EDIT: 31-Dec-2011

All The Right Moves

Final Chapter

Were they the RIGHT moves?

It was a cold, lazy winter day, and, holding a cup of steaming hot tea in her hands, Kuchiki Rukia leisurely watched as the snow fell outside her bedroom window. Only a few more months and she would be graduating from high school. She sighed as she thought back on all the memories she had over the past couple of years. The fun she had, the lessons she learned, the emotions she felt, the chances that passed, and those she took. She briefly wondered if she had done the right things…if she had made the right decisions.

An image, so vivid and incredibly detailed, entered Rukia's mind as she shut her eyes closed.

There was Hitsugaya Tōshirō, dressed in a crisp white dress shirt and black suit jacket, ironed dress plants, and polished ebony shoes, looking as gorgeous and dashing as ever. Standing a little ways behind him was a lady as stunning as himself, dressed in a very sexy halter dress which accentuated each of her womanly curves. She wore a grin that clearly shouted "victory" as she managed to get her lifelong crush to escort her to the school dance. Makoto Yumi flipped her long blonde hair and swayed her hips sexily as she slowly walked towards her handsome date for the night. As soon as she reached his side, she tangled her arm in his and led him further in to the dance hall; everyone stared at them, transfixed at their unexpected arrival. With their jaws still resting on the ground, everyone present in the room recalled how a few weeks ago, a rumor about how this same soccer star asked a sophomore girl to the dance had spread wildly. Unbeknownst to them, the particular sophomore they were referring to was at home, sulking and whining about how she wasn't allowed to go to the school ball

A few weeks later, it was formally announced that Tōshirō and Yumi were an item.

Rukia shuddered at this train of thought. She gingerly shook her head and forbade herself to think of such disturbing images. Especially not when her boyfriend of four months was coming over. He would surely berate her for contemplating over the past. She took a small sip of refreshing tea and instantly felt her nerves relax. She let herself get consumed by the thoughts of her current boyfriend. She could tell it had been really hard for him to pursue her, even after all that they had gone through.

Her parents were really strict on him—rather, daddy Byakuya was—even after they had been formally introduced to each other. Everyone present during the said confrontation could sense the tension so thick in the air they practically felt they were suffocating. Byakuya had been blunt with him, asking him what his motives were for his first (and real) daughter. The boy had been nervously polite, yet the determination was obvious in his steady voice when he told Byakuya that he had no ill intentions, only that he wanted to take care of Rukia for as long and as much as he could, to which the raven-haired girl in question blushed furiously.

Rukia remembered how the man had stared at her father in the eyes, defiant and sincere, and how her father must have sensed the boy's sincerity as he slowly nodded his head in acquiescence.

It wasn't until the start of Rukia's senior year that they had formally been allowed to get into a romantic relationship. The past year, as insisted by Byakuya, had been spent on them getting to know each other better and deeper. And Rukia was pleased with how things went for the both of them.

As she thought of how her boyfriend smiled at her like she was worth more than a million diamonds, Rukia's lips curved upwards and she told herself that she wouldn't have things any other way. She couldn't even imagine herself with anyone else other than him now.

Rukia's head jerked up as she heard footsteps coming towards her room. She grinned as she took the last sip of her tea. It wouldn't be a moment longer before that boyfriend of hers reached her room, she silently mused. She stared back at the snow globe-like view of their town outside her window as she tried to put on an innocent act, as if she didn't know he was there already. The door opened and Rukia shivered in anticipation of what he would do to make his presence known. The room instantly felt warm and cold at the same time—a weird but sweet irony she felt whenever he was around. She felt two strong arms enclose her in a possessive embrace from behind the chair she sat on. She threw her head back to look back at the handsome young man. The said man was smiling warmly at her, his eyes clearly filled with strong emotions, as he leaned in slowly and gave her a gentle yet passionate kiss. Rukia grinned against his lips as she recalled what really happened that night.

It was the night of the school ball, and Rukia was cooped up in her room, staring at the dress Kaien had provided for her in keeping his end of the deal. She briefly reminisced how a few days ago, she explained to Tōshirō everything about the whole bet.

She was nervous as hell during that time, as she wasn't sure how he would react. Would he get mad that she participated in such a moronic scheme like that bet just to earn his attention? Would he think she was just making fun of him, or that he was just another player in this game of hers? She anxiously waited for his reaction, averting her gaze to the ground as she tried to hide her shame and embarrassment. His reaction greatly surprised her. He laughed—a genuine, full-blown laugh. Her head snapped up to him as he put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair affectionately, amusement visible in his emerald eyes.

"It doesn't matter," she remembered him saying. "I can see through you now, and that beautiful amethyst eyes of yours say more than your lips." She really didn't fully comprehend his statement that time, although she had a suspicion he was telling her that she obviously felt for him, to which she blushed to a beet red color. She was extremely happy that he didn't feel bad the slightest bit, and deep in her heart, she knew that the bet wasn't really the reason why they were what they were now. Yeah, maybe the bet was the catalyst…the shove that she badly needed to start acting on her little crush (or so she thought it was, back then). But everything else was...was just her. Her own doing. And, unbeknownst to her, his doing as well. However, that wasn't the end of their conversation. After the nervous revelation, she now had to tell him of a very…depressing—well, at least for her—decision.

"I-I can't come to the ball," she quietly said, almost in a whisper, wincing secretly at how much she sounded like Cinderella in one of those children's fairy tales.

There was a brief pause before she heard him mutter an "Oh…" She felt so ashamed. She was asked by the most popular player of their soccer team and perhaps the most famous junior in their school, and she had agreed. Everyone was shocked upon hearing the news, and it even broke the hearts of a big percentage of the school's female population. And now, a week before the dance, she stood in front of him, cruelly calling the whole thing off. She only hoped that whatever anger he felt for her at the moment would soon dissipate so they could go back to being friends—even if she was sure at that point that it would be all they'll ever be after this whole incident.

She got her second surprise of the day when he smiled at her and gently asked, "Is it because you weren't allowed?"

She nodded her head shyly and closed her eyes, willing herself to regain the composure she had lost.

"It's okay," he said. The school bell rang just then and they were forced to part ways.

That was a week ago. They hadn't talked since.

And now, on the night of the school ball, she felt so down, thinking that he was indeed angry at her; but being the gentleman that he was, he chose to keep it to himself than lash out at her that time she confronted him. Well duh, she just ruined the whole prospect of going to the school ball for him. She sighed and flopped down on her bed, spreading her arms wide, hopelessly staring at the ceiling.

Amidst the silence, the doorbell rang.

She waited for a few moments to see if someone would come open it. It was 10 pm after all, and everyone in the house had already retired to their respective rooms. Since she was still perfectly awake, Rukia reluctantly took the initiative to open the door for whoever it was that was crazy enough to make a visit that late at night. She climbed downstairs towards the front door, not even bothering to take a peek through the peephole—or rather, not remembering to do so due to her disorientation—opened the door fully.

And there, he stood.

He wore a crisp white dress shirt and a black suit jacket, ironed dress pants, and polished ebony shoes—just like she imagined he would for the dance. Tōshirō gave her his signature smile, and Rukia's breath got caught in her throat.

"Hey," he said sheepishly, trying to sound as casual as he could. "What are you up to?"

Rukia couldn't hold back the smile that made its way to her face as her heart fluttered uncontrollably, deeply moved by his efforts to ditch the ball and go all the way to her house to…be with her. "Nothing really."

"I see. So, how about...we spend the night together? I mean...instead of going to the ball, we can...I don't know, have our own ball here."

Rukia blinked. Twice. And then she grinned. "Oh. That sounds like fun."

"I guess you should go get changed then." Tōshirō urged her to change into more formal clothes to match his outfit.

Rukia nodded and led him into the living room while she rushed upstairs to go and get changed. She gamely slipped on the dress Kaien gave her. It was a simple pale blue dress with thin spaghetti straps, embroidered with tiny shiny beads. She found out that the dress accentuated her subtle curves, and it made the color of her eyes stand out. It hugged her hips nicely and flowed freely the rest of the way to her heels. She spotted a beautiful silver butterfly pin that she remembered her mom purchasing for her, and clipped in on one side of her head, giving her a more elegant look. Deciding she wouldn't wear make-up (since she wasn't used to doing so, and she didn't know how to apply it on her own anyway), she made her way to the living room.

