Hello thank you for reading my short! This is officially my longest short ... took a bit of time to edit ahaha. I hope you enjoy it! High school Ichigo and Rukia.
:)
As I turned the corner I heard
"GOOD MORNING ICHIGO! HOW ARE YO-Umfph!" I slammed by bag straight at a flying Keigo. He laid on the floor with his ghost of a soul hovering over his body. I sighed
"Keigo get up." No response. Maybe I over did it this time.
"Keigo?" Nothing. Then all of sudden the leg slightly moved. My eyes twitched
"... Keigo get up or else I'll send you to an early grave" Like a springboard Keigo popped up with a bleeding nose and a wide grin.
"Oh Ichigo your so mean! So cruel! So- umfph" This time I decked him. Also, I left him on the floor. Geez it's only 8 am and he's that loud!
Mizuro passed by absorbed into his phone
"Morning Keigo, Ichigo" I grunted in response. Keigo whimpered. We walked to class. Since it was only 8 am we were early and had time to spare. I walked over to my desk where the usual group, Chad, Ishida, Inoue, Tatsuki, Mizuro, Keigo(who was still on the floor outside the classroom) hung out.
"Morning" I greeted them simultaneously . Chad grunted in response, Ishida pushed his glasses up.
Seriously, what kind of greeting is that?
Inoue stood there playing with her sleeves.
"G-good morning Kurosaki-kun" Inoue always seemed to be sick. Her face was always red for some reason. I asked her about it one time and well, it got worse. I nodded my head. Suddenly something hard hit my head. I turned to see an angry Tatsuki.
"Tatsuki-chan!"
"What the hell Tatsuki!?" She crossed her arm. Inoue was waving her hands in the air
"Say a proper hello to Orihime Ichigo!" my eyes widen a bit , didn't I just do that? I rolled my eyes, what did I do in the last 24 hours to deserve this so early the morning
"Sorry, Morning Inoue." She nodded and her face ( like I said before) turned red. Maybe someday my dad could take a look at her. It doesn't seem to be getting better. Tatsuki's arm loosened up and a grin replaced her frown
"Morning to you berry head!" I glared at her
"Shut it Tatsuki." She sneered
"Or what?" I was about to retort when I heard Keigo
"Oh if it isn't the lovely Rukia-chan! How do you do!" We all looked to the door as it slid open
"Oh my, thank you for the compliment Keigo, it's too sweet of you!" And she walked in. How could I forget her. Rukia Kuchiki, the woman, who gave me her Shinigami Powers; the same woman who makes my everyday a living hell. I saw her touch her cheek as to emphasize her blushing.
I felt my eyes twitch , bitch is still on the act.
She was getting pretty damned good, even Tatsuki believed her. Don't let it fool you, she is as ruthless as you can imagine. This whole sweet girl facade is all part of the game. She can be a real slave driver too when it comes to Shinigami duties. I seriously get no sleep. As she walked up to her desk which was situated in front of mine she stopped and looked at me
"Oh, Good Morning Kurosaki-kun! How pleasant it is to see your smiling face this morning!" Damned woman. I heard Tatsuki snicker. The guys just rolled their eyes
"Here we go again." Ishida mumbled. Chad nodded in agreement.
I turned to her with a full glare that would kill anyone. She looked straight at my eyes.
"Oi! Listen here midget you should real-FUCK!" Her small pointy ass foot collided with my shin. I was grasping it pretty tightly. Damn, where the hell did she learn how to kick so hard?! Her smiling grew slightly wider, if not more sinister
"Oh language Kurosaki-kun!" The class bell rang and we started to shuffle over to our seats.
"... Bitch..." I muttered as Rukia passed me. She smirked
"And don't you forget it Berry-head " my pencil snapped, she is going to die a long painful death.
As class started she sat in front of me like a perfect student, it pisses me off. I sat there for the next few hours still stemming from this morning. Just wait till Rukia and I get home!
As I contemplated my master plan to get even I noticed today in math she wasn't paying attention. Her chin was rested on her hand and her head was slightly bent towards the window. It was getting close to spring. The days are warming and the trees were beginning to bud. The blue skies were wide and had small clouds that dotted it. Her eyes were staring into nothing, just the far reaches of the town. I realized she was lost in thought.
