'You're an asshole.'
It was intended as affectionate, but fell breathless from her lips instead. Rukia twisted around, her face nuzzling into his neck and her hand twisting in his hair as she tried to get her breath back. They were sitting on a rough rocky surface of the Australian outback. Well, Rukia wasn't sure if it was the outback or not, but it was certainly wild. They'd climbed for a while to get to the very spot and where they were now perched, looked out over beautiful Australian landscape. The colours in Australia were different. They were more muted and dusty but in their pale complexion was a subtle delicateness that contrasted with the harsh sun that beat down around them.
The sky was where Rukia really spotted the difference. Ireland was plagued with deep rumbling grey clouds, and only had two weather settings, rainy or snowy. If it was neither of them, it was usually at least overcast, which meant that Australians skies were painted with a brush she rarely got to see. Rukia travelled, of course, but most of her time spent in other countries was in a rink or a hotel or gym. It was rare she got to spend time, like she was now, fully appreciating the beauty of the place where she was. The sky in Australia pale blue, a hue that faded into white the closer it got to the horizon, it seemed to match the colour scheme of the country, and there wasn't a single cloud in sight.
'A handsome one, I think you'll agree,' Toshiro's chuckle rumbled around the quiet landscape.
'You're lucky you have your looks,' Rukia mumbled into his neck, rolling her eyes. The comment earned Rukia a small kiss, as his hands lessened their hold on her. As they'd climbed the mountain, Toshiro had explained it was where he'd come to snowboard, and looking at it, Rukia couldn't see the connection. There wasn't a lick of snow anywhere in sight, and she was sure he was winding her up again. He'd already managed to do several times on the trip already, the most memorable being the stupid Drop Bear fiasco.
At least it had been a bear and not a snake. Rukia hated snakes. Though he'd managed to wind her up about that too, and Rukia had fallen easily for that one, given Australia's reputation and how much she despised the slithering beasts.
'Today was nice,' Rukia murmured contently, moving to rest her head against his chest, listening to his heart as it quickened. 'Minus the snake ordeal,' she wanted to add, but said that in her head.
'I'm glad you enjoyed it,' Toshiro murmured back. His hands had found hers, and he sat playing idly with her fingers, in a fashion that had become so familiar to them.
It was clear that Toshiro was avoiding the topic as much as she was. They were dancing delicately around the edges of it now. Their time in this fictional landscape together, was coming to an end. In two days' time, Rukia would be on a flight back to Ireland. They had very little alone time left to enjoy each other, as they were planning to spend their final night at Yukio's house, giving Rukia a chance to meet the best friend.
'I'm glad we came up here,' Rukia said softly. It was true, they'd spent a lot of time together doing various things, most of Rukia's favourite things were behind closed doors, but she'd learned to enjoy just spending time with him out in the open too. He'd taken her bike riding and of course hiking which was how they'd ended up where they were.
I'm just glad we haven't seen any mountain spiders,' Toshiro said, but Rukia was beyond falling for any more of his stupid bullshit and smacked his arm instead.
'You're an asshole,' she repeated.
'You'll miss me though,' Toshiro's affectionate response came, finally touching on the topic that Rukia had been dreading. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to quell the emotions. She'd have to get used to saying goodbye to him and it hurt her.
'We'll see,' Rukia joked back. The joke didn't quite hit, her tone and the sense of impending doom that lingered between them drew from its delivery. Silence followed. Rukia hated silence, she couldn't stand it, so instead she did what she always did best. Pushing herself up, she twisted in his hold and met his lips with hers. Rukia kissed him until she was sure she'd sucked all the air from his lungs, shoving the emotions down with a physical gesture as was in her nature to do. Toshiro's hand slid into her hair, and he held her close, his taste so much like home that it made the thought of Ireland, foreign.
The gesture seemed to chase the impending unease away from them and when Rukia pulled back, his eyes were sparkling with that vivid light of life she loved so much. His face was all dimples and his teal eyes tender, as he gazed back at her. Rukia loved everything about his stupid face so much that it left a physical pain in her chest.
'We better get going,' Toshiro said.
Rukia still hadn't forgotten the whole mountain snake/spider/drop bear ordeal. 'Only if you carry me back down.'
Toshiro agreed with a chuckle and Rukia moved around to start packing things up. They'd brought a lot of food with them and she made sure to collect every bit of rubbish that they had. The last thing she needed was to appear on one of his Instagram rants about plastic packaging being left on the Australian mountainside.
Rukia teased him with that thought as a joke, while they threw apple cores into the trees to decompose, and Toshiro shot her a fierce look. His love for nature was not to be joked with, even if Rukia did hope that a snake might strangle itself in their plastic waste. With everything packed into the light blue bag, Rukia pulled it onto her shoulders and slipped the tartan mat through the hoops before climbing up onto Toshiro's back.
Going down was faster than climbing had been, and Toshiro didn't seem to have an issue with Rukia on his back. The skater was genuinely impressed with him and had expected him to put her down at some point. They made it all the way to the base though and only when the car was in sight did he let her finally slip off his back. Rukia threw him an impressed raise of her eyebrows, she knew he had stamina, but decided to test how much another time. She slipped the bag into the back seat, being careful of their water bottles and then slid gracefully into the front beside him. They were planning on having an early dinner with the other couples and Toshiro was worried about being late. Rukia realised, he still hated letting his family down, but she admired that about him. Toshiro pulled out onto the road, while Rukia got comfortable. The windows rolled down, she could feel the warm air brushing strands from her face, with a gentle sight she leaned back in the leather chair.
Toshiro was singing along to a song that was playing away in the background, it was an intricate composure, with a very indie like feel. He sang all the words, despite how fast the lyrics went and Rukia's interest piqued. She reached forward and turned the dial of the song up, staring at the words on the Bluetooth dashboard.
"Nosebleed Section by Hilltop Hoods"
'Never heard this before?' Toshiro asked, an edge of ludicrous to his voice that had Rukia frowning and trying to remember.
'I don't think so?'
'This is an Australian classic,' he laughed, 'I guess I never thought about it not being popular in other countries.'
'It just reminds me how much more I still have to learn about you and Australia,' Rukia grinned up at him and he smirked down at her.
They stopped talking, so they could enjoy the rest of the song, and Rukia pulled her phone out to add it to her "Toshiro" playlist. The Spotify playlist was public and already had over 100,000 followers, if any of them had never heard the song before, they were about to get a nice surprise.
'Here,' Toshiro said, nodding his head to the dash where a new song had popped up, 'let me educate your taste buds.'
Great Southern Land by Icehouse was much more like the Australian songs Rukia was expecting, and she enjoyed it just as much as the last, even if the tone of it was different. By the time they pulled up to the restaurant, Rukia felt a little more enlightened in Australian culture, but that didn't stop her from having to defend her own.
'Irish pubs are better,' the long standing argument continued and she rolled her eyes when he instantly disagreed.
'You are incorrect,' he scoffed back as they leaned against the old wood of the table and gazed out over the landscape.
Rukia had already educated him that the UK was where pubs first started, thus making them instantly better because they'd had time to properly mature. Everyone knew that the most authentic of any experience was where it originally came from, but still Toshiro tried to argue his futile argument back at her.
