Chapter 3: Telephone
I'm not too happy with this chapter... I need to learn better ways to turn images into not-so-wordy-or-confusing descriptions =,= Lady Gaga and Muse are battling it out on my iTunes while I edit :D haha
BY THE WAY, two things to address: Someone asked me why I don't thank or mention anyone who does fanart for me. Ummmm... cause there isn't any? Yeah, I'm lame :(
And then there is the whole italicization of brands/copyrighted names: it's just a habit I picked up due to anal, preying editors on a public site I also post on =,= So if it bothers you- sorry. I hope you can learn to ignore the simple change in font and enjoy.
That said- enjoy! :D (PS: FeralWolf, your review made me tear up like an idiot :') Good luck writing!)
...I need to respond to reviews D: I'm so bad at keeping up :( THANK YOU ALL, THOUGH! I love you all T^T
OH, and for you who don't know my antics- "Bla" "Blabla" "Bla-la-la-la" all in one (row) together, means everything is said at the same time. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any brand/copyrighted names used in this story. They will always be italicized. I do not own any songs mentioned, or any characters/concepts from Bleach.
From: Kuchiki Rukia
Didn't know strawberries could drive….
A smirk pulled at Rukia's lips as Ichigo quickly read her text message at a stop sign, glaring at her before tossing his cell onto her lap, his amber eyes back on the road as they continued on home.
Pulling her small feet up onto the passenger's seat she rarely found herself sitting in, Rukia settled back against the seat with his Torch in hand, sliding the screen up, a small gasp rushing past her lips; "Really, Ichigo?"
The male beside her frowned, glancing over at her before his gaze was back on the busy traffic ahead of him.
"W-what? What's wrong-?"
"Twenty unread messages! Haven't you been carrying your phone with you this entire time? What if they're emergencies?"
Ichigo couldn't help the laugh, his left arm moving onto the door to lean his elbow on, his hand burying itself into his hair; "Yeah, I had it… just didn't feel like checking them. If they were emergencies, they would have called- and Keigo calling doesn't count!"
He moved his hand to casually hide the smile at her laughter, Rukia tapping 20 Unread Messages with her thumb.
"Well, you had one from Inoue- she had asked if, they could join you?"
"Us- join us." Ichigo slowed at a corner, the blinkers ticking on the right side; "She and Tatsuki were hanging out today, I guess, and asked if I wanted to, as well."
Turning the corner, Ichigo snapped the blinkers off-
"I told her I was busy with you."
Violet eyes turned onto him as they passed Karakura High, Rukia sliding the screen back down; "But you haven't seen Tatsuki since you moved. You could have gone, you know-."
"Ah, Rukia, give it up- I know I could have, but… I chose not to. Simple as that; there are a whole lot of vacations coming up, so I'll see Tatsuki eventually."
He turned onto their street, Rukia's gaze on him as amber eyes chanced a second's worth of a look at her, his shinigami smiling up at him; "Alright…."
Minutes later, Ichigo turned onto their driveway, no older than just three months, her TSX running in smoothly.
"Ichi-nii, Rukia-chan! How was the beach?"
Kicking off his sandals, Rukia sprinting past him to pounce onto the twins sitting at the couch, Ichigo dropped Rukia's keys into the dish on the small table, patting his pockets, frowning at his missing cell-
Rukia probably still has it.
"It was pretty lame, actually…." He smirked as Rukia pushed off the couch to glare at him over its back, his sisters laughing; "Like hell, it was! Last time I'm taking you anywhere, you ungrateful ass-!"
"I'm kidding!" Quickly moving to the couch, Ichigo skillfully swung over its back to crash onto the three females sprawled across its cushions, Rukia caught beneath his body straddling her, Karin and Yuzu tangled with the two shinigami-
"Ichi-nii!" "Ichigo!"
Pillows were soon slammed into his head and sides, his laughing siblings trying to rescue their precious "Rukia-chan!" from their brother's hold, the male laughing at Rukia's menacing string of curses, her petite, slim body squirming beneath him; "I'm going to kick your ass, Berry-!"
