Genre: Romance, AU
Characters/Pairings: IchiRuki, IshiHime, Byakuya, etc.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Me no own Bleach!
Warning: As this is an AU story, many of the situations are changed to fit my idea. I'll try to make the characters as in character as I possibly can do. All of the captains are here (that means Aizen, Gin, and Tousen) but I added a division (thus Gotei 14 instead of 13). The setting is in Seiretei and no one is living in Karakura. The timeframe is somewhat feudal, so no technology stuff except for what the 12th division uses.
Summary: In the middle of the war against the Arrancar in Seiretei, Kurosaki Ichigo laid siege to the district of the noblest of all nobles. The mission: to capture and take as hostage the sister of his enemy, Kuchiki Rukia. The problem: the hostage herself.
This is chapter 4, also known as the 'crack' chapter.
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Recap of previous chapter:
"Well…" Ichigo murmured in a low voice as he brushed back her bangs from her face, so it wouldn't obscure her features. "I can take care of you if you want…" he started to say, but immediately added "since the old man called you his third daughter." Knowing that it sounded all too lame especially in his ears, he quickly reached for a shawl that was lying on one of the chairs and covered her with it. What the hell was he thinking, telling the annoying woman he could take care of her?
Maybe he felt the injustice of an older brother ignoring his baby sister. Yeah, right, he snorted; Kurosaki, you're starting to sound like that Tousen-taicho with your shitty-injustice speech.
"But I'm sure your brother cares for you, in his own ice-block way, of course." He murmured finally, deciding it was the most prudent thing to say. Not that he ought to, mind you. The midget was asleep, so there was no need for him to justify his thoughts to her in the first place.
With that, Ichigo tucked the shawl around her one last time before he left. "Pleasant dreams, midget."
Once the door was closed, Rukia opened her eyes.
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The dawn of the next day saw Rukia pacing heavily across the padded carpet floor of her room. Sleep came to her late; she spent more than an hour of tossing and turning in her bed until exhaustion claimed her. She surprised herself by walking up even before the sun was out, wondering on her next course of action. Unfortunately, her mind was on a different thing entirely, other than the carefully laid-out plans for escaping that she formulated a few days earlier.
Now that she was sure that Kurosaki Ichigo really had no intentions of harming her other than using her as a bargaining chip against Aizen. Rukia was wishing that she were still ignorant of the 14th division Taicho's vendetta instead. This knowledge only served to make her falter and slowly lose her resolve to see through what she had set out to do before.
Rukia berated herself. Now was not the time to worry about what will happen if her brother receives news about her abduction. Now was not the time to think about how worried Ukitake Taicho was about her. And most especially, it was not the time for her to worry about what Aizen Taicho would do in retaliation.
To her horror, Rukia found herself worrying about the fate of the Kurosaki family, now that she was with them. As a shinigami (albeit an unranked one), Rukia was pretty much aware of the protocols and policies that govern the Gotei 14. As a noble, she knew that diplomacy was something that her Nii-sama would not forsake when he dealt with Kurosaki-Taicho. However, that did not mean that he would not give her captor a thrashing of his life. She had seen her Nii-sama with his zanpaktuo at its bankai form, and it was a scary and mind-numbing sight to see, with all that reiatsu flowing calmly in the air like an encompassing blanket.
Kurosaki's troubles will not end with that. He would also stand to hear something from her betrothed, the Taicho of the 5th division. Of course it was doubtable if Aizen would act rashly and suddenly attempted to severe Kurosaki Ichigo's head from his shoulders, but if he was angered enough, who knows? Though Aizen Sosuke's bankai was yet to be seen by many, it did not mean that his was weaker. With his extensive knowledge of kido, her bespectacled betrothed can kick ass himself. Kurosaki Ichigo was definitely in trouble.
Angrily, Rukia shook her head at her inappropriate thoughts. No. She had to get out of here and report Kurosaki to the higher-ups. She was a Kuchiki; the law must be followed to the letter with no excuses. Taking a deep breath, Rukia attempted to recover her calm and focus. This went on several times until she felt her mind clear the inner cobwebs that hindered her.
As a prisoner, her first priority was getting out of the 14th division with Inoue. Rukia must not falter and do her duty – by escaping. Once she was able to clear his district, she had to get to her division (as it was the closest) and send words to her brother immediately. However, this could only be done if Kurosaki Ichigo stops treating her as a captive and relax the security measures placed around her. But is there any specific way for her to achieve this result? Was there a way for her to make him lower his guard for a moment?
A smile broke from Rukia's mouth. This was all too easy, like taking candy from a baby…
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"Good morning, Yuzu-san." A bright-faced Rukia greeted, sauntering into the room wearing a stunning turquoise blue kimono that had once been Kurosaki Masaki's.
Yuzu smiled brightly, "Good morning, Rukia-nee! What brings you here to the kitchens?"
"Well," Rukia started a bit shyly, "I was wondering if you needed my help today."
"Eh?"
Rukia gave the young girl a smile. "Well… I heard Inoue plans to offer you her assistance…"
The youngest sister of the Taicho barely made a sound, but her mouth was opening and closing wordlessly, like a fish. Suddenly, she shook her head. "I'd be HAPPY to let you help, Rukia-nee!"
Rukia chuckled. "So it seems, Yuzu-san."
"Rukia-nee, call me Yuzu; we're practically sisters now!"
Practically sisters, now that was a concept Rukia wondered about. "Well…" she said, trying to change the subject. "So what's the plan for the meal later, Yuzu?"
