Hello lovelies Sorry this took so long
Chapter 12
Monday morning was a trying time for Rukia. Because of her frequent absences, most of her teachers seemed to take pleasure in trying to prove that she was falling behind.
Unfortunately for them, one only needs to repeat freshman year a few times and most of the material sticks around forever, useful or not. The other students were obviously mystified by Rukia's extensive knowledge of human cells, and she was grateful when the teacher finally decided to move on.
Also, that morning, Rukia was careful to stay away from Elisade. Rationally, there was no way the elf could know about the change that had occurred in her and Ichigo's relationship over the weekend, but if she ever found out...
Well, Rukia was pretty sure dating humans in Karakura was just as bad as eating them, maybe even worse.
Still, the petite vampire didn't feel quite as guilty as she knew she should. Just thinking about the orange haired boy made her heart flutter and she would find herself staring off into space with an absent smile unexpectedly present on her face.
When lunch arrived, Rukia eagerly made her way to the cafeteria.
The twins' conversation lulled and their attention fixated on her as she sat down. Rukia tried to smile innocently.
"I still can't believe you're dating that moron," Karin said in place of a greeting, shaking her head.
"Karin!" Yuzu scolded her sister. "She just means that it's surprising that you and Ichigo are together."
So that's what this is about... Rukia smiled.
A day earlier, she and Ichigo had spent most of the day together, before taking Karin and Yuzu back up to their old picnic spot. Of course, it had been difficult to explain why she wasn't eating, but getting to see Ichigo and his family again had been worth it.
She pulled an empty juice box out of her bag and pretended to suck up some of the imaginary liquid. It had been Ichigo's idea, and it seemed to work.
If only we could come up with a similar arrangement for other human foods...
"I don't think it's that surprising," Rukia finally commented, lying through her teeth.
Byakuya did it too, she remembered. The precarious arrangement wasn't entirely unprecedented...
The thought of her brother reminded her, she couldn't delay reading the letter she had picked up from Urahara's any longer. She'd have to do it today.
Stupid school... Rukia mentally rolled her eyes and took another sip from her empty juice box. What a waste of time.
.
This is so weird, Ichigo thought to himself.
He had been discretely watching Orihime all morning, trying to determine if he could really tell the difference between an elf and a human, or if he was just biased because he already knew the redhead's secret.
Her crystalline eyes and deep auburn hair could probably be considered inhuman, Ichigo reasoned. He wondered if all elves and vampires were as captivating as the ones he knew, or if they ranged in attractiveness like humans.
He watched Orihime gaze out the window, enjoying the sunlight streaming through onto her face and arms.
Ichigo thought briefly about how Rukia said she missed feeling the sun on her skin.
It had been disheartening, watching her the other day when they went on their picnic with Yuzu and Karin. While they were eating, she just sat, unoccupied, but looking up at the sky, as if staring at the sun long enough might allow her to feel something.
Orihime dropped her pencil on the ground, pulling Ichigo from his thoughts.
"I'm just so clumsy," she commented when he picked it up for her. "Thanks, Ichigo."
"No problem," he said curtly. He still was annoyed with his classmate for everything she'd done, or didn't do, but he was trying not to let it show.
It'd be tricky to explain his feelings if anyone noticed his unusual behavior.
Orihime returned to staring absently out the window, and Ichigo wondered why he had never noticed how tired she looked sometimes.
Well, I guess 200 years of protecting people would take a toll on someone...
Rukia had said that elves had some control over nature. Did Orihime use her powers as rarely as Rukia, or could she be freer with them because nature was already so unpredictable?
As far as he knew, the elf had never used her powers around him... But then, she was always gardening. And taking walks in the woods and making weird vegetarian recipes.
Ichigo decided the last one could just be an Orihime thing, not an elf thing, but it was still surprising how much her odd habits made sense now.
Still, he wished he could see her use her powers at least once. He'd have to ask Rukia more about it...
Speaking of which, she never did show me how her shadow thing works.
Ichigo stood up as soon as the bell for lunch rang. Rukia had assured him that she would be at school today, but he had his doubts. Between their lunch periods was the only time they could really see each other during school, and Ichigo was planning on stretching their time as much as possible.
.
Rukia left Karin and Yuzu as they exited the cafeteria and went to find Ichigo.
She felt him coming down the hallway, and stepped aside to meet him. Then, she sensed the older werewolf walking behind him, and her heart dropped.
How could I have been so stupid, Rukia cursed herself. If Ichigo had told his friend anything about their relationship, he would have felt obligated to tell Elisade.
And Rukia wasn't sure she'd be able to smooth that one out with the over-protective elf.
Ichigo was smiling before he reached her, as if he was already expecting her. Rukia tried to hide her anxiety and waited for Chad to pass them before meeting Ichigo's eyes.
"Did you tell him anything?" she asked, not bothering with greetings.
Ichigo frowned. "Chad? No, I didn't tell him about us."
Rukia let out the breath she had been holding. "Thank goodness."
"I told you, I'm not going to tell anyone about you. Only my family knows that we even hang out." Ichigo tried to reassure her.
