This has got to be the longest time it has ever taken me to update (at least so far). I'm really sorry. Things haven't been so good with my family. Mum had to undergo some major surgery and the whole thing's really put a damper on everyone (even Ruffus, our dog). Thankfully she's fine now. As a result, my writing now has been more aimed at lifting my spirits though I must admit that the attempts at humor were squeezed out of corners of my mind so abandoned I had to dust them off first, so I'm apologizing in advance if some of my humour is a bit off (or if it out right sucks). I spent hours and hours on this chapter trying to get as much of it right as I possibly could. Thankfully it's all been a great help at cheering me up (that and my boyfriend of course, who's been an absolute angel). And I in turn have cheered my Mum up. So you see! It's all been win-win! I feel better, Mum feels better, you have your new chapter!
Wow...you know? Let's be frank with ourselves. Is there honestly anything better than this craft? The sciences are all well and good, I admit. But what are better at uplifting the soul than the arts?
Ours is a blessed ability: to capture joy and pain and anger and laughter... the magic of emotions and tales on mere paper. Let's not waste it. Let the world taste it: our story.
...
Um...sorry 'bout that. I'm a bit sentimental tonight. And ridiculously tired. I hope you enjoy it (as fuddled as the introductory scenes are.) Here is When Winter Casts A Spell: Chapter 3.
Enjoy.
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3
The headache was the worst kind; pulsating, flashing...conferring the victim with feelings of nausea only alcohol could provide. Ichigo was normally not an excessive drinker. His grounds for the deviation in his norm therefore, traced themselves to this fact: He had lied. Maybe not verbally. Matt and Inoue really did have his blessing. Just not his support.
Wait...did that even make sense?
The point was: Ichigo wanted Inoue back. Of course, he wanted her back! She was all he'd ever wanted. And now he would never have her. That, as far as he was concerned, was excuse enough to go excessively at the sauce.
He rolled over unto his other side towards the balcony's glass doors and stared out through them numbly into the night, the only thing running through his mind pseudo to a thought being: "God, I let her go..."
It was difficult. Watching them together. Every love-sick smile, every sweet comment, every...supportive touch from Matt to Inoue, plunged Ichigo into such depths of jealousy. Depths Ichigo was unaware even existed. He deserved an Oscar, he did! The professionalism with which he had appeared to remain impassive! For the second time in his life, he was hiding his feelings. But this time, there would be no Yamamoto to open his eyes; to force out his will to fight for what he wanted... Even if there was, it was too late, wasn't it? Orihime Inoue was engaged.
Yamamoto... The irony of the entire episode with the blond vaizard should have kept Ichigo and Inoue together. Should have. Instead, it seemed to be what had eventually torn them apart. For you see, though it had taken a couple for months for it to click, it eventually had. Yamamoto was dead. And he, Ichigo, had killed him. Suddenly the incident with the blond haired teenager, which had theretofore been a memory of triumph, became a haunting cloud of horror, releasing torrents of guilt. The guilt had been a rising tide. Eventual. Licking at his cheekbones and then crawling up his nostrils. It had drowned him; the death it had brought slow but steady.
Yamamoto had been no hollow. Yamamoto had been human. And Ichigo had killed him. It had taken taking the life of a colleague to get the girl he had been brave enough to tear through a chain of Arrancar to save but was too much of a coward to claim. It had taken shedding blood to have someone who always had (or at least, should have) belonged to him. It had taken killing Yamamoto to win Orihime Inoue. And over the next year after these realizations, his subconscious (which had never been much of a friend to begin with) broke down the implications to one verdict. The verdict was simple. The verdict was this: Kurosaki Ichigo was a murderer.
000
Softly the knock came, yanking Ichigo back into the present. He glanced at the antique clock imbedded in the crown of his bedstead. Half past eleven. Almost midnight.
Ichigo didn't need to wonder who it was at the door. There was only one other person in the house, as Inoue and her fiancee had gone visiting earlier in the afternoon and had still not returned. "Come in, Tatsuki."
The door swung open gently, Tatsuki's hushed voice preceding her actual self. "Ichigo, you're not asleep are you?"
"Idiot." Ichigo said, rolling over to see his friend. "If I was asleep, how could I tell you to come in?"
Tatsuki ignored the insult and closed the door behind her. As she neared, Ichigo spotted something black and rectangular in Tatsuki's grip.
"Here." she tossed the object at Ichigo. "I didn't think you'd want that downstairs now that everyone's coming over."
Ichigo sat up, catching it neatly with one hand. He took a look at it. It was a tape. Scratched crudely upon its dark casing were the words 'Rukia' and 'Wedding'. He looked up, his voice toneless but the gratitude in his eyes genuine. "Thanks."
She sat on the bed, her gaze fixed on her child-hood friend. With a mildly amused expression, she teased. "'A toast to the best Christmas ever'? What're you? Mayor of Whoville?"
"Oh, back off." Ichigo grumbled. "That was the sake talking."
"You hadn't even taken a draught yet!"
"The smell was intoxicating." Ichigo droned without the slightest intent of humour.
His friend laughed anyway.
Ichigo couldn't help smiling back. Then he returned his eyes to the view of Karakura through the glass slides; to the sea of lights visible from where he lay. "Not retiring early tonight, are we?" he asked.
"In a minute. Originally I was waiting up for Inoue and Matt. But then Matt called a few minutes ago to say they were sleeping over with a doctor friend of his and would be back tomorrow."
Half-way through the afternoon, Matt and Inoue had gone visiting a few of Matt's friends in town. That had been close to ten hours ago.
