Light in a Dark Place Ch.4

Chapter Four: Reasons

   I've been hiding from Inoue from the moment she came here to visit me. I know it's rude and mean to try and hide from someone when they want to see you but it would be worse if I didn't an dshe tried to hug me or kiss me. If I don't like her in the way that she likes me, exactly how am I supposed to respond to her?
   I'd end m relationship with her, but I'm not sure what to say so her feelings don't get hurt. Plus if I end it now she'll think it's about Rukia...which it kinda is...but still, I won't have her taking her anger out on Rukia especially not while I'm there.
   So, like a coward, I've decided to hide from her.
   I sighed and slumped down in a chair that I sat in that was in a waiting room near the front of the hospital. My stomach was growling because I gave my muffin to Urahara-sensei so he would keep Inoue away from me and I couldn't eat lunch because when I went to the cafeteria they were there.
   I'm surprised I haven't caught, my hair color is a dead give away, plus my height doesn't help either. It seems like I'm taller or the same height as most of the people in the hospital so I'm unable to hide from her without feeling a little stressed out. Plus things travel around fast in this small hospital so everyone knew who I was. Of course they knew what I looked like, a guy with bright orange hair is kinda hair to miss when he's so tall.
This has been a really stressful day.
   The only thing that makes this worse is that I've only seen Rukia once today and that only lasted a few mintues. She seemed a little depressed while we were eating breakfast.
   I'd look for her but I'm still trying to hide from Inoue, and besides where would I even look? I already wen tto her room an hour ago and when I asked the nurses if they'd seen her they all said no. So now I'm stuck trying to find her myself. Urahara-sensei is with Inoue so I can't ask him.
   I look out the window that was in the waiting room and jumped to my feet. I ran out the room, realizing that there's one place aside from her room that I could check.