"I wanted to try something new… something not very Seiretei-like. Do you know any foreign cuisine, Rukia-nee? Something from the Mortal World, perhaps?"
Rukia smiled as she pondered on the question. "But Yuzu, everyone is so used to the kind of food in Seiretei. To do something drastically can cause disaster. You can already see how they reacted to Inoue's… unique-looking dish…"
There was a slight look for dejection that was seen in Yuzu's usually cheerful countenance "Oh… I suppose…"
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure your brother wouldn't mind if we try spaghetti, right?" Rukia managed to speak.
"What won't I mind?" A menacing voice called out from the door.
The two turned around in time to see Ichigo scowling behind them. Rukia just shrugged "Yuzu and I will make spaghetti for dinner. I hope you don't mind."
"Were you the one who taught Inoue to cook?" He asked suspiciously. Damn right he should ask; Inoue Orihime nearly killed his taste buds that disastrous evening.
Miffed, Rukia glared at him. "She's a self-taught chef."
"Stay out of the kitchen, Midget." He warned. "If I see you at least 10 meters from here again –
"You're so mean, Ichi-nii." Yuzu interrupted, "Why are you like that? Rukia-nee was just trying to help."
"BOOR!" a voice cried out just as Ichigo was caught by a spinning kick to the side of his head, sending him to the nearest wall – which was a few feet away. "Hurting the feelings of my third daughter like that – you should be ashamed of yourself!" Isshin then took Rukia's hands. "My dear daughter, did the mean ugly do anything else to you?" He gave his son a naughty look "I heard from Keigo that someone here has been groping impressionable ladies in bed…"
"What the hell? And you believed KEIGO?"
Isshin made a disapproving sound. "Ichigo, Ichigo. Rukia's your SISTER now! I didn't know you were so kinky to be into incest!"
Quickly, Rukia pulled her hands from Isshin's and covered Yuzu's ears. Indignantly, she glared at Ichigo as if it was his fault that his father was sprouting such blatant and disgusting words.
In a flash, Ichigo dashed and grabbed his father by the collar "You sick bastard!" he shouted as he shook his father. "What the hell are you doing, saying such crazy things?" Although Ichigo was already aware that whatever it was that sprouted from his father's mouth was not good and was probably calculated for his discomfort. Unless his father was really that DUMB…
"Well if you WANTED Rukia-chan, you should have just told me," a petulant Isshin yowled, tears coursing through his cheeks as he gazed fondly at his 'adopted third daughter' who was now looking even more discomfited. "If you want, we could undo the adoption so you can marry –
Ichigo felt the need to fling his father against the wall. Time and time again, he wondered why in the world was he saddled with someone as crazy as Kurosaki Isshin as a father; couldn't it have been someone else? "What adoption? Get a grip old man! Who the hell in their right mind would want that flat-chested, foul-mouthed midget?"
There was a gasp behind him as Rukia dropped her hands from Yuzu's ears.
"You don't find Rukia-chan attractive?" Isshin questioned his still oblivious firstborn. "You denied her exquisite charms, her flawless complexion, her raven-tresses – much beautiful than Byakuya's, if I might add; and her luminous windows to the soul?"
"Are you wasted so early in the morning? Do I find MONKEYS attractive?" hollered Ichigo, uncomfortable at hearing Rukia being piled with accolades. "Get a grip – even Tatsuki's a better catch than her, and that's saying something!"
"Ahem." Rukia grunted as she cracked her knuckles, a vein throbbing on her forehead.
Ichigo blinked. His father smirked triumphantly. "It's ass-whooping time, boy." Isshin taunted.
"Sōukatsui! Byakurai! Shakkahō!" An irate Rukia called out as she fired off a mid-level kidō spells towards the tall Taicho of the 14th division.
If it weren't for Ichigo's impressive reflexes, it would be safe to assume that Rukia would have given him 3rd degree burns all over. "Hey! That could have fried me, midget!"
"That was the general idea, strawberry!" gritted Rukia as she jumped over the table and grabbed Ichigo in a headlock. Tugging hard, she attempted to remove his orange locks by the handful. "If I can, I'd love to burn you!"
"Get off me, you annoying pest! Let go!" shouted Ichigo as he tried to squirm from her grasp. After failing to shrug her off, Ichigo used his body to force her off. He rolled to the side, dragging Rukia down. "Argh! You bit me!"
Yuzu gaped at the two as Isshin just stood and smiled melodramatically, as the two grappled with each other on the polished kitchen floor. Their movements sent him in rapture "AH! Young love, so sweet, so pure; young love, so fiery, so true!"
"I take it back" Ichigo barked, "You're no monkey – you're a dog!"
"And you're a dead man, strawberry!" growled Rukia as she used her fingernails to scratch whatever part of him she could reach.
"We ought to stop them." Yuzu told her father as she eyed the two combatants who were too busy arguing to notice the audiences.
Isshin placed a consoling hand on his youngest daughter's shoulder. "Yuzu dear; it's a fact of life – fighting is a great way to ease tension. Be lucky they're not rolling around doing something else on the floor right now." Suddenly, the former Taicho rubbed his chin pensively. "Come to think of it, the second option is better… I may get grandkids out of that."
"It's a wonder they didn't send you to Hueco Mundo!" came Ichigo's earsplitting voice. "If you were in the front lines, we could have won the war by now!"
There was a blood-curdling shout that was filled with pain.
