A/N: RUKIA IS BAACCKKKK! I am… so happy. If you have not read the newest chapter of the manga yet, DO IT NOW!

Her hair… is so short! I love it, though. It's just different.

GAHH! She's BAACCKKKKK! I'm so happy.

Anyway, I decided to write something for the happy reunion. XD Please review!

Oh, and spoilers up to the current chapter, 459. But I kinda gave it away already, so...

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo does, and for a good reason! RUKIA IS BACK!

REUNIONS

That stupid Strawberry.

Didn't he know it was me who was stabbing him? Hadn't we been through this before?

I saw his eyes squint in concentration, trying to see my form that was still fuzzy to him. My heart was racing; this was it. Finally, finally, he would look at me with his amber eyes again. I would finally feel his gaze on me. He would finally see my smile towards him and the fondness behind it.

It had been too long.

Everything froze, slowed down the second my form was solid enough for him to see.

Finally, I saw his eyes widen in recognition. I felt a small tug on the corner of my lips and allowed the smile to grace my features, if only slightly. I couldn't breath. He can see me, I thought. It was all I could think.

"…Rukia…!" His voice caught a little, and my heart fluttered. He was addressing me… for the first time in 17 months.

My smile only grew slightly in response. I couldn't find words enough to express what I was thinking. And honestly, I wasn't sure if words were necessary now.

His eyes took me in, my new hairstyle, my badge on my arm, my height. A lot had changed in 17 months.

I knew he couldn't turn since I had a sword sticking in him, but I longed to wrap my arms around him. And I also wanted to simply stare and be stared at forever, all at the same time.

Even though I could've watched him during that long year and a half, I often chose not to. It was painful to see him in pain, suffering because of me. After all, I was the one who gave him his powers, and in a way, I was the one who took them away. He wanted to protect me. It was because of his need to protect his loved ones and nothing else that he had used the last Getsuga Tensho.

And because it was too painful, because I didn't watch him, I had to take in his form just as much as he needed to take in mine. He was taller, his hair was longer, and his face looked more tired than I had ever seen it before. Everything else was the same. His vibrant orange hair, his amber eyes, even the hint of a scowl behind his shocked expression. His voice was the same, too, unless it was a tad deeper. It was difficult to concentrate; it was hard to do anything but stare. Stare and smile.

Then came the explosion. His reiatsu was everywhere at once, and I welcomed the overwhelming feel of it. I realized that I had missed its constant pressure and warmth. The explosion blocked my sight of him, but I could feel him, finally, and it was just as good a feeling.

He was back. I am back.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It couldn't be. I refused to believe it. I refused to let my hopes rise. And yet, I felt them rising despite my demands.

FInally, she came to view, and relief and anxiety flooded through me. It was Rukia. Rukia, Rukia, Rukia. I repeated her name as a mantra through my head as if when I stopped, she'd disappear again. And I couldn't let that happen. Not ever again. It would kill me.

I couldn't speak, couldn't get anything out of my tight throat. Her eyes simply looked at me, full of emotion that I couldn't quite interpret. My jaw fell open and I let a single shocked word tumble out. "…Rukia…!" My voice caught in my throat and it sounded strangled consequently. Finally, I could read the look in her eyes. Relief. With a tad of smugness. Stupid Midget.

After the original recognition, I began to notice things: her hair was shorter, making her look older, more mature. It looked good that way. I couldn't help but miss her old hair, though; that's how I'd always known her to be. Having her hair cut made it evident that her life went on without mine. I snapped my attention from her hair and looked to her arm. Wrapped around it was a badge. Pride filled me suddenly as I realized that she'd been promoted. I always knew she could do it. If I wasn't still in shock, I'd've smirked at her. Or maybe, given the circumstances, it would call for an actual smile. Finally, I realized that she wasn't as short as she used to be. Still short, still a midget. Still my midget. But not mistakable for a twelve-year old anymore.

No, the Rukia standing behind me was a woman, through and through.

And holy cow, she was beautiful.

She was smiling slightly up at me, her eyes taking in my appearance. I felt my ego rise when I saw her smile twitch in appreciation, but I pushed it off and disregarded my observation. I was probably wrong, anyway.

