Disclaimer: Sadly Bleach isn't mine and if it was there would be a bit more romance (-;

My Protector

Chapter Two

"Byakuya?" Ichigo said dumbly, completely taken aback by who was standing in front of him. "W-what are you doing here?" he asked taking a quick glance at Rukia. She was wearing the familiar white robes that he had seen her wear when she had first given him her power and again when she had been locked up in Senzaikyu.

"Kurosaki Ichigo" Byakuya replied in a monotone voice. "I…" he paused as if deciding what words he should use "I have a favour to ask of you". "I wish for Rukia to stay here in the real world with you" it was more of a demand than a question.

"Uh, sure" Ichigo said. That was no problem seeing as Rukia practically lived with him anyway. "What happened to her?" Ichigo asked once again his eyes lingered to Rukia's unconscious form.

"Her powers have been stripped" he continued before Ichigo could interrupt "but I believe that her ability to become a shinigami may be able to be restored." "Seeing, as she has spent so much time around you, it seems that Rukia has absorbed some of your reiatsu" explained Byakuya. "When Captain Yamamoto went to destroy her Saketsu and Hakusui a tiny shred of her reiatsu hid itself inside your reiatsu deep inside her soul." Ichigo kind of understood what he was saying, it was the same as when Byakuya had tried to destroy his own shinigami powers.

"Why did Yamamoto take her power?" Ichigo asked angrily clenching his fists.

"The reason is still unclear even to me, but I'm sure Rukia will give you full details when she awakens, please take her" said Byakuya placing Rukia in Ichigo's arms.

'I am always surprised by how light she is' Ichigo thought.

"Kurosaki, eventually they will realise she is missing from the Soul Society, currently they believe her to be somewhere in Rukongai…" "I had Urahara Kisuke specially make that Gigai for Rukia; it suppresses reiatsu and is basically untraceable, but evntually someone will come looking for her."

"I see, don't worry about Rukia" said Ichigo "I'll protect her" and he moved to leave but was stopped.

"Here take this" said Byakuya handing Ichigo a bag "it contains Rukia's possessions." "Something is afoul in Sereitei and I am going to uncover what it is" and with that Byakuya disappeared from sight.

Ichigo hurried back to his house which was quite awkward carrying Rukia, her bag and his own school bag. Somehow he managed to make it home, luckily not encountering anyone on the way. He entered his house to find that nobody was home. He made his way into his room and dropped the bags on the floor. Then he gently placed Rukia on his bed and covered her with a blanket. He stood watching her and noticed a bruise on her left cheek. 'I wonder how that happened' he slowly reached out to touch her cheek his fingers lightly tracing her jaw line, her skin soft against his.

"Ichigo!" He jumped around to see Kon hurdling towards him. He greeted Kon with a punch to the face which sent him flying around Ichigo's room. "Ichigo you're so mean!" whined Kon.

"Whatever…" Ichigo replied. Kon just mumbled incoherently when he suddenly noticed who was tucked up in Ichigo's bed.

"Nee-san!" Kon flew towards Rukia but was grabbed by Ichigo and tossed out the window.

"Idiot" muttered Ichigo turning his attention back to Rukia. He grabbed the chair from his desk and pulled it next to his bed. Sighing he sat down contemplating what the events of the afternoon. He was angry at the Soul Society for taking away Rukia's power and even angrier that they didn't seem to have a reason for doing so. He was also concerned that Rukia had yet to wake up and wondered what they could have possibly done to knock her out for this long. Ichigo was seriously considering going to the Soul Society demanding an explanation and beating the hell out of the pompous first captain. Ichigo decided against it though, he had told Byakuya that he would protect Rukia, and dashing off to the Soul Society leaving her here helpless probably wasn't the best way of protecting her. 'I will not let anything happen to her again' he thought 'I will protect her, no matter what.'

Rukia awoke early the next morning. 'What… uhg, where am I?' Sitting up she realized she was in Ichigo's room. Ichigo had fallen asleep on a chair next to the bed. A small smile crept onto her face as she watched the sleeping boy. 'How did I get here?' she wondered 'and how long have I been here?' She shifted slightly and a jolt of pain shot through the right side of her abdomen. Pushing the blanket off her and sparing a quick glance at Ichigo she undid her robe and examined her wounds. Someone had treated her; she had bandages around her abdomen and around her chest. She had known that she had been stabbed in the left side of her chest just underneath her collarbone but hadn't realised she'd been stabbed in her gut as well. Blood had seeped through the bandages and she made a mental note to ask Ichigo for some fresh bandages later. Doing her robe back up she looked over at Ichigo and giggled softly at the little bit of drool hanging out the corner of his mouth.

Ichigo woke up hearing laughter. Opening his eyes he saw Rukia sitting up giggling at him.

"What's so funny?" he grumbled rubbing sleep from his eyes as he stood up.

"You were drooling" Rukia laughed "you looked so funny."

"I was not" he said quickly wiping his mouth on his sleeve. This only made Rukia laugh more.

"You were too!"

"Was not" he argued back.

"Was too."

"Ah whatever!" Ichigo said giving up.

"Ha another win goes to Rukia!" she stated triumphantly folding her arms over her chest. This action however didn't agree with her chest wound and she immediately gasped in pain. Ichigo didn't miss the gasp or the pained look that flashed across her face and was by her side instantly.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked concern in his eyes.

"It's nothing, just a small cut" Rukia said placing a hand over her injury.

"Let me see" said Ichigo.

"No it's nothing, I'm fine" Rukia said stubbornly wincing slightly as she moved.

"…Please?" Rukia looked up she had never seen Ichigo with such a pleading look in his eyes.

"Fine" she huffed and slid her robe off her shoulder just far enough for him to where the wound was. One look at the bloodied bandages and Ichigo dashed out of the room. He returned minutes later with a bundle of clean bandages and a medical kit. Rukia sat silently as Ichigo tended her injury. He was muttering about how a 'small cut' was different from a deep gash. She decided it was probably best not to mention her other injury because that would require her to take her robe off completely for Ichigo to tend it. The thought made her blush and luckily Ichigo was so engrossed in treating her wound that he didn't notice.

"There" Ichigo said looking up when he finished.

"Thanks" she said giving him a small smile.

They stared at each other for a while before Ichigo broke the silence.

"Is that from when…?" Ichigo didn't finish his sentence.

"…When my powers were stripped?" she supplied, "yeah it is…"

All of a sudden she felt really tired and a yawn escaped her lips.

"You should get some more rest" Ichigo told her "I have to get ready for school anyway." Rukia nodded as she let out another yawn lay back down in Ichigo's bed. She smiled, the sheets smelled like Ichigo. She snuggled further into the sheets as sleep overtook her.

Ichigo returned to his room after eating breakfast with a glass of juice and some toast for Rukia. She had already fallen asleep so he put the food on the desk next to the bed for her to find when she woke up. He changed into his uniform and grabbed his schoolbag. Noticing Rukia's bag on the floor and picked it up and put it on the end of the bed hoping she would notice it if needed. With that done he left on his way to school.

To be continued…

AN: Well that's the second chapter! Hope you liked it. Thankyou to the reviewers without you I wouldn't be motivated to write so fast! I am struggling a bit to write longer chapters -writing in quantity has never been one of my strengths. I really do appreciate reviews so again thanks a bunch! MB xo