Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

"What the HELL are you waiting for Ichigo? FINISH IT OFF!"

Ichigo half- looked at her annoyed. "What do YOU think I'm doing!?"

He grabbed the sword tightly looking at the Hollow again. Inoue, Ishida, Chad, Rukia and himself were returning home after the school when suddenly three big hollows had appeared in the middle of nowhere. Inoue, Ishida and Chad were dealing with one and he and Rukia with the other two, luckily one was quite small.

"I've got any clue!" Rukia retorted. "Are you dancing with each other? FOCUS!!" Her back was against his, a foot apart, her blue eyes fixed on the hollow in front of her.

Ichigo glared at her opening his mouth. That was the moment the big hollow chose to attack.

He swore under his breath and dived. As he ducked he remembered that Rukia was behind him. "RUKIA!" he turned in time to see her jumping sideways, the Hollow hadn't touched her but her sword was launched away. She was landing on the floor when the small hollow darted onto her, she rolled and stood up gasping and clutching her hand.

"Dammit!" Ichigo started running towards her.

"Ichigo! Look up!" Rukia yelled.

He raised his sword in time to stop the hand of the big one. He looked sidewaysat her, his jaw clenched, Is she protecting me again? She should take care of herself! It was my fault!, he groaned. He noticed the little hollow walking towards Rukia. He didn't doubt, with one movement he puts his own Hollow mask onto his face.

"GO TO HELL, IF YOU CAN" he roared. With one movement he smashed the big Hollow and jumped towards the little one, a trace of hatred in his eyes now coal black. The little hollow launched against him, he smirked and raised his zanpakuto… one second later all was over.

He laughed once and turned to see if Rukia was ok. She was looking in his direction, her face tense, her eyes wide open in shock. He turned fast again, his zanpakuto ready, there wasn't anybody. He could not hear the battle with the other hollow and he noticed the reiatsu of his three friends running towards him. He faced Rukia again, her expression had not changed, her hands now onto her throat she seemed to be choking.

"Rukia?" he asked doubtful. He took a step forwards…and she steeped back. He looked confused into his deep blue eyes: they were wide open with an intense expression of fear. She can't…is she afraid of me? He couldn't take his eyes away from her…

"Kurosaki!!"

"Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san, are you ok?"

"Ahh… Yes… yes, we are" he turned to see their friends running towards them.

"Kurosaki-kun. Could you take that mask off? It's scaring me" Orihime asked nervously.

"Oh, yes, sorry, I forget. And the other Hollow?" he asked distractedly, leading a hand to his mask and pulling suddenly, he blinked twice by the intense light of the moon reflected onto his again amber eyes.

"Just run away. We almost got it" Ishida answered calmly. "How about you, Kuchiki, are you ok?"

Ichigo turned slowly, he was not sure what he was going to see. Rukia was picking her sword and keeping it again. "Of course I am" she answered with her deep voice, avoiding to look at them, at him. Is her hand shaking?

"Ichigo" he winced when Chad spoke "Should we run after the other?"

"Ehh. No, who knows where it is? Could you two take Inoue home? I don't want her near a Hollow or an Arrancar anymore." he waved one hand, he was not paying attention, in fact he was looking at Rukia who seemed not wanting to be part of the conversation.

"I go home. See you at school"

She left without a last look, letting a stunned Ichigo behind her.

She had been weird last night, he could tell. All the day had been weird to tell the truth. Ichigo scratched his head remembering and looked to the big clock of the kitchen, it was nearly 3 o'clock in the morning. Rukia was late. Again. He could swear she was avoiding him. This morning when he woke up and asked why Rukia wasn't there for breakfast, Yuzu told him that she had left to the school soon but when he arrived to their class she wasn't there. He sat impatiently waiting to talk to her but she didn't come until the last hour, a few seconds before the teacher did, so he had any chance. He stared at her, then frowned. What the hell was going on? he could swear she was not there. She sat just next to him, a bit apart, a world apart. He still remembered her face last night, her eyes opened in shock, her hands trembling against her throat, the…the fear I saw in her eyes….The bell rang and he stood up quickly. Fucking Rukia, he was going to ask her, he was going to force her to tell…

"Ichigo"

"Mm?" he winced when Rukia spoke. She was still not looking at him.

"I'm going to supper with Inoue, don't wait for me outside"

"Ok, I…"but she left quickly not giving him time to answer. He just kept looking at her when she went outside, and continued looking when all the class left, letting him alone with the same stunned face of last night.

It was 3 o'clock in the morning now and Ichigo was sitting in the kitchen, a glass of water in his hand. He was not worried of course…just surprised, he looked at the clock for the tenth time in the last five minutes, she was really late. He scratched his head again, he was feed up with this situation, she was going to tell him what was going on. He scowled when he heard the door, he stood up.

"RUKIA!!"

"UAHHH" she suppressed a shout. She was in front of him, her blue wide eyes open in surprise, both hands onto her mouth. He suppressed a smirk.

"Moron! You scared me, you… moron!"

"Where were you? It's three o'clock in the morning! Baka!" he almost felt relieved when she called him moron, almost.

"A couple of Hollows, nothing important" she said leading to the stairs, her back to him.

"Hollows? Why didn't you call me? I…"

"Not necessary. I'm a Shinigami, Ichigo. I can deal with it" her deep voice was calm. She stepped once to the stairs and then slowly turned to him, her gaze at the floor "I don't need…I don't want you to protect me Ichigo"

He looked down, his amber eyes trying to meet her blue ones, trying to guess, but the floor seemed to be more interesting for her. "Thank you for protecting me in the past but now I don't need you" she hold his eyes for a few seconds and went upstairs to Yuzu and Karin's bedroom. "Good Night" she murmured.

Ichigo felt like she had slapped him. He was there for a whole minute looking at the place where Rukia had stayed, his mind blank. At last he roared. Ok, she didn't need…she didn't WANT me to protect her. Fine. Of course Miss I don't need you. Fine. He stamped upstairs and launched onto his bed. He rolled facing the wall. Of course with your powers back and with your brother and Renji on your side you don't need me. I don't DAMN CARE.

He rolled again looking at the ceiling. He remembered her surprise…no, her fear. She seemed to see him for the first time…the first time….he scowled. Was it something to do with his Hollow mask? but Rukia knew already! didn't she tell him to fight the Hollow inside? to protect his friends? to be stronger?

He rolled again restlessly facing the wall, and frowned again, if he wasn't worried before, he was now. What was going on with Rukia?

"Rukia-chan, are you ok?" Yuzu asked sweetly. "You look tired. Problems at school?"

Ichigo raised and eyebrow. They were in the kitchen; he was making a sandwich for himself while Yuzu fumbled for something inside a basket.

"Mmm? No, no…" she looked at her now worried face. "ehh, yes a bit… I'm a little tired lately"

"Of course, you almost don't sleep, have you seen your face?" Karin added opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle, she threw it carelessly into the basket. "Ugly nightmares,uhh?"

Ichigo's eyes flickered towards her, she was flushing, a sad look darkening her pale face. He turned again to the stove listening with attention.

"CHIIIIIIIllllllldren!!" Isshin shouted making all of them gasp "ready for a fantastic picnic day? We can swim, play cards, eat AND… see the girls in their nice swimsuits!!"

Karin grabbed the basket and murmured something like God give me patience, because if you give me strength…

"Third daughter, do you want to come with us?"

Ichigo saw her eyes flashing. "No, sorry. I have to do lots of homework. Next time" she said with the fake high pitched voice she used at school.

"You scared her old man" Karin murmured

"Ohhh! Masaki why our children are so cruel with his poor old father??" he cried on the shoulder of Yuzu who patted his back patiently. "Ok. You can stay here with Ichigo. That boring soon of mine, I'm soooooo ashamed of him!!" he tried to punch Ichigo but he was faster and hit him with a saucer.

"Could YOU stop doing that? You will hurt yourself" he said scowling. He turned to stare at Rukia, she was looking directly into his eyes with an odd expression. He hold her gaze, she scowled and tighten her jaw, he frowned.

"What's that a contest?" "Be nice to Rukia badson" Isshin added before breaking the eye contact with a punch into Ichigo's face.

"AHHHHGGGGGGG" he roared but they were gone.

He stared at Rukia and she stared back, an odd silence between them. It has never been this way with her.

"I go upstairs" "lots of things to do" she added quickly going to her bedroom.

He didn't say a thing this time, he just scowled at her and shoved his hands in his pockets while she was leaving. He waited for a whole minute, his lips firmly pressed, a hard determination into his eyes. He was now definitively pissed off. He jumped the stairs to the upper floor; Rukia was fumbling in Yuzu's closet picking her things at random and stuffing them into a bag.

"Are you going to let a note this time or it's not necessary?" he burst.

She froze and slowly turned to him. This time she was looking into his eyes, amber trapped in blue.

"I think… it's time to return, for me. As Aizen has not done anything recently…"

"You mean apart of kidnapping Orihime and almost killing us a couple of weeks ago?" his voice was quiet. He was restrained himself very hard.

"I'm of no use here. I will be more useful in Soul Society" she turned and continued searching into the closet.

"Who are you protecting now? Me…or yourself?" his voice was now racing, he could feel the rage in his own words. She didn't seem to notice him and continued searching.

With a roar of anger he grabbed her shoulders forcing her to look at him and she gasped in surprise. He shook her shoulders softly. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, RUKIA!! IF YOU DON'T TELL ME I CANNOT…"

"DON'T YOU DARE TO TOUCH ME!!" she shouted pushing him hard. He fell on the floor looking up into her eyes in surprise. She was rigid, trembling, her fists firmly closed, her face ghostly white, pure rage into her eyes.

"Ruk—"

"I wanted to do it the most softly possible" her voice was pure ice as she looked directly into his amber eyes, her face not giving anything away. "You're dangerous, maybe you don't know it yet but it will be best for all that you don't…you don't go on".

He stared at her blankly, his eyes wide open, he didn't feel anything…yet. He tried to talk twice. At last he leant his back against the wall, scratching his head, lack for words. He let his hand fall on the floor, he clenched a fist once.

"It's ok" he murmured, feeling his throat completely dry, he searched into his memory "if you have decided…that I should stay behind…I think… it's ok" he looked up into her face again, there were not exactly the same words of that time but the meaning was the same, then looked down, at his fist.

Is that the end? , rainy clouds upon him again. Curious, I forgot how it felt.

He tried to stand up but he couldn't. Something was pinning him against the wall, Rukia had landed on the top of him moaning.

"Please Ichigo, please… don't die, please" he looked stunned at her, her voice was pleading. "Please Ichigo… please…."

He could feel her warm tears onto his skin, her tiny hands grabbing his t-shirt with force. "please Ichigo… please…. don't…don't make me kill you!" she cried loudly hiding her face against his chest.

Ichigo stiffened. He didn't know what to do, or what to think. He looked down at her, he couldn't see her face, but he could feel her through his skin. At last he wrapped his arms around her waist, his mind racing.

"I promise Rukia, Nobody will hurt you"

Nobody, including myself.