Author's Note: (To anyone in the US) HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I am so grateful for all of my reviewers that I decided to write a short fanfiction of our favorite couple (again). It was supposed to be a one-shot but as I was writing I noticed how long this was becoming. So I decided to make this into a two-shot. I'm almost done with the other chapter and I will upload it early next week.
And don't worry, Stepping Forward will be uploaded in time as well so this didn't push me back at all.
Well, I hope you enjoy reading this and don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach
Summary: A year of peace has passed and along with it came changes in their relationship. But as one is ready to embrace it, the other is not.
One year.
It had already been one year since the end of the Winter War and the defeat of the traitor of Soul Society, Aizen. Peace had returned to both Soul Society and Karakura town as the once ryoka of Seireitei became a celebrated hero in the afterworld.
But that didn't stop the world from turning for even a second. Once the weeklong celebration ended, the great hero and his friends had to return to the real world in order to continue school. They've been absent for months and it was an undeniable fact that they would have to restart their freshman year all over again. His friends were willing to do this, but when they realized that it would look bad in their college resumes to have repeated a year, they immediately agreed to Urahara's suggestion of alter the entire school's memory with the Memory Chikan.
Every one of them returned as second year students of their high school, and with as another year passed, they were now in their third, final year. College entrance exams, research papers and occasional Hollows were occupying the life of Kurosaki Ichigo, the great hero of the Winter War, along with the rest of his friends. Nothing much had changed over the past few hectic years. Everyone was the same and the world was still turning in a 24 hour cycle. But if there was one change one must point to, then that would be the relationship of the great hero with his partner and precious nakama: Kuchiki Rukia.
At first, nothing seemed different. They were still bickering like any other day, with occasional kicks-to-the-shin by the woman, and their constant name calling. But if anyone was to watch them more closely, one would see some obvious changes between them.
The longing glances they gave one another.
The occasional times when their hands would accidently—but sometimes deliberately—touch but how they never pull away. bask
The silent moments when they would do nothing but just bask in one another's presence.
All these changes might have been caused by the trauma they both had encountered during the war. How they would worry that any moment the other would get killed. How they would hold each other's bloody and battered body that was at the brink of death, trying to persuade each other to not close their eyes. It was only natural that their bond would deepen to the extent it broke the laws of being nakamas.
They knew it was wrong. They knew that if they truly considered themselves as friends then none of these touches or longing should be tugging at them. Their relationship was already being strained enough as it was by how well they could still read each other's mind with just a look. And there was no one else in the world that knew one another better than them. But with each passing day, the changes became inevitable.
That was why even now, as Ichigo was nipping on the lower lips of Rukia, they weren't wondering of the consequences or how far they have already passed the boundaries of merely pure nakamas. Just like everything else, their touches became more frequent and it wasn't long before their lips started to lock onto another every once in awhile. But like every changes that had occurred, they would just dismiss it like it had never happened.
But they were slowly losing control of this vicious cycle.
Rukia sighed as his big, calloused hand gently caressed her cheek as their lips continued to dance around one another, already having perfected their dance that no friends should ever engage in.
Ichigo, who had one hand on the bed to keep himself propped up, moved his head to an angle to continue nipping at her swollen lips. Her hand was over his own that was on her warm cheek, while the other one was resting on her lap.
That morning was supposed to be no different from yesterday or any other day. Rukia had gone into his room to wake him up to get ready for school when she noticed the dark bags under his eyes. It was then she had realized how tired he was these days with college coming around the corner and Hollows appearing nonstop throughout the day. She had sat on the edge of his bed and gently woke him up. As he grudgingly sat up, he was immediately taken back by her gentle expression even as she joked about his bed hair, though she softly ran her fingers through it. He couldn't stop himself from leaning closer to claim her lips as his own, and it seemed like she didn't mind all that much.
When the need for air became too much, the two pulled away from each other and opened their eyes to stare into the pairs in front of them. Their warm breaths fanned over both their faces as silent, comfortable seconds ticked by.
