reesen555 - I am glad you liked the previous Chapter. :3

Disclaimer: I neither own Bleach nor its characters. :3

The next morning, Ichigo had woken up and could have sworn for a second that he was still on the beach, feeling the grains of sand scratching against his back, hearing the sound of waves lapping on the shore and smelling the fresh ocean breeze. When he had opened his eyes and seeing the wood-paneled ceiling, he realized he was back in his luxurious king-sized bed. Back in Japan where he had belonged. He sighed with relief. Looking at his bed, his closet... These were the markings of a billionaire's home. The wealth he had accumulated, the riches he had earned through sheer grit, all of these things were rightfully his. His. Ichigo Kurosaki's. But... Having been stripped of all these items on that island, reduced to nothing more than a man trying to survive, living every hour as if each was his last, he couldn't help but feel... Changed. The material possessions that had brought him such pleasure felt silly and empty now. Right now, he was comfortable. But, at what cost? Sighing, he wondered what the hell was the matter with him as his mind drifted to Rukia and remembered that he was gonna speak to her today about the Silver Jubilee dance competition. The idea alone had made Ichigo shiver with disgust. The last thing he had ever wanted was to ask a woman a favor but he knew that after talking to Isshin, he had no choice in the matter. Would doing this help him clear his feelings about her? He seriously doubted so but he stood up anyway and stretched. He needed a coffee before trying to figure things out. Taking a step into the hallway, Ichigo heard two distant voices, or rather, laughters. "... You know that's not true!"

"Rukia, stop acting so humble for once in your life!"

A man was speaking to Rukia, making her giggle and squeal. Hurrying his pace, Ichigo ran down the hall and turned a corner. Rukia was wearing nothing but a kimono, showing off a hint of cleavage and having her bare legs exposed. "What the hell is this?" Ichigo asked, clenching his teeth and feeling like murdering someone in cold blood.

Sitting across Rukia was a man whose face Ichigo had yet to see. Slowly, the man in question turned his head, smiling at Ichigo and waving. "Kurosaki-San, welcome home!"

Right. He knew the man now. Toshiro fucking Hitsugaya. Rukia'a little pet-project, the artist they had helped make a superstar. Her little boy-toy. "What are you doing here, Toshiru?"

"Toshiro." He corrected. "I just wanted to check on my best friend here. And you as well, Kurosaki-San. I'm so glad you are both okay."

Ichigo was surprised at the next moment when Toshiro's gaze stopped at him. His gaze was travelling, as if checking him out. But, wasn't he obsessed with Rukia? Why would he be checking him out if that was the case? Pushing the thought aside, Ichigo allowed his festering anger to grow instead. "I thought we agreed that both of us were going to talk." He spoke with gritted teeth. "What is he doing here?"

"Oh..." Realization dawned on Rukia. "I didn't know what time you wanted to..." She had trailed off just then, having the feeling that each and every word coming from her lips had only made Ichigo angrier.

Ichigo's hands were clenched into fists. If this had been an anime, steam would be coming from the top of his head and out of his ears right about now. Why, you ask? Because Rukia Tachibana had disregarded their plans, certainly not the fact that she was looking so comfortable around another man other than him. Right...? Okay, he needed to halt his thoughts. "There's no need to be upset, Kurosaki-San." Toshiro said, standing up. "I dropped by, unannounced. Rukia -- "

"Rukia can speak for herself. Isn't that right?"

Rukia gazed at Ichigo as Ichigo cued for her but for some reasons, a different fear was seen in her eyes, the kind of fear that was different from the other times. "I..." She caught herself before remembering her promise to herself. "I just wanted to talk to my friend."

