A/N: Biggest chapter so far and I hope you guys will like it! Sorry I couldn't update earlier as Christmas kept me busy and then there's school. Anyway, I managed to finish up today so here you go!
To Helen: Replying you here as you have no account. I occasionally listen to music when I write. Recently I have huge love for Lana Del Rey and Korean band CN Blue. :)
And thanks to all who took the time to review the previous chapter!
Rukia squinted at the computer screen as she scrolled through the newspaper articles. She had been on this for four hours straight and her eyes were starting to hurt. She sighed as she closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. It was almost one in the early hours of the morning and she had gotten nothing at all. It had been two days since her last meeting with Byakuya and they haven't spoken a word since.
Rukia was in the station and had obtained permission from Soi Fon Taichou to use the police database and past records to see if she has any luck on finding Sakuya. She had managed to convince Soi Fon Taichou that Byakuya had something to do with Sakuya's disappearance and if she is able to find the evidence, Soi Fon Taichou would be able to build up a case on Byakuya. Soi Fon was sceptical at first but finally agreed only if Rukia were to sneak in to the station after everyone else had left.
Although that was far from the truth, Rukia knew that that was the only way she will be able to get access to the database. Byakuya had saved her several times and had even paid Jaegerjaquez a huge sum for her safety. The least she could do was to help him find Sakuya.
"Found anything?" Soi Fon Taichou's voice burst in as Rukia jumped in surprise.
Soi Fon closed the door behind her as Rukia shook her head.
"It's not going to be easy, Rukia." Soi Fon Taichou said.
Rukia sighed. "I know, but a person doesn't mysteriously go missing like that."
Soi Fon Taichou nodded. "Well, good luck. It's getting late, Rukia. Go home soon, alright?"
Rukia smiled and bade goodbye as Soi Fon left the station. Rukia gave a sigh as she continued with her task.
Kurosaki Ichigo's brows were set into a deep frown as he trudged through the snowy path towards the station as his friends continued yakking away.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Ichigo?" Kira asked.
Matsumoto chipped in. "Yea, it sounds pretty dumb to me. Rukia has already made up her mind."
Ichigo stopped in his tracks and turned around and shot them a deadly glare. "We should at least try, isn't it? Aren't all of you worried about her?"
At least Shuuhei seems to be the only one who is on his side. Shuuhei nodded as he spoke up, "I agree. I'm sure we can do something to convince Rukia that she isn't safe with Kuchiki Byakuya."
Matsumoto sighed and stared at Ichigo pointedly. "I am worried about Rukia but I'm just afraid that you're looking at this issue with the feelings you have for Rukia which might actually induce you to make rash and irrational decisions."
Ichigo felt his cheeks colour slightly at Matsumoto's words but quickly looked away. "It doesn't matter what my feelings are! She just isn't safe with that bastard, okay?!"
Matsumoto gave a patronising shrug much to Ichigo's annoyance as the four friends stood outside the station as Shuuhei unlocked the doors.
"We're early," Shuuhei said. "Let's hope Soi Fon Taichou arrives before the other officers arrive. The four of us looking for her looks really serious and I don't want any of those idiots to pry."
"I just hope all of us will be able to convince Soi Fon Taichou to give Rukia her job back." Kira said.
"What I really hope is that even if Soi Fon Taichou offers Rukia her job back, Rukia will want it back." Shuuhei replied seriously.
Ichigo nodded. "As long as we convince Rukia that she's throwing her job and everything away for that bastard, the job will be hers again and she'll be back with us."
"Too bad we have no evidence of Kuchiki Byakuya murdering someone or actually did something bad." Matsumoto replied.
As soon as the doors were unlocked, they trooped in and made their way outside Soi Fon Taichou's office.
"Hey, why is the light in the computer room on?" Matsumoto asked as she advanced towards the room.
"Probably because stupid Hamachi had forgotten to switch it off before he leaves." Shuuhei replied, annoyed.
Matsumoto opened the door and gasped as she stared at the familiar figure sleeping in front of the computer. Her gasp attracted the rest as they came forward.
"What is Rukia doing here?" Kira asked, surprised.
"She knows she was fired, right?" Shuuhei asked worriedly. "Perhaps after losing her job, Rukia lost her marbles."
Rolling her eyes at Shuuhei's comment, Matsumoto shook Rukia gently. "Rukia, wake up!"
Ichigo walked towards Rukia worriedly as she stirred awake. As much as Ichigo was angry at her, she was still Rukia after all. And Ichigo was worried for her.
"Rukia, what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked worriedly as Rukia blinked at them sleepily.
It took Rukia about thirty seconds to widen her eyes, gasped at them in horror and then quickly gathered the papers in front of her and folded them as she tried to stuff them into her pocket but failed as Ichigo snatched the papers from her hands.
One glance at the first sheet of paper had Ichigo's mind went blank for a second.
"Rukia, what are these for?" Ichigo asked as he put the papers down on the desk. "Why are you checking up on Kuchiki Byakuya?"
Ichigo's tone was gentle but confused. He stared at Rukia as she looked at him in despair as though pleading him to drop the issue.
The papers were now passed to Matsumoto who then passed them to Shuuhei and Kira. Ichigo watched as Rukia shook her head and sat back down worriedly.
"Rukia, what's wrong?" Matsumoto asked. "Are you in trouble? Is Kuchiki Byakuya hiding something from you that's why you're checking on him?"
Rukia sighed as she looked at Matsumoto. "No, I'm not in any kind of trouble. I just want to find out more about Sakuya before I marry him. Byakuya didn't want me to worry but I just need to know more about her."
Ichigo's heart fell as soon as he heard Rukia's words. He had secretly hoped that she would be telling them that there was trouble between them and she had decided to leave him.
"How did you even get the keys?" Shuuhei asked, bewildered.
