A/N: Chapter dedicated to Ichirukilover154 for her birthday!^^ (and anyone else reading this whose birthday I don't know about :P) Enjoy!
"B-brother…"
It took a few seconds for the raging storm of emotions inside Ichigo to settle; and through the fading mess, he heard Rukia's shaky voice beside him. It was another moment longer before the image of the man standing before Ichigo began to register in his mind. The fine black hair, steely gray eyes and impassive expression…
This man was no other than Byakuya Kuchiki himself.
And Ichigo had just shouted in his face.
"Rukia," spoke a voice that could have cut through glass, and a gaze to match. "Would you care to explain why your friend-" he spat out the word like it was poisonous. "-is addressing me in such a rude manner?"
Ichigo could almost hear Rukia gulp. "Ah, Brother," she looked up at the imposing man. "This is Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki." she motioned to the orange-haired man with her head. "He's one of my coworkers at Seretei."
Byakuya's gray eyes moved to Ichigo. He seemed to be inspecting him with the type of look one would give an unsightly dead animal on the side of the road. Ichigo felt his dislike for the man rapidly increase. He got the impression that the man was used to having people instantly coward under his gaze, and in a show of defiance Ichigo instead chose to meet him head on.
"Byakuya Kuchiki, I assume." Ichigo spoke up, and extended his right hand. "Nice to meet you." He said with fabricated politeness, his hard brown eyes holding a sort of silent challenge in them.
The distaste in Byakuya's expression as he reluctantly took Ichigo's hand and shook it was obvious and made Ichigo both annoyed and somewhat smug. As soon as he had shaken his hand Byakuya ended the gesture and turned his attention back to Rukia, as if Ichigo's presence was inconsequential.
"You look well, Rukia." Byakuya said, not a hint of emotion in his voice, even as he complimented her. Ichigo resisted the urge to scoff. "Ukitake has told me that he is glad to have you working at the Seretei."
He saw Rukia's cheeks gain a rosy color. "Thank you, brother. I also am very glad to be working at Seretei. It is a suitable place and the people working there are all decent."
Ichigo felt something inside him cringe at the forced formality that he had never before heard in Rukia's voice. It was a far cry from the loud and cheeky, lively Rukia that he knew. Another part of him was actually just feeling rather annoyed and…maybe disappointed…that she had just described the people she worked with -himself included- as decent.
"I am pleased to hear that." said Byakuya. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation in the seating area."
Ichigo actually opened his mouth to protest, feeling that he and Rukia definitely had some unfinished business, interrupted thanks to him, but before he could utter a word the raven-haired woman was nodding quickly and starting to move. "Yes, Brother."
Resisting the urge to groan, Ichigo had no choice but to comply and follow the two Kuchikis away from the dance floor and back to the tables. If Ichigo was being honest with himself, he wasn't really surprised when, at the moment of reaching the table and taking their seats, the older sibling shot him an icy look that clearly conveyed that the orange-haired man had not been included in the 'we' when he'd asked to continue the conversation elsewhere. Ichigo didn't even attempt to wipe off the smirk that pulled up him lips as he took a seat right beside Rukia.
The table that Byakuya had led them to was empty except for their small party, and judging from the immaculate state of all the settings on the table it was indeed unused by anyone else. So when they sat, Ichigo and Byakuya at either side of a suddenly rather uncomfortable looking Rukia.
A few heartbeats of awkward silence followed before Byakuya broke the silence. "So, Rukia," His blatant focus on the woman and attempt to block out Ichigo as if he wasn't there made the orange-haired man have to suppress an urge to roll his eyes. "Tell me about your time working at the Seretei."
And so, Rukia launched into the tales of her last two months at Seretei, with a tone that seemed halfway eager and halfway nervous. To him, it seemed like the manner and speech of someone at their very first job interview or during a first date: someone desperately seeking for approval.
Ichigo felt the crease between his eyebrows deepening more and more as he sat there, listening to Rukia's anecdotes. He snuck glances every once in a while at Byakuya, but could never catch a single flicker of emotion on his stoic façade. He wondered if the guy was even paying attention to his sister. Rukia, however, either didn't notice this or pretended not to, going on as cheerfully as she could. The orange-haired man was only vaguely listening to her stories until his attention was suddenly heightened at the sound of his own name.
"-and Ichigo has been a great help." Rukia was saying, her tone almost imperceptibly softening. "Thanks to him I was able to keep up with the speed of the routine at Seretei; he has even helped me improve my writing abilities." Once she finished, the raven-haired woman took her gaze away from her brother and glanced over to her left as discreetly as possible; her deep violet orbs met Ichigo's and seemed to be trying to silently communicate feelings of gratitude. He acknowledged the gesture by allowing his lips to pull up into a smile, his eyes not wavering from hers.
The moment seemed to last just a few seconds too long, for they were once again interrupted by Byakuya's cold, but clearly displeased voice. "I see." he said, immediately conjuring Rukia's attention back to himself, much to Ichigo's chagrin. "However, you should not be quick to dismiss your own capabilities, Rukia. You may confuse other's apparent assistance with your own talent."
Ichigo could feel a vein ticking on his forehead at the insinuation, but he wasn't about to be disregarded so easily. "You're right, Byakuya." Ichigo could feel the man's grey eyes look at him sharply at the sound of his name being used so familiarly. "Rukia got this job all on her own." As he spoke, he casually placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze that made the woman tense slightly beneath him. His gesture wasn't missed by Byakuya, and he grinned inwardly to himself as he saw the man's eyes settle on the hand that rested on his sister's shoulder before going back up to meet Ichigo's eyes.
