Miracle – IX
Monday morning. Whispers followed Rukia down the hall. But they weren't the usual, questioning whispers wondering about her. They were more like excited, happy whispers. Rukia tried not to scowl as she made her way through the hall to class. What was with everyone?
Ichigo went through similar treatment. Every-time he walked past someone, they turned to stare at him. It was starting to get old and annoying. Fast.
By lunchtime, the orange-haired teen was ready to kill someone. "Why," he asked Keigo pointedly, "Is everyone staring at me?"
Ichigo was beginning to understand how Rukia felt. "Well gee, I wonder," Keigo was shockingly bitter. Ichigo realized that the boy had been unnaturally quiet all day.
"What's your problem?"
Keigo was quiet for a minute, then said, "I just can't believe you would do that to me Ichigo!"
Ichigo was utterly bewildered by this. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Kuchiki-san, of course!" Keigo was obviously upset, "You knew I wanted to ask her out!"
Ichigo still didn't understand. "What the hell-?"
"You!" Keigo yelled, "You and Kuchiki-san!"
"What about us?"
"You asked her out!" Keigo was practically crying now. Ichigo blinked.
"What the fuck? I never asked her out, who told you that?"
"Miyako," Imko Miyako looked up from her lunch, and found herself facing Kuchiki Rukia, who was both trying and failing to conceal her anger.
Miyako tried to smile. "Hi Rukia. What's up?"
"Can we talk?" Miyako gave her friends a wave, then stood up and followed the agitated girl. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was wrong. Miyako decided to try and have a little fun with it though.
"Been hearing some interesting things Rukia. What's this about you and Kurosaki-kun?" Unsurprisingly, that was all it took. Rukia had been ready to snap anyway.
"It's nothing!" she shouted, "I can't believe you would...jeez Miyako...exactly what gives you the right to spread rumors like that?"
"Not just me," Miyako said in her defense, "Kiyone too, she's the one that heard Kurosaki-kun invite you over to his house. We were talking about it, and some other kids heard us, and it just spread from there. So come on, what's the story?"
While Rukia tried to come up with an answer. Miyako gave her old friend a once over. She'd always been a naturally small and thin person, and Miyako had long grown use to the unnatural violet color of her eyes. So then why did something seem so different about Kuchiki Rukia?
"No one asked your opinion, Miyako," Rukia's voice was low and barely controlled, "And nothing gives you the right to ruin my life like this. Just what is your problem anyway?"
The irony of this hit Miyako hard. "You're one to talk"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you have your secrets and I have mine," Miyako turned to walk away before Rukia could answer.
Rukia was so mad she could barely see straight. More than once through the course of the afternoon, after her talk with Miyako, the violet-eyed girl nearly walked into someone, or did walk into someone. She just couldn't believe Miyako of all people would turn around and betray her like that. Miyako, who had been her friend since the age of three. Miyako who, along with Renji, had been Rukia's best friend since they were three freakin' years old. Why did Miyako have to make everything so freaking difficult?
The sound of a ringing phone reached Rukia's ears as she walked into the house. She dropped her books on the coffee table and darted into the kitchen, grabbing the phone on it's fourth ring. "Hello?" she grumbled into it.
"Yeah, nice to hear from you too," Rukia brightened at once.
"Hey Renji. So your fingers aren't broken then?"
You could call me just as easily"
"I'm always the caller," Rukia smiled just a bit. It was nice to be sitting there, having a nice, normal conversation. She looked around and found a note on the table, scrawled in her mother's neat handwriting, saying she'd run to the store and would be back soon.
"Whatever. So what's up?"
"Right back atcha," Renji never called without a reason or ulterior motive.
"Busted," she could almost see Renji's smirk, "Look...I just got off the phone with Miyako. She didn't seem to happy"
"She didn't seem to happy?" Rukia repeated in a disbelieving voice, "I'mt he one who's life she's ruining, what's she so upset about?!"
"Gah..." Renji sounded flustered, "Look, don't get me mixed up in this, especially if it's a girl thing. I just wanted to know what went down between you two"
"The difficulties of having two girls be your best friends," Rukia proceeded to tell Renji about what Miyako had done at school.
"Who's Ichigo?"
"Shut up," Rukia said tiredly, "Anyways, when I tried to talk to her about it, she made it seem like she was the victim-"
"How so?"
"Said something about how I keep secrets-"
"Well don't you?"
"I guess, yeah, but-"
"Riddle me this Rukia," the girl stopped talking, "Why is it you had no problem telling meyou have Leukemia, but you can't bring yourself to tell Miyako? She's your best friend too, you know, I'm pretty sure all best friends have equal rights"
Rukia – unsurprisingly – had an answer to this. "It's different. My mom told your mom, and your mom told you, that's how you found out. No one ever told Miyako's parents though, and besides..."
