I don't own anything! Put away your lawyers, please!
Summary:
"When you lose someone, you usually go through the five stages of grief… denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. …I think I may be stuck on the fourth one." He helped her gain back the hope she had long-since lost. IchiRuki; AU
Rating: M (For safety and possible situations)
Genre: Romance/ Hurt/Comfort/Drama
Some quotes are from random books. More are from songs. Others I made up completely.
Inspiration: Inori~ You Raise Me Up by Lena Park, Because of You by Kelly Clarkson, and Saving Zoë by Alyson Noël, plus a lot of other stuff.
There's quite a few songs mentioned here, and I don't own any of them!
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Chapter seven:
Romeo Save Me
Romio Mewo Hozon
Yeah when my world is falling apart,
and there's no light to break up the dark,
that's when I, I, I look at you.
When the waves are flooding the shores and I
can't find my way home anymore…
That's when I, I, I look at you…
When I Look at You
Rukia:
The list… and the game. They both go together, like doors go with windows. They're both so much alike, and so different, too. A door and a window, to separate objects. Two objects you can get in and out of, two in-between places.
The list… denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. And the game of life. Two totally different things, with so many common denominators. Life. Love. Expecting. Heart. Soul. Nature. Everything.
It's strange, to say the least. But everyone's got a past. Some say fate's not written in stone, but I disagree. How would we go about? What higher force really does control every thought and action in the human mind?
I don't know.
I wonder that as I stare down, blankly at the pop quiz Ms. Ochi had set out for us.
What date was Romeo and Juliet written?
A) 1291
B) 1509
C) 1594-1595
D) Never recorded
Sighing, I circled letter 'C', not really pausing to think. I knew I was right. Romeo and Juliet… I thought with a small smirk, how frustrating their lives were. I don't think I could've taken it. I could barely stand the damned book. Mistake after dreary mistake… your patience has to wear thin.
I answered the last question, and the bell rang just as I dropped my pen in my bag. I huffed, standing up, heading for the door.
Oh, well. I've had worse days.
---------
Ichigo:
I find the map and draw a straight line
Over rivers, farms, and state lines
The distance from 'A' to where you'd be
It's only finger-lengths that I see
Music blasted from the speakers hooked up to the TV, Snow Patrol's Set Fire to the Third Bar pulsing through the house. The only reason I knew about the damn song was because Yuzu dragged me and Karin to see 'Dear John' with her. I sighed, looking around for any sign of someone I knew, finding only the dumbasses I came with.
Keigo and Mizuiro.
Mizuiro was picking up on some twenty-so year old women. Naturally.
Keigo, drunk, was trying to get him to introduce them. Of course.
I touch the place where I'd find your face…
My finger increases of distant dark places
My eyebrows knitted together in irritation. I really didn't want to spend my Saturday night at some random girl from my Chem. Class's house, waiting for Keigo and Mizuiro to drink till they pass out. And yet, I was here, waiting.
For what, exactly?
The back of my mind questioned smugly; it knew who I was looking for. Even if I didn't want to admit it, myself. I spotted Riri, our little piss-ass drunk hostess. She blinked a couple times when I called her name, but quickly composed herself and slurred,
"Oh, h-hey, Ichi! H-how're ya liking the party? O-oh, whoa…" She stumbled a little, hiccupping. "If mah parents e-ever see me like th-this, I'd be soooooo grounded!" She giggled, and continued. "Oh, geez. I hope they don't come by tomorrow. I'd be dead!"
"I'm sure you would be," I looked at her with some sort of half-smile. "How many people did you invite?" I felt a little weird talking to a drunken Riri, seeing as how it's already so odd talking to a sober one, but I really needed something to quench my boredom.
"Uhm… our Chem. class, and a couple dozen other people!" She stopped giggling. "Maybe more. Ririn warned me she'd invite a couple others!" Riri smiled happily, like she'd solved some important question, turning and stumbling away.
I remembered Ririn. She was Riri's sister. A little blond chick that kind of reminded me of a feisty little bird, she was small, and I mean seriously petite, but really angry all the time.
Set Fire to the Third bar ended, Martha Wainwright's voice echoing in its ghostly pitch throughout the house. And as the second song, The Fray's How to save a life started, my eyes caught someone.
Rukia…
--
Rukia:
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend.