"Your friend?!" He gazed at Toshiro. For some unknown reasons, he found himself being fucking jealous of Toshiro, out of all people. He wished he could have made Rukia giggle and smile the way Toshiro did, he wished he could have his easygoing charm and his warmth, he wished Rukia would look at him the way she looked at Toshiro. Wait, what the hell was he thinking? Was Ichigo crazy for thinking that way? Probably. He hadn't known what the hall had came over him after that plane crash. His brain was telling him that he shouldn't have cared one fucking bit. Rukia was a means to an end, his wife only on paper. The only way he would keep his role as CEO of Kurosaki Enterprise. That was it. But, his body was saying something totally different. Every second spent with Toshiro and Rukia together in the same room was making his skin crawl and felt like hell on Earth to Ichigo. "This is MY HOME!" He yelled. "Who enters and who leaves is up to ME, understand? Not you, goddamnit. And, definitely not Toshiru here."

Rukia knew she had to speak up. "Ichigo..." Rukia had looked terrified at that moment and Ichigo briefly wondered why.

She was looking at Ichigo as he was screaming at Toshiro but she wasn't entirely looking at Ichigo Kurosaki. She was looking at Aizen Sosuke, her old boss who had tried to ruin her career and her life for rejecting him. She was looking at Ichigo's business associate, the one who had tried to have his way with her. Looking at Ichigo right now, she was seeing every violent man, every angry man, every terrifying monster that had haunted her dreams. Since the plane crash, she had been easily more scared by everything. But... Nobody scared her as much as the man she had called her 'Husband'. "Sorry, Rukia..." Toshiro had said inbetween Ichigo's outburst. "I will just head out..."

She had wanted to beg Toshiro to stay, to protect her from the rage of Ichigo's but she had also known that it was Toshiro's presence that had outraged Ichigo in the first place. If Toshiro left, would Ichigo calm down? Elevator doors sliding shut, Toshiro left both Rukia and Ichigo alone, Ichigo becoming quiet all of a sudden, his expression changing. Even up till now, Rukia hadn't understood what he was thinking. She had never been able to get inside the head of Ichigo Kurosaki since the beginning. What good would it do for her now? Ichigo had clearly still hated her more than anyone and anything, didn't he?

Rukia had looked scared and traumatized. She had looked liked she might faint right there in the middle of the living room. The worst part of it was that her fear was because of what Ichigo had done. Ichgo stopped his yelling and shook his head. He had came into this room asking Rukia for a favour. Instead, he had blown up at her, screaming about the presence of this Toshiro guy. Now that he was gone, Ichigo was still mad. This time, he was mad at himself and he knew he had needed to clear his head and get away from her. Fast. "Rukia, I..." Ichigo began but he hadn't known how to finish. For a second, Rukia had looked almost hopeful, as if waiting for Ichigo to make things right but that had only managed to confuse Ichigo even more. Without a second glance, he had turned and stormed out of the room. So what if he had scared Rukia a little? It wasn't his fault that he had caught her flirting with another man. Maybe he was her lover and how was he supposed to know? He bet Rukia whored herself around and only used the innocent look to make him think that she was docile and sweet. Honestly, why had he cared? He had his lovers of his own and he had decided at that moment that some meaningless sex was enough to make him take his mind off all this shit.

Hey, I'm back.

Oh My God! ICHIGO!!! Are you alright???? I have been watching the news... I can't believe...

I'm fine.

Thank God. Welcome home.

Thanks. What are you doing?

Studying. You know how business classes are... Oh, I landed a gig singing jazz and you should come!

Whatever. Forget studying and come here.

Why? Ichigo... I really like you but wouldn't your wife be upset?

Upset about what? I want your opinion on some quarterly reports. What are you thinking? ;)

Just kidding. But seriously, come over.

Oh please, I'm still a student! Not a hotshot businessman! :P

You are the smartest person I know. Come on.

Okay, fine. See you in a bit.