Isshin grimaced as he pulled his daughter behind him, to spare her the agony of seeing her brother in such a state. "Well, there goes the Kurosaki family jewels."
It took a while before Rukia was calm enough to face the others with her façade. In her mind, she cursed Ichigo over and over again. The idiot was really thick-headed. He had the gall to roughly haul her body out of the kitchen and throw her unceremoniously out the hallway. No wonder she haven't heard rumors about him in a steady relationship; no woman could stand the dunderhead, not for all the money in Seiretei!
As Rukia sat beneath a shady tree, she spotted Kurosaki Karin practicing her kata with a wooden sword. For a while, Rukia observed the girl. She seemed to be fairly adept and her form was good. However, Karin was very self-conscious, as if she was hesitated to make mistakes. It was too bad really as she could be good. Before she could think twice, Rukia stood up and walked towards Karin.
"What do you want?"
"Care for a spar?"
"Why?" Karin challenged.
"Why not?", she shrugged. "You don't improve if you don't practice."
Karin looked at Rukia for a while. Then she took out another wooden sword that was leaning against a tree and hurled it to Rukia. The two stood in front of each other before they bowed warily.
Since she was the older one and she proposed this spar, Rukia figured she ought to make the first move. She moved in front pf the girl and brought her sword down heavily. "No shunpo. No kido."
"You don't have to worry about that." Karin grumbled as she attempted to parry the blow. As Rukia moved nimbly to the side, Karin swung her sword sideways to meet the downward arc. The clanging of the wooden swords rang loudly in her ears. Suddenly, Rukia sprang backwards, disrupting her momentum. Before she could fully regain her footing, Rukia charged again, hitting her successively.
Karin felt the sweat roll down the side of her temple she was once again pushed back by an aggressive Rukia. Karin met the thrust before she spun to catch the older woman off-guard. But Rukia was expecting that move, so there was no element of surprise in Karin's favor.
"Not bad." Rukia muttered. "Do better next time."
For the life of her, Karin wondered how is it that a woman barely taller than her and scrawnier had twice the amount of strength she had. Because of the similarities of their build, Karin actually thought that she had an advantage over the unseated noble.
"You're too tense." Rukia spoke out of the blue as she stood her ground calmly, while the other was panting in exhaustion.
"Am not!" Growled Karin as she lunged herself at Rukia again. She missed hitting the other.
"You're putting too much strain on your shoulders!" Rukia said serenely. "At that rate, you'll tire easily."
"Shut up!" shouted Karin as she dodged Rukia's sword before darting to the side. She found an opening. Quickly, Karin brought down her sword to Rukia's back.
Only to find it blocked.
"Concentrate." Rukia's loud voice ordered, a barely noticeable trill of annoyance heard in it.
Enraged, Karin pulled back. She then launched herself in the air, intending to bring the sword down at Rukia.
To her surprise, the shinigami noble did nothing to protect herself. In fact, she lowered her sword and faced her head on. The move surprised Karin so much that she almost lost her calm and her balance. At the very last minute, Rukia suddenly stepped forward and thrust the sword straight up with both hands.
Everything, in Karin's perspective, appeared to be in slow motion. The wooden end of Rukia's sword came flying upwards, hitting her right shoulder. This jarred Karin's arm and caused her aim to miss. Then Rukia made a quick, slashing motion sideways. If it were a real sword that she was holding, Karin would have been cut in to. As such the force was still strong enough to cause her to careen slightly to the side where she fell into a crumpled heap.
"You were too tense." Rukia lectured coolly, as she unconsciously made the motions of sheathing the wooden sword to the side. "Too much emotion clouds the judgment. You will be easily deceived by your opponent that way."
"Fuck." Karin mouthed before she spat the blood out of her mouth. "Who taught you to fight like that?"
"I had tutors." Rukia said casually as if they were discussing the weather.
"They have tutors for this shit?" Karin's disbelieving voice grated out. "Is that even allowed in the 14 Gotei Squads?"
Shrugging, Rukia extended a hand to help the younger Kurosaki on her feet. "No, Nii-sama hired shinigamis to see to it."
Karin grabbed the offered hand and stood up. "Since when? Did you study while you were in the academy?"
"Since I was 10." Rukia answered wryly. "Nii-sama has been hiring people to train me since I turned 10."
"Did he want to make the ultimate shinigami? You were a kid then. I haven't been allowed to pick up a bokken until I turned 19." Karin offered to comment. "Except Ichi-nii. The old goat chin practically forced him to take up the sword and learn shunpo ever since he could stand."
Rukia found herself giving the younger woman a smile unconsciously. "Your brother has to be able to protect you and Yuzu, so I guess he had no choice." Ichigo's siblings were good people; despite having lived a good number of years and were only two years younger than her, their reiatsu was not at the same level as their father and brother. As such, they were unable to become a shinigami; which was unfortunate, especially since Karin seemed to be very interested. Fortunately, the girl took it all in stride and focused of harnessing whatever talents she had.
As Karin dusted her hakama, she gave Rukia a shrewd glance. "I heard you nearly burned my brother with your kidō. Care to demonstrate?"
Rukia gave the other an amused look. "Point me to the nearest live target."
"Annoying midget…" grumbled Ichigo as Inoue used her abilities to heal his numerous bruises.
Ishida sat nearby. "It would be prudent not to insult a woman when her closest friend is treating you, Kurosaki." He suggested lazily.
But the fuming Taicho ignored the other as he continued to mutter curses against a certain shinigami noble. "When I get my hands on her… I swear; she'll be dead!"