Ichigo grunted an incoherent response. Tatsuki, taking it to mean approval, stood up. "I'm going to bed. My eyes are burning so bad and it's driving me nuts."
She had begun towards the door when Ichigo stopped her in her tracks with "Do you think I was unfair to Inoue?"
Of course, he was talking about ten years ago. Tatsuki had contemplated this question for years and she didn't even turn around when she delivered its answer. "Yes."
The night air rattled the windows, and it could almost be heard whistling past, dusting everything it could lay its hands upon with fine layers of powdery snow. It took Ichigo a moment to answer back, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Tatsuki said just as softly. "At least not about disappointing me. I'm learning to accept that you and Inoue were never meant to be."
Ichigo winced at the comment.
"But..." Tatsuki said, placing her hand on the door knob. "...there's one thing you're doing that's impressing me."
Ichigo heard the door knob twist open.
"At least..." Ichigo could hear the smile in her voice. "...you're not being an ass about it." And he smiled as well.
"I'm really proud of you, Ichigo." were her last words.
And with that, Ichigo heard the door swing shut.
000
Inoue watched the glowing red digits blink into zeroes, and then she sighed. It was midnight and her thoughts were reluctant to let go of her so she could get some sleep. Gingerly, she shifted Matt's arm so it wasn't wrapped so tightly around her, trying hard not to wake him up. No such luck. Matt woke up anyway.
"Can't sleep, baby?" he grunted sleepily.
"Still trying. Don't worry. Just go back to sleep."
"You're sure you're not too cold?" His speech was brighter as he propped himself up on an elbow. "I could hike up the thermostat."
Inoue smiled, quite used to (and fond of) the exasperation Matt's overprotection quickly brought. "Go to sleep, Matt." she ordered gently.
Matt immediately obeyed, knowing better than to argue with his fiancee. Soon, his light snoring rose from amongst the blankets behind her again. And her mind returned to shuffling and picking out memories to toy with.
She pulled placidly at the blades of grass as she watched the river flow sleepily downhill. The skies were ablaze with reds and golds, consequence of the blood-red sun setting behind the distant horizon. She stared at these, totally indifferent; her mind on completely separate planes, as was a habit of it. She had been sitting there for close to an hour... waiting... Would he come at all? He seemed in the habit of deliberately avoiding her presence these days... And of course she believed he had his reasons. Just as she did for what she was about to do. This would hurt more, that was all. But it had to be done, didn't it? After all, it was he who had suggested it... ("We need some time apart." he had muttered, his face downcast, unable to submit his heart to the pain he knew would immediately be apparent in her clear grey eyes)
Maybe it was for the best. She flew in a week's time. A day after Rukia's wedding. Hopefully, they'd finally be able to remove the barrier between them; the barrier that was the blond haired vaizard from two years ago.
She had to go. There was no other way. No reason not to. Unless perhaps...he asked her not to go. Then she would gladly stay. Then she would stay forever.
The crunch of grass behind her was distant but audible. He was here...
Inoue was no where near tears as her mind played games with her memories, tormenting her. She had heard it all before (and cried her decided last, years ago). There was no need to shed tears over spilt milk. It was obvious that even Ichigo had come to accept that. He had not so much as batted an eyelid at Matt. Besides, Matt had told her Ichigo'd given them his blessing. It was now officially, absolutely, without-a-doubt over.
And she was glad. There were no more uncertainties. No more nights wondering if out of the blue, due to some cosmic interference or hand of the gods, he would call her. No weekends of back to back My Best Friend's Wedding-type movies and crying every freakin' time Julia Roberts (or whoever it was that was giving up love for the greater good) accepted defeat and let go of her man. And most importantly, no need to wonder whether or not Matt was the right choice. Now she could continue with her life. She could forget Ichigo. She could live again.
... ... ...
Yeah right...
Inoue sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time. The truth was secretly she believed it wouldn't have killed Ichigo to make a fuss about the wedding. Preferably proclaiming it would only happen over his dead body and stealing her away to an underground church for a secret marriage. On the other hand, thoughts like these only proved that she had submitted herself to one too many American soap operas.
Matt was nice. A bit of a dunce sometimes (conflicting with his measured IQ of 135). A little lacking in the department of good judgement. But he was sweet. He was kind. He was desperate to know anything on her mind. At her signal, he would gladly jump of a three thousand storey building into a sea of toxic waste.
Filled with mutant piranas.
On crack.
However nothing changed the simple fact that paled every man pitted in comparison with Ichigo: He wasn't Ichigo. And he never would be.
Orihime Inoue was settling for less.
000
Ichigo, fond of torment as his mind was, was not the dreaming type. Silly dreams, heroic dreams, ... ... sexual dreams... It really mattered little. Ichigo was not the dreaming type. So it was a bit out of the ordinary when Ichigo found himself sitting at a glass table, in a purple polka dot suit with a loosened yellow silk tie. He, for no immediate deducible reason, realized he was at a club... a strip club.
Out of no where, Inoue appeared (probably just having slid down some inconspicuous strip pole behind him). She sported a very (very) skimpy outfit. To this day, Kurosaki Ichigo cannot recall what exactly it was she was wearing; only that it included leather. That, in itself, is enough to turn him beet red and have him stuttering like an idiot even today.
To the beat of some saucy 70's tune, she danced her way up to him, settling suggestively into his lap.
He gulped. Inoue giggled at his apparent discomfort. Her fingers traveled up to his neck tie and tugged playfully at it. She leaned in, and Ichigo could feel her tenderness press against his chest as she whispered seductively into his ear "...red...bean...paste."
And then he knew he had to get out of there!
