This story was taken down a few days ago and I had to revise it a bit so FF wouldn't take it back down. I had to change the name of the Fic from The Bitch to The Alpha because they weren't happy with me using the word 'bitch' in the title and the such. I would have just left this Fic alone and just dealt with it, but I know a lot of you liked it and I figured I'd re-post it!

This didn't take me too long to do. It's based on a short story I read some time ago, entitled The Bitch by P.D Cecek. I really liked it, and decided to Bleach-ify it. It's not exactly the same, I've changed a few things, but it's pretty similar I will admit. I hope you like it either way, and if you haven't read the story then you'll really like this!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters associated with the Anime/Manga. They belong to Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump Magazine. Please support the official release.

-The (Alpha) Bitch-

"Oh, God."

Rukia had heard Ichigo say those two words in a number of ways for a number of situations. It would be an explosive murmur while making love, a groan whenever she tricked him into buying her favorite Chappy-themed merchandise for her, or an epithet when he dropped a piece of chocolate before he could eat it- but the way he said it this time sent a chill racing down her spine and freezing her hand halfway towards the wineglass.

"Ichigo?"

His eyes moved slowly from some point over her right shoulder to her violet eyes, the down to his plate, his mouth set in a deep scowl. Suddenly the restaurant's ambient sounds- the quiet conversations from the other tables, the soft click and clatter of software on plates, the sweet, seductive music that hung in the air...it all became a distraction as Rukia leaned forward towards her boyfriend. "Ichigo, what is it?"

He looked up and said one word: "Senna."

The chill in Rukia's spine spread all throughout her now at the name, her eyes widening in recognition and her hands clenching slightly.

"Shit." She whispered.

"Yeah," Ichigo said in agreement.

For the six months they had been dating, Senna- the ex who wouldn't go away- had been a constant, determined, and, up until that night, discreet rival for Ichigo's affection...even though Ichigo had made it clear to Rukia that he no longer felt anything for the woman.

Rukia believed him.

Senna, apparently, did not.

They'd be at a movie and- surprise- Senna would be sitting two rows back. They'd be at a party and she'd be across the room, glaring at Rukia until Ichigo turned around, at which time she'd suddenly not realize they were there. For six months Senna would show up, accidentally, wherever they were. Rukia should have expected that she'd be here tonight as well, but somehow, she thought tonight would be different.

"Ah, jeez..."

Rukia didn't have to look, she knew when the air, suddenly scented with October leaves and musk, moved between them and the candle flame shuddered as a shadow fell across the table.

Ichigo shook his head. "Rukia, this is Senna."

Rukia's hand finally grasped the wineglass in front of her as she looked up. Most had described Senna as fragile, including Ichigo. Others used the term broken, but from where Rukia sat, looking up at the purple haired tied in a tail behind the hazelnut eyed woman's head with a blood red bow that matched her lipstick, she couldn't see it.

Except for the tears glistening in her eyes, and the flowing, extraordinarily feminine dress the color of ash, Senna seemed as hard- and invulnerable- as marble.

Smiling politely, Rukia cleared her throat and nodded. "Hi," She greeted.

The sadness in Senna's eyes seemed crystallized momentarily when she glanced at Rukia, before melting back into twin pools of dejection as she looked down at the table.

"Oh," She whispered, voice hoarse with emotion. "I see you're having dinner."

It was a flat statement that made Rukia feel like she did something horrendously wrong...or was something horrendously wrong. She lifted the wineglass and took a quick sip to wash away the taste in her mouth.

"Yes, the food's very good here."

Senna brushed a strand of her purple hair away from her face, dismissing Rukia and her comment, before turning her full and undivided attention to Ichigo.

"I always thought so; it was one of our favorite places."

Ichigo made a noise in the back of his throat- something between a cough and a groan. "We never ate here, Senna." He pointed out plainly.

"Oh?" Confusion deepened the slight- very slight- wrinkle between the woman's eyes. "That's strange...I thought we had. Well, we ate at so many wonderful restaurants I guess I got..." She sighed dramatically, and Rukia fought the urge to applaud at the performance. "Anyway, I was just driving by and saw your car in the parking lot and thought I'd just drop in to say 'hi.'"

