Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

AN: This first scene is kind of a foundation for the two negotiators; though oddly enough it isn't going to be apparent until the epilogue. Long one, I really am trying to wrap it up! haha

Jianna Marie: Thanks for stopping by! Never seen the first name spelled like that before- it's unique and I like it! Hope you stay w/ me!

Abby-Flourite: Come on now, you know me – this chapter is still working up to the party-sorry! But I'm glad you're still hanging in w/ me! Thanks!

Eva's After Dark

Act 3: Scene 4:

Conclusions

The waiting silence that had fallen was fraught with tension. Ichigo had hoped that this last detail would have been ironed out between Rukia and Byakuya alone, but the Corporate Mogul had been beyond booked the last week. Now it was really much too late for a courteous negotiation between the two and that was due to more than one factor.

"I'm afraid that's out of the question." Byakuya finally answered and Ichigo gritted his teeth with a small shake of his head. If Rukia could have gotten the man alone and utilized her sharp debating skills this meeting would have already ended with everyone in accord. But as the opportunity to haggle with the man had never presented itself, this was how it was going down, down being a very astute expression. Now there was shock in the silence that enveloped them. A few moments passed and for once in the last few days Rukia and Evy exchanged glances that were not charged with frustration.

Rukia sat forward slightly, her eyes on the man behind the desk dark like midnight sapphires. "Clearly we have reached an impasse then. We need to have some assertion that Eva's can be overseen by someone outside your corporation or we have no deal."

Byakuya nearly smirked as he met the young woman's unrelenting gaze. I was not wrong about you, Ms. Kyoroku. You are clever. You'd be an asset to this corporation if you weren't so unfailingly loyal to that rag-tag collaborative around you…You went to business school and wound up in a basement with an unknown band; I can't help but wonder what the appeal is. He couldn't help it, for a second his eyes flickered to Evangeline; it was only for an infinitesimal moment, but Rukia had caught it. Her eyes narrowed further.

What could he possibly be thinking? Is it all about leverage, perhaps? Then what about Evy… Is he just stringing her along? Her hands began to ache, her fingernails cutting into her palms. With a deep breath she eased, uncurling her hands to rest flat on her knees.

"Kisuke Urahara has no doubt been an encouraging support for the band. But I cannot help but question his business acumen…" He said. He would not go into detail about his distrust of the man or the fact that his suspicion was garnered by having known the man on a personal level.

But Rukia lifted a brow the smallest smirk on her face as she returned, "But you used to be in business together, did you not? From what I understand Kuchiki Corp's profit margin was never as high as it was when Kisuke Urahara was still a driving force here." She had to suppress the triumphant smile that was itching at the corners of her mouth as Byakuya's face registered surprise for a brief instance.

But Byakuya countered smoothly, "Do you mean to imply that Eva's has become successful due to his continuing patronage? As I understand it under Urahara's supervision the club's popularity has remained rather stagnant for the past year or so. While turnover has been acceptable, enough to keep the place open and allow for some profit for all involved, it has not expanded at any rate."

It was Rukia's turn to look slightly put-off, but like Byakuya she had the ability to recover quickly and mask her initial emotions. "Regardless," She lifted her chin, "We cannot accept your generous contract without considering ownership of Eva's."

Uryu cleared his throat in the awkward silence that ensued, but did not offer his opinion. This was Rukia's area of expertise, and as clever as he was, Uryu was glad it was not him that had been chosen to go head to head with Byakuya Kuchiki in a battle of wits.

Shuhei's muscles tensed as he watched the wordless battle that was being fought at the moment. There was great meaning in the pauses that came about during negotiations he knew. While he himself didn't give a damn about material wealth or anything that drove a corporation, he couldn't help but watch with fascination.

Though no dummy, the bassist's mind was strangely blank. Chad did not need to wonder about the outcome of this debate. His faith had always been in the greater good triumphing over cold-minded capitalism.

Ichigo was silently rooting for Rukia. Byakuya may have been his boss and afforded him a chance at his own label, yadda, yadda, but the little manager's cause was not money-driven. He hadn't realized it, but his eyes were again intensely glued on the girl squaring off against likely her greatest foe. Admiration for her along with another emotion swelled in his chest as he stared at the side of her porcelain face. She really is…

Byakuya's slate eyes continued to bore into the girl's, but he could see no wavering, not even the slightest hint of uncertainty. And though he was loathe to admit it, he wanted this venture to succeed strongly enough that for the first time in his life, when it came to business, he was willing to concede, if only a small bit.

"While I can't agree fully to your request, I believe I can offer you something acceptable… A… partnership. Co-ownership if you will." He finally said and again his words managed to steal the air from everyone's lungs. They had not expected him to give in without further debate. They certainly did not expect the offer for an equal alliance.

