Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach

"Fill it up," I demanded coldly to the bartender giving me an 'I think you've had enough' look. "I said, fill-it-up," I made sure to say it slowly to stress out the last three words.

"Ma'am," the bartender replied in a shaky voice, "are you sure?"

I deepened my scowl towards him, releasing some reiatsu to paralyze the impotent man, "Yes, I'm sure." I told him, snatching the bottle from his hand. Afterwards, he quickly staggered off to the other side of the bar, making sure to stay clear from me.

"Kuchiki Rukia… how did you end up like this?" I said to myself with a sigh, taking one more shot of sake.

--

I was walking back to the fifth division, after a three day assessment in the real world. I was in charge of the new recruits we had this year. So naturally, I was going to inform the captain how things went and was even going to grace him to a small dinner. So I was making my way to the training grounds, where I felt him.

"Hehe… Kurosaki-taichou, you're helpless," I heard Hinamori squeal at Ichigo.

Ichigo deepened his usual scowl and frowned at her. She's gonna get it now, or so I thought. "Hinamori… how many times have I told you just to call me by my given name," he said with a playful frown. I could see Hinamori start to blush a little, as she suddenly started to fidget from one foot to another.

"Hai," I could barely hear her answer from where I was. I was hiding behind a tree, trying my best not to be noticed, which was hard at the moment. For some strange reason my reiatsu just wanted to pour out, as if to explode.

They both got back to what they were doing beforehand. It seemed that Ichigo was trying to learn some Kidou, not that it bothered me. I mean why would it, even thou he shrugged me off plenty of times before. When I kindly offered him help on the matter.

"No taich- Ichigo," Hinamori stammered at Ichigo, who was currently trying a destructive spell. "Like this," she said, grabbing Ichigo's hands and holding them in the right position. But why the hell isn't she letting go?

How dare her hold onto Ichigo, "That bitch," I said in a harsh whisper. Ichigo, sensing something, turned to look towards my direction, causing me to go stiff. "Damn it, that was close," I said in a breathless voice. I had accidently flared my reiatsu. I didn't know what was coming over me.

"Okay here it goes again," Ichigo responded, turning his attention back to Hinamori and then to the field ahead of him. "Hadou 33. Sōkatsui," Ichigo yelled, as he materialized a blue ball of energy that soon left his palm and created a huge crater in the other side of the field.

"Kyaaa, Taichou, taichou… you did it," chimed Hinamori in an ecstatic voice.

"Heh, I guess I did," Ichigo said with a sheepish smile, looking at the crater.

I was so shocked I found myself foolishly walking towards the pair. As I got a hold of myself and was about to dive to the nearest tree, Ichigo noticed me.

"Eh Rukia… what are you doing," he questioned me in a low mutter, not even noticing that Hinamori and he still had their limbs intertwined.

I froze slightly for not knowing what to say or how to react, as a blush started to run up my cheeks. After the longest six seconds of my life I rolled my throat, gaining back my composure and said, "Nothing Ichigo, I was just coming to see if you wanted to come to dinner so we could discuss the assessments, and more importantly… what are you doing?" I said as uncaringly as possible, staring at their intertwined hands. Both their faces flushed at the comment and hurriedly let go of the other.

"Uhmm, Hinamori was teaching me some kidou," Ichigo said stupidly, with a nervous glint in his eye.

"Oh…" Was all I said, waiting for his next response whether or not, he will join me for dinner.

He gave me a sheepish grin and said, "Aah, Hinamori told me she would take me out for tea, if I did it right…" he said pointing towards the crater, "…do you want to come too?" he invited me, turning his gaze back at me.

I froze; I wasn't expecting him to say no. He never says no to me. Even thou he did invite me to go with them, but still. I could feel so many emotions rushing through me: anger, jealousy, humiliation, and sadness. I didn't even know why since it was Ichigo for crying out loud, we've been friends for the last ten years, nothing more.

"Why Kurosaki-taichou thank you, but suddenly I don't feel so good. I'm extremely tired from the assessments. I think I'm going to go to my quarters and relax." I said in a sweat and fake voice, making sure to keep my lying eyes shut. That fool could always read me so easily.

He gave me a questioning look for a second then simply said, "Oh," resting his hand on his neck.

I turned and left the two. Since I wasn't tired at all, I didn't want to go to my quarters. Just the opposite, I could slay a thousand hollows right now, so I decided to take a detour, just a small one.

--

"Hi-na-mo-ri Mo-mo," I said venomously, drinking one more shot of sake.

I knew I was too nice to her. When Ichigo first became taichou of the fifth division five years ago, he pleaded me to be his fukutaichou. Since Hinamori plainly said, she wanted to kill him for killing Aizen. Ichigo even thought the girl was nuts and needed to be place at the detention unit. But I just had to vouch for her, with my big mouth. I told him to give her time, and she would eventually soften up to him.

So eventually she saw the light and started to befriend Ichigo and me. She even agreed to stay vice-captain of the fifth division. Then I happily became his third-seat, what a damn mistake that was.

"Damn it, I should be his fukutaichou, not her," I said in an angry slur, slamming my shot-glass down.

"Shit," I sighed, noticing my third bottle of sake just ran out. I got up and was one my way to fix that problem, helping myself to a new one behind the counter, "Don't worry… I'll get it," I said somberly to the rushing bartender, while I clumsily made my way back there.

"Ma-ma'am, you-you have to go now," he stammered, looking towards me.

I widened my eyes at such insolence coming from the man. "What did you say?" I asked humorlessly, touching the hilt of my zanpakutou.

"No-nonothing. Take it all, if you'd like," he whimpered, slumping down behind a table.

"Che," I snorted, lazily making my way back to my chair. "Heh… that's one problem taken care of," I said in a slur, opening the new bottle of sake.

"Hinamori," I coldly said once more, getting back to the subject. I needed to come up with something; I need Hinamori out of the picture. But how, I could always kill the brat and make it look like an accident. "Hehe," I let out a mischievous chuckle, putting the glass up to my mouth. That could work but too much work.

Why do I care anyways? It's not like Ichigo and I are an item. We are together an awful lot thou. He even sleeps at my quarters, in the spare futon, and vice versa.

No, how could I possibly like him like that. He's too arrogant, hot-headed, and brash. No, no way will I ever want to be with him like that. But still, he is my stupid Ichigo.

"Stupid Ichigo, stupid kidou," I let out a sigh full of melancholy.

"Who's stupid Rukia?" I gasped, as a voice tore me from my train of thought. I turned and saw that damn pumpkin head that has caused me all this turmoil.

"You are," I plainly stated, turning back around to my sake.

He went to sit in the chair beside me, and I could see his scowl deepening. "What's wrong with you Rukia?" he asked me in an irritated voice.

"Nothing," I said coldly, scowling just as hard as he.

"What do you mean nothing," he retorted, "I was called over here, saying that a subordinate of mine was making a mess of things, even threatening the people here," he finished telling me with much resentment.

I simply ignored the bastard next to me and poured myself some more warm sake. "I said, let's go," Ichigo brashly took a hold of my arm and jerked it, causing the warm sake to spill on my kimono.

I shrieked and quickly got up to get some napkins, but I stopped once I noticed Ichigo not letting go, "Kurosaki, let go of me," I spat out, narrowing my eyes at him.

"No, now let's go. You can change at your quarters," he told me in a stern voice, not faltering his grip.

"If you want to keep that hand, I'd suggest you let go," I told him, going for my hilt.

"Rukia, come on… stop playing around. Put that up," he told me calmly, looking into my fiery eyes.

Damn him, I could never do anything to hurt him, and he knew that. I uncharacteristically gave up and let him grab a hold of me.

Ichigo turned his gaze towards the crouching bartender hidden behind a table, "how much do I owe you?" he asked with a sympathetic tone, looking at all the empty sake bottles.

"Nothing, just take her and go," he begged Ichigo. I let out a snort in response; I wasn't that bad, was I?

--

Ichigo was currently escorting me back to my quarters, still not letting go of my arm. "Ichigo," I said in a lazy whisper, "Let go of me, I can walk just fine."

"Heh," he gave me a cocky snort.

"Ichigo, I mean it." I tried to say it coldly but came out as a whine instead. I deepened my scowl and stopped in place, challenging the carrot top.

He gave me a mischievous smirk and picked me, hanging me over his shoulders, "Ichigoo," I shrieked, "put me down now!"

"Not until you tell me what the hell is wrong with you," he said as he walked down the empty streets.

"Nothing is wrong with me," I retorted angrily at him. We walked like that for a good while before I broke the silence.

"Ichigo… would you be mad if Hinamori were to suddenly disappear?" I asked him childishly.

"Whaa," he sounded dumbfounded. He stopped and sat me down. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, looking into my eyes.

"Nothing, I just don't like the way she looks at you." I crossed my arms over my chest and turned my head away from him.

"Rukia… are you jealous?" he accused with a smug grin.

"No…" is all I said, turning my gaze back at Ichigo and holding my head up high, "maybe, I don't know," I said with a pout, as my confidence faltered.

Ichigo looked surprised to say the least. He stood there looking into my eyes, "Stupid," he softly said to me.

"What," I asked back, utterly confused by his change in behavior.

"Do you know why Hinamori was teaching me Kidou?" he asked me, and I lazily shook my head at him. "I wanted advice. Only way she would give it to me was to learn some," he finished saying, and I gave him an 'O' shaped look.

"On what?" I softly asked, looking into his amber eyes.

"On a certain little midget," he said, with a blush creeping up to his face. My face also becoming flushed, once I got the importance of his statement.

"Ichigo can I ride on your back, I'm tired," I asked, giving him a very timid smile.

He simply smiled back and crouched down, letting me hop onto his back. We stayed in calm silence for a while, walking down the starlit streets. I sat my chin down onto his shoulder and held him tighter than usual. Before sleep took me over I said, "Thank you Ichigo."

Hope you liked it.

Just published my new fanfic yesterday, Healing Our Dreams. It is an AU fic, how Rukia and Ichigo meet and learn to heal their wounds from the past. It will mainly be in Rukia's perspective but not in first person. The plot is also credible. Please go check it out, in my profile, if you haven't had the chance too, and also let me know if you like the first chapter. I'm currently writing the 2nd one. Thank you for your time, like always.