As I looked at her the more I began to see. When she is like this, with her calm face, that wasn't yelling at me, ithas this tranquility to it. I felt at ease just from her expression. It's true she drives me up the wall sometimes and I do the same to her, purposefully sometimes, but we have an understanding of each other. I can't explain it but when there is something wrong with one another, I don't know, we just know.
Class was droning on but I couldn't find myself paying much attention. I found my thoughts and eyes preoccupied with a small Shinigami.
The more I looked at her the more her face seemed to glow. The sunlight lay gently on her skin. My eye's followed her hairline to her chin. I saw the slight peak of her eyes from this position. The corner of her pink lips had this warmth to them, something I've never noticed before.
She was ... She is ...
What am I thinking?!
I shook my head and looked back at my book. But I couldn't help myself for wanting to steal more glances her way. Maybe I need to see a doctor.
The lunch bell rang and we started towards the door.
"Kuchiki-san! Come eat with us today!" I turned to see Inoue playfully pulling Rukia out the door, and a slightly more anxious Rukia trying to avoid the situation. I smirked as she looked to me with pleading eyes. She could put up the act but last time they kept questioning her about well, everything and she had a hard time keeping up. As I walked towards her I saw hope in her eyes
"That's a good idea Inoue, Rukia needs some fresh air." My smile grew wider when I saw her eyes turn into slits. Oh she would have butchered me and danced on my grave were it not for the fact we were in school. I was going to savor this moment. Rukia made some very interesting hand motions towards me as she was dragged away with Inoue.
Keigo, Mizuro, Chad, Ishida and I sat on the rooftop. We were eating as Keigo was talking about another game show to go see. Never again will I go to one. That Don Kanonji one was enough for a life time. I poked straw into my juice box and began to drink. Keigo suddenly stopped.
"Ichigo!" I turned to him my eyebrow raised
"What?"
"Look down there! Its Rukia-chan with the Orihime-chan,Tatsuki and the girls!" I looked down towards the tree.
"So?" Keigo looked aghast
"Ichigo! Don't know what this means!?" I shook my head. Ishida, Chad and Mizuro shrugged. Keigo's mouth dropped. I sighed, Oh God, why on earth did you bring Keigo to this earth? It would have made more sense for him to be an alien.
"It means we can spy on them!" I rolled my eyes
"Not interested"
"And you can't really spy on someone from a rooftop. You can't even hear them" Ishida stated. Keigo turned to Mizuro for help
"Give up on it Keigo." He said, his eyes never leaving the phone. Keigo pouted and turned to Chad
"You think it's a good idea, right Chado!" Chad sat there for awhile
"... No..." was all that left his mouth
Keigo looked as if someone stole all his money, house and wife ( if he could get one) from him. Pure utter betrayal.
"You guys are no fun!" Keigo turned to me with one last attempt
"Ichigo! Don't you want to know what they are talking about?"
"No" I stated. He started to pout again
"But what if they are asking Rukia-chan whom she likes?!" My ears twitched
"Like I care who the midget likes" Chad smiled. Ishida pushed his glasses up and said
"Well you do spend an awful lot of time with Kuchiki-san." I glared at him. Mizuro looked up from his phone and nodded. Keigo was getting excited by the minute
"And there is a valid reason for that!" He smirked
"I don't know Kurosaki, you always have your attention fixated on her."
"That's because she can be fucking crazy! Have you met her!?" I yelled.
"Isn't she your type?" His grin getting ever so wider
"Not in a million years Ishida!" I growled
"So what I'm hearing is that you'd be okay with her liking or being involved with someone else that's not you?" I stopped. Would I be okay with that? Since when did that bother me? It's not like we are together or anything, she's my ... well whatever we are, we are that, nothing more.
"Psh as if it would bother me" I paused when an amazing thought came to mind "why don't we talk about your crush on a certain orange haired girl?" I grinned wickedly.
Ishida looked as if he was going to summon all the powers of the Qunicy to destroy me. Oh how the tables have turned. Keigo jumped on that as quickly as he could. For the rest of the lunch hour they badgered Ishida on his crush on Inoue.
For the rest of the lunch hour all I could do was look down at that tree.
The bell rang and we re-entered the classroom. Rukia was sending death glares as she walked in, every one of them more venomous than the first. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window.
I wonder if she has someone she likes back in the soul society. The thing with Rukia is that her life in the Soul Society is a complete secret. She never discusses it, the only time she brings it up is related to shinigami training. I've never pressed her for information either. I didn't seem right to ask her if she isn't willing to tell me. But sometimes I wish she would.
I don't know when I started to notice her drift off into her thoughts. I realized it didn't just happen this morning but a few times before that. I never pick up on it. Her face changes when she thinks no one could see. But I've seen it. It's wistful but with a sad undertone. I want her to know that I'm here for her.
A pang of jealously hit me. What if she missed her life in the soul society? Did she want to leave here ... me? I sighed and turned my attention back to the teacher. It was hard because my eye's always drifted towards her.
Rukia ...
Beep Beep Beep
The sound snapped me out of my stupor. The teacher yelled at the class saying whoever's cell phone was that he would confiscate it then break it for disturbing the class. Rukia tensed slightly as she checked the phone discreetly. She moved slightly to the left and her eyes slide over connecting with mine. She mouthed let's go. I nodded my head and
Three
Two
One
" OI! KUROSAKI! KUCHKI! WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU TWO ARE GOING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LECTURE !" We bolted out the classroom before he could throw his chalk board eraser at us. Man we are going to have a lot of explaining to do.
I grabbed my sword and performed a konso as Rukia was checking her phone for more hollows. As I finished I stretched my shoulders and arms. As I finished I turned to Rukia
"Oi." She was mumbling to herself
"Oi Rukia." I said again. She kept mumbling, oblivious to my entire existence
"OI!" Still nothing ... A vein popped in my head
"OI MIDGET!" That woke her up, also earned another kick to my other shin, great.
"What!" She yelled exasperated. I blinked ... maybe I took it too far this time
"Whats wrong?" I finally asked. She looked mildly surprised, probably from being caught. She shook her head and said
"Nothing to worry about baka.' I nodded my head, but I didn't believe that was the big problem. We walked slowly back to school. I found my body on the floor in an alleyway and connected back. I stood up and stretched. Damn, we need to bring kon next time. I worked out a few kinks as I watched Rukia. I sighed, she was still looking through that phone. It didn't matter what she would be doing, I still felt the same way every time I saw her, whatever it was. Strange ...
"Oi, Rukia" I said more gentle than I did previously. It took a few seconds but she turned surprised
"What's wrong?" I shook my head
"Something is bothering you, and I know that it's personal but you know I am here for you, right?" Her eyes widened slightly, until, the only time I wanted a camera in my life, a soft subtle smile graced her features. For a split second it was there and never have I seen such an expression on her face. All I could think of was if I was able to remember this look on her. But leave it to Rukia as soon as it appeared it was gone. A frown and the proud attitude returned
"As if! Like something was bothering me enough for you to worry about!" I grinned, I wouldn't have her any other way
"Che! Like I worry about a midget li-" I winced, her hand hurts just as much as her kicks. She grinned and turned around walking. I sighed and followed in suit. Suddenly she stopped making me almost crash into her. She didn't turn around but instead whispered in a low voice, that if I wasn't paying attention I would not have heard it,
"Thank you, Ichigo." Stunned that she thanked me, I stood there like an idiot wide eyed for a minute before I heard her calling me from the end of the street. I shook my head, smiling slightly, and ran to the owner of that voice.
We were receiving the lecture of our lives from our teacher and the principle. Rukia stood there, arms crossed over her chest and her eyes closed as the teacher complained how his two students were delinquents and how I was naturally good at it. I just stood looking bored. I was used to all these lectures about skipping class or getting into fights during school hours, even after school hours. This was not new to me.
I wondered if Rukia ever been in trouble. She holds herself so high sometimes but the times she lets her walls fall down and that stupid sugary facade go, she has the personality of a woman who could care less about your looks, job, lifestyle or if you got into trouble. She just looked at the heart of the person. That was one of things that I noticed about her. She may not show it all the time but if you watch closely
Which I swear I do NOT do all the time,
You can see it.
I was so lost in thought I didn't hear Rukia begin to cry
"I'm so *sniff* sorry *sniff*." She dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief that magically appears whenever she is in need to test her acting skills, this was one of those times.
"It's *hiccup* just *sniff* Kurosaki-kun was being mean *hiccup* to me!" I rolled my eyes. Okay there are times where she was a she-devil and wanted to ruin my life.
"So I *sniff* ran out of the class and *hiccup* Kurosaki-kun was running to *sniffly* bother me some more!" Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. The teacher ,except the principle who wasn't really paying attention, ran to her side and started to apologize. Saying something about pinning the whole incident on me, this looked oddly familiar and not in a good way. I used that opportunity to escape through the window as I did before and ran as fast as I could. The teacher was so shocked that he yelled out the window
"KUROSAKI! GET BACK HERE!" He turned and found that Rukia was gone as well. Tears fell from his eyes as he pleaded with the principle to get them detention. The principle just waved it off, much to the chagrin of the teacher.
I found Rukia waiting around the back entrance of the school. I scowled at her
"What?" She asked
"You tried to sell me out! AGAIN!" I growled at her. She raised an eyebrow and smirked
"But you got out, AGAIN, didn't you?" I was about to retort and stopped. Fine, I thought , she wins this round. Sensing that I had given up on it she continued to smirk, much to my glare and walked back into the school. I followed her.
As we walked back into the classroom I walked back to the group, all of whom were giving me mischievous looks, none more so than of Ishida. I rolled my eyes and tried to brace myself for the next 5 minutes before class, it was going to be long. Rukia was walking with me when she was suddenly pulled by the arm. I stopped and turned to her baffled face and saw she was being dragged by Tatsuki over to Inoue, Chizuru and the rest of the girls. I turned back and walked to the guys, however my eyes flickered there every so often.
I nodded my head towards them and right before I sat down I heard Keigo yell
"ICHIGO! HOW COME YOU DIDN'T SAY YOU WERE DATING RUKIA-CHAN!" His eyes were watering from the ... fake tears? I honestly couldn't tell anymore. I sighed and shook my head
"We aren't dating." Keigo would have none of it. Ishida jumped in and I hoped he wouldn't press further but to my dismay
"You guys left in a hurry during class. I think that deserves an explanation." Bastard.
I clenched my teeth
"There. Is .Nothing .Between .Rukia .And .I !" Not one of them believed me, some friends.
"You sure? Well you guys aren't helping yourselves by disappearing together during class hours." Mizuro commented still absorbed in his phone. I rolled my eyes
"Whatever, look there is nothing between us! It was just a small incident, that needed to be fixed and we... fixed it." I realized my excuse was poorly written but I seriously couldn't come up with anything else. Chad and Ishida grinned and Keigo continued to pester me. I shook my head and tried to drone out his nonsense when I overheard a conversation not too far away from me. It was Rukia and the girls. What got me interested was they were talking about
"Kuchiki-san! You didn't say you and Kurosaki were dating!?" Rukia stood there blanked faced.
"Dating? You mean dates? Sure we've had those." The girls gasped
I almost fell out of my chair. Seriously! I need to run a few things with her when we get home. A list of rules of what NOT to say and what a date is exactly. Tatsuki was the first to pipe up
"Really? You and Ichigo are a couple!?" Rukia blinked then realization hit her. Finally she gets it
"Oh no, sorry I meant like the fruit not the being a couple ... thing." The girls breathed a sigh of relief, none more so than Inoue. Which was odd.
"So Kuchiki-san ..." Inoue was fidgeting with her hem of the skirt "Does that mean you don't like kurosaki-"
"Alright Class! Let's settle down and start with the equations on the board!" The teacher shouted. Everyone moved reluctantly towards their respective desks. I couldn't help but be disappointed that Inoue didn't finish her question. I wanted, for some strange reason, to find out what Rukia's answer was.
She sat down in front of me, giving a slight nod of acknowledgement. She took her notebook out and opened it to a blank page. I leaned forward a bit and smirked. She was doodling that stupid Chappy bunny.
If I ever called Chappy stupid, I'd be face down on the floor withering in pain because of her. I leaned back into my chair and started to answer some of the equations on the board.
Time passed inch by inch. It was the last class before school ended and like every other day the clock ticked ever so more slowly than before. People were impatient to get out and enjoy what was left of the day. I looked up from my notebook finishing the questions on the board. My eyes slowly crept up the form of the shinigami in front of me.
My mind began to wander. There was something that was interesting that caught my attention, those eyes, her eyes. I always knew they were a strange color. Not one that was common. It was this deep violet with a tinge of blue. They were mesmerizing. I wonder if someone had eyes like her in the Soul Society.
When her head turned towards the window my eyes walked up her frame to her face. I saw the corner of her eyes from where I sat.
I inwardly smiled, they were still... beautiful.
My eyes widened
Did I just confess that I think her eyes are beautiful?! What the hell is wrong with me today!