Rukia stared at him for a moment and then replied sheepishly. "I stole it from Hamachi's bag and unlocked the room when he was about to leave and then I placed it in his bag again."
"Damn, that guy is really stupid!" Shuuhei exclaimed, rolling his eyes.
"Well, I stole it when he was in the restroom and put it back before he's back." replied Rukia as she let out a dry laugh.
Ichigo continued to stare at Rukia and felt himself stiffen as her eyes suddenly landed on him and she gave him a small smile. Ichigo tried his best to return the smile but could only feel the corner of his lips lifting just a little. Rukia seemed to notice how reluctant his smile was as she looked away, disappointment in her face.
The sudden creak of the door outside startled everyone as Rukia jumped up from her seat guiltily.
"Someone's here." Shuuhei said worriedly as he glanced out of the door. "You have to leave, Rukia."
Rukia nodded as Shuuhei slipped out of the room to distract the officer who had arrived. She mouthed a word of thanks to her friends as Ichigo watched her quickly slipped out of the station.
"So, are we still asking for her job back?" Kira asked uncertainly. "She still seems to want to marry him although she was snooping around."
"Maybe another time." Ichigo replied dejectedly as he walked out of the room.
Rukia heaved a sigh of relief as she ran through the snowy streets while clutching the papers to her chest. She hadn't expected to fall asleep! Rukia mentally patted herself on the back for thinking up an excuse at the very last minute. Thankfully, Hamachi was a well-known ditz in the station. She felt incredibly guilty again for lying to her friends but what other choice did she have?
Rukia hurried to the bus stop and sat down on the bench to calm her racing heart down. Just then, her mobile phone rang and Rukia fished it out of her coat pocket. Matsumoto's name came up at the screen and Rukia answered it.
"Rukia, you're safe. No one other than us saw you. And don't worry, we're not going to tell anyone about it." Matsumoto said.
"Thank you." replied Rukia thankfully.
"Don't do it again, alright?" Matsumoto continued. "If you need any information on him, let us know. We'll try to fish what we can and let you know."
Rukia felt another huge amount of guilt settle in her chest as she heard how much her friends were willing to help her out.
"Thanks." Rukia mumbled as she blinked her eyes quickly as they were starting to water.
"Kira have booked the cabins for Christmas. You're coming right? It's our tradition after all." Matsumoto said.
"But Ichigo seems to be still mad at me." Rukia replied.
"Ignore that idiot!" Matsumoto replied over the phone. "You have to come, Rukia. It's also a good chance to make peace with Ichigo, don't you think?"
"Okay." Rukia replied as she smiled. "I'll go."
Rukia heard a whoop of delight from Matsumoto over the line and laughed.
"Great!" Matsumoto replied happily. "Kira will text you the details again. Bye!"
Rukia hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. She really hoped that she would be able to make things right again with Ichigo during Christmas. She hated how they were behaving like strangers now.
It was five days after the incident at the station and Rukia had decided to lay low and stopped visiting the station in the past few nights. She decided to wait until the Christmas break was over and then she would resume her nightly visits. Today was the twenty-third and she would be meeting Ichigo and the rest at Shuuhei's apartment and they would all drive up to the log cabin resort. It was their yearly Christmas tradition and they would all book two rooms where the guys and girls would sleep in different rooms. They would ski and have snowball fights in the day and by night, the five friends would huddle inside one of the rooms around the fire and have hot cocoa while they chatted.
Rukia was excited. Matsumoto was right. Everyone is always in a good mood around Christmas and Rukia had a feeling that everything would be good between Ichigo and her again. Rukia arrived at Shuuhei's building at seven in the morning and found that everyone else had already reached. She threw her bag into the boot and the five friends quickly hopped in the car. Ichigo drove as Shuuhei took the passenger seat. Kira, Matsumoto and Rukia then took the back seat and they set off immediately.
The three hour ride was better than Rukia expected. Everyone was in a great mood and Ichigo even made some small talk with Rukia. Everyone was cautious and no one brought up anything related to Kuchiki Byakuya. They arrived at the holiday inn and brought their bags and headed to the reception.
Kira provided his details and the lady at the counter gave him two room keys.
"Here are the girls' room key." Kira said as he passed the key to Rukia. "Let's put our stuff and meet back here and get some breakfast, okay?"
Everyone agreed and trooped off to their respective rooms which were both located on the second level. After everyone had dumped their bags in their respective rooms, they met up in the small café that was beside the lobby fifteen minutes later.
Twinkling fairy lights decorated the ceiling as soft Christmas music drifted across the room. Rukia smiled happily as she watched her friends scramble off to get food from the buffet table. The café was not overly crowded but Rukia noticed a few of the head chefs were standing by the entrance of the café as they fidgeted nervously. It seemed as though they were waiting for someone as they started straightening their chef's hat and uniform.
Rukia frowned as she continued to stare at their odd behaviour. This log cabin resort was not exactly a five or six star hotel so there should not be any movie stars or anyone important. Letting her curiosity get to her, Rukia walked towards the entrance gingerly and took a peek out to the lobby.
Rukia gasped as soon as she saw the familiar man standing at the lobby as the hotel managers surrounded him. Why in the world is he here? Had he actually followed her?
Before Rukia could duck, the man spotted her and Rukia could see the slight surprise in his grey eyes as he continued to stare at her through the corner of his eyes. Feeling very embarrassed to have caught staring at him, Rukia quickly returned to the table where her friends were now happily eating away.
"What's wrong, Rukia?" Kira asked as soon as she sat down. "You look as though you've seen a ghost."
"And you haven't gotten any food." Ichigo said as he chewed on his croissant.
Rukia could hear them but her mind was busily trying to comprehend why on earth was Kuchiki Byakuya here. A sudden commotion broke her out of her reverie as she snapped her attention to the entrance where Kuchiki Byakuya had just stepped in as the chefs bowed and greeted as soon as they saw him.
