Probably gonna be my last update for two weeks, due to my little vacation in Florida next weekend XD. I went to the Georgia Renaissance festival with my friend, and I dressed up as a pirate. Everyone there (almost) was dressed up, so no one looked at my like I was a freak. That is until I wore it to Blockbuster so I could rent 'The Grudge' for me and my friend to watch. We ended up watching it twice, because his older sister decided to watch it with us. And I still managed to stay up 'till midnight to watch Bleach (yes, I watch the Adult Swim version).
October 31, 1611
Soft rays of golden sun peaked over the treetops, extinguishing what little darkness had been left over from the previous night. The sunlight roused Ichigo from his sleep, and he groaned softly, shifting his weight against the wooden pole. His eyes remained shut, trying in vain to go back to sleep. His muscles, slightly cramped from his awkward sleeping position, tensed up when he felt an unfamiliar weight resting in his lap. Yawning, he opened his eyes and let his gaze wander to his lap where, low and behold, Rukia's head was resting.
Instead of moving away and waking her up like he knew he should have, Ichigo stopped as some foreign emotion twanged inside of him. By looking at her, he felt a small bit of warmth inside of him where it was normally cold. He was surprised by how peaceful she looked when she was sleeping, not like the stubborn she-demon he had met yesterday. He watched as Rukia gripped the legs of his pants, curling up close to him.
Ichigo felt something he hadn't felt in years. He felt something that seemed strange at first, so foreign to his body that he could hardly recognize it. He felt…warmth. He had only felt this way around his mother, a feeling of comfort that relaxed his whole body. Without thinking, he let his hand wander down to Rukia's face and brush a few stray hairs away from her closed eyes, a small smile playing on his face.
Wait, what the hell was he doing? He was supposed to be guarding her, not fondling her! His scowl returning, he unclasped her hands from the legs of his pants, but stopped when her hands gripped his. Snorting sharply, he gently pulled his hands away and laid her head down on her pack. Ichigo stood abruptly and strode to the small creek near the tent. He kneeled down next to the water and dipped his hands in, savoring the coolness. Cupping his hands, he splashed the crisp liquid onto his face, shuddering as the sudden blast of cold sent a shiver down his spine.
Shaking the water from his face, Ichigo glanced down at his reflection in the nearly unblemished water surface. What had he done back there? What in the hell was wrong with him? What he had felt back there had been so…so nice. He had felt different, better, like some weight inside of him had been lifted. Never had he felt so complete, at least since his mother had been murdered.
Ichigo silently scolded himself, sighing warily as he stood. This wasn't like him, to be turning into mush at the sight of a girl, and he didn't know whether he liked it or hated it. He looked into the sky and judged that, by the elevation of the sun, it must have been at lest seven o'clock. Running a calloused hand through his hair, he started back to the tent.
"Good morning, Ichigo," Rukia greeted, packing her belongings into her bag.
"Hn," Ichigo grunted in his rough façade, trademark scowl adorning his face. He walked over to the horse and pulled a map out of one of the saddlebags, and studied it intently. "We should make good time if we get moving soon and don't stop 'till sundown. Yesterday was light, we only made about four miles." He tapped his chin thoughtfully, and looked at the map. "If we make ten miles each day, then we should make it to Edo in half the time planned."
"Oh," Was the only reply he received. Something seemed to be bothering Rukia, and what it was, Ichigo didn't know. "Ichigo," Rukia looked up at the older man, gripping her pack tighter. "Could we possibly…stop somewhere on the way?"
The request didn't seem to phase Ichigo at first, and he agreed with the casual shrug of his shoulders. "Sure, where to?"
"Well, we'll need to travel a bit faster. It's about fifteen miles from here, along the same road," Rukia shifted her gaze uncomfortably, looking at her feet.
"And it's gotta be done today?" Ichigo looked at the small girl suspiciously, cocking an eyebrow before asking, "What is this place?"
"It's…it's a cemetery. A friend of mine is buried there. He died on this day about four years ago, and I always go there to visit him," Rukia put her pack on the horse's back, her voice suddenly quiet.
"I ain't got a problem with it, although," Ichigo scratched his chin thoughtfully, looking out at the road. "Getting there on time will present a bit of a problem. Guess we'll have to ride," Ichigo tightened the saddle and climbed onto the horse, extending his hand towards Rukia. "Well, ya comin'?"
"Uh, don't you think we'll be a little…heavy with all that other equipment?"
