DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH
Momo stood at the podium where the teacher's desk was. Her face was sullen and grim, it was unlike her. The class quieted down as soon as they saw that their most happy-go-lucky member was serious. She was also the treasurer of the student council, how she balanced council activities and club activities was nothing short of a miracle. She pulled back a stray strand of hair and began to speak with a dry voice.
"You all know how we had a student council meeting yesterday right?"
The class didn't answer and so Momo took their silence as a yes.
"Well... After giving our play further consideration, they said that it was too complicated and mature for little children. They're telling us to change it... I know we're already practicing half of act 1 but we need to... While it's still early. Our play has three acts so we have time to change it, we've barely begun with the costumes so we can alter those..."
"Any suggestions?" Momo asked as she pressed her hands against the glass on the table and leaned forward.
"How do we change it?" once classmate said.
"How about we revert it to Cinderella?" a guy proposed.
"No, class 2-D is already doing that. We need a different play." his friend rebutted him.
"How about sleeping beauty?" Ishida Uryu suggested.
"Nah, already happened last year." Renji replied casually as he sighed fitfully.
"Umm... Momo?"
Momo crossed her arms and raised a brow. This ought to be interesting. "Yes Rukia?"
"How about Beauty and the Beast? It's never been done before since no one wants to do the role of Beast." Rukia said with such a cute expression on her face.
"That would be nice Rukia but like you said, who wants to be Beast?"
"I would... I think it's great."
Rukia looked back and the whole class followed suit. A certain handsome orange headed boy was smiling a smile that was closer to a smirk. His hand was raised to indicate that he was the one who offered to do the role. Beauty and the Beast was Rukia's favorite Disney movie among all of them and Ichigo knew that. Was he supporting her?
Rukia's lips curved into a smile. Ichigo saw this and his smile had changed into a genuine warm one. As soon as Rukia witnessed the change, she blushed slightly and mouthed a few words of gratitude to him before facing forward. Ichigo laughed through his nose as he rested his head on his propped up palm handsomely.
The class burst into noise as they began to discuss how exciting it would be to do Beauty and the Beast. The script people began talking about how to do the script. The costume people were discussing on how to make their dresses more french as well as how to do Beast's costume. The people in charge of casting began to put the appropriate people for the role. The props masters were thinking of repainting certain props for a more french vibe. The sound people began discussing on where to find the instrumental versions of the songs played in the Disney movie.
The class was full of life and Rukia's childhood movie was coming to life thanks to Ichigo. This truly gave her a sense of nostalgia as though her sister Hisana was still alive.
Minutes later, the casting crew came with a revised paper and Momo read it with a smile.
"For the role of Belle, we have Rukia. Kurosaki-kun is Beast and Renji's Gaston. That's the major roles... I'll post this paper up on the bulletin board later, you guys okay with that?
They all nodded.
Then Momo grinned deviously. "Oh and Rukia? Looks like you're kissing him after all."
Rukia flushed red. "W-wait! Can't we omit that section?"
They needed to take that kissing scene out... Knowing Ichigo, he could go overboard and kiss the ever loving daylights out of her on stage. Maybe he would kiss her senseless as soon as the lights went off and as soon as they turn it on again, everyone would see that they were making out on stage. Tongue included.
Rukia's head was spinning at the 90% probability and she desperately hoped for the 10% to come true.
"We can't... And besides, a kiss is no big deal. You've done it before, what are you so ashamed about?" Momo said casually but a smile was still plastered on her face.
"What!" the class yelled in perfect synchronization.
The boys made an angry buzz and Renji joined them for once. He was extremely mad like the rest of the males while the girls began interrogating her.
"With who!"
"Uhh... It's a secret."
"Is he handsome! Do we know him!"
"Y-yes and yes?"
"How was your first kiss?"
"P-pleasant..."
"Is he a good kisser?"
"Uhh... Y-yeah..."
"Did you French kiss!"
Rukia flushed red. The words just kept coming out of her mouth. "W-we did..."
