Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Odalisque ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

 

 

 

Odalisque

 

Chapter 9

 

“Are you sure you're ready?” Rukia asked for the thirteenth time.

 

Momo, whose face was a tad bit green, nodded her head.

 

Rukia's eyes narrowed and she thumped both hands onto Momo's shoulders. Her face was now a sickening shade of puce. It stood out horribly against her pink lipstick and her finely muted eye shadow. Rukia shook her friend violently until Momo brought her frightened eyes up to hers.

 

“Momo,” Sergeant Rukia Kuchiki began, her voice was stern and sturdy, just what her friend needed right now. “Do you love Toshiro?” She made sure to enunciate each word until the question was rammed into Momo's brain.

 

She nodded shakily.

 

“Vocalize.” Rukia demanded.

 

“Y-Yes,” she squeaked.

 

“Louder!”

 

Momo bit her bottom lip and her face became so earnest and sweet that Rukia almost had the desire to pinch her cheek. She balled her hands into tiny fists of determination and straightened her spine until she stood more than a few inches taller than Rukia.

 

“I love Toshiro Hitsugaya!” She cried to the otherwise empty room. “I love him! I do!”

 

She gasped hard and clapped her hands over her mouth. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She looked horrified.

 

“What?” Rukia demanded, not liking being left out of the loop, “What is it? What's wrong?”

 

Momo shook her head back and forth, her hair, which was down in wavy torrents for tonight, swished around her shoulders. She pried her hands away from her mouth and pressed them to her throbbing heart underneath her dress. She drew in frantic, steadying breaths, and turned to Rukia. Suddenly, a huge grin appeared on her face, Rukia was shocked, Momo was a very happy person normally but now… God, since when did she have that many teeth?

 

“Momo…?” She began slowly, not sure if she should be happy or afraid.

 

“Rukia,” she breathed, that fantastically large smile still plastered on her face, she lurched forward and grabbed Rukia's small hands. She began to laugh wildly while jumping up and down until Rukia was sure that looking at her friend would make her stomach flip dangerously. “Rukia!” She shouted, “I said `I do!'” She let out a wild laugh and released Rukia. She began to twirl around the room in her heels, “I said `I do!' I said it! I said it!”

 

Rukia's face immediately melted into a knowing smile. She grinned as she watched her friend prance around her living room in ecstasy, screaming `I do!' at the top of her lungs.

 

Momo had rushed over Rukia's—thirty minutes before Toshiro was supposed to pick her up—in panicked desperation. She was, once again, freaking out about the possible proposal tonight. Rukia had to be the one to call Toshiro and ask him to come over to her apartment in order to pick up Momo. She made up some story about borrowing one of Momo's favorite rosy-peach lipsticks and her needing to have it for tonight. Now he was due in only about ten minutes.

 

Rukia's grin widened as Momo began singing the words `I do.' She leapt into the air and gracefully swirled again and again. Rukia could guess that Momo was already picturing herself dancing at her wedding.

 

She's so happy, she thought contentedly.

 

“Rukia!” She cried as she skipped over to the stoic woman in the corner of the room, “Oh Rukia, thank you! It's so easy now! I love him, I do! It's so fantastic, oh, I do I do I do I do I do!” She gasped and laughed.

 

Rukia laughed with her for what seemed like ages. Momo was like that. Whenever she was happy, everyone was happy with her. She just had that kind of magnetic personality. Hell, it was that happiness and that personality which had helped Rukia through some of her darkest times…

 

Not now, she told herself, don't even think about it. This is Momo's time.

 

“Come on,” she chuckled, “Your future husband is going to be here in about five minutes.”

 

Momo leapt into the bathroom to reapply her lipstick and her makeup. She came out within a minute. She looked flawless and gorgeous. Her cheeks were no longer pale with fear, her eyes were no longer filled with uncertainty, and her arms were no longer clutching her nervous stomach. Her face was rosy and beautiful, her eyes were excited and confident, and her stomach was tight with insanely fluttering butterflies.

 

“I'm ready,” she said with finality.

 

Rukia nodded in approval, “Good. Now we just have to wait for—”

 

She was interrupted by a quick knock on the door. Rukia turned and glanced at it with a small smile. She peeked at Momo and was actually surprised to see that she had not returned to her nervous-breakdown state and appearance. “Are you ready?” She asked her quietly.

