Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Odalisque ❯ Chapter 43 ( Chapter 43 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

 

 

 

 

Odalisque

 

Chapter 43

 

The sunlight streaming through Rukia's window Wednesday morning tickled her nose with its delinquent brightness. Limply, she turned her head to the other side of the pillow and sighed, willing the sun to go away so she could sleep some more.

 

Her bleary eyes wandered about the room for a moment before finally settling onto her alarm clock—which she hadn't even bothered setting for the past two weeks. It was only a little after seven and the sun was already rising.

 

Spring, Rukia thought tiredly, pushing herself deeper into the covers of her bed. The heavy comforter weighed down on her and she relished it. However, after only a few more moments of lying in her bed, she slowly pushed herself up. Her limbs creaked in protest as she propped herself up against the headboard. She blinked twice and fought back a small yawn as she surveyed her room. Her bed, actually, was one of the only things that hadn't been subjected to any sort of packing boxes or heavy tape. Her neck groaned—as it was like to do today—as she turned her gaze towards the other containers littering her room.

 

All of her books, all of her memorabilia, and nearly all of her clothing were already packed. She and Momo only had the barest of essentials left in the apartment. They had just what they needed to survive the next two days.

 

Two days…

 

She swallowed and slowly slipped her body from under the sheets. Her tired feet hit the cold wood of her bedroom floor and she fought a small shiver. It came anyway and she figured it was for the best. At least she was getting back into the habit of feeling things. Feeling nothing at all was just becoming annoying.

 

I'm feeling physical things anyway, she thought tiredly, but I don't know how long emotional ones will take to come back.

 

With a small yawn she stepped heavily into the hallway and made her way into the kitchen. The smell of coffee brewing hit her nose and she frowned. “Momo?” She called, hearing light shuffling inside of the room. She slid through the open door frame and blinked when she saw her best friend sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading a magazine.

 

She looked up slowly—Rukia noted that her eyes were puffy once again—and gave a weak, watery, smile. “Morning.” Her voice was raw and dry. Rukia's heart sank in her chest when she recognized that tone.

 

“Didn't sleep, did you?” She murmured, moving ghost-like into the kitchen and pulling a cup from the sparse shelf. Her hands shook as she poured the coffee inside the hollow cup and she slowly brought it to her lips, eyeing Momo over the top.

 

Her friend looked at her sadly, “Not a wink.”

 

“It'll get better,” Rukia said, her voice so flat and unconvincing that she winced at how obviously she recognized the lie in her own tone.

 

Momo noticed it as well and she nodded. She knew that Rukia was also blatantly lying, the waver in her false smile said as much. Rukia knew that Momo, in whatever state, would never kill even a small false hope that fell from Rukia's lips.

 

Because… well, at least it was hope. False or not.

 

Rukia came to sit at the small table and sighed softly as silence fell between the two of them.

 

After a few more minutes, Rukia blinked up at Momo and took a small sip of her tasteless coffee. “What are you going to do today?” She asked quietly.

 

Momo shrugged and listlessly turned the page of her magazine. Rukia could tell she wasn't even reading it. “I think I'll go shopping,” she said in a small voice.

 

Rukia's head lifted and her eyebrows furrowed gently. She's going out?

 

Momo looked up and smiled weakly at Rukia's puzzled expression. She flipped through another page of her magazine and sighed in exhaustion. “We need some new things for the move. I was thinking about buying some new throw pillows and a few rugs.” She shifted her head to her friend and murmured, “What do you think?”

 

She nodded slowly, “Sure… we'll need some new things…”

 

“I'll probably be gone most of the day.”

 

“Fine… I'll just keep packing up.”

 

Momo bobbed her head up and down, drank the last dregs of coffee in the base of her cup, and slowly got up from her seat. Rukia bit her lip as she watched her friend. She moved as if her entire body was stricken with arthritis. But then again, that was probably what Rukia looked like when she walked as well.

 

Only ten minutes later Momo was dressed and ready to leave. A baggy sweatshirt covered the top half of the holiest jeans she owned. Rukia grimaced at the clothes; she had seen them before. They were the: I don't care if I'm seen in them clothes that Momo always seemed to wear after a breakup. This time, however, her countenance seemed to match up with her drab clothing. She was just as gray and as lifeless as that pathetic sweatshirt.

 

Rukia sighed and looked down at herself. She wasn't much better. She had been wearing nothing but ratty tee shirts and shorts for days on end. Hell, some days she didn't even bother changing out of her bedclothes.

 

But what's the point anyway? She mused, toeing a packing box with her foot. She sighed and watched Momo open the door—gently this time, as opposed to her normal way of jerking them back hard. Rukia shook her head, it seemed as though both of them thought that if they were quiet enough, maybe they'd be able to disappear. Just leave everything behind.

 

Start over.

 

Momo stopped outside of the door and bent down slowly. Her fingers grasped the rolled edges of their daily newspaper and she tossed it gently onto the table. She gave Rukia a weak smile and quietly slipped outside.

 

The silence in the room was nearly palpable. Rukia shifted in her chair and aimlessly swirled the dregs of her coffee in her cup. They tumbled and danced around each other without care of immersing themselves in the black liquid. Scowling, she lifted the cup and placed it gently inside the sink, allowing the cool water from the tap to drown the waltzing leftovers. Soon enough they spilled out from over the top and were swallowed by the drain.

 

Rukia rolled her sore muscles and looked around the sparse room. She couldn't remember a time when her apartment had looked so bare—other than when she had first moved in, of course. Nearly everything was packed so neatly into little boxes. Everything she had ever owned and kept inside of this home filed and organized as if they were files inside of a cabinet. Still, once she rounded up the few straggling pieces, she and Momo would be free to send this stuff away. All the way away… all the way to New York City.

 

“Three thousand miles,” Rukia whispered, her tone barely breaking the repressive stillness of the air around her.

 

Her hands curled onto her lap and she sighed. Half of her still couldn't believe she was doing this. Fleeing across the world to escape a man who had shattered her heart.

 

Although, it wasn't as though she hadn't done it before. It had never been to this extent though. After… after Kaien, she and Momo had both tried to find jobs as far away from their university as possible. She knew that Kaien had been accepted as a professor and she had wanted to be as distant from him as she could. She couldn't think about even being in the same city with him after what he had done.

 

It had been a miracle when both she and her roommate had found work in Karakura. The area was perfect: her brother worked nearby, it was the center of commerce in a nearly five hundred mile radius, and it was clear across the country from Kaien.

 

She snorted humorlessly and shook her head. She guessed it was fitting that she should be repeating nearly the exact same process with Ichigo Kurosaki. However this time she'd be going even further away. The greater the heartbreak, the greater the distance, she reasoned.

 

If this happens again I'll have no choice but to go Antarctica, she thought miserably, feeling the familiar burning sensation inside of her chest. She shoved it down and tried her best to think of all the things that would have to be done in the next three days. All of the moving, all of the transportation, all of the manpower she'd have to hire…

 

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. This was a lot of stuff but it was good. The lists would keep her mind away from the reality of what she was doing. Rukia had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she'd only truly realize how big of a change she made when she was sitting in her new apartment in New York City.

 

Sighing, she slowly heaved herself off of the couch and began packing up more accessories from the living room. The cardboard edges of the boxes pricked her skin as she folded them. The weights of simple figurines felt like cement blocks against her muscles. After only about two hours she felt drained. It was only when some of the room started spinning when she stood up did she realize that she hadn't really eaten anything in the past few days.

 

Grudgingly, she went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of barely warm coffee. She took two slices of staling bread from a small bag and propped them into the toaster. Turning listlessly away—much like she had been feeling for the past few days, but hey, at least she was moving about and actually feeding herself—she ran her fingers over the dining room table. The rich wood was silky underneath of her tips and she closed her eyes… imaging it was warm skin instead.

 

Her soft moment of respite was interrupted when her small finger hit an oblong object resting on the top of the table. Inwardly wishing that her little fantasy could continue, she opened her eyes and sighed.

 

Oh yeah, she grumbled, the paper.

 

She looked over at her toast and saw that it had a few more moments. Turning back to the interrupter of her daydreams, she gently flipped the paper over, unfolded the edges, and smoothed it out with her fingertips.

 

Her heart stopped.

 

Aizen Indicted; Kuchiki Cleared.

 

Her body jerked away from the table, her mouth opened in a desperate gasp, her hands started to sweat, and her eyes remained locked on the words blaring on the front of the newspaper.

 

Her heart—as if only now recognizing what was going on—was just starting to beat again. It was going slowly though, as if it was confused as to what was happening to its owner. Rukia just knew that her head was pounding and her breath was gasping and her body was shaking with the violence of an earthquake.

 

Slowly… ever so slowly… she stepped towards the paper. She felt like she was stepping gingerly onto thinning ice. Her heart was beginning to come around a bit more. It was hammering now. Truly hammering. Her dizzy head was spinning even more.

 

She took one more tentative inch and was in front of it. Her entire body was tingling.

 

What is this?

 

Her body dropped lifelessly into a seat at the table and her quaking hands slowly pulled the thick bunch of papers in front of her.

 

Aizen Indicted; Kuchiki Cleared

By Tatsuki Arisawa

 

The colloquial saying for situations like this is: oh how the mighty fall. Or perhaps I should say the bigger they are the harder they fall. Both of these statements aptly describe the circumstances now surrounding business mogul Sosuke Aizen, who was just yesterday, indicted in Karakura Criminal Court of rape, conspiracy to murder, and money laundering.

 

Through highly investigative means, an inside source has granted this reporter exclusive access into the workings of the criminal activities now surrounding Suigetsu Incorporated and it's Chief Executive Officer. This is such a story.

 

So, if you'll forgive me, my readers, I must tell you that I am abandoning my usual journalistic style of writing today. I do not believe that an event such as this can be contained in the bare-bones style of journalistic writing. So please, my readers, think of this piece as a story instead of the articles you have come to expect from someone such as myself.

 

Hopefully all of my readers already know of the hostile takeover of the Gotei Corporation by Suigetsu Incorporated. If not, please educate yourselves before reading the rest of this article. However, allow me to mention that this takeover was done under the assumption that the Kuchiki Corporation heiress Rukia Kuchiki betrayed her own company to aid Suigetsu Incorporated falsify documents. It was earlier stated that the companies planned to merge, when it reality, it was a takeover of the most hostile kind—one in which Ms. Kuchiki was a participant. However, this reporter has gained information that denounces such allegations.

 

According to insider information, it was Sosuke Aizen who had several unregistered employees working on the hostile takeover while Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki were diligently crafting papers for a merger between the two companies.

 

To continue in the vein of taking over companies, I would inquire to my readers: how many of you remember the attempted murder of Kuchiki Corporation mogul Byakuya Kuchiki? Some startling new evidence has come to light on this heinous act.

 

Byakuya Kuchiki was shot in broad daylight in the middle of October only a few meters away from his office building in the center of the Karakura. He was shot twice in the chest with a sniper rifle and rushed to the emergency room at Karakura General Hospital. Miraculously, Kuchiki survived and has made a rapid recovery.

 

The fact remains, however, that Byakuya Kuchiki was shot twice and kill records have been found on the very same flash drive where all of our other incriminating documents were located.

 

Sosuke Aizen had intended to take over the Gotei Corporation so that he would have the majority product manufacturing for the Kuchiki Corporation, almost ninety percent, for that matter. With Byakuya Kuchiki—the head of the company—out of the way and the company in complete disarray, who better than Sosuke Aizen to swoop in and save the day? Obviously he would have been the next logical choice for the chief executive officer of the Kuchiki Corporation.

 

Byakuya Kuchiki lived, however, thus cramping Aizen's plans. It did not, however, stop him. This reporter has no doubt that, had Sosuke Aizen been left undiscovered as the mastermind behind this devious plot, another attempt on Byakuya Kuchiki's life would have been made.

 

Perhaps the most repulsive of the crimes of Sosuke Aizen was the rape of a personal secretary employed by the Gotei Corporation. This young woman was also the assistant to the aforementioned Rukia Kuchiki. Only recently, she became engaged to a brilliant young man who was being groomed to inherit all of the Gotei Corporation from its owner, Mr. Yamamoto.

 

Yet through evidence found on a cleverly concealed flash drive—on which Aizen kept all of his files connecting him to these allegations—we have discovered that it was indeed Sosuke Aizen who drugged and sexually assaulted this woman—who I will not name due to extenuating circumstances. Later, said man used his undignified connections to edit the tape. The edited version this reporter has seen with her very own eyes. I will not describe that horrific experience again. What was more horrific was the depth of the twisted mind of Sosuke Aizen in regards to this video. The video was made to show her as a willing partner although she was unconscious during the event. The edited video was the one sent anonymously to her fiancé. This was supposedly done so that her fiancé would become so distracted by his supposedly unfaithful betrothed that he would not notice a takeover of the Gotei Corporation.

 

Sosuke Aizen, however, has not only sacrificed the happiness of one young couple in love, he has done it to two.

 

Rukia Kuchiki was framed through Aizen's dealings. She was made the scapegoat of the entire operation by both companies and subsequently, fired from both. My inside source was credited with receiving this quote from Aizen himself: “Women like her don't belong in a world like this.”

 

While I could spend pages discussing the disgustingly blatant anti-feminism practically oozing from such a comment, I will digress. Not only had Aizen managed to kill her career, he also managed to manipulate her personal life as well.

 

Ms. Kuchiki was led on the belief that her close partner and companion, Ichigo Kurosaki, was the one who betrayed her within the corporation. However, it was not of Kurosaki's doing, but of—you guessed it—Aizen's. Aizen tricked both lawyers into signing falsified documents claiming they had explicit knowledge of the hostile take-over, when in fact, they had no idea such a plan existed. Such an act is of course, heinous, however, it that was not even the worst part.

 

Her name was Orihime Inoue and her occupation was a secretary to the Suigetsu Corporation's seventh floor—the same floor where Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki worked. Aizen used her extreme infatuation with Kurosaki to encourage her to hire a private detective. This detective spied on both Kuchiki and Kurosaki during their most intimate of moments, resulting in a slew of images that were then used against her. To take matters even further, intimate images containing Orihime Inoue and Ichigo Kurosaki were set up and taken by the private detective. This was done to make Rukia Kuchiki believe that the man in question had betrayed her in both the business sense and the personal sense. Orihime Inoue has also been indicted for stalking and conspiracy to commit espionage.

 

Presently I believe that I have discussed every reprehensible act committed by Sosuke Aizen over the past few months. However, at this point in the article, I would like to turn over my keyboard to the person who made this article, this indictment, and this clarification happen: Ichigo Kurosaki. He has something to say to the woman who was hurt most by all of Aizen's treachery…

 

--

 

Rukia…

 

To say this is awkward would be an understatement. I had always imagined that when I told you this it would be a bit more private and not circulated to millions of people around the world. Well, if I would have said it at all. I know I would have eventually but I would have needed to get my head out of my ass first. I find it sad that only after losing you did I realize how much you meant to me.

 

Rukia Kuchiki, I don't know how else to say this so I'll just say it.

 

I love you. I want to be with you in every sense of the word.

 

I can only hope that you'll give me a second chance. I'll be waiting.

 

--

 

Aizen Sosuke has been indicted on all of the federal crimes listed above. Those being indicted along with him are Gin Ichimaru, who it is believed aided in the drugging of Momo Hinamori and the charges of money laundering, as well as Kaname Tousen, a prominent local restaurateur with ties to the mob. It is suspected that Kaname Tousen ordered the hit on Kuchiki Corporation mogul, Byakuya Kuchiki.

 

Tatsuki Arisawa

 

Rukia's heart was thundering inside of her chest faster than she could ever recall. The erratic beating was heavy in her ears and her grasping fingers were completely numb. Her entire body was tingling. Her eyes were wide and she could swear that drops of salty wetness were slipping down the sides of her face.

 

The paper fell from her trembling hands and onto the floor. She was standing and she didn't know when she had commanded her muscles to move.

 

I'll be waiting.

 

Her hands slipped over the doorknob twice before she was able to grasp it firmly enough. It jerked open on the second tug because she had actually forgotten to twist the knob in order to open it. Her bare feet stumbled down the hallway until the elevator was within reach. With one bleary look at the number listings she knew that she would not be able to wait until it came to her floor. Her body propelled itself towards the stairs and before she knew it she was running. Her dizziness increased with each declining step she took and she thought it a miracle that she didn't fall.

 

In one mighty push—one that her body didn't realize it possessed—she shoved open the door and tumbled into the reception area. Her legs were numb and jerking as several lobby patrons stared at her distastefully. There was, however, an elderly man she knew to be the late night doorman standing behind the counter. His eyes locked with hers and she swore she saw a twinkle appear in them. Quickly, as if swatting a fly off of the top of his head, he jerked his head towards the door.

 

She saw his hair first… his beautiful, bright, ridiculous hair. He was pacing furiously. He was digging his fingers into his scalp so hard he must have caused deep marks. And he was constantly moving in and out of her range of vision. His scowl that she loved so much was fixed even deeper onto his face and a type of worry that she had never seen before was etched into the rest of his features. The light jacket he was wearing flapped against him with every step he took and passers-by had to jerk out of his way so as not to get mauled.

 

A small sob escaped Rukia's constricted throat.

 

Ichigo.

 

Before she could even think to go forward, her legs were running. Before she could command her arms to shove at the revolving doors, they were raised. Before she could even think about whispering his name, her mouth had already cried out the words.

 

His body screeched to a halt in the middle of a furious pace. He whipped around, his hair ruffling in the wind and his jacket flaps flying outward. The furious worry that she had seen on his beautiful face melted away as if it had never existed. She felt more hot wetness run down her cheeks as she let out another sob.

 

“Ichigo,” she whispered, finally freeing herself from the constricting doors. The instant her bare feet made contact with the cold concrete and she was running. She was running with more urgency than she had ever run in her life.

 

He was coming towards her, his feet propelling him as quickly as they could but Rukia knew that her steps were faster. She was so close. The wind whipped her as she reached…

 

Home.

 

Ichigo's arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her up, yanking her feet off of the cold ground and enveloping her against his chest. He spun her around as he buried his face into her hair, inhaling as though he was desperate for the air. Rukia let out a small sob and wrapped her arms around his neck with a frantic desperation she never knew she possessed. His strong arms were so tight across her back; he was holding her so closely that she could feel every one of his heartbeats against her chest. Rukia's face was pressed in the crook between his neck and shoulder. His skin felt so hot and her body trembled at the feeling of such intensity.

 

“Oh God Rukia…” he groaned, pulling her even harder against his body. One of his arms left her waist and traveled to tangle his fingers into her hair. The way he gripped her… his motions were so filled with frantic need that it was unbelievable.

 

She whispered his name and held onto him even tighter, barely aware of the fact that people on the street were staring at them—some whispering, some sighing, and some scoffing. More tears were falling from her face. She felt like she couldn't stop them no matter how much she wanted to.

 

Ichigo must have felt something because not a moment later he pulled away and looked deeply into her watering eyes. “Don't cry,” he whispered, his own eyes crinkled into something akin to pleading. “Please… don't—Rukia…”

 

He leaned forward and his lips were instantly crushing hers. If he had intended to make her stop crying Rukia didn't know why he did this. Tasting him once again was like stepping a foot back into heaven after being removed for so long. The feel of him, the texture of him, the scent of him, and the taste of him was so fantastic it made the tears on her cheeks fall even faster. Frantically, she moved her mouth against his. Desperate to catch every part of him for fear this was some sort of dream.

 

“Ichigo,” she choked, finally breaking away from him. Her very breath seemed stolen from her lungs. “Oh God… I missed you so much.”

 

“I love you,” he whispered, his breath caressing her nape as he pressed his lips along the column of her neck. Her chest contracted as those words slammed into her. Another sob racked her body and she urgently dragged a hand to Ichigo's rough cheek. His mouth—his beautiful, handsome, mouth—was pulled onto hers. Her lips devoured him, hoping with all hope inside of her that he could know how much she loved him through this kiss. Her lips parted and she pried his open and she urged him to take her. She wanted him to taste her so fully that nothing he could do could or would ever erase her essence from his mouth.

 

He surged towards her with such a wonderful strength that she felt her knees weaken. His arms held her snugly and she shivered as he kissed her and kissed her and kissed her even more.

 

“Ichigo,” she gasped, finally ripping her mouth away from his, desperately gasping for breath. Her buried her face into his neck and shuddered at how good he felt. “Take me upstairs… please.”

 

He nodded against her and then she was moving. She knew it must have looked ridiculous for a man to be carrying her into her own apartment building but right now she couldn't care. She just couldn't let go of him. She wouldn't let go of him. Not when he was here and holding her tightly to his chest.

 

Ichigo is here… he is here.

 

She hid her face further into his neck and inhaled deeply. His arms moved her so that he was carrying her like a groom would carry his bride. She trembled at such a thought and she pressed kisses to his throat as he strode over to the elevator. She could feel the stares of the entire lobby around them but she resolutely ignored them. No amount of dirty looks or disgusted scoffs could tear her away from him today. The buttons glowed as the contraption reached the bottom floor and slid its doors open. His grip on her was tightened and he clutched her hard enough to make sure that she was practically molded to him.

 

Finally, he stepped inside and allowed the doors to slide shut. Her mouth was on his the moment the two sliding doors connected. He instantly shifted her in his arms and pressed her body up against the walls of the elevator. She clung to him like early morning dew onto a blade of grass as he clutched her just as close. His long, lean, body rubbed against the length of hers as the elevator slowly climbed. His growing stiffness was soon pressing against her thigh and she moaned at the feeling.

 

This elevator is moving too slowly, she thought as his mouth trailed hungrily down her neck. She moaned and flexed her fingernails into the soft fabric of his jacket, pulling him even closer than before. Her lips desperately sought his again and he devoured her hungrily until the ding of the elevator reached their ears.

 

Only then did Rukia wrap both of her arms around his neck and shift her legs so that they encircled his thin hips. His mouth descended upon hers and she shuddered as his fingers traced her spine. Inside of her stomach, she could feel the fire building. It was making her quiver and pant.

 

So long… so long without him.

 

“Ichigo,” she gasped, breaking contact from his lips. Her eyes met his and she shivered at the heat she saw in him. He was just as hungry as she was. But there was something different about him this time. Underneath the intensity, underneath the passion, and underneath the raw starvation was a tenderness that she had never seen before. It unnerved her and warmed her at the same time. The desire in the pit of her stomach increased instantly.

 

She bent and kept her mouth hovering over his. Her eyes fluttered shut as she whispered: “I need you.”

 

He snapped. The door to her apartment slammed shut only a moment later as his arms tightened around her simultaneously. She pulled herself to him and nearly wept at the hurried sensations.

 

Ichigo gasped into her mouth as he slammed her up against the nearest wall he could find. Rukia let out a sharp cry but it was completely swallowed by Ichigo's devouring lips. His hunger was almost palpable as he pushed himself against her spread legs. He could already feel her wet sweetness through the thin scraps she wore as pajamas. She knew it was driving him crazy. It always drove him crazy.

 

Ichigo.

 

His arms tightened around her, harder and harder until there was no space left between them. He angled his head to the side and fought desperately to taste every inch of her that he possibly could. The near month and a half that they had been apart was enough to drive him crazy with want. He was desperate… desperate to feel, to touch, and to suck every inch of Rukia's mouth into his own. His tongue slid sensually against hers and she moaned. Each brush was so purposeful and sweet it made her knees go weak and her arms shake.

 

She moaned beneath him and he felt a sharp prick on his bottom lip. He quickly wretched his mouth off of hers and found that he was panting like a dog in heat.

 

“Ichigo,” she whispered, her breathing was just as choppy as his. Both of her hands came up to cup his face and she lowered her head until she could freely press light, fluttering kisses all over his forehead.

 

“Please Rukia,” he begged, his voice sounded as if it had been shattered into a million pieces, “Just… just let me… I wanted to show you h-how much I love you but… but…” he jerked his head back and opened his eyes so that he was staring directly into those liquid-sapphire jewels he loved so much. Wetness pooled on the edges of her beautiful eyes and Ichigo quickly raised his mouth to kiss away the tears. “Shh… don't cry Rukia… oh fucking Jesus, I hate it when you cry.”

 

“No,” she choked, wanting to laugh at just how Ichigo he sounded. She shook her head softly so as not to dislodge his gentle lips, “I just… I know that you wanted this to be special but… Ichigo… I need you too.” She pulled her head back and stared him straight in the eyes, determination, passion, and desire written throughout her entire expression. “And I need you now.”

 

“Yes,” he breathed, pressing his lips against hers once again. The moment his sensitive skin touched hers she felt an explosion of heat inside of her body. Her arms tightened around his neck until there was no respite for him. She needed him… needed him so badly. The time she had spent without him felt like an eternity. She had to be close to him to remind herself that this was real, and that he was here.

 

And that he loved her as much as she loved him.

 

One of his arms wrapped around her waist and he jerked away from the wall. His second hand tangled inside of her hair, gripping tightly enough to pull her head back and leave her completely bare to his oral assault. His tongue was insistent and hot and velvety smooth inside of her mouth. The pulse on her neck beat with the speed of a jackhammer as she moaned and felt her eyes roll into the back of her head.

 

I have been deprived of Ichigo's talented tongue for far too long, she gasped as his teeth nipped on the tip of hers.

 

He swept inside of her, tasting every inch that she could offer and consuming every part of her deliciously hot orifice. He teased her tongue into his mouth and urged her to taste him just as readily as he was tasting her. He was so addicting and soon enough Rukia found her chest heaving with the force it took her just to keep breathing. Desperately, she grasped the hand Ichigo had planted on her hip and dragged it upwards, placing his palm directly over her hammering heart.

 

An animalistic groan was ripped through Ichigo's throat as he jerked her upwards. As if on a reflex her legs came to wrap up around his waist. He hissed into her mouth as she ground herself against his growing length. Her ankles hooked behind his taunt thighs and he kissed her with even more force as he carried her to her bedroom.

Rukia could have cried at the realization that they were together on her bed once again. Her chest constricted and her eyes grew moist as she ripped her mouth from his. He swayed a bit on his feet and that diligent scowl on his face returned for a moment. His beautiful gaze searched her face as he stumbled inside of her room. His feet hit box after box until he was finally able to tumble onto the large bed.

 

Rukia was instantly trapped underneath his large body; his knees were planted on either side of her hips and his hands rested above her head. His gaze was locked on hers and Rukia could tell her thoughts were mirrored in his mind. She didn't know how long they stayed this way… with his body above hers, close but not touching, just staring at each other.

 

Only after several minutes, Ichigo's eyes flickered across her face and he leaned down slowly. Rukia hadn't even realized she was crying—again, she thought exasperatedly—until she felt his lips brushing away the fresh tears now rolling down her cheeks. She sighed and allowed her hands to grasp his face, her palms fitting into the curves of his cheeks.

 

“I love you,” he whispered, his lips forming the words just as he hovered them over her ear.

 

The throbbing heart inside of Rukia's chest melted at his words and a sharp gasp echoed around the room. “Ichigo,” she pleaded, her lips surged up to his and she cried wordlessly into his mouth. Desperation coated her actions as her hands moved to his shoulders and shoved off his jacket. He shuddered and devoured her delicious mouth just as frantically. Rukia's legs moved up and she pulled him down onto her body, meeting her hips with his. His kiss increased in huger as Rukia rolled her hands over his muscular arms. The sinew in his biceps bulged repeatedly as she traced her fingers over them.

 

“Rukia,” he breathed, his lips wrenching from hers and trailing a line of fire down her neck. His teeth clawed at her flesh while his tongue soothed all of the marks he made. “God Rukia.”

 

Her loose tee shirt was thrown over her head before she could even think about removing it. His mouth was kissing her chest with a frenzy unlike any she had ever felt before. He hungrily devoured the skin above her breasts. His tender lips were brushing the cotton of her bra and she shuddered softly. He groaned and pulled his mouth away from her skin. She mimicked his sensual groan at the loss of contact and weakly opened her hazy eyelids.

 

An expression of pain crossed over his face and her brows furrowed instantly. Her hands reached up to his cheeks and she caressed his temples gently. She was breathless as she asked, “W-What is it?”

 

He groaned and buried his face against his stomach. She gasped and brought her hands to intertwine them inside of his hair.

 

“You're so thin,” he whispered against her skin, his hot breath fanning over her shuddering stomach lovingly. “Rukia… you haven't eaten anything have you?”

 

“Ichigo,” she sighed, caressing his scalp with her fingers. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to laugh or cry at his ridiculously sweet comment. She touched his ears and rubbed them softly between her fingertips. “Don't worry,” she was quickly becoming breathless, she could feel Ichigo's tongue dipping in and out of her bellybutton. “You can… you can cook for me l-later.”

 

His hands were already digging into the elastic waistband of her pants. Ever since that Monday—it seems so far away—she had not bothered to dress in anything more complex then ratty tees and sweatpants. Slowly, as if he were unwrapping a present, Ichigo rolled the cloth down her slim legs. They reached her knees and she trembled. He pulled them to her ankles and she sighed. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they slipped off of her feet and were tossed aimlessly onto the floor.

 

Ichigo's gaze followed the pants as they fell to the ground and he suddenly stiffened above her. Rukia's massaging hands stilled on his sinewy arms. She turned her fuzzy eyes up to him and breathed hard as he continued to maintain his unyielding state.

 

“Ichigo,” she gasped, “What's the—”

 

She was not able to finish her question before his lips cut hers off. Pushing into her, taking her, tasting her, and ravaging her until everything in her mind was erased save for him. His right hand cupped her cheeks and his tongue pried into her soft mouth. She moaned when his left hand smoothed down her front and cupped her tender and aching breast. His thumb pressed against her hardening nipples while his other fingers traced the roundness of her soft mounds.

 

He was acting so differently from the way he usually made love to her. His passion was the same but his manner… he was just being so soft… so gentle… but still so desperate that it made her want him that much more.