'Irish pubs are more fun,' Rukia shot back at him.
'Aussie pubs are just as fun,' he had the audacity to roll his eyes at her, 'and you can sit outside because the weather is better.'
Well. She couldn't dispute that. Sitting outside in the piss pouring rain, drinking a watered down beer and eating soggy crisps wasn't quite as relaxing as sitting in the heat of Australia and drinking an ice cold beer. Toshiro chuckled and pulled her in to kiss her temple. Rukia decided to change the subject instead.
'Should I be nervous about meeting Yukio tomorrow?' Rukia looked at him while he sipped on his drink. He promptly shook his head at the question.
'No way, Yukio is going to love you,' Toshiro reassured her.
Rukia wasn't convinced. She'd heard all kinds of stories from Rangiku about how protective Yukio was of Toshiro. Apparently Yukio had never really liked Toshiro's ex and Rangiku was pretty open about the fact that Yukio and her would bitch about Momo behind Toshiro's back. She'd asked that Rukia not mention this to Toshiro, but it hadn't settled her stomach much at all. What if she were just the next ex-girlfriend that they both bitched around? Rangiku had given her a "don't-be-thick" look when Rukia voiced the concern, but it still lingered at the back of her mind.
'Rangiku says he's very protective of you,' Rukia pointed out.
What if Yukio hated Rukia for hospitalising his best friend? After all Rukia still felt personally responsible for Toshiro's big crash on the slopestyle course and there were plenty of articles and news sources online dedicated to the fact that she was.
He shrugged. 'Good thing you make me happier than I have ever been.'
The way he smiled as he said it, the dimples flashing on his cheeks had heat creeping across Rukia's face. Every now and again she'd get struck by just how attracted to him she still was. Rukia was sure that there had to come a point when that feeling would leave her, but she was still experiencing it and wondered if maybe, it never would?
Toshiro kissed her cheek and Rukia melted against his affections. 'I've loved seeing your home this week,' Rukia murmured.
'My home has loved having you,' Toshiro flirted back and Rukia chuckled.
'Ireland won't be as homey,' Rukia sighed then, reaching across the table for her glass of wine. It was sitting out in the sun, so she moved it into the shade as she took a sip, 'but I do want to show you it.'
'It will be homey,' he murmured back, ducking down to kiss at her neck as she moved away from him. 'Home is wherever you and I are together now.'
Rukia chuckled, he was always far better at words than she was. Instead of trying to come up with a response, she simply leaned against him and enjoyed the moment. Occasionally Toshiro would kiss her head, and she'd sigh in content, his long fingers were playing with hers again, where their hands were interwoven on the old wooden table. Rukia absorbed the sun, though Toshiro was also helping to shade the worst of it from her with how tightly woven they'd become. The Australian sun was more dominant than the Irish sunshine could ever be, and she hoped to be able to bask in it and remember how it felt when she went home.
Rukia wanted to commit everything about this moment to memory.
A sharp intake of breath sounded behind them and Toshiro turned toward the noise. Rukia remained still, assuming it had been another patron of the pub, but she felt him tense and she glanced curiously around. Standing before them, was none other than his vicious, vile ex.
Rukia had stalked Toshiro enough to have found some of the images that had been on other people's profiles of them together. Though Toshiro had deleted them from his own Instagram and Facebook, there were plenty he didn't have control over. Momo also seemed keen for the world to know that they were together… or… had been together, making her exceptionally easy for Rukia to find. It was no mistaking the woman who stood in front of them just now, she even had her medical badge pinned to her chest as if she'd just come from work. Before the creature could open her mouth and say anything, Rukia brought Toshiro's attention back to her, hooking a finger under his chin and guiding his lips to her.
Perhaps it was a little childish to mark her territory like this, but since his words had failed to penetrate that thick skull of his ex, Rukia wondered if actions would. It gave her a deep sense of satisfaction to know that the woman seen them kiss, maybe she was still watching? Maybe she'd run off? Rukia had no idea, as the kiss deepened and Toshiro held her close, melting into her and happily accepting how she choose to deal with this situation. After all, Rukia was bad with words, if she'd started trying to insult Momo, it'd likely have ended with Rukia just throwing her drink at her. This was by far, safer.
Toshiro seemed to agree, at least, he didn't object, not while his lips were busy on hers and his tongue in her mouth. She let her hands wander around his neck, sliding up into his hair, her fingernails scraping lightly against the delicate flesh she knew he secretly loved.
'Dinner and a show?' Renji's obnoxious voice broke the beautiful atmosphere that Rukia and Toshiro had been building between them. Toshiro pulled away and Rukia reluctantly did too, tossing a glare at Renji who just smirked at her. For once she wasn't so happy to see him. Remembering why she'd started kissing Toshiro so heavily, Rukia glanced around and was relieved to see that the wicked witch of the west had left Oz. Her eyes spent a little longer than was necessary scanning the area for any sign of her before she finally relaxed.
Toshiro turned back, his attention had been elsewhere and Rukia studied him, 'I wanted her to know you're mine.' She was careful to keep her voice low, she didn't want Renji and Ichigo to overhear and figure out what had just occurred. Ichigo had recently become quite defensive of his little brother and Rukia was sure he might get a bit annoyed to know that Momo had come by.
'I'm all yours,' Toshiro replied and Rukia smirked as he reached down and connected their lips again.
'Dinner and a show?' this time it was Rangiku and Toshiro pulled away with a sigh. Rukia tried not to giggle at his reaction, but failed miserably, leaning into his chest as Rangiku and Renji high-fived in the background.
Banter flew between them, and Rukia only became engaged when Renji asked if she'd gone soft on them.
'Soft?' she snipped, pulling away from Toshiro to lean across the table and snatch the menu from Renji's hands. Rukia battered him over the head with it before bringing it back to her and Toshiro while everyone laughed.
Very clearly she had not gone soft on them. That didn't stop her stealing kisses from Toshiro behind the menu though as they worked out what they wanted to eat.
Toshiro had to explain what the difference between a "parmy" and a "schnitty" for her then helped her decide on the parmy for her Australian culinary experience. Rukia was more than happy for him to decide, given that he'd not failed her yet when it came to food. Toshiro ordered the "schnitty" (read: Chicken schnitzel) and they silently agreed to share. With the orders placed, two burgers with the lot, one steak, one "schnitty", one "parmy" and one barramundi, the drinks started flowing. Renji, Ichigo and Toshiro were on the beers, Gin and Rangiku and Rukia decided to split the cost across bottles of wine and prosecco.
The sun moved down the sky and hung at a comfortable distance just as their food arrived and they'd started on their second round.
'Try this,' Toshiro held his fork up with a bit of his chicken schnitzel on it, Rukia took it in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
'It's good,' she hummed, 'but I think I prefer this fancier version,' she pointed at her chicken parmagana and he laughed.
Then he nicked a chip and she glared childishly at him. The night continued with the same amount of playful banter it had started with. Renji had attempted one more prank that went horribly wrong, this time resulting in him having to give a generous slip of money to a waitress who had seen far too much.
