(A/N) Sorry about this chapter somewhat, but a lot of the details were needed to move the story along. I wish I owned Bleach, but I don't; that honor goes to Tite Kudo. In other words I do not own Bleach.

Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

Sugar is sweet.

And so are you.

But the roses have wilted.

And the violet are dead.

The sugar bowl's empty.

And my wrists are stained red.

~Unknown~

"Why did you save my life?"

He just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know why, honestly. Something inside just told me to."

"Okay, you can swim and you're listening to voices in your head. You are not Ichigo. I made up my mind you are not him."

He rolled his eyes. "I will show you my birthmark as proof."

"I DO NOT WANT TO SEE THE POODLE ON YOUR BUTT!" I shouted at him.

"Okay, okay. Don't get your panties in a wad." I kicked his legs out from under him making him land on his poodle.

"Hey! What was that for?" he said rubbing his sore butt.

"Don't ever say the word panties to me." I gave him a mock serious look. "I prefer the term underwear, at worst, undies." I couldn't hold back a laugh anymore, the combination of Thomas' hurt backside, and talking about undergarments; was too much for my self-control.

By this time Ichigo was back on his feet, so I held out my hand, "Now help your best friend up." I sent him an attempt at puppy dog eyes.

"You-"he pointed at me, "-do not look good in a puppy dog face." I stuck my tongue out at him. But he helped me up anyway. All though it didn't feel like it used to when our palms touched; there was a, what I want to say was a tingling feeling that went up my arm straight to my heart this time. I looked in his eyes and knew he felt it too. We both ignored it apparently.

I walked around in the small cave room looking for an exit. Ichigo decided to ask, "Hey, Sky, where you going?"

"I'm going to the second star to the right and straight on till morning! Nah, too far. Where's the exit? I want to see with my own eyes if you can really swim."

"Fine, but you're not walking a mile after just jumping off of a cliff," he stated firmly; shrinking onto one knee.

"Fine," I said not letting my lazy side get the best of my voice. I limped slightly to behind him, linked my arms around his neck and hooked my legs together around his abdomen.

He stood up, "You are a lot heavier than the last time I saw you."

"You don't seem to be struggling, so stop complaining. Besides it's not fat its solid muscle."

"Whatever."

OoOoOoOoO

He jumped over logs, ran through puddles, and it was a low hanging branch that caught him off guard. It knocked him straight in the head causing him to fall backwards. Somehow, someway I landed on top of his bare chest. "Ichigo, are you alive?" I asked him. That was when I noticed how warm he felt. He got knocked out is what I decided, seeing as I could hear his heart and his breathing, that or he's playing a joke.

I set my head down on his chest, not caring to move from my comfortable, warm spot. If anything he was starting to get warmer.

"Hey, Ichigo, you're starting to heat up." I said after he didn't move for half an hour.

At this point, I was starting to worry. It had been two hours and he was still heating up and wouldn't move. I rolled off of him and crawled towards his face, wincing at one of my hands. I picked up his head and placed it in my lap gently, after I sat down.

Surprisingly he didn't stink, even with being so filthy. I kept my hands on the sides of his face and didn't realize I was gently stroking his cheek with my thumb.

Ichigo groaned, causing me to be reassured some. "Oi, Ichigo," I said just above a whisper. "If you wake up, I'll sing you a song. I might even let you pick the song." This is proof I'm becoming desperate for him to wake up.

Third hour and he is still not awake. A point taken it is night time, and has been for the past few hours.

His eyes started to twitch. He opened them. "I heard that you were going to sing me a song, of my choosing, if I woke up."

I looked down at him in my lap. "How long have you been awake?"

"The whole time; since I hit my head." I flicked his forehead. "I guess I deserved that." He said rubbing his now sore forehead.

I blushed remembering where I had been laying for the first two hours. "Why are you blushing?" he asked raising an eyebrow. I stood up without using my hands and let his head hit the ground, and in the process losing my balance because of my rush. I fell, again, for what? The third time in twenty-four hours. I set a new record for myself. And another record for me; knocked myself out twice; this time my head hit a log.

OoOoOoOoO

I woke up in cold water. I didn't panic. If I did I would drown. So I just swam up and hollered at Ichigo, "ICHIGO! YOU PIG-NOSE! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!" He looked at me with a very smug look on his face.

"Calm down. You wouldn't have died. I know how to swim and how to give mouth to mouth."

"Okay if it comes down to it let me die instead of giving me mouth to mouth." I swam over to where he was standing. Apparently the natural springs had no shallow areas. "Please help me out. These are my only clothes." He raised an eyebrow and I muttered under my breath, "Pervert."

