Chapter 1
"Please inform my brother that I will not be returning to the manor tonight." A tired Rukia requested of her Lieutenant as she finished the last of her paperwork and ran her fingers through her short hair.
"Yes, Captain Abar- I mean Captain Kuchiki." The young girl corrected herself quickly and ran out of the room, embarrassment evident on her face.
Rukia sighed and tried to pretend like she didn't hear her subordinate's slip up. It wasn't her fault. The separation was still fresh so a lot of people were still calling the woman by her married name.
She frowned when she glanced at the picture still sitting on her desk of her and her little family she had started with her childhood friend. Ichika's bright eyes happier than she had ever been. It wasn't fair to her daughter the way things played out. Rukia felt guilty knowing that she had a feeling deep deep down that this was going to happen the moment that he became a permanent member of the Soul Society.
They had made a deal way back in the past after the war with Ywach that Ichigo had to try to live as normal of a life as possible before he made the decision to come to Soul Society. She made him study and get a real human job, which he did as a doctor like his father had done. She also told him that he had to at least try and have a normal relationship with someone. She never expected it to be with Inoue, though. Just like no one ever expected her to accept the marriage proposal from Renji.
It was all so surreal, the lives they had been living up until now.
Ichigo was the one who decided that divorce was in the cards for him and Orihime when he had come home from work one night. He told Rukia it was because of a patient he had been caring for previously that had died on his shift at the hospital. She didn't know much about it, except he said that when the old man had died and his spirit left his body it made him think about the real job and the real life he wanted to be living. He referred to his life in the human world as trying to play pretend.
He didn't want it to be a messy thing, so he allowed Orihime to keep the home that they had lived in, with access to their shared bank account. He even insisted that Kazui stay in the World of the Living with his mother to gain a human education like he had, much to his son's dismay. They would let Kazui come to the Soul Society on weekends and times when he didn't have school, but it still wasn't the same as having his father around all the time.
Rukia's arrangements with Ichika had been different however, being residents of the Soul Society already. She and Renji had agreed that they would let her decide who she wanted to stay with on a weekly basis. The child had been angry with her father, since he was the one that uttered the words of separation and divorce, so naturally she had been with Rukia most of the time except for the weeks she insisted Ichika go stay with her father because he really missed his daughter.
It was weird being back in the Kuchiki manor. She didn't like staying there much, but when Ichika was in her care she was forced to because she believed that the barracks were no place for a child to live and play.
She sighed again, feeling a familiar rieatsu coming her way from another division. The division that he was now captain of. It was as if Kyoraku had been waiting for the day for Ichigo to arrive to happen because he had kept the Fifth open for years, until Ichigo just so happened to show up and fill the spot. The man probably would have waited until Ichigo's natural death if he had to to make him one of his captains.
She knew exactly how this was going to go down the moment he stepped into her office.
"Hey, midget." He would greet her, causing her to throw one of her log books at him which he would catch with ease.
He would walk to her desk and place his hands on the edge, leaning forward with a daring smirk. Completely un-captain like but completely himself.
She could tell by the way he had been acting around her that he was enjoying himself again. When he had been married to Orihime, he seemed like he had chained himself down and just went through the motions. Now, he was his old spontaneous self.
Rukia braced herself when she heard her subordinates greet the orange-haired captain outside of her office.
"Yo, Rukia!" He called as he opened her door.
She blinked a few times. He actually called her by her name instead of using the nickname she hated so much.
"What's with the face?" He laughed.
"I'm not making a face, you fool. This is just my face." She said, folding her arms.
"Whatever you say." He chuckled. "So, have you finished your work for the day yet? I just finished with mine thanks to Momo's help."
"Yeah. I just finished the last paper." She answered, putting the stack away into her desk to be filed later.
"So you feel like going and getting a drink then? It's been a while since we've done that."
Rukia looked at Ichigo unsure. The last time they had drank together, it was before Ichigo had graduated med school and right before Rukia married Renji. The night ended with Ichigo having to carry the small woman to his apartment once she passed out from having a little bit too much.
"I don't think that's a good idea." She replied, folding her arms. "Plus, don't you have to retrieve Kazui tomorrow?"
Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah, but I was thinking that we could go do something together beforehand. We haven't really hung out since I became a captain, you know."
Rukia sighed. She had been avoiding being around him in public, afraid of what rumors would come out of it. He had been separated from Orihime for about a year, while she and Renji hadn't even made it six months yet.
"Come on, Rukia. One drink won't hurt you."
The raven-haired captain thought about it for a little longer, battling with herself. One part was all for going out, but the responsible side of her kept nagging. If the elders found out that she had not returned home that night because she went out drinking with the captain of the Fifth Division, they would never let her live it down.
Thankfully she didn't have to answer him, because Ichika came bouncing through the doorway with a huge grin on her face, followed by Rukia's third seat.
"Excuse us, Captains." He politely bowed to both Ichigo and Rukia. "But miss Ichika insisted that she needed to come and see Captain Kuchiki right away."
"Ichika, don't you have lessons today?" Rukia folded her arms and looked at her daughter with a serious face.
"I did, but Izanagi-sensei got mad and cancelled lessons today because Aki kept falling asleep."
"Then why didn't he just send Aki home instead of cancelling the lessons for the rest of you?" Rukia asked, completely annoyed with the young teacher that had been apointed for the noble children of the Soul Society.
Ichika shrugged and hopped on her mother's desk in front of Ichigo. "Anyway, I came here to ask if mister Manzo could work on me with my kido."
Rukia clicked her tongue in thought, then glanced up at Ichigo who was still waiting for her answer on going out that evening.
"You know what, Ichika? I just finished work for the day. I could help you practice."
Ichika wrinkled her nose. It wasn't that she didn't want her mother to help her out, it was just that Rukia could be a tough teacher sometimes compared to her normal teacher who had accompanied Ichika to ask for permission in the first place.
Ichigo looked disappointed that Rukia was blowing him off, but he couldn't be angry with the woman if it was to spend time with her daughter. After all, he would have probably passed up going out to spend some time with Kazui if he were in her shoes. The first year of separation was the hardest on the kid.
"With all due respect Captain," Manzo had piped up after noticing the little girls displeasure. "Miss Ichika and I have been working really hard on specific kido and I personally think it would be best that we continue on where we left off last time."
Ichika's violet eyes shined with hope that her mother would agree with her teacher.
Rukia let out a small pout and nodded in understanding. There went her excuse to get away from Ichigo.
"Fine." She sighed, and her daughter squealed with glee as she reached across from her perch and hugged her mother tightly.
"Thank you, mama!" She grinned up at Rukia, then launched herself off of the desk and to the door way. She turned around and waved once Manzo had reached her side. "Please let Dad know that I'll be late for dinner!"
And just as quick as she came in the room, she left the two captains alone again.
Rukia sighed and rubbed her temples. "I have no clue where she gets all of that energy from."
Ichigo chuckled. "What? Are you getting old on me now Rukia?"
Rukia stood up and swung at her friend's face, which he easily avoided by catching her hand and pulling her forward into him.
"I-Ichigo, what are you doing?"
He sighed and breathed in deep as he put his arms around her. He had become more and more bold as time went on in showing his affections toward her.
"I was kidding, Rukia." He chuckled lightly and pat her head gently. He still hadn't let go of her yet.
Rukia sighed and wrapped her arms around him in return.
"I don't want my squad talking." She finally spoke, still not making any movements of leaving his embrace.
Maybe she was becoming more bold in accepting his affections?
She still felt guilt when she thought about what they were doing. They had been doing small things like hugging and putting arms around another when they sat in private for a while now. It never went beyond that.
"Let them talk." Ichigo scoffed. "It's none of their business what you do in your private time."
Rukia finally pulled away and sighed.
They were pushing boundaries and it was getting harder to hide her feelings.
Ichigo ran his hand through his orange locks and sighed.
"Look, Rukia. I know that it hasn't been that long since you and Renji officially separated, but I-"
"I know a place in Rikongai." She cut him off. He looked at her confused. "If you still want to get that drink."
Ichigo gave her a soft smile and nodded.
Rukia still wasn't ready to address what she and Ichigo were starting to become. What Ichigo had to say to her could wait for now.