A/N: Oh wow, I've been gone a long time. If I tried to go into everything that was going on, I'd be here for hours….Sooo suffice it to say I'm here still and I've finally gotten my writing bug back haha. I'll update my other stories soon too but for now here's this one. Sorry it's not very good…and kinda boring…but I hope you guys like it anyways :)

~A Tendril of Trust~

As soon as Ichigo opened the door, he went instantly into dad mode. He had Renji sit Rukia down in one of the exam rooms while he grabbed a few things. "Let me see that bruise of yours, Rukia." His voice was gentle and kind, amber eyes warm.

Rukia blinked at him for a moment, uncertainty in her gaze. Renji nodded once and she relaxed slightly, allowing him to touch her cheek. "So yer a doc?"

Ichigo coughed softly. "In a manner of speaking."

"Oh…I've never seen a doc before. I heard a woman say all the docs are in squad 4. Are ya in squad 4 too?" She swung her feet a bit, her eyes always watching his as she let him press a cold compress on her cheek.

"Not exactly." Ichigo answered, concentrating on observing any other injuries she might not have mentioned.

Rukia frowned, raising an eyebrow. "But if ya ain't in squad 4, you can't be a doc. You aren't using kido….Oh! You must not have very much reiatsu!" Her eyes flashed as she came to this conclusion. "I get it. That's why you have Ren with you all the time. He's stronger than you!" The aforementioned red head could hardly contain his laughter, doubling over as he snickered.

Ichigo's face, however, was anything but smiles. "Shut it, pineapple!" If only you remembered… He growled, putting away his things. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" The raven haired girl shook her head. "Good. Now, I have some clothes you should fit upstairs in my sister's room. Come with me and let's get you some nice clothes, okay?" He smiled gently at her as Rukia slowly jumped down from her seat, not taking his hand and going out of her way to avoid touching him. It pained Ichigo to see her so skittish…especially with him but he said nothing, allowing her to walk in front of him as they made their way upstairs.

"Wow…your house is huge." She whispered softly. "We don't have houses like these in Hanging Dog…" She touched the walls with her fingertips as Ichigo pulled out a dusty box. "Alright, these might not be the perfect fit but I think it will do." He handed her a pair of hello kitty PJ pants with matching top as well as a pair of furry socks. "Hold onto those and follow me." He led her to his bathroom, observing her as she stared in confusion at the different knobs in the room. Will she let me give her a bath? Probably not. She'd probably think I was a pervert or somethin'"Alright Rukia, this is a shower. This knob makes the water hot and this one makes it cold. This bottle is shampoo so you put a little in your hand and then in your hair and rub it around before you rinse it out. Then you put this stuff in it called conditioner and do the same thing. After that you take this cloth and rub soap on it and clean off with it. Then you're all done and you rinse one more time. I'll leave a towel out here for you to dry off with. Renji and I'll be waiting right outside the door so yell if you need one of us, okay?" She nodded, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember everything. "Be careful and don't slip okay?" She nodded again as Ichigo closed the door behind him and Renji.

He pressed his ear against the door, mentally cursing himself for acting like his father as he listened for even the slightest sound of her slipping or having trouble. "She's not stupid, ya know." Renji grunted, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning back against the wall. "Tch…I know that. I'm just…" Ichigo stumbled for the right word, finally covering his head with his arms. "I have no idea what to do, Renji. How am I supposed to take care of her when she doesn't even like me?!"

Burgundy eyes softened slightly as they focused on the orange haired boy's face. "What makes ya think she doesn't like you? If she didn't, trust me, you'd know. Rukia's not the type to hide something like that. She's just careful is all. Can you blame her? It's not like she knows where she is or anythin'. She's in a completely different world than she remembers. The only reason she even trusted us to bring her home from that place is because she recognized my reiatsu. That's all. Give her some time, idiot. She'll come around."

Ichigo nodded, inhaling deeply before relaxing, his face a bit less worried. "I'd better get dinner started before she gets out. Can you call soul society and ask 'em to stay for a bit? I'll need your help. Urahara better have a cure for this asap."

"On it." The redhead already pulled out his soul pager, calling his captain.

"Make sure you tell Byakuya this was Hat n' Clogs's fault!" Ichigo called as he turned down the hallway. Renji flashed him a nervous thumbs up as he began speaking fervently into the phone. Not wanting to hear Byakuya's outburst, Ichigo walked into his room and shut the door. He switched into a pair of pajama pants, throwing on an old t-shirt as well. He frowned, feeling the shirt catch on something. "Oh..the bracelet. I'm still wearing it." He sat down on his bed, running a hand through his hair as he touched the silver accents with his fingertips. He could feel Rukia's reiatsu humming through the slightly warm metal. Amber eyes shimmered as he let down his guard completely. Worry, anxiety and fear etched across his face as he inhaled a shaky breath. A single tear fell onto the etched skull as the substitute felt panic in his chest. What if they can't find cure her? What if Urahara says it's irreversible? How will I still marry her if she doesn't remember me? His breathing quickened as the panic rose. What if she's stuck like this forever? I can't do this alone…not without her. She's my entire world, my everything. I…I…

"That's really pretty. Where'd you steal it?" Amber eyes shot up as Ichigo gasped in surprise. Rukia standing there in her pj's, her hair still dripping wet. The clothes were still about one size too big but it seemed to work well enough. Violet eyes looked up into his, softening with sympathy when she saw the tears still sliding down his cheek. She extended her hand, small fingers gently touching his wet skin. "You're crying." She stated, her voice soft and full of concern. "Why are you sad?" Ichigo said nothing, biting his lip and wiping his cheek with his other hand.

