"The Fated Meeting"

"Thanks for picking me up," Rukia said, still a little nervous because she was sitting alone in a car with Ukitake.

"It's not a problem," Ukitake reassured. "You look lovely tonight," he said earnestly. Rukia thanked him, keeping her eyes away from him. "Are you cold?" he asked, turning up the heat.

Rukia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "My brother will be there, won't he?" she asked.

"So that's what's bothering you," Ukitake glanced at Rukia, seeing her lost in thought. "You'll be fine. He's your brother; you shouldn't treat him like a stranger." That's where he was wrong, Rukia thought. Her whole life, she never had a decent conversation with Byakuya. He always kept to himself and spoke only when necessary. He was the closest person to her, yet the farthest as well. "We've arrived," Ukitake informed, pulling to the front of Gotei 13.

Rukia's heart began to race. It was like she was attending to her own wedding. They both exited Ukitake's black BMW, heading to the party. Rukia turned her head in all directions, seeing other women dressed in lovely gowns. She wondered if she had done enough to at least not look like an outsider. When they entered the party, Rukia could see many round tables covered in white cloths. A chandelier was hung at the high ceiling. Calm, relaxing music played while employees from Gotei 13 and its business partners mingled.

"Ukitake-san," a person approached the man, extending his hand. Ukitake was a little surprised, but received the man warmly. Rukia smiled lightly, giving Ukitake a look that said it was okay for him to leave her side, and so he did. It was expected of a man of high caliber, Rukia thought.

Rukia felt out of place here. Everyone was talking and laughing, but no one wanted to approach her. She checked herself constantly to make sure she was smiling and looking friendly. She had a bad habit of glaring unconsciously when she was bored to death. "Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia turned around to meet a new person. It was a man in his mid 30's. She didn't recognize him, so she assumed he was not working at Gotei 13. "Hello," Rukia said, slightly bowing her head. He introduced himself as Takuma. They began with simple pleasantries, and Rukia was a tad happy because she didn't want to seem like a loner at the party.

"Yes, I work as a journalist. Sometimes people think we're a nuisance, but it makes work interesting," Takuma laughed half-heartedly. "So, rumor has it that you're adopted into the Kuchiki clan?" he asked suddenly. Of course, Rukia thought, he would want to know about the unimportant news. She nodded to his question. "And your brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, is he attending this party?" His eyes searched for the famous noble.

Rukia sighed, feeling like a fool. Of course, the only reason why someone would want to talk to her is because of her connection with the almighty Byakuya Kuchiki. "I believe so. I haven't seen him though," she said, also hoping that it stayed that way. The last thing she wanted to do was to see him. It wasn't that she hated him, it's just that she didn't have the courage to face him. He was that type of person whose aura would scare away others, including her, his own sister.

Meanwhile, Ichigo and Rangiku had just entered the room. "My, what boring music," Rangiku sighed, wishing there'd be some exciting tunes to jam to on the dance floor. "Oh, champagne!" she beamed at the sight of bottles lying at a table. Ichigo, in contrast, groaned. He felt nauseous just looking at them. A waiter came by, pouring a glass for her. "I don't know about you Ichigo, but I'm starving."

Ichigo frowned, expecting the place to be a little different. "Is this a business cocktail party?" he asked.

"Of course," Rangiku said, a little disappointed that it was. "Are you gonna drink that?" she asked, pointing to Ichigo's glass. Ichigo shook his head, giving it to her. "Really... I don't know why I became a businesswoman."

"What did you always want to be?" Ichigo asked, taking away the bottle of champagne before Rangiku could drink it all and become drunk. She sighed, pouting her lips while staring at the boring scene of people speaking amongst each other.

"A housewife," Rangiku answered simply. She looked at Ichigo with interest, "Wouldn't it be nice? Just staying home and waiting for a husband to come back from work and take care of me. Too bad there are no good men nowadays," she muttered, having completely no faith in men. "What about you Ichigo? Haven't you always wanted to be something more than a host?"

"Hm..." Ichigo frowned. It wasn't a hard question, but for some reason, he struggled to answer it. "I'm not sure. Just a normal guy, I guess. Any work would do for me, so long as I'm not suffering," he glared to himself, wishing he could give Aizen a sky uppercut.

"So about that girl of yours... do you plan on marrying her?" Rangiku asked slyly, eager to gossip. Ichigo turned pink, making Rangiku laugh. "Men, you all get scared at the mention of marriage."

"We shouldn't be talking about my life. My job as a host is to make you feel like a princess," Ichigo said.

