Return to me
**
***
**
Based off:
the screen play by
Bonnie Hunt and Donald Lake
***
Disclaimer:
I don not own bleach Tite Kubo does
I do not own any rights to Return to me.
Rights to Return to me reserved by MGM studios.
***
Authors Note:
I was so excited about the review i got from
Sherrybaby29
i uploaded again.
So soon
X3
I hope you like this chapter to everybody!
.
.
The smooth melody of Hueco Mundo's Friday night playlist was barely heard over the commotion in the dining area. The small diner was packed with a line waiting, like it always was on a Friday night. Orihime quickly shuffled through the crowd being lead to their seats by fellow waiters and waitresses. She paused and looked into the crowd before pushing her back against the door into the kitchen.
"I love it when it's this busy!"
"Then you cook, I'll serve." Grimmjow grumbled, loosing his course attitude the second Orihime's lips touched his cheek.
"Don't say that! When so many people are here eating our food, it's almost like we are a big family!"
"Orihime." The copper haired beauty turned to face her grandfather. He had a tray in his hand, ceremoniously covered with a white cloth. "I have some leftovers for you."
He removed the clothe to reveal a leather envelope with basil sprinkled around it for decoration. Orihime's gray eyes grew with shock as her shaky hands picked up the envelope and flipped it open to see the contents. AirParis shined on the tickets in her hands with all it's embossed glory.
"I wouldn't eat that." Grimmjow joked, a large smile on his face.
"Grandpa." Orihime's eyes watered. She looked more sad than excited. "Paris? Really?"
"Grimmjow said that if you are serious about this art and cooking thing, you should study in Paris."
"Grandpa!" She jumped and hugged him around his neck, his arms awkwardly hanging at his sides, like he didn't know how to hug the girl back.
"Save it for the French, I know you love me."
"Grandpa, thank you." She stopped hugging her grandfather and focused her attention on Grimmjow who hugged her back, lifting her off the floor with his height. "You too, Grimm-san!" She hopped out of Grimmjow's embrace and looked at the tickets with a glowing expression, tears of happiness still falling from her eyes.
A busty blonde entered the kitchen and immediately noticed the commotion, and Orihime's expression.
"You couldn't wait until I was in the Kitchen?" Rangiku Matsumoto moaned, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Ulquiorra.
"She has the same expression she had when she saw the tickets. See?" Ulquiorra grabbed Orihime's face in his hand squishing her cheeks together and making her mouth small. Her face looked ridiculous.
"I always miss everything."
"Rangiku!" Orihime hugged the older woman. Though the woman was closer to her grandfather's age Orihime always considered the woman as a mother. Even in her old age the woman's body still held it's spring and buxom appearance.
"I know Orihime. My bosom is here to soak up all your tears, even the happy ones!"
"Rangiku, back to work." Ulquiorra commanded, coldly. She ignored him.
"Can I see it?" Orihime held the tickets out for her to see, batting away her hands when she tried to touch it.
"They are beautiful. Do you know when you are going to go?"
"I think maybe in the fall!"
"Matsumoto!" Grimmjow growled, sending a shiver up her spine. She kissed Orihime on the forehead before going back out to help with the crowds.
"Thank you, really." The young girl said, putting her tickets in her apron pocket. "I can't wait until I tell Tatsuki and Sora! They are gonna flip!"
"Hold on kid, I got one more surprise for you." Grimmjow announced wiping his hands on his own apron. "He is here."
"He-who?" Orihime asked moving her neck so she could look at Grimmjow as he pushed her out the door of the kitchen.
"That guy I was telling you about. He's at the bar right now waiting to meet ya'."
"AH!" Orihime shouted, trying to get away. "Grimm-san…!"
"It's okay. I've told him you've had your chest worked on…"
"WHAT?! He's gonna think I had a… a…"
"What?" Grimmjow asked, the idea of plastic surgery lost on his generation.
"Never mind…" Orihime sighed allowing the teal haired man to push her along.
"This guy is different, he's just like you. He's also had a transplant."
.
.
Orihime couldn't look away. She knew it was rude, but at the same time, did he really think it looked… good? She had to try her best to keep her eye from twitching.
