chapter 6

Rukia and Ichigo could not believe their eyes. Was this possible? This wasn't a practical joke was it? This was impossible and unfathomable to the both of them. This wasn't even a joke anymore but no matter how many times they closed their eyes and scanned the flimsy piece of paper posted there, the results wouldn't change. The crowd around them broke into whispers as the odd couple could barely formulate a proper insult towards each other.

How could the two of them have the same rank? They were both number one.

They glared at each other as they made a beeline for the faculty room. They knocked politely first before they approached Kuchiki-sensei. Before the two of them could speak, he stoically shoved their papers to their faces and they took it gratefully. He sighed as he sat down again and gestured them to leave. "Just take it..." he said.

Class hadn't exactly started yet so it wouldn't make too much of a difference to give it earlier. Ichigo and Rukia returned to the classroom and as soon as they entered, a negative tension filled the room. They sat down simultaneously and looked at their papers. They were both marked with a full one hundred points. Rukia turned around and he leaned forward and both of them began comparing answers to see if there were any errors.

"This is unacceptable! Why do you have the same score as me!" she yelled at him earning the class's attention and the glares of the females.

"I should be the one saying that, why do you have the same score as me!" he retorted at her much to the shock of his fans and to the anger of her fans. Looks like the nicest guy on campus had finally lost his temper.

"Oh I dunno, care to double check to see if you were wrong?" Rukia said mockingly earning the protests of his fans.

"Yeah? Maybe you're the wrong one!" he replied earning the violent reactions of the males.

"No, I say you're in the wrong! I sure as hell don't want to go on a date with you!"

"Yeah? And I don't want to be your slave for a day!" he retorted.

That certainly caught the class's interest while Momo was at the brink of laughter.

"You proposed it, you perverted bastard!" she yelled at him, her glare at full force. His fans became an angry mob towards her insult.

"You accepted it, you unattractive prude!" he yelled back, he was practically baring his teeth and gritting them. The Rukia fans became a riot.

"Prude! You dare to call me a prude you ingrate! I'm not the one forcibly kis-"

"Rukia... Don't you dare say that." he threatened with an accusing finger pointed towards her. That increased the class's curiosity. Since when were they at first name basis?

"Well I'm sorry Ichigo, did I hurt your feelings?" she said smugly.

"Didn't know you even knew what feelings were you midget..."he retorted.

"I've got feelings too you pompous." she humphed

" oh really ?" he retorted sarcastically" show me then" he growled,his eyes turning golden.

"Yeah? You want me to show it?" Rukia replied in the same tone, her eyes turning deep amethyst.

They were rather close to each other and Momo saw them eyeing each other's lips.

This was bad, Momo thought. If she didn't stop these two, they'd be making out in the classroom and technically speaking, they're not dating.

Momo stood up and intervened. She held Rukia's shoulder to appease her and smiled at her. "Rukia, get a hold on yourself. Both of you should do each other's bet."

Rukia sighed as she massaged her temples furiously. "Sorry..."

"Rukia, I know you're temper... It's understandable considering what's at stake but not in the classroom." Momo scolded before looking at Ichigo. "You should know better, after all, you were the one who proposed this argument." Momo said with a raised eyebrow, Ichigo knew she meant it both ways.

"Oh and Rukia, you shouldn't have accepted the bet." Momo scolded.

"True..." was all that Rukia could reply.

Momo sighed and crossed her arms. "I swear... You two are such a pain, it's like talking to a wall." she whined. "And taking care of little children." she added.

That line made Rukia laugh a bit and that made Ichigo smirked.

Ichigo was standing in the middle of the street wearing a warm coat and a form-fitting shirt that did no good to Rukia's eyes. I mean, who wouldn't be in the right mind when a man with such a great body wore a form-fitting shirt? Was it even legal for a seventeen year old boy to be so cut?

Rukia couldn't really say if she had any good clothes because her entire wardrobe consistent of low discounted and socially acceptable clothing. She just wore her usual and she didn't need Momo's help. That would be so embarrassing. She ran up to him and apologized for being late.

"You're not late, I'm early." he said as he pointed towards the huge public clock.

"I see..."

He smirked at her. "Any fangirls?" he asked as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Rukia smiled back. "A group of seven behind the post and that telephone booth. They intend to trail us the entire time." she said.

He chuckled. "Then let's put up a good show then." he said as he wrapped his arm over her shoulder like he did when he taught her how to play the piano a bit.

Rukia blushed. "Wh-what are you doing! This makes it look like we've been dating for a while!" she said angrily.

"All the more reason right?" he said winking at her.

"Just no kissing, that's gonna be worse."

He scowled. "Oh fine... But can you master get a kiss later?"

"I'm your mistress later you idiot, you'll follow my orders..."

"Oh? So can I ask you a favor?"