But when he tried to stand up, he realised Inoue was heavier than she looked. In fact, he seemed paralyzed from the neck downwards! Inoue's giggle was haunting, echoing through Ichigo's thoughts. Ichigo's eyes stared wide-eyed as Inoue's hand rose slowly to his face.
What did she plan to do with him??
Why was her smile so disturbing??
Why wasn't he enjoying this?!
Suddenly (and quite unexpectedly) she delivered three rapid knocks to his head. Again! And again!! And...
Ichigo torso rose from the sheets abruptly, sweat soaking through his vest. Somewhere downstairs, through the blur of his headache, he could just make out a noise. Sounded like banging. Time passed. His head cleared. Yup. Someone was definitely banging (and rather insanely) on a wooden surface. He hoped to God that wasn't his hand carved mahogany door being barraged down. The banging got louder. Shit, it was!
"COMING!!" he screamed back just as insanely as he draped heavy blankets around his practically bare self. Heck, who was that?! What would the neighbours think? The banging didn't stop. If anything, it got even louder. Tiredly, Ichigo shuffled down the stairs, wondering what lunatic from hell had descended upon him at such an ungodly hour; probably 7:30am. Then he spotted the time on the corridor clock and vowed solemnly under his breath to disember the culpit with a kitchen knife. It was 6:01am!
Reaching the door, he swung it open, screaming "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" The culprit's fist was poised, ready to deliver another series of bangs. Seeing who it was, Ichigo just slumped against his doorway, at a loss as to whether to cry or proceed with the killing regardless.
"You realize I would give anything to tear off your head, don't you?" Ichigo breathed, his voice croaky from lack of sleep.
The culprit frowned, looking positively hooligan-ish in a leather-hippie ensemble, a black bandana holding red outrageously long bangs to his head. His scarlet hair spiked and jutted its way down to his shoulders. Just below his pronounced collar bones, the ends of black stripey tattoos were visible; giving the impression his body was probably covered with the scary design.
There was only one person fitting this description, with the audacity to bang on the orange-haired death god's door before 7 (sinful timing, as far as Ichigo was concerned.)
"Get your lazy ass downstairs and help me move the stuff!" the culprit ordered grumpily.
Abarai Renji.
"Don't order me around, idiot!" Ichigo yelled back, a vein clearly pulsating on his temple. "Fine time to arrive!!"
"Stupid!!" Renji looked even more pissed than Ichigo about being up at that particular hour. "Do you think comin' at this time was my idea!? The orders were from Rukia!"
That stopped Ichigo cold. Rukia was here?
"Of course Rukia's here." Renji muttered, answering Ichigo's questioning eyes. "Now that we're married, d'you think I can go anywhere without her? She's like a freakin' leech! And she won't shut the hell up with the orders!" It was obvious, despite his complaints, that he was enjoying it immensely.
Renji began down the corridor and Ichigo followed numbly, quite aware that he was proceeding to the entrance of the apartment building barefooted...in the middle of winter. The descent down the many flights of stairs was almost surreal; simply following the lead of the visiting shinigami down and then across the grand lobby. Knowing outside, a girl he hadn't seen for a decade awaited. A raven haired girl. The raven haired girl. Was this still a dream?
Renji's hand reached for the door...and pulled it open.
SHIT!! This was not a dream!! The icy wind slapped Ichigo fully awake, immediately filling him with regret that he'd ventured down in boxers and a measly couple of blankets.
Below the last staircase, Ichigo could make out luggage strewn about the sidewalk beneath the dull lamp-post light. Right on the street beside them, a cab sat with its bonet open, a frail shadowy figure rummaging thorugh the contents of its trunk. Seemingly confident that all possessions had been removed, the figure backed away and stood up, promptly slamming the trunk closed. And then it stepped back, allowing the cab to roar off into the darkness of winter dawn.
Ichigo's eyes followed the shadow as it slowly made its way into the light. And when that head of ebony hair gleamed into the lamplight, lifting up to meet Ichigo's gaze, the smile on either face was instantenous.
Suddenly, it was no longer cold. "Kuchiki Rukia." Ichigo's smile grew into a grin.
"Ichigo." Rukia took some more steps fowards.
There was a magical moment of silence as they regarded each other for the first time in ten long years.
That was when Ichigo noticed it; the slight bulge beneath Rukia's jacket.
His smile was wiped off in an instant, and he stared at it, unsure if whether to believe his eyes. Then his frown was replaced with a gaping mouth."What the f...you're... you're..."
"Pregnant." a foreign voice came from within the darkness behind Rukia.
A man emerged, donning an expensive-looking dark woolen jacket. His tailored trousers had their hems kissing the higly polished surfaces of his shoes just slightly. His hair, as black as Rukia's, was held in place by gleaming white kenseikan. The sight of him was humbling, striking even Ichigo dumb (if even only for a few seconds).
"Kuchiki Byakuya." Ichigo finally said, a tad bit emabarrassed to be seen in his boxers by the nobility. "I didn't know you were coming along."
"Oh, I hope you don't mind Ichigo." Rukia apologised. "Byakuya-sama wanted to experience Christmas on Earth. Plus he's keeping an eye on me because he refuses to leave his future nephew in Renji's hands." She added this last bit, flashing a wicked grin at her husand.
Renji, who was lugging luggage to the door could be heard muttering something. As he bypassed Ichigo into the lobby Ichigo only caught the words "nobody", "appreciates" and "stuck-up prat".
"I must admit curiousity fills me as to why this winter festival is so highly regarded. I'm here to witness it." Byakuya said in his deep cultured voice. "But more importantly because I want to witness the results of Urahara's invention."