In order to get healed, Ichigo requested the help of Inoue. The healer from the Kuchiki household arrived in the library after Ishida fetched her. The two had been seen quite often together that Ichigo made a mental note to ask Ishida the real score between them.
Suddenly, the door flew open, and an angry Tatsuki stormed in.
"Oi, Tatsuki –
However, Ichigo was unable to ask or say anything as Tatsuki stomped towards him and punched him straight on the face. Then she pummeled him with her fists, barely giving Ichigo time to dodge.
"TATSUKI!" roared Ichigo, "What the fuck's wrong with you?"
"FIGURE IT OUT, MORON Taicho!" Tatsuki yelled; her face flushed with anger.
In a rush, Ichigo grabbed Tatsuki's hands before flinging her to the side. "Explain yourself, Arisawa!"
"Does 'Get a grip – even Tatsuki's a better catch than her, and that's saying something' give you a clue, Taicho?"
"Who told you?"
"YOUR FATHER!"
"Sheesh! Lighten it up Tatsuki," Ichigo ordered. "I just said that to annoy Rukia, and what's wrong about that? I said that you're a better catch than her!"
Before Tatsuki could retaliate, there was a loud explosion heard, before a deafening cheer.
In a flurry of shunpo, Ichigo and the others dashed to the training grounds. There were a hundred of things that were running in his head: they were being attacked; there was an accident, and Kuchiki Rukia.
Somehow, Ichigo figured that the damn woman had something – if not everything – to do with this.
The training grounds of the 14th division, despite being the most recent of all in Seiretei, were a fairly impressive one. Initially, it was just a barren wasteland when the previous Taicho, Isshin, got it. However, it was due to the insistence of his late wife that the place underwent a major change. There were a lot of fruit-bearing trees, colorful shrubbery, and even several koi ponds. If it wasn't for the aesthetically placed 'combat rings' and target gallery, Gotei 14th's training ground could have been mistaken for a park. Of all the places in Seiretei, this was Kurosaki Ichigo's favorite place. He grew up in the grounds as he spent considerable time there with his father who often dragged him from the manor nearby to practice on his sword-fighting skills and shunpo. As he became a Taicho, it became a common sight to see him in the training grounds more than in the formal division offices.
It was safe to assume that Ichigo was fond of his training grounds. Naturally, his mad dash to it was understandable.
As the dust cleared, Ichigo and the others finally saw what made the shinigami in his division cheered. Kuchiki Rukia was in the middle, demonstrating her skills in kidō. There were hundreds of targets in front of her, and she managed to destroy almost all of them. The ground was littered with debris, while the targets that remained standing were charred badly. It was an ominous reminder of what could happen if the targets were shinigami – or hollow – than detailed wood blocks.
Kuchiki Rukia stood there, basking in the applause.
"What the hell is going on?" thundered Ichigo as he glared at his subordinates. Most of them cowered in fear, while the others simply gaped back in shock at his sudden appearance. Turning to his captive, Ichigo grabbed her by the arm. "Explain."
"There were asking for a demonstration." Rukia explained calmly. "I showed them."
Ichigo felt like hitting himself. How could he forget that this woman was among the kidō masters in Gotei 14? He was lucky she didn't decide to obliterate his men and their barracks. Even without shunpo, she was nimble and fast. Her being able to call out her zanpaktuō's shikai release in silence was a sign that she was near enough to reach bankai; not to mention that she had the razor-sharp mind of a high-ranking shinigami were enough reasons for him to be wary of her. "Did I give permission to 'demonstrate' destructive kidō spells?"
To her credit, Rukia reigned in whatever sharp-tongued comment she was ready to fling at him out of deference to his rank and the fact that his subordinates were present. Ichigo was about to mentally thank Kuchiki Byakuya for instilling in his sister a sense of tact and diplomacy when Rukia brought down the coup-de-grace.
"I apologize, Kurosaki-Taicho." She said before she broke into a full-blown sob-fest. "I was only trying to help… I didn't know that you would be displeased at my attempts to show you how grateful I am for your kindness…"
"I don't need you to show me how grateful you are, Kuchiki." Ichigo said irefully, "I'm ordering you to stop interfering with my division."
That seemed to have made Rukia snap, because she immediately stopped her fake crying and stepped up to the tall Taicho, giving him a death glare.
"What are you staring at, Kuchiki?" he rasped in clipped tones.
"Ichi-nii." Karin drawled behind him. "Give it a rest, I asked her to. Your shinigamis needed to see a proper destructive kidō anyway."
"What's this I hear about Ichigo scolding Rukia-chan…"
"For God's sake, why now?" Muttered Ichigo as he saw his father flash–step towards them. Isshin seemed to be with built-in radar to know where he was and what he was doing. It was such a remarkable skill that when Ichigo was younger, he once thought that his father was a mind-reader.
However, as he grew older, Ichigo came to realize that his father was able to sense his children's reiatsu better than anyone in Seiretei.
"Rukia-chan!" Isshin asked, gasping loudly. "Why are you crying?" there was a dark glint in his eye as he looked at Ichigo. "Who did this to you?"
Rukia shook her head as she started to weep again. "Gomen… Kurosaki-dono… I didn't know that I was causing trouble… gomen."
As his old man comforted the shinigami noble, Ichigo seethed in anger at how Kuchiki Rukia had her father pretty much wrapped around her pinky. Even the men who were in his division all looked like they were ever ready to bend over backwards, just for her. Fortunately for him, her friend Inoue wasn't present, or she could have caused even greater crying problems.
