Whoa. It's been over two months since I updated this story... *nervous smile* hehe. Well, that's the power of school! I'm sorry to all of the people who checked everyday for this fic and found that it wasn't updated. I really do try to update as often as I can, but with school and everything, it gets to be pretty hard.
Thanks to Anya Seneca Primrose, loveless an the living fantasy, DinieLuvYunho, Juvinilaire, IchigoMoonCutter and Queen of Tartarus for reviewing the last chapter! And thanks to everyone who is reading, alerting and favouriting! You all literally make my day. :D
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my OCs.
Rukia was sitting in a small café with Hisana, André and Gigi. They had gotten off the train with a bit of an appetite. Rukia, despite being sleep-deprived and full of worry, searched for a restaurant where they could settle down and eat something. She glanced at her three children, smiling at the fact that they seemed well rested. At least someone had gotten their sleep.
She felt something tap her forearm. She looked down at her son's dark blue eyes. She smiled, ruffling his chocolate-brown hair. She turned back to the bowl of oatmeal sitting before him and scooped out a spoonful, taking care to blow on it before letting André eat it. After feeding André a spoonful, she let her thoughts consume her. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she looked determined.
She was going to go to Paris to visit her friends from college before heading to Byakuya's house. She exhaled slowly thinking of the reaction she'd get from him. She shut her eyes and dropped her head down when she pictured a look of utmost disappointment on his face. She had always strived to impress him. She knew that he wasn't happy with her marriage to Gerard and she kicked herself for not listening to him then, but what's done is done. It was in the past and there was no undoing it, no matter how much she wanted to.
Shaking her head slowly, she returned to the topic at hand. Visiting her friends. She had never been to Paris alone with the children before and she was famous for getting lost. She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She took a deep breath and dialed Rangiku's number, feeling she was the most reliable of the three. When she heard the dial-tone, she quickly hung up feeling guilty. Rangiku was a widow now and she had been for a couple of months. Rukia remembered getting the call from Momo and Renji on a sunny afternoon. She was shocked to learn that Rangiku's husband, Gin, was murdered on his way home from work.
Rukia hesitantly dialed Renji's number, but all she got was his voicemail. She bit her lip, staring at the screen of her phone. Momo was not the most reliable when it came to phones. She had a tendency to miss calls and not respond to them for days at a time. Weighing her options, she dialed Momo's number and hoped for the best.
"Mama?" asked Hisana. "Can I talk to Tata Momo if she picks up?"
Rukia nodded absentmindedly, holding a spoonful of oatmeal to Gigi. "Pick up. Pick up. Pick up," she muttered under her breath. She began to jiggle her knee impatiently when the dial-tone went longer than she would have preferred.
"Mama!" exclaimed Gigi, fanning her tongue. "Hot!"
Startled, she looked down at the steaming bowl of oatmeal and then at her youngest daughter, mentally berating herself for letting her thoughts get the better of her. She dropped the spoon in the oatmeal and unscrewed a bottle of cold water, holding it for Gigi. When she was done drinking, Rukia ran her fingers through Gigi's soft brown hair, holding the phone between her cheek and shoulder while murmuring a sorry.
Hisana was about to continue eating her oatmeal when she saw André reaching for the bowl of oatmeal. Abandoning her breakfast, she flung her arms out, trying to beat her younger brother to the bowl. She took the spoon in her small hand and blew on the oatmeal before giving it to André, just as Rukia had done earlier. Rukia saw Hisana feeding André and smiled, bittersweet memories of her own childhood with her older sister flashing through her mind. She mouthed a thank you to Hisana before returning her concentration to the phone.
"Hello?" said a cheerful voice.
Rukia sighed a sigh of relief. "Hi Momo, it's Rukia." As soon as she introduced herself, she heard a loud shriek on the other line. She yanked the phone away from her ear, holding it at arm's length, earning her confused looks from each of her children. She gave them a sheepish smile, looking at the phone. "Well, your Tata Momo is very happy to hear from us."
"Happy doesn't even do justice to how I'm feeling!" exclaimed Momo happily.
"Alright, alright," Rukia said laughing. "How are you doing?"
"First, I want to hear about my godkids," Momo said stubbornly.
"The kids have missed you," Rukia said carefully. "Now answer my question."
"I'm doing pretty good. I just got off of Skype."
Rukia raised her eyebrow, reaching for her glass of juice, sipping it slowly. "Oh? And who was Miss Hinamori skyping with? Is she still going by Miss Hinamori?" she teased.
Momo laughed before replying. "I'm still Hinamori. And I was skyping with lil' 'Shiro."
"Oh, Hitsugaya…How is he?" asked Rukia remembering the white-haired man. She stifled a laugh when she remembered his hatred for people carelessly tossing his first name around like a playground ball. Toshiro Hitsugaya was a very old-fashioned man.
