Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop

A/N: hello again, guys! Cookies and pie to the following: Jessenia-chan, Romance Without Words, Zangetsu50, 2DLivesForever (aww, that means so much! Thanks!), Angelcute72, Personal Riot (and we haaave a winner! It is Bya-kun, indeed), anika103, Aizawa Ayumu, Outer space-alien, E'Clair-Soldier, thesecretfromzaft, Nes77, and Sarah1bleachfan. Wow, I never expected so many awesome readers! Thanks for all the support, you guys! And here's a longer chapter - disappointing short smut chapter was disappoint, sorry XD ~love Nana-chan

Chapter 8

Interruption

All of the while I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop

Rukia heard the knock at the door and knew who it was before she even stood up. "Ichigo, if you'll excuse me a moment. I believe an important visitor is here."

Ichigo stared at her in confusion. The change in her manner had been pretty obvious. One second she'd been talking casually about dogs, the next she'd turned formal.

Rukia opened her door. "Nii-sama, a pleasure."

"Hello, Rukia-san," Byakuya said formally. "You haven't changed much."

"Please come in," Rukia said, offering room.

"Who is that?" Byakua asked distastefully, pointing at Ichigo.

"Byakuya-sama, this is my boyfriend, Ichigo Kurosaki-san. Ichigo-san, this is Byakuya Kuchiki-dono. Nii-sama, I did not expect your presence in America?"

Ichigo looked confused.

"I was...around," Byakuya said vaguely. "I knew where you lived and I had not seen you for some time. I expected you to be alone, as we had agreed."

"Alo-"

"Ichigo!" Rukia said quickly. "Do you mind getting out another dinner plate for my brother? I'm going to talk to him...by myself...for a second." She shot Ichigo a look that said go away and don't say anything, stupid.

Byakuya watched Rukia. "Rukia-san, did we not agree that you would not have a lover until I allowed you to?"

"Nii-sama, I'm twenty-two," Rukia said patiently. "Can I not choose my own future?"

"No," Byakuya said simply.

"I love this man, and if I can't date him..." Rukia was silent.

"Then what, Rukia-san? You will disown your brother?" A ghost of a smile lingered on Byakuya's face.

"Then you may leave right now," Rukia said suddenly.

"What?" Byakuya's face was stone.

"I said, if you won't let me make my choices, then you can just go back to Japan now," Rukia said firmly. "I refuse to let you make any more unwanted changes to my life."

"Any more?"

"You chose my school, my upbringing, my jobs, my love life until I was out of college! You want to control me more? Well, kiss my ass!"

"Rukia!" Byakuya was shocked.

Rukia crossed her arms, allowing no shock at her own actions to show on her face. "Yeah, I said it. Screw off, I'm making my own life decisions."

Byakuya was silent.

Rukia bit her lip. Had she messed up after all?

"Sister," Byakuya said. "You have shown great strength and womanly pride today. I commend you for that. I will not leave your home, nor do I wish to disrespect your choices or rules of your home. My deepest apologies for my wrongful behavior. I ask one thing. May I meet this Kurosaki?"

Relieved, Rukia answered, "I don't believe he will mind, nii-sama."

"Show the way," Byakuya replied.

Ichigo gave Rukia a confused look. She gave him a thumbs-up. All was well for now. If Ichigo would just keep his mouth shut...

~(here's a page break)~

Byakuya studied Rukia's boyfriend. He looked very low-class, with unsightly orange hair - unnatural, he believed - and messy clothes with coffee stains on them.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, sir," the boy said, offering his hand.

Byakuya did not shake. There were possibly germs on that hand. "Good evening, Kurosaki-san. My name is Byakuya Kuchiki."

"My brother is a CEO of a Japanese company," Rukia said quickly, too quickly in Byakuya's opinion. "He's also the Japanese ambassador, which is why he speaks such beautiful English."

"Two languages?" Ichigo asked politely.

"I also speak Mandarin Chinese and German fluently," Byakuya said. "I am comfortable with Cantonese and Italian, in the process of learning Spanish, and of course I know the basics of French and Latin. I can also write in Greek, though I am told my pronounciation is hopelessly atrocious. And you, Kurosaki-san? What languages do you know?"

"Ah...English," Ichigo said. "And...some Japanese. My parents were born there, but...I spoke English at home..."

Byakuya was displeased. Satisfactorily incompetent, he thought. "University credentials?"

"My parents were unable to send me to college," Ichigo said, searching for bigger words that sounded better.

Byakuya frowned. "You did, however, attend secondary school."

"High school," Rukia stage-whispered, to Ichigo's blank look.

"Uh...yes, yes," Ichigo said, recovering. "It's required here..."

"Of course," Byakua said crisply. "And your occupation?"

"I'm a waiter at a coffee shop," Ichigo replied.

"Waiter. Rukia, couldn't you have chosen a scholar?" Byakuya asked, nearly pleading.

"Byakuya!" Rukia warned.

"Apologies, Kurosaki. Ah, which coffee shop?"

