Chapter 1: Rejection
Ichigo was laying on his bed thinking deeply. So much so that he didn't notice his badge going off until it was loud enough for the rest of the household to hear.
"Maby this will take my mind off her" Ichigo said as he got up. Lately he had been thinking about Rukia a lot. Ichigo hadn't realized he had feelings for Rukia until recently, mostly because of all the fighting during the winter war, but now that it was over he had a lot of time to think about the different things in his life. He would sit and think about how how he was glad his family was alright. Mostly he thought that he would feel even worse then when his mom died if his family or Rukia were hurt.
"What... Rukia" he thought the first time the thought crossed his mind. It had taken him a week, but he finally admitted to himself that Rukia actually ment more to him then he ever thought before. It wasn't like he didn't want to confess his feelings for her, but he was worried about what she would say. Let alone he wasn't sure how to tell her, thats what he had actually been thinking about when his badge went off. More then anything Ichigo was scared of rejection. He honestly wasn't sure if he could take it if Rukia said she didn't share his feelings for her.
Ichigo was still deep in thought as he jumped along the roof tops to get to the hallow.
"Dammit I'm a sorry ass" he said sighing as the hallow came into view. He was about to bring out Zangetsu when he seen Rukia freezing the hallow before it broke into a million pieces, noting how graceful and beautiful she looked while using her zanpaktou.
"An ice angel" he said as he seen her shealt Sode no Shirayuki. Before he could leave without Rukia seeing him she seen Ichigo was on a nearby roof top and jumped over to him.
"Hey Ichigo, what took you so long? Normally I have to hurry to keep up with you"
"Nothing, I just didn't notice my badge going off till the thing almost made me deaf" he said as he turned around to head back home, but Rukia put her hand on his wrist.
"Ichigo I know you've been thinking about something. You practically do nothing but stare off into spare during your free time" she said as he turned around. She had been a bit worried about him.
"I told you Rukia, I'm fine. There is nothing wrong with me, and even if there was it probably wouldn't concern you" he said before running off.
"He's lying, but why" she said as she followed him at a safe distance so that he wouldn't notice her following. After Ichigo got back home he just went back to laying on his bed and thinking about Rukia while she was sitting right out his window listening for anything he might say. She normally didn't spy on people, but she was getting really worried about him. He always told her if something was really bothering him.
"As much as I hate to admit it I need old goat beard's advice" he said getting up. Now Rukia was sure it was serious. Ichigo almost never went to his father for advice and when he did he always wanted to be with alone him when they talked. Noting how serious this was she decided Ichigo would tell her when he wanted to and decided to give Orihime a visit.
"Hey dad, I need to talk to you" Ichigo said as he went into the room after a patient left.
"Sure, my next appointment isn't for another hour" he said noticing the seriousness in Ichigo's voice. Isshin sat down and motioned for Ichigo to sit beside him. After he sat down Ichigo just stared at his hands as he talked.
"How did you tell mom you loved her for the first time?"
"Ichigo I knew one day you would ask that. I told your mother when everything was in the right mood. I had been visiting your mother every so often. We had been some of the best friends I could ever thing of back then, but I wanted to be more then friends. One time I visited it was late at night and I caught her staring up at the stars. I sat next to her and watched the stars with her when a meteor shower started, we just sat there and watched until she said they looked beautiful. Well I sat thre a second before saying that that she was more beautiful then them. She sat there a minute before asking if I loved her. I responded by kissing her on the lips" he said while remembering the good memories, "But Ichigo, why did you ask?" he said already having an idea where this was heading.
"I want to tell Rukia that I..." he said pausing.
"Love her" he said finishing the sentence for Ichigo.
"Yeah" he said blushing.
"Ichigo don't be embarissed, embrace the fact you love her. If I didn't do that you wouldn't be here" he said getting up, "I have to go meet my next apointment. Time flies when your talking" he said getting up to leave Ichigo with with his last statement, but before he left Ichigo stood up.
"Thanks for the advice dad" Ichigo said before leaving his dad.
"Masaki I hope everything works out for our son" Isshin said to himself before leaving for his appointment.
Meanwhile Rukia was out shopping with Orihime, still wondering what Ichigo had been thinking about in the back of her mind.
"Rukia are you okay? You keep spacing out today" Orihime said as the sat down.
"I'm fine, its just Ichigo has been pretty deep in thought lately" she said sitting down across from her.
"Any idea about what?"
"No, and he won't tell me. I thought we were best friends"
"Sometimes even best friends keep secrets Rukia"
"Maby little ones, but not serious problems. I heard Ichigo say he had to ask Isshin for advice"
"Well you could ambush him at home tonight. After he leaves, sit in his room and wait for him to return"
"Thanks for the idea Orihime" Rukia said as she got up, "I'll go see if I can go get the big secret out of him now" she said leaving. When Ichigo opened his bedroom door he seen Rukia sitting on the bed waiting for him.
