Smoke billows out of his mouth as he sits atop of the windowsill. Ichigo takes the cigarette out of his mouth and rests his arm on his knee. The torn paper and his sketchpad lay forgotten on the floor behind him, a bottle of some cheap alcohol he didn't care to find out what it was sat in between his legs.
Ichigo lifts the bottle and takes a swig. He leans his head back and watches the busy streets with blank eyes. The always annoying bustle of the rundown district he lived in went through one ear and out the other.
He closes his eyes and thinks about the things that led up to this moment. Almost a year ago.
If Yuzu and Karin didn't gang up on him with their puppy eyes. If Ichigo actually kept his mouth shut. If Isshin didn't throw that beer bottle during the argument, almost hitting Yuzu. If Ichigo didn't beat Isshin within an inch of his life, only hearing Yuzu's and Karin's crying and never his own shouts.
Ichigo takes a drag from his cigarette. He doesn't release the smoke as his eyes slit open, faintly hearing his phone vibrating on his desk.
The police were actually called for this fight. Isshin dealt with it and no one got arrested. Ichigo and the twins knew this couldn't happen again. It was clear that the next fight would be even worse.
Just barely out of high school, no job–not like he didn't try–no money–all money was Isshin's money, the bastard. Even if Ichigo was the one to pay all the bills–only two 16 year old sisters as his support, and a group of friends he barely even talks to anymore save for three, Ichigo took two bags of his most treasured belongings, kisses Yuzu and Karin goodbye with the promise that they would visit, and leaves that same night for Yokohama. And he never even thought to look back.
The orange haired male sighs heavily, releasing the smoke, when the vibrating starts up again. He reluctantly leaves the windowsill and walks towards the desk. He steps over his sketchpad and grabs the phone. SHORTY glowed in bright blue letters across his cracked screen.
Ichigo swipes to accept the call and places the phone against his ear. "What? It's two in the morning."
"Like you ever gave a fuck about your own health, carrot," The icy voice of Kuchiki Rukia rings through his ear. Ichigo lets a small genuine, but tired, smile form on his face, chuckling into the phone.
"Oh? If we're talking about taking care of ourselves, maybe I should text Byakuya. Ask him if his sister's eating physical food instead of protein shakes," Ichigo retorts, making Rukia growl.
"I'll murder you in your sleep." Ichigo laughs at the threat, but doesn't tease his best friend further, knowing she'd actually would.
"So why's the ice princess calling me so early in the day?" Ichigo changes the subject, leaning back against his old desk. He takes one last drag from his cigarette before putting it out on the desk.
"Nīsama has a social party that I am required to attend."
"No," Ichigo immediately declines without a moment of thought. Rukia clicks her tongue, moving something on the other side of the phone.
"You're the only one I can stand! Renji had to go with Yumichika because of a bet! And I am not going around asking any of my coworkers," Rukia exclaims, making Ichigo roll his eyes.
"I don't care. You know I don't like rubbing shoulders with rich assholes. I don't even like normal parties," Ichigo states, walking away from his desk to grab his alcohol. "Besides, I don't even have a suit."
"I'll get you one to borrow! Please, Ichigo! You know I wouldn't have asked if there was anyone else!" Rukia pleads.
Ichigo finishes off his bottle before tossing it into the trashcan. "It's still a no, Rukia."
"...I'll tell Yuzu that you were the one to break her dinner set," Rukia threatens after a few moments of silence. Ichigo stares straight ahead with a narrowed gaze. A minute passes of complete silence.
"You wouldn't dare."
"I'm texting her right now," Rukia says, sounding like she took her phone away from her ear.
"Wait, wait! I'll be your date for the social party!" Ichigo shouts into the phone almost immediately.
"Really?! Thank you, Ichigo! I'll come by around noon so we can go get you a suit! The social party will be at seven tonight. Bye!" Rukia hangs up, leaving Ichigo bitter and annoyed.
"Fucking ice queen," Ichigo mutters fondly under his breath, taking his phone away from his ear. He stares at the black screen before tossing it back onto the desk and walks over to his futon, collapsing on top of it.
He hasn't been able to sleep lately, but he's going to fucking try. Dealing with Rukia and sleep deprivation at the same time is a death sentence.
So pretty...
Her neck would look beautiful with a noose around it...
Her beauty is like being underwater, chained to the seabed and unable to surface.
