~ Why not? ~

Crisp and cold- the early morning breeze is bitter to the tip of the runners nose, bringing it to a ruby-red tip as the stone below their sneakers flying through the air. The musky and earthy scent of rain is soothing to the burning sensation in her lungs as she follows along the black-paved road.

Hills upon hills of lushious green grass absorbs her onyx-eyes as low-riding grey clouds roll pass from the stormy-night that loomed this morning. The tree line glows bright for the sun as it begins to peak out from it's slumber to awaken the world.

Everything felt... peaceful.

There isn't any rushing cars, bustling chatter of strangers or suffocating scent of smoke. It burns- like she swallowed a match and her lungs are burning like a slow dying fire- but god does it feel good. The fresh air and aching of her body reminds her that she's alive- for the last few days she felt numb, lost in a whirl-wind of thoughts about where to go next and what to do. Everything was slowly getting to her and the soccer-star is at her wits-end.

Reaching the end of the road the athlete stops her steady pace and leans down as heavy pants leave her lips. Squeezing her eyes shut she tries to relax and lower the thumping of her heart echoing her ears; it's been quite awhile since she's ran this much outside of the stadium. Karin truly missed it.

Her glistening neck flex's as she takes deep breath's and stretches her arms. The rhythm of her heart becomes a steady relaxing pace, opening her grey-orbs the soccer-players lips part for the warm hug of light as the sun breaks over the horizon.

The sharp cold metal of the guard-rail burns her palms as she leaps over the metal and sits along the bitter-chilled barrier. 'I needed this,' her mind sings, sweat glistening down her pale skin and eyes staring out to the large ball of light.

All her worries vanish: play-off's, trading, her relationship with her sister and the business card sitting in her glove-box. Her soul and mind finally felt at peace for the first time in weeks.

Since discovering her sister and Jinta's relationship she's been living at Toshiro's house- she loves it; falling asleep and waking to his face is her favorite part of her day. However, the relationship is still fresh and she didn't want to scare the play-boy away, after many years of knowing the model she knows how he feels about settling. It's almost like water to fire.

Karin's mentioned getting an apartment but the singer refused, especially since she still has the lease of the flat her twin was currently using. The thought of Yuzu brought a boiling resentful feeling to her throat; she wasn't ready to work on their relationship- she could barely hear her name (sometimes), there is no way she could have a conversation with her right now.

To overcome the boiling rage the soccer-star would snap to the trade-off's. According to her coach Switzerland was getting more and more serious as they watch her play; they wanted her and from their history they weren't one's to give up without putting up one-hell-of-a-fight.

A strong gust of cool-morning breeze tussles her long pony-tail. "You don't have to carry all this alone," it feels like the universe whispered in her ear. It's right- she knew Toshiro wants nothing but to hear everything that on her mind; he's asked her multiple times but for some reason she didn't know how to tell him. She didn't want to unload all her stressors at once to overwhelm him but... that's how it would sound.

Then again, this is Toshiro she's talking about. The guy who would show up to her house with take-out, popcorn and corny-movies if she lost a game- without a doubt she knew her stress was because she wasn't doing what helps her... talking to her best-friend and she doesn't understand why she wasn't.

Climbing over the railing Karin turns and looks at the sun one last time, her mind determine and final decision fresh in her mind: she was going to talk to Toshiro.

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Why not?

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Salty and sweet-warm and comfort- quiet and soothing- the white sheets ruffle as a large tanned-arm runs over the opposite side of the bed. Feeling the cool spot where his lover once laid he sighs. Rolling onto the lonely pillow next to him he buries his nose deep into the white sheets- the scent of the soccer-player is prominent: salty, cinnamon and vanilla mixture sketched into the pillow from many nights he got to hold her in his arms.

His muscles pop as he sits from the sheets, his body squeezes slightly as he stands from the mattress with a hand grasping the white-sheets to his hips. The singer grins as he collects the pair of boxers and sweat-pants the nix-athlete tossed in her heated desire the night before.

