Brief: After being dragged to a nightclub in downtown Karakura, Rukia Kuchiki never considered that she might find someone she liked there... Or that he would be part of the band playing there! Includes my OC. AU.

Pairings: IchiRuki, KaiHime (OCxOrihime), possible RenTats, YoruKis and ByaHis

Warnings: Contains scenes of language some may find offensive, others will be added as needed.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach.

A/N: Little pissed about the lack of reviews on this, but the numerous favourites and alerts make up for it massively, so thanks anyone who has done that.

Also, for singing, here's the key;

Ichigo singing – Italic

Kai singing – Bold

Both singing – Bold/Italic

(NOTE: This key does not include when one or the other is not in the area; in this instance the both is supplemented for emphasis!)


Language of the Heart: Overhauled

Chapter 2: The Surprise Concert and Backstage

From somewhere in the crowd, Orihime watched the band intently. The lead singer had her attention, but as did the lead guitarist. The woman watched on, her pink t-shirt and tight-fitting jeans accentuating her full figure well while also keeping her modest except for the low-cut v-neck which showed a fair amount of her ample cleavage. Her grey eyes lit up as a number of songs were played over the speakers, rendering her near-deaf due to her proximity.

Meanwhile, back at the bar and the safety from the worst of the speakers, Rukia gaped at the image before her; the man that had been so nice to her when everyone was so obnoxious was now singing into the microphone, pouring his heart and soul into the lyrics he allowed to grace his lips. Yoruichi stood beside her, grinning, but she stayed quiet for a few songs before then coming out with it.

"Hey, Rukia," she cooed softly. "You might want to stop staring and close your mouth before he gets the wrong idea."

Rukia blushed and snapped her gaze away, jaws clamped shut, but the over-powering effect of Ichigo's singing made her will-power diminish and she found herself staring again.

"I can't help it," she finally replied. "I don't know why, but he's... different to the other guys I've met."

"Yeah, unlike people Byakuya set you up with," Yoruichi replied. "This guy can stand out in any room he stands in!"

"Enough joking about his hair!" Rukia growled. "He probably gets enough of that as it is without you joining in!"

"I'm sorry, but he's called strawberry, of all things, Rukia!" Yoruichi howled with laughter. Rukia sighed.

"Ugh, sometimes, I'm embarrassed to know you, Yoruichi," she muttered under her breath as the song ended and the laughs died down. Ichigo turned and spoke to the guitarist, who nodded back to him and seemed to say something. When they had finished, the man roared in his two-tone, which seemed to be his natural voice by then, and the crowd clapped a little to the band.

"How's everyone holding up?" Ichigo asked. The crowd cheered and he chuckled, panting slightly and dripping sweat as he dabbed a towel over his face. "Better than me, huh? You guys are a great crowd, but I need a breather." People groaned a little and the singer smirked. "Shut up; I said I need a breather. That's why I'm handing over to Kai for now, but I'll be back later, so don't tone down this energy!"

And so, the man stepped down and into the swaying crowd as his guitarist stepped forward. He simply raised his right arm, devil horns primed, and struck a power-chord for no real reason, then he lifted his left hand to the mask's lower jaw and pulled it to the right and downwards, revealing a crack down the middle. He raised his right hand and carefully removed the right section of his mask, wiping the dusty residue from his pitch locks.

With the mask off, it revealed the man to be about Ichigo's age, maybe a bit younger, had black and red eyes, thanks to a pair of black sclera contact lenses, and also had a single white patch in his hair, slightly to the right of his face. The crowd roared, but her just grinned briefly and removed a device from his mouth, placing it with his discarded mask section.

