Chapter 5: Telephone
Hello everyone. I want to thank you all for the birthday wishes last weekend, and for your kind words for my mentor. I appreciate it a lot. I feel much more at peace, and no longer as sick. Thank you again.
As for Telephone, this chapter turned out to be almost 3,000 words longer than the previous chapters. Got some ground covered in this one. I don't want to make Telephone any longer than 15 chapters, so I sped it up a bit. I hope you enjoy, and I am starting the next chapter after I edit this.
A quick note for this chapter:
Please do not take into offense what I have said or say about community colleges. It is simply taken from what I've heard these past few years, and from what I have seen in the times I've visited. Not all are "just like high school." I myself plan to go to one after the university to attend a program for two years. Simply put, no matter where you go, we ourselves make the most of any education. So, don't think I am bashing on anyone in a community college :)
And "Blackout" is by Linkin Park from the album A Thousand Suns (Yes, they are my absolute favorite.)
And I am borrowing the name "Kuramitsu Mihoshi" from Tenchi Muyo!
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.
Her boots clicked across the tile as she headed for the front.
Monday – 9:30am
"Alright, everyone!" A tall, slim but full-figured woman walked through the door at the strike of thirty after nine; the students broke apart from their groups, taking their seats as their instructor laid her bag on her desk, hiking up her skirt as she jumped ontoit; "I am Kuramitsu Mihoshi! Just call me Mihoshi…."
The petite soul reaper among the students glared at the whistles ringing out as their instructor crossed her legs with a smirk, a sheet of paper on her lap; "Now, unlike high school- I could care less if you show up for class."
Rukia quirked her eyebrow, a few cheers about her.
"However, today I am required to, to see how many students can add in. So, let's get on with this!"
The room quieted down, Rukia resting her chin in her palm, leaning to her side at the desk, its wooden top covered in graffiti.
"Let's see, now… Asano Keigo!"
Violet eyes grew wide with horror, the classroom's rear door bursting open, none other than Keigo's voice blaring out; "Here! Sorry I am late, Miss Gorgeous! I'll just take a seat where you can find me the second you need me-."
No, no, no, no! Rukia breathed deeply as she glanced at the empty seat beside her, nude, manicured nails digging into her helpless wooden desk with Keigo's footsteps approaching closer to the front, violet eyes shut tightly; please don't sit next to me, please don't-
"K-Kuchiki-san! My Kuchiki-san, you're here!"
Son of a-
A larger hand gripped Rukia's as Keigo dramatically fell to his knees, rubbing his cheek on her hand, Rukia fighting back a growl as she tried to pull her hand from him, muttering around them.
"A-Asano-kun, please let my hand go-!"
"Kuchiki?" "Kuchiki, from Karakura High?" "Hey, it's Rukia!"
A heavy textbook slammed down onto Rukia's desk before she could push the male off, Keigo jumping back into his desk in surprise, Rukia looking up into her instructor's narrowed, blue eyes, blonde hair falling over her shoulders in waves; "Leave any flirting with your boyfriend outside of my classroom."
"B-but he isn't-!"
"Hell yeah I am! Woo!" Keigo grinned proudly from his seat as their instructor shook her head in disbelief, returning to her desk, Rukia gripping the edges of her own as she glared at the chalkboard in front of her, the muttering of their high school classmates growing louder.
"Wow, I also thought she'd end up with Kurosaki!" "She's dating Keigo?" "That means Kurosaki is single! Does he come here?"
Rukia closed her eyes, counting silently to herself as she instructed herself to inhale and exhale, Kuchiki.
10:47am
Rukia quickly maneuvered her petite, slender body through the crowds of students in the hallways, her reiatsu lashing out more angrily with every shove against her or with every snag of her messenger against someone else, her violet eyes set on the building's doors just ahead of her, not far-
"My lovely Kuchiki-san!"
Keigo reached between two bodies Rukia slipped past through, finding her wrist in time to grasp it; "Kuchiki-san!"
Inhale and exhale, Kuchiki. Biting her lip as she released her deep breath, Rukia slowly turned to the anxious male, her wrist in his hold; "Yes?"
Pushing through the people about him, Keigo grinned wildly, keeping his hold on her wrist.
"Didn't think I'd actually run into you! Thought I'd have to hunt you down!"
Rukia sighed heavily as Keigo tugged on her wrist; "With how Ichigo abandoned you while he parties it up in his fancy school, I'll be sure to take care of you, Kuchiki-san!"
"With how Ichigo abandoned you-."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind Asano-kun…." Rukia tugged on her wrist, his grip loosening; "Now, if you excuse me, I have class at eleven-."
Keigo tightened his hold on her wrist again, his grin growing; "Is it Biology 101 with Jurai?"
You're kidding me...
Rukia clenched her jaws, forcing a smile as she counted to herself, inhaling, and exhaling deeply at the rough shove of someone's shoulder against her.
"…yes. Yes, it is, indeed Biology 101 with Jurai."
11:24am
The short, stout male lecturer barely stood taller than Rukia despite her boots, his black, glazed eyes looking down into her glaring violet gaze, his arms crossed over his chest; "Are you telling me that you have no idea what the taxonomic order is, Kushaki?"
