Author's Note: Hey people! I am truly sorry for the very very late update. As stated in my profile, school is my priority at the moment so I wouldn't be updating as often. Once again, I am really sorry! And, thank you for your patience!
Before I get on with the story, I have to say some special thanks to zero09q, Ginger-202, Indie07, Lucianna Jillian Stone, Pandorrah, MindlessAbandon, curio cherry, Nyuu-neechan, Reiko Kuchiki (Omg, are you related to Rukia? OR BYAKUYA? Okay ignore my nonsensical undying love for him. Heh.), Fire331, GStrawberryKiss, Nyoko12, Marty15, Lowlander, Strawberry Flower, saya97, Shirootake, TurtleRevolt, and RubyRed78 for your reviews and subscriptions! THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU GUYS MAKE ME SO HAPPPPPYYYYY!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. BUT OMG THANK YOU TITE KUBO FOR EPISODE 361 ! And, please bring Rukia back to the manga… I miss her.
"Inoue?"
The auburn-haired girl spun around to see Rukia standing a few meters away from her with a confused look. Rukia was walking back home from Urahara's when she saw Inoue pacing back and forth in front of the Kurosaki Clinic, looking nervous and excited at the same time.
"Kuchiki-san!" Inoue greeted her with her signature warm smile, Rukia smiled back as she walked towards her. "Looking for Ichigo?" Rukia asked, mentally cursing herself for asking such a stupid question. Inoue simply nodded while her cheeks started to blush. Rukia walked pass Inoue and towards the door, digging her dress pockets for the keys. "Then why didn't you ring the bell-"
Rukia didn't get to finish her question as the front door to the Kurosaki household swung open.
"ROOOO-KEEEEEE-YAAAAAAH-CHANNNN!" Isshin yelled as he grabbed Rukia, who was staring at him by the doorway, into a hug. "You're finally home! Daddy missed you so muchhhh! Where's Ichigo? He rushed out just now saying he's going to pick you up! That idiot. How's your grandma? AHHH Rukia, how can you be so cuttteeeeee!" He continued to swoon as he rubbed his cheeks against her cheeks causing Rukia to blush a little.
"Yeah, Rukia-nee-san, is your grandma feeling better?" Yuzu asked.
"U-Uh. Y-ye-ep." She answered with much effort as Isshin continued to smother her with love and affection.
"You're suffocating her, you idiot."
"Is Karin-chan jealous?" Isshin exclaimed with mock amazement earning a twitch in Karin's eyebrows. "I KNOW! We can play a gaaaaame! It's called who can hug daddy the longest GAMMEEE! Winner of the game gets a KISSSS from daddy!"
"WHO THE HELL WOULD WANT A KISS FROM YOU, YOU STUPID GOATFACE!" Karin hollered as she kicked her father away from Rukia causing him to fly all the way to the other side of the room. He immediately got up and crawled towards his wife's poster.
"Masaki, our daughter is so-" Witnessing the whole scene, Inoue giggled. "Who is this?" Isshin asked abruptly.
"Ah hi Kurosaki-san, I'm Inoue Orihime!"
"Ah… Hello there, Inoue-san. Rukia-chan, I better go call Ichigo to tell him you're home." He replied in a gentle voice before retreating into his doctor's office leaving the girls stunned by his sudden change of actions.
"Ahhhh! That stupid midget!" Ichigo cursed as he walked out of Urahara's shop. He had rushed to the little run-down store as soon as he felt the sekaimon opening only to have Ururu greet him and telling him that Rukia had already left 10 minutes ago. He had specifically told the petite shinigami that he would fetch her home when she got back, she even replied with an "Ah"! That meant "yes" in Rukia's language, is it not? "Pshh, one big pain in the ass." He grumbled. Okay, so he kind of brought this upon himself since none of this would have happened if he didn't suggest picking her up, but IT'S STILL HER FAULT.
