Love Me Till Death

Chapter 5: For the Sake of Sacrifice

At one O' Clock in the morning you would be thinking Rukia was getting the best sleep of her life, but that was far from it. Our poor heroine was stuck, watching two bickering men shout at eachother for endless hours.

"And you dont you sleep on the couch?" Renji shouted to Ichigo pointing towards the living room with rage that his own room had been claimed by his best friend.

"Becuase I actually own this house, and Rukia is sleeping in my room so I have to sleep in yours!" Ichigo shouted back.

Renji twitched. "Why can't you guys sleep in the same bed? After all you are boyfriend and girlfriend!" Renji said, and the room quickly grew hot, the blush on Rukia and Ichigo a bright blood red.

"Your such a pervert Renji!" Ichigo shouted, Rukia too still shocked at the response to move or speak.

Renji shrugged with a sigh, turning his back on Ichigo. "Oh well... I guess I cant rush romance, and dont worry, I wont mind if you two get carried away and start screaming eachothers bloody names." he said with and sideways glance and wink towards Ichigo who cringed.

"Get. out. Renji." he said with anger and blush as Renji left the room with laughter. Ichigo slowly turned to Rukia, clearly nervous since he wouldnt stop scratching his head. "Sorry 'bout that, you know Renji's a bit of a loud mouth." he told her avoiding her violet eyes.

Rukia smiled. "A bit?" she asked and started to laugh.

Ichigo just loved the way she laughed and he wouldnt- couldnt take his eyes off her. The moonlight from the widow outlined her raven black hair and pale face, he was tranfixed on her and just watching her made him smile, he never wanted the happiness in her voice to end.

And thats when Ichigo realized, he had to protect Rukia with his life, and the enemy wasn't going to go easy on them.

Ichigo couldn't sleep that night, his eyes stayed on the cieling and his breath matched the rattling of the fan. His hands rested under his head and he couldnt get his mind off the young Kuchiki.

How could he protect her if she was the one protecting him most of the time?

It was horrible to feel helpless, and Ichigo felt the pain in his chest acke the harder the more he thought about not being able to protect her. He shut his eyes trying to block the feelign but it wouldnt go away.

He knew this was a matter of kill or be killed, and honestly, he wondered if he even had a chance or he was just holding Rukia back.

He never thought there was a girl alive that was like Rukia, but he found her, and it was Rukia. Brave. Bold. Stubborn. Ichigo realized his hormones were probably messed up, but he was fine as long as it was Rukia he was chasing after.

And he would chase after her forever and where ever she went.

Rukia was used to waking up early, and she expected to be the first one up, but to her surprise, Ichigo was already in the kitchen making breakfest. "Ichigo?" she asked.

Ichigo turned around and smiled. "Hey, I figured you would wake up early," he said. "so I decied to change your alarm clock settings."

Rukia was almost grateful that Ichigo took the time to wake up earlier than her, but he just had to go and ruin it. "Idiot!" she shouted. "Didnt you think for a second that I would be pissed off! 'Cause I am seriously pissed off!" she shouted.

Ichigo laughed. "I know," he said. "But dont be all grouchy because of that." He continued to scrable the scrabled eggs. "After all, I sure you haven't any idea about how good food taste like." he said a smirk appearing.

Rukia cringed. "So are you saying that my cooking stinks!" she shouted not really asking a question. "MY cooking taste very good Kurosaki!" she said.

Ichigo laughed.

Rukia crossed her arms on her chest childishly. "Are you forgeting who the assasin is?" she asked cockly.

Ichigo smirked back. "Well I'm certanly not forgetting how mygirl is being hunted down." He said, Rukia clearly annoyed as Ichigo spoke of her as if she was an object that he owned.

Rukia rolled her eyes and left the kitchen, going to her "new" room and returning to where Ichigo was. "I'm going out." she declaired, swinging her bag over her shoulder and starting her walk to the door.

"What?" Ichigo asked. "Where too? I just made you breakfest!" he shouted thinking she was being unfair.

Rukia glanced at him. "I have to go to head quaters, they need to assign me a new mission since my curent one is involving, citizens." she said turing her back towards Ichigo and flashing a hand up as a sign of bye.

"Rukia!"

Rukia smiled to herself as Ichigo whinned. "Bye babe~" she said sarcastically, payback for him saying "my girl" from earlier. She slamed the door shut and made sure nobody was watching her.

She, of course, took the truck instead of the Rouge she stole from the day before. After all, Ichigo didnt need it at the moment. She got in, slammed the door, pumped up the radio, and drove off the drive way into obivian.

It was easy to get to HQ, and it wasnt far from where Ichigo lived. She just drove onto the expressway and went through a rocky road that had a sign called "Construction" on it.

