Yo everyone!

Long time no see and I am terribly sorry for the delay!!! Gomen!!!!!!!

A lot of things have happened lately, putting a strain on my writing, but fortunately I have been able to write a bit ahead, so with a bit of changes there should be a few more chapters coming soon (but I won't put a "deadline" for when I will update, seeing as I've not kept my promises lately)

I hope this chapter won't disappoint you.

I'm cutting this one too in half, mostly coz I feel like it and also coz it works out fine that way, and I can update more soon again. We're now at the party, of course I can cut it in half :P

Keigo p.o.v.

Can anyone imagine Nnoitra fleeing from a cat? Neither could you… until you saw it. And 'see it' you did, with your own two eyes – that's a sight you will always remember, even if the rest of your memory is clouded. You've never seen anything like it ever before, and it's likely to be battling for the top spot for a long time too of most hilarious things to witness. And, much to your own personal relief, for once your quick reflexes worked to your advance when you were nearly run over by the Grinch and moments later almost tripped over a huge lion of a cat.

Seriously, you had always imagined Nnoitra to be a fearless thug, killing kitties and eating puppies for breakfast – but here he is with his 'tail between his legs' (so to speak). Granted, that cat is no ordinary cat – it's huge! You're no expert on the feline species, but you are certain that this one is mutated or something! You completely see reason behind Nnoitra's choice of action – you would've without a doubt done the same.

But, perhaps you should focus more on your own dilemma; because, you, too, have a 'stalker'. Although it isn't as large as Nnoitra's, it isn't much smaller either – and it hisses! You've never been so scared in your entire life! But at least it keeps its distance, lying across from you on the floor, glaring at you and wagging its unnaturally short tail (you are fairly sure that'snot a good sign). That's better than poor Nnoitra having to dodge his furry stalker's jump-attacks, though.

You were watching the cat closely to be ready for any sudden move and therefore you failed to notice that someone took a seat next to you – and the moment you felt a cold finger prod your arm you jumped five feet in the air and gave out a less than manly squeak. You couldn't suppress the small grunt at the pink that burned your eyes when you finally looked at whoever it was that had scared you. Pink on pink? Seriously, you are fairly sure than everyone would agree with you when you say that there is a limit to how much pink you can wear – there should be a law against wearing that much pink! You see… pink pants, a pink sweater, even pink hair (and you wouldn't be surprised if the undergarments were pink too) – you're no fashion-snob, but this is just… hurtful to watch.

"I take it I startled you," Szayel mused, proudly flicking his hand through his pink hair. Stating the obvious to appear smart seemed to be Szayel in a nutshell. "But… if you keep screaming like that every time something startles you, I fear for my poor ears."

"S-sorry." Well, what else could you say? It's not like it was your fault that Szayel decided to scare you – really, it's he who should be more careful. However, your apology was ignored. Instead you had something shoved into your line of vision – and low and behold: it's a dark shade of pink. "Huh? What's this?" you asked, blinking.

"Last time I checked," Szayel drawled with a smirk, "it was a perfectly round-shaped CD."

"Uhm, but…" Like you mentioned earlier – stating the obvious. "What's on it? What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Hm, it's yours, and it contains all the images of yourself and some extra from the Festival. And what you do with it is entirely up to you. Here you go."

It was dropped into your lap, the pink CD inside a transparent case, with your name written on it (thankfully with black letters – you'd had enough of pink for a week already). Of course you were grateful to receive all the pictures that you had "modeled" on, but you couldn't remember ever speaking with Szayel about it. Why had you received this gift? Perhaps the pink male could read minds, because he answered your unasked question before you could word them.

"I always give everyone a copy of the pictures taken. Except for Nnoitra, because he is technically and idiot on anything technical, and he uses the CD's to scare off crows and toss at old people walking outside his apartment."

"Oh…" That doesn't really shock you (or, at least, it shouldn't – but somehow it manages to anyway) and all you can do it accept the CD with a bright smile. "Thank you!"

"You are welcome."

And then it hit you…

"Shit! The cat!" Mindless of the stares you were receiving, and the grunt from the pink male next to you for screaming in his ears again, you began to look around after the monster that had been stalking you since you arrived at Grimmjow's apartment, but it was nowhere in sight. Panic swiftly overtook your being, but instead of running around like Nnoitra, you remained seated, stiff as a rock. The only body-parts still functionable were your eyes and mouth. "W-where did it go?!"

elsewhere

"Can you guys be quiet?! We're trying to have a decent conversation in here!"

"Ichigo… Can you just ignore them for a moment?" Rukia asked her fuming boyfriend while feeling her own patience slipping from her grasp.

"Sorry." The orange-haired male scratched his neck, frowning deeply. "I just can't concentrate when they-"

"Oi, hand over the remote, ya brat!"

"Shut up!"

"Ichigo!" She glared at the male sitting next to her on the bed, trying to make him forget about his childish brothers and focus entirely on her, but it seemed like an impossible task. He wasn't even looking at her, only waiting for the next opportunity to shout at whoever would dare make a noise next. Oh, but he just didn't hear her, even though she was sitting right next to him while the others weren't even in the same room. "Ichigo, I'm trying to talk with you."

"Maybe we should leave. It's Saturday after all, maybe there's some party somewhere."

