I don't own Bleach. I don't own Ellie.

Reminder: Ichigo's IMs and text messages are in BOLD. Rukia's are italics. Everyone's thoughts are also in italics.

When her eyes fluttered open, Rukia, who was expecting to see the cream-colored ceiling of her bedroom, was surprised to find herself … not where she expected to be. She was not at home.

Blinking once … twice, she looked around the room to find out she was somewhere else. She was lying on a stiff bed with too many pillows. There was a side table on either side of her; there were files, medicines, and cups of water all piled on them. There was a door to her left and a window, overlooking a huge parking lot, to her right.

Where am I, she wondered.

Suddenly, memories of pain, men, groping, tears, and Ichigo all came back to her. She cried out in pain and the door burst open as nurses ran inside. There were two of them and they laid her back down; one of them put something in her IV. Rukia struggled to push them away but it was a lost cause. After their hands stopped their motion and they finally backed away, Rukia spoke, "Can I leave now?" she asked.

"No miss! You were just brought in yesterday! You can't leave yet!" one of the nurses yelped; she sounded completely horrified by Rukia's question. The poor woman probably doesn't get out much, Rukia shook her head.

"I'm fine … I need to go to the Karakura Jail. Can I please leave?" she asked again. She had to get up … she was fine; it was poor, wimpy Kurosaki she was worried about at the moment. After all, she did work in a bar; stuff like what happened the night before happened all the time. Usually, every fighter, guilty or not, went to jail at least for a couple days. She could only guess that was where Kurosaki was. "My friend … he tried to help me last night, and I – I need to go and bail him out of jail."

The nurse looked skeptical, but did not protest after that. "Well, move around a bit. We'll make sure you're alright … if you check out, then you're free to go."

Twenty minutes later, Rukia finished writing her signature and turned around, heading out the hospital. With freedom granted to her, she felt slightly relieved. She was excited to finally be rid of the hospital with its weird smell and bleach-white walls. She was glad because, now, she could go bust Ichigo out of jail …

Shit, was her immediate thought. She remembered reading somewhere that in order to actually get someone out of jail there was a small fee to pay. And by 'small fee' that meant 300 to 400 dollars.

Even with her double-shifts for the past couple of weeks, she still had not made that much cash. She needed to get Ichigo out of jail … but she needed money.

I guess I could ask Ishida and Inoue and Ellie, she thought, while walking down the sidewalk towards her apartment. It was a good thing the bar, the hospital, and her apartment building were all down the same couple of blocks; if it was not, she would have been walking for hours.

I can't do that, she contradicted her first decision. It wasn't their fault that I got hurt. It's my fault that Ichigo is in jail now. I can't just ask them for money to fix my problem. So, what do I do?

Coming up to her apartment building, Rukia was still contemplating the situation in her head. She automatically walked up the three stairs leading to the front door of her apartment building. She walked inside and up two flights of stairs to her floor. She reached her door, pulled out her key, which, thank God, was still in her pocket and she walked inside.

Everything seemed the same, even though, everything was different now. Now, she was aware of her feelings for the Kurosaki residing in jail. Now, she had been hurt twice by strangers, and now, she was fighting a 

battle in her head about how to get the most money in less than a few hours. So far, she had ruled out prostituting, robbing a bank, and a few other selected choices.

I could always go to … him. No, no I couldn't. I haven't talked to him in at least seven or eight months. I don't want him to think that I'll just come to him when I need money. I – I can't go and face him. Not after so long. Last time he saw me I was begging for his forgiveness. I was supposed to major in business. Rukia shuddered. She did not have the heart to tell him that she had changed her major, over two weeks before, to journalism. I was supposed to take over the business … what am I going to do now?

She walked to her bathroom and, after turning on the shower, she quickly stripped and got inside. Letting the hot water run down her forehead, cheeks, and neck, her body was relaxed but her mind was still racing.

