A Smile and a Blush: Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don’t use big word and I don’t own Bleach

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Ichigo adjusts his keikogi and hakama. He is getting impatience. Ichigo picks up his shinai and starts tapping the wooden floor with it. He checks his wrist watch. He has been here for almost 15 minutes.

Does the practice get canceled?

Ichigo sighs. He decides to wait for another 5 minutes. If there is no one who shows up, he will just have to leave.

…

And his 5 minutes are up.

Ichigo stands up lazily. Damn it, he is actually looking forward to meet Rukia at the practice today. He picks up his shinai and heads for the door. That is when the double doors of the dojo swing open and a group of students walk in, chattering noisily.

When they see Ichigo, everyone stop dead in their tracks and Ichigo is greeted with silence.

Ichigo cough a not so confident cough to break the silence. He does not like what he sees in front of him at the moment. These kids are the same students he saw earlier at the café, the one that he deemed the most rebellious looking students in the school. The fact that they are all wearing the same type of keikogi and hakama as he is and each of them carrying a shinai too makes it even worse.

Ichigo refrains himself from doing a face-palm.

“Well… fuck my catnip but what do we have here?” asks the blue haired male students, chuckling as he swings his shinai to let it rest on his shoulder. Well his hair color is not exactly blue, but more like azure.

“Don’t you think you are better suited to be a member of the golf club?” asks the pink haired male student. Yes. Pink. On a male student’s head. Ichigo ignores the obvious jeer in his voice.

“Hey, Ulquiorra, since when do we accept retarded pansies in this club?” This time it was the lanky looking guy who speaks as he cranks his neck to look at the shortest male student at the back of the group.

The male student, whose name Ichigo assumes must be Ulquiorra, just stands there looking at him with little to no interest.

“This is not a private club, Nnoitora,” he answers him simply. His lifeless eyes are now rest on Ichigo.

“Who the fuck accepted his application?” asks the blue haired student again. He, like his lanky friend, is clearly not happy to see Ichigo. Why, Ichigo is not really sure. He shudders inwardly thinking that Rukia is in the same club as these two bastards. How did she do it?

“Must be Yourichi,” says the girl besides the blue haired student, interrupting Ichigo’s thought. “I’m Neliel by the w –“

“Why the fuck are you introducing yourself to him?!” bellow Nnoitora and the blue haired student at the same time. The poor girl shrinks slightly and hid behind the tall blonde girl who is looking at the proceeding with a bored expression.

“What the fuck is your problem, man?” asks Ichigo finally, annoyed at their blatant hatred.

“Shut the fuck up, I am not talking to you –“

“Seriously dude, what is your fucking problem? Did my shinai butt rape your asshole or something?” remarks Ichigo with a smirk on his face.

Snorts and giggles echo throughout the dojo. The blue haired student and Nnoitora failed to see what was funny though as they shot murderous glare at the pink haired male student who is still could not help but giggles.

The only other student who does not find that remark funny is Ulquiorra who still looks at Ichigo with his deadpan face.

“Watch your mouth, punk,” warns the blue haired student as he takes a step forward. His shinai is in front of him, pointing at Ichigo.

“Grimmjow,” calls Ulquiorra. The blue haired male student stops in his track and angrily swirls around to face Ulquiorra. Ichigo is not sure what Grimmjow sees in Ulquiorra emotionless face but whatever it is, it does the trick as Grimmjow throws his shinai to the wooden floor in exasperation.

This seems like a cue for everyone to resume their activities. One by one they walk pass Ichigo.

“Watch your fucking back,” cautions Nnoitora as he walks by, chuckling and licking his lips. Ichigo could not help but quivers slightly.

“This ain’t fucking over,” warns Grimmjow next as he picks up his shinai and walks away.

The only one left standing there is another male student, with his dark hair just as messy as Ichigo, and a bit longer. It looks kinds of like a mullet. Among the other students, he looks like the most normal looking kids in the bunch. He definitely has a pleasant friendly smile as he gives one to Ichigo.

Ichigo does not sure how to react after he had to deal with the insolences earlier. The student chuckles when he sees Ichigo confused face.

“Do not worry about Grimmjow and Nnoitora. They always do this to the new kids,” assures him with a big grin plastered on his face.

“You have to go through the same shit too?”

“Hell no! We –“ he waves to the rest of the student who are putting on their bōgu set. “We have known each other since kids. Why do you think this club is so unpopular?”

Ichigo is about to tell him why but snap his mouth shut at the realization. The male student’s chuckles become an outright laugh when he looks at Ichigo’s dumbfounded expression as if he knows exactly what went through Ichigo’s mind.

“This ought to be interesting. I guess we just have to see if you will survive this, eh?” he puts his hand across Ichigo’s shoulder casually. “I am Kaien and you already met the kitty, the pink, the lanky, the annoying and the emo.” He chuckles when Ulquiorra spins around to give him a death glare but he continues on as if it does not give any effect on him although Ichigo can feel him shuddering slightly. “The pink one is Syazel by the way. That is Stark, Hallibel and Weiss.”