"Umm, Black Coffee," Ichigo said, surprised. "I don't expect you to know it-"

"Do you work with a Renji Abarai?" Byakuya interrupted.

"I do..."

"Renji Abarai and I are close friends," Byakuya said, almost wickedly. Actually, Renji was the spy he'd hired to watch Rukia. He'd gone and established himself for three years prior to Rukia's planned arrival. If Byakuya couldn't be there, Renji, his former attendant, was the next best thing.

"Byakuya!" Rukia stood. "How could you!"

"How could he what?" Ichigo was bewildered.

"Every time I go someplace new, you have to hire someone to watch me? Am I that sheltered? Unbelievable!" Rukia's face was red.

"Sit down, Rukia-san," Byakuya said. "I had hired him to watch you three years ago, of course. He established himself here and made connections. He is your friend, is he not, Kurosaki-san?"

"Yes..." Ichigo said dubiously.

"You see, Renji is here to ensure you don't get hurt. New York is a dangerous place. Rukia-san, I thought I said to sit down. Renji has helped to ensure you are not hurt, but I believe - from his past reports - that he is more concerned for you, Kurosaki-san, than anyone else. Adorable really. I'll be firing him."

"Don't fire him! Sir," Ichigo added quickly. "He's, I, you shouldn't!"

"As Rukia's bodyguard? He is not doing his job properly. What else am I to do?"

"Who else could you possibly hire?"

Byakuya thought on this. "You."

"I'm her boyfriend, not her bodyguard!" Ichigo yelled. "Sir," he added.

"Is that so?" Byakuya asked. "Rukia? Where is that feisty show you gave earlier?"

"He is my boyfriend, nii-sama, and Renji is doing a perfectly fine job as he is. I'm not hurt, you see," Rukia pointed out calmly.

"You are correct," Byakuya said slowly. "I will consider it."

Ichigo shifted anxiously in his chair.

"Is there dinner?" Byakuya inquired suddenly.

~(paaaage breeeeaaaak)~

"Nii-sama, how long will you be staying?" Rukia asked.

"Oh, a month or so," Byakuya said indifferently.

"Here? At my house?" Rukia asked, disbelieving. And after all the plans she'd made for tonight!

"Unless you two need some privacy," Byakuya said dryly and disapprovingly.

"Yes please," Rukia said quickly.

"That's okay," Ichigo spoke up. "Rukia, you can come to my house. That way Byakuya can have the bed."

Byakuya gaped for a moment and Rukia winced. Ichigo really was stupid sometimes. She prepared herself for yet another lecture about 'safety'.

"I trust your judgment, Rukia-san," he said finally. "Is that what you want?"

"Yes, nii-sama," Rukia agreed, perhaps quicker than she should have.

"All right then," Byakuya said. "I'll allow it. Kurosaki, I want to warn you. If I find you are taking advantage of my sister, bad things are going to happen to you. Do not forget that Renji Abarai is on my payroll. And he knows where to hit that hurts the most."

Ichigo paled slightly. That much was indefinitely true. "I would never," he promised.

"Never hurt her," Byakuya ordered.

"Of course."

"Take care of her..."

"Yes."

"And do not get her pregnant, and we will all be happy," Byakuya finished quickly. "Rukia-san, you may take my plate."

~(page break for the win)~

"So that's your brother," Ichigo said, staring up at the ceiling.

Rukia was lying in bed next to him, blankets pulled up to her chin, clothes still on the floor. "That's my brother, all right."

"He seems...nice," Ichigo offered.

"More like he seems like he has a stick up his ass." Rukia was silent.

"But he acknowledged me," Ichigo said. "And he didn't kill me. I was afraid back there that he might slice me into little bits."

"He's done that to more than one of my past boyfriends," Rukia said dryly. "Most of which he chose himself."

"He chose your boyfriends for you?"

"Always has before," Rukia said. "Since my first relationship went bad in seventh grade, he's decided that the only way for me to be married is to find someone himself. He doesn't want me to marry you, you know."

"I didn't think we were considering marriage yet."

"Sorry," Rukia said finally. "I guess we have only been dating two months."

"Two and a half," Ichigo corrected immediately.

"Two and a half, then. And you still won't say you love me. Even after all this," Rukia said quietly.

A pause. Then, "I know it's hard, Ichigo. But Orihime's gone now. I'm not like her, okay? I really do love you."

"I know," Ichigo said. "It's not that I can't admit it to you. No, I could do that in a heartbeat. But I can't admit it to myself. And that's my problem."

Rukia was silent. Her hands reached for Ichigo, demanding nothing but a hug. She got one.

They fell asleep to each other's heartbeats.

A/N: hope you all liked! It is definitely longer...heh. Well if you enjoyed, review! I love to hear from you all! Ah, by the way, I am going to be at a craft fair this weekend - helping my parents sell their beautiful lit wine bottles - and therefore I may not update both days. Sorry if I kill this happy cycle! Trust me, I love it as much as you all do! Hope to update anyway though, after all it's a long drive to the show. Super loves to everyone! ~Nana