Chapter 10

**Karakura Town**

Rukia came in through the senkaimon Saturday morning. Ichigo told her that whenever she could make it to his world to call his cell phone or go to his dad's house.

*ring*ring*ring*

"Rukia?" Ichigo said sleepily through the phone.

"Good morning!" She said smiling.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"In Karakura, where else?" She said matter-of-factly.

"That's awesome! Can you go to dad's house and wait for me? I can meet you in a bit I just need to get ready and I'll take the next train over there!" He said quickly getting up from his bed.

"Ichigo, relax! We took the train many times before, remember? I just need to go to your dad's, get my gigai, the rest of my stuff, and we can meet at the Tokyo station closest to your place." She said.

"But-!"

"I'll call you when I'm on my way!" She said and hung up. Since she was in her shinigami form she shunpoed to the Kurosaki household to grab her belongings. After getting in her gigai and getting her stuff she proceeded to leave the house. When she was locking the door to leave she heard Isshin coming from the clinic.

"Rukia-chan!" He said with a big smile.

"Good morning" Rukia smiled back and waited by the door as he walked to her.

"I'm very happy you came back, we all missed you." He said warmly.

"I'm very happy too, I missed everyone as well." She said.

"I hope you and Ichigo can work things out, although I have a feeling that even if you tried you wouldn't be able to get rid of him anymore." He said and gave her a wink. They talked for a few minutes and then said their goodbyes.

**Tokyo**

Ichigo was elated. Although he had been thinking of Rukia all week and wanted to see her he didn't want to be selfish and get his hopes up. He quickly started cleaning his condo (although it was mostly clean since Ichigo was a very neat person), and then he went to take a shower.

When he was in the shower he thought of what it meant for Rukia to be there. She was there because they were going to give their relationship another try. Everything was going to be different than what it was in high school. They were older, they had jobs (although hers was a little less conventional), and now he had his own place…Rukia was going to be staying at his place.

He got out of the shower when his cell phone rang…

"Hello." He said wearing a towel around his waist.

"Hey, my train should get to your station in about 15minutes." Rukia said.

"Ok. I won't be late but in case I am just wait for me!" Ichigo said as he started to get dressed.

"Ok, bye!" She said and hung up. It was funny how Ichigo's protective side was still a very big part of him.

As soon as Ichigo got off the phone with Rukia, he zoomed out of his condo so fast you would have thought he could shunpo in his human form. He waited impatiently outside the train station until he finally saw Rukia come out. She was wearing a white sweater, dark blue jeans, and her brown boots (the clothes she bought last week with his sisters). Ichigo also noticed she was sporting a very short haircut. He blushed, she looked so elegant and he somehow felt like a child again.

"Hey" She said with a big smile.

"Yo" He said still trying not to stare.

"Ok, spit it out. What's the problem?" She said arching her eyebrow.

"N-n-nothing's wrong. Let's go." He said taking her hand as they started walking on the busy streets of Tokyo.

"So you got a new haircut?" He finally said.

"It's a long story…" She said, a little annoyance seeping in her tone.

"Well we're going to be together all weekend so you have plenty of time." He said still curious.

Rukia took a deep breath as she remembered and started to tell her story.

**Flashback**

"Let's go, Renji! You offend me when you don't train with all you've got. I'm at the same level as you now, remember?" She gave him a smirk and launched herself to attack the redhead. Renji didn't hold back on purpose, it just came instinctively and he could never find the resolve to fight his childhood friend with full force.

"Let me see your Bankai!" She taunted and continued her attacks.

After a few minutes he was starting to get pestered by his friend. "I'll bring it if you can land a single hit on me." He said with a cocky grin.

That had done it. He was implying that she wasn't half as good as him. She was pissed. Her promotion to being a fuku-taichou was hard earned. She had the skills and was going to prove it. She was tired of idiot people thinking she was handed things for being a Kuchiki and even for being Ukitake's favorite. She launched herself at him again, but this time she observed the direction in which he was going to move. When she noticed him moving to the right, sode no shirayuki created a wall of ice. Renji's body hit the wall of ice and in the blink of an eye Rukia was right in front of him with her sword by his throat.

"Happy?" She said with a toothy smile.

Renji rolled his eyes. He still didn't want to use his bankai on her but he noticed they had attracted a large crowd of nosy shinigami and naturally, he would not lose to her in front of all these people.