"Ichigo!"
"She used high-level destructive kidō in my division. She could have done severe damage here." Ichigo replied dryly. "As a prisoner, she ought to have been bound with a death stone. In fact, I will rectify that mistake and haul her to her room, bound and gagged."
"A high-level destructive kidō?" Isshin gaped. "Don't tell me you're lying…"
"Ask them, old man."
On cue, everyone nodded. Then, everybody tried to tell his or her own version – at the same time. From the lowest shinigami to Ichigo's ranked officers, there was a description for Kuchiki Rukia's kidō ability.
The Kurosaki patriarch held up his hand for silence. "Rukia-chan." Isshin uttered seriously as he took hold of the woman by her shoulders. "What you did was…….. VERY IMPRESSIVE!
I wanna see it. Will you repeat?" he asked excitedly, like a kid who was locked in a candy store. "Can you do a HAIEN spell?"
"OI!" Ichigo said angrily "Stop this shit –
"Just because you're only a couple of step higher than Zaraki when it comes to kidō, doesn't mean you can look down on those who are exceptional – you bigot!" Isshin replied hotly. "I say, let Rukia-chan do it! Or are you too afraid that she's better than a lame excuse of a Captain such as yourself?"
"I say, she shouldn't, and that's final." Ichigo gritted out, grabbing the front of his father's blue gi. "She'll be escorted to her room."
Isshin immediately pounced on his son; the movement propelled them to the ground, where they were rolling as they grappled at each other's throats. "You're way too early to beat me in a fist fight, boy!" However, it seemed like everyone was used to it, since no one looked surprised or anything. If ever, there were some who were discreetly placing bets on the winner.
"Get-off-me-Asshole!"
"Your guard is down, you moron!"
"Stop it already!" Karin ordered in annoyance as Ishida and the others broke the crowd, dispersing them from the area. "I said stop it!" she shouted.
"Allow me." Rukia said as she gently pushed Karin to the side. Raising her arms, she chanted. "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower; red crystal; steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!" She then pointed it towards the two as she said the required number "Raikōhō!"
Both father and son looked up in time to see a massive burst of yellow energy shoot at them.
Ichigo winced as he gingerly touched the singe marks on the side of his face. "Ouch." He muttered painfully as he focused his glare on Rukia who was seated across him. Unfortunately, the woman did not even have the grace to look contrite. On the contrary, she looked positively pleased with herself and her behavior.
One of these days, Ichigo is going to skin her alive, pull the strands of her hair one by one until she was bald, or probably just tie her up a tree like a piñata and bash her repeatedly.
As the servants brought in the food, Isshin took a swipe at his son "Stop scaring Rukia-chan, imbecile!"
"Scaring her?" sneered Ichigo, noting with disapproval that Rukia now had an expression of apprehension. Obviously, she was milking the entire thing to her benefit. "She almost fried us to a crisp and you tell me to stop 'scaring' her?" He questioned his father.
But it was as if Ichigo said nothing, as Isshin turned to Rukia and asked her pleasantly. "Will you be doing another demonstration soon? Don't worry. I appreciate skills better than THAT jerk." With that he started to dig into his meal as the same time the others did. "Wow, this is new, Yuzu. Is this the spaghetti you were talking about?"
Yuzu nodded happily as the others 'oohh-ed' and 'ahh-ed' at the appetizing dish. In a hurry, everyone immediately tasted it while Keigo wolfed down his.
In an almost comedic fashion, everyone's eyes bulged open in surprise as choking promptly ensured.
Rukia quickly grabbed her napkin and discreetly removed the offending food from her mouth. Her Kuchiki poise saved her, so no one was able to see how her eyes almost widened at the first taste of the spaghetti. Ichigo, on the other hand, hurriedly gulped down water, her eyes watering at the scorching and strong flavors that assaulted his senses. It was no surprise that the others were gagging.
"YOU!" Bellowed Ichigo, pointing a finger at Rukia. "This is YOUR fault! Did I not tell you to stay put of the kitchen?"
A vein throbbed in Rukia's forehead, again. "Well, I wasn't near the kitchen. I did what every captive would do; hide and tremble in my room!"
Standing up abruptly, Ichigo continued to rant, "You nobles do not know the shit about cooking! This is the most terrible food I have ever tasted."
Her face lighting up in anger, Rukia likewise stood up. "I may be a noble, but I certainly know that the word 'shit' is not to be used with food at the same time!"
"Ichi-nii…" Yuzu's weak voice whispered in a quiet voice as she looked down on her plate. "It's all my fault…"
Isshin immediately looked to Yuzu, a picture of a devoted father if not for the spaghetti sauce smeared across his mouth. "My baby girl, why is it your fault? Tell father all about it…"
Yuzu, red with embarrassment, fidgeted with her fork. "I thought I could cook spaghetti properly, so I didn't ask for Rukia-nee's help… I didn't know…" she sobbed quietly. "I didn't mean to ruin dinner. Please excuse me."
"Yuzu…" Ichigo soughed as his sister stood up and went out of the room in a hurry.
"Nice going, Ichi-nii." Karin said scornfully. "Not only do you insult Yuzu's cooking blatantly, but you accused Rukia-nee of something she didn't do." Giving her brother a good glare, she stood up to follow her sister.
Isshin was immediately on his feet. "BASTARD!" he cried as he lunged at his son, hurtling them to the floor. "You have to pay for injuring Yuzu's feelings, angering Karin, and making a fool of Rukia-chan!"
