Ichigo Kurosaki was pissed.

That in itself was not all that unusual, nor was the reason.

Rukia.

What was unusual as how she had managed to traumatize him this particular time. See, after she went into the closet at night (which she had been spending more nights than the bed his family had put out for her, where she should be), she didn't come out until morning. Unless there was a Hollow. But even then, he got her cell phone going off as a warning.

Never, ever had she invaded his privacy so. And intentionally, to boot! He wasn't just pissed, he was livid.

"It's not that big a deal," she had said, perhaps sensing the danger she was in. Even he was feeling his reiatsu spike, and he was still in his body. "Lots of people do it."

"I am not 'lots of people,' Rukia," Ichigo had snarled back. "And I chose to do it in private. With no one around. Sneaking up on me was far from funny!"

"Ichigo, seriously, it's not that bad that you-"

"Don't even say it!"

"Read romance novels!" she yelled back.

Oh, she didn't. In a swift movement, he pressed his shinigami badge to his chest, discarding his body. Rukia's legs vanished out the door as he pulled Zangetsu from his back.

'Hey, King,' a familiar voice whispered from his psyche. 'Ya finally gonna kill her? That chick's more trouble than she's worth, ya know?'

"No," he replied to his hollow. "But I will scare the hell out of her."