Chapter 8


Beta: DeepWaterBlack This chapter wouldn't have been as good as it is if it wasn't for you. Thanks for all the input and corrections.

Warning: Language; OOC Ukitaki; To other authors reading this story – 'Don't steal my lovely Beta chan'.

AN: Gomen nasaii *bows* for the delayed updated. Studies take precedence over everything else (besides family, of course). Hope this chapter is good enough to make up for the wait. I would have put in another 'dream' as an apology but that would have probably taken another month…eheh.


Avoiding Encounters

In the days following the predicament at the garden, things had surprisingly turned better for Rukia. Most probably reason being that Ichigo had made himself scarce during the day and even during dinners. She saw very little of Ichigo Kurosaki in those four days. A glimpse of orange hair here, an elegant suit clad body there-disappearing around a corner, and his deep commanding voice somewhere as he gave instructions to the servants.

Rukia had Caleb with Isshin and herself at evening meals once Caleb had gotten over the time difference and when he was less tired from activities during the day. She had stopped dressing up for dinners, and would adorn simple pants or skirts with semi-formal blouse. If she was to stay here longer than initially planned then they'd have to get used to seeing her in what she was most comfortable with...and also because she didn't have so many formal dresses required every night. She was happy to see Isshin also following suit.

After Ichigo's two days of absence from their dining table, Rukia had become slightly put out, for Isshin's sake, of course. Isshin after all, would want to see his son more often as the said disappearing son had hardly been home over the years. Rukia and Caleb also had breakfast and lunch with Isshin, which left her wondering when the father and son spent time together. This was sort of a 'Be careful what you wish for' moment and had left Rukia feeling a slight guilt for thinking how things would be so much easier if Ichigo wasn't around. It certainly wouldn't be good for others. For this reason and others, she had made sure Caleb and Isshin spend some time together without her presence and got to know each other better.

Later, however, she had come to know there was no need to worry herself over Ichigo and Isshin. During one of their casual conversations, Isshin had let slip that he and Ichigo had been spending every morning (very early mornings) on some light sparring, after which Isshin would accompany Ichigo while he had breakfast. Rukia had to grudgingly give Ichigo silent credit when she had learnt it was he who suggested their early morning routine.

It seemed she was the only one he stayed away from as Caleb had been filling her in on his time spent with grandpa and uncle, and oh, how 'surprising', uncle had been there when she had left Isshin and Caleb after dinner meals to go for walks in the garden. She had also found out that Caleb had somehow convinced his uncle to eat the cookies they had baked. If she had known that Ichigo would eat it she would have added a few extra ingredients to make it the worst thing he'd ever eaten in his life. Or not! But she could still imagine, right? She slightly smirked at the image of Ichigo eating the cookies that would have him relocate from his bedroom to his bathroom for at least an uncomfortable few days. Unfortunately, her moral conscience wouldn't allow this no matter how appealing the thought was.

Rukia meandered her way through the garden as usual, taking in the cool breeze and sounds of her surroundings. Knowing Ichigo would also be there with Caleb and Isshin, she had decided to spend more time in the garden so the guys could get more bonding time. It's the least she could do since he had kept his distance from her. Of course, it was definitely unintentional of him to make her more comfortable here. At least now Rukia knew how to go about living in Karakura with a man who disliked her so much. Avoiding and evading! She didn't feel good knowing there was someone here who disliked her and didn't want her around, but she consoled herself knowing Ichigo really loved Caleb and had been trying to make him happy ever since they met.

Rukia was glad she had the chance to clear everything up with Isshin on what Ichigo had told him. It had been at breakfast two days after the night he had made the false claim of her being engaged. Caleb had gone off to meet Shiro at the grounds that separated the Kurosaki and Ishida homes, and an opening to clear things had come up on its own.

(Flashback)

If Isshin had any misgivings about her so called lie of being in a relationship he had yet to show it. He had received both Caleb and her with the same level of warmth his eyes had reflected the first time they all had met. And this morning was no different. "Ohayo, Rukia-chan!", Isshin greeted her as she made her way to the patio for breakfast. "You will greet me in Japanese, yes?" Rukia did so with a catch to the word making Isshin chuckle.

