I do not own Bleach.
Chapter 1: Encounter
AU IchixRukia. Title says it... kinda :P
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A pirouette, a jump and stop.
Phew. I guess thats it for today. Rukia thought while skating towards the arena exit. She was alone in the training centre.
A towel hung near the door, which she grabbed and wrapped around her shoulders. She felt a bit tired but thought of taking a detour home tonight.
Some fresh air would feel nice. Rukia took a quick shower and went out the parking lot. She took out her carkeys from her purse, (or handbag for u UK:ers out there)
and unlocked her deep-red viper and got in.
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Ichigo sat on his limegreen Dodge Neons hood, waiting for the late fourth contestant. I´ve heard he is american, a cocky one too. the berry-head thought.
Finally the blue Ford Escort rolled up to the starting line. A bald musclepack exited the blue car with yellow stripes and went up to the guy who held the cash this round.
"Hey Jon" The bald guy said. "How about we double up the pot?
The other two racers where startled and began to screw on themselves. They looked obviously uncomfy. All except Ichigo. He just stood there leaning on his car.
One of the others backed down from the race, the other started looking in his wallet, trembling. Ichigo just said: "You´re on".
"Allright, lets roll!"
The three drivers got into their cars, rolled up to the line and waited for the audience to clear. Ichigo inspected his competitors and caught a glimpse of a small girl
with raven-coloured hair. He nodded slightly as greeting and she smiled back. While the others started it looked like Ichigo just sat there letting his engine growl while
staring at the girl. She continued to smile at him while she nodded once towards the other racers who soon would be at the first turn. The crowd noticed the car
and started whispering and going "aawww".
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Suddenly Ichigo slammed the first gear in and let his tires shriek from the pain of friction. The second gear was in and the car was accelerating noticably.
Third gear and 110 km/h and speeding. the others were now out of sight and the turn was closing in. 130 km/h and time for the turn. Ichigo let a smile show on his face.
One gear down and a slight touch on the brakes, a yank in the wheel followed by the pedal to the metal, sent the green car sideways into the turn and away from Rukias gaze.
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Ichigo cashed in his 1800 bucks with a big smile and looked towards the girl he saw in the start of the race. He had won with only a couple of feet ahead of the american, the bald
man was obviously furious for losing to such a jerk as Ichigo. The girl looked rather worried and hurriedly entered her beautiful car. Ichigo watched with a confused state of mind, until the
noise around him snapped him back to reality. People running and screaming everywhere and faint, a police siren was heard. Damnit. Ichigo thought while getting in his own veichle.
The green car was amongst the latter of all the cars which for a minute ago was standing all over the place. He had a blue-white hunting his tail. Damnitdamnitdamnit. he thought.
Ichigo turned left and then directly left again, in on a alleyway. Ichigo looked back while speeding amongst trashcans and housewalls. When he looked forward again it was too late.
The car entered a crossing of alleys, half-way through it another police-car shoved right into the back of his precious car. This made his Dodge crash against a corner of a wall and Ichigos
head to yank so fast it hurted a bit. The car was wasted and Ichigo hurried to get his seatbelt of off him. He started running towards the road on his right side. The policemen seemed to have
it a little harder than Ichigo to get out of the cars and pursue him. As Ichigo ran he felt the warmth of blood running on his cheek. Damnit, I must´ve hitted my head in the crash. He thought.
A red car approached in the alleway exit. A certain pale girl opened the door on the left side.
"Jump in" she called and settled herself in the drivers seat. Ichigo did just that and as soon as he closed the door, Rukia drove away from the police.
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Minutes later everything was calm and the red viper where doing legal speed on a road to Tokyo.
"Thanks for saving me back there, I didn´t catch your name?" Ichigo asked covering his forehead where the small wound where.
"It´s Rukia and we need to take care of that wound." She said in a not very concerned voice.
"Uh, well naw its not as bad as it looks but thanks anyway. It´s Ichigo by the way." Rukia just nodded and continued to drive.
"Uh, where are we going?" Ichigo asked after a while of silence.
"Western Tokyo" Rukia answered simply.
"Um, Okay"
In a while the two had reached the southern outskirts of Tokyo. The car dropped down to cruising speed. Rukia broke the silence.
"We are going to go to my paint-shop."
"Uh?" Ichigo was almost falling asleep. "You own a Paint-shop?"
"ah yeah, whats the matter? You surprised?" She asked.
"Um, yeah, well.. I shouldn´t be, considering your badass car. Nevermind."
"Okay, we´re here." Rukia said while pulling over to a parking space outside a very nice looking paintshop. She opened the door and got out, Ichigo followed her inside.
