Sorry, that this update is quite a bit shorter than the others, but the whole thing is a heart-to-heart between Ichigo and Rukia.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Chapter 25

He was afraid to look at her even though they swayed so smoothly, held each other so closely. Anyone watching surely smiled knowingly at the two. Ichigo held her hand so gingerly and rested his hand on the small of her back. He was blessed that his height made it a little difficult to look each other in the eye without separating a little. Ichigo didn't want to do that because he was enjoying their proximity way too much.

She was waiting for him to say something, which was quite uncharacteristic of her. Rukia wanted to hear what he had to say for himself after he left her wondering. She knew it could never work with their circumstances, but there was hope. Rukia wanted him so badly that it ached, maybe it was that inner spoiled rich-girl that she used to be as a younger girl. Kuchiki's got what they wanted and that was that.

They continued the sway to the romantic movements played by the quintet, their eyes never quite reaching the others. They ignored the quiet murmurs of the bystanders and other dancers. They obviously recognized Rukia and wondered what kind of scandal this could become.

"What have you been up to?" Ichigo asked quietly.

"I've been keeping myself busy running Kuchiki Enterprises by myself," Rukia said bitterly. She had neglected to tell him that she spent a large majority thinking about him.

"By yourself? What about Byakuya? I thought he was the President of Kuchiki Enterprises."

"He is, but my brother decided to run for a position on the Senate. He's always working on his campaign, so I've been in charge. When he wins the elections, that means that I'll be the new President of Kuchiki Enterprises."

Ichigo paused. He always knew that Rukia was an important person in Seireitei, but he could never have imagined that she'd be one of the most elite members of society at her age. "Are you ready to take on that challenge?"

"Psh, it will be fine. I've been conditioned for this role for years," Rukia scoffed.

Ichigo didn't say anything for a long while. He simply let the swaying do the talking.

"You were raised in this kind of scene for a majority of your life, right?" Ichigo finally said after what seemed like ages of dancing. "It must be hard to have all the eyes on you."

Rukia chuckled, causing Ichigo to squirm as he felt the vibrations on his chest. "I've stopped noticing, quite honestly. I've been too busy trying to please my brother and grandfather."

"Grandfather?"

"I don't like to talk about that old grump. You know, I'm glad that we met tonight," Rukia said in a quieter tone.

"Oh?"

Rukia scowled a little. "What's with the 'oh,' huh?"

"I just figured that you'd be mad at me, and I wouldn't know what to say," Ichigo said shyly as if he was guarding himself.

"You're damn right I'm mad," Rukia said in an eerie tone, quiet so that others couldn't hear but loud enough for Ichigo to gulp."What's your excuse for leaving me without saying goodbye and then refusing to make contact with me even though I called numerous times?"

Ichigo didn't respond. He only held her more tightly. What could he even he even say? There was no reason that wouldn't make her mad in Ichigo's opinion. It was purely because he was selfish. He didn't want any of the pain for himself. Saying goodbye would mean that what they had was over, and Ichigo didn't want that. He was just a coward.

"You look beautiful tonight," Ichigo said quickly.

"You already said that you idiot," Rukia replied in a low, dangerous voice. Proof that her patience was wearing thin. "I want you to answer me, Ichigo."

Her tone was demanding to say the least. Ichigo simply lowered his head. It turned out that he was more of a coward than he thought he was.

His silence irritated Rukia. She felt her heart rate increase but not in a good way. Rukia's grip tightened on Ichigo's shoulder after every passing second. That rising temper could not longer be hidden.

"Ugh," Rukia scoffed while violently shoving Ichigo away from her. "Unbelievable!" she snapped and stormed off.

Ichigo felt himself turn red as several eyes turned to watch the scene unfold. Those greedy eyes would do anything to see something they could gossip about. Ichigo's scowl deepened as the well-to-do spectators hid their mocking smiles behind their hands. He shook off the feeling of being watched and chased after her.

"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted in desperation but there was no luck. She would look back at him.

Her fleeing form swiftly moved towards the elegant French doors on the other side of the party. No, Ichigo was not letting her get away, but she sure was quick for having such short legs.

Rukia had reached the French doors and violently pushed them open, taking no care to close them. That was probably due to the fact that she knew Ichigo was chasing her. She would bet money on it, but what she didn't bet on was how fast Ichigo had reached her. He closed the door behind them, trapping Rukia in the outside balcony with him. Rukia took a step back as he strode towards her grabbing her wrists roughly. She pressed her back on the cold stone columns in defeat.