They squealed.
"Oh my God! Are you dating! Is he your boyfriend!"
"N-no he's not..."
"How many times have you kissed!"
"More than ten... I think..."
"Are you a virgin!"
"Ehhhhh!"
Ichigo clutched the edges of the table hard and held his stomach in so he wouldn't laugh. This was way too hilarious. She thought he was handsome and contrary to what he initially thought, she did like her first kiss and she admitted that she was a good kisser. Momo stifled a laugh on the other hand.
"She is. Now come on, let's not scare the poor girl. She's already as red as she can get." Momo said with an evident smirk on her face.
Rukia was silent as Ichigo poked her from behind and got her to look at him. He moved forwards and whispered. "Hey... Wanna eat lunch with me at the rooftop? They're planning on badgering you until you say my name." he said sincerely at the start but the end had a smug tone.
Rukia ended up smiling anyway. "I'd like that... Sure..."
Momo smiled at the scene and returned to her seat before whispering a few words to Renji to keep him in check.
Ichigo playfully stole Rukia's tamagoyaki earning him a cold and harsh glare. He simply shrugged it off and that pissed her off. Rukia gritted her teeth and stole his Beef Teppanyaki. He had no right to steal food from her when she made his lunch everyday. Damn rich bastard.
Ichigo ate it off her chopsticks before she could stick it in her mouth. Rukia was so ready to break her chopsticks. Ichigo stole another tamagoyaki.
"If you want it back then why don't you eat it before I take it." he provoked her.
Rukia took the bait and just as he was about to eat it, he took the chopsticks with the tamagoyaki away from his mouth so that Rukia would end up kissing him. Playing games with her was so much fun.
What took Ichigo by surprise was that she didn't pull back. Her eyes were closed now and he was beginning to close his eyes as well. The two involuntarily dropped their bento boxes to the ground as Ichigo's hand found it's way to the small of her back. Rukia's right hand gripped his hair as she angled her head to deepen the kiss. Ichigo probed for entrance and she let it in without much hesitation. The two fought for dominance and Rukia managed to pick up a few tricks from Ichigo himself. Her heart swelled as their tongues connected, it felt to heartfelt having him kiss her as though he truly cared for her more than a friend.
It was only now that Ichigo broke the kiss. Rukia's eyes were looking at his eyes with such confusion. It was a bunch of jumbled emotions, there was so much confusion and he could see she didn't understand them. Heck, he didn't understand himself when he kissed her. He never kissed girls the way he kissed Rukia. The feeling in his chest was enveloping his whole being but he still didn't understand what he was feeling.
Then he asked himself: What do I feel for Rukia?
What if she likes me? Am I leading her on?
But then he pushed that possibility far away. There was no way Rukia would ever like a guy like him. She was too good for him, she deserved better than a piece of shit like him.
All he knew was that any man was lucky to have Rukia's affection.
She's beautiful, smart and strong.
No one could compare to the natural elegance and sophostication she had. She was born with such refinement. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and she would do so in such a straightforward manner. She was a bad liar and she had such a gorgeous voice. Her guitar skills made her shine all the more.
She was perfect.
There was so much more to her than meets the eye. Why was she born into poverty, a girl like her deserved his money and a family.
Ichigo swallowed thickly as he pulled her close to his chest without thinking. "Let's stay like this for a while..." he said.
"Okay..." was all she replied as she rested her head against his lean chest. She could hear his steady breathing and she could hear his strong heartbeat pulsating inside his chest. He was truly warm, she felt comfortable in his arms.
Was she truly in love with him like Momo said? Ever since Momo brought the idea up, Rukia constantly asked herself if she was in love with him. She couldn't tell. She didn't know what it was like to be in love before.
"Hey Ichigo..."
"Yeah?"
"What would you do if I was in love with you?"
Ichigo was taken aback by this question and gave himself some time to think of an answer.
"If you were in love with me... I would kiss you and ask you out... Then I'd date you until I fall in love with you myself." he replied sweetly.