The boys consumed more alcohol than the girls, Rangiku and Rukia enjoyed a bottle of wine and a half between them, with Ichigo and Gin having the occasional glass in between the many beers and ciders. Toshiro drunk around six or seven beers himself, but they were all put to shame by Renji who had well over ten and was being side eyed by Ichigo with sly comments about how he'd still be expected to get it up later. Rukia noticed that Toshiro would very obviously find something else to focus on when his brother made comments like that and she'd tease him for it.
The night ended with the couples returning home, Gin and Rangiku slipping into Rangiku's room to enjoy some alone time and Rukia and Toshiro walking into his for the same reason. They'd be staying at Yukio's for the final night and Rukia was a little thankful for being closer to the airport, the flight was going to be long and tiring without the added need of extra travel in the car. Plus it meant Rukia could spend as many travel free hours with Toshiro as possible before she was expected to get on that long flight.
The only thing that made the thought of leaving bearable was Renji and Gin would be with her. Both of them would be able to empathise with her level of despair.
'Tonight was fun,' Toshiro said, his arms wrapping around her on the bed, and his lips finding the back of her neck.
'It was,' Rukia sighed and leaned back into him, 'it's gone too fast though.'
The statement was loaded with enough unsaid feelings that Toshiro squeezed her and pulled her closer. Instead of replying, he continued with her preferred method of communication. His lips mapped the junction of her neck out over her shoulder. He had to hook a finger into the neck band of her t shirt and tug it, but he managed. Rukia left him, closing her eyes and choosing to just feel him. The evening was creeping on and it was already close to nine at night, but it was clear neither of them were tired. Rukia wondered if this night would be similar to the night where they'd spent the time waiting for the sun to rise at the Olympics, both too scared to close their eyes because it meant losing precious hours of each other.
Talking ceased, and Rukia lifted her arms as Toshiro pulled her shirt up over her head and discarded it onto the floor. She turned to meet his gaze and saw those stunning teal eyes reflecting the dull room lighting back at her. Rukia had never seen such a naked gaze before, it were as if his eyes were laid bare to her, with the depths of emotions that twinkled back, his thick black lashes casting shadows under and above his eyes making them look larger than normal. She wasn't sure what his gaze was probing for in hers, but whatever he was searching for, he seemed to find, he leaned in and closed the distance between their lips.
The kiss was sweet, drawing out the delicious flavour of the beer that had coated his breath. Her arms circled around his neck, but her hands did not tug at his hair, she did nothing to spur him on, and he did nothing to push her. Toshiro was being slow and deliberate, his movements reminding her of the lazy morning they'd woken up together in Switzerland and had sex his way before her competition.
The memory was fond and though Rukia had been impatient at the time, she had really enjoyed having him all to herself. Toshiro's hands continued to wander across her skin, not heading in any particular direction. He was just touching her for the sake of touching her and Rukia sighed into his mouth. If he noticed her patience this time, he didn't comment on it. As soon as his lips strayed from hers they were mapping the skin of her neck and Rukia tilted her head back, letting him enjoy the vast expanse of her throat. Each kiss left a burning trail of goose bumps on her skin, but Rukia closed her eyes and focused on the cool wet kisses he was placing. It was the anticipation that made her shudder in his lap, she expected at any moment, he'd mark her, drag his teeth across her and leave those purplish claims he was so fond of.
With each new kiss he placed, Rukia melted, completely pliant to his touch in a way she only ever allowed herself to be with him. Sensing the shift in dynamic, Toshiro moved, slipping his hands up her back and unhooking her bra, tossing it onto the floor, with her other clothes soon to follow.
Rukia had never been loved like this before. Each night she spent in Toshiro's company she was being shown new ways to care, new ways to be passionate, new ways to be vulnerable and open and raw with him. She wasn't sure if this was standard to all relationships or unique to them, given how very different the two of them were.
The adopted Australian snowboarder, who wore his heart on his sleeve and who fell in love so easily because love was the most important thing in the world to him, the man who earned gold by following his heart.
The orphaned Irish figure skater, who had shut the world out in pursuit of the next gold, the next conquest to bring her some joy from the lack of compassion in her life, the woman who earned silver by learning to care for others.
The two of them were now coming together, joining in a dance that was oh so familiar to them at this point. Toshiro pressed her down into the bed, his hand sliding into hers, lacing their fingers together as Rukia arched up into him. He was taking the time to map her skin, tracing his lips across areas he'd not explored before, the side of her breasts, the curve of her hips. Rukia could do nothing but sit and feel him, shuddering against his touch and gusts of air that occasionally spilled from his mouth. When he'd finished, he turned her over, and paid the same attention to her back. His cold lips tracing down her spine, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her ass while Rukia squirmed.
There were several times she expected him to spank her, just as she expected him to bite and mark, but his hands only ever eluded to it, pulling away on occasion and clearly watching as Rukia braced for an impact than would never come. At one point, Rukia turned to see him grinning thoughtfully, his eyes trained in on her as she had tensed it, before her cheeks unclenched and he gave a soft chuckle. Rukia huffed at him, but said nothing, being unusually patient and submissive as Toshiro leaned over her, pressing her down into the bed and making her shudder when she felt his hard member press against her ass.
It wasn't just an evening for Toshiro to be in charge. As soon as he was done mapping her out, making her squirm and committing everything about her to memory, he allowed the tables to be turned on him. Rukia took her time to learn his body as he'd taken the time with hers, she explored every section of the muscles on his torso and back, she watched in wonder as he tensed parts of his body for her viewing pleasure and found herself nuzzling affectionately when his arms encircled her. Rukia hated to admit it, because it went against the very feminist part of her brain, but she loved feeling protected in his arms. When he encircled her, she felt like nothing bad could happen, like the outside world didn't even matter.
When they were done exploring and exchanging affectionate cuddles and kisses, he finally made moves to join them. They moved together, slowly, his thrusts long and deep and Rukia gazed into his eyes, feeling every inch of him inside her. It was quiet to begin with, the room so still they could hear the sound of Toshiro's neighbours, but as need drove them on, the rhythm and pace changed into something more needy. Toshiro hitched Rukia's legs over his hip and drove into her with a force that told her he was close.
When they came together, they didn't make any moved to disconnect. Toshiro softened inside her but they remained connected and Rukia basked in the feeling, the afterglow of a perfect evening. Neither of them wanted to sleep, it was evident from the way they'd occasionally touch each other, move together and glare at the clock on his bedside table. They spent some time chatting about the trip, chatting about the Olympics and their upcoming seasons.
'Will you support me in learning to snowboard? I don't want to feel left out anymore if you all go on ski and snowboard holidays without me,' Rukia chuckled and Toshiro laughed.
'Nothing would make me happier.'
'Even if I need to go on the beginner slopes and it's really boring?' Rukia asked, partly teasing him back.
Toshiro sighed as if the thought caused him great suffering, 'I suppose.'
'Hey, what happened to being supportive?' Rukia jabbed him under the covers and he laughed.
'I'm kidding, I'm kidding, of course we'll take it slow. I want you to love it and come with us, so I don't want it to be too scary for you and put you off.'
'I'll love it,' Rukia rolled her eyes, 'because I'll be there with you.'
Toshiro moved himself so he could stare into her eyes and Rukia glanced cautiously back at him.
'What?' she asked.