"Are you blaming me?"
"Well…" Tatsuki answered, standing from her seat as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, "Let's go and see if we can find somewhere else to eat, shall we?"
As the others agreed, Rukia stood up. "May I be excused, I want to sleep instead."
"Are you sure?" Mizuiro asked, surprised that she would rather sleep than eat. However, he figured that maybe she ate some snacks earlier, which was why she wasn't hungry.
Rukia nodded as she stood and walked over to Inoue while the others were talking. Quickly, she pulled her up so that no one would notice that she was enjoying the food. Though momentarily surprised and distracted, Inoue stood up and smiled cheerily at the others. "My, I feel all tuckered out too!"
"Aw man," Keigo whined, "First Kuchiki-san, and now, Inoue-san won't join us too!"
"Well, excuse us then." Rukia said as she bowed politely, Inoue following suit. "A pleasant evening!" The two then dashed off quietly as the others resumed their chatter on where to eat; unaware that a pair of glasses glinted as Ishida's eyes followed their movements.
Rukia sat in her room, a bundle of tautly stretched nerves. Her gaze was fixed out the window, observing the full moon. Though her face did not betray her emotions, anticipation was worming into her skin. Just as she thought she could stand it no more, the clouds moved with the faint breeze until it passed over the moon, obscuring it.
This was it. She took a deep breath and counted one to fifty. Before she could finish there was a quick rap on her door. It was light and cautious, which could only mean one thing. Quickly, Rukia dashed to the door and opened it to find Inoue, wearing dark clothing courtesy of Ishida, standing nervously.
Without a word, the other entered before closing the door softly. Rukia nodded in reassurance before she stalked to the seat by the window. Pushing the cushions aside, Rukia extracted a coiled length of cloth. Made from different fabrics that were tied in knots, it was so well made and sturdy that it could support the weight of a person.
Inoue took the other end and tied it securely at the foot of Rukia's bed.
Rukia was no fool. She knew that this attempt was something Ichigo was wary about, so she took pains to get as many strips of cloth she could find without making anyone notice it. Every piece was measured carefully, knowing that if she took a whole sheet or cover, servants were bound to notice. The old draperies were hard enough to snatch from the cupboards, but Rukia and Inoue managed to do so over the course of their confinement in the Kurosaki household.
Of course it was likewise hard to pretend like she wanted to escape but couldn't. The time was well spent as Rukia used the opportunity to study the habits of the shinigami of the 14th division: where they ate, when they went for drinks, and the rotation of the sentry guards. Should nothing go wrong, she and Inoue would reach the east wall during the five two minute interval when the guards changed.
Opening the window, Rukia let down the makeshift rope. The east side of the 14th division was safe, as Inoue had previously dropped a spoonful of red bean paste and chili into their food to ensure that they would look for something to eat somewhere else. Hopefully, a lot of them were 'persuaded' to get drinks that Kurosaki Taicho 'provided' for them. Well, Rukia figured that as long as the 14th division couldn't be out drink with the 8th, their Taicho's moneybags would be safe.
For those who wouldn't leave for a wild night out, a carefully written 'confession letter' of love from a fictitious woman/man would suffice.
Motioning Inoue to follow, Rukia shimmied down the rope. A nimble-footed Inoue came next. Honestly, all that escaping and survival training stuff with her bodyguards back at the Kuchiki estate were worth every penny; Rukia made note to tell her brother about how it was useful.
In the back of her mind, Rukia was disheartened to know that she caused the kind-hearted Yuzu to cry, but as she and Inoue dashed quickly (via side-along shunpo, of course; she IS a shinigami, she's supposed to know how to), she forced the guilty feeling to settle down.
The two skidded to a stop by the shadow of a large tree. They were just in time for the change shift, but there were two men who were standing in the field.
Both were holding the letters in their hand.
These men were stupid, thought Rukia. The letter mentioned the NORTH side of the wall, not the east. Of course, since it was worded in a form of a riddle, these idiots failed to get it.
"Oh dear." Inoue murmured. "Should we knock them out unconscious, Rukia-san?" She might not look like it, but Inoue was fairly adept in martial arts; besides her 'magical' skills were not just about healing at all. Slowly, her hands went up to the two floral hairpins adorning each side of her head.
"No." Rukia said, stopping her. "It's too risky. They might make some noise and someone might see you use it."
"What should we do then?"
Rukia thought for a moment, before she smiled. "They're about to meet the girls who admire them."
Yabu Hajime and Kudo Yosuke could not believe their eyes. Inoue Orihime and KUCHIKI Rukia were standing in front of them, smiling shyly. Were they were the ones who sent the letters? Heh. Imagine their luck. After decades of being ignored by women, such lovely ladies of breeding and grace now admired them.
"So," Yabu said. "Was it the two of you who sent the letters?"
Rukia smiled radiantly, almost striking the other man dumb. "I have something to say…
"Yabu-san." Inoue whispered behind her, fortunate enough to remember their names.
"Yabu-san." Rukia parroted as she batted her eyelashes in a decidedly coy manner.
Yabu Hajime gave his friend a triumphant smile before he stepped closer.
"And Inoue has asked that you step closer, too…
"Kudo-san." Inoue supplied dutifully.
"Kudo-san."
On cue, the other also stepped closer. For these two, it was pure luck enough if they got letters from women admirers. But to get them from a cute woman with great knockers, and the noble princess of the high-and-mighty Kuchiki clan, it was like a victory over a menos in itself! In anticipation of a heartfelt confession, the two willing came into the range Rukia's kidō.
