Warnings:

-Long chapter ahead, I mean it, this is probably the longest chapter I've wrote on this site.

-There's a little debate at some point in the chapter, it's obviously inspired by some of my personal thoughts so don't take it too serious, hopefully it'll make sense for you.

Finally:

-There's a gift for every single one that leaves me lovely reviews at the end of the chapter (don't read ahead, you'll spoil the whole chapter)

Happy reading!

Chapter 14


Renji wanted to kill Ichigo, he seriously wanted to beat him to a pulp. Because while they were best friends, even sometimes they would consider each other a brother, he couldn't help but blame him for his current predicament.

Abarai Renji, the badass looking boy with tattoos, was at church on a Friday afternoon.

Ichigo woke him up at five in the freaking morning while calling frantically saying things about how Renji needed to wake up and get ready because he was going to his apartment along with Rukia. Renji thought about laughing the whole thing off, he was obviously joking, right? But after a few minutes of Ichigo insisting over the phone how he wasn't joking Renji decided to get ready.

Ichigo and Rukia arrived thirty minutes later and Ichigo, being the whipped asshole he was, was carrying a few bags and a giant bunny plushie.

"Listen" Ichigo said seriously while dropping everything inside Renji's apartment "Rukia will be moving officially to my house today, so I'll pretend to come and pick her up at the end of the day."

"That's why you brought all of her stuff here?" Renji asked annoyed.

Ichigo nodded.

"Yeah," he said and then frowned "I also need you to spend the afternoon with her, I'll come pick her up after work."

Rukia frowned.

"Why are two speaking as if I'm not here?" she asked upset.

The rest of the day went away in a blur, they all went to classes and when the school day was over Rukia dragged Renji towards church. She was, for some reason, extremely nervous and she wanted to pray before going back to Renji's apartment, she also told him how she needed to confess because she had been doing indecent stuff with Ichigo. Renji didn't think that touching a boob by accident and having a hickey were sins but nuns were weird so he refrained from saying anything.

Besides she didn't need to worry, the hickey was already gone.

"I don't want to pressure you," Renji said to Rukia as they stepped into the ancient looking, sacred building "but can you make this quick?"

Rukia nodded.

"Sure," she said as she grabbed his hand "just take a seat here and I'll be back in a few minutes."

Renji nodded as he took a seat at the end of the church while Rukia went inside the confessionary. He took a deep breath as he looked around him, the building was cold and he didn't know if he was allowed to take out his cellphone and play games while waiting. He looked to the front at the altar and gulped, he had never been religious, he never thought it would be necessary for him or his daily life, what was he supposed to do inside here? Should he pray? He didn't even know how, perhaps he should've asked Rukia when he had the chance.

"Excuse me," someone said beside him and when he looked at the person he found himself face to face with a kind, old lady "are you with the pretty girl who is confessing?"

Renji nodded.

"Wasn't she dating an orange haired boy?" the old lady asked frowning.

Renji chuckled, apparently Ichigo had totally made an impression with the old ladies when Rukia dragged him to the same place. Would it be okay to say they were dating? Looking at the old lady Renji thought that it was for the best, if they were to believe that Rukia had a formal, serious relationship with Ichigo they wouldn't frown at them whenever they see them. Besides, judging by Rukia's habit of coming to church, and Ichigo's inability to be away from her for too long, the old ladies would be seeing them often.

"Oh yeah," he said casually "I'm just keeping an eye on her today, Ichigo is busy with work and he was worried about her getting into trouble."

"Oh," the old lady said while smiling, she took a seat next to Renji "are those two in love?" she asked and Renji noticed how other four old ladies approached them.

In a matter of seconds he was literally surrounded by them.

"Well" Renji said pensively "they just met recently, but I've never seen Ichigo behave like that with another girl, I can tell he's falling hard for her."

The old ladies gasped happily.

"What about her?" another lady asked curiously "is she in love?"

"It's hard to say," Renji said while crossing his arms "she just recently escaped from a…" he made a pause of two seconds while deciding what to say "really bad place, so I believe she had never been close to a boy, but she looks happy whenever she's with him."

"She escaped?" an old lady couldn't help to ask.

Renji nodded.

"Yeah, they met by casualty but Ichigo hadn't left her side ever since" he explained smiling, he was having fun chatting with the old ladies "you should've seen his face when he saw her eyes for the first time, he gaped like an idiot and took her home with him, just like that!"

Some old ladies fanned themselves and others clapped happily.

"Is he treating her well?" another lady asked and Renji nodded.

"Yeah," he answered "he already introduced her to his father and now she's going to move in officially with him. Ichigo has been texting me the whole time, he's nervous about finally bringing a girl home."

Renji took out his cellphone and showed the text message to the old ladies, half of them took out their glasses from their purses to be able to read it but Renji waited patiently for them. He didn't have anything else to do and they all seemed to be cheering for Ichigo and Rukia, it was fun to see.