I can't go to him! I can't … but, I have to. I have tell him anyway that I switched my major … he won't be happy with that. But, what can he do? Well, a lot of things … but … I – I have to at least ask him. Kurosaki is important to me—maybe that'll get him.

Finally making her decision, Rukia stepped out of the shower, wiped the steam off of her mirror and stared at her reflection. Externally, she seemed calm and ready for the world. On the inside, she was psyching herself up … preparing herself for the man she was about to go and ask, yet again, for more money.

Byakuya Kuchiki.

He had not slept. Sitting on a cold bench, in a cold cellar, his hands balled up in a fist and resting on his knees, his head bowed, Ichigo was shameful of his act. Sure, beating five guys up might have been for the best intentions, but, had it been? He might have saved Rukia but now, she was in some hospital without him by her side.

He did not want her to wake up the same way she had looked last night … scared for her life, crying, vulnerable to everything around her. But now, as he sat in the damn cell, there was no way he could be there. He could not even get out.

They had allowed him one phone call for the day and he called his dad at the clinic … but, damn his father and his 'Hello, thanks for calling the Kurosaki Clinic! The clinic will be closed on April fifteenth because my wonderful daughters and I are going on a camping trip!' message on the clinic's voicemail. Because he had not answered, Ichigo was sent back to sit in the damn cold cell he was sitting in now.

Of course, though it smelled funny and there was some big, burly man across the hall from that kept winking at him, being in jail gave Ichigo some time to think. Especially, since it gave him some time to think about Rukia and what he was planning to do with the rest of his life.

At the beginning of the school year, he had been determined to finish school as soon as possible with as little road blocks (literally and figuratively) as possible. Secretly, had already packed some of his belongings up in anticipation of leaving for America and had been studying a little English even. At the beginning of the school year, he had not expected to fall for a dream girl over the internet or fall for a real girl who was currently residing at the local hospital. He had not expected to be thrown in jail either … or to be contemplating all of his actions in the past eight or so months.

He had not expected for his life to take such a dramatic turn. He had not expected to second-guess himself in the decision of going to some strange foreign country. And he had definitely had not expected himself to second-guess himself in the profession he wanted to do.

He had always wanted to be a doctor, ever since he first saw his father working in the clinic. Now, he had the slight urge to become a journalist. Originally, he had taken an Intro to Newspaper class because he wanted to impress Chappi14 when he finally convinced her to meet him. Now, he learned how much he really loved it. Since he had taken it, he found, it was not so bad to let people get close. It was not so hard to go up to a complete stranger and ask for their opinion. He loved writing for the newspaper, even if he actually was not on the staff … yet.

For a while now, he was seriously considering changing his major to something dealing with writing. He had never considered himself very literate … other than his love for Shakespeare … now, he thought himself smarter than some of classmates … in something other than biology.

He knew his father would be okay with it. He was just wondering how Rukia would take it … she was the writer after all, which was where she dubbed herself smarter. How would she take it, if, all of a sudden, he wanted to be a journalist as well? He knew how girls were … they hated when people so much as suggested going to the same place as they did, let alone change their whole future.

Of course, Ichigo knew that Rukia was not like other girls. She had only been kind to him and helped him achieve his goals. She had given him advice about his love life, his future, newspaper, and whatever else he asked about.

She had been there for him. And what had he done?

He was not there for her when she needed him the most. She was probably awake now, confused, scared, and frustrated because she could not remember exactly what happened. And here he was, sitting in a freakin' jail cell contemplating situations that he never thought he would contemplate.

Rukia was standing in front of the biggest house of that particular street she was standing on. It was tall and white, with three stories and four columns out front. There were at least ten windows on either side of the two huge oak doors. She knew that the backyard was vast with a play area, a sand pit, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a huge party house to top it all off.

This particular house belonged to the richest man in Karakura and one of the richest in Japan.

This house belonged to her brother, her sister's husband.

Byakuya Kuchiki.

She had not been at this particular house in over six months. After the beginning of the school year, she had never bothered to visit or call … though she had come back, begging for forgiveness, she had not lost her rebellious attitude. Rukia still managed to keep on Byakuya's not-so-good side.

