(A/N): I forgot to thank those of you who reviewed… My bad! I love you all, though. I didn't get added to alerts or favorites that much, or receive many reviews, but that's okay with me. I'll continue to write because I actually enjoy writing this story, haha.
Anyway, please enjoy the third chapter of The Soul Rider!
Chapter 3 – Pain
A deep sigh escaped the carrot-top's mouth as he stacked the last empty cardboard box. He had just finished moving all of his belongings into his new home, and he was tired. Across from him sat the raven-haired woman, panting hard after struggling with him to get his heavy bed frame, followed by the actual bed itself, up the stairs.
He still couldn't believe it, though. She thinks I'm rude as hell but she chose me. How did that happen? He wasn't going to complain, though. He got what he wanted, and that was all that mattered to him.
Last night, during his date with Orihime, the curvy girl's cell phone rang after she told him about her encounter with Soul Rider. She picked it up and was presented with disappointing news, and as soon as she hung up, his phone rang. Rukia called to congratulate him and he almost jumped out of his seat.
"R-Really?" he squeaked. "I got the room?"
She nodded with her cheek against the phone. "Yeah. You can move your things here tomorrow. Bye."
Before he could reply, she ended their conversation. Completely bewildered but stoked, Ichigo ate a mouthful of the stomach-churning strawberry onion soup with mozzarella bits that Orihime made. Unfortunately, he made a run for the toilet, ending their date.
Ichigo brushed his palms together to shake the imaginary dust off his hands. As soon as he turned around, a scowl played at his lips. "What the hell are you doing sitting on my bed?" he exclaimed. Usually, he'd be delighted to have a woman as gorgeous as her on his bed, but if that woman wasn't intimate with him at that moment, he didn't want anything to do with her.
Rukia was surprised. "Wh-What do you mean? I just helped your weak-ass carry this crap in and you're yelling at me for sitting on your bed?"
He could feel his scowl deepen. He pointed his index finger at her in accusation and anger. "I'm weak? You're the one who's tired! You're so tired you can't even stand, which is why you're on my bed in the first place!"
She immediately stood and brought her hands to her hips. "I can stand perfectly! You were the one who asked me to help you bring your bed up! Baka!"
The tall man bent over towards her to have a greater effect. "A guest shouldn't have to ask the host for help! You should have offered to help me in the first place!" he growled.
Rukia started tipping on her toes. "Guest? What guest! I see no guest!" she turned around with her arms spread out, pointing out that they were the only two in the room in a smart-aleck way. She faced him again on her tip toes and poked his chest hard. "You are not a guest! You live here now, so take care of your own crap!" Crossing her arms over her chest, she huffed, "And what kind of man asks a woman for help? Obviously, you aren't chivalrous. If anything, you should have carried me up the stairs!"
His teeth gritted. "Wh-WHAT? Hell no!" After each word, he pressed his forehead against hers harder. "I'm so chivalrous, all the girls in Karakura want to get with me! Why the hell would I carry you up the stairs! You have legs, don't you? And are you sure you're a woman? 'Cause you fight like a damn man!"
Rukia was positive you could see the anger in her eyes. She felt a vein pop on her forehead. "YOU WANNA SEE ME FIGHT LIKE A MAN?"
A vein popped on Ichigo's forehead as well. "BRING IT ON, MIDGET!" He crouched slightly and positioned himself, preparing for whatever she was going to throw at him.
She cracked her knuckles as she made a fist and swung at him as hard as she could, hitting him directly in the nose. His nose sprang a leak of blood as he flew backwards against the stack of cardboard boxes, knocking them over and clearing the way for him as his cranium hit the hard wall.
He stood, pinching his nose with one hand and rubbing the back of his head with the other. "…Why you..." he growled lowly. He scowled so hard his lips were frozen.
There she was, standing before him with a smirk of triumph on her face. "What's the matter, Strawberry?" she taunted. "Can't hit a girl?"