"Geez, it's not like I'm confiding in you. I just want to talk."

Ichigo sighed, "Well, she and I haven't been dating for that long, so I'm not too sure about it yet."

"What?" Rangiku blurted, nearly causing a scene. "You love her, don't you?" Ichigo nodded. "Well then what are you waiting for?"

Ichigo couldn't believe how easy Rangiku made marriage seem. There was a lot to it. Heck, Ichigo never even met Rukia's family yet! Ichigo didn't want to say that he wanted to wait until he knew Rukia was the one... because he already did know she was the one. But still... there was a timing for things. "Would you excuse me? I need to use the restroom." All this talk about marriage was making Ichigo uneasy.

Rangiku waved, "Don't keep a lady waiting," was what she said before Ichigo left. "Ah, Rukia!" she flung her arms to get Rukia's attention. Rukia smiled weakly at the sight of her friend. She took a seat in front of Rangiku, feeling exhausted from her long talk with Takuma. "Wow, you made a great transformation," Rangiku complemented, giving Rukia a thumbs up in approval. "Eh, no date?" she asked.

Rukia shrugged, "It was bound to happen. And you?" she asked, smirking at her also date-less friend.

"Ha, wrong!" Rangiku exclaimed. "He's a real hottie; I'll introduce you to him in a bit. He's in the bathroom though," Rangiku giggled. "If you'd like, I can ask him if he has any cute friends that you can get at," Rangiku laughed at Rukia's embarrassed expression.

"I thought the mixer was cancelled though? I saw Momo just now and she told me about it."

Rangiku was quiet for a moment before laughing, "Whoops, caught red-handed. Promise you won't tell?" Rangiku leaned in closely.

"Do I want to know?" Rukia asked, sipping on champagne.

"Yes!" Rangiku nodded. She was the type who couldn't contain herself of secrets and news. "Well," Rangiku placed her hands on her hips, "I paid him to come with me tonight." Before Rukia could ask, Rangiku said, "Don't worry, he's a real nice guy. He works at a host club called Hueco Mundo, and might I say, the men there are top notch," she winked. "Says he's working there to protect the love of his life! Isn't that cute?"

Rukia scratched her head. "And you're sure it's safe to drink that much champagne," Rukia snatched the glass out of Rangiku's hand, "around a stranger? All men are wolves, you should know that."

"I don't want to hear you lecture me," Rangiku whined. "Anyway, hows your boyfriend? You should've invited him to this cocktail party; introduce him to me."

Rukia chuckled a little, "He has work tonight. Besides..."

"Your brother?" Rangiku asked. Rukia nodded, feeling depressed all of a sudden. "So much sob stories tonight," she stole back her drink from Rukia, sipping on it with her pinky finger extending out. "You should have a talk with my date when he comes back. You two seem to be stuck in a complicated situation. Sometimes it's best to confide in people who are similar to you, you know?"

"This is a business party, Rangiku. This isn't a therapist's office."

"Loosen up a bit- ah!" Rangiku's eyes lit up, "Ichigo, this is my friend Rukia Kuchiki. Rukia, this is my date Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Eh?" Rukia turned around, seeing Ichigo who appeared to be equally surprised as she was. Rukia stood up, nearly falling over because of the weakness in her knees. Why is Ichigo standing here, she thought? Wasn't he supposed to be working right now? Realization dawned on her. He lied to her. He'd been working as a host behind her back. He broke the promise he made to take care of her heart.

Ichigo was tongue tied. He didn't know how to react. In the heat of the moment, it seemed like everything just stopped. "Ru... kia," he whispered, still trying to grasp his situation. "I-"

"It's nice to meet you, Ichigo-san. Rangiku told me so much about you," Rukia smiled warmly, extending her hand.

Ichigo stammered, looking at her hand like he didn't know what it was. Why was she pretending to not know him? To act like this was their first time meeting? It was then that he realized that Rukia didn't want to cause a scene. He could tell that behind her big purple eyes that she was angry and probably just as confused as he was. Going along with it, Ichigo shook her tiny hand. "I-It's nice to meet you too, Rukia-san."

The three of them sat at the table. Ichigo and Rukia never made eye contact nor did they speak to each other. "So..." Rangiku bobbed her head, feeling a strange tension in the air. "Ichigo, keep Rukia company while I go get us more drinks, eh?" Ichigo widened his eyes, reaching desperately out for her to stay but she had already gone.

