Disclaimers: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite. Hana Yori Dango belongs to Yoko Kamio.
Note: Not much to say. 4 parts in and still no Domyouji ;___; almost there!
Chapter 4: The Games We Play
Keigo, the class pervert, naturally gravitates to any new flesh especially if said flesh is a female. He's stuck to Rukia like glue every chance he gets. The only time he's not by Rukia in class is when he's with Inoue Orihime, the class darling. It's routine. Keigo receives an uppercut from Tatsuki, the class feminist. So he returns to Rukia. He considers her a safer zone, despite the presence of Ichigo, the class badass. It's not like Ichigo's done anything physical in defense of Rukia at all, so says Keigo.
In Ichigo's head, Keigo is also the class idiot but he's given up on saying that out loud since it's obvious that Keigo has selective hearing.
Everyone is a class something.
Keigo says Rukia is the class enigma.
Ichigo realizes how right the title is. No one knows anything about Rukia except for where she lives, and that's only because Ichigo made it his mission to see her reach that front door uninjured. He's never seen anybody greet her from that house.
Sure, he knows she does patrol. Real violent, too. He also knows she's a faker with that saccharine smile which everyone is still blind to. Sometimes he wants to yell at people, "Look at her! Don't you see her?!" But no, he doesn't. They'll end up looking at him.
Ichigo sighs.
Rukia hears and turns her head. All wide eyes and waiting.
He only scowls harder at her and she rolls her eyes. She continues to read the posts on the help board in the café. Sometimes she'll copy an address she'll visit and some posts she grabs to bring along. This is how she finds people to help.
All these people expect some idiot will show up and answer all their problems. And when it happens once, because of people like Rukia, they just keep asking for more. His scowl reaches a new level of hardness.
He's always thought that he knows her more than others. Maybe he does. But the truth unsettles him a bit. That he knows absolutely nothing other than what she allows him. He thinks about checking her house today to make sure there's an adult there.
Patrol takes a while, as usual. His muscles are sore. She's muddy. He's muddy, too, but he doesn't really care. They look like a ragtag duo with no future but he can't help but straighten his back as they walk. Not once did she get in the middle of his fights or semi-fights, since there's hardly any today. Often, he's seen her simply standing there and watching him while he disarms a bully or two.
He scratches the back of his head as his mind trails off at the idea of her trusting him. Then he realizes she's not by his side or even a step behind him. He turns and blinks.
She's a good distance away from him staring at something far away. He starts to walk back, his head turned towards where she's looking at.
There is something big and round and eye-blinding colorful at the center of what is usually a peaceful park they take a short-cut to her house. A carnival has set up camp, it seems.
"What is that?" She sounds like she's never seen something that colorful. It's yet another weird thing. She often sounds like she's never seen anything and everything is new.
"It's a carnival tour. Happens once in a while. They'll be gone in a week."
"I've never been to one!" she exclaims and Ichigo groans.
So they go. Not like he has a choice when she's already running towards the ghastly thing.
Ichigo trails behind and tries not to lose her in the crowd. Finally, he finds her with a bucket of darts and a very eager attendant, wheedling more money out of her. It annoys Ichigo so he pushes her aside and confiscates her wallet before she brings out more money.
Three balloons and they are done, supposedly. Except he misses. A lot.
"Eh, Ichigo. I bet I can do better than you." Rukia makes a grab for some dart from the bucket but Ichigo raises it out of her reach. Her fist goes up and prepares for launch.
Three balloons promptly burst and it takes Rukia's anger with it. She oohs and then twists around Ichigo to see who the shooter is.
"Ishida-san!" She greets prettily, entering the sweet girl persona in a heartbeat.
"You know him?" Ichigo wonders because even though the name is familiar, he can't remember why and the face is definitely not familiar. How can she know someone he doesn't?
"I'm in the same class, Kurosaki." Ishida snorts and tips his head towards Rukia in a greeting. The attendant asks Ishida to choose his prize and he only points to Rukia, "Ask her. I used her darts. It was sad to see Kurosaki waste so many shots."
"Hey, bastard, who asked you?" Ichigo slams the bucket of darts on the counter top and starts unbuttoning his school jacket, ready to fight. Ishida barely spares him a glance, as if he's only dirt in the corner. Infuriating.
"I hate arrogant people like you, Kurosaki. You think you're better than everyone else." Ishida remains calm, despite the building tension and Ichigo's blatant show of withheld violence. "I guess I'll have to prove you wrong."
The hypocrite.
Rukia now has a large white rabbit tucked in her arm but she pays for more darts. How she's managed to take her wallet from Ichigo's pocket without his noticing is something he'll ask about but later. He wants to kick Ishida.
