A/N:Set after the Fullbring Arc (Ichigo has regained his powers and Rukia is around more frequently), before the Thousand Year War. Keigo knows about the Soul Society, Rukia's job and his nakama's abilities.

It feels strange to perpetually refer to Rukia as "Kuchiki," but that's who she is to Keigo.

.o0o.

Kuchiki-san, part 2

Kuchiki made him want. He wasn't in love or obsessed with her; it wasn't a carnal desire. (Okay, the carnal desire was there but only background-Keigo wasn't a eunuch. There was this recurring fantasy where Keigo and Kuchiki have just defeated a gang of yakuza/arrancar/ninja pirates and she jumps him in the midnight alley, dainty teeth and alto voice skimming along his collarbone, wending up his throat and jaw to purr into his ear…)

But the cravings, even for physical touch, were usually chaste. Sometimes Keigo wanted to touch her winter-pale skin just to discover its texture. To respectfully map with his fingertips unnoticed scars and calluses, vales of silky skin, and read her history in braille. He wondered if her toned and bird-light limbs offered any plushness.

Sometimes Keigo wanted to disrupt Kuchiki's schoolgirl parody (as amusing as it could be). Draw out a subtle curve of the lips instead of a scrunched eyes smile, a conversation that wasn't theatre. From the beginning he saw that she was more than the Japanese maiden she presented; did she see anything beyond Keigo's high strung antics? Keigo wanted Kuchiki to grasp this commonality between them-the deliberate personas-and decide Keigo was someone safe to relax around. Make him an exception to the spiritually ignorant masses.

Keigo didn't need to be a hero to the warrior hime (hell, she collected strong men like playing cards and was impressive on her own), he didn't need her to acknowledge his growth and past acts of resistance in the Winter War. But he wanted an alliance. To be counted on as a comrade. Keigo kept the homefires burning while the universe burned elsewhere, and he hoped Rukia took comfort in his service.

He wanted to get to the bottom of Kuchiki-san's Chappy obsession. Perhaps dying as an infant in the Living World created her fixation with childish entertainment. Was her space at Ichigo's or her suite of rooms in the Kuchiki manor brimming with rabbits? Did she sleep with one? Did she have Chappy underwear? Hmm...The obnoxious bunny might not be so bad when wrapped around Kuchiki's tight ass and perky chest.

Keigo wanted to extract a promise from the woman that she'd never break Ichigo again. He'd watched her leave and return twice now and her presence or lack thereof corresponded to Ichigo's vitality and dissolution. Of course, Kuchiki wasn't the only aspect of Ichigo's shinigami experience-Ichigo would've been okay if he were separated from Kuchiki and yet had the spiritual power to protect others. But the midget was more than a liaison between realities; she was the one that intuitively got Ichigo, knew when and how to empathize or beat his ass. From what Keigo could see, the two were physically and emotionally unselfconscious around each other, to an uncommon level. Ichigo was his best and truest self when close to Kuchiki.

This sparking partnership between Ichigo and Kuchiki made Keigo long for a soulmate. Looking at the perpetually adolescent death god could trigger a physical ache, set him dreaming about how he would meet his other half, what she would look like, how they would create their own world apart.

Sometimes Keigo wanted to casually date Kuchiki-san. She would be wide eyes and childish zeal at a street festival or regal sophistication at a swanky restaurant. Men would notice the violet-eyed beauty with Keigo and telegraph envy and respect. Women would assume Keigo must be a catch to have attracted such a classy girlfriend. Maybe Keigo would become confident enough through hanging out with Kuchiki that he could approach and date other women, ones that he might get some action with or even come to love. And the time spent with Kuchiki would be fun, not just a vehicle for Keigo's love life: she was a fascinating collision of innocence and experience, thoughtful reserve and manic curiosity, a violent waif with a heart of gold.

When Kuchiki fell into a sad mood, the one where you could see the better part of two centuries in her eyes and a brittle self-depreciating twist to her lips, Keigo wanted to cheer her up. Make her smile in any way that didn't cut. Get her to unburden her secrets, allow him to root out the source of her martyr complex and then coax her to give it up. It would be a heroic feat, one that not even Ichigo had completely managed yet.

Sometimes Keigo wanted to prank Kuchiki. Tell tall tales about super-fast dogs with human faces or enumerate the perils of sleeping with an electric fan on. The story about juicebox poisoning sure got a memorable reaction out of Kuchiki-san! One never knew what the shinigami would believe or how she would react. (Except with violence against the prankster, if she ever cottoned to the truth. Still totally worth it.)

The noblewoman was observant-although her lack of Living World experience sometimes warped her conclusions-and had some acting chops; Kuchiki-san might be the perfect co-cupid! Keigo had more than once wanted to form a matchmaking alliance with Kuchiki to hook their friends up with lo~ve. He could see it now: Inoue and Ishida, Chad and that cute philosophy student at uni, Tatsuki and Abarai? Maybe Kuchiki could help Keigo get a date with Matsumoto-san! But Keigo had enough self-preservation not to go anywhere near Ikkaku and Mizuho.

A few times Keigo wanted to get tough with Kuchiki, grill her about the Soul Society's intentions for Ichigo and his nakama. What wretched mess did the shinigami scornfully want Ichigo to clean up for them now? How would they treat the humans in the aftermath? When would any of them, the insignificant mortals who got the job done, get some goddamn peace?

In immature moments-you know, where Keigo spent much of his time-Keigo desperately wanted to play spin-the-bottle with the crew and see Kuchiki kiss Inoue. He could die happily after that.

The one thing Keigo never wanted from Kuchiki-san was answers to the meaning of life or illumination on fate versus free will. Her long-lived eyes were the strongest proof that answers were not to be found.


A/N: So Keigo's perviness cropped up with regularity there. I didn't exactly plan that. ;)

Writing is new and still feels awkward to me. I would dearly like to know what you think about any of these chapters. Thanks!