After that strange encounter with Ichigo that morning, all sorts of thoughts were running through her head and she had decided that a run would probably clear her mind off those thoughts. Obviously, her leg was still hurting but she could tell that she was on the mend and very soon, she would be back to her normal healthy self. Well, not mentally, of course but physically, at the very least. Was it wrong of her to invite Toshiro over to their house? Toshiro had tried to cover for Rukia, claiming that he had shown up on his own but the truth was that Rukia had missed him and wanted to let him know that she was okay. Rukia blamed herself for not considering Ichigo's feeling throughout her actions. She had known how much Ichigo disliked Toshiro, she had known Ichigo had plans to discuss something, plans that she had royally messed up. Yes, she might have been scared of Ichigo's outburst but this time, his rage hadn't seemed to be coming from a place of genuine 'Hate'. Throughout all the yelling, Ichigo hadn't called her a gold-digger, not even once. He hadn't brought up the fact that she had married him for his money, however inaccurate that statement is. Ichigo had seemed flustered and not himself, barking like a hurt puppy. Rukia thought about the Ichigo she had met on that island and how far away he had seemed in his thoughts just now, back in the house. If she apologized, could they reconnect? She had to try. It could mean nothing for all she knows but at least she tried... Right? As she had felt the hot water cascade down her body after she rushed back home and jumped into the shower, she sighed, feeling satisfied. It felt good to be clean after being covered in sand and dirt on that island. Every shower now felt like a complete rebirth and she cherished every droplet. As she stepped out of the shower, drying off and getting dressed, Rukia thought about all she had to be grateful for. She had gotten to see her family, her childhood best friend, her favorite artist / barista and now, she had a chance to make things right with her estranged husband. As compared to the life-and-death experience on the island, how could a little conversation between them possibly scare her off? "Just tell him you are sorry..." Rukia said to herself as she loomed in the mirror, building up her courage. "You can do it." Mustering up her courage, she walked out the hallway and approached Ichigo's door before calling out for him softly. "Ichigo."

It was then that she heard it. Moaning. Grunting. It could have only meant one thing and this time, it had hurt more than any of the times that Ichigo had women over. Lowering the hand that was about to knock on his door, Rukia stepped back. She was amazingly brought back to the day when Ichigo had screamed at her for taking care of her like a babysitter. This time though, the hurt was far greater for some unknown reasons. He hadn't changed... Nothing had changed. Ichigo Kurosaki would go on screwing anybody he sees feasible on the street yet Rukia couldn't understand why the hell was she so upset and angry, even more than the other times? She hadn't known why but she had decided right then and there that she would never apologize to Ichigo Kurosaki ever again. If he wants to hurt Rukia Tachibana, let him do it. But, Rukia wouldn't take it lying down any longer. Shuuhei had always said that Rukia had no mean bones in her body but Yumichika knew better from all the pranks that he had played on Rukia. That Rukia was the Master of the 'Cold Shoulder'. Ichigo will begin to regret the day that he messed with Rukia Tachibana.

It hadn't worked, it hadn't fucking worked. The moment Ichigo had climaxed, he had expected a kind of release to wash over him. Yet, as soon as he had finished and rolled off of Setsuna, the lounge singer he had been sleeping with on and off again for the past few months, his frustrations had returned. Okay, what the hell was happening to him? Even his own body had seemed to be betraying him. For the record, Setsuna was smoking hot with her dark green hair and her thick ass. One couldn't see it at first glance, with her oversized sweaters and book-nerd style. But, when the clothes came off... "Get your stuff and go."

Setsuna sighed as she slipped on her clothes and gazed over at Ichigo. For some reason, the sadness in Setsuna's eyes had sent a stab of pain through Ichigo. "We shouldn't have done that."

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself just fine." He muttered. Setsuna was a screamer, her high notes probably would have broken every window in the apartment.

Setsuna blushed at Ichigo's comment, grabbing her things. "That's the last time, Ichigo. I feel bad for your wife."

"That's none of your business."

