Chapter 7: Rumour Has It
~Ichigo~
He swore he was going crazy because:
A) Mr. Ice Block had just told him about the relationship between Kaien and a certain pint-sized midget.
B) They're having a perfectly civil conversation that did not involve any insults.
C) He really wanted to um… well for the lack of a better word, hug his little midget of a best friend. And maybe just a very platonic kiss on the cheeks?
It's the booze. It had to be, right?
Ichigo stared at his newly refilled shot of Jack Daniels, courtesy of Hanatarou the bartender.
What he was feeling right now, was a strange sense of calm- the murderous sort of calm that he used to feel before his fist made impact with the schoolyard bully's pudgy face, that is.
The crunch of the glass, broken as it made contact with the hard flooring, sounded so impossibly far away as he struggled to keep his temper in check. Adrenaline was pumping but he forced himself to calm down and breathe.
He exhaled- his numb lips were soon forming words, his voice hoarse when he uttered them.
"And what is he?" He licked his lips, raising his eyes to meet the gaze of Byakuya. "To Rukia, what is he?"
"Do you really want to know?" The aloof man parried.
Ichigo scowled and resisted his inner urge to roll his eyes. Trust the pompous bastard to answer a question with a question. Normally, the doctor would have rebutted with a sarcastic remark or even flipped him the bird.
Desperate times however, called for desperate measures. For once, Ichigo chose not to let his anger get the better of him and settled with clenching his teeth harder as he grounded out his reply, word by word.
"Yes, I really want to know. Just give me a straig-"
"He's her fiancé," said Byakuya as he went back to sipping his drink impassively.
Ichigo swallowed thickly, feeling as though there was a ton of bricks weighing on top of him.
Wow!
XXX
Now, that was blunt. As he sat in a daze, he wasn't exactly sure whether or not he should appreciate the older man's candour on the matter.
Ichigo took a gulp of the whiskey in front of him, willing the lump stuck in his trachea to leave as he sat down and began staring numbly at the wooden bar top. He fisted his knuckles impossibly tight until he was sure that crescent markings were showing on his palm.
Be careful of what you wished for indeed.
It was getting harder and harder to breathe with every passing minute.
Air, he needed it.
Lots of it.
XXX
He tugged ferociously to loosen the tight noose around his neck. The scowl on his lips grew prominent as he yanked the silk tie away and forcefully stuffed it inside his pants pocket.
"How?" he licked his lips. "How did they-,"his fists clenched and took his a deep breath again before continuing. "When did they- no, how long were they," the word tasted bitter in his mouth- "engaged?"
"From the moment Rukia was born."
Ichigo stiffened, shocked beyond words. When he finally did regain his senses however, the doctor shot a look of immense hatred towards to the silent man.
Oh, Ichigo knew that his best friend's precious Nii-sama had a twisted sense of duty to the family and their so-called 'greater good of the family and bloodline', but arranging his sister's marriage to a guy when she was barely a day old?
Ichigo fumed, the fucking bastard just crossed the line!
No one should have the right to dictate his best friend's life, not even Byakuya fucking Kuchiki!
He growled. "You had no right, Byakuya!"
Onyx eyes turned icy as the Kuchiki hissed. "Control yourself, boy! I did not make the arrangements for this union."
"Well then, who did?" asked the enraged man as he continued glaring.
"Matters of an arranged marriage can only be conducted with the agreements of family elders from both noble families."
Ichigo gave a hoarse laugh, lifted the glass and took a gulp. His left eye twitched, as he slammed the empty glass against the wooden bar.
"Fuck your stupid pole-in-the-ass elders! They can't just force someone to get married because they feel like it! This isn't the bloody Stone Ages!"
Byakuya mentally pinched the bridge of his nose, trying not to correct or flinch from the former's use of profanities. Yet another reason, Rukia could have done so much better.
"Precisely," he forced out the words as aloof as he could, "which is why the elders have also agreed that the proposal would not be divulged to either of them before their coming-of-age and should both Rukia and Kaien object to the arrangement, it will be nullified."
"So you're saying that Rukia wants to be married to this Kaien?"
Byakuya could feel a headache brewing. "No." The noble tapped a finger against the fragile wine glass, "Though to be absolutely frank, I cannot say for sure."
"Why don't we start off with what you are sure about?"
Slate grey eyes narrowed.
"Are you mocking me, boy?"
The doctor glared at him.
"I don't know. Tell me, am I mocking you, Byakuya?"
