Chapter 6!!!! Not very long but I hope everyone enjoys it nevertheless. FINALLY!! The long awaited IchiHime conversation! The first one anyway. But first...let me mess you with you a guys a little first...*wink*
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6
The nobility rotated the sapphire-coloured device between his first and fore fingers. His typically indifferent expression was unexpectantly tinged with a hint of stress. A drop of sweat paved a moist path down the side of his head. He squinted.
"Well...what's it going to be Kuchiki-sama?" the salesman beside him said, a young spikey haired twenty-something year old with a tiny nose ring.
Byakuya inspected the G-9.0 digital camera for a last time. Then reluctantly he placed it back upon its glass stand, saying coolly "You say the..." He searched for the exact model name, "...X40...can create still images as well as moving images."
"And its water-proof." the salesman added proudly, gesturing to the model in question, a glossy black camera slightly smalelr than the G-9.0.
"However this model has a larger media storage capacity." Byakuya muttered. "Pure treachery. They separate desirable abilities to force you into a state of disatisfaction." His cold eyes gleamed. "I will waste no further time here."
But the salesman was damn good at his job. "Consider it again, sir. The X40 is one of a limited three hundred of its kind. Very rare. Perfect for a finely bred gentleman such as yourself."
Byakyua paused, carefully considering the man's words.
Chizuru stood close by, her arms folded, eyelids near closing, absolutely bored out of her skull by (Byakuya had been at the counter for nearing half an hour now). "Hey...Kuchiki-san." Her voice was a drawling whine. "Just pick one already! If after a month you don't like it, just buy another one."
"Silence." Byakuya ordered calmly. "You heard very little complaining from me when you were wasting an hour of our valuable time selecting a pair of shoes."
"Well then..." Chizuru sighed. "Why don't you get me a new camera? Heaven knows I need one. The one I've got shoots like, what, only 6 megapixels?"
Byakuya lulled. Then he turned round to face Chizuru, looking a bit uncertain. "You want me to purchase one of these devices for you?"
Now Chizuru looked uncertain. She had said that out of her element of randomness. She hadn't actually meant it. Was this really a shot at a free camera? "Well..." It was now or never. "...you really think you could buy me one?"
Byakuya was speechless for a moment. But then he turned around again. "I did not acquire this money with the intention of spending any of it on you, woman. You are not the name on my paper slip."
Well, that was harsh. Chizuru folded her arms and turned away. "Jackass." she muttered under her breath, genuinely hurt.
Meanwhile, Byakuya was once again directing his attention to the task at hand. Folding his arms and closing his eyes thoughtfully, he said "Listen carefully...I walked into your store with one simple aim; to acquire a device that captured and stored images." His eyes flashed open. "You have transformed this simple task into one of needless complexities. Ready your frail mind, merchant, I will say this only once..." He frowned. "...recommend one of these two."
"Well then..." the salesman began.
"Be warned..." Byakuya interrupted icily. "Should I grow dissatisfied with your choice, I will return here. And I will put an end to this business."
The salesman was just about to begin again when what Byakuya had said sunk in, confusing him profusley. He frowned. Then chuckled incredulously. "Are you threatening to close down this store?"
Byakuya was not one to be subtle. "Yes."
"You can't do that. Not that I'd care"
Byakuya just stared back at him.
The salesman bit on his bottom lip, his brain hard at work. He walked over to his counter, going around it. He crounched, and the sound of rummaging floated up from behind the counter. Seconds later, he rose up with a box, dropping it unto his counter as if to say 'here'.
"This one's got both impressive storage capacity, video-mode and an extra little goodie..." He tapped on the box. "Bluetooth."
Byakuya didn't bat an eyelid. "Bluetooth? I cannot be impressed by a component I do not know."
The salesman gave up, even abandoning his formalities. "Dude, just buy this one, okay? I'm not even allowed to sell this to you. It's the latest and its only supposed to be on sale on Christmas day. I'm doin' you a favour! You'd be stupid not to go for this."
Byakuya glared. "Watch your tongue, merchant."
The poor salesman threw a 'please-help-me-or-I'll-slit-my-wrists' look at Chizuru.
Chizuru just shrugged. She couldn't care less what that stuck-up jerk chose.
"Sir." The salesman's tone was less than friendly. "You have to choose one of these or I'm afraid I'm going to have to see you to the door."
"Are you threatening me?"
It was the salesman's turn to be subtle. "Yes."
Byakuya was not amused. "You would threaten a customer?" He folded his arms. "I will see your manager. Now."
The salesman was more than glad to get the pain in the ass off his back. "Psh! Be my guest! It would be an honour."
But Byakuya wasn't finished. "Honour?" Byakuya looked faintly amused."You speak of honour? You run the most dishonourable business I have ever come across. You try to take advantage of customer naivete, try to confuse and disatisfy and decieve. But, of course, this comes as no surprise. Your manager will be most interested to learn of your recent attempt to vend off a unauthorized product."
Suddenly the salesman saw where this was going. He couldn't believe it. "You son of a bitch! I was doing you a favour!!"
"Do not patronize me." Byakuya said. "I am not naive."
The salesman gritted his teeth, seething. Closing his eyes and calming himself, he said. "Okay. You got me." He smiled amiably at the customer-from-hell. "Tell you what. Buy this...'unauthorized'....camera at full price, and I'll throw in the G-9.0 at 20% off."
Byakuya did not miss a beat. "Make that 80% and I'll reconsider destroying you."
The salesman nearly popped a vein. "80%!! Are you fucking kidding me?! No! 40%, final offer!"
"80%"
"Okay-okay-okay, half-price. Final offer, I swear!! No lower than that!"
"80%"
"No, half-price. Dude, are you even listening to me?"
"Would you rather it were free?"
"Free?! Woah, woah!!" The salesman looked horrified. "80% sounds great." Quickly he tossed two boxes into a carrier bag and handed it to Byakuya, who placed two neatly folded notes on the counter.
"Keep the change." were Byakuya's parting words. With that, he walked right past Chizuru out of the store.
Chizuru, after watching the entire scene in disgust, followed after him, shocked and angry. "I admit I'm no saint, but you are the biggest jackass I have...EVER...MET!! You-you-you manipulated that guy! He was trying to satisfy your stupid prissy little tastes and you..."
Byakuya interrupted. "If you sold merchandise before its time, would you record the transaction?"
Chizuru blinked. "No, but..."
"Why?"
Chizuru wasn't in the mood for this. "I could get fired! You know; the threat you used against that poor guy back there?"
"Exactly. When an apprentice sells merchandise before its time, the money can't go anywhere else but into his own pocket." Byakuya said, concluding. "He wasn't doing us a favour. He was doing himself a favour."
Chizuru looked dumbfounded. "Oh." was all she could come up with.
Byakuya reached into the carrier bag and pulled out one of the boxes. "Besides, it was your idea." He handed the box to an even more baffled Chizuru. "You wanted one, didn't you?"
Chizuru looked down at her present. It wasn't the G-9.0. She looked up in confusion, "Wait, you're giving me the newer model? But you paid for this one in full."
"If you do not want it, return it."
"No, no, no..." Chizuru defended eagerly. "It's just that..." she swallowed, still in shock. "...back in the store when I asked you for one..."
"I had to be convincing."
Chizuru stared numbly back for a moment. Then she nodded, her eyes glistening. "Thank you."
"We should make our way out. Our time is nearly up." Byakuya said. He walked away, expecting Chizuru to follow behind.
But Chizuru didn't follow. Not immediately. Instead, she stared through her glasses after the jacketed figure that was Byakuya, engulfed in mixed feelings. Chizuru had never been serious about anything, not even herself. As a consequence, no one had taken her seriously for years about anything. People had learnt never to take her at her word, from her 'lesbian' advances towards Inoue Orihime to her supposed incompetence in anything academic, they had come to learn that Chizuru seldom ever meant what she said.
And now out of nowhere this man had come, and for the first time in years, somebody had actually taken her seriously. Somebody had thought she was important.
An odd warmth filled Chizuru that early afternoon as she began after the raven haired man. A small smile etched its way across her face. A silly giggle escaped. She let out one of those rare laughs of hers that were without the aid of booze.
And it wasn't because of the camera.
000
"I can't eat this."
Hitsugaya Toushiro looked up from his cellphone to watch the pregnant shinigami push away her plate of chocolate pudding. He put his toy away and leaned forward, his expression stoic. "That's not what you said 5 minutes ago."
"Sorry." Kuchiki Rukia apologised, avoiding his gaze. "My cravings are still a bit versatile."
"Mm." Hitsugaya said, which was not much. He was trying to pretend that he understood, but he didn't really. Neglecting to further comment on the untouched desert, he returned his attention to his cellphone.
Rukia picked at the sticky food with a fork. Placidly, she picked apart her pudding to stare into its moist centre. It brought little comfort.
"I'm very nervous." she finally whispered.
Hitsugaya looked up again. Rukia was still excavating her food. Whatever she was looking for was beyond the boy.
"I'm nervous because I don't know what I'm doing." Rukia continued without looking up. "You want to know a secret?"
Hitsugaya said nothing.
"You know, we never tell anyone but this was originally Renji's idea." Rukia said with a small smile. "He wanted a child. At first...it was strange hearing it from him. You know how Renji is."
Hitsugaya didn't. Not too well. He just let her talk on though.
"Sometimes I feel like this is crazy." Rukia murmered. She was quiet for a while. Then her head jerked up. "Is what we're doing crazy? Doyouthinkwhatwe'redoingiscrazy?"
Hitsugaya didn't even blink at the anxiety. "That depends. Are you having second thoughts about this experiment?"
"No." Rukia shook her head fiercely. "I definitely want this child."
"Then does it really matter what I think?"
"I know it doesn't." she said, somewhat saddened by what she was about to admit. "But I'm scared. I'm scared we don't know what we're doing." She paused. Then, "This experiment defies the universe itself. I'm scared something will go wrong."
Hitsugaya wasn't sure what to say. His expression radiated indifference, but inside he felt sudden throbs of sympathy. And he wasn't sure why. It had, afterall, been her decision. But it seemed so important to her.
Suddenly his sympathy evolved to empathy. And he remembered. He remembered her. Hinamori Momo. He remembered what it was like to lose somebody. His eyes moistened and he blinked.
Rukia noticed the glimmer in his eyes. "Hinamori?"
Hitsugaya, again, said nothing. The glimmer in his eyes disappeared and he was suddenly rid of the melancholy. "Are you done with that?"
Rukia looked down at her plate. He was referring to the pudding.
"Yeah." Rukia said. "My appetite's not returning."
"Then let's get to the fountain. We're out of time." Hitsugaya said, standing up.
There was a beeping sound as Hitsugaya's cell flashed a mild blue repeatedly. He flipped it open and glanced at its screen. He flipped it shut. "Arrancar. A bit of a way from here." he simply said to Rukia.
"Go." Rukia urged.
Hitsugaya gave her a look.
"No, seriously." Rukia said. "I'll be alright."
Hitsugaya looked uncertain for a second more. Then he left.
Rukia placed a tip under her plate and left the food court. As she stepped unto an escalator, she wondered where Renji was. 'I hope he's enjoying his shopping trip.' she thought, smiling to herself. 'I'm sure he hasn't even given a second thought to this pregnancy. He's absolutely certain."'
From a distance, the subject of her musings watched her descend to a lower floor, a cigar jutting defiantly out from between his teeth. He chewed thoughtfully on it, his eyes all the while fixed on his wife for the brief period her ebony head was visible.
When she was gone he turned to his bounteously-breasted escort, rendering tired eyes and a serious scowl.
"You're worried sick about her, aren't you?" Matsumoto said, smiling at him.
"What?" Renji muttered, not even making an effort to sound convincing. "I wouldn't worry about that midget. Bet she isn't even worried in the least. Cocky chick." He grunted, then changed the subject. "Are we done yet?"
"One more stop." she replied cheerily, picking up the shopping bags huddled round her finely shaped calves.
"Hmph." Renji complained half-heartedly. Some how he felt like he should follow after his wife. Somehow he felt she wanted him...needed him. The feeling unnerved him. Or was he just being paranoid?
"Eh, I'll catch up with her later." Renji murmered. He shoved his hands into his jacket pocket. "Let's go." he said to Matsumoto.
Matsumoto wondered what he had spaced out for. Nevertheless, she gave him a pretty smile and nodded.
Then they turned around and walked the opposite way.
000
1:45 pm.
A quarter of an hour gone. And Ichigo was still simply staring into Inoue's grey bottomless eyes, undecided on how to start. Anyway, it didn't seem like he would. He couldn't. Her eyes were enslaving, a trap. Inoue Orihime's eyes were a trap when she wanted them to be, a trick she had picked up abroad. And now those innocent expecting eyes rendered Ichigo speechless.
She was beautiful. He knew it. That afternoon, it felt like she was being even more so on purpose. But that was impossible. Surely, Inoue Orihime was too innocent to toy with him in this manner.
Right?
"You know..." Inoue began the conversation herself. "...I missed you." It was said so gently, so frankly.
"You're not really going to marry Matt, are you?"
The question was so unexpected, it grabbed every iota of Inoue's attention at once. Ichigo's looked away, angry and ashamed at himself for asking such a selfish question. He couldn't believe he had just...it...it-it had slipped.
Inoue was quiet momentarily. Then she asked quietly, "Well. I'm engaged to him, aren't I?"
"You can't marry Matt, Inoue." Ichigo was blunt.
Inoue was incredulous. "You can't tell me who I can't marry."
"Well, I am." Ichigo couldn't believe he was being such a jerk! But he couldn't help it. "You can't marry that loser!" Ichigo pointed furiously at Inoue.
The red-haired woman noticed his finger was trembling. Badly. "He's not a loser." Inoue said plainly.
"Why do you want to marry him?"
Inoue was gradually losing her temper. "Why not?"
"He doesn't deserve you." Ichigo said firmly.
"Why not?"
"He's not good enough!"
"Why not?"
"BECAUSE I THINK I AM!" Ichigo yelled, trembling from frustration, breathing hard from exasperation.
Inoue smiled. Then she closed her eyes, exhaled shakily and then smiled some more. Tears laced the slits of her eyelids, and she chuckled softly. She took a couple of steps closer to Ichigo, making sure that her lips were inches from Ichigo's. And then when they were, she opened her eyes, stared deep into the eyes of this stupid man she was so in love with...and then said with the gentle calm of a summer afternoon...
"You are so full of shit."
Ichigo was taken aback. Way aback! Inoue had never sworn at him before. Inoue had never sworn at anybody. You knew you had sunk your lowest when Inoue Orihime actually swore at you.
Her tears spilled. "Where were those words.." Inoue said, her voice wavery. "...when I needed them that summer."
"Inoue..." Ichigo tried.
"I just don't understand, Ichigo." Inoue whispered. Her face scrunched up in pain. "You wait ten years to tell me this?" She lifted up her ring-finger to his face. "You wait till I'm engaged?"
"Inoue..." he tried again.
"I waited..." Inoue said, swallowing painfully. "I waited by my phone for ten years. Ten....long....years. And I know you had my number. I sent it by email." she smiled pitifully. "You never even returned that email."
"Inoue, " Ichigo finally got word in. "I just needed a little time."
"No, you didn't need time Ichigo." Inoue said sadly. "You just needed another eye-opener." She looked meaningfully at him. "You needed another Yamamoto. And now you've got Matt."
"Inoue, that's not true."
"It's not?" Inoue said, feigning surprise behind her tears. "Well, you could've fooled me."
"I was guilty, Inoue." Ichigo defended desperately, looking cornered. "I mean, I killed somebody's son. I couldn't live with myself. I couldn't live with you. I couldn't let you live with me."
"I knew that!" Inoue cried, hitting Ichigo with a furious little fist. "You think I didn't know that?! That's what I was there for! That's what I was meant for! I needed so badly to support you, to help you forgive yourself, but you wouldn't let me in! It-it-it was like you were this..." she balled up her fists to demonstrate. "...this impenetrable ball of steel! You wouldn't share how you felt. I cried myself to sleep for weeks! You think I didn't feel guilty? It was because of me you two fought. You think I didn't realise this?"
She paused, breathing hard from the outburst. Ichigo simply looked down, taking it all in. Inoue looked away, putting a hand to her forehead, incredulous about the conversation she was having. She had always dreamed up this conversation, always imagined exactly what she would say. So far, she'd said less than half the things she'd always wanted to say to Ichigo, but she couldn't bring herself to say the rest. It was infuriating. Instead, she quietened, asking the question Ichigo had been dreading:
"What happened that summer evening Ichigo?" Inoue's head cocked just slightly, its eyes moist from tears. "Why didn't you ask me to stay? You...you know I would have. You know I would have, Ichigo."
It was a haunting qeury. Haunting because Ichigo felt that he should know. But he didn't. And so he made up a new excuse everytime he asked himself the question. That would be the same he would do for Inoue...
Ichigo returned her questioning gaze. "I know you would have. Maybe that was the reason, Inoue."
Inoue closed her eyes, sighing deeply. "So dramatic, Ichigo, your answer. I feel like I'm in a manga."
Ichigo didn't really know what else to add.
"Ichigo..." Inoue said stepping closer and fixing her eyes on his. "I'm engaged to a wonderful man Ichigo. He's a dunce, I admit. But he's my dunce. And now I want you to think about this." she paused for emphasis. "If you, Ichigo, never had to win me from anybody...could you still say you loved me?"
Ichigo stood before his ex, miserably trying to think up something really good to say. If Kurosaki Ichigo ever would, it wouldn't be that afternoon...
Because at that very moment, there was the loudest crash to Ichigo's left; a brief cacophony of metal meeting shattered glass. It had Inoue and the red-haired doctor turning to see the source of the disturbance immediately.
A yellow taxi sat off the street, half its body in the window of a boutique, half its body on the icey concrete that was the sidewalk. Without even thinking, Ichigo's feet began to move, and he suddenly found himself walking...striding...and then trotting towards the scene. Then he recognised the immobile body by the vehicle. And that was when he began to run, slipping and sliding as he neared the body, his mind in a blur, his tongue too large for his mouth.
It couldn't be... it couldn't be.... oh dear god, don't let it be...
But it was. As he fell to his knees besides the raven haired head, he finally found that he owned a voice. He opened his mouth. And he screamed her name. Again. And again. And again.
"Rukia!!!!" he screamed.
But she didn't answer. Yes, it was Rukia. There was just one problem.
Rukia wasn't moving.
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*sighs* Whoo! Tired. PLEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAASSEEEEEEEE REVIEW! (seems like very few people do when I don't beg for it). Again, there're probably loadz of errors. Please point them out to me if you can. Thanks so much for reading everybody. Next chapter...soon I hope. Loadz of luv. Hand-gyded signing out. Peace....I'm out.