Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or anything associated with it. Title of owner goes to 久保 帯人. :3 Nor do I own anything related to the Hana Yori Dango drama or manga.
AN: Sorry for the lack of updating in a week. School is starting right around the corner so I've been getting ready for that. Updates will hopefully be once every week if my work doesn't pile up on me next week. Thanks so much for those that reviewed especially to Chocolate and caramel(haha, yes that is Nanao) and BrazeRancor who've reviewed ever since the beginning. :D And to Rukichigo93, yes this is definitely an IchiRuki fic but I'm following the HYD series closely so if you're not familiar with it, their relationship takes a lot to grow into full bloom romance. And this is strictly an AU so yes, Ichigo kinda likes Orihime but we'll soon find out her affections are for someone else in this chapter.
Note: Japanese phrases:
-Osashiburi: equivalent to "long time no see".
-Tadaima: "I'm home/I'm back/etc."
-Arigatou: it's obvious but if not, "Thanks".
Yosh! よろしくお願いします！
Chapter 5
Lunchtime had come around and as usual the students in Ichigo's class filed out in their little cliques toward the dining hall. Ichigo sat at his desk, looking at the bento box wrapped in a cloth in front of him and didn't feel the least bit hungry. He heard the last sound of someone's shuffling feet and looked up to see Hanatarou walking by toward the exit.
Ever since his first run-in with the S4, Hanatarou had barely spoken a word to Ichigo. He avoided eye contact at all costs in the classroom and directed all his questions to the person on his other side besides Ichigo. Ichigo figured Hanatarou was afraid that being around him would spark more trouble with the S4. Ichigo didn't mind, understanding that someone's safety was more important than mingling with the wrong person.
Hanatarou noticed Ichigo had spotted him and quickly dropped his head and walked out. Ichigo shrugged at his abruptness and gathered his things in his book bag. As he left the class, he headed down the hallway in the opposite direction of the dining hall. He wasn't hungry nor in the mood to eat to gain energy for the rest of the day. Ichigo needed a breath of fresh air away from the constricting hold the school had on him. He knew exactly where to go.
At the very end of the hallway were stairs that led up to the rooftop of the building. Ichigo figured there was no student present there since during lunch they either ate in the dining hall or off campus. To him it also seemed like more of a commoner thing to go up on the rooftop. It reminded him of middle school where he would join Chad, Keigo, and Mizuiro for lunch during their breaks. Thinking about it made Ichigo realize how much he missed the company of his friends during school.
Ichigo made his way up the stairs and opened the door to the rooftop. An instant soft breeze met him as he went out. He took one deep breath and exhaled, feeling a mediating calm from the action. Without checking if there was any one on the rooftop besides him, Ichigo sat on the ground and leaned his back on the wall where the door was situated. He figured taking a short nap would be a good idea since lunch was an hour and a half long and he had no plans to go back down to eat.
However Ichigo's idea was foiled when the door to the rooftop swung open and almost hit him since he sat so near it. "Hey! Be careful when you open that door!" Ichigo yelled to the person.
"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime poked her head out from the behind the door and peered down at him.
Ichigo scrambled to his feet when he saw it was Orihime. "Orihime! Ah, gomen. I didn't know you came up here. I uh, better go."
"No, no you can stay. It's no bother at all." Orihime held her hands up for him to stop. Ichigo nodded obligingly and took his previous seat on the ground.
Orihime stood a few feet away from him and leaned against the wall, taking out a magazine in the process and flipping through its pages. She seemed to find a page that caught her interest and started reading.
Curiously glancing up quickly, Ichigo could only manage to see a bit of the front cover. Something having to do with technology. He never imagined Orihime interested in that type of subject but couldn't think twice before she asked him a question out of the blue.
"Kurosaki-kun, do you know the time difference between Japan and Massachusetts?"
Ichigo scratched his head in uncertainty. Why ask that? "No… sorry, I don't."
Orihime let out a soft sigh but managed to smile contentedly. "Ah, I do wonder. It's been on my mind for a while. "
Ichigo had some small urge to lie and give her a bogus number, seeing how interested she seemed in this topic. He refrained from doing so, figuring it would only lead to gaining a new enemy. So he continued sitting there leaning his back on the wall, not minding Orihime's company as she went back to her reading.
