A/N: This one took a while to get out. I had to rewrite it a few times, and then in the process of writing it today, I ended up having delete portions and rewrite them. I wanted this one to be perfect. This is, ultimately, a story of Ichigo and Rukia, and this chapter is very important. It's important to their relationship, to where they're going to be in the future, and to what's going to happen. I found myself wanting to rush things with this one, and almost pushed out a half-assed chapter because of it. It's a little late to come out, but like I said. It needed to be perfect. Because everything that happens after this chapter is going to change up the story quite a bit. This is ultimately the beginning of the story.
Another note: Since this is an AU, I'm ignoring some canon. Shunsui and Nanao are not related because fuck that noise, and fuck Kubo.
Ichigo stared at himself in the mirror, running his fingers through his hair quickly. Glancing down at his phone to check the time, he took a quick, deep breath and mentally steeled himself for what was about to happen. It was only their second date, and yet Ichigo had begun to panic a bit. He was calm the first time, so why was it so much different now? Was it because this time he knew it was a date? Because it was official? That might have been it, but Ichigo couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else to this whole thing.
Taking another deep breath, Ichigo grabbed his phone and slid it into the front pocket of his jeans, turning to leave the bathroom and stepping into the living room. Ishida was lounged on the couch watching something on the TV, his duffel bag unzipped and a few clothes spilled out onto the floor. Sighing, Ichigo brushed past the couch and into his room to grab a coat, the same black one he had on during their first date.
Walking back into the living room, Ichigo glanced down at his temporary roommate and made his way to the front door, grabbing his keys from the table.
"Alright, I'm out. You still got the spare key?"
"I'll be fine Kurosaki," Ishida said, glancing up at his friend with a smirk. "Don't be so nervous, if she's as great as you told me yesterday, tonight'll be easy."
"I'm not nervous."
"Then why is your hand shaking?"
"Because I want to slap you for being a smart ass." Ichigo smirked over at his friend. "I'll be back in a few hours."
"Don't do anything crazy," Ishida said, changing his voice a little bit. The tone made Ichigo's body stiffen. Ishida was the only one who could do a spot on impression of Ichigo's old man. "After all, you might wind up giving me a grand kid, and that would be horrible!"
"I fuckin hate you."
XXxxxXXXxxxXX
Rukia bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet, knocking on the door a bit more loudly than she needed to. It was urgent though, she wanted to be early. She couldn't quite explain why she wanted to be early, she just knew that she did. And that led her here, pounding on Nanao's door, hoping that the other woman wasn't going to be so upset that she wouldn't help. But judging by the groan from behind the door, Rukia would have to play her cards just right.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Nanao's muffled voice came from behind the door. Slowly, it opened to reveal the bespectacled woman wearing nothing but a bed sheet, her normally neat hair messy and her eyes squinting a bit. "Rukia … do you know what time it is?"
"It's a little past five, and I need my lip gloss back."
"But did you have to pound on my door?" The door swung open a bit more as Nanao turned to walk further into the room. Rukia would have followed, but the last time she entered the room, she had been greeted to the sight of a rather naked Shunsui … and she was still trying to get the image out of her head. "Do you have any idea how much sleep I need to keep up with The Man of Flowers?"
Rukia stifled a laugh at the sound of a disgruntled groan coming from somewhere in the room. She was still bouncing from foot to foot, trying to keep her energy up. She was going to need it if she wanted to get there on time. Nanao took her sweet time rifling through one of her bags before finally standing up and making her way back to the door, handing the lip gloss over to the bouncing short woman.
"Jeeze Rukia, stop doing that. It's making me dizzy."
"Sorry, thank you, gotta go!" Rukia turned and ran off down the hallway and back up to her room. Stopping just in front of her mirror, Rukia gave herself a quick look over to make sure she was dressed alright for tonight. Jeans, sneakers, and a form fitting red t-shirt. It was perfect, and she had a feeling that Ichigo would like it too. Quickly applying her lip gloss, Rukia frowned a bit and stared down at the flavor that Nanao had given her. Strawberry.
She was going to kill Nanao for this.