 

Momo's confident nod was enough to send Rukia quickly across the room. She grasped the doorknob and opened it slowly.

 

Toshiro Hitsugaya, the love of Momo's life, was waiting just on the other side of the threshold. He was dressed in a suit with a cool blue tie set in the center to complement his icy eyes. His face was young and earnest but there was so much intelligence hidden in the depths of his gaze that Rukia had to smile. Toshiro was a year younger than Momo—and Rukia—yet he was in a position in the Gotei Corp. that was higher than both of them. Toshiro was born a prodigy; he had an IQ that practically blew up those charts with which they evaluated him. He had finished college and graduate school and had acquired an additional PhD by the age of twenty. Now he worked as an up-and-coming CEO for Gotei Corp.

 

“Hello Toshiro,” Rukia said, smiling. Her eyes trailed up from his face and eyes to the shock of white hair that graced the top of his head. Rukia had always teased him that it was fitting that an Einstein such as he would have the same hairstyle. He hadn't taken too kindly to that, but then again, it was, in a roundabout way, a kind of compliment.

 

“Hello Rukia,” he said anxiously, he stood on his tiptoes and glanced over Rukia's shoulder. “Is Momo ready?” His voice was just squeaky enough to convince Rukia that he was nervous as hell.

 

Rukia's grin was slick and she inched one eyebrow up, “Yes she is.” She paused and held the door back a bit. “Are you?”

 

Toshiro passed her a glance that was a mix of fear and happiness. Rukia returned it with her own knowing smile. He nodded solidly and swallowed hard, “Yes, I'm… ready.”

 

“Good,” Rukia said, she stepped aside and opened the door even wider. “Here she is.”

 

The look on Toshiro's face when he saw Momo Hinamori made Rukia wish she had a camera in her hands. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped open slightly, and a torrential blush colored his entire face, all the way to the roots of his hair, the back of his neck, and the tips of his ears. Rukia's eyes slipped down to his hands and she noticed that one of them was fisted inside of his jacket, as if he was holding something tightly inside of his fingers. Rukia felt a bubble of happiness form inside of her stomach. Her best friend was getting engaged tonight.

 

She was happy for her.

 

I wonder if she'll make me wear a hideous bridesmaids dress. She mused lightly.

 

“Hi Shiro,” Momo whispered softly, abridging her boyfriend's given name into the cute pet name she had given him.

 

“Momo…” he breathed, sucking air into his lungs faster and faster until Rukia wondered if she needed to get him a brown paper bag. “You look… f-fan-tastic.” His voice squeaked at the end and he reached up to loosen his tie from his fanatically red neck.

 

“Thanks,” she murmured shyly. She even toed the ground with her stiletto heel like a third grade schoolgirl.

 

They must have stood there for at least three full minutes before Rukia threw her hands in the air, pushed Momo towards Toshiro, and told them they'd miss their reservations if they didn't get moving soon. The two left her apartment hand in hand, shyly glancing at each other and then away. Rukia felt like she was watching them go off on their first date… again.

 

Rukia could remember that night clearly as well. Momo had been so nervous about going out with someone she might actually become serious with that she had darted over to Rukia's house, begged for tips that would make her seem smart and serious, and had made Rukia call Toshiro to tell him of her sudden change-of-address.

 

The twosome had acted just as awkward then as they did now. It was cute… kind of. At least, it had been cute a few months ago, now it was just kind of sickening.

 

Rukia shut the door when she heard the sound of the elevator ding softly. A smile still lingered on her face as she moved to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of wine. She poured herself a small glass and thought of the excited call she would get later tonight.

 

Momo would be in tears, of course. She would call Rukia and sob into the phone about how happy she was. She would promise to come over first thing in the morning and show her the gorgeous ring—Rukia was sure that Toshiro had good taste, if his own clothing choices were any indication—then she would begin to immediately talk about the wedding she would plan.

 

Yes… Rukia thought slowly. She sipped her drink slowly and let the fruity taste wash around in her mouth before she swallowed. The wedding.

