The moonlight crept into the room through the crack in his curtains. She followed it with her eyes as it fell over his soft carpet and on through the sheets of his bed that had her curled into a tone of desperation that frightened her to sink in deeper within the swirling aroma of his expanse, where her entire petite frame had her plunged into that position. For a moment, she examined her hand, wondering why out of all places; it had found its way there as she'd collapsed with the fear of his presence slowly weakening while he was out with his friends on a social "get together" at some club that made it seem difficult for her to understand the communal norm during the 21st century. She didn't need to be so anxious over him anymore, the guy does know how to fight and yet, she couldn't stop shaking with doubt and pressure as she lay still on his bed, rain pounding on the roof above her head as she scanned her violet irises across the bedroom floor. Those eyes darkened slightly as she ran her fingertips through the folds of his sheets to his pillows, where she buried her face in them not to deeply while those two eyes never left the red carpet he bought the other day, and began to admire its acoustic design. Her eyes opened a little wider when the rattling rhythm of the rain grew stronger with every pounding vibration she heard, a little hum began to sound in her throat as the melody she sang mingled with the pouring showers. Rukia loved the rain however, it despised her to know that the feeling she chose to settle on wouldn't contrast with his. They were opposites, nonetheless Ichigo saw her for her and with one look of his amber eyes; he made her go weak.

There were moments that she had dreamt that they were the only two people that instants were few and far between seemed to her as if the world gave the "pale presence" of its significance to her. Nevertheless, when they did come, the night always seemed to last forever and nothing mattered to either of them when the moments had ever lasted. Her lips curved into a smile when she hummed the last notes which it was a very short song but had so much meaning, it had to be their song, but she knew it was all too soon for that to happen, and in one way of knowing Ichigo she also knew that he'd reject it. Reject her for it. Rukia could feel the unexplainable dampness in her eyes.

Her impatience grew profoundly larger than any expectation of her emotions to flow through the vast line of her blood. He was supposed to be here minutes ago and yet, still no Ichigo. It was then when she started to quiver under the sheets of his bed. Rukia was never tolerant whenever it came to Kurosaki. However, finding herself deep in thought, maybe this was the right time for her to open up to him with all the courage she could ponder in her chest without having her heart beating so swiftly in a way that she was profoundly calm in his sight. And maybe, just maybe let him feel what it meant to be wanted by a soul like her. But she had to wipe out that notion, it whispered to her in her mind on how immense the chances were of loosing him in a fierce battle all just for her, she'd seen it over a thousand times whenever they had missions; he was always there to save her, although her own self-centeredness wouldn't justify to reality's variety. She'd be unwilling to admit that.

The train of thoughts within her head had clashed when she heard footsteps colliding with the wooden staircase. She dragged her own weight to be sitting on his bed and just waited for him to come in, she sat from where she was positioned and starred at the moving knob that turned with every tense moment that made her shiver and shake with unbelievable strains. Damn it. His image began vivid to her sight when the door flung open and he stood there all tall and skinny like a dead man that resurrected from his grave with the look on his visage indicating that he was nothing but, exhausted and fatigued. Rukia's eyes widened without this kind of expectation that had set her mouth was in ajar, she stood up from his bed and it was right there and then when she felt fear. Slowly, she moved her feet and halted when she was standing in front of him and examining his brittle frame a little closer.

"What the hell? What happened to you Ichigo?" She knew her own sanity and they were right. She knew that he had been in danger and the proof was right in front of her. Rukia gasped cold air and starred at him with disbelief, if it had been anything else, she would have been less shocked about it.

"Yo" Ichigo said quietly as if it was a mere whisper that got his voice lost through the night's cold. She took concern over the trickle of blood that ran down from the side of his face and within the corner of his mouth from an internal bleeding inside, she presumed. His shirt was barely on him for the reason that it was already hanging around his bronze-skinned body just like a cloth rag and the knuckles on his hand were already turning blue.

"Have you gotten into a fight or something?" Rukia asked gently while Ichigo had only sighed as she stood in front of him and continued to stare at him incredulously. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to come home tonight. It had been the only option after all so that he wouldn't be badly beaten up in the morning as he was right now.

"Rukia, Let me in" He told her and Rukia's eyes snapped from examining the bruise on his side that was made visible because of the tear in his shirt and up to his face, which were deadly calm and focused. They frightened her more then when he was angry; she'd seen him outraged a hundred times before when he attempted to save her in the past few missions and he was always furious at himself whenever he couldn't try to protect her. She knew his motive nonetheless; Rukia never liked the feeling of being pampered by a human.

