Two Souls, One Story

Chapter 17

Rukia hummed as she skipped along her way to the Kurosaki residence. It was early May. The sun was blazing down and it honestly felt nice compared to the last time she visited.

Standing in front of the doors of the clinic she hummed again, a toneless tune as she rocked on her feet, ringing the doorbell. She was in her gigai, wearing a cute floral top with a pair of slim-fitted jeans, and a pair of purple sneakers on her feet.

The door swung open and Rukia was pulled into a tight bear hug, "Rukia! Just on time! How are you doing, girly?" Isshin declared. "Guys! Rukia's here, finally!"

Rukia stood in stunned silence... well really she hung in stunned silence as Isshin had lifted her in his bear hug. "What do you mean 'finally'?" She asked, frowning slightly.

Ichigo peeked his head out the door frame, the 15 =-year-old boy was tall for his age, his bright orange hair most definitely a sight for sore eyes... Rukia snickered.

"NEE-CHAN!" Came the excited squeals of the twins as they rushed down the stairs to greet Rukia. Isshin set her down so the pair could hug her tightly.

"Just like Aniki said!" Karin cheered. Her grin was big and bright, her voice a little deeper with her tomboy nature. "How does he even know this stuff?!"

Rukia laughed nervously. "I don't really know..." She mumbled, she swore the next time she saw Izuru she was going to hit him upside the head. He definitely shared too much info with these kids.

"Nee-chan," Yuzu said. "Are you going to stay with us?" She asked softly.

"If it's okay with your dad." She smiled up at the man. She wondered briefly if he had missed her more than anticipated. She was just glad the twins were out of infancy and toddlerhood when she was restricted from visiting.

"Rukia," Isshin started, placing a large hand on top of her head. "You are always welcome here. You're family to all of us. Besides, we've been preparing for this ever since Ichigo and the girls ran into Izuru! He said..." He leaned down, speaking softly so the girls couldn't hear, "That crazy stuff will happen, upon your arrival. When you get time, tell me what I need to do to protect my daughters."

Rukia nodded, sighing deeply through her nose. She was really going to kill Izuru the next time she saw him. "Later tonight we can go over some of the details." She said softly.

Ichigo watched as the adults -HA!- talked. His hands were stuffed into his pockets. He knew he would eventually find out what was going on. Seeing as his dad could never actually keep his mouth shut. Rukia, however, was another story, if she felt it was important enough, her lips were permanently sealed until stated otherwise. He paused. If she wasn't around with Izuru so often... maybe Ichigo would know more about his future. After all, what else could it be if he was involved, practically the center of attention? His chest puffed up, like he was the main character.

Rukia glanced over at the teen and smirked. "I wonder which room I'll be sleeping in." She snickered, obviously she was teasing but Ichigo flushed red.

"Not mine!" He shouted, making an X with his arms. "No way!"

"I bet she wouldn't want to sleep with a stinky boy like yourself, Ichigo," Karin taunted. "I bet you she has a cuter boyfriend back home!"

"You could sleep with us!" Yuzu offered. "We can push our beds together and make one big bed! Like a sleepover!"

Rukia looked over at the small girl, and grinned. She paused... wait.... They were the same height... So didn't that make Rukia small? Realization dawned on her. The 11-year-old twins were the same height as her! A tear welled in her left eye. "You girls are growing up." She hugged them and wailed, though she was mostly pretending to embarrass them but secretly she really was a little sad. She had missed so much due to her stupid Aniki and his stupid rules.