Day 3, Monday. As if it never happened.

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget." – Author Unknown.

When I woke up I jumped out of bed. Rukia was sitting on the end of my bed like she always did and then I turned and saw Ishida at my desk. "What's going on?" I asked them.

"I got you two together because I'm after a very powerful hollow. It could just be an adjuchas but it could be a vasto lorde." She said and they just stood there, I was still surprised and Ishida was unphased.

"It makes sense." Ishida said. "All the buildings being destroyed and human death rate growing every day."

"This doesn't make sense at all." I yelled.

Rukia looked at me as if I was an idiot. "It makes complete sense." I could tell she was about to say my name but stopped.

"Why are we in my bedroom?"

"She wanted to get everything done and you sleep in, so we decided to wait." Ishida said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How'd you get in?" I asked them.

"Front door. Everyone is asleep." Rukia responded, I noticed she was in a gigai this time. "I'd ask that you keep quiet."

"So… what are you asking?"

"That you two stay out of my way. It's my mission and my captaincy depends on this mission."

"No way!" Ishida and I said together.

Ishida fixed in his glasses. "I'm not going to let you go after that thing alone Rukia."

"It's my job, not yours, and don't you forget it!" Rukia said strictly.

"I would have to object as well. I will try to stay out of the way as much as possible; however, if it comes into my area I will attack."

"Fine." She said… "but don't you think for a single second that I'm going to stop at your area. This is my mission and I'm not going to stand on the sidelines."

"Understood." He said.

"Well I guess that's all." She stood up and was about to hop out the window when I grabbed her arm. "You're not going anywhere Rukia." I said. She winced, I don't know why.

"Ichigo, I would suggest you let go of her. It's none of your business, nothing is your business." Ishida said calmly.

I grabbed her shirt and pulled her close to me. "I have every right to know what happened and to apologize for messing up!" Rukia looked in my eyes and she was almost scared, like a small animal stuck in a trap. I let her fall onto my bed. "Don't look at me like that."

She recovered quickly, punching me. "What is that about?" For a second there, I thought she changed.

"What was that about?" I said mocking her. Her punch landed in my stomach. "What was that for?"

"What was that for?" She mocked me back. I glared at her, she just glared back.

"What is this about?" Ishida asked.

"What is this about?" We both mocked him. He glared but we were just glaring at each other.

"Seriously." He said. She took a deep breath.

"Yeah, what IS this about?" She asked me.

"Don't act like you don't know."

"I honestly don't know why you'd prevent me from doing MY job." Her emphasis of certain words was new.

"I'm not preventing anything. I can't believe you just show up in town like nothing ever happened."

"So this is irrelevant to what's going on?" Ishida said.

"Of course, she used to coward her way out of this argument. She doesn't care what you do." I told him. He got up and left.

I blocked the window before she could go. "Coward. More insults."

"That's what you did, isn't it?" She knew I was right. Why else would she do that? She had never once considered Ishida in anything she did.

"Maybe you're right but that doesn't answer my question. What is your problem?" She said, acting angry to cover her embarrassment.

"You walk right in thinking what? What did you think would happen if you came here Rukia?"

"You think I chose to come here. I would wait a hundred before considering it."

"Then why are you here?" I asked her, not believing it wasn't her choice.

"Believe it or not," she said crossing her arms defensively, "I am going to be a captain and they entrusted this mission with me before my test. It just HAD to be here."

"So… you really didn't want to come?" I asked her.

"I don't know!" She said. She was staring out the window, not as a way of escape, but to think.

"You're just going to act as if it never happened. Like this is just any other city you were sent to. Like we never came to save you or you fought to help us defend ourselves. We fought side by side Rukia! How can you pretend it didn't happen?" She had that sad hurt expression on her face again. She didn't say a word, not one to defend herself. "Rukia…"

"Ichigo…" Everything was frozen once she said my name. She looked at me with those eyes, and she could get whatever she wanted. My soul, my life, my head, whatever she wanted, it was hers.

"Ichigo…" Yuzu barged in the room and screamed. She ran over to Rukia and hugged her. "You're back. When did you get back? Are you staying with us? I missed you!"

I watched this happen and Rukia looked broken. She understood that she had hurt Yuzu by going, it wasn't just me who cared what she did. "Hey Yuzu, how are you?"

"I'm great. I'm going to be a nurse. I thought about being a doctor but didn't think I wanted to. I mean 6 years of college is a lot. I don't know how you did it Ichigo." She said turning to me.

