Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. It's property of Tite Kubo.

Author's Note: Long time no see, guys! Sorry about that, but I've been busy studying and other fandoms have sucked my creativity and directed it to other works. Nevrr fear, because these one-shot dumpster is still in my mind always. I'm proud to say I will start working on IchiRuki Month next week. Will I participate in all prompts? Probably not. I still haven't finished writing two from last year, so there's that. But I will try to write for most of them. Probably they will be less ambitious than last year, mainly because I found I quickly burnt out from writing long one-shots every day. I also want to tell you I've started working on "Death In The Cabaret Part II" finally! Hope you're still interested. A super smutty one-shot is also on the way, though I'm not sure if I'll publish it here. It will be most likely be posted on Tumblr. However, I will tell you beforehand.

I also want to thank you for your reviews last chapter! Glad you enjoyed it even with all the crack!

On today's business, well, it's Ichigo's birthday, so I couldn't help it and wrote this one-shot. It was requested by darkenedsun21 on Tumblr. Hope you all enjoy it!

Reviews

Guest: Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

What I Want Most

Summary: After months of not seeing each other, Rukia visits Ichigo on his birthday.

Rukia woke up feeling different. It wasn't a bad different, like the sense of dread that sometimes would accompany her in mornings after a nightmare. It was just different. Like the feeling that would overcome you when you knew something was about to happen. One glance at the calendar gave her the answer she had been looking for. Today wasn't just any ordinary day. It was July 15th. A very special day. She instantly got up, neatly folding her futon and stalking it away. She washed her face, all drowsiness disappearing from her eyes. She dressed in her uniform, erasing any wrinkles with her hands. Her gloves were next. She inspected them before putting them on, hoping there were no stains on the white fabric. She gently brushed her short hair. Finally, she strapped on her lieutenant badge on her arm. One last look at the mirror told her she was ready to face the day.

With a spring on her step, Rukia made her way to the dining room, where her brother was already waiting for her.

"Good morning, nii-sama." She greeted him, sitting down next to him.

Ever impassive, Byakuya looked at her. "Good morning, Rukia." He greeted her. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thank you." She answered right away, already putting food on her plate. "What about you? Did you sleep well, nii-sama?"

The man nodded. "I did."

They didn't say anything else, as was their usual routine. It was a good routine. Neither was particularly chatty. There was no reason to feel in the silences which weren't awkward any longer. However, there was something different to their meal. Rukia couldn't quite pinpoint the source pf this sensation. Looking up, she found it by the way Byakuya kept staring at her.

"Is something the matter?" She asked, fearing she had done something wrong. Their close relationship was a new development, after all. Only last year they had been basically strangers. A lot of things had changed.

He didn't answer her right away. Instead, he looked right in her eyes, his gaze deep. "Are you sure you feel well?" He asked her instead.

Rukia felt touched that her brother was worried about her. She felt a warmth spread in her chest. "I am feeling well, nii-sama." She said, smiling at him. There was no reason to worry him.

Byakuya nodded and then they went back to eating in silence.

Once breakfast had ended, the siblings made their way to their respective squads together. Another change that had come to pass in recent times. It was a nice walk, but sooner than later, they had to part ways, each turning to a different direction. Rukia walked calmly. She was early. She always was. Although she was sure there already was something going on in the barracks. Nothing could ever be peaceful with her squad mates. They weren't as rowdy as squad 11, but nevertheless, Kiyone and Sentarou were always stuck in one shenanigan after another. Rukia snorted. She wondered with what kind of silliness they would greet her today.

As she entered the barracks, she greeted the other Shinigami, who saluted her when they saw her. Rukia couldn't believe that there had been a time where she had felt out of place in her own squad. Today everything was different altogether. It made her feel happy. As she neared her office, her smile widened. She could already hear the tow third-seats arguing loudly. She opened the door as quietly as she could, only to find both having a shouting match.

"Why did you have to buy strawberries?! I told you I wanted peaches!" Kiyone exclaimed.

"What's wrong with strawberries?!" Sentarou countered. "They're better than strawberries!"

"First of all, it's peach season, you idiot!" The woman said, hitting Sentarou on the hand. "Second of all, you know why strawberries are a bad idea!"

"I don't why─!" He started saying until realization dawned on him. "Oh."

"Yes, oh!" Kiyone said, hitting him on the head once more.

Rukia chose that moment to make her presence known by coughing.

"Fukutaichou!" Both third seats exclaimed, turning bright red.

"He/she started it!" They said at the same time, pointing fingers at each other.

"Stop copying me!" They added.

Rukia burst out laughing. The two of them were always fun to be around. "Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"Do you want some strawberries? I brought them myself!" Sentarou interjected, presenting her with the strawberry bowl he was carrying. Next to him, Kiyone elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow!" He exclaimed.