Yes, it's her fault. It's her fault because Ichigo didn't choose to get all worried and paranoid whenever she's not by his side. It's her fault because she's the one going to Soul Society so much making Ichigo go all annoyed and berserk by the fact that something – or anything – might happen to her. It's her fault because the reiatsu that the sekaimon released while transporting her to the real world had evoke such weird feelings in him that he developed a sudden urge to rush to the scene and see her. "Yes, it's her bloody fault." He thought as he walked briskly home, smiling as he thought about how he would get to see her anyway when he reached home.
"Here you go, enjoy!" Yuzu sang as she set a cup of tea on the table for Inoue.
"Ahh, thank you Yuzu-chan!" After the twins left the living room, Inoue turned to Rukia who was sitting beside her on the family sofa. "Kuchiki-san, you went back to Soul Society?"
"Uhh, yeahh… They needed some help for… uhh… stuff." Rukia replied as she mentally shivered thinking about how, for the past week in Soul Society, she had spent almost all her time sorting out piles and piles of posters for the Shinigami Women's Association Flea Market Sale. Some of these posters had contained some rather – erm – revealing pictures of her beloved nii-sama.
"Ahh, I see. How are things going on there?"
"It's fi-" The front door slammed open, revealing a very frustrated and angry Ichigo. "RUKIA YOU STUPID IDIOTIC MIDGET! WHY THE HELL DID YOU GO ALL MISSING ON ME AGAIN?"
Inoue stared at Ichigo, stunned by his sudden appearance and outburst while Rukia remained calm, as if this happened on a daily basis, which was probably true anyway. Noticing that Inoue had finished her tea, Rukia took the cup and stood up to get more tea for her. "Missing? I wasn't missing. You should know where I went!"
Ichigo felt the veins in his forehead threatening to burst as he watched Rukia walking to the kitchen, looking indifferent. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me to come and get you?" He persisted, following behind her.
"Didn't I tell YOU that I don't need you to come fetch me? I'm not a child."
"Well, you might as well be since you're so short and you obviously can't follow simple instructions!" With that, the impassive expression on her face broke. She set the cup on the table and glared at the orange-headed teen.
"I AM 10 TIMES OLDER THAN YOU, YOU STUPID BRAT!"
"But I'm still tallerrrrrrr!" He teased, sticking his tongue out at her. Rukia couldn't hold it any longer. Normally, she would try to control her violent tendencies in front of Inoue as she knew that the good-natured girl was too easily worried for her own good. Well, NORMALLY anyway. This time, she just couldn't let him off. She balled her fingers up into a fist and launched at Ichigo, expecting to give Ichigo a black eye. What she didn't expect though was that Ichigo had already anticipated this move, he quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him. Close enough that Ichigo could stare right into her violet eyes. Close enough that Ichigo could feel her body heat radiating into his chest. He blushed slightly, for a millisecond, before yelling at her.
"AND DON'T YOU USE YOUR DEAD YEARS TO COME CHALLENGE ME- Inoue?" "How long has she been here? In this room. How the hell could I have not seen her?" Suddenly realizing that he still had Rukia pressed against him, he immediately lets go of her and announced, "I'll be in my room."
"Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue knocked on his door. "Ah, come in." He replied. Inoue walked into his room, blushing slightly even when he had his back towards her as he sat at his desk, busy on his laptop.
"Ichi-nii! I need your help for a moment!" Yuzu called out.
"Ah! Sorry, Inoue. I'll be right back."
And there he went, leaving Inoue alone in his room. She felt nervous standing in his room, looking and observing every corner of his room despite the fact that she already had the details of his room memorized by heart the first time she was here. The first time she had confessed to Ichigo. Inoue felt her face flushed lightly as she recalled how their lips almost touch, right there, at his bed. She continued her little eye-tour across his room until she noticed a few article of clothing that had fallen out of his closet. She picked them up, silently overjoyed as she thought about how she was doing housework for Ichigo. "Like I'm his wife." She thought happily as she slid the closet door open to put the clothes back. Then, something caught her eye. Something pink. She reached for it.