 

Momo would probably insist on a winter wedding. She wouldn't care if it was too cold. Winter was Toshiro's favorite time of year and she would want to make him happy. She could already picture her friend going on about wedding dresses, bridesmaid's dresses, cakes, and everything else that would be needed for her perfect day.

 

Yes, Momo would be getting married soon.

 

What will happen to me?

 

The thought appeared and was shot down so quickly inside of Rukia's head she was surprised that she had thought it at all. It was stupid, it was cold, and above all else it was horridly selfish. She needed to be glad for Momo no matter what the circumstances. She couldn't start worrying about herself.

 

It was just rude.

 

But… the panic was settling into her stomach anyway, and it was doing it ever so slowly. Now that the idea had popped into her head there was no getting rid of it. Rukia took another fortifying drink. She needed to think this out carefully.

 

Would she and Momo still go out on their Sunday morning runs? Would Momo be able to stay with her at the office? When the couple had kids would she become Auntie Rukia? Would Momo stay her secretary? Would she still be there to give Rukia those inspirations kitten-hanging-from-a-rope-poster speeches?

 

Rukia sighed heavily and sank into her couch. She flipped on the television and mindlessly scanned the channels. Now she couldn't just go out to dinner with Momo… it would have to be Momo and Toshiro. She wrinkled her nose when she realized that she'd have to buy her friend a new secretarial plaque that read `Momo Hitsugaya.'

 

It could be her wedding gift.

 

“Although she won't have to get new monogrammed towels,” she thought aloud. Her fingers had chosen a fishing channel and she changed it immediately.

 

She liked Toshiro. She really did. She just had to remind herself of the fact. She was sure that he wouldn't mind going places with her and Momo. Or maybe he loved her so much that he'd spare her for a night or two. Girlfriend needed to stick together… right?

 

“But how will we swing those Sunday runs when Momo's pregnant?” Rukia mused. She could barely imagine her best friend having a kid. Their runs would slowly become jogs, then walks, and then they'd just be sitting on a park bench because her ankles were too swollen.

 

Then… then the baby. Rukia shuddered at the thought of it all… breathing exercises, pain, drugs, screaming, strange men putting there fingers where they shouldn't—at least, not outside of sex—more pain, more drugs, more screaming, and then the squishy, wailing, byproduct of one night without a condom.

 

Well, unless it was actually planned.

 

She shook her head. Rukia didn't even know if she would be physically able to have a kid. She was just very… petit. She wasn't sure if her body could handle it.

 

“I probably could,” Rukia sniffed at the thought, “I can handle anything.”

 

Rukia changed the channel on the television in an attempt to stop thinking about marriage and children. She came upon a crime show she had seen a few times before. She tossed the remote onto the couch cushion across from her and tried to focus on the show.

 

She really did like her life. It was just… with Momo getting married and all, she was starting a whole new chapter in her life and Rukia, well… she wasn't.

 

It wasn't like she didn't want someone to have… sooner or later. With later being the preferable choice. She'd like to think that someday she'd be able to come home and find rose petals scattered around the floor of her apartment, or maybe come home from a long day and see an actual edible dinner on the table, or even be able to have sex with someone whenever she pleased and not feel dirty about it. That would be a huge improvement over her sex life right now, which consisted of only a vibrator and occasionally her own fingers.

 

She sighed and wondered if she should use it tonight, the vibrator, that is; she hadn't in a while and she didn't want the damn thing to get rusty. Besides, she had been so uptight these last few days what with working with Kurosaki and the merger going on. Maybe an orgasm was just what she needed to relieve all this pent-up stress. She shook her head and stretched her arms over head. She needed to stay up at least until ten. By then Momo would have a ring on her finger. By then she would get an excited and teary call. Maybe afterwards.

 

She turned off the television and thought of what she could do. There was work, there was the occasional trashy novel, or she could try and make some sort of food that would be able to be reheated several times throughout the week.

 

Or… she could…

 

The dating service.

 

Rukia glanced warily over at her computer and thought of what she might be getting herself into. In one side of this she had disappointment, rejection, false hope, and humiliation. But, if she weighed her options properly, on the other side of the spectrum she also had… well, she had sex. She didn't really want anything other than that.

 

Right?

