The blades of the windmill that turn in the sky
Always have the same dream
The dream of a bird, her wish kept to herself,
Gazing at the place she can't reach
I look back: the sun-baked railway tracks are hidden
By storm clouds- even if they change their shape,
May we always remember
The yesterdays left behind by the seasons...
Tori no Uta(The Bird's Song) From the anime AIR
Blood Relatives
[Ichigo's home; Friday, June 15 6:39 AM]
"And that's what happened!"
"Oh... Shit... shit, shit, shit..." Ichigo cursed, pacing back and forth. It was Kaitou all over again.
"Is that all you can say?" Senna asked dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what, you little witch? Here." He said angrily, tossing Senna a whisky bottle. "Why did you give this to me?" She asked, holding the bottle up, eyebrows raised. "Because I'm hoping you'll pass out." Ichigo said, sitting down tiredly, slumping in his seat.
"Crap..." He muttered darkly. "Tell me exactly what happened, Senna."
"Okay..." The normally hyper girl said uneasily, sitting up straight. "Rose... she gave me a drink, told me it was from some guy. I asked which one, and she pointed to a reallycute guy with tealish-colored hair. I walked over, and introduced myself. We got to talking a little, then I blacked out."
Ichigo raised a brow. "Just like that?"
Senna nodded. "Just like that. And before you start, all I had to drink was a couple shots of sake, and the glass of wine, I swear!"
"Then maybe he drugged you." Ichigo said reasonably. Senna shook her head. "No... That's not possible. I held on to my drink the entire time." Ichigo looked at Senna sympathetically. "Then maybe Rose..." Senna shook her head wildly, refusing to believe Rose did it. "No! She would never do that!"
"Sen, she was the only one who had the drink. She had to have."
Senna sighed, accepting defeat.
"We'll ask her tomorrow." Ichigo said finally.
[Saturday, June 16, 10:39 AM]
"I hate Tuesdays..." Rukia mumbled. Tatsuki raised a brow. "It's Saturday, Ru."
Rukia sighed. "I know. I just felt like saying that." Momo looked up from her Allure magazine. "Well, aren't you just a bucket of sunshine!" She said sarcastically, with a fake smile. Rukia smirked to herself, looked down and continued to 'read' her book. "Hey guys?" She said suddenly, a few minutes later.
Tatsuki and Momo looked up. Inoue was at Ishida's, trying to make thier last week together special.
"Yeah, Rukia?" Tatsuki asked her friend, a quizzical look on her face. "What's wrong?"
"I've been thinking about it ever since Ichigo told me about my past..." Tatsuki scowled. Note to self: Kill that orange-haired bastard later.The voice echoed in her mind, and the Arisawa smirked to herself. Rukia continued. "I want to visit them. I want to say goodbye to Byakuya, Mitsuki, and Hisana."
Momo choked on her tea.
Tatsuki, however, knew this would happen sooner or later. She sighed.
"Okay."
[Kaze Bar & Restaurant; 11:00 AM]
"Oi, Oyasumi!" Ichigo shouted at the waitress.
The blond girl jumped, startled, and turned slowly, nervously playing with her black apron that hung loosely around her hips. Her hair was in a loose ponytail, and she wore a pink and white tee-shirt, and dark-washed skinny jeans.
"Hey... Ichigo." She nodded at the teen. "S-Senna." She sounded guilty.
Why? Senna thought suspiciously, her mind whirring.
"Look," The blond waitress began suddenly, slowly. "I know why you're here. And let me just say; I didn't know anything." Senna and Ichigo looked at each other.
"About what, 'Sumi? I won't get mad, or feel betrayed, I promise you." Senna said calmly, taking her friends' hands.
Oyasumi took a deep breath. "I didn't know what was going on at first. One minute, Rose was standing next to me, watching you talk to that blue-haired guy, the next, she was helping him scrape your unconsious body off of the table... I asked her what was going on... But she didn't seem to hear me. I... can't remember what happened after that. I went to Hazuzuki-san, our boss, and asked him about Rose..." Her breath caught in her throat.
