Disclaimer: I don't own BLEACH. (sadface.)

Edit: Added plot relevant stuff because I'm going to continue this story. So, if this isn't your first time reading this story, you might re-read this chapter? :3

Untouchable

(Might be worth it to listen to the song A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope as it was the inspiration behind the plot of this story)

IchiRuki

When she walked, she waked two feet taller than she actually was, and had the air of an heiress to a thrown no one claimed. And it was goddamned magnificent. And it was goddamned unbearable to be in love with an untouchable. Ichigo 'tch'ed as she was escorted past him, into the corporate building. Putting away the notepad he'd had out a moment ago. He knew it was a useless cause. She wouldn't stop as long as her brother's hired help had anything to do with it.

Through the glass window of the twenty some-odd floored building of Kuchiki's business, Ichigo watched as the bodyguard closest to her gestured to a seat. Ichigo saw words exchanged, a raised hand, a scuff of the ground with high-heeled clad feet, and with what appeared to be a huff and glare, she took the seat.

He'd meant to leave then. Seeing the Ice Princess had been a request of his younger sister, Yuzu, who was home sick but had begged Ichigo to go see "the Kuchiki Rukia!" and see if an autograph could be had. It was the first time the raven haired heiress had been back in Karakura since the day she was adopted, and when Yuzu heard, she'd be so elated she ran out the front door, into the frosty winter weather, without a jacket. The next day she came down with a cold, and Ichigo's dad, Kurosaki Isshin, had made a production out of his poor daughter's terrible health. Declaring loudly and dramatically that she was to go no where until she was in the best health she'd even been before in her sixteen years of life. Which left Yuzu bestowing the quest for an autograph onto Ichigo. Yuzu admired many celebrities, but Ichigo could see why Kuchiki had peaked a particular interest in Yuzu's over zealous mind; Kuchiki Rukia had, at one point in time, been an actress in the local theater. A very good one, too. Ichigo and Yuzu, and begrudgingly, his other sister, Yuzu's twin, Karin had seen her preform many times when she still worked there. That was five years ago, when the twins were eleven each, and Ichigo was sixteen. He figured at the time Rukia must have been either thirteen or fourteen.

When next Ichigo and Yuzu had went to the theater, to see a play of The Comedy of Errors - A play by the famous Shakespeare, who was admired greatly by Ichigo - Rukia was not there as she had been at every other performance. Ichigo had come to discover in the many times that he'd been before, that on a normal bases, Rukia even went to go see the plays she wasn't casted in. Weeks later, when the matter was a distant thought in Ichigo's mind, by chance, he had seen her picture on the nightly news. The story was short, Kuchiki Rukia, performer at the local Warehouse Vizard, had been adopted into the prestigious noble clan of Kuchiki. The family had since relocated to Tokyo. "What a wonderful story, with such a happy ending!" the anchor women had said, as Ichigo stiffened, "and in other news-"

Ichigo hadn't listen past that, having been overwhelmed by a sense of loss he couldn't understand or place, he turned off the television, and found himself out the door, walking toward Warehouse Vizard. When he arrived a silver-haired man was speaking in loud tones to a blonde with teeth that couldn't seemed to be covered. The blonde frowned, turning toward the wall of the warehouse-that-was-a-theater, and took down one of the posters hanging there. Of the eleven, nine were actors at the warehouse, one was of the owner, a dark-skinned women whose name, as the flashy poster eluded, was Yoruichi, and the last was of the theater's sponsor, a candy shop run by a man Ichigo's dad was friends with, Urahara Kisuke. The poster the blonde man took down was that of Rukia. Before Ichigo knew what he was doing, he approached the man.

"Kuchiki Rukia?" He asked. The blonde turned around, smiling broadly and snickered.

"Close." He stated, "Hirako Shinji." Ichigo scratched his head.

"Not your name. That's the girl's name right? The one on the poster?"

Shinji looked at the posted, frowned thoughtfully as if the question were perplexing and turned to his silver-haired companion. The man rolled his eyes, gave a grunt and a wave of his hand and then walked back into the warehouse. Shinji looked back down at the poster.

"So it is." He finally stated. "What about her?" Ichigo stopped, not knowing what to say past that point, and just as he thought he was about to star mumbling something stupid, words spilled from his lips.

"Can I have that poster?" He asked. His eyes widened and halted, stunned by his own words. Shinji's already face-splitting grin widened by another fraction.

"Crazy fan are we?" He asked. Ichigo blushed with a frown, looking away, and wishing he could take back his words. Where had that even come from? He meant to make a smart-ass remark, but Shinji either didn't really care for the response, or hadn't expected one from the moment he asked the question, and began chucking before Ichigo could defend himself.

"Here." Shinji grinned, handing Ichigo the poster. "You can have it. Her picture'll be all over everything in a matter of years anyway. Yer gonna come across it one way or another." And with another grin, he retreated back into the warehouse after his silver-haired friend. Ichigo had found himself standing outside of the theater for nearly ten minutes in a dumb stupor at the turn of events. Above him, the overcast sky was darkening.

Eventually Ichigo had looked down at the poster, mixed emotions running through his head. There, in his hands, was the poster of a thirteen year-old girl, and Ichigo was startling aware of how pretty he thought she was, and how wrong that sounded. Nothing about the whole scenario was appropriate! The poster was a performance shot, Rukia's full body clothed in a black cloak, hood down, black riding pants and a brown tunic, a hand thrust toward the sky and a huge grin. It must have been from some fictional fantasy play. Her name was written at the bottom in the bold red of Broadway. With a mortified blush Ichigo rolled up the poster, tucked it under his shirt and made his way back home. The rain began falling three steps into the journey, and didn't stop until the next day.

Since then, that poster had become a prized possession of Ichigo's, tucked safely under his bed for five years where no one knew of it's existence except for himself and Hirako Shinji. . .

When Ichigo came back out of his trip down memory lane, he became aware of deep violet-blue eyes fixed on him from the other side of the glass. He scowled. How long had they been staring at each other? And why the hell were her eyes such a weird color?

From the other side of the glass Rukia smirked, turned to make sure her bodyguard was distracted, and then mouthed two simple words to Ichigo; help me. For a moment, Ichigo stared in open skepticism, slowly though, he felt a smirk pull at his own lips, his heart did that weird flutter that comes with doing something reckless when you're aware that you're far too old for such an action to be socially acceptable. He bobbed his head to her in conformation, and strolled through the front door, walking straight to the bodyguard. Behind him Rukia moved to get out of the peripherals of the other guard standing a few feet away, and looking forward.

"I lost my wallet." Ichigo stated, getting the attention of his guard, "any chance you've seen it?"

"No." The man replied, glaring at him over the top of a dark pair of sunglasses.

"Mind helping me look for it?" Ichigo asked, looking more sincere than he felt. "It's really important. I've got a picture of my mom in there, I can't lose it." He stated, and the simple truth in his words made the man stop and look at him for a moment. A heartbeat later his shoulder sagged and he succumb.

"Fine."

Ichigo smirked over his shoulder at Rukia as he led the man in the opposite direction. She grinned, throwing a glance to the other guard before taking the opportunity to bolt. The second the man turned away from Ichigo, he followed her lead and vanished out the front of the building. A moment later his foot hit the iced pavement of the December cooled outdoors. Smirking in victory, he steered himself in the direction of home, feeling better than he had in several weeks. As he went to take a step he was halted by a hand grabbing his scarf. Abruptly he was pulled to the ally on the side of the building and chest to face with the petite Kuchiki princess. He looked down (was she always this short?) and chuckled.

"Thank you." Rukia grinned, releasing his scarf, and taking a step back to create a bit of distance. Ichigo shrugged, acutely aware of the feelings he'd somehow developed for the eighteen year-old without even knowing her, and even more aware of the fact that he'd just helped her run away from the people there to protect her.

"You're welcome," he stated, then feeling playful, and more like an eighteen year-old himself, rather than the twenty-one year-old he was, he tacked on "midget." The kick to the shin was well worth it for the reaction and blush that made its way across Rukia's pale skin.

An AU? Wait. . . What? :P

Alright, I was thinking I'd maybe just keep this as a one-shot, but tell me if y'all would like me to continue it, it might be fun?

Anyway, just something cute I wrote yesterday after spending a lot of time on Tumblr watching my dashboard fill itself with more IchiRuki than I've been exposed to in such a long time. IchiRuki use to be my OTP of OTPs. It still is for Bleach, but I jump around fandoms so much I haven't written anything for it in. . . a very long time. Point is, I was inspired.

I hope you guys enjoy. Please review, I love reviews. Also, sorry about the OOC-ness. Yes, I know it's there. :( And please direct me to all mistakes so I can correct them. I don't proofread anything, so I'm trusting y'all to help me out. :3 Also, as a side note, Ichigo is not some weird stalker, in case y'all don't take things at face value, in this story he really is only looking for Rukia because Yuzu wanted an autograph, it just brings back old memories for him.

((Stupid FF. net messed up my formatting :\ Should be fixed now. . . hopefully?)