The feeling in her chest grew larger and larger but Rukia suppressed it.
"Is that so?"
"It is so..."
"Why did you answer such a thing Ichigo?"
He thought for a while. "We're friends aren't we? You're the only person I've been this close to aside from my family... I've told you my secrets and I've confided in you... I... I trust you."
Rukia's heart stopped beating the moment he said those three words.
I Trust You.
Her breathing fell short and her heart began to pound profusely. She had never felt like this before.
"I trust you too..." she replied.
Then they both silently thought about what would they feel or what would it sound like should they exchange the word trust with love.
Those three words filled with so much meaning.
Would they ever say that to each other?
Or would they stay good friends?
They enjoyed being in each other's company in the silence.
Renji felt like someone had just ripped his heart right out of his chest. He knew something was up when they went to the rooftop and he was right again. Momo was right, she really was falling in love with him and he couldn't do a fucking thing about it. He had been in love with Rukia for so long only to have her stolen away before he could confess. Based on the way Ichigo looked at her, Renji was sure he wasn't playing her. They were both in love and were in the stage of denial.
He needed to accept that he wasn't the one for Rukia.
How could he?
It was tearing him apart just to watch them. He was so desperate, looking for proof that it was only purely physical and nothing special was going on with them. It was a well told lie because he managed to get himself to believe his own lie. He blinded himself because he refused to acknowledge the truth.
Now he would have to watch them everyday, giving each other discrete looks when no one was watching. He didn't need to follow them just to see them kiss or be a bit intimate. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Renji went down the stairs as though he were dragging his feet. He finally heard the familiar sound of students chatting and talking in the corridor. He couldn't see where he was going and he didn't even know where he wanted to go. He went to the stairs and before he even knew it, someone was holding hik from behind. Their arms were hooked under his arms and when he looked down, he nearly fell off the stairs. He was pulled back and turned around.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing Abarai! Are you crazy? Do you think you can get away with a suicide or a few broken limbs in my territory! You must be joking! I can't let a member of the student body get hurt, who do you think would get in trouble! I would because I'm the president!" she yelled at him like crazy. Her short black hair moved as she spoke.
"K-Kaichou..."
"Idiot, I told you to call me Tatsuki."
He shook his head softly. "It's more comfortable to me to call you Kaichou. No... Taichou is more appropriate..."
She grew angrier. "Oh shut up, just because I'm good at Kendo and Karate doesn't mean I get that stupid nickname."
"They gave you that because you were like a demon instructor." he replied. Finally, smirk surfaced on his handsome face.
She placed her hands on her waist. "Bunch of sissies, the lot of them. Can't handle a little pain, well you were an exception." she chuckled.
"Though seriously... Thanks for rescuing me."
"You make me sound like I just rescued a damsel in distress." she scowled.
He frowned. "Damsel in distress?"
She shook her head as she pulled him back to the corridor and away from the stairs. "Though seriously, it's not like you to space out like that Abarai. Is something wrong?"
"Nah... Why? Are you worried about me?" he teased as he bend down and flicked her head jokingly. "Does Kaichou have a crush on little ol' me?"
She flushed red. "Who in the right mind would have a crush on you! Number one, you're just ugly. You're too tall and two large in build. I know you're not on steroids but you're... Huge. Those tattoos are a turn off and you're red hair does nothing for you."
He laughed. "Of course... Falling in love like a giddy school girl isn't like you."
She cursed under her breath. "Wanna talk about it?"
He smiled softly. "Rukia's being stolen away from me... Though it's not like I had her to begin with... I've been in denial but it's only now I've accepted that fact but... It's hard." he said bitterly.
Tatsuki bit her lip as she looked at his form. He was slouching and his head was down. She sighed and spoke. "Want to spar?" she asked.
"Arisawa... This is no tim-"
"Abarai! You need the practice or are those biceps and abs of yours just for show? Come by anytime..." she offered a before walking off.
Renji just stared at her walking away.
Is she trying to console me?
