AN

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Chapter 22: What This Bitch Wants

True enough, after the doctor left, Ichigo strode into the room. Rukia just silently watched him, unsure of how to act now that he had saved her life. Ichigo himself was not speaking and not even looking in her direction. Somehow, this aloof version of the mob boss was weirding her out. She was used to this man annoying the hell out of her.

Rukia was stunned, however, when Ichigo suddenly peeled his shirt off as he walked in the direction of what looked like closed doors on the right side of the room. The mob boss dropped off the shirt in the drawer beside her bed. She curiously followed his movements, her gaze fixed on the tattoo of a wolf encompassing his broad back.

Rukia was not able to hold back from questioning the mob boss. "Dude, what the hell are you doing?" She held up his discarded shirt.

Ichigo finally swiveled to face her and responded with slight mockery. "I'm changing my shirt. Isn't it obvious?"

Rukia rolled her eyes – though it made her dizzy to even do that. "I know that. What I meant was:`Why are you undressing here?"

"It's my bedroom, that's why." Ichigo promptly turned his back on her and went to open the closed doors revealing a walk-in closet full of expensive-looking clothes. What surprised Rukia was the fact that she was in the mob boss' room and currently lying on his bed.

"Hey, wait!" Rukia protested. "Why am I in your bedroom? I thought this was a hospital room?" She was becoming confused again.

Ichigo was busy looking for a shirt but he answered her after he glanced briefly in her direction. "Because I told my men to take you here to rest."

Rukia fell silent after that. She was trying to compose in her mind the way she should thank Ichigo, of all people. Meanwhile, Ichigo finally found a shirt to wear, a sleeveless one that exposed his firm forearms. She noticed that he had additional tattoos that weren't there when they had been fucking. He went to sit at the chair beside her bed and observed her conflicting expression without revealing too much himself.

"Uhmm… well… Doc Kanō told me some things. He told me that you were the one who rescued us… so yeah, thanks I guess." Rukia took a deep breath before continuing. "Sorry for being a bother to you."

"Yep, you're right. You are such a bother. It's annoying." Ichigo agreed readily, making Rukia snap her eyes to him. He was looking down as he spoke, shielding his eyes from her confused gaze.

"Yeah, I-I mean, maybe you should have just left me there–" Rukia grimaced when Ichigo suddenly crawled to her on all fours as she was lying on the bed, making her feel as though she was pinned to the mattress. He held her chin as his stormy hazel eyes stared at hers as his body heat engulfed her.

"Just… leave… you?" He said slowly, a restrained quality present in his voice. She could smell his peppermint breath as it fanned on her face.

Rukia grew even more confused, and if she had to admit, a bit confused at Ichigo's weird display. She nodded. "I really don't wanna be a bother to anyone."

"And if you died?"

Rukia found herself shrugging as a response. "Well, it wouldn't have made a difference. It's not as if anyone would miss me anyway."

Ichigo's expression hardened, his jaw clenching tight. "You're wrong."

Rukia just continued staring blankly at him. "Huh?"

Ichigo clucked his tongue in annoyance and got off her. He went to the dresser and picked up his discarded shirt from earlier, speaking without looking at her. "You're wrong… I, for instance, would miss your plump ass, idiot." He glanced back at her, a cocky smirk on his face. "I'll be damned if you died without me having a taste of it again."

But you're already damned. Rukia scoffed at what she heard. "That's a lame reason though. It's not as if you cannot have another piece of ass anytime."

"But I only want your ass." Ichigo stubbornly protested. He reminded her of a child at that moment.

"Psh." Rukia rolled her eyes again. "I'm not worth it, I swear. So if you want what's good for you, you'll leave it at that."

"I don't take orders from anyone, so no." Ichigo raised his slacks up to his knees, showing tattoos of stars on both knees. "See those stars on my knees? They mean that I bow to no authority."

Rukia admired the tattoos' workmanship. She heard Ichigo tell her, "So just shove your advice up your tasty ass."

Well, there was no winning to this guy and they were starting to look like a pair of five-year old's in their argument so she just answered him with: "Sure, Ichigo." Rukia mumbled under her breath, "Damn, you really need Jesus in your life."

Rukia changed the topic right away as Ichigo scoffed at her quip. "By the way, how did you find where we were last night?"

"I followed you, of course. I've been doing that since you first started your work. I just parked my car a block away so you won't see me," Ichigo explained matter-of-factly.

The knowledge ticked off Rukia. "Wait, did you mean to say that you were watching me without my knowledge? The fuck, man?!"

"What about it?" Rukia could see that Ichigo was honestly clueless as to why she would be upset that he had spied on her.

"What kind of self-respecting person likes the idea that someone is watching their every move?" Rukia shook her head and mumbled again, "I feel like I'm in a Panopticon or something."

Surprisingly, Ichigo heard what she said and reacted. "Panopticon? How can it be when you did not even feel that I was watching over you? Panopticon only happens when you always feel that you are always being watched, so much so that it drives you to become paranoid." Ichigo shrugged. "And besides, other girls would actually find the fact that someone is watching them is romantic. You should be flattered."

Rukia was surprised that Ichigo knew about the concept of the Panopticon. "Wow. I didn't know that you knew that word. And no, that is stalking, and stalking is never romantic; it's just plain creepy. I don't know where people got the idea that stalking is romantic. It's not even as if I'm a celebrity to have a paparazzi."

"Heh. I read Foucault's book because it sounded like Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment". Every member of my Mafia is required to read that novel because it serves as a warning of the life they would have in prison should they be caught. As for your other point…" Ichigo paused for a bit and smirked at her.

