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: Everybody, rejoice! Winter break has finally arrived! As I type this, I am sitting with a cup of hot cocoa in my hand as the rain pours continuously outside. Ugh, I hate the rain! Anyway I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. Busy this, busy that! But the next chapter should come out soon! Think of it as an early Christmas gift. :)
My dear reviewers:
LithiumRukia: Thank you so much for the compliment! I agree it's been a hit or miss for IchiRuki fics lately but I'm glad that you think so greatly of mine! I hope you get excited for this update! :D
Niverk01: Just wanted to say that I'm super happy to hear that you've never seen HYD! I mean, who wants to know what happens beforehand anyway? :P Thanks for your review!
sayume214: Hon, your review made my face turn into this: ^_^ Seriously! Ahhh, you don't know how much I love getting long reviews like yours that touch upon so much! First of all a big thank you for reading! One thing you put that I love hearing from reviewers is how you enjoy the pacing of IchiRuki's relationship added to the fact that you see IchiRuki parallel to Domyouji and Tsukushi without getting the characters OOC! That's exactly what I hoped to accomplish! As for UlquiHime, I also enjoy the pairing but as with other pairings besides IchiRuki, I have no definite answer on where it'll head. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
And a big hug and kiss and thank you, thank you to my reviewers: CloudRed1988, , Gunbladez19(chases back with bamboo stick! :P), Everlastingsakura, teshichan, SilverStella, arden323, SmilexForxBleach, LyraZeldaCyndaquil, XD, dethangelx, chichi11101!
Now let's begin!
Chapter 26
It took a good five seconds to clearly register in Ichigo's mind.
Did he just say… her fiancé? His mouth automatically formed into a tight scowl. Yeah… he definitely said fiancé.
Ichigo shot a questioning look toward Rukia who was still trying to avoid his eyes as much as possible. This whole time she had a fiancé and yet here she was, trying to help him win T.o.J in order for Byakuya to accept this growing relationship forming between them. On one hand, Ichigo figured this was likely an arranged engagement by Byakuya and Ashido's family therefore resulting in something Rukia wanted no part of. It would be no surprise when she decided to defy Byakuya's orders and pursue Ichigo.
Even as he tried to fairly reason this situation, it still hurt him knowing Rukia kept such an important detail from him. What was she expecting? She can't have her cake and eat it too considering this 'cake' included Ichigo's feelings that she seemed to play with to her liking.
Rukia finally spoke up, noticing the look of confusion from his end. "Ichigo, I want to say first -"
"All T.o.J contestants please convene in the dressing room now for necessary preparations before we start the event in ten minutes!" A booming voice rang from the loud speakers throughout the lobby, calling the attention of everyone and interrupting Rukia mid-sentence.
"I'll see you guys later." Ichigo bid toward everyone, sparing a glance at Rukia last for a brief moment before following the other contestants toward the dressing room. He decided to leave this matter at the back of his mind, the contest being his first priority and the only thing he should be concerned with at the moment.
Ichigo surveyed the shuffling crowd surrounding him as they made their way inside. There was quite a large number of contestants, close to thirty Ichigo approximated. He could not help but scope out the crowd for possible competition after seeing Kano Ashido a few feet in front of him. As Ichigo expected, most of the students were of the snooty type, jutting their chins in the air and distastefully glaring at Ichigo's hair before looking away. He inwardly smirked at their reactions, noticing that they were too chicken to hold his glare when he stared back at them.
Once inside, everyone went to their respective vanity mirror stations where their make-up teams were waiting to apply last minute fix ups before contestants went up on stage. Making his way to a a chair situated near one of the tables set out, Ichigo was thankful he didn't have to subject himself to wearing make-up. Ichigo wasn't nervous per se, but he felt some kind of tension welling within himself. Whether it be from the contest or from news of Rukia's secret engagement, he could not pinpoint what it exactly was.
"Kurosaki-san?"
Ichigo turned around in his seat and found Hanatarou in his own Takaimono uniform, timidly standing there.
