Hi, everyone!

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a really long time… I got caught up in all my school work and I guess I forgot about this fic… I'm really, really sorry! But now that it's summer, I can write more chapters! I have 2 summer assignments though.. -_- What a pain in the ass!

It's been a while since I've written anything… so I may have forgotten some thoughts, dialogue, etc rules. And I may have mistakes. I gotta get the hang of this again… Forgive me!

Thanks for all the reviews for chapter 7. =) I really appreciate it, guys. Much love!

ANYWAY, here's chapter 8 of "Is Love Deceptive?"! I hope you enjoy!

I don't own crap! This is all Kubo's. (:

Third Person POV

Orihime set down her cup of tea and smiled. "It was great rehearsing with you, Kuchiki-san!"

It was Saturday, and she and Rukia had been rehearsing for the show all night long. After hours of rehearsing, Sora prepared tea and sweets for the girls to enjoy and to relax to.

Rukia nodded. "Yes, it was great rehearsing with you too. You're getting better and better at reaching the high notes. I think you'll get better as time goes on." She reached for an éclair and smiled. "It was awfully nice of Sora to make these for us... they're delicious!"

The curvy girl glanced at the phone in her lap, waiting for a text from a certain someone. Never taking her eyes off the device, she replied, "Thank you very much! I'll never be as good as you, though… Sora-nii works at the local bakery so it's no big deal for him…" Her eyes were beginning to water from staring at her phone too much.

Rukia's brows curved upward as she noticed how Orihime's phone was in her lap. "Inoue, are you waiting for someone to call you or something?"

Startled by Rukia's voice, Orihime jumped in her seat as sweat rolled down her face. "N-No! I'm not waiting for a-anyone!" she defended as she waved her hands frantically in front of her face.

Rukia wasn't convinced. "Inoue, I know you well enough to know when you're hiding something. Spit it out… who's the lucky guy?" She gave Orihime a smile assuring her secret was safe if she told her. Deciding she could trust her, Orihime sighed and smiled. "Well," she started, "the person I'm waiting for… is Cifer-kun."

Violet eyes widened, their owner slightly choking on hot tea. A burning sensation filled her throat, but she ignored it and wiped her mouth. "You have a crush on Ulquiorra? That's… weird!" Rukia couldn't believe a sweet, bubbly girl like Orihime liked a dark, quiet, emo-looking guy like Ulquiorra. Was she dreaming?

Orihime giggled. "That's exactly what Tatsuki-chan said!" She took a sip of her tea and continued, "I don't know why I like him either… Ever since Tatsuki-chan and Abarai-kun have been going out, I just feel so lonely sometimes. And I noticed Cifer-kun was mostly alone, too, so I thought, 'Why not be alone together'? And somehow, we started talking more and more… and now I like him. But I don't know if he returns the feeling…" Though saddened by the thought of Ulquiorra possibly not returning the feelings she had for him, she continued to sway back and forth in her seat and hum.

"Well, I don't know if he likes you, but maybe you should start calling him by his first name. Give him a clue that you're into him, and maybe he'll get the hint. And then maybe you guys can start hugging each other goodbye after he walks you to class," advised the petite girl. "I see it happen all the time at school. Just give it some time, Inoue. I'm sure he'll return the feeling." She smiled and sipped some more tea, "Oh, and you shouldn't always wait for him to text you first. Don't be scared to start the conversation!"

Orihime nodded and took in Rukia's advice. She set her phone aside and decided to text Ulquiorra after Rukia went home. "Thank you, Kuchiki-san! But enough about me… What's the deal with you and Kurosaki-kun?"

The raven-haired girl immediately slapped her hand over her mouth to prevent the tea from jet-spraying out of her mouth. She swallowed the rest of the tea that was in her mouth and wiped her lips again, then blinked questioningly at her friend. "W-What do you mean? Who said anything about Ichigo?"