 

She sighed heavily and pressed a hand to her forehead. Why was she going through all this shit then if all she had to do was go to some random bar and pick up a guy who didn't have hair plugs, multiple piercings, or far too many tattoos? Oh yeah… Momo had told her that she wanted Rukia to get into a meaningful relationship. Something similar to what she and Toshiro had together.

 

“Romance is overrated.” Rukia muttered scornfully. Although not a moment later she found herself dragging her laptop computer from her small desk, bringing it to the couch, and pulling up the dating website. She had only finished the questions—all hellishly agonizing two hundred ninety seven of them—on Tuesday and tonight was only Friday. By what she had read about this site it used some kind of algorithm to do all the matching, and that took time. Considering how obstinate she had been in her answers she wouldn't be surprised it she was either rejected or had no matches.

 

Rejection this early in the game? She thought weakly, smiling at the irony of it all. That would be something… and I doubt that Momo would make me sign up for another one; she'll be too busy figuring out her own wedding to care about me.

 

For some reason that thought depressed her. She shook her head and checked her profile. She saw that they hadn't finished `processing' her yet.

 

“Lovely,” she muttered sourly.

 

So, to pass the time, she pulled up a few files and began to type up the progress report that Ukitake would be expecting from her in a week or so. She patiently waited with the portable phone sitting directly beside her. She made it through another glass of wine before, at quarter to ten on the dot, the phone rang.

 

Rukia considered teasing Momo and making her wait a few rings but decided against it. She picked up the receiver and pressed the talk button.

 

“Hello?”

 

“I'm getting married!”

 

Rukia smiled.

 

*~*~*

 

“Oh Rukia, it was so perfect!”

 

Momo skipped happily beside Rukia. She was bouncing in complete ecstasy while she recounted—for the fourth time—exactly what Toshiro had done. She whirled around on the path and sighed dreamily. She only stopped when she began walking backwards right in front of Rukia. She reached forward, grabbed her hands, and began to squeal once again.

 

“He was shaking so hard that his fork was banging against the plate! The waiter, who must have been new or something, asked him if he was cold!” She laughed out loud and skipped even higher. “Right after dessert we were having champagne and he nearly choked on it. I can't believe how calm I was throughout the entire evening. I just kept on thinking, `I do, I do, I do' and it was easy!”

 

Rukia shook her head at the silliness of it all and pulled out the three dollars for their water bottles. She passed it to the vendor while Momo continued dancing in the park. He passed Rukia the bottles and looked warily out at the sprightly young woman humming to herself.

 

Rukia jerked her thumb back at her friend. “She just got engaged.” She muttered and the water-vendor nodded in understanding.

 

“And then, and then, oh Rukia,” Momo squealed, “He leaned across the table, took my hand—” she mimicked the action by putting herself in Toshiro's place and making Rukia her character, “And he said: `Momo, I love you.' It was so simple but it wasn't like there was anything else that I needed him to say. I mean, I love him and he loves me and we're going to be so happy together. But I'm getting ahead of myself. So! Then he took the box from his pocket and he pulled out the most gorgeous ring.” She drew up her own hand and sighed happily at the glittering diamond on her finger. “And he asked me if I would marry him.”

 

“Just like you knew he would,” Rukia agreed, handing her a bottle.

 

“Oh Rukia,” she sniffed, “It was so perfect.”

 

“I'm glad,” Rukia said, growing slightly tired of hearing Momo recount the story of her proposal… again and again and again and again. “But can we choose, um, another topic?”

 

Her friend turned and gave her a horrified look. “B-but Rukia!”

 

She swallowed some of her water and shook her head, “Not that I don't care or anything, it's just… you've told me the same story four times now.”

 

Momo looked crestfallen.

 

Rukia could barely contain the guilt that whooshed into her stomach at the sight of her friend's face. She awkwardly scratched the back of her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Well, um, I guess you could tell it again… if you wanted to.”

 

“Really?” She shrieked and Rukia winced.

 

*~*~*

 

“Ichigo! Come on, you're so slow!”

 

Ichigo Kurosaki grunted under the weight of the picnic basket and blanket he was carrying. “I'm trying Yuzu, but this thing is freaking heavy. What the hell did you pack in this fucking thing?”

