A/N: This is just a short one shot, set between the time-skip. So this is after Ichigo loses his power, but before he joins up with Ginjo. This is just a warm-up for me to start working on more IchiRuki fanfiction, and just writing in general. So, I hope you all enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. But if I did, there wouldn't be an butterflies as the final bosses. Butterflies with Mullets. Aizen sucks.
Rukia Kuchiki stared down at the orange haired man as he left the school building, his bag draped over his shoulder. She sighed a bit as she watched him, readjusting the lieutenant's badge on her bicep before jumping down from the familiar building and onto the gate at the front of the school, standing tall to watch as her former partner wandered down the side-walk. In all appearances, he looked normal, but Rukia had known the man long enough to know when he was putting on a fake face, when he was hiding his anguish from the world. And right now, that's exactly what Ichigo Kurosaki was doing, he was hiding. Rukia hated seeing him like this, she knew he was better than this, stronger than this, and even if he had lost his power, he had to overcome it. That's just what Ichigo did, he overcame everything. That was why she loved him.
Sighing, Rukia followed Ichigo throughout the rest of the day as he made his way to his job, working as a bike courier. She followed him through the city as he made his stops and tried to get on with daily life. Every now and then he would stop what he was doing and turn to look in her direction, or up at the sky, or stare longingly across the river that ran through Karakura Town. Even if he didn't have his powers, Rukia could tell that he still felt something. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it, even if it was only for fleeting moments. When the time came, she followed him home, walking beside him through the familiar streets of his city, always watching over him.
Soul Society knew about her little trips into the Human world to visit her former partner, to see her old friends and even to protect parts of the town that she had sought refuge in those many years ago. Even with her new elevated position as Lieutenant of the Thirteenth squad, they didn't seem to mind that she continued to pay visits, however unauthorized they were, to these people. It helped to have a pair of very influential Captains who cared for her to the point where they would protect her while she made her weekly visits. And even if they hadn't protected her, hadn't kept her from the wrath of the rest of the Gotei 13, the Captain's sure as Hell couldn't stop her from coming back anyway. Over the past few years, people had gotten used to the fact that Rukia was quite the spitfire. She was the perfect person to fill in Kaien's spot as Lieutenant.
There was so much she wanted to tell Ichigo, so much that she wanted to share. About Byakuya becoming more lighthearted and opening up to her more, to her elevation within the squad's, and even about the celebrations that had been carried out in Ichigo's name after the war had ended. Even the Captains who had never fully met Ichigo sang the praises of the young man, and he was held in a position of honor and respect among the Gotei 13. She wanted to tell him all of this. She wanted him to know that it had not been in vain, that it was all worth it. But deep down, she knew what he would say about it all. She knew that he would just look at her, scowl, and say something frustrating.
"Yeah? Well, it was no big deal. Someone had to do it. Don't think I did it for Soul Society either, I did it for my family. I did it for my friends. I couldn't care less about Soul Society."
The thought made her smirk. If only he knew that she could see through that little tirade. He did it to protect everyone, not just his family and friends. He did it because he wasn't going to sit around and not protect people, no matter who they were, and he would never ask for a thank you. Even if you tried to thank him, Ichigo would just brush it off. You were supposed to protect people, in his mind. That's what having power meant, it meant protecting the ones you care about. Another reason she loved him.
She wandered into his house behind him, dodging the attacks from his father, hiding from his sister's as best as she could. She didn't want to be seen by his family. He knew that his sisters could see and sense her, but they had never said anything about her being there. Rukia didn't exactly know why, but she didn't complain, or try to draw attention to herself. Ichigo didn't need anything else to add to the self-imposed exile he was already in. It made her ache for him, to comfort him. But she couldn't. There was nothing she could do.
She followed him to his room, watching him work on his homework, berating him about how messy his closet had become, even if he couldn't hear it. For the most part though, she spent her time in his room, watching him work. He always was a diligent student. Always was a very intelligent person, and now without his Shinigami duties to keep him busy, he could focus on his schoolwork even more. Didn't make him look any less miserable, mind you, but to Rukia, it looked like he needed something to help him take his mind off of his loss. Sighing, Rukia said goodbye to her former partner, to her best friend, to the man she cared for deeply. She hated leaving him, but she told herself that it would be alright, that she'd see him again next week.
Making sure that there was no one downstairs, Rukia slipped out through the front door as quietly as she could. Standing in the street in front of the clinic, Rukia stared up at the house she had spent so much time in those few years ago. She looked up at the place that she had quietly called home. The place that she longed to return to one day. It had been the happiest time in her life, being here with Ichigo, forgetting the pressures of her brother, and of Soul Society.
Gazing for a moment longer, Rukia turned to look away from the house and began to step away when she heard something from behind her. Opening her eyes wide, her hand shot down to grasp the hilt of her sword, spinning on the ball of her foot to turn and face whoever it was that had come up behind her, ready for an attack. But it was only Ichigo's father coming out of the clinic. Isshin leant against the wall, closing his eyes and seemingly enjoying the night air. Relaxing, Rukia let go of her weapon and turned again to leave when she heard Isshin speak.
"I only ever really see him perk up on the day's you visit."
Rukia froze, her eyes wide. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Ichigo's father, who was staring straight at her, a smirk playing across his lips.
"You know, even if he can't see you, I think there's something that binds you two together, and it's nice to see him cheer up a bit."
Rukia just stared at the other man in silence, her eyes softening a bit as she looked at the man. Slowly, she turned around to face him, a breeze kicking up to flutter the bottom of her shihakusho around her legs. Reaching a hand up to brush her hair out of her face, Rukia stared down Isshin.
"How long have you known?"
"Oh I've always known. It was hard not to know. You aren't exactly subtle, you know that?" Isshin smirked a bit wider, looking at the younger woman and pushing off from the wall. "Jushiro is getting lenient if he's letting his Lieutenant leave the barracks every week."
"Kiyone and Sentaro were doing fine without me before I took the spot. They can handle one day without me there."
"Sure, sure. I'm not judging. It's just nice to see my future daughter-in-law coming around to cheer up my son." Rukia turned her head to the side and blushed a bit. Isshin laughed loudly, the sound almost booming, so much so that Rukia was afraid he'd draw the attention of the people in the house. "Relax, I'm kidding. I know you two are a long way off from getting married."
"S-shut up!" Rukia stammered out, the blush still on her face as she turned to glare at Isshin, who was still laughing. "Like I would marry him. I've got plenty of men to choose from!" It was a lie, but it sounded better than admitting the truth.
"Alright alright, calm down." Isshin waved his hand at the young woman, still grinning. "I get it." There was silence for a long moment before Isshin let out a sigh again, his face turning serious. "I mean it though, it's nice to see him cheer up a bit, even if it doesn't last long."
Rukia was silent for a few moments, just staring at the man across from her, her eyes softening a bit more again. She nodded slowly, not really saying anything. It was nice to see him cheer up, even if it was just a bit. She hated to see him so depressed. She hated to see him be covered in the black cloud, drenched in the rain. It wasn't Ichigo, not the man she knew he truly was.
"What if I told you I know of a way to bring him out of his depression?" Isshin said suddenly, his voice piercing into the otherwise quiet of the night. Rukia's eyes went wide, her head darting up to stare at the other man. Again, a gust of wind blew past, fluttering her shihakusho around her legs.
"I'd say … I'd say what would it entail?" Isshin lit up a bit at Rukia's answer, his smirk returning. Slowly, he stepped forward, his hands in his pockets.
"You would need to get the help of everyone in Gotei 13. Captains, Lieutenants, even former heads, including Kisuke. In fact, he's the one who came up with the idea." Rukia stared in silence for a long moment at the elder Kurosaki, lost in thought for a moment. Suddenly, she looked up and nodded, her face full of determination.
"That won't be a problem."
"Even you would have to help."
Rukia scoffed a bit and turned to look up at Ichigo's window, a gentle smile playing across her face as her features softened from the normally hard exterior she had portrayed before.
"Me? Help that buffoon? Now why would I do that?" Isshin was about to protest before Rukia cut him off, still speaking. "He's arrogant, stubborn, bull-headed and rude. He never listens to a thing anyone says, he's terrible at taking advice and he refuses to ever respect his elders. He questions authority, fights against structure, and I'm pretty sure the he could single-handedly topple governments just by fighting against them for his own stupid reasons." Rukia kept staring at Ichigo's window, as if she could see him still sitting at his desk, working away.
They were both quiet for a moment before Rukia laughed softly and turned to look at Isshin, grinning a bit, her eyes twinkling with a playful light.
"But he needs me." She said finally, another gust of wind coming by. "He's either in denial of that fact, or too stupid to realize it. Or too stubborn to admit it, but he needs me. He needs me to be there to bring him out of his slumps, to make him smile, to be the umbrella to stop the rain. And sometimes … sometimes I need him too." Rukia laughed a bit before shaking her head and stepping forward. "I'll help. I'll give whatever I can to help him. It's the least I could do, for everything he has ever done for me, my family, and my friends. I'll do it, just to see him smile again."
Isshin was silent for a long moment, just staring down at the shorter woman with wide eyes. Her outburst had caught him off guard, that much was clear. He hadn't really expected her to say everything that she had said. But then again, there wasn't much else that he figured she could have said. It was the truth, without admitting the full truth. Slowly, a smirk showed up across Isshin's face, and he stepped forward to reach his hand out to the woman who would be helping bring a smile back to his son's face, a hand which the younger woman took and shook.
"Then let's get to work."