D (Guest) - As I was thinking what to name the previous Chapter, Isshin's sentence towards Ichigo suddenly got to me actually. When we say 'Hypocrite', it's actually meant it in a bad way. But... This time, 'Hypocrisy' is meant in a good way, the start of Ichigo changing. I actually feel glad that Ichigo is changing for the better and is currently accepted by everyone. I mean, at least he recognizes his faults. I feel proud of my Ichigo. :3 If you liked the previous Chapter, I am certain you would like this Chapter as well. :3

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

She hadn't known what the music currently playing was but as soon as she had heard it, she knew it would be the song of their dance at the dance competition. Since they had returned from the strange weekend, both of them had been... Closer. It wasn't exactly like they were chatting all the time or even breathing much of the same air. Rukia hardly saw Ichigo since he was always busy at work. When he returned home from work, they would sit together and eat what Momo had prepared for them. Usually, they would eat in silence but every once in a while, Rukia had caught Ichigo gazing at her strangely from across the table. After that, he had ducked his eyes down, almost as if he was shy. Wait, shy? Ichigo Kurosaki, shy? Was she reading him wrongly? Still, Rukia had to admit, ever since they had shared the same bed, it had felt like they had passed through an imaginary barrier of some kind. It was as if they had gone from hating each other to... accepting each other and maybe actually enjoying each other's company? Rukia was probably being optimistic though since Ichigo had made it clear on many occasions how he had felt about Rukia. But tonight, as they had returned to their dance lessons with Mio, exploring the different kinds of ballroom dancing and deciding which they thought would be the best fit for the competition, Rukia could feel a kind of electricity in the air. They had never touched each other physically so much. Even though none of the dances were really clicking for them, it was still exciting to Rukia. "Kurosaki-San, please try to loosen up."

Mio directed her gaze to Rukia and snap, that excitement flew out of the window and Rukia sighed mentally. Why was she here and feeling stupid again? Right. For Isshin. They were in the middle of the waltz, the steps were repetitive and Rukia felt her mind drifting once again. Mio could clearly see that because she was clicking her tongue, arms folded. Rukia blushed, waltz isn't for her, it had seemed. Taking a step back and raising her hand to her neck, she shook her head. "Could we try another... Kind?"

"You need to master the basic steps of every ballroom dance if you hope to learn one well." Mio responded.

Rukia lowered her gaze and to her surprise, Ichigo turned to Mio. "Actually, I agree with Rukia. I don't like the waltz either. What's next?" Mio looked aside, surprised and frustrated before approaching the guy who was manning the music. Rukia smiled at Ichigo in gratitude before noticing Ichigo wiping his brow. Rukia hadn't noticed how sweaty he was until now but it wasn't even gross to her. On the contrary, he was manly. Ichigo's skin had seemed to shine, each of his muscles more clearly defined than she had ever seen them. "Rukia?"

Caught in the act, Rukia averted her gaze from Ichigo, a blush on her cheeks. "I apologize, I got distracted."

"I could tell." A smirk was on Ichigo's face.

