Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Odalisque ❯ Chapter 39 ( Chapter 39 )

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

 

 

 

 

Odalisque

 

Chapter 39

 

Rukia's cell phone buzzed on the nearby table. It clattered noisily against the wood and even threatened to slide off the edge if not soon stopped. Momo, who was sitting at said table, watched it with soft interest. The LCD screen on the front glowed a bright blue as it continued to thrash about on the hard surface.

 

Momo looked up noiselessly, “Rukia… your phone…”

 

Said woman was currently sitting on the couch, eyes lifelessly staring at a random home shopping channel—which was currently displaying a set of lapis lazuli earrings. Rukia personally thought they looked like lumps of gilded crap but she didn't say anything. Her dry eyes blinked carelessly and she sighed.

 

“Who is it?” She rasped.

 

Momo sighed and reached across the table, gently stopping the phone before it rattled off the edge. She glanced at the screen and heaved a heavier sigh. “Your brother. His private line.”

 

Rukia didn't even bother to react. “Oh.” Ever so slowly, she slid her legs out from under her and started to move. Her limbs felt like they had spent an entire month rotting in a desert, cracking and flaking away until there was barely anything but bone left. Her lugubrious body moved towards the table where Momo was sitting and she gently took the seat across from her.

 

She raised her hand and accepted the phone. It must have been on the twentieth ring but Rukia knew that her brother, if he had something important to say to her, could out-wait a dead man in order to speak to her.

 

She heaved a sigh and glanced at her friends' wary face before flipping open the phone and responding, “Rukia Kuchiki speaking.”

 

“Hello Rukia,” her brother said. For once, Rukia had to remark on the fact that her voice sounded even more emotionless than his. That was a first. “I have something to discuss with you.”

 

“I assumed you did,” Rukia replied, spreading her free hand out on the top of the table and separating her fingers slowly.

 

“Never assume,” he cut in dryly, she could tell—even from across the phone—that he was frowning at her, “It's unbecoming of a Kuchiki…”

 

Rukia's eyes rolled to the top of her head and she sighed. Wait for it…

 

“… As was your behavior in the dealings of the hostile takeover between Suigetsu Incorporated and the Gotei Corporation.”

 

She remained silent but that didn't seem to bother her brother in the least.

 

“To betray the very company that you work for—the same company from which I receive forty three and one quarter percent of my products from—in favor of another and then to get fired from both is disgraceful. You were brought down by your own trickery and deception. Not only that, but to do it so publically and with such a powerful company. You've brought great shame onto the Kuchiki name. I have received hundreds of calls from your relatives demanding your disownment and I can say with complete certainty that I have considered it.”

 

His voice remained even throughout his entire lecture and Rukia did not move from her space at the table. She did not even put her hand to the bridge of her nose and rub, as was customary when she was greatly irritated. She didn't even say a word.

 

“Therefore, I have decreed that in order for you to regain the approval of the family, you must agree to wed your fourth cousin by marriage. His name is Atsuya Kuchiki and he is the owner of a rapidly expanding company in Eastern Asia. Therefore, the requirements of the family shall be dealt with as well as the requirements I have set forth for my last will and testament.”

 

Rukia blinked once and was then silent.

 

At this point, even Byakuya seemed a bit ruffled by her lack of participation in the conversation. She heard him clear his throat and then scratch his name onto a piece of paper. “Would you like to comment?”

 

Rukia retained her silence for only a moment longer before calmly drawing in a deep, deep, breath and exhaling gingerly.

 

“Byakuya,” she never called him by his first name. Although she couldn't see his reaction, she knew he was probably surprised. “I would like to tell you something. I would also like you undivided attention. Are you capable of that?”

 

Momo, sitting across from her at the table and listlessly pretending not to listen in on her conversation, raised her head at the sound of Rukia's voice.

 

“Proceed.” Byakuya said in a voice as chilled as ice.

 

“Excellent,” Rukia's tone had not changed; her voice was still as hollow as it had been when she first answered the phone. She was not going to be goaded into the petty exertions brought on by anger.

 

“Byakuya,” she said, quietly, softly, emptily, “You may shove your proposal so far up your ass that it goes through you entire body and comes out of your throat.”

 

Momo's eyes widened and her jaw seemingly became separated from the rest of her head.

 

But Rukia wasn't finished, she continued in a voice as quiet and as deadly as she had ever used. “You may not have realized it, but since I was adopted into the Kuchiki Clan I have been nothing but the perfect Kuchiki. I have always gotten spectacular marks, and I have completed high school, college, and graduate school in record time. I was accepted as the youngest woman ever to be the second in command at the legal division of the Gotei Corporation. I have always been polite, I have always kept my tongue around my so-called relatives, and I have never asked for anything in return.”

 

“Now, if I should address the first issue you presented. Never once did I knowingly sign papers explicitly saying that I had direct knowledge of a hostile takeover. My part in this has been completely fabricated, and if you feel the need to believe a few hack newspapers over the word of your own sister then my opinion of you and my belief in you has just dropped dramatically.”

 

“With regards to the second subject you have presented. I must say that, while I have tried to gain the approval of the extensive members of the Kuchiki family, they will forever view me as a street rat whose sister seduced you into making me a part of their clique. I will never have their approval so I see no need to rectify the situation as is just so they can bury me in shame for the rest of my life.”

 

“As for the third matter you broached. In the process of learning that I had been framed to take the fall for the hostile takeover of the Gotei Corporation, I also learned that I was betrayed by the man that I loved… in more ways than one. I am in the process of grieving at the loss of the one person I thought to be my soul mate. That you would even suggest an arranged marriage for me is insulting, disgusting, presumptuous, antediluvian, and undignified. I'm especially surprised that a man of your stature would stoop to such low levels. I couldn't care if you were begging me for this on your deathbed. I will not marry until I wish and I will never allow you to choose my husband for me. You may tell the rest of the Kuchiki family that I refuse. You may even quote me on the `shove it up your ass' comment if you'd like.”

