I seriously don't know what's wrong with me. First I wait four months before updating and then I have the next update out less than a day later. I apologize to all you guys for having to keep up with my crazy posting habits. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me and responding to my last chapter! I hope you all enjoy the next :)

"Oh. My. God."

"Please stop saying that, Hime."

"Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD!"

"What did I just say?"

"You're going on a date with Ichigo Kurosaki! This is insane!" Orihime Inoue gushed as she paced in front of her roommate, who was sulking on the couch in their apartment.

"Seriously Orihime, you're making it worse," Rukia said as she covered her eyes with her hand in exasperation.

"I cannot believe this. You actually said yes?"

"It was a moment of weakness."

"Moment of weakness? Please, you wanted to say yes."

Rukia sat up quickly. "No, I didn't!"

"Oh really? Then why did you?"

"I don't know," she said as she flopped back on the couch.

"Wow, you are in quite a pickle, Rukia."

"I know," Orihime's roommate said grumpily.

"Well, I guess you're stuck going out with him now."

"Not necessarily. I can just cancel. He said he would call me but he doesn't even have my number."

"So? He can just come to the coffee shop and ask you, which is probably what he'll end up doing."

"Then I'll just refuse to give it him."

"Rukia, stop being so immature. You told him you would go out on one date with him and that's what you're going to do. You can't get out of it now."

"I wish I could."

"Rukia," Orihime said quietly, her voice growing sad. "There are tons of girls who would kill to be in your position."

Rukia knew that Orihime was referring to herself and it just made her feel a hundred times worse.

"I know," she answered quietly.

It was quiet for a few moments before Orihime spoke again, "What made you say yes?"

Rukia shook her head and answered, "It was stupid."

"Tell me."

"He said some stuff that just made me think."

"Like what?"

"Well, he told he wanted to right all the wrongs that had been done to me in the past. For a minute there it was like he knew about…everything," Rukia said her mind swimming in thoughts of the past.

"Wow," Orihime said simply.

As if suddenly realizing what she was saying, Rukia quickly sat up again and said, "But it's so stupid of him to assume he can just fix everything. He doesn't know anything about me and I know that if he did he wouldn't think of me in the same way. He's crazy if he thinks he can fix anything just by being nice."

"At least he's trying to. Maybe if you just give him the chance to prove himself to you-,"

"Stop trying to defend him, Orihime. I know you think he's dreamy and all, but that doesn't mean you have to always take his side."

"I'm not taking his side. I'm just looking out for you, Rukia. I really think if you gave him a chance and saw what it was like to be with him, you'd be happy."

Rukia scoffed at her best friend and stood up suddenly. "The thought of being with that man is laughable," she said before turning and walking toward her room. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "I'm not putting myself through that again."

Orihime looked at her friend with sympathy. "Rukia?" she asked her friend quietly causing her to pause, her hand on the doorknob to her room.

"What?"

"Don't blame Ichigo for Kaien's mistakes."

Rukia was quiet for a moment as she stood still as stone in front of her door. "Don't ever mention his name to me again," she said coldly before entering her room and shutting the door with a loud slam.

Orihime sighed. She wondered if her best friend and roommate would ever heal from that particular emotional wound.

"You seem strangely chipper this morning," Uryuu Ishida said as he let himself into Ichigo's office the next morning.

"Please, Ishida, come on in. My office is basically yours too," Ichigo said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"I know you're joking, but it's still pretty true," he said as he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs facing his friend's desk.

"Don't remind me."

"So, why the happy face? Sleep with a particulary beautiful girl last night?"

"No, I didn't. Not that it's any of your business, but I haven't slept with anyone in awhile."

"That so? You losing your touch, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo glared at his friend. "I'm not losing my touch. If I wanted a one-night stand, I could get one. I've just been choosing not to."

"Any particular reason?"

"Well, yeah, actually," Ichigo said, his face getting that grin again. "It seems I got myself a date with a very pretty girl."

"Hm? Do I know this pretty girl?"

"You might," Ichigo said with a sly smile.

"Oh, geez. Don't tell me you finally did it."

"Did what?" Ichigo asked, knowing exactly what Ishida was referring to.

"Rukia finally said yes?"

"Yep, I am going out on a date with Rukia...," Ichigo trailed off.

"You still don't know her last name?"

"Minor detail. I'll ask her when we go out together because I can. Because I'm going on a date. With her," Ichigo said smugly.

"Alright I get it, Kurosaki. You're the man. You've gotten even the most immovable woman out there to date you. Congratulations," Ishida said dryly.

"Try and be a little happy for me, Ishida. I'm excited about this."

"Why? Because you actually like this girl or because you succeeded at your challenge?"

"Because I actually like this girl, Ishida. Do you really think that I'm that incapable of actual feelings?"

"Do you remember what you said to me when we first went to the coffee shop together? You said you would have her moaning beneath you in under a week. Back then, she was just another Kurosaki challenge. It hasn't been that long. Have you really changed your feelings that much since then?"

"I think I have."

"There's no thinking here, Kurosaki. You can't expect anything to happen with this girl if you're unsure of how you feel."

Ichigo was surprised at his friend's advice. Never had he heard Ishida talk like this.

"I hear you, Uryuu."

"Just do me a favor, Kurosaki."

"What?"

"Don't you dare break her heart."

Ichigo's eyes widened as Ishida got up from his chair and walked out of Ichigo's office, leaving his friend completely speechless.

"Well, look who's here," Orihime whispered slyly to her friend as she spotted a certain orange-haired man in the doorway of the coffee shop.

Oh crap Rukia thought to herself. Now she would actually have to face the reality of her decision to say yes to Ichigo. And Orihime was right. She couldn't get out of it now.

"Good morning," he said as he skipped the line and walked up to her place behind the counter.

"Morning," she replied as she kept her eyes on her work mixing coffee drinks.

"You know I realized something."

"Let me guess. You realized that you said you would call me but then you were too stupid to ask for my number?" Rukia replied.

"Well, yeah, pretty much. But there's something else."

"What's that?" Rukia asked, her fake interest in the conversation too much to hide.

"I don't even know your last name."

Rukia paused in her work at his statement and looked up at him. "The more you don't know, the better," she said cryptically.

"So you're not going to tell me?"

"Nope," she said nonchalantly as she got back to her busy job that he was so rudely interrupting.

"You know, you're starting to make me think you're hiding something," Ichigo said playfully.

Rukia wasn't having any of that. "I'm not hiding something. I would rather just not tell you my last name."

Ichigo sighed. "Fine. Will you at least tell me your phone number?"

Rukia contemplated his question for a moment and then begrudgingly grabbed a napkin and the pen in her apron pocket and quickly scribbled down her digits. "Here," she said, trying to act as uninterested as possible and not like she just given him a huge part of herself.

"Thank you very much," Ichigo said with a smile as he grabbed the napkin from her and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Is that all you wanted?"

"Some coffee would be nice."

"Well then I suggest you wait in line," Rukia said as she motioned to the long line behind the cash register. She didn't fail to notice how once again everyone was staring at them but she chose to ignore them this time.

Ichigo shook his head at her snarky response and said, "I'll never understand you."

"I hope you don't."

"Whatever. I look forward to our date, Miss Rukia," he said with a smile as he turned and walked out of the coffee shop. He was already late for work and couldn't afford time to wait in the long line to get coffee.

"Why wouldn't you tell him your last name?" Orihime asked from behind her friend, causing her to jump up in surprise.

Once she had gotten her heart rate back to normal, she answered, "Because he's a famous businessman. He probably knew my brother or at least knew of him. I don't want to give Kurosaki any ammunition to be used against me."

"I highly doubt that he'd use that against you."

"Well then I don't want to be treated like a charity case. Either way, nothing good can come of me telling him."

"Rukia, he's going to find out eventually. Your last name is kind of a hard thing to hide."

"I'll try as hard as I can then. For now, I would rather just be Rukia."

"Fine. Just promise me you won't kill Kurosaki on that date of yours."

"No promises," Rukia said before getting back to work. Orihime could only roll her eyes and sigh in exasperation.

The date will be coming in the next chapter and things are going to start to heat up! Tell me what you think :)