Dropping the white-fabric he pulls the clothing over his hips and makes his way to the large staircase. The strong smell of bacon fills his nose as he leans over the railing looking over the kitchen, a brisk grin covers his lips for the sight before him.

Swirling around the white-kitchen, ears blaring with music, damp black-hair ties in a messy-bun and cladded in one of the singers shirts Karin's off in her own little world. Upon the stove is scrambled eggs, bacon and along the counter an arrangement of cut-up fruits. The innocent sight warms his heart, especially the loving glow on her skin as she sways her hips to the unknown artist filling her mind.

Bouncing down the rest of the stair the singer makes his way to the kitchen, as he comes closer to the soccer-star he sways his body like hers before wrapping his arms around her waist. She tenses slightly at first, inhaling a large dosage of his scent she relaxes and leans into his bare-chest. Pulling out the earphones her thin-fingers run over his arms causes goosebumps to form on his flesh.

"Hey," she whispers softly looking over his features with her onyx-orbs and innocent grin on her plush lips.

Turning her to face him, the singer runs his fingers over her soft cheek and examines her expression. It's been days since he's seen her so relaxed and care-free; whatever was on her mind had taken this side he knew so well- he missed it-man did he miss it.

"Hey," he kisses her forehead and wraps his arms around her form.

Karin holds his bare skin and takes deep breaths-I'm here: the message was clear to the athlete as she listens to the slow beating of his heart. "I'm ready," she admits.

The singer leans over switching the stove off and tightens his holds on the soccer-player. Pressed against the island he places his hands on her hips, "Take your time," running a hand down her arm.

Her lips part but nothing comes out- she's slightly uncertain of what to say, but she is going to tell him. There is no chickening out this time. "I-um, I appreciate you letting me stay here," she starts; the soccer-star felt that starting with the topic of her sister and her apartment would give her some courage. "Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you," she continues; the model gives a side grin fully knowing her tactic. "But, I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to force you to settle," her fingers rub soft circles on his chest. Her eyes are locked on the mounts of muscle, "I-I know you never-"

"Karin," Toshiro's tone drips of seriousness and passion; she looks up to see the same look from the celebrity-ball. Swallowing her words her breath quickens the slightest and heat rushing from her stomach up to her throat. "I want you here. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to hear you talk about your long day and worries. I want to see you dance around this house," the slight growl in his voice made her knee's weak. "If this is settling, then... fuck it, as long as I have you then I'm the happiest I've ever been."

"You mean that?" she bites her lip and stares at his lips; she craves for them to be on her body but suppresses the urge.

"Yes," Toshiro growls, "and if you try to run-away, I'll find you and drag your ass right back." He leans down and presses a disarray of butterfly kisses along her shoulder up to her neck causing a lustful gasp to break the air. "I know how to find you so damn well," a slight yelp graces her lips as he bites her neck a little rougher than usual.

Her throat feels dry as the singers hot mouth ravages her neck-"Sweet, sweet, sweet god" her thoughts moan; suddenly she's lifted and placed on top the island. The cold marble-top relieved the burn in her thighs and stomach. "Wait," she gasps "I have something else to tell you."

Toshiro takes a deep breath and sways as he steps away from the beauty- he could feel the tension crawling at his neck, his mind flashing with images of bending her over the counter freshly imprinted in his mind. Running a hand over his face he clears his throat and nods, "S-Sorry," he stutters.

Karin looks over the play-boy noting the quick rise and fall of his chest- felt it too- the unbearable primal want to tangle their bodies together. God did she want him to show her his dominate side- because this man in front of her is someone she's never seen before. He's driven, rough, animalistic and has a fucking point.

Shaking the lust from her eyes Karin runs her fingers through her hair, and rubs her legs together to help the heat building. "There's a country that wants to draft a contract for me," she breathlessly admits.

'Wait... what?' the singers mind snaps; his grip on the counter tightens for the idea of Karin having to leave Japan for a team. However he knew that it could be critical to her athletic career, as much as it pains him he only wants her to be happy.

"It's Switzerland, Toshi" she adds; seeing the intense grip on the counter she chews on her bottom lip.

He takes a deep steady breath and steps forward, taking her hands he buries his nose into her shoulder. Closing his bright-eyes he listens to her heart in his ears, "we'll get through this," he kisses her neck causing a shiver to rush down her spine, "whether it's us go together or a 50/50 thing- we can make it work," he pulls away from her neck.

Karin gasps for the darkened hue of blue washing over his eyes- the shirt over her body became invisible in her thoughts, the tenderness of her muscles screaming for a firm grip around them. Placing a hand on his cheek she leans forward and presses her lips against him.

There is no innocence in this kiss- the instant he felt her lush lips on his he leaned into her, grasping her waist and pulling her tightly to him. She moans for a sharp ping of pain and he takes the entrance only to be bitten slightly.

He pulls away and the soccer-player mules in disapproval. "This is all I want," he pants; Karin stares into his orbs filled with lust, "I want you and only you, no matter what. I want this to really work because... I can't see myself with anyone else other than you, Kurosaki Karin."

The weight of all the decisions she needs to make turns to dust as she stares at the singer. A single tear rolls down her cheek as she smiles, pulling Toshiro in quickly by the neck she kisses him rough and sloppy but it drove him mad once more.

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Why Not?

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K Production- the large elegant sign shines in the sunlight as the zooming car parks suddenly, and the driver gritting their teeth opens the door with force. Those in the parking-lot stare in fear as a petite woman slams her car door shut, breaking everyone's attention in the area.

In her small hand is an envelope that has seen better days from the crinkled edges and ripped edges. Storming her way to the glass front-doors she glares at the security-guards who know her by name, neither try to stop her in her wake or try to get involved when she marches up to the front desk.

"Where is he?" the director growls; the young twenty-something year old tenses.

" Mr. Kuchiki is currently in a meeting-" before the sentence is finished the violet-eyed mother-to-be storms up the stairs. "Wait! You can't-"

"I didn't ask for your opinion," Rukia coldly snaps leaving the woman shaken.

The grey painted walls of K-production always held the finest artwork, awards and achievements of the company; most won by Byakuya but there were quite a few that Rukia and Ichigo won especially in the short-film area and music production.

Her eyes burn as she enters the main floor that is filled with glass-walled office area's, large meeting rooms with white-boards and one main desk.

"Kuchiki-san," the bubbly assistant smiles from behind the desk. Rukia rolls her eyes for the busty woman and walks by without muttering a word. "Hey! Wait! You can't go in there!" the woman tries, however it's far too late.

Rukia storms into the large conference room to meet several well-dressed men and women she recognized from the music production world. In the past she would've tried to play off her interruption, but not today, the Kuchiki-woman is furious. Blame it on her raging hormones and mood-swings but in truth the only thing to blame is her brother and his fucking love for writing letters.

"Kuchiki-san, you can't be in here," the bubbly assistant says at the door awaiting the woman to step outside the room immediately. Rukia doesn't move, her eyes are glued to her brother.

Byakuya sat at the head of the table, dressed in his Italian-suit, pale-skin and steel eyes that usually made her obey his every word- it wasn't working now. His hands are clasped together as he glares coldly at his sister.

"Rukia," Byakuya calmly addresses her; the guest in the room shiver for the calm and cool tone of the genius. "We're currently in the middle of a very important meeting. If you don't mind waiting-"

"Oh, I do fucking mind," the young-woman growls; the assistant and the guest gasp for her harshness.

"Okay, you got to go," the assistant grabs Rukia's hand and tries to pull her lightly out of the room.

"Don't fucking touch me, Orihime!" Rukia spat and yanks her hands from the busty-woman.

Byakuya sighs and looks over to the orange-haired man sitting next to him, "Kurosaki," he cooly says, Ichigo gulps as he looks from Rukia to Byakuya. "Please escort my sister out of this room."

Ichigo stands shakily, "Ichigo sit down!" Rukia demands; the editor sits immediately.

"Kurosaki, stand," Byakuya glares; Ichigo looks over to Rukia and notices the fire in her eyes.

