I don't own Bleach. As a matter of fact, chemicals scare the **** out of me, and I'm paranoid about them killing me. Plus, the smell of bleach when the washing machine is going makes my head hurt.

"I like you."

I told her that three years ago. Her eyes just widened a bit. Then she turned around and walked away, back to where she was supposed to be. I guess she got that from her brother.

I didn't see her for almost a year after that because she had to go back to Soul Society. I missed her so badly for those eleven months that I couldn't sleep. It was really affecting my grades, which are important, studying to be a doctor and all, but… I had lied when I said I liked her.

I guess I loved her.

When she came back, I had thought she would go straight to Orihime, but she came to my apartment instead. And hugged me.

I had been so surprised that I just stood there as her tiny hands shook on the small of my back. It took a while for me to realize she was crying.

"I've missed you so, so much…! ...Ichigo….!" her face was pressed into my chest. I could feel hot, wet tears soaking into my shirt.

"Rukia… I've missed you too, you idiot."

She looked up and smiled. I bent down and kissed her. Our first kiss. Three years ago.

Two years ago I finished my degree.

She came back three months after I was hired at my dad's clinic.

"Doctor, I'm afraid I've come down with something awful." She joked.

"Like what, brain damage?" I teased.

She walked over to me and kissed my cheek. "No, silly." Her hand took mine. "Infatuation." She breathed.

I laughed. "If you're infatuated, than what am I?"

We kissed.

One year ago I found Orihime waiting for me outside of my apartment. She was smiling the way she always did.

"Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun!" she ran over to me, cheeks flushed. She had always been pretty, but over the past years she had become beautiful.

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun! Do-do you remember—?" she started twisting her hands together and tugging at her shirt, a few habits that she had developed. "Um, do you remember that one…hollow? The—the espada?"

Which one?

"Um, uh, well, gosh, you know, U-Ulquiorra…?"

Yes, I do, as a matter of fact.

"Well, uh, h-he wasn't actually…dead…."

"Huh…?"

She nodded so hard that her hair flew everywhere.

"Yes and we…well we kind of…" she inhaled deeply. Her voice came out rushed and excited. "We are so in love and I'm going to have our baby so we're getting married in three months and would you come and bring Rukia???"

A shotgun wedding. Orihime's shotgun wedding. With an ex-espada.

Apparently everyone else she asked was as surprised as I was, but we all went anyway. I have to admit, you wouldn't have been able to tell who the groom was unless you stared directly into his green eyes. I wouldn't recommend doing that, though.

Their baby was really cute. I helped deliver her, even though that's not my field. Orihime was so embarrassed when she saw me that she almost fainted and so flustered that she slapped me and said she'd only let Ulquiorra, but she was seriously…well, she was very exhausted and finally let me help out.

I really do hate to admit it, but their kid is damn adorable. She's going to look just like her mother: beautiful.

Rukia, of course, came for the wedding, and telling Orihime that she couldn't impose by staying with her and Ulquiorra, she bunked down with me. Because that would be imposing at all. Not that I really minded, but I slept on the sofa. I know that we used to share a bed when we were younger, but… I just couldn't do that now without doing…things…to her.

She had to go back pretty soon, which was certainly disappointing, but we did get some time just to ourselves.

Last night, I finally did it. I got Rukia's body. We had just gone to a movie and made out in my car, and it had been raining really hard. As soon as we got back to my apartment, I walked over to her and kissed her and took off her jacket and shirt. She began undressing me too, and in almost no time at all we were in the bedroom.

Her breath was hot on my cold body, freezing from the rain and burning with passion. I encircled her small body with my arms and kissed her everywhere my mouth could touch. Her hands wrapped around my back as we lost ourselves in each other. I suppose that's why it's called making love.

That's all I could feel.

My love for her

her love for me

and complete ecstasy.

Three years ago, he told me he liked me. I was shocked and embarrassed and I couldn't believe him.

Stupid. I thought. You're telling me this the moment right before I leave back to Seireitei.

Those eleven months away from him were complete agony. I couldn't stop thinking about him and wound up pining away for his touch, his touch I had never felt. God, I felt like such a slut thinking about him the way I did.

Nii-sama noticed something wasn't right and had me sent on a 'highly confidential mission concerning the future of the Kuchiki family'. Just because he called it that, everyone knew why he had me go back.

I was so happy when I got back that I went straight to Ichigo's apartment. I cried, I was so happy.

And to top it all off, he kissed me.

When I came back two years ago, I found out Ichigo had got his degree and was working for Isshin. And at such a young age, too. I was so proud of him. So, of course, I had to mess with him. Just play around a bit.

"Doctor, I'm afraid I've come down with something awful." I joked.

"Like what, brain damage?" he teased.

I walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "No, silly." I took his hand. "Infatuation." I breathed.

He laughed. "If you're infatuated, than what am I?"

We kissed.

One year ago, I was invited to Orihime's shotgun wedding with ex-espada Ulquiorra. I had thought he had died, but as it turns out, the two had, in their own, odd way, fallen in love, and Ulquiorra hadn't actually died.

But I had no idea that the two of them… I mean, she just seems so…innocent. And he's so…Ulquiorra.

But their baby is really cute. Ichigo helped deliver her. He was traumatized for about a week and a half afterwards, he says.

I stayed with Ichigo for the month and slept in his room while he occupied the sofa. This was good, because if we did what we did last night last year, Nii-sama would have killed him.

Last night.

Last night, Ichigo had taken me out to watch a movie. When we got out of the theater, it was pouring hard. We got into the car and sat for a while. The windows steamed up because of our warm breath. Ichigo reached over and pulled me to him. We made out for a really long time before Ichigo drove us to his apartment.

I think we both realized what was going to happen before it did, but both of us wanted to.

As soon as we stepped into his apartment, he locked the door and went to me. He kissed me intensely and took off my blouse. I took off his shirt too and he picked me up.

He ravished my mouth and placed his wherever he could. He wrapped his arms around me and I draped mine around him. I never would have even thought…

Passion.

Lust.

Love.

After you've felt them, they just get even more confusing than they were before.

All I could feel

was Ichigo.

Rukia awoke before Ichigo did. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and gazed affectionately upon her love.

Kaien-dono…so much more than a heart has born between us.

Ichigo woke up to find Rukia no longer beside him. Her side of the bed was still slightly warm, and he could hear a teakettle whistling. He smiled to himself.

And knew that he'd never sleep alone again.