"Besides?" Renji prompted her.
"Besides...you live further away, I could deal with it more," Rukia sighed, "I don't see you everyday like I do Miyako"
"Figured as much," Renji sighed, "You wouldn't be able to live with yourself if someone actually took pity on you, would you Rukia?"
"Goodbye Renji," Rukia slammed the phone down in a huff.
"Have you ever noticed that you argue with your friends more than you talk with them?" and of course, Kuchiki Hisana chose that moment to walk into the kitchen. She had absolutely terrible timing. And at the moment, she sounded rather amused.
"No, it's just fun to hang up on Renji"
"Whatever you say," Hisana set a couple of bags down on the table, "Help me put this stuff away, would you?"
Rukia complied. "So why didn't you tell me?" Hisana asked as they put things into their respective cabinets.
"About..."
Hisana pointed to a piece of paper on the counter. "It came in the mail today. Something going on at your school. Parents' Night"
"Never heard of it"
Ichigo groaned as he looked the flier over. "Dad, you're not really going to go to this, are you? I mean, you've been every year since I started-"
"Yeah, but it's fun, going there and embarrassing you in front of all your little classmates," Isshin grinned and Ichigo crumpled up the flier, feeling annoyed, "And anyways, I want to see your little girlfriend again-"
"Shut up," Ichigo threw crumpled up paper at his father. It didn't have any effect, which he expected, but it did shut him up for a minute.
Parents' Night was the one night during the entire school year that all the parents could get together, find out what's going on in their kid's school, and embarrass the hell out of said kid all at the same time. It really wasn't as pleasant as it sounded. Every year Isshin had found a new way to embarrass his orange-haired son. And Ichigo was positive that this year wouldn't be any different. But of course, he couldn't control his father. So at eight o'clock, the two were walking into Karakura High (Yuzu and Karin had opted against the trip, knowing they'd have to deal with it next year, when they started at the school).
Smart girls
"Ichigo!" the familiar voice of Rukia reached Ichigo's ears. He turned around, relieved for an excuse to get away from his father for a minute. But fate was cruel, as was Kurosaki Isshin.
Before Ichigo could say hi, his father butted in. "Rukia-chan! Good to see you again!"
"Hello Kurosaki-kun," Rukia bowed respectively, and Ichigo took a look at the two people who were standing behind her. He recognized her mother instantly. The other person was a tall man, with black hair and a cold, uncaring look on his face. It had to be Kuchiki Byakuya.
Hisana smiled when she saw Ichigo's father. "Hello Isshin. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
"That it has Hisana, that it has," Isshin sighed contently, "And hello to you too of course, Byakuya. Been doing well, I see"
Byakuya just kind of nodded. "Well," Ichigo said, trying to hid his annoyance, "If you guys are going to have a reunion, I think I'll get out of your way. Coming Rukia?"
"Er..." Rukia looked over her shoulder at her parents, then back at Ichigo, then at her parents again. She seemed unsure. Hisana gave her daughter a nod though, and Rukia said, "Yeah. Coming"
She took a couple of awkward steps towards Ichigo. When her father didn't say anything (which was what she was probably expecting) she moved more easily, and she and Ichigo started down the hall together.
Byakuya glared at the backs of the retreating teens the entire way. "I don't like him"
"He's my son, Byakuya," Isshin said in a pointed voice.
"Which is exactly why I don't like him," Hisana sighed wearily. Isshin and Byakuya hadn't been...friends exactly in high school. The only reason they had ever interacted at all was because Hisana and Masaki had been best friends, and after Hisana had set Masaki and Isshin up, he'd hung around them a lot. Byakuya had never quit forgiven Hisana for that one.
"Ah Byakuya. You don't change, do you?"
"He'd better not hurt her Kurosaki"
"He's not that kind of person Byakuya," Isshin said, a note of anger in his voice, "Maybe you haven't noticed, but he cares about her. Sorry if that isn't good enough for you"
Byakuya looked ready to retort, but Hisana cut in, grabbing her husband's arm and pulling him away. "Will you excuse us for a second?" she said kindly to Isshin. Byakuya threw his old classmate a look that would have killed a lesser man. "One night of peace," Hisana begged Byakuya quietly, "That's all I'm asking. When we're at home, it's you and Rukia arguing. Please, just give me one night with no fights, okay?"
Byakuya threw Isshin another glare. Then, sighing, said, "All right. One night. For you. But if he says anything-"
"I know, I know, he'll regret it," Hisana sighed and shook her head, suddenly feeling like she was back in high school.
"Did anyone else notice the tension?" Ichigo asked conversationally as he and Rukia made their way down the hall.