Rukia laughed. It sounded so real, and it had been so long. "Wait, Ichigo's a doctor?" Like it had happened years ago, she was laughing and fell off the bed. She didn't stop laughing. "That has to be the funniest thing I've ever heard."

"It's not that funny." I mumbled.

"It's true Rukia. You've missed a lot. I'm just glad you're back." Yuzu said that like she was staying.

"Rukia's just visiting Yuzu, she had important stuff to do I said." I had to keep it in mind, she would go this time. She would be a captain… I'd never see her in this life again probably.

"Ohhh," Yuzu said looking at the ground. "Will you at least stay for dinner? I'm sure dad will be so happy to see you!"

"I really can't Yuzu. I'm sorry." Yuzu looked heartbroken. Rukia laughed uncomfortably. "I'll make you a deal. I'll cook dinner for all of you, before I go."

"Alright," Yuzu instantly perked up. "I'm going to hold you to it."

"You sure can. I'm leaving the 30th so I'll make sure to by then."

"Alright, well have fun guys." Yuzu left.

"Wait… what was that about!" I yelled after Yuzu, but she didn't respond. I turned to Rukia who was on the ground.

"So… Dr. Kurosaki." She laughed, she hadn't changed a bit.

"I'm sorry." I had to say it. Deep down I had to.

"For being a doctor?" She questioned.

"No, for insulting you."

"Oh Ichigo, if that's what this is about I forgot about that… well the next day to be honest."

"What? Why didn't you come back? Why didn't you let me see or talk to you or something?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I guess I didn't think about it."

"Didn't think about it! Am I that easy to forget?" I yelled at her. "What about my family and our friends? Are they easy to forget?"

She looked at me. "I got busy in everyday work. If anyone else had tried they could have. I only said you couldn't. I have nothing against them." She thought about it. "Actually I think I visited Orihime for Christmas a few years back."

"What!" I yelled. "Christmas with her!"

She nodded. "4 or 5 years ago, time passes so fast in soul society it's a blur to me but we kept in contact."

"Ahhh. How could you not visit me?"

She thought again. "I leave presents for your sisters and something for your dad every Christmas every year."

"What? What about me?"

"Don't be a child Ichigo."

"What? I seriously know."

"Well you didn't show any care. Orihime said you were doing great. I kept in contact with them. I figured if you wanted to you would."

"You told Urahara I couldn't contact you. Even paid him not to let me."

"Really? I really don't remember that." She shrugged. "That would explain where a chunk of my money went."

"You paid him 100!" That isn't a lot.

"I only got paid 300 per month Ichigo. That was a chunk of what I made that month!" She said. "I make near 1000 now because I'm a higher rank."

"That's not the point Rukia! The point is that I couldn't talk to you or go see you because you made it that way."

"What do you want? An apology? If that's in than I'm sorry." She said it in a way as if it didn't bother her.

So she forgot she made it so I couldn't talk to her. She hadn't been mad this long… she forgave me a long time ago. It's just been a lot of wasted years? That made me feel better.

Her phone went off and she looked at me. "Bye." I said. She nodded and disappeared.

I don't know how long I sat on the bed. I don't remember what time it was when they got there, or what time she left. I just remember that Yuzu came back in later.

"Hey Rukia?" Yuzu said looking around. "Where'd she go?"

"She had plans, she'll be around. Don't worry." I don't know if I was saying it for her benefit or my own.

"She did say she couldn't make it for dinner. So dinner's ready Ichigo." Yuzu said walking away.

I ran after her. "Yuzu?" I said. She turned around and looked at me. "Did she send you Christmas presents or letters or something?"

"Yeah 25 dollars every birthday, except this next one, and some cute outfit or something for every Christmas. She's great Ichigo. I missed her." She responded.

I sighed. She wasn't lying, she had been around. How could I have missed that? She had been here, in this house to leave gifts for my sisters and probably my dad and yet, nothing for me.

I had missed her time and time again. I couldn't have been with her the entire time if I had control of my skills. I could have apologized and she would laugh and it would be like nothing ever happened.

I sat down at the table and looked at the food. It was Rukia's favorite meal. I knew it well. Why had Yuzu cooked it, Rukia said she wouldn't.

Suddenly I sensed a spike in spiritual pressure, it was shocking. I knew that pressure… it was Rukia's. I had to go. I stood up and they looked at me. "Ichigo are you okay?"

"I'm going to go talk to Rukia. Why don't I get presents?" I ran out of the house. Yuzu and my dad would be confused but continue on with the meal like nothing was going on.