"Cheater"

"Here are the files," Rukia said politely, setting down a manilla folder that contained important information on the next meeting. She brushed her skirt, feeling the smooth fabric on her fingers. It'd been such a long time since she wore a business suit. Rukia felt like a different woman in the dark clothing; she felt like a liar.

Ukitake gave a charming grin, thanking her. A grimace then replaced his jolly expression, "Is something bothering you?" Lately, it was becoming hard for him to read Rukia's thoughts. Ukitake was always observing his peers, knowing what they were thinking about and such.

Rukia shook her head, not wanting to mope about her secret double life. Even though it wasn't too obvious, she honestly did care for Ichigo. He was on the very short list of people who Rukia cared about in life. When she'd lie to him about her work and fake a smile, she always cringed and feel like trash afterwards.

Ukitake didn't want to seem like a nosy man, so he dismissed the conversation. "I'm sorry that you're working here as my secretary, Kuchiki-san. I wish I could give you a better position."

"Don't be. Just being here is an honor."

Rukia had her own office space that was quite big actually. She had her own desk, and even though it didn't compare to Ukitake's fancy oak desk, it was quite nice. As expected of the Gotei 13, the building was enormous and seemed similar to a palace from overseas. The windows were large and showed great scenery of the ocean and the other city buildings. At night, if she stood from the highest floor, she could look down and see the city lights blinking like fireworks.

"You've been working here for about half a month now... Have you met your brother?" Ukitake asked. Anyone looking at Rukia and Byakuya's relationship could tell that there was no friendly sibling love between them. They were a tense and awkward family.

"I haven't."

The building was so big and all the 'leaders' of the Gotei 13's offices were far apart from each other. It was like they each owned a separate part of the huge building. It was no surprise why Rukia haven't met Byakuya. Rukia was glad though. She wouldn't know what to say to him after so long.

"I see."

Rukia left the room, closing the door behind her. "Rukia-san~" She heard a girly voice sing out her name. Rangiku Matsumoto was the assistant to one of the Gotei leaders - Toshiro Hitsugaya, the youngest one of the bunch, a prodigy they say. Rangiku was very much similar to Orihime, Rukia thought. They were orange-haired, beautiful, and had huge chests. Not that Rukia was checking them out, it was just obvious.

Rukia greeted with the same enthusiasm, "Good morning Rangiku-san."

"So, it's been a while since we last met, hasn't it? Tonight, the ladies and I are going to a mixer party," she winked, "and I thought it'd be a great idea to invite you too. How 'bout it?"

Rukia stared blankly. A mixer party? Did Rangiku mean an event where they would go meet with creepy strange men for the opportunity of finding a possible mate? Rukia, like the professional person she was, turned down Rangiku's invitation politely. "Thank you, but maybe next time," she smiled afterwards. Truthfully, she hated mixer parties. They were awkward and dangerous. What if a guy tried to spike her drink?

"Oh come on," Rangiku pushed Rukia's shoulder playfully, "it'll be fun! Besides, you'll need a date for the Gotei 13's party that's coming up." Rukia cringed, remembering how close the date for that was. For some stupid reason, someone felt it was a good idea to create cocktail parties as a way to associate with others and to impress important people. To hell with that; Rukia didn't care! Still, being part of the Kuchiki family had its benefits and curses as well.

"You mean an escort? I'm fine without one," Rukia stated simply. She didn't need a man to impress people.

Suddenly, a sly look came onto Rangiku's face. Her lips pouted as she gawked at Rukia. She smiled immaturely, leaning forward and whispering, "Or is it because you have a boyfriend?" Rukia wanted to die on the spot for being unable to maintain her poker face. "So it is true?" Rangiku asked, so eager to know more that she couldn't stay still.

"Please keep it a secret. If my brother found out..." Rukia's voice faded. She didn't want to imagine what Byakuya would do.

Rangiku simmered down. Her eyes glistened with pity for the poor girl. She pressed her cupped hands against her bosoms, "Oh, forbidden love," she held the back of her hand against her forehead dramatically, "how romantic yet unfortunate. I won't tell a soul," she promised, crossing her heart.

Rukia smiled wearily, "Thanks."

Rangiku laughed half-heartedly, "So... you're into bad boys eh?" She smirked.

"Wh-What makes you say that?"

"Well the only reason why you're keeping him a secret from Byakuya is because he's not from a noble family, right? Or is it because he's a convicted murderer? Did you meet him by penpal?" Every time Rangiku asked a question, her eyes became wider and wider.

