Oh boy this one was fun to write. I tried to get it out on Christmas Eve so it would be like a little mini Christmas present for all my lovely readers, but I got a little sidetracked and this got pushed to the bottom of the pile. So consider this chapter a New Years present! We're taking a temporary break from the meat of the plot, but lots of IchiRuki moments are in store so I'm pretty excited about the next few updates. Once again thanks for all the positive feedback so far. This all for you guys! Have a Happy New Year and enjoy the chapter :)

"Remind me again how I got dragged into doing this?"

"Because I need a wingman and you're the best option I have."

"God, I really hate your guts sometimes, Kurosaki."

"I thought you hated my guts all the time, Ishida."

"Eh, that's probably accurate."

"Well, regardless of that, you're still stuck going with me. And you better not scowl like that all night. I don't want you to scare anyone away."

"I can't believe you of all people just told me that."

The two friends walked side by side down the sidewalk on their way to a certain dance studio in the heart of Tokyo. It had been a few weeks since Rukia had started working at the company. So far nothing major had happened, but all three of them had their eyes pealed for signs of Aizen's advance.

One day Ichigo decided he would invite both Rukia and Ishida over to his apartment to once again talk about what they wanted to do. When he had asked if they would come over Friday night, Rukia mentioned she already had a commitment that she couldn't get out of so they would have to reschedule.

Because of his innate curiosity (and his general fascination with the beautiful woman that was Rukia Kuchiki), Ichigo had done a little investigating to see what she was up to. He knew he was being a major creep by snooping around her business, but he couldn't help himself. He hadn't seen Rukia hardly at all outside of a few quick hellos at the company and maybe a lunch date or two on the off chance he could actually get her to agree to spend time with him.

The night that they had spent together a few weeks back had been great. Ichigo had been so sure that she was just a few small steps away from giving in to him, but the whole Aizen business completely screwed everything up. He was determined to find some way to spend time with her outside of work and official business without breaking the promise he had made to her.

So he had dug around a little bit and found out that she had mentioned something to one of Ukitake's crazy assistants about a dance workshop at Yumichika's studio. A little more investigation revealed that she was actually teaching the ballroom dance workshop for adults at her studio and that all were invited to come.

Ichigo could not resist the opportunity this gave him.

In the end, he had convinced Uryuu to come along so as not to seem desperate. After grabbing some quick dinner, they had begun walking in the direction of the studio Ichigo had passed by a few times. He knew she wouldn't be thrilled to see him, but he hoped this would at least give him a few points. If he showed her that he could actually enjoy something she was really passionate about, then maybe she would be more open. Plus, dance lessons never hurt. As she had pointed out on their date, he was quite the klutz on the dance floor.

When they arrived at the studio, they entered through the door and quickly found the room where the workshop was being held. There were already quite a few young men and women milling about, ready to learn some ballroom dances.

Ichigo quickly spotted Rukia at the front of the studio talking animatedly with a woman Ichigo recognized immediately as one of the workers at the coffee shop. He started to go up and talk to her, but was stopped by a familiar face.

"Ah, it's so good to see you here, Mr. Kurosaki. Though I guess I shouldn't be too surprised," Yumichika said as his eyes flashed to the petite woman at the front of the room.

"Hey, Yumichika. It's good to see you again, too."

"I see you've brought someone new," Yumichika said as his eyes landed on Uryuu, who didn't know what to think of the eccentric man.

"Yeah, this is my friend, Uryuu Ishida. Uryuu, this is Yumichika. He owns the studio."

The two greeted each other politely. They talked idly for a few minutes until Uryuu's eyes strayed to a beautiful woman with long auburn hair standing by herself.

He nudged his friend and whispered, "Hey, isn't that the girl from the coffee shop?"

"Who?" Ichigo asked as his eyes tried to find whom Uryuu was staring at. Once he saw her, he nodded. "Oh, yeah, that's Rukia's roommate, Orihime."

"Yeah, I definitely remember her," Uryuu said, his eyes never leaving the young woman who looked fairly awkward standing alone.

"You should go talk to her," Ichigo suggested, being able to pinpoint Uryuu's look as affection immediately. He also didn't forget the conversation he had had with his friend the first time they visited the coffee shop together.

"What? No, she wouldn't want to talk to me."

Yumichika jumped into the conversation, "Oh, nonsense. That girl is the sweetest little thing I've ever met. She'd love to talk to you."

"Go on, Ishida. She'll probably need a dance partner. You should go ask her," Ichigo pushed.

Eventually, after some more persuasion, Uryuu took his friend's advice and walked up to the girl.

"Um, hello," he said, awkwardly trying to get her attention. She turned to him quickly and smiled a sweet, genuine smile.

"Hi."

"Um, my name is Uryuu. Uryuu Ishida," he said as he nervously extended his hand for her to shake.

"Orihime Inoue. Are you…um…a friend of Ichigo's?" she asked as she shook his hand and nodded her head to where both Yumichika and Ichigo were standing off to the side watching them. It seemed Orihime had noticed them before they had noticed her.

Uryuu internally groaned at the question. Was he always going to live in Ichigo's shadow? "Yeah, I am," he answered halfheartedly.

"That's nice. You look familiar. Have I met you before?"

"Oh, well I've come to the coffee shop you work at a few times and you've always been the one to take my order."

"Oh, that's right! Well it's nice to officially meet you, Uryuu," she said with a small giggle and a smile that melted Uryuu right to the core.

"Listen, I was…um…wondering if you've…well…found a dance partner yet?" he asked her. He hated how nervous he sounded, but she was just so beautiful he couldn't help but lose his cool around her.

"No, I haven't," she said simply, not answering his implied question.

"Well…would you like to be mine?"

She smiled at him again and said, "I'd love to."

Uryuu instantly relaxed and began a lively conversation about the work she did at the coffee shop. Ichigo shook his head as he watched them. Well that didn't take long.

"Ah, it seems the love bug is spreading around my studio. Oh, I love it! So beautiful. Speaking of, it looks like your love interest has finally spotted you, Mr. Kurosaki," Yumichika said as he nodded over to where Rukia stood. Ichigo followed his gaze and noticed that Rukia had indeed just realized that he was there and, as expected, did not look happy.

He quickly excused himself from his conversation with Yumichika and walked up to her and her friend.

Before he could even think of a clever greeting she said, "How the hell did you find out about this?"

Ichigo laughed at her aggressive tone. "Those two crazy assistants of Ukitake's told me you mentioned it to them," he said as nonchalant as ever, trying not to sound like some sort of stalker.

"You mean Kiyone and Sentaro?"

"Yeah."

"They're not crazy. They're just a little…out there." Though she had only been working at Kurosaki Corp for a few weeks, she had surprisingly grown very fond of the two and was quick to defend them. They had treated Rukia so well since day one and she actually really enjoyed working with them.

She had told them about the workshop, along with Orihime and a few of her former coworkers, in hopes that she would have some familiar faces in the class so she wouldn't be so nervous about teaching it. Ichigo and Uryuu were not exactly who she had in mind.

"Well, anyway, I figured that I would improve my dancing skills that you so politely told me needed some work," Ichigo spoke up, his voice filled with sarcasm.

"They do need work. Though I don't know how much I'll be able to teach you. You're basically a lost cause," Rukia retorted with a smirk.

Meanwhile, Rukia's friend watched the two interact awkwardly. When Ichigo glanced over at her, he seemed to remember that she was standing there. "Oh, sorry, Momo. Where are my manners? How have you been?" Since Momo Hinamori was usually the one manning the cash register at the coffee shop, he knew exactly who she was.

"I'm good, Mr. Kurosaki," she said with a soft smile.

"Please, call me Ichigo. You're not at work anymore," he told her with a charming smile.

Rukia scoffed at Ichigo's shameless flirting. And while she was standing right there too! Not that she cared who he flirted with, she quickly reminded herself.

"So, Momo, have you found a partner yet?" Ichigo asked.

"No, I haven't."

"Well, then would you mind too terribly if you were mine?"

Momo smiled. "Not at all!"

"Great. I apologize if I'm a total klutz. According to Rukia, I have a lot to learn."

"Damn right you have a lot to learn," Rukia said under her breath, but Ichigo still caught it.

"That's fine. I'm a beginner too, so we can struggle together."

"I guess it's a good thing our instructor is Rukia," Ichigo said as he turned back toward his dance teacher for the night.

Rukia narrowed her eyes at him. Though she acted confident, Ichigo could tell that she was nervous about teaching this class. It must have been her first time doing it.

A few minutes into the class though, Ichigo could tell that any fears Rukia had before were long gone. She really was a natural. It was amazing just how passionate she was about dance. And talented too. Ichigo had never seen a woman move like she could. It was irresistibly sexy. He had to remind himself multiple times throughout the class to look at his partner and not the instructor.

Once Rukia had taught the class the basics for various styles of ballroom dances, she let them try out some of the dances for themselves and walked around critiquing and helping fix any problems. When she walked up to Ichigo and Momo, they were working on the waltz. She stopped and observed the pair, not saying a word. It was making Ichigo undeniably nervous. He could tell that he wasn't doing it right and he knew she would correct him for something.

After a few minutes of fumbling, Rukia reached out and stopped them. "Stop, you're doing it all wrong. Momo you look okay, though I would work on keeping good eye contact with your partner. Ichigo, you need to work on your posture," she said as she stepped in between them. Then in a moment of boldness, she placed her one of her hands flat on Ichigo's stomach and one on his lower back.

"You have to keep your center tight when you're doing the waltz. You can't slouch. Keep your chest out and your head high. Yeah, that's better," she said as she distractedly adjusted his posture.

Though Ichigo was trying his best to pay attention to his instructor, he couldn't deny how distracted he was himself. Her hands were dangerously close to the hem of his pants and what was below the hem and that made him a little flustered. It was completely innocent, but because it was her, it made the situation a little different.

"Okay, now try again," Rukia said, dropping her hands and stepping aside so Momo could come back in. Ichigo held his posture and they began to move. It still didn't feel quite right and Rukia could easily see that.

"No, no, no. Here, Momo, let me try," Rukia said as she once again broke in between the pair. This time she raised her hands in the classic waltz stance. Ichigo placed one hand on her hip and the other in her free hand while she placed her hand on his shoulder. She looked right into his eyes and he met her gaze steadily.

"Alright, now keep your eyes on me and your posture straight. Remember that 1-2-3 rhythm, okay?" she directed. Ichigo nodded his head to assure her and then he took his first step forward, which Rukia followed by stepping back. They danced around for few minutes with little issue. Rukia gave him a few words of encouragement, which he took to heart.

"There, that's better," she said with a genuine smile. Ichigo wished she would smile more often. He loved it when her face lit up like that.

It also struck Ichigo how at ease Rukia seemed here. This was where she felt the most comfortable, no doubt. She was made for the dance floor, like Rangiku had said a few weeks ago at the club. Here she was happy. Ichigo needed to be with her on a dance floor more often.

Suddenly she stopped him and the wonderful rhythm they had made was halted. "Okay, that's good. Try it with Momo, now," she said before Momo quickly came and took her place. She only watched them for a few more moments before she moved on to the next pair. Ichigo immediately missed her presence.

As standoffish as she had always been to him, he couldn't help how attracted he was to her, more so than any woman he had met before. He was in dangerously deep.

After another hour of practice, trial and error, and some group exercises, the dance workshop was over. Rukia had done an excellent job for her first time teaching a class, which all of her friends told her when they met at the end.

"That was so much fun, Rukia. You should give dance lessons more often," Orihime told her best friend as they all gathered outside the studio. Apparently Orihime and Uryuu had hit it off as dance partners during the class, so Orihime was in an extremely good mood. Ichigo would have to sit down and ask Uryuu about it later.

"Yeah, Rukia, you were great," Momo added.

"Thanks. I was pretty nervous at first, but after I got into to it, I was fine."

"Absolutely. You're a natural," Uryuu said.

"So, what should we do now?" Orihime asked.

"Uh, go home?" Rukia asked, uncertain as to why Orihime was suggesting they do something all together. They weren't exactly all friends.

"No, we should go out and have some fun. Let's get drinks or something," Ichigo suggested, loving the idea of spending time with Rukia outside of work, even if it was with a few of her friends.

"Uh, I don't think that's the best idea. Besides, we're all dressed in workout clothes," Rukia said skeptically, not liking where this was going.

"We can go home and change and then meet at a club. I love the idea," Uryuu said.

"Me too!" Orihime added excitedly.

"I can't do anything tonight. I'm going to dinner with my boyfriend. But you guys should go have fun," Momo said. Though they all said they would miss her, having Momo out of the picture meant it would be Uryuu and Orihime and Ichigo and Rukia. Perfect pairs. The idea was sounding better and better the more Ichigo thought about it.

Everyone had agreed to the outing, except for Rukia. They all turned to her in expectation. They had her cornered. She knew that she could get out of it if it was just Ichigo and Uryuu, but her roommate's apparent excitement meant she would have to tag along.

She sighed and answered, "Fine. Where do you guys want to go?"

"You picked the club last time. I'll pick the club this time," Ichigo said with a sly smile.

She rolled her eyes at that. "Whatever. Just let me know where you guys decide to go and we'll meet you there."

"No need for that. I know where you both live. We'll come pick you up at around eight-thirty. That sound good?" Ichigo suggested.

"Sure! Sounds perfect," Orihime answered him before Rukia could protest.

"Great, see you then," Ichigo said before he and Uryuu said one last goodbye and headed in the opposite direction of the three girls.

"Oh my god, Rukia! We're going clubbing with a millionaire and his friend! This is going to be so great," Orihime said, bubbling with excitement.

Rukia wasn't so sure about that. She just hoped the night would end quickly and without incident. Who knows what could happen when loud music, close dancing, and lots of alcohol was involved.

Hehehe I'm so looking forward to writing the club scene. Lots of juiciness in store for sure ;) Let me know what you think and hopefully I can get the next update out before I start school again next week. Hope you liked it!