Strawberry Poison ( redux: 'Return to Sender' )

by vulpeus

21-year-old Rukia Kuchiki is living in the heart of New York and she is just living life, seeings the days pass by. But one day changes her life completely. And she has no idea what or who she will encounter along the way. AU, Slight OOC, various pairings

4. Worth Fighting For

Alright now, I'll have to explain a few things before you read this chapter. Now, remember, this fanfic is based off of my story, not the Bleach storyline. Hence the 'AU' content. So, that explain why Tia Halibel and Yoruichi Shihoin are sisters. And don't worry, I'll introduce other characters…later.

Secondly, you may be wondering, 'Well, why da fuqz did Rukia call the doctor Kaien? Is she high?"

I can't go into detail, but in short, she was just amazed by how similar they looked, but don't you worry, both of them will make an appearance real soon ;D

Third, yes, Grimm is a bit off, no? But don't worry, his true self will be revealed.

Fourth, translations:

*bout : penis (such a funny word, no?)

* Alors, vous êtes les conduisant dans un piège, êtes-vous? : So, you're leading them into a trap, are you?

---

So, my visit to The Rendezvous wasn't as bad as expected (aside from Bear interrogating me). I mingled with a few people and I was having so much fun, I had completely forgotten about John. It wasn't until one of the girls brought him up that I noticed he was missing.

We (Me, Essence, Cherry, and Spice) were all hanging out on the couch and gossiping about people like little old grannies and having a good time.

"Bear actually asked you about you and Strawberry?" Cherry gaped with eyes wide open.

"Mhmm. To tell you the truth, I was scared," I admitted sheepishly.

"Hun," Spice said as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Even the Devil himself would piss his pants if he met that crazy-ass motherfucker. There ain't a single thing to be ashamed of."

"You and Strawberry are probably the only ones to stand up to him," Essence chuckled.

"I reckon you're right, but who knows? Maybe this one'll too," The dark-skinned woman said as she pointed her chin in my direction.

"That's why you got your name, right?" Cherry asked as she messed with her ivy green mane.

"Who knows? I didn't choose it, but I ain't complainin'."

"But who did choose it?" I ask.

"Boss," They all say unanimously.

"Y'know," Spice said as she waved her finger, "I think he gave me that name because of my little 'incident' with Bear. Oh lord, makes me feel foolish just by thinkin' 'bout it."

"What happened?" Essence inquired.

"Well, it was my first day here and I had just stumbled by that old coot, and almost instantly, I threatened him."

"Why?"

"Child, hush, I'm trying to recolleculate my thoughts," The black woman grumbled as she messed with her violet hair. "Now, as I was saying, he gave me such a nasty attitude that I threatened either to choke him with my scarf or slap him into a parallel universe and right as I was about to make a move…" She paused, seeing all of us were at the edge of our seats. "Tia came and stopped me. It's a funny thing, I thought I'd never see my sister after we got separated and here she is, standing in front of me and glaring at me with her cold, green eyes."

"Whoa, Tia's your sister?" I asked in disbelief.

"It's a small world, ain't it, child?" Spice grinned.

"So, what happened next?"

"Well, Bear gave us some time to catch up, but it felt so awkward. I hadn't seen her in over a decade, and I just didn't know what to say. I didn't know whether to break on down like a rickety old train or to be mad as the Hatter himself. But she just walked with me and didn't say a single word. Not…a single…word."

"Awh, I'm sorry, Spice," Essence mumbled as she gave the woman a hug.

"Surely you two have talked since then?" Cherry asked with the upmost seriousness.

"I mean, we have, but whenever I tried asking about her past, she'd always say the same thing. 'Instead of lingering in the past, why don't you try to be a little smart and face what's right in front of you'. She's completely changed. I dunno what the hell happened to her, but it changed my sister for the worse. It's like I'm talking to a complete stranger," Spice sighed as she glanced at her watch, and her eyes cracked wide open at the time.

"Oh my, I'm going to be late!" She grumbled as she got her stuff and gave each of us a slight hug but when she came to me, she said, "It was nice meeting you, Rukia. And don't worry about Boss, he'll like you."

"But, wait! How do you know?"

"He and I go way back. He'll like you for sure," She grinned before walking off. The thought of meeting this man who seemed 'supreme' by these peoples' definition only made me anxious and started to make me worry even more.

"Darling," Cherry said as she took a seat next to me and grabbed my hands that were fidgeting with my hair. "You need to relax. You've been a nervous wreck ever since we mentioned Boss. Trust me, he isn't as bad as you think. He's a nice fella."

"But what if I get fired? How on Earth am I gonna pay for my brother's surgery an-and I still have to pay for my apartment which-"

"Shh…." Was all she said as I started to cry, and she pulled me in so that my sobs couldn't be heard by everybody over there.

"Awh, honey," The woman said in pity as she cradled the back of my head. I didn't know if the others were still there, because it was as quiet as the dead. The only thing I heard were my sobs and the soft mumbling of the people conversing at the other end.

Suddenly, the woman's phone went off and she broke away, holding up a finger while she flipped open her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe. I've got some bad news."

"Aw, jeez, what perfect timing," She grumbled.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just…" She looked at me, and I shook my head and mouthed 'Don't worry' but she didn't buy it. "I'm sorry but I can't make it tonight, hun."
"Why not?"

"Because I'm having a couple of friends spend the night and we've planned this for forever," Cherry said as she winked at me.

"Are they more important than me?"

"Don't you dare go there. I'm sure whatever you have to tell me can wait 'til tomorrow."

"That's the thing. I might not be able to."

"Then tell me now."

"But…"

"But?"

"I'd want to tell you in person."

"…Is it that serious, Grimmjow?"

I heard the man on the line let out a deep sigh and then answer with a 'Yeah'. I noticed at that moment that goosebumps had started to form on her arms and that she was biting down on her bottom lip.

"Why don't you come by my apartment later and we'll talk about it."

"Sure thing. Love you."

"Love you too," She said as she hung up and tucked a piece of her green hair behind her ear.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it, it's just-"

"No, I mean what's this about me coming to spend the night? I never agreed to anything!"

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!" She pouted.

"But I-"

"Please?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because I-"

"We can tell you more about Boss," She teased. Damn her. That was my weakness and she knew it.

"…Maybe I could think it over," I said as I turned my back and crossed my arms, but that didn't stop her from giving me a quick hug.

"I can't wait for you to meet the others!" She squealed.

"Others?"

"Yeah! You don't think it's just me and Spice and Essence out here, do ya? But it'll be fun, I promise!"

"So, who's going anyway?"

"Well, I have to text a few people to see if they can-"

"Whoa, whoa whoa. You mean to tell me that you just completely made this up this moment?"

"Uh, pretty much, yeah."

"So, you lied to your boyfriend so that you didn't have to hear the 'bad news'?"

She looked down at the floor with guilt and I felt a pang tap my heart for asking such a bold question.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, you're completely right. It's my fault. I am trying to avoid the bad news."

"But…why?"

"Rukia, darling," She said as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "As time passes, you'll come to realize that The Rendezvous and the people in it all have dirty little secrets. From drug addictions to secret affairs, we have them all."

"But that doesn't answer my question."

She sighed and said, "I can't handle pressure. Especially if it involves Grimm. I'll tell you more about it when you come over, okay?"

I nod.

"Now," She said, looking around. "If anyone asks, you found the information I'm about to tell you by yourself, okay?"

I nod once more.

"I'm sure you have lots of questions right?"

"Yeah…"

"So, let's hear it."

"Okay…uhm…when is it 'okay' to call someone by their Christian name?"

"Usually, never; because Boss is very, er, strait-laced when it comes to our aliases. But I can see where he's coming from, safety and all. However, there are exceptions," She smirked. "One of them being if Boss isn't in the room, which'd be pretty obvious."

"But-"

"Another is when there aren't any customers, patrons, or guests."

"Sounds simple enough, but how do you know what to call someone?"

"I get word from the grapevine."

"Ah. But when does Boss pick out the names?"

"Almost the second that person 'meets' with him."

"So, how'd you get 'Cherry'?"

"I think it's because of my birthmark. See?" She said as she pointed to the smooth red mark across the bridge of her nose which was so smooth, it looked like it was painted on.

"How…simple."

"That's just how he is," She giggled. "So, let's hear yours."

"Uh…what?"

"Your alias?"

"Uh…I'm nameless at the moment."

"What? That's crazy! Didn't Boss give you one?"

"Uh, I haven't met him yet, remember?"

"Well, how long as it been since you set foot in this place?"

"Almost a day. I think. I came here last night."

"So, you didn't see him at all?"

"Nope. But, people have told me he watched me last night and that I'm hired to be the next bartender."

"Oh-ho-ho, he likes you," Cherry chuckled as she waved her finger at me. "You're his favorite already."

"But I haven't even met him! How can he like me?"

"You see, Boss views things from afar."

"Uh, why?"

"I'm sure myself, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say it's because he seeing people's true nature instead of what they pretend to be. It also makes things run a bit smoother if the head honcho's not around."