"Kuchiki." Rukia nearly snarled, clenching her fists; "And no, as you've made clear to the whole class we stand in for the third time, Jurai sensei-."
I'm older than you, you lowly imbecile!
"-I do not know the taxonomic order." Rukia frowned at the burning of her cheeks under the staring and whispering of the sixty-some students behind her, the instructor snorting as he tossed his hands into the air; "Just how did you manage to graduate, hm? Goodness, I'll have to teach you everything!"
Don't kill him, Kuchiki, don't kill him- it's against Soul Society's regulations.
"Last I checked, that's what we pay for you to do, you pomp-!"
A hand clamped over her mouth, Keigo's cheery grin over her shoulder as he waved off their instructor's frowning glare; "My deepest apologies, sensei! Kuchiki-san here is dealing with her monthly problems, you know what I mean?"
Rukia tensed, laughter from their classmates hardly covered up, her body shaking with irritation, her reiatsu trying to suffocate Keigo and her instructor.
"Please carry on with the lecture!" Keigo pulled Rukia back down with him into their desks, the petite shinigami immediately slapping his hand away, snapping at him under her breath as their instructor started lecturing again; "On my period? Have you no limits-!"
"Kuchiki-san- maybe you should stick to your cute, innocent, obeying school-girl act. They're the teachers and we're the students- just sit back while they babble about!"
He settled back into his seat, back to scribbling random, vulgar drawings on his paper, Rukia turning her eyes back onto her own.
Ichigo would have been up there, yelling with me….
She fingered her cell in her jacket's pocket, a sigh leaving her as she turned her attention onto the lecturer.
Ichigo….
2:47pm
Rukia pulled out her cell from its place between her hip and jeans before she slipped into her seat, the back of the long classroom more appealing than the front, a sigh leaving her.
Staring at her iPhone for a few seconds, Rukia glanced up at the clock above the door, sliding the screen lock aside, rotating her cell onto its length as she quickly opened her texting thread with Ichigo, her thumbs moving over the screen's keyboard.
Hey Ichi, what are you-
Violet eyes looked up as she felt someone sit beside her, Rukia holding back a cringe as she recognized "Kunieda Ryō-san; how nice to see you."
Ryō smiled tightly, leaning her arm onto the desk, the other slung over the back of her seat as she looked over Rukia.
"Likewise, Kuchiki-san. Didn't think I'd see you here, with how you and Kurosaki seemed glued at the hip… especially our last year at Karakura…."
Rukia leaned back in her seat, her cell standing by; "We're just friends, Kunieda- I don't need to go everywhere he does."
She glanced at Ryō in time to catch her smirk, a frown weighing down Rukia's neat brows, the taller female leaning forward, talking in a whisper- "Or is it that you're not good enough for him, seeing that you're with the likes of Asano?"
Rukia's skin burned, her hand tightening around her cell phone.
"I am not with Asano, and how exactly does a separation of school choice condemn people not to be good enough for another- if that were to matter when it comes to Ichigo and I, Kunieda?"
A short fit of laughter left Ryō, Rukia frowning even further, her irritation growing again, Keigo's loud voice echoing in the hallway as he passed by.
"Oh, Kuchiki-san! I'm impressed you hold such fancy articulation given the fact you ended up here…."
Rukia shifted in her seat uncomfortably, glaring at the young woman beside her; "What do you mean-?"
"Aside from students like me who are simply waiting for scholarships to come through and transfer us to our school of choice…."
Ryō leaned even closer, more students gathering into the classroom as she fought back a smirk; "Everyone knows that everyone who ends up here, simply aren't cut for the state universities like dear Kurosaki went to- that everyone here, has no future, just as they haven't got much brains."
Unless of course, you have a scholarship pending, too, Kuchiki-san? In that case, please forgive me, darling."
Ryō stood up as the instructor stepped through, ruffling Rukia's hair as she left; looking down at the black screen of her iPhone, her raven tresses falling about her, hiding her face from those around her, Rukia returned to her text, canceling it.
…just breathe, Kuchiki….
4:18pm
Rukia sighed as she shifted her messenger's strap across her shoulder, a hand raking through her hair; crossing the small quad, few leaves floating about her in the chilled breeze, Rukia quickly made her way across campus, her iPhone clutched in her hand.
"An easy teacher mistaking me to be some idiot desperate enough to have someone like Keigo as a partner-!"
"Hey, gorgeous! Never saw you at my old school!"
Rukia barely registered the cat-calls from somewhere behind her, only the clicking of her hurried steps running through her mind in time with her deep breaths and angry venting-
"Some stupid idiot forgetting he's a stupid teacher meant to teach the stupid subject- and, and Keigo! Again! On my period, my ass-!"
"Baby! Slow down!"
She turned into the narrow, open hall leading towards the west parking lot, only a few students anywhere in sight, her hand tightening even more around her cell phone.
"I'm not stupid- I'm not stupid, nothing that bitch said was true… Ichigo wouldn't think that about me... w-would he-?"
"Yo!" Rukia whirled onto the sudden hold of her messenger's strap, a tall, bleached-hair male standing before her, her gaze finding his group of friends some feet behind him; "What?"
