Sooooo next week is gonna be killer busy for me, so I decided to go ahead a post an extra chapter today!
The lemon is so close after this chapter!
Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.
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Rukia Kuchiki wrapped herself tighter around her new black shawl. She and Ichigo walked to a little restaurant near his apartment building.
When they arrived there, the hostess sat them in a small booth near the back.
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The cozy restaurant was dimly lit. The only source of light Rukia and Ichigo had was a small scent-less candle placed in-between them as they sat across from each other.
Jazz music played softly, creating a relaxed, almost romantic ambiance.
Their waiter walked over to ask them what they wished to order.
"I'll have the house beer, and the lady will have a strawberry daiquiri." Ichigo said confidently, glaring at the waiter when he noticed the way he was ogling his good-looking petite companion.
The waiter gulped when he noticed Ichigo's death glare, and made a mental note to refrain from looking at Rukia the rest of the night.
"What's a strawberry daiquiri?" Rukia asked, oblivious.
"You'll like it." was Ichigo's only response.
Rukia nodded her head.
She trusted Ichigo's judgment.
They made comfortable small talk until their drinks arrived.
As Ichigo had said, she loved her strawberry daiquiri. She had finished it before Ichigo was even half way done with his first beer.
So the substitute soul-reaper ordered her another one.
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"Woah there Kuchiki, pace yourself. If you drink too fast, It'll go straight to your head." He lectured as he watched her down the second one.
Ichigo scolded her, but he was smiling.
It was Rukia's birthday. She could do whatever she wanted.
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This time she ordered a third drink.
Rukia grinned happily as the sweet alcohol slid down her throat.
It was so good!
"Ichi-go, there's some news I have to tell you about, it's pretty big." Rukia began. Her face sobered momentarily.
He nodded his head to show her he was listening.
"It's something very important that's happened to me-"
"What is it Rukia?" he asked curiously.
"Well… For starters, my Byakuya-sama has named me his heir,"
The substitute soul-reaper was not surprised.
"That makes sense… He's doesn't have any children or any other siblings."
Rukia nodded her head and continued. "Hai… He's just very recently made it official... As such, he believes that I've finally reached a certain age as a young woman-"
Ichigo rolled his eyes. Rukia? Young? Really?
"-where I should settle down…"
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Ichigo felt his mouth go dry as she continued speaking.
"My older brother has started looking into promising suitors for me-"
Ichigo put down his beer as he listened to her.
Rukia's words began to slowly sink in.
Suitors?
"I'm-I'm going to get married, Ichigo."
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Rukia's words rang in his ears.
"Married?" Ichigo repeated. "Like, to a man?"
She giggled at his reaction. "Hai, you fool! I'm not like Chizuru!" she joked, recalling the flirtatious lesbian from Ichigo's high school.
"And you're ok with an arranged marriage?"
This time Rukia looked down at her strawberry drink. She was silent for a moment before speaking again.
"You see, in the Soul Society, arranged marriages among the noble class are very common…"
"That's not what I asked you… I asked you if you were ok with it?"
Rukia still couldn't look up to face him. She simply nodded her head.
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Ichigo was in complete disbelief.
"What kind of suitors? Do you know any of these men?"
Rukia shook her head, "Most of them come from high-ranking families in the soul society, and many are non-soul reapers... I haven't met any of them yet. As soon as brother picks through and eliminates candidates based on qualifications, meetings between the families of the suitors and my family will be arranged before one is selected."
"Will you be selecting your husband?"
"No, that honor belongs to my nii-sama and the elders of the Kuchiki family."
Ichigo shook his head, "I- I can't believe you're acting so calm about this whole thing…"
Rukia shrugged her shoulders.
"I've accepted it. The Kuchiki clan has been very good to me… I don't have the right to refuse. Besides… every woman dreams of settling down one day and having, you know, children." She said, a blush rising to her cheeks at the thought of having a family.
"Rukia, this is your future we're talking about… What if you don't like this guy? What if he's old, or fat, or ugly?"
Rukia's nose scrunched up in disgust. Ichigo was voicing some of the very concerns she had herself.
"I don't think nii-sama would do that to me-"
"What about love Rukia? What if you don't love this guy?"
"I'm sure I can grow to care for him… He'll be my husband after all… I've never been in love Ichigo… The closest thing I've ever felt to it, were my feelings for Lieutenant Shiba, but that was just platonic… A childish infatuation to a man I could never have." She admitted.
Ichigo became silent at the mention of the dead former Squad Thirteen lieutenant, the man whom he so strongly resembled… his cousin.
Shaking his head, the orange-haired man just couldn't accept this reality yet.
"Rukia, what if this guy's a lousy kisser, or no good in bed?!"
"Ichigo!" Rukia hissed. He was starting to get loud in the quiet restaurant.
Ichigo still couldn't calm down though. He clutched the drink in his hand tighter as he listened to her.