'That's the sweetest thing you've ever said,' he beamed at her and Rukia rolled her eyes, but felt the heat rising in her cheeks.
'Yeah, well, don't get used to it,' she mumbled back. Toshiro chuckled and pulled her close again.
The two of them fell silent with Rukia practically asleep against his chest as he kissed her forehead and murmured goodnight. She gave him a sleepy hum in response, feeling completely content in his arms.
Breakfast the next morning was just as chaotic as ever. Toshiro and Rukia had went back to the Shiba house for breakfast. The weather was so beautiful that Isshin and the family had opened the doors leading onto the backyard and they moved between the kitchen and dining space and the garden freely. Toshiro and Karin were off playing soccer and Rukia was helping Yuzu with her blog, offering a special interview while Yuzu typed happily away on the screen. The blog had gotten unusually busy recently, with a large influx of Australians now interested in following and a lot of shared hashtags between the two countries carrying pictures of other Irish and Australian couples.
Yuzu and Rukia spoke about what was and wasn't appropriate to share from the couples holidays as Yuzu wanted to expand her audience and include Renji and Ichigo and Rangiku and Gin content too. The young Shiba was very open to feedback and was happy to pull back on anything the family were not comfortable sharing. Even Isshin cast his eyes over some of the posts she had scheduled and gave his insight into not sharing particular pictures because maybe they had half a car licence plate in the shot or something that might identify where they lived to rabid fans.
The professional discussions were broken by the howl of laughter that emitted from Rukia when Karin kicked the ball into Toshiro's face.
Breakfast was incredible, Ganju and Kukaku had made an assortment of everything and brought it out into the garden. It was much more like a hotel all you can eat breakfast then it was a family breakfast, but looking around at the eleven mouths that were expecting to eat, Rukia understood why there was so much. She decided to be a little cheeky and took a bit of bacon and two sausages, but was helped by Toshiro who kept stealing food from her plate similar to how he'd stolen chips the evening before.
Rukia was just shy of murdering him when his father handed him his own plate of food, clearly sensing the danger of losing his son. After breakfast, Toshiro left to help tidy up and pack the car for their trip and Rukia was grabbed by Yuzu for the last round of interview questions.
'Now I don't personally want to have to ask this,' Yuzu started the final question, 'because he's my brother and its gross but… the fans will want to know –is Toshiro a good kisser?'
Rukia watched Toshiro approaching them over Yuzu's shoulder as he returned from his chores and she smirked. 'He could win a gold medal for it,' Rukia started innocently as Yuzu typed the reply and Toshiro's face blanched, 'as he could with most things in the bedroom-'
'Wow we're going to be late,' Toshiro said hastily, his large teal eyes sliding down to Yuzu's laptop screen as the younger girl typed away, 'don't include that, Yuzu.'
'The fans want to know,' Yuzu pouted up at her brother, turning the weight of her eyes on him.
'Yeah, Babe,' Rukia smirked. 'The fans want to know, and I do not let my fans down.'
She watched as Toshiro narrowed his eyes at her, likely he was recalling the time at the rink when Rukia had let Yuzu be privy to a little too much detail and was scared the same thing would happen again.
'We have to go,' Toshiro said firmly, 'we wouldn't want to be late for our other "exclusive" interview this evening.'
Rukia had almost forgotten about it, she took a deep breath. That evening she and Toshiro were due to appear on a popular Australian show where they were to be interviewed. She was nervous. Normally she wouldn't care about interviews, she'd done loads of them already, but this was the first one she was doing with Toshiro where they were appearing as a couple and it was in front of his home country. She didn't want to make a fool out of them or embarrass him when everyone was watching.
Thankfully Yuzu called her attention back while begging for one last question for her blog, and it eased the anxious squirming that had started in Rukia's stomach at the idea of what was to come.
'One more?' Yuzu begged, her eyes locked onto Rukia and her finger raised. Rukia nodded.
'Now that you've practically perfected the Quad Lutz and the season is over,' Yuzu glanced at her notebook, 'what is your next big goal?'
It was a loaded question, and one Rukia had considered herself a couple of times. Her eyes slid to her boyfriend, and Toshiro raised an eyebrow at her. They'd not discussed this together and he was clearly just as intrigued for the answer.
'I think I want to focus on my personal life for a little while.' Rukia tried to put her thoughts into words, which was difficult for her, but she was getting better at, 'I learned a lot about myself at the Olympics, and found my passion for the ice again. I feel like I've accomplished everything I set out to do, so it's time to turn my focus to other areas of my life.'
It was vague, and she obviously kept the depths of her emotions from the statement. Rukia met Toshiro's curious glance and gave him a small smile, which he returned. It was a conversation that she'd likely expand on with him, when they were alone.
'I can't imagine the skating world without you,' Yuzu sounded upset and as Rukia turned she saw the young skater smiling sadly, not looking at them. Rukia chuckled.
'You young things aren't getting rid of me that quickly,' Rukia smirked at her. 'I've got at least one more World Championship to steal from Hiyori before I call it a day, maybe more.' She rolled her eyes playfully while Yuzu beamed up at her.
It was true, Rukia did have plans to retire. She couldn't ignore the way her bones felt each time she landed a jump on the harsh ice anymore, but she still wanted to let the world know she was going out at the top of her game. Rukia had the trickiest quad in her repertoire, and she wanted to be able to do at least one more before she finally called it quits.
Rukia also wanted time to plan and choreograph her final routines and she wanted them to be a tribute to all the people she'd come to love in her life. It would be emotional, but she knew she'd have her brother and Toshiro and Gin and the entire Shiba family (including Rangiku) supporting her.
Yuzu stood and Rukia embraced the tiny skater. She remembered vividly how she'd felt when Takahashi retired and how emotionally involved in his life she'd been. It was hard to watch someone you admire, step down from their sport, even if you understood why they had to do it.
'We better watch our time,' Toshiro prodded them gently and the girls split apart. Yuzu looked a little teary eyed at the farewell. It would be a while before Rukia would see them all again, especially given that next time Toshiro would be coming to Ireland.
Rukia said goodbye to Karin, who was incredibly amicable toward her and even gave her a hug, which surprised Rukia but she could see the way it pleased Toshiro. Then she said goodbye to the rest of his family, with the final person being Isshin. He wrapped Rukia up in a hug that she'd rarely experienced in her life. Somewhere in the vague hazy background of her memories, she could remember her own father holding her like this.
'Make sure you call us when you land,' Isshin stated firmly.
'I will,' Rukia agreed. 'Thanksfor having me.'
'Thank you for being a part of Toshiro's life,' Isshin murmured back. 'You're welcome back any time, you're part of this family now.'
Rukia was determined not to cry in front of his family. It was hard to summarise how much that statement meant to her and the raging hormonal mess it would make her when she recalled it during her next period. It was nice to think of having a family again, even if she was just sort of adopted into them.
Toshiro slipped his hand into hers, leading her away out the front door. Rukia took one last sweeping glance back at them all before she got in the car. They were all waving their farewell, Yuzu looking the most upset and Isshin looking a bit dour too as he tried to keep himself in check to be there for Yuzu.