Oh, I can think of a few more people... Rukia thought to herself.
"But why does Chad matter? I thought you were more worried about Orihime," he continued.
Rukia realized she would have to be more careful with her words. Telling him about Orihime had been mostly harmless, but she knew how badly Chad wanted his secret kept a secret.
"I figured he'd be the first person you'd tell since you two are so close," Rukia reasoned.
"Oh," Ichigo shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. He doesn't really like talking about you after what happened with Renji though."
Rukia smiled. That was a relief, at least. "Well, the less people talk about me, the better."
"Why was Renji so mad at you anyway?" Ichigo asked, suddenly remembering how random their violent interaction had seemed at the time.
"I've known him since he was young," Rukia started, wondering how to continue. She was sure Renji wouldn't want his secret known either.
"He was adopted by two vampires. But he didn't know about them, of course. The vampires were close friends of my brother and I, but one of them died while Renji was still young. I guess seeing me again brought back bad memories."
Ichigo looked confused, and Rukia didn't blame him. Her explanation might have been honest, but it was still pretty spotty.
"How does a vampire just die like that? And why would they adopt a human child in the first place?"
"Vampires cannot reproduce, and some are more inclined to raise and take care of children than others. And remember how I told you that vampires can be created by accident? This vampire, Tessai, was like that. He was attacked by a werewolf one day and he wasn't strong enough to defeat it," Rukia said, slightly saddened by the memory of her old friend.
"Wow," Ichigo said quietly. "Werewolves must be really strong, then."
Rukia shrugged, slightly offended. "Some are stronger than others. They still don't have powers like vampires or elves though."
"I wanted to ask you about that," Ichigo said, suddenly remembering. "Can you show me how you do the thing with the shadows now?"
The thing with the shadows... Never had her abilities been described so crudely. Still, it made Rukia smile.
"You'll be late for lunch," she commented.
"Just real quick? I'll tell Chad I had to go back to my locker."
Rukia sighed. She really couldn't refuse the gorgeous boy standing in front of her.
Besides, the hall was empty now. And, Rukia decided, if she was going to be late for her next class anyway, she might as well just go home for the day instead.
.
"Fine," she complied. "I'm not going to change anything for real though, that's too risky. I'll take the light from your eyes, so you won't be able to see anything."
Ichigo suddenly wondered if this was what he really wanted, but he nodded his head to show he was ready.
Rukia scanned the hallway one last time to be sure. Then, her own eyes turned completely black, and an instant later, Ichigo was surrounded by complete darkness.
His heart skipped a beat in fear, but he quickly reminded himself that Rukia wouldn't let anything happen to him. He blinked, as if he would be able to see again when he opened his eyes.
But nothing happened.
Ichigo reached his hands out into the inky blackness, and he felt soft hands intertwine with his own.
"It's not real," she whispered, before pressing his hand against the wall beside them. "Only your vision is changed."
He felt the lockers, but he still couldn't see them, or even his own hand. He knew it had only been a short while, but already he was sick of the emptiness everywhere he looked.
"Ok," Ichigo said, trying not to sound panicked. "I-That's-"
Suddenly, the fluorescent lights flooded the space around him and Ichigo felt a heaviness evaporate in his chest.
Rukia's eyes were a deep purple again. She was smiling. "You handled that surprisingly well. I'm impressed."
Ichigo noticed she was still holding his hands, and he tried not to blush at the undeserved praise.
"You were trying to freak me out, then?" Ichigo tried to sound irritated but his curiosity was too strong to allow him to stay mad for long.
"Can you see while you're doing that? Or do you blind yourself too?" He asked, referring to the dark shadows that covered her own eyes when she had used her power.
"When I first changed, I was immersed in the same darkness as you were. But now, I can control it a lot better. I couldn't do shapes before, either," Rukia said.
"Can you make me see something now?" Ichigo asked.
Rukia's eyes clouded in darkness again, and a shadowy blur emerged in Ichigo's vision.
"What the hell is that?" He asked.
"It's a bunny, you idiot!" Rukia hissed, obviously insulted.
The outline eventually solidified, and Ichigo recognized the animal, sitting in the hallway. The rabbit sat on the ceiling, on the lockers, on Rukia's suddenly pensive face...
Then, just like before, the image faded and light filled the empty space.
"All right, show's over. Chad's wondering where you are," Rukia said distractedly.
"Fine," Ichigo begrudgingly replied, wondering if his comment had really ticked her off that badly. "I'll see you later?"
Rukia's expression relaxed and she smiled gently. "There are some things I have to do, and but I'll come by your house later tonight."
"Good," Ichigo confirmed. "I'll ask Yuzu to make dinner early, then."
He kissed her forehead in another attempt to make up for insulting her rabbit, before stealing a quick kiss from her lips, and heading into the cafeteria.
As he sat down, he realized something was bugging him. It was a nagging feeling, in the back of his mind, that he hadn't realized until he saw Chad sitting across from him.
"Chad's wondering where you are," Rukia said.
Ichigo kept his expression appropriately suspicion-less during lunch with the older boy, but he couldn't help but wonder: Could his best friend really be hiding something from him?
