[Edited]

The Moon That Embraces The Sun

Chapter –11


Rukia sat in front of the dressing table. Soft breeze rushed past through the open doors of the balcony. It was early in the morning. The young Empress picked up the brush on the table and brushed it through her silk locks, her amethyst eyes glued on her reflection in the mirror. She pulled the high collar of her black gown down a little, just enough to show the red mark above her collarbone and another on the side of her neck. She was sure there were more.

Pink tinted her cheeks as her mind recalled the events from last night. She couldn't help the smile that crept up on her lips.

Last night, she and her husband…she and her Emperor…had finally consummated their marriage. Her blush deepened.

He was barely able to keep his hands off her throughout the festival. He was overprotective. He glared at every single man who turned to look at her. He even hit sir Grimmjow behind the head so hard it was a wonder he didn't faint.

But the best part had been when they came back to their chambers. She was tired and had decided to take a quick bath and sleep like a log. But it all jumped out of the window when his majesty pinned her to the door, locking it and kissed her madly. He was restless. It was like she was the oxygen he needed to breathe. But it made her turn into a gooey mess right under his feet as he assaulted her with those sinful lips. His inexperienced yet naturally talented hands roamed over her body.

There was nothing that stopped them and she didn't want him to stop. She only wanted him to continue. And he did.

Soon, their clothes trailed behind them as he guided them both to their bed. Their heavy breaths dominated over the silence that hung in the air. There wasn't a single place he hadn't laid claim over. There wasn't an inch of her skin where his hands hadn't touched. It had been nothing but a night of pure pleasure.

She was sure her face had turned crimson by now and she still couldn't bring herself to get embarrassed when he kissed her so deeply with so much love.

Oh dear. She was going to die at the rate her heart was beating.

"You don't have to think so much about it. We could always do it again. Anytime." The deep voice of her husband rang in her ears and she felt a soft kiss to her hair.

Rukia turned beet red.

"I-I was n-not." She averted her eyes from the mirror and looked at anything but him.

"Your blush betrays you." Ichigo stood straight, chuckling.

"It betrays nothing!" she stood up suddenly, startling him.

Ichigo only smirked.

"It does." He took slow steps towards her. Rukia took a step back for every single one he took.

Ichigo clasped his hands behind him and bent to her level when her back met the wall. His smirk grew as she blushed again, averting her gaze.

"Are you shy, your majesty?" she puffed her cheeks in reply.

"Of course not!"

"Then kiss me." He said immediately,

Rukia nearly flipped.

"W-what?" She stared at him wide-eyed.

"You heard me, my wife. Kiss me." He repeated casually with a careless shrug.

Rukia gaped at him. He was making fun of her.

That bastard!

She dared to drop her gaze from his eyes to his lips. Only for a second. But he caught it and he let one corner of his lips turn upwards. He simply loved the effect he had on her. It was truly a feat that only he was able to accomplish that. A remarkable feat indeed. His eyes darkened as he thought of the previous night. The way she gasped, moaned as she writhed in passion under him. It had been simply blissful.

Rukia noticed the way his eyes turned darker and his pupils dilated. His eyes ran from her eyes to her lips continuously before leaning down to capture her lips in a kiss that left her breathless. How was it that the tingles and electric shocks never disappeared every time he kissed her? Why did it feel like every time was their first?

His hands worked quickly on the buttons on the front of her dress. In a moment, her gown was hanging off her shoulders, revealing the many marks he had laid on her milky skin. Ichigo took a moment to admire his handiwork before assaulting the same places. He heard her take a sharp intake of breath and her hands in his hair tightened, pulling on them.

"Your majesty…." She said, her voice coming out as a whisper. "You have a lot of work to attend to."

"It can wait."

"No…" she pushed him away and buttoned her dress up. It took every bit of courage to push him away.

Ichigo groaned. He wanted to feel her body flushed against him again. But there were important matters he needed to attend to.

"What are your plans for the day?" he asked putting on a pair of navy blue tunic.

"I promised princess Yuzu to join her today." Rukia replied taking the brush again and running it through her disarrayed locks, all thanks to her husband.