'You okay?' Toshiro asked, when they were in the car. His hand found hers for a moment and he rubbed the back of her knuckles with his thumb. Rukia struggled to put into words, everything she was feeling.
'I going to miss them,' she finally answered, deciding that this summarised the internal inferno of her emotions.
Toshiro grimaced, but he squeezed her hand reassuringly and pecked her lips. Rukia could feel the tears she'd been holding back in the house threatening her now.
'You will see them soon I'm sure,' he murmured. 'I'll be lucky if Yuzu doesn't stow away in my luggage when I come to visit you, and no doubt Dad will call five times a day during my trip just to talk to you.'
Rukia laughed wetly, swiping at her eyes with her fingers and grinned, 'I can't wait.'
They drove to Sydney and Toshiro was feeling generous enough to let her put on music. Rukia selected one of her more upbeat playlists to educate his music taste and it helped chase the gloom and feeling of longing they had as they travelled. Toshiro had put a bag of snacks down beside Rukia's feet and would occasionally ask her to find things for him.
It was like a cultural lucky dip every time her hand went into the bag of snacks. He'd packed everything from homemade sandwiches to bottles of juice, biscuits and even-
'SHAPES!' Rukia called, her hand finding the box of pizza flavoured delights and pulling them from the bag. Toshiro laughed heartily beside her, likely from her overwhelming enthusiasm. 'And you packed the pizza ones!'
'Well,' Toshiro rolled his eyes with an overly dramatic sigh as if it caused him great suffering, 'they're your favourite ones, and all the chicken crimpies had been eaten by Ichigo and Renji.'
Rukia laughed as she tore open the box and handed him some to sit on his lap and pop in his mouth when he wanted. The trip continued and as they drove, Rukia made up a Spotify playlist filled with some of the music that reminded them of the Olympics, from her and Yuzus skating routine music, to the cheesy 90's music they'd all been dancing too at the closing ceremony. Rukia couldn't remember ever having so much fun on a car journey before.
Halfway they stopped so they could refuel the car and stretch out their cramped limbs. Rukia took the time to stretch properly, earning confused looks from passers-by while Toshiro went inside to pay for the fuel. It was important for her not to cramp up, given that she was hitting the ice with her brother the moment she made it back home. They'd been agreeing over text that Rukia could choreograph her next routine and she'd been thinking about it on their car trip. She was excited to get started.
Though she was sure all the snacks and fatty foods would catch up with her.
'I got you a little present to take home,' Toshiro said as he approached. Rukia had her leg stretched out over his car and lowered it smiling. He handed her a keyring with a smirk, 'it's a Drop Bear.'
Rukia shoved him.
The keyring was a fluffy little grey koala with 'AUS' written across its chest and once they were back in the car Rukia applied it to her keyrings without much fuss.
When they arrived in Sydney, they had little time left and Toshiro drove them straight to the studio. Rukia could feel the nerves return as they made their way inside and were told to wait by the woman at the front desk. Toshiro stood close to her though, and Rukia's eyes glanced around the walls at the images of the celebrities they'd had visit previously, reminding her of the time at the Olympics Toshiro took her sky diving and all the pictures on the walls there too.
A girl in a pink dress appeared to lead them to hair and makeup, gushing over how amazing it was to have them in the studio. Rukia kept a smile on her face, nodding along and just hoping she wouldn't make a fool of herself for Toshiro's sake. Meanwhile Toshiro had no concerns, he was excited and kept beaming down at Rukia as they were led to their chairs, and introduced to the makeup team.
Rukia had changed into a light lilac dress she'd brought for the occasion and Toshiro was looking ravishing in black jeans with a white button shirt. It looked so effortless and so good on him.
With hair and makeup done, they waited in the dressing room to be called on. Rukia stood picking at her nails which had been cleaned of her old nail polish and tried to control her breathing. If Toshiro had picked up on her nerves he didn't say anything and she was thankful. Rukia had to consider how he was feeling… Toshiro wasn't used to this level of attention, but Rukia had been through it all before.
Getting herself together and putting on her game face, that was naturally reserved for the cameras, Rukia reminded herself why they were here. They were here because Australia wanted to celebrate Toshiro's win and celebrate the coming together of two unique countries.
She felt substantially better when they were introduced to the hosts, for though Toshiro was familiar with them, Rukia had barely watched or seen them before. Peter, Carrie and Charlie were all friendly enough and Rukia and Toshiro took their seats as a producer counted them down and told them they were online.
Rukia felt her nerves ease, as she shoved concerns of embarrassing Toshiro from her mind, she was here to celebrate him.
'Welcome back,' Carrie greeted the camera and the audience, 'our next guests stole both medals and our hearts at the recent Winter Olympics. You may know them as RukiShiro, but we know them as Rukia Kuchiki and Toshiro Shiba.'
Rukia held Toshiro's hand under the desk, squeezing it comfortingly. They waved at the audience with their free hands and smiled.
'How are you guys?' Charlie asked smiling.
'We're good,' Rukia answered first, 'great actually!'
'We're excited to have you here,' Charlie told them happily. 'Are you two aware of the huge following the hashtag 'RukiShiro' has across social media?'
Rukia and Toshiro exchanged knowing looks as they laughed, it was nice to know where that hashtag had originated, even if it was still baffling to see how much it had blown up.
'On Twitter alone, there have been millions of tweets and retweets about your relationship,' Charlie continued. 'That's got to be quite confronting?'
Behind them pictures from the fan page run by Yuzu were flashing on the screen as Toshiro responded.
'It's very unnerving,' Toshiro chuckled. 'Possibly more for me as I'm not quite used to this level of attention, certainly not outside my sport.'
'You mean this kind of attention?' Peter asked gesturing the Calvin Klein image that had flashed up on screen. Rukia beamed at the image, it was even better on the big screen, the bulge in his underwear was even more prominent, she bit her lip as the audience cheered behind her. Toshiro was mortified, but Rukia didn't care, the next question was directed to her.
'How has it been for you, Rukia?' Carrie asked, 'you have been in the spotlight for a long time.'
'Yes I have,' Rukia agreed but grimaced at her reputation. 'Not always for the best reasons either. This has been far more positive though, and I think my fans have been glad to see me happy.'
Toshiro squeezed her hand affectionately under the table and Rukia returned the gesture as the interview went on.
'Well you guys do look very happy,' Carrie said with a smile and Rukia watched as imaged of her and Toshiro flashed up, most notably from the closing ceremony where they'd swapped hats and were holding hands. 'Is this your first time in Australia, Rukia?'
The audience were making cute agreeable noises and Rukia smiled at Toshiro.
'Yes,' Rukia replied, 'I've had an amazing time getting to see Toshiro's home and spend time with his family. I didn't appreciate the Drop Bears prank though.'
The audience laughed at that, very clearly understanding exactly what had gone down. It seemed to be as much an inside country joke as the Irish convincing people that fairies and leprechauns were real.
'I had a lot of fun scaring her with the wildlife,' Toshiro added with a chuckle. 'Especially telling her that there could be deadly snakes around when we were half way up the mountain.'
Rukia stared at him, and the audience laughed harder at her unimpressed look. Rukia really did hate snakes.
'I made him carry me the rest of the way up,' she glared at him, 'and all the way back down.'
