A/N: It's Valentine's Day (not really, but this is posted on Valentine's Day) and holidays such as this calls for a themed fic…Despite the title, I will be writing a White Day accompaniment to this fic when it's White Day (March 14)…and maybe a Black Day one too…lol
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
From Red to White to Black
"Go on ahead Ichigo; I'm going to Orihime's place."
Before Kurosaki Ichigo could even answer, Kuchiki Rukia had already gone the other way to catch up to Orihime. Ichigo grumbled as the petite, raven haired girl walked away from him. School had just ended for the day and like the past week and half, Rukia had rushed straight to Orihime's apartment without an explanation. The carrot top sighed as he turned other way and began making his way home. However, he was soon joined by three of his friends.
"IIICHIIIGOOO!" a brown haired young man flew towards Ichigo, attempting to hug him, which he dodged with ease by sidestepping.
"Sup' Chad…Mizuiro," Ichigo ignored Keigo, who was sprawled face down on the concrete road next to him.
A tall, broad shouldered Mexican youth walked towards Ichigo and Keigo, who seemed to have recovered from his face plant. Chad was quite big for his age, standing at six feet five inches; he easily towered over everyone around him. He was often mistaken for a delinquent before meeting Ichigo because of his size and strength. Curly brown fringes covered his eyes.
Mizuiro closed his cell phone on which he was texting and slid into his pocket as he approached, Ichigo had met Mizuiro around the same time he met Keigo. Unlike Keigo, Mizuiro seemed a lot more mature.
"Ichigo, why are you being mean to me?" Keigo whined.
"Shut up, anyone would jump out of the way when someone flies at them." Ichigo answered irately.
"Mizuiro! Ichigo isn't being very nice!" Keigo grabbed his shorter friend by the shoulders started shaking him.
"Whatever, Asano-san," Mizuiro answered, calling Keigo by his last name to tease him some more.
"Stop doing that!" Keigo screamed at his friend, which Mizuiro merely ignored.
"What's up Ichigo? You seem a bit upset." Chad said as they continued walking.
"Nothing important," Ichigo answered, falling in pace with his friends.
Keigo draped an arm over Ichigo's shoulder; much to the latter's discomfort and said, "It's problems with the ladies of course."
Ichigo pushed Keigo off him before saying, "Stop your blabbering."
"Ichigo was never one to confide his problems to you, what makes you think he'll start now?" Mizuiro said.
"Are you saying he talks to you about his problems?" Keigo answered.
"Ichigo, whatever it is, you can tell us." Chad said deeply. "We are your friends after all, we won't laugh."
"It's not girl problems, and what makes you guys think it is?" Ichigo said exasperatedly.
"Because Valentine's Day is coming up," Keigo supplied, "girl/boy problems are the most common around this time of the year."
"Is it Rukia?" Chad asked.
"What?" Ichigo was shocked that Chad said exactly who was bothering him.
"I've known you long enough to know when you're upset…and Rukia has been going over to Inoue's place a lot recently." Chad answered.
"How did you know that?"
"Ishida told me."
"How did Ishida know that?"
"Ishida has been locked out Inoue's apartment for the past two weeks because she and Rukia are doing something in there."
"Wait, locked out? Why is Ishida frequenting Inoue's apartment to begin with?" Ichigo asked, confused and a bit shocked at this new piece of information.
"It can only mean those two are dating right?" Keigo jumped in. "Though I'm a bit surprised, the spontaneous, energy-filled, and well endowed Inoue with the nerdy, feminine, and quiet Ishida. Oh well, are you worried about Rukia-chan, Ichigo?"
"That girl doesn't need anyone worrying about her," Ichigo answered indifferently. "I've just been wondering why she's been disappearing off to Inoue's so much."
"That's just another form of worrying," Mizuiro said.
"Two girls alone in an apartment and not letting anyone in can only mean one thing…" Keigo said dramatically.
"Pervert…" Mizuiro muttered.
"I didn't mean that!" Keigo retorted. "You're the one who's a pervert for assuming."
