We're The Same

Chapter 6: Ideas and Confrontations

Disclaimer: I own no rights to Bleach or Nekojin. Although, I praise the creators as geniuses.


Yoruichi demanded to know what happened and Ichigo humored her since seeing Rukia again was all due to her interference. He'd never admit it but if she hadn't gotten him to see Rukia so soon, he may not have been able to turn their friendship around. This alone was reason enough to give Yoruichi the juicy details. The story was followed by a friendly "warning" from Yoruichi to never let that sort of thing happen to Rukia again; a threat Ichigo took incredibly seriously.

The night Ichigo had rescued Rukia from herself, they began texting again. Rukia had to practically beat herself away from her phone in time to go to sleep and Ichigo had to take the battery out of his to prevent further temptation. Luckily before they forced themselves away from their devices they made plans to hang out the next day.

It was Sunday and what awaited them was a beautiful, sunlit day. Ichigo was on his way to meet Rukia outside her dorm. Urahara had wished him luck as he left but he chose to ignore the shopkeeper. Ichigo considered it a miracle that she was meeting him at all. Then again, there was no way he'd let her retreat from his life without a fight. She was important to him, the only friend he had. Without her, college wouldn't be worth attending. Not now anyway. Sure, education was…important. But without people to enjoy it with it wasn't worth the horrific experience.

As he neared her dorm he saw her standing outside the door, waiting for him. However, what greeted him was frustrating. She was in her usual hoodie and baggy jeans, completely hiding her fluffy parts. Yes, he'd deemed them, her fluffy parts, and he wasn't ashamed. Because of this his usual scowl made an appearance on his face. She obviously noticed his look because as he approached she said, "I know what you're gonna say but just here me out."

"Alright, let me hear it." Ichigo waited for her answer. Rukia took a deep breath; she had rehearsed this all morning and hoped it still sounded feasible.

"You may be comfortable with them but that doesn't mean that other people are. In case you didn't notice, not many people react positively to them."

"And by them you mean…" He just had to make her say it.

"My ears and tail." She groaned. She knew he understood without needing to be told but humoring him was better than a fight. Ichigo grinned at her, proud that he forced her to admit it.

"My point is," She continued, "I'm not just suddenly going to unleash my secret to the world."

Ichigo scoffed. "Yeah, because it's such a secret to those assholes who always mess with you." Ichigo instantly regretted his words. Rukia had her head downcast and didn't speak— "Too soon." Ichigo joked.

Rukia glared up at him but Ichigo saw the playfulness in her eyes. He really should have seen that kick coming.


His shin was still aching as they perused the local mall. Ichigo thought he was okay with Rukia's decision to hide her fluffy parts. He was wrong. Not ten minutes after they arrived he was resisting the urge to pull back her hood and scratch her ears. Let's face it…he was addicted! Plus, he really wanted to hear her purr again.

He mentally smacked himself. No. Bad thoughts go away! Come again another day…or never! Wait…were they really that bad? After all, she did look better when she didn't hide who she really was, despite the beating he usually received for poking fun at her height. Convincing her that it was okay to be who she really was would be a challenge like no other but it was one he'd gladly undertake.

Ichigo noticed a music store and had a brilliant idea. "Hey. Let's check that out." He said pointing to the store. Rukia shrugged.

"Not really my thing but if you want."

Ichigo was stunned. "Not your thing? Are you telling me you don't listen to music?" There was no way that she…

"Pretty much, yeah." Ichigo's jaw hit the floor. Was she for real? She ignored his utter shock and continued, "My family didn't really tolerate any form of music other than classical so I never really got into it." This was a problem that needed to be rectified, now!

"Now we have to go in." He informed her. "You need to be educated in the ways of badass music!" He grabbed her wrist and tugged her into the store, the Nekojin whining as they went.

Ichigo dragged her over to the pop music section. His eyes scanned for the item he was in need of. Luckily, it wasn't far. He pulled her along, her eyes wide. She had been captivated at all the interesting types of music she had never heard of, especially all the shiny covers they bore. Before she knew what was happening, Ichigo had pulled off her hood, exposing her dainty ears. The moment the cold air hit them Rukia's anger burned. Before she could crush Ichigo's jaw with her fist, she felt him place something new and oddly shaped on her head.

"There"

Rukia slowly lifted her hands to the weird covering. It felt odd. It covered her ears, which was not easy. She pulled them off to see headphones in her hand. Rukia was very confused. Of course she'd seen headphones before but she never considered getting them. After all, she'd have to expose her ears in public and…wait…her ears!

