Here is your IchiRuki oneshot I promised! Happy Belated Birthday Amy! :D

(Daikari oneshot is still pending, don't you worry ;) I'll get that one done that I promised for you as well)

Pairing: IchiRuki

Title: Rumors

Setting: Takes place during the Sub-arc


High school.

It was an interesting place to say at the least. It was nothing like the academy she went through back in Soul Society. But still…there were people who seemed sometimes to concern themselves with trivial things, Rukia noticed.

For instance, there was for reasons she never understood, strange focus on her and Ichigo lately…the human boy she allied herself with until her powers returned.

She lost her powers to him, she never expected that to happen, but she had to bear with it.

"Something bothering you Rukia?" Ichigo asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She glanced up at the boy practically twice her size, and furrowed her brow a little while she glanced back at a group of girls that kept staring at the two of them, whispering something.

"I think those girls over there are talking about us, they keep staring at us." She pointed out.

"Feh, just ignore them Rukia, they're probably gossiping about some nonsense."

Gossip.

Yes, she was no stranger to people spreading whispers and rumors around her, even right in front of her as if it meant nothing.

Humans were no different.

They just kept walking though, ignoring everyone. That was until a girl approached her.

"Kuchiki-san is it true?" A girl with short brown hair asked.

"Ummm…is what true?" Rukia crinkled her eyebrows in confusion.

"I heard you and Kurosaki…" She glanced up at Ichigo nervously, obviously intimidated, and whispered to Rukia, "Well…you know."

"Know what?" Rukia raised one of her brows.

"Are you two you know, dating and stuff?" She clarified finally.

Rukia blinked in response as she noticed Ichigo stiffen beside her. It made since why people would think that. They did always run off together on their own, she couldn't blame people for the misconception.

"We're just friends." Ichigo glared, causing the girl to shrink and back off immediately.

Rukia suppressed a chuckle.

It was logical people would come to that misconception. She wasn't too bothered by it. It was more amusing than anything. Though if she had to admit, she finds it slightly more amusing that Ichigo would let it get to him.

They walked down the hall for a bit in silence. It was apparent from Ichigo's demeanor he was annoyed. She let a breath of air escape through her nostrils before she combed through some stray strands of hair out of place in her face.

Any minute now…

"The nerve of some people." Ichigo grunted.

Ah, there it was.

"You know you didn't have to scare that girl like that." Rukia teased innocently.

She earned her own glare from him with that tease. But she just smirked before giving him a serious look.

"Ichigo it's just meaningless rumors. Don't let it get to you." She continued to comb through the strands of her hair with her fingers.

She didn't see the need to get worked up. It was an innocent question from a naive girl who like many teenagers concerns themselves with the latest drama and silly romances that fill the adolescent lives.

The girl didn't mean any harm. She wasn't making fun of them. She just wanted to know what their relationship was.

"You just don't get it." Ichigo frowned.

"What are you worried about your reputation or something?" Rukia replied with a bored tone.

She got another glare from him for that. But he didn't respond or retort, just chose instead to not look at her.

Such a child…

"What does it matter what they say anyway? It's nothing more than a juvenile rumor and you're letting something so meaningless get to you?" She sighed.


Meaningless?

Rukia thought it was meaningless? They were completely misinterpreting their relationship! How could that be meaningless?

This time a group of boys approached Ichigo as he waited for Rukia to come out of the ladies room. They were all at least two heads shorter than him, about four of them.

They were all grinning ear to ear.

Great…what idiocy do I have to deal with now?

"Congratulations Kurosaki-san!"

He frowned, what on earth are they congratulating him for?

"Yeah way to go man!"

Ichigo just raised one eyebrow in confusion.

"You are such a lucky guy!"

Lucky about what?

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked.

"You and Kuchiki-san!"

Oh for the love of—not this again!


"KUCHIKI-SAN!"

Rukia smiled as Orihime and her friend Tatsuki approached her.

"Hello." Rukia greeted the two before she noticed the girl called Chizuru approached the three.

"Kuchiki-san is it true?! Is it?" Orihime asked, her whole body trembled.

"What? What is the problem?" Rukia asked in concern.

"Some kid down the hall said he saw you and Ichigo smacking lips behind the dumpsters." Tatsuki said in a tone that was half amused and half disinterested.

Wait what?

