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: Happy Valentine's Day! This is your V-day gift from me! Not much to say rather than sorry that updates are so far and few in between. I may not get to finish this as early as I thought I would. :(
Thank you soooo very much to reviewers and readers of course! I love you guys and gals! Hope this one is good for ya!
Yosh! Let's go! よろしくお願いします！
Japanese Notes:
-Hontou?: Really?
-Gomen: I'm sorry
Chapter 20
Ichigo could not fathom how Kaien's patience did not wear away as Urahara led him around the shop. For thirty minutes straight, Urahara managed to show Kaien every box of candy the store offered and even those with assorted nutty chocolates. Kaien mentioned earlier that his wife was not fond of any type of nut in chocolates but Urahara had let it completely pass his mind. He was preoccupied with the image of himself counting the money he would be making.
Nevertheless, Kaien was so polite he let him go on about the candy until he finally decided to buy a dozen boxes of a particular set.
Cha-ching. The sound of cash registers continuously rang in Urahara's mind.
Ichigo, Tatsuki, and Chad wrapped the candy boxes and placed them in bags while Urahara exchanged money with Kaien. After, Urahara inhaled the scent of newly made bills that came fresh from the bank. He was having a field day.
He carelessly waved a hand to his three employees. "We're closed now. Your shifts are over." Urahara's eyes glinted and he skipped himself to the back of the shop, with the large wad of bills in hand.
All three bid their boss goodbye, not minding if Urahara heard it or not, and followed Kaien out. Ichigo noticed that Kaien's red sports car was replaced with the rich man's usual limousine.
In no time Ichigo and his friends were seated at the most luxurious restaurant they had ever been in their lives. Kaien took his seat across from Ichigo and spread his arms out as if showcasing the place.
"Nice, right?" He directed to all three.
"Yea." Chad replied in his usual low deep voice.
"I've never seen such an amazing place." Tatsuki marveled as she took in the scenery around and above her.
"I just bought it a month ago. So order anything you guys want!" Kaien added in cheerfully.
And so they did. Although Ichigo was itching to find out why Kaien was there, he knew it had something to do with Rukia. As soon as the food arrived, Kaien began his explanation, putting his plate aside while the three teenagers ate.
"Now, I would like to first and foremost commend you, Ichigo, for sticking with Rukia through all that junk she's put you in." Kaien said.
Ichigo nodded his head tentatively. "Ah…"
Tatsuki smirked but quickly hid it as she stuffed a piece of steak into her mouth.
"But unfortunately the problem is her brother." Kaien furrowed his brow with worry. "I can't put this nicely, but that man will do anything to have his way. He strongly disapproves of what Rukia's doing. I know he has something up his sleeve at the moment."
"That must be why Rukia told me to call if anything out of the ordinary happened…" Ichigo recalled and slowly started to understand the situation.
"Ah, yes. Do be careful if something does happen." Kaien agreed wholeheartedly. He grinned at an afterthought. "You both have my full support, you know. I've noticed Rukia has changed for the better. She's become more aware of her feelings and I'm sure she's developing into a more honest person. She owes it all to you, Ichigo."
Ichigo shook his head, disbelieving Kaien's words that he had a part in changing Rukia. "It can't be just because of me. I mean I'm just an ordinary boy. I could never live up to the image she has about me."
"That's not true, Ichigo!" Tatsuki cut in fiercely. She knew too well that Ichigo's modesty was showing through. "You know… Rukia seems really serious about you that I know she doesn't care about your social status. If anything, she'll try to fit in more with us as time goes by."
"A very good choice of words, Tatsuki!" Kaien praised her. "By the way, you must have a boyfriend, correct?"
Tatsuki's face lit up at the question. "Why, yes! He's really tall and-"
"Yosh! I've got it then!" Kaien interrupted her mid-sentence and held up his index finger, signaling that he had an idea. He turned back to Ichigo, his grin increasing tenfold. "Why don't we test how compatible you two are? Go on a double date with Tatsuki and her boyfriend! That sounds good, right Chad?" He turned to Chad, expecting some sort of agreement from the quiet individual.
