A/N: People to thank for reviews: falconrukichi, The Guardian White Wolf, Rukia's Reflection, sblack13, Amaterasu Ai, Chichita, Nivek01, mrsbieber, and Rukia Kurosakii. And thank you to those who've added this or is author to their lists. I know, I'm several hours behind schedule but the newest chapter did come out on the same day. I get points for that don't I?

Disclaimer: I do not own the Bleach characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Tite Kubo. Nor do I own either of the Shakespearian poems herein.

Saying I Will

Hearing Hollows

Ichigo and Rukia didn't speak of that had happened in his room again. There was no need to explain the nightmare as both had more than their fair share of the terrors they'd seen during the war. As for what had happened when they'd woken up, they each made a silent mutual agreement not to say a word. When the incident was mentioned to Kon, the male mod soul had sworn up and down never to repeat a word of what he'd seen. As Rukia had already promised both he and Chappy a one way trip to the Soul Society if they did, Ichigo had no worries on that account. The orange haired freshman had been surprised by Kon's maturity.

That lasted about a week. The plush lion reverted to his true personality when he caught Rukia coming out of the bathroom after a shower. Ichigo, who had been studying in his room after a grueling afternoon of work, merely shook his head, relieved that at least Kon was back to normal. He still had horrible visions of Byakuya finding out he and Rukia had shared a bed for the night. There was also the feeling in his gut that told him that the sixth division captain, most likely with Renji, was going to be paying them a visit real soon.

At the moment, the four roommates were having a pleasant evening with their homework done, chores completed and dinner eaten. The TV showed a repeated Chappy episode that Rukia had missed while in the Soul Society. Ichigo, his head buried in a collection of Shakespeare's sonnets, was desperately trying to ignore the annoying high pitched voice of the rabbit.

"You really have no taste, Ichigo," Rukia said, settling back on the couch with a snack and a cup of tea.

"If you're referring to the fact that I prefer classical literature over a kid's cartoon, then I agree." The young man turned a page in the book and began to read, "Those Lips That Love's Own Hand Did Make." He noticed that Rukia had muted the TV so that she could listen.

"Read the last part again," she demanded, loving the sound of his voice.

"From heaven to hell is flown away/ 'I hate' from hate away she flew/ And sav'd my life saying, 'not you.'" Ichigo noticed the tear in her eye but politely ignored its presence. He thought about the poem. Many times she had yelled at him and scolded him for his recklessness but never once had she told him that she hated him. Even when she had pretended to scorn him when Byakuya had taken her to be executed, those exact words had never left her lips. All in all, it fit her rather well.

His eyes fell to her lips and he felt the muscles in his stomach clench. She was leaning over, trying to look at the book now resting loosely in his lap. "Perhaps this Shakespeare wasn't such a fool. Read me more," she ordered. Rukia settled against his side, wanting to see the words as he read them.

"Huh?" Jarred back into reality, Ichigo dragged his mind back from where it had been headed. "Sure, I guess." Flipping through the pages, he tried to find another that she'd like. He settled on the seventeenth and proceeded to recite:

"Who will believe my verse in time to come,
If it were fill'd with your most high deserts?
Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb
Which hides your life, and shows not half your parts.
If I could write the beauty of your eyes,
And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
The age to come would say 'This poet lies;
Such heavenly touches ne'er touch'd earthly faces.'
So should my papers, yellow'd with their age,
Be scorn'd, like old men of less truth than tongue,
And your true rights be term'd a poet's rage
And stretched metre of an antique song:
But were some child of yours alive that time,
You should live twice, in it, and in my rhyme."

"That was pretty, I suppose," the raven haired young woman allowed. "It doesn't apply to me, naturally."

"Why wouldn't it apply to you?"

Rukia gave him a sly glance and he realized he'd walked into some kind of trap. "Are you saying I'm pretty, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked in the fake school girl voice that he hated. "Why, I never knew you felt that way."

Ichigo could feel his face heat and flush as it became the color of Renji's hair. His heart sped up until he thought that she'd hear it right through his chest. "I don't think you're pretty. You're more than that," he answered honestly. In truth she was beautiful but he'd never thought to tell her and after he'd lost his powers he'd thought he'd never get the chance to either.