"I'm not exactly an expert kisser either, and I would have no idea how to rate a guy 'in bed', so that doesn't really matter." She said. Ichigo was starting to freak her out with all of his comments.
"You mean, you're still a virgin-"
Rukia cut off his comment by slamming her hands down on the table.
"Of course I am! What kind of woman do you think I am? I'm not some harlot of loose morals! It's my duty as the princess of the Kuchiki clan to stay pure for my intended husband." She said as a matter-of-factly.
Ichigo was speechless as he looked at the petite soul reaper sitting across from him.
The waiter brought them another round of drinks and Rukia downed hers greedily.
"But, I mean, you've kissed other guys before, right?"
Rukia's blush spread down her neck, to her cleavage, and all the way down to her stomach.
Honestly, the questions he asked!
He knew her too well... There was no use trying to lie to the substitute soul reaper.
"Not exactly… The only man I've ever kissed is you." She confessed.
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Ichigo rubbed the back of neck in embarrassment as he recalled the kiss they had shared five years earlier…
It had happened one night, right around the time Ichigo had entered Karakura University.
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Flashback.
The duo had battled against a large group of dangerous hollows. During the fight, they'd been separated by the hollows and each been tricked into thinking the other had died. When they finally defeated the hollows and found each other, they had been so happy and relieved to find that their partner was still alive that they had, well… kissed.
It had been a completely spur-of-the-moment, spontaneous, knock-your-socks-off, kiss. They hadn't pursued any type of romantic relationship after it happened.
In fact, they had both been so embarrassed by the incident that they hadn't spoken about it since…
End Flashback.
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To be honest, Ichigo hadn't been involved romantically with anyone, well… ever.
Ever since he had become a substitute soul reaper at the tender age of 15, he had been too busy. Being a part-time superhero, saving the world, and keeping up his grades in school was too difficult.
In college, he had attempted to date (according to his friends: Uyru, Chad, Keigo, and Mizuro, women who all looked suspiciously like Rukia Kuchiki), but all them had either been just awkward first dates, or straight up bad first dates that were thankfully interrupted by hollows. He never made a connection with any of those girls, and nothing had ever turned into anything serious.
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Rukia shifted in her seat. Ichigo's silence unnerved her.
She finished her 5th strawberry daiquiri of the night and sighed.
Why was this so difficult?
Why couldn't Ichigo just be a normal friend for once and be glad for her?
This would all be easier for her to bear if he could just be happy for her.
But he wasn't like any of her other friends. And he was far from normal. He was different. He was Ichigo Kurosaki.
"So what'll happen to us?" he asked softly.
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Rukia looked up at him in shock.
He blushed. "To- to our friendship, I mean." He added quickly.
Rukia's shock turned into a smile. "Nothing Ichigo, nothing will change. You'll always be my best friend, my partner. No matter what, that bond cannot be broken." She reassured confidently.
"I don't believe that." He said with a scowl.
Rukia's eye twitched, was he doubting her words?
"What if your new husband doesn't want you fighting hollows anymore?"
Rukia shook her head, "I'm a soul reaper first-"
"Think about it Rukia. This guy could convince Byakuya that fighting hollows is too dangerous for you."
The petite soul reaper frowned as her 6th drink arrived.
"And let's say hypothetically he does allow you to keep fighting hollows. He's sure as hell not going to allow you to come back to the world of the living-"
"I'm getting a husband, not a jailer! I'm sure he'll understand that I have friends and people I care about deeply here."
"After you get married, I don't think you expect him to allow you to say with me anymore do you?"
"What? Why wouldn't I?"
"Oh yea, like this guy would allow his beautiful wife to stay under the same roof as the bachelor-substitute-soul-reaper savior of the Soul Society,"
Rukia turned her attention back to her drink.
"You're thinking too much about this way too much Ichigo… Let's cross that bridge when we get there, shall we? There's still plenty of time to sort out details... I'll consult with my brother and ask him for advice about this later this week…"
Ichigo sighed and ran his hand through his orange-colored hair.
"You're right. I'm sorry… This was just… unexpected is all."
Rukia shrugged. "I told you I had big news, didn't I?"
Ichigo gave her a small smile as he brought his cold beer up to her drink for a toast.
"Hai. Let's drop the subject for now, alright? It's still your birthday for about two more minutes... Cheers." he said.
"Cheers."
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Once they left the restaurant to go home, Rukia was having a hard time walking straight.
Ichigo laughed as he watched her.
Her older brother would murder him if he could see how intoxicated he had allowed the petite soul reaper to become.
It was so unusual to the graceful Rukia moving about so clumsily.
She looked like a newborn fawn.
Her high heel shoes didn't help any, and soon enough she miscalculated a step and she fell forward with a yell.
However, she never felt herself touch the ground.
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Whoo! Oh my gosh-ness, two chapters in one day? Is it Christmas in September? ;) Lol
Thoughts? Questions?
I'll update again in two weeks, until then:
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