Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Odalisque ❯ Chapter 14 ( Chapter 14 )

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

 

 

 

Odalisque

 

Chapter 14

 

Today had been terribly awkward.

 

When Kurosaki first entered the office Rukia could not help but be assaulted by images of him wearing only a pair of shorts and sneakers. She couldn't even think of a proper insult for him she was that distracted. So instead she had just swallowed, ignored his usual `Good morning Sunshine' comment, and busied herself with the contents of a new file.

 

He had made a few quips at her and while she had tried to fire them back at him with her usual accuracy and spitefulness she just couldn't do it. She had tried very hard too; it was on the verge of upsetting her. She just couldn't seem to get that unsettling image out of her head. Rukia gulped down a cup of scalding hot coffee and tried not to choke on it.

 

“You alright Kuchiki?” He demanded.

 

“Just fine,” she sniped back. She pressed a hand to her cheek and told herself that it was just the coffee that was making her face go all hot. Still, it didn't stop her from wanting to cry on the inside. She hated feeling like this. She desperately loathed feeling a stirring in her lower stomach every time she looked at Kurosaki. She detested feeling her underwear grow damp against her skin when she dwelled on his half-naked image—which was currently posted all over the inside of her brain—for too long. And she absolutely despised having to wear a sports jacket all day just to hide her rather prominent nipples from protruding out of her white blouse.

 

“You don't seem fine,” he sneered.

 

“I'm perfectly alright,” she practically shouted and he raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“Are you sure your fever didn't come back?” He asked skeptically.

 

Rukia's mind shot back to when his hands had massaged her face. How good it had felt… how happy she had been… how she had practically melted into her chair…

 

“I'm positive,” she ground out. She stood up and passed him a file. “We need to work on this one today.”

 

He took it from her with barely an argument. Rukia turned her head away before she could see his eyes rake over her body. She simply swallowed and continued on her way.

 

A few moments passed by before either of them spoke again. Rukia sipped her coffee and studied the papers in front of her while Kurosaki tapped his pen on his desk and stared out the window.

 

“So,” he said, “Do you have a date?”

 

Rukia choked on her coffee and ended up spewing it three feet in every direction. “What?”

 

Kurosaki turned to her and raised one eyebrow, the knowing smirk on his face unnerved her more than anything but she forced an impassively cool glare to become fixated in her eyes. She stared him down while he shook his head and laughed. “For the announcement party. Christ, what did you think I meant?”

 

The blush that appeared on Rukia's face forced her to turn her head away immediately. “I don't know what I thought you meant.” She answered him shortly. “And no, I don't have a date.”

 

Her mouth went completely dry as she thought of the implications of his question. Was he—was he… asking her because he—

 

No! Don't you dare go there! I don't think like that. Kurosaki is your sworn enemy and just because he might look good without a shirt on doesn't mean that you want to go to the announcement party with him. You'd rather strangle him. Remember that. The coffee spill, the child's desk, making you look like a fool in front of Aizen, and all the comments, sneers, and insults. Remember those damn it!

 

Kurosaki was looking at her expectantly. She blinked twice and pulled herself out of her internal pep-talk mode. “What did you say?” She asked calmly.

 

He shook his head and continued tapping his pen on his desk. “You do know what you thought I meant,” he pointed out, “You have a brain. And my second question is, why not?”

 

“Why not as in why don't I have a date?” Rukia asked more forcefully than she should have.

 

He nodded. Rukia cleared her throat and turned her nose up at him. “I prefer to go to these functions alone. The fact that I don't have anyone to look after makes doing business that much easier.”

 

“Oh,” he said, “That's weird. Some people bring dates so they can have someone to save them from all the business types there.” He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I don't know, do you think we'll have to make a speech or something?”

 

“Of course,” she told him, “I already have it written. I also have a release we can give to the press.”

 

He rolled his eyes, “You don't waste any time do you?”

 

“Not when I do my job.”

 

“Oh well, less for me to do then.”

 

“What about you?”

 

Rukia bit her lips the moment that statement escaped from them. She felt like beating herself with a metal club for saying such a thing. Why should she care if he was bringing a date? She didn't… she didn't! Rukia felt that infernal blush coming up on her cheeks once again. She propped a file up to hide her burning face and tried to slap herself at the same time.

