"What are you guys talking about?" Rukia asked as she sat down in the circle of friends. She had just finished delivering some paperwork to her teacher and was now joining her friends on the roof for some lunch. She sat down in her usual spot next to Ichigo, who was sucking on his juice box.
"Nothing much," Tatsuki answered, "We're thinking about going somewhere this weekend. Maybe the mall…"
"Why there?" Rukia asked.
Hinamori smiled sweetly. "A new store opened yesterday and they sell all kinds of party dresses. We wanted to go see some of the stuff. Why don't you come with us, Kuchiki-san?"
Rukia tilted her head to the side to think about it. "I'm not sure yet but it sounds like fun. I'll let you know once I figure it out."
When the two girls nodded with approval, they turned around before Ichigo nudged Rukia's shoulder as he leaned over to whisper, "I thought you said you might go visit your brother back in Tokyo?"
Rukia shook her head. "No, I don't want to see him. He called a few days ago and cancelled on me, thankfully."
"Then why did he even tell you to visit him?"
She shrugged her shoulders as she pulled out her lunch from a plastic bag. "I think he just wanted to make sure I'm alive or something. But it must have not been a big deal since he decided to go to New York instead."
"Psh, he's some brother," Ichigo scoffed.
Rukia silently nodded in agreement as she started eating. The door burst open again and Matsumoto came through with Orihime behind her.
"We brought some ice cream!" Orihime hopped over to her friends and opened the bag of treats.
"Sweet," Renji cheered as he and the others reached over to grab some.
But Uryuu stayed in his spot, staring suspiciously at the bag. "Um, where did you get that, Inoue-san? Did you two sneak outside?"
"Nope. We were walking by the stairs at the first floor and all of a sudden all these third-years came up and gave these to us," Orihime answered, "I don't know why they did or how they got it."
"Probably snuck out and got it," Ikkaku commented as he sucked on his Popsicle.
"But why would they give it to us if they went through all the trouble to buy it for themselves?" Orihime tilted her head to the side in deep thought.
But Ikkaku merely scoffed at her. "You really don't know?" he asked, only to receive a shaking head from her. He rolled his eyes before nodding his head at the direction of the woman standing next to her. "Because she was the one who ordered them to buy them for her."
The others looked over to see Matsumoto coolly flipping her strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulders. "I'm just too irresistible."
"And fucking insane," he commented, earning a big slap on the head for it.
"They volunteered to do it," she glared at him.
"Only because you kept shaking those humongous boobs of yours in front of their faces!" Ikkaku shouted. "Unlike the rest of us who are already immune to you, those idiots still think you're some innocent Aphrodite who needs everyone to do your bidding!"
"My beautiful goddess!" Keigo suddenly jumped up and flew towards Matsumoto who swiped him down with a punch without blinking.
"See what I mean?" Ikkaku pointed at a twitching Keigo on the ground. "Don't blame me if someone suddenly decides to jump on you."
"Psh, I can take care of myself," she huffed.
Hinamori suddenly stepped in between the two with a nervous chuckle. "That's enough you two. At least we should thank Matsumoto-chan for bringing us dessert, no matter what method she used."
But Tatsuki scoffed to the side. "Don't even bother. She just did it to get attention."
"At least I get some, Arisawa," Matsumoto challenged, "The only people who ever give you attention are when they cowering away in fear."
A twitched formed under her eye. "At least I don't go whoring around!"
"When did I ever do that?" she shouted back, "I just asked them to buy me and my friends some ice cream nicely and they did!"
"Guys," Orihime pouted, "I think we're taking this too seriously."
But Uryuu patted her shoulder as soon as she voiced her worries. "They'll be fine, Inoue-san. They always fight but are still great friends."
"What are you talking about?" Tatsuki glared at him, "Why would I be friend with this sempai?"
"Like I want to be friends with you?" Matsumoto snapped back, "I'm only here for Orihime-chan." She reached over and rubbed her face against the other girl's face. "If I don't protect her, your boyish attitude will only rub off on her and make her into a man."
Tatsuki growled and was about to talk back when suddenly something went passed her.
"My two beautiful goddesses!" Keigo squealed as his hungry eyes were staring at how their big breasts were squished together. "Let my worship you for—AUGH!" he choked when suddenly Tatsuki came up and grabbed him behind the collar.
"Get him!" she shouted and Matsumoto delivered a swift kick that sent him flying to the other side of the roof. After hearing the satisfying 'thud,' Tatsuki dusted off her hands before high-fiving the blonde in front of her. "Nice kick."
She nodded in agreement. "Yet another girl saved from that pervert."
Ikkaku rolled his eyes as he finished his popsicle. "I don't think I would ever want a girl like them," he mumbled.
The others guys agreed with him but Orihime and Hinamori sighed in relief as they settled down in their spots and chatted like they never fought a few minutes ago. Things were calm once again on the school roof as they continued with their lunch.
"You midget!"
"You wanna make something of it, carrot top!"
The sudden screaming that ended the short-lived peace got everyone's attention. They all hung their heads low in defeat as the two continued to battle it out. Nobody knew how these two became friends since they've been screaming and kicking (at least Rukia was) since they first met… heck, they're not even sure if they should call the arguing idiots' relationship, "friendship." But they cannot deny that ever since Rukia transferred to their class, she and Ichigo seemed oddly close.
"Next time buy your own juice box bitch!"
"I wouldn't need another one if you hadn't stepped on mine earlier, strawberry."
Yup. Their relationship was very strange, just like their nicknames for each other.
"Can you guys shut up now?" Uryuu asked.
The two finally turned their heads away from each other with a 'hmph,' while everyone else around them just rolled their eyes.
"Geez, you two need to stop your lover's quarrel in public," Matsumoto said.
The two suddenly glared at her. "We're not 'lovers!'" they both shouted simultaneously.
"Shesh, fine, keep denying yourselves," she said, turning away before they could reply.
Rukia gapped at her. "Matsumoto-san, let me clarify: we're not 'lovers!' Really!"
"Uh-huh," she merely shrugged her shoulders as she played with her hairs.
"Matsu—"
"Don't bother," Ichigo interrupted her, "That idiot won't listen to anyone other than herself."
"And the fashion magazines," Ikkaku added.
"Oh! By the way," Matsumoto suddenly perked up, completely ignoring what they were just talking about, "I'm having a birthday party this weekend! Everyone is invited!" She was expecting a huge cheer from her friends but instead got no response. She glared at everyone before taking in a deep breath to pull out her secret weapon. "There's going to be booze," she added and she was immediately answered with enthusiastic replies.
"I'm there!"
"I want to go!"
"What time?"
"How much booze?"
"Where are you getting those?"
"Drunken-women-paradise!"
"Shut up, Keigo!"
Knock knock.
Ichigo waited but there was no response.
Knock knock.
Again, nothing. He was starting to get impatient.
Bam Bam!
Ichigo slammed his fist against the door.
"HURRY UP MIDGET!" Ichigo yelled.
"HOLD YOUR HORSES, YOU ASSHOLE!" Rukia's voice loudly came from above him. Ichigo stepped back and looked up to see her head sticking out from the window that was directly above the beaten-up door. "I'M ALMOST READY!"
"Tsch, annoying midget" Ichigo snorted as crossed his arms across his chest. He walked around the front yard when the door suddenly swung open. He turned around to scream at her for taking so long, but stopped when, instead of Rukia, he was greeted by an old woman who was smiling warmly at him.
"You must be Ichigo," she held out her hand which Ichigo took and shook. "I'm Yume, Rukia's grandmother."
"H-how do you do?" Ichigo bowed, "Um, sorry about the banging… and the shouting."
Yume smiled. "No problem. I often hear Rukia yelling these days. And it seems most of the time it's when you call her."
Ichigo didn't know how to reply back, so he just smiled and nodded.
Yume opened the door even wider. "Com'on in. I think Rukia is going to take a lot longer."
Ichigo immediately walked through the door, already liking Yume a lot more than Rukia. He followed the elderly woman into the living room where she offered him some cookies.
"I must thank you," Yume started, "For taking such good care of Rukia at school. I was afraid she wouldn't get along at her new school but it seems she's enjoying herself there very much."
Ichigo nervously chuckled. "Not a problem. She doesn't make any trouble… in fact, she is the trouble."
Yume laughed loudly. "Yes, before she was adopted, Rukia would always cause so much trouble around here. My husband—bless his heart—would often get so stressed out because of her, but he would immediately forgive her when she starts pouting."
Ichigo nodded in understanding of where Yume's husband was coming from. After all, how often did her pouts make him forget his anger and make him do whole bunch of silly things for her?
"I'm ready."
Ichigo looked up. He swore he felt his jaw hit the ground.
Matsumoto strictly told everyone that they had to dress up formally. Why? Well, she was just a classy girl. So Ichigo was wearing a nice pair of clean, black dress-pants and a button-up, crimson shirt, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows to keep him cool. Even though this attire might not seem formal, on him it did. But he was nothing compared to the woman standing at the bottom of the stairs in front of him.
Rukia was wearing a black, strapless dress hugged her from the chest to her hips, and from there on it effortlessly flowed out until her knees. And there was a red flower embroidered at the bottom of the dress that flowed with the dress.
Rukia stared at her friend and smiled sweetly as a blush came across her cheeks. "What do you think?"
Ichigo did not know how to respond. He just kept staring at her with his mouth wide open. He was only able to get out of the trance when Yume slapped him hard on the back. "You look amazing!" Ichigo blurted out before he could stop himself. Realizing what he just did, he quickly turned away before she could see his blush. He could see Yume smiling, rather mischievously, from the corner of his eye.
"Well don't you two look handsome!" Yume exclaimed, "Let's take a picture!"
"Obaachan," Rukia awkwardly smiled as she approached them, "It's getting really late. Maybe next time—"
Before she could finish Yume suddenly brought out a handkerchief and dabbed at her fake tears. "Of course, you're late for the party. I should have known better than asking my only granddaughter for a picture when she has to go to meet her friends. I just wanted a picture of her in a beautiful dress with a handsome young man before I die. I guess I won't have a picture to take with me when I go see your grandfather."
Rukia started to freak out as her grandmother continued. "Okay, okay! I get it!" She grabbed Ichigo's arm and dragged him to stand next to her. "Let's take some pictures," she said.
Ichigo just dumbly nodded when he felt her arms tightening around his own. He stood up straight and tried to smile somewhat as Yume brought out her camera from behind her (when did she have that all prepared?).
"Okay, say 'cheese'!" she said as she started taking pictures. After getting blinded from the flash that went off a million times, Ichigo and Rukia finally escaped her house and headed towards Matsumoto's.
For some reason there was an awkward silence between the two. They had a good distance between them as they walked. Several times the two tried to bring up a conversation, but it immediately died in the wind. This was the first time either of them were this quiet and awkward around each other.
But whenever a man walked by and eyed Rukia, Ichigo would quickly stand next to her and send the man (or men) a threatening glare. As soon as the unwanted stranger was gone, he would distance himself from her again. Rukia would have argued that she could very well take care of herself, but for some reason she felt vulnerable tonight, and didn't mind Ichigo protecting her.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of silence, the two reached the front of Matsumoto's house. It was quite large, but not large enough to be a mansion. Still, many people, in elegant attire, could be seen inside.
"Well," Ichigo cleared his throat as he scratched the back of his head, "Let's go and get this over with."
Rukia nodded and raised her hand to press the doorbell.
Ding dong.
In less than a second the door swung wide open with a grinning Matsumoto on the other side of the door. "YOU GUYS MADE IT!" she squealed as she lunged at them for a hug.
"Ara, Happy Birthday, Matsumoto-san," Rukia choked out.
"Thank you!" She finally pulled away and brought them inside. "Almost everyone is here. There's food and drinks on that table over there," she pointed as she closed the door. "Feel free to do whatever you want. My parents are out for the weekend so there are no rules!" Before Ichigo or Rukia could ask anything, the strawberry-blonde pranced away to meet up with her other friends.
Rukia looked around the crowded room and frowned. "There are way too many people."
Ichigo nodded. "Wanna go sit down?" Soon as Rukia nodded, Ichigo grabbed her hand and led her through the massive crowd. After weaving left and right the two reached the couch with the table of refreshment standing next to them. Once Rukia situated herself in her seat, Ichigo went over and grabbed some glasses of punch for each of them.
"Here," he extended a cup to her, "This is the only thing that's non-alcohol."
