After another couple hours of class, it was finally time to go home. Ichigo waved good bye to his friends as he headed for his hot rod car, as he got in the whole school yard could hear him leave as he headed towards the middle school to pick up Karin and Yuzu. He Smiled at his car, just the sound of the engine just makes me let everything go.
He pulled up to the middle school and shut off his hot rod machine and waited out side, he wasn't wearing his costume, he had changed after school, now wearing a blue track jacket with boot cut blue jeans and white tennis shoes, he sat and waited listening to his music on his ipod, looking around as he did watching other cars pull in or drive by.
He couldn't help but smile, it was sorta peaceful for a while he looked up at the sky. Just then he noticed a slight shimmer from atop one of the near by telephone poles. What the fuck? What was that….. maybe im just imagining things.
Five more minutes passed and the middle school's bell rang signaling the end of the day. Karin and Yuzu sprinted towards their older brother yelling "ICHIGO!"
Ichigo looked at them and said smiling, "alright Yuzu you get the front seat this time, ok."
Yuzu was happy Karin not so much. As they pulled into the drive way Ichigo had to double take on something he noticed. He pulled the car in the garage, parked it, got out and went back out side to see moving vans infront of the house down the street.
WOW! Someone finally bought that house, I only wonder who. It's a small house. Ichigo proceeded inside the clinic and walked straight up to his father and said "hey, im gonna go to the park for a while, ill be back later."
Isshin looked up and said, "alright, but be back before 7 for dinner, if your late ill punish you!"
Ichigo laughed as he strode out of the door, crazy old man, he will never learn. Ichigo knew exactly what he wanted to do, and it wasn't just going to the park. He wanted to visit his mother's tombstone.
As he walked a cool breeze flowed through the air, he pulled his earphones up onto his ears and turned on his favorite playlist on his ipod, the music soothed him as he strode down the street towards the park. He loved the season of fall, the vibrant colors of red, orange, yellow and brown in the trees as he walked down the street always seem to make him carefree, and happy.
After 10 minutes of walking, he finally reached the grave site, looking at all the autumn colored trees scattered around the area, along with the piles of leaves around them, he sunk to his knees infront of the tombstone.
From a distance it looked like he was going to cry, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow. "I, I cant help it mom, I wish you were here, you would understand." Ichigo spoke in a sad voice. He finished up at the tombstone, got up and walked over to a bench and sat there.
"Why? Why cant I seem to get the thought of her out of my head, everywhere I go, the thoughts of her, the memories we shared, they flood my head. I know I haven't seen her in 17 months, but ill be damned if this keeps up I'm gonna loose it, it never stops!" Ichigo sat there, blatantly expressing himself, he had to vent it all out, other wise it would've eaten him alive sooner or later.
He sighed and continued venting, "I miss her, I miss the midget, even having to put up with her crappy drawings and getting kicked in the shins, at least life wasn't so dull," Ichigo then put down his earphones, and said " If only you were here Rukia…"
He looked solemn, he never thought it would be as emotional as this, 17 months can do a lot to his soul when in a slight depression. He leaned back on the bench putting one arm up on the back of the bench and looked at the sky and its orange glow from the sun as a tear welled up and dripped down the side of his face.
The next thing he knew, someone had walked up to him from behind and wrapped their small arms around his neck and laid their head on his shoulder. A soothing, familiar voice softly spoke in his ear. " Ichigo….. You missed me that much?"
The Sunday before spirit week, in the Soul society, the 13 court guard squad captains assembled for their quarterly meeting. Rukia Kuchiki, during her captain's absence, visited the sparing arena, where she usually trained her swordsmanship, most of the time with Renji.
She grew a good several inches since the last time anyone of her old friends seen her back in karakura town, now standing at about 5'1", her raven hair tied back into a knot and her violet eyes laced with fire as she she stands ready for Renji to strike, dedicated to beat him.
But she became cold on the surface cold from the separation of her from her friends she shared her greatest memories with.
Renji lifted his training sword and swung at Rukia with everything he had, Rukia struck back a him with a swing of her own as the swords collided they stared each other down with ferocity in their eyes. As they backed off they emediately resumed the fight with lightning fast blows left and right, both of them were getting exhausted as the fight dragged on for ages.
"Damn, Rukia, you got good, but its time we finish this right now!" Renji roared.
Rukia nodded, "Renji it's a shame I caught up to you in skill already, ready to lose?"
The two charged at each other as Renji swung with all his might, Rukia swung back with everything she had, and as the swords clashed, the wood on renji's sword cracked and broke in half, whilst Rukia's training sword continued forward and delivered a painful blow to Renji's forehead.
"FFuck, that one hurt!" Renji screamed, yet he said so with a smile, "Wow Rukia, you actually beat me this time, hah, next time you wont be so lucky."
Rukia smirked at him, "keep saying that Renji, ill just add to the bruise on your forehead."
After their training session Rukia proceeded back to the 13th squad barracks, and cleaned herself up, I got plenty dirty today, what a workout Damn. Rukia settled down in a tub of warm water, and leaned her head back and closed her eyes, she thought of her friends back in Karakura Town, and the enjoyment of the living world, but then she thought of Ichigo, and she heard a voice.
Where are you? Where could you be? She froze as she blasted her eyes open wide, her heart beating furiously, she sat up wondering it was as if he was speaking to me! But how is that possible? I must be hallucinating.
She got up out of the tub and wrapped herself in a bathrobe as she walked out and over to her room she was stopped by the captain of her squad, Jushiro Ukitake. She looked at him and responded, "Captain Ukitake, what is it?"
Ukitake looked at her and said, " Rukia, I must ask you something, do you miss the living world?"
She was shocked by the question, based on the fact her captain never usually asks anything of her time in the living world. She didn't want to bother the captain with her feelings she shares with her old friends in Karakura town, so she sighed and said, " No. I do not."
Ukitake looked away and sighed, " I see, that is unfortunate, because that's where you will be stationed for the next several months."
Rukia couldn't hide it any more. Her heart beated furiously with adrenaline Is he joking, im going back to Karakura!
She couldn't help but ask though, "Why am I going to be sent to the world of the living sir?"
Ukitake looked at her with a stern face, "Karakura town's spirit presence is on the rise again, nothing major, if it was the department of research and development would have detected it, now I believe you are to go to Karakura town, effective immediately, we agreed to let you free lance as well."
She his her emotions from her face but it burned brightly inside her, after all of this time she thought I'm coming….. home.
After captain Ukitake left for his study, Rukia looked toward the sky and smiled, the first time she smiled in a long time. She then snapped back to it and got her equipment ready to leave, just before her brother, and captain of 6th squad, Byakuya Kuchiki stood in front of her.
"I hear that you are returning to the living world." Byakuya spoke in his usual, noble voice.
"Yes, Nii-san, I was just about to leave." Rukia replied. "Sorry brother, but im a little bit antsy to go if you don't mind-"
"Rukia, take this, its what the humans call a credit card, swipe this card to purchase what ever you please in the real world." Byakuya added.
Rukia nodded and sped off to the gates. When she arrived she took one look back, and never did again as she ran through the portal