Chapter 3, anyone? Enjoy!

It seemed to Ichigo, that after their little incident two days ago, his Rukia-radar was on super mode. He noticed things he had never bothered about before. Like, the way she bit her lip to keep from hitting Renji when he pissed her off at school, the way she crossed her legs when she was uncomfortable. And he was unable to keep from thinking about her body, in its small, round perfectness, like an annoying alarm set for every time he looked at her in her tiny school uniform.

It was a very long Monday.

Rukia wasn't unaffected, either. The strange desire to touch Ichigo followed her through all her classes. She was aware of him watching her like a hawk, his eyes following her sharply every step she took.

It was lunch time, and the tension between them was at a peak. Ichigo had had enough.

He roughly grabbed her small arm, which was so slender that his fingers almost overlapped. It was the first time they had touched since Saturday. Rukia, shocked at his angry march, did her best to follow along with him as he dragged her to a nearby supply closet. He pushed her inside, shutting the door behind him and shoving a mop out of the way so he could lean against the wall for support.

Rukia, still looking extremely confused, was rubbing the part of her arm he had grabbed, looking around the dark room a little nervously. "Uh, Ichigo…" she began, "Is there a reason you just dragged me into a supply closet?" Ichigo rolled his eyes, sighing loudly. 'Typical Rukia response. So sarcastic, as always.'

"Yeah, there is a reason. I want to know why you've been avoiding me all day, Rukia. You haven't said a word to me since-"He cut off abruptly, both of them blushing and looking away from each other hastily. 'I miss when things were easier. Rukia used to be so easy to be with, and now…'

'Why does that bother me so damn much? So, we haven't talked to each other for a day or two. I haven't talked to Orihime for a week, and it doesn't bother me… Since when did Rukia get so important?' He forced myself to look up at Rukia, who was looking at him with a strange expression- was it… pain? She was biting her lip, hard, and her blue eyes were full of some type of emotion. 'What the hell is wrong…?'

Rukia was the one to break the silence. "I'm sorry if I've been a little distant. But, it's just strange for me after- you know. And you seemed to want to be apart for a while, so I've been with Renji mostly."

Renji. The mere sound of that arrogant asshole sent a wave of anger through his body. He had arrived at Ichigo's house yesterday, leading Rukia out by the waist. That in itself bothered him, Renji touching her like that. But, what really pissed him off was the look Renji threw him over his shoulder. Arrogance, possessiveness. Ichigo wanted to wipe that damn smirk right off that bastard's face for good…..

'You're jealous of Renji.'

All the time Ichigo was thinking, he became more and more angry, and more and more jealous. Rukia watched carefully as his clenched and unclenched his fists, the way he did when he was really pissed.

"Ichigo…?" He wasn't listening to her. 'Hell no! That asshole is ignoring me after he was the one who dragged me into this damn closet?' Rukia moved forward angrily, lifting her leg in order to kick Ichigo in the shin as hard as she could. She raised her leg quickly, then lost her balance just as quickly.

Ichigo finally looked up in time to see her teetering, reaching out instinctively to grab her as she started to fall. Her weight caught his arm roughly, sending him and her hurtling toward the ground of the small supply closet. Trying to protect her as they fell, he pushed her small frame into his chest gently.

After the initial fall, things got really awkward. Ichigo was on his back, with his arms tight around Rukia, holding her to his chest. Rukia's head was exactly on his collarbone, each of her knees on either side of his slender hips. She could hear his heart beating. It was going quite fast, humming into her ear quietly.

Ichigo felt a painful ache begin in his lower stomach as he held her to him. He could feel her soft skin through the thin fabric of her uniform, and he could smell the lemony smell of her hair. Her chest was trembling over his with her labored breathing, and that did nothing to help the tension of his pain.

Rukia was the first to move. She pulled out his arms gently, sitting up on his stomach, then standing and stepping off to the side. He hopped up just as quickly, careful to use the wall for support as he rose.

"So, uh, what the hell is it with us and awkward situations this week?"

Rukia, rubbing the back of her neck, shook her head slowly. "Maybe it's a sign…" "Of what?" Smiling, Rukia reached up and tickled Ichigo playfully. "That we should stay the hell away from each other, and never, ever talk to each other ever, ever again. I loathe you, Ichigo Kurosaki. Got it?"

He grabbed her hand away, holding it for a moment in his. "Let's fight more then, okay? If we're going to be enemies, we need to do a hell of a better job of it. Or, you'll… what was it? Get Senbonzakura and Zabimaru to teach me a lesson? Yes, I think that is what you said, right? Or maybe that was Orihime?"

Rukia batted her eyelashes at Ichigo innocently, twirling a piece of hair around her small, thin finger. "No, that couldn't have been me, Ichigo. I would never say such a mean thing like that, now would I?"

And although he was there when she had said it, Ichigo almost found himself believing her. Those wide, innocent eyes were hard to doubt. Reaching over, he grabbed her up in a swift motion, hauling her over his shoulder. Rukia, of course, screamed and beat on his back with her tiny fists, but he ignored her and the stares of their classmates as they walked down the hall. He deposited her beside her locker, smirking as he looked at her flushed face. She promptly flipped him off, turning to her locker.

"'Cause I might be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it…" Ichigo tried not to groan at Rukia's awful, loud ringtone. S&M was not only a suggestive song, but it gave guys the wrong idea about Rukia. She, of course, had no idea what it meant, and Ichigo sure as hell wasn't going to tell her about it…..

"Hey, Renji… yeah I'll be in class in a few moments. Okay, love you too. Bye." 'The hell? I love you too?'

It only took three words to make Ichigo jealous as hell. And to make him walk away, leaving Rukia confused as ever.

Lol, I thought S&M by Rihanna was a great ringtone for Rukia! Enjoy the chapter, guys.