Maten no Hoshi

by: WishHeart

Chapter 2

A Figment of My Imagination

The small town of Karakura had changed drastically over the time he had been away. Before, the city was basically your average junkyard, an obvious freak reaction to people's devastation towards the final battle.
Stores were destroyed from frantic needs of equipment, homes were boarded up so nobody could exit or enter, and the Inns were closed, permanently. Now, by some miraculous power of Kami, the town was back to it's proper order.

"Hello, welcome to Karakuram can I help you out with anything?"

Breaking away from the trance his mind was undergoing, Ichigo spun around to face a pleasant young woman with large silver eyes that shimmered with innocence. Her long ebony hair flowed down her back, the beam of light the sun allowed to escape, giving it a natural glow. This girl was a clear example of what it was to have a pure smile, not one of those fake, ignorant ones citizens gave to tourists, on your face and a song in your heart. It was refreshing to experience pure friendliness, no pun intended.

"Actually, you can help me out. Do you know if a girl named Rukia lives here in Karakura?"

He held his breath tightly in his lungs, almost causing him to loose consciousness. He didn't know what he would do if his worst fears were realized and she did indeed leave. Things had been in a complete tangle since he left everyone behind. And for once, during the long and odious two years he had been away, he finally had developed the balls to come back here and undo what had been in desperate need of undoing. Now, just the mere thought of never being able to make peace with his past mistake made his stomach tie into the tightest knot known to the history of mankind.

"Actually, sir, Rukia has a little bar located right over there," a soft voice replied, tearing Ichigo roughly away from his internal struggles, as a slim finger pointed towards a tunnel that was located underneath the popular shops of Karakura, "the bar usually opens up at around 9, so you're a little early."

His heart flew like an over-helium inflated balloon, a large and blindingly bright smile slowly forming on his face. Rukia was here, she was still here waiting. His wish of redemption was surely being granted, and the smile which was plastered on his face was now becoming unnaturally permanent.

"Thank you! Thank you, you have no idea how much you just saved my life!"

The smaller girl stood there, awe stricken, as she watched the orange haired man throw his arm up in utter joy, jumping up as though he would be able to take off and just fly away. A thought crossed her mind, but was immediately shrugged off seemingly regarding it as a desperate tourist in need of some kind of alcoholic beverage.

She felt him. It was a strange sensation which caused the thin hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. She had still felt some kind of link to Ichigo Kurosaki before, but this 'feeling' was so powerful, almost impossible to shrug off. It was as though he was kneeling down before her, brown eyes burning a hole right through her heart, just like they always had the power to. Why? It was the only question that could be asked, and the only question she had wanted a definite answer to.

Two brilliant amethyst colored eyes fluttered open, immediately becoming vulnerable to the sunlight which was pouring through the un-shaded window. Deep inside, the beautiful weather did no justice to the insecurity and troubled emotions she felt. It was so odd. All the women of Karakura envied the lifestyle barmaid Rukia Kuichi led. Large enough and well kept villa. Handsome and supporting husband. Successful business. And the beauty of a flawless red rose. But nobody could see deeper than the exterior, for all they saw was the front that was so securely placed. Nobody could see or even dream of the torturing emptiness that plagued her heart.

"Good morning, sunshine."

A small smile crept onto Rukia's serene features as she propped herself up onto her elbow to turn around and face the man who had wooed her to sleep the night before. He was beautiful and so perfect in her eyes, and she couldn't help but love everything about him. The way his eyes lit up and seemed to sparkle flawlessly when he laughed. The curves of his perfect lips and how the cutest dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth whenever a smile was made.

'Ichigo had a cute dimple when he smiled...'

That thought made the once warm blood within the young woman's thin frame, freeze with a chilled after effect. It came from nowhere, which was what caused her to shiver from what felt like winter's breath. Just the mere thought of the orange haired-blue eyed boy such affection was shown towards, made goosebumps appear over Rukia's creamy skin.

"Baby, are you okay? You're not getting sick are you," Ryo asked in a very surprisingly serious tone as he rubbed his wife's arms with warm hands. There was pure concern marked into the coffee brown eyes Rukia loved to stare into, almost always loosing her way in them.

"Don't worry about me. It was just a little chill," the brunette replied, trying to demise the worry that was clearly building into her lover's heart.

