Gathering Strawberry Chapter 6: The Kiss In The Maze, a bleach fanfic

The Kiss In The Maze, Chapter VI

Updated: 06.03.08

(Maybe it would be a good idea to pace oneself.)

Far behind had fallen that feeling of never gaining steps towards that person she used to be. In his hands she was slowly becoming herself again, and it excited her. She now did no longer stand in the dark in last place, she felt she was advancing.

"Rukia, you're doing well," congratulated Ichigo, a big grin curving his lips as he un-bandaged her hands, calculating that her calluses had set in and she could wield a sword with no problem now. "So we're going to start the final phase for this training session."

"Oh?" she questioned, and her blood pumped a little faster as her heart hammered anticipation. "Like a test?"

He shrugged. "You're going to probably use everything I've taught you so far, so I guess you could call it that." He finished with the bandages and then stood up from his knelt stance before her. Rukia stood up from the seat a large rock had made. "What does this test entail?"

Ichigo smiled. "Don't be so hasty, that's tomorrow. For the rest of the afternoon we'll just take it easy." He pointed towards the river's waters. "What do you say about catching some dinner now?" Rukia raised an eyebrow, "Can you?"

He frowned and Rukia headed towards the river. "I bet I can catch more than you," she wagered. "Sure, sure," humored Ichigo, rolling up his pants and sleeves, and Rukia followed his example.

They stepped into the cool water and hunched over, searching for their fishy goal. "I'll show you how it's done, Rukia," Ichigo grinned.

In the end, however, it seemed that ego itself had not been enough to help Ichigo carry out his gloating, and Rukia ended up beating him 7 to 0. "But it doesn't matter," she said as they cooked their meal. "Food if food, no matter who obtained it."

He decided he'd be grateful for her kind effort to salvage his poise. "You're right," he grumbled as he speared his fish with a stick he had picked up.

He realized that she looked amazing in the dark, as he watched her from his side of the fire. The flames made her skin vivid, and the darkness around her made her look almost ethereal. "You're eyes are really bright," he commented before he realized what he was saying aloud.

She stopped chewing and looked at him curiously as he tried to look nonchalant and wracked his mind for a reason to his words should she inquire. "Really?" she asked. "I guess that would be because of the fire." He shrugged, "Or maybe you're happier now?" he chanced, truly hoping so.

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Happier?" she wondered, "In general?" He nodded, "Yeah, like maybe you don't feel alone anymore?" To his words she smiled slightly and twirled her fish contemplatively. "Yes, I think you're right. I don't feel alone any longer." She looked at him straight. "I have you and Kaien-dono, and Hisagi sempai too. I'm better because of all you."

He knew he had deep down wished only for the sole mentioning of his person, but just knowing that he had made a difference to her drowned out anyone else's mention anyway. "I'm grateful for you too, you know," he said, pointing his speared fish in her direction. "So we're even."

She nodded once and smiled to herself. "Ah."

The next morning dawned the last seven days of winter break, and Rukia got up early, too excited and apprehensive about her test to remain sleeping. She scattered her bed of leaves as Ichigo continued sleeping, and then went to the riverside to wash her face and etc..

When she went back the orange-haired guy was still sleeping. She knew it had to be around six in the morning, and so he would not be rising for another hour. Being so she decided to wait and flopped down next to him so she could see if he snored.

His breathing was regular, and there was no sign of what she had been listening for of him. Bored, she picked up a piece of twig and stuck it in his ear, all the while leaving a bored expression on her face. 'Wake up,' she thought as she left another wooden present, but this one in his hair. Maybe she could try to put one in his nose? Would he notice? Might he get mad?

Rukia, with a small grin, leaned over him to try to place a twig in one of his nostrils. She realized that it was sort of disgusting, but in her mind the overall effect was more overwhelming in its hilarity. In the wood went, and her lips stretched a bit more against her teeth as she strained her mirth so it would not become audible.

Leaning back she folded her legs like a Turk and set her elbows on her knees. She registered that her uniform was dirty, most especially the white top that was now a pale brown, and slightly yellow from where she had been cut repeatedly. She wondered what she was going to do about a new one?

She supposed she would set that problem aside for the moment, and instead left her musings to once again stare at Ichigo as he slept. She wondered if he had someone he liked? Someone that he was in love with? He was pretty handsome after all. Sure, the orange hair might dissuade the noble girls, she thought, but overall he was pretty easy on the eyes. She sighed and thought about that Inoue girl. "He rejected her at the hospital," she recapped. "And he proved he's not interested at the garden when he snuffed her. I wonder why?"

Rukia thought that the girl was very beautiful, but was it that Ichigo had deemed her not his type? Or maybe it was just something else. She wanted to know what that reason might be, but looking at Ichigo appraisingly she realized that she would never ask him. And, due to that whole fiasco in which she had inquired of his business with someone else, and how he had taken that quite badly, she knew that she would never seek the answers from anyone else either. She felt she owed Ichigo too much to betray him in any way. And apart from that he had become her friend, in some ways her best, and she would never betray whatever bonds they had. Whether they be tangible or not.

A yawn suddenly overtook her, and Rukia covered her face as it had its effect over her. When she pulled away her palms she was faced with an awake Ichigo who was looking at her with both an amused and ticked off expression. He snorted out the piece of twig that she had gifted his nose and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, making her lurch over him. To catch herself she had to plant her palms on either side of him.

His face was so close to hers that their noses could almost kiss. His eyebrow raised, mischievously inquiring. "What's this I wake up to?" he asked rhetorically. "Could it be the antics of a very bored girl who finds sticking wood up my nose funny?" Rukia laughed and took out the one from his ear. His face drew nearer. "You were taking too long," she said, closing her eyes instinctively. She heard him scoff and felt him release her collar, and so she pulled away from him.

He wasted no time and got to his feet. He then stretched to his full height and extended his arms way above his head to stretch his sleepy muscles. Then he yawned loudly and his face contorted grotesquely. "Lovely," deadpanned Rukia and he lolled out his tongue for further effect. "How was that?" She almost snorted. "Like a fairy-tale princess." He scoffed. "What're you taking about. They have nothing on me.

Rukia laughed again, turning away from him and clasping her hand across her mouth. It made him happy, he though, to make her laugh like that. It made him believe he had made a difference in her life. And that, that was something to look forward to. 'That is your gift to me. You are what I look forward to.'

"Test time, now," he announced suddenly, and abruptly she turned and gave him her full attention. "Our current position is the edge of Rukongai's Seventh District. Your task is to reach the tree house in the forest back on school grounds. In case you've forgotten, the forest surrounds the school, and the campus is located in the First District," he elaborated, grinning at the un-amused look Rukia was now gracing him with. "You will have to make it there within the last day of Winter Break, which gives you a little over 151 hours right now. I'm going to give you a head start of a day, 24 hours, to get as far as you can. Know that it's going to be my job to stop you before your time limit. We will engage in battle if I catch you, and in order to continue you'll have to subdue me."

Rukia scowled. "There is no way I could possibly defeat you," she stated. He shrugged. "The don't make that your objective. Your mission, after all, is to reach a certain destination. You don't have to beat me. Just get me out of your way. Okay?"

Rukia nodded steadily. "Fine," she breathed. "I'll do my best." His lips spread into an excited smile. "That's what I wanted to hear from you." He suddenly turned and kneeled down before the large bag of supplies he had brought along with him. Out he extracted a smaller green backpack, he tossed it to her. "There are supplies in there," he told her, and she put it on and pulled on the strings to raise it up her back. "Thank you," she said. He exhaled contently. "Alright, you can go now. Just remember that I'll start my chase in 24 hours." Rukia nodded. "Will you use Shumpo?" she asked and he nodded. "Ah, I will." She turned away from him and began walking. "Well that just stinks." He laughed. "Yeah, well so will you at the end of this!"

Rukia had covered a good distance within twenty-two hours. At the moment she was on the edge of the fourth district. In those hours past she had slept about three of them away, and the rest had been spent on running as paced as she could to get as close to the tree house as possible. It was going well enough by standards. She did realize that maybe setting out some traps for Ichigo would have been a good idea, but she didn't want to waste any time. Once the orange-head caught up with her she at least had to be a good distance away.

'Here is good enough,' she thought as she reached the border of third district. Here she would rest and set traps out for him, enough to delay him until she got to the tree house. Honestly, she was beginning to wonder why he had given her such a large time limit. 'Well,' she mused as she blasted several Ichigo-sized holes into the ground with Kido, 'Maybe he just thought I was slow?'

She dropped a small rock and aimed into each pit to shoot a restraining spell. The reiatsu hit the rocks she had throw in. In theory, if a person using reiatsu fell in and came in contact with the rock, the person's reiatsu would surge the one of the rock's, and the restraining spell would activate, successfully harnessing the idiot who fell in. It was a good, basic plan. And since it was her reiatsu, if activated, she would be able to feel it. All she hoped was that Ichigo really was using Shumpo, or else all of it would be a waste. With that final thought she sighed and took off, hoping to put more distance between them. She now had an hour and a half.

Ichigo yawned as he woke up, and jumped abruptly to sitting as his alarm rang out, signaling that it was time to hunt some Rukia. He grinned and got to his feet. He wondered how far she'd gotten?

Activating Shumpo he shook his head to clear away his sleepiness, and in a second took off, following Rukia's faint footsteps that traveled along the dirt. Mistake number one, he thought, you traveled by ground instead of making use of the trees, Shrimp.

Soon he had followed her to Fourth District, and he felt quite proud that she had gone this far without Shumpo. He cleared away the miles, and realized that she probably hadn't set any traps so that she could cover more ground. "Pretty good," he muttered. And then he thought… "But did she set any?" he wondered as the ground beneath him suddenly gave away and he fell into a pit. "At least I landed on my feet," he grumbled as he looked up and sized up how far his jump would have to be to get out. Gathering reiatsu to his feet he crouched and sprang up. Only, he didn't go anywhere. "The hell?" he yelled as he realized that a faint blue light had surrounded his feet.

