Once again, she is tied down by the red strings. Weird, she thinks to herself, this reoccurring dream only happens once a month, why is it happening again? The silhouette on the other side seemed to be closer this time, but it's going to be like all the other times she had had this dream, it was only an optical illusion and it will be farther once she reaches it. She walks closer to the silhouette and this time, it wasn't an optical illusion. It didn't go farther. She yells out to the person on the other side. Waiting for their reply...

"...yeah." Ichigo sighed as he walks out of his closet, coffee in one hand and phone in the other.

"Are you planning on taking anyone?" Isshin asked. Ichigo sighed and drank his coffee.

"No."

"What?! No one?! I cannot believe my son!" Ichigo rolled his eyes at his father's statement, "Kaien is going to bring Miyako-chan! Who are you going to bring? Will your mother be happy wi-"

"Mom would be happy with anything I did. If you're going to call me for such useless things, I'm going to hang up. Why don't you call Karin and Yuzu? I'm sure they'd love to hear from you. Are they even invited?"

"No, they have school. Ichigo, I'm trying to do what's best for you."

"I think I'm old enough to know what's right from wrong, but Yuzu and Karin are still young and naive. They need guidance, so why don't instead of trying to marry me off quickly, you worry about Yuzu and Karin." Ichigo hung up the phone, not bothering to hear Isshin's reply. He sighed deeply and heard Kaien knock on his door.

"Have you considered that it's not your old man's fault? You know you're not the little bro I have grown to know from years ago."

"Are you gonna lecture me too?" Ichigo slightly turned to Kaien, giving him the stink eye. Kaien crosses his arms at his cousin.

"Not exactly, just guiding you. Let's not go to work today and just take a break. Isshin told me about the dinner too, so let's go shop for a new outfit or something."

"You're really irresponsible," Ichigo stood up and drank his coffee, "I am the president of a very popular mall. I don't have as much free time as you." with that being said, he walked past Kaien, out of his room, with his phone in his hand, dialing a number.

"Really kid, what's with that bruise on your head?"

"It's really none of your business how I get hurt." Ichigo slams the door on the confused Kaien.

"Retsu-sensei, my old man is having a family meeting dinner so I'm bringing you along." Ichigo locks his door and heads to his car.

"Really? An old lady like me? I'm flattered Ichigo-chan." she jokes as he chuckles. Ichigo gets into his car and starts the engine.

"I figured you're basically family, so I don't see why he doesn't invite you."

"Oh, there are many others like me."

"More like you?"

"I guess, when the time is right," he hears the hesitation in her voice, "I'll tell you."

"Are you going to start keeping things away from me too? Unbelievable, you too Retsu-sensei?"

"The time will come and you'll understand everything."

"Really? Why not now?"

"You'll thank me when the time comes."

"What did you mean there are more like you?"

"I meant that there are many people who help other people only to get pushed away. You should look around and help those people out for me."

"I will. Get ready, I'll pick you up at 7:00."

"Yeah hon, I'm still at Ichi's place."

"Kai-kun, spending all your time with your little bro? What about me, you don't miss me?"

" No, no, no, I do miss you. I really do."

"Really? You really, really miss me Kai-kun. What a liar you are."

"Yako-chan," Kaien whines and pouts to the person on the other line of the phone, "there's a family dinner tonight. Want to go shopping?"

"Yay, let's pick matching outfits. Yeah? You and I would be so cute!"

"Yeah? I know you'd love that. Hey come over to Ichi's place, I'll get us coffee."

"Alrighty! I'll be over when I'm ready ok? Bye-bye Kai-kun!"

Kaien walks over to Ichigo's messy desk and examines the take out menus and notes. He saw a sticky note that read, "Take out coffee, Queen's cup" followed by a number and a bunch of hearts. He took the note up and examined it closely. Kaien takes out his phone and dials the number on the sticky note.

"So, I heard you went to a concert last night," Senna approached Rukia who was grinding coffee beans, "with Abarai. I heard you went to a concert with Abarai, like just the two of you alone."