"No... I'm not kissing you." she flat out rejected him.

And any form of rejection was completely new to him.

"Okay okay, just keep it down midget." he replied as he withdrew his arm. They walked side by side to the nearest arcade since Ichigo had never been there ever. Rukia led him to the arcade and he looked around in amazement. He could buy ever-single arcade game at the snap of his fingers but it was a different experience to actually go to the arcade. Ichigo gave her the money and she went of to buy the tokens.

It took a while but she had a bunch of tokens. She taught Ichigo how it worked and how he could win tickets for prizes. Eventually, he was playing a bunch of shooting games. Rukia wanted to laugh as she watched him. He was like a little kid in a toy store. Rukia crossed her arms as she saw the seven fangirls in the corner of her eye and fought a snicker. They sure were desperate.

Ichigo asked what that certain game was and Rukia replied that it was Dance Dance Revolution. She told him that he had to step on the arrows on the floor when the arrow symbol on the screen reached the marker. Naturally, the arrows moved with the beat.

Ichigo got interested and urged Rukia to play with him. She wasn't too bad at playing that game but Momo was a master. He popped in the needed tokens and clicked the two-player button. He got Rukia to select the song and she picked the only song she could beat Momo in, DoLL. She made Ichigo's side on beginner's level while hers was on difficult.

The game started and Ichigo struggled at first while Rukia worked at it flawlessly. Once the song was done, Rukia got a sparkly A while Ichigo settled for a red D. He gritted his teeth and scowled saying it was his first time. Rukia chuckled as she picked another song called Xepher. She wanted to murder him a bit more but she lowered her setting back to basic. That song was murder on difficult and how Momo managed was a mystery.

The song started and Ichigo was already caught of guard. It was fun to watch him struggle. Once he was through with the song, he got mad at her for picking such a hard song. Rukia simply laughed at him and changed her setting back to difficult. She seriously picked an easy song this time, it was called Mugen.

Ichigo managed to get a B on this song but he was already tired while Rukia just rested against the rail. He said he was tired and he didn't feel like playing anymore. They agreed to go take a breather and eat. It's been a while since Rukia went out with a friend and had this much fun. Wait... Was he even a friend?

They came out with a light feeling in their chests and entered a nearby seclude yet popular cafe. Expensive yes, but he had tons of money to kill. They were seated in the corner and witnessed the seven fangirls choose two representatives and shared money among themselves. They were greeted and they sat in a place that had a perfect view of Ichigo and Rukia's table.

Rukia chuckled. "Desperate much... They must love you more than they love God." she joked.

"I've never had stalkers go in groups before." he replied as he took the menu in his hand.

Rukia sighed as she pretended to be ignorant of their presence and looked at the menu herself. This was so amusing. They called for the waiter and ordered two hot chocolates for the weather as well as mango cheesecake for Rukia and a an apple pie for Ichigo. He left with their orders and Ichigo suddenly reached out for her face. Rukia was nearly shocked but stayed completely still as he fixed a stray hair on her face with a smile.

"You do love torturing them don't you?" she asked.

He nodded with a smirk. "It's fun..." he replied.

She shook her head. "You're too sadistic Kurosaki..."

He raised his eyebrow and grinned deviously. "I just remembered that back in the classroom this morning, you called me Ichigo." he said.

"Did I?" Rukia said as she feigned ignorance. It was a pretty good attempt.

He nodded. "You did. I don't know how I feel about that..." he said,his voice taking a darker note as his eyes shone malicious intent.

Rukia felt her face heat up with the tone of his voice and what it implied. "It was just a slip of the tongue... I'm sticking to last names again anyway."

"No no, it's not bad. It's just... It sounds nice. Hmm... From now on, call me Ichigo. No honorifics okay?" he said as he flicked her forehead.

Rukia held her forehead due to some stinging pain and pouted. "And you need to stop adding the chan to my name... It's annoying..."

He grinned and winked at her. "As you wish ojou-sama." he said.

She flushed red. "Oh shut up you idiot..."

"Okay, now say my name." he said evilly.

She averted his gaze. "I-Ichigo..." she drew out each and every syllable carefully,as if tasting it.

He eyes turned golden for a moment,which made rukia blush harder than she already have. "That sounds better." he whispered,sending shivers down her spine.

The waiter came with the food and Rukia was practically salivating from the smell of it. It wasn't everyday she ate such delectable and expensive food. She couldn't possibly pass up this opportunity. She eyed her cheesecake like it was her prey and once she took a bite of it, she was in heaven.

Watching her eat, he couldn't help but smile. She actually looked cute when she ate food like that. Not that she was his definition of cute that is...

"Like it?"

She nodded. She couldn't speak because her mouth was occupied. It made Ichigo want to laugh and kiss her senseless. He tried his own apple pie and found it absolutely delicious. It was better than the family head chef back in Germany but it was nothing compared to one of his little sisters's hobby of cooking. That little sister of his was a splendid cook.