There is a sound of a series of thwacks and Ichigo glares down at Rukia. "You already have your toy, what else do you want?"
She points at the lion.
Ishida takes three more darts from the bucket and promptly shoots three balloons in close succession. The attendant looks crestfallen and hands over the lion in Rukia's open arms. "Thank you, Ishida-san!"
Ishida adjusts his glasses without a word. Even the reflection of light mocks Ichigo. His fists clench.
"Give those back, Rukia," Ichigo snarls.
"What? Why?" Rukia's grip tightens on her precious toys. Her brows meet and her eyes narrow. Oh, this is not going to be pretty. Ishida's probably the only reason she hasn't snapped at him yet.
"They're not yours, for one. Now give those back."
"But I paid for the darts." Wide eyes, she's trying to look meek and mild and disappointed all at once. This is pissing Ichigo off.
Ichigo takes his wallet out and pays for six darts without a word. Perhaps it's his determination to not lose face and show Ishida but he makes good use of the six darts. Six balloons fall apart with it. His throws are hard enough to shake the whole board.
She's annoyed now. She slaps money on the counter and asks for six darts, too. The attendant looks weary but hands over the darts. She takes her time with each throw, but they all strike true.
"I don't see why I can't just get them myself," she almost growls. Her voice is low enough that only Ichigo hears. She gives the rabbit and lion by her side to Ishida and grabs a new set then stalks off. The three of them now have a rabbit and a lion each, much to the attendant's displeasure.
Things spiral to something strange. A pissing contest between Ichigo and Ishida has a new player by the name of Shiba Rukia. The three of them go from booth to booth, all of which Ishida manages to play and ace with perfection. Ichigo struggles at first but the more he plays, the better he is at the next one to a point that he's matching Ishida's progress without fail. Rukia is slower but doesn't fall back too far, either.
It's come to a point that they're dragging a small sack of dolls and plushies alike. Each.
Rukia is the one to quit first, however. "This is pointless."
Ichigo ignores her. He and Ishida both move to the next game with determined steps.
The Clown in The Pool decides it for them. When Ishida throws all the balls bullseye, the clown stays on his perch laughing and mocking. The damn thing is obviously rigged. Ichigo manages to topple the bastard clown three times without hitting the bullseye. His throws shook the entire stand.
It's already dark when he and Ishida's called it truce. Where Ishida beats him in accuracy, Ichigo beats him in strength. The wet clown proves it. Ichigo has a clown half his size on his shoulder when he finds Rukia sitting on a bench by a tree. The sacks are with her and she's talking to a man with a bucket hat and clogs.
Ichigo's so tired he doesn't think he can fight a perverted old man and win unscathed. He trudges forward nonetheless and Ishida walks after him.
"Hey, you!" Ichigo points at the man.
"Are you two done?" Rukia looks just as tired as Ichigo feels, but safe. So the man is harmless, maybe.
"Yeah." Ichigo almost beams. Almost. The clown is damn heavy. He walks forward to collapse on the bench and doesn't really make it. He sits on the floor with a sigh. "My arms and legs and back and neck hurt. Damn Ishida."
Ishida sighs and he manages to sit on the bench.
"Here." Ichigo tosses the damn huge clown to Rukia and she topples over the bench because of its weight. The man looks amused, somewhat. That makes Ichigo remember he doesn't know that man. "Who's he?"
"My uncle," Rukia says behind the clown. It's so big and she's so small, it looks like the clown's talking with a pale hand pointing at the bucket and clogs man. "Well then, I have to go."
She stands up and Ichigo can only see her legs because of that nasty clown stuffed toy. She hooks it with one hand and picks up the lion which sat next to her earlier. Then she throws Ichigo the lion. "That's yours. Ishida-san?"
"Yes?"
"Do you want all the toys?"
Ishida shakes his head. "Not really."
"I'll be taking them, too, then. I know Ichigo doesn't want his sack. Thank you." She bows to Ishida, clown and all.
The hat and clogs man waves a hand and a huge guy who puts Chad to shame walks over to take the remaining sacks.
"What'll you do with all of those…?" To call her a selfish brat is already at the tip of Ichigo's tongue but he manages to restrain himself. Baiting her may be a habit but 'selfish' isn't a word he'll ever use on her.
"Lots of kids don't have toys. You get one because you're just a kid," she says as she walks away with the two men.
Ichigo realizes she never gave the name of the hat and clogs man.
The next day in school, Ichigo invites Ishida to join their lunch. His room also has a permanent tenant named Kon, the damn lion.
to be continued...