"As if!" Pushing his legs on either side of her closer together, certain she was in no position to push him off, Ichigo reached back around to grab Karin's waist, pulling her around his body, the black-haired teenager held just along the edge of the couch.
"Ichi-nii! Yuzu, whack him! Whack him-!"
"Hiya!" Ichigo never saw the yellow pillow coming, Yuzu's swing knocking him against the couch's side, Karin dropping to the floor without his hold of her waist.
"Ow!" "Ouch!" "Ha!" "My bad!"
The movie credits came onto the television's screen as Karin rolled over on the floor to stand, Ichigo yawning with his head resting in his hand propping him up on his elbow, Rukia sighing tiredly beneath him, Yuzu's smaller body curled on top of his; "Ichi-nii, I'm tired… I can't do another movie…."
Rubbing his eye, Ichigo yawned again, Rukia shifting her body beneath him, the male keeping most of his weight off her; "Argh, neither can I, Yuzu. Let's give up and just leave it for another time. Head up to bed before you fall asleep."
Nodding, barely keeping her eyes open, Yuzu carefully climbed off his body, careful of Rukia's long legs tangled with hers and Ichigo's, Karin grabbing her hand; "Good night, Ichi-nii… good night, Rukia."
Yuzu mumbled her own "good night" as Karin pulled her to follow, the two shinigami left alone, the credits still going as a commercial took up half the screen.
Violet and amber eyes watched with little interest as more commercials came on, Karin and Yuzu's soft footsteps upstairs soon gone as they climbed up into their beds, the entire household quiet as Ichigo muted the television, dropping the remote onto the floor.
"You heading to bed, midget?" Ichigo gazed down to the woman beneath him, Rukia yawning as she stretched out her cramped body, Ichigo choking at the arch of her back pushing her against him, her long leg stretching out along the length of his with the other tightening around his hips; "O-oi, Rukia-!"
"Mhm, what?" Dropping back down onto the cushions beneath her, Rukia kept still as Ichigo scrambled to untangle himself from her, her violet eyes catching the blush burning at his cheeks, his amber gaze struggling to keep off her thighs, exposed by her dress hitched up along her legs.
"N-nothing… I should head upstairs, and shower…."
The male stood onto shaking legs, having turned numb from staying in such a tangled position for over two hours, while the movie ran; "Night, squirt."
Turning onto her stomach, Rukia grabbed the remote as he headed off towards the stairs.
"Night, idiot."
Skipping the first step of the stairs, Ichigo quickly made his way up, cursing when he remembered his missing phone; violet eyes looked up over the couch's arm at the sound of his feet coming down the stairs, the male looking at her from behind orange bangs.
"Hey, do you still have my phone?"
Rukia nodded as she sat up, turning off the television before abandoning the remote.
"Here…." Standing before liifting the skirt of her dress, Ichigo stuttering at the sight of her white bikini from earlier, Rukia grabbed his Torch held tight against her hip by the bikini's bow, tossing it over into startled hands, the petite shinigami fighting back a smirk; "What? My dress definitely doesn't have any pockets!"
Ichigo shyly held his cell in his hands as if it burned, lips tight in a blushing frown, his amber gaze watching Rukia saunter to her room, her door kicked closed.
…damn it, midget.
From: Inoue Orihime
Ohayo, Kurosaki-kun. I ended up buying a ticket for the evening train back to the city- maybe we can head back together. See you later….
Tired eyes slowly closed again, Ichigo dropping his cell onto the floor, the tall male buried beneath his blanket under the morning sun pouring through his window; hearing his father's shouting downstairs with Karin, he pulled his arm back into the warmth of his bed, rolling over to rest against the wall, his door creaking open muffled by his blanket.
It wasn't until he felt the bed dip, that Rukia let him feel her reiatsu; "Morning, Strawberry…."
The mass of blankets moved around a bit, Rukia laughing at his muffled groaning.
"Ichigo, get up- Yuzu made a big breakfast for you…." She reached over to the blanket's hem, quickly pulling it back- screaming when her eyes only found his bare feet, his arms circling around her small body from behind; "Ichigo-!"
