DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS

Ichigo fixed his false pair of glasses on his nose along with a ski cap that covered most of his rather bright hair. He glanced at the mirror and wondered if he was noticeable at all, the paparazzi were out and about after all. They were all after some Kuchiki family scandal they could probably never find, it was ridiculous really.

Rukia came waltzing in the bathroom and began to fix her hair, she was keeping it tied so she wouldn't be spotted. She had been wearing colored contacts since the paparazzi knew the unique eye color she shared with her sister. She leaned against him for support and examined the both of them in the mirror.

"Do you think we're being obvious?" she asked him straightforwardly.

"Nope, I'm a pro at hiding. Take my word for it."

"Ishida found you in my cafe Ichigo." she stated rather bluntly.

"Special case, the jackass knew me too well."

"Sure he did Ichigo."

He snapped his head towards her and glared. "Hey, it's true."

She grinned and reached out for his cheek and squeezed it. "Well aren't you just adorable." she teased.

He swat her hand away and scowled. "Cut it out." he groaned.

"Alright alright you big baby." she stated smugly before stepping back and spun around before him. "So? Does this look alright to you oh Master of Disguise?"

He grinned as he stepped a few steps forwards and took her hand into his. He planted a soft kiss on the back of her hand and smiled at her charmingly. "It's perfect, you are as gorgeous as always Rukia."

She sighed. "You really are such a flatterer aren't you?"

"It makes you real happy on the inside so you have no right to complain." he retorted as he walked past her and back into the bedroom.

Rukia shook her head and trailed him out, Ichigo was busy getting his phone and making sure the hotel keycard was safely in his pocket. Rukia grabbed her purse and sat down on the bad and watched him. "It's weird how I find this sort of flirting nauseating or sickly usually... It's even weirder how I like it if I'm not the one watching." she said lightheartedly.

"I guess I just have that kind of effect on you." he stated warmly as he walked up to her and gave her a swift kiss. He then winked at her and grinned. "Isn't that right darling?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Now that is sickly and nauseating."

"Sorry for trying to be romantic." he scoffed.

"You don't even sound sorry jerk." she retorted at him.

"God knows I'm not sorry." he replied in his usual arrogant self.

Her eyebrows were slanted upwards but she was smiling in relief. "Good, because I have absolutely no idea what to do with you. You know, I'm awkward when it comes to love. I've only had three seriously relationships, though I guess that's technically not a good number. This is the first time I'm actually jumping into a relationship without keeping one foot in the door, if you were actually sorry for trying, I'd probably unleash one of my horrid mood swings on you like a stereotypical girl."

He shook his head and kissed her again. "You think too much sometimes you know?"

"Yeah, Hisana used to scold me for that."

He chuckled and pulled her into a hug. "I know you're worried Rukia, I'm worried too but lets just let loose okay? It's a date tonight." he said.

She nodded and leaned into his embrace. "Okay."

"Good."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Oh God, this cliched scene is off the charts." Rukia moaned irritatedly as she suddenly pushed him off.

He pouted at her, he couldn't stay mad at her though. "Rukia, Jesus woman. Did you fail to mention the fact that you are bipolar or something?"

Oh, and there was that glare. He actually missed it, he didn't get why.

"I think I would have mentioned it by now if I did. Hugging you is nice and all but my gut is twisting with all this sickly Hollywood cliche."

He shrugged as he stood up from the bed and extended his hand towards her. He flashed his signature grin and she couldn't help but smile along. "Come on."

She took his hand. "I meant what I said by the way."

"You mean your feminist rant."

He hauled her up and she steadied herself. "It wasn't feminist and I wasn't ranting. I was being honest."

He smirked. "And God knows I love it when you're honest."

Rukia actually giggled softly, it wasn't a very girl's giggle but it sounded so pleasant to his ears. She rarely did anything girly like giggling or squealing, he was just glad that he was the catalyst for her soft giggling. "Let's go grab some dinner Romeo."

"Of course Rukia, of course."

Truth be told, the best date they could get with all the other Kuchikis prowling about was a date to some restaurant that was so not fancy. Still though, a normal date sounded pretty good with all that's been going. It was refreshing to do something normal considering how their life was playing out glamorously like a real movie.

