Chapter 12: Halcyon Day
As Ichigo silenced his alarm with a quick rap of his wrist, he considered the day he had ahead of him.
Guh, school's going to be a pain…I wish I could just skip it for once, he thought, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he bumbled towards the door, Everyone's going to be talking about Kan'onji…probably wondering if he's okay…but…I guess this is the price you pay for trying to live a normal life…
He made a sound of disgust as he blearily ran into his closet door.
A small squeak emitted from the closet, causing him to pause and look at the door with dull suspicion.
"Hnn," he muttered sleepily, "Must need oil or something…" and continued on his way to the bathroom.
XXXXXXXXXX
Behind the sliding doors, Rukia held her hand over her mouth, her face red from embarrassment and from lack of oxygen; scarcely allowing herself to breathe until he'd returned and dressed. When she was sure Ichigo was gone, she let out a long breath of relief.
Exiting the closet and creeping over to the door, she cocked her head and listened to the sounds of the Kurosaki family bustling below; going about their morning routine. Their voices elicited an almost alien feeling to well up in Rukia's chest.
This is what family sounds like, she realized. Shaking herself slightly, she mentally chastised herself, Don't be ridiculous. You've seen families before; heard them. Why should Ichigo's family be any different?
Unable to answer her own question, Rukia allowed her mind to wander, her attention settling on the room around her. While she recognized the basics of the room's accoutrements, a bed, a chair, a desk, one item seemed vaguely familiar and she couldn't put her finger on it. Peering at the contraption on top of the desk, Rukia wracked her brain, trying to recall where she had seen something like it before.
"Ah! Now I remember…" she muttered, thinking back to an errand her brother had taken her on to the twelfth division. "This…this can't be one of those konpyuutaas…can it? Those were gigantic and this is so small…"
She struck a few of the keys experimentally to no effect.
Giving up on the machine, Rukia's eyes drifted over the rest of the room. As she looked at the windows, she caught sight of herself and realized her lack of modern human clothes.
However, a solution presented itself.
Small, girl-sized footsteps echoed up the stairs, causing Rukia to bolt back into the closet. Keeping her eyes to a small crack in the doorway, the petite shinigami watched as Ichigo's younger sister, Yukari? Yuu? Yusuke? That's a boy's name!, entered the room and made a beeline for a small bag with straps lying on the floor.
"Ichi-nii!" she called, "You forgot your backpack!"
"Ah!" a distant and slightly panicked voice shouted back, "Arigato Yuzu!"
Yuzu…so that was it…Rukia thought to herself, I was close. For so young a girl she's almost as tall as me…perhaps…
Inspiration took its course, and after she was sure everyone had left the house, Rukia stole out of Ichigo's room and searched the rooms upstairs for the one containing clothes of Yuzu's size.
After trying on several outfits, she found a yellow dress that suited her and the weather quite nicely.
Following this little adventure, she explored the kitchen area; discovering several delicious foods in the cupboards and inside what she determined to be a sort of cooling machine.
Finding herself with nothing better to do, she decided to follow Ichigo's reiatsu signature, which Rukia now had no problem identifying, given its size and Ichigo's apparent inability to hide it. As she walked towards Ichigo's beacon-like presence, she took in the sights of the modern world.
Everyone is in such a hurry, she observed, watching some young people rush by her on flat boards attached to wheels, Has the world changed so much?
She frowned. No, people still hurry in Soul Society. But we just don't go as fast.
But before her thoughts could become much more esoteric, she found herself in front of a large building that Ichigo had evidently entered. Leaping deftly onto the wall surrounding the structure, Rukia circled the building until she ascertained which of the rooms contained Ichigo's reiatsu.
It must be a school, Rukia mused, as she observed the woman at the front of the room talking and gesturing to diagrams and maps to the group of generally uninterested adolescents seated before her.
I wonder what types of things humans learn now…but I can't just go in there impersonating a student though…that would be absurd…
Recalling the gikongan that Urahara had practically forced her to buy the previous night, Rukia jumped down from the wall; taking the bunny-headed canister from her dress's single pocket, popping one of the artificial souls into her mouth and jettisoning herself from her gigai.