"I can't say why because it's a personal issue but... he's a good person." Rukia recalled the first time she met Ichigo. She never thought she'd be complimenting him like this at their first meeting.

Rangiku sighed in envy, "It must be nice to be in love... So does that mean you've been hiding your boyfriend in your closet the entire time?" Rukia shrugged. The way she put it was quite strange, but it was somewhat true. "No way!" Rangiku gasped, startling Rukia. Was something wrong about it? "And he's okay with you not claiming him?"

"Yeah."

"No Rukia! That's what he wants you to think," Rangiku bonked Rukia's head, trying to smack some sense into the girl. "Inside, he's probably itching to find another woman..."

Rukia was puzzled. Find another woman? What did Rangiku mean by that?

"If I were a man and I truly loved you, I'd want to be bragged about all the time. But if my woman keeps me a secret from the world, I'd think she was ashamed of me. My god, you might as well kick him in the dirt while he's down!"

"Do you honestly believe that?" Rukia asked, desperate for answers. Would Ichigo really feel like that? The only reason why she was hiding him from the world was because she was afraid Byakuya would come and separate them, to which Ichigo still doesn't know about.

Rangiku nodded furiously. "Do you at least... y'know, have sex?" The way Rukia's face lit up in embarrassment and the way her eyes trembled was definitely a 'no' answer. Rangiku facepalmed, having no hope for Rukia's love life. "Pull yourself together; you need to make this work!" She grabbed Rukia's shoulders, shaking her violently.

Their coworkers who passed by stared at them, wondering if they should call security to notify them that a crazy woman was killing another girl.

"You don't even know how much time you may have left with him before Byakuya finds out or before the guy cheats! Make every second count. Take the time to appreciate what you got and wrap him around your fingers so he'll never be able to leave!"

Rukia felt faint with the overwhelming advice. It was too much for her to handle. Cheating and little time left? Rukia could feel the very last ounce of her spirit leaving her body. It felt like she had just discovered that she had a terminal illness.


Meanwhile...

"Mama, who's that strange looking man?" asked a little boy, innocently pointing at a man in a ski mask, black hoodie, and some shades. The boys mom hushed him, grabbing his hand and leading him away from the 'strange looking man.'

Ichigo growled, yanking his sunglasses off. "This is one of the stupidest thing I've ever done," he cursed, feeling dumb. Ichigo was roaming around the secluded area of a nearby place. There were convenient stores nearby the address Grimmjow gave him, but Ichigo looked up at the place of Hueco Mundo... It seemed abandoned. For some reason, it seemed to ward of people; no one lurked around the area except Ichigo right now.

It was late in the afternoon now. Ichigo had been staking out the place for about two hours, still debating whether it was safe to go in or not. What if Grimmjow was hiding out in the place with a gang, ready to pounce on Ichigo? The last thing he wanted was for Rukia to worry. Still, Ichigo needed a job, quick. No one wanted to hire him because every place knew him as the notorious prostitute. Yeah, Ichigo was well known around the area.

"Whatcha hangin' around like a creeper fer?"

Ichigo whizzed around, seeing a thin stomach. He looked up, staggering backwards as he saw a 7 foot man. Ichigo rubbed his eyes, unsure if what he was seeing was real. He was so strange looking. The man had long hair and an eyepatch on his left eye. He was unbelievably lean and tall, but what was most striking about him was his sinister grin and wild eyes. He wore a casual clothing accompanied with a long coat that reached his knees.

"Or could it be you're that fella that dumbass was ranting about?" The man eyed Ichigo with interest. His slithering voice was insanely creepy; it matched his appearance well.

"By dumbass, you mean Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked. Everyone thought Grimmjow was a dumbass.

The man snickered, throwing his head back. "Thank you for defecting his face the other time. Because of you, I received a few more customers than he did. Oh, excuse me, I'm Nnoitra." Despite his thanks, he still sounded obnoxious and rude. Seeing Nnoitra made Ichigo really hesitant now on checking out Hueco Mundo.

"What do you mean... customers?" Ichigo asked, squinting his eye.

Nnoitra cracked an even bigger smile; his smile had no limits. Gesturing with a finger, he told Ichigo to follow him. Ichigo panicked. Was it wise to trust such a strange person? Ichigo was a fast runner, he could probably try making an escape, but looking at Nnoitra's legs... Ichigo probably was at a disadvantage this time.