From: Orange haired asshole.

"Is she okay? Is she having fun? Just keep an eye on her, okay? Also treat her to ice cream or something, I'll pay you later, I'll also try to leave work earlier. Do you think I should give her a present or something? Why the fuck am I nervous too?"

The old ladies chuckled.

"He's quite the overprotective one, isn't he?" one of them asked amused.

Renji shrugged.

"He has this tendency to protect everyone" Renji said while rolling his eyes "he's a good guy."

The next few minutes were really entertaining for Renji, the old ladies kept asking questions and he answered them gladly. They asked about him and his friendship with Ichigo and he told them several stories, he ended up enjoying the old ladies company so much that he promised to come back sometime, they even invited him to some tea parties and some upcoming events at the church. Another old lady even gave him a calendar with the church's events so he wouldn't miss anything and Renji promised them to assist to at least one of them.

"Renji," someone called him and he turned around with a huge smile "what are you doing?" Rukia asked him amused and he blushed as his smile faded.

He stood up suddenly and walked towards her.

"Are you done?" he asked her "did you confess all your sins?"

Rukia nodded.

"Yes, I'm ready to go" she said "did Ichigo call you? Is he going to leave work soon?"

All of the old ladies chuckled and Renji scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Rukia didn't need to know that all of the church ladies now believed that she was dating Ichigo and she definitely didn't need to know how all of them believed that she looked extremely cute next to the orange haired idiot.

"We should leave" Renji said and then turned around to look at the old ladies "goodbye!" he said kindly.

All of them waved at him as he left along with Rukia.

"So…" Rukia said smiling as they walked down the street "did you have fun?"

Renji blushed as he looked aside and Rukia laughed loudly.


"Please, don't make that face" Ginrei said smiling slightly as Ichigo stepped into his room while holding some documents "you should be happy to see me."

Ichigo chuckled.

"I'm always happy to see you, Ginrei-sama" he said "although I would be happier if you were out there helping me with the guest's room."

Ginrei sighed.

"I'm sorry, my boy" he said as Ichigo approached him "I know I told you I would make you work a lot with me but I heard some… upsetting news. At my age some things just take me down quite easily."

Ichigo chuckled as he left the documents on Ginrei's bedside table.

"At your age?" Ichigo asked "please Ginrei-sama, you still have lots of energy. The bedridden look does not suit someone like you."

Ginrei laughed.

"You're a sight for sore eyes, my boy" he said with a kind smile.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Ichigo asked while putting his hands inside his pockets "perhaps I can do something to help you out with these upsetting news…"

Ginrei shook his head in negative. For several days he had been thinking about asking Ichigo for help to find Rukia, he was young so he knew the city really well, he was going to Seireitei High School and Rukia had been seen wearing that uniform so if anyone could actually help was him.

Unfortunately Ichigo wasn't aware that Byakuya had a daughter.

Rukia's existence was a secret between their social circle, the rival companies, the business associates and even some acquaintances knew that Byakuya had a daughter but they had never seen her, everyone assumed that Rukia was sent to study overseas and no one ever bothered to correct that fact. Rukia had been home schooled and all of the employees inside the residence signed confidentiality contracts. So outside the family only Kurosaki Isshin, who was the family doctor, and Yoruichi Shihoin, who was Hisana's best friend, knew about Rukia's situation and physical appearance.

Although anyone who had met Hisana would recognize her immediately which only endangered Rukia in case anyone who had something against the Kuchiki clan would see her going around town on her own.

"My boy…" Ginrei said deciding that Ichigo could be trusted and that he needed his help "there's something I want to ask you."

Ichigo nodded.

"There's…" Ginrei started but he stopped himself.

If Ichigo were to see Rukia, by mere luck, around Karakura what would he do? Would he simply approach her and tell her that her family is worried sick about her? Would Rukia listen to a complete stranger? No, if Ichigo were to find her she wouldn't listen to him, if anything she would panic and leave the city as fast as she could, it was a risk they couldn't take.

Ginrei cleared his throat.

"I promise I'll be better by Monday" he said with a smile "so go and enjoy your weekend, we'll do everything we were supposed to do the next week, okay?"

Ichigo smiled and nodded.

"Yes, sir" he said respectfully.

Ginrei nodded, he thought it was the best choice. If Ginrei were to see Rukia while going around town, as long as he was with Ichigo approaching Rukia would be easier, something was telling him that his granddaughter wouldn't reject him.

He only hoped he was right.


After his conversation with Ginrei, Ichigo went towards the studio and told Byakuya that his car would be parked at the Kurosaki's house the whole weekend, since he was going outside the city with his family. Byakuya also mentioned how he could pick the motorcycle any time, but Ichigo decided that it would be for the best to have it at the Kuchiki enterprise since he was going to drive Ginrei around the next week.