He took a glance at his stalkers to find them stressing over their allowance but saying something like his protection and purity was worth it. Pure? What part of him was pure exactly? They shouldn't be worried over him rather; they should be worried for Rukia's welfare.

They ate with pleasant conversations and the more they seemed to enjoy themselves, the more the fangirls clawed the table. Finally, they were finished and once they were out, the fangirls followed. The walked around and took a few pictures together. The decided to walk back to his place once the sun began to touch the earth. The fangirls remained strong and followed them. With a grin on their faces, they purposely walked around in circles in the neighborhood in order to shake them off their track. It was successful and they managed to get to his apartment safely. Rukia sighed as she dropped her stuff on the table and slumped down to the floor. All that walking around was tiring.

Ichigo locked the door and slumped down on the opposite side of the table.

"Hey Ichigo... We're switching roles now..." Rukia said bluntly.

He groaned angrily. "Oh shut up, of course I know that ojousama..."

She smirked as she sat upright. "What can you do anyway?" she asked.

He groaned even more. "Some things... Ask and you shall receive."

"I'm kinda scared... If you can burn something as simple as tea I wonder what else you'll mess up."

"Be glad you're allowed to ridicule me to this extent today..." he seethed.

"Then play for me."

"There's not a single piano in the vicinity, you midget."

"You borrowed my acoustic guitar remember?"

"Right..."

"Now be a good servant and go get it."

He groaned as he sat up. He went to his bedroom and came back with a well taken care of guitar. He sat down before her and checked if it was tuned. He played a few notes and began to sing.

"Soredemo subete ni higa no bori daseba mata aruki hajimete kasanaru mainichi omoi de ni naru kokoro ni tsumoru ashita ga kuru tabi mae no hou ga miete inodori hajimeteku usureru sasaina nani kani kizuki furikaeru darou

Omoi da senai kotoga hitotsu hureru tabi tachi no mateidarou nani da no ato no namae oboiteiru nara sore ga subete darou hajimetara kawaranai kotoba."

He played the last few notes beautifully before opening his eyes. Then he wondered about since when did he close them? He heard her applaud and that made him smile.

"What's that song?"

"It's called Kawaranai Kotoba... My mom and I made that song when I was little... I added in the melody when I was a bit older..."

"It's beautiful..."

"Thank you..."

"I kinda wrote a song too... With my sister that is..."

He offered her the guitar. "Then be my guest... I'd love to hear you play."

She took it but she didn't play it yet.

"Honto no tsuyosa wo mitsumeru yowa sa ni hibiku subete wo mizukazu koe hitsunda keshiki wo kono so de demukui koe wo nazo ote arukidashita"

The the guitar kicked in.

"Umahito tsumi bota kotoba no haeru kara tsuita kizu mo nagame mayotei da keredo kantaku nara omoidashita mayori no nai senagari

Henji wo mata tsui unazuku haya sana hitotsu kokoro no kyori to shita shinjite iru kara hitomi wo sora saka tooku hanareta karada no naka hibite..."

Rukia eventually stopped strumming and Ichigo gave her the same courtesy known as applause. She gave it back to him and he set it aside. "I just noticed... My song is like a reply to your song..."

She pondered over it for a while. "Now that I think about it... Yeah, it kinda is... That's odd yet pleasant in a way."

"True..."

"Tell me about your family." she said.

He breathed in deeply and looked at her straight in the eye. "That wasn't on google?"

She shook her head.

"Oh, ah well... You're bound to find out eventually." he said before sitting properly.

"Well, I'm the eldest. I have two younger sisters, they're fraternal twins actually. Yuzu is the one who shares my bright hair but her hair leans more towards blond. Karin's the one who got dad's black hair. She's not as bright as Yuzu, I'm not talking about intelligence but if I were to describe her well... She's just surly. Yuzu's the one who cooks really well while Karin's really awesome at soccer... They're thirteen right now."

"My dad's a doctor but he discovered a cure one day and from then on, he became the president and director of a prominent and powerful pharmaceutical company in Europe. No one took him seriously here in Japan. I was born here but I lived in luxury when we moved to Europe. My mom's Japanese too... I'll show you a picture sometime but she was really beautiful and all. She was a great cook and her talent went to Yuzu."

Rukia caught on instantly. "W-was?"

"Yeah... She passed away a few years back..." Ichigo said with a whole lot of sadness powering his tone.

"Oh... I'm sorry for your loss then..."

"But I've learned to cope with it... As for my dad... He acts like an idiot that it's scary... If you ever meet him, you'll understand. He's insane..." he chuckled.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, now tell me about yours."

"I have none..." was all Rukia replied.

"What do you mean by none?"