Rukia's stomach tightened uncomfortably around the portion of the night's meal that she'd already eaten. "How nice." She said blandly.

Senna have her a small, weak smile before utterly dismissing her. Again.

"You look good, Ichigo." She complimented.

Ichigo glanced quickly down at his casual dress consisting of a gray polo shirt and dress pants, his orange hair up in its usual spiky style. His amber eyes raised back up to Senna as he thinned his lips out. "Thanks," was all he said.

"You seem to have put on a little weight though," Senna commented. "She must be a good cook."

The color in Ichigo's cheeks turned a flushed red as the she in question finished her glass of wine and contemplated accidentally spilling the rest of the bottle down the front of Senna's dress.

Ichigo grinned at her pleasantly, though pushing away his plate slightly. "Is there something you ne-"

"I saw Ulquiorra and Orihime the other night," Senna interrupted smoothly, not losing a beat. "They said you seemed happy. Are you happy, Ichigo?"

Ichigo smiled at Rukia and winked. "I'm working at it," He said, making Rukia smile lightly.

"Oh," Senna said, not at all affected by his wink at Rukia. It was as if she didn't notice. "That's a rather evasive answer, isn't it Ichigo-kun. You're either happy or not, you shouldn't have to work at it."

Despite the obvious chill that had descended, Rukia felt a slow burn creep up along her throat, but managed- somehow- to keep her voice light. "Oh, I think Ichigo is doing pretty okay." She said, winking back at Ichigo, who grinned in return.

"Really?" Senna hummed, reaching down to steal the piece of pork that was attached to Ichigo's fork. Ichigo shook his head when Rukia geared up to say something about it, and she just sat there as she watched the purple haired woman's lip peel back to reveal a set of perfect white teeth that closed down over the pork with a kind of predatory finality. "Well," She placed the fork back down onto Ichigo's plate and kissed his cheek. "If you're not going to invite me to join you...it was good to see you again, Ichigo-kun."

Turning, she gave Rukia one last withering glare before walking away. Rukia watched the whole performance- Senna wiped her eyes a few times between their table and the exit- before she could force herself to look away. Ichigo busied himself by looking at nothing in particular away from Senna.

Once Senna was gone, Rukia rounded on Ichigo. "Join us?"

"I'm sorry about that. I really am." Ichigo said with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Did she seriously think we were going to invite her to join us?"

"I don't know...yeah, maybe. That's just Senna being Senna." He said.

Rukia poured herself another glass of wine and finished it in one long gulp.

He reached across the table to take her hand when she reached to refill the glass a second time. "Don't. She was just trying to rile you up." He said.

"Well, it worked." Rukia said sourly, scowling. "How could she see our car? We're parked out back."

"I don't know...she has a way of doing things like that."

Rukia raised a brow at him. "She's done this on your other dates?"

"Oh, no, no...but for the first couple of months after we broke up I'd go somewhere- to the market or hardware store or anywhere else- and I'd see her. We wouldn't talk or anything, but she'd be there. And when I'd get home I'd feel like she was outside my window watching me."

Rukia watched as he pulled his hand back and finished his glass of wine warily. She could see this was effecting him.

"And, in case you're wondering why this happened tonight...I suspect it's because I've been with you longer than any of the other..." He fidgeted with saying the word.

Rukia took pity on him and nodded. "Six months, going on seven." She said, letting slight pride fill her tone.

"And that bothers the shit out of her...because this is real." She couldn't say anything to that without sounding flushed, and it probably was just as he added: "We started dating a few months after her husband of six years left her, and that was a terrible mistake. She was so devastated by him leaving her...so helpless..." He shrugged. "I don't know, but she needed me and I shamefully admit I kind of liked the feeling, so I stayed even after I knew the relationship wasn't what I wanted. Two years into it and I couldn't take it anymore and tried to break it off..."

Rukia leaned forward, interested. This was the first time he had ever revealed all of this information to her. "What happened?" She asked softly.