"Thanks," Rukia smiled as she took her cup and drank the content inside. When Ichigo sat down next to her, she leaned over and shouted over the loud music. "What do you think of the party?"
Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "I think it's too loud and too crowded! Do we even know half of these people?"
Rukia shook her head as she leaned back in the couch. "I think we shouldn't have come!"
"Oh!" Ichigo glared at her, "And who was it that forced me to come here wearing these uncomfortable clothes!"
Rukia rolled her eyes. "At least you don't look bad," she mumbled off to the side, knowing Ichigo wouldn't be able to hear it.
"So what do you want to do now?" Ichigo asked.
Rukia tapped her lips in thought as she scanned the room. It was an amazing sight. Some people were having a drinking competition—Ikkaku and Matsumoto included—while others were making out. Some were even getting beaten up by Tatsuki and Renji. The party was really getting out of proportion. "I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders, "What do you think?"
Ichigo also looked around and frowned. "I want to get out of here," he replied.
Rukia quickly slapped his arm as she downed her drink before standing up. "Com'on," she pulled him up on his feet.
"We are we going?" he asked.
"Dancing," she said as she grabbed his hand and started to lead him to where most of the people had gathered around the loud stereos.
"Rukia!" Ichigo gapped at her. But when she didn't even turn around to acknowledge his uncertainty, he downed his cup as well before setting it down somewhere and reluctantly followed her. At least it was better than doing nothing. Before he knew it, Ichigo was standing in the middle of the crowd with Rukia standing really close to him. He gulped.
"Do you know how to dance?" she shouted over the noise.
He shook his head.
Rukia sighed as she grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist. Ichigo reminded himself to thank Matsumoto for dimming the lights, making it hard to see the bright blush on his face. "Just follow me," she said as she stepped even closer and gently placed her hands on his upper arms.
The upbeat music ended and immediately a slow music started to play. But Ichigo really wasn't paying attention to it. For some reason his vision was starting to get fuzzy, but it only made Rukia look cuter. She slowly started moving them side to side, following the flow of the music as she leaned closer. He looked down at her and smiled when he saw the concentrated look on her face. "What's the matter?" he asked.
Rukia shook her head. "I'm starting to feel a bit light headed. And I'm not liking this music."
A chuckle came from him as he held her closer. "You already got me dancing so don't back out on me now. I don't want to be left hanging in this group of idiots."
Rukia laughed. "Don't worry. They're all pretty drunk so none of them will recognize you."
"Is that why you decided to dance?"
She merely replied with a smile as she laid her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, which was possible with the heels she was wearing. Ichigo just buried his nose into her hair and inhaled the sweet lavender scent that seemed to naturally emanate from her.
"You know," she started, "this night isn't turning out that bad."
Ichigo smirked against her hair. "What's with the sudden change in mind?" he asked.
Rukia paused, not saying anything before slightly pulling back just enough to look up at him while the rest of their bodies were still pressed up against each other. They stared into each other's eyes and a sweet smile spread across her lips. "You're here," she slowly replied, "What more could I possibly want?"
Ichigo's eyes widened for a second before getting sucked into her violet orbs. Before he knew it, his face started to lower closer to her. "Rukia," he breathed out, his punch-infested breath fanning over her warm face with a hint of something else that she couldn't make out.
"Ichigo…" she sighed as his lips slowly sought hers out. The moment they felt their lips touching each other lightly like feathers, a shiver ran throughout their bodies, forcing them to press against each other with more force. Moans escaped their throats as they held each other tighter.
They never realized when they entered an empty room. They never even considered what might happen when Ichigo fell over Rukia and onto the bed. They certainly never expected what was to come.
A/N; Anyone who read the summary pretty much should know what's going to happen next.
The kiss came too quickly, but I did this because I do not want to focus too much on the development of their friendship; that was what the previous chapter was for. And the unnecessary part with the popsicles...I just had to include the other characters some way or another. And I wanted to put some comedy here...although it didn't come out so well because it didn't focus enough on Ichigo and Rukia. But don't worry because after this I'm not going to write too much about the others but purely focus on our heroes and what's to come.
Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!
Preview for next chapter:
The morning after...oh the awkwardness!
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