"I see." he walked over to her and bent down to peck her on the lips once. "Enjoy." And turned to leave the chambers.

::

Ichigo twirled the sword around once, pointing the tip at the chest of the dummy in front of him. He was ready to strike when the sound of footsteps interrupted him.

"Your majesty. Lord Kuchiki has arrived." Ichigo immediately turned around.

"You may leave." He said to the guard.

Not a single emotion passed through the lord Byakuya Kuchiki's eyes. There was no shock, no confusion as to why he was summoned to the palace so early in the morning, in such haste. The warlord just stood there, hands by his side, looking at him.

"Do you know why you have been summoned, lord Byakuya?" Ichigo asked, digging his sword into the sand and playing with the hilt of it. Should he call him father-in-law now? He was after all, married to his daughter.

"I merely followed your orders, your majesty." Came the stoic reply. "I don't know the reason why I have been summoned."

Ichigo nodded, pulling back his sword.

"Spar with me. A sword duel. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course."

Ichigo gestured to Sado who was standing a few feet to bring the warlord a sword.

He had a feeling that it was the only way he could converse with him. Through swords and duels.

::

"This is ridiculous." Rukia mumbled, glaring at her embroidery. She was a lady, the Empress at that, how come her embroidery was as bad as a garden left to grow on its own. The threads were everywhere, making no sense. She was supposed to make a flower not a…not a…she didn't even know what it looked like.

Princess Yuzu on the other hand, was humming merrily, a sweet smile on her beautiful lips as her hands carefully held the needle, creating beautiful embroidery. She was three years younger than she was and yet she could embroider better than she ever dreamt of.

Her husband would laugh at her.

And the thought alone had her wincing. As if he already didn't have enough reason to tease her. Rukia blushed again.

Her posture slouched as she stared at the piece of cloth on her lap. There was a nudge on her arm and she turned to her right, where Princess Karin was seated.

"Do you wish to be rid of this nightmare?" she whispered as lowly as she could in her ear.

Rukia's eyes widened. Her eyes dropped to the princess's lap where her embroidery lay. She resisted the urge to laugh like a drunkard. It was worse than hers. And she felt a sort of relief.

"Yes, laugh all you want, your majesty. Yours is worse." the eldest princess snorted.

"Is that so?" Rukia asked, mirth shining in her amethyst eyes.

She noticed the difference between the twins. Karin was more like her brother. She loved swords and other weapons, riding her horse and going hunting while Yuzu was more like her mother. She loved to do the things most ladies do. But there was love nevertheless.

"Now do you or do you not wish to leave this hell?" she whispered again, careful of her sister.

"I would love to. But poor Yuzu will be heartbroken." She whispered back.

"No! I have a plan. A plan in which she will not be heartbroken." The evil glint in her grey eyes reminded Rukia of a certain devil she read in her bedtime stories when she was young.

"What is it?" Rukia had a feeling that she was going to regret whatever she had in mind.

Karin smiled. A smile that sent shivers down her spine. She leaned towards her and whispered in her ear.

Rukia's ears turned red. Her whole face turned crimson.

"T-that is absurd!" she whisper-yelled.

"Hmm?" Yuzu looked up and the two ladies immediately pretended to sew. She giggled and went back to work humming again.

Karin leaned closer again.

"What do you say, your majesty?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

"You are willing to take advantage of your sister's innocence?" Rukia tried to be serious but failed miserably. It was true she wanted to get away from all this. And Karin was offering a chance.

"Yes. That is the only I can not hurt her feelings." She replied.

"But…doing that is a bit…" Rukia bit her lip. The plan Karin had told her was definitely flustering. But it wasn't like that wasn't happening. It might. She was married to her brother…so it was going to happen sooner or later.

So why not?

"Are you ready, your majesty?" Karin whispered.

Rukia nodded hesitantly.

"On my call. 1, 2…" she nodded and Rukia clutched her stomach with a groan.

Yuzu immediately looked up, her eyes wide. "Is everything alright?" she asked.