Toshiro shrugged casually, 'worth it.'
The direction of the interview shifted to the Olympics.
'So when did you two first meet?' Carrie asked.
'Well we actually saw each other at the opening ceremony,' Rukia said, glancing at Toshiro who was smiling softly, 'my friend was a big Rangiku fan and she was dancing with this lump.'
Toshiro's face fell into a frown and he glared at her. Rukia simply grinned playfully, knowing full well that was her payback for the Drop Bear ordeal. The audience laughed, knowing her jibe was simply playful and not serious at all.
'Was it love at first sight?' Peter asked with a chuckle and Rukia laughed heartily, because it was certainly lust at first sight for her, but she didn't think the rest of them needed to know that.
'He's certainly good looking enough that it played on my mind, then we met each other at the bar,' Rukia selected her words carefully and Toshiro took her lead.
'And the rest is history,' he chuckled politely, leading the conversation away from that first passionate night together.
They moved onto speaking about their jumps, from Toshiro's switch backside 1260 to Rukia's quad lutz before swinging it back around to talk about some of the drama surrounding their relationship. Rukia knew it had to come up, they'd want to clear the air of any confusion but she still grimaced at the picture of her and Chris eating together and the headline that suggested she'd moved on from Toshiro.
'Much of it was a misunderstanding,' Rukia told them gesturing to the screens as she hastened to explain, 'that particular photo was from a lunch meeting I was having, it was purely professional.'
'It must be hard to build a new relationship when the gossip sites are posting things like that,' Carrie agreed, 'without much fact checking happening.'
Rukia nodded her agreement, 'It's not easy trying to work out how you feel when the media is trying to tell you how to feel,' she went on to explain. 'I've learned to ignore it over the years, but it can still be confronting at times.'
'Of course,' Carrie agreed then turned her attention to Toshiro. 'What was it like for you?'
'It was difficult,' Toshiro swallowed. 'I tried my best to ignore it all, but I know certain things got to me more than I like to admit. I am so impressed and proud of Rukia to have stayed true to herself and her own feelings through it.'
Rukia slid her hand up his back and into the hair at the base of his neck, it was meant to be comforting. She hated that she'd hurt him and though she couldn't go back and change the shitty person she had been she could only vow to do better in future. Toshiro's hand rested on her thigh, he smiled warmly at her and she returned it.
The hosts skirted the topic of her Instagram picture, there were certain things they agreed to discuss before appearing on the show but that topic had been a big no-no for them.
The topic turned onto another area that Rukia hated to think about, but they expected to come up, Toshiro's slopestyle crash. Charlie asked Toshiro about it and the hosts tried to draw as much out of him as he could honestly remember. They turned the question on Rukia, asking her how she felt.
'I genuinely thought I had lost him,' Rukia responded with a shaky breath. Toshiro pulled her stool closer and Rukia's head found his shoulder. She breathed in the scent of home as the audience murmured cutely at their affection.
'Well luckily for us all, that was not the case,' Charlie exhaled. 'And, by the looks of things, it didn't hinder your performance any in the halfpipe, Toshiro.'
'I got the gold and the girl,' Toshiro replied and Rukia could hear the smirk in his voice as he squeezed the arm around her shoulder. Rukia smiled into his shoulder, of the two of them, Toshiro deserved that gold more than anyone and she was excited to be able to celebrate it with him.
The interview compared their Olympic romance to Toshiro's mother and father, which made Toshiro swell with pride, then they spoke about Toshiro possibly going to Ireland as the next chance they'd spend together before the interview wrapped up. Overall it had been a long and exhausting show, even if it had been fun. Rukia had relaxed into it and by the end felt at home, especially since a lot of fans stayed behind to have pictures and flags signed by the two, while telling Rukia she was now an honorary Australian.
After the show, they made the trip to Yukio's house, both of them getting a second wind as they pulled up to the stunning beachside house. Rukia couldn't see the beach properly, the moon hung too low in the sky, it was obscured by trees, but the house was beautiful. It was all one level, with large glass panels that clearly looked out over the beach during the day. Rukia gave a low whistle as Toshiro pulled their overnight bags from the back of the car. Taking his hand, Rukia allowed herself to be pulled toward the house, her eyes sweeping over the modern tiled roof, to the perfect lights that cast shadows up the brickwork. It was clear this was the kind of the place someone would pay through the nose to have, though judging by how many wins Yukio had in his sport and how many sponsor deals he likely had as a result, he could easily afford something this outlandish.
'Far out, she's a beauty,' were the first words to reach Rukia's ears as the doors were thrown open and the inside light spilled out onto their approaching forms. Yukio grinned and kissed her cheek in greeting before giving Toshiro a swift hug and leading them into the house.
Rukia barely managed to contain her gasp, the inside was just as stunning and lavish as the outside had been. The back garden extended the length of the large glass panels and the room was all open plan to maximise the amount of natural sunlight during the day. Yukio had loads of lights on, including some flooring lights that lit up the island in the centre of his kitchen and the bar he had just beside it. Around the space were various plants, modern art décor and modern furniture. Rukia moved into the space and followed Toshiro's lead, putting her bag down beside his.
'Are you lovebird's hungry?' Yukio asked, pouring them a glass of wine. Then he mentioned something about someone called Tucker and Rukia turned to Toshiro with a look of confusion.
'We could eat,' Toshiro nodded, clearly understanding the slang that had just spilled from the other man's mouth. Rukia made a mental note, to ask for Australian slang lessons from Toshiro before she ever came back to visit Yukio. She'd heard that the boy liked his Aussie slang, but right from the get go, Rukia was now worried she wouldn't understand him.
Thankfully it didn't seem to be constant, and as they set about laying the table, they managed to chat amicably. Yukio made a fleeting comment as Toshiro pulled a chair out to help Rukia sit and she turned her attention to Yukio as he laid plates of roast vegetables and lean lamb chops down onto the dining table.
'Congratulations on your win in South Africa,' Rukia smiled, Toshiro had told her all about it and she was keen to make a good first impression on his best friend. 'Toshiro said it was an exciting win.'
'Thanks,' Yukio grinned cheekily over his wine. 'The conditions weren't easy, but I don't like easy.'
'Neither do I,' Rukia agreed and Yukio held up his wine glass for a cheers at the comment. Rukia complied with a grin.
The night slowly spiralled into madness after that first sip. Yukio wasn't sparing any expense that evening, clearly wishing to make an impression and had bought the good wine. It was so good, Rukia barely noticed how much she was drinking, as the boys told tales about their time growing up together… that is to say that Yukio told her of several embarrassing moments growing up and Toshiro did his best to counter them.
Rukia had found out that Yukio and Rangiku had hid in his closet as he brought a girl home and he'd been mortified to know they'd heard everything. She learned everything from this to the first time the boys had encountered Rangiku. The story in itself wasn't as funny as Rukia was picturing in her head, imaging two really young versions of the boys in front of her, one of them passing out after being hugged by Rangiku and the other wetting himself.
The only saving grace was that Toshiro was not the wetter, that had been Yukio, but the story ended with Rukia buckled over the table, having to lower her wine glass to stop her spilling any of the precious liquid inside.
'Okay, look,' Yukio put his own wine glass down, 'it wasn't our finest hour. In our defence, Rangiku was terrifying and we were babies.'
Rukia had tears streaming down her cheeks though, at the thought of how tiny and scared they'd looked as Rangiku approached them. In her mind Rangiku wasn't younger at all, she was the same woman that Rukia knew her to be, but Toshiro and Yukio were significantly younger, much closer to children and absolutely petrified at the fact a woman had walked over to them. She grabbed her napkin on the table and dabbed her cheeks, but still the image stayed at the back of her mind and popped in from time to time making her giggle.
It happened once when they were cleaning up and again halfway through the movie they all watched together later that night.
The giggling subsided as they made their way into their room that night. Yukio had retired as it was after midnight, so they decided to open the back doors that led out onto the beach and sit outside for a little while. The decking at the back of Yukio's house, where the bedrooms were, faded into the sand, that was how close he was to the shore. Toshiro and Rukia only had to take a couple of steps outside and sit down and they were on the beach.
Rukia finished her final glass of wine that she'd insisted on bringing to bed with her and Toshiro stretched his legs out lazily on the sand. They could hear the waves crashing gently against the sand and the round blue moon cast a whitish glow down over the water in front of them. The evening was peaceful and still and Rukia rested her head against Toshiro's shoulder, wishing she could just be stuck in the moment with him and never have to leave.
'I've loved this,' she sighed.
'I'm glad,' Toshiro replied, the smile evident in his voice and the sadness present in his pitch. He didn't want her to leave any more than she wanted to go. Rukia took a deep breath again, and Toshiro reached over, plucking the wine glass from her hand and taking a sip himself. She made no complaint, she'd had enough and was only drinking it to stop it going to waste.
'What are you thinking about?' he asked after the silence stretched on for a while.
'My final skate,' Rukia said.
Toshiro stilled beside her, this hadn't been the answer he'd expected to hear, but his stillness prompted her to continue.
'When we skate, we skate our feelings, sometimes when we're young we skate and create a story of a superhero or something we want to be or do. When we're adults and we're skating, we usually skate to represent something in our life or something we wish to achieve.'
Rukia's head remained on his shoulder as she spoke, but he reached around her with his arm and pulled her closer against his side. 'I want my last skate to be dedicated to the two major turning points in my life, when the time comes. I want to skate a routine for my sister, to something from her favourite musical, Chicago.' Rukia continued. 'And I really want to do a piece for us.'
Toshiro squeezed her shoulders as she said it, 'what song?' he asked. His voice was thick and Rukia had to guess that he was lightening the mood but was genuinely touched by her proposal.
'I think I'd get an original piece commissioned, it isn't unheard of, just uncommon,' Rukia said, 'that way I could have it flowing through the entire rollercoaster ride that was the Olympics.'
'That makes sense,' Toshiro replied, 'I doubt there's a single track of music out there that would fit everything that happened at the Olympics.'
There was humour in his voice as he spoke, and Rukia chuckled. They'd had their fair share of drama, but also some of the best times of her life had been there, the night in the hot tub, falling asleep with him that first time and waking up with him, watching him win gold, there were too many.
'What's your favourite night?' Toshiro asked then.
'I'd probably say the hot tub was a contender, waking up in your arms that night was lovely, and just the view and the company… it was everything I loved in one evening,' Rukia replied, 'what about you?'
'Easily the morning of your free skate,' he replied, 'that slow sex was amazing, and even the night before, getting to lie with you and feel like you were becoming my girlfriend.'
Rukia hummed her agreement and the stayed silent for a while after that, listening to the waves in the distance.
'What would you call it?'
'What would I call what?' Rukia lifted her head off his shoulder and he turned to her, offering her the last sip of wine which she shook her head at. Toshiro drained the glass and continued, 'what would you call the song?'
Rukia smirked, thinking about his mothers' book, thinking about everything they went through together and replied without hesitation, 'Going for Gold.'
'I mean,' Toshiro rolled his eyes playfully, but even he couldn't hide the smile on his lips, 'it's a bit cheesy.'
'I know,' Rukia sighed, 'it's been done before too… but I didn't mean gold as in a medal.'
Toshiro turned to look at her, his eyes twinkling in the low lighting of the moon. Rukia gazed at them, trying to distinguish the teal in the dark.
'My gold was a lot more precious than a medal,' Rukia smiled, she pulled the arm that had been around her shoulders off, and wove their fingers together, bringing the back of his hand up to her lips, 'you're my gold.'
Toshiro's face morphed, it looked like he physically melted at her words and behind the moon glazed gaze she saw genuine emotion sparkle.
'That's about the nicest thing you've ever said to me,' he breathed.
'I'm getting better with words,' Rukia grinned, then it turned into a playful smirk, 'but it still doesn't excuse you from passing out when you hugged Rangiku.'
'And that's the meanest,' he pouted and Rukia laughed. She shivered and the two of them stood up and headed inside, closing the doors but leaving a window open so they could fall asleep to the sound of waves. The last comment from Rukia had put those images back in her mind, and as they brushed their teeth she giggled remembering the image of Rangiku, Yukio and Toshiro, it followed them to bed where Toshiro sulkily asked if there was to be no sex that night.
She'd given him sex, of course she had, but they'd had to wait a while for her to stop giggling before he'd wrecked her. Normally the shift in power would have been uncomfortable for her, but Rukia woke in a state of absolute bliss, her head resting over the gentle thrumming of his heart in his chest. It was her favourite spot to sleep, where she could physically hear the muscle that kept him alive, after nearly losing him during the games.
Rukia could feel the faint bruises Toshiro had left against the inside of her thighs as she moved, mumbling sleepily into his chest as she woke.
'Good morning, Beautiful,' Toshiro murmured.
Rukia stretched, yawning and her own, 'good morning,' coming out muffled as she woke. With her tender muscles relaxed, the dull pain throbbed between her legs was all she had left to remember their final evening. Rukia deflated.
'Do I have to go today?' Rukia asked after a moment of silence. They were in a perfect setting, with the sound of the waves coming in through the window they'd left open the evening before, the warm honey glow of the sun illuminating the room.
'I'm happy to have you stay,' Toshiro murmured back, his arms tightening around her protectively, 'but I don't think Byakuya will be happy with me if I don't let you get back for your sponsorship commitments.'
Rukia knew she couldn't stay away from her brother, but she also hated the idea of leaving Toshiro, so she settled for pouting up at him. He kissed her forehead and Rukia responded by kissing the edge of his jaw.
They could have stayed there together for hours, they both knew that, but eventually Rukia's alarm went off and with a horrible sinking feeling in her gut, the two of them got up. They showered together, changed together and stole kisses in between. Yukio followed them out to the car and waved them off and all too soon they were back in Toshiro's car heading toward the airport. Rukia kept a firm hold of his hand for as long as she could on the drive over, a pain low in her abdomen seemed to be getting worse and she sighed in unease. They spoke about their trip, but the enthusiasm had drained from the two of them. Toshiro seemed to be holding up a little better, though Rukia was convinced he was just trying to remain strong for her.
When the car was parked, Toshiro took her hand and her suitcase and they went into the airport. They joined the queue for the baggage drop and Rukia checked in, and as they headed to find a table together where they could get something to drink as they waited for the rest of the couples to arrive. Renji and Ichigo didn't look nearly as upset as Gin and Rangiku did, likely because they'd experienced this so many times before and knew how to deal with it.
'Let's go and grab a coffee,' Renji said, taking charge of the morbid looking group. Ichigo smiled at his boyfriend and laced his fingers into the taller mans, but Rukia spotted the concerned glance that Ichigo threw toward Toshiro. The white haired snowboarder was looking more and more downcast as they got in line and he and Rukia pulled their keep cups from their bags. They settled down together in chairs tucked away in the corner, but that didn't stop a number of people spotting them, primarily fans of Rangiku, who came over and asked for pictures. If there were any other fans who spotted them, they didn't approach, perhaps due to the sombre looking expressions. Rukia kept close to Toshiro, practically tucked against him as one of his hands played with her fingers.
Not many words were exchanged, instead they communicated Rukia's favourite way, with affectionate kisses and cuddles.
'We should go,' Renji said with a sigh and Rukia and Gin turned to glare at him for killing the mood. He grinned apologetically but otherwise said no more. They all stood from the table and the twisting sensation in Rukia's stomach coiled worse, by the time they got to the entrance of the departure gates, she felt like she could be sick.
'I don't feel well,' Rukia murmured into his shoulder as she hugged him, her nails digging into his back at the twinge of pain from her stomach.
'Neither,' he replied, which was the Australians way of agreeing with a negative statement. She nuzzled into his shoulder and prayed to any God who could hear her that this would get easier. The only thing silver lining Rukia clung onto, was getting to speak with her brother so they could look over her and Toshiro's schedule together and figure out the best places for them to meet and see each other. Rukia was hopeful that Toshiro would be able to make it over for the Irish Nationals, though Rukia didn't need to compete in such a small contest, it was a chance for her country to watch her perform and she wanted to take it.
The couple separated their embrace just long enough to kiss. It was one of Toshiro's favourites, where he got to pour all of his unsaid emotions into it, the passion and the tender exchange of lips told her that she'd be okay.
'Let's go,' Renji called to the crew, giving Ichigo a final hug and Toshiro and Rukia broke apart. Toshiro was starting to look sad now, but he smiled down at her regardless.
'Call me when you land at your stopover,' Toshiro said, 'and then again when you get home, don't worry about what time it is here.' Their flight would stop over in Doha for a couple of hours before they'd get on their final flight for Dublin.
'I will,' Rukia agreed. 'Send me updates so I stay sane.'
She wasn't looking forward to the long flight, but she'd willingly paid extra for wifi and hoped to try and encourage Toshiro into watching a movie together as a long distance date. She had to see what movies were listed on the plane though before she could argue with him over what they were watching. Toshiro kissed her forehead as Gin encouraged her to move. They had left themselves with as small a window of time as they could to get through security and once on the other side their gate could be quite a walk away.
Reluctantly, Rukia stepped away from Toshiro, their fingers parting as she moved away from him. Toshiro released a shaky breath.
'Say hi to your brother for me!' Toshiro called to her. 'Stay safe!' Rukia felt his words warm her and she nodded her agreement.
'Bye, Babe!' Rangiku called to Gin looking just as miserable as Rukia felt.
'And remember!' Ichigo called out, voice holding a note of final teasing, 'Aussie pubs are better than Irish pubs!'
Renji turned to march back to his boyfriend in a display that cheered the parting couples up as Gin grabbed Renji and yanked him back in the direction of security. Rukia laughed, holding back her tears as best she could as he hoisted her bag up her shoulder and gave a final wave, committing that brilliant white hair, those large teal eyes and his sharp jaw to memory, the face of the man who stole her whole world in a glance.
Then they were gone from sight, as the Irish lot entered the lines of security and Rukia's tears finally spilled down her cheeks.
'Please tell me that gets easier,' Gin asked Renji huskily as he handed Rukia a napkin he'd pocketed from the coffee table. Rukia wiped at her eyes and Renji smiled reassuringly.
'Eventually you stop focusing on what you're losing the day you leave and look ahead to the fun you're going to have next time you see them, and what crazy shenanigans you get up to when they're not around that you can tell them about,' he laughed.
'No pranks,' Rukia narrowed her eyes at him and he laughed again and held up his hands defensively.
'Not today, you've had enough, I'm not that cruel,' Renji chuckled.
When they got onto the plane, Rukia gazed out the window staring back at the airport in a futile attempt to see the Australian lot standing in a window somewhere. Gin was already texting Rangiku so Rukia decided to do the same before they took off. She snapped a picture of her little Australian keychain, which she'd finally given a name.
Rukia, 12.24pm:
I've decided to call him Droppy because he's a Drop Bear (heart eyes)
Toshiro, 12.25pm:
Please convince Byakuya that Drop Bears are real (crying laughter) (love heart)
Rukia stared at their matching time zones for a while before sending a reply back, then the pilot was calling for their devices to be put into aeroplane mode.
With reluctance, Rukia slide the toggle and put her phone in her pocket, ready to half pay attention to the flight attendant on screen showing them the emergency protocol.
'I bet,' Gin said, his lanky head poking into her business class chair over the top of his own, 'if we went back a few months and told ourselves where we'd be right now, neither of us would have believed it.'
He chuckled and ducked away and Rukia sat back, reflecting on what he'd said. Rukia agreed with him, there was no way that a past Rukia would have known that the Olympics could change her life so fully without a gold medal. She'd landed her jump, repaired the relationship with her brother, met some fantastic new friends and scored a boyfriend whom she could honestly see herself one day married too.
Rukia smiled, stroking a finger over the fuzzy little Australia Drop Bear on her keys, she'd maybe not gotten the gold medal, but she'd gotten gold is every other aspect of her life, and she'd be eternally grateful for the lessons she'd learned along the way.
RukiaFansOfficial
Rukia herself as sent us these beautiful photos from #RukiShiroAussieHoliday and #IreAussieCouplesRetreat! Stay tuned for my exclusive interview with our skating queen, and remember to catch them tonight on The Project, 6:30pm AEST on Channel 10! (I will upload a link for all our Irish and international viewers).
Quiksilver
Get you a man that looks at you like Toshhiba looks at RukiKuchi (heart eyes)
DCShoes
Maybe Toshhiba get our girl RukiKuchi on a skateboard for the launch of our new #IreAussie skate shoes line, Quiksilver?
IrishLass101
CalvinKlein RukiKuchi Can you confirm that this picture is REAL!? [Image Attched]
Christophe-gc
IrishLass101 CalvinKlein RukiKuchi HOT DAMN (heart eyes) (kissy face) that #bulge though Toshhiba!
GinIsMyDrinkofChoice
RukiaFansOffical I am so happy for them, all of them look so happy together! #IreAussieCouplesRetreat
RanRoxyQueen29
What a perfect ending to the joining of two countries… wow wow wow!
RukiKuchi
IrishLass101 CalvinKlein Christophe-gc (Winky face)
If anyone ever made it this far in the story, it would be awesome to hear from you. This story took us over 2 years to plan and write, and it only takes you 5 minutes to tell us you enjoyed it!
Thanks for reading!