A Game of Love and Seduction
In the game of seduction, There is only one rule: Never fall in love.
What you can't have, you can't resist.
Old enough to know better, too young to care.
Tenth Chapter: The Familly
Rukia shut quickly the door behind her and leaned on it, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.
She placed her hand over her chest, trying to slow down her desperate breathing.
Rukia's heart was beating real fast, her breath was labored and her mind was still fuzzy.
She couldn't think clearly, not grasp what had just happened.
One moment she was arguing with Ichigo and the next – he was so close.
She didn't even know how they ended up like that, she was still having a hard time remembering what they were talking about before.
"Oh, that's right! Kaien!" Rukia's brain snapped, "He asked me about Kaien. And then suddenly got really mad."
The petite girl opened her eyes and straightened her head, her body still leaning on the door.
"Why did he get so angry? Was it about that bet? Won't he give it up already? Stupid idiot!"
Rukia's thoughts came one after another while she still had her back pressed to the door. Her breathing was still faster than normal but it was slowly calming down. She just needed to think about something else – something different than what had happened just a few minutes ago in the dark corridor outside her room, between her and a certain orange-haired teen.
She tried not to think about how close they had been, how he had pinned her to the wall and how his eyes had been glowing in the dark with a spark she could not quite identify.
But it appeared to be futile. Just like always, the more you tell yourself not to think about something, the more it haunts you and you can't get it out of your mind.
Rukia pushed away from the door and placed her right hand on her forehead, her head bowed down.
She sighed and lifted her head. She dropped her hand slowly down her face, past her nose, lips and finally chin, until she retreated it back to her side.
Rukia suddenly scrunched her eyebrows.
"I'm tired." She stated and started getting ready for bed, not even having the slightest idea she wasn't the only one feeling that way. There was a noise of a door being shut close, that came from the corridor but the girl ignored it.
/ - / - /
He had been standing alone in the corridor for several minutes now but didn't seem to notice.
Ichigo was trying to grasp what had just occurred between him and the petite girl who had disappeared behind one of the doors in the hallway.
What had gotten into him? Why did he do what he did?
"Almost did." He corrected himself.
When he had climbed up the stairs after her, he had totally different things on mind. But the moment he had pushed her to the wall, the moment he had came closer to her, every thought had vanished from his mind.
All he could do was stay there, unmoving, close to her, gazing at her face, in her eyes.
His anger and annoyance evaporated while he was standing there, and were replaced by something else, something new.
Being so close to her, allowed Ichigo to have better look on her. And the thing that probably stunned him the most were her eyes – their soft, unusual, deep color. It was something he's never seen before and it captivated him.
Caught in his daze, he hadn't noticed how his body had inched towards her, how close his face had gotten to hers.
His mind was suddenly filled by so many thoughts and every single one of the were involved with Rukia.
He suddenly had the urge to come even closer to her, to bend down a little… and then… to taste her soft looking lips.
He wanted to touch her…
To hold her…
Stop!
A voice in his head yelled.
Where had all those thoughts come from?
"What the hell am I thinking?" Ichigo asked himself.
The young teen rubbed his hand on his temples before deciding he had had enough.
"I'm tired."
With that said he made his way to his room, closing the door loudly behind him.
/ - / - /
The next morning Rukia awoke to a faint sound of music coming from somewhere near her. It took a few seconds for her to shake away the sleep and realize that the noise was coming from under her blanket.
The petite girl had, yet again, tangled herself up in her headphones.
She had had trouble falling asleep the previous night and decided to listen to some music – it always helped her feel better.
Apparently she had forgotten to stop her phone play and remove the hearing contraptions like so many times before.
Trying to move carefully – as to not pull on the cable or not cause the phone to fall off the bed – she searched for the device under her blanket. Finally finding it, Rukia unlocked the touchscreen and exited the music player.
She inspected the screen and wasn't surprised to see the battery status full. Her phone was weird that way – she could use it to listen to music for hours, even the whole night, and it still didn't switch off.
Not that she was complaining of course.
Rukia laid her phone next to her pillow and stretched her body while still in bed, not making any attempts on getting up. She didn't feel like it, yet.
She wasn't sleepy or tired; she just didn't want to get up.
The girl strained her ears, trying to hear, if there was noise coming from downstairs, but the house was quite.
