Chapter 24: Telephone

Hello readers, it's "Ky-Ky" again. I have a short chapter from KurosakiLove. She knows it's small, but she wanted to give you something. She sends her deepest apologies and warm hugs to all. I had to type up this chapter for her, since she had to sell her laptop for some money. I can read her writing for the most part, so hopefully I didn't get anything wrong. Oh, and "kudasai" has been replaced in the last chapter. She asked, "Why didn't anyone ever tell me!" but with love.

She's hasn't been sick as much, but has to take any little job. If you guys can, she has her Bleach posters for sale, the ones by yanimator on Deviant. Message her and I can check her messages for her. Which reminds me- she has not been ignoring you! Just doesn't have internet or computer access. So, keep your kind messages coming. She will love them when she gets back on.

As for SMD, she is still working on trying to re-write those chapters again. She struggles once she already had them done, never has the same will to do it twice... Thank you for your continued support on it.

Now for my message to you- I want to suggest to her, to write short stories like Once More, Ichigo, and sell them. No more than $10, unless she manages something bigger. What do you all think? I'll be checking her reviews for her. Which, she loves getting printouts of them. She misses FFnet a lot.

Well, hope you guys enjoy. Best wishes from KurosakiLove (PS: her birthday is the 20th this month... =])

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.

Hey Karin, Ryuu wants to take us to lunch.

Her iPhone vibrating in her lap, Karin jotted the last of her teacher's rant up front by the board, leaning back to glance down at her phone and slide the lock aside.

Scrunching up her nose, she quickly replied.

Do you two EVER do anything without me?

…yes.

Dark eyes rolled themselves, Karin's gaze moving to the desk beside her to find a stubborn pout, turning back to her phone.

Yeah and Im actually a natural blonde. You two go. Its an early end today, enjoy it.

She could feel Yuzu's glare, ignoring her as she caught up with the lecture, her phone vibrating again. Deciding to argue later, Karin pushed her phone off her lap, letting it fall into her bag at her feet.

Yuzu huffed, slouching over and dropping her chin into her palm, picking up on the notes as well.

Karin glanced at her twin, smiling as she shook her head with a soft laugh.

"Mika should be over soon, just getting her food." Rukia sighed tiredly as she sat at their usual table, wiping off the pink petals scattered about the table top.

Bag on the bench she sat on, feeling Ichigo shuffle about behind her, Rukia lifted the hem of her white hoodie, revealing her stomach, grabbing her phone nestled between her jeans and hip. Sliding her lock aside, Rukia scrolled through her recent message threads, Sato Mika highlighted.

We're at the sakura garden.

His own bag thrown onto the table, Ichigo groaned as he climbed over the bench, dropping down carelessly beside her; "I want my bed."

"And I want Chappy, but we can't all have what we want, can we?"

Rolling his amber eyes, Ichigo leaned to smash a sloppy kiss against her temple, swinging an arm around her shoulders against her weak protest, pushing off to nuzzle her cheek-

"But yet I have you, short-stuff."

Rukia only smiled, reaching up to run her fingertips along his strong jaw, the slightest of a blush burning her cheeks as he pulled away. Pulling his bag over to the edge, Ichigo slouched over to cross his arms over it and rest his head, orange bangs teasing his eyes as he looked at Rukia, his reaper watching the birds in the branches above.

He closed the distance between them, hands reaching up to catch her jaw before she could move away from him again, his rougher skin caressing hers as his thumb traced her stung cheek- "I didn't lead her to this point, not with how I feel for you, midget…."

Violet eyes had widened, Ichigo feeling Rukia tense, immediately cutting her off before her confused look could translate into words; "I-I'm not confessing that I'm madly in l-love with you or any of that sappy shit."

She remained silent, Ichigo feeling her hands grasp his arms, her male letting out a shaken breath.

