Chapter: The Mating Game

Shalan's Say: Yo! What's up? XDDD Just so you guys know, as of this point… I have written all the way to the end… yes I am done writing it! But I'm not going to post it all yet… because I love to leave you all in suspense! But at this point I have started the sequel… are you wondering why? Because! I can't tell you! Read on and review por favor!

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Rukia lay face down on her bed, she was trying to find a comfortable position but every time she thought about the jerk next door she would flip over. The heat was uncomfortable and she began to thrash about. "DAMN YOU ICHIGO KUROSAKI!" She shouted as she did so. Ever since he had kissed her that night she had been thinking about him more and more, the kiss even infiltrated her dreams, only her dreams were much more X rated than anything else… she felt her cheeks flush again. That kiss had been more heated than any other she had received. And it was still so vivid in her mind, even though it had happened several hours before.

He lay on his bed, his arms folded behind his head. A towel was wrapped around his waist as he lay there, his wet body cool enough that he could lay there in some kind of comfort. He heard her curse from the other side of the wall. He grinned. "At least I finally got into her head." He sighed deeply, his windows were opened and the beautiful smell of lavender and roses floated up to him. He closed his eyes and brought back her taste, the sweet taste of ginger and vanilla… he licked his lips. She was perhaps the only girl he knew who could kiss someone so passionately and then push him away.

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Three days had passed and she still couldn't sleep. She rolled over again, pressing her face into her pillow. There had to be some way to get him out of her head. She sighed again and looked out the window. Her indigo eyes searched the stars for some answer to her festering pain. She tilted her head back and whipped her body up, walking into her art studio. She had been practicing earlier and still wore her shoes and leotard, she had left the hose off for the time being. She stepped onto the dance room floor and looked at herself in the mirror.

'So she's up and about huh?' He blinked and thought about her dancing again. 'Maybe I'll give her an audience again…' He chuckled. His body didn't move for a while as he simply thought about her. The gentle curves of her body, her black hair cascaded across his pillow… he shook his head. He couldn't just take her. He had to be tactful about it… he had to think of a way to draw her in now that he had her on his line. He looked over out his open window, the heavy breeze drifting through. "Yeaah… that would work…" His mind thought about the art studio. If he set up a Roman couch in their and draped it rather artfully… "Champagne… no… wine… she likes red wine…" He had always remembered her tell him that… though he never saw her drinking it… she loved red wine… she said she kept it away from her so she wouldn't drink the whole bottle in one night.

"Ichigo?" He heard a voice from the door to his bedroom. "You get all the breeze on your side of the house can… I stay here?" She stood before him in a pair of boxers and a tight white tank. He blinked and looked down at himself, not wearing anything but boxers the striker suddenly, and strangely, felt himself blush.

"I gu-guess… are you high?" He blinked at her. She had pushed him away three days ago and now she was coming back to him… this girl was sending him some pretty mixed signals. She shook her head and sat down on the bed. Ichigo blinked. So she was in his bed… dirty thoughts filled his mind but he shook his head… no… I can't just sleep with her… she needs to mean more than just one lust filled night.

"I haven't been able to sleep," he looked over at her as she spoke, the cool breeze that floated in through the window pricked at her skin, sending goose bumps up her arms and legs. Or was it the close proximity to him? She looked over and he smiled a little.

"I know… the heat's too much isn't it?" There was no way around this conversation being extremely suggestive. He almost flinched as he realized how horrible his last comment sounded.

"Yeah… I lay there in bed and I just want to stab my own head," she laughed, "I hated being hot during the summertime back when Renji and I lived out on the streets."

"So… why did you live on the streets or is that classified information?" He chuckled darkly.

"We grew up out there, my parents died and left me and my brother alone. Renji and I met through dance class like I told you… I fell in love with him then," his heart suddenly dropped out his stomach. She loved Renji? No! How could this happen? "I always thought it was funny that there was a guy dancing with us… but he ended up being an extremely good dancer," she sighed, folding her arms behind her head. "I just wish that I..."

"Wish that you what?" Ichigo choked, he was still trying to get over the fact that the girl he was in love with was in love with another man.

"I wish that I wouldn't have fallen out with him now, there aren't any good guys left in the world, 'cept you but you and I could never be together," she watched the fan blade swirl the heavy air.