After instructing the enthusiastic Chappy to guard her body, Rukia set off to infiltrate the school.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo was having a bad morning. Not only had his classmates insisted on talking about the previous night and Don Kan'onji's mysterious collapse whenever there was a spare moment, but he'd also caught himself daydreaming. And about that Rukia of all people!
Why would Rukia be sitting on the wall of my school in a yellow dress? he asked himself, I don't-…she's not…ridiculous…
Returning his attention back to the lesson, Ichigo felt his eyes glaze over. As much as he had tried to make up for people judging him on his orange hair and attitude, dying had made him see what was important to him. And school wasn't high on that list.
As his bored gaze glided off of the sentence structures on the board, Ichigo nearly jumped out of his seat when he saw Rukia poke her head through the door.
Am I hallucinating?! Or-
But then he noticed Ishida's back stiffen and his self-proclaimed rival's head turn slightly towards the door.
Catching his eye, Rukia waved, the black sleeves of her hakama fluttering.
What is she doing here? he thought franticly, nodding his head in recognition.
As the dark-haired shinigami made to enter the room, Ichigo shook his head vigorously, drawing some stares from a few of his classmates. Doing his best to avoid their attention, he feigned stretching and pointed up at the ceiling; mouthing "Roof. Later," at Rukia, who seemed to understand.
When the curious girl had left, Ishida turned to glare at Ichigo, eliciting even more looks from their classmates.
Gee, I wonder where he'll be going at lunch…
XXXXXXXXXX
When the bell rang, Ishida immediately made for the door, prompting Ichigo to groan, slapping his hand to his head.
Great.
When he reached the roof, he found, not an angry Quincy, but a smiling shinigami, clad in a sundress.
"Did you change your clothes?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," Rukia said, a bit put out, "This is my gigai."
"Oh. It's…nice…" he coughed, "So, uh, why the visit?"
"I wanted to-"
Before she could go any further however, the door to the roof swung open with a bang.
Ishida Uryū glared at the two shinigami. "I should've known you'd meet here Kurosaki."
Sighing, Ichigo kneaded his forehead in frustration.
"Who is this person?" Rukia mumbled to Ichigo.
"Ishida Uryū. The last Quincy," the spectacled teenager answered.
"The last…what?" Rukia said blankly.
"You don't know?" Ichigo asked, taken aback.
"Know what?" Rukia repeated apprehensively, "The last 'destroyer,' what does that mean?"
"You honestly expect me to believe you don't know?!" Ishida spat, taking a step forward.
"Back off Ishida!" Ichigo growled, stepping in front of Rukia protectively, "Maybe she doesn't know what happened."
"Neither do you."
"Huh? Of course I do! The shinigami killed all the Quincy because you were unbalancing the universe or whatever."
Rukia started at this declaration, beginning to put the pieces together. So, his people were killed by shinigami and that's why he hates us?
"This doesn't make sense…" she muttered, "If something like that happened, we would've been taught about it at the academy…"
"I don't blame them for wanting to keep it quiet," Ichigo said, "They tried to protect their families from hollows, but the way they destroyed hollows didn't let their souls rest. They were trying to do the right thing, but they were doing it the wrong way."
"I agree," Ishida interjected.
The two shinigami did a double take.
"W-what?" Ichigo said, stumbling over the word, "You do?"
"Yes. In that case the shinigami were acting with the best interest of the many. They were probably right in doing what they did. I had no ill will towards them until…my sensei died."
"Your sensei?"
"As one of the last Quincy, he was kept under close watch by the shinigami. Time and again he appealed to them to work together, to find some compromise. But their answer was always, 'leave us to our work.' And then when hollows attacked him en masse, they left him to die! They arrived to save him an hour after he'd died!" Ishida finished bitterly.
Rukia and Ichigo were silent for a moment; too shocked to say anything.
Eventually, Rukia made to bow in apology, but Ichigo held out a hand to stop her.
"So…" he said slowly, squinting at his classmate in disbelief, "You want to prove Quincy are better than Shinigami by challenging me, when I've only been a shinigami for a few months, and Rukia, who had nothing to do with your sensei's death, to get some kind of vengeance for the sensei who wanted shinigami and Quincy to work together? Do I have that right?"
It was Uryū's turn to be shocked; as his entire argument was undone by Ichigo in a single sentence.
"I…I…" he stuttered, frowning, as he walked back towards the door in a haze, "I'll see you tomorrow. You won't go back on our deal, will you Kurosaki?"
"No," Ichigo shook his head, "but-"
"Perhaps, he needs some time to think," Rukia suggested, watching the dark-haired boy retreat down the stairwell as the door slowly shut behind him.
"Yeah...maybe…" He scratched his head, looking up at the sky.
"How-" Rukia began, but was once again interrupted by someone loudly entering through the rooftop door.
"Sorry we're late Ichigo, we didn't pack anything for lu….uh…nch…" Keigo floundered upon spotting Ichigo's company.
Mizuiro bumped into his dumbstruck friend. "What's the matter? Did you stub your to…oh! Hello miss…"
Behind him, Chad's looming visage also registered surprise.
"Good afternoon," Rukia replied, sneaking a glance at Ichigo, who was looking extremely flustered.
"I didn't realize we were going to have company…" Keigo said slyly, recovering from his initial shock and nudging Ichigo knowingly, "Why don't you introduce us?"
The young beleaguered shinigami scratched the back of his head, mumbling, "Guys this is Kuchiki Rukia. Rukia, this is Keigo, Mizuiro and Chado."
"Pleased to meet you," Rukia said, curtsying.
Chad and Mizuiro both nodded their heads pleasantly, while Keigo, always one for overreaction, knelt before her and took one of her hands, crying, "Arigato, Kuchiki-san, for taking a chance on our stalwart comrade! For him to get a girlfriend as pretty as you…"
"Er, you're welcome…?" the petite girl responded, blushing unconsciously.
"Baka!" Ichigo said, equally embarrassed, slapping Keigo over his head, "She's not like that. C'mon, let's go somewhere else, Rukia."
"Ah…another one of our ranks has fallen to the female sex…" Keigo sighed wistfully, as the two of them left, "Oh well, at least you and I are still bachelors for life, eh Chado?"
"Actually, I took Natsui-san to a concert last week," Chad replied.
"I'm last?! NOOOOO!!!!" Keigo wailed, beating the ground with his fists.
"Did you really ask her out?" Mizuiro asked his tall friend, as they watched Keigo's tantrum.
"No, I just wanted to see his reaction."
She is kind of cute though…
XXXXXXXXXX
Unable to think of any place on the school ground they wouldn't be interrupted in, Ichigo led Rukia off campus; being especially careful not to be seen by any teachers.
"So, uh, listen…we don't really get a lot of time for lunch…I don't know how much time we'll have to talk…"
"Oh, I see…" Rukia blinked, "How…how is it everyone still believes you are still alive?"
"Uhm…I don't know actually…I guess I just assumed that Urahara did something. He acts like a doofus, but he can be really sneaky…"
He's certainly persuasive, Rukia thought, recalling the eccentric man's insistent sales pitch for a gigai.
"I see…I just…I didn't expect you to be a shinigami and for you to still be living a life in the real world…It seems unprecedented..."
Ichigo merely shrugged. "I never really thought about it like that. I don't really know that much about shinigami, apart from what Urahara's told me."
"What do you want to know?" Rukia asked, "I'll tell you whatever you like."
"Oh, that's great!" Ichigo said, getting excited. However, his excitement was short-lived, as the unmistakable tones of the school bell reached his ears.
"Kuso…that's the bell to go back to class! Listen, I get out in three hours. Let's meet at that park across the street, okay?"
Rukia nodded and watched him sprint back towards his class.
Hmm, what can I do for three hours?
She set off down the street, looking into all the shops selling various modern wares and even going into a few to investigate some of the more curious items.
Why would anyone need to make melons into balls?
Oh, this chair is so comfortable! I had no idea sitting in one could be so enjoyable. What did the man call it? Layzeeboi?
A machine that serves you drinks? Are there no waiters anymore?
Meanwhile, Ichigo was having a hard time enjoying his afternoon. Keigo was alternating between shooting him dirty looks and giving him thumbs up.
Mizuiro wasn't making things any easier for him either. Despite his status as the class's closet womanizer, he enjoyed gossiping almost as much; which meant that most of the class knew about his supposed girlfriend and were communicating with one another about it via the note system.
He groaned quietly, lowering his head onto his desk, attempting to listen to the teacher's lecture.
His eyes wandered over to Ishida, who, unlike the rest of the class, was ignoring him for a change. Just then, the Quincy's glasses flashed as he turned in Ichigo's direction.
Crap! I spoke too soon…
But as they caught each other's eye, Ishida turned away just as quickly.
What was that look on his face? He wasn't glaring at me for a change…he looked almost ashamed…
As he tried to deduce his rival's mood, he was struck in the head by a paper airplane. Looking around for the perpetrator, Keigo waved at him, snickering and gesturing for him to open it.
Unfolding the note as quietly as he could, he read: "Has she put out yet? -Signed Keigo"
A vein pulsed in Ichigo's neck as he crushed the piece of paper in his fist.
Keigo!!!
XXXXXXXXXX
When the bell rang, Ichigo made a quick exit so as to avoid any more unwanted attention.
Orihime, being one of the few people who hadn't partaken in note-passing, was rather confused when everyone began talking about her orange haired classmate as soon as he left.
"Why's everyone talking about Kurosaki-kun, Tatsuki-chan?" she asked her friend as they left the classroom.
"There's a rumor going around that he has a…a girlfriend," Tatsuki replied skeptically. Although she was wary about exposing Orihime to a rumor that would no doubt cause her to doubt her own chances with their scowling classmate, Tatsuki was not in the habit of lying to her best friend.
Besides, if Ichigo can't even tell that Orihime likes him, how could he possibly in a relationship with some other girl?
She threw all her assumptions out the window though, when, upon exiting the school, she and Orihime witnessed Ichigo talking to a short, dark haired girl across the street.
Glancing at her friend, Tatsuki wasn't surprised to see Orihime looking at the ground, her hands clutched to her chest; as though she were keeping her heart from escaping the confines of her body.
"Cheer up Orihime," Tatsuki said confidently, "Maybe she's some old friend of his. I'll bet everyone's just blowing this out of proportions."
"B-but I thought you were Kurosaki-kun's oldest friend…"
"It's not like I know his life story. But…even if she is his girlfriend…don't let this get you down. You can be happy even if you can't be with him, right?"
"I…I guess," Orihime sniffed, returning the smile Tatsuki offered her.
"I'll come over tonight and we can eat ice cream, alright?"
"Oh, can we have pistachio?"
"Anything you w-"
"Hime!" Chizuru squealed, interrupting Tatsuki, and hugging Orihime from behind and groping her bosom, "Let me sex you better!"
Her molestation was short-lived, however, as was her ability to speak, for her mouth was soon filled with Tatsuki's foot.
"Beat it!"
XXXXXXXXXX
"Why are they all staring at us?" Rukia wondered, frowning at all the curious teenagers on the opposite side of the street.
"Er, never mind them," Ichigo said uncomfortably, leading her away from the school and further into the park.
The pair finally settled down under a tree in a secluded clearing.
"So…"
"So…"
"I've been meaning to ask you…" Rukia began, twiddling her thumbs, "…how is it that you became a shinigami? I didn't think normal pluses were retained enough reiatsu to become one and you have as much as a ranked officer…"
"Oh! Right…" Ichigo spent the next few minutes summarizing his near-transformation into a hollow and the way he had communed with his zanpakutō's spirit.
"I…I've never heard of such a thing…"
"Well, I've never exactly been normal…" Ichigo groused, gesturing at his brightly colored hair.
"Hmm? Your hair? What about it"
"Well, it's orange, in case you hadn't noticed."
"Is that…unusual?"
"Yes! Especially since I didn't dye it, I was born like this."
"Hmm…if it makes you feel any better, several members of the Gotei Thirteen have unusual hair colors. Hitsugaya-taicho of the 10th Division has white hair, and he is younger than I am."
"Huh…I guess normal's pretty relative. What's Soul Society like anyway? Urahara hasn't really talked about it much."
Rukia considered how best to describe her home. "Soul Society…is divided, into two parts: Rukongai, where most souls live, and Seireitei, where the shinigami reside. There is no hunger, unless you have spiritual power. There is also no disease, and aging is slowed significantly."
"I see…" Ichigo said, raising an eyebrow, "So you still like explaining things with those weird drawings of yours huh?"
Rukia scowled, lowering her new sketchpad that she'd been using as a visual aid.
"Th-they're not weird!" she spluttered indignantly, her cheeks reddening, "If you can't recognize good art, then that's your problem! I just thought it would help you understand!"
Ichigo merely smirked as she stuffed the notebook back into a shopping bag full of purchases.
"Unappreciative…" Rukia mumbled, shooting him a glare, "Is there anything else you wanted to know? Or criticize?"
Chuckling, Ichigo shook his head. "Not that I can th-…oh wait! I was wondering about how most people become shinigami. Because you said I wasn't the usual case right?"
"Yes, that's right. Usually, if someone has enough reiatsu, they are given the opportunity to attend the Shinou Academy."
"The opportunity? Who wouldn't want to go?"
"Some of the noble families. Not all of them want to risk losing an heir to a hollow, and they can afford to have their children taught privately."
"There are noble…there are families? People can have children after they die?"
"Certainly. Why wouldn't they?"
"I…I don't know…so these nobles…what makes them noble?"
"High reiatsu, usually. As it can be transferred through lineage, it's extremely valuable to Soul Society that the next generation remains strong."
"Huh…" Something about that struck him as odd, but he couldn't put his finger on it; like something was right in front of his face, but he couldn't see it.
"Now, the curriculum at Shinou Academy is taught over six years, but some…some gifted students graduate early…" she trailed off, a faraway look in her eyes.
"Rukia?" Ichigo frowned, waving his hand in front of her face, "Still here?"
"Hmm? Of course! It's just…my, my fukutaicho graduated early."
"Okay…"
"You…remind me of him…" she said softly.
"Oh…oh…is he…?"
"He died, yes…and I…I blamed myself. So when you…" Rukia sniffed; looking away and wiping her eyes.
"Hey, it's not…I mean I don't…"
"I know. It's just difficult…"
"Y-yeah…" Ichigo said uneasily. Should I tell her? I don't really know her that well…but still…
"I lost my mother."
"I…I'm so sorry…"
"A hollow did it. Six years ago. It…it was going after me and I…I've always blamed myself for that. I just…I think I know what it's like. Dealing with that. The guilt…"
He really does understand.
"I found the same hollow not too long ago. Or he found me. And I avenged her. He won't kill again. And I…I feel better now. I think…that she can rest easier now. Wherever she is…"
Rukia smiled. "Kaien-dono as well. My fukutaicho." At least, I hope so...
"Right."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Ichigo shielded his eyes against the dying sun.
"What time is it?" he said, glancing at his watch, "Whoa! I should get going...oh! Er…do you have money for food, because I could take you somewhere or…?"
"Why don't we just go to your house?" Rukia asked innocently, climbing to her feet and walking away, "I'm already sleeping there anyway…"
"WHAT?! Since WHEN?!"
XXXXXXXXXX
A single, unseen eye watched the pair as they left the park.
So he's the one who killed Grand Fisher, eh? I'll have to put you to the test…Iceringer thought calculatedly.
XXXXXXXXXX
Author's Note: Finals blah! New apartment blah! Job search blah! Blah blah blah? Blah! Gold star if you get that reference. Anyway, those are my latest excuses. Make of them what you will. Or won't…?
I know I said that the last chapter would be the penultimate chapter of the arc, but I decided to add in a kind of filler chapter just to show Ichigo and Rukia getting to know each other. I figured that I'd kept them apart this long that they deserve to at least interact a little before the plot thickens. And their whole conversation went in an entirely different direction than I'd intended, but I really liked how it turned out.
Also, you sticklers might notice that Rukia didn't have to learn modern Japanese through reading manga like in the canon story. It's really just about moving the story along, and while Rukia speaking in an overly flowery language might be funny to write, I had other priorities. While I'm on the subject, I'm pretty sure all spiritual entities are able to understand each other (most of the time).