"You seem to be having a very good morning, Isshin-san," said Rukia, and looking at the twinkle in his eyes she knew her attempts at his language were not the only reason for his cheery mood.

"I sure am, but first, where is my favourite grandson this morning?" Isshin made a deliberate absurd motion of frantically looking around and Rukia put her hand to her lips to let out a soft giggle at hearing his 'only' grandson was his favourite.

"Ca-er, um...Kaien is out on the grounds playing with Shiro", Isshin's eyes softened perceptibly at her efforts at trying to get used to calling her son by his preferred name. "They both would be joining you for lunch".

"Ah...that alliance is a winner, yes? And speaking of friendships, that is the reason for my mood this morning", said Isshin smiling as Rukia's lips formed an "Oh!". "I don't think I've mentioned my friend Joushiro Ukitake yet, have I"?

When Rukia gave him a negative response, Isshin continued. "Not only is he one of my oldest of friends, Joushiro is also our retainer. He is the reason this manor was able to function so well even when Ichigo was busy handling business here and overseas. He had gone for a funeral three weeks ago and will be returning in a few days. He knows about your arrival and has been very eager to meet both Kaien and you." She just wished he wasn't like someone else she knew and who lived in the same house. "He lives with us, in fact. Joushiro has been living with us for so long that he is more like family than friend. I think the two of you will get along very well...unlike my son", Isshin said looking sideways and muttering the last part in a whisper. Seeing the questioning expression on Rukia's face, Isshin snorted out a laugh. "Yes...Ichigo and Joushiro don't...uh...how would you say it...ah, yes!... see 'eye to eye'. Well at least Ichigo doesn't. But then again, that son of mine hardly gets along with anyone besides his very, very close friends and family. I suppose it is because they are so very different in manner and thought. Joushiro is...um...very affectionate and more maternal than paternal", Isshin laughed thinking of some past experiences witnessing the two interacting before he continued. "And well, you know how Ichigo is, neh?" said Isshin while giving Rukia a cautious look.

Rukia didn't know what to say to that, although, she would have liked to give a speech on what she thought his son was, but decided to give a very neutral reply. "I suppose it just goes to show how different people are from each other and how differently they see things around them. But I must say, I haven't ever come cross someone like your son before", ahh hell, she shouldn't have said that. "Um, I mean he is a very..." (obnoxious) "...serious person, and is very different from you".

"That he is, Rukia-chan", Isshin replied, laughing at her diplomatic response. "I'm still trying to figure out whose side of the family did he get that from. Neither my wife nor I were like that even at his age. It's quite comical to see Ichigo and Ukitake interact. Ukitake still treats him like a child which really irritates my son to no ends". Rukia smiled, deciding she would like this man after all. He pissed the so-called uncle off, why wouldn't she? "And to top that is Chigo, our pet dog…" another break before Isshin stopped laughing and wiping a laugh tear from his eye "Now that dog is funny! Ichigo had found him as a pup abandoned beside a highway. The poor thing was drowning in the rain and starving, and it was a good thing Ichigo had spotted him while on his way home from a meeting. I was surprised Ichigo even bothered to stop, wrapped the soaked pup in his suit jacket, and bring him home", Rukia was just as surprised by this tid bit of information, an unknown softer and gentler human side of Ichigo, "Of course, that was all he did. As soon as he came home, Ukitake started cuddling and cooing the unfortunate pup so Ichigo just left the responsibilities to Ukitake. And Ukitake, in turn, thought it would be a good idea to honour Ichigo by naming the pup after him. Of course, that left Ichigo red with fury and sulked around the mansion for many weeks."

She didn't know why but Rukia felt the strongest urge to see a sulking Ichigo. The more Isshin talked about his son the more curious Rukia became and the more she wanted to hear about this unfamiliar tenderhearted side of the perpetual brooding man. "I don't understand why Ichigo and Chigo don't like each other, but for Chigo, I think it's because Ichigo always calls him 'Inu' (which means dog, by the way) and never by his name. And as for Ichigo not liking him; although Chigo doesn't like him, Chigo still prefers Ichigo's room, bed and sofa, than his own. It's a pity Chigo grew up so furry and big. We get to see them both quietly sneering at, and staring down, each other".