"But…why would people pretend?"

"Darling, he has money, power, and the balls to kill anyone without second thoughts. That's why."

"Why would he kill? And power? Over what?"

"He can kill because he has power and he has power because he can kill. It's all logic, really."

"Sounds like a jolly ol' fellow," I grumble.

"Aw, he's not so bad. He's quite the flirt really," The woman giggled.

"Oh, so, he's a horny mafia version of Donald Trump, is that right?"

"No, no, no! Not at all! He's a real nice guy, honestly. And he's not old! He's quite young to be our Boss. Actually, I think I'm older than him."

"So, I assume you met him?"

"Sweetie, I've known him before he became 'Boss'. I've known him since he was a teenager. Actually, he's the one who introduced me to Grimmjow," She smiled.

"So, what's he like?"

"If I tell you, then I'm going to ruin the surprise, silly! After all, what fun is it if you meet someone new but know everything about them?"

"You do have a point but I never know when or where I'm going to meet him and-"

"And we gotta go," A voice rumbled from behind us.

Me and Cherry turn around and see that it's no other than the redhead himself, but he sure didn't seem happy by the looks of it.

"Renji? What are you-"

"No time," Was all he muttered as he swooped me up and threw me over his shoulder while he made his way for the exit.

"Pineapple!" The ivy-haired woman called.

"Don't worry about it, Cherry, she'll be there in time for your little 'sleepover'," He said.

"Alright then," Cherry grinned as she waved goodbye.

"What the hell, Cherry?" I exclaimed as the doors we passed closed her and the other people out.

"Ren-ji! Lemme go!" I hissed as I pounded on his back. "I refuse to be man-handled!"

"Hold on, Rukia, and just bear with me for a few-"

"No! I have to take a whiz and the fact that your shoulder keeps on hitting my bladder is not helping!"

"Well, lemme fix that," The man mumbled as he grabbed my waist with both hands and maneuvered them so that he was cradling me against his chest, but I still felt like I was going to fall off, so I wrap my arms around his neck.

"Better now?" He asked as he flashed a grin at me.

"…Maybe."

"Glad to hear it."

"Uh…Renji?"

"Hmm?"

"How on Earth did you know where I was?"

His face slightly formed a scowl as he set me down, which made me a bit uncomfortable.

"Word gets around. Now, let me ask you a question," He said as he made his way into the elevator and hit a button. "How did you get down here in the first place?"

"Well, I figured if I'm going to be working here, I might as well see what happens before-"

"I didn't ask why," Renji said in almost a growl. "I asked how."

"Oh, that," I waved my hand. "Why does one need to know such bor-ing details?"

"Stop playing games with me, Rukia."

I waited a moment or two so he would cool off, but from what, I didn't know.

"I came here with Strawberry."

"Rukia, Rukia, Rukia," Renji chanted as he circled around the elevator while rubbing his temples. "Strawberry's a…handful that I don't think you can quite handle. Even if you're just chilling with him, he'll drag you into trouble. I mean, I'm not saying he's a bad person or anything. Hell no. The guy's one of my close friends. It's just that-"

"You don't want me 'associating' with him, correct?"

He nodded. I noticed that there was a sight frown on his face, but I quickly shrugged it off.

"But you know," I said as the elevator door dinged open and we walked into the vacant parking lot with his black Hummer parked within a couple of feet, "You have absolutely no right to tell me who I can and can't hang out with."

"I'm your best friend! Don't you think my opinion should count for something?"

"Normally, yes, but-"

"But nothing! I'm telling you, you're not ready to mess with these kind of people! Sure, you may think it's nothing if you just chill with him a couple of times, but then you will start to see him more and more and then, you're gonna get so attached that when he finally-"

"Stop."

He looks at me, but I avoid his gaze.

"Listen to me. I have known this man for less than 24 hours. He and I are not dating, or having a 'thing' or any of that kind of stuff! He isn't my crush, or love interest, or boyfriend! He's just someone I met on the street…that's all."

He finally stopped glaring at me and then stared right into my eyes, and said, "I have a hunch that you're not telling whole truth. I can't quite put my finger on it."

I put my hand on his face and push him away as I made my way to the car with him close behind.

"What was that for?" He grumbled as he turned on the engine.

"You're not some kind of psychic, so don't pretend to act like one."

"No need to get violent," He grumbled as he shifted to reverse. I stared out my window and glanced at the dingy elevator, which made me recall the memories of last night, which made me think. First, Renji invited me into this whole new world and leaves me without a shred of knowledge whatsoever and now he just wants to cut out a huge chunk of that out? What was behind the toothy grin of that Strawberry that made him 'bad news'? I only got more frustrated the more I thought about it.

"I'm not a child," I said.

"Hmm?" The redhead asked as he made a turn.

"You heard me. I said I'm not a child…so don't tell me what to do."

"Rukia, not now. I'm driving in one of New York's busiest streets, for crissakes!"

"Fine, we'll talk about it later. But uh, where are we going anyway?"

"My house. I'm guessing you didn't have lunch?"

My stomach growled at the mention of food, which pretty much answered his question.

"I thought so. Fortunately, we've just arrived," Renji said as he parked in the vacant lot and changed gears and while we got out and walked all the way up to his apartment, I noticed that he was avoiding the 'Strawberry' topic and blabbed about his rugby match instead.

"I thought you had to go to your 'Weight Watchers' meeting," I glared.

"Well, I lied," He chuckled nervously as he unlocked the door and when we walked in, there was an unfamiliar face I didn't recognize.

It belonged to a man with short silver hair on the top of his head with matching piercing eyes. They quickly took a quick glance at me, up and down and turn back to the ebony-haired man.

I noticed that on his arm, there were three strange tattoos, one on top of another. They were like bands, but they had a weird arrow that spiraled upwards. But that wasn't the only thing that caught my attention.

My eyes caught sight of the Corona Light in his hand, and figured, he must be a little intoxicated if he was drinking with Shuhei, who (surely, but slowly) realized Renji and I had walked in.

"Eh? Rookeyah? Whatchu doin' hurr?" The jet-black haired man slurred.

"So, you're the famous Rukia everybody's been yappin' about," The stranger said as he made his way towards me and offered a hand.

"Well, I dunno about 'famous', but I'm definitely Rukia," I giggled as I shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you…?"

"Caleb. And the pleasure's all mine," He said, flashing his teeth.

"Alright, Romeo, take it somewhere else," Renji said as he pushed Caleb out of the way as he headed for the kitchen. I followed him and sat up on the counter and watched him make a sub.

"So, Rukia," Caleb said, taking a swig of his beer, "How'd you fall all the way to TR all by yourself today?"

"Eeee-zy," Shuhei hiccupped, "Stlaaaaaawburry took hur."

"I shoulda figured. He's onto ya like a hook in a fish's mouth, that's for sure," He chuckled.

"Strawberry has nothing to do with this," The redhead growled as he scavenged for food in the pantry.

"Yeah, right," Caleb scoffed sarcastically as he licked his lip ring. "Somebody sure is a bitch today. What happened? Did you lose your bet to Shu?"

"Not yeeeeet," The drunk giggled in glee.

"I really don't give a fuck about the bet right now," Renji mumbled as he invaded his fridge and then returned with a fourth back.

"Somebody gives up easily," Shuhei teased.

The redhead only sighed as he started to make his sandwich and I couldn't stand to see him like this for one more second.

"What's wrong?" I whispered, but he just ignored me as he focused on completing his deli.

"Hey, Rukia?" He said in a quiet tone as he looked up.

"Yeah?"

"If you had a secret…no matter how crazy or ludicrous it might be," He said, eyeing down at the ground. "You'd tell me, right?"

"Well, it all depends. On a scale from one to five-"

"Ten."

"I don't even think I have a secret that big," I mumble as I think for a moment. "Well, if it's that serious, I might wait for a while until I tell you, or pretty much anybody. But you know that you would be the first person I would tell, but why are you asking? I thought you knew this."

He shook his head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about some things," Were the words he muttered as he walked to the balcony.

"Wait! What about your sandwich?"

"I lost my appetite."

"Can I have it?" Caleb hollered.

"Ohhhh nnahhh yew dond," Shuhei hissed as he tackled the grey-haired man and crawled towards the sandwich, which I grab just in time before the two of them try to dive for it.

"Bish, whutchuuu doin?" He asked.

"It's mine. Now, shoo," I grumbled as I motioned him away.

"Fat ass," He barely said as he plopped down on the couch.

"Yeah, I'm so overweight. Hey! Why don't you suggest me to that Weight Watcher group of yours, Shuhei? You know, the meeting you practically ran to this morning?" I ask with an evil grin.

"Shuddap."

Caleb let out a light chuckle as he hops up and takes a seat next to me. I break my sandwich in half and offer him a piece, in which he happily takes.

"Thanks," He mumbled in between bites.

"No prob," I said as I began working on my piece.

"So, I gotta ask," Caleb said as he scratched the back of his neck. "What's with Renji?"

"Who knows?" I shrug.

"I think you do."

I exhaled a deep sigh through my nostrils since I knew where the conversation was headed.

