Chapter 3 : Warmth of the sun
The unmanly shriek could be heard for miles, anyone unfortunate enough to look that way saw a man utterly terrified running for his life. It was not hard to determine by whom he's being chased out, seeing the direction he came out, among karakura residents Ikumi Unagiya's temper was legendary. The seemingly even tempered and docile woman had a penchant for setting rude and brash mans straight. But today she seemed unusually spirited. Maybe its that time of the month for her. Maybe its best to steer clear, they all collectively thought.
Chasing that ungrateful twat of a man away she grumbled towards her office/house. She needed to do more deliveries, where was help when you needed it? At the mention of help her mind went to her assistant/slave/punching bag and her temper rose even higher. Absentmindedly she was tying the knot on her apron and when her mind started deliberating what she'd do to her assistant, she tied her knot a little too tight around her waist, "Oww!.." She let out a small groan and started making pancakes for her son Karou. At the thought of her son, her temper subsided a little but not enough to stop the plotting of her slave's demise.
Karou made his way to the kitchen groggily and by the third attempt he found the chair, with a loud thump he sat on the chair facing the kitchen counter and his stomach decided to give a hungry growl indicating he was famished. He smiled cheekily at his mother and she was looking at him with a fond expression. She smiled at him and said "Good morning Karou, you're late today" still smiling at him. Karou looked sheepish and said "Yeah mom sorry, I had an assignment and I was working late last light, actually I feel asleep at the first light"
Ikumi wore a worried expression and scolded him "You shouldn't stay up so late its bad for your health. Next time manage your time properly so you won't have a repeat of yesterday" fussing over him like the mother hen she was.
Karou resigned "Yeah mom..."
As he was eating Ikumi resumed thinking about her assistant. This is the first time he's been this evasive, was something larger afoot? She has seen him not so enthusiastic about doing the odd jobs she had him doing for the last couple of months but he never once complained and never asked for a day off. She could afford to give him a day or two off if he had asked her nicely but since he ditched her at the last minute she thought she'll make him work like the dog he was. Temporally purging her mind of him, she decided it's time to do deliveries but Karou is still here and he can't know she manages/does these odd jobs. So she asked "Karou? Honey aren't you going to school today?"
Karou looked up from his plate with a mouthful of pancakes she made for him and said "pea omm, ust et e nish ish"
Ikumi admonished him "Karou! How many times have i told you that don't talk with your mouth full! You'll choke!"
Karou still taking with mouth full of pancakes "ou sked me"
Ikumi exclaimed "You did it again! Eat your food then talk"
Gulping down the mouthful of pancakes he said "I said, yes mom, let me finish this"
Ikumi took the plate and put it in the dishwasher and started scrubbing the dirty pan and asked "When you'll be home?"
Karou already took off but halted at his door as he heard the question "My school finishes at 4 but i was thinking of going to arcade with some of my friend, is that okay?"
Ikumi thought about it and saw the fantastic opportunity to drag her assistant and make him work the whole time Karou won't be home and maybe organize for tomorrow, if Ichigo thought the work he was doing earlier was hard, he was in for a world of pain. She said "That's okay and be careful on the road and call me if anything happens"
"Yeah yeah Mom" Karou said Grumbling away.
Thirty minutes later Karou was out of the house and Ikumi was gearing up to her van to do the deliveries. She grumbled once more as she thought this was not her job. Ichigo is going to pay, big time.
4:30, Ikumi checked her watch and started worrying, why Karou hasn't called yet? He was supposed to call after the school ended. She was driving and think of these when suddenly she got a glimpse of a mop of orange mane in her peripheral vision. Breaking as hard as she could, she nearly made the van stand in front two wheels, what's that the kids call this these days? Ooh yes a wheelie. She jumped off the driver seat, leaving the van unlocked and unattended she made her way to the riverbank where she thought she saw Ichigo or rather his hair. There aren't many people with orange hair so she thought it's a fairly safe assumption that its him. She fully intended to chew his head, kick him in the groin and then beat him like a ragdoll but the site she was greeted with made her halt.
It was Ichigo alright but he was lying in fetal position very near to the water, in fact if he had rolled another feet or two he'd be in the water. Ikumi realized that he was sleeping and carefully making as little noise as possible she made her way to him and kneeled down to see his face.
He was crying, that much was evident. The fact that he was crying had Ikumi reeling backwards, with the way he carried himself, the way he was ready to take charge, take responsibility made her forget that he was still a kid, barely out of his teen years.
She had never seen such a painful expression on anyone's face least of all this boy. His face was contorted with agony she could not see, she checked as subtly as possible for any wounds but he was unharmed in the physical sense but the way he was clenching his hand, which was white from the pressure he was putting into them, he might as well be. Ikumi looked distressed but could not afford to wake him, she knew from experience that these things needs to run their course otherwise they'll just come back after stronger than before.
A sob broke through his throat and tears were falling from his eyes, he truly looked like a person who was hiding and burying everything deep inside until he couldn't contain all the emotions and they broke through. Ikumi looked positively worried right now. She couldn't find anything, all the years she's been a girl, a woman, a mother and nothing had prepared her for this moment, how could she console him? She racked her brain but she could thing of nothing. Then an idea, almost an instinct hit her.
She got up and sat behind him and took his head as carefully as possible into her lap, taking care not to wake him, she started stroking his mane gently. When she saw that it was helping, albeit slightly, she put her finger through his hair to message his scalp. He was still crying but she expected that and she had no intention to wake him or stopping her ministration. She was wondering how he hadn't woke up yet, it's true she took the utmost care to not disturb his slumber as she continued her ministration but he should've felt it by now. "He must be heavy sleeper" Ikumi thought.
After fifteen minutes of stroking and messaging his mane and scalp he subsided into what she'd call a peaceful sleep. She was looking at him, just looking at him and she couldn't help but admire that he was a good looking kid, if only he held back that tasteless scowl of his, he'd be much more popular with the fairer sex.
She quickly got out of her daze and admonished herself to stop thinking these things. She was touching his arm and felt that he was freezing. Carefully she laid his head into the ground and quickly made her way to the van and took out a spare sheet and came back to Ichigo. She gently pulled that sheet over him and he quickly grabbed that as he was very cold and was searching for warmth and was subconsciously wasn't happy that his head and body was suddenly cold instead of the gentle warmth he was feeling a minute ago. He mumbled something incoherent which Ikumi couldn't couldn't understand but she had a sneaking suspicion what it was and it made her feel none so sure of herself.
She gently put her finger through his mane and smiled softly, the side of her she hadn't showed anyone in a long time was threatening to resurface.
She whispered, "what can't you tell me Ichigo-chan? What are you hiding?"
A/N: phew! Ooh boy... Longest chapter yet I've put some elements into it which will be expanded further into latter chapter. Cookies to anyone who can tell me what it is winks.
Okay now serious stuff, in my story Ichigo is 18 and Ikumi is 28. So she had Karou roughly when she was 17. Actually idk what more to say... Read, rate, review, follow, favorite, do whatever you like but most of all... Enjoy!