 

Kurosaki stayed silent for a minute before saying, “I haven't decided yet. I suppose I could always find someone to bring… but I'm not sure I will.”

 

Rukia, only when she was sure that her face wasn't on fire anymore, pulled her head out from the file and gave him a condescending glare. “Yes, I'm sure that anyone in your slew of female followers would love to go the party with you.”

 

“You mean the ones who gave me communal diseases?” He muttered dryly.

 

Rukia smirked when she recognized her own insult coming from his lips. She nodded and said, “Yes, one of those girls. Although you might have to explain the big words to them when they get confused.”

 

“Ooh, how big?” He sneered.

 

“I'd say anything that was more than five letters long.” She gave him a sympathetic smirk and shook her head as though she were in pain.

 

He merely growled at her and turned back to his computer. Rukia drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She was glad that her sharp wits had returned. She had panicked for a while that he'd make her brain go numb whenever she was in his presence. But no, he was just like Novocain; his effect on her wore off after a while. She rolled her shoulders softly and felt her face return to its normal temperature. After another moment of steady breathing she decided that she could continue to do this. Sooner or later the image of him half-naked would fade out of her head. She'd forget and everything would be perfectly fine afterwards. She could continue to insult him, aggravate him, and annoy him like it was any other day.

 

She tossed her head to one side and then the other before turning to her laptop and getting to work.

 

After nearly an hour of steady working, silence, and not once thinking about Kurosaki without a shirt Rukia picked up one particular file and frowned. There was a discrepancy in the earnings from Suigetsu Inc. and the money being brought into the company from about two years ago. She frowned slightly and looked over the entire document twice before looking up. “Hey Kurosaki, come over and look at this will you?”

 

He raised his head and blinked. “What is it?”

 

“There's something wrong with the records.” Rukia told him as he got up from his chair. “This column shows the earning from Suigetsu and this column has how much was funneled into the actual company. These variations here show how much was given out to investors and such but if you look at the numbers… there's still a fair chunk missing.”

 

Kurosaki came up from behind her and leaned over her entire body. Rukia's face immediately flushed when she felt his chest pressing into her shoulder. She swallowed hard when she saw both hands pushing against the top of her desk. He was practically trapping her between his arms. His head was level with hers and she could see, out of the corner of her eyes, the firm line of his jaw and even the outline of his lips.

 

Yet while she was studying the contours of his face he was staring at the document in front of her. He exhaled through his nose and Rukia felt it rush onto her shoulder. She had to suppress a small shudder when the image of him half-naked popped back into her head.

 

“There,” he said and she jerked herself out of the ridiculous reverie she had been enthralled in. She had to blink a few times to focus her sight on the document while her nose was thoroughly assaulted by his spicy scent. “You see, it went to an experimental department that didn't exactly pan out. That's why the records are weird.”

 

“Oh,” she squeaked, she was finding it hard to breathe with him standing so close to her. “Thanks.” Rukia said, she turned her head to the side in order to actually look at him and thank him—which was proper etiquette, technically—and her heart literally stopped beating.

 

Her lips, which were slightly open, instead of finding blank air, found the soft side of his face. She froze, he froze, and neither of them seemed to be breathing. Rukia could feel her face heating until it was practically volcanic.

 

Oh my God… this isn't happening.

 

Through the fog of horror, embarrassment, and terror, she actually noticed things about him. His cheeks were incredibly smooth and smelled terrific, a mix of aftershave and something else, something amazing. Rukia could practically feel her eyes rolling into the back her head. Her entire body was buzzing at the sight, smell, and even the—the—oh Christ the taste of him. Finally, after nearly a minute of ceasing all types of inhalation, she sucked in a large breath.

 

That seemed to trigger something inside of him. His body was no longer rigidly standing over hers. His muscled form seemed relaxed. He still hadn't moved away from her though. Rukia's lips were still resting on his cheek.

 

Panic set in her chest when she realized she was still too frozen to move. This is ridiculous! She screamed inwardly, just move! But she couldn't. She just couldn't. It was like she had been frozen by some type of otherworldly force.

 

Then he moved.