"Inoue?"
"Ah! Sorry! I didn't- I wasn't! A few of your shirts fell out so I just-"
"Ah, thanks Inoue." He replied, walking towards his desk and settling, once again, in front of his laptop. Usually, she would have blushed at such a comment. She always blushed whenever Ichigo talked to her, even more so when he says something that resembles compliments or gratitude. But Inoue wasn't blushing; in fact, she wasn't even smiling. She stared hard at the soft material in her hands, the pink hoodie, with a big Chappy logo.
"Your sisters like Chappy too?"
"Heh, only Yuzu." With that, Inoue let go of a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Ichigo looked over his shoulder at Inoue, noticing the hoodie in her arms, he continued, "But that's Rukia's. Well, it's technically not hers yet… Got that a long time ago, but haven't got a chance to give it to her."
"Ohh…" Inoue sulked, feeling a sting in her heart. "No, I shouldn't be thinking like that! He had already decided to give me, and this relationship, a chance that day at the canal! So stop thinking like that, Orihime!" Inoue thought. "Anyway, I came here because… Are you free tomorrow?"
"Yeah I guess. I don't- Wait, tomorrow's my-" Ichigo turned his body to fully face her.
"Yeah, your birthday. I prepared a little something." She said while smiling sweetly at him.
"Ah, sorry, Inoue, but I normally celebrate my birthday with my fam-"
"IT'S OKAY, SON! YOU CAN GO AHEAD! BUT BE SURE TO BE BACK BY DINNER!" Isshin yelled.
"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO NOT EAVESDROP INTO PEOPLE'S CONVERSATIONS?" Ichigo hollered as he ran out of the room, intending to beat the crap out of his father.
"Hey! What are you guys doing?" Rukia asked as she walked into the kitchen. She had slept in today and it was already 11am by the time she got out of bed. Travelling from the Soul Society to the Real World really took up a lot of her energy. She noticed Ichigo was already out by then, and she recalled that Ichigo had informed her last night that he was meeting Inoue at 9am. "Never thought that he was enough of a morning person to have a date in the morning. Heh. Guess people do change."
"Oh hi Rukia-nee-san, we are baking a cake for Ichi-nii!" Yuzu replied as she poured some flour onto the weighing scale.
"For Ichigo? What about me?" Rukia asked, putting a hand on her heart and feigning sadness. The twins giggled at her antics before Karin replied, "We made you a cake for your birthday too!"
"OH! Today's that dumbass' birthday!" Rukia recalled, knocking her fist on her palm. "How the hell did she forget something like THAT?"
"Bingo." Karin replied while she cut up the butter into small cubes.
"Ah, I totally forgot! I should get him something…" Rukia trailed off, she walked towards the girls' room and took out her purse before walking back into the kitchen. "Let's see… Ah." Karin smirked when she saw how empty Rukia's purse was.
"You know, you can always make him a present! No money required! We've got loads of flour left anyway, so we can use that to make cookies!" Yuzu gushed.
"You fool, Ichi-nii doesn't like cookies." Karin interrupted.
"I'm sure Ichi-nii would appreciate whatever Rukia-nee-san makes for him!"
"Pshh, he'd better. I don't care if he likes them or not. I'm just going to bake one anyway. I need to at least give him something, else he would go complaining that I'm a stingy-ass."
"I'm home-"
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ICHIGO!" Isshin yelled as he launched himself at his bright-haired son.
"WHAT KIND OF FATHER SAYS HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THEIR SON ACCOMPANIED WITH A FLYING KICK?"
"Yes, maybe I should do something more special since it's your birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ICHIGO!" Isshin replied, pouncing on top of Ichigo and tackling him onto the ground. Behind him, Inoue giggled at the father and son duo.
"GET OFF ME OLD MAN!"