Byakuya agreed with him and after discussing some work related topics he was allowed to leave earlier than usual.

He drove towards Renji's place and wondered why he was so nervous. Karin and Yuzu agreed to have Rukia without problems and his father was the one who suggested the whole thing, still Ichigo couldn't help but think that this was the first time he would be having a girl over, sure he had lived with the midget on his closet but this felt totally different.

"What are you doing to me, Midget?" Ichigo asked aloud as he parked.

It was time to pick her up and take her home, officially this time.


"You should try to relax a little" Menoly said while looking at Senna pacing back and forth in her room "he hasn't contacted your parents…"

"Yet!" Senna screeched panic stricken and Nel rolled her eyes.

"You'll be okay," Nel said while sighing heavily "perhaps he'll be too busy to even remember that you were involved in this whole mess, you might get lucky."

Senna blinked.

"I need to make sure, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight."

Menoly nodded.

"We can ask" she suggested "or we could check Ichigo's social media…"

"He doesn't use it that often" Senna said while huffing "who are we going to ask? Do you know anyone?"

Loly shrugged.

"We're not really friends with her but Tatsuki may know something…" she said pensively "you know she's Ichigo's friend."

Senna frowned.

"What are you going to ask her? Won't she become suspicious? She doesn't like me" she said annoyed, she had never done anything to Tatsuki but for some reason the tomboy liked to avoid Senna, and her friends, like the plague.

"Let me do the talking" Nel said as Menoly took out her cellphone "she doesn't like me either but I think I have an idea."

All of the girls watched apprehensively as Menoly dialed Tatsuki's number.


Tatsuki was a tomboyish teenager of average height with black hair and brown eyes, she was on the national Karate team. Her best friend was Inoue Orihime and she was a childhood friend of Ichigo, on Friday afternoon she liked to go to the dojo and practice without a care until it was dinner time so she could go back home. That's why when her cellphone rang at the end of her training she frowned.

All of her friends knew she hated to be interrupted during her Friday routine so, who was calling her?

"Hello" she answered annoyed.

"Oh, Tatsuki" the voice at the other side of the line said "it's me, Nel."

Tatsuki frowned deeper, why was Nel, of all people, calling her?

"What is it?" Tatsuki asked rudely.

"I was just wondering, do you have Ichigo's number? I need it."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. She knew who Nel's friends were so there was no way in hell she was giving her Ichigo's number, otherwise Senna wouldn't stop calling him and Ichigo would throw a fit over the whole thing.

"I have it," Tatsuki said while taking a seat on the bleachers around the dojo "but I'm not giving it to you."

There was heavy sigh at the other side of the line and Tatsuki assumed that Nel was about to insult her. She didn't know her really well but seeing the green haired girl so comfortable with Senna's friendship led Tatsuki to believe that she couldn't trust her, it had been a while since Tatsuki had seen Riruka but no one at school ever forgot how Senna, and her friends, treated the pink haired girl. That's why Tatsuki didn't like them.

She couldn't stand bullies.

"Listen" Nel said "I just want to make an appointment with his father at the hospital…"

"Then call the hospital" Tatsuki interrupted her "it's a private hospital but they won't deny you an appointment, although I doubt Ichigo's father will see you personally, he already has his own agenda of patients."

"Exactly" Nel said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "I want Ichigo to tell his father that I want an appointment with him, hopefully he won't refuse his son's friends."

Tatsuki scoffed.

"You're not Ichigo's friend" she said without reservations "I'm pretty sure he'll get mad if I give you his phone, besides you won't be able to contact him this weekend."

"Why's that?" Nel asked.

Tatsuki sighed heavily, she knew Ichigo was going to the countryside for the weekend, Yuzu tweeted about how excited she was about having a family weekend out of town, but Nel didn't need to know about it, Tatsuki was pretty sure that Yuzu's twitter was private and that she had blocked Senna and her close friends, the blonde girl was really careful around them.

Besides Tatsuki wasn't an idiot, she knew that if Nel was curious was because Senna wanted to know, she wasn't fooling anyone.

"Family weekend" Tatsuki muttered finally "and I cannot keep talking to you, I'm busy."

"Fine" Nel said "thanks anyway, see you at school."

Tatsuki hung up while rolling her eyes, that girl was really annoying.


"Well," Nel said to Senna as the call ended "you'll be able to survive this weekend at least."

Senna nodded, she would have to worry about the consequences of her actions until the next week. Hopefully Kurosaki Isshin would forget all about her until then.


"I'm nervous" Rukia said while hugging the Chappy plushie closer to her chest "I don't even know why."

Ichigo, who was driving towards home, nodded.

"It's okay," he said calmly "it's the first time you'll be officially living with another family, it's only natural to be nervous."

"Do you think they'll like me?" Rukia asked quietly.