Rukia's excited rambling goes in and out of Ichigo's hearing. Ichigo stays focused on the beautiful female sitting a few tables away in the food court.
She laughs at whatever her friend is saying, revealing white teeth against tan skin. Her blonde hair shines in the sunlight, falling down her shoulders like liquid gold. Her ocean blue eyes were alight with pure joy and sunny smiles.
She's a siren.
I want to see how well she swims.
She'll look better with a grey film over her eyes and sharper teeth.
I have to give her that. She needs to be pretty...
Ichigo licks his teeth as his foot starts tapping on the linoleum floor. He itches to sketch out the scene of a siren being stuck in a fishing net, the net tangled around her neck like a noose, choking her to death.
"–chigo? Ichigo!" Rukia's voice and gentle touch on his hand makes the orange haired male snap out of his thoughts. He snaps his head towards his best friend, watching her stare at his hand.
Ichigo looks down and blinks when he sees blood start to well up from his palm. He opens up his hand, his fingernail tips coming up red.
"It doesn't look too bad... did–did something catch your eye?" Rukia swipes at the blood with a napkin, glancing up with wide eyes. Ichigo stares for a moment longer before smiling.
It felt too sharp, but Ichigo continued to smile. "Yeah. Are you going to shop a bit more after we eat?"
"No. We need to start getting ready for the party." Rukia glances at where Ichigo was staring previously and spots the blonde female. "The hair caught your attention, didn't it?"
Fondness fills Ichigo's chest like warm rays of morning sunlight. This is why Ichigo considers the black haired woman his best friend. She doesn't bat an eye towards the... darker ways that he gets inspired. She doesn't think anything about him needs fixing.
Before, Ichigo pretended. Now, he has enough friends to count on one hand that don't care about his cracked soul. Tatsuki is the first and still held close to his heart. Her boldness and strength was her beauty and Ichigo drew a woman eating the heart that she tore out a man that attacked her because of it. He named it "Independence."
She knew about what happened behind closed doors in Isshin's house. She knew about Ichigo's fixation on pretty things. She helped him control his urges and appear more normal. She even knew about the things Ichigo had to do just for himself and the twins to survive.
Rukia was the next one and held the closest to his heart. Her beauty was in her cold-blooded amethyst eyes that showed the amount of things she had to go through and yet still had enough humanity to be kind. The night of her first day of school, Ichigo painted a blood soaked field with a female silhouette kneeling on top of dozens of corpses, weapons piercing through their back as they gazed up at the night sky. He named it "Hope."
Rukia found out by stumbling upon one of Ichigo's episodes. After his initial panic and despair of losing someone he loved, Rukia only asked if he was going to kill her if she told anyone. He immediately denied it and they went on to be best friends.
Renji was the last one, but never the least. His beauty was in the scars and tattoos that painted a bloody and cruel survival story across his body. Ichigo sketched out a man ripping open another man's chest, grinning with all the fire and triumph of a survivor winning with the sun shining from behind. He named it "Faith."
He had his own darkness and could immediately spot Ichigo's pretending. Nothing was said, but nothing needed to be. Not with them.
There were a few others, but they didn't last long being his friend. Sometimes he wished he didn't show them to see if they would accept him. It was nice to have normal friends when he had them.
"Her eyes. It's like the ocean," Ichigo says as he closes his hand around the napkin. Rukia hums with a slight smile, messing with the remainder of her food.
"Is everything okay? You don't blatantly stare unless something's going on..." Rukia asks while leaning forward, making Ichigo tilt his head towards her. His foot starts tapping again as he hides his hands underneath the table.
"I-it's almost Mama's anniversary," Ichigo admits vaguely, picking at the skin around his fingernails. Rukia scowls as her hands clench around her drink.
"He won't do anything. Not in front of Masaki-san's grave," Rukia reassures with frost in her eyes. Ichigo's mouth twitches at the gleam before gently shaking his head.
"Is there anything I need to do at the party? Or am I allowed to be the bane of Byakuya's existence?" Ichigo changes the subject.
Rukia gives him a knowing, exasperated look before smiling. "The media will be there. This party is also to help build my connections in the world."
Ichigo sighs dramatically with his shoulders slouching. He pouts, making Rukia giggle.
"So no Kurosaki antics?"
"No Kurosaki antics," Rukia agrees with a bright smile. Ichigo leans back into his chair, not able to stifle his own smile.