"Kuchiki-sama, these are the top chefs we have in our resort and feel free to order whatever you feel like having and they will prepare for you." Rukia heard the manager say.
Of course, with all the commotion, Ichigo and the rest also had their attention on Kuchiki Byakuya and Rukia groaned.
"Why is he here?" Matsumoto asked, surprised.
"Rukia, did you invite him?" Shuuhei asked to which Rukia quickly shook her head.
"I have no idea why he is here!" Rukia explained as she continued to stare at the scene before her eyes.
Kuchiki Byakuya seemed obviously bored as he only gave a small nod after the manager's speech on how the resort's profit had increased over the years. Out of a sudden, Byakuya seemed to have spotted Rukia as his eyes suddenly landed on hers and Rukia quickly looked away, flustered.
Rukia stared at her plate in front of her intently as she heard Matsumoto whispered, "He's coming over."
Startled, Rukia gave a small jump and stood up as she prepared to make her escape but before she had the chance to do so, Kuchiki Byakuya was already standing before her.
"Where do you think you are going?" He asked, staring at her.
Rukia gulped as she looked up slowly. As soon her eyes met his grey ones, she quickly looked away again.
"I j-just need to go to the restroom." stammered Rukia and she quickly cleared her throat. "What are you doing here?"
Byakuya did not reply but instead the manager who was standing beside Byakuya replied, "Kuchiki-sama is a major shareholder of our resort and he will come over when he is free."
Rukia gave a small nod as the manager asked politely, "May I ask how you are related to Kuchiki-sama?"
"I'm just a frie-
"Fiancée." interrupted Byakuya before Rukia could finish her sentence. "Rukia is my fiancée."
The manager gasped in surprise but he quickly gave a deep bow. "I apologise for my rudeness, Rukia-sama. Please, let me upgrade your rooms to the suites and everything will be on the house."
Rukia stared at him in surprise. "Oh no! That's not necessary!"
"Please, Rukia-sama, we insist. And again, I apologise for not knowing of your identity earlier."
Rukia wanted to reject the manager but he seemed insistent and Rukia didn't want to kick up a fuss. She eventually smiled and thanked the man politely.
"I have to attend a meeting now." Byakuya said suddenly as he looked at Rukia. "I will talk to you later."
"What? W-Why?" Rukia spluttered.
Byakuya raised his eyebrow as he leaned in close to her which caused a sharp intake of breath from Matsumoto and Kira.
"I wish to speak to my fiancée. Can I not?" Byakuya asked as Rukia felt her face heat up.
Before she could reply, Byakuya was already out of the café with the manager hot on his trail. Before Rukia had the time to catch her breath, her friends broke into a commotion which was starting to make her head pound.
"Why the hell is he here?!" Ichigo bellowed angrily. "He must not have trusted you, Rukia!"
"But Rukia said she never told him where she is." Kira replied.
"Oh please," Shuuhei retorted, rolling his eyes. "With all his filthy money, Kuchiki can just find out on his own!"
"Come on, guys! Who cares why he's here? We got free upgrades and we don't have to pay a single cent!" Matsumoto replied happily.
"I refuse to gain anything from his filthy reputation." scowled Ichigo.
"Please," Rukia said loudly amidst the commotion. "Can we stop talking about this and just eat?"
"So… about the rooms…" Kira trailed off.
"It's alright. Since Ichigo and Shuuhei are so reluctant, I'll let the front desk know that we're not changing." Rukia replied wearily.
There was a heave of relief from both Ichigo and Shuuhei as Matsumoto shot them deadly glares.
"Let's just eat and pretend he isn't here." Rukia mumbled as she picked up her fork.
"Rukia, for someone who is your fiancé, you don't seem happy to see him." Kira pointed out.
At his words, Rukia stilled. He was right. It wasn't that she wasn't happy to see him, in fact, a small part of her was very excited when he came over to talk to her but Rukia just wasn't happy at her friends' reaction. All of them except Matsumoto, seemed displeased and outraged that he was here. Adding on to the fact that she's lying to Byakuya about her real identity and lying to her friends about her relationship with Byakuya. Sometimes she wondered how she could actually maintain her sanity with all these lies.
"Of course I'm happy to see him," replied Rukia slowly. "But I just don't want him to ruin your moods."
"Come on, guys," Matsumoto chided. "Let's just be civil towards him, okay? For Rukia's sake."
Kira nodded immediately and after another deadly glare from Matsumoto, the other two guys nodded reluctantly.
Noticing that there was still tension between them, Matsumoto quickly launched into a story on how she stumbled upon two of their co-workers making out after work and how Matsumoto "threatened" them to treat her for lunch for two weeks in order for her to keep this quiet.
The gang was laughing at Matsumoto's evilness and Rukia was glad that everyone seemed to have put Kuchiki Byakuya at the back of their minds for now. She silently thanked Matsumoto for being so understanding although Rukia knew that Byakuya's hotness, which was how Matsumoto would have put it, also had a great deal to do with how her friend was behaving but nonetheless, Rukia was grateful.
Breakfast was soon over and the gang trooped outside happily into the snow and had their usual snowball fight. Rukia had kept a constant look out for Byakuya for fear that they might bump into him again but thankfully he was nowhere in sight. It wasn't before long that their fun in the snow had ended and everyone was tired as a result from waking up early that morning. They then all agreed to take a rest in their respective rooms until six in the evening for dinner.
The five friends had boarded the lift up the second floor and before Rukia could follow Matsumoto back to her room, she felt a tug on her arm and realised that Ichigo had stopped her. The others didn't seem to have noticed as they trudged back to their rooms tiredly.
"What's wrong?" Rukia asked Ichigo as she watched her friends disappear into their rooms.
Ichigo let go of her as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh…"
Rukia smiled. "Come on, it's me. You know you can tell me anything."
