For the next week again Rukia trains harder. Her whole week of training for her is just a bridge she has to cross until Saturday. She yet again didn't see Ichigo much during the week but she had a sort of odd feeling that he was avoiding her on purpose. She came to the conclusion that he was embarrassed and just needed time to get over it.
Ichigo for the whole week kept himself busy with his Squad. He spent a few days with Ukitake and Shunsui and he got dragged away from a day with Rangiku, Yachiru and Toushiro. Ichigo actually enjoyed that day. It was nice to see how easily the two got on and he knew they had no romantic relationship. It would have been so much easier if he hadn't allowed himself to get this far. He'd probably got her caught up in his feelings too.
On Saturday Rukia was disappointed to hear that Ichigo was busy that day and so she decided to make it up to Rangiku and spend the day with her, Isane and Nanao instead though Yachiru tagged along.
Ichigo wasn't lying because Shunsui had invited him and Ukitake for a drinking day and Ichigo happily accepted knowing he should start cooling things off with Rukia as soon as possible. She needed to enjoy her life and spend more time with her friends now. He knew about her illness a few years back and how it took her nearly two years to start eating and sleeping properly again. He didn't know why she was so upset but she was better now and should have fun.
"Shunsui may I ask you something?" Ichigo says sipping at a bottle of Sake. Shunsui smiles with pink cheeks.
"What is it? You know if it's lady trouble then I can give you lots of hints though so can Gin actually." Shunsui laughs and Ukitake shakes his head slowly.
"Actually I was wondering what the relationship is between you and your Lieutenant Nanao?" Ichigo asks and Shunsui smiles and shakes his head leaving his cheeks a more normal colour.
"Our relationship is complicated because Nanao is as you say my Lieutenant but she wasn't always my Lieutenant and she has been my Sweet Nanao for a very long time." Shunsui explains and Ichigo nods.
"So you love her then? And she loves you?" He wonders and Shunsui shrugs.
"Indeed I love Nanao dearly and she despite being shy has admitted to many other Lieutenants that she loves me too." Shunsui explains.
"Well isn't it awkward? Don't you get put off?" Ichigo sighs and Shunsui shakes his head.
"Because she hasn't personally told me we just pretend we don't know though everyone knows clearly how I feel about her. Also it's her personality. Nanao is very shy and yet slightly bossy so she takes her work very seriously and therefore hasn't really shown me that she loves me at all." Shunsui explains and Ichigo nods with some kind of understanding.
"But what would you do if she did start showing how much she felt about you and you became romantically involved?" Ichigo asks hoping for a good answer.
"I'd probably get very worried about her and be distracted all the time. I'd probably have to even move her to another Squad because I can't leave her behind, it's her job to work with me not to allow me to work alone." Shunsui says with a sad expression and Ichigo nods with a sigh before shrugging and taking a big gulp out of his almost full bottle.
Rangiku skips happily to the hospital room for a quick visit to Gin as the other three sit at the picnic. She opens the door sneakily and then lets out a sigh when she notices his sleeping figure.
"My efforts are wasted." She laughs before skipping over to his bed and leaning over to see his face. She gently pulls a few locks of silver hair away from his closed eye lids. She blushes and bites her bottom lip as his eyes open slowly revealing an icy blue.
"What are you doing?" He mumbles rolling over as she drops the silver locks and shrugs before sitting in the chair by his bed. She leans forward resting her chin in her hands with her elbows barely sinking the soft mattress on the bed. He blinks at her shining blue eyes and smiles softly as he still can see the young girl he fell in love with in her eyes. She blushes again as he props himself up on one arm.
"I'm sorry to bother…" She cuts off as he leans forward and gently presses his lips to hers. She inhales deeply allowing her lips to curve into a smile. One of her hands slowly plays with the tips of his silver hair. He pulls away acting pleased with himself as she blushes again.
"Don't worry about it." He tells her.
"You're making that a habit." She points out smiling and he shrugs with a cheeky grin.
"Should have made it a habit a long time ago." He tells her and she just shakes her head before sighing slightly.
"Gin do you believe Ichigo will come back to Rukia like you did for me?" She wonders and he smiles lightly before lying down and looking up at her.
"I believe he will. It may not be the same as before but then again things aren't quite the same between us." He reminds her.
She smiles with a short laugh before reaching forward and stroking his silver hair with a grin. He smiles back at her knowing strangely how glad he was that he came back. He made her so happy and yet he never realised that she made him happy too.
"Things are even better." She replies finally.
That Sunday Rukia doesn't bump into Ichigo as usual and carries on with her training. For the rest of the week she trains while hearing around that there was going to be a big party to wish them luck the upcoming Saturday. Despite wanting to spend as much time with Ichigo as possible Rukia knew she would have to attend after all it was her mission. When Saturday arrived Rukia headed straight to the party knowing if she waited she'd say something stupid to her Captain. She had to learn to deal with the fact that she wasn't falling for him again but was just falling in love with him further.
"Captain Ukitake!" Rukia calls skipping towards him. His face lights up and she grins back before halting in front of him.
"Rukia how're you?" Ukitake asks and she shrugs.
