FAMILY DINNERby rukia
Rukia liked family dinners; even those times when they had nothing to eat and simply used to word "dinner" as an excuse to spend time together before tucking into bed.
It used to be a wonderful affair. She would sit by the campfire they always set up outside the shack they called home. Her brothers – her family – ringed the fire, sitting cross-legged on the ground. They would recount the triumphs and tragedies of the day.
Sometimes she would sit with them and jump into a running debate over an inaccurate tale. Other times, she liked to sit high above them on an overhanging tree branch – close enough to hear their conversation, but far enough to relax without needing to add her say. No one minded when she wanted time alone, but they would get livelier whenever she chose to rejoin them.
Renji was usually the one who called her down to them. Sometimes they needed her to pass judgement on a silly argument that had the 4 of them deadlocked 2 against 2. Sometimes they simply missed her company and would come up with an elaborate reason to coax her down from the tree. She was the sister, the mother, the center of their small gang. They all needed each other in the slums of Rukongai. They needed a reason to keep going. Dinner time fed their emotional hunger more often than their actual stomachs.
Those were horrible times, back then. Food was scarce, violence and death was abundant, and it was no place for any child, including the 5 of them.
Despite everything, a part of her wished she could go back.
"Miss Rukia," a dry voice on her left spoke, "you must eat." It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a rule.
Without bothering to look up at the elderly distant cousin who sat beside her, she picked up her utensil and slowly ate. The meal was wonderful, of course. She could always appreciate a good meal. The various meats and stewed vegetables which were laid out along the long table could feed a whole village. That much food could keep her old "family" fed for nearly a month – 5 months if they bartered half of the food before it spoiled. If they ever had this much food, Renji would surely suggest selling half of it for money – he could be a bit of a pennypincher at times.
Finishing her meal silently, she brought her mind back to the present. She hated family dinners now. These people were not her family, not even close. They would never be what she had.
Rukia glanced at the far end of the wide table. Each seat was occupied by a member of the aristocracy who earned the name "Kuchiki" either by bloodline or talent. Near the head of the table, Kuchiki Byakuya sat silent and cold, as if he were merely at the dinner to fulfill his role and then go on with far greater business.
Honored brother Byakuya did not treat Rukia as kin. He never spared her a glance in the past 20 years and she doubt that he ever would. She felt loyalty towards him, but only because of her duty towards the Kuchiki name. They gave her food and shelter... even though she felt she hadn’t lived up to their expectations.
After all, she was the sister of the Honored Byakuya, but why wasn’t she seated near the head of the table with him? Why was she always shunted to middle of the banquet, where her obscure cousins sat stiffly and spoke rarely to each other?
She was a disgrace, a black sheep – simple as that.
At the end of the meal, the head of the Kuchiki gave a short speech about honor to the aristocracy and such. Rukia paid little attention, eager to leave as soon as the first relatives began to shuffle out of their seats. She could have sprinted out into the open-air corridors before anyone else, but she kept calm and strained her patience until the appropriate moment came for her to rise and leave.
Within minutes, she was far away from the banquet hall. These bi-monthly family dinners were dry and stifling occasions, but she would always have to endure them. It was almost pathetic how obedient she had become to such cold people. Her old "brothers" would laugh at her if they had known she would turn out this way. They would tease her for complaining while on a full stomach. They would say that she was getting too soft.
No, they wouldn’t say that. They were gone already and the past is past. They were all gone, except for...
In the distance, Rukia heard a familiar ring of laughter - an uncommon sound on such a night as this. She sprinted out into the dais ahead of her and leapt onto the roof, straw sandals barely steadied on the slanted clay tiles as she regained her footing.
She paused as the laughter suddenly died out as fast as it came. The buildings surrounding her were dark sentinels in the night and she felt quite small and exposed by crouching on the roof this way.
Just as she wondered if the laughter had been no more than her imagination, she heard it again. A short bark this time, but still familiar and very close by. It was coming from right under her, in fact. She crept to the edge of the roof and peered over the side to the courtyard below.