 

She stopped speaking and looked up at Momo. Her jaw was now on the floor and her eyes were popping completely out of her head.

 

She distinctly heard her brother rearranging papers on his desk. “Is that all?”

 

Rukia nodded once, “Yes, Byakuya, that is all.”

 

“Excellent,” he said, his voice unchanged from the beginning of their conversation. “Goodbye.”

 

“Goodbye brother,” Rukia said softly. She retracted the phone from her ear and pressed the end button. She flipped it shut and placed it back on the table. She stared at it for a few moments before sighing, rising, and slowly walking back over to her couch.

 

Rukia turned up the volume on the home shopping channel and began staring at the old, fat, man trying to sell her vacuum cleaners.

 

*~*~*

 

“Ah,” Mr. Aizen said as he entered Ichigo's office, “Glad to see you're back.”

 

Ichigo raised his eyes and glared at the man now standing in the doorway.

 

Mr. Aizen `tsked' him and shook his head, “Now now, you don't have to be like that Ichigo. I realize that you must pine for Ms. Kuchiki but doesn't the fact that you're now getting half of her salary in addition to your own make up for her absence?”

 

“No.” Ichigo didn't even have to think about that one.

 

“Ah, of course…” he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and allowing his hand to come up and brush a stray piece of hair from his face. He wore it slicked back all the time now. His glasses were gone too. Ichigo snarled softly and felt disgusted at how sadistic the man looked. Mr. Aizen shrugged a shoulder and shook his head, “Yes, well, I'm sure you're just missing your little desk forays.” Ichigo's stomach dropped and his eyes narrowed. He briefly wondered if he'd be able to beat his boss to a bloody pulp and get away with it.

 

Mr. Aizen lifted one corner of his mouth as he surveyed Ichigo's reaction. Only when he was finished smirking at him for a good ten seconds did he close his eyes and sigh. His expression made him look like he was trying to savor something delicious. “Tell me, is she really as tight as she looks? I wouldn't mind if—”

 

Ichigo was out of his desk and had his fist planted in the bastards' shirt before he could say another word. He slammed Mr. Aizen's back against the frame of the door and narrowed his eyes until they were nothing more than razor slits. His forearm was pressed snugly against Mr. Aizen's windpipe and he was just longing to push it in further.

 

A cruel smile curled onto Mr. Aizen's features and he chuckled lightly at the venom in Ichigo's face. He was panting angrily and his face was flushed with color.

 

“Watch yourself Kurosaki,” Mr. Aizen hissed, his voice dropping to disgustingly decrepit levels. “I don't think you realize just how far I'm willing to go to get what I want.”

 

“If you go near her,” Ichigo breathed, his forearm pressing even tighter and tighter onto Mr. Aizen's front. “I will end you in the most violent way possible.”

 

Before Ichigo could even blink a fist as hard a diamonds pummeled into his stomach. He grunted and doubled over, feeling another hand come up to his shoulder, gripping the tendons tightly. Ichigo hissed angrily and was about to react when he was pushed violently away.

 

Ichigo looked up with murder written in his eyes.

 

Mr. Aizen looked as cool as possible. He brushed apiece of disrupted hair away from his face and pushed it back so it joined the rest. He calmly looked over at a panting Ichigo and smiled, “I'll overlook this little breach in conduct. I see that you are still distressed over the loss of your business partner… even though it's been two whole days. However, I expect you to be completely ready to work fully as the head of legal at the new Suigetsu Incorporated come tomorrow… and all subsequent days after that.”

 

Ichigo wheezed from the punch delivered to his stomach but did not say another word. He gritted his teeth together and swallowed angrily.

 

Mr. Aizen only smiled and nodded once. He slowly exited, making sure to leave the door completely open. Ichigo watched as his form disappeared from the doorway and then into the hallway. He grunted in frustration, straightened up—with slight difficulty—and winced. He knew he'd have a bruise there tomorrow. He gingerly rubbed his stomach and snarled. Who knew that that rat bastard could punch so hard?

 

“Tell me, is she really as tight as she looks? I wouldn't mind if—”

 

Ichigo strode lividly over to his desk and slammed his powerful fist into the wooden surface. He pulled it back a few moments later and watched as his knuckles began to bleed. He blinked at them but realized, after a moment, that he actually didn't care. It was better that he feel something than nothing at all… right?

 

“No one is going to touch her,” he snarled angrily, watching the red liquid ooze out of his fingers. “No one… no one but me…”

 

He fell into his chair and pressed a hand against his face.

 

It's been two days, he thought miserably. Two whole fucking days.

 

The familiar feeling of his heart caving in on itself started again inside of his chest. He shook his head and pressed his fingers to his eyes. A blinking message on his computer went unread as he tried hard to block out the memories of what had happened between him and Rukia last Monday.

 

Yet try as he might he couldn't get her out of his head. Images of her tears even permeated his dreams. He had barely slept this entire week. He missed the feeling of having her beside him. Hell, he missed her all the time. Ever since the beginning of their “relationship” he had never been away from her for more than a few days. They were always at work together or at one another's apartments.

 

But now… being without her for a straight week… it was like he had just quit the most addictive drug possible cold turkey. He wanted her so badly…

 

He needed her.

 

“Shit, Rukia…” he balefully looked over at the open window and thought about how he had barely lived for the past week.

 

Last night, he had gone to his father's house in an attempt to try and talk to his dad about what had happened.

 

Tried being the operative word.

 

He could barely force himself to open his mouth. He had wanted to tell his dad but he just couldn't. All that had occurred was silence. He had sat with his fathers and his sisters, just eating quietly at the table. A cloud of heaviness covered the air around them. Even Isshin hadn't been as animated as he usually was, possibly sedated by his depressed son.

 

Yuzu chewed slowly on her food and eyed her brother slowly. Karin, sitting beside Yuzu, sipped on her cup of water and watched her older brother as well, even the ever-animated Isshin was silent and staring at his son as if he had grown two extra heads.