Ichigo felt his eye twitch. He ran as fast as he could and picked her up, grasping the fabric of the back of her shirt and sticking two fingers through one of the belt loops on her jeans. "I ain't afraid to fight you, baka chibi!" He threw her to her room through his door with such force and speed that she skidded on the floor halfway through the air, stretching her skin against the polished, wooden floor, which gave it a burning sensation.
Rukia slowly got back on her feet, coughing when she felt dust balls in her mouth. "Y-You ungrateful brat!" she sneered. She sneezed and rubbed the red spots on her skin, continuing: "You should be grateful that I'm letting you live here! All you have to do is cook for me and do some chores!"
Just as Ichigo was ready to argue back, both of them heard the doorbell ring. Rukia brushed off her clothing, fixed her hair, and rushed down the stairs, putting on a cheerful smile before opening the door. Ichigo followed her soon after.
As soon as she opened the door, a handsome young man grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Bonjour, chérie," he said as he brought his face up to meet hers. He smiled kindly when he saw her blush.
She smiled back at him. "Hey, Ashido," she greeted. "Did you come here to visit me?"
Ichigo could see how flustered she was around him. Tch, he doesn't even look that good.
Before Ashido could answer, a light, feminine voice came from behind him. "Ashy, next time wait for me!" a woman whined as she panted. She was a cute girl, almost Rukia's height. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, grayish-blue eyes, and small pink lips accompanied by rosy cheeks.
Her appearance surprised Rukia. "…Hi, Anya," she greeted. "I see you're with Ashido. Again." Anya was Ashido's ex-girlfriend who remained close friends with him after he broke up with her. When he moved to Japan from France 3 years ago, he left Anya behind. But, she came to Japan to visit him over a month ago, and ever since her arrival, Ashido pushed every date he had with Rukia aside.
Anya batted her eyes and smiled insincerely. "Hey, Ruki!" Every time Ashido brought Anya along to go visit Rukia, they'd always pretend to like each other. Anya sugar coated every word when she talked to Rukia, even giving her the nickname "Ruki".
Ashido finally realized there was another presence in the room. He extended his hand to Ichigo and introduced himself, trying to steer the girls' attention towards them to avoid any cat fights. "I'm Ashido. You must be Kurosaki-san. Rukia's told me about you; how do you like it here?"
Ichigo scratched his head. "Yeah, that's me. I dunno, man. Haven't gotten used to the place yet." He smirked and pointed at Rukia, "You're dating that? Oh c'mon, man! She's a baka-chibi! You can do better than her!" He raised a brow when he saw Ashido glance at Anya.
Rukia's leg suddenly shot diagonally upward into his ribs from where she was standing. "Shut up, baka-chigo!" She redirected her attention to Ashido and smiled again. "So, why are you two here?"
B..Bitch! Ichigo thought as he coughed and held his ribs.
Anya turned her head and batted her eyes again. "Ashy wanted to visit you. Again. But I don't see the point, since you seem to be SO friendly with your roommate," she said in a cheerful, cutesy, slightly accusing voice.
Rukia glared at her, giving her a fake smile. "That," she pointed to Ichigo, "is not my friend. And, Ashido used to tell me about how excited he was to see you again. But I don't see the point, since you seem to be SO bitchy with… just about everyone!"
Ashido could see Anya turn red. Her nostrils flared and her fists were ready to punch. Before she could pounce on Rukia, he pushed her out the door, knowing Rukia could tear her up in pieces. "Uh, An, wait in the car, okay?"
"Fine!" She glared at Rukia one last time before abruptly turning around to walk to his car.
Rukia frowned a bit. "An and…Ashy?" she questioned him as she shook her head slightly. "I thought you two were just friends."
Ashido brought his hands up defensively. "We are! Don't jump to conclusions, sweetheart. Je t'aime." He smiled at her, "I told her to sit in the car and wait for me earlier, but she insisted on coming in as well. I'm sorry."