"I mean, you don't have to answer-"

"Renji doesn't want me hanging out with Strawberry."

"He can't tell you what to do. He isn't your father."

"That's what I'm saying! I mean, sure, I might not know everything about Strawberry and what's going on, being as I am supposed to 'find out for myself' but I still haven't met with Boss yet an-"

"You haven't me-"

"Lemme finish! And to add to the confusion that I've been a ticking time bomb ever since last night because I don't know what in the world is going on and the only thing I can do is wait until the answers to my questions come to me and-"

"That is some of the most absurd shit I have heard in my whole life. 'Wait until the answers come to me', she says. Ha! You're ain't gonna get anywhere if you keep thinking like that. 'Since we can't say anything, you can't know' is what they say, right? To hell with that, I say! You can't just wait around sipping your tea while the hand on the clock keeps ticking away! See, you could've spent that minute getting down to the bottom of this instead of stuffing your face. Every second you spend waiting around is another you could've used to find your answers! You have to make a choice everyday for what you choose to sacrifice for another. In other words, an opportunity cost. And nobody's gonna just give you what you're looking for out of the blue! You have to find them yourself, because, in the end, you're the only one looking for them."

Despite only knowing this guy for a couple of minutes, it felt as if it was my older brother telling me those words of wisdom. They had touched me so deeply, that I remember them even to this day and-

'Holy shit, I totally forgot about Byakuya'

I cover my gaping mouth with my hand in utter disbelief at the fact that I had completely forgot about what had happened yesterday.

"I-I have to go," I muttered as I hopped off the counter and got my stuff.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Caleb asked confusedly.

"I just remembered that I have to be somewhere," I said as I turn the doorknob and right as I was about to step out the door, a rough hand pulled me back.

"And just where are you going?" That husky recognizable voice asked. I glance over my shoulder and see that it's the oh-so-troubled redhead himself.

"Wherever I want," I sniped as I shook off his grip and walked away.

"I swear to God, if you're going where I think you're-"

And I closed the door in his face. I just didn't know what to do (besides run away). I was just so confused. I didn't see how my own best friend could become my worst enemy. I didn't see why he was mad at me and I didn't see why there were so many damn secrets. Didn't he just pick a lovely time to spring this one on me. I know he's a little stubborn, but come on! Telling me that I can't hang out with someone? You don't see me naggin' at him for hanging out with a drunken everyday.

I was just too frustrated at the time that I couldn't even tell my ups from my downs and it wasn't until my face collided with a wall that my head had cleared up a bit. And it was at that moment that I heard Caleb's words ring through my ears and I realized—I can do whatever I want! I didn't need anybody's permission and if they didn't like it, then tough shit, because I won't change a thing.

I started laughing like a lunatic as I walked down the stairs of the apartment and for the first time in a long time, I felt free. I didn't know why I didn't think of it sooner, but I realized that I could've spread my wings a lot time ago. The door to my cage was open, but there was a cover over it that made me blind. Now, all of the sudden, someone had lifted the curtain and showed me the 'window of opportunity', but I wasn't really sure if I wanted to fly yet.

With that being figured out, I quickly got a cab and made my way to the hospital. I was bit nervous, knowing that my brother was in such a critical state, but I needed to talk to him. I looked up to him for advice and he would always help me out whenever I had a sticky situation. Now, I need to return the favor.

"St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, and make it snappy," I said as I got in a cab.

"Well, well, if it ain't the volcano 'erself! Whateva happen'd t' that boytoy a' yours?"

"Excuse me?" I asked incredulously and then, the cab driver turned around and showed off his teeth in a wide grin as he took off his amber rectangular frames and grabbed his cap by the bill and took it off, letting his lustrous golden hair fall onto his shoulders. The man's mahogany eyes sprint to mine and greet them with a light-hearted, humorous nature that I hadn't seen the last time I met the man. Once I realized, my mouth had literally dropped and it made him let out a laugh or two.

"You're the taxi-driver-"

"That drove you an' yer friend, yes I did," He grinned.

"What are you doing here? And I apologize for my behavior from last time, Mr…?"

"Shinji Hirako, at yer service. And this is my block, so it's not a surprise if I see ya once or twice, Ms. Rukia."

"Good memory you have there, buddy. You remember all of you passengers' names?"

"Just the ones that are interestin'," The blonde said as he swiftly made a turn that nearly hit a truck.

"Who the holy fuck gave ya yer license, ya dumbfuck?" He hollered as he honked his horn and let out a couple of expletives under his breath as he sighed. I saw his eyes dart up the rear view mirror to look at me and he said, "Sorry about that, can't help it."

I nodded with an unsure look on my face, but I shrugged off my uneasiness.

"So, where's yer friend?"

"At his house. Why?"

"Nothin', just wonderin' why ya weren't with 'im. After all, y'all seemed like such good friends," He laughed as he pulled up to the hospital. I wasted no time in getting out my wallet.

"That'll be…no charge."

I stopped what I what doing and I have no idea what came over me to say, "It's free?"

"Yes, it is," he grinned.

"Why?" I ask with a flabbergasted look.

"Shouldn't you go on to the hospital? Aren't you visiting someone?"

"Right, right!" I said I hurried out of the vehicle and ran to the door, hearing the car sped away but in the distance I hear him yelling once again, which brought a small, goofy grin to my face.

"Ma'am, can I help you?" The lady at the counter asks.

"Yes, I'm here to see Byakuya Kuchiki, my brother."

"Hold on one minute while I pull up his information."

I rest my elbows on the marble counter as I took a look around the lounge. My eyes scanned the room and found everything from a couple reuniting with joy to a woman that had to be escorted out because she refused to get over the death of someone. Being here made me so uncomfortable, that it felt like my butt was sitting on needles.

"Miss?"

"Yes?"

"He's in room 223 upstairs. Just take the stairs. He should be awake."

"Alright then, thanks so much!"

"No problem," She smiled.

I literally ran to the stairs and quickly climbed the steps without faltering for a single second for a breath. It wasn't long until I reached the room that I finally stopped to let out the excitement that was built up inside of me and right as I turned the metal knob, the door opened and my eyes exchanged greetings with the cold, icy blue ones that were behind the ebony, rectangular frames of a man with hair as black as the night. My mouth slightly dropped at the sight of him, since I thought it was someone from the past I knew, but I didn't say anything. Instead, I was too busy looking back at the man.

"Excuse me," He said with eyes down to the ground as he smoothly maneuvered around me. I turn back and watch him go, and wonder just who in the world that was, but I quickly shrug it off and go into the room, seeing my brother lie there with eyes wide open.

"Rukia! What are you-gahh," He groaned as he sat up. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see my brother who doesn't look so happy to see me," I giggled as I gave him a small hug, careful not to hurt him.

"So, I'm guessing you heard?"

"Well, kinda," I mumbled as I fidgeted with my hair as I took a seat next to him. "Renji told me about it."

"Didn't the-"

"Hospital call? Yeah, but my stupid phone was off."

"That's no surprise from you," He smiled. Even though the muscles in his face were spread out in a slight grin, I could still tell that he was hurting.

"So, do the police have any idea on who the people could be?"

"Not a clue," Byakuya sighed. "I can't think of anybody either."

"How long do you have to stay in the hospital?" I ask subtly as I mess around with his hand and trace the dragon tattoo on it with my index finger.

"I have no idea. I was lucky to have survived. They shot me right next to my heart and I would've been gone if the neighbors hadn't heard. And they got me pretty good in the stomach and my collarbone's fractured. The doctor that just walked out of here told me I'd need a couple of surgeries to help repair the tissue."

"Oh! I forgot to tell you! I got a job and I'm going to help pay for your surgery!" I said with a wide grin. "Renji's gonna help out too!"

His jaw dropped as he turned to look at me, and with his obsidian eyes staring straight at me, I couldn't help but look away to avoid that uncomfortable feeling.

"You…got a job? Where?"

"Uh, at this small company where my friend works at," I shrug. "I'm an administrative assistant…I think. But anyways, you can bet your money that your surgery will be covered, no doubt about it!"

"You have no idea how much this means to me," He said in barely a whisper as he hugged me tightly, which took me by surprise, but I just went with the flow. "Oh, you know the doctor I was just talking to?"

"The one with the glasses?"

"Yeah. He heard about my case and he's willing to give me some time to help pay the cost."

"Oh, well, that's nice of him. He didn't seem very…social, though."

"Eh, don't worry about him, you know how medical people can be," Byakuya shrugged as he moved the black bang out of his face. "So, what's been going on with you lately?"

"Well," I said as I took in a deep breath, knowing that I couldn't tell Byakuya about The Rendezvous, "Me and Renji are kinda having a 'disagreement', so I'm just ignoring him until he calms down and besides, I'm hanging out with a few friends tonight."

"Why are you two arguing? You two almost never fight."

"Eh, I dunno," I shrugged. "He's making a big deal because supposedly, this friend of his that I was hanging out with is 'bad news' and he doesn't want me around him."