"Alright, I like this crowd!" he announced. "We've got some real fucking nut jobs; that's good." He laughed a little at his own joke. "I'm not being offensive, I'm just saying that some people might actually like the stuff I'm gonna put on. Little fact for you; I am shit at Japanese lyrics." The crowd laughed a bit. "Honest to whatever deity you want it to be to, I've got to admire your country's bands; they're amazing. Anyway, I'm Kai, I'm the English pillock of this group and the heavy singer, so that's what I'm gonna do. This is one I've been working on with these guys, and it's never been done before, so enjoy being first, you lucky bastards. This is one called Venomous!"

The guitarist began to strike his guitar, a sickly, heavy tune playing out as he began the introduction. No sooner had he started playing, his voice raw and powerful with as much passion as Ichigo, did said frontman reached the bar, grinning to the gobsmacked woman he had run into.

"So, what did you think?" he asked, clearly amused by Rukia's reaction.

In retrospect, Rukia did not know why she did what she did or even if it was that she was shocked with him or angry that he did not tell her he was playing at the venue, but the next thing she knew, her right hand stung fiercely and Ichigo clutched his left cheek, a red hand printed over his jawline. She had slapped him.

"What the hell, midget?" he roared, taken aback. "Why did you hit me?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were part of the band playing here tonight?" Rukia fumed. "And I am not a midget, you freaking giant!"

This went on for a while before they stopped, the words Kai was singing reaching their ears as he played the bridge and chorus.

"Your words! (That lace my brain)

I've played! (These stupid games)

I know! (How far we've come)

But now I wanna go back again.

Your touch! (Your chilling curse)

My heart! (Lost in the surf)

I'm tired! (Of all this shit)

Now I cannot take the pain!

And I scream~,

I just can't take another fight!

And I can feel~,

Your poison inside of me!

Go~,

I want to be left on my own!

I can't deny~

You're a venom within my soul!"

Ichigo relented and sighed, looking away.

"I know I should have told you," he told Rukia softly. "But I didn't want you to get the wrong idea. Most people either try to get to me for money or they freak out and run away. I didn't want to risk that again, not after..." He stopped, remembering his ex-girlfriend, and clamped his jaw shut. Rukia placed a hand on his shoulder, a soft, reassurance in effect.

"It's alright," she said. "You don't have to explain." She paused and turned to Yoruichi, who had nudged the raven girl in the side. The woman mouthed a message and Rukia rolled her eyes. "Uh, my friend is asking if you're single; don't ask me why, she's a bit weird like that."

Ichigo nodded, a tear seemed to drip down his cheek, but it could easily have been a bead of sweat, so Rukia did not pry. After a few minutes, Ichigo turned to Rukia and smiled.

"Hey, how many of you are there?" he asked. Rukia held up three fingers. "Well, how about you bring your friends backstage after we're done? Last song should be on in a few minutes."

"Well, uh, we-" Rukia's stuttered response was interrupted as Yoruichi butted in.

"We'd love to!" she announced for her friends and herself.

"Cool," Ichigo grinned. "I'll see you then."

The man waded through the crowds, allowing Rukia to glare at Yoruichi.

"What the hell, Yoruichi?" she growled. "I'm not even sure Orihime would want to go!"

"Ah, lighten up, kiddo," the tall woman replied, leaning against the bar. "Besides, you need something to get your mind off of Kaien; it's been almost two years since the incident."

Rukia looked away; she had not thought of that, which was perplexing when Ichigo looked much like him. Without warning and right on cue to distract Rukia from the painful memories, Orihime wandered up to her friends, smiling shyly.

"The band's pretty good, aren't they?" she said, smiling all the while. Her bubbly nature brought Rukia's mood up.

"Glad you think so," Yoruichi grinned. "'Cause Rukia here scored us backstage access after the last song, courtesy of the frontman."

Orihime's grin widened as she cheered a little.

"Really?" Rukia smiled and nodded to her excited friend. "That's great! I'll..." Orihime held off saying something and blushed a little.

"Don't tell me," Yoruichi said. "You like the frontman too?"