"I don't want to scare us off with anything like that… but I definitely don't see myself going through all of this with anyone else…." He relaxed as her reiatsu steadied itself, running over him, her hands following his arms up to his wrists, eyes bright as they looked up at him; "Ichigo…."

"-are you listening at all, Ichigo?"

Ichigo snapped to attention, finding violet eyes glaring with irritation; "No. What were you babbling about?"

He laughed as she smacked his arm, cringing at the sharp sting she managed through his jacket. Reaching over to grip her knee, remaining in his tired, slouched form over his bag, Ichigo looked to Rukia as she cussed at him beneath her breath, shaking her knee.

"Oi, what were you telling me?"

"I was just asking you not to scare off Mika. She's not Usui…." Her thumb rubbed at the her phone's side, sighing as she moved her elbow onto the table and held her chin in hand, her gaze losing itself as she looked back up to the sakura branches above them.

Breathing deeply, regretting it as he felt his eyes beg even more to just rest, Ichigo ran his hand up her thigh, rubbing at the tight, smooth material of her jeans as his eyes closed, violet eyes closing with them.

"I know…."

Still meeting up with Rukia?

Yes Naoya. I'll see you after lunch.

Sighing as she slipped her slim phone back into her purse, shifting her weight from one foot to another, Mika stood amongst others waiting for their order, her receipt in hand.

There had been at least five other orders before hers, a pout pulling at her lips.

"Hopefully they don't take too long." Her gaze wandering to her arms, her wool sweater keeping her warm in the last of the chill, she frowned as a stray string of the red material caught her attention, pouting again as she picked at it. Hm, must have snagged or somethi-.

She gasped as at her lost balance as a shoulder met her, stumbling forward only a step before a large, gentle hand wrapped itself around her arm, holding her steady. Green eyes snapping over her shoulder, Mika followed a muscled arm wrapped in smooth, light chocolate skin up to hidden eyes within dark, loose curls, her arm no longer tense.

Chad frowned lightly; "I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

Mika nodded with a soft 'yes,' straightening up under his hold, brushing her hair back as his hand fell from her arm. She kept her glance on him even as he walked away, something familiar about him, a feeling within her that she had seen him before.

He walked through the crowd, walking over to a curvaceous woman with burnt-orange hair, her grey eyes bright as she looked up to him.

"Sado-kun, the lunch special is pretty good today!"

Mika turned away, arms crossed as she sighed again, waiting for her order.

To: Kuchiki Rukia

I'm tired.

Rukia's laughter was soft as she read his text, lulling his eyes to slip shut under the gentle reach of the sun, hearing the birds play in the sakuras about them, petals falling from above.

His body angled to lean against her smaller body beside him, her phone in hand, Rukia smiled as she quietly replied to him, hearing his Torch vibrate within his grasp, his thumb tapping his screen once to open the message and read it.

From: Kuchiki Rukia

No sleeping. Mika is coming.

Huffing, Ichigo let his phone drop from his hold, curling his arms around his head to hide himself, leaning further against her petite frame. Rukia frowned as his reiatsu slowly dropped, nudging his body best she could with his weight on her arm; "Ichigo, don't fall asleep! You said you'd meet her!"

His groan was muffled, his arms suddenly wrapping themselves around hers, one clutching her slender arm as the other laced their fingers together, palms warm against each other. He buried his face into her however he could, her hoodie soft and smelling of her and the sakuras about them, his orange mane sharp against the white color of her sweater.

Rukia couldn't help the small laugh, but still tugged at his hair, a light scold to her voice making him smile into her.

"Ichigo, you fool! Don't sleep! Kurosaki!"

Ryuu! Day ends in ten. Meet me at the gate?

Hai.

Their class slowly droned to its end, many students already packing, few still writing notes. Yuzu sighed as she leaned back in her seat, leg crossed over her thigh, their beige cardigan having replaced her heavy jacket as the season slowly grew warmer.

