International Day of IchiRuki
One-shot
A/N: I should own Bleach. We should own Bleach. The entire IchiRuki fandom should own Bleach.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Oh, shit! Hollow! Kuchiki Rukia wakes up with a start, hitting her head on the shelf of the closet she is sleeping in. And then, reality dawns on her. Wait the fucking minute. There is no such thing as a hollow... she sighs as she lies back down on her futon and closes her eyes in relief.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Rukia!"
She groans and rolls half of her pillow over to cover her ears. Go away, go away...
"Come on, Midget. Wake up!"
Rukia swears on all the bankai she has had the misfortune to come to know of that she will shove her foot up the arse of that sherbet. When she feels like waking up, that is.
"Rukia, open up or I will tear down this door."
Go ahead. It's not mine.
"I hope you're decent. I'm going to open..."
Rukia grunts as she turns her body towards the door and slides it open with a loud bang. "Of course, I'm decent! What do you think I'd be doing in a closet, you perverted Strawberry!"
"How the hell would I know? You're the one who reads all those romance novels!" Kurosaki Ichigo shouts back at the petite woman sitting up with dishevelled hair in yellow, checkered pyjamas.
She slams the heel of her palm against his forehead, sending him stumbling backwards onto the bed behind him. "Stupid, idiot, moron! What do you want?"
The tall, orange-haired man glares at her as he rubs his sore spot. "I was trying to wake you up. Been knocking on the door for kami-knows-how-long. Why is it so hard to wake you up these days?"
"I'm trying to enjoy a much needed sleep-in after 15 years!" she replies, crossing her arms and shooting the same glare back at him, her feet dangling out of the closet.
"It's been over a month since Bleach ended. Don't you think you've had enough sleeping in by now?" he asks.
She scoffs, "One month is not enough to recover all the sleep I've lost making that manga."
"I don't see how you could get any sleep in there. And why the fuck are you still using that closet?"
"I should ask you the same. Why are you still using this room?"
"Because you're still sleeping in that closet! No way am I going to let you stay here alone in this abandoned house."
"Aww... That's so sweet, Kurosaki-kun."
"Whatever," Ichigo says, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, it's International Day of IchiRuki. You might want to get ready for an early start."
Rukia yawns as she turns her wrist to look at her watch. "It's only eight."
"Do I need to explain to you what 'an early start' means?" he asks, getting off of the bed to put on his watch and slip his wallet into the pocket of his jeans.
"Alright, alright," she grumbles, slipping off the futon and then turning back into the closet to pick her outfit of the day – a sleeveless yellow dress. "It's your turn to do the laundry, Strawberry. I have only one set of underwear left. Been washing your damn clothes for a month."
Ichigo snorts, "I'm not going to do laundry until you change all your undergarments into something more mature than Chappy the Rabbit. Don't want to touch any of your ugly bunny stuff. It's embarrassing."
Rukia chucks a pair of Chappy the Rabbit boxers at him – the pair she got for him, which he never wants to wear. "Chappy is not ugly. You are," she says, tossing her hair and tromping off towards the bathroom.
"I don't see why we have to celebrate International Day of IchiRuki," Rukia mumbles.
The two friends are walking towards the park where they will be meeting some of the cast of Bleach.
Ichigo sighs, "It's just something the fans came up with. Just go with it, okay?"
"But IchiRuki didn't even happen in the manga. So there's no reason to set a special day for this," she complains.
For the past five weeks, she's been having the time of her life, eating and sleeping whenever she wants, reading horror manga and romance novels (she and Inoue Orihime are having a binge-reading contest between them), wreaking havoc at the Chappy Stores (she's banned from two out of five Chappy Stores all over Japan), and sketching hideous looking bunnies and bears to annoy the hell out of Ichigo. In a nutshell, life after Bleach has been a joy.
"Quit whining. They've even got a festival put up for the celebration. The least we could do is be there to show our appreciation, Midget," he tells her, earning a stomp on his foot for implying her height – or lack thereof. "What the fuck!"
She lets out a grunt. "That's what you get for ruining my sleep. Now, I've got to think of what to say if anyone comes up to interview us."
The rest of their friends are already gathered at the park, chatting among themselves. Ishida Uryuu is the first to notice the bickering couple. "About time you two arrived. What took you so long?" he asks, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Yasutora Sado nods.
Ichigo jerks his thumb at the raven-haired woman next to him. "Lazy arse here wouldn't wake up."
"Shut up, Idiot," Rukia growls, slapping her companion upside the head before approaching Orihime and Arisawa Tatsuki.
The girls begin talking away – Orihime updates them about her latest cooking adventure, Tatsuki brags about how many (bigger and taller) guys she KO-ed in the past week, while Rukia shares about all the new Chappy merchandise (both limited edition and on sale) she has gotten. All three of them are talking about different things, yet they seem to be contented just by being together and keeping up with one another's lives after 15 years of working together.