"What? Oh why's that Kuchiki?" Ichigo made it like he was teasing but his heart needed to know her answer. He had never felt this kind of an obsession before, just being close to her was intoxicating. He could smell her perfume, the perfect array of citrus and vanilla now fading to ginger and vanilla, the scent he was used to. The mixture of vanilla, ginger and something else… a scent he didn't recognize… then it hit him, turpentine. She smelled like turpentine paint.

"Because… you know… we're totally different," she looked over at him. This tomboy ballerina was making him go insane. His hands wanted to reach out and touch her, take her make her his. He wanted to smell her, to taste her… to hear his name from her lips in a delicious moan. He nearly punched himself, he had to get her out of his head.

"I don't know," he leaned back, trying not to look at her. "I always thought we were twins," the carrot-top chuckled as she smacked him on the stomach. "Ooh! Watch it Kuchiki! It's my body that keeps me moving…"

"It's your body that…" 'I want…' She almost said it… she almost said it… and it was that which made her almost squirm. She wanted him… she knew it now… it wasn't love… it was lust, lust on a midsummer night wasn't wrong was it? "That keeps your fangirls around," she finished smoothly.

"Yeah… probably," he didn't want to interrupt this night with argument. He listened as her breathing slowly faded to the deep breaths of sleeping. He looked over at her and suddenly felt a whole lot worse. The petite dancer was completely relaxed, she lay on her side, one arm relaxed and draped over her own body, one leg fell on the bed in front of the other. He scanned her body, from her delicious pink lips, to her creamy neck and collarbone. Her arm pushed her modest breasts together, plumping them up. Her sweat had soaked the front and he figured the back as he could see the pale coral of her nipples. He felt a bead of sweat drip down his chest and he gulped, his eyes caught the dip of her waist, the slope of her hip, the dip down her long legs.

"Stop checking me out Kurosaki," he heard her sleep fogged voice say to him and he looked away, rolling over on his side.

"Sorry… you're the one that's on my bed," he retorted and closed his eyes but the moment he did that he could see her body in his mind and he could feel the marble-like smoothness of her skin, the silky softness of her neck and lips. He gulped again, he had to take her, if he didn't do it now… he might never get another chance.

"Ichigo," he heard her whisper, "No stupid don't spill that all over my paintings!" She sounded angry. He scooted closer as she settled down. Maybe one little kiss couldn't hurt. He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. They were so soft… and welcoming. He leaned into her, letting his lips ghost over her jaw and neck, the feather light kisses made their way down to her collarbone. He felt torn between the fact that he wanted her and the fact that she was still sleeping. He couldn't take her in her sleep… He bit her neck lightly, leaving his mark on her cream colored neck but as he pulled away he felt a gentle hand on his neck, sliding around and up to hook behind his head. "Are you being a bad boy Kurosaki?" Her eyes were narrowed and he smiled.

Her heart squeezed, he would never know how much she wanted him, how much he meant to her. What was she saying? He didn't mean anything to her! But as his lips descended onto hers she felt like she had just hit a dope-high. One of his hands slid down her back, to her rear end, sliding slowly down her leg and guiding the already moving leg over his hip. He didn't mean anything. She had to keep reminding herself of this as his kisses drove her crazy, the relentless thrumming of his lips against hers as their mouths opened against each other. He hand slipped up her body to her ribcage, sliding upwards towards her breasts, one hand gently cupped a breast and she nearly bit him as his calloused thumb graced her nipple. "Yes," his reply finally came. His free arm curved under her waist, pulling her against him, his lips conquering hers as they fought for dominance. His hands pushed up her shirt as he rolled her over, pinning her onto her back, his body bridged over hers.

'This is wrong… he's not the one I'm supposed to be with… I'm supposed to be with Renji.' Her brain protested as his lips descended on hers. Involuntarily her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer. Her body screamed for him, for more of his touch, for more of his kisses but her mind screamed that this was not right… that she loved Renji… not Kurosaki… never Kurosaki… he was a jerk, a big jerk who called her babe all the time… a big jerk who, after watching her brother and best friend fight had come over and sat through five chick flicks with her…

"You're not protesting…" he grinned from above her. Her breaths were coming in pants, as were his and as his lips descended down onto her collarbone, a part of her body which fascinated him, she felt her will break, she wanted him so badly it was a pain in her chest and her belly. His calloused hands made their way down her body to her stomach, lightly making circles there. She felt her skin tingle, she had never known that someone's touch could light your body on fire.

