Pacing the small space of his office, Ishida looked irritated and distracted. When his boss had called and yelled at him for "ditching" work, (I signed out on lunch hour) failing to do his "job", (the party is in 5 freakin months!) and more of the usual "I-like-to-hear-my-own-voice" stuff. But the most unsettling thing is his new project he got assigned.

It was a wedding in 3 months. Nothing too fancy, just make it simple and pretty. Couple got engaged on New Year's, and a friend is setting this up for them as a surprise. The guy looked like a punk and, as Ishida restrained from shooting an arrow through his boss's shoulder, the chick was hot. Name of the client? Kuchiki Rukia.

Trying to convince himself that punch a hole in the wall wouldn't only get him fired but not solve anything at all, Ishida unhappily sat down at his desk and hoped that Kuchiki would not longer interfere with him seeing Inoue... wait, since when are they "seeing" each other?

Shaking his head as if to clear these thoughts, he glanced at the clock on his wall. 5:49. Ten minutes then he'd be able to get out of this place. Sighing, Ishida began to wonder if Abarai could get Kuchiki to understand where he was coming from. Surely, she had to have loved someone who wasn't availible. She's been alive for over 50 years, for Pete's sake. And she wasn't not pretty either. She'd obviously gotten Abarai's and, Ishida could have sworn, Kurosaki's attention for a while.

Suddenly, it hit him. What if Kuchiki loved Kurosaki?

It could be possible. She had tried really hard to look nice at New Year's, and she apparantly hadn't done it for Renji, who stole glances at her when she wasn't looking. She didn't seem that happy that Inoue and Kurosaki got engaged. On top of all that, the look on her face when he whispered those words in her ear make it clear she had something to hide.

Furrowing his brows, he considered something. Ishida liked Inoue. Inoue liked Kurosaki. Kurosaki (used) to like Rukia. Rukia (possibly) likes Kurosaki. Rukia is liked by Renji. Forget a love triangle, it was a flippin pentagon!

At exactly 6:00, he rose out of his chair, carefully placed his sketchbook and portfolio in his black backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Calling out he was leaving on time to the secretary, he pushed open the silver and glass door to the busy and crowded streets.

-----------

"Ichigo! Ichigo, you home?"

"Inoue?" a muffled voice called out tentatively.

"Nah, Rukia!" a raven-haired woman replied, in a short yellow spaghetti-strap sundress. She placed her light brown sandals in the foyer and attempted to find the voice.

"Oh, hey!" the voice called back happily. "In here!"

Rukia smiled. She walked over to "here", which was Ichigo's "room". A TV mounted in dark wood across from a dark brown couch & recliner, plus the open windows made the room seem warm and inviting.

Poking her head in, Rukia said a simple "Hey, Ichigo," before sitting beside him. The orange-haired sub Shinigami grinned and moved his arm obligingly.

As a cartoon danced about some kid's cereal, Ichigo's brown eyes drifted to the woman beside him. "Whatcha up to, Rukia?"

"Just decided to 'drop in' as you say." She lied easily. "Unless you're too busy?" she asked, gesturing to the dancing cartoon.

Shaking his head, Ichigo flipped the channel. "Nah, I'm just bored." Suddenly finding himself nervous and self-conscious, Ichigo asked, "Where's Inoue?"

"Shopping." Rukia said, getting a bit nervous herself. "And Renji went to go get lunch."

"Oh."

As they lasped into silence, each looking the other way, Rukia wondering why she was acting like this. Why the hell am I getting all weird around the guy whose clost I lived in for 3 months?

Apparanty thinking along the same lines, Ichigo asked himself, Why am I getting nervous around her, the girl who lived in my closet for 3 months?

Clearing her throat, Rukia tried to cover up the awkwardness. "So, um, seen Ishida 'round lately?"

Seemingly surprised, he answered, "Amazingly enough, no. Have you?"

Debating over whether she should tell the truth, Rukia replied with a vague, "Not really."

"He was acting weird at the party," Ichigo said, furrowing his brows in remembrance. He sipped a Coke from the nearby table and finished, saying, "Can't blame him though. He liked Inoue, didn't he?"

Shocked he even picked up on it, Rukia faced him and gaped. "You could tell?"

Blushing furiously, Ichigo angrily replied, "It was so obvious! I'm not that stupid!"

Crossing her arms, Rukia's blue eyes widened. She sighed and said quietly, "I'm amazed."

Giving the petite Shinigami an evil look, he muttered, "Now that's just cold."

"You wouldn't know what love was if it backhanded you." Rukia said with a deadpan look.

"Sh-Shut up!" Ichigo stammered, blushing pink. "I know what love is!"

Rukia glanced at Ichigo's pink face with an evil grin. "Ohhhhh?"

Just to make him that much more annoyed, the raven-haired woman poked the roange-haired teen on the side of the head.

Ichigo, acting on a reflex, caught her wrist. Surprised, Rukia looked at him questioningly.

Ichigo wasn't smiling or pink anymore. His face was serious and his brown eye filled with thoughtfulness.

Cocking an eyebrow, Rukia began with a, "Oi, Ichi--"

She didn't get to finished, though. Because, right then and there, Ichigo had kissed the petite Shinigami.

Among all the thought in her head --This is so wrong! What if Renji sees?What if Inoue saw?! -- the thought that stood out; I'm such a hypocrite. 3