Little did Ichigo know that three pairs of eyes spotted him on the rooftop as they headed off campus to eat lunch. And they definitely minded that Orihime was standing there next to him.
"That bastard! What is he doing up there with my Orihime?" Ikkaku pointed up at the rooftop, his blood boiling with jealousy.
"You mean my Orihime." Shuuhei corrected, his own blood also boiling at the scene.
"Shut your mouth! She's mine!"
"In your dreams, loser. Orihime wouldn't fall for a baldy like you."
"Baldy? Why you, I ought-"
Yumichika seemed aloof on the whole situation playing before him and proceeded to get into his limo. "If you two idiots can stop bickering, we can go have lunch. You know Kurosaki will get what's coming to him." He proclaimed from inside the limo. Ikkaku and Shuuhei managed to stop their arguing but grumbled with annoyance as they got in the limo one after the other.
"Hmm… nom nom."Ichigo was currently at work, chewing on a powdered mochi ball, and sifting through books on travel. His eyes glossed over a few pages until he finally found what he was looking for.
"Ah ha! 12 hours!" Grabbing the book, Ichigo went over to Chad and showed him the page. "Hey, Chad. I found the time difference between Japan and Massachusetts. Half a day. 12 hours."
Chad continued his task of cleaning the glass counter, undisturbed by Ichigo's comment. He only momentarily stopped to ask, "Okay, what of it?"
"I'll inform Orihime of it when I see her again. She was wondering about the time difference and I think it'll do good to give her the answer." Ichigo replied.
"You like this girl or something?" Chad commented, never seeing this side of Ichigo that made him want to do something for a girl. "She's the only one you've mentioned from the S4 in a nice way."
Ichigo's scowl deepened as if Chad was thinking into the situation too far. "No, she's just a nice girl that I don't mind being friends with. Plus… I don't think she'd be interested in me anyway."
"So you do have some sort of liking for her." Chad concluded from Ichigo's response. Ichigo's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink and he mumbled something inaudible that Chad couldn't catch. He still couldn't understand why Ichigo was trying to make an ally with someone who was perhaps already loyal to the enemy. He proceeded further.
"Either way, I don't get why you're befriending her. She's part of S4. She's the one who's passing out those red notices."
"She's not the one who does that, Chad. That's all Rukia's doing. Maybe even Renji or that Toshirou kid but I don't care about them. Orihime is different. She's like I said… nice."
Chad gave a slight nod. Then out of the blue he decided to say, "I've never told anyone this but… I've done it before."
Ichigo's jaw dropped as he almost fell over from Chad's revelation.
"OH NO! Sado, why didn't you tell me?" Urahara suddenly appeared behind them, doubly shocked from Chad's randomness. "This candy shop is supposed to be run by innocent virgins! It's a clean shop for children, for kami's sake!"
"V-virgin?" Chad blinked in puzzlement. He instantly understood what Urahara was referring to and shook his head. "I didn't mean it that way…"
"Well then, what ever could you possibly mean when you said you've done 'it' before?" Ichigo questioned.
"I meant that I kissed a girl before." Chad answered bluntly.
Ichigo's eyebrows rose up in surprise. He never thought Chad could be that slick. "Wow, way to go man. I would have never suspected. I guess it's safe to say I've never thought about or kissed a girl before. So good going, Chad. You're more experienced than I am." He grinned in approval at his friend.
"Ah but you inexperienced boys," Urahara raised an eyebrow at Ichigo, "you should be careful of girls who've been around." Urahara added and unraveled his fan in a flash. "I've dated a rich girl who I safely can say I liked for a quite a while. She gave me many gifts and offered to buy me things I didn't need. But alas…" He folded his fan in a snap. "She left me and this shop and here I am as a single man who lives his life trying to support himself with candy."
Ichigo and Chad eyed their boss as if his green and white striped hat wasn't the only weird thing about him. Urahara merely waved at them and proceeded to the back, ordering them to get back to work.
"Urahara-san seems to have been around, eh?" Ichigo said to Chad when the boss was out of sight.
Chad nodded in agreement and went over to pick up a box of candy from behind the counter. As he was doing so he spotted a customer coming inside and greeted with a low "irashaimasse". Ichigo heard Chad's greeting and turned to greet the customer also. He stopped from doing so when he recognized who the customer was.
