A/N: Sorry, it's been so long since I updated. I've had some writer's block from the lack of Rukia in the manga... so I'm pretty rusty, so excuse me for that!

You guys asked for more than three chapters, so instead of getting straight to business, I used this chapter to concentrate a little more on the interactions in this chapter, as well as giving Ashido some screen time. So that preview from the last chapter was just a teaser for chapters to come... sorry!


Disclaimer: Bleach owns me. Not the other way around.


Chapter 3: Ignorance

That night, after the group of four returned to the palace, Rukia immediately retired to her room for some much needed sleep, skipping dinner in the process. She normally didn't succumb to lethargy as quickly as she did today, but she hadn't been sleeping her usual hours every night due to the differences between the werewolves' and kitsune's sleep schedules. Werewolves stayed up pretty late into the night and woke up around noon, while kitsune went to bed a couple of hours after sunset -depending on the season, and woke up at around twilight. And with her internal clock confused, she was constantly tired, and wasn't able to relieve it.

The sleep she got that night definitely replenished her energy, making her feel years better. Kitsune depended heavily on sleep as it restored their energy, and allowed their star balls to recharge. Hence her reiatsu was now being distributed evenly throughout her body, and her mental state was much more stable.

At about midnight, Rukia awoke from her slumber, feeling rather groggy. She didn't feel like getting out of bed, but she was sick of sleeping. She laid on her side for a few more minutes to fully wake up, groaning when she finally decided to sit up.

"I'm hungry…," she said, her stomach grumbling. She was positive that no one was in the kitchen at this time of night, so she could quickly make some onigiri; she was tired of western food, and felt the need for some simple Japanese cuisine.

There were people definitely still awake in the palace, that she was affirmative of, and she was hoping to not encounter anyone, which was not likely. She honestly hated meeting people she barely knew and making fake small talk with them; she preferred to just avoid people altogether. It was easier that way.

Back in Japan, when she was younger, she was constantly bombarded with questions, favors, and suggestions. And she was constantly surrounded by nobles and royalty from other kingdoms pretending to be nice in hopes of getting close to her brother. Everyone was a fake, a phony. She lived her life acting like a fake princess, saying things that she didn't even mean, and watching Byakuya close himself further from the world. In the end, she secluded herself from the world. Sure, she interacted with people on a daily basis, but she didn't have friends, or anyone who even knew what her favorite color was, not even her brother. She was always friendly, but not exactly the definition of "outgoing." She had some acquaintances, but she knew full well that they were nothing but liars, gossipers, and fakes. Ichigo could have very well been her first real friend, which was kind of sad. But she could hardly care less to be honest. Life in the palace was nothing but a game.

Sighing, Rukia left her room after making herself appear more presentable. She walked down the corridor, heading for the upstairs kitchen. It was a small kitchen that Orihime and Yuzu frequently occupied. One could say it was a kitchen specifically for them as the kitchen downstairs was abnormally large, and was constantly occupied by chefs.

Speaking of Orihime, the auburn haired woman probably left for her own house by now. The reason why she was constantly at the palace was because she was the royal healer, which is ironic seeing as she was always cooking. She wasn't always cooking though. Sometimes she would be working with herbs, and homeopathic drugs.

And as for Senna, she hung around the palace mostly because she had nothing better to do. She is the daughter of an aristocrat noble, and being a rather close friend to the Kurosakis, she practically lived in the palace. She had her own clothes line, and spent most of her time designing clothes, and playing the violin. She was the definition of a well bred western noblewoman.

Upon entering the kitchen, Rukia looked around for rice. Karin sometimes asked Yuzu to make Japanese food from time to time, so rice was a staple in Yuzu's ingredients list. She looked in every nook and cranny, but found nothing but potatoes, and some spices from the Middle East. Rukia frowned, and crossed her arms. With only ingredients from the west, she couldn't possibly make anything that tasted any better than Orihime's concoctions. It just wasn't possible.

She looked around the kitchen for at least something edible, and found a whole cucumber lying in a basket of other vegetables. After staring at it for a second, debating whether she should take it or not, she picked it up and grabbed a knife, cutting it into slices. "So this is my dinner...," she said, an amused smile forming on her face. To her, cucumber was more of a snack rather than a meal, but it was filling for her little petite body.

Finding herself a nice small ceramic plate with a bunny on it, she left the kitchen, planning on sitting outside. There was a lake not too far away from the palace that she often went to. It reminded her of the lake near the Kuchiki manor that Ichigo had found her sitting by on the night of the festival all those months ago.