 

The panicking signals in the pit of her stomach began to shriek when she realized that he wasn't moving away, he was just moving! Rukia's lips slid against the rest of his cheek until they reached the side of his lips. Terror overtook her entire body when her mouth was finally directly in front of his. Her eyes were wide and horrified, his, which were staring directly into hers, were just as open but not nearly as wide and certainly not laced with the same type of horror. They weren't even technically doing anything. Neither one of them was moving. They just… stayed.

 

Rukia saw his eyes slide down just a bit, fractionally, nanometer by nanometer. Dread flooded her limbs when she felt him press his lips just a bit harder onto hers. Rukia could feel herself trembling. She couldn't deny it. She was afraid. But it wasn't because she was afraid of being kissed. She just…

 

She wanted him to kiss her. That thought alone scared her more than anything else in the world.

 

He had just settled his mouth completely against hers and closed his eyes entirely when Rukia regained control of her body.

 

She jerked away and sent her chair spinning towards the wall. Ichigo's—no, it's Kurosaki! Kurosaki damn it—arm was hit with the impact and he yelped in pain. Rukia, on the other hand, couldn't be bothered to notice. She was out of her chair so fast her body was merely a blur.

 

“I have to go to the bathroom,” she mumbled and threw open the door. She stepped out into the hallway and desperately reminded herself that this was a business corporation. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. She turned towards the elevator and walked quickly, her head was held high even though she wanted to bury it deeply into the carpeted floor, she didn't meet anyone's eyes but that was normal for her anyway. She jammed the button for the elevator and waited until it came to her floor.

 

She tried to take in a steady breath but it wouldn't come. Her knees shook as though she was in the middle of an earthquake. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest and she could feel her face burning hotter than ever.

 

The elevator came up and she stepped inside. She would take an early lunch. She needed to talk to Momo.

 

Now.

 

*~*~*

 

“Rukia,” Momo rose from her desk chair and blinked in confusion. “What's going on? Is something the matter?” She paused for a minute and then frowned, “Why do you look like you just got hit in the head with a tomato?”

 

Rukia didn't speak as she grasped Momo's arm and tugged her inside of her old office. She opened the door and shut it quickly behind them. Momo's heel was almost caught in the jamb she was that eager.

 

She looked around the room and noticed the dust floating around with distaste. Even in her rather distressed state of mind she still would have to make a note to call maintenance and make sure that they properly cleaned her office. Rukia pulled her hand to her face and bit her forefinger in between her teeth. She tried to breathe normally but she couldn't help the shudder that ran down her spine. Her lips were still tingling. She quickly withdrew her finger from its position and wiped the back of her hand over her mouth.

 

“Rukia,” Momo said, her voice was laced with worry this time instead of slight mirth, “What in the world is going on? Why are you acting so weird?”

 

She swallowed hard and wished she had her coffee maker in this office. She wished she had her desk to lean on and she wished she had her chair to sink into… or weep pathetically into, either one would be fine.

 

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” She hissed angrily, “How could you be so stupid?” She brought her hands to her head and pressed both of them against her head, pushing inwardly from both sides.

 

“What? Who?” Momo took two steps forward and placed one hand on her shoulder. “Rukia, who are you talking about?”

 

“Me!” She moaned, she bent forward and pressed her eyes shut tightly. “I did something stupid. It was me. Arg!” She lashed out and kicked her foot against the wall.

 

“Whoa,” her friend murmured, “It must be bad.”

 

“I kissed Kurosaki,” she groaned, placing her hands over her eyes and breathing in very unsteadily. “At least, I think I did.”

 

She hazarded a glanced over at her friend. Momo's mouth was open completely, her eyes were wide, and her nose—for some reason—was twitching. Why was her nose twitching? Did she need to sneeze or something?

 

She didn't.

 

“You did what?” She shook her head softly and held up a hand, stopping any response Rukia would have made, “No, no, wait a minute… how can you think you kissed someone? It's either you did or you didn't, there is no in between.”

 

“Well it was!” Rukia cried desperately. She cringed inwardly at the tone of her own voice. Desperate? When had she ever been desperate about anything? Okay, maybe there was that one time in third grade but that had been really excellent cake and all she wanted was another nibble and—

 

“Shit!” She cursed and Momo jumped.

 

“This can't happen.” She snarled angrily. “I won't let it. I will not fall victim to that lazy, womanizing, arrogant, orange-headed punk who thinks he's smarter than I am. I won't let him!”

 

“Rukia, you can't help who you're attracted to—”

 

“Don't even finish that statement!” Rukia barked. “I am not attracted to him. He might have a great body but he's still just as ugly and as vulgar as he was when I first met him.”

 

“Wait, back up for a minute.” The raised eyebrow Momo sent in her direction made her feel extremely uncomfortable. “What do you mean he has a great body? When exactly did you see all of his body?” She crossed her arms over her chest and for one small minute Rukia felt like a cowering Catholic school girl being reprimanded by a nun. “Did you two do more than just kiss?”

 

“No! And it was that time in the park I told you about. Just without his shirt. Nothing else was missing!” She exploded, now feeling a familiar sensation of panic creeping inside of her stomach. She swallowed convulsively and tried to force the feeling to go back down but it wouldn't. “I didn't do anything! I just asked him a question and he was standing too close and I might have moved my head and my mouth might have brushed his cheek.”

 

“Might have?”

 

“Okay, they did,” she groaned and stomped a foot on the floor. “But then he moved his head and then we almost kissed and I—I…”

 

Momo stared at her expectantly. “You…?”

 

Guilt and shame passed over Rukia's features. “Ran… away. Here.”

 

Before she could do anything else, Momo came up, raised her hand, and smacked the side of her head.

 

“Ow!” She recoiled, “Why did you do that?” She demanded.

 

“Because you're an idiot!” She screeched. “You almost kissed one of the finest men on the planet and you decide to run away! I thought you were Rukia Kuchiki, not some tittering school girl all weirded out by playing a little bit of tonsil hockey!”

 

“I wasn't weirded out or anything.” Rukia muttered unhappily. “I was… I don't know…” Scared.

 

If Rukia would have looked over at her friend she would be sure to see her jaw on the floor. She didn't, however, have the guts to look up.

 

“Wow,” she breathed. “I can't believe you. You see him once without his shirt and all of a sudden he's carrying the bubonic plague. Even though you actually liked how he looked sans shirt.”

 

“I know… but I had to look away. If I didn't…” She looked up and gave a pathetic, pouting, look to her friend and groaned pitifully. “He must do some sort of… I don't know, but he's cut. I just—I c-can't.”

 

“If he were a mix of celebrities who would he be?” Momo asked, as if Rukia's answer was of enormous importance.

 

“I can't even pick them. It doesn't compare.”

 

“You mean he,” Momo pointed out, “He doesn't compare.”

 

“No,” she shook her head stoutly, “He is just an it, he is nothing to me therefore I call him it, and you know, if it happens to look nice then that's just fine. He is sexless to me.”

 

Momo stared at her dubiously with a hint of mirth glimmering inside of her eyes. Rukia glared back at her and groaned half in irritation and half in anger. “Don't go there Momo, please.”

 

“Fine,” she held up her arms in surrender and shook her head, “Just so long as you know what I'm thinking.”

 

Rukia sighed, folded her legs, and sat on the floor. Momo, even though she was no doubt quite surprised by the act, followed suit and sat on the floor along with her. She casually rested her head on Rukia's shoulder. Rukia, who, for some reason, felt limp and weak, leaned her head to the side as well. Her head rested atop of Momo's and she sighed heavily.

 

They stayed like that for a few minutes. Momo rubbed Rukia's back slowly and comfortingly. The navy blue of their clothing melted together with the teal of the carpet and their shoes clicked together harmlessly.

 

After a moment Rukia lifted her head and whispered. “I was scared, Momo.”

 

“I know.”

 

“I don't want it to be another… him.”

 

“I know.”

 

“I just… he's not the guy for that. And he never will be.”

 

Momo paused for a moment and brushed a strand of hair back into Rukia's ponytail. “He doesn't have to be. Not everyone is like him.”

 

“I know.”

 

“You don't have to keep thinking that every relationship should be for life. Some should just be for fun.”

 

Rukia frowned. “But you and Toshiro—”

 

“Are the exception,” she interrupted. “Trust me, hook ups and one night stands are more frequent these days than engagements.”

 

Rukia scowled at her friend. “I'm not going to hook up with Ichigo Kurosaki.” She said sourly.

 

“Well,” Momo mused, tilting her head to the side. “Okay, what if you meet a guy from the site? What if you like him in one way but not the other? There's nothing wrong with having a little fun.”

 

“Fun?” Rukia asked dubiously.

 

“Orgasmic fun.” Momo giggled happily.

 

“Of course.” Rukia sighed, her mood taking a drastic turn south.

 

“Just don't write off the possibility. `K?” Momo nudged her side and tried to coax a grin out of her mouth.

 

Rukia flopped back and stretched out completely on the carpeted floor. “You should have been a therapist, you know that?”

 

“Yeah,” Momo said, lying down with her, “I know.”

 

*~*~*

 

“Uryu, you got a minute?”

 

“Do I have a choice?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then come in.”

 

Ichigo opened the door further and stepped into his friend's office. He took care to close it behind him. He had to just make sure; Inoue had seen him walk out of the office shortly after Rukia and he just needed to be certain that she wouldn't come looking for something that wasn't there. Uryu was sitting complacently at his desk and signing off on a couple of documents. Ichigo didn't bother to look at the titles of the pages; he just looked at the countries that were on display.

 

“Wow, when did we get Sweden?”

 

“Two weeks ago.”

 

He sat down and shrugged. “Oh.”

 

Uryu scrawled his impeccable signature a few more times before he looked up at Ichigo and scowled. “Did you want something, Kurosaki?”

 

He glared at Uryu and grumbled, “You took a psyche class in college, right?”

 

“Yes, I did.”

 

Ichigo squirmed uncomfortably in his seat and wrinkled his nose. “Alright, well, just listen, okay? You could probably figure out what's wrong with me.”

 

“You've finally discovered that you're clinically insane?” Uryu asked, still looking down.

 

Ichigo did not appreciate the note of hope in Uryu's voice as he said that. “No,” he growled, “Just shut up for a minute.” He sat further down in the seat and tried to think of what, exactly, he wanted to ask.

 

“Okay,” he began, “Say, hypothetically, of course, that there was this guy. This guy happened to enjoy being with women—”

 

“You.”

 

Ichigo snapped immediately, “Just listen, okay?”

 

Uryu shrugged and folded his hands on the top of the desk. “Okay, continue.”

 

“So this guy,” Ichigo took in a breath and winced slightly, “Doesn't really like this girl. She's irritating and mean and always gets on his nerves.”

 

“Ms. Kuchiki.”

 

“Shut up!”

 

“Continue.”

 

“So this guy and this girl,” Ichigo ground out, rather flustered by how crass Uryu was acting, but then again, Uryu didn't beat around the bush. “Really dislike each other. But one day, the guy kind of sees the girl in a state of undress.”

 

Uryu raised an eyebrow, “You've slept with Kuchiki? If she tells her brother you're dead.”

 

“I didn't sleep with her,” Ichigo snarled, leaving all pretenses behind them. “I saw her working out in only a bra and really short shorts.”

 

“Oh, well then that's so much better,” Uryu muttered sarcastically. “Go on.”

 

“And so the guy kind of starts to think about the girl a bit more than he should. Until one day, he kind of… well, accidentally kisses her.”

 

“Accidentally?” Uryu demanded, “How can you accidentally kiss someone? And since when did you kiss? I thought that was one of your rules, you said it was too personal or something.”

 

“It is,” Ichigo ground out, “If you kiss a girl during sex there's that sort of emotional connection thing. They start to think about more than just sex. Like relationships and commitment and shit.”

 

Uryu dragged a hand through his hair and then removed his glasses to rub his eyes. “How many times did you watch Pretty Woman as a child, Ichigo?”

 

“Once, and you had to admit her rules made sense.” He shook his head frantically and groaned, “But that's beside the point. Listen, it's just… I was standing too close to her face, and her lips, and she just happened to turn her head.”

“Interesting.”

 

“Yeah, but it's just that… I mean, you know my policy. But when we kind of kissed I… wanted to kiss her back.” He pulled a hand through his hair and snarled at his own reluctance to say anything. “I really did.” He paused for a minute and glared at a random corner of the room. “But I hate her. The only thing we really have in common is that we don't really like In—In… ou… oh, sorry, I forgot, you like her.”

 

Uryu's blue eyes became icier than normal. He put his eyeglasses back onto his face and sighed heavily. “Orihime Inoue is a wonderful woman, Kurosaki, it is only unfortunate that she seems to be fixated on you.”

 

“Maybe she wouldn't be so fixated on me if you asked her out.” Ichigo pointed out dryly.

 

Uryu's face reddened to the point where the tips of his ears were the color of cherries. Hell, even the back of his neck was red. His normally pale skin seemed translucent and Ichigo bit back a laugh.

 

“You've already asked her out.” He stated simply.

 

Uryu looked to the side. Ichigo blinked twice and realized that the look on Uryu's face was the look of shame. He felt a small shrivel of guilt curl up inside of his stomach.

 

“She said she was interested in someone else.” Uryu muttered angrily. He gave Ichigo a cold, hard, withering, glare and pushed his chair back. He walked over to the window using his spindly legs and stuffed his hands inside of his pockets. He stood there, just staring outside, for a good deal of time before he turned back to Ichigo and shook his head. “You could at least tell her you know,” he said softly. “Tell her you're not interested in her or something. She shouldn't spend all of this time pining for you when you're interested in Kuchiki.”

 

“I'm not—”

 

“Yes you are.” Uryu snapped. “You are and you're too thick to see it. Just wait, Kurosaki, one day you'll finally snap and do something. I'll wait until then.” He turned back to the person inside of the room and glared, “I just think its sad how Ms. Inoue is so fixated on a womanizing pig like you. She doesn't even realize that there's more out there than just you.”

 

“You know Uryu,” Ichigo snarled, standing up from his chair and pushing it back in with more force than was necessary. “I've done all I could to try and put her off but she won't listen. Maybe it's not me you should be mad at; maybe you should just be mad at her.”

 

“You're the one who started this whole thing,” Uryu grumbled.

 

“And I'm trying to put a stop to it too,” Ichigo said. “But she won't let it go. She just won't.” He moved towards the door and pulled it open. He was about to step outside when he stopped, pivoted, and turned back to Uryu, “And I do not have a thing for Kuchiki, she's a demonic dwarf who happens to be slightly attractive. That's it.”

 

“Just keep telling yourself that, Kurosaki.” Uryu spat.

 

“Whatever, just don't be angry that you can't get the girl because she's stuck on me.”

 

Uryu's spine stiffened and his body became lethally rigid. “That was low, Kurosaki.”

 

Ichigo felt low. He'd never tell Uryu that though. He kept up his heated attitude and exited his friend's office in a huff.

 

He did feel like crap. He had Uryu were friends, not the best or closest of friends but still friends nonetheless. They had their insults and their quips and everything but when worse came to worse they were still, well, there for each other. In the way that guys were there for each other. They were just guys, they'd have beers, go out to socialize with women, and occasionally even go to concerts or business lunches. Just stupid guy things.

 

Still, Ichigo did feel bad that he acted like such an ass. Uryu had been hung up on Inoue for nearly two years and she barely noticed him because she had been hung up on Ichigo. It was a sick love triangle that had plagued Uryu's heart and Ichigo's patience nearly since Christmas. It wasn't that Ichigo didn't feel for the guy, it was just that he got tired of Uryu continually blaming him. If he had a problem then he should take it up with Inoue, not him; he had made his feelings quite clear.

 

Inoue was the one who just didn't get it. It wasn't him.

 

He sighed heavily, shook his head, and headed back to his office.

 

*~*~*

 

Momo Hinamori—soon to be Momo Hitsugaya—prided herself on having an intuition as sharp as a set of razor blades. Sure, that type of intuition didn't come around too often when it came to practical things like shopping, exercise, or cooking, but when it came to her best friend, she knew exactly what was going on, whether Rukia would admit it or not.

 

Being best friends with Rukia Kuchiki wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Momo had to weather insults, attacks, anger, doubt, and indifference whenever she was around her. Early on in their relationship she had to figure out when Rukia was being serious and when she was being sarcastic—there was no joking with Rukia, it was either serious or sarcastic. But once she had been schooled in the ways of the tones, words, and epithets her friend used, it was relatively simple to figure out what needed to be done.

 

In this case, Momo knew what needed to be done.

 

Rukia always teased her about how she should have become a therapist. In all honesty, she considered herself one. Rukia had more than enough problems for the both of them and Momo knew that if she weren't there to hear them all out Rukia would probably end up combusting during some random board meeting. Plus, she doubted any other therapist would actually take her, she was far too crazy for any normal shrink.

 

So Momo knew what needed to be done. Even if she knew that Rukia wouldn't be completely receptive to it at first.

 

As she walked into the building of Suigetsu Incorporated Momo made sure to keep her head down just a bit. She knew that Rukia was still somewhere in Gotei Corp. finishing up a bit of busy work in order to keep herself away from Ichigo Kurosaki but she wouldn't put it past her neurotic friend to check the security videos every now and then. Even if she wasn't looking for anything in particular.

 

She came to the front desk and politely asked the aged woman working there for the floor where Ichigo Kurosaki worked. The woman, after giving her the eye-roll, told her in a snippy tone of voice. Momo wondered if she should have shown the woman her engagement ring. Surely even the lowly receptionists at Suigetsu must have heard of her fiancé. That would have taken any suspicions off of her being an afternoon prostitute of Kurosaki's.

 

Oh well, too late now. She thought cheerfully as she waited for the elevator to bring her up to the aforementioned floor. She hummed merrily along with the music and grinned. She knew that she was doing the right thing. She had to be.

 

She stepped outside and a few people glanced at her while she passed. She wondered if it was because she was so happy. She had a type of glow around her that other people just didn't have… she thought it was because of the gigantic rock on her finger and the fantastic wedding she was planning for February. She giggled inwardly and skipped a bit.

 

“God I love Toshiro,” she hummed happily before turning her attention back to her task at hand. She needed to find his office. Oh wait, there was the receptionist.

 

Momo walked up to the large desk and saw a pretty woman with reddish-orange hair and breasts bigger than cantaloupes sitting in the chair. She was busy reading a gossip magazine but raised her head when she noticed Momo.

 

“Can I help you with something?” She asked politely. Momo immediately got why Rukia didn't like this woman, this one Orihime Inoue; this chick was even bubblier than her… and that was saying something.

 

“Yes,” Momo began, “I'd like you to point me in the direction of Ichigo Kurosaki's office, please.”

 

Wow, Rukia wasn't kidding about that protective glint. It came into her eyes faster than Momo could get Kurosaki's name out. Even her smile flattened just a bit before she was able to reel it back in.

 

“I could happily give your message to him.”

 

Momo raised an eyebrow and inwardly snorted, this lady was kind of creepy, and it wasn't just the tone of her voice or the look in her eye that made her that way. It was her whole freaking demeanor. Her body was stiff in her chair and it looked as though she seemed absolutely determined to have her way.

 

So was Momo.

 

“No, that's alright, you see, my boss, Rukia Kuchiki? Yes, she asked me to deliver this to him personally.”

 

“Oh,” she giggled lightly, as if that would break the tension between the two of them. “Well I know Rukia, I'm sure she wouldn't mind it if I—”

 

“But then you see then I wouldn't be doing my job,” Momo cut in swiftly. “Ms. Kuchiki asked me to deliver this personally. I wouldn't be a very good secretary if I didn't.”

 

Inoue nodded once and her sharp eyes raked over Momo's casually leaning form. “Well now, that's odd, I didn't know that office secretaries also worked as messenger pigeons.”

 

Momo's smile flat lined. “Rukia also happened to be my best friend. I'm doing her a favor.” She leaned in just a bit more and her cobalt eyes hardened threateningly. “Now, the office?” She took careful attention to leave out the word `please.'

 

She could see the woman behind the desk grinding her teeth. “Last door on the left. Near the elevator.”

 

“Thank you,” she said coldly. “I appreciate it.”

 

She turned and walked away with Orihime Inoue's eyes boring a hole into the center of her back. Momo walked in a straight line and made a ninety degree angle at the office. She opened the door and stepped inside.

 

Once again, she had to steel herself against the fantastically good looks of Rukia's sworn enemy, even if he was currently bent over a desk and writing on a form. She honestly didn't know how Rukia didn't see it. Ichigo Kurosaki was a freaking fine piece of meat. He was like filet mignon in a slaughterhouse. Or pate de fois gras in comparison to spray cheese.

 

He was hot.

 

If she weren't already engaged to the sweetest, handsomest, kindest, best man on the face of the planet she would have jumped him the moment he lifted those honeyed amber eyes to hers.