Just as she expected, Abarai Renji was sitting at the foot of the two-story building that she was perched on. A lighted lamp was set beside him, throwing shadows of his spiky red hair up against the wall. There were 2 other people sitting with him in a loose circle. Rukia leaned farther over the edge to literally eavesdrop.
"I can’t freaking believe you, Shuhei!" Renji tossed his cards down on the gravel with a chuckle. "If I knew you were this bad at cards, I would have challenged you sooner!"
The tattooed young man gave him a flat look, "The night is still young. I could win it all back."
"Highly unlikely," said the blonde woman that Rukia recognized to once be her upperclassman during her years at the academy. Unlike the 2 men, the well-endowed woman sat on a mat to keep her uniform from getting stained.
"Why would that be, Rangiku-san?" Shuhei turned to her.
"Because Renji-kun has been cheating for the past 3 rounds," Rangiku leaned forward with a sly grin. "Surely you noticed?"
"What!?" Shuhei quickly reached over and grabbed Renji’s sleeve, shaking it vigorously until the winning cards spilled out. "Why you low-life, slum-sucking –"
"Hey, hey!" Renji kept grinning as he slipped out of Shuhei’s grasp and leaned away from the irate man with his hands up in mock defence, "I thought you said you believed in non-violence!"
"That doesn’t mean I don’t get angry, you cheat! Pay it back!" Shuhei’s tone wasn’t as harsh as his words. Deep down, Shuhei already knew from past experience that Renji would treat him to food and drinks afterward to make amends. That was just the sort of friend he was - annoying, but worthwhile.
"Y'know, even a slum kid like me knows that a loser doesn't get a decent payback no matter how unfair it is," Renji pushed himself up to his feet, followed by a flustered and humbled Shuhei. "You should thank me for teaching you not to gamble."
"Or at least not to gamble against him," Rangiku gracefully raised herself from the ground, picked up the small mat and folded it up. "It’s been a pleasure to watch poor Shuhei-kun’s fall from grace, but I’m calling it a night, boys. I’ve got morning shift."
The two men bid her good night as she left. With a lantern to guide their way into the night, the duo walked down a road leading in the opposite direction, one man was terribly energetic while the other seemed rather depressed.
"Cheer up, man!" Renji clapped a firm hand on Shuhei’s shoulder; the action was a habit from his youth, but only Rukia would know that. "Let’s go get some dinner with a few buddies I know in the 5th division. It’s my treat!"
"It had better be," Shuhei was quick to reply, "I would starve otherwise."
Amused by the comment, Renji broke into another triumphant howl as they rounded the corner. High up on the rooftops, Rukia smiled weakly. She could tell that rare and unique sound from miles away. Renji didn’t do things by halves – if he was happy, he wasn’t afraid to give a full-hearted laugh as proof. He was usually seen as an angry youth, but that was only because he had so little to smile about as a kid and too much to protect himself from. On the rare event that he did laugh in those days, the world would suddenly seem much brighter to Rukia and the other three of their gang of misfits.
The effect was the same on other people as well. Renji had made many friends after graduation and even those he pulled pranks on were quick to forgive. Such camaraderie was a far more attractive concept in Rukia's mind than that of family. Especially if her current situation would mark that "family" always meant warm meals in drafty halls with nameless faceless relatives and a brother who will never recognize her existence...
Rukia blinked, suddenly aware that she was still crouched on the roof high over the spot where Renji and his friends had been. Slowly, she got up and turned away, bemused by her actions. Why had she stayed for so long? Why had she chased after the sound of his laughter in the first place?
Perhaps she had been waiting for Renji to call her down and join them, just like he used to do for her.
A part of her would have accepted the invitation.
The rest of her knew all about duty and family ...and how those words no longer applied between Renji and herself.
Sometimes it was best to let go.
~*~*~
>gasp!< Renji X Shuhei!? Hehe, just kidding... :P
Badly edited, ne? Gaah... >_<
And right, still no chocolate... nor any psychic detectives. Bad Airy! No cookie! >_<
This is my 2nd Bleach fanfic involving dinner of some sort. What an odd trend...
By the way, to whoever reads this sentance: thank you for simply being around. You rock. ^_^
Rukia liked family dinners; even those times when they had nothing to eat and simply used to word "dinner" as an excuse to spend time together before tucking into bed.
It used to be a wonderful affair. She would sit by the campfire they always set up outside the shack they called home. Her brothers – her family – ringed the fire, sitting cross-legged on the ground. They would recount the triumphs and tragedies of the day.
Sometimes she would sit with them and jump into a running debate over an inaccurate tale. Other times, she liked to sit high above them on an overhanging tree branch – close enough to hear their conversation, but far enough to relax without needing to add her say. No one minded when she wanted time alone, but they would get livelier whenever she chose to rejoin them.
Renji was usually the one who called her down to them. Sometimes they needed her to pass judgement on a silly argument that had the 4 of them deadlocked 2 against 2. Sometimes they simply missed her company and would come up with an elaborate reason to coax her down from the tree. She was the sister, the mother, the center of their small gang. They all needed each other in the slums of Rukongai. They needed a reason to keep going. Dinner time fed their emotional hunger more often than their actual stomachs.
Those were horrible times, back then. Food was scarce, violence and death was abundant, and it was no place for any child, including the 5 of them.
Despite everything, a part of her wished she could go back.
"Miss Rukia," a dry voice on her left spoke, "you must eat." It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a rule.
Without bothering to look up at the elderly distant cousin who sat beside her, she picked up her utensil and slowly ate. The meal was wonderful, of course. She could always appreciate a good meal. The various meats and stewed vegetables which were laid out along the long table could feed a whole village. That much food could keep her old "family" fed for nearly a month – 5 months if they bartered half of the food before it spoiled. If they ever had this much food, Renji would surely suggest selling half of it for money – he could be a bit of a pennypincher at times.
Finishing her meal silently, she brought her mind back to the present. She hated family dinners now. These people were not her family, not even close. They would never be what she had.
Rukia glanced at the far end of the wide table. Each seat was occupied by a member of the aristocracy who earned the name "Kuchiki" either by bloodline or talent. Near the head of the table, Kuchiki Byakuya sat silent and cold, as if he were merely at the dinner to fulfill his role and then go on with far greater business.
Honored brother Byakuya did not treat Rukia as kin. He never spared her a glance in the past 20 years and she doubt that he ever would. She felt loyalty towards him, but only because of her duty towards the Kuchiki name. They gave her food and shelter... even though she felt she hadn’t lived up to their expectations.
After all, she was the sister of the Honored Byakuya, but why wasn’t she seated near the head of the table with him? Why was she always shunted to middle of the banquet, where her obscure cousins sat stiffly and spoke rarely to each other?
She was a disgrace, a black sheep – simple as that.
At the end of the meal, the head of the Kuchiki gave a short speech about honor to the aristocracy and such. Rukia paid little attention, eager to leave as soon as the first relatives began to shuffle out of their seats. She could have sprinted out into the open-air corridors before anyone else, but she kept calm and strained her patience until the appropriate moment came for her to rise and leave.
Within minutes, she was far away from the banquet hall. These bi-monthly family dinners were dry and stifling occasions, but she would always have to endure them. It was almost pathetic how obedient she had become to such cold people. Her old "brothers" would laugh at her if they had known she would turn out this way. They would tease her for complaining while on a full stomach. They would say that she was getting too soft.
No, they wouldn’t say that. They were gone already and the past is past. They were all gone, except for...
In the distance, Rukia heard a familiar ring of laughter - an uncommon sound on such a night as this. She sprinted out into the dais ahead of her and leapt onto the roof, straw sandals barely steadied on the slanted clay tiles as she regained her footing.
She paused as the laughter suddenly died out as fast as it came. The buildings surrounding her were dark sentinels in the night and she felt quite small and exposed by crouching on the roof this way.
Just as she wondered if the laughter had been no more than her imagination, she heard it again. A short bark this time, but still familiar and very close by. It was coming from right under her, in fact. She crept to the edge of the roof and peered over the side to the courtyard below.
