Hi, this is my first fan fiction! I really love Bleach, especially Ichigo and Rukia—in my eyes, they're perfect for each other! This is mainly an Ichiruki fic, so I suggest any Ichihime or Renruki fans to go find another fic to read! x)

This fic takes place after Ichigo and the others save Karakura Town from Aizen, and Fade to Black: I Call Your Name! (I really loved that movie, bwahaha.)

Italics with quotes means thoughts, italics without quotes means a flashback,bold means emphasis on something, nothing means normal!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo! =)

Enjoy!

It was 6 PM, and everyone attending Karakura High School was getting ready to leave, off to start their summer.

"Ready to go, Rukia?" Ichigo looked back at the petite shinigami in her school uniform.

"Hold on, I need to get my notebook in this stupid bag!" Rukia struggled to fit the bigger-than-average notebook in her book bag. Sighing, Rukia gave up. "You know what? Screw it." Just as she grabbed the notebook, Ichigo took it instead. "Man, you take forever! C'mon, let's go home, Midget." That earned Ichigo a good kick to the face.

With a tissue to his nose, Ichigo walked with Rukia back to the Kurosaki household.

"So, what convinced Byakuya let you stay in the World of the Living?" It was something Ichigo thought ever since they came back from Hueco Mundo.

"Since you defeated Aizen, the Soul Society has been very peaceful. Nii-sama allowed me to come to the World of the Living whenever I pleased, as long as I eliminated every hollow nearby. Since there aren't really any shinigami on duty around Karakura Town, I decided to come for a visit—maybe even stay for a while." Rukia looked on at the road ahead of her. They were almost at the Kurosaki Clinic; she remembered the day she met Ichigo—how she thrusted her zanpaktou through his heart. If that hadn't happened, she wouldn't be walking side-by-side with the man she was thankful for having.

"I see. Well, glad to have you back, Rukia." Ichigo smiled; he, too, remembered the day they met.

He turned his key through the keyhole of the front door—"Yuzu! Karin! Rukia and I are home!"

"Welcome home, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu looked over to Rukia. "Hello, Rukia! Welcome back into our home!"

Karin sat at the table reading a comic book, not interested in what was going on. Yuzu was excited to see her older brother with a woman; that rarely happened. Rukia smiled back at Yuzu as she latched onto her brother. After the hug, she went back to preparing dinner as Ichigo and Rukia made their way up to his room.

"AH, HAH!" Kon jumped across the room, landing on Rukia's chest. Through his sobs, Kon managed to say, "NEE-SAN! HOW COULD YOU HOOK UP WITH THIS BASTARD? I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TWO! I KNEW IT! YET YOU CONTINUE TO DENY IT!" Kon turned to Ichigo. "AND YOU! YOU BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU STEAL RUKIA NEE-SAN AWAY FROM ME! YOU WERE JEALOUS OF OUR SPECIAL BOND, HUH? YOU-" Kon's face was stepped on in no more than half a second—by Rukia's foot.

Rukia was madly blushing, Kon's words causing her to recall the changes in her feelings towards Ichigo.

Ichigo glanced at Rukia, her dark-self bound by Byakuya's spell. 6 rods of light prevented her from moving, causing much struggle to get out. Looking back to the day Rukia saved his life, Ichigo gripped on Zangetsu tighter.

Rukia crawled to the pole, shoulder bleeding, turning to sit down. "Do you.. want to.. save your family?"

"Of course I do! If there's a way, then tell me how!" Ichigo was anxious to know.

Raising her zakpaktou, Rukia looked up at Ichigo. "Just one.. You must become.. A soul reaper..."

"You must take my zakpaktou and run it through to the center of your being, so that I may pour my powers into you! I can't guarantee you that you will live, but if it doesn't work then it won't matter. You and I will die together."

With a more determined look upon his face, Ichigo walked towards Dark Rukia, who had broken free from Byakuya's spell.

"Let's kill him! Let's kill that shinigami!"

"Here I come, Rukia! This time I'll be the one lending you my power!"

Both of their reiatsus strengthened as they charged at each other.

"Open your eyes, Rukia!" Ichigo yelled.

"I am.. Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo remembered, as he thrusted his zanpaktou through Dark Rukia's heart.

"Rukia…"

The hollow inside Rukia separated from her body, a flashing blue light engulfing them. Her appearance changed back as she fell to her knees. With Ichigo's arm around her, she looked up.

"Ichigo." She examined his face, noticing from the day they met that his hair had been longer and the look of his eyes softer. He had developed into a well-grown man and shinigami. He looked back at her. "Hey." Rukia blushed and looked away, realizing she had some feelings for Ichigo.

"Shut up, Kon. And quit latching onto Rukia's chest, would ya?" Ichigo dropped his book bag and laid on his bed.

"WHY? ARE YOU JEALOUS, YOU BASTARD? 'CAUSE IF YOU ARE, I'LL JUST KEEP DO-" Ichigo grabbed Kon's face and threw him out the window. "YOU BASTARD!"

"Man! Kon sure is a handful!" Frustrated, Ichigo turned on his side to face the wall. Coincidentally, he remembered the same thing Rukia did as well. His feelings also changed when he looked at her during their hug. "Do I seriously like her? I mean, like-like her?" He looked at her with the corner of his eye, then faced the wall again. "Shit.. I don't know what to do.. Does she like me too?"

"Ichigo." The sound of her voice startled Ichigo. He looked up.

"Yeah, Rukia?"

Climbing onto her bed in his closet, Rukia looked back at him. "I'm going to bed.. I have a lot of things on my mind. Tell Yuzu to wrap my dinner and leave it on the table for me to eat tomorrow, and tell her I'm sorry I couldn't make it to dinner tonight." With that, she closed the closet door.

Ichigo sighed, deciding that he wasn't going to eat dinner either.

After informing Yuzu about their decisions, Ichigo headed up back to his room, fell down on his bed, and lost himself to sleep as the sleeping petite shinigami in his closet breathed softly.

Bwahahahaha! I really do love Fade to Black. =)

Ichigo and Rukia are so cute together! It makes me upset that Tite Kubo didn't make them a couple. =(

They're totally perfect for each other! T_T

I have no idea when the next chapter will be up.. Probably soon though, next week maybe!

Thanks for reading!

CutieTea (=