"Hanatarou?" Ichigo was taken aback when he found his classmate standing there nervously.
Hanatarou waved timidly and gave a small smile. "Konnichiwa, Kurosaki-san. I hope I'm not bothering you."
"And I have a full house. You both lose again!" Renji exclaimed and cackled menacingly as he gathered all the money in the center of the table to himself. Across from him Toshirou merely mumbled something about Renji cheating and threw his cards carelessly on the tabletop.
Rukia's eye slightly twitched. She usually had the upper hand in their games of poker. This was the fourth game of poker they played today but she sucked badly in each play.
Renji noticed and commented on her losing streak. "What's got you so worked up today, Rukia? It's that Ichigo, isn't it? You should just hire a hitman and get it over with. He's annoying me enough as it is."
"That's because you get your ass kicked each time you see him." Toshirou remarked snidely, earning a death glare from Renji.
"I just don't get it." Rukia said, ignoring the two. "He told me he was a virgin so that must mean he's trying to imply something, right?"
Renji shook his head. "No… actually, you just didn't notice the stuff people wrote about him on the wall."
Rukia looked up with surprise. "What?"
"Uh, nevermind." Renji wasn't in the mood to explain.
"Well whatever he meant, he sure is giving me different signals. I gave him a suit and a new MP3 player to replace the one I broke and he refused to take them! What am I doing wrong? All the guys I've dated before would gladly take them." Rukia crossed her arms while pouting slightly and leaned back in her chair.
"That peasant's not like any guy you've dated, Rukia. I hate the guy but, in fact…" Renji hesitated and met eyes with Toshirou briefly who knew whom Renji was going to refer to and nodded his head. "He eerily reminds me of Kaien."
Rukia's body instantly became tense when she heard that name. "Why… would you say that?"
"Well for one thing he resembles Kaien. That spiky hair and their faces are similar. Except that damn Ichigo has orange hair and a constant scowl plastered on his face." Renji explained.
Rukia sat there silent, mentally admitting that there was a resemblance.
"Plus like Ichigo, Kaien has a tendency to stand up to you and dare I say… put you in your place?" Renji inched back, expecting a blow to his head for saying that. He was relieved to see Rukia still in her seat but she actually looked perturbed by this realization.
"Shut up." She hissed toward Renji. Obviously affected by his comment, she got up from her chair, taking her coat with her as she walked toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Renji questioned. "You know we all have to go to the airport tonight."
"I'm going to find that hated person." Rukia replied quickly without addressing his comment and left the room.
"She means Ichigo, right?" Renji asked Toshirou and began to shuffle the cards for another round of poker.
"Of course, you idiot." Toshirou replied. He folded his arms together and leaned back in his chair. "And I see that ace card up your sleeve."
After work ended, Ichigo walked home with Hanatarou who didn't mind staying until Urahara's shop closed. He felt it important that he talked to Ichigo at this time away from school grounds.
"Kurosaki-san, I apologize for these past few days. I really want to thank you for helping me." Hanatarou bent forward to bow low in gratitude toward Ichigo.
"You don't have to bow. It's really no problem at all." Ichigo told him and continued his stride ahead of Hanatarou.
"I am honestly grateful, Kurosaki-san." Hanatarou quickly caught up with Ichigo to walk alongside him. "No one has done this much for me. Ano… but I hope you don't mind that I haven't talked to you at school."
Ichigo shrugged. "I know what you're doing and I don't have a problem with it." He answered in all honesty.
Hanatarou's eyes widened in surprise at Ichigo's statement. "Really? I do consider you as my friend, Ichigo but at school…"
"You don't have to be around me. It's fine." Ichigo interrupted. "I understand exactly. But since we're friends, you can always call my house if you're having trouble."
Hanatarou's face lit up with happiness and he continued walking by him. They strolled along in silence for a moment before approaching a bright LCD screen on tall building. It was currently relaying news and the reporter on the screen was interviewing a young man. Ichigo instantly recognized who it was. He stopped in his tracks to watch the interview on the screen.