"Well, if you ever need me, I'll be where the alcohol and food is." Ichigo leans his head back, glancing back at the blonde female through his peripherals. She stands up with her friend and walks away.
I need to see her up close.
I need to see those eyes again.
She can't leave right now!
She–
"Let's go." Ichigo stands up as he pushes his thoughts out of his head. "You take fucking forever to get ready."
"Not as long as you, carrot!" Rukia immediately retorts with a scowl, standing up herself. Ichigo glares down at the black haired female with his usual scowl.
"Whatever shorty. Are we going or what? Getting this hair to do anything is going to be a bitch to deal with." Ichigo starts to walk away in the opposite direction of where the blonde female went.
"Getting you to do anything social is going to be a bitch to deal with," Rukia retorts, trailing after the orange haired male. Ichigo rolls his eyes and glares over his shoulder at the black haired 20 year old.
"You're the one who blackmailed me into being your date. You have no right to complain, ice queen." Ichigo smirks at Rukia's slight embarrassment and stuttering response. He faces forward again, his smirk disappearing.
Forced to be buddy buddy with acquaintances and rich assholes. Fucking fantastic.
The constant chatter of socialites, businessmen, and well-connected people grate on the ears of one Urahara Kisuke the moment the doors to the Kuchiki Manor open. He plasters his quirky smile, walking into the manor with a twirl of his cane.
"Urahara-san, welcome to the Kuchiki Manor. Your cane." A pretty little made nervously bows with her hands raised. Kisuke hums as he drops the cane in the maid's hands, watching with a slight twitch in his lips when the maid startles like a baby lamb. His smile goes back to its quirkiness when the maid quickly shuffles away, avoiding all eye contact with him.
"Kuchiki-kun teaches the help well. Such a shame," Kisuke thinks with an internal pout. There goes some of his entertainment at this god awful social party.
He takes out his fan and opens it up, walking further into the manor. He wants to get something to drink before he starts mingling with the other guests.
"Kuchiki-kun!" Kisuke greets cheerfully and loudly with a wave of his fan. He watches underneath his light blonde hair as Kuchiki Byakuya turns to face him with stifled exasperation and annoyance.
Kisuke gives his obligatory bow once he reaches the younger man, his smile widening a bit. "I apologize for my tardiness. The traffic was awful!"
"...it is quite... alright, Urahara Kisuke. I didn't expect you to be here." I didn't send you an invitation.
Kisuke hums, placing his fan over his mouth. His smile turns sharp underneath it, successfully hidden from view.
"Yoruichi mentioned my invitation a few hours ago and I fortunately had time to make it. This is an important party of yours, after all!" Yoruichi told me the moment she got an invitation and I came to annoy you.
"I see. Thank you for coming," Byakuya states, ending the conversation by turning to face whoever he was conversing with before.
Kisuke hums once more and slips by, his geta sandals not making a single sound on the marble floor. He makes idle greetings and gives forced smiles as he makes his way to one of the beverage tables.
"Urahara-san! You're here!" Kisuke expertly keeps his expression cheerful at the impossibly irritating voice of some woman he barely remembers meeting.
"Ah... Apologies, I don't recall your name," Kisuke speaks in a professional tone, facing where the woman's voice came from.
The woman–she was at the Seireitei Charity Ball if he recalls correctly–wore a horrendously muted green dress and had her black hair done up in some ringlets. Her black eyes held a familiar twinkle that made Kisuke's hands itch to claw them out.
Why is she talking to me?
I want to rip out her tongue.
She isn't someone I want to talk to.
"Oh... I didn't expect you to! We only had passing conversations. My name is Doctor Hoashi Kazuyo. I work for Kuchiki-sama's Testing and Logistics Department," Kazuyo introduces herself with her hand out and a bright smile on her face. Kisuke's hands itch even more as he forces himself to shake her hand.
He leans down and kisses her knuckles with his eyes still staring up into hers. "A pleasure to see you again, Hoashi-san. If you'll excuse me, I wish to get a drink."
"Well, it just so happens that I need another! May I join you?" Kazuyo asks with a flushed face, trying to discreetly rub over her knuckles that Kisuke had kissed.
The 35 year old just smiles with an incline of his head. His jaw clenches as Kazuyo blushes an even brighter shade of red in her excitement.
Leave me alone.
You're not interesting.
Just leave.
"It's a surprise to see you here, Urahara-san. I didn't think Kuchiki-sama had sent you an invitation," Kazuyo starts the conversation as they walk up to the beverage table. Kisuke grabs one of the glasses of champagne and turns around to face the crowded ballroom.
