A/N: Chapter ten! It's a long one; just a warning. It's named after, "Vulnerable," one of Secondhand Serenade's oldies. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: No.
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Chapter 10: Vulnerable
"Hey! What are you doing?" Rukia said urgently with shock as she came walking back into her room. She saw Orihime sitting down and reading whatever was on the writer's laptop.
The strawberry blonde's eyebrows were scrunched up as she continued to read what was written. "What is this?" she asked not taking her eyes off the screen. "This isn't what you were writing about…"
Rukia ran over quickly and shut the lid. "Nope! It's not! It's nothing really!" she yelled awkwardly loud with a suspicious smile. Her hand remained on the top of the computer.
Orihime raised on eyebrow with a small, curious smile. "What are you hiding?" she asked, beginning to pull up the top again before Rukia shoved it down again.
"Can you just wait?" the raven haired woman asked in irritation, yet with a chuckle. "Geesh. A little privacy, maybe?" she added.
Orihime looked shocked, "Okay?"
"I know I usually let you read it as I go, but I want you to wait until I'm done," she said in a tone where she hoped her friend would understand. Orihime put out her lower lip in a begging manner. Rukia smiled sadly, "Please."
Orihime sighed. "Alright. But don't take too long in finishing it. I'm going to hate the fact that you're writing and I can't read it."
Rukia laughed, "I'll try not to."
"And it looks like you've done a lot in three days. What made you get all creative so fast?" she asked curiously.
Rukia picked up the computer and began to walk towards her desk and place it down, "I don't really know. It just kind of came to me," she said not looking at her friend as she began to plug it back in.
"That's weird. I mean you came running back into the house at Kaien's party and said you were taking off. I figured something must have happened when you were outside," Orihime reasoned.
Rukia shook her head with an award winning face that protected her real reason. "I guess my mind finally clicked and figured it all out." She shrugged.
"That's strange," Orihime said in a curious manner.
Rukia turned to look at her friend with a raised eyebrow, "Are you complaining?"
The strawberry blonde held up both of her hands in defense, "I'm not saying that. It's just out of the blue, that's all; weird."
Rukia shook her head and went about her room throwing a shirt that was on the floor into her open closet. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" she said in a proper voice to get off subject.
"Oh," Orihime said realizing her meaning of being there. "I was going to ask if you wanted to come with me to this function for the premiere of a new magazine tonight. I was asked to do an interview in the first issue and there's this huge dinner event with photo shoots and other interviews and journalists. It's really strange, but it's also really interesting. I figured you might be interested."
Rukia looked at her friend strangely. "First off, why didn't you ask Uryuu to go? And second, do you really think I want to be in the public's eye?" She went around her room picking up clothes that had been there for the past few days due to her minimum movement from her laptop.
Orihime smiled sadly at her friend, "You'll be there as a guest; not for work. I'll do whatever I have to do to make sure you won't get a picture or interview taken that you don't want. And besides," she add as her friend continued to move about the room. "I feel like we don't get a chance to talk anymore. I thought maybe we could spend some time together. Ya know, like old times," she said sheepishly.
Rukia looked back at her friend with a heartwarming feeling. She gave a sad smile and walked over towards her. She placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. "How am I supposed to turn you down now?" she said sadly due to her annoyance in attending a public affair. It was going to be like jumping into a pool of flesh eating paparazzi…
"Okay, you know what I don't get?" she asked in confusion. She was sitting down on the steps to her front door with her head resting on his left shoulder. His right elbow was leaning back on the step behind him.
"How is it that you are always able to run over here so fast and make all my cursing and yells go away? I don't get it. I feel like I could go punch the living day lights out of someone and then you come and all I want to do is crawl up into a ball next to you. Explain this," she commanded.
He smirked, "I have that affect on women," he said cockily, earning him an elbow in the gut. He grunted from the impact and then spoke. "I just know you so well, I guess. I mean, it took a little time to completely figure you out, but once I got it, everything just seems to… make sense I guess. It's hard to explain, but I feel like I just know how to calm you down in cases like these. It's weird," he finished with a look that showed he was trying to understand it himself.
"Well then I guess that means you're the only guy in the whole world that can catch me when I'm falling, huh?" she asked with a smirk as she turned to look up into his amber eyes.
He smirked down at her, "Well if you keep leavin' me openings…" She elbowed him again. He sighed with a smile, "You writers and your words…"
"Rukia, get inside," Byakuya said from the door in a cold manner.
Rukia rolled her eyes and stood up. She began to walk to the door that her brother disappeared through, but turned when she went to close the door behind her. "See ya later, Strawberry," she said with a smirk as he shook his head with fake annoyance as a smile crept onto his lips.
"Rukia, wake up. We're here," Orihime said perkily as she parked the car.
She blinked a bit and registered where she was. She sighed. Her dream had surprisingly been a memory of her childhood. It was a few months before she and Ichigo had finally become a couple and even then she knew she loved him. Its weird how things turn out the way they do…
"Oh this is just amazing! It doesn't even look like what I imagined!" Orihime said in excitement as Rukia walked by her side with a smile on her lips as she shook her head. It really was different. It was more like a party instead of a business event. Off in the corners of this enormous hall was where the photo shoots were taking place. The occasional table of an interview was placed randomly throughout the room. In the middle was where guests stood and enjoyed a drink or a plate of food from the buffet tables along one side of the room.
"Come on, Rukia," Orihime said nudging her friend's arm with her elbow, "It looks like it's going to be more fun than you thought it would."