Just as she expected, Abarai Renji was sitting at the foot of the two-story building that she was perched on. A lighted lamp was set beside him, throwing shadows of his spiky red hair up against the wall. There were 2 other people sitting with him in a loose circle. Rukia leaned farther over the edge to literally eavesdrop.
"I can’t freaking believe you, Shuhei!" Renji tossed his cards down on the gravel with a chuckle. "If I knew you were this bad at cards, I would have challenged you sooner!"
The tattooed young man gave him a flat look, "The night is still young. I could win it all back."
"Highly unlikely," said the blonde woman that Rukia recognized to once be her upperclassman during her years at the academy. Unlike the 2 men, the well-endowed woman sat on a mat to keep her uniform from getting stained.
"Why would that be, Rangiku-san?" Shuhei turned to her.
"Because Renji-kun has been cheating for the past 3 rounds," Rangiku leaned forward with a sly grin. "Surely you noticed?"
"What!?" Shuhei quickly reached over and grabbed Renji’s sleeve, shaking it vigorously until the winning cards spilled out. "Why you low-life, slum-sucking –"
"Hey, hey!" Renji kept grinning as he slipped out of Shuhei’s grasp and leaned away from the irate man with his hands up in mock defence, "I thought you said you believed in non-violence!"
"That doesn’t mean I don’t get angry, you cheat! Pay it back!" Shuhei’s tone wasn’t as harsh as his words. Deep down, Shuhei already knew from past experience that Renji would treat him to food and drinks afterward to make amends. That was just the sort of friend he was - annoying, but worthwhile.
"Y'know, even a slum kid like me knows that a loser doesn't get a decent payback no matter how unfair it is," Renji pushed himself up to his feet, followed by a flustered and humbled Shuhei. "You should thank me for teaching you not to gamble."
"Or at least not to gamble against him," Rangiku gracefully raised herself from the ground, picked up the small mat and folded it up. "It’s been a pleasure to watch poor Shuhei-kun’s fall from grace, but I’m calling it a night, boys. I’ve got morning shift."
The two men bid her good night as she left. With a lantern to guide their way into the night, the duo walked down a road leading in the opposite direction, one man was terribly energetic while the other seemed rather depressed.
"Cheer up, man!" Renji clapped a firm hand on Shuhei’s shoulder; the action was a habit from his youth, but only Rukia would know that. "Let’s go get some dinner with a few buddies I know in the 5th division. It’s my treat!"
"It had better be," Shuhei was quick to reply, "I would starve otherwise."
Amused by the comment, Renji broke into another triumphant howl as they rounded the corner. High up on the rooftops, Rukia smiled weakly. She could tell that rare and unique sound from miles away. Renji didn’t do things by halves – if he was happy, he wasn’t afraid to give a full-hearted laugh as proof. He was usually seen as an angry youth, but that was only because he had so little to smile about as a kid and too much to protect himself from. On the rare event that he did laugh in those days, the world would suddenly seem much brighter to Rukia and the other three of their gang of misfits.
The effect was the same on other people as well. Renji had made many friends after graduation and even those he pulled pranks on were quick to forgive. Such camaraderie was a far more attractive concept in Rukia's mind than that of family. Especially if her current situation would mark that "family" always meant warm meals in drafty halls with nameless faceless relatives and a brother who will never recognize her existence...
Rukia blinked, suddenly aware that she was still crouched on the roof high over the spot where Renji and his friends had been. Slowly, she got up and turned away, bemused by her actions. Why had she stayed for so long? Why had she chased after the sound of his laughter in the first place?
Perhaps she had been waiting for Renji to call her down and join them, just like he used to do for her.
A part of her would have accepted the invitation.
The rest of her knew all about duty and family ...and how those words no longer applied between Renji and herself.
Sometimes it was best to let go.
~*~*~
>gasp!< Renji X Shuhei!? Hehe, just kidding... :P
Badly edited, ne? Gaah... >_<
And right, still no chocolate... nor any psychic detectives. Bad Airy! No cookie! >_<
This is my 2nd Bleach fanfic involving dinner of some sort. What an odd trend...
By the way, to whoever reads this sentance: thank you for simply being around. You rock. ^_^