"She threatened to kill herself if I left...and I believed her."

"So you stayed." She more stated than asked.

"For another eighteen months, and then...Christ, I couldn't take it. She thought she had me at her mercy and would take any chance to belittle me and I'd just take it because I was afraid she'd just off herself at any moment. We were at the Christmas party when one of the doctors' wives- who was a little tipsy and flirty by that point- came up and complimented my suit. Senna came up and was like, 'oh, yes, this poor man had no sense of style or any idea towards social etiquette until I showed him.'"

"Damn," Rukia said softly.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, she made sure everyone in the whole damn room heard. When I took her back to her place I told her how I felt and she just laughed in my face, saying it was just a joke and she felt sorry for me if I didn't get that. I walked her to her door and straight up walked away."

"Wow."

"I didn't answer my phone for three days, and on the fourth she showed up at the hospital in hysterics making me out to be the bully in front of everyone...dammit, can we just not talk about it?"

Rukia nodded. She could get the rest of the story from his friends. "Sure," She said, letting the order of the night return to its natural state.

They ate the rest of their dinner making small talk about safe subjects and were laughing and holding onto each other as they walked to his car. But later that night when they were making passionate love to one another Rukia couldn't swipe away the feeling that there was someone watching them...

A woman with long purple hair and sad hazelnut eyes and sharp white teeth: a bitch in flowing sheep's clothing.

[–]

"So...you met Senna?"

Rukia could hear the pity in her best friend, Inoue Orihime's voice and almost wished she hadn't called. But what's the use of a girlfriend if not for venting?

"Yes," Rukia said sourly. "Yes I did."

"And?" Orihime inquired.

"Scary lady,"

"You think so?" Orihime commented, surprising Rukia. "I just think she's a bit sad. And, yeah, maybe a little...pathetic. I mean, it has been three years. I keep telling her it's time to move on."

"You still talk to her?" Rukia asked, slight accusation in her voice.

"Oh, sure. Ichigo and I have been friends since high school, and Ulquiorra and he have worked together at the hospital for years so I've known her since the start and..." Orihime's sigh echoed through the receiver into Rukia's ear. "She calls sometimes to ask about Ichigo. But don't let it get to you."

Rukia looked down as the pencil she had been twirling between her fingers snapped in half from her grip. "Uh huh..."

"It doesn't matter. She called last night to complain about the two of you going out and I told her to knock it off since it's getting out of hand. She just hung up on me. She was probably hoping I'd call Ichigo and tell him."

"Why does the word 'manipulation' come to mind?" Rukia said, throwing away her broken pencil.

"She's running scared though," Orihime said. "I haven't seen Ichigo this happy in..." She paused to think. "...a long time. And I'm sure Senna sees that as well."

"Oh joy," Rukia said dryly.

"I know," Orihime sighed. "Like I said: don't let it get to you. It's hard when someone won't let go, but she's really only hurting herself."

"I know...and I can understand why Senna doesn't want to give up. Ichigo is a wonderful man and I don't plan on just simply walking away."

"It may get rough," Orihime warned.

Rukia's lips curled slightly. "Oh, no doubt about that."

[–]

"Excuse me?"

Ichigo gave a weak smile at Rukia. "She wants us to all be friends." He repeated.

"And you know this because...?" Rukia inquired, raising a brow at him.

"She called me at work this afternoon, weeping and saying how sorry she was for last night. She said she'd be happy and be able to get on with her life if we could all be friends." He said.

Rukia took a deep breath and tried her best to not make a comment about pigs with the ability to soar through the sky. "She wants us to be friends huh? What did you tell her?" She asked, stealing a grape from out of the bowl in front of her.

Ichigo paused in his lettuce tearing to looked down at the floor, slightly embarrassed. "I...told her I'd ask you. But I mentioned that I didn't think it was a good idea." He added quickly.

"Uh-huh."

Ichigo finished his dismemberment of the lettuce and picked up one of the rice balls on the table next to the salad bowl and held it out to her- an offering she could not refuse.