She felt Ichigo pull her down with him back onto the mattress, the male rolling their bodies over to trap her between his larger body and the wall, their legs a tangled mess again; throwing his blanket over her face, Ichigo simply settled back down to rest his head on his arm, Rukia tearing the blanket from her eyes.
He stared into a violet glare, Rukia growling menacingly; "What the hell are you up to-?"
"Why the hell are you up? Today is your last day to sleep in, for a week…." Ichigo felt Rukia squirm against him, her hips bumping much too close to his groin, the male quickly wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her still.
"I don't sleep in like a lazy, orange-headed fool I am sadly acquainted with!" Rukia's struggle ended as he held in place, her head dropping onto the mattress, sighing in defeat; she watched Ichigo pout, his fingers pinching her thigh through the material of her flannel pants.
"That's all I am to you? A lame acquaintance?"
A devious smirk pulled at Rukia's lips, her eyes a playful, violet hue as she teased him in her once-routine 'school-girl' voice the male passionately hated-
"Oh my, Kurosaki-kun! I didn't know you wanted to be something more!"
He walked right into that one.
Hearing his Torch vibrating on the floor, Ichigo pushed away to leave Rukia to laugh by herself, the taller shinigami rolling over to the edge, nearly going too far; "Shit-!"
Ichigo ignored the fit of laughter from Rukia, reaching down the grab his cell, tapping the screen with his thumb.
From: Inoue Orihime
Ohayo, Kurosaki-kun. I ended up buying a ticket for the evening train back to the city- maybe we can head back together. See you later….
Really, Inoue? You sent it again?
A sigh left Ichigo, his hand raking through his messed mane, sliding the screen up to reply; he nearly dropped the poor phone again, Rukia suddenly crashing onto him, the length of her shorter body running over his, her chin resting on his shoulder.
"Ru-?" "What are you sighing so miserably about?"
Rubbing the back of his neck, Ichigo shrugged silently, beginning a new message for Inoue; "I told Inoue I was taking the train back, so now she is, too…."
To: Inoue Orihime
Yeah, sure-
His Torch was swiped from his hands, Rukia sitting back up into the curve of his lower back, her legs on either side of him; amber eyes looked over his shoulder, Rukia's small thumbs typing in a reply for him.
"Oi! What are you doing?" She didn't bother to answer him, the male huffing with defeat, dropping his head onto the mattress; "Damn midget, stealing my pho-."
"Here- now hurry up and head downstairs!" His cell was dropped onto the bed, the black device bouncing lightly as she climbed off his back, Ichigo watching Rukia leave his room in her large clothing, remembering the days they were his.
A vibration beside him pulled his attention from the door, Ichigo grabbing his cell, tapping the screen to view a New Message From: Inoue Orihime.
From: Inoue Orihime
Oh, I see. Well, please tell Kuchiki-san to drive safely. See you tomorrow, Kurosaki-kun.
Scrolling up to the older messages, Ichigo read the reply Rukia had sent for him.
To: Inoue Orihime
Rukia is driving me back home tonight.
Forks clinked against the plates at the kitchen table, Isshin bouncing in his seat as he waited for his "three precious daughters" to finish serving themselves, Karin rolling her eyes at his antics; "Dad, sit still before Ichi-nii heads down and becomes a grouch since this early in the morning-."
"I'm no more of a grouch than you are, Karin." Smashing his lips against her temple, Yuzu smiling widely at Ichigo's sudden attack on Karin, Ichigo left Karin with a ruffled mess of hair, the male moving around the table to plant a sloppy kiss on Yuzu's cheek; "Ew, Ichi-nii!"
Ichigo laughed as he pulled his shirt up to wipe Yuzu's cheek, swatting his father away when Isshin tried to mimic Ichigo's kiss on his son, Rukia smiling softly as she watched the family she had learned to call her own.
