He was dead. He knew that there was no way on earth he could have survived. Funny, he expected death to feel cold, freezing, in fact. But no, some unseen source was sending waves of warmth to his body. Maybe he was in hell; he had his fair share of people tell him that he was going to end up there. No, it couldn't be hell; hell was supposed to burning hot, not comfortably warm. But he was completely numb, proving that he was, in fact, probably dead. Just to prove it to himself, Ichigo tried to sit up, to look around the black abyss that he assumed was death. He immediately gave up as a bolt of sharp pain shot across his chest, causing him to lay back down. Guess I'm not dead after all, he thought silently.

Ichigo's eyes slowly opened, the amber orbs foggy from the pain and the deep sleep he had been in for God-knows how long. A fire was snapping next to him, sparks lifting from the flames before dissipating into the cold night air. He shifted uncomfortably on the mat beneath his body, swallowing the thick saliva that had built up in his throat. He looked around, his vision slightly blurred, and tried desperately to remember how he had gotten where he was. The last thing he could remember was hearing a snap coming from the forest before…shit.

He looked around the campsite, a wave of panic flooding his senses as his looked for his companion. A relived sigh escaped his lips as his eyes rested on Rukia, her back turned to him, looking through a pack. He had done his job by protecting her, and that made him fell like he had a purpose. The small smile that rested on his face was ripped off as he erupted into a violent coughing fit, his body shaking furiously. The hoarse noise that came from his mouth immediately got Rukia's attention, her head turning to face the wounded man. Her violet eyes were a mix of relief and anxiousness, staring intently into Ichigo's brown orbs.

"Rukia?" The orange-haired whispered, his voice rough and cracked. He cleared his throat, the act causing an acute pain to stab his chest. He adjusted himself on the mat, wincing as the movements sent pain through his tense muscles. Hesitating briefly, he searched for the right question for that delicate moment before asking, "You're not hurt, are you?"

The petite girl shook her head, eyes closed, before replying, "No, no I'm not." She removed a small heap of bandages from the bag and turned around to face Ichigo. She took his wounded hand and examined the large cut, probing the tender red flesh surrounding the wound to be sure that it had stopped bleeding. The orange-haired man's fingers twitched occasionally, the girl's probing of the sensitive wound sending small streaks of pain across his hand and up his arm. She frowned apologetically as her companion's breath hitched in his throat, a result of the pain, before murmuring, "Sorry, it'll hurt a little."

"S'okay, don't worry about it." Ichigo's gaze wandered to her hands, which held his wounded one, wrapping it gently in the soft white bandages. It didn't take very long for the small roll of white cloth to run out, the raven-haired girl slipping the end of the bandage into the several layers wrapping around the man's palm to keep it from coming loose. Still holding his hand in hers, she ran her fingers gently across his cloth-covered palm, from the tips of his fingers to the bottom of his hand. "Do you need anything, Ichigo?"

"Can I have some water?" His voice had returned to normal, still soft from his weakened state. He took the canteen that Rukia handed him with his free hand and drank only a small amount, a drop trickling from the corner of his mouth. He set the canteen down and wiped the water from his mouth, letting his hand rest on his chest. He found that his shirt had been removed and his wounds wrapped in bandages, a thin blanket covering the bottom half of his body. "How long've I been out for?"

"Only a few hours. You really should go back to sleep, your wounds are still healing." Rukia gently urged, still softly stroking Ichigo's open palm.

Ichigo looked away, feeling slightly ashamed for some unknown reason. "Rukia," He looked back up, holding her hand, "Are you mad at me?"

The petite girl stared back at him with obvious surprise. She opened her mouth, the beginning of a word half-spoken, before shaking her head, "No."

"Please don't give me that." Ichigo entwined his fingers with hers, halting her attempt to move away. "I can tell just by looking at you. There's obviously something that I've done, or haven't done, to make you uncomfortable around me." His frown deepened when Rukia did not answer, turning her head to avoid any kind of eye contact with him. "C'mon, Rukia, please don't do this to me now. If there's something I've done wrong, then tell me so I can fix it."

"Why do you think you're lying there half-dead, Ichigo?" Rukia's eyes held a mixture of sorrow, anguish, and pain, the violet orbs brimming with tears. "That's what you've done. You went and nearly got yourself killed without thinking about any of the consequences! It's like you didn't care whether or not you died!"

"Oh, well sorry for doing my job!" Ichigo snapped back, voice thick with scornful sarcasm as he sat up against a tree behind him. He grabbed Rukia's wrist in an unbreakable grip as she tried to move away and pulled her to him, their faces only inches apart. "What sin against God did I commit by protecting you? Yeah, sure, I got a little beat up in the process, but big whoop. Did you want to die? Is that why you're so mad at me for defending you? Tell me Rukia, because I need to know now."

"You almost died, Ichigo!" She pushed her fists against his bare chest, trying in vain to break out of his grip. "That wound on your shoulder. It passed right over your heart. Any deeper, and you would have died! It wasn't part of your job to get killed!"

"It wasn't part of my job to fall in love with you, either. But guess what, it happened." Ichigo's hot breath crashed against the petite girl's face, a mix of emotion burning within his amber eyes.

Rukia leaned back, eyes wide with surprise. "Wh…what?"

"You want to know why I did what I did, Rukia?" Ichigo released her wrists, but she did not move away. Their lips lingered only mere centimeters apart, their heavy breathing drifting to the face of their partner. Using the back of his bandaged hand, he brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, cupping it softly. He leaned his head forward, the distance between their lips shrinking. He paused briefly, their lips barely touching, trying to decide whether or not this was the right thing to do. He whispered softly, almost inaudibly, his breath caressing her face, "Because I love you."

Pushing any form of doubt into the back of his mind, Ichigo softly claimed her lips with his own. There was nothing demanding or rough about the kiss, nothing that was lust-filled in any way. It was gentle and light, nothing that would indicate any kind of rushing on either of their parts. Everything seemed to stop, even their breathing ceasing in the moment. Growing bolder, Ichigo wrapped his other arm around the petite girl's waist, holding her body close to his.

This was so, undeniably wrong, and Rukia knew it. She knew she should pull back, break the kiss, stop what was happening, but she didn't. The feel of Ichigo's lips gently pressed against her own, the warmth radiating off of his body, kept her from pulling back. Her mind was a cyclone of emotions and thoughts, not being able to decipher what her mind wanted her to do. The warmth in her stomach spread throughout her body, only making her want more. But, no matter what she wanted, she was going to be married when they reached Edo, and this would only make it all the more difficult to bare. She pulled back, shaking her head, the whole situation pushing her to the breaking point. "I-Ichigo, I'm sorry…but I can't do this."

Ichigo seemed surprised, but he was expecting this reaction all along. It was wrong for him to be feeling this way, and she knew it was wrong to be feeling this way, too. But this was so important to him. It meant more than anything to him, and he needed to fight for it. Still holding Rukia securely in his arms, he swallowed the nervous lump that had formed in his throat before speaking, "Rukia, I-"

"Please, Ichigo," She begged, pressing her forehead to his bare shoulder, tears threatening to spill from her violet eyes. "Please don't make this any harder than it has to be. I…I want this just as much as you do, but I can't-"

"You're doing it again, Rukia." Ichigo's voice was soft, but his accusation was deathly serious. "You're letting your brother control you. You're saying exactly what he would want you to say."

"What else should I say, Ichigo?" This was becoming too much for Rukia to bare. She wanted to be with Ichigo. God knows she wanted to so bad, but she knew that it would never work out. Her brother would do everything in his power to keep it from happening, and she knew that to be a fact. And knowing Byakuya, the punishment he inflicted in Ichigo, no matter how unjust it was, would be cruel and inhumane.

"Look," Ichigo took Rukia's hands in his, the span of his hands nearly encompassing her own. "Just forget about it. Forget about your brother, forget about Aizen, forget about everything, and just think. Think that if none of this was going on, if you didn't have to get married, if you weren't a noble, would you stay with me?"

"Ichigo, please-"

"Please, just hear me out." Ichigo's request silenced Rukia. He briefly paused, searching for the right words before immediately continuing, "I know that is isn't right, and that you probably don't care for me, but…this, this is real. This is the first thing in forever that has been real to me, and I need to know if you feel the same way. I know…I know I sound like a complete lunatic, and I know that you probably don't care about what I have to say, but you…you're so real to me, and I…can't even think about you marrying Aizen, or having anything to do to with him. I know you don't want to think about it either. And…you just gotta believe me when I say that I love you, because God, I do. So, just for two minutes, forget about everything except for us, and answer my question. Do you feel the same way?"

"Ichigo…I do. I feel the same exact way you do, and even more, but…this…this is just too much. There's no way-"

"Rukia," Ichigo held her close, gently nuzzling her hair. "This is your chance. You don't need to marry Aizen, and you know it. Just think about this for a few minutes. Do you want to marry Aizen?" He asked, cupping her face with both of his hands. Rukia silently shook her head, clinging to Ichigo's bandages for support. "Do you want to be with me?" He lightly kissed her forehead as she nodded, holding her close in a strong embrace. "Then stay with me. We'll go to Edo and talk about this with your bro-"

"My brother will kill you if you try to interfere! You can't-"

"Rukia," Ichigo murmured into her hair comfortingly. He pulled back and cupped her face, using his thumb to wipe away a tear trailing down her cheek. "You are the best thing to happen to me in years. You are the most important thing to me, and I'm willing to fight for you. Yeah, your brother might throw me in jail, he may even kill me, but I'm going to take that chance." He leaned his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes. "Are you willing to take a chance on me?"

Rukia nodded, placing her hand over Ichigo's. She leaned against his chest, putting her arms around his waist and laying her head against his shoulder. "You'll be there with me, right? The whole time?" She whispered into his bare skin, savoring the warmth his broad body emitted.

Ichigo smiled warmly and bent his head down, his lips gently brushing against Rukia's. Time paused yet again in the brief moment that their lips made contact, a euphoric sensation of warmth spreading throughout their bodies. Ichigo pulled back, his breath gently caressing the petite girl's face, before replying, "The whole time. I'll be right next to you. I'll be right next to you, and I'll never leave your side."