Thanks for the favs and follows everyone.

This chapter is dedicated to all anonymous reviewers: Sara1991/ Cc /Nolly/han-ichiruki and guests. Thank you for sticking with us since day one until now. And I wanna greet Gin a "Happy Birthday!"

Disclaimer: Kubo owns Bleach. Credits to my cousin Ninya.


Chapter Twelve: Black Sun and the White Moon


"You must be Ichigo's bride."

Rukia looked up and saw a tall, handsome man standing behind her from the view of the mirror. Rangiku paused in the middle of gathering the top half of her hair which she was going to pin together under a bejeweled comb.

"Rukia-san, this is Kaien Shiba," Inoue volunteered, rising from her chair where she was going over her checklist.

Rukia was still in her robe because the hair and make up alone took almost two hours. Yumichika-san and Rangiku-san were over at the corner where the dress and accessories were, making the final touches on them.

"Oh," she said, surprised.

Kaien Shiba was Ichigo's cousin—the same one his father threatened to give the CEO position to if he didn't marry her.

"I know I wasn't invited and I'm sure it had nothing to do with you," he said casually. "My cousin just doesn't like me."

She raised a brow, feeling instantly defensive of Ichigo. For some reason. "And I'm sure you know why."

His brows shot up in surprise for a moment but he just laughed. "Probably."

She could feel the others' eyes on her as they listened to the conversation while continuing with their tasks and she was careful not to let anything slip. Kaien was most likely unaware of Isshin ultimatum.

"What are you doing here?" Rukia asked. "You did admit you weren't invited."

"I didn't even know Ichigo was getting married," he said, pacing slowly behind her. "I was sitting in my office in London last week when I heard the news. I thought I won't miss a family occasion as big as this."

"Well, I don't want a fistfight at my wedding, if you don't mind, so if you want to attend, stay out Ichigo's way. You can't say I didn't warn you."

His eyes regarded her thoughtfully. "You're not exactly what I expected in Ichigo's bride."

"You and the rest of the world," she quipped.

"There you are, Kaien."

They glanced up, much to Yumichika's chagrin because her head moved again, and saw Isshin walking into the room in his dress pants and white silk shirt. "Yuzu said you just arrived."

"Uncle Isshin. Good to see you," Kaien said, clapping the old man in the back as he gave him a hug. " was just introducing myself to Ichigo's bride."

Isshin looked her way and she just smiled at him reassuringly.

"I'd watch myself around Rukia-chan, if I were you," Isshin said with a smirk. "She doesn't hesitate to introduce her foot to your intimate parts if you get on her bad side."

She snickered and she could feel everyone's amusement. Even Kaien smiled wryly.

"I always do well taking your advice," he conceded, glancing at her. "In which case, I'm going to make myself scarce now and maybe join you in your office instead of bothering the bride."

Once the two men had left, she asked Inoue again for a refresher on Kaien Shiba's profile.

He was currently running the operations for Kurosaki Industries in Europe. He was single, wealthy on his own and generally well-liked. Nothing about him struck her as particularly annoying. She wondered why Ichigo and Kaien didn't get along, since they have a lot of similarities.

An hour later, after the rest of the small wedding entourage arrived and everyone else had gotten ready, Rukia got into her wedding dress with the help of at least three people. Now that she was standing in front of a full-length mirror with her hair from the vintage pearl and diamond-studded comb that held it together, she could appreciate the sight fully.

She looked like a princess.

The dress was ivory-white with the silhouette of a ball gown. It was strapless with a softened sweetheart neckline. The bodice was snug around her breasts and waist, intricately clustered with white silk petals which looked like a spray of flowers that started to spread out down the full tulle skirt. Her ears were adorned with dainty pearl and diamond studs and her neck showcased the thin chain of pink and clear diamonds Ichigo had given to her on their engagement party, offering a light splash of color. Her face was fresh and dewy, a healthy, rosy flush suffusing her cheeks. Her lids were dusted with a pale, rose gold shadow, brightening her eyes. Her lips were plump and pinkened with a moist shade of raspberry.

"Wow," Rukia breathed in amazement as she did a slow turn, carefully balancing herself in the satin pumps that came with the dress.

"You look incredible Rukia-san," Inoue gushed, sniffling a little just as everyone chimed in.

"Absolutely beautiful."

"Mr. Kurosaki will be knocked off his feet."

"It looks magical on you, Ruks."