"I'm not –" His eyes met hers and in that second, he stopped speaking. This was the first time she had touched him or attempted to get close to him. This was her way of extending a small tendril of trust – a tendril so delicate that the breath of a lie would erase that wisp from existence. Those violet eyes spoke volumes as they bore into his amber orbs. I can't lie to her. "Alright. I am sad." He confessed softly, his gaze falling back on the bracelet. "I didn't steal this. It was a gift…from someone I love very much. She…she's not here right now so I miss her a lot." He looked up as he felt her hand retract.

"I see. She's special to you. Will she come back soon?" Rukia stared up at him, innocence and genuine curiosity in her eyes.

Ichigo felt his voice catch before he spoke. "I hope so." He shook his head, setting down the bracelet before flashing her a goofy smile. "Hey shortstop, why don't we get some dinner?" Before she could protest, he picked her up and covered her cheeks with kisses. Rukia squealed, at first protesting as she kicked him but soon melting into giggles. "Stop stop stop!" She laughed, covering his mouth with both her hands. "You're weird and I'm not short!"

He pretended to roll his eyes at her. "Whatever shorty. Oi! Your hair is still dripping! You have to dry it or you'll catch a cold." He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and proceeded to rub her hair dry. It was so hopelessly messy afterwards, it took all his self control not to laugh. "Tell you what. I'll just order pizza tonight and brush your hair instead of cooking." He sat her down, pulling out his phone and placing the order while searching for his sister's combs. It wasn't long before Rukia was sitting contently on his lap, allowing him to brush her hair while she played with a chappy he gave to her.

"It's so soft!" She whispered as he brushed through a nasty tangle.

"Mmm. Chappy's always soft. He's yours if you want him."

Rukia smiled wide, hugging the doll to her chest. "Yes. I do. I've never had one before. Do I have to give you something in return?"

"Well well, look who's turning into a daddy." Renji snickered, standing at the doorway.

Ichigo's face turned a shade red. "Shuddap! Were you on the phone this whole time?" He looked down at Rukia. "No, it's a gift." It was already yours, midget. She looked confused at the concept but accepted it either way, going back to stroking her doll.

Renji nodded, huffing slightly. "Taicho chewed my ass out about it but I got permission to stay. He wants daily updates on her condition and will be in to check on her himself in few days. Apparently, he's concerned about our 'ability to keep her safe from our own idiocy'. "

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm not letting her out of my sight." He picked her up, holding her way above his head before pretending to inspect her neatly brushed her. "You look perfect!" He smiled goofily at her once more as the door bell sounded. "Ready for some pizza?"

"What's pizza?" Rukia asked curiously, walking toward the stairs with her new toy in hand. Ichigo feigned shock while Renji chuckled. "Only the greatest food on earth! Come on!" Soon all three of them were sitting on the sofa, Rukia snuggled between both men as she hungrily at her pizza, the tv on a mindless cartoon about two beavers that lived in a forest.

"This is so stupid." Renji snorted.

"Huh? The pizza?" Ichigo asked confused.

"No this kid's show. What's the point? This brown beaver does all kinds of crazy things and this tan beaver has to get him out of them. It's stupid."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "It's a kid's show. It's classic. I didn't put it on for you, princess."

"Can it, carrot-top."

"Call me that one more-" A soft noise from between them caused both men to look down. Rukia was curled up, half eaten pizza forgotten as her head rested on Ichigo's lap, chappy clutched tightly in her arms. She inhaled, again making a soft snoring noise that indicated she was asleep. Neither spoke as they returned to watching the show about the beavers, not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl. After an hour or so, Ichigo leaned down slowly, softly pressing his lips to her cheek. "I love you, snow bunny." He whispered, picking her up and carrying her upstairs. He carefully set her in Yuzu's bed, grateful that she had chosen to go with Karin to her soccer camp. After making sure she was swaddled in blankets, the substitute shut the door halfway in case she had any nightmares and returned downstairs to clean up. Renji was already passed out on the sofa, his pizza completely gone. "Figures." A rustling noise near the window caught his attention, making Ichigo wary as he looked out the transparent glass. Nothing. "Must have been a stray cat or something." He shut the curtain, turning off the tv and making his way upstairs.

Outside, a pair of black boots carefully made their way through the backyard, returning to the street on the other side. In the dim moonlight, the silhouette of someone leaning against a street sign became clearer. "Well? Did ya see anythin'?"

"Yes. They enjoyed an evening meal and then retired to sleep. There was nothing unusual to report."

"What about his girlfriend? Was she there?"

"I did not see the female soul reaper. However, there was a young girl with them. One that looked remarkably similar to her."

Cerulean eyes widened as the man leaning against the street sign began to double over in laughter. "You've got to be fucking kidding me! They were stupid enough to let it happen again?! What shitheads!"

Green eyes remained as vacant as ever. "It appears so."

"Well then…" A feline smile glowed dimly in the moonlight as the man steppe into the light of the street lamp. His white uniform clearly a match for his partner's as he ran a hand through his blue hair. "Let's play again…Shall we, Schiffer?"

"If we must…"