One thing she loved about Ichigo was that he knew how to cook. She figured he picked it up from his younger sister Yuzu. Though he was nowhere near as good as his sister, he still managed to make her moan with each bite of his delicacies. She almost hated going out to eat when she could be here at Ichigo's house dining on one of his homemade meals.

Especially since when they do go out it usually involves being intruded on by unwanted guests...

Rukia sighed- a bad mistake, considering the mouthwatering aroma that filled the kitchen air as Ichigo brewed their stew. She took a bite of the rice ball and hummed as she chewed it then swallowed. "It's not going to happen you know,"

"I know," Ichigo said.

"Then why didn't you tell her?" Rukia questioned.

He shrugged. "I don't want to hurt her any more than I already have. Senna may seem strong, but she's not, Rukia...not like you."

Rukia held her smile in at his compliment, and said nothing about his obvious delusions about his supposedly fragile and broken ex. "Yeah well...I guess she'll figure it out eventually."

"Here's hoping," Ichigo leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Now, can you do me a favor?"

Rukia raised a brow at him. Ichigo very rarely asked for help when cooking, she usually just stood nearby stealing a few nibbles here and there. So for him to ask for help must mean he absolutely couldn't do it himself.

"Sure, what is it?"

Ichigo reached down and pulled up the wine bottle they were going to be partaking from for the night and upended it, flipping it upside down over the salad bowl to let a lonely drop, the color of grapes, fall out from the mouth. "We're out of wine. I thought we were good enough for the night and then I'd buy more tomorrow on my home from work, but unfortunately I was wrong and we need some more. Could you run out and buy a bottle while I finish cooking?"

Rukia had already snatched her purse from off the counter and nodded to him as she turned to leave. "Sure, anything else we need?" She asked.

Ichigo shook his head. "Nope. Now get going, before the food gets cold." He said.

Rukia nodded, walking out of the kitchen as it steamed from the stew. She paused to listen to the rather domestic sounds within the kitchen, enjoying them more than she thought she would. They were good sounds, sounds of home and hearth and refuge from the world. She absolutely loved being here with Ichigo, because she never truly felt content unless they were together.

"I don't hear that door closing!" Ichigo yelled from the kitchen playfully.

"Yes, sir!" Rukia called back, smiling as she giggled and walked out of the house into the bright late-summer evening and made sure the door slammed shut to appease him. She decided to walk to enjoy the crisp air and get the exercise. The liquor store wasn't that far from Ichigo's house, and Rukia felt she had been driving her Acura too much lately and hasn't taken the chance to enjoy the ground beneath her feet.

It took her barely five minutes to reach the liquor store, and after perusing the isles for the best of the best of wine- you might as well splurge a bit if you had the money, right?- she picked up a decent sized bottle and paid, thanking the salesclerk and making her way back out into the sidewalk to languidly make her way back to Ichigo's place. The sky had grown considerably dark while she was searching for the wine, but she wasn't worried. This was a decent neighborhood, full of upper-middle class suburbans. The worst you had to worry about was one of their SUVs coming down the road and you trying to cross the street at the same time, something Rukia was by no means stupid about doing.

As she walked, she looked up to the full moon and felt a calm spread through her at the peaceful night. It was nice and quiet around the neighborhood as everyone got home from work and settled down for the night. It was a Wednesday, so there weren't any teenagers hanging around readying to go to some party or any children out in the streets riding their bikes as they had school the next day. It was a nice night, and Rukia took it all in after her rather hectic week.

She was barely halfway when she heard a strange scuff on the sidewalk behind her. She ignored it, thinking maybe it was a dog or a cat shooting by. It wasn't that strange of an occurrence, so she didn't even glance as she kept walking.

The sound came again, and then for a third time. When the fourth time it came, Rukia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The scuffing sound turned into audible steps, and Rukia realized with an icy chill that someone was following her.