Byakuya set his lips into a grim thin line with enough pressure to make them appear bloodless. God Almighty, please make sure that he had enough patience to get through this trying night without wringing the Neanderthal's neck.
He gripped the stem of the wine glass harder.
"The Shibas hail from a long and distinguished line of nobility. A lax in their management of funds and unfortunate involvement in several unwise investments, however caused the family to suffer financially. By the time Kaien reached his coming-of-age, the family fortune was in such a state of disarray that even the clan elders suffered from the drawback. They decided easily enough that the engagement with my sister was their only ticket out of their financial woes."
He took yet another tentative sip from the champagne flute. The doctor beside him growled.
"And?"
"And that was when Kaien decided to run away from home. It took at least 5 weeks before the Shibas finally discovered that he boarded the train to Osaka, but by then he was already long gone from Japan. In all the years since he left home, not once has he made any attempts to return to Japan or contact his family members."
Ichigo's eyebrow rose. "So he was in such a rush to pack his bags and disappear off to Timbuktu that he forgot to mention that he wants to annul the agreement?"
"On the contrary, Kaien was exceptionally meticulous in arranging his plan," replied the business magnate. "He even left a note. While he does love my sister, his love towards her was the love of a brother for a younger sibling, he cannot and will not marry her," said Byakuya as he shot the doctor a meaningful glance.
"It was Rukia who did not wish to annul the bind."
The world stood still. Ichigo's head was pounding and he was feeling extremely nauseous. He felt as though some invisible hand had just squeezed out the life from his body.
"Now that's he's back," he paused, harbouring an irrational fear of the answer to his question, "is he going to marry her?"
There, he said it- threw it out in the open, rendered himself vulnerable to the inevitable truth that was coming his way. He shut his eyes, awaiting the dreaded blow of reality.
"No."
"Excuse me?" He opened his eyes in bewilderment.
"You heard me the first time. I said 'no'," replied the clan leader, trying to put off the forming smirk.
Ichigo glowered. Was Byakuya toying with him?
"Then by all means, enlighten me. What is Prince Charming doing here?"
Byakuya met his gaze head on, paying no heed to the crazed look in the other man's eyes. "Kaien is here to officially break off their engagement."
The noble turned to motion for another glass of champagne from Hanatarou.
"He's here because he wants her blessing and her consent to end this pre-arranged engagement for good. After twelve years of hiding he's finally ready to come home and introduce his wife to his family."
The young doctor felt as though he was on an emotional roller coaster with not a moment to spare for reprieve. It felt as though the whole ton of bricks was suddenly lifted from his shoulders. He felt light-weighted and somewhat delirious. The happiness and sheer joy of the moment made him dizzy.
Now all he had to do was to find Rukia and t-
His eyes widened and his euphoric train of thoughts was effectively derailed. Oh boy, Rukia was not going to be a happy camper about this! She clearly loved that guy enough to keep the engagement for twelve years. All those years of pining after a guy, who only loved her as a sister- he grimaced.
If that pint-sized writer had more than sisterly affections for him, the irony that her beloved only came back to her for her permission to break off the engagement- one that she had single-handedly maintained throughout the years- was going to break her heart!
The doctor immediately leaped off the bar stool, his gaze flitting to the room his best friend disappeared to earlier in the evening.
Straight out, left turn, up the stairs and through the big wooden double doors.
There wasn't a second to lose as Ichigo scrambled to his feet, sprinting away before doubling back as a second thought.
"And Byakuya," he called out across the lounge. The older man looked up unperturbed from his drink. "Thank you," Ichigo murmured and proceeded to execute a perfect 90 degrees bow before he abruptly turned away and bolted.
Rukia better be alright.
Because if she wasn't then a certain Kaien Shiba was going to go home with two black eyes tonight, instead of just one. No, hold that thought, the bastard was practically begging for a new nasal realignment as well and his fist was on standby!
XXX
While it could be argued that Ichigo Kurosaki was a genius of a sort, having skipped a few grades in school when he was younger and being one of the youngest residents in the neurosurgery department of Seattle Grace Mercy West, the not-quite sober doctor did not quite know what to expect when he eventually does stumble upon a certain 'down-in-the-dumps' Kuchiki heiress.
For the most part however, he did expect to find his best friend in some sort of depression ditch, wallowing in self-denial and pity and he would be tasked with cheering her up, not that he minded anyway.
Fortunately -or was it unfortunately- Rukia Kuchiki was indomitable by nature, heartaches caused by Shiba ingrates hurt like hell but not worth crying over and her actions are therefore, utterly unpredictable even to someone like him.