“Err Kuro –“

“Kurosaki Ichigo. Yeah, yeah, we know,” Kaien dismisses Ichigo’s introduction with a lazy wave of his hand. Then he let go of Ichigo and left him to join his friends who do not even acknowledge Ichigo as they were being introduced.

How fucking rude.

Now Ichigo really wonders if he had made a mistake about Rukia being part of this club. If she is, how did she manage to survive these assholes? Ichigo is willing to bet that she had it worst. Where is she anyway?

Ichigo sighs.

It just seems so improbable at the moment to picture Rukia among these annoyingly rude students. But just as he is about to walk towards them, he heard a creak behind him and few seconds later, Rukia walks pass him, a shinai on her hand.

However Rukia does not even glance at him. Ichigo is not sure if she does not see him or she chooses to ignore him.

Either way Ichigo still find himself standing there, stiff as a board or as if his feet have been rooted to the wooden floor. He watches as Rukia walks towards Ulquiorra and apologize for her lateness. Ulquiorra just look at her and mumbles something in return, too slow for Ichigo to hear what it was. Whatever he says, it must have been something rather embarrassing since Rukia’s cheeks are now flush with a tinge of red as she walks towards the rest of the group.

To Ichigo surprise, they embrace her, even Neliel and Hallibel. She is smiling and laughing at some of the jokes, stupid joked most probably, thought Ichigo, which the guys made. She is even all chummy with Kaien. Ichigo gives a sigh of relieve though when he observes that Rukia is avoiding any sort of physical contact with Nnoitora and not as friendly towards him as she is with the rest of the guys.

“Hey Kurosaki, what are you standing there for?” asks Kaien from across the room as he puts on his helmet.

“Yeah, let see what you are made of!” challenge Syazel with a sickening grin.

Rukia turns when she heard the mention of Ichigo’s name. There is a frown etching on her face. In Rukia haste to apologize to Ulquiorra for being late, she did not see Ichigo standing so transfixed at the door, even with his bundle of outrageous orange lock.

Rukia looks at him with curiosity. “Ichigo?”

Ichigo can feel the chill running down his spine. That is the first time she ever said his name after all these years. And he still likes the way it sounds coming from her lips. This is also the first word she ever said to him since he transferred here. About time…

Stark tilts his head. “You know this bum?”

Neliel giggles as she envelopes Rukia petite figure from the back. Half of the back of Rukia head is in Neliel’s breast. “Kaien, you forgot to introduce Rukia!”

“No need, we are in the same class,” answers Rukia. “However I am not sure why he is not in a golf club or something.”

The rest of them chuckles when they heard Rukia’s nonchalant remark. Rukia looks at Hallibel questioningly, not sure what the joke is.

“Syazel said the same thing and Nnoitora called him a pansy,” explains Hallibel grinning.

Rukia snorts and double with laughter and the others follow suit. Ichigo’s face turns crimson. He can not believe that Rukia is making fun of him. Rukia of all people! And here he is, worried about how she managed to survive the abuse from these morons when in truth she is just part of this madness.

But deep down inside, to see Rukia’s happy face and her being so at ease with herself is providing him with so much relief, he thinks his heart would burst. Being part of this club is probably one of the rare times that she let her guard down, the other time when she is with Renji. Ichigo has allowed himself to notice that much.

A hard smack to the back of his head makes Ichigo see stars as he comes back to earth, literally! Ichigo turns around to see Weiss with his shinai pointing right in front of his face, only an inch away from his nose.

More laughter and giggles follow and to Ichigo’s annoyance, Rukia is one of the loudest. Ichigo does not need to turn around to know that Ulquiorra is not part of the laughing party though.

“What the fuck did you do that for?” fumes Ichigo as he rubs the back of his head.

“You were spacing out.”

“Like hell I am –“

“Tsk tsk tsk. Don’t lie. It is so unbecoming for a pansy duke such as yourself,” tease Syazel.

Ichigo rolls his eyes.

“Dude, we have been calling your name but you just stood there all reminiscing and shit,” says Weiss chuckling. His shinai is still hanging in front of Ichigo’s face.

Ichigo gives up. There is no winning an argument when you have morons as your opponent. And technically he was reminiscing. Sorta.

Ichigo swats Weiss’ shinai away annoyingly but it comes back up.

“Pick your opponent,” instructs Weiss. There is no longer a hint of humor in his voice.

Ichigo looks at him as if he is sprouting vegetables from his mouth: a broccoli perhaps. That should go well with his freckled face. Wait, why the fuck is he thinking about vegetables now?

“What opponent?”

SMACK!

Ichigo rubs his forehead and he thinks he can see the bruise that will form soon with his fingers.

“This is a Kendo club, dickhead. Take a guess.”

Comes more laughter and giggles.