"Whatever Asano-san," Mizuiro answered, using Keigo's surname again.
"Anyways…" Keigo ignored Mizuiro's last comment and turned back to Ichigo. "What happens on Valentine's Day?"
"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.
"What do girls do on Valentine's Day?"
"Uh…they give chocolate to the person they like or just friends in general?"
"Exactly, Rukia-chan is probably making some love filled chocolate for the man she loves right now!" Keigo said enthusiastically. "Ah, I can't wait to receive Rukia-chan's chocolates, even if they are giri choco."
Ichigo could not help but laugh upon hearing that. He could not imagine Rukia making chocolate for anyone, especially to someone she likes. Does she even have someone like that? They were now walking along the riverbank and Ichigo was able to calm down enough to tell Keigo. "Rukia isn't the type of girl to do that."
"How do you know? Do you know her that well?"
"Better than you ever will," Ichigo sneered.
They went their separate ways soon afterward to return to their respective homes. Ichigo returned the clinic his father operated which also doubled as the Kurosaki family's house. The teen opened the door only to receive a drop kick to the face and forced into a strangle hold.
"You've let your guard down m'boy!" Kurosaki Isshin said as he locked his son's arms in place.
Ichigo threw his father off and against a wall, "what the hell old man? Trying to kill me?"
"Good job for escaping that lock," Isshin said as he recovered, "but how about this!"
Ichigo, ready for his father this time, caught his father's leg in mid-air and threw the man over his head into the living room.
"Welcome back Ichi-nii," his younger sister Karin, said from the dining table as he walked into the kitchen.
"I'm home," he answered.
"Onii-san, why don't you go and change first? Dinner is almost ready." His other younger sister, Yuzu said turning from the stove to greet her brother.
The elder of the Kurosaki siblings grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator before trudging upstairs to do as his little sister said. Ichigo threw his bag on his bed and lay down for a few minutes before changing out of his uniform. As he was about to leave his room, he looked at his room window and stared for a few seconds before walking over and opening it. Just in case…
When Ichigo came back downstairs, Yuzu had already set the food on the table and his father was sitting there praising his daughter's cooking like usual. As he sat down, Yuzu put down a bowl of rice in front of him.
"You didn't set Rukia's place," Ichigo noticed.
"Oh yeah, she called and said she won't be home for dinner and to just leave something for her." Yuzu said as she started helping herself to her own cooking. "Itadakimasu!"
"What is that woman thinking…making us save food for her every night, and she's living here for free too…" Ichigo grumbled as he shoveled down a mouthful of rice.
"She's probably busy with something important," Yuzu smiled at her brother.
"And she isn't freeloading since she's my third daughter!" Isshin said to his son.
"Stop with that third daughter crap!" Ichigo yelled and punched his dad on the arm.
"Masaki, our son doesn't love me anymore!" Isshin cried, throwing himself on the poster of his late wife.
"Oh yeah Karin, I'll be heading to the store tomorrow. Do you want me to pick up some chocolates for you too?" Yuzu asked sweetly.
"No thanks," Karin said, looking away. "I don't do that Valentine's Day crap…"
"Wait Karin, do you have someone you like?" Isshin said bouncing back to the dinner table. "My little girl is falling in love!"
"No!" Karin yelled pushing her father away as he attempted to hug her. "See, this is why I don't do anything for holidays like this!"
"Aw but Karin, every girl has to make chocolates Valentine's Day." Yuzu said to her sister. "Even if you don't have someone you like, than at least make some giri choco."
"Are you making some?" Ichigo asked Yuzu.
"Of course!" Yuzu answered happily.
"For who?" Ichigo asked, curiosity about his little sister's love life taking over.
"Some classmates, friends, teachers, and such," Yuzu answered.
"So no one in particular?"
"Not really, no."
"What about that guy in your diary…" Karin began.
"Shut up Karin!" Yuzu interrupted before her sister can finish. "And stop reading my diary!"
"Who?" Ichigo asked.