XXxxxXXXxxxXX
Another glance at his phone told Ichigo all he needed to know. He was getting there a bit late. It was about five minutes past six, and he was just arriving at the golf land. In his mind, he was coming up with a story to tell Rukia in case she had been waiting for him for too long. After all, telling her that the bus ran late was a bit of a better excuse than 'I was nervous so I walked around my block a couple of times to calm down.' At least, in his head it was.
Finally showing up at the front of the golf land, Ichigo looked around and frowned when he didn't see Rukia there. He looked down at his phone again to check the time and make sure that it was right, when it went off in his hand. It was a message from her. In the back of his mind, Ichigo was worried that it would be her telling him off for making him wait. That she never wanted to see him again. Just a normal paranoia setting in.
Bracing himself for the worst, Ichigo took a deep breath and swiped across the screen, opening up his texts and seeing that it was just a single picture she had sent. A picture of him standing at the entrance of the golf land, looking utterly confused and lost. The phone buzzed in his hand again and a single line of text popped up.
Hide and seek. And you're it.
A smirk began to spread across Ichigo's face. Scrolling back up a bit, he looked at the photo a bit closer, trying to judge where it had been taken from the angle that he was shot at. Glancing up from his phone, his eyes wandered around the open area in front of the golf land, scanning anywhere that she could have been. Closing the picture, Ichigo sent back a text of his own, his fingers tapping away at the screen.
Why not just come out?
Ichigo waited for a moment until his phone buzzed in his palm again. Looking down, he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him, his eyes darting up to look around again.
If you want this date so badly Strawberry, you better come find me. And right now, you're very cold.
Ichigo gave another quick glance at the picture she had sent before he took off through the crowd. He was moving at an even pace towards where he thought the picture had been taken from. Every few steps his phone would buzz with a message from her, letting her know if he was getting warmer or colder. Ichigo felt like he was playing a stupid game on his phone the way he was staring at it and glancing up every once in awhile. Every now and then when she'd say he was getting colder, he would stop in place, spin around in a circle, glance up and wander off in another direction. Luckily, he wasn't the only one doing it in the square.
It took a few minutes, but he finally caught sight of her. She was leaning against a wall, looking up to find him every now and then before looking down at her phone to send him another message. Waiting for just the right moment when she looked down, Ichigo slipped off into the crowd to hide from sight. He knew he was successful when his phone stopped going off. He had to hunch a bit to match the average height of the crowd, but it would be worth it.
Finally he was where he wanted to be. He had to move as quietly as he possibly could to sneak up behind her. Ichigo felt a bit weird doing this, but honestly, the payoff would be more than worth it. She was apparently completely clueless to the fact that he was stalking up behind her. In his mind, Ichigo put on a faux Australian accent and began to narrate what was happening.
Here we see the tall, orange headed male approaching the unsuspecting female. She has no idea that in just a few short moments, she'll be caught in his trap. He's goin in for the kill. And … WHAP! He's got 'er!
Ichigo reached out quickly and grabbed onto Rukia by the waist, stepping up close and bringing his lips to her ear. His voice was a low whisper when he spoke to her, and he couldn't stop the grin that was spread across his face.
"I'd say I'm pretty damn hot right now."
Rukia stiffened in his grip, her body going completely rigid for just a moment before she relaxed at the sound of his voice, almost melting into his hands. A smirk ran across her lips as she tilted her head back to look at him over her shoulder, those violet eyes staring up at him. He could have sworn that they were glowing a bit in the night.
"Oh? And if you're hot, then what does that make me?"
"I'd say that makes you," Ichigo paused for a moment, staring down into her eyes. His thought completely derailed as he looked down at her, everything in his head coming to a crashing halt. His grip around her waist got a little bit tighter, not wanting to let her out of his hands. This was the first time he had ever really been this close to her, the first time he had ever really touched her or had her in his hands, and he never wanted her to leave. It was like a spell had been put on him, and suddenly all he could see was her. "Absolutely gorgeous."