"Ha," Ichigo chuckles as he looks over to the older-Kuchiki, "Um... I'm going to listen to Rukia, I don't want to die."

Byakuya rubs his forehead in frustration, "sorry everyone, we will postpone this meeting to after lunch," he sighs, the group starts to stand.

"No, no, everyone can stay," Rukia smiles happily. The group look over the petite woman in confusion, "quite honestly, I think it's a great opportunity for everyone to know the true Kuchiki Byakuya," she glances to her brother.

"They don't-" her brother tries.

"Shut-up! I wasn't done speaking," Rukia interrupts. The Kuchiki-males eyes widen for her rudeness and looks over the room in disbelief. "Now, where was I? Oh right, the real Kuchiki Byakuya," she pops her lip and lifts the envelope into the air. "Did any of you know that he loves to right letters when he's too chicken-shit to say how he really feels to someone's face?"

Ichigo's brow furrow as he watched his girlfriend slap the envelope onto the table with a flick of the wrist. In the beginning he thought this was a episode of mood-swings but, by the way she was speaking it's like something in Rukia just...snapped.

"Alright then," Rukia clears her throat, "I'll read what my great brother wrote me. How does that sounds, Brother?" she dares.

"Rukia," Byakuya growls; he's about to instruct his assistant to call security but knowing his sister and her carrot-top lover it would start even more ruckus. The Kurosaki-man would probably fight tooth-and-nail against of the security-guards that touched the petite-woman, and Byakuya didn't want to hire new security or deal with the aftermath- it's usually really messy.

"Dear Rukia," the director starts, "There are many different things that are occurring in your life right now. I know your career has just started blossoming into something quite beautiful and has great potential. You could be a great director someday-however, this unforgivable bastard child you are carrying is going to destroy all of those potentials"- her hands were shaking as she read the page word-for-word.

Ichigo stood as he watches his love slowly break for the words of her elder-brother. The way her eyes were shining with fresh tears and shoulder rising a little quicker than usual, the editor knew Rukia wasn't okay- she's hurt beyond repair right now.

"Midget," Ichigo whispers as he places a hand on her shaking shoulder.

"No, Ichigo, I'm not even at the best part," she grips the paper with white-knuckles and continues: "I've watched you make many mistakes, the one that I regret not interfering with sooner is letting you continue this ridiculous relationship with this disgusting press-flee. He's ruined your life enough, and I won't let such repulsive and untalented blood become apart of the Kuchiki legacy. Save your career and dignity, Rukia and rid of this mistake. I have booked an appointment at abortion-clinic. Signed: B. Kuchiki"- crumpling the note into a balls Rukia tosses the paper at her brother.

The paper-ball hits the millionaires head and rolls over the table.

Grasping the sonogram from her back pocket Rukia walks over to brother and slams the picture onto the table. "This is my decision. My baby," she points to the small image, "you don't get to sit here on your fucking horse and call them a mistake, because I love them just as much as I love that disgusting press-flee you hate so much," her violet eyes lock with Byakuya's grey-eyes in a great clashing battle, "if you can't accept my decisions that I made for my life then don't bother being apart of it. I don't need you or the Kuchiki name."

Ichigo follows his lover out of the office leaving the gapping professionals behind.

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Image of the chapter: grey clouded sky, a wet road with a gravel shoulder and large hills of grass.

Hey everyone, I know it's been a really long time since I updated this story, however my break is over I have an announcement. I will be continuing this story, the updates will hopefully be monthly at the least. For those who are following any other stories I have written that have been on freeze for a bit, please read my bio to see which stories are currently being updated.

If a story you are waiting for an update in isn't on the list don't fright, after I have completed the stories on the list I will be working on other stories that I have left on freeze. The only story that will be under some major construction is: The Bucket List. I am going to re-write and re-vamp it to my current style.

Also, if anyone is reading Remember Us, there has been an update and I'm currently looking for an artist to make some works for a spin-off/original story that I'm working on on-the-side.

Question: Does anyone want a lemon from this chapter?

I'm not sure if I will write one for the counter scene, let me know!

Until next time,

~VintageTypeWriter2346