"Now, you two; settle down and eat!" Isshin pulled on Ichigo's hair before jumping back into his seat, Rukia threatening Ichigo to keep him from taking the last attack of their battle; grumbling at her, glaring at his father, Ichigo lazily dropped into the seat beside Rukia, the older shinigami handing him a plate.
Plates full, food warm, tea steaming and ready to enjoy- they all reached to grab each other's hands, Ichigo lacing his fingers with Rukia's without a second's hesitance, Yuzu beaming she held Isshin and Karin's hands, her brown eyes on Ichigo; "To the next visit Ichi-nii gives us, and Rukia-chan's first day of college tomorrow!"
New Message From:
Asano Keigo
Ichigo sighed as he turned the page to his textbook, his pen tapping steadily against the wooden grain of his desk, his vibrating cell ignored.
Proteins- polymers of the monomers, amino acids.
He felt Rukia's reiatsu outside with his sisters, his cell phone vibrating again, loud against the solid wood of his desk.
Four levels of folding….
A fit of laughter carried through his open window, Ichigo's eyes drawn to the clear sky just beyond the fluttering curtains, Rukia's cries and squealing easy to recognize.
Ichigo tossed his pen aside as he grabbed the device beside his notes humming without rest, frowning at the onslaught of text messages from Keigo, one from Inoue.
From: Asano Keigo
Ichigo! I am with the beautiful Orihime-san dude! Well… Tatsuki is here too. Get your ass over here no way you can leave without seeing us! Pleasepleasepleaseplease-!
Ichigo selected 'delete' from his menu, checking Inoue's message as another shriek of laughter left Rukia from outside in the yard.
From: Inoue Orihime
Yo, Ichigo!
"…what the hell?" He correctly assumed it to be Tatsuki, using Inoue's cell.
Get your orange ass over to the small coffee shop by your house! Don't give me none of that bullshit that you're busy with Rukia! You two don't need to pretend being such buddies anymore- I know about you being a shinigami, remember? Don't flake out on me!
A frown pulled at Ichigo's lips, his memories of the Winter War flooding back into his mind, remembering his friend boldly standing before Aizen.
"…you never got to see me and Rukia together, though, as shinigami… did you, Tatsuki?"
He pushed the screen to his Torch up, leaning back in his chair, his orange bangs teasing his eyes-
To: Inoue Orihime
I wasn't lying about that, Tatsuki- I guess we DO need to hangout and talk about some things. But I got studying to do today before I head home. Punch Keigo for me and tell him to stop spamming my inbox.
He pressed 'send' as Yuzu's voice carried up through the window; "Rukia-chan, you shouldn't have worn white! You're soaked!"
Fuck it.
Closing his textbook, tossing his cell onto his bed, Ichigo quickly made for the hallway, leaving his vibrating cell behind.
"Go harass someone else, Keigo!"
A whine left the wild male as Tatsuki shoved him away again, Inoue left at the table to watch their drinks, her cell vibrating; grey eyes opened the new message from Kurosaki-kun, Inoue biting her lips as she read the message sent for Tatsuki.
"Hime, did Ichigo respond?" Tatsuki slid back into the booth, Keigo sitting down across from them; "Hai, he did."
Passing her cell over to Tatsuki, Inoue watched her frown as she read the message, Tatsuki huffing as she typed in a quick reply.
To: Kurosaki-kun
Fine. I'll ask my dad for his laptop sometime this week, we talk then.
"Hey, Keigo! Ichigo said to stop spamming his inbox!" Tatsuki slid Inoue's Chocolate across the smooth table to her waiting hand, Inoue pocketing it as Keigo slammed his fists on the metal top; "Damn, that Ichigo! I can't believe he so easily tosses me aside!"
Inoue stifled a small laugh, Tatsuki rolling her eyes at him.
"You, it's understandable how he can. What drives me mad is how he didn't bother to see me this weekend! His books are more important than his oldest friend!"
Keigo scoffed at Tatsuki, picking at his nails; "You forgot to add Kuchiki-san to that list."
A yelp left him as Tatsuki slouched in her seat to kick his shin, Inoue frowning beside her.
"Kurosaki-kun is always on his cell with her…. He has really changed ever since we left in May…."