Orihime giggled, "Oh, Kuchiki-san! You're so silly! I used to have a crush on Kurosaki-kun, but it faded away after I realized he didn't return the feeling…" Rukia's heart dropped after hearing that. She felt scared. What if Ichigo didn't return her feelings?

"Don't worry, Kuchiki-san—I can tell when people are in love!" The redhead threw her fist into the air, fire blazing in her eyes. "The way Kurosaki-kun looks at you is like no other! He is madly in love with you!" She danced around the living room, twirling about, and finally sat back down in her seat. "That, OR he likes you a lot."

Rukia got over how cutely ridiculous Orihime was and blushed. "R-Really? You think so? Because, like, I've never, like, felt this way before, you know?" Rukia's had her fair share of crushes, but this one felt like no other. Whenever Ichigo's presence was near, she felt nervous, but that's when the calmness of a noble kicked in. She had to thank Byakuya for one thing.

The petite girl felt a constant vibration in her pocket and picked up the phone call, not bothering to check the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey, Kuchiki! You ready for our movie date?" a deep voice with a cocky edge asked.

Rukia rolled her eyes and switched the call option to mute. "It's Kaien," she told Orihime. "I forgot we had a movie date today, and, well, I kind of have to go soon…" She switched the option back to un-mute and answered Kaien. "Sorry, I was, uh…" her eyes wandered around the room, desperate for a lie, and they landed on a plate of tea cookies. "…I was baking. Yeah. Baking. For you! Yeah! Do you like tea cookies? 'Cause I worked extra hard on them! And you better accept them! Or I'll kick your ass!"

Orihime tried her best to hold in laughter. Rukia's lie was bogus, but Kaien would be too gullible to notice.

Kaien raised a brow on the other side of the conversation, but decided to shake it off. "Yeah, sure. Why not? Anyway, I'll pick you up in half an hour. I need to, uh… do the laundry… Yeah… Okay bye!"

He ended their call in a heartbeat.Truth was, he was still trying to style his hair into a fohawk, because he'd read in one of Kuukaku's magazines that that hairstyle was a turn on—and you can guess who he was trying to turn on.

Rukia and Orihime both laughed after Kaien hung up. "I can't believe that idiot believed me," Rukia joked. "I don't even know how to make tea cookies."

The curvy girl snickered. "Shiba-kun can be so gullible, ne?" The girls stopped laughing as Sora came in, holding a teapot in one hand and a plate of tea cookies in another. "You girls want some more tea or cookies?"

Rukia shook her head. "No, but can I get some to-go? I kind of have a date right now…"

Sora smiled and nodded. "Do you want me to address it to Ichigo-san?"

The short girl's jaw dropped. "N-no! I'm not going on a date with Ichigo!" She turned to Orihime with her hands on her hips. "How does your brother know about me and Ichigo?"

The older Inoue shrugged. "Wait, doesn't everybody know that?"And with that, he left to go get a to-go box for pastries.

"Okay, so basically everyone knows that Ichigo and I have some sort of 'thing' going on, right?" Rukia asked her friend as she paced back and forth. Orihime nodded, a guilty smile taking over her features.

Rukia continued, "And even your brother, who doesn't even go to our school, knows about me and Ichigo?" Again, the redhead nodded and grinned.

The short girl sighed in aggravation. "Does the whole world know or something? You know what? I gotta get ready for this stupid date…" She grabbed her coat from her seat as Sora handed her the tea cookies.

"Thanks for everything, uh, Mr. Inoue…" Rukia awkwardly thanked. Sora shook his head, "Call me Sora. We're all family, here! Right, Hime-chan?" He softly elbowed his little sister's hip and smiled. Orihime nodded happily. "Mmmhmm! You're welcome anytime… Rukia." She decided that although Rukia was of nobility, it was okay to address her by her first name.

"And might I ask, who are you going on a date with if not Kurosaki-san?" Sora inquired.

