Chapter: Rumors
Shalan's Whisper: Uhm… yeah… XDDDD I know Ichigo was a little OOC last chapter BUT! There's a reason for his OOCness! A good one… anyways… expect Ichigo's ass to be kicked in this chapter… I had someone (Yuuki) tell me that I'm damaging Ichigo's ego in every one of my fics. I have also noticed that there seems to be a pattern for Kaien… XDD I think my mind is sending me subliminal messages that I don't like Ichigo's ego or Kaien Shiba period. XDDDDD Enough of me rambling…
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Her eyes fluttered open, the dark room around her almost blinding. She felt warm and toasty, and as she shifted she noticed a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Her body was pressed up against Ichigo's her legs straddling his lap. Her head was on his shoulder, in the crook of his neck. He smelled good… she took in another breath of his scent, keeping her eyes closed again. He smelled like Old Spice… and something else… she couldn't place it… but she knew she would eventually.
He shifted in his sleep then cracked a bleary eye. He smiled a little at her and she smiled back, curiously. He was surprised she hadn't castrated him in his sleep. He was also surprised that she hadn't punched him yet. After he had entertained her jetlagged mind by watching all three extended edition Lord Of The Rings he had fallen asleep, of course, not before pulling the sleeping girl into his arms.
"Good morning…" He smiled and planted a tender kiss on her lips before removing her from his lap and walking down the hallway to the bungalow. It was a nice house, not over done as many footballers of his status had. Two stories with an attic. It was beautiful to her as she walked through the den to the kitchen into the breakfast nook. Outside the house was a gorgeous garden filled with trees and flowers.
"This place is stunning…" She whispered under her breath.
"Aren't you glad you came?" Ichigo walked back in, pulling his shirt off. "I have to go to practice… do you want to go?" She looked over at him and shrugged.
"I guess I could go… but only if we keep why I'm here a secret…"
"That's a bad idea… there's usually a reporter or two there, looking for dirt on us… you know us… boring, boring Arsenal (1)…" He chuckled and she watched him walk back into the other room.
"Fine… I just won't talk to anyone… How's that?" She followed him. He turned to look at her as he pulled on his t-shirt. His tan cargo shorts hung just past his knees and exposed his powerful calves. She had noticed how muscular he was before but this was the first time she had really noticed.
"That'll be great… but how am I going to introduce you to the crew? Hey there, this is the woman who lives with me…" He asked sarcastically only to see her scoff.
"Psh, you got us into this mess Sherlock (2)," she motioned to him and he scoffed back. She turned and walked off. "I'm going to freshen up… I'll be done in a few minutes…" She disappeared into the extra bedroom where she was staying.
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When they arrived at the pitch the rest of the players were already there. She seemed to show none of the fangirlish tendencies that all the other women he ever brought with him tended to show. She greeted Coach Banfield with a polite handshake. She then sat down on the sidelines to watch the practice.
She tended to shout things to the boys, telling them how to do things that they should do. Finally when she corrected Ichigo on his form he had had enough.
"SHUT UP!" He stormed across the pitch towards her. She stood her ground as he towered over her. "IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THEN COME OUT HERE AND SHOW ME HOW IT'S DONE THEN!!" He fumed.
"Fine… I will… since obviously you never learned the basics of football," she glided past him, her sneakers crunching through the fresh grass. Her white scoop neck t-shirt stretched across her breasts, and as she leaned over Ichigo had a clear shot down her shirt. Her jean shorts were only slightly longer than Daisy Dukes. Her Pumas were white and blue, her favorite colors. Her black hair was back in a French braid down the back of her head. Her black knee brace was for once missing.
She knew she shouldn't be playing without it but she figured that there was nothing she could do about it and nothing too bad could happen, right? Thierry watched sparks fly as he dropped the ball. They watched as she easily stole the ball from Ichigo. She flew around him, dribbling the ball down the field. Ichigo spun and swung his leg out, catching the ball and sending it flying.
She was there, beneath it, bouncing it off her head and onto her knee, kicking it away from Ichigo. He snarled and followed her dangerously close. Her feet moved quickly and she made it past the goalie. Ichigo watched as the goalie threw it back out and he got it that time. He had been watching her movements, she was fluid, but her knee was jerky when she wasn't wearing her brace.
"My ball…" he dribbled it away from her and she grinned, running after him, she stretched her leg out to take the ball but he brought his leg up to block her. In that moment she felt it, the strain of hyperextension. She had pushed herself too far. Her leg suddenly gave out and her body crumpled into a heap on the ground. He swung around with the ball, kicking it with him as he ran past, she gritted her teeth and flipped back up, it was in that split second Ichigo saw it all in slow motion.
She whipped her body up off the ground onto her hands, her feet flying up and kicking the ball straight into the goal, she landed on her feet but the damage had been done. He had never heard her scream quite like that before… and didn't think he would ever again. The unearthly screech that echoed through the entire stadium like a wraith's scream from LOTR. He saw tears stream down her face, sweat broke across her brow as she crumpled back to the ground. He dove and grabbed her before she hit the ground again.
"Rukia…" He stroked her hair back from her face. "CALL AN AMBULANCE!" He called to the team and they scattered to do just that. "Rukia… please… please answer me…" She opened her eyes.
"I guess… I should have stretched…" she whispered with a painful laugh and he chuckled, the team's doctor ran out onto the pitch and within minutes she had gotten her diagnosis.
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"…There was quite a fracas at Arsenal Stadium today when everyone's favorite striker brought his girlfriend to the pitch. She seemed to be a footballer as well and played well against number 11… however soon after she collapsed in pain from what appeared to be a strain to the ACL ligament… information on this woman is limited at the time… however it seems that she… like the others… will not last long…" Rukia turned off the television. Ichigo sat next to her on the couch, waiting patiently until she wanted to talk. Kisuke had been furious when she had told him what she had done… and had insisted upon coming up the next day.
"…brought his girlfriend?" she looked over at him and Ichigo looked back.
"I didn't say anything to them… I was more worried about you…" he wondered what else she had been through other than just this leg injury in that car wreck. She leaned heavily on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her.
"Thank you…" She thought about both times that he had saved her ass… and she laughed slightly. Maybe she had been wrong about the striker… maybe everything that she had heard about him was wrong… maybe everything was… rumors… and now she had a few about herself.
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Several days passed and she was happy to be able to walk around again. She and Ichigo had come to terms, and now spoke (using the term loosely) around the house.
Rumors had erupted about them… hundreds of conspiracy theories and stupid little accusations…
From United States magazines to European news channels… they were all over the front page news… and neither of them liked it much. Fortunately for Rukia no one had placed her face yet, otherwise she would have to explain where she had been and what she had been doing… and why she had been hiding her face from the public.
Ichigo had been taking her with him to the practices, Urahara however was not happy and usually sat beside her to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. She normally would watch with a soft smile on her face and Urahara had begun to notice this.
"Hey!" Ichigo ran up and she stood up. He scooped her up into his arms and swung her around with a laugh. Her eyes shifted and she saw the flash of a camera.
"Ichigo! Put me down…" She shoved him back and he looked confused. She was sending him the weirdest mixed signals. (She's the queen of that isn't she guys?)
"What…" then he noticed the paparazzi.
"You're the reason they think we're a couple!" She turned on him.
"What?"
"YOU'RE ALWAYS HUGGING ME AND PRETENDING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT ME!"
"WHAT WOULD BE WRONG WITH US BEING TOGETHER?" He shouted back. That shut her up. Her jaw clicked shut and he knew he had stepped over the line. He blinked and she slapped him across the face.
"WHAT WOULD BE WRONG?" She repeated but for some reason her smart ass retorts weren't coming, she couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling rising in her stomach, and in her cheeks.
"YES! NAME ONE THING!" Ichigo threw his arms up in the air and she continued to stare at him.
"YOU!" She pointed at him and he scoffed as she turned on her heel and darted off towards the parking lot.
"Damn… you two sure know how to start a scene don't you?" Thierry walked up behind Ichigo and the carrot-top shot him a glare.
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Rukia buried her face in the pillow. She hated rumors, she had turned on the TV and everywhere she looked she saw her own face. She heard about her own argument with Ichigo, she heard about how they were dating, how she was pregnant, how they were secretly eloping next month… everybody had a different theory. She hated it.
It made her hate Ichigo even more, that stupid, womanizing footballer with the sexy smirk. She felt something stir in her stomach as she thought about him. She squashed it. 'I'm nothing like any of those girls, he doesn't affect me like that…' She pressed her face further into the pillow. She hated feeling this way, vulnerable and weak.
She had never been vulnerable and weak in her life, other than when she was a small child. She had always been able to take care of herself. But she had found herself relying on the stupid footballer more than she wanted to. She hated him and everything that he stood for.
She shuddered, she hated him… she wanted him to leave her alone. She felt tears prick at her eyes. This wasn't like her… why was she crying about some idiot that couldn't care less about her.
'WHAT WOULD BE WRONG WITH US BEING TOGETHER?'
She hated him… so why was his voice ringing in her ears? She opened an eye. She had noticed that it had begun raining some time before… but she hadn't paid attention to it. She had chosen to ignore it…
"Ichigo…" She stood up. He was still out there, she had taken the car and left… he wouldn't have any way to get home.
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He walked along the halfway flooded streets with his hands in his pockets. He was completely soaked, and he knew it but he wasn't going to stop. Oh no… he was going to continue on home. He was going to figure out a way to get her to talk to him again.
Why was she so adamant about not falling for him… that had been the bet hadn't it? But the final date was long gone… yet she hadn't stayed the whole time… so he had decided to finish what he had started.
Then why was he falling in love with her?
That was the question he couldn't answer… he didn't understand why it was that he was falling for her… the more he learned about her the more he cared about her. She needed someone to care about her… no one really had before. Was it pity? Maybe it wasn't love…
"Kuchiki… you're an idiot…" He spoke to no one in particular as he walked to the front door. It swung open and a warm fuzzy towel was swung around him and he found himself drawn into a pair of warm arms.
"Get off those wet clothes…" she told him as she shut the door. He stared at her.
"I thought you were mad at me…" He blinked.
"Yeah… I am… but I don't want you to get hypo…" His lips seared against hers, pushing her back against the door. "…thermia…" she breathed as this lips met again, their tongue tangling together. Now she knew why the other girls liked him so much. His kisses were mind blowing. He seemed to have a knack for driving her insane…
…but right now… her insanity made her feel good…
"Get off me Kurosaki!" She pushed him away, trying to gather what was left of her composure. And trying to keep herself from ripping his clothes off right then and there…
"Fine… but the game is still on…" he smirked and she gasped.
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XDD
Sorry about that chapter I had to start putting them together otherwise they'd never get together. XDDDDDD
Shalan