"...And...?" Ichigo urged.
"The strangest thing..." Oyasumi breathed, "He said he never met anybody named Rose, let alone had any employees who went by that name. I was really confused... Senna, what happened?" Oyasumi asked almost desperately, tilting her head to the side.
Senna didn't answer.
[Flashback; Ten years ago]
"My child, heed my words. The story I'm about to tell you is a very important one. It entails a long long journey undertaken by the parent and passed on to the child, continuing from generation to generation without end. We will pass on the memories of this planet, and bear witness to every phenomenon along the way, and pass them on until there are no more children. When the skies are clouded by hatred and wars, this planet will be overwhelmed, overwhelmed by its own grief and all will be lost. That end cannot be avoided. It is the way of all things. But, in the end... We must always be mindful of the memories we will pass on to the last child. May the child's memories be of nothing but happiness."
The voice was soft, and comforted the small eight-year old girl half-asleep in the speaker's arms.
"You taught me so much, my sweet little girl... You and Hisana both." The voice whispered, smiling into the girl, Rukia's, hair. Hisana, Rukia's sister, was asleep next to her mother.
"You, too, kaachan." Rukia giggled. This was one of the few times Rukia, Hisana and Hikaru could be together, with no sign of thier step family. "Kaachan?" Rukia said suddenly, but quietly, so she wouldn't wake her sister. "Yes, Rukia?" Hikaru responded, looking at her.
"Where... Where's otousan?" Hikaru stiffened.
Then, her eys softened. Rukia hadn't seen her real father since she was two. "He... He's gone, Rukia. He lives in another town." Rukia tilted her head to the side. "But... didn't he love me? Didn't he love us?" Damn, she was persistent.
Hikaru hugged her daughter tighter, rocking her back and forth in her arms. "Of course he did... does." She corrected quickly, "He loves you more than anything... Its me he doesn't love..." Tears slowly made there way down Hikaru's cheeks.
Rukia looked down. "Why?"
"Just because..."
[Present Day; Kazuri Cemetary, 11:49 AM]
Rukia stared blankly ahead, Hikaru's sobbing still ringing in her ears.
"Rukia!" Momo's voice snapped her out of her trance. "What?" Rukia said quickly, looking around. Tatsuki half-smiled. "We're here."
"Kazuri Cemetary..." Rukia breathed. "Its huge..."
Momo sighed, taking off her sunglasses, and breathing in the fresh ocean air. Kakura Beach was less than a mile away.
Yes. That Kakura Beach.
Momo smirked. "It has to be huge if you want to bury less than a thousand decaying bodies." Tatsuki gently punched her friends' shoulder. "Let's just go, okay?" She said, laughing a little as she grabbed Rukia's arm. "Come on, let's get a move on."
[Five minutes later]
"Here's our first stop," Tatsuki said, dragging Rukia up the hill. "Hisana, and your mother."
Rukia smiled slightly.
"You want us to leave you alone?" Momo asked.
Rukia shook her head. "Nah, but can we stay... For a little while?"
"Well, actually, I-" Tatsuki started, but was quickly silenced by Momo's foot on hers. "We'd love to stay." She said through clenched teeth.
Rukia smiled. "Thanks, guys."
[Twenty minutes Later]
The small group of three had just left Hisana and Hikaru's grave, and were now moving on to Byakuya's.
They left, but before they did, Momo noticed something on Hisana's tombstone.
It read,
Here lies Hisana Kusaka,
Beloved daughter of Hikaru and Roka Kusaka
And sister of Mitsuki, Byakuya, and Rukia Kuchiki.
January 12, 1992-February 23, 2004
Kusaka? The confused Hinamori thought, looking at Rukia.
Byakuya was buried next to a large sakura tree. Tatsuki said it was because Byakuya thought these types of trees were beautiful, and wanted to be buried in this section of Kazuri. Rukia smiled, trying to recollect somememories of her and her brother. Unfortunately, the only thing she could remember was the yelling and shouting of what she supposed was the day he died.
