Chapter Seven

I shook my head at Ichigo, playing it off like it was nothing. "I was just out."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at me, seeming to not have bought the bluff, "Really?"

I nodded. "Now, if you'll move. You're blocking the way to my room."

Ichigo's eyes were hard on me as he moved to the side. He watched me until I passed by him.

"Either way," I told him, opening my room door, "I appreciate your concern, Kurosaki-kun!"

My body was barely a step into my room when I was snapped back into the hall. The door whipped shut, echoing as it did. My back made contact with the door, my wrist held tightly in Ichigo's grip.

Ichigo's eyes had a slight fury to them as I looked up at him.

"Let me go," I commanded, trying to not become violent.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't ever call me that again," he growled.

I pouted mockingly, "Aw. Does that make Kurosaki-kun angry?" I asked.

He came in closer to me, Ichigo's scent cloaking the entire wall.

For someone who had a girlfriend, he seemed to be prone to always being in my space.

We were in a silent stare off.

I didn't like being this close to Ichigo. He was a huge risk in my plan of leaving the Kuchiki's. The fact his girlfriend was a vampire hunter (and I was going to be on her list soon, even if she never knew my secret) already left a huge red target on my back. This was just adding to the risk.

A puff of warm air made me realize how close Ichigo's face was to mine. With only an inch between us, my entire body was covered in his warmth. There was nothing in the way of stopping us from closing that small distance and tasting his essence on my tongue. Nothing but-

"When did you and Senna become a couple?" I asked.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, seeming displeased with the mention of his girlfriend. He spoke with a grave tone, face matching his voice, "A while."

"That's anywhere from five months to a year," I commented.

Ichigo let go of my wrist, seeming to slide back into his usual persona.

"Five," Ichigo replied.

"Years?"

"Months."

"That's right," I looked at his orange hair, "You're eighteen. Seven years is practically your entire life."

"At least I'm actually in a relationship with someone," Ichigo glared at me.

"I prefer to be free and unattached," I told him.

"Yeah, enjoy that time before you're with a prick noble," Ichigo retorted.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, "That's not going to happen."

"Why do you say that?" Ichigo asked, looking at me. "Anyone would love to marry the Kuchiki heiress."

I pressed my lips into a thin line, "Exactly for that reason."

"What reason?" he asked.

I bit my lip, hesitant to reveal one of my two secret intimate fears. I didn't like admitting them to myself – especially not someone who could use it against me.

With a sigh, I told him.

"Anyone would love to marry the Kuchiki heiress; no one would want to marry Kuchiki Rukia."

Ichigo's eyes went wide accompanied with an opened mouth to respond back but stopped. He snapped his mouth closed almost forcefully on its hinges.

I looked down at the ground, not wanting to see anything else.

He let a moment of silence fall before he spoke again, "So where were you?"

"Out," I gave him a vague response with a quiet whisper, "Meeting new people."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "You know, you're not making it easier for Byakuya to accomplish what he came here for," he mumbled.

"Accomplish what?" I asked shocked.

Ichigo looked at me with stone eyes, trying to guard himself as he realized his slip of the tongue, "Nothing."

That kind of irked me, "So you want me to tell you where I've been yet you're unwilling to tell me what you meant by what you said?"

Ichigo looked at me, struggling on what to do next.

Sighing he moved away from me, motioning me to my room.

"I'll see you at ten," Ichigo reminded me as he walked down the stairs.

I watched him with a scowl, angry he had blown off my question, yet glad he had decided not to pry into my nightly ventures.

!#*!#*!#*!#*!#*

"So the point of us being out in this forest is?" I asked, looking at my orange companion with irritation at having to be up this early.

"Your brother wanted me to teach you some defensive tricks," Ichigo replied.

"And we couldn't have done this inside?" I asked as my eyes caught his shirt sliding up as he began to stretch his arms.

Ichigo shrugged. "I'm not the one who decided to start this early," he commented, stretching his arms up into the air and giving me a nice glimpse of his abs.

For once he had my full attention.

I watched him finish his stretching (of which I enjoyed every minute) before I asked "What are you going to teach me?"

"Your brother wanted me to teach you defense techniques," Ichigo replied.

"I already know-"

"What he didn't tell you," Ichigo continued ignoring my interruption, "was why he wanted you to have this training."

I tapped my foot impatiently, waiting for him to continue.

When he didn't, I asked, "And?"

"And what?" Ichigo grouched back at me.

"What do you mean what?" I yelled right at him. "You were going to tell me why my brother wanted me to learn this and you stopped right when you weren't supposed to!"

"I was getting there!" he yelled back at me, "You had to wait for it!"

"Then get to it already, Ichigo!"

"Your brother-"

He stopped, face colored slightly red as he tried to control his temper. Ichigo gave a deep sigh, ruffling his hair.

"Your brother," he started again, "wanted me to teach you there self-defense skills ...against vampires."

Ichigo's amber eyes peered at me as he waited for my reaction.

Brother wanted me to learn fighting techniques against myself?

My mind wandered to last night when I saw the body Renji and Senna were standing over, blood still fresh from the kill. Truth was, the only way I knew how to fight was because of the vampire who taught them to me. If vampire hunters knew all the moves a vampire could make, then the only way I could ever survive is by learning their methods.

"Rukia?"

My eyes widened, forgetting I was in Ichigo's presence. He was looking at me with concern over my lack of a reaction.

"Vampires?" I asked, feigning the word was the root of my dismay.

Ichigo nodded slowly.

"But they aren't supposed to exist."

Lie. I just completely lied right in his face.

"Well they do," Ichigo told me, "and Byakuya wants you to learn to protect yourself from them."

You've got to be kidding me.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Crap, I said that aloud.

"Your safety is not a joke," Ichigo chided me.

"Is that the same motto you lived by when you waited for me at my room yesterday?"

"So what if it is?" Ichigo's tone became passive-aggressive.

"Then I thank you for your concern."

"Don't tell me your safety is none of my busi-huh?" Ichigo broke off, watching me with shocked eyes. "Did you just say thank you?"

"Can we get on with the training now?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"Right." Ichigo coughed, hiding the red in his face. "We'll have you work on your stretching first."

"Fine." I turned a few steps away from him to give myself extra space.

I locked my fingers together and stretched my arms out.

"Your elbows aren't supposed to be pointed outward."

Ichigo gripped my elbows and pushed them inward, moving his hands up and down my arms to secure them in place.

"Now you stretch."

Ichigo's breath was hot against my ear, orange spikes lightly poking my cheek. He moved his hands to the top of mine, helping me push away from my body.

"Then to the sides," Ichigo added.

He moved to the right side and my body flowed in synch with his.

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

I turned my head to face him. "How did you get involved in this?"

Amber eyes were thoughtful, still focused on me.

"I didn't really plan on it," he replied.

I arched my eyebrow at him. "You didn't?"

"I just fell into it." he moved my arms to the opposite side.

"Fell into it? Like a family business?"

He shook his head. "I fell into it because of my family."

"They wanted you to be a v-vampire hunter?"

"Sort of," he had the ghost of a smirk on his face. "My old man wanted me to be one. My mom..."

I blinked at him since the silence lasted too long. "...Your mother?"

"My mother was adamant at first."

"But she let you?"

Ichigo nodded. "She wouldn't let me until I learned an important lesson."

"What lesson was that?"

"You're too inquisitive," Ichigo teased. "I'll only tell you when we reach the end of your training."

"Cop out," I growled.

"Your training will consist of learning some weapon attacks as well as physical attacks to vampires. Your training will be like you - short."

I jerked my elbow back until it made contact with his stomach.

"Ow!" Ichigo yelled.

"Don't use that word and it won't happen again." I let out a light chuckle at his discomfort.

Ichigo finished rubbing his stomach before he resumed his close position.

"First you need to learn the motions," he curled my hands and placed one on top of the other, a metal pipe gripped between my hands.

"You move your dominant hand," Ichigo told me, moving my arm in a slow pace before it picked up.

"Now you need to be less tense," Ichigo told me.

I relaxed my shoulders, the pressure passing off.

"Good," Ichigo praised me. "And again."

!#*!#*!#*!#*!#*

I stretched out to relieve the tension in my arms as we walked back to the mansion.

"You'll feel better as you progress," Ichigo told me as he stepped beside me.

"If you say so," I shrugged.

"Would you like to do this?"

I looked at him with wonder. "Would I want to do what? Train?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Hunt vampires," he glanced over at me with a scowl.

I threw my gaze forward immediately as I tried to prevent any eye contact with him. Silence lingered between us, my hands curling and uncurling into fists.

"No," I replied as I shook my head. If I said otherwise, I would have to steak myself.

"Why not?" Ichigo asked.

"Killing isn't something I would want to do," I looked down at the tree roots to step over them.

"Even if people consider them monsters?" He looked at me attentively.

"Sometimes 'monsters' aren't the real monsters," I looked at him with a serious and somber expression. "After all people, who aren't 'monsters,' have been known to be worse."

Ichigo's eyes widened, seemingly taken back by my answer. His eyes were on me almost as if he had trouble processing my reasoning why.

"Something wrong, Ichigo?" I teased.

He let out a deep and quick sigh of air before he went back to looking at the trail. "You get it," he muttered.

"I get it?" I asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"That was the lesson I had to learn." Ichigo replied.

"The one your mother wanted you to learn," I looked up at him.

"Yeah." Ichigo's expression became sombrous. "It was one of the few lessons she thought was important for me to know before-"

I raised an eyebrow at him, the solemn tone in his words making me realize something I never did before.

The way he would speak about his mother and the abrupt end to his sentence…

His mother had passed.

Seeing the expression on his face, I couldn't help but give him a small smile.

He missed her, his mother. I could see it in his face and in his eyes. She had an important, impactful spot in his life. And he still needed her.

"Yeah," I whispered softly, thinking of my own sister.

His eyes flashed, remembering he was with me. "You get it."

It wasn't a question; it came out as a solid statement.

I nodded. "I get it."

The two of us didn't say much after that. The silence was only broken when Renji barreled out of my house when he saw us approaching.

"About time you got here!" Renji yelled at Ichigo.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? It's not like I'm late for anything."

"Tell that to Senna," Renji held up Ichigo's phone. "She keeps on calling, saying you were supposed to meet her half an hour ago at that Chinese place you both like."

Ichigo tugged at his orange hair, frustration covering his face. "I forgot. Did you tell her I was working?"

Renji's red hair bounced as he nodded. "Of course I did! She was the one who kept on yelling at me to go and find you. She said if you didn't show up within thirty minutes she would track you down and there would be hell to pay for standing her up."

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair as took his phone from Renji. "I better call her."

"You better," Renji told him before he leaned towards me. "Senna has been known to-"

"Ichigo!"

A loud voice rang into the air, making my ears hurt and Ichigo and Renji jump in fear.

Senna popped out of a red car and marched her way over to Ichigo, fury coloring part of her features.

"Where were you?" Senna demanded. "I was waiting there for you for almost an hour! Were you just gonna leave me there? I thought something had happened to you!"

Senna clung to Ichigo's arm tightly, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. "I missed you so much!"

"Yeah," Ichigo patted the top of her head as he tried to break his arm free. "Sorry I forgot. I was busy working."

"Working?" Senna asked. "It's too early to be working."

"I had some training to do," Ichigo looked over to me.

Senna raised an eyebrow before glancing at me. "Alone?"

"Of course not," Renji interrupted. "Training is always a two person sport."

"Then who?"

"I was training with him," I spoke.

Senna dropped Ichigo's arm out of her grip. "The two of you were training? Alone?"

"Two people were the only one's needed for this session," Ichigo told her. "It was just an introduction to the physical aspects."

"How much were the physical aspects introduced?" Senna asked with a stand-offish tone.

"Just the basics," Ichigo looked at Senna with confused eyes as he tried to discover what was behind her strange reactions.

"It was very informative," I added causing Senna to glare at me.

"How about I train you next time then?" Senna offered, her expression perking up.

There was a moment of panic in me I did not let shine through. Training with her would not be an option. It couldn't be. If I slipped up during any part of it, she would immediately stake me where I stood and then tell my brother.

"Come on, Rukia-chan," she purred as she walked over to me.

I leaned backwards in an attempt to put some space between myself and her. She linked her hand with mine and squeezed tightly as if to break my fingers off.

I bit my tongue to prevent the grunt of pain that wanted to escape my lips. I was not going to give Senna that satisfaction.

"You should accept Rukia!" Renji agreed. "Senna is a great vampire hunter! She herself could teach you some techniques that Ichigo could never teach you. He's not the best teacher, mind you."

"I'm a great teacher!" Ichigo protested.

"So, what do you say Rukia?" Senna chirped as she decided to cling onto my arm.

"Sure," I made certain my voice didn't waver on the outside like I felt it on the inside. "I would love to train with you," I added rigidly.

"Yay!" Senna cheered before she pulled me into a hug.

Her nails dug into the back of my shoulders as she moved her lips to my ears. "I told you to leave Ichigo alone."

I wrapped my arms around her with a false smile on my face when I noticed Renji and Ichigo watching us. I put my hands on the same spots on her back where she had mine and let my nails sink in.

A light hiss passed her lips only heard by her and myself.

My smile became genuine.

"It'll be fun to train with you Senna."

LC333:

Sorry for the wait. Thank you for your patience.

Thanks to:

IchigoMoonCutter, ChappiRuki, Mack333, xdancethemonster, MP2010, Irishmate, NieveDrop, and everyone else. (You know who you are and why.)