"He sounds adorable", Rukia said without thinking while stifling a giggle,

"Which one Rukia-chan," Isshin teased with an amused smirk. "is adorable…my son or Chigo"?

Rukia slowly lowered her eyelashes and a soft blush coloured her cheeks prettily, 'both, thought Rukia'. "I...I...ah...the dog, Chi...Chigo, Chigo sounds adorable", she amended stuttering. Gosh, she could feel the heat on her face so she could only imagine what it looked like.

"Yes dear, Chigo". Was it just she or was Isshin a bit overly happy about her blush and response. "You will get to see him soon enough. Ichigo had made Joushiro take Chigo with him so they'll be returning together".

"Oh...uh...umm"

After more stories of the dog named Chigo, the conversation centred on Caleb and how he was settling down in Japan. Rukia didn't hesitate in replying knowing Isshin would be happy to know his grandson was settling in wonderfully.

"And you, Rukia-chan?" He asked as his searching eyes looked at Rukia's candid violet ones.

This question did make her hesitate a bit, but she wasn't for once fooled by the intent of this seemingly innocent query. Rukia paused, bringing the cup of strawberry tea to her lips to take a small sip and savoured the taste to stall for more time before responding. Rukia was quickly thinking of how to answer diplomatically and straightforwardly. "It's different for me", she said slowly, "What...what I mean is, it doesn't really matter about me, does it? At the moment I'm content and grateful for your hospitality, but later..." she hesitated, "when Kaien has settled in, I see no reason to not return home, to England". Her fingers hurt from gripping the cup so tightly at the thought of leaving without him, and she was trying really hard not to let the tears come to her eyes knowing Isshin was looking at her intently. Caleb belonged here, and she did not, it was as simple as that. She just could not see herself settling down to a lifestyle which entailed relying on hand-outs from this family, and especially not when one of them made her feel such an outsider and an opportunist already. Rukia shuddered at the thought.

Isshin frowned at her response. "You are family, Rukia-chan," he said soothingly. "This is your home as much as it is Kaien's, and I wish you would think of it as such. Please do not speak of hospitality".

Rukia's throat clogged and eyes burnt. If he said anything else like, that made her feel protected and cared by this gentle-hearted aged man, she would burst into tears right in front of him. There was nothing but sincerity in that statement, she was sure of that. "That is not what I meant, Isshin-san". She said quickly. What could she say to make him understand! "I appreciate the warm welcome which you have given us. Oh no. That doesn't sound right either", Rukia amended as Isshin's frown and confusion had remained. "I'm sorry, Isshin-san", said Rukia. "What I'm trying to say is, don't worry about me", she gave him a smile, which did not succeed in veiling her emotions. "I'm old enough to look after myself and I haven't done so badly up until now. Cal...Kaien will stay, you have my word. I actually think", she added, to lighten the depressing subject, a note of cheeriness in her voice. "I could leave tomorrow and he would be fine".

She felt rather than saw the relief that came over Isshin at the assurance of his grandsons' future with him, but he had caught on to the half amused statement Rukia made about Kaien being fine if she left. He definitely did not agree. "That is until he is sick", he said lightly. "Or if something happens and he does not understand". Isshin continued with a sad smile. "Now Kaien is completely occupied, everything is new, and so much to discover. While I do not want that experience to wear off any time soon-because I want him to be happy here, he does regards you as his mother, Rukia-chan. There won't be any substitute for you, you who have been there all his young life", he reminded her.

There was silence for a few minutes as Isshin took a few bites of his breakfast. He looked up at Rukia and saw a silent, lonely tear tracing the outline of her face. Isshin quickly looked away to stare out upon the garden and inwardly smiled glad that Rukia's heart found a way to tell him she was lying about leaving her most precious adopted child behind. Keeping his eyes still on the garden, Isshin continued the conversation," Are you sure that you cannot see yourself settling here, Rukia-chan? It's only been a few days, you know. Why don't you give it time? It's not like you had a particular reason to go back, is there?" he sipped his tea and very discreetly looked sideways to see Rukia's reaction.

