A/N: This could almost be called a long drabble...Basically I just wrote down a scene from the Disney movie Tangled (which I love) replacing the characters Rapunzel and Flynn for Rukia and Ichigo. This was gathering dust in my PC for a while- I only decided to post it at all because I felt guilty about not writing anything in time for Halloween so...Consider this a consolation prize...for myself, I guess xD

So uh, late Happy Halloween everyone! Enjoy :)

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled as he finally reached the window, and in one swift movement pulled himself up and jumped inside. "Rukia, I thought-"

Before he could even finish getting the words out, he was stopped short by the sight before him.

She was there; chains tied around her thin body and holding her against the wall. Her mouth was covered with tightly knotted cloth, but her muffled screams and the urgency in her eyes as she fought futilely against her restraints were not made any quieter by the bonds. Without a moment to waste, Ichigo started towards her, but he didn't make it more than two steps.

The orange-haired man let out a pained scream as he felt the sharp cool blade of the dagger enter his side, his legs giving out beneath him almost instantly and leaving him to drop gracelessly on the floor, clutching his bleeding side.

Rukia went still and completely silent for a moment, as if she had frozen in place; before a raw, albeit muffled, scream tore through her throat like that of an anguished animal.

"Well, now that that's taken care of…" Aizen spoke calmly as he stepped over Ichigo and went to Rukia. "It's time to take you and hide you where no one can ever hope to find you." He said as he took hold of the chains that held her and began to pull, his strength immediately moving her lithe body like a puppet. "Our secret will die with him."

Ichigo could barely make out the two figures from where he lay on the floor; they came in and out of focus as his vision became alarmingly blurry, but he could still see Rukia thrash wildly as she fought with all her might against Aizen's superior strength.

"Stop your struggling, girl," Aizen said through gritted teeth. "Don't make this more difficult than it has to be." He tugged on her chain again, only to have her throw herself wildly at the floor in the opposite direction, landing awkwardly and managing to escape the cloth over her face in the process.

"No!" she yelled, the force of her voice surprising him. "I won't stop! I will never go with you, and I swear that I will never stop trying to escape you!" she spat at him, hatred glowing in her violet orbs.

Aizen was about to open his mouth and retort but stopped as he saw her entire demeanor change, softening as she looked to the side and let her gaze fall on the dying orange-haired thief. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were pleading. "But…" she started, her voice carrying none of it's earlier power. "If you let me heal him, I will go with you."

Aizen felt his eyes widen slightly at the unexpected turn of events. Not too far away he heard the boy speak up as he struggled to pull himself forward. "No, you idiot…" he growled out, his amber eyes burning despite his weakening state.

The raven-haired woman acted as though she didn't hear him. "Please," she looked imploringly at Aizen, her violet eyes glassy. "I promise I will do everything you say, just like before…If only you let me heal him."

"Rukia!" the boy's cries went on ignored.

Aizen considered for a moment. "Alright, I suppose."

With that, he went about the task of untying Rukia and allowing her to go to her would-be-savior, but not before taking the chains and tying up the boy by the wrist to the wall. "A precaution," he explained serenely. "In case you decide to play hero again."

Aizen moved out of the way then, and Rukia didn't spare a second in rushing to the orange-haired man.

"Ichigo," she said hurriedly, falling to her knees beside him. He was breathing heavily and grunting as he shifted in his uncomfortable position.

"Rukia, stop-" he started to say, looking up at her and trying to fix his face into a scowl, but only achieving a vague imitation of one. "Don't be an idiot, you can't throw away your life like this." He said, getting cut off at the last word by a small grunt of pain. He tried keeping his eyes focused on her but his vision was swimming; it was increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open at all.

"Fool," Rukia hissed softly, her voice sounding thick. Despite the insult, her eyes looked at him with an affection that made his heart ache. "I can't let you die." she said, her voice cracked, but she smiled at him.

Ichigo began to protest again, trying to push himself up on his elbows, only to stop as he felt her delicate hand pressed gently against his face. "Just hang on a minute, okay?" Rukia said, looking deeply into his eyes with watery orbs. Then she set about taking her long raven hair and setting it over his midsection, wincing visibly as she saw the amount of crimson blood on the wounded area. "You'll be alright." she nearly whispered, more to herself than to him.

"Wait," Ichigo spoke, his voice much weaker than it had been a moment ago. He forced his fading brown orbs up to her face, looking at the worried lines on the fair features and reaching a hand up to run his calloused fingers over the pale, smooth skin. "Rukia…" he breathed her name, and felt her put her dainty hand over his and hold it there. Ichigo used all the strength that he had left to pull himself up, closing the distance between them.