“In that case,” Ichigo turns and point his shinai straight at the giggling Rukia, with a smirk on his face. “I choose her.”

That silenced everyone; none of them can believe that such a good luck will be shining down upon them today. It has been a while since they get some decent entertainment around here. Few seconds passed before they are all bawling with laughter. Even Ulquiorra has a smirk on his face.

This time, it is Ichigo who does not get what the joke is.

Rukia is the first one to recover. She walks toward Ichigo and reaches out her hand for a handshake. “It will be a pleasure.”

Weiss clasp his hand on Ichigo’s shoulder. They both look at the retreating back of Rukia as she starts to get ready for the sparring. Neliel helps her with the bōgu set. “Good luck dude. Rukia is the only person in this room that is on par with Ulquiorra.”

“What do you mean?”

Weiss chuckle as he pats Ichigo’s back. “You will find out soon enough.”

Ichigo gulps.

--

Just like Weiss promised, Ichigo found out what he meant… the hard and painful way.

To say that Rukia has kicked his ass, gloriously, is an understatement. She fucking raped his ass!

Ichigo is humiliated and he sure he will not going to hear the end of it. But somehow he is not angry with the mocking and jeering from the guys. Now he feels like they are just joking around. It is how this group operated. They bonded in a sadistic, twisted sort of way but Ichigo thinks he is starting to get the hang of it.

Miss Yourichi who walks in halfway during Ichigo and Rukia sparring is busy breaking the fight between Syazel and Stark. When she has finally succeeded, Nnoitora comes and smack Stark’s head with his shinai. Another fight breaks out and Miss Yourichi shakes her fist in exasperation before letting them have it their way. Nnoitora and Stark finally give up when both of them think they have beaten the other to pulp. As they lay on the wooden floor panting, Weiss comes and kicks Nnoitora’s shin. And so the cycle continues.

Neliel comes up to Ichigo with that annoying giggles of hers and explains that this is almost a normal routine for the guys so she hopes Ichigo won’t be too freaked out.

Ichigo can tell that Neliel is trying to flirt with him. Ichigo can also tell that Grimmjow probably has some thing going on with her judging by the way he is fuming when he sees her being so chummy with him. So Ichigo says his thanks and quickly distancing himself from her.

Ichigo rest the back of his head on the wall. His body is sore from the sparring and he is sweating like a pig. He closes his eyes. He still could not believe that he has lost to Rukia.

Scratch that, actually he can.

Ichigo smile crookedly when he thinks about her doing the same thing in the past.

“You should not be smiling.”

Ichigo smiles wider but keeps his eyes close. He does not have to open his eyes to recognize to whom that voice belongs to.

“I guess you really like your ass kicked huh?”

Rukia throws a clean towel at Ichigo. This makes him open his eyes and look at Rukia who is sitting besides him with the back of her head also resting on the wall.

“I don’t but sometimes you just have to appreciate things.”

Rukia tilts her head. “Like what?”

Ichigo wipes the sweat on his face with the towel she gave him. He can smell her scent, a bit like rose surrounded by pure white snow. If Rukia is not by his side, Ichigo probably would have inhale few more times but he does not want to portray himself as a pervert. Knowing that she thinks he is some sort of a pansy is already a blow to his ego.

“You really don’t remember, do you?” asks Ichigo slowly.

Rukia frown. She sits straight up and faced Ichigo. “Remember what?”

He is about to say something but thinks better of it. “No, it was nothing.”

Rukia looks at him suspiciously. “That does not sounds like nothing.”

Ichigo ignores Rukia’s last remark as he slowly stands up. Man, he is going to need a massage to ease this soreness.

Rukia looks up at the towering Ichigo. She still expecting some sort of explanation from him but instead he pats her head and smiles down at her.

“All in due time Rukia. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

This caught Rukia off guard so the pink blushes quickly spread across her cheeks. As Ichigo sees her pink cheeks, he too could not control the blushing that is making his face a shade of red at the moment. He quickly takes his hand off of Rukia’s head.

Awkward silence ensues until Ichigo excuses himself, leaving Rukia literally speechless.

Little did Rukia and Ichigo know that Ulquiorra is observing them from a distance.

--

Uruhara is waiting for Ichigo at the school gate. Few minutes later, Ichigo is seating at the back seat of the car. A grin stretches across Uruhara face as he hands over an envelope to Ichigo.

His grin gets even wider when he sees Rukia walks out of the school gate, seemingly in a hurry.

“Do you want to give her a lift, Kurosaki?”

Ichigo who is looking at the content of the envelope raise his head. Anger is clearly visible in his amber eyes.

“No.”

Uruhara smirks knowingly as he put the car into first gear.

“As long as you are sure, Kurosaki.”

“Just drive, Kisuke.”

With a chuckle, Uruhara did just that. He drives pass the running Kuchiki Rukia, who is on her way to her day job. Uruhara can see from the rear view mirror how tensed up Ichigo was when they passed her and this time a genuine smile plays on his lips.

---

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Extra note:

keikogi – a jacket that is worn under the bōgu set

shinai – a bamboo sword.

bōgu set - traditional Japanese clothing and armour for Kendo practice.

And Then, There's You: Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not use big words and I do not own Bleach. Also, I do not have beta reader.

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Ichigo sighs. He is sitting on a bed staring into space. After few seconds, he sighs again. His eyes wander to the girl sleeping besides him. The sheet only covers the lower part of her naked body.

Ichigo is in her bed, inside her apartment, somewhere in London. He had met her at the after party he attended last night. Besides her name, he doesn’t know anything else about her. She has been flirting with him since he first saw her and one thing led to another, which usually ended up with him getting laid. He likes it that way. No strings attach, no commitment, no whatever.

But for the past couple of weeks, something is bothering him and he could not put a finger on what it is. He’s grumpier than usual and his perpetual scowl, if possible, deepens. He had thought that whatever is bothering him will disappear once he got laid because usually with him, it works. But this time the opposite happens. He had had scored big since, even with a twin after the fashion week in Milan and another with a gorgeous Scandinavian model he met in Paris when he was doing the runway for Hugo Boss last week. However, when the sex was done and over with, he was left with nothing but an empty feeling. A feeling of craving something that is real and significant or dare he say it, purposeful.

Ichigo lets out another sigh. What the hell is wrong with me? Getting fucked is never about purpose…

Unconsciously, his hand wanders to the girl. He takes the girl’s hand into his and sees if it fits.

Nope, it doesn’t.

The girl stirs and looks at him between sleepy eyes. Ichigo immediately let go of her hand.

“Whatcha doing?” asks the girl.

“Nothing. Go back to sleep.” Ichigo slips besides her. The girl closes her eyes and few seconds later Ichigo hears her breathing settles back to her sleeping rhythm.

What Ichigo does not know or realize yet is he has been doing the same thing since the day he met her at the hospital. He would take the hand of the girls that he had sex with and compares it unconsciously with how Rukia’s hand fits perfectly in his grasp.

Ichigo sighs again for a hundredth time. His eyes refuse him the sleep that he needed and insist on staring at nothing.

It’s going to be a long night.

--

Ichigo looks annoyingly at the happy loving couple in front of him. Ishida and Renji appear oblivious to their surrounding and start to make out. Ichigo knows that he should have said no when Ishida said Renji is going to join them for dinner.

It has been a week since he got back from London. He is still bothered by whatever it is that bothers him and the fact that he still cannot figure it out is pissing him off to no end. He also concludes that no matter how many times he has sex, this bothered feeling refuses to go away so he decides to cut back on that activity. At least, until he has sorted everything out and be at ease again.

“Oi you two, stop sucking each other’s face. I’m about to gag here,” warns Ichigo between gritted teeth. “And in case you didn’t notice, so are the rest of the people dining here,” he adds.

That makes them stop. Renji turns to face the people around them with a goofy smile plastered on his lips and starts apologizing with hand gestures. Most of them just roll their eyes and go back to their dinner plate or continued with their conversation. But few others found this amusing and start giggling, most of them are females. Go figure.

“So Ichigo…” Renji says, now turning his full attention to Ichigo, his eyes twinkling.

“No, I don’t want to suck your face,” declines Ichigo without looking at Renji. Ishida snorts. He loves it when these two meet.

“Oh, don’t be shy. I know you wanted to.” Renji is playing along now. He lets his fingers wander across the table to Ichigo’s cheek.

“Damn it Renji. Just eat and shut the fuck up.” Ichigo pushes away Renji’s hand in annoyance.

Renji and Ishida laugh out loud with Ichigo’s outburst. It is so easy to wind Ichigo up. You just have to know the right button.

“So Ichigo…” Renji begins again after their laughter subsided.

“Fuck you.”

“No. I already have Ishida on my menu tonight,” Renji replies and sling his arm around Ishida waist. Ishida starts laughing again. Ichigo rolls his eyes, his scowl deepens.

“So Ichigo…”

“Fuck it Renji. What the hell do you want?”

“Tell me about this girl… Rukia.”

Ichigo chokes and the chewed meats in his mouth fly everywhere. One of them falls on Renji’s hair but he does not notice it. Ichigo glares at Ishida when he recovers his breath again. Ishida just adjusts his glasses and shrugs. Ichigo knows that the incident at the hospital will comes back and haunt him but not this soon.

“I don’t know anything about her except that she’s short and talks too much,” is what Ichigo said.

It’s true. I do not know a fucking thing about her except that she’s a good doctor and has good fighting skills.

“Well, I happen to like her. Very much I do.” Renji nods vigorously. He pushes away his plate that has been contaminated with Ichigo’s saliva and chewed meat. Ishida does the same thing. Both of their appetites have been cut off prematurely.

Ichigo looks at Renji, questioningly. “You have met her?”

“No but from what I heard, she got spunk and I like spunk,” Renji wipes his mouth and leans back on his chair. Ishida sips his wine and still prefers to stay mute. They both look intently at Ichigo who has turns red in the face. A reaction Ishida has anticipated but cannot be sure what to make of it.

Ichigo fidgets his chair. He does not sure how to react but does not like where this conversation is heading.

Why am I so damn agitated?

“You like her, don’t you?” Ishida asked directly.

Ichigo is relief that he has not been drinking otherwise both Ishida and Renji will get rained by his drink when he chokes the second time.

“Hell no!”

Which is true. I don’t like her.

“Then why are you so agitated when I mentioned her name?” Renji interrogates him.

“No, I didn’t –“

“Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn’t!”

Yes, I did!

Ichigo mouth hangs open. He just realized what has been bothering him all this time. He looks at Ishida and then at Renji with wide eyes.

“You know what?” Ichigo asks. Renji and Ishida exchange glances.

“What?”

“I finally figure out why I was agitated –“

“Hah! I told you, you were!” Renji cuts him off but got a nudge from Ishida telling him to shut up. Ishida wants to know the source of Ichigo’s agitation. He leans forward to hear better of his words.

“She hasn’t returned my Hugo coat! That coat cost me a fortune!”

Both Ishida and Renji slump in their chair.

“Fuck you, Ichigo,” says Renji. He is annoyed at Ichigo’s naivety.

“What?!” Ichigo looks at his two companions with confused eyes.

“You are hopeless, Kurosaki,” comments Ishida before adjusting his glasses.

Ichigo smirks, ignoring Ishida’s word. Now that he has figure out what has bothering him, he feels an incredible surge of relive flows through him.

Yes, I can have sex again!

---

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Improbable Attachment: Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not use big words and I do not own Bleach. Also, I do not have beta reader.

---

The girl just stares at Grimmjow who is backing away from her towards the wall.

“What the fuck are you?” Grimmjow repeats his question again. He is still holding the shirt in his hands and his eyes travel from his bloody shirt to the girl’s wrist which was slit opened just a few minutes ago. There are no traces of that cut left though which explains why he is having a panic attack at the moment.

“I have been called many things,” the girl answered nonchalantly. She does not move a muscle from her spot besides the bed.

Gulping, Grimmjow moves towards the door that leads to the balcony. He heard that sun rays can kill a vampire. Yeah… laugh it out loud. That is the only logical explanation that came to his mind at the moment.

He gulps again. He only reads this kind of shit happening in books - not that he reads many but that is not what matters right now - or saw it on TV dramas or films. However this girl in front of him definitely fit the description for a she-vampire; pale skin, dark raven hair, enchanting mesmerizing eyes and can smitten anyone with her unconventionally gorgeous face. It is hard to comprehend the possibility of this vulnerable looking girl going out at night hunting for fresh blood but he has seen the kicked ass moves she pulled yesterday and let’s not forget the slit wrist… No human being can regenerate that fast!

“Are you a… a… vam –“

“Vampire?” questions the girl finishing what Grimmjow failed to utter. “Want to see my fangs –“

“No!” shrieks Grimmjow, hand already at the lock of the sliding door, his pains from yesterday are almost forgotten in his condition.

The girl chuckles at Grimmjow’s alarm face. Slowly, like stalking a prey she starts moving towards Grimmjow and by instinct the cobalt blue haired guy opens the sliding door and steps outside, finding his self sighing in relieve thinking that he is in a safe zone. But all of his efforts are in vain. All he did was blinked once and when he opens his eyes, the girl is only a couple of inches away in front of him, their noses almost touch. Grimmjow did not hear any footsteps, just a slight rush of air, possibly from her flapping yukata. It is like she is freaking hovering over him, but that cannot be, right?

“You… you can fucking fly too?!” asks Grimmjow idiotically which only encourages the girl to chuckle harder, her breath tickling his face.

The girl reaches out her hand to the side of his face. Grimmjow tenses and closes his eyes tightly shut by instinct. Would she be crazy enough to kill him now?

Great, this is the second time I find myself getting killed by this girl or-whatever-the-fuck-she-is in a span of an hour.

He has to be ready. It does not matter how exhausted, weak or shock he is, he has to defend himself. For all he knew, death is only seconds away. He has had enough. He takes a deep breath and summons what little strength he has left. He is about to lash out and start kicking some vampire butt when instead of a sharp nail clawing his face, he feels a soft hand correcting his messy bed hair.

Grimmjow opens his eyes reluctantly for he does not trust his senses completely at the moment. His eyes see the girl tip toeing to reach his height. He mentally smacks himself up the head for thinking ridiculous thoughts earlier. His eyes slowly travel up her petit form and when they reach her face, there is a soft smile on her lips. His eyes then meet her deep purple orbs and Grimmjow is utterly enthralls by the beauty of it. He can feel his fears and uncertainties fade away from his heart. Even his pains seem to ebb away. A sense of calmness overcomes his sense of dread. His lids too are becoming heavier by the seconds. He wonders if these are the effect of her powers as well. The last thing he sees before he falls unconscious is his hand journeys up to caresses the side of her face.

-o-

Rukia must admit that she is slightly surprise by his gentle gesture but before she could react to it; she is forces to catch the guy before he could fall flat on his face. God knows that the guy does not need another injury. His body supported by her tiny frame which held a surprising amount of strength. She slings his arm over her shoulder and wraps her arm around the blue haired guy’s waist.

Rukia settles the guy down on the bed, not as gentle as she should be though although she does make sure to put a pillow under his head. A smile tugs her lips when she sees that he still has his bloody shirt clenched in his hand. Without thinking, she takes it and tosses it onto a laundry basket underneath the bed where she usually puts her dirty clothes in as well.

Then Rukia goes into the kitchen to look at the cabinet under the sink for the first aid kit Ulquiorra has left for her. She returns to the bed with the first aid kit and takes her time cleaning the guy’s wounds that reopened earlier in his distress which she was the reason. She chuckles to herself when she remembers his reaction. Most people would have died by her hands for the things she has exposed to him. She was not kidding about having to kill him if he tells her who she is. But she has not have this much fun for such a long time.

While cleaning his wounds, Rukia uses the opportunity to study the guy’s physical features, from his unusual cobalt blue hair to his naked chest to his dirty jeans.

The last time she is this amused by a human being was when she first met Ulquiorra. How long ago was it? She could not remember since she is never good at keeping track of time. Rukia surmises that this guy is around the same age as Ulquiorra back then, not more than a high school senior.

The look that he gave her when she first set her eyes on him is still so vivid in her mind. The feral look that she has comes to know and love. It is totally different from the behavior he portrayed earlier when she was ‘playing’ with him. She cannot blame him for acting that way though. Human are just not capable of such feats. It would take sometimes for him to comprehend that.

Her hand clears the hair that covered his bruised face to examine his swollen eyes. She wonders what does he really looks like underneath all the bruises and swellings. She also wonders if that wild look she saw yesterday will come back.

Maybe she is extremely bored or she let her curiosity gets the better of her judgment but she finds herself contemplates whether or not she should heals his injuries.

Rukia stands at the side of the bed, thinking of her options for almost two hours before she finally made a decision. After all, her next assignment is not until the day after tomorrow. She has plenty of time to recuperate and gather her strength back. She just need to thought up a good excuse so Ulquiorra will not get on her back.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she gently puts both of her hands on his face and let her power flows through her palms. Less than ten minutes later when she takes her hands off of his face, the swelling and bruises have gone. She takes notice of his handsome features but quickly distracts herself by continuing to do the exact same thing to his other injuries however it takes longer as she proceeds. She can feel her strength leaving her bit by bit. By the time she finished she was totally worn out, she can barely stand.

Using the wall to keep her balance, she drags herself to the corner of her apartment where she slumps down and waits for the guy to wake up.

Outside, the valiant sun has given its way to the enchanting full moon.

---

Grimmjow wakes up to the rumbling of his stomach but he let his lids remain closed. The rumbling reminds him that he has not eaten anything since two days ago, presuming that he did not just fall unconscious for more than a day.

The previous event that occurred just before he passed out keeps replaying in his mind, reminding him that he is probably still in her apartment based on the feeling of the hard mattress on his back. He tries not to move a muscle knowing that the springs of the mattress will creak and probably alert the girl that he is awake.

He strains his ears to listen to any sound or movement that might indicate the where about of the girl but the apartment is eerily quiet except for the sound that comes from his rising and fallen chest as he takes a breath.

Does the girl even breathe?

Grimmjow pushes the thought away. The guarantee of his survival depends on his ability to stay focus on the matter at hand.

His stomach rumbles again and he tenses. He wishes his stomach could stay quiet and be contented for a wee bit longer. He does not want to be on the menu for her dinner.

Damn it. Stay focus!

He listens again and heaves a silent sigh of relieve when no sound from inside the apartment can be heard. Perhaps the girl has gone out. She probably knows that he would not be able to go anywhere in his condition anyway.

Wait a second, speaking of my condition…

His body no longer feels any ache or soreness.

His eyes shot open in alarm. The room is dark and is only lighten by the dim moonlight that came from the balcony. It takes a while for him to adjust his vision to get accustom to the dimness.

His hand slowly moves to his eye which was swollen before he passed out. He can tell that the swelling has gone. He flex his arms and sits hurriedly up in apprehension when he feels no throbbing or paralyzing pain as he makes sudden movements.

Just how fucking long I was unconscious for?

“You finally decided to wake up, huh sleepy head?”

Grimmjow literally jumps several feet in the air. In his flustered condition, he totally forgot to be vigilant of the girl. His ass ungraciously hit the floor board as his head spontaneously turns towards the direction of her voice. He gets goosebumps when his sight is assaulted by two shimmering deep purple orbs in the dark at the corner, as if the pair belongs to a feline.

The light from the full moon failed to reach that part of the apartment and Grimmjow thought that is possibly why she chose that place to be her sanctuary. Who knows what form she takes in the night, especially during night of full moon such as tonight?

Grimmjow gulps and mentally curses his self for letting his imagination ran wild again.

“How long did I sleep this time?” he asked. His voice bounces on the wall and booms in the empty apartment. He congratulates himself for successfully masking the trepidation from being apparent in his voice.

Rukia laughs quietly to herself. His reaction is so predictable. She can pretty much computes what is on his mind at the very moment. He must think that she could not sense his bafflement or his fear for the unknown. Rukia almost feels sorry for him.

“More or less 12 hours since you passed out,” Rukia eventually replies.

“12 hours?” repeats Grimmjow disbelievingly. There are no way his fractured bones and bruised face can healed completely in 12 hours. “But my wounds… they are –“

“I was bored.”

Grimmjow is dumbfounded. It takes him several minutes to digest what she had meant. “Are you kidd –“

“Not really in the mood for jokes,” interrupts the girl straightforwardly.

Grimmjow blinks in the dim light knowing fully well that the girl can see his face with his jaw dropping. He does not care if he looks like an idiot. Any person would have reacts the same way under this circumstance, won’t they?

So the girl does not only have the ability to regenerate, she also has the power to heal? What other powers does the girl has, he wonders.

“Why?”

“I was bored,” she reiterates.

“How did you do it?”

Grimmjow thought he could see her shrugging her shoulder in her nonchalant way in the gloom. “I just do it.”

“I have never heard or read a vampire to have that kind of ability before,” he blurts out and quickly regrets it when he hears the girl laughs. He wants to see it though. He wants to see her laughing. It is not enough just to be able to see her eyes. The urge to see her face surpasses the feeling of fear for her that gritted him earlier that day. It is probably after knowing that she has healed him. If she had meant any harm, she would not have done so. Dare he say it that he actually feels safe in her presence?

“I never did say I am a vampire, kid.”

Upon hearing the girl called him a kid, Grimmjow scowls. Whoever or whatever she is, he still does not like to be addressed as a kid or a boy moreover by a girl that most certainly is younger looking than him.

“Grimmjow.”

Rukia raises her eyebrow in the darkness, marvel at his sudden change of manner. “You are still a kid though.”

“Irrelevant. I have a fucking name and it’s Grimmjow,” he emphasizes.

That is a fucking name, alright, thoughts Rukia as she listens to him. It is a name she never heard before, that is for sure.

“And where the fuck is the fucking light switch?” asks Grimmjow who is annoyed to be sitting in the dark for much longer.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like to talk to you in the dark”

“I can see you just fine”

Fucking arrogant bitch.

“Well… No offense but you ain’t what I called fucking normal.”

The girl laughs again, amused by his colorful choice of words but is not bother by it at all. “The switch is on the wall to your right, Grimmjow.”

Grimmjow could not help but smirking upon hearing his name being uttered by the girl. He notices that the girl did not ask what his surname is and he is thankful for that.

“Do you often bring guys into your apartment and heal them?” Grimmjow walks towards the direction and switches on the light. The fluorescent lamp flickers a couple of time before illuminating the apartment with its artificial light. His eyes quickly travel to the corner where he knows the girl is. He stop short from making his way back to the bed.

The girl is still watching him from the corner of the apartment but even from the distance Grimmjow could tell that something is wrong with her. Her skin is paler than usual, it is almost borderline translucent. She is sitting there, hugging her knees tightly as if she is finding whatever little warmth her body can provides. Her eyes are the only visible part of her face. The rest were hidden behind her knees. She looks just like a lost child with those immense eyes of hers.

“Hey, you okay?”

“You’re the first.”

“Huh?” asks Grimmjow bewilderedly. The girl does not respond but keep staring up at him. It took a while before he remembers his question earlier prior to him flipping the light switch on. He gets the feeling that the girl is avoiding his recent inquiry. Grimmjow does not want to step on her toes so he let his question slide although his mind still is unsure of her well being.

Perhaps it’s only her transformation during the full moon…

“The first time you bring a guy home or the first time you used your power on them?”

“The latter”

“I am honored then,” he lied. Grimmjow is not sure why he finds himself feels thwarted by the fact that he is not the first guy who has entered this apartment.

The girl snickers.

“You said you are not a vam –“

His stomach interrupts his queries with another rumble and he actually blushes, trying to hide his embarrassment. Nevertheless his eyes look at the girl expectantly.