"Rukia," he murmured in disbelief as he pushed the doors open, eyes widening as he saw her then and there. She was standing on the bar top that was directly opposite to the entrance, using it as a makeshift stage as she held a microphone close to her lips and started crooning away.
There was no doubt about it- Miss Prim and Proper, Kuchiki Heiress Extraordinaire, Rukia Kuchiki was drunk and currently dancing barefoot on a bar counter in the middle of a Kuchiki Corporate dinner party. Personally, Ichigo didn't know whether he should be amused or horrified.
Her makeup was smudged, cheeks red either from exertion or the aftereffect of alcohol, the glossy red lipstick Rangiku had practically forced onto her lips was gone and her hair had come undone, framing her face once again with slightly curled ends.
Swaying slightly on her feet and moving in sync with the beat of the song, his best friend gave a new spin on the word 'seductive'. Her movements were fluid and sylphlike, giving no indication that she was under the influence of alcohol. Commanding a presence that was contradictory to her petite figure- her smile, beguiling eyes and sultry crooning serenaded a crowd of audience that had gathered around her.
Voices grew louder as the crowd joined in on her sing-along. Her smile turned crafty and her eyes turned a shade darker than their usual cerulean hue. Left hand clenched around the microphone, her potent and sensual contralto made the lyrics come alive as she poured out her overwhelming emotion from the depth of her soul.
Just 'cause I said it, don't mean that I mean it…
Just cause you heard it…
XXX
He was mesmerized by her. There was no other word for it as his feet took on a life of their own and even without any incentives from his brain, were already moving ahead towards her. All he could do was stare and inch his way towards her, too enthralled by her to even have the forethought to hinge his jaws shut.
Rukia was gorgeous- an astute observation that his not-so sober mind would blame on the 4 –or was it 5? – shots of Jack Daniels for the many sleepless nights that followed after this incident.
Rumor has it… Rumor has it…
XXX
He was close now, standing directly below the bar, facing her as she threw herself into the last part of her song. She looked at him. A gaze that showed recognition, the briefest trace of hurt and Ichigo could see the invisible tears running down on her cheeks as she launched herself into the last verse.
Rumor has it he's the one I'm leaving you for.
XXX
She winked at the crowd and in a sudden moment of recklessness, threw the microphone away and did a funny little spin. Ichigo gasped when she lost her footing along the edge of the makeshift stage, falling headfirst into the mass. Yet she was not perturbed by the notion of falling, instead she had the most content smile on her lips with her arms spread wide as she descended upon her audience.
His nightingale fell into his waiting arms, forming an awkward hug as her arms curled around his neck. Sighing, he readjusted his grip on her tiny waist, shifting her elfin figure within his embrace until the crown of her head was tucked into the crook of his shoulder. A playful smile kissed her lips as her bright eyes connected with his.
Ichigo growled menacingly. "You could have killed yourself, midget."
She stuck her tongue out childishly before she snuggled against him, eyes shut and her cold nose resting a little too close for comfort to his Adam's apple.
"Shut up, berry," she mumbled against his skin. His scowl deepened.
"Oi, midget!" he grumbled, poking at her sides when she remained unresponsive. "Don't brush me off when I'm about to have a serious conversation with you," he said but she only stirred to furrow deeper against his chest and swat his annoying hand away.
He sighed, running a hand through his fiery locks in frustration. "Sometimes I really hate you, midget," he gritted out heatedly before tightening his grip on her to make sure she didn't knock against anything on their way out.
With that, the much weary hero of the hour made his way towards the intimidating double doors, ignoring the hollering cries and wolf-whistles from the crowd of passionate audience.
He decided that the nasal realignment for Kaien can wait. Heck, everything else will have to take a backseat until he was absolutely sure Rukia was okay.
XXX
"What do you mean I can't get my car?!" hollered a thoroughly pissed off Ichigo at the incompetent concierge. He was at least a foot shorter and his waist line a good deal wider than the demanding doctor, his thick moustache a stark contrast against his pallid skin. He sweated profusely and gulped as he stuttered his reply.
"T-There are a l-," he swallowed thickly, "lot of c-cars in the front o-of the parking g-grounds. The um… entrance is blocked."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes into slits. The complete absence of common sense was unbelievable. "Get a tow truck," he hissed, careful not to lose his grip on his best friend still held in his arms, bridal-style.
"I-I-It's n-not an acc-accident, sir," replied the harried man, pulling out a handkerchief from the depth of his pocket and began dabbing his rivulets of sweat. "I-It's a c-crime scene. The police are umm… there with the yello-yellow tapes, p-p-processing some kinda c-crime scene," finished the portly man lamely.