Rukia sighed, "Kaien Shiba… just some guy who's after me. But anyways, thanks, Sora." She turned to the redhead and gave her a hug goodbye. "And thank you, Orihime. See you on Monday," she said, and out the door she went.

Sora sighed. "You know, Hime-chan… You shouldn't really go around boasting about how you think Ichigo-san is infatuated with Rukia-san."

The younger Inoue smiled innocently. "But Sora-nii, it's so obvious.. isn't it?" she giggled.

~x~

Rukia had her hands shoved down the pockets of her trench coat, her messenger bag containing the to-go box dangling from her shoulder as she started the seemingly long walk home. The cold, windy weather sent chills down her spine and covered her arms and legs in goose bumps.

She took out a small mirror from her bag and examined her appearance. Her hair was in loose curls, the one bang that would usually be dangling between her eyes clipped up on the crown of her head. Her lips were moist and pink and her eyes had no traces of sleepy sand. Under her coat, she was clad in deep blue skinny jeans and a black and gray striped v-neck sweater, and she wore her black suede boots.

"Damn," she thought, "I should have asked Kaien to pick me up at Orihime's. I don't even have to get ready for the date!" She sighed and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. As the gusts of wind got stronger, she removed her hands from her pockets and hugged herself to stay warm.

The small girl continued to walk home in the dark of the night. It was 8:00 PM, and by now, she was halfway home. She suddenly stopped when she felt something, or, someone, yanking her bag.

"Hey, what the-!" Her sentence was cutoff when a gloved hand slapped over her mouth. She lost her balance for a second and her arms flailed about, but she was able to grab the arm of her attacker.

"Remember me, Hisana?" The man with an unusually deep voice teased. "My, my… It's been a while, hasn't it?" He quickly removed his hand from her mouth, pulling her arms behind her back in one swift motion.

Rukia didn't move a muscle. "He called me Hisana… What the hell is going on!"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, deciding whether or not to converse with her attacker. She opened her eyes once she'd chosen what to do: she spread her arms out quickly, catching her attacker off guard. She then turned around with a leg in the air and swung the side of her foot right into his cheek, throwing him off balance.

He slammed into the wooden fence lining the sidewalk and felt his cheek for blood. "Damn, you've sure gotten stronger." He brushed off his black clothing and cracked his neck and fingers, getting ready to fight. "Where's that one Kuchiki bastard you're always hanging around? The Hisana I knew would never walk anywhere alone…" He took a step closer and smiled a sinister smile.

Rukia backed up a few steps, the look in her eyes giving off angry vibes. "Just who the hell are you!" she demanded. Her eyes scanned the man before her—he looked like he was in his mid-thirties. She couldn't see anything except for what seemed to be navy blue hair under a black beanie. His skin was as pale as snow and he sported hazel-colored eyes.

"Hisana, Hisana, Hisana… Don't you remember the debt your father owes us?" He took a step closer, and Rukia took a step backward.

"I'm not Hisana, you creep!" she nearly yelled at him. In a more hushed tone, she tried asking again: "Who the hell are you!"

"Don't pretend like you're someone else!" he yelled back. "Don't act like you don't know exactly what's going on! It took us years to find you, and now that we have, we're going to make you pay for your father's mistake!" He ran towards her and threw a punch, but she quickly moved out of the way.

Rukia widened her eyes. "My father owes a debt? What's going on, dammit!" She shifted her body towards the right, getting ready to run home. She hesitantly took a step towards home, but stopped when her attacker started talking again.

"You think you can fool me? You may be tougher… Your hair may be longer… Your attacks may be stronger than before… But I know those large violet eyes and that petite build anywhere! Quit the charade, Hisana!" He lunged at her again and slapped her out of anger. She was so deep in thought that the slap caught her off guard, and her eyes remained widened.

Seconds passed, for what seemed like hours to Rukia. "He's mistaking me for Hisana… Doesn't he know that she's… she's… dead?" It took her a while to register what just happened. She blinked back into her normal gaze and slowly turned her head to face her attacker. "Did this bastard just slap me?" The realization was enough to trigger her motivation to fight back. She lunged at him and punched his lower abdomen, forcing him to double over in pain.