"Oh, hey now, pretty, little one! No need to snap, just your name will do!"
Violet eyes rolled at him, Rukia pulling her strap from his hold before turning on her heel, calling over her shoulder; "I'm not little-!"
Her petite body was roughly turned around, her iPhone slipping from her surprised hold to drop onto the ground, large hands gripping her shoulders; wide, violet eyes looking up to find grey ones staring annoyingly at her, his group of friends walking closer to them, Rukia kept silent, the tall male leaning down close enough for Rukia to feel his hot breath on her skin.
"Look, little lady… no one ignores me…. Now, be a good girl and join me and my friends for some fun, yeah-?"
He is human, Kuchiki. Rukia turned her cheek to him, breathing in deeply through her nose. You can't hurt humans, you can't hurt hu-
Thick fingers gripped her chin, turning it back to face him, his hand dropping from her chin to reach down and squeeze her firm rear, the male licking his lips; "You can show us how little you really are, yeah-?"
Rukia felt his nose break against the heel of her palm, dropping her messenger bag as his friends jumped at her.
They are human, Kuchiki. Rukia spun into her right, arms close to her chest, her torso leaning over her left hip as her long, toned right leg hooked up behind her, out-stretching itself in time to connect the back of her heeled boot to a jaw-
You can't kill humans.
4:26pm
Silence was heavy within her car, the lot nearly empty of other cars, the west parking lot not a favorite to most due to its distance from the campus; her hand tightly gripping the steering wheel, her forehead rested against it, her other hand clutching her beaten iPhone, scratches and scrapes covering the sleek device.
What are you doing here, Kuchiki? Is this place… what you've come to deserve?
Her cell phone vibrated in her hand, Rukia's violet eyes opening to stare down into her lap, her bloodied fingers turning her iPhone in hand to see the screen, a new message from Ichigo reflected in her gaze.
How was your first day?
A bitter laugh left her, Rukia pushing off the steering wheel, sitting up straight in her empty car.
A tear left a trail along her skin before her denial of it struck, the back of her hand wiping it away; blood smeared on her screen as a dial tone reached her ears, Rukia bit her lip, her phone brought up to her ear.
"With how Ichigo abandoned you-."
The tone was cut almost immediately, Ichigo's voice carrying over to her, Rukia almost smiling at the grin she could tell he had from his voice; "Yo, Rukia-."
"Ichigo…." He became quiet, a strange tightening in her chest at his immediate attention.
"Rukia, what's wrong?"
She held silent over the phone, sitting behind the steering wheel, picking at her scarf's soft material with bloodied hands, Ichigo's voice carrying through again, calling out her name.
"I… Ichigo, I hate it here!"
Yuzu carefully placed the steaming cup of tea in front of Rukia's clasped hands on their table top, her brown gaze glancing up to find Rukia's eyes closed, Karin standing behind her chair, brushing Rukia's hair with her fingers, holding an ice-pack to Rukia's temple.
Yuzu sighed lowly, moving into the kitchen, grabbing a towel to run under the sink; violet eyes opened slowly at the feel of Yuzu's soft hand holding hers, a damp towel running over her skin, the young female gently cleaning off the blood from Rukia's hands; "Yuzu…."
"I used to clean Ichi-nii's bruises and cuts, Rukia-chan, when others used to pick fights with him, just because of his hair…."
Violet meeting with brown, Yuzu smiled softly at Rukia before it became a smirk, Rukia amazed at how she matched it exactly to her brother's; "He hated the fact that I saw him like that, just how you want to…."
Yuzu dropped the towel onto the table top, both her hands holding Rukia's, her small hands running over Rukia's clean ones, their eyes on their hands before meeting again-
"But it's what family does for each other, Rukia-chan."
Rukia drew in a shaky breath as she closed her eyes, fighting back the stinging of her eyes, her hands tightening their hold of Yuzu's; nodding, biting her lip in a useless attempt to hide her ridiculous smile, Rukia opened her eyes, reaching up a hand to grab Karin's on the ice-pack.
"Karin, you're letting me get soft… I thought you said you would keep me from this?"
Yuzu's twin snickered, continuing to run her fingers through Rukia's hair.
"It'll be our little secret, Rukia…. Does… does Ichi-nii know about this?"
Rukia sighed, nodding; "Y-yeah… I called him… but, he… he just told me not to worry about it…."
"What?"
Rukia nodded again, staring at the grain's pattern on the wooden table.
"R-Rukia… I don't know what to say, don't know what to tell you…."
Rukia closed her eyes, shaking her head; "I-Ichigo, I-."
"Look, Rukia- don't worry about it."
Her eyes snapped open, her voice barely louder than a whisper-
"W-what?"
"Rukia… don't worry about it. Now get home and study. I'll call you at eight."
The line was cut, Rukia sitting still and silent, the phone to her ear.
"Ichigo…."
Yuzu frowned with her twin at what little they could feel of Rukia's heavy reiatsu, Karin tossing the ice-pack onto the table, her hands on Rukia's shoulders; "Rukia, go get some rest, hai?"