Arriving near the lake, she was surprised to already see people there. She couldn't make out who they were as she could only see their silhouettes, but their voices sounded familiar. There was a man and woman sitting at the edge talking. Rukia quickly masked her reiatsu, and jumped into a tree, trying to be as quiet as possible. She didn't like to eavesdrop, but the voice of the woman definitely sounded like Karin. "Hey, Toshiro, do you think my brother would notice if I ran away?"

"What kind of question is that? And of course he would!" said the man, presumably General Hitsugaya, with irritation evident in his voice. He sat facing the lake with one of his legs bent upward, an arm resting on that leg, and the other leg sprawled flat down on the ground. "And you're not running away!"

"Well, why not? I'm sick of play fighting, and I want to get some 'real' action in my pathetic little life," said Karin, sitting up from her laying position. Her hair was out of its usual ponytail, and her dress was hiked up to past her knees, showing that they were close enough that she didn't mind acting her usual lax way around him.

Rukia rolled her eyes, and Karin said they were on strictly "work terms!"

"You're a princess. You're not even supposed to be training with a sword, let alone fighting for real," he said in reply, picking at the grass.

Karin frowned, "Don't start with that again, Toshiro! Being a princess is no excuse for becoming a damsel in distress. Why should I let others protect me when I'm fully capable of protecting myself? It's a waste of skills, and potential." She crawled forward to the absolute edge of the lake and stuck her legs in, swishing around.

The white haired general didn't reply. He simply sat still, allowing the breeze to pass by.

If Rukia didn't know any better, it looked like he was staring at Karin's back as she splashed her feet in the water. And she wasn't sure if she was seeing correctly –kitsune eyesight at night wasn't the greatest- but it looked an awful lot like he was playing with the bottom of her dress.

Even though she had suspected, or rather knew, that something was going on between the two, this definitely hinted at it. Normally, Karin would gag at this kind of thing, but now, it was Rukia gagging. Well, she actually didn't find this gag-worthy, really. It was surprisingly sweet.

She picked up a cucumber slice, bringing it up to her mouth. Right as she was about to bite onto it, she let out a gasp and dropped it, causing it to fall out of the tree and hit the bushes below. Apparently, there was a piece of pointed bark sticking out of the tree, and Rukia had accidentally jabbed her tail with it. Realizing her mistake, she moved as close to the tree as she could, and kept her tails out of view.

"What was that?" asked Karin, a single ear twitching. She turned to look at her companion before looking around the area.

"It was probably just a pixie," answered Toshiro, looking uninterested as usual. "It's getting late. I should leave; my men are probably getting out of hand around about now. Not to mention, I need to make sure Matsumoto stays sober enough to walk back to her own room without breaking another vase," he said, obviously not looking forward to his fate.

Karin chuckled, shooting a smirk his way, "I owe her; that vase was ugly… but it didn't really help that she vomited in it before she broke it." She pulled her legs out of the water and stood, holding the bottom of her dress up to prevent her dress from getting wet. "Anyways, see ya' tomorrow. And you don't have to walk me back tonight, I think I'll stay a little longer," she said, giving him a wave with her hand, smiling.

Rukia lifted a brow, a smirk slowly forming on her face, Oh? He even walks her back?

Toshiro looked at her for a moment longer, as if waiting for her to change her mind, before sticking his hands in his pockets and turning to leave, "Bye, Kurosaki."

Karin glanced at his retreating form from the corner of her eye, before sighing. Once she was sure he was gone, she walked over to the tree Rukia was hiding in, and shook her head at the single slice of cucumber in the bush. "Nice try, Kuchiki. You hid your reiatsu fine, but werewolves have a strong sense of smell. I don't know if Toshiro noticed you, but I definitely knew it was you since you constantly give off a smell of lavender, mint, and vanilla."

The dark haired kitsune rolled her eyes, jumping down from the tree. "Well, I guess I'm flattered to know I smell good rather than bad," she said, sarcastically. She then grinned slyly, "So… what's tomorrow?"

The other woman's cheeks tinted pink, "Why do you need to know?" She quickly spun around and put on her shoes before stomping away. "And don't think anything is going on between us! So don't go telling my brother anything fishy!"

"Why would I tell Ichigo anything? Plus, I barely see him anymore, save for earlier today," Rukia followed after Karin, still carrying her ceramic plate of cucumbers.

"Oh, that's right. You caused quite a bit of trouble in town today," laughed Karin, stopping mid-step to retie her hair with the red ribbon she often used. "I wish I could've been there. Nothing interesting even happens around here."