"Just stunning. You look—"

Yumichika's words were cut short when her cell phone blared with the chorus of Shaggy's Mr. Boombastic which was the ringtone she recently assigned to Ichigo's number. Everyone burst into fits of laughter and she grinned and held up a hand to hush them as she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Did Kaien come see you?" was Ichigo's immediate, grumpy greeting.

"Yeah," she answered. "He seemed harmless."

"Don't fall for it," he said shortly. "His charisma is his best weapon."

"Maybe you should ask to share. You clearly lack in that department."

"Be serious, Rukia," he said in exasperation. "I don't know what he's doing here but I don't want him to stir trouble. I don't want him talking you out of this."

"I'm in a freaking thirty-pound wedding dress, Ichigo, and I'm stiff from sitting through two and a half hours of hair and make-up," she replied dryly. "We're less than an hour away from the wedding. Do you think I'll change my mind at this point?"

"Oh," he said, sounding sheepish now. After a moment, he spoke again, this time with a hint of amusement. "Are you really dressed in your wedding gown?"

"Yes, in all fifty layers of it," She retorted, aware that the others were listening to the entertainment. "I'm practically holding myself up with just my toes because my heels feel like they're five feet high in the air in these towering shoes. I might a need a wheelchair tomorrow."

"Anyone marrying Mr. Kurosaki will need a wheelchair after her wedding night, if you know what I mean," Rangiku-san snickered beside her and everyone else giggled.

Her cheeks burned and she glared at them.

"Okay, I'll see you in church then," he said brightly before hanging up.

"What? He can't wait?" Yumichika asked with a teasing grin.

Rukia sighed. "He's just making sure I haven't run away yet which is why, if everyone's ready, we should probably get going."

Rukia rode in a gleaming white stretch limo with Isshin. The rest were in silver one behind them. There was security set in place around the wedding location to keep trespassers and the paparazzi from sneaking in. She'd promised to give them some pictures after the wedding but she wouldn't put it past them to try to snag some of their own. As the church came into view and she saw that the front yard was specked with guests in elegant dresses and tuxedos, her stomach twisted into nervous knots.

"It'll all be alright, Rukia-chan," Isshin reassured her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

She took a deep, shaky breath and a dose of fortitude. She was so nervous she forgot the discomfort around her ribs under the tight sheath of the bodice or the slight ache in her wrist from having clenched her hands together during the ride.

The wedding felt like she was in dreamscape.

Rukia remembered slipping out of the car, walking up the steps and standing by the church entrance, her vision slightly obscured by the light veil. There was slow music playing as she started to walk down the aisle on Isshin's arm, her eyes focused on the tall man in a light gray tuxedo standing by the altar next to Grimmjow.

Most of what she remembered of the ceremony was looking into Ichigo's smiling eyes and vaguely echoing their vows after the priest. The dreamlike daze only broke when Ichigo kissed her heartily in front of everyone at the priest's prompting, "You may now kiss the bride." Everyone applauded and they reluctantly pulled away, glancing at their audience and grinning sheepishly.

They were well and truly married and she was now Mrs. Rukia Kurosaki.

She glanced at her new husband as he started down the steps of the altar, still holding her left hand that now wore a wedding band that matched his.

"Come on," he said with quirky smile. "It's time to party."

The reception dinner was held in a large, old barn just behind the chapel. It had been converted into a beautiful, rustic dinner hall and Inoue had done an amazing job in even glamorizing it further with the elegant flower arrangements, vintage chandeliers and many old-fashioned touches. The guests were already seated and served drinks and canapes when they arrived. They were announced along with the small entourage before we settled in their seats by the long table at one end of the room just across the dance floor from the guests.

Before dinner was served, Isshin stood to say a few words.

"My speech will be short and sweet because there aren't enough words to express how happy I am to see two very important people to me find each other and start a life together as husband and wife," he said, smiling in their direction. "Congratulations to my son Ichigo and Rukia-chan who despite the odds made it here today, but remember kids, this isn't the destination—this is the starting line and you have a long way to go. Make the most of the journey, help each other up when you stumble and fall, have fun while you're at it, and keep in mind that wherever it leads, your destination is each other and wherever your hearts take you."

Rukia blinked back tears, deeply touched by Isshin's words and Ichigo leaned down and cupped it with his hand, his thumb brushing her skin gently.

"Hey, don't cry," he murmured with a smile. "It's a happy day."

"Your father is such a sappy romantic, I swear," she murmured back with a choked laugh that she smothered quickly.