The music changed and so did the subject, thankfully. They were trying the tango and Rukia tried her absolute best to learn. It was simply way too sexy and everytime Ichigo grabbed her leg or pulled Rukia to his chest, Rukia either blushed or stiffen, which was absolutely not helping the dance at all. Next came the swing which was exhilarating and fun but they couldn't nail the timing right, either too fast or too slow. Mio looked absolutely furious but Rukia couldn't find it in herself to be angry at Mio as Ichigo had eyes for only her the whole time they were dancing. "Alright." Mio clapped her hands and Rukia's attention turned to Mio. "Let's try the bolero. I will accompany both of you, step by step. Even if you don't need my help, Ichigo." When she had spoken to Ichigo, the normally commanding voice of Mio's had softened and Rukia nearly rolled her eyes. As the sultry Spanish music began and Rukia had felt Ichigo's hands press against the small of my back, she had forgotten what she was thinking beforehand. The slow tempo, deliberate sensual movements and eyes fixing upon one another had Rukia entranced. Her body began to move on its own, finding the rhythm and moving in time with Ichigo's. Somehow, it had felt so natural and right and for a second, Rukia had felt that the world consisted only of both of them. There were no Ukitake, no arrangement, no Isshin trying to save his son... Only both of them. As she saw a foreign hand pressing on Ichigo's bicep, her fantasy shattered. "Good, Ichigo." Mio whispered and Rukia bit her lips, willing herself to stay focused on the dance. "Don't be afraid to take charge. This dance is about domination, about taking what's yours... About being a man." Slowly but eventually, Mio brought her hands to where theirs were clasped together and she slithered between them, making it look like a strange gyrating threesome. Ichigo eyed Mio up and down and she could have sworn Ichigo licked his lips for one mere second. She had wanted to get out of the dance just then for some reasons yet the music lured her in with the soft and alluring melody. She had felt the heat of Ichigo's body against hers and at the same time, the coldness of Mio's fragile little hand against hers as well. With every movement, Ichigo had drifted his gaze first to Rukia, then to Mio, as if he couldn't decide who he had preferred. "Never be afraid to make a choice, Ichigo." Mio all but purred. "This dance, unlike the others, can even be performed alone..."

She had understood what Mio was saying, she had wanted Ichigo to cast her aside, letting her flail on the dance floor by herself. Was she crazy? The intention of the dance competition was supposedly about both of them showing Kurosaki Enterprise how loving a couple they were. Despite how much of a jerk Ichigo is appearing to be right now, Rukia needed to place aside her feeling -- As confusing as they were -- And consider this situation from a strictly professional perspective. Rukia shifted her gaze to Ichigo and he had seemed that he hadn't seemed to care. Not right now, at least. Ichigo smiled and twirled Mio, clearly enjoying the way her body lurched towards his with passion. Rukia figured she must have looked like a tetris piece in comparison, trying her best to fit in but only appearing to be a complete dork in result. "Rukia." Said person gazed at Ichigo, surprised by the intensity of look that Ichigo was giving her. "You are a natural."

His dance partner switched from Mio back to Rukia. What the hell was going on? Why was she so affected by his words? It was simply a compliment from Ichigo, why had her heart jumped as she gazed into his eyes? As the song finished its last note, Rukia stepped back abruptly, taking a deep breath, trying to compose her thoughts. Mio, on the other hand, continued holding onto Ichigo for a few seconds too long. She found herself upset, consumed by a jealous rage that she couldn't quite understand herself. It wasn't as if they were a real couple, he could look and touch whichever girl he pleased. She averted her gaze from Ichigo. Was she lulled into a false sense of security? Just because they had been enjoying each other's company hadn't meant that Ichigo had feelings for her. Was she hoping Ichigo had feelings for her? She closed her eyes for a second mentally chastising herself. No, he had never cared for her. Opening her eyes, she felt tears swimming in her eyes but before she could have allowed any of it to roll down, she headed for the door, her chest feeling heavy for some reasons.

He had never known that Rukia had it in her. When Isshin had first asked Ichigo to participate in this dance competition, Ichigo was dreading it. The idea of having to dance with someone so clearly innocent and unused to being touched had sounded terrible in Ichigo's ears. How was Rukia ever going to be able to dance if she could barely hold his fucking hand without shuddering? When they had first begun their dance lessons, Ichigo was more than frustrated, seeing that he had been proven right. Rukia was uncoordinated as fuck, stepping on his feet, muttering apologies every other second like a freaking moron. As the bolero started, Ichigo had felt like he was dancing with another woman entirely. When Mio joined in, Ichigo had been amused by Rukia's reaction. She clearly hadn't liked Mio and Ichigo hadn't found it surprising at all. Mio was thin as a twig with the slinking movements of a cat. She was many men's conception of pure beauty but not Ichigo's. If he was being honest, Ichigo found Mio repulsive, with the way how Mio had clung onto him. He had entertained Mio's obnoxious come-ons simply for the fact that he had enjoyed the expression on Rukia's thoroughly. Was that cruel? Meh, probably. Jealousy was a new colour on Rukia's otherwise so angelic face. The idea that they would get to do this dance in front of hundreds of people in the dance competition excited Ichigo beyond measure. On the ride home, he had wondered if he should have told Rukia how much he had enjoyed dancing with her but had decided against it. He had always kept his cards close to his chest when it came to courting someone, he wasn't about to change his methods now. It wasn't until they were home before Ichigo heard a distant yell and the door being slammed.