 

When the need for air became too great, they broke apart, Ichigo's face hovering above hers. Rukia's small pink tongue came out and licked her lips while Ichigo's eyes followed the movement.

 

Finally, her liquid sapphire eyes connected with his and she gasped at what she saw.

One of his hands went to the back of her head and gripped her raven locks tightly. He stared straight at her and tried to still his breathing simultaneously. After only a moment she saw his eyes flicker to the edges of the room. It was only then that she realized he was looking at the boxes that littered the rather empty space. His gaze returned to hers and he kissed her once again, this time gently.

 

“You're not leaving me.” He whispered, his lips gently moving over hers as he formed the words. His breath teased her and she arched her back, pressing more of her body urgently against his. He hissed at the contact and molded his lips onto hers, desperately prying open her mouth and tasting her. His body lowered and she frantically rubbed her any part of her against any part of him. She could feel his hunger against her thigh. The bulge in his pants was growing with every passing second and Rukia nearly wept at the sensation. It felt so good to know this part of him again. To feel his desire renewed was amazing.

 

But the difference in his movements astounded her. He was being so tender in his movements. It was as if he wanted her to know how much he loved her. He was trying to restrain himself in his ministrations. Maybe he thought she would break if he was too rough. She knew that his desire had not tapered over their time apart. If anything, she knew that it had magnified. But still… he was being so careful. She didn't know whether to be incensed or infatuated by this.

 

But… but what he had said…

 

You're not leaving me.

 

Me.

 

Desperation flared anew in the pit of her stomach and Rukia gasped into his mouth. She felt like she was swimming in lava. Her entire body was so hot. It was burning everywhere it touched Ichigo. Not one part was left unconsumed by the embers.

 

Her hands reached under his tee shirt and pulled it over his head. His bright hair was snuffed for a moment as she pulled it over him. His bare skin was gleaming in the noon sunlight. Quickly, he brought his hands under her shoulders, supporting his weight on his forearm, and slid his glistening flesh against hers. Her stomach muscles tightened at the action and she moaned. Ragged gasping was echoed above her and she frantically wove a hand into her hair.

 

“Ichigo,” she choked, “Please…”

 

Her hands were clawing at his pants. She needed to rid him of them. She needed to feel him. She had been so long without him; so long without his warmth or his touch or him inside of her. Half of her knew that she could barely remember what it was like for him to be inside of her… filling her… completing her.

 

His fingers dug into the fabric of her bra and he easily ripped the flimsy material apart. Before she could help him to remove it completely his mouth was on one of her breasts. His insistent tongue swirled around her nipple while his teeth tugged on the distended bud. Her entire body arched into his as one of her hands wound itself desperately into his flaming hair. She groaned and gasped, writhing at the exquisiteness of it all. Hazily, she reached up and covered her neglected breast with her other hand, imagining that her fingers were his tongue and that her palm was his lips.

 

No sooner did she bring her hand to her own breast did Ichigo growl against her. His mouth was ravenous as he kissed a path of flamed down her chest. He nestled his face in the small cavern between her breasts and inhaled deeply. She shuddered and brought her second hand up and massaged her newly abandoned breast.

 

“Ichigo,” she moaned as his tongue dipped inside of her bellybutton. She writhed beautifully and panted even harder when his fingers pressed against her sweet sex through her soaking underwear.

 

“I… oh… Ichigo!” He dug his demanding fingers into her worn underwear and ripped them away. A part of her believed that if Ichigo had his way he'd never see those panties again.

 

The moment his tongue ran against her folds and Rukia's head was thrown back against the pillows… she knew this was real. Ichigo was here. Ichigo was with her. And oh God… he was making love to her like he never had before.

 

The tears began to flow from her eyes again as his lips latched onto her clit and began to suck. She couldn't tell if her tears were from pleasure or from the emotional intensity of it all… but right now she couldn't care less. His tongue tasted every inch of her that he could and she undulated and panted underneath of him—desperate for more. Her hands left her breasts and she shoved them into his hair. With every expert lick and lap her back seemed to arch and her tightened that much more around him. After a minute she could swear she felt Ichigo chuckling into her. He eventually pried her tense legs wide apart and gently slid two fingers into her waiting warmth.

 

Rukia saw white. Half of her brain maintained the notion that she was dead while the other half was perfectly convinced that she was drowning in a river of frantic and mind-numbing pleasure. Hell, maybe they were both right. All she knew what that Ichigo Kurosaki was using his mouth on her like he was a parched man stumbling upon a cool fountain in the middle of the desert.

 

And oh was he good.

 

A few more tweaks with his tongue and his name exploded from her lips. Her entire body shook violently and her heart raced inside of her chest. He didn't release her though. His mouth was fastened to her and as tightly as possible. Her fingers tore at his beautiful strands of hair as she came hard and long. Her whole body seemed to quake at the sensations he was eliciting. He groaned hungrily as he lapped up every bit of wetness that dripped from her tender sex.

 

Rukia's mind fuzzed over as she lay limply on the bed. Her heart was pounding so hard inside of her chest she wasn't sure if she would survive what was yet to come. Wetness fell from her eyes and from between her legs as Ichigo kissed his way back up her body.

 

“Oh I missed you,” he whispered, his hands fumbling with the zipper of his pants. He gasped painfully as he pulled them over his erection. Rukia lifted her legs and helped him shuck away the annoying contraption. After a moments struggle they were off and he was lying completely on top of her. He buried his face in her neck and she whimpered softly, her hands encircling his back.

 

“I love you,” she whispered, hot tears still streaming down her cheeks. She felt Ichigo move between her legs and she moaned as his steely heat slid over her slick folds. Her arms wound themselves around his neck and she buried her fingers into his hair once more. His entire body shuddered as he reached down and grasped the tip of his erection, rubbing himself slowly against her.

 

“Please,” she gasped, dropping her knees nearly all the way onto the bed. She was spread for him. She was ready. “Oh Ichigo please. It's been so long…”

 

“I love you Rukia,” he gasped into her neck. His mouth opened and he bit down on her shoulder as his thick length slid into her.

 

Complete.

 

Inch by inch he came into her. Her warmth was gripping him and pulling him until he was helpless against its alluring tug. Gasps and moans were wretched from his throat as he pushed himself all the way inside of her. Rukia's walls were hot and ready and rippling; they massaged him, held him, and brought him to such ecstasy that he never, ever, wanted to leave.

 

“Rukia!” He gasped, his throat constricting from the pure pleasure of it all.

 

Her body lifted up to mold every surface of him onto herself. Her heart was beating so quickly she thought it would burst. Her hot breath panted into his ear while her second hand reached down and squeezed his clenching buttocks.

 

“J—Just stay,” she gasped, her eyes blurry from the intense pleasure. She threw her head back and shuddered into the mattress at his enormous length. He must have gotten even larger from the time they had last been together. The immensity of him… it was fantastic. “Ju-just stay for a minute… oh, please just for a minute.” She pleaded, not even caring that she was pleading with him.

 

He nodded once and fought to keep his body as still as possible. His entire body was shaking with the need to reach completion. But Rukia wanted a moment… just a moment to relish this wondrous feeling. The sweating skin of their stomachs undulated as breathing became harder and harder with each passing moment. Her shoulders shook and her fingernails bit into the skin of his back.

 

“Ichigo,” she groaned, finally throwing her head back and opening her mouth wide. “Now… I need you now!”

 

“Yes,” he gasped. Slowly, Ichigo pulled out of her, making sure to swivel his hips just so she could feel every inch he had to offer her. It felt like decades passed until he was able to press just the head of his shaft against her. Yet with one groan and one powerful stroke he was inside of her again, building a rhythm that left him panting; pushing into her, filling her, and completing her.

 

A sharp cry echoed around Rukia's room as his enormity slammed into her. Ichigo grunted and wheezed in ecstasy as she tightened squeezed around him, using her arms her legs and her sex. His mouth sought hers crazily and he kissed her senseless as he repeated his torturously timed thrusts.

 

His tongue plundered her gentle mouth just as his length ravaged her aching center. Nothing was left safe from his masterful assault of lips, teeth, and tongue. His hands wound under her head and gripped her hair, pulling back her head and leaving more of her open to him. His body slammed into hers with such ferocity that her nails began to wreck havoc on his back. Once, when he began to slow down—to try and hold his orgasm off so she could reach her end first—her hand immediately clasped his ass and tugged him forward. He knew that she was as desperate as he. She needed him to release inside of her.

 

“Rukia,” he gasped; her name the only one falling from his lips. There was no thought in his head apart from her. Only she existed; only her, only this moment, only now.

 

She called his name as her body contracted. Her back arched off of the bed and her legs clamped around his sides. She felt the spasms racking her body and opened her mouth to let out a hoarse scream.

 

Ichigo was sure that he had died. The feeling of her weeping sex gripping him like this was almost unbearable. His entire form was shaking as he tried to hold off his climax—just for a few more moments. He just wanted to feel Rukia's orgasm come to an end. He wanted… he wanted…

 

Sweat rolled down her face and she groaned helplessly into his shoulder. She felt spent and exhausted as Ichigo continued to push his hips forward and drive even deeper inside of her. Lines of curses fell from his lips and before she could even think about it, her mouth was on his. This time, her tongue was the one probing him. A mangled groan escaped his throat as her teeth nipped on his tongue and tugged at his lips.

 

His strokes became even more frantic—like they did when he was ready to come. Rukia lifted her leg and wrapped her calf around his, clinging to him even more, desperate to ride out his pleasure as though it was her own.

 

Yet just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, the tingling sensations of a climax ricocheted through her body once again. She gasped and dug her nails deeply into his skin and hoarsely shrieked as her center squeezed once again.

 

“Shit!” She cried, taking her hand and digging it deeply into Ichigo's hair. She wrenched her mouth against his and screamed as a climax more powerful than the last slammed through her.

 

Ichigo crashed into her gripping intensity before his own orgasm hit. Wave after wave of heat spilled into her, filled her, and completed her. Rukia's body rocked against his again and again as he trembled above her, erratically thrusting until there was no more of himself left to give.

 

With one final roar, Ichigo collapsed. He was shaking and panting and sweating so badly that it didn't even register that he might be crushing her. But Rukia didn't say a word, her arms wound around his waist and her face buried itself into his shoulder, clinging to him desperately.

 

Please don't let this be a dream.

 

His heart was pounding against hers and she shuddered at the feeling. Each beat seemed to mirror one in her own chest. It was almost musical.

 

“I love you,” Ichigo whispered, finally finding the strength and the will to pull himself off of her wonderfully supple body.

 

Rukia's hands gripped the air before his strong hands came to rest on her elbows. He tugged her forward enveloped him against her, pressing a kiss into her hair. She sighed when his sweating body rubbed against hers.

 

Her form was draped over his and she clung to him as tightly as she could. Her breathing was heavy and uneven but, then again, so was his. Almost as soon as her heart had calmed down, Ichigo rolled onto his side and grasped her even tighter to his body. Her head immediately tucked itself into his neck and his arms encircled her waist. One of his hands came up and tightly gripped her hair. She shivered and pressed herself as closely to him as possible.

 

He swallowed and she kissed his quivering Adams apple. “How long were you waiting?” She asked, her voice was a hoarse whisper but she felt no need to remedy it.

 

A low chuckle resonated in his chest and Rukia felt every inch of it. She shuddered happily and breathed in deeply. “Since about four thirty this morning.”

 

Rukia didn't even want to know what time it was now. Although if she'd have to guess she'd say it must have been past two o'clock already.

 

“I'm sorry,” she whispered.

 

“No,” he murmured, rubbing his hands down the smooth skin of her back. She felt his fingers linger on the pronounced bones of her backside and she realized that she must have been eating less than she'd thought. He sighed heavily and continued to stroke the small curves of her body. “I would have waited all night if I had to. I was just afraid that… that you'd read the article and still not come.”

 

Rukia bit her bottom lip and curled herself even tighter against Ichigo, guilt dripping its way into the pit of her stomach the way a leaking faucet eventually fills a sink. She drew in a shuddering breath and felt her body begin to shrink in on itself.

 

“Don't,” Ichigo said, his voice clear and precise in the hazy afterglow. She jerked softly in the bed when she felt his fingers on her chin. Slowly, he lifted her face to his. His mouth was curved into a small smirk and his eyes were the warmest shade of amber she had ever seen before. Her jaw was clenched and he lightly rubbed his thumb over the tense line.

 

He pressed a kiss to her tender lips and drew back softly. “I want you to listen very carefully, Rukia Kuchiki,” he proceeded to kiss her nose and she felt her tense body slowly melting in his arms. “I do not blame you for anything that happened.” She bent her head and accepted the delicate kiss he pressed to her forehead. “It was Aizen and only Aizen. You were in no way responsible for anything that happened.”

 

“But Ichigo I need to—”

 

“No.” Was his flat answer.

 

“But I—”

 

“No.”

 

“Ichi—”

 

“No.”

 

She sighed exasperatedly and shoved him playfully in the shoulder. The action felt so familiar yet so foreign; it sent shivers down her spine and small spasms of laughter into her stomach.

 

“Idiot,” she muttered, reaching her hand up and gripping his chin between her thumb and forefinger. She pushed her lips against his and pulled him down for another kiss. She groaned and he instantly teased his tongue into her mouth. He caressed her lips while his hands caressed her back. She could feel her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier as their kiss went on and on. She sighed and tried to fight the drowsiness that was now pressing against her like a heavy blanket. But the rhythmic stroking of his hand and his tongue were just too much for her.

 

She broke the kiss apart and tried to regain in some of her stolen breath. Only afterwards did she burrow her face into his chest, tucking her arms in as well. Ichigo chuckled lightly and pulled her in tight.

 

“Sleep,” he whispered, his gentle breath brushing against her hair. She felt a yawn punctuate his breathing and smiled softly, “I assume that you've not been sleeping much since… that day, right?”

 

She simply nodded her head and ran her lips over his sternum. “You too?”

 

He enclosed her safely in the cocoon of his arms and nodded, “Hardly a wink.”

 

Half of her wanted to say something like `good' but she knew that noting could come of it. Ichigo was here. He was with her. She was wrapped inside of him. That was all that mattered.

 

She sighed and let her fingers roam over his chest, feeling the rhythmic motion of his calm breathing and finding it mirrored in her own. She took a quick look upwards and saw that he was staring sleepily down at her, a contented smile ripe on his features. She felt a blush spread over her cheeks and fought to keep it down. He simply chuckled and started stroking her hair. Sleep weighed down on her eyes and she closed them.

 

Yet after a few more moments of drowsy indecision Rukia knew that she still wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully. Not until…

 

He had told me that it wasn't my fault. He had said that it was just Aizen and that I had nothing to do with it.

 

Her bottom lip cinched its way between her teeth and she grimaced. She knew, deep down, that he was wrong. But that was Ichigo—always trying to burden himself with the worries of others. He was trying to protect her from herself and the truth she had almost run away from.

 

She closed her eyes and thought back. His frantic voice echoed inside of her head like a loudspeaker.

