I uploaded this in haste, my laptop's keeps freezing.
Rukia called Uryu several times before she finally got a response. Quickly, she explained the situation and he said he'd be at Riruka's as soon as possible. Chewing on her lip, Rukia listened to the sounds of the argument going on at Riruka's apartment. There'd been no more screams, just yelling and angry voices, but she couldn't make out what was being said except once she was sure she'd heard Ichigo's name. At that her stomach had clenched in fear. What if Grimmjow was trying to lure Ichigo over to Riruka's so he could attack him? After tense moments, a door slammed and glass broke, then all was silent. Eventually, she heard the doorbell ring and then Uryu's voice was on the phone.
"Rukia? I'm here. Riruka's pretty upset and it looks like Grimmjow slapped her, but I think she'll be okay. I'm staying with her until Ichigo arrives and then I'll go look around to see if Grimmjow left a trail. If you don't mind, I think we'll be bringing Riruka back with us. She's in no state to be left by herself."
"Of course! She can't stay there. I'll make sure the guest room is ready."
"Good, we'll see you in while."
"Okay— and Uryu?"
"Yes?"
"Make sure Ichigo doesn't do something crazy like going after Grimmjow on his own tonight. He was really upset when he left here and—"
"Don't worry, Rukia. I'll keep our Alpha in line."
"Thanks." she hung up the phone and leaned against wall, slowly sinking to the floor. She hadn't realised how tense she'd been holding herself until now. Thank heavens Grimmjow had left before Ichigo arrived. While she knew her mate could take care of himself—he'd defeated the other man before, hadn't he?—she didn't want the two meeting. What if Grimmjow had a gun or a knife? Ichigo could be seriously hurt, and the very idea of that happening caused an ache in the centre of her chest. There could be no doubt about it now. Grimmjow was definitely unstable and extremely dangerous.
It was late by the time they got back to the house. Riruka's face was bruised on one side where Grimmjow had hit her and her wrist sported a bracelet of bruises from being grabbed. Rukia got ice to apply to the injuries and then helped Riruka into a nightgown. The woman shook with fear and kept bursting into tears. Holding her hand, Rukia offered what little comfort she could, finally getting her to take a mild sedative so that she could rest.
Once Riruka was asleep, Rukia convinced Ichigo that he needed to go to bed as well. He and Uryu had done a cursory look around Riruka's apartment and were planning on a more thorough search in the morning. Grimmjow had definitely been there, his scent was strong around the apartment, but he'd travelled by car and the smell of exhaust and fuel obliterated the trail once they reached the main highway.
"I should have listened to her that night," Ichigo muttered as he prepared for bed. His movements were angry and abrupt. "She told me tonight that Grimmjow had left a threatening message on her answering machine. That's what she wanted to say after the meeting, but I wouldn't listen. I was too mad at her for even thinking that we should sell out to Northern Oil. If I'd paid attention to her, this wouldn't have happened." He balled up his shirt and threw it in the corner, then flopped back on the bed, his brows set in a scowl.
Rukia climbed in beside him, sliding up against his side, and laying her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. "Don't blame yourself Ichigo."
"Tomorrow I'm going to personally head up the hunt for Grimmjow. We'll put even more men on it and if he's still in the area, we'll find him."
"Just be careful, okay? I'm sort of getting used to you, and I don't want to have to start breaking in a new mate."
Ichigo smiled briefly at her teasing. "Thanks a lot." He rolled over and faced her. "You did well tonight, Rukia. Staying on the phone, then getting hold of Uryu, you were really compassionate to Riruka, too." He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "That's one of the things I like most about you."
Rukia felt all warm inside from Ichigo's praise, but shrugged in response. "I didn't do that much."
"I still appreciate it." A yawn escaped him, even as he brushed the pad of this thumb over her lips. "I guess I'd better get some sleep. Tomorrow looks to be pretty busy." He reached over and turned out the light, then pulled Rukia to his side.