Rukia kept her eyes forward, forcing herself to keep a calm air about her as she gripped the wine bottle in her hand. She did not quicken her steps, keeping her stride at a peaceful pace as if she hadn't heard a thing. She contemplated all of the options she had at her disposal; screaming rape, which no one ever came to help with, screaming fire, which only half of people came to help with, or turning and putting up a fight. The last option was her best bet. She was a strong woman, and had a lot of confidence in her abilities to fend off whoever might be following her.

The wind blew by, carrying along with it the scent of October leaves and musk...and a low, guttural growl that slowly- slowly- formed into words:

"He's...mine."

Before Rukia could turn around to defend herself, something cold and sharp raked through the back of her shirt and cut through to the skin, making her gasp in pain as she twirled to her left and darted away from the thing that had attacked her. She ran through the street, not looking back as she raced to Ichigo's house.

[–]

When Rukia walked back into the house Ichigo was setting the table for the two of them. When she opened the door Ichigo glanced up at her before returning to setting the plates down.

"You walked didn't you?" Ichigo said.

"It was a nice night," Rukia replied, walking forward to place the wine bottle on the table next to the glasses.

Ichigo looked at the bottle. "Damn, you got some pretty...holy shit, what happened to you?"

Rukia glanced back over her shoulder at the tattered remains of her black T-shirt, giving him a sheepish grin. "Promise not to laugh?"

Ichigo's amber eyes shone with concern. "I promise. What happened?"

"I...slipped into some bushes. Tore up my shirt pretty bad." She said, shrugging. "I'm not really hurt...just got a ruined shirt."

Ichigo put down the silverware and moved around to examine her back, putting on his professional doctor face that Rukia found to be very cute. He scanned over the wounds, frowning deeply.

"You're lucky...just a scratch, barely broke the skin." He said, pulling back. "You should let me put some antiseptic on it though, just in case it could get infected."

"After dinner?" Rukia pleaded.

"Now." Ichigo said sternly as he went off to grab the disinfectant and cotton swabs. As he left, she sat down and opened the wine bottle, taking a very quick swig.

It's on now.

[–]

Everyone seemed to make out Senna to be this unstoppable force that Rukia should just knuckle under, but she wasn't so illusive to not be in the phone book.

"Hello?"

"Senna, we need to talk." Rukia said into the phone.

"Who's this?"

Rukia held back a snarl. "You know very well who this-"

"Oh, Rukia! Nice to hear from you." Her laugh was condescending, and it irked Rukia greatly."We need to talk you say? I would have thought you'd have already gotten my message, but if you insist..."

"I do." Rukia said sternly.

"Alright then," Senna yawned, almost as if bored. "Where and when?"

"Right now seems pretty good to me. Open your front door."

The look on Senna's face when she opened the front door to her home was so priceless Rukia wished she had brought a camera. She was not prepared for company, dress in a pair of white pajama shorts and a purple wife beater with no makeup and her hair down from its usual pony tail. She tried to hide the shock, but it was just too apparent.

"Stalking is illegal, you know." Senna said.

"Funny you'd mention that," Rukia said, closing her cell phone and pocketing it.

Pushing past the purple haired woman, Rukia made her way into the living room. Senna's house was a pretty moderately sized place, from first glance it seemed there were two bedrooms and one bathroom, a kitchen adjoining the living room off on the far back. Rukia sat down on the over-stuffed white sofa and crossed her arms and legs, staring up at Senna as she placed her house phone on the table.

"Breaking and entering is another felony, you know." Senna noted, to which Rukia snorted.

"Breaking and entering would imply I was denied entrance before entering, and you said I couldn't come in." Rukia said. "Besides, I have a friend on the police force who would help me out should you cause a case."

"Yes...Renji's his name, correct?" Senna inquired.

"Yes," Rukia said, not bothering to ask how she knew. "But there's no need to tell anyone about this, Renji or Ichigo. This is between you and me."

Senna stood tall near the couch, poised perfectly lady-like in all of her feminine glory. "Of course," She said. "No one needs to know of our...discussion here."

"Exactly," Rukia nodded.

"But where are my manners?" Senna placed a hand over her chest dramatically, obviously reinforcing the fact she was not wearing a bra. Rukia couldn't help but be jealous of the woman's bigger bust size. "Would you like a drink? A snack?"