 

“Rukia! What's wrong? Why are you…? What happened…? Rukia what the hell is going on? Did someone hurt you? What happened? Tell me. Rukia… calm down. I'm only trying to help. Tell me what's happened, tell me what's wrong! God damn it Rukia! I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong! Tell me what's wrong! Rukia… I don't know what… Rukia… please, I don't understand. Tell me what—”

Her body shook but she tried to hide it as the memories came flooding back to her. How could she have ignored it? How could she not have seen? All of those pleas? All of those questions? How could she just ignore the way his face had looked?

 

She had been so blinded by her own stupidity that she hadn't even bothered to think that maybe he hadn't had anything to do with her getting fired or with crushing her heart. She had been so damn wrapped up in all of her own misery that she had forced this entire ordeal onto him as well. How could she have done that… not only to him, but to herself as well?

 

Her eyes squeezed shut as she fought off another wave of hot, sticky, tears. “I'm sorry.”

 

Above her, Ichigo groaned. His voice was thick from sleep as he muttered, “Shut up midget. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

 

“If I had listened to you,” she continued, very aware that his thumb had ceased its circular motion on her back, “I could have saved us all so much pain.” Her voice was crackling near the end but she cleared it. The familiar, hot, sensation of tears was rising in her eyes even heavier now. She didn't want Ichigo to see them though. She had spent far too much time crying over him to actually want to do it in front of him.

 

“But you didn't,” Ichigo said quietly and Rukia's stomach promptly twisted.

 

His hand began to stroke again and she fought back a small sob-like sigh. “And you know,” he continued, “I'm actually kind of glad.”

 

Huh?

 

Rukia frowned and quickly tried to sit up in the bed but Ichigo's arms were firmly wound around her waist—not allowing her to move so much as an inch. She squeaked wetly when she was tugged backwards and into his solid mass of flesh. So instead of actually getting up she wiggled until her face was level with his.

 

“You might want to stop doing that,” he said, his voice half teasing and half serious.

 

Rukia narrowed her eyes and raised her hand to brush away a stray strand of his hair. He leaned into her fingers and she nearly swooned at the slight motion. Forcing herself to think clear thoughts, she cupped his cheek and brushed her thumb across the defined bone.

 

“What do you mean?” She demanded softly, watching his gaze melt into hers. “Why… why were you glad that I—that I…”

 

“Went completely insane and cut yourself off from me completely?” He added in helpfully.

 

“Thank you,” she muttered dryly.

 

He smirked and tugged her down until her head was resting directly over his heart. The steady thudding was like catharsis to her. She calmed instantly and felt her own heart start beating tranquilly.

 

“I'm not saying that being away from you was good,” he told her, his fingers now tracing random patterns on her arms, “That was awful but… I think that if you had just acted coolly about the whole situation I would have thought that you didn't care enough about me to get angry.”

 

Rukia opened her mouth to speak but didn't get a chance to say anything. Ichigo cut her off by tugging her even closer to him. “But you weren't emotionless… you got angry, you were hurt, and you tried to get away from me—which, by the way, we will talk about later—so I could only guess that, because of the way you acted, you cared about me that much.”

 

Rukia paused and shook her head, “You have some seriously twisted logic.”

 

“Oh please,” he sighed, squirming a blanket up with his foot and pulling it over them. “You know I'm right.”

 

“Please,” Rukia muttered, settling back down comfortably. “Like I'd ever admit it.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, “But don't you dare keep thinking about it. And I mean it Rukia. Honestly, if I had been in your position I think I would have done the same thing.”

 

Rukia scoffed, “Like you'd start crying…”

 

He cocked his head to the side and shrugged, “If it were you…”

 

Her lips curled into a smile and she sighed softly. Gently, she pressed a kiss to his chest and murmured, “I love you Ichigo.”

 

She couldn't see him but if she had to bet she'd have to say that he was smiling too. At least, it sounded like he was smiling as he said the five words she had been waiting so long to hear:

 

“I love you too, Rukia.”

 

*~*~*

 

When Rukia awoke the moon was shining outside of her bedroom window. Her groggy eyes peeled themselves open and she groaned as the blankets slid over her naked body.

 

She blinked once and looked down.

 

Naked?

 

Memories of that afternoon flooded into her brain. The newspaper article, Ichigo waiting outside, them coming inside, him making love to her, telling her not to dwell on what happened, and him telling her that he loved her.

 

Over and over and over again…

 

She shuddered as she remembered. Everything had been so… so… perfect. A smile crept onto her face and she pushed the sheets down to her waist. In one small move, she twisted around. She was fully anticipating waking Ichigo up just so she could show him how much she missed him. But as the top half of her body reached around and her arm extended outward, she saw that the second half of her bed was empty.

 

She never thought her stomach could disappear so fast.

 

A hand immediately went to her forehead and she swallowed hard. Her eyes closed on their own volition and she shuddered. “Please tell me this wasn't a dream. Please tell me this wasn't a dream.”

 

Her second hand was about to join the first when she heard a strange clacking sound coming from her kitchen.

 

Her brows furrowed and a small part of her evaporated stomach peeked out from where ever it was hiding. Quickly, she hopped out of her bed—maneuvered around the boxes littering her room—and grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and an old nightshirt she had kept lying around. She slipped them on, all the while listening for the sounds coming from her apartment's kitchen. Straightening, she narrowed her eyes, sniffed the air and… and… wait…

 

Was that food?

 

Her feet were quiet as she stepped out of her bedroom and into the hallway. It was softly lit and she wandered into it freely. After a moment, she appeared in the doorway to her kitchen and…

 

… Promptly allowed her jaw to drop.

 

Ichigo Kurosaki—clad only in a pair of jeans—was standing in her kitchen, a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. As she stood, she watched him carefully tilt a golden-brown pancake out of the pan and onto a waiting plate nearby.

 

Pancakes, however, were not the only things that were set out. Rukia could see an entire pizza sitting on her dining room table—from the only place that delivered past midnight, she noted with a small smirk—a tossed salad, several pieces of cut up fruit, drinks of various alcoholic variety, three-day-old Chinese food that had been stuffed into the fridge somewhere, and even a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Basically, every single article of food that she had been storing in her house up until the move—and more—was sitting on the smugly shining table.

 

Her eyes began to bug as she witnessed him beginning to pour another circle of pancake batter onto the frying pan. It sizzled happily and Ichigo began humming a small tune as he tossed the batter around.

 

She coughed lightly and he instantly swung around, splattering warm pancake batter onto her floor. One drop hit her big toe and she fought back a giggle. He stood silently in the kitchen—his face looked oddly dumbstruck as she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

 

“What's with the dumb look Ichigo?” She demanded, trying her best not to melt at the sight of him all shirtless and domesticated. Her eyes traveled over his body twice before going towards the table; it was only then that she frowned, “And while I do think that you being all domestic is fantastically sexy, I truly hope that you were not expecting me to eat all of that.”

 

It took him a minute to recover before that familiar smirk appeared on his face. His eyes glanced down at her batter splattered foot and his smirk turned into a grin. His gaze returned to her and she smiled.

 

“I certainly do,” he told her, coming forward—spatula still in hand—and grabbing the back of her head. She tilted it immediately and she surged upwards on her toes. His tongue ravaged her instantly and she met him with a fervor she had nearly forgotten she had. Groaning, her arms came up to wrap around his neck and one of his arms went around her torso. She pressed her body completely against his and hungrily drew a leg up to hook around his waist.

 

She didn't know how long they kissed before a heavy burning smell polluted the air the two of them were desperately drawing in.

 

Ichigo jerked away from her and frowned, “Shit,” he muttered breathlessly. His head was turned in the direction of the now-charred pancake. Rukia looked over at the blackened food and instantly felt a smile curl on her lips. A small giggle escaped her throat and he quickly looked back down.

 

With a grin plastered on his face, Ichigo tightened his arm around her waist, hoisted her up, and began walking back to the stove.

 

“Ichigo!” She gasped, something quiet close to a laugh releasing itself from her throat. She was hanging sideways from his strong arm and practically dangling her feet against the cool floor. She giggled as she watched Ichigo flip off all of the switches to the stove and remove the frying pan from the red burner. With the plate of pancakes in one hand, he swung around—with Rukia still under his arm—and strode towards the table.

 

She was laughing freely now. He tossed the plate on the wooden surface and then flipped Rukia up as if she weighed no more than a toy doll. She knew he'd never drop her though. She trusted him. His arms wound around her so she was being carried bridal style to the open chair at her table. Ichigo plopped down first and she settled freely into his lap.

 

Rukia smiled up at him and pressed a small kiss to his chin, “How much sleep did you get?” She asked him, feeling his hands secure themselves on her bottom.

 

“Only an hour or two,” he murmured, his lips searching for her eyelids and successfully finding them.

 

“So little?” She sighed, snuggling in closer to him.

 

“Your phone woke me up,” he murmured, kissing her nose softly, “And by the way, I unblocked my number.”

 

“I was going to do that,” she sighed exasperatedly, “You didn't… wait… who called?”

 

“Well, the first was Momo,” he told her, rubbing his hands along the curves of her supple body.

 

Rukia's eyes widened. “Momo called?” She gasped and tightened her hold on Ichigo's neck. “Did… did Toshiro read the paper? Did he—?”

 

Ichigo's warm grin told her everything she needed to know. Relief washed over Rukia's entire body and her face broke into a smile of her own. “He made up with her?”

 

Ichigo nodded, “More like he ambushed her in the department store where she was shopping. She told me that he rushed towards her, fell to his knees, and begged her to take him back.”

 

Rukia's eyebrows rose, “Beg? Toshiro?”

 

He nodded, “She even testified that he squeezed out a few tears.”

 

Her jaw dropped slightly.

 

Ichigo nodded. “So they went back to his apartment and made up… many, many, times apparently. She just wanted to tell you. When I answered the phone, however, she nearly started crying. She said she'd talk to you later and to also tell you that their wedding is back on.”

 

Rukia's mouth was being tugged into two different directions—one being a huge grin and the other being a small pout. Quickly taking notice, Ichigo frowned, “What is it?”

 

Rukia shrugged lightly, the gentle fabric of her nightgown sliding over her soft skin. “We've only made up once,” she sighed, her fingertip now beginning to swirl around one of his brown nipples.

 

Ichigo shuddered gently and caught her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing every individual tip. “We'll fix that…”

 

Rukia grinned and started to lean her mouth down towards his.

 

“… But only after you've eaten every single thing I've put out on this table.”

 

She narrowed her eyes at him—inside she was marveling at how fast they had returned to their old routine of quick banter and responses—and said, “If I eat all of this I will not be able to move and you know that I actually participate when we have sex.”

 

He sighed and began to rub her leg up and down, his fingers dipping near her knee and then up again. Rukia shuddered and shifted even closer to him. Her eyes began to close softly and she leaned towards him. She knew that he wanted her to eat but the look in his eyes was telling her that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

 

Her lips almost brushed his when she stopped.

 

“Wait…” she pulled back and frowned, Ichigo groaned audibly and dropped his bright head onto her collar.

 

“What?” He moaned, his hand now riding up her underwear and caressing the skin of her ass.

 

“You said that Momo was my first call,” she said, wiggling even closer to him. She grinned when she felt his erection brush her leg through his pants. She could now see why he was in such pain. “Who was the second caller?”

 

Ichigo shrugged and looked away innocently while his hand still mapped the territory underneath of her new un-ripped underwear. He coughed lightly and muttered, “Some hyperactive chick named Beverly. She wanted to confirm the final move in date with you.”

 

Rukia stilled and her left eyebrow rose immediately. She lifted her eyes to his and found that he was staring obstinately at the food on the table. Frowning, she placed her hands on his cheeks and twisted his face to hers. His gaze smoldered into hers and she promptly told herself not to melt inside. So she raised her other eyebrow and said, “What did you say to her, pray tell?”

 

“To go screw herself,” Ichigo muttered in a voice so low she almost didn't catch the phrasing. She narrowed her eyes at him and he rolled his own. “I just told her you weren't moving.”

 

Her hands tightened around his neck and she scooted forward even more. Inside, she could feel her heart pounding erratically against her rib cage. “Oh you did… did you?”

“I did,” he said, nodding his head matter-of-factly.

 

“Did you give her a reason?” She demanded gently, brushing her lips with his and retreating before he could capture her lips completely. Inside, she could hear her heart singing. After all, Ichigo had told her while they were making love that she couldn't leave him. After that plea, she had absolutely no intention of leaving either him or Karakura. But to hear that he had already dealt with that caffeine-worshipper… Rukia's heart was nearly bursting with happiness.

 

“I did,” he repeated, bending his head and running his lips over her neck. Her pulse quickened at the feeling and she knew that Ichigo could tell. He nipped at the throbbing flesh with his teeth and then his soothed his tongue over the mark.

 

“What did you tell her?” She gasped, moving even closer to him. Her breasts brushed against his naked chest. She groaned at the feeling—seeing as how her shirt was so thin it barely existed—and her nipples stiffened immediately.

 

“I told her,” Ichigo murmured into her neck, his arms wrapping themselves tightly around her lithe body, “That you and your fiancé had decided to stay in Karakura.”

 

She stilled instantly.

 

Fiancé.

 

She drew back slowly. His hands were clasped around her entire body. His heart was beating quickly. Her skin tingled everywhere they touched. She pulled back until her eyes were staring into his. Those beautiful amber eyes were so… so…

 

Confident.

 

Her mouth blossomed into a smile and she noticed two or three miniscule lines disappearing from around his eyes. “You want me to marry you?” She whispered, her chest tightening to the point of possible explosion.

 

He didn't even pause. “Yes, I do.”

 

Rukia's lips curled into a smile and she surged forward, colliding her mouth with his. His right hand moved to her left shoulder and slid down her entire arm until he was gripping each of her fingers with his. His calloused digits played with hers before focusing their attention on one in particular. Only then did she feel the band of warm metal wrapped around her third finger. She gasped and wretched her lips from his. She tugged her hand from his in one smooth movement and drew the specific finger up to her amazed face.

 

A band of pure gold lay on top of her ring finger. She had never seen anything look so perfect on her skin before. The deep, yellow, gold was encrusted with beautifully cut diamonds. Yet in the center of the diamonds was a large, violet, sapphire gem. It caught the dim lights of the kitchen and sparkled beautifully as she moved.

 

Ichigo's lips were near her ear as he whispered, “It matches your eyes.”

 

She gasped and ripped her eyes from the stunning ring, only to bring them back to his. She smiled when she realized his eyes were just as beautiful—if not more—as the ring on her finger. His smirking mouth was back, directly parallel to hers.

 

“So…” he murmured, teasing her lips with his, “What do you say?”

 

Rukia grinned and leaned forward, wrapping her limbs around him completely. “Do you even have to ask?”

 

 

 

 

(A/N: This chapter was longer than the others but I have a feeling that no one has a problem with it. :) Hey, at least I didn't cut in it half like I did with my other story.

 

Oh and sorry if the lemon was a bit fluffy for some people's tastes. But I just can't help writing a happy fluffy ending. SQUEE!!!

 

The next chapter is the epilogue. Sniffle… sniffle…

 

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!)