Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

A/N: Okay, I'll be totally honest, I almost forgot about updating this. Almost. But I caught myself, and now you have a sleep-deprived teenager who's only awake now from heavy amounts of coffee. Yes. So how are you all? I got a lot of love for that last chapter, so thank you very much. Please don't forget to review/story alert! Thanks, and please enjoy. You'll like it!

Cupid Needs Better Aim: Ukuleles and Cardigans

"What are you saying, Kurosaki? What do you mean we're not performing today? There's ten minutes until our performance!" Ishida hollered with frustration. He put his guitar down on the nearest stand and took two more large steps towards Ichigo. Chad and Renji just stood at the sidelines watching the argument. They turned their heads left and right as each party altercated, similar to how people would turn their heads during tennis matches. They were face to face, and Ishida let out another sigh drenched with chagrin. Ichigo responded by burying his face in his free palm, the other hand clutching a familiar little instrument.

"I didn't say we all weren't performing. I just asked if I could do a solo today! Come on, Ishida. Do me a solid and just say yes," Ichigo coaxed. Although it sounded as if he was challenging Ishida or deepening the dispute, everyone knew that his pleading was genuine. He really wanted to do a solo, and for a good reason, too. After a few moments of standing still and pondering, Ishida finally succumbed to Ichigo's annoying, repetitive pleading.

"Okay, okay! Fine. But why, though?" Ishida asked. He practically already knew the answer to his own question. He deduced the facts in front of him. First, Ichigo was holding the acoustic-electric ukulele that Rukia snapped the strings of years ago. Second, he was probably prepared to sing a personal song for someone special. Chances are that it was for a girl that Ichigo was interested in. Could it have been Rukia?

"Uh, well... There's this girl I'm interested in..." Ichigo announced softly, almost in a half cough to conceal what he had said. All the Ryoka members seemed to have leaned in closer to catch what he said, or process it, rather. I knew it, Ishida thought.

"Who is it?" They all asked in unison. Their tones were a tad too zealous.

"Umm... K-Kunieda-san!" Ichigo lied. What the...? Why did I pick Kunieda-san? Crap, I think I dated her already... I don't even like her! She's not who I'm singing to, it's someone else. It's the certain midget. I don't know when it started, but ever since that day at the park, it felt different talking to her. I didn't see her as a childhood friend anymore, it was more than that. Fuck, I sound like a lovesick teenage girl. Ichigo felt dribbles of sweat roll down his eyebrow. Damn, was that what happened every time he lied?

He was surprised at how timid he had sounded. Ichigo was never good at lying anyway. He observed his band members' expressions and checked for signs of disbelief. Chad looked the same, and Renji looked like he could not have cared any more or less. Ishida, however, looked suspicious. Ichigo shrugged it off and figured he would forget about it eventually. Just then, the custodian walked in.

"You guys have a minute. Is everyone ready?" he asked. Renji put down his drumsticks on the snare of the electric blue drum set. Chad put his bass back into his gig bag. Ishida left his guitar on the stand. All of them, with the exception of Ichigo who was sitting on a stool in the middle of the stage behind the curtains, stood at the side of stage. They looked like they were all ready to leave, and they were. The custodian seemed confused, but went along with it. He handed the amplifier cord to Ichigo and he plugged it into his minuscule tenor ukulele. It looked the same as it did years ago, except all the strings were in place.

When Chad and Renji left the stage, Ishida walked over to his orange-headed band mate. He stood at a comfortable distance and whispered to Ichigo.

"Look, the other members might not know this, Kurosaki, but I know that you like Rukia. You're not gonna find another girl like her in a million years. Make sure she gets the message and don't screw shit up. I'll see you later." Ishida whispered. He turned around and walked away before Ichigo could reply. He simply stared in awe. Ha, look at this guy. How the hell did he know? Before Ichigo could even think for another moment, the curtains opened, and the meager applause from the previous act escalated into what you would hear in a sold out concert filled with crazed fans.

Rukia walked as fast as she could to occupy any seat on the first row, just like the last time. Her size, stealth, and her speed gave her a huge advantage and she managed to snag a seat to the right of where Ichigo would be. It wasn't so simple, though. At least five other girls chased for her seat, but Rukia would not budge. They eventually settled for three rows back. For once, she was thankful that the auditorium was big enough to seat everyone, and it had air conditioning. This better be worth it. I almost trampled and tackled five girls and I could be studying for my English exam right now.

Suddenly, the curtains opened and Rukia swore that her eardrum was shattered. Ear-piercing shrieks reverberated throughout the whole auditorium. She would not have been surprised if people from the United States heard them. When her eyes adjusted to the bright and old, light, she saw the Strawberry jerk seated in the middle of the stage. She was looking up at him, for they were not even a few yards away from each other. With a glaring light and limited vision, she could still see his golden brown eyes perfectly. The simple light and the simple stage suddenly looked and felt impeccable just with his presence. When did she start feeling that way?

"Hello, everyone. As you can see, the other members won't be here today. Instead, I'll be singing a few songs on this ukulele that's special to me. I'd like to dedicate this song to someone, by the way. Thank you." Ichigo called out through the microphone. He waited for a few seconds for the cheering to die down, and when it did, the whole world became silent. Before he started to sing, he looked for a girl with dark violet eyes, the ones that made him stare. Her eyes were the only ones who made him breathless. Alas, he found them in the front row to his left.

She watched him, and he glanced at her. The full auditorium suddenly felt empty. She looked beautiful, she really did, even if he couldn't see her that well. Their eyes met, and he was tempted to look away, but he refused. He half-smiled his famous smile and started strumming the ukulele.

"I'll hold the door
please come in and just sit here for a while
this is my way of telling you
I need you in my life
It's so cold without your touch
I've been dreaming way too much
can we just turn this into reality?"

Rukia couldn't help but blush, no matter how much her mind and body battled with her heart and emotions. Was he singing to her? He had to be. Why else would he play the ukulele that she had broken the strings of years ago? Why else would he sing an endearing, and happy romantic song? Why else did he look at her with eyes that she had never experienced in her life? Did Ichigo really like her? Rukia's mind went into orbit and her heart raced. Perhaps that was what it felt like to become a giddy teenage girl. It was a feeling completely alien to her, and she did not know whether or not she liked, loved, or hated it. She involuntarily smiled back at him. Whether or not she was blushing, she didn't know. Rukia watched his playing gradually get better and his tone seemed brighter.

"Cause I've been thinking 'bout you lately
maybe you can save me
from this crazy world we live in
I know we could happen cause you know
that I've been feeling you
I know you want me too."

"There's no other, there's no other love
that I'd rather have, no
There ain't no one, there ain't no one else
I want you for myself"

So the Friday finally drew to a close. The sun was in between the trees and buildings, and the sky was a blend of red-orange and a blend of indigo. The violet-eyed petite teenager released a sigh of contentedness. Rukia walked out of the school with her backpack slung on just one shoulder. The air felt a little bit cold, and she wished for her sweatshirt.

Unexpectedly, she felt a warm cardigan draped around her shoulders. At first, she was alarmed and surprised. She fought her instinct to hit the figure in the groin, but she turned around and found the highlight of her day. It was Ichigo. She sighed with solace and relief. He had a mini ukulele gig bag slung on his back.

"Holy crap, you almost gave me a heart attack! And umm... Thanks." Rukia looked away and stroked a lock of her hair and brushed it behind her ear. She felt warmth creep up onto her cheeks.

"No problem. So you came today. I was kind of hoping you would." Ichigo replied sheepishly. He gripped the gig bag strap on his chest and looked at Rukia for a millisecond. His voice and tone were in stark contrast with his too-cool-to-care appearance.

Knowingly or not, the pair started to walk in the same direction and talk for a while, something that they never would have thought of doing in the past. They were a mere centimeter away from touching each other, and Rukia would give him the occasional punch or slap. He accepted it with no problem.

Before long, they stopped at Rukia's door at last. The old streetlight gave them a lighting similar to the one on stage earlier that day.

"Uh, here's your cardigan."

"Keep it. I don't really wear anyway," Ichigo lied. It was actually his favorite one.

"Okay. You know, Ichigo... It's gonna take a lot more than a song to win me over. Baka." Rukia replied deviously, a punch on the chest included. Two could have played at that game, so Ichigo stepped closer to her. The sudden proximity caused Rukia to be taken a back, but she showed no signs of it. Neither did Ichigo.

"Yeah, I know." He then leaned in and did the completely unexpected. He hugged her gently and placed a small kiss on the crown of her raven-haired head. Ichigo flashed a similar smile to the one he offered her on stage. This time, they really were alone. Ichigo definitely won.

"Good night, Rukia." He said softly. He turned around and walked to the direction of his own home, roughly five blocks away, leaving the midget frozen on her doorstep. No way...

"Why are you smiling so much?" Byakuya asked in his usually deep voice. Rukia kicked off her shoes at the door, and ran up the stairs to her room, avoiding her big brother's question.

A little OOC-ness is fine once in a while, right? But yeah, this chapter was super fun to write, and I hope you guys stick around. The song I used was We Could Happen by AJ Rafael. I don't own that song either.

Anyway, thank you for all the story alerts and reviews! I'm almost at thirty and that's the highest I've ever reached! Thanks so much! 'Til next saturday, my friends!