A/N: So uh ... first chapter was up fast. I haven't written anything that quickly in a long time. But yeah ... here it is. The first two parts of what is going to be a long story. Thank you for all the reviews already, and the follows and everything. You guys are awesome. Stay tuned, because there is a lot more to come. I promise.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Bleach.
The alarm blared at Ichigo loudly, making him groan. It felt like he had finally just fallen asleep and yet the damn thing was just screeching at him like some sort of wild banshee. His hand shot out from underneath his blanket, flailing around and slapping at his nightstand hard until finally he found the alarm and slapped down on it hard enough to quiet it. A quiet grumble rumbled out of him, his eyes closed still, the call of sleep still singing to him. Maybe he could squeeze in thirty more minutes, it wouldn't kill anybody.
Rolling over onto his other side to glance at the clock to check if he could sleep a little longer, his eyes opened up, staring at the clock for a few moments, waiting for his vision to clear up. It was almost 7:30. At first, it didn't register in him how late it was and his eyes fell closed again, his body nuzzling into the warm bed. And then, in his foggy mind, it hit him. He was going to be late.
"Shit!" Ichigo's eyes opened wide, throwing the bed sheets off of him and springing up out of his bed, almost sprinting to his closet and grabbing his clothes. Somewhere between the bathroom and the bedroom, Ichigo had managed to throw on a pair of jeans, one shoe, and a t-shirt all while getting toothpaste on his toothbrush. In the back of his head, he thought that getting dressed in the morning after oversleeping should be an Olympic sport. He was already coming up with rules and ways for points to be deducted when he grabbed his other shoe and slid it on, grabbing his keys from the rack by the front door and running out of his apartment. He was almost to the elevator when he remembered that his phone was still in the bathroom and had to turn around.
It took a few minutes before he was finally on the street, and since it was later in the morning than he really needed it to be, traffic had already piled up, so getting a cab to work was out of the question.
"Shit!"
Looking around at the crowds on the sidewalk around him, Ichigo decided it'd be faster to run and took off at a dead sprint. Okay, so maybe getting dressed shouldn't be an Olympic sport, but getting dressed after over sleeping and then getting to work on time should be some sort of biathlon. Ichigo had to dodge people, shouting sorry at the few people who he almost barrelled over. More than a few times he had to jaywalk, running out into the middle of traffic and dodging cars as he went. More than a few horns were honked his way, and a few angry drivers leaning out the window to shout at him, but Ichigo didn't let it get to him.
Reaching into his pocket, he checked the time. 7:50. He had ten minutes to get to work or his boss would be pissed. Luckily, in the fifteen minutes he had been sprinting on the street, he had already made good distance. He was almost three blocks away, and he knew it was time to gun it.
Ichigo dodged and weaved through the crowds, spinning and pivoting on his feet to move around people who were too slow to move out of his way, shouting sorry back to the people who he had accidentally run into. Almost there, almost there. That's when he saw the sign in the distance, bright yellow with the words in all capitals, flashy to attract attention. "KARAKURA BICYCLE DELIVERY". He was so close. It was within reach. Would today be the day that he showed up on time for once?!
Bursting through the front door, Ichigo ran past the front counter, ignoring the greeting coming from whoever it was that was working the front that day, he had to get into the back room. No time for pleasantries. He'd say hi later.
Bursting in through the back door, he saw his boss standing in the middle of the employee changing room, tapping his fan on his arm with a shit-eating grin on his face. Ichigo bent over at the waist, his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Lifting up his phone, he checked the time. 8:02.
"SHIT!" Ichigo shouted, standing up straight and throwing his hands up in the air, turning around in a slow circle before pointing at the man standing there staring at him, a desperate look in his eyes but a stern tone to his voice, 'You CANNOT fire me Urahara! I nearly killed myself getting here!"
"Yes, you did. But you didn't get here on time, did you?" Kisuke Urahara opened up his fan and covered the front of his face to hide the smirk he had, his eyes however glinting with playfulness. The two had known each other for years, Kisuke was a fan of Ichigo's dad, but the man was tough. He could be plenty relaxed and a really fun person, but that was when he wasn't working. Otherwise, he ran a very tight ship, and no one, not even friends, were let off the hook.