"So, I'm still in a little pain, but, well, you know how it is…"
Orihime couldn't bring herself to speak out of fear that she would laugh, or her voice would crack. Slowly she nodded her head 'yes'. Grimmjow was right with one thing, he did have a transplant. A hair transplant…
"The doctor said it was a solid transplant. Go ahead, pull on it."
"NO!" Orihime said, a little to loud. "No, I'm fine."
"C'mon giver a good tug."
The door opened behind Orihime, sending a cool breeze through the room. She turned praying to God that they needed her at the door to seat the red haired man and his two lady friends, but Shuhei already had it all covered. She couldn't stop her slight moan.
"C'mon, your not afraid of hurting me are ya?"
"Okay then." Orihime grabbed a few stands and pulled instantly, letting go when the guy gasped in pain.
.
.
Ichigo's white truck pulled up in the front of a small building. The sign displaying the name "Hueco Mundo" shocked him by having a four leaf clover right next to it. Hueco Mundo sounded Spanish… He looked at the address he wrote down again. Then for the first time he turned the envelope over.
It was from the Donor Liaison. Slowly Ichigo ripped open the top and read the form they enclosed. Again he looked into the envelope and pulled out a similar pink one. This one was worn and bent like it had seen some better days.
"You staying or leaving or what?" The valet driver asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Oh, staying." Ichigo slid out of the truck and tossed the keys to the driver. He put the letter in his jacket pocket and patted it to make sure it stayed.
.
.
Orihime turned again as the door opened and was crushed to see the orange haired man make his way to the party Shuhei sat. There was no way she was going to escape this hell…
"Orihime, Hisagi-san has to go home. Can you cover the table of four in the back?" Rangiku asked, peeking her head out of the kitchen door.
"Of course!" Orihime shot up, reached over the counter for the silverware as Rangiku sat a tray of four waters and four menus, next to her. "It was nice to meet you, Madarame-san." She bowed before grabbing the drinks and heading off to the table.
"Likewise." he nodded turning in his bar seat and looking at the large bartender behind the counter. "Hey Sado, you wanna tug?"
"I don't touch men."
.
.
Everyone at the table was getting settled. Renji and his date Lisa couldn't seem to talk without touching. Ichigo's brows were furrowed and he was doing his best to look straight ahead. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Neliel taking off her suit jacket. Her blouse was clearly too small for her breasts. Renji was right, she did have a great body, and she seemed smart enough -for a lawyer-, but the woman wouldn't shut up.
"So anyway my cat Squeaker was stuck up in the tree and nobody would help me… Gawd I am thisrty… But that's how I met Renji, he was jogging through the park at the time and helped me… Are they bringing the menus, ever? Anyway Squeaker wont let another man touch him, but Renji."
"I better not hear about anyone else touching your squeaker." Renji winked, then the three of them laughed. None of them seemed to care that Ichigo wasn't joining the conversation. "Anyway, everything is good here."
"Yeah it's a nice place." Ichigo mumbled.
"It's a little small." Lisa noticed looking around.
"It's family owned. Great food."
"I went into a place like this in Spain once. It was a glove store." Neliel said.
The light bulb went off in Ichigo's head. That was the connecting factor. She liked to travel. Every date Renji had ever tried to set Ichigo on the woman had something similar to Rukia.
There was the short girl.
The one with black hair.
The one that loved animals.
The mute one that could only speak sign langugue....
Ichigo narrowed his eyes and directed his displeased stare at Renji who was trying his best to ignore it.
"Is that right?" He replied to his 'date'.
"So Renji told me you're an engineer." Neliel asked, looking around for a waitress.
"Yeah. Ichigo inherited his father's company. When I got out of college I joined him. But he had already made a name for himself by then. You know that building on Aoi? That's Ichigo's."
"You own it?!" Lisa and Neliel asked in sync.
"No I designed it." Both of the girls seemed disappointed.
Saved by the waitress! A copper haired woman introduced herself as Orihime and said she would be replacing their other waiter who had to go home because of and emergency. She started to place their waters and the menus down. Completely unaware of the effect she had on the orange haired man to her right. When she was about to put a glass of water in front of Neliel, the woman stopped her.
"No, no, no… Do you have bottled water?"
"Yes of course." Orihime smiled, "Anyone else?"
Ichigo couldn't take his eyes off of her. From the second she arrived at their table he had got a weird feeling from her… was it deja vu? Before he could stop himself he spoke.