After about twenty minutes, Rukia sighed. "Let's go to Mitsuki, you guys, I'm starting to get a little sleepy..." She yawned.
Tatsuki and Momo nodded quietly in agreement.
[Two minutes later]
The group was pushed to the farthest gates of Kazuri. It was just in view of the ocean.
"Mitsuki... She said she wanted to be close to the ocean..." Tatsuki muttered, just loud enough for Rukia to hear.
Momo smirked. "And probably as far away from her family as possible..."
Tatsuki scowled. "Momo! Shut up!"
Said Hinamori shrugged nonchalantly. "It's true."
But as they drew closer, Rukia spotted someone looming over her sister's grave. A girl. She had light brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Her head was down. She wore a black dress that came down a little past her mid-thigh, and a black choker hung from her neck. She seemed to whisper something, and then she layed a boquet of lillies down.
"Did you know her?" Rukia asked suddenly, startling the girl. She quickly turned, and nodded. "M-my name's Kiyone. Kiyone Kotetsu."
Rukia nodded. This must've been Isane's sister.
"My name's Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki." Kiyone's eyes widened for a split second, but she soon nodded.
"Mitsuki's step-sister, huh?" Rukia nodded sadly, looking at the tombstone.
Mitsuki Kuchiki
December 12, 1992-June 2, 2009
"Because the Earth can only have one dream.
We are all connected.
To the air, to the ocean, and most importantly, to each other.
We must remember. From the dawn of time, to present day.
That's what connects us."
"That poem... Did you know it?" Rukia asked Kiyone again, looking into the brunette's depressed eyes.
She nodded. "Yes... I did. Mitsuki and I... We were roommates with our friend Yoruichi. Best friends, actually. Not as good as her and Shirou, but good enough to be called best friends." She laughed dryly. "It was a prayer she used to say every night. When she was ever hurt or upset, she would recite it, over and over, until she finally passed out from exhaustion." Kiyone sighed. "I used to have to go into her room every morning, and drag her sorry ass out of bed to get her to school on time."
Tears were welling up in Kiyone's eyes, and Rukia listened intently. Tatsuki and Momo watched from the side lines.
"Sometimes... I forget, and walk into her room by accident. I see the empty room, and I remember everything. How she suffered... Her and Toshirou leaving for Karakura Town... Even her funeral." She smiled weakly. "I hate it when I do that."
Rukia nodded. "I know, and, thank you, Kiyone."
The Kotetsu nodded, tears in her eyes.
"Anytime!"
[Rose's Apartment; 9792 Kazukiko Drive, 2:10 PM]
Senna and Ichigo had gotten Rose's address from Oyasumi, and were now knocking on her door.
There was a sound of footsteps, and a red-haired woman with gray streaks stepped out, smiling kindly, her brown eyes shining brightly.
"Ara... Hello!" Senna said in the brightest and fakest voice Ichigo ever heard. Well... Besides Rukia's. "I'm looking for my friend... Rose Christopher?" Christopher was Rose's father's last name, and even though they are separated, used his name instead of her mother's. To put it in short, Rose didn't really like her mother much.
The woman's smile immediately turned into a frown. "My daughter? What would you want with her?" She sounded disgusted. "If you're wondering where that disgrace for a human being is, don't ask me. I haven't seen her for the last... Five years, I think. Ever since her father came and took her back to New York with him..."
Ichigo nodded quickly, wanting to leave. This woman seemed psychotic. Kaitou psychotic. "Thank you ma'am, and sorry for disturbing you!" He quickly led his cousin off the property, one thing coursing through his mind.
What the hell is going on?
He needed to know. His life depended on it. So did Senna's.
But most importantly, so did Rukia's.
A/N: Longest chapter EVER.
Well, at least in Omoide.
I opened a new account, on which I will put all my other stories. As of now, the Tsuki Meroko Uchiha account is strictly for Bleach. The link should be up by tomorrow. And don't worry, all my Naruto and Full Moon stuff won't be moved. They're staying here. But all my NEW stories that are NOT bleach will be put in the new account.
PLEASE REVIEW!
-TMU
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