Rukia dropped the headphones and pulled her hood back up. Ichigo sighed. "How can you listen to music with your hood up?" his sarcasm was not helping.

"By shutting you up so I can peacefully listen to it." Rukia growled at him. Ichigo sighed.

"You have to use the headphones if you want to listen to the music," he said picking up the set she dropped. "Just take your hood off and…"

"No."

"Rukia…"

"I said no."

"It's only for a few minutes…"

"Too long."

"If you like it, I'll buy it for you…"

"No—wait…" Rukia paused and considered her options. Ichigo had her now.

"I really want you try this. I swear you'll like it." Ichigo held the headphones out to her. Rukia eyed him suspiciously.

"You know what I think. I think you're just trying to find a way to peek at my ears."

Ichigo held his ground. If he showed that she was right in any way, he was screwed. Sure, he did want to see her fluffy parts again but even more, he wanted her to listen to some actual music.

"If I really wanted that…" he tossed the headphones at her, startling her as she was forced to catch them. In her confusion, he pulled back her hood again and once again her fuzzy ears perked out. "I would just do that." He informed her with pride.

Without thinking, Rukia thrust the headphones onto her ears in a vain attempt to hide them. Ichigo smirked. It took Rukia a moment to realize he'd tricked her.

"Bastard!" she hissed. Then she heard a strange melody. It was unlike anything she'd ever heard before. The rhythm was catchy. The singer was hypnotizing. All in all, Rukia was frozen by the wondrous music.

"What is this?" Rukia was barely able to squeeze out that much. Ichigo had to listen very carefully to hear her.

"It's called 'music' and normal people listen to it." Rukia kicked his shin without even glancing his way.

"I mean, who is this? It's so…so…happy." Rukia smiled wide and pressed the headphones into her ears even more. Ichigo was pleasantly surprised. Didn't take long for her to find music she liked. That was good. He checked the current singer.

"This is…Joe Inoue." He informed her. "He's become pretty popular lately. Even I've listened to some of his…" Ichigo turned to see Rukia completely lost in the music. She was in her own little world. She had completely forgotten about her exposed ears, which were twitching in excitement at the magical noise coursing through them.

Ichigo couldn't keep from smiling. The blissful look of happiness on his friend's face was mesmerizing. Then, Rukia's look of happiness suddenly faded. The song must have ended. Rukia's face abruptly changed to a look of unfettered determination.

"I must find him!" Rukia declared before tossing off the headphones and rummaging through the popular section. She was so absorbed in her search that she didn't remember to cover her fuzzy ears. Ichigo had to keep himself from laughing as she frantically searched for her album, her ears falling as she found the wrong one but rising again when she pick up another. It was cute to watch her ears go up and down.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted at him, still desperately searching. "I can't find him! What was his name again!"

Ichigo roared with laughter but Rukia didn't find it funny. Imagine, looking at each CD without knowing the singer, just guessing if the picture matched the music or not. You really couldn't blame Ichigo for laughing. Well, Rukia could. She threw a case at him, which he was lucky enough to catch before it hit him. Not even such a violent outburst stopped his laughter. Finally, he stopped long enough to say, "I can't believe you were so zoned out!"

Rukia was about to throw another case at him when Ichigo tossed the CD she'd thrown at him back at her. "You didn't even know that this was the one!" Ichigo continued to laugh as Rukia inspected the case. It was Joe Inoue's latest…and she'd thrown it at him!

Rukia cradled the CD in her arms as she kicked Ichigo in the side. His laughter abruptly stopped and he wheezed in pain.

"Jerk!" she shouted at him. "You nearly got him killed!" She stomped away from him and headed for the counter. "Hey, Dandelion!" She shouted back to him. "You promised, now get your ass up here and pay!" Ichigo made his way up to the counter, a bright smile on his face. Rukia's blissful ignorance lasted for several more minutes until she glanced at her reflection in the mirror and noticed her dainty ears fluttering in excitement. Ichigo got such a smack for that one.


Ichigo began to regret revealing the magic of music to her. For the first time in Rukia's life, she had a CD player; which she forced Ichigo to buy because he had promised. She listened to the music nearly the rest of the day. Ichigo had a hard time actually talking to her; she was way too into this guy's music.