Ichigo chuckled, sometimes it baffled him how someone like Rukia could doubt herself so much. He suspected that the convent had something to do with it and while he didn't dislike her vulnerable side he preferred a million times over the confident midget that would kick his ass. Hopefully living with his family would help her to get rid of all the bad memories so she could heal at least a little.

"They already like you" he said and then turned in another street "we're almost there, try to relax."

Rukia took a deep breath and said a prayer quietly.


When Isshin arrived home he noticed how Yuzu and Karin were ready to have dinner, the table was set and the food was ready. He blinked surprised at how excited they were about having a guest, it was quite a sight.

"Do you think they are coming soon?" Karin asked while watching TV "I'm hungry already."

Isshin was about to tell them not to worry when they heard the front door being opened. Both, Karin and Yuzu, ran towards it to greet their brother and Rukia. Isshin sighed as he looked at Masaki's poster.

"Please," he whispered "let this be okay."


Rukia decided that she loved the Kurosaki household the minute she got inside. Karin and Yuzu greeted her, although Yuzu was the one who was smiling the most, Karin was simply smirking at her but Rukia could tell that she was being nice.

"How come you never come and greet me like this?" Ichigo asked frowning.

"Never mind that" Karin said easily while grabbing Rukia's hand, Yuzu on her side gasped while taking Chappy and hugging it tightly.

"Come with us, Rukia-nee" Yuzu said "we'll show you our room before dinner."

Rukia felt herself smiling warmly at their welcoming and ran upstairs with them. Once she was inside the room she realized that while Ichigo's room was simple and average, the twin's room was quite the opposite.

Ichigo's room didn't look like a rich boy's room but the twin's room reminded Rukia of her old room at the Kuchiki mansion. It had enough space for three beds, there was a couple of twin beds against the wall on the left and they were separated with a bedside table. On the opposite side was what Rukia thought was her bed, it was neatly done and it had the most comfortable looking pillows she had laid her eyes on. In the middle of the room was a desk with a laptop and some books and papers were scattered over it, and next to it was a closet. The walls were painted light blue and there was a single poster of a soccer team just above the computer.

"This is awesome" Rukia exclaimed while looking around, she had never stopped to think how much she missed her room back at home but this was seriously bringing her memories.

Besides it was a million times better than the convent.

"Thank you" Karin said smugly "the old man let us get the bigger room around the house and he extended it a little."

Yuzu smiled as she put the Chappy plushie on Rukia's bed.

"We made some space for you inside the closet" she said kindly.

Ichigo stepped into the room then, he was still carrying Rukia's bags.

"You can arrange your stuff later" he said as he put everything on the floor "we should go down and eat."

Rukia nodded while smiling at him.


Isshin found himself laughing at dinner while Ichigo and Rukia kept talking about the dodgeball match they had a few days prior, Karin even praised Rukia for her strategy. Just as the twins promised they didn't ask questions about Rukia's past or the convent and, as Isshin predicted, everything was going smoothly. Rukia was extremely well behaved during dinner, she kept her back straight, her elbows weren't on the table and the way she ate spoke volumes of her upbringing. Isshin could see Byakuya's influence on her, it was quite a sight.

"Okay" Isshin said happily once everyone finished eating "you all better go to bed, we'll leave tomorrow before the sun rises!"

"Fuck" Ichigo said while groaning and Isshin kicked him under the table.

"No cursing in front of the ladies!"

"Shut up, old man!" Ichigo said while ignoring the pain on his leg "tomorrow is Saturday! Why do I have to go to the countryside?! Urahara will torture me!"

"Urahara?" Rukia asked curiously.

"Yoruichi's husband" Ichigo explained carelessly while running a hand through his messy hair "you'll understand once you see him."

"It'll be fun!" Yuzu said happily "it's been a while since Ichi-nii went to the countryside with us."

"Really?" Rukia asked while looking at Ichigo "why?"

"Work" he said simply "but yeah, we should go to bed otherwise you'll all fall asleep on the road leaving me alone to deal with..."

"MASAKI! WE ARE FINALLY HAVING A FAMILY WEEKEND, AND OUR THIRD DAUGHTER IS GOING WITH US THIS TIME!" Isshin yelled from the living room while hugging his wife's poster.

"That" Ichigo finished and Rukia laughed.


Once Rukia was in bed she sighed heavily. She couldn't believe how much at home she was feeling, it was amazing. Sharing a room with girls had been literally hell for her while inside the convent but now, as she observed how Yuzu and Karin got ready to go to bed, she couldn't imagine better roommates. Yuzu smiled as she took a seat next to Rukia on the bed.

"Did you like dinner?" Yuzu asked her shyly.

Rukia noticed how the blonde girl wouldn't stop hugging Chappy and she couldn't blame her.

"I loved it!" Rukia said "you're an amazing cook!"

Karin joined them and smirked at her.

"Why do I feel like you want to ask me something?" Rukia asked her smiling.

"I want to" Karin said "but Ichi-nii warned us not to."