Her words seemed to have given Ichigo confidence as he smiled. "Alright, can you meet me in the garden after everyone has gone to bed?"
Rukia raised her brows. "Why? What's wrong?"
Ichigo chuckled nervously. "Nothing's wrong. I just want to give you something."
"Oh," Rukia replied, baffled. "What is it?"
"Just meet me there tonight, alright? Sneak out after Matsumoto's asleep. I don't want her to tag along."
Rukia nodded. "Okay… but I don't know what time that will be."
"That's fine. I'll be there waiting for you." Ichigo replied as he patted Rukia on the head and dashed back to his room.
Rukia stared at the empty corridor and after failing to come up with her own logic as to why Ichigo was behaving oddly, Rukia decided to head back to her room for some rest.
It was four hours later when the gang met up for dinner at the café. Rukia noticed that suddenly they seemed to be getting special treatment. The staff greeted them as they reached and the chefs had personally asked them what they want for dinner as other normal guests just took whatever that was offered on the buffet table. Of course, this special treatment didn't go unnoticed by her friends either and they all knew why the sudden change in treatment had occurred. No one mentioned anything for fear of bringing any awkwardness to the group.
Rukia and her friends thanked the chefs politely as they declined their offer, insisting that they were happy with what the buffet table was serving.
"Ah, alright then, Rukia-sama." The top chef said as he smiled. "But I have already prepared a special dish for you."
"But I didn't order anything." Rukia replied politely, but puzzled.
The top chef smiled. "Kuchiki Byakuya-sama had mentioned to us that you enjoyed eggs very much and knowing that I have an award winning recipe for a poached egg dish, he had requested that I made them for you."
Upon hearing Byakuya's name, Rukia felt her cheeks colour slightly as her stomach did a clumsy somersault. She quickly coughed and nodded as she looked away.
The chef smiled as he bustled off leaving Rukia feeling awkward but strangely pleased that Byakuya had done that.
"Woah, special treatment from the top chef." Matsumoto nudged Rukia as she chomped on her rice. "And look at that! I would never expect Kuchiki Byakuya to do that… That was really sweet."
Rukia thanked the gods that there was only Matsumoto there to witness the incident as the other guys were all still busily taking their food at the buffet table.
"Don't say anything about it when the guys get back, okay?" Rukia muttered.
Matsumoto nodded and winked playfully as she continued eating away. Just in time, the boys came back carrying plates of food and Ichigo noticing that Rukia had not gotten to the buffet table, placed a plate in front of her.
"Here, I got this for you," said Ichigo. "Omelettes, your favourite."
Rukia smiled and thanked him as everyone tucked into their food. Rukia was halfway through her omelettes when the chef returned with a delicious looking plate of poached eggs and set it in front of Rukia.
"Enjoy them, Rukia-sama." The chef said as he bowed and left.
Everyone on their table, except for Matsumoto who was now tackling the food on Kira's plate gaped at Rukia as Rukia hastily shoved the poached eggs into her mouth.
It was heavenly but Rukia had no time to savour as she quickly swallowed them and proceeded to stuff the eggs into her mouth.
"What's that?" Ichigo asked. "Did you order something from the top chef?"
"Mnuefhghh." came Rukia's reply as she looked away hastily and continued to stuff her mouth full.
"Come on, Rukia, we saw that those are poached eggs that are not offered on the buffet table." Ichigo replied, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, slow down, Rukia." Shuuhei said worriedly as he looked at Rukia.
Finally realising that she couldn't avoid answering their question, Rukia swallowed and replied, "Y-Yes, I ordered them."
"If you want to order from them, it's fine, Rukia." Shuuhei replied. "You don't have to stuff yourself like that."
"Well, I didn't want you guys to think that I was betraying you or something by ordering from them…" muttered Rukia.
"W-Well, don't worry about us, Rukia," replied Shuuhei guiltily. "Ichigo and I will get over it, right Ichigo?"
There was a reluctant grunt from Ichigo as Rukia's eyes darted back and forth between the two guys. Shuuhei seemed really guilty and apologetic while Ichigo seemed… mad. With a small sigh, Rukia decided to talk to Ichigo tonight and find out what is his problem with Kuchiki Byakuya exactly and what she can do to salvage the flimsy friendship that they have left.
Rukia crawled out of bed as soon as she heard Matsumoto's soft snoring. She couldn't wait to see Ichigo. She had so much to talk to him and they haven't had a proper talk ever since her news with Byakuya came out. Rukia was desperate. She needed Ichigo back. Rukia changed and put on her coat as she tip toed her way out. It was almost midnight and Matsumoto had taken a long bath back in their room after their usual idle chat at the boys' room. Almost two hours after they had returned to their room, Matsumoto finally fell asleep.
Rukia sent Ichigo a text to tell him she was on her way as she rode the elevator down. There was a quick 'OK' sent back to her as Rukia made her way to the garden. As soon as Rukia pushed open the door that led to the outside, the harsh winter wind enveloped her and Rukia grimaced. It was still snowing heavily and she trudged through the snow until she saw Ichigo sitting on a bench. His face lit up as soon as he saw her and he smiled.
"How long have you been sitting here?" Rukia asked as she noticed that Ichigo's shoulders and hair seemed to have collected a decent amount of snow.
"Ever since you and Matsumoto headed back to your room." Ichigo replied.
Rukia stared at him shocked. "What? That was almost two hours ago!"
Ichigo said nothing but instead, he smiled happily at Rukia.
"You should have waited at the lobby." Rukia said as she tugged her own scarf down and draped it on Ichigo's neck.
"I was afraid you would come from the other entrance and I wouldn't have seen you." Ichigo replied.
Rukia noticed that Ichigo's fingers were now on her scarf and an odd expression was on his face. He seemed happy and nervous and… was he blushing? Rukia wasn't sure as it was dark and only the dim lamp post beside them provided some light.