Rukia slapped a hand to her mouth, making gagging noises.

"Oh my, are you alright, your majesty?" Karin jumped up, holding her hand, her expressions overly exaggerated. "I told you to be careful. What if you accidently hurt the child?"

Rukia's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. She could care less about looking like the Empress right now. Her sister-in-law was going overboard.

"Ch-child…?" heat crept up from her neck to her hairline as Yuzu sat rooted to her spot while Karin helped a very sick empress out the door.

"This way, this way." The black haired princess said in a sugary sweet voice. "Unohana-san's chambers are this way. This way, my lady. This way."

The moment they were out of the chambers and out of Yuzu's hearing range, Karin burst out laughing.

"Run, your majesty." She grabbed Rukia's wrist and made a mad dash down the hallway.

Rukia knew she was going to regret it. Whose fault was it again?

Not a while later, the lady Masaki walked into princess Yuzu's chambers.

"My dear!" the beautiful woman quickly rushed to her youngest daughter's side when she saw her sitting in the middle of the floor, her face as red as an apple. "Are you alright?" she cupped her cheeks.

"Mother." She gasped; her eyes glued on the door and touched her mother's hands. "Am I going to become an aunt?"

Masaki looked puzzled.

"Aunt? Why do you say so?" she sat beside her.

"Sister-in-law is with a child. Does that not mean I am going to become an aunt?" she turned to look at her mother's hazel eyes that were shining.

"Who told you of this joyous news?" she whole face glowed.

"Princess Karin already knew. They went to see Unohana-san."

"Is that so?" she squeezed her daughter's hands. "We should celebrate then." Her mother stood up in excitement. Yuzu followed by, a grin marring her features.

::

Clash.

He turned right, avoiding a cut to his upper arm and brought his sword from a side, ready to strike his father-in-law on his leg. But the attack was dodged and countered easily. The process repeated over and over again, neither able to land a proper blow on the other. Sweats covered their bodies, dripping from their foreheads. Their breathing coming out as pants. It was the aftermath of the country's best swordsmen's duel.

Ichigo jumped away from the older warlord. He took a moment to catch his breathing before running at inhuman speed towards him, bringing down his sword.

Clash.

The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed through the air.

"Why is it that you push your daughter away?" he demanded boldly.

Lord Byakuya's eyes widened for a fraction of seconds but that was it. There was nothing more.

"I would appreciate an answer, my lord." He was the Empress's father. He needed to respect the man. "Must you hurt your daughter so much?" his mind replayed the nights she jolted up from nightmares. The tears she shed while telling him of the story that haunted her every night.

"I don't understand what you are talking about, your majesty." The Kuchiki matriarch retracted his sword and turned around.

"Do you know how much she loves you?" Ichigo shouted, forcing him to stop sheathing his sword mid-way. "Do you know how much she wishes to speak with you? Do you understand her loneliness? How much she wishes for a warm fatherly hug? Why do you push her away?" his voice tuned down at the end.

"I know there is a warm father in you. One who loves his daughter. I know you are a kind man. A man capable of loving." Ichigo grabbed the hilt of his sword tighter. "And if you say you are unfeeling of the pain of your daughter then come over here my lord, I will thrust this sword through your heart and make you feel again!"

Ichigo forcefully held the tears back. The picture of his wife crying in his head was more than enough to break his heart. He wanted it to be replaced with her smile.

Lord Byakuya's back was stiff. His hands were frozen. Ichigo knew his words had affected him. But was it enough for them to reunite? Was it enough for them to go back to the way they were before Lady Kuchiki's death?

The sound of lord Byakuya's sword putting back into its sheath broke his reverie. He watched as he gave it back to Sado who stood watching.

"Please excuse me, your majesty."

Ichigo watched as he walked further away from him, his face impassive and unreadable.

"Your majesty!" Grimmjow's voice was laced with panic. He turned towards the blue haired man.

"What is it?" Grimmjow was never a person to fret over things. Even if it meant he was on the brink of death.

"Renji has returned." By the look on his face Ichigo knew it was anything but good.

