I am soooo sorry for my absence! Yes, I know this update is waaaaay overdue. I was supposed to post this about a week and a half ago, but I found that the original version was waaaay too long and too boring, so I revised it.

Seccaberry, please tell the evil cupcake men to stop running after me! XD

Special thanks to:

Iana Sabelle for some help on the plot, though I deleted that Isshin scene and the confrontation because of some…err, complications. XD

Waiting (Whom I suppose is BunnySlippers) for reminding me that I have not updated for over a month. You have been reminding me when I don't update soon enough dor the last few chaps, and I thank you for that!

Yes, everyone, PLEASE, when I take too long in updating, send me a beating…I mean a message. It works, I tell you. :D

Anyways, there's OOC-ness in this chap, but only because I want Rukia to act like a normal girlfriend, or to at least want to act like a normal girl. Enough said, I'm spoiling it. :D

PS I have a feeling that Schemes have only a few more chapters left. And I'm sad. :(

Sorry for the errors! No editing has been done in this chap. (And I haven't done any editing in my previous chap like I have originally planned. Lazy, lazy me.)

Oh, have you guys read my new oneshot (which was posted more than a monthe ago? XD). If you haven't, please check it out. it's called Rukia for a day. :D

'He's dead...He's dead...He's dead. He's supposed to be dead! So how come he is here, now? And more importantly, why?' Those were the thoughts constantly swimming in Orihime's head. The last news she heard regarding this particular Espada was that he lost against Kurosaki-kun, though now that she thought about it, his death was not really confirmed by anyone. So could it be that he managed to survive after fighting Kurosaki-kun? What does he want now?

She reached the site before anyone else could, and true enough, there was Ulquiorra, standing beside a used, his usual emotionless and stoic face in place. She knew for sure that the Espada knew she was there but the arrancar made on show of it. Orihime gulped nervously as she stared at Ulquiorra whose green eyes were watching some point in the distance.

"U-Ul-Ulquiorra..." Orihime's voice was barely audible, but it was no question that the first thing she would speak was his name.

Ulquiorra's eyes barely shifted towards her, and other than that, he made on other move to acknowledge her.

"W-what are you doing here?" She bravely inquired. She couldn't afford to be a coward now. She couldn't have history repeating itself all over again. She couldn't have herself be abducted for the second time, and she couldn't allow her friends to jeopardize their lives in order to rate her sorry ass again. No. This time, she would fight. She would fight not only for herself, but for her friends and all the other human beings in her world.

Ulquiorra fully shifted his gaze towards the buxom woman. Gray orbs widened at the looks she was receiving--if she didn't know any better, Orihime could have confidently said that Ulquiorra was smirking, but knowing that this man doesn't know how to openly show his emotions, she highly doubted it. The whole time that she spent with him in Hueco Mundo actually said off—Orihime could somehow read Ulquiorra's body language. Confusion filled Orihime's mind as she concentrated on the emotion that was clear in Ulquiorra's green eyes--amusement. That alone gave her chills down her spine. Amusement for Ulquiorra isn't exactly a walk in the park.

A step...and another. Ulquiorra continued to come nearer the buxom woman who used to be Aizen-sama's pet. Within seconds, the tri-link shield appeared in front of her, and a look of determination was etched on her face. What a pity though, for he didn't come for her. Well, not exactly. He continued closing the gap between them, and Orihime readied herself in a defensive stance. He was almost close enough to touch her shield when all of a sudden, he jumped back and landed on his previous spot.

A blue arrow sped between the two of them moments later.

"Inoue-san!" Ishida and Chad ran towards the buxom woman and stood by her side, the former subtly examining her body for any injuries. "What are you doing here?" The quincy asked the arrancar.

Moments later, the leaking reiatsu that they were all too familiar with entered their sensing range, along with his ever-present companion, running towards their destination.

Ichigo and Rukia arrived within seconds. Rukia's amethyst orbs were wide with uncertainty and fear for her friends. They were stuck on the emotionless man whom she knew was toying with them...with her.

