…Uhhh, hello there! It sure has been awhile! *dodges flying chair* o.O
…Well, the important thing is that I'm back with another chapter of Neko Love! Omg, the amount of review this got…from one chapter….almost gave me a heat attack! Thank you all SO much for your feedback, Love, ideas and there is even artwork of Neko Ichigo and Rukia! (The link will be up on my profile)
I love you guys! Sorry for such a long wait as well as any errors. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! (:
The sun, barely perched in the sky, shined throughout the bedroom, stirring the occupants under lavender bedding slightly from their slumber.
The sound of heels clicking against tale flooring echoes down the hallway, following by the creaking of a door opening during the early hours of the morning.
"Rukia-sama," A happy voice rings, "It's time for you to get up." In response, the little girl lets out a tired groan and cuddles closer to the Neko whose arms are wrapped tightly around her small body.
"I know how much you dislike Mondays but school awaits you." The children grunt their displeasure while the young maid pulls back lilac curtains thus filling the room with light.
"Now, please get up and start getting ready, I will be back in a few minutes to check on you." Momo's heels ring down the hallway in her departure.
Ichigo groggily opens his amber eyes and looks down at the girl who, at the moment, was trying to hide her face in the cotton of his night shirt.
"Master," he calls softly, his voice still ruff from sleep.
"Master," he repeats slightly louder. When he gets no response, the Neko gently moves Rukia so she's lying on her back before he crawls over her small body.
"Ru, you gotta get up," he says with a yawn as he lays his head on her chest. Her hands soon come up to bury themselves in his orange locks; her finger absentmindedly stroking at the base of his soft ears as she lets out a content sigh.
Ichigo smiled against her neck at the sound before moving his head so he's face-to -face with the still sleeping girl.
He leans forward, his lips lightly pressing against hers in an innocent kiss. Ichigo can't help the slight snicker when she follows his lips forward when he pulls away; in an attempt to catch his lips again with hers.
"Awake?" he asks with a wide grin when she cracks her eyes open.
"I hate this part..." she mumbles, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
He raises an eyebrow,"Hmm?"
"The waking up part," she replies groggily as she lets out a yawn. He smiles at her; his hands running through her midnight locks as he nods his agreement.
"Ichigo?"
"Yea?"
She smirks up at him. "You gonna get off me any time soon?"
It takes a few moments for her words to sink in and when they finally do, he slowly looks down at the position they're in.
His legs are tangled with hers, his arms by her head holding most of his body weight as he lies lightly on top of her small frame.
"Awww, you're blushing!"
His cheeks reddened further at the comment. "Am not!"
Before Ichigo could move, the Neko felt himself freeze when Rukia places her palms on his cheeks. "Yes, you are! Your face is all warm!"
The boy sputters in embarrassment before rolling off her and to his feet. "Go get ready for school or else you're gonna be late!" He crosses his arms over his chest and tries to ignore the butterflies in his stomach when he hears her girly giggle.
"Ok, Ok." Little Rukia laughs as she crawls out of her marshmallow of a bed. "I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast after I change kay?"
Ichigo nods, not meeting her eyes. He waits for her to shut the bathroom door behind her before making his way out of her large bedroom. He closes the door behind him and leans against it with a sigh.
It's been four years since he met Rukia.
Four years…
Ichigo had no idea what these feeling were. The feeling in stomach ever time he saw her smile or laugh. Or, the feeling that his chest was going to burst whenever he met her gaze and the burning sensation in his cheeks whenever she was in his personal space.
It confused the crap out of him.
The Neko grumbled to himself as he makes his way down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Good morning Ichigo-kun!"
Looking over at the happy cook, Ichigo gives him a small smile as he plops down in his usual seat.
"Morning," The berry head lets out a yawn,"What's for breakfast?"
"Rice and salmon," the large man answers, holding the fish up with a laugh. The boy nods at the information, knowing that its one of Rukia's favorite dishes.
He sighs heavily when the thought enters his mind.
"Something wrong Ich?" The cook asks, turning to face the Neko.
The boy shakes his head, "Nothin' really…" He trails off in embarrassment, not meeting the older man's eyes.
"Aww, you know you can trust me, come on boy!" the pink-headed man says curiously as he continues to prepare breakfast.
"Just been feeling funny is all." Before he could elaborate further, footsteps are heard racing down the stairs.
"Morning Hachi, Ichi!" Rukia says with a smile, her hands busy braiding her slightly damp hair. Ichigo can help but blush as he stares down at his place mat with a slight scowl.
"Morning Kuchiki-sama," Hachi grins at at Ichigo's reaction and lets out a small chuckle. "Made your favorite," The large man explains, placing the plates in front of them.
"It smells really yummy, thank you Hachi." The chef nods before starting to clean the now messy kitchen; leaving the two to eat in silence.