"I'm two minutes late! This is bullshit, you cannot hold this against me!"
"Ichigo…"
"No, you know what, fuck this. I have busted my ass for you for four years now, and you're constantly riding me! What did I do, huh? Why do you work me twice as hard as the rest of them?!" Ichigo was nearly shouting now. Kisuke just kept his face hidden behind his fan, staring at the young man in front of him with an amused expression.
"I mean for fucks sake, I know for a fact that Keigo and Mizuiro don't do shit, but you're never on them for it! I'm the hardest worker you've got, and you're always in here on my ass for even the slightest thing!"
"Ichigo."
"I'm fucking sick of it! Lay off me, okay!" Breathing heavily, Ichigo stared straight at the man in front of him for a few moments before he felt just how tired his body actually was from the sprint he had done to get here. He hadn't given himself a proper warm up before he just bolted out the door. Absently, he couldn't even remember if he had locked his apartment before leaving. Another thing to worry about later, right now though, he needed the bench in front of the lockers. Slowly, Ichigo sunk down onto the bench, his hands coming up to his face as he tried to catch his breath.
"Another night without sleeping?" The question hung in the air between the two for a few moments before Ichigo nodded, his hands dropping down from his face and the orange haired man sniffing loudly before turning to face his boss. Kisuke had lowered his fan, showing the frown on his face as he stepped towards the son of his friend, taking a seat beside him on the bench. "Was it the dreams again?"
"Yeah." Ichigo admitted after a bit of hesitation. He knew that he could trust Kisuke, he had been a family friend for a long time and knew almost everything there was to know about Ichigo. Without Kisuke, Ichigo wouldn't be able to have a job, no one would take an insomniac with anger issues into their employ. Without Kisuke, Ichigo would still be living at home, which was a thought that was worse than working for the slave driver.
"You know, I wasn't waiting in here to give you a hard time." Kisuke's tone had softened a bit, turning to look at the young man and resting a hand on his shoulder. "I was waiting in here for you to make sure that you got here okay. I know how hard full moon's are on you."
Ichigo turned to look at the older man, his eyes soft, showing Kisuke just how exhausted he actually was. The dark circles under his eyes made him almost look like a racoon, and his face was a bit sunken from lack of sleep and not eating properly. It was a miracle that he could even stand up right most days, but he did. Ichigo was stubborn, and he wasn't going to let anything topple him.
"I'm fine. I'm just tired."
"I can tell. Take a few minutes. I'll close up the break room, and you can get some rest." Ichigo shook his head at the offer, shrugging his shoulders a bit and pushing Kisuke's arm off of him. He couldn't rest, not now. He was afraid if he fell asleep now, he would sleep all day, and while Kisuke may be forgiving, he wasn't that forgiving.
"No, I've got a job to do."
"Then at least eat something. I've got some leftover food from Ururu this morning."
"Fine, if it will get you off my ass, I'll eat your food." Ichigo stood from the bench with a groan, turning to the lockers and finding his. Inside was the bright blue one piece uniform that Kisuke made every one of the delivery men wear. Ichigo changed quickly and grabbed his helmet and gloves before making his way into the break room to eat the leftovers, enjoying every bite. Ururu's cooking reminded him of Yuzu, the thought of his younger sister making Ichigo just a little more homesick. He decided to make a trip back this weekend if he could, and if he couldn't, then at least he would call.
Waving to Mizuiro and Keigo, Ichigo grabbed his delivery bike and the packages he was supposed to take out, along with his pick up route, and wheeled himself out of the back of the building. As he peddled down the side of the street, he couldn't help but feel that something about today was off.
XXxxxXXXxxxXX
Rukia wandered down the sidewalk, cup of coffee in hand as she walked through the crowds. She had managed to sneak away from the house during the day, something that happened only every once in awhile. Wearing a sundress with a light coat to keep the fall breeze from making her too cold, Rukia pushed her sunglasses further up onto her face and sipped her coffee. It was a beautiful, clear day outside, and everyone seemed to be rushing somewhere. Whether it was to the store at the corner, the coffee shop across the street or even just into the various office buildings all around, everyone was in such a hurry. Everyone but her.