Rukia rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get a drink already," she said moving towards a waiter walking across the floor. She grabbed two glasses of champagne and handed one to Orihime, who shook her head.
"I still have to do an interview. I want to be completely sober for it," Orihime said with no way of her mind being changed.
Rukia shrugged, "Suit yourself." The raven haired woman took the glass meant for her friend and downed it before placing it on a tray being held by a walking by waiter.
"Rukia," Orihime said in surprise.
"What?" she said in response. "If you want me to enjoy myself then I'm gonna need a few of these in me first."
Orihime frowned, "You go to public events all the time. Why are you being so difficult?"
Rukia sighed, "I go to fundraisers, charity events, or things that my friends are involved in such as a movie premiere. This is where someone goes when they want attention from the damn cameras and busybodies or if they are being paid to be here. Everyone who is here is here to dig into certain people's lives in order to get a pretty amount of money in their pockets. I am here because you asked me. I'm not even getting paid," she finished by downing the other glass. She took a deep breath afterwards and looked at a door that continued to swing open from people going in and out. "I swear to god if I end up on the cover of some bullshit magazine," she mumbled.
"This is my job, Rukia. I am one of those damn busybodies. I may not be an actress like Momo where you could go to a premiere of a movie or a fashion expert like Rangiku where you could go to a fashion expo," she frowned in disappointment. "But I'm a reporter. I dig into certain people's lives in order to get a pretty amount of money in my pocket," she said somewhat bitterly.
Rukia was shocked. This conversation took a complete turn and her usually perky friend was staring at her with anger and hurt in her eyes. "Orihime, I didn't-"
"You're so afraid of being seen in public and most people would kill to have your kind of fame. You aren't even a movie star or a rock star. To be famous and be a writer is so lucky! People read books less and less as the years go by and the fact that you are seen as such an icon is amazing! You should be setting an example for people on how they can be heard by doing different things- not just winning beauty pageants or having a pretty voice." She shook her head, "And all the cameras ever do is make you look angelic." Her face continued to give a frown. "You can't even support one of your best friends."
Rukia felt so small. She never had Orihime talk to her like this. She had insulted her best friend without realizing it. Her mind was too wrapped up in her own affairs. Orihime asked her to be with her for this function. Not Uryuu, not Tatsuki, Rangiku or Momo, not Chad or even Ichigo. She asked her. And she threw it in her face.
"I can! It's just I was too busy think-" Rukia began to explain, but was cut off.
"I have to go. My interview is supposed to start in two minutes," she said avoiding eye contact. "I'll see you later," she said walking away.
Rukia's mouth was left ajar. 'Did that seriously just happen?' she thought as her mind was having trouble processing it all. Her usual instinct would have told her to go after her and clear it all up, but right now, she felt like she shouldn't. She would let her do her job and then hopefully clear things up afterwards. She exhaled and looked around. Another glass of champagne caught her sight. In fact, four glasses of champagne caught her sight and she made a beeline for them.
After drinking down all four glasses, a small burp came out of her mouth startlingly, causing her hand to fly up to her mouth from surprise. She looked around to make sure no one had seen her and then noticed people continuing to come out of that room that she noticed from before. She picked up another glass and began to wander off in that direction.
She stepped through the door and noticed people moving all around. She curiously continued to walk in after placing the empty glass on a table and once she turned a corner, she saw the big deal. There was a huge photo shoot going on, but more in particular was who was being shot.
Ichigo Kurosaki was posing for the camera as she stood watching from a distance. He had a pair of khaki shorts on with nothing but his bare abdomen and chest. He was leaning back against a concrete wall with his hands in his pockets. His head was tilted to the side slightly as his eyes stared into the camera with the utmost curiosity.
"That's it! Try to understand the camera! Try to understand why it's here! Perfect!" yelled the photographer. Once Rukia gave the woman a glimpse, she noticed it was Yoruichi Shihouin; one of the most talented photographers in the business. People would pay her millions to get a single picture taken by her. And it would have been no surprise if Ichigo was asked by Urahara Kisuke to do a job with her.
Urahara and Yoruichi were residents in Karakura during Rukia and Ichigo's childhood and were very close with both Isshin Kurosaki and Byakuya Kuchiki. Thus, Rukia and Ichigo often saw them; whether they wanted to or not. Yoruichi was either flaunty or very authoritative, while Urahara acted very sly or immature. Rukia and Ichigo were always confused on whether or not the two were actually a couple due to their extreme opposite personalities.
Rukia continued to watch as Yoruichi flashed pictures at the orange headed man. She hadn't seen her in years and it felt somewhat strange standing there, watching from a distance. Her eyes drifted back to Ichigo. He did actually have a believable expression on his face. In fact, she remembered him staring that way at her. It was an expression of begging to know the truth, the answer, or the reason. She looked away for a moment and let some air out of her mouth. The champagne must have been getting to her, she thought as her eyes found their way back to the man in front of the camera. And as she continued to stare at him, his eyes found their way to hers.
His head slowly turned as his facial expression turned into a somewhat surprised yet hopeful look. The camera continued to flash as Yoruichi yelled. "Kurosaki! What are doing?! Stop wasting my film!"
The purple haired woman turned and saw Rukia standing with her hands folded in front of her with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. Yoruichi raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Well if it isn't little miss Kuchiki!" She began to walk over quickly to the raven haired woman.
"How the hell are you?!" she yelled as her arms were thrown around Rukia in a startling manner. She almost lost her balance as she tried to find the words to reply.
"I-I'm doing good," she said sheepishly with a smile as the woman in front of her let go and stood back with a smile. "How are you?" she added.
"Eh. I have my ups and downs. Damn! I haven't seen you in years! Look at you! You grew into one beautiful woman, Kuchiki!" she said with happiness shown through her voice and the smile that extended from ear to ear.
Rukia broke eye contact and looked down towards the floor in slight embarrassment. She then looked back up, "Thank you."
"You know I absolutely love your books. And I've never been very big on reading, but damn! You had me crying like a baby. I'm so proud of you. I remember seeing this little raven haired girl chase around butterflies in the park and who would have guessed you would become such a talented and successful young individual," the tan woman said with a sincere smile.
Rukia suddenly found herself in awe of the woman in front of her. She had forgotten how supportive she had always been. There were few who ever were supportive of her. Her brother wasn't the kind to give praise or encouragement, but Yoruichi was. And for that, Rukia hugged her tightly. "Thank you," she said again as her head was positioned over Yoruichi's shoulder. She pulled away and the two smiled at each other.
"So how's that brother of yours doing? I haven't spoken to him in awhile," she asked in interest.
Rukia sighed, "I haven't been able to talk to him much lately either. He's been, ya know, on business."
Yoruichi opened her mouth with a silent, "Oh," and nodded in understanding. "I trust he's been sending you messages every now and then so you know he is okay?" she said in a tone that presented a certain ass kicking if he had failed to follow her instructions from long ago.
"Yes. I got one two days ago," she thought for a moment and then pulled out her phone and read, "It said, 'Hello Rukia. Currently swimming in the tropics. Weather is beautiful. Although I have been stung by a jellyfish on my left shoulder, I am healing and should be completely fine for my return. Hope you are well, Byakuya.'"
Yoruichi smirked, "Cryptic as ever. Well at least he'll be coming back soon."
Rukia sighed, "Yeah, but hearing that he got shot in the shoulder isn't very settling."
"I know, but he's too stubborn to let anyone get a good shot on him. Don't worry yourself, Rukia. He always comes back," she said with reassurance.
"Yeah," she agreed softly.
"I have to go look over some pictures I just took of that orange headed idiot. Why don't you stick around and watch?" she suggested.
"Uh, I don't kno-" Rukia began, but was interrupted.
"Oh come on. I heard you and Kurosaki haven't talked much lately. Why don't you two catch up?" she said beginning to walk away.
"Yoruichi, I don't think-" Rukia began to say louder as the distance between them got greater.
"I won't take 'no' for an answer!" she yelled before grabbing her camera and walking out of sight.
Rukia sighed and began to walk around; looking at all the props around the room. She saw a table of drinks. There were bottles of water and soda, but her hands went straight for yet another glass of champagne. She finished three glasses, grabbed a full one and decided to look around again.
As she looked at an area which was set up for a different scenery shooting, which was a piece of a wall with a window on it. She felt her phone buzz in her back pocket causing her to jump and spill some of the champagne on the floor. She pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket and read the text she had received. 'Finally going to sleep after long day of filming. Miss you!' was the message from Shuuhei.
She sighed and put it back in her pocket without replying. She didn't feel like it. She shouldn't have to do anything she didn't want to do, right? She brought the glass to her lips and finished the liquid inside. Then, she took a step forward and found she had slipped on the champagne she had spilled from before. The glass flew out of her hand as she was on her way to slamming backwards into the floor, before she felt an arm underneath her and another one wrap around her from above.
Her eyes then registered the sight above her. He stared down at her with the smallest impression of a smile. "You're still leavin' me openings, Kuchiki," he said softly.
She was shocked at first, but her lips revealed just as much of a smile as him. "I guess so," she replied before reaching up and placing her hand across his chest and onto his right shoulder to balance herself.
There was then a flash. The two looked immediately at their old friend and saw she had a grin across her lips. Ichigo pulled Rukia up onto her feet as Yoruichi came closer.
"That had to be the most natural, yet photogenic picture I have ever taken. I need to use that. You have to let me," she said with her tone leveling between ordering and begging.
Rukia blurted out with a laugh, "Do what ya want. Why should anyone listen to what I say anyway? Besides, it always comes out wrong…"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you okay?" he asked curiously.
Rukia turned and looked at him as if he was crazy, then she smirked. "I'm just peachy, Strawberry. Thanks for asking!" she said with a wink.
He began to chuckle, "Are you… drunk?" he asked suspiciously.
She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him as she laughed at his accusation. "Why would I be drunk? Are you drunk?"
He looked at her as if she spoke a different language, but couldn't hide his smile. He looked down at the floor and saw the shattered glass. He then looked back at her, "How many glasses of champagne have you had?"
Rukia rolled her eyes, "Don't get all parental on me, Kurosaki. I'm not goin' drivin' or anything."
Yoruichi stepped closer and placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder. "How many have you had, Rukia?" she asked sweetly, trying not to get on her bad side.
Rukia sighed and looked up at the ceiling as she began to try and count, "Nine… ten… eleventeen?" she asked as if someone knew the answer.
"Okay, Kuchiki. You need to take a nap or something," Ichigo said with surprise to how much she had. He began to guide her towards an area where there were some chairs and a couch. Yoruichi followed behind them.
"I don't need a nap," she said stubbornly after he pushed her to sit down on the couch. She stood up quickly, but felt dizzy and lost her balance. He placed his hands on her hips to steady her and then pushed her down to the couch again.
"I doubt that," he said in response. He looked back at Yoruichi who stood next to him. "What do you want to do?" he asked, not knowing how to proceed.
She smiled, "Well the girl is trashed. I don't know who she came here with, but I think she needs to go home." It was pretty humorous.
The older woman bent down with her hands on her knees, "Rukia, honey, who did you come here with?"
The raven haired woman scoffed. "Doesn't not matter. She's piss'd because I don't consider people's feelings," she said not looking at either of the two. She then turned and looked into Yoruichi's catlike eyes, "Can you believe that?! Orihime! Pissed! It's ridicululous!"
Ichigo frowned after pushing down the urge to laugh at her growing speech problem. "What happened?"
Rukia waved a hand in his direction, "Don't worry 'bout it. It's not your problem."
That annoyed Ichigo. He didn't know why or how, but it irritated him. He couldn't do anything about it though.
"Take her home, Kurosaki," she said looking down at Rukia who was playing with the buttons on her button down white blouse with a small butterfly print across her heart.
He looked at her somewhat alarmed, "But we're not done."
"I think we are," she smiled, holding up the camera. "That last one should be the clincher for the magazine's premiere. I doubt they would deny that once they see it."
Share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in
Because its cold outside, its cold outside
Share with me the secrets that you kept in
Because its cold inside, its cold inside
Ichigo sighed. He didn't know if he liked the idea of using a picture consisting of him and Rukia. It was risky for both his and her relationship. But they trusted them right? It wasn't like they were having an affair. They were just good friends, so it shouldn't be a big deal. He looked back at Rukia and knelt down. "Rukia," he said to get her attention. She looked up.
And your slowly shaking finger tips
Show that you're scared like me so
Lets pretend were alone
And I know you may be scared
And I know we're unprepared
But I don't care
He looked into her innocent violet eyes, "Are you sure it's fine to use whatever photo Yoruichi's got of us? I don't want you afraid of rumors or Shuuhei getting upset."
She smiled at him, "I don't care 'bout what people think, Ichigo," she said confidently.
He looked at her strangely. "But you made such a big deal before when the misunderstandings with the press took place…"
Tell me tell me
What makes you think that you are invincible
I can see it in your eyes that you're so sure
Please don't tell me that I'm the only one that's vulnerable
Impossible
She laughed, "That was 'cause I din't want to hear people saying I was with you. Too many painful memries," she said with a sigh and then looked down at her lap.
Ichigo's heart fell as he watched how easily she said that to him. It's amazing the things people say when they are under the influence…
I was born to tell you "I love you"
Isn't that a song already
I get a B in originality
And its true I can't go on without you
Your smile makes me see clearer
If you could only see in the mirror what I see
Yoruichi looked down sadly at the two. She always thought they went well together. She was one of the many who didn't understand what happened to cause such a drift.
He tilted his head to try and see her face. He then reached up and tilted her head up to look at him with his hand under her chin. "Why would it be fine now?"
She smiled sadly at him, "Because we've both moved on."
And your slowly shaking finger tips
Show that you're scared like me so
Lets pretend we're alone
And I know you may be scared
And I know we're unprepared
But I don't care
There was a moment of silence. Despite how believable her words sounded, her eyes gave her away. He saw them betray her every effort to persuade him and herself that it was true. But he wouldn't do anything about it; he knew he wouldn't. So he gave her the same sad smile in return, "Yeah," he said softly. "Let's get you home."
Tell me tell me
What makes you think that you are invincible
I can see it in your eyes that you're so sure
Please don't tell me that I'm the only one that's vulnerable
Impossible
He stood up and held his hand down to her. She grabbed his hand and let him pull her up, but she had no balance and was about to fall when he pulled her tightly to him. "Okay!" he laughed. "I guess I'm gonna need to carry you."
Rukia gave a disgusted chuckle. "I can walk!"
"Oh yeah?" he asked sarcastically. "Then go for it," he said letting go of her and taking a step back.
Slow down girl you're not going anywhere
Just wait around and see
Maybe I'm much more you never no what lies ahead
She put on a determined face, or as close as she could get to a determined face in her state, and took a few steps before Ichigo caught her yet again before she fell. "Still think you can walk?"
"Still think you can eat?" she said in response.
He frowned, "What does that even mean?"
"Exactly!" she said excitedly.
I promise I can be anyone I can be anything
Just because you were hurt doesn't mean you shouldn't bleed
I can be anyone, anything I promise I can be what you need, I can be what you need
"Okay!" he said before he scooped her up and carried her with her knees bent over one arm and her back leaning on the other. "You don't even know what you are saying anymore."
"I'll find Orihime and tell her you're taking her home," Yoruichi said from behind. Ichigo gave a nod and began to walk towards the doors where his car would be.
She sighed as she began to close her eyes and placed her arms around his neck, "I hate this."
Tell me tell me
What makes you think that you are invincible
I can see it in your eyes that you're so sure
Please don't tell me that I'm the only one that's vulnerable
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up from how gentle her touch was across his skin. He looked down at her as she got comfortable in his grasp. "You're the one that drank eleventeen glasses of champagne," he said making fun of her speech even though he doubted she would catch it.
"No," she said with her eyes still shut. "I hate how you're still the one person who catches me."
Ichigo smiled down sadly at her. He knew she didn't mean 'hate'. That's just who she was. She was the kind of person that put up her defenses to avoid anyone from knowing the complete truth. This was as close as he was going to get to anything she really meant. He let out a single chuckle, "Such a writer…"
Impossible
He sat in an armchair that was a few feet away from her bed, which he had placed her in hours ago. After she slept for about an hour, she woke up and he was there to guide her to the refresher. And after thirty five minutes of that, she passed out in her bed again. He took this time to sleep some himself. He woke up about five hours later and found she was still clearly not joining the living world anytime soon. So he grabbed a copy of her first book and began to read it for the fifth time.
Two more hours passed when she finally rose from her slumber. Her hair was slightly ruffled from her sleep and she wondered where she was. She couldn't remember half of the day before and she knew the reason when her head began to pound. She groaned and began to rub her temples.
"I thought you learned not to do that much back at one of your brother's 'business' gatherings…" he said with a smirk.
She looked up and found it surprising to see specifically him sitting in one of her armchairs in her bedroom. She groaned again, "I thought I did too."
"And champagne of all things…" he added as he closed the book and sat it on his lap.
She sighed again and continued to rub her temples, but harder. "I hate how that is the one drink that hates me more than anything. And it's such a wimpy drink too," she whined.
He chuckled, "Never understood it myself. You could handle J.D. with no problems, but a dainty, crappy ass French drink could wipe the floor with you."
She gave him a glare, "Don't push it."
He held his hands up in defense, "Just stating the obvious, Kuchiki."
"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked in annoyance. She had only talked civilly with him a few days ago and she had no idea why he thought he could walk right in and start up such a casual conversation.
He raised an eyebrow, "I guess that's the closest I'm gonna get to any appreciation from you."
"What the hell are you complaining about?" she said getting irritated by the millisecond.
He gave her an unemotional stare, "I said," he said with a much louder volume. "I guess that's the closest I'm gonna-" he began in a yelling manner.
Her hands flung to her ears, "I'm not deaf, Kurosaki! I know what you said! I don't know why you said it! Bastard…" she finished knowing he wanted to make the headache worse.
He smirked and then titled his head curiously, "Do you seriously not remember?"
She looked at him in a way that was clear that she was completely unaware of what the past few hours held. He sighed, "All you need to know is that you drank too much, got drunk and needed to be taken home."
She looked at him in a different light. "You… brought me here?"
He broke eye contact and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. You were falling all over the place. I couldn't let you get a concussion or anything."
She looked down and then pulled at her still buttoned white blouse and then her jeans. He spoke again, "I thought it would be too much if I changed you. Took off your shoes though," he added sheepishly with an awkward chuckle.
She smiled down at her lap. She then looked up at him, "How did I end up running into you? The last thing I remember is talking to Yoruichi and then finding a table with more drinks."
"You ended up slipping and almost cracking your skull on some camera equipment. I got ya just in time," he said quickly as to avoid too much concentration on the sentence. He didn't want to be praised; not like she would but still.
"Oh," she said quietly with understanding. She looked at the clock in the still ill lit room and noticed it was 3:34… in the morning. She then quickly looked back at the orange headed man. "How long have I been here?"
He looked at the clock as well, "About nine hours."
Her eyes went wide, "How long have you been…"
"About nine hours," he said again.
She shook her head and rubbed a temple, "Why?" she asked not looking at him.
He chuckled, "Someone had to be here when you needed help to the toilet."
This made her groan and throw a hand to cover her face, "So I didn't imagine someone holding my hair back…"
He laughed again, then leaving them in silence. "Do you need anything? Water or somethin'?"
She sighed and shook her head, "No, I think I can handle it from here."
He nodded slowly in understanding. Seconds passed by before he spoke. "You want to tell me why you were trashing yourself last night? Something about Orihime?"
She threw her head back down on the pillow as she stared up at the ceiling. "Not particularly."
"Don't lie to me. It got you pretty worked up," he said casually.
She sighed, "She asked me to come with her because she had to do an interview. She wanted to spend time with me because we barely see each other anymore. I hated being there because I hate anything that has to do with paparazzi. I think they are scum," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's just my opinion. I think they take the truth and twist it. They live off someone else's success and I hate giving them their next paycheck."
"Well Kuchiki, don't hold back. Please, tell me what you really think," he said sarcastically.
She bent her head up to see him, grabbed a pillow next to her and threw it in his direction. "Shut up! Do you want to hear it or not?"
He waved his hand, "Go ahead," he said lazily.
She dropped her head back on the pillow and looked back up at the ceiling. "She then took it personally. She said she was one of them now and that I don't know how to support her. She compared herself with Momo and Rangiku. She told me I should be embracing the spotlight because of what I'm known for, not running from it." She leaned up off the mattress with her elbows, "Ridiculous, huh?"
There was silence, but then he opened his mouth in alarm and pointed his thumb at himself, "Am I supposed to speak now?"
Rukia, slightly impatient, yelled, "Yes!"
"Well I completely agree with Orihime," he said simply.
"What?!" Rukia asked incredulously with a frown.
He sighed, "Relax, midget. I see where you're coming from. How could I not? But she makes more sense than you."
She sat up completely and crossed her arms over her chest, "Alright. I'm listening," she said stubbornly.
"The whole point of you going was to spend time with one of your best friends, right? You shouldn't have been so damn miserable when you weren't even there for the reason of getting attention. You were there with your friend, and it obviously hasn't clicked with you that Orihime hosts a television show that interviews the lives of celebrities. That is another way of saying 'interviewer' or 'media' or 'paparazzi'. She's one of those people you supposedly hate so much. Does she dig into people's lives in hopes of her next paycheck? Do you know her to be this scum that you have obviously labeled them as?"