Ichigo rolled his eyes, quickly loosing his patience, "Not if we don't gallop the whole way there. Now c'mon."
Rukia hesitantly took hold of Ichigo's rough hand, letting out a meek yelp as the man effortlessly hoisted her onto the back of the horse behind him. She quickly wrapped her arms around his waist, their height off the ground slightly intimidating. She heard Ichigo chuckle, but couldn't see the grin playing on his face. He nudged the horse's sides, causing it to trot forward, and his grin widened as Rukia's grip on around his waist tightened and he felt her press her body against his back. "We're not that high up, ya know,"
Rukia disregarded the comment and replied softly, "I haven't been on a horse since my mom died. It's been such a long time,"
Ichigo scrunched his face up in an expression that resembled confusion and asked, "Really? Why's that?"
Rukia was thankful that Ichigo couldn't see the tears brimming her eyes, and answered almost inaudibly, "My mother used to take me riding all the time, but after her and my father died, my brother wouldn't let me ride anymore. He said that it wasn't proper,"
Ichigo's scowl returned at the girl's mention of her brother, whom Ichigo was already detesting. "Sound's like your brother's a real fun guy,"
Rukia smiled softly, looking at the dirt road beneath them. "Nii-sama isn't really bad, he's just…very closed minded. He just wants the best for me,"
"Regardless," Ichigo started, eyes cold, "That gives him no right to just be ordering you around like you're some kind of possession. No one has the right to decide someone else's future for them. This is your life, and you need to live it the way you want to, not the way your brother wants you to."
"Ichigo, please," Rukia buried her face into his back, hoping that the cloth of his kimono would soak up the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "I just…I just wish you could understand where I am-"
"Rukia," Ichigo loudly interrupted, silencing her instantly, "The world works in one way. It doesn't matter whether you're a noble, or a slave, or a soldier, or anything. You're in charge of you life, and you decide your future. Not me, not your brother, not anyone. Remember this well, and don't ever forget it. Lives are worth so much more than that," Ichigo whispered, nearly inaudibly, "You're worth so much more than that."
Surprised, Rukia smiled and pressed the side of her face against Ichigo's back, hugging his waist affectionately before drifting off to sleep, "Thank you, Ichigo."
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"Rukia, wake up," The petite girl felt a massive hand gently shaking her shoulder, and her violet eyes drifted open. Her eyes came into contact with a pair of cold, amber eyes and a hard face, which was rather close to her own. She jumped back slightly when his warm breath brushed against her face when he spoke, voice low, "We're here."
Looking around, Rukia saw that she was resting against a large tree, the tent already standing and a fire already burning in a small pit. The sun was almost all the way down, the only form of light other than the right being the brilliant tendrils of pink and orange that streaked across the sky. Surrounding the left side of the camp were several tombstones protruding out of the earth, faint shadows falling to the ground beside them from the last traces of the sun's light.
The snapping of the fire abruptly brought Rukia back to attention. She stood, eyes gazing downwards, and faced the cemetery. "Would you like to come, Ichigo?"
The man shook his head, entwining his fingers and letting them rest behind his head as a makeshift pillow. "No, thank you. I think you'll be alright by yourself," Closing his eyes, Ichigo relaxed his body, sore from riding the whole day.
Nodding solemnly, Rukia wandered into the rows of tombstones, searching for the grave she visited every year. It didn't take too long to find, seeing as how she came to the same cemetery every year. Finding the familiar tombstone, she knelt down in front of it and bowed her head, closing her eyes. "Hello, Kaien-dono," She whispered, a small smile gracing her face.
"Nii-sama has arranged my marriage to be with Sosuke Aizen. I didn't think he was a bad person, until Ichigo told me about how his family had been killed by Aizen," Her smile grew wider, a tear trailing down the side of her face. "You would've like Ichigo, Kaien-dono. He seems so much like you, it's scary sometimes. He keeps telling me the same things you told me, about independence and living my life, and standing up to my brother, but," She bit her lip, holding back a small sob, "I've tried so hard to convince nii-sama that I don't want to marry a man I've never met before, but he won't listen,"
"Shiba Kaien, huh?" The voice startled Rukia, who jumped back slightly and turned around. Ichigo's brown eyes were studying the tombstone, his hands shoved into the pockets of his kimono. It was the end of October, and it was already beginning to freeze during the night, obvious evidence of this being Ichigo's breath forming in front of his face.