"Really?" Evy, who had been sitting back, feigning boredom and ease, sat forward, the surprise and thrill clear in her voice.

He met her gaze and something he conveyed to her silently made her eyes widen. She looked away quickly.

The next half-hour seemed a blur. Uryu, Shuhei, Chad, Ichigo, and even Evy might have been furniture for all they contributed to the negotiations. Rukia was still leery about co-signing on the club's behalf, but she knew it was the best deal that Byakuya would offer. Still she made sure everything was crystal clear that the partnership would be equal and that there were no loopholes the Kuchiki CEO might wiggle through.

When Rukia had seen this new contract typed out (standing over Byakuya's shoulder which had made everyone the slightest bit worried for her safety as they had seen the man's fingers curl more than once when she corrected him) and gone over everything with a fine-toothed come, she sat satisfied.

Ichigo sighed, he felt slightly exhausted, just by watching the two. "Okay," He said running a hand through his hair, "Let's talk about a recording schedule and the signing party, now that all the official stuff is outta the way."

"Party?" Evy's lips curled.

Rukia and the three male band mates sighed. Ichigo eyed the singer suspiciously.

"Yeah. We think throwing a party and getting the media involved will generate some good buzz for the album." He said after a pause, trying to catch Rukia's eye.

Byakuya coughed subtly into his hand, grabbing everyone's attention. "This will not just be any party. It is more an event. You will be there representing not only Kuchiki Corp, but the record label. It is as much an introduction for the label as it is for your collective. Therefore it's advised that everyone keep in mind a sense of decorum."

"Decorum?" Evy echoed, sarcasm clear in her inflection.

Uryu pushed up his glasses to hide his eye-roll, "In other words you can't run around topless at this affair."

Evy whipped her head in the boy's direction and scowled, "I know what decorum means! And I told you- I spilled beer on my shirt!"

"You didn't have a shirt on." Shuhei pointed out.

"Because it was soaked! I left my bra on!" Evy countered.

"I offered you my shirt." Chad put in quietly.

Evy leaned forward to remind the man, "Yours was wet too!"

"Well if you hadn't decided keg-stands were a great idea-," Shuhei lifted a brow. She gave him a look which silenced him.

"In any case," Byakuya closed his laptop with a bit more force than was necessary, "As I said you will be representing Kuchiki Corp and thus all propriety is to be observed." He then shot Evy a look and added, "I certainly hope everyone can keep their clothes on."

"You're one to talk." Rukia muttered a bit too loudly, which immediately had nearly everyone eyeing her curiously.

"Pardon me?" Byakuya frowned.

Evy glared daggers at her manager, her fingers digging into the arm of the chair. She stood up abruptly, "I think we get it. But we have a guitarist to hire, so you'll excuse us for now." She did not look at anyone as she marched to the door and held it open, gesturing for everyone to make their exit.

Rukia rose stiffly, she knew what was coming. Still she recalled her manners and smiled as she bowed slightly, "Mr. Kuchiki, thank you for your time. I look forward to our next meeting." Somehow even in that oversized black jacket she managed to look regal.

Ichigo snorted and looked away innocently when Rukia narrowed her eyes at him before heading toward the door. The boys followed her lead, each bowing and saying good-bye before striding single file for the door.

"See ya!" Evy smiled and waved a hand at the two men remaining before she shut the door behind her.

Her eyes narrowing upon the door's close, Evy began a brisk pace toward the elevators to catch up with her manager. She pushed her way through the boys as Rukia was stepping into the elevator.

She stepped through the doors before any of her band mates could and quickly pushed the button for the first floor, "We shouldn't all cram into one- that's dangerous! See you down there!" She grinned and waved as the doors shut on their bewildered faces.

When she turned to Rukia her face was anything but friendly as without looking she reached for the stop button, which jerked them to a halt between floors.

"What the hell was that, Rukia?" Evy demanded.

"That's my line!" Rukia cried as she steadied herself with the handrail.

Evy continued as though she hadn't spoken, "Are you just dying to out us?" Her manager's eyes widened when she realized what this confrontation was about.

"You're going to out yourselves at this rate! I saw you get into his car- anyone could have!" Rukia returned, her hands on her hips.

Evy folded her arms over her chest giving the shorter woman a dry look, "Really, Rukia? It was after two in the morning."

"All the more reason for you not to get into his car!" Rukia insisted.

"He just took me home!" Evy rolled her eyes. It wasn't a lie.

Rukia's eyes narrowed shrewdly, "To whose home?"

Evy's eyes widened a moment, but her jaw clenched and she had to look away. She did not reply; she did not need to. Rukia smirked and looked away with a huff.

Not for the first time that morning the silence that stole in was less than friendly or comfortable.

