Ichigo told Rukia he loves her as soon as he realized he did.

Alright, so he told her a day after he was aware of these so-called feelings. He was nervous for Shit Lord's sake!

She stares at him. "What?"

He turns to the side. "Che. You heard me."

She looks away as well.

He glances at her sideways. It looks like she's blushing. "Well, since you don't have anything to say, I'll just be on my way—"

"You're leaving now?" Her voice is steely.

He shrugs. "I've done what I intended."

Her violet eyes narrow dangerously. "If this is some kind of sick joke—"

"I love you."

Her eyes widen.

"It's not a joke. I love you. Just came here to tell you that."

Silence.

"I'm at least a full century ahead of you."

He snorts. "I freakin' look older than you."

"That's only because—"

"Exactly. The age gaps for everyone in Soul Society are probably two centuries by standard, and I don't give a crap about those kinds of things."

"We live in two different worlds. Two different planes of existence."

"That we both have free access to. Besides, I'm not going to live forever."

"It's not that simple."

He smirks. "Of course, it isn't. Nothing with you ever is."

"Th-this sort of thing might not even be allowed. The C-Clan…the Gotei Thirteen…there will be complications…"

"Stop dramatizing things. It makes you look smaller than you already are."

She glares at him.

He grins. "If someone does have a problem, I'll just make them wear their own asses for hats."

"Ichigo! This isn't something to talk so lightly about! And I'm not some sort of prize you can just win with barbaric antics!"

"Alright! Sheesh, you didn't have to shout."

She's practically seething. "Idiot. Do you understand what you're saying!? What you're asking?"

"I'm not asking for anything, least of all from you. I'm merely informing of this ridiculous wasted phenomenon of liking you."

She blinks. "Wait. You said you—"

In a growl: "I know what I said." His ears feel a bit warm.

She looks angry. And slightly haughty. "Downgrading already? You certainly know how to sweep a girl off her feet."

He snorts.

She huffs. "Stupid Strawberry." She crosses her arms. Her eyes lose their fury. "W-were y-you serious?"

"Che. I wasn't the one stuttering."

She frowns at him, briefly. "Then why were you in such a hurry to leave?"

He scratches the back of his head. "I finished what I planned to do. I wasn't in any hurry. You had a dumb look on your face. Be glad I didn't call you on it."

Her cheeks are red again. Most likely anger. "You try having this thrown at you out of nowhere and see how well you handle it."

He stares to the side.

She seems to realize what she said. She looks away. In a whisper: "Why?"

He doesn't need to see to know that she looks sad. Guilty. So he doesn't. Doesn't want to.

"You're not ready, and, maybe I'm not ready."

He turns to her now. She doesn't meet his eyes. "I'm not going to wait for you though."

She looks at him, probably surprised.

"I'm going to be patient, because I got something to look forward to. But I'm not patient. I can admit that. You know that. So if you don't make up your damn mind one way or another, I'll come for you."

Her eyes are wide. She looks conflicted, sad. He knows. He knows her. She is helplessly fatalistic. And so is he.

He wonders what she sees from him, when her gaze drifts away and again in that gasping whisper: "Why?"

He looks at the sky. It looks like rain. "I owe it to too many people to be a stupid coward."

The seconds drift by, in a hazy sandpit of silent time.

"It's going to rain soon." He walks, hands in his pockets, towards somewhere she knows he'll be waiting at.

"…Ichigo……"

He stops, and looks up again. He feels her gaze, and wonders how long he'll have to be impatient. "You changed my sky."

He wakes up to a breeze. His window is open. Also, Kuchiki Rukia is kind of sitting on the ledge, staring down at him.

She seems to be smiling. His heart is racing a bit. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing. Now."

"Fine. What were you doing?"

She hops onto his desk. "Watching you sleep."

There's more she hasn't said, he knows. But he doesn't care. "Wonderful. Now with that heartwarming stalker moment over, why haven't—HEY! The hell, you crazy bitch!?"

She grins from atop of him. "You caught me."

He growls. He realizes she's as soft as ever. He tries to keep the heat on his face down as much as possible (fail). He looks partially away, and coughs. "I'll always catch you."

He can feel her smile. "That's good. I'm a bit fatalistic, you know?"

He looks at her now. His hand moved to her shoulder. "Yeah, I know."

Her smile really is dazzling. His impatience was spent well, he decides.

She inches forward a little. Their faces are close. "I came to tell you something."

He smirks. "Is that right?"

iShe smirks back. Coyly. "Yep. And it involves three words."

He moves his face even closer, as does she.

He can feel her breath on his lips and—

"You totally sucked."

"……………………………………………………………………………ermmm…"

"That was the most disappointing confession of love, ever. You didn't even sparkle!"

"Sparkle?"

She brings out a book out of nowhere. A shojo manga? "Don't think I don't know! You were supposed to get me flowers for the background and compare my eyes to the moon and my beauty to the sun!"

"Compare your what to wha…?"

"There was also no rainbow, sparkling, or refracted light of any kind!"

"Where the hell did you even get that!?"

She sits up, shakes her head, and sighs dramatically. "Truly, a disappointment. Oh, woe is me. To be confessed to in such a half-assed manner."

"Are you out of your mind!? You're basing all your standards on a stupid shojo manga!? Did you trade in your common sense for schizophrenia!?"

"Keigo-san would've done a much better job."

His breath comes out in garbles. He is rather choking on his rage.

Her smile widens (evilly). She pokes him in the chest. "You owe me a far more refined declaration of eternal devotion, young strawberry. Some tulips would be nice. Roses are kind of ugly."

His throat finally unclogs itself with a growl. "I hate you."

She looks haughty. "And here I thought Kurosaki Ichigo loved dear little Rukia. Silly me." She takes out a stuffed Chappy doll. "I was still going to give you a—ahem (slight blush)—reward. But now you're going to have to work for it."

She then tries to shove the stuffed doll into his mouth. He dodges quite swiftly.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"Express your love for Chappy-chan, Ichigo! And I might do the same! It's only fair!"

"Get off of me, you lunatic!"

"Kiss Chappy-chan, Ichigo! Kiss hiiiiim!"

Somewhere along the insane line of yelling and screaming and demented laughter, he is at peace.

She's reading a manga. Ichigo's head is resting in her lap. She's absentmindedly playing with his hair.

The air feels cool. The clock ticks time away silently. She looks through the window. The world is kind of grey.

"It's raining…" She simpers as he twists around for a glance.

She watches him. He's staring at the rain, sleepily, perhaps contemplatively. She moves to touch his face. He twists back around.

"Not inside." He huffs and nestles her stomach.

She blinks.

She smiles and pokes his cheek. "Cheezy."

He grunts.

"Lame." She pokes again.

"Che."

"Dorky."

"Aa."

She swats his head.

"Bitch."

"Stupid."

He's smiling too.