Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Safe Sex ❯ Other Men ( Chapter 3 )

Other Men

 

By Tituba

 

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

 

(A/N: Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far, I think it's so cool that you guys review for one-shots, especially since they're not all that recognized.

This one doesn't have any smut but I had tons of fun writing it. Hope you like it. Review if you want to.

Hugs and kisses, Tituba.)

 

 

 

I dated another man once. He was very nice too. He was a noble who Byakuya had thought would be a nice match for me. His name was Atsuya and he was the son of the man who headed Room Forty Six.

 

When my brother first told me that he was setting me up on a blind date with a man I didn't even know I was rather peeved and, if truth be told, slightly scared. First of all, I never thought that Byakuya would ever have the gall to set me up with a man. Secondly, I thought that Byakuya's taste in men would be just as twisted and convoluted as his sense of justice—I mean, the guy once tried to have me killed, under false pretenses maybe, but come on—still, when I met Atsuya I was pleasantly surprised.

 

We went out on the date about fifty years after Ichigo had come to live in the Soul Society permanently. He had been made the Captain of Squad Three and immediately threw himself into the role of being the youngest, most inexperienced, and certainly the rashest Captain on the entire force. Well, except for maybe Zaraki Kenpachi, but he's just insane.

 

Needless to say that when Ichigo made Captain his priorities changed a bit. I was still a member of Squad Thirteen and he was… well, important. He was Ichigo Kurosaki. He had saved the Soul Society a number of times, he was popular, he had a fan club, he was good looking, and he was young. There were throngs of people around who wanted to weasel their way next to him just so they could touch some infinitesimal part of his shihakusho. Not to mention there were countless numbers of women who wanted to make hot and passionate love to him in the streets of the Seiretei.

 

I told myself repeatedly that I wasn't one of those girls.

 

Either way we only saw each other sparingly. I worked with him for the first couple of years—until he became completely acclimated to the Soul Society—I mentored him a bit more, made sure he kept up with his paperwork, and taught him about the rules and etiquette of the Soul Society. Then, after about five years, we saw less and less of each other. At first we tried to keep more in touch. Luncheons and training sessions were scheduled but almost never kept. By the time I had my date with Atsuya I basically only heard of him through gossip channels. Though most of what I heard was made up. It was always fanciful stuff about how Ichigo went on some mission with his squad and ended up strangling one thousand Hollows bare handed. Things like that.

 

I missed him though. I had gotten used to all the fights that we had had when I stayed with him. I missed his scowl and his overly large meat-cleaver of a zanpakuto. I missed the way he could fold his arms over his chest whenever he disagreed with me. I missed his tiny room and his crummy closet. I missed everything about him.

 

Apparently though, Byakuya didn't seem to notice my melancholic state and thought it would be appropriate for his `of-age' sister to begin to take a notice in men. But not men men, men only my brother would approve of my seeing. Ichigo Kurosaki was not one of those men. In fact, he had never even been considered as one of them. So, intead, Byakuya had chosen one of the wealthiest men in the Soul Society.

 

Atsuya was relatively young, only about one hundred years older than I. He had almond shaped eyes, a handsome, round face, wavy brown hair, clean, elegant, robes, a straight nose, and full, pink lips. When he came to the Kuchiki Mansion to get me he went through all the proper channels, he spoke to Byakuya first, thanked him for allowing the opportunity to escort me to dinner, marveled at the house, and when I entered the room he took an appropriate amount of time to look me in the eye with his mouth slightly agape.

 

“You look lovely Kuchiki-san.” He said, his voice was adequately strangled and I smiled at him. I was wearing a white kimono made of the finest silk Nii-sama could find. Woven into the fabric were cherry blossoms that ranged in color from light pink to deep red. The obi I was wearing was even lined with gilt thread, making it stand out handsomely against the pure white. I honestly didn't want to wear it because I just knew that I'd get some type of food on it. It also seemed too expensive for me to wear; I would be much more comfortable in my shihakusho. Still, I wore the damn thing, although I knew that I would come home with some sort of discolored food spattered all over the front.

 

He came forward and took my hand. His fingers were soft and almost buttery. My mind instantly flashed back to Ichigo when I touched him. Ichigo's hands were never soft, they were always decorated with callous' and had skin akin to sandpaper.

 

I was actually surprised when he took me to a beautiful soba restaurant in Rukongai. He must have seen it in my face because he laughed—it was a happy and bright sound and I immediately felt my insides warming up to him. Maybe, I decided, going out with this guy wouldn't be such a bad experience.

 

We sat at a classy table near the center of a large window. Our server was a kind young woman with gorgeous long hair and a waist the size of a tea saucer. She eyed Atsuya generously when she came to bring us our tea but to my surprise, my date did not reciprocate, instead he folded his hands onto his lap and gazed at me.