When she had to stop, it was at a dead end and she relaxed, closing her eyes and waiting for the drop. She felt the floor fly down and her stomach went up, she cursed the person who made this horrible idea for a secret entrance.

She the motion stopped she found herself in a parking lot, and she drove into an empty slot, getting off the car with difficalty and locking it. The automatic doors flew open once appeared near it, and she waisted no time admiring the hi-teck gadgits they put in.

Rukia walked swiftly past scientist and comrads, not stopping until she reached the 23 room of the 14 floor blelow the one she was once on. She found herself in a white room, and she didnt take her eyes off the carmera above her.

She smiled. "Hey, Ukitake!" she said waving to the camera.

The white walls infront of her opened and a man whereing a white lab coat with the number 13 on it, walk out with a welcoming smile. "It's been a while Rukia. So what brings you here?" he asked.

Rukia smiled back. "Well the usual stuff, new weapons, new missions, my curent one has been..." she trialed off as Ukitake gave her a look that said "I already kwow".

"Don't worry, it's still going to be your mission, we just decieded to take it at small steps." Ukitake said. "Instead of killing Aizen directly, your going to take out his subbordanets first."

"Grimmjow?" Rukia asked.

"Grimmjow and Ulquirra." Ukitake said. "They are both one of his most trusted subbordanets."

"How much trust can you put into a pawn?" Rukia asked, knowing Aizen only used his subbordantets as pawns and treated them with no respect at all.

"Exaxtly, but they're both very strong, so we decieded to call you in, gear you up with the latest stuff." Ukitake said. A small table rose from the middle of the room, the exact same color as the walls.

Rukia walked near it, admiring the weapons on the table.

"The assasins knife, a classic, is the first one to the left." Ukitake said "The long sword, but I know your very attached to your own, and of chorse the normal hand pistol, but now the latest version wieghs less that one pound and..." he stopped, realizing he was boring Rukia. "Well you probably already know." he said.

Rukia gave him a smile. "Don't mind me, but do we have any more information on our targets?" Rukia asked hoping for good news.

"Rukia, you know we have over half of the workers already on the case, all the info we have already given you is the latest we've found." He said with a bit of remorese.

Rukia sigh and gave him a smile. "Thanks," she said and picked up the pistol from the table. "I better get going though, the faster the mission is done the faster I can..." what could she do? Quit?

Ukitake gave her a wierd look.

"Nevermind," Rukia said quickly. "Bye Ukitake." We walked at a fast pace, in a hurry to get out of there and forget whatever thoughts crossed her mind.

"Oh! Wait, Rukia!" Ukitake said and Rukia turned on heel. "Your brother stopped by." he said. "And wanted me to tell you something."

As soon as the word "brother" came out of Ukitake's mouth Rukia stomach tighted in the most uncofertable ways, and she was probably stairing wide eye, gawking at her Captain.

When was the last time she heard from her brother?

Rukia slammed the door shut rather pissed off and walked by the kitcken were Ichigo was making some sort of lunch. "What the hell took you so long?" he shouted. "And why did you take my truck!"

Rukia was in no mood to talk and just gave Ichigo a cold glare. "Shuddup." she said and reached into her back pocket. "Here." she tossed him the pistol and he caught it with trouble.

He gave Rukia a wierd look. "Why?" he asked.

Rukia didn't change her expression. "It's yours." she said simply. "Since I got you into this and Grimmjow already knows about you, your for sure going to be targeted." Rukia said.

Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you expecting me to use this murder weapon?"

Rukia shook her head. "You probably won't need too, I am you murder weapon." She said and walked away into her new bed room. "The food is burning, and don't you ever get out of that kitchen?"

Ichigo grumbled to himself.

Rukia thought about the words Ukitake said to her that were from her brother. "My offer hasnt changed, even if you hate me and your sister, it doesnt mean you have to destroy yourself." those were the words he said.

Rukia stared at her hands, full of invisible blood spattered from Aizens soul-less clones. How could he offer her so much when he said words so cold. He probably was the only one who really knew about her past but...

Why was it she was afraid to know the truth?

"Rukia," Ichigo leaned on the door of her room her head jolting to the sound of her name.

"What?" she spat out coldly.

"Something happened when you were gone, right?" he asked. "What's bothering you so much? You know you dont have to keep stuff all to yourself Rukia!" he crindged.

Rukia couldnt keep the glare on her face and for a split second what Ichigo saw was pure sadness, and he tasted that pure sadness which he felt was so sickening. "Ichigo..." she muttered with a helpless face. "I dont want to do this anymore."

Ichigo didnt have time to plan what to say or do, he just did. And what he did was embrace the smallest Kuchiki, tightly hugging her small body and sharing the sadness that was slowly eating her away. "Rukia... you never had to in the first place..." He said.

That day Rukia couldnt hold back the tears, and the warmth and love that Ichigo offered was to good to pass off. She had been ignoring her own feelings and locking them up that she finally lost her way and Ichigo guided her way back. It was almost sickening for her to be so idiotic.

"But..." she said gathering her courage to look at him. "I have to finish this mission." and she wasnt just saying that, it was a promise to herself, and her future, if she wanted one.

That night Rukia ate dinner with Renji and Ichigo and as Ichigo took a bath, she found herself making conversation with Renji.

"Renji, what's your part time job like?" she asked as he flipped the channels on the TV and she scrubbed the thousands of dishes that she didnt even know boys could intake.

"Eh..." was the amazing reply. But Rukia noticed something, whether it was her being her or something that freaked her out, she noticed that Renji let out the slightest of smirks. It wasn't your average smirk though, it was like 'I know you know but you haven't firgured it out yet' smirks. "Well do ya really want to know?" Renji asked.

Rukia set the plate down, shutting off the water. "I'm all ears," Rukia said.

Renji held up a division 6 card in front of Rukia. "Let it be are little secret... ok?" he said with a smirk and a wink.

Rukia tensed. "I-I guess so..." she muttered. She turned off the running water and walked away, but before she made her leave she said. "Why haven't you told Ichigo yet?"

Renji gave a heavy sigh. "Well, it's the same reasons why you didn't want to tell him." he said.

Rukia nodded. "I understand." and she left to her room shutting the door and sitting down on her new bed. She grabbed her phone and peered down at it opening the small screen, only to be shocked.

"1 New Voicemessage," The phone echoed. "From, 'Brother'."

Rukia gripped the phone tightly in her hands not even bothering to hear the message. "Damn it!" She cursed throwing the phone to her bed and letting it bounce up and down. She then stared at it, closing her eyes shut tightly and furrowing her eyebrows. 'If I take the offer... I wouldn't be a bother to Ichigo anymore...' She thought. 'But it still doesn't feel right to live so greatly, especially since I am no better than a murder... I have no right to even be offered such a thing...'

"But..." She muttered. "I don't deserve Ichigo love either..."

Ichigo opened the door to Rukia's room, a smile plastered on his face. "Hey Rukia, I sorry we didn't really get to- Rukia?"

Rukia was gone.

"Damn it!" Ichigo shouted dropping the plate and running out the door. "How stupid can that girl be! HONESTLY!" He shouted hopping on his truck without hesitation and turning on the enigne with the keys that were still place in the key whole.

"Now where the hell does she expect me to look for her!"

Rukia wandered the narrow, and abandoned allyways, kicking dented cans and staring down towards the ground. "So now what?" She asked herself. "What can I do now?"

Rukia put her hand into her back pocket and took out her phone staring at it. "I already accepted my brothers offer but..." Rukia went through the contacts until the name Ulquiora was highlighted.

"Don't tell me your still thinking about it?"

Rukia looked up only to find piercing green eyes meet her purple ones.

"Ulquiora..." Rukia muttered furrowing her eyebrows.

Ulquiora kept his singature frown. "You know, we will kill the boy, that is, if you decied not to join us." he said holding out a hand.

Rukia cringed. "And what if I still object?" Rukia asked.

"Then we'll make you kill him."

Rukai slealed her eyes shut. "Name 10 reasons why I should accept."

Ulquiora cursed under his breath. "One, the boy will live." he muttered, but Rukia already knowing that was one of the reasons. "Two, you won't interfear with anyone's life anymore. Three, you can escape everything you wish, after you serve to our needs..."

Ichigo ran through the streets recklessly shouting Rukia's name, he crashed into couples, walls, cars, and anything else that was physical. But only one thing raced around his mind... "RUKIA!"

"And ten, you'll be able to start your little make-believe family and live happily ever after... blah-blah blah..." Ulquiora said twisting his hand in a circlular motion. "Now doesn't that all sound fasinating."

Rukia refused to look at Ulquiora. "Do you promise Ichigo will be safe?" She asked.

"On my life."

"Then, I'll do it."

"Excellent."

Rukia stepped closer and closer towards Ulquiora taking his hand.

"RUKIA!"

She turned around at the sound of her name and there was that carrot-top idiot huffing and puffing like he ran the marathon. "Rukia don't you dare!"

Rukia looked down and then back up at Ichigo. "Stop kidding yourself."

And with a pass of a truck and a large hock that roared thoughout the streets, the two assasins disapeared, leaving Ichigo shattered into broken bits. "Why...?" Ichigo aksed himself. "Why Rukia...? How can you say goodbye... just like that?"

Authors Note:

There it is! Ulquiora convinced Rukia to go against HQ for the safty of Ichigo. Now I wonder what Ichi's gonna do next...

oh and sorry for the late up date, a huge case of writers block. :/ srry.