A/N: Oh my God! Death threats already! And that wasn't even that controversial! I better arm myself while I'm at it. Can't afford to get hurt at this time of the fic! Oh the humanity.

Ha, ha, nonsensical jokes aside, I really am glad though that you guys liked that twist in the last chapter. Actually, that particular set-up I was planning to use in my very first BLEACH fanfic here in , A Chance Meeting (really good story, you guys should take a read into it sometimes) but I decided then that the tone of the scene didn't fully match the atmosphere and themes that I had already set in stone there.

Likewise, upon building up some tension here in Pictures of You, I immediately saw the opportune moment to use that plot device. And don't worry. Don't expect one anytime soon quite again. Yeah, you heard me right, so feel free to let your guard down and simply enjoy another usual chapter of the story.

No really, I'm not trying to maniacally trick you guys into another folly of sorts. No seriously!

Enjoy the story, folks!

Chapter 10
The Exposure

"Oh, Ichigo, you're up already!"

Yuzu was the first to greet her scowling big brother. He was storming down the wooden stairs in an unbridled mix of fury and frustration. Though Karin was simply to herself and eating her breakfast and their father was busily reading through his newspaper with some rounds of coffee, Yuzu was as worrisome as she always was for their eccentric older brother.

Ichigo made a reach for a couple of plates nestled neatly by the sink and spooned in some of the laid out food as if he was in a buffet table.

"You're not going to eat with us here?" Yuzu asked her silent orange-haired brother with a gesture of her greased spatula.

"Thanks Yuzu but I'll just be in my room." He replied though he didn't bother to glance back to make his reply. The young High Schooler was about to make his first step up the flight of stairs when Yuzu sprung up another question.

"Ichigo, if you don't mind me asking, um, who were you talking to up there this morning?"

The substitute Soul Reaper immediately stopped dead in his tracks, the plates of food balanced in his hands suddenly rattled. He tried to muster in an acceptable smile as he finally turned to face her curious little sister. This certainly wasn't something he had seen coming.

Oh crap... He muttered in his mind.

"Yuzu, w-what are you talking?" He decided to play it dumb, atleast to by himself some time to come up with an excuse; though the beads of sweat running down his forehead and the stutters in his voice were sure to give away his lie at any moment.

"Well, it's just that we've heard you talking and shouting up there. Do you have company?" She replied, though the wonder in her countenance still wasn't waning.

Damn, I knew she was going to say that.

To make matters worse, now, Karin and their father had dropped their respective actions and were now facing the orange-haired 15 year old, put on the spot. They have heard the noises as well and were now suspicious as well as to just what Ichigo does inside his room all day. A man to himself up there throughout the duration of the day is surely something to puzzle about.

"Now that you mention it, I have been hearing him talking to somebody up there." Karin brought up, weighing down the evidence some more.

The pressure was racking up on Ichigo as his family members eagerly awaited an answer from him. As their eyes literally placed him on the spot, Ichigo tried to come up with an excuse somewhere in his panicking mind. "Uh… uh… I was… um… rehearsing…?" He then phrased reluctantly.

The Kurosaki household took a couple of seconds to process what he had just said.

"Rehearsing?" His father pardoned if he heard it right.

Ichigo then capitalized on the most opportune moment, his dad and his two sisters were beginning to buy his story, and it was best to keep the amount of realism to his blatant lie in tact. "U-uh, yeah, that's right! Rehearsing! I'm in the school play and I was just going over my lines in my room, that's all!"

"You're in a school play?" Yuzu reiterated as well.

"Yeah, i-it's really nothing though, just an extra in this thing we're doing, some lines here and there." The orange-head saw that this was the perfect time for this actor to make his exit stage right. "Well then, I better get back up to my room and practice, right, see you guys later!" He hurryingly summed up his words as fast as he could and quickly raced up the stairs soon after, breakfast in hand.

Leaving his family to their pool of wonder, Ichigo whisked a sigh of relief that he was finally out of the detective spotlight, he continued up his stairs, hoping to address Rukia about a new problem that they apparently have to tackle with now.

Meanwhile, Yuzu and their father were left a bit dumbfounded that Ichigo has found himself some new extra-curricular activities. "I've never really thought Ichigo would be into something like acting." Yuzu said.

"Who knew?" Isshin remarked.

Man, I can't believe how close that was. Ichigo's thoughts echoed as his feet creaked onto each step of the wooden stairs to his room.

I need to tell Rukia to cut down on all the volume up here, myself included. I can't have my family becoming too suspicious that they might come up with ideas to barge in on me unexpectedly.

He was already to his door and with his free hand, he made reach for the doorknob. The tumblers within the lock loosened and he titled the door forward.

Seriously, barging in my room is the last thing I want them to--

Ichigo's eyes grew like saucers as he swung the door open.

Rukia froze in place. There she was, unexpectedly, wearing nothing but her bra, panties, and the denim shorts she was pulling up her waist. She was mindfully dressing in the middle of room, and Ichigo had just walked right in on her.

"guh..." was all that came out of his mouth.

"uhhh..." was all that came out of her's.

There was a brief gawking silence that enveloped them both as they stood there motionless, breathing in the shrivelled awkwardness of the situation.

It took quite awhile before reason began running through veins followed by some severe blushing on both their parts. They blew intensely red as their minds began processing for lost time. "ICHIGO!" Rukia shouted as she tried to cover up with her petite arms to the best that she could though it barely helped. Her face pulsed red like a cherry.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ichigo quickly placed his free hand over his eyes and slammed the door as soon as he could; all the blood was rushing in and out of his face. He couldn't believe that he had just did what he think he did, and to her, of all people.

ARGHH!!! DAMN IT!!!!!!! He screamed in his mind before cursing several more times, an image like that of his roommate would probably be embedded, chiseled in stone in his subconscious forever.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

The plates of food he had secured in his opposite arm were getting cold.

- To Be Continued -

A/N: Well…

THAT was awkward…

NEXT TIME: Awkwardness in the face of dismemberment!