The Next Morning…

"Mind if we join you, ladies?" asked Ichigo, a book in hand with Ashido directly behind him. Just from the look of the active swinging of Ichigo's tail, it seemed he was in a rather good mood this morning. Lately, he had been stressed taking care of his kingdom's affairs, as well as foreign affairs, so the fact that he was attempting to relax was a good sign.

"Of course not, please do!" answered Senna, looking a bit too enthusiastic. She honestly looked like a puppy about to get a treat; her eyes were glowing, and you could practically see hearts in them. It was a wonder how the orange haired werewolf didn't notice her undying love.

Currently, Rukia, Orihime, and Senna were enjoying the outside breeze in the garden, while taste-testing different drinks for the upcoming ball. They had yet to come to an agreement on which drinks would appeal to all guests. They sat at a large round circular table that had very intricate designs cut out of the surface, with a round metal tray placed in the middle with tea pots, wine bottles, and cups filled with different beverages.

"This is too bitter," said Rukia, scrunching up her nose in disgust, and placing the glass down. "How do you guys even drink more than two sips of this?"

Orihime tilted her head in confusion, "I think it tastes strong, not really bitter." She looked down at her glass, and swished the liquid around in the cup before taking another sip. She lifted her index finger to her chin, and concentrated on the taste, "Hm… it is a little bitter, but not too bitter."

"I think it tastes perfectly fine, not bitter at all. What do you think, Ichigo?" asked Senna, drinking some more.

Ichigo placed his book down on the table, and took a seat to across from Rukia. Without even asking, he took the glass out of the Rukia's hands and swished the beverage around in the glass, sniffing it, and then drinking.

"Tastes like cabernet. This is pretty mild already, so I don't know why you think it's really bitter," he said.

Ashido, noticing the tinge of annoyance on the kitsune's face from having her glass taken out of her hand, allowed a tint of a smile to grace his normally emotionless face. He poured himself some of the wine, and tasted it, "Perhaps due to Rukia's cultural differences, she isn't used to European wine, so it tastes bitter to her. Kitsune taste food differently compared to us werewolves," he said, drinking more of the red wine. "Merlot and Pinot Noir are softer and milder, so you should give those a try."

Grabbing her glass back and glaring at Ichigo, she politely smiled to the other man, "Thank you for pointing that out. I feel people forget that from time to time," she said, laughing. She looked down at the red wine curiously, considering trying it again.

Before she could have another sip, Senna, who had watched Ichigo drink out of the kitsune's cup, quickly brought out a different bottle of alcohol in hopes of changing the subject. "How about we try this now? I've been eying it for awhile now!"

Immediately, Orihime let out a loud gasp, "Senna! I wasn't aware you were into such strong alcohol!" She pointed to the bottle of greenish liquid, "Few fairies can get a hold of Absinthe, and its effect is very strong! It's definitely not suitable for a ball!"

"How did this get here?" Ichigo, again, lacking manners, took the bottle from the purple haired werewolf, and observed it. He looked around the bottle before finding the exact seal he was looking for. "This is one of the bottles from Urahara's and Yoruichi's personal alcohol stash. The seal is right here," he said, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Why is it here?"

No one could steal from the crazy couple's stash and get away with it alive, nor would the couple willingly give up a bottle of their precious alcohol. Unless… his father bribed or black mailed them into giving him a bottle so he could drink it himself, but it was then probably misplaced, and eventually brought here by the maids by accident.

That probably was what happened too.

"Your father is dead meat," piped up Rukia, pitying Isshin's awaiting fate. "Yoruichi-sama doesn't take the stealing of her drinks lightly. And I'm surprised your father got past Soifon's eyes."

Not at all surprised that Rukia had figured out it was his father's doing, Ichigo shrugged and placed the bottle down on the ground, next to his chair. "I honestly don't care; I just want to return this before sunset."

Rukia sat there, confused for minute, "What's tonight?" she asked, not completely knowledgeable of werewolf culture.

"Tonight's the full moon," answered Ashido, the breeze making his maroon hair flutter softly. "If I recall, that doesn't affect kitsune?"

Rukia shook her head, "No, it doesn't, which is probably why I wasn't aware of this event," she said shrugging. "I'm a bit ignorant about different cultures. So, what exactly happens during the full moon? I read in books that werewolves lose their mind and transform, or something akin to that."

