Notes: Here's a little morning (at least for me anyways) update for you all. It's short but I tried to make it meaningful.
Summary: She's the reason he has something to return to every day.
Rating: K
Word Count: 243
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
a walking daydream
keys
It isn't until he finishes work and arrives home that Ichigo finally relaxes.
Briskly, he strolls up the walkway to the single story house in front of him. He takes a second to dig for his keys and unlocks the front the door. He can't help but feel proud when he does so; it had taken a while but he managed to makes this place his home for himself and for his wife. It isn't much with it's basic structure and average location but for the two of them, it's more than enough, more than they hoped for.
Ichigo enters and slips off his shoes next to waiting pair of pink flats. Gently, he announces, "Tadaima."
There's shuffling from the kitchen and then he hears a happy voice call back, "Okaeri!"
To most people, this little ritual wouldn't mean much; it's an everyday thing that most people practice. But for Ichigo it means the world because the auburn haired girl who greets him so cheerfully is his world and his home. She's the reason he has something to return to every day.
Before putting them back in their place by the coat hangers, Ichigo palms the set of keys. They are ordinary looking with no real uniqueness to them. Their appearance is misleading; they hold the power to enter his house that holds everything precious to him.
They're only keys but they unlock the door to the place where she waits for him.