I don't own Bleach.

Previously …

"Number two, please keep the bickering to a low roar. You may be the BA of the prison cell, Kurosaki, and you may be the princess of your side of prison, Kuchiki, but you two do not run the place. I do. If you don't shut ya traps and ya eyes when I tell you to sleep, so help me, I will give you extra trash duty for the rest of the time that you two are together. Got it?"

Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other once before gagging and looking away.

"I take that as I 'got it'?" Kenpachi asked as they crossed their arms across their chests at the same moment and grunted.

Kenpachi smirked. "Good. You are dismissed."

It's official, Ichigo thought as he slept on the cold, hard floor late the first night Kuchiki Rukia had to stay in his cell. My life totally sucks. Right now, sucky-ness is like the king of my world. He sighed. He figured he was being over-dramatic again but he did not feel as if he was.

After all, the princess of the girls' side of prison was staying with him. She was also the princess of yelling, complaining, and kicking. She was annoying. She was rude.

She as in Kuchiki Rukia; Ichigo hated her.

Like she could hear his thoughts, the girl using his bed, shifted from above him. Probably rolling over to find a more comfortable position on the hard mattress, he guessed. God knew if he could have his bed back, he'd never complain about it again. After all, if he shifted on this floor he would probably break an arm or something because it was so hard.

He groaned and moved anyway. On his side, on his back, on his stomach … nothing worked. He pulled his makeshift blanket up to his chin, trying to gain some warmth. Unfortunately, the blanket was too short and went halfway up his shins before it even reached his mid-chest.

Blowing a piece of frustrating orange hair out of his eyes, he threw the blanket aside and stared up at the small window in the back of his cell. There were four bars covering most of the outside world. The moon was up in the middle of the sky, shining brightly to the free world below while stars sprinkled space like freckles.

He stared out that small window for what seemed like hours when in all reality was about five minutes. Images of cars, trains, airplanes, anything that would take him away from this horrid town filled his head. Cheeseburgers, his sister's scrambled eggs, and chocolate-chip cookies wafted throughout his brain, making him hungry for something other than mystery-meat-sauce-and-noodles.

He wondered about the things he could do if he was out of this place. He could get a job. He could go back to school and then go to college. He could have a career. He could fall in love. He could get married. He could have kids. He could be happy.

The key world being could.

Even if he was out of here, it was not like any company would hire the likes of him. It was not like his old school would let a convicted criminal get an education there. It was not like he would have the opportunity to go to college more-or-less have a career. It was not like some girl would actually want him. It was not like, even if he didn't get married, that any adopting firm would give him — a criminal — any children.

It was not like he would be happy.



Would it even be better if he got out of this hell on Earth? At that moment, while looking out to the moon, stars shining on the free world below, Ichigo did not believe it would be. Was it better to be in here with men who understood what he was going through — well, most of them anyway — or to be out there where everyone would only treat him like trash?

Suddenly, Ichigo was grateful he was in prison.

Now if only he could get that little pest out of his room. As if hearing him … again, she turned and started to snore lightly. He felt like gagging. Just hearing her breathe pissed him off; he didn't know how much longer he could take this before he told Kenpachi that they were having sex just so someone would kill him.

Rukia woke up with a frown on her face. Of course, the action was not any different from any other morning, but, today it felt … different. For one thing, the cell did not smell like her cell. It smelled stale and bitter. It smelled like a man … specifically that of her roommate, Kurosaki Ichigo.

Knowing it was not time to get up yet because the morning bell had yet to ring, Rukia flipped to her stomach, pulled her pillow over her head, trying to block out her sense of smell.

Shortly after falling in a fitful sleep, she was rudely awakened by the crackling of the speakers throughout the prison. "Good morning, maggots!" came the ugly voice of Kenpachi. "It's time to get up! Up up up! We have tons of work to do today!" A pause, a ruffle of what were probably papers and — "Alright cells one to 12 have kitchen duty from eight to noon …"

Rukia drowned out the rest of his announcements. She had long ago figured out the schedule of Kenpachi Zaraki the first month she lived here. Today, she knew, she would have kitchen duty at dinner and her rest time was around three. She would be doing odd jobs and playing recreational games until then.

She sat up and raised her arms, stretching them; she did the same with her legs and her toes. Her foot hit something squishy and not the cold ground she was used to. It was only until she heard the groan that she realized it was him she just hit with her foot. Grinning, she slammed her foot in the back of his head.

"What the hell, midget?!" he yelled, jumping to his feet.

"My name isn't 'midget'," Rukia growled, standing to her feet also. Even with the extra height from standing she still didn't match Ichigo's ability to scare the crap out of people just by his look. She glared up at him, expecting to see him furious … but he was smirking down upon.

Before she could speak the rest of her statement, he beat her to it with, "You're right. It's Princess Midget." He gave her a mock bow before straightening up again, returning her glare with his own. "Now, listen up. I was only nice to you yesterday because you looked like you were going to shit your pants. For the rest of the time you're staying here … you get the floor."

She reached up and patted his head. "Oh, poor peasant," she cooed, playing along with his insult. "I do believe that a princess if higher up than you. And I do believe that" — she dropped her voice low, deadly — "a princess, like myself, will kick your ass to sleep in the bed that is rightfully mine."

Rukia sat away from most of the girls as she usually did. It was her lunch break; she made sure to pick a table without any occupants … If she did, they would either get up or she would break their necks at any given moment. Her patience was just about gone, and, if someone just said a word to her, she would probably snap.

"Move over midget, I'm not as tiny as you," said who else but the man she wanted to kill.

She glared up at him, clenching her teeth. "And why you, oh Mr. Bad Ass of the prison, want to sit with such a person like me. I mean … I don't seem to be your … type," she snapped before turning back to her lunchmeat sandwich, eating with feistiness.