Rukia didn't argue, slowly nodding before pushing out of her seat.
"Hai." She felt Karin's arms circle around her waist and rest her cheek on the back of Rukia's head, Yuzu standing to hug her as well, Rukia sandwiched between the taller twins.
Laughing, Rukia held onto Karin's arm over her stomach, her other hand burying itself into Yuzu's full, soft hair as she pressed their foreheads together; "Arigato, both of you…."
The tall, beautiful twins embracing her smiled widely, hugging Rukia tightly between them.
"We love you, Rukia."
Violet eyes grew wide again, tears quickly brimming them; clutching onto Yuzu and Karin, Rukia bit her lip, closing her eyes, letting her few tears run down, breathing out a laugh before barely whispering for only their hearts to hear-
"I… I do, too, little ones. I… I l-love you, too…."
Rukia's cell vibrated softly beside her on her large, soft bed, textbooks spread around her, papers and pens scattered about.
Picking up her iPhone with a sigh, Rukia slid the lock aside, opening her messages with Ichigo, his newest text marking a quarter after seven.
Feeling any better? Are you studying?
She tapped the screen, quickly replying.
Yeah.
Ichigo sighed as he leaned further back into his seat, his orange mane wild with yet another run of his hand through it.
To: Kuchiki Rukia
What are you studying?
"C'mon midget, keep talking…."
His Macbook Pro sat lightly on his lap, his university's web page on screen.
Ichigo hovered his mouse over his first professor's website, clicking on it to check the schedule for the week. He felt his Torch vibrate, his attention immediately on it.
From: Kuchiki Rukia
Biology.
Another sigh left him, his screen slid up to reveal the small key pad, his thumbs quickly running over it, his message sent with a single tap of his screen.
To: Kuchiki Rukia
What sections are you studying?
The creaking floorboard beneath Rukia's small feet was loud in the empty household, Isshin still working at the hospital, the twins next door to babysit a few hours; crossing the living room with her over-sized v-neck she had borrowed from Ichigo sometime ago, her flannel pants low on her hips, hiding even her toes from sight, Rukia quietly made her way up the stairs into the silent hallway above, her phone and textbook clutched tightly against her chest.
Making her way through the dark easily, Rukia passed the girls' room to find Ichigo's, her cell slipped between her hip and the tight hem of her pants to free her hand, the handle of Ichigo's door cold to her warm skin.
Slipping through the doorway, Rukia bumped the door shut again, her hand easily finding the light switch to the dark room; flinching at the slight burn in her eyes, Rukia silently made her way through to the empty desk, throwing her textbook onto it carelessly.
"Pompous bastard giving us three chapters to cover already… I bet we'll have another three tomorrow."
A hum vibrated against her, Rukia unable to help the roll of her eyes as she fell onto Ichigo's springy mattress, her shirt pulled up her stomach to grab her iPhone, her thumb tapping the screen lazily to read Ichigo's text.
What is your schedule tomorrow? Are you out at the same time? Start at the same time?
An irritated edge roughed up her reiatsu, a deep sigh leaving Rukia as she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palms, eventually dropping her cell phone aside; her messages with Ichigo remained on screen, before it turned black.
Minutes passed through which she remained still and silent, breathing in deeply and slowly letting it out, her chest tight beneath the weight of her heavy reiatsu, her first day of stupid college replaying over and over in her exhausted mind.
"Is that school really what I'm worth…?"
She jumped at the blaring music of "Blackout," turning onto her side to grab her phone, recognizing the ringtone as "Ichigo-."
"You actually ignored my text- that hurts, Kuchiki."
"You'll live, I'm sure." Her violet eyes looked up onto the desk to find the alarm clock, met with a blank face as it had been, and still was, unplugged; "Let me guess and say it's eight o'clock, then?"
"I said I'd call, didn't I?"
Rukia moved onto her stomach, stretching out her entire body with a small yawn, her shirt still hitched up to expose her stomach and lower back, her flannel pants low on her slim hips.
"Yeah, well I'm busy, so maybe we should leave this call for another night-."
"Lying on my bed with your textbook practically falling off my desk on the side farthest from you doesn't seem like such an errand to keep you from talking to me, midget."
A shiver ran up Rukia's spine at the sound of his voice some feet away from her, rather than through her iPhone; pulling her cell from her ear, Rukia slowly turned enough to look over her shoulder, Ichigo standing at the corner of his closet's wall, his messenger and duffle over his shoulder, only his bangs and tips of his mane showing off their color from beneath a beanie, his cell slipped into his pocket; "Yo."
Rukia couldn't find her voice as Ichigo dropped his bags to the floor, turning back to the door to close it, the lock clicked into place; Ichigo made his way back into the room, past his abandoned bags towards his desk, leaning against the wooden edge beside the bed, hands buried into his jeans' pockets.
Ichigo glanced down onto his bed to find violet eyes looking up at him, a smirk pulling onto his lips.
"First you ignore me, then lie so that you don't have to talk to me- what the hell is up with that? I feel like the asshole whose nose you broke today."
He was met with silence, Rukia's eyes and reiatsu telling him all, however.
Pushing off the desk, Ichigo crouched down beside the bed, Rukia's eyes following him, her gaze now higher than his as she remained lying on her stomach and leaning on her elbows, her stray strand of hair between her eyes just as he always counted on it to be.
Reaching up to Rukia, Ichigo brushed back her hair, keeping his fingers tangled within it to keep her stray bang from falling back in place; "Dealing with this over a stupid phone wasn't going to help you… sorry I made you think I was just leaving it at that."
Son of a-
"Damn you, Ichigo." Rukia bit at her lips in hopes of hiding her smile, Ichigo breathing out a laugh before moving up from his position, climbing up onto his bed, Rukia rolling onto her back as he moved over her to sit against the wall, his long legs over her abdomen; reaching her arms up above her head, Rukia grabbed onto his pillow, pulling it beneath her head, Ichigo's amber eyes on her.
Poking at her leg within reach, Ichigo leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees, Rukia turning onto her side beneath his legs draped over her, silent under his gaze; "If anyone asks, I was an inconsiderate jerk to you and only came to kick Keigo's ass."
Rukia laughed loudly, her body curled up for warmth under his legs, her violet eyes bright and loud, but her voice… he barely heard her; "Don't worry… the fact you have a heart stays in this home…."
Amber eyes softened, Ichigo hesitating before moving his arm from his knees, his hand moving to rest beside hers, his fingers grazing the back of her hand; watching Ichigo's fingers just barely run over her, Rukia turned her hand over, their palms against each other, grasping each other's hand.
"Rukia-." Her male shinigami yelped at the small ankle suddenly hooking around his neck, pushing him down onto his side, his tall body sprawled into a mess.
He could feel Rukia move about him, her light weight on his hip, her long legs around him; "Oi!"
"Hush now, Berry! Now that we have the mushy crap aside, how about you tell me-." Leaning down, the length of her torso along his side, her elbow on his shoulder as she smirked down at him gazing up at her, Rukia tugged on his bangs; "-just what you plan on doing now? Don't you have school, four hours away from here?"
Ichigo dropped his head onto the mattress as he kept his eyes on her, smirking.
"I checked my schedules and we don't have anything big this week- and Chad is recording all our lectures."
Rukia frowned at him, swiftly meeting the palm of her hand to the back of his head, another yelp leaving Ichigo-
"Hey!" "Idiot!"
Rukia pushed off his shoulder, her arms crossed with a glare; "What the hell are you thinking, you rash moron!"
Ichigo rolled his eyes, turning his body without warning, Rukia slammed onto the springy mattress with a squeal- "Hey-!"
He held her down with his weight, moving his hips to rest between hers, Rukia's arms caught by his hand between their chests, his other arm supporting his weight above her.
"What, are you going to tell me to go back? It wasn't easy coming over so suddenly, you know!"
Rukia glared at the male on her, cut off before she could say anything, Ichigo's face close to hers with a glare to rival her own; "I'm not going to listen to what you say, so don't bother, idiot!"
"W-what! What's that suppose to mean! You're ignoring my opinion, when you came to make me feel better- what the hell!"
She slammed her knee into his hip, a loud 'OW!' screaming out from Ichigo's lungs, his hand surrendering his hold on her arms to nurse his aching hip, Rukia grabbing a fistful of his hair through his beanie; "What kind of gesture is this!"
"Shut up! It's my gesture, that's what it is!" He swatted her hand away from his head, sitting up onto his knees, pulling Rukia up with him by her hands; "So now, stop babbling and go crouch in your old closet, shiver with tears and whine like a little girl-!"
"I am not little!"
A frown pulled at Rukia's lips as Ichigo let up his glare and laughed, his head shaking in disbelief, Rukia confused and irritated; "What? What the hell has you giggling like an imbecile?"
"Of everything I said, you only picked up on 'little'?"
Rukia huffed at him, quirking her eyebrow up.
"And for being such a hard-ass, you like to hold hands?" Amber eyes snapped to their hands, finding her smaller ones in his hold, their fingers intertwined.
Rukia was hoping for a blush to tease him on, but found herself pulled closer, the slightly rough texture of Ichigo's lips on the curve of her jaw, his hands tighter around hers; "Well, that could also be kept in this home- specifically in this room."
Rukia held in her breath desperate to escape her, Ichigo pulling away from her at a dangerously slow pace, dropping her hands as he moved off the bed; Rukia was left kneeling on his bed, Ichigo standing by the closet's edge, his hands in his jeans' pockets.
His eyes on Rukia behind orange bangs, Ichigo leaned against the wall, straightening his beanie Rukia had attacked earlier.
"So, do you want to stay here in my room, on my springy mattress while I enjoy your giant bed, or switch with me?"
Rukia smiled, tugging her shirt down, climbing off the bed after snatching up her cell phone; arms thrown back behind her neck, Rukia walked over to the taller male, her toes stopping just barely short of his, curling to hide under her baggy flannel pants.
Violet on amber, Rukia shrugged innocently; "I vote my bed."
She stepped around him, unlocking his door; with Ichigo watching her, Rukia slipped past the door, shutting it behind her.