A smirk settled on his lips. "Shrimp, I can't believe you set out something so ridiculous." He laughed. "And that I actually fell for it. Literally." He called reiatsu to hit feet in a wave of power and broke through Rukia's spell. He jumped and landed on the edge of the pit. "You're in for it now," he vowed as he sped off to find her.

Twenty minutes ago she had felt her spell take effect. She knew it would take Ichigo no time to get out of it, and being so he must be near now. "Damn, and I'm so close," she swore. Currently she was making her way through Second District's forest. She was almost to First District, and it was scaring her now that she knew Ichigo was so close. In fact…

She could feel him!

'No, no, no!' she shouted mentally as she drew her sword from it's holster. She leaped from the ground and into a tree, and jumped from that one onto the branches of another. Her heart almost stopped when she looked to her left and saw orange moving parallel to her. Suddenly he disappeared and appeared on the branch of the tree that she was just going to land on.

"Ichi-go!" she yelled as she brought down her katana onto the metal of his, successfully pushing him back. He jumped backwards and landed a few branches away from her. "You've done pretty well," he congratulated her, smiling amusedly. "But this is where I stop you."

"Do you think it will take me more than six days to get past you?" she demanded. "Is that why the limit is so long?" Ichigo shrugged. "I'm merely making sure you pass my test no matter what." Rukia's blood boiled and he smirked. "Then prove to me you don't need all that time."

Rukia sneered. "Don't worry, I will."

Five days had gone by in sweat and blood and determination that was near inexhaustible. For Rukia, giving up was not an option. There was only this dying afternoon left and this night to get to the tree-house. And she was close. Her destination was now only about a mile off. She could do it, she thought. All she had to do now was get past Ichigo and cross the river and she'd be near base.

But of course the orange-head wasn't going to make it so easy for her. He suddenly charged her from nowhere and she barely drew her sword to his in time to keep the steel from cutting into her again. The taxing effects of allowing his sword to slice her were getting more and more defined. All the blood loss and the stinging from her wounds were slowing her down and making her dizzy. But, no pain no gain, right? It certainly fit her current situation. And as far as she could tell Ichigo was weary too.

He pushed her back, stepping forward and lurching his sword against hers. Her body submitted, walking backwards onto the wooden trunk of a tree. She felt her shoulder pop from the strain of even keeping her Zanpakuto up, and watched as her partner's eyes swayed towards the source. That was it. Her opening.

She pushed him back and jumped onto the tree's branches. He grinned coyly, daring her to try something. But what could she endeavor with? All her mind could conjure was awareness concerning her fatigue. 'However there were times…'

There were moments when all her doubt was swept away, as powerless to her instinct as leaves carried by wind. She was powered, then, by a feeling her body had memorized from long ago in the epoch before Renji. Fear.

"Ichigo wants to hurt me," she whispered to herself, trying to convince herself, and her eyes widened. His eyes changed in her mind. They weren't that warm brown, but cold black. They belonged to a certain monster who lived in her nightmares.

She held back the truth, that the man below her was good to her. She used that self-invoked fear, wrapping herself around it so her body would fight against his every blow like a frightened animal: with pure instinct. He leaped and landed on the branch before her. "What's wrong, Rukia?" he asked, and she warped his concern until his voice sounded like a leer.

He took a step towards her and her hands moved on their own without her leave. "Don't come near me!" she screamed and sliced across his chest.

He drew back abruptly and she watched as the shallow wound bled ringlets. "Don't move," she instructed in a ragged whisper and then ran from him.

There was a place she would be safe, she thought desperately. A mile off there was a safe-house that would keep that man out. She ran and didn't realize that he had followed until his foot tripped her legs and she skidded on the dirt floor of the forest.

Her eyes were wide as she heard his steps walk across the ground. She could not control her frantic heart, but she could somehow think straight. Did fear really, truly, honestly feed her ideas bathed in impulse? 'I have to take him down,' she thought. 'I have to get away from him somehow…'

She lay still until she could see his feet and then jumped him before he had registered she had moved at all. He fell backwards with her, and gagged against the hands constricting his air intake. "Ru-kia," he hacked, and grabbed her shoulders. He made to flip himself over her, but she punched him across the mouth before he could. His head had turned with the blow, and as he slowly shook it back to look at her, the steel of her sword mirrored his surprised eyes where she held it perpendicularly against his throat. "You will not move," she breathed, he heard. He didn't, obliging her, too startled, and never felt her second punch.

It was raining. He sat up and realized the steady drops had soaked him over time. He touched his fingers tentatively against his mouth, feeling something flake off into brittle segments. He scrutinized them and realized that they were dried blood.

That realization was like a good smack from Kaien. It made everything that was important suddenly take focus in his mind. He looked over his surroundings sharply. "Rukia," he said. He was completely baffled by her at the moment. In one second she had turned afraid of him, and he couldn't comprehend why. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his watch. It was 9:35 on Sunday night. He knew she had probably made it back to the tree-house by now, and that she'd won.

He took off to that goal. He rushed as fast as he could, hoping that she had actually headed there. "What the hell?" he wondered. "What made her scared of me?" He mulled his memories over, picturing in his mind as Rukia's eyes had suddenly turned from regarding him as her coach she needed to subdue and get away, to an enemy she needed to flee from. 'But why?' he demanded of himself. He came to terms with the fact that it was at the moment futile to ask questions he couldn't answer. Soon he got to his old surrogate home and jumped the branches until he reached the door. Cautiously, he pushed it open.

"Rukia?" he whispered, uncertain.

There was a moment's silence…

"I'm here," she responded quietly.

A wave of relief flooded his system and he sank to his knees. He walked on them to where her voice had resonated and reached out for her in the darkness when he bumped against her raised knees. He gathered her slowly into his arms, giving her room to object if she wished.

She did no such thing, and he was too preoccupied to internally celebrate her allowance of their close proximity. She latched on to his Shinigami uniform, clutching the fabric like the string of life. "I'm sorry," she croaked, and he realized that she was about to cry. "It's fine, Rukia," he assured. "Just tell me what happened."

"It's my fault," she confessed, laying her cheek against his chest. "I did something stupid."

He leaned his cheek atop her head and almost sighed, she truly was a child. "Tell me, I'll listen."

"I wanted to beat you," she whispered earnestly. "But I saw that I couldn't when I was loosing focus since I was getting so tired, and time was running out. So I remembered that all the times that I ever managed to strike you were when…when I was "powered" by this adrenaline rush of sorts. It was like instinct that only emerged when I was feeling somehow scared...whenever you surprised me. So, I wanted to use that, so I told myself that you were my enemy…that I was afraid of you so I had to defeat you to get away."

He frowned, never having expected such a reason. "You convinced yourself to be afraid of me to invoke some sort of primitive survival tactic?"

She laughed and her grip tightened. "I guess. Stupid, huh?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "You could say that. But it worked, didn't it? You managed to get here without my interference."

Her hands unraveled themselves from his clothes. "You don't think I'm crazy, then? Are you mad?"

He leaned away from her and took her hands in his. "No, I think you came up with a psycho plan that gave you the result you wanted. And as for me, I'm not mad. I was just confused, that's all."

She nodded. "I'm glad." He poked her cheek. "Are you tired?"

"I am," she agreed.

"Well, it's almost ten o'clock. I asked a doctor friend of mine to show up at that time so he could heal us, since I thought I might be too energy-lacking to do so myself for the both of us."

"Okay."

He stroked her head gently. "Do you think you learned anything from me?" he asked. "I've been told I'm not the greatest teacher."

Rukia looked surprised. "I think you've taught me more since I've met you than anyone else ever has in my entire life."

He snorted. "Well, I'm flattered, but then again your life has been about as long as your height…so that's not exactly saying something…"

Rukia told herself that she'd hit him later, since she was too tired to do so at the moment.

Morning had come, and Rukia walked from her dorm to the main building for her first hour History of Soul Society class. Her mind was spinning, thinking about the past two weeks, and most especially the night before. But all those notions were cleared when she spotted Renji walking her way. She waved to him and he looked honestly surprised. She stopped to wait for him, and once he did she went on. "Hello, Renji," she greeted. "You won't believe me when I tell you about my break." He raised an eyebrow. "That so? Why don't you tell me then?"

She smiled. "Some weeks ago, I met a man named Kurosaki, by chance. He offered to help me train, since I'm so bad with battle and swords. So this vacation we started. I learned so much, I honestly think I've improved. Or at least I'm not so afraid anymore." She glanced at him. "You should come see him. I'd like you to meet him. What do you think?"

Renji stopped walking and glared at her with more spite than she had ever seen him direct at her in all the years they'd know each other. "So that's what you did, huh?" he said, his words were sharp and filled with contempt. "You asked some guy you barely know to help you with swords. You spend two weeks with him who knows where without telling me."

His hands fisted, a gesture that Rukia knew he acted on when he was angriest. "Renji," she sighed. "You can't be serious."

He scoffed. "Well, enough about you. Guess what I did this break? I tried out for the Academy Tournament. And know what? I made it! But you couldn't have know that, you weren't there. Even thought you promised. Some great friend you are. You abandon me to go be with some guy." His every word was like a slap. "Renji, I didn't mean t-" she protested.

"Save it," he interjected. "I don't want to hear it."

With that said he walked again, away from her towards the gates, and she could only stand and watch him. Look on as he left, and stand a surveyor as he stopped to speak with Shihouin Ayae who had been waiting for him. She clutched his hand excitedly. "Abarai kun, you made the top three I've heard. Let's go see the list and see if I made it!"

The only way to not have seen her triumphant grin were to have gone blind. Rukia's heart sank as did her belief in her friend. 'How can you be such a fool, Renji?'

Kaien could see that fresh forest air and a dash of Rukia were a concoction that did Ichigo well. His every move was robust and bursting with energy.

He grinned himself, and pushed against the orange-head as the steel of their swords clashed together loudly. "So, she's fair at pretty much everything except swords?" he verified.

Ichigo pushed him back with a burst of reiatsu powering the soles of his feet. "Ah. With swords she's below average. But she kind of makes up for it with speed. She just has trouble with one-on-one head-ons."