He snickered. "Oh Miss Princess Kuchiki, you should know that you wouldn't be lucky enough to get a bad ass like myself, even if your life depended on it," he retorted.

They glared at each other, and, after a few brief moment, Rukia moved just a couple of inches for him to sit down. He grunted — his thanks? — and took his place beside her.

They did not talk during lunch. They simply ate in silence. People passed them and some of Ichigo's former punching bags would snicker or say something sarcastic to them … the girls would whisper and point to Rukia. Each time someone from her old place would walk around, she would scoot as far away from Ichigo as she could … so no one would call them "together."

She shivered at the thought.

"What's your problem?" he asked, eating the last bit of his sandwich.

"Nothing," she muttered back. He sighed. Scooting closer to her, she moved away. "What the hell are you doing, Kurosaki? Get away from me. I have a reputation to keep."

Ah, so that's it, Ichigo thought before smirking. "So you're worried about what other people think, are you? You're worried about your reputation, huh?"

"Well, duh. If people get the wrong idea of us and tell Kenpachi," she explained, pulling her legs up to her chin. Resting there, she picked at her food, and continued. "He said that if he thought we were — together — he'd work us to death. I don't know about you, Strawberry, but I don't want to die so soon."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. "You're in for life, aren't you?" — She nodded once — "Then what would be the point of living for the next ninety years? We'll still die here. We might as well go to hell early."

Rukia stood up suddenly, slamming her palms down on the table. Ichigo couldn't see her eyes but her voice was low and deadly. "I don't know what the hell you did that got you in here but I shouldn't be in here. I'm in here because I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. What the hell makes you think that you deserve to die so soon when you belong in here? Bastard."

With that, the princess walked away. Ichigo was left sitting at his lunch table thinking of what the hell got into her … and what she meant by being 'at the wrong place, at the wrong time.'

"Okay, Princess Midget," Ichigo stated, waiting until the prison doors slammed shut behind him. When he heard the loud 'bang!', he talked while walking over to her side. "It's time for me to break down the rules for you."

He was boring his eyes into her back. She was seated on the far side of his bed, her legs drawn up to her chin, her eyes most likely focused on the wall. Ichigo wasn't even sure if she was listening to him. He sighed. Whatever he had said must have really pissed her off. He had only known her for two days now but he did know that she would have greeted him with an insult.

That was just the way she was.

"Hello, midget," he tried again, again to no avail. "Yo, midget! Look at me!" He flicked the back of her head and she turned slightly to glare up at him.

"What do you want, Strawberry?"

Ah, there was the insult. Now, all he had to do was … "I need to lay down a few rules so you don't mess up the kingdom that I have established here."

"WHAT?!" she shrieked, quickly losing her serene exterior, replacing it with one of anger. She balled her hands into fists and got to her feet … not that it helped her situation much. "Your kingdom? What the hell are you talking about?!"

Ichigo smirked.

Resting his palm on her head, just to tick her off more, he quickly forgot that afternoon at lunch when they nearly … bonded. It made him gag at the thought of it. He liked the fireball Rukia. Not the one who was just as depressed as he was to be this place.

"My kingdom," he repeated. "I have order, I have rules. If you're going to stay here for the next year, you're going to have to learn how to live with me. Not the other way around." She was glaring up at him, her eyes so livid they were nearly red. He grinned wider. "Now, take a seat, princess, and I'll explain."

She was about to retort, say something back at him, but he clamped a hand over her mouth and shoved her on his bed. "Myu Masole!" she cursed; he could feel her lips on his skin.

"Shut up," he hissed. "Rule number one: I get to sleep on the bed. I'll make it five days a week … that'll give you, the guest, two days of comfort."

Her eyes widened and she tried to protest, her words muffled as he continued.

"Rule number two: you will not talk, sit, eat, or even think about me … unless I approach you first." When she just crossed her arms and glared at the innocent wall, he continued, "Rule number three: you will do everything I say. I am the king of this cell … and you are only the princess."

He gently removed his hand from her face, ignoring the burning he felt while it rested there. He did not know what the burning could be … unless his roommate was somehow a fire-breathing demon (which he would believe) or maybe even a vampire.

She was still looking away. He sighed in relief, because she had not protested. He had had a long day today and fighting with the midget was the last thing he wanted to do. He just wanted to go to bed.

He was about ready to sit down on the ground when she started to yell. "First of all!" she yelled, standing up; he had somehow managed to end up on the floor … that damn midget had scared the shit out of him. "I don't take crap from the likes of you. Second, I'll sleep wherever I damn well please — "

"Five days," Ichigo stated. He sat up, crossed his legs as well as his arms. He looked up at her, his chocolate eyes boring into her violet.

"Three," she replied stubbornly.

Deciding that was good enough for him he said a quick "fine."

"Three," she yelled up three fingers to indicate her point. "You will not talk, sit, eat, or even think about me. Unless, by some chance in hell I need you, I'll come find you. Other than that we will not even act like we don't know the other exists."

"Fine by me," he muttered, looking away.

"At lastly, I will do what I want. We may be in jail, Strawberry, but this is still a free country. I will do whatever I damn well please. Oh, and about being king … I'm not sure they could find a crown big enough to match the ego you have planted on top of your head."

With that the topic was closed. Rukia sat down on the bed, crossed her arms and legs, and she looked toward the little window in the back of the cell.

Ichigo sighed.

It seems like we're in one hell of a year, he thought bitterly.



A/N: So concludes chapter two! Woohoo! I love bickering. Like seriously. Can you tell? Haha.

Have an awesome week everyone! Please review!