Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Mistaken Identity ❯ Troubled Thoughts ( Chapter 16 )

Chapter 16

A/N

First of…. I am soooooooooo sorry for taking too long to update. If you guys have read my profile page, then you would know why.

Hope that you guys have not yet forgotten this fic.

Anyway, I know that I have left you waiting for far too long, so without much further ado… here it is

Disclaimer:

Though I am still mad at KT for the way he ended chap 423, sadly, Bleach still is lawfully his.

Chapter 16

Troubled Thoughts

Rukia was struggling hard to get free when the moons rays inched into her bedchamber revealing an unruly patch of bright orange hair from the intruder. “Ich..I..Ichigo?” She blinked a few times just to be sure that it wasn't just an illusion. That Ichigo was really there inside her chambers, holding her down with his very own body.

As the moons rays revealed the face of his attacker, Ichigo loosened his grip a little. He silently thanked Kami for bringing luck into his side for once. There sprawled beneath him was no other that the very same woman he was looking for.

“Hi midget!” he said contentedly, not even bothering to get up. He just braced both his arms on the floor and raised himself on both knees, in a crouching position, to prevent him from crushing her.

“Get off me strawberry!” she said as she tried to wriggle out. But stopped when he held her shoulder to keep her from moving out of his grasps. “Nah uh midget. I kinda like you there” he said with a smug grin.

The familiarity of his words had her looking straight back at him. It was a mistake. The moment her violet eyes met his light brown ones, she got the same sickening feeling from the pit of her stomach.

Rukia closed her eyes. Dammit! Not now! she said silently She kept asking herself and Kami-sama for whatever wrong she did in her life that she deserves to be tormented like this. She doesn't need this now. Not when she still doesn't know what is happening between his fiancée and her brother. But thinking about her intended couldn't even stop the flurry of butterflies playing in the pit of her tummy. Oh god! She thought. I can't be attracted to them both. It's just not proper! And after everything that has happened between her and her fiancée, its just not right! “Ichigo… this is not right. Get off me” she said still not looking in to his eyes for fear of breaking down. Everything is just so confusing. And it's all happening so fast. She doesn't know if she could deal with it. How could her once simple life get so screwed?

Ichigo was looking at her face intently. There was something wrong. She suddenly looked tired. And defeated. She wouldn't even meet his gaze. “Rukia” he breathed as he captured her chin with his forefinger and thumb and tried to make her face him.

“Don't” she pleaded. She didn't want to look at his eyes, resisting his pull. She couldn't. After what she had allowed to happen between her and her fiancée, she has no right to look into Ichigo's eyes. “This is wrong Ichigo. You shouldn't even be here”

Ichigo could sense something amiss in Rukia's reaction. She wouldn't even look at him straight in the eye. As if she was ashamed of something. As if she was ashamed of herself. He silently cursed her brother. Thinking that it was because of what her brother did to her earlier “Don't be ashamed, it wasn't your fault, if anything, you should blame your stuck up bastard of a brother.”

“Don't you dare talk about my brother like that!” Rukia said vehemently after slapping any part that is within her hands reach. Ichigo almost lost his balance with her reaction. “Dammit midget! Why the hell are you so violent anyway? He truly is you know.”

Rukia thought that her jab would allow her room to escape from him, but he still did not release her. “Is not!” she automatically countered. “He's…just…looking out, for me”

Ichigo just snorted. After everything Byakuya did, she still was defending her. “Whatever midget, I'd still say he's got a stick rammed and stuck up his ass”

Rukia's eyes turned into slits “Well at least my brother actually have brains inside his thick skull, unlike an air headed fruit like you! He just, he just cares about me, about my future…a lot.”

“Che!” Ichigo snorted.

Rukia stopped struggling. All the questions and uncertainties began to plague her once more. At times like this, she just wants to crawl inside some dark hoe where no one can disturb her. “Could you let me up please?” she said in a soft voice

Ichigo felt the energy drain out from the petite princess. Her eyes were lidded , lips pressed together in a frown. “Whatever midget” he said, waiting for her retaliation. But none came. Sensing the change in her mood, Ichigo sighed and decided to hear her out first. Let not it be said that he, Ichigo Kurosaki was not a gentleman.