"And this is your business why?"

"No, I was just wondering," Senna moves to the other side of Rukia, looking at her straight in the face, "what exactly is your relationship with Abarai?"

"Manager and I are like family." Rukia took the blended coffee beans and placed it on top of a filter.

"Family? What do you mean family? A guy and a girl can't just hang out like that without romantic feelings."

"I do have feelings for manager, bu-"

"See look! You have feelings for Abarai! You should stay away from Ichi-kun!" Senna shouted to Rukia, pointing a finger at her. Rukia moves Senna's finger away and rolls her eyes.

"I was saying I do have feelings, but my feelings for manager are not romantic. I feel... family love. It's like, a father, or a long lost brother," Rukia sighed as her gaze gets distant, "that I never had."

"I- it's nice to have someone who loves you unconditionally, like family." Senna says turning away from Rukia quickly and heading to clean the table that the last customer left.

"You know. Kuroki-san, you're not as bad as you seem."

"Shut up Kuchiki. Y-you have no right to judge me like that! B-besides you have a band aid on your forehead, how tacky is that?!" Senna turns her back to Rukia quickly, angry, but blushing. Rukia rubs the spot on her forehead.

"Is it that noticeable?" Rukia asked thinking out loud, trying to cover it up with her hair as Senna grabs the porcelain cup and makes her way to the back.

"Hey Kuchiki," Rukia's head shifts her gaze to the smiling Renji as he exits his office.

"Morning manager." she smiles back. Renji laughs quietly as he tries to break the awkwardness.

"Enjoying your morning?"

"Yeah, it's great, waking up at 4 a.m. and making coffee for rich assholes."

"Why you," Renji fakes his angriness and laughs, "stop your sarcasm. It's only 11:00 in the morning and you're already being a butthead, but you got a delivery coming up."

"Anyways, speaking of buttheads, I haven't seen Kusajishi lately. Is she ditching on work again?"

"I hope not," Renji stares at Rukia grinding coffee beans, "y-you know I.. I also kinda have something for you."

"Thank again manager," Rukia bows down, "but this better not be a trick and you better not make you treat you to lunch again."

"Yeah, I promise. Oh here, the address. Coffee's on the coffee counter."

"Ok then. You can give it to me when I return." Rukia laughs. Renji smiles at her reaction and sighs inwardly. She walks to the counter to get the coffee and in walks Ichigo.

"Oh you. Good morning Kurosaki-san." Renji grunted at him, staring at his bruise. Ichigo shielded his bruise and Rukia turned around as their gaze meets. She too shields her band aid bruise. Ichigo was the first to break their staring contest by laughing slightly and Rukia followed by chuckling because of the event that gave them their bruise.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Hey red head, I need to borrow Rukia for a moment."

"Look, don't you see that she has an order?"

"I'll take her." Ichigo grins at Renji. Renji scowled at Ichigo and sighed.

"Kuchiki needs to work for her hours too. She isn't filthy rich like you and she doesn't have free time on her hands. She and I are partners so-"

"Ah-ah you got that wrong," Ichigo lifted a finger to Renji's lips, "Rukia and I, Kurosaki Ichigo, are partners." Renji gave him a doubtful look and Ichigo shrugged his shoulders.

"I can hear you guys." Rukia rolled her eyes at the both of them.

"Good, you can follow me out then, right?" Ichigo exited the shop. Rukia bowed down to Renji.

"Sorry. We're kinda like partners in crime, so excuse me." she too, exited the shop.

"Manager is going to be pissed at me again, thank you." Rukia sighed to him as they both walked out and into his car.

"Well, I am promoting you guys." Ichigo starts the engine as she buckles her seat.

"I can easily go myself."

"No you can't, because you have a fever. Am I right?" he smirks as he sees her expression change into a more surprised look.

"I-I.. how'd you know?"

"You see," Ichigo placed a one hand on her forehead as Rukia tries to scoot back, "from far away, you were sweating like crazy. Up close, you are burning up. You shouldn't come to work in this condition."

"Shut up. I'm fine."

"You don't have to push yourself Rukia. I know you're near fainting. Judging by that bruise on your forehead, you probably have a headache too. You need to rest."

"How do you even know this?" Rukia places the back of her hand on her forehead, trying to feel the warmth.

"My dad, he," Ichigo hesitated, "he's a doctor."

"I see, so I bet your family is a long string of doctors and rich people."

"Basically," he looks over to her, "so where to Rukia?"

"Well, I don't really know. Renji wrote down the address, but I have never really been there,"

"Really," he puts one hand in his pocket while the other steers the wheel.

"Ichigo! Are you trying to get us killed or some-"

"Relax you prune," he tossed a white iphone to Rukia's lap, "your first contact is me. Take good care of that phone."

Rukia took the phone and examined the back. Her phone case was white, but in the bottom left corner was a drawing of chappy.

"How'd you know I like chappy? No, how'd you know that my phone was even dead?"

"I called you about 100 times today. Plus your old phone had chappy the rabbit as a cell phone strap, so I figured you must've liked that shitty cartoon." Rukia smacked him on the head.

"Chappy is not a shitty cartoon!"

"H-hey, I have a headache too! I still have my lawyer on speed di-"

"Thank you Ichigo." Rukia interrupted him smiling at the phone. He grins at her expression and looks onto the road ahead.

"Did, did you just say thanks to me?"

"Don't push it Ichigo."

"Y-you're welcome," Ichigo coughed out and Rukia raises an eyebrow at him and scoffs, "what? I said you're welcome didn't I?"

"I didn't think you'd say that."

"What can I say, I'm full of surprises." Rukia rolls her eyes at his response, "Now, I'm going to take you and pamper you up before we go make your deliveries."

"I'm not going to your house."

"I'm the one driving." Rukia gave him a dirty look and he shrugged his shoulders at her.

"I don't care, I'm not gonna go inside your house."

"Suit yourself, because we're already here," he said nonchalantly as they both pulled up to his driveway.

No way. This is the house of the address that manager gave me. Why is it Ichigo's house? Rukia examined the note closer. The numbers match. He must've made a mistake.

"Do you need glasses too little woman?"

"Shut up," Rukia pushed him slightly as they both exited his car, "by any chance, did you order coffee this morning?"

"Well, I mean, I always start out with ordering coffee."

"No dummy, I meant did you order from Queen's Cup?" Rukia asked, clutching onto the coffee cup holder. Ichigo gave her a confused look as they both walked up to his door.

"If I wanted coffee from Queen's Cup, I would just walk in there. I mean, it's not like I go in there to see you or anything."

"Sure."

"I don't! I have better things to do!" Ichigo shouted at her. Rukia rolled her eyes and stood to the side of him as Ichigo bends down to enter a pin number to open his front door. As he was about to press the two final numbers, the door suddenly thrusts open, hitting Rukia in the face (knocking her out) and Ichigo screaming her name.

"Woah, woah, hey Ichi-bro! I thought you had better things to do? Oh," Kaien looks at the petite girl on the floor besides his cousin, "was that the delivery girl?"

"Do you think she'll be ok? She's been out cold for a while." Rukia heard a clouded voice ask.

"You freaking blasted the door into her face, what the hell Kaien!" she thought she heard Ichigo's voice cry.

C-cayenne?

She slowly opened one eye to see the quarreling boys and there before her eyes was Cayenne, the man she had admired from afar.

Damn, I'm dreaming. She quickly shut her eye and reopened both of them this time.

"Oh, hey she's awake. Hey Ichigo's friend!" Cayenne grinned at her. Rukia's eyes turned as big as saucers.

H-he just talked t-to me! This is too good to be real. It's a dream. It must be a dream! Rukia started to pinch herself wildly.

"What are you doing Rukia?" Ichigo asked her, raising his eyebrows at her actions.

"W-where am I?"

"Oh, where are my manners? Hello Ichi-bro's friend! I am Kaien or a.k.a Cayenne," he fakes an accent, "they're basically the same thing according to Ichigo."

"Because they are the same thing."

"C-cayenne, like the singer Cayenne?" Rukia asked still disbelieving what is happening. Ichigo scoffs.

"Don't tell me, you're a fan of his." Ichigo crosses his arms and glared at Kaien, then Rukia. Rukia furrows her brows at Ichigo.

"And so what if I am?" she crosses her arms at him and turns away. Kaien starts to laugh and Ichigo rolls his eyes, disgusted.

"Hey, it's nice to know someone is a fan of an old man like me."

"I i-it's such an honor."

"Sorry I made you drop the coffee kid."

"I-it's ok." Rukia blushed furiously as Kaien laughs at her.

"How can someone like her be your friend?" Kaien turned to Ichigo.

"You guys are disgusting. Wait till Miyako sees this." Ichigo scoffs and heads out of the bedroom door.

Miyako? Wait wasn't that the girl that-

"Yako-chan wouldn't mind anyways! She's a supportive fiancé, and loves all of my fans!"

"Your nicknames for each other disgusts me." Ichigo shouted from the other room he was currently walking to.

Wait, if he likes his cousin's girl and Miyako is Cayenne's fiancé, then that means-

"C-cayenne-dono, are you Ichigo's cousin?"

"Nice one kid! Does he talk about me?"

"Y-yeah," Rukia thinks of yesterday, Ichigo's hurt face talking about Miyako and his cousin, "in a way?"

"I bet he's talking crap," Kaien laughs out loud, "rest a while will you? I'll go back to Queen's Cup, I think it is, to get more coffee. I heard Ichi say that it was one of the best coffee he has had, so I'm gonna take a chance there." with that being said, Kaien walks out of her bedroom.

"He really is advertising the place." Rukia smirks to herself as she brings her legs to her chest. She got out of the bed and out the door, into his living room. Ichigo was nowhere to be in sight, but that didn't surprise her. His living room alone was as big as her apartment, which is pretty decent sized. She was busy looking around when suddenly the doorbell rang.

Cayenne's back already?

She opened the door to reveal a lady who looked in her late 20's and absolutely flawless. The lady had side-swept bangs and her hair up in a low bun. She wore a white knee length v-neck dress and pair of nude heels, and although her outfit was plain, her smile dressed up everything.

"Hi," the lady peered over Rukia's shoulder, "is Kai-kun home by any chance?"

"No, he just left not too long before you came. Sorry."

"Oh no, it's ok," the lady smiled at Rukia, "who are you? I haven't seen you before, are you Kai-kun's cousin by any chance?"

Wow, she's really pretty.

"N-no I'm actually ju-"

"Rukia, who are you talking to?" Rukia turned around to see Ichigo approaching them. He looked at the lady over Rukia's shoulder.

"Oh, hey," he exhales, "Miyako."

"Miyako?" Rukia slowly repeated slowly clicking one and one together.

Ahh, so this is the woman that they're both falling for. I don't blame them, Rukia turned back to Miyako, she's absolutely stunning.

"I guess we meet again."

"He's getting coffee." he tightens his grip onto the door's frame.

"Well, still in sync aren't we? You're not even going to let me inside?"

"I thought you didn't want to see me anymore." his hair shielded his eyes. Miyako smiles cheekily at him.

"Fine, I'll let myself in," she slightly pushes Ichigo and Rukia aside as she steps inside of the house, "Ah, still small. Just like you Ichigo and I didn't come here for you. I came here to see Kai-kun." she turned to the duo and smiles.

"Shall we catch up until Kai-kun arrives?" Miyako causally walks over and sits on Ichigo's couch. Rukia feels the uneasy tension between Miyako and Ichigo.

"Excuse us," Rukia bows to Miyako and takes dragging Ichigo out of the door with her as they ran somewhere.

"Here," she hands the vanilla ice-cream to Ichigo, who was sitting by the curb of the ice-cream parlor, "I thought you needed a break." with that being said, she takes a lick from her chocolate ice-cream.

