Disclaimer and notes: No, I don't own Bleach.
To the Wind
Chapter 2
By AdventWing
Ichigo had long since brainwashed himself into ignoring Rukia's presence. No, he did not ignore the fact that she was a girl. That would require time, and persistence…drugs…and besides, he doubted he even wanted to do it anyway.
What he HAD done, however, was make sure that he didn't jump her every time she went to change in his closet (Which was easy, since Ichigo's not the kind of guy who'd jump a girl like that)
It helped that he had two sisters to kill the awkward feelings that crop up whenever a guy his age is in close contact with a girl.
Problem is, Ichigo just couldn't see Rukia as his sister.
"…I-Incredible."
Like now, when the expression of wonder on her face brought out the midnight blue of her eyes-
Stop.
There, you see? He was cracking already.
"All this," she said, gazing at the living room, "is ours?"
Ichigo nodded absently. With a sigh, he grabbed the bags roughly. "Let's unpack. I'll show you what everything does later."
"So, Ichigo, it says here…that we have to live here for a week, and put our Home Economics skills to the test." Ichigo glanced at Rukia. She was reading the list that Mad-Scientist-turned-Teacher-san gave them.
"I knew that. So?"
Rukia frowned thoughtfully. "Here's something you don't know. We have to write a report of the day's activities."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow, but didn't look too perturbed. "No problem. I'm pretty good at that."
"Me too. We Shinigami have to write reports every now and again." She continued. "However…we both need to give separate reports."
Ichigo eyed her as he set the suitcases down in the master bedroom. "I see…okay. Ask me if you don't know the names of specific items."
"Indeed. Nyamo-sensei commented that my last essay was…too descriptive." Ichigo couldn't help but grin.
He had set the suitcases on top of the bed. "Okay, I'm going to unpack."
Rukia nodded, murmuring her assent, immersed in the list.
"Where do I put your stuff?" He said, rooting in a bag.
"Oh? Just leave it there. I'll unpack after you."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't forget." He grabbed his toiletries bag and headed into the bathroom. "Try not to mix up your stuff with mine here." He called out. "Put your tooth…brush…"
…Wait a minute.
Ichigo's bag hit the floor with a thud.
Rukia looked up from her position on the bed to see Ichigo doing his best impression of a man being chased by carnivores. "Hey. Where do you think you're going?"
Shit! Fuck! God DAMN it! He cursed desperately. There HAS to be more than one bedroom. THERE HAS TO BE! He checked the entire upper level in 10 seconds flat. Realising he had to widen his search criteria, he ran downstairs and searched for SOMETHING, ANYTHING that looked remotely like a bed.
Fruitless, he collapsed back on the floor next to the bed in the master bedroom, with a very bemused Rukia looking on.
"…Problem?"
He grit his teeth and sat up so he was eye-level with her.
"We are NOT staying in the same room." He said testily.
Rukia blinked in understanding. "Ah. Is there another bedroom?"
"No. But that doesn't matter. We are NOT staying in the same room." Ichigo growled.
She glared challenging, getting the hint. "I've shared rooms with guys before, and I practically live in YOUR closet." Her look turned angry. "And no, I won't sleep in a closet for this week. There's no point."
He glared back. "Rukia…aren't you even a LITTLE embarrassed to be sharing a room with a guy?"
She cocked her head to the side, remembering her days in the old, crowded sectors of the Soul Society, where she had to share cramp living spaces with her foster family. "…No." her eyes widened in understanding. "But obviously you are."
He flushed at her accusation. "What? No, I-"
"Then it's settled. I'll be sleeping here." She reclined on the bed, with the intention of finishing the thick list.
Ichigo paused. "Wait. Where do I sleep?"
Rukia rolled her eyes upwards, obviously thinking: 'Should this situation be that hard to understand?'
"…HELL NO!"
-----
"Well?" She asked brusquely, "Comfortable yet?"
"Shut up," he snapped back. They were lying on opposite sides of the bed, with a pillow separating them.
"You'll have plenty of time to get used to it. Come on." She rose from the bed and headed out of the room.
"What now?" He asked.
"Well, it says in the list that this house is 'state-of-the-art'. What does that mean?"
"Well, it probably means that it's outfitted with new technology."
"Ah…interesting. Like what?" She asked, following him downstairs.
"Well…stuff like…computer controlled equipment." He blinked at her blank look. "Meaning everything is controlled by a computer." Yet another blank look. "Still…" he said, glancing around. "This is a great house. It must cost a lot."
"Anyway, let's check out the backyard." He paused. "Rukia?"
"…Rukia?"
"Ru-"
"Ichigo," she called suddenly, "Is this a…komputer?"
The entire house suddenly plunged into darkness.
-----
Just because Katobeto-sensei was a mad scientist slash Home Economics Director, didn't mean he couldn't be a shrewd businessman. It was in his blood! Why, it was tradition for the children in his family to go to Seiryuu's School for Evil Businesspersons. Unfortunately, he felt his calling was in science.
And Home Ec.
But never mind that. The point is that he knew how to smell an opportunity.
So he mixed two projects into one! With his contacts from Seiryuu, he hooked up with a guy who was developing yet another, 'Home of the Future', but lacked actual test subjects, and field data.
Now, who could pass up human experimentation?
He was so focused on reminiscing that he missed the bit where the million-dollar house plunged into darkness.
-----
"Holy CRAP Rukia, what the HELL have you done?"
"Quit your damn whining! If there's one thing I learned in this world it's that if you can turn it OFF, you can turn it back ON!"
"DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!"
"TOUCH ANYTHING?" She retorted. "I CAN BARELY SEE ANYTHING!" Okay. Calm down. She let out a calming breath. "Where are you?" She asked.
"Well, keep talking and I'll find you sooner or later. Just sit tight."
Great, she thought glumly, sitting down. I screw things up on the first day.
"…Didn't I tell you to keep yapping?"
Ugh! Can't even brood in peace! "What do you want me to say? I'm not going to whine like some lost puppy."
"Right. You'd probably sound like a cat being strangled."
She grit her teeth with a strange smirk. "I'm thinking of all the pain I'm going to inflict on you…"
"That should be MY line."
Her brow creased indignantly. Yet…if it weren't for me…she sighed heavily. "…Look, I'm sorry about this."
There was the sound of shin against wood and a yelp of pain followed.
"…Did I just hear Kuchiki Rukia admit she made a mistake?"
"Asshole!" She swore under her breath. "All I'm saying is that I'm out of my element here! You have no idea how hard it is-"
He was suddenly there, his hand on her shoulder, his voice close to her ear. "Which is why you should ask for hel-"
WHAM!
"OW! Damnit Rukia! That was uncalled for!"
"Reflex." She explained flippantly.
Ichigo cursed and rubbed his nose. "…Anyway, what we have to do now is find some way to turn the lights ON."
Would you like to turn the lights on, sir? Asked a deep monotone voice.
Rukia eeped and Ichigo himself jumped. "Who's there?" he demanded.
Pardon me, sir, we have not been introduced. I am AI EX. Your butler.
"Oh," he said suspiciously. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. This is Kuchiki Rukia." He turned to Rukia. "I don't remember anything about a butler."
After much deliberation, I have discerned that the act of total black out was accidental. Would you permit me to turn on the lights?
"You can do that, Alex?"
It's AI EX, sir.
"Right, right, you can turn on the lights?"
The lights turned on.
Rukia blushed and detached herself from Ichigo's waist. How unbecoming of a Shinigami…. She glanced around. "Where is he?"
Ichigo frowned. "Dunno."
I am right in front of you. In the terminal.
They got up and approached the bright blue screen. The words EXperimental Artificial Intelligence greeted them.
Good evening.
-----
"So…he's not real?" She asked, lying next to him. After their little adventure, Ichigo decided that tomorrow, when it was BRIGHT, would be a better time to explore the house.
"Well. No. Not technically. He's not like that thing in the manga you read. He's a little more simpler." He paused. "I hope."
"Hmm." She said thoughtfully. "Incredible." A growl was heard. "Ichigo…we haven't had dinner."
He moaned. "Oh yeah…"
"…Well? Yuzu-chan isn't around."
And I don't feel like cooking. So…
-----
Sir, there is someone at the door. If it is hostile or uninvited, shall I dispose of it?
Ichigo jumped. "Wait, wait!" Damn! What kind of a doorbell is 'Shall I dispose of it?'
"Konbanwa sir, I believe you-ICHIGO!" Asano blinked in shock. "What are you doing here?"
Ichigo stared, but recovered reasonably quickly. "Here. Exact change. Won't be going to school for a week. Bye."
Asano stuck his foot in the doorway, his eyes blazing. "Now see here Ichigo! Could it be that you signed up for the Home Ec trip and this is the house that for some strange reason fate has brought me to, and you don't want me here because you're with a girl and you know that I will spread rumours…"
Ichigo blinked as Asano continued without stopping for breath.
"Ichigo? Is the delivery person here?"
Asano's eyes widened. You could hear the brakes in his mind. "Is that-"
"Alex!" Ichigo cried out desperately.
AIEX, sir. What is your command?
"Uh…you can 'dispose' of him." he paused. "…And if you can give him amnesia, that would be great too."
A large mechanical hand exploded from a trap door in the wall, cutting Asano off in mid-sentence and throwing him clear onto the street. "ICHIGO! THAT WAS…IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN-OH MY GOOOOOOOOOoooooooood…."
Ichigo watched his flight trajectory, and waited to see if he was still moving when he hit the ground. Satisfied, he then slammed the door shut.
-----
"Who was that?"
"Nobody." He said, placing the box on the table.
She glanced curiously at the delivery. "So THIS was your plan?"
"Well, yeah. You've never tried pizza before right?" Ichigo flipped the box open with a flourish. "There ya go."
Rukia looked at the flat looking dish with distaste. It sure as heck didn't LOOK like food. "Is it edible?"
Ichigo stared. "Well, yeah." He grabbed a slice. "See? It's like a pastry. Kinda. There's cheese on top, and some kind of tomato sauce. And it has different meat toppings depending on-"
Rukia glared. "Eat it first."
"Huh?"
"I said, 'Eat it first."
He scowled. "Hey, now see here. It's not like I want to poi-"
She stared, unemotional. "If I were 'out of action', you'd be able to get out of here right?"
His eyebrow twitched. "Okay…listen Rukia. Don't get all paranoid just 'cause-"
"Eat it first."
"Oh for-" He crammed the slice into his mouth. "MwER" he mumbled.
"Swallow."
He frowned, chewing a bit. "…There."
Deciding it was safe; Rukia grabbed a slice and took a bite. Her eyes widened. "…It's good."
"Whoop-de-freaking-do." He deadpanned. "I'll get us a drink."
Honestly. Sometimes she's overly cautious, other times she's all gung-ho! How is ANYONE supposed to get along with someone like that? He's blissfully unaware of the hypocrisy.
He took stock of the refrigerator. "…We'll have to go to the market tomorrow."
"…Okay." He carried the two glasses of apple juice with him.
Sometimes I wonder how I put up with- "What the…?"
Rukia looked up, the last slice halfway to her mouth. She flushed and put it down. "Um…saved you the last one."
Ichigo sat down heavily. Glancing at the plundered box he sighed in disbelief. "…I'll order another one…"
-----
HE Project Log, Preliminaries
The time now is 10:46pm. Ichi-She drew a neat line across her mistake-Kurosaki-kun is currently dealing with the bathroom, which he adds is 'something else'.
She paused.
It has been an interesting half-day. First I'd like to thank Katobeto-sensei for his involvement in the project.
She smiled. Rukia knew a person who was easily flattered when she saw one.
It has been extremely-She paused to find the right word. 'Hell on Earth' just didn't fit anymore. It was truly fun…-educational. Although we have not fully explored the house, it is obvious that it is a modern masterpiece. Many of the gadgets seem ahead of their time-Or at least mine, she drawled-such as the computer AI, AIEX-She nodded, satisfied. At least she remembered the terms.
Our first real problem however, arrived when Kurosaki-kun felt that, although we are husband and wife, we shouldn't share the same room….
-----
Ichigo came out of the shower with a towel on his shoulder. He had changed inside, and was wearing a white sleeveless and shorts. "Oi, Rukia. Your turn."
"Okay, okay." She said, sitting up from the desk and stretching. Ichigo averted his eyes. "Move it!"
She nodded, putting her hands on her hips. "And you'd better get started on your side of the report. I've finished mine."
"Oh yeah. Want me to check it?"
"Nope. Rules say that they're meant to be separate accounts." She said, on her way into the bathroom.
He tried to not follow her progress. "Oh really? And where do these reports go after we're done?"
She closed the door. "I think we have to keep them, and then present them to the class or something."
Wonderful. "…I hope yours is okay…" He muttered.
Day One
We've stared the project with pretty good results. There haven't been any real problems so far.
He paused.
Well, none that have been unsolvable. There was an incident with the computer AI, but Rukia-He crossed out his mistake furiously-Kuchiki-san and I managed to resolve the problem.
Ordering pizza was not exactly making use of their Home Economics skills….
In most situations where both spouses are too tired to cook, it is known that they order food and have it delivered to the home. He chooses not to specify WHICH type of food they had ordered.
We have decided to go to the market tomorrow-
"Ichigo, pyjamas?" Rukia asked, peeking her head out the door.
Ichigo frowned, and flustered as he was, passed her the pair on top of the bed.
-----
"Ichigo, what's this machine do?"
He sat up from the bed and into the bathroom. He glanced at the blow dryer before attempting to duck out. "Blow Dryer. For wet hair." She grabbed his arm and jerked him back inside.
"How does it work?"
Well…she had worked the tub (thank god) with no problems. (He did hear a very un-Rukia squeak of surprise, probably turned on the cold water first) He demonstrated the use of the dryer.
"Okay, that's enough." He suppressed a laugh at her new hairstyle.
Rukia, sensing herself to be the butt of a joke, glanced at herself in the mirror. She stomped Ichigo's foot with a frown to quell his giggles.
She dunked her head under the sink and turned on the tap.
"Don't stay up too late." Ichigo chuckled.
-----
Naturally, Ichigo stayed up to make sure she didn't burn the house down. So when he heard the lights go off, and felt the bed tilt ever-so-slightly in Rukia's direction, he decided it was okay to sleep.
Problem was, he couldn't sleep.
Rukia seemed to sleep just FINE. Why couldn't he do the same?
He turned to face the pillow between them. I can't believe there's a female alive who'd sleep in the same room as me. Well…
Barring Karin and Yuzu of course.
He flipped noiselessly onto his back. But do any of them really know me? I've been so caught up with my image that I haven't let anyone really see…me…
Seeing her like that, peaceful, perfectly docile, completely def-
She trusts ME. He thumped his forehead. Okay. Rukia sleeping next to me is causing some serious problems. Maybe I can-
"…Just go to sleep!"
His heart skipped a couple of beats. "W-What?"
"I said go to sleep!"
He checked to see if she was awake. Other the fact that she was on her back now, nothing had changed. He leaned forward. Breathing was slow, natural…maybe she was-
BONK!
"OW! Bi-"
"Honestly, we have a long day tomorrow! Get to sleep!"
He rubbed his sore nose. Freakin' hell… I'm going to sleep!
Rukia, lost in dreamland, smiled softly. "…Dream well, Ichigo…."
Tsuzuku
Chapter 2 revised up and uploaded.
Anyway, guess who wakes up first tomorrow? XD