 

Flattered would not be the appropriate term to describe how he made me feel during the date. He spoke to me as if I were an actual person and not a breakable noblewoman who would swoon whenever someone even mentioned anything remotely disgusting. We talked about everything. He spoke about his family—he had three younger sisters by the way—and his position in the Soul Society. We spoke of my squad and I told him a bit about my history in the slums of Rukongai. He didn't pry too much into the subject and for that I was grateful. I honestly didn't want to start pouring out my soul to the guy. I liked him sure, but a first date wasn't the time to start spouting off stories about my childhood. Like the one where a street vendor stabbed me in the shoulder with a rusty knife when I tried to keep him away from Renji. I didn't think he'd take too well to something like that so we kept the conversation light.

 

The food was stupendous. We ate slowly and I was pleased to note that he never, ever, chewed with his mouth open. He was refined, well-kept, and neat. Once we both reached for the salt and our fingers brushed accidentally. I thought it was no big deal but when I looked at his face he had a pink tint added to his cheeks.

 

He called me `Kuchiki-san' throughout the entire dinner but I referred to him as Atsuya, it wasn't his last name but I figured that using his first name might make him a bit more comfortable. We were sipping on cups of post-dinner tea when a commotion began outside in the streets.

 

Atsuya and I turned our heads slightly to watch what was happening. There seemed to be a small procession going on right outside our window. People lined the streets, children seemed to be coming out from the woodwork, flower petals were being thrown onto the ground, and cheers were being shouted loudly.

 

“I wonder what that is,” I murmured as I sipped my tea.

 

Atsuya shrugged and said, “I do believe that they like to do that when Shinigami return from a victorious battle.”

 

“Huh,” I murmured, nearly uninterested. “Who is it this time?” The taste of tea on my tongue was bitter but smooth. I let it rest softly in my mouth before swallowing it.

 

Atsuya gave me a wry smile and nodded out to the streets, “My father said—and bear in mind that this is quite confidential,” he gave me a playfully stern look and I smiled back at him, my body was turned to him and not the window, he was the focus of my attention.

 

My date smiled, “My father said that there was a special envoy sent out on a scoping mission towards a mountainous region outside of Rukongai.”

 

“Outside of Rukongai?” I asked incredulously. “You mean, outside the Eightieth District?”

 

He nodded, “Apparently there's some uncharted territory over that way, including mountains, a river, some lakes, and many other natural resources that would be beneficial to the Soul Society.”

 

I raised my eyebrows, quite impressed at this. “So who'd they send?”

 

Atsuya placed his elbows on the table and leaned in towards me, our faces were a few inches apart, “Apparently,” he began excitedly. “The place is infested with thousands of Hollows, however I don't think there's anything above Gilians.”

 

I smiled warmly, “You still didn't answer my question.”

 

He grinned as well, “I do believe they sent your friend, the Captain of Squad Three.”

 

“Ichigo?” I said, drawing back a bit, there was a frown on my face and a bit of confusion written in my eyes, “Why would they send him? I mean, I can understand that he would take down all the Hollows and all, but he doesn't know anything about cartography.”

 

Atsuya laughed lightly. “Oh no, they sent people who were qualified to do that along with him. He only took care of the… of the—of…” His voice trailed off and his head turned to the side. His expression was incredulous and cautious. I frowned a bit and then followed his gaze.

 

My mouth dropped open completely and my eyes practically bugged out of my head. There, pressing his face completely against the glass was the Captain of Squad Three.

 

He was wearing one of the angriest scowls I had ever seen on him before. They were forming deep grooves that were cutting harshly into his skin. His eyebrows were etched together and seemed to have solidly engraved tiny lines of orange into his face. His nose was squashed against the cool panes of the window and both of his hands were there to accompany it. His orange hair was offset horridly against the general dimness of the night sky behind him. His eyes were a livid, furious, unhealthy shade of amber. From the distortion of the glass they looked almost red.

 

I, on the other hand, had my arms resting peacefully on the table. My hands were dangling limply off the edges. My eyes had stopped bugging and were now simply… large. My mouth was slightly unhinged but I remembered to keep most of it shut. I hadn't seen him in what… seven months? And even then it was nothing more than a glimpse. Now he was here, in Rukongai, on the one night when I was on a date. I mentally rolled my eyes. I could already tell that this would end wonderfully.

 

The glass must have been pretty thick because his mouth was moving but I couldn't hear a single thing that was coming from his lips. From my perspective he looked like a gaping fish.

 

His head suddenly darted to the sides and he shot me a quick glare before storming off. My eyes followed him and his brightly lit head of hair until I could see him no more.

 

“What the hell…?” I trailed off, wondering what had just happened.

 

“Kuchiki-san,” Atsuya muttered, sounding as surprised as I did, “That was Kurosaki-taichou, wasn't it?”

 

I nodded my head, “Yeah it—”

 

A loud banging sound came from the front of the restaurant, followed by a short and perfunctory scream. My head whipped in its direction and my body tensed. I immediately began to wish that I had brought Sode no Shirayuki with me.

 

Then I heard: “Taichou! Taichou! I don't think you can—wait please, Taichou!”

 

Heavy, angry, footsteps pounded onto the hardwood floors of the stylish restaurant. My head whirled in their direction and I screwed my face into a blank stare.

 

Ichigo Kurosaki came barreling into the room. My eyes immediately raked up and down his body. His clothes were a bit torn and exceedingly dirty. His normally sparkling Captain's coat was smeared with mud and grass-stains. Zangetsu was slung over his back but his right hand seemed to be twitching hard, like he wanted the giant sword in his hand, just in case. My gaze finally roamed towards his head and I stared blankly into his eyes.

 

Wow. How many synonyms for `super-deadly-evil' are there?

 

“Ichigo…” I murmured. It was a lame start to a sentence, I know, but what else was I going to say to the man? I hadn't seen him in over half a year.

 

He stomped over to our table and turned to me, completely ignoring Atsuya. His strong body and unyielding height was making him that much more intimidating, not to me of course, but my company seemed to be a bit shaken.

 

“Who the hell…” he snarled furiously, “Is he?” He finished on a yell and his left arm shot out towards Atsuya. His strong hand landed near his neck and the poor man jumped in surprise.

 

I blinked at Ichigo twice before looking over at my company for the evening. The nobleman looked rather pale. For some reason, my stomach fell at this realization. While he might be polite, good looking, charming, and earnest, Atsuya was not the type who would willingly embrace a fight with a six foot tall Shinigami Captain.

 

“This is Atsuya.” I answered lamely, I even held out my hand to sort of present him.

 

Atsuya looked up at Ichigo and swallowed, seemingly regaining some of his forgotten manners. “K-Kurosaki Taichou, it's an honor to meet you sir.” He held out his hand and stood partially from his seat.

 

Ichigo didn't even bother looking over at the man. He was watching me. I stared up into his livid eyes and wondered what he was so upset about.

 

He took another step towards me. His shin was nearly brushing my knee. I frowned at him and was about to say something when he interrupted me. “Is he your date?”

 

Realization splashed over me like a bucket of icy cold water.

 

I turned around to face him completely, he was staring down at me hard but I was simply gazing up at him incredulously.

 

“Are you jealous?” I asked.

 

“Answer my question first!” He yelled, bending down a bit and pressing his face close to mine.

 

My giddiness at realizing the emotion seeping through Ichigo's voice was short-lived. It was now replaced with rising feeling of anger. I pushed my chair back behind me and surged to my feet. The chair nearly fell down with the force of my sudden motion. Ichigo didn't take a step back and neither did I. We were nose to nose… well, as close as my nose could get to his anyway.

 

“Yes!” I cried angrily, “Yes, he is! What's it to you?” I planted my feet firmly on the ground, my kimono stopped me from going shoulder length but I still intended to look imposing. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.

 

Ichigo's face turned a mottled red. “You should not be out on a date!” He shouted furiously. He didn't even look at Atsuya as he said this.

 

“Why not?” I demanded, tilting my face up a bit more. “Byakuya picked him out for me.” As if that justified my outing with Atsuya.

 

Ichigo's mouth dropped open in horror then he pulled his teeth together in a ferocious snarl. “I'm going to kill that man.”

 

Atsuya scooted his chair away a bit. I shot him an annoyed look and shook my head, “He doesn't mean you.” I told him in an irritated voice.

 

Ichigo's hand shot out and he gripped my shoulder. I yelped at the sudden movement but he held on. “How do you know I don't mean him?” He shook me a bit and spat out the last word like it was poisoned.

 

I jerked back and fought the urge to step on his toe. “Because you don't!” I ground out angrily, I swatted at his hand once again and then snapped, “And you didn't answer my question!”

 

I could see his hand just itching for Zangetsu.

 

“Why shouldn't I date him? Huh? You big oaf, why not?” I took a tiny step forward and he didn't step back. We were nearly pressed against one another. In the back of my mind I realized that it was just like old times, us arguing over something, flaring our tempers, saying rude things, and name-calling… just like normal.

 

“Because you're mine, damn it!” He shouted.

 

Well… that wasn't normal.