"Have you told her?" Abarai Renji asks as he sneaks up behind Uryuu and Ichigo.
Ichigo furrows his brows at the weirdo whose face is shoved between him and the bespectacled man. "Has who told whom what?"
Never comfortable with having his personal space invaded, Uryuu takes a few steps away from his friends with loud-coloured hair. "He must be referring to you, Rukia, and that," he guesses.
"How would you know he's not talking about you, Orihime, and that?" Ichigo deepens his scowl.
"Because today is about you and Rukia," Uryuu replies as Renji nods.
Ichigo grunts in irritation, "Let's just go. I want to get breakfast before we head to the festival. They are expecting us at 11.00 am." Turning on his heels, he walks away from the group. The three men follow and soon even the girls who are still talking animatedly start to trail behind them as well.
Twenty minutes of walking (and occasionally stopping just to break Ichigo and Rukia up from their childish squabbles), the gang is seated at one of their favourite breakfast eateries where they would order their usual oyakodon.
In comes Kuchiki Byakuya, casually strolling into the shop like he owns the place and eliciting heart eyes from all the women.
Rukia gasps, "Nii-sama!" She waves excitedly, getting a smile from the long-haired man before he turns to the cashier counter to make his order.
Ichigo scowls, "Why do you still call him that? He's not your brother."
"Didn't she tell you? Byakuya adopted her for real," Tatsuki answers for her.
The orange-haired man's eyes widen at the new information. He watches as Rukia continues to keep her eyes on Byakuya and her fake smile on her face. "Oi," he nudges her foot under the table. "You didn't tell me you're officially a Kuchiki now."
Rukia rolls her eyes and taps his shin with her foot. "I've always been a Kuchiki. Just from a different lineage. Now, I belong in his clan. And I did tell you. You weren't listening."
"You did not tell me. This is not something I would've forgotten so easily," Ichigo protests.
Uryuu nods. "I have to agree with Ichigo here. He would never have forgotten anything you've said to him so easily, Rukia," he affirms with a smirk.
"What the hell are you insinuating, Four-Eyes?" Ichigo stands up and grabs the collar of his dark-haired friend. Sado is immediately at their side to keep Ichigo from throwing a punch at their friend.
"Hmm... I guess I did forget to mention," Rukia mumbles to herself.
They hear a scoff. "Kurosaki Ichigo and his fist-talks."
Ichigo lets go of Uryuu and turns around to snap at the newcomer. "None of your business, Byakuya."
The man scoffs one more time, placing his tray of food on the table and slipping into the seat next to Ichigo.
"Why did you adopt her?"
"Ichigo!" Rukia gasps.
Byakuya knits his brows as he turns to the man on his left. "Because she's got no family and I've gotten used to her being my little sister," he says.
Orihime claps her hands happily, Sado nods his head in approval, while Renji, Tatsuki and Uryuu smirk knowingly. Ichigo does not even want to look at Rukia's reaction.
"But my old man wants to take her into the family as a Kurosaki."
Rukia almost chokes on her drink. "Really? He's never said anything about that."
Ichigo sends her a scowl. "He calls you his third daughter. Isn't that saying something?"
Rukia shrugs. "He says that in the manga. I didn't know he'd truly mean it."
The elder Kuchiki chuckles. "It's fine. She can change her family name when you're married."
"Nii-sama!"
"What the fuck..."
The others in the group explode in laughter, watching the two, whose faces are getting redder by the minute before they all go back to their food and private conversations.
"Alright," Ichigo sighs. "I guess we'd better get going. It's 15 minutes to 11."
Renji turns his watch over and agrees. "Yeah, but just so you both know, once we step foot in the venue of the festival, none of us here is going to walk with you. We don't want to get ambushed by IchiRuki fans."
Rukia rolls her eyes. "Thanks a lot for leaving us to die then, comrades."
"Are you coming with us, Byakuya?" Ichigo asks, stealing the other man's watermelon slice.
"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world," is the reply. He doesn't seem to mind that his food has been taken away.
"I still don't get why there's an International Day of IchiRuki," Rukia grumbles again.
It is Ichigo's turn to roll his eyes.
"What do you mean? It's obvious those two characters of yours were meant to be together. Practically the whole fandom has been cheering you on all these while," Tatsuki says.
"But the characters didn't end up together in the manga. Ichigo and Rukia are friends," the former female protagonist argues.
Renji chuckles. "I think that was a mistake. A huge stupid one. Ichigo's character fought both mine and Byakuya's to save yours. It's so obvious the writer meant something deeper for the two of you than just friendship."
"Wow, even Renji's been quite observant," Byakuya comments with a chuckle.
Renji, too, joins in the laughter before he realises that he is being insulted, "Oi! Don't forget that this is real life. I can crush that slender neck of yours with one hand, Byakuya."
