Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, though I wish I did.

A/N: Hi. Tell me if you like this chapter! – Kuchiki-chan

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Renji stared at his cell phone nervously. He was one click away from calling Rukia, one click away from asking her out on a date.

Suddenly the phone rang loudly. He quickly picked up. "Hi, Renji here."

It was the last person he'd expected to call him, except maybe Ichigo. "Hey…Renji? It's Rukia."

Rukia?! What was she doing, calling him? Renji swore he could feel his heart beating faster.

"Oh…hey, what's up?" He tried hard to sound normal.

"Well…I was just calling to say…um…are you free on Wednesday?"

Renji's eyes widened in realization. It was a good thing she couldn't see him. Was she asking him out…?

"Uh, I think so." Yeah, Renji. Really smooth.

"Oh…great! Because…well, our school is having a dance, and…I was wondering if you wanted to come."

Renji didn't reply for several seconds. Did he want to go with her?

"Y-yeah! That sounds cool."

"Great! It's at seven. Well, I'll see you then!" There was a small click, and the line went dead. Renji still couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

Wait…but that meant Ichigo hadn't asked her out. Or she'd turned him down. He smirked, thinking about it.

Well, this made things a lot easier for him.

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"Hey, Orihime, what's up?" Ichigo stood in front of her.

"I-Ichigo!" Orihime smiled brightly.

"Listen…you know the school dance?"

Orihime's heart sped up. "Yes…?"

"Well, I was wondering…do you want to go?"

Ichigo's asking me out! I must be dreaming!

"YES!!" she nearly yelled.

Ichigo smiled, watching her overreact. "'Kay. Well, I'll see you later then." He raised a hand before leaving. She waved vigorously at his retreating back.

He walked out of the classroom to where Rukia was waiting. "I just made the call."

"Yeah, Orihime thinks I just asked her out. So, we're all set."

"But…" Rukia looked down. "I still feel kinda bad for tricking them."

"Don't worry. Orihime'll be fine. As for Renji, who cares about him?"

Rukia glared at him reproachfully. "Hey!"

Ichigo grinned and patted her on the head. "Kidding."

"Hey, Ichigo…"

"Mm?"

"Thanks."

"No problem."

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"Hey." His voice was soft.

"Hey," she replied.

Ichigo stood next to her. "Well, this is it, I guess. Tonight."

"Yeah. I hope it all works out."

He sighed. "Stop worrying, Rukia. It's going to be fine, okay? I'll take care of it."

Rukia smiled. "I'm not so sure I can trust you."

Ichigo scowled. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Suddenly Rukia's cell phone beeped. She flipped it open. "Rukia speaking."

"Um…" It was Renji.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I was wondering…what am I supposed to wear?" It was obvious he had been constantly worrying about this.

Rukia laughed. "Calm down. Just wear a tux or something."

"…What's that?"

"Oh. Um…okay, never mind then. Just – huh? Oh, hold on. Hey, Renji, can I call you back in a sec? Ichigo's saying something." She hung up.

On the other end, Renji was scowling. Oh, all he does is say something so she hangs up on me?

His phone rang. "Ah, sorry about that. Ichigo just reminded me. It's supposed to be a costume party, so I guess you could just come as you are. Since…well, shinigami aren't exactly a common sight here."

Renji let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, great. Thanks. Well, I'll see you tonight." He pressed the small red button and slipped the phone in his pocket.

YES!!!

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"Guess what day it is, Tatsuki!"

"Uh…Wednesday?"

"And not just any Wednesday! It's the school dance!"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Who could forget." Then she looked up. "Why, are you going?"

Orihime grinned. "I wanted to surprise you! But…I'm going with Ichigo!"

Tatsuki's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"Nope!"

"You…he really asked you out?"

"Yup!"

"I mean, Ichigo's not the kind of person to just, you know, ask people out. Wow, he must be really serious about this."

Orihime's eyes gleamed. "Yeah…"

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Heheh, the next chapter's going to be the dance. Poor Renji, he's going to be so confused. – Kuchiki-chan