Rukia blushed a bit and looked down and away from him, her hands coming to rest on top of his. When she looked away, Ichigo felt himself come back, shaking his head a bit and glancing around before his gaze fell to her again. His thoughts came back slowly, but there wasn't much he could think to say. He just stared down at her for a long moment in silence before she slowly pulled away from him, slipping out of his hands.
"We have some golf to play, Strawberry." Rukia said, taking one of his hands in her own, dragging him off towards the entrance of the golf land. Turning to look back a him, a smile on her face, she bounced a bit on her toes with each step she took. Ichigo had no choice but to follow, lacing his fingers into her own as he moved to stand beside her.
"I think you mean that you have a game of golf to lose, Short Cake," Ichigo said with a smirk, looking down at his date.
"Me? Lose?" Rukia scoffed and looked up at him with a smirk, those gorgeous eyes of herse peering straight up at Ichigo. "Not gonna happen."
"Look, you may be good at some things, but mini-golf is my thing." Ichigo grinned down at her, pointing to himself with a thumb. "Ichigo Kurosaki never loses."
"We'll see about that Strawberry." Rukia stopped, turning to look up at him with a huge grin. "How about we bet on it."
"Oh this'll be good." Ichigo smirked down at her. "So what should the bet be?"
"If I win, you can never call me midget ever again."
"And what if I win?"
"Well … what do you want if you win?" Rukia almost regretted asking that question the moment it came out of her lips. Whatever it was he wanted couldn't be good, and Rukia was now worried that he would demand something she wasn't ready to give.
"I want a kiss." Rukia blinked up at him. Ichigo was grinning down at her, one hand coming up to cup her cheek in his palm, keeping her gaze up on him. "And not a little peck on the cheek. I want a real kiss."
Rukia blushed and looked off to the side. She was quiet for a long few moments and Ichigo had wondered if he had pushed her too far. He was about to take it back when she looked up at him with a steel determination in her eyes and nodded.
"You've got a deal Strawberry. But you're not going to win."
"We'll see about that."
XXxxxXXXxxxXX
Ichigo stared down at the score sheet in disbelief. Three strokes. She won by three strokes. Why was it that every date he had with her never went in his favor. First it was fourteen stores and he hadn't bought her a single dress, and now he wasn't going to be getting that kiss from her. And now he wasn't allowed to taunt her about her height any more, the only real thing he could hold over her. Pun intended.
Rukia however looked positively delighted. She hadn't stopped cackling since the game had ended, waving the score card in his face repeatedly to show off her victory. Damn the midget, why had he even agreed to this in the first place? Oh right, fun. And even though he had lost, Ichigo had definitely had fun. They talked more, about their lives, about what had happened in the week since they last met. She told him about the girl who he saw her with the day before, and about her uncles who were in town to visit. Ichigo told her about his best friend who came to visit. Rukia commented on how strange it was, but Ichigo didn't give it much thought.
Ichigo found himself easily slipping into a conversation with her, getting distracted. Whenever she looked at him, whenever their eyes met, he just got lost. All of his thoughts just came to a halt and he couldn't even form proper words. He just stared, and at one point during the night, he was worried she was going to think he was creepy, but every time she caught him staring, she just blushed and looked away from him and back to the game. She hadn't made any comments on it, so Ichigo just guessed that he didn't creep her out. Or at least he hoped he hadn't.
Something about tonight was different. Something about her. Their first date together, he hadn't ever stared at her like this. But tonight it was like she was commanding his attention. And he was more than happy to give it to her.
"So, where do you want to go to eat?"
Her voice shook him out of his thoughts and he glanced down at her, scowling still from losing the bet. She was just staring up at him with the shit eating grin that she had on her face ever since the final tally had come back. He wanted to wipe the look off of her face, but he just couldn't. He would honor the bet.
"I don't feel like sitting down."
"Neither do I, honestly." Rukia raised up a hand to rub her chin in thought, staring down at the ground. Ichigo just watched her. What was it about her tonight that made her so much more beautiful? It was going to drive him insane all night.
"You know, I think there's a quick place around here somewhere." Ichigo looked away from Rukia for what felt like the first time of the night and started scanning the crowd. Taking her hand in his own, he pointed off to the other end of the square. "This way, come with me."