The dark-haired man gives him a nonchalant wave. "Anyway, Ichigo's character made it clear that his powers were gained for Rukia's. That alone is enough reason for the pairing."
Sado nods. "I agree. Ichigo was so miserable during the 17 months when he lost those powers. Those powers that he gained for Rukia. Missing them also meant he was missing Rukia."
"Naw..." Ichigo's face wrinkles as he ponders the incredulity of what Sado has just said.
Ignoring him – as usual, Uryuu goes on to say, "And that moment when he was fighting Ulquiorra, Ichigo got so distracted when he felt Rukia's reiatsu falter. Being someone who sucked at feeling reiatsu, he sure was quick at sensing hers."
"But..." Rukia begins. "Ichigo married Orihime in the end. So there should be a celebration day for IchiHime instead."
"Oh, no, no, no, no. The moment I read the script, I knew it was a spoof. The entire manga from the beginning has been leading to an IchiRuki ending," Orihime says with a wide smile. "Rukia is an important person to Ichigo because she changed his world." She has been very eager to contribute something from the beginning but the others keep beating her to it.
"Was, you mean?" Rukia says.
"Huh?" Orihime tilts her head, regarding her friend in confusion.
"Was important. You meant to say Rukia was important to Ichigo in Bleach," the petite actress clarifies, failing to notice the way her orange-haired friend visibly flinches in front of her.
Everyone sends their curious looks at Ichigo. The whole group is suddenly struck silent. Uryuu and Renji jerk their heads as they widen their eyes, catching Ichigo's attention and conveying a message to him furtively.
Noticing the change of mood, Rukia asks, "What?"
Ichigo closes his eyes and breathes heavily through his nose, ignoring the squeeze on his shoulder by Byakuya. He does not need to see him to know that the supposedly stoic character now has a smirk on his face. The same one that even Sado has. And he's pretty sure whatever that's cooking in the minds of the guys are exactly the same as what is in the heads of Tatsuki and Orihime as well.
He thinks back on a recent conversation they all had with him when Rukia was out house-shopping to look for a more permanent place to stay. She was even considering moving to Hokkaido to have a fresh start since she has been stuck in the Suginami City for the past 15 years. That's on an entirely different island away from him altogether.
"You've got to do something fast, Ichigo. She's not going to stay here forever," Sado said, saying more than three words for the first time.
He scoffed, "She likes that closet too much to leave Suginami. It's still Karakura to her, you know?"
"She just told Orihime that she's found an apartment in Hokkaido, Stupid! Someone's offering her a role in an upcoming manga there," Tatsuki said.
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "She's just saying that. She's too comfortable to leave. There's also another offer here for both of us and we're set to begin in January."
Renji's eyes widened at that. "Shit, seriously? That was fast. How come I don't get any calls yet?"
The pony-tailed man earned a slap upside the head from Tatsuki. "Not talking about you, Pineapple."
Shaking his head at the usual banter between Tatsuki and Renji who were glaring heatedly at each other now, Ichigo stated, "I'm buying this house. I kind of like it, too. So I'm thinking of asking her to stay with me."
"Have you actually asked her?" Uryuu questioned. He had always known Ichigo to be someone who was too presumptuous in nature.
Ichigo looked at him like he was the idiot. "Not yet, but I'm sure she'll agree."
Uryuu sighed. "You have to tell her, Dumbass. Time's running out. Before you know it, you'll be moping away like those 17 months in the manga."
"That's because the script called for it."
Appearing from the kitchen, Karin and Yuzu carried the trays of drinks and cakes to where the group was seated at the living room. They don't live here but every once in a while, Isshin would take them here to visit Ichigo.
"Who's going to be moping away?" Karin asked, taking a seat beside her brother on the couch.
"Ichigo," everyone declared in a chorus.
"Hey!"
Karin bopped her head in nonchalance. "But why?"
Orihime replied, "Because Rukia is going to move to Hokkaido for good."
"She's not!"
"Rukia-nee is going away?" Yuzu gasped, her eyes started to glisten.
"Don't listen to them Yuzu. Do you think Rukia would want to leave Suginami?" Ichigo said, shoving a piece of cake in his mouth.
Karin got up from her place and made her way out of the living room. A moment later, she returned with an envelope in her hand and a weeping Isshin at her tail. "Tsk, so annoying," she said, shaking her head at her father's antics. She dropped the letter on her brother's lap before she slumped back to her seat. "I know it's rude to read somebody else's documents but I found this already opened on the fridge door. I'm surprised you didn't see it."
Tatsuki smirked. "Obviously Rukia's the one who cooks here."
Ichigo didn't bother with a retort as he took the letter out of the envelope. His eyebrows instantly knitted at the contents. It was a confirmation of Rukia's new acting role in Hokkaido, commencing in two months. "Fuck," he murmured.