"Invention?" Ichigo was lost. Before he could ask for an explanation though, he heard the tumbling of heavy objects, followed by a loud thump. Swearing echoed in the empty lobby. Ichigo turned to see Renji struggling to his feet, luggage littered acorss the tiled floor.
"Need any help?" Ichigo asked.
"Oh don't mind me." Renji cast Ichigo a steely glance that put his hairs on end. "I'll just break a couple of bones while I'm at it. If I'm really lucky my broken rib cage will pierce into my heart... OF COURSE I NEED HELP YOU LAZY BASTARD!!"
"Heh!" Ichigo grinned. That had to be the first time the strong headed shinigami had ever admitted to needing help for anything. Maybe it was to blame on married life.
"Let's talk inside." Ichigo said, turning to Rukia and her older brother. "I can't keep you two standing out here in this stupid weather. Especially you, Rukia."
"Oh don't you get started too." Rukia grumbled, "I get enough of that from everyone else." But she entered anyway, Byakuya following closely behind.
Grabbing a couple of suitcases, Ichigo led the three newcomers to the lift. Soon, they were at his door. Some how managing with a bare foot, Ichigo kicked it open and led them inside.
"Sit down and I'll get you something to drink." Ichigo grunted, setting down the heavy suitcases and making for the kitchen.
In minutes, they each had a cup in their hand, whisps of steam dancing and twisting their way out of them. The warmth felt damn good after being in the cold for so long and except for Byakuya who was inspecting his drink; his curiosity hidden carefully beneath a mask of passivity, they each held their cup to their faces, graciously breathing in the heat.
"Coffee, I presume." Byakuya uttered monotonously, his question directed at Ichigo.
"Uh-huh."
It was only then that he took a cautious sip. Then a swallow. If he was impressed, he didn't show.
"So..." Ichigo began, his eyes falling once again on Rukia's tummy, which -at this proximity- looked great deal larger. "...do I get a story on that or what?"
Rukia took a sip before proceeding. "Well, we've always been curious as to what it'd be like to have children."
"More 'her' than 'me' actually." Renji interrupted.
Ignoring him, she continued. "But of course, that's impossible in soul society. Souls cannot reproduce. It's a function spiritual entities do not possess. A complication with the spiritual structure formation, if you will. Besides that, I think it interferes with the consistency of the life cycle. Spirits lack..." You could just see she was dying for a sketch pad and a marker.
Ichigo was not in the mood (and much too sleepy) for Chappy inspired caricatures. "Rukia.. just stick to the damn story." he said tiredly. How he loathed those abhorrent bunnies!
Rukia frowned at him. "Anyway, I thought about the time you stole- "
"Borrowed." Ichigo corrected.
"-stole..." Rukia dismissed his correction. "...my powers from me and I was trapped in my gigai. The gigai, in terms of human sensations and functioning, was excellent. So I sought the genius who created it."
"You're only calling him a genius 'cause he figured out how to..." Renji began.
Again ignored. "Urahara, being the genius that he is, said he'd thought about it during our wedding! I knew he had thought something up!" Rukia looked quite pleased with herself, almost as if she was the genius who had thought up the solution to getting pregnant. "Apparently, the special repro-gigai..."
"Repro-gigai?!" Ichigo snorted in disbelief at the corniness. He began voicing that opinion and then stopped because it was obvious Rukia was especially deaf that morning; again, she hadn't stopped speaking.
"...possesses sensual and reproductive functions. So Renji and I slipped them on and tried a couple of times..."
"...the only fun in this I've enjoyed." Ichigo heard the excited mother-to-be's husband mutter.
"...and this was the result." Rukia gently patted her stomach, appearing to be finally done talking.
There was silence.
When Ichigo was sure he wasn't going to be interrupted, he ventured with a question. "When's it due?" He began taking a long drink...
"This week."
Coffee sprayed out of Ichigo's mouth. Luckily, the living room so large none of the coffee/saliva cocktail actually reached his latest guests. Nevertheless Byakuya, with raised eyebrows, gently place his cup back on its saucer and then on the coffee table before him. The cup was untouched for the rest of the discussion.
"This week??" Ichigo sputtered. "But that's this week!" Bewilderment is best served with stupidity... "Besides, that would mean you've been in your gigai in Karakura for close to nine months!"
Rukia cocked her head. "We never said we hadn't. We recieved authorization from Soul Society a year ago and we've been staying at Urahara's."
"So why didn't you come earlier?"
Rukia looked genuinely confused. "Should we have? We didn't want to give you any trouble."
Ichigo was incredulous. "Oh, but arriving just in time to go into labour in my house is fine??"
"Should we leave, then?" Byakuya's voice was calm but cold.
Woah! Ichigo hadn't meant to imply that at all! "No-no-no!" he shook his head at them defensively. "It's just that..."
"Good." Byakuya interrupted, deciding the matter was over. It was plain to see where Rukia had picked up the irritating habit.
"When the child's born, it'll be enclosed in a thin highly volatile membrane." Rukia explained further. "The membrane will disentegrate in about a minute after birth, allowing us to have our spirirt child."
"At least so says sandal-and-hat guy." Renji finished.
Ichigo didn't know what to make of it all. He could only come up with a muttered. "Clever."
Rukia looked down at her bloated stomach, her fingers caressing it softly, her eyes twinkling with a joy Ichigo had only ever seen once: on her wedding day. To be frank, it was a little spooky.
"I'm telling you Ichigo." Rukia whispered. "Nothing's felt as...as..." Unable to come up with anything poetic, she settled for. "...beautiful." She directed her starry gaze at him. "I've never been happier."
Ichigo grinned at her stomach. "Still doesn't change one fact. Holy shit! You look like a freakin' cow!" It had been meant as a joke.
