Okay, before you start throwing rocks at me...I know it's been a loooooong time since I've updated this story, and I am truly and deeply sorry for the long wait. All I can say in my defence is that I am suffering of a very bad and ugly case of writer's block, and even though I tried to write nothing came out. So please, be kind to me and forgive me...pleeeeaaaaase *does puppy eyes to her beloved readers*
I know I said I would only update this once I'm finished writing it...it is not the case, I just needed to get this chapter out and off my system.
I hope you all like it, and if you do, please review and let me know okay?
As you all know, I DO NOT OWN BLEACH!
On with the story!
Ichigo sat at Urahara's table pressing an ice pack over his aching eye with a goof smile on his face; sitting across him, sipping some tea and looking more adorable than ever was the girl of his dreams, the one he missed so much, the one who had just punched her way back into his life.
"That's a hell of a black eye Kurosaki-San" commented a fanning Urahara sitting beside them.
"Ya, Rukia hit ya pretty badly Ichigo…you're slower than you used ta be" said Renji with a smirk.
"Oi, it's not my fault, she's just a violent midget" protested Ichigo.
"Do you want another black eye, strawberry?" yelled Rukia waving a menacing fist in front of his face.
"Yare, yare, let's all calm down…what did you do to upset Kuchiki-San, Kusoraki?" asked Urahara.
"Oh let me think…NOTHING!" replied Ichigo.
"What you mean NOTHING? You almost choke me, strawberry! Why did you have to press me against your chest so much?" complained Rukia.
"Well, maybe because I haven't see you in five fucking years!" replied Ichigo slightly hurt, making Rukia bow her head.
"I…"
"We are sorry about that Ichigo, we were not allowed to contact you" muttered Renji.
"Yeah, and you always do what you're told, right?" said Ichigo sarcastically.
"This was different Ichigo, we…we wanted you to have a normal life…all of you" said Rukia looking at Ichigo softly.
"Well, normal life sucks, I missed you guys I…needed you" he lowered his eyes sadly.
"Oi, we're here now strawberry, don't go all sentimental on us would ya?" said Renji slapping Ichigo's back hard.
Ichigo was about to slap Renji back when Urahara hit them both with Benihime, startling the boys.
"Stop goofing around you two, we have a very serious situation going on here" he said looking intensely at them from above his hat.
"What do you mean?" asked Ichigo confused, while Urahara sighed and looked at Rukia.
"Are you going to tell him Kuchiki-San?" at hearing this Rukia sighed as well, and lowered her head.
"I guess it can't be helped" she replied before lifting her eyes to meet Ichigo's, and started to tell him about the arrancar's comeback, carefully omitting the part involving her torture.
Ichigo's mouth remained open long after Rukia stopped talking, he was in shock, and all he could do was stare at the patient shinigami sitting across him.
"I know this may be a little too much to take in right now, but we really need to know if you have any powers left, Ichigo" said Rukia softly, but the boy still refuse to move.
"Come on Ichigo don't be like that, it's okay if you don't, we're here to protect ya" said Renji placing a comforting hand of his shoulder, making him turn to face him.
He looked into Renji's eyes for a moment with sad, bitter eyes. He wanted to laugh at the irony in his words; he…the One Who Protects had become so useless he was the one needing protection now. He shook his head lightly and looked away.
"I…I don't know, I mean…I'm not sure, a few weeks ago I think I entered my inner world but I am not sure I…" he looked so lost, so confused it really pained Rukia and Renji, for this Ichigo was only a shadow of the Ichigo they left five years ago. Rukia sighed sadly.
"What about the others?" she asked.
"Ishida does…he is a Quincy…"
"What about Chad and Orihime?" asked Shuuhei.
"I don't know, I think Inoue doesn't and… I haven't seen Chad in a…long time" he lowered his head at the last part, visibly ashamed, while Rukia and Renji exchanged glances.
"What do you mean you haven't seen him?" asked Rukia.