"Eh, not really; the mentally vulnerable and disabled are more apt to going insane, but even they don't transform. We technically just have a harder time controlling our emotions. You could say our emotions are much stronger, and we become a slight bit more impulsive than we are regularly. Some people get moody, or even bipolar. You could say we're drunk, yet not. It depends," said Ichigo, stretching his arms before opening his book. "Which is why I think it's better to give the absinthe back before those nut jobs come here with a killing intent later tonight."

Everyone let out a small chuckle before continuing with their usual affairs. Ichigo was reading, while Ashido sat quietly enjoying his wine. The females of the group chattered and tested drinks as they had before, not minding the new presences.

"I can't wait for the ball! I hear that many creatures are being invited here from all over the world," Orihime squealed in delight, stars evident in her eyes. "Mr. Schiffer and Mr. Ishida are going to be attending too! I've admired their talents from afar for so long, tehe."

"Many other men are being invited as well to be possible suitors for Karin and Yuzu, while women are being invited for Ichigo's sake, according to the desires of Isshin," brought up Ashido. "The efforts are mostly for Ichigo though, since Karin will most likely refuse every single man there, which only leaves Yuzu."

Suddenly, Rukia choked on her drink, while Senna nearly spat hers out. The dark haired kitsune cleared her throat, softly coughing into her handkerchief. Senna swallowed her drink slowly, and wiped her mouth with her own handkerchief.

"Are you ladies okay?" asked Ashido, concern written on his face.

Clearing her throat, Rukia laughed, "I'm fine, thank you. I drank a bit faster than I should have."

With a pouty frown, Senna answered politely, "I'm okay, thanks." Discontentment was clearly visible on her face, but not in a way that could possibly ruin anyone else's happiness. She quickly looked over at Ichigo, and sighed in relief when she noticed he was still reading and had not paid them any attention. He always did have a great attention span, especially when reading.

Meanwhile, Orihime giggled, and nudged Rukia on the side, to which the other woman looked at her questioningly. "You don't need to hide it, I completely understand," the auburn haired woman whispered, grinning, "I saw through your excuse, Rukia."

"What? That a bee actually surprised me?" laughed Rukia, "Your perception skills are impressive."

At that, Orihime's expression turned from delighted, to disappointed. She crossed her arms and pouted, sinking into her chair, "You're no fun. Why do you have to always be so… realistic all the time?" she whispered loudly.

Rukia raised a single brow, an ear twitching, "I don't understand. Was there something else I was supposed to say? Enlighten me," she said, genuinely clueless. She put her wine glass down to give her friend her full attention, curiosity flowing through her mind.

"Well… you're supposed to say that you're jealous that the ball is supposed to be for Ichigo so he can find a wife," whispered Orihime in frustration. "You were supposed to drop your wine glass in tears, and run away which would lead to Ichigo run after you and grab you by the wrist. He would calm you down and explain that, that's not what he wanted and then you guys were supposed to kiss and live happily ever after with three unicorns and tons of children."

Dumbfounded, Rukia stared at the woman next to her as though she had just grown a third head, "Why would I do any of that? And why would any of that happen anyways?" Her eyes widened at Orihime's overactive imagination, refusing to believe that her friend even imagined her, the kitsune princess, acting that weak and ludicrous. Normally the busty fairy hybrid was a little out of the blue, but she never came up with stories as crazy as that.

Firstly, Rukia could care less about the main objective of the ball. Like she said to Karin all those months ago, Ichigo could do whatever he wanted. Whatever he did didn't concern her in the least. She would never say that in front of him though, since it would show that she even acknowledged the idea and answered to it, but of course, that was only Rukia logic.

Secondly, she wasn't hurt emotionally very easily. Even if all her allies betrayed her, she still wouldn't have run away in tears. And never, ever would she allow someone to chase after her. She was a woman with pride after all, and didn't need a man to chase after her. Ichigo wouldn't have done that anyways. He knew her too well, and if she actually did run away, there wouldn't be a reason for him to do that either.

And the rest of Orihime's story was not even acknowledgeable, so she completely disregarded that altogether.

Sighing, Orihime shook her head, finding it pointless to tell her friend, who would just deny it anyways.

"So… Rukia, I haven't talked to you much since we met in the library," brought up Ashido, smiling politely. "I never got to ask, but how is your stay so far?"

Rukia grinned back, "It's great, much more comfortable than at home, ironically," she answered, happy to avoid the earlier subject. "There are many more warm faces, not just empty shells."

"Then that's good to know. Is your stay here that much different from back in Japan?" The maroon haired man raised his eyebrows in interest.