Slowly he stood up and offered her his arm, which she accepted without a word. He watched her dust herself off, still not looking directly at him. Her forlorn stance and melancholy aura did nothing but increase his annoyance. Was it really that disturbing to be engaged to him? Did she really find it a sacrifice to wed him? Did she find him repulsive?

“Look Rukia, what happened to us, this…”

“Is nothing!” she said, not letting him finish. It wasn't right to keep him so close, when she knew that they were both just going to suffer more with each passing day. They were both engaged. And it wouldn't be fair to their respective betrotheds.

It felt worse than being stabbed right through his heart. How could she dismiss it like that? Those kisses they shared has rocked the earth beneath his very feet. It has left him shaken to the very core of his soul. How could she just dismiss it like that?

“Don't you say that again” he said in a low menacing voice. “You know it very well was anything but nothing!” biting out each word, while slowly advancing towards her. He grabbed her by the waist and dragged her close to his body, his other hand on her nape, painfully holding it, applying pressure to make her look up . “This is not nothing!” he said as he swooped down and captured her mouth in a kiss.

She was supposed to stop it. She was supposed to say no. She was not supposed to feel the tingle of desire that shot up from her toes. She was not supposed to feel the heat unfurling in her gut that raced up to her throat eliciting a moan from her. Her hands which were braced against his is chest was not supposed to clutch it tighter or ran it through his nape. She was not supposed to lean closer, fitting her body against his. And she was definitely not supposed to return the kiss, slanting her head, giving him access to the inner recesses of her mouth.

And yet she did.

Ichigo wanted to make a point. He wanted her to admit that the kiss that they shared earlier was more than just nothing. That it affected her as much as it did him. But with the feel of her soft luscious lips opening for him, parrying with him, letting him taste the sweetness that is hers and hers alone, his brain had stopped thinking all together.

Eyes closed, his breath ragged, he touched his forehead to hers while waiting for both their breathing and heart rate to slow down. He looked at her still closed eyes and her upturned face and wondered. What was this effect that she had on him? How could he lose his head with just a kiss from her?

“That was definitely not nothing” he said to her as she slowly opened her eyes. “Whatever the circumstances…” he stopped abruptly as he felt Ishida's reiatsu. It was a warning. Something must be terribly wrong for Ishida to summon him and alert him in this way.

“Whatever it is, we have it. It is something.” He looked at her, eyes steady and direct, almost pleading, his hands gently cupping her face. “I will prove to you and to everybody else, that I am worthy. That this… us… is not nothing. I will prove it” he said, still holding her close to him. He felt another wave of reiatsu from Ishida. And with a small peck on her lips, he quickly rushed out back to her balcony and jumped off.

“Dammit Ishida, this better be good” he said aloud as he stomp of towards his comrades location, His hands still clutching his rear, massaging his aching butt that had unceremoniously met the ground smack on, in his haste to get down Rukia's balcony.

Rukia has not moved from her spot. Her fingers slowly touching her lips. Questions too difficult to answer swirled in her mind. How? How did it come to this? Why? Why does she react that way to Ichigo and her fiancee's kisses? Who is her fiancée? Where does her feelings and reactions stem from? What is the meaning and the reason behind her actions? Actions that she never thought she would be responsible of doing.

And why does it feel so right? So familiar? Ichigo's lips and kiss felt awfully familiar. She shrugged her head. It couldn't be, couldn't have been. Maybe it was just her inexperience in this matters that's why she felt that those three kisses were from one and the same man. Maybe that is just the way all kisses feels like, tastes like.

She sighed. How could things get so complicated? Why her?

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“You do know that if the prince ever catches your ignorant leader in her sister's room, he will be skinned alive, right?” Gin said lazily, sitting in the chair by the door.

Ishida readjusted his glasses and looked straight at the sly smiling fox like face before them. “No, not likely” he said politely, while cursing his dandelion friend from hell and back. Both he and Chad are inside one of the big formal office like rooms in the palace, being `accompanied' by the silver haired knight. It would have been a normal enough meeting had his friend, and he uses the term so very lightly now, just graced them with his presence in the first place. But then of course, Ichigo being Ichigo, was nowhere to be found and the prince along with the rest of them had been left waiting for him to arrive.

