Chapter 5 - Death is an Enemy

Passing the English assignment, she was glad that it was over. Having that essay with her made her feel uneasy the whole weekend. Suddenly, a classmate of hers made sounds like he wanted to puke, and automatically the teacher assisted him to the clinic, leaving the class on their own for a while.

She remembered the news this morning, about a flu outbreak that causes people to become abnormally nauseous and feverish. They still haven't found a vaccine yet, and she's worried that her classmate got the flu she might catch it next.

Five classes later, it was time to go home and she was relieved. Before going out the school, she spotted a certain raven head sitting at a rock bench under a cherry blossom tree, as if he is waiting. She knew that it's none of her business, but she couldn't stop herself from going there and standing in front of him, this time without getting chest pain.

"Hi again."

Broken from his reading he looked at her, seeing that she is even more beautiful up close but he could still never forget the girl from the prom. "Your opinion helped a lot so I owe you one, because if it weren't for you I wouldn't be able to have passed an essay today."

"It's nice that I was of great help." He replied, looking back at a book he borrowed from the library.

"I thought you would already be walking home with Rukia."

"She's taking longer than usual because she's assigned to clean the classroom today."

Ichigo bit her tongue for a while because of this thought; why is she so eager to start a conversation with this man? It's like she wants to get to know him better. But isn't that the last thing she wants from her first kiss? And she prefers staying away from people who she didn't make a connection with yet?

Yet it was already obvious to her, that through dancing with him and sharing a deep kiss with him out of the blue, they already have an invisible connection.

And then, there goes the heartache again. It kept on beating like it will explode. It was because he told her to sit if she wanted to. She wanted to leave already, since the heart pain was getting worse.

In five minutes of silence between the two he asked closed his book, looked at her again and asked, "How long have you been friends with Rukia?" She didn't know why he asked that but she answered anyway.

"Since we were young, like when we seven." Toshiro has been childhood friends with her for longer, since they were three or four. "So you were the reason why she'd go out often before." He responded, remembering that before when his sister was still below the age of ten she'd occasionally 'hang around with someone'.

"Do you treasure her as a friend?" Was his next question, wanting to know that if the friends of his sister are trustworthy. As her brother he had to watch out for her, even if it meant interrogating her friends about it.

"I do. She is one of the two who I am still friends with, starting from many years ago." That was more than enough for him to be relieved that she's a good friend to Rukia. "I misjudged you." He said, and she didn't get it. "Huh?"

"You may act like a boy, but I can tell that you're not a bad person."

"...Thanks, I guess." She really didn't know why she enjoyed having even a small conversation with this man. She left the bench after a glance at her watch.

"I'll be going." She didn't want to get reprimanded by her dad for being late. He watched her leave, looking at her dark hair that is as black as the night sky. There was one thing to why he couldn't help but look.

Something tells him that black wasn't her hair color all the time. But why did that come to his mind? He never paid that much attention to hair color. "Maybe it's because I can't forget that girl." He answered in his head, just as Rukia appeared in front of him.

He got off from his chair and they walked outside where his car is parked. Rukia hopped in, turning on the radio after Byakuya started the car and they drove off. "Nii-sama, did you buy gifts for Mom?"

As he nodded, his eyes showed a bit of grief. Rukia doesn't know one bit about their real family, and he lied to her that Isane is their mother.

Though it's just an assumption from long ago that they'll give her hell when she grows up, it's already obvious that they'll treat her the way they treated him. He went as far as to lie to the only blood relative that he ever loved, to protect her. Isane took care of them for the next nine years, until she died from a terminal illness.

Since then they had to fend for themselves, and it pained both of them that she was gone. Both loved Isane deeply, and losing a loved one would obviously be tragic and heart-wrenching.

Rukia never told anybody else about this, but coincidentally and unfortunately, the date of Isane's death is also one of the many important dates in Ichigo's personal history. That is kept between her, Ichigo and their white-haired friend who was a witness to what happened at that date, many years ago, even back when Isane was still alive, taking care of them.

Looking out the car window she caught a glimpse of Ichigo inside a toy store, paying for what looked like a black yo-yo. She completely sighed in understanding, knowing why Ichigo would buy that.

They continued listening to the classical music playing, while getting closer to their new house. Rukia had to say, she loved the new house and she quickly got used to it.

Ichigo ran home with such speed, her legs moving as if she's running on air. She'd rather walk than take a bus or taxi, even if it'd waste her time in going home from school. She finally reached her house after almost ten minutes, and quickly ran in the house, glad that she got home before seven.

To her surprise, her father wasn't there. Only her sisters who were back from camp. Karin greeted her, while watching the sports channel, and she could smell omelet rice from the kitchen.

Wearing her comfortable t-shirt and jogging pants, she took the yo-yo she bought from the bag and took it out, remembering that before she would go to the park with him, and she'd always watch him do many yo-yo tricks.

In the middle of dinner their father arrived, apologizing for being late due to something that happened at the hospital. They all ate quietly, until when Yuzu popped out a topic, which she regretted after seeing their faces.

"Did you prepare anything for this Saturday?" The three paused eating and their eyes gave bitter looks; Ichigo's eyes looking the bitterest. They nodded and resumed eating. Yuzu bowed her head in shame for asking them that as she ate.

For the next long and very quiet five days, they all were prepared to leave for the cemetery, wearing simple and conservative clothing. Ichigo, not reluctantly or disgustedly, wore a long, short-sleeved, beige dress shirt, black leggings and brown shoes.

This is the only time when she'd wear something only a girl would wear. She washed the black dye off her hair and looked at the mirror, realizing only now how black is a good color for her hair. But orange isn't bad either, it's just that orange makes her hair stand out a lot among the crowd.

For only today, her hair would be orange. For both of them.

"Hurry up." She said quietly to her sisters, feeling brought down and melancholy, all the more that two tragic events happened to her family at the same day. They all took their seats in the car, buckling themselves up and driving off, without listening to any music or saying anything.

Rukia and Byakuya left after eating breakfast, saying no word, the only sound that they could hear is from the vibrations of the car moving down the road. She spent the whole time for the ride sleeping without dreaming anything, before the car went to a stop.

Ichigo's family arrived as well, and since the cemetery is so big they have to walk up a mill until they can find their graves. Sensing someone else, Ichigo looked back and from afar saw her neighbors and quickly tensed in realization.

Her hair is orange right now, and what if Byakuya sees her? It would get worse for she knew that he could know right away just by taking a look at her face for a second.

She walked faster, making sure she isn't seen by them or else risk spilling what happened at the prom that only she and Byakuya knows. The fact that Rukia acted so normal and innocent around her meant that she doesn't know about it, and that was a huge relief for her.

"This is it." She muttered under her breath, stopping by two gravestones that stand next to each other, carved with names that have the same family name - Kurosaki. The others caught up with her and quickly bowed their heads in respect at the sight of the stones, as Ichigo knelt down and placed something on both the graves.

She placed a full-bloomed white chrysanthemum on one and the yo-yo that she bought on the other, and stood back up but her head is still down.

"I hope that one day, I can finally let go of the pain and everything. I could but, how can it be so easy when it was all my fault?"

She remembered their deaths that happened on the same date but on different years. Losing them was too much for her, and she felt entirely responsible for it though no one blamed she continued to pray with her family, and ignored the smell from her father's cigarette.

Rukia walked ahead of her brother, kneeling in front of her mother's grave and placing the white roses in front of the small stone where Isane's name is engraved.

She moved to the side to give Byakuya space but kept kneeling as he bent down and placed on the grave what he kept for a long time, the toy that she gave him while taking care of his wounds that he received from his parents. For ten minutes they stayed like that, looking at the stone before standing up.

Before going, they decided to go up the shrine which is uphill to pray for her. The shrine seemed a better and more appropriate place where they can give her soul more respect.