She didn't say anything, didn't move. She only stood there, looking at me, her soul cutter stuck in my chest. I wanted to pull it out so I could turn to her completely, to look at her head-on. But I didn't want to lose my powers again, the powers that she was giving back to me. If I did, I wouldn't be able to see her again. And that was simply unbearable.

I refused to let my mind tell me the reason for it being unbearable. I knew it deep down in my gut somewhere, but I didn't want to complicate things. Not my friendship with Rukia. My best friend.

Suddenly, the air around us exploded. I could feel it coming back, all of my shinigami powers. I felt relief and strength and anxiety all at the same time. And distress, because the clouds of smoke blocked my view of Rukia. I didn't want to let her out of my sight, because if I did, she might never come back. And I could not handle that. The past 17 months were torture enough.

But now, things were going to get better. Life was going to get easier. Rukia was back, my best friend was back home with me, where she belongs. One look at her and I knew:

The rain stopped.

A/N: I am aware that there are 5 billion of these coming out right now, but how could I not? Seriously. It's RUKIA. And she's BACK. And she looks like a WOMAN. Which means that perhaps… Ichigo will notice? Please, Kubo! Make it happen!

Anyway, OH MY GOSH I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! 199 reviews for this story! :D That makes me seriously SO happy. You guys are the BEST. And I mean that, 100%.

Stay awesome. :D

REVIEWS!

Mijumaruwott- Haha, got ya! And here's an update, so early! Hurray!

ChocoboMuffins- Haha, sorry about that! At least I didn't make it go into much… detail, haha. The idea popped into my head and I just wrote it down, so, yeah...

Miku Alli- Oh, well, usually I make the "threats" related to the chapter, and I kinda felt awkward trying to find one for that chapter. Haha. I think everyone enjoys their pet names occasionally. :D

arrancar125- (Your review for chapter 1, 2, and 6) Aw, thanks so much! That means so much to me; you're so sweet! I'm glad you liked it so far!

Moonstar2015- Haha, death by sparkles! We can't protect ourselves against them, can we? I mean, what are we supposed to do to defend ourselves? It's a mystery, haha. Rukia would, right? Haha, glad you liked it!

Bree Renee- Haha, sorry! Look! Another update really early! Yay! You have Kubo Tite to thank for that. ;)

2coolforyou- Thanks for having faith in me! Glad you liked this chapter. Thanks for the review!

curio cherry- Oh, my that would certainly be interesting… I don't think I could write that if I tried, haha. Glad you liked this chapter! And simple and fun is what I do best. ;)

darlover-Rukia has always been too concerned with fitting in, haha. Spike is just a great character in general, but I love him with Buffy. More than Angel, any day. I mean, Angel didn't want Buffy when he didn't have a soul, yet Spike went and GOT a soul for her because he loved her. He's just the best. And he's hilarious. Yeah, my brother was telling me about the comics, but I haven't read them. He kept trying to tell me that Spike doesn't die, but I have to let him die. Even though he comes back as a sort-of ghost in Angel, but that's better than just not being dead. I just thought it had a good ending and didn't need any more. So I haven't read any of them, but maybe I will sometime. My brother keeps trying to convince me. He does that a lot, and usually I gain a new favorite (*cough, obsession, cough*) when I listen to him, haha.

Winter Knight- Glad you liked it and found it funny! Yay for macbook pros! I love mine, its name is Celia. And I love that I can update without having to plug it in, as it was with my old computer. It was a pain to lug it downstairs to get internet access. Celia is much better. :D

Night-Iris-(Your review to chapter 36) Haha, I know! NOT YOU, RUKIA! I kept battling between her loving them or hating them. I could see her go either way. In the end, I just had her objectively believe them, haha.

Andr3w R0b3rst0n- It certainly was! Haha (you were almost right, just an "i" missing, but who's counting?) Okay, I won't tickle you since you reviewed. xD Rukia simply rejected him because she wanted to tell her buddies that she turned him down. :) Cookies make everything better. Always. Unless you're me and don't like cookies (besides no-bakes, mmmmm).

REVIEW! Or I will bribe Kubo to take away Rukia again! Except for me, because I love her too much. ;)