Once Isshin was seated, Grimmjow rose to his feet, magnificent in his black tux, smiling and holding up his champagne glass. Her heart squeezed when their eyes met but his smile was sincere and bright.

"This is usually when I start poking fun at the groom to make for an entertaining best man's toast but I think Rukia does enough of that to Ichigo already that I decided to spare him tonight."

Several people laughed and Grimmjow winked at them.

"Instead of making the bride doubt the wisdom of her decision to marry Ichigo after I've told enough of his past antics, I've decided to assure her of why she's one of the luckiest women in the world instead."

Ichigo's hold on her hand tightened and she glanced at him to see the serious expression on his face as he listened to his best friend.

"Ichigo Kurosaki is a good man although a little serious, a bit workaholic, horribly unattractive—" Everyone cracked up. "—and sometimes overbearing when he's convinced he's only looking after your welfare. Not everyone can appreciate that about him until you become the center of his attention—and you'll realize how incredibly lucky you are to have someone care for you that much. I say that and I'm just his best friend. You, Rukia, are his bride, his wife." He swivelled his gaze to Ichigo and gave him a smile. "Hey, you have an amazingly beautiful and wonderful woman by your side. Rukia is that rare treasure you find where you least expect it and whose worth is immeasurable in this material world. Do your damn best to make her happy and love her as she deserves."

Tears were now spilling down her cheeks and she brushed them away with trembling fingers.

"I don't care if people thought you're too different to be with each other— height included." some laughs while Rukia glared. "Or that you're from two different worlds," Grimmjow continued. "It's hard to miss what's there for everyone to see—that you two are kindred souls and that wherever you go and whether you happen to meet now or later in life, you will always recognize each other. Your hearts would know." He smiled. "You both are like the black sun and the white moon, that belonged with each other." He finally raised his glass, his blue eyes bright with emotion. "To Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki, now Kurosaki and your incredible love story."

Ichigo and Rukia raised their glasses along with everyone in a toast.

.

.

As dinner came to an end, Inoue came over to cue them that she'd be announcing the bride and groom's first dance.

Rukia groaned softly, muttering to Ichigo under her breath. "Damn. Ichigo, do your best to hold me up, okay? My shoes are killing me and I'm likely to fall flat on my face."

He grinned. "I predicted that and decided to be proactive."

Her brows scrunched up together when he suddenly knelt down and crawled under the table, slipping under the elaborate table cloth. She felt him sift through the heavy layers of her skirt until he grasped her feet, slowly slipping off her shoes and rubbing her poor, aching toes soothingly. Then she felt him slip ankle socks over her bare feet. Making sure that the attention wasn't on them at the moment, she peered under the table and saw him slipping her red sneakers over her feet.

Her heart clenched. "You brought my sneakers?"

He tilted his head up at her. "I had them waiting under the table in case you needed them."

She couldn't help the ridiculous grin that broke into her face. "Ichigo Kurosaki, I really feel like the luckiest woman in the world right now."

He rose to his feet just as Inoue made the announcement, straightening his suit and offering her a hand. "May I have this dance, Mrs. Kurosaki?"

She placed her hand over his and beamed at him. "Lead the way, Mr. Kurosaki."

They danced—more like glided around the dance floor.

Rukia never felt better than she did that night.

In a moment of sheer clarity, she knew, without a doubt, that she was never going to be the same again, and she was perfectly alright with that.

.

.

If anyone asked Rukia about her wedding night, she really wouldn't know how to answer. It was... not exactly what she had in mind.

First of all, she was wiped out.

The adrenaline kept her going but it ran low after having danced half a dozen songs with Ichigo, a couple with Grimmjow, one with Isshin, and a collective number with her bridesmaids and other younger female guests when the band broke out their more upbeat songs that were local favorites.

All this after three hours of marriage.

The adrenaline couldn't last all the way to the end of the party though. Rukia was tired, drowsy from the pills she popped after a couple of dances, and her midsection was screaming from the strenuous activities of the evening. Ichigo decided it was time to go. She was too tired to protest when he scooped her up in his arms but as he started to cross the dance floor, people turned their way and he stopped, caught off guard. She tried not to giggle when she saw his cheeks flush as he cleared his throat and flashed everyone a crooked smile.

"I guess it wouldn't do for me to just steal my new bride away into the night," he said, eliciting several chuckles from the remaining guests.