Rukia had no choice but to follow him, her hand grasping his firmly as she moved at a quick jog behind him.
Stupid tall people with their stupid long legs. Needs to slow down before I go flying!
Rukia's hand tightened around Ichigo's as she jogged along side him, shooting glares up at the side of his head every once in awhile, trying to send him quiet signals that he needed to slow down. Apparently though, all the glaring in the world wasn't getting the message across since he wasn't slowing down. Rukia grumbled a bit under her breath but let him lead the way.
They walked through the crowd and out of the square, making their way down the street quickly. Ichigo pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. It was only nine-thirty. They still had some time to get to where he wanted to go. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Ichigo tightened his grip on Rukia's hand and picked up the pace. The short woman behind him protested, but Ichigo didn't listen, finally able to turn the table a bit on his date.
"Hey, slow down you ass! I'm going to trip!"
"Either you keep moving, Short Cake, or I'll carry you."
"Well then I guess your big ass is gonna have to carry me!" Rukia huffed. Ichigo came to an abrupt stop and Rukia nearly crashed into his back. "That's more like i- Hey, what are you doing?! Put me down!"
Ichigo quickly spun around and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up and tossing her over his shoulder. Rukia let out a squeak and pounded on his back a bit, her legs flailing by the side of his face as he carried her off down the street.
"What the fuck are you doing, you oaf?!"
"Shut up, you were slowing me down!" Ichigo smirked and turned his head to the side, getting a wonderful view of her rear before turning to look away, a blush on his face. He had to clear his throat and focus on the path ahead of him to keep from tripping and taking them both down to the floor.
"I swear to God when you put me down, I'm going to kick you in the shin so hard…"
"Well it's a good thing that my shin is the only thing you can reach Short Cake!"
"That's it! THREE KICKS!" Rukia went still to keep him from dropping her, but she still didn't like the fact that she had been so unceremoniously thrown over his shoulder. She felt like a kidnapping victim, and from the looks the two were getting as Ichigo made his way past the crowd, a lot of people were beginning to wonder if maybe she actually was.
She wasn't held up for very long before Ichigo finally came to a halt and set her down. She went to kick him like she had promised, but as she raised her leg, Ichigo grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. Her leg had been half cocked back when she saw the place he had stopped at, and her eyes went wide.
"Welcome, to Kotetsu Drive-In!" Ichigo smirked a bit and reached down to take Rukia's hand in his own. "Best food in Karakura."
"How long has this been here?" Rukia looked up at the huge building in front of her and wandered forward, holding Ichigo's hand tightly. Neon lights were everywhere, making the drive-in more like a diner than anything. A flashing sign over the open counter in the front went off every now and then, blaring out the name brightly for anyone to see. Cars filled every stall, and employees bustled about delivering food and taking orders. A few people sat on some of the benches outside, happily talking and laughing. Rukia felt like she had stepped into a completely different city.
"Not long. Kiyone, the girl who owns the place, opened it up a few months ago," Ichigo moved towards the open counter, smirking down at Rukia. "Best food in town, honestly. And for a good price."
"Jeeze it smells so good." Rukia took a deep breath, inhaling the scents of the kitchen hidden away inside of the building, a smile tugging at her lips. Ichigo nodded, laughing a bit at the comment and looking up at the menu. Truth be told, Ichigo had never been here before, he had passed by it several times on his route but there had never been a reason to stop by. But now, with this short girl attached to his hand, he had the perfect reason.
"So, what do you want Short Cake? Meal is on me."
"Hmm … the hotdog with the side of chili fries looks good." Rukia looked up at Ichigo who was laughing a bit. Rukia frowned up at him and swung a kick to his shin, making him jump in pain. "Don't laugh at me, you ass. I'm hungry!"
"I can tell." Ichigo reached down and rubbed his shin, shooting a glare at her before holding up one of his fingers. "That's one, by the way."
"One what?"
"One kick."
"What are you on about?"
"You said you were going to kick my shin three times." Ichigo smirked down at her before stepping up to the counter. "You get two more."