 

A sharp shot of pain ricocheted down his leg as his father slammed him in the shin. “Don't you dare curse in front of your sisters!” He shouted hysterically. He rushed up to his youngest daughter's body and placed his hands over her ears. “You could damage poor Yuzu's innocence!”

 

“Dad!” She cried, shooing him away, “Please, I've heard cursing before.” She blushed prettily and continued walking.

 

“That may be true,” he sniffled, “But that doesn't mean I can't protect you from more of those foul words, especially if they're uttered by your own idiot brother.” He shot Ichigo a devilish glare and tried to punch him in the face.

 

Ichigo blocked it effortlessly and shot a dirty look at his other sister. “I thought you were slipping him mood modifiers.”

 

Karin, the eldest twin, rolled her sarcastic eyes and continued walking along the path. “I did. I even gave him a double dose this morning.” Was her short reply and Ichigo groaned. Great, even on modifiers his dad was a psychotic lunatic.

 

“Well remember to quadruple it next time I'm in the area.” He growled, eyeing his father as he skipped—literally skipped—around the park to their normal picnic spot.

 

Kurosaki Family Picnic Day had begun.

 

Every Sunday, Ichigo, his twin sisters, Karin and Yuzu, and their father, Isshin, met at the large park in the heart of Karakura. They brought a picnic basket, which was always generously stuffed by Yuzu with tasty morsels normally eaten at a brunch, and a blanket. Both of which Ichigo was forever forced to carry. Each member of the family took a separate corner of the blanket and together, they ate, they talked about their week, their studies, work, and anything else that they wanted discuss.

 

Normally, they stayed for about an hour or so; Isshin would people-watch and try to pick out women for his son, Ichigo would fend him off and attempt to pay attention to his sisters instead, Yuzu would tell them about the restaurant and the new dishes she was learning, and Karin would inform them of her collegiate soccer team and the classes she was taking.

 

All in all, it was just their family time, and while Ichigo did loathe being around his father—most of the time—he enjoyed time away from the things in life that normally made him crazy, basically work and women. He never spoke of the two W's whenever he was with his family.

 

Even if it killed him.

 

They reached the top of a hill which overlooked a large portion of the jogging path, a small vending cart, and a large, grassy area filled with people. A few weeks ago the spot that they usually used had been overtaken by enthusiastic bird-watching tourists so they had been forced to move. This new spot was even better than the old one. It was sunnier and a nice breeze was constantly fluffing over their heads. Isshin had, in a dramatic move, decided to initiate this as the current Kurosaki Family Picnic Area.

 

Ichigo set the blanket on the fluttering grass and Karin automatically came up to smooth down the edges. She sat on her corner while Yuzu took the basket from her brother and placed it in the very center. Ichigo plopped down on the side that allowed him to overlook a vast expanse of the park. He noticed couples running, children with Frisbees, and tiny dogs yipping at the heels of their elderly, yet Botox-ed, owners.

 

“Scone, Ichigo? It's still warm,” Yuzu giggled, offering him the delicious pastry wrapped in a napkin.

 

“Thanks,” he said taking the buttery treat from her and biting into it. He sighed softly, Yuzu's cooking was phenomenal; the warmth of this scone had barely anything to do with its deliciousness. He practically swallowed his first and was diligently handed another by his sister.

 

“So Yuzu,” he began, still watching the general comings-and-goings of the park. “How are things going?”

 

“Oh,” she said breezily, “Just fine really, nothing new.” She reached into the basket and pulled out tiny breakfast sandwiches and several plastic bottles filled with freshly squeezed juice.

 

While Yuzu busied herself with the basket and Isshin chased after a rogue Frisbee, Ichigo turned to his other sister, “What about you Karin?”

 

“Same as always.” She replied as if she were bored out of skull.

 

Ichigo rolled his eyes and looked away. “You two are great conversationalists.”

 

“Sorry, Ichi-nii,” Yuzu said, using her special pet name for her beloved brother, “It's just… well, those Frisbee kids look awfully mad at Dad.”

 

“Don't worry about him,” he muttered, “He'll come back with a bruise, nothing more than that.”

 

Fifteen minutes later, with a puffy blue bruise forming around his left eye, Isshin Kurosaki sat down on his corner of the blanket and dug into the basket, pouting slightly.

