Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Forgiven ❯ Leave Out All The Rest ( Chapter 2 )

"Leave Out All The Rest"

She did not spare him a single glance through out the whole time. He, on the other hand, could not take his eyes away from her. He was unable to react, unable to think of anything, or say anything. The fact that she was the same woman he slept with was a bit hard to digest. She was seated in front of Renji and did not show any outward reaction to the fact that he was the same person she spent last night with save for the initial one. All he could do for now, was to let his friend handle the whole matter, just as he promised earlier, and to sit back and gather his thoughts.

He chose to eye the whole interaction at a distance. Ichigo was not the talkative type; he did not even take part in interrogating suspects. It had always been like this. Renji would do the talking, and he would do the observing. It was enough for him to find the little details that would lead him to the answers he needed. Those subtle signs people gave unintentionally told him everything he needed to know. It was his only talent, the one that marked his value as a detective.

Ichigo was leaning against the wall, eyeing the two of them as they carried on their game of Q and A. Renji was playing dense, and so was she. And judging by how things were moving, Renji was going to lose soon. The raven haired woman kept her composure the whole time. She looked calm though he could see that her eyes were burning with so much malice. She never lost control of any emotion, however. Even her answers were delivered in a neutral tone.

It was after all as he suspected. Their so called lead refused to say anything comprehensible. She did not flat out deny them the answers. She just chose a round about way of saying things. Judging by the way she looked at his friend, it was obvious that she detested their mere presence there. He could not blame her for it. They were after all two people sent to dig out an old case that was extremely discomforting to her. They were also the same people who took the life of the most important person in her life. Right now he wished for nothing more than to grab a hand full of his friend's hair, drag him out, and apologize for the inconvenience.

He did not want to come. He did not want to be the one remind her of the whole painful experience all over again. He knew Renji's reason for being here was also guilt, but it wasn't felt for the same reasons. Ichigo felt guilty for killing Kaien. Renji felt guilty for letting his friend suffer because of his careless mistake. Thus, he took it upon himself to prove that Kaien's presence with Gin at the time of the ambush was no mere coincidence. Renji thought that he would make his friend feel better once he threw the blame on someone else, but Ichigo doubted that, not after what he did last night.

He wanted to leave at all costs. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to escape guilt after all. Coming here was big a mistake. Not only was he feeling guilty for killing an innocent soul, he was now feeling guilty for the raven haired woman as well. If he was not imagining what she told him last night, then it meant that he was the one who pushed her into drinking herself to oblivion.

In a fit of the usual self-blaming he would usually get himself into, trying to remember what she told him at the bar last night, he did not hear everything the raven haired woman and his friend were saying. Ichigo did not ask Renji in what way their lead, as he called her, was connected to the whole incident. He was too filled with dread to even ask. It was when Renji started confronting her with the information he had that his attention got fully directed to the current conversation.

" Kuchiki-san, You work there as a bar maid?", Renji asked without as much as trying to hide his slipping control over his temper.

Rukia was still acting indifferent to whatever he said. She answered with the same puzzled expression plastered to her features: " So?"

" Our sources said that your last job was at a place originally owned by Gin. Since you work for him for some time now, maybe you should know something that could help us out here…"

" I work for him, yes, but that doesn't mean that I should know anything about him.", she cut as she waved her hands in a sign of annoyance.

Renji was on the verge of pulling his hair by the roots. This woman was too much. The way she answered his questions infuriated him. There was also that look she gave him. It was as if she was dealing with an idiot who was demanding answers that were so obvious.

He tried to keep his composure. There was no way he could lose to her. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, then explained calmly: " A waitress at the last place you worked at said that Gin specifically requested you to work at the new bar where you work now."

Rukia shrugged, then answered as if she was stating the obvious: " So I happened to be a good employee. What's wrong with that?"

" He would also talk to you of all the employees there most of the time."

" I didn't know I wasn't supposed to talk to him.", she replied in a disbelieving tone.

That was it. He was so close to losing his temper. He looked at Ichigo for a second, trying to get some help from his friend, then remembered that he was asking the wrong person. He looked back at her as he blew a heavy sigh of irritation: " Kuchiki-san…"

Rukia did not give him the chance to continue. She crossed her hands on the table, and asked with narrowed eyes: " Excuse me detective, what are you trying to get at? "

" There's this high possibility that Shiba had a relation to Gin."

" And…?"

" Gin has quite a reputation you know. I'm sure you're aware of that by now."

" oh? Is that so? " She leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms over her chest, smiling murderously the whole time: "So basically, you're trying to say that Kaien dug his own grave. Is that right?"

" I'm not saying that…"

" Then please explain, detective!"

The woman was impossible! He did not deny that there was some truth in what she just said, but the way she put it made him feel like the bad guy here. He did not want to insinuate in any way that Kaien was as guilty as Gin, and that his presence there at the time of the ambush was evident enough, but he had no choice. He knew that if he said what he had in mind, he would kiss the answers he wanted so desperately goodbye, but she was the one who pushed him to it: " Look, I believe that Shiba was there at the time of the ambush because of Gin…"

H was right. It did infuriate her but she still kept her temper in check. Gone was the puzzled look she had earlier. It was replaced by a murderous look now that her sweet low voice did very little to mask: " Kaien had no relation to Gin. Stop grouping the two of them together! Gin is my boss and that's it. It's the only connection I have to him. "

" Why was Shiba there the day of the ambush then?", Renji asked challengingly.

She stood up, and said: " I believe I answered this question before detective. Are we done?"

Ichigo realized that if this session were to go on for a few minuets more, than those two would kill each other. He straightened up, and walked towards Renji, hoping that his friend would get the hint that they should leave now: " Renji…"

Renji was a bit occupied with a staring contest with the petite woman. He then realized that asking this particular person would be a waste of time. Even if she had the answers, actually, he was sure she had them, she would never talk to any of them as long as they held their badges. He bowed his head to her as he muttered: " Thanks for your time Kuchiki-san", then left the house with his partner.

By the time they got to their car, Renji felt it safe to utter every curse word he knew as he struggled to fasten the seatbelt. Then he looked over at his friend who seemed to be so deep in thought. He never said anything the whole time, but he was sure that he must have noticed something: "So? What was your impression?"

Ichigo answered as he stared at the same house he was in moments ago: " She's hiding something."

" And?"

" She hates you."

"Tell me something I don't know."

" There's no way she would talk to any of us."

" what do you suggest?", Renji asked impatiently.

Ichigo had been thinking about what to do ever since he stepped foot in there. The direction his thoughts were taking would surely infuriate his partner, but he did not care. He had to tell him: " I think you should… "

" I should what?"

No one should know. What he was thinking about seemed so wrong even to himself. He decided to keep his partner in the dark for now. He would never gain his support anyways, specially that doing what he was thinking about would never grant them the answers they needed. Still he had to do it. It was the only way he could find peace again. He looked at his friend and motioned for him to move ahead as he said: "Never mind."

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Rukia could not believe what her eyes saw. It was him! There was no mistake about it. His initial reaction further proved it. He knew her as well, but he chose not to say anything about it. She was thankful for that. At least, now that he was gone, she could resume the tedious routine called life as she always did, on her own. However, she could not shake the bothersome feeling the fact of his being a detective left. It is true that he and his partner left her without carrying on their little investigation, but she had a strong feeling that his occupation would lead him right back to her again. The reason why she was able to handle herself this morning was because his partner did the questioning. If he recalled their first encounter at the bar vividly, and if he were to ask her about what she actually said, she would not be able to flat out deny everything as she usually would. Lying would be difficult when the other party held half the truth.

She left to work after long hours of lying in her bed, thinking on what could happen after the apparent resurfacing of the case. She did not know what Gin did to force the police to readdress the question of Kaien's involvement. She had protected him for three long years, and she would do whatever it takes to keep the secret of Kaien's involvement with Gin, even if it meant directing suspicions to herself. If Gin were to fall, then the whole matter of Kaien's involvement with Gin will be exposed. She could not allow that no matter what.

Hinamori seemed clueless to the whole thing. She knew that there were some suspicions surrounding Kaien's death, but she chose to believe Rukia's version of the story rather than trying to even think of the possible validity of the theory the police came up with.

It was useless thinking about this whole dilemma day after day. Worrying over it tired her both mentally and physically. She knew Kaien had nothing to do with it. She knew that he was practically forced into joining Gin for her sake and that he had no other option. But…would anyone care about the sort of circumstances he was forced into? Would anyone even think that in spite of the unshakable fact of his being forced by the circumstances, he could not actually bring himself to execute his share of the plan? His death was the cost for his hesitation. His sense of the grave wrong he was about to take part into led him to the most unthinkable action that caused him to pay the price with his life.

It was after all human nature to dig for others faults and magnify them rather than justify them. Knowing all this, and knowing that proving him innocent would be of the utmost difficulty now that he was actually dead, she took it upon herself to guard his memory no matter what. However, she never thought that covering up for Gin would be part of the deal.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted upon feeling someone's gaze upon her. She left her eyes up, and almost dropped the glass she was holding in her hands at finding out the owner of that gaze. It was Gin, wearing that creepy smile of his, and motioning for her to give him his usual drink.

It had always been this way. He had to come up from time to time to check on how life was treating her. She did not know why he would usually ask her that. It was obvious that life had been a bitch to her. Her working for him was evident enough. He, apparently, loved talking to her for some reason. Maybe it was her obvious discomfort, or maybe it was her knowledge about the nature of his activities that gave him full freedom to spill his thoughts out to her.

She pushed his drink towards him and was about to leave, pretending that she needed to serve the other customers when he stopped her with his usual remark:" Let the others handle it for now. I need to talk to you about something."

She hated him whenever he started having those little talks. Working for him was enough, she did not need to listen to him as well. She answered him without trying to hide her annoyance: " What is it?"

" I heard someone paid you a visit this morning."

" That's true.", she answered dryly.

" I also heard it was the same person you sought during one of your lonely nights."

She was alarmed! She stopped cleaning the glass in her hand, and asked: " How did you know?"

" someone who is quite taken with you told me."

She knew too well who that someone was. Not only was Gin monitoring her movements, now she had a stalker as well. She rolled her eyes heaven ward and answered in a tone full of irritation: " Tell that someone to mind his own business and to leave me alone."

Ichimaru chuckled as he said:" He only followed you out of worry. Don't blame him! He must've been devastated after seeing you preferring the company of a total stranger over his."

Rukia leaned into the counter, and covered her face with her hands as she tried justifying her act to herself: " I wasn't in my right mind at that time. There's no way I'd replace Kaien with one of your men, or a cop."

" so? How does it feel to finally seek pleasure of the flesh after such a long time?"

" And how would knowing that help you?", she muttered in a threatening tone.

Gin started laughing at her obvious discomfort. But then decided to leave after he saw her eyes filled with a murderous intent. He stood up, and was preparing to leave her alone when he heard her speak:" I think these little talks of ours serve no purpose other than arousing suspicions."

He gave her one of his creepy smiles, then leaned forwards to whisper: " Just remember our agreement and you'll be fine. If I go down Rukia-chan, then Kaien goes down as well."

She did not say anything to him, but he could see that she was burning with so much anger out of her hopelessness in getting herself out of this mess.

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she left work earlier than usual that day. Thanks to last night's events, and the police's sudden visit this morning, she could not get enough sleep. The moment she went outside the bar's doors, she was met with a surge of cold wind, blowing her way. She tightened her coat around her and caused her purse to fall accidentally to the ground. She bent over to get it, cursing the whole time. When she stood up, her eye were met with a pair of amber ones.

He was the same person from before. She never thought she would see him again that soon. He was leaning against a car, apparently waiting for her to finish her shift. Great! she was not in the mood to talk to anyone right now. A lot had happened in the last two days, and she doubted she could tolerate another burden. She was afraid he would either bring last night's incident, or Kaien's involvement. Both were two things she had no energy to deal with at the moment. With that in mind, she averted her gaze to the road, and walked away. She heard his footsteps echoing behind her, but she did not stop. It was when he called out her name that she decided to turn around.

He stood in front of her for a few minuets, still contemplating whether he should tell her what he had in mind or not. He tried to force the words out of his mouth, but he couldn't. The only words he managed to say were: " Kuchiki-san…we need to talk."

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Author's notes:

Okay people. I know I have been updating late. Believe me I had a lot to deal with. First, I had to deal with paroxetine withdrawal effects. And no, my psychiatrist had no idea that I stopped taking paxil

Two, I had my engagement party to deal with.

And three, I had some serious women rights issues that I needed to explain to some idiots. Those people sent my muse packing.

I know the story may have lots in common with falling for the devil, but I can assure you, they are totally different.

Anyways, next chapter is a serious confrontation between the two. what do you think will happen? I promise I'd update in 2 or 3 days if you want me to. Review my lovely readers.