Ichigo boldy grasped her hand through his gloves and managed to intertwine his fingers with hers, Rukia was taken aback by this but she smiled and held on. She closed her eyes softly and let the nostalgia flow, it was amusing the first time she held his hand but now it felt so natural.

If only it stayed like this forever.

Rukia shook her head softly and frowned a bit. She couldn't imagine marrying Kaien, she even wondered

why she agreed to marry him in the first place. Was she that young and naive then or was Kaien just that dazzling before. Looking back now, she could wholeheartedly admit that she still admired that Kaien she fell in love with but now she couldn't bear to marry the shadow of that man.

"Rukia...?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and answered him quickly. "Yes?"

Ichigo looked at her with sincere concern. "Is something the matter?"

She shook her head and managed a smile. "I was just thinking."

Ichigo frowned disapprovingly. "We don't have a lot of time midget... Let's think about now shall we." he said softly, the midget part was an endearment apparently but she didn't mind.

"You just can't help but think about it you know...? Rukia Kuchiki CEO of Kuchki Corporation... It sounds so huge." Rukia said.

He tightened his hold. "You'll do great like you always do."

"But I'm just too young for the position. I'm inexperienced, I have a law degree and a business degree and I've only been a lawyer for a short while... Well, not to brag but I was the youngest Chief Prosecutor for a year. It sounds amazing but this is the Kuchiki Corporation we're talking about here... I can't handle a huge company. I know Byakuya probably had all the strings but I have such a huge responsibility."

Ichigo tugged her closer and made his presence more evident. "Chill Rukia... Don't overthink it."

Rukia breathed in and out deeply before shaking her insecurities off. "You're right... This is a vacation." she said before sinking right back into her thoughts. "Wait, where are we going anyway?"

"Well I rented a car." he stated.

"So it's outside the resort area?"

"Pretty much... The locals here seem to think pretty highly of this joint. It's a local specialty apparently." Ichigo informed.

Rukia grinned. "Sounds promising, I've had enough of high class." she joked.

"That's why, and besides. All your snooty relatives are probably dining in said high class establishments." Ichigo pointed out.

Rukia chuckled. "True... But you know one other place no Kuchiki would venture?" she asked.

Ichigo shrugged. "I suck at guessing."

She shook her head. "Lazy ass... The mixed bath. The hot springs is sophisticated enough for a Kuchiki but propriety entails that they should avoid the mixed bath."

Ichigo grinned. "Sounds like an excellent idea Ms. Kuchiki."

"Pervert."

He laughed at her and merely kissed her cheek, he whispered something in her ear and it made her laugh. He took of his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him in the process. Rukia flushed slightly and it made him smile.

"I like holding your hand but it looks like I prefer proximity better."

Rukia leaned against him and reveled in the newfound warmth. She grinned, feeling rather giddy but she kept the feeling suppressed. "I kinda like proximity too." she replied, feeling a little flirtatious.

Ichigo smiled as they grew nearer the lobby. He grew more wary as they exited the lobby, looking for anyone suspicious or anyone in possession of a camera. He didn't see any cameras aimed at them nor did he see a Kuchiki but that didn't mean he could relax, the paparazzi were real sneaky. He got through the lobby safety and gave something to the valet, he nodded to Ichigo and simply made a call via walkie talkie.

The car came and it was an Audi, Rukia shook her head at it before sighing.

Men and their toys...

Ichigo strode over to the valet who was driving the car and dismissed him, he then went to the passenger's side and opened the door for Rukia like a real gentleman. She smiled as she entered the car and he closed the door for her before joining her. They both put on their seatbelts before he drove off with the GPS active with its irritating voice.

Ichigo, being the considerate ass he was asked her if she wanted the heater on.

Rukia nodded only minimally. "Sure." she replied casually.

"Okay." he stated as an affirmation. He did a few switched and knobs before the heater went on.

Rukia closed her eyes and relaxed into the leathery cushion of the chair, the heat was a very welcome sensation to her. Seeing her relax like that made Ichigo smile, he too seemed to relax a little more.

"If you're tired, you can always take a nap."

She looked at him with her large amethyst eyes and shook her head before resuming her previous position. "No it's not that... I was just remembering my car ride with Kaien to Momo's reception."

Ichigo raised a brow questioningly. "He was your ride?"

"I announced it to the table." Rukia pointed out.

Ichigo shrugged. "Must've slipped my mind I guess."

"Yeah, well he did." she stated.

"So what exactly did you remember?"

She smiled warmly. "You."

He carried an amused expression on his face as he kept his eyes on the snowy road. "Me...? Rukia, I'm flattered."

"I was just thinking how unfair I was being to Kaien... That maybe I was being too inconsiderate to him. He still did things for me and he helped me with my job but I can't reciprocate what he wants... I can't love him back. I was thinking about the Kaien I fell in love with and the Kaien now..."

Ichigo frowned. "He really wants you back."

"I know... I don't like his method. This isn't like him, using my family against me."

Ichigo kept scowling. "I know you admired him but just how well do you know him?" he asked, a hint of protectiveness in his voice.

"Well enough... You see Ichigo. It's true I did admire him, you should have seen him a couple of years ago. He was dazzling, I admired him a lot. When I was finally on his level, I began to see him differently. People say I became just as dazzling as him or something like that."

"So your admiration turned into love."

"Maybe... I don't know." Rukia replied and it puzzled him.

"You don't know?"

She shook her head. "It's different... With Grimmjow or Kaien or you or anybody else. It's all different."

"How so?" Ichigo asked in an unreadable tone.

"For Kaien, I guess it was admiration... For Grimmjow, maybe it was because he was a big baby. I felt like talking care of a punk like him... As for you, I'm still figuring it out. Sometimes I think that maybe its because you're like me. Other times, I think that it's just simply you. Nothing more and nothing less, no gimmicks." she chuckled.

He eased up. "I see..."

"Don't worry about it Ichigo."

His scowled as his grip on the wheel tightened. "Don't worry about it huh..."

Rukia noticed his sudden change and her eyebrows furrowed down. "What? What's up with the face?"

"Nothing."

"Ichigo."

He sighed irritatedly. "I was thinking how I'm the one who has to give you away, not Byakuya."

Rukia looked away and faced the car window. "I guess that's true." she said solemnly.

"Hey, forget about it. That's my problem not yours... This'll be good for you Rukia." he quickly answered in a more optimistic light but Rukia didn't like it.

"Good for me huh..."

The car came into a halt when they hit a red light, the road was clear of snow but everywhere else had snow in it. Ichigo glanced at Rukia and swallowed thickly. "I may dislike your brother to some extent but, I do know that he's only doing what's best for you. Even if I don't like it..."

"So you're just going to accept it. Just like that?"

"Well, what do you want me to do Rukia? This isn't a goddamn fairytale." he snarled.

Rukia leaned against the cold car window, she closed her eyes again. "Absolutely nothing." she answered calmly. "I want you to do nothing." she reiterated more clearly.

"Nothing." he echoed back.

"Sometimes I wish this was a story..." she admitted.

He glanced at her again before looking forward, the light had turned green and he pulled down the clutch. The car was back in motion before he could say anything. "The main characters always win right...?"

She smiled. "No matter what, the story forces them to win."

"Like imagine if I was a superhero, I would beat up the whole clan for you. Maybe your own brother might be this epic super villain." Ichigo joked.

"So the superhero's love interest is the villain's sister?" Rukia replied.

"Yeah, doesn't that sound like a good movie plot?"

"A little too Hollywood for my taste." she chuckled.

"Too Hollywood huh..." he mimicked.

"Well... If the hero is you, I wouldn't mind going a little Hollywood." Rukia replied back with a smile.

He glanced at her quickly before shaking his head. After rounding another corner, the restaurant came into view and there was one parking slot luckily enough. Ichigo approached slowly and parked rather smoothly before killing the engine after a while. He breathed in deeply and looked at his lovely date.

"Shall we Ms. Kuchiki?"

Rukia shrugged and and looked straight forward.

"Yes we shall, Mr. Kurosaki."

Byakuya closed the folder delicately, a soft thud accompanied the action and he found himself sighing. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples before grabbing the cup of coffee on the desk and consuming its contents slowly in order to savor it. His eyes opened slowly in irritation, his coffee left a bad taste on his tongue and he decided not to drink it anymore. He sorely missed good coffee.

Like Rukia's coffee.

When she still used to make some for him, her coffee was delicious.

He rested his head against his propped up palm and closed his eyes once more. He began to wonder about where he went wrong with Rukia, he took care of her didn't he? He paid for her education and nurtured her latent genius, he didn't anticipate her to have a genius level IQ and he was proud of her. He saw how relationships gave her heartaches and so he made the problem go away. He let her manage a cafe despite his own nature, he usually wouldn't allow her to do that and yet he did. He tolerated the man she loved and even allowed them so much time together.

Sometimes he felt that whenever Rukia spoke to him, she had this underlying hatred in her tone. Like he did something wrong to her.

She rarely smiled in front of him.

She was always so distant.

The last time he saw her cry was when Hisana died.

All he wanted to do was take care of her.

Even now, even against his family's wishes... He placed a bet on the boy's father.

Yet all he seemed to do was cause more suffering for Rukia.

What did he do wrong?

He could remember this one time when Rukia was still in preschool. There was a rather strong earthquake and she found herself stranded in the cabinet and unable to get out. When he found her, she cried so hard she wet his shirt but he didn't mind. Of course, Hisana tried to stop her from wetting his shirt any further. He ended up buying her ice cream to appease her.

He smiled, he could still remember what Hisana told him.

"Looks like you'll make a good brother after all Byakuya." Hisana joked.

Byakuya frowned as he was currently carrying a sleeping Rukia. "At least she fell asleep... You did nothing." he stated bitterly.

"That's true but didn't you have fun taking her out to buy ice cream?" she replied.

Byakuya allowed a small flush of red to stain his cheeks. He shook his head and smiled, even just a little. "Point taken."

"And besides, it would just be too easy if I was the one who dealt with her tears."

Byakuya opened his and gazed down at his horrible cup of coffee. He ended up smiling to himself before looking at the files in front of him. Sometimes he wondered how these flimsy papers decided the next CEO of a large corporation. Still though, his sister was a wonderful person. She would lead the company into the right direction when he passed away and he trusted her decisions. An added bonus was that she was also a talented attorney.

It didn't matter if she didn't have Kuchiki blood.

There must always be a Kuchiki at top and Rukia was a true Kuchiki.

Byakuya closed the files and leaned back against the chair. He contemplated on leaving before actually doing so, he slid the file case off the table and tucked it under his arm. He was going to simply walk out the door wearing a plain dress shirt but the moment he saw himself in the mirror, he shook his head. Hisana would probably tell him to wear a blazer in the very least.

He sighed and decided to go get one after he tossed the files on the bed. Even now, he still listened to his wife. He grabbed his cheapest blazer and wore it, he fixed it before he grabbed the files again and tucked them under his arm. He slip the hotel card key into his inner pocket before leaving the hotel room.

"Should I go to the hotel bar?" he mused to himself.

Byakuya was taking his leisurely time to get to his destination, he was slowly making his way to the elevators in his own pace. He seemed so tired lately, the thought of that family business conference was actually displeasing. He approached the elevators and clicked the down button, he then waited.

Maybe he should bring his niece Miyako along for some advice.

He heard the elevator and was merely waiting for the the metal door to slide open. When they finally did, Byakuya was slightly taken aback.

Inside the elevator was Rukia Kuchiki, she was wearing simple clothes that made her look inconspicuous but he knew her too well. She was looking elsewhere until her eyes met his, her eyes widened. Her face grew considerably pale, not that he was surprised.

Byakuya composed himself and walked inside the elevator, he positioned himself against the opposite corner of the elevator and it would appear that they were both heading to the ground floor. Rukia was exceedingly quiet but then again, so was he. Byakuya stood in his usual stiff manner while Rukia had her head leaning against the metal wall, her arms were crossed and she seemed rather tense.

Did she seriously think he wasn't going to recognize her?

Byakuya glanced to his left and fought the urge to sigh. This was a good opportunity, he wanted to have good talk with her after all.

"Rukia."

She seemed to freeze upon hearing her own name. She swallowed thickly and did not move.

"Yes?"

Byakuya took note of the way she sounded.

"It would seem that Kaien has been confined in the hospital."

Rukia made a small gasp and her head snapped towards his direction. Her eyes read worry and concern while her mouth was flat shut. She looked away before looking at him again.

"Whatever for Brother?"

He maintained eye contact with her. "Alcohol Poisoning."

Rukia did not seem to take this very well, rather, she could not fathom why someone like him would succumb to something as idiotic as alcohol poisoning. Rukia withdrew herself and looked away. "Do you know why?"

Byakuya took a step forward in her direction, he cooly placed one hand in his pocket and looked at her sternly. "My sources claim it's because you." he replied.

"Me?" she spat.

"It is rather plausible." Byakuya replied.

"P-plausible..." she stated but he could tell she wanted to yell.

Dear lord, how could she inherit his old temper? It's not like they were really related.

Well, Hisana did have a temper.

"I'll leave that up to your imagination" Byakuya stated rather coldly.

Byakuya slipped out a piece of paper out of his pocket, it was the paper he scribbled the information about Kaien on. It had the address of the hospital he was in and which room he was currently residing in. As far as he knew, Kaien was in a stable condition. Also, Kaien had been under severe mental stress lately according to his physician. He gave it a good look before showing the paper to his sister.

"Here."

Rukia seemed hesitant to take the piece of paper but she took it anyway. She glanced at it and pocketed it quickly. She looked at him cautiously and with a serious expression.

"What's this for Byakuya?" she asked rather hostilely.

"That is up to you, it is what you want it to be." he replied in a riddling way.

The elevator came to a stop and Byakuya made his attempt to leave. In the end, he winded up stopping midway. Hisana influenced the way he thought far too much, not that he minded of course but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. He rubbed his temples and looked at Rukia.

"Or, you can join me on a drink. We need to talk little sister."

His hand was outstretched towards her and she seemed shocked. Like she couldn't fathom the idea of him being nice to her or him not ranting about how embarrassing she was to the family.

"I thought you disliked drinking."

He shook his head. "I don't drink in front of you."

"So... You're making an exception?"

"I would have been terrible brother if I drank in front of a minor."

Rukia contemplated on this before taking his hand, at first she was testing his grip but then she held his hand firmly. She was still unsure but for a man who was usually so cold, his hand felt warm and comforting. They stepped out of the elevator together.

"Did I mention that you're always a terrible brother?" she asked with a straight face.

He frowned. "No."

"Though this is new... Aren't you going to disown me? Why did you tell me Kaien's in the hospital? Why-"

Byakuya kept leading her to the hotel bar. He knew that no member of the Kuchiki family would visit this lowly bar because it seemed too cheap. He knew for a fact that cheap bars were actually the best. "All in good time." he interrupted her.

"Oh."

He glanced down at her and smiled softly. "It doesn't hurt to smile Rukia."

She looked at him with complete disbelief. She looked away and shook her head. She looked up again and tried to smile, the attempt just amused him. "It's nice when you dislodge that stick up your ass."

He shook his head. "I'm not that anal am I?"

"You can believe what you like."

They finally entered the bar and took two stools at the counter. The bartender slipped them coasters and asked for their orders accordingly. Rukia asked for a Manhattan while Byakuya simply ordered for some Scotch on the rocks. Byakuya place the files on the countertop and slid them to Rukia, she eyed the files and knew what they were in an instant.

She took a sip of her cocktail and sighed.

"Let's talk then shall we?"

A.N: THANK YOU LORD! figuratively speaking because I'm am not religous... I was writer's blocked for so long, I thought I'd never finish another chapter and I was worried that I'd lose my touch.

Well I won't keep you from your day!

Go forth and be free~

But it'll be done real soon.

AkaBaka-chan signing off!