His voice was hoarse but still she knew he had to give the effort for him to talk to her calmly without the worries. "S-sure"

Ichigo followed her into the room and glanced at his alarm clock. A quarter to twelve. She was going to kill him; his curfew had been forty-five minutes ago. Lucky for himself that tonight was the night he had gotten injured, he wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. He did his best to lower his frame on the bed without any further pain to be established during the process, but Ichigo still winced as the bruise on his side that flared with pain. His eyes scanned the room and looked at Rukia who was already starting to panic on deciding what she had to do to help him, he smiled at her for assurance that he would be okay but he knew that she wasn't that kind of person to fall for those tricks. He knew that when he told her exactly why he looked like he'd been in a fight, she would be mad. Furious, even. He always needed time to explain things to her.

"I-I'll be right back" Her voice shuddered when she tried to speak to him because she was already scared enough from earlier to right now

Ichigo tried to call for her but when he found out that she had already left, he didn't try to push himself any further. He was beaten enough for tonight. Just consider him lucky that she decided to let him in. Yep, circumstances weren't always like this for Ichigo whenever it dealt with Rukia; he had to go through major hell all the time for her to calm down. However, for tonight, he saw a whole knew side of her, he saw it evidently in her eyes that she cared almost as if it had touched his heart to know such things that developed within her. My God, Ichigo didn't concern himself with these things before so why now? It must have been the blood that sank his brain or the hit that punched him too hard in the head. Hearing her walk back into the room, Ichigo looked up, wondered briefly why she'd left, and then noted himself that she was carrying a first aid kit, a bowl of warm water and an ice-pack.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she sat down on the bed next to him. She shot him a brief look, before deciding to answer.

"What does it look like? I'm aiding you, idiot" She took his hand and gently placed the ice-pack onto his knuckles and wrapped a bandage around it to keep it secure. Ichigo never knew she had the knowledge for this

"Can't you just heal me?" He asked her loudly, but when she didn't answer he didn't budge himself to talk much further

"You don't have to aid me Rukia" Ichigo tried to insist her into stopping but the she was too stubborn for her to give in just like that, and he quitted in persuading when she glared him a murderous look eye-to-eye. This girl is very tough, he always noted

Though she had powerful hands, she was yet careful as she tried to clean up his face, she ran the cloth over his forehead and pinpointed the cut when Ichigo winced, continuing down his face she wiped away the blood that had mingled with dirt on his face and then dropped the cloth back into the tub of warm water. She's never been this close before. She picked up the aid kit and found an ice bag to give it to him to at least ease the pain from where the hit was directed. Ichigo took it and held it up his face and pressed coolly against the wound.

"You're a freakin' mess Ichigo, what'd you do?" She demanded as she finished taping the wound on his forehead and Ichigo did nothing but shrugged, instead he sighed

Time. Just a little more time to tell her.

"It's none of your business Rukia. I'm fine now" He was pissed. It wasn't oblivious to the way his eyes tore away from hers, if he wanted to be silent about this then she wouldn't reprove him much longer, however scowling her with a look and saying that it wasn't her concern was not going to fix problems straight with him. She wasn't going to tolerate much madness anymore.

"Fine? You're far from fine! Look at you, it's like you've been beaten up by 10 hollows! Just tell me what happened and that's all I need to know from you"

He'd be willing to tell her the outcome of the his injuries but greatly feared the result of her own flare when she heard his side of the story, which could have him beaten up faulty more than he was right now. The boy wasn't that stupid to pick a fight over nothing, though Rukia never gave in with that thought; he was stupid and deemed to herself that he just got too carried away. Ichigo sighed and wished silently that they could claim what happened at the club was a mistake. But he couldn't and neither could she. Because he'd both wanted it and he had been in complete control when it had happened. He knew very well that he could blame it on whatever was in the drinks at the club, but he hadn't drunk anything when he'd gotten there. But, if they'd woken up the next morning everything had been different. Whatever had happened the night before didn't stop the panic the morning after.

Dragging a hand through his hair, Ichigo watched as Rukia moved from the bed to his desk, her back to him. No, whatever had happened earlier had been so raw and real that neither had known how to deal with it. Neither had wanted to deal with the sudden change in their friendship, in themselves. So they hadn't. They'd ignored it, chosen to pretend nothing was there and in the process alienated themselves from each other. But that hadn't stopped him from coming to her tonight, that hadn't stopped him from defending her when she'd been threatened. Ichigo wasn't that kind of person to just give up so momentarily.

"Oi. Are you going to answer me or not? What happened to you? Moreover, don't tell me it's none of my damn concern because the hell it is! You look like you've been through shit out there" Outranged with his silence, she'd kick him out of it if she had to

"I know." He said quietly and Rukia looked at him. Her eyes examining her work. She picked up the hand that was wrapped in the bandage, and unwound the aid on his hand while taking off the ice-pack. It seemed to lessen off his swelling but his cut wasn't far from bad.