"Hime, a few text messages or phone calls doesn't call for such exaggeration-."
"No, Tatsuki-chan; I mean, he's truly always on his cell phone with her…." Inoue picked at the cup before her, Keigo and Tatsuki frowning at the female's sad gaze; "You can even ask Sado-kun…."
A sigh left Tatsuki, the slim, fit female taking out a tip from her shorts' pocket, grabbing her hoodie as she stood from her seat; "C'mon, I'm not taking any more of his crap."
Keigo and Inoue stared wide-eyed at her, Inoue grasping her cup nervously.
"What do you mean, Tatsuki-chan-?"
"I mean we're heading over to his house, and visiting- whether he likes it or not!" She turned on her heel then, nearly storming out from the small, quiet shop.
One look was shared between Inoue and Keigo before they hurriedly slid out from the booth, following after Tatsuki, Inoue's cell phone in hand.
Rounding a corner, and crossing the street, the three friends made their way over to the Kurosaki household, Tatsuki remembering to punch Keigo for their orange-haired friend.
"Ow!"
"Karin-!" An ice-cold bucket of water drowned out Rukia's cry, Karin sprinting away before the older female could recover, Yuzu nearly falling to the ground with laughter, holding onto Rukia's car in a desperate grasp; "Oh, Rukia-chan!"
"It's on, Karin!" Kicking off her drenched sandals, hitching up her shorts heavy with water, Rukia burst into a sprint after Karin, the black-haired teenager glancing over her shoulder, squealing as she tried to run faster; "Yuzu! Yuzu help-!"
Her twin only cackled louder, falling onto the wet grass, her wet, slick skin touched gently by the warm sun, her yellow sundress bright in it's embrace.
Behind her, up the driveway and walkway, Ichigo finally stepped out to find what kept his three, precious females laughing and screaming about, only a black sweater over his bare torso, jeans torn and ripped about.
Yeah- he's a college student living up the famous "Lazy Sunday" with pride; "Oi, Yuzu! What the hell are you three up-?"
A high-pitched shriek was then followed by a splash, Rukia's quick, petite body dashing out to the front lawn from the side of the house, the shinigami leaping over Yuzu's giggling form sprawled on the grass before Karin came chasing after- "Rukia!"
Ichigo breathed out a laugh as he stood silently aside, up by the house, his tall body leaning against the wall as he crossed his arms, watching Karin successfully tackle Rukia onto the wet grass, the car they had been washing long forgotten.
"Yuzu, bring the hose!"
"No, no, no!" Pinned down by Karin, Rukia tried squirming away as Yuzu rushed over with the hose, a loud scream echoing from the noble heiress as Ichigo's younger sibling squeezed the nozzle tight; "We win, Rukia-chan!"
The twins quickly dropped the hose and made a final run for it, rounding the corner of the house to find the back entrance, Rukia keeping to the grass, laughing loud and whole-heartedly; smirking as Rukia eventually bothered to stand up, Ichigo watched her gather up the hem of her drenched v-neck, the white material twisted up without mercy, water pouring out onto the ground.
Watching this definitely would beat studying, in Ichigo's book. He tried to ignore the fact he now knew she owned an orange bra.
"A shinigami of a hundred years brought down by my teen sisters- can't believe you once brought down an Espada, Kuchiki!"
His voice snapped her gaze up at him, her wet hair clinging to her skin, framing her face in an erotic mess; "Damn right, I did, Kurosaki!"
Cocking her hip, her black shorts hugging her hips as closely as her wet shirt hugged her torso, Rukia smirked at the male leaning against the wall, her eyes meeting his dead-on.
"It's because of that, that I can afford to let your sisters win a few battles every once in a while!"
A small laugh left Ichigo, the male pushing off the wall; "Good thing you haven't taken me on, then- I can make anyone look bad with a loss against me…."
Ichigo knew that if it weren't for the playful edge to his reiatsu nipping at her skin, he'd been frozen within an immense pillar of ice- it didn't stop her, though, from snapping her hand to take aim at him, "Sai!" slipping past her lips; "Shit-!"