"He's doing well too. Oh! Toshiro got married!"
"WHAT?!" shouted Rukia, almost choking on her juice. Hisana, Gigi and André glanced at their mother before giggling silently and returning to their breakfast. "Really? Our Hitsugaya got married?"
"Uh-huh," Momo said matter-of-factly with a hint of a smile in her voice. "She's from Japan too. Maybe you know her. Her family name is Kurosaki."
Rukia taped her chin, racking her brains for a Kurosaki. She shook her head after a moment. "Not that I can remember. Have you met her?"
"Just over Skype. She has black hair and dark eyes. And her name is Karin. She's kind of sarcastic though," finished Momo trailing off.
Rukia smiled. "Well, now Hitsugaya has someone who's tongue is as sharp as his. Oh!" she said suddenly. "This means Renji owes me fifty euros! I almost forgot about that bet we made…Speaking of Renji, how is he? He didn't respond to my call. And what about Rangiku? Is she doing OK?"
Momo's voice had lost any sort of bubbly-ness that it possessed earlier. "Rangiku was feeling down all week. She's gone to visit Gin every day for hours at a time. Always after lunch…That was when he was at his happiest."
Rukia's hand flew up to her mouth upon hearing this. "Oh my god. Poor thing. Oh, she's taking care of herself, right?"
"Kind of," replied Momo. "Renji and I fill in the gaps. And as for Renji, he's been expecting your call ever since Toshiro got married. He reckons he can wiggle out of the bet you two made by avoiding your call, making you give up."
The raven haired Japanese native let out a hollow laugh. "Oh, that will be hard to do. Considering I'm coming to Paris."
Momo let out a delighted squeal. "Oh really? It's been so long since you all visit. Rangiku and Renji will be so happy to see you again. Man, Renji always complains about being the only guy around here. He'll be happy to hear Gerard will be coming."
Upon hearing the brunette's name, Rukia's lips formed a thin line. Her sapphire eyes narrowed and she tried to ignore the clenching feeling in her heart. It felt as if someone had taken several scalding knives and used them to pierce her glanced up at the sudden silence. Her gaze fell on her mother's white knuckles grasping the edge of the table. She put André's spoon down and reached out to pat her mother's hand.
Rukia flinched, momentarily forgetting she was with her children. She looked around before her gaze fell on Hisana. She gave the raven-haired child a reassuring smile and nodded, mouthing "I'm fine".
She returned her attention to the phone, thinking of the best way to go about this. She didn't want to go into details about the matter right then, but she didn't want to leave Momo in the dark either. She decided to be vague about why he wasn't coming with them. She cleared her throat, feeling sick to her stomach. "Gerard isn't coming," she said finally. Her voice was a strained whisper now. She was amazed she could even speak. All she could feel was hurt and disappointment when Gerard was mentioned.
"What? Why?" asked Momo curiously.
Rukia didn't trust herself to speak anymore. She opened her mouth and closed it several times, unable to phrase her thoughts. She felt something tug on her sleeve. She glanced down at Hisana again. She gave her a questioning look, tilting her head to the side.
"Mama? Can I talk to Tata Momo now?" she asked softly.
Rukia silently thanked God for giving Hisana a sense of tact. She nodded, returning to the phone. "Umm, Momo? I'll explain later. Hisana wants to talk to you."
Momo sensed discomfort in Rukia's voice, but she didn't press on, knowing that she would be told in time. She made sure to try take away some of the tension by smiling as she spoke. "Oh sure! Bye for now."
"Bye," Rukia said quietly, handing the phone to Hisana.
Hisana happily took te phone from Rukia. "Bonjour, Tata Momo!"
Rukia stared straight ahead, not able to say anything. She replayed the moment she heard Gerard's name in her mind. Where had those emotions come from?
'The good for nothing bastard cheated on me for seven months!'
She felt something clench at her heart again. This time, tears stung her eyes. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep them from spilling. She hastily rubbed her eyes and let her shoulders go slack right after. She clasped her hands together, glancing at the diamond ring that still adorned her finger. She took hold of the ring, as if she was going to pull it off. She dropped her hand to her lap when she felt her stomach sink. She let out a puff of air, shutting her eyes.
She was still in love with Gerard.
"Kisuke Urahara!" shouted Yoruichi. "I told you not to harass Ichigo!"
She had walked into the kitchen, ready to deliver more pastries and tea to the customers when she saw Ichigo towering over Urahara with his fists balled up, a murderous glare on his face. She tossed the soiled plates into the soapy water, racing toward a fuming Ichigo and a sheepish Urahara. She gave Urahara an exasperated look before attempting to pull Ichigo off of him.
Ichigo's hazel eyes held a violent fire and he clenched his teeth tightly, his anger roaring in his ears. His fists remained clenched, ready to swing. He reluctantly backed away. When he did, he rounded on Yoruichi, surprising her. His eyes narrowed at her and he jerked his head toward the blonde standing behind him.