A necklace was sitting there, waiting for Rukia as unexplained rage filled her entire body. Was it not enough for Ichigo to flirt with Mio right in front of her eyes? No, he had to do this as well. Why had he even bothered to give her a necklace if it was meant for somebody else? Before she could control her anger, she yelled. "AHHHHHHH!" Taking the necklace, a pendant engraved with a fucking name of some other girl -- 'For Setsuna' -- Rukia threw the pendant as hard as she could. What was wrong with Ichigo? What was wrong with her? Before she could think about it, the pendant had ricocheted off the far wall, skittering under her bed. Was Ichigo trying to mess with her head, leaving her a necklace for another woman? And, why the fuck was she so bothered? She thought of Ino's words before closing her eyes. Would it be best to end the arrangement between both of them?

Oh My God!!! RUKIA!!! Come to the house! You won't believe it!

What's wrong?

It's about Tou-San.

Oh no... On my way.

After Yumichika's texts, she didn't have time to cry about Ichigo's terrible gift choice. If Ukitake was in trouble, she had to rush back immediately.

Even though Rukia had insisted that she hadn't minded the walk, Ikkaku had also insisted and drove Rukia back to her home. Lately, Ikkaku had been doing all these little favours for her. She hadn't known exactly when she had won Ikkaku over but Rukia was grateful to have him as an ally nevertheless. Momo, as nice as she was, would never put anything or anyone above her loyalty for Ichigo. Right now, having Ikkaku here to get her home as fast as possible was extremely appreciated. Rukia figured that Ikkaku must have noticed the distress on her face because for some reasons, Ikkaku was hitting the gas pedal a little harder than usual today. Either that or he could see how Rukia kept nervously checking her phone every 5 minutes, waiting for Yumichika to update her about Ukitake's condition. The idea that something might have been wrong with Ukitake... Again... If it happened once again, Rukia was sure that she would collapse. "Yumichika... Please, just respond to me already..." Every second that passed had felt like a rollercoaster ride, not knowing when the ride would plummet to hell, the wait was painful. After everything she had invested to make sure that Ukitake would be okay, after trying out the new experimental treatment, after agreeing to marry Ichigo Kurosaki out of all people, was it all for naught? Her mind going back to the necklace, could it have been an honest mistake of Ichigo's? But, knowing how Ichigo had acted throughout the marriage, she had seriously doubted so. Her phone finally buzzed and Rukia fished her phone out.

Where are you? Why did you leave?

It's okay, you don't need to do this.

Do what? Are you okay?

You don't need to pretend to care, I will be okay. Bye.

As Ikkaku pulled beside her childhood home, Rukia jumped out of the car as fast as her feet could take her and threw open the front door. "Yumichika? Shuuhei? Tou-San?!"

"We are in here!"

Running into the living room, Rukia had expected the worst. To her surprise, the boys were sitting on the couch, watching the football game and passing chips back and forth. Beside them was Ukitake, looking happy and fit as ever. "What..." She stopped and took a deep breath. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Yumichika was clearly confused. "Are you talking about the good news? Did my text not go through or... Oh." Yumichika fished out his phone only to realize that it was long dead and gave Rukia an apologetic look. "The last text must not have gone through."

"Why didn't you call her?" Ukitake asked.

"I thought she got my texts, Tou-San."

"Can we keep it down, people?" Shuuhei looked annoyed. "We are gonna miss it!"

A tick on her forehead. "You, stop watching the football game and somebody tell me what the fuck is going on!"

Ukitake stood up, walking over to Rukia with a bright smile on his face. "Guess what, Sweet Pea. I am going to be okay."

"... Huh?"