His arms slammed against his sides before his wrists were forced together behind his back, Ichigo growling with irritation-
"Damn it, Rukia! This is cheating, you know I can't-!" His intent to simply tear through her kidou was easily distracted by the sound of water running fast and hard into a bucket from the hose Rukia held, his amber eyes wide before settling into a glare, Rukia abandoning the hose beside her car to grab the bucket's handle.
"Kuchiki Rukia- don't even think about it!"
A devious grin met him, Rukia keeping her deep gaze locked with his beneath his orange mane catching the sun's rays; "But I am thinking about it, Kurosaki!"
"Well, don't- oi! Rukia-!" He inched away from her, only to have Rukia lunge at him with the bucket, freezing water pouring over him with a fast, sudden splash; "Fuck-!"
Her laughter filled the air as he stood shivering in place, Ichigo glaring at her from beneath his heavy bangs, his hoodie and jeans nearly drenched completely; shaking his wet hair, his orange mane now messed and untamed, Ichigo quickly tore through her kidou as she hunched over in laughter, his sudden lunge at her receiving a high-pitched shriek-
"Ichi-go!"
Small hands pushed against Ichigo's wet, exposed chest as he slammed Rukia's smaller body onto the hood of her car, minding her head as he tangled his hand into her hair, keeping it from hitting the car; "There's no winning against me, midget!"
Both her legs caught between their bodies, Rukia stilled long enough to push up onto her elbows, Ichigo's grasp of her hair tightening as he pulled on it, her chin high enough to keep their gazes locked, the damp skin of her neck exposed; "Oh, but Ichigo- I won the moment I made you forget you could have easily broken that kidou with a simple flick of your wrist; were my eyes that good?"
Ichigo was met with a sudden kick against his firm, strong stomach, Ichigo letting go of her hair as he was forced a step or two back; Rukia was quick to slide off the hood of her car, but the male was much faster in catching her waist, Rukia thrown back onto the hood.
"Let go, you ass-!" His hoodie was quickly discarded to leave his torso bare before her violet eyes, Ichigo whipping it around her slim body, her arms caught in his makeshift-trap before he forced her onto her stomach, Rukia immediately tearing the damp material off her; "It'll take kidou to keep me still-!"
Another shriek left her at the sudden onslaught of cold water, Ichigo's hoodie tangled around her having given him a split second to grab the hose by his feet; "Ichi-!"
A loud fit of laughter left the male as he kept soaking the short shinigami curled up on the hood of her car, a leg suddenly kicking out for his abdomen again.
Grabbing her ankle before Rukia could land a hit on him, Ichigo pushed her leg to the side, his large, strong hand hooking around her thigh, pulling her down the wet hood against him, the male settled between her legs as the hose ceased its assault, Ichigo's hand tangled in her hair again, pulling her up.
Pulled up to sit, Ichigo's lips a breath away from her own, Rukia slammed her hands against his chest to keep from crashing against him, the nozzle of the hose pressed against her hip, Ichigo's fierce gaze staring into hers; "I don't need kidou to keep you still, midget."
Violet eyes held against his stubbornly, Ichigo feeling her legs move just ever-so-fucking-slightly closer against him, his hips between her alarmingly long, smooth legs, her breath teasing his lips with temptation to piss her off the way he always did best-
Charge forward recklessly like an invincible idiot.
He was sure he had the balls to do just that, until Tatsuki's voice snapped at him from the gate; "Studying hard, aren't you, Ichigo!"
Ichigo could bet he likely had an unread message in his phone upstairs, letting him know they were coming.
He couldn't be blamed for leaving it behind, when the whole reason he bought a phone was sitting against him, wet and shivering, eyes wide as his.
No, he really couldn't be blamed, at all.
Is this considered senseless smut? Fluff? I don't know~ Haha :) I know the chapters are short, but that is their purpose- to provide quick breaks from studying, not distract me and mull my brain even more :P Thank you for supporting my writing (heart!)
Much love, KurosakiLove