Chapter One: You Owe Me...

Kurosaki Ichigo sighed heavily. He had found a box outside, with a long, long, long list of things that a certain raven-haired midget claimed he owed her. He let out a heavy breath and looked at the unopen package, neatly wrapped in shiny, crackling silver wrapping with dark blue bunnies on it. Typical, he thought, rolling his amber eyes.

His brow furrowed slightly. He wondered what the hell was inside a box Kuchiki Rukia would send him. A package, labled You Owe Me in fancy calligraphy, at that.

The berry sighed again, and decided to open the package. Unlike when he opened Inoue Orihime's packages, he tore the paper open carelessly. After all, he was dating the red-headed healer, not the raven-haired shinigami.

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly when he saw the neatly folded white paper fall into his lap. It, indeed, was a list labled You Owe Me. He decided to let his eyes wander to the first item on the list.

1. Ichigo, if you're reading this, that means you've opened the package I've sent you. This is a thing that the Shinigami's Women Association decided all female shinigami do and mail it to a special guy. Anyways, here is the list, read it carefully. You owe me blood, for all the times I've saved you and shed blood to protect you.

2. You owe me tears, for when I told you not to come for your own safety to save me from my execution. But no, you just had to come! So, you owe me the tears I shed for you when nii-sama nearly cut off your arm, and when you came to save me at the bridge.

3. You owe me a lot of your reiatsu, considering it was I who awakened your shinigami powers you got from your father.

4. You owe me happier memories, for you looked so much like Kaien-dono that you awakened piercing sadness that I thought I locked away in my soul a long time ago.

5. You owe me a katana, though any is fine. I came along to save Inoue for your happiness, and I get run through by a spear and then Sode no Shirayuki breaks. By that means, you owe me a katana.

6. You owe me a smile, for the ones I gave you when I was truly glad you didn't die.

7. You owe me fifty-seven black markers, for the ones I wasted on graffitiing on your face when I was mad at you.

8. You owe me seven new drawing books, for the ones I secretly practiced on to impress you because you said my perfect drawings sucked.

9. You owe me clean feelings for making me confused when I lost my memories and I forgot who everybody was...Out of all the people, you were the first person I remembered.

10. You owe me a Chappy plushie for the birthday present you promised but never got me, because you had to go on a promised date with Inoue.

11. You owe me hurt feelings from when you stopped furrowing your brow and giving that egotistical smirk and truly smiled at Inoue. Inoue, of all people.

12. You owe me five hundred and thirty-two rolls of bandages I used up on your wounds when Inoue was healing Ishida with her Shun Shun Rikka.

13. You owe me eleven colouring pencils that I spent on drawing stuff to explain to you, but yet you complained and took my efforts for granted.

14. You owe me much, much more consideration. Giving me a smirk is not enough, Ichigo. It really, really hurt in my stomach when you were willing to defy rules for Inoue and not me.

15. You owe me a dress, for the time I ran away and got it dirty in the rain. You just had to fight nii-sama instead of behaving and letting us go into the Soul Society before it started raining.

16. You owe me two pieces of the best kind of kanji-writing paper, because I wasted two to tell you: one, I was running away; two, I was leaving a riddle for you to guess where I was going...a few days before everybody forgot me, remember?

17. You owe me three ink pens for this list.

18. You owe me a kimono and an obi for the ink that got splattered on mine while writing this exhausting list.

19. You owe me five piles of scrap paper I used to make a draft of this list.

20. You owe me a juice box for the one I wasted because I spit everything out when Inoue's friends asked me if I had a relationship with you.

21. You owe me the fricking four hours of work I put into this list.

22. You owe me the date when you blew me off for Inoue.

23. You owe me the two hours that day, when I was waiting for you in the pouring rain to arrive for our dinner, only to see you walking happily with Inoue. Ichigo, that was the most heart-wrenching thing on Earth to see, besides Kaien-dono's death.

24. You owe me all the worrying I did for you when you nearly died, when you were afraid, when you were sad, when you were troubled.

25. You owe me that egotistical smirk back. I almost miss that furrow in your impossibly orange eyebrows.

26. You owe me a lot of true smiles, from the ones I threw at you when you didn't notice.

27. You owe me attention. It's painful being below Inoue.

28. You owe me the tears I cried when I saw you and Inoue together, though you guys didn't officially announce it...until the very next day.

29. You owe me protection. I knew it was dangerous giving my shinigami powers to you, yet I did. To satisfy your need to protect your friends and family. Tell me, Ichigo...am I not your friend?

30. Ichigo, this is the last item on my list, so be glad. I have decided on this carefully, as the maximum debt the Association set was thirty, and I have reached the limit. Ichigo...Lastly, you owe me a heart, as you utterly crushed mine into pieces when you layed your lips on Inoue's, confessing your feelings.

This means nothing else to me but a piece of my feelings toward you. However, if this means a passive nothing to your soul, then feel free, Protector-san, to toss this into what you call the garbage can.

I don't know why I'm ending the list like this, but...

With hopes and love,

KUCHIKI RUKIA

P.S. If you still don't get my point, Berry Head, here it is. I just hope you know how hard it is for me to set the last pen I have down and write it.

I LOVE YOU, KUROSAKI ICHIGO. Always have, always will.

Ichigo sat stock still on his soft bed. "What?" he muttered, shocked.

"Rukia...she loves me?"

He clutched the list and folded it neatly, shoving it into his pocket.

Ichigo went on the computer, checking his bank account as quickly as he could. "Should be enough to repay my debt," he said, smirking egotistically again for a long time. Before the smile wore off, he quickly snapped about ten pictures.

He grabbed his favourite black paper and silver ink pen, dashing out.

It was time to give Rukia her receipt.

Mitsuki: Awww...How sweet. Even if Ichigo was very, very slow to realize things, as usual, and Rukia was totally complaining too much, and...

Rukia: Shut up!

Byakuya: What's the next chapter going to be about?

Yoruichi: Yeah, curious flower-loving captain here—oops.

Mitsuki: (watches Yoruichi get chased by Senbonzakura's blades) Oh no, poor Yori-tan. Well, review to save her! The next chapter will be about Ichigo's returned list to Rukia, as well as a preview to the third chapter which will also be a You Owe Me list, only done by Momo to Toshirou.

Momo: (blushes)

Toshirou: MITSUKI!

Mitsuki: (shrugs) Whatever. Anyways, bye!

Akemi: Review and you will not have to face the wrath of Mitsuki. (shudders) Trust me, last time she tricked Sasuke into using a strong genjutsu on me...Not. Fun.

Sasuke: Hn.

Mitsuki: How'd you get here, Chicken Butt! Okay, whatever. Review and you get a chocolate bar of your choice!