For some reason, his apology didn't seem sincere to Ichigo, but by the looks of it, he had Rukia convinced. He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. Dumbass. I wouldn't ditch a hot chick like Rukia for a tomato like Anya.
It felt like Rukia had no choice but to smile. "It's… okay," she said. Love blinded her, and she was passive when it came to dealing with Ashido. "When is she going back to France?"
Ashido squeezed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Don't worry about that. She'll be gone before you know it. I have to go now—An and I are going to Paradise Hill."
She looked at him with suspicion. That's a spot for couples… She faked a smile, "O-Okay, have fun!" He looked extremely happy when he was around Anya, and she didn't want to ruin that for him. And, what if they were really friends?
When he nodded, she puckered her lips up for a kiss, but she felt his lips on her cheek instead. "I'll see you whenever, okay?" he said, unsure of what to tell her.
It felt like someone wrung her heart. "…Whenever you're free, then."
He smiled at her one last time before closing the door behind him.
Once the door clicked shut, Ichigo scoffed and pointed his thumb at the door. "You actually trust him with that whore?"
His insult to Anya almost made Rukia laugh out loud. "I guess. It's fair—I mean, I trust him hanging out with his ex, and he trusts me living together with you."
He scratched his ear and yawned. "You're an idiot. You can't just leave your boyfriend with his ex. Especially since they're going to a couple's place right now."
Not wanting to think about Ashido, she changed the subject. "So uh, let's go decorate your room. I saw a bunch of posters in one of the boxes up there."
He could tell how she was feeling about Ashido and Anya together—she was in no mood to argue. Instead of protesting against her helping him decorate like he normally would have done, he followed her up the stairs.
XxXxX
Rukia held a framed picture in her hands; she found it at the very bottom of a box. In it, Ichigo scowled with his arms crossed over his chest, a little distant from the rest of the people in the picture. Next to him stood a handsome, tall man with jet-black hair and a beard, smiling while playfully messing up the hair of the two girls in front of him. The girl with the sandy-colored hair smiled back at him, but the girl next to her scowled. All of them had a distinct feature that resembled Ichigo, so she figured it was a picture of his family.
Ichigo stepped back and eyed his room all around. "It looks better than my old room, I gotta admit," he thought aloud. He noticed something in Rukia's hands, "What's that you got there?"
Rukia smiled softly at the picture; it brought back bittersweet memories of when she, Hisana, and Byakuya were together as a family. She pushed her feelings aside when she heard Ichigo's deep, attention-grabbing voice. Turning around, she held the picture outward and gave him a full view of it. "Why don't you hang this one up? You and your family are so cute."
Her heart practically stopped when he quickly snatched it from her. "Don't fucking tell me what to do you fucking midget," he sneered venomously.
She looked at him disbelievingly, surprised at how much he got worked up—his face was as red as a tomato, and she didn't need x-ray vision to see that his teeth were gritting behind that cold scowl. "Okay, I don't know what your problem is, but—"
He cut her off, his nails marking the silver frame in his grip. Rage filled his chest and he could feel his face burning up. "Stay out of my damn business. Get the hell out—I don't need your help anymore!" Before she could say a word, he pushed her out the door and slammed it shut.
No matter where I go to escape… I'm always reminded of you, Mom. He hated being reminded of her. The memories of her weren't even bittersweet to him anymore—they were just absolutely painful. He separated himself from his family in an attempt to forget her, but all that's done is rupture the bond he shared with them. Isshin never gave up on him. Yuzu loved him like any sister should. And beneath Karin's words of hate and ice-cold scowls, she loved him, too. All he's done is push them away; he was too blind to realize he had one of the closest, most caring families in all of Karakura.
Sighing in hopes of releasing the anger in him, he squatted and opened the lowest drawer to his dresser, carefully placing the picture faced down.
