Chapter two: After Midnight
Rukia looked across Karakura town from her perch on top of the roof of the Kurosaki's home. It really did look wonderful tonight, with the moonlight shining on it serenely in a beautiful near silence. To think it had been so close to being destroyed mere months ago, to think it nearly had become a lifeless crater.
Rukia let a soft smile pass her lips. She had been one of those who stopped that happening, and it been a proud moment when she had been commended by the Capitan-commander in front of the vast majority of Gotei Thirteen. The smile swiftly left her face as she thought closer to the present however.
Things were getting complex, and complex in a bad way. There was no real reason for Rukia to spend nearly all her time in Karakura town anymore. The peace she help to create was making her presence in the town increasingly pointless from a tactical point of view. Even with Urahara's shop and the Vizards being re assimilated into the Gotei Thirteen, Karakura town still had Isshin and Ichigo looking after it. Two captain classed Shinigami was already totally overkill for the odd and very foolish Hollow that turned up. Rukia was totally unnecessary, especially since she had proven she was skilled enough to deal with nearly any threat bar one that called for a captain.
She knew when the school year ended, so would her schoolgirl act and shortly after she be politely asked by Captain Ukitake to take up the mantel of a Vice-captain, which refusing would cause her to be considered a disgrace and accepting would heap a hell lot more responsibility on her shoulders, the sort of responsibility that seriously limited free time she could spend seeing Ichigo.
Rukia sighed deeply. She wanted to spend time with Ichigo and if was going to be completely honest with herself, it wasn't because he was her best friend. It was because Rukia dreamed of the imposable, because Rukia desired him, because Rukia wanted him to kiss her and do far more besides. In the most simple terms she wanted something that was both impossible and dangerous to her honor.
"Its not fair dam it!" Rukia shouted loudly to the sky in sheer frustration.
"What isn't fair?" Came Ichigo's voice from behind Rukia. She twisted her head around quickly to see Ichigo standing there with a grin on his face and Zangetsu resting on his shoulder.
"Ic-ichigo!" Rukia managed to stutter out in surprise, how had he sneaked up on her like that? He wasn't sneaky!
"Before you ask, I've only just got here." Ichigo spoke as he put Zangetsu away properly and sat next to Rukia. "I can only just about hold in my Reiatsu for a couple of seconds. Now which combined with my flash stepping is just about long enough to give certain clearly distracted midget a surprise."
He then looked at her straight in the eyes.
"Now tell me what got you so worked up Rukia." Ichigo asked firmly. "Because you look dam terrible and its keeping you up way after midnight.... So tell me."
Rukia stared right back into Ichigo eyes. It was so dam hard to avoid them when he looked at her like that with them and there was no way she could tell a barefaced lie to that stare, so she let a little honest through...
"I'm leaving soon Ichigo." Rukia said quickly. "You probably not see me for months at a time, maybe more."
There was a awkward silence for a few moments.
"I see." Ichigo said after clearly a great deal of thought and then he did something that caught Rukia complete of guard.
He put his hand in hers.
"Ich-igo!" Rukia blurted out in shock, what the hell was he doing!
"Shh..." Ichigo replied softly to her outburst. "Just try and relax a bit Rukia."
"Don't dare do that again!" Rukia screamed as she pulled her hand away. She saw Ichigo face take on a pained expression as she did so. After a brief moment, he stood up and turned his back to Rukia before speaking.
"Anyway I best get to bed Rukia." Ichigo said rather coldly. "You remember to be quiet when you go to bed. We might have Shinigami endurance, but Yuzu and Karin need there sleep because they don't."
He was going to walk away from Rukia and let her leave his life. For at least a moment she knew he had had hope she would give him far more friendship... and she had pushed him away and crushed it.
"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed out in panic. She didn't want him to go and she didn't want to dishonor her house by having a relationship with a none noble either!
"Yes Rukia?" Ichigo replied in that same cold tone as before.
"I... I" Rukia stammered "Want to answer your question!"
"What isn't fair?" Ichigo asked, his tone still painful frozen.
"Yes!" Rukia blurted out in a panicky tone as she tried to put her thoughts together desperately. "There lots of things that aren't fair and sometimes I think its like dancing."
"Dancing?" Ichigo asked in a confused tone. He still had his back to her, but thankfully his tone sounded somewhat warmer.
"Yes dancing!" Rukia replied as she tried to put her feelings carefully across to Ichigo without falling to either side. Dishonor, by starting a romantic relationship with Ichigo and causing scandal or heart breaking, by pushing Ichigo away and losing the closeness they shared.
"Because with dancing there always the desire to do your own thing and have fun, but its also controlled by the fact if don't show some technique you end up looking like a stupid fool with real and very painful consequences.."
Ichigo was silent a while again before replying.
"Tell me about these consequences Rukia." Ichigo asked surprisingly softly.
"Remember the Shiba family Ichigo?" Rukia asked nervously.
"I do." Was Ichigo's soft reply. Rukia breathed in deeply and ready herself for what she was going to say, she knew it wasn't going to be easy.
"Noble families who make too many missteps end up exiled like the Shiba ." Rukia explained. "My adoption by Nii-sama was considered by many to be a serous misstep... as was his marriage to my late sister before. If I make a misstep Ichigo it might be too much for the house that given me so much."
Ichigo turned around, his features stoic.
"So you afraid of consequences Rukia?" Ichigo asked with a careful neutral tone. " Afraid to hurt those who you love, afraid to take what you desire and afraid to make a painful choice?"
He then looked up the sky.
"Kuchiki Rukia let me tell you this." Ichigo spoke, this time in a strong tone as he unsheathed Zangetsu "You think it coincidence that my Zanpakutō is called the cutting moon? Because its not so long ago I was just some human with a lot of spiritual power and weird hair. Then you changed me and you allowed me to become the cutting moon. You allowed me to become a warrior of hope Rukia. You not only allowed me to break the chains of despair holding my own heart, but break others peoples chainstoo. "
He turned to her and knelled, holding Zangetsu horizontally in front of him.
"But first and foremost Rukia, I am and will always be hope for you. If you need me, I be there. Be it to fight for your cause or to be your strength when you feel like you have none. I know life complicated for you because your a Kuchiki and I'm happy to let you take the lead on that complicated dance for that reason...just don't forget that you don't need to dance when you alone with me Rukia."
And with that he looked into her eyes with such a longing that Rukia instantly blushed.
"You know this going to includes a awful lot of waiting and discretion on your part?" Rukia asked plainly as Ichigo stood up and put his Zanpakutō away.
"Of course I know." Ichigo replied as he nodded.
"You also know there a lot of rather lovely girls out there who are a awful lot less work than me to be with?" Rukia pointed out.
"True, but there not you Rukia." Ichigo replied with a grin that sent shivers through Rukia of the all together pleasant kind. "I knew you were important to me pretty quickly Rukia. It might have took me a pretty long time to figure out exactly what you were to me... but hey there were serous distractions!"
"Like people trying to kill us and take over the world?" Rukia replied with a smirk.
"Those kind of things do have a tendency to grab your attention don't they?" Ichigo said sarcastically with a grin.
"But now things are quiet." Rukia said softly as she walked very close to Ichigo.
"And we shed more than a little blood and tears for our duty." Ichigo said softly as he brought both his arm around Rukia and gently picked her up.
"And there no one around to judge us...." Rukia said as she closed her eyes and let her body go limp in his arms.
Ichigo spoke in return with a kiss that was worth waiting for and certainly worth finding a way to have after dawn.
"..And that was how I got with Ichigo." Rukia finished. Yumichika and Hanatarō had been pretty much silent throughout the story, but now they spoke.
"I can't believe you started a relationship with him that long ago!" Hanatarō exclaimed. "I thought there might been a little time between you officially admitting you were together and you starting a relationship.... but four years!"
Rukia grinned, there been a few close calls but she had hid her very scandalous relationship with Ichigo for four very long years.
"Oh its not so hard to hide a relationship if your careful about it." Yumichika explained with a smirk that made Rukia insanely curious about how he knew that. "But I feel you got a lot more explaining to do, like those four years."
"Oh may...." Rukia said somewhat tiredly before a sudden drop in temperature hit the room.
"Oh dear it seems theres another complication to add to the list Kurosaki-dona ..." Hanatarō said nervously as motioned over to the now released Sode no Shirayuki.
Rukia just sighed. She was really really hating this pregnancy.