"Isn't that supposed to be my job?" My brother asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Apparently, he thinks he's my dad or something. He said that because he was my best friend, that his opinion should count or whatever, but I dunno. I'm just gonna give him some time to chill out."

"But who is the guy he's talking about?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, nobody, just someone I met at Starbucks. I forgot my wallet and he saw my little 'dilemma' and he paid for my coffee and we started talking and yeah. That's all, really."

"What's his name? Appearance? Age? Desc-"

"Hold on, now! I'm not dating him!"

"…I'd still like to know," He reasoned.

"Fair enough. John Collins. Short, spiky orange hair, white, tall and lean, knows Renji and Shuhei. Uhm, that's all I can think of."

"Any…specific details?"

"Hmmm…" I said as I ponder for a moment on the Strawberry. "Oh! He has three tattooed dots on his handweb! And a 15 on his tongue!"

Instead of giving me the 'what the fuck' look I had been expecting from him, he just nodded and said, "I guess that's what's in today."

But I didn't bother to fight. In fact, I was kind of relieved he wasn't questioning about him like I had expected.

"Eh, to each his own," I shrugged.

Suddenly, we heard a knock on the door and it was the doctor again. I read his face and it told me that he was a bit surprised to see that I was still there, but he ignored me as he walked towards my brother with a handful of papers.

"I'll need you to sign these. Basically, it just says we have your permission to drug you before the surgery so you don't feel any pain," The man said.

"Okay, sounds good to me," He said as he grabbed the clipboard and signed it.

"Uhm, excuse me, Dr-"

"Dr. Milović."

"Yeah, well, just how much is all of this gonna cost and how long my brother is gonna be in the hospital and-"

"If you could come with me, please," He said as he grabbed my wrist and let me out the door. I look back at Byakuya, but he's busy signing the papers.

"Okay, why'd you need to call me out?" I ask as I tried to mock his scowl, but I failed horribly.

"I heard the story from your brother," The man said as he pushed up his glasses. "Now, I'm normally not allowed to do this but I'm giving you guys an extension, something I don't offer a lot of patients. Now, the total cost of the surgeries, food, use of utilities, IVs and everything else," The doctor said as he flipped a couple of pages on his clipboard. "Roughly $280,000."

"Oh God," was the phrase I chanted over and over again as the number kept on ringing in my ears, but it just didn't sink in.

"Ms. Kuchiki," He said as he placed a hand around my shoulder as he led me to a vacant chair so I could sit down. "I know that cost is steep, but-"

"Doctor, please," I said as I walked away back into the room, but he grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face him.

"Look, I cut you guys a huge amount of money."

"How so? What'd you do? Pay for some of it?"

He said nothing and only turned his head to the side.

"You…can't be serious. You don't even-"

"Know you? On the contrary, I've heard everything about you."

"What? I ask as I started to back up in fear, and as seconds ticked away, he slowly started to resemble that someone that I knew from before. The insanity slowly started to get to me until my pace quickly sped up and before I knew it, I was running away with tears in my eyes.

"Ms. Kuchiki!"

"Leave me alone, Kaien!" I hissed as I turned around for a brief second and then keep running. I heard him stopped for moment at the odd choice of words, but that didn't stop him from yelling.

"Wait!" He yelled.

And I did.

There was something in the way that his voice projected at me that made me stop. God knows why. I couldn't explain it.

Once the man had caught up me, he led me back into the doorway of Byakuya's room, but he didn't open the door. Instead, he just moved us to where my brother's eyes couldn't see us and I noticed that there was only a few workers out and about.

"Now, miss, try to calm down," He said as he grabbed my shoulders, which made the butterflies in my stomach fly all over. His touch was so inviting, but it felt so relaxed and calm. It was almost as if I recognized the sensation, but I know this couldn't be true because I hadn't met a man with a last name as complicated as his in all my life.

My sobs had slowly started to settle down and not for a second did the doctor loosen or change his grip on me. His hands remained there until he started talking again.

"Feel better?" He asked with a slight grin as he got out a pack of Kleenex from his ivory coat pocket and hand it to me, in which I graciously take and dry my tears.

"Thanks," I sniffled.

"Hey, don't mention it."

"Uhm, can I at least ask your name?"

"Oh?" The doctor inquired with raised eyebrows. "Why?"

"Why not?" I sparred back.

"Heh, you're an odd one, you know. I'm Dr. Damir Milović."

"I'll definitely remember your name," I joked.

"Why?" He asked with the upmost seriousness this time as he tucked away his glasses and his moonlit eyes flicker to mine cautiously.

"Because I have never heard a name like that."

"Oh. Well, yeah," He said as he lost all his uneasiness in a sigh and opened the door to where Bykuya was, who had dozed off in my time away.

"I'll visit sometime again this week," I whispered as I walked over to the sleeping log and gave him a slight kiss on the cheek while I scribble down my number on a scrap piece of paper and hand it to the doctor.

"That's my number. Call me if anything happens to him, okay?"

"Sure thing," He nodded as he clipped it onto his board. "As for the financial options…"

I braced myself for what he might say.

"We'll talk about it next time you come here."

"Alright then, thank you so much!" I said as gave him a hug that I couldn't hold back and ran off with glee, knowing that I didn't have to worry about it 'til later.

The hospital was minutes away from my house so I didn't bother to rush there. And once I finally got there, I jumped on the couch and turned on the TV as I kicked off my shoes and put my feet up on the table while I check my phone and saw that a number I didn't know called a couple of times. I push the 'mute' button on the remote as I called back the number and heard the continuous rings.

"Hello?" A cheery female voice asked, which I recognized.

"Cherry? You called me?" I asked with bewilderment.

"Oh, hey, Rukia! I was wondering if you were still coming over!"

"Uh, not to be rude or anything, but how on Earth did you get my number?"

"Renji. Now, are you coming or not?" She whined.

"Uh, sure, but-"

"Great! I'll come get you in a couple."

And the line went dead. Either this was a new trend or I was just too slow to see it coming.

Learning from my past experience, I double-timed to pack an outfit or two before the car could arrive and when it did, I was all ready and prepared.

I could hear Cherry hollering from the ground floor and the honking of car, which was probably hers.

"I'll be right down!" I yelled out the window as I swiped my keys from the table and locked the door behind me. My feet quickly ran down the stairs and once on the first floor, I saw the light of the 'store' that our landlord/shopkeeper, Coyote, was busy stocking the shelves and turned around once he had heard me walk in.

"Hey, Rukia," He said with a nod.

"Yeah?"

"You got a package today in the mail," He said as he handed me a small brown box with a fancy purple bow on top. "Whoever it's from sure has class, I'll give 'em that. I mean, just look at how they tied this dang thing!"

"Does it say who it's from?"

"Uhm, nope. I just got this at the door with a small card tucked under the bow that said, 'To Ms. Kuchiki."

"Huh. Would you look at that. Well, I'll check it out later," I said as I took it in my arms and walked out the door. "Thanks!"

"No prob."

Iwanted to know what my package was and who gave it to me, but I waited until I got into the yellow Jeep Wrangler of the woman's that it really started to bug me.

"Hmm? What's that?" Cherry asked.

"Just a package. Now, let's go," I mumbled as I stuffed it into my gigantic purse so I wouldn't be tempted to rip it to shreds.

So, we yapped about the 'sleepover' and the woman told me a bit of the people that were going to be there and a bit of everything. Including her dilemma with her beau and time eventually passed by, that I didn't believe it when we pulled up to her apartment already.

"Here we are," She grinned as she parked and got out of the car.

"Uh, which floor are you on?"

"The very top, but don't worry, we'll take the elevator. Follow me, it's just over here."

We walked over to the side of the towering brick building and opened a old, rusty door, which led to a dimly lit room with a staircase and a door to the side, in which we went through and Cherry pushed the '20' and the shaft started with a rumble, but smoothed its course once it got going.

"Sorry about that, this thing is kinda old," Cherry chuckled nervously.

"Don't worry about it. I've had my fair share of crappy elevator experiences. So, I'm just wondering, how many of us are gonna be there total?"

"Well, let's see," She said as she looked up and counted to herself as she held out her hand and touched each finger. "30. 40 max."

"Is your apartment that big for that crowd?" I asked skeptically.

"Oh, don't worry, you'll-"

And all of the sudden, the elevator stopped at the 13th floor and opened up its doors. But when it did, both me and Cherry were taken aback by the male at the door, who only looked back at us with that devilish smirk of his.

"C-Caleb? I didn't know you lived here!" Cherry exclaimed.

"Well, I just moved in so yeah. Oh, and what are you doing here?" The silver-haired male asked as he looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"I'm spending the night at Cherry's."

"Oh? A little get-together, eh? Well, surely it isn't the two of you, is it?"

"Nope. A couple of girls from work are coming over too."

"Is Candï coming?" Caleb asked with a curious expression.

"Yeah, definitely. But why? It's not like you're going."

"Well, that's mighty rude way to turn down a person who might want to go."

"Aw, let him go!" I pleaded.

"Yeah, listen to the girl, she knows what she's talking about!" He nodded as he swung an arm around my shoulders.