"Between..."
"Your parents, my father"
"Oh yeah. Noted"
Ichigo shoved his hands into his pockets, sighing. He remembered what Hisana had said about knowing knowing Isshin back in high school. Apparently they hadn't been the best of friends. The tension in the air had definitely been thick.
"So what's this Parents' Night thing all about anyway?" Rukia changed the topic, thankfully. Ichigo explained the thing about parents gathering to embarrass there kids. Rukia laughed and asked if that included getting into fights in the entrance hall. Ichigo relished in the wonderfulness of this. He was there, walking with Rukia like they were the only two in the world. It was all so pleasant, so...normal. It was a rare moment that Ichigo wanted to enjoy. So of course, it didn't last long, as nothing in Ichigo's life ever did.
"Ichigoooo!" Keigo flew at him suddenly, tackling him from behind. Ichigo punched his annoying friend out.
"What the hell are you doing here?! You don't even have parents!"
"Um..." Rukia was trying not to giggle, "I'll be right back, Ichigo, I'm just going to run to the bathroom real quick"
Ichigo glared at her back, then whirled around and punched Keigo again, just to take out his anger. It made him feel a little better.
Rukia burst out laughing as soon as she rounded the corner. Keigo and Ichigo were probably the oddest friendship in the history of the world. She wasn't sure howthey'd ended up friends, but they had. It was amazing. "Whatcha laughin' 'bout, Kuchiki?" she froze as she looked around. The corridor she was in was empty, save for two people other than her. Kenpachi and Ikkaku. The latter, she noticed, had a bandage around his leg (he was wearing shorts).
"Wow, I did a number on your leg, huh?" she laughed, "Imagine explaining that to all your buddies. 'Oh, what happened to my leg? A girl three times shorter than me took me out'. That's embarrassing, isn't it?"
"Shut up," Ikkaku spat. Kenpachi smirked.
"I told you this wasn't over, didn't I Kuchiki?" he growled, stepping forward. Rukia glared up at him.
"Yeah, but guys like you always say you'll call"
"Well, I'm a guy of my word," Kenpachi grinned evilly, "And there's no Kurosaki here to protect you this time. What ever will you do?"
"I'll survive," Rukia assured him, "Give me your best shot"
But just as Kenpachi stepped forward, a wave of dizziness washed over her. Oh crap, she thought, dazed, as she raised a hand to her head. She'd forgotten to take her medicine before she left. "What's wrong?" Kenpachi sneered, "You were ready to have it out a second ago, lose your nerve or somethin'?"
Rukia tried to recover her ground again, but Kenpachi was already swinging his fist. She waited for it to connect with her...
But then someone was in front of her, grabbing the fist with his hand. Someone with spiky orange hair and a scowl that would scare a lesser man to death. "I told you not to mess with her Zaraki," Ichigo growled. He twisted Kenpachi's arm and swung him into Ikkaku. The two flew into a wall, Ikkaku crushed under Kenpachi's bulk.
"You bastard," Kenpachi growled, pulling himself up, "Mind your own freakin' business Kurosaki"
"Sorry, that's not something I do all that easily," Ichigo said, stepping forward.
"Ichigo get out of here," Rukia hissed as her dizziness passed, "I don't need you to rescue me, you know-"
"Yeah, ya kinda do," was all Ichigo had time for before Kenpachi attacked again. He flew forward. Ichigo grabbed Kenpachi just before he was about to strike and, using his momentum, swung and threw him away. He hit the ground with a loud crash. "Now," Ichigo growled, standing over Kenpachi, "You gonna leave her alone?"
"Shut up Kurosaki," Kenpachi said angrily, standing up.
"You just don't learn, do you?" Ichigo swung his fist. It met Kenpachi's nose. There was a weird cracking noise as it broke. "Now, as I was saying-"
"What's going on here?" Ichigo and Rukia both whirled around, and found themselves facing Kuchiki Byakuya and Hisana. And Ichigo realized how odd this scene must have looked. Ikkaku crumpled against the wall, groaning feebly. Kenpachi on the floor holding his nose, swearing vehemently and threatening Ichigo. Rukia winced, obviously realizing the same thing.
"Um...hi Mom, hi Dad"
"Rukia, what's going on?"
"It's uh...well...you know..." she didn't have an answer. Ichigo bit his lip. This certainly wasn't going to win him any points with Rukia's parents.
"Rukia," Byakuya spoke sternly, "We're leaving. Come on"
Rukia complied at once, her head bowed. "See you tomorrow," she muttered to Ichigo as she bustled passed him. Her parents allowed her to pass before turning away themselves. Byakuya gave Ichigo a look of detest as he turned.
"Worst Parent's Night ever"
Author's Note – Um...just review