I shook my head slightly and stared back at her to see if anything changed in my thoughts.
...
Nope!
Unconsciously my eyes were still following her entire form, as if I was trying to remember every inch of her.
Suddenly I stopped at the back of her head. My mouth parted slightly when I realized that it wasn't just her eyes that I thought was beautiful ...
RING
I sighed with relief when the bell rang. This was too much in one day for me. I got up packed my things and saw that Rukia was already out of the building. The guys and I walked out of the school towards the front gates where I saw Rukia waiting. I waved goodbye to my friends, and the annoying look that Ishida and Chad gave me as they saw who was waiting for me. Which in response I gave them a cold glare.
I saw her waiting and walked towards her. I felt my heart beat a little quicker. Why am I nervous?
Rukia turned towards me and then I saw her eyes. In full view, and I was not disappointed. They were as beautiful as I knew them to be. In the depths of them you could find every emotion swimming. It was endless, like a chasm. And yet I never felt alone looking at them. I felt, whole. Perhaps it's because in my eyes, through my eyes she sees me as I see her. We are ... what are we Rukia?
I stop my train of thought when I see a small pale hand waving in front of my face. I blinked
"Hey you idiot! What's with the blank stare?" I scratched my head
"... It's nothing." I felt my cheeks warm slightly. If that wasn't enough being caught staring she just had to come up close on her tippy toes with her head level with my mouth but her eyes baring down into mine. She cocked her head slightly to the left.
Cute
I resisted the urge to touch her cheek and smile. Her lips were in a pout and her eyes slightly narrowed. She was trying very hard to understand what was wrong with me. My cheeks were definitely overheating. She placed her delicate finger on her chin.
"You look red in the face Ichigo. Are you getting sick?" Just as I was about to respond and salvage this situation before it got out of hand, she place her hand gently on my forehead. Who said just your cheeks got red? Apparently your entire face does, fantastic.
She frowned slightly and a worried expression took over
"You are warm... Perhaps you should take the night off and get some rest Ichigo." Her hand moved off my forehead. My face was cooling down. We just started at each other for a minute, not moving. There was a foreign feeling that was creeping inside me. I need to gain control of the situation. I grinned when a fun thought popped in my head.
"Didn't know you cared Rukia." She glared back at me
"I didn't say it was out of concern baka!" My grin grew wider
"Oh? Then what was all that about 'taking the night off to get rest'?" Her fists were at her side and glared menacingly towards me
"As if Strawberry! Who would worry about a thick head like you!" My eye twitched, she grinned, she knew she got me
"It's 'the one who protects!' Get it right Midget!" She glared
"Who are you calling Midget Stupid?!"
"I call them as I see them M-I-D-G-E-T!"
"Same goes for you S-T-U-P-I-D!"
"MIDGET!
"IT"S NOT MIDGET STUPID!"
"IT'S NOT STUPID MIDGET!"
"STUPID BERRY HEAD!"
"DAMNED MIDGET!"
We were faced to face glaring at each other and from an outside point of view, we were angry with each other. However unbeknownst to the outside view, no matter how the situation played out, those feelings were not going away. In fact they were ever so stronger than before. We stopped glaring and realized how close we were. Her mouth parted slightly. My eyes roamed over her face and down to her lips ... just once can I?
"KUROSAKI-KUN!" We broke apart like we were on fire. Inoue came running towards us with Tatsuki jogging behind her. Inoue ran and bent over huffing, her hands on her knees to gather herself. Tatsuki shook her head
"You are slipping hime. You and I need to go running again sometime." Inoue looked up slightly worried
"But Tatsuki-chan! The last time you made me run for hours!" Tataski grinned
"No pain no game hime! I promise to go easy, but only the first time" She winked and Inoue sighed in resignation.
"Tatsuki" I said, and she looked over "I always knew you were evil on the inside." She grinned manically.
"Che! Just noticing it now Berry boy!" I growled at her. Inoue waved her hands frantically between the two.
"You guys!" She said desperately. She stopped waving and her eyes locked onto something. I followed her gaze and she was looking at Rukia. Rukia was just standing there, quietly. I felt a little nervous because Rukia was NEVER quiet
"Kuchiki-san?" Inoue asked with the slight bit of hesitation in her voice. Rukia had her arms crossed over her chest
"Yes?" I nudged her slightly, she caught my gaze then suddenly "Oh! Inoue-san! What is the matter?!" I wanted to face palm myself. Can this girl get any worse?