Hanatarou almost went ahead but walked back to see what caught Ichigo's interest. For a moment, he didn't say anything until the interview was done. "Etto… who is that man?" Hanatarou questioned with curiosity, quite awed at the story they had about the young man.
"He's a recent Takaimono graduate, Ishida Uryuu." Ichigo answered.
"Wow, he went to Takaimono?" Hanatarou asked with more awe.
Ichigo nodded in response. "After he graduated Takaimono he went to study in America for technological research. At his young age, he's done many great things and practically given Japan another step up in technology. He's returning to Japan so I reckon they're giving him a big welcome… He's actually one of the reasons I applied to Takaimono in the first place. I think he's an inspiration to us all."
"Ah, in that he's regarded very highly in Japanese society?" Hanatarou asked.
Ichigo chuckled and took another long look at the screen in front of them. "Well he's an inspiration for those who want to strive for more than what we have here. He's proven that there are bigger and better things outside of Japan and it's not impossible for us to have it within our reach."
Hanatarou nodded in agreement. "He must be a great person." He briefly took his eyes off the screen and glanced over to his left. A few meters away he saw a familiar person sitting on a bench, staring up at the exact screen they were watching. Hanatarou poked Ichigo to get his attention away from the screen. "Look who it is over there." He informed when he got Ichigo's attention.
Ichigo looked over to who Hanatarou was referring to. "Orihime?" He said this loudly enough for her to hear. Taking her eyes off the screen, she smiled and waved at them.
"Wait here a second." Ichigo told Hanatarou and went over to the bench. "Hey, Orihime. I just found this out and I uh, wanted to tell you the time difference between Japan and Massachusetts since you were wondering about that earlier."
Orihime placed her hands together in joy. "Really? What is it?"
"It's around 12 hours." Ichigo replied. He felt pretty good that he was able to give her an answer for some reason.
"Oh... I see." Orihime directed her gaze back to the LCD screen which was still reporting the story on Ishida.
Ichigo noticed her attentive gaze and decided to start a conversation about it if he could. He also turned to watch the screen. "It's good to know that Ishida is representing Takaimono in a positive way. I actually wouldn't mind meeting him and asking him how it is overseas. Have you ever met him…"
Ichigo's speaking trailed off when he turned his head back to Orihime and found her face close to his as she stared up at him. It was sudden déjà vu since her closeness was just about the same as Rukia had done to him before. By reflex, Ichigo arched himself back in the awkward situation.
He felt his face get hot at her closeness. Before he could ask what she was doing, she raised a hand and wiped something from the corner of his mouth. Once she had the substance on her finger, she withdrew her closeness from him. After inspecting it, she raised it up to his eye level in question of what it was. "What's this?"
Ichigo couldn't believe it. This whole day he had traces from the powdered mochi ball he was eating earlier on his face and nobody informed him of it until now. Feeling quite flustered under Orihime's scrutiny, Ichigo swiped his hand over his mouth for any lingering traces of powder. He decided it was the right time to go.
"Ah, it's just powder. I better head back home. See you at school." He said quickly and ran back to Hanatarou, practically dragging him away opposite Orihime's direction.
Orihime blinked in confusion a few times as she watched Ichigo walk away. In no time, she directed her attention back to the LCD screen. She did not notice across the street in a black limousine with tinted windows, sat Rukia watching the whole scene before her. She had arrived just as Ichigo approached Orihime.
Rukia did not like jumping to conclusions concerning her best friend but seeing what just happened gave her a slight feeling of jealousy. She shook her head of all thoughts and directed the limo driver to take her back home.
"Son, you're in a good mood today. Everyday must be like a rollercoaster in your young life! What brings you so much joy this day?" Isshin commented when he noticed Ichigo was not in the pissed off mood he was in the days previous. It was during dinnertime as usual when Isshin would take observations of his oldest offspring.
Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly, not answering his father's inquiry.
Isshin's smile formed into a Cheshire cat grin when a thought popped into his head.
"Dad, that smile is creepy." Karin said honestly when she caught sight of his grin.
"Heh heh heh…" Isshin gave a low chuckle. "I know what's the deal…"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what is it then?"
Isshin took a deep breath before bellowing out the answer. "YOU'VE BEEN INVITED TO A PARTY!" Ichigo stared at his father like he was an idiot for yelling out. "I'm correct, right? Come on, you've got to give me this one."
