DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH
"Miyako Kuchiki."
The mere mention of her name was enough for Ichigo to be struck with fear. It's not the person her feared but the family in which she had come from. He could tell from the way she looked, the way she spoke and the manner in which she carried herself made him sure she was a pure bred Kuchiki. He was anxious as to why she was here and how exactly did she know they were here.
Kuchiki.
This was a dangerous situation then.
If that was the case then why hasn't Rukia stopped hugging and grinning at her like a little child?
"There there Rukia... We have the whole trip to talk." she spoke like an older sister to Rukia, Ichigo got the impression that this woman was like a second sister to Rukia.
Rukia nodded with dismay but when she turned her head towards Ichigo, she instantly noticed how uncomfortable he was. She strode up Ichigo and held his hand, finger intertwined before she smiled at him. She was telling him it was okay indirectly and he instantly got the message. Miyako looked at them and simply smiled reassuringly.
"I'm not here in behalf of the Kuchiki family... It just so happens that I'm the only other Kuchiki who enjoys taking trains am I right Rukia...?" Miyako replied as if she was royalty herself.
Rukia nodded oh so innocently, how could this woman tame Rukia Kuchiki so easily. His girlfriend was so childlike and innocent now, it was scary. He might be getting goosebumps later but he could worry about that later. Ichigo swallowed thickly before speaking, he was steeling his nerves. His guard had to be up whenever it came to Kuchikis.
"Then what are you here for Ms. Kuchiki?" he asked politely.
She opened her eyes revealing the signature gray eyes of a Kuchiki, she didn't seem stoic, taciturn, uptight or anal retentive luckily enough. They were calculating but warm, her posture stayed rigid though. "It's not everyday you hear the name Kuchiki on the same train much less on a train at all. I'm in the cabin across yours and since I'm sitting all by my lonesome, I figured I might come out and say hi. It's been ages since I've seen Rukia." Miyako replied.
"I see, so what brings you to Hokaido Ms. Kuchiki?" Ichigo asked.
"I think you're quite fed up with saying Ms. Kuchiki and Mr. Kuchiki am I right? Please, just call me Miyako but titles aside; there's a business summit and the prominent figured of the family need to attend. I'm going as my father's representative, he's currently recovering from an appendectomy."
"Let's just sit down and talk, stop being so tense Ichigo." Rukia said as she was tugging him down.
He nodded and they were all seated, Miyako had managed to close the door without anyone noticing. Rukia crossed her legs as part of her lawyerly habit while Miyako kept her legs straight. Ichigo merely sat properly and waited for her to explain herself unless she expected him to ask the questions.
"Carrying on, since I am his eldest child, it has become my obligation to be his representative. I flew all the way to Karakura from Prague and I decided to take the train going to Hokkaido instead. I do love trains, the ones in Europe are simply lovely." Miyako continued.
"I haven't heard from you for a while." Rukia said.
"Well, I was a bit busy. People have been asking me to play in almost everywhere lately, I haven't been able to reply to all of your e-mails." Miyako replied.
Ichigo noticed how she talked more naturally to Rukia while she spoke politely to him. He hated such formalities but habits are quite hard to break considering that she is a pure bred Kuchiki. "What do you mean by play Miyako?" he asked.
"I went away to study Piano in the Paris Conservatoire. I didn't want to leave Rukia all alone but I wanted to learn more about the piano, I chose my ambitions due to Rukia's recommendation. So now I'm an accomplished pianist with quite a few awards under my belt." she replied back with glee.
"That's interesting... Do you normally go to these business conventions?" Ichigo asked out of sheer curiosity.
"Most of the time I do. My father has been of poor health lately so I always go in his place." Miyako replied.
Ichigo crossed his arms. "So you've been coming back to Japan I take it?"
Miyako shook her head softly. "Not exactly, what intrigues me the most is that this year's business convention is being hosted by the Kuchiki family which isn't exactly unusual but for the family to actually choose Hokkaido as the location? We would usually pick Europe, someplace like Florence or Copenhagen."
Rukia heaved out a heavy sigh as she began to rub her temples with her forefinger and her thumb. Her eyebrows were furrowed downwards as if in deep thought. "I should've known brother might have pulled of something like this."
"Rukia?" Ichigo and Miyako called out simultaneously.
Rukia's eyes stayed fixated on the changing scenery beyond the window. "It's just a bit too convenient that he intentionally chose Hokkaido... My brother has eyes. He probably knows about what we're up to Ichigo."
"I wouldn't put it past Byakuya Kuchiki." Miyako added.
"He intends to have us bump into him on purpose. Expose us, show how I'm such a horrible Kuchiki. He'd probably make it an even better excuse for me to marry Kaien... He'd also ruin your career so he can hit two birds with one stone." Rukia stated.
Ichigo gritted his teeth and looked away in furious indignation. "Damn..."
"It's not that difficult really... The convention area is quite large and separated from the resort itself, the venue is as accommodating as the hotel so there is no actual need for the guests to return to the hotel to rest. Kuchikis would really hate to share baths with commoners so the hot springs is an open option most especially the mixed bath." Miyako suggested with a warm smile.
Rukia chuckled. "They find the mixed bath revolting."
"Hmm... Aside from that pleasant idea, we're dealing with the head of the family himself."
Rukia sighs again. "I know."
Miyako took a glance at the two and felt like sighing herself. She breathed in deeply and began to think a little more. Still, the aura was depressing. What is Byakuya Kuchiki thinking doing that? His plans were only privy to a select few and she was a part of that select few.
I guess he must have that much faith then, she thought.
"Spotting the stereotypical Kuchiki isn't very difficult, just steer clear of them if you're going out of the resort. They're all old men so I doubt they'll be skiing but I don't think you'll actually encounter any of them out in the snow." Miyako added.
Ichigo fixed the way he sat. "So the chances of being found are quite low."
"That doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious." Rukia added sternly.
"You are such a downer Rukia." Ichigo groaned.
"I hate to rain on your parade Kurosaki but I'm just being downright practical."
"Lighten up Kuchiki."
"Lighten up? Tell that to my brother."
"You worry too much, you're going to get wrinkles faster."
"I've been having these creases for years, do you see any wrinkles?"
"Nope but you'll be thirty in three years and those will start to show."
"Yes, I'll be thirty, wrinkly and I'd be ten times richer than you. Married to a coward if I might add."
"Wow, good for you... I'd be sure to drop by and give you both a nice wedding present."
"How considerate of you for a man of your reputation."
"Well I'm a generous man."
"And I'm Jesus Christ."
Ichigo shot a glare at her who shrugged it off like an insignificant fly. "Hey!"
"What?" she snarled at him with her eyebrow raised.
"What do you mean what?
"What do I mean? It's quite obvious really but if you really need me to point it out for you, I meant to retort with a question meant to indicate that you are currently pissing me off. Need I say more Ichigo?" she said sweetly but there was obvious malice behind her words.
"You are incorrigible woman."
"Congratulations, you now know how I feel when I had to deal with you in the first few months." she replied snappishly.
"For the first few months." he added with a smirk on his face.
She was about to retort but she simply held her tongue and smiled softly while looking at the changing scenery through the window. "Dork."
"Am not." he replied as a reflex as he smiled at her before looking away.
Miyako observed the two with a growing amusement; she allowed a genuine smile to show on her lips. Rukia's been hiding a whole lot of things from him to be frank. He doesn't know all the subtle threats and verbal insults she gets almost daily from all the cynical members of the family. From the day she was adopted until now, she still had to deal with all the drama.
She simply didn't understand why her relatives couldn't see this?
It's so clear as day.
Don't they know love at all?
Miyako then came upon a realization. She sighed as she looked out the window as well. Byakuya Kuchiki truly is a handful, from what she heard from her father about the man, he hadn't changed in the slightest. He had just gained the ability to mask a lot of things behind a cold hard mask called Kuchiki.
Truth be told, he and Rukia were just so alike and similar in so many ways. She was nothing like her sister Hisana.
"You two are an odd couple." Miyako stated bluntly.
"Paired up with her? Of course we're odd but I'll take that as a compliment."
"What do you mean by that?" Rukia snapped at him.
"Uh... I love you dear...?"
Rukia sighed and shook her head. "Indecisive ass... Stop insulting me and I'll stop bothering you."
"But I like you bothering me."
Rukia closed her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. "Idiot."
Miyako had to raid an eyebrow when despite the sunlight streaming at her beloved cousin's face, she could still see the faint red blush on her cheeks accompanied with an uncomfortable smile.
"I guess I'll be taking my leave now." Miyako announced.
Rukia's head suddenly turned towards the cousin she hadn't seen in a very long time, the only relative she liked and her only friend in the family. "Wait! Do you really have to go now?"
She smiled as she stood up. "There's plenty of opportunities to talk Rukia, I still need to make an important phone call." she replied.
Rukia's expression turned a little spirit she nodded anyway. "Oh well, some other time then."
"Yes, some other time. It was nice seeing you again Rukia, it was also a pleasure to meet you Ichigo. I can see why Rukia's most especially fond of you."
Rukia flushed red and Ichigo just grinned, he looked at Rukia with malice before smiling sweetly at the woman she admired. "Is that so...? Well then, I must say it has been a pleasure Miyako."
"Don't let that get to your head." Rukia warned Ichigo.
"Of course not Rukia, of course not."
Miyako bid the two a final farewell, she slid open the door silently and closed it in the same graceful manner befitting of a woman of her status. She smiled a soft genuine smile as she leaned against the doors. She could hear them bickering inside the booth and it made her feel like laughing.
"Now then, time to set things into motion."
Yes, even the most structured of families had their rebels.
This was ridiculously funny, so ridiculous it was enough to be one of those rated sitcoms. Things had been going smoothly throughout the whole trip, Rukia had even managed to squeeze in another conversation with her favorite Kuchiki but that wasn't all. No, there were no encounters with the cavalry luckily enough and their room was available as soon as they checked in, they were even able to grab a cup of coffee to combat the cold.
The problem was how quickly they got to their room, they had too much spare time. As soon as they got their luggage sorted out in their room, one look at each other and they were already kissing fiercely in their little hallway. Ichigo was literally kissing the life out of her and all she could do was take all he had to offer. It had been so long since they had been this intimate, this was the only time where they had been truly alone.
"Ichigo...?" she called out breathlessly.
"I'm busy." he instantly replied as he desperately found her hardened mulberry nipple through the fabric and pressed against it.
She held in a gasp and that puffed up his ego immensely. "A-asshole..."
"You have the time to call me names?" he whispered back in feral want.
"T-too fast Ichigo." she said stubbornly despite her moans.
Ichigo gave her a heated glare that read two things before he simply gave her a lopsided smirk and forced his mouth on hers; again. Her tongue slipped through first and his erotic appendage began to wrap around hers desperately. She found herself losing herself again, but then she had to regain her composure. She stopped kissing him and sighed into the crook of his neck. "Too fast Ichigo..." she sighed.
She could feel his breath tickling her ear and she could feel his neck vibrate when he chuckled deeply. He clung onto her as if she was his lifeline and he kept her close to him, enough proximity for the both of them to hear the other's heartbeat. "Alright... You call the shots or I'm not thoroughly whipped." he joked.
"Damn straight." she laughed and that sent waves of butterflies in his stomach, he loved and cherished the feeling.
Before she understood what he was doing, she yelped and found herself being carried by him bridal style. She laughed again and asked what he was doing now.
"Ain't it obvious princess, I'm carrying you to the bed. We're both damn tired aren't we?" he laughed as he literally dropped her onto the soft mattress.
"You obviously don't carry me like a prince." she retorted.
"Who said I'm the prince? I'm the defected knight who betrayed the royal guards just to be with the princess he had sworn to protect. I stole you from the prince." he replied.
"Then you must be incredibly charming, ruggedly handsome, mysteriously wonderful and worth my deepest and dirtiest fantasies." she flirted with him.
"Hell yes... I treat you like a commoner and you fucking love it." he flirted back.
She smirked a wicked smirk. "God, I love it when you flirt. It's so sexy."
"And I love it when you're being honest but hey, you know where this leads and I thought you wanted it slow." he whispered in a harsh yet attractive tone.
"I do want it slow, I really just can't help it with you. You just bring out the best in me Ichigo Kurosaki... If it weren't for the current predicament, I would say yes to your every proposal." Rukia replied in a heartfelt way.
"I love you for that."
She chuckled pleasantly. "I should... No I must draw the line somewhere. I do need the rest, we can just nap in the afternoon and then we could go out and explore a little."
"Sounds like a plan." he replied with a light and jumpy tone as he planted a swift soft kiss on her plummy lips.
"Get changed or something... Take a shower because you stink." she pushed him off.
"And I don't understand how you can smell so nice after the trip but even you need a bath Rukia."
She smiled softly and refused to meet his amber eyes. "I know what you're implying there Kurosaki and no I will not bathe with you."
"Aww... But you were so willing-"
"Nine months ago." she finished the sentence for him.
"Well yeah." he asserted.
"I'm tired... I am not going to budge so why don't you relieve yourself in the bathroom then." she snapped at him with an irritated expression now.
"Rukia, I've been doing that for months. What the hell do you expect me to do now that you're here, you expect me to fantasize over someone in the same room?"
"Your honesty astounds me and as flattered as I am now, yes. Jack off in there, I mean that."
Ichigo scowled heavily and hopped off the massive bed, there was an obvious weight shift on the bed but Rukia deliberately ignored his missing presence. She instantly moved to face away from him and he grimaced even more as he approached the bathroom door and opened it frustratedly.
Oh, she wants to ignore me huh?
Well, she won't be ignoring me now.
Rukia sighed as she heard the shower running, if he was going to keep talking like that then she might just be tempted to jump in with him one of these days. Couldn't he understand how hard it was to keep her hands off him, she needed to exercise some self restraint around him. She decided just to simply doze off do that she would already be asleep by the time he was through with his shower until she heard those noises through the muffling sounds of the shower.
Was that moaning?
Rukia bit her lip and tried to ignore the feeling pooling in between her legs. Damn that bastard and his tactics, how could she resist him now when he was literally stroking himself in that shower? Just the thought of him doing just that made her head spin. Rukia put her hands to her ears in a desperate attempt to block off the pleasant noise but hearing him being so vulnerable made her unable to mute him completely.
Damn him...
Rukia found herself slipping off the bed and sneaking to the bathroom door. She scolded herself as she neared the door and pressed her ear, she felt like such a voyeur but then again she was doing some voyeurism herself. Listening to him like this, she could almost imagine him in her head.
Never mind, that was a lie.
She could clearly see what he was doing in her head, all she had to do was to open the door and see if she was right.
She swallowed thickly and attempted to ignore the subliminal messages her brain was sending to her nether regions. Why was she even hiding, this man wasn't a stranger to her and it's not like she hadn't seen him naked before. This was stupid, Rukia Kuchiki would never do this... Normally.
Rukia heard him finishing up and she but her lip hard again, it sounded so sensual and vulnerable yet so masculine. If she didn't learn how to control herself from the most rigid family in the world then she'd already be touching herself by now. Normally she wouldn't but damn that Kurosaki. After a second or two of silenced, he closed the knob while breathing heavily. Rukia was in the middle of taking her ear away from the door when the door itself opened up with a somewhat wet Ichigo clad in a towel looking down on her.
She flushed red when he grinned.
"Around a year ago, you were calling me a pervert for trying to save you when I heard you scream in the shower." he stated with much malice.
She stood up and fixed herself while stealing glances at him and his impressive self. He was so doing this on purpose. "Shut up."
He placed his hands on his hips, around where his towel started. That smile was both arousing her and pissing her off. "Aren't you going to explain yourself Rukia?"
She gritted her teeth and made a split second decision before running up to him and forcing her mouth on his after tugging him down to her level. He was smirking into the kiss as his tongue kept shoving in and out of her mouth fiercely. Rukia tore off her mouth to speak whilst breathing and panting heavily. "Fuck no." replied to his question and proceeded to go on her knees.
"Rukia what are you-"
Rukia had a devilish smile on her milky face as she had her hands on the flimsy towel covering the very thing that was pulsating for her. The towel pooled to the floor infinitesimally and found that he was already semi-erect, this pleased her. "I thought you just relieved yourself."
"What are you going to do about it?" he asked shakily. She was blowing hot air at the raw pink tip of his cock as he spoke.
"You forced my hand Ichigo and screw you for that. Now I really don't feel like sleeping now thanks to you you thankless bastard."
Ichigo was now leaning against the door and relying heavily against it.
Her hand already had a steady grip on his erection by now. It was twitching and pulsating in her grasp.
"Let's do this shall we?"
Byakuya Kuchiki walked into the resort lobby and eyed the place. It was pretty high class so the rest of the family wouldn't judge him too much for wishing to stay in Japan for the business convention. This was going to be difficult; if they were going to avoid the rest of the family then he might as well give them a second hand. If anything should go awry, he refused to spend the rest of his life watching his own sister robbed of her smile over her marriage.
He already knew what that would look like and her resemblance to her sister would just break his heart.
He saw his associate in the distance and he approached her. They shook his hands and she simply smiled at him.
"It is nice to see you uncle."
"Miyako, how was your trip?" he asked.
"It was fine, I met Rukia and Ichigo on the way."
Byakuya crossed his arms and sighed. "I expected her to be a bit more cautious."
Miyako chuckled. "Don't blame them, I wouldn't have found them if I was my father or if I were one of the elders."
"That is indeed true..."
"Is this something you should be doing uncle? If the elders find any reason to fault you, the chance of a coup the family is quite high. They already have two reasons to doubt you, one was Hisana and the other was Rukia." Miyako stated.
"Yes, I am expecting a coup to be quite frank but I can only hope to break years of structure and order to combat that..."
Miyako smiled. "Yes, the family has been too blinded by the wealth and prestige. All the original values instilled onto us by the first head of the family is gone, the one who embodied the first's wishes the most was none other than Sojun Kuchiki."
"My father was indeed a good man and perhaps I would have ended up differently if it were not for him."
"Even Ginrei was quite fond of both Hisana and Rukia despite what he used to say."
"Indeed-"
Byakuya noticed his phone vibrating in his pocket and he excused himself from her, he answered the phone and heard a certain person's voice.
"Byakuya."
"What is it?"
"It's Kaien... He's... Well, defected. In a sense."
"Speak properly."
"He's currently in the ICU of Karakura General Hospital for alcohol poisoning. He'll make it for the wedding but it's Rukia we need to be worrying about; don't worry because I've been keeping an eye on him."
"I suppose I have to tell her?" Byakuya asked.
"I suppose so unless you want to keep it from her. She may no longer harbor any romantic feelings for him but she still does care for his well being, you know the kind person Rukia is."
Byakuya nodded despite knowing it was a phone call. "I'll tell her if I can... But if I don't then I'll leave that up to you."
"Gee, thanks Mr. Kuchiki."
"You know her better than I do." he instantly replied.
"Point taken... Anyhow, glad to be doing business with your sir. I've got an appointment now so I'll just leave him to the nurses. Still though... I pity him. All his relationships have never worked out and the first one that seemed to have worked was Rukia, he thinks he loves her that's why he's desperately clinging onto her. Irrational people drink too much alcohol and he wasn't thinking too straight."
"He was a risky choice."
"It was."
"Listen... I'm only after Rukia's interests... If she wants to be Shiba then so be it. If she wants to be with Kurosaki then by all means. If she wants to be with that Jaegerjaques or some other man then I don't mind. I promised to keep her smiling so I'll do just that... I've been clinging onto Rukia too hard for so long... I need to let her go eventually."
The person laughed on the other side. "I can hear it in your voice Byakuya... You love Rukia as your precious little sister. Finally starting to act like a big brother now huh...?"
"I don't appreciate you being so casual with me."
"Rukia won't appreciate it if you do anything to me."
"Touché... Call me if anything comes up."
"Duly noted."
Byakuya put the phone down and Miyako's face read curiosity. He sighed and began to rub his temples before speaking to her. "Just a little problem, nothing that can't be handled. Don't worry." he assured her.
"Who was that anyway."
He smiled only softly. "A wild card, a valuable ace up our sleeves."
"So this person is the pivot?"
He shook his head. "The pacemaker, they set the pace and motivate the players, they're needed for it to work."
"So they have something valuable?"
"Trust."
She raised an eyebrow. "Trust?"
"Yes, this person has trust."
Byakuya then saw one of the hotel staff call his attention; his room must've been ready. He faced her with his usual stone cold expression. "If you'll excuse me." he said and he followed the chauffeur.
Miyako shrugged. "He and Rukia are way too alike."
Now then, what should I do for the day?
AN: So here is another chapter from yours truly so now I'll start explaining some things. I have been considering announcing that I'm on a hiatus but then I'm more of a person who goes where the wind blows so hiatuses would never work out for me because I'll just break my own break time and probably write something.
So, this might be a selfish request but please bear with the long waits.
So, I apologize for the long delay and here's a new chapter once again.
We're still getting to the end and I'm not going to keep this going like what Kubo did with the final arc...
I want to cry... The Final Bleach episode was beautiful... So IchiRuki... You know, at the end...
He's like "See you later."
Then Rukia's like "I've heard you say that so many times."
"Well it won't be the last this time..."
Then I melted...
Rukia's reaction to everything Ichigo says and does makes me sooooooooooo happy...
I didn't give anything away did I?
Hah, last episode and no Ichihime in sight, brilliant.
I'm getting carried away. So I don't know how long it will be until I write a new chapter but do know that I have been writing chapters for the tied stories namely "Two Can Play That Game" and "Trade Mistakes."
I figured that the easier one to write will be the one that will replace Coffee... I got lazy to put up a poll for the two of those stories that garnered the same amount of votes.
Ah well...
AkaBaka-chan signing off!