Somewhere along in the bitterness,
and would I have stayed up with you all night
had I known how to save a life…
I felt that familiar sense of running away haunt me again as I looked at Kurosaki. I looked behind me swiftly, looking for some sort of backup, but Dawn, Tatsuki, and Orihime were gone. I looked about again, and realized Dawn was talking to some hot guy by the TV, Tatsuki was nowhere to be found, and Orihime was catching up with Nikki, some girl from third period gym.
I was almost about to walk away and pretend I never saw him, but quickly realized how stupid that would be. I mean, he stared right at me! It would've been pathetic.
So instead, I tried… note the word tried… to walk up casually and talk to him. "H-hey." I said when I was close enough.
"Hey, Rukia." He said casually, and my heart thumped. Okay, so maybe I've been putting this off for too long. You'd have to be as blind as Orihime to see that I didn't feel… you know, something for Kurosaki.
That brought another problem… what would I tell Orihime?
She'll never know, I told myself calmly. Because I'll never be with him. I'll just go on, martyring and feeling sorry for myself. Maybe I'll become a shut-in. I nodded swiftly to myself, smiling a little. Perfect.
"How's it going?"
"Pretty good," I said truthfully. "We have… got to stop meeting like this. At these dumbass parties, around drunken people…"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Not everyone's drunk. For example, I'm not drunk. And you're obviously… well, not." He looked at me as if it were obvious. Which, by the way, it was. I smiled a little nervously.
I opened my mouth to say something not even I could know, but he beat me to the punch.
"Do you want to go out sometime?"
Whoa, was that rushed? My mind whirred with answers, yeses, no's, and everything in-between, ranging from "I can't I'm busy" to "Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!"
It was weird. I've never had this sort of inner conflict with myself. My heart and my mind were in an all-out battle against each other, but I had to go with my heart. I wasn't even sure if the voices in my head were good or bad.
"Um… why the hell not? Sure." I pretended to be nonchalant, but I think he could see how excited the both of us were. He grinned almost stupidly.
"Ah, great! I'll call you later, okay?"
All I could do was nod. "Yeah. Okay, bye."
The next song rolled around, and I was surprised at how quickly the hours were flying.
You say you don't need me
You say there's something beneath me
I'm not gonna let you disappear
And I don't wanna hear it
I don't wanna believe it
I'm not gonna let you disappear
----
"Well? What did they say?" Dawn was practically jumping up and down with excitement.
The guy she was talking to earlier, Daisuke, smiled triumphantly. "I think he asked her out," He said it as if he were discussing the weather. "Why, are you jealous?" He sounded like he would be put off if she said yes, because that would mean she liked Ichigo, and very, very glad if she said no.
"Ew! Of course not! I mean… Ichi's a good friend, okay? A really good friend, but I'd never be anything more than that to him. He and Ruru look soooooo cute together anyways! I just can't believe Tatsuki's plan worked; just two little fake psychics and some bonding time and they're good to go!" She squealed happily at the prospect, and looked around. She suddenly stopped, feeling her blood run cold.
Orihime was staring right at her, open-mouthed, horrified, hearing everything that just came out of her friend's mouth.
---------
Orihime: All this time, I thought Dawn and Tatsuki were on my side. I guess I was wrong. Really, really wrong. I know they both knew about my feelings for Kurosaki, yet they still do this? Plot and plan behind my back?
My head hurt. I could hear Tatsuki's voice from behind me. Dawn was looking at me apologetically, her eyes downcast, shimmering with tears for me.
"I'm so sorry Orihime." Tatsuki said simply, sorrowful. "W-we didn't mean for it to be… like this." She gestured around.
"It's fine," I lied, my voice thick with tears. "Wish them the best of luck," I smiled truthfully, my heart racing steadily. They did look good together, and for a split second, I understood why my best friends went behind my back to try and hook them up.
They looked good together.
They enjoyed the other's company.
He was compassionate.
She showed so much empathy.
He was stubborn.
She, even more so.
He was athletic.
She was smart.
He loved picking at her height.
She loved making fun of his hair.
They were perfect, but so beautifully imperfect, too. It's such a strange combination, and just seeing two people like that together makes your heart flutter with joy. Two people who act like no one but the other exists.
Two months, give or take a little more time. That's all it took for them to fall in love.