The rest of dinner progressed with Ichigo and his father interrogating Yuzu about the "guy in her diary". Yuzu continuously denied that she liked anyone. Karin watched as her sister dealt with the impertinent questions concerning her personal life. When Karin finished her dinner, she finally helped her twin out.
"Okay, it's not really anyone special." Karin said to her father and brother.
"Thank you!" Yuzu said exasperatedly.
"Just someone she's been thinking about lately….and he's older than her." Karin finished before quickly leaving the table, "Gochisousama."
After dinner and a bath, Ichigo went back up to his room to begin his homework. His shinigami duties as of late, has been interfering with his studies. As things started to quiet down around him, he began thinking about the conversations he had with his friends and family about Valentine's Day. Ichigo looked over at his closet, where Rukia used to sleep when she first came into his life. Thinking back, it was pretty odd to keep a girl who looked to be in her teens in your bedroom secretly.
Does the petite shinigami even know what Valentine's Day is? She probably read about it in those shoujo manga that she uses as a reference guide for human behavior, but Ichigo doubted she knew enough details about the holiday to try and celebrate it. There were the girls in his class, like Inoue and Tatsuki who could've told her about it.
As Ichigo pondered more and more about Rukia's understanding of Valentine's Day, he began to imagine scenarios where Rukia presented him heart shaped boxes of chocolates. Maybe receiving chocolates from her weren't so bad after all. He has been receiving chocolates from Inoue and Tatsuki for years, what would be any different?
He was shaken out of his daydreams by Rukia who had chosen at that moment to jump through his window. She looked at him with an unreadable expression before saying, "why do you look like that?"
"Like what?" Ichigo asked, as he straightened up.
"You were drooling and you had a glazed look in your eyes." Rukia said scrutinizing his appearance. The raven haired girl leaned forward and held Ichigo's head in place as she rested her forehead on his. The blush forming on Ichigo's face almost matched the intensity of his hair and he thanked whatever gods out there that Rukia had her eyes closed. "Hm…it's not a fever."
"Gr…great," Ichigo stuttered. Their faces had never been that close before.
"Well, I'm starving. Did you save me some food?" Rukia asked.
"Yeah…downstairs," Ichigo answered.
When the raven haired teen walked out of his room; Ichigo finally relaxed and slumped into his chair. This was no different than their other nights together, yet he was feeling a love struck child. Deciding it was the stress from the day; he gave his homework up as a bad job and went to bed.
The next few days passed by in the same manner, Rukia would go straight to Orihime's after school, leaving Ichigo to go home alone. His doubts about Rukia, that she is not the type to celebrate such a superficial holiday, began to fade as he could not think of any particular reason why she would be acting like such...or it could've been because it was the only explanation offered.
Two days before Valentine's Day, Ichigo was heading home after Rukia ditched him again to go to Orihime's apartment, Keigo caught up to the orange haired teen along with Mizuiro, and surprisingly, Ishida.
"So Ichigo, still worried about what Rukia-chan is doing?" Keigo danced around Ichigo to stand in front of the scowling carrot top.
"No," Ichigo flatly denied. "And you usually never hang out with these two, Ishida."
"I'm curious as to what Rukia and Orihime are doing," Ishida said, not looking at Ichigo.
"And so, I suggested we follow Rukia-chan and find out what they're up to!" Keigo said enthusiastically.
Before Ichigo could respond, Keigo looped his arm around him and was dragging him along.
"Ishida, how could you agree to this?" Ichigo asked. He could easily overpower Keigo but he hasn't yet for some reason.
Ishida didn't say anything and so Ichigo turned to the calmer of his two friends. "Mizuiro, you're usually opposed to Keigo's ideas."
"Actually no, I'm just there to stop him from doing anything too stupid." Mizuiro responded.
And so, Ichigo was dragged, though not completely unwilling, behind Rukia once they caught up to the girls. The boys tried to be as sneaky as they knew how, hiding behind light poles, phone booths, or cars as they stalked the two girls through Karakura. However, their efforts were in vain. When the four boys turned around the corner to Orihime's street, they bumped right into Rukia and Orihime who were waiting for them.