"Your breath stinks," she told him as if they weren't making out only a few moments ago.
"Che," he scoffed as he leaned to kiss her lips one more time before getting out of bed. He stretched his stiff muscles and pulled his shirt off of him. "What time is it?" he asked, not bothered by the fact she was still in his room as he undressed.
"You have an hour to get ready so I suggest you take a shower," she said.
He nodded in agreement. As he grabbed his new set of clothes, he walked to the door and held it open. "You leaving or are you just going to sit there all day?"
Rukia got up and made her way out of his room. As they made their way down the hall, Rukia continued forward to go downstairs while Ichigo turned to go to the bathroom. Again nothing much was passed between them, especially about what had occurred only minutes ago in his room.
As Rukia was chatting with Yuzu on what to put into everyone's bento, Ichigo entered the kitchen with his hair still slightly damp. He sat down next in front of Karin and started his breakfast while she stared at him skeptically.
"What?" he frowned at her through a mouthful of rice, "Is there something on my face?"
Karin shook her head. "Nope."
"Then why are you staring?"
She shrugged her shoulder as she set down the glass of water she was drinking. "You just seem tense nowadays, that's all."
Ichigo blinked at her. "Tense? How so?"
"Like there's something you want to do or say but can't," she answered him before pointedly looking at Rukia who was oblivious to their conversation. "And I can guess about what."
Ichigo followed her gaze and had to choke back a gasp when he noticed who she was referring too. He immediately glared at his young sister who was smirking at his warming face. "Fuck off, Karin."
"ICHIGOOO!"
The orange head barely got up in time and block his father's 'good morning' kick. "What the hell is wrong with you, old man?!"
"Ichigo!" Isshin yelled as he spun in midair to deliver a back kick, which was also blocked. "How dare you use such horrible words in front of your sister?! Do you need me to teach you some manners?!"
"Shut up!" he yelled as he punched his father in retaliation. The two continued their usual breakfast rituals while the Karin continued eating her breakfast and Rukia soon joined her, already unbothered by the commotion happening behind her.
"Otousan! Oniichan!" Yuzu gasped, "Please stop! It's really hard to wipe the blood off the floor!"
"Don't worry my sweet angel!" Isshin screamed from the cloud of dust, "I will beat your brother up for making you worry!"
"You're the one who causing the problem!" Ichigo yelled as he grabbed the back of his father's head and smashed it to the ground. "Now stay down!" When he was sure his father was properly unconscious (because if he wasn't, he'd jump on Ichigo the moment he looked away), he got up and dusted his pants. "Crazy old man," he grumbled. How a man like him was once a powerful captain in the Gotei 13 was just over his head.
"Here."
He looked up to see Rukia handing him his bag. Taking it from her, he followed her to the door as he called out, "We're leaving."
"Bye!" Yuzu's sweet and Karin's grumbling voices called back to them.
The two shoved their feet into their shoes and made their way out the door, effectively closing the door just in time to avoid his father charging towards them but ending up slamming into the door instead. "Serves him right," Ichigo chided as he walked away from the house.
Rukia chuckled. "I love these mornings."
"Only because you're not the one he's attacking!" he spat at her. She laughed out loud as she looked up at him. While he was glaring ahead, she noticed something that stopped her laughs but still held the amused smile on her face. She quickly stepped in front of him and stopped him. He frowned at her. "What?"
"Looks like your father also got something out of you too," she said as her thumb came up to wipe away the blood that was at the corner of his lip. "You should really clean up after a fight."
Ichigo said nothing as he watched her concentrating on wiping the dry blood off his lip. He relished at the feeling of her hand against his skin and subconsciously leaned closer to it.
"There we go," she announced she was done and dropped her hand. "Now you don't look so barbaric."
"Che," he snorted.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
The two stiffen when a third voice suddenly came into their conversation, breaking the calm peace that was around them in a single moment. They reluctantly looked over to see Keigo staring at them with wide shocked eyes, pointing an accusing finger at them while Mizuiro was smiling mischievously at them.