"Your swellings gone down. You mustn't have hit the guy hard enough." She said; her voice sharp and Ichigo closed his eyes.

"Thanks for the notice" He said, giving her a small smile. Rukia didn't smile back; instead she moved from his stance and picked up the first-aid kit and the tub of water. Ichigo watched as she walked out his room and took the ice-pack off his swelling eye, shifting slightly he winced as the pain in his side he'd been ignoring flared again.

His body was nothing was sore and he laid his back on his bed and starred at the white ceiling, despite of his wet clothes. Tonight was nothing to regret about, it had been worth his efforts after all, even though he knew that Rukia wouldn't greedily agree with him. But then, he wouldn't bother to force it to her just as long as he had the courage to stand up with those idiotic morons then he'd be happy for himself. Proud, even. It wasn't all about the ego, it was nothing compared to that. It had been something more, more than he had ever asked for and it just had him proved that it meant the world to him to fight for it. They've been in it for less than a year, 7 months to be exact ever since this whole shinigami thing started. 2 months ago where he had saved her; his light; his moon; his Rukia. It had been stupid when the thought first entered but he considered it, it totally made sense now and this isn't just some sort of fling. Rukia was the person meant for him and despite of the dilemma that only made him prove that she was the one he'd risk his life for; just to make things work until everyone considered, including Soul Society. Especially Seiretei.

"Are you going to tell me now what happened to you?" He heard her voice by the doorframe and he saw her leaning against it as he sat on the edge. Her arms tightly crossed in front of her chest while she expects an answer "Ichigo?"

"I need to shower" He stood up and flew his shirt to the side, exposing his bare torso to her. Something he always did since they've been living in one room together for almost a year.

Anyone could not tolerate his madness but Rukia did. He'd avoid something if it wasn't necessary, through thick and thin she understands him but not this time. Her last straw was laid down, she had to know. Before Ichigo could reach to the door, she blocked her body with it. Not letting him pass at all

"Rukia, move"

"No. Not until you tell me what's going on"

"I will but not—"

"Then when? When all the worry starts to eat me up alive? I should care Ichigo, you know me enough to not hide anything from me. Who are you trying to protect this time?"

"No one—"

"Liar!" her voice penetrated deep into his ears, "Is it this hard to narrate every detail for tonight?"

Ichigo turned to her and her breath caught in her throat as his eyes met hers. The single-minded intensity in his gaze was slowly stripping Rukia of her self-composure and the alarm bells that had gone off in her head the moment her eyes had met his, fell into a deafening silence as he slowly moved towards her. He came to a stop in front of her and ignored the way she leant back from him, moving closer to her his body came into contact with hers and chose to ignore the gasp she emitted as he pressed up against her. Raising the hand that wasn't bruised, he ran his knuckles down her cheek; his eyes still on hers, showing everything his eyes would betray. This should be enough.

Rukia felt herself melt at the touch of his lips. God, the way he touched her was so intoxicating. She could feel herself aching with need as he kissed her just under bottom lip. She didn't care if it was a mistake, she didn't care that tomorrow when she woke up they'd be back to square one, and she didn't care about any of it. She needed him, she wanted him, and she loved him. Whether she'd ever tell him was beyond her, but she didn't care as his mouth finally captured hers and her hands slid up his back to curl around his shoulders. Convincing herself to stop was impossible but wanting more of him wasn't stopped, she kissed him further and he allowed. He allowed her to have him, to feel him the least way just how much he wanted this but wanted her even more. They both have entered the forbidden.

They halted when they had to come up for air. For a moment they gazed at each other. Both asked silently into their stares the one another if they wanted to stop. Ichigo traced Rukia's lips with the tip of one finger, and then lowered his mouth to hers when neither spoke. Rukia's hand slid over his side and he winced, her hands had crawled over his body too much.

Rukia knew no limits now that she was in a trance of his possession after his passion made her weak. Profoundly, she wasn't going to regret this for letting it happen because whether the earth had stopped rotating for the both of them in oblivion, she'd wanted it. She wanted him so much that she wished he wouldn't leave her hanging the next morning just for the reason he was drunk. Maybe he wouldn't be able to recall the thoughts of tonight tomorrow but deep within; this wasn't going to be their last kiss. She knew it. It had influenced her gradually to just not forget.

She pulled away from him a few inches away to look at him murderously; the loving gaze he had to expect from her had lost sight. Even after kissing her like that, he still couldn't get to her. "I want to know. Now"

Ichigo sighed and knew that he owed her the truth. "We were late out at this gig and some of the boys from our school in higher school levels crashed at our table. They were pissing us off but Ishida said it was best if we didn't start a commotion or else we'd be heading straight at the police station afterwards."