The next few days passed in a blur of activity. Rukia had picked up her car and started her job, working a three-hour shift to help with the lunch crowd. Riruka was now staying at the house, too nervous to return to her apartment and unwilling to go to work until the bruises faded. Ichigo left early each morning and came home late at night, busy heading up the search for Grimmjow. But since the attack Riruka was being so pleasant that Rukia felt she could at least let the woman have an hour of Ichigo's company each night. While it did mean he had less time with her, Riruka had experienced something traumatic and probably needed a bit of extra attention for a while. Also, Rukia didn't want Ichigo to think of her as a nagging, jealous mate. She trusted him and—she crossed her fingers—she supposed she could trust Riruka too.
While being attacked was never a good thing, it certainly seemed to have had a positive effect on Riruka's personality. She was quieter, a bit withdrawn, and hadn't said anything snarky since arriving. In fact she went out of way to be polite, offering to do various chores around the house. Even when talking to Ichigo, she was keeping a respectful distance rather than hanging on his arm.
Rukia felt herself relaxing around the woman and even Rangiku had to admit that Riruka wasn't being her usual nasty self. With Ichigo working so much, Rukia was more than happy to have her new job to keep her busy. Being out talking to people was fun and the work wasn't too hard, her biggest challenge was keeping the orders straight. She admired the other waitresses who hardly had to write down anything.
After her shift ended, Rukia usually wandered the mall for a little while. She paused in front of a clothing store, she recalled the purple sweater she'd seen there a few weeks ago. Maybe with her pay check she'd treat herself. There was a substantial balance in an account that Ichigo had set up for her, but she was still reluctant to use it. Perhaps once they'd been together longer, it wouldn't seem so strange to accept money from him.
Entering the store, she scanned the racks, but couldn't find the sweater anywhere. Humph! Wasn't that always the way? When you finally had money, the item you wanted was gone. Rukia inquired about the purple top, just in case there was one in the back. After a few moments, the woman appeared and regretfully explained that there was one in the back, but it was on hold.
Making a mental note to return in a few days, in case the sweater made its way back onto the shelves, she turned and began to wander down the mall again. Rukia stopped at the Art Gallery to admire the picture of Ichigo that she'd seen that first day. It was with great surprise , that she noticed the picture missing. At first, she wondered if they had just rearranged the displays, but a quick inquiry told her that it had been sold to a collector who focussed on art featuring wolves.
Rukia was disappointed that the picture was gone. She didn't have a photo of Ichigo and from the sound of it he was not a willing subject. Possibly Riruka, having been close to Grimmjow at the time, might have a copy and Rukia could scan it on the computer. Making a mental note to ask her at dinner that night, Rukia continued on her way.
The meal was almost over when Rukia remembered the photo and introduced the topic. Since Riruka hadn't returned to work yet, Rukia thought she'd be pleasantly surprised to learn of the sale. There'd likely be a commission in it for her, as she was probably acting as Grimmjow's sales agent.
"Guess what, Riruka? That wonderful picture of Ichigo finally sold at the gallery. I was by there today after work and it wasn't in the window, so I asked inside and they said someone who collects art featuring wolves bought it yesterday."
The whole table suddenly went silent and Rukia looked around in puzzlement. Everyone was frozen in place. Rangiku, Orihime, and Uryu appeared surprised. Riruka's face had turned white as a sheet and she was clutching the edge of the table tightly. Turning to Ichigo, Rukia realised why.
Ichigo was glaring at Riruka, and without a doubt, he was absolutely furious. Rangiku was the first to speak.
"I'd forgotten all about that picture. I'm surprised that you allowed it to be displayed, let alone put up for sale, Ichigo. It's not like you at all."
Orihime and Uryu nodded in agreement.
"And what picture would that be?" Ichigo's voice was a deep, low growl.
Rukia swallowed nervously. Something was going on here, but she didn't know what. "It was a picture of you in your wolf form, down by the lake." She licked her lips and glanced at Riruka, who looked ready to leap and run at any moment. "Riruka said Grimmjow had taken it of you a while back. It was very good. I really liked it," she ended weakly.
"Riruka, how could you?" Ichigo's fist hit the table, rattling the dishes and causing everyone to jump.
"N-n-now Ichigo, calm down. It's not what you think," Riruka stuttered, pushing her chair back.
"How can it not be what I think? As a favour to you and Grimmjow, I let him take that picture with the understanding that it was a practice shot, never to be shown. Now I find that it's been on display in a public mall for several weeks and you never thought to tell me? That is directly disobeying my orders!" Ichigo stood up and towered over Riruka, who seemed to be trying to disappear into the floor.
Gathering her nerve, Rukia stood up and stepped between the two placing her hand on Ichigo's arm. "Now Ichigo, calm down. It really was a great picture. You'd be proud of it and there's no harm done. Besides, no one will ever know it's you."
Ichigo shook her hand off and glared. "No harm done? Didn't you say the picture went to a collector? A collector of wolf art, who no doubt has other similarly minded collectors examining his purchases. What's going to happen if one of those people starts to realise that there's something unusual about that wolf? That the proportions are off, the slant of the forehead is different and the set of the ears isn't quite right? And don't you think someone might question where such a large wolf might have come from? To the average observer a wolf and a werewolf are identical, but we know differently. One of the collectors might decide that there's a new undiscovered species in the area and start poking around here, looking for tracks and dens, maybe setting up time-lapse cameras or traps. What's going to happen then? Hmm? I'll tell you what. We'll be constantly looking over our shoulders, worried about being discovered." He whipped his head around and snarled at Riruka. "We've spent years in this community, trying to stay below the radar. Your little stunt here might just have jeopardised the well-being of every member of this pack!"
Riruka started to cry. "Ichigo, don't be angry with me. I… I didn't want to do it. I know how you feel but… I have a confession to make. About a week after the challenge, Grimmjow came back to see me. He needed money to leave the area and start fresh somewhere else, and he wanted me to sell off all his remaining pictures. I said I could find buyers for all of them, but not the picture of you—I remembered what you'd said—but he was desperate for money and I… I loved him and I wanted to help. I never thought that the picture could endanger the pack. I… I'm so sorry." With that, Riruka ran from the room. A minute later, her bedroom door slammed shut.
Ichigo stood with his fists clenched, a muscle working in his jaw, then he shoved Riruka's chair against the wall and stormed out.
Rukia sat back down, shocked at the scene that was played before her. "Was selling that picture really as bad as Ichigo made it out to be?"
"Yes and no." Uryu wandered over to the stove and poured a cup of coffee. "There's always a chance that someone will notice something unusual about the photograph, and the fact that it went to a collector who specialises in wolves makes it even riskier. Ichigo is extremely protective of the pack and the idea of someone endangering it is really hard for him to take. Then there's the whole obedience and trust thing. Riruka not only broke his trust, but disobeyed a direct command, basically flaunting his authority. On top of all that, he's stressed to the max and working way too hard. It's not a good combination."
"I didn't think he could get that angry."
"I've seen him worse, and believe me, it's not something you want to see. Our Alpha keeps himself under a pretty tight rein. He tries really hard to be civilized and not let the wolf take over, but sometimes it just slips out. When it does, it's usually justified like tonight. Riruka was lucky. A few generations back, the Alpha might have killed her."
Rukia shivered at the thought. While she was proud of her heritage, there were some aspects of it that she wasn't as fond of.
"So what's going to happen?"
"Well, she has to get that picture back. I don't know what kind of a tale she's going to have to spin or what it will cost, but that's her concern. Beyond that, if she's smart she'll lay low for a while.
Grimmjow will make an appearance soon.
To bloodyme: Its okay, dont apologize, like I always say. You can write whatever you want here. And your advice was gladly appreciated. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.