She looked over at Karin as their teacher left them to relax the last, few minutes of class, her brown eyes following her twin's slender, curving body up to her beautiful profile; "You sure you don't want to come with us?"

"I'm sure I don't want to date you two. Maybe even find someone of my own to be gross with."

Yuzu smirked, not missing a beat as she purred teasingly; "Hitsugaya taichou, hm?"

Karin bristled, digging her nails into her desk as she snapped her glare onto her- "You little-!"

Mika's lips parted at the small, sharp gasp she took, her arms clutching her packed soup close to her chest, its warmth seeping through her wool.

She had managed her way over to the single, secluded sakura garden, having stepped past the wooden arch into its center, green eyes on the table tucked beneath the oldest of the beautiful trees.

He had rushed Rukia back against the wall, few slowing their pace as his fist slammed onto the wall, Rukia keeping steady as others flinched; arms either side of her, eyes leveled with her, he clenched his hands- "He so much as touches you, I'll send his ass to hell."

Mika took in a shaken breath as he pulled away from Rukia, watching him push past a few males having gathered close in worry. She rushed over to her classmate, gently grasping her shoulder. Rukia spun her gaze back.

"M-Mika-san…."

"He didn't hurt you, did he? Do you know him, we can call security-."

Rukia stepped out of her classmate's gentle touch, shaking her head as she pulled her bag further up her shoulder, looking to where her male had left before looking back; "No, don't worry. He wouldn't hurt me. But I... I need to go…."

"But Rukia-san!"

That very same male, with that harsh gaze for Naoya, the one to have punched the wall beside her classmate's head….

Mika stared at them, a strange sensation over-coming her; he was asleep against Rukia's smaller body, his head just above her breasts, both his arms wrapped around hers, his large hand lacing his fingers with her delicate ones.

Violet eyes hadn't found Mika yet. Instead, they were soft and relaxed as Rukia watched her fingers slowly comb through his wild, orange mane, the slightest of smiles ghosting over her lips, his parted enough to breathe peacefully, his bangs teasing his cheeks and eyes.

Mika watched Rukia brush out a few petals from his hair, not bothering with those caught in her raven tresses, letting her hand find his temple and run down to his jaw, her fingers barely running over his skin.

It was then Mika took another step, violet eyes turned onto her with surprise, a shy smile on Rukia's gentle features encouraging one to pull at Mika's lips; "Hi, Rukia-san."

She walked over to the table as Rukia greeted her, brushing off petals from the table top for her friend to place her things. Looking back at Ichigo, his reiatsu a soft hum as he slept, Rukia sighed with a small laugh, looking over at Mika as she sat down across from her.

"…well- this is Ichigo. Sorry he's…."

Mika grinned as brushed back her hair, glancing between the two shinigami, taking them in now that she was closer; they are so different… but yet….

"No, don't worry, Rukia-san. He's had a long day so far?" Carefully taking off her soup's lid, breathing in deeply as the steam and smell immediately carried up, Mika looked at Rukia curiously as a brightness flashed across her tired eyes, a blush spreading lightly across her cheeks as Rukia met her gaze almost shyly; "He hardly slept before classes, maybe some two hours…. I think we might just go home."

"How many more-?"

Mika cut off as Rukia's eyes flickered past her shoulder, footsteps crushing the crisp blades of grass behind her. Turning around enough to look back, Mika caught sight of a pair walking towards them, her eyes widening as she recognized them from the café.

Coming up to their usual table, soups in hand, Inoue and Chad smiled as they reached it, laughing as they didn't find themselves surprised to see Ichigo sleeping, their attention on the pretty stranger as Rukia introduced her.

"Sado-kun, Inoue-san; this is Sato Mika from my classes."

Inoue beamed brightly as Mika out-stretched her hand to her, smiling back; "Sato-san, nice to meet you! I'm Inoue Orihime."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Inoue-san." As Inoue rounded the table to sit beside her, careful of her soup as she placed down her bag, Mika looked up again into eyes within dark curls, smiling as Chad took her small hand into his larger one; "Sado Yasutora, Mika-san."