Rukia glared at the carrot-top's door. Get that stick out of your ass, you stupid baka-chigo! I let you stay here almost for free and you talk to me like that? She frowned instantly and wished she could take back the thought. What if he was dealing with something emotional? She remembered how miserable she felt after Hisana's death… But still, he didn't have to yell at me…
She dressed into her work uniform and grabbed her SR items, then knocked on Ichigo's door. "Ichigo?" She waited for a while, but when he didn't answer, she went on anyway. "I don't know what I did earlier, but I'm sorry. Anyway, I'm going to work right now. I'll pick up groceries before I get home. If you need anything, just text me… I'll probably be home by 6. See you…"
Ichigo waited for the front door to close. He scowled and continued throwing a hacky sack in the air, catching it before it hit his face. He was sprawled out on his bed, cooled down from earlier. He'd never been so mad at someone he'd just met, but he decided to forget about it.
Just then, an idea came to mind. She said she was coming home at 6, right? He picked up his phone and reviewed his recent calls—the person he was calling wasn't even important enough to be saved under a name in his contacts.
"Hello?" a cheerful, feminine voice answered.
Ichigo smirked despicably. "Hey, Sen? I have my own place now."
XxXxX
Rukia quickened her pace, three paper bags under her arms. The chilly winds of the afternoon air penetrated her coat, and she wanted to get home as soon as possible. It was only 5 in the afternoon, but it was nearly as dark as the night sky.
She was walking against the wind in her high heels, trying her best to keep any of the groceries from falling out. This is when I wish I had a car, she grumbled. She turned a corner into a dark alley, getting some contents of the grocery bags ready.
In the far back corner sat a man with tattered clothing. He had gorgeous red hair and the prettiest pair of emerald-colored eyes, which made him extremely handsome. His hair was dripping wet, and he was wrapped in a newly purchased towel. Once he heard the click-clacking of high heels, he looked up.
Meeting eyes of a violet-blue hue, he smiled instantly. "Rukia," he breathed out. "How are you?"
Rukia smiled back at him. "Hey, Nova," she greeted before handing him a bag of groceries, which he took gratefully. "I'm doing okay. I have a new roommate; his name's Ichigo. Ashido's still hanging around Anya. Anya's still a bitch," she said plainly.
Nova thanked her, chuckling at her story. "Well I'm glad to hear you're so happy," he said sarcastically.
Nova was from Inuzuri, just like Rukia. Bandits and samurai groups did not threaten Karakura, but Inuzuri was part of Rukongai, one of the most sleeziest, poorest places in Japan. Many young females thought he was handsome, and out of mere jealousy, bandits beat him ever y day. When he couldn't take it anymore, he escaped to Karakura in hopes of finding a better life. Instead, his life worsened. He wasn't near those he trusted, and he didn't have anything to survive on. Karakura was a city, and it was tough trying to find ripe fruits and vegetables that weren't on stands in the markets.
But then he met Rukia. The second she laid her eyes on him, she rushed into the nearest market and bought him warm clothes, food, and a blanket, and ever since then, she'd been buying him groceries that would last him a week every week for the past month. When his clothes were ruined again, she'd buy him a new outfit.
"I can't stay for long," she said, shivering. "Ichigo's probably waiting for me to bring the groceries home." She took a couple of coins and bills out of her bag and handed it to him. "This is for clothing, and use the payphone to call me if you need anything, okay?"
Nova nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you so much, Rukia. I don't know how I'll repay you.."
Rukia smiled sweetly. "Don't worry about it. Take care of yourself, okay?"
He flicked his thumb up and grinned. "I'll be fine. You're the one who needs to take care of herself, Soul Rider-san…"
XxXxX
Rukia tried to feel around for her keys in her bag as she bit the edge of a grocery bag to keep it from falling. Shit, where is it? She continued to reach around, and once she found it, she quickly turned it in the lock.
Without glancing the slightest bit towards the living room, she stripped off her trench coat and set the groceries down. She turned, "Ichigo, I'm ho—" but the sight on the living room couch cut her off.