Rukia thought he looks cute when he is being all shy-like. Her eyes then travel down to his naked abdomen. She can see the six pack muscle and deducts that either he likes to go to the gym or he gets his exercise from street fights. She suspects the latter based on the incident she helped him with yesterday and also the few scars that flawed his otherwise perfect body. She has heard his stomach rumbling even before he is awake and became aware that she has not feed him anything since she took him home. She has not even offered him a glass of water. That is why she decided to wait on him, also to make sure that he wakes up able-bodied with no side effects from her power. Judging from how his mouth has ran off, Rukia construed that he is all right and dandy. She does not sure why she was so worried about him in the first place.

“Help yourself.” Rukia points to the fridge in the kitchen.

Grimmjow does not need a second invitation. He goes to the kitchen and opens the fridge eagerly only to find bottles upon bottles of mineral water in the lower part. He opens the freezer and it is full with ice cream of every flavor you can think of, all in a 500ml container.

“Is this all you’ve got?” calls Grimmjow from the kitchen, clearly disappointed with his findings.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” is the reply he received. Before he can retaliates, his stomach rumbles again, much more violently this time. Grimmjow grunts, knowing that he does not have much of a choice. He takes out several of the ice creams before returning to his place in the apartment; the bed. He is very aware of a couple of the deep purple orbs following his every moves and the fact that their blood that stained the floor earlier has been cleaned.

They sit in silence as Grimmjow eats his ice cream, only to stop on his second container to get a mineral water from the fridge before he resumes consuming the third container of ice cream. When he is done, he puts away the empty containers in the sink since he could not find the rubbish can.

“Are you allergic to solid food or something?” questions Grimmjow as he sits down on the bed. The mattress creaks.

The girl shakes her head in negative.

“You love ice cream huh?”

The girl shakes her head again. “I hate it.”

Grimmjow’s brows frown. “Why is the fridge full of that stuff then?”

“It’s a habit.”

“Huh?”

The mention of ice cream reminds Rukia of Ulquiorra. It was all his doing. When he got her this apartment, he bought her the fridge and whenever he came by he would brought her a canister of ice cream. Rukia hates cold food. She hates frozen food even more. Ulquiorra however does not pay any heed to Rukia’s protests and kept bringing the ice cream whenever he stopped by. Soon enough the freezer was filled with them. Sometimes he ate it himself. Sometimes he cleaned it up by throwing the overdue ice cream away. One day a blackout occurred while she was on her assignment (read: away). When she got home, all the ice creams have melted which forced her to chuck them all out. As soon as the freezer was empty, Rukia felt a sense of longing so bad, she went to the convenience store and bought all the ice creams that she thought would fit in her freezer. Since that day, her freezer is never empty from that cursed frozen food.

However Rukia does not care to explain all of these to Grimmjow simply because he does not need to know. Also because she barely has enough strength to keep her mind to stay awake.

Grimmjow pay no attention to the confusion that has set in his mind as his eyes scrutinize the girl. He notices that she is straining herself from falling unconscious and her skins seem to be shimmering. He disregards his later thought though assuming that it could be the reflection from the fluorescent light and his already paranoid mind is playing tricks on him.

“Hey you need the bed to sleep?” asks Grimmjow. He considers the possibility of the girl being courteous to him by letting her guest to have the bed. By what she told him earlier, he deduces that it must have been passed midnight already.

“I don’t sleep, kid.”

“Hey, I told you my name is –“

“Grimmjow. I kn –“

Before she could finish her sentence, she collapses.

-o-

Grimmjow rushes to the girl as she plops down to the floor.

“Hey? Hey! Wake up!”

The girl is apparently out cold. His right arm outstretches to reach the back of her neck while the other goes under her knees. He plans to carry her to bed suspecting that the girl must have been very sleepy not to stir even when her head hits the floor or when he yells in her ears. He quickly withdraws his arms though after he feels how icy and cold her skin is. Up close he can see the she is indeed translucent. He was right. It was not his overactive imagination working full-time.

Grimmjow gulps. He pokes her once but she does not rouse. He pokes again with the same result. It is like she is dead.

Grimmjow runs a nervous hand through his cobalt blue hair. This is just too freaking abnormal and he is too afraid to check whether or not she has stop breathing, not entirely sure if she breathe in the first place.

“Fuck, what am I supposed to do now?!” Grimmjow starts to panic for who knows how many times that day.

His eyes travel to the door.

He should run away. Yes, that is what he should do.

He stands up, eyes looking down at the lifeless girl in front of him.

I don’t need to worry myself about her. I didn’t do anything to her. I didn’t ask for her help either. If anything, she’s the one who fucking threatened me.

His fingers go to his chin only to find that the cut from her army knife has gone. Just like his wounds and fractured bones.

Grimmjow walks to the door and tries it out; afraid that she might have locked it. Much to his relieve, the door opens without resistance when he turns the knob. His eyes search for his shirt but could not find it, missing the basket underneath the bed. Painfully aware that he is going to roam the streets in the middle of the night half naked, he slips his shoes on. He takes a last look at the unconscious girl lying on the floor before he closes the door behind him, muttering “thank you” under his breath.

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Savor the little details! Hehehe…

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