Fuck!
XXX
Ichigo cursed as he took in the current situation. Crime scene meant press presence which meant double trouble for Rukia and him. Rukia hated the limelight, both as a pampered heiress and best-selling authoress. He was hardly looking forward to explaining how and why photos of her drunk and inebriated self were featured on tomorrow's front page.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ichigo decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to keep Rukia out of the vicinity of flashing photo-snapping black-boxes and prying eyes.
Turning back to fix his fiercest glare on the concierge, he had on his trademark scowl and noted with a perverse amusement when he saw the man quail under his glower.
"Get me a room."
The concierge almost tripped over his own feet in his haste to complete the task.
XXX
His steps were brisk and purposeful as he exited the elevator, extremely thankful that his best friend was as light as a feather and completely dead to the world when she slept.
Slotting the key card in, Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the green light flash and with a sudden twist of door knob, entered the room. The Kuchiki heiress was trouble reincarnated- being her best friend was a thankless job.
Trudging wearily into the dark room, he only paused to flip on the lights and switch on the air-conditioners. And then he saw the bed and a sense of frustration started gnawing at him again.
Seriously?
A single queen-sized bed?!
He spared a fleeting glance at his sleeping best friend and scowling darkly, deposited her on the white linen bedding. His arms were growing stiff and Rukia's hair was so soft, it was tickling him with every subtle movement on his part.
He scratched the back of his head, wandering what to do next. On one hand, he could just go down to find that concierge and demand another room, but that would mean leaving Rukia alone in the room and he was so knackered he could fall asleep somewhere during the trip to the lobby.
Screw it!
XXX
It was a queen-sized bed after all. Hypothetically speaking, the bed should be big enough to accommodate both of them. With that thought in mind, he shrugged off his black silk jacket, threw it to some unknown corners of the room. Sweating from the heat, he then unbuttoned the rest his shirt, repeated his earlier actions and plopped himself on top of the comfortable mattress.
He shrugged. It wouldn't be the first time he slept shirtless and it wasn't like Rukia was the sort to jump a poor defenseless guy.
Scooting to the left side of the bed, he laid on his side, facing the cream-coloured wall. Sleep would have come to him instantly if it hadn't been for the fact that some vertically-challenged midget deemed it appropriate to hug him from behind.
Eyes widening, he turned to face her. Sure enough, her eyes were shut peacefully and her hands were wrapped along his middle. His best friend was clinging on to him firmly like a little koala bear.
She was spooning him!
Their faces were inches apart from each other and wordlessly, he tucked her rebellious lock of hair behind her ear, fighting the urge to kiss her on the forehead as he did. There was something wrong with him tonight. He felt like hitting himself on the head for pulling all the crazy stunts he had half-dreamed of doing.
Just what was he thinking? Punching the daylights out of Kaien could land him with a charge of assault and have him arrested! And oh God, he actually sat through a whole civil conversation with Rukia's Nii-sama! None of them died!
He had to pinch himself repeatedly to make sure that he was not dreaming the whole thing up, more so when Rukia started squirming in her sleep. Writhing and tossing, she edged her pliant body closer towards his until their noses were touching.
Ichigo shuddered, his breath hitching when he saw her face up close. Her dark sooty eyelashes were smudged with mascara and her lips were slightly parted. She was heartbreakingly beautiful in that moment frozen in time, not a bratty know-it-all, sassy little spitfire but a seductive sleeping enchantress who was putting a spell on him.
Her dress was riding up to reveal her long shapely lean legs dangerously closed to his. Genetics can be a mystery at times. How a midget like his best friend could possess such beautiful runway-model-worthy legs was entirely beyond him. He didn't know why he never seemed to notice this before, because he must have been blind to not see Rukia as the beautiful woman that she is.
Goosebumps rose on his arm. The warmth of her body pressed against him caused unwanted stirrings from the pit of his stomach. He wanted to kiss her on the lips, on the neck, over her jaw, place little butterfly kisses all over her.
He craved for something more- something physical and raw, something infinitely more intimate than simple friendship with her and – wait, that meant-
OH MY GOD!
XXX
He swallowed thickly, forcing his eyes to blink and to look away. Did he just admit to finding Rukia sexy and seductive enough to want to have sex with her then and there?
NO- he rationalized with himself. It couldn't be. He doesn't think of Rukia like that!
That's just plain disgusting and for God's sake, this is the scary-Chappy-loving-of–a-fanatic heiress we're talking about! There's no way he could be attracted to the girl who was basically a 'brother' to him, who hits him on a daily basis with numerous jabs (literal and otherwise) for fun and ugh, great now he's rambling!
He cursed inwardly before finally throwing his hands up and this upset Rukia who immediately moaned her displeasure and tightened her grip on him. He swallowed thickly as her hot puffs of air tickled him.
God no, he's not attracted to Rukia. No, the reason for his oh-so inappropriate thought just now was because of the booze and urgh, he just needed a distraction.
Yeah, that's it- he thought as he fought to keep his emotions at bay and to even his terse heartbeat. No matter how much he didn't like it, he's still just a guy. And he had urges and the um… dry spell he was experiencing must be hitting him harder than he thought.
All he needed was to get laid and vent all his manly testosterone and he'll be fine. It's just the manly hormones acting up.
Nothing major that going to jeopardize his relationship with Rukia at all.
He took in a deep breath, trying hard not to look as though he had just run through a freaking marathon before hurriedly disentangling himself from her iron-grip hug and made a bee-line for the showers. He didn't even wince when he felt the icy cold rivulets running down his spine as he turned the knob.
Fuck!
XXX
The weather that morning was perfect. The sun was out with just enough wisps of white cloud on the blue sky for shade, and a cool autumn breeze to give just the right touch of moderation. This was the way that Byakuya Kuchiki liked his mornings to be - bright but not extremely sunny.
Sitting comfortably on a plush arm chair in his private room that overlooked the vast Zen garden and koi fish pond, the enigmatic man breathed a sigh of contentment as he took a small sip from the piping hot green tea. The way the falling maple leaves added a splash of colour to the grounds was what he loved most about autumn.
"Report," came his baritone voice as he continued to gaze out to the garden. Behind him, stood Renji Abarai –a childhood friend of the Kuchiki heiress and current Shadow under the employment of the Kuchiki household. A few patches of dark bruises dotted his knuckles while he relayed the outcome of the search on the 'crime scene' last night.
"Someone called 911 when they saw a fight," said Renji, scratching his head awkwardly.
"And?"
"They found Kaien. Black eye and a bit worse for wear," Renji shrugged apathetically, "but he'll live."
The aristocrat gave a sound of contemplation before turning to face Renji.
"Did the police find the perpetrators?"
The heavily-tattooed subordinate shook his head willfully. Byakuya nodded his satisfaction and Renji heaved a sigh of relief.
One down, one to go.
XXX
Byakuya sipped elegantly from his tea cup. "And what of my sister and that Kurosaki brat?"
"Well," began the red-haired man, "they didn't get caught by the paparazzi and reporters, if that's what you're asking."
Byakuya had his interest piqued. He half-expected Renji to inform him of some unwarranted photographs of his beloved sister and that orange-haired goon caught on film and he would have to resort to his numerous contacts to dissuade the papers from running the story or posting any picture of the pair.
His hold tightened on the fragile cup. He never miscalculated any move on Kurosaki's part before.
How very interesting.
XXX
"Then how did they make their exit?"
There was no other way for the pair to make their way home other than through the main doors which were swarmed with journalists and reporters from all the major newspapers in town. Kurosaki, he knew- was not smart enough to think of a backdoor under most circumstances.
The muscleman chuckled mirthlessly. "Well you see, Boss. They um… never left the hotel to begin with."
Byakuya's big brother senses tingled. Something was not right.
"Explain," he commanded authoritatively as he steeled his gaze into hardened flints of grey on his unlucky employee. Renji quailed under the withering gaze and gulped.
"Ich-" he started, but quickly changed back to a more impersonal approach upon seeing Byakuya's severe look. He couldn't be caught fraternizing with the enemy. His Boss didn't like the man so as far as Renji was concerned that made Kurosaki Public Enemy No.1.
"K-K-Kurosaki c-ch-checked them ah… into a um… hotel room," he mumbled while glancing nervously at his boots, finding the spot a good deal more interesting that his superior's face.
"I see," replied the older man as he fought to keep his composure. His grip on the little tea cup though, tightened. If Renji had noticed anything, the poor man was entirely too 'polite' to comment on his superior's actions.
"A room with double beds I presume?"
"N-N-No."
Clash!
Hese's corner:
Edited.
Renji makes an appearance and oh yes, you know you love it, Byakuya is dangerous, somewhat ruthless and that makes him well… sexy/badass XD
P.S. Rukia is an Adele fan.
Anybody feeling sorry for Kaien? o.O