"How long were you planning to follow us?" Rukia glared the boys, who shrunk a bit under her gaze, despite the fact that she was the shortest amongst them.
"How did you know we were following you?" Mizuiro asked calmly.
"I can sense Ichigo a mile away so I knew since the moment you started tailing us."
Keigo and Mizuiro only looked at each other in confusion at what she meant, but Ichigo and Ishida knew exactly how she found out.
"Ishida-kun, why are you following us anyways?" Orihime asked.
"Yeah…why are you guys following us?" Rukia asked sternly.
"Well, it's time to get going. Come on guys," Ichigo started pushing the others away, wanting to get away from an angry Rukia as quickly as possible.
The other guys did not object as they started jogging away in the opposite direction. The girls didn't chase them but continued to watch them as they turned the corner at the end of the street. They walked on in silent embarrassment until they parted on their way to their respective homes.
That night, Ichigo and Rukia did not mention what happened that day and continued their business as usual, though Ichigo looked incredibly uncomfortable through the whole night.
Soon enough, it was Valentine's Day. Unfortunately for Keigo, since the holiday fell on a Sunday, he won't be receiving any giri choco from Rukia since they won't see each other. Rukia had disappeared before Ichigo had even woke up, according to his sisters anyways. Ichigo felt somewhat disappointed by Rukia's disappearance on this day; all those talks about chocolates had affected him. He was actually expecting it when he woke up.
Karin had gone off to play soccer with her friends straight after breakfast, but not before Yuzu made her bring some chocolates for her soccer buddies who were all boys. Their father was crying the whole morning because his daughter had not given him any chocolate, so Yuzu gave a piece to Isshin – probably out of pity – which instantly cheered him up. The crazy dad left soon after however, saying he was meeting a friend. Yuzu went out as well saying she's going to go give chocolates to her friends, despite the fact that she did not have to because it was Sunday. However, she insisted on going.
Ichigo was now left home alone, on Valentine's Day. He had never cared about this holiday before or maybe he had just taken advantage of it. He had received chocolates from Orihime and Tatsuki every year but since he wasn't going to see them today, he felt quite alone. He idled around the house all day, watched some TV here and there, did some homework, work out, whatever to kill time.
He heard a noise upstairs as he was doing some pull-ups on a doorframe and he looked up the stairs curiously. He went upstairs thinking that it was stupid for a thief to break in during the middle of the day. He opened his bedroom door to find Rukia digging into her bag on his desk. She didn't seem to have noticed him as he approached her from behind and tapped her on the shoulder. Rukia jumped in fright and knocked her bag down to the ground.
"Ichigo!" the petite shinigami yelled, "Don't ever sneak up on me like that!"
"Thought you could sense me a mile away," Ichigo smirked.
"I…I was distracted…" she turned away from him.
"Whatever." Ichigo said, and bent down to help pick up her stuff from the floor.
"Wait!" Rukia stopped him.
"What?"
"Get out!"
"It's my room."
"So…get out for a minute." Before Ichigo could protest, Rukia had pushed him and locked the door. "Wait downstairs, I'll be down in a minute."
Ichigo went downstairs grudgingly after getting kicked out of his own room. He lay down on his couch and waited patiently, wondering what Rukia was up to. The bleached hair teen did not have to wait long as footsteps were heard from the direction of the stairs. Ichigo sat up and look toward the stairs but Rukia didn't appear.
"Ichigo…" she said, surprisingly timid.
"What?" Ichigo asked, getting irritated.
"Uh…close your eyes." Rukia said quickly.
"What, why?" Ichigo asked.
"Just do it!"
Ichigo did as he was told and waited. He heard the shuffling of footsteps as someone stood in front of him. "Can I open my eyes yet?"
