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 such a late update but I've been so busy with school work and my outside activities that my poor story was put on hold for a while! But don't fret, here's another chapter!

I'm still so excited that I hardly have anything to add! Thank you to my reviewers of course! No more personal comments to the reviewers here because I finally realized I could personally send you a message! Hah! I love you lots and I hope this chapter satisfies you! Welcome to the new readers also!

Japanese words/phrases:

Okaeri - Welcome back!

Irasshaimase - Welcome!

Yosh! よろしくお願いします！

Chapter 11

Once Ichigo led Rukia outside into the cool night air, he released his grip from her arm. For a moment he stood there awkwardly trying to figure out what to do in their current situation. Rukia readjusted the sleeve on the arm that Ichigo had gripped then folded her arms across her chest, waiting for him to say something.

"Well?" She questioned expectantly and tapped her right foot in impatience. "You had something to say to me. Aren't you going to say it?" Rukia didn't catch it but Ichigo could clearly hear the shuffle of footsteps from above them on the stairway.

He hesitated, knowing far too well his father and possibly Yuzu and Karin were eavesdropping. "Uh, actually right here isn't the best place to talk so…"

"Fine. We'll go somewhere else to talk then." Rukia decided hastily. With a simple wave of her hand she motioned for her chauffeured car to quickly come around and pick them up.

The back doors of the car automatically opened and without warning, Rukia pushed Ichigo inside.

It was literally less than fifteen seconds when the driver stopped abruptly in front of a Mom and Pop diner located near Ichigo's home.

"We could have just walked here, but alright." Ichigo mumbled as he followed Rukia out of the car. They entered inside the diner and immediately were seated to a booth.

As Ichigo sat across from Rukia, he looked around as she busily stirred her tea. The diner was oddly… empty. No sign of any other person besides the workers and Rukia and himself were present. At this time of evening, Ichigo had expected at least a scattered number of customers to be in the diner.

"This is not normal." Ichigo said to Rukia once he was served a glass of water. "Why is this diner so empty?"

"Oh, earlier today I just paid the diner to not accept any customers for the night." Rukia answered nonchalantly and shrugged as if it were a simple matter. She placed her spoon aside and took a sip of her tea.

"I see." Ichigo said then took a sip of his water. He no sooner spat it out once he fully realized what she said and stared at her in disbelief. "Wait, why would you do that?" He was more so taken aback by the fact that she had done this prior to their meeting, as if she knew exactly that they would need to talk somewhere beside his home.

Rukia placed her teacup down and returned his question with her own. "Didn't you want to say something to me in private? I figured it would be best with just the two of us. No distractions." She added.

"And that's the only reason why you had this place emptied out?" Ichigo asked to be certain. He picked up a napkin and wiped the droplets of water he spat out on the table.

Rukia laughed at the permanent shock written on his face. "Obviously… Oh, but I do want to say that I was pretty amazed by your place. That was the first time I ever entered a poor person's home. It's a little different than I expected."

"Glad you feel that way. Thanks." Ichigo sarcastically replied. Rukia didn't pick up the sarcastic tone since she quickly returned a 'you're welcome' back to him.

Ichigo sighed before continuing. "I wanted to talk to you about what you did today…"

Rukia nodded. "Okay…" Prolonged pause. "…And that is?"

"You practically entered my home without asking first!" Ichigo cried out, patience wearing thin.

She titled her head in confusion. "I was supposed to ask? Because usually I just go anywhere and I'm welcomed. Your family was no different so I don't know what you're making a big fuss about." She crossed her arms and sat back in her seat.

Ichigo didn't take her reasoning seriously and began to explain. "You and I, we have a… different set of values, you could say. So even if it may seem okay for you to barge into someone's home, it's not all right for me. It would help if you could give me some kind of warning before you come into my home again. Okay?"

As if out of boredom, Rukia's eyes drifted their attention to the window to gaze outside. "Oi, are you listening to me?" Ichigo asked when she didn't answer.

Rukia turned her attention back to him. "Whatever. Moving on, I have my own question that I've been meaning to ask you for a while. So…" She got up from her seat and stood up to walk a short distance away from the table. Ichigo didn't know if he should follow or let her do her own thing.

She quickly pivoted and strode back to the table. When she stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans, she seemed as if she were stalling from asking her question.

All the while, Ichigo's eyes followed her movements, seeing how unpredictable she really was.

Rukia took a deep breath and said in one fluid sentence, "DoyoulikeOrihime?"

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Eh?"

Rukia added more to her question. "Even though she's chasing after Ishida, do you have feelings for her?" She interrogated him.

He gulped and peered down at his glass of water. "It's none of your business anyway."

After his answer, Rukia returned to her seat and pounded a fist on the table. "It is my business! I can't let my own boyfriend have feelings for my best friend!"

"I'm not your boyfriend. We're nowhere near that relationship!" Ichigo tried to reason.

"I want to tell you that Orihime used to like strawberries." She ignored his comment.

Ichigo almost fell over from the inconsistency of the conversation. "What? Can we just stay on one topic?"

"No. I want you to know about this. Orihime used to like strawberries but she eats them in the grossest ways. With red beans and other foods she finds. It's not proper etiquette to eat such weird concoctions. Like for instance…"

Orihime had a plate in front of her with diced strawberries ready to be mixed with chocolate and red beans. Renji and Toshirou sat close by at the table as they examined the mix she had in front of her with disgusted interest. Rukia stood off to the side, trying hard not to grab the plate and throw in the trash.

Yet Rukia's control was very limited. "Ah, I can't take it anymore!" She took a seat opposite Orihime. "Don't put foods together that don't mix well! You're making a mess!"

Orihime smiled pleasantly at her friend although Rukia was positively in an annoyed mood. "Rukia, it's okay. I swear it's delicious. Does anyone want some?"

Everyone quickly declined the offer. Toshirou called out Rukia. "Hey, food should be enjoyed however anyone one likes it." He said to defend Orihime's actions.

"But it's the wrong way!" Rukia snapped back.

"It's her own taste buds. Leave her alone." Renji chimed in, causing Rukia to almost throw a fit.

Rukia grabbed a full strawberry from a bowl nearby and held it up for them to see. "Look, this is how you eat strawberries the proper way. It's in its natural form." She took a delicate bite of the juicy but firm berry. Her expressions mirrored that of a model advertising a high class product.

Orihime gazed at Rukia in interest and awe. "Wow, Rukia! I can't eat strawberries as ladylike as you!"

Rukia nodded in instant gratification.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in dubious thought after he heard Rukia's story. "Did it really happen that way?" He asked skeptically.

"Well I added a little fiction here and there but the concept is the same." She answered him honestly. She continued explaining. "At any rate, I never ever accepted the way she ate strawberries. But after that she still did it! And yet..."

It was only a few days after Rukia's plan had backfired to force Orihime to eat the red fruit the "right" way. Toshirou and Renji were off to the side, playing their card games and Orihime was enjoying her daily snack of strawberries and red beans. Rukia smirked once another plan came to her mind.

"Oi, Orihime. You know if you keep eating weird foods like that you'll easily start gaining more weight. You have been looking a bit different these days..." Rukia told her although in actuality Orihime looked no different than before.

In mid chew, Orihime's eyes grew wide with shock. Since she was holding the bowl in her hands before, after Rukia's comment Orihime dropped the glass bowl. The bowl shattered into pieces with a messy mush of fruits and beans on the floor.

"So it was my fault that she stopped eating strawberries because I told her a lie. I don't know why, but now it's making me feel bad even though this all happened a year ago." Rukia concluded after her story.

"I don't understand where you're going with this..." Ichigo said with a look of confusion on his face.

"I owe Orihime a favor." Rukia answered to clear his confusion.

"Really?" Ichigo questioned doubtfully. Although the story was out of the blue, he did think it was quite mean on Rukia's part. That and the fact that Orihime played victim to this. But something in the back of his mind told him to understand that Rukia was actually trying to make a change. He wasn't exactly sure what kind of change but it seemed to harbor on the fact that she wanted clear the rift she created in her relationship with her friends.

"Yes..." Rukia answered. "That's why if you do like her, I'd..." She hesitated, not wanting to get the words out.

"Even if I did like her, it doesn't matter much now." Ichigo intervened, thinking Rukia was done speaking. "She has Ishida-san."

There was a moment of silence between them after that. They had both stared off in different directions for a few seconds until Ichigo felt as if he were being watched. He glanced up and found Rukia boring her gaze through him. It was difficult for him to figure out the look she was giving him but it seemed to be an intense mixture of anger and... sadness?

"There is a chance that she will start to like you too." Rukia said when she got Ichigo's attention.

"What?" Ichigo said surprisingly.

"It's because you're the boy that I approve of. I've already decided it. There's no doubt about it now." The intense gaze that Rukia was giving him made Ichigo avert his eyes. It also left him speechless. He felt a slight heat rise up to his face at the same time.

Why is my face flushed now? Ichigo thought with embarrassment.

At the same time, outside the window Rukia and Ichigo sat next to, Isshin, Yuzu, and surprisingly Karin were hidden behind a hedge of bushes. They each had a pair of binoculars in their hands and were trying to figure out what Rukia and Ichigo were saying by reading their lips. Isshin's grin widened when he spotted that slight pink tinge upon his son's face.

After Ichigo returned home after leaving the diner, he was greeted enthusiastically by his family.

"Okaeri!" Isshin yelled out to his son and rushed up from behind him. He was about to get Ichigo in a choke hold but Ichigo quickly sidestepped resulting in Isshin's trip over a shoe that lay in his path.

"You're a modern day Cinderella, son!" Isshin cried out after he quickly stood up and dusted himself off.

Karin knocked her father on the side of his head. "It's not Cinderella. He's not a girl."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the argument his father and sister where having about the glass slipper fairy tale. After taking his shoes off, he proceeded to go into his room and immediately get ready for bed.

"You'll be hitting the jackpot soon enough! It doesn't seem like much of a dream now!" Isshin bellowed out before Ichigo could enter his room.

Ichigo simply ignored his father's comment and slammed the door behind him. And yet his family's loud chatter did not cease.

"Dad, when we become rich we must buy a new rice cooker!" Ichigo could hear Yuzu say from outside his door.

"Yes! I will definitely buy more beer too!" Isshin added heartily.

"Along with soccer equipment!" Karin chimed in. Cheers from all three of them were heard and it seemed like a whole celebration started. Ichigo groaned in annoyance and decided to clear this fiasco himself.

He opened his bedroom door and found his father and sisters merrily jumping for joy and speaking animatedly.

"Everybody!" Ichigo yelled to get their attention. They stopped and turned their heads toward Ichigo. "I've come to the realization that... well, to put it bluntly, Rukia may be somewhat of an idiot."

"EHHHH?" Ichigo's family practically cried out in unison.

Ichigo nodded his head and said a quick good night. He made his way back to his room but Isshin placed a firm hand upon his shoulder.

"Rukia-chan is serious about you, Ichigo." Isshin said in a serious tone.

Ichigo moved his father's hand aside and didn't bother to respond back before he entered his room once again.

In class the next day at Takaimono, Ichigo looked around expecting to see Hanatarou in the room. Yet again, he wasn't present. Ichigo wondered if he dropped out all together.

Right in the middle of his thoughts, Ichigo was interrupted by his fellow group of classmates who declared themselves his friends.

"Ichi! Man, you haven't forgotten about tonight, right? Tell me you didn't." One of them said to Ichigo.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo questioned since he had forgotten what they asked him to do.

"You said you would go clubbing with us, man!" Another boy answered.

"I did?" Ichigo asked dubiously.

They all nodded. "Yeah and you'll get to loosen up! Come on, it'll be fun!" The first boy said to try and persuade Ichigo.

"Hmmm..." Ichigo thought. The past few days were rough for him. The prospect of this 'loosening up' didn't sound so bad.

"What? You're not coming to work because you're going out tonight? Ichigo, I swear if you caved into peer pressure I will knock your head so hard just so you can get some sense into your head!" Tatsuki yelled into the receiver after Ichigo told her he wouldn't be able to go to work.

Ichigo sighed. "Fine, let me talk to Chad then." He said, his ears hurting from Tatsuki's yelling.

"No, I will tell him myself!" Tatsuki replied hotly.

"You will? Thanks, Tatsuki. Just remember to tell Urahara too!" Ichigo said quickly before ending the call and leaving Tatsuki fuming with anger.

"Can't believe he's hanging out with those spoiled, bratty-" She stopped her rant when the bell of the shop rang, indicating that a customer had entered. Tatsuki put on her best smile (fake as it was) and walked to the front to help to the customer.

"Irasshaimase!" She greeted happily. She was more than happy to see that there were two customers who looked wealthy by the way they dressed and carried themselves. Her expectations rose for a good sale that day.

Little did she know, the two customers weren't actually customers but were Renji and Toshirou. They stood there for a moment, looking around the shop as if they were trying to find someone.

"Is Kurosaki Ichigo here?" Toshirou went straight to the point and questioned Tatsuki.

Tatsuki's smile faded at the mention of Ichigo's name. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the two. "I'm sorry, but no. He's off today."

"Irasshimase." Chad came out from the back and joined Tatsuki in what he thought was helping the two customers in front of them.

"Do both of you know Kurosaki Ichigo?" Toshirou directed his question to Tatsuki and Chad.

"Yeah. We've both known him since we were kids." Tatsuki replied.

"Yes... where is Ichigo, by the way?" Chad questioned when he realized Ichigo hadn't arrived.

"He's not coming today. I'll tell you why later." Tatsuki replied. She directed her attention back to Toshirou and Renji. "What business do you have with his childhood friends?"

Renji spoke up in interest. "Oh! So both of you must be his best friends, right?"

Tatsuki and Chad both gave an affirmative nod automatically.

"Well in that case..." Renji took a good look at both of them before settling his sights only Tatsuki. He approached her and put on his best smile. "Do you have time right now?"

Thinking that Renji asked her for the time, Tatsuki raised her left wrist to look at her watch. But her wrist was soon covered by Renji's hand when he took a hold of it. She looked up at him, mouth wide open in shock. She contemplated whether she should deck him in the face now or after he released his grip.

"I want you to come with us." Renji said to explain his actions. He winked at her. For a second Tatsuki's knees buckled slightly after he did that.

Renji proceeded to lead her out the door but Tatsuki planted her feet on the ground to keep herself from being dragged off.

"I'm still working right now! I can't leave Chad by himself!" For some reason that was the only reason her mind could conjure up at the moment.

Renji gave Chad a questioning glance. Chad merely shrugged. "I'm fine by myself." He simply replied.

Renji took that as consent and nearly dragged Tatsuki out the shop.

"Hey! Wait! No! Urahara-san!" Tatsuki yelled out desperately when she was outside.

Urahara quickly appeared outside to figure out what the ruckus was about. "Oi, oi! What are you doing?" He yelled out after Renji. Seeing Urahara approach them, Renji loosened his grip on Tatsuki's wrist but still had her in his hold.

"We're... borrowing her for a bit." Renji explained, stupid as it was.

"What kind of answer is that, young man? I'm going to call the police." Urahara quickly flipped open his cellphone. He was almost to point of dialing until Toshirou came to his side and distractedly flashed a shiny credit card.

Toshirou waved the plastic card back and forth in front of Urahara's face. Like following a hypnotizing pendulum, Urahara's eyes were filled with dollar signs at the sight of the card.

"I'm going to make a big purchase today. Do you accept credit cards?" Toshirou asked him.

"Credit cards, gold, diamonds, platinum, anything you have we accept, young sir!" Urahara exclaimed joyfully and welcomed Toshirou back inside the shop. Urahara waved a hand behind him at Tatsuki. "Please be careful, Tatsuki-chan!" He said his farewell merrily.

"What a quick change of heart!" Tatsuki yelled out incredulously before Renji ushered her inside his limo.

AN: Sorry to end it there but I wanted to split what I wrote so far into two chapters. I do have a question for you though... do you all like the long chapters or short chapters? Because sometimes I feel the long chapters just drag on and on but some people like having a lot of things happen at once... Please let me know what you think!

The next chapter will have a... surprise, you could say. All in all, I hope this one was all right for ya. As always review with love, constructive criticism and all that jazz! Next chapter will be up sooner than you think! *winks*

Thanks! ありがとうございます！