Feeling as though she was trapped in an awkward situation, Rukia quickly cleared her throat.
"Ichigo, about me and Byakuya-
"Here, this is for you." Ichigo interrupted quickly as he shoved a small box into Rukia's hand.
"What is this?" Rukia asked, bewildered.
"Your early Christmas present," replied Ichigo nervously. "I didn't want to give it to you in front of the others."
Suspicious, Rukia opened the box slowly and her eyes widened at what was inside.
"Ichigo, why did you…" Rukia trailed off.
"You've said before that if you have a boyfriend, you would make him buy that for you." replied Ichigo as he took a necklace out of the box.
The face of a rabbit on the silver chain gleamed beautifully as Ichigo held it in front of Rukia.
"You said that you wanted someone special to buy this for you, right?" Ichigo asked.
"Y-Yes, but… I only said that I want this from my future boyfriend. Ichigo, this isn't cheap." Rukia stammered as she stared at the necklace.
"I know," replied Ichigo. "This is the limited edition Chappy necklace after all." Ichigo chuckled as he suddenly leaned in and clasped the necklace around Rukia's neck.
Startled by his sudden action, Rukia drew back immediately. "Ichigo, t-thank you but this is expensive. Maybe you can return it and they'll give you a refund or I can pay you back or-
"Rukia," Ichigo interrupted. "Don't you get it?"
Rukia stopped her rambling as she looked at him. "Get what?"
Running a hand through his orange hair, Ichigo sighed. "I was going to tell you that I want to be with you, as your boyfriend. I want to shower you with gifts like this!"
Rukia stilled as she stared blankly at Ichigo. For the first time in her life, Rukia had never felt so shocked. She always thought of Ichigo as a brother or even her best friend but nothing more. Yes, Ichigo was always the one who looked over her when they were younger and when she was bullied by the older boys in school, Ichigo would always come to her rescue and even though he couldn't win the other boys, he tried and Rukia knew how much Ichigo cared for her but certainly not in a romantic kind of way.
"Ichigo," Rukia said slowly but carefully. "I'm with Byakuya. You know that, right?"
Rukia didn't know how she should deal with Ichigo at the moment but one thing for certain, she knew that Ichigo's feelings for her wasn't mutual. She didn't want to hurt Ichigo's feelings so she decided to bring Byakuya in which she was glad that finally there was some use to this fake relationship after all.
Ichigo's face fell slightly. "I know, but you can always break things off with him. I noticed that he didn't even get you this Chappy necklace. Didn't you say if you found someone special, you would get him to buy you this, no matter what?"
Rukia flushed. She did say that and she meant what she said so how was she going to worm her way out of this one?
"I was just making a joke." Rukia replied lamely as Ichigo huffed in exasperation.
"I know you, Rukia. You meant it. Either you mentioned it to that jerk and he didn't give it to you or that you didn't even tell him in the first place which means he isn't your special someone."
Rukia fell silent as Ichigo stared at her almost pleadingly. "Rukia, please think this through. You don't even look like you're happy with him."
"You don't know anything, Ichigo," replied Rukia quickly. "I am happy with him. He makes me feel safe and when I'm with him, everything just seems different. He just makes everything seem better. Whenever I see him, I feel all weird inside but it wasn't the bad kind of weird. It was… like something I've never felt before. Something good."
Rukia soon realised she had been rambling without even really thinking and she quickly clamped her mouth shut. She realised what she just said to Ichigo and for a moment, Rukia finally realised that what she told Ichigo was the truth. She enjoys spending time with Byakuya even at times when her stomach was acting all funny as though there were something fluttering inside or even at times when her heart was banging wildly against her chest.
Ichigo seemed stumped at Rukia's declaration but recovered quickly.
"Rukia, he isn't good for you." Ichigo said softly. "You're too kind and wonderful."
"I don't care." replied Rukia. "And I'm not that perfect, Ichigo."
"You are to me." Ichigo said as he suddenly pulled Rukia into a hug. "Rukia, you're everything to me."
Rukia's eyes widened as the cold wind continued to howl. Rukia was about to push Ichigo away when a familiar voice interrupted them.
"What are you doing?"
Surprised at the sudden intrusion, Ichigo finally let Rukia go as they both turned around to find Kuchiki Byakuya walking towards them. He looked extremely displeased as he pulled Rukia over to his side.
Rukia stared at Byakuya with a mixture of confusion and horror. What was he going to do? He seemed incredibly mad or was this all an act? Suddenly feeling a slight tug on her neck, Rukia realised that Byakuya had unclasped the necklace from her and shoved it into Ichigo's hand.
"Take that back. She does not want it." Byakuya said curtly.
Ichigo looked angry as he stared at Byakuya. "That wasn't your call to make."
Byakuya stared at Ichigo and Rukia felt as though she could just die on the spot. What in the world was going on?
"It is when you are hitting on my fiancée." Byakuya replied stiffly.
"Is this how you treat Rukia?" Ichigo blurted out angrily. "By making her decisions for her?"
"I will do nothing of that sort to Rukia." Byakuya replied.
"Ichigo, please stop," Rukia pleaded. "You should really take that necklace back. I can't accept it."
Ichigo turned his gaze to Rukia and his eyes softened. "Rukia, I am not going to do that. Do you know how long I've wanted to say those words to you? I'm not holding back now."
"Take those words someplace else." Byakuya interrupted. "Rukia is engaged to me."
Ichigo looked as though he was ready to punch Byakuya in the face and Rukia quickly pushed him away.
"Ichigo, just go. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Please, just leave."
Her pleas seemed to have effect on Ichigo as he finally nodded. With the necklace still in hand, Ichigo retreated back into the lobby and soon disappeared from sight.
Rukia was at a loss. What was she going to do? How was she going to face Ichigo tomorrow? And she thought that she could finally repair the flimsy friendship that she and Ichigo had for the past weeks. Now it seemed as though there was nothing to salvage anymore. Everything was gone. Without knowing, Rukia felt a tear slip down and she quickly bit back a sob.
