Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

AN: This a long chapter- a continuation of Ichigo and Rukia's day out. And my apologies- this update is long overdue! And forgive me for my replies to reviews- trying to catch up is hard!

Thanks everyone who's still w/ me!

Koinzell: Thanks for reviewing chapter by chapter- that always makes me happy! I'm always a little slow in the pace department when it comes to a story- though sometimes I tend to just throw things at the reader w/out seemingly thinking. My apologies if anything is choppy! The relationship development at least between Ichigo and Rukia though is gonna start to come to the forefront and evolve a bit more quickly because they are already so connected (though Rukia does not realize this just yet) so I hope you enjoy it!

Cisusi: Your reviews are always quite encouraging- thank you! I like B. to be a bit edgy- a lil closer to Senbonzakura in attitude in some respects. It is good fun- and despite his agreement in the second to last chapter he's still not gonna make it easy on the fiancé. Dog Ichigo will sneak back in a chapter or so- be on the lookout for doggy fluff!

Nievedrop: As always your support is so very appreciated! B.s attitude toward Inara actually stems from his anxiety you'll find more so than being a total playboy. Still- he's so naturally sexy- he just doesn't even know it! Sorry- had a moment. I mentioned this to Koinzell- but Ichiruki will integrate itself into every chapter from now on as the story is starting to come full circle as far as character interaction is concerned. Thanks again!

Newrun: Here is the conclusion to the fieldtrip! Well- it will actually linger into the following chapter as well- but I hope you like it! Thanks for reviewing!

MugetsuIchigo: Don't worry- we can't lose them-they're pretty central to the plot! Thanks for checking in!

Booknerd1990: Thank you! Hope to keep ya happy!Well I guess now we know the whole deal w/ the hollow and Ichigo's blood. But still… I'm super anxious for some Ichigo/Rukia interaction!

Akum: Hi! Left ya hanging and I apologize! Enjoy this one, okay?

Guest: Here we are! Thanks for reviewing!

AN: Rukia gets a little angsty as she reminisces and Ichigo naturally can't help but react- often times getting rather lost in his own emotions and near-revelations.

Hearts A-Stray

Ch. 20: Lost in Thought

It was really good to get out of the palace after the last few days of chaos surrounding the Ajmani Princess' arrival. The media was in an uproar about everything that had to do with the recently announced royal couple, especially because the princess had caused a bit of a scandal when she had first arrived at the palace for her official stay.

But right now, the palace and all its bustle of activity of late was the furthest thing from Rukia's mind. The buildings rose high above her head, dazzling digital advertisements flashed from billboards, the shop windows were wide- the displays colorful and artistic. Rukia had headed into the crowd, stomping angrily after the orange-haired buffoon she called "sensei". But soon enough she found herself in the thick of things. A tiny girl simply being pushed along by the sea of people- and so dazed by everything she might as well have been a tourist.

And in a sense the princess was a tourist; having never experienced Tokyo in this way. They had taken the bus to the very edge of Karakura until they had made it to the point where the big city spilled over, the downtown only a few blocks from where the bus had dropped them off.

Yes- a few blocks. Rukia had been trying to catch up to the obnoxiously long-legged man for quite some time.

But in his irritation Ichigo had quickly outpaced the girl without even realizing it. He also hadn't realized he was making a rather feral growling sound until he paused and looked up to see people eyeing him with clear apprehension as they gave him a wide breadth.

He reddened and coughed noisily into his hand as though he had simply been trying to clear his throat. Still, no one seemed to buy it; the other pedestrians continued to skirt him warily or giggle behind their hands.

Damnit! I seem like some kind of escaped psych ward patient! And it's all that oblivious little midget's fault! Letting that guy get so close and then falling for that bullshit… What an idiot! I mean who… who… Ugh…

Ichigo stopped grinding his teeth suddenly, blinking as the distinct feeling that he was forgetting something breezed up his spine.

Mr. Owl: How many seconds does it take for the male brain to clear from a fog of jealousy?

Let's find out:

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

SIX…

We're pushing ten here…

"Ah shit!" His hand struck his forehead and he turned on his heel to dive into the crowd.

Meanwhile the princess was completely unconscious of the fact that her chaperone was now barreling through the mass of bodies to find her as she was somewhat "lost".

Hands pressed to the glass of the storefront window, Rukia's eyes glittered with awe. Her heart was so full of excitement and wonder she could feel it pressing against her ribs- not so much a painful sensation as a…fluffy one. For displayed in this quaint little shop, under a pink and white striped awning was a drool-worthy (to Rukia anyway) array of Chappy the Rabbit merchandise.

It really wasn't her fault- her obsession with the simply drawn cartoon rabbit. The image of Chappy was tied to rather endearing memories after all and she could not help but associate happiness and warmth with the figure. If blame were to be rightfully placed, it would fall on her elder brother's shoulders. On a whim he had brought home a plushy for her after one of his royal tours when she was four.

Rukia could still see the rare smile that had twitched on her brother's lips when she had held out her hands eagerly for the stuffed toy. She didn't even hear the relieved curse pass her tutor's lips as he spotted her and stopped a few steps away to catch his breath.

Ichigo straightened from his bent posture, inhaling deeply as he continued, "…that whole block and-,"

He paused seeing that she was completely ignorant of his presence. His brows darted inward and he glanced for the first time into the shop window.

He blinked several times as his eyes bounced from one bunny related object to another in slight confusion. He glanced her way a couple times, bewildered, intrigued, and a little frightened by her preoccupation.

Scratching the side of his head, one side of his mouth curled in derision he muttered, "What the hell? Have you been standing here staring at this girly crap the whole time?"

Snapped out of her daze by the hint of mockery in his voice Rukia's gaze shot to the man at her right and the narrow-eyed look she gave him shot shivers down his spine- not to mention scared the sneer off his face.

"Chappy is not crap." She enunciated each word through her teeth.

But for some reason this threatening little gaze only managed to excite the part of the man that enjoyed the princess' hot glares.

The shivers coursing throughout him were starting to become rather pleasant as he held her fiery purple gaze. He could barely swallow the saliva gathering like rain in his mouth. There was something very appealing about Rukia's defensive snarling- nevermind that it was over a stupid rabbit.

This time Ichigo's cough was not feigned as he was choking on his own spit- the dog's mouth overflowing. Quickly he wiped at his own jaw to make sure none of his saliva was actually trickling out of the corners of his mouth. But as it was, Rukia had turned away to longingly stare into the window again.

Shit. That was close. Ichigo swallowed hard once more and then scowled fully. Bastard- this is getting outta hand! You're gonna expose us! In his mind's eye he could see the creature simply rolling its golden eyes only to part its jaws in a cheeky grin.

Ichigo took a moment to close his eyes, easing his frustration with himself. When he opened them he was frowning, but perfectly focused once more.

"Come on, there's somewhere we need to go." He said.

Rukia sighed, her eyes dimming slightly. She had no money of her own anyway. Royalty did not have spending money they had trust funds. This had been a spur of the moment trip anyway.

As it was, she hadn't physically bought anything since she was a child and Ukitake-Sensei had taken her to a flower shop. She had used money from her Chappy piggy bank to buy a simply wrapped bouquet as Ukitake watched from the door with both sorrow and pride in his eyes. That was the day she had laid forget-me-nots at the doors to Hisana's mausoleum. She remembered the heated argument that had occurred back at the palace between her brother and her teacher; she had not seen Ukitake-Sensei for nearly a month after that.

"Rukia." Ichigo's tone was uncommonly soft. He could see her eyes reflected in the shop window, hurt dancing as her sudden emotion darkened her eyes to a color like sapphires.

The princess raised her head, her momentary hurt disappearing as she stiffened and turned to him, "Yes Sensei, let's proceed."

For a moment the young man hesitated; it was hard to ease his own emotions at that mere glimpse of some hidden sorrow within her. Animals were always quite astute about the feelings that humans portrayed- could feel the aura shift around them. The canine was pacing worriedly- wanted to howl and drag her away so that he might curl up at her feet or nuzzle into her arms. Because of these fluttery sentiments- the man's impulses were going into overdrive.

Without warning the tutor reached out and took the princess' hand. He had already been meeting her gaze- her eyes that had blanketed any memories and stared at him steadily without emotion.

She gasped at the contact, her eyes widening, but he simply continued to hold her in thrall- his eyes an intense brown that shimmered to gold at the edges.

Her lips parted. For a moment she saw someone else. For a second she was staring into the eyes of…

He turned and yanked on her arm- pulling her into a walk with a gruff explanation, "Hurry up. And don't let go- can't have you wandering off every time you see something cute."

But even as she made a sound of protest and was about to retort he stopped and she found her right hand on his back- keeping her from colliding with him.

There was no sound in Ichigo's ears. He had gone completely deaf as sensation shot up his hand and tingled throughout his body. His heartbeat he could only feel- not hear-a simply steady rhythm- stronger than it had ever been. But the most unnerving part of these moments in which the world had fallen away- was that the restless beast that had been a part of him since he was a child- was utterly content. In fact- he couldn't find hide nor hair of the forever pacing mutt that would randomly intrude on his thoughts as it looked out at the world from behind his eyes.

Ichigo wasn't sure whether to be relieved or alarmed. What did it mean- the fact that such a simple touch could utterly tame him?

But she was speaking and the crowd was surging.

"…pull me around than at least don't go so fast I can't keep up! And don't stop in the middle of the walkway you moron!" Rukia was berating him, glad that she was facing his back so that her obvious glowing sort of blush was not visible to him.

A few more moments passed and they stood in awkward, yet somehow easy silence, both flooded with thoughts that didn't quite make sense just yet.

Ichigo snorted suddenly and glanced over his shoulder at her with a smirk, "Just don't go getting distracted by stupid shit and we'll be fine."

Instantly Rukia's face grew stormy and she dug her little nails into his hand as she scoffed, "I'd hardly get distracted by stupid things. The stupidest thing I've ever seen after all is that ridiculous hair of yours and I've gotten over that."

In response Ichigo stiffened ready to turn and grab her by the collar, a rather natural reaction, but instead he found a smile threatening. It was a relief not to see that expression of loss on her face. And he was even more grateful that the Kuchiki mask had been put away as well.

He loosened his grip on her hand and she retracted her claws as she heard him chuckle, "Nice one, Shorty. Let's get goin', huh?"

Rukia bit her lower lip to forestall her smile and after a moment agreed, "Ah."

As they headed forward, the princess unconsciously clung to her tutor's shirt, her other hand secure and oddly comfortable in his.

Feeling the girl at his back, it was the first time Ichigo did not mind being in a crowd. His other half, who would normally be half berserk due to all the sights, smells, and sensation, was completely serene.

For just a moment he had to close his eyes, enjoy the peace, whilst trying desperately not to jump to any conclusions. Eventually, the only thing that kept him from diving into self-discovery was to mentally sing the song that had plagued him for a full summer in his early teens, namely- 'Who Let the Dogs Out.'

The museum was refreshingly cool, the moment the doors were opened and the air rushed out to meet them, Ichigo and Rukia breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. It was also rather quiet and un-crowded as they made their way past security and into the lobby.

Ichigo had paused for a few seconds once inside, drawing Rukia to a halt beside him; he had forgotten about security. He had not really worried about their bus ride, the princess had never been in the media's eye that he knew of and thus the public were not likely to easily recognize her. Security in Tokyo was a different matter. Most security was trained to recognize its government officials as well as anyone who might merit a degree of more formal recognition- celebrities and the like.