Setsuna had left and Ichigo could tell how hurt Setsuna was. Ichigo knew he shouldn't have cared since Setsuna was a side piece in his game but... He had briefly wondered if Rukia had heard it because they weren't exactly quiet. For some reasons, a part of Ichigo had hoped that Rukia had heard it. Possibly just the meanest side of him, the one that wanted to rub it in her face, telling her that he had his own 'Toshiro' too and that he hadn't cared about her. But, was that even the truth? Man, he was such a mess lately. He had known that now that Setsuna had gotten out of his house, he would have to talk to Rukia about the dance competition and that was the last thing in the world he felt like bringing up. Especially now that he had already screamed over her for nothing but at the same time, he knew he had to get it over with eventually. To his surprise, Rukia responded quickly to his texts but something about the tone of those text seemed somewhat cold. It was so unlike Rukia, whom was always so sweet and innocent. It had successfully taken Ichigo off guard. Could it be that Rukia is finally learning to stick up for herself? Albeit in this passive-aggressive texting way? Whatever. It hadn't mattered. He would just get this Silver Jubilee out of the way and then returning his focus to what had mattered most; his work. Stepping downstairs, he found Rukia already pouring 2 cups of coffee. She placed Ichigo's cup on the counter and turned away from Ichigo, picking up the calender and taking thin-lipped sips from her coffee. Yup, she was certainly pissed, Ichigo thought. "I have to talk to you about something..." Ichigo said. "I meant to do it earlier but you surprised me with Toshiro and..." Rukia still hadn't turned around and Ichigo felt that strange sensation rise up in his guts once again, the one friend that he had befriended recently, the one people called 'Guilt'. But, he definitely wasn't about to admit his wrongdoings. Hell no. When one was a Kurosaki, one was never wrong. That's what Ichigo told himself, anyway. "Anyway..." Ichigo began. "It's about this event called the Silver Jubilee. It happens once a year and..."

"I know." Rukia said, cutting Ichigo's train of thoughts of feeling humiliated towards asking Rukia to dance with him since it was always the other way round for him. "Isshin already told me about it, we are supposed to dance together."

Hold the horses. Hold the fucking horses. Had Rukia already talked to Isshin about it? "Wait..." Ichigo tried to catch his bearings. "You mean... How long have you..."

Rukia simply shrugged, as if it wasn't a big issue at all. "He sent me a text last night."

Since when had Rukia and Isshin been so close? Ichigo felt a strange pang of jealousy rising within his chest once again but suppressed it. This was Isshin they were talking about, what was he thinking? It wasn't like he was hitting on Rukia. "Okay." Ichigo said, taking a long sip of coffee. "So..." He trailed off. "What do you think?"

Gazing at Ichigo, Rukia had her look of innocence still in her eyes and a new-found coldness in them. "I told him Yes. After all he's done for me, I would do anything for Isshin."

Ichigo knew he more than deserved that, he had known that it was a direct jab at him, a statement which said that she was not doing it for Ichigo Kurosaki and that she owes him nothing. Was she trying to drive him crazy? If she was, it was working effectively. "Well, that settles it." Ichigo lowered his gaze to his coffee, completely avoiding Rukia's gaze. "We will have to take lessons. It's been years since I danced. Properly, I mean."

Rukia spared Ichigo a glance before turning away. "Whatever you say."

She hadn't openly defied Ichigo but Ichigo had still detected a trace of sass in it. Didn't she know that type of sass would only make her look more attractive in Ichigo's eyes? Oh God, Ichigo really needed to get a hold of himself. "Thanks for the coffee."

Turning and heading back upstairs, he turned his head around when Rukia halted him in his tracks. "You should probably shower." Ichigo tilted his head, confused, as Rukia played with her fingers. "You still smell like... Like her."

As comparison to the other times where he would have asked Rukia to join him, it was as if lightning struck him at that moment. So, Rukia had heard them. He wanted Rukia to hear them, he should feel happy that he had his revenge successfully. If that was indeed what he felt, why was Rukia pointing the fact out that he smelling like her not satisfying in the slightest? It wasn't the first time that Rukia had seen him 'Cheating' but both of them knew that it was different this time, as compared to the other times.

