Disclaimer: I don't own bleach…or do I? Maybe I am Kubo Tite disguised as a 13 year old chick…Hmm actually no. that would just be creepy, really creepy… D:

AN: just wanted to say thanks to people who have been reviewing the story. All of you have been really great and supportive and it's really nice to get good comments on my first story. Any ideas for where the story could go are welcome. Thanks again, enjoy xD

Herminia/Niim42

Chapter 7

Rukia had soon regained consciousness and immediately started yelling about how Ichigo could have killed her.

"Shh you're gonna wake everyone up Rukia."

"So!? That's your fault then, you're the one who almost killed me, what's with you!? Jeez how bad could a freakin' nightmare be?"

Ichigo felt heat rising in his cheeks and turned away. He didn't mean to get so emotional, it was just…

"It was so real."

"It was just a nightmare Ichigo, get over it."

"Hey, why are you even in my bed anyway!?"

"Because if I tried to leave you started panicking. What was I meant to do? I couldn't sleep if I left you alone 'coz you would start going psycho! Even if I decided to leave you wouldn't let me go, you had me in a death grip!"

Ichigo sighed. 'Why do I even love her so much? She's so annoying.' He looked up at her thinking that maybe he would find an answer. And of course he found it instantly. It was the look in her violet eyes that showed mocking as just a cover up but deep down concern and kindness.

"Ichigo?" Rukia said impatiently.

"Ichigo!?"

"Huh, what? Why are you yelling?"

"Because you've been staring at me for the past 3 minutes and it's starting to creep me out."

"I wasn't staring."

"Yeah totally, just looking at me without even blinking for a long period of time. That's not staring at all"

"Urusai." Ichigo growled, looking away again.

He decided he needed to get away and picked up his substitute shinigami badge.

"I'm going for a walk."

He pressed the badge to his chest and headed towards the window in his shinigami outfit with Zangetsu securely slung across his back.

"Why do you need to be in your spirit form to go for a walk?"

"In case any hollow come along." He stated flatly. He knew that wasn't the real reason. He just didn't want to be seen. Or at least by as little people as possible, though he wasn't entirely sure why.

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Ichigo sat by the lake where his mum died and closed his eyes as the memories flashed through his mind. He had become a shinigami to protect, to prevent things like his mother's death from ever happening again. He didn't become a shinigami to end up putting the people he cared about in danger.

'Hey Hichigo, if you can hear me in there, give me one reason why I should trust you.'

Ichigo didn't expect a reply but right now it was the best he could do.

'I can't. It's up to you whether you trust me or not, all I can do is hope that you will trust me eventually.'

Ichigo sighed annoyed.

'Did you put that dream in my head?'

'…Why would I give you a reason not to trust me?'

'I don't know! Maybe you were bored and wanted to piss me off.'

He was starting to become impatient, and he thought he heard Hichigo laugh lightly at the back of his mind.

'Sorry, but I can't trust you, even if you didn't do anything wrong last time…I can't risk letting you out again. For all I know you could have just been trying to gain my trust by not doing anything wrong.'

'I'm gonna want out eventually king…and if you don't learn to trust me then I will give you a real reason not to trust me. If you won't compromise then I'll fight for my freedom, and I'll take your crown. What happens will be your own fault for not giving me a chance.'

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly. He was no longer sure that ignoring Hichigo was the best option, but, he couldn't force himself to let him out either. He shook his head furiously as if it would make Hichigo go away eventually. 'I don't know what to do…'

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Rukia had intended on leaving Ichigo alone but after he had been gone for 4 hours and she felt his rieatsu changing slightly she decided to go see if he was alright. She also couldn't shake the things he had said when he woke up from her mind.

She was already sure he loved her, but not as much as he had been trying to tell her before she passed out. And also, he didn't think she felt the same way, but, did she even feel the same way? She wasn't sure how she felt, she hadn't actually thought about it really.

'Do I…Do I love Kurosaki Ichigo...I think…I might be falling for him…'

She knew this wasn't something she would usually admit to even herself but she almost felt sure that that was the case. Kuchiki Rukia. Proper, noble, shinigami…was falling for someone who was part hollow, part shinigami and part human. Not to mention he was currently fighting against himself for sanity.

She shunpoed to the one place she could think that he would be and sure enough she found him sitting cross legged with his head in his hands beside the lake.

"Hey Ichigo…I could feel your rieatsu shifting slightly and you've been gone for a while. Sorry if you wanted to be alone but I was worried."

There was silence for a moment and Ichigo didn't even look up when he finally spoke.

"Good to see ya Rukiaa, the King was being pretty troublesome so I've decided that I will get my freedom whether he likes it or not."

Rukia shuddered. She knew that this was no longer Ichigo, by the way he spoke in a kind of sing song voice, and always carried out her name slightly longer as if he simply enjoyed saying the word and wanted to make it last. She felt different from the last time he had appeared. Before he hadn't felt as dark or …hollow, but now his rieatsu was dense and seemed to have an angry eager to kill aura about it.

"You feel evil this time." Was all she could say.

"Hmm? Well I guess I can get that way when the King makes decisions that piss me off."

"So you mean you're evil when you're angry but you're nice when you're happy? I you ask me then I would say that makes you evil either way"

She heard him sigh and her eyes widened in fear when he stood and faces her. The mask that had once only been covering half of his face now grew further and further across his face in a matter of seconds as the mask enveloped Ichigo's whole face, covering what was left of his human features. His voice then changed into an echoing sound when he spoke.

"I have nothing against you Rukiaaa…but…unfortunately for you, the King has grown quite attached to you and I'm here to get some revenge by making him angry…do you see what I'm saying Rukiaa?"

"Ichigo would be angry if you hurt me, which makes me your number one target."

She answered more to herself than to Hichigo.

"Yup."

Rukia could almost see the insane grin that the mask hid. She knew she wasn't going to fight him because that would mean hurting Ichigo. She knew there wasn't much she could do but hope that Ichigo would be able to regain control and…'Run!'