'Watch out, Ichigo!'

'Gah!' the flustered teen grunted, ducking as his father aimed to kick his head. Isshin fell flat on the floor, as he would every night. Quickly composing himself together, he sat upright and gave his son a thumbs up while blood dripped from his nose. Anyone else would have been mortified to see their parent presented in such a manner, but by now Ichigo had developed a thick skin for weird behaviour from his family. If anything, this nightly routine even irritated him.

'Nice work!' the older man cried enthusiastically. 'You're becoming a man!'

The "man" narrowed his eyes and growled. Not tonight. He would not partake in this childish ritual tonight.

'Onii-chan! Why did you miss dinner?' Yuzu inquired sadly. Not wanting to hurt her, he smiled and apologized. Karin asked for an explanation, but he couldn't tell them the truth. It wasn't that it was embarrassing, but it seemed awkward to confess that he'd been with a girl. Plus, they would never let him forget it.

The sound of obnoxious sniffing startled the young boy. Jumping back, he saw his crazy dad sniffing his back like a wild groundhog. Those thick eyebrows were raised, eyes wide, and his mouth puckered in a comical O. By now, the teen was beyond irritated. He pointed a finger accusingly at the imposing old man. 'You are such a freak! What are you doing?!'

'Your scent!'

'Yes...?!'

'Smells sweet!'

'Ok?!'

'Smells like a woman.'

No, no, no!

'Wow, I forgot I had so much work to do! Gotta go be a good student now!' Ichigo laughed nervously. His siblings looked at each other in confusion, then averted their attention to their brother who had just stumbled on his way up the stairs. The discomfort within the household was all too real when the doctor huffed with pride, howling an approving 'Go, Ichigo!' - much to the dismay of his children.

Despite himself, Ichigo grinned like a fool once he entered his room. For some reason, his dad's reaction gave him some form of reassurance. It was almost like a secret male-parental connection. Like a high five, but way more humiliating. The thumping of his heart reflected his excitement. Rukia Kuchiki... That woman was really something else. There was no doubt in his mind that she had many suitors; but he wouldn't go down without even trying.

His movements were quicker, happier as he changed his clothes and cleaned up his room. The young man was in a hypnosis of some sort, like he was on an energizer. He was physically exhausted and needed sleep, but his brain was working overtime. Even as he lay in bed, he desperately fought the need for sleep. Falling asleep meant that he would have less time to remember her vividly, and he really didn't want that.

Fuck you, Nii-sama.

Grimmjow's strong hand held her face firmly by the chin, forcing her to bend her head sideways so he could have access to her mouth. As if to express her delight, she pressed against him as his tongue slid into her mouth, surprisingly gentle and slow. He knew she liked being kissed softly, and he definitely wanted to please her. Especially since he had plans of coming back for more. Letting go of her face, two fingers slipped past her swollen lips as he continued to kiss her. Recognizing the bitter taste of a familiar pill, she spat it out immediately. She wasn't in the mood to get high.

'You ungrateful slut.' he groaned against her lips. 'We were meant to share that.'

'You should have asked first.' she breathed hotly. Innocent eyes looked up at him, melting him instantly. Oh, he loved how she always did this little act; like she didn't know what she was doing, like she wasn't fucking him to get back at her oppressive brother. After all, a Kuchiki woman must always save herself for marriage. Or at the very least, have the modesty not to have such an insatiable appetite for sex. Imagine his surprise when she texted him to meet her outside her family manor's gates so that she could sneak him inside the guest house for round two.

She squeaked involuntary when his hand slammed against her ass painfully. Wincing from the impact, she hunched over in pain. He seemed angry when she leaned away from him, so he forced her head down onto the bed with his hand, effectively bending her over. Losing herself to the euphoria of it all, she bit her lip and spread her legs for him.

'Always so juicy, begging for my dick.' he smirked, his fingers playing with her wet folds. 'Twice in one evening; I'm so glad you transferred to my school baby.'