"It's much different. At home, people talked to me because they had to, or whenever I asked something. No one spoke unless spoken to, which rubbed off on me. There were kind people, but mostly everyone was a stranger to me. And all the nobles I was forced to interact with as a child were all fakes. You could say I lived an anti-social life," she said casually, pouring herself a cup of tea.

Ashido nodded his head, "Despite that, you seem very sociable to me," he said, watching her intently as she gracefully moved the tea pot to its original spot.

"That's because...," she started, unsure of what to say. She notices that Ichigo had paused from his reading and was looking up at her, as if also waiting for her reply. Feeling a little uncomfortable under everyone's curious eyes, she made sure not to make eye contact with anyone. She looked down at her tea cup and smiled softly, as if remembering a distant memory, "Here, it's warm. There's a vibe of warmth and acceptance," she said, neither lying nor telling the complete truth.

She would never admit it, but... it was actually because of Ichigo that she was willing to open up to others. His laid back and uncouth self was always great at breaking through the walls that people built for themselves, which wasn't always a good thing. Rukia kept her wall of ice strong for years; no invader could bring it down. Well, except for a certain orange haired werewolf of course. Being his usual hot-headed self, he had completely melted the wall she had worked so hard to build, and strengthen.

Ashido, in reply, smiled genuinely, his maroon hair radiating the sun's light. His ears, which were previously hidden within his hair, were noticeable now that… she really looked at him. It wasn't that she never looked at him, she just never took the chance to pay attention to what he looked like; he was very attractive. He was almost on par with Ichigo, not that she paid any real attention to men's looks. It was only natural to notice exceptionally handsome men; she was a woman after all. And she wasn't going to deny that she found Ichigo attractive, mostly because he was, without a doubt, one of the most handsome men she had ever seen.

Speaking of the orange haired werewolf, she found that his stare, or rather, gaze, was the most uncomfortable to be under. For once, she couldn't quite decipher the emotions displayed on his face. Well, it wasn't that his face was an open stage; it was the same scowl constantly.

It was more of his eyes that she so often read like books, but this time, there were so many mixed emotions hidden in his eyes that she couldn't read, which annoyed her to no end.

Yet, she, for some reason, was afraid to find out what those emotions were.

Senna, not feeling exactly content with Ichigo staring at Rukia so intently, cleared her throat loudly. "That's great, Rukia! There are plenty of wonderful men going to the ball, so you'll have no problem getting acquainted," she said, only faking half of her enthusiasm.

She really did genuinely like Rukia, but she just couldn't stand how much she affected how Ichigo acted. She couldn't stand to see his silent, but obvious, affection. It couldn't be mere care for a friend; it was much stronger than that. Whatever their confusing relationship was, it was on the brink of romance, and she wasn't comfortable just standing by and watching.

Even though the chance of him falling in love with her was slim, she wanted to try. Maybe, just maybe, he could look her way.

"I'm not really interested in finding a partner at the moment, if that's what you mean," Rukia said, laughing. "Besides, many men would rather approach other women before they would me," she chuckled, as if what she said meant nothing, simply shrugging it off.

Ichigo opened his mouth slightly, and then shut it, choosing to stay silent, not even knowing why he even opened his mouth or what he would have said.

"If that's the case, then would you mind accompanying me to the ball?" brought up Ashido, amusement evident on his face.

Now, this caught the attention of everyone at the table.

Orihime tried to keep her mouth closed, but it would just drop every time. Was she hearing correctly? Was the glint of interest in Ashido's eyes only in her imagination? And why was she so excited about this?

Rukia widened her eyes in surprise, "Ano…," she said, a tinge of pink reaching her cheeks. She stared dumbfounded at the other man, not sure what to say, "I... it's not that I don't want to go with you; I've just never been really asked this before. But I'll be more than happy to share a dance with you."

"That's more than fine for me," answered the other man, smiling.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ichigo got up from his chair, closing his book in the progress. He didn't seem necessarily mad, but there was a sense of agitation radiating from him. And if possible, his scowl might have been even more intense than it normally was, "I need to go meet up with someone, see you later," he said, walking away. His ear was noticeably twitchy for a second, but it stopped quicker than it started.


Later That Night…

Watching the stars above her in the night sky, she sighed heavily. After Ichigo had left the table that morning, she noticed the remaining people were acting rather strange. It was mostly Orihime and Senna more than it was Ashido though.