Rukia chuckled.

"It's about the convent, right?" she asked casually.

Yuzu gasped.

"So you were really inside a convent?! Did you really escape?!"

Rukia nodded.

"Yeah," she said "what do you want to know about?"

"Will you tell us everything?" Karin asked curiously.

"No" Rukia said while shaking her head "I rather forget some of the things that happened to me inside there, but ask away and I'll try to answer most of your questions."

Yuzu and Karin exchanged a look, Rukia assumed that they had already decided what they wanted to know.

"How did you escape?" Both twins asked at the same time while looking at her and Rukia laughed.

"I'll tell you" she said "but you have to keep the secret, I haven't even told Ichigo."

"We promise!" Yuzu said.

Rukia nodded and started to tell them everything, she told them how she planned the whole thing and how hard it was to keep her movements a secret inside the convent. She found herself enjoying the whole thing and Karin and Yuzu laughed on several parts, Rukia didn't know when it happened but once her story was over the twins were asleep, Yuzu on her right and Karin on her left.

Rukia smiled fondly at them and buried her face on her pillow.

She couldn't imagine a better home for her.


Rukia woke up the next day with Ichigo looking at her.

"What?" she asked groggily, the sun wasn't out yet and he had already showered and was completely dressed to start the day.

"Why are my sisters sleeping on your bed?" he asked and Rukia chuckled.

"We spent most of the night talking" she explained "they fell asleep before I did so they didn't go to their beds."

"Leave, Ichi-nii," Karin said while covering her face with Rukia's pillow "give us ten more minutes."

"No" Ichigo said frowning "if you don't get ready now we'll be late, you can sleep on the car!"

The next minutes were a complete war against Ichigo who kicked Rukia and the twins off the bed so they could all get ready. Once the whole ordeal was done Rukia found herself yawning while waiting in front of Ichigo's house along with Karin and Yuzu. Isshin was taking the car in which they would be going out of the garage and once he parked next to them Rukia's eyes widened.

"Nice" Rukia said as she saw the black Maserati Levante in front of her, it was amazing and had the most classy details, she was still surprised at how she never noticed that Ichigo was rich. The Kurosakis were really good at hiding that aspect of their life.

"It's comfortable" Karin said as Ichigo started to put their bags on the trunk "do you know a lot about cars?"

"Not really" Rukia said while she passed her bag to Ichigo "I just like them, although I found myself enjoying motorcycles a lot more lately" she said while smirking at Ichigo who groaned while blushing slightly.

"Oh" Karin said smirking.

"We're ready" Ichigo said while ignoring his sister's devilish smirk "let's go."

The twins and Rukia got into the backseat ready to go to the countryside.


Riruka yawned as she received a text really early on Saturday.

From: Runaway loser

"I'm already on my way to the countryside, can you believe it? I'm excited! I'll send you pictures so you can tell me which one I should use on my social media, okay?"

Riruka smiled, well at least she was going to have fun.

She couldn't wait to hear all the details.


Ichigo observed through the rear view mirror how Rukia kept looking through the car window with a smile, her gorgeous, violet eyes were shining with happiness as she observed the passing landscape. They were already quite far from Karakura and the sun was starting to come out. Karin and Yuzu were asleep and Yuzu was resting on Rukia's shoulder as if this was something that happened every weekend, Ichigo could also tell that Rukia was trying not to move so Yuzu wouldn't wake up, he was really grateful.

Isshin smirked as he saw how Ichigo kept looking, discreetly, at the backseat. It was more than obvious how happy he was to have Rukia coming along, he didn't even complain while carrying the bags towards the car.

He was really looking forward to enjoy the whole weekend.


"You look nervous, Yoruichi-san" Urahara said playfully as he observed how Yoruichi gave instructions to the maids so they could prepare the girls guest's room. The purple haired woman was huffing and pacing and she even tried to choose and appropriate sheet color, ever since when did she care about the sheet's color?

Urahara was really amused.

"Shut up," Yoruichi said rudely while taking a seat on the living room "Isshin wants me to convince Rukia to talk with Ginrei, I don't even know how to touch the subject."

"Which subject exactly?" Urahara asked "the fact that you were her mother's best friend? The fact that you're her godmother? The fact that Kuchiki Byakuya already went to your store once while looking for her? Or the fact that the boy who's living with her is also her father's assistant?"

Yoruichi glared at him.

"There are several things that you mentioned that I won't tell her" she said while crossing her arms "she'll have to find by herself that Ichigo works for Byakuya, I'm not messing up that friendship."

Urahara nodded.

"You mentioned that they look really close" he said curiously "I'm dying to see them interact."

Yoruichi smiled.

"You just wait until you see how Ichigo looks at her" she said "Byakuya will kill him when he finds out."


Just as Rukia thought, the countryside was gorgeous.