But Rukia had boldly headed forward, unconcerned as she slipped from his grasp in his moment of hesitation.

Soon enough they were past the security checkpoint and Ichigo was crumpling up the tour guide the host had given him as Rukia gazed around the lobby with big eyes.

She frowned at the sound of the shiny pamphlet crinkling and turned to him, "Why are you doing that?"

Her companion rolled his eyes, turning his back on her to shoot the wadded guide into the trash a foot away, "Don't need it. Know this place like the back of my hand."

It was Rukia's turn to roll her eyes. Such a male response- he might as well have been any of her comrades on the guard.

She folded her arms over her chest in an unconvinced posture as she cocked her head at him, "Oh? Then lead the way, Kurosaki-Sensei."

Ichigo's nose wrinkled and he shot her an agitated glance as he said, "Don't call me that here."

Rukia's eye lids fell low over her eyes in a look of chagrin as she sighed, "Is there a reason you brought me here?"

Without another glance at her Ichigo headed toward the right wing and she took a few long strides to fall into step with him. He shrugged, casually slipping his hands into his pockets, "Well for one: they keep this place at like sixty all year round." This earned him a look of disgusted surprise. But he ignored it and continued, "And- this is a great place to let ideas flow. As part of your Composition studies I want you to be able to write with a kind of journalist's view on what you see."

"You want me to write a paper on this whole museum?" She frowned.

"Nah. Just pick one thing- or maybe even a specific exhibit. There's a lot to take in." He had stopped and gestured to the map on the wall, each section of the museum represented by a different color.

"Ah," Rukia turned to glance over the map. Finally her eyes settled on one spot and she pointed a finger to it, "Can we go there?"

For a moment, Ichigo looked as though he might smile, but he looked away from her and gave a shrug, "Sure."

The gallery was rather standard. A series of connected rooms, large and open, stretching across either marble or wood floors depending on the theme of the artwork. There were pedestals or square wooden bases scattered for sculptures as well as benches for the art critic whose feet grew weary contemplating the mood and meaning of the pieces.

It was the perfect day to have visited such a place as it were. There were very few people strolling in the gallery; often times they did not come across anyone- only their footsteps ringing in the open expanses.

The princess wandered quietly, almost solemnly, her lapis eyes taking in everything with a discerning yet curious gaze.

Ichigo, who as mentioned, frequented this museum often, simply allowed her space, observing her surreptitiously as they moved from room to room idly. It was frustratingly hard not to let his eyes linger on her, especially when she stopped to seemingly muse on one work or another. His hand was still tingling and oddly enough his beastly side had not gone into overdrive since she had tossed that infuriated gaze at him on the busy sidewalk.

As much as he shook his hand- as though it had just fallen asleep, he could not dispel the prickling of sensation that reached all the way to his bones.

What the hell? It doesn't mean anything- I just had to get her through the crowd! I didn't have a choice if I didn't want her to get lost- or hell snatched… He rolled his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets as he scowled at the girl's back.

As though feeling his eyes she looked over her shoulder, "Ichigo, I'm moving to the next room."

He flinched the slightest bit, startled by her sudden words, but nodded, "Ah."

He bit the inside of his lip, the burst of minor pain helping force his mind to a kind of snowy white blankness. He could not afford to come to any conclusions- not now- possibly not ever. The truth was burning on the edge of his mind, but he was refusing it with all of his will- preferring ignorance. After a breath that managed to even crack a few tense vertebrae he followed after his charge.

The final room of the art relegated portion of the museum had recently changed. It was now called, "A History of Tokyo's Royalty"- likely due to all the newly refreshed interest in the ruling family.

Rukia's interest level, however did not seem to change. She after all knew all there was to know about her royal ancestors. Aware of each dynasty in sequence as hammered into her by Hitsugaya- Sensei, she observed everything with a kind of detachment. Still, in her mind her voice droned like a tour guide as she passed suits of armor, paintings, encased jewelry, weapons, and royal regalia.