"No, thanks." Rukia said tersely.

"Well, since you've already made yourself at home..." The room fell into a heavy silence as Senna placed her dainty self into the chair directly opposite Rukia. The way she moved was so gentle, as if anything and everything could break her, completely at odds of the real person she really was. "Go on then, let's talk."

Rukia uncrossed her legs and sat up a little straighter. "Let's cut to the chase. I want you to stop bothering Ichigo."

"I'm not bothering Ichigo," Senna countered, smiling. "We're friends."

"No," Rukia smiled back. "You're not friends. You two are exes, broken up, and that's all you are. I understand people can still be friends after breaking up, but obviously you can't."

Senna's eyes darkened slightly, but she quickly covered it up with a pantomime smile. "You couldn't be more right. However, you should be careful what you say to me. I'm not like other women...Rukia. When I want something, I get it, and I don't give it up until I'm done with it."

"So you're saying Ichigo hurt your little pride and now you want to get him back so you can...what, return the favor?" Rukia's lips formed into a scowl. "I would never let you do that to him."

"You don't have a choice." Senna's voice turned into a growl, much more deranged and ferocious than the one from the night before. "Ichigo belongs to me, I knew that from the moment I saw him. After my husband left me...Ichigo filled the void nicely, and we were good together. He just seems to have forgotten that."

"He left you,"

"No, he ran when he realized what I am." Senna said.

Rukia perched a brow. "And that is?"

"Dangerous," Senna gave a sigh. "Poor Ichigo...he's much more fragile than you'd know. But I forgive him for that, and I will continue to do so until he comes to his senses."

Senna ran a hand through her long purple hair, and Rukia dug her nails into her palms in anger.

"Meaning you won't leave us alone until he comes back to you?" It wasn't so much of a question, as it was a statement.

Senna laughed and tossed her hair like a schoolgirl. "I won't dignify that with an answer."

"Okay then," Rukia said, glaring at Senna heatedly. "How about this? You leave Ichigo and I alone from now on."

Senna smoothed out her hair. "No," She said instantly.

"He doesn't want you."

"He doesn't know what he wants."

"I'm warning you, Senna." Rukia said, her underlying anger apparent in her tone. "Get out of his life."

Senna blinked her sad hazelnut eyes, crocodile tears appearing at the corners of them. "Oh, how disappointed Ichigo will be when he finds out all I wanted was to be friends and you come into my house and threaten me. He'll be so ashamed of you."

If Senna hadn't started laughing Rukia might have just walked away...

Rukia opened her palms, staring down at the bloody nail shaped cuts she had left behind in her clenched fists. "I had a strange feeling you'd say something like that..." She said, watching the cuts reverse direction and heal.

Rukia leaned back against the white sofa cushion, and Senna's eyes widened.

"Wait...how are you...?"

"How am I pressing my back against the couch if you scratched it up?" Rukia grinned at Senna. "I'm shocked you actually thought of that first and not if I'd get bloody seepage on your white cushions. Good for you."

Senna was gaping at her in shock and confusion. "What...?"

Rukia stood from the couch, pulling up her T-shirt and turning around to show Senna her back. She heard the gasp, and wished she could have seen the woman's face when she saw no trace of the four jagged scars she had left behind the night before. There was nothing but pure, white, untouched skin underneath her shirt.

"You had really done a number on me last night," Rukia said, dropping her shirt and turning to see the horrified look on Senna's face. "You cut practically to the bone. Luckily the wounds healed up quite a bit before Ichigo could see them." She smirked as Senna continued to stare, frozen on the spot. "My kind...we heal quickly. I guess our healing factor has developed so well because, well, we have so many natural predators out there in competition for our place at the top of the food chain. What did you use, by the way? I'm guessing a cultivator, am I right? A pretty smart tool to use, and it really could have caused some serious damage if I were human."

"Hu-hu-human?" Senna stammered, pressing back into her chair, as if putting a bit distance between the two would help any.