"I like chocolate better." he says, eyes still shielded by his hair. Rukia stops licking and trades it with his vanilla.

"Sorry, I took a lick, but I don't think it matters that much. It's just a lick."

"Why'd you do that? I thought you hated me."

"Because whenever you talk about her," Rukia started not daring to say Miyako's name, "you have this... look on your face. It doesn't look like Ichigo. I don't like you, but I also don't like it when you're not Ichigo." Ichigo lets out a"tch".

"You know, I always get misinterpreted by people," Rukia walks over and sits next to him, "when I was younger, I had a crush on this guy. He was my upperclassmen in high school, name was Ashido. I guess it was my innocent love for him that made him take advantage of me. He had always used me for things. My final straw with him was when we did get together, and he cheated on me. He didn't think sweet old Rukia would run his ass over but he was so wrong. I kicked his ass and got my first suspension."

"Things between me and manager," when she had said that, she saw Ichigo perk up, fully engaged in her story, "they always think we're dating or a couple. Truth is, manager has always been there for me, but never as a significant other, but always like family. Someone dear to me had gave him the honor of looking after me, so I had always seen him like a brother, a dad, and a father. Dating him would be so awkward and weird for me."

"In junior high," she looked over to Ichigo, who had scooted closer to her, "things... happened" she thought about the events that day, the sad air of nostalgia filling her lungs, but she wanted to cheer Ichigo up, so she swallowed those emotions, "I... I stopped talking altogether. People had rumors about me, calling me prude, icy, sour, unapproachable. I really wanted to make friends at the time, but I guess, nobody wanted to be friends with me, an unapproachable prude." Rukia smiles sadly as she takes a lick on her semi-melting ice-cream.

"If only I had met you earlier," Rukia looks at Ichigo who was standing up, "I would be the one who approached you and be your friend."

Rukia smiles at Ichigo and also stands up.

"You know you aren't half as bad as I thought you are."

"You aren't the bitch I always thought you are either." Ichigo chuckles. Rukia playfully punches his shoulder.

"H-hey, I'm going to be doing something s-stupid right now." Rukia stuttered, her face, slightly turning red.

"What? It's not like you don't do anything stupid anyways." Ichigo said. Rukia rolled her eyes and stepped closer to him, closing the gap between them and breaking the personal bubble.

"W-what a-are you doing R-rukia?" Ichigo asked and his face going red. Her eyes were shielded by her hair as she reaches in and hugs him, putting her face on his chest.

"R-rukia?" Ichigo asked, struggling as she pulled him in tighter.

"Y-you b-been through a lot too h-haven't you?" Rukia asked muffled because her face was on his chest, "so for right now, let's just forget the troubles for a little bit."

Kuchiki Rukia, I really wish you haven't hugged me right now.

"Y-yeah," Ichigo said, blushing as he too returned her hug.

Because now I-

AN*: Hey guys sorry for the slightly shorter chapter this time. I wanted Rukia to tell her story to Ichigo because he did that in the last chapter. Thanks for your reviews omgahhh cx you guys are so sweet, literally making me scream for joy every time I read them. Here's an omake I wanted to end the chapter with, but I wasn't really satisfied with it so here it is.

-Omake-

"G-get off me!" Ichigo shouts to Rukia as he pushes her off. Rukia's vein popped from his action.

"I was doing something nice for you!" she shouted at him, scaring away a couple of customers around them. Ichigo pulls his suit for her to see the stain she had left on it.

"What are you going to do about this?"

"Sorry?"

"Sorry can't fix my shirt now can it?"

"H-hey you liked the hug I gave you though!"

"N-no I didn't," Ichigo swiped his blushing face away from her, "you're so short I couldn't even hug you!"

"Oh really? Why'd you close your eyes then?" Rukia gave him a winning smirk. Ichigo jumps back.

"I didn't close my eyes!"

"You're so full of shit Ichigo." Rukia said as she walked away from him.

"Rukia! Stop doing that!" he shouts to her. Rukia ignored him and he inwardly smiled.