"If you never see or hear from me again, look for a freshly landscaped flower bed at his house," she joked, clinging to his neck, and laughter gurgled from her throat when Ichigo looked at her with a horrified expression. She turned back to the guests and shook her head. "No, no. He doesn't even have a house. I'm just kidding. If I die tonight, it'll be from pleasure, I'm told."

When his jaw just dropped open in complete disbelief as everyone erupted into laughter around them, Rukia shrugged what she could of her shoulders. "What? That's what Rangiku-san told me."

"You are drunk, Mrs. Kurosaki," he said, finally recovering and failing miserably in fighting a grin.

"And you are starting to blur," she quipped, burrowing her cheek against his chest.

He sighed. "I did my best to make sure they didn't ply you with wine."

"I had a teensy bit," she said, squinting one eye at the space she was indicating between her forefinger and thumb although that blurred quite a bit too. "I think Nelliel gave me some. She said it made vixens out of virgins, whatever that means."

"Oh, God," Ichigo said with a low groan. "We have to go. Now."

He rambled something off to their captivated audience before she got jostled around in his arms as he practically ran out the door to where the limo was waiting. Even the spacious sitting area in the stretch limo proved cozy with the voluminous skirt of her wedding dress but Ichigo didn't seem to care as he slid in and settled her on his lap.

"How are you feeling?" Ichigo asked as the limo started to go, the light dimming in the back seat and the panel that provided them privacy from the chauffeur sliding up in place.

"Tired and aching," she answered, leaning her head against his shoulder. "And as stiff as beef jerky."

A brief shudder vibrated through Ichigo and she could hear him chuckling. "Nothing sexier than a wife feeling like beef jerky on your wedding night."

- Wife. Holy crap. We really did it. -

The truth hit her again, the slight fog of alcohol and painkillers doing nothing to cushion its impact. Rukia was sitting cradled on her husband's lap in the backseat of a limo, on their way to spend their wedding night together.

A very different ache shot through her.

With the flurry of activities that happened in the last couple of days, the thought of her wedding night with Ichigo didn't really register.

- Not that it should've. Your original agreement still stands. You're not having sex with him. -

If only she didn't feel like crawling up on her knees and straddling his lap right now, suddenly desperate to get as close to him as she could without the layers of tulle and silk between them. She wanted to feel the warm, smooth glide of his skin on his muscled shoulders and chest, the weight of his tall, broad form over her body, and that intimate invasion that would leave her no doubt she was completely and irrevocably his.

Rukia bit the inside of her cheek to jerk her thoughts back to reality—her reality—where she didn't have those kinds of privileges.

If Ichigo had the slightest idea of her carnal thoughts, he didn't show. He had a soft smile on his face, his hazel eyes luminous every time the light of the street lamps caught them in a certain angle.

"Why are you suddenly so quiet?" he prompted.

"It's not every day a girl finds herself married. Give me some time to recuperate."

His brows furrowed. "You make it sound like a blasted disease."

"Only if you're married to the wrong guy," she said with a laugh. "Whether you are or not is still up for debate."

A fierce light entered his eyes, his arms tightening around her hips. "You'll never find a more generous, protective husband, Rukia. I won't be perfect but don't ever doubt that I'll take care of you."

Rukia was tempted to say something sardonic because the very core of their marriage was a lie which therefore exempted him from the usual expectations of husbands but the intensity in his expression stopped her.

He meant what he said and although she should take it with a grain of salt, she couldn't help the sudden pounding of her heart. He wasn't the only one with obligations in this marriage—she did too and she wanted to give him as much as he wanted to give her. She would give more but she's worried that she would pay a price too high for the both of them.

"But will you let me take care of you too?" Rukia asked, "I will be far from the perfect wife you first required—and I know you know this—but I can take care of you, Ichigo. I can look after you, keep you company, smack you silly when you're being too serious, bake you cookies—I can do these things for you if you'll let me."

His mouth softened into a slow, sexy smile. "Have I been stopping you at all, Rukia?"

She scrunched up her nose in mock-serious deliberation of his question. "Hmm... Just the smacking you silly part, I think. You don't let me do it often enough."

He grinned. "I'm saving that for when I really deserve it—which I hope wouldn't be often."

"If smacking is all you think you're in for when you really do something stupid, then I feel bad for you," she said with a devilish smile. "I had a girl-to-girl talk with the others before the wedding, you know? Rangiku-san told me to punish with pleasure and not pain. It's a much more effective torture."

