Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Odalisque ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

 

I decided to update early because I'm graduating this weekend and I just finished my exams. Not to mention on my hardest exam I got a 94!!! Woot woot!

 

 

 

Odalisque

 

Chapter 2

 

Rukia Kuchiki walked into the office that morning sporting a coffee-stained shirt and jacket, a crumpled business card, a bottle of extra strength Tylenol gripped in her hand, and an infuriated expression on her face.

 

Her footsteps were quick and to the point. Anyone who saw her face knew enough about self preservation not come within ten feet of the furious woman. Rukia just stared straight ahead as woman and man alike slid to the sides of the hallway, squashed themselves against doors, and ran into other people just to get out of her way. Her heels clicked dangerously on the ground and her fingers were fisted tight around her briefcase as she continued on her journey to her seventeenth floor corner office.

 

She approached the elevators and one became available almost immediately, as if the machines themselves even feared her impending wrath. There was no one inside of the elevator and even if there had been they would have had the good sense to leave as soon as the indomitable and intimidating Rukia Kuchiki stepped aboard. Her teeth were clenched tight and her violet eyes were blazing with anger as she stared pointlessly at the wall in front of her. The elevator moved upwards and dinged one by one as floors passed by, it didn't stop once.

 

The moment she reached floor number seventeen Rukia barreled out of the elevator faster than an Olympic athlete. She gave a clipped greeting to the floor secretary and continued on to her office. She passed a few of the people she worked with but didn't spare them a single glance, most of them weren't here anyway, it was far too early for that. Though the ones that were here didn't seemed troubled as she pushed and shoved past them—they were far too used to her moods and attitudes to be bothered by them.

 

Rukia clenched her teeth as she finally reached the end of the long hallway. She pushed open the door and stomped inside.

 

The familiarity of her large office met her with its usual chilled welcome. The morning sunlight poured onto the dark green carpeting underneath her feet and her heels squished silently on the ground as she moved towards her large desk. Her desktop computer was situated on top, along with an array of office supplies, all of them neatly organized to her specific clarifications. She quickly placed her briefcase on the side of her metallic and modern desk—it was silver and had the elegant curves that resembled something or an art nouveau design. The glass top made it even more spectacular—if not more difficult to keep clean.

 

Rukia grunted angrily as she took a few minutes to mindlessly rearrange the pencils, pens, sticky-notes, and paperclips sitting on her desk. She couldn't believe that she was still so angry. Normally when she was confronted with a person as idiotic as a pile of rocks she would calm herself down within the next few minutes. But that—that—thing was still chewing on the edges of her mind.

 

Rukia suddenly felt her fingers curling into a fist before she angrily brought them down hard on the top of her desk.

 

“That irritating fool!” She shouted into the empty air. Rukia raised a hand to her face and felt her cheeks—they were still flushed. She scowled and wrinkled her nose in anger. She shouldn't be feeling like this. She was Rukia Kuchiki for god's sake! She knew how to control her temper—and the rest of her emotions—better than anyone!

 

Still fuming—but what else was new?—Rukia made her way over to the edge of her office and began to prepare her small coffee pot. Her hands move mechanically over the tiny paper filters and her fingers casually gripped the spoon as she poured the grinds inside.

 

Once she finished she went back over to her desk and sat in her overtly squishy chair. She sighed as her body seemed to sink down into its leathery softness. She always loved this chair; the day seemed to go by so much faster when she was inside it.

 

Gently, she raised her left hand and one by one unclasped the fingers. The decimated business card fell from her grip and she listlessly swiped it into the metallic waste bin near her side. It floated to the top and Rukia watched in pleasure as the damn thing settled. Now it would only be a matter of hours before the maintenance men would come and take it away. With that business card would float away the irritating memories of that man and her horrid encounter with him. Yes… it was only a matter of time.

 

As she waited for her computer to boot up, Rukia took the time to try and cleanse her mind a bit. She sat there, breathing deeply, feeling the air come in and out of her lungs at a pleasant pace. Her hands gently smoothed over the sides of her chair and she smiled at the softness under her fingers. She leaned her head back just a bit and had to fight the yawn that was threatening her tired body. She shouldn't have been up that late, doing that stupid thing—

 

Rukia blinked for a moment before she straightened. A rueful grin crept over her features and she glanced quickly towards the business card in the trash. Perhaps this mornings' encounter wasn't completely bad. It had, after all, gotten her mind off of that stupid online dating thing Momo had set up for her.

 

The coffee machine sputtered to a halt and Rukia jumped up to get herself the first cup. Her tired bones practically creaked but she was determined not to let her awkwardness show. She had a meeting with her boss today and she wanted to look as sprightly as ever when he came—hence the ensuing quadriceps stretches as she poured her beverage.

 

The morning was filled with blanket normalcies. She sat down, reviewed the case load she might be receiving for the month, decided which ones she would actually need to handle personally, decided which ones she could throw to her vast array of lawyerly minions, and decided whether or not she wanted to order click-top pens or twisting bottom ones.

 

By nine that morning Rukia had gone through a quarter of the cases, had picked out about twelve she needed to take on herself, chose the click-top pens, and had designated which cases would go to which minion. All in all it was a rather productive morning; it was all partly in relevance of the knowledge that once her secretary showed up, Rukia would not have a moment's peace until she was called down to meet Ukitake.

 

Rukia kept glancing periodically at the clock until the digital numbers blinked nine in the morning. Almost immediately, Momo Hinamori came bounding through the door.

 

Rukia's eyes narrowed as she eyed Momo's meticulously tied bun, her apple cheeks, her happy grin, and her dreamy eyes.

 

Oh yeah, she had so gotten laid last night.

 

“Good morning Boss Lady.” She said with a chipper grin gracing her face as she sauntered inside.

 

Rukia sat stiffly in her chair as Momo set her small, designer bag on the counter next to the coffee pot and helped herself to a cup. She hummed softly to herself as she added sugar, cream, and a bit of milk before stirring it lightly with a plastic spoon. Momo knew Rukia well enough to make sure the spoon was placed on a napkin and not on the countertop directly.

 

Nevertheless, Momo ignored her associates' frigid gaze and lightly skipped to the chair directly opposite of Rukia. She smiled beatifically and took a sip. Her eyes never once lost their dreamy expression as she sighed and murmured, “Isn't life just great?”

 

Rukia swiveled around to her computer and pulled up a useless game of free cell. “For you, maybe.”

 

Momo continued to stare off into space. Rukia eyed her with a hint of jealously and scoffed. Please… it couldn't have been that good.

 

Rukia clicked an ace up into one of its slots and began to organize the cards. Momo continued with the coffee and chuckled lightly at the memory of her previous night.

 

She must have sighed at least seven times before Rukia barked at her to shut up. Momo only smiled and shrugged before she asked her boss if she had finished last night's questionnaire.

 

The tension in Rukia's hand increased until she was fairly sure her computer mouse cracked under the pressure. She shot Momo a withering glare and wrinkled her perky nose.

 

Her friend simple let out a happy chuckle. “You know,” she began, “But I actually should thank you for that, you know.”

 

Rukia gave her a calculating glower. “And why is that, exactly?”

 

Momo giggled and breezily flipped a loose piece of hair behind her ear. “Well… you know how Toshiro can't get back to sleep after he wakes up in the middle of the night? So we—”

 

Rukia let out an aggravated groan and held up her hand. “Please Momo,” she begged, “No more details.”

 

The woman pouted and leaned forward until her elbows were resting on her knees. She sipped her drink again and let out a small whine. “Why not?” She asked, “You know I like to give you the down and dirty about what Toshiro and I do.”

 

“I know,” Rukia answered flatly, “Trust me, I think I know more about your sex life than you do.”

 

“Honey,” Momo sighed, “Until you feel it… you don't know it.”

 

Rukia rose from her chair and scowled at Momo; the silly girl had another dreamy look on her face and would even shudder occasionally. Rukia grimaced as she took her cup from her desk and made her way over to the coffee maker to fill it once again. Damn, she must have been stressed, three cups of coffee all before ten.

 

She told herself—again—not to be bothered by Momo's constant prattling over her relationship with Toshiro. But honestly, did the woman have to tell her everything about… well, everything?

 

The answer to that was, of course, yes. In the beginning it had been fine, Rukia had weathered the flowers and the jewels and the constant dates. But when the two had started sleeping together, well, that was when Momo began to feel the need to tell Rukia all of the details.

 

All of them.

 

Rukia had tried to tell her friend—repeatedly—that she didn't really want to know what parts of her body Toshiro had touched, where he had kissed her, or in what position they had done it. Yet having the position of `best friend' meant that she was compelled to listen to all of it.

 

All of it.

 

Still, Momo knew better than to irritate Rukia with sex talk on her bad days—which were becoming more and more frequent. Today—seeing how it started out—was one of those days. Momo, however, didn't seem to notice.

 

“Doggie style,” she whispered huskily.

 

“Slut,” Rukia snorted.

 

“Don't tease,” Momo sighed, too happy to be bothered by Rukia's comment. “We'd never done it before.” She twisted in her chair and gave her friend a suggestive grin, “I swear, he went in further than I had ever—”

 

“Momo!” Rukia cried, slamming her cup down onto the table. She whirled around to face her friend and gritted her teeth. “I do not need to know this!”

 

Momo gave her the same chastising glare a mother would give a belligerent daughter. “Rukia,” she cooed, “Come on, if I don't tell you what happens during sex, how are you going to be prepared for your blind date?”

 

“I won't sleep with him.” Rukia grunted. She poured her coffee with more force than necessary and bits of it splashed onto the counter. She wiped them away quickly and turned to stomp back towards her desk.

 

Momo's eyes appraised her figure as Rukia sat back into her comfortable chair. She frowned, cocked her head to the side, and raised an eyebrow. “Rukia… why is your shirt stained?”

 

Rukia scowled and wrinkled her nose when she remembered this morning's incident. Orange hair. Scowling face. Rude demeanor. All around asshole. She had to fight not to let her gaze to go the waste bin to where his card lay on top of the crumpled heap.

 

“I bumped into someone this morning.” She said shortly and gave Momo a glare that warned her about asking another question.

 

But of course, she was Momo, and asking was what she was she did.

 

“And they spilled their coffee on you?” She shook her head and her loosely made bun waggled a bit. “That wasn't very nice.”

 

“Yes…” Rukia seethed, “I know.” She sat for a moment and felt this morning's events run past her mind. The anger was boiling inside of her once again. She sighed and raked a hand through her hair. Maybe she would go running during her lunch break and try to work out some of this frustration.

 

She looked down at herself and grimaced at the large brown stain marring her perfectly white shirt. She sighed and reached down to the bottom of her desk drawers. Once it was pulled open, several clean shirts, all neatly folded, were exposed. Rukia chose the top one and stood. Momo saw what her friend had gotten from the bottom of the desk and laughed immediately; she rolled her eyes and began to tease Rukia about how normal people did not keep extra shirts in their desk drawers.

 

Rukia ignored her and shucked off her jacket. She laid it carefully over the chair before looking around her office to see that no one was really around. Rukia gave Momo a soft glare and her friend rolled her eyes theatrically. Rukia was about to give her a scathing lecture but Momo finally turned her head to the side when Rukia began to pull the small plastic buttons from the holes of her shirt. She peeled the fabric away and tossed it across the back of her chair.

 

Momo took a moment to turn her head back and hoot evocatively. Rukia shot her a scornful look but Momo only smiled and sweetly asked her boss if she wanted dollar bills to be stuffed into her brazier.

 

“Sorry,” Rukia muttered sarcastically, “Only twenties and above.”

 

“Ouch,” Momo laughed, “High price to pay for such a tiny woman.”

 

“Yes well,” Rukia sighed as she slipped her arms into the sleeves of her new shirt and began to button it. “Just because I haven't dated in a while doesn't mean I haven't memorized the Kama Sutra.” She gave Momo a sly glance and fastened the tiny plastic circles at his wrist.

 

“Can I borrow it?” Her friend asked with more enthusiasm than was to be expected.

 

Rukia frowned and folded her dirty shirt. “I thought that you and Toshiro were happy enough without all that extra stuff.”

 

“Hon, sex can only get better as time goes on and seriously, the boy at the newsstand thinks I'm a slut because of all the Cosmo I read. I need something a little more legitimate.”

 

Rukia looked at her dryly. “I burned it back in college when my brother came for that surprise visit. Do you remember?”

 

Momo blinked and curled her eyebrows in, “Was that the one time when you made me wear your clothes?” She paused and tapped a finger on the chair. “Yeah, didn't you do that so your brother wouldn't think I was a whore?”

 

“Yep.” Rukia answered without a trace of apology in her voice.

 

“My clothes were not whorish.” Momo defended primly and squirmed in her seat. A slow smile grew over her face. “At least… they weren't until my breasts grew in.”

 

“I know that,” Rukia responded nonchalantly, “But honestly, if you're not wearing a turtle neck and long pants my brother will immediately think you're easy.”

 

Silence enveloped them for a moment and Rukia was glad for it. She was quite sure that Momo had drifted back into la-la land but didn't mind. The longer Momo was distracted the longer she had time to formulate an excuse for not doing the online dating profile. However, that wasn't the thing on her mind at the moment. She was intrigued by her upcoming meeting with her boss. Normally, Ukitake just let her deal with cases on her own, with very little intervention on his part; he only really came to check up on her when he needed to give her specific details on a client, prep her for a tough courtroom battle, or congratulate her on a job well-done. Rukia thought it was beneficial for both sides, seeing as how his health wouldn't allow him to take on a major case load and her driving ambition made it clear that a major case load was what she wanted.

 

She mentally ran through a list of cases she had won over the past couple of weeks. None of them were overtly large and most of them had been kept under the table and out of the presses. Well, a couple had been in the paper but none had come close to the front page. She also ran through the possibility that she had done something wrong concerning a client. After a moment she immediately dismissed the idea. She hadn't made a mistake. She would never make a mistake with a client. She was sure of it.

 

A giggle rifted through the air and Rukia looked across her desk at Momo. The damned woman had her eyes shut tight and was gently running a hand over her stomach. She had a wicked smile on her face and Rukia's eyes widened as Momo's hand inched upward to her own breast.

 

“Toshiro…” she whispered in a giddy voice.

 

“Momo!” Rukia snapped.

 

Her secretary's eyes popped open and she blinked wildly for a moment before glancing down at her hand. She saw how dangerously close it was to her breast and burst out into a happy giggle. Rukia rolled her eyes as her overly-joyous friend stood and smoothed out her skirt. “Goodness…” she said and blushed shamelessly.

 

Rukia had the good sense to look away with a disgusted snort. “Yeah,” she grunted and waved a hand at her friend. “Just get outside will you?”

 

Momo gave her boss a quick curtsey before chuckling and saying, “Yes Boss Lady.” She left Rukia's office with an enormous grin on her face.

 

“Don't let that happen again!” Rukia barked as the door swung shut behind Momo.

 

She was only met with a taciturn `maybe!'

 

Rukia shook her head and fell back into her desk chair. Honestly, she had known Momo since college and the woman still failed to surprise her on a daily basis. Rukia let a small smile twist her lips slightly. If she didn't have Momo she didn't know what she would do. Momo was one of the only reasons she ever went out in the evenings and Rukia was appreciative enough to recognize that if it weren't for Momo… well, frankly she'd never leave her office. She would always have too much work or too little time or not be in the mood and so many others. Momo was her annoying little savior from all of that.

 

Part of her didn't even know why Momo had stuck with her for so long. Rukia wasn't the most acquiescent type of person. She was stubborn, bitter, and worked far too much. Perhaps that what Momo found fascinating. Rukia sighed when she thought of it, maybe Momo thought of her as some sort of project.

 

“Reform the reject.” Rukia mumbled softly.

 

Oh well, it wasn't like she had any real intention of changing. She liked the way she was Momo had only to accept that fact.

 

Rukia continued checking on her files until her clock finally roved around to ten of ten. She quickly got up from her chair, slipped on her jacket, and strode confidently towards her secretary.

 

“Momo,” Rukia said as she exited her office, the young woman looked up from her dreamy pose and sighed softly.

 

“Yes?”

 

Rukia fixed her sleeves and looked in the direction of the elevator. A couple of people—upon seeing her look their way—stopped meandering about and began to power-walk towards a new destination. Rukia snickered inside and praised her ability to scare the shit out of people; it must have been some sort of power gifted to the Kuchiki family.

 

“I'm going to Ukitake's office.” Rukia stated briskly. “He wanted to see me about something.” She narrowed her eyes and pointed a threatening finger at her secretary. “So make sure you take messages and don't drift out into space again. Got it?”

 

“Alright,” Momo answered grumpily.

 

“Good,” Rukia said, her tone was one of finality. She gave Momo a quick smile before trekking down to the elevators.

 

The way people moved out of her path was not lost on Rukia. She knew she was an intimidating force to deal with. Hell, she'd even go so far as to say that what she lacked in height she made up for in brains… and attitude. She was very to the point, she didn't skirt around what she was trying to say or accomplish, and she most definitely did not take emotions into account when she did her work. She was a lawyer through and through and by god was she proud of it.

 

A couple of people nodded to her but none said her name. She gave them fleeting glances and curt nods as she moved. The elevator was empty once again but Rukia didn't bother to think about it. She tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator went up and up and up, all the way to the top floor. She stepped out confidently and strode towards where she knew her boss's office would be. A few people gave her strange looks but she ignored them. Rukia was never one to bother with funny looks.

 

“Good morning Kiyone,” Rukia said politely when she came to the front of Ukitake's office.

 

“Good morning Kuchiki,” Kiyone replied, far louder than she actually needed.

 

“I'm supposed to meet with Ukitake at ten.” She said crisply and watched as the boisterous secretary dialed her boss and announced Rukia's arrival.

 

Kiyone pointed to the door and gave Rukia a huge grin before the raven haired young woman brushed past the desk and opened the door to her boss's office.

 

“Good morning Mr. Ukitake.” Rukia said politely with a small smile.

 

The elder man gave her a warm grin when she entered and stood slowly. She felt something like contentment fill her body as she walked inside the room.

 

Jushiro Ukitake was one of the few people in this entire building who didn't make her want to cringe at the sight of them. When she first began at the corporation it was he who helped her get her feet planted firmly on the ground. When she was having difficulty with a case—which was hardly ever if she did say so herself—he was always available for help, and even sometimes when she felt weary enough to go out for a drink he would always accompany her. She enjoyed his company and being under his tutelage. Hell, she would even say that he was the closest thing to a real father she had ever had.

 

“Rukia,” he said warmly, “How are you doing today?”

 

Rukia smiled softly at his gentle greeting. His voice suited his demeanor. He was an older man, well into his sixties but still quite handsome. His hair was full and thick and completely white. His eyes were a wizened shade of gray and his smile was one of age and perfection. He was tall with broad shoulders which were always clothed in elegant suits, mostly Armani or something even more expensive.

 

“You wanted to see me sir.” It was the statement of a fact, not a question.

 

“Yes, yes, please,” he grinned and took his seat again. Rukia sat down gently and crossed her slim legs elegantly.

 

“So, how are you today Rukia?” He asked kindly. “Still coming into work absurdly early?”

 

“Well I don't know about absurdly,” Rukia jostled, “But yes, it was a fairly nice morning.” She paused and a small dark cloud passed over her eyes. “Well, except for this man I met earlier today.”

 

A look of surprise flittered across Ukitake's face and Rukia had to bitterly tell herself that he was surprised by her bad morning and not by her actually meeting a man.

 

“Really?” He asked and Rukia nodded slowly, a small but slightly disgusted smile atop her lips. Ukitake leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “What happened?”

 

Rukia gave an aggravated sigh and shook her head, her tight pony-tail flapped against her neck as she said, “The, er, jerk bumped into me and we spilled our coffee over one another.”

 

“That doesn't sound so bad.”

 

“Well it wasn't until he actually had the gall to demand that I pay for his dry cleaning.” Rukia finished dryly. Jackass, she added mentally.

 

“Oh dear,” Ukitake said with a small smile still gracing his handsome face. “But you still look as splendid as ever, Rukia.”

 

“Thank you sir.” Rukia twisted happily in her seat and almost immediately felt better about this morning. She didn't know how he did it, but her boss could always seem to make her feel better in any situation. “But getting back to business.”

 

Ukitake gave a soft chuckle, “Of course, you were always one to know when to return to matters at hand.”

 

Rukia took that as a compliment.

 

Ukitake leaned forward in his desk and propped his elbows so his hands could meet near the center. His warm gray eyes became serious as he bored them into her. Rukia's ears perked up, her spine immediately stiffened, and she made sure to lean forward ever so slightly, just so she wouldn't miss a thing.

 

“Rukia,” Ukitake began, “I have something very important to tell you and I want you to know that it must be kept confidential. Only a select amount of people know about what I'm going to tell you and we need to keep it that way. The sake of our business depends on it. Is that clear?”

 

“Yes sir,” Rukia answered instantly, her interest piqued beyond belief. “Of course.”

 

Ukitake drew in a deep breath and coughed lightly. Rukia frowned a bit when he had to draw a small handkerchief from his breast pocket and wipe away bits of saliva from the corners of his mouth. Her eyes darted from his hand to his face but after a moment he stuffed the kerchief back in his pocket, cleared his throat, and began again.

 

“Rukia,” he said, his voice slightly cracked. “This company is going to undergo a merger.”

 

Surprise exploded into Rukia's stomach but she managed to keep the swell of shock from showing on her face. She swallowed hard and blinked twice to make sure her eyes didn't betray her.

 

Merger? Why? What the hell was going on? Gotei Corp. was a successful business with augmenting profits, their projections for the next two decades were nearly through the roof and the only direction they could go was up.

 

“Sir,” Rukia murmured slowly, attempting to digest this information, “What are you talking about? Why would Gotei Corp. need something like this? We're doing more than fine as it is.”

 

Ukitake smiled, “I knew you'd say that.”

 

Rukia raised a brow, “And?”

 

“The fact of the matter is that Gotei Corp. is doing just fine on its own, however, our main rival in the industry, Suigetsu Inc. is doing just as well.”

 

“I'm aware of that,” Rukia cut in, understanding now what he was going to tell her. “Their projections are just as promising, if not more so; I simply thought we needed to up our game. I never thought we'd actually merge.”

 

“The top executives of this company and of Suigetsu Inc. have decided that it would be best to combine out companies,” he continued, “We're trying to make this as amicable as possible. You see, if our businesses continue at the rate they're going—with both of us competing neck and neck—we're either going to end up taking over them or they're going to end up taking over us.”

 

“Hostile takeovers you mean,” she added, intrigued by this logic.

 

He nodded and cleared his throat again, “Our main boss, Mr. Yamamoto, has met with Suigetsu's head, Mr. Aizen, they agreed that having this merger would save us from the inevitable.”

 

Rukia furrowed her brow and tapped a finger to her bottom lip. “I see… if one company gets taken over by the other they'll be butchered in the paper, jobs will be lost, popularity will go down, foreign investments will shrink, no one invests in our stock, we lose our status and eventually our credibility.”

 

“In a nutshell.”

 

Rukia paused for a moment and mulled over the possibilities in her mind. While she didn't like the idea of merging with Suigetsu Inc., she did have to admit that there were advantages. Suigetsu was nearly as popular as Gotei. The two of them had been bitter rivals practically since their conception in the early seventies. A well-worn path of animosity was already molded in between the two mogul companies as they grew. Yet if they were able to pull their resources together they would double their profits, increase the amount of worldwide investors, and perhaps even lessen the job deficit among the neighborhood.

 

Rukia remained silent for a few moments; the more she thought about it, the better all of it sounded.

 

“I think you're right,” Rukia murmured.

 

Wow, that's not something I say everyday.

 

Ukitake nodded and grinned, “Sounds better by the minute, doesn't it?”

 

She nodded and raised her gaze to that of her boss. “It does, actually,” She sighed and began to list the reasons why the merger would be beneficial to both companies. Ukitake listened to her patiently, even though she could tell he had already thought long and hard on the variables.

 

They spoke for a while on the subject of the merger; Rukia's analysis was mixed with Ukitake's and his comments added color to their discussion. She laid out the facts, spoke of the benefits, yet warned him of what a move would entail. They continued until it was nearly eleven o'clock. Rukia's mind was completely fixated on the idea of the merger; still, something kept nagging repeatedly at the back of her mind.

 

Frowning, she bit her lip and demanded, “Ukitake, why are you telling me all of this? I would think that this news should be handled by the higher ups and, while I appreciate your obviously elevated opinion of me, I don't think I'm quite there.” Yet, she added mentally.

 

“Excellent question Rukia,” her boss said cheerfully. He rose from his chair and offered her a cup of coffee. She accepted gladly and sipped lightly—mentally noting that this was cup number four—while he sat back at his chair. A small, playful, grin was dancing on his lips and Rukia's suspicions were immediately aroused.

 

“What?” She asked softly, setting her cup down on his old oak desk.

 

Ukitake sipped his drink elegantly before setting his down as well. He swung his gaze towards her completely and allowed his stare to bore into her eyes. Rukia matched him equally and waited with slightly bated breath for him to announce whatever he was holding back.

 

“Rukia Kuchiki,” he said in a deep and soulful voice, “As you know, mergers take months of paperwork and hours of constant hassle between companies—well, at least the peaceful ones do.”

 

“Right,” she answered slowly.

 

Ukitake gave her a smug grin, “I want you to be the lead council when it comes to any and all documents pertaining to the legal convergence of these two companies.”

 

If Rukia had had any coffee in her mouth she wouldn't have been able to keep it trapped behind her lips.

 

“Sir?” She blanched.

 

He grinned widely at her reaction and let out a merry laugh. Rukia's cheeks colored slightly but she told herself it was from the sudden news and definitely not from any form of embarrassment. “Sir, are you certain? Mr. Yamamoto has approved it?”

 

“Indeed he has,” he answered happily. “Let me tell you something Rukia.” He grinned even more and leaned forward just a bit. Rukia did so as well, as though she was magnetically attracted to him. “You are, without a doubt, one of the most talented and gifted lawyers I have ever had the pleasure of working with. You're brilliant inside the courtroom as well as out, you have fantastic business skills and can make any client swoon at your feet whenever you wish.”

 

Rukia told herself not to let this go to her head.

 

“Honestly Rukia, if you weren't so damned young you'd be in my spot right now.”

 

Okay, maybe a little could go to her head.

 

Ukitake couldn't seem to stop grinning as he continued, “I've talked with Yamamoto, and it turns out that he's been watching you as closely as I have and he agrees that you're fantastically talented and quite capable of handling this merger. He's agreed to let you deal with this transaction. Now, it is my hope that once the merger is a success, I can finally convince Yamamoto to promote you to my spot so I can retire with the peace of mind knowing that my office will not crumble in my absence.”

 

Rukia could no longer breathe. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she felt like it was going to burst right out from inside her ribs. She was quite sure her face was flushed with excitement—or praise, she couldn't tell which—and she even dared to notice that her hands were trembling slightly.

 

This is not the time to look like a silly little school girl! Her inner self hissed irritably.

 

Rukia fought the urge to shake her head so she might discover that this was not a dream. All of these seemed too fantastic to be real. She was only twenty six! She had only been working here for a short time! She was—she was—

 

Hell! She was a damned good lawyer and they knew it. Since she started working here she had gained the company billions in lawsuits and had not lost them a single penny. She worked quickly, effectively, and more often than anyone ever should. She knew that she was the best person for this job. She deserved this.

 

“Ukitake,” she croaked, “I would be… honored to accept this. You have my word, nothing—and I mean nothing—will go wrong. I will personally inspect every single sheet of paper, every signature, and every document myself. I swear this will be done without fault.”

 

Ukitake smiled warmly. “I have utmost confidence in you, Rukia, but don't fret. You won't be working on this alone.”

 

Rukia's large grin—when had she started grinning? She hardly ever grinned—faltered for a moment but swung back immediately. “Well, of course not, there will be a team but nevertheless—”

 

“Rukia,” Ukitake interrupted, “Suigetsu Inc. also wants to make sure that everything is done efficiently, they're sending us their top lawyer as well. You two will be working together.”

 

Rukia's high was dangerously close to popping but she maintained in nonetheless. “Alright,” she said confidently, “I don't mind. Two minds are better than one.” Unless it's my mind, she spat mentally, then I don't need another one. “Who is this other person I'll be working with?” She asked, “Do I know them?”

 

“Him.” Ukitake corrected and Rukia groaned inwardly. Great, another chauvinistic male pig to deal with, just what she always wanted. “He's nearly as young as you and just as passionate about his work. A bit brash at times not to mention on several occasions he has completely disregarded the law in order to get what his company wants. Quite a risk taker as well as a rule breaker.”

 

“Fantastic,” Rukia intoned acerbically. She already hated the man. Anyone who could ignore the law for their own selfish purposes—or a larger paycheck—immediately ranked lower than fish feces in her book. “What's his name?” She asked. She wanted to do some background research on this guy. She needed to know everything about him if she was going to be working with him: strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, pet peeves, and anything else that she was germane.

 

“Rather funny one actually,” Ukitake chuckled, “But when you get a look at him make sure not to laugh.”

 

Rukia frowned, “Why not?” She asked slowly; her brain was taking dangerous turns and going in directions she didn't want it to go.

 

“Well,” Ukitake grinned, “His name is Ichigo Kurosaki, which, as you might know, means strawberry, and he has the most ridiculously colored hair. You could spot it anywhere on the planet. Bright orange and everyone testifies that it's natural, I kid you not…”

 

Rukia's boss kept speaking but her mind had gone blank, her eyes were glazed, and at the current moment her stomach seemed to be uncomfortably filled with writhing snakes.

 

The only word that was making it through Rukia Kuchiki's subconscious at the moment was: Fuck.

 

 

 

 

(A/N: Ichigo might be perceived as OOC in this fic. But when I think of `Older Ichigo' I think of what he becomes after his awkward teenager stage. I mean, can't you just see Ichigo as a cocky (in both senses of the word), confident, and sexually assertive man? I think that once he gets over being a blushing teenager he'll wake up and realize he's a sexy piece of hotness. Fans self. :P

 

Also, random question: is the fact that I only write Y and X rated fics weird… or perverted? I mean, I enjoy writing these types of fics. Do you guys think it's… odd? Still, even if you do I'll continue writing. :D )