Rukia whole body stilled instantly when she heard his question. Oh no! He was giving her a chance to either confirm or rebut Ichigo's claims. She had to be careful not to let him know she was perfectly aware of his reasons for this seemingly harmless question. "Not at this moment", she replied slowly. "I…errr…was...in a relationship, of sorts. We were just getting to know each other, waiting to see if the friendship we had previously could become something more". Come to think of it, they were good friend, and even Caleb and Renji had gotten along fairly well. It was only when Renji started hanging out more at home and around Rukia that Caleb became 'territorial' and irate. "As it happens it didn't work out", she added quietly. That was the truth in it and there was nothing else to say.

Isshin looked at her intently. "Why didn't it work out, Rukia-chan?" he asked gently. "Was it because of the boy"?

Rukia's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Isshin continued. "Now that Kaien's future is assured, would you be picking things up again with your previous relationship?" he asked smoothly.

"No!" answered Rukia without hesitation. "Caleb didn't have anything to do with the break-up", she hadn't ever thought otherwise. "It was more about priorities, ours were either different or they did not complement each other". She was getting slightly disarmed by the sympathetic glances Isshin was throwing at her which showed he was not entirely convinced that it had nothing to do with Kaien or that she had come out of it with her heart not broken. His next words confirmed that was exactly what he was thinking.

"Poor Rukia-chan!" He said softly, nearly making Rukia cringe with the amount of sympathy oozing out of his voice. "It hasn't been too easy for you, has it? But that is all in the past. You must look forward from now on. I only ask you not to make any hasty decisions about leaving. It's about time you shared your responsibilities, and I intend to do my part. From now on, I want you to enjoy yourself. Explore Karakura. I hope you would be interested in our rich culture as much as I am proud of it". He smiled at her. "You would not want to miss out on that, surely?"

Could anyone be kinder than Isshin, Rukia thought. Here was a man who understood what family and relationships were about. She would never be able to take Caleb from here. This man didn't deserve the pain of separation of his own grandson or the loss of his son. She could only imagine what he must have felt when he'd lost his wife and son. With these thoughts, Rukia gave Isshin a bright smile. "Of course not! But please, do not think looking after Caleb as hardship. It may or may not have been but I have never looked at it that way. I needed him as much as he needed me after Hisana was gone". She was hoping he'd stop feeling sorry for her, she never regretted anything she'd ever done for Caleb.

"And as far as explorations go, I'm looking forward to seeing your lovely town. And I'd love to visit the shrines and museums".

It appeared she had found the right diversion or subject to turn Isshin's thoughts into other directions. She was relieved to see Isshin start his narratives on the myths and histories of Karakura and momentarily forgot Rukias' plight. She would think about what he had said later. Rukia just knew that if she started thinking about it, Isshin would probably figure it out, and then he'll be back to giving her that pitying look.

(Flashback End)

Had she decided too quickly on her future regarding her departure from Karakura?

These were her thoughts as Rukia sat at the edge of the fountain watching the sparkling drops of water. She didn't know how long it would take for Caleb to adapt to his new home or how long is "long". Months? Years? What about her job? She would definitely have to quit, but that probably wouldn't be such a bad thing for the management. One of the board members had been trying to get his niece Rukia's position for a while now. Ahh…Now she was confusing herself on what to do! Even if she stayed here for a few years, what would happen when Caleb was all grown up? She had been so self-dependent all her life, how could she let herself be reliant on the Kurosaki's now? Rukia really, really, appreciated Isshin's "offer", but it would be so hard for her to switch to a life that was completely opposite to what she had been living till now. Until Caleb was old enough to go to school, she would look after him. But what would she do after that? Rukia snorted, loudly. She felt like a wife that had to stay with a husband only for the sake of their children and their happiness. Only she wasn't a wife, and instead of a husband, she had the whole new family to live with.

