You Can't Just Say It!
Previously:
Well I guess since Captain Ukitake's not back yet, that means he succeeded in his pursuit. At least I finally got to know whom he loves, though. That's all I really wanted to know.
"So Ichigo, what are you planning to do now?" Urahara asked, already knowing the answer.
"I'm going to go to the Sereitei, find Rukia, and tell her what she needs to hear from me. I'm not going to let her fade away from me this time. Now open a Senkaimon for me," Ichigo demanded.
"Patience, Ichigo, hold a just a little longer."
"What! Why?"
"You can't just walk up to her, say hi, and tell her?"
"… Why not?"
"Because if you had to leave for some reason, then that might be more hurtful to her in the long run."
"How so?"
"If you just pop in and pop out, she'll become so wrecked with instability that she'll never recover. You need to be more gentle with her."
"Right… how would I do that, exactly?"
Urahara slapped his head in agitation. Teaching Ichigo about women would be harder than teaching him to master kido. Suddenly Urahara had an idea… a devious, cunning, hilarious idea.
"Well you see, Ichigo, there are five easy steps…" Urahara trailed off telling Ichigo about the easiest way to confess your love to a woman.
XXX
Rukia was still laughing at herself; the way she'd told Ukitake five steps all women shinigami already knew had actually worked, what a surprise. Either way, Retsu and Jushiro were perfectly happy together, and that was all that mattered to her. From now on, Rukia would always keep those five steps in mind, to be able to detect them when used/
XXX
"I seriously need to do all of these things, just to get one message across?" Ichigo grumbled.
"Of course you do! It's the only way to tell Rukia how you truly feel!" Urahara snapped.
"What about the constant smile? I never smile, so why would I when I tell her?"
"Because it's a serious, joyful commitment to an exciting emotional attachment."
"Urahara, small words please."
"This will be a happy moment for you."
"Ah."
"So suck it up and smile, idiot!"
"Only Rukia is allowed to call me 'idiot' and live to tell about it," Ichigo glared.
"What about strawberry?"
"Then I'd kill you in such a way where you wouldn't be reincarnated."
"Well then… I guess not. Anyway, follow those five steps and you'll do fine."
"Somehow I'm getting a vibe that I'm gonna regret following your advice."
"Ichigo! Have I ever steered you wrong?"
"… Yes."
"True, but didn't it always turn out right in the end?"
"No."
"When?"
"When I lost my powers and couldn't see Rukia anymore, all because you created the Hogyoku to begin with."
"Ah yes, that… but, if I hadn't created the Hogyoku, Aizen would have never run his experiment on you, and you never would have met Rukia."
"Okay, I'll give you that one. Now open the freakin' Senkaimon!"
Urahara opened the gate to the spiritual world, and Ichigo ran through the Precipice World to meet his destiny. To be with Rukia once more.