"Ichigo I know something is bothering you, just tell me. You'll feel much better afterwards"
"Your right as always, it'll make me feel better to tell you" he said sitting next to her.
"Well what is it?" she said surprised that Ichigo agreed with her so easily.
"Rukia have you ever thought about a certain person in your life as special?" he asked surprising her.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean like you love them, more then a friend or family member"
"I haven't really given it any thought"
"I've been thinking a lot about someone lately, wondering how to tell her I love her"
"Who? Orihime?"
"Orihime is a great person, but she is like a little sister to me. Anyway, how should I tell this woman I love her."
"If it were me, I'd just want the guy to confess his feelings. Not like anywhere, where it was just the two of us with us just talking casually until he asked if I wanted to know what I was to him. I'd say yes and he'd say he loved me before kissing me"
"Well do you know what you are to me?"
"Your best friend, we've always been best friends"
"True, but your not just a friend to me"
"What do you mean?" she said confussed.
"Maby this will tell you" he said before giving Rukia a quick, soft kiss on the lips. He notted how soft and sweet they were against his, "I love you Rukia. You stopped the rain and the storms of my sorrow, like no one else could ever do. I can't imagine life without you" he said after pulling away. Rukia was in a daze. It had felt like one of the best things in the world to kiss Ichigo, but Ichigo was her first kiss so she figured all kisses were like that.
"Ichigo I don't know what to say" she said. Not only was she unsure if she felt the same, but she knew even if she did that they couldn't be.
"I understand. I'll let you think it over" he said getting up before Rukia grabbed his wrist.
"Ichigo we can't be. You know that" she said.
"Rukia we can, my dad did it. We could be together" he said almost pleading with her.
"Ichigo I'm not even sure I feel the same"
"Then I'll go so you'll some time to think" he said getting up and leaving. Rukia just sat there not knowing what to do. She wasn't sure if she loved him, but she knew that even if she did they couldn't be. Confussed she decided to wander the streets of Kurukura, figuring some fresh air would help her think.
Ichigo just walked around town aimlessly. He was almost heart broken. The possibility that the woman he loved didn't love him back was too painful to think about, so he just pushed it out of his mind and continued to wander around Kurukura. After a few hours Ichigo went home to have his father to kick him into the wall. Ichigo just shook it off and left to go to his room, surprising Karin and Yuzu with the lack of their usual fighting.
"Is Ichigo okay?" Yuzu asked taking her attention away from the soup she was making everyone for dinner.
"Yeah, is he?" Karin asked taking her attention away from the football game she was watching.
"I'm not sure. I'll check on him after dinner, I'm sure he doesn't feel like eating right now"
When Ichigo opened his door he saw Rukia wasn't there. He just layed face down on the bed and willed himself to forget about Rukia not answering him today. He was almost asleep when Isshin came into the room and sat down on the bed.
"Ichigo are you okay"
"I'm fine" he said wishing his dad would just leave him to sulk.
"How did things go Rukia?" he said. Ichigo didn't want to apoach the topic so soon.
"Don't want to think about it, let alone tell anybody about it" he said.
"Not getting a answer is better then getting a no" he said getting up, "Give her more time before you get all depressed about not getting your feelings returned". He left and Ichigo thought about what he said.
"I'll give her some more time before I accept a no" he said rolling onto his back before falling asleep.
Rukia was wandering the streets of Kurukura deep in thought. Not only was Ichigo's confession unexpected, but she knew he was most likely miserable because she didn't return his feelings. It wasn't so much the fact she was unsure if she loved him, but about how it was taboo to have a romantic relationship with a human.
"Even if I have feelings for him I can't be here with him" she said causing her to instantly sadden, "Maby I do have feelings for him". When she finished wandering around it was dark out. Deciding to think the issue over a good nights sleep she returned to the Kurossaki clinic to find almost everyone asleep. Isshin was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee waiting for her.
"Rukia I want to know, do you love Ichigo?"
"Isshin I'm still not sure, but even if I did love him its taboo"
"Nonsense, don't think about how its taboo. If I had folowed the rules soul society set then we could've all been dead by now because Ichigo wouldn't have been born to save our butts" he said knowing he had to get her out of that piece of mind and into thinking about if she loved Ichigo.
"Your right. I should be thinking about my relationship with Ichigo" she said heading towards her room. As she walked down the hall she heard a thud come from Ichigo's room. She opened the door a little to see that Ichigo was half-offf his bed with his head on the floor.
"Idiot" she wispered as she went to help him back into bed since the fall didn't wake him up. After she had him back in bed she noticed he was sweating. She went to get a wet rag for him and when she came back he was talking in his sleep.
"I can't...deal...this" he said as she approached him, "Rukia...please don't...stay here" he said as Rukia put the rag on his head. He instantly stopped talking and looked almost happy when she touched him. Rukia noticed this and faught back tears.
"Ichigo we can't be" she said as took her hand away from him, istantly causing him to return to his previous state. Rukia went to her room and layed down before forcing herself to go to sleep.