A/N: This one is a little spoilerish if you haven't read 145 (ish) of the manga. Not too much though. Just a heads up.

Keep in mind that this story is set in the beginning of the friendship between Rukia and Ichigo.

With You at the Edge of Forever

The grass was just a little greener. The sky, a rich full shade of blue. A blue sea that stretched endlessly above us as we sat under the tree. Leafy green littered the sky just as fluffy white masses moved across it lazily.

She looked over at him, sitting proudly with his legs underneath his body. His dark hair flowed with each blast of spring scented breeze. His eyes focused on a point far beyond this place, though he was right here.

"So. Do you like him?" he asked her without taking a look at her face. He didn't need to see it to know her reaction.

A moment of stunned silence passed from her to him, but not to his surprise. He intended to catch her off guard. It made the whole thing...fun...Especially that hitch in her voice, damn close to a wordless stuttering.

"Kuchiki?" he called to her, turning his gaze on her with a lazy grin"I asked you a question."

She turned her face away from him, but not before showing off the look of annoyance in her eyes. Luckily, he wasn't just any guy. He was special enough in her book not to face whatever wrath he had coming to him.

With a reserved sigh, he heard her mumbling, "He's...interesting."

His mouth formed a tiny, amused "o." He supposed that was better than nothing. This was Kuchiki after all. With things like this, no one could expect such a normal reaction.

"Interesting." he repeated in her exact tone, "Interesting. That's good. No one likes a boring guy, right?" she didn't answer with words, only with a shrug, "More interesting than me, though?" he teased.

She frowned at him then. He wasn't sure what to make of the look. Kuchiki seemed confused, almost.

"No," she said finally, "Not more interesting. He's just..." she looked off in the distance, "He's just himself, in an idiotic kind of sense."

The dark haired man next to her laughed heartily about that. Once he settled down, he picked up a blade of grass, twirling it between his fingers.

"I guess the important question is if he'll always stand by you." the man said quietly

Rukia looked down with a slight flush to her face.

"I don't know. He's young, brash, and stupid. There is no way of telling."

He frowned at that as though offended. Rukia swallowed hard, wondering what she could have possibly done to step on his toes.

"Remember what I told you?"

She looked blank; his eyes narrowed. The nerve of some people...

"I tell you something profound and you forgot?" sarcasm tainted his voice, "Gee, thanks. I feel wonderful."

"I appologize."

"It's ok. Anyway, I told you that even in death, I'll stand by you." he leaned in closer to her, staring at her deeply which obviously made her nervous, "Did it ever occur to you that I might have meant it?"

Her eyes widened in shock. A content smile rose on the man's lips.

"Good. Glad I got your attention." he sighed, "Maybe it's just me, but I think you should trust the squirt. Give him a chance."

Her mouth opened to speak, but no words spilled. There was no time. The serene blues and greens bled to darkness. But in that darkness, she heard something. An annoying sound. Brash, loud, other words she couldn't think of as she rose from the haze of sleep.

"Hey! I said, BREAKFAST!" the voice said, just as annoyed as it sounded to her ears.

Rukia's eyes fluttered open. The world blurred for a moment. The world of dreams and of the waking mashed together. For a moment, the man from her dreams stood over her.

"Ka--" she almost said his name when his hair shifted from black to orange, "Ichigo?" it was her turn to be annoyed.

"Who the hell did you think it was? It's my room!"

She kicked him in the stomach. Ichigo doubled over while she hopped out of bed, suddenly feeling energized for the day. He didn't need to be so damn insufferable in the morning...geez.

As he bent over, she eyed him. Something soft shone in her eyes. Suddenly, she felt more at home here, with him. More at peace. The feeling frightened her, yet she felt elated to experience that again. Not since HE died, had she felt it.

"What are you looking at?"

The feeling fizzled, but not all the way. Underlying in the annoyance, she still felt...good.

"A baboon's ass." she helped him up, "Come on, we'll be late for school."

He stood, grumbling the whole time. Despite herself, she smiled while he wasn't looking.