Not because of you, she thought in irritation. Her mind flashed to that damn orange-head who had left her frustratingly aroused. That man was definitely interesting. Despite speaking to him properly for only a couple of hours, she felt absolutely no judgement or disapproval from him. He just... saw her for what she was. He had read her so well. And she was happy to be studied by those sexy, smouldering amber eyes that just seemed to know everything.

'Ah!' she snapped back into reality when two long fingers thrust inside of her. Physically, she was in bliss. Grimmjow knew just how to make her squirm. They shared a strong sexual chemistry that was hard to replicate, even with open communication.

However, for the first time, Rukia felt guilty about being touched. Not because her brother would be extremely disappointed, oh no - but because Ichigo told her that he was serious about her. The thing is, Rukia didn't even understand what being serious meant. Here she was with some gangster when she was supposed to be betrothed to a man of her brother's choosing.

But... If Ichigo knew what she was doing right now, he'd be upset, wouldn't he?

That didn't sit very well with her.

'No.' she warned, turning around to glare at him as she heard him unbuckling his belt.

'Come on. You're on birth control, aren't you?'

'Doesn't matter. Put on a condom.'

'Tsk.' he clicked his tongue. 'You're gonna let me fuck you raw one day, Kuchiki.'

She rolled her eyes at his pettiness. Watching him unwrap the plastic, she started to think about whether or not she really wanted to do this tonight. In fact, maybe she should just call it quits for the night and send him home. But then she looked at her partner's muscular frame glistening with sweat, those cold, hungry eyes intimidatingly irresistible. He could see her admiring him, and a proud grin formed on his lips. An aching need in her abdomen grew stronger as he leaned in closer, running a hand over his pale, tousled hair to get it out of his face.

Maybe just for tonight.

Ichigo was very excited for the morning. His early day routine seemed to go by unbearably slowly, till he finally arrived at school. Even there, his climb up the stairs felt like centuries. A little worried that his anticipation reflected on his face, he would actively make an effort to scowl. The result was just comical; a sporadic change of mood, it appeared to others.

Once he took his seat, the turn of events was exceptionally disappointing. Rukia was more tense than usual, although she greeted him for the day. However, she kept her distance throughout all their classes together. If anything, it was more like she was ignoring him. It was as if last night never happened. Hurt at first, he eventually shrugged it off and accepted that things were just going back to the way they were. He didn't mind that. If it wasn't meant to be, then he'd just get over it.

But he was not about to go down without a fight.

'Would you like to hang out again?' he asked softly between classes.

Azure eyes widened in surprise. The truth was that she was sort of avoiding him. Last night was... Well, last night didn't really happen. All because she couldn't stop worrying about how upset he'd be. Now she knew how ridiculous she had been. He didn't know anything. And even if he did, it was her body. It wasn't like he had a claim on her or anything. She took her time staring at him until she finally answered. 'Yes.'

'Oh.' he blinked. 'I thought you were shutting me out today.'

'Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.'

'I see. Do you want to talk about it?'

She thought for a moment. Deciding that she wasn't one to talk about her problems with her Nii-sama or her rapidly increasing interest in this man, she replied 'No.'

He dropped the subject at that point. There was nothing he could do if she didn't want to say anything. He wished she would eventually confide in him though. His amber eyes lost a little color as he lost himself in some sense of wonder. What could be bothering her? Did she feel strange about last night?

Starting to become aware of his wandering mind, she interjected 'It's nothing you did. I just had a fight with my Nii-sama.'

Also, I can't have sex because all I think about is your adorable face.

He winced. 'Maybe kissing me in front of that guy was a bad idea.'

'I'm not ashamed of you, Ichigo.'

'Whatever.' he looked away to hide the fact that he blushed at her words. This woman knew just how to make his heart flutter. Just as he was about to add onto what he was saying, the teacher had arrived. He would have to end the conversation quickly. 'Are you free later?'

'My brother wants me home early.'

'This weekend?'

'Yes?'

'Meet me at the park on Saturday, noon time.'

'Fine.' she said cooly. She tried hard not to be excited about it. He frowned at her lack of enthusiasm, but he should have seen that twinkle in her eye.

The next few days were torturous. Ichigo could feel some awkward tension between them, although Rukia was oblivious to it. Her problem was that Grimmjow kept approaching her, flirting with her - and she wanted none of it. After the date, she told herself. All she needed to do was go on this one date and sleep with Ichigo Kurosaki and it would be out of her system. Then she'd realize that he was nothing special and go on with her life.

Right?

Wrong.

Every damn day she was falling for him more and more. He carried himself with confidence, seemingly so sure of himself. Nearly everyone at school was afraid to approach him, but he shifted into the most gentle creature when he was tutoring or helping someone out. She noticed that despite the extreme ends of his personality, his eyes were never cold. They were always kind.

Her lust subsided as her girlish crush on him grew stronger. All she wanted to do was talk, like that time next to the riverbank. She regretted cutting him off in the conversation to straddle him. She wished they had exchanged more words. Telling herself it didn't matter, she brushed her feelings away and kept cautiously optimistic about their impending date.

He's nothing special.

'See you tomorrow, Rukia.'

Right?

Ichigo couldn't wait for Friday to be over. Tomorrow was when he would finally have Rukia all too himself, away from the prying eyes of his classmates. It wasn't that he was embarrassed to be seen with her; he just wanted his privacy. He was not a publicly affectionate man. In fact, he was more of an introvert. He kept to himself and he liked it that way.

'Thanks so much, Ichigo!' Rangiku Matsumoto beamed. 'You've been so helpful!'

'Sure.' he replied dismissively. Another thing about Fridays was that they were his busiest day. For some reason, everyone wanted some tutoring on the last day of school for the week. Since his little business was growing, the number of clients he was taking on had been increasing. While it was tiring, he didn't want to complain. He was actually grateful that the other students sought his help. Plus, the extra cash in his pocket didn't hurt.

'What are you doing tonight?'

'Nothing.'

'Why not? Don't you have a girlfriend or something to hang out with?'

'I hang out with my friends during breaks.'

'Girlfriend?' she teased in a high, sing-song voice.

'Why are you so interested?' Now he was skeptical. He didn't really feel like making small talk, especially not after such a gruelling day. Normally, his clientele couldn't wait to bid him farewell after their sessions.

'Well? Do you?' she pouted.

'No.' he admitted.

'You know, I have a really cute friend that's into you.' the blonde beauty explained. 'I keep telling her to go for it, but you can be really scary sometimes.'

Ichigo frowned at that. He wasn't looking for companionship right now. He was never the type of person to look for relationships. It just so happened that Rukia was different. Had she not entered his life, he probably would not have considered dating anybody while at school. He needed to focus on his studies. 'I'm not looking to date.'

'But you'd play around with Kuchiki after school?'

He froze. How did she know about that?

Seeing the color drain from his face made Rangiku feel bad. That was not her intention at all. 'Sorry! But you guys were being so loud! We at the arts and crafts club could hear you guys from the next classroom.'

Now he was turning grey.

'Oh no!' the bombshell was trying hard to calm him down. The poor thing! 'It's nothing to be ashamed of! She is a frisky one, that Kuchiki.'

Well, fuck you.

'Don't talk about her like that.' he sounded offended, his eyes hardening. 'Don't talk about Rukia that way. Especially woman to woman; it's sick.'

Without another word, he threw his books into his bag with his cellphone and bolted out the door. A stunned Rangiku was paralyzed from shock. She had never heard Ichigo react that way to anything. Her comment wasn't even meant to be malicious. She was trying to tell him it wasn't his fault! That woman really was a brilliant seductress.

But to Ichigo, people just had to stay out of others' business. He didn't care how many men Rukia had been with. It was her body, her life. And they weren't together. He had no right to force his feelings on her that way. Yes, he was upset and a little possessive, but he just had to get over it. How could he demand anything from her? They just weren't official.

Yet.

Ichigo smiled.

Yet.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! Thank you ffn1990, shirayuki992, lightdesired, ArsinoetheXXVII, Darkness Absol, Carupin, and the guest reviewer! I always enjoy reading the comments, they truly make my day.

I hope that this chapter is a satisfying continuation to the story! Thank you so much again for your support! I can't wait to hear your thoughts about it.

Working hard on the next chapter for you guys!