"Are you upset that he is not your boyfriend?"
Rukia gave a jump. She almost forgot that Byakuya was still here. Brushing her tear away, she quickly replied, "Of course not. Ichigo's just a friend."
"Then why are you crying?" Byakuya asked.
"Because… now I lost a friend." Rukia replied simply.
There was no answer from Byakuya but Rukia suddenly felt something warm on her neck. Byakuya had wrapped his own silk scarf on her neck and Rukia caught the faint smell of sakura.
"Thanks." mumbled Rukia.
"I had been waiting for you to say that." Byakuya said, his tone light.
"What? Why?" Rukia asked, curious as she turned to face him.
"Well, should you not thank me that I chased him off for you?" Byakuya replied, a ghost of a smile flitted past his face.
"You chased him off?" echoed Rukia.
Byakuya nodded. "I would have to act all possessive and angry, shouldn't I? We have to make this believable."
Rukia felt a sudden stab of pain at Byakuya's words but she tried to push that away. What was wrong with her?
"What were you doing here, anyway?" Rukia forced herself to ask as she tried to distract herself from the ache in her chest.
"I enjoy night time walks." replied Byakuya to which Rukia replied with a 'oh'.
"And why was he declaring his undying love for you out here in the cold?" Byakuya asked, his tone impassive.
Rukia shrugged. "He just told me to meet him here to talk and then it just happened."
Silence lapsed between them as Byakuya walked towards the lobby and Rukia followed.
"How long have you been listening to our conversation?" Rukia asked suddenly.
"Long enough to hear you profess your feelings for me." Byakuya replied, slightly amused.
"You heard that?" stuttered Rukia as they stepped into the warm lobby.
Byakuya nodded as he headed towards the elevators.
"I was only trying to get rid of him that's why I said those things." Rukia quickly replied.
"I know." Byakuya replied as the elevator arrived with a soft 'ding'.
They stepped in and the door closed in front of them. Rukia noticed that Byakuya had pressed level three and realised that his room must be there.
"Are you not going back to your room?" Byakuya asked, his brows raised slightly.
Rukia turned to Byakuya seriously. "Can I stay in your room?"
Her question seemed to have caught Byakuya off guard as he eyes widened slightly in surprised.
Rukia realised how that must have sounded and quickly continued, "Because knowing Ichigo, he might be waiting outside my room for me. And I don't feel like facing him now."
Byakuya gave a small nod as the elevator brought them to the third level. Once the elevator doors opened, Rukia immediately know that this must be the VIP level. The carpets and lights hanging above were very different from what they had in level two. And apparently, there was only one door in front of them.
"Are you occupying the whole of level three?" Rukia asked, shocked.
"There is only one room at this level, so yes." Byakuya replied as he scanned his finger on the door.
The door opened with a soft click and Byakuya stepped inside with Rukia behind him.
"Oh, I forgot to ask if there's anyone else with you." Rukia said apologetically. "I might be disturbing."
"What if there is?" Byakuya asked as he headed to the bar and poured himself a drink.
"Is there?" Rukia asked frantically as she glanced around.
"No." replied Byakuya.
Glaring at him for making her feel flustered, Rukia hoist herself up the bar stool.
"So, what if there is someone else?" Byakuya asked again, staring at her as he stood across from her, the bar table separating them.
Rukia felt her face starting to grow hot as she noticed him staring at her. She quickly grabbed an empty glass and poured herself of whatever Byakuya had just poured into his glass.
She downed the dark liquid hastily as Byakuya continued to stare at her.
"W-Well, if there is someone else, then I'll leave." Rukia replied as she poured herself another glass to avoid his stare.
Again, Rukia polished off the next glass as her heart hammered against her chest. Why was he staring at her like this? It felt suffocating and… intense.
"And what if there is no one else?" Byakuya asked and he polished off his own glass.
Even as he drank, Rukia noticed that he was still staring at her. This feeling made her feel incredibly awkward as she quickly poured herself another glass.
"If there isn't anyone else," Rukia replied slowly as she sipped on her drink. "T-Then maybe I can stay a little longer…. Right?"
There was no other meaning in her words but Rukia felt that she just wasn't ready to face Ichigo yet. She presumed he would wait for her for two hours at most before heading back to his room.
Rukia saw Byakuya gave a small nod as he suddenly tore his gaze away from her. He seemed to be pondering for a while and then he finally set his glass down.
"You can stay here until you are ready to leave." Byakuya said as he walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Rukia asked, surprised.
"I am going for a walk." Byakuya replied as he shut the door behind him.
With him gone, Rukia suddenly noticed how big and majestic his suite is. In the far corner, there was a platform with a gigantic four poster bed on it. There was a door not far from it which Rukia presumed it leads to a bathroom. Rukia slid herself down the bar stool and her toes sank into the expensive carpet. Grabbing her drink, Rukia decided to do some exploring.
Byakuya paced back and forth at the lobby of the resort as his mind wandered back to what happened earlier. He didn't know why but he was entranced by Rukia as she sat inches away from him. She was blushing and the way she downed her drink nervously, Byakuya thought she looked… adorable. And earlier on what happened at the garden, he was just enjoying a midnight stroll when he stumbled upon Rukia and that annoying kid. They didn't see him as he watched Rukia wrapping her own scarf around that boy. Byakuya felt annoyed instantly. Why couldn't she just let him freeze to death? The world would be so much better without him and his annoying orange hair.
Byakuya did not mean to eavesdrop but they weren't exactly being soft so Byakuya watched on. He scoffed to himself when the Kurosaki kid helped Rukia on with the necklace and blabbered on about how he wants to be Rukia's boyfriend.
