Not to be used loosely

Chapter 10

A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.

Ichigo's eyes fluttered open to greet the rays of the sun that were stealing their way through the curtains. He could barely register the fact that he was not in his human body but there was a violent throbbing in his head.

It took him a while before he realised that he was on a soft white futon and he was not alone. His memory jolted back to the night before at the tavern and he distinctively remembered how drunk he got while listening to the other miserable Shinigami rant about their love lives. He even remembered Hisagi's singing and the twanging of his guitar.

But he couldn't recall anything beyond leaving the izakaya with a bottle of sake. He was certain he did not make it back to the World of the Living because he couldn't have possibly barged into a captain's barrack to demand that they opened a senkaimon for him. That is, without being brutally reprimanded by the Yamamoto-soutaichou.

He was not alone... Shit! Don't tell me I went home with one of the bar girls, he cursed as he squinted to see the girl whose tiny waist he had his arm carelessly draped over. He was pretty sure it was a girl as there was no way any guy would be that small unless he was Hanatarou. Eww...

However, a waft of vanilla scent assuaged his fears when he recognised the little woman as his best friend. She was facing away from him but he could tell it was her by the way she curled her body on her side like how she would always sleep back at home. He had gotten used to that sight after so many years.

He lifted his head up, ignoring the splitting headache it caused, to peer at the calm expression on her face as she remained in a deep slumber. She was wearing a loose yukata, her baby blue camisole peeked from the opening over her torso. It was what she would always wear if she had to come out of her room at night to get a glass of water back at home. He could even tell that she was wearing a pair of his boxer shorts without having to see it.

His mind drifted back to what he saw yesterday at the garden of the Kuchiki Manor and once again, he felt the stabbing pain in his chest. That was the thing that had led to his unusual amount of drinking last night, which in turn led to him finding himself in – what he guessed to be – Rukia's room in the barrack of the 13th Division, wearing his long lost 'Nice Vibes' shirt over his hakama. The midget must've changed him out of his shihakusho when she brought him here. The thought made his heart swell at the fact that she had taken care of him again, despite her being possibly betrothed to that Shihouin dude.

How all that had happened, he didn't know... and frankly, he didn't quite care either. Because at that moment, aside from trying to sleep off the horrible hangover, all he wanted to do was to savour this moment of having Rukia in his arms. He would ask her about it later.

Ichigo sighed as he pulled Rukia closer towards him, burying his face in her hair. Her soft snore lulled him back to sleep in a matter of seconds.

"Ichigo!" Rukia held her best friend's slumping body up with all her might. The guy almost crashed into her when he fell at the doorway of the izakaya.

"Well, looks like he literally fell for you," slurred a familiar voice behind him. It was followed by a lazy chuckle. "I'll leave him to you then. I was afraid he would fall face first and have a concussion or something."

Rukia looked over Ichigo's shoulder to glare at the redhead lieutenant. "Idiot Pineapple, help me haul him up. He's too heavy for me!"

Renji chuckled some more. He'd heard Ichigo leaving the sake counter a minute ago. When he lifted his head to watch the strawberry stagger out, the latter had tripped but Renji was not in time to make it there to grab him from his fall. "Ah, then he can't expect much action in bed," he chortled.

"Shut up, Renji! He's passed out. Take him to the 13th for me," Rukia chided, ignoring the heat that had rushed to her face.

Renji laughed out loud and lifted his friend over his shoulder. "Lead the way, your highness."

"Wait," she said, taking a red wristband from her shihakusho and slapping it onto Ichigo's wrist. "Okay, let's go."

If Renji was curious about what it was, he didn't bother to ask. He didn't want to know if his childhood friend was the kinky type.

"Have you visited Tatsuki?" Rukia asked as they hopped from roof to roof above the Seireitei.

The redhead almost tripped at hearing the name of the girl he had left clueless in the World of the Living. "How did you know about us?"

Rukia smirked. "She almost died waiting for you."

"What?" Renji asked and turned around, stopping abruptly. His petite friend came extremely close to crashing right into Ichigo's backside.

"Baka! Warn me when you need to pull over!" Rukia reached up to hit the side of Renji's head.

He didn't even flinch at her attack but instead, stared at her, as if beckoning her to repeat what she had said.

Rukia tilted her head and looked back at him questioningly. "What?"

"You said Tatsuki waited for me?" he asked.

She gave him a sly grin and nodded before she explained, "Didn't your third seat pass you the message? I called a few days ago after she came to see me. But they said you were out training with Nii-sama. So I told them to get you to contact Arisawa. Of course, I warned them against telling Nii-sama about it. As much as I'd like to see you fry, I do not want my human friend to be heartbroken."

"Rukia," Renji called, returning her smile and keeping his eyes on her curious face. "Thank you. I've got to go." He lowered the unconscious Ichigo and shoved him against her tiny body.