Taking a deep breath, she walked from her car up to the front door. Ringing the door bell, she waited for only a matter of seconds before a young maid opened it. "Hello!" she said cheerfully, not noticing Rukia, "welcome to the Kuchiki esta—Rukia-san!" she yelped.

"Hello," Rukia said politely. "Is Byakuya-sama here?"

The maid straightened her outfit a bit before answering. "Y-yes, Rukia-san … Kuchiki-sama is up in his study." Rukia had already started walking in the house. "He's working on very important papers, Rukia-san! He might not want to be disturbed!"

Too bad Rukia had already gone around the corner. When she had first seen the inside of her house, she felt a sudden burst of adrenaline. She was not sure how she could explain it … but she felt like she was … in power; like she was going to be rebellious again … after all, Byakuya hated when people interrupted him while working.

She went up to the second floor to the second door on her right. She knocked swiftly three times before her brother answered. "Rukia," he said, taken aback. "What are you doing here?"

Rukia put on an emotionless mask and answered, "I'm here because I need to ask you a favor and because I need to talk to you about college." Byakuya nodded curtly and they walked into his office. He sat behind his desk and crossed his arms while Rukia sat in a chair in front of him.

He was staring her down and she was fiddling with her hands. Suddenly, all the energy she had had before walking in here was gone. The room was cold and there was a kind of stillness that made it suffocating. "Um … brother, I – uh, I need to ask you a favor," she said.

"Yes?"

"Well … um … you see. Yesterday at work, um … well, there were these drunk men that came into the restaurant"—the bar had to be called the 'restaurant' because Byakuya did not know that Rukia did, in fact, work at a bar—"and they threatened me. Then, they started to attack. Well, one of my friends … he helped me. And, you've see Law and Order before, I'm sure. Remember when they arrest all the guys because they were all involved in the fight …?"

"Rukia," he interrupted. She stopped moving her eyes from the tall, oak bookcases to the window, showing her car, the escape to this place. "Just get to the point."

She sighed. "Well, um … look, Byakuya-sama," she gave up trying to sugar-coat the situation and just got to the point. "He's in jail. And, I need to bust him out. Please, Byakuya-sama, I need money. Even with my double-shifts, I still can't afford to get him out. Please."

He snapped his fingers and a maid came bustling in. Rukia was not sure how they managed to do that every time someone snapped their fingers. It was like a maid was positioned at every door in the house … and, when you walked out a room, they disappeared so they did not look too anxious to take the next order.

"Yes, Kuchiki-sama?" the maid asked.

"Please, write out a check for my sister. Will four-hundred dollars do it, Rukia?" he asked, looking over to her. She nodded at her brother's sudden generosity. "Four-hundred dollars then and bring it to me to sign."

The maid quickly nodded and ran out of the room. No doubt she would show up in the next two minutes … they probably already had his checks made out, just to show how 'fast' they were.

"Now Rukia, what is it about college? Are your studies going well?"

She nodded for a second time. "Yes. They're going well. Um … I really just came here to tell you that um … well, one of my professors noticed that I have exceptional writing skills and asked me to join the Introduction to Newspaper course. So, I did.

"Byakuya-sama, I really love writing for the newspaper," she admitted. "I want to be doing this for the rest of my life, Byakuya-sama. I know that I left for two years without so much as a phone call or a card at Christmas. But during that time, I grew up a lot. I know what I want Byakuya-sama … and that's not … that's not marketing. I don't want to take over the business. I want to write.

"I—um … I s-switched my major, Byakuya-sama …"

There was a pregnant pause. During those elapsed minutes of silence, Rukia's mind was racing with the possible outcomes. After all, she could get the money and scram and never see Byakuya again but Byakuya could easily turn around and stop paying for her college. He could disown her and shun her from the Kuchiki clan. He could never speak to her again. He could say that it was okay …

"I'll get back to you with my answer from your request," Byakuya said. "For now, take that check and get your friend out of prison."