As Rukia was drowning herself in deep contemplation, and because she was sitting on the very edge of the fountain pond looking vacantly into the water instead of sitting on the garden bench, Rukia failed to notice the approach of her unwelcome company. A squeak of surprise was the only sound she let out when she felt the disturbance in the air to her side, which sent chill rising over her body. The creepy feeling startled her into jumping off the edge, and she would have fallen over into the water if it wasn't for the outstretched hand that had come to grip her wrist tightly to stop her descent. Acting on reflex on having someone grab her roughly, Rukia twisted her wrist upward to free the hand off her, only to flail desperately for a hold-

::

He was a patient man, very patient. But that was only when dealing with children, his father and company takeovers. Everything else always had him holding to patience with just a hairs breath of control sting, and that "everything" had anything with desperate women at the top of the list. Ichigo's patience, however, was exceptionally thinned when it came to this particular onna. She was the reason why he found himself taking the garden path to the fountain just because his father refused to pass his message to the onna. He had asked father (very nicely) to let the onna know the details of the party this weekend. But Isshin had refused without a seconds delay, saying that, "the one that plans a party should be the one to invite as well". Ichigo was about to argue when his father started telling him to take a refresher on etiquette lessons, especially on how to deal with women from Ukitake. Ichigo didn't stay behind long enough for his father to finish that sentence; he was out the door and walking in the direction of the garden in an instant.

Like hell he'd take etiquette lessons from Ukitake. Once was enough, and when he was only thirteen. By the time he was twenty, he had his own set 'manners'. Right now, he didn't want to deal with the onna, especially because of his dreams. Yes, dreams, but not every night! Oh no, he was lucky to get at least one night's sleep after the first nightmare. The first night, even though intense, was very mild compared to what followed in his dreams other nights. Those dreams had actually left him nearly unbearably hurting and wanting, and in those dreams he had been wild and unforgiving. They would start with gentle lovemaking but end with animalistic fucking, and she would be as forceful as he. He had taken matters into his own hands, quite literally, thinking once he had gotten some sort of a release his erotic dreams about the onna would stop. It didn't work, and he found himself pathetically wondering if he should sleep with an ice pack around his 'sensitive regions'. Keh! Pathetic indeed!

But they were JUST dreams so it was okay?

Just dreams!

He knew where to find her, where she went every night. Not that he was interested to know what she did after dinner but he had to keep tabs on her, obviously. When he got close enough to see her, he stopped and watched; wanting to figure out what it was about her that caused him to have such debauched dreams, and was turning him from a calm and controlled person to one so depraved in his dream state.

Big mistake!

As he watched, Ichigo saw flashes of his dreams. The tension started to build in places he didn't want to feel but he tried to reign on his feelings by imagining less pleasant things, like his head of security, Zangetsu, in a kimono and heavy white makeup. Oh shit, that actually worked, for now at least. Ichigo walked closer waiting for the onna to turn but she was completely distracted. How careless! But...

Her pale skin and long dark hair made her appearance almost ethereal, almost like a part of the landscape installed to make it look even more beautiful than it would be without her. It was a good thing he wasn't the type to be swayed by looks. Even if it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and no matter what that beauty did to/in his dreams. When she didn't look up even when he deliberately stepped on a twig he decided to just go close enough for her to notice. It would give him something to taunt her with and also embarrass her. Ichigo heard her let out an inelegant squeak and wondered what she was scheming now. She must have felt him close (and so surprised too) he watched her jump up. Knowing she would fall over, he reached his hand to catch her. Ichigo was slightly offended when she snatched her hands off his grip as if his touch scorched, but acted instinctively as he saw her flailing. He moved towards her quickly, folding his arms around her waist and subsequently bracing his knees on the walls of the marbled water fountain body on either side of her legs to hold him up while holding her. Rukia gasped when she felt Ichigo leaning his weight on her and causing her to bend slightly over the edge. Their thoughts at this point were synchronous...

'Incredible hard muscles' were the words that registered in Rukia's head as she brought her hands to grip the sleeves of his shirt, while 'soft, supple curves' echoed in Ichigo's already muddled mind, and the definite contrast made it all that more palpable. While Rukia was still reeling from the fright and shook of the crash, Ichigo was left wondering if he'd ever before felt such an intense need to hold another body to him, enveloping it completely with his. Heavens above, she was so petite that he was sure he could manage that with her.

He also wondered when he had gotten so sappy, and that to for someone he was supposed to dislike, a lot.

As both took long, deep breaths from the sudden move, Ichigo realised it was not only from exertion but also from something alarmingly alluring. It was not only the obvious softness of her body, but also the elusive scent he had been teased with on her first night here.