"Hanatarou?" Ichigo got up from his seat, wholly surprised to see the other boy in the room. "You're in T.o.J also?"
"Ah." Hanatarou simply answered and lowered his head, avoiding direct eye contact with Ichigo. "Gomen, Kurosaki-san. But as long as we're in the same contest, I consider you my enemy. Please do not speak to me as if we know each other."
"Huh? Why-" Before Ichigo could get a substantial word out, Hanatarou briskly walked past him toward his own station, avoiding any sort of confrontation. Ichigo sighed, not bothering to figure this one out. Hanatarou's flip flop attitude was normal albeit spontaneous but Ichigo knew it best to just be patient with him. Ichigo definitely wasn't asking Hanatarou for another incident involving himself and Rukia.
There I go again thinking about her.
At that moment, Ichigo found Ashido sitting nearby receiving some sort of pep talk from someone whom Ichigo assumed to be his manager. Ashido's eyes briefly met with Ichigo's. Surprisingly Ashido nodded slightly, a small smile on his lips directed toward him. Ichigo wasn't sure how to respond to his kind greeting. He nodded back mutually before his attention diverted to an announcement.
"All contestants please be on standby." The voice from the room's loudspeaker directed.
Welcoming the distraction, Ichigo fixed his shirt collar before lining up behind the other students near the exit to the stage.
"Rukia, our seats are over here!" Renji yelled out over the crowd. Orihime and Toshirou were already situated in their seats reserved for S4 near the judges table. Renji noticed Rukia was not following suit and looked behind him to find her making her way back up the aisle.
She waved a hand back at him. "I know. I'm just going to the ladies room." She made her way back up and out the doors, ignoring the group of student boys in the last row who were vying for her attention. Rukia would have given them a few stares of her own if her mind wasn't preoccupied with what happened earlier. She actually felt terrible for keeping this secret from Ichigo.
She had forgotten about the engagement... Well, more like placed it on her list of things to ignore. It was another one of Byakuya's selfish ideas that involved furthering the success of Kuchiki Enterprises. Unfortunately for her, Rukia had been placed in the middle of the impending business deal. She would marry the heir to the Kano family business once she turned 18 years of age and in turn, Byakuya would revel in the merger of two powerful families not just by business but also by marraige.
Rukia figured if she held out long enough without thinking about it, the engagement would go away. Or rather the day she turned 18, she would withdraw as much money as possible from the bank and move overseas where she would change her name, leaving any trace of Kuchiki behind her. But no, the biggest reminder of the engagement came back and pushed Kano Ashido in front of her face. Her brother annoyingly always had perfect timing.
She went to wash her hands once inside the seemingly empty bathroom, her thoughts taking over her head. Rukia was too caught up to even notice the dark figure quietly exit a bathroom stall and swiftly knock her on the head with a blunt object, rendering her instantly unconscious.
Ichigo ran a hand over the satin fabric of the sash that was placed over him, eyes roaming over black sewn in Japanese characters that read 'Teen of Japan Contestant #14'. He'd be lying if he said the sash didn't make him feel at least a bit proud of himself. Who would have thunk a no name kid like him would be competing against a horde of rich kids? It felt a bit surreal to him in the least.
The contest had barely started from what Ichigo could hear from backstage. After a loud round of applause the hosts of the contest, a man and woman by the name of Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentaro, made their quick introductions. Laughter ensued from the audience when an argument started between the two hosts. There was a bit of fussing until finally Kiyone won and happily called for all the contestants to come out on stage.
Amongst a continuous round of applause from the audience, Ichigo followed the line of students out from stage left. As Ichigo stepped onto stage the almost blinding projectiles of the overhead lights instantly caused his eyes to squint before they finally adjusted to the light. He quickly scanned the audience, a grin forming when he spotted his father and sisters amongst the crowd. But the grin quickly subsided when Ichigo read the huge sign Isshin and Yuzu held above their heads that read: "GOOD LUCK, ICHIGO! KUROSAKI SUPER POWER ALL THE WAY!" It was mostly embarrassing due to the fact that his family were the only ones in the audience that had a signboard. In bold giant letters. In bright red ink. Despite that, he was still glad to see them.
He looked toward the seats past the judges table, first catching sight of Renji's loud scarlet hair. Beside Renji sat Orihime on his right and Toshirou in the seat beside Orihime. Ichigo was doubly happy to see Tatsuki, Chad, and surprisingly Urahara seated in the row behind S4 as they waved to him. Urahara had miraculously agreed to close shop for the day, no doubt still counting the profits he made from the orders Renji and Orihime made.
Ichigo's eyes continued scanning the seats for one person but noticed the seat on Renji's left was empty. Rukia was no where in sight.
Seeing her absent, Ichigo felt his stomach sink. Thinking back to the last time he saw her he hoped that Rukia didn't think of him as angry with her. He wasn't angry at all, just in need of an explanation and the truth. But time didn't permit such a thing and he realized he probably left on a bad note.
At that moment, Orihime also wondered why Rukia was not sitting with them. "Ano, Renji-kun. What happened to Rukia?"
Renji glanced at the seat to the left of him, almost forgetting that Rukia was supposed to be sitting on it. "Ah, she went to the restroom. But she's taking quite a while..."
Orihime nodded in understanding. "She's probably nervous. With Ashido up there... I wouldn't know what to do in that situation either, ne?"
Renji agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's calling Byakuya now and yelling at him."
Rukia slowly opened her eyes, a sharp ache suddenly making its way to the back of her head. From what she could tell of her immediate surroundings she was in the back seat of a moving vehicle. She tried to move her arms but found them tied behind her back securely with rope. Looking toward the front, she could barely make out the driver but the back of the female's head in the passenger side looked oddly familiar.
"Who the hell are you guys?" Rukia yelled out after she got her bearings.
Nanao was startled at the outburst and nervously looked behind her at a furious Rukia.
"Nanao?" Rukia was in disbelief. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I apologize, Kuchiki-san. But please, please try to stay calm."
"Nanao, you better explain what this is all about or I swear I'll rip this seat belt off and charge at you." Rukia threatened through gritted teeth.
Nanao nodded in agreement, frightened at the smaller girl's threat. "H-hai. Here's the thing..."
"Now for a few words from the great head chairman of the T.o.J. executive committee, and not to mention our boss," Sentaro added earning a few chuckles from the audience, "Ukitake Jyuushiro!"Sentaro handed Ukitake a mic and joined in multiple bows toward his boss with Kiyone.
A round of applause filled the room as the tall, frail but handsome man walked up to the front center of the stage. He thanked Sentaro and Kiyone before giving a cheery smile toward the crowd. "Welcome ladies and gentleman. First and foremost, I humbly thank you for joining us for this spectacular event tonight. I have but one question to ask you. What turns a boy into a man? I have no idea of the answer myself. But I am sure among the group behind me that they will all turn into fine young gentleman. This contest is just one large step up that ladder. Without further ado, T.o.J. will now begin!"
At once large streamers filled the air signifying the start of the contest as the roaring applause of the crowd began. Sentaro and Kiyone returned to the front of the stage, wide smiles plastered on their faces as they spoke after the crowd's applause died down. "We've got a big surprise in store for our contestants, don't we, Kiyone?"
Kiyone nodded enthusiastically. "We sure do! Unlike previous years where we've had a total of 6 rounds to determine the winner, we are changing it up by having-"
"4 rounds!" Sentaro cut in purposefully, earning a bitter glare from Kiyone. A collective gasp could be heard from the audience at the revelation. "And to add more surprises, the first round for our contestants will be-"
"Anything they want!" It was Kiyone's turn to interrupt. She stuck her tongue out at Sentaro before continuing. "You all have one minute to display one of your talents to the judges! Choose carefully because half of you will be eliminated after this round! You have five minutes to prepare before we call out our first contestant! Begin!"
Ichigo sidestepped before he could be trampled by the stampede of students turning and running backstage and into the nearby dressing room. He followed the last remaining students out as he racked his brain for some kind of talent. He never was one to outwardly showcase his talents whatever they may be. Now in the dressing room amongst a frenzy of students readying themselves for showcase, Ichigo buried his head in his hands having no idea what he would do.
Many minutes passed by quickly and the first ten contestants had already gone up. Ichigo watched the overhead television set in the dressing room that showed live streaming footage of what was happening on stage. Kano Ashido was up. The confident male gave a low bow to the audience out of respect before taking a seat on a lone chair in the middle of the stage. One of his assistants quickly appeared and handed Ashido a cello and bow. Quickly Ashido began playing a classical piece masterfully on the instrument.
Ichigo was almost in awe as he watched. Ichigo had no musical background himself but what Ashido played sounded like a challenging piece. Ashido handled the instrument like an expert and played it as if he were putting his soul into the musical notes. Everyone could feel the passion. After he ended on a powerful note, the audience gave him a huge applause with a few of the judges so impressed that they gave him a standing ovation.
"Now I'm screwed." Ichigo said to himself. Time was ticking by.
"Kurosaki Ichigo-san! Please be on standby!" A T.o.J staff member with a large afro style haircut named Zennosuke directed toward Ichigo. "Hey, you ready?"
Ichigo furrowed his brow in worry since he definitely was not ready. He looked at Zennosuke's large hair and paused. Something suddenly came up in his mind. "Yeah, actually I need a favor..."
Tatsuki yawned, having no interest in the contestant on stage whose talent was jump roping for a whole minute. Her attention strayed to the row in front of her where S4 sat, her focus zoning in on an obviously bored looking Renji. He of course felt her eyes on him and turned his eyes toward her. She nodded toward the stage as if silently asking what Renji thought of the contestant. Renji gave a dissatisfied frown and pointed a thumb downward in disapproval. She chuckled, turning away when the audience started a polite applause for the student as he bowed and walked off stage with his ropes.
"Ichigo's next." Chad informed Tatsuki, pointing toward the side of the stage where he could see Ichigo's orange hair peek out from behind the curtain. Tatsuki sat up, all her attention now on the stage.
"Contestant #14, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"I still don't understand why you're dragging her out here at a time like this, Byakuya." Kaien stood before Byakuya's desk in his main office. Initially not able to attend T.o.J. because of having other matters to attend to, Kaien had quickly dropped what he was doing and went to Kuchiki Enterprises main building to confront Byakuya after getting inside information on what happened to Rukia.
"That's Kuchiki-shachou to you," Byakuya never failed to remind him, "and I'm sure of it that the boy will not win."
Kaien chuckled at Byakuya's insistence as he folded his arms across his chest. "You might not think it, but you're the only person who believes that."
Byakuya returned the chuckle mockingly. "We'll see about that."
"Oi, oi what is he planning on doing?" Renji said in shock when Ichigo appeared on stage dragging Zennosuke out with him.
Orihime giggled at the large puff on Zennosuke's head. "That man has interesting hair, ne?"
Ichigo took a deep breath before beginning, giving a nod to Zennosuke who had no real idea what was in store for him. "Good evening everyone. From my experience I've been bullied my whole life because of how I look and because of my status. I would like to give awareness to bullying by demonstrating how you can protect yourself from these bullies."
Collective whispers could be heard throughout the audience. Renji raised a doubtful eyebrow. "What use is it showing your fighting skills in a contest like this?"
"I think this might turn out to be interesting." Toshirou countered, sitting back in his seat and crossing his arms.
Ichigo backed up a few feet away from Zennosuke. He put up his fists and beckoned for him to charge. "Come on, Afro-san. Show me what you've got."
Zennosuke's eyebrow twitched at the ridicule of his hair. He was so going to enjoy kicking this boy's ass.
Or so he wished. "ARGHHHH!" Zennosuke ran toward Ichigo ready to tackle him off the ground. But Ichigo was quick to react and managed to grab Zennosuke around the waist and flip him over onto his back on the ground. Zennosuke winced in pain. Okay, the kid was better than he thought.
"Usually to thwart to a bully you want to be able to have the upper hand right off the bat." Ichigo explained toward the crowd. "The bully won't think that you know how to protect yourself so naturally you have the advantage." Zennosuke mumbled a few curse words under his breath as he got up slowly, ready to charge at Ichigo again.
"If that doesn't knock him out already, you'll want to do this." Without so much as a glance behind him, Ichigo swiftly elbowed Zennosuke right in the stomach causing a loud 'oof!' to escape from Zennosuke's mouth. He doubled over, holding his stomach.
"And if that doesn't work, there's always the final ending kick." Ichigo turned and faced Zennosuke, aiming his foot toward the bottom half of Zennosuke's body seemingly close to the family jewels. Zennosuke eyes widened at the realization of where this was going and instantly fell to his knees, begging Ichigo to stop.
Ichigo dropped his foot and looked quizzically at him. "Eh? Afro-san, are you all right?"
Zennosuke shook his head, bottom lip blubbering away. "Y-you win! Bullies aren't going to be messing around with you anymore!"
Ichigo nodded in satisfaction, turning back toward the crowd. "Point made."
"Ever since Rukia has met Ichigo, I've noticed a change in her." Kaien explained to Byakuya.
Byakuya gave a sigh of annoyance and put down his pen, halting his work. "What are you trying to imply?" The thought of Ichigo changing Rukia in any way irked him. How dare Kaien suggest such a thing?
"Because she has these deep feelings for Ichigo, I see how Rukia is truly on her way to become an adult." Kaien added seriously. He began pacing the room slowly as he spoke out of habit when he became deep in thought. "The Rukia before this never had a problem bullying others and ridiculing those less than her. I noticed that she put up this front so that no one could see the pain she felt inside. But now she has regained her true self because of the love she feels toward Ichigo."
"Shinyama Gakuen, Okada Takashiro-san!"
The audience applauded as the ninth contestant was called up to proceed to the next round. A total of fifteen were to move on. Ichigo stood amongst the crowd who had not been called yet, holding his breath as each name was called out and exhaling when it was not him.
"Ginkawa Gakuen, Kano Ashido-san!" Many in the audience cheered as Ashido bowed toward them before taking his place with the fifteen finalists.
"Takaimono Gakuen..."
Ichigo held his breath.
"Yamada Hanatarou-san!"
"Eh?" Ichigo said in shock.
"Absolutely preposterous!" Ichigo heard Yumichika say as he stood a few feet and had not been called up either.
Hanatarou walked nervously toward the front, bowing multiple times before standing with the finalists. The next three finalists were called and Ichigo still was not one of them. He suddenly lost hope as he held his head down, not bothering to hold his breath this time as they started to announce the last contestant.
"And last but not least..." Kiyone and Sentaro gave a toothy grin after reading the last name on the card, causing an air of suspense. "Takaimono Gakuen, Kurosaki Ichigo-san!"
That's me! Ichigo's head darted up quickly in surprise just as his father and sisters got up from their seats in the audience cheering for him. Renji and Orihime high-fived each other while Toshirou clapped, satisfied with the result.
"Yatta!" Urahara cried out in joy as Tatsuki and surprisingly even Chad cheered almost as loud as Ichigo's family.
Ichigo took a moment to nod slightly to those around him who weren't going to the next round before walking toward the front to join the finalists. Yumichika's eyes full of green envy was left unnoticed by Ichigo as he walked away.
Ukitake stood up from his seat behind the judge's table. "By showcasing your talent that stood out amongst your peers, you have all demonstrated a range of qualities a modern young man must possess. Congratulations for making it through to the second round!"
"You haven't realized yet," Kaien continued, "how great an influence Ichigo is to Rukia."
Byakuya shook his head as he stood up from his seat. The stoic layers were slowly being pulled away at Kaien's incessant speech. "You should know your place, Kaien." He placed his palms face down on his work table, getting ready to challenge him. "But if you really think that boy has the chance to win and if he does, I'll listen to whatever you say." He smirked. "But the reality is, he'll never win."
Kaien glared back at him, readily accepting his challenge. Although his concentration broke when the door to the office opened and Nanao entered, bowing before stating her purpose. "Kuchiki-shachou. She's here."
Behind her was Rukia who was struggling to get her arms out of the grip of Byakuya's bodyguards. Her mouth was gagged with a strip of cloth, not giving her the freedom to yell out. Kaien's face lit up with concern and he hastily made his way over to her. "Rukia!" He was about to push one of the guards off before Byakuya spoke out.
"Kaien, stand back." Byakuya ordered firmly.
Kaien's blue eyes seethed with anger but he refrained from pushing off the bodyguard yet didn't leave Rukia's side. Byakuya walked toward Rukia, his hands behind his back. "If I didn't do this to you wouldn't have listened to what I had to say, correct?" He directed to her.
Rukia glared back up at her brother, her teeth clenched together over the cloth.
After a five minute intermission the contest resumed to start the second round. Ichigo stood along with the other 14 contestants at the front of the stage. Although thankful that he made it past the first round, Ichigo still didn't feel completely at ease. Rukia was nowhere in sight and he was starting to believe that she really was angry with him. Perhaps if he were to win the contest, her anger would subside.
I'll definitely continue to do my best. He thought resolutely.
"We know that our contestants are all very handsome young gentlemen, right Sentaro?" Kiyone questioned her co-host.
Sentaro shrugged. "Honestly, I don't swing that way but if I did then yes, yes they are." The audience laughed.
"Which is why for our second round the theme will be style!" Kiyone revealed. At once racks upon racks of clothing were rolled out onto the stage behind the contestants. "A true T.o.J winner must have confidence in whatever he wears!"
"Yes, so you all have a choice to showcase your own style by creating your own outfit!" Sentaro included enthusiastically.
Ichigo suddenly paled at the theme. Besides donning his school uniform most of the day, his only other choice of an outfit was a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt. As he quickly scanned the racks he found no such outfit at his disposal. What the hell would he know to wear?
"Those outfits were all on display at the men's fashion show in Paris last week." Toshirou realized nonchalantly, his head resting upon a hand propped on the armrest.
"Ah, that's right." Orihime chimed in, nodding her head quickly. "Good luck, Kurosaki-kun."
"You all have three minutes to peruse the racks and find an outfit. After that you will return to the dressing rooms to change! Time begins... now!" Kiyone started.
The contestants all scattered off to one of the racks. Kano Ashido readily found his outfit in less than 20 seconds and was the first one to walk off stage to the dressing rooms. This did not go unnoticed by Orihime.
"Oh no, Ashido-kun has already found his outfit!" She burst out in a whisper toward her friends.
"Not surprising since I'm sure these are just everyday outfits for him." Renji explained. "Ichigo's another story though." His attention shifted to Ichigo who was looking at every piece of clothing and shaking his head, utterly confused on what to do. He desperately went to each rack, minutes ticking by until he was the only one left on stage trying to find an outfit.
"Damn it, what am I going to do? This is just ridiculous." He said to himself.
"Hey, kid! You're running out of time, aye?" Ichigo heard someone from the audience yell out mockingly to him. A few from the audience sniggered. Ichigo grabbed the nearest thing without thorough examination and ran off stage, sparing himself more ridicule.
Rukia's arms were unbound and her gag was removed at the agreement that Kaien would leave the room once it was done. Rukia added that she would only listen to what Byakuya had to say if Nanao would also leave the room. Rukia glared at the bespectacled female as she made her way out with her head down, feeling betrayed that Nanao would agree to go so far with Byakuya's orders. Once everyone was out of the room, Rukia stretched out the kinks in her arm before beginning her usual questioning of her brother's actions. He was sitting back at his desk but did not resume his work, instead opting to fold his arms before him as he sat back in the leather seat.
