And Chapter 3 because why the heck not... remember to review I care what you guys think.

Chapter III: Smile like you mean it Rukia

Four months before the murder (four days after the party)

Ichigo sat in the empty class room after school, studying. He didn't want to bother anyone so he always went to an empty room after school in order to study. Typically, his days went pretty uneventful. Ichigo put his book up and was about to leave the classroom when the door was flung open. A short girl suddenly appeared slamming the door behind her, as she turned and Ichigo saw her lavender eyes stained with red as drops ran down her face. Rukia looked up at Ichigo and side down the door sobbing. Ichigo was stunned but seeing her like this, he wanted to cry with her but he knew that isn't what's going to help her.

Ichigo sat his bag down and kneeled in front of her, "Hey, Rukia, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak but no words came out just a slight choke. Ichigo took a leap of faith and put his hands on her cheeks, "Rukia, look at me, it's gonna be okay. I promise you it will be okay."

Rukia shakes her head slightly, "No, it won't..." her voice is so quiet it's barely audible.

"Rukia..." Ichigo speaks very tender and lovingly, "listen to me, deep breaths... in... out... in... out" Ichigo ran through the motions of breathing with her.

She nodded and began to match his pace her chest started slowing down and he smiled at her, "Now look at me Rukia... what happened?"

She swallowed and took one more breath to calm down, "Renji... he left me..." her voice cracked at the end.

Ichigo sat down next to her he was ecstatic, but he couldn't show it, she needed a shoulder to cry on and Ichigo was going to provide that. He cupped her cheek and turned her towards him, "Rukia... I need you to smile for me... ok?"

She looks at him confused... "Why?"

Ichigo smiles back at her, "Because when you smile... I... get these... butterflies in my stomach. And I forget how to talk and everytime I see it, no matter what's causing it, I don't want it to go away, even if you keeping it upsets me..."

The tears stop streaming down her face, "Are you serious?"

"Um..." Ichigo scratches the back of his head "I'm..."

Rukia turns to look at him, "Please tell me you're serious..."

Ichigo looks at her and nods slightly, he goes to speak but he's interrupted by her lips being pressed against his. He smiles and kisses her back as her hand moves up to his cheek. the kiss breaks and he smiles at her, "Do you trust me?"

She smiles at him and nods he loved her so much, seeing that smile made him so unbelievably happy. Ichigo grabbed Rukia's hand and dragged her out of the school with her laughing behind him. He led her to his house and up the stairs to the roof. As they climbed out onto the roof they had the most beautiful view of the sunset, the pinks and purples of the last light of the day hitting the clouds filled the sky. He looked over and smiled at her then leaned in to kiss her.


65 years after the murder

Ichigo slowly and carefully got out of the car outside of his old house. He used a walking cane to walk to the door, and looking in the small window he saw a new family, new people, new children, running around the house. The house that he grew up in was taken over by some new family that had no idea how important that house was to him. He spent a lot of what energy his old wrinkly body had on walking down the streets, the same streets he walked down, hand in hand, with her, the most beautiful girl in the world, his entire universe. Ichigo fell to his knees his hands slowly made their way to his wrinkled face. The vibrant hair he once had turned into a dull grey-blonde. He sat there for a long while no one stopped to help him why would they as far as they concerned he was a murderer.

If someone approached they would have been able to hear through the sobbing the faintest sounds of a word, "Smile... Smile... Rukia, smile..."