"Didn't You say We'd save the Reunion For later?"

"You idiot. You never listen to what I say But you remember unnecessary details. You'll never-"

"Yeah. I won't"

The rain had just started to pour and it was just now that he felt his clothes get soaked as it dripped in a pink from his blood. The wound. It wasn't hurting one bit. Actually, he wasn't feeling anything from the sword wound he had uncured from that traitor. All he said were empty promised. It had all been a lie.

All of it.

What a fool had he been believing him!

The rain had just started to pour but he knew it had all been raining ever since he had lost his powers. He hated rain as much as he hated being useless and powerless and most of all, being unable to protect his friends.

Chad.

He was also fooled. All he wanted was to be by his side in battle and watch his back for him. The very reason why he was fooled for joining them. But he was more foolish for not seeing through the act.

Inoue.

She had gotten stronger for the very same reason and that is to protect him until he gets his powers back. He had seen her dedication to get stronger and not to be hopeless and be set aside. He was thankful for that. He truly was.

Because of that desire of becoming strong again, he had pushed the both of them off a cliff of doom. And now, there was no escaping it.

Ishida.

He was the hero. Not him. But because of that, he had to suffer the most and he's here to watch it and nothing to do about it.

Because he lost it. power. strength.

The rain had just started to pour but in him, flood had already drowned his soul. Hope lost.

He felt the floor of the rooftop seep through his hands that were his only support from falling to the ground. They were leaving and he was left to bleed his life away. Even facing up was tiring. All he can was stare on the drenched floor as he watch rainwater drip from his face. Did he lose this time?

No. He had lost a long time ago.

If only. If only.

He gathered all the strength he's left and charged at his attackers.

If I die...

His step was no faster and he knew that at that rate, he wouldn't be making it. He wouldn't even be able to touch the tip of their shoe.

No. I would definitely die. But no matter...

His every step grew heavier. It wasn't his legs to be blamed. It was his being hopelessly weak. If only. if only she was-

I would die later on. At least this time...

For the last time I will...

"GIVE ME BACK MY POWER!"

...die protecting.

He went to charge on them but was stopped when a sword blade found its way through his body out with the tip directly from his heart.

At that moment, he cannot explain what to feel. He looked back and saw Urahara and his father.

So they wanted him dead too. What in the world is going on? Who is he going to trust now. All he felt was betrayal.

"The two of you too!" he shout, his neck stretched to the back, as he was unable to move his limbs from the blade that had pinned him in place.

"Why-" he groaned over only to be cut by his father.

"We're not the one who stabbed you. Look closer. You can see them right now, don't you?" Isshin's voice never lost its calmness in it. Somehow it had made Ichigo loosen.

He didn't know what the 'old fart' was talking about. How can he...

His eyes followed the length that had thrust into him as it stopped enclosed in those noticeably slender digits. Come to think of it. The strike didn't hurt. What was different about it is that it had a feeling of power...the object was injecting power in him.

And then he went further and met amethyst eyes. Warm welcoming truthful amethyst eyes.

"Ru...kia."

"What did you do to your hair?" Rukia turned red. Okay so she went all the way here just to be questioned about her new hairstyle. Way to go, berry. She came all the way here to get her hair noticed. Thank you Ichigo. I truly appreciate that.

The raven haired shinigami felt like grabbing the badge attached to her upper arm and hitting him with it. That would really feel good.

On second thought, that sounds great.

In a second, Ichigo's face was met with the 13th lieutenant badge. Ichigo was sure she broke his nose.

"YOU IDIOT!" she waved her balled hand in front of his face, whiffing it at him but he was too busy with his nose to even notice that.

"I went all the way here to get you and that's all you say?" she continued to jerk her fist sideways slightly in front of her from annoyance. He was sure to hear the grinding of teeth from every word she had uttered.

"idiot." Her hand fell limply on her sides as he watch her eyes grew softer from the exhibition of unimaginable range from a while ago.

They stared in each other's eyes for a moment with Ichigo's hand not leaving his nose. They stood there, feeling and breathing in one-another's presence. Ichigo was assuring himself that it was really her and that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

Rukia was the one to break their gazing contest. She crossed her arms over her chest and faced the opposite direction.

"It hurts." Ichigo muttered, feeling his nose for any fracture. His eyes darted down to his toes, where the wooden object which was thrown at him had been resting. He picked it up.

His eyes widened with shock.

so it was a vice-captain badge. He'd seen one before, even sure Renji wore one.

and it was the 13th division squad engraved on it. So it must not have been Renji's. Wait. It was Rukia who had thrown the damned object. She got it from her arm.

Rukia.

Vice-captain badge.

one plus one equals

"YOU'VE BEEN PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANCY?"

idiot.

In the sidelines, Urahara was fanning over his chin, talking to Isshin about such a rare footage.

"What can you say?" he asked Isshin obviously pertaining to the scene presented over them.

"I had always knew their meeting turns into such scene but I never imagined-"

"Why say. This couple is promising." Urahara remarked.

Isshin wanted to grab the green-white strapped hatter's collar and bark at him as to not meddle with his 'third daughter' but protested against it. Instead he watched the two presumably 'lovers' as they bickered. After all, what his friend said was agreeable.

"Yeah."

I jumped with joy. scream with glee(a.k. a. fan girl scream) rolled on the floor. choked in air. cried my eye out. the moment I saw the latest CHAPTER. as if I had witnessed a miracle.

Rukia has finally appear. Review if you so did one/any or all of these.

Did i mention that i did this for uhm..1 hour only simply because I was burning with passion for the latest chapter?