Where the hell is Ichigo anyway? It wasn't like him to just simply leave them inside the enemy's camp. Also, the question of the princes' reiatsu overflow earlier was still bugging him. He was pretty sure Ichigo had something to do with it.

He just hopes that the prince was wrong in assuming that Ichigo was with the princess at this very moment. Or Ichigo just might actually get his ass whipped and skinned by an angry brother. He almost smiled at the thought of Ichigo getting caught by the prince in a compromising situation with the princess. He would surely love to be there when that happens.

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Byakuya walked quickly towards Rukias room, Ulquiora following closely behind. If he ever finds that ryoka there, to hell with what the king says, he will personally see to it that his remains would be shredded to bits and pieces where it could be mistaken for soil fertilizer.

How dare did that fool make them wait, right inside his own home. How dare he not come to the scheduled meeting when he was the very reason they were having it?

With a steely glance at the guards on his sisters door went scrambling about. Without even waiting for any announcement, Byakuya pushed the door open and went directly into the inner chambers of Rukia's room. With a nod to Ulquiora, said knight searched all the corners of the room for the trespasser.

He found his sister standing in the middle of her room, fingers on her lips, brows knit closely together, eyes clouded with a faraway look.

“Rukia”

His voice could have been a bucket of icy cold water thrown at her head with the way she reacted to it. She saw fidget, surprise registered in her quite puffy eyes, while she immediately moved her hands down her sides. And for a fleeting moment, Byakuya saw the confusion, sadness, hurt and anxiety reflected in the depths of her sisters eyes. And how she had closed off her emotions, masking her facial features. He saw how she had immediately tried to regain her composure, hands balled into fists, shoulders squared, head bowed down.

“Ru…” he started. But what can he say exactly? How can he ease her sister's suffering when he knew that he was one of the reasons for it? What can he say? When he knew that nothing he says will undo the damage that he has already dealt her? He took a step toward her but stopped. In one of the very rare moments in his life, he is at loss as to what to do and say.

He noticed Ulquiorra re-appear beside him and shake his head. And the assurance that that stupid boy was nowhere near his sister had him exhaling a long drawn breath.

Byakuya felt the tension leave his body. At this time he was very glad to be mistaken. He looked again at his still quiet sister and sighed. Maybe he was being too rough on her. He knew that she is more stressed out about all of this then he. It was her, and not him, who was being forced into this farce of a marriage. He felt bad about making Rukia the recipient of all his frustrations. But what can he do but continue on protecting her in the best possible way he can.

He stepped closer, narrowing the distance between him and his sister. “Rukia” he said softly. He wasn't actually waiting for a reaction… but Rukia's intentional disregard of his call made a little prickle of pain in his chest. Ignoring it “Be ready for lunch tomorrow. We will be discussing the terms of your engagement with the ryoka at lunch.” Still not getting any sort of reaction, he sighed once again and left the room. She might not understand whatever he is doing right now, but he knew she will see it through his eyes later on. She may not like the means on how he would achieve his goals, but she would like the end result. Of that he was sure.

“Tell them that we will reschedule this meeting” he said icily. “And tell them to make sure that that stupid boy will be there, or the deal is off.”

Ulquiorra watch his prince disappear into his own private wing of the palace. It was really a pity that the princess could not see everything that the prince was doing for her. With a sigh, he turned to the opposite direction, prepared to convey his highness' orders.

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Ichigos's vein was ticking. He was sorely tempted to turn back and go bankai on that stoic Ulquiorra and wipe the slimy smile off that silver haired knight. He could bet his life that it was that damn stuck up his ass princes' idea to have them `escorted' roughly out of the palace. Escorted my ass! There were thrown out! Thrown out without even a simple explanation whatsoever!

And after he had left things unfinished with Rukia to boot. Damn! Still feeling something akin to pain in his chest as he remembered how Rukia had termed what happened to them as `nothing'. He would have wanted to… to what exactly? He sighed and shook his head. He doesn't exactly know what he wanted. Why is it that with Rukia, he seems to be unsure of anything? How can she simply make him lose his head with just the simple act of being there? One thing he was sure of, he would make her see that whatever it is that was between them, was not nothing. It was something. What is was he still could not put a finger to, but it was something.

With an angry shake of his head, he saw Ishida and Chad quietly walking ahead and him anger was rekindled. After leaving things unfinished with Rukia, he came and say Ishida and Chad sitting patiently with that snake eyed silver haired Gin. And without even giving any explanation, Ulquiorra arrived and said that the meeting was rescheduled for tomorrow, and produced two dozen royal guards to `assist then out. More like throw them out was what happened!

“argh!!!” he said, his hands going through his mop of orange hair. “Damn that Byakuya!” snarling under his breath, his hands clenching and unclenching. Ire, hot and untempered was raging down his veins. The night did not come out just as he had expected. Just when he thought that lady luck was on his side, her royal freeze butt brother just had to come in the way.

“Tell me again…” he said stopping down on the middle of the road, eyes glaring at his comrade “and you'd better make your explanation fucking good Ishida” his eyes still blazing “why the fuck did you allow them to treat us like trash that fouls up the air that they were breathing that they couldn't wait to dispose of?” His voice rising, anger and disgust evident in his tone. “You damn well know we do not deserve to be treated like that!”

“And you!” his fingers raised accusingly at his friend “why the hell did you stop me?” remembering the vise like hold Chad had on his shoulder earlier, stopping him from retaliating and doing bodily damage to the young royals guards who were dragging them not too soon out of the palace.

“Stop it Ichigo!” Ishida just had enough of Ichigo's antics for the night. Before Ichigo could deign a reply “Just shut up Ichigo” Chad said, the normaly soft tone gone, replaced by an irritated voice.

The change in Chad's voice was as effective as ice thrown into this boiling anger. He has never heard Chad raise his voice on anyone, ever. Well except that one time involving a sick bird and a psychotic guy trying to make a science project out of the said voice… but then that is Chad for you, the ever loving guardians of small cute animals.

But scratch that, Chad just raised his voice on him!

Ishida, resisting the urge to smirk at Ichigo's surprised eyes wide, mouth hanging open look, coughed. “I think it is better to take this conversation elsewhere. And we will tell you everything about it later as well Ichigo. “ It was after all your fault, he added silently. But he would rub it on chigos face. He would relish to do just that. But now isn't the time to do that.

Ishida's warning tone was not lost on both of his comrades who automatically shut up and was instantly alert and watchful. He had already felt the presence of the tracker as soon as they had crossed a mile from the palace gates. Whoever it was following them was obviously novice. Or totally inept. He had sensed his presence as easily and as obviously as a bright blinking neon sign in a dead dark alley in the night. And if Ichigo hadn't been too occupied with everything he was sure he would have felt it too. But Ichigo being the stubborn mule that he is, whose quite emotionally unstable as of now, he really can't blame him. Though it was quite a treat to see Ichigo sullen and dumbfounded because it was one of those very, very rare, and when he means rare it is almost equal to never, times when he just had the best of the said man. With a smirk in his lips, Ishida led the way back to their quarters. Maybe meeting Rukia was not such a bad thing for Ichigo.

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Soi Fon smacked Omaeda on the head. Cursing him to hell and back. How the hell she got stuck with this imbecile for a partner, she has no idea. How he got accepted in the stealth division is another mystery to her. And why she got stuck with him in the forst place is another sore spot for her. If it wasn't Yuroichi-sama's orders, the hell will she put up with it!

“What was that for commander?” said the squeaky voice of his second in command. Without even replying, she stood up and started the trek back to the palace. Yuroichi would not be pleased with this. Not that it was her fault anyway that they were not successful. The big good for nothing underling was the one who blew their cover and not her. Maybe after this, Yuroichi-sama would think twice about the fat and overweight nincompoop and fire his sweaty big ass from the division.

“Commander! Wait for me” Belly fat bouncing, Omaeda scrambled to a trot to catch up to his commander. “Why are we going back captain? Aren't we supposed to follow them?”

Omaeda didn't know what happened but next thing he knew he was on the ground, writhing in pain, a small foot imprint clearly visible on his globular abdomen.

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Renji felt his knees give way, coughing up and breathing heavily, he tried to stand up and regain his balance. He would not give up. He would not give her up. He could feel the perspiration trickle down his back. His muscles straining with effort. He tried to stand again, only to have his knees give out on his yet again.