They rushed towards the front yard where guards were surrounding a horse. A bloodied body was brought down from it. Ichigo ran with everything he had. People made way for him. He crouched down on the ground, trying to calm his beating heart that was out of control as he brought a hand to feel his pulse.

It's there! His mind screamed. His pulse was there. Faint but still there. "Hang in there, Renji!"

His body was covered in cuts and arrows embedded into different parts of his body.

"Get a medic!" he roared and the men scurried away.

Within minutes, a stretcher was brought and Renji was taken to the infirmary. God only knew if he was going to survive with those attacks. Ichigo clenched his fists at his sides. He would make the one who did that to his men pay. Blood for blood. An eye for eye.

Rukia stood behind them, dread filling every inch of her body. Either way she looked, Rukia couldn't help but think that it was her fault. Beside her, Princess Karin's brows were furrowed together in anger. It was understandable. The royals treated their soldiers and maids like family.

She had been having such a good moment and when she returned, this was what greeted her. She couldn't help but feel guilty. Even her husband looked torn as he walked towards the infirmary with Sado and Grimmjow by his side.

"We should go and check on sir Renji." Karin took her hands in hers and walked in the direction of the nurse room.

::

Lady Rangiku's eyes shot open, a gasp escaping her mouth. She was in the middle of a prayer, in the great hall of the celestial hall. All the other spiritualists were there, donning the official uniform and they were all looking at her in concern.

"Are you alright, my lady? You fell asleep." Came Riruka's voice.

She didn't move though. Asleep? She mused. It wasn't quite right. She didn't feel sleepy at all. She tried to remember what had happened. But she recalled nothing. Her mind came up blank. But it wasn't possible. She was sure she wasn't asleep. And if she had a vision, she would have known about it. She would have remembered it.

Suddenly, a choked gasp escaped her lips.

"My lady!" the spiritualists cried in fear.

Rangiku gripped the skirt of her dress as she held back the tears at the strong force her vision came at. Beside her, Riruka clutched her head. Behind her, other spiritualists with stronger powers began to have visions.

"There is a fire." Riruka gasped. "There is a fire!" her voice began to rise.

Rangiku's head throbbed. There was no way she was able to stop Riruka when she was having one of her own visions. Several images blurred through her mind. She tried to concentrate. There was an image of his majesty kissing his wife deeply though their expressions looked troubled. And then he left her. The empress watched him go, trying her best to keep her tears at bay. She jerked up when she saw what looked like a battlefield. Women were screaming, fires torches in the air, whips were brought down on their backs.

Her head throbbed.

Swords clashed against sword. Blood clung onto sir Grimmjow's blue hair. He brought his sword down on a man's back; slashing and a gurgled cry left his lips.

Her hands tightened around the fabric of her skirt and she shut her eyes close tightly.

Then, there was the emperor. A white bandage covered his torso as he lay in bed, looking deathly pale. The empress climbed beside him, leaning over him. A bitter smile overtook her impassive expression as she grazed her fingertips on the contours of his face. She said something but Rangiku couldn't hear. Her majesty then began to cry. Her tears fell on the emperor's face.

The next scene she saw made her eyes snap open and her heart stop.

She saw…she saw…

"The Emperor is dead." Riruka's voice supplied.

She turned to face her. Eyes as wide as it could. Sweat dripping from her temples and her breath ragged.

"What did I say?" Riruka asked. Her voice came out as a choked gasp.

"I need to visit the palace. Look after yourself. Do not go off wandering." Rangiku ordered as she stood up.

The head spiritualist grabbed her cloak, not bothering to change and hurried to her horse that awaited by the stables. It was almost sun down and whatever the emperor was about to do, she had to stop him.

::

Rukia paced in her chambers. She was worried sick about sir Renji. She was told that he lived but has yet to awaken. Apparently, the physician had sedated him in case he might get up and reopen his wounds. But she was still on edge. She couldn't help but blame herself all over again. Even though he lived what about the other men who died? Men who were killed in cold blood? Renji had no choice but to leave them there, even if one of them were alive. Someone had to come back and report the incident to the emperor. She had no idea what was going on and she really had an ominous feeling about the whole incident. Her husband had told her to wait in the chambers until he came for her. He promised to tell everything.

