Chapter 2: The awaking

Momoko's P.v.o.

"will she be alright?"

My head…

"she will, but since she bumped her head quite hard, we would like her to stay overnight"

Ouch…

"Her Mother died… I wish I Could take her home"

Mum?

"I know Kurosaki-san, but you are a doctor too, you must understand, you know she needs to stay, so we can monitor that concussion, if everything goes well she'll be able to go home tomorrow morning"

When I opened my eyes, at first I could only see a blur, maybe I was in a room, How did I get here? Wasn't I in Kabunodate… then I received a call…

Mum…

She's..?

Oh god…

"Papa?" I said weakly, my voice groggy.

I heard footsteps getting near and finally saw the shape of what it looked like a man's silhouette, I tried to adjust my sight to its shape, it was my Father. I could see also a woman by his side, giving me a warm smile.

"Welcome back Momoko" she said, her voice was so warm like her smile, she looked like a doctor… or that what I think she was… is...ouch…

"My head… where am I?" I asked trying to forget the pain in my head.

"You at the hospital Peachling, you fainted in Kabunodate and bumped your head, luckily you didn't need many stitches" My father said, when he said stitches I automatically raised my fingers to my head and the second they touched the wound I flinched, my father took the hand which I touch my head into his own.

"Don't Peachling, you'll infect it" he said warmly. "You have a small concussion too, you blacked out for over 24 hours."

"Papa…what happened? Where's mum?" I asked, maybe finally I'll be getting my answers, my father casted his sight towards my hand and started to make circles in my palm with his fingers.

"I guess I better take my leave, if you'll excuse me" the Doctor said, I had completely forgotten about her, my father smiled at her and continue what he was doing to my hand.

"After you left for Kabunodate… your mum went with Ichigo to the market, when they where coming back, your mother… she… collapsed, it happed near the river..." He said; I could see it pained him so much to tell me all of it.

My father was never the kind of man to give the bad news; he just wasn't good at it, and seeing my father in such state, it was terrifying, not the kind that impulse you to scream and try to run for your life, but the one that breaks you body in tiny pieces while at the same time you feel empty and alone.

"They say it was a-"he began but I cut in.

"It's okay Papa, there's no need to tell me more, I know you have had enough" I softly said to him putting my other hand on top of his, and for the first time in my entire life I saw my father cry. It was a sight that broke me and burned me from the inside out…repetitively.

It was shiny the next morning, without a cloud in the sky, perfect for a beach day; but what a day for a funeral, ironic…isn't it? Never would have cross my mind the situation that I was in at the moment, from Kabunodate to the hospital and from the hospital straight to my mother's funeral, I always thought I'd be older, married and with a family of my own when that day would actually come, never thought it would be this early.

Papa came to pick me up at the hospital today, his expression of indifference had me uneasy, but what was making me rather anxious, was the fact that it was going to be the first time to see Ichigo and the twins since yesterday morning, specially Ichigo, he would always come to me when mum wasn't around, I would be his loving sister, the one that took care of him, his supportive pillar, his protector. It was going to be difficult, of that I was sure of, my mother always took care of everything, taking us out while our father worked, making us lunch for school, even tugging us in bed before sleep, but that was all gone now.

And it was going to be a hard reality to get used to.

For all of us.

With all my thinking I didn't notice that we were already home, "Are you alright peachling?" I heard my father said, I quickly dismissed my thoughts and swallowed…hard.

I got out of the car and followed my Father towards the door of our house, as we entered we were met with silence. None of my siblings were in sight, where would they be? I asked myself.

"Papa? Where are Ichigo and the twins?" I asked while putting my thing in the floor and taking my shoes off, he turned to look at me.

"Oh…, the twins are with your grandparents at the funeral ceremony" uh? My grandparents?

"They're here?" I asked, I was surprised that my mother's parents were in town, well of course they'll should be, but I didn't think they would come this fast from the other side of the world.

"You mean my grandparents as in mom's Parents right?" I wanted to make sure.

"Yes peacheling those are the ones" he smiled "you should go get ready, with have to go to the ceremony too, or are you not felling well, you can stay if you-" my expression made him stop that sentence, I was looking at him like if he growed three heads, really! Was he thinking I was going to stay at home when my mother was being buried?!

"Okay forget what I said, just go and change then…"he said quickly when he realized his mistake.

"And Ichigo?" I asked, I knew now where the twins were, but where was Ichigo?.

"uh? What about Ichigo?" he looked puzzled.

I rolled my eyes, how dumb my Father can be, "I asked where was Ichigo and the twins, you told me where were the twins but not Ichigo, where IS he?"

"Oh! Yes!...mmmm he is….Oh right, he stayed here while I went to pick you up" he said with his hand up in the air, and that weird pose of him…,I raise one of my eyebrows at him and turned around to make my way up the stairs, I ended entering Ichigo's room, very quietly I looked around, but no Ichigo in sight, I left the room and entered my parents room, no Ichigo either, the same with the twins room and nothing, lastly I entered my own room, I stayed there and began to think, 'where could he be?' I had and idea, but I wasn't very sure, every time that there was a big storm, Ichigo would either come and sleep under my covers or hind under my bed if I wasn't around, so I got closer to my bed and laid down on my back to the floor, I turned my head towards the side of my bed, and to my surprise there he was, curl up in a ball, his eyes close with tears in his eyes, poor thing he must have been tired of crying and feel asleep, with my left hand which was closer I tugged in his nose, and he slowly opened his eyes and stared at me.

"Hey there…" I said softly to him, I cupped my hand in his cheek, "what do you think if we go get ready uh?, I'm sure Mommy would like that" he glared at me, so okay I wasn't the best example of comfort but he could try to at least understand me. "Don't give me that face Ichi-nii, you know that it hurt for me too" he's face was now hard, like if he was containing something within. "let's go say our good-byes Ichigo" without a second word he got out and quickly hugged me, it caught me by surprise but either way I welcomed him by hugging him too, he buried his face in my chest and mumbled something I couldn't hear.

"what was that Ichi-nii?" I asked him while playing with his hair with two of my fingers. He looked at me with his big brow sad eyes.

"It was my fault" he said.

"what do you mean Ichigo?, Papa said it was a heart attack" I said remembering that part of the phone call.

He shocked, "no! There was blood everywhere! He-"

"Ichigo Stop! Don't say those things, it was not your fault, what it was I'll find out okay, but its not your fault, so get that through that head of your okay?!" I said and hugged him tight. "I love you Ichigo, you know this…right?" I felt him nod. "Good, so don't forget that I'll always be with you and the girls, you can count on me in everything"

" 'kay" he agreed.

"we'll have to make a lot of effort from now on, don't forget that, and to start we have to get ready for the ceremony, the girls are there, let's not make them wait any longer" I sat down with Ichigo still in my arms.

"You ready?" I asked.

"yeah" he said.

I smiled

In that precise moment, out of the corned of my eye I saw a something like figure in my window, but as I looked I again, it had disappeared, mmm…strange, well it must be my imagination…or the concussion.

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Blue quills