A/N: If I may, I'd like to dedicate this one to my very first stalkers, dragonlady222 and girlof1000nicknames. There were times I was writing just for you two.
To all, enjoy the ride.
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Rukia watched as the teen fell forward to kiss the pavement. 'Passed out? I suppose you actually are human,"she thought, temporarily forgetting the pain of her sliced shoulder. She received an angry reminder when she tried to push herself up, though. She hissed from the pain.
"Have you everything under control?" a voice asked.
She spun around, shivering a bit from the cold. There was a man and a small girl. "Who are you?" she demanded, making her voice as threatening as she could muster.
"I am Urahara Kisuke. I own a shop nearby."
Rukia's eyes went wide. "You're..."
"Yes. But that is not of too much importance, I hope? I can give you a hand cleaning up this boy's mess, if you would like...?" he gestured for a name.
As much as she hated to admit it, she didn't have much of a choice. "Kuchiki. Kuchiki Rukia. I would appreciate some assistance, thank you."
"Wonderful! Ururu, would you go back to the store and get a few memory replacement devices?"
The dark-haired girl nodded, and parted.
"Let's start by getting this boy back into his body, hmm?"
"How... much did you see?"
"We saw the boy try to sacrifice himself to the hollow, then you bravely rescue him," Kisuke replied, sheathing Ichigo's sword and lifting his unconscious spirit form to his body. "Do you think he should remember?"
"He has to," the woman replied. "Whether he wants to or not, I need him to do my job until I heal."
"Ah! Of course!" the blonde replied, slipping soul back into body. Ururu returned. "Oh, good! Get the boy's sister, will you?" Kisuke asked her. She nodded again, and the two took the bodies inside. "Do you know which rooms are theirs, Kuchiki-san?"
"I know Ichigo's, I happened to enter the house by his room," she added quickly. "I do not know where the girl's rooms are."
All bedrooms were eventually found, and three out of four memories erased and replaced.
"And now you, Kuchiki-san," Urahara continued. "You'll be needing a gigai, yes?"
She nodded. "Thank you for your help tonight. I will reimburse you as soon as I am able."
"Now, now, of course! I am not worried! Come now, there are more important things to ponder. Such as, where will you be staying?"
"I hadn't given it much thought."
"Well, you are more than welcome to stay at the store."
"Some place I can stick close to him would be preferable. I never know when I'll get an order. I'll need a way to get him out of that body of his at a moment's notice. Oh, and I'll need to be attending the same school he is for a time."
"Of course, of course! We can make all the arrangements for you, right Ururu?"
The girl nodded. Rukia was beginning to wonder if the child could speak.
"That boy's room," Kisuke continued. "It has a rather large closet, don't you think? Far larger than a simple teenager like him would ever need."
"Are you insinuating I should stay in his closet, Urahara?"
"You did say you wanted to stay close, Kuchiki-san."
And as much as the woman hated to admit it, his sister's closets were likely full of clothes that would fit her as well. With a stubborn sigh, she nodded her agreement.
"I'm afraid we don't have any replacement souls at the moment, but I have an alternative that should work nicely."
"Thank you. For all your help."
"It's no trouble, Kuchiki-san! I promise you!"
After grabbing a dress and pajamas (and a couple books that looked interesting) from one of Ichigo's sisters, Rukia followed Urahara back to his store for the gigai. She ran the whole way back, seeing the sun start to make it's way over the horizon.
She got back in through the enormous hole in the wall, carefully making her way back upstairs so not to wake anyone. Almost immediately after closing Ichigo's door behind her, she heard one of the girls waking up, walking down the hallway with a yawn. 'I must have just missed her,' she thought. 'Lucky.'
Just then, the cause of all her night's trouble shifted in his sleep. She froze, hoping he wouldn't wake up. He didn't, and she found herself walking over to the bed.
'He looks so peaceful asleep. But then, I suppose most do.' She smiled softly, then leaned towards him to whisper what she definitely wasn't going to say when he did wake. "You did well today, Ichigo. Enjoy your sleep while you can. You won't be getting very much for awhile." She stood straight again, then turned to go into the closet.
The sun was over the horizon; she wouldn't be sleeping. Instead, she neatly tucked the pajamas and books into a corner where she could find them later.
While she was doing so, someone burst into the room. "Gooooood moooorrnnniiiing, Iiiiichigoooo!!" Then there was a crash.
She hoped no one was hurt, but she dare not come out of the darkened corner on the floor.
"What kind of sick freak attacks his own son in his sleep?!" she heard her new charge demand.
'His son?'
"Not bad, boy! I have nothing left to teach you!"
'Teach him? That would explain why he's already so strong physically...'
"Hey, where are your wounds?"
Rukia barely held back her snicker. 'Nothing gets by him...'
"Wounds? What wounds? Did I get hurt?"
"Say what?" Ichigo asked. His 'father' brought him downstairs then. She took the opportunity to slide the closet door shut, save for a crack, but could practically hear Ichigo's brain snapping from where she was a few moments later. She almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
When he came back upstairs, she could hear the sound of bones cracking. The yawn that followed told her he was stretching. She'd deny it to the day she died (again), but she peeked through the crack she'd allowed herself.
"Dammit, why'd Dad have to wake me up so early?" he muttered, switching on some music. Or what he seemed to call music.
She wouldn't deny, at least to herself, that he was attractive. But it was only then, as he was pulling clothes out drawers, that she realized something. Whether it was important or not remained to bee seen, but this human almost completely resembled Kaien-dono, the former vice-captain of her squad... now deceased.
Resembled, but Kaien-dono he definitely was not.
Kaien-dono would realize if he was being spied on. Ichigo was disgustingly oblivious.
And beautifully shirtless.
She looked away, a flush on her cheeks, wondering briefly what he would say if he saw her there. The 'music' covered up the giggle that escaped.
She felt like such a girl.
Especially when she peered back out into the room.
Ichigo was dressed now, flipping through a magazine on his bed. Suddenly, it was as if he remembered something, jolting up and turning the music off. He grabbed a small vase with a single flower in it, carefully put it in his bag, then practically flew out the door. Rukia followed as quietly as she could.
While was in the kitchen talking to his sisters, she took the opportunity to get out through the back door. Using the directions from Urahara, she ran towards the school, hoping the store owner had kept his word.
He had. Everyone in the school's office was expecting her, and 'luckily,' they said, there was an unused uniform on hand that she could use, but books might take a bit longer; she could share with someone in class until then. Receiving a class schedule, she wondered if any of her classes were with Ichigo.
When she entered the class, plenty of people said hello to her, and she made sure to be cordial, but no Ichigo. Part of her was disappointed.
Then she heard two girls discussing him before third period near her seat. "What's so great about him, Orihime?" the darker-haired girl was asking. "He's got tweaked out hair, rude, immature, short-tempered... a girl with boobs like yours could do better."
Did they know the same Ichigo? The Ichigo she'd met the night before was rather rude, but also brave, loyal to his-
"He may be absent today," a newcomer told them. "Ichigo, that is."
"How come, Mizuru?" the dark-haired girl asked him. "You usually come to school with him, don't you?"
"Yeah, but when I stopped by his place this morning, there was a big hole in his house. His dad said a big truck plowed into it in the middle of the night."
"A truck?!" she repeated, obviously concerned. "So?! Is he hurt?! Or maybe... dead?"
"Alive," an annoyed tone stated, as a book bag hit her head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but we all survived."
"Ichigo!" the girl with the boobs greeted him. "G-Good morning!"
"You're happy as usual, Orihime."
"You're here," 'Mizuru stated. "Weren't you fixing your house?"
Rukia couldn't believe it.
"For awhile. What's third period?"
The idiot actually didn't notice her sitting -right there.-
"Contemporary Events."
Time to take matters into her own hands. Literally, as she scribbled on one.
"Miss Ochi. She won't ask annoying questions."
"Are you Kurosaki?" she asked sweetly, though no where near as sweet as the look on his face. "Nice to meet you."
"Oh!" Mizuru said. "This is Kuchiki Rukia. It's an unusual time to transfer, but her family had to move."
"Kurosaki-kun, I don't have any books yet. Would you mind sharing yours with me?"
Then Ichigo's gaze fell on her hand. That girl with the boobs was right. His expressions were priceless.
