"So that's why I'm here." Ichigo sat cross-legged against his bed, a very melancholy look playing across his face.
"I'd be happy to help. I suppose we're keeping this a secret, right?" Anju was hardly any more excited than Ichigo at their current situation.
"Exactly. She can't know about this. It's far too embarrassing…" Ichigo had agreed to go with Rukia to the noble's ball, but realized afterwards that he didn't even know how to dance properly. He knew that he had gained the respect of most of soul society during his exploits there so far, and didn't want to lose that respect simply because he couldn't dance.
"No problem. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. It'll be easy, really." Anju hated formal events as much as Rukia, and didn't want much to do with them. However, she knew that Ichigo would make a fool of himself if he went into the event without being prepared.
"So how are we going to do this? I mean, it's summer, so Rukia spends most of her time with me in my room." He had no idea how he could get rid of Rukia. He used to be able to just say 'get lost,' and she'd get mad and leave. But now that they were together, he knew that doing so would hurt her feelings.
"Hmm" Anju walked the length of the room, contemplating how to get away with secret dance lessons. "Got it. Give me minute, I need to make a call…" She stepped out of earshot and spent a few brief moments on the phone. An awkward smile played on her face when she returned. "Okay, here's the plan. Matsumoto has agreed to take Rukia out for an afternoon. She'll need a dress for the ball, and who better than Matsumoto to aid in shopping?"
"Are you sure Rukia will agree to that? I mean, Matsumoto isn't her favorite person, and shopping isn't something she really enjoys all that much." Ichigo tried to imagine Rukia being pulled around a mall, dozens of bags hanging off her shoulders, and from her hands. The image made him laugh.
"I'm sure she'll be okay with it. I can be very convincing when I need to be." Anju beamed a smile that radiated deviousness. Ichigo gulped, fearing exactly what the little girl was capable of. "Worry not, Ichigo. I'll take care of everything."
OOOOOOOOOO
"Careful, Bigfoot! My toes are already sore…" Anju winced as Ichigo stepped on her foot for the tenth time.
"Well maybe if you weren't a midget, I'd be able to avoid them." Ichigo had learned a few of the basics, but was having trouble with the rhythm.
"Jerk." Anju stomped one heel into Ichigo's foot, putting forth far more force than he imagined possible for such a small person.
"Ow! How am I supposed to dance if you break my foot?" He bodily picked the girl up and off of his now throbbing foot.
"What on earth is going on here?" The two froze at the sound of a familiar voice. Rukia stood in the doorway, bags of every color hanging from her arms, a look of incredulity on her face.
Ichigo stammered for a moment, but then recovered. "Anju was just…helping me with a project." It wasn't a lie, technically.
"Teaching you to dance?" So she'd heard the conversation. And he'd hoped to shock and amaze her with his skills at the ball…
"The jig's up Ichi. She knows, so now she can help you instead." Anju received curious looks from her two friends, and explained what she meant. "I'm too short, and have far too little experience with this to be of much help. Rukia's been to many more balls than I have, so she can teach you how to dance. Although," the little girl grinned and looked sadly at Rukia, "You might want to have steel toes on at first. I think Ichigo broke one of my toes…"
"Maybe if you were a better teacher, it wouldn't have happened." He snapped uncharacteristically quickly at the tiny child. She simply shrugged the offense off and took her high heels off.
"I leave you with your date, m'lady. Good luck." Anju scoffed, feeling sorry for Rukia, but still being amused by her predicament. With a smile, she hopped out the window and disappeared into the afternoon.
Ichigo watched her retreating form, not wanting to face Rukia yet. However, she wasn't so graceful as to allow him to have his brooding time. She stepped up beside him and slapped a hand down on his shoulder, frightening him. Her expression wasn't one of gloating, or amusement. Rather, she seemed to be excited.
"Anju's right, Ichigo. There's no need to feel embarrassed about asking to be taught to dance. It's not like many people are taught how to act around nobles in regular society." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'd be happy to teach you, if you like."
Ichigo was shocked. Had they really changed so much that she wouldn't take the open opportunity to make fun of him? To gloat and embarrass him further? No, as it seemed, she was the one who felt embarrassed, although Ichigo couldn't figure out why. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"Alright. So, is now okay? I mean, I know it's summer, and we don't have much to do, but…" Ichigo could have made plans, expecting Rukia to have taken longer at the mall, and she didn't want to keep him from his human life any more than she already did.
"Now's fine." Ichigo couldn't believe how smoothly things were flowing, almost like there was someone guiding them. Conversation was easier with Rukia than it had ever been, and most of the time they didn't even need to speak. Simply being around one another was enjoyable enough.
"Okay, well first off, take those shoes off your feet." Ichigo did as she instructed as Rukia wandered to the closet and pulled out four small spastic discs. She threw them on the floor and grabbed a sharpie, using the ink to mark each disc with a different number. "Okay, so what you'll be expected to do is really simple. Come here, stand with your feet on 'one' and 'two.'" Rukia pointed to the discs on the floor and Ichigo did so without a question.
"Alright, so…oh yeah…we need music." Rukia tossed a mix cd into Ichigo's tiny boom box and set it to a familiar tune. "Now," She stepped up to him and blushed. "let me see your left hand." She felt a little awkward, but overcame the feeling as soon as Ichigo's hand fell into hers. "This hand goes at my waist." She directed the limb to its proper place and moved her right arm around his neck. "And the other hand goes in mine…" She felt his other hand come up, tracing a warm line from her hip, up the side of her torso, and along the under side of her arm, until it finally reached the proper place. Flustered she went on.
You're toast and
jam
You're cotton candy
You're double rainbows
Beside a setting sun
You're wood
burning outside
There's a fire glowing
You're sweet as
green apples
You must be the one
Rukia began to direct him on where his feet were to go, using the dots as guides. He followed the progression of the numbers, falling into the ease of the movements. Within minutes, he had the proper rhythm, and forgot about his feet, focusing all his attention to Rukia. She was surprised that he'd learned so quickly, but happy at the new development. She felt a tug on her waist and instantly gave way, allowing Ichigo to pull her in as close as possible as the song changed.
You are distracting me with that beauty
Leaving me wanting
more
Reminding me of my duty
To lock these eyes to yours
And I've never known a love so true
And I want to see
all of you
Where green meets red, and red meets blue
I want to see all of you, all of you, all of…you
Ichigo's hand tightened around Rukia's as continued swaying. "What?" Rukia whispered at his inaudible laugh.
"It's just that…well, you fit. Even though we're of such different height, you fit against me like this perfectly. Every divot, hollow point, every groove is filled by some part of you. It's fascinating…" He trailed off, not even sure if he'd described what he felt properly. But Rukia seemed to understand, and mirrored his enthusiasm. The song ended, and they parted reluctantly.
"Well, you seem to have a firm grasp on how to dance. That was far easier than I thought it would be." Rukia really was surprised. It had taken many, many sessions with a professional her brother had hired for her to learn a vague notion of proper dance etiquette.
"Thanks for helping me, Rukia." He granted her a smile, allowing the furrow that usually kept his eyebrows in place to slide. "But why did you come back so early? Matsumoto was instructed to keep you away all day…" He figured that if their secret was out, Rukia might as well know the whole truth.
"We were supposed to be gone for a few hours more, but I got this really odd feeling…like I needed to be here. Matsumoto tried to get me to stay, but I felt like I had to come home. I dunno, I can't really explain it. It wasn't urgent, but like a need, more so than a desire." Rukia didn't understand the feeling herself. She was actually enjoying the day out at the mall with a friend.
"Well, at least show me what you bought. Hopefully some real clothes, so you can stop wearing Yuzu's…" Ichigo had been washing so much more laundry since Rukia showed up. He had to wash his own clothes, then Yuzu's stolen clothes that Rukia wore when not in her school uniform.
Rukia went through most of the bags quickly, showing her one man audience an array of dresses, shirts, pants, and a few pairs of shoes that she'd bought. Ichigo approved of every purchase, and was already planning a few non-cheesy complements in his head for when she wore his favorites. He barely noticed when one bag went unopened.
"What about that?" He inquired about the bag, and she immediately picked it up, hanging it delicately in the closet.
"That one you don't get to see until the ball." She giggled at his goofy expression and decided to comfort him so he wouldn't see fit to peek. She climbed onto his lap and gave him a stern look. "Please don't go digging and ruin my surprise. You'll get to see it in a couple days." She narrowed her eyes for effect.
"Hmm," With a simple syllable, she could tell that his tone was now turning devious. "And what if I peek?" He raised a single eyebrow, any hint of a furrow gone from his expression.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Oh? Wouldn't I… ? You know full well that I would." Her face turned red, both with a blush, and in mock anger. But it disappeared in an instant. She had a plan, and just hoped that she was daring enough to go through with it.
"Indeed, you would. However, such a dastardly deed takes concentration. And" She whispered, leaning in, pressing her cheek against his, "I doubt you can muster that much decisiveness with me," she breathed in his ear, "doing things like this." She passed along his cheek and kissed his ear lobe. Judging by the shudder that ran through him, and how his hands tightened on her thighs, he liked the action. Rukia steadied herself, and inhaled right beside his ear. The smell of Ichigo's spicy aroma filled her senses, and she braved a further attack. Before she could tell herself not to, she let her jaw drop by fractions of an inch, and nibbled on the sensitive flesh.
His reaction was beyond satisfying. The tiniest of moans escaped his mouth, and Rukia couldn't help but laugh a little at the noise. Her giggle brought him back to his senses momentarily, and he said, "You're not playing fair…"
"Neither are you. Sending me out all day so you can secretly learn the art of dance. How on earth…" But she never got to finish the thought. Ichigo had tugged her back in a fluid motion in order to capture her lips with his. She smiled into his lips at first, still reveling in victory. But after a few moments, her passion grew to meet his, and she found herself barely able to control the path her mind took.
It was much to her surprise that she was not the only one whose mind had wandered. She hadn't even noticed it until after the fact, but Ichigo's hand had traveled up her thigh, over her tiny hip, paused briefly at her waist, and was hovering just above her ribs, poised for action. With a gentle motion, he lifted the hand and allowed a finger to grace across the fabric covering her breast.
She would have gasped, had there been any air in their melted mouths to inhale. For a split second, she pulled away, shocked at the sudden leap foreword. But it wasn't long enough for Ichigo to even notice, and she arched her back, silently giving him permission to do what she'd only dreamed of.
Ichigo slowed the kiss, concentrating more on the feel of her against his palm. After exploring only briefly, he returned his wandering hand to Rukia's waist and took a breath, attempting to calm himself down. Rukia did the same, and leaned into him, not even slightly embarrassed at what she'd just allowed to take place.
Well, okay, maybe a little.
"Thank you…" Ichigo's voice was a kind whisper.
"For what? Letting you touch my boob?" Rukia scoffed, attempting to throw off some of the embarrassment she felt. "It hardly matters. They're of little importance." The superior tone melted away as she spoke, leaving only vulnerability in her voice. Ichigo noticed the change.
"It's no big deal. I won't if you don't want me to." His attempt to placate her worked, and she relaxed fully into his chest. "Though I must admit, they are of far greater importance to me than they seem to be to you. Fascinating, really…" he trailed off, his mind going almost silent. "You got me. Your plan worked, woman. I won't go near the dress until you let me see you in it."