"Hello Ukitake, hows the job on the Corolla going?" Rukia greeted a whitehaired man in white overall.
"The blue Corolla are now white with yellow lightning stickers, Boss." He answered with a slight bow.
"Good." Rukia answered. Ichigo looked around noting that almost the whole paint-shop was white-coloured except the ceiling and floor, so was all the workers. Spraying could be heard from booths in the shop.
"Wow uh, I guess you are quite wealthy eh?" Ichigo whispered while the both of them entered through a backdoor and some offices.
"Kinda, I´ve inherited some money, which most was spent in this shop." Rukia answered leading the orange-head into a big room. She greeted some people sitting on couches around a table.
Ichigo noticed that they where on the second floor of this room and that the people in here didnt wore the same trademark overall the employees had wore in the actual shop. He walked up to and grabbed
a rail at a stair leading down. Ichigo noticed with a surprised look that the room where actually a garage. Not just any garage, it contained lots of expensive cars. One of them caught Ichigos eye more than
the others: a metallic purple Nissan Skyline with darkgrey Tribals stretching from the nose to the rear.
"Impressed eh? Ichigo" Rukia asked with a grin.
"Impressed? Rather amazed. Do you own all these?" He answered with his jaw dropped. The both of them moving downstairs and towards a red couch set.
"Well I own all of those cars, except one." she answered while sitting down on one of the couches. Ichigo followed her example and sat down on the couch next to hers.
"Except the purple Skyline." she continued, now seated with her left leg over the other.
"Oh yeah hell, MAKI-MAKI" she yelled when she reminded herself of Ichigos head.
"Yes, boss" a man came running and said.
"Could you get something to tie up this guys head, its shallow but we need to stop the bleeding." Rukia said matter-of-factly.
"Hai." Maki-maki said and went to get some bandages. He came back fairly quick and Ichigo tied the bandage around his forehead, with two strings of it hanging from the back of his head.
"Thanks Rukia. You were saying?" Ichigo said thankfully and laid back on the very comfortable couch.
"Oh yeah, the purple Skyline. Actually it is still mine but I was thinking of hiring a new guy. You see I also take good drivers under my wing for a little percentage of their wins. Honestly I only have
two drivers so far."
"I see" Ichigo said while his eyes where jumping from Rukia and the car during the conversation. Wow she is gorgeous. Ichigo thought, inspecting her slim legs, petite body and raven hair.
"So do how are you financial Ichigo?" She asked in a business tone.
"What is this a hiring interview or something?" Ichigo asked even more surprised than when he entered the room.
"Well yes, kind of." She answered in the same voice.
"Aw, actually I´m almost broke. I have a job at a grocery shop in Karakura on the days. It doesnt pay off well but keeps my roof from tumbling down on my head and my stomache from eating itself up"
Ichigo smiled at his own joke, so did Rukia.
"Why do you race?" she asked more because of curiosity than necessy.
"Honestly because I have this thing for clothes and ofcourse for my car. See i lended money from this shark and the only way for me to pay him is if I race. Now it seems like both my car and my bones
have taken their last walk." He said obviously concerned about the matter even for the small jokes. Ichigo was not really the guy to open up, so joking his way maybe did it for him.
"Oh, I see. How much do you owe this guy?" she asked
"I have about 10 gran´ left to pay him" he said leaning back on the couch. Rukia felt like that would be enough information to ask for so she continued on another topic.
"Okay then. Do you have a girlfriend?"
"What? How does that fit into this interview?" he asked after flinching.
"It doesnt, its just that we need to know so there´ll be no... what should i say... complications" she said with the businss tone to show him he meant for everyone involved.
"Uh, oh I see." Ichigo said resigned. "I was in a relationship for a couple of weeks ago. She broke up with me. Not a very pleasant good-bye but I´m ok"
"Oh" Rukia said staring away, looking kind of in her own thoughts. Ichigo didn´t mind the pause. When she returned to the real world she had a different tone in her voice, somewhat more casual.
"So are you interested? You get the car and free spare-parts and I will hereby sponsor your races I choose as your agent or manager if you prefer. I get 50 of the winnings plus my bet."
"Hell ofcourse I am interested. Do you pay my dentist too?" He answered, gladly is an understatement. Both laughed
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Phew, That got decently long. I cannot guarantee the same length on the following chapters but I figured I needed this as some kind of introduction.
You know the deal! R&R, enjoy and forgive the grammatical and spelling errors.
Ps. the document handler is screwing me. Sorry for strange bunches of text