Ichigo rolled his eyes at Isshin's correct assumption. "Yes." He said, hoping it would get Isshin off his back. Unfortunately that was never the case.
Isshin's eyes were instantly watered with tears and it made Yuzu worried enough to run and get some tissues for him. She returned with a large wad of tissue in which Isshin used up in one long blow of his nose. "They're finally accepting you at the school! I've got to take you to buy a new tuxedo for the party. You've got to make a good impression!"
There's no way my impression could be made any better now. Ichigo thought to himself. He declined his father's offer. "Sorry, Dad. It's just a regular teenage party so I don't think there's any need for dress-up."
"Oh, so the teenagers these days don't dress up for parties. That's a shame…" Isshin muttered, disappointed that his father-son time was a possibility no more. "So… that means you're going?" His face lit up in a smile again.
Earlier before Ichigo had made no definite plan to go to the party and knew most likely that he would decide not to attend. But by looking at the expressions of his proud father and his two sisters who looked happy that their brother was seemingly accepted by his peers, he decided in a change of heart. Just for them of course.
"…I guess I'll go." He answered. Smiles spread all across the table with a few more tears from Isshin. "But just for a little while." Ichigo added.
While Ichigo was having dinner, three-fourths of S4 were at the other side of town in the local airport waiting for the arrival of an old friend. Rukia had not yet shown although Renji had called her cell phone multiple times prior to their arrival.
"Where is she? She's going to miss his arrival." Renji mumbled as his eyes searched the entrance of the airport.
"Perhaps she's really going out of her way to find Ichigo." Toshirou replied.
"Hmm, she is persistent…" Renji thought out loud. He turned his head to the side, expecting to find Orihime there but found himself looking at the ground. "Eh? Orihime too! Where'd she go?" He frantically searched around him.
"She's up there and he's arrived." Toshirou pointed out to Renji and started to make his way to where Orihime was standing.
"Oh… phew." Renji sighed out in relief then went to join the others.
They stood there waiting in a row while the tall young man with glasses finished going through customs. After he was done, Orihime instantly raised her hand up and waved to get his attention. "Ishida-kun! Ishida-kun, over here!" She yelled out to him.
Ishida raised his head when he heard his name and quickly walked over to them holding just a briefcase in his hand. He smiled at the sight of his friends, minus one of course, waiting for him. "Tadaima!" He greeted with a grin and held his arms out wide for a hug.
Orihime was the first to gladly accept his hug. She stood there holding on to him for a while, slightly resting her head against his chest. For her to stop it took Ishida to clear his throat and say, "Ah, Orihime. Osashiburi, ne?"
She let go of him quickly and nodded, a slight red tinge overtaking her face. "Yes…" Before she could say anything else, Ishida moved over to Renji and Toshirou to exchange some brotherly hugs. Orihime felt her heart drop a little but smiled nonetheless at the happy occasion.
"It's good to see you back home again, Uryuu." Renji said after they exchanged hugs. "Say, have you found yourself a nice American girl yet?" He inquired with a devious grin.
Ishida chuckled, pushing his glasses upward from falling. "No, not yet. I guess I'm too much of a nerd to find one."
"No you aren't!" Orihime exclaimed from behind. "You've grown into such a handsome young man!" Three pairs of eyes looked at her in shock. "Ano… I mean…" She faltered, cupping a hand over her mouth.
"She's right." Everyone looked over to who said this and found Rukia standing a close distance away with her arms crossed. "Welcome back, Uryuu."
"Rukia! Tadaima!" Ishida went over to give Rukia a hug. Orihime felt a bit relieved that Rukia had just arrived, grabbing the attention away from her previous outburst. They all continued walking out of the airport together, many questions arising of Ishida's experience in the states. Orihime, although having no questions of her own, listened intently as Ishida spoke. She only half hoped that what she said earlier would not have an impact on him.
The night of the party on Friday came around quickly for Ichigo, mostly because no one seemed to want to associate with him at school thus resulting in no trouble for him. He didn't mind at all of course.
That night Ichigo managed to find Ikkaku's mansion, although it was hidden away between many large pine trees on the sprawling grounds. As Shuuhei had mentioned earlier, the party was casual wear so Ichigo just threw on a black polo t-shirt, some dark blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers.
He made his way through the wrought iron gates and continued down a walkway that was beautifully lit by the string of lights adorning the trees. Admiring the sight so fully, Ichigo failed to notice yet another sign with English script that said "Welcome Back Party for Ishida Uryuu" before he entered the open French-style double doors.
The main foyer was empty so he followed the sound of many voices chattering in a ballroom nearby. Going through the doorway, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him. Everyone was in formal wear.
Shit. Those bastards lied to me and I fell for it. Ichigo could only continue walking in and pretended to not notice the stares he was getting. All the boys were in formal suits and tuxedos and the girls were all wearing gowns and dresses as if it were prom. He heard a few snickers of laughter beside him before he felt a hand on his shoulder forcing him to stop.
"Ichigo, glad you could make it." Ichigo peered to his side to see Ikkaku with a grin of satisfaction on his face. "But um, you're in the wrong kind of attire."
Ichigo moved so that Ikkaku's grip fell from his shoulder. "You assholes." He muttered through gritted teeth.
"Hey, don't get mad at us." Shuuhei came in to comment. "We were joking. This isn't Ikkaku's mansion at all. Couldn't you tell?"
"He obviously couldn't." It was Yumichika's turn to come in. "But he's a commoner so it might be hard for him. It's a shame his regular clothes aren't nice enough to pass." Yumichika said as he eyed Ichigo's outfit.
All three roared with laughter, causing those around them to stop and stare and notice Ichigo's clothes. Ichigo's brow furrowed and his hand clutched itself instinctively into a fist. He was about to strike Ikkaku first but was interrupted when someone announced that S4 had arrived. The three stooges left Ichigo's presence to join the crowd as they gathered to watch S4 come into the room.
Ichigo could care less about their arrival and took the chance to go to the empty area around the buffet table. He grabbed a few plates of food and found a table to sit outside next to the pool area. He decided he might as well eat as much free (and delicious) food as he could before he would leave.
He was in the middle of eating a tasty croissant when he felt the presence of someone come near him. He looked up to see a very pretty brown-haired girl standing in front of him. She smiled and bowed. "Hi, I like what you're wearing. It's… different."
Surprised but feeling quite good at the compliment, Ichigo swallowed his food and then thanked her. "Arigatou."
"Do you attend Takaimono?" She asked and took the opposite seat, seeming very interested in him.
Ichigo had no chance to answer. "You don't want to get too near him." Shuuhei along with the other two appeared in the pool area, choosing this time to ruin Ichigo's moment.
"Huh?" The girl looked confused.
"That one there has slept with prostitutes and it's a known fact that he's currently harboring many STDs." Ikkaku explained as he pointed at Ichigo.
The girl's face turned into a grimace at hearing this. She mumbled something with the word "gross" and hastily got up from her chair to go back inside. This caused yet again an uproar of laughter among the three slanderers.
It took only a second for Ichigo to register what this meant. "You three… you were the ones who wrote those lies on the wall."
"What? Why would we, your friends, do that?" Shuuhei said in mock surprise.
"Shut up! You aren't my friend. I've done nothing to you and accepted your stupid apology. What the hell are you trying to do?" Ichigo yelled out at them.
Ikkaku stopped his laughing and looked at Ichigo in all seriousness. "You're a damn eyesore, Kurosaki. You're nobody. Stop trying to get close with Orihime, she'll never stoop so low as to go out with you. Just quit Takaimono already so we can get on without your existence."
"You're not worthy enough for Orihime." Shuuhei chimed in. "Won't you be embarrassed when she sees you looking like that? Oh, look! Here she comes now." They all turned toward the entrance of the pool area. As Shuuhei had said, an elegantly dressed Orihime entered the area but not alone. She had her hand wrapped around Ishida's arm as he guided her in. He as well looked quite dashing in a white suit.
Ichigo tried to ignore the knot in his stomach when he saw them together. He couldn't help but feel admiration when he realized it was Ishida Uryuu.
"See? She's obviously taken, Kurosaki." Ikkaku commented when Ishida and Orihime stopped to chat with a group of people not far from them. Taking advantage of Ichigo's attention on Ishida and Orihime, Ikkaku grabbed a piece of cake from Ichigo's plate and threw at his face.
"Oops, that was an accident." Ikkaku said when Ichigo wiped the smeared cream off.
"But this isn't!" Shuuhei added and grabbed another piece of food to throw at Ichigo. Yumichika just stood by as a watcher, not wanting to get his hands dirty.
"Hurry up and go home, Ichigo! We don't want your kind here!" Ikkaku said and took Ichigo's glass of water and poured it over his head. Ichigo felt like punching the lights out of each of them but refrained from doing because of Orihime and Ishida being so nearby.
They were causing quite a commotion that it was enough to catch Rukia's attention. She was sitting inside but had situated herself in such a way that she had a clear sight of where Ichigo was. She couldn't stand seeing Ichigo ridiculed and quickly got up to interfere.
But before Rukia could get there Orihime made her way to Ichigo first, stopping Ikkaku and Shuuhei's food throwing.
"Kurosaki-kun, you seem a bit wet." She said to Ichigo. "Do you have a handkerchief?"
Ichigo shook his head. "No."
"Haha, he's so poor he can't even afford his own handkerchief!" Ikkaku cackled.
"What a loser." Yumichika added.
"Here you go, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime took out a piece of cloth from her purse and handed it to Ichigo.
Ichigo nodded, gingerly taking it from her. Needless to say, Ikkaku and Shuuhei were looking on in utter disbelief at Orihime's actions. Rukia had arrived at the scene already and decided to just observe from behind with a slight scowl on face.
"This seems to be an interesting party so far." Ishida remarked out loud, his hands behind his back as he made his way toward them. Ikkaku, Shuuhei, and Yumichika instantly ran up to greet him.
"Ishida-san! Welcome back!" They all said and bowed in unison as he stood before them.
"Osashiburi." Ishida said, smiling at them. "I would really like to thank you all for coming. But you know I was thinking about something when watching you three." He raised a hand away from his back and pushed his glasses up, causing a glare from the light to shine on the glass.
"Eh?" Ikkaku and the other two looked at each other in confusion. "What's that?"
"You three need to cool down!" Ishida swiftly took out a hose from behind his back and sprayed all three point blank in the face. Due to the force of the high powered hose it sent them tumbling back to the edge of the pool where they fell in with a great splash. Everyone laughed at the sight before them of three soaking wet fools.
Ichigo couldn't believe his luck.
After Ikkaku, Shuuhei, and Yumichika left the grounds in an angry fit for being so humiliated, Ishida offered to help Ichigo clean up and led him upstairs to change. Ichigo realized he was in Ishida's mansion when he found all the framed portraits of Ishida and his family on the walls.
After Ichigo had taken off his dirty and wet clothes, he threw on the terry cloth robe Ishida provided him. He met up with Ishida in his room as Ishida went around, directing his maid to look for clothes for Ichigo to wear.
"So you're Kurosaki Ichigo, right?" Ishida asked him when he settled himself down on a chair opposite Ichigo. He briefly directed another maid to get him and Ichigo a cup of tea.
"Y-yes. How do you know my name?" Ichigo questioned. He still couldn't quite fathom how he was sitting there in Ishida Uryuu's room, waiting for tea.
"Orihime has mentioned about you. She told me you're very nice." He lowered his glasses a bit, as if getting a better look at Ichigo through his own eyes. "Honestly she's never shown enough interest in guys to mention them to me before. Come to think of it, she might like you."
"Heh, that's impossible." Ichigo said but hesitated to think twice about it.
"Either way, you'll be fine." Ishida replied. The maid ordered to find clothes for Ichigo appeared before them and showed Ishida a suit. "Yes, that will do. Please show it to him. Ichigo, I hope this suits your taste."
Ichigo looked at the suit and found a striking similarity in this suit and the one Rukia had offered to him. It was the same all black suit with the only difference being the dark violet tie. Ichigo figured this suit was another expensive creation. "I can't accept this." He was flabbergasted at Ishida's kindness.
"But I insist. You can't attend my party without any clothes. You'd get kicked out for sure." Ishida added, laughing slightly. "Please accept it as a gift from me. A friend of Orihime's is a friend of mine."
At these words, Ichigo suddenly had a feeling of contentment come over him. Ishida just recognized him as his friend, the very person who made him want to attend Takaimono. There was no declining this suit now. It would be a complete rude slap in the face. He thanked Ishida before taking a hold of the suit. "Okay, hopefully it fits."
Everyone in the main ballroom was talking about the incident with Ichigo or the 'constant troublemaker' as they dubbed him. There were many gasps of shock when people reported that Ishida had offered him help. No one could quite grasp at the situation and waited for signs of Ishida showing up.
"All right. You go in first." Ishida said when he and Ichigo were standing right outside of the entrance into the ballroom.
"Me? I don't know about that. People would rather see you than me." Ichigo replied and took a step back for Ishida to step forward.
Ishida only took another step in back of Ichigo and pushed him in front. "Just go."
Ichigo had to oblige. He took one deep breath before stepping into the room. It took him a few more steps inside for people to realize who he was. Whispers were heard around him.
"Wow, is that Kurosaki? He looks really hot."
"Yeah, he cleans up really well."
Ichigo couldn't help but turn a light crimson when he heard the comments about him. Ishida soon turned up beside him, nodding every so often at the guests, and led him to the table where S4 were sitting. Ichigo stiffened slightly when he spotted Rukia sitting there and looking him over in interest. Ichigo noticed the color of her violet dress was almost identical to the color of his tie. He wished right then that the maid had chosen a different color.
Orihime got up from her seat beside Rukia and went over to stand next to Ishida, looking from Ichigo to Ishida in awe. "Ishida-kun, you've done such a great job! Kurosaki-kun! You look so handsome!"
Ichigo's light crimson face turned a shade darker at her comment. "Thanks a lot." He smiled at her.
Rukia observed the change in him at that moment. She couldn't help but feel jealous when relaying the memory of Ichigo declining her offer to wear the suit she gave him. What is trying to play, that fool! She thought to herself.
She stood up from her chair and marched over to them. "Orihime." She called out her friend's name to get her attention.
"Yes, Rukia-chan?" Orihime turned around and raised her eyebrows in questions.
"Why do you like this boy?" Rukia demanded in a serious tone and pointed to Ichigo.
"Ano..." Orihime paused, getting quite nervous by Rukia's tone. "He's a friend and he's nice-"
"You don't have to explain to her, Orihime." Ishida interrupted her sentence to intervene and took a step forward toward Rukia. "Rukia, don't you think you're being a bit bossy? Why don't we just enjoy this night without any arguments."
Rukia glared at Ishida with contempt for butting in. "Even though you're Ishida Uryuu, I will never again permit you to speak to me that way."
"Then I won't permit you to speak to Ishida-kun that way." Orihime spoke up and walked over to stand next to Ishida. "You're disrespecting your senior, Rukia."
It happened in a flash before anyone could do any thing. In her instant fit of anger, Rukia raised her hand and slapped Orihime across the face. The impact from her hand was extremely quick and hard that it caused Orihime to double back. Although she did not fall, she tried to regain her composure and not cry.
Ichigo felt helpless after Rukia slapped Orihime. People were standing there in shock and no one was interfering. What the hell is wrong with them? Ichigo thought when nobody tried to stop Rukia. His eyes caught Rukia's hands curl up in a fist as she got ready to strike Orihime again. He definitely could not let that happen.
Before Rukia could strike her, Ichigo swiftly interfered and pushed Rukia down away from Orihime. Yet, he didn't plan on the current position he landed in.
Silence filled the room as all mouths opened in shock and all stunned eyes were on the two people laying the floor.
Renji's eyes almost bulged out from their sockets. "Oh no! This can't be!"
Toshirou actually nodded in approval at the sight. "They actually don't look so bad together…"
In their fall, Ichigo managed to pin Rukia to the ground. And yet with his body lying right above hers, by some one in a million chance his lips landed exactly atop her lips. Did this count as a first kiss for him? Ichigo hoped not.
AN: Ahaha, it does count as a first kiss, Ichigo! Whee, this one was way longer than the previous chapters and it was due to the fact that I wanted to get the party all in one chapter. Of course comments, constructive criticisms, and love are always appreciated in your reviews! Please do review! Thank you much!
ありがとうございます！