But she couldn't wait any longer.

Rukia opened the large mahogany doors and came face to face with Nel, who had her hands ready to open the door.

"Your majesty." she greeted. "Sir Renji had woken up."

"Already?" Rukia asked as both of them hurried down the hall.

"Yes. Sir Renji is a stubborn mule, if you haven't noticed yet."

"Who isn't? Everyone in this castle is." Thought her voice sounded calm, Rukia was panicking. Her palms felt sweaty and his heart rate took pace.

The castle was abuzz. Soldiers were hurrying around with weapons. Amidst all the people, Rukia noticed a woman wearing a white robe atop the stairs. She was climbing down, her eyes downcast. She had beautiful blonde hair and a body that men will kill for. The imperial crest was on one side of her robe while something else she didn't recognize was on the other side. When their eyes met, her head throbbed once, like she had been hit on the head by a sledgehammer.

"Save him." a voice whispered in her head. Rukia turned around, searching for the source. Everyone was engrossed in their own work. Nel was nowhere to be found. And no one was looking at her. No one else but her. She turned around to look at the woman atop the stairs to see the place empty except for the guards. Violet eyes searched the hall frantically. She stopped when she spotted her amidst the soldiers rushing about.

"You are the only one who can save him, your majesty." The same voice said again. She looked around. No one else seemed to hear it. It was only her. Her eyes landed on the woman again. Though her eyes were tear-filled, her lips didn't move. But she had a feeling that she was the one speaking.

"If you cannot save him, then, give up your throne. Give up this destiny. You cannot handle this fate, your majesty."

Him? Could that 'him' she speaks of be my husband? Rukia wondered.

"He is the sun." her voice echoed in her head. Everything was out of focus, except the woman. "And you are the moon. It is your job to protect him. Save him. He is running into certain death. Embrace him. And do not let go. Stop him. This mission…he cannot come back alive. Save him…save him….save him…" her voice sounded distant as it echoed in her mind.

What was that? What mission? What did she mean by her husband not coming back alive? Who was she?

"–ty? Are you alright, your majesty?" Nel's voice broke into her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.

Rukia nodded. Nel looked unconvinced but nodded nevertheless, giving a nod of her own.

"This way." She guided her through the crowd.

"What is happening?" the young empress asked.

"I don't know either. All I know is that the emperor has ordered the generals to assemble at the throne room. I don't know what sir Renji told him. But looking at all these soldiers, I am sure it is anything but good."

"I see." Rukia nodded absent-mindedly. The voice of that woman was still ringing in her ears.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar crest. She stopped and Nel followed by.

"Nel." She called to the green haired woman. "What is that crest?" she pointed her finger at the wall where something that represented a sun which was in black color and a silver crescent moon inside it.

"That is the crest of the celestial hall, your highness."

The celestial hall. Her eyes went wide. That woman was from the celestial hall. And she spoke of a prophecy!

Rukia began to panic.

"Where is his majesty?" she asked, successfully hiding the tremble that tried to overtake.

"In the throne room."

Rukia didn't wait Nel to follow. She stormed towards her destination, her thoughts running a mile each second. She warned her of her husband's impending death. She said he wasn't going to come back alive from wherever he was going. If he was going after those bastards who hurt the second in command of the imperial army, then he could send a force under sir Grimmjow. He was after all, the chief commanding officer. He would lead the men well. Was it really necessary for him to leave? He was the emperor. He had an empire to look after. Not just and an empire. Karakura was the strongest nation.

But if the situation was that dire, there would be no choice but for him to go? Was it that serious, this problem?

The guard outside stopped her from opening the door. She glared at him.

"I would need to inform his majesty."

"Then do it!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

The guard knocked loudly once and opened the door.

"Her imperial majesty has arrived." He informed with a bow.

"Send her in." she heard the deep voice of her husband. Relief flooded over her but it was gone the next moment, when she stepped inside the throne room.