"He didn't. Kuchiki-kun is fun to mess with," The blonde states before taking a sip of his champagne. "And Yoruichi kicked me out of my lab."
A flicker of satisfaction thrums through him when he sees Kazuyo's face screw into disdain and disgust from the corner of his eye. She forces her smile back on her face and leans forward with her own glass.
"Well it's a good thing she did, no? You wouldn't be here if she didn't." Kisuke easily resists the urge to stab the woman with her own glass by glancing around the ballroom. He glances over a flash of bright, bright orange.
"You know... I was curious about your theory paper on–"
Kisuke freezes and quickly glances back at where he espied the orange color. Sound cuts out of his mind as time slows.
A boy, no older than twenty it looks like, stood near the opposite wall, casually huddled at the edge of the table and the younger Kuchiki. He was completely out of the ordinary compared to the rest of the social party, yet still managed to seem like he knew what he was doing.
The suit he wore was tight fitting, black slacks, a white button up shirt with the first two unbuttoned, a black vest completely unbuttoned, a tailored black jacket, and no tie. His shoes looked old, even from Kisuke's distance and had splashes of color along the edges.
His sunset orange hair was brushed and slicked back, ending slightly past his neck, revealing flashes of silver pierced in his ears. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown shadowed by darkened bags under his eyes. He had a tall build, a head taller than most people here at the party. His face was sharp and handsome, most of that charm ruined by the scowl on his face.
Beautiful. He's beautiful.
I want to see him smile. I want to see him break.
I want to touch him. I want to see what makes him tick.
I want–
"Urahara-san? Is something wrong?" Kazuyo's grating voice snaps Kisuke out of his stupor. He almost snarls at her, hands twitching to just push her away, but he quickly stops himself. His smile comes up too tense and fake as he bows towards the woman, but he doesn't care.
"Apologies, Hoashi-san, but I just realized I haven't given my greetings to Kuchiki-chan. Excuse me." Kisuke doesn't look back at her as he walks through the crowds of guests.
"Wait, Urahara-san!"
Kisuke feels a giddiness rise in his chest as he plasters on his usual quirky smile. A flare of anger stabs through him when he sees Kuchiki Rukia hug the orange haired male.
Kill her! Kill her!
She's touching him. She's not allowed to touch him!
Rip her hands–
"Kuchiki-chan~! Hello!" Kisuke greets as he walks closer. He snaps his fan closed and taps his cheek, stopping in front of the two young adults.
"Urahara-san... I thought Nīsama destroyed your invitation," Rukia states bluntly in her surprise to see the scientist.
Kisuke hums, still smiling cheerfully. "I came anyway! It's such an important party after all! I just came by to give you my greetings."
Rukia smiles up at the older man and gives him a small curtsey. Kisuke turns and smiles down at the orange haired male.
"Who is this? A boyfriend?" Kisuke forces himself to tease the younger Kuchiki. Confusion runs through him at twin expressions of utter disgust that passes over Rukia and the orange haired male.
"God no," Both answer at the same time.
"This is my best friend and my date for the night," Rukia continues, waving a hand towards the young man.
"That I was blackmailed into," The young man adds, receiving a harsh elbow to his side by the black haired female.
Kisuke hums before he holds out his hand towards the 20 year old male. He opens his fan to cover his wide smile.
"Urahara Kisuke. I occasionally work with Kuchiki-kun and his associates. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
The young man smiles, eyes crinkling in curiosity and hidden delight, as he grabs Kisuke's hand to shake it.
Break him. Keep him. Fix him.
Such a pretty thing. So pretty.
He'd break so beautifully in my hands.
"Kurosaki Ichigo. It's good to meet you too, I guess," Ichigo introduces himself with a slight nod.
Oh, Kisuke is going to latch on and never let go. Ichigo is too pretty to leave him in this awful world...
Hey! Hope you all like the new story!
So. A bit of a different one than what I usually do. Warning: this is going to be dark, then it'll get darker. You have been warned! It's explicit for obvious reasons!
And, this was meant to be just an introductory chapter... but then I was like, nah. Let's get straight into the yandere. So, here we are.
I hope you all enjoy it! I'm sorry it's a bit of a shorter first chapter than most of my other stories, but I'll try and keep future chapters around 3500 words MINIMUM.
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Bye!
WhovianWhoudini