She checked the time on her phone – 7:49am. It was still early for some of the family members to be awake.
Rukia thought back about the day before, particularly about the night.
She hadn't expected so many things to happen – each weirder than the previous one. She never thought that going to the party would lead to so many events.
She just wanted to have some fun and put the orange-haired idiot in his place, but she never even considered that she would meet her childhood friend there, nor that he would know the Kurosaki boy.
Then Shiba-sa– Kaien had appeared out of nowhere.
Her opinion of him wasn't clear yet but she doubted he was much different than Kurosaki – they even looked alike! Except for the hair, that is.
Rukia groaned. She was getting irritated. No matter what she thought of, it always led to one thing – thinking about him.
Kurosaki Ichigo.
She had known for just a few days and she already couldn't stand him.
The boy really knew how to push her buttons… or did he do it unintentionally? It was hard to tell since they hadn't really had time to get to know each other – not that Rukia really wanted that to happen.
She had no intention of getting close to him! She had seen enough in the little time they had spent together, and she had had more than enough!
Just the thought of him made her angry!
Letting out a deep sigh, Rukia brought her hands up to her head in order to rub her eyes and temples. She then rested them above her head.
She didn't feel like getting up yet but she was also tired of laying in bed, and she knew she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.
She wondered what she would do, if someone was already awake.
Both twins were really fun to talk to, thought they were so different. Maybe that was what made them such good interlocutors. It was always nice and interesting to talk to them.
Kurosaki Isshin, on the other hand, was a man from who you could expect everything.
He was always fooling around, talking about nonsense and asking weird questions.
Rukia wasn't feeling up for that so early in the morning but she also didn't want to stay in bed any longer.
Letting out another sigh, she decided it was time to get up.
Rising up from the bed, she slipped her slippers one and proceeded to stretch her arms a little.
When she was done, the girl took her blue bathroom towel in one hand and grabbed her bathroom utensils in the other, making her way to her room's door.
She was staying in one of the guest rooms which did not have a bathroom of its own, but that didn't trouble Rukia at all. She was used to living in an apartment – a normal one, not like the really expensive ones with numerous features.
She opened it quietly – as in not to cause too much noise – and walked carefully down the corridor towards the bathroom.
/ - / - /
Ichigo lay in bed, awake. There was a book which sprawled open beside his pillow on the bed.
He had been awake for hours now but made no attempts on getting up.
He had had trouble falling asleep last night and when he finally did, he couldn't sleep well, he ended up waking up a few times.
He tried reading a book but couldn't keep his mind on the concept of it and gave it up eventually.
All that was on his mind and all that he could think about were the past events that happened recently.
The past events involving a certain petite girl or what he liked more – a certain midget.
Kuchiki Rukia had rejected him and there was no way he could be okay with that.
Any other girl would have fallen already for his tricks.
Not only hadn't she fallen for any of his tricks but she also found a way to twist them, and turn them against him.
He was getting seriously irritated.
She wasn't as easy as other girls were.
She was going to be a challenge and Ichigo didn't like losing. He wasn't ready to lose.
It always felt nice to be the winner and he wasn't going to give up just because of a few, much unexpected and very unwanted, difficulties.
His attention was suddenly caught by a faint sound – of a door being opened and closed – coming from outside his room.
He strained his ears to try and hear, if anyone was passing by in the corridor.
He was about ready to ignore and forget about it, a noise reached his ears. He immediately recognized it as a sound of a door being opened and, a few seconds later, closed.
Someone was already awake.
Someone had been walking in the corridor rather quietly.
"It's probably Yuzu. She always gets up early, it's actually already too late for her." He thought, "It couldn't be dad. The whole house would already be awake, if he was walking by in the corridor! Not to mention he wouldn't miss the chance to wake me up in the morning!"
Ichigo was contemplating on whether he should get up or not.
The house was quiet but he was now sure he wasn't the only one awake and someone was already up.
Ichigo lay in a bed for a few more minutes, before throwing off his blanket and sitting up. His feet touched the ground and he held his head in his hands, which rested on his knees. He massaged his scalp and then stretched his arms, shoulders and back.
He needed a shower after last night's party.
After the events in the corridor the previous night, he had gone straight to bed, not in the mood for anything. He had felt tired not the he managed to sleep.
He rose from the bed and went to the bathroom connected to his room.
/ - / - /
Rukia adjusted the deep sky blue towel around her body and gathered her pyjamas in her hands along with her dressing-case.
She felt more relaxed now, after taking a shower.
She did not forget to open the window to let the steam out before walking to the door and leaving the bathroom.
Once she set foot outside in the corridor, colder air greeted her body – even though the weather was still warm.
Closing the bathroom door behind her, Rukia started walking towards her room, her slipper clothed legs making soft, quiet steps on the floor.
She was passing one of the many rooms, when a door opened and a large body almost collided with her smaller one.
Rukia let out a startled yelp and froze in her place, her hands holding her stuff tighter.
The other person – who she still hadn't looked at – also stood still, unmoving, at the entrance of the room.
Rukia sharply turned her head towards her 'attacker' and her eyes immediately widened.
There he was – standing at the door-frame – Kurosaki Ichigo.
He was clad only in red shorts and a black wife-beater, clinging to his upper body. His hair was wet and messy, some strands sticking to his face. A few droplets were falling from his orange locks down to his clothed chest and well-toned 'visible' shoulders.
The petite girl couldn't muster a word.
She tried not to stare, she knew it was wrong but couldn't really do anything about it.
It was practically impossible with the view in front of her.
It was like she was looking at one those movie stars that make you re-watch movies and which make you wish, you're the one acting next to them.
She knew she had to do something, to snap out of it before something embarrassing or inconvenient would happen.
Easier said than done.
She cursed that black wife-beater in her mind for catching her attention. But she couldn't lie to herself – it wasn't the clothing that caught her interest, it was what was hiding beneath it. And from the looks of it, it would be a really nice view.
But she couldn't think that way!
Cautiously Rukia lifted her gaze to look at the boy's face. When her eyes landed on his, she was grateful to see that she wasn't the only one examining.
His eyes were definitely not on hers or any other part of her face for that matter. She observed as his gaze slowly moved down her body.
She most definitely had to act fast before something happened.
"What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy? You almost ran me over here?" she suddenly yelled at him, "Don't you watch where you're going?"
/ - / - /
Ichigo had just finished taking his shower and after getting dressed, he was ready to go downstairs for breakfast.
He didn't have any plans for the day –or at least he didn't remember having any – and that's why he decided to wear more everyday, comfy clothes. He chose red shorts and a black wife-beater – sports style.
His hair was still wet even after towel-drying it a little – he didn't really like hair-dryers and didn't use them that much.
He took his phone from the bedside table and went to the door.
He was getting hungry and was wondering what Yuzu had prepared.
But even if he wasn't hungry, he would most likely have eaten either way. His little sister was so good with cooking that it was impossible not to like her food.
He was always wondering how his family members didn't end up wearing clothes trice their current size.
Ichigo took hold of the door handle and pushed it down, opening the door and stepping into the corridor.
Though the moment he set foot in the hallway, he ran into someone who was obviously passing though.
The boy took a step back and froze in his place.
He had to blink a few times before his eyes settled on the person in front of him and he finally realized who it was.
Kuchiki Rukia.
There she was, standing in front of him, a bit startled from their sudden meeting. But what caught his attention the most was her attire.
She had nothing more but a flimsy towel wrapped around her petite body. A short, fluffy, blue towel.
The cloth barely covered her body. Her chest was scarcely concealed and the towel reached just about mid thigh. Tiny droplets slid down the curves of her body.
Her hair was wet and its long dark locks were clinging to her skin – that stubborn shorter strand between her eyes also in place.
Her lips had gotten darker – from the shower she had obviously taken – and now were almost blood red in contrast to her pale, porcelain skin. The heat had painted her cheeks in a soft rosy colour and her eyes appeared to be deeper, encircled by dark, wet lashes.
He wasn't expecting to see her so soon – he had barely left his room and there she was! Even the 'leaving his room' part wasn't completely true since he was still standing in the threshold.
Ichigo let his eyes travel down her body – from her surprised face, down her slender neck, to hardly covered chest, along the little blue towel, down to her slipper-clothed legs.
He had seen them before – in those shorts she wore – but right now, covered only by the flimsy towel, they caught his attention better.
Little droplets slid down her legs – from the edge of the towel, slowly down to her feet.
Ichigo came to the decision that this day wasn't that bad, it actually had suddenly gotten really interesting and exciting.
"What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy? You almost ran me over here?" Rukia suddenly yelled at him, "Don't you watch where you're going?"
Ichigo regained his senses upon hearing and registering her word. His eyes narrowed and he matched her glare.
"What are you talking about? I was just going downstairs! You're the one who's in the way!" he said back to her.
"I am most certainly not! I was just passing by and you suddenly burst out through that door!" she argued, nodding her head towards the door to the boy's room.
"Burst out? I was just coming out of my room! You are the one who was standing in front of the door!"
"Excuse me!" the girl asked unbelieving, "I wasn't standing in front of your door, I was passing by it!" she said, emphasizing on the words.
"Same thing."
Rukia tried to reply but she could only open and close her mouth, with no sound coming out, and shake her head.
"You're unbelievable!" she said in a whisper.
Rukia turned on her heal and started walking away from him.
Ichigo watched her as she walked towards her room, her slippers leaving little wet footsteps on the floor. He smirked after her retreating form.
He waited until she entered her room and he walked downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.
/ - / - /
Rukia walked down the stairs leading to the first floor clad in a short – reaching a little above her knees – light blue dress with a short white bolero on her shoulders.
Her hair was almost dry and untied. She had put on white flats with deep sky blue blue ribbons one their outer sides.
She felt like taking a walk after breakfast. She needed some time for herself without anyone around her.
A small bag – prepared for her phone and purse to be put in – was waiting for her on her bed back in the room.
Just like almost every other morning, she wasn't feeling really hungry, so was planning on finishing up quickly with the breakfast.
Upon entering the kitchen she was greeted by a delicious smell. She inhaled deeply – closing her eyes – and let the tasty scent warm her body.
"Good morning! Yuzu-chan, it smells amazing!" she greeted the young girl, who was putting plates and bowls on the table, completely ignoring her older brother, situated in one of the chairs.
"Oh, Rukia-chan! Good morning!" Yuzu was surprised when she saw Rukia and a smile quickly appeared on her face, "Thank you, I prepared some breakfast! I hope you like it!"
"I'm sure I will!" Rukia smiled back.
"Sit, sit! You should eat them while they are warm!" the orange-haired girl urged, gesturing towards a large plate filled with waffles.
"Un." Rukia nodded and made her way to the table.
Still ignoring the only male in the room, she took out a chair and sat down.
"What would you like to drink?" Yuzu questioned.
"Oh, I don't really know…"
"We have milk, coffee, hot chocolate, orange juice…" the young girl made a little pause, thinking.
"Milk sounds good!" Rukia answered with a smile.
"Milk it is then! Should I warm it?"
"No, thanks. I prefer it cold."
The young girl went to the counter to prepare the drink while Rukia and Ichigo sat at the table.
The orange-head observed Rukia while she examined the food on the table, not paying any attention to him.
"Are you ignoring me?" he asked, his voice not too loud to prevent his sister from hearing.
Rukia finally acknowledged his presence. She lifted her eyes and fixed them on his face slowly.
"What ever gave you that idea?" she replied with a question of her own, her tone also for only the two of them to hear.
"Well–"
"Here's your milk!" Yuzu interrupted their conversation, "What do you want your waffles with? Ichi-nii's having them the American style!" she made a little grimace, looking at her brother's food.
Rukia frowned at Ichigo's choice of food.
"So what do you want yours with?" Yuzu questioned again, "We've got honey, maple syrup, chocolate syrup and some various jams!" She informed happily.
"Oh… I don't know, it all sounds good…" Rukia answered hesitatingly, while eyeing the toppings.
"Oh then, you can try everything!" the orange-haired girl's smile grew wider.
"Oh, I don't think I can, Yuzu-chan!" Rukia responded quickly, waving her hands in front of herself, "I don't think I can eat that much!"
"I can!"
A voice suddenly came into the room and in a second Kurosaki Isshin flew into the kitchen.
"Morning, everyone!" he greeted with a big grin plastered on his face, "I see my sweet daughter has made us breakfast!"
"Morning, daddy!" Yuzu greeted back, "Sit down and let's eat! Karin-chan is still sleeping!"