Rukia didn't respond so Ichigo took that as a yes and opened his eyes. His face instantly turned a deep shade of red, a red that matched the frilly dress Rukia was wearing as she stood in front of him. It was cut off at the shoulders, exposing her small and soft shoulders. The dress only went down to her upper thighs which meant, the rest of her legs were shown down to her feet, on which she wore what looked like a red strapped sandal with glitter. She had her hands behind her back and the blush on her cheeks was a deeper shade of red than the dress she's wearing.
"What are you wearing?" Ichigo asked incredulously.
"Well…this was what it said in that book I read about human culture…"
"Manga are not books…"
"I asked Orihime and she said it was fine." Rukia retorted angrily. "Just be happy I dressed up in this ridiculous outfit for you!"
"I didn't ask you to…" Ichigo sighed.
"Fine then!" Rukia threw the rectangular box she was holding behind her at Ichigo and stomped her way upstairs.
Ichigo picked up the box she threw at him and him and opened it. He shouldn't be surprised since everyone's been telling him that it was going to happen, but he still could not hold back an expression of surprise. He closed the box and walked upstairs to find Rukia, and panicked for a little when he couldn't find her, until he opened his closet and found her huddled in there. She didn't look at him nor did she say anything so Ichigo talked first.
"Sorry…I was just a bit surprised." Ichigo apologized.
Rukia glanced at him, anger and hurt still apparent in her eyes.
"Here," Ichigo handed her the box of chocolates. "Let's try that again shall we?"
Rukia took the box and Ichigo helped her out of the closet. The short and petite girl stood in front of him once more and held out the box of chocolates. "Happy Valentine's day, will you accept these chocolates I made for you?" she was looking away the whole time while she said it.
"Thank you, Rukia." Ichigo smiled and took the box from her. "You look very cute by the way." He didn't know what possessed him to say that but it just slipped out at the spur of the moment.
Rukia blushed even harder, "Id…idiot, just eat the damn chocolate!"
"Fine…" Ichigo laughed and took a piece. It wasn't particularly shaped into anything that Ichigo could define but two "things" stuck out parallel to each other. Deciding the shape did not matter; he put it in his mouth and bit into it, something he regretted doing the moment he did it. He instantly spat the brown object back out.
"What's wrong?" asked Rukia.
"What's in this?" He asked Rukia weakly, holding a piece up.
"I followed Orihime's instructions carefully." Rukia said obliviously. "I even added extra curry powder since curry seemed to be popular right now."
Ichigo quickly ran downstairs to grab a cup of water to wash out the residue of the "curry chocolate".
Ichigo still felt somewhat nauseous after eating that chocolate that Rukia forced him to eat, saying it would be a waste of her hard work. Ishida went up to Ichigo with the same nauseous look on his face.
"So you ate the curry chocolate too?" he asked.
Ichigo didn't say anything.
"Tell your sister, Yuzu, thanks for the chocolate. They were a lot better than the ones Orihime delivered to me…" Ishida said.
"Wait what?" Ichigo sat up in shock. "Yuzu made chocolates for you!?"
A/N: My attempt at escaping from the grasp's of a writer's block for the past month, before getting back to my Code Geass fic. Originally meant to be mainly about Ichigo and Rukia, it evolved as I gradually wrote to include many more. I read on a Bleach wikia that Rukia uses a shoujo manga as a reference guide for human life.
Ichigo and Ishida and pretty much everyone seemed a bit OOC. Yeah, no one questions the fact that Rukia gets into the house through Ichigo's window.
I'm sure most of you know how Valentine's Day in Japan works. "Giri choco" is obligatory chocolate, where it doesn't have any special feelings attached and are given to male friends and co-workers. "Honmei choco" are the special chocolate and those are usually homemade and are given to your special someone. Though not mentioned specifically, Rukia gave Ichigo Honmei choco in this fic.
The title comes from the colors of the different holidays…Valentine's Day red…White Day…Black Day. Black Day is actually only done in South Korea. It's a day where people who doesn't receive anything during Valentine's Day and White Day go to Chinese restaurants and eat black noodles to "mourn their singleness".