Ichigo remained staring at the door as he felt her reiatsu move downstairs to her bedroom. It was minutes later that he pushed off the wall, stripping of his shirt with a stretch of his muscles, his phone vibrating in his pocket.
New Message From:
Kuchiki Rukia
"What the…?" Ichigo sat on his bed as he lightly tapped his Torch's screen, scowling as he read it.
From: Kuchiki Rukia
I pulled off our outfit better, Berry. You still need to kiss my ass!
"Gah, damn it, Rukia!"
"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu's long, sandy-brown hair trailed behind her as she ran out from the kitchen into his open arms, Ichigo's hands hooking under her legs, pulling her up into his embrace; "Yo, Yuzu!"
"Oh, Ichi-nii, I can't believe you're back!" Yuzu pushed back to look at her older brother, brushing his bangs aside; "Did you already say hi to Rukia and Karin-chan?"
"Well, actually-." "Ichi-nii?"
Ichigo looked over his shoulders, Karin standing within the staircase, her long, black hair up in a pony-tail, clad in her uniform just as Yuzu; "I-Ichi-nii, you're back…?"
"Hai, Karin- figured I should at least take you both to school, tease ya a bit and scare off some perverts while I'm at it." His smile was mirrored on her, a wicked grin on her lips as she pounced off the steps, landing on her brother's back, Ichigo hardly stumbling with the added weight; "Oi, I could have fallen and killed Yuzu with my fat ass!"
Yuzu laughed, holding Karin's hand as they clung to him together; "As if, Ichi-nii! I bet Rukia can even join in-!"
"Your brother can barely handle me, Yuzu." The siblings turned their attention to Rukia, the petite shinigami making her way into the kitchen, Ichigo's amber gaze on her as she walked on by; "Che, says you…."
His eyes roamed over her slender, curved figure defined by her tight jeans and hobo-looking, rag of a shirt cut off at the shoulders, resting just over her modest chest, under her collar bone.
Damn it, midget.
"Rukia-chan, I made your favorite pancakes today, with fresh strawberries!"
Yuzu jumped down to the floor with Karin, Ichigo rubbing the back of his neck as he followed behind them, a growl at the back of his throat at their teasing glances at the mention of the strawberries; "Yeah, yeah. Hurry up, then, 'cause I'm taking you two to school and I don't want to get stuck in traffic."
Rukia passed Karin a napkin, looking at Ichigo with an eyebrow raised up in confusion.
"What do you mean you're taking them? What's all this about?"
Standing behind Rukia's chair, Ichigo leaned over her shoulder, stabbing his fork into Rukia's cut pancakes, taking a mouthful despite her violent string of protests.
"Well, I'm here, so might as well be useful, right?"
Karin spun her fork in hand, smirking; "I think you're trying to woo her into thinking you can be useful to her, were she to waste time on you!"
Yuzu bursted out laughing as their older pair choked on their food, Karin wiggling her thin, elegant eyebrows.
"Am I right, Ichi-nii? Actin' all mature and reliable for our Rukia-chan?"
Food clear from his windpipe, Rukia glaring at the twins just below his scowling face, Ichigo pointed his fork threateningly at the beauty of his sister, nearly snarling; "Y-you stay out of this!"
Violet eyes grew wide before glaring up at him, Rukia jabbing her finger into his chin just above her.
"Stay out of what! You sounded as if you are trying to pull that shit!"
The twins only laughed harder, Ichigo swatting Rukia's finger from his chin, shrugging indifferently.
"Yeah, whatever- just shut up and sit there looking pretty, yeah?"
Rukia's light skin was flushed, her groomed brows twitching from her menacing glare she had fixed on Ichigo, the taller male leaning over her again, stabbing his fork into her pancakes once more; bringing his fork back towards his mouth, Ichigo whined at the hand grabbing hold of his wrist, Rukia moving his fork to her own mouth, feeding her the pancakes.
"Hey! What are you doing!"
Rukia licked the corner of her mouth with a shrug, Karin and Yuzu brought to tears and hysterics, their brother gaping at the petite shinigami staring at him with wide eyes and a twirl of her hair, voice soft and song-like-
"Why, Kurosaki-kun; I'm just sitting here looking pretty!"
"Why you little-!"
"Ichi-nii, we need to go! We're going to be late!" Yuzu and Karin pushed out their chairs with one last bite of their food, slinging their backpacks onto their shoulders, each twin grabbing onto either of Ichigo's arms; "C'mon, Ichi-nii!"
"W-wait-!"
They were out the door in seconds, the front door slammed shut after a quick wave from the girls to Rukia, the shinigami left alone in the house, a sigh leaving her.
She reached to the floor beside her, picking up Ichigo's abandoned fork in their hurry.
Rukia leaned her elbow on the table, her cheek in her palm, her fingers lazily twirling the fork around; "What the hell are we becoming, Strawberry?"
Her cell vibrated against her hip, Rukia moving off her elbow to grab it; hearing the hum of her TSX leave the driveway, Rukia read Ichigo's text.
Good morning, by the way.
Rukia smiled with a shake of her head, finishing up the rest of her pancakes in silent thought.
Yuzu and Karin shouted their 'good-bye, Ichi-nii!' once more as they stepped through the gate together, a few whistling and whooping thrown their way; the admiring students paled however, when they glanced about and saw Ichigo leaning against the car, glaring at them with an intent to burn them alive.
"M-m-my bad, Kurosaki-s-san!" "I-I meant that a-at the other girls-!"
"Pft, twerps." Pushing off Rukia's beloved vehicle, Ichigo circled around to the driver's side, slipping in with one last look at his high school; "Twenty til' eight… I should have time…."
Moving into drive, Ichigo merged into the steady flow of cars making their way through the busy morning of Karakura Town, his amber eyes soon scanning the streets for a parking spot by the small café close to his home, the metallic grey vehicle parked by its corner.
The bells rang out in a joyful jingle as he stepped through, few people in line, many others in their seats; "Welcome!"
Ichigo nodded with a small smile at the elderly barista, his eyes scanning the menus above, smirking at 'White Mocha' clearly written out.
Score.
"Ichigo?" He turned at the sound of Tatsuki's voice, finding the tall, slim female standing to his side, an empty cup in hand from what he guessed.
"Tatsuki."
The short line of people in front of him moved forward, Ichigo taking a step with it as Tatsuki stepped closer; "What the hell are you doing here, what about your classes four hours from here?"
A hand ran through his orange mane, Ichigo shrugging.
"Had to come take care of something." Take care of someone.
Tatsuki shifted on her feet, fingering the cup she held; "Take care of what?"
Ichigo moved with the line again, his reiatsu lowered as he buried his hands into his pockets, glancing at Tatsuki from behind orange bangs.
"You wouldn't like my reason, if Sunday meant anything at all."
Shit. Tatsuki cringed at the look Ichigo had, certain he was still angry; "Look, Ichigo…."
"I'm not getting with Inoue, Tatsuki. Accept it." His expression completely changed as Ichigo turned his attention to the sweet barista, his leather wallet pulled out from his back pocket, money exchanged for two warm cups of his addiction.
Thanking the barista, Ichigo stepped out of the way of other customers in line, simply nodding his 'good-bye' as he passed Tatsuki, leaving her behind in the shop.
Tatsuki watched Ichigo leave, sighing as she chucked her empty cup into the trash, moving back to her table to grab her bag.
What have we become?
"Yo, midget! Where are you?" His shoes kicked off, Ichigo bumped the door closed behind him, Rukia's car keys dropped into the dish, the two cups he held still warm to the touch.
"What kind of question is that?" He turned to see Rukia coming out from her room, her messenger and heels in tow; "You forgot we have reiatsu, Berry?"
"I suck ass at feeling reiatsu, you know that." Except yours..
Her eyes rolled themselves at him with a smirk, her bag tossed down on the couch; Rukia's attention moved to the cup he held out, her eyes studying it as it could explode any moment; "What is it?"
"Just a drink I saw in the small shop by the house. Try it."
Fingers grazed each other as she took the warm cup from his hand, Rukia hesitating before she moved the brim against her lips, eventually pressing them to it, having a taste.
Ichigo stood quietly as he watched her, his own drink forgotten for the moment; "Well?"
Licking her lips, staring at the white lid, Rukia moved her eyes onto Ichigo's, nodding.
"It's really good, for having coffee."
"White Mocha with caramel. Only one shot was added to yours, since you don't drink."
Ichigo took a drink of his own, moving into the kitchen; "Should we head out, short-stuff?"
Rukia followed him in, leaning against the refrigerator, her drink in hand.
"We? Where the hell are you going?"
Taking another drink, Ichigo moved to the refrigerator, his hand above her shoulder, leaning on it as he stood in front of her.
"Don't think I came to sit around at home. I'm going with you, you dumbass."
He didn't catch the frown that flashed onto her features, Rukia quickly straightening herself.
"Can you even do that? Won't you get in trouble, or something?"
Ichigo shook his head, shrugging before pressing his drink to his lips, shifting his footing; "Nah, they don't really give a damn in a school like Karakura Community. Nothing really matters there."
Rukia's hands tightened around her cup, her eyes breaking from his, looking down at the drink in her hand.
"Oh."
She felt Ichigo pull away, moving around the kitchen's corner, out of sight.
"C'mon, let's head out."
Rukia nodded to the empty kitchen, pushing off the refrigerator; "Yeah… let's go…."
They walked together in silence from the west parking lot, a strong sense of nostalgia of just some months ago over-whelming Rukia, her eyes on the ground, watching their steps match, the shadows of their bodies and backpacks moving with them just as they had in Karakura High.
It feels… right.
The pair of shinigami soon reached the first building of her lecture, the hallways crowded again with socializing students, Rukia grinning at the scowl Ichigo immediately held; "Are you serious? They can't stand around like idiots outside?"
Rukia bit back a laugh, weaving her way through with Ichigo following her, the loud chatter within groups soon laced with gasps of recognition from Karakura alumni.
"Kurosaki? I thought he was at the university!" "Hey look! It's Kurosaki!" "I see orange hair!"
Ichigo stepped quickly through the groups within the hallway, turning with Rukia into a room, met with more gasps; "Kurosaki!"
What a bother.
Rukia turned from the few students focused on them, poking Ichigo's arm through his grey sweater; "Do we sit in the back, since-?"
"No, in the front- where you better have sat yesterday…."
Rukia poked him again, much harder than before, resisting sticking out her tongue at him.
"I did. Over here…."
Moving to the front of the seats, Rukia took her place as just the morning before, Ichigo sitting beside her, as they had in all the time Rukia spent in high school with them, Rukia turning to Ichigo; "Is… is this… is this anything like the classrooms in your school?"
Ichigo snorted, shaking his head; "No, nothing like it all."
We have mainly lecture auditoriums, and in the ones that aren't, they're larger and the seats are bolted to the floor, so we can't move hem around and hang about like they are here."
"Oh…."
They sat in silence as more students walked in, Keigo's loud voice soon coming through the hall, a groan leaving Ichigo.
"Here we go…."
"Yeah, you bet I'm with her! And the assignment? Ha, it can- hey! I-Ichigo! My man, Ichigo!"
Hips turned in his seat, Ichigo scowling as he always had in his earlier years, an abrupt wave of his hand thrown at Keigo; "Yo, Keigo."
"Ha, ha, I can't believe it!" Keigo sped through the rows of seats, jumping over the last one, landing in front of Ichigo's seat; "What are doing here-!"
Brown eyes caught sight of Rukia's, Keigo paling as he slowly looked over to Ichigo beside her, then back to Rukia sitting beside Ichigo, back to Ichigo's scowling glare; "O-oh, man…."
"Keigo!" The three Karakura alumni turned their attention to the scrawny male jumping at Keigo, slapping his back as he jerked his thumb towards Rukia, Ichigo's scowl deepening as he watched; "Man, Keigo! I meant to give you mad points for scoring a chick like Rukia-!"
"No, no I didn't-!"
Hands slammed down onto the desk, Ichigo standing taller than the males now cowering before him, Ichigo's glare set on them; "You."
A finger pointed threateningly at Keigo, a squeal leaving his shorter friend under Ichigo's scowl; "You and I, have something to discuss about your so-called relationship with Rukia. Today, you don't have class until eleven fifteen."
Keigo nodded his head vigorously, students' attentions on the scene at the front of their class, Rukia silently watching Ichigo; turning his finger onto Keigo's friend, recognizing the boy from a class older than Ichigo, the shinigami deepened his stare, practically growling-
"And you- you refer to Rukia as Kuchiki-san, you hear?"
Another vigorous nod met him, a meek 'yes, Kurosaki-san, she is Kuchiki-san to me' replied. Satisfied with his response, Ichigo eased his glare only slightly, sitting back down in his seat beside Rukia's, Keigo stuttering as he pointed at the desk; "U-um, you… I was sit-ting there yesterday-."
"Find another one." Rukia bit back a smile as she watched the exchange, Ichigo slouched back in his seat, Keigo scurrying away a few seats behind them; their blonde instructor soon stepped through, her blue eyes on the unfamiliar student, Ichigo's attention set on Rukia's desk, however, his foot hooking around a leg, jerking the desk closer to his.
From: Asano Keigo
I take that as a no then and full grant to woo her at school that YOU are not at!
Ichigo slipped his Torch back into his pocket as he raised his gaze onto Keigo after reading the old text aloud, his tall form leaning back against the building's brick wall, Keigo sulking in front of him with a mumble; "Not my fault you ignored it and never read it…."
"Trying to get her to like you- which won't happen- is one thing, but what you've done is completely different- you're telling people she's something she's not- your girlfriend!"
"Well, what's it to you! You've always had girls at your feet no matter how much of a jack-ass you pretend to be!" Ichigo kept quiet as Keigo paced in front of him, still pouting; "And you don't know she could never like me- you never gave her a chance to like anyone!"
Ichigo's attention grew at that, straightening his stance.
"You were always with her, scaring off any guys, punching me off her, but you never made a move yourself! I mean, look at you- you're here to scare me off and you don't even come to this school! It's like you did all that just to up your reputation as a scowling bad-ass, and still are!"
You kept her for yourself and you don't even want her, unless you lied every time you hit me and yelled out 'she's just a friend, idiot!'"
Keigo shook from his nerves as he continued pacing, Ichigo's amber gaze on him from beneath his orange bangs about his eyes, Keigo still bitter all the girls at their school had swooned at the longer mane.
What seemed to be hours of silence passed between them, Ichigo's shift off the wall sending Keigo into a jerk to distance himself, calming down slightly when Ichigo simply stood there watching him, hands in his pockets.
"So… you want a reason, then, why you should leave her alone?"
Keigo kicked a rock aside, crossing his arms; "Well, y-yeah. If you even have one."
Ichigo nodded silently, a hand reaching up to rub his neck, his eyes on the window beyond them, Rukia sitting in her lecture, her eyes focused on the front.
"Alright. Leave her alone…." Ichigo moved his eyes onto Keigo's, his voice firm and clear; "…because I do want her."
Yes, I tweaked the conversation from Bleach: Chapter 117 to my liking. I hope you enjoyed, and thank you so, so much for your support.
Much love, Kurosaki Love