 

Twenty minutes later this was still the case.

 

“Ichigo…” Yuzu began, swallowing softly. “I—Is something wrong?”

 

“Yeah Ichigo,” Karin remarked, her surly voice oddly comforting yet still curious, “What the hell's the matter with you?”

 

“Nothing,” he replied quietly, not even bothering to snap at either of his sisters for being nosy. His voice lacked everything but exhaustion. He simply stared at his plate and tried to think of something to say.

 

Isshin remained silent as he munched on his meal. Ichigo squirmed in his seat and tried to swallow the meager portions of steak he was stuffing down his throat. He glanced at the empty space beside him and remembered how he had eaten Christmas dinner with Rukia at this very table. He choked lightly on his food when he remembered what he had done to her in his old room.

 

His heart sank lower and lower into his chest.

 

It was then that this father had to ask the one question that would make Ichigo begin to tremble.

 

He folded his hands under his chin, turned his intense gaze to Ichigo, and carved his mouth into a very straight line. “So… son, what is Rukia doing today?”

 

Ichigo wished he could have stiffened at the comment. He wished he could have just looked down at his plate and said `fine' and continue eating. He wished he could just pretend like everything was okay.

 

But it wasn't.

 

His head snapped up instead of staying still. He turned towards his father and sent him a look that was as baleful and as filled with sorrow as anyone could ever imagine.

 

Isshin's eyes immediately widened and he released a quick breath. “Ichigo… I'm sorry. What… what… ha—?”

 

“I'm leaving,” he choked, rising from his cushioned seat and moving quickly away. He shoved his hands into his pockets and strode briskly away from the rest of his family. He threw open the door and moved outside as quickly as he could. The neon lights of the clinic threw his hair and his scowl into bright perspective.

 

It also illuminated his wetly glimmering eyes.

 

“Ichigo!” Karin shouted. Yuzu's voice soon followed in a desperate plea. Ichigo only walked faster. Distantly, he heard his father tell the girls that it would be best if they just left him alone for now.

 

Ichigo swallowed the large lump in his throat that was telling him just how much his chest was aching. He got into his car and had to fight off the mental image of Rukia and him kissing in the front seats.

 

Rukia…

 

A knock on his door appeared and he jerked his head up quickly. His small reverie passed out of his mind and he blinked several times before finally looking towards the door.

 

“Oh shit,” he grumbled, running his hand down his face in agitation and not even bothering to disguise the volume or the tone of his voice.

 

“Something bothering you Mr. Kurosaki?” Inoue asked cheerily as she bounced merrily into his office.

 

My office…

 

“Yes,” he snarled, not able to hide his contempt and distaste for her any longer. “You just walked into this office.”

 

“Oh,” she looked back to the door but didn't seem at all affronted, “Yes… I suppose it squeaks, doesn't it? I bet you hate when it does that. I do too! I can't stand squeaky things! Squeaky doors, squeaky chairs, and even squeaky voices—”

 

“Then how did you live with yourself for all of these years?” He demanded.

 

Inoue didn't even miss a beat; she chuckled happily, causing her enormously large breasts to bounce up and down. Not to mention, in the shirt she was wearing, he could swear her nipples almost rose above the fabric. “That was funny!” She giggled, as if he needed her affirmation to make it so.

 

“What do you want, Inoue?” He demanded, quite fed up with her and all the shit she was pulling right now.

 

“I was wondering when you wanted to go on a date,” she simpered happily, her smile brightly shining on her face. “Tonight would be good for me, but then again, any night would be great so long as you and I were together.”

 

Ichigo's jaw dropped open and he felt his eyes bug out of his head.

 

“A… what?” He demanded in a choked voice. He had to swallow twice to keep himself from vomiting.

 

Inoue cocked her head to the side and laughed happily. “Our date silly! You remember? Now that Rukia Kuchiki is gone we can start going out!”

 

Like hell.

 

Ichigo opened his mouth and was completely ready to tell her to fuck off when a niggling in his gut told him to stop.

 

Think about this, he told himself slowly, his mouth closing off his sharp retort. Just think for a minute.

 

Like a movie on fast forward, his conversation with Tatsuki ran quickly through his head.

 

I need to know what was going on. I need to know what's happening. I have been sitting on my ass for two whole days doing absolutely nothing while Rukia has been suffering, Aizen has been doing god-knows-what, and… and Inoue…

 

His eyes widened as he stared at the buxom woman in front of him. She was smiling vapidly and giggling rambunctiously. Her feet shifted from side to side as her breasts jiggled up and down. Ichigo's eyes raked her over and he snarled.

 

She sure as hell doesn't look like she'd be of any use to someone with a diabolical and complex plan. He thought disgustedly, thinking of Aizen and his slicked back hair.

 

His gut tingled again.

 

But maybe… maybe that's what he needed, he thought slowly, maybe he needed someone who was too dim to question orders. Someone who was too simple to throw him off his game.

 

For once, Ichigo looked up at Inoue with new, and more speculative, eyes. She grinned back widely.

 

Did she have a part in all of this? If so… what was her part?

 

He closed his eyes and tried to think of what she had said to him not but two days ago:

 

“Because, if I lived five lifetimes I'd want to be with you for each one. Because I know that you and Rukia Kuchiki are done. Because I know that she tricked you into loving her. And because I know that I can replace that miniature witch in your heart as quickly as you can say `yes.'”

 

His eyes opened and he looked at the woman now standing before him.

 

She knew something.

 

His mind started to whirl and his jaw started to clench. First of all, how had Inoue known that they were finished—his throat closed at the thought—as a couple?

 

Granted, after she had seen the fight that they had had... well, anyone else could have assumed that they were finished. To see Rukia running away from him like that, crying, and shoving herself into an elevator… it would have seemed definitive enough for anyone. But still, on that day nothing had been definitive, nothing had been certain, and nothing had been immediately set in stone.