Yumichika came over and hugged Rukia. "That's right, Rukia. The treatment worked. It... It saved him."

She certainly wasn't expecting that. Her gaze shifted from Yumichika to Ukitake. Finally, Shuuhei stood up and even though Rukia knew that it had pained him to stop watching his favorite game, he joined in the hug as well. "It's true..." Shuuhei said. "He's going to be running circles around all of us."

Rukia could feel tears brimming in her eyelids. "Tou-San, I was so scared... I thought..."

"I know." Ukitake assured Rukia. "You will never have to worry again, Sweet Pea, I promise you."

Without another word, Rukia had flung into Ukitake's arms and cried. The news was simply too overwhelming for her and she couldn't believe this was happening. Ukitake, Shuuhei and Yumichika, knowing how Rukia was, held her in their embrace for who knows how long. At that moment, they were the most grateful family in the world. As they pulled apart, Shuhei turned back to the TV, wincing. "And, the game is over, just like that."

Rukia giggled before smiling at her family. As happy as she was for her family, she can't help but feel a nagging feeling within her. Now that the treatment was working and that Isshin's money wasn't needed any longer, what about Ichigo?

Ichigo knocked on the door to Isshin's office. It was located in a massive glass corner of the 43rd floor with a stunning view of Japan in itself. When Ichigo had stepped inside, Isshin was just finishing a call with his typical aw-shucks demeanor on full display. Honestly, it was Isshin Kurosaki's secret weapon -- The ability to disarm anyone with his straightforward charm. There were no games and definitely no bullshit when it came to Isshin Kurosaki. He was the real deal and his kindness, coupled with a calculating capitalism's mind, made him the strongest CEO of Japan. Sometimes, Ichigo had wondered why hadn't he inherited the 'Nice' gene of Isshin? Instead, he was a surly bastard all the time. It had served him well in business but Isshin's open heart was nowhere to be seen in Ichigo Kurosaki. Had it been crushed, along with everything else, in that car crash over a year ago? "Ichigo, I'm glad you are here." Isshin had said, throwing his phone aside. "I wanted to ask how the dance lessons are going."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Please, can we talk about anything other than my private life for once?"

"We have a 5pm meeting scheduled later to talk business. So, what else could this be about?"

As usual, Isshin saw right through Ichigo's facade as he sighed and sat down in a chair, facing him. "I wanted to ask you... About Okaa-San."

Isshin frowned, surprised. Masaki was a topic that they had made it a point to avoid at all costs. He had known Ichigo had wanted to talk to Isshin about Masaki at one point of time and that was what he paid 3 therapists for, apparently. Isshin Kurosaki and Ichigo Kurosaki didn't talk about feelings, period. "What about her?" Isshin had asked. "Go ahead. You can ask me anything."

"How... How did you know she was the one?"

He had almost asked Isshin this particular question once before but thankfully, Ichigo had resisted asking back then. The woman he had been with back then wasn't worthy of the comparison but Rukia... Somehow, lately, he was finding himself more and more obsessed with her. Ichigo wanted to know if this was just some ridiculous fucking side effect of the strangest wedding arrangement in history or... Or something real. Isshin, in response, smiled kindly. "Ichigo, I knew it the first moment I laid eyes on her."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, not believing it for a second. "Really? You knew Okaa-San was the right woman for you once you laid eyes on her?"

It had sounded too perfect, like a fucking fairytale or rather, love at first sight. Just thinking about those words had made Ichigo want to puke rainbows. Isshin shook his head in response. "No, I wasn't talking about Masaki."

"You mean..." Isshin nodded and Ichigo couldn't believe what Isshin was implying. He had known from the first time he laid eyes on Rukia that Rukia was the right one for him? Without them even meeting? Was Isshin simply mocking him? He wanted to storm out of the office right there and then but one gaze at the sincere expression Isshin wore, he calmed himself down. "Masaki and I, it took some time to click. All the couples, the ones that last, takes time too. It was sometimes difficult but when we finally saw each other for who we really were, it made all the difference in the world." Was the same true for both of them? Was Ichigo's story alike Isshin and Masaki's, a slow-burn built on misunderstandings, anger and mistrust?