Rukia, who was slightly annoyed by the said silence, lets out an almost sad sigh.
"I don't like this part." Ichigo says, staring at his bowl full of rice. "I wanna go with you."
Rukia blinks in slight surprise at his confession. "I wish you could come too, but I told you about the stupid rules." No Nekos were aloud in the privet elementary school for the gifted that Rukia was forced to attend.
"But when middle school starts Byaku-nii says you'll be able to go to school with me! I just gotta get done with this year!" She comments happily, remembering that her brother was going to let her go to a public school that Nekos attended as well.
For some unknown reason, Ichigo felt frustrated, angry even, at her words. "So? That's not for a long time!" he looked at her with a hard glare.
Rukia flinched at his outburst, his tone almost sounds like he blames her and she feeling tears form in her eyes at his angry words. "It's not my fault!"
"But you don't think twice about it! You're having too much fun playing with your friends at that place to think twice about me! I'm just one of your toys!" He yells harshly, staring hard at the tabletop.
Hachi steps in gently. "Ichigo," The Neko looks up at the man in response and follows his gaze to the girl softly crying in front of him.
"Rukia…" Ichigo starts, feeling like dirt for making his master cry. "Rukia, I di-didn't…I mean…that came out wrong. I'm-"
"I'm gonna be late." She states quietly; standing from her chair before making her way to the living room to grab her book bag.
Ichigo follows.
"Rukia, I really didn't mean that. It's just I want to be with you." He explains desperately.
She stops in front of him. "I'll see you after school," She says in an almost whisper before she stands on her tippy toes and presses a light kiss to his cheek.
He wants to stop her, tell her how sorry he was, but she pulls away quickly and rushes out the door before he had the chance.
He leans against the wall before sliding down into a crouch. He curses under his breath as he tugs harshly at his hair. He wasn't allowed to leave to estate unattended to begin with so all he could do was wait.
"Morning Rukia," A deep voice calls from behind her once she steps off the school bus down the street from her elementary school.
"Go away Grimmjow."
The man lets out a laugh at her ordering words. "Problems in Paradise I see. That's watcha get for adopting a street rat!"
"Shut up!" Rukia stops mid step and glares at the blue-headed Neko, "Don't call him that!"
Not caring that they were on the sidewalk, surrounded by witnesses, Grimmjow glares darkly before grabbing the little girl by her chin.
"You better watch what you say bitch, I'm not one of your playthings you can just order around!" Rukia hisses at the painful contact as she tries to wiggle from his grasp. "You're lucky I owe that strawberry a favor or else I would have killed ya' along time ago." Rukia lets out a whimper as she looks up at the older man fearfully.
"But, you're still just a kid. I wanna see watcha gonna turn into when your all grown up." The blue-headed teen lets out a harsh laugh, his eyes fixed in a dangerous, slightly perverted, glare.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The Neko pushes Rukia away angrily before looking at the red-head behind him.
"Well good morning to you too Pineapple," Grimmjow scuffs when his eyes land on the source of the interruption.
The said pineapple rushes to Rukia's side, glaring at Grimmjow the whole way. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, Renji," Rukia replies with a shaky voice as she meets Grimmjow's glare that clearly said, 'Watch yourself.'
A disappointed sigh fills the air that causes the blue-headed Neko's eye to twitch in anger.
"Picking on elementary scholars again, I see."
Grimmjow sends a glare at the black-eared Neko sitting on top of the wall beside him, "Shut up Ulquiorra!"
"Aizen called a meeting; come, stop wasting your time with human trash."
"Heh, we'll play later Rukia! Have a great day at school!" Rukia watches the two Street Nekos disappear down the sidewalk before letting out a sigh of relief.
"Rukia," Renji starts angrily. "Has this been happening a lot?"
The girl looks at her feet. "Just for the past year I guess…"
"What?" He says in a near growl, "Why haven't you told anyone about this?"
"I normally ignore him, but he just made me snap at him is all." She adjusts her Chappy backpack and begins walking down the sidewalk to school.
The boy follows.
"Those guys are bad news Rukia, have you told Ichigo what's going on?" He pushes further.
Rukia looks up at him with sad eyes. "I don't wanna worry him."
"This is important Rukia!" The boy yells, "Those guys are in the Espada! The worst gang around!"
"Why can't you just leave it alone? It's none of your business!" They were approaching the school gate and Rukia couldn't wait to get away and be left alone.
"I'm your friend!" Renji grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her some, "Get that through your head!"
"Let go of me!" Rukia yells as she pushes him away violently. She didn't need this right now. This is why she hated school, no one understood her. She wanted to be left alone, it was that simple.
She rushed away from her childhood friend, ignoring him as he calls after her.