Their enemy took advantage of the momentary distraction and disappeared in a flash using sonido. Soon, blood sprayed through the air, taking everyone by surprise. They all looked at each other to see who was hit, until...

Inoue slowly fell down, her gray orbs closing at the same time she hit the ground.

"Inoue-san!" Ishida's arms immediately gathered the fallen woman's body and carefully examined her injuries.

"Bastard!" Ichigo hissed as he slammed his substitute Shinigami badge against his body. He took hold of Zangetsu tightly and swung forward to attack the arrancar. Their swords met with a loud clang.

"Inoue-san!" Ishida's voice was clearly heard over and over again in the background. The Quincy saw the deep slashes on Inoue's back, and desperately thought of a way to stop the bleeding. Inoue was the group's healer, and without her around, who could they run to for help? That's it!

"Kuchiki-san!" Ishida's desperate voice broke Rukia out of her stupor, though the Quincy didn't miss the look of uncertainty, hatred and fear in her amethyst orbs. "Please heal Inoue-san!"

Rukia wasted no time. She knelt down beside the woman in Ishida's arms while Chad stood in front to protect them from the still ongoing sword battle. Her hands glowed green and she started healing Inoue's injuries. However, unlike Inoue's Sōten Kisshun, healing kidō doesn't reject injuries. Inoue had lost a huge amount of blood, and her kidō couldn't do anything to bring it back. Even after the buxom woman's wounds were healed, she remained unconscious.

"Chad, Ishida, bring Inoue to safety, and protect her with your lives." Ichigo yelled as he prepared for another attack. The two men both took a quick glance at the unmentioned Shinigami and then obliged. Even though Chad would have on problem carrying the buxom woman, Ishida quietly insisted that he carry the unconscious girl.

In that brief amount of time, a certain petite Shinigami wished with all of her heart that those words were for her...to protect her. She knew it was hypocritical of her to think that way, since she knew now how Ichigo truly felt about her, but it was only in that short span of time that Rukia suddenly realized just how much she wanted to be just a normal person... Without the Shinigami duties to attend to, without Ulquiorra to face, without her secrets to hide...without anything but Ichigo.

But no. Kuchiki Rukia's mind was filled with many different things. Her Shinigami duties, her clan duties, her squad duties, her friends, the people in Soul Society and in the Living World...all those on top of Ichigo and her secrets. And because she wasn't a normal human being like she would have wanted to be, she had to face all those things sooner or later.

When the three were out of view, Ichigo's reiatsu began to shoot up. "Bankai!"

Ulquiorra's face remained emotionless, almost to the brink of boredom. His green eyes weren't watching the magnificence that hid behind the thick dust clouds that formed due to the substitute Shinigami's sheer spiritual pressure, rather, his green eyes strayed to the woman behind him. The woman who was glaring at him in full force—a glare that told him she knew exactly what he was up to.

The arrancar almost smirked. His mission was done. He didn't need to engage in some nonsensical battle against the substitute Shinigami. He didn't come for that. Besides, it will only strain the Hōgyoku, and he didn't really need that to happen right now.

"Tensa Zangetsu."

Ulquiorra swung his sword sidewards before putting it back in its sheath.

Ichigo's eyes regarded him carefully, almost sure that he was trying to fool him—that he was feigning defeat.

The arrancar took a few steps backward, raising his hand and ripping open a space in the dimension. He entered the garganta while eyeing the two Shinigami, his green eyes glinting with a promise of return.

Ichigo growled at him. "You coward!"

"Ichigo!" The said carrot-top turned his head to look at the petite woman who called out to him.

"Why are you still here? Why didn't you run away with Chad and Ishida? It was dangerous here!" He reprimanded.

"I can take care of myself just fine." Rukia frowned at him. "And you didn't tell me to." She looked away.

Ichigo stared at her in confusion for a few seconds. "Wasn't it supposed to be implied?"

"No. You only mentioned Chad and Ishida protecting Inoue with their lives."

Ichigo gaped bit. "That's because I don't want you risking yours for anyone!"