 

His mind whirled and he swallowed angrily. He hadn't thought much of it at the time but now, the phrase: `tricked you into loving her' definitely meant more to him right now than it ever had. How had Inoue known that he had fallen for Rukia? His cheeks tinged slightly pink at the thought. He guessed that anyone could assume that if they had been watching the two closely enough. And he had a feeling that Inoue had been watching both he and Rukia very closely.

 

Stalker.

 

However it was more than just that. He knew that she had been obsessed with him for the longest time but… how far would she have gone to ensure that she ended up with him? Hell, she had even made up some lie about having a dog to trick him into coming home with her.

 

Damn, I sound like some kind of toy to be won at a competition, he thought angrily.

 

The question remained… would Orihime Inoue use drastic measures to make sure that Rukia was taken out of the picture?

 

The answer to that question was a definite yes.

 

“I can replace that miniature witch in your heart as quickly as you can say `yes.'”

 

He felt like snorting and screaming at the remembrance of such a statement. Not only did he know that such a thing could—and would—never happen, he also knew that if anyone ever thought they could replace Rukia anywhere in his life they were disturbed.

 

Then again, he already knew Inoue wasn't right in the head.

 

He shook his head slightly and brought himself back to the question at hand: What did Inoue know?

 

Even though his stomach was roiling with hatred, disgust, and all-out revulsion, he forced a smile onto his face, raised his head to the buxom young woman standing in front of him, swallowed hard, and asked:

 

“Pick you up at eight?”

 

*~*~*

 

“Beverly Robinson, New York Realty, how may I be of service to you today?”

 

The chipper voice on the other end of the line had Rukia Kuchiki wanting to claw her ears off in disgust. How anyone could be that cheerful while her life—and her friends' life—was in complete and utter shambles was beyond her. It felt like the entire world should be mourning along with the two of them.

 

“I'm looking to move to New York in the very near future,” Rukia told her, trying hard to get it so that her voice sounded at least a bit human. It didn't work. “I'm looking for something that is at least two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a dining area.”

 

“I assume you'd like this in a safer section of the city?” Beverly asked her happily, the busy scratching of a notepad accompanying her delighted voice.

 

Rukia wanted to stab herself in the ear with a pen. “If at all possible, yes.”

 

“Hmm… do you have any children ma'am?”

 

“Miss,” Rukia corrected her, feeling a lump the size of a golf ball enter into her throat, she tried to swallow it but to no avail. “And the answer is no. It will be me and my friend.”

 

“Excellent, may I ask what price range you'll be looking for?”

 

Rukia told her while slowly massaging the areas around her temples. Beverly took a few minutes to chat with her about housing prices in New York and how difficult it was to find the right places for the right people. “But don't worry,” she laughed, “I'll find one for you in a little over four days! Is that good for you Miss… oh, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know your name.” She giggled and Rukia fought the urge to retch.

 

“Rukia Kuchiki,” she said stiffly, “And I'm sure that four days will be plenty of time for you to find an apartment to my specifications.” She said thank you to Beverly-I-had-eight-shots-of-espresso-this-morning-Robinson and swiftly closed her phone. She gently took it away from her ear and sighed. She tossed it onto the coffee table in front of her and returned to watching the home shopping channel.

 

“So…” Momo whispered dryly from her spot on the couch opposite Rukia. Her eyes were red and her nose was slightly dripping. She had just finished another crying-bout over Toshiro. Rukia looked at her and sighed; she wished she could have another cry fest over him. It just seemed like all of her tears had been completely used up. She just felt empty inside…

 

Well, not entirely empty. It felt like there was an enormous rock inside of her chest; sometimes it resided in her stomach and caused her to feel like the wind had been knocked out of her entire body. Sometimes it decided to rest in her lungs, making her breathing become sharp wheezes and gasps. However most of the time her giant rock of depression liked to press itself directly against her heart, where it felt the need to smush out every bit of remaining emotion from her existence.

 

Stupid rock.

 

Momo turned to her and placed a bitter smile on her lips, “New York?”

 

Rukia nodded once and turned back to the petite woman on the screen. She was showing off fat and overpriced diamond studs.

 

“New York.”

 

*~*~*

 

Ichigo pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed Tatsuki's number. She answered on what might have been the third ring. Ichigo couldn't tell, he was too busy trying to suppress the feeling of utter dread now seeping into his stomach.

 

He swallowed and tried to will images of him on a date with Orihime Inoue out of his head. The two of them… at a table… together…

 

He shuddered and realized he couldn't do it. What's more than that, he felt like he was about ready to throw up all of the meals he had eaten in the past week.

 

“Ichigo?” Tatsuki's voice snapped him out of his living nightmare and he fought back a shudder.

 

“I'm here Tatsuki,” he sighed and stood from his chair, staring distantly out of the window.

 

She made a small sound of acknowledgement in the back of her throat and began to munch on something. “Do you have anything to give me?” She demanded, her voice muffled by her full mouth.

 

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, “Always to the point.”

 

“I'm a journalist. Deal.”

 

“I need you,” he began, he took a deep breath and was almost ready to start talking when he heard Tatsuki chuckle.

 

“Never thought I'd hear you say those three little words to me,” she snorted playfully.

 

“Bitch,” he snorted, cracking a smile for the first time in two and a half days, “You didn't let me finish.” He drew in a deep breath and continued, “I need you to help me get the cooperation of the KPD.”

 

A small choking sound began on the other end of the line and Ichigo had a sneaking suspicion that whatever Tatsuki had been eating had just gone down the wrong pipe.

 

Three minutes of coughing later, Tatsuki ended up sputtering: “Why?”

 

Ichigo bit his lip and looked quickly around the rest of his office in order to make sure that he was completely alone. He turned back to the window and scowled at the people milling about the courtyard below. “I've been thinking about what happened on Monday.”

 

“As well you should,” Tatsuki interrupted sarcastically.

 

“And I think,” Ichigo continued with a slight growl in his voice, “That this thing goes deeper than anything we could have thought.”