Tōshirō's head jerked in her direction when he heard her climbing down the stairs. He found himself instantly mesmerized by the effortless beauty that she displayed. It didn't even take long for her to look as breathtaking as she did. She was indeed a natural.

Rukia shyly walked towards the white-haired man, blushing at the intense gaze he blatantly focused on her. She took this time to make her own observations about how dashing he really looked. Stunning wouldn't give his appearance any kind of justice.

Tōshirō stood up and walked beside the petite woman, offering her his arm as they made their way towards the garden.

The two of them sat on the garden chairs as they pigged out on chocolate chip cookies, bags of potato chips, and the Kuchiki dinner's chicken lollipops. Tōshirō had already removed his suit, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, while Rukia was in a comfortable Indian sit position. They talked about random stuffs like they usually did when they were together. However, Rukia couldn't ignore the fact that Tōshirō just skipped the school ball, ignoring the prospect of being with many beautiful ladies, just to come to her house and spend the night with her. She found it utterly romantic of him, and she blushed every time she thought of it.

The sweetest thing about the evening though was how her parents, more like Hisana dragging a reluctant Byakuya around, tried to spy on them but then decided to give the two teens some privacy. Rukia caught a glimpse of them (Hisana shoving a heavily frowning Byakuya) pretending while giggling (at least Hisana was) to fetch something in the kitchen—first, a glass of water, then a bag of chips, sheets of tissue paper—just so they could catch a glimpse of Rukia and Tōshirō in the garden. Rukia was thankful that her mom was actually keeping her dad from giving the two teens a sermon about how young they still were…or actually, how young Rukia still was.

The petite woman sighed when she was sure her parents wouldn't come down to bother them, or rather her, anymore. She turned the radio that they brought out with them, and that was when the cliché "King and Queen of Hearts" started playing. Rukia looked horrified. Whose CD was this? Who put it in the radio? Tōshirō might laugh at the sheer corniness of it, or think that she was trying to set a romantic atmosphere around them. Blushing furiously, Rukia attempted to turn it off, but Tōshirō's hand in front of her face stopped her. She looked up at him in confusion; he was now standing in front of her, a warm smile on his face, as he offered his hand for her to take.

"May I have this dance?" His voice was low…almost sexy.

Rukia nodded her head timidly and placed her hand on top of his. Tōshirō pulled her to her feet, put one hand on her waist while the other held hers. Waltz. They found themselves lost in each other's gaze as emerald met amethyst. They easily glided together, as if they were made to dance together that way. It wasn't until the instrumental part of the song that Rukia felt Tōshirō's grip on her tighten and pull her into an embrace.

'It feels so right…to be in his arms like this…' Rukia silently mused.

They swayed together, revelling in the feeling of holding each other in their arms. Rukia shyly leaned her head on his chest and felt his chin rest on top of her hair.

When the song ended, Rukia felt Tōshirō get all excited and tense. She looked up at him in time as the next song started to play.

"That's my favorite song!" He was obviously trying to be chirpy and casual, but his nervousness surfaced a bit. "Th-that's for you," he added, red-faced. The song: Tom Petty's Free Falling.

And even now, two years later, whenever she kissed her boyfriend, Rukia would always remember that moment as the first, and therefore the sweetest thing Tōshirō had ever done to let her know he cared about her.

And, as Kuchiki Rukia looked into Hitsugaya Tōshirō's deep emerald orbs as he slowly pulled away from their kiss, she realized that she had been doing all the right moves, all along.

-The End-

If I remember correctly, Free Falling was a song performed in the Superbowl. You know, Superbowl, football, Shiro? And I hope no one got confused about the whole Yumi-imagination thing at the start. Anyhoo, that's a wrap. Thank you to everyone who has ever read the original and those read this new version. Every hit, alert, fave and review will forever be treasured. Check the last chapter if you're a KaiRuki fan. If not, well that's it for you and me and this story.

So this is wickedsistah1024, for the second and last time for this story, signing out. Happy New Year everyone.