When Ichigo entered the club, it was pitch black except for the light coming from the bar. As he got closer he could sense a lot of people around him but he couldn't see anyone. As he finally reached the bar with the box of supplies the lights came on and everyone yelled, "Surprise! Happy Birthday, Ichigo!" After his terrible day, he was literally shocked into silence. He finally realized that the 'list' had been more of a distraction than anything and couldn't decide if he was going to be mad about it now or later.
His friends from college were there including Tatsuki, Chad, Uryu, Keigo and Mizuiro. The vizards Shinji, who owned the club, and Hiyori were there fixing drinks for everyone which relieved Ichigo as he knew Hiyori wouldn't be drinking. Her temper was 10 times worse when she had been drinking and Ichigo knew if she did, that he and Shinji would be lucky to leave the bar alive, let alone walking. Kisuke was sitting near the stage and had a mischievous look about him, which Ichigo was sure had something to do with the camcorder that was strapped to his hand. Plus Renji, Ikkaku, Toshiro, Hanataro, Shunsui, Jushiro, Yachiru and even Kenpachi were there. Several of the people there gave him a knowing look, with the looks from Uryu and Toshiro somewhere between mortification and pity, though he noticed they both carried a slight smirk. He noticed Kukaku and Ganju going in the back with some pyrotechnic equipment.
Tatsuki and Renji sat down by Ichigo at the bar and Shinji lined them all up a few shots and a bottle of sake for afterward. Ichigo tried to stop after the first but after a few taunts of, "Oh, the lightweight strawberry can't handle a few shots," from Renji and Tatsuki, Ichigo had downed a few more than they had and in his rush to prove a point didn't realize that he had taken their shots as well. Ichigo noticed there was a small buffet set up for them to grab some food, so he made a couple trips over there as he was starving after his stressful day. They sat around for a while talking, eating and drinking some sake before it was announced over the speakers that everyone needed to go to the stage area. Ichigo recognized the voice as Rukia's and wondered why she hadn't shown up to wish him happy birthday yet.
After the food settled and the alcohol started to sink in, Tatsuki and Renji lead Ichigo over to the stage and out to the end of the catwalk where there was a fairly comfortable chair sitting. There they instructed Ichigo that this was the seat of honor and this is where he would sit to watch the show, as though the sign that read 'Ichigo sits here!' on the chair wasn't enough of a clue. At first he refused, thinking they had something horrible in store for him, but Renji told him that if he didn't sit there then Rukia would be terribly disappointed, so he sat down and prepared himself for whatever was to come. Though what happened next was not anything that he was expecting.
As the music started, Ichigo sat at the end of the catwalk in a rather comfortable black leather chair, wondering what on Earth would happen. The stage in front of him was dark for a few seconds and then the lights gradually came on, and then dimmed off; Ichigo noticed someone on stage, though he wasn't certain who it was as it became dark again before he could get a good look. After a few more seconds the lights came on again and then there were two people on stage and he had decided that they were female. After sitting through another few seconds of music the lights came back on two more times and when the beat started to pick up, Ichigo could make out who the four women on stage were. At that exact moment he knew he was in deep shit. On the far left was Rangiku in a white low v-necked tank with blue jean skirt, then on the far right was Yoruichi in a much more modest beige vest with a purple mini skirt. To his left was Rukia in a blue strapless baby doll top with white layered skirt and to his right was Orihime who wore a green fitted dress that stopped above the knee.
Rangiku and Yoruichi stepped forward and they alternated singing each line from the song. Behind them Orihime and Rukia were doing the backup singing and some sassy little dance moves.
Yoruichi- "Superstar. Where you from, how's it going?"
Rangiku- "I know you, gotta clue what you're doing?"
Yoruichi- "You can play brand new to all the other chicks out here"
Rangiku- "But I know what you are, what you are, baby"
As they sang, they slowly got closer to Ichigo and this made Ichigo very uneasy. He didn't know what he would do if they tried doing something to him on stage in front of everyone, but he knew it was definitely a possibility that they would. As the distance between them and him became less he noticed small bursts of fireworks going off on the sides of the stage, but was brought back to his current situation when the girls reached him. He turned 10 shades of red when they circled around him and each kissed him on the cheek before they started the walk back toward the main stage. Ichigo sat back and took a deep breath to compose himself and hoped that was all they were going to do to him.
Yoruichi- "Look at you, gettin' more than just re-up"
Rangiku- "Baby, you got all the puppets with their strings up"
Yoruichi- "Fakin' like a good one, but I call em like I see em"
Rangiku- "I know what you are, what you are, baby"
Then they stepped back and all the girls sang the chorus.
Shinigami, Shini-Shinigami, your a Shinigami
Oh Shinigami, oh you're a Shinigami, baby
You, you, you are; you, you, you are
Shinigami, Shinigami, Shinigami
Everyone, including Ichigo burst out laughing after that part.
Boy don't try to front
I know just-just what you are
Boy don't try to front
I know just-just what you are
You got me goin'
You're oh so charmin'
But I can't do it
Shinigami
Boy don't try to front
I know just-just what you are
Boy don't try to front
I know just-just what you are
You say I'm crazy
I got your crazy
You're nothing but a
Shinigami
[End chorus]
As the music changed back to the main lyrics, Rukia and Orihime stepped up this time to sing, which got Ichigo interested at the idea of Rukia kissing him too, so he sat up.
Rukia- "Ichig-O, you got the swagger of a champion"
Orihime- "Too bad for you"
Rukia- "You just can't find the right companion"
Orihime- "I guess when you have one too many,"
Rukia- "Makes it hard, it could be easy,"
Orihime- "Who you are, that's just who you are, baby"
Again the girls started walking down the catwalk toward Ichigo, but he noticed that Rukia held back while Orihime circled him, kissed his cheek and then walked back to where Rukia was. To say he was disappointed was an understatement. He knew the song wasn't over yet, so he held onto the hope that maybe something else would happen. He sat there as Rukia and Orihime stood back to back as they began to sing again.
Rukia- "Lollipop, must mistake me you're the sucker"
Orihime- "To think that I, would be a victim not another"
Rukia- "Say it, play it how you want it"
Orihime- "But no way I'm never gonna fall for you, never you, baby"
As the last few lines were sung, Orihime made her way back to the other girls as they all sang the chorus again, this time becoming a little more risqué with their dancing, causing all the guys in the room to adjust themselves in their seat.
[chorus]
In the background Ichigo could hear Renji complaining, "Man, I didn't get anything like this on MY birthday. What makes Ichigo so special?" Ichigo laughed at the comment, but agreed that someone must have thought a lot of him to go to all the trouble of setting this all up for him and he could only hope it was Rukia.
His attention was brought back to the present as Rukia started walking towards him as the chorus was ending again. He completely froze when she came up and straddled his lap while putting an arm around his neck as she started to sing the next lines.
Rukia- "Maybe since we both live in a different world,
It could be all good, and maybe I could be your girl,
And we can, but we don't, why"
Then she pulled him in for a long kiss as the other girls finished singing the rest of the song and in that instant everyone around them disappeared.
[chorus]
Boy don't try to front
I know just-just what you are
Boy don't try to front
I know just-just what you are
Shinigami, Shini-Shinigami, your a Shinigami
Oh Shinigami, oh you're a Shinigami, baby.
Ichigo hadn't realized that his hands had become 'unfroze' and had moved on their own to rest on Rukia's upper thighs during her singing. He became very aware of her hands in his hair and the warmth radiating off her body. Slowly Ichigo moved his hands to her back so he could pull her deeper into the kiss. He couldn't believe that she was kissing him and he actually pulled up the nerve to kiss her back. She wasn't pulling away and yelling at him and the longer she sat in his lap the more he realized how perfectly she fit up against him. Rukia realized that Ichigo may have forgot where they were and though she was enjoying herself immensely, she didn't want to end up naked somewhere in the club… tonight anyway. She reluctantly pulled away from Ichigo and noticed the momentary look of loss on his face.
Rukia leaned over to his ear and said, "Now, I'm not the only one who wants to spend time with you tonight. Don't worry we can finish this later." Ichigo immediately brightened up with that thought and they went to join their friends at the bar for enough drinks to get everyone plastered. Ichigo stood there and admired all the hard work that his friends had went to and then he realized that Shinji had finally started letting the regular customers in as the usual music came on and people seemed to suddenly be everywhere. Most came up to him and congratulated him on his birthday and his newly founded relationship.
Urahara came up and informed Ichigo that he had missed quite the show earlier when the girls were rehearsing for tonight especially when it came to who his stand-ins were. Ichigo was about to get pissed over Rukia climbing on some other guys like she had him until Urahara informed him of the slight differences in the performances.
"Don't worry Ichigo, I got it all on tape so don't let these guys give you shit about it. They were all just as bad, so much so we thought Uryu would pass out and Toshiro's head would pop off. I of course volunteered to sit through a pass with Yoruichi but she refused" Urahara laughed as Ichigo gave him a look. "Hey man, you gotta get your kicks while you can." said Kisuke innocently.
"Yeah right, you're such a womanizer". replied Ichigo as he put an arm around Rukia and pulled her up against his side.
Later on Rukia sat back watching Ichigo with his friends and thought about him and herself. -We have developed an eternal connection that stemmed from an accidental meeting. He accepted his destined fate and took the road less traveled. Because of his resolve we can always be together. It's amazing how even though we are so totally different, it seems we were made to complete the other. Just like yin and yang. I am the light to his dark and he is the fire to my ice.- Rukia then jumped up and rejoined the party.
After a full night of partying, the couple somehow managed to get back to their place around 3am. After running into their apartment they slammed the door and sat down by it while trying to contain their laughter after having pulled some horrible prank on the doorman that they were sure they wouldn't remember tomorrow.
Suddenly, the nights events dawned on them and they realized for the first time they were together alone and officially a couple. After the initial blush went away, Ichigo leaned over Rukia's smaller frame and simply said, "I'm glad things turned out the way they did, even though we waited all this time. I could never have gotten over losing you as a friend if something had gone wrong".
"Same here." replied Rukia quietly. She closed the space between them and kissed Ichigo. At first it was gentle, but then as they got into it the kiss became more passionate and wanton. All the years worth of frustration at their situation, nervousness that prevented their actions, concern for each other, fighting with each other which always included yelling at each other, crying over uncontrollable situations, passion for each other and finally their inevitable love went into their kiss.
Then Ichigo suddenly grabbed Rukia up and slung her over his shoulder while trying to keep from falling over. He managed to make it to his bed with her kicking, hitting and biting before he unceremoniously dumped her on his bed. Rukia tried to scowl at him through her disheveled hair, but it only served to make the smirk on his face turn into a full out smile. Ichigo took his shirts off and looked down to see a momentarily speechless Rukia. He chuckled as he thought -Now I know what to do to get her to shut up-. Then he climbed on the bed and leaned over Rukia to turn the lights off. As he neared her, Rukia felt frozen, anxious of what Ichigo would do next. He leaned into her and as his mouth reached her ear she heard him whisper, "By day I vow to protect you and by night I promise to embrace you. I'll love you forever. We'll be together, in this life and the next."
The End
Sorry, there was no lemon in there. I love reading them, but I really don't think I could ever write a good one. I would hate to try and muck up the story with a horrible sex scene, ya know. I hope everyone understood what Ichigo said there at the end. It was based on a quote from the manga. I also tried to play off the thing about him being the black sun and her the white moon with him protecting her during the day and embracing her at night with the day as his time and the night as hers. Well, let me know what you think. I hope everything made sense and I hope that everyone found something enjoyable about it.
ORIGINAL POSTING DATE: May 24, 2009
WORDS: 2444