"So?" Yabu asked again, as he leered eagerly at Rukia. "What was it that you were going to say?" His mouth watered at the sight of her blemish-free complexion; her graceful posture; the silky strands of her hair, and her luminous eyes.
His companion on the other hand, was riveted to the lush curves of Inoue as his hands flexed repeatedly at the thought of having them within his grasp.
Rukia tittered in amused laughter. "Nothing much, Yabu-san, Kudo-san… except…" her eyes glinted before she murmured "Hakufuku."
…
…
…
"Damn you, Ishida." Growled Ichigo as he surveyed the damage on the wall before he sped out of the hole to go after his fukutaicho. "You should have warned me the moment you realized something was suspicious."
"I couldn't risk it in case I was wrong." Ishida said. "If you confronted her earlier, she might have changed her plans. With her on guard, I don't think even I could catch her."
"Like seeing her window open and a makeshift rope dangling from it was not enough?"
"I just saw it now!" argued Ishida, as he gave his Taicho a pointed glance. "Besides," he said angrily, "You gave me no specific order to watch over Kuchiki Rukia all the time!"
Ichigo glared at Ishida's back before he matched his pace with his, "Che. Like you don't spend too much time 'looking over' Inoue? And don't you dare deny it!" It amused him to no end to see his uptight fukutaicho turn extremely red.
"Please, Kurosaki. Like I don't notice the way you gaze at Kuchiki-san." Snorted the fukutaicho. Honestly, with all the time you spend 'arguing' with her," he said emphatically "I'm even more surprised that you didn't know. For all that talk, you could have been camping outside her door these past few nights!"
"Moron! Does it look like I'm interested in her?"
"I don't know. Does it look like you're not?"
Ichigo gave his companion an angry glare. "You wanna debate on that all night or do you want to catch up with them?"
"Mask your reiatsu, Kurosaki." Ishida warned, as he changed the subject abruptly. "Not if you want Kuchiki Rukia to know that we are on them. Although," he added absently, as they reached one of the poor districts of Rukongai. "Inoue-san is quick to realize reiatsu signatures…"
"Right Ishida, you are SO not hot for Inoue."
"That is inappropriate, Kurosaki." The fukutaicho burst out in annoyance, a dark flush lighting his face. However, as he looked to the side, he spotted the two women ahead of them.
Apparently, Ichigo noticed them as well. "No shit, what is wrong with those two? That's one of the sleaziest-looking places I have ever seen and they're going NEAR it? They must be crazy or something!"
"I'm not sure about the reasons why." Ishida murmured as they slowed to fall behind them "But I know that we ought to be on guard."
No sooner had he finished this, than he saw Inoue bump into a man that suddenly appeared.
…
…
…
They had been running for quite a while. Shunpo was hard to maintain, especially if you were assisting someone with it. And Rukia knew she had little stamina for that. Unfortunately, neither had been in this area before so they were running around in circles until Rukia came to realize it. "What the hell?"
"Oh dear, I certainly hope that we're not lost or anything…" trailed Inoue. "I am not familiar with the area. Um… Kuchiki-san… I sense pursuers." Inoue said hesitantly, trying hard not to look back and alert whomever it was behind them.
"It's Kurosaki. And his annoying fukutaicho."
"Oh, but Ishida-kun is not annoying." Inoue remarked, "He's serious, but he's very funny too… he turns red so easily… I wonder if he has a skin condition..."
Suppressing the urge to snort or laugh, Rukia marveled at the other's naïveté.
"I mean, seriously. He has this very pale complexion," Inoue continued. "It's almost pasty; could he be allergic to the sun?"
Rukia gave her a curt look, "Just be on your guard. Unfortunately, I do not have my zanpaktuô, so we have to rely on my kido and your shun-shun rika."
Inoue smiled cheerily, holding up a fist. "Never worry! I'm sure we can easily use a karate chop to render them useless, and –
Suddenly, whatever she wanted to say would have to wait because at that moment, she bumped onto something that appeared from the corner.
"Ouch! Ouch!" cried Inoue as she fell on her bottom. She rubbed the small of her back gingerly, as she felt her muscles spasm form the jarring impact.
Quickly, Rukia was by her side. "Get up." She urged.
As Inoue looked up, she saw that it was not an object that appeared (how could it be possible, unless walls can do shunpo), but a large, bulky man who was now looking at her weirdly.
"Eh?" he slurred drunkenly. "what-a cu-cute… lit-litle… birdie…" his hand reached out to grab her, but as Inoue grimaced, Rukia intervened by standing in front of her.
"Touch her and you die." She said in a low voice.
There was a laugh from the shadows and to Rukia's surprise; there were more men that followed. To her estimation, they were probably fifteen in all. "Well, well, well." One said quite steadily "What do we have here? Entertainment?" The man said as he grabbed hold of Rukia's hand. "I'm in the mood for fun." He said as he leered at her.
Instantly, Rukia launched a painful kick to his groin. "Keep your filthy hands to yourself." She barked.
"You bitch!" snarled the man, as his companions grabbed her by the arms.
Inoue was able to regain her wits and she sprang up to kick the man whose roving hands were straying close to Rukia's posterior. However, before she could follow-through with that, another man grabbed her. "Rukia-san…" she asked.