Yuzu and Karin woke up just in time for her to open the window and admire the landscape even better. They were passing through roads with hundreds of trees on both sides of the street and the morning sun gave an ethereal glow to the whole place, Rukia suddenly felt free. She sighed happily as she enjoyed the air on her face, it was a completely new experience for her.

She also noticed, as they kept advancing, how far away from the city they were. There were no buildings nearby and, once they left the road surrounded by trees, all she could see were fields of grass and flowers. Rukia's eyes widened as she saw how amazing everything was, she had never seen this amount of flowers in her life.

"Amazing, right?" Yuzu asked her smiling after noticing her expression.

Rukia nodded.

"I've never been outside the city" she explained with a smile "so this is new for me!"

Karin smirked.

"Then we totally have to show you the town once we get there" she said and then looked at her father "once we reach the town pull over and we'll walk from there!"

Ichigo frowned.

"Hell no!" he said while turning around so he could look properly at everyone in the backseat "you can enjoy the town after leaving your own bags at your room."

"Oh, come on!" Karin said smirking "we didn't bring that many, you can handle our bags."

"I'm not your butler" Ichigo retorted.

"But Rukia-nee wants to see the town," Karin said smugly while crossing her arms "right?"

Ichigo then looked at Rukia, she looked excited and happy as the breeze played with her hair, her cheeks were slightly pink and he knew deep down that she was dying to know which town Karin was talking about.

"It's okay," Rukia said before Ichigo could say anything, she smiled sadly at him "we cannot leave the bags to you, I can wait."

Ichigo frowned, he knew she was lying and that she would be disappointed if she didn't stop by the town first.

"Never mind," he said grumpily while looking in front of him again "check out the town, I'll leave your bags in the car until you arrive."

Rukia smiled and exchanged a high five with Karin while Yuzu giggled.

Thirty minutes later Ichigo found himself sighing as they reached the town, the countryside was really busy as the people woke up early to start their morning routines. Isshin parked, just like Karin told him, and they promised to be on time for breakfast.

Once the girls got out of the car Ichigo closed his eyes. There were still ten minutes before reaching Yoruichi's house so perhaps he would be able to rest for that amount of time, he could enjoy the rest of the ride in silence and peace. No more of Karin's suggestive smiles whenever he would look at Rukia and no more of looking at the midget through the rear view mirror to make sure that she was enjoying herself.

Ten minutes just for himself.

"My third daughter is so gorgeous!" Isshin said while interrupting Ichigo's inner peace "look at her, she's already attracting the eyes of the locals!"

Ichigo opened his eyes only to find out that his father was right, Rukia was on the sidewalk and at least five local boys looked at her while passing by.

Ichigo frowned at that.

Rukia was wearing a white sundress, her hat and blue shoes, she looked like a rich, city girl so it was obvious that she was going to call the attention of the country boys. Ichigo wondered why that fact bothered him so much but it wasn't any of his business, right? She was going to be okay and even if some boy were to approach her she would reject them, right?

"Have you seen anyone so pretty before?" a random boy asked while looking at Rukia who was now being dragged by Yuzu towards the bakery.

"Never," another boy answered "should I go and ask her number? Perhaps she's visiting someone..."

Ichigo groaned inwardly as he looked at the two boys. They were obviously farm boys, and while there was nothing wrong with that, he knew that city girls were easy targets for them to approach and flirt. Especially city girls that were acting as silly tourists.

Ichigo opened the car door.

"Where are you going, son?" Isshin asked him.

"If no one stops them they'll check the whole town and they'll be late for breakfast" Ichigo answered "I'll see you at the house."

Isshin nodded with a smile as Ichigo got out of the car and walked towards where Rukia and the twins were. Isshin chuckled as he dialed Urahara's number.

"Hello?" the mad hatter answered with a sing song voice.

"Hey, it's me" Isshin greeted "I'm about to arrive, is Tessai there? I'm going to need his help with the bags."

"Aren't you coming with four youngsters? Teenagers should be able to handle their own luggage" Urahara said jokingly.

"They'll get to the house a little later than me" Isshin explained "the girls were dying to explore the town."

"Ichigo went with them? That's weird" Urahara said.

"Oh, he despised the idea" Isshin said amused "but he couldn't help himself after he noticed how much attention the Kuchiki heiress was attracting to herself."

Urahara laughed loudly.

"Oh, he's got it bad!" he said and Isshin could picture him smiling "don't worry, Tessai will handle their bags!"

"Great, I'll be there in a few minutes."


When Rukia got down of the car she smiled widely. The town was amazing, with brick roads and trees on both sides of the street, there were little stores all around the place and the smells were amazing, she hadn't realized how hungry she was until she smelled the bread. Looking at her right she noticed a bakery and her mouth watered.

There were a lot of people walking around, even if it was still really early, women wearing aprons were going through stores and carrying bags with fruits and vegetables while some farm boys were just hanging around talking and laughing loudly. Everything was sort of rural and new for her.