Ichigo groaned, running a hand down his face. "What has she been telling you? Every time you say something that makes me choke on my own tongue, it's usually something you picked up from her."

She rolled her eyes. "Ichigo, I have no mother figure. I'll take whatever advice people volunteer to me—except maybe the whole handcuffs thing—and since most of the girls in my current inner circle are either related to you by blood, or single and not at all slutty, only Rangiku-san's advice has been available for my reference. It's not my fault she's particularly kinky."

Ichigo looked up heavenward as if he were in pain and meditating for some cure. "The last thing I want to imagine on our wedding night is someone else's kinky sex life."

"Would you rather think about our sex life, kinky or otherwise?"

Ichigo's eyes flickered in the shadows. "I don't know that I'd rather when I already think about it all the time."

"You do?" Her voice came out as a squeak.

He gave her an are-you-serious look. "I'm a healthy male in my prime constantly teased by a young, perfectly-formed woman with kisses for drugs and artless seduction for sport. I'd have to be a stone statue not to be affected."

A giddy shiver went down her spine at his words. "Hmm, let me see," she said, reaching up and pressing her fingers along the rigid lines of his shoulders and arms. "You could be a stone statue. You're rock hard."

His eyes glinted with dark, teasing humor. "Oh, I am."

He shifted his thighs under her and Rukia instantly realized her error.

His shoulders and arms weren't the only hard parts on him. Despite the volume of her skirt, she could feel his unabashed interest. Heat bloomed on her cheeks and she buried her face in her hands, taking care not to move an inch.

"Ichigo, get that thing out from under me!"

"Unfortunately, sweetheart, it's attached to my body," he replied in amusement.

She snapped her head back up to glare at him. "Do you want me to detach it then? I just might because I don't relish being the bun to your bratwurst!"

Ichigo tossed his head back and laughed out loud, his shoulders and chest shaking from it. She was beyond mortified now and she tried sliding herself off forward but the weight of her skirt kept her in place—that and the circle of Ichigo's arms around her hips. Rukia tried to shift backward, not caring whether she would land on her back and swing her feet up toward the ceiling of the car but there was enough friction between her skirt and Ichigo's dress pants to keep her from sliding down and off his lap completely.

All the while, Rukia bore the unmistakable bulge between his legs with gritted teeth. It seemed to have become more pronounced with her efforts until Ichigo finally groaned.

"If you're trying to grind it off me, it's not going to work," he said in a hoarse voice, raising his legs up on his toes to tumble the rest of her weight from where she sat close to his knees to the dip that his hips and raised thighs now made.

She squeezed her eyes shut desperately. "Ichigo. I can't. We can't."

"You know I want you," he murmured, his lips grazing the outer shell of her ear, his breath warm and feather-like against her skin. "I said out loud what I wanted that day we met at my father's house after the engagement party."

- Oh, yes. Live like a real married couple for a year. Fully exercise your marital privileges. Sleep together. Get exclusive. And then once everything's going well and we're perfectly happy with the way things are, hand me my last check, sign our divorce papers, and out the door I go. -

She felt a rush of despair all of a sudden. She shook her head sadly and gave him a tight smile. "I'd like that—share my husband's bed, make love, talk and laugh and cuddle after, fall asleep in each other's arms."

His brows shot up. "You would?"

Rukia nodded slowly, looking down to avoid his eyes. "Yes, I would. I'd like to do all of that with my husband—my real one—and not the one I'm getting paid a million dollars to marry."

The backseat suddenly became filled with absolute silence that not even the traffic outside could penetrate.

After an eternity passed, Ichigo released a long, shaky breath. When he spoke, he sounded deflated. "I won't resent your wish for the ideal, Rukia, because you absolutely deserve it, but it frustrates me and that's not your fault."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, peeking at him from under her lashes.

"Don't be," he said gently. "I know that whatever I signed up for the first time and what I've started to want lately aren't the same things."

"This lie is a living thing and it's going to get bigger and bigger until neither of us can see the truth anymore."

His hand came up to cradle the back of her head as he gently urged it down against his shoulder, her forehead pressing against the crook of his neck. "Maybe the lie will evolve into the truth and then it won't matter what was there before it."

Rukia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, burrowing her nose against the skin of his neck where she could smell his mild, clean scent.

- Yes, but that just because you can't see the truth in the shadows, it doesn't mean it's not there. Can something really be beautiful between the two of them when it's marred by a dirty little secret? -

"We're almost home," Ichigo murmured against her forehead, his arms tightening around her and his hand stroking up and down her bare arm in a soothing pattern that eased the adrenaline off her body. "Rest for a little bit. I'll carry you up."