"Really?" she questioned, startled. No one had ever told her she was beautiful before. She supposed her brother thought she might be because she looked so much like her sister but he wasn't one to hand out compliments.

"Yeah," the male Shinigami breathed, raising a hand to push back the stray bang of hers that always hung down. He might have gotten permission to kiss her at that point but the unmistakable howling of a Hollow broke up their intimate moment. The two warriors sprang apart as if burned and Ichigo had to force himself to sit still while she left her gigai in Chappy's care.

"You heard that?" she asked, getting ready to phase through the wall of their apartment.

"Yes, I won't ever forget that sound."

"Good, stay here and if you think one might be coming for you, call Ishida and Inoue." Her look told him not to do anything foolish. Just because he could hear them now didn't mean he could see them and it definitely didn't mean he had the strength to fight them. Without further instructions she left, the mod souls watching her before zeroing in on Ichigo.

"You were going to kiss Nee-san," Kon accused.

"So what if I was?" Ichigo demanded harshly. The lion would have rolled his eyes if he could have.

"I don't think Rukia-sama would have minded," Chappy put in, turning to unmute the TV.

"Why's that?" the almost-daiko asked.

"The gigai still has left over feelings from her. It's warm and flushed." The implications sent Ichigo into another round of flushing himself and he walked away, thinking it best to put all thoughts of kissing Rukia out of his head.

"Say Kon, how long has it been since Rukia last talked to Renji?"

"About a month, I suppose, why?" the plush asked, more interested in returning to the subject they'd been discussing in the living room.

"Didn't we hear Renji say that someone from their division couldn't come to the Living World for another month?"

"Yeah, I think so…" Eyes widening, the mod soul suddenly felt sorry for Ichigo. "Captain Kuchiki is coming, isn't he?"

"I have that feeling." For the rest of the evening Ichigo shut himself in his room studying and listening to the echoes of howls created by lost souls. He was glad that part of his powers had returned as it would make avoiding them easier if it became necessary. The only downside now was that he was that much more aware of how often Rukia had to put herself in harm's way. Tempted to call Ishida and Inoue anyway, the sudden absence of howls told him that his friends had come to the midget's aid.

As he was getting ready to go to bed, vaguely aware that ten o'clock was early on a Friday for a college student, Rukia returned and immediately commandeered the bathroom. When he protested, his toothbrush creating foam around the edges of his mouth, she merely told him to go finish brushing his teeth in the kitchen sink.

"Oi, midget, we have to get up early tomorrow."

"Why is that? Neither of us has school and you said you weren't working until the dinner shift."

"I'm not but I have this feeling that we'll be having guests."

"Oh, did you hear from Keigo or Mizuiro?" Those two friends had stayed behind to attend the local college in hopes of attaining higher grades.

"No, but it's your brother and Renji I'm thinking of," the freshman said after rinsing his mouth out and cleaning out the sink. "Having those two fools show up would be a disaster on top of a catastrophe."

"I really don't think that Nii-sama would come so soon…"

"When he arrives and you're still in your pajamas don't go blaming me." Shutting the door to his room, Ichigo decided that ten at night wasn't so early after all. Not when the young woman who was not quite a girlfriend but definitely more than a friend had an older brother that was sure to come the next day.

Byakuya looked at the calendar to the right of his desk and allowed a small anticipatory smile to grace his normally stoic face before wiping all evidence of it from sight. Renji still had his head buried in files, the pile almost completely done. "Renji, when you are done there, make preparations for a weekend visit with my sister."

The pineapple's head shot up and he nodded before speaking. "Yes, sir. When do we leave?"

"I wish to arrive after breakfast in the Living World."

"Understood, sir." The lieutenant of the sixth division went back to his paperwork, hoping that his friends were smart enough not to be doing anything inappropriate. His captain may wish to wait until Ichigo got his powers back before fighting him again but he wouldn't hold back if the orange haired college freshman had done something stupid. Like say, become intimate with Rukia. "Dude, I hope you're prepared," he whispered to himself once Byakuya had left the room. There was no telling what mayhem might ensue if Ichigo hadn't been on his best behavior.

At least things might become interesting. When Ichigo Kurosaki became involved, nothing was ever boring.