Rukia wiped her eyes, shaking her head and clearing her throat, "I thought you were going to stay back at the camp,"
"Ah, it got a little boring, and it looked like ya might've needed some company, so I decided to tag along," Ichigo turned his head and looked away, pretending not to care. "You ready to head back?"
"Y-yes, I'm ready," Rukia abruptly stood and began to walk back to the small camp, not looking away from Ichigo's eyes.
Sighing and shaking his head, Ichigo followed a safe distance behind her, studying her with a calm gaze. It had never occurred to him how difficult this whole ordeal must have been on Rukia. She was being forced to marry a man who was a coldhearted murderer, travel three hundred miles on foot to her clan's palace in Edo, her brother not caring about how she felt about the whole marriage, and to be doing it alone. Ichigo had been there before, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
Returning to the camp, Ichigo and Rukia sat near each other, neither of them bothering to speak. Ichigo looked at Rukia, who was staring at the snapping fire, and asked, "Kaien, who was he?"
Rukia seemed surprised by the question, but smiled softly nonetheless. "Kaien was a close friend of mine. He was a lieutenant in my brother's army who's squad was stationed by the palace, so I got to see him a lot. He was fun to talk to, always very friendly and gentle. But," She tore her eyes from Ichigo's and turned her head, trying to hide the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.
"But?" Ichigo pressed gently, watching the small girl cautiously.
"I…I," Rukia closed her eyes, biting her lip, "I killed him. He died by my hands." The tears were pouring down her face, dripping onto her white kimono. "I-I didn't know what to do, I j-just pulled the sword up and," A strangled sob escaped her lips, halting her story.
Ichigo looked down into his lap, not wanting to face the sobbing girl. This was the only scenario he hadn't had to face in the past, and he had absolutely no idea how to handle it. He remembered one time, when his sisters had been younger, how Yuzu had had tripped and twisted her ankle, and Ichigo had been the only one home to deal with it. So he decided to deal with this the way he had dealt with his younger sister. He wrapped a strong arm around Rukia's shaking shoulders, pulling her into a gentle embrace.
The kind action surprised Rukia, ceasing her crying for a split second before burying her face into Ichigo's shoulder, gripping the front of his kimono. She quickly melted into his soft embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist. She had never felt so comfortable around anyone as she felt now, let alone with someone she had known for a day. His presence seemed to have a remarkable calming effect on her, who hadn't had a shoulder to cry on in several years.
This was strange for Ichigo, who had completely forgotten that he had a sensitive side. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, sighing into her hair. The swirl of emotions in his head, plus the current situation, was confusing him immensely. Letting his instincts take control of his actions, he pulled Rukia's sobbing form into his lap and leaned back against the tree.
Rukia buried her face into Ichigo's neck, her freely flowing tears dampening his bare skin. He was so different, so much more gentle than he had been the day before. She felt so immensely safe in his arms that she found her uncontrollable sobbing subsiding into tiny whimpers. Sniffling and wiping her tears off on the cloth of his kimono, Rukia curled up against Ichigo's firm chest, savoring the warmth his body emitted. Her eyelids were growing heavy, the faint sound the man's heartbeat lulling her to sleep. She closed her eyes and let Ichigo's comforting presence put her to sleep.
Ichigo bit his lip, trying to decide on what to do next. He could have gently carried her across the campsite and laid her down in the tent like he knew he was supposed to. But for some reason, he was completely ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that was urging him to do the right thing and sat there, staring at the girl sleeping in his arms. He knew that any kind of relationship with Rukia other than a solely professional one was strictly forbidden, yet he was finding himself unnaturally attracted to her. But in reality, he couldn't regret comforting her when she needed it.
Until just a few moments ago, Ichigo had never fully realized how much the girl needed someone who actually cared, someone who had been where she was, someone who could love her. Ichigo sighed and shook his head sadly, growling as his lack of self control. He was just a stupid fool who was being overtaken by the emotions he thought he had killed of long ago. This wasn't right, and he knew it. If they were caught in this position, the amount of trouble they'd both be in would be phenomenal. But, for some unknown reason, he felt that it was right, that he was doing both himself and Rukia some great favor. Just for tonight, Ichigo thought silently, closing his eyes, Just for tonight, I'll hold her.
Very tiring. Took me a good long while to write all this out. And now I gotta work on my vampire report in English class (feel free to ask; everyone else has). This chapter was nothin' but some fluffy fluff, which is my best writing subject.
Review if ya want, but I won't make ya.