She loved it.

"Let's go to the bakery first" Karin suggested "if we buy something for Yoruichi she might forgive us for arriving a little late."

Yuzu nodded and took Rukia's hand.

They crossed the road and stepped into the bakery, it smelled so good that Rukia worried that her stomach might start making sounds. Karin chose some things from the counter as if she had done it countless times before and the old lady that was in charge of the store smiled at her. Rukia wanted to buy something to eat too so she started to look at her options when someone put an arm around her shoulders.

She gasped and was about to punch whoever was touching her out of the blue when she recognized who it was.

"Ichigo!" she said startled "I thought you didn't want to check the town."

"I already know this place" he said uninterested "but this is better than the old man singing in the car."

Rukia chuckled at that.

"Don't buy anything" he told her "you'll just ruin your appetite."

"Fine" she said "so, since you already know the place, any suggestions where to go next?"

Ichigo smirked.

"Yeah" he said "come, we'll go fast otherwise Yoruichi will kill us."

They didn't notice Karin taking pictures of them discreetly.


Ichigo held Rukia's hand the whole time, they went around the town with his sisters and the midget was amazed by everything, it was obvious for everyone how she was a city girl visiting the countryside for the first time. Ichigo wanted to tell her to calm down a little, but he didn't have it in him, he loved to see her smiling while looking at everything as if it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. Unfortunately her happiness was calling the attention of everyone around them.

Ichigo had already glared at least to another five boys that, for some strange reason, thought that approaching Rukia was going to be easy.

Ichigo proved them wrong at every single try.

He wasn't letting go off her hand and he was making very clear that he was not in the mood to establish a conversation with the locals, they were late for breakfast after all.

"So here it is" Ichigo said once they reached a meadow on the outskirts of town.

Rukia frowned while looking around.

The brick road had ended a few meters back and now everything was grass, they were standing in a meadow. The road kept going but in order to follow it they would have to walk to the other side of the meadow and while she had never been in a place like this she just couldn't see what was special about it, there weren't many flowers around. It was, as far as she could see, a plain and boring meadow.

"What do you want me to see exactly?" she asked him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and put his hands inside his pockets.

"Midget, calm down" he said "we have to go across the meadow and then we'll follow the dirt road, it's the other route towards Yoruchi's house."

"Okay…?" Rukia said unsure.

"You'll find out why I brought you here once we reach the middle of the meadow" he informed her.

Karin and Yuzu were close behind them as they kept walking. The day was sunny but since it was still early morning it wasn't hot and Rukia found herself enjoying their little detour, she kept her eyes open trying to figure out what was special about the meadow and, after tripping clumsily she found out what Ichigo wanted to show her.

She gasped when she saw a cute bunny looking curiously at her and she stopped walking.

"See?" Ichigo said smugly, he knew that her bunny's obsession wasn't reserved for the ridiculous, fictitious Chappy.

Rukia kneeled down and extended her hand hoping that the bunny would come closer, although she didn't have anything to give him. Much to her surprise it worked and in a matter of seconds other rabbits appeared. There were several of different colors and Rukia wanted to hug all of them.

"Don't touch them" Ichigo warned her "they might be cute looking but these little beasts are feral, if they bite you we'll have to take you to a doctor."

"Luckily daddy is one" Karin said.

Rukia chuckled but listened to Ichigo, she didn't want to get a bite, besides the bunnies weren't coming too close, they obviously noticed how she didn't have food for them. Still, Rukia was sure that this was going to be an amazing weekend, being in the middle of a meadow, miles away from the convent and her father, while watching bunnies was something she didn't know she needed and it was all thanks to Ichigo.

Rukia looked at him and noticed how she was looking at her with an unreadable expression.

"Thank you, carrot top" she said.

Ichigo scratched the back of his head awkwardly while mumbling something about "stupid rabbits."


"So," Urahara said smiling at Isshin as Tessai was getting the bags out of the car "how's the new member of the Kurosaki family? Is everything going smoothly?"

Isshin nodded while smirking.

"She's amazing" he said and it was true, after sharing a few minutes with her it was obvious how having her with the family was the wisest decision, she got along with the twins, she was respectful and considerate, it was hard to understand why Byakuya would leave her alone inside a convent "although she's not that observant and Ichigo is a complete idiot, I still do not understand how none of them had discovered their relation to Byakuya. It's plain obvious to me."

Urahara chuckled, the mad hatter couldn't believe the situation in which those two were either.

"You should enjoy the whole thing while it lasts" he said amused.

"While it lasts?" Isshin asked curiously.

"You don't expect them to ignore everything forever, right?" Yoruichi asked while appearing behind Urahara "Ichigo is a good boy so he's probably just giving her some space before asking about her family, Rukia on her side will find out about Ichigo's work sooner or later. Until now they've just been lucky."

Isshin sighed.

"You seem worried about that" he pointed out.