 

For once, Tatsuki didn't have a quick retort.

 

Ichigo pressed his hand to the cold glass and watched as it fogged around his fingers. “I don't have any proof to support this Tatsuki but my gut is telling me that there's more to this whole situation than either of us could have ever imagined.”

 

After a moment she mumbled something unintelligible and sighed, “You trust your gut?”

 

He shrugged lightly and muttered, “I trust it more than I do my brain.”

 

Tatsuki didn't even have to think about it before verbally shrugging and saying, “Sure, why the hell not? Meet you at the KPD in twenty.”

 

Ichigo nodded and let out a sigh of relief. “Excellent. See you in twenty.”

 

*~*~*

 

Ichigo knew that the minute he walked into the Karakura Police Department and asked for Detective Renji Abarai that he was not going to leave this place without some sort of bruise or broken bone.

 

It turned out he was correct when it came to the first injury. The moment he stepped inside of the Karakura Police Department and Renji Abarai spotted him—well, spotted his hair more likely—said detective launched himself out of his chair, crossed the entire breadth of the department floor in three steps, cocked his fist back, and pummeled it into Ichigo's face. Pain exploded in his cheek and he staggered back a few steps, his hands going to cup his throbbing jaw.

 

“Shit,” Ichigo cursed, rubbing the already bruising skin again and again.

 

“You fucking bastard,” Abarai seethed, bringing his fist back again shoving it deeply into Ichigo's stomach. The already bruised muscle screamed in protest but no sound escaped Ichigo's mouth.

 

All of the wind that had previously been inside of him was knocked out with the forceful blow. His body staggered back into another officer's desk and behind him, Tatsuki—who had entered only a moment later—let out a surprised yelp at the sight of her friend doubled over on a stranger's desk and quickly rushed over to him.

 

“Ichigo!” She gasped, her jaw clenching spastically as she reached forward and gripped his bicep. She helped to heave him up and off of a random stapler he had crushed underneath of his torso.

 

“What's this Kurosaki?” Renji bellowed, Ichigo looked up and saw that two detectives—one with a shiny bald head and the other with a slick pair of sunglasses crossing his eyes—were currently restraining him. The veins in Renji's neck were bulging out of the skin and his eyes looked evil enough to murder. “You've screwed over my best friend and now you're already onto some other skank?! I'm going to fucking kill you!”

 

“Cool it Abarai,” the man with the sunglasses barked, jerking his arms back and holding onto the raging man even tighter.

 

“Yeah Renji,” the bald man hissed as he pulled Renji—who was still straining to get to Ichigo—back hard, “You just attacked a civilian. You're lucky as shit that the lieutenant isn't here today.”

 

“If this guy makes a report your ass is grass, Abarai,” sunglasses-man grunted.

 

“I don't care,” Renji seethed murderously, shoving himself forward and escaping from the confines of his two bodyguards.

 

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and tensed his body in an attempt to receive another blow. Oddly enough, he didn't mind the thought of Renji Abarai kicking his ass until he was no more than a bloody pulp. Feeling something… something besides a horrible, empty, gut-wrenching, pain inside of his stomach every moment of every day was completely welcome in his book.

 

Besides, he thought sourly as he watched Abarai come at him again, as if in slow motion, it's not like I don't deserve it. I should have looked out for Rukia. I should have protected her. Damn, how am I going to get her back if I can't even watch out for her in the first place?

 

The punch that he guessed was intended for his face, however, never came. The slow motion had indeed stopped but, wait… where in the hell did Abarai go?

 

Ichigo blinked up at the two men who had only seconds ago been holding Renji Abarai back from throttling him. Their hands were absentmindedly clutching useless air and they tilted their heads to the side as if Renji had possibly phased through their hold.

 

It was then that the three of them looked down.

 

Tatsuki Arisawa, snarling but not breathing even a little bit eccentrically, was crouched on the ground. Beneath her, Renji Abarai was lying flat on his stomach with a dazed look in his eyes. Tatsuki had one knee pressed into the center of his back as well as one hand currently pinning Renji's beefy arm in what looked to be a very uncomfortable hold.

 

“Get off of me!” Renji hissed, jerking uselessly against the ground.

 

“No,” Tatsuki said in a voice as harsh as his. Her eyes bored a hole into the back of his head and Ichigo watched as the amount of fire in her gaze increased, “The name is Tatsuki Arisawa—”

 

Every person in the room froze.

 

“—Journalist for The Karakura Ledger. Now, I came in here with my friend in order to ask you for your help regarding a certain friend of yours. If you behave like you should and stop acting like a whiny little bitch I'll kindly forget about this little police brutality incident.” She blew a piece of hair away from her face and increased the pressure on his back. “Do we have an understanding?”

 

Ichigo quickly looked around the room and noticed that every human inside of it seemed frozen in time. Every single person was waiting to hear what Renji's response would be. Then again, he shouldn't have been this surprised to see everyone still as statues. From what Ichigo knew, people in the KPD feared, respected, and despised Tatsuki Arisawa. She had written several articles that had praised the Karakura Police Department and had even occasionally helped them solve intense cases involving high-profile cases. However, she was also known for writing scathing articles about their sporadic brutality and intermittent ineptitude.

 

Ichigo could swear that he'd be able to hear a pin drop. He turned back to the man on the floor and rubbed his jaw in irritation at having to wait.

 

Finally, Renji let out a huff of air, swallowed a minute amount of his pride, and grunted, “Fine.”

 

“Excellent,” Tatsuki chipped happily, she shifted off of him with the litheness of a dancer and the absolute power of a tiger.

 

Renji got up off of the floor in one swift move and quickly glanced over at Ichigo. Said man only returned a bland look. With one more furious glare, he whipped his body around to the woman who had so easily held him hostage.

 

“Look you,” Abarai huffed angrily, spinning around to face her, “If you think that you're going to wr… wr… ite…” His mouth parted softly and he blinked his eyes twice, as if to clear them.

 

Ichigo had to roll his eyes. Obviously, Renji hadn't gotten a good enough look at Tatsuki when she first walked in the door.

 

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow and gave him the once over. When she was finished she looked up into his sharp irises and smirked. Ichigo felt like gagging. He knew what that look meant. Hell, he had used it on Rukia several times before.

 

Rukia…

 

“Tatsuki,” he said, shooting pain crawled up his jaw as he spoke. He brought his hand up to it and rubbed it again.

 

At least Renji has a good enough right hook, he thought, focusing his attention back on the journalist and the cop in front of him.

 

Tatsuki didn't take her eyes off of the detective in front of her as she answered Ichigo.

 

“Yeah?”

 

Ichigo rolled his eyes, okay, talking to her was out. “Abarai, can we go somewhere to talk?”

 

After a moment, Renji raised his eyes and looked over at Ichigo. To Ichigo's horror—but unfortunately not to his surprise—he had a rather glazed look in his eyes. “Uh… sure,” he blinked once and then must have remembered that he hated Ichigo's everlasting guts. His glazed face was replaced with a nasty scowl and he roughly jerked his thumb over to a hallway, apparently leading towards a more enclosed office. “Yeah, let's go dirt-bag.”

 

He pointed quickly to the hall and Ichigo went first, Tatsuki followed him slowly—her eyes still lingering on Renji—while Abarai brought up the rear. Incidentally, Ichigo could almost swear that Renji was staring at Tatsuki's rear along the way.

 

Okay… try not to be too grossed out. Maybe he's into the whole dominatrix thing. Ichigo shuddered at the thought. Hell, he shuddered when he realized that he was actually thinking about his enemies' sexual preferences. Gross.

 

Ichigo, not knowing where to go anyway, quickly opened the door to what seemed to be an empty interview room. Shrugging, he stepped inside and held the door open for Tatsuki. She entered next and finally, Renji came in and closed the door behind him.

 

The moment the door slammed shut—and the moment Renji finally took his eyes off of Tatsuki's form—Abarai turned to Ichigo and snarled. The murderous look was back.

 

“Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip your head off,” he snarled, taking two steps towards Ichigo.

 

“I'll give you two,” Tatsuki chimed in, “It's called police brutality.”

 

“Fine,” he spat, still advancing. Renji came towards Ichigo until he was only a few inches away from his face. His glaring eyes were peering into Ichigo's soulless ones and he was breathing with the tenacity of an enraged bull. “But I warned you… I warned you that if you hurt her I'd come after you with everything I had behind me.”

 

Ichigo's eyes narrowed and his heart rate began to increase. “Don't you think I fucking know that?” He hissed dangerously, anger quickly breaking through his placid expression.

 

Abarai's eyes widened in soft surprise but after only a second the anger was back. “Then why'd you do it?”

 

“I didn't,” Ichigo snarled.

 

Renji's eyes widened and he took two quick steps back. Ichigo thought he was going to be punched again when the detective shot a small look over in Tatsuki's direction. Growling softly, he fiercely slammed his fist down onto the metal interview table instead of into Ichigo's face. “Do you think I'm stupid?” He shouted, his face becoming nearly as red as his hair, “I read the papers! I know what happened between Gotei and Suigetsu! I know what you did to Rukia!”

 

“I didn't do any of that!” Ichigo bellowed, feeling the intense need to punch a hole in something… preferably Renji Abarai's head.

 

“You lying piece of sh—”

 

“He's got a point, actually,” Tatsuki said, cutting Renji off quickly. The detective quieted immediately and turned around to her, deftly raising a tattooed eyebrow. She crossed her arms and shrugged. “Just listen to him without shoving your fist in his face. He went to law school you know and he actually does have a brain underneath all of that tangerine tinted hair. He might just surprise you.”

 

“Thanks Tatsuki,” Ichigo spat bitterly, his eyes still pinned on the now stupidly-grinning detective in front of him. His turned his head back to Ichigo after a moment. His eyes were narrow but at least his mouth was shut.

 

“Listen Abarai,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leveling a wicked glare in Renji's direction. “I had no knowledge of the fact that Suigetsu was going to take over Gotei. I was tricked into signing the papers that only said I did. What happened to Rukia… I never wanted it to happen. I never meant to hurt her—”

 

“But you did,” Renji snapped, “You hurt my best friend Kurosaki. I can't just let that go.”

 

“I know,” Ichigo groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “I know that I hurt her… but I'm going to fix it.”

 

One tattooed eyebrow rose, “How?”

 

“Tonight I'm going on a date,” he sighed, his entire form shivering in disgust—again—at the very thought of going out with Inoue. He looked back up at Renji and saw that his jaw was down, his eyes were horridly wide, and his entire body looked like it was shaking. Ichigo quickly barked, “I don't want to! But I think she had something to do with what happened.”

 

His anger simmered down fractionally but his eyes were still as livid as hell. “And why do you think she has something to do with it?”

 

“I think something more complex is going on,” Ichigo said very seriously, “Something that goes a lot deeper than just what this all appears to be. I don't have any proof but… I… my gut is telling me that…”

 

Renji narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, “What are you thinking Kurosaki?”

 

Ichigo turned his gaze to Renji and allowed his honeyed-amber stare to pierce right through to him. “I think that this might even be connected to the rape of Momo Hinamori and possibly the attempted murder of Byakuya Kuchiki.”

 

Ichigo's thought that once he got it out it might be easier to think about. But no, his stomach dropped even more… if that was possible.

 

Renji's and Tatsuki's eyes widened at the same time. They quickly glanced towards one another and then back to Ichigo. His stare had not wavered once.

 

“Are you suggesting,” Tatsuki said quietly, her voice breathless, “That the hostile takeover of the Gotei Corporation by Suigetsu Incorporated was in some way connected to the shooting of Byakuya Kuchiki and the rape of Momo Hinamori?”

“I haven't had much to do these past few days except think about what happened,” Ichigo told them quietly. “And I know this sounds crazy but… hear me out… okay?” He gave them bland looks and waited until their faces switched from shocked mode to listening mode.

