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: Here's the latest installment, guys! Warning now that this one's a bit shorter than the rest since I decided to save all the drama for the next chapter. Heh, I am evil for ending it like that, eh? :D

And to Hail the Wolves, if I told you that it'd be spoiling the story, right? D:

Thanks muchly to my reviewers and readers! Many hugs and kisses sent to you over the internet!

Yosh! Here we go! よろしくお願いします！

Chapter 16

Renji's interest piqued once a certain buxom strawberry blond haired woman entered Urahara's candy shop. Yet as she stepped foot inside, a disappointed sigh escaped Renji's lips as Urahara plastered a large sign on the glass window that read: ALL MERCHANDISE SOLD OUT!

"So sorry, everything is out of stock! Please come by another time. Thank you for dropping by!" Urahara lightly flailed his arms about in a showy manner and bid goodbye to the frowning women who arrived too late for a box of candy.

Tatsuki wiped her hands clean on a cloth before heading over to Urahara.

"Urahara-san, is it okay if I go see how Ichigo is going along on his search?" She asked.

"Of course! You've worked hard enough." Urahara replied.

Renji scowled. He should mean I'VE worked hard enough.

"Plus," Urahara continued and placed a heavy hand on Renji's shoulder, "I've got Renji here to help me and Chad clean up!"

Tatsuki bowed and thanked Urahara once more before leaving a dumbstruck Renji who cried out after her for help.

Meanwhile after her encounter with Ichigo and Toshirou, Rukia walked along the sidewalk of the perimeter of Karakura Sqaure with Hanatarou trailing closely behind looking at a map of the area.

Rukia fished her hands into her coat pockets and fidgeted with the lint inside, suddenly feeling a little ashamed of what she just did back there. There was no way in heck she was on a date with Hanatarou but the look on Ichigo's face gave her short-lived satisfaction.

She could see the shock written on his face and wondered if he felt the exact same way she felt when she first saw those photos of him: the aching in her chest, the pounding in her mind, and the sting in her eyes.

But no, it was wrong to feel this way… She hated that feeling and the satisfaction soon wore off when she realized that he was possibly jealous seeing her and Hanatarou together. Her mind was battling the emotions that crashed inside of her.

"We're not a couple." Ichigo's words reverberated in her head.

If you think that, why the hell did you react like that toward me and Hanatarou? Rukia questioned in her mind. She hoped this search for the girl in the photos would give her some answers.

"Here we are, Kuchiki-san!" Hanatarou broke Rukia out of her reverie. They stopped in front of a contemporary style building as Hanatarou double-checked the address. "Yes, this is the club that Kurosaki-san went to."

They went inside and asked the security guard if they could speak with the manager. The security guard was reluctant to let them enter in the first place since it was not business hours but agreed once Rukia passed him a bill worth 5,000 yen. He led them to the main club floor and pointed at the manager of the club who sat at one of the empty tables working on forms.

Rukia placed the photo of Ichigo that Hanatarou had provided and a bill worth 10,000 yen in front of the manager. "Do you recognize him?" She asked.

The manager arched an eyebrow at the two bold visitors in front of him but settled down once he placed the bill in his pocket. He examined the photo and nodded his head after a moment.

"Yea, I recognize the boy. He left with some girl after a while." The manager chuckled. "The way they were acting, they probably went to the hotel next door. Most people who plan doing you know what go there after they've met here."

Rukia clenched a fist into a tight ball hearing this, contemplating on socking the manager in the face just to release her anger. She held back and turned around to leave as Hanatarou spoke up.

"Arigatou, we'll be heading there now." He thanked and hurriedly ran to catch up with Rukia.

Rukia wanted to stop altogether after hearing the manager's account but her mind pushed her to find out more as if there was something left to be uncovered. She was silent as they headed into the hotel.

Hanatarou spoke with the woman at the front desk. "Sumimasen, but did this young man in the photo come by here a few nights ago?" He showed her photo.

The woman's eyes widened but she quickly answered. "Yes, he was here along with a girl and some other man. I think he was a little intoxicated."

Rukia almost fell from shock. Why is this getting freakier by the minute?

"Is it okay if we see the room they stayed in?" Hanatarou questioned the woman.

The woman nodded and handed them the key. As Rukia went ahead to find the elevator, the woman questioned Hanatarou in a low voice, "You look familiar…"

In an instant, Hanatarou slid a large amount of yen toward her. "Not another word." He told her monotonously before he walked over to where Rukia stood waiting for the elevator.

Ichigo and Toshirou were already worn out by the time they searched through the third host club. The sun was slowly setting down in the horizon also. They had no luck in finding the girl after questioning a ton of groups who were associated with Mayuri's clan. More than often, they had to fight their way out of the host club after a number of girls tried to coax them into staying at the club.

Ichigo had never been so manhandled in his life. He swore that a few girls made passes at him by softly placing their hands on his back or worse, his behind. He in turn, would redden in the face instantly and look for the nearest exit.

They stopped near the train station to decide where to head off to next. Toshirou noticed someone in his peripheral and gestured behind Ichigo.

"Look who's here." He said. Ichigo looked behind him to see Tatsuki waving her hands to them and briskly walking in their direction.

"Hey! I just came from work to see if you guys needed help. Any luck yet?" She questioned after she stopped beside them.

Ichigo shook his head and inwardly sighed. "No such luck. I'm pretty much beat after running around today."

"We can continue this tomorrow. Although there is one more spot I'd like to check out…" Toshirou paused. "But I don't think it would be a good idea to bring along Tatsuki."

Tatsuki arched an eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean? Ichigo's my friend." She added defensively.

Toshirou waved his hands in front of him to mean no harm. "I meant that the places are host clubs and more than likely if you go, they'll try to recruit you."

"And by all means, hell no." Ichigo stated decidedly, taking into account his experiences at the host clubs.

"Yes, exactly." Toshirou agreed. "But I can go on ahead by myself. I'll inform you if I find anything."

"Alright. Thanks." Ichigo bid Toshirou goodbye then turned back to Tatsuki. He uneasily scratched the back of his head as if he were about to reveal something he was unsure about.

"Umm… I have to tell you something." Ichigo led Tatsuki to a bench in front of the station and sat down. He looked around as if making sure there was no one he knew besides Tatsuki.

After Ichigo was confident there was no one, he started. "As you probably figured out, I had some sort of feelings for Inoue Orihime a while ago…"

"Yes, it was more like a crush but continue." Tatsuki cleared up.

Ichigo gave a small nod but swallowed heavily at the same time. "But earlier today before Toshirou and I started searching the host clubs, I had an encounter with Rukia and… I know it wasn't a big deal and all but…"

A small smile formed on Tatsuki's face but she refrained from butting in.

"But I saw her with Hanatarou and during that time I was confused. Not only because Hanatarou seemed like he didn't care to help Rukia beforehand but… seeing them together… like that…" He nervously scratched the back of his neck, prolonging the wait for his response. Why was it so hard for boys to say how they really felt out loud?

"Something inside me started hurting from the sight. I don't know how to explain it but… I don't want to seem selfish but…" He blew out a heavy breath from his lips. He was getting flustered trying to find the exact words.

"You were jealous seeing her with another guy since she's been chasing you around these past few weeks?" Tatsuki yet again said to clear up his thoughts.

Ichigo shrugged, trying to avoid actually admitting it. "I guess."

Tatsuki leaned back on the bench and this time her smile was wider than before when she came to the realization. "Love happens when you least expect it, eh?"

Ichigo eyes widened as he quickly looked toward Tatsuki. "No way."

Tatsuki nodded. "It sure is catching up to you."

Ichigo shook his head, trying to stray away from the thought. His face was feeling a bit hot. "I would never… It's just that… I should get home." He avoided the topic all together. "I'll see you later." Without getting another word from Tatsuki, Ichigo parted ways from her and speedily walked away.

Tatsuki had to laugh a little at her friend's uneasiness. It was going to be fun teasing him later on.

Back at the hotel, Rukia and Hanatarou entered the room that Ichigo had been in. Hanatarou walked around, searching for clues while Rukia stood back surveying the room with her eyes. Her sights fell upon the bed with the exact same red sheets that were present in Ichigo's photos.

"With a sight like that," Hanatarou referred to the view from the window, "they must have planned to stay here the whole night."

Rukia did not say a word back to him as she walked forward and examined the bed alongside the photo of Ichigo in her right hand. Her mind started to imagine a scene of Ichigo and the faceless girl.

She pictured Ichigo as he boldly lay beside the girl on the bed. Their hands were all over each other in places that made Rukia blush and gasp at the same time. The kisses they gave each other went to something more and before her mind could conjure up the sight, Rukia blocked it from happening. Now all she could see was red.

Hanatarou walked up and stood by her, also looking down at the bed. "What Ichigo did to you is unforgivable. He fooled us all into thinking he was some man of justice. But in the end, he betrayed you and me."

Rukia could hear Hanatarou's words but they weren't registering coherently in her mind well enough. She felt a weight on her shoulders press down before she sat on the bed. Without thinking twice, she lay herself down and stared at the ceiling suddenly feeling quite downhearted.

Hanatarou took the chance to lie down beside Rukia and propped himself on his side by his elbow while looking down at her face. "Please don't look sad, Kuchiki-san. I can't bear to leave you like this… alone."

Rukia was unresponsive as her thoughts were clouded with images of Ichigo, all the while taking no notice of Hanatarou's obvious display of advancing toward her. Taking this as an opening, Hanatarou slowly leaned his head down to her face and closed his eyes. He was ready and willing to let himself go.

"I'm going to beat him up."

Hanatarou's eyes flashed open at the sound of Rukia's words. He had to move away once Rukia positioned herself upward.

"Ichigo is making me look like a fool. I won't have that happening!"

Hanatarou was at a loss for words once she got up and left the room without him. Menacingly he glared and crumpled the photo of Ichigo in his hands.

After Ichigo arrived home, Isshin bounced toward him with the phone in his hand. "Welcome home, sonny! A friend of yours, Hanatarou called when you weren't here. He wanted you to call him back."

Ichigo took the phone from his father's hands. "Thanks dad."

"By the way," Isshin elbowed his son in the stomach, "how are things going along with Rukia?" He smiled proudly at Ichigo.

Rubbing the spot where his father elbowed him, Ichigo hesitated from telling his father the real truth. "Uh… she's doing all right."

"Good to know!" Isshin was satisfied with the answer and left Ichigo to return the phone call to Hanatarou.

After he was settled in his room, Ichigo dialed Hanatarou's phone number. After a few rings, he picked up and brightly answered, "Moshi moshi, Kurosaki-san!"

"Hey Hanatarou. I'm just returning the call. What's up?" Ichigo thought about how he saw Hanatarou with Rukia that day and wondered if he should bring it up. He decided to wait until after Hanatarou spoke.

"Etto, I just wanted to apologize about you seeing me with Kuchiki-san earlier today. We actually were trying to help you look for the culprit but as you know, Kuchiki-san was still a bit angry with you."

"Oh…" Ichigo said, fully believing Hanatarou's words. He smiled a bit, feeling foolish for thinking that Rukia was on a date with Hanatarou and getting a little jealous… okay, really jealous.

"Yes and she would also like to make up with you in person. She's here at my house waiting for you. Please come to my house as soon as you can."

"Really?" Ichigo spirits arose after hearing these words. She finally believes me.

"Hai, Kurosaki-san. We'll be waiting. See you soon." Hanatarou ended it at that and hung up the phone.

Ichigo quickly put his jacket back on and practically ran out the door of his room. "I'll be back later, dad!" He yelled out to his father before bolting out the front door, a look of hope and happiness spread on his face.

AN: Eh? The suspense ensues! Thoughts, questions, concerns, anything you like, please review with it! I am now warm as I am snuggled in my sheets so I hope you all are too! I will try my hardest to get the next one out before Christmas! I hope you IchiRuki fans enjoy what has happened so far and I hope you will enjoy what is to come next!

I love you all and I hope you are enjoying your holidays or school days! :D

Thanksssss! ありがとうございます！