Lying curled up in a ball; Ichigo let out a tired sigh as he nuzzled at the soft pillow resting under his head. The smell that he misses at the moment, vanilla and strawberries, fills his nose and the Neko can't hold back the soft whimper that leaves him.
He misses her.
They have fought before, but never like this.
Their arguing always seemed to involved silly matters such as, if using his cat like abilities to hide on top of the roof during hide-and-seek was considered cheating or who's ears were cuter Chappy's or his own fluffy cat ones.
And her adorable height… thought he would never say "adorable" to her although Ichigo could still think it.
But during these fights, she always argued back, smacked at him, and or, called him a dummy-head.
But this morning, she didn't do anything, she just left.
Though, the Neko couldn't really blame her, what he said….
"I'm just one of your toys!"
It was out of line. Rukia was his master yes, but he knew he wasn't just one of her play things. Although she never really told him, Ichigo liked to think she cared about him very much because Rukia was the boy's life, his world, his light.
His everything.
'What a great way to show it,' he thought bitterly. 'You made her cry, you piece of shit.'
The door opened with a slight creek, startling the strawberry Neko.
"Oh Ichigo-kun! I'm sorry; I didn't know you were in here!" Momo let out a small laugh, "I didn't mean to scare you."
Sitting up at attention, the boy wiped his eyes in embarrassment, "You didn't scare me!" he glared at her through his blush, "I was just trying to take a nap is all."
"Oh, I see, of course!" she smiled at him playfully, "Well I was just going to tidy up in here but I will later on then." Holding her cleaning supplies close to her chest she bowed, "Have a nice nap Ichigo-kun"
"Wait!"
Momo opened the door once again at his outburst. "Yes?"
"Um, well I…" His ears drooped and his orange tail twitched out of nervousness. "Well, Momo-san's a girl and I was wondering…"
Momo's blinked in surprise as she watched the boy fight through his words.
"….I said something mean, and wrong, and it made her cry, and now my chest wont stop hurting…"
She blinked once again before she smiled as his words clicked in her mind.
"Tell her that."
Ichigo, who was staring down at his lap during his explanation, looked up at the maid in confusion.
"You care about our master very, very much, hai?"
Ichigo nodded.
"Then tell her that the thing you said to her made you heart hurt and that you care about her." The maid's voice was soft and kind, "Tell her how you feel Ichigo-kun."
'How I feel…'
"…Arigato."
The front door opened at a quarter past three.
"Welcome home, Rukia-sama!" Momo greeted with a smile as she helped the girl out of her jacket.
"Hi Momo," her words were soft, not like the words of the normally cheerful little Kuchiki.
"Kuchiki-sama?"
Rukia ignored the worried maid and started up the stairs, "I'll be in my room."
"Rukia…"
She pay no heed to the Neko sitting on her neatly made bed as she walks into her closet to change out of her school uniform.
"I need to talk to you Ru!" Ichigo hopped off the bed and raced to the closed walk in closet.
"What I said this morning, I didn't mean, I just want to be with you when your at school cus I miss you when your gone! You're my master and I"-
The door swung open and a blank looking Rukia stood before him in a deep blue dress; "And what Ichigo?"
"Your eyes…they're red, have you been crying?" His eyes when back in anger, "Did something happen at school? Did someone"-
"You said you were gonna marry me along time ago." She looked down at her feet, "Do you still wanna?"
"Yes." Ichigo's tail twitched and his cheeks burned, "I don't understand how that has anything to do with"-
"Kiss me."
Amber eyes widened; "W-What?"
They're eyes finally met and he felt the pain in his chest double when he saw the tears running down her face.
"Please…"
The neko's eyes hardened in determination; he had to prove to Rukia that he was serious about all of it.
He bent down, Rukia going on her tippy toes, their lips meeting in a soft, loving kiss. They stayed in place for a few moments before Rukia started to pull away.
No…Not yes.
The strawberry's lips followed the Kuchiki's; meeting hers in gentle pecks.
When Ichigo finally does pulled away, he grabs one of her hand that was resting against his neck and pulls it to his chest.
The girl's tear stained eyes widened at the speed of his racing heart.
"I'm serious Rukia," he's scowl that the outside world normally saw was replaced with a small smile that was reserved for her and her alone. "I want to make my master happy and if spending your whole life with me will do that, then it's just a plus 'cus being with you forever is all this baka-Neko wants."
Her laughter filled the room as she clung to her Neko; her raven head resting against his hard chest.
Oh how he loves her laugh.
Rukia Kuchiki's looked up at the boy and giggled "Your so cute Ichi!"
Curse his forever blushing face to hell!
"Oi, Ichi! Guess what."
It was early the next morning when Rukia came rushing down to breakfast with a giant grin plastered on her cute little face.
With a mouth-full of rice and chop sticks in hand, the Orange headed boy looked up in surprise.
"Hmm?"
"I showed the Show 'n Tell hand out to Byaku-nii and he says you can come to school with me today!"
Ichigo swallowed his food hard and gasped for breath, "Really?"
"Yup! So I'm gonna dress you up all adorable like before the bus comes so let's hurry up and eat dummy!" Rukia plops down on her chair and digs in.
"Ah! Rukia W-what are you-!" Ichigo practically shrieked when his little master tackled him to her bedroom floor.
"Hold Still!"
"Stop undressing me, damn it!"
"I said hold still berry!"
"Stop trying to get me naked!"
She froze and looked down at the blushing, haft naked Neko under her, "But you said I could dress you!"
"I didn't know you meant it literally!"
"But your chest is so fluffy!"
"Stop petting my chest fur and hand me my pants midget!"
Rukia looked down at him with a deadly glare before leaning forward and biting down hard on his left nipple.
His cries of pain filled the room.
Fifteen minuets later, the Neko was finally dressed in a light blue striped sweater, black jeans, and red Converse.
"There," Rukia, who was currently clinging to him, buried her head in his chest.
The strawberry's arms came around her as he looked down his master; his ears perked in curiosity, "Rukia…?"
"I'm glad my baka-Neko can finally come to school with me, now I won't miss you so much." One of Rukia's tiny hands came up to rub against his chest.
"...You're trying to pet my chest fur through my sweater aren't you?"
…..
"…Maybe."
"Good morning class!"
The class turned quiet before; "Good morning Mrs. Ochii-sensai!"
"I see you all brought your show and tell items…and look! I even see a few Nekos! How adorable!" the fifth grade teacher laughed happily; normally show and tell would not be practiced in such a high grade, but it was their last year in elementary school so the brunette teacher decided that holding off on studying for a day wouldn't hurt.
Ichigo gasped when he felt a pair of hands playing with his ears. "You're so cute!"
He turned to find a girl with hair almost as bright as his and large doe eyes staring back at him; her hands still pulling at his hair.
"What's your name?" Her voice was so high, that it made him literally wince at the unpleasantness of it.
Ichigo turned to Rukia, only to find her glaring hard at the said annoying girl.
"I'm Ichigo…"
"I'm Inoue Orhime! It's nice to meet you!" her hands were still buried in his mane.
"Um, why are you touching me?" To anyone else, he was obviously uncomfortable, but the girl didn't seem to notice.
Before she could reply and before Rukia could stand and fight the girl to the death for daring to speak let alone touch her Ichi, the teacher called out; "Ok everyone lets start Show 'n Tell!"
Ichigo followed Rukia and the rest of the class over to the reading area that was large enough for all the thirty something kids to sit around comfortably while they presented.
Inoue followed Ichigo and it looked as if she was planning to sit next to the now scared Neko, but Rukia pulled him to sit on a space left on one of the three couches and happily sat in his lap.
He sighed in contentment while Inoue sent a glare at Rukia, huffed and sat on the floor a few feet away.
"Hi Rukia..." They both looked up to see Renji standing awkwardly before them.
"What do you want Renji?" Rukia's glare was cold and angry.
"I know ya don't wanna hear it but I'm sorry and I hope you'll still come with me, Hisagi, Izuru, Tatsuki, and Rangiku to Taco Bell after class. Ichigo is welcome too," He sent a grin towards the strawberry which he returned.
When the raven-haired girl remained silent, the pineapple added, "I'm buying..."
"I'll get back to ya Renji, me and Ichi might have plans," Ichigo looked at her in confusion but knew all to well that it was in is best interest to stay quiet.
The red-head nodded slowly before sitting down on the floor next to the class psycopath, Ikkaku.
The presentations started; some kids bring objects such as soccer balls, gold mettles, and old toys.
Though, when the time came, Rukia didn't understand why the other Neko owners only seemed to gloat; treating them as if they were just objects that only the best, richest people could own.
She didn't like it.
"Your turn Kuchiki-san," her Sensai called out.
"Ok, well, this is Ichigo." Her tiny hands ran through his hair lovingly as all the kids turned their eyes to the pair.
"He's my best friend," Ichigo's soft purring soon filled the air 'Damn her hands…it feels so good.'
"And the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with."
(A/N) Well, I finally decided to continue this! I hope this forgives my lonnggggg absence! I hope it didn't totally suck :D
Yes, I skipped forward four years, because even though little Ichiruki is adorable...teen ichiruki is gonna be hotter! :D hey, this is rated M for a reason…though its gonna take a few chapters, just wonder if you all want some hot Neko x Rukia lemons? Or limes…or both! :D
So please review and let me know what you think! (:
