Any of Kubo's bleach poems (2,003 words)

"If it can be said that it is the heart that is unchanging, then that is strength."

Rukia had learned after all this time that changing her mind was relatively easy, even when she wasn't out to do so. However, changing her heart wasn't nearly so.

Throwing her brush carelessly behind her, she rolled her eyes at herself in the mirror. She was done fussing with her hair, feeling silly for primping before a trip to the mortal realm. It was just a visit like any other, nothing different really. It didn't mean anything that she was visiting Ichigo for the first time in his new apartment – his first time living alone. No more family at the clinic, no more roommates at his dorm, it was just him – and her. She shouldn't be nervous. Right? Right.

It was his heart that caused her mind to change. And it was his heart that opened her own.

And maybe their relationship wasn't changing like she suspected. She could just be projecting that on him. It was probably just herself that changed. And it was the strangest and most unexpected thing she's experienced! If she herself hadn't grown and matured, she may not have even noticed it.

It was the small things. Her palms would sweat when he stepped so close to her to reach above her to get something off a high shelf. Her heart would race when there was a reason to him and would double in speed if he touched her. She would almost forget to breathe when he gave her this soft, genuine smile.

And she refused to admit to herself what this could mean, what could be the cause. She really didn't want to think about. She didn't want it to be real. The only thing she could confess, at least to herself, was that opening that particular door could only lead to pain. So it was better for nothing to change.

His character, his morality, his determination, his kindness, was never wavering. His heart was strength.

"About time you showed up," the orange-haired young man smirked down at her, arms folded across his chest. He had grown up so as to resemble the version of his older self that she saw at the end of the winter war. Time and genetics had surely blessed him.

After only a heartbeat of hesitation, distracted once again by his nearness and his intense gaze, she finally remembered herself enough. She answered as casually and normally as she could. "Well I'm here, right?" Shifting her weight to her other foot and adjusting the small bag against her bag, she stared over his shoulder and into the apartment and then back up to his face. "You gonna let me in?"

His smirk turned into a grin. It wasn't weird for him but for some reason it really caught her attention and she was blaming that un-name-able thing again. He stepped to the side of the doorframe to let her pass into the room, needing to brush against him to get inside. Honestly, if she didn't already know it was all in her head, she would begin to think he was doing things on purpose!

She easily stepped out of her shoes, leaving them in his genkan and she stepped into his living room. The floor was more traditional than his home with his family with the tatami on the floor in one big open space. There were very few items in the room, mostly limited to a small bookshelf, a traditional low table, and some pillows to sit on. She could see a few unpacked boxed in the corner as well. To her left against the wall where the floor was still tile was his small, single-person kitchen barely bigger than the one he shared in his dormitory. And to the side of his living room was a sliding pocket door that she figured lead to his bedroom. It was certainly smaller than his home with his family and was an interesting mix of modern and traditional.

"Don't go comparing it to Byakuya's again. This is what I could afford for now." He walked past her, grabbing the bag off her shoulder to place it next to the table in his living room.

She smirked at his warning and shrugged. "Who said I'd say anything negative? That's all you. I was going to comment on how clean it looks."

"You know I'm not a slob."

She smiled, "I know." She really did. She'd known him for more than five years and he was always mature at caring for his surroundings. And as a regular houseguest, she always appreciated it.

She felt it was his heart that called to her and why they were still connected, years later.

They caught up talking for hours, laughing at funny stories and sharing fond memories. Ichigo even cooked dinner for her and it wasn't an instant meal! It may have only been steamed rice, miso soup, and leftover pork strips but it was actually quite impressive and tasty.

She was washing the dishes, which was only fair since he made dinner, while he cleaned up their mess in the living room.

"Hey Rukia! Did you bring a tooth brush?" He yelled from his bathroom, which was through his bedroom.

"Ah… no, I figured I forgot something." She chuckled to herself a little, realizing that she had packed so frantically that she was sure there'd be other items left behind too. She just wasn't about to admit that right now.

"It's fine." He was laughing at her! "I actually have an extra here anyway. Lucky you."

Her heart stopped, just for a moment, again at that. She was just reading into things, right? It didn't mean anything, right? She couldn't even get her mouth to form words to respond to him like she normally would. In fact, her brain just stopped working. What would she have normally said before?

"Uh wait…" He spoke before she could think of a proper response. She was silently grateful as she dried the last dish and walked back into the living room. "I have bad news."

