with you on your visit. So we have time to catch up. Man I missed your punk ass." I still can't get over the face she's here with me. In my room…face to face. I really missed her and the fact we ended up having lack of communication made this reunion more pleasant for me.
"Visit? I forgot to mention…I'm going to college here as well. Pop got my apartment set up and everything before I left. Isshin has the keys to give me. So we will be attending the same college together."
WHAT??!! I couldn't believe it. I thought she was only here for a visit. I didn't think she was going to be back here for good and going to college with me as well. This is very much a surprise to remember for the rest of my life.
"Damn you're here for good. This is great we will be back to old times…"
And new ones as well…however this thing called life takes us.
"So, I guess you'll be leaving soon to go to your apartment. You want me to walk with you there?"
"No, I'm going to stay the week here with you guys before I go there."
---- ---- ---- ---- ----
We sat there for a minute and for the first time I really toke a look at him. He was very hansom, slim but built. He isn't the goofy odd ball looking friend of mine any more. No, not the one that use to be scared to fight at the dojo. He's different and I like it.
Wait what am I saying? I can't like him. We're friends and friends only but something in his eyes draws me to him.
I wouldn't mind kissing those lips…
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop, wait a minute, ideas get out of my head!
"I'm going to go take a shower and go to bed. See you in the morning then. Night Ichigo." I hugged him and headed out the door.
"I might as well go take a shower myself," and with that he got up and went to take one.
---- ---- ---- ---- ----
After everyone was done showering and were into bed fast asleep, only two people were still awake. They were thinking about one another and trying to fight the new feelings coming to mind for one another. At 1:45am there was a knock on Ichigo's door….
"Yo Ichigo, are you up?" she said in a whisper.
"Yeah can't really sleep. Come in."
She walked in and headed over to him after closing the door.
I'm scared to ask…they both thought.
"Mind if I spend the night with you?' she asked.
"Sure, no need to ask." He said flashing a smiled.
----- ----- ------ ------ ----- ----- ----- -----
Author's Note:
Left you guys hanging again huh? Well…your just going to have to wait till the next chapter. Enjoy till then.