"What the hell happened to 'keeping that Kuchiki image,' Rukia? Storming away and making a scene isn't exactly good for anyone's image," Ichigo scolded, holding her wrists up.

"Well, you kind of make me do stupid things," Rukia spat back, showing some of that old cold attitude from when they first met. "Why can't you just answer me? I believe I deserve an explanation considering…"

"Considering what?!"

"Considering the fact that I-! I-! Ugh! You make everything so difficult you know that!"

"No, I want you to finish that sentence, Rukia!" Ichigo shouted back, getting closer to her with every word.

Rukia narrowed her eyes. "I won't finish until you answer my damn question!"

"Fine!" Ichigo bit out, pulling her wrists closer to him. "I was afraid!"

Rukia's face twisted into pure annoyance. "Afraid?! What kind of answer is that, Ichigo? What could you possibly be afraid o- mmph!" Rukia's tirade was halted by Ichigo crashing his lips on hers in a passionate lip-lock, one that she had never been subjected to at that caliber. His grip on her wrists loosened as her eyes fluttered shut and her hands locked in his hair. Ichigo continued to shift his hands from the back on her neck to her cheek, pressing his body on hers harshly. Rukia started to straddle his hips with her legs, pushing them much closer than before.

Then, with a harsh shove, a flushed Rukia forced Ichigo off of her. "No!" she panted, trying to catch her breath after that kiss. "You can't just kiss me like that and get away with it!"

Ichigo tried to hide his blush as he mumbled, "You didn't like that? Now you've just lost me."

"No, I liked that!" Rukia shouted defiantly. Then she turned sheepishly, "I liked that a lot, actually." Her face turned back to fury. "But, that's beside the point! Tell me the truth!"

"I was afraid that I'd lose you forever if I said goodbye," Ichigo said quietly.

Rukia looked at him with confusion. "Now, you've lost me."

"I'm not good at goodbyes," Ichigo said, turning away. "Saying goodbye would mean that it was over for good. I was too chicken to end it off. I was afraid that I'd do something that I'd regret, you know? I care about you too much to do something like that, and I was selfish. I wanted to keep our relationship alive, no matter how weak. I kept you in the dark, and I'm sorry about that. I wanted there to be an open door for us to continue sometime in the future. I just wanted you so bad, and it hurt me to see our relationship fall apart."

Rukia waited to process the misleading information. "Were you trying to tell me that you wanted me to wait for you?"

"Yes, more or less," Ichigo mumbled.

She sighed. "You have to be the most cryptic man I've ever met, and I lived with Byakuya for a few years, but somehow I understood you. Somehow… No matter how bizarre your reasons were."

"I couldn't expect you to understand…" Ichigo said dejectedly.

"Now, what is that supposed to mean, Ichigo? How dare you say that I couldn't understand? I wanted to be with you more than anything, but it couldn't work, and you know what? Never expect or force a woman to wait for you! Talk about rude… I'm the only one who can control my life."

"Sorry… I'm sorry, I'm sorry… A thousand times sorry…"

"Ichigo," Rukia said sharply, gaining his attention. "You screwed up, but I can't find it in myself to stay mad at you. You ignored me and left me hanging, but I still find myself forgiving you. I guess that's the curse of a woman. Ichigo, I'm only going to say this once, so listen up. I've met all sorts of different types of men, but you are the only one that makes me feel like this. I've had time to think about it, and you know what? I understand why I'm so drawn to you. Ichigo Kurosaki, you are one of the sweetest, bravest people I know. You pretend to be harsh and cold because you were scared of being hurt, and I understand that. I used to do it too. I want you to know that I believe you are a hero, even though others treat you like trash. I know the true Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ichigo watched Rukia with a new type of face. Admiration? No, it was more than admiration. It was…

"You sure are one hell of a woman," Ichigo said breathlessly.

Rukia turned away so he could see her blush. "S-Stop looking at me like that."

With a sly smile, Ichigo stalked closer to Rukia, held her waist, and whispered in her ear, "Now, tell me what you were going to say." He then started to nibble on Rukia's neck delicately, right on the spot where he knew Rukia would go crazy.

"I-I was hoping you'd forget about that," she whispered, leaning into his touch.

Ichigo smiled into her neck. "How could I forget?" He turned his head to reach her lips in a slow dragging kiss.