"Nice to exchange names instead of shoulders, huh, Sado-kun?"

Chad smiled as Rukia and Inoue furrowed their neat brows in confusion, letting go of Mika's hand with a nod, circling to sit by Ichigo's side. Snapping the chopsticks apart they picked up with their food, Inoue leaned forward to catch Mika's gaze, brushing her long bangs behind her ear; "Ano, have you and Sado-kun met before?"

Mika laughed as she nodded, looking at the quiet male as he brushed off petals from the table.

"Just before in the café actually. I had also seen you, but didn't think I'd meet either of you again."

Chad broke apart his chopsticks, looking to the three women as Ichigo continued asleep against Rukia, uncovering his soup; "If only all of us could be awake."

They laughed as they settled down and took their first bites, Inoue immediately getting to know more of Mika as Chad listened, Ichigo's shift of his head against Rukia pulling her attention from the conversation; Rukia smiled as she looked around the table before looking back at his relaxed features, brushing the back of her hand across his cheek.

She let him sleep, laughing as Mika paled at Inoue's description of her favorite dish.

This is nice….

"Ryuu!" Waving as she took the short set of steps out of the building, Yuzu passed the stares and whispers without care, her senior waiting at the gate with hands in his jeans, a handsome smile greeting her back; "Hey, Yuzu…."

He laughed as she nearly crashed into him, arms swung around his neck as she hugged him, his own arms circling her slim waist as she stood on her toes, nose buried in her soft, long tresses of brown hues. The gorgeous sophomore let go of him with a smile, dropping back on her heels as he took her bag, shouldering it as they turned out from the gate, taking to the sidewalk towards the town's center.

"Karin not coming today?"

"No, she said we should go ahead without her…." Shadows dancing over them as they walked beneath towering trees, the pair walked in a comfortable silence as Karakura students moved about them, their stares following Kurosaki's sister with the expelled senior, remarks never reaching them as Ryuu took Yuzu's hand in his, thumb rubbing her soft skin.

She looked over to meet his gaze, a small smile on his lips beneath his darker hues of brown, tugging her closer as they walked, walking together alone; "This is nice, no…?"

Yuzu smiled, nodding with a soft 'hai,' tightening her hold of his hand gently.

You and Ryuu better behave without my awesome presence gracing you.

"Teru, what do you think of this? These any good?" Grabbing the gel heel supports, smacking the slim package against her hip as her co-worker walked over to her, Rin sighed as an announcement rang out throughout the large grocery store, handing over the box as Teru reached her.

"Oh! I have these, they're pretty good so far." Handing it back, the bleached blonde gathered up her thick hair into a ponytail, moving back to their shopping cart, continuing back down the aisle; "Can't really remember what else I need…."

Following behind the blonde, Rin loosened the tight tuck of her work shirt into her pants, shrugging.

"I guess that's it. I have to get some vitamins Ichirou takes, though."

Teru nodded, rounding the corner and heading down the back aisle, eyes up on the signs above, looking for the correct one. They passed the frozen goods, a sudden craving for, "Ice cream! Let me get some, take the cart, Rin."

Rin shook her head with a smile, watching her friend run down and study her choices, Rin's brown gaze looking around as she slowly pushed forward.

She abruptly stopped as she looked ahead, breath caught in her throat.

There was no mistaking his handsome scowl, his tall body slouched with his arms on the cart's handle, a foot propped up on the bottom basket- there was no mistaking his orange hair.

"Kurosaki-kun…." She took deep breath and started pushing forward again, trying to relax her features into a nice smile, gripping the cart's handle tightly; but she stopped again, taken aback by the roll of paper towels suddenly thrown at him, the handsome male snapped out of his thoughts as the roll bounced off his chest into the cart.

No, don't tell me….