"I'm good but there's been a lot of training." She explains and his eyes sadden slightly.
"Please be careful on your mission Rukia." Ukitake pleads and Rukia nods seriously with a small smile.
"Don't worry I think I've got quite strong over the years of being a Lieutenant." Rukia smiles and Ukitake smiles back with a small nod before his face turns confused and a screech echoes around the place.
"Rukia-Sempai!" A person yells running at her. Rukia spins around to see a small girl with blue hair stood by Yachiru.
"Hello?" Rukia wonders and the girl beams up at her slightly dazed.
"Rukia this is my friend Yui and she is your number one fan so I said she could come and meet you. She's a new comer to our Squad." Yachiru smiles and Rukia grins.
"It's nice to meet you Yui-Chan. I'm honoured you would look up to me so." Rukia says offering a hand to the small girl. The girls mouth drops open and then closes again but no words come out. She stretches out her hand and Rukia takes it gently to receive another squeal.
"Rukia-Sempai held my hand! I'm gonna die right now!" Yui screams jumping up and down. Yachiru laughs and Rukia smiles at her and then bends down to her height and tips her head to the side.
"Hey wanna get some food with me Yui-Chan?" Rukia asks and Yui stops jumping to nod crazily with tears pricking her eyes. "Come on then you two." Rukia says taking Yachiru's hand in her free hand. She guides the two skipping girls to the food table with a smile as Yui and Yachiru giggle and pull her towards different types of food.
"Don't you think she'd make a good mum?" Rangiku asks Isane, Nanao and Tatsuki as they watch their friend from the other side of the courtyard. Stood with them is Ikkaku, Shuhei, Renji, Shunsui, Yumichika and Ichigo.
"She sure looks good with kids doesn't she?" Isane smiles turning slightly red.
"She looks adorable. I wonder if she wants her own kids." Nanao sighs and they all glance at the guys who watch her blushing slightly apart from Ichigo and Shunsui.
"Do you think she would make a good mum Captain Kurosaki?"
"I-I-I well…" Ichigo stammers looking around as they all wait for his answer. He turns slightly red and laughs awkwardly while running his fingers through his hair. "I guess so." He says finally and Rangiku smiles before looking back to her friend.
"I hope she has that one day. She deserves it from all she'd gone through and despite what they say I think Captain Kuchiki would be delighted." Rangiku says and Renji chuckles before shaking his head slowly.
"Depends who her partner is and if they take after Rukia or him." Renji says and Rangiku frowns glaring around a few of her friends at him at the same time as Tatsuki, Nanao and Isane shake their heads.
"Don't get your hopes up. If she ended up with you only you would be happy about it." Rangiku hisses and Ichigo controls his gaze not to glare at the Lieutenant who he can't help but see now as his competition.
"Renji has a good chance. They've been friends for years." Shuhei says and Renji nods turning red.
"I'm not sure he's her type." Tatsuki says and the girls nod in agreement secretly routing for Ichigo.
"I don't think she has a type. Let's be honest even though Rukia is gorgeous she isn't fussy. We have to start making moves because nearly all the good ones are gone or are going fast." Ikkaku sighs and Rangiku shakes her head.
"I know right? Gin's basically claimed Rangiku, Nemu doesn't have any interest in us at all." Shuhei starts.
"Yeah but what's your deal Nanao? Are you taken?" Renji asks and she turns red shaking her head to Rangiku's disappointment.
"Sorry but she'd claimed lads." Shunsui says walking towards Ukitake smiling at his Lieutenant as she does. He smiles noticing she doesn't protest as usual.
"What about you Isane?" Yumichika asks and she turns bright red.
"Well I'm not really… I don't think that…" She mumbles.
"She's not interested and like hell any of you stand a chance with me." Tatsuki growls but all of them notice how she doesn't meet Shuhei's gaze.
"That pretty much leaves Isane and Rukia then. Unohanna would never go for us. Then there's Soi Fon." Renji muses and Ikkaku chokes on his Sake.
"Are you mental? She has Yoruichi-San." He points out and Renji sighs slowly.
"Then there is no one but Rukia left." Renji says and Ichigo tenses but keeps his eyes on his giggling Lieutenant knowing that true enough she is still available and it should stay that way.
Rukia laughs feeding spoon-fulls of chicken and rice to Yachiru and Yui happily. Yui watches her Sempai with sparkles in her eyes. She had been told about Rukia Kuchiki since she was accepted into the Shinigami School and since then she has always wanted to meet her Sempai.
"Hey Rukia-Sempai who's he?" Yui nods towards Ichigo and Rukia raises her gaze before blushing slightly and smiling.
"He's Captain Kurosaki. He's my Captain Yui-Chan." Rukia explains and Yui giggles.
"He's been watching you." Yui tells her and Rukia blushes.
"He thinks I'm training too hard that's all." Rukia says shutting the subject.
The rest of the day Rukia spends being dragged around by the two young girls. She can't help but feel happy about it because she had never told anyone that her dream is to one day have a family of her own. The difficult thing is that she always imagined that Ichigo would be in that family. She had always turned red at the idea of having Ichigo's children but she wanted it more than anything and still did.
