Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. No witty comments in this chapter; it's supposed to be solemn and stuff…
Warning: This chapter is going to be really short, maybe not even 1,000 words. But don't worry! I'm going to post the next chapter today, too, so it doesn't really matter; I just want this chapter and the next chapter to be separate.
About this chapter: It explains the bad memories that made Rukia puke. Nuff said.
The boys leave soon after dinner, leaving us girls alone to do what we want. Thankfully, we decide on watching a movie, and Orihime falls asleep halfway through, so we get to go to bed at around nine. That's pretty early for a sleepover with five girls, but I'm happy about it. My stomach is still upset from earlier, and all I can think about is Renji's story.
She died saving him… only one to blame… in his mind… he killed his mother.
I shiver and sit on the bed. Matsumoto and Tatsuki are laughing about something while brushing their teeth, and Chizuru is tucking Orihime into bed. I pull off my dress and put on my pajamas, then take out my braids. I brush my hair and then get into bed next to Matsumoto. We can all fit comfortably in her bed, so we're all sleeping together. I turn on my side, listening to Matsumoto, Tatsuki, and Chizuru giggling and whispering, and I fall asleep.
XDXDXDXD
"Mommy! Daddy!" I yell out into the house. "We're home from grocery shopping." I run into the living room where they always wait for us when we go out. I hear Hisana coming up the hallway behind me. I enter the living room, expecting to be swept off my feet into a bear hug by my dad, but instead am greeted by a sight that makes me scream.
Hisana rushes in, and drops the groceries all over the floor.
"Get back." She says. "Go into the bathroom and lock yourself there. Don't open up the door unless it's me, okay?" She says, and I do what she tells me. I don't know how, but she sounds so calm that I feel like maybe what I'm seeing is a lie, it's not real. Maybe by going into the bathroom, I'll come out and this will all be gone.
I stand in the bathroom and listen to Hisana on the phone.
"Yes, two dead. The television is paused on the news. Yes, the story on that serial killer. Thank you." She says. I hear her pull open the knife drawer in the kitchen, and then hear her go up the stairs, obviously looking to see if the killer is still here. I sit in the bathroom, and finally the truth rushes over me. The truth that Hisana, just because she's calm, doesn't mean that she can make them better. It doesn't mean that they'll come back. I start to sob, and hear Hisana come back down the stairs. She puts the knife back into the drawer and walks over to the bathroom.
"Open up, it's me, Rukia." She says. I unlock the door and she kneels down next to me. I cry into her, letting her soak up my sorrow, and she cries back into me. The police get here and question us, but I'm not really sure exactly what they ask us. I remember answering, but what either myself or the police officer say is a mystery.
After they talk to us, they take pictures of the room, then they take the cut up, disfigured bodies out into the ambulances they brought with them. Some officer—the one that asked me questions—asks Hisana if they can do autopsies on the dead bodies. She says yes, and I wonder about what that big word means. He then asks if he can take us anywhere, and Hisana nods, telling him the address of her boyfriend, Byakuya's house. She runs upstairs and gets some clothes, then runs back down, and I can see that she's started crying again. The officer drives us to Byakuya's house, where he explains to Byakuya everything that's happened while Hisana and I cry some more. Byakuya takes us in under his wing, and there we've stayed.
"Rukia! You're awake!" Matsumoto says, sounding relieved. I blink, trying to adjust my eyes to the bright room, and see a bunch of people standing over me. There's Matsumoto, Tatsuki, Orihime, Chizuru, Matsumoto's mom, a man I've never seen before who has a square jaw and dark hair, and last, to my great embarrassment, Ichigo. They all look worried, and they all try to help me when I sit up.
"What's going on?" I ask quietly.
"You started screaming and thrashing around, and you wouldn't wake up!" Matsumoto says. "We were so worried that we called Kurosaki-sensei here to check on you." I look between Ichigo and his father, and can see a slight family resemblance. He must look more like his mom, I think, which then reminds me why I was dreaming about what I dreamed about.
I feel my face go deep red, and I look down at the bed. "I'm so sorry." I say quietly.
"Why say sorry?" Asks Kurosaki-sensei while he checks my forehead for a fever. He then moves a light in front of my eyes to check something or other, making me look at his finger while he does so.
"I didn't want to cause any trouble." I say. Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy.
"Rukia-chan, we were worried for you. You don't need to say sorry. We're just happy you woke up." Says Matsumoto's mom.
I smile at her and then look at Kurosaki-sensei.
"I think you'll be fine." He says. "Call me if anything else happens. Matsumoto-san, please, if I may have a word with you. Come, Ichigo." He leaves with Matsumoto's mom, but Ichigo stays where he is. He walks over closer to me, and the girls move away as if they want to leave us alone, though I can tell that they're listening with all their might to hear what Ichigo has to say.
"I'm sorry." I say for the second time in however many minutes. "You didn't need to get up out of bed just for me." I say.
He smiles at me sadly. "I was worried, there's no way I could've stayed at home." He moves my bangs out of my eyes and tucks them behind my ear. "Renji told you." It isn't a question, it's a statement. I nod, starting to cry, and he turns around and walks out. I want to call after him, maybe chase him down the hall, though I don't know what I'd do after that if I did.
So, that was a sad chapter. Or, at least, it was supposed to be, I don't know if anyone else found it sad… Next chapter will be better and happier, I promise.
Please review! Now! Press that sexy review button!