 

“Think about it,” Ichigo continued just as quietly, “The Kuchiki Corporation has two major suppliers that it employs in order to keep up the military contract they have. They have others just those are just small time companies. The two big ones were Gotei and Suigetsu. Now that Suigetsu has taken over Gotei it has a monopoly when it comes to supplying the Kuchiki Corporation.”

 

He looked up and raised an eyebrow. “You two following me?”

 

“We're not idiots Kurosaki,” Tatsuki told him, taking a seat in one of the interrogation chairs and propping her head up on her fist, her eyes now pinned on him.

 

“Well I know you aren't,” Ichigo muttered, shooting Renji a quick glance.

 

“Watch it Kurosaki,” he snarled in response.

 

Ichigo just smirked, crossed his arms over his chest, and continued, “Now, throw Byakuya Kuchiki's shooting into the mix. If the assassin had actually succeeded and killed him, the company would be in a wreck. You all know about Kuchiki's information policy. He has maybe two of three top people who run the business with him, and even those guys are on a need-to-know basis. Trust me, I've tried to do business with them before. Kuchiki practically does it all himself, they didn't know a single fucking thing. Hell, even the board doesn't know what he does most of the time. They just know that he keeps the company making billions of dollars annually.”

 

“If Kuchiki died,” Renji began to murmur, taking up Ichigo's line of thinking, “That would leave his company in a complete mess. Then the entire military contract would be up for grabs. If Suigetsu made the move at the right time it'd only make sense that they'd try to get that contract. They now make about ninety four percent of the products that are specified in the government contract.”

 

Ichigo nodded in agreement. Tatsuki, however, frowned and muttered, “But the attempted assassination of Kuchiki was in October. It's only mid-January now. Why would they put the hit out on him that early in the game?”

 

“Because,” Ichigo interjected quickly, “If Kuchiki did die the company would try to put up a front. They'd try to make it seem like the company was running fine without him. But since Kuchiki likes to play everything extremely close to the chest, there would be at least a few months before the company really started to signs of collapse.”

 

“Giving Suigetsu the perfect opportunity to swoop in and take whatever they wanted.” Tatsuki finished for him, nodding her head and hurriedly scribbling something down in her notebook.

 

“That would make them the largest and most powerful company in at least forty countries,” Renji breathed.

 

“But what about Momo Hinamori?” Tatsuki demanded, “Isn't she just that girl who was engaged to Toshiro Hitsugaya?”

 

Ichigo's ears picked up on the tense change and he froze. “What do you mean she was?”

 

Tatsuki nodded solemnly, “I have a friend who works the wedding circuit for section E of the paper. He was given the information that Hitsugaya called off the wedding.”

 

His eyes were as round as dinner plates, “Was there a reason?” Ichigo demanded in a choked voice.

 

The only woman in the room shrugged, “Not that I know of, but Ichigo… you don't call off a wedding for little things. It had to be something huge.”

 

Silence fell in the room.

 

Ichigo was the first to say it. “Like adultery?”

 

Renji whistled loudly, “Damn… then I guess I'm glad it happened before the wedding. I've seen way too many ugly situations where the groom finds out after.”

 

“You idiot!” Ichigo snarled, shooting a lethal glare over at Renji, who immediately bristled, “Not her! Don't you even remember when you showed up at the hospital? Momo was raped, you insensitive ass.”

 

“I know that,” Renji growled, “I was only making a little comment.”

 

“Well keep them to yourself,” Ichigo hissed, he looked back at Tatsuki and quickly wrapped his fingers around the back of a wobbling chair, gripping the wood hard and squeezing frequently. He looked up at Renji and frowned, “Did you ever get the results of her rape kit? Urine included?”

 

He shook his head. “There was a huge drug case that came in a few weeks ago. Crack cocaine, heroine, marijuana, prescription drugs, and tons of others. The lab's been backed up for weeks identifying it all.”

 

“Shit,” Ichigo snarled softly, his hands gripping the wood even tighter.

 

Tatsuki stood from her respective chair and began pacing. She had her lower lip firmly clenched between her teeth. She shook her head and her spiky hair tossed from one side to the other, “But… why would this be connected to the takeover Ichigo? I'm not following.”

 

“Yeah,” Renji huffed, “Me neither. Care to explain Tropicana?”

 

Ichigo's glare could have melted a glacier, Renji weathered it just fine and Tatsuki looked slightly amused by the new nickname. Ichigo brushed it off and tried to focus on not breaking the chair in front of him.

 

“Momo Hinamori,” he murmured, his voice low and his body tense, “`Soon to be Momo Hitsugaya'…” he looked up at Renji and Tatsuki, both standing next to each other on the opposite side of the room. “Don't you understand? Hitsugaya was being trained to take over the Gotei Corporation. He was the second in command, well, probably more like the first because Yamamoto's been sick so often. Everyone in the business world knows that Yamamoto was going to pass the torch as soon as he could and retire in peace.”

 

A figurative light bulb flashed over Tatsuki's head. “That must mean that Hitsugaya's more into the business dealings than Yamamoto. Since he was preparing to get hold of the company soon,” she continued flawlessly, her frown becoming deeper and deeper with each word she spoke. “Just imagine being the practical head of a multi-billion dollar company and having your fiancée raped a few weeks before your wedding… all this while trying to see over a huge merger? I don't think so.”

 

Exactly.

 

“The timing is just too convenient if you ask me,” Renji added in gruffly, crossing his arms over his impressive chest as he speculated. “That Hitsugaya dude must have been so distracted that even if hostile activities were going on he wouldn't have been able to tell. Hell, the woman he loves had just been raped, for gods' sake! What decent guy wouldn't be spazzing and missing out on work?”

 

“Precisely,” Ichigo muttered, biting his bottom lip and thinking about all the pain that Momo must be going through.