"Whatever. But if you try to pull anything," The woman said as she narrowed her hazel eyes down at the male. "I can always call my Berry and he can always fix or…break something…if needed."

"Come on now, don't be like that, Cherry," He said as he put up his hands in protest. "I promise. I'll be gay for tonight."

"That shouldn't be too hard, now should it?" She asked as the door to her floor opened as she walked on ahead, leaving us two behind.

"You're gay?" I whisper.

"Bi. There's a difference."

"…You mind explaining to me what that might be? Because it'd be helpful to know."

"Unlike a full, complete gay, I still maintain some dignity. That, and I have testosterones, not estrogen."

"That is so rude!" I hissed as I hit him on the shoulder.

"Well, that's how I see it. And if I were gay, I would've bitched on how you hit me, but no. I didn't. Just another difference I just proved."

"I would've never guess that you were, er, 'on the fence'," I chuckled, but that soon quieted once I read his confused expression.

"What?"

"Uh, well, you know how people refer to gays or lesbian as 'jumping over the fence'? Well, since you're in the middle, you're 'on the fence'. Make sense now?"

"That's the stupidest phrase I've ever heard," He grumbled.

"Maybe you're stupid. Ever think of that?"

"Come on already!" Cherry groaned as she waited impatiently for the two of us to catch up. "I swear, you're worse than my grandma walking down Main Street! Hurry up already or I'm going to lock y'all out!"

"No need to get your panty in a bunch," Caleb nagged as he sluggishly made his way over to her. "Besides, it's not like everybody else is there."

"Actually, they are," She said as she opened the door to her huge apartment.

I gaped at how such a space could look so crowded and crushed from the outside, and yet be as big as 's butt on the inside. It had two floors with ivory staircases leading to it from both left and right. Right underneath the stairs was a little lounge that was made from a couple of comfortable colorful couches surrounding a large coffee table and across from it was a HD TV that hung on the wall and it looked more like a movie screen rather than a television. I noticed that on the walls, there was pictures and decorations adorned all over it, which brought out that 'classy' feeling in the home. Some of them were snapshots of beautiful moments in nature while others had a model posing and these were only in black and white, for some reason, which went well with the light emerald paint behind it.

"Hey, uh, about the whole bi thing," Caleb whispered as he nudged the side of my arm. "Promise me you won't tell anyone. Especially Candï, okay?"

"Sure thing, but, why don't you-"

"People would think different of me if they found out. I trust you because, well, 'cause I do. Not everyone supports 'hopping over the fence'."

"It's fine. I'll keep my mouth shut. But which one's Candï?"

"Rukia!" A short, lime-haired girl squealed as she glomped me by surprise and nearly made me fall over. I took a look at her and I recognized her from The Rendezvous as the girl whose sunglasses John messed with right before he disappeared.

"Uhm, hold on, I got this," I mumble as I tried to remember her name. "Kitty? Kiera? K-"

"It's Can-dï! I can't believe you forgot me already! How dare you!" She pouted.

"Awh, I'm sorry, but I'm no good with names. After all, that was my second time in TR. I can't remember everybody now," I chuckled as I returned the hug and set down my purse on the couch next to us.

"Well, I'll let it slide this time," The girl giggled. "Oh! Caleb! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you, I was just so happy to see Rukia!" She said as she gave him a quick hug.

"Ha, yeah, I could tell," The grey-haired male said with a grin.

"Hold on one minute, we'll talk later. Rukia, let me show you to your room," She said as she got my stuff and walked upstairs with me close behind. Candï opened the door with her spare hand and dropped the stuff on the bed and spread out her arms.

"This is it! Pretty fancy, huh?"

"I'll say. How did Cherry afford this?"

"Oh, she didn't buy it! Blueberry did!"

"Holy crap," I said as I jumped on the comfy mattress and glanced around the room. It felt as if I was in a hotel.

There I was, on this giant king-size bed with pillows so soft that made me want to take a nap right then and there. The room was a light shade of lavender with a dresser to the side and oak nightstands on each side of the bed with a crème lamp on each. I was blown away by the foyer but this…this was like a little slice of heaven itself!

In the midst of my little daze, I didn't realize that the package in my purse was standing straight up and it soon caught the girl's attention.

"Hey! What's that?" She asked as she held it up. "Ooh, pretty bow. Who sent it to you?"

"I have no clue," I shrugged.

"Well, aren't cha gonna open it? That's what presents are for! To open up and find the surprise inside! Come on! Do it!" She whined.

"But-"

"Wait, wait, wait, Cherry might know something about this," Candï said as she skipped over to the door. "Cherry! Cherry! Come here for a second!"

"Hold on a minute!" She growled as she stomped up the stairs and pushed the door open, seeing me with the package in hand.

"What's the emergency?" She asked.

Candï closed the door and said, "I think Rukia finally got it."

"Got what?" I ask.

"Can I see that for a second?" Cherry asked. I handed the box over to her and she quickly analyzed it.

"Yup, this is from Boss Man himself."

"B-Boss?" I stutter in disbelief. "How do you know?"

"Because," She said as she lifted the bow up and lifted open a flap of the cardboard box, pointing to a small black mark.

"You see that? That's his signature."

I took the box and examine it closely, seeing the initials 'I.K.' in writing so small, that I almost needed a magnifying scope to see it. It was hunched at the very corner that it almost looked like a regular pen smudge.

"Now, aren't you going to open it?" Candï asked impatiently.

"Uh, okay," I mumbled as I open up the box, seeing another box with a bow on it, but this one was wrapped up. And next to it, there was a beige letter that had 'To Ms. Kuchiki' hand-written in a fancy, black cursive across the front of the card. I put the box to the side and open up the letter, reading out loud what the card said.

I know this might be kind of awkward, considering you haven't met me in person, but let me introduce myself anyways. I am Ichigo Kurosaki, or as you may know me, your boss. I apologize deeply for the inconvenience of not being able to meet you yesterday night, but I was tied up with business affairs. Now, as you may have heard (due to the fact that people can't shut up), I'm offering you the job to be our next bartender and after hearing Pineapple explain to me about your little financial problem, I'll be more than happy to help you out and pay you double. Here are the conditions:

~You have to work at least six months.

~Devise a new menu.

~And lastly, but not least, a dinner date with yours truly. (To get to know each other, of course)

Knowing that you'll accept the job, I'll tell you when you work. You work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday from 7p.m. 'til midnight. When you leave your bar, I expect it to be so clean that you can see your own reflection in it. All further details will be explained when we meet and you start working this Saturday. And I got you a 'welcoming' gift. Enjoy.

P.S. You really shouldn't worry that much.

~ Boss

"OMIGOD," Candï said as she covered her gaping mouth with her big hazel eyes wide open. "Open the present! Open it!"

"Okay, okay, chill," I said calmly as I held up my hands and got the small box. "It's not like Jesus is coming so try to breathe, Candï."

"JUST OPEN IT!" She hissed.

"Fine. Bossy," I growled as I slowly undid the bow (which was hand-tied this time) and ripped off the cover and saw a plain old white box underneath it. I opened it and I could've sworn my heart skipped a beat as I lifted the breathtaking necklace from the cushion. I saw the both of the women's jaws had dropped once they saw it.

The pendant was made out of silver gold and it had this long chain that stopped right above the lining of my shirt and at its end, was a light blue, translucent gem in the shape of a teardrop.

"Put it on! Put it on!" The two repeated.

I walk over to the mirror standing above the dresser and put my hair up in a bun so that I could attach the clasp and once it was secured, I let down my hair and stare back at my reflection, amazed not by how the necklace looked on me, but at the gem instead. I couldn't stop staring at it. It looked like it was the tear from an angel. It glistened when the evening sun hit right through it, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it reflect the colors of the rainbow; every single one of them. I held the gem between my thumb and index, feeling the coldness of it on my skin, which, somehow, made the hairs on my arm rise.

"Oh my God, Rukia," Cherry said as she lifted the chain and stared at the gemstone. "Well, I'll be damned," She chuckled as she rubbed the gem with her thumb. "You really are his favorite."

"You didn't think so? You were the-"

"One who said it, I know. But I didn't have proof. But now I do," She said.

Then, we heard a knock on the door.

"Cherry?" A female voice asked.

"Yeah?"

"Blueberry's here."

Me and Candï looked at her with wide grins and raised eyebrows as we tried to stifle our laughter.

"You two are such idiots," She said with an eye roll as she closed the door behind her, but then she popped back in.

"Rukia, can you come with me for a second?"

"Sure," I said as I hopped off the bed and followed her, but I heard Candï get up as well.

"I guess I'm not invited then," She pouted and then let out an 'hmph' as she walked the other way.

"Anyways," The teal-haired woman said as we walked down the steps. "If anyone asks you who that's from, don't tell them it was Boss."

"Why?"

"Because, it'll make people talk. Think about it. It'd be bad for both of y'all's 'image'. Think about it. A boss having an affair with one of his workers?"

"Ew!" I said in disgust.

"Yeah. But trust me, Boss isn't like that. He's isn't stupid enough to do that kind of stuff."