Byakuya initially wanted to walk away but when he heard Rukia reject Kurosaki Ichigo, a small part of Byakuya wanted to laugh. Byakuya knew that it was incredibly childish to feel that way but that was just what he had felt. He smirked to himself as he watched Kurosaki continue to make a fool out of himself as he tried to persuade Rukia to leave him. Another part of Byakuya was displeased. Who was Ichigo to keep telling Rukia that he wasn't good enough? And then when Ichigo had suddenly embraced Rukia, Byakuya felt himself suddenly walking forward to them. Byakuya wasn't thinking but he knew he just needed Rukia away from that man's embrace. Rukia was clearly rejecting him so why couldn't he leave her alone?
"Excuse me, Kuchiki-sama…"
Byakuya broke out of his reverie to see a shy staff had approached him.
"Kuchiki-sama, you have been pacing around for a while. Do you need something?" The lady asked meekly.
Looking at his watch and realising that he was here for almost half an hour, Byakuya ignored the lady and proceeded upstairs.
Upon reaching his suite, Byakuya noticed that Rukia was nowhere in sight. Suddenly panicking, Byakuya cast a frantic glance around and noticed that the bathroom door was closed and the light inside was on.
Byakuya walked towards the bathroom and knocked softly on the door. He could hear the splashing of water inside and frowned. Is Rukia showering? Wasn't her clothes in her room?
"Rukia." Byakuya called out, the slight worry evident in his voice.
There was no answer and he was about to knock again when he heard Rukia call out.
"Byakuya-chan, is that you?"
There was giggling and Byakuya heard footsteps drawing nearer. The door to the bathroom suddenly opened and he stared at Rukia as she stood before him, soaked.
Her coat was off and Byakuya could clearly see the outline of her body… and legs… and Byakuya's eyes drifted back up and realised that he could see through Rukia's white dress. He noticed immediately that she was donned in baby pink underwear and before he could stop himself, Byakuya felt something stir in him. It was the feeling… the feeling he had the night he had almost ravished Rukia in his study on his birthday party.
Pulling himself away from his thoughts, Byakuya noticed that Rukia was holding to the wine bottle they were having earlier. So, she was drunk. That explains everything.
"I'm glad you're back!" Rukia smiled as she suddenly grabbed Byakuya and pulled her into the bathroom. "I found us a swimming pool!"
Byakuya glanced and noticed that all she was pointing to was the hot tub in the bathroom. Rukia giggled to herself as she stepped into the hot tub, wine bottle still in hand as water sloshed out and landed on the bathroom floor.
"How much have you had to drink?" Byakuya asked as he took the bottle away from Rukia.
Pouting, Rukia glared at him as she stretched her hands out, indicating that she wants the bottle back. Byakuya ignored her.
"It wasn't a lot," drawled Rukia. "After you left, I had half a bottle only."
Byakuya placed the bottle of wine on the counter behind him as Rukia continued to stare at him.
"Don't you want to take a swim?" asked Rukia. "The water's warm."
If Byakuya wasn't facing a certain problem right now, he would have taken out his phone and video-ed this down for Rukia to see when she was sober. He could imagine how embarrassed she would be and Byakuya would definitely get a kick out of it.
"Come on out," Byakuya said finally. "You are going to catch a cold."
Byakuya held out his hand for Rukia but like a stubborn child, she pouted and blew on her bangs. Her stubborn bang fell back into place as she shook her head.
Byakuya could not decide if he was more amused or he actually found her childish behaviour endearing. Finally, a small smile graced his lips unknowingly as he watched her.
"I'll only get out if you carry me." Rukia replied as she smiled up at him.
Her request surprised Byakuya as he raised his eyebrows.
Rukia laughed. "I know you wouldn't. Byakuya is such an uptight person."
"Is that so?" Byakuya challenged as Rukia nodded and smiled again.
Refusing to let her think that he was an uptight person, Byakuya pulled her up to her feet and without another word, he scooped her in his arms as Rukia let out a gasp of surprise.
He placed her down on her feet immediately on the floor and Rukia frowned.
"It's not very nice out of the pool. It's cold."
Byakuya grabbed a towel on the rack beside him and handed to Rukia. "Dry off now. No more playing in the pool."
Byakuya then pressed several buttons on the hot tub and the water started draining away.
Byakuya turned around and gave a start as he watched Rukia slipping her dress off her. Her back was facing him and her dress landed on a heap at her feet as she reached to her back for her bra.
"What are you doing?" Byakuya managed to speak as Rukia turned around sleepily.
"Didn't you ask me to dry off?" she mumbled.
Byakuya quickly stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
"You have to wait until I am gone." Byakuya replied, gritting his teeth.
"Sorry." came Rukia's tired reply.
Byakuya could feel himself hardening at the thought of Rukia undressing at the other side of the door and he tried to push those thoughts away. He never had a problem with women. He even had models and famous actresses stripping down in front of him and Byakuya had just turned them away. He knew those women were only after his money and status and even seeing them nude, Byakuya felt nothing.
But with Rukia, he only saw her in her underwear and here he was, feeling as though he was a sixteen year old hormone raging teenager.
Realising that there was no sound from the bathroom, Byakuya cleared his throat and asked, "Are you asleep?"
"No," came Rukia's reply. "Are you?"
What sort of question was that? Of course he wasn't asleep. How would he be talking to her if he was? Byakya almost wanted to roll his eyes at her silliness.
"No." replied Byakuya eventually.
"Why aren't you asleep?" Rukia asked.
Because I am having a hard on because of you? Because I am unsure of what is happening right now and all I can think of is you behind the door naked? Because I usually get mad when people make a mess of my suite but I feel fine when you just did that?
Thoughts raced through Byakuya's mind but he didn't say a word. There was more shuffling behind the door and Byakuya wondered what was taking her so long. He glanced at his watch and noticed that it was now two in the morning.
"Byakuya?" came Rukia's voice. "I don't have anything to wear."