Rukia felt her heart squeeze as if in a vice, but said nothing. When Orihime shook her and smiled bashfully again, the pressure eased. I wonder what she was going to say, Rukia thought to herself.

"Not the frontman," she replied softly. "More like the... the guitarist."

She looked up to see Rukia and Yoruichi staring at her, jaws dropped, but it did not last long as Ichigo returned to the stage. He grinned to everyone and high-fived Kai as he returned to his place.

"Alright, this is our last one, so enjoy it while you can," Ichigo announced. "You've all been great, and one last time from myself, Kai, Chad, Uryu, Renji and, of course, Kisuke, we are 'Soul of the Reaper', and this is one of Kai's favourite songs; by Linkin Park of America, everyone, this is In The End." Kai began playing a light riff on his guitar while Uryu, who had taken up a keyboard instead of his custom guitar, played the main verse introduction. "Everyone raise your hands, and sing along if you can!"

Ichigo drew in a soft breath to ease himself as Kai, who had toned down the power to soften his voice to the degree needed, started to sing.

"It starts with

One thing, I don't know why,

It doesn't even matter how hard you try,

Keep that in mind I designed this rhyme,

To explain in due time.

All I know time is a valuable thing,

Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings,

Watch it count down to the end of the day,

The clock ticks life away.

It's so unreal, didn't look out below,

Watch the time go right out the window,

Trying to hold on, but didn't even know,

I wasted it all just to watch you go.

I kept everything inside,

And even though I tried, it all fell apart,

What it meant to me,

Will eventually be a memory of a time when

I tried so hard, and got so far,

But in the end, it doesn't even matter!

I had to fall, to lose it all,

But in the end, it doesn't even matter!"

The song continued as the crowd exchanged looks of joy over the bands performance, but none quite so much as Orihime and Rukia, who were mesmerised by the twin capability of their crushes when they sang together like they were in this final song. Kai's choruses were more powerful than the verse pieces, but neither lacked any motivation or soulful passion. Equally, Ichigo's new 'rap-rock' style, while unorthodox and out of character from the other works, was immensely powerful in terms of commitment to the words. Eventually, the song died down into the finale solo, ending with an impromptu riff and fade combination. The band members bowed and headed back behind the stage to pack away their things. Yoruichi nudged the girls beside her.

"Come on, you two," the elder of the group said, leading Rukia and Orihime towards the large bouncer, who was speaking with Ichigo. "Let's get going."

"Wait, Yoruichi!" Rukia protested. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course I am!" Yoruichi replied in a faked, hurt tone. "Now come on, shift!"

They reached the bouncer, a burly man with dark glasses and shaved hair, and he simply stood there and glanced at them.

"Sorry, ladies," he announced firmly. "No entry except for VIPs. Move it."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Yoruichi growled. "We were invited here by Ichigo Kurosaki, one of the band members tonight!"

"Yeah, and I'm a leprechaun," the man rudely replied, his words laced with sarcasm. "Now beat it!"

"Why you-" Yoruichi stopped when the orange-haired man she had mentioned appeared.

"Trouble?" he asked icily. "I told you to let the small woman with black hair and her friends through, I believe."

"S-Sorry, sir," the bouncer bowed. "I must have forgotten. Please forgive me!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Ichigo turned to the three women and smiled. "Come on, everyone's ready to see you."

The long corridor the three women followed Ichigo down eventually led to a door, through which was a large room like a club lounge. There was a small bar to the right-most edge with a series of low-level mood-lighting and a barman making a drink for the drummer who sat beside it. To the left was a door, through which Urahara walked out and then promptly returned through while cases were carefully removed through it too. In the centre was a table with four couches encircling it, on the nearest of which was the rhythmist, his nose buried into a book of some sort. And lastly, there was a pool table across the back wall, around which were the bassist, waiting impatiently, and the lead guitarist, playing his shot. Soon after the group had settled in, Rukia went withIchigo to the bar to get a drink.