"We…lost contact" replied Ichigo gloomy.
"Well, we're going to need to contact him soon" commented Renji locking eyes with Rukia.
"I think it's time for Kurosaki to go home, he'll need to explain this to Orihime as soon as possible" said Urahara not missing Ichigo's uneasy look.
"No! I want to stay here…I need to train, I need to…at least I need to know if I can see you guys without your gigai" whined Ichigo, and just when he finished speaking he saw Rukia's eyes widen and a big smile appeared on her face, but she was looking at something past behind him, which made him turn around.
"Ah, you finally join us!" commented Renji grinning.
"What are you talking about, pineapple?" asked Ichigo visibly confused, staring at the air.
"Well, the boy just answered his own question, will somebody please enlighten him?" said Byakuya with his trademark baritone voice, as Rukia kept smiling.
"So you can't see, hear or feel Taichou, ne Ichigo?" asked Renji with a sigh.
"B…Byakuya? What the hell?" Ichigo looked around him in vain.
"Byakuya…" whispered Rukia with a dazed smile Ichigo did not fail to see.
"Dismiss the boy, Rukia" commanded Byakuya looking intensely into her wide, loving eyes. She nodded and looked back at Ichigo.
"Look Ichigo I think right now you should go home to Inoue, talk to her and find out if she has any powers left, we'll meet again tomorrow with her and Ishida and we'll work from there, okay?" said Rukia sweetly, looking into his confused amber eyes.
Ichigo nodded. What else could he do? He was helpless in front of those marvellous eyes. She smiled at him and he felt his heart stir in his chest.
"Okay, we'll walk ya home strawberry. Good to see you again Taichou!" said Renji pushing Ichigo out of the room.
"See ya tomorrow Kuchiki-San, Kuchiki Taichou" waved Shuuhei and then the three of them left the room.
Rukia stood up but remained glued to the ground, looking into Byakuya's misty grey eyes.
"I need a moment alone with my sister, Urahara Kisuke" said Byakuya coldly, not averting his eyes from Rukia.
"Oh! Indeed Kuchiki Taichou, I'll just go and prepare your gigai then" replied Urahara grinning before fleeing the room, leaving Byakuya and Rukia standing alone in front of each other.
She still could not move, the smile had long left her face and she even found it hard to breathe. Byakuya was back, but so was his cold, unreadable mask, and that pained her heart, filling her with insecurity and sadness.
After what felt like ages, he cleared his throat.
"So?" he asked severely.
"S…so…what?" she asked shyly, her eyes clouded with fear.
"Aren't you going to…kiss me?" he asked with a faint, but irresistible smile.
"Oh Byakuya!" she sighed in relief and literally threw herself into his waiting arms.
He held her tightly as she pressed her small frame against his body, burying her face in his chest. Their hug was sweet, but needy, it spoke of hours of longing and wondering, it spoke of two souls trying desperately to merge into one, and they remained locked in each other's arms for a long time, too afraid of being part again.
Then she slowly looked up at him and their eyes met, indigo-violet into misty-grey, and the whole world disappeared to them.
He gently hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her head as he lowered his to nuzzle her nose lovingly, her heart was pounding in her chest and a deep sigh escaped her lips when he slowly brushed them with his own. The softness of her was unbelievable to him, the sweetness of him was too much for her to hold back anymore, and so they took each other's mouth hungrily.
Orihime Inoue thought she should get actress-of-the-year award. She thought so as she lay beside her boyfriend unable to sleep, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth angrily.
The witch was back, her worse fears came true…and the look on Ichigo's eyes…she wanted to murder that shinigami bitch, as soon as possible too.
She turned to look at Ichigo's sleeping form and her heart stilled in her chest. He was sound asleep, but smiling. For the first time in their whole life together as a couple he was actually smiling in his sleep…and all because of her: the shinigami bitch.