That's all it took for my world to come to a screaming halt.
I smiled, looking at the hopefully 'new' couple.
------
Dawn: I feel sick. Horrible, sickly, awful, like I'm gonna throw up. I'm such a bad person! I thought that Ruki and Ichi would be so much better off… that I didn't even consider how Orihime would take all of this. I just thought she would move on, like she always did. You know, tough it out.
Oh, boy, how wrong I was.
"Orihime, I'm sorry, I…"
"It's alright," She cut me off, her voice suddenly happy and understanding. I paused, momentarily dumbfounded. "I get it. I obviously don't belong with him, if even you guys are saying so. I guess I'll just have to… move on, huh?"
I bit my lip, my heart hurting for her. "I'm sorry."
"I know you are." Her voice was soft, understanding, and oh so Inoue.
And I could now officially call myself a jerk for breaking my best friend's heart.
-------
Rukia: My mind was spinning in crazy circles. Did I just agree to go out with Ichigo Kurosaki on a date?
It's not a date, my mind seethed angrily at me, the side that fought for Orihime's chances with Ichigo. It's merely a night out with a male friend. Alone. At a restaurant. And the movies. And… stuff.
The more the Tatsuki-like voice listed things, the more it sounded like a date.
Oh, who're you kidding? The side that loved the idea of an Ichi-Ruki romance declared, you love that clown-haired son of a bitch! You love him, you love him, you love him, you loooove him! Strangely, that voice reminded me vaguely of Dawn.
I don't love him. My more logical side spoke, the one who didn't take sides, the one who didn't believe in love. My old self, before and after Hisana. My Samsung Eternity buzzed wildly from my jeans pocket, and a faint 'beep' was heard, signaling a new text.
'Hey.' Was what the one-worded message said, and confusion welled inside me. What the fuck? I checked the number, and I didn't find it very familiar, but I know I'd seen it somewhere.
But where?
---
Unknown: I feel so bad, tricking him into coming here. I know he never wanted to come, I know it brought back a little less than happy memories. And I know for a fact he's probably out there, somewhere, drinking himself to an early grave like he always does when we come to Karakura.
Maybe we should've stayed in Tokyo; if this was how he was gonna act. Yui, my grandmother, wandered out of her armchair, blissfully unaware. "Hello, grandmother." I said blandly. She was as blind as a bat, the old crow. She would've walked straight into the wall if I hadn't stopped her then. I helped her sit back down.
She laughed that old, wise, ancient laugh of hers. "Why, hello there, child." Her voice was old and ancient, and had that same thick accent my mama had. We were in the nursing home Byakuya landed her in almost twenty years ago. She was ninety-seven now, and showed no sign of sickness or death. Kind of ironic, my parents died long before she was even landed here.
"You finally come to visit," Her voice took on a hurt tone. "Did I do something to upset you?" She still hasn't grasped the fact I'm not some kid anymore, who could visit her whenever. I was an adult now, a busy, working adult.
"Ah- no, of course not." My voice was sweet and sugary, the type of voice that would instantaneously make you think, 'little red robin hood!'
"I've been keeping busy. Hasn't Byakuya visited? Hisana, maybe?"
Her brows knit together thoughtfully, her gnarled old hands shaking lightly in her lap. She was quiet for so long, I thought for a moment she might be sleeping.
Oh, grandma, I thought hopelessly, what would I do without you? My inner thoughts were sarcastic.
"Hisana's dead."
I blinked wildly, barely hearing her. Maybe she was senile? Or maybe she mistook Hisana for my mother, Hina? It's not like it would've been the first time, anyway.
"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you," I said, laughing incredulously for a moment. Dead? If she were dead, if my sister-in-law had died, I would have surely been told, right? Or does my little brother hate me so much?
No, I thought helplessly, He doesn't, because she's not dead. Grammy's just crazy.
"I said she was dead, hon, get the beeswax out a your ears!" She smiled a little, but seemed a little more fragile than her small Asian form already lent on. "Died two years ago, I think… Or maybe three years. S'been too long," Her voice dropped, and I could tell she didn't want to talk anymore.
I've been gone for five years. No phone calls, no letters, no window of opportunity for any of them to come out and say, "Oh, yeah. Hisana's dead." Of course, I knew they wouldn't say it like that.
"How's Renji?"
Her question caught me by surprise. Who? Oh, yeah. Renji. Renji Abarai, my godson. I opened my mouth to tell her, but quickly shut it again. What would I say? Depressed? Or maybe lie and say he was ecstatic to see his dad again! No, I couldn't do that.
"He's okay. Nervous."
Yui laughed loudly, and then shook her head. "Never was a good liar, you. Haven't taught you nothin' all these years? All those times I helped you sneak out the backdoor when your father and my daughter weren't lookin'? Psh. You're hopeless."
I grinned. Yui had this funny air about her, the kind that makes you laugh when she's trying to insult you. "Yeah, I am, aren't I? Well, he is pretty nervous, to say the least. He's actually getting emancipation."
"He is?"
"He's seventeen, he was eligible last year, but he wanted to stay with me."
"Then, hon, tell me, what's the point of emancipicication?"
I laughed. "Emancipation, gram's. And, I really don't know. I think he's lookin' for an excuse to cuss ol' daddy out. How is Hibiki? Have you talked to him recently?"
She scoffed. "Mitsuki, honey, the day I start talking to Hibiki Abarai when I don't needs to be the day I die, lemme tell you."
I laughed silently. My name's Mitsuki Kuchiki. I'm twenty-seven. I've got a twin brother named Byakuya, and a godson named Renji. I live in Tokyo with him, and have for the past year.
And this year, is a year for change.
----
Byakuya: Why didn't you tell me?
A simple email from my not so simple big sister. I sighed. So she knew about Hisana?
Why are you here, why now? I mailed back, and knew she wouldn't get to it for some time.
---
Two days later;
Rukia: Ichigo.
Just thinking his name sent a thrill through my body. I had almost completely forgotten about the weird text at Riri's party, totally focused on the clown-haired, big-mouthed, son of a bitch I was totally school girl crushing over.
Ichigo had texted me the next day, the day after the party, in English, actually. It kind of made the class that much more bearable. He'd asked; Movies, tomorrow, at eight? so, of course, I had to hell yeah him right back, which almost made me get my phone confiscated.
Oh, hell. It didn't matter. It was perfect. I was going out with him tonight, and nothing was going to distract me.
…Well, maybe the thoughts of a jealous, brooding, Orihime Inoue.
I stopped smiling, my good mood dissipating instantaneously. What would I tell the poor girl?
Maybe I shouldn't worry so much. I mean, she's forgiving, isn't she? She's so kind and forgiving and you'd never destroy her. She's just that strong.
I didn't think of it too much, and got ready for my 'date'.
…If you could call it that, even.
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Dawn:
I tapped my foot impatiently against the hardwood. "Yuki-san?"
Shirayuki smiled kindly at me, setting down a steaming cup of tea in front of me. "Hmm?"
"What Zangetsu said… that some sort of darkness would befall Ich… he was kidding, wasn't he?"
"Of course!" Shirayuki laughed. "He's not a real psychic, Dawn. Just an educator with some anger management issues, is all."
"Oh, okay." Somehow, I couldn't help but not believe that. Something, in my gut, told me something was gonna go sour in wonderland. Someone would get hurt. If not physically, then emotionally. Maybe both.
I took a sip of my tea, fear creeping in every inch of my heart and mind.
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Happy I was quicker than last time?
Mmkay, the votes are in! The winners... Dawn/Byakuya, Inoue/Ishida, and Tatsuki/Renji! Thank you!
I know, I'm so horribly cruel, leaving you wondering what'll happen at the date, and what's gonna happen… but the 'bad things' won't happen for another few chapters…
Ohh, but don't worry! I'll be back soon (Like at the end of the week) with the new chapter! So watch out!
OH, AND BTW, THIS IS A SUMMARY TO MY STORY AFTER THIS; I'm just one busy little be, aren't I?
Full summary: Every time Rukia screams, someone dies. It's what banshees do, whether they like it or not. But when the friends she grew up with since childhood begin dropping dead, it's up to her to figure out what's wrong. Not to mention she has to control the ever-growing lust for the one orange-haired buffoon who can help her, Ichigo Kurosaki.
Inspiration: My soul to save by Rachel Vincent, Slow Goodbye by Lesley Roy, the WB show Charmed, Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
-TMU