Rukia stared at him speechless. She knew Orihime wasn't like that. She was one of the nicest people she had ever met, if not the nicest. "No… she's not like that at all," she said softly.
"So do you think it's possible that you've just been driven by some bad experiences?"
She sighed, "Yeah." There was some silence. She chuckled, "You sound like a shrink."
He smirked, "Well you need one right now." Silence filled the room again.
"What do you think about me hiding from the cameras? You think she's right?" she asked with complete seriousness. Her eyes somehow found his in the dim lit room.
"Honestly, there's no right or wrong there. If you don't want the world to know your business than you don't have to do shit," he said easily. "But she does have a point. You're a writer, Rukia; a damn good one. Your face is known all over the place. Everything you've done represents to people all over the world that they don't have to either be a singer or an actor in order to be famous. They don't have to focus on being like everyone else striving to be noticed. They can do what they love and get seen for it. That's the kind of message Orihime things you can send to the world," he finished with a shrug. "It makes sense."
She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, "Now it makes sense." They sat silently for a moment as she stared into her lap. She then chuckled and looked up at him again. "How do you do it?"
He raised an eyebrow as a response. She chuckled again. "How do you be you whenever I need it? Even after all these years."
"I guess I still have that affect on women," he said suavely. She laughed, "Or maybe just this one."
His chest grew tighter at her last statement. He clenched his fist on his lap and disappointedly chose not to harp over her declaration. "So, uh, I'm guessing you don't remember the picture then, huh?"
She looked curiously at him. "No…"
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck for the millionth time in the past few minutes. "Yoruichi kinda snapped a picture when I caught you from falling. She asked if it was okay if she used that one," he paused for a bit. "You said 'yes'." He decided to avoid any details that she'd probably shoot herself for saying.
She frowned and looked down to her lap. She thought for a moment and then looked up at him again with a smile. "I guess this is the start of my campaign, huh?"
He gave her a questioning look, causing her to explain herself. "This is the start of showing myself to the world."
He hesitated, "Does this mean… you're fine with it?"
She smiled and gave a determined, single nod. "If it was that good of a picture, then why not?"
"Damn. That was relatively easy. You don't put up much of a fight anymore, do ya Kuchiki?" he said jokingly.
"Were you hoping for a fist fight?" she said with a smirk.
"Hell no. I'm basking in my victory right now," he said in complete accomplishment.
"But if you think about it, you had to deal with me head first in the toilet. Can you really count that as a victory?" she said making a very good point.
He frowned, "You had to ruin it, didn't you?"
She grinned, "Mhm." She then saw it on his lap. Her mouth opened, but words hesitated to come out. Finally she pushed. "Are you reading my book?" she asked with shock.
He looked down at it and then placed it on the table next to him, "Uh, yeah. Why are you so surprised?"
"I don't know. I mean, you've said you've read them. It's just weird seeing you read it."
He shrugged. "I like it. I've always liked your writing," he said simply. "I was the one that submitted that piece you wrote back in that contest in high school, ya know. I think I was the first to realize how amazing you are. I should get credit for that," he said confidently.
"Oh yeah? You don't think you're getting enough credit for all those silly songs you've made? You know? The ones that you've gotten awards for and such?" she said pretending to know nothing, but then finishing with a smirk. She tried not to think about his complement too much.
"Nope. Not enough for me," he said stubbornly. She shook her head.
Casually going into a new topic, Rukia spoke. "So what exactly was going on last night? All I know was that it was some new magazine. I'm kind of surprised Yoruichi would bother herself with something like that."
Ichigo stretched his back a bit, "Yeah, well Urahara is the creator of this new magazine, 'Fallen Angel'." Rukia's eyes went wide. "Really?"
Ichigo nodded, "Yeah. I guess he was tired with all the political newspapers and shit."
Rukia brought her finger to her lip and tapped as she thought, "That would explain why Yoruichi was willing to do a photo shoot for it." The orange headed man just gave another nod.
"But why was it so private? There were pictures being taken in the main room. Why were you back there?" she asked curiously.
"Well supposedly I'm going to be in the first few pages and since Yoruichi was doing the pictures, do you really think she would be like everyone else?" He didn't wait for her to reply. "Yeah," he agreed to her thoughts.
Ichigo watched closely as she rolled her head along her shoulders and rubbed her neck. He then spoke softly, "How are you doing?"
She sighed heavily. "Fantastic," she said sarcastically before looking up at him. "My head is pounding right now. Are you that much of an idiot?"
He shook his head, "No midget, I meant, how are you? I haven't talked to you in awhile. How's your brother?"
Rukia's eyebrows shot up. "Are you seriously asking me about my brother?" She couldn't believe her ears.
He exhaled heavily and glared, "Why do you make casually conversation so difficult?"
Rukia held up her hands in defense, "Alright. If you really want to know…" she paused and then answered. "He's on some tropical island right now. He got shot in the shoulder, but he said he'll be fine by the time I see him."
Ichigo gave a chuckle of disgust, "Tough guy," he mumbled.
Rukia just rolled her eyes. Byakuya Kuchiki never favored Ichigo Kurosaki, or visa versa. It wasn't originally because he was dating his sister-in-law, who more or less was his sister, but it started the day his eyes set on him; back when Rukia and Ichigo were just little kids. The reason is still undetermined.
Ichigo felt uncomfortable, but he asked anyway. "What about Hisana?"
Her name hit Rukia's chest harder than usual, probably because she had yet to hear someone say it out loud in months. "She's… no different," she responded softly.
Ichigo looked sadly at the raven haired woman in front of him. She avoided eye contact at the moment. The last time he had asked about her sister was well before their break up those few years ago. He remembered going to visit her in the hospital every three weeks with Rukia's grip on his hand growing tighter and tighter as she continued to talk to her motionless sibling.
Rukia was only six when her life changed. Her family was cut in half as Byakuya was the only one left to take care of her after that. He adopted her as a result. Byakuya had been married to Hisana a year before Rukia had been born, but had been in the family since Hisana was only fourteen. When she was eighteen and he was twenty, he proposed.
"Are you still visiting her every three weeks now that you're far from home?" he asked curiously.
"Of course I am," she said softly, still not looking at him. She then met his amber eyes with her violet. "She's half of my only family. How could I not?"
He smiled softly at her, "I figured you did." He watched her gaze settle on her lap again. He remembered the day he asked what had happened to her sister and he remembered how straight forward Rukia was about it.
"My parents died in a car accident when I was six. They hit some black ice and went completely off the road. My sister was in the back seat. They were taking her to the doctors… she had found out she was pregnant." He remembered her emotionless voice as if she was rehearsing for an oral report for school. He always thought his childhood was hard after losing his mother, but he always looked to Rukia for the strength she possessed. She was so young and lost so many.
"Hey, what's this book you're writing about?" he asked changing the subject. She didn't need to feel depressed while she was enduring a hangover.
Rukia looked up at him with wide eyes, "Um, it's… not really about anything."
He gave her an incredulous look, "So you're writing about jack shit? Well that's gonna be a top seller," he said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest.
She glared, "It's about something!" She sighed to calm herself down; it wasn't good for her pounding head. She looked away from him for a moment, "I just haven't told anyone anything about it yet."
He leaned back and placed his feet on the hassock in front of him. He spoke with a smirk, "Ohhhh, it's a secret. Too embarrassing for you to talk about?"
She looked at him as if he was crazy, "No."
He brought his hands back behind his head, "Ah, so you're too embarrassed to talk about it with me," he said more as a statement than a question.
Rukia was now confused, "Wait, what?"
His smirk turned into a grin, "I didn't realize you liked writing that X-rated stuff. It's interesting to find out these things after so much time."
She felt her cheeks tinge pink in the dim light. "What?! Dream on, Kurosaki!" she yelled throwing yet another pillow at him.
He couldn't help but chuckle at her discomfort. She quickly added another statement, "Just because you're a porn addict doesn't mean everyone else is."
He raised his eyebrow at her, "I'm not a porn addict." He then smirked, "I don't need to be with all the women in the world throwing themselves at me."
Rukia smirked, "You mean throwing up on you."
He glared, "That would be only you, Kuchiki." The two glared at each other for a few seconds before slowing turning into a chuckle.
She then stared into his eyes for a moment. They had gone backwards in time it felt. Not to the time where they were together, but before that. Like that memory she dreamt the previous day. They were acting like the best friends they used to be and they had both gotten lost in that feeling. She finally said what was on her mind and then, she regretted it. "Senna's probably worrying about you, huh?"
Ichigo's chest immediately fell. He wasn't expecting to hear that and he wish he hadn't. "I told her a friend needed me to take care of them," he said short and to the point.
"Does she know it was me?" Rukia asked curiously before she could think about the question.
He stared at her for a moment and knew he couldn't lie. "No."
Rukia broke eye contact and nodded continuously, not knowing what else to say. "You might want to get back to her."
Ichigo didn't reply. He just sat there staring at her. He tried to read her. From what he could tell, she didn't want him to leave, but she knew he was with Senna now and that made her not want to cross any boundaries. He understood that, but if he wanted to spend time with an old friend, Senna shouldn't have a problem with that. "Rukia," he began, but she quickly spoke.
"I didn't see her at Kaien's party."
He tried to avoid her gaze. "That's because she wasn't there."
"Why not? Isshin is probably dying to meet her. He's still trying to get me to call him 'Dad'," she finished with a chuckle.
He didn't laugh at this, but instead kept his gaze on the floor. "I didn't tell her about it."
Rukia looked suspiciously at him. "What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.
He then looked up into her questioning violet eyes. "I didn't want her to meet my family." She continued to look at him with no understanding. He then spoke again, "The last time I brought a girl into my family life it left them completely attached to her. The old man's still hoping she'll call him 'Dad,'" he said with a sad smile.
He didn't know why he had told her that. He must have felt deep down that he needed to make it even for what she had let him see and hear last night, even though she was unaware of her actions.
Rukia was left speechless. She really had nothing to say. Thankfully, she didn't have to say anything. Ichigo stood up from the chair and began to walk towards the door, but stopped with his back facing her. He turned his head back slightly as he spoke. "Did you dig yourself out of that hole you were in yet?"
She smiled at his back, "Yeah. You're feeling was right. I've been writing like crazy lately."
He nodded and smiled to himself, "Good." He then walked to the door and turned around before completely walking out. "I'll catch you later, Kuchiki."
She smirked, "Hopefully you won't have to any time soon."
"Hey, ya never know. You could see this picture tomorrow and then think you're all buddy-buddy with champagne. I'll end up spending another night in that armchair over there," he paused, "That is, when I'm not holding your hair 'cause your head is deep in the bowl."
"I doubt I'll need you to come running again. I'd be a big ass if I wanted to put myself through that again," she said rubbing her head.
"Whatever you say. But I'm not complaining. It'll give me a chance to finish your book for the fifth time," he said with a wink. "Later, Rukia."
She smiled. "Bye," she said before he walked out of the room.
Her fingers graced across each key, not stopping to contemplate the thought she had just typed. The words flowed from her mind to her fingertips in a mad frenzy since that orange headed man walked out of her door yesterday morning. She had been basically sitting in that chair the entire time that had past with a few exceptions: food, bathroom and an apology.
She had called up Orihime the afternoon before and made it very clear how sorry she was. She admitted how cold hearted she had acted and that she was not giving any support to her best friend. Orihime tried to apologize for coming off as a mean person, but Rukia quickly rejected it and told her she was now going to do what Orihime said, which was to stop hiding from the media. Everything was back to normal after that.
Now she was sitting back in her chair; her fingers intertwined behind her head, and her chest filling up with air. She exhaled loudly and smiled at the screen. She knew how to acknowledge her hard work; a secret smile and the cracking of her knuckles before she continued.
There was a knock at her door and then Orihime came walking in. "Still at it?" she said in more of a statement than a question. She chuckled, "Is it weird that I'm not surprised?"
Rukia smiled as she continued to type, "I guess not. What brings you to my humble abode?" she asked as she stopped typing and spun her chair around to look at her with a welcoming smile.
Orihime smiled. "Well…" she began slowly. "That magazine came out today. You know the one we went to the other night?"
"Fallen Angel? Yeah, Ichigo told me about it. I can't believe Urahara moved into the superstar realm. I thought he liked doing traditional journalism and such," Rukia reasoned out loud.
"I think Yoruichi might have had something to do with his change," Orihime added.
Rukia squinted as she thought, "Weird. They are always seen together yet it's always so questionable on whether or not they are together," the two sat there thinking for a minute until Orihime brought them back to earth.
"So the first issue came out this morning," she led in, catching Rukia's attention more now.
The strawberry blonde pulled it out from behind her back and held it out to the sitting raven haired woman. Rukia's mouth began to hang open. She slowly reached out and grabbed the magazine, bringing it slowly closer to her.
The picture didn't end up in the first couple of pages. There they were on the cover. Rukia's chest began to pound. The picture was beautiful. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought they had been dancing and he had dipped her. Her hand was placed on his shoulder, while her other was placed on his chest. His hand closest to the camera was placed on her waist, while his other was wrapped around her; on the small of her back.
Their clothes were opposites; he wore a black buttoned down long sleeve shirt with thin vertical white stripes along with a pair of dark blue jeans. She wore a white button down blouse with a black sketch of a butterfly just visible on her left breast along with a pair of light blue jeans.
The scenery worked perfectly. Ichigo was bent just enough so that the window scene behind them was visible, where a moon and night sky was photo-shopped in yet it looked completely natural. The lighting around them was dark with only the window illuminating them.
The final draw-in was their captivated stare on each other. It was as if everything around them did not matter. And with such a sincere, piercing stare came the slightest bit of a smile across each of their lips.
Rukia took a deep breath. "Wow."
"You're telling me," Orihime immediately said after her. "It's hard to believe you were drunk during that," she added with a chuckle.
"I… I don't-" Rukia began.
"You don't know what to say, right? It's an amazing picture that says so much, but you can't put it into words!" Orihime interrupted with excitement.
"Yeah," Rukia continued to speak slowly with her eyes still glued to the magazine. "It looks-"
"Like a fairytale, right?! Like the happily ever after of a prince and princess!" Orihime said with her excitement growing after ever second.
"Well I don't know if I'd say 'fairytale', but-" Rukia began in a correcting tone.
"More like a dream that every girl wished to have, right?! I mean what girl wouldn't want their knight-in-shining-armor hold them like that with the moonlight shining on them?!" she said with her voice coming close to a high pitch scream.
Rukia started to laugh, "Calm yourself, Orihime!" She continued to laugh and shake her head. "I was going to say that it's not half bad."
Orihime's mouth fell open. "That's it?!" she yelled in disbelief.
Rukia blinked at her friend. "What?" she asked not helping the laugh that fell out of her mouth.
"This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen!" she said in a surprisingly defensive tone.
Rukia couldn't help but smile, "Well I don't know about that," she said placing the magazine on the desk as she turned to go back to typing. Her fingers started to hit the keys as Orihime looked at her friend as if she was crazy.
The strawberry blonde walked closer to her so that she was standing inches away from her. "You're a very stubborn woman, Rukia Kuchiki," she said with a smile as she shook her head. She pointed to the magazine. "That is a masterpiece whether you admit it or not."
Rukia smirked as she continued to type away, "Or not."
"Suit yourself," Orihime said with a disappointed smile. She began to walk out of the room, "Just don't forget to read the caption."
Rukia simply let, "Mhm," come out of her mouth as Orihime left. Then, curiosity hit her; and it hit her hard. She stopped in mid-typing and looked at the magazine from the corner of her eye. She then took a deep breath before spinning her chair and picking the literature up. After her eyes went over the image yet again, she found the caption.
'The Most Beautiful And Electrifying Couple Who Refuse It To Be True'
And despite all her past efforts and all her past annoyances, she smiled.
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Long wasn't it? Wow. It took a long time to get out, but I'm glad it's long, so maybe you guys will be happy with that. Hope you liked it. Let me know. Later