All the generals were standing by the huge oval table in the middle of the room. Sir Grimmjow was beside her husband. The serious look on his face made him look intimidating. All the others wore the same expression. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Will that woman's vision really come to pass? What if it was just a ploy, some sick joke someone played on her to make her feel scared? To make her give up being the empress?

To make her give up him. That was very likely.

But it was a spiritualist from the celestial hall that told her.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo dropped the scroll of a map on the desk and walked towards the beautiful woman that was his wife. Though her face was expressionless, her eyes told him everything he needed to know.

"I am." She replied without thinking. It had been her automatic answer whenever someone asked her that.

But she wanted to tell him the truth.

He extended his hand and she took it. Warmth immediately filled her whole being.

How was she supposed to lose him? How could she hand him to the swords of the enemy, let them pierce him, let him walk straight into his death?

She couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

He took her to the table everyone was bent over.

Rukia felt like her heart had been ripped out and dunked into boiling hot water. They were planning battle. Lord Isshin was at the other end of the table, speaking with Sado.

"What happened?" she was glad her inner turmoil was perfectly concealed.

"Renji discovered the hideout of a group of rogues. They were the ones who kidnapped that woman's child."

"The woman we saw while coming back from the villages?" Rukia asked to confirm. Ichigo nodded and leaned forward, his palms holding the edge of the table. He looked over the different types of maps scattered on his side of the table.

"Yes. Apparently, it wasn't that woman's daughter alone. There were several others. All girls and women." His hold on the table tightened and Rukia placed her hand on his arm. "They kidnapped my people, those bastards."

"How was Renji's troops attacked?" Rukia asked, going over a map with red crosses that marked a route. Probably to their hideout.

"They were ambushed as they neared the hideout. Renji remembers it though. They were all killed."

"Sir Madarame just delivered this, your majesty." A soldier interrupted them, giving Ichigo a piece of paper.

"How come you were not informed when this many people went missing?" Rukia asked as her eyes ran over the list of names that had just been delivered.

"Tell Ikkaku we ride out at the first light." Ichigo said to the knight and the man bowed before taking his leave.

"I don't know." his hands went to snake around her waist, bringing her flush to his side. "I think someone stopped this report from coming to me."

Rukia's heart skipped a beat and a feeling that she dreaded pooled at the pit of her stomach.

She felt scared.

"Your majesty..." She didn't want her voice to come out as a choked gasp. He immediately turned to face her.

"What is it?" he made sure she knew that he was aware that something was wrong with her.

"Will you be joining the troop?" she asked hesitantly.

Ichigo sighed, knowing what she was worried about. He cupped her cheeks and tilted her face up to look into her eyes.

"I will be leading them. Nothing will happen to me. They are just a bunch of reckless idiots. Renji had bad luck. He got taken because they were surprised and not ready for something like that." His tone was convincing but the woman's voice was in her head was dominating.

"Can we take this somewhere else?" she asked softly.

Ichigo grabbed her wrist and led her to the balcony.

"Rukia…" he started.

"Someone told me you will not come back alive." she interrupted him.

There was silence for a minute and then he burst out laughing. Rukia looked at him like he had just grown another head.

"And you believed that someone?" his hands went around her waist, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"It wasn't just someone. It was someone from the celestial hall."

Ichigo's smirk dropped. "Celestial hall?" he raised a perfectly shaped brow. "They said the same thing when I was a kid. But here I am. Alive and well. Married to the most beautiful woman and living happily." His voice was barely audible as he leaned towards her with every word and kissed her on the lips, his fingers holding her chin gingerly.

Her mind couldn't form any words when he pulled away. She could barely remember what they had been talking about before he kissed her. Ichigo smirked as if knowing that she was not functioning properly.

"Go and sleep. Alright?" he pecked her once more. "Everything is going to be alright." He brushed back her bangs that fell on her face with the cold night wind.

Rukia nodded, convincing herself that he was going to come back for her, alive and well. It was just a vision. There was no guarantee that it was going to pass.

::

There were only a couple of hours until dawn when Ichigo decided to call it a night and head back to his chambers. He was dead tired, planning the attack and defense and everything that related to the rescue mission they were going to set out on. He raked a hand through his orange locks as he stood in front of the doors to his chambers. He heard a scream coming from behind the doors.

Rukia! Shit! He immediately flung the doors open and closed it behind him. How could he send her to sleep alone and not come back? She had nightmares. And he couldn't believe that he had forgotten about them.

He hated himself when he saw the state she was in. Her hair was disarrayed and she was desperately trying to get out of the sheets that were tangled around her, her eyes searching for something desperately.

"Rukia." He breathed and pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms as tightly as he could, around her shoulders. "It's alright. I'm here, I'm here. You are alright. You are fine. I'm here." He placed his cheek on top of her head.

"I saw you die. I saw you….die." she cried. "I…I can't lose you. I don't want to. I saw you die."

He soothed her until she stopped trembling, until her breathing evened out. She fell asleep in his arms not long after and he pulled the cover over them both. Ichigo fell into a peaceful slumber only seconds later.

::

A knock on the door woke him up. Ichigo rubbed his eyes, stifling a yawn behind his hand. He wanted to kill whoever interrupted his sleep. It was barley dawn.

"Your majesty. It's time to leave." Grimmjow's voice came muffled from the other side of the door.

His words made him fully awake, wide-eyed. He looked at his wife who was sleeping in his arms, curled into a ball at his side. A smile crept up on his lips and he leaned down to peck her on the forehead. He carefully removed his hand from under her head. She stirred but didn't wake up.

Ichigo completed his hygienic routine and dressed up in his battle armor. He wrapped the belt that had his sword attached to it around his hip and looked at himself in the mirror, then to his wife who was still sleeping on the bed. He walked over to her, bent down and pecked her on the lips.

Just when he was about to close the door behind him, her voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?" she was sitting on the bed, her eyes filled with fear.

Ichigo opened the door wider and smiled handsomely.

"My people need me, love."

Her heart was racing so fast she could swear it was going to leap out of her chest. Her throat felt constricted. Her breathing turned ragged. She threw off the covers and jumped out of the bed. The moment her feet hit the floor, she ran towards him.

Her hug knocked him a step back. Ichigo didn't wait as he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her with everything he had.

"Don't go." She whispered.

"I will be back." He grabbed her arms and tried to make some space between then so he could look at her but she only hugged him tighter, sending them both into the corridor.

"Don't leave me." She looked up, staring deeply into his eyes, displaying the turmoil in her heart.

He cupped her cheeks, brushing his thumb on her jaw. "I have to save them." he leaned down until their forehead touched. "It will be a piece of cake. Don't worry, Rukia. I have it all under control."

He kissed her deeply, pouring every emotion he felt into it. She flushed when they pulled apart for air.

"I love you, Rukia. I promise," he took her hands in his. "I will be back. I will come back to you. You have my word."

She was left speechless as he turned around with one last smile. Panic began to run through her veins again. She didn't know what happened but something in her just snapped.

"Ichigo!" his name left her lips for the first time.

Ichigo froze. He turned around, as if in slow motion. Ichigo suddenly felt breathless. He retracted his steps towards her.

"Say that again." He said softly.

Rukia looked confused.

"Say my name again."

"Ichigo."

The moment his name left her lips, he crushed his lips on hers in a possessive kiss.

His presence left her as quickly as he kissed her. Rukia opened her eyes to see his back turned. He took a step forward, promising to return to her. And promising to finish what they had started.

Her mind screamed at her to stop him. But she couldn't move. She just stood there frozen. The kiss was long forgotten. The only thing she could see was his back. Every corner of her mind begged her to run after him. Her heart was weeping at her to stop him, saying that he was riding to his death.

But she just stood there, frozen, tears falling in straight lines as she watched him go.


A/N: I am so sorry for the late update. This chapter is dedicated to one of my readers, EUEU as a late birthday present ^^ pretty quick, eh? Lol :'D

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D

Thank you for the sweet, sweet and amazing reviews. You guys are seriously the best, I swear. No kidding!

Ja!