"That's a very serious step Kuchiki-san! I hoped you two at least brushed your teeth this morning!" Orihime exclaimed.

Huh?

"So was it like soft, or did you two totally go and french it!?" Chizuru's eyes glinted.

Okay, now she was starting to see why Ichigo was bothered by all this.

But still…they were nothing but rumors, they meant nothing. They were getting slightly out of hand…but still, it meant nothing.

Just teens latching onto the latest drama.


"I swear Chad, everywhere I go, right and left, stupid idiots believing anything they hear!" Ichigo growled as he unpacked his lunch.

"Hmmm…." Chad sat in silence for a few minutes, "So…it isn't true then?"

"Oh please! Chad don't you start, of course it's not!"

He was really pissed off right now.

"Hey Kurosaki if you two are planning to elope, I can recommend some nice dresses for Kuchiki-san." Ishida deadpanned over in the corner of the room.

"Don't you dare start with me Ishida!"


Ichigo couldn't take it anymore, so he grabbed Rukia and dragged her off from the girls.

"Ichigo, you know dragging me off somewhere isn't going to help kill these rumors." Rukia said matter-of-factly.

He could only growl. This whole thing was stupid. It was all stupid. Why are people questioning his relationship with Rukia?

What does it matter to them?

He was off everyday fighting monsters, not going around planning to elope with some girl half his size!

He spotted Keigo and Mizuiro in the corner of his eye, and he bolted the opposite direction, shoving Rukia through the nearest open door, following her in and slamming it shut.

He did not have the patience to deal with them and their uptake about the buzz going around school of him and Rukia.

It took Ichigo half a second to realize he shoved both him and Rukia in the Janitor's supply closet.

"You know Ichigo a broom closet isn't exactly the most romantic place." Rukia uttered sarcastically.

"Shut up."

They sat their in silence for a bit, he wasn't sure what to say, he wanted to vent. But he knew Rukia wouldn't treat it like a big deal. To him it was.

But he had to talk to somebody, everyone else in this damn school was driving him nuts. So really the only person he could talk to about this was Rukia.

Besides, she was sort of in a way his confidant. She did always listen to what he had to say. Even if sometimes she felt he was wrong about something or had a different opinion, she'd still listen.

He let out a large sigh as the tension in his shoulders slip away. He turned around and glanced down, to face Rukia.

She of course sat their patiently, waiting for what he was about to say.

Typical Rukia…

"This is staring to get out of hand. Did you know there is a rumor going around that we're going to elope or something?" He exclaimed.

Her eyes bore into his, she sat their silent, as if she was trying to asses him. Maybe he was over thinking this.

"Ichigo…" She breathed, "I understand your frustration. But you can't let this get to you. It's meaningless."

"Let me guess, I should just chill out and ignore them?" Ichigo snorted.

She sat up from the stack of boxes of cleaning supplies she was sitting on, her eyes weren't annoyed or bored, they were serious.

"Ichigo, answer me this, why does this bother you so much?" She asked.

"Because they don't know squat about what we do, and what we are, and go around making up stupid stories and letting them spiral out of control. Like we're a part of some stupid teenage soap opera or something." He grunted.

"Ichigo, are those rumors true?" Rukia asked again.

"Of course not!"

"Do these people define our relationship?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No they don't! Their opinions don't matter."

"Then why are you letting them define us, and letting their opinions matter to you?" She pointed out plainly.

Ichigo was speechless for a moment. All he could do was blink at the shinigami girl with a frown on his face as he let it sink in.

Leave it to Rukia to point it out in a way so simple…

He let out a sigh and scratched his neck.

"I suppose you have a point."

"Of course I do fool, now let's get out of this closet and head home." She smiled.

"Right." He smirked back.

He placed his hand on the cold knob as the door squeaked open, him and Rukia blinked as they saw Keigo and Mizuiro on the other side.

"Ichigo you dog." Mizuiro said sarcastically.

"OH MY GOD! EVERYONE, ICHIGO AND RUKIA-CHAN TOTALLY HAD SEX IN THE JANITOR'S CLOSET!" Keigo screamed as he sprinted down the hallways.

Rukia sighed and shook her head. Ichigo on the other hand just growled as his left eyebrow twitched.

I'm going to kill Keigo.


Hope you enjoyed your present Amy! :D

Sorry it took so long to get it done, what with my computer crashing, and work, but here it finally is!

I hope you enjoy it ^_^