Rukia locked eyes with him. In those brief moments that mauve met black, Rukia could see the indifference, the coldness in his eyes. It was like he did not want her to be here. She knew he had better things to do besides talk to her, but did he really not care?

Even though she had not called in so long, it did not mean she stopped caring about her older brother. After all, he had gotten her and Hisana out of the streets. He had paid for her to go to college even after she had 

abandoned him for two years. He had done so much for her and she had done so much to please him. And yet, here she was, wishing that, if only she could do more, maybe he would love her, even if, it was only a little.

It never worked.

It never would.

The maid had magically reappeared by the Kuchiki siblings' sides. She handed the check to Byakuya and scurried off again. He signed the check with a handsome signature and Rukia grabbed it and practically ran out of the house before he could see her crack.

She ran to her car, started it and pulled out of the driveway as fast as she could. She only made it about a mile before she pulled over to the side of the road and let her tears of shame and guilt run freely.

Little did she know, a man with long, black hair and dark eyes had watched his sister from his study's window … masking his emotion but feeling the same thing as she.

"Kurosaki," someone said from above the said man. He looked up to see a tall policeman dressed in the usual blue attire, holding a set of keys. "It's seems you've made bail."

Someone stepped out from behind him and Ichigo gasped. It was her … it was Rukia. "Hey, Kurosaki," she giggled from behind the man. Her eyes were a bit swollen and a bit red, maybe from crying, he was not sure; her hair was wind-blown and she was wearing just a pair of old sweatpants and a hoody but, to Ichigo, she never looked like more of a relief.

"Rukia," he grinned. "Y-you …"

She winked. "I'm busting you out."

He laughed as the policeman finished unlocking the bars and slid the door open. Ichigo bumbled through and wrapped his arms around Rukia, crushing her against his chest. At first she was startled, but then, she sighed while breathing in his scent, and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Thanks so much, Rukia," he said in her hair. He kept repeating her name like it was his life source and, it seemed, Rukia was the only one to notice. After a while, the policeman broke them up by saying that they needed to take their 'love moment' outside.

Ichigo chuckled as did Rukia and the let go of each other. Walking side by side they headed towards the exit. "So," Ichigo said when they reached outside. "How did you manage to make bail for me …? Last time I checked you were still complaining that you didn't make enough money to afford to buy milk."

"You should just be happy that I came and got you," Rukia sarcastically snapped. "Actually, my brother loaned me the money." Ichigo knew about her brother and how cold and stiff he was … without even meeting the guy, he did not like him very much. "I said you needed help," she went on. "He gave me a check."

Ichigo nodded. "I'll pay him back."

"You don't have to do that," was her immediate answer. "Four-hundred dollars is nothing to him. He's the richest man in the city and one of the richest in Japan."

By that time they had made it to her car. Already she was getting and Ichigo was following as the continued their conversation. "It doesn't feel right for him to pay for my bail richest man or not," Ichigo went on. "I can pay him back … no big deal. I'll just ask for another shift at the clinic … I might have to clean a couple more bedpans, but hey, it's not that bad."

Rukia made a gagging noise at his response.

"Please, don't. I mean … you saved my life, Ichigo. The least I can do is bail you out of jail. I'll pay my brother back. Really, it's no big deal."

Rukia parked outside of Ichigo's apartment building and they both got out of the car. She leaned up against the driver's side as he started walking up the sidewalk, to the front door. "Fine, I'll let you pay for my bail," he called out, "if I can pay for your dinner sometime next week."

Ichigo was surprised at his bold mood. Obviously, Rukia was as well, because she stopped arguing and went wide-eyed. Then, she smirked. "Did you just ask me out on a date, Kurosaki?" she yelled, her lips curled into the perfect smile.

"I think I just did," he said. "Do you agree?"

She looked down at the concrete, as if she was debating whether to say yes or no. Finally, after a couple of seconds (which seemed like days for Ichigo), she smiled and said, "Pick me up at seven on Friday."

He nodded and, after tripping up the last step, he made it to the door and in safely before Rukia Kuchiki, the girl he was going on a date with, noticed his blush. He was on his way up the stairs when his mind finally clicked. Running the rest of the way up the stairs and to his door, he quickly unlocked it and ran to his computer.

As a Kuchiki, Rukia was one whom was taught to always wear a mask and show absolutely no emotion when she was out in public. But, right now, she was grinning like an idiot and she did not care who saw her. Everything that had happened to her in the past two days could not bring her down from what had just happened with Ichigo.

She could not believe that after everything that they had been through, he would still want to go out on a date with her. It was like … when she finally realized how much she liked him, it was like he realized how much he liked her (at least, that is what she hoped he realized).

Her grin vanished though when she reached the parking lot of her apartment building. It was like she was awakening from some kind of dream when she realized that … that if she was dating Kurosaki, the profile on the school's dating website was no longer needed. She did not have to hope for some relationship over the internet … she had one right now.

And she loved it.

Parking quickly, Rukia turned off her car and ran up to her room as fast as she could. She hit the power button on her laptop and changed into her pajamas while waiting for all the windows and systems to load.

When she returned there was a window that must have popped up while she changed. She smiled down at it automatically when she read it was from SoulSlayer617. Pinning her hair back, she read what he wrote:

Hey, Chappi14. Are you there?

Taking her last bobby pin and fastening the last of her bangs back, she quickly replied. Yeah, I'm here. What's up?

I need to talk to you.

Really? That's weird. I have to talk to you too. You go first.

Rukia unplugged her computer and walked over to the couch. Sitting it down on the coffee table, she quickly ran for a bottle of water. Upon returning, she found a new message.

Okay. Well, you see, I found a girl. Um … I going out with her sometime next week and, Chappi, I really like her. So, um, I'm not sure if I should talk to you anymore.

Rukia thought she would be hurt with his response. After all, her dream guy was going to date another girl … it did not seem fair, but, for Rukia, it just meant it would be a lot easier to tell him that she too had found someone else.

Wow, she typed. That's great! That's really strange because, well, I'm actually going out with this really awesome guy next week as well. I was going to tell you just about the same thing.

She was grinning again and, like before, she did not care one bit if anyone saw her. Of course, now that she was at home, even if she was living with a Kuchiki, she could still grin, but, still … she was smiling again! She had not smiled so much in two years!

Wow. Weird. Well, I guess I'll just go then. Thanks for everything. You've really helped me, Chappi14. Thanks.

Suddenly, Rukia felt guilty. She still remembered a few months ago when SoulSlayer617 had wanted to meet her more than anything and vice versa. Now, since she was going to date Ichigo, she did not think meeting him was too bad.

Wait, before you go …

Hm?

Do you want to meet? You know, just to see what could have been? It's not like anything as to happen … but, you know, I really have wanted to meet you … I've just been so scared about being hurt that, I – I couldn't do it.

If you were worried about that, you shouldn't have been. I was studying to become a doctor. I can't hurt you.

Rukia smiled.

Then, let's meet.

Okay. Just give me when and where and I'll be there.

The bar right outside the university called, Drink with Matsu on Monday around five. Sound okay? Rukia hoped it sounded okay with him … after all, that was her only day off, and even then she was not technically off work. She was still working, just, with the intentions of meeting a complete stranger in mind.

I love that place. That sounds great for me. See you soon, Chapp14.

Yeah, see you Monday, SoulSlayer617.

A/N: Wow, I just typed that 4,400 chapter in one sitting. Woo. I'm wiped out! But, I hope you liked it! By the way, bringing Byakuya in at the end was TOTALLYYYY unplanned. I was thinking of how to type this chapter and he just came in there. XD. It was great!

Oh my goodness! I got nearly thirty reviews on the last chapter! O.O. Thank you guys so much! It made my busy busy busy weekend soooo much better. Thank you so very much!!

Please review!!