"Excuse me. Do I know you?"
They stared at each other, oblivious to the uncomfortable feeling everyone else was feeling.
"I think so… have you been here before?"
"No. I think I would remember a Irish Mexican food restaurant in Japan."
"Yeah it is a little weird. I always remember places where I eat too." Orihime laughed, Neliel didn't.
"Whatever… My water? I just don't want Swiss. I got sick off Swiss once. I would prefer French. I want it cold, no ice, no glass, just the bottle and a straw." Orihime stared at the woman completely shocked at her rude tone and behavior. "Do you want to write that down?"
"I'm pretty sure I have it." She replied trying to stop her eyebrow from twitching. "Anyone else?"
"A wine list please." Renji asked flashing her his trademark smile.
Orihime started to walk away but Ichigo caught her wrist in her hand. Their eye widened in sync feeling something weird at the contact.
"Excuse me, could I have a coffee?" He nodded back at Neliel and whispered, "No straw."
Orihime smiled, almost laughing at the man. How could someone with such an angry face make a joke. She nodded a yes and went to get the water. Ichigo watched her as she left, completely entranced by her somehow. A cell phone started to ring, Ichigo was the only one who didn't move to check if it was them. Renji cleared his throat, bringing Ichigo back to reality.
"What?" He heard the ringing. "Oh! I don't usually bring it…" Ichigo checked the caller ID and sighed. "I have to take this… Kurosaki… Hey Keigo…" Ichigo motioned to the table that he'd be right back and left to the bar for somewhere quite.
He leaned against the back wall only halfway listening to Keigo yap in his ear. The truth was he was watching someone and his mind seemed to want to shut out anything but them. He was watching their waitress… What was her name? Midori? No, that's not it, it had an H in it. Harmony? No, that had to be way off.
From where he stood he could see her ask the big guy behind the bar for a water bottle. She sighed, hesitated, and unscrewed the cap, dumping the contents into the sink behind the counter, making sure no one from his table could see him. She turned on the water and started to refill the bottle when she notice he wasn't at the table. She looked around for him and noticed him watching her. He nodded at the her hands and her face changed to the color of strawberries. Ichigo winked his approval and smiled at her. She replied with one of her own.
It had been a year since he smiled.
"Yeah I'm still here… That sounds great. Hey Keigo." Ichigo asked watching Orihime head back to their table. "Could you call me back in about five minutes and when I answer disregard everything I have to say? Thanks." He hung up and made his way to his table as fast as he could.
By the time he reached the table, his frown had returned and Neliel was already taking a long sip from her water. His smile threatened to come back, but he put on his poker face, knowing Renji would know something was up.
"I bet that's refreshing." Ichigo said, sliding into the booth.
"Such a difference." Neliel nodded with a smile.
Ichigo looked at Orihime who was biting her bottom lip out of guilt and shame. She cleared her throat a small blush covered her cheeks.
"We have some specials going on. We have a lamb chimichanga, with a side of rise, beans, or our famous family soup. We also have our fish taco's with potato tortillas and that comes with the rice and the soup, That one's my favorite…"
"I'll have that then." Ichigo said, not thinking about how fish would taste wrapped in a weird potato concoction.
"Do you have anything that's not made in oil?" Neliel asked, completely rude.
"Of course. Some of it we put in Swiss water." Orihime quickly covered her mouth, shocked at what she said. Ichigo looked at Neliel, who looked like her head was about to pop. Ichigo couldn't contain himself anymore. He laughed, out loud making Renji jump and stare at his friend with a look of true disbelief. Orihime couldn't help but stare either. Even when he laughed his eyebrows were furrowed. Seeing Renji's stare, Ichigo stopped laughing, putting his hard expression on again as if he hadn't laughed or even smiled since birth.
"What?" Ichigo asked, trying to seem confused by his friends look.
"I'm gonna go put your order in." Orihime yelled, panicked, and walked as fast as she could toward the Kitchen.
"We should complain. That was unbelievable. She just kissed her tip goodbye. Maybe even her job!" Neliel screamed waving her hand in the air. Ignoring Ichigo completely.
"What a bitch, right Renji?" Lisa asked, curling closer into the red head's side.
"Yeah sure." Renji said, trying to turn to watch the waitress walk away then back at Ichigo. "Hey Ichi-" Before Renji could finish his sentence a cell phone rang again. This time Ichigo pounce on it. Flipping it open before even looking at the ID.