"N-no…" she groaned lightly and he smirked, his lips taking her again, his hands massaging her breasts with expert ease. Her body arched up against him, begging his hands further. "Pl-please…" her voice was pleading in his ear. 'STUPID! GET AWAY FROM HIM! YOU LOVE RENJI! REEEENNNNNJJJIIIIIIIIII!' She heard the voice in her head again. "Ss-stop…" he tilted his head. Her voice was telling him to stop but her body was telling him to go. She was the queen of mixed signals.

They broke apart, he fell back away from her onto the other side of the bed. She hurriedly pulled down her shirt and folded her arms. In that quick moment he almost let a smirk cross his lips as he saw her pert and extremely erect nipples through her shirt but she backed away from him. "Ichigo… we can't… I told you… I love Renji. I have always loved Renji… and I will never stop loving Renji," with that she turned on her heel and disappeared out of his door. Ichigo let out a grunt of frustration as he dropped back onto the bed. He was never going to get what he wanted… was he? He ran a hand down his sweat covered face. What the hell was wrong with him? He hit his head against the wall a couple of times.

"I love Renji… I love Renji… I love Renji…" She whispered to herself as she dropped her body on her bed. "I love Ichig—NO! I love Renji!" She slapped herself across the face, hard.

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The next morning she walked into her kitchen after a sleepless night. She hadn't gone to sleep at all, he had infiltrated her dreams yet again and she hated it. 'Or do I?' She wondered as she poured water into her coffee pot. She poured the water into her coffee maker then set the pot inside it and turned it on. 'Coffee for two? Oh yeah… I always make his coffee for him…' She went about her usual morning business and as she did so she found herself thinking about him everywhere she went in her house. The dead daisies in the vase had to be thrown away, they reminded her of him, the picture that was half painted in her art studio, it was of him and Renji, her bedroom, it reminded her of him… and the feel of his hands, her bathroom was the only place she could be safe from him. She shut the door to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

"So… do I love him?" The questioned was posed to what she liked to call her brain council, the two little voices in her head that were her devil's advocate, affectionately dubbed Ichigo's best friend and her supported, affectionately called the Cheerleader.

'Yes.' Ichigo's best friend spoke to her. 'Otherwise he wouldn't make you feel the way you do.'

"That doesn't mean anything! So he's talented at making love…" 'Making love…' Her mind fired back the night before… oh how close she had been to letting him make love to her.

'That would have just been sex…' the cheerleader told her and Rukia shook her head.

'But his hands felt so amazing…' Ichigo's best friend and advocate replied.

"Please don't argue… I'll feel insane…" She scrubbed her head, digging her nails into her scalp.

'You're in love with him, point and case.'

'You're in love with Renji.'

'Ichigo…' the advocate sing-sang.

'Renjiii!'

"Shut up," she turned off the shower after she had washed all the conditioner out of her hair. She walked over to her mirror, a towel tied around her body, a smaller towel on top of her head.

"Rukia!" She heard a familiar voice.

"Renji!" She suddenly found herself not as enthusiastic as usual. She loved her best friend… but as he picked her up and swung her around. She found that it had become platonic.

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Faith smiled into her wine glass as her friend across from her told her the specifics of what was supposed to happen. The red head across from her grinned.

"This is all gonna go down in November right?" Faith asked and the redhead nodded. "Are you serious you're gonna be able to pull this off Danielle?"

"I'm so sure that if I don't I'll eat your stinky 'ol pointe shoe," the redhead nodded again.

"Stop that… you're like a freakin' bobble head, good then… everything's set up for our final performance… if she thinks she's gonna get that part and the lead man… I doubt she knows what's gonna hit her."

"You'll get the part even without this, you are the better dancer…"

"I know but I want what goes with it too," she replied and took another sip, signaling that the conversation was over.

BOY! I had fun with that! Lovely teaser no? HEHEE! I bet you thought they were finally gonna do it huh? But you were wrooooong! I can't let them have sex yet! I have to set the stage for another performance!