Gardenia tamed with the smell of fresh rain. The combinations brought about a subtleness that nearly made him want to lean in further into her neck and inhale her skin deeply, so very nearly.

When Ichigo felt a sudden stirring return, he realized it was time to do something about their frozen stance. Straightening their precarious posture and disentangling his arms from around her, he took a step back after he had masked his face into a blank yet cold stare. Rukia recovered quickly as well and tilted her head up to thank him, but before she could manage to do that he spoke, and the words he uttered erased any gratuitous feelings she had a moment ago.

"Are you always this unaware of your surroundings? You should have known someone was here long ago". He had become defensive and aggressive in his tone, wanting her to think the mere sight of her was nothing but unpleasant and their contact utterly disgusting. He knew he had succeeded in rattling Rukia when he saw her violet eyes sparkle in anger. Ichigo knew she would reply to his untrue, unspoken implication.

Rukia titled her head back to look straight up into Ichigo's eyes, "I'm very sorry to have put you in such a distasteful situation, Kurosaki-san." She intoned tightly, not hiding any of the dislike she felt or the lack of sincerity in her apology. "Believe me I'm already regretting my instinctive need to get away from unpleasant circumstances. As for your initial question…No, I'm not always so unmindful. In fact, I hardly am". Knowing she didn't want to show how affected she was because of him, and she tried inhaling soft breaths to calm herself as well as by giving an obviously fake little smile. "And, if you had said something before you reached me, we could have avoided you having to catch me", she said politely.

"I did, but you didn't hear me", he lied in a firm voice. Well, if she didn't hear the twig he'd stepped on, then obviously she wouldn't have heard him calling her. That was his excuse anyway. "It's a good thing this place is so well secured, but I'd advise you to be more mindful next time, especially if my nephew is with you". He just had to bring Caleb into this, didn't he? Rukia thought irritably. He just had to bring out her supposed shortcoming concerning Caleb.

"I've looked after him for more than four years and I've never been careless with anything regarding Caleb", she said. "You have no ri-"

"Oh? I would not know how you treated Kaien all these years. Your words do not hold much meaning to me, and we both know why, now don't we"? He drawled confidently.

Such a smug ass!

But for some reason she wanted to tell him the truth and clear his misunderstandings of her. Maybe then...

"Look, Kurosaki san, that day, back in England...you were mistaken. It's no-", she tried to explain but he interrupted her with more rude words.

"Mistaken? I do not think I was mistaken even for a minute after that. Your lies were as obvious as Kaien's lineage". He was harsh, and she was hurting, feeling the dislike he was exuding with every word.

Rukia bunched her hands into small fists, feeling her nails biting into her palms to keep from striking at the man whose words are causing great personal affliction, but she won't let him get deep into her psyche and responded in clipped tones, "No! I only wanted to protect Caleb, and I didn't want him taken away from me. That's why I didn't tell you-"

Ichigo let out a humourless chuckle. "I may be related to him but I'm not as easy to deceive as my father. You may have him believing your little act using those pretty innocent eyes of yours but nothing you say will convince me of your true intentions". He was so sure of himself that Rukia knew it was useless to explain. It would the last time Rukia would do so. One day the truth would be in front of him, so she would wait. She would wait for him to apologize, and that would be the day she was going to look forward to like it was one of the most important days of her life. For now, she would stay uncomfortably quiet.

"Got nothing to say"?

"I'm telling you the truth, but if you don't believe me, there is nothing to say or do". There was no emotion in her tone. Rukia was as blank faced as Ichigo but while the disdain could be felt in Ichigo, and Rukia would do her darnest not to give anything away.

"Yes! After all, I did not come here to discuss what is already so apparent". What he left unsaid and what Rukia knew he wanted to say was, neither of them would change their opinions and so, it was useless to dwell on the subject of her intent. She knew they would probably never speak of it again. "I'm here to inform you of the party I had mentions some nights ago". How could she forget that night? Rukia remembered all right, she also remembered what happened after very clearly. "We will commence at around eleven, before lunch. Some of our relatives are coming to meet Kaien, and most are cousins of mine. You are, of course, expected to be there. My father will not have it any other way, and you would not want to disappoint him, would you"? Rukia said nothing, but she slowly turn her back to him to look into the water again after his blatant insinuations. It wasn't worth losing her temper. He wasn't worth it either.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was getting angrier by the second. She dared turn away. He wanted to see the expressions on her face again, he wanted her to lose that emotionless facade she had put up a moment ago. Ichigo knew very well he was affecting her with his words, but she seemed to have turned to stone…and people called him a poker face. Whatever! "Also, I expect you to let me know of anything Kaien requires, after all, you would not want to leave him wanting for anything, would you? My father and I want to make up for everything he's been missing till now".

Oh, how he infuriated her! She nearly broke her resolve not to be affected and really wanted to slap him right now, but that would be telling him how his words were getting to her. So instead, she turned towards him and barely nodded, saying nothing, as she just could not trust herself enough to hold back if she opened her mouth.

That onna! She was really pissing him off. Not even a word left her mouth as he heaped insults at her. He wanted to fight with her to let off some of the tension he'd been carrying with him these past few days. He was supposed to be the calm one here, not her. She was supposed to feel aggravated, not him. Being something he'd never been in his dreams was one thing, but losing his cool out of it was something to be concerned about now. Maybe it was her presence, her proximity...

"Well, that is all. May you have a pleasant evening", were his last words, empty, as they could be, before his abrupt departure, not even waiting for a reply.

Once he was gone, Rukia let out a much needed sigh. She was just going to give up on Kurosaki Ichigo!

He confused her a little though. He had only shown such intense emotion around her, and there was nothing to brag about since that emotion was resentment. Was she really capable of rubbing him the wrong way? She had seen him smiling at Caleb and his father, but even then, it seemed measured and controlled. With her, Kurosaki Ichigo was like a raging bull wanting out off his confine.

'...'

She couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Rukia could just imagine, and also realized her images of Ichigo Kurosaki were never too far away from the many beastly four legged creatures.

::

Next morning, a much calmer and familiar Ichigo was found walking coolly towards the terrace. He hadn't had breakfast with his family (Kaien and otousan, together) in a long time, it would be nice to sit with them and have a relaxing meal. He knew the onna would be there, but who cared! He would not let his unwanted feelings for her affect him more than it already had. He would just let whatever was happening to him run its course. It was not as if such feelings would last very long, (and he was known for his endurance) so he would feel until it was gone from his system. He would remain calm and collected even in front of the onna, and there would be no more arguments!

Ichigo didn't know the pep talk he had given himself would be blown to smithereens the moment he would open the door to the dining room to pass to the terrace.

When he neared the room, he heard excited voices coming from within. Sensing no trace of hostility or danger, Ichigo opened the door only to stop dead on his tracks at the scene before him. The stoic expression that had been on his face mere seconds ago was first replaced with surprised (indicated by his widening eyes) then to seething anger (with clenched fists and deeply furrowed eyebrows).

"UKITAKE-san", he intoned in a deadly low voice, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear the barely controlled ire in them. There was Ukitake Joushiro, back from his trip, and hugging the onna so tightly she was almost lifted completely off the floor. The onna's upper body fully plastered onto Ukitake's. It seemed like Ukitake was holding her even more tightly then he had last night. "What are you doing to her"?

"Huh?" Ukitake replied after a few seconds as he reluctantly eased Rukia from his welcoming embrace.

'Huh indeed', thought Rukia. She was still reeling from the surprising introduction she had just gone through. So this was Ukitake Joushiro. He seemed friendly and...interesting, which was the least she would say for a certain someone who had just entered the room. Someone was going to have a bad day, it seemed.

Ichigo recovered from his slip the moment Ukitake directed his confused eyes towards Ichigo's narrowed ones. 'What the fuck?' He turned his back to them pretending to shut the door so he could give himself time to calm down. When he turned back to them, Ichigo had eased off his furrowed eyebrows to its normal scowl and took his time to address Ukitake again in a much casual and unhurried tone. "You've just gotten back and you're already working on hugging our guest to death, she was starting to turn blue".

Rukia thought that was possible, as she had definitely stopped breathing when Ukitake had launched himself on her.

