Chapter 5: Happy Accidents

"You can, ah, you can put the soup in the kitchen. It's right around the corner..." Rukia motioned with her hands to direct Ichigo to the right location.

Passing by the dining table, which had all of Momo's cupcakes laid out in an artful display, Ichigo seemed to catch a whiff of the treats' tantalizing scent. He lingered for a second, then started to ask, "Say, Miss Kuchiki..."

Perplexed by the formality he used to address her, Rukia stole a quick glance back to determine whether or not he was somehow being sarcastic. She realized that his tone was perfectly serious, giving her the impression that he was acting somewhat out of the ordinary. However, she had to concede that this was only the third time they had interacted, which meant she by no means have a comprehensive idea of what "acting like himself" entailed. She knew enough to know that this wasn't it, though, and that he seemed to feel tense at the moment. In fact, both of them did.

Wanting to relieve some of the rigidity in the atmosphere, she interjected jokingly, "Why are you being so formal, Mr. Kurosaki?"

Taken aback, he blinked a few times in rapid succession, the previous hesitance and sheepishness seemingly dissolving away at Rukia's purposeful prodding. In a flippant manner, he replied, "That has to be the first time you didn't call me 'Mr. Driver' or something equally embarrassing, Miss Kuchiki."

"Just 'Rukia' is fine, thank you," Rukia rolled her eyes, though secretly glad the discomfort in the atmosphere has lifted. In the kitchen, she reached for the bowl of soup to place on the countertop, only to have Ichigo, unaware of her intentions, brush past her hand to place it himself.

She was momentarily caught unawares by the brief instant of physical contact, and she could feel her heartbeat speed up. Ever since she was little, she had always been rather particular about touch, being the result of her upbringing by Byakuya, who had to be one of the least physically and verbally affectionate person she knew. (Even at her college graduation, in which she was valedictorian, he only gave her a calm, "Congratulations.") So while she did not dislike physical contact, such interactions were usually reserved for select people, such as Momo.

Ichigo seemed to think naught of the hand brushing, however, and so she snapped herself out of the momentary daze and immediately followed up with a question, "So what were you saying earlier?"

"Oh yeah, that. About your friend, the one who was just here," he gestured towards the door.

"Momo?"

"Does she happen to own a bakery?"

"Yes, she made the cupcakes you saw on the dining room table earlier," Rukia tilted her head, intrigued. "You know her?"

"There's a chance I might be wrong, but I'm pretty certain she was a passenger of mine a while back. A shot in the dark: did she happen to fund her business with Kickstarter?"

"Yes."

Ichigo snapped his fingers. "That's definitely her, then. I didn't remember her face exactly, but she did seem vaguely familiar. Then I saw the cupcakes, which reminded me of that person because from what I recall, she was very, very passionate about baking. Small world."

"I guess it's not that much of a coincidence you saw her, considering how many people you've probably met, being a taxi driver. Do you remember all your passengers?"

"Definitely not, just the more interesting ones, I guess."

Without thinking, Rukia let slip, "Would I be considered one of the 'more interesting ones'?"

Not skipping a beat, Ichigo responded, "Of course, considering you were full-out drunk from, what, one glass of wine?"

Flushing a deep crimson, Rukia retorted, "It was at least two."

"That doesn't make it much better," he said, amused. "Anyway, your friend just stuck with me because I actually donated to her startup fund because she kept mentioning it to me during the ride."

Not surprised, for Momo had incessantly bombarded her with mentions of the Kickstarter at that period of time as well, Rukia said, "If you want to have one of her cupcakes, go ahead. You know, get back your money's worth."

"It's fine, I'm not hungry." As if to mock him, Ichigo's stomach immediately followed with an audible growl.

Rukia raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

"Well, maybe just one," he caved in.

As he stepped out to choose a cupcake, Rukia turned her attention back to the soup. Curious to try it while it was still warm, and also glad that this gift from Yuzu and Karin relieved her of the duty of having to make dinner that day, she took out a bowl from the cabinets and ladled out as much as would fit. Before digging in, however, she recalled her brother's philosophies of hospitality that have been drilled in her head. Deciding it would be rude if she did not at least offer Ichigo some, she called out, "Do you want some soup? Unless you've already had some at Yuzu and Karin's place."

He reappeared at the doorway to the kitchen, half-eaten cupcake in hand. Laughing, he said, "Actually, Karin wouldn't let me touch any of it, saying it was all saved for you. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought they were your sisters instead of mine."

Rukia snickered, feeling her affection for the twins growing even more. "So is that a yes to the soup?"

"I probably shouldn't," he said, glancing down at his watch. "I still have a later shift at work in about half an hour ... but just to spite Karin, maybe a little bit if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course." She set out a second bowl and filled it halfway, handing it to Ichigo.

Upon accepting it, he took a few large gulps and managed to finish it all within the span of a few seconds. Raising his voice artificially loud and directing it towards the direction of the wall between Rukia's apartment and his sisters', he exclaimed, "Wow, this soup tastes great."

There was a moment of silence before he and Rukia both heard Karin's voice, muffled by the walls but the tone still harsh enough to indicate that she was shouting, "Ichigo, you better not be eating Yuzu's soup! Or I will be kicking your ass in the immediate future!"

Satisfied, Ichigo turned back to Rukia with a grin and said, "Now I'll really get going."

"Be careful, in case Karin's waiting in ambush to actually kick your ass."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ichigo replied and headed towards the sink. "Is the left faucet handle for hot water?"

"Here, give me your bowl, I'll wash it." Rukia made her way next to him, hand reaching out and grabbing the dish.

Rather than letting go, Ichigo pulled the bowl back towards him, "No, no, I'll wash it. You gave me the food, so I can do the cleanup."

"No really, let me do it." She held on tightly as well. "I don't let guests handle the chores at my own home. It's impolite."

"And I don't really want to show up at someone else's place and not clean up after myself."

This standoff continued on for a short while until Ichigo realized that Rukia was not going to capitulate on the issue, so he released his grip. Rukia did not expect him to do so without a warning, however, and the sudden lack of a counterforce cause her to fling her hand back uncontrollably. The bowl crashed onto the floor behind her, shattering into pieces.

Stunned, both of them were motionless until the initial shock evaporated and they finally processed what had happened.

Once they did, Ichigo sprung into action and knelt down by the bits of ceramic, "I'll clean it up."

This time, Rukia did not protest.

After all the dish fragments have been picked up, Ichigo opened his mouth then closed it again, unsure of what to say. Ultimately, he decided on, "How much did that bowl cost? I'll pay you back."

"It's fine, you don't need to give me any money." she waved it off, knowing she had to shoulder part of the blame as well. "You can just give me a ride to work tomorrow morning in your cab and we'll call it even."

"Okay, what time?"

"No, no, I didn't mean that seriously." Rukia smiled weakly.

"Oh ... well, that offer still stands. As my apology for the bowl." He slid his hands into his pockets.

There was a slight second of hesitation before Rukia decided that maybe it would be a refreshing break from taking public transport like she had always done before. "I guess then seven-thirty in the morning will be good?"

"Okay." Ichigo glanced down at his watch again, swore, and excused himself, "I'm going to be late for work, I have to go. I'll be here at seven-thirty, then."

Rukia watched as he rushed out, then realized that she has not yet taken a single bite of Yuzu's soup. She took a sip. Ichigo was right, it was delicious.