Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Bleach in any way shape or form. I do not own the song lyrics. The song is owned by Jack's Mannequin. The song is Bruised.

A/N: This is a little fluffy one-shot dedicated to my onee-chan, AKA on this website as Erika Daae. ((text)) flashback.

I've got my things, I'm good to go
You met me at the terminal
Just one more plane ride and it's done
We stood like statues at the gate
Vacation's come and gone too late
There's so much sun where I'm from
I had to give it away, had to give you away

The gate back to the real world was moments from being opened and the usual people were there to see Ichigo off. There was one other face standing right in front of him. He looked down at the girl who was near tears.

"Ichigo… Do you have to go? Can't you stay a few more days?" She asked with fingers crossed. He gave a soft, sad smile and pulled his love into a loving hug, holding her close. "I'm sorry, Rukia, I have to go back now. I don't want to leave you." He could feel her nod against his chest. "Don't go." "I'm sorry."

"Ichigo, its time for you to leave now." Ichigo nodded and looked at the thirteenth squad's captain. "Alright Ukitake-san." He pulled away from Rukia and tilted her chin up. He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips and hugged her one last time. "Good-bye Rukia." She nodded letting him go. "Bye Ichigo." He stepped through the gate back into the real world.

And we spent four days on an island
At your family's old hotel
Sometimes perfection can be
It can be perfect hell
Perfect

Hours pass
And she still counts the minutes
That I am not there
I swear I didn't mean for it to feel like this
Like every inch of me is bruised
Bruised

Don't fly fast
Oh, pilot can you help me
Can you make this last?
This plane is all I got
So keep it steady, now
'Cause every inch you see is
Bruised

(("Ichigo… look." Rukia pointed up at the sky. They were in the Kuchiki garden walking around and enjoying the tolerable weather. Ichigo looked and noticed the sun was setting with brilliant shades of orange, red, pink, and purple. He let out a sigh and grabbed Rukia's hand.

"Ichigo?" She stared at him in curiosity. "What's wrong?" He smiled, "Nothing, I just wanted to hold your hand, sorry." She shook her head and tightened her grip. She didn't want this to end. When their eyes meet, Ichigo leaned downed and planted a soft, gentle, sweet, innocent kiss on her lips.))

I lace my Chucks
I walk the aisle
I take my pills
The babies cry
All I hear
Is what's playing through the in-flight radio
Now every word of every song
I've ever heard that made me
Want to stay
Is what's playing through the in-flight radio
And I
I am
Finally waking up

Rukia was laying on her futon thinking of their first kiss. It was almost as if her Ichi was scared that she would break at the gentlest touch. She sighed, somehow it was the most romantic kiss she had ever had. She whipped tears from her eyes that she didn't even knew spilled out. She really did miss her strawberry.

She couldn't sleep, and the next day in the office she was helping file paper work and fell asleep dreaming of Ichigo. "Hey wake up!" She shot up and looked at her captain, "S-sorry Ukitake-tachio!" she started up on the work again and he shook his head. "Go home and go to sleep." "B-but Tachio I-" "No," she was cut off. "You're dismissed." He said offering one of his famous smiles.

Hours pass
And she still counts the minutes
That I am not there
I swear I didn't mean for it to feel like this
Like every inch of me is bruised
Bruised
Don't fly fast
Oh, pilot can you help me
Can you make this last?
This plane is all I got
So keep it steady, now
'Cause every inch you see is
Bruised

When she arrived back at the Kuchiki manor, she was greeted by some of the servants and walked to her room. She was so tired all she wanted to do was sleep. Damn that Ichigo. Byakuya walked out of the library of his home spotted his sister walking down the hall.

"Rukia, what are you doing home so early?" His face and voice held its usual indifference but his eyes held concern. "Onii-sama," She turned completely shocked and remembered that the sixth division was given the day off, "I wasn't feeling to well so Ukitake-tachio gave me the day off." He nodded in dismissal and she walked into her room.

Byakuya let out a sigh and shook his head. That damn substitute shinigami really had thrown his sister through a loop.

So read your books
But stay out late some nights, some nights
And don't think that you
Can't stop by the bar
You haven't shown your face here
Since the bad news
I'm here 'til close, with fingers crossed
Each night 'cause your place isn't far
And hours pass, and hours pass, yeah, yeah

Ichigo sighed and rolled over. Nope, another night is going to go by without any sleep and he's going to get in trouble for sleeping in class again. Whatever he tried to do was interrupted by thoughts of Rukia. It had been two days and he already was missing her too much. He had to face it, he was in love.

The next day in school he fell asleep during third period and he ended up cleaning up after school as punishment. This was all because he had to go home to the real world. He wanted to hold his Rukia in his arms again.

She still counts the minutes
That I am not there
I swear I didn't mean for it to feel like this
Like every inch of me is bruised
Bruised

Ichigo looked up to the sky at the sunset and turned back to his homework. He wished he could just see her face and not just in a picture. He remembered the day in the garden, when he first kissed her.

((After the kiss she led him half way through to an old abandoned swing big enough for two and sat down. She sat next to him and he intertwined his fingers with hers and her head rested on his shoulders.))

He laughed at the memory of Byakuya's face when he found out. ((The calm captain was walking trough the garden and noticed the pair on the swing ignoring everything around them. He noticed the position they were in and heard the boy say a faint 'I love you Rukia.' He saw the biggest smile on his sister's face, "I love you too, Ichigo."

He was still walking up to them when he saw the boy plant a kiss on his sister's lips. When they parted they went to look out at the garden but were greeted with the face of a very shocked Byakuya Kuchiki whose mouth was slightly opened and his eyes were wide. What made the man even more shocked was the fact that not only was the substitute shinigami laughing at him but so was his little sister.

Byakuya didn't do anything else about it because he figured as long as Ichigo didn't do anything wrong or make Rukia cry it was alright.))

Don't fly fast
Oh, pilot can you help me
Can you make this last?
This plane is all I got
So keep it steady, now
'Cause every inch you see is
Bruised, bruised, bruised

Ichigo climbed up onto the roof, sat down, and looked at the sky at the now full moon. He had the faintest smile on his face and his legs bent up to his chest and his chin on his knees. "I love you Rukia."

What Ichigo didn't know was that Rukia was sitting on the swing in the garden looking at the same moon and she whispered, "I love you Ichigo."

Both knew that the other was thinking about them and that they loved each other. It was just a matter of time before they got to see each other again.