"Hey!" Rukia cried, trying to hold up the Substitute Shinigami who was at least three times her own size.

Renji chuckled. "Sorry, you're on your own. I've got some place to go," he excused himself and ruffled her hair before flash-stepping away.

Rukia cursed at him as she tried to turn Ichigo's body around so she could support him around his waist while pulling his arm over her shoulders. "He could've at least carried you to the barrack. Jackass..." she muttered to the comatose Ichigo. Inhaling deeply, she gathered all her strength to shunpo the both of them to her fukutaichou quarters.

The moment she entered her room, however, she could feel that he was about the hurl. She managed to shove them into the washroom in time for him to puke all over the floor. And himself. And her. She groaned in disgust and slapped him on his forehead.

It took her a while to clean him up and change him. She couldn't believe the guy was still out the whole time. She made a mental note to never let him get so drunk ever again.

"What were you doing at the izakaya, anyway? And how did your dad know you would be this wasted?" she complained under her breath as she placed him on her futon.

On her way to the senkaimon of the 13th after she had changed out of her annoying dinner outfit, she had run into Isshin at the 10th. He was also on the way back to the World of the Living. He had a mischievous grin on his face when he pushed the reiatsu-sealing wristband into her hand and told her to find Ichigo at the tavern. She left immediately, hoping it wasn't too late to get him to go back with her to the World of the Living.

Right now, however, she was just too exhausted to transport them back. They would both have to stay in the Seireitei for the night. She had a feeling that Isshin's intention to seal Ichigo's reiatsu had more to do with the former's perverted mind than the latter's inability to control his spiritual power when he's stoned. She cursed the stupid strawberry for not being able to hold his sake before she dropped herself down on the futon next to him and dozed off.

Rukia sat at her kitchen counter, sipping iced tea as she thought about what had happened the night before. She was curious about how Ichigo got to Soul Society when she had precisely told Urahara not to open the senkaimon for him. It couldn't have been Isshin-san because the elder Kurosaki was here all the while, although she was certain he would've been the first to shove his son through the gateway. There was no other way for Ichigo to get there unless he had the help of another captain.

"Yoruichi-san?" she guessed, knitting her brows. But why would she do it when she knew that Rukia was going to see her younger brother.

As if reading her mind, the answer arrived at the other side of her door – or at least she thought it did. She got up to slide the shoji door to reveal whom it was that had knocked on it.

"Kira-fukutaichou," Rukia addressed with a little bow.

"Pardon me, Kuchiki-san," Kira lifted a hand to greet her. "Could you pass this to Ichigo? He left it at the izakaya last night."

Rukia took the familiar-looking emblem from him and flipped it in her hand slowly to study it. She had just seen the exact same thing on Shihouin Yuushiro's sleeve yesterday. "Thank you, Kira-kun. Would you know how he got a hold of this?"

"Ah," Kira began, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I think you'd better ask him yourself because I'm not sure how much you already know."

Rukia furrowed her brows but she decided not to press on. "I see. It's okay, then. Thanks again," she said reluctantly with another bow before he left her barrack.

She strolled into her bedroom where Ichigo was still sleeping. She was too afraid to think that he could have done something stupid like fight with the noble head just so she would not have to marry him, knowing how over-protective he could get over her. Yuushiro would not have survived even the flare of Ichigo's reiatsu despite being a noble. She had even more questions for him now.

When Ichigo woke up for the second time that day, he felt that the headache had ebbed away a little. The vanilla scent was still as strong on the pillow next to him but Rukia was not there anymore. He touched the spot she was sleeping in earlier longingly. "Rukia," he murmured.

"I'm right here," he heard her calm voice behind him.

He turned around to find her sitting in a seiza, facing him while reading a scroll or something. "What time is it?" he groaned, feeling the room spin a bit as he got up to a sitting position. He drew his knees up and rested his elbows on them while his hands clutched his head.

Rukia rolled up the scroll methodically, set it aside and began pouring a cup of hot tea from a pot beside her that he did not notice was there earlier on. She held the cup out to him with both hands. "Drink up. Healing you with a kido would attract the attention of my brother so this is all I can do for you until we get home," she said, her voice was still very relaxed.

Ichigo took the cup, feeling a little weirded out by Rukia's odd behaviour. He couldn't help but suspect that this was the calm before the storm. He was, after all, not supposed to be here. He gulped, thinking about how a death by being sealed in an ice block could be worse than being sliced by flower petals.

As he sipped the tea slowly while keeping his eyes on his best friend, he noticed a couple of things about her. One, she kept averting her gaze from him. And two, she was in her shihakusho, which means she actually planned on going 'home' with him instead of staying back in Soul Society where she would usually be wearing her Kuchiki princess garb on her day off. However, instead of feeling elated about it, he was worried that it could be the last time she went back with him.