"You said you'd get Sandal-Hat to lay off!" he hissed.
Yoruichi looked past the ginger, glaring at Urahara, who still had a sheepish smile on his face. She narrowed her golden eyes at his smile, turning back to Ichigo. She mentally shook her head. She told Urahara time after time that some people didn't like to laugh and joke around when they were angry, but he never seemed to listen to her. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling irritated, as if she had been the one who was teased instead of Ichigo.
"I did," she said coldly.
Urahara held his hands up under the violet haired woman's glare. He just didn't understand what the big deal was. He was only trying to lighten up the mood like he usually did. He mentally shook his head as well. 'Alright. In the past, making a joke showed you had a sense of humor. In the present, making a joke makes you a insensitive bloke. Got it.' "I didn't say anything," he said slowly.
Ichigo whirled around, remembering his anger toward the blonde. "Asking how many girls hit on me today does not count as nothing!" he shouted.
Yoruichi resisted the urge to facepalm herself. She knew the "girls hitting on Ichigo" situation was driving the ginger mad and she was always careful to not mention it-so often. But Urahara, however, lacked that sense of tact. Or rather he needed one. She turned to Urahara, sighing in relief when she saw he wasn't smiling anymore. She hesitated for a moment, coughing into her elbow softly. When she looked up, she made sure she was giving off an intimidating aura. "You and I will have a talk at home," she said pointing at him.
Urahara mentally panicked when she turned around to face Ichigo. Yoruichi was a notorious sadist. He shook his head, blaming the entire ordeal on Ichigo's inability to take a joke.
Yoruichi turned to Ichigo. Her face fell when she saw him. He looked about ten to fifteen years older than he really was. His eyes were dull and glassy. He had his signature scowl on his face, but it was a rather half-hearted one. As if it was forced.
"Ichigo, take the day off," said Yoruichi finally. "You don't look as if you can take working the rest of the day."
The ginger stared at her, his scowl still present on his face. He seemed to want to challenge her. She took note of how his fists were still balled up. Her golden eyes flicked back up to his hazel ones. He looked determined to prove her wrong. After a few minutes, he slowly unclenched his hands and sighed, shutting his eyes.
"Yeah…Maybe a day off is what I need," he admitted.
Urahara stepped forward, extending his hand. He looked at Ichigo expectantly, clearing his throat.
"The hell do you want?" spat Ichigo, staring at his outstretched hand. He was genuinely confused. What on Earth was he trying to do?
Urahara sighed, his eyes glazing over. He snapped his fingers impatiently. "Your notepad, Ichigo. No sense on taking home with you."
"Oh…here," he said pulling it out of his front pocket. He placed it in Urahara's open palm and looked away in discomfort. He shifted his weight on his right side before exhaling slowly. He looked up at Yoruichi and Urahara, giving them a small and fake smile. "I'll be going now."
He turned around to the exit when he felt Yoruichi's hand on his shoulder. At once, he kicked himself for giving them a fake smile. They had always been able to tell what his true emotions were without any effort. He blew out all the air in his lungs and dropped his gaze to his feet, waiting for Yoruichi to speak.
"Ichigo…" she said softly. "Hiding what you're feeling isn't always a good things. It's never a good thing, but people feel the need to do so anyway. I guess what I'm saying is that it wouldn't hurt to act like yourself."
He stood still for a moment, taking her words in. He thought about it for a minute. He didn't always scowl or give fake smiles. He genuinely smiled once in a while. He wasn't a cynical person. When he thought of cynical people, his younger sister, Karin, came to mind. He immediately pushed the thought out of his mind, not wanting to open that can of worms. He returned to a world where he could be himself. He looked straight ahead when he couldn't picture one. At least, one where he was truly happy.
"Thanks, Yoruichi," he said softly, walking out of the kitchen. He fished his keys out of his pocket and slowly walked toward his car. He slipped his keys into the lock and later the ignition. He slid into the driver's seat and sat there for a moment. His eyes weren't focused on anything in particular, but his mind was. He thought back to Urahara's comment about the different girls who had hit on him at his job. Nearly all of them were either not his type, too young for him or both. There was no middle-ground. He wasn't the most lovey-dovey person out there, but he couldn't deny that he had wanted to settle down with a woman he truly loved and someday have a family.
There it was again. Family. He kept thinking about family. When he remembered the family he had left back in Japan, he quickly started the car and stepped on it. As he drove down the streets of Paris, he tried to focus on what was in front of him as hard as he could. He needed a distraction. He needed to forget about his past and have it stop haunting him.
We finally have a chapter with both Ichigo and Rukia in it, even if they haven't met yet. Read and review! Constructive criticism is always welcome. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a manageable Black Friday!