"What Sentarou meant to say," She said, an evil smile on her face, "was that we wanted to give you peaches, but someone," she added, glaring at Sentarou, "brought strawberries instead."

The lieutenant didn't answer. Instead, she picked one of the strawberries, the biggest one, and bit it. A smile instantly bloomed on her face. "They're very good! Thank you so much!"

"See, Kiyone, she liked them!"

"Shut up!"

Feeling that a new argument was brewing, Rukia interrupted them. "Has the Captain arrived yet?"

"Yes! He's in the office."

She nodded and went straight to her captain. Ukitake was sitting down, looking at some papers.

"Oh, Kuchiki, good morning!" He greeted her. His usual kind smile in place.

"Good morning, Captain!" she said, sitting down next to him.

"I'm glad that you're finally here. I wanted to go over some papers with you."

Together, they looked over the results of the training in their squad. Then, they started chatting amicably over some tea.

"By the way, Kuchiki, everything is ready for today." Ukitake said.

"That's great, Captain, thank you!" Rukia answered, beaming at him.

"It was no problem. Stay for as long as you would like." He told her, giving her a sympathetic smile.

She nodded and, shortly after, left to attend to her other duties.

By lunch time, she went to her usual spot in the barracks, next to the river, where Kaien-dono used to take her, oh so long ago. Rukia closed her eyes, enjoying the nice breeze. Since it was summer already, the temperature had gone up and her office felt stuffy. Nothing better than eating outside in this weather, what with the gentle breeze which surrounded her. Soon, she felt a presence next to her. Opening her eyes, she found just the person she had been waiting for.

"Hello, Renji." She said as the man sat down next to him.

"Took me like twenty minutes to find you." He grumbled. "My food better be still hot."

Rukia snorted. "Stop acting like a baby and eat."

Together, the childhood friends started eating and sharing funny anecdotes that had happened in the time they hadn't seen each other. They both made it a point to see each other at least once every three days, but since Soul Society was always bustling with lively events, there was always a lot they had to share. Once Rukia was done telling Renji about the argument with the strawberries that Kiyone and Sentarou had had that morning, he looked at her with a serious expression on his face.

"And you weren't bothered?" He asked her, brows furrowing.

She raised an eyebrow "Why would I be bother by something like that?" The way he glared at her told her the answer. Sighing, she spoke. "I'm fine, Renji, really."

He didn't look convinced but decided not to keep pressing on the matter. "If you say so." He said, and then he stood up. "Rukia." He called her.

"Yeah?"

"Good luck today." Renji told her.

She just shook her head. "I don't need it." She answered, grinning at him.

Renji didn't say anything more, waving goodbye, he left to his barracks.

This was it. Rukia thought as she stared at the Seikamon. Captain Ukitake stood next to her, for he was the one who had opened the gate for her.

"Well, Urahara-san should be waiting for you on the other side." He told her. "And he should open it for you after you're done."

Rukia nodded. "Thank you, for everything."

The older man smiled down at her. "Go on, Kuchiki. Don't worry about anything."

Nodding, she did as she was told, and started running down the tunnel. Sooner than she had expected, she saw the light at the end, and in the blink of an eye she was on the street. She had to focus her eyesight. Although it was getting dark outside already, the light coming from the lampposts was bright. Her feet touched the cobblestone and she finally saw the person standing next to her.

"Good afternoon, Kuchiki-san." Urahara greeted her. He didn't look any different than from the last time she had seen him. He was in his usual clothing, green hat still in place as was the mysterious smile he always wore.

"Afternoon, Urahara." She said. "Thanks for receiving me."

He waved his hand. "Nonsense. It's our usual arrangement, isn't it?"

Rukia simply nodded, starting to look around.

"You know, I've been working on a new type of gigai. If you could only accompany to my shop, you can try it on and then go to your destination." He said, gesturing towards the direction of his establishment.

She shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't lose any more time."

"Are you sure?" Urahara asked her, his deep eyes boring in hers.

"You know I can't." She said sadly, eyes downcast.

"Very well. Then, I'll leave. You already know the way to where you're going, so I'm no longer needed. Come look for me after you're done." He said, already turning away to leave.

"I will. Thanks again!"

The man nodded and walked away, only to stop on his tracks. "Oh, and please greet Kurosaki-san for me!" With one last wave, he was gone.

Rukia stood there for a couple of seconds, feelings bubbling inside that she pushed back. Then, she looked at her surroundings. She instantly recognized the place. She had landed only a few blocks away from her destination. She'd be there in then minutes if she walked, but she could cut the time in more than half if she leaped over the houses' roofs. Smiling to herself, Rukia started jumping around. The moon was already coming up, and with it came Rukia's favorite time of the day. She loved how the sky would turn orange, then red, only to give into dark blue, which in turn turned to black. It was like seeing someone paint in real time. The stars were always something to look forward to. The way they would sparkle. In Karakura, not only the stars would sparkle, but also the lights from buildings and lampposts. It was a different night scene. But it was a good scene.