He sighed and placed the cup in the tray. "What time is it, Rukia?" he asked again.

"It's 3.30 in the afternoon. Does it really matter?" she replied, picking up the tray.

Ichigo crossed his legs and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Yes, it does. I'd like to know how much time I have with you before I don't get to see you again."

Rukia's eyes widened with shock at what he just said but she quickly reverted to her Kuchiki demeanour. "If you're ready, we should make our way back home now," she said quietly, getting up with the tray.

Ichigo got up as well and caught her elbow. "Rukia..."

"We'll talk about it when we get back, Ichigo," she said without facing him and left to clean the tea set in the kitchen.

Ichigo met her at the entrance of her quarters, already dressed in his shihakusho. She must have had it washed in the morning because it had the strong flower scent of a washing detergent.

"How did my shirt get here? I haven't seen it in years," he asked, motioning to the t-shirt that he had draped over his lower arm.

Rukia glared at him and took it away before disappearing into her bedroom. Ichigo raised a brow, wondering what that was all about.

"I took it with me when you lost your powers years ago. I want to keep it here, if you don't mind," she muttered when she came back out and began to lead him towards the office to see Ukitake-taichou.

"Missing my scent when you're back here, Midget?" Ichigo smirked, trying to lighten up the mood.

Rukia gave him a sideway's glance. "So what if I do, Berry?"

Ichigo paused mid-step. That was definitely not the answer he was expecting.

"Hurry up, Ichigo," Rukia appeared to be pleading as she turned around to face him. "I know you have questions. I have them, too. We'll talk when we get home, alright? I'm just so exhausted from all this masking reiatsu shit."

Ichigo started walking again. "Why are you suppressing it?" he asked. "And why do I have the band on?" He shook the wristband in her face. He knew what it was as his father had spoken about it many times before.

"Your dad got you that," she pulled the wristband, urging him to walk faster before letting it go when he was walking beside her. "And I think it's a good idea because I really do not want my brother finding you here right now."

"My dad? He's here?" he asked suspiciously.

Rukia sighed and told him about the two encounters she had with his father yesterday.

"He came to see Toshirou about Karin? I am so going to kill that bastard if he so much as go anywhere near my sister," Ichigo growled.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Relax! Karin's a big girl now. And you don't know what Otou-san said to Hitsugaya-taichou. He could've been giving him the same warning too."

Ichigo grabbed her shoulder to turn her around. "Did you just call my dad Otou-san?"

She responded by slapping his hand away and quickly sped up her pace, trying to hide the sudden blush on her face. "He made me call him that and I guess I kind of got used to it, all right?"

Ichigo smirked. It actually sounded really nice to hear her address his father that way. She was, after all, already considered a member of their family, being automatically included in their activities and all. "I seem to have missed out a lot on my family matters lately. Thanks for being around for them," he said. By 'them', he really meant his sisters.

Rukia shrugged. "You had your work and studies. Don't look so grim. You'll catch up soon," she assured.

It was comforting for the both of them that they could fall back into the familiar connection they always had with each other. The tension from yesterday and this morning had subsided. For the time being, Rukia thought. She didn't know what to expect from the talk she promised him later on when they reached their apartment.

She was thankful that she didn't have to stay another day at the Seireitei. After Shihouin had spoken to Byakuya about their date, her brother looked a bit disappointed but at the same time relieved for reasons beyond her understanding. She didn't bother asking, as she knew he would someday tell her when he felt like it. Nobody questions Kuchiki Byakuya, anyway.

Instead, she asked him for permission to return to the World of the Living that night in order to resume her duties there. He had reluctantly agreed but he made sure to remind her not to let the human connections distract her from her job as a Shinigami.

As Ichigo and Rukia entered Ukitake's office, the long-haired captain greeted them with his usual friendly manner and opened the senkaimon for them immediately. He could sense something was amiss and that his lieutenant seemed to need time alone with the Substitute Shinigami.

I did… not really enjoy my vacation as I had the two chapters for this up in my head the whole time. I decided to try to make full use of my time and have a little fun but I ended up injuring myself while doing some stunts on the monkey bars at a playground. I guess I tend to forget that I'm a bit taller than the average 12-year-old because well, I'm not a 12-year-old. Lol!

Anyway, that Renji part was supposed to come in at around Chapter 12 or 13 – of course in a totally different way – but because of anon's curiosity, I decided to include it here instead. Sorry, dude, I couldn't reply your review because you commented as a guest. But what I wanted to say was that Tatsuki thought he was missing because he didn't contact her for a while. It wasn't that he was really missing. He just didn't go to the World of the Living to see her. But I guess putting it here would clear the air for everyone else as well about the RenTatsu thing. So it was a good thing.

Oh, and of course, as always, thank you all so much for your reviews!