"That was awfully quick of you... I didn't think you'd swing by the dojo so soon..."
Renji sighed as he grabbed one of the wooden Kendo sticks. He went to the center and assumed a stance without any armor. Tatsuki followed suit but she had to ask. "No armor Abarai?"
"You're not wearing any and you know how I don't mind beating a girl like you up."
She smirked. "Two sets, best two out of three. Set one is Kendo and Set two is Karate. Full points counts as one point in the best two out of three. Got it Abarai?"
His face turned serious. "Then let's get started. I hope I haven't lost my edge from when I was a member of your club."
They sat in total silence. Whenever they sparred. They never followed the conventional rules. Renji made the first strike with one forward blow. Tatsuki blocked it and pushed him back as she stood up from her kneeling stance. Tatsuki made a diagonal slash and Renji blocked it with ease and pushed her back giving himself an opening. He trusted forwards only have Tatsuki recover and redirect the blow.
"Screw Kendo, give me your best shot Renji!" she said confidently.
"Is that something the respectable Kaichou should say!" he replied with a grin as he abandoned his formal stance and went with something he was more comfortable with.
Renji parried a strike from Tatsuki and surged forward. He dodged one strike and spun around to land a hit on her backside. Tatsuki swung her weapon backwards to parry but having your backside to your opponent was an obvious disadvantage. Renji quickly made a swing to the side and Tatsuki was unable to dodge it.
Tatsuki glared at him. "Lucky shot Abarai..."
"Don't tell me the second strongest girl in Japan's getting weak?"
"Correction, it's the strongest girl in Japan now or did that fuzzy headed brain of yours forget that I won that tournament last month?" Tatsuki growled at him as they assumed another starting stance.
In their game, a full set of points was three.
"Ready Arisawa?"
"Keep barking Abarai."
—
Rukia got fed up of waiting and stood up from the couch and gave up on trying to do a Bach fugue on the acoustic guitar. Momo just shook her head while Ichigo was absentmindedly doing the right hand of Schubert's Ave Maria.
"Where the hell is Renji! He knows we've got practice... He can't go slacking off!"
Ichigo laughed as he played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata for comedic effect. "Rukia, that's what you're feeling right now."
"Shut up you ass." she retorted rather quickly.
Momo laughed. "I feel honored, the great Kurosaki Ichigo is playing the piano in my presence." she commented.
"Know that it's not for you Hinamori."
"It's for Rukia, I know." Momo replied as she walked over to Ichigo and pressed a random key totally ruining the serenity of the Moonlight Sonata.
He glared at her. "Hey Hinamori-"
"It's Momo... A friend of Rukia's is a friend of mine. And besides, Hinamori can be a mouthful sometimes." Momo said with a smile.
"Are you two purposely ignoring me?"
"Yes." the two said simultaneously as they looked back to Rukia together.
"Since when did you two start conspiring behind my back?" Rukia said agitatedly.
"Starting now, right Ichigo-kun?"
Ichigo laughed. "You got that right Momo."
Rukua rolled her eyes. Great, she already had Momo, she didn't need another friend to torture her. Since when was she condemned to such cruelty. The three of them faced the door the moment the door opened revealing a certain sensei. They stayed silent and Rukia remembered once more that rainy afternoon with this man.
"Good afternoon... Where's Renji?" he asked casually like the teacher he was.
"Renji's not here." Rukia replies quite hostilely.
"I see."
"Do you need him sir?" Ichigo asked politely.
He shook his head. "It's odd for him to miss out on practice." he stated.
Rukia swallowed thickly. "Is it possible for you to loan us a guitar... An electric guitar?"
He nodded. "I can get it done by tomorrow." he replied.
What an awkward conversation.
What made it all the more always was having their student council president coming in the music room in her Karate Gi carrying a lump with red hair otherwise known as Renji. He carried a few bruises and moaned like a child who had tripped for the first time.
"K-Kaichou... What did you do to him?" Rukia asked horrified.