"Hey, Chad," Ichigo said to his dark-skinned friend. "Great playing out there, tonight."

"Thanks," he replied in a rough voice. He looked over to Rukia. "Who's this?"

"Oh, right. This is Rukia Kuchiki, I ran into her before our set." Rukia smiled pleasantly and Chad held out a large hand to her, which she shook.

"I'm Yasutora Sado," he replied. "Nice to meet you."

"Hey, Ichigo!" came a call from across the room, the owner of whom grinned at his friend. "Want to have a game?"

"Maybe later, Kai, I've got company," he replied, smirking at Kai's cocky nature. "By the way, have you met Rukia?"

"Uh, not that I know of." The black-haired man walked over, hanging the pool cue back in its position as he did so. "Hey there. You must be Rukia. I'm Kai."

"Nice to meet you, Kai." Rukia smiled pleasantly, then paused; she had noticed that the costumes were gone but also that Kai's hair still had the white marking on it. "Um, I think there's some paint in you hair."

"Huh?" The man fumbled with his messy hair, trying to locate the offending article. "Where?"

"That white bit there."

"Oh, that." Kai stopped and chuckled. "It's not paint; its a natural thing I've had for a while. Doctors said its a late gene or some shit and it bleached some of my hair."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Nah, it's fine. Anyway, I'm going to say hi to the other two." The man walked off as if a world of his own.

"He's a bit spaced sometimes, but he's one hell of a guitarist." Ichigo explained, handing Rukia a drink. "He's our album artist and the one who design his mask and guitar. Weird sort of style tastes, but he's cool."

The pair of them sat down on one of the couches and talked for a while. The two of them seemed to like the same things and got on very well, much to their pleasure as each enjoyed the other's company despite the blatant differences between them both physically and in personality. Rukia looked over and saw Kai and Orihime talking together, both appeared to be enjoying themselves. She turned back to Ichigo, who had gone quiet and looked down. Something glistened on his cheek, and Rukia knew that this time it was a tear. She placed a hand on his shoulder again.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" she asked softly. He sighed and looked away.

"You remind me of her so much," he replied. He looked the small woman in the eyes and went on to explain. "I had a girlfriend a while ago. Her name was Senna, and I honestly thought she was the one for me. But then she got worse; she had been diagnosed with leukaemia when she was just thirteen, and she had been able to fight against it until almost a year ago. Her body just couldn't take it and she..."

Sensing that he was on the verge of a breakdown, Rukia hugged Ichigo tightly.

"I know how it feels," she said softly. "My boyfriend, Kaien, he died almost two years ago. We, um... We had gone to the cinema together on a date, and there was this man outside who had a knife. He wanted my purse, and threatened to kill me if I didn't, but then Kaien fought him off. The police were on their way when he stabbed Kaien through the stomach; he bled to death that night... In my arms."

The man held his new friend close as both dwelled on the dark memories they had of their previous dates. Suddenly, Kai let out a loud curse and stood up.

"Sorry, I forgot what the time was," he said, pulling on a jacket from the coat rack. "I need to get my car from Zaracki's about now." He turned to Orihime and smiled softly to her. "You want to come with me?"

She smiled shyly but nodded, standing up.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," she said to Rukia, who nodded, and Yoruichi, who was too caught up with Kisuke to even try to acknowledge.

The two walked out of the room and down the road, leaving everyone in silence for a while until Ichigo broke it.

"Uh, listen, this might be moving too quickly," he said. "And I'll understand if you say no, but would you like to go to dinner sometime?"

Did he just ask me out? Rukia thought, awestruck.

To Be Continued...


Not bad; new chapter completed in two days (roughly) despite being busy with my mum's birthday yesterday.

I think it came out better than the last chapter (or the last version for that matter), so it's going good to me.

But I don't give a damn about my thoughts with this; I want to know what you think.

So please, review this and let me know where you think I'm going good or bad.

Thanks!