Inoue didn't seem to notice. Her bubbly expression returned
"Oh! Nothing is the matter! Heheheheh" She scratched her head nervously. Tataski raised her eyebrow
"I thought you two weren't dating? What happened? Changed your mind or something?" Rukia looked slightly startled. I felt my cheeks heat up again
"What!? No! There is nothing like that going on between ..." I caught Rukia's expression and something didn't seem right. "... Us." Tataski shrugged and nudged Inoue who made a startled noise and walked up slowly to me. Her eyes were looking everywhere else but my face.
"Ano ... Kurosaki-kun ... I was wondering if-"
Beep Beep Beep
I sighed, saved by the bell. Rukia checked her phone and looked towards me she nodded. I got the message, hollow. I turned back to Inoue and gave her an apologetic look
"Sorry Inoue, Tatsuki, another time okay?" Inoue had this look on her face as her eyes moved back and forth between Rukia and I. She nodded and smiled
"Yea, sure. Another time then." Tatsuki was looking at the both of them in disbelief
"Hey! Ichigo what is so important that you have to leave right away?!" I rolled my eyes
"It's important Tatsuki believe me" Before Tatsuki could answer back Rukia gave her classic curtsy and said
"I am so sorry for having to steal Ichi- Kurosaki-kun from you all. But I wish you a good evening." Her high pitched voice was making me cringe. I glared at her, one of which she reciprocated. Suddenly the beeping noise kept going off. I sighed, this is going to be a long night. I waved my hand to Inoue and Tatsuki
"Sorry guys see you lat- WAHH!" I found myself being dragged by Rukia. Her hand in cased with mine, They're so small.
We left two confused girls at the front gates.
We continued running and Rukia let go of my hand. She was a few steps in front of me
"Okay there are three hollows by the river and four near the park!" she was shouting as we were running faster. I groaned, she heard me
"Get over it Ichigo." I rolled my eyes, no sympathy. Then I realized something as we turned the corner. I came to a halt. Rukia sensing this stopped and turned around with an impatient but worried look.
"What is it?" I looked up at her my eyes wide,
"... We don't have kon." If I was trying to piss her off, I did a superb job, because she slapped my head down. I grimaced holding the fresh wound.
"The HELL Rukia?" She rolled her eyes
"Seriously!? At a time like this that is what you think of?!" I glared back at her
"You are not the one who ended up in a morgue last time!" She glared back
"It wasn't MY fault you didn't want to hide it a dumpster!"
"Who would think THAT was a good ide- FUCK RUKIA!" She stepped hard on my foot. She sighed angrily and pulled out, oh god no! The Sketchbook ... Rukia continued drawing then all of a sudden the page was up in my face
"Okay here's the plan, we set your body here *indicating alley* and hid it behind the dumpster that way if anyone passed * a bunny person with glasses walking* they won't see you * orange haired bunny with dead eyes*." She grinned as if her plan was foolproof. That or she thought her drawing was excellent, either way
"Rukia you drawings suck."
Next thing I know I'm out of my body and with a sore head. I grumbled to myself. She dusted her hands off, we went with her plan after that fiasco on the street.
We started running towards the spot where the Hollows were appearing. As we ran Rukia was shouting back at me instructions on how to handle of which I retorted with the let me do the job and I'll be fine. She hits so hard, I really need to stop talking.
Today was strange, these feelings, these ideas that crossed my mind , perhaps should be left for now. Rukia and I are good where we are .We are great friends, the best of friends, we know the deepest feelings of each other with one glance. Maybe I won't confront this now, I'll do it later. It wasn't like we were going to be separated soon, right?
Cue Episode 16 :D .Okay! Sorry for Inoue for interrupting! It was crucial that they did not move any further than that. This story takes place right before Renji and Byakuya come and get Rukia. Which is why no one, other than Ishida, would know what was going on between Ichigo and Rukia. Chad wouldn't know for sure but would have an idea of their relationship. Inoue and Tataski would be in the same boat. So it was imperative to keep it in line ( ish) with the Manga/ Anime. I didn't want to make it like Ichigo was just in LOVE with Rukia but more on how he was noticing her not as just his Shinigami friend but something deeper. It's the moment when you may like someone but are not ready to confront your feelings for them right now. I think that would be a better idea at the time. They were younger and just met but there was always such a strong bond between them.