The rest of the breakfast went alright. Isshin and Yuzu were the ones, talking most of the time. Rukia focused mainly on her food – the faster she finished eating, the sooner she could go out. From the corner of her eyes she could see Ichigo watching her from time to time but she ignored him.
Once she finished eating, the petite girl decided to take a chance. She put down her utensils on the table and whipped her mouth with a napkin before speaking.
"Yuzu-chan, thank you so much for the breakfast, it was delicious!" she said in kind voice, "If you would excuse me, I'd be going now."
"Are you going out, Rukia-chan?" asked the twin.
"Yes, I was planning on taking a walk."
"Boy, get up!" Isshin jabbed his son with his elbow.
"What?" Ichigo snapped, "Why should I?"
"Are you gonna leave our sweet Rukia-chan go outside all on her own with so many criminals out there?"
"They don't actually creep outside in brought daylight, don't you think?" Ichigo asked with sarcasm in his voice.
"How could you so horrible, my son?" Isshin started, "If only–"
"It's okay Isshin-san, I'll be fine." Rukia interrupted him, "I don't need help for taking a walk." She continued to ignore the orange-haired male.
"See? No need to worry!" Ichigo concluded, "She'll be fine!"
"Are you sure, Rukia-chan?" Isshin asked concerned.
"Absolutely!" the petite girl responded.
"I guess there's nothing I can do…" the older man sighed.
"I'll see you out, Rukia-chan!" Yuzu said cheerfully, standing from her seat.
"You don't have to!" the other girl tried to assure.
"It's okay!"
"I just have to get my bag from my room." Rukia said and hurried off upstairs.
After about five minutes the female voices disappeared, and the two males – still sitting at the kitchen table – heard the flop of the front door, signalling that Rukia had left the house.
Yuzu returned to the kitchen with her usual smile.
"Well you don't need to worry about Rukia-chan anymore, dad." She said reassuringly.
"What do you mean?" her father questioned.
Ichigo had also lifted his eyes to look at his sister.
"Well, Kaien-kun came exactly when Rukia-chan was going out!" Yuzu explained, her smile still on, "They left together!"
A sudden clank made both father and daughter look at the orange-haired boy. Yuzu had jumped a little from the sound.
"I'm going out!" Ichigo declared, before leaving the table and shortly after the house its-self.
"What was that?" the twin asked, blinking a few times.
"Who knows." Her father answered quickly, a grin treating to appear on his face, "Come on, Yuzu! Let's eat some more waffles!"
"You shouldn't eat so much, daddy! You ate enough!" the girl tried to reason with the older man, completely forgetting about her previous question.
/ - / - /
"Shit!" Ichigo cursed in his head, "What the hell does he want with her?"
He had just reached the front door and opened it, when he saw Kaien's black vehicle drive away.
"Shit!"
He wanted to follow them but had no idea where they were headed to, therefore had no way of going after them.
Just a few hours ago he had decided he wasn't going to give up on that bet and now Kaien appeared and started messing with his plans. Not that Ichigo actually had a plan but he still didn't like the fact that Shiba seemed interest in the young Kuchiki.
The orange haired teen took out his phone and dialled a number.
"Come on, pick up." He said while tapping his leg nervously on the pavement in front of the door.
He was about to end the call when the ringing sounds disappeared and a groggy voice answered.
"What the hell do you want? Do you know what time it is?" Hisagi Shūhei asked from the other side.
"Shut up! Where are you?" the orange head said.
"Where do you think I am?" his friend asked angrily, "In bed! Where could I be at this early time?"
"Well get up already!" Ichigo continued impatiently, "I need you to call someone!"
"Who? If it's another girl, forget it! Break up with her on your own!"
"It's not that you dumbass!" Ichigo snapped, "I need you to call Kaien." He was now entering the house again.
"What? You into boys now?"
"Hisagi!" the orange head snarled, he was climbing the stairs now.
"Okay, okay, fine! You can't even take a joke!" shuffling could be heard from the other side of the call, probably Shūhei getting up, "What do I have to say?"
"Ask him where he is." Was Ichigo's immediate answer.
"Why?"
"Just do it!" he ended the call as he entered his room.
Grabbing his car keys from the bed stand, the teen quickly left his room and went down the stairs again to the front door.
"I'm going out!" he informed his family, not waiting for a reply.