She looked around, watching them in motion, her violet eyes. Scanning the people with curiosity, her mind coming up with stories for them all, inventing tales of what they were rushing around so much for. Like the guy with the suitcase who just ducked into the skyscraper beside her. He had a serious look on his face and a sense of purpose about his steps. In her mind, Rukia thought that the man was late for a business meeting. That perhaps his wife or partner had spent a bit too long on breakfast and that's why he was in such a hurry. He didn't even bother to greet the security guard who was obviously familiar with him before hurrying off to the elevator. Rukia named the man Todd. She didn't quite know why that name, but it seemed to fit.
Or the woman who just came running out of the coffee shop carrying far too many cups of coffee in way too many containers. Obviously the first choice would be that she's a secretary picking up coffee for the office, but she was dressed far too professionally for that. Pencil skirt, blazer and a button up top with heels. Maybe she wasn't the secretary. Maybe she was actually in a middle-management position and she had lost a bet, so she had to pick up the coffee for the office. If she wasn't careful though, she was going to spill it all from chatting on her phone. Rukia thought that maybe the girl was yelling at her boss, or probably the sitter for her kids.
And then there was the guy on the bicycle that was coming straight at her. The look on his face was on of steel determination. Even as people jumped out of the way, he just kept going straight ahead. Maybe he was on his way somewhere. Maybe he had something really important to do. She just kept walking, even as he was coming straight for her, writing a story for him in her head.
"He's oblivious to the world around him, not paying attention to anything. He just keeps going, because there's somewhere he has to be. Someone he has to meet. Wait .. he's coming right at me. OH GOD HE'S COMING RIGHT AT ME!"
It was the last thought she had before he swerved to avoid hitting her, and she curled herself around her coffee cup to keep it from spilling. Neither of them succeeded as he ran straight into her and was thrown to the ground from the bike, and she got run over, falling onto her back on the hard pavement, the air escaping her lungs in a loud, wheezing gasp. Her sunglasses went flying from her face and towards the bike where the man was groaning, rolling onto his back and breathing heavily, his arms and legs stretched out wide. People had begun to gather around the two, murmuring to themselves. A few people asked Rukia and the man if they were okay, but neither were responding, too dazed to really focus on the questions being lobbed their way.
Finally, Rukia rolled onto her side and pushed herself, up to her feet with a loud groan. Her coffee had been spilled all over her white sundress, staining it a deep brown. She was glad that at least it hadn't burnt her. Or maybe it had and she just didn't feel it on account of the rage that was building inside of her. The man was just laying on his back, his eyes closed and one of his legs curled up to his chest.
"What the HELL is your problem?! People are WALKING here!" Rukia shouted at him, storming forward. He didn't respond, just laying there for a moment before lifting his head to look at the small girl that was shouting at him. Something about him seemed familiar to Rukia, something about the eyes and the face, but she couldn't place it. Not in the midst of her rage fit. But when she saw him narrowing his eyes at her and slowly push himself up to a sitting position, she knew that she wasn't going to calm down any time soon.
"MY problem?! What about you! You looked RIGHT at me and you didn't even move!"
"Oh I'm sorry, but did I miss the part where the sidewalk belongs to assholes on bikes who can't ride in the street where the BIKE LANE is?!"
"I shouted at you to move! The whole fucking CROWD moved out of the way! Maybe if you weren't so Goddamn short you'd have noticed me coming your way!" Rukia could feel a vein pop in her forehead at the mention of her height. Her voice went icy cold.
"What did you say?"
"I said you're a Goddamn midget!"
"Well at least I have some common fucking courtesy, you oaf!" She shouted at him, taking another step forward. By now, he was standing on his feet, glaring down at her with a scowl. This close to him, those eyes really did look familiar, but she wasn't backing down. She was far too riled up now to give in.
"Well unlike you, SOME of us have jobs to do. We can't just walk around all day sipping coffee and drifting away to la-la land. And because of YOU, I'm three minutes late to a delivery!"
"Oh well I'm sorry. What is your job anyway? Being a belligerent prick to random people on the street?!"