 

“Hello!” She smiled and waved her hand. She also made sure to step in and shut the door to the office, just in case that nosy bitch decided to eavesdrop. “In case you don't remember me I'm—”

 

“Momo Hinamori,” he said, standing from behind his desk and moving around it, “Soon to be Momo Hitsugaya, yeah, I remember. You're Rukia's friend.” He stuck his hand out and she shook it. She had to suppress a giggle when she felt his firm grip. She could tell already that Rukia had been right. This guy was cut.

 

“Yes, I'm here on Rukia's behalf.” She told him in a dignified voice, straightening her shoulders and smiling charmingly.

 

“Is she… um… okay?” He asked, his voice kind of choking on the last part.

 

“After you two kind of, sort of, kissed you mean?” She asked happily and she noted that his cheeks tinged a bit pink.

 

Oh how cute, she squealed inwardly, he blushes!

 

“No,” he said, his voice becoming gruff and hard once again. “Not that, she just ran out of here and I don't know—”

 

Momo held up a hand, “Save it, she already told me. And besides,” she rolled her eyes and dug softly into her pocket. “I'm not that stupid.”

 

“I didn't—”

 

“I said save it,” Momo warned him with a matronly attitude. His mouth snapped shut immediately but the scowl on his face stayed.

 

She only smiled and passed him a sheet of plain, college-ruled, paper. She handed it over and he took it with uncertain hands.

 

“What is this?” He asked, unfolding it and staring at the things scrawled on the top. “What are these numbers?” He looked back up at her and set his jaw into a scowl. “Well?”

 

“You're just as charming as Rukia makes you out to be,” she said happily, “You two are so cute.”

 

“We're wha—?”

 

“Now this,” Momo said, interrupting him and pointing at the top number. “Is Rukia Kuchiki's private home number. This one,” she moved her hand down to the second number, “Is her cell phone number, and this,” she slid it down once again, “Is her personal email.”

 

She took a step away and smiled as though she had just won the lottery.

 

He held the piece of paper up awkwardly and frowned even harder. “Why… why would you give me these?”

 

Momo could not believe that these people, who graduated college with honors, who got through law school with top grades, and who worked at fantastically influential companies, could be so fucking blind. She rolled her eyes and groaned at the stupidity of these two arrogant, ignorant, over-achievers.

 

“Look,” she began, speaking as though she was talking to a two year old. “I know it might seem like you hate my boss right now.”

 

“I do hate her.” He chimed in with an ugly tone of voice.

 

“Whatever, the point is that sooner or later, you're going to wish you had these. So just… I don't know, put them on file or something.” She shrugged and grinned. “I have a feeling you'll thank me later.”

 

“There's nothing going on between me and Rukia Kuchiki,” he spat at her, trying to hand the sheet back to her. “I don't know what would give you the impression that there was.”

 

“I have eyes,” she stated obviously. She pushed the paper back into his hand and immediately turned her back on him. She sashayed to the exit and smiled happily. She opened the door and swiveled back once more. “Don't throw those away now! I mean it.” She giggled lightly before waving and leaving. She closed the door behind her.

 

Momo Hinamori—soon to be Momo Hitsugaya—pressed her back against the fake wood and drew in a deep breath. Rukia would kill her if she ever found out about this. She shook her head and tried to convince herself that she had indeed done the right thing. She knew she had. This was, in fact, for Rukia's own good.

 

She smiled to herself and slowly walked away. She held her head high and she kept her gaze away from that of Orihime Inoue's, who was no doubt watching her. She exited the building in style with a small smile on her face.

 

What she didn't see was Ichigo Kurosaki standing in the center of the office, staring at the sheet of paper in his hands for a good five minutes before taking it, folding it, and shoving it into the breast pocket of his jacket.

 

 

 

 

(A/N: So... I think this is my favorite chapter so far.  I know it must have been crazy to read but it was sooo fun to write.  A bit more IchiRukiness and Inoue-creepy-ness and Momo-helpfulness.  YAY!!!

 

I go to college in 12 hours... damn I feel like puking.  I'm so nervous.  However, I decided to post this chapter as sort of a celebration thing.

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to review for this story.  I truly appreciate it and squeal whenever I get another comment.  So please, CONTINUE TO REVIEW!)