Renji's grin was evil. "Big mistake."
The hand was lightning quick, cuffing Ichigo by the collar and jerking him forward so that his face was inches from Rukia's. The pregnant shinigami was practically screaming. "Don't call me fat you big jerk!! Everyone's calling me fat!! I'm not fat!! I'm pregnant!! Why is everyone picking on me?!" The last sentence was a whine, climaxed with bursting into tears.
Ichigo just stared wide-eyed at the weeping woman. How does a pregnant woman move so fast!?
"Do you want more coffee?" Ichigo uttered timidly, quite frankly afraid to move a muscle.
Cessation of the crying was instant. "Do you have any chocolate?" she asked, her eyes wet and very eager.
"Um...yeah. Kitchen." answered Ichigo meekly.
She disappeared.
"She's still trying to get used to the oestrogen." Renji said, greatly amused by the entire episode. "Even Byakuya didn't escape her wrath."
Ichigo turned to the Captain in disbelief. Byakuya's tone was dead. "She was lucky she was in that condition."
From the kitchen came a crash that startled all three. Then a rapid succession of smashes. Some tinkles. Silence. A chink.
"Ichigo..." They heard Rukia call from the kitchen. "...I think I broke something."
"God, I better get over there before she kills herself." Ichigo said, rushing from the room.
Byakuya and Renji sat motionless, listening for any conversation that might float from the kitchen. As usual, Ichigo didn't disappoint:
"Augh!! Rukia!! My gla..-UGH!! You're such a clumsy..."
"DON'T PICK ON ME!!"
"I thought this season was supposed to be magical." Byakuya asked Renji, his eyes betraying some interest.
Renji shook his head as Ichigo as Rukia's arguement got louder. "It's a matter of opinion."
000
For the rest of the day, arrivals flooded Ichigo, handing him the very difficult task of getting everyone accommodated somewhere. Ichigo's four guest rooms, less than 3 days ago empty, were now occupied save for one (more like half of one; an empty bed). Firstly, Ichigo occupied his own room (he had originally not intended to give it up).
Second room occupied was Tatsuki's; the black and white combination room (she, by the way, was seriously considering refurbishing it. That just meant getting rid of the blacks. Um...Ichigo didn't have to know).
Third room was eventually given up by Inoue and her fiancee, who arrived at 12 pm later that day
"Running out of rooms, huh? You haven't rented out our room just yet have you?" Matt had said with a grin, following after Inoue into the apartment.
Ichigo had cringed at the use of 'our room' and then frowned at him. "Don't give me reason to."
"Don't worry, we're moving into a hotel attached to one of my restaurants." Inoue had said, rummaging through her purse for her cell, mirrored shades hanging off the tip of her nose.
Ichigo had grunted something incoherent.
"Don't worry." Inoue had said again, offering Ichigo a reassuring smile. "We're just 5 blocks from here."
Tatsuki, who had overheard Inoue speaking whilst going to the kitchen had stopped in outrage. "Japanese! People! Are we speaking English to even each other now!!" She had thrown up her hands and retreated back to her room with raised hands. "I knew it! Identity crisis! It was just a matter of time!"
Third room therefore became Rukia and Renji's.
"Blue and yellow?!" Rukia had whined the instant she set foot in the place. "I can't give birth in this place!"
"What?!" Ichigo had almost had a heart attack. "You're not giving birth here you idiot!"
As usual, Rukia wasn't listening. "The colours are distracting. I can't concentrate on contracting my muscles here!!"
Ichigo's glare could have put out the sun. "Oh you better not..."
The fourth room had two beds. Byakuya would occupy one
"You expect me to share a room with a total stranger." It had been more of a cold statement than a question from the Captain as he stood at the entrance, regarding the white and cream colours that adorned the room.
"It won't be a total stranger." Ichigo had defended. "But if you like, I could put you up in a hotel, which is what I intend to do for everyone else who won't have a room here. Or you can stay at my dad's house; a couple of blocks from here; totally empty."
The alternatives weren't bad. Byakuya thought about it for a moment. "I would rather I wasn't so far from Rukia." He nodded solemnly. "This room will have to do."
Ichigo nodded too and left, wondering where Byakuya's sudden overprotective hold over Rukia had sprung up from. It was hard to believe fourteen years ago, he'd tried to get her executed by having her soul incinerated with a giant flaming phoenix-thingy on a hundred foot pole. Yet, now, there were no hard feelings between the two. You just had to respect that. People really changed...
So now of course, the plan was: first guest to arrive after Rukia and her "escorts" would have the last bed. Simple, right? Of course it was. If fate was on Ichigo's side in trivial matters such as these. Which it was not.
"And who do we have here?" Matt had said in forced Japanese, grinning homely down on the young teenager with the bleach white hair.
The boy just glared up at the American, his eyes dancing bloody murder. When after a moment it was apparent Matt was not going to get an answer, he turned his attention to the child's red haired "mother" (whose bountifully exaggerated fronts were hard not to notice...or stare at).
"Shy kid, huh?" Matt said with a smile, trying to keep his eyes on her face.
"Who're you?" asked Matsumoto Rangiku (for it was, in fact, her).
"I'm Matt Peterson." Matt said. "Inoue's fiance."
Matsumoto blinked. "Huh?"
So Matt tried again. "I'm Matt Peterson. Inoue's fiance."
Matsumoto just stared at him. Then her face screwed in further confusion. "Huh??"
Obviously, the woman wasn't getting him.
"Cute kid." Matt said, trying a different approach. "Is he your son? What's his name?"
"He is cute, isn't he?!" Matsumoto said, placing her hands on her hips and grinning down proudly at the boy. "That's my Captain."
Matt's turn to blink. "Your what?"
"He's Hitsugaya Toushiro."
Hitsugaya (for it was, of course, him) said nonchanlantly. "I can speak for myself, thank you very much."
"Hitsugaya-chan huh?" Matt said, his face lighting up again as he squatted to the child prodigy's level.
The boy's repsonse could've frosted hell over. "That's Hitsugaya-taichou to you."
"Taichou?" Matt smiled and looked over at Matsumoto as if to say 'Isn't that the cutest thing?'. Looking at Hitsugaya again, he said with a poke of his finger. "Mind if I call you 'Whitey-taichou'?" .
You could've heard the scream a mile away.
"What's going on?" Ichigo yelled as he stumbled into the living room, his heart racing like a horse. Hollow? Arrancar?...Kon?
Matt was on his knees, screaming bloody murder. His hand was poised above him. There, Hitsugaya's hand met Matt's; his fingers mercilessly twisting the poor American's pinkie.
"Make him stop!" Matt was on the verge of tears.
Ichigo sighed and run a hand thorugh his untidy hair. "Cut him some slack. He's American."
"Oh." Hitsugaya said, as if that alone was explanation enough, and let go off him.
The Captain and his lieutenant stepped over the whimpering man and approached Ichigo. Ichigo run his eyes up and down the boy. Ten years and he hadn't changed a bit. But that was the least worry on his mind. God, he'd forgotten he'd invited these two through Urahara! Hitsugaya; sort of a favour for his little football star sister. Matsumoto because...well...she would've tagged along anyway so why not?
"Was getting authorization to be here any trouble?" Ichigo asked.
"Not really." Hitsugaya answered. "Soul Society celebrates a Winter Festival annually around this season. Captains and their lieutenants are allowed leave. The only problem lay in allowing us to spend the vacation here. But eventually we got it."
"Mm." Ichigo nodded, his mind really still on sorting out their sleeping places.
Now knowing that Matsumoto would probably want to stick around her Captain, how would he accommodate them? He couldn't stick Matsumoto in the room with Byakuya. Neither could he put Hitsugaya in and have a lady sleeping on the couch (besides, Ichigo could see at least ten stacked suitcases behind them and he doubted less than 8 of them were hers) And he definitely couldn't take Byakuya out after all that work to get him in.
There was only one solution.
It looked like Ichigo'd be the one sleeping on the couch after all.
Sigh. Why couldn't anything he planned not end up with him sacrificing something?
000
Further arrivals were in this order:
Chad. 12:30pm.
"You're Chad? Yasutora Sado!?" Matt had exclaimed, his little finger dangling in a bowl of ice. "I've heard of you! I loved your Amsterdam shoot! All the...you know..." Matt was trying to gesture with his other hand. "...the little..um...skulls on your vest..? Great stuff."
Chad was a little taken aback by the man's enthusiasm. "I don't design the clothes. I just wear'em."
Isshin. 12:57pm
"And who's this?" Ichigo's father asked, a hand rubbing at his stubble.
"Matt Peterson." Was the reply as the foreigner stood to shake the towering man. "You must be Ichigo's dad. Pleased to meet you, sir. Ichigo invited me. Um...sort of. I'm Inoue's fiance."
Isshin's hand wilted in Matt's. "Inoue's fiance?"
"Yes sir."
"Hmm." Isshin muttered. "That seems odd."
"Does it sir?" Matt just kept up that homey smile. He seemed to be getting that reaction a lot anyway.
"Oh, well." Isshin shrugged and returned the grin with a cheesy ear-to-ear of his own. "If you're not dead yet Ichigo must be fine with it."
Matt's smile weakened.
"Wow, you must be on a way different level from Ichgo if she ditched him for you! I've been practising for a chance like this!" Isshin said, totally pumped and rolling back a sleeve.
"Huh?"
"So how about a quick test?"
"Excuse me sir?" Matt smiled politely, a little lost.
"HEADS UP!!"
The kick caught Matt exactly 2.3cm below his belt.
"Well, that was a let down." Isshin grumbled, genuine disappointment written all over his face as he watched Matt claw away from him, whimpering all the way. "Not even a counter attack. Wonder what drew Inoue to him. Must be the hair." He turned away. "Now where's that boy of mine?! Have I got a new combo attack for him!!"
Uryuu Ishida. 1:45pm (His wasn't technically an arrival as he lived in Karakura anyway. But it was confirmation he'd be taking part in the planned Christmas and Ichigo was somewhat pleased to see him. That is, till Uryuu made known the purpose of his visit.)
"I didn't come here to see you." Uryuu said grumpily when Ichigo tried to get him to find two missing suitcases.
"Stop sounding like I need you to visit me." Ichigo retorted with a scowl, though to be honest he had had a teeny weeny bit of hope that he'd be able to take advantage of the Quincy's organizational skills. Ichigo lowered his head again to glare hopelessly at a list of must-dos on a sheet of paper.
Uryuu cleared his throat, adopting a far nicer tone. "Has Tatsuki-san arrived yet?"
"Two days ago." Ichigo muttered without looking up.
"What?" Uryuu was a aghast. "You promised to let me know when she arrived."
Ichigo looked surprise, but not particularly concerned. "I did? Must have slipped my mind."
Uryuu clenched his jaws and fought the urge to use 'ungentlemanlike' language on the ex-shinigami. "Well then, you wouldn't by any chance know where she is now, would you?"
"In her room I guess. Or maybe talking to Inoue before Inoue leaves for a hotel."
"Inoue-san has returned?"
"Yesterday morning."
Uryuu sniffed and pushed back his glasses with a finger. "You do realise from the minute you invited me to this...'reunion'...you were automatically obliged to make known to me any and all arrivals? After all, they are- I like to believe- friends of mine as well."
Ichigo looked up, for the first time apologetic. "Geez, sorry. I didn't think you'd care. Then I guess you should know that Chad's here too."
"Anyone else?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Except Rukia, her brother, Renji, the white kid shinigami, his lieutenant, my dad and Inoue's blue-haired American fiance, you're up to date."
Uryuu looked heaven ward, clearly seeking spiritual guidance. "Any-one else?"
Ichigo didn't care anymore. He already had a headache last night's headache couldn't hold a candle to. "I dunno. You?"
"Charming." The Quincy muttered sarcastically and left, going upstairs in search of Tatsuki.
Karin and Yuzu. 3:07pm
"ONEE-SAN!!" The teenage red-head plopped into Ichigo's lap, laughing as she put her arms around her older brother neck.
"Yuzu?!" Ichigo said a little starled, because though in the living room and not too far from the front door, he had been too absorbed in his work and hadn't heard them enter.
"What're doing?" Karin's dry voice said over his head. He bent his head back to see the older of the sisters staring down on him.
"Planning some stuff." Ichigo replied, looking back down at his youngest sister's glowing face. "I don't know what made me think hosting this thing would be easy."
"I could help you." Yuzu said, taking the notes from him and commencing to read, a look of intense concentration on her face.
"Who's the weird guy with the 'hair'? I saw him sitting at the top of the stairs on my way in." Karin asked, standing infront of Ichigo so he could see her.
Ichigo hesitated. "A friend of Inoue's."
"Engaged huh?" Karin said, much to Ichigo's silent despair. "I noticed the um... larger than life engagement ring on his hand, so I assumed." Her smile was small and apologetic. "That's really blowing it, Ichigo."
"Don't remind me." Ichigo said and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Hitsugaya's here."
The transformation from confident know-it-all sister to horrified-yet-immensely-pleased girl was instant. "He's here?"
With his head, Ichigo nodded in the direction of the stairs.
Karin was thinking about her last memory with the shinigami that had eventually become her best friend (and the one who had nudged her into professional soccer). "I haven't seen him in ages." she finally said nervously.
"No one has seen anyone in ages." Ichigo countered, with an exaggerated sigh. "Now go find him and quit with the dramatics."
Karin smiled and gave her brother a playful punch in the arm, before walking away just a bit faster than she would have usually done.
Ichigo watched her leave, a small smile on his lips. It still amazed him how close he and his sister had become over the years. Maybe having all his closest friends at bay whilst with his sisters on the other hand, he had seen every holiday had something to do with it. Or maybe they had finally just grown up.
"Ichigo." Yuzu cut into Ichigo's musings.
"Yeah?"
"This agenda's really boring." Yuzu complained. "I mean, come'on. Golf?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Well they're all rich. Isn't that what rich people do?"
"In the winter?" Yuzu was incerdulous at her brother's abysmal lack of planning skills. "And a cocktail party? Ichiiigoooo..."
Well! Ichigo had given up hope then! "Well then, you come up with ideas."
"Well we should have a party. Just not a cocktail party!" Yuzu said, whipping out a pen from no where and letting it flash repeatedly over the sheet as she made changes. "And that should be, like, the last thing."
"Then forget that for now." Ichigo said, having hope again for the first time that day. This was what he needed! Fresh peppy ideas! Uryuu could just go stick himself with a plastic spork! "Think: tomorrow. We need something for tomorrow."
"21st December, huh?" Yuzu's brain was on overdrive. "How about a shopping trip? All of us!"
"Shopping trip?" Ichigo was doubtful.
But Yuzu had it all planned out. "We could, like, put everyone's name in a hat! Then we'd pick so we'd know who to buy a present for. That would solve the problem of making sure everyone recieves a present from someone else. Afterwards, we could split in groups and stuff! The last group to return to the city fountain with presents has to buy us dinner! And with so many people involved, someone's bound to get lost!" she explained with a grin, the last part a joke, of course.
Ichigo was beginning to see the light. "Sounds good."
"Umm..." Yuzu continued with a finger to her mouth. "...but I think there should be a 500 yen limit."
"No one should spend more than five hundred, huh?"
"No." Yuzu said, looking slightly miffed at her brother's frugality. "No one should spend less. No one likes cheap presents. Besides, if not, a team's members can just grab a couple of cheap socks and make it to the fountain in no time."
"Wow." Ichigo said, understanding her. "You really got it all worked out huh?"
Yuzu laughed her light vaguely musical laugh, making Ichigo smile. No surprise this girl was the apple of every masculine eye in her school. Taking after their mother, she was rainbows and gold trapped in an attractive package. Ichigo's smile grew wider as she caught his eye.
"I've got a whole bunch of'em. Let me find dad first and I'll be back." she said, about to get up.
"Wait." Ichigo said quickly. "Give me something for tonight. I need all the time I can get to prepare."
Yuzu looked thoughtful for a while. Then shrugged. "It doesn't have to be a big deal. We're all tired. Just a drink here together for the first time in such a long time would be great."
Ichigo grinned. "Yuzu, you're a lifesaver."
"And you have social issues." Yuzu replied just as affectionately, a pitying smile on her face as she gave her brother a huge hug. "I missed you so much."
Ichigo just allowed her to hug him, even with his much loved sister, still not the best at expressing affection.
Finally...finally, the Christmas was looking up.
000
And so, here they all were!
Ichigo's eyes travelled from guest to guest; each (excpet Yuzu who didn't drink) with a generous serving of champagne sloshing in a goblet. To the left: Isshin and Urahara chatting away, with Byakuya putting in occasional comments. A suspicious looking soot coloured cat sprawled on the window sill, every now and again winking at her young host. Ichigo would just smile back at her. The cat; Yourichi Shihouin.
Then a little to the right: Hitsugaya and Karin, discussing something quite philosophical, from the looks of their faces. They looked a bit odd now that Karin had matured so much physically but neither seemed to concerned about it. If it was okay with them, it sure as hell was okay with Ichigo.
To the right again: Uryuu, Chad, Tatsuki, Inoue, Mizuiro (No idea who invited him, but Ichigo was glad to see him. Even despite the fact he would be paying for his accomodation too. Looking at the way things were going, filling-forms for bankrupcy were stashed in Ichigo's second drawer. Just in case.) Chizuru (Definitely NO idea who had invited her either. Ichigo was not glad to see her. Especially because he would be paying for her accomodation. Which he did not want to do.) And then Matt. Chizuru looked just a bit tipsy and was blabbing something long and dreary to the American, who to be polite, was painstakingly hanging unto every bloody word. Poor guy.
Yuzu, Rukia and Matsumoto were at it, laughing and generally getting along quite well. Kon. Kon! Ichigo had dumped him with Urahara a while back. Now, he lay beneath the three gorgeous ladies, staring starry eyed up their skirts. A hundred yen said they'd discover him before the night was over and use him for kicking practice.
A number of unrecognizable faces littered the room as well. Um...oh-kay...
And Renji? Why, Renji was right next to Ichigo, scanning the crowd as it caught up on ten years. It was beautiful.
"Not bad, Ichigo." Renji commented, taking a swig of his beer (which he had preferred to a "glass of nothin' but fermented grapes").
"Yeah." Ichigo said, unable to help feeling a bit proud. "Though I'll have to admit I don't know who the hell some of these people are."
The room was a bit cramped and the hearth was out; the crowd relying on electical lighting and central heating instead.
High sounding tinks sounded, cutting short all conversation in the room. Everyone looked to where the sound had come from. It had come from Ichigo's glass, and Ichigo was upstanding before them, a small silver spoon in one hand, his glass of sparkling wine in the other.
"Um.." Ichigo began and laughed nervously. "...I'm not very good at stuff like this so excuse me. I'd just uh, like to thank all of you for coming. I'm so happy to see all of you here. Um...wait. Not all of you." His eyes searched the crowd. "I think there's a party on the eleventh floor. I'm thinking some of you meant to be there. This is not the Slam Nudity Party, if you think that's what it is. So um...could all the uh, nudity craving party guys go to the eleventh floor?"
Ichigo paused for them to leave, eyeing specifically one freackled blond kid with a shirt that had 'Party Naked!' printed in 4 different colours all over it. No one stood up. The freckled kid just kept on sipping at his champagne and giving Ichigo back that enthusiastic 'I'm going to rock and roll all night...and eat your food e-ve-ryday!' smile.
"Oh-kay." Ichigo mumbled, very confused. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to have you all here. I recieved a call fom Keigo. Apparently he's driving a caravan all the way from Tokyo here and he's having some engine problems. Guess we'll see him tomorrow. Tomorrow we meet at the mall for a shopping thing. Yuzu'll explain the rules later." He caught Yuzu flashing him a smile and he smiled back.
"Now, for the real reason I called for your attention." Ichigo said, swirling his glass very coolly as he spoke. "This is actually the second time I've proposed a toast this holiday. The first time I said some bullshit about this going to be the best Christmas ever." Ichigo chuckled. "Am I kidding? This isn't going to be the best Christmas..."
He paused to see their puzzled reactions before continuing. "...No, no- this is going to more than that. This is going to be the kind that we'll need to come up with another word for? You know why?"
Here, he raised his glass. "Because, for the first time in ten...long...years, we have each other. We'll be holding hands. And this Christmas, we'll do what we used to a decade ago: walk into a New Year. Together." He allowed a small side smile. "So will you put up your glasses with me to the most important part of this season: To Friendship. To Us."
"To Friendship! To Us!" They all chorused and finished their glasses. Then the applause filled the room as Ichigo left the front of the room to mingle with them.
"How'd I do?" Ichigo whispered to Yuzu as she refilled his glass.
"You were great!" Yuzu was practically bursting with glee.
"Really?" Ichigo said, unable to resist grinning back like a Cheshire cat.
Yuzu replied. "Of course. You can't expect less from my older brother!"
Ichigo nodded and took another sip. "Hey." he said after a swallow. "Thanks for writing me the speech."
Yuzu winked. "My pleasure."
--
--
I've got to say, Yuzu was definitely my favourite character to write in this chapter. I know hiding behind the excuse that "they've finally grown up" for the sisters' OOC-ness isn't that good but I really wanted to try something different with them. I really feel that a girl like Yuzu (sweet, caring) would probably turn out this way.
Apologies (I'm always apologizing) to any hard core Bleach fans who know as well as I do that Byakuya, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto would probably never be able to get permission to come to Earth to just spend Chistmas. And sorry about the Winter Festival bit. I had to take a few liberties.
All in all, I hope you enjoyed it.
Thanks for reading. I, now, am going to bed. PLEASE PLEASE be kind to review on your way out. I really do appreciate your comments (positive or negative.) Critics, don't be too harsh. Haven't been thinking too straight in a while.
Anyway, thanks so much. Especially to all those who keep backing me up (and flattering me a bit) You...yes, you Miss-i'm-no-pro. You know I'm talking about you. .:clears throat:. Don't worry, she knows who I'm referring to.
Thank you all again. Peace. I'm out!