"Yes, human." Rukia said, brushing out her shirt. "But that's not important. What is important is that I have established that you're not a wholly rational person and the only way to make you stop bothering us is to dispose of you. Unfortunately, though, I can't leave a body behind. Ichigo might think he was responsible for you killing yourself."

Rukia opened her mouth, feeling her jaw distend forward slightly as her teeth elongated to their natural, deadly length. She could feel muscle shifting inside of her lithe body, a slight pain but nothing she couldn't handle after years of getting used to it. The fangs made her lips a little, but she had no choice.

"He would blame himself until the day he died. Ichigo is just too sweet a person to just brush it off. I can't allow for him to do that, though...you've hurt him enough as it is."

Senna's mouth opened and closed, unable to form words. It was only for the best, though, because Rukia was tired of hearing her sickly sweet voice, and it would only make it worse with the fact her ears were now pointed and much more acute.

"So, you see, I don't have a choice. Hope you understand."

In actuality Rukia did have a choice. She really didn't have to do this; it was a purely, unadulterated, selfish act on her part, and she knew it. She had been taught since she was young to never transform in front of the prey, to not let it see her human face before killing it. But she couldn't help but want to see the look on Senna's face when she looked at a real Alpha Bitch.

Rukia grabbed Senna by the leg with her clawed, hairy fingers and dragged her kicking and screaming into the bathroom.

Tile was much easier to clean than carpet...

[–]

Ichigo was flipping the steaks on the fiery grill when he handed Rukia the note. She took it between her fingers and used the firepit's sizzling flames to read the carefully written letter she herself had sent in Senna's frilly handwriting. Rukia was very impressed with her work at imitating the woman's handwriting, especially since it was so sickly sweet, just like her voice.

She read it aloud: "Ichigo, I have finally tired of this. It's over. I have been very foolish, thinking you were different than all of the other men out there. I need a man who is my equal, and, let's face it Ichigo, you aren't. Still, I can't bear the thought of seeing you with...her, so you'll be pleased, as I'm sure you will be, to know I will not hang around to witness the charade any longer. The world is wide, many fish in the sea as they say, and I'm sure there's someone worthy of me. Best to you and what's-her-name."

Rukia handed Ichigo back the letter, and watched as he crumpled it up and tossed it onto the table. "Brutal, huh?" She quipped lightly, gauging his reaction.

"Yup, a real bitch to the end." He remarked with a snort.

Rukia smiled. "Well, I know it's a little messed up of me to say but...I'm glad it's over."

"You and me both, baby." Ichigo said, poking at one of the steaks with his long-handled fork. He then got quiet for a moment, then glanced at her. "You aren't the possessive type...are you?"

Rukia played with the thought of telling Ichigo werewolves mated only once and for life, but she figured it was still too early in the relationship to explain such things. Instead of answering him, she just gave him a "you've got to be kidding me" look and then sniffed the air to avoid his gaze.

"Steak smells nearly done," She said, humming in delight.

"Sure, you like it runny and slightly red." Ichigo remarked.

Rukia grinned. "My favorite."

Ichigo shrugged. "Okay then," He said, taking the thicker of the two steaks and placing it on her plate with his fork. She took a whiff of it, and nearly moaned at its juicy smell.

"I've never met a woman who loves meat so much," Ichigo commented.

Rukia giggled. "Are you complaining?"

Ichigo grinned softly at her. "Of course not. But be careful, eat too much of it and bad things happen. Remember, you are what you eat."

Rukia couldn't help but smirk darkly. "Not necessarily."

I'm sorry if all of you thought I was posting a 'new' story, but don't worry! I'm working on a new one as we speak! I just couldn't let this Fic be forever lost! I had to bring it back!

And to FF...I'm sorry for violating yer terms and conditions! Please don't delete my account!

Sorry also for not posting ANYTHING the past two weeks. My friend James came up from TN to chill since he just graduated. I would have graduated as well, but I'm Home-Schooled and the rules are different for us Home-Schooled kids. I got more work to do than he did. But he left yesterday, and I'm working on a new one-shot as we speak!

Hope you guys can forgive me!

REVIEW!