Did Ichigo dare to look at Rukia? He peeked at her, seeing her arms crossed and her hair covering her eyes. Damn, she was angry alright. "Rukia, I-"

"There's no need to explain yourself. I understand the situation. You lied to me about your job when in truth you were working as a host, pleasing other women. It's fine, I get it." Her words were practically dripping with venom and her glare was enough to turn Ichigo to stone. She definitely was not fine. Rukia stood up, leaving the room and going outside.

Ichigo sighed, wondering how he should get Rukia to listen. He followed her behind and eventually they were alone outside at the front of a building where there was a stone fountain with lights surrounding it. "Rukia, listen to me," Ichigo grabbed her shoulder.

Rukia slapped Ichigo's hand away, leaving a permanent sting. "I said earlier that if I found out the truth and it's something that I didn't like, I wouldn't forgive you right?" Ichigo fell silent, devastated at the harsh words she was spitting at him. "Well let me tell you Ichigo... I hate the truth."

"You should understand best why I took up this job! I did it to protect our relationship from your brother. The place I'm working at... they threatened to tell the truth to Byakuya if I didn't work for them. I didn't want to be separated from you, and so I lied to you."

There was a moment of silence before Rukia scoffed in Ichigo's face. Her voice cracked as she was close to crying. Ichigo felt a pang in his chest. Would she let him be the one to comfort her after this? "You're so stupid," she clamped her mouth with her hand, "why didn't you just say no to them?"

"Then your brother would've discovered us..."

"I'd rather have that happen. What makes me angry is that you allowed yourself to be used like that... I don't like seeing you selling yourself like you're some item," Rukia cried, rubbing her eyes with her fists. Ichigo's eyes softened at her words. Till the end, she still cared about him. "What are you doing?" she asked, feeling him pull her against his chest.

"I'm hugging you, obviously." Ichigo wouldn't let Rukia go. He'd keep her forever. "What you said just now really made me happy, so I promise I'll treasure myself more. Okay?"

Rukia grimaced, returning the embrace. Her hands clutched tightly onto Ichigo's clothes, wrinkling them in the process. "Don't do something reckless again, even if it is for us."

Ichigo frowned, "I can't promise that." Rukia pulled away, scowling at him, to which he laughed nervously. "You don't get it Rukia... There is no life without you. If you're out of the picture, then I might as well be that no good Ichigo you met a long time ago. You've made me powerless."

Rukia wavered at Ichigo's words. She felt like crying again. Her chest felt so tight, but it was a nice feeling. Was it love? "If someday I do disappear, you better not cry for days like a spoiled child. If you do, I'll never forgive you-"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, leaning down and placing his lips on Rukia's.

Rukia glared, "Don't think you can just-"

Ichigo kissed Rukia again, longer this time. Rukia's anger dissipated. She closed her eyes, remembering every detail of the kiss so that she'd never forget it. They stood outside the Gotei 13 building, under the winter's dark sky, beneath the street lamps. "Hey, Rukia..." Ichigo looked up at the stars. Rukia lifted her head high as well, wanting to see what he saw. "It's snowing."

The first snowflake slowly came down, falling between them. Ichigo grabbed Rukia's hand, guiding it toward the delicate little thing. Gently, it landed in her palm, melting at her warmth. They looked at each other. Not one of them spoke, but instead they showed each other a smile, and it was enough to know that they were in love.

Rukia held Ichigo's hand tightly, "Ichigo, I-"

"Rukia..." a cold voice echoed. The gaze between Rukia and Ichigo broke. She turned her head, seeing a familiar pair of stoic grey eyes. Realization struck her. Ichigo found the moment short lived; he frowned in confusion, feeling Rukia pull away from his touch harshly like it was... wrong.

The man before them narrowed his eyes at Rukia. His head was held high like he was a king, he even dressed like one. Judging by the clothes he was wearing, he was really wealthy and he was probably attending the cocktail party. His eyes were icy and his presence just made it hard to breathe.

"Rukia, who is he?" Ichigo asked Rukia, wondering why she was so unlike herself all of a sudden. When she didn't answer, he decided to ask the man himself. "Who are you?" he asked in his most threatening tone. It was clear to Ichigo that Rukia was afraid of the man, and anyone who made Rukia uncomfortable made it to the top of Ichigo's enemy list.

"Ichigo!" Rukia hissed, shooting him a look that was pleading with him to stop.

The man held little interest in his eyes. "It's been a while since we last spoke, Rukia..."

Rukia trembled just hearing him say her name. She lowered her head, cowering before him. "Yes... nii-sama."


A/N: Oh, did I forget to make the title, "A Fated Meeting," plural instead? Whoops, teehee :)