Pain surged through his body. He coughed heavily, and as he fell to his knees, she kicked his shoulder, forcing him into the telephone pole. He cradled his aching head in his hands, and his balance was totally off.

Though he was weak at the moment, he continued to taunt her. "You've become more of a bitch after that Kuchiki bastard left you, huh? I guess you guys were never there for each other after all!"

That really broke the last straw. Rukia's hands balled up into tight fists down her sides. Memories flooded her head and only fueled her anger even further. Her brows furrowed in anger and frustration and she spoke with venom in her voice. "Don't you dare talk about us like that!"

She bent down and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "What would a scumbag like you know about the Kuchikis, huh! You know absolutely nothing about us! So get lost before I make you!" she barked in his face.

He smirked and grabbed her wrists. "I don't give a fuck anymore. I was gonna go easy on you, but your actions have made it clear that you don't deserve it. I'm going to haul your weak ass over to our hideout whether you like it or not!" He tightened his grip on her wrists and yanked her to the ground.

She grunted in pain. Her cheek scraped against the sidewalk and the force of her chin against the ground made it feel like her brain jumped inside her head. Just when she used her arms as support to get back on her feet, her attacker set his foot on her back, pressing her body back against the sidewalk.

He grabbed her bag strap, ready to adjust it and strangle her when he heard the skidding of tires. Soon, lights shined on the pavement where Rukia was pinned down and the car it belonged to skidded to a stop. Three loud honks were heard, and the driver of the Lamborghini rolled down a window.

"Hey, asshole! Let her go!" a voice from inside the car yelled.

Rukia's ears perked up. That voice sounded familiar! Her attacker's heart started beating faster, the fear of being caught and turned into the police right then and there scaring the living daylights out of him.

"You bastard! I said let her go!" The driver opened his door and started running to Rukia's side. The attacker's eyes widened and he decided to high-tail it out of the scene. He quickly let go of the bag strap and ran in the opposite direction of the two, fear overwhelming him. The driver's brows furrowed as he watched the attacker fade away into the darkness of the night, and he turned to the small girl's side.

The familiar voice spoke again, this time with much worry. "Kuchiki! Kuchiki! Are you okay? Can you hear me, Kuchiki?" He helped her up, and as soon as he did, she recognized his aqua-green eyes.

She brushed off her clothes and rubbed her cheek, wincing at how some of the dirt on her hands escaped into the scrape on her cheek. She blinked to process what just happened before speaking calmly. "What're you doing here, Kaien?"

"Tch, I should be asking you that! What was that asshole doing to you?" The look in Kaien's eyes expressed anger, and Rukia could see it clearly. She'd never seen him like this before, and it was surprising. He was usually cocky and didn't have a care in the world, and now he suddenly acted like he cared. She didn't complain though; she liked this side of him more.

"Should I tell him?" she thought to herself. "Does anyone need to know? Can I handle this myself?" She decided to keep the truth to herself. "I… He… He wanted money. And I kicked him, and somehow he caught me off guard and—"

"If that bastard comes near you like that ever again, you give me a call, alright Kuchiki! I don't want any creeps messing with my friends, especially someone who's only been in this town for a couple days. Karakura is a great town to live in, Kuchiki. Believe me." Kaien's words were convincing, and all Rukia could do was nod.

He walked her back to his car and opened the passenger seat door for her before making it back to the driver's seat. He turned to her and took a deep breath before conversing with her. "Kuchiki, don't ever walk home alone again. At least not at night. Even a small town like this is dangerous at night." He started driving again and shifted his gaze onto the road. "By the way, where were you walking from? I was just on my way to pick you up."

Rukia just looked straight ahead. She didn't want to think about what just happened. She couldn't, or, didn't, want to deal with the memories of Hisana or her father. She was a strong girl, physically and emotionally, but she couldn't stop her heart from aching from the memory of her beloved sister.