 

The conversation flowed easily after that. Their dad kept them entertained with stories from the family clinic. Isshin Kurosaki was the owner and primary physician of the Kurosaki Clinic, a small office that sat on the calm outskirts of Karakura and helped many local families with their medical issues. He had opened that clinic, with his wife Masaki, before Ichigo had even been born. It was almost like his fourth child. He always spent time there, treating patients, writing prescriptions, and fueling the town gossip mill.

 

Ichigo told them about his new job and gave a brief blurb about his new partner. Thankfully, his father didn't pick up on the whole `I'm-working-with-a-woman' thing or else his father would have gone into a rant about marriage and then that would have veered off into a completely different discussion centered around Ichigo's mother, Isshin's late wife.

 

Ichigo didn't want his dad going into that many hysterics so they simply sat, ate, and tried to pry conversation from the people around them. Well, kind of, Yuzu and his father were always talkative; it was he and Karin who only spoke when asked direct questions.

 

So, while his father was begging Karin to try and open up to him a bit more Ichigo's eyes continued scanning the park.

 

His gaze was caught on something almost immediately. Or, it was more like caught on someone. He leaned forward a bit and squinted to make sure he wasn't being fooled by the early summer sun already blaring down at ten thirty in the morning. Yes, there was no question about it. It was her.

 

The asphalt twinkled under her feet as she stood stiffly by the vendor he had seen earlier. He watched her dig into a tiny pocket in her shorts and pull out a few dollars. She passed them to the vendor as another woman skittered about, constantly jumping up and down, swooning, and twirling. The man gave her two bottles of water and she tried to pass one to her friend but she seemed to be doing something else… reenacting a play? Was that what she was doing?

 

But there was no question. Rukia Kuchiki was standing about one hundred feet away from him at this very moment.

 

For a minute, Ichigo realized that this was probably the first time he had ever been able to look at her without her knowing about it. Any other time she'd think he was sizing her up or possibly checking her out; he never did either—she wasn't that cute—but she would always snap at him nonetheless.

 

He watched her walk a bit with her hyperactive friend and wished he could see her face better. In the brief time that he had know her she didn't seem like the kind of person who would even stand to be around tomfoolery. But there she was, being around someone who looked exceedingly foolish. Even the dog-walkers were giving the pair funny looks.

 

His eyes zeroed in on his new business partner. She did look rather… athletic dressed like that. And she was certainly exposing more skin than he ever thought she would be comfortable with. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he pictured her as a long sleeve and long pants kind of gal through all kinds of weather. But no, here she had donned a pair of tiny running shorts, expensive sneakers, and a baggy-but-not-too-baggy kind of shirt. Her hair was still up in a ponytail and she looked like she was ready to run an entire marathon. He snorted, he bet she did run marathons… for fun.

 

“Ichigo!”

 

He whipped his head around to his father. Panic settled in the pit of his stomach when he noticed the sly, sleek, look in his father's eye. Isshin began to turn his head like he was playing a part in some sort of horror movie starring reanimated demonic dolls, he certainly had the face for it. Ichigo tried to keep a calm expression while his parental unit inclined his head to the vendor. He prayed that Isshin only thought he was looking at the vendor and not the women in front of it. And he most certainly did not want him to see Rukia. If he saw Rukia then he would begin something resembling the Spanish Inquisition on Ichigo—only worse. How did he know her, what's her sign, have they gone out—ew—and when could he expect grandkids?

 

He did not want his dad to go into a rant about him marrying Rukia Kuchiki, or even going as far as him having relations with her. That was just somewhere his brain did not want to go… ever.

 

He held his breath while his dads coal black eyes squinted into the distance and began sweeping back and forth along the path Ichigo had just been staring at. Ichigo studied his father's expression and grinned with triumph when he noted the confused and suspicious expression tracing his face.

 

“Looking for something Dad?” He asked in a voice that was far too innocent for his normal demeanor. He took a bite out of another scone and washed it down with a glass of juice.

 

“I thought I saw you staring at something son,” he muttered, catching Karin and Yuzu's attention. “Which probably meant that you were looking at a woman… although I do not see one anywhere.”