"Old man, I'm so confused about how I feel right now." Ichigo admitted. "I never really believed I could... Well... Um... Again." Ichigo hadn't wanted to say the word that laid between 'Could' and 'Again'. Saying 'Love' out loud would have made it all the more real and there was still so much that he was unsure of. Why would Rukia have married a complete stranger if she was even worth loving? Was there more to it than meet the eye? With that thought in mind, Ichigo asked the question he had been dying to ask Isshin for weeks. "Where did you find her, old man?"

Isshin had looked pained, as if remembering a terrible memory as Ichigo fixated his gaze on Isshin. "Rukia and I had a deal. We weren't supposed to talk about this... But... I think it's time you knew."

Ichigo frowned in response. "What deal are you talking about?"

"Rukia hadn't married you for your fortune, Ichigo. She hadn't agreed to marry a stranger because you happened to be a Kurosaki. She married a stranger because her Father was sick and I struck a deal with her, offering to help pay his medical bills in return."

It felt like he was struck by lightning. What...? What the fuck... What was Isshin saying? Was this the entire truth of Rukia Tachibana? All along, Rukia had been acting out of a selfless desire to save her Father? And, out of all people, Isshin had kept it from him?! "If this is a joke, you have brought it too far." Ichigo whispered in a tone that sounded defeated. "You wouldn't."

"I did, Ichigo." Isshin's expression had looked more pained than before but Ichigo wasn't caring about any of that. "I apologize for misleading you but I knew that if you were to be informed, you would have seen it as charity and would have never given her the time of day. I had to lie to you. So that, one day, you might learn to love again."

Ichigo's world was spinning. So, Isshin practically held a girl by her throat when she was desperate and offered her Hell. For goodness' sake, Ichigo Kurosaki was Isshin Kurosaki's son! He knew how he would have reacted and he allowed it to happen right under his nose! How... How could he...? He stood up, suddenly dizzy. All the times that he had screamed at Rukia came back to Ichigo at that moment. Money-grubbing whore. All the horrifying things he had called her when Rukia was simply helping her Father. "How could you do this...?" He clenched his fists, his tone in despair before he found himself raising his voice. "HOW THE HELL COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

It was against Ichigo's nature to yell at Isshin. Anger was reserved for his enemies, not his family but Ichigo had never felt so betrayed, especially by Isshin. To think that all of this time, Rukia was an angel after all. Ichigo's heart clenched. How... He hadn't even known who he was blaming more, Isshin or himself. "I know you are angry." Isshin whispered which had only caused Ichigo to glare at Isshin. "You have every right to be."

"I can't even look at you!" Ichigo spat, throwing his hands to his head. "How could you do this to me? To her? Do you know how cruel I have been to her and what I have said to her?!"

"I guessed briefly." Isshin said. "But, I had also known that she would stay. Because I knew she was pure and would care for you, despite everything. Don't you understand, Ichigo? That's what love is."

So, now he was saying that because of the fact that Isshin knowing Rukia wouldn't have left the arrangement made everything okay? Deciding enough was enough, Ichigo headed for the door. He needed to make things right, he needed to go to Rukia but he halted his steps as his hand met the handle. "How..." He began. "How am I going to win Rukia, old man?"

Ichigo turned and look at Isshin once more. He hadn't wanted his advice, he hasn't wanted to believe a single word that was coming out of Isshin's lips yet at the same time, he had also known that without Isshin, he was doomed. Isshin smiled and shrugged in response, as if what he was about to say was the most simple task in the world. "If you want her, Ichigo..." Isshin had said. "Tell her how you feel."

Ichigo hadn't had the slightest clue as to how he was going to achieve that. But, he knew he had to try. For Rukia's sake since she deserved this much, at least. Throwing open the door, Ichigo hurried out of the office without another word. What was he even gonna say? He hadn't meant all the cruel things that he had done to her? Please forgive him for his insolence? He was crazy about her? Yet, one important question still remained.

Would Rukia ever believe Ichigo?