She cleared her throat and began explaining herself as she bandaged her cheek. "…I was at Orihime's house. We were rehearsing for the upcoming show, and when you called me, I was planning to go home to get ready for our friendly date. I brought you some tea cookies, but…" she grabbed the to-go box crushed in her messenger bag and pulled it out, crumbs slipping through the tiny openings in the box back into her bag.

Kaien blinked a couple times and let out a cheerful laugh. "It's fine, Kuchiki! Just throw those out. We can grab some dinner after our movie, yeah?"

Rukia smiled. Somehow, the thought of dinner reminded her of her berry-boy. A thought occurred to her as she whipped out her cell phone. She scrolled down her list of contacts until she found who she was looking for: "IchiberryCall Send Text" She tapped the 'Send Text' option and tapped away at the keyboard. "9:03 PM Me: hey berry-kun! me, you, dinner at 11, yeah? get back to me asap!" She turned to Kaien and cleared her throat again. "Sorry, but I kind of have to study…"

He nodded understandingly and continued to drive. "That's a shame. Maybe I'll meet a babe at the movie complex and take her out," he calmly said in an attempt to make her jealous.

Rukia couldn't help but roll her eyes.

~x~

Ichigo's phone vibrated in his jeans pocket. His heart started beating faster and he whipped out his cell phone in less than a second. He slid up his phone's screen and read Rukia's text, and he couldn't help but smile like a complete idiot. He placed his thumbs on his phone's keypad and began to text her back, but Grimmjow stopped him.

"Hey man, what gives?" an annoyed Ichigo demanded. Grimmjow smirked and raised an eyebrow. "I know ya want to reply to yer lady love as soon as ya can, but don't make it seem like yer desperate."

The carrot top started turning red with embarrassment. "It's n-not like I'm excited to get a t-text from her! It's just a text, anyway… Don't jump to conclusions, you ass…" He crossed his arms and tried to keep his cool, but Grimmjow saw right through it.

"Dude, ya totally dig her. Face it, man." The aqua-haired teen playfully punched his best friend, but continued to taunt him. "And remember! The bet. Ya got a little less than a month."

Ichigo scowled at his friend's comment. "Shut up, you dick. I do not like her! AND I haven't forgotten." He sighed deeply, "But I don't want to remember, either." He grabbed his dad's car keys and his coat and opened the living room door. "Oi, Oyaji! I'm gonna go catch a movie with Grimmjow! And then I'm gonna go study at Renji's! I don't know when I'll be back. See you!" and with that, he and Grimmjow went out the door.

Once in the driver's seat, the berryhead whipped out his cell and started texting his raven-haired beauty back. "9:14 PM-You: Sounds great, cutie. Where do we meet?" He stuck the key in the ignition and turned it, starting the car, unaware that he was again smiling like an idiot.

His phone vibrated again, but Grimmjow grabbed it and read the text aloud, "Nine sixteen PM. Midget: my house. I'm on my date with Kaien right now. I'll talk to ya later." Ichigo attempted to grab his phone out of Grimmjow's hands, aggravated that he was looking through his texts. What was even more aggravating was the fact that his crush was out on a date with a cocky son of a bitch.

"Hey, princess berry-kun! Keep yer eyes on the road!" the aqua-haired teen teased. "Yer girl wouldn't want ya to get into an accident, does she?" He was getting a kick out of messing with Ichigo.

The carrot top's scowl deepened. "Fine—whatever, man. Hand it back when we get to the movie! Oh shit, I almost forgot. Text the midget back and ask her which movie she's seeing with that bastard. We can't keep an eye on them if we don't know which fucking movie they're watching!"

Grimmjow slid the phone's screen up. "Relax, man. Why're ya so eager anyways? Ya don't like her, do yaaaaa?" His smirk grew bigger, and he could see his best friend pop a vein. Deciding it was enough, he sighed. "Alright, man. I'll quit buggin' ya about it. But if ya wanna talk about it then talk. It doesn't mean I'm callin' off the bet, though."

Ichigo sighed. "Figures. You're such an asshole. I don't even know why we're friends." Both males furrowed their brows and glared at each other, but it was soon followed by smirks expressing the friendship they had and only they understood.

Soon, they were at the movie complex. Rukia had texted them back saying they were watching the latest romantic comedy, and both Ichigo and Grimmjow couldn't help but gag. They still decided to stick to their plan and watch if Kaien made a move on her, so they took seats way in the back of the theatre after purchasing some snacks.

The movie started and Ichigo kept his eyes locked on Kaien. "Shiba, I'll kick your ass if you make a move…"

~x~

The aqua-eyed teen yawned. "So, Kuchiki… Enjoying the movie yet?" He gave her a side glance and a smug smirk, and all she could do was roll her eyes again. "Kaien, it barely started.." she stated.

Embarrassment took over as he fixed his shirt collar. "I-I know that! I mean.. How did you like the, uh, p-previews?" He mentally slapped himself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! The movie didn't start yet! Get yourself together, Kaien! You sexy beast!"

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Uh, the previews were amazing, I guess. I really want to see Monte Carlo."

The best thing he could do in his situation was smile and act like everything was fine. "Yeah, same here. I'd love to know what happens to the green guy in that movie."

She raised her eyebrow again. "Kaien, I think you're talking about Green Lantern…"

He gave her a dumbfounded look as his face turned as red as a tomato—thank God the lights were off! "Y-Yeah! Green Lantern! Uh-huh! That's what I meant!"

He mentally cursed himself for his stupidity. He also cursed what he was wearing: A black dress shirt with a now seemingly tighter collar tucked in black skinny jeans over a red t-shirt and dark grey Vans with red laces. The belt around his waist felt tighter, too. Just a second ago he felt fine, but now he felt uncomfortable. Why was he losing his cool around Rukia? She didn't even notice his different hairstyle…

"Damn." He stared at Rukia watching the movie. "She's so cute…" That thought settled his heart. He sighed with relief and sat up, back straight, and tried to watch the movie, but somehow his eyes would find their way back to her.

~On-screen, the handsome lead character proposed to his beautiful date in front of a gorgeous fountain. The stars of the night sky sparkled upon the couple, and you could see the young woman's beautiful large blue-violet eyes gleam as she admired the diamond ring on her finger.

Her fiancé's wild locks of blonde hair flowed calmly with the wind, his usual scowl now a sweet smile, only for her. His chocolate-brown eyes lit up when she mouthed, "I do," and he embraced her, afraid that should he let go, he'd lose her forever. ~

Kaien could see Rukia's lips curl into a smile. "Alright, Kaien! Now's your chance!" He did what he's done to the past dates he's taken to the movies: He covered his mouth and faked a yawn, then stretched both arms…

~x~

Grimmjow fell asleep next to Ichigo, the popcorn bucket in his lap tipping over, littering the floor with tiny kernels beneath them. His snores irritated the woman beside him, so she picked up a few pieces of popcorn and blocked his nostrils.

Ichigo snickered and whipped out his phone, taking a picture of his best friend and uploading it to Facebook with the caption, "Jaegerjaquez's salty boogies!" and within a minute, it had 7 likes. He put away his phone and turned back to watching Kaien when his eyes almost popped out of his sockets: Kaien was fake yawning, about to stretch…

The carrot top could feel his brows furrow and blood boil, elbowing his friend awake and grabbing the half-empty popcorn bucket out of his lap, gripping the rim so hard that the bucket lost its original circular shape. "Hey, man! That bastard's making a move on Rukia!" he growled through gritted teeth.

Grimmjow had a startling wake-up call. He almost jumped out of his seat and sat up straight, shaking his head to keep him wide awake, and realized something was wrong—he couldn't breathe through his nose. Grunting, he blew popcorn out of his nostrils and wiped his nose, then gave the woman sitting next to him a deadly glare, which she took as a cue to move a seat down. He turned to Ichigo and sighed, a little aggravated. "What, man?"

Ichigo pointed in his crush's direction and Grimmjow knew why he'd been woken up so rudely. "Throw the bucket at 'im," the aqua-haired teen instructed.

"But there's still popcorn in it!" the carrot top whispered back. His best friend smirked, "Which makes it even better. Now, chuck it at 'im!"

"What if it hits Rukia!" Ichigo argued, worry detected in his voice. He didn't want to get her clothes or hair ruined. He'd never forgive himself if he did.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "She's so short it probably won't even hit 'er!"

Ichigo thought for a second and shrugged, then gripped the bucket of popcorn. He raised the bucket high above his head, grabbing the back of the seat in front of him for balance, and as Kaien stretched his arm behind Rukia's shoulders, his arm flung forward and his fingers released the rim.

Few pieces of popcorn escaped as the bucket spiraled towards the front of the theatre, some tiny kernels inside the container moving about and making tiny popping noises as if a million ping pong balls were dropped on the floor.

Rukia turned to Kaien, about to inform him that this was just a friendly date, but she saw an object spiraling towards them from the corner of her eye. On reflex, she ducked, and she could hear the sound of the impact of the bucket against Kaien's head.

Butter and hundreds of tiny popcorn kernels exploded all over his hair and face, dripping down his neck and underneath his shirt. He quickly stood up and started wiping the butter off his shirt, flicking the drippings onto the floor. "What the hell!" he half-yelled, half-whispered. He'd forgotten he was watching a movie.

The ending credits rolled and everybody clapped, and as people flooded out the door, Ichigo and Grimmjow hid amongst them, smirking at each other. The carrot top was satisfied; oh how badly he wanted to rub it in his enemy's face… It was somewhat evil, but he knew that Kaien would have done the same to him.

They got into his car and he dropped Grimmjow off at Nel's place before heading over to Rukia's.

~x~

Rukia's mouth gaped as she eyed Kaien's face. She quickly grabbed some tissues from her bag and wiped the butter off, wondering why anyone would throw a bucket of popcorn at someone they didn't know.

"Some immature middle schoolers probably threw it at me," he grumbled as his shoulders slouched.

The petite girl giggled at the sight before her: His hair was sticking out in random places, and it'd been yellowed by the butter. He looked like he was crying pee out and popcorn kernels laid in the tangles of his hair. "It's kind of funny, you know..." The more she looked at him, the more it made her laugh. By now, tears were in the corners of her eyes.

He couldn't help but blush. There he was, covered in butter and kernels, embarrassed to be standing next to who he thought was the cutest girl he'd ever met. He forgot how mad he was about the incident and looked away, not able to look her in the eyes. "Y-Yeah, whatever! Quit laughing… Don't take any pics of me, alright!"

Rukia's laughing died down. She smiled and nodded, "Okay, okay…" She was still laughing about it in her head—it's not like he can read her mind, can he?

Kaien rolled his eyes and grabbed her coat for her. "C'mon, I better get you home before your brother beats us there."

All she could do was smile; she remembered that she had a dinner date with that cute berry-head across the street. She knew Byakuya wouldn't be home from his business trip to another city until tomorrow night, but she didn't want to risk Kaien asking her to spend the night with him.

Instead, she nodded, and tried her best to sound convincing;

"Yeah, he'd ground me until I'm like, 30."

Yay, chapter 8 is finally done and out. Hope you enjoyed!

Sorry for any mistakes! Again, I'm trying to get the hang of writing again…

I hope you guys have a great summer! 'cause all I'm doing is staying home 'cause my parents won't let me out… Oh yeah, summer fun right there… -sarcastic face-

I'll get started on chapter 9 as soon as I can! Love you guys~

-CutieTea (=