Alright, I'm back already! :)

Again, nothing really to say, so here's chapter 7! :D

Oh, and by the way, I'm using my OC from my fic Far Away. Sorry if you don't like OC's, she's the only one I pair Renji up with. :)

-:-

The next morning I woke up and ate breakfast quickly. I talked with Hisana while we ate and then ran back upstairs to get dressed for school. I had chosen my outfit the night before and hastily slipped into my skinny jeans and bright yellow T-shirt. I got my bag and picked up Ichigo's book from my dresser.

Looking at the faded cover, I smiled warmly. I had read so much of Ichigo's comments and still had a hard time believing that he had written them. They were really deep and meaningful. Ichigo was a shy kid, but I never imagined him being so esoteric.

Smiling, I slipped the book into my bag and descended the stairs. At the door I put on a pair of purple flats and waited for Hisana, folding my arms over my chest. A minute later she was running out of the kitchen, clad in a multicolored sun dress. It had a floral design and the colors were warm yellows, oranges, and pinks. She had on simple heels with it and a pair of sunglasses for driving in the bright weather. "Ready to go?" she asked, smiling at me.

"Yep, just waiting on you."

The car ride to school was filled with conversation as my sister and I planned which room we would paint. As she approached the school, she said, "Bye, Sweety, have a good day."

"Thanks, see you later," I answered, getting out of the car.

"Should I plan to pick you and Ichigo up later?"

"Uh, yeah, probably. I'll call and let you know."

"Okay, see you later," she said, waving slightly.

"See you," I said and closed the door, heading toward the main entrance. As I approached my locker I saw Ichigo's bright hair sticking up everywhere in it's usually messy fashion. A smile graced my lips as I tapped him on shoulder, with some effort. As he spun around he smiled slightly.

"Hey Rukia," he said, handing me an envelope with my name on it.

"What's this?" I asked, opening it while I listened to him explain.

"It's an invitation. My sisters insisted on making you one," he said, rolling his eyes absently.

My smile grew as I saw it. It was on plain white papter and was written in two different scripts, I assumed both girls added something to it. There were pictures of cute little bunnies and other animated wildlife doodled on the page around the information. "This is too cute, did they hand make all of the invitations?"

Shaking his head, he said, "No. Dad said they were only allowed to invite one person, so this is the only one they needed."

I looked up at him in surprise. "What? They invited me? Why?" My question caused him to laugh quietly.

"I don't know, they liked you."

I shook my head slowly and handed the invitation back to him, earning a confused look. "What?" he asked, looking concerned.

"I can't go if I'm the one person they get to invite," I answered.

"What? Why not?"

"Tell them that they should pick a friend," I said, ignoring his questions.

"Rukia, what's wrong?" he asked.

Sighing, I looked down at my feet before returning my gaze to him. "I don't want to disappoint them. I'm really not that fun, I don't want them to regret inviting me."

Ichigo smiled before laughing and placing the envelope back in my hand. "Rukia, you're who they wanted to invite. So come. Don't worry about something so stupid," he said, teasing me.

A small smile grew on my face. "Says you," I responded, causing his smile to widen.

"Whatever, just come." With that he shut his locker and started down the hallway. Of course I followed and soon fell in step next to him, although my pace was faster than I would have liked.

"Don't you want your book?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Oh. Yeah," he answered, waiting for me to dig it out of my bag. I handed it to him and he cocked an eyebrow. "What's this?" he asked, refurring to the bookmark I had placed in it.

"I didn't get a chance to read it all, so I put a bookmark in there. That okay?"

"Yeah," he stated, handing the book back to me. "Here, just keep it until you're done. I was just rereading it."

"You sure?" I asked, smiling up at him again.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Thanks Ichigo," I said, placing the book back into my bag. "Oh, yeah, that reminds me," I started, getting a little nervous as I prepared to invite him to hang out with me and Renji. "My friend Renji called me last night after we got off the phone. After the twins' party, do you wanna hang out with us? There'll be a few other people too, but they're all from Karakura."