They sprang apart to the opposite sides of one of the Kurosaki family's practice dojos. The Shiba clan leader grinned. "And did you two become closer?" His friend scowled. "You could say that," he appeased. "But I told you I'm not going to try anything too soon, she's still a baby."

Kaien groaned and slapped his head. "Exactly which part of her is like a baby?" Ichigo scoffed. "She's like fifteen years old against my-"

The carrot top never got to finish defending himself, caught off guard he barely had enough time to block an incoming kick to the head. He held the offending foot in his grasp as he skidded backwards and wasted not a second in flipping over his assailant onto his back. …Or he would have if the attacker had not been his father.

"Yo, ungrateful son!" said Kurosaki Ishinn, grinning broadly. "I'm glad to see you're still in shape after the two weeks you went missing. Care to tell me where you went?"

Ichigo's face fell. "God, old man. Can't you greet your only son like a normal person?" Ishinn laughed. "Of course. But I stand by my decision to not do so."

Kaien chortled. "Ishinn san, why don't you ask Ichigo about his new girlfriend, since she's where he's been?" Ichigo's eyes widened in horror as Ishinn's mouth split into a wide smile. He lunged to hug his son. "Finally! When will you bless me with grandchildren?" he cried as he crushed Ichigo in his embrace.

The latter pushed himself away. "Damn it, goat chin, she's not my girlfriend."

His father raised an eyebrow. "But you're interested in her?" he demanded. Ichigo resigned himself to nod. "Yeah."

Kaien slapped his back in congratulations for being truthful. "Her name is Rukia," he said. "The girl we took to the Human World."

Ishinn's smile faded. "Yes," he said tartly. "That reminds me about that incident. Care to explain to me?"

Ichigo shrugged and sheathed Zangetsu. "What's there to explain? I'm sure that gossip-monger Urahara already told you every thing he knows." His dad nodded, "True, true, foolish only son, but he also told me you almost died." He loomed over the orange-head accusingly. "What would have happened if you had? There goes my heir!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you would have just made Karin your heir in a second, so stop harassing me already."

Kaien laughed. "True that," he concurred, putting away Nejibana. He pointed to the shoji doors, "How about some afternoon sake?" he proposed. Ishinn sighed in a gratifying manner. "Good idea, let's go to the garden. I think Masaki is having tea right now, let's join her."

The trio walked leisurely out of the dojo and followed the paved walkway that led into the garden, where they knew would be a ramada where they could drink in the fresh outside air. "I think maybe I'll have some cold tea," mused Kaien as their destination approached. "I'm too hot for sake right now." Ichigo scoffed. "Sure, whatever you li-"

"Shit," breathed Kaien as he caught sight of what had frozen his friend. Sitting with his mother and sisters was a familiar family friend: Inoue Orihime. Ishinn, oblivious to anything upon seeing his wife continued on and gave her a peck on the lips before taking the chair next to her and helping himself to her tea.

Ichigo remained at the entrance to the ramada, his features ill at ease. "Good afternoon," he greeted. Kaien nodded. "Same here. We'll be excusing ourselves then."

Masaki stood. "You should stay," she offered. "We haven't spoken in quite a while." He chortled. "Then throw a party," he suggested, "And I'll show up just for you, Masaki san."

She smiled, "You're as childish as ever," she told him. He laughed and waved. "Until later then." He made to lead Ichigo away from the group…

"Wait!"

"Damnit, Orihime," he muttered under his breath so only Ichigo could hear him. "Why can't you make this easy."

She stood uncertainly, but her eyes were determined. "Stay, Kurosaki kun," she said lowly. "Please."

Rukia wiped the sweat from her forehead with the hem of her shirt, and then applied the cloth to the expanse of her neck. She looked forward to going outside where it was cold with the greetings of Winter. Her classmates where already shuffling to the doors, all worn out to the bone from their practical surprise test. Rukia, smiling to herself, realized she must have been the only to have practiced at all during break, and it had paid off since unlike her class she wasn't dead tired. She placed back her borrowed sword on the stand that held them and then walked to the door where her instructor was giving out scores as each respective student passed by. She was the last one.

"Rukia san," he said as she approached him. "Congratulations, you performed the best out of this group." She nodded curtly, and inside was grinning broadly. "Thank you," she said as she bowed and made to leave. He stopped her with an outstretched arm that blocked her way. "To be honest, the reason I scheduled a test today was to re-evaluate you, Rukia san," he admitted with a sheepish smile that she had never seen on him, as usually he was a rather stoic man. "W-why?" she stuttered, amazingly surprised.

He raised an eyebrow. "I think you know," he told her. "Or…maybe you don't," he allowed. "Since you were probably told that no one in this school except the directors would know about your little visit to the Human World under Shiba Kaien's allowance." Rukia gaped. "Who told you, sensei?"

He laughed. "Don't look so worried. The directors themselves told me. So, because it came to my understanding that you used Shikai, I wanted to see if you had somehow gotten better."

Rukia merely stared. "And you have," he told her. "Your skills have jumped the gun from where you were some weeks ago. And because of that I think you managing to use Shikai wasn't a fluke. But I think you need to work on mastering it, since you've gained it." Rukia nodded. "And this test was to gather all of that?"

"Yes," he said. "And since I've made up my mind that you could probably do it, I'm going to make you my choice as participant number three of the First Year Normals Class in the Hundred Years Tournament," he informed her, looking very pleased with himself.

"W-what?" demanded Rukia, "I can't do something like that!" He shook his finger at her. "You can, I'm sure," he stressed. "And besides it's not like you have a choice."

"I don't?" asked Rukia, feeling like in a second she was going to pull out her own hair from the effects of stress. "Nope," verified her instructor. "Somehow you've obtained Shikai...and that's incredible. But you also went to the Human World without permission, so as punishment-since the directors asked me to derive one-you have to participate in this tournament...punishment because I know you won't want to do it," he chuckled.

Rukia's eyes went wide with horror. "You can't be serious."

He laughed and patted her head. "Don't worry you can do it. Remember, no choice."

She nodded reluctantly, seeing no hope. "F-fine," she agreed.

He smiled. "Good. Now, you'll still have to attend all your classes, including mine, of course, so you'll have to practice on your own time. Also, school instructors aren't allowed to help, so I won't be much use to you outside of this class. But I will keep you informed about meetings and such since that is my responsibility due to the fact that you're my chosen competitor. Okay?"

Rukia nodded.

"Well then, I'm off to officially make you my third choice. See you later," he dismissed himself.

She stared after him as he left and turned the corridor, then sighed heavily and slumped down onto the wooden floor. "What am I going to do now?" she wailed worriedly.

Ichigo couldn't bring himself to look at her. Every time he did he felt as if he were the biggest scum of a guy in all existence. But what could he do? He had reasoned long ago now that being with her would not make him happy, and due to consequence in the long run she wouldn't be either.

"Ichigo!" he heard his mother scold, and he glanced a peak only to find Inoue reduced to silent tears that she was hastily trying to wipe away. His stomach felt more hollow than ever. 'Damnit,' he thought as he glared at his feet.

"Foolish son," said his father outraged, "How dare you make such a beautiful flower cry?"

Yuzu had gotten up too and had wrapped and arm around her friend, attempting to comfort her. "Don't cry, Orihime chan," she pleaded, looking expectantly at her twin and mother for some assistance. Masaki obliged instantly and took hold of the auburn-head's hand. Karin rolled her eyes at the display and sipped her tea as if nothing had happened, which made Ichigo thankful.

Kaien cleared his throat to gain back some attention. "Well, as I said, we've got to go now…Thirteenth stuff, and all, to attend to," he excused as he grabbed Ichigo's shoulder and turned them both swiftly away.

Ichigo had only gone a few steps when something whizzed past by his ear and shattered against an orange tree's trunk. Against his better judgment he turned around.

"I hate you, Kurosaki kun!" yelled Orihime, her tears now flowing freely down her angry blushing cheeks.

Wasn't that what he had wanted? Still, it felt like a punch to the gut, worse maybe, because it didn't inflict the kind of hurt that he could soothe with reiatsu. "I'm glad, Inoue," he heard himself saying before leaving the garden and her.

With her swords instructor's words still ringing messily through her mind, Rukia headed to her room in order to sort them out and mull them over. So distracted she was that she barely registered that she had walked right into someone. That person grabbed her shoulders carefully. "Are you alright?" he asked. "S-sorry," she apologized hastily, bowing hurriedly. He laughed a bit and when she righted herself she realized it was none other than Hisagi Shuuhei whom she had bumped into. "Senpai!" she said, surprised.

He nodded. "I was looking for you," he informed her. "I have something for you." He extended a small piece of paper to her, and she tentatively took it, wondering if it had to do with the tournament. She opened it and read:

We, the House of Kuchiki, will be expecting you to appear to us at four in the afternoon of this day. Tardiness will no be happily taken, so honor us with a prompt appearance in the Maple Room in Visitor's Hall.

Shuuhei watched as her curiosity when opening the letter turned to alarm as she read. "Senpai," she said softly as she folded up the paper. "Will you do me a favor?" He was worried now, "What is it, Rukia san?" he asked. "Is there something wrong?" She nodded, but abruptly shook her head. "I-I'm not sure. But, could you go and give this note to Ichigo?"

She offered him the piece of paper he had but moments handed to her, and he took it without hesitation. "I will," he said. She smiled at him, but the gesture didn't conceal her apprehension. "Thank you, I promise to explain later, if you should care to understand."

He nodded. "I'll hold that to your word," he said before surging reiatsu to his feet in order to Shumpo to Thirteenth Division in Sereitei.

Rukia fished into the pocket of her pants and extracted her watch to see what time it was. The hands said that it was 3:48, much to add to her anxiety. She broke off into a run to reach the Visitor's Hall. 'I don't want to go,' she thought, 'I really don't.' But then again, this situation was really one of those things she couldn't just very well ignore. If a noble summoned her, she supposed the only thing to do was to answer that call.

She slowed down once she was through the doors of the Hall and patted her hair, but all the while knowing it was a useless attempt, especially after a class like Swords. Her only hope was that Ichigo came to her fast.

She reached the Maple room, where a man dressed in the robes of a servant of a noble house bowed to her. "Rukia san, I presume?" he asked of her as he straightened. "Y-yes," she answered. He opened the door and she watched as he announced her. "The young lady has arrived," he said poised.

"Have her come in," answered a gruff voice. The man made way for her to go past him. He pointed to a small desk, where behind it was a cushion for her to sit on. "Please sit there, miss."

"Thank you," she whispered to him and walked towards where she had been told and sat down with as much grace as her nervous limbs could muster.

She had been asked to take a seat before five men of age, and one considerably younger that wore a captain's Haori. She wondered if that person was Kuchiki Byakuya, the man whose house she had woken up in once before.

She registered that the table had a quill and ink, as well as a document embellishing it. Her exploration, was however, broken when one of the elderly men thundered. "How rude you are, girl!" he shouted across the room. Rukia blushed red and made to stand but the man waved her down with an impatient look and hand. She was immediately cautious of him, to her eyes he was the most frightening with his scary cold eyes and red complexion that seemed to be fueled by ire. "Let us proceed," he growled in her direction, and all she could do was try to stand taller and straighter.

Ichigo was watching over a flock of Shinigami as they sparred in groups, shouting advice and berating those who made simple mistakes when he felt a familiar presence fast approaching. Within a few second he had ruled the person out as Hisagi, and decided that something must be wrong for him to come see him. "I'll be back soon," he told the ones he was in charge of. "Just keep going as you were…"

He ran off to meet Hisagi, who looked relieved to have found him when he did. "Here, Ichigo san," he said a little out of breath as he handed him a piece of paper. "Rukia san asked me to come give this to you." Ichigo took the paper. "Rukia did?" Shuuhei nodded. "Yes."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he read the contents of the letter, he crushed it in his grasp when he was done. "Thanks," he told Hisagi. "I'll be going then."

Shuuhei wondered what was going on, but chose not to follow Ichigo in step as he left, Shumpo carrying him, to the Academy.

"It may come as the greatest surprise to you," said one elderly noble kindly, and Rukia was comforted slightly by his tone. "But our clan leader," he gestured to the youngest man, "Would like to adopt you."

Rukia said nothing, almost not believing that he had actually had the audacity to ask her to her face. The man continued. "It would of course be a great opportunity to you, young lady. We would offer you the chance to leave school early, should you say yes to our proposal." Rukia couldn't help but to look tempted by those last words. The man smiled nicely to her reaction. "As well there is the family name you would be given. We have noticed that you do not bear one. Too, with that title there is money of course, but most of all honor and prestige. You would have the esteem of younger sister to our Kuchiki clan. What I mean by that is that should something happen, you would be our next clan leader in case something takes him from us…unless, of course, you choose to give that privilege to his sons."

She could not accept what she was hearing, and knew her wide eyes had betrayed her shock for them all to see.

The clan leader raised a hand to stop the elder, indicating that he wanted to speak, which it seemed surprised most of them.

"I wish for you to be my sister, Rukia san," he said to her, his eyes latching on to hers in a vice she didn't dare try to break. "Your acceptance would bring me much comfort."

His words had made her heart clench in bitterness, and she could not stop her thoughts from flowing free. "Because I look like your dead wife?" she demanded in a cracked voice.

She inwardly cringed as stillness filled the room, suddenly feeling that she may have just trespassed against some law about not talking back to nobles unless it was to accept.

There now, she knew it was so much harder than she thought. Refusing this man was taking a strength she didn't know she could use too properly. But…she had to, her will would give her no other choice.

"I'm not your dead wife," she continued through strained teeth and ragged tones. "How can you ask me to join your family because of such a reason?"

"You would refuse?" asked one of his elders suddenly, the scary looking one that appeared to be on the verge of a coronary. His eyes were filled with contempt, and his mouth curved with malice. "The greatest clan in Soul Society! You would refuse?" he demanded as he stood from his seat and approached her with lightning in his steps.

Rukia wanted to shrink back, but terror held her immovable even to herself. "Who do you think you are?" he growled. "How dare you even insinuate refusal!"

His hand slammed down on the paper before her, the sound like thunder splitting the desk, and her body finally reacted, letting scared tears chase each other down her cheeks, ones born from humiliation, from feeling helpless.

"You will agree!" he shouted in her face, grabbing her hand, forcing her fingers to grip the pen, and pulling towards the x that signaled for a signature. She could not do anything but let the tears continue.

"Sign now your consent!"

"What the hell is going on in there!?" was the next thing she heard. It came from outside the heavy doors…which were in a second throw back as easily as if they had been screens, much to the protests of the servant who had let her in.

Ichigo stood at the opening, his features murderous. His eyes gripped hers hard, she found, the moment they connected. His mouth curved into something feral when he caught sight of the man that held her so savagely. "You're going to pay," he said cynically, slowly drawing his Zanpakuto. "You'll wish you never touched her."

The elder abruptly released her and stood away from her as if he had suddenly realized that she carried some both lethal and highly contagious disease. Ichigo approached her and offered her his hand, which she took with a willing palm. He pulled her to her feet and to his side, and walked with purpose to where Kuchiki Byakuya sat with unreadable eyes. "I'll be seeing you later, Godfather," he sneered. "Undoubtedly."

The clan-head stood and nodded solemnly. "If that is what you wish," he said. Ichigo scoffed and lead her out of the room with haste.

He sighed heavily and rubbed his temples agitatedly. "I can't believe him. To have actually done something like that. Man, he's gone nuts."

Rukia laughed and raised her head from her arms where she had been resting on the desk parallel to where Ichigo was lounging on her bed. "Does he usually not do things like that?" she asked. He shook his head. "Nah, never. I'm surprised he was even there, and much more that he asked you himself."

Rukia sighed too. "You were right. Saying no to a noble like him is hard. I couldn't even look away from him." Ichigo laughed. "Well, he's not Kuchiki Byakuya for nothing." Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Is he really your Godfather?" He nodded. "Yeah. He and Retsu san are."

"Is he nice to you?" she asked. Ichigo shrugged. "He's civil if that's what you mean…but he's always helped me whenever I ever sought his assistance, so yeah, I guess he's nice to me." Rukia smiled. "Then maybe he's not so bad," she mused. Ichigo frowned. "I'll need to speak to Retsu san, I want to hear what she thinks of his pretence to adopt you."

She was caught off guard. "Why?" she asked. "I'm not going to say yes no matter what, so you don't have to go and ask." Ichigo tsk'ed at her. "Well, I want to anyways, so too bad for you."

"Fine, fine."

He reached out and patted her head when she buried her face within her arms again. "Something wrong?" She let out a muffled yes, to which he responded by sitting up. "What is it?" he demanded. She raised her head and looked at him wearily. "I've been forced to participate in the Hundred Years Tournament," she told him.

Just as she expected he seemed lost for words. "Are you serious?" he voiced, and she nodded. When he smiled broadly she almost fell out of her seat. "W-what are you smiling about?" she inquired nervously. He grinned. "That's excellent, Rukia! Now we have even more motivation to get you going!"

He looked so honestly happy and confident that it was impossible for her to not catch any of the excitement radiating from him. "I guess there's nothing left but for me to do my best," she said, and he laughed. "Yep, just think about how much you'll gain out of the tournament. Every opponent you face will help you."

Her smile fell as she thought that one of those opponents might be Renji. Ichigo caught on with her plummeting enthusiasm. "Is there something else the matter?"

She wondered how to tell Ichigo about what was happening with the red-head, but thought better when she realized that Ichigo might think she was too dependant on her old friend. She smiled again. "It's nothing, Ichigo."

"…and so Soul Society is a constant flow that must be kept in symbiosis with the Human World, lest…" muttered Rukia as she finished her essay for her History class. She wanted to do a great job with this assignment, so she had gotten up early to get some work done for it, and as a result had now almost finished her first draft. So absorbed she was that she didn't notice someone take the seat opposite her on the picnic table. "Is that fun, Rukia san?" asked a leering voice, and as soon as she realized who had joined her, Rukia abruptly gathered her work, apprehensive about the blonde's intentions.

"I saw," said Ayae.

"Saw what?" said Rukia. The Shihouin girl smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes as kindness. "That you're one of the ones that were chosen to participate in the tournament. The Swords instructor made you his choice…which is something quite unfathomable to me." Rukia frowned. "Well, anyway," the blonde smiled sardonically. "Me too. Through the sponsorship of the Kido instructor. And I suppose you've heard that Abarai made it to his class' team?"

"I have," verified Rukia, not sure of what the other girl's next words would be. "I suppose we might have to fight against each other," she mused. "I don't think I would like that, especially since we've been getting so close." She sized up Rukia. "Do you think he might just stand aside and let me win if I gave him a kiss?"

She felt her blood begin to boil. Ayae smiled. "I think maybe he would," she confessed, and Rukia, not being able to stand another word grabbed her books and left.

"Good luck with practicing!" shouted Ayae, and her laughter filled her ears until she couldn't get it out.

March had arrived. Three months had passed. She hadn't seen Renji in weeks. And everything was suddenly going too fast for her to keep pace.

Snapping out of her musings, her hold on her sword's handle slipped and the Katana landed with a clang on the mossy ground. "Pay attention, Rukia," ground out Ichigo as he circled her, looking anything but amused. "There's no time for your daydreams."

Rukia swiftly retrieved her sword, and barely held it vertically to her chest as Ichigo lunged at her with such force that she could not do anything but submit to gravity and let it and him push her backwards.

This part of her training was not going well at all. Sure, she had improved, but it was not anything to brag about. She could dodge, so her defense was good, but she was easily overwhelmed, as she was now with Ichigo pushing her down onto her knees. She sunk submissively, inwardly cursing, almost not believing that it could end so quickly.

'It can't,' she thought angrily, if it's so then it means I've only been wasting his time. I can't allow that.' She raised herself up, pushing the orange-head back with all her might. This time it was his turn to be rendered to another's mercy. "Good, Rukia," he panted, "Get up and fight."

Sweat was trailing down her hairline and into the grooves of her shoulders, pooling there until the moisture overflowed down her back and chest. It was so hot, and she was so tired. 'I have to keep going,' she thought as she winced, her tender soles protesting further movement. She yelled as she lunged forward, effectively breaking the hold Ichigo had on her. She separated from him and raised the katana, scrutinizing him, letting him make the next move.