Yoruichi nodded.

"Depending on how they touch the subject Rukia might run away again and Ichigo, well... he'll probably will be way too shocked to understand the whole thing" she said while sighing heavily "hopefully they won't hurt each other once they find out the whole thing."

Urahara grinned.

"They'll be okay" the mad hatter said happily "I mean, look! They don't look like friends that will hurt each other, don't you think?"

Yoruichi chuckled.

"They don't look like friends" she said smirking and then looked at Isshin "did you ever stop to consider the fact that you might establish an alliance with the Kuchiki family in the near future? Because for what I see your son won't let go off the Kuchiki heiress anytime soon."

Isshin turned around just to see Ichigo walking towards them while holding Rukia's hand. She was smiling as if she had just been given an amazing gift and Ichigo looked quite proud, the twins were talking with them and Karin looked ready to bully her brother for the rest of the weekend.

Yoruichi was right, they didn't look like friends.

They looked like a couple.

"Byakuya is going to kill him" Isshin lamented and Urahara laughed loudly.


When Ichigo heard Urahara laughing he tensed. He had forgotten, for a second, that his godfather was going to be with them the whole weekend, for some reason he thought that he would have a lot of time to show the midget around and to ignore, for a while, the bunch of responsibilities he had back at home but of course that was not possible, not when Kisuke Urahara was around.

"What is it, carrot top?" Rukia asked "you look scared."

Karin chuckled.

"You'll find out why in a few seconds" she assured her.

Rukia blinked confused when Ichigo let go off her hand and started to run in the opposite direction of the house, she was about to ask him what was wrong when she saw a blonde man wearing a hat running towards Ichigo at full speed. Rukia's eyes widened, were middle age men that fast? Or was he some kind of athlete? He was almost as fast as Ichigo. Once the weird man was next to Rukia and the twins he stopped and took off his hat, he bowed dramatically in front of them.

"Welcome to our humble cottage, ladies!" he said happily "I'm so glad to have you around, please make yourself at home!"

And with that, he was gone. Rukia didn't even have the chance to thank him but what surprised her the most was the fact that he had caught up to Ichigo and threw himself on his back.

"Get off me!" Ichigo was yelling "why do you always greet me like this?!"

"Oh, come on! It's that the way to greet your godfather?!" the man asked and Rukia understood then, that man was Yoruichi's husband.

"Let's go" Karin said while walking towards the cottage and ignoring his brother being tortured "I'm hungry."

Rukia followed her and once they reached the porch Yoruichi smiled at her.

"Welcome!" the dark skinned woman told them "I'm glad that you came."

"Thank you" Rukia said.

"Come," Yoruichi said "I'll show you around."

The cottage was gorgeous and Rukia believed that there was nothing humble about it. It was on the outskirts of town and there was a huge forest behind it, the twins loved every single part of it and, because of that, they gave Rukia a whole tour of the place along with Yoruichi. On the first floor there was a nice drawing room, in which a big man with classes greeted them. Further ahead was the living room with a classy, gorgeous looking fireplace and in the next room was the dining room, it had simple details but it was big enough for twelve people.

Rukia couldn't ignore the painting hanging in the middle of the wall.

"The Last Supper?" She couldn't help but ask aloud.

Yoruichi grinned knowingly at her.

"You have quite the eye" she praised her "we're not religious but when Kisuke saw the painting he couldn't help himself, it was quite hard to acquire."

"It's magnificent" Rukia agreed, she was sure that Ichigo's godparents didn't know about her being a novice but she decided that if the situation were to arise she wouldn't hide it from them, there was no point either way.

The tour went on towards the garden, it had a nice, looking pool in the center and Rukia admired how big the rest of the property was. At the back of the garden was a section full of rose bushes and a fence was the only thing separating the garden from the forest.

"There's a TV room on the second floor and the bedrooms" Yoruichi explained "I hope you feel at home while you're here."

"Thanks" Rukia said sincerely, she didn't know what to expect of Ichigo's godparents but this was simply magnificent. A few minutes after that, once they checked their respective rooms, a maid told them that breakfast was ready.

Ichigo approached Rukia as they stepped into the dining room. He had messy hair and an annoyed expression but once he saw Rukia he smirked at her.

"I hope you don't mind how fucking crazy my family is" he told her.

Rukia chuckled.

She wanted to tell him how his family was like a breath of fresh air for her, considering how different her own family was, but she still thought that he didn't need to know anything about her family so she simply shook her head and smiled at him.


Urahara observed the Kuchiki heiress through breakfast.

Kuchiki Rukia was seated between Ichigo and Yuzu and, just as Isshin said, her family's influence was quite obvious. Her table manners were exquisite and she behaved like a proper, young lady without any effort.

Urahara wondered, with hidden amusement, how Kuchiki Byakuya would react if he were to see his only daughter having breakfast with Yoruichi. Luckily there was no way the Kