A/N: Hi all, I'm sorry that it has been a while but I have had exams, work, coursework, and loads to do. I plan to have the next chapter done by wednesday and I will explain fully then but basically there will be NO updates for the next three weeks after chapter three because I am in...Japan...hehe :p I will think of you all as I am buying bleach merchadise and anime things hehe.

WARNING: This story contains, swearing, violence, adult themes, limes and a lemon. M for a reason! Enjoy...

Chapter Two

Day Two: Caught!

When Rukia woke the next morning, she was in the most uncompromising position. She sleepily fumbled around, feeling a now familiar object and waking suddenly as her hands felt the heat. She held herself at arms length to find herself draped over her captain, her body lying over his. She blushed a deep shade of red as she sat up and rested on him. However she blushed harder as she realised where she was now sitting. She hastily slid off him nearly falling off the bed in her haste and making a thump as she steadied herself on the floor.

Jūshirō stirred in his light sleep, slowly waking to a frozen Rukia who was watching his every move. He frowned as her actions, only after a few awkward seconds did she straighten from her slightly bent over position, as she had picked herself up from the floor. She forced a laugh and rubbed the back of her neck as she stood up, and quickly headed towards the door, desperate to get out of the stifling unease.

"Rukia," he said, calling her hesitantly back.

"Yes, Captain," she managed to smile as she stood on the threshold.

"What happened last night?" he asked, a little confused, "I seem to recall you being cold and asking me to warm you?"

Rukia's blush continued as she tried to think of a way to phrase her reply.

"Well, um, yes, you did," she managed to say, "And that's pretty much it."

"I see," Jūshirō replied, the slightest blush colouring his pale cheeks, "I'm very sorry, Lieutenant. This will not happen again, I can assure you. That was a violation of captain-lieutenant boundaries, and as such I will never allow myself to succumb to the moment. I'm so sorry Lieutenant."

Rukia was speechless, aware of the small wave of disappointment that appeared from nowhere. Why should she be disappointed by this? It's not like she was attracted to him or anything…or…was she? Why couldn't she be? He was caring, loving, had a strong sense of justice and moral decency, humorous, tall, had an amazing body, toned muscles, and was absolutely fucking gorgeous! Her legs began to feel weak beneath her, threatening to fail at any moment. She forced herself to speak, anything to force her mind off him.

"Yes, captain," she replied, forcing a confident voice, "I understand, I was completely out of line, it will not happen again."

She had to look away as he slid out of bed and grabbed his dressing gown, for she was certain that her body would fail if she were to sweep her gaze along his body. She stared at the floor as she heard him pace around, grabbing several things and making the bed quickly.

"I will contact the soul society as soon as possible and get a transfer to a bigger place, please bear with me until then," Jūshirō asked with a smile as he took his phone and brushed past her to go in the kitchen.

"Yes," she said, even though he had passed her and was out of ear shot, her voice had been barely above a whisper. She turned back suddenly, only to find that she was staring at the living room couch and her captain was already in another room. She sighed, however frowning at the noise as soon as she had made it, why was she sighing? She shrugged, confused at her own actions before she rummaged through her luggage and whipped out her clean Shihakusho. She hurried to the bathroom, bolting past Jūshirō with a flash and shutting the door behind her. She shook her head at her silliness before slipping off her pyjamas and dressing for their mission.

Jūshirō turned on the stove pouring a smidgen of oil into the pan and taking out a myriad of ingredients. He looked around, suddenly remembering something which he would need for the mission and field work later. He brushed the feeling of worry off for a second turning back to the stove, however he turned back again, even more worried that he may have lost it in the chaos of last night. He turned the temperature down and hurried off to the living room. He checked the table and the couch, making sure it had not fallen anywhere before standing up straight and pointing towards the bathroom, suddenly remembering he had left it in there.

The bedroom door was shut, and Jūshirō automatically assumed that Rukia was changing in there. He opened the bathroom door, keeping his head down until he looked up to see Rukia standing, frozen in her underwear. Time seemed to have stood still as she was frozen, exposing her body to him, her bra and panties her only covering. He too was stationary as he saw her, his gaze slowly sweeping down her delicate neck and shoulders and over her perfect breasts, cupped in her lace bra. He felt himself stir as he couldn't help but carry on and gaze at her hour-glass shape, her flat stomach and wide hips. Her legs were toned from training and Jūshirō found himself with the immense need to stroke her, to feel if she was as soft as she looked.

It had only happened in a few seconds, but for the two of them it had felt like centuries.

"Captain!" Rukia said in a raised voice as she turned away from him, cutting off his transfixed gaze.

"Sorry! Sorry!" he apologized profusely, inwardly cursing himself for his actions, "I didn't know you were in here!"

He rushed out of the room, slamming the door and resting against the wall outside, his heart pounding and he heard the sound of blood rushing in his ears. He waited for a while, only moving to the kitchen when his breathing had returned and his heart a normal rate. His gaze flickered to the bathroom door for an instant and he found himself slightly blushing again. He sighed, he had had no idea she was in there! He was only looking for his soul candy and now…now this! He closed his eyes mulling over his defence, however he soon found his thoughts wandering.

He had no idea she was like that. He hadn't really thought about it until now, he had briefly passed it over in his mind last night, when he had first seen her shoulders but now, he had seen what she hides under her baggy Shihakusho. He didn't understand, if she was as stunning as this, then why was she not followed by men constantly? He never saw her with male friends, except Renji and Ichigo and he was certain that they were only her friends, but never anyone else, only female friends. Maybe she was inclined that way? Could it be possible that she swung the other way, as they say? He shook his head, it wasn't fair, she was pretty, smart, had an amazing body and yet she went for women!

He turned back abruptly, why should it bother him? It's not like he fancied her or anything. He pushed her image of out his head in time for him to hear the bathroom door opening. He jumped ten foot as he heard her walking towards him, making his heart beat faster again.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," he apologized again as he turned round to meet Rukia's steel gaze and her furious persona.

"You could have knocked!" she barked at him, her body shaking with anger and embarrassment. Her face was a deep red as she blushed while she faced him. She kept her head turned to the side, refusing to look at him for more than a second.

"I'm so sorry, Lieutenant," he tried, "I will next time, but I'm not used to the need to knock, I live alone and don't have the need knock as there is only me."

"You live alone?" Rukia asked quickly, her voice soft and quiet, almost sympathetic as she temporarily forgot she was angry, "Not even with a g-girlfriend?

"No," he replied, raising his eyebrows at the softness in her voice, "I don't have one, but I fail to see how this is relevant to-"

"Yes! Please knock next time!" Rukia carried on as she tired to cover up her inquiring mind, "And you shouldn't have gawked at me!"

"Gawked at you?" Jūshirō replied, keeping his voice as strong as possible, even though he knew he was completely in the wrong and he was going to have to lie through his back teeth, "I never gawked at you!"

"Yes you did!" she yelled at him, "I saw you, you looked at me!"

"I didn't," he concluded, bringing his voice down, "Now, it's behind us, let's have breakfast and I will contact the soul society before we go into the city. I will have us transferred to a different location. If you want we can split up into two different locations, I'm sure we can arrange it if necessary!"

"Yes, I think that would be for the best," Rukia replied, also keeping lowering the pitch of her voice.

"Right, now that that's settled," Jūshirō said with an attempt at a smile, "Would you like some, um, breakfast?"

"No, thank you," Rukia said in a matter-of-fact voice, unable to comprehend an awkward breakfast with her captain, "I will go to Ichigo's house and have breakfast there."

"Oh, ok," Jūshirō replied, slightly relieved that there would be no awkward silence between them, "Well I will sort this out with the soul society and contact you on your cell on when to meet up so we can move."

"Yes, Captain," she continued in a pissed off voice, as she turned around and headed towards the door. As she exited the flat, refusing to give Jūshirō a backwards glance, she slammed the door muttering the word 'pervert' under her breath. Jūshirō rolled his eyes at her as she left.

He turned back to the stove and turned the heat up, sighing as he poured oil into the pan and returned it back to the well stocked cupboard. He shook his head, he hadn't meant to look at her, it was an accident and he was only a man. He drummed his fingers on the counter, realising the explanation as to why she didn't have a boyfriend: she didn't understand men. She didn't know that it would be impossible for him not to look, that he was a man and that he found her extremely attractive. He shrugged his shoulders; maybe she did bat for the other team after all. As he continued with his own breakfast, he began to ponder a way to apologize as guilt slowly seeped though him.

xxxxxxx

"Oh Rukia!" Isshin cried at the top of his voice, "My third daughter has returned!"

Isshin bounded up to a shocked Rukia, preparing to embrace her before Ichigo punched him out of the way, sending him flying across the room.

"Don't do that to her, you pervert!" he yelled at his crumpled father in a disgusted voice. He turned to Rukia, apologizing profusely and offering her a seat at the table, which, she gratefully accepted.

"Another mission here is it?" Ichigo asked as Yuzu filled her plate with allsorts of food. Rukia nodded as she took it from the young girl and waited for the rest of the family to get their breakfasts. Ichigo didn't wait for his sisters before he began to shovel his mouth full, earning him snide comments from his father, who, had now sat down with the family.

"Is it just you, or are you here with another reaper?" Ichigo continued.

"I'm here with my captain," she said with a slight blush that didn't go unnoticed, "But we aren't on speaking terms at the moment."

"Why is that? I thought Ukitake was a pretty ok kind of guy," Ichigo mused as he continued to gorge himself.

"He is, I guess," she tried to phrase as she too began to eat, "We just aren't used to being together this much, and we aren't that close so it's been sort of a wake up call!"

"I see," Isshin contributed, his cheek still stinging from Ichigo's blow, "And you are staying with him?"

"Yes," Rukia replied, "Unfortunately."

"What do you mean by that?" Yuzu asked, her voice innocent as usual.

"Oh, well…you see…" Rukia started, beginning to blush a little as the family fixed their gaze upon her intently, "We have been sent to the wrong place and there is only one bed…so we had to sh-share it."

"No!" Isshin cried as he stood up and stroked the poster of his wife on the wall, "Oh, my wife! It's the day we've been dreading! The day when one of our daughters sleeps in a bed with a man! And not just any man, an older and handsome man at that!"

Isshin cried fake tears on the floor, oblivious to the look between Rukia and Ichigo. The two of them didn't need words, the history and memories between them was enough; nobody knew that for the brief period that they shared, Rukia had spent many nights in his bed. Like all good things, it came to an end, and although Rukia felt some form of love him, she knew it wasn't true love. She also knew that Ichigo knew how she felt and so when Orihime began to spend more time with Ichigo and expressed her feelings, Rukia's feelings of jealousy began to dwindle further and further until they vanished all together. So it didn't come to a shock to all three of them when Ichigo suggested the break up. Of course he felt some loss, Rukia was one of his best friends and he had risked his life to save hers, but Orihime had been his childhood friend and had loved him since the beginning. Both of them had come off better from the relationship, they had both remained good friends, Ichigo was generally happier with Orihime and Rukia had gained experience in relationships and with men in general.

She smiled as Isshin continued to cry, earning him a sly comment from Karin. She excused herself as Ichigo joined her, grabbing his school bag and jacket as he did so.

"What happened with Ukitake then?" Ichigo asked, making Rukia freeze for a brief second, "I know there's more to it than what you are telling me."

"It's fine, honestly," she insisted, leading the way out briskly.

"Rukia," he said as he grabbed her hand stopping her and looking directly at her for the first time, "I know you better than that, and you know I do."

"Its just that there was a misunderstanding with him today and it was a bit of a shock, but is all ok; I have gotten over it,"

Ichigo was about to object, but another voice cut him off.

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried from down the street, her small dress emphasizing her size over Rukia's, if this was a contest; she didn't have a bat in hell's chance. Rukia sighed Orihime hugged Ichigo enthusiastically, reminding Rukia to keep her eyes peeled for any men her age that may be around the soul society.

"Fancy seeing you here, Rukia," Orihime said as she detached herself from Ichigo, "Are you doing soul reaper stuff?"

"Yes," Rukia replied politely, "I'm on a mission with my captain."

"That's right," Ichigo pressed her for answers, "What misunderstanding? What happened?"

"We need to go," Orihime reminded him with a smile, "Or we will be late!"

"He may have…kinda…sorta, seen me in my underwear," she said quickly revealed as Ichigo shuffled towards the direction of school a little more.

"He what?!" Ichigo said, however he could not continue as his watch beeped, reminding him of his limited time schedule, "Listen, join is for dinner tonight as we can discuss it then." He then waved and said a quick goodbye before he and Orihime dashed off to school, leaving Rukia alone.

She sighed as she walked off in the opposite direction, kicking a stone that was nearby into a wall before checking her watch. The only problem now was that she had no idea what to do. Since she had left in such a hurry this morning she hadn't conferred with her captain as to which areas she should be scanning, for how long and what to do when any strange activity does occur. She sighed again, knowing she needed her captain's guidance but too embarrassed to go back. She carried on walking, eventually finding a deserted playground near the flat. She perched on a swing for a while, holding her phone tightly in her hand, waiting for him to make the first move.

xxxxxxx

"Yes, I'll hold," Jūshirō replied with a sigh, drumming his fingers on the work top, feeling agitated now, an unusual feeling him due to his easy-going nature. He glanced at the clock, noting how he had spent two hours at least trying to get through to the soul society and then when he did, to a competent person who would sort out this mess. So far, he had spoken to five different people who had all told him to hold before passing him onto the next clueless person. After five minutes, fed up with this situation, he grabbed his Gigai and keys before making his way out of the apartment, now visible to humans to get some fresh air.

"Listen," he said, keeping his voice as friendly as possible, which was becoming increasingly difficult, "This is Captain Ukitake, Jūshirō. There has been a mix up of accommodation in the real world, where we are on a mission. Could I please speak to someone who can please transfer us to a more adequate facility?"

"No I will not hold, I want to sp-" he was cut off as the phone line disconnected, what the hell was going on?

He sighed as he walked around the empty street, having no clue where he was going or what he was to do. He continued to wander around as he flipped open his phone, dialling a number which he prayed would help him. He waited in suspense, desperately needing him to answer and help him in this crisis. After several rings the man at the other end of the line answered and Jūshirō wasted no time in explaining his problem.

"Shunsui, it's Jūshirō," he said quickly, "I have a problem, help me!"

"Hi Jūshirō," Shunsui replied in his usual casual voice, "I thought you were in the real world."

"I am," he explained, trying to not get even more frustrated, "That's why I have a problem on my hands."

"Ok, ok," Shunsui laughed, "What's the big problem?"

"The Soul society has screwed up," he revealed, "Basically, they have placed Rukia and I in a one bedroom flat where there is only one double bed and we have to share it, as well as sharing a bathroom, where, I walked in on her this morning, nearly naked!"

"Well aren't you the lucky one," he laughed, "Why is that a problem?"

"Because we can't share a flat! We can't share a bed and a bathroom!" he nearly shouted.

"Calm down, calm down," Shunsui advised, "Kami, you're so uptight, you need to get laid and get rid of this unnecessary stress!"

"I do not need to get laid!" he protested, "I'm stressed because the soul society is being incompetent today, not because I haven't had sex in a while."

"So you want to change accommodations, do you?" Shunsui said with a sigh.

"YES!" Jūshirō said with a small smile, relieved that someone finally got it.

"Well," Shunsui replied cheekily, "I am not the person to authorise that and I am not going to contact the mission department because it will do you good to spend some time with a woman. She will be good for you, trust me…now, Nanao is going shopping for swim suits, or so her diary says, so I am going to spy on her."

Jūshirō sighed, he didn't get it at all, apparently no one did, how hard was it? And now Shunsui was trying to patch him and Rukia up, why was the universe conspiring against him? He was about to reply when he heard a goodbye and the sound of the disconnected tone. He rolled his eyes as he continued, following the path round the flats and houses, keeping his head down as he pondered on what to do. "Ok," he thought, "this is the situation". He was stuck in a one bedroom flat with his subordinate. Her stuff was all mixed in with his as hers. Her underwear, perfume, moisturiser, lip balm, and other things were in the drawers and on the shelves amongst his things, reminding him of her presence and as soon as he entered the rooms she had been in, he could smell her, her almost intoxicating scent, a scent that made him want to take her in his arms and never forget her incredible she was. Not only that, but he had seen her nearly naked and now he felt that he wanted to spend more time with her, for no reason whatsoever. He groaned, it was only day two and already he was beginning to feel this weird sensation around her.

After a while of contemplating this awkward situation, he had wound round several buildings, had taken several different paths and had eventually come across a grassy area. He frowned at the grass, looking up to see a playing field with a play park next to it. He continued, walking over the grassy area, watching the few passing people with their dogs before making his way to the playground. He rested on the bright red railings before looking up and spotting a young girl on the swing, her short raven hair moving slightly as a gust of wind blew. He squinted, realising that the girl looked awfully like Rukia, but, it couldn't be, for she was at Ichigo's, wasn't she? He anxiously moved to the gate, cursing the rusty sound of the metal catch as he opened it. As to be expected, Rukia looked up at him, instantly blushing before looking back down, her eyes fixed to the floor. Jūshirō continued forward, sitting on the swing next to her and sighing.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said after a few painfully awkward minutes, "I didn't know you were in the bathroom, since the bedroom door was shut, I presumed you were in there. And I'm sorry if I looked at you, I was just shocked is all…not, not that you body is shocking at all, it's very nice…but I don't mean that in a pervy way at all, just that-"

"Keep digging and digging," Rukia said with a small smile, cutting him off, "I understand what you mean though, and thank you, it's nice to know somebody likes my body, unlike someone who went after another girl who has bigger boobs."

"I fail to see how he could end it over that," Jūshirō said without thinking, "Your breasts look lovely to me anyway."

Rukia shot a glance at her captain, blushing furiously, "Captain! How dare you hit on me!"

"I am not hitting on you," he replied quickly, finding himself begin to blush too, "I didn't meant that. I said it without thinking!"

Rukia looked back down, feeling both flattered and creeped out for he was at least a millennium older than her.

"Well I also said that without thinking, I shouldn't have said about my past," she said quietly.

"No, it's ok," Jūshirō said quickly, "I wouldn't mind knowing."

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied, not wanting to disclose with her captain her whole intimate past with Ichigo, it wouldn't be appropriate. She herself wouldn't want to hear about his past lovers, so why should he hear about hers? "How did you know I was here, anyway?"

Her question caught him off guard as he had been watching her intently, watching her as she had stared at the ground deep in thought, wondering what she was thinking, unable to tear his eyes away from her, "Oh, I, um, I didn't, I was just walking around and then I found you here."

Rukia nodded, now aware that he was looking at her as she could see him in her peripheral vision and confirming her suspicions as she looked up to meet his gaze for a few seconds before looking away again. "Why are you staring at me, Captain?"

"I'm not," he assured her quickly, "I was looking at the floor."

"Yeah, right," Rukia protested, "I caught you staring, why? Why stare at me?"

Rukia could not ignore the sensation of butterflies as she asked her this, and her heart was beating faster and faster, though she had no idea why, there was nothing between them so why should it matter, perhaps she had something on her face he was looking at, it had to be something like that.

"I wasn't, I was-" he started to say.

"Excuse me?" a young girl cut him off, making him look up at her. She was smiling brightly, a small blush on her face as she placed her school bag on the floor, "Are you all right?"

"Why, yes," Jūshirō replied, "Thank you. Why do you enquire?"

"Oh," the girl said as Jūshirō smiled at her, making her blush harder, "I saw you talking to yourself so I was wondering if everything was ok."

Jūshirō chuckled as he glanced at Rukia, who was invisible to the girl as she had forgotten her Gigai, before looking back at the auburn haired girl, "Don't worry, it's how I sort things out and how I deal with things."

"Oh, as long as you're ok," she continued, beginning to play a section of her long hair and refusing to move, "So, do you live around here?"

"No," he replied, fascinated at her sudden interest in him, "I am just visiting."

"I see, are you taking a break from university or something?"

"Yes," he lied, "Are you in university too?"

She shook her head as Rukia too watched in enthralment, however unseen to the girl, "I am in high school, but I will be going there next year, and I have always wanted to d-date a university student."

Rukia gasped as she looked at Jūshirō now, aware of the girl's intentions and curious as to how Jūshirō would respond.

Jūshirō laughed, admitting to himself that she was a pretty girl, and seemed to be charming enough, but despite this, even though the obvious drawback was that he was old enough to be her great, great, great, great grandfather, she wasn't the girl who gave him butterflies constantly and made him feel incredible with just a brief cuddle, no, that was the work of the girl next to him, and for that, she was just another charming girl. Another girl amongst millions of them.

"Well I'm flattered," he told her sweetly, "But I don't think my girlfriend would appreciate me getting too close with another girl."

"Oh," she said, disappointment sweeping across her face, "Well, never mind, I'm sorry to have bothered you." She picked up her bag quickly and walked away briskly; embarrassed that she had done that.

Jūshirō watched her rush out of sight before turning back to a stunned Rukia.

"You don't have a girlfriend," she managed to say, "Why did you say that?"

"Because," Jūshirō pointed out, "I can hardly start anything with her, for the reason that, I am millennia older than her, because of the fact that I am a soul, having died a long, long time ago. Not a great start to the relationship. The only reason she can actually see me is because I am in a faux body."

"I guess," Rukia replied slowly, realising that he was right.

"Besides," he said more quietly, "I have my eye on someone else. Someone who does belong in the soul society."

"Who? Who?" she chirped, excited now, "Is it Captain Unohana? She is near your age and is one of the first captains, like you!"

"I'm not telling you," he teased, "You'll have to work it out."

"Mean," Rukia said with a pout.

"And what do you mean, my age?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh, nothing, of course," Rukia said quickly, "I didn't mean anything by it, honest!"

"Hm," Jūshirō said, "If you say so…and what's your opinion on age gaps then?"

"Age gaps?" she questioned before thinking for a few moments, while Jūshirō waited in suspense for her answer, "Well I guess it doesn't matter about age, as long as both partners are happy, then it shouldn't be a problem."

"I see," Jūshirō replied with a smile, relieved at her answer.

"Oh," Rukia said quickly, remembering the hopeful change of accommodation, "Have we been re-located?"

"About that," Jūshirō said slowly, unsure as how to break it to her gently, "The thing is, that the soul society are unable to move us as they are experiencing failure within the system, no one was able to sort it out, so I'm afraid we are stuck. Not only that but they also pointed out that it was only for a week – less than a week now, since we are on day two, so we may as well just tough it out."

"O-k…" Rukia managed to say, not sure how to feel about it. However after a minute, she began to assess the situation more clearly. It wasn't that bad, they could sleep on different sides of the bed, as previously agreed, and they could live together for a short while. This morning had been an accident and he had assured her that it wouldn't happen again and it couldn't be all that bad, at least she would get to stare at his toned chest some more this way.

"Is it ok?" Jūshirō asked carefully, watching as she was smiling to herself.

"Yes," she replied, "I'm sure we will manage."

Jūshirō nodded as he checked his watch, raising his eyebrows at the time. "Well, we must be getting to the mission, it is nearly midday."

"Oh, of course," replied Rukia, having also lost all sense of time.

"Well, I will be returning at six, obviously I will still be monitoring reiatsu when we get back but we can relax a little then," he informed her, "So you can come back any time really. You only need to give me an indication as to when you are returning so I can sort supper out and such things."

"That's very nice of you, but you shouldn't organise your time around me," she pointed out, "I can sort things out myself, to save you the trouble."

"It's no trouble," he quickly interjected, however only to be cut off by her.

"No, really, it's fine."

"Rukia, it is not a problem, I will perhaps enjoy cooking for another person," he assured her.

"Well I really don't want to add more to your work load," she said curtly as she stood up and began to walk off again, however Jūshirō caught her wrist, keeping her still. She was not only still because of him, but it seemed her whole body had set to that position as she felt the static pass between them. Jūshirō also could not deny the new sensation that was passing between them, however neither of them knew what the feeling was, only that neither of them wanted to lose it as it was strangely pleasant.

"W-What is this?" Rukia managed to ask, unable to look at him for sheer embarrassment.

"I don't know," Jūshirō replied truthfully, just as unsure as her, "It's possible it's static electricity." He quickly released her wrist, losing the sensation and inwardly sighing.

"We'd better start the mission now," Rukia suggested as she inspected her wrist a little, "That's why we're here."

"Yes, Lieutenant," he replied quickly, "You should check the east side of the city, while I check the west. Check for any strange or strong reiatsu and make sure you keep in contact."

Rukia nodded before she flash stepped away, putting mass distance between her and her captain and feeling both relief and loss as she did so. She was glad to be out of the slightly awkward atmosphere; however she wouldn't have minded speaking to him a little more, for as her initial thoughts were correct, he seemed a gentleman through and through. She found herself smiling for a second before she instantly shook her head and continued to flash step, passing the bustling streets and several schools where she heard the sound of laughter and games being played before stopping at the very east outskirts of the city. She stood for a few minutes, getting her breath back before walking along the less crowded street slowly. Even though she didn't usually mind missions in the real world, today felt different, her heart wasn't in it, and she feared her attention along with her heart was elsewhere. She scowled before flash stepping upwards, stopping at the top of a large building and sitting down, dangling her legs over the edge, unable to concentrate on the mission.

She shrugged, she couldn't sense any strange reiatsu and she was too distracted to do anything if importance. She lay back, staring at the clouds and trying to make shapes out of them, however she was too distracted to do that. An almost nagging feeling plagued her, and only when she could not take it anymore did she succumb to it. As she thought, her root problem was her Captain, she could not shake off their conversation and she found herself running it over and over in her mind, each time finding something different. The more she thought, the more she could see how gorgeous he was, how caring and calm he was, how funny and charming he was, as if he could do no wrong.

And then she remembered the night Kaien had died, making her shiver as she sat up, as if there had been a change of temperature in the air. He had known then, known what to do, how to protect Kaien's pride, her pride and her life. Even through his illness, he still knew how to handle life and never seemed to struggle in any way. But then, mustn't he be lonely? According to everything he had revealed to her, he lived alone, with no family or girlfriend, so...where does he get his strength from? She hugged herself, trying to keep warm as she pondered this, trying to work out how the air had become so cold so quickly. However she wasn't cold for long before she felt a warm material wrap around her. She quickly looked at her shoulders and saw a white coat covering her before she put it on and closed her eyes and inhaled, taking in an increasingly familiar scent, a homely and sweet aroma.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she stayed as she was, feeling suddenly safe comforted.

"It's ok," he replied, "You look freezing and tired. And I was beginning to worry when I felt your reiatsu become fainter and fainter, so I decided to check up on how things were going."

Rukia was about to reply that she didn't need checking up on bur given the fact that she was shivering and lethargic, she couldn't prove otherwise. As for her tiredness, she had actually gotten a good night's sleep in his arms so she couldn't blame it on a sleepless night.

"I'm ok," she lied, "I guess I am feeling a little dizzy is all."

"Maybe I should take you back and then carry on working," he suggested, "I don't want you to get ill."

"No," she said quickly, turning to face him and nearly gasping as she did so, "I'm ok." She was surprised as to how young he looked without his captain's coat and the wind caught his hair lightly. She blushed as she looked down, cursing her attraction to him.

"Are you sure, because I can easily take you back," he said gently.

"I'm fine," she assured him, standing up quickly and taking a few steps back, however as his coat was rather big on her, she fell backwards with a cry and expected to hit the hard ground, clenching her eyes, ready for the pain. However she never felt that pain as she was caught in mid air, making her open her eyes slowly. As she did so, she gasped as Jūshirō was bent over her, one hand underneath her, keeping her upright. Her heart had never raced so fast, even when she was with Ichigo, never before had she felt such an intense feeling. For a brief second, the want for him to kiss her was overbearing as he lingered above her, he was so close, and she could have sworn that she could hear his heart beating, pounding just as fast as hers.

"Are you ok?" he asked as he brought her up so that she was standing.

"Yes, yes," she replied, "I just fell over."

"You should be more careful," he advised.

Rukia nodded, keeping her face cheerful as her head swarmed with confusion, different things filling her head. She shook her head a little, before smiling at him, giving him her promise that she was ok.

"Well ok," he said eventually, not able to press this matter any further, "If you feel ill, go back, I will see you later."

He gave her a smile before flash stepping out of sight and leaving her with his captain's robe, which, she thankfully kept around her, his scent rubbing off onto her. She was so confused, why was she feeling like this? She didn't even know what it was and couldn't even imagine what it could be. If there was anything that she felt for her captain, she decided to quell. There was no point in it; she knew it would only happen because she was on the re-bound, even though she knew that she had truly gotten over Ichigo months ago. She clicked her fingers together, knowing how to fix the situation. It was clearly obvious she had picked up a bug of some description, that was the cause of her dizziness and butterflies and she was blaming it on pre-mature feelings directed towards her captain. She then knew that she had to sleep well and get better and that she and her captain will keep their distance from each other, it was a perfect plan…wasn't it? One thing she hadn't taken into account however, was Jūshirō's actions.

xxxxxxx

Ichigo chucked his things into his school bag before going to wait by the school gates to pick Orihime up and take her home. He leant against the pillar when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, making him flip it open and check the new message.

Ichigo, thank you for the offer of dinner tonight, but I'm afraid I will have to pass on the invitation tonight as I have previous engagements, maybe some other time perhaps? Rukia.

Ichigo shrugged as he put his phone back, waiting a little longer as he frowned, what pervious engagements? Did Rukia have a date? With whom? Had she met somebody in the real world that quickly? He was glad she had finally moved on however, and he smiled when Orihime bounded up to him.

xxxxxxx

"What's this?" Jūshirō asked as he inspected the box and read the writing on it, "This year's must see romance movie."

"I'm not sure," she admitted as she put the DVD in the player and changed the channel, "Rangiku said that if I was ever on a mission and I had some spare time, then I must watch it."

Jūshirō nodded slowly as he read the title once more and looked at the pictures, "It's a western movie?"

"Yeah, I think so," Rukia said as she sat on the sofa, tired but happier since her decision on what to do, "You don't have to watch it, I was going to watch it by myself so you can read or something if you want to."

"I will watch it too," he decided, "If you don't mind."

Rukia shook her head, why should she mind? He had every right to watch it with her, everything would be fine so long as they both sat on their own side of the sofa, "I don't mind."

Jūshirō smiled as he sat down with her, taking to his own side of the sofa and noting the time.

"Thank you, for tea," Rukia said with a blush, "It was really good."

"That's ok," Jūshirō replied with a chuckle, "I enjoyed cooking for you too."

"How did you learn to cook like that?" she asked, amazed at his skills.

"When you live alone like I do," he pointed out, "You have to keep busy somehow."

"Oh," she said, feeling the same compassion for his as before, "It must be lonely."

"Yeah," he revealed, "There are times that when I need someone to be there, and there just isn't."

A wave of pity washed over her, her eyes opening wider for a second, that's what the feeling was, pity. She nodded at having finally pinned the feeling down, and yet, a tiny voice in the back of her head told her otherwise.

After an hour and a half of the film, Rukia was sitting on the edge of the seat, tears forming as she watched the tragedy occur. She gripped the sofa cushions as she continued to watch through watery eyes, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks at any moment.

Jūshirō also watched, also feeling the effects of the compelling storyline, however keeping his emotions slightly more under control than Rukia. He turned to face her as she made a small noise and a few silent tears fell down her cheeks.

"Rukia?" he asked gently, shocked to see her crying, he had only seen her cry on the night that Kaien had died. He was prompted by her lack of reply, "Rukia, are you ok?"

It was now that she managed to look at him, making him short of breath as her eyes glistened with tears, her look almost asking him if she looked ok to him. Despite it being obvious, she shook her head.

"Oh Rukia," he soothed, "Come here."

She gratefully accepted his offer and threw herself into his warm embrace, burying her head into his chest and making a wet patch on his night shirt. She didn't care about her previous decision, for she, like him, was happy with the comfort of having someone there. It was then that she realised that she and Jūshirō were not so dissimilar as she was just as lonely as him, spending nights alone in front of the TV since Nii-Sama never spent time with her, followed by sleeping alone, her king sized bed made for one. After a while of being within his arms, she shifted a little, moving to rest her head on the sofa arm as she lay down. Jūshirō smiled as he decided to lie behind her, his warm breath tickling her ear. He couldn't help but stroke her hair a little, making her close her eyes at the wonderful feeling. However he stopped as she made a small noise, a noise which he did not recognise as being pleasure. Her eyes shot open again as he stopped, causing her to quickly wipe them.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, "I shouldn't have done that, and it's against captain-lieutenant boundaries."

"It's ok," she said quietly, "I actually…kinda like it…it's sorta soothing…"

Jūshirō smiled as he began again, gently running his fingers through her soft hair, her scent wafting. Rukia felt a tingle run up her back as his fingers brushed her ear delicately, almost as if he were teasing her. She froze, staying completely still with anticipation, unsure of his next move. Part of her was wary, however a very different part of her was almost begging for him to do something that shattered the boundaries. She wanted him to keep stroking her skin, nibble her ear a little before finding the spot on her neck and making her melt inside. Before she could snap out of her momentary daydream, his voice encouraged her a little, though he did not know it.

"You look tired, you should sleep, Rukia," he advised.

She nodded as she shifted, turning to face him and instantly regretting it. Her gaze was fixed upon him as she saw how he was propped up on one arm, his fingers now on her cheek as she had moved. She could not tear her eyes away from his relaxed form, seeing that he was just as happy as she was. Never before had she seen the smile that he had given her, and she had never seen the true depth of his warm brown eyes before, which, she was convinced, he had shown only to her.

As she lay facing him, she closed her eyes, listening to the desires of her heart as they for the brief instant, were compelled towards him. She closed the already tiny gap between them so there was not a sliver of space between them.

Jūshirō, who also at the moment felt drawn to her, whether he was under the influence of the romantic movie or otherwise, responded to her actions. He traced her cheeks, her nose, and every part of her face with a light touch. She sighed in contentment as he then trailed her neck and collar bone, no longer caring as he kissed her forehead, an unfamiliar feeling gripping him as he did so. He watched as Rukia fell asleep, but before she did so, she reached up, taking his hand within hers. He smiled as sleep soon took over him, holding her hand with equal grip as she did his.

xxxxxxx

Jūshirō woke up a few hours later, a little cramped and stiff. He got up slowly, stopping as his hand was still attached to Rukia's. He gasped a little as he saw how close they were and remembering how he has stroked her. Had that really happened? Or was it a strange dream? He careful slipped his and out of hers before sitting up, noting how the TV and turned itself off and how it was now the early hours of the morning. He managed to grab the remote and turn off the DVD player and was about to take Rukia into their room so she could sleep more comfortably when she stirred, mumbling in her sleep. His eyes widened when she heard his name, his first name rather than being called Captain Ukitake. He smiled however, instantly liking how she said it, even if she was asleep.

He stayed for a minute when her mumbles sounded a little more liked cries, and his name became clearer. He lay back down as she stirred violently, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into him fully.

"I'm here," he whispered, "And I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

After a few minutes, she seemed to calm down and sleep took over him again, it was the second night she had spent in his comfort.

Please review, thank you everyone for your reviews! Next chapter up soon, called "Protector." Bye for now! =3