Rukia had found a way to have her hood up and keep the headphones on. She looked like a cult member, blindly walking around nodding her head to the melody. Ichigo had enough of her silent treatment. He grinned to himself as he pulled back her hood again but to his amazement, Rukia just kept walking. Ichigo stared blankly as she continued on without him. Okay, this was getting ridiculous! Ichigo watched her avoid other shoppers as they stared at her like she was a crazed lunatic on the loose.

If Ichigo had been just a little less kind, he would have let her keep going until she eventually realized her own dilemma. But seeing is how she'd never forgive him and possibly strangle him and leave his body in a ditch, he figured it best to do something about this.

He tried calling her name several times but she didn't even look up. He glanced at her ears and got an interesting idea.

It had to be done!

Ichigo gently reached out and scratched the back of Rukia's ears. Rukia, who was suddenly very aware of the world around her, let out a high-pitch wail. Her eyes snapped shut; she whirled around and punched her offender directly in the nose. Rukia slowly opened her eyes to see a writhing Ichigo on the ground, his nose bleeding.

"Oops…" she whispered, rather embarrassed, noticing several people staring at her. Rukia's cheeks burned and she felt the top of her head to discover her hood was missing. She furiously pulled it back up and used it to try to hide from their gazes. As she did, a disoriented Ichigo found his way to his feet, holding his nose.

"Remind me never to do this with you again." He chided as she glanced at him. They quickly made their escape and Ichigo headed into the nearest restroom. Rukia had finally turned her player off and silently waited for him. As he immerged from the restroom she practically charged him.

"What the hell was that about?" she growled. "Did you just feel like molesting me or something? Seriously, what is wrong with you!"

"Me! You were the one who completely ignored me and forgot I was here!" Ichigo shot back. "And I did not molest you! I just rubbed your ears a bit. You didn't complain last night!"

Ichigo got very silent, realizing what he'd said as Rukia's glare intensified. "That's because I let you last night! God, you sound so perverted! You can't just go around touching people's private parts! It's just wrong!" Her anger faded slightly as she heard what she said. Great, now she was doing it too! Innuendo was going to be the death of them.

"Fine! I'm sorry I touched your fluffy parts…err, ears. Sorry I touched your ears." Ichigo blushed and turned away from her. Rukia felt guilt creep up on her.

"No. It's as much my fault as it is yours. I was the one spacing out after all." She hoped it would be enough and it was. Ichigo turned back to her, a slight smirk on his face. "Besides, you still own me dinner." She reminded him.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "What? Why do I have pay for your food?"

Rukia grinned at him. "Tell me. Who was it that bought your precious and, dare I say, very expensive books so you could attend class and not fail at everything?" Ichigo scoffed. Damn her for always being right. He needed to change that. He deserved to be right every so often too…

"Fine. But let's get something from the mall's food court. I'm tired and my nose still hurts like hell." Rukia smirked at the mention of his pain. Ichigo suddenly felt that she nearly broke his nose on purpose; sadistic little midget.

They made their way to the food court and Rukia ordered the most expensive ramen bowl she could find. Ichigo's wallet was really hurting now. He was originally going to get applications for work from different shops in the mall but once again, Rukia had thrown his world off balance. With no money and rent coming up, he was hurting for a job. There was always the option of asking Urahara for a job but it'd be a cold day in hell before Ichigo got that desperate.

Rukia went and found them a good table while Ichigo waited for their food. As the cashier brought him their order, he stole a glance towards Rukia's direction. At first Ichigo wasn't sure why, until the cashier leaned in and asked, "You with that Neko-chick?" Something about how he said it really pissed Ichigo off.

"She has a name you know." He fired back, grabbing the ramen bowls. Ichigo proceeded to leave but not before hearing the cashier say under his breath, "Freak."

Ichigo was ready to go back and challenge the fast food worker when he noticed several guys crowding around Rukia's table. He increased his pace.


Rukia decided not to listen to her new source of happiness until she got back to her dorm. After all, she didn't want a repeat performance of Ichigo's beat-down. The thought of her punching him brought a nervous smile to her lips. She did revel in beating on him but she never really meant to hurt him. She would need to be more careful with him; he might actually break at this rate.

For this reason, she had donned her hood once more and patiently waited for him to return. God, he was taking a long time. She'd need to "educate" him on not making a lady wait when he returned. The thought made her giggle to herself until suddenly, she felt surrounded. She looked up to see a group of four guys encasing her table. Great, just what she needed. It's not like her life wasn't hectic enough.

"Hey kitty cat," one of them said, taking a seat opposite her. Rukia tensed, they must have seen her fly off the handle and followed her. Oh God, they must be some of those guys. "Saw your little outburst back there. I gotta say, you look pretty damn cute when you're mad."

His pathetic attempt at a complement only further insulted her. "Whatever. Do you want something?" Rukia scoffed. Where was Ichigo when she needed him? The one time it would be good for him to be around…

"What's with the hostility? We just want talk. Ya know, get better acquainted." They shared a sickening laugh and Rukia could feel their intentions. "You're a pretty fierce little kitty. Looks like you scared off that bleached guy you were with." Rukia delivered a fiery glare at him. How dare he talk about Ichigo, and to some degree her, like that!

"Besides," the one in front leaned closer to her and continued, "A cute little kitty cat like you shouldn't be out here by yourself. Who knows what might happen to a sexy kitty like you?"

The thug licked his lips and Rukia nearly gagged. These guys were obviously freaks with some kind of Nekojin fetish. She had heard stories about people like this but never thought she'd actually meet one. That was the one advantage to never leaving her room.

Rukia intensified the glare aimed at the one in front of her. "I'll ask one more time. Do you want something? Or are you just here to prove you're lack of seduction skills?" The evil grin on their faces didn't let up and she was getting nervous, though she refused show it.

"As a matter of fact, we do need something." The one speaking nodded to his friend. Before Rukia could turn around, the guy behind her pulled back her hood, exposing her ears. She reached back to grab the hood but another caught her hand and pulled her up. She tried to slap at the one holding her hand but her other arm was gripped by another one of the thugs.

Rukia cursed her luck. It was late and not many people were in the food court. She couldn't see Ichigo anywhere either. The one in front stood up and approached her. Rukia's icy glare did little to slow his advance. Dammit, Ichigo! Where the hell are you!

"Hold her still boys." Rukia struggled harder but they held her in place. "I enjoyed that cute little wail of yours earlier," he reached his hand out and roughly grabbed her ears. "Scream for me kitty cat!" He pulled and twisted her sensitive ears, causing Rukia to grunt in pain. Seriously, how sick and twisted can you be to manhandle a Nekojin's sensitive ears! "Like that ya little Neko-bitch!" the thug growled as he pulled harder, the maniacal grin on his face widening into a sickening smirk. His fingernails dug into her soft ears and she fought back tears of pain. No way would she cry over this!

The thug smirked, grabbed her with both hands and began violently pulling on her tender ears. Rukia was about to scream when suddenly a fist crashed into the thug's face, Ichigo came out of nowhere, bashing the bastard's jaw with his knuckles. If the punk's jaw wasn't broken, Ichigo would soon make sure it would be. The only thug not holding Rukia charged Ichigo only to receive a punch to the gut and a knee to the face.

As one of the thugs holding Rukia called out to their boss and she seized the opportunity. She tore her hand away from him aimed low, bashing his groin with tremendous force. He fell to the floor and Rukia ripped away from the other thug. She delivered a swift kick to that one's head. As he fell to the ground, Rukia smashed his privates as well before kicking both of the thugs in the stomach for good measure.

Ichigo and Rukia stood panting, recovering from the fight. Ichigo glanced at Rukia and asked, "You okay?"

"Oh, yeah…" Rukia said breathing heavily, "Just dandy."

"Seriously," Ichigo pressed. Rukia finally caught her breath and grinned at him, surprisingly happy that he was so worried about her.

"I had everything under control." Ichigo scoffed at her bravado. "What was that for?" she demanded.

"Yeah, you were doing just fine getting manhandled until I saved your ass." Ichigo suddenly had to avoid a kick aimed for his shin. "Hey! What the hell was that for?"

"I could have handled these guys just fine but noooo. You just had to be the hero!" Rukia shouted at him.

Ichigo was flabbergasted. "Oh, yeah. You did really well trembling in fear as that guy tugged on your fluffy parts! Face it. If I hadn't saved you, God knows what they would have done to you!"

Rukia puffed her chest out to him. "Okay. For one thing, I don't need to be saved and I was not trembling! Second, I don't think God's the only one who knows what they had in mind! And third, my 'fluffy parts'! Did you really just call my adorable ears 'fluffy parts'!"

Ichigo blushed. "That's not the point, Rukia" he shot back still embarrassed. "The point is; if I hadn't come back when I did, you'd be in serious trouble! At the very least I think I deserve a thank you!"