"Ah, come on, Ichigo." The bearded man stood up, dusting his doctor's coat. "Inoue-san, you too! Hope you don't mind joining us for dinner. Just a home cooked meal, nothing fancy. But to my defense, Yuzu is a great cook." He smiled at her and led them to the dining table where Karin and Rukia were already sitting. They all took their places, after Yuzu made one final trip to the kitchen and settled down with them. "Let's eat!" Isshin announced.
"Purple. Violet? Amethyst? No, more like a mixture of amethyst and sapphire. Yeah, that's it. What the hell am I doing? Do always I stare at her so much during dinner? Why haven't I noticed this?" Ichigo looked to his side, where Inoue was currently sitting, smiling as she ate her food quietly. "Oh… That's right. She usually sits beside me, but today she's sitting across me. WAITAMINIT! Is that onion?" Ichigo instinctively reached out towards Rukia's plate, took out all the onions and putting them on his own. With that, as if on cue, Rukia held out her spoon prompting Ichigo to place the cucumber slices, which were on his plate, on it.
"He doesn't eat cucumbers?" From the corner of her eye, Inoue witnessed everything and she couldn't help but feel that she knew so less about Ichigo.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUU~~~!" The 3 girls sang as they emerged from the kitchen with a birthday cake in their hands and Isshin following behind them.
"Ah, thanks guys." Ichigo said, blushing a little.
"Ichi-nii!" Karin called as she shoved a present to him, effectively starting the present-giving session. "Open it!" Karin had given Ichigo a video game he wanted, Yuzu gave him a nice dress shirt, and Isshin gave him… condoms.
"WHY IN THE WORLD-"
"You're grown up now. Certain ages require certain needs." Isshin replied indifferently. Inoue flushed furiously at this, while the twins and Rukia looked at each other, clueless. "I'M NOT THAT KIND OF PERSON, YOU-"
"HAHAHA, Daddy's just ribbing you. Here!" The doctor laughed as he tossed another present at Ichigo. "Heh, thanks dad."
"HEY WAIT NO FAIR! HOW COME I DON'T HAVE A NEW PHONE FOR MY BIRTHDAY!" Karin exclaimed.
"Kurosaki-kun, hope you like it." Ichigo ripped off the paper wrapping to see a book entitled "Completed Collection of Shakespeare's Works". "AHHH! Wasn't this the book you always wanted? Ichi-nii, you're so lucky! Inoue-san is so nice to you!" Yuzu squealed.
"Ah, thanks, Inoue." Inoue felt her face flushing cherry red once again, but it went unnoticed to Ichigo as he had already begun staring expectantly at a certain ebony-hair girl.
"There you go, birthday boy." She said nonchalantly, dropping a little purple bag into his hands. He looked at her, confused as he pulled on the strings to reveal several hard, black and shapeless… things.
"OH LOOK! You don't even like cookies! My bad, give it back, thanks." Rukia interrupted his thoughts, holding her hand out to him. She wasn't even intending to give it to him anyways, her creation looked so perfect that it would be such a waste to just give it to that orange beast to celebrate his day of birth. Pshh.
"Cookies?"
"Yeah… WHAT DO YOU MEAN "COOKIES?", WASN'T IT OBVIOUS?"
"Ahh, I wasn't really sure…"
"They're Chappy-shaped too! How could you not know its cookies! You know what? Since you're being so unappreciative, and you don't even like freaking cookies anyway, GIVE IT BACK!" She held out her hand in front of his face once again, but was quickly smacked away by him.
"NO! It's my present! Did you make it?"
"Yeah. So? ARE YOU MOCKING ME? I told you, give it back to me!" Rukia persisted as she reached for the little purple bag.
"NO! I want it! I love it..." Rukia stared at him as he looked tenderly at the bag of cookies in his hands. "Thank you, Rukia" He said in a soft voice, almost like a whisper as he pulled her into a hug. Rukia froze. Shocked by his son's actions, Isshin looked over to Inoue who was staring at them in pain, he mentally sighed. He, then, wrapped his arms around Ichigo, who was still hugging the very-stiff Rukia and announced, "DON'T YOU JUST LOVE GROUP HUGS?"