Ichigo stiffened slightly at my offer, causing me to be more anxious. "Uh,...I don't know," he said.

"You don't have to. Just think about it and let me know before the week's over. That sound okay?" I questioned, smiling slightly.

Nodding he answered, "Yeah, okay."

"Anyway," I began, happy to change the subject. "You'll meet Renji eventually. He was sick last week, but he's back today. He's in Orchestra too."

"Hm. What does he play?" Ichigo asked absently, staring ahead of us.

"He plays the cello, too. He's ususally in the second chair."

"So he's pretty good?"

"Yeah, he's really good. He'd be better if he took it seriously, better than me, definitley. But he doesn't see the point in taking it seriously," I answered, shrugging. "You might meet him this morning though, we usually talk before school."

Ichigo nodded, still not looking at me, and put his hand up to his face, anxiously biting his fingernails. I noticed and pulled his hand away. This was another nervous habit Ichigo had that I had picked up on.

"First of all, stop that," I started, still holding onto his hand as he looked down at me. "And second of all, you have nothing to worry about." I honestly wasn't completely sure if that was true, but didn't want him to worry.

He nodded and mummbled an apology. He didn't attempt to pull his hand away and I decided to keep a hold of it. When he realized that I didn't plan on letting go unless he insisted on it, he slid his fingers through mine and we continued down the hallway, getting smirks from some. I didn't care, I ignored them and allowed my smile to widen.

We got to our first hour class and I finally pulled away from Ichigo to sit my books on my desk. While I had my back turned to him and the door I heard a familiar voice say, "Hey Rukia, long time no see."

Turning around I smiled widely at the tall redhead standing in the doorway. "Hey, Renji. It's good to see you too."

He crossed the room in three steps and planted his hand on my head teasingly. "Yeah yeah," he said, returning the gesture. "So, where's your friend?"

I smirked before replying. "Why do you ask?"

"You said you had every class with this guy. I just assumed he'd be with you," he answered, ignoring my smirk.

"Well, he's right there. I'm not sure how you missed him when you walked in."

Renji turned around quickly and gave Ichigo a skeptical look. Ichigo held his gaze for a second before nervously looking down at me. I smiled at him warmly, hating to see him like that.

Renji approached him in a way that made me nervous. He held his hand out to Ichigo absently and Ichigo shook his hand timidly. I imagined how pitiful Ichigo's grip must have been.

"I'm Renji Abarai," he stated, his voice flat.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Ichigo responded quietly, barely audible.

Turning aroud to face me while still having Ichigo's hand in his own, Renji asked, "What's with this guy?", causing Ichigo to pull his hand away and take a few steps away from him.

"Renji, leave him alone!" I scolded, glaring up at him. "There's nothing wrong with Ichigo. You're the problem. Why are you acting so intimidating?"

"I shook his hand!" he responded definsivley.

"Whatever, Renji, just leave him alone," I demanded, getting Renji to at least walk away from him. He walked up to me again and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking annoyed.

"Whatever," he muttered. "You're coming Saturday, right?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, I'll be there," I stated, looking up at him blankly.

"What about him?" he asked, gesturing towards Ichigo.

"He's not sure, I'll let you know before the end of the week."

"Fine," Renji stated. "I've gotta get to first hour, see ya Rukia," he said, not giving me the chance to respond before leaving.

I sighed and looked over at Ichigo, who was still standing in the same place he had been after stepping away from Renji. He was looking down at his feet, his thumb picking at his other fingernails, a habit he did in replacment of biting his nails. "I'm sorry, Ichigo, I didn't expect him to be so rude."

Shaking his head, Ichigo muttered, "It's fine."

I walked over to him and placed my hand on his arm. He pulled away and looked up. His normal scowl was on his face as he said, "I said it's fine," his tone harsh.

"Okay...sorry," I responded, not sure why he was angry.

He sighed and shook his head slightly. "Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it," I said with a smile. "You're not fond of Renji, huh?"

He looked up at me, guilt in his eyes. "No, that's not what I-"

"It's alright I wouldn't like him either if he treated me like that."

