Bleach Asylum IchiRuki FC Challenge - Day 5 Theme
Title: Kuchiki's Party
Theme: Kuchiki Party
This particular one-shot is part of the IchiRuki FC fic challenge we are having at Bleach Asylum in honor of Ichigo's birthday. Each day for seven days we will receive a theme to work on, and must write a fic for this. For day 5, our theme was "Kuchiki's Party".
If you wish to read the other day's themes, check out my profile page for links to all of the themes as they come along. Thank you and I hope you enjoy :)
He could hear the cars passing his apartment, the drip of the water coming from the faucet, and even Kon's annoying snores from the closet where he threw him in.
But he could not hear that one sound that he was listening most carefully for. He groaned and shifted slightly in his sheets as he stared at the ceiling. The living room was illuminated by the street lanterns below and he watched as shadows playing across the walls. He stilled when he heard a slight cough that he knew was hers, but the entire apartment went silent after.
His eyes slowly turned to the door of his room, and wondered whether she was still awake. Whether she was still mad...
He hated when they got into a fight.
It always ended with her not speaking to him for at least a week and him having to sleep in the living room. He groaned and wondered if things were like this even before they were married, what would happen after. But this time it wasn't his fault, he thought stubbornly. This time he didn't do anything wrong, which infuriated him more that she was upset with him. He just couldn't understand why she wouldn't see it like that...
x.X.x
"Stop fidgeting, Ichigo, you look fine," Rukia muttered as she fixed the collar of his kimono.
"This is stupid, Rukia," he pouted, continuing to move impatiently. "Besides, this is so uncomfortable. Why can't I just wear a shirt and tie for this?"
She eyed him wearily. "Because, idiot, you are going to meet the Kuchiki clan for the first time and since brother is holding this party for our engagement, it's only right to dress like this."
Ichigo sighed in defeat as he watched her eye him critically to make certain everything was okay. "You know, I better get compensation for having to go through this. Your brother is crazy enough and I can't even imagine what it would be like with many of his types around."
Rukia smacked his shoulder playfully. "Stop being so mean. My brother wouldn't have accepted our marriage if he didn't like you and I'm sure everything will go fine. Besides," she grinned and nibbled the bottom of Ichigo's lip. "If you be good, we can have our own private party when we get back."
Ichigo's brow raised as a cheshire grin spread across his face. "Mmmm that sounds good," he murmured, capturing her mouth. Her arms slowly wrapped around his neck as he shifted his head to the side to deepen the kiss.
"Ahem..."
It did not even take a second for Rukia to quickly disentangle herself from her fiancé and swerve to find her brother standing by the doorway, a look of irritation and impatience in his stance. Ichigo noticed her cheeks had turned several deep shades of red as she muttered something.
"Nisama, um...I was just making sure Ichigo was ready to go inside."
"So it seems," he said quietly, his face betraying no emotions as he eyed both of them with their precarious state. Turning, his eyes lingered coldly on Ichigo. "Let us get this over with."
"Lets..." Ichigo muttered with a scowl as Rukia gripped his arm in exasperation.
"Please...not tonight," she pleaded. He rolled his eyes but nodded and remained silent as he followed her. The room went completely silent the moment Ichigo and her entered, which slightly unnerved him. He could feel every eye watching their every move as they walked towards Byakuya who was waiting for them in the center of the room.
Clearing his throat, he motioned to the two. "This is Kurosaki Ichigo, a shinigami substitute from the human world, who asked for my sister's hand in marriage a few days ago. One that I have accepted," he added, his eyes lingering about the room as many muttered to one another. Some were silent throughout while others shook their head in slight disapproval. Ichigo sighed, knowing already that it would take some time for the elders to accept a man of no noble birth to wed anyone from their clan.
But what did surprise him was how quickly Rukia's demeanor had also changed from just a moment ago when they were alone. This...was not the Rukia he knew. Her head was lowered as she was spoken to by many of her family, all of which had a distasteful look on their face as they eyed him on occasions while speaking to her. Her words were barely audible as she spoke, and she barely acknowledged the gentle reassurance he attempted to give her whenever he had a moment with her. He knew it was because they were being watched carefully by the others.