Ichigo and his date from two nights ago, Senna, were making out on the couch. Though, it wasn't exactly making out—Senna was thrashing her lips against his, and he just laid there and did nothing. He didn't even hold her while they kissed while she had her hands all over him.
"Who are you?" Rukia yelled, eyes wide with her hands in the air.
Senna broke the kiss and turned around immediately, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Who am I? Who are you? And what're you doing in Ichigo-kun's house?"
The raven-haired woman gaped unbelievingly. "Ichigo's house? HELL no. This is MY house. I paid for it!" By now, they were at each others' throats.
Ichigo's eyes widened. She's not supposed to be home until 6! He sighed and decided to end things once and for all. "Sen, listen…" he said in his alluring, seductive voice.
Senna instantly melted. "Y-Yeah, Ichigo-kun?" She blushed and batted her eyes at him, trying to look as cute as possible.
He smirked devilishly and pointed to the door. "Get out. We're through. I never liked you and I never will. This whole time, I was just trying to get you in bed. But, you're too easy, so I might as well crush you right here, right now."
She could feel her heart stop and her body freeze. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "B-But, I thought…" She stuttered uncontrollably and couldn't stop shaking. She really liked him and all this time she was being played like a game.
Ichigo scowled. "Whatever the hell you thought was wrong. Now get the hell out of my house."
Tears started building in her eyes, and she grabbed her purse and ran out the door as fast as she could, sniffling and sobbing the whole way.
Rukia crossed her arms and tapped her foot, glaring at Ichigo. She shook her head, disappointed, and spoke slowly but angrily. "I let you live here and the second I'm gone, you have a woman over?" She was about ready to slap the man. "First of all, that's disrespectful! Second of all, you completely crushed her! That is so fucked up!"
Ichigo shrugged and yawned. "What's it matter? You didn't even like her, anyway. You never said anything about not being allowed to have anyone over!"
"It doesn't matter if I don't like her! That was a douchebag move! How would it feel if someone you loved crushed your heart and soul like that?" she growled at him. The groceries spilled all over the floor, but she ignored it, seeing as it could easily be cleaned up.
That just set him off. He could feel a vein pop on his forehead and neck, and he balled his fists up so tight he was ready to fight. Crushed your heart and soul? Ichigo thought he knew that feeling more than anyone else! "What the fuck do you know about being crushed? Have you ever fucking lost someone so dear to you? You're so annoying!"
She pointed at him and fixed her glare. "Don't fucking talk to me like that, you ungrateful brat!" She stepped closer to him and pushed his forehead with her finger. Her teeth were gritting, and she could feel the heat build up in her chest. "I of all people know what it's like to be crushed!"
He towered over her and barked in her face. "I can fucking talk to you any way I want to!" He gripped the collar of her shirt and pulled her closer. "My fucking mother died from illness, you bitch!"
Rukia spat in his face and kicked him in the shin, causing him to lose his balance and fall on the floor. "Shut the hell up, you filthy bastard!" Her voice was slightly shaking, but she still kept her strong stance. "My sister was murdered right before my eyes!" She slapped him hard across the face before turning abruptly towards the stairs.
"You have absolutely no right to talk to me that way, you filthy, ungrateful, scum of a bastard!" she cried hysterically as she ascended up the stairs slowly. She grabbed a bag of groceries and poured it on him. "Here's your damn groceries, brat." She let go of the paper bag and let it float slowly onto the floor next to Ichigo. "Go make your dinner. I lost my appetite."
Ichigo sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Murdered? In front of her? It made his mother's death come in second place. Rukia's version was brutal and stomach churning. He felt like a complete idiot and jerk, but he knew he couldn't take back what he said about her.
He quietly picked up the groceries and put them in their appropriate spots in the kitchen, and quietly ascended up the stairs, having lost his appetite as well.
(A/N): I rushed the ending a little bit. Sorry! School's up around the corner and I just want to get this chapter out before I go back, haha.
I hope you enjoyed chapter 3 of The Soul Rider!
KawaiiShofu