"We both know that you're just playing hard to get." Ichigo sat on the bed by her side as he stared at her with his burning hazel eyes. "You know you like me too and just don't wanna admit it."

Rukia's forehead creased as she looked directly back into his eyes. "Uhmmm… At what point did you get that thought in your head? I can't remember any instance where I wasn't clear that I don't want you or your attention whatsoever."

Ichigo's arrogance was brimming as he grinned in his familiar feral smile. "Well, you let me fist you, didn't you?"

Rukia sighed. She knew that that slip of judgment would eventually come back to haunt her. She wouldn't allow Ichigo to rattle her though. "Yeah, I did." At the look of triumph in Ichigo's face, she quickly added. "I don't think that it automatically means that I may feel anything romantic to you though."

She angled her head to better look at Ichigo who now had a serious look on his face. "If I want to be honest with you though, I must say that the one thing you've done to me was to give me an awakening…" She trailed off, her voice becoming contemplative as Ichigo himself remained silent.

"You definitely gave some kind of sexual awakening, for I've never been that intimate with someone before, never even thought that it was necessary." She looked back at Ichigo, checking up on him before speaking up again. "In a way, you make me realize that I'm still a normal human being who could have sexual attractions and responses. People thought I was weird. Heck, even I know I'm nothing more than a tattooed freak."

Rukia sucked in some air before meeting Ichigo's eyes head-on. "For that, I will concede that you hold some special power over me." She could see Ichigo puff out his chest, but she continued:

"I don't think it automatically means that I like you or anything. I'm sure you don't feel that way to me either. I'd probably say that you're just fascinated by me, the natural response to freaks of nature. I'd even say that the way you are willing to pay to fuck me is not so much different to people who are willing to pay to watch a freak show."

Ichigo, who by now had lowered his head, chuckled sardonically before lifting his eyes to her. "Sado told me that you're a brilliant sociology student, but what he forgot to tell me was that you're some kind of a psychologist too." He turned serious. "But you know what baffles me? Why do you not give yourself some credit? If you're so insecure about yourself, you don't need to turn that insecurity to other people and be suspicious of them."

Rukia humored the mob boss for a bit. "Hey, there's a field where sociology and psychology intersect; it's called Social Psychology." She pursed her lips before responding to Ichigo's comments. "It's not that I'm insecure, I think. It's just that I have no illusions left anymore. It's better to face reality rather than living on false hope then being caught off-guard later."

"And that includes being suspicious of other people?"

"Yes. I mean–I suppose it does. People are not always what they seem anyway,"

"Man, didn't know that you're such a cynical woman," Ichigo quipped.

She shrugged but remained silent. Ichigo continued though. "You know, your argument goes both ways." Rukia whipped to look at him, pensive.

"You know that I'm a Mafia boss, certainly unmerciful and unrelenting. When I want something, I do everything to get it, regardless of what the means are. But you say that people are not always what they seem. What makes you say that's all I am and that all I feel for you is fascination?"

Rukia curled her lip in amusement. "You have a point," she said, nodding. "However, you did not give me much material to work on, so all I saw was you being a shit-talking dick. But I guess I must concede again since whatever your motives are, you still saved me and my classmates."

"So does that mean I can have a piece of your ass again?" Ichigo leaned close to her and breathed on her face.

"No." Rukia told him briefly. "But I can reserve my judgment on you though. I'll pretend that you're not just some pervert who can't think of anything but sex, even though you can get it anytime. Sounds cool?"

Ichigo clucked his tongue in annoyance, but he relented. "Fine. Whatever."

"Great. And while you're at it, it would probably be nice if you stop seeing me as nothing but a hoe. Sure, that's a part of me, but let me at least pretend that it's not all I am," she said, half-serious and half-joking.

"So is this a deal then?" Ichigo smirked as he held out his hand.

"Yep. Deal." Rukia shook his hand with the one not connected to the IV, his much bigger hand engulfing hers.

"Alright, now that's done and over with, scoot a bit 'coz I'm sleepy as fuck. Haven't slept a wink last night 'coz you hogged my bed."

"Whose fault is that anyway? You could've put me into another room, you know?" She said as she did as he told her to do.

The bed, a king size one, was large enough for both of them, but Ichigo was large enough to fill it. He scooted next her, leaning his head on her shoulder on the side that was not injured. His body was not touching hers though.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just let me sleep." The mob boss said as he yawned.

"Okay. No problem, dude." Rukia sighed as she settled back down on the bed. His head was a bit heavy, but she guessed if it meant that she could at least repay her debt to the guy, then letting him lean on her was a small price to pay.

Ichigo could not fight his sleepiness as he used Rukia's shoulder as a pillow. It was not as comfy compared to a fluffy pillow as Rukia was a bit on the thin side, but the girl's lavender scent was enough to calm and relax him. It seemed like Sado was right again when he advised him to give Rukia some space after her adoptive father's betrayal and learning about her mother. She certainly was a lot calmer now than the last time when she went apeshit on him and that motherfucking lawyer.

This day was very productive though. Not accounting the annoyance of about not having slept for a whole night, he was hella glad that he closed two deals in one day, with the stupid kids Rukia was with, and of course, Rukia herself. Well, especially with Rukia.

Ichigo felt like that they entered a new kind of understanding, not what he would have liked where the girl would let him fuck her anytime he wanted, but a kind where it was a bit business-like and a bit like that of his Mafia group. However, it was also a bit different from those too, since Rukia neither fell to the category of business partner nor subordinate. Heck, even when he owned her for a week, he never felt like she submitted completely to him.

So what did that make the two of them? Oh, well, fuck my life, he thought. He was too groggy to think straight right now. He'd just mull over what he and Rukia talked about today later, when he was refreshed and a tough mofo again.