Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of it's related terminology, they all belong to Kubo Tite.

How to Tie A Cherry Stem

By: Ryuuzauchi

Part Three

"Ah! So cold!" cried Rukia, shivering, as she quickly opened the door and step into the foyer of Kurosaki residence.

The storm had came back full force once they left the store. With the wind's new found vigor, the large umbrella Ichigo had brought was hardly of any use against it. Perhaps it was even a bad idea to have brought it along, as the wind kept blowing it backwards and preventing them from moving forward. And the rain, riding upon vivacious gale, had slapped them silly and whipped their skins with harsh rivulets of water.

"You should've brought your rain coat along, Rukia." Ichigo chided as he followed in behind the raven-haired shinigami, in his hands the bags of groceries dripped enthusiastically with rainwater. "It's meant to be worn during rain, you know?"

Rukia sent him an icy glare and obliged to not make a comment. Right now, she's more worried about catching a cold. Her pajamas plaster to her body like a second skin, translucent in appearance as soaked with water, and her raven hair was slick back against her scalp, with small streams of water sliding down her neck and face along the few strands scattered there. Her pale lips trembled and her teeth chattered due to the cold as she rubbed her arms in hopes of getting warm; the damp cloth of her pajamas clung even tighter to her backside at the motion. She slid on her fuzzy slippers and a moan escaped her quivering lips at the warmth. Lifting one leg, she stepped up onto the hallway and toward the bathroom for a towel to dry herself. Water ran down the length of her slender, cream colored legs to drip quietly onto the wooden floor with each of her steps.

Behind her, Ichigo swallowed hard and shuddered, he's quite sure this reaction wasn't due to Rukia's frigid stare or the freezing rain. He tore his gaze away from the raven-haired shinigami, now halfway down the hallway, and tried to clear his mind of images just seconds ago, all the while feeling a warmth climb up his neck and face even though he's practically having a hypothermia.

Once dried and changed, Ichigo busied himself for dinner: he peeled and washed the potatoes and carrots, cubed them to inch-sized chunks, then threw them into the pressure cooker; shelled the shrimps and spritzed with lemon; chopped the cilantro and set them aside to be sprinkled on; and frequently checked the water which the curry power is to be stirred into. He diligently set his mind on getting the food ready, while trying to ignore the shinigami, in a fresh nightgown(chappy prints in case you were wondering), sitting across the kitchen table from where he's at, by the stove, with a towel draped over her damp raven tress as she dug into a bag of dried squid, eyes narrowed.

Rukia's facial expression could put the temperature of North Pole to test, while her livid blue-violet orbs burned hotter than the fire on the stove Ichigo's cooking on.

Not once did Ichigo lift his gaze to her, not even when he passed out the plates and forks and chopsticks. And all the while, Rukia glared at him with intense animosity. With hot, steaming curry in front of them, the two dug into their food with an uncomfortable silence, the only sound resonating through the house were the raging of the storm outside.

"Um...Look, Rukia," Ichigo started, breaking the silence as he set his chopsticks down to lift his gaze to the raven-haired shinigami across the table. "I already apologized. Why are you still angry?"

Rukia ignored him and continue to eat.

"I-it was an accident! I w-wasn't, I-I didn't see anything, alright?" he stammered, face reddening as images flashed through his mind once again.

Rukia stopped her fork in mid-air as she raised her blue-violet orbs, and with voice dipped in sarcasm, she said: "Then I suppose it was your long lost twin that came barging into the bathroom."

"Wha-? No, I- I didn't barge in!" Ichigo sputteredly, he picked up his chopsticks, gave an innocent chunk of potato a few puctures before shoving the mangled thing in his mouth, chewing aloud. "It was a complete accident!"

"Pervert." Rukia muttered not so quietly.

Ichigo gritted his teeth, "If someone hadn't forgotten her towel and nightgown in the first place then I wouldn't have to bring her those things," he hissed, acquiring another glare from Rukia.

"I appreciate you bringing them, but you still barged in without asking!" said the shinigami, stabbing her fork into a piece of carrot.

"Well," the orange headed teen spat out, "if you hadn't slipped and fell, then I wouldn't have barged in without asking!"

"If you weren't ogling at me through the mirror then I wouldn't be startled and slipped!" shouted Rukia.

"If you had stood behind the door, then your image wouldn't have gotten on the mirror!" Ichigo shouted back, "besides, it's not like there's anything to look at! OW!"

Rukia lowered her fist, eyes and face burning anew with humiliation, battered dignity and resentment.

While clamping a hand over his bruised jaw, Ichigo had to admit he deserved that one. After all, it's not like there really aren't anything to look at, and, um, his eyes did linger a tad bit too long.

Silence, once again, coiled itself around the two, as they sat back in the seats that they had somehow gotten out of, and resumed eating. The tension seemed the more unbearable by the second.

"It's too hot."

Ichigo lift his head at the sudden sound of Rukia's displeased voice.

"The curry, it's burning my mouth. How much hot pepper powder did you put in?" Rukia glared down at her plate then at the 'chef' across from her.

"Just a few shakes, same as always." he answered with indifference.

"Really? I bet you purposely a large dose it in because you know I can't handle too much spiciness. Just to aggravate me."

Ichigo bit back a heated retort. "Want some juice then? I bought some lemonade." He made a peace offering rather, not wanting to add more tension to their already taut nerves.

"Pink lemonade?" Rukia perked up at once, her glare losing their intensity.

"You'd like some?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Before hearing Rukia's reply, he stood up and walk toward the fridge, taking out a lemonade-in-a-box.

Rukia eyed the small box of juice with anticipation as she waited for Ichigo to stick in the bendy straw for her. Accepting the proffered drink, she drew in a mouthful, and a satiated expression wash upon her face immediately. Even her cheeks were tinted pink.

It's like she's on a high or something, Ichigo mused. Pink lemonade, Rukia's current obsession, that's all it took to make her happy. That and the moronic-rabbit-with-the-evil-smirk, he added darkly in back of his mind.

"We all good now?" He asked tentatively, eye brow raised again.

Rukia, still drinking the juice, gazed at him as if just noticed him across the table. "About what?" She questioned back.

Ichigo lowered his head and smirked, "Nothing." Then he went back to eating, in a much happier mood than moments before.

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Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the delay. School and work and life in general has been hectic lately, hopefully I can get a break when school's out, lol. I've been sick for the past week, this is the second time I got sick since the start of the year, why are there so many pathogens floating around? Anyway, this is part three of Cherry Stem. Not much, I know, but you know what? There's just one more chapter to go! And I've got about 90% finished with it.

I can't believe Bleach anime is over! I was so shocked! The manga is also in the last saga, what'll happen when I have no new Bleach-ness to look forward to?

Please enjoy part three of Cherry Stem, and tell me what you think! Like I said before, readers are writers' motivation!