He got in his car, started the engine and put it in reverse.
He had just taken out the vehicle on the main road when his black Sony Ericsson Xperia started to ring.
"What?" he answered rather roughly.
"Is that how you talk to a person who's just helped you?" Hisagi's voice asked.
"What did he say?" Ichigo cut to the point, ignoring his friend's question.
"He's going to the bar. That's all he said but he mentioned he was busy."
"Thanks."
"Hey, wait! Aren't you gonna tell–"
Ichigo ended the call before his friend could finish his question and sped up along the road.
/ - / - /
"So where are we going?" Rukia asked.
She and Kaien were in his car, going in an unknown to her direction.
"You'll see." The boy answered mischievously.
"I was planning on having a calm relaxing walk today." Rukia continued.
"Well I already told you that you are gonna have fun." Kaien reassured, "I don't know about calm but you are gonna be relaxed after this. The place is really nice."
"How is a bar relaxing?" the young Kuchiki asked
"Oh, that! I lied."
"Why would you do that?" Rukia asked suspiciously.
"I just don't wanna meet up with that guy right now. Shūhei isn't always a good company."
"Shūhei? As in Hisagi Shūhei?" the girl questioned, her eyebrows rising.
"You know him?" Kaien nodded in before asking.
"Yeah… we met." The female answered, stressing the last word.
"That says enough!" Kaien said, letting out a laugh.
Rukia looked at him and smiled before turning her head to gaze through her window.
They drove in silence, silence that Rukia didn't really mind. Kaien on the other hand wasn't enjoying it.
Just like the previous night when he drove her home, the girl didn't really talk to him much. She remained quiet and spoke only when he asked her something or she herself had a question to ask. Usually girls around him couldn't keep their mouths shut or got really nervous that they couldn't come out with any logical sentences.
But Rukia wasn't doing any of these two things – she was just sitting in her seat, gazing through the window as if she was the only one in the car.
He was curious as to why she was staying with the Kurosaki family. He hadn't seen her before and was almost absolutely sure he hadn't heard anyone from the Kurosakis speak of her. She must have something to do with the family for them to take her in. He couldn't help but wonder what her connection with them was but couldn't just ask her straight.
At least now – where he was taking her – he would have a chance to talk to her and probably get to know something more about her.
"Here we are!" the black haired boy declared.
A/N: Finally! I finished this! I wanted to make it longer and finally I did it! This is the longest chapter so far – approximately 15 pages! So many things happened while writing this! First of all, I'm sorry this comes out so late and that it's probably a little boring – I realized this a few times while writing but what can I do about it? XD
This chapter had to come out so long ago but you know that best, don't you? XD I wanted to post it for Valentines day and look what day it is today…
For the ones of you who actually read this, I'm gonna explain some of the reasons I'm late. I have a few health problems and I actually got food poisoned some time ago… Trust me, it's no fun! XD
Oh and I'll be posting a few 'pilot' chapters to some stories, you can check them out, if you want!
Pamianime: It wouldn't be Rukia, if she didn't! XD sry for the late update!
Ruriri: Sorry for the really late update! XD so since it's been almost two months, I guess your gift is even greater, nee? XD Sure you blame him! Who else? XD
SunRises: Of course he'll be tortured! We'll see, if Ichigo can heal it!
Thnx but as fever goes other stuff come… Hope you like the update!
yuffie097: Really? Which was the other? So Isshin is okay in this chapter? I'm not certain about how I'm dealing with his character!
Dragonsmaiden66: Here's the late update… I was thinking of adding Senna, yeah… We'll see! XD thnx I did got rid of the fever!
Eimoan: Thank you for all the good words and the rate! Really? They are not out of character?
soul-searching-Raven: Thanks and here's your update!
Ej: I'm considering on making it actually… but I'll keep it in mind!
Pamianime: I'll about that! XD
SunRises: YES! You totally did that with the first sentence!
I wasn't actually thinking of making Byakuya a driver or something, he would just own everything! XD
I haven't actually read that… I saw a movie though!
09ice: I couldn't make her spoiled! I just couldn't!
Ishavcs: And this update was even slower…
Disclaimer: I own nothing! I just want Japan to recover!
Well, I can't say the more reviews – the faster I update but I can say – the more motivation I get!