Ichigo groaned in frustration. "What do you want Keigo?"
Kiego immediately ran up to them and grabbed Ichigo by the shoulder while crying out familiar fake tears. "Ichigo, how could you betray me by getting a girlfriend before me?!" he wailed, and continued before Ichigo could stop him. "And you took my beautiful and innocent Kuchiki-san no less!"
"Shut up!" Ichigo punched him in the face. "Rukia and I are not dating!"
"Then what was that sweet act that we just saw?" Mizuiro asked, still smiling his creepy grin.
"I was just helping him get something off his face," Rukia answered him, both conversing over the noise of Keigo screaming profanities with every punch Ichigo delivered.
Mizuiro shrugged his shoulders with a suggestive look. "Was it something you might have left on him, Kuchiki-san?"
Rukia immediately started her fake, school girl giggle. "Don't be silly. He just got some blood on his lip after getting beaten up by his father."
"What the hell are you talking about? He did not beat me up." Ichigo glared at her as he finally released a bloody Keigo from his grasp. Straightening his clothes, he turned to continue towards school. "Let's go before we're late."
Rukia followed behind him as she continued her talk with Mizuiro while Keigo, who had miraculously recovered, was whining at Ichigo again for taking his angel. The orange head tired to ignore this so-called friend, but his patience was running thin by the time they arrived at the school.
"—and then I bet you took her to your room and forced her to do all those things that parents wouldn't approve of, except your father!" Keigo screamed, earning looks from the other students in the class. "Who knows how much you have tainted her! Ichigo you are evil! Why did you take the one good thing in my life—"
Ichigo finally lost it. "SHUT UP!" He grabbed Keigo by the collar and threw him across the room and watched in satisfaction at how he slammed into the wall and fell on the floor with a 'thud.'
"Do you feel better now?" Rukia asked with a smug tone.
"Shut up," he repeated, but more softly as he sat back down.
Soon class started and all the chattering died down as their homeroom teacher came in to start the long day. Hour after hour one teacher would replace the previous teacher to teach a different subject that seemed unessential in the long run. Ichigo suppressed all his yawns as he stared at the black board with a bored expression. He took a peek around the room and wasn't shocked by what his classmates were doing: Chad was quietly taking notes in the back of the class; Inoue was sleeping on top of her notes with her head covered; Ishida was taking notes madly from the front of the class but occasionally bending down to embroider another corner of what looked like a torture-dress for Kon; Mizuiro was silently listening to music with only one earphone on; Keigo and Chizuru were getting kicked and glared at by Tatsuki whenever they tried to sneak over to the sleeping Inoue; and Rukia was doodling all over her notebook with stupid Chappies again.
Nothing much changed even during lunch. Only this time Chad was eating his lunch, Inoue was telling Ishida her latest discovery of a new red bean paste recipe, Mizuiro was talking to his girlfriend on his phone, and Tatsuki was now upfront punching the life out of Keigo.
Yup, life was just peaceful.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
That was until Rukia's phone rang.
"Eugh!" Ichigo groaned as he quickly cleaned up both their bento's and tossed it to Ishida. "Put those away for us." Before anyone could stop them, Ichigo slammed his Shinigami Substitute Badge against his chest while Rukia popped a Soul Candy into her mouth. Their souls blasted out of their bodies that landed on the floor as if dead. "We'll take care of this fucker."
"Stop talking and let's go!" Rukia called out to his as she started running on ahead of him.
"Wait up bitch!" Ichigo shouted and quickly followed after her. Everyone looked onwards as the two disappeared in a blink of an eye and as they jumped off the top of buildings over Karakura.
"Where is it at?"
Rukia clicked on some buttons on her phone as she continued to shunpo. "It's by the river!"
"Right!" They two immediately landed on the bridge over the river just in time as a big splash came from just next to where they were standing, sprays of water wetting through their clothes.
"AUUUUUUUUURRGH!"