Rukia gasped a little and ended to kiss quick. "Ichigo, stop trying to seduce me! Unless you just can't get enough of me, then I'm alright with that." Rukia whispered to herself, "He doesn't need to try so hard. He's already got me."

"Rukia, you beautiful, wonderful, smart woman…"

"Ichigo," Rukia giggled, distracted by him. "What I was going to say was that I love you," she said bravely. Ichigo's jaw dropped. "Oh, c'mon. It couldn't have been that much of a shock considering that time at the hospital and how just now I poured my heart out to you."

"N-No, it's not that," Ichigo explained. "I just never thought I'd hear you say it out loud. Rukia looked at him with a raised eyebrow. It was amazing how small Ichigo could look when he was vulnerable. "It's been a while since someone loved me romantically. Rukia, I love you so damn much. I tried to deny it for so long, but who cares at this point? Ugh, I wanted to say it first, but so much for that."

Rukia snickered into her hand. "I'm sorry," she chuckled. "I'm not laughing at you at all. I'm truly touched. It's just-" Rukia couldn't contain her laughter. Now, it was no longer hidden under her hand in vain. "This is just so cliché. It's just like a romance movie. I thought that shit didn't happen in real life, but I guess I was wrong. There's only one thing that would make our romance movie complete."

"And what's that, Miss Kuchiki?" Ichigo said in a low voice that made Rukia shudder.

She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "If we got a happy ending, Sheriff Kurosaki."

"Well, actually… It's funny that you say that…" Ichigo trailed.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I'm not Sheriff Kurosaki anymore. I'm Detective Kurosaki, now," Ichigo said carefully.

Rukia furrowed her eyebrows. "Ichigo, can you explain something fully for once?"

"So, I was offered a position under Captain Hitsugaya as a Detective. Captain Hitsugaya also asked Commissioner Kyoraku to pardon me at the Police Department. Nothing will be held against me anymore. I just recently took the job, so I'll be starting work in a week or so."

Ichigo turned to look at her reaction, but instead, he got a firm slap to the face. He cradled his stinging cheek with one of his hands. That would definitely leave a mark for tomorrow.

"Ow, why'd you do that?" Ichigo hissed.

"You should have said that first, you stupid carrothead! You're lucky a slap is all you got for that! Why would you not tell me that right away? I was under the impression that this was the only time I'd see you in a while! Okay, I got all the anger out of my system."

"Well, I thought that we had a lot to talk about that was more important than that," Ichigo said awkwardly.

Rukia blinked a few times before grumbling to herself. "You are so lucky that I like you, or I'd…" she trailed. Ichigo honestly didn't want to hear what she was going to say because it probably was going to be awful. "Are you planning on moving to Seireitei, or are you going to commute?"

"Oh, God no. That's much too long of a commute. I'm going to look for a place to live in Seireitei."

"It seems like I have a lot to show you about Seireitei," Rukia said lowly as she strode over to rest her hands on his chest. "I wish Mr. Detective would have told me earlier, so I could make proper preparations." Rukia then hugged him fiercely. "I'm so proud of you, Ichigo."

"Rukia, you're going to make me blush," he said sheepishly.

"I'm pretty sure you're already blushing, and I'm not even looking at you," Rukia chuckled. "I know you don't like Seireitei all that much, so why exactly are you completely moving?"

"Karin got an internship in Seireitei. I'd rather if she didn't live in Seireitei without a family member. Plus," Ichigo said slyly while grabbing her hands. "We can be together much more often, Miss Kuchiki."

Rukia giggled and pecked his lips. "Well, aren't you smooth?"

"Oh, please. I'm just trying to put my best moves on you," Ichigo said with a smirk.

"Well, they aren't the best, but they work on me." Rukia turned around and headed towards the French doors. She was quite grateful that no one walked in on their little conversation. "Ichigo, you've gotten me all riled up." Rukia looked back over her shoulder with a devilish smile that stopped Ichigo's breathing. "I'm excited to show you all the cool places in Seireitei. I think we should start tonight with a tour of my apartment."

Hello

Wow, that was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. I wanted it to seem real and not stereotypical like a majority of the other fanfictions. I also didn't want it to be bland at all. There has to be an element that keeps the reader interested.

I felt that it would be out of Ichigo's character to make any sense. I tried to make his reasoning hard to understand but still understandable after a bit of reviewing in your head. I based his cluelessness off of a stupid guy that I had a relationship with. Luckily, Rukia's character is sharp enough to deal with something like that.

I hope you guys loved this chapter as much as I did!

Peace ( ͜ʖ )