He ran to her, his sword raised high into the air with the intention of crashing down on her. She sprang, running past him, and swinging her blade to hit his side. He didn't let her intentions come to pass, however, and swiftly struck her sword with his own, knocking it out of her hands. His blade was pointing at her heart before she realized it, and in a second the familiar feel of failure wrapped itself around her. She sank slowly to the ground, and grimaced so that moisture wouldn't spill from her eyes.

She heard him sigh heavily, and glanced just as he sheathed his sword, indicating that they were done for the day. "I don't get it," he grumbled as he joined her on the ground. "You should be getting better, but I'm not really seeing a difference lately." He scratched his head, "What am I doing wrong?" he asked himself.

Rukia almost laughed, 'It's not you, Ichigo,' she thought. 'I'm just no good.' She stared at the sword at her feet warily, 'Failure really hurts.'

It was three in the morning when she finished doing her homework for the next day. Standing from her crowded desk she managed to drag her feet over to the water basin on her dresser. She picked up the soft cloth towel by it and dipped it into the water. She cleaned her face, and rubbed hard to remove all the dirt…and the make-up she had taken to using every day now.

Shihouin Ayae had given it to her as a joke some time ago, and she had never expected to use it, but a few weeks ago she had broken down and dabbed it on when Ichigo had commented on how tired she looked during their training.

And she was, but there was not time to be weak and for delay at the moment. The tournament was fast approaching, and she had to get better. By no means was her objective to win, but she was tired of how embarrassing it was to loose in sparing matches in her classes. Was there something wrong with her? Why was she not getting any better? Her classmates wondered too.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the tournament, Rukia san?" they would ask her, "Then why are you so easy to beat?" She could understand why they were so bitter with her. She had taken a spot that they felt and saw she didn't meet par with and deserve.

And there was also Shihouin. The smarmy girl was someone she would not allow herself to loose to. Beating her meant showing Renji that he had been wrong in discarding her for the blond. So, there was no way she would ever miss a training session, and if she had to hide from Ichigo how really tired she was, then so be it.

She flopped on her bed and sighed at how comfortable the pillows and mattress were to her fatigued body. She closed her eyes and sighed as she thought of the next day. "I have swords tomorrow…" She could almost hear her classmates:

"Isn't she supposed to be in the tournament? she's going to loose spectacularly. How did she get chosen anyway?"

She wondered why no one noticed her victories but jumped at the slightest movement of her flaws?

She fell asleep almost instantly after she had closed her eyes.

He took a sip of orange juice absentmindedly, looking past his mother's concerned look and into space where he pondered about Rukia's next training session. 'What can I do to help her dastardly sword skills get better?' he wondered. 'At this rate I'm going to let her down...And I can't do that.'

His mood soured and so in turn his frown followed lead. He wondered for an instant if maybe it was a hopeless cause -her sword technique- and if there was nothing that could be done? 'Wait! what the hell?' he yelled in his head, 'I can't be thinking about crap like that when I'm trying to find a way to help Ruki-"

He trailed off into spluttering and coughing as he had just received a face-full of water, courtesies of his father who was looking quite pleased with himself from across the circular table where they were having breakfast in the garden. "What's wrong with you old man!" he shouted as he pounded his fist on the table, making it and the food it supported shake precariously.

Said person tutted disapprovingly. "There's nothing amiss with me, boy. What is lies with you, since you've been daydreaming all morning." Suddenly his fake-like glower brightened and he stared expectantly at his son. "Wait, don't tell me you where thinking about a certain honey?"

He couldn't help the red that smeared across his cheeks, which was most noted by his mother. "Shut up, goat chin," he grumbled, which made her frown.

"Speaking of girls," she said, looking expectantly at him. "I would like you to let Orihime chan have a chance to speak with you in private. Would you?" He scowled at her, "When you ask like that, it's not like you're giving me a choice, mom."

She smiled, "Don't be like that, Ichigo." He groaned and held his palm to his forehead. "Please don't encourage her," he moaned. "I'm never again going to say yes no matter how close you two are."

She pursed her lips and looked way from him, obviously upset by his words. He sighed. "Look, Mom. I have someone I like," he announced. "She really means a lot to me. Unlike Inoue, I can actually see myself loving her. So, stop pushing Inoue on me. I'll only make her sad." He breathed out hard. "…I'll be more cruel from now on too," he vowed.

His mother would not look at him, and his father seized the tense moment and dived on it by running out of his seat and grabbing his son in a bear hug, clinging to his back with glee as he shouted about grandchildren.

Yuzu stood and clapped enthusiastically. "Ichi-nii," that's wonderful!" she proclaimed. Karin, meanwhile, sipped her tea and rolled her eyes. "I won't believe it until I see her with my own eyes," she said.

Ichigo, who managed to get Ishinn off, grinned at her. "Shut up and go kiss Toushiro," he teased, and swiftly ducked and ran out of the garden before she pelted him with more tea cups and blasts of kidou.

She breathed out heavily and wiped the sweat from her brow…and rubbed her cheeks in order to fade away the blushing red. She had stayed behind in her kidou class at her sensei's request, wondering if she had regressed in that area too, and maybe he had wanted to berate her? But quite the contrary, as it turned out, he had wanted to give her congratulations.

"You're the only one, even in my advanced classes, that can shoot without repeating the spell over and over," he had told her, looking amazed while he smoked a cigarette. "It seems like the overspill in your reiatsu that caused you to obtain Shikai is finally settling down…and so you have more power to mold to your disposal…and you have. Good work, Rukia san."

She smiled slightly and leaned over a rail overlooking the empty practice yard. She was proud of herself, and it felt really good after feeling worthless and incompetent for so long.

For the first time in that day she looked forward to training after school. Although she was so tired, and hungry from not having eaten in the morning since she had woken up late, she wanted to go see if she could improve, at least in Kidou.

She sighed and suddenly as she pulled herself straight, everything went out of focus.

She grasped the rail with panicked hands, and held on as waves of darkness crashed over her head, their purpose to submerge her under the state of unconsciousness. She breathed in harshly and dropped down to her knees, still holding on to the rail, attempting to reach the surface.

She heard her name being called out, barely audible to her from the tempestuous surf raging around her ears. The last thing she felt were a pair of large hands catch her under her arms, lifting her up as she had been struggling to do on her own.

It had been a very long time since he had been obliged to stand so astonished. Perhaps what he was hearing was too ludicrous to be true? No. His father was being serious now, so as he mulled it over haphazardly, he had to concede to himself to allow the strange information to be rendered truthful. "So, really, honestly," he verified cautiously. "Rukia's related to Byakuya?"

Ishinn sighed. "Yes, boy. She's his late wife's sister. Kuchiki Hisana was you little girlfriend's sibling."

He frowned. "Tell me about her, then…"

His father smiled sadly. "There's really no happy ending to this one, Ichigo, so don't expect one," he warned.

Ichigo nodded and listened intently.

Kisuke's smile was bordering on tender as he stroked the girl's forehead and gently moved a stray piece of hair from the middle of her sleeping face to rest behind her ear. "She should be fine, little Byakuya," he assured the man kneeling next to the girl's futon unmoving. "My guess is that she's probably just overworked at school. You said she's to participate in the hundred-years tournament, right?"

The clan leader certified with a simple nod.

"Then, that's probably it."

Byakuya's gaze on the girl did not waver despite Urahara's assurances, how could it when the child he was supposed to protect had fallen right before his eyes merely minutes ago? His eyes closed heavily. And there was really nothing he could do to keep her safe in the way he wanted unless she agreed to join his clan, he thought.

He drew open his eyes and came to see that Urahara was smiling at him. "Ask her again, Little Byakuya," he advised. "With it tell her the truth, and you'll stand a greater chance of her response being a favorable one."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you not remember that I promised Hisana never to tell this girl of her existance? I will keep my word, Urahara. I will not tell her."

The older man pursed his lips and scratched his ear absentmindedly. "Well, then judging by her reluctance at your meeting, and the fact that she has Kaien and Ichigo as friends…" He trailed off to see how Byakuya was taking this, which turned out to be in quiet composure as his sight returned to the sleeping girl. "…She will probably not be swayed to accept just due to your position as a noble, since she has the head of one protecting her, and the heir of another."

The dark-haired Kuchiki nodded. "I understand the situation, and it has left me to do as you have suggested." He glanced almost wearily at the hatted man. "I will ask her once more, and should she decline me, then I will try my best to protect her still, as Hisana asked of me, but from a distance."

Kisuke chuckled, realizing how far his little friend was willing to strive in order to preserve his promise to his most loved wife. "They really do resemble each other," he mused as he surveyed the girl's countenance. "It must be difficult for you to look at her." He glanced earnestly at him. "Is it like having Hisana back in any way?"

"It is not," said Byakuya. "More so, it is like having apart of her in front of me. But not her herself."

The blonde nodded, and a second later jumped excitedly as the topic of their conversation began to stretch away from sleep's grasp. "She's waking," he noted unnecessarily.

Her eyes opened first, with the alarm of a person who wakes knowing not where they are. As consequence she shot up to sitting, and wide-eyed she took in the two men who were flanking her bedsides. Her cheeks colored considerably when her gaze fell upon Byakuya, and then strayed to her quilt-covered lap shyly. "I-I am very sorry about what happened before," she apologized, all sleepiness gone through means of shock.

"There is nothing you need to be sorry for," dismissed Byakuya in a voice softer and more devoid of indifference that Kisuke had ever heard out of his lips. "It is I who should express my apologies, the way our meeting went was not how I had intended, and yet I did not stop my Elder from resorting to forcing you to accept my offer."

She looked at him in wonder, surprised at his tone, and the fact that he was saying sorry to her. It was also the whole-hearted look of regret that she never could have guessed the man in front of her could possibly possess, that held her eyes on his. "I wish to ask you once more," he told her. "Will you join my family as my sister, Rukia san?"

"Can you give me a reason," she whispered to him, her lips carefully forming the words she wanted him to hear. "One that has nothing to do with my likeness to your late wife?"

He looked sincerely sorry. "I can not," he answered her.

She smiled apologetically. "Then I cannot accept, not will I ever while your reason still remains the same."

He nodded understandingly, and reached out to touch her hand. "I am sorry to hear that, but I will respect your decision."

"You seem to always turn up in healing wards," Hisagi said to her, his lips curving good-naturedly.

She laughed, glad for his company, but also wishing to be alone to ponder her last visitor. She was still under the effect that Kuchiki Byakuya's unexpected kindness had put her under.

He noticed her mirth had been off, that there must be something amiss with her. His brow furrowed. "Is there something wrong?" he asked her. "You can tell me, Rukia san."

She bit her lip, considering his offer. Could she tell Hisagi Senpai? Her mind wondered who else if not him. Perhaps Ichigo? Was it really in her to spill her guts to the orange-head who was already unreasonably burdened with the problem of helping her not only through the tournament, but also on the road to ally herself with the spirit of her sword and his own? Her conscience yelled no.

"I," she muttered as her hands fisting, conveying her emotion. "I can't seem to advance in my training. My best friend abandoned me. And…" She trailed off, re-thinking about telling him about Kuchiki Byakuya. It was after all not only her business, but the clan leader's as well.

Shuuhei was taken aback, but went onwards, placing his hand over one of her balled-up ones. He raised it up between them and unfurled the curled fingers. "Why don't you let me help out with your training," he proposed as he twined their hands, trapping her attention with his words. "It's swords that's bothering you, isn't it? I'm sure another person helping you will improve your skills."

Rukia felt flooded with relief and gratitude. "Y-yes, Senpai," she agreed quickly. "Thank you."

He smiled at her. "And know that Abarai is a fool. I could tell from the moment I saw him," he said jokingly which roused a smile of her own.

At that moment a bell sounded out and Shuuhei regretfully let go of her hand. "I have to go to class now," he explained as her gaze followed him. "I will speak with you later."

She watched him go through the door of her room, and closed her eyes with an appreciated ease, reveling in how her shoulders seemed less heavy. "Thank you, Senpai," she muttered smiling.

Kaien sighed and let his lips curve into a slight smile. "It's a bit surprising," he admitted. "I almost can't believe that he gave up so easily…but then again he only fought so hard in Hisana's case because he wanted to marry her. With Rukia, I guess he just wanted to make an attempt, and if she protested like she did, then the whole mater's off his back, no?"

Kisuke, who had come to visit the Shiba Clan's head to relate the transpired events over a bowl of sake, frowned disapprovingly. "You've given the matter too little thought," he stressed. "And Little Byakuya not enough credit."

Kaien raised an eyebrow, oblivious. "What do you mean?"

The stripped-hatted man rolled his eyes. "He only gave up in the direct approach. Without the girl's knowledge he will keep her under his protection…at least until he decides to give her the true reason he has for inviting her into his family. She wasn't too keen on the idea of the offer being extended to her with her appearance as the reason, you know."

Kaien smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Well, I know he's got a heart, but I just didn't expect him to open it so much." He stood up suddenly and waved bye to Urahara. "Well, catch you later, I've got to go visit Rukia now. I haven't seen her since I was assigned charge over the Hollow Pill separation three months ago…it's been a drag," he finished dejectedly.

"I'd like to see her too," voiced Kisuke musingly. "But I think I'll wait until after the tournament when she won't be so stressed."

When she had been younger, she had not been the type of girl to dream up a prince charming. But if she had been like that, then Rukia was sure that he would have been in every aspect like the academy's Healer…every bit as handsome at least.

But obviously his temperament would have been ditched for a more 'charming' variety. For this handsome healer, in her opinion, held nothing enchanting besides his looks. He was in fact very mean..

It had been two days since her embarrassing collapse, and he still refused to let her out of bed. Not only that, but he derived great pleasure from teasing her relentlessly, and knowingly making her blush by getting too close to her in every way in his immediate power.

That morning-it was now about three in the afternoon-he let her know that he was going to Sereitei, and she had immediately wished for his fast departure so she may get away from his quarters. However, he had thwarted her plans by locking her in the stupid room. She was at her ends. It was now time for drastic measures.

Rukia stood on the mattress of her bed and scrutinized the small window of the wall she faced. She gathered that she could quite possibly fit through.

She pushed up the window pane and looked back to the door, assuring herself that the wicked Healer wasn't going to burst through and tie her to her bed. With resolve she pushed herself through the window, and turned to the left to scan where she would land. It was a wooden walkway, and she deemed that should she fall it would not hurt too badly. She turned to the right, and was just in time to see none other than Hisagi Shuuhei turning the corner, followed by Shiba Kaien. They both stopped and stared at her with open astonishment.

Her cheeks colored dramatically and she hastily pulled back into the room, falling backwards on the mattress on her back. Hastily, she scrambled to get back up and slammed down the window and drew closed the curtains to hide herself. For the first time, she was thankful that the Healer had locked her in.

She held her breath in as she heard their steps go by the window, noting the guffawing laugh that Kaien-dono was raucously displaying, and Hisagi Sempai's chuckles. She sighed dove under her covers.

Again, her only comfort was that they would not be able to come into her roo-.

"So, so," snickered Kaien as he caught sight of her form under the sheets, "Care to explain to me what in the world you were doing?" he teased as he approached the bed. He received no response, and so in retaliation he launched a tickle attack to where he knew her stomach was.

She writhed and kicked and screamed-laughed under his hands, and he laughed with her and continued until she voluntarily threw off the shrouding sheets. Red-faced she grabbed his wrists to stop his onslaught. He grinned. "There she is, little monkey! What are you doing climbing out of windows?"

If possible her blush brightened and she looked away from him to glare at her lap. She relinquished his hands. "The door was locked from the inside, so I couldn't get out. And I really want to leave here. I've been stuck in this room for two days…and there's nothing wrong with me anyways," she grumbled.

Hisagi frowned from the open doorway, holding it ajar now that he was aware that it would not open from the inside if he closed it. "I wouldn't say it was nothing," he pointed out. "You passed out, from what the Healer told me, from severe exhaustion…and you haven't been eating properly, which is really important now that you're training with Ichigo san."

Kaien suddenly caught her in a headlock and noggied her head. She squirmed in his grasp, but stilled when he turned her around and pierced her with the most serious stare she had ever seen in his eyes. "You won't ever pull shit like that again," he told her fiercely. "If you need a day off, then know that Ichigo will be more than understanding about it. There's no use in pushing yourself so much that you damage yourself. And in the long run all the effort that you put into your skills will amount to nothing if you train with a worn-out body…that's probably why you haven't improved at all as of late. That's how you've regressed!"

Rukia's eyes widened as the words began to make sense to her. "I didn't realize," she whispered and Kaien abandoned his hard embrace. He pulled her ear jokingly to take her attention. "I'll be helping you too from now on, alright?" He smiled widely. "I'll be training you in swords combat, and Hisagi's gonna teach you a thing or two about strategy. Whadda' ya' think?"

She mirrored the way his lips had curved. "I think I'll never be able to repay you."

Kaien grimaced and grabbed at her again before she could get away. "Let's see if I can noogie all this gratefulness out of you," he exclaimed. He turned to grin at Hisagi who looked amused at how the kid struggled in his arms. "Wanna' help?" he invited.

Hisagi's shoulders shook with laughter, but he declined with a shake of his head. "I'll just keep watch," he said, gesturing towards the door.

Kaien nodded solemnly. "Good idea, I think this is going to take a while anyway."

It was a day of firsts for Rukia, for once she wished the Healer would hurry back to her.

Kaien sighed dramatically. "I don't know what to tell you. On one hand I'm thrilled to get out of the Pill Duty…but then again I can't be completely happy because the next guy in line is you…I'm terribly distressed."

Ichigo was tempted to get up from his slump and kick him, but alas, the grass underneath his back was too comfortable to stray away from. And anyway, since the idiot in question was standing, he had the upper hand…and again he was too lazy to challenge that.

"What am I going to do about Rukia, though," he voiced. "I haven't seen her in a couple of days, come to think about it…every time I go look for her she's not in our training area."

Kaien coughed. "Well, I could help you with training her. Hisagi too."

Ichigo glanced at him. "Thanks Kaien, I'll leave her in your hands then…"

Said man looked troubled. "Hey," he said, but faltered.

Ichigo sat up. "What is it?"

He saw no choice but to steady his resolve, it would come out eventually, although he already knew his friend would be alright with Rukia agreeing beforehand about himself training her, anger was inevitable when it came to her sudden collapse. But still, he hoped he wouldn't be too angry at himself…or her. He steadied his resolve. "The truth is that I already asked her, and she agreed. I know you won't mind that, but there's also something else I guess you didn't know."

Ichigo's frown appeared after disappearing due to a completely lax day. "What is it?"

Kaien sighed. "She fainted a few days ago, which is why she hasn't been showing up to training…"

Thankfully Kaien-dono had convinced the Healer that she was sufficiently well in health to continue her life outside of his wards, and so she could go to class the next day. She walked briskly to her Kido class, wondering what was on the agenda for that session.

Without warning, she was caught unawares, when suddenly someone's arm hooked through her own. She looked to the person, shock emanating from her in all respects.

"Shihouin!"

The blonde smiled and tilted her head to the practice area they were headed towards. "I heard that the Honors Class in our year wants to share the field today. What do you say about teaming up with me and Abarai? It should be interesting…"

Rukia tore herself away and made a point to not meet her eyes, thinking about Renji's anger made her angry too. "I don't think so, but thank you," she bit out.

The blonde laughed quietly, "Suit yourself," and went ahead.

She sighed harshly and went past the gates where the two classes split up. On the right stood hers, and so she headed towards them without casting a glance to the left, she would not allow herself to look for that over-sensitive buffoon!

Her kidou instructor suddenly appeared, looking a little rumpled from his Shumpo ride to class. Beside him stood a stern looking woman who glared at him when he lit up his trademark cigarette. "Split up into groups of three!" she ordered her class. Rukia, along with her own looked to their sensei who motioned for them to do the same. Rukia looked around for someone to ask when abruptly someone took hold of her arm where it curved.