He had been training inside the penitentiary room for almost two hours now. Normally, they were only allowed to train inside for not more than two hours. The said room was a special training ground built by their research and science division. The gravity inside is 10 to 20 times triple of that outside. The walls were made to withstand any attack and contain it within its walls. It was one freaky scary room for soldiers and knights alike. No one, well not counting the prince, the king and that crazy knight who built it could have come inside and not break a sweat. Of course that was because their reiatsu were stronger than the reiatsu covering the whole room.

He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. At the rate that he was going, he wouldn't be able to surpass his commanders power. Heck, he was already close to fainting from the pressure and from exhaustion. Maybe a minute. He will give his body a minute to rest then by hell he would stand up and continue his training. The image of his childhood friend deeply etched in his mind.

“What the hell are you planning Gin?” Ulquiorra asked without even looking at the person who just came inside the room. He didn't need to. He would know that presence anywhere. He knew the characteristic and quality of each of his comrades presence.

“My, my… there really is no sneaking up on you huh?” Still not losing the maniacal grin on his face. He stood beside Ulqiuorra's side “Pretty pathetic don't you think?” inclining his head towards the sweating Renji in the middle of the room.

Ulquiorra leveled hin with a pointed stare. Green eyes slanted, jaw clenched. He need not say anything, his stance and the look in his eyes were enough to give any other man the goosebumps. Any other man, but not Gin.

“Relax Ulquiorra. I was just, `helping' your newly appointed knight over there.” His voice serious “he will be one of the knights to represent this kingdom in the coming event.” Though Ulquiorra's face did not register anything, Gin knew that this one was a surprise for the said seasoned knight. “Oh? You didn't know???” Enjoying his upper hand in the conversation.

Gin would have loved to see the inside of Ulquiorra's brain. He was one of the few people whom he could not read. With a nod to his direction Ulquiora stepped out of the shadows and went to Renji.

“Renji,” without waiting for the young knight to respond “Ichigo is a powerful opponent” he saw Renji's jaw clench, all traces of fatigue erased from his face as he stood tall and firm. He could see determination etched on the knights face. “Training by yourself will not do.” With a look at Gin who was standing beside him “Sir Gin will train you for tonight”

Gin's smle could not have gotten bigger. So that was your plan eh? He thought, well, it would be his pleasure. “You do know that I would not go easy on the young pup ne?” he said while running his hands on his nape, craning it left and right as if to stretch and prepare his neck muscles for the fight.

“I knew you wouldn't” Ulquiorra said and left them alone in the room, the sound of sword battling drowned by the closing of the sound proof door. If Renji can survive a training with Gin, then perhaps he could stand a chance against Ichigo. He knew that it would take a miracle for Renji to defeat Ichigo, not with the barely contained power that he felt in Ichigo earlier. He knew that beneath that brash exterior, is a simmering cauldron of reiatsu. He had felt it, and knew that Ichigo is no simple knight.

With a sigh, he turned left instead of going back inside the palace, and out into the training grounds. If he would also like to defeat Ichigo, then he would have to sharpen his skills as well. It was never good to underestimate your opponent just because he looks more like an untrained punk than a seasoned knight.

TBC….

A/N

So, again, I would like to say sorry for the very very long hiatus that I took, again, moving from one country to another is not a walk in the park…. And immigration officers are a pain in the butt.

Sorry also if there are typo or grammatical errors… I was sooooo excited to post this one that I completely forgo of the editing part. So this chapter is quite fresh off the crazy mind of lil me.

And the depression that I got with Rukia and Ichigo's parting in the last chap didn't help at all. For three days all I could do was re read the last few pages of the manga and sigh dejectedly. I do love how Byakuya called their haori cheap… the only bright part of the chapter mind you. And my heart also went out to Matsumoto… Creepy as Gin was, I definitely liked him better than Tousen, don't ask me why though, it has always been like that from the beginning.

Anyway, will be starting the next chapter soon, very very soon, while I still have my muse on… The tournament is approaching quite soon, I still am thinking who to put for the five preliminary fights to be Ichigo's opponent. But I have a pretty clear idea how each fight would end up ;)

NEXT CHAP….

Rukia learns the truth… and Rukia being Rukia…she has a few things to say about it!