"I heard that." He held out his hand to help me I reached up and grabbed it, same sensation from earlier happened. I didn't let it stop me though, because just before he pulled me up, I pulled him down into the water. The splash was loud enough to echo through the cavern.

Now that I got a better look at the area it really was beautiful with green moss growing here and there on the rocks and boulders, the light of the moon reflected off of the water and onto the ceiling of the out cropping causing the light to create ripples on the ceiling, a small water fall cascaded over the edge hitting the water making a light mist to surround it, the clear blue water almost glowed as it held the reflection of the stars and full moon. The sight almost completely took my breath away.

I zoned back in when Ichigo came up to the surface a couple times struggling for air. I turned around to help him but he went under and I couldn't see him, even with the water being crystal clear and still being the bluest water I had ever seen.

He didn't pop up for a minute, he's playing another joke on me, was my thought process.

Thirty more seconds still no sign. I decided I would look for him.

I dove under the water and swam towards the bottom. I noticed how clear the water looked even under it. Keep your mind on track, we are looking for Thomas. Sometimes I really hate myself. I swam deeper letting small bubbles of air to escape through my nose and into the water.

One minute later. Still no sign. I needed air; my lungs were burning from lack of it. I was about to break the surface, when I felt something wrap around my waist. It was pulling me under deeper. I elbowed it in the side. I didn't react. It was pulling me under a rock. I started kicking at it. It just held on tighter. My lungs were on fire and I was starting to panic. Not a good combination. Where's Ichigo when you need him? The thing pulled me under the boulder, to a massive air pocket. It let go. I breathed in the air like it was a life line. Wait, it is one.

I turned towards the thing that brought me here. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, ICHIGO!" I went to reach for his neck to strangle him, but he stopped me by grabbing my wrists. I winced at his rough grasp on one of them. He loosened his grip on it but didn't let go. "Ichigo! Let go!" He let go. I started to swim out from under the rock. I was still facing him. He got another smug look on his face. He reached too quickly for me to block and grasped the back of my neck gently but firmly at the same time. Pulling me against his chest, he placed his other hand on my right cheek. He pulled my head forward towards his, and pressed his lips onto mine, softer than I thought possible.

I was too dazed to react to it, until a few seconds later when I came back to earth. I was wide eyed. I pushed off of his chest with my hands, and slipped out of his grasp and quickly swam to the bottom, pushed off of it with my feet, and reached the surface rather quickly.

I swam to the edge and pushed myself onto a nearby flat boulder and laid down spread eagle, literally out of breath from shock.

"Why would he do that?" I spoke out loud to myself.

You already know the answer to that, Sky, so why ask? My heart answered.

"I will ask what I want to ask, Heart." I stated.

You do not want to believe the truth. That is all. You do not want to believe that he has feelings for you beyond friendship, Sky.

"Please don't my name."

It is not just your name; it is our name. Besides I am you, just the you that is wiser. My heart spoke again. Sometimes, you just have to follow the stars instead of the wind.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she didn't answer my question. "Hey, are you their? I wasn't done talking to you!" she didn't come back, and left my brain to turn some wheels.

Ichigo popped up not long after, his face red. Probably from a combo of lack of oxygen and embarrassment from what he just did. "Were you just talking to yourself?" He set his arms on the boulder I was laying on still mostly in the water.

"No, I wasn't." I half lied while staring at the stars. "You know, Orihime still has an obsession over you." I said trying to change the subject.

"Wait, what? She likes me?" Ichigo looked genuinely surprised.

"You didn't know. It's more obvious than how The Hunger Games series ended." I stated. "Yeah, the other day I walked past her locker and she had a shrine for you in there, and not for a dead loved one, more like one a girl has for her rock star crush." I added.

"How has everyone been doing?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, your sister Karin made the middle school soccer team. No surprise there. Yuzu is a cheerleader now. Chad is captain of the wrestling team; he basically picks them up and sets them down and puts his hand on their chest to hold them down. Renji is still in kendo club. Rukia, now this one was a surprise to me, is cheer captain. Tatsuki is still doing martial arts. Your dad is still crazy, last time I visited your family, he had a giant poster of you in the dining room. Oh, and Uryu, started a sewing club, no longer top of the class, but will soon be back there seeing as I'm gone, he also started an archery class. Who else is there? Toshiro skipped another grade so he is now in tenth with me and everyone else." I took a breath. "Nniotora tried to rape me, thanks to Grimmjow waking into the boys' bathroom at that minute and about ripped the pervert's head off, I didn't get raped. He said he did it because he didn't like seeing girls getting hurt."

Ichigo jumped out of the water, his shorts hanging dangerously low. "Nniotora tried to do what?!"

"I already told you he tried to rape me, and Grimmjow saved me."