"You were lying about the extra toothbrush?" She joked comfortably. This was normal. Everything was back to normal. It was fine.

"No…" his voice only slightly hesitant. "I don't have an extra futon in here. It must not have been packed for the apartment."

She froze, her expression stuck in a state of surprise as her face heated. It wasn't until she saw Ichigo's face peek around the pocket door of his bedroom that she remembered to wipe that look from her face and grapple with maintaining her "normal" act. "What are you trying to say? You don't have anywhere for me to sleep?" She should act affronted right? Maybe demand his bed? Should she leave?

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands as he stepped out to talk to her. "I must have just forgot to carry it down." He at least had the decency to look apologetic. The light blush she caught on his cheeks helped her be less frustrated. "But I'll go get it tomorrow, ok? We can handle it tonight, right? With how long you lived in my room before and how much we've been through…?"

"W-wha… What? What are saying?" She bit her lip, becoming angry at herself for her voice sounding more nervous and confused than what she should have been. She should have been prideful, insulted, and amused at his even THINKING that they'd… that they'd… what was he thinking anyway? Was she jumping to conclusions again? This would be even more embarrassing…

His face was equally covered in a reddish hue just as hers was, but he was braver than she. His light brown eyes met hers without shame and uncertainty. "Well I figured we could just share my bed. It's bigger than a futon, anyway. I actually brought my original bed…"

Her mouth dropped open slightly as she struggled to process his words. When she didn't respond back immediately, he began to get nervous and start to physically fidget. "I-I'm not suggesting anything funny, of course. You know me! I wouldn't do something like that. I just figured, well, it's better than someone sleeping on the floor, right? And better than you leaving, right?"

With everything new he said, her mind continued reeling and she remained in shocked silence. This sent him from anxious to, what was that, defeated? He looked disappointed, maybe even reprimanded.

"I… I really didn't forget it on purpose, Rukia." He started pacing back and forth. His tension somehow eased some of it in herself. With him being more concerned about the situation, she felt less self-conscious and less worried about sharing a bed with him without embarrassing herself.

"I did think though… Well, I thought…" His pacing wouldn't stop and his sentences were making less sense.

"What, Ichigo?" She finally asked, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to appear completely unfazed.

"I thought that we… well, that our relationship was… I mean, I thought you knew how I felt. I never told you, true, but I thought I was obvious. I thought you felt the same… I thought I saw… I thought…" Nearly tripping over his own feet to stop pacing, he turned sharply to her, his hands in tight fists at his sides. "Rukia, how do you feel about me?"

"How… do I feel?" She whispered.

And her heart responded to his, as it always had. She knew what that un-name-able thing was. It was the thing that hearts do so well. Whether or not their owner is ready for it. Even when their owner is unaware of it growing. It feels love.

"Yes. How do you feel about me? Because… I know how I feel about you." He shyly confessed, as direct as he could manage. This brave soul with enough power to change the fate of every realm, was nervous because of how he felt… for her.

"Ichigo…" The tension left her body as she felt her barriers fall and her endless denial fail her in the face of such directness. And though she could tell that he was practically losing his mind with waiting for a proper answer, putting his heart on the line, he was so strong. It took a strong person to hand another person the power to reject them. But it was his lucky day, she mused. Because that un-name-able thing she had long denied would not be ignored.

A smile grew on her face as she relaxed her arms at her sides. She met his eyes with her own. She didn't fully grasp what this change could mean for the future, but she trusted him. Her smile was soft and honest but playful as well. "I know… how I feel about you too."

Ichigo's grin was back. He took a step closer to her but then abruptly stopped. Still smiling, he ran his hands down the front of his face. He was nervous and it was adorable. But she definitely did not want to tease him but letting him think she was ready for something when she was definitely not.

Instead she took the last step in front of him, placing her hand on his chest and grinned. "So about that extra toothbrush…"

They did not enjoy their first kiss that night. They went to bed, shyly glancing at each other on either side of the bed. But after time, being unable to sleep, Rukia couldn't help but roll over closer to him to press against his side, just seeking contact. And even in Ichigo's sleep, he reached out for her, his arm that she was pressed against went under her head to wrap around her shoulders. A slight embrace but it was the most intimate experience. Smiling, Rukia was finally able to join him in slumber.

Their hearts were connected, through impossible barriers in space and time.