Chad merely nodded and grunted in agreement. He was still chewing on his food.
Ichigo blinked continuously, the thought passing his head then forcing itself back in again. It was not like he was appalling the idea as he might have a few weeks ago. His mindset definitely had changed since then.
He had a slight worry in the back of his mind of going on a date with a girl who had high expectations. He sensed that Rukia would find it hard to understand the simplicity of a middle class date. The food, the activities, the people, what reaction would she have to that? Nevertheless, he would have Tatsuki there to help him if things got out of hand. He made his decision then.
"…Alright." Ichigo replied after a moment of silence.
"Forget this game! You're all cheating anyway." Rukia fumed and threw her cards on top of the table. With S4 together again, the usual card game was in session although to Rukia's disadvantage, the game was not one of her best. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, glaring at Toshirou who won the game.
"Why can't you just be a humble loser?" Toshirou questioned and collected the large amount of money placed in the middle of table.
"Easy for you to say." Renji interjected. "You've won three times in a row."
Toshirou shrugged in response. "What can I say? You can't learn the skills I've got. You've got to be born with them."
Rukia ignored Toshirou's comment, since she was annoyed with him as it was, and instead turned to Orihime. Her friend had been unusually quiet throughout most of their game, only putting in a word or two regarding her turn.
"Orihime?"
It took a second for her to respond back. "Oh! Yes?" Orihime answered sheepishly, placing her cards down.
"I was just wondering…" Rukia paused. "You haven't told us much about your visit to America…"
"Oh… well, there were a lot of great places to shop! You would have loved it, Rukia! Oh, and I brought so many souvenirs that I need to give you all! I brought some here but they're in the limo. I'll call my chauffeur to bring them up!" Getting suddenly flustered, Orihime grabbed her purse from below the table to fish out her cell phone.
Rukia held up a hand for her to stop and chuckled. "It's fine, Orihime. You don't have to go through the trouble of giving them to us now. Especially to these two." She narrowed her eyes at Renji and Toshirou.
"Oh… okay then…" Orihime replied. She placed her purse back on the carpet.
As she looked at her, Rukia had the strongest urge to ask Orihime about Ishida. Ever since Orihime came back, she gave no information on how he was doing or what happened between them. Memories replayed through Rukia's mind of Orihime being so determined to be with him. Seeing her friend so void of true happiness brought about a bit of sadness within Rukia too.
Rukia's gaze toward Orihime softened and she placed a reassuring hand atop her friend's hand. "Tell me if you ever need anything, okay?"
Orihime looked up, a bit of surprise forming on her features. "Arigatou, Rukia." She softly replied.
The sound of Rukia's cell phone brought them out of their moment. Seeing Ichigo's name on her caller I.D., Rukia quickly answered. "... Hey." She said casually, hiding the delight that he actually called her this time.
"Yo." Ichigo answered back. He sent death glares at the grinning faces of Kaien, Tatsuki, and Chad who were all witnessing his call to Rukia. "I uh, wanted to ask if you uh... wanted to... go on a double date tomorrow at the Karakura Zoo." He gulped heavily afterward and hid his face from view of the three watchers.
Rukia's eyes widened at the inquiry. She answered the only way she knew how. "Ohh... well usually I wouldn't go because it's a commoner's date but... fine, I will go." She hung up quickly without saying a goodbye. Her fingers suddenly felt tingly and she felt a hum in the inside of her chest.
"What happened, Rukia?" Renji questioned, noticing the obvious pink blush that appeared on her face.
"Ichigo just asked me to go on a commoner's date with him." She answered with a smirk.
"HONTOU?" Renji yelled out disbelievingly. He practically threw out the deck of cards in his hand from shock.
"This is great, Rukia." Toshirou commented. He, for one, was actually glad to hear about the news.
Orihime smiled softly but did not say a word in return.
Before Ichigo was dropped off at his home that night, Kaien had once again fervently declared how he was going to try to help him and Rukia in any way possible. Kaien wished him luck on his date the next day and promised that they would see each other again the near future.
Ichigo said his thanks and left the comfortable confinement of the limo. The night had gotten a bit colder than usual as Ichigo walked up to his building. He secured the scarf around his neck tighter and buried his hands in his pockets to keep them warm.
As Ichigo neared the front doors of the entrance to his apartment, a familiar voice called him and he stopped abruptly. Turning around, he was taken aback to see Orihime standing there alone. Upon seeing his reaction she quickly apologized and slightly bowed her head.
"Gomen. I didn't mean to startle you."
Ichigo shook his head. "No, you didn't startle me. It's fine." There was awkward pause for a moment before she spoke again.
"Ano… is it okay if I talk to you for a moment?" She questioned hopefully.
"Yeah. That's fine." Ichigo replied. Orihime sat down on a bench a few feet away and he joined her, although sitting a considerable distance away from her. She started to fiddle with her fingers a bit. Ichigo had a feeling that she was nervous.
Orihime started, although a little raspy at first, her voice developed into a steady tone. "First off, I wanted to congratulate you and Rukia. I can see that she's really happy. I see it in her actions that she's trying hard to change. And it's because of you, Kurosaki-kun…" She bit her lip softly, finding it hard to say what she felt at the moment. "Is it okay if I tell you my time in America?"
Ichigo nodded, considering it was quick change of topic. But he was wondering before after all…
"Well, when I was in America with Ishida-kun we spent so many days together. The sightseeing was amazing there. We'd spend hours talking about our childhood, our friends, and family. We even talked about you."
"Eh?" Ichigo blurted out disbelievingly.
Orihime gave a small giggle at his reaction. "Yes. He said you're very stubborn but he respects you either way. With him, I don't think I've ever been any happier."
Ichigo couldn't help but smile, hearing her words and seeing her face light up at the mention of Ishida.
But her eyes soon clouded over. "Then Ishida-kun started his academic work and he was busy every day. He apologized that he couldn't spend time with me but all I could do was apologize back to him. I wanted to help him but I didn't know how."
A heavy sense of guilt welled up inside of her. She lowered her head. "I… I couldn't help the person I loved. I was only hurting him by staying there."
She sighed dejectedly. "I'm a hopeless cause."
Seeing Orihime so miserable made Ichigo suddenly pity her. She left with a broken heart and it was obvious that it would not mend itself. He countered her point. "You're wrong about that." He said after a brief moment.
Orihime looked up toward him, her grey eyes blinking in confusion.
"You're not a hopeless cause." Ichigo reiterated. "You've helped me through hard times and gotten me out of situations where I was bullied. In the beginning, you were the first one to stand by me. I owe a lot to you." He added strongly.
Orihime was frankly stunned by his words. A little part of her felt like breaking down and crying but another part of her gained strength from what Ichigo said.
"I…" She started but was quickly interrupted by a boisterous yell.
"Ichigo, is that you down there?" Isshin's voice was heard, bellowing out from above them.
Ichigo's back stiffened, knowing far to well the conclusions his father came to when he saw his son with a member of the opposite sex. He quickly got up from the bench.
"I'm sorry but I have to go. I'll talk to you later." Ichigo bid his goodbye to Orihime and rushed inside the building before his father could walk down to greet him.
After Ichigo was out of sight, Orihime gathered her thoughts and stood up to return home. She glanced at her cell phone but purposely ignored the blinking icon on the screen that indicated she had a new message.
Rukia grumbled an expletive under her breath. Just like her first "date" with Ichigo not too long ago, she was waiting. No, not waiting for Ichigo fortunately as he stood close by her in front of a statue of an ancient Japanese samurai situated in front of the entrance to the Karakura zoo. They were waiting for Tatsuki and her boyfriend to show up.
"Ah, they're a bit late…" Ichigo realized when he glanced at his wristwatch and found it five minutes past their meeting time.
Rukia looked around impatiently. "I can't believe these commoners are making me wait. What a bunch of-"
"Hey, it's only been five minutes." Ichigo interrupted. "And Tatsuki is one of my best friends so please just try not to mention anything when they're here." He looked at her seriously, as if this really meant something to him.
Rukia eyes softened a little as she stared back into his amber ones. The inside of her chest tightened slightly before she directed her gaze elsewhere, breaking the eye contact. "Fine." She agreed, focusing her attention on a tree.
"Ichigo!" Tatsuki had arrived and walked over to them from a short distance away. "Sorry we're late."
Although Ichigo had never before seen Tatsuki's boyfriend, he assumed the tall boy following behind her with baggy hip-hop attire and dark shades was her boyfriend. It was odd choice for Tatsuki, Ichigo thought, but he shook his head of the thought and walked over to his friend.
"It's fine." Ichigo replied and slightly bowed his head toward Tatsuki's boyfriend. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo and this is Kuchiki Rukia." He gestured toward Rukia who walked up next to him at that moment.
"It's nice to finally meet you." Tatsuki directed to Rukia who tried her best to politely nod in return. "This is my boyfriend, Yamashita Ryo-"
"Hey, hey, wait a second!" Ryo cut in Tatsuki's introduction rudely. As if trying to get a better look, he took off his sunglasses and pointed toward Rukia. "Kuchiki… it's like I've heard that name before."
Rukia crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes defensively. "You have?"
"Yeah… it's an interesting name… Kuchiki… something. Hmm, it seems I don't remember where I heard it. Anyway, let's get going!" Ryo swiftly grabbed Tatsuki's arm and led her off to the entrance of the zoo.
Ichigo and Rukia stood behind, the former only a bit more shocked at what happened. Rukia was the first to say what was on both of their minds. "…What the hell was that?"
Ichigo could only scratch his head in wonder. "I don't know… but uh, we should get going in and try to have fun at least."
As they went through the zoo's entrance and caught up with Tatsuki and Ryo, Rukia instantly decided she did not like Ryo judging by her first impression of him. Already he was giving her obnoxious vibes and she wondered what attracted Tatsuki, or rather anyone, to him.
Her dislike of Ryo increased when he walked beside her and started a conversation randomly. "Hey Rukia, I haven't been to a zoo in ages. How about you?"
Rukia looked straight ahead as she gave him her answer. "I've only seen animals on an African safari."
Ryo gawked at her in disbelief. "No way! You have? Whoa, you must be some rich girl or something 'cause I know I could never afford that. Hey, make sure when you go again, invite me along!" He said animatedly, automatically assuming his status as her friend.
Ichigo, who walked by Rukia's other side, heard Ryo's words and immediately tried to change the subject. "Hey Tatsuki, it's been a while since we've been to the zoo. Wasn't it around the first year of junior high?"
Tatsuki gave him a weird look but agreed. "Yeah, I guess."
Rukia felt Ryo's shoulder brush her own. Feeling uncomfortable, she shifted her stance and pushed Ichigo over so that there was more space in between Ryo and her.
"Ow! What was that for?" Ichigo asked as he rubbed the spot on his arm where Rukia had applied pressure to push him aside.
Rukia made sure Tatsuki and Ryo were walking ahead of them before she spoke. "Your best friend's boyfriend is getting on my nerves. Is this what happens on a commoner's date? Someone agitates you? Why is Tatsuki even with him in the first place?" She was extremely annoyed by this point and hiding it was no success.
Ichigo scratched his head uncertainly but agreed with Rukia on the matter. "You know, I don't believe it either. I thought Tatsuki would be with someone more… decent at least."
As Ichigo glanced at Rukia, he noticed her furrowed brow and the small scowl formed on her lips. It was only ten minutes into the date and she was already complaining. Just as he thought. "Maybe we should just go back home." He decided after they stopped at a certain point.
Ichigo was utterly surprised when she stated otherwise. "No… we'll just continue on since Tatsuki might get angry with you for leaving… I wouldn't want you in trouble on my behalf." She mouthed the last part quietly but Ichigo managed to hear it nonetheless. She walked on ahead of him before he could speak.
"Arigatou." Ichigo thanked her, hoping she heard him. A small appreciative smile graced his face as caught up with her. He knew she was trying and the right thing for him to do was to try just as much. At that moment, he understood her a little more.
Luckily for them, Ryo had wanted to split up for a while and he and Tatsuki left Ichigo and Rukia to explore on their own. Rukia left Ichigo in charge of leading them around the area by way of the zoo map. They had managed to see quite a number of animals and actually enjoyed themselves as they started to feel more comfortable around each other.
Most moments were filled with laughs on Ichigo's part as Rukia tried to name each animal based on looks alone. After many failed attempts at finding the right adjectives, she reverted to instead naming each animal after a person she knew. Toshirou was the polar bear, Orihime was the red panda (of which Rukia squealed at it's cuteness), and Renji had the honor of being a butt-scratching monkey.
"He does that way too often in public." Rukia revealed when Ichigo gave her questioning look at her choice of animal for Renji.
Ichigo shuddered at the image.
They sat down to rest for a moment but Rukia quickly got up and left Ichigo, telling him that she would be back soon. Although he was given no other details on where she was heading, Ichigo shrugged and examined the map to scope out another animal that they could see.
After ten minutes, Rukia returned with her hands behind her back. She smirked as she stopped in front of Ichigo, who was still sitting and examining the map. Feeling her presence, Ichigo looked up only to stare into the face of a white bunny.
"…Huh?" He jerked his head back slightly as Rukia prodded the bunny forward.
"There are no bunnies at this zoo unfortunately, but I found this plushie instead." She explained, her tone taking a playful turn. "I named it Chappy. It's yours. It's cute, eh?" Her smile widened tenfold when Ichigo accepted the bunny, obviously her most favorite animal.
"Ah… thanks. But you didn't have to." Ichigo said as tilted his head a bit to observe the plushie and found that it was actually a hand puppet. He made a gesture to hand it to her but she pushed it back to him with her small hands.
"Just take it... Please." She said sincerely and made a point by placing her hands atop his as he held the bunny. Neither of their faces turned a shade other than pink as Rukia held their contact. It was Ichigo's turn to feel his chest tighten.
She quickly let go and pivoted away from him. "Uh… shall we go see another animal?"
"Sure." Ichigo agreed and stood up from his seat.
Yet just before they could leave, Tatsuki and Ryo appeared before them. The smile Rukia had earlier, disappeared when Ryo waved at them more than necessary.
"Hey, you two!" Ryo greeted when he and Tatsuki stopped before them. "Glad we found you guys. I'm thirsty so let's all get a drink! You guys wait here while I get 'em for you all." He turned to Tatsuki and held out a hand, palm faced up. "Tatsuki, money." He ordered her.
Ichigo was in shock as Tatsuki obliged and took out her wallet. She fumbled inside for a while to find money before Ryo grew restless and grabbed the purse from her, taking it with him to get them drinks.
Rukia bit her lip, holding back from saying a word about what happened before her. She decided to excuse herself, needing a restroom break.
"Tatsuki, why did you let him do that?" Ichigo asked with concern once Rukia left them.
Tatsuki looked away from him, feeling a bit ashamed herself. "It's not how it looks, Ichigo. You've just met him. He's really a nice guy…"
"Oh yeah, nice enough to offer to get us drinks by using your own money. If he were any other person, I know you would never let him get away with that crap-"
"Just leave it alone, Ichigo." Tatsuki cut him mid sentence. "You don't know him like I do… I really like him."
Hearing the wistful tone of her voice, Ichigo stopped, not wanting to hurt Tatsuki's feelings by ruining a relationship she wanted. On the other hand, there was an urge within him to punch Ryo senseless if he ever did that to Tatsuki again.