Ichigo's face was as red as a fire hydrant. I sat up to get a better look at him. I stood up and walked towards him, slightly wobbly. He caught me. "May I carry you?"

I nodded, a soft blush on my cheeks. He slid his right arm behind my back, and his left under the back of my knees, picking me up bridal style.

"Hang on." He said with a smirk. I wrapped one of my arms around his neck.

"Just as long as you don't hit that branch again." Once again the feeling shot through me even though the only skin to skin contact was my hand on his shoulder. It was more than just the normal one that was small. This one was a little bit bigger but not by much. He felt it too; I could tell by the way he slightly tensed.

He ignored my comment, but he didn't start at a walk or jog or run. He started at a full out sprint.

This is going to sound very corny, but it felt like I was floating on air while in his arms, especially seeing as how smooth and fast of a runner he is.

I started to slip causing him to pull me closer to his hard chest. Damn! I thought. He is warm! I curled into his chest some; starting to get a chill from my wet clothes and the night air. I noted how his heart sounded; his heart wasn't pumping fast at all. The wall of muscle above it was sculpted to perfection. Wait a second, what am I thinking!? I've known him since we were in pre-k together! He is like an adoptive brother to me! I let a shiver roll down my back trying to get rid of the thoughts.

He started slowing to a walk, and walked up the path on the side of the mountain to the cave. I looked up and saw the sky was starting to turn purple. That left the question in my head of how long I've been here, I gave up trying to think about it and asked. "Ichigo," he looked down at me with his caramel colored eyes sending my heart into race. What is wrong with me?

"How long have I been here?"

"Two days." He said flatly. Looking back up to head into the cave.

My stomach growled. We entered the cave, "Do you have any food?" I asked looking at an empty stomach.

"Yeah, are you going to eat me out of house and home?" he asked playfully.

"Maybe."

"Okay then," he set me down against the wall. "You could hold back on the food some though." I kicked him in the butt with my good foot.

"The only fat I have on me are in my boobs and my butt." I said looking over my averaged sized chest, to my soon to be six pack. "Other than that I'm all muscle. Well not counting bones and vital organs."

He looked at me. "Sure," he said sarcastically. That's it! I thought launching myself at him; I meant to grab his ankles to make him fall, but I judged my distance wrong and grabbed the bottom of his cargo shorts instead, and yanked those down. He fell forward like I planned. The only difference was he had no pants on.

I turned pink. Then I saw his poodle and laughed my head off. "Hey! You are the real Ichigo!" I said laughing and pointing at his butt. It was too funny of an opportunity to pass up.

He stood up and glanced over his shoulder at me saying in his eyes 'I'm going to give you pay back!' he pulled his pants back up and walked to a different part of the cave.

I stood up and walked towards the cave exit and sat just outside of the cave letting bellow my knee hang off of the edge of the path and laying back looking at the sky.

You need to tell him he was your first kiss. My heart said out of nowhere.

"Now you decide to talk, and why should I do that?" I responded out loud.

He should know. She paused for a second to speak again. You and I both know how you react when you are around him. The heart that pumps your blood starts to speed. You cannot control your thoughts.

"I realize how I respond. Besides it's not like it's a baby, it was just a kiss." I said annoyed.

You scooted tighter into his chest when he was carrying you.

"I was just cold." I half lied.

And you are not cold now? She had a point. I was still in damp clothing and there was a slight chill in the air.

"That's different." I stated.

How?

"It doesn't matter how, it just is!" She was starting to agitate me.

You're in denial.

"Yeah, about what!?" I said sarcastically.

Your feelings. You have been numb for too long. You have been looking for an escape for too long. It is time for you to stop hiding. She stated calmly.

I pulled up a sleeve on my arm and unraveled some of the bloodied gauze to check on some of the deeper cuts. "I haven't been hiding anything! So shut up, you stupid heart!" I shouted and raised my scarred arm.

Then why do you keep those scars and cuts covered?

"Maybe I don't want to show them!" I shouted again my wounded arm still in the air.

Ichigo has been here for the past five minutes, listening to you. Talk to yourself.

Said person grabbed my hand sending that tingle back up my arm. I noticed the red gauze in my opposite hand and started rubbing a piece between my thumb and index finger. He held onto my hand gently, while looking at the cuts and scars. He looked closely at the deeper ones.

I yanked my hand out of his and it slammed down on my stomach, causing me to wince at the pain enough for it to slightly contort my facial expressions. "Calm down. They aren't infected."

I sat up thinking. Thank you, whoever invented black shirts. I looked down at my legs. And pants. I knew that my legs were likely bleeding slightly.

"Where else are you cut?" he asked in a sober voice.

"Just my arms." I lied.

"Liar."

"Fine. Pretty much everywhere you can't see." I took a breath.

"Let me see." He went to pick up the bottom of my shirt to look at my stomach; I blocked his arms before they were even a foot away by pushing them away when I kicked him in the gut causing him to be knocked off the side of the path.

"Ichigo!" I flipped till I was on my stomach and with my head hanging off of the edge looking for him. He was hanging onto the edge of the path-twenty feet from the ground.

I grabbed onto one of his large wrists with both of my hands trying to help him back up. "And you call me the heavy one." I said gritting my teeth. He was pulling himself up with no struggle so I let go.

"What was that for?! I just wanted to check for infections!" he said after he climbed up. He sat down on the edge like how I had been. Holding his stomach unlike how I was. "You have one powerful kick."

"What do you think you get after running twenty miles a day for the past three years? When I jumped off of that cliff I probably ran close to thirty miles that day."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"Reflexes." I paused for a minute. "Grimmjow helped me speed them up after that one time."

There was a long silence after I rolled onto my back to look at the last of the sunrise. "Are you still running track?" He asked.

"No, but they're begging me to." I said.

It wouldn't be the same without him. My heart decided to speak.

I decided to ignore her. "Do you remember during P.F.T. (A/N physical fitness testing) when it took me like twenty minutes to run a mile?"

You only did that to stare at him. My heart said.

"Yeah. That was funny. At the end of it you always fell down saying 'leave me here to die'. Then when the coach said it was time for everyone to go back in you wanted to run another lap." He paused. "I still don't get why you wanted to torture yourself during P.F.T."

I started sweating. "Do you have a knife?" I asked; he looked at my arm then back at my face. "You can watch me use it, I won't cut myself."

He went inside and came back out with a knife; he handed it to me and sat down next to me. I sat up, pushed my shirt sleeve down to my wrist, and started to cut the shirt sleeve off near the shoulder seam. "If Uryu saw this, I would have an arrow through my head." I said giggling lightly. I pulled the cut shirt sleeve off of my arm and started working on the opposite.

Tell him that he was your first kiss. I just ignored her still.

"Sky?" Ichigo said.

"That's my name." I finished that sleeve and pulled it off setting it next to the other.

"Can you look at me?"

"Not at the minute." I said as I was about to cut one of my pant legs to about five inches below the pockets.

He waited till I cut it off and looked at him. He looked at my one bare leg and my naked arms, as if he was counting the scars and cuts. It made me feel self-conscious. "When did you start?"

"Please don't stare at them."

"Please answer me and I won't."

"Fine. The day after I was found in the woods and found out I wasn't allowed to help with the search. It got worse after I figured you were dead after they searched for three months after you went missing. Your friends avoided me saying that I was the reason you died. Orihime tried to kill me. Everyone said that I was the reason you were dead. I even believed I was the reason you were gone." I kept my emotions from appearing in any way, shape, or form. I looked away knowing that if I kept looking into his sad eyes my walls would crumble. "I starting going numb to everything and everyone three months after the search ended. Your family was the only family I had in a way, I had my own so called family but they never cared. I stopped going to your house knowing that when they saw me they were only reminded of their missing son and brother." I kept trying to make myself numb again but reliving the past was almost too much. "The 'Espada' gang didn't care. Then again they don't care about anything. Some of the people at school aren't over you being gone, but most are. I never got over it, but at that point I was looking for an escape in any way I could find one. I came to three main outlets, reading, running, and cutting. I was to the point I was tired of living and wanted to see if God even existed seeing as I was being put through hell; I was starting to think that The Devil was nicer. I jumped off of that cliff hoping to die, but instead woke up to a cheetah lying next to me." I then started the 'crying is a sign of weakness' chant in my head as I felt tears start to form. "That is the when and why."

Good girl. In a way you just told him how you feel. Now let's see if he is smart enough to pick up on it. My heart said praising me.

"Crying isn't a sign of weakness." He put his hand on my back and I flinched. "You have them on your back as well, don't you?"

"Hmm?" I asked. "What did you say?" I was concentrating on my mental chant.

"You have them on your back as well." I nodded. "I also said that crying is not a sign of weakness."

"How? Ever since fifth grade everyone said that I was a baby when I cried."

"It isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign that you have been strong for too long." He let out a sigh, "When was the last time you really let yourself cry?"

"First day of sixth grade." I answered.

"You haven't cried in over four years." I went back to cutting my clothing into summer clothing. I finished cutting my last pant leg off and set it down in the pile. I handed Ichigo back his knife.

"Do you have some sticks and a… wait never mind on the string." I said looking down at the pile of sleeves and pant legs. "But I will need a rock about the size of my fist and sticks."