Rukia's stomach fluttered with those words. Although, she knew that even if he did mention her, she would stubbornly stay behind and watch him fight Ulquiorra.

"Whatever you baka, let's go check on Orihime."

..

..

..

..
"Ishida! Chad!" Said men looked up at the sound of the voice. Ichigo and Rukia made their way towards the group huddled in the middle of a room in the Urahara shōten. By the looks on their faces, it was clear that the battle wasn't finished yet.

Orihime lay on a futon in the center, still unconscious, while Tessai knelt beside her, his kidō working its wonders on the woman.

"How is she?" Rukia asked, worried for her friend.

"It seems like her pressure point had also been hit, very much like Ashido-san." Urahara's voice came from the open shoji door.

Rukia's amethyst orbs widened. No, no. Now's not the right time for that discussion. Please, NO!

Ishida, Chad and Ichigo all perked up at that piece of information, the cogs on their minds working double time to deduce some sort of plausible explanation.

"But we faced—"

"Urahara-taichō?" Another voice called out.

"Ah, Ashido-san!" Urahara jovially greeted. Maroon hair peeked from the door.

Ichigo subconsciously leaned closer towards Rukia who stood by his side.

"What happened, Urahara-taichō?"

"Ah, Inoue-san had been injured, just like you, Ashido-san." A black cat's golden eyes visibly twinkled from one of the corners of the room.

"Really?" Ashido immediately entered the room to gain more information. "Did you encounter another strong hollow, Rukia?"

Urahara looked at Yoruichi from the corner of his eye.

Rukia blinked at Ashido. Then blinked again. And again. What was happening? Was Ashido just playing along with her pretensions? She locked her amethyst with his gray orbs. There was confusion and concern there. There were even some traces of...longing. But no trickery. No lies. Now what the hell happened? She averted her gaze towards the only possible cause of this all. None other than the genius, the owner of the shop—Urahara Kisuke himself.

His bucket hat was shadowing his eyes, making him look mysterious and a little creepy. His eyes, however, clearly didn't deny the accusation from her own amethyst orbs.

Ichigo answered him before anyone else could, partly because he didn't like this guy focusing on Rukia too much. "No. It was Ulquiorra."

Ashido looked at him for a while, and then back at Rukia who was standing a little too close to the

orange-haired Shinigami representative. Yep, something happened. Was he really out that long?

When no one spoke for a moment, Ichigo decided to focus on the oddly cheerful Urahara whom he suspected was talking cryptically again, like he knew more than he let on--as always.

"Do you already know about this?" It was a question, though Urahara and Yoruichi clearly heard the underlying accusation in it.

"Of course not, Kurosaki-san! If I did, I would have been there so that poor Inoue-san wouldn't get hurt."

The truth was, he was anticipating something like this, but he failed to predict that the arrancar would go as far as to actually hurt one of Kuchiki-san's friends. It would, after all, heighten Rukia's fury, and perhaps even make her retaliate. Now it seems like Ulquiorra had something else planned. Something that suspiciously runs along the lines of diversion and distraction.

Ichigo's eyes lingered longer on the Shinigami captain, while Ishida's eyes were staring intently at the petite Shinigami. "Isn't he supposed to be dead? He couldn't have possibly survived right? I say the state he was in after Kurosaki and he fought. How was he able to survive, Urahara-san?" Ishida's question was directed at the blonde Shinigami, but his eyes never left Rukia.

"Ah, yes Ishida-san. But there are still some possibilities, yes, Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia's eyes widened slightly as she tried in vain to hide the look of disbelief in her amethyst pools. Luckily, she quickly regained her composure and nodded at the blonde captain. "Y-yes. We all know that Ichigo didn't...finish him during their battle. And given the amount of time away from the enemies, her must have...regenerated. He is still a hollow, after all."

Everyone, with the exception of Rukia, Urahara, and Yoruichi, looked fairly satisfied with her answer as they all started contemplating of the many different possibilities.

"If that's the case, them all I have to do is beat him again." Ichigo growled.

