All for the Money, Honey [Chapter 1: At All Costs]
Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki
Rating: M (Not right now, but it'll get there...)
Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (damnit)
"It's 299,792,488 metres per second." Ichigo Kurosaki blurted out at the television. He always managed to answer within only a few seconds of the questions being said.
Karin frowned in disbelief yet again. Since when did her older brother know the speed of light? She thought hard about what class he might've learnt it from.
On the television, the man behind the booth paused for a moment but then answered, "... I think its 299,792,488 metres per second?"
"CORRECT!" The short, black-haired show hostess squealed, pointing at the contestant. "You're our winner for tonight, Sowaki-san!" She danced around as multicoloured confetti fell down from the ceiling. The contestant was happily pulled out from his booth to collect his cash prize.
"Hmph, I can't believe you got it right again, Ichi-nii!" Karin sulked and slumped into her chair. He would always get an answer in before she did. She knew she had no chance against him, but she was always up for the challenge.
Ichigo leaned back onto the couch, smirking despite himself. He looked around at his father and his younger sisters, Karin and Yuzu watching the TV intently. Every Friday at 4:00 o'clock, the Kurosaki household sat in front of the TV to watch the newest television craze, the 'Super Lucky Trivia Show'. All his friends raved about it, (especially Keigo) and once he finally sat down to watch it, Ichigo actually enjoyed it. Since he studied a lot more than most people did, he became very excellent at retaining information and could easily answer the majority of the questions, no matter how bizarre.
"You're so smart, Ichi-nii," Yuzu clapped adoringly, "You should go on the show!"
Isshin nodded approvingly and he and Yuzu chattered amongst themselves suspiciously. Yuzu rolled her eyes.
That would actually be interesting, Ichigo thought and turned back to the TV screen. The contestant was ferried off with a large cheque for ten thousand yen and the hostess bounced back into the middle of the screen. Ichigo was amazed at just how short she was; the camera needed to shift down to centre her. She always wore cutesy dresses normally with a bunny theme. Yuzu loved admiring all the clothes she wore and had developed a similar obsession for bunnies.
"And that's our show for tonight! I'm Rukia Kuchiki and thank you again for watching 'Super Lucky Trivia Show'! Don't forget to tune in next week for our Ultra Mega Jackpot cash prize!" She used her signature hand wave and as another shower of confetti fell down, the theme music rolled in and credits flashed across the screen.
At the 'Super Lucky Trivia Show' Soundstage, Rukia Kuchiki waited until the camera light stopped flashing before relaxing her pose. As the lights dimmed, she could finally make out the figure of her red-haired Cameraman. He clapped his hands absentmindedly with a grin spread across his face, "Well done, Rukia. That elaborate hand-wave of yours makes me laugh every time."
"Oh shut up, Renji. It took me forever to perfect it." An assistant handed her a cup of coffee which she accepted gratefully. "Next week's going to be interesting. Apparently we're going to have a younger contestant; I heard that his doctor father did everything he could to get him on, saying that it was for his birthday or something."
"Isshin Kurosaki, I think it was." Renji nodded and stretched. He really needed to check the camera stand. It seemed to slide down ever so slightly and was doing his back in. It didn't help in the slightest that Rukia was tiny. Maybe next time he'd steal a chair from somewhere. "He's become quite popular recently after performing some seriously talented operations."
"There are a lot of cheaper things than an appearance on this show. And it's more expensive because the ratings have been so good recently." Rukia was indeed chuffed at the recent poll results and ratings.
'Well I heard that his son's really smart," Renji said, "he might actually do well."
Rukia chortled into her coffee, "I highly doubt it. He's probably going to stuff up and look like a fool, and on TV to boot."
Renji frowned, "Oh? 3000 yen says that he wins the Ultra Mega Jackpot!"
Rukia rose to the challenge and stepped forwards, "I have 3000 yen that says he doesn't win it."
"Deal?"
"Deal."
They shook hands and walked their separate ways, both believing whole-heartedly that they would win the bet.
Back in Ichigo's room, Ichigo lay down on his bed with his hands up behind his head. It was past dinner time and the sun was dimming on the horizon. He heard a quiet knock at his door, "Yuzu? Karin?"
Karin came in and shut the door behind her with a gentle click. No one spoke for a while and Isshin could be heard in the background yelling at the television. Then Karin suddenly broke the silence, "You've figured out that dad has got you a spot on 'Super Lucky Trivia Show' for next week, haven't you?"
Ichigo nodded. It was incredibly easy to figure out, what with Isshin and Yuzu muttering to each other and giggling randomly. And also the fact that his birthday was next week too was a dead giveaway if he hadn't already figured it out.
"You're okay with going on it, aren't you?" Karin knew Ichigo's personality well enough to know that he might actually refuse the idea entirely.
The corner of Ichigo's mouth twitched upwards in a smile. This was probably the only show he wouldn't mind being on – as long as he wouldn't be forced to act cheerful and hyperactive like the hostess. "It's alright with me. Let dad have his fun, it'll be good for the both of us."
Even Karin had to smile at that because as much as Ichigo might enjoy it, the rest of them would probably enjoy it a lot more. At the thought of their dad, Karin's smile faded, "but did you know that dad spent a lot of money to get you on there? Money that we don't really have anymore."
Ichigo sat up sharply, "I didn't know anything about that."
"I saw the newest bills. It's bad enough that we always seem to be paying for your frequent visits to hospital."
Ichigo knew she was right. He glanced quickly at his bed, underneath which was his katana. He bought it just to shield himself from some of the more strong-willed gangs that never seemed to stop attacking him. The result was always the same; no matter how much he said he didn't want to fight he'd always end up defending himself in a fight. He'd deliberately not taken it out from under his bed in a while, but without it, he almost always had injuries. It was a price he had to pay to stop himself from really hurting someone – not that they didn't deserve it. He knew that some amounts of money had been used to pay for recent injuries, but he definitely wasn't aware that it cost heaps to get him onto the TV show. Ichigo cursed under his breath. "Shit, Dad, you idiot. I'll say no and make him get his money back right now!"
He stood up and marched towards the door, only to have Karin jump in front of him. "No! You can't Ichi nii-san!" She put her hands out as a barrier, "Look how happy they are. You said yourself that it'd be good for the both of you. So, please..."
Ichigo sighed. "You're right."
Karin frowned in thought, "But what're we going to do about the money?"
"Hmph," Ichigo pointed at himself, "I'll win it back of course! Next week is a mega jackpot. They must have some kind of special prize and I'm gonna win it!"
"Ok, so we just put the microphone on here," the cameraman clipped it on the inside of Ichigo's shirt collar, "And that's about it." He smiled warmly at the nervous teenager in the booth. "You'll be fine. You're actually calmer than I thought you'd be."
Renji walked back to the main camera and smiled. He was ultimately sure now that he would win the bet. The kid looked like a delinquent but he had this aura about him that demanded respect. Did this kid ever not frown? He frowned even when he was smiling. Rukia was standing in the centre of the stage, waiting for the signal to begin the show. He gave her a little mocking wave and she stuck out her tongue in rebuttal.
Before he got out onto the stage, Ichigo had been fine. Nothing ever shook him so why should a TV show? But sitting down on the stage in his tiny booth, he started to think otherwise. But the thing that annoyed him the most, he concluded, was the lights. It was as if they were trying to pin him to the spot like an ant under a magnifying glass. Ichigo could just see his family down in the front of the Audience. Isshin was grinning wildly and Yuzu was waving happily. Karin wasn't smiling however. She stared worryingly at Ichigo with a hope that their plan would work out.
A blue and white bunny-print dress suddenly blocked out his view. He looked up to see that the hostess had extended a hand towards him. "Hello, Kurosaki-san. I'm Rukia Kuchiki, the hostess."
Ichigo smiled politely and shook her hand, "I know. My family and I watch every week. It's great seeing you in person."
Rukia was obviously enjoying the admiration and brushed her hands over her dress. She stepped back into the middle of the stage and clapped her hands together. "Alright, everyone! Let's make this a good show tonight! Renji, hold the camera in position and start the count down!"
"Three!"
The lights intensified to an unnatural brightness, blocking out everything past the wiring and cameras. Rukia almost seemed to glow under the lighting, her sleek black hair flicking with every movement.
"Two!"
Ichigo was almost in awe. His nervousness from before melted away as he watched Rukia's face miraculously change into a sparkling grin. He could see why she liked working on the show so much.
"One!"
The theme music started to rumble up through the speakers and blast out onto the stage. The experience itself was extraordinary, but that wasn't enough for Ichigo. He needed to earn the money back for his dad and make his family proud.
"Action!"
Ichigo sat up straight, his face set with determination. I'm going to win!
What felt like a lifetime passed in the blink of an eye. The questions were tougher than Ichigo could remember, but maybe it was just his anxiousness. When he got a question wrong (which only occurred a rare few times) his determination spurred him forwards where others might've crumbled under the pressure. Ichigo only realised how time had passed when he was all but dragged out from his booth by the ever-hyper hostess. Ichigo became aware that the show was drawing to a close and suddenly panicked. He had a brief mind-blank and had no clue what had happened. Did he win? Did he lose? He was dragged into the centre of the stage – the show was almost at a close.
Rukia leaned in close, her face lit up with true admiration, rather than a fake smile. "Well, Kurosaki-san. I have to say that today has been one of the best this show has ever had. This last question is the difference between success and failure." Every member of the audience was hanging onto every word she spoke. Even Ichigo himself couldn't help leaning in slightly. It all comes down to this. Ichigo thought.
"You've got twenty seconds to answer and the first answer you give us is the one we must accept, so think before you speak, Kurosaki-san." By now, Rukia was well aware that Renji was right – Ichigo Kurosaki was indeed very intelligent. But being so competitive, Rukia wasn't going to loose the bet without a fight. She'd saved the best question for last; she held the inside of her wrist out towards Ichigo, "The final question is: what brand of perfume am I wearing?" The answer was put up on a small screen for the audience so she couldn't lie and Rukia smirked as she saw Renji hit his head against the camera frame. He might as well take the money out now.
Ichigo went pale. Of all the things he would probably knew the least about; it had to be something girly. Forcing himself to calm down, he leaned in and the scent wafted over his nose. Ichigo's eyes widened and something sparked in his mind. He was definitely familiar with this scent. But where? He wracked his brain trying to find a clue... Yuzu! Yuzu had that Rukia obsession and bought all her merchandise. He definitely remembered her wearing it happily. But what was it called? It was Bunny D–something-or-other. Bunny Dream? Bunny Dior? Bunny... "B-Bunny Dior Star!" That's what it was called. Ichigo was sure of it.
Rukia's mouth hung open for a fraction of a second, but her training kicked in and her face widened into a massive grin. "You've won! It's amazing that you could answer such a question!" And Rukia really was amazed. She'd advertised it once or twice, but she was really sure that he wouldn't know it. She mentally smirked and was sort of glad that she'd lost the bet.
The crowd cheered and clapped vigorously at Ichigo's success. Rukia turned to the applauding audience and the camera. "Today on Super Lucky Trivia Show, we have an Ultra Mega jackpot cash prize! To decide just how much money Kurosaki-san is going to win, we have an electronic roulette machine which will go through a series of cash prizes." A machine that looked similarly to a casino slot machine was rolled forwards out onto the stage. "To prove that the machine isn't rigged in any way, we'll have Kurosaki-san pick someone to pull the lever for him."
Ichigo knew exactly who he wanted to pull the lever. He motioned for his dad to come up onto the stage. Isshin was initially startled but still walked up onto the stage all the same. He smiled warmly at his son, "I'm very proud of you, Ichigo." He turned and pulled the lever downwards with a hearty tug and the roulette spun rapidly, numbers flashing across the screen. Ichigo and Isshin held their breaths. Ichigo had already won, that was guaranteed, but neither of them had any clue as to how big or how small the cash amounts on the machine were. Ichigo bit his lip. Would the winnings be enough to pay his dad back? Yes, hopefully.
The machine slowly stopped and locked on the bar. Ichigo couldn't help but let his mouth hang wide open at the cash amount on the screen. That was a lot of zeros. Back in the audience, Karin saw the large sum, leapt up off her chair and yelled with joy. Pulled out of their trance, the crowd roared with elation and on cue, the multicoloured confetti rained down from above in glittering showers. Isshin looked over at Ichigo and fought back a chuckle. He looked absolutely dumbfounded with eyes wide and mouth still hanging open like a stunned mullet. "H-how much is that exactly?" Ichigo managed, shakily.
Karin and Yuzu rushed up onto the stage and danced around, laughing happily. "We won, Ichi-nii! We won!"
Rukia was even given a hug or two by Isshin and his daughters, "Nine-hundred-million yen, our biggest jackpot ever is given to Ichigo Kurosaki, the fantastic winner of today's Super Lucky Trivia Shooooooow~!"
The crowd continued clapping and at some point, Isshin, clapped Ichigo on the back, finally releasing him from his stupor. The corners of his still open mouth turned upwards at the sight of his family's cheering. He'd won. With this money, he and his family were set for life, let alone repaying his dad. Ichigo turned slightly and pumped his fist as high in the air as humanly possible.
And that's chapter one people! You'll see Grimmjow in the next chapter.
Comments and reviews will be used to sweep up all that confetti.