"I'll make sure to use them wisely." Rukia smirked up at him, turning to look at the person behind the counter and placing her order. Once she was done, Ichigo ordered his food. A simple burger without tomato or onion. The two took a slip and went to sit down at a table, Rukia sitting down next to Ichigo and resting her head on his shoulder.
"You know, tonight was fun. Even though I lost." Rukia looked up at him and chuckled, nodding a bit and taking his hand in her own, resting it on her thigh.
"Yeah, it was fun. Though you don't get a kiss tonight." Rukia teased, smirking up at him. Ichigo grinned and squeezed her hand gently.
"That's the only downside of the night."
The two sat in silence for a few moments before their order was called. Ichigo stood up and went to grab their food. Taking the bag from the cashier after paying, Ichigo turned to see Rukia staring off into the distance, a strange look on her face. Frowning a bit, Ichigo walked over to their table and slid back down next to her, resting his hand on her shoulder. Rukia jumped a bit but turned to look back at him, the strange look fading to a soft smile as she slid over her hot dog.
"You okay?" Ichigo's voice was filled with concern. Rukia looked up at him, mouth full of chili fries, and nodded slowly. He couldn't help the laugh that came out of him at the appearance. Rukia shot a glare at him before swallowing her food and taking a deep breath.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought I saw someone I knew." Rukia looked off into the distance again for a few more moments. She thought she had seen Renji lurking against one of the buildings, watching. She knew it wasn't on her brother's orders, since Byakuya had personally approved of the date tonight, even if it wasn't with the person. So if it was Renji, he was out on his own. And if he was out on his own, Rukia was going to be even more upset if this night got ruined.
"You sure it's okay?" Ichigo's voice broke her out of her thoughts and she turned back to him with a smile, nodding.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just enjoy our dinner." Rukia motioned towards Ichigo's meal, waving her hand at him. "Eat, eat. I'm sure you're starving too."
"Alright, jeeze. I'm eating." Ichigo looked down at the short girl as she shoveled a hot dog into her mouth and he couldn't stop smiling at her. All that dignity and grace that she walked with and that she said her brother had forced onto her, none of it was in the hungry midget in front of him. In fact, as Ichigo watched her stuff her face, he thought she was the most adorable woman in the world.
XXxxxXXXxxxXX
It was getting close to midnight, and two had decided to walk to Rukia's house to burn off whatever it was that they had just ate. The short woman led the way, hand in hand with Ichigo, smiling wide the whole time. They talked the whole time. About everything and anything. From where they wanted to travel to in the world, to what they wanted to do in the future. Ichigo mostly talked about his dreams and aspirations. Rukia listened. She talked about places she wanted to visit, things she wanted to do while she was there. How she wished she could get out of her brother's hold.
They walked for a while before finally stopping outside of her house. Ichigo turned to look at the three story building, his eyes going a bit wide before turning back to the shorter woman who was staring at the ground, more than a little embarrassed.
"So … your house is kind of big." It was honestly all Ichigo could think of to say at the moment. Rukia chuckled softly and nodded before looking up at him. Taking both of his hands in her own. Ichigo just stared down at her, mesmerized by her features. What was it about her tonight?! He couldn't figure it out, and truth be told, he honestly didn't care too much. He just wanted to lose himself here, with her. Forever. Shaking his head, Ichigo tried to snap out of those thoughts, they were beginning to weird him out.
"Yeah. I'd invite you inside but…" Rukia trailed off for a moment and Ichigo nodded. He understood, it was late, she had guests, and her brother was an asshole. Ichigo wasn't going to push the issue right now.
"I understand." They stood there on the sidewalk for a long moment in silence, neither of them really wanting to leave the other. Rukia shuffled between her feet for a few moments before she started to pull away from Ichigo.
"Text me," She said, a smile on her face. "Let me know when we can meet again."
Ichigo was about to nod when he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her. Rukia froze in his grip and turned to face him. Slowly, he stepped towards her and reached one hand up, cupping her cheek and tilting her gaze up to look at him.