"Kurosaki… Yeah Keigo? Uh-huh… Well, I'll leave right now. Be there in five minutes… No it's not a problem... If I have to be there, I have to be there." Ichigo hung up the phone and slid out of the booth.
"Where?" Renji asked, suspicious.
"Ishida building."
"Tonight? They are working on a Friday night?" Renji asked, frustration in his voice.
"I know, can you believe it?"
"No."
"Meliel, it was great meeting you."
"Neliel."
"Like I said, and you too Lisa. I apologize for leaving, but…" Ichigo paused, not knowing how to continue, instead he just turned his back and left. Listening to Neliel blow up behind him. He almost felt bad for leaving Renji with her… Almost.
Be made a beeline for the door. As he leaned in for his coat he put his phone down on the counter of the bar. Having his coat he looked around one more time for Orihime. She came up behind him.
"Everything okay?" She asked, and watched him jump.
"Oh, hi, yes I'm fine. I just got called away for work." He pulled his coat on and patted the letter in his pocket. Good, still there.
"What about your… wife and her friends, are they-"
"Oh God!" Ichigo shouted in disgust. "She's not my wife, or girlfriend, or friend, I can't even remember her name… and yes they will be staying."
"Oh…" Orihime walked over to Rangiku who was bagging up a to go order "Rangiku, what is that?"
"Lamb Chimi with soup for pick up." Orihime took the bag and handed it over to Ichigo.
"Here it is…" She took a second to read the tag, then felt a bead of sweet fall down her brow. "Martinez-sama. Since it took so long it's on the house. So… please come back again." She smiled, and confidently walked away, and straight into a table. Oops…
.
.
.
It had started to rain while he was in the restaurant. How he hated the rain. He lost everything he loved when I rained. First his mom when he was young, then his wife. It was a short drive to his favorite place. It was the Yamamoto building. His very first. He loved the place so much that when he was done they let him keep a key to the roof where he had a small covered area for the workers to take a break under. It rained until he got under the metal covering, then he was relieved to find silence.
He stabbed into his chimi with the plastic fork he found in the bag, suddenly very glad he wasn't given the potato taco instead. It was delicious. Slowly he felt the letter in his pocket again, pulling it out half way, before letting it go. He finished eating, and put the rest back in the bag for Kon to eat when he got home. He took a deep breath of the fresh, wet air. He got up and stretched before sitting back down on the table of the picnic table and pulled out the letter. Carefully he opened it. He noticed right away that the hand writing belonged to a woman. She had to be younger, it wasn't as matured as his wives was.
...Umm… hello.
I hope this letter brings you comfort.
I have been sick all of my life.
I was never able to hold the joy of life because I lived in a haze of death.
...
I want to tell you how sorry I am for your loss.
How much I regret my life being because of their death.
I know you have heard it before for people you know.
People who knew them. So, I wont...
I will tell you something that nobody else can.
I awake each day feeling the gentle rhythm the heart that beats inside of me.
It is strong and it is filled with all of the love and joy I could ever give.
A part of that love is for you and your family…
...
It's strange...
I have always loved the rain.
I used to think: if I were the rain that connects the sky and the earth,
which can't meet and touch any other way,
would I be able to connect and hold onto someone's heart?
So that we can connect even though we have never met?
I don't need to be the rain.
This heart beats like it used to beat in the heart of the person who loved you and you loved all the same.
We are connected.
~~Thank you for making me the rain.
.
Ichigo flipped the page over to looked on the back, no signature. He looked up at the stars, trying to feel what the stranger was talking about. Was he connected? Like the earth and the stars during the rain…
He hated the rain.
He let out a long sigh and ruffled the back of his orange hair.
"That's ridiculous." He looked at the letter in his hand for what felt like forever. He sighed again, his eyebrows furrowed deeper. He folded the letter and put it in his breast pocket. He felt the folded paper through the thin cloth of his shirt.
"Rukia…"
.
.
to clarify
...
I like Nel so please don't hate me
i just needed a character that looked hawt
and give them a personality Ichigo would hate.
Again
Love Nel
DX
.
.
.
R&R
:::MrsMoshae:::
P.S.
Sorry for errors I will try and go back to fixed them later.
T_T