Ichigo didn't answer, he only nodded slightly.

"So," I started, changing the subject. "You wanna stay after school and practice?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, sitting in his seat. More students started to come into the classroom as the five minute bell rang, so I walked over to Ichigo's desk and stood next to him, almost eye level with him as he sat.

"After practicing, do you want to come over for dinner? Hisana's getting impatient," I said, rolling my eyes while smiling. That was what she had said, even though she had made her offer two days before.

Before answering Ichigo laughed quietly. "Yeah, okay. I'll have to call my dad and let him know."

"Alright," I answered, noticing the sensei standing in front of the class as the bell rang, signaling me to sit down. Sensei gave me an aggravated look and I nodded. "See ya, Ichigo," I said, going to my seat and sitting down.

Michiru Ogawa, Hisagi Shuhei's girlfriend and an excilent second violinist, leaned over, filling the small space between our desks. She sat on the other side of me. "What's with you and Kurosaki?" she asked, a smile on her face.

"Nothing," I answered, smiling back at her before pressing a finger to my pursed lips. "Sh."

She rolled her eyes, still smiling, and pulled away.

-:-

That week went by pretty fast. Renji continued to talk to me like everything was normal, but he pretty much ignored Ichigo completely. Though it annoyed me, it was better than Renji trying fight Ichigo for any stupid reason. By Thursday I had convinced Ichigo to come with me to hang out with me and Renji and the others.

Saturday rolled around and I arrived at the twins' birthday party at around noon. It was fun. I had bought them a few outfits and got them each a giftcard to places Ichigo told me they liked. Isshin was grateful and all four of the Kurosaki's told me I "shouldn't have", but I told them all it was no trouble. After we had some cake I helped clean up the place and noticed Ichigo getting his shoes on.

Cocking an eyebrow, I looked up at him and asked, "What are you doing? We don't have to leave until-"

He held a finger to his lips. "Sh."

I smiled and nodded, not knowing why he wanted to sneak off. After saying goodbye to the Kurosaki's and getting a hug from both of Ichigo's sisters and his father, Ichigo and I made our way to the truck. As I pulled myself into the passenger seat and buckled up, I looked over at him and asked, "Why'd you want to leave so early?"

"Because I want to take you somewhere," he said, pulling out of his driveway, focusing on the road.

"Well, why'd you have to lie about it?"

"Because Dad doesn't like me going there for 'no reason'," he answered, still not giving me a glance.

"And where is this place?" I questioned, not at all worried about it.

"You'll see," he responded in a teasing tone.

About a half an hour later we were pulling into a cemetery, causing me to give Ichigo a strange look. He smiled and ignored it, pulling further into the place.

"What are we doing here, Ichigo?" I asked, a little concerened now.

As he killed the engine and opened the door he said, "I want you to meet my mother," his tone light as a smile crossed his features.

I nodded and got out also. He grabbed my hand after grabbing a bag from the bed of the truck and led me through the maze of stones. He didn't glance at the names in the rock at all, seeming to have the route memorized. He suddenly stopped and sat infront of a particular tombstone, pulling me with him. On the stone, the words Masaki Kurosaki, loving wife and mother were engraved in it.

I bit my lip, feeling guilty for never asking about Ichigo's mother before. I had just assumed she was out of the picture, but not...

"Thirsy?" Ichigo asked, pulling a bottle of chilled Dr. Pepper out of his bag and handing it to me, not waiting for me to respond. "There's food in here too," he stated absently, pulling out his own bottle and opening it, taking a long swig.

I thanked him quietly and took a small drink. After recapping my beverage, I looked down at my hands. After a few minutes of silence, Ichigo looked over at me and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just...," I began. "I'm sorry about your mother."

Shrugging he said, "Thanks, but it happened awhile ago."

"How did it...happen?" I asked, trying to be as sensitive as possible.

"She had cancer. A lot like Yuzu's actually. She found out she had it while she was pregnant with Yuzu and Karin. They didn't think she would make it during birth, but she was okay. About a year and a half later she passed away."