"What's wrong with you, my idiot son? How dare you break my third daughter's heart so bad that she'd want to run away?" Isshin bawled.
"I did not do anything to her, old man!" Ichigo yelled, sending a flying kick at his father who landed unconscious at the foot of his mother's poster. His fist clenched as he read the letter again; Yuzu sobbing behind him.
"You can't go to Hokkaido," Ichigo says, his amber eyes staring deeply into Rukia's violet orbs.
The others quietly stand up and leave the table, letting those two have the privacy they need.
"What are you talking about?" Rukia asks, narrowing her eyes at him. She doesn't even bother to ask where everyone is going.
"You're not leaving me," he asserts.
"Ichigo..."
"You are important to me, Rukia. And you did change my world. I can't just let you go away without first letting you know how much you mean to me."
Rukia's jaw drops as she regards her long-time best friend. She has never seen him so serious before – in real life, that is.
"I've put a deposit on that house that used to be the Kurosaki Clinic. And it's going to be one hell of an empty house if you don't officially move in with me."
The woman stammers, "Are... Are you saying that..."
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, yes."
"I..." Rukia is still gaping, still unsure what to say.
But the furious red tint on her cheeks induces a smug as fuck smile on Ichigo. He reaches across the table and takes her hand before leading her out of the shop.
Rukia is still speechless as everything happens as if it were a dream. She looks at their intertwined fingers, too unbelievable to be true. She never took Ichigo as one for handholding in public.
When reality hits her, though, she kicks her companion in the shin and is surprised when he bends over to nurse his pain without letting go of her hand.
"What the hell, Midget? Is that any way to treat your boyfriend?"
"Who says you're my boyfriend? I never consented to anything, you moron!" she yells back at him.
The fact that she doesn't do anything to resist their handholding tells him that she wants what he wants but she's too proud – as usual – to admit it. He pulls her towards him, their hands still joined as he cradles her jaw. "But you didn't say 'no' either," he breathes as he gazes into her eyes.
Fighting the urge to look affected by their proximity, she harrumphs while gently head-butting his chest to hide her face.
"You're not moving, right?" Ichigo asks, the hand on Rukia's face moves to wrap itself around her shoulders.
She looks up at him and shakes her head. "I never signed that letter. But you were so damn confident that you could convince me to stay," she remarks.
Ichigo chuckles. "I knew you'd never pass up a chance to annoy me to my death over a stupid role."
Rukia slaps him on the chest. "I just might. They're paying me three times what I got from Bleach."
He snorts. "Please... Watching me suffer under your physical abuse is priceless. You've said so yourself."
She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... You're going to say you know me so well. I'm just going to let it go today, seeing as you're so happy about getting a new girlfriend."
"You know it."
"So, Inoue-chan," a young teen girl with a bubbly personality chirps. She and her friends who are just as bubbly have stopped Orihime at one of the booths at the festival to interview her. "Since IchiHime is the official pairing for Bleach, aren't you upset that the International Day of IchiRuki still goes on?"
Orihime giggles at her question. She looks up at Uryuu who returns her smile before she replies, "IchiHime may be canon. But the official pairing is IchiRuki. Look over there." Both of them point to Ichigo and Rukia who are standing some distance away from them at the cotton candy cart.
The couple is holding hands, facing each other with the happiest smiles anyone has ever seen on them as they share a pink blob of candy between them.
Some of the characters are OOC because I want them that way. They are different from their characters on the manga. This is their 'normal' self. I'm really talking about Byakuya. Lol! Don't get me wrong. I prefer the arrogant, stick-up-the-arse noble that he is in Bleach. But just this once I'd like to make him a bit different. And this is the only way I can do it since I'm writing them as casts of Bleach instead of their actual characters.
And if you've noticed, they are all calling each other by their first names. Fifteen years of working together makes them very close to one another. They are like a family. They hang out together a lot. After Bleach has ended, I would imagine them relieved to get a much-needed rest, yet missing their time together making the manga. So it must be quite difficult for them to adjust to their new life now.
The Kurosaki family is a unit I refuse to separate even outside the manga. They are too awesome.
Anyway, this was just a crazy idea I thought of. A poopiphany, to be honest. So it probably stinks as well. Lol! Need to lighten things up after the intensity of the ending of Bleach and my multi-chapter fix-it fic 'When you mess with fate'. If you haven't already read that, please hop over and give it a go.
My apologies to those who have reviewed after the last chapter. I can see your reviews in the email notifications, but they are not reflected on the review page. Neither are they accessible directly from the email. I've already emailed FFnet to get them to fix the problem. So far, nothing's been done yet. :( I think I've replied some of you. Thanks again for reading, favouriting, following, and reviewing my fics. I'll get to Loosely in a bit. Just can't seem to find the rhythm yet.
Happy International Day of IchiRuki!