"Carrying your bride over the threshold," Rukia said with a smirk, her eyes drifting close. "What a typical groom you are."

She could neither see nor hear it but she knew he was smiling as he said, "Where you're concerned, Rukia, nothing I do anymore is typical."

She smiled, giddy at the thought somehow, and promptly dozed off.

.

.

Rukia stirred later when Ichigo eased out of the car, holding her in his arms. The exhaustion and the meds had definitely taken over and she felt very lethargic and a little bit out of it—okay, a lot out of it.

"Dammit," Ichigo muttered under his breath as his arms tightened around her as if they would sufficiently conceal her from the small mob of paps waiting for them in the shadows. She lifted her head head, squinted her eyes against the light and saw two men snapping their cameras at them as fast as they could before Ichigo's chauffeur/bodyguard, Kenpachi, who was now striding in their direction, could reach them.

"They probably think we're going to have a typical wedding night," She murmured just as Ichigo dashed into the elevator. "Rangiku-san said that since I was marrying you, I'd need a wheelchair tomorrow."

Ichigo faltered at her statement and his arms gave a little just as the elevator started its smooth, well-oiled ascent. "Rangiku-san's going to have to stop having these inappropriate conversations with you," he said with a loud sigh.

"She's just trying to help," Rukia said before she gave a big, loud yawn, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. "They're all just trying to help. A virgin needs education."

She wasn't sure how long Ichigo stood there but she eventually heard the soft glide of the elevator doors opening. Why he was standing there, she wasn't sure. She peeled her eyes open to look at him.

He was gazing down at her, his eyes hooded and his expression inscrutable

"Are we playing elevator bingo or something?" She asked when he still didn't budge.

The elevator doors started close but Ichigo thrust a hand out to open them back again. "You're a virgin?" he finally said, his tone incredulous. "What do you mean you're a virgin?"

Rukia wasn't sure why she blurted that out. A tiny bit of alcohol mixed with painkillers did not make a good combination. She wouldn't recommend it to anyone. She shouldn't have taken the damn wine Nelliel offered.

She blew out a breath. "I think it means, medically speaking, that I have never engaged in sexual intercourse resulting to my hymen being intact—"

"Dammit, Rukia!"

His disbelieving exclamation seemed to have prompted his legs to get moving because in a matter of seconds, he was striding into the penthouse.

"I'm pretty sure I already said something about being a virgin and all that before," she muttered under her breath.

"Sometimes, I can't tell if you're just being a tease."

"Ah, well. I am that too, much to many men's frustration," she confirmed with a smirk.

"Not only are you a threat to men's mental health," he grumbled. "You're also going to seriously damage a part of their anatomy from extreme frustration."

"What part?" She asked, frowning. "Oh. That part."

He deposited her unceremoniously on the bed in his room and she moaned loudly at the delicious feel of the soft, bouncy covers as soon as she let herself fall back and sink into the clean, luxurious sheets.

"Rukia, if you want to stay a virgin for tonight. Stop making those sounds."

"What sounds?"

"Why do I bother?" he muttered to himself as he hunched down on his knees, his hands pushing the heavy hem of her skirt up to hold her feet as he pulled her sneakers and socks off. "Never mind."

Despite the protest of her weary, aching body, she propped herself up on her elbows to glare at him. "I told you I was a virgin and a tease—not deaf. What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing you don't already know," he said through clenched teeth.

Through the haze, she got a vague idea of his grumpy mood, Rukia think, which was a feat considering how foggy her head was. It was both their wedding night and they wanted the same thing but they each had different reasons for not going after it.

"Ichigo," she said softly, reaching out to stay his hand which had just pulled off the last sock she had on. "You can go. I don't want to torture you any more than I want to torture myself."

That line may have given away more than she'd like but it was too late to take it back now. Besides, she wanted him to know he wasn't the only one having a difficult time with this. Rukia owed him at least that.

He looked up, stormy hazel eyes searching hers. "I'll be alright."

"I'm not intentionally trying to tease you, you know? Not tonight, anyway."

A half-smile curved on his mouth as he rose to his feet. "I know. Come on. Get up so I can help you out of your dress."

- Then what? You'll help me out of everything else until I'm completely naked and stripped of my defenses? We'll end up in bed together, doing more than sleep, before I could finish reciting my new full name. -

"Don't worry. I'll manage it," she assured him as she struggled to sit up properly so she could slide down the bed.