He held zabimaru and yelled, "BANKAI!"

"Hihio Zabimaru!" Renji said the name of his bankai with pride as the bony snake swirled around him. If Rukia wanted to see his bankai, he would give her what she wants.

After seeing that he finally complied she decided to release her bankai. It was still a work in progress but she wanted to practice using it in a mock battle so she could get a better feel for it.

"BANKAI!" She yelled.

"Shiroi tsuki no sakushi (white moon illusion)" She said gracefully as shimmering icy particles swirled around her. Her shinigami robes had turned a pure white. The obi tying her robes glistened as if it had diamond dust. The ends of her sleeves and hakama glistened in the same manner. Renji's eyes then went to her zanpakuto. It had changed form and on the other end it now had a white glistening scythe.

Renji was instantly frozen by her beauty. He had never seen her in her bankai form. Noticing his distraction she went to attack him but he suddenly realized her move and attacked back. She managed to escape from his counter attack. Suddenly the both stopped and people started whispering and gasping in the crowd.

"R-r-r-r-rukia…." Renji said astounded. She was going to kill him for real.

"What is it Renji?" She asked oblivious to what had happened.

Renji could only stare with a dropped jaw at the shinigami in front of him. She then noticed all the other nosy shinigami pointing and whispering at her…head? She went to reach for head and she felt less of her hair. She then looked down and found scattered black hair all over the ground.

"REEENJIIII!" She yelled furiously and started to chase him.

**end of flashback**

"So basically he chopped up your hair…on accident." Ichigo said of the long story.

"It's not that simple you blockhead! It's not about my hair. He humiliated me in front of everyone! Furthermore, he cut it so clumsily that the servant who cut my hair could barely make it look nice again." Rukia said angry reaching to feel the tips of her hair.

Ichigo stopped in the middle of the busy sidewalk and turned Rukia's slender frame to face him as people continued to pass by around them. He might not be the most tactful person in the world but he could always show Rukia how he felt. He moved his hand up to her bang and started twirling it around his finger as he looked deeply into her bright eyes.

"Even if Renji would have chopped off every single hair on your head you would still be beautiful." With that said he leaned down to kiss the love of his life. She blushed a little at the fact that they were in the middle of a very populated sidewalk. Ichigo noticed and smiled. He didn't care. He had never cared about what people thought and he wasn't about to start to now. "Now the next time I see him I'll make sure to show him my bankai and kick his butt." He said with a smile. Rukia rolled her eyes at his inflated male ego.

They continued walking for a few more minutes. They finally reached a tall building and Ichigo lead them to the glass doors. They went up the elevator. Rukia could only look around at the place that Ichigo called home with inquisitive eyes. He had really grown up…

"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about visiting on the weekends." Ichigo teased her a bit.

"Idiot! I'm just looking around. It's hard to believe you actually have a job and a place of your own!" Rukia said smirking.

"Just for that comment I'll make you sleep on the couch!" Ichigo said scowling.

"Who said I was sleeping with you to begin with?" Rukia retorted and a blush made its way to Ichigo's cheeks.

Ichigo led the way and opened the door so Rukia could walk in. When she walked in she tried to not make her curiosity overly obvious. The door opened up to a wide living room with a couch, some bookshelves on the wall and a T.V., to the left there was a bright kitchen, and in between the kitchen and the living room there was a hallway that led to a door (Ichigo's bedroom). The wall adjacent to the living room had floor-to-ceiling windows and you could see the city.

"Very nice place Ichigo, you've come a long way." Rukia said smiling and clutching on to her bag. Seeing how much Ichigo's life had changed made her a little nervous.

Rukia and Ichigo stood by the living room for a moment. Neither knew what to do. He was still a little nervous at Rukia being over at his place and looking so grown-up. Rukia was also nervous of being around the grown-up Ichigo. It was funny how both were feeling the same way and yet didn't know it. This was going to make for an interesting weekend…

Hi everyone! I cut Rukia's hair off in this story because after reading the latest manga chapter I can only picture her with that cut :p. Also, I know Rukia doesn't have a bankai (that we know of yet hehe) but I thought it would be nice to give her one.

Thanks for the awesome reviews and adding the story to your faves/alerts! You guys make me a happy writer =D