Ichigo pulls his hand through his hair as he stares at the books on his desk, the sound of Rukia's high pitched humming making it impossible to concentrate. He sighs angrily and swivels around in his chair to face Rukia.

"What the hell's up with you?"

Rukia turns to him from her sketch book looking slightly annoyed, "What Ichigo? Is there something wrong with being happy?"

Ichigo's eyebrows raise, "No...it's the fact that you're happy that surprises me..."

Rukia doesn't answer and continues with her previous activity. After a couple minutes of silence, Ichigo gets up from his desk with a sigh and shoves his hands into his pockets. He walks over to his closet.

"Come on Rukia, we're going out."

"Where?"

"We're gonna buy you some new clothes. You can't be runnin' around in those freakin' dresses forever..."

Rukia's mouth opens slightly, "What is wrong with dresses? My mother always said, 'only a lady can look good in a dress,'" she tells him proudly.

Ichigo bites the inside of his mouth, angry with himself that he made her think about her mother. But, seeing how she spoke about her, he noticed she didn't get upset or become depressed. She almost seemed happy to think of her. Ichigo had a feeling that the healing had already begun.

"Fine, fine..." Ichigo continues, "we'll stick with dresses. But we're getting a hell of a lot more of them. You go wear the same freakin' three everywhere you go."

Rukia looks away, unable to protest the truth Ichigo had just hung in her face. She gets off his bed and walks over to him, jabbing him quickly in the side.

"Hurry up, baka."

"Ugh...that was..."

"Amazing!"

"...hell."

"What?" Ichigo says, taken aback, "You went shopping with Inoue before! How come it's 'fun' with her but 'amazing' with me?"

She stops to think for a moment, "I don't know...everything just seems better when you're around, Ichigo."

Ichigo stops and lets the bags hang idle on his arms. He looks around nervously and feels a heavy feeling on his chest. He stares at Rukia for a moment...Wait...what...

"You know...that tortured look you had on your face...looked like a child forced to go shopping with his mother..." she turns towards him with a sly grin on her face.

"The hell?" he finishes his thought out loud. Rukia laughs and walks away, leaving Ichigo standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

He slaps himself in the face, embarrassed about the thoughts that flowed into his head which he did not alliterate...and the feeling he thought...

"No...what am I thinking..." Ichigo says to himself out loud once more, his expression serious.

"Ichigo? If you don't hurry up, I'll leave you behind!" Rukia yells from in front of him.

Ichigo grumbles, still unsure of himself, and follows her down the street.

"Let's walk through the park since we're going back...it's quicker..."

"Why? It's such a nice day. Are you tired already?"

"These bags are damn heavy, Rukia!" Ichigo exclaims, lifting the bags to show her. She rolls her eyes playfully.

"Only because you paid, then."

They walk on the dirt path of the park in silence, Ichigo looking at Rukia, to the floor, and to Rukia again. This cycle continues until Rukia sighs impatiently.

"What is it, Ichigo?"

"What?"

"Why are you pestering me?"

"Wait, what? I'm not doing anything, damn it!"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing! I'm just wonderin' why you're so freakin' happy!"

Rukia pauses, then grins, "Why? Is it that because being with Renji's 'gang' made me happy and you're jealous!"

"Wh-where the hell do you get that from?" Ichigo yells, red and obviously flustered.

"Why are you so nervous, Ichigo?" Rukia repsonds. It can be easily seen that she is enjoying this.

"I-I-I-I'm not, damn it!"

And, as if on cue, thunder sounds and the sky opens, releasing a down pour of rain. The two both stare a the sky in shock for a moment, allowing the rain to pour on to them. Ichigo, the first one to come back to reality, grabs Rukia's arm and pulls her under a tree. The both stand there as thunder sounds once more.

"Ichigo...I thought I read somewhere that it's dangerous to be under trees during a-"

"Yeah, yeah...I know, but it's better than getting freakin' soaked, right?"

They stand under a large oak in silence, waiting for the rain to let up around them. Ichigo looks over to Rukia and sees that her face is pensive. She looks frightened and clenches her fists at her sides, but eventually she takes a breath and walks out from under the tree and into the rain, doing so like the first time she stepped from her house onto the asphalt.

"H-Hey, Rukia...you're gonna get-"

"Ichigo."

Ichigo silences automatically, hearing a certain serenity in Rukia's voice. He looks over to her as she looks up at the sky, getting covered in the rain.

"I think I change my mind Ichigo. I think I like the rain," she says simply.

Ichigo steps out from under the tree but stops before he gets too close to her.

"It rained...when your mother died..." he replies in monotone, thinking about his own mother instead.

A small smile appears on her face.

"I know. But if you think about it, it's only water, and the way it flows from the sky...its seems more peaceful than sorrowful," she pauses for a moment, "I read somewhere that water signifies rebirth and new life. Maybe this is the beginning of my new life, Ichigo." She closes her eyes and tilts her head towards the open sky.

Ichigo stare silently, his wet hair falling past his eyes. The way her skin glowed white compared to the dark clouds, the way her raven black hair stuck to her neck and her worn blue dressed pressed its wet fabric against her body, how she stood with such an unmoving resolve that only he can see...it gave him the feeling he had a few minutes ago. The thoughts that embarrassed him at first came back, and the heavy feeling that inflicted itself on his chest returned,

It was at that moment that he realized what he was feeling and what had happened, except instead of denying it, he accepted it willingly. This feeling that only he knows, and that, in time, she would find out.

Hey~ Miss me? I haven't been able to write because of school. But now its the summer~! I have a job...but its so boring I can write chapters to this while on duty so expect more from me~ In all honest, I lost all motivation for this story, but I'm going to finish it because everyone likes it. I'll try not to make it crappy~ I do, however, want to reveal the Kuchiki past eventually, but that will come in time, anyway~ hope you enjoy.

Tell me what you think...