   I ran outside to the garden and saw Rukia there holding a flower, but when I saw where her other hand was I stopped dead in my tracks and watched.
   There was a tall man with long black hair that was kneeling down next to her with her hand in his. When he turned his head to look up at Rukia I saw that he was pretty good looking along with the fact that he was nicely dressed.
   My heart dropped to my stomach from the fear that she could be interested in him or it could possibly be the other way around. I gritted my teeth and watched the two of them.
   "Rukia, wouldn't you like to come home? Don't you want to go back to the life we had before?" he asked her softly.
   "Why on earth would I wantto go back to a life where I suffered everyday? Where no one cared about my pain enough to at least try to comfort me when they saw that I was upset?" she said in a flat tone. The way she was speaking now was unfamiliar to me, she was usually so happpy and cheerful but now she was motoned and extremely serious.
   The emotion she was showing towards this guy who wanted to live with her as he claimed he did before was incredibly sharp and it was as cold as a block of ice.
   "Rukia you know that I didn't mean for things to get as bad as they did, I was just so busy with work, you know that." he said with a sigh.
   "Nee-sama, please stop telling me how you were too busy to help me, your own little sister who was going through a really rough time." she said in slightly angry tone.
   That's her brother? That man was the same brother who hadn't bothered to come by and see her?
   I wish he was just a love rival because I'd rather deal with a problem like that rather then having to see the man who never came to take his sister home from the hospital after all this time she's been here. He didn't even come to visit her, the least he could do is call.
   "You know that Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san adopted me, it's not like I can leave and live with you. I don't have that kind of power." she said.
   "I'll just take yoou back into my custody. You should want to live with me after I told you that I got a promotion and I was given the power to make my own 8 hour schedule." her brother replied.
   "But I don't, okay? I want ot stay here." Rukia shouted.
   Her brother stood up and said, "I know. It must be that Ichigo guy for your middle school, right? You don't want to leave him now that you found him right?"
   "Maybe! But so what?! That doesn't change the fact that you're a terrible brother!" she said louder.
   "Rukia, lower your voice people will hear you." he said as he knelt down to her again.
   She shook her head no, "I don't care! Please leave me alone!"
   The more he stayed there, the more she began to fall apart and the more furious she got. I took a deep breath and stepped out from where I was hiding before rushing to her side.
   I scooped her up out of her wheelchair and carried her away from her brother. I wasn't sure where to bring her so I just took her to the elevator and pushed a number so we could stay in there together for at least a few seconds.
   She looked up at me and smiled through tears. "Thank you..." she muttered.
   I smiled and rested my hand on top of her head while I leaned against the wall in the elevator.
   When the doors slid open I saw Shioin-san walking down the hallway with Urahara-sensei, the two of them looking worried they must've looking for Rukia. I stepped out of the elevator and said, "I found her."
   They spun around and Shoion-san sped towards the two of us befroe taking Rukia in her arms. "Thank you." she said with a smile and walked away.
   "Where was she?" Urahara-sensei asked.
   "She was in the garden...with her brother..." I said.
   After seeing his expression change my stomach flipped. "Is she okay?" he asked slowly.
   I nodded, "She's just really upset because of their conversation. But...could I ask you a few questions?"
   He looked around to make sure no one was coming down the hallway and then said, "Of course, but please keep your voice down."
   "Well...I only have two questions. The first one, you can choose to not answer if you want...but is Rukia really your daughter? As in, you adopting her?" I asked.
   He leaned against the wall and smiled faintly, "Yes. It's no secret. But Rukia's still trying to adjust to the fact so we just don't talk about it. I've known her family since I was your age and I've known her ever since she was a baby, so it's not like I'm a strange person to her. Actually, she wanted me to be her father, after her biological father passed away her life fell apart at the seams. I'm hoping that I can help her."
   I want to help her too. I don't ever want to see her upset like before when she was talking to her brother. I want to be there to support her and make her happy.
   "But then, I'd also like to ask if it's true that Rukia and I have met before this." I said softly.
   "I don't know much abou that, so you'd have to ask her. But from what I know, in middle school the two of you were really good friends, I remember that everytime the two of you would walk home from school together and you two would talk everyday. She said there was a point when the two of you had dated, but it didn't last very long." he explained.
   Being with Inoue instead of Rukia, was a dumb person? I don't understand things from my life at all.
   "Why not?" I asked.
   "Because you got sucked into a bad crowd, you became a trouble maker and then one day you let your friends convince you to leave Rukia and make her walk home by herself. she had no protection from school bullies then." he said.
   "So, do you think I was one of the reasons why she decided to..." I trailed off.
   "I'm not sure...but anything's possible." he said.
   My heart dropped to my stomach and I dropped to my knees, unable to stand up straight anymore.
   I could feel my heart begin to hurt as I realized that Rukia, the girl I loved to see smile so much, was hurt so bad because of something that I did to her. I was so busy judging what Shiba Kaien and her brother did to her that I didn't think I could've been yet another cause for her pain.
   I can't stand this anymore. Whoever i wa sbefore is not someone I want to be now. I want to leave all of my memories burried deep within my mind and never try to uncover them.
   I don't want to remember hurting Rukia and I don't want to be the same jerk with the girlfriend who acts like a total bitch that i was before. Luckily hearing about all this isn't making me remember any of this.
   "Is Rukia still hurt by what I did before?" I asked him softly as I stared down at the ground.
   "If she's willing to talk to you and be your friend, I doubt it. But the thing is, Ichigo, I don't want her getting hurt again. So if you think you're going to be friends with those kids again while also being friends with Rukia then please don't talk to her anymore." he said in a stern tone.
   I looked up at him and saw pain and anger in his eyes. I stood up an said, "I don't want to go back to the way that I used to be. I want to be with her. I won't hurt her."
   A smile cracked through his serious expression and he nodded, "Okay. But you need to show me that you've changed in order to continue this friendship with her."
   I nodded in agreement and said, "Of course, I'd only expect that. So I'd like to start by ending my relationship with Inoue."
   "Why do that?" he asked.
   "She's rude to Rukia, and besides, I don't have feelings for her." I explained, "But the thing is, I'm not sure how to end it. How should I do that?"
   Urhara-sensei crossed his arms over his chest and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll teach you everything that you need to know, leave it to me."