He said and Rukia nodded and then looked up at him expectantly, waiting for the rest of the story. When it didn't come, she raised her eyebrows. "That's it? That doesn't explain why you look like hell right now, Ichigo. What else happened?"

"They wouldn't stop messing with us. They kept going on and on bullying us, and they even insulted my hair but I had to ignore that. When we started to walk away from them, they said something about you. I stopped there when he was talking shit about you. The last straw was when they said your name again; they didn't even get to say the rest because my fist was already in the guy's mouth. Sado was just behind me." Ichigo said and Rukia didn't know what to say. All it had taken was her name for him to turn around and punch a guy? Even after the weeks of distance and forced politeness?

"What shit?" she asked

"Just shit. No need for you to know Rukia" His voice was calm and cool, as if he was speaking in a way that he completely controlled himself, however when Rukia starred into his eyes, she obviously knew that he was rippled into his own predicaments

"I need to know. I have to know. What made you get those bruises Ichigo? Don't make me ask you again" He had her in a demanding tone, the one she mostly used when he had her upset

"It's some shit about you! Constantly they said something about you that got me forced to just do something then let them get away with it."

"Bakero! Why would you get mad over something like that? People like them are complete idiots, they aren't worth the punch, I'm not worth a fight! Have you lost your mind? Or do I have to find it for you? Now look at yourself, you're pathetic!"

Rukia could have forced herself not to scream because of how late it was and how other people could be disturbed; the nuisance had to be gone from her and the cause of it wasn't from Ichigo but from herself. There were things she didn't know about the social norm, but if it Ichigo's actions were one of those styles, she didn't know why he'd do it in the first place. It didn't earn him anything from her to be fought for; it wasn't even an act of logic. It had been wrong; after the time he had risked his life for her before the execution, Rukia knew he'd mean more to her than Kaien did and she didn't want to loose him the way her vice-captain did.

"I wouldn't just leave them alone when they were bad mouthing you Rukia—"

"I don't care if my image is ruined because of them. I would rather care about if you got hurt and you did that's why I don't know how to atone myself for this"

"It was my decision to do it. Not yours so you shouldn't feel bad about it. It wasn't your fault" " he spoke to her gently but Rukia was no avail to his gaze

"Why?" she had to ask again

"Because," he said and places his fingers under her chin to tilt her face up to him, "no matter what happens between us, no matter how many times we do something we consider a mistake and can't face each other for the weeks afterwards. I don't care. What I care about now is you being with me and your safety. You're a part of my life now and I need to face that. No matter what happens between us Rukia, whenever someone says something about you that I don't agree with, whenever someone humiliates you to your face, whenever someone calls you something, I will fight for you. Whether it's in the middle of a gig at midnight or the middle of the day in the cafeteria. I will always fight for you."

"Ichi—"

His lips claimed hers once more when he knew she would deliberate, that's why he made a quick attempt to kiss her and shut up. On the other hand, he'd wanted it too. He wanted it all, to protect her, to kiss her, to be with her; just everything had to be with her to know what it meant like to be alive with much commitment. He loved her. And with that, he buries his face into her neck, taking in her sweet scent and reveling at how wonderful their feverish bodies felt together. He breathes in and desperately chokes out those three words that are said too much, but evidently, not enough. She'd smelt of fresh flowers and something just a little different since the day he had met her. He'd wondered if she'd taste the same a little more then fifteen minutes into their very first conversation. She'd gone by the time he'd processed his realization, leaving him still wondering if she tasted as good as her scent smelt and why on earth he hadn't been able to follow through with his instinct to kiss her on midnight. Oh god, did he love it. Loved everything about her and he wasn't going to let her go.

"Ichigo" she whispered through his chest when he allowed her into his embrace. It seemed like it was the only moment for them to be this close to each other

"Yeah?"

"I think you need to take a shower," she told him as she looked at his stunning reaction. She tilted her head to the side and gave a small smile that made him fall for her all over again as if it was the first time he had realized it. Ichigo knew she had a point. He smelled like alcohol

"You're right. I do need a shower" he kissed her forehead and left her to hit the waters

She sat on his bed as she heard the water rushing through the bathroom. Her bones had turned jelly and this was the first time she felt it through his hot touches. She lied down on the bed and stared at the white ceiling as she took in his scent on the sheets. Sighing for tonight, she had herself noted, tomorrow would be different for both of them.

She didn't need to be afraid, except for the fact of knowing that there were the odds of him getting hurt just because of her; however the thought of that could still be prevented

Because she'd fight for him as well.

Reviews would be nice! Thank you!