Disclaimer: Only Kubo Tite can come up with Bleach.
Special Thanks to Glenn for boosting my self esteem!
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Everyone saw it. They saw how bandaged Inoue and Ichigo were after their summer vacation. And everyone knew it wasn't just falling down the stairs that had caused it. But no one asked. Not one person dared to question why. And not one person thought about the fighting that was going on inside Inoue and Ichigo.
They knew what had happened. They had been through it together. Seen the same battles and afterlife. But somehow, their feelings weren't together.
Inoue knew why Ichigo was acting weird. She recognized that empty expression he held. And she knew it hadn't appeared until after Rukia decided to stay. No matter how much Inoue tried to deny it in her mind, her heart knew the truth. Ichigo was far from her grasp. He was in a hole no one could reach into but one person.
Ichigo was fighting with a lot. Still exhausted from his escapades in Soul Society, a new enemy who seemed somehow connected to Aizen were wanting him on their side. And that damn hollow inside him, fighting to break free was somehow a part of all this.
How come when Rukia was here I never had these problems?
The thought crushed something inside. Every time he dared to think about her the same feeling arose. A feeling that was so powerful and painful that tore apart his heart.
She's not with me any more. Get over it.
Despite constantly telling himself that, it still bothered him.
So when that pain suddenly faded away with the feeling a certain reiatsu, he didn't dare get his hopes up. Even with a few familiar faces from Soul Society bursting through his classroom doors, he couldn't let his heart run away from him. Even upon seeing her triumphant face and tiny body standing in the window sill, he couldn't believe his eyes. Even upon hearing her voice, he couldn't get carried away.
"Long time no see, eh, Ichigo?" Rukia smiled.
Despite all this, his face still conveyed utter surprise.
Which is why she kicked him and gave him a few slaps in the face to knock him out of it.
Rukia knew that he was feuding inside. That's why she was sent, after all. Every one knew that she was the only one who could kick him out of his reverie. She understood Ichigo probably better than any else. She couldn't believe how much he had changed from the last time she saw him in Soul Society. She knew her decision to stay had been a shocker, but she didn't realize how much it had thrown him off his track. And then those damned viazars and his hollow issue he was dealing with…his surprised face seemed suitable for a normal teenage boy. But Ichigo wasn't a normal boy. He had more resolve and strength than some older people she knew. And the strong Ichigo wouldn't show his feelings that easily. She had to kick him. That face was almost a disgrace.
No one asked when Ichigo came back with that weird, yet oddly familiar, girl and had a new strength shining underneath.