Three mornings in a row. Rukia woke up expecting something stupid to happen. Why not, this was going to be a recurring element in her life now that Rangiku had barged into it! As she went to sleep the night before, Rukia made a few predictions. Byakuya would greet her with the newspaper, saying that she and Rangiku burned down the new steak restaurant. Rangiku would be there, wearing a maid's outfit she procured out of nowhere and making sure Rukia would memorize every aspect of her body. Perhaps a few Shinigami would arrest her for the arson? It wouldn't be good, no matter what.
Nothing. Rukia scanned the room around her and saw the usual things that her room had been decorated with. No changes, no unusual items, nobody waiting around, nothing different. She slowly rose out of bed and approached the door, ready for the parade and band to barge in. Rukia swung open the door and got greeted by the opposing wall. Good morning, it said. Sleep well?, it asked.
Rukia didn't answer it and walked in the direction of the kitchen. Yes, that's where the big surprise going to be! A cake with Rangiku waiting to burst out? Shinigami waiting for her? Rukia hit the wall and tilted her head around the corner, using one eye to spy on the activity in the kitchen. It seemed normal. Byakuya eating breakfast and Rangiku working on her's…and possibly Rukia's. Rukia sighed and rounded the corner to walk into this 'trap' head-on.
"Good morning." Byakuya greeted…in a rather cherry way for him. Rukia took a step back, cautious. "Still a little jumpy from last night I see." Byakuya remarked as he picked up the newspaper off the table and turning it to show Rukia the front page. While not the headline story, the story appeared on the bottom half in big letters: 'Lieutenant saves restaurant from fire.' Byakuya threw the paper over to Rukia. She caught it and started to read the story in her head.
"Texas-Style suffered a major grease fire last night that has forced the place to be closed for the three weeks to repair the damage and replace all the furniture. Thankfully, the fire had been put out by one of the Shinigamis, recognized later as Kuchiki Rukia of 13th Division. She and her friend, believed to be Matsumoto Rangiku of 10th Division, were having dinner when one of the waiters dropped a lighted match and set the place ablaze. The same waiter's attempts to put out the fire only caused it to grow bigger."
Rukia let out a small gasp.
"I know!" Rangiku piped in. "They're finally going to add in a new bath house for the lower divisions. It's really big and all, and we could enjoy together!"
"That's not it…." Rukia groaned back and turned over a few pages to read the rest of the story. Continued on page A6, 'Lieutenant stops clumsy waiter.' Did the restaurant really place all the blame on the one waiter that Rangiku tripped? So Rukia read on, "Rukia quickly went to the rescue as she grabbed a broom and used it as a mock Zanpakutō to cast a Kidō spell that wiped out the fire. Rukia and her date silently left the place, and neither have come forward to make a comment. The waiter responsible for the fire, whom the restaurant has decided to not release the name of, has been let go. No charges have been made against this employee by either the staff or the fire department."
Suddenly the remaining bits of last night's dinner churned inside of Rukia's stomach and a odd mixture of fluids backed up into her throat. That poor man had to take the blame for Rangiku's mistake! And now Rukia knew exactly what to expect today. People congratulating her endlessly all the while blasting that poor employee for the mistake he didn't make.
And Rangiku looked so pleased with herself as she scooped a fried egg out of the pan. She created a stupid (Yet highly embarrassing) plan to get revenge for two nights ago and nearly burned down an entire building. Not a single ounce of regret weighted down on Rangiku's shoulders or even a shred of empathy appeared on her face. She handed Rangiku a plate of food and walked off with a gentle smile on her face.
But Rukia chewed into her actually-nicely done meal, she considered not jumping on top of the tallest building of the land and yelling out the truth of what happened last night. After all…Rangiku knew what really happened the night the two slept together. And the busty woman was using that as blackmail.
All's fair in love and war, after all.
Rukia put on a little smile. Yes, she felt really repentant for letting that waiter become a scapegoat, but this could work out in her favor. It would Rukia calling the shots around here, and not the unwanted guest.