 

Thank God, he thought acidly, she went away. Or my Dad thinks she's one of those random teenagers hanging around. She sure is tiny enough to fit the profile.

 

He glanced back at the vendor and noticed that Rukia and her friend had disappeared. “I was just looking at that cart over there.” He said nonchalantly. “Not everywhere I look happens to be at a woman.”

 

“Maybe not every time but most of the time.” Karin snickered.

 

“Hey now,” Ichigo shot back defensively. “Don't even go there Karin.”

 

“Why not?” She snorted, “Face it Ichi-nii, you've got more web pages and blogs dedicated to you than Winston Churchill.”

 

Ichigo's eyes widened, “You Googled me?” He turned his head away in disbelief and rolled his eyes arrogantly. “Come on Karin, you should know better than that.”

 

“Ichigo!” Isshin cried, “How dare you act like that! In front of your sisters no less.”

 

He shrugged and turned back to the vendor, wondering if he would be able to grab another glimpse of Rukia and her overexcited friends. He thought he caught sight of her near the edge of the trees once again but he couldn't be sure. He knew that his father was staring in the same direction as he, searching for the woman he was sure his son was looking at.

 

He grinned softly and pulled out another scone. Karin teased him about getting fat but he ignored her. His mind was drifting off into another place. In the background he listened to the chattering of his family and sighed when a cool breeze wafted across his skin.

 

When noon rolled around Yuzu began packing up the basket—which was now emptied thanks to her family's perilously bottomless stomachs—and folded the blanket. She and Karin went with Isshin so that he could drop them off to their respective lodgings and Ichigo walked through the park to the lot at the other side. His Benz waited, shining like a star among countless other generic cars and mini vans. When he clicked the beeper and the doors unlocked he saw some envious stares coming his way; they weren't only from the tired-looking dads of several toddlers but also from the new-and-rumpled mothers who were carefully looking out for their kids, in case one of them—God forbid—fell and got a scrape.

 

He smirked selfishly when he got into his car. He even took a moment to listen to the delicate purr of the engine as he turned the key in its slot. Oh he loved that sound. It was like sex to his ears.

 

He pulled out of the parking lot and saw several heads following him. He had to be careful and vigilant though, there were always people out there who would try to trick him into an accident just because they thought he could dish out a couple thousand dollars for the repairs and for `whiplash.'

 

He kept driving until he reached his apartment. He pulled the Benz into the underground lot and got out with a sigh and a slight stretch of his legs. He beeped his baby shut and grinned when he stepped into the elevator. He normally bypassed the doorman since he had an exclusive key to the underground lot. He waited calmly in the elevator while it sped upwards.

 

Once he was inside of his apartment he tossed his keys onto the counter and went immediately to his refrigerator. He yanked out a beer, glanced at the time, figured he wasn't planning to go anywhere today, and peeled off the top. Besides, even if he did go out tonight he could just take the metro.

 

He unfolded himself on the couch and flipped the television on. He wasn't in much of a mood to do anything incredibly strenuous today. His family had practically zapped the life out of him this morning. Not to mention there was also that brunette who had kept him busy last night.

 

All in all, Ichigo Kurosaki needed rest. Good rest, especially if he was going to deal with a certain woman all tomorrow. He nestled into the couch and placed his beer near the side of the coffee table in front of him. He closed his eyes softly and tried to snooze.

 

For some odd reason, an image of Rukia Kuchiki in running shorts passed blithely over his mind moments before he fell asleep.

 

 

 

 

(A/N: And now we see Ichigo's charming family. I'm not too sure about writing Isshin, he's a bit eccentric for me, but that just makes him more endearing.

 

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Remember, if you don't like my story then it wasn't written for you.

 

To my fans and friends on mediaminer, I am so sorry if I have not reviewed for your stories or replied to your reviews. For some reason, my mediaminer page is stuck on how it appeared on July 15th. Even my own stories won't really show up. I'm trying to figure out what's wrong but I'm no technophile. If anyone knows how I can access the current mediaminer page successfully I'd be ever so thankful. And I've already deleted cookies, cleared my history, used the search bar, typed in the web address, used different search engines and it's still the same. It just won't work! :( I've cried, trust me.

 

Anyway…

 

REVIEW, REVIEW, AND REVIEW!!!)