As the doors dinged open as they reached the ground floor Evy tossed Rukia one last glance, her tone dry, "By the way, I meant to compliment you on that jacket… Nice. Real nice, Rukia."

Stepping out of the elevator they mirrored one another, fists clenched, eyes steely, and their footsteps ringing animosity as they strode into the lobby.

"Ahhh, so good to see my favorite quintet!" Kisuke greeted as the band followed by Rukia shuffled through the door. Before he even looked at their faces, the owner of Eva's could tell that there was an odd energy surrounding them. Chad, as usual was calm, and thus harder to read than any of them, save perhaps Rukia when she had her game face on. Shuhei looked a bit anxious, though he raised his hand at Kisuke in greeting. Uryu looked simply pensive, which was not so unusual for the rather serious young man. As for Evy and Rukia… they both looked as though they had not gotten a good night's sleep.

Kisuke tapped his lip with his fan, making a mental note to avoid agitating either of them. Apparently none of them had noticed their guest as they all stopped at the bar and seemed to sigh as a collective.

"Drinks?" The owner's brow raised and was greeted with nods. He cleared his throat as he turned to gaze at the colorful bottles of liquor appraisingly, "Of course… Then perhaps you might want to see to our visitor? I don't think he's the type that likes to be kept waiting."

They all turned, looking a bit puzzled and then surprised that they could have walked right past the man on stage and not noticed him. Granted it had been a long morning.

"Is that-," Chad's eyes were slightly wide beneath his brown hair.

"Yeah- it is. Grimmjow…" Shuhei murmured as he watched the man plug in his amp and brush his hand almost roughly over the strings so that sound rang out and reverberated in the air. How could they have missed such a dynamic presence?

"Jaggerjacques, if I'm not mistaken." Ishida readjusted his glasses calmly. They watched silently for a time as the blue-haired man, clad in baggy blue jeans and a white undershirt that clung to him, glared down at his guitar in concentration, his pick clenched between sneering white teeth.

"That guy is a bit of a legend in my circles," Shuhei admitted. He had one arm leaned on the bar and as Urahara slid a tumbler of dark liquor down the bar and into his waiting hand he instantly lifted the drink to his lips. The sting of the alcohol felt good on his dry throat somehow and he sighed contentedly. His brow twitched slightly though as he frowned, "We'd be lucky to get him on one hand… On the other- I've heard he's difficult to get along with."

The three male members of the band could not help but frown, their eyes narrowing slightly.

"Sounds like trouble." Chad murmured and turned back to the bar where a tall glass of soda awaited him. He nodded his thanks to the man behind the bar and leaned down to sip from the straw, resting his forearms on the bar.

Uryu agreed silently, his eyes narrowing further as he watched the man almost violently strum. He chanced a glance at the singer and the manager. He grimaced as he noticed the intent looks they were eyeing the infamous guitarist with. He sighed. I hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling we won't be able to avoid this trouble.

Evy headed toward the stage with a welcoming smile, "Whatcha got, Azul?"

The man smirked, flashing a canine.

In the end it was a vote of four against two (Chad had not so much agreed or disagreed as remained silent on the matter)- four only if you counted Urahara who had cheered something like, "Yes indeed! A fellow stud with such ability will bring in more female fans!"

Rukia had snatched away his fan at that moment and hit him over the head with it yelling, "Moron-don't say things like that!"

The said "stud" had scoffed and jumped off the stage. He shoved his hands in his pockets and set a leisurely pace toward the bar. They watched in awe as he stopped in front of Rukia sitting on a stool at the bar. He looked down at her with unknowable intent in his aquamarine eyes. Rukia's back hit the bar as she leaned away from him her eyes wide. Handsome though he was, his gaze was unsettling.

"Wh-what the hell are you staring at?" She growled, hoping he couldn't hear her heart thrashing against her ribs.

Finally after another long moment in which he scrutinized her he smirked, "A little girl with big attitude."

Rukia's eyes widened and she straightened instantly. She would have shot back a challenge in his face if he had not side stepped to lean on the bar next to her and demand a drink. With a glare she folded her arms over her chest, hoping everyone thought the blush in her cheeks was due to the glass of sake she had been sipping from.

She was glad for the distraction when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the newest member of the Eva's collective before sliding down from her stool to take the call.

"Hey- what the hell- you guys took off before we could even talk about a recording schedule!" Came Ichigo's irritated voice from the other end of the line. As it was he had not gotten a chance to pursue the gang as his boss had insisted on a word with him at the time.

Rukia paused in the hallway to lean against the wall, "I told you we would be taking auditions!"

"Oh… that's right. For a replacement." He said. She winced at his choice words. Once again she was reminded that all of their lives were now subject to change. She looked down the hall where she could still see the bar.