I nodded and looked up at him, unable to keep my emotions from being written all over my face. Of course he noticed and said, "What? I told you it was fine." He looked and sounded amused. "What about you? Hisana's your sister, where's your parents?"

I blinked, not expecting him to ask. "Uh, they passed away when I was a baby too. My mom during birth and a few days later my father killed himself. Said he couldn't stand to live without her. That left Hisana with me. She was only sixteen, but they kept us together. She said when she was eighteen she wanted to get custody of me and raise me herself."

Ichigo nodded, watching me intently while I explained it all. "Why isn't Hisana married?"

I laughed before saying, "I don't know. She's always wrapped up in something she's doing. I don't know how she stays so busy, she doesn't have a job. She doesn't need to with all the money my parents left for us."

Ichigo nodded and looked over at his mother's tombstone absently. That brought another subject to mind. "So your family lost their money from your mother and sister's treatments?" I asked, sounding serious again.

"Yeah, pretty much. My dad used to be a doctor when I was younger. When he found out my mom had cancer he kept missing work to take care of her, especially during the pregnancy. It didn't take long before he got fired for missing so much work. Then we had no income and had to pay all the hospital bills. Dad hasn't been able to get out of debt since then and of course it's been even more impossible with Yuzu sick now."

Ichigo was still avoiding my gaze as he explained. His eyes were distant and filled with sorrow. I felt horrible, I couldn't imagine being broke my whole life and having to deal with losing two members of my immediate family. I felt so guilty for him and it only made me want to help his family more.

As he continued to stare off my hand found it's way to his face, my fingertips slightly grazing his cheek. He turned at my touch and smiled, seeing the pity in my eyes, I'm sure. Grabbing my hand he said, "Stop, Rukia," his face tinting pink as he looked away again. I squeezed his hand carefully and scooted closer to him.

We sat there and talked the whole day practically. He had brought plenty of food and drinks, we really had no reason to move. As the sun started to sink into the horizon and the temperature began to drop, I pulled myself close to Ichigo, hugging onto him for warmth. He awkwardly draped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.

Looking down at my watch absently I saw that it was fifteen minutes past seven. I remembered how long of a drive it was to the graveyard and pulled away from Ichigo unwillingly. "We better get going. It's already seven-fifteen."

He nodded and stood, helping me after he had collected our trash in his bag. Draping his bag over his torso, he turned back to the stone in front of us and said, "See ya later, Mom. Love you." His voice was surprsingly loud and calm. I was sure he would feel uncomfortable speaking to his deceast mother in front of me, but even something as personal as that was not a problem.

We walked back to the truck and got in. Ichigo threw his bag in the back seat and started the vehicle. Turning around, Ichigo headed toward Karakura Town. The way back was filled with easy conversation about anything that came to mind. As we started to approach the movie theatre I noticed Ichigo grow quiet, his expression nuetral except for his scowl. He was nervous again.

"Don't worry about it, Ichigo. We're going to see a movie, there won't be much conversation. Nothing to panic about," I said, trying to be reasurring.

Nodding, he opened his door and quickly walked around the front of the truck, opening my door for me and helping me out. I grabbed his hand and smiled up at him. "No worries, take a deep breathe," I said teasingly.

Smiling back he muttered, "Shut up."

Pulling away from him, I led him into the theatre's lobby, spotting Renji's tall self easily. I approached him with Ichigo behind me. With him was Hisagi and Michiru. They were standing away from us, chatting about something.

"Hey Rukia," he said, smiling down at me. "Glad you made it."

"Sorry we were late. We weren't anywhere near here when I realized that it was already after seven."

"No problem," he answered, glancing at Ichigo for a second before returning his gaze to me.

"Anyway," I started. "I'll be right back, gotta get our tickets."

"Got 'em," Renji replied, handing me two.

"Oh...Well, then why are we waiting out here?" I asked.

"Waiting on Mina," Renji said, rolling his eyes.

Right as Renji spoke her name, the girl emerged from the restroom, approaching us eagerly. "Hey Rukia, it's good to see you!" She waved at me absently before taking her place next to Renji and slipping her hand into his. Mina Aburamai had been dating Renji for a little over a year and they never seemed to be away from each other except at school. Her being a Sophomore and Renji being a Junior meant they were usually on complete differnt sides of the school. The only class they had together was Orchestra. Mina played the viola, she was second chair for the same reason her boyfriend was.

"Hello, Mina. It's good to see you too," I said, smiling at her.

She glanced behind me and saw Ichigo, her face lighting up. "Oh, Kurosaki's come too?"

At the mention of his name, Ichigo looked up at her, his expression blank.

"Yeah, we were hanging out today, so I asked if he wanted to come. It was Renj's idea, really," I answered, smirking up at said redhead.

"Aw, how sweet of you, Renji," Mina said, smiling at his annoyed face.

"Can we go now?" he retorted, officially pissed off.

"Yeah yeah, calm down," I answered. "You guys go ahead, I'm going to get something to eat." They nodded and started toward the theatre's hallways. I noticed Ichigo wasn't following them, but I didn't expect him to. He took his place next to me and laid his hands on the counter, looking down at them. I glanced at his hands also and noticed how torn up his fingernails looked. His nerves must have been in horrible condition.

"You alright?" I asked, looking back up at him while I waited for the only person working at the counter to hurry up.

"Yes, thanks," he answered, not looking up at me. I smiled and nodded as the worker approached me.

"How may I help you?" he asked, grinning down at me. His name tag said "Hello, my name is Kon" and had the cinema's name printed on it.

"I'd like a large popcorn, a large Dr. Pepper, and a big bag of sour skittles," I said, ignoring the boy's flirty manor.

"Of course, no problem," he said, turning back to the popcorn maker.

I looked up at Ichigo and said, "I won't be able to eat all this myself, you'll have to help me."

He nodded, a small smile on his face.

Turning back to Kon, I handed him a twenty. He took it and left the cash register open, not handing me my change. Instead he grabbed a napkin and a pen, scribling something on it. He slid it across the counter and I saw a phone number sloppily printed on the white cloth. He directed his grin up at me and I rolled my eyes.

Before I could do anything Ichigo grabbed the napkin and said, "Thanks." Rolling it into a ball, Ichigo tossed it into the trash and glared at Kon, his glare darker than I had ever seen it.

The worker backed down, obviously intimidated by Ichigo. "Sorry, man," he said, handing me my change and shutting the cash register, turning away from us.

I smiled up at him as he avoided my gaze. "What if I wanted that?" I asked, teasing him.

His face was red and his glare faltered slighlty, a hint of a frown crossing his features. "Then I'll get it out of the trash for you," he said.

I laughed and allowed my smile to grow. "Don't do that, I don't want it," I said, handing him the change. "Keep that in your pocket, will you? My hands are full." With that I grabbed the popcorn, drink and waited for Ichigo to take the candy. He slid the change into his pocket, grabbed the skittles, and took the large cup from me, insisting he carry something other than the candy.

We went into the theater, finding the others quickly in the dark. I sat next to Renji and motioned for Ichigo to sit on my other side. He sat and placed my Dr. Pepper in the cup holder, handing me the bag of skittles I had perchased.

During the movie I continually nagged Ichigo to eat something or have a drink of my Dr. Pepper. Eventually, everytime I took a drink I'd hand him the cup and demand he drink some. I really hadn't planned on finishing it alone and I knew Ichigo didn't have any money for his own, so my plan worked out.

The movie was a horror, which I loved. But it was so gory, that I couldn't take. During a scene someone had their limbs cut off by a guy with a chainsaw and I couldn't watch. I turned toward Ichigo and hid my face in his chest, earning a low chuckle from him. I noticed Renji glance at me a few times, looking annoyed, but I ignored him.

After the movie was done we all walked into the lobby, the couples holding hands and Ichigo and I walking close. I looked up at Renji and said, "I think I better get home."