 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I screamed, completely forgetting about polite etiquette and the rules of nobility. I pulled back my first and punched him square in the gut. He grunted and fell back a few paces. I surged forward and sunk the heel of my sandal into his foot. He let out a strangled yell and I hit him once again. “You don't own me!”

 

Ichigo was bent over at the waist but even then he was still able to look me in the eyes. There was so much fury and confusion between us. I was half expecting a volcanic eruption to take place any second between our faces.

 

“We had an understanding!” He shouted, his voice was slightly strangled and a bit hoarse but there was no mistaking the volume and ferocity inside his tone.

 

“What understanding?” I bellowed. “I haven't seen you in seven months!”

 

“Not my fault!” He screamed but I could tell there were traces of guilt evident in his voice.

 

“Is so!” I threw my hands up into the air and fought the urge to hit him again. “I've barely seen you since you became an all-high-and-mighty captain! I see my brother more than I see you! You were never around to communicate any sort of understanding! Don't you dare tell me that it's all my fault! And besides,” I huffed and crossed my arms, glaring daggers at him, “I am within my rights to date whomever I choose.” I cocked an eyebrow and pulled my lips into a tight grimace.

 

The next moment is now recorded permanently in Soul Society gossip. Every single person who now comes to the Soba Restaurant where Atsuya took me knows the story of how I went on a date with another man and was found by Ichigo Kurosaki. Our fight was written down word for word and our expressions were captured in the eyes of multiple patrons and servers.

 

Everyone in the Seiretei also knows about our first kiss. How Ichigo grabbed my shoulders and yanked my face onto his. How his eyes were shut tightly but mine were open wide. How his hand reached up into my precariously coiffed hair and pressed my head even harder onto his. How after a few moments he pried my lips apart and drove his tongue into me so fast and so hard that I thought I would pass out. How it seemed as though I could only press my hands onto his chest and… and… well, whimper.

 

When Ichigo pulled back I just stood there, completely dazed by what had just happened, I think I stumbled a bit but who really knew? My first kiss with Ichigo. My brain was completely blank. I swallowed and simply blinked, half in surprise, half in confusion.

 

But he wasn't finished. He still had hold of my shoulder and was shaking me vigorously. “What am I going to have to do, huh?” He shouted into my still-stunned face, “Bite you in front of the entire Seiretei? Is that how I mark you? What?”

 

That snapped me out of my stunned reverie.

 

“Bite me!” I shouted, pulling back all the way. “What the hell? I'm not an animal!”

 

He scowled down at me and raised his hand to my face and pointed a finger at my nose, “I'll do it too!” He took a threatening step towards me, I stepped back, raising my hands threateningly.

 

“Try it and I'll twist your arms so hard your ribs will puncture your lungs!” I snarled.

 

He grabbed my hand and swiftly brought it to his face. Directly in between my pointer finger and my thumb he sunk his teeth down onto the soft flesh… hard.

 

“Fuck!” I shouted, I drew my hand back and slapped him hard. “You sick bastard!” I was screaming but he was smiling.

 

Triumphantly he grabbed the wrist of the hand he had just bitten and raised it high above my head. There, standing in the middle of a crowded restaurant, which was filled with the crème de la crème of the Soul Society, Ichigo Kurosaki—a runt, rash, and utterly inexperienced Captain, formerly a ryoka, formerly a traitor, and currently a venerated god—raised my teeth-marked hand, me, Rukia Kuchiki, the snippiest, iciest, prettiest, and most available Princess of the Soul Society, and shouted to everyone in the room.

 

“You see? Does everyone in here see? This woman is mine and if any of you mother fuckers touch her I will freaking kill you!” He then glared down at Atsuya and snarled wildly. “That goes for you too, ass-wipe.”

 

Ichigo's right hand swung backwards to reach for Zangetsu and Atsuya yelped. In less than a second he was gone, sprinting out of the restaurant and into the streets.

 

His feral grin turned to me and was replaced by one of smugness. I only saw red.

 

When I left the restaurant Ichigo Kurosaki was on the ground, simultaneously clutching his crotch and his stomach. I do believe they had to call members of his Squad to come in and get him. I also know for a fact that he couldn't walk for nearly a full week. Gossip embellished it to almost three weeks. I didn't speak to him for nearly six months after that, even though he kept coming to see me at Squad Thirteen Headquarters multiple times a day.

 

I apologized to Atsuya even though I wasn't sure the man deserved it. I mean, he practically ran out on our date. I can understand why he was so upset and all; Ichigo can be one very frightening character. But honestly, isn't the man supposed to stand up against any challengers made towards his date?

 

Needless to say I never went on a date with another man again.