Orihime sighed, and slowly got out of bed. She went down stairs still thinking someone should really appreciate her acting skills. It was the hardest thing she ever did, pretend to be happy when he told her Rukia was back that is; smile and giggle, appear to be excited and tell him how much she wanted to see Rukia…how much she missed her. Yeah, she should get a fucking award for being such a good liar. She smiled bitterly as she entered the kitchen.
It was all Ulquiorra's fault though, he said he would kill her but he did not. Now the bitch was back, making Ichigo smile in his fucking sleep. Orihime poured some hot water into a cup, while soaking a teabag in it. She needed to make sure Ulquiorra won't fail again, she thought as she lifted the cup to her lips.
'And if the arrancar can't do the job…then I will' she told herself with a grin, as she placed the empty teacup on the sink.
Byakuya kept his forehead pressed against Rukia's as they both panted for air, a few seconds ago they had reluctantly broke the kiss when the need for oxygen became unbearable, but it was just as if neither of them was ready to break the contact yet. They needed each other too much.
"I…I missed you so much and then I was…afraid" she muttered, while Byakuya frowned.
"Why were you afraid?"
"I thought that…maybe you…changed your mind" she replied shyly, lowering her head. But Byakuya will have none of that, so he cupped her face and made her look at him again.
"You should know better than that by now" he said severely but reassuringly at the same time, making her smile.
"Hai…you're right…I do know better now" she said licking her lips playfully, which made him smile too.
"Good to know that" he said before pecking her lips lovingly.
"Now I believe it's time to get my gigai and go home" he said taking a step back, and offering Rukia his hand.
"Hai" she took his hand with a wide smile, intertwining fingers with him and both left the room.
A bang and a thump so loud to make the headboard of their bed shake woke Renji and Shuuhei. For a moment they looked at each other, sleepy and confused, ruffled sounds could be heard from the other side of the wall, Shuuhei frowned and looked deeply into his lover's auburn eyes questioning, then he saw Renji's eyes widening and a giggle escaped the crimson-haired Fukutaichou.
"Taichou's back…" said Renji with a smirk, watching Shuuhei's mouth form a silent O as realization stroke him. Another bang, followed by a deep mewl came trough the next room, making both men turn to stare at the white pristine wall.
"Holly shit, they're going pretty rough at it!" commented Shuuhei with a smirk.
"Damn! Who would have thought Taichou could be so…wild" muttered Renji, truly shocked.
Shuuhei grinned and slid a hand up Renji's thigh, while giving the red-head a lustful look.
"What you say, gorgeous…want to put them to shame?" purred Shuuhei sliding a hand behind Renji's neck, pulling him from a kiss.
"Damn right I do" replied Renji seductively before taking his lover's lips in a hungry, heated kiss.
Byakuya tore Rukia's panties and swiftly moved them both to the bed; she anxiously ripped his shirt open as he took off his pants, kicking them to the floor. He grabbed her wrists and held her arms open for a moment, delighting himself in the sight of her naked body.
Damn, she was even more beautiful than he remembered, her eyes clouded with desire, lips parted and swollen, her milky white skin glistening and her rosy nipples moist with his saliva; he grinned and lowered himself to claim her lips once more. He kissed her deeply, drinking the sweet passion from her incredibly soft lips while settling between her thighs. Rukia let out a heated moan when she felt the tip of his engorged manhood brush against her wetted, sensitive folds.
Byakuya broke the kiss and trailed wet, passionate kissed along her jaw line all the way to her neck; he sucked on her earlobe, and gave it a little nip before whispering.
"Are you ready?" she took a deep breath, shivering slightly, and tangled her hand in his hair, motioning him to look at her.
"I am more than ready" she replied with a deep, sensual voice, making Byakuya grin before he yanked his hips forward, burying himself in her incredibly tight wetness to the hilt, letting out a deep groan as Rukia arched her back, throwing her head back in pure ecstasy.
And there you have it...how was that? did you enjoy? Please let me know!