Ichigo didn't miss the warning clearly displayed in the steely eyes, and he met them head on with a challenge of his own.
The silent stand off was interrupted by Rukia as she suddenly shot up to her feet, laughing nervously. "Well, I'm thirsty." she declared, her voice a few octaves higher than usual. Then her hand was on Ichigo's arm, her gaze turning to him sharply. "Ichigo, why don't you come with me to get a drink?"
"Actually, I'm not-" Ichigo started to protest, his testosterone levels running high and demanding some sort of confrontation with the other male. Before he could finish voicing a negative reply though, Rukia's grip tightened almost viciously on his arm, her eyes widening meaningfully as she enunciated her next words.
"How about it, Ichigo?"
Ichigo wasn't stupid enough to not know when there was only one course of action that didn't involve imminent danger to his own neck; testosterone levels, be damned.
"Eh, sure-" he switched to a positive response, and Rukia's hand relaxed accordingly as he got to his feet.
Before they could even start in the direction of the bar, however, Byakuya's voice cut through as he stood as well. "I believe I could do with a drink myself. If you do not mind me accompanying you, Rukia."
Even as the ebony-haired man spoke, his hard eyes were on Ichigo's, just daring him to voice any complaints.
Don't you trust me alone with your sister even for a quick drink? Ichigo found himself gritting his teeth to swallow back the thought and a few other choice words that wanted desperately to be uttered. The tension between them was nearly palpable.
Ichigo was barely aware of Rukia looking from one to the other, presumably searching for some way to ease the atmosphere, when she was saved by a new arrival.
"Byakuya, it's good to see you!" Ukitake came up behind the stone-faced man, putting a hand on his shoulder in an amiable gesture. His entire friendly demeanor clashed almost comically with Byakuya's guarded posture. "I was wondering if you would make it."
Byakuya tore his eyes away from Ichigo's and closed them in what seemed like a dignified manner, giving one curt nod. "I was able to work my schedule around tonight. It had been a while since I was able to meet my sister, after all."
Out of the four present, only Ukitake seemed to show any reaction to Byakuya's words, by giving his shoulder a couple of good-natured claps. "Of course. And I imagine you would want to be here to celebrate Rukia finishing her internship."
Something in the atmosphere changed right then. A less perceptive person would have probably missed it, but as attentive as Ichigo was during that moment, he couldn't fail to see the sudden shift in Byakuya Kuchiki. His posture seemed to stiffen considerably -which was a feat in itself-, and his eyes snapped open, immediately settling on Rukia. The normally smooth features of his face were disturbed by a slight but unmistakable crease of his perfect black eyebrows.
Without needing to look, Ichigo could almost sense Rukia's corresponding shift as well. It was as if the temperature had suddenly dropped a few degrees.
Blissfully unaware of the sudden change, Ukitake went on in his signature mild manner. "We are all very thrilled to have Rukia as a fulltime writer for our newspaper."
His gaze not wavering from Rukia's, Byakuya spoke as if he hadn't heard the rest of Ukitake's statement. "An internship, you say?"
Without being the object of that grey gaze for once, Ichigo could still feel its apparent ability to cut through glass. He risked a look to the side and saw that Rukia's stance seemed to have weakened. Her eyes were looking up at her brother with a mixture of shame and fear. She seemed to unconsciously take a step backwards before she spoke. "I-I meant to tell you about the internship, Brother. I just, I-"
Whatever words of explanation that she was going to give were cut off as she felt a large hand settle on her small shoulder.
Ichigo had just put his hand on her ridiculously tense shoulder, his entire posture shifting almost imperceptibly in her direction. He straightened his tall frame so that he could meet Byakuya's eyes as evenly as possible. He could feel Rukia's gaze flash up to look at him in surprise, but he didn't move his own gaze from the man before him.
Something inside Ichigo had stirred when he saw Rukia look up at her brother with those emotions in her eyes. As she had began to stutter some kind of explanation, he felt a different kind of anger rise inside him, different from the earlier show of male pride. What he felt now was something more in line with protectiveness.
No sister should ever have to look at her brother like that.
"Ichigo…" Rukia muttered beside him, her voice hushed an slightly astonished.
Ichigo gave her shoulder a light squeeze in response, but didn't take his glare off Byakuya.
Ukitake, unable to ignore the drastic rise in tension broke in, his voice holding a slight edge that Ichigo had rarely heard before. "We are all very proud of Rukia's accomplishments." he said with a straight face, his brown eyes going from Rukia to Byakuya. "As I am sure you are too, Byakuya." Though his tone and face remained mild, there was an underlying hardness that was impossible to miss in Ukitake's eyes as he too, looked at Byakuya. "Isn't that right?"
There were two heartbeats of utter silence, in which the tension in the air could have been cut through with a knife. Then Byakuya blinked slowly, and when his eyes opened they were no longer glinting with hardness, but something else as he looked at Rukia.
"That is correct." he said, and Ichigo could almost hear Rukia's sudden intake of breath. "You have brought pride to our family, Rukia."
There was no more emotion than usual in Byakuya's words, but in his eyes…Even Ichigo could see the glint in the silvery orbs. When he looked down to see Rukia, he found that her eyes had widened and her mouth was parted in surprise.
"Th-thank you, Brother." she finally managed to say, lowering her head as emotion filled her voice.
Byakuya nodded once again, adding nothing else.
Ichigo caught sight of Ukitake beginning to smile, and he somehow understood that nothing else needed to be said. There was no telling how long the following comfortable silence would have lasted if not for Ukitake speaking up.
"I'm afraid I must leave you now." The white-haired man said, shooting a sideways glance to the stage where the band was still playing, but people were beginning to climb onstage to start gathering up equipment. "It's time for the end-of-the-year speech; Kiyone and Sentaro must be going crazy looking for me already."
With Ichigo and Rukia nodding and giving their due smiles, Ukitake walked off in the direction of the stage. Ichigo was about to turn back to Byakuya, but fortunately he was spared from struggling to find a topic of conversation by the generic ring of a cell phone.
Saved by the bell he couldn't help but think to himself.
"Excuse me," Byakuya said, slipping out the silver handheld from an inner pocket of his pristine jacket. "I must tend to this." When no one protested, he looked at the raven-haired woman. "Rukia," he gave her a nod that must have been his farewell gesture. Ichigo stood there, expecting the man to give him some sort of disgruntled goodbye as well, but to his infinite irritation, he merely swept his gaze over his head as if he wasn't even there, then turned on his heel, taking the phone to his ear and walking away without further ado.
Ichigo struggled against the increasing urge of making a rude gesture only for Rukia's sake.
Speaking of whom…
"So that's your brother, huh…" Ichigo said to her, both keeping their eyes on the man's retreating back.
He caught the movement of Rukia nodding silently beside him from the corner of his eye.
"Charming."
-x-
Once Byakuya had disappeared definitely into the crowd, Rukia felt herself releasing an almost imperceptible breath of what could only be described as relief.
All things considered, she thought that the encounter had gone remarkably well.
It was another few moments longer before she turned her attention back to the orange-haired man at her side. "Umm, Ichigo…"
"Yeah?" he looked down at her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but felt herself momentarily silenced as she was unexpectedly caught in his brown eyes. In the closeness, she could clearly tell that they were actually closer to amber than brown, and his honeyed gaze seemed both soft and intense as they he met her eyes. With her brother and all other distractions gone, she was quickly reminded of the situation that they had been in just before Byakuya made an appearance. The feeling was heightened even further by the fact that Ichigo's warm hand was still resting casually on her shoulder, almost as if he had forgotten it was there. She certainly hadn't.
"Nothing." she said at last, shaking her head dismissively. It was quick, but it was impossible to miss the flash of disappointment that passed through Ichigo's eyes.
He absently slid his hand off her shoulder, and Rukia found herself instantly wishing he hadn't; then he turned his gaze away and motioned towards the bar.
"I think I could use that drink right about now." he said.
You read my mind, thought Rukia as they set about on their way to the bar.
They had scarcely made it there and ordered a couple of drinks -Jack Daniels for Ichigo and an apple martini for Rukia- when the sudden silence of the music stopping filled the entire ballroom, immediately followed by the indefinable chorus of people talking amongst themselves.
Ichigo and Rukia directed their attention to the stage, and saw Kiyone standing there in a champagne colored dress, trying to adjust the mike stand to her stature while Sentaro -wearing a purple shirt with a rather loud golden tie- struggled to position it at center stage. The pair shifted around for a few minutes uselessly, before the ear-splitting sound of feedback made everyone halt their activities to cover their ears and flinch.
"See, I told you the mike works!" Kiyone's voice could be heard, just a little away from said microphone.
"I know it does, I was telling you to back away so we didn't get feedback like that!" Sentaro responded.
Kiyone was just about to respond when the sound of someone coughing lightly behind them brought them back to themselves. The dirty blonde quickly straightened out her shimmering dress and took the microphone, while less-than-inconspicuously shoving away the man beside her.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she started, her voice just a little too loud to be considered polite. "We'd like a moment of your attention, please." As if everyone's eyes weren't on the bickering pair already. "Mr. Jushiro Ukitake would like to say a few words." Then she took a step back and promptly began a solitary applause, followed immediately by Sentaro's even more enthusiastic clapping. As the snow-haired editor of Seretei stepped forward to the microphone, a wave of initially hesitant then more genuine applause joined Kiyone and Sentaro.
Ukitake stood in his gray suit looking over the room with that perpetual smile of his and soft brown eyes, turning slightly away only once to cough into a handkerchief before returning his attention to the crowd of Seretei employees as well as other guests.
"Good evening, everyone." He started pleasantly. "I am glad to see you could all make it here, for this year's Christmas party. We've had a wonderful turnout this year. And the Gotei has been terribly welcoming of us, so I would like to take a moment to thank all the staff tonight," A short round of applause swept over the room and Ukitake smiled more widely. "I am sure that I speak not only for myself when I say that the service and quality have been excellent. That being said, I would like to address all of my colleagues at the Seretei Daily now."
The room was submerged in a collective respectful silence, each person giving their undivided attention to their beloved boss.
"This has been a remarkably good year for our newspaper." Ukitake continued. "I have been working at the Seretei for more years than I am willing to count for fear of revealing my age," there was a light laugh from his audience in response. "And I can say that through all this time I have known as many hardships as any man could, and together with friends and hardworking people we have always managed to pull through anything and everything that has been thrown at us. I still remember back when my uncle first introduced me to the Seretei, I had been in awe of everything it represented, and I had been scared as a young lad of the day when I would have to continue the great legacy of Genryuusai Yamamoto. But alas, it has truly been a blessing. Back then I never would have thought I would ever be standing here, looking at the faces of so many people that I have come to respect and admire so much.
"Thank you, everyone. It is thanks to each and every one of you that Seretei is what it is today, and moreover thanks to all of you I am able to stand here and feel the pride of being able to serve such a high quality newspaper. To those who have been with us for many seasons and to those who have just recently gotten on board," His eyes swept through the room and it seemed to Rukia that for a moment, they met hers and smiled down at her before continuing their path. "I thank you all. It has been a pleasure working with you, and I would never trade my years at the Seretei for all the gold in the world."
Ukitake paused, letting his words sink in for a moment before going on. His ever-present smile now faltered, and Rukia could have sworn that she heard him sigh away from the mike. "This is…" he hesitated, his eyes lowered. "This will be the last time I address you as the chief editor of Seretei Daily."
It seemed like a switch was suddenly turned off. The utter silence that swept over the ballroom was distinctively deafening; the expression 'you could hear a pin drop' had never held more truth. It was as if the whole world -or at least everyone in the ballroom- had been put on 'pause'. Nobody spoke, or move; it was hard to tell if anyone even breathed for a couple of seconds.
And then as if the 'play' button was hit, everyone started again. Murmurs sounded everywhere, whisperings of disbelief and mostly discontentment went through those present, a few gasps mingling in as well. Beside her, Rukia could feel Ichigo tense up as she drew in a sharp breath.
"What?"
It was the dirty blond secretary, Kiyone, who finally voiced everyone's thoughts in one disbelieving breath that was just short of a screech.
Ukitake sighed wearily, his shoulders slumping slightly like a great weight had come down on him as he raised a hand in a gesture for everyone to be quiet again. "The time has come for me to retire, and allow our dear newspaper to go into the hands of a younger generation."
More murmurs of protest rose from the crowd but Ukitake again silenced them with a hand. "It has been a true privilege and honor working with you. Now I must step down, and leave you in the hands of a new editor chief." There was quiet again as everyone waited with peaked anxiety for the name of their soon-to-be new boss. Ukitake's voice was unreadable as he said,
"Sosuke Aizen."
Rukia blinked, an image of the bespectacled man entering her mind before she saw the real person stepping up on the stage and walking up to Ukitake. Only, he was dressed for the evening in a stylish tux, and his generally messy brown hair was now slicked back to perfection; his square-framed glasses were missing now, and he wore a suave smile as he began to speak smoothly into the microphone, beginning some sort of follow-up speech that she wasn't really paying attention to. He looked like a completely different person from the man she had met before at the Seretei building.
Before she could even turn to voice her thoughts, she felt Ichigo move suddenly. Without warning, the orange-haired man had turned and started walking away, his face twisted into a deep scowl and his hands clutched into tight fists at his sides. Even as he got further, she couldn't miss the impossibly tense set of his back and unnecessary brash steps.
Taking a quick look at the untouched glass of liquor he left behind on the counter, Rukia set down her own martini and hurriedly turned back, intending to follow after Ichigo. But before she could even go two steps in her haste, she was stopped short. Or rather, she crashed into something hard enough that the impact nearly sent her flying back on her butt.
She would have landed that way too, if not for the arms that shot out and snaked around her waist and wrist and pulled her back before she could. Before she knew it, Rukia was being pressed into someone's chest. A small gasp of surprise escaped her as she attempted to pull back but was held firmly in place. She could just tilt her head back enough to see the face of the man who held her, and immediately felt a chill run down her spine.
"Hi ya' there!" said the silver-haired grinning man. "Better watch yer' step, next time I might not be so nice and catch ya'."
Gin Ichimaru looked down at her with a widening smile. Rukia pulled away and this time felt his hold give; she wasted no time stepping hurriedly back, bumping against the cold edge of the counter almost immediately after.
Ichimaru watched her with apparent amusement. "No need ta' look so scared, I'm just teasing."
"I'm sorry," she managed to say with forced politeness that only years of practice could produce. "I have to get going-"
"Rukia!" a distinctly female voice suddenly chimed, and before Rukia could step around Ichimaru's tall form she found her way blocked yet again. This time by a rather delighted looking blonde.
"Rangiku," Rukia said, seeing the blonde wearing a provocative red dress and a wide grin that would have been goofy on anyone else. It didn't take a genius to figure out she'd been visiting the bar since earlier.
"Ah!" Rangiku's clear blue eyes widened suddenly as her gaze went from Rukia to the silver-haired man and she suddenly clapped her hands together, bouncing excitedly and causing her rather ill-concealed assets to nearly pop out of her dress. "I see you've met Gin!"
The bubbly tone and the way her eyes shone at the mere mention of his name…The realization hit Rukia and made something in her feel slightly queasy. "Err…I guess." Rukia said hesitantly.
Rangiku, blissfully unaware to the raven-haired woman's unease, went on talking. "Oh let me give you guys a proper introduction then! Gin, Rukia is my friend from work. Gin is," she moved her gaze to the man and Rukia saw the glassy orbs soften affectionately.
"I'm Ran's oldest and most dearest friend." Ichimaru supplied an answer for her, looking down at the busty blonde, before turning back to Rukia. "It's nice ta' formally meet ya', Rukia."
Hearing her name coming from the man's lips was almost like hearing a snake hiss in Rukia's mind; it felt wrong.
"You look fantastic, Rukia!" Rangiku chattered on in her ignorant cheer. "That dress brings out the curves I didn't even know you had!"
Another night, Rukia might have been a bit offended by the remark, but as it was, she barely even registered it. Backing away from the pair, she excused herself weakly. "It was good seeing you, Rangiku. But I," she turned her gaze away towards the crowd, unable to spot even a glimpse of familiar bright orange spikes. "-really have something to deal with now. Sorry to have to cut this short…" she had barely finished her halfhearted apology when she had turned away and started towards the now barely-crowded dance floor.
"Oh, okay! See you later Rukia!" Rangiku called after her. "Say hi to Ichigo for me!"
And then Rukia couldn't hear her anymore. She was hurrying along the ballroom, scanning every inch of it for any sign of the fleeting orange-head. Seeing nothing, she made it to the staircase she had come in through and rushed up the steps, not even bothering to be merciful on her high-heeled feet. Once at the top of the staircase, she gave the ballroom one more sweeping glance, and once again seeing nothing, she turned and headed outside.
Ichigo wasn't out in the main lobby, the area where the ballroom exited to; and she greatly doubted that he had gone for a spin in the casino or a revisit of the arcade room. There was only one logical option, and Rukia raced to the elevators after it.
When she finally made it to the sixth floor and down the long hall to room 615, she was surprised at finding the door already open, but not so much at seeing who was inside.
"Ichigo,"
He stopped at the sound of her voice. From the looks of it, he had been caught up in the middle of some intense pacing, along with an always classy string of colorful curses muttered under his breath.
"Rukia?"
The worried feelings that she knew must have been showing on her face melted quickly into a mask of irritation. "Well don't look so surprised to see me." She stepped inside the room and fixed him with a hard stare. "What was that? You ran off like the building was on fire!"
Rukia honestly hadn't meant to come off so angry; but after rushing all the way to the room in search of him, and once she began speaking, it was like all the concern she'd felt for him had mutated into anger. Or maybe it was just her way of expressing an emotion she wasn't particularly comfortable with showing…
Ichigo, not one to be outdone, recovered quickly from his short startled period. "Sorry, I didn't know you had been appointed as my babysitter. Next time I'll be sure you get the memo whenever I plan to leave a place!"
His biting remark did nothing to throw Rukia off, quite the contrary actually. It only spurred her on with more force than before. "At least a little warning would be nice!" she shot back. "People tend to get alarmed when they see someone rush out without a single word or look of explanation, for no apparent reason!"
Ichigo was already opening his mouth to shoot his next retort, but Rukia spoke again before he could.
"Would it have killed you to at least give me a little heads up?" She asked in a much more moderated tone that was successful in halting Ichigo in his tracks. She deliberated only a moment before asking, "Aren't we friends?"
Ichigo didn't respond for a long moment, but Rukia could see as his defensive stance slowly eased and finally his shoulders slumped in defeat. He reached up a hand to scratch the back of his head and he averted his eyes almost shyly. "I…" he hesitated. "Is that what we are?"
The question caught Rukia unguarded, though she really should have expected it. The memory of their bodies moving close together as they danced and their faces inches from each other, if another moment had gone by they would have…
Rukia shook herself out of those thoughts; she'd ponder those at a more appropriate time. For the moment she had more pressing questions. Letting out a weak chuckle, she looked at Ichigo sheepishly, silently trying to convey her acknowledgement of the question, and the fact that she knew they would have to get around to answering it eventually; just not right then. Fortunately for her, as Ichigo met her eyes, it seemed he understood, giving her an almost imperceptible nod.
"What happened?" Rukia asked a bit more softly after their moment of understanding was over, returning to the issue that had brought her nearly running there. "Was it about Ukitake's retirement?" She ventured the question, trying to connect the moment when Ichigo suddenly took off with what was happening at the time.
Ichigo looked at her with hesitation burning in his brown orbs, like he was inwardly debating whether he should tell her or not. She waited patiently, as a new question surfaced in her mind.
"…Is it about Aizen?"
The way Ichigo's whole frame stiffened and his eyes shot up to hers was answer enough. Rukia began to get a sinking feeling. All of a sudden things started to come back to her then, like pieces of a puzzle reappearing before her now that the possibility of new answers presented itself.
Ichigo's job at Seretei being threatened, his secretive research, his friend being shot and him behaving like he was to blame… A question that she had been pushing to the very back of her mind resurfaced then.
Just what had Ichigo gotten himself into?
-x-
Ichigo saw her, standing at the threshold of the room with a thousand questions going through her eyes, her stand unwavering as she waited for him to talk. She was still wearing the shimmering silver dress, and even though hours had passed, her make up and hair were still intact. She looked as much a vision of moonlight as she had when she had first entered the ballroom.
He could still remember all-too-clearly the feel of her delicate body under his touch, swaying against him with graceful and fluid movements that reminded him of water.
But now she was no longer water; she was as steady and unrelenting as wood.
His gaze was remorseful but his tone was firm as he met her inquiring eyes and spoke. "I can't tell you."
The crease in her eyebrows was almost instant after he said that. He knew enough about Rukia to see that she was not satisfied with his answer. "Ichigo-"
"I said I can't." He cut her off, a little more harshly than he'd intended, but if it was what he had to do, then he would. He started to turn his back to her, meaning to head to the bathroom and maybe take a shower for a much needed cool down. "Leave this alone, Rukia."
"No."
The single, but utterly final word made him turn back to look at her. "What?" He couldn't help but gasp out dumbly.
"No," she repeated, an almost smug tint to her voice. "You're not just going to push me away now. I don't know what's going on, but something must be happening in order to have you running out of a room like that at the mere mention of a man's name. I have kept my distance because if you haven't told me, then you must have your reasons. But now I have my reasons for thinking that this is more important than I originally thought. And if something is so seriously troubling you, Ichigo…" she paused, seemingly making sure that he was paying attention. "Then you should tell someone."
Ichigo held her gaze head on for a few seconds before scoffing lightly. "You sound like a shrink."
Rukia's gaze didn't waver. She wasn't backing down on. Ichigo deliberated quickly before finally releasing an annoyed breath and walking over to where she stood, closing the distance between them in a few short strides, then passing right by her. He didn't pause to see her look at him in surprise as he reached for the knob of the still wide open door of the room, and promptly shutting it firmly. Then he turned back and found himself facing Rukia, who now stood only a few inches away from her.
"You don't understand." he said, his tone slightly hushed despite the privacy of the closed door. "This is bigger than just me." He looked at her and hoped she could see the urgency in his eyes as well as his voice. "I can't risk involving you by telling you."
"Is it dangerous?" came her immediate reply, without so much as a stutter.
Ichigo hesitated for a moment, the image of Chad lying in a hospital bed flashing through his mind and making him grit his teeth. "Yes." he said finally.
"Then all the more reason for you to tell me."
"No!" Ichigo hissed, his frustration seeping through. "It's enough of a gamble for me already, you'd just be stupid to willingly get mixed up into it."
"So call me stupid." Rukia retorted stubbornly. "I'm already mixed up. Even if I don't know exactly what's going on, I do know that something is up and I know that it involves you, possibly Sosuke Aizen; and if my guessing is correct, a man being shot."
Ichigo was suddenly backtracked by hearing her say that; so she'd already put this together with Chad's incident. He actually hadn't expected that; he was both slightly impressed and annoyed by the fact. It made things all the more difficult.
"I can see from the look on your face that I'm right," Rukia went on to say, making his scowl deepen. "And the way I see it, having all this information would count as me being involved." she concluded almost triumphantly. "Now, would you stop being stubborn and just fill me in with the rest?"
Ichigo was at a loss of what to do. She did have a point, much as he hated to admit it. And knowing Rukia, she wouldn't just back away and pretend nothing happened if he continued to refuse her. Chances were she'd either keep harassing him to tell her, or worse, try to find out herself and end up really getting herself in deep shit.
The realization made him groan in defeat and glare down at the petite raven-head. "Fine." he said grudgingly, then exhaled loudly before moving over to the bed and flopping down on the soft golden sheets and motioning for her to do the same. Once she was sitting next to him, he began.
"It goes without saying that you can't say a word about this, to anyone, right?" He looked at her with a scowl and her response was to roll her eyes.
"Now that we've established the obvious…" she said.
Ichigo glared at her. "Just be glad that I'm telling you, okay? I don't need your sarcasm."
She held up her hands, palms forward in a gesture of peace. "Go ahead."
And now, Ichigo sighed, allowing himself to say what he'd swore he wouldn't tell anyone else. "I've been after Sosuke Aizen for almost a year now." he said, his eyes fixed on a painting on the wall opposite to him as he spoke. "He's involved in dealings with the Arrancars, I think he has been for a long time."
He could almost hear Rukia's eyes widening along with the small intake of breath at the mention of the gang. "The Arrancars? How do you-?"
"I know." Ichigo said simply. "But I need the evidence to prove it, and for all the months that I've spent trying to dig into his life and find connections to his shady business, I have nothing to show for it. Aside from ties with Gin Ichimaru, a long-time suspect of working with the Arrancars, I can't come up with anything concrete. It's ridiculous; the guy is a master at covering up his tracks. I can't get anything on him."
Rukia's expression was grim; she didn't speak for a long moment, and when she did, her tone was dark. "That's a very serious accusation." she said, and Ichigo could begin to feel the frustration rising.
Of course she wouldn't believe him; he shouldn't be surprised by that-
"You'll need to get solid proof before you out a story like this." Rukia went on to say, halting Ichigo's thoughts and making him look at her in surprise.
She didn't question him, didn't ask what evidence he had. Didn't say he was crazy, stupid, deluded, or all of the above. She just believed him. It was strangely…comforting.
As he watched her eyebrows etch closer and closer together, Ichigo could almost see the wheels in her mind turning as she tried to piece things together. Her arms were folded over her chest and her eyes were narrowed at the floor, deep in thought. "The Arrancars are dangerous; trying to expose a scandal like this could cost you more than your job if you don't succeed." she stated, and then her serious violet eyes looked up at him. "You know this, don't you?"
It wasn't a question, that much he could tell.
"Yet you're still pursuing it?" she continued, as if by voicing her thoughts she could make better sense of them. "Even after…?"
Even after your friend was nearly killed, Ichigo finished in his mind.
Rukia waited a moment before going on. "What I don't understand is…Why?" she looked at him earnestly, honestly trying to figure out what reason he could possibly have for going on such a mad quest. "Exposing one dirty business man; it would make a great story for sure, but alone, it's not worth all this risk. I know you're not that ambitious, so you must have some more personal reason for wanting to catch Aizen."
Ichigo felt himself tense up. "That's none of your business." he snapped, getting on his feet and starting towards the bathroom, intending for a quick get-away.
Rukia was quick to react though; he hadn't gone two steps when he heard her stand up as well and without warning she had taken his arm and spun him around to face her. "Ichigo," she said his name forcefully, as if hoping to root him in place with it. "You're putting a lot on the line for this. Just why does this mean so much to you?"
Ichigo wanted to snap at her. He wanted to bark and yell and tell her off for being nosey, to tell her to leave him alone and worry about her own goddamn problems…But the way her violet gaze held him, the firm grip of her hand on his arm, the thin line of her mouth as she silently pleaded for him to tell her…
And the weaker part of Ichigo was already giving in. He could feel the carefully crafted walls that he had long ago set around himself begin to crumble as his selfish desire to share his burden for once began to take control of him. Her steady violet eyes were inviting him, asking him to tell her…And so he did.
Against what every fiber of his being had taught him in the past years, Ichigo let down his guard and allowed himself to speak the words that still haunted him inside.
"The Arrancars are the people who killed my mother."
Ichigo closed his eyes and allowed the inevitable rush of memories fill his mind.
"Mom!" his innocent, back then childlike voice resonated within his mind. "What's wrong, Mom? Are we lost?"
"Be quiet, Ichigo." The beautiful woman's voice was calm and soothing even as she half-whispered the command. Then she had taken his pudgy little hand and pulled him along as she began running.
Ichigo could still recall with awful clarity how his heart had began pounding, the feeling that something was utterly wrong creeping into his young mind.
"I was nine years old." His adult self spoke, his eyes still closed as he kept his voice controlled. "We had been on our way home after karate practice. It was raining…"
He could recall all too clearly the dark grey skies and the rain drops that began falling lightly. His mom had told him that they should hurry home- it was still a few blocks away and they didn't want to catch a cold, did they?
His fists tightened as he bitterly remembered his mom's words.
"But I wanted to take a detour," Ichigo said, unable to keep some of his self-hatred seep into his voice. "There was a homeless pup that I fed on occasion, and I wanted to pass by and see if he was okay." And then he laughed; a cracked, bitter, twisted version of a laugh. "She knew it was stupid, but she still gave into my childish whims…And look where it got her."
He was angry. He was angry at himself and even at his Mom for being so kind that it led to…
Ichigo failed to notice that he had begun to shake until he felt Rukia's hand, still on his arm, tighten her grip. His eyes snapped open then and immediately locked with hers.
"You don't have to go any further." she spoke quietly, her eyes glassy, as if reflecting his own grief. She didn't say anything else; she was giving him the option to stop then, or go on if he wanted to.
But he had already started. He couldn't stop the torrent of memories and emotions even if he stopped talking.
His eyes became unfocused as he reentered the day that he would never forget.
Ichigo looked into his mother's soft brown eyes. Something was different about them…Normally she looked at him with calm affection, but now there was something else in them. An urgency…
"Ichigo," she spoke hurriedly, her hands taking hold of his shoulders as she kneeled before him. "Stay in here." she said. "Don't come out until I come get you, no matter what. You understand?"
"But mom," he started to protest. Something wasn't right.
"Just do as I say, Ichigo." she interrupted, using a parental authority in her voice that she hardly ever wore. "No matter what you see or hear…don't come out."
Ichigo felt a lump in his throat, though he didn't quite understand why.
He was scared. It scared him to see his mom like this. He wanted to help, but she'd already made it clear that he was to stay put. If that was all he could do to help…Then he would. "Okay." he nodded finally, pushing back all his fear and forcing himself to look strong for her.
She smiled then, a small but beautiful cherry smile that reminded him of sunshine and home baked cookies. Then without warning, he was being pulled into her arms in a warm embrace, and he felt her lips on his cheek before she spoke. "That's my brave man." she said in his ear. "I'm very proud of you, Ichigo."
Ichigo thought it was a weird thing to say, but he didn't question it. Instead, he wrapped his small arms around her neck and buried his face in her light hair. "I love you, Mom." he whispered the words that he was usually too embarrassed to say out loud.
"I love you too, Ichigo." she said, and before he could say anything else she had pulled away.
Ichigo was left alone, the rain feeling unnaturally cold and harsh as he was stripped of the warmth of his mother's embrace.
"She knew what was happening." Ichigo spoke now. "She told me to hide, and I did. She told me not to come out, no matter what…And I didn't." he lowered his gaze, feeling the shame at himself settling in. "Not until I heard the gunshots, at least."
Ichigo felt his eyes widen when he heard the sound. At first he thought it might be thunder, but it didn't sound like thunder. It was a sound that he'd only ever heard in movies…
When realization struck, he felt himself freeze in place. His heart beat so ferociously that he thought it would be heard over the sound of the rain, and it took all his effort not to begin crying right then. But then another, even worse, realization struck him.
"Mom…" the word escaped him, almost silent in the midst of the rain.
Forgetting her earlier instructions, he did what his instincts told him to. He got to his feet and dashed out of his hiding place behind the filthy dumpster in the alley, and rushed like his life depended on it. He still felt afraid, but the thought of his mother kept him running, overriding his fear.
He didn't need to go very far when he saw her.
Immediately recognizing her long caramel hair spilling over the street, he ran over to the figure lying on the pavement without a second thought to anything else.
"Mom!" he yelled, the more innocent part of his mind hoping that she had tripped like he often did on the playground and had scraped her knee. Certainly that was the explanation for the red liquid mingling on the street with the rain all around her…
But even his childish mind knew that the amount of crimson was too much for a single scraped knee, yet he didn't allow the thought to fully register in his mind and kept running until he fell to his knees beside her.
She was face down, but he could see the side of her face; her eyes were closed.
"She was already dead when I found her." Ichigo spoke, his voice oddly hollow at this point. "I started shaking her, calling out to her…" He knew his gaze was faraway as he spoke; haunted. "I cried for her to wake up. I honestly don't know how long I sat there…but eventually, I noticed them." His tone darkened considerably. "Or rather, they noticed me."
Ichigo's hands were stained red, and his face was streaked with tears, although they were made invisible by the rain. His voice had long gone hoarse, but he hadn't stopped yelling out for her…
"Mom!" he cried, as futile as it might have been. He felt maybe if he tried hard enough, she would wake up…
It wasn't until he felt a shadow fall over them that he finally went silent and still.
He looked up, his body beginning to tremble slightly. Then he saw the tall figure of a man standing over them.
He was large and meaty; the type of guy Ichigo was used to seeing in those cooking shows his mom liked to watch. His hair was the color of chestnuts, and it fell past his shoulders while sticking to the sides of his wet face. Ichigo thought the look was more appropriate for a woman than a man, though nothing in the man's face seemed soft enough to be feminine.
"Huh, would you look at that?" The man spoke in an ugly voice. A scar ran down the length of his face and it twisted gruesomely as his lips pulled into a sneer. "The little brat showed himself."
His beady lack eyes fixed on Ichigo as he suddenly raised his hand, and pointed the silver weapon, which Ichigo recognized as a gun, straight at him.
Ichigo's eyes widened in terror, before he quickly shut them and grit his teeth tightly together, expecting to hear a thunderous sound like before…
"Grand Fisher,"
The sound of a new voice came instead; silky and smooth as opposed to the large man's. Ichigo dared open his eyes and he saw another man had appeared. He was the opposite of the first man in almost every aspect; from his smooth, handsome face to his fine attire. And yet, the sight of him seemed all the more terrifying to Ichigo.
"There's no need to kill the boy now." the second man said, his tone and expression serene. "We've already collected our dues."
The first man looked back at him, clearly displeased. "But boss-"
"I said," the second man spoke again, this time his tone was dangerously cool; it sent a shiver down Ichigo's body. "Leave him be. Or are you keen on disobeying me?"
The large man's eyes looked straight at Ichigo, then back at the other man, until finally settling on the woman lying on the pavement. He released a sigh and grimaced unhappily, but lowered his gun. "I guess I can settle with the bitch, for now." Then all of a sudden, his twisted smile returned, his gaze still on the motionless woman. "Women are the most fun anyway. This one was particularly good. I guess I can call it even."
The second man said nothing, and as Ichigo watched, the two started to turn and walk away. But not before the second man looked over his shoulder one last time; Ichigo froze, thinking he was looking at him. But then he realized, the man was looking at his mother. And even as he watched, the man's lips pulled up into a smile. Ichigo could feel the image of those calm brown eyes and that cruel smile burning into his memory, as vivid and harsh as the red of his mother's blood mixing with the rain.
And then they were gone.
Ichigo's small frame shivered under the relentless rain, and he probably would never be able to tell if it was due to the cold.
He was left alone, with his sleeping mother; the falling rain disguising the sound of his cries.
"I'll never forget their faces." Ichigo spoke, back at the hotel room. "I saw the one he called 'Grand Fisher' again on the plenty of times."
He could see Rukia nodding from the corner of his eye; of course she'd seen him too. The guy had been Wanted by the Japanese police for almost ten years, and his face was shown on the news all the time announcing new victims believed to have been killed by him. Everyone knew of Grand Fisher.
"But I didn't see the other man until a couple of years ago, not long after I started at Seretei." he went on. "At first I was doubtful, I didn't really believe it, you know? But not really…That face…I'll never forget that face."
Then Ichigo's expression darkened. "He is the one who killed my mom."
-x-
The turmoil in Ichigo's eyes and his voice burned something inside of Rukia. The poorly disguised pain caused by his horrible memories cut through her like a knife. She'd never been insensitive to other people's hurt, but this was different.
Each time she saw Ichigo's tortured brown eyes she felt like someone was stabbing her. She wanted nothing more than to wrap him in her arms and tell him that everything would be alright, anything to erase that look from his face. But she knew perfectly well that something like that would be pointless. Lying to him would only make it worse…So she did the only thing she could do.
Without a word, she extended her arms towards him, tentatively touching his arms, waiting for his reaction. His eyes widened for a moment, but he didn't push her away. Then, to her complete surprise, he actually put his arms around her shoulders and pulled her softly to himself.
She let out a small squeak of surprise as she suddenly found herself pressed against the black fabric of his shirt, but she recovered quickly. Without any more hesitation, she lowered her arms and wrapped them around his waist, placing one palm against his back and rubbing it up and down as soothingly as possible as she felt him begin to shake in her arms.
All thoughts of questioning him about Aizen or anything else were gone from her mind. All that she could think of now was the pain that Ichigo had just shared with her and comforting him in the only way she could.
She knew that no words could ever hope to fix or lessen such a pain, and she wouldn't pretend otherwise; so she just held him and quietly allowed him to release the storm of feelings inside him.
A/N: My God that chapter was hard to write. I think it's been the hardest yet. Well, it was quite the change of pace from the last chapters xD Sorry for the overall lack of IchiRuki-ness, but I did dig deeper into the whole mystery of Ichigo's doings at last! (not such a mystery anymore!) And he shares his past with Rukia...A turning point in any IchiRuki story ;) (not to mention meeting his bro-in-law..talk about scary xD) Well, I hope it was enjoyable despite the lack of romance. Don't worry, we'll be getting back to that very soon. Oh and Gin showed up again! YAY! I love writing Gin...I think it's scary how much I absolutely love writing Gin XD
May I just say to all of you, my lovely reviewers, that you are AWESOME? Because you are. 30 reviews for one chapter? Never thought I'd see the day!:'D So:
Ichirukilover154, MN (hehe sorry I made you beg ;P), Vinni-chan, Hunny sempai, P, I am L, inthenameofninny, 1999, Lena, AnimeFanx3, youtubesam, Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky, ZoraOfTheLight, Mowcat, White-Rabbit914, ADVluv4life, NightDiamond358, inthegarage, VioletCrush, falconrukichi, Poisonfish, novicestar, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, BleachOrcalover13, xXBleachluverXx, TruantPony, Alyssa, Mae Snapdragon, and Rukia Martinez
A million thanks to all of you! Haha you have no idea how much time I spent re-reading all your amazing reviews, they're so encouraging^^ Thank you for taking the time to write them :) (also, thanks to those who wished me luck for my driving test...hahaha wish me luck again because I'm taking it this week once more- failed the last one XD)