Seeing his action, Rukia momentarily let go of her hair and began to lower her face, her eyes closing of their own accord as she relished the feeling of Ichigo's warm hand on her face, getting ready for what would be their first and last kiss…She never noticed how his free, left hand came up without warning and in one quick, sweeping motion, he brought a piece of the shattered mirror's glass on her hair, cutting it neatly before she could so much as yelp.

"NO!" Aizen roared. His face contorted in rage as he reached down to gather the fallen strands in his arms, but to no avail as he felt the magic that had long sustained him draining out much too rapidly. He felt his skin shriveling, his face contorting and his hair whitening before falling as all the centuries of borrowed years came down upon him at once. His screams of rage were the last thing anyone heard of him as, in his blind ire, thrashed around wildly, tripping over the fallen ebony strands of hair and going out the window. His rapidly decaying body never even made it to the ground as anything but ash.

Inside the tower, Rukia's mouth was agape and she stared in utter horror as all that was left of her hair fell atop her shoulders. Her gaze flashed back to Ichigo, only to find him smiling and lying back on the floor, his eyes closing.

"You'll have to yell at me about that some other time." he chuckled weakly, as Rukia felt the tears fill her eyes in an instant.

"Why did you-" she growled in frustration, her voice catching as she held back a sob. "You stupid fool!" Her yell carried no force or anger, and her voice was cracked, the lump in her throat making it hard to even breathe right.

Ichigo managed a smirk. "Now we're even."

Rukia felt her face scrunch up, and she had to fight to keep the tears at bay and be able to look at the man before her. "Ichigo," she said, placing a hand behind his neck and feeling the wisps of orange hair tickle her skin. She had to blink to release some of her tears and be able to see his face clearly. His eyes were drooping, but he moved a hand to place it over hers this time and then leaned weakly into her touch.

"You know," he said, and his voice was hoarse. "I think since I met you…the rain finally stopped falling."

Rukia couldn't hold back a sob now, smiling down at him through her teary eyes and caressing his face with her thumb.

"I know how you feel." She croaked, silently conveying all the words she couldn't say.

Ichigo smiled softly now, his head beginning to fall back. "Thank you, Rukia."

And with that, his smile slipped and his heavy eyelids finally slid shut, his head rolling back limply.

"Idiot…" Rukia said through a choked voice. "That's my line."

Then she cried. The sobs racked through her small body as she wrapped her arms around Ichigo, lowering herself until her forehead touched his, her hands gripping the cloth of his shirt tightly as she held him; or held herself. She felt like her grip on him was the only thing keeping her trembling self together.

The tears that ran down her face relentlessly curved around her cheeks then down her chin, only to land on Ichigo's unmoving face. She didn't stop her cries, but after a while, she began to sing; so quietly that it was barely audible at first. But still, she sang the song that she had known flawlessly throughout her life, as she watched her tears dripping on Ichigo's smooth, calm face.

It wasn't until she caught sight of a silver flash that she looked up. She saw the silver flash again, and this time she straightened herself and saw that it was coming from Ichigo…From his midsection, to be precise. A silver flower seemingly made of moonlight appeared to be growing right on the place where he was wounded, its branches curling and extending all around her until the silvery white light filled the entire room with its brightness.

Rukia stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed as the scene enveloped, tear marks staining her face even as the crying halted. She felt the power of the silver light around her like a strong winter breeze, increasing until it was almost blinding. And then, with one last powerful gust, it was gone just as quickly, leaving her back in the dim light of the tower.

A groan brought her out of her reverie and her eyes snapped down to the man cradled over her lap so fast that she thought they might have jumped out of their sockets.

"Christ, my aching limbs…"

That unmistakable voice said as he began to sit up. She remained in shocked silence for only a moment before… "Ichigo!" she cried his name and his eyes were suddenly on her, warm and brown and full of so many emotions that she could hardly make each one out.

"Rukia," his lips pulled into a smile, and before he could even say anything else, Rukia launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him so tightly that it would have seemed she was trying to permanently attach herself to him…Which she might have been. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and relished its warmth and his unique scent, letting it fill her up.

Ichigo blinked once before wrapping his own arms around her slender frame, holding her tightly to himself and burying his nose in her newly shortened raven hair, pressing his lips lightly on the top of her head.

"You idiot," Rukia's half muffled mumble reached his ears. "How dare you pull something like that…"

Ichigo chuckled into her hair, gently caressing it with one hand. "I won't do it again." he said earnestly, holding her even closer if possible. "Promise."

Rukia pulled back just enough to look at his face, a smile gracing her lips. Ichigo had just barely started to return the smile before she was suddenly leaning forward and smashing her lips against his.

Ichigo felt his lips pulling up as he returned her kiss just as eagerly, feeling an overwhelming warmth in his chest as he held her and conveyed every feeling that he dare not say through the long overdue kiss.