"Tsk, tsk, Ichi-kun. That's no way to be greeting your elders now is it?" Ukitake said, pretending to look disappointed. "What happened to 'Okaeri Ukitaki-sama', Ichi-kun", he asked sorrowfully, which nearly made Ichigo snort in response.

"What happened to bowing to greet someone instead of hugging them, Ukitake-SAN"? Ukitake gasped loudly.

"Oh my! Could it be that Ichi-kuuuunnn is jealous he did not get the first hug, or are you irritated because Chigo-kun hasn't come to greet you yet", he responded, and moved towards Ichigo with open arms. "Don't wor—"

If it were one of his cousins, Ichigo would have told them to go fuck themselves for speaking to him like that. But this was Ukitake, and he respected the bastard enough to let it go. "Don't", Ichigo interrupted in a warning tone before he quickly moved out to the terrace to join Kaien. Isshin and Ukitake chuckled while Rukia smiled softly at their antics.

They all looked outside when they heard Kaien calling out his "kakan". Both man turned back to Rukia with one raised eyebrow. "Oh yah, I forgot. Thanks, uncle Ichigo", they heard Kaien talking in response to what Ichigo had said, low enough only for Kaien. "Okasan, come fast. I'm hungry", he whined, before Ichigo murmured something. "No, I'll wait for her", they heard Kaien replying. "OKAK—OKASAN"!

"I better go out before he gets any louder", Rukia said to the men smiling understandingly at her. She walked out and left the men alone in the dining room.

"You knew he was coming, didn't you", Ukitake asked Isshin once they knew Rukia was at the breakfast table outside.

"He has very distinct footfalls", Isshin replied calmly.

"And he was the reason you told me to give Rukia chan a 'big hug", Ukitake stated with a smirk.

"It's a good thing Rukia-chan doesn't know me as well as you do, or she would have gotten suspicious".

"Oh? Should she have a reason to be suspicious, Isshin"?

Isshin smiled deviously at the question. "You should have seen my son 'arguing' with her last night. Quite entertaining, I tell you". Of course, he had also seen his son hold Rukia-chan longer than necessary.

"What are you up to, Isshin?", Ukitake asked cautiously.

He wanted his son to find his happiness and come out of whatever shell he had closed himself in. It had been a long time since he had seen his son arguing with someone with such abandonment, when normally, Ichigo would have not dwelled on or reacted. It was only unfortunate that the argument itself was so unnecessary and had probably hurt Rukia-chan a lot. Isshin wondered why Ichigo was so blind to not see Rukia-chan for what she really was.

But then again, self-preservation could be quite a nuisance at times, and his son had spades of those on him.

"Ichigo's controlled and calculated life needs a ripple. I'm going to help stir it just a bit". He would also have to make sure Rukia-chan didn't get hurt by his son anymore. "Rukia-chan seems to have the most oddest of effects on my unfeeling son. I'm just curious to see the end result of that effect".

Ukitake chuckled softly at his dear friend. "If you wanted to do what I think you want, then count me in".

They both laughed out before going out to join their family for breakfast...


So what do you think? Will I be getting some love for this chapter ;) It's a pre-christmas present, and if I find time, I'll have a new chapter out for Christmas as well.

Review Reply:

Thanks for all your reviews, Lilcy, gaaralover1989, , (for all your reviews), ren, blissbeat, lemonorangevanilladrop, Kyothe Arliden, Loli (I'll definitely finish this story),StupidMe, Okamihana, princessdoll, Darksmile, nejisakura, , weezo, pchanlove, Avaluna (for your continuous feedback), darklover, Kurosaki Ichigo Rukia, bluesake.

Roma88 Thanks for the 3 reviews...lol. I look forward to more for this chapter. As for Ichigo finding out about Rukia, I want him to 'see' and figure out what type of a person Rukia really is instead of being told (he didn't believe her here).

anna Thank for not overlooking this story…lol. I'll try to change the summary sometime later, when I'm in the thinking mood About Caleb's possessiveness, I'd definitely be keeping that on for later use…That was only a glimpse of what I want to show later in the story.

Jitchoo That was a long review. Don't worry about the constructive crit bit, I'll try to go back and see where the mistakes are. I'm glad you like this story enough to ignore them. Let me know what you think of this chapter as well…thanks for reviewing

Until Next time :)

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