Rukia winced at the jab on her midsection but she had gotten so used to it the pain seemed almost normal to her now and she just kept going.

"And how exactly do you plan to get out of it when it required an entire assembly of people to get you in the first time?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Only because we didn't want to wrinkle or snag it," she snapped, reaching around the bodice to see if she could reach where the pearl buttons were at. "Not that I want to wrinkle or snag it now. I want to keep this and give it to my daughter someday."

She realized what she said and she paused, looking up at Ichigo who was standing back and watching her struggle.

"That is if I get to keep this dress," she said slowly, her cheeks warming up.

Ichigo eyes glinted with a fleeting, unidentifiable emotion before he sat down on the bed and turned her around slowly so he could access the fastenings on the back of the gown. "Of course, you'll keep the dress. And I'm sure your daughter will be very pretty in it. She'll have light orange hair, flashing amethyst colored eyes, and the same spunky tilt to her chin as you do."

"Light orange hair?" She repeated, looking up to the ceiling. "What makes you think she won't have black hair like mine?"

"Just because," he said noncommittally.

This was a very dangerous conversation. It was dangerous because she knew exactly the shade of hair she was imagining her daughter to have. It was already bad enough that Ichigo was undressing her on their wedding night (even though he'd done the same very easily in the last couple of days) but something about tonight just seemed all symbolic. The last thing she wanted them to talk about were their amethyst-eyed and hazel-eyed children with their assortment of dark and orange mops for hair.

"Sometime before three in the morning, I'd like to get out of this dress," she muttered, changing the topic. "For someone with claims to expertise in efficiently getting women out of their clothes, you're remarkably slow."

Ichigo snorted. "Well, I've never tried to ravish a woman in her wedding dress before. I usually try not to usurp the groom's place on his wedding night."

"How gallant of you, Ichigo, to at least until the woman's honeymoon is over."

"I don't sleep with married women, Rukia," he said, a smirk in his voice. "Why would I take unnecessary risks with women who have husbands who might want to shoot my head off when there are plenty of young, single women out there who would do just fine?"

Her cheeks flamed and she was angry all of a sudden. She started out poking fun at him and now he had the upper-hand, that sly beast!

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. You like them young," she scoffed. "Young like Ms. Senna who's only about a year older than I am. Heard you two got hot and heavy on a ski trip last year." Before he could answer, she rambled on, too annoyed now to back off. "Did you find the mythical treasure down her esophagus, my intrepid explorer? Men have tried and failed, you know? Others have died during the expedition—mostly from asphyxia and the lost Altoids she still can't find to this day. She had been repeatedly told not to roll them around her mouth during the blow jobs she was rumored to be giving away like gift bags in the back of the school gym but apparently, she likes them minty."

"I could spend the next ten minutes convincing you that nothing happened with her beyond a kiss she'd initiated," Ichigo said with a sigh. "That I have no interest in Senna or any of my sisters' friends. In the end, the answer is whatever you choose to believe in."

Suddenly, the bodice of her dress loosened and started to fall away from her body. Ichigo rose to his feet and she saw his hands slip around her waist to grasp the top of the skirt and slowly and carefully ease it down to the floor until she could step out of it.

His head was bent down but Rukia could hear the hiss of his breath.

She shivered at the sudden coolness that kissed her exposed skin. Much of it was revealed by the white lace bustier she was wearing paired with matching lace panties with a narrow silk patch that hid her intimate parts. She had opted out of the white sheer stockings that would've rolled up to the top of her thighs and clipped to the garter straps. It was the height of summer and she hadn't wanted to further stew under the layers of fabric under her dress.

Ichigo slowly unfolded his form from his crouching position as she stepped out of the dress, his eyes glowing with fierce wanting. He took a step toward her, his gaze touching her all over like a caress, his breath coming out choppy with what she could tell was clearly an effort at restraint, based on how the crotch of his dress pants quickly filled out.

"You're like a battering ram."

Her head whipped up sharply. "Excuse me?"

He smiled softly. "You're devastation I could see coming from a mile away—nothing subtle or too complicated—and one that I can barely avoid if I stand too close. One that will relentlessly beat down the doors until they break down. One that will knock the air out of me the first time it catches me off guard. One that will do me in for good if I don't get out the hell out of the way."

Rukia blinked up at him, unable to believe her ears. "You're comparing me to a battering ram?"