"Alright. But who do I say it's from then?" I said as I looked back down at the gem.

"I dunno, use your imagination," She shrugged as we reached the end of the stairs but looked around confusedly.

"Where is he? She said he was down here…" She mumbled as she scratched the crimson birthmark across the bridge of her nose. Suddenly, I heard light footsteps behind me and I turned around and saw that it was the missing Berry himself.

"Ssshh," He said to me as he shook his sky blue bangs out of his face and sneaked up behind Cherry and hugged her by surprise.

"Wha? I found ya!" She giggled with glee.

"Yeah, I was definitely hiding under the staircase, that's the number one place I would hide," He chuckled as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before letting go. He looked to me and said, "Well, it seems we meet again, Ms. Kuchiki," He chuckled. "Now, you finally get to meet-"

"We met a long time ago, hun," Cherry said as she swung an arm around my hips.

"Okay, that explains her but what about him? What's Caleb doing here?" He growled, narrowing his chestnut eyes at the male.

The teal-haired woman moved in front of her beau and placed her hands on his shoulders and said, "Chill. It's Caleb, remember? Besides, he promised me he would be gay tonight."

"He better not be getting into anyone's pants tonight or that will be the last time."

And I have no clue what possessed me to look this man in the eyes and ask, "Why?"

He raised his eyebrows at me and then said, "Because I'll break his bout*."

"His what?"

"Nothing," Cherry said as she shook her head and twirled a piece of her blonde hair.

"Hey, didn't you have an announcement to make?" Matt asked.

"Oh, right, right!" She said as she ran up the stairs.

"But…what about your announcement?" I asked.

"Eh?" He looked down at me with a slight scowl. "What are you yappin' about?"

"On the phone. You said you had 'bad news."

"How do you know about that?"

"Because I was there with Cherry."

"You eavesdropped?" The brunette said as he lowered his eyes at me, which made me get the goosebumps of fear.

"Well, uh, I apologize," I said sheepishly as a small grin tugged at the corners of my mouth as I fidgeted with my hands nervously.

"No matter. But you need to realize there's a time and place for everything and this…just isn't the right one. But don't worry, I'll tell her," He sighed. "Eventually."

"What could be so bad that you can't tell her now? Wait, you didn't cheat on her, did you?"

"Pft, like I could find someone better than the best. There's no need. I think all of this 'Boss' business has you a bit riled up, no?" Blueberry said as he ruffled my hair. I slapped his wrist away with a glare.

"I wasn't implying it."

"Rukia, you're as stubborn as they come. Just like Nelliel."

"Nelliel?"

"Cherry. That's her real name—Nelliel."

"Awh, that's such a pretty name," I gushed.

"Mhmm. Jeez, I can't believe it's been almost five years," He chuckled.

"Five years since what?" I inquire.

"Since I had met her. Funny story actually, Boss was the one to introduce us."

"How?"

"Well, back when I was traveling with Boss and the crew, we went all the way down to South Carolina to meet with a few people and along the way, we met with her. Apparently, boss man knew her and that's how we met and after that, she started traveling with us."

"Why did she travel with you?"

He gave me a glare immediately after hearing that.

"Not that that's a bad thing or anything," I said sheepishly.

Matt didn't say anything after a moment or two, as he was watching the woman prepare her 'announcement'.

"She had nowhere to go."

"Huh?"

"Her house got burnt down. Along with the people in it. She was the only one who made it out."

"Oh my God," I said as I covered my gaping mouth.

"Yeah. It still bothers her, even now. If you're smart, don't bring it up. Because then I'll have to deal with it."

"Sure thing. But she never seemed the type to be down…about anything, really."

"Well, she isn't. But then again, everybody has a couple of shitty moments from the past. Even you."

"Yeah, tell me about it," I said as I crossed my arms and watched Nel start speaking. "But, how'd you meet her?" I ask.

"Turns out Boss knew her. But then again, I guess you're hearing that he knows everyone from way-back-when, right?"

"Pretty much. What, did you all grow up together in the cul-de-sac or something?"

"Hell no. We were scattered all over. Cherry's from South Carolina, I'm from Louisiana, Candï's from California, Tia's from France, Pineapple's from here-"

"What about Strawberry?" I asked oh-so-innocently.

"Hmmm…" He said as he put his hand beneath his chin and stared down at the ground. "You know, I'm not really sure myself. I know he told me before, but I just can't remember."

"Oh. Well, anyways-"

"Excuse me," Cherry said as she raised her voice, getting the attention of the people below.

"We'll pick up where we left off next time," The man said in barely a whisper as the woman started to talk.

"Thank all of you for coming out here on such short notice, I really appreciate it. Now, surely you figured this isn't a regular old sleepover if you recognize everybody from work, right?"

The crowd has started mumbling and I could hear all kind of comments being said, but I did nothing except to look at the brunette's face for any response to Cherry's words, but there was no reaction in the first place. And right as I was about to ask him about it, she started speaking again.

"Well, there's a simple, logical reason for that," Nel paused momentarily. "Because I have called a meeting to discuss-"

"What about Boss? Where is he?" A voice shouted.

"Yeah, only Boss can call meetings!" Another shouted.

And within seconds, the mass of people started to rile up and I started to panic a bit because Cherry wasn't doing a thing! So, I decided to step in. But before I could take another step, Blueberry stopped me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to teach theses people a lesson! How can you just stand there? They're up there, insulting your own girlfriend! Aren't you going to do anything?"

"I don't get involved in her personal matters. Besides, she can handle it. She's a big girl."

"Ugh!" I said as I pushed him out of the way and walked up the stairs, keeping a close eye on the crowed as they fill up with more and more angst. I was a bit let down once I saw Nel walk away and 'surrender' to the crowd, but as I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Matt's face spread out in a wide grin.

"Alors, vous êtes les conduisant dans un piège, êtes-vous?"* He said as he lit up a cig and exhaled.

And right then, the Cherry turned back and yelled.

"E-nough!"

The whole crowd was as silent as a graveyard and her voice was so intimidating then, that I came to a stop immediately and started walking down the steps while my eyes was watching the enraged Cherry.

"Do you realize what you're saying? Look at yourselves!" She hissed. "You rely on Boss for every little thing and you're all cowards to do anything without his permission! It's like you can't take a single step without his 'okay'. You can't do a damned thing by yourselves! You have no idea what's he going through right now and you expect him to watch after every single person in TR? Jesus Christ, you're adults, for crying out loud! Well, I least I thought you were. Having no shred on independence really makes me question that. My point being…you can't just expect Boss to give you every single little thing you want. I know some of you very well and even though you're nice to me, you're not so 'friendly' to other people. Especially him. You're abusing him for God knows what. Money, power, sex, I don't know! But it needs to stop. None of you know him like I do and if you do, then, please, why don't you come on up?"

Everybody looked at each other, but nobody dared to step up.

"I thought so. Because of your selfish wants, he's at the point where he can't take care of himself, much less anybody. He's trying to protect every single one of us from being exposed but-"

"You think we don't know that?"

The crowd's eyes darted to the back, to make way for a tall, redhead who had her hair covering a part of her face.

"You think that we're just over her loafing around like a couple of lazy asses? True, I can't speak for everybody but I can speak for the part of us that want to help him. But we can't! We just can't! And you know better than anybody that we can't associate with him!"

"Do you hear yourself? 'It's not in my power', my ass!"

I could hear Blueberry chuckling from behind, but I ignored it and watched the heated argument as I took a seat on the stairs with my legs dangling out of the open spaces while my arms were wrapped around the vertical rails of the ivory steps.

"Then tell us," The rebellious redhead asked as she walked closer, "What should we do? Just what is making Boss so nervous?"

Even from the distance I was at, I could see a slight frown on Cherry's lips.

"There's nothing you can do, because," She said, exhaling a sigh through her nostrils, "The King is back."

"B-But that means-"

"Yes. The jobs are back and Boss told me they're more dangerous than ever."

"So, she figured it out after all," Grimm said as he bent his cigarette in half and flicked it inside a nearby flower pot. "I knew my girl was smart."

"What is she talking about? Who's King?"

The Blueberry nearly fell over his own foot when he heard me, and looked back at me with eyes wide open.

"Oh my God, if I didn't meet you, I would hate you for being so stupid," He sighed. "King…is bigger than life. Bigger than Boss, actually. But all you need to know for know is that King gives Boss orders called 'jobs' in which he has people do."

"Why can't he do them himself?"

"He may be Boss but he isn't Superman."

"But just what are these 'jobs'? Why do people make such a big deal out of them?"

"Because if you're not careful," The brunette said as he looked to his girlfriend for a second and then back to me. "You might just get robbed."

"Robbed?" I ask, seeing Yuki's face in my head at the sound of the word. "Of what?"

"Life."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, just what kinda job is this?"

"It depends. And only certain people can take specific jobs. You remember those feathers and how they were different, right?"

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"Well, those are kind of like employee badges, if you will. Certain colors represent certain jobs that people are wiling to do. So, let's say, I wore a, uhm, white feather. That would deal with all things related to getting information on somebody or tracking them down or whatever. But those rarely come around."