Yet what he couldn't stand the most...was the sadness he saw in her eyes hidden with a smile he knew was forced. She held onto his arm from time to time, but the color on her cheeks was drained of the glow that always radiated her face when she was with him. He wondered how she could completely turn into such a state from one night with being with her family. It made him wonder how she had managed to live so many years under such pressure. When she noticed his concern, she smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
But how could he not? Especially when he knew that many of them were not approving of the marriage. They didn't really have a choice since Byakuya had consented, but he knew it weighed heavily on Rukia. A few times through the night he endured the snide comments slipped into conversations so that only he would hear them, but as the evening passed and the disapproval became more evident, he had lost his cool. Especially when it had anything to do with Rukia or him being nothing but a good for nothing ryoka.
But it was after dinner that an argument finally broke out between him and one of the elders, which resulted in Rukia having to drag him away before any more damage was done. He was so angry and even more so that she had scolded him for speaking like that even if the person was talking ill of her. In the end, they both left since Ichigo refused to return inside, and both remained silent towards one another after.
x.X.x
Ichigo sighed and turned uncomfortably on the futon, pulling the sheets up and getting ready for what he knew was going to be a long sleepless night. He didn't realized just how much he needed Rukia in his arms to be able to sleep nowadays...
He stilled when he heard the door to his room finally open and the floor boards creak from her small footsteps as she approached him. Silently, he felt the sheets behind him shift before he felt her warm body press against his while her small arms encircled his waist. His expression softened as he took her hand and placed a light kiss on the palm.
"I'm sorry." she whispered, her arms tightening around him. This finally got him to shift around to look at her, but she had hidden herself underneath the comforter. He attempted to pull the blanket off of her but she refused to budge. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the blanket and pulled it over his head as well so that they were face to face. Rukia blinked for a moment at his serious expression as he watched her. "Why are you under the sheets?" she asked.
Ichigo shrugged. "I don't know...Why are you?"
Rukia opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. Instead she curled herself slightly into a ball and watched him. "I don't know..."
Ichigo snorted as he stared at her. She bit her lip in hesitation before looking at him. "I'm sorry about today. You were looking out for me and I-"
"Don't be sorry," he muttered, pulling her closer to him. "I shouldn't have lost my patience."
She smiled as she pressed her face to his chest, placing a soft kiss on his collarbone. "You had every reason to. They didn't make it easier...nor did I."
Ichigo sighed and his hands stroked the strands of her hair. "I just hated the way they were treating you, Rukia..."
"I know..."
"Then why? Why do you allow yourself to have to put up with that?"
She pulled away slightly and looked at him. "Because while it does hurt to know that my family don't approve of nearly anything I do, they are not what define my worth to me anymore. Instead I look to those who I know truly care about me....like you, idiot." she grinned and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "As long as I have you, I don't care what anyone else thinks. You have always been the one who has stood up for me and made me feel as if my existence ever mattered..."
Ichigo smiled as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead as his arms encircled her, pulling her closer to him. "Will you really be okay with all this though, Rukia? I mean I was pissed off with what they were saying but…some of the things they mentioned were true. I know I'm no noble or very high classed shinigami but-"
"But you are the man who risked everything, even your own life, to save me countless of times," she interrupted. "Even if it meant going against my brother, which is something I am still amazed even to this day. You are the man that I can be myself around and the one who always makes me want to laugh, be silly, and just…be happy. So I hope that answers your question because if it doesn't, you really do deserve to sleep out here on your own."
He smirked and pulled her closer to him. "Point noted." They stayed that way for a moment, before a small grin appeared on his face. "Oye…Rukia…"
"Hm?"
"Didn't you say I would get compensation for wearing that damn kimono? I'm telling you, that thing was not comfortable one bit and taking it off was even more hellish."
Rukia smirked and turned her face upwards to look at him. "Then you should have kept it on and we would have had some fun with that."
Ichigo groaned as Rukia shuffled through the sheets and managed to straddle him as he looked at her. Her hands slowly traced the contours of his exposed chest. "But I suppose this will have to do," she murmured as her head descended to capture his lips. He grinned into the kiss and pulled her to him. Slowly rising from the futon, he managed to grasp the back of her legs and pull her up. Their lips still engaged, they made their way to their bedroom.
A/N: Short, yes, and I probably could have added a little something to push the rating for this one hehe, but I didn't have enough time. Maybe later I will add another version, but until then, I hope you enjoyed!