"What are y-" Rukia was cut off a Ichigo leaned down and kissed her. Rukia gasped a bit against his lips, one hand reaching out to rest on his chest. Her body stiffened for a moment before she pulled away from him slowly.
"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice soft and breathy. Ichigo rested his forehead against hers, smirking a bit. When he spoke, his voice was just as soft as hers.
"Taking my part of the bet."
"But you lost."
"I don't care." Ichigo leaned in again and kissed her, harder this time. And this time, Rukia didn't stiffen. This time, she melted into him, her hands resting on his chest and her lips molding to his own. Fireworks shot off in her mind and any thought that she had before his kiss was completely gone. Scooting forward on her feet, Rukia pressed her body up against Ichigo's, her lips parting and her tongue darting out to search for his, and Ichigo was more than happy to meet her.
The two stood on the sidewalk for a few long minutes, bodies pressed together and tongues wrestling each other before finally, they parted. Ichigo was breathing heavily, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Rukia's eyes were closed and her head fell forward, resting against his chest. Her breathing was even, but a wide smile was on her face. It took a minute, but finally there were coherent thoughts filling her mind, but those thoughts usually consisted of three words that just kept screaming in her head again and again.
OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD
"So, I guess I should let you get inside now." Ichigo's voice broke the silence. Rukia nodded a bit against his chest, her fingers curling into his shirt. She couldn't exactly formulate any sentence right now, and instead was clinging to him for dear life. Her knees felt weak and she wasn't entirely confident that she could walk away safely without falling down on the walk way.
"Will you text me, Strawberry?" Her voice was soft, and hopeful. Ichigo was silent for a moment before nodding, his arms wrapping around her tiny frame to keep her held close. He didn't want her to go away either, but he knew that they couldn't very well stand here like this all night long. That'd be weird.
"Yeah, I promise."
"Good." Rukia slowly stepped back, reluctantly pulling herself away from his arms and backing up towards the front door to her home. Ichigo stood and watched her go, a soft smile on his face. His eyes were on her the whole time as she made her way up the steps. "I'll see you again soon Strawberry."
The door opened and closed and she was gone. Ichigo stood there for a few moments longer before he turned and started walking away. Reaching up his hand, his fingers brushed across his lips. He could taste her lip gloss and it made him grin.
She wore strawberries for him.
XXxxxXXXxxxXX
Rukia pressed herself up against the door for support, leaning against the solid surface and taking a deep breath. He kissed her. She wasn't expecting it, and yet it was the best part of the night. Rukia's fingers curled into the door and she couldn't stop the stupid smile that was spreading across her face. She could still feel his body against hers, his lips on hers. She could feel him. It was almost intoxicating. She needed more.
"So, looks like you two had fun."
Rukia's eyes went wide and slowly, she turned around to see Nanao, Shunsui and Ukitake all standing there staring at her, each with a knowing grin on their faces. Nanao had her arms crossed at her chest. It was her voice that broke Rukia out of her thoughts and made her aware of the little welcome party waiting for her.
"How long were you watching?"
"Long enough to see you stumble back into the house." Nanao said with a grin. Shunsui rushed past her and over to Rukia with wide arms, sweeping her up into a tight hug and spinning her around, laughing loudly.
"Oh I am so happy for your Rukia!"
"Shunsui, put the poor girl down." Ukitake stepped forward to place a hand on his friend's shoulder. Shunsui let her down and Rukia had to lean back against the door again to get her balance, the smile still wide on her face.
"So when do you see him again?" Nanao asked, stepping forward and brushing past the two men, resting her hands on Rukia's shoulders and guiding her upstairs. Shunsui was about to protest before Nanao shot him a glare to keep him quiet. "It's time for the girls to talk."
"But my darling Nanao…!"
"Girl. Talk." It was all she said as she pushed Rukia upstairs to her room. The short woman was still recovering a bit that by the time she came to her senses, she was sitting in a chair at her makeup station and Nanao was sitting on her bed. That smile was still on her face.
"Tell me everything." Nanao said. Rukia paused for a moment before smiling wide. She knew exactly what to say, the best description for the night. Especially for their kiss.
"Perfection."