 

Momo and Rukia going through hell together… he thought miserably, a headache thudding viciously behind his temple. I'll make it up to them. I swear. On my mother's grave I swear.

 

Ichigo clenched his teeth together tightly. Tatsuki, who had finally finished writing all of this down in her notebook, looked up at him, as if she was waiting for something more. Renji, after staring listlessly off into space for a moment, probably contemplating what he had just deduced, turned his gaze to Ichigo and hardened his eyes.

 

“Alright… so it kind of makes sense. A lot of sense. But it's still just suspicions. We can't get warrants on suspicion alone. Do you have a plan to try and prove any of this?” He demanded, walking forward and shoving his hands into his belt, taking an extremely dominant stance in front of the immobile Ichigo.

 

Ichigo only nodded his head once. “I do, as a matter of fact.”

 

Renji just rolled his eyes and sighed, bringing his hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. The action reminded him of Rukia. “Let me guess…” Abarai muttered, “You wanna play super-spy?”

 

Ichigo snorted and shook his head, moving back to his seat on the edge of the table. “No… but if you want to find out who did this you're going to need someone on the inside. I'm on the inside. Way inside. I've got all the pieces of the puzzle in front of me. I just need to figure out where they go. With the help of the KPD,” he nodded at Renji, “And The Karakura Ledger,” he glanced over at Tatsuki, “I know that we can bring down the bastards responsible for doing this.”

 

“Let me get this straight,” Renji cut in stiffly, “You want to put your job and possibly even your life on the line because you want to know the truth?” He scoffed, “What kind of business lawyer are you?”

 

“The kind who doesn't believe that murder, rape, and intentional deception should be used to do business.” Ichigo shot back. He glared hard at Renji but shook his head a moment later and clenched his jaw shut, “But no… I want to do all this because…” he closed his eyes and thought of Rukia, her pert nose, her gleaming eyes, and her smiling mouth. He had destroyed all of that with the swipe of a pen. He had caused her unbelievable pain.

 

All because of him and his arrogant blindness.

 

Tatsuki and Renji remained silent as Ichigo drew himself further into his inner world, forcing himself to remember her face the moment she had entered the office on that fateful Monday. His body shuddered, his breathing became deeper, and his fists clenched together so hard that his nails broke into the skin on his palms.

 

Finally, he lifted his head and stared Renji straight in the eyes. “I want to do this because it is the only way I am ever going to get the woman I love back.”

 

Silence filled the room. The loudly ticking clock on the wall was the only indication that time was actually moving forward. Renji's breathing was loud, Tatsuki's eyes were wide, and Ichigo's heart was hammering inside of his chest.

 

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Renji slowly nodded his head. He pursed his lips together and muttered, “What do you need?”

 

Relief like none other washed through Ichigo but he didn't have time to revel in the feeling. It was already six thirty in the evening. He didn't have much time before he needed to pick up Inoue for their… date.

 

“A wire,” Ichigo said clearly, “I need a wire to wear tonight.”

 

“Done,” Renji said, swiftly motioning towards the door. “We'll get you one right now. I'll be in charge of all audio that is recorded tonight. I'll camp out in a van outside of the place you're taking this chick.” He gave Ichigo a sour look and muttered, “It's my night off too, so you better make it worth my while.”

 

He pulled open the door and was about ready to leave when Tatsuki surged toward him, “I'll be there too. I need some first grade primary sources if I'm going to be putting this into print.”

 

Renji's already pursed lips became even tighter and he shook his head. “Sorry, but we don't allow civilians to sit in during stake outs.”

 

Tatsuki didn't even look fazed, “I'm sure you'll make an exception. Besides,” she gave him a swift and smirking glance, “I'm sure that even though it's connected to two felony cases, you'll never get a full police investigation approved with circumstantial evidence this shadowy.”

 

Disbelief was etched on Renji's face as his jaw dropped open. His expression was clear: How did you know?

 

“I'll see you later,” She said with a wink before swiftly exiting the room… pausing only long enough to pinch Renji on the butt.

 

Ichigo's eyes widened and he nearly choked in disbelief. Abarai turned as red as a tomato and bit his bottom lip. He went out directly after Tatsuki and Ichigo could have sworn that he heard him say: “I guess I can make an exception just this once…”

 

Ichigo shook his head and slowly turned to look at the two way mirror behind him. In his reflection he could see many things: anticipation, fear, nerves, determination, and fatigue.

 

He swallowed and thought of Rukia's smiling face once again.

 

There was now another emotion to be added…

 

And it was hope.

 

 

 

 

(A/N: Okay, so not my favorite chapter, but it does do a lot of explaining done… plus Renji, and that's always good. Don't worry though, you guys will get some IchiRuki interaction—kind of—in the next chapter.

 

I am sooooo sorry for not updating sooner. This week has been crazy and I didn't have time to edit so… ah… sorry for any grammar mistakes. To those of you who PMed me, I'm so sorry! And IchigoRukiaforever, I'm sorry you woke up so early with nothing to read. SORRY!!!

 

Also, for all of you who despise the idea of Ichigo using Orihime to get information, don't worry, she'll get her just desserts soon enough. *Cue evil laughter.*

 

Oh, and I wanted to tell you guys… I think I only have two more chapters to write before this is all over. And I do mean ALL over. But don't panic yet, you guys have more to read than that. :)

 

One more thing before I'm gone completely. Did any other IchiRuki lovers just despise the latest chapter? Chapter 350? Ugh. Hated Inoue in it, of course. Hollow Ichigo was badass though. But getting to the point, a friend told me that the translation of the chapter isn't “she's calling me etc.” but “I can hear… calling… stand up… I—I will protect!” So really, he didn't wake up for Orihime, it was just his hero/hollow complex coming out. But really, why doesn't Inoue go be useful (for once) and go heal Ishida's hand? I mean, he hurt it by protecting her. Seesh.

 

I just can't wait for Rukia to come back… sigh… just wait for FTB Tituba… just wait…

 

Okay, I've rambled enough.

 

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!)