"Look, I don't have time for this shit. I have to get to work." He turned, picking up his bike and a few of his packages, putting them onto a slot to hold them on the side of his bike. Rukia wasn't about to let it go though.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going?!"
"I've got a job to do, you midget!" He shouted back, putting his foot the pedal to get away, but Rukia wasn't going to let him get off that easy.
"Don't fucking call me a midget you asshole! I'll find out where you work!"
"Karakura Bike Deliveries! You can't miss it" He shouted back to her before taking off, pedaling even faster now. She stared at his back in a fuming rage until he was out of sight. Turning to look at the crowd, who were all staring at the short girl, she growled and leaned down to grab her sun glasses, putting them back onto her face.
"What are you looking at?! This ain't a circus!" She shouted at the people, and they all got back to moving around, confident that whatever crisis there was had been averted and that everyone was okay. Best not to argue with the short girl who was obviously still enraged.
Turning to the street, Rukia stepped out and hailed a cab. She got in the back seat and when the driver asked her where she wanted to go, she told him with a clear voice.
"Karakura Bike Deliveries."
XXxxxXXXxxxXX
Ichigo was just starting to get over the conflict with the short girl from earlier and making his way through his third stop when his phone buzzed on the holder between his handlebars. Pulling over to the side of the street, he planted his foot down and swiped the screen to see a message from Kisuke, saying to call him. Ichigo groaned and pulled the phone from it's holder, dialing his boss and waiting for him to answer.
"Ichigo! Lovely to hear from you!"
"You told me to call. What's the emergency?"
"I'm afraid I'm going to need you to come back in, we've got someone here who wants to file a complaint against you." And just like that, the mood he was in was gone and the anger from earlier had started to seep back into him.
"Short girl. Angry. Shouts a lot if you call her small?"
"Yeah, that's the one. I take it you know her?"
"I ran into this morning on my route."
"That's what she said." Ichigo groaned and leaned his head back. He was making good time today too!
"Alright, I'll be back as soon as I can."
"I'll hold her here." Kisuke hung up and Ichigo placed his phone back into the holder on his bike before turning around and making his way back to the main building. The whole time he was riding, Ichigo had time to stew in whatever rage was building in him for when he showed up at the office. He didn't want to get into another shouting match with the girl in front of his boss, but at the same time .. something about her, it just brought out something in him. Normally he wouldn't have gone off like he did. Sure he could be snappy and yell at people from time to time, but never like he did.
Finally, Ichigo reached the building and parked in the back, making his way through the warehouse to find the bosses office. He gave a short wave to Mizuiro and Keigo before stopping just outside of Kisuke's office and taking a moment to compose himself. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo took off his helmet and stepped into Kisuke's office, closing the door behind him.
"You wanted to see me boss?" Ichigo tried to keep his voice even, but the moment he stepped into the room, his senses were assailed with the same lilac scent from the night before, it filled the room and reminded Ichigo of the rooftop and the full moon, his eyes going wide. Any mood he was in before died quickly, the scent so familiar.
"Ah yes, Ichigo. I believe you've already met Ms. Kuchiki." Kisuke made a motion to the chair in front of him and the black haired girl sitting there, a smile on his face. Slowly, she turned around, and he could see the fire in her violet eyes. That anger from this morning still there, but only for a moment. As soon as her eyes fell on him, that fire was gone and her mouth dropped open.
Rukia couldn't believe it. In front of her was the man she watched each night. The man of her nightly ritual. The man she had argued with in the street. Of all the ways she had pictured their first meeting going, it was never like how it actually happened. A screaming match in the middle of a crowded sidewalk? Not exactly the best place to meet the person of your intrigue.
The two of them stared at each other for a long few moments before slowly, Rukia stood from her seat and turned to face him. Walking towards Ichigo, she reached out her hand, a soft smile on her face, whatever anger had been there before faded.
"Hello, I'm Rukia Kuchiki. I believe we got off on the wrong foot." Ichigo stared at her for a long moment like she was an alien creature, and then he saw the hand that was offered out to him. Slowly, he reached out and took it, shaking her hand softly.
"Ichigo Kurosaki. It's nice to meet you."