Neither of the two shinigami moved from their spot nor blinked as the rest of the water fell from the big splash.
"What do you think?" Ichigo asked as a smug look appeared on his face.
Rukia raised a not-so-amused eyebrow at him. "This isn't a game, Ichigo. How many times do I have to tell you that?"
"But it makes this job a lot more entertaining. If I don't then it'd be too boring and too easy." He turned back to look at her with a pout, although his eyes were gleaming with amusement.
She rolled her eyes in defeat. "Fine. I bet I can take it out in five minutes flat."
"Then I bet two minutes. Loser has to clean my room for a week."
"Deal!" she said just in time to jump up and slashed their zanpaktou's to slice off the Hollow's tail from slamming down on the wooden bridge.
The Hollow shrieked in pain and swung down its fist to attack the Shinigami that was standing above the waters. But instead of making contact with its enemy, the Hollow's fist landed on the waters, sending off splashed of water all over the air again.
Out of nowhere Rukia appeared behind him and she positioned her arms in front of her. "Bakudō 61. Rikuj ōkōrō!"
Six bright yellow bars appeared and quickly secured around the torso of the Hollow. It shrieked as it tried to break free but Ichigo appeared in front of him with Zangetsu held up high above his head. "AUH!" he screamed as he swung down with all his might.
The Hollolw jumped off to the side just in time to avoid the Zanpaktou from breaking its mask. But it wasn't fast enough to avoid the attack all together. "AUUUURGH!" it shrieked at the pain of losing an arm. Suddenly it opened its mouth really wide as it thrashed around.
The sudden light appearing at the edge of its fang was noticed by Rukia and she knew immediately what it was. "Ichigo!" she screamed at the man who was getting ready for another attack, not noticing the cero that was ready to fire at him. She pushed off the water and hurled her way towards the Shinigami Substitute.
"AUH—RUKIA!" Ichigo's war cry was cut short when the said woman suddenly appeared next to him, pushing him out of the way when a cero blasted towards them out of nowhere. The attack missed Ichigo, but Rukia wasn't so lucky.
"EUGH!" she screamed in pain as she fell towards the water.
"RUKIA!" Ichigo dived after the falling body and grabbed her in time before falling into the water. He held her tightly against his chest and used shunpo to return to the bridge they were previously on in order to take her away from the enraged Hollow that was getting ready for another cero. "Rukia! Are you okay?"
The petite woman hissed in pain as she held onto her burnt and bleeding shoulder that couldn't avoid the cero.
Ichigo gritted his teeth as his hand came up to hold over hers, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Images of the days Rukia almost died in Hueco Mundo in his arms flashed into his mind, only boiling his anger. "Fucking midget. That's why you should just let me handle these shits!"
"Shut up!" she hissed, "If you still believe that then just get rid of that Hollow already!"
He glared at the Hollow—still encased in the kido—charging towards them with a cero ready. "Just wait here," he dangerously whispered as he gently set her down. In a flash, he disappeared only to reappear in front of the Hollow to deliver the final blow. "AUGH!" he screamed in complete anger as Zangetsu made contact with the white mask of the Hollow. It gave one last shriek before deteriorating into dust. Ichigo, not bothering to check if the Hollow was completely gone yet or not, ran back to Rukia and lifted her in his arms. "Hold on. I'll take you back home."
No later had he said those words did he shunpo to arrive at the Kurosaki clinic. "Oyaji!" he screamed as he rushed inside.
Isshin, who was looking over one of his patients' paperwork, looked up to see his son out of his human body and in his Shinigami uniform, holding an injured Rukia in his arms. He immediately led him to an empty room. "What happened?"
"Fucking Hollow shot a cero at us," Ichigo cursed as he gently laid Rukia down on the bed. He leaned over her to wipe her sweat bangs off her forehead and watched her in concern. "You're going to be okay now."
"Idiot," she glared at him, "I know that."
Even in this situation, Ichigo couldn't help but smirk at her sarcastic comment. He moved to the side to give his father room to tend to her injured shoulder.