Rukia sighed. The idiots didn't know whom they were dealing with. She initially planned on letting them easy, but since there were a lot of them and they insisted on making it more difficult, she had no choice. She would definitely have to use kidō, and Inoue needed to call out Tsubaki's Koten Zanshun attack.
"Now!" The man who was on the ground (apparently their leader) stood up. He took hold of Rukia's chin and forced her face to meet his. "That was a nasty trick. I happen to like feisty women, but you need to be taught a lesson."
"Oh, just you wait…" muttered Rukia to herself as the idiot windbag preened and puffed himself pompously. Quickly, she turned to look at Inoue.
Inoue understood. Her free hand inched up to the clip on the side of her head. Tsubaki was needed. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but these impolite men were bad to prey on the womenfolk this way. Besides, she had to watch Rukia-san's back too. "Tsu –
"You there; let the midget go."
Everyone looked up to see Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryuu step into the fight.
Shunpo was really easy for such seasoned shinigami, because in just a blink, Rukia and Inoue were now by their side; while their captors holding them were knocked down, unconscious.
"What the hell are you doing?" shouted Rukia, as she kicked Ichigo on the shin.
"Ungrateful midget! I'm saving your stupid ass!"
"My stupid ass? Isn't it obvious I can take care of myself?"
"It didn't look that way to me." Scoffed Ichigo, giving Rukia a severe glare. "Honestly, your hand-to-hand combat skills suck like hell."
"I suppose an idiot like you haven't heard about the word Strategy in your entire life?"
"Please, Kurosaki-kun, Rukia-san, let's not bicker." Inoue said.
Ishida gave Inoue a look of resignation. "I think it's becoming a habit for them to fight."
In the middle of the argument, the leader of the gang spoke finally. "What the fuck? Who the hell are you two? Get your own women, those are ours!"
"Stay away from this, moron!" Ichigo shouted to him as Rukia was now pulling on his hair in anger. "Let go, midget!"
Shaking his head, Ishida addressed the other man. "I'm afraid these women are not the kind of women you should be associating with. Please leave before we deal with you."
"Hell no!" the man said, irritating Ishida more. "What kind of woman goes out in the middle of the night except to get some? So give us the busty and the spitfire there dude, before we break your bones."
Ishida felt his anger escalate at hearing Inoue called 'busty.' "I warned you not to associate yourself with them." Slowly, he took out his zanpaktuô. "You leave me with no choice. On my pride –
"A tryst!" Inoue blurted out loudly. Causing everyone (even Rukia and Ichigo stop and gape at her). "We went out because of a planned tryst! Ne, Rukia-chan?" She sent Rukia a look to tell her to agree.
Quickly, Rukia removed her hand from Ichigo's orange tresses. It sounded good enough an excuse as any; in fact, it DID make a smidgen of sense. "But of course. Whatever reason other than that did we go out for?" she said, giggling coyly as she looked at Inoue and Ishida meaningfully.
The man looked at the two girls before he looked at Ichigo and Ishida. "I don't believe it."
"Believe it." Ishida seconded, stepping up to stand beside Inoue. To his surprise, she took his hand and held it tightly, as if asking for support. Instinctively, his large hand closed upon hers.
"Do you want us to prove it?" Challenged Inoue, giving the man the rudest glare she could muster.
Rukia's eyes widened slightly. "Inoue!" she hissed. That was reckless of her! What would Inoue do if the man did demand something outrageous, like she should kiss one of the two guys? Well, Ishida was closer, so he'd probably be the most logical choice. After all, Kurosaki Ichigo was farther… right? She tried to pull away to shake some senses into the other girl's head, but Kurosaki Ichigo was holding on to her arm tightly.
The man smiled leeringly after he laughed. "Then do it, missy. Kiss your sweetheart with passion. Make it good and believable."
"For the love of god!" muttered Ichigo in annoyance at the drastic turn of events, "Let's just hit the bastards and get it over with, I need some sleep."
"I accept!" Inoue said, her eyes sparking with defiance and determination.
Slowly she turned around.
Ishida stiffened. He was the one beside her, so would she be kissing him? His face turned a bit red with the idea… but… if Inoue needed his help…
He would definitely do anything for her, even act ungentlemanly and kiss a woman that was not his betrothed or sweetheart.
But Inoue walked past him towards the couple behind.
Ishida gasped. No way!
Ichigo, for his part stiffened as Inoue took hold of his hand. "Um…" he trailed uncomfortably. Her eyes were bright and fierce, as her grip was bruising. Beside him, Rukia was looking at him weirdly.
Inoue pulled his hand off Rukia's and pushed him aside.
Then, to everyone's surprise, she grabbed Rukia by her cheeks and brought her lips down hers.
C. LeShay's corner:
Did you actually THINK that she would kiss Ichigo?
Meh. Stay tuned for the next chapter then.
In this chapter I made changes in the requirements to be a shinigami. We know that anyone who has spiritual abilities can be shinigami; but here, there has to be a certain level reached before one can have a zanpaktuō. Obviously, though Karin and Yuzu have reiatsu, it is not enough for them to be shinigami. The kidō spells I've used for this chapter came from Wiki, okay? (Especially Hakufuku, which was used by Hinamori Momo during her escape from her cell. If the anime is to be used as reference).
Once again, I dedicate this fic to my beta: my e-dad, Kaya, my e-mom 07Janina07, and my e-sister CooWings. Likewise, I'd like to introduce new members of my family: my e-great-great-grandmother, Bunnisteffi, her twin (my e-great-great-grand aunt Laurie B.), and my e-godmother/aunt MitsukaiMizuno!