His eyes lit up with mischief. "Only your effect to me. Why, it's not romantic enough?"

Her fists clenched at her sides. "Have you been living under a rock? Where did you ever hear of a battering ram being romantic?"

He winced. "Okay. Let me try again."

She waited, glaring at him.

"You're like an asteroid crash."

- Well, this just keeps getting better and better. You're not too far down the list from the plague—the kind that kills firstborns and wipes out civilizations. -

"You hurtle through space, heading straight for earth, completely unexpected and completely unavoidable. Before the earth is hit and the lives of everyone in it change, people hold their breaths and watch your spectacular descent with a mixture of awe and trepidation because they have never seen something like you before and they're not sure whether or not they'll survive your impact."

Her jaw must've dropped a while back but no sound had come out of her mouth. Ichigo grinned and brushed her lower lip with his thumb, prompting her to purse her lips close. Before she could say anything though, he leaned in and kissed her softly, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her closer against him. Her hands tugged at the lapels of his suit and he released her briefly to shrug it off, grabbing her by the arms right away as if he feared she would bolt.

"Rukia," Ichigo breathed softly, his hands spanning her waist as his lips grazed the line of her jaw, stopping at the base of her ear where he flicked his tongue against the sensitive spot there. Rukia shuddered in his embrace, a delicious ache being injected into her body which writhed and demanded for some kind of relief.

Grabbing his shirt, she yanked at the buttons as best as she could without ripping the whole thing off, and Ichigo's own hands joined hers to speed up the process of stripping him bare. It might have only taken seconds but by the time her back pressed against the soft, luxurious sheets, it seemed like it had taken a lifetime to get there. His large, warm hands molded around the swell of her breasts, gently squeezing as his mouth returned to hers, taking as much as he was giving her.

Her hands glided slowly along his bare shoulder blades, her bent legs parting to let him in between them, her toes digging into the soft bed as his hips pressed against hers, his erection more insistent against the the silky fabric of his pants. It reminded her of exactly the kind of path they were leading down.

- No. This is wrong. Stop. -

How, when she, herself wanted this.

She arched her back when he nipped her jaw all of a sudden and his hands didn't miss a beat in sliding down and searching for the fastenings of her bustier. As the lingerie loosened bit by bit, Ichigo's mouth followed the trail of newly exposed skin until the heavy globes of her breasts were freed up from the constraints of the thinly lined lace cups.

"Damn, Rukia," came his ragged whisper as he lifted off the bed to gaze down at her body which was now only covered by a thin scrap of white silk and lace between her legs. His eyes were nearly molten with lust—fiery amber shards in the dim light of the room.

Ichigo Kurosaki was magnificent.

Beautiful was too soft a word and there was nothing soft in the rigid planes of his upper torso where each muscle was carved out perfectly. She watched as he tore off his pants, her eyes following the sculpted waist rippling with muscle that tapered into narrow hips and long, powerful legs with a dusting of soft, dark hair. When her eyes finally focused on what stood proudly between his legs, her throat went dry and the sudden pounding of her heart filled her ears. Ichigo Kurosaki was incredibly well-hung. Either that or she had magnifying glasses for eyes.

"You're making me crazy with want Rukia," he murmured, kissing the space between her brows, each of her cheeks, the tip of her nose and the point on her chin. "I want you."

His fingers hooked on the garter of her panties and started to slowly ease them down her hips.

"Stop."

Ichigo's hand stilled their movements.

She held his gaze, much more determined this time. "I'm sorry but it just feels wrong."

Ichigo's eyes softened, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead, he moved away from her. " No. I'm sorry, I forgot for a second there, that you're not really mine."

Rukia was about to reply when the phone rang.


me: Hi guys! This chapter was edited last night. I read your reviews once again and got lots of idea, so thank you for sharing your thoughts guys, it really helped especially when you're out of words to write. :)

Wow! We got 200 reviews, can't wait to tell Ninya about it!

This is amazing! You know, personally I read EVERY single review, more than once actually, it gives me some sort of happiness that I can't even explain LOL.

Thanks so much for the awesome reviews and comments last chapter guys! No replies for today but I hope you enjoyed reading this chap!

RukiYuki / JoTerry / Amethys thazel / achalida / kidzin / Ichiruki4vr / anonymous2234 / applepieshiomai / blissbeat / mbravesgirl / shirayukideathberry / sarah1991 / Cc and to all guests reviewers as well

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