"Fine! Thank You!"

"You're Welcome!"

Ichigo stuck his tongue out at Rukia while she gave him a fierce glare. This lasted for a nearly a minute before each of them started to crack. The first to break was Ichigo. He let a small snicker erupt from his throat. Rukia couldn't hold it in after that. They both started laughing as loud as they could, not caring if anyone saw or heard them. As the laughter began to die down, Rukia pulled her hood back up. Ichigo stopped laughing as soon as she did and gave her a sad look.

Unexpectedly, Rukia returned the look and said, "It's better this way." She turned her gaze to the unconscious punks. "This is why I didn't want to show them."

She returned her gaze to Ichigo. "This is what I have to contend with. Even the people, who 'like' my…fluffy parts, try to do this sort of thing. And it's not only me, other Nekojin have been victimized as well. It's hard…knowing that others don't think of us as 'people'."

She let out a deep sigh. "So please…let's not draw any more attention to my heritage today, okay?" The sadness oozing from her voice was maddening. Ichigo never wanted to hear that tone in her voice ever again. She deserved better.

"Fine," he replied immediately, "But don't think that all people are like these scumbags." Rukia turned to him, perplexed. "Don't let a few people ruin your life before you even have the chance to live it. You've only just now discovered real music. There are so many things for you to see and feel and experience and I won't let anyone get in the way of that. You've suffered enough." He gave her that warm, sunlit smile that he rarely let out. "Remember, you're not alone. Let me take some of the burden. I'm here for you."

Rukia glanced down and smiled; typical Ichigo. He must not have been kidding when he said his name means, "The One Who Protects". Maybe he was right. Maybe things would finally begin to work themselves out. Maybe…just maybe…it wasn't too late for her to have a real life. Maybe…as long as he was there to help her…she could finally overcome her fear of being different and learn to enjoy her life. What a strange power this young man had over her…

She slowly walked up to him and elbowed him in the side. Ichigo doubled-over, grabbing his kidneys. He struggled to look at Rukia, who had a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face. "Could you get any more cheesy, Dandelion? Where's your usual fire? It's no fun if you don't fight back." Her overly sweet smile transformed into a wide grin, her teeth shining at him, and her face as peaceful as a cloudless day.

Ichigo let his head fall and a smile appeared on his lips. "Shut up, Midget."

He was thankful that she was back to her usual self. A depressed Rukia made a depressed Ichigo and he couldn't have that. They alerted mall security and the thugs were arrested. Afterwards, they had to go back to the ramen stand to have them heat up their very cold meals. The guy gave Rukia a glare but she glared right back, scaring the living crap out of him. He'd seen what the thugs tried to do to her and did nothing to help her. Then he cowered in fear when she destroyed their hopes for having children. Her wrath was to be feared.

Ichigo and Rukia ate their ramen quickly and headed for home.


When they got back to Rukia's dorm, she stopped Ichigo before he headed home.

"Hey, Dandelion! I wanna see your apartment!" she demanded.

Ichigo gave her a confused look. "Why? It's not all that special."

Rukia sighed. "In case your flowery head doesn't retain memories that well…I'll spell it out for you. You came barging into my room last time and it's only fair that you invite me to see yours."

"Technically, you did invite me in…" Ichigo replied grinning at her.

"Irrelevant," she countered, "If you don't invite me over soon, I'll just have to pay you a surprise visit." The menacing smirk on her face petrified Ichigo. The thought of her breaking into his apartment was a major threat. Rukia always kept her word…always! Just thinking about waking up to her standing over him sent chills down his spine. And not in a good way!

"Alright, fine. But let's wait a bit. Classes start again tomorrow and I'd like to not have to worry about you breaking and entering my place of solitude." He really hoped she'd go for it. His place was a mess and he would need to do an overhaul before she came to visit.

Rukia gave an exaggerated sigh. "If you're sooo worried about it, I guess I can wait. It's probably a mess right now anyway." She hopped up the last few steps and called back, "You're still walking to class with me right?" She was a bit nervous he'd say 'no' but…

"Nine-thirty. On the dot!" Ichigo called back. The nervousness faded from her and was replaced with utter joy.

They each turned to head back to their own place of safety and peace, neither knowing about the all consuming smile that appeared on both their faces.


To Be Continued…

Ichigo may have saved her but damn can Rukia fight! It hurt me just writing it! Well not really…that bastard had it coming!

Anyway, please Review. Thanks and see you next time.