Hey, Ino. Are you working today?

Yeah. You wanna swing by and grab some flowers?

Yes. And talk to you, of course.

Duh! Get your butt over here!

The last time Rukia had seen Ino, she had been holding Shuuhei's hand underneath their dining table. Right now, Rukia hadn't needed that Ino, she needed the Ino who had given her a part-time job in the flower shop when Kuchiki Enterprise had rejected her, she needed the Ino who would get sushi with her at midnight even when they had both known that the fish had a high chance of giving them food poisoning, she needed the Ino who she had called her best friend for years. Stepping into the flower shop, Rukia was immediately confronted with a million overwhelming scents, all of them overlapping. The alluring touch of Daphne, the fruitiness of the Honeysuckle and the spiciness of the Stargazer Lilies. Together, the scents should have clashed and overwhelming. In Ino's shop, it was never the case as all the fragrances somehow blended perfectly together as if Ino had devised a near-perfect chemistry, pot by pot and plant by plant. Sometimes, Rukia thought, it might be because of the arrangement of these flowers as well. Rukia nearly flinched as she thought of the word 'Arrangement'. "There you are!" Ino said, putting down her scissors. "You want to help me wrap these up?"

"Of course." Rukia said, walking over to Ino and smiling. "That is, if I can still remember how."

"It's like riding a bicycle, Rukia. You were always better at it than me anyway." Standing beside Ino, Rukia began arranging the flowers and nearly flinched once more, thinking of that particular word once more. "What is it?" Ino, noticing Rukia's frown, spoke up. "You seem... Off."

Rukia shook her head. "It's just Ichigo being Ichigo."

"Is he still being terrible?"

At first, Rukia hadn't known how to respond to Ino's question. Was Ichigo being terrible? He hadn't called her a gold-digger since ever since they had came back from the island, he had seemed to treat her better but... With how he is still bringing women back, it proved her otherwise. Looking at Ino, she knew Ino would be understanding. Even if her answer had came out muddled and confused, Rukia knew Ino would listen and be understanding. "On the island, Ichigo and I... I thought we bonded. Like... We were sharing something intense and I don't know... Special? I know it sounds stupid, Ino..."

"It doesn't sound stupid, Rukia." Ino said, grabbing Rukia's hand. "Continue."

Rukia took a deep breath, calming her nerves. "I took care of him since he was more injured than me. I treated his wounds and fed him... The way he looked at me, Ino... Nobody has looked at me that way before..."

"That sounds beautiful."

"And then, we came back to Japan. And... Everything changed."

"How?" Ino asked, frowning. Rukia hadn't known where to begin. And so, she told Ino everything. "Rukia, it sounds like... He's making you really unhappy."

"Not always."

"Most of the time, right?"

Rukia nodded and Ino turned Rukia such that there was nowhere to run with her gaze. "The whole reason you have decided to marry Ichigo, wasn't it because of Ukitake-San?"

Rukia frowned, not liking where this conversation was going. "What are you saying, Ino?"

"He's getting better, Rukia! You saw him for yourself when you came back!"

Despite Ino being right that Ukitake was getting better, had that changed anything? "Your point, Ino?"

Ino folded her arms, impatient. "That means you won't need the arrangement for much longer. Especially now that you have got that big settlement from that huge magazine. You can afford most of the bills yourself." Ever since the first online magazine that had leaked her nudes, Isshin had approached them with such legal force such that they had agreed to a ridiculously large cash settlement which was now sitting happily in Rukia's bank account. It was considered one of the kindest of Isshin' gestures. But, Rukia had never stopped to think that... "Rukia." Ino brought Rukia out of her thoughts. "Maybe you don't need the arrangement anymore, maybe it's time to end this." Ending her marriage with Ichigo Kurosaki? Divorcing him? Leaving him? After everything that they had gone through, could it really be that simple? More importantly, was that what Rukia really wanted?