She looked down to the floor and sighed fitfully. "I never met my parents and my older sister passed away three years ago... She had some terminal sickness I don't want to remember the name of... She was the one who raised me and worked more jobs than me to pay for my tuition... My guitar was hers... The Gibson one. She's the reason why I love music so much..."

"She didn't marry?"

"No... Never... Though she did have one boyfriend whom she had dated all her life but I never met him... She said that I couldn't see him and that's it better for me not to know him... She was really happy then whenever she talked to him or whenever she went out on a date with him. I nearly saw him once at the hospital... But all I saw was black hair... However, she said that once she was gone, he was gonna help me out... But look at me. Three years and no boyfriend around me." Rukia smiled weakly.

Ichigo scowled. "I don't understand. He loves your sister right? Why doesn't he help his girlfriend's little sister?"

"True... I'm always hoping that he had a good reason but... Then I'd remember reality and how I'm all alone. I have no family and I have to bear my burdens on my own..."

Ichigo surged forward without thinking ,taking her hand in his. "You can always share the load with a friend."

"Momo and Renji?"

"Yeah..." he said before looking down and looking back at her. "There's also me."

"Did you forget? I'm working for you so that you'd stay in the club and I get paid for it. All I have to do is to entertain you." Rukia said as she snapped them back to reality.

"Well, I don't want to be some heartless bastard forever... I want to be someone you can call friend eventually... Then this will all be mutual and I won't have to..."

"To what?"

He swallowed thickly. "Feel guilty..."

"You? Guilty?"

He gave her a weak smile. "I know...it's hard to believe and all... But, days passed and all and you're more than just entertainment... You're a person... You've got feelings and personalities... And talent..." he said in an embarassed way.

They stared into each other's eyes. Her amethyst eyes were locked deeply into his burning amber eyes and vice versa. There was silence as the sunset gleamed into the small room. They could hear each other's breathing and they could even hear each other's heartbeats. Heck, they weren't even thinking straight anymore.

"Kiss me..." Rukia said in a breathless whisper. "That's an order."

He face remained gentle. "Yes."

That was all he said as he closed his eyes and captured her sweet yet tender lips. His hand held her arm as he kissed her gently. He was never this gentle with a girl before. Rukia's hand snaked its way to grip his hair and to draw him closer. Ichigo felt no need to rush this kiss, he didn't want to scare her off. He wanted her presence around him. He wanted her to stay there. For as long as he could keep her presence calmed him.

Rukia's arms were already wrapped around his neck. It was funny how he was simply kissing her on his knees but now she was kissing him on his lap. His powerful arms took pleasure in wrapping themselves around her thin waist. It was like they had nothing else to do but kiss each other. His ojousama ordered him to kiss her, he was damn sure to do it well.

All he could think of was how delicious she tasted and the divine sensations of kissing her. Without thinking, he pushed her down against the soft yet durable tatami matted floor. She didn't even seem to mind a bit as he ravished her completely. Her ebony hair was mussed up against the floor as he remained on top of her. Suddenly, her ringtone rang. They stopped kissing each other and Ichigo withdrew from her breathlessly. Both of them were lightly panting as they looked at each other. Rukia swallowed thickly as she moved her head to the right and reached out for her cellphone. Her other stayed intact.

She looked at the screen and clicked it. She pressed the phone against her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rukia! How's your date."

Rukia blushed. "It's fine..."

"You sure Rukia? Have you been running, you're kinda panting."

Rukia flushed red as she steadied her breathing. "I wasn't. I'm just hanging out with Ichigo... Why?"

"Ichigo?" she asked before giggling mercilessly. "First name basis are we? That's a pretty big deal Rukia."

"Oh shut it... It's an insult to him."

"Or so you say." Momo replied. "It's getting late, you should go home... No wait! I have an even better idea! You can just head over to my place and go on a sleep over for no reason! It's a Friday after all and my parents are out of town!"

Rukia smiled. "Okay, be there in a while. Can I borrow your pajamas again?"

"Sure, mom and dad won't mind if you sleep over any day. They love you. Oh, and they won't be back until next week so the entire house is available for us to wreak havoc upon on." Momo said.

"Later." Rukia said as she closed her phone.

"Going already?" Ichigo asked.

She nodded as he stopped pinning her down. She straightened herself out and picked up her belongings. Ichigo stood up in order to escort her out. He held her arm and spun her around before she reached the door. He planted a swift kiss on her lips and spoke. "Have fun and be safe. I don't want to go missing my maid."

She smirked. "I'll be fine, you idiot.

"See you later Rukia."

"See you later Ichigo."

xxxx

hey guys! how have you been? I am good .I would like to clarify, one thing about the story was written 7years back by I would continue story,as per situations 7years it as per current situations and world didn't seem right in my I wanted to know your opinion regarding this matter. Have a nice day.

love

Amethyst hazel.