Kuchiki Rukia stepped into view, arms full of other paper towel rolls, standing beside him as she dropped each roll into the basket, his scowl immediately a handsome smile as he looked at her, amber eyes bright behind his orange fringe.

"It was hard, so I'm taking both of these flavors. Hey, why didn't-?"

Teru froze as she came up behind Rin with a quartz carton of ice cream in each hand, her brunette co-worker silent as she watched her famous Kurosaki-kun place a hand on the small of Rukia's back, his smile growing as she looked at him and said something, reaching up and tugging at his mane.

Ichigo shook his hair out of her hold, smirking as he leaned down to just barely hover his lips over her ear, whatever he whispered making Rukia throw her head back and laugh; her male straightening up, he pressed a chaste kiss on her temple before moving back against the cart.

Teru bit her lip, stepping closer to Rin as she kept her gaze on the pair aisles ahead.

"R-Rin, let's just go-."

"I've never, seen him smile like that." Rin took Teru by surprise, brown eyes struggling with a conflict of emotion as she watched them scan through their cart's items, throwing words back and forth between themselves.

Sighing, Rin dropped her head as she turned the cart into the aisle they stood beside, pushing it down towards the front as she glanced over her shoulder, slowing her steps as she saw Teru still standing at the mouth, meeting her gaze.

Rin gave a weak smile, shrugging at Teru's silent questioning, pointing at the ice cream she held; "They're going to melt if we wait for something to happen here. Let's go, my brother can come buy the vitamins on his own."

Teru breathed out a laugh, a smile growing on her lips as she nodded, following after Rin as she continued down, but taking one last look at the odd pair, Ichigo's gaze soft as he watched Rukia debate the juice she had chosen.

Teru caught up to Rin, asking her if Mint Chocolate and Strawberry Shortcake could induce a successful food coma.

"Only one way to find out."

Trunk closed, Rukia already inside, buckling herself up, Ichigo rounded the TSX and squeezed between the cars, cussing out the fucker who can't park, managing to open his door and slip through.

Door pulled shut, sighing as he practically melted into the passenger seat, Ichigo watched Rukia plug in her iPhone into the auxiliary, hand running through his hair as music played low; "You could still go back and make it to your class… we both can-."

"You slept through a whole lunch, without any of us exactly taking care to whisper, and Chad had to punch you to wake you up. And I'm tired, too…." Engine turned on to a soft hum, Rukia shifted into reverse, twisting her body to look out the rear window, her male giving up and resting his head back with closed eyes.

"You win, Kuchiki."

Pulling out in a smooth curve, shifting down into drive, Rukia smirked as they pulled forth, making her way out of the parking lot; "When do I not, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo peered open an eye, smiling as she sat behind the wheel, grinning.

Kurosaki Isshin stared at Karin as they stood in the kitchen, their heavy, blank stares and crossed arms mirroring father and daughter. He watched her pretty eyes slowly fall into a glare, teeth gritting together as irritation over-came; "Well, I'm not cooking! I could care less what you find to eat around here."

Isshin frowned dramatically, rubbing at his cheek covered in stubble, pouting as she kept glaring.

"I came all the way home during break for Yuzu's cooking, and instead find you, harassing your poor papa. Masa-!"

Karin threw an orange at her wailing father, sighing as she scooped up her duffle and slung it across her shoulder, stepping past him as he followed her, orange in hand.

Pulling up her thick, dark hair into a bun, Karin glanced at her father simply standing there, watching her, her scowl looking much like her brother's; "What?"

Isshin shrugged, staring at his raven, never having realized her darker features without Yuzu lightening them.

"Just haven't seen either of you alone in a long time. You two look a lot more like your mother when you're together…."

He turned back into the kitchen, giving her a lazy wave of good-bye, leaving Karin wide-eyed. Looking over at that, ridiculous poster of their mother… Karin smiled, tossing her keys up in hand and turning to the door, stepping out.

"A little something for you all. Miss you!" -KurosakiLove