"What the hell are you trying to do?" She asked bluntly. "I wanted to support Ichigo in the contest especially after the stunt you pulled."
"With Ashido in the contest Ichigo has no chance of winning either way." Byakuya stated as if it were fact.
"Tch." Rukia scoffed, folding her arms and looking away from her brother's cold eyes. "Like you would know a thing of what Ichigo is capable of. Ichigo is the kind of person who overcomes any kind of adversity."
"Well if you're so confident that he'll win," Byakuya paused, "I'll stay out of your way and restore his family's name. But if he ends up losing, you'll do whatever I say."
"Huh?" Rukia was taken aback at the offer. He was actually trying to make a deal with her.
Byakuya raised an eyebrow at her response. "This can't be a difficult wager if you're sure that he will definitely win, right?"
Ichigo placed his outfit on an empty rack in the dressing room, finally giving his random choice a thorough look up and down. There wasn't much to the outfit, just a simple black suit with white pinstripes, matching tie, and white dress shirt. He figured the theme of the round was more of how much confidence you showed wearing the outfit regardless of what it was. He heard a slight cough come from behind him and turned to see a oddly smiling Yumichika behind him.
"Ichigo-san, congratulations on making it to the next round!" Yumichika said happily and clapped his hands together in a mini applause for Ichigo.
"Uh, thanks." Ichigo replied although he was fully suspicious of Yumichika's kindness seemingly derived out of nowhere.
"I heard that if you win the contest you'll have full permission to date Kuchiki Rukia from her brother. Is that true?" Yumichika asked, feigning innocence. At that point Ichigo was oblivious to what was going on behind him. Hisagi Shuuhei and Madarame Ikkaku quietly appeared and took his outfit off the rack, quickly making their own alterations as Yumichika distracted Ichigo.
"Well, not exactly just that but umm..." Ichigo tried to explain.
"At least that's what I heard." Yumichika cut in. "Everyone at Takaimono knows. But enough about that. I just wanted to say as a fellow student representing Takaimono, please do your best!" He waved a goodbye and left quickly almost running out of the room, leaving Ichigo to wonder what spurt Yumichika's random act.
Ashido who was close by witnessed Yumichika confront Ichigo but was not able to see what was happening behind him. He strode over to Ichigo as soon as soon as Yumichika left. "Sumimasen. I wanted to apologize for not introducing myself earlier before the contest. My name is Kano Ashido. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." He bowed his head slightly.
"Ah, it's fine." Ichigo nodded back. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. Hajimemashite."
"I'm sorry if I seem rude, Kurosaki-san," Ashido apologized genuinely, "but I was wondering what is your relationship with Kuchiki-san?"
"He is the one Kuchiki-san is crazy about." Hanatarou interrupted, appearing out of nowhere. The response flustered Ichigo as he nervously scratched his neck out of habit.
Ashido looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"Uh, well... I'm just..." Ichigo trailed off when he caught sight of his outfit behind him. His eyes widened as he took the material into his hands. "How?" The suit seemed to have been cut in multiple places, the worst area being the right pant leg where half of it was cut off and hanging by a thread. Somebody was sabotaging him!
"Crap." Ichigo cursed under his breath. Hanatarou eyed the ruined suit and grimaced as he walked away, not wanting to be part of this anymore.
Ashido noticed the torn up outfit, his eyes widening in shock. "Is everything going to be okay, Kurosaki-san?"
Ichigo stood still looking downward, unresponsive and still clutching the suit in his hands. The notice that there was five minutes remaining to get ready was called out. Ashido gave an awkward pat on Ichigo's back before heading off to finish his own outfit.
Five minutes. A ruined suit. What could he do?
"I can't believe this is happening!" Ichigo cried out.
AN: I really hate to leave it at this kind of cliffhanger but I didn't want this chapter to be too long with all the breaks it has in between scenes. -_-;
But yay, our boy made it pass the first round! Let's hope he can model his way out the next round! As always read and review, my loves!
Thanks and I hope you have a good morning/day/evening/night! :3