"So, lemme get this straight. There's King, who gives the jobs to Boss, who hands them out to certain people?"

"Uhm, yeah, kinda."

"But who decides who gets the job specifically?

"Boss, but there's no need to go into such details. He'll explain it to you when the time comes. Unfortunately, I must take my leave because it's that time already."

"Time…for what?" I ask.

"To tell Nel."

"But what is so serious that you had to-"

"I got a job…that I can't decline. That's the bad news," He growled.

"But what's your job or mission or whatever it is? Maybe it isn't as bad as you-"

"I'll sum it up in three words," The man said as he lifted up a finger for each word he was about to say.

"Cold. Hearted. Murder."

I stared him down to make sure if he was really telling the truth or just playing around, but the look on his face told me everything. It told me he wasn't ready to tell Nel and worry was written all over it.

"You're…serious, aren't you?"

He shrugged off his anxiety as he turned to face me.

"'Til next time," Blueberry said with a quick nod as he exited the room through one of the doors.

I couldn't help but fidget with my necklace due to all of the uneasiness that was built up inside of me. My eyes wandered the room and saw that (more or less) the people were kinda flamboyant and cheerful, despite hearing the news from Cherry. Even though I hadn't a half-assed guess about what was so serious about these jobs, (well, other than Grimm's) I just couldn't imagine all of this being hidden from the eyes of society. I didn't know how all of this managed to stay covert and even if Boss was behind it, it made me wonder. Could he possibly have such power to hide such things? Who is he, really, and what's his motive?

All of these questions came back into my head, but again, I had no answers. But I had a strong feeling I was about to find out.

"Hey!" A familiar voice called.

I turned around and saw Caleb walking towards me with a big, goofy grin on his face.

"Are you high?" I ask.

"Pft, please, I hate smoking," He grumbled "But…what's that around your neck?"

"Oh, nothing," I said as I tucked the pendant underneath my shirt.

"No, let me see it!" He whined.

"Why?" I asked apathetically as I took a seat in one of the sofas in the lounge.

"Come on, it's not like I'm going to steal it or anything, I just want to have a look-see."

"…Fine," I gave up as I took off the silver lavaliere and handed it over to him, who was careful with it. A hand held the chain securely while the other handled the small gemstone, which he examined closely.

"Who gave this to you?" Caleb asked suddenly.

"Uh, uh, a friend!" I shout, remembering Cherry's words of advice.

"So, I take it that you went to go meet Boss when you left Renji's? Because I don't remember you wearing this on the elevator."

"What makes you think I've met Boss? And what does he have to do with this? I told you, a friend gave me that, not Boss."

"Oh really? Then where'd they get this? Because this is quite the looker. I mean," He said, then making a wolf-whistle, "Look at that detail! Your friend must be loaded to getcha something like this!"

"Mhmm," I agreed apathetically.

"So, why'd they get you this? Surely it couldn't be out of the blue, now?"

"Of course not!" I said, patting his shoulder. "It…was…to celebrate me finally getting a job!"

"Now, that's an awfully nice friend you have there because I have never heard of a 'friend' giving a person a present that's worth thousands just because of a job. I mean, I understand a party or something but expensive jewelry? I kinda want to be friends with that person, if you catch my drift," Caleb said with a smirk as he elbowed me.

"What's your point?" I growled. "And I want my necklace back."

"Now, now, let's not get feisty. Even though I'm not that much of a root rat, I'd save that kinda of attitude for the room, wouldn't you agree?"

"…Okay. As I was saying," I said as I cleared my throat. "May I have my necklace back?"

"So, let me get this straight," He said as he swung the jewelry back and forth like a pendulum. "You're telling me that your 'friend' got you this just because you got a job in God knows how long, right?"

I gave up. I didn't want to argue anymore.

"Fine, fine, you got me. It was from Boss," I grumbled.

"I knew it," The grey-haired male said as he flashed his teeth. "But ya know, it would've been easier to admit from the start. Why'd you lie about it?"

I took in a sigh and said, "When Cherry saw that I had this, she told me not to tell anyone who gave it to me. Said it'd be bad for our 'image'."

"She's right. But that's to these idiots parading over here. However, I can see that it's more than a trinket to you, right?"

I nodded and asked, "But…how did you know this was from Boss in the first place?"

"Because this gem right here," Caleb said as he pointed to the teardrop shaped jewel, "Is blue topaz, the particular favorite jewel of the Boss'. Only gives out gifts like these to those he likes a lot."

"And just how do you this?" I ask with my hands on my hips.

"It happened to Princess, Boss' previous favorite. That is, until you came along. Well, actually, I take that back. Their relationship gradually faded away a couple of weeks prior to your 'entrance'. He made her famous, you know. But I haven't seen her in months, so I guess she's busy with her other job."

"Who's Princess? And famous?"

"Princess...was one of my best friends. That is, until she changed. Before, she was sweet as a lump of sugar and now, she's very conniving and evil and will do anything to get what she wants. She was made 'famous' by Boss because he introduced her to some close people that were in the modeling business and she got hired and now she's in the big leagues. I hear she still comes here, but that's only on a blue moon. She's so famous, that even the patrons would recognize her, so she has to disguise herself from being exposed."

"So, how'd she get to TR?"

"I don't know. I've only been here for three years, so I wasn't there at the time of her arrival. But she was very much like you, except, you have more of a fiery streak in you. She was so nervous about meeting the Boss that she fainted. She wasn't very strong in the beginning. But once she finally met him, they clicked and before you knew it, they started dating. However, any information beyond that was totally hidden and nobody except close friends of Boss knew what was happening. There's a rumor saying that they had a kid, but I don't buy it. Otherwise, Boss would be out of the office more to take of it, you know?"

"This 'Princess' person seems like quite the lady," I mumbled.

"Yeah, she was quite the card. But all of the sudden, she just gone up and left. Poof."

"Poof?"

"Yeah. She cut off all contact with everybody and didn't talk to us for weeks, months, years, I don't know. TR was never the same after that. Everybody was a bit depressed after she left. Especially Boss. I don't mean to get all sentimental and whatnot, but it broke his heart. Left him depressed for eternity. He would barely come out of the office and he couldn't manage to take care of himself, so he needed people to help him. It was such a shame to watch. So many people left after that, that it was only me and a few others."

"Awh, he really loved her, didn't he?"

"Mhmm. What they had was love, alright. And not the kind to just make a naughty with. Oh no, this was like the kind you'd see on Lifetime. But she did come back eventually."

"What happened then?"

"At first, everybody was happy to see her and so thrilled that she was well and all that jazz. But something in her changed. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's like, something you can sense, you know? Anyways, and I was there personally when this happened, when her and Boss finally met again, what they had…disappeared. All the sparks and butterflies and everything was gone like a light. It was as if someone erased all the love shit between them with an eraser and only left strained marks behind, you know?"

"But what'd Boss say? What'd she say?" I ask, getting more sucked into the story, but he only shook his head and gave me back my necklace.

"Sorry, dear, I can't talk anymore."

"And why the hell not?" I whined. "I wanna know what happened!"

"Well, I can't say anymore because a certain someone is spying on me from behind."

The moment he finished his sentence, my mind went back to last night, when I had eavesdropped on Renji's conversation with John. Almost immediately, I felt a pang of anger at the thought of that stupid brunette gorilla. And when I thought of that toothy grin of that blonde, it only made me madder.

"Gee, you're such a party pooper, Caleb!" Candï whined as she popped up from the couch behind us and plopped down next to Caleb.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know," He mumbled.

"But still! I wanna know what happened too!"

"See! You have an audience! Now you have to tell us!" I barked.

"No, I'll save it for another time!"

"Why?" The lime-haired girl complained.

"Because I said so and that's that! End of story!" Caleb growled irritably as he crossed his arms and right as he was about to put his feet up on the coffee table, Cherry scolded at him.

"Get your feet off of the table!" She screeched.

And he immediately sat straight up with his feet glued to the floor while his hands were in his lap and he was frozen with fear.

We could hear the woman slowly make her way down the stairs with a heavy sigh, and I turn around, seeing that her eyes were slightly puffy from crying. I got up and I ran to her and gave her a hug as she sniffled and let a few stray tears ran down her cheeks.

"Rukia…I can't do this," She said as she broke in a sob.

"Cherry, what's wrong? Come on, let's go somewhere else where we can have some peace and quiet and you explain to me everything that happened," I said as I led her to the balcony door and pushed it open with my foot as she and I take a seat in the iron chairs across from each other.

In the distance, we saw the crescent moon hovering over the swarms of apartments that were all crowded together that towered our view. The woman's breathing had finally slowed down a bit as she started to calm down.

"Now, explain from the very beginning," I said as I held both of her hands, reassuring her that I was there for her.

"Okay, so," She sniffled, "Me and Grimm go to the room since he said he had something to tell me so I'm like, 'Okay, shoot'. And he sits down next to me and he asks me if I remember the time when he had to go away for a couple months on a 'job' and I'm like, 'Of course, I could barely sleep during that time' and then…and then…" Nelliel said as she dried a tear that was coming out with the edge of her sleeve. "He said it's that time again. He said King issued the job for him personally, so there's no way out. Rukia, I know you may not get the gist of this, but these kinds of jobs are suicidal and I can't take any more of this. I want it to end. All of the senseless killing, all of the violence, everything."

"But, why don't you talk to Boss about it? Maybe he can arrange something? After all, you said you knew him from way back, right?"

"No. He can't do anything because King's in charge."

"But I don't get it. Why can't he just say no to the job?"

"That's the thing. You can't."

"And why not?"

"Because he'll kill you if you disobey. Rukia, listen to me. If you think Boss is scary, then King is the Grim Reaper. He can find you, track you down, and have someone do the 'job' of finishing you off. You see why these jobs are so serious? If you're in Grimmjow's position and you don't do things right, you're immediately on his 'trash' list. And it's not one-by-one. Oh, no. You and some other guys will somehow get 'taken care off' at the same time. It's scary to even mention his name, especially at this time."

"But, what makes you think Grimm is going to do the job wrong? Besides, after it's done, that's it, right?"

She shook her head and said, "It's not that I'm worried he'll do it wrong. I'm worried on who he has to take out. I've met the man in person and he's a merciless killer. He's a bloodthirsty monster and last time Grimm and him met, Grimm nearly had his head cut off. I'm worried because I've heard he's getting stronger day by day and I'm not sure if Grimmjow is up to it."

I stared straight at her for a moment and then stood up, making her raise her head.

"You can't act like that, Nel," I mumbled as I let go of her hands and sit on top of the balcony rail. "Thinking that way will only drag you down and what is he gonna do once he sees you depressed, hmm? Think about it. If that man is the monster you say he is, then someone needs to cut him down. So what if this 'King' or whoever told him to do it? He would probably kill just to save you from being harmed! He's fighting for you and you're just sitting here, crying your eyes out on what could happen but it didn't! You can't jump to conclusions!"

When I finally looked back at her, I noticed that her eyes were wide open with astonishment, but her lips were still ziplocked in a small, thin line.

"I remember a couple of years ago, back when Renji and I were kids, he had to fight this bully that was picking on me and when he told me he was going to beat them up, I spent the whole day crying, begging him not to go. And then, he finally told me this," I said quietly as I held onto the pendant once again.

"'You know, seeing you cry makes me feel like I've failed. I've failed in being a 'big brother' because I couldn't stop those tears from falling down your cheeks because of that sadness that's in you, right? So, here's what I'll do. I'll get rid of whatever's making you sad, so then, you can stop crying and smile for me like you did before, kay?' And I asked him," I said, stopping to dry my eyes as I was getting teary myself. "'Why do you want me to smile? What good will it do?' And he said, 'It's the reason why I get up in the morning. It's the reason why I even bother to live. And lastly…it's why I fight. So, stop your whining and get some sleep already.'"

"Rukia…you're completely right. I have to have faith in my boyfriend. I have to be positive," Nel said, wiping the last of her tears away and let out a built-up sigh. "Thank you for helping me realizing my mistake; I need to be strong."

"No problem, Cherry," I grinned.

"Please, call me by my first name. I insist."

"Okay, well, Nel, it's no problem. Know that you can call me anytime for mid-life crises like these."

"Awh, thank you darling," She said as she gave me a quick hug but quickly broke away as I felt a sudden vibration go off.

"Pardon me," She said as she hit a button and said, "You're on speaker."

"Good evening, Cherry," An older male voice (who had a bit of an accent) said.

"Good evening, Boss."

My jaw dropped.

"That's Boss? The Boss?" I whispered.

"Yes, Ms. Kuchiki, I very well am the Boss."

I cover up my face with both hands in embarrassment, wondering just how the hell he could've heard me.

"So, whatchu want, boo?" Cherry asked as she hopped on the rail.

"Boo?" I mouthed, but she shrugged with a silly grin on her face.

"Well, I figured since you were having the meeting at your house, I'd check to see how it went. How'd the ladies take it?"

"Eh, you know. They may be clueless, but they ain't heartless. They actually surprised me today."

"Hm? How so?"

"Well, after I told them your little…'problem' and how I ranted on how they were asking too much, Nina stepped in and her words specifically shocked me. She said on how they girls want to help you, but they can't because it's not in their power. If you ask me, the only thing they want to help you with is taking off your trousers."

I couldn't help but laugh, in which I immediately stifled, feeling stupid once again.

"I'm sorry," I muttered as I tried not to laugh.

"Well, even though that may be true, she is right about the whole 'power' thing. You know how this whole thing works."

"I know, but it's so stupid. Why can't they help you?"

"Because we don't want a repeat of what happened last time," He said in almost a growl. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, can you hand over the phone to Rukia for a few minutes?"

"Sure," She mumbled as she handed over her cell.

"And I'd like to speak to her alone, if possible."

"Well, that isn't possible," Cherry barked back.

"Oh, really? And why is that?"

"Because she is my guest at my house and-"

"Uh, Nel?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"I kinda have some things I want to ask Boss alone too. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude-"

"Not at all! Just hand me the phone when you're done because I have a couple of words for him," She said as she slid the balcony door shut, leaving me all by myself. Kinda.

"So, Rukia, I want to know, did you get my package?"

"Yes, I did," I grinned. "And I loved the necklace. It's very beautiful and I can't thank you enough for letting me have this job. I really appreciate it, sir."

"No problem. Actually, I was a bit worried to see how you'd like it because, truth be told, I didn't pick out the necklace. I kind of had an associate pick it out for me, since I was busy with errands and whatnot. Anyways, I'm assuming you've read my card, right?"

"Mhmm. I'll be at work at a quarter 'til eight. But…Boss?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not gonna lie…this is really uncomfortable talking to my superior who I haven't met over the phone."

I heard him chuckle for a moment and then say, "I know and I apologize. I've just been so busy that…you know, there is no real reason to excuse me from meeting a new employee of mine. I apologize, I had no idea I was being so rude."

"Oh, it's fine! Don't worry! But uhm…you mentioned something about a dinner date on the card?"

"Ah, yes! I have us scheduled to eat at this small restaurant called Jushiro's next Sunday at 8. Is that fine with you?"

"Sure, that's perfect! Uhm, can I ask a question?" I said awkwardly.

"Go ahead."

"Uhm, have you seen Strawberry at all today? I left without saying goodbye to him and I felt a bit about that and I want to clear up-"

"Please, don't share your love drama with me."

"Excuse me, but there is no drama whatsoever between me and him. I just didn't want to seem-"

"I was joking."

"…Oh."

"Now, I'm going to step out of the 'Boss' boundaries and right now, I'm gonna be regular old Ichigo Kurosaki, okay?"

"Uh..sure."

"I know you're really wound up about this. Talk to me, Tell me what's wrong."

"Well, sir-"

"Ichigo."

"Okay, well, Ichigo, to be honest, I'm a bit…upset at the moment."

"And why is that?"

"Before I go on, you have to promise me you won't get involved, okay? Like, I don't mean pinky-swear or that kind of kiddy crap. I mean, like, some blood oath mafia shit, okay?"

"I'll try to keep my mouth shut."

And I explained what happened today (excluding my morning). I was careful to choose my words since it was Boss, even though I was talking to 'Ichigo'.

"So, you're telling me that Pineapple won't let you hang with Strawberry because he's 'bad news'?"

"Mhmm. Can you believe him? I mean, yeah, Strawberry can be annoying and kind of a horn dog but he's funny and but overall, he's really cool and someone who gets me. I know I sound like an idiot, but I respect him because he's given me a reason to. The problem is, I don't know if Pineapple's just making up lies because it's really hard for me to imagine Strawberry as 'bad news', you know? After the 'bad news' I saw with Cherry and Blueberry, I don't think he could come nowhere close to that."

"But then again, you've only known him for about two days, right?"

"You're right, but I know for a fact that he isn't…"

"Isn't.,.?"

"That he isn't as bad as Pineapple says he is. And trust me, I would know…and…so does Pineapple…oh my God, I figured it out!" I said as I laughed to myself.

"Uh, figured what out?"

"Why he doesn't want me hanging out with Strawberry! I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!"

"You mind explaining because I'm in the dark over here."

Now it was my turn to say this line.

"I'll explain everything later. Tell you what, I'll tell you next Sunday, okay?"

"That's a long wait," He whined slightly.

"Come on, you're Boss! You can do it!"

"Alright, but just for you, okay?"

"Sure thing. Oh, and out of curiosity, will we meet other than Sunday?"

"I'm sorry to say this, but no. I'm going to be very busy this week."

"Ah, I see. Well, it was nice talking to you, Ichigo."

"Likewise. Goodnight, Rukia."

"Goodnight."

"Oh! I forgot to mention something."

"What is it?"

"You had a message from Strawberry."

"Oh, well, go ahead."

"He told me to tell you," He said as he cleared his throat,

"Sweet dreams, Lutko."