Her immediate thoughts went to Shihouin, but she restrained herself from snatching her arm away. Good thing too, since it didn't turn out to be her. "I'm Suisei Mamoru," he told her, "Do you remember me?"

She did. He was the Noble boy who had explained to her Soul Society's Natural Law so many months ago. "Would you like to partner up with me?" he asked. She nodded silently, and he stood holding her arm until she discreetly extracted it from his grasp, although she knew he would notice. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry," he whispered. "It's just that you always look very lonely."

Her surprise showed, she knew. "I," she said, thinking of something to direct away that topic. "I think we need another person."

He looked around and then shrugged. "I think we're on our own," he told her. She nodded and they stood together, waiting for further instructions. He suddenly broke that silence with a nudge of his elbow against her shoulder, and it was then that she became aware of his height. He wasn't as tall as Renji, per say, but her head didn't even reach his shoulder, and she realized that he had been slightly squatting when he had been talking to her.

"Yes?" she said as conversations flowed freely around them. He smiled nicely. "Do you want to go to the back?" he asked. "I think we're going to have a contest between our class and the Honors one. I'm not too good at Kido, so I thought that maybe they won't get to us if we…"

"I get it," interrupted Rukia, and began to make her way through the winding crowd to get to the very back. She looked back and saw that he was following; he gave her a grateful smile.

Unfortunately, even while being last, they still had to go, since the instructors made the lesson as long as necessary. They, as consequence, decided to award points by teams, and hence ordered the trios to split into duos. The points would help their grades.

There were two rounds, the first required the participant to shoot at a target twenty-five feet away. Mamoru grazed the goal, earning him one out of five points.

Rukia stood straight when it was her turn and extended her right arm, and drew her fingers close together. "Oh, Rulers…" she chanted, and when she finished the incantation she let go of the reiatsu that had gathered. "Shot of Red Fire! Crash Down!" she exclaimed, and to her pleasure her ammo hit the center of the target, awarding her full points. Still, even through the smile she was fighting back, she did not look over to where she knew Renji was standing. If he could snuff her, then she could do the same to him.

Mamoru high-fived her. "Good job, only three people in our class have gotten five points!" he said to her. He was obviously impressed, and she couldn't help that that made her happy too.

The second round was the rigorous test. For this section the Healer, and several Fourth Squad members were present. It apparently also involved quite a few of the teachers, she even recognized her Swords instructor from a distance.

There were ten in total, and they all lined up parallel to the Normals class when they moved the Honors kids to their side too. They were to shoot kidou blasts, one apiece, as the students ran past them, trying to not get hit.

"You will all start with twenty points," said the Honor's instructor. "Every time you get hit, you will have two points taken from you."

Rukia's turn came too soon for her taste's, and she felt it additionally after having witnessed no one in her class make the full run without getting hit once. As a result, more Fourth Squad personnel had shown up.

"Go!" she heard, and she took off as fast as she could. As she crossed the first instructor he shot at her, and she dropped down to the ground, and scrambled up, ignoring her chaffed palms, and continued on. It was as if time had slowed down, and a familiar feeling engulfed her. It was like the fear she had constructed when she had taken Ichigo's test, but more so it was they way she had felt back in Inuzuri, whenever she ran for her life. Before she knew it she had gone through the course without a single shot having touched her.

She didn't know if what everyone's lips were moving from were cheers or curses, her ears had gone deaf to them. All that was audible were the congratulations from her Swords and all the other instructors. Suddenly, she felt the urge to turn, and when she did her eyes met Renji's. She couldn't stop her smile, and had not the strength to keep it from falling when he glared spitefully at her and then turned away into the crowd. She stood desolate, and surprised, his scorn was like a punch to the gut. It was the kidou blast that actually struck her.

She stood there, not knowing what to feel, and watched with idle confusion as a girl in pigtails looked at her with pity before sinking into the same sea of people as Renji.

She knew he was in her room before she even turned the knob. But there was no way she could have anticipated the anger in him, and so she was completely thrown aback by the searing glare he graced her with as she closed the door behind her. For some reason he was terribly infuriated, and she could for nothing fathom why.

She approached him, and remained near her bed where he sat, waiting for him to say something while looking at him in profile. "So," he ground out, sneering at the wall. "You passed out," he told her simply. She nodded, and realized that was the cause of his irritation, yet still such extreme lividness she thought was not being reasonable. "Yes, but why are you so mad?"

He waved his hand, signaling a lack of importance. "I'm just mad at myself. I've not only failed to help you improve but hurt your health."

Her eyes widened, "None of that was your fault," she scolded. "I'm to blame for not improving, I single-handedly caused my own collapse."

Ichigo suddenly stood and faced her, scaring her for a second so that she stepped back and knocked into her tall cabinet with her back. She heard something fall and clatter to the wooden floor, and watched him kneel-crouch to retrieve whatever it had been.

He scrutinized the circular compact, and opened it. She felt she literally saw his eyes darken, and a split second later he grabbed her arms fiercely, and maneuvered her form to sit on the bed as he once did at the edge. He crouched before her and seized a corner of her covers and without regard spit on them; she knew what he intended to do and struggled in vain, attempting to stand and recover her wrist from his grip. No dice.

But there was no success in trying to hide what damage little sleep and malnutrition have done to her. She looked away from him, shame-faced.

His head fell forward, and his grip tightened on her wrist. "Kaien's going to train you for a bit. I have to do Pill Duty now, since it's my turn. Understand?" She nodded solemnly. "Yes. I know. We talked about it yesterday. He says he will help me."

He clicked his tongue, and the noise attracted her eyes to him. "I'm glad you made that arrangement beforehand," he told her, and his stare was cold. "I suppose you'll be in much better hands."

Rukia blinked confusedly. "It's not just Kaien-dono," she protested. "Hisagi sempai is also going to aid me." But it didn't appear as if he had considered her words. He let go of her, and walked to her window where he drew open the curtains and yanked open the pane.

Rukia's eyes dropped down to her lap, too stunned by the spite of his words to move. What was wrong with him? Why was he taking things this way?

She looked up suddenly, and saw that he was gone. She walked to the window and just stood there.

That night sleep taunted her in an ever-evading game until she fell asleep by the window.

"How strange how time passes so quickly when you're dreading something," she muttered sleepily. Her companion frowned good-naturedly and bopped her on the head, sending her sprawling on the grass. She just laid there, and sighed heavily. "Kaien-dono, I don't want this next week to end…"

He laughed and dropped down next to her on his stomach too. "Well, it's only been two months, but…" he drawled out as he regarded her and she surveyed him, "I think you have nothing to worry about."

She lifted one eyebrow in a yeah-right sort of way. "How so?"

His lower lip protruded comically. "Is that how much faith you have in me? Geez, Rukia. We've tried our hardest here, so just believe me when I tell you that you're all set for that Tournament next week. No doubts, all right!"

She smiled.

He grinned. "You're my best-est, most favorite-est student, kid. Your sword's become not only accurate, but you have gained the ability and confidence to go through with attacks."

She was blushing now, but he wouldn't let it go. "What I'm most impressed by," he said, almost to himself, "Is your style. It's quick, and with the strategy that Hisagi taught you to apply, like I said, super precise. But what's interesting is how cool it is when you're watching…heck! Even when you're the opponent. It's so graceful when you're battling, and yet there's something wild about it when you strike. You'll place so much power with your attacks. I can't wait until you challenge your sword's spirit so you can use Shikai."

She sighed, trying to cover up her embarrassment. "Kaien-dono, you know I hate it when you praise me. Try to contain yourself, for my sake." He took note of her glowing cheeks and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Silly Rukia," he cooed. "I do it cuz I love ya. You're as cute as…a bunny!"

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him with her mouth slightly agape. "I-idiot," she managed to utter. He frowned. "What? You don't like rabbits?"

She almost pouted. "No!-I mean yes! I mean…yes, I like them. They are my favorite animals."

"Oh," drawled Kaien. "Then I guess that's what you're getting for your birthday. By the way, when is it?"

Rukia laughed, remembering how the day went uncelebrated, and that she hadn't realized it was her anniversary until she was lying in bed after a day of hard training. "I'll tell you a month ahead of it," she promised. He pouted. "Fine…"

She coughed and got off the floor of the grassy field. "Kaien-dono, may I borrow a Hell Butterfly again?" He got up too, and summoned one, and she related her message quietly, and then let it fly off. "It won't come back with anything," she prophesized as it flew away into the distance.

Kaien glared after it, "You don't know that for sure," he told her. She smiled sadly. "He never answers me, and you know as well as I do that he never will. If I had just told him I wasn't well, then he wouldn't have felt it was his fault. I was only a burden to him, he's right to not want to be around me."

He had to struggle to keep his anger at his orange-haired friend at bay. "He'll get over it Rukia, you'll see." She shook her head. "No, I've lost him forever because of my idiocy."

He sighed and suddenly slipped his hands across her back and under her thighs to lift her up. Her eyes went wide with surprise and she gasped. She let her hands rest on his shoulders for support. "You really are just a kid," he said affectionately, tilting her to kiss her forehead sweetly. "Only children can be so pure-hearted."

He set her slowly on her feet, and she let her arms fall to her sides. He tousled her hair. "You've succeeded, Rukia," he told her. "And I'm so proud. Know that the only reason you regressed before was because of that slip in judgment, and because I'm a better teacher than Ichigo. That field is just not his thing. He can be the greatest leader, but he doesn't know how to teach to specific needs, got that?" She nodded solemnly. "Yes."

He smiled. "Go back to school, then. Go back, bathe, and sleep. Use the weekend to study for your tests. I'll visit you on Monday." She nodded, and he turned away to walk home. He didn't get far before a pair of arms encircled him around his waist. "Kaien-dono…" she whispered.

He stopped, a little surprised, and looked at her so she would explain herself. She looked at him with question in her eyes. "Will you tell him one thing from me, Kaien-dono? It's what I've wanted to say to him in person, but he won't come when I call, so can you just…" He nodded immediately.