Ichigo followed behind the man. There was no way he was going to turn his back to Nnoitra. With the way he was grinning and cackling, Ichigo found it hard to trust him. They both walked into the 'abandoned' building that Ichigo was spying on earlier. It was plain and dull, nothing special looking to it, and that was why Ichigo was even more suspicious of it. What if Hueco Mundo was a an underground fighting place? No police would suspect this building - it was the perfect hideout.

"What's the matter? Nervous?" Nnoitra teased, liking the anxiety that was eating away at Ichigo.

The entrance hall to the main room of Hueco Mundo was small and pitch black. Ichigo was counting up the seconds until he'd feel a blunt object hit his head - surely this was a planned attack? Then Ichigo heard a click. It was the sound of Nnoitra opening a door. As he pushed it open, a light was revealed, colorful lights that shown in all colors-

"Ayyy faggot! I thought you weren't gonna show up," Grimmjow shouted after he jumped out at them, the first one to greet them. Yes, Grimmjow was always yelling at Ichigo, but right now he really didn't have a choice. Why? Because loud music was booming all over the place and bouncing off the walls.

Ichigo was confused as hell.

Ichigo looked up at the ceiling, seeing a disco ball that shone the lights in all directions. The place was actually bigger than he thought and it was in no way shape or form, abandoned. There were large tables that lined along the wall that were stacked with glasses and champagne. From one wall of the room, there was a large bar that had all sorts of beverages. "Tone the friggin' music down will ya bitches!?" Nnoitra shouted at the DJ's.

The DJ's were two petite girls, one blonde and the other dark haired. "Sh-Shut up Nnoitra!" said the dark haired one. "And remember our names - Menoly and Loly - unless you're too dense to remember!" she cursed, then hid from sight, obviously afraid of the slender man.

"Tch, that wench," Nnoitra spat.

"Can someone explain to me what the hell all this is? A bar or something? Your boss wants me to work as a waiter?" Ichigo asked, frustrated with the stalling.

"Not a waiter, moron," Grimmjow mocked. "It may not be obvious now, but when nighttime comes, then shit gets real." Grimmjow smirked, cocking his head to one side.

"Who's your boss?" Ichigo asked.

"He's currently away, but you need not be concerned with that," Nnoitra smiled, sticking out his tongue. "Our boss said you used to be a prostitute... if what he says is true, this job shouldn't be a problem for you. In fact, you might enjoy it."

Ichigo glared. How did their boss know? "That's all I needed to know." Ichigo turned around, ready to leave. He came to check out Hueco Mundo. Did he like what he saw? Not one bit. Rukia was working hard, so there was no way Ichigo was going to take the easy way out by returning to his old profession.

"This aint prostitution, unless you want it to be," Nnoitra said, stopping Ichigo. He smirked, "This is a host club."

Ichigo turned around, raising a brow. "Host club?"

Grimmjow nodded, "We get paid to drink and meet girls every night. It's every man's dream, eh? What more could you ask for?"

Ichigo took one more look around the room. Now that he thought about it, it was a host club. "Not interested," Ichigo muttered, barely considering the offer. Rukia would castrate him before he could ever work as a host. Besides, he got over degrading himself.

"Daaamn," Grimmjow ran his fingers through his hair, looking at Ichigo with surprise as he tried to figure him out. "Are you gay?" he asked. Of course, that had to be the reason why Ichigo would reject the best offer in the entire world. It explained everything.

Ichigo scoffed, "What are you looking at me like that for? I have a girlfriend already."

Grimmjow and Nnoitra looked at eachother, then bursted out laughing in madness. They slapped their knees and howled like wolves, "How cute," Nnoitra commented, getting on Ichigo's last nerves. "She must be really top quality for a man to say no to working at Hueco Mundo."

Grimmjow then punched Nnoitra's arm, "Oh man! I met her, and trust me, she's no princess. More like a farm worker-" Grimmjow whimpered, falling to his rear end as Ichigo kicked him in the gut so hard that Grimmjow nearly threw up his last meal.

Ichigo grabbed a nearby glass bottle, smashing it against the wall so that the bottle was tipped with sharp edges. Grimmjow tilted his head back, feeling the glass grazing his neck as Ichigo pushed it against him. Nnoitra only grinned, eager to see a fight break out. Meanwhile, Menoly and Loly were screaming, running to the back of the room. "Say that again. I dare you," Ichigo said calmly, though his words were still able to incite fear in Grimmjow.

Grimmjow panicked for a brief second. He was surprised after feeling sweat build up on his forehead. He was scared? Grimmjow cracked a smile, hiding the pathetic feeling he was experiencing.

"That's what I thought." Ichigo backed away, tossing his weapon aside.


A/N: Please review! Thanks for reading :)