In the blink of an eye she was standing in front of a house which read proudly "Karakura Clinic." A wave of nostalgia invaded Rukia. A year ago, this was the place she had called home. The place where she could go in and out freely. The place where she had been welcomed with open arms. And it was just the place the person she had wanted to see the most was inside. Taking deep breaths, Rukia prepared herself for the inevitable. She walked to the door and went through it. Being a spirit had its perks. She had no form in the human world. Once inside, her eyes trailed the living room. Nothing had changed except for the confetti that had been thrown on the ground, and the party hats that lay on the couch. She laughed a little, imagining the family that lived there going all out, being the rambunctious bunch they always had been. Moving to the kitchen, she noticed that there was a half-eaten chocolate cake on the table, waiting to be eaten. It stared at her mockingly, as if daring her to eat a piece. Rukia shook her head, eyes traveling and setting on the eyes that stared at her from the poster. The woman wore a kind smile, but Rukia felt as if she was being judged by her.

As the lights were off, Rukia guessed the people that lived there had all gone to their rooms. It wasn't that late, as shown by the clock. But it was after dinner. They were all probably tired from their daily activities. She gently walked up the stairs, trying to not make a sound. Then hall was disserted, which was good for Rukia. She didn't want any witnesses for this. Then, she walked up to the door which had a sign with the number 15 on it. Rukia marveled at how easy it had been once to just walk up to the door, uncaring if she was seen or yelled at. That room had been her room too. Where she had slept, eaten, and even done homework in. All her free time had been spent between its four walls. That was her home. Braving herself, she went in, feeling herself shiver in anticipation.

To be perfectly honest, Rukia hadn't known what to expect when she finally went in. Whatever it was, it wasn't the scene that greeted her. The lights were deemed. It wasn't so dark that she couldn't see, but it was dark enough to provide an intimate atmosphere to the room. Her eyes quickly scanned the details of the room, looking for anything that was amiss. There was gift wrap neatly placed on the trash can, as if someone had recently opened up presents. There was a school bag, which had been hastily thrown on the floor. And there, sitting on the floor with his back to the closet, was Kurosaki Ichigo, reduced to a crying mess. Rukia instantly felt as if someone had made a whole through her stomach. Of all things, she wasn't expecting to see her friend in such a state. She had only seen him cry once, and even then there was a fury to his laments. Now there was no anger, but an unabashed sadness that seeped her to the core. There was no trace of the once proud Substitute Shinigami there, but a human boy who had his head between his arms, body shaking with each sob. Rukia felt like joining him in the ground and crying herself. But she knew she couldn't. Someone had to be strong for both of them. Gently, she walked towards him, and sat down next to him.

"You know," she started saying. "I love what you've done with the place. The bed facing in the opposite direction gives the room a nice touch." She joked. Ichigo, as expected, didn't say anything, he just continued crying. She sighed loudly, and buried her face in her hand. "I had a million things I wanted to tell you, but they all flew out of the window the moment I saw you." She said, sounding almost tired. "It really threw me off. The other times I've been here, you've seemed fine." She muttered, remembering the few times she had visited over the months they hadn't seen each other. Rukia had told him she would visit him even if he couldn't see her, and true to her word she had come more than once. "Nii-sama and Renji didn't want me to come." She continued talking. She never knew why she did so, since he couldn't hear her, but it felt good, as if she was meant to do it. "They never told me not to, but I could see in their eyes they were worried. Kiyone and Sentarou tried to cheer me up today. They did but not in the way they had expected." Rukia chuckled as she remembered that morning's events. "Everybody, even my own squad, seems to walk on eggshells when they talk to me. As if they're expecting to say something that could upset me. That upsets me more." She confessed. "Only Ukitake-taichou and Urahara-san seem supportive. But they're worried. I guess about both of us." Rukia stopped talking and looked at Ichigo, who kept crying. "Is it the same for you? Is everyone trying to make you feel better doing all the wrong things? Is that why you're crying?" They were obviously rhetorical questions. She already knew the answers.

She let a few moments passed, memories lived in that same room rushed to her, making Rukia feel as if she was drowning. In a second, the damp broke and tears spilled down her face. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry, and yet, here she was, crying like a little girl. Next to her, Ichigo cried harder, almost choking himself with the way she was sobbing. The scene broke her heart and, uncaring of anything, she reached towards him and wrapped her arms around his body. She hoped against hope that he would be able to feel her warmth, but not such thing happened for he kept sobbing, his tears dampening her clothes.