"This puppy over her was walking around depressed, almost fell down the stairs til' I caught him and all. Told him that if sparring would make him any better, he should stop by so he did. This idiot's only good at Kendo, he got a lucky shot so I got a tad but pissed. I massacred him to a bruised pup. This guy here bruised like a peach... Then again, it was his fault for not wearing any armor to begin with. He got mad when I beat him in Kendo so he randomly swung at me in Karate. Though naturally I just threw him to the nearest wall... Long story short, I beat him up."
Momo burst into laughter. "It's a legal spar... It's practice and all so it's allowed!"
Tatsuki tossed him forward towards Rukia and Momo. "Sorry to keep you from practice."
Ichigo stood up and walked to Renji and took a glance before facing Tatsuki. "Sp you're the president?"
She nodded and gave her hand for formality purposes. "Arisawa Tatsuki, student council president."
He took her hand and shook it. "Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Nice to finally meet you, you're rather popular you know though some rumors have been spreading that you and Fubuki-san are dating... Is this true?"
Ichigo shook his head charmingly. "Sadly." was all he replied.
"You really do have orange hair... I don't get to see you much."
"That's because you're either cramped up in the student council room or you're in the dojo. You have no social life Tatsuki-chan..." Momo sighed.
"Shut up Momo... Well, here's Abarai. If you need anything else just swing by the student council room."
Tatsuki left in an air of formality.
Rukia crouched down and gave him a smile. "You look really beat up... You're getting a black eye Renji." she mocked.
"Shut up... Arisawa's a monster."
Rukia laughed as she extended her hand. Renji took it and he managed to stand up after stumbling for a bit. His drumsticks were somewhere on the couch and he got it. He sat behind the drums. "Sorry for the delay."
Rukia took her Gibson while Ichigo and Momo followed suit.
"By the way Fubuki... I heard Ten no Hoshi from a friend of mine." Kuchiki-sensei said.
Rukia faced his direction. She nearly forgot he was in the room. "Who?"
"He's passed away in a car accident."
"Do you have a name?"
"He wouldn't tell me his name... I only know him because I saw him perform on the street numerous times. He went by the stage name Senbonzakura." he replied before excusing himself and leaving them to their own devices.
Momo stepped forward and placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder. "Looks like we got the wrong guy Rukia... And the reason why he wasn't around was because he got caught in an accident and died."
Rukia nodded in disappointment. "Yeah... Ah well, I've been living fine on my own. So, let's practice?"
Renji gave the starting signal and practice begun.
"Just a little more Rukia... Be a little patient and... I'll be able to fulfill my promise to Hisana." he muttered under his breath as he pressed his back against the music room door.
This room carried a lot of memories for them. Back then, he was sent to a school like this to learn how to live among the common people and Hisana studied here for the same reason why Rukia was studying here. He taught her how to play the guitar and he gave her a Gibson Les Paul. He ended up falling in love with her and dating her until the say she died.
Though they were dating in secret.
If his grandfather found out about him dating one of a lower social class, he would never see Hisana again.
He sighed as he headed towards the rooftop. He took out a cigarette and lit it as soon as he got up.
Hisana did say that his habit of smoking was the only thing that made him seem like the rest of humanity. Though she did scold him for smoking too much, so only did it occasionally.
"Kuchiki Rukia... It does have a nice ring to it doesn't it Hisana?"
He then brought up his hand to look at this simple band of silver on his ring finger.
"So does Kuchiki Hisana... It has a nice ring to it too... It may have been for a short while but... Those days were my happiest."
AN: So here I am with a new chapter after a while, I'm sorry for the delay... took me a while to write some things. Well, I was in my christmas-new year hibernation mode. I have no excuses for being a lazy ass...
I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible.
I am honestly flattered by your reviews and Song For You has been breaking records among my fanfiction... 90 reviews in 11 chapters... damn. Thank you guys soo much and please keep supporting Song For You because I have no intention of dropping this story.
A belated Happy New Year my dearies~
AkaBaka-chan signing off!