Orihime kept laughing awkwardly, giving her these pointed looks as though she just started a fire and poured oil into it, while Senna just avoided eye contact with her, and stopped talking to everyone altogether. She, as usual, didn't know why. No one ever told her anything, and expected that she automatically knew why they acted the way they did. It was aggravating.

"Yo," Rukia jumped slightly in surprise and turned around, coming face to face with Ichigo whose features were hidden. Despite him blocking the moon's light, she could tell he didn't seem as tense as earlier, but he still held a bit of the earlier agitation.

"Hey… and you seem okay," she said, observing his behavior, not finding it as "weird" as he had described it that morning. He looked composed, and controlled, not at all off-sober.

He chuckled, "I've never been one to get controlled by my emotions," he said, plopping down on the roof.

They sat comfortably on the roof of the palace, enjoying view of the town, and mountains. It was relaxing, especially with the cool breeze blowing through their hair. Both their backs faced the full moon, casting a shadow over their faces.

"So, you feel warmth and acceptance here I see?" he brought up, teasing her. He lied down on his back and stretched out, making himself more comfortable.

She rolled her eyes, and chuckled, "Yeah, so? It doesn't concern you does it?" Or maybe it does.

"Everything about you concerns me," he said, his voice bearing complete seriousness. His eyelids were shut closed, his arms were bent under his head with one leg laid flat down, and another bent; it was probably the most casual position a king could be in.

She raised a single brow, not sure what he meant, "What is that supposed to mean?" she questioned, turning towards him.

"It means exactly what it means," he said vaguely, not caring that he wasn't making any sense. Normally, she could understand him without even having to talk to him, or even look at him, but lately, she felt like he was closing himself off. Every time he talked to her, there was always a teasing tone behind every word. It was like he couldn't talk to her anymore. It frustrated her to no end that he wouldn't talk to her normally. Even before she got in that fight with the lamia, she had noticed a change in how he acted. He was still the same old Ichigo she knew, yet there was something off about him that she couldn't quite catch.

Sighing, she scrunched her eyebrows, "Is something bothering you?" she asked, turning her body to face him.

One of his ears twitched, "No, what makes you think that?" he asked, sparing her a glance.

"Okay! I've had enough. Did I do something to make act like this?" she asked, looking him straight in the eye. "Ever since I came here, we barely talk, and when we do, I feel like you don't treat me the same.

"We haven't talked in awhile like we used to, and the only times we did talk, it was barely two minut-" she stopped mid-sentence when he sat up, and looked straight into her eyes with complete seriousness.

He stared at her for a couple of minutes, before cracking a smirk, "I didn't know you cared about such things?" he said, looking back out at the view. "And if you really want to know, I've been having a hard time lately, especially tonight with the full moon out."

She waited for him to continue, playing with her dress.

"I tried to stay away from you… but I couldn't, not tonight," he said, much to Rukia's surprise. His gaze was up at the night sky, trying its best not to meet her eyes.

"Ichi-" she reached for his shoulder, only to pull back when she realized even she had a hard time touching him. Her eyes widened as she pulled her hand back, she didn't even touch him yet and she was already feeling awkward.

Spending time away from him really did changes things.

He turned to her slowly, a kind expression on his face. "Despite being under the same palace, I kind of miss you," he said, slowly ever so slowly inching forward.

"Oh… uh, I missed you too," she said, feeling awkward. She wasn't lying when she said that, but she felt a little… heated with him so close. Before she knew it, she had looked away for a moment only to glance back and see him so close into her personal space.

Why is he acting like this?

He started playing with the bottom of her dress, his shoulder practically touching hers. "Rukia…," he whispered, his breath blowing against the side of her face. He was a few inches away from her face, definitely within kissing distance. She could feel the heat radiating off his skin, sending goose bumps up her arms.

Immediately, she moved away from him and stood up, flustered. "Ichigo… you're obviously not in your right mind right now," she said, her eyes slightly wide. She held her star ball close to her, trying to keep her reiatsu controlled, while Ichigo just stared up at her with his usual scowl. When she looked down at his sitting form, she could make out her own reflection in his amber orbs, her vulnerable reflection.

For once in her life, she did know why her heart was beating so fast, and why she couldn't be so close to him. She understood why she was so uncomfortable around him, and why she got goose bumps when he was so close.

She allowed Kurosaki Ichigo to break through, yet, another wall she had built around her heart.


A/N: Finally, we're getting somewhere with these two. And just to clarify, Ichigo's hormones were out of it at the end, as well as his pheromones, in case you were confused.

Please review! I would like to know if people still read this story!