There was silence for a time as Rukia watched them all interact. Evy was trying to engage Grimmjow in conversation, but the blue-haired man just eyed her and seemed to grunt his responses around his glass of beer. Evy, never put off by stoic, shy, or even unsociable men, ignored his lack of enthusiasm and jabbered on as the original members of the band watched warily. Rukia sighed. This was gonna take some getting used to.

"…someone?" Ichigo's voice suddenly reached her ears.

"Huh?"

"Oi! What's your deal today? You've been really out of it!" The producer's voice grew louder on the other end of the line.

She grimaced, "There's no deal, you dolt! Stop yelling in my ear!"

Ichigo snorted, "Bull! You've been way weird! Showing up late and in my jacket no less and-," He cut off his face instantly flushing as a thought bombarded him, "Oh… ugh… It's not because of- of- last night- right?"

Rukia had just managed to stop thinking about the encounter and stood confused for a moment before she blushed as well. Quickly she sputtered, "Of-of course not! Like you'd have that kind of effect on me!"

Ichigo took a moment to mull this over before he rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Well good. I'm glad I'm not the reason you're such a space cadet today!"

Rukia let out a huff, nearly mirroring him with a roll of her own eyes, "Who even uses that phrase anymore, you dork."

There was a growl in Ichigo's voice as he replied, "Plenty of people… And anyway can you just see when the next available time is so we can get the band into the studio? We need to get a move-on on this album."

Again the young woman rolled her eyes. She moved closer to the hallway's entrance as the band had moved out of sight. She leaned against the entrance frame, watching as Evy explained the intro to 'Burning Throat' to the new guitarist and tapped out the beat with her foot. Shuhei started his intro and Chad and Ishida joined at their own parts to give the blue-haired man, strapped to his guitar, an idea of the pace and melody.

"Well they'll be practicing for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon- trying to get Grimmjow up to speed," She paused here as she watch said man's hands fly over the guitar strings picking up the gist of the song with relative ease. "But I suspect he's a quick study." She frowned as she watched the guitarist drift off course and begin a solo that was both riveting and off the song's primary chord. The other four fell silent watching him as well, all looking rather impressed with the exception of Uryu who look slightly irritated by the albeit musical, tangent.

"Yeah, so…"

"Tomorrow morning. We have a show tonight, but I think I can get everyone in the studio by say 9:30?" Rukia focused again.

"Good." Ichigo nodded, "I got Byakuya to push back the signing party so that we can at least have a couple songs recorded for the album- do a bit of a pre-release."

"Wait- so we're talking a couple of months or more- right?" She was suddenly very focused on the conversation, an eyebrow arched high in suspicion.

When the man cleared his throat, she knew she would not like his response, "Ha… Ugh- not exactly. A little less than a month was all he'd give me…"

Rukia opened her mouth to protest, but simply sighed, she should be used to little control and abrupt decisions. "Alright then…" She scowled though suddenly, "Does your boss have any concept of time when it comes to music production?"

The sarcasm in her voice made Ichigo chuckle, "Does it seem like he does?"

"In any case, we'll be there tomorrow. We can't let all that money you threw down for that new high tech studio go to waste after all." There was a sudden teasing quality in her tone.

He snorted, "Right."

As she shifted slightly the zipper on the jacket tinkled and she bit her lip, feeling warm. She clutched at the zipper, toying with it as she said quietly, "Umm, I'll bring your jacket to you then."

He shrugged nonchalantly as though she could see him, "Not worried about it."

She made a noncommittal noise in response.

After a moment, impulsiveness got the better of him, "Why not now?" Seeing her in his jacket again held some kind of appeal that made his heart race.

"Huh? What?" Rukia stood rigidly, her hand frozen on the zipper, "No! I can't! I told you- I- I'm- the band is in the middle of rehearsal!"

He let her response sink in for a moment, the nervousness in her voice, and smiled, "Alright. Alright. Don't have an aneurysm!" He rubbed at the back of his head, the smile unshakable it seemed. He mumbled as an afterthought, "Looks good on you anyway."

Rukia pretended not to hear a smile touching her lips, "See you tomorrow."

"Ah." He replied.

Again he chuckled as he hung up. Seated on the end of the couch in the studio he glanced around, a feeling of excitement welling in him as he realized it would soon be filled with musicians and energy. His face fell as a thought struck him, though.

"Did she say, Grimmjow?"

AN: Awwwww Yeah! I couldn't leave that gorgeous creature outta the mix! Seriously the first time I saw him in the anime- my jaw literally dropped. I was all kinds of excited by that vicious looking smirk and the blue eyes and hair- hell the whole package: CHOICE! Ehem anyhow… Sorry for the long chapter and the next chapter I promise we will get to the party!

Thanks!