Ryo still didn't believe her, but seemed to relax a bit once he saw the smile she had to offer him. A smile that seemed to match the brilliance of the sun up in the sky perfectly. He loved her so much and couldn't even picture life without this girl. At first, he could admit their marriage had been a little bumpy, but fortunately, they had settled their differences. The past had caused dark paranoia of thoughts that her heart had belonged to somebody else, and the marriage was just a way to get back at that man. It caused him to have unwanted doubts.

"Listen, I have to start getting ready for work. We're still going to have that romantic dinner later on tonight right," Rukia asked, feeling Ryo's fingertips running down her arms like the feel of satin. She had always adored that touch.

"You bet, sweetheart."

With one last smile, the somber woman arose from her spot on the bed, giving her husband a gentle kiss on the forehead before making her way into the bathroom to go about her basic and daily routine.

Ichigo relaxed on the stairs, which lead up towards the most common shops of the now arisen town as his piercing brown eyes scanned the area with complete ease. He would be patient. He would continue to wait as long as it took, not caring if the wait lasted until the sun set.

'She stayed here all this time,' he thought happily. 'She must've one of the most popular bars here in Karakura', he smiled toothily as he recalled her aspiration to become a barmaid.

"Excuse me son, I'm sorry to disturb you, but would you like to come into my cafe for some coffee. I saw you sitting here and I just thought you might need something to perk you up this fine morning."

Brown eyes aborted from its mission and refocused on a small elderly woman. She looked very friendly with gentle blue eyes and a partially wrinkled face, which made her appear to be no older than 50 years of age. It caused Ichigo's heart to gain a certain warmth he hadn't felt since...his mother had passed away.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any money. I wouldn't be able to pay you," Ichigo responded just as sincerely, a pang of guilt vibrating in his chest for turning away such a kindly old woman.

"Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't even dream of allowing you to pay. Please, come in, I'll tell you everything you need to know about the town."He couldn't refuse, even though he also felt regret to leaving his watch. But maybe if he followed this woman and asked her some questions about his search, she could give him some valuable information about Rukia. That frame of mind gave him the encouragement needed to leave his post carelessly, throwing all regrets out an open window as he picked himself up and allowed the stranger to lead him into her small cafe.

"My name is Ayame, and I have lived in this quiet town for all of my life, quite some time if I may say so myself," the small woman, known as Ayame, explained, a chuckle escaping her fine, thin lips, "so enough about me. What brings you here? You look like you've been around the world, why Karakura out of all those places to resign in?"

He wasn't very sure what to say. It wasn't a very difficult question in the first place, which made the orange-haired man even more bashful. So why was it so hard to tell her what was in his mind? Ichigo always did have issues of expressing his emotions, no matter what they may have been. His mentality was, things that were meant to be kept within someone's heart was meant to stay there, never to be released unless a certain somebody held the key. A key which would unlock the boundaries he worked so hard in setting up and allow his all to pour out and overwhelm whoever the lucky individual may be.

"Well...it's a long story."

A warm smile re-crosses Ayame's features as her eyes twinkled a little, "Well, we have all the time you need to tell your story."

Why did she want to hear someone's burden? Someone who she didn't even know to add onto the equation. If it was him, he would want nothing to do with a stranger's struggles, the more ignorant he was, the better. But this woman, she genuinely cared. It wasn't just a facade to buy something from her store. It was concern. Concern for him.

"I'm actually not new here, you see, some friends and myself lived here for quite some time but..."

"You goddamn son of a bitch..."

Ichigo was rudely thrown away from his topic sentence by a harsh, cold voice, a look of disturbance clearly becoming evident on his tan features. Turning to the side, already angrily bulging eyes nearly turned into huge saucers at the sight that beheld his unnatural eyes.

"Renji..."

A/N: I'm so happy with all of your positive responses!!!Thank you sooo much for the encouragement!!! I really appriciated them :o) (cookies for everyone!!!)I hope you guys are enjoying my story and I promise it'll get more interesting. I have a lot of ideas in this twisted head of mine, so don't worry about getting bored. Thanks again guys and please keep the replys rolling. It'll give me the inspiration to work faster.

Disclaimer: Sorry!I forgot to place this in the last chapter. WishHeart owns nothing but the game, Bleach: Blade Battles