"It's not too bad," Isshin said as he dabbed the wound with alcohol-soaked cotton. Rukia bit her lower lip to stop herself from screaming. "Do you want me to call someone to heal that for you?"
"No," she gasped, "I can take care of it. I just need to concentrate."
"That's going to be hard with this injury," he replied but immediately dropped the topic when her free hand came up to her shoulder started to emit some reiatsu to start healing. He stepped back to give her room and watched as the blood stopped flowing and slowly start to heal. But it wasn't long before she stopped in exhaustion, her wound still not completely healed. "See what I mean?" he half joked and half chided.
Rukia lightly chuckled as she allowed him to tend to whatever remained of her wound. She looked past his shoulders and her violet eyes landed at the other man that was in the room. Once their eyes met, she tried to give him a reassuring smile but he didn't appear amused. And she knew why.
The moment she got hit, his nightmares returned to him. The images of her, bloody and half dead, held in his arms during the Winter War as they whispered promises of a long, peaceful, name-calling, constant fighting, and happy future together. But that wasn't the only memory that he remembered.
She saw his eyes changing into a different shade as he remembered how his mother had done the same thing all those years ago by that same river. And she was right.
As Ichigo watched his father tend to her wound, Ichigo held her gaze knowing full well she could see his thoughts. Flashes of a dying Rukia and a dead mother was everywhere in his mind and he couldn't get it out.
"There we go," Isshin announced as he finished wrapping her shoulder. "Just keep this on for awhile and you can heal up the rest after you gain back some strength."
"Thank you."
He smiled his characteristic smile. "Don't mention it. I'd do anything for my third-daughter." He laughed proudly and Rukia chuckled along with him. "Now, why don't you guys go grab your bodies and come back? I don't think it's a good idea to stay at school right now."
"Sounds like a good idea," she nodded in agreement as she sat up. Jumping off the bed, she made her way to Ichigo and smiled. "Ready?"
"…Yeah," he whispered as they walked back outside.
Outside the sun was slowly starting to cloud over, and Rukia glared at it the moment she noticed it. "Shit, looks like we have to be fast. It looks like it's going to rain soon."
"Get on."
Rukia turned to the side, expecting to see him standing next to her in his tall glory but she only saw the sky above. She looked down to see that Ichigo had knelt down on the ground and presented his back to her. "I can walk."
"But if we did then it'd be night by the time we get there. This way it's faster and I wouldn't have to worry about you toppling over in pain. Now hurry up."
Rukia rolled her eyes as she got onto his back. His hands wrapped around her thighs as he stood up and made their way back to school. She sighed as she placed her head against his shoulder, her warm breath tickling his bright hair. Their silent walk continued even as they arrived at the bridge where they previously were. The gentle breeze, the darkening skies, and the warmth from Ichigo's back were slowly luring her into sleep when his voice suddenly brought her back.
"How's the shoulder?" he asked.
"Mhm," she sighed as her arms tightened around his neck.
"Do you want Inoue to finish healing that shoulder?"
She shook her head, knowing he could feel it against his neck. "No, I'm sure I'll be able to finish the job after I get some sleep. It doesn't hurt as much after your father gave me some painkillers."
"When did he give you those?"
"While you were too busy thinking about the past."
Ichigo immediately stopped in his steps as his entire body stiffened.
Rukia sighed again. "Ichigo."
"Rukia," he stopped her, "We made a promise."
"I know."
"We promised to continue living."
"And I'm still alive."
"I'm not going to lose you like my mother."
"And you're not going to," she told him. She lifted herself higher to place her cheek against his. "Ichigo, I'm really alright. There is no reason to worry so much."
But Ichigo's eyes were hidden under his orange bangs as his hands on her thighs tightened. "Rukia," he warned.
But Rukia just ignored it. "Please stop worrying over me."
"How can I not?!" he yelled, "How can I not worry when I'm still haunted by those days I almost lost you!"
"Ichigo—"
The rest of her sentence was swallowed back into her throat when he suddenly placed her down on the middle of the empty bridge to stare straight into her violet orbs. "Rukia," he continued, "If something happens to you, I don't know if I'll be able to handle it this time. If you disappear, who knows what crazy stuff I might do to get you back?!"
She immediately frowned at his words. "You don't mean that."
"Of course I do!" His arms went out and grabbed her shoulders, forgetting how one of them was injured. But even if it did hurt, Rukia's face gave off none of those emotions. "Rukia, I don't want anything to happen to you. I want you to stay by my side longer than the years that that old Yamamoto had lived through. If something does happen, you know more than I that there's no way I'd sit around pretend like you never existed in my life."
"Ichigo, stop," she warned but he promptly ignored it.
"Dammit, I was planning on waiting to for our relationship to naturally take its course, but now I don't want to because it's taking too long. I want to stay by your side and protect you like I had promised!"
"Enough!" Rukia shouted over him, "Stop spouting out nonsense like it's really going to happen!"
Ichigo was slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst. "What are you talking about?"
Her labored breathing and thumping chest was loud in her ears. "I'm talking about you talking about all this desire to spend eternity with me when it's not going to happen."
At first he was confused. Then he was angry. "What are you talking about?! You should know as well as I do that it's going to happen, so why deny it?! You said you remembered all those promises we made to one another but now you don't want to stay with me?"
"I promised to live and continue being your nakama, but I never promised I'd do it by your side," she told him coldly.
His frown deepened as his hold started to hurt her. "'Nakama?' You think we're still just nakama? After everything we've gone through?"
She nodded, resolve in her eyes. "Yes."
"That's bullshit!" he shouted, "Rukia, don't tell me you haven't noticed the obvious changes between us! We have passed the lines of nakama's a long time ago! It's only natural we'd be together!"
"What makes you think it's going to happen?"
"Because," he leaned forward and the hand that was pressing on her wound came up to caress her cheek, "We are destined to be together. How can you deny this after all the shit that we've been through?"
"But don't those 'shit' tell you how we're not destined to be together?" she said right back at him, "Me being here is already setting off the balance between our worlds. And crazy stuff has been happening because it was a way of 'destiny' telling us we were not meant to be."
"Don't say that," he begged as he placed his forehead against hers, his quick breaths fanning over her. His other hand slid down her arm and played with her cold fingers. "Please don't deny 'us.'"
"Ichigo."
He shuddered at how cold her voice suddenly sounded. Damn that Kuchiki pride.
"You are human. I am not. It is only a matter of time before I get called back to Soul Society and never see you again."
"I can always see you back there," he quickly retorted, "I can go there with you."
"No, don't you dare say that," she stopped him. "You will live the rest of your human life in this world. And when the time comes, you will enter Soul Society like all souls."
But her words only made his grit his teeth in anger. "But then there's a chance I might not remember you."
"Then that will be for the best."
"No it isn't!" Ichigo shouted as he pulled back to glare at her. "How can you deny everything that has been going on between us?! Those touches? Those kisses? I know you remember them because I can't get them out of my fucking mind!"
"Ichigo—"
"For once, get rid of that fucking Kuchiki pride and listen to your heart! Why the fuck am I the one who is saying all this shit and you're not? You think this is fun for me to just spill out all of my emotions? I never do this but I am for you, so why can't you?!"
Rukia simply didn't say anything as she waited for him to finish.
Ichigo heaving chest was starting to hurt and the trickling of a coming rain wasn't helping his situation. He pulled her into his chest and held her tight. "Please," he begged, "Don't deny it."
She remained still in his embrace, not hugging him back like she usually does, but keeping her Kuchiki posture perfect. "Let go."
"No."
"Ichigo, let go or else."
"NO."