"What? Why?" he asked.

"Ichigo and I have been out all day," I answered.

"So? Hisana won't care if you stay out late. If he needs to leave then I'll give you a ride home," Renji answered, sounding annoyed.

"Thanks, but I'm tired anyway, I really should get home."

Renji rolled his eyes and muttered, "You knew you had plans, you shouldn't have been out all day." His tone was scolding, sounding what I imagined a father would sound like.

"That's really none of your business, Renji," I retorted, glaring up at him. "What's your problem?"

"Don't give me that bull shit, Rukia. I have a right to be mad when you're ditching your friends for a complete stranger!" he shouted, not caring that he was gaining attention. Mina pulled on his hand and whispered something to him, trying to calm him down. Renji ignored her.

"I'm not ditching you! I came and saw the movie, didn't I? And Ichigo's not a stranger! He's my friend!" I exclaimed.

Rolling his eyes, Renji said, "Whatever, you bitch."

"Shut the hell up!" Ichigo jumped in, standing in front of me. He came to my defense, but the shocking part was that he was actually standing up to Renji. Not many people would do that, and the fact that Ichigo was made me proud but more afraid.

"Mind your own fucking business!" Renji shouted. They continued to scream at each other, but I could barely understand what they were saying. They were both screaming at the same time.

Suddenly Renji threw a punch, landing it in Ichigo's face. Ichigo punched him back and before they could hurt each other further I jumped in between them. Mina stood in front of Renji, pushing him away, her hands planted against his chest. I standing in front of Ichigo, holding onto his arms. I kept asking him if he was okay, but he didn't answer me. He didn't act like he heard me at all, he only glared deeply while grinding his teeth together in efforts to stay quiet. The manager rushed towards us and demanded we get out. We left quickly and regrouped in the parking lot, Mina still blocking Renji's way. I stayed in front of Ichigo also, although he seemed pretty calmed down. By then Hisagi and Michiru had left, not wanting to be involved. Honestly, I think Michiru was scared, but I didn't blame her. So was I.

I turned around and glared at Renji. "I'll see you on Monday," I said sternly, not sure of what else to say. I didn't want to blame him, it's not like Ichigo wasn't screaming too. With that I grabbed Ichigo's hand and headed towards his truck. I glanced back at them and saw Mina nudging Renji's toward his car as he still atempted to cool down.

As we got into the vehicle I looked over at Ichigo and watched him. He looked timid and shy again. He looked ashamed of himself.

"Thank you, Ichigo," I said, placing my hand on his arm. He nodded and started the truck. On our way to my house we both stayed quiet. It wasn't weird, but it wasn't really comfortable either. As he pulled into my driveway and killed the engine, he opened his door and went around to open mine also. Walking me to the door, he stopped and looked down at me.

"I'm sorry I caused so much trouble between you and Renji," he said, his brow creasing. By now his left eye was brusinly, a dark purple circle under it. The bruise made him look pitiful.

"Don't apologize. Renj brought this on himself. He's an ass to you for no reason. He was being pissy, he can just get over it. I'm glad you stuck up for me," I said, grabbing his hands. He lightly squeezed my hands and nodded, still looking guilty.

I smiled at tugged on his hands, getting his attention. He lifted his gaze from the ground, looking at me. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, obviously surprising him. He kissed me back but ended it shortly. Instead of that disappointing me like I thought it would, I found it rather adorable. As I pulled away from him he looked back at his feet.

"See you Monday, Ichigo," I said, tugging on his hands.

He looked up at me, his face beat red. "See ya," he muttered before carefully pulling away from me and getting into his truck. As I watched him drive away I felt my smile widen. What a night...

-:-

Okay, there's chapter seven! :D It's so full of drama, I hope you all like it! :)

It's quite long, ne? I'm proud! :D

Anyway, please review! :3

I hope nothing's spelled wrong, I keep looking and looking, but I can't see a single red line. And the fact that this chapter is over 5,000 words, there HAS to be something spelled wrong...I must be missing it...Ha ha, sorry if there is! :P