After Rukia left the ladies restroom, she had an unpleasant encounter with Ryo who was waiting alone outside the restroom area with no drinks in his hands. She stopped a few feet away from him, arms crossed over her chest.
"What do you want?" She asked him coldly.
Oddly, he chuckled and a wide smile spread upon his lips. "Listen, between you and me, I'm having the most boring time."
"What?" Rukia blurted disbelievingly.
"Tatsuki's a cute girl and all but she's getting to be such a bore. She's too needy. But you," Ryo whistled low and looked Rukia over. "You are just too good to be true. Small and feisty, just how I like 'em."
Rukia narrowed her eyes and took a step forward. "Oh really now?"
Ryo nodded. "Let's you and me ditch them and have our own fun. They're not worth our time anyway. Especially that guy you're with. Compared to me, the guy's a total dud. Such an ugly face! Hang out with the real deal, baby, m-"
Ryo did not get a chance to finish his sentence when Rukia suddenly swung her fist and hit him hard on the left side of his face. He stumbled backward, holding his face with eyes widened from the pain of the blow.
"What the hell? You little bitch!" He cried out in fury.
"How dare you say that? Ichigo is not ugly!" Rukia declared and swung another fist at Ryo's face, this time on the right side where he was not covering. This impact was harder than the first and caused Ryo to fall to pavement on his behind.
"First of all, he's much better looking than you! You look like a dumbass wannabe gangster!" She grabbed the collar of his coat and delivered another punch to his face.
"And second of all, you should never disrespect your girl then try to hit on her best friend's date!" Rukia sent her right fist straight into the front of his face, making him fall flat on the ground.
"Rukia! What are you doing to Ryo?"
Rukia turned back to see Tatsuki running over to them, Ichigo behind her with mouth open agape at the scene. Although her heart was racing from the adrenaline, Rukia got up and dusted herself off as Tatsuki ran over to Ryo and bent down to help him up.
Rukia looked over to Tatsuki, her anger rising seeing Tatsuki help her jerk of a boyfriend. "This person you're dating is a scumbag. I can't take this nonsense. I'm going home."
"Rukia, wait!" Ichigo grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving. He needed an explanation on how this came about.
"No, Ichigo." Rukia swiped his hand away. "You know more than I do why I did what I did. I'm just sorry that it involves your best friend and that… it had to be me." She turned her back to him. "You were right. We should have just left in the first place." She walked away quickly before Ichigo could stop her again.
"What did you do to her?" Ichigo heard Tatsuki question Ryo from behind him.
"Hell if I know!" Ryo yelled out, and held his bleeding nose between his forefinger and thumb. "I just asked her what she wanted to drink and then she socked me right in my face!"
"That's it?" Ichigo asked incredulously.
"Of course that's it!" Ryou shot back. "I swear, I made time today just so I could go out with you, Tatsuki, then this happens! I'm out of here!" Ryo ignored Tatsuki's pleading and left her behind.
Tatsuki stood there dejectedly, wringing her hands together. Ichigo did not know what else he could besides place a hand on her shoulder and apologize.
"It's not your fault, Ichigo." Tatsuki said. "I'm sure Ryo said something to Rukia. I mean he's been acting weird all day…" She closed her eyes, fighting back from crying and showing her weakness. "I-I guess he and I are over with."
Ichigo sighed and offered to find out what really happened. He owed it to Tatsuki after all.
AN: A little bit of IchiRuki and a whole lot of Rukia kicking ass, woot! Thanks to those who were concerned for my allergies, btw. They've cleared up and I am now snot/sneeze free! I hope it's the same for you too!
Enjoy Valentine's with your loved ones and we can all perhaps imagine that Ichigo and Rukia are spending this day together too, eh? Nah, we don't have to imagine, we KNOW they are! :3
Look out for the next chapter filled with some shocking moments! (No really, I'm not lying)
Thank you! ありがとうございます！