"Please don't cry, Ichigo." She muttered as she placed her head on the crook of his neck. "I never wanted for you to feel like this. I wanted you to feel happy, to be with your family and friends, eating cake and opening presents. Most of all, I wanted to be here and join you. I wanted to eat cake with you. I wanted to buy you a present and give it to you. I wanted to make you a banner with my drawings, and listen to you complain about how much I suck at drawing. I wanted to laugh with you. I wanted to pester you. I wanted just to be with you." She confessed, holding him tighter. "But I know it's not possible. Even being here it's against the Captain Commander's rules, but I was given a free pass." Then she looked up, staring at his brown eyes. Even with tears streaming down from them, they were as beautiful as she remembered. "Ichigo, I know that you can't hear me but listen to me. You will be fine. You will be more than fine, you hear me? You'll find something that keeps you going. You'll keep moving forward. You will be happy. When you think about Shinigami, about me, you'll remember us fondly, okay? You won't hurt anymore. And, when the time comes to meet each other again, I'll be right there waiting for you, alright? So, don't cry anymore! You're not alone."

As if her words were magic, Ichigo soon stopped sobbing, crying every once in a while until his tears were dried. Standing up, he opened his drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. Curious, Rukia went over to see what he was looking at so fondly. It was one of the drawings she had made long ago, telling him to get ready for training. She chuckled, tears threating to fall down her cheeks again. "Idiot." She muttered. "I miss you too." She told him, hand squeezing his arm to let him know she was there. Her eyes then strayed to his clock. It was already time to go. With a sigh, Rukia looked around the room, memorizing everything. Then she looked at Ichigo. She noticed how tall he had gotten. She noticed the way his hair had grown longer, and how his face looked sharper. He was quickly becoming a man. A man she was proud of.

Standing on her toes, Rukia reached out to whisper in his ear. "Happy birthday, Ichigo." Then, in a split-second decision, she kissed his cheek, lips lingering on his skin, enjoying his warmth. Next, she jumped on his bed and then straight out of the window. She quickly wiped off her tears before meeting Urahara, but the oppression she had felt was gone. Even if Ichigo had looked miserable, by the end he had looked comforted, as if her words had somehow reached him. Rukia decided that it didn't matter if they could see each other tomorrow or in a hundred years, she would always be waiting for him, most likely with a kick, and then she would be able to tell him everything she had wanted to share with him in these past months. Then, her words would be finally able to reach him.

Unknown to her, Ichigo stood in the middle of his room, eyes wide as he touched his cheek. He could have sworn that he felt something warm pressing on it.

15 years later

Rukia woke up feeling different. It wasn't a bad different. It was a good feeling. Like the feeling you get when it starts to snow. One glance at the calendar gave her the answer she had been looking for. Today wasn't just any ordinary day. It was July 15th. A very special day. Rolling over, she turned to look at her companion, who was still fast asleep. Grinning, she instantly got up, careful of not waking him up. She washed her face, all drowsiness disappearing from her eyes. She put on a violet yukata which complimented her eyes. She gently brushed her long hair, putting a hairpin on it. Once she was satisfied, she went out of her room.

Some moments later, Rukia came back carrying a plate with a big chocolate cake, behind her, two children entered the room. Excitedly, they jumped on the man that was sleeping on the bed, and began moving him to wake up. Ichigo soon opened his eyes, finding his two children calling him to wake up.

"Alright, alright, I'm up!" He said, sitting on the futon, and gathering his kids in his two arms.

"Happy birthday, daddy!" They both said happily.

"Happy birthday, Ichigo!" Rukia congratulated him next, leaning down to kiss his cheek. Her husband grinned at her and then kissed her on the lips.

"Thank you, Rukia." He said, the smile never leaving his face, and then he looked at the plate on her arms. "Is that for me?"

"Mommy made it for you, daddy!" Mamoru told him. "And Hikari and I helped!" The little girl nodded, her black hair bouncing with each nod.

"Then I bet it's the best cake in the world." He proclaimed, taking the cake from Rukia's arms, and pulling her down to him.

Rukia chuckled and immediately smiled when Ichigo's hand started rubbing her baby bump. She couldn't help but remember a time when none of this had seemed to be possible, but now was their reality. Pushing those thoughts aside, she ate cake with her family, feeling incredibly happy when she noticed Ichigo's smile had never left his face.

It was a good day, after all.

A/N: Yes, the ending was shamelessly based on another IR fic I wrote for Ichigo's birthday years ago for the Spanish-speaking fandom. And it's also part of my alternate timeline fics, around 4 years or so after the events of "Death & Strawberry."

Anyone else read "Burn The Witch"?