"Kurosaki Ichigo, don't try my patience and just let—mmh!" Her yells were cut off when a familiar pair of lips claimed her own, pressing into her to convey all his thoughts, fear…love into her. He moved in the same way they always moved whenever he wanted her to respond, but this time she didn't give in. She pressed her lips tightly together to prevent him from gaining entrance and to prevent her heart from breaking any more. Finally she couldn't stay still. Her tiny hands came up and firmly pressed against his chest to shove him back. "Stop it!" she shouted.
"Why?!"
"Because this is wrong!" she answered, her calm demeanor gone and panic now in her tone. "This was wrong from the very beginning so we need to stop now!"
His frown deepened to a point that it looked like his eyebrows were touching. "We have long since passed the point of no return, Rukia," he growled.
But she shook her head. "Not unless I leave now."
"What—"
"Find yourself a better person, Ichigo," she continued, noticing how her words were causing that expression on his face: panic and desperation. "Find a human girl and give your heart to her instead. What's the point in giving it to me when I don't want it?"
"Rukia—"
"If!" she kept going, not giving him a chance to speak this time. "Even if I wanted it, I don't deserve it. If we do get together, what proof do we have that it'll work? We fight constantly to the point when we don't want to even see one another. We're constantly in danger and there is always a chance I won't come back from a mission. Then what do we do then?"
Ichigo quickly replied the moment she paused. "We fight because that is the only way we both know how to show our emotions. And never have I ever wanted to not see you because of a petty argument. I always want to be by your side. So even if you're in some kind of danger, I will be right there to protect you, just as much as I know you will do the same for me."
His sweet words have already been tugging at her heart and Rukia knew she can't continue this conversation any long. She had decided, long ago, if this topic ever came up between them then it was time for her to leave. She will not become the weakness of the great hero of the Winter War. One sandaled foot left the ground and took a step back. "Then let's stop this right now before we both can't leave."
Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw her taking another step back. "Stop, don't you dare move anymore."
"No," she shook her head as she took another step. "I won't. I can't."
"Yes you can," he said, pleading her with his eyes as drops of rain started to weigh down his hair, "Don't you dare leave me again."
"I have to." Rukia cursed herself silently when her words came out in a choked sound as the back of her eyes started to sting. "I wish we never had met. I regret giving you my powers that day."
Her words were like a slap against the face. He was starting to get desperate and took a step towards her. "Don't say that. You don't mean it—"
"I do," she shouted to stop him, at which point she was now a good distance away. "And don't you dare come after me this time Ichigo because if you do, then I will never forgive you." She turned around and was starting to run away when he shouted after her.
"Rukia!"
"No!" she shouted back immediately to stop him from chasing her. She stopped for a second and refused to look back at him as tears were now blending with the falling rain against her wishes. "Don't you dare stop me because you don't understand!"
"Understand?! I understand everything perfectly!" Ichigo shouted back at her, "But the problem is you who is refusing to admit that there's something going on—"
"There is nothing going on between us! There is no us!" she screamed at him.
Ichigo didn't say anything and if anyone was there they would have noticed the obvious tension hanging in the air. "Rukia," he softly called out.
"Please," she begged, "Don't follow me." Before Ichigo could say anything else, she disappeared in a flash as her shunpo quickly took her away from the river and towards Urahara shoten to return to her home.
Ichigo stared at the empty spot where Rukia was standing merely seconds ago, his mind and heart going crazy as they refused to believe it was really over. That she wasn't going to come back and give him that smile that she only showed to him. He could still feel her warmth on his back, her sweet smell that just natural came from her, her tiny hands that always fitted perfectly in his, the softness of her lips that loved to play with him as they both fought to dominate over one another like every other fights they had.
The sound of the falling rain splashing into the river below wasn't making his heart feel any better. His head dropped as he refused to show the world his emotion. "Fucking rain," he cursed.
A/N: Depressing, huh? I've been wanting to write something like this for awhile (and I haven't written a story that wasn't AU in a while either) and decided to take this chance to write it.
Bet you guys can't wait to see what happens. Will Ichigo chase after Rukia or will she come back to him? If you want to know, please review and I will upload the next chapter sooner!
THANKS for reading!