Byakuya sighed as he opened the wardrobe and the only thing he had was his dress shirts and pants. He took one of his dress shirts and knocked on the door.
The door opened and Rukia's hand popped out. Handing her his dress shirt, the door closed again and he could hear more shuffling inside as he sat on the bed. After what felt like half an hour, which was probably only two minutes, the bathroom door opened once again and Rukia stepped out.
His dress shirt reached her mid-thighs and Byakuya noticed that her underwear were still on the floor of the bathroom.
"Rukia," he said carefully as she walked towards him.
"Hmm?" she asked sleepily.
Alarm bells rang off inside Byakuya's head as he felt his manhood twitch. Trying to compose himself, Byakuya pointed to her underwear and Rukia simply stared at it.
"Oh, they're all wet. It's uncomfortable to put them on again." Rukia said matter-of-factly as she sat down on the bed next to him.
Byakuya almost went stiff as he gripped on to the mattress. Should he send her back to her room? It wasn't such a bad idea but how could he send her back when she was practically wearing nothing? And not just that, what if she snuck out of her room and who knows which creep she would bump into? In her current state of mind, it just wasn't safe for her to be alone. Byakuya considered waking her friends up and dump her in their care but what would they think? In their eyes, he was supposed to be her fiancé and Byakuya could not jeopardize his career with them suspecting anything. But Byakuya was afraid he could not control himself and what happened in his study would repeat. It was not fair to Rukia either.
Deciding to leave it to Rukia, Byakuya asked, "Rukia, do you think It would be better if I send you back to your room? I could wake your friends up and they could look after you."
Rukia turned her head and faced Byakuya. They were only inches apart and Byakuya quickly stand up as he realised they were too close.
"Why are you sending me away?" Rukia asked, her voice tired and small. "I'm sorry I made a mess of your bathroom… But the pool was just so warm."
Byakuya sighed. What was he thinking? Obviously, leaving the decision to Rukia was wrong.
"You always say the meanest things, Byakuya." Rukia rambled on sleepily. "Your words… they hurt a lot…"
Byakuya glanced at her. She seemed genuinely upset and for a moment, Byakuya wondered whether she was speaking the truth or was she spluttering nonsense again.
"Why would you say that?" asked Byakuya.
Rukia gave a dramatic sigh as she swung her legs up and settled comfortably onto the bed. Byakuya watched as she pulled the covers up to her stomach.
"Byakuya was mean when he said I meant nothing to him…" Rukia replied sleepily. "And just now when I bumped into Byakuya, he said it was just for show… I'm not sure why but it hurts a lot…"
Byakuya stared at Rukia, flabbergasted. Had he really hurt her feelings by saying those words? He didn't mean to but… he couldn't exactly say he did actually care about her. Even if it was just a bit. Byakuya couldn't find an explanation for Rukia but she didn't seem to be waiting for one as her eyes drooped.
"Goodnight, Rukia." Byakuya said as he made his way to the couch.
"W-Wait, are you leaving?" Rukia asked suddenly and she sat right up.
"I am going to sleep on the couch." Byakuya explained.
"Don't…" replied Rukia and she patted to the big empty space beside her. "Sleep here."
Byakuya stopped in his tracks as he stared at Rukia, unsure of what he should do. Sure, her invitation sounds incredibly inviting… but that could also mean trouble. Byakuya was about to decline but as soon as he saw Rukia's hopeful eyes staring at him, Byakuya knew that whatever willpower he had left just shattered.
Byakuya walked very slowly over, uncertain if he should turn back and walk away but Rukia patted the space encouragingly.
"I feel safe when Byakuya's here," replied Rukia, smiling. "Because I know he would keep me safe from Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
Byakuya stared at Rukia as she smiled at him like an innocent child. Was she still terrified of Jaegerjaquez? Byakuya could feel anger boiling in him as he walked over to the bed. How could Grimmjow hurt someone like Rukia? She was so innocent and kind and then suddenly, Byakuya felt an overwhelming desire to protect Rukia. He couldn't stand to see her get hurt by Jaegerjaquez or by anyone else. Yes, with his power, he could protect her and she would be safe.
Without thinking twice, Byakuya sat down on the bed and pulled Rukia towards him. He felt Rukia stiffen in his embrace and for a moment, he thought she would pull away or maybe even slap him, but she soon relaxed and patted him on the back.
"Are you sad?" she asked, gently.
"Why?" Byakuya asked.
"Because Oto-san used to give me a hug whenever I'm sad or he is sad." Rukia explained as she continued patting Byakuya on the back.
Byakuya realised that the position they were in was rather awkward. Due to her height, Rukia was kneeling on the bed while Byakuya sat as they hugged. But Byakuya didn't care. He could not understand his feelings for Rukia but one thing was for certain, he wants to keep her safe.
"I am not sad," Byakuya replied. "I just want to keep you safe."
There was no reply from Rukia but Byakuya could still feel her gently patting on his back as though she was telling him that everything would be alright and oddly, that felt comforting. No one had ever done that to him before. His parents died when he was young and he grew up with a strict grandfather who hardly showed him any affection.
Byakuya finally pulled away and Rukia settled back down. Her head sank into the soft pillows as she moaned in approval. Feeling a twitch in his pants, Byakuya turned off the lights and sighed. This was going to be a long night.
A/N: Ahhhhhh! How was it? I know, I know, huge development in this chapter but it felt right to me. What do you think? I'm working on the next chapter now and perhaps with enough motivation (psst! I mean reviews!) and inspiration, I might be able to finish it in a week or probably even lesser. Do drop me a review! Would love to hear your thoughts on this HUGE ASS chapter. Hahaha.
P/S: Anyone feeling bad for Ichigo? Or are you guys just happy with the development of Byaruki? I feel evil for making Ichigo so... sad but oh well, we need some competition for Byakuya, right?