She looked at her feet. "I want to thank you first again, and don't tell me not to be grateful, that's impossible," she warned him sternly.

She met his eyes, and he could see the tears clearly swimming in them. "Thank you," she whispered. "For training me, for allowing me to come with you on that day. I'm thankful I was able to meet all of you." Her eyes turned downcast then, and the tears fell down her cheeks. "Tell Ichigo. Tell him, that even if he never wants to see me again, that I am glad his life and mine came together even for just a little while."

He did not miss how she held that red string tenderly with her forefinger and thumb.

'You're an idiot, Ichigo,' he sighed discontentedly.

Thirteenth Squad's Third Dojo was his favorite, really there was no reasonable reason behind it, it just was. It was here, however, that he had his celebration for when he became Vice-Captain, where he first kissed Junko Miyako, and where he was now kicking some imbecile ass in the name of his favorite student. He smiled like a wolf, if one could possess that skill, as he approached Kurosaki Ichigo as he picked himself off the floor and raised his fists again.

For the past three hours he had been spewing all the crap he knew about the orange-head to his face. To his credit, it was only to make him see how prone to overreaction he was. However, he hadn't thought it would anger him so much that coordination would become a problem. Hence, why he had challenged him to put down his sword and fight with his body.

They ran at each other again, and a good blow to the face by Kaien sent Ichigo flying, only to land on his belly. He groaned and made to get up, but the dark-haired clan leader straddled him and forced him down. "She asks for you everyday: he gritted into his friend's ear. "But you never have the decency to answer. How do you think that makes her feel!"

Anger was taking over him now, and he on a whim gripped the orange-head by the hair and dragged him to his feet. A particularly heavy pant, due to the workout, from him made his stinky breath known to him, but he found that he had no qualms about breathing the smell of his breakfast on Ichigo's face at the moment. "Do you know what she asked me to tell you?" he ground out. "She says that even if you never want to look at her again, that she was happy she met you. She was glad I agreed to take her to the human world because the result was her bind with you!" He grabbed the red string that connected him to Rukia and pulled for emphasis. "So don't ignore her like there's no bond. It's so strong it even took corporeal form you imbecile, do not make her cry one more time!"

Something like hurt and panic passed over his friend's eyes, and slowly, he nodded. Satisfied, Kaien let go of him, for once in months having mercy on him, and his tired visage. "If you see her you might be able to sleep at night," he scoffed.

The Kurosaki heir nodded and made for the door, but was held up by Kaien, who now had an amused smile curving his lips. "She's sleeping now, though, so try again tomorrow."

Ichigo nodded tiredly again, and Kaien sighed. 'C'mon. I'll take you home," he said as he wrapped a helping arm across his friend's back.

"…lightly scratch your nails against a wall that knows no sin," she muttered under her breath as she poured over the dried-out book that Shihouin has tossed in the water. She knew she was prepared, since she had splayed her time wisely for training and school, unlike before, but to her it seemed that it never hurt to be cautious.

Across the table where she was sitting in the library was Hisagi Sempai, who was hunched over a few books of his own. They had started doing homework together ever since he had been helping her with strategy training. At first she had been shamed, saying that she didn't like monopolizing his time, but he had waved her off and assured her that was not the case.

"Surely you want to meet with his friends?" she had asked him. He had smiled. "They're only people I surround myself with because I don't always like to be alone. But I like your company better, so there's no need for you to worry."

Hisagi Sempai was like her rock at school. Not how it had been with Renji before, with complete need, but she always felt so much at ease in his presence. And he was so kind to her, unnecessarily so, especially concerning her training. He surely would make a great seated officer.

Said man looked up from his book to find her staring at him, and smiled happily. 'Ichigo san messed up,' he thought, 'I don't have to keep my promise anymore, I can make something of what I'm growing to feel for Rukia san.'

She smiled back, and then returned to her reading.

'I am sorry for you, you wasted so much.'

She trudged heavily to her room, almost dragging her feet, and her exhaustion became more defined so soon as she saw Shihouin Ayae leaning against her door. "What do you want?" she asked, too tired to be polite. The blonde shrugged. "I felt like telling you how things are going with Abarai," she explained.

Rukia didn't know what to expect. A part of her hoped that the girl had dumped him, and hurt him as much as he had hurt her, and the other wanted him to have seen he was wrong for choosing Shihouin over her simply because he was mad.

"We've kissed…" whispered Ayae.

A silence ensued, once in which the latter speaker gauged Rukia's impression, and when said girl's stomach began to feel ill. "I see," she muttered out steadily, proud at least for that small amount of control over her revulsion. "And does he know how you treated me, or did you make him believe we were friends?"

The blonde laughed. "I'm not made of lies, Rukia san," she berated. "I told him the truth. I told him I disliked you since the moment I saw you..." She smiled," He didn't mind." Rukia's faced flushed with anger and hurt tears sprang to her eyes. "Is that so? The tell Renji to go to hell. Tell him I don't care if he ignores me forever on, I don't want to continue to call such a person my friend."

Ayae laughed. "What makes you more mad? That he didn't defend you because he's angry at you, or that that he gave you up so easily for me?" Rukia looked away. "Leave," she said. "I don't want to talk to you anymore." Ayae nodded. "Of course," she agreed. "But one more thing...I've always been curious about where you were accommodated. In truth, this room of your must be the smallest in the whole dorm." Before Rukia could move her door had been opened and Ayae had gone in, Rukia grabbed her by the hair before she could do so fully.

Ayae gasped, but Rukia after a second realized it wasn't from pain, but from what she saw on her bed. Rukia let go, and the blonde looked at her tauntingly. "Roses, Rukia san? I wonder from who?" she strutted into the room fast, and grabbed the card and read it. Rukia snatched it quickly away, and shoved her angrily out of her room. "It's bad manners, Shihouin, to barge in without permission, please refrain from doing so again." She slammed the door on her face, but could make out the quiet laughter as it traveled with its spiteful owner down the hall.

Sighing, she walked to her bed and picked up the roses. 'Who sent these?' she wondered as she lifted the card to her eyes. At first she couldn't allow herself to believe what she was reading. "Ichigo," she whispered. She read his note, which although short, meant a lot to her simply because of the hand that wrote it. I'm sorry, Rukia…it began.

There was a maze in the school grounds, one that hardly anyone chanced to try because it was so impossible to reach the center, and more conceivable to get lost. However, Ichigo was not one of those in that majority. His card had ended by giving her directions to find the middle.

She found him there, sitting on a large stump that adorned the focus point. He stood as soon as he saw her, although not fast enough for her to not see him tracing the red string that tied them together, the one that she had followed in the stead of his barely legible scrawl. Her heart fluttered strangely when she reached him, and as he took her hands in his. He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, for being an idiot," he whispered.

She blushed and begged him to raise his head. "It's my fault too," she said. "I was the one, in case you've forgotten, that began my regression in both my training and health. There's really nothing you need to apologize for. I understand why you were angry."

He looked up and smiled slightly, restraining himself from telling her that partly his anger had been triggered by the catalyst that jealously was. Thinking that she might have preferred Kaien and Shuuhei, he hadn't been able to keep a hold of his wrath.

"Still," he said. "I suck, I don't deserve to train you as my student." She smiled. "Good. Because I would like to spar with you as a partner, not a pupil." He was surprised, but nodded abruptly. "But there is something you can teach me," she proposed.

He wondered what. "You can show me how to heal more efficiently," she said. "I'm good enough at sparring, but if I can heal myself in a battle, then I'm sure we can make next year my last."

Ichigo nodded. "Ah, I'd like that."

"But," interjected Rukia. "I'd also like to pay you for that service." Her eyes were stern, and he didn't dare refuse her.

"If that's what you'd like," he replied.

"What is your price?" she asked jokingly, elated to be in his company again, very much liking his hands holding her so warmly.

He looked down abruptly, and she wondered what was wrong. But just as suddenly he looked back up at her, capturing her gaze with how intensely his portrayed resolve. "I want a kiss," he told her. "From you."

Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flamed. "Are you serious?" she inquired of him, not quite believing his words. "Yes," he verified, and his earnest features convinced her that he was being sincere.

She closed her eyes, squinting them shut, and puckered her lips. She heard him laugh, and slowly draw her closer to him, so that her chest was not an inch away from his. He stroked her cheek, and her body reacted on its own accord. It rendered to softness in his embrace, her comical attempt for a kiss fell, and she could not breathe when he stood and spinned them gently around, and walked her two steps backward.

Unhurriedly, he lowered her down tenderly on her back onto the trunk, cupping the back of her head, and letting fall his own to graze his cheek against hers. "Ichigo," she whispered, and closed her eyes with instinct as his lips brushed across her own.

"I'll make this nice for you," he murmured on her lips, and his eyes smoldered such a warm color that she could do nothing but believe her first kiss would be wonderful.

Under the temperate night he gathered her in his arms, and kissed her sweetly, molding her lips with his, breathing her in until only Ichigo existed in her world.

They never noticed the eyes that watched them with barely restrained anger and loathing vindictiveness, or the pair next to them that took the light of delight and spite.

"You can say you don't care," she whispered to herself as the two in front of her delved into a new bond that she could never imagine. "But you will when you fall to ruin in Abarai's eyes…and in his hands.'

Well, that was quite long. I hope you liked the ending!

This chapter is dedicated to all the people who reviewed, and especially those who helped me steer myself away from the funk that would have otherwise have taken over me as consequence of my first small (really, it wasn't too bad) of a flame.

This story is for you, Deneb! You're my #1!

Preview:

1. "It's not so hard to understand. Kurosaki kun and I were meant to be. He is the one I love, and will always love, so I will not allow you to take him from me…"

2. "Sempai, why did you kiss me?"

3. "Renji! don't you dare! I'll kill you if you touch him!"

4. "Do you see that, Rukia? That is a place you must never go, and must never heed attention to. The man trapped In there is dangerous, Ichigo sealed him there for a reason."

5. "Little girl, tell me you name. I do so wish to know it. Tell me now, and you won't need to swear allegiance to the likes of them.

Merci beaucoup, for reading…I'm sure it was a struggle!

Love, Luna!