When his careful gaze on her revealed that she did not seem the least bit over-enthused about this room that housed relics of her ancestry Ichigo grew bored. Scratching at the back of his head, he yawned as he looked at his own reflection in a glass case enclosing a ceremonial robe from the Edo period. He snorted at his own look of chagrin and turned to tell his student that they should head to another quarter when he realized the girl who had been pacing with disinterest stood frozen.

Concern nipped at his mind as he saw her hands flexing repetitiously into fists at her sides.

"Rukia?" He approached her with a frown.

But he paused, two steps from her as his eyes connected with the painting hanging on the wall in front of her.

Done in watercolors by a rather expert and detailed hand was a portrait of the most recent generation of royals. A young Byakuya stood behind a smiling young woman seated on a chair with a child in her lap. There was no mistaking the big pools of expressive color that gazed out innocently from the little girl's face.

Ichigo's heart tripped over itself in his chest.

Even as a child, she'd been beautiful.

He swallowed hard and tore into the inside of his lip once more to keep himself from toppling into the thoughts he'd abandoned.

Forcing his eyes from the heart-shaped face with its lily-white complexion and pouting pink lips took an effort, but he managed, only to find that the other girl, who could only be the Princess Hisana, was a near mirror image.

Still- it only took a moment for Ichigo to pinpoint the differences in feature between the two, which left him feeling rather proud of himself. But that momentary smugness vanished when Rukia began to speak.

In a voice unhindered by emotion, the girl stared forward, "All of the portraits were removed after Hisana-nee's death. Nii-sama never said anything, but I knew he could not stand the reminders of her. The queen, my mother, tried to be very cheerful after the king- my father- passed, but after Hisana-nee, she couldn't keep up appearances. Nii-sama made every household decision from then on- including the removal of the family portraits and pictures. The queen barely left her rooms..."

She faltered a moment, nearly let her anxiety shine through. She took a breath, "Nii-sama was always mindful of duty- but he was never quite so strict. But the king's condition began to prevent him from carrying out all of his duties and Nii-sama had to take his place. And of course when he died- my brother had no choice but to accept his role fully. Steadily, as my sister and then my mother followed my father to the grave- Nii-sama became the man you see now."

The princess stared at the grey eyes, both familiar and foreign in their warmth conveyed through the painter's vision. She'd been five when her sister and then her mother had passed away. She had watched all emotion fade from his gaze as each death and responsibility affected his heart and demeanor. It seemed the grey of his eyes grew harder as life became black and white and emotion took a backseat to politics and etiquette. It hurt to see his grief become coldness, and yet- her view of him had not really changed. Nii-sama was Nii-sama. She would remember the person he had been- store it in her memory so that it would never die. One day- she told herself- the man she had known would resurface again.

Despite the lack of emotion in her voice, Ichigo could sense the girl's true feelings. For the second time that day he was aware that at some point what she thought and felt had become important to him. Somewhere between the arguments and physical altercations, and even the awkward moments when he had become flustered by his own hormones (as well as those of his doggy consciousness)- he had started to see her as someone who mattered as more than a student.

Stupid kid… You shouldn't act so brave… I can still see your pain- no matter how you mask it. Stupid midget. I'm glad I see through you, but at the same time… I hurt too…Damn.

He replaced the soft gaze he was affording her with a smirk then. He gave a snort, "Looks like he had a stick up his ass even then."

Moments later his shout of pain resounded through the gallery. Following this an alarm sounded alerting security

As Rukia stormed away, her back to the man who was clinging to a sensored glass case, as warning red lights flashed overhead, she let a smile touch her lips.

Even if he was trying to cheer me up- he should know better than to insult my Nii-sama.

AN: Next Chapter: Ichigo and Rukia observe the first press conference held for the engaged royal couple, before Rangiku sends Rukia a 911. Trying to avoid getting caught only manages to push Ichigo over the proverbial edge.

Thanks!