"Is that all you ever think about?"

"Huh?" Confused, Ichigo finally looked at his girlfriend. Her glare is even scarier than Ichigo's frown, which of course makes him worry. "What did I do wrong now?"

"You never want to just talk," she explained. "It's always something physical with you. If it's not me treating your wounds after the many fights you get into, it's sex or parties. Why can't we just have a normal day when there is no blood, no physical exhaustion and just the two of us talking or watching a movie?" Thinking of this made her almost regret leaving Renji – at least he wasn't as oblivious about these things as Ichigo is. He never made her feel this lonely.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo demanded, offended. "I do want to talk, and it's not always about… what you said." He snorted, turning away from her. "What do you expect me to do when people come up begging for a fight? I can't just back away like some coward, can I."

"…No, I guess not." But, just once, she wished he would do just that – if for nothing else, then at least for her. "But you're not exactly the type that stays out of trouble. You look for it."

"I do not." He faced her once more, this time without the constant frown, meeting her gaze head on. "You knew all this about me when you started dating me. I won't change; I've already told you that. The reason I couldn't stand Orihime was coz of her eyes – the disappointment. Please… Don't become like her. Accept me for who I am, or leave me alone."

And that was all it took to bring Rukia back to the ground, plant her head against his strong chest and breathe in his scent. She would accept him, even if she didn't want to. She would deal with it. Maybe – just maybe – he would change with time on his own.

Keigo p.o.v.

"What?!" It didn't bother you that you attracted so much attention this time, because this bit of unsuspected information called for an outburst such as this. "Why didn't he tell me?! Why didn't anyone tell me until now?!"

"How am I supposed to know that?" answered the very amused pink-haired person. "Obviously he didn't want you to know, for whatever absurd reason. Now, stop screaming into my very delicate ears, I beg of you. If you do not heed my warning, I might have to beat you into the cushions of this couch and strangle you until you get enough sense into that head of yours."

Gulp. Perhaps you'd be better off if you didn't scream anymore around the pink person. But how could Jaegerjaquez to that to you? It wasn't fair! You are his friend too, right? Then why hadn't he told you? Any other thought you might've had, or anything you possible had planned to say, was abruptly interrupted when something tall, slender and dark fell into your lap. Although you hadn't been able to prevent a startled scream from escaping, all and any sound was shut off at the sight of Nnoitra, disheveled and exhausted, sprawled out on both yours and Szayel's laps. Both of you gave him a strange look, which he seemed to take offense by.

"Oi, ya're not the ones running from a huge organic hairball!" he quickly pointed out, frowning. Though he didn't seem at all fazed with how he was positioned, and you didn't dare to move – you counted it as luck that you didn't have his head on your lap (that would've surely given you terrible nightmares). "Crazy monster… I managed to trick the bitch, lured it into the bedroom and shut the door behind it. Now I jus' gotta mingle with the crowd and stay out of its way." Giving the cat's size, it would only be a matter of time before it had opened the door to the bedroom.

"Why does the cat hate you so anyway?" you suddenly asked, unsure of where you got air to breathe from. Szayel seemed more than a little amused, but Nnoitra was staring at you as if you were crazy. "Huh?"

"Hate me?" Nnoitra repeated in disbelief. "The cat doesn't hate me. It freakin' loves me! That's the freakin' problem, dude!" Loves him? The cat loves him?! "If it hated me I'd just kick it into the wall or sumthin', but…" He left it unsaid, clearly not pleased with what he had nearly said, but you knew. You knew that inside that hollow chest, he does have a heart. And because he knows the cat loves him, he doesn't have the heart to scare it off or hurt it. That and he's afraid of it. "Eh, by the way… Where's the fur-ball that followed you around?"

A wise question, indeed – one you had asked yourself several times during the last couple of minutes; but there was no reply. Perhaps the evil-looking cat had given up on its chase? Or maybe it had changed method and lured somewhere you couldn't see it. Suddenly the three of you stilled, staring at each other at the hissing sound that reached your ears. 'When you speak of the devil' came into mind, but you had no chance to react before something hairy bounced into your lap and a very aggressive hiss silenced the entire room. You have never seen Nnoitra move so fast before, and you hadn't expected him to be so agile – but sure enough, Nnoitra did a back-flip quite gracefully, landing on the edge of the cough next to Szayel before darting off with a row of very foul words streaming from his mouth. It could have been funny. Szayel, too, stared at the cat, but with a different expression – one with distaste, as if he was looking at a maggot-eaten corpse being served on a golden plate on a five star hotel. It didn't take long until he too followed Nnoitra's example and bolted away. However, all you could do was sit as still and silently as possible, because the cat… was standing on your lap, digging its sharp claws into your skin, giving you a fair idea of just how it would feel should it decide to sink its teeth into you instead. It stopped hissing, though, and instead carelessly lay down to take a nap – on your lap! – and you are absolutely terrified. Gulp.

"H-h-huh?!"

A/N:

Sorry again for the delay.

Please review and keep writing advises.

P.S. I now know what my muse must look like… It's gotta be a monkey! I know this, coz it keeps jumping around! A few hours ago I was writing a fanfic with PoT-characters!!! But then I reminded my muse that I have a Bleach-fic to update before I do anything else, so here it is.

REVIEW! Thx.

Namantos