"NO!" Rukia yelled. "You idiot! He could have...he must have improved! He must be a lot stronger now for him to attempt an attack like that all on his own!" She explained logically after being stared at.

"She's right, Ichigo. We shouldn't be so sure of ourselves. He must have something up his sleeve." Trust Chad to be talkative when needed.

"Yes, and we wouldn't want any more of our friends get hurt, do we..?" Rukia's voice started with confidence but ended in a whisper as she wistfully looked at the still unconscious Orihime.

Ichigo's head hung low as he tried to think of a way to end all of this as soon as possible. "So should we train again? Just so we could be ready when an attack comes."

"I think you should rest first. Go home now, everyone. We will take good care of Inoue-san." Urahara suggested.

Ichigo and Chad were the first to walk out just as Ashido trudged back to his temporary room. As Rukia was about to follow Ichigo, Ishida stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"If you know something Kuchiki-san, please do tell. I don't know your reasons for hiding them, but if someone continues to get hurt each time, I will force it out of you." His voice was so quiet that no one else in the room but Rukia heard him. Although, Urahara and Yoruichi didn't really need to hear him to know what he said.

Truly, the world is slowly crumbling down on Rukia. The wick on the time tomb will soon be completely consumed by the fire.

Ishida walked out of the room, leaving Rukia still frozen in shock. When she finally broke out of her reverie, she looked at Urahara's knowing eyes and gave a nervous nod.

"Please take care, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia didn't know how Urahara learned of her well-kept secret; it must be because the perceptive guy was a real genius, that the world perceptive doesn't even do him justice. No matter, she knew that her secret was safe with him. When she came out of the shōten, Ichigo was waiting for her with a contemplative look in his eyes as he absentmindedly watched Ishida and Chad walk away.

"Keep a good eye on her, Kurosaki." Ishida had muttered before he left.

No matter how impulsive and idiotic Ichigo seemed to be at times, he isn't completely stupid. During the whole conversation, Ishida was staring at Rukia as if he was trying to decipher some sort of secret message on her face. Ichigo didn't miss that. But just what could it be that involved Rukia?

"Ichigo!"

Amber eyes blinked a couple of times before looking at concerned amethysts. Rukia? Nah. Must be a slip in judgement on Ishida's part. Still, the thought continued to bug him.

They silently walked home, both too absorbed in their own thoughts to bother speaking, much less to ask what the other was thinking about.

They arrived home just in time for dinner, and were welcomed by a rather exuberant Nel who cheerfully told them how she learned cooking instant noodles that day. Despite Nel's happy ramblings and Isshin's usual attacks at his son, Ichigo's attention wasn't diverted from his train of thoughts.

Rukia had a cheerful façade on as she lied about Orihime being in Tatsuki's place for a school project.

Neither wanted to give his family a scare about the imminent danger.

Ichigo looked at the girl—his girl—as she went about in her skillful ways of acting...and lying. His family surely couldn't tell she was lying. Maybe Karin could, by the way she rolled her eyes. She chose to be quiet about it though. So was it possible that she would deceive him as well? He mentally cursed and scolded himself and reminded himself that it was Rukia he was thinking about. That girl's acts were never effective on him. He could see right through her. Or at least he hoped so.

The two soon found themselves sitting quietly on his bed after dinner. Yuzu had been considerate enough to keep Nel some company upon seeing thoughtful and exhausted looks on her elder siblings' faces. They finished their schoolwork in silence; the only sound they heard was Yuzu getting Bustafu whom she still found cute despite being inhabited by Kon who knows Ichigo well enough to behave himself properly while in Yuzu's care.

When it was time to sleep, it was Ichigo who climbed on to the bed first. Rukia laid down beside him after a few moments, her back to his front. His arms immediately went around her, and he buried his nose on to her hair, inhaling her sweet and intoxicating scent.

"Rukia…"

"Mm?"

Hesitation.

Ichigo stayed silent for a few seconds before finally voicing out his thoughts.

"You..you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

I hope that was good enough to compensate for my long absence. Please review and motivate me, I badly need it! Reviews mean update, so please drop a line or so. Take care everyone! :D