The Trouble with Love-games
Eventually you are going to lose…
A/N: Id like to thank DeviantHollow23 for the review, I also find these kind of fic's entertaining, hopefully enough so that I can write a good one! I hope you enjoy the rest!
And also, cheeky disclaimer, I don't own bleach, Tite Kubo does.
…
Rukia Kuichiki was just finishing up her dinner before work, when her phone beeped at her. She opened it, whilst downing the remains of her coffee, it read:
'Hey Rukia, remind me when you get to work that I have a proposal to tell you about, I think you will be just perfect for it! Ukitake'
'Hmmm, wonder if it's a promotion?' she smiled to herself at the thought, quickly rinsed her plate and mug, grabbed her bag and coat yelling
"Bye Nii-Sama!"
Unsurprisingly, her brother did not respond. He was probably immersed in some paper, and even then Byakuya Kuchiki was not a man of very many words. Her brother was an economics post-graduate, studying for a PHD in market economy. Him and Rukia shared a small two bed flat, about a 20 minute walk from campus. It was a little inconvenient, but since they were orphaned when Rukia was 14, money had become tight, and they couldn't afford a place closer to campus. But neither of them minded the walk, Rukia often found it gave her time to gather her thoughts.
She reached campus, and checking her bright purple Chappy watch, saw she still had 10 minutes till her shift started. She decided to stop by the Law department office, to pick up her latest essay. She had planned on dropping by after her lectures tomorrow, but since she had time now, she thought she may as well. She walked into the highly modern building, filled with glass and chrome, it was very nice, a little OTT Rukia thought personally, but Law firms practically threw money at good university law departments, so she guessed she shouldn't complain. She reached the undergraduate pigeon holes, found 'K', then her student number identifying her paper. She looked at the mark. 77.
'Another first!' she thought, elatedly. Boring as living with just her brother was, sometimes, at least she got work done with out disturbance, which seemed to be paying off.
Rukia stowed the paper in her bag, and set off to the back entrance of the bar, where she deposited her bag and coat and signed in. As she was clocking in for her 8:30-close shift, she crossed paths with Nemu, another bar assistant who was just on her way out.
"Hey Nemu, how has it been today"
"Fairly normal, but I believe tickets for tonight sold out, so it may get busy." The girl replied, fairly blankly. Nemu Kurotsuchi was a 2nd year law student, who was nice enough, Rukia had always found, but pretty distant. She kind of reminded her of Byakuya, in that sense. Her father, Professor Kurotsuchi, was the head of the law department, and a notoriously tough teacher. Rukia always suspected Nemu got this job as a way to escape her father, who did not let her live in halls, or go out at night. This was the only way she got to socialise out side of class. Rukia felt kind of sorry for her; whilst her own brother was overprotective of her, and wanted her to stay with him rather than move out, it was mainly for cost purposes, and he had never forbidden her from going out (though he had not been unknown to not let her out till she was wearing something 'decent').
Rukia reached the bar, went into the glass wash room and fetched her name tag, only to be drawn into a great hug by her best friend Isane, a second year biomedic.
"Rukes! Please tell me you're on till close too, ive got a feeling tonight is going to be a busy one! And our most efficient co worker has just left! God help us!"
Rukia shook her head.
"Yeah I just saw her, she warned me that tonight is sold out"
"Sold out! Oh god we are gona die!"
Rukia chuckled at her friend
"Stop being so melodramatic, you and me can handle it"
They made to leave, and Rukia found herself almost opening the door into Jyuushiro Ukitake, who was carrying a stack of pint glasses higher than his head in one hand, and a bunch of empty bottles in the other.
"Oh my I am sorry!"
"No worries, we should really get a bigger window in this door so that shorty's like yourself can see out!"
She frowned at him as the manager and her best friend laughed at her expense. It wasn't her fault that they were both approaching six foot, while she stood a little under five!
"You guys will be manning tills 2 and 3, if your up to the task "
"Course we are" Rukia leered.
Isane strode off to her till, whilst Rukia stayed behind, helping Ukitake with his stack of glasses, loading them into the glass washer for him.
"So what was the proposition you texted me about earlier?" She inquired.
"Oh yeah that! Well you see earlier today a lad was in here with his friends at the bar moaning that he had to re-take his mid-term exams or face expulsion, he is looking for a tutor, and well, since he is a 1st year law student too, and he is pretty well off so he will pay you well, I recommended you."
Rukia took all this in. Not quite what she was expecting, but she wouldn't say no to extra cash, and teaching someone is a great method of learning more yourself…
"That doesn't sound too bad, though surely Nemu is better qualified?"
"Well perhaps, but I thought you'd appreciate the money more"
"Perhaps you should pay me more!" She joked.
The man chuckled.
"Well I suspect he will be here tonight, so I will introduce the two of you and you can decide for yourself."
"Thanks boss" She smiled and went to join Isane in the centre of the bar.
'Perhaps if he wasn't coming to the bar often enough to be acquainted with the managers he would be doing a little better…' Rukia thought to herself.
The shift was going by fairly quickly, just as Nemu had predicted, it was getting pretty busy. It was just coming up to 11'o clock, when a big group approached Rukia's till. 2 boys, one with black hair and a '69' tattoo on his face, the other with bright orange hair, were arguing over who was to get the next round.
"I beat you in the last bugatti race we had, loser, you still owe me, so you can get this round!" Yelled the tattooed one.
The orange haired boy rolled his eyes and conceded defeat, drawing out his wallet.
"Fuck you, Hisagi!" He yelled playfully at his friend, then turned to Rukia.
'Great, a bunch of stuck up snobs from Montgomery hall, I'll bet' Rukia grumbled in her head. She plastered a fake smile on and used her sweetest serving voice.
"Hi, what can I get for you?"
"Heya doll, we'd like a bottle of red, 2 glasses, a bottle of rose, 3 glasses, 2 Guinness, 1 San Miguel, 2 pints of bulmers, 2 pear Koppaberg, 2 Kronnenburg, 1 double vodka diet coke, and 3 double vodka lemonades"
'Please' She thought 'Why don't you just ask for the whole bloody bar while youre at it?'
"Oh and 18 Jager bombs"
'Fuck'
She went about making her order, looking harassed. As soon as isane finished her latest order, she offered to help Rukia with the Jager bombs, but Kyoraku swooped in and told her he would do it.
"I'll help you Rukia, sweetheart"
"Thank you!" She looked somewhat flushed, there was no rose wine left in any of the 3 fridges. Shit.
She went back to the boy, luckily he was easy to spot.
"I'm very sorry but we are all out of rose"
"What, are you joking, its only like half 11!"
"It's pretty busy though I'm afraid"
He looked angry.
"Fine, I'll talk to Shuun when he is done with those Jagers then"
"Fine"
She went over to help her manager carry the many Jager bombs. As they placed them on the front bar, the boy and Kyoraku began a friendly exchange, and a nasty thought creept into Rukia's mind. 'This boy is on nickname terms with the manager, what if..' Rukia shuddered 'No, he can't be, Shuunsui and Jyuushiro know a lot of students…' She tried to convince herself.
Right on cue, Jyuushiro had spotted the group talking with his best friend and co manager. And they were being served by Rukia.
'Perfect! I can introduce Rukia and Ichigo!'
He strolled over.
"Hey lads, ladies, surprised you're back again so soon, you only left at 7, you miss us?"
"Course not you idiot!"
Rukia watched the banter fly across the counter, becoming more and more uneasy. She gathered a bunch of glasses, and was about to head to the glass wash room when Ukitake pulled her to his side, arm around her shouldes.
"This is the young lady I told you about Kurosaki, you know, from earlier?" He stared poignantly from one to the other, as Kyoraku giggled. "Ichigo, Rukia; Rukia, Ichigo. I think you could learn a lot from eachother!" He smiled his winning smile, but even this did not affect Rukia!
'Like I would teach this stuck up jerk! Not for all the money in the world!'
"So how about it, doll face, I'll pay you well" He winked at the managing duo, who giggled.
"Uh! Not even for 1 million dollars, strawberry!" She exclaimed, storming off with her glass stack.
Everyone laughed, Ichigo looked slightly bewildered, that was not how girls usually reacted to his charm!
"I told you you'd have your work cut out for you!" Laughed Jyuushiro, as Hisagi, Renji, Shuunsui, and the rest of Ichigo's group clutched at their sides!
"Hahaha STRAWBERRY!" cried Yoruichi
"SHUT UP" Yelled Ichigo, his hot headed temperament taking over. He slammed the money on the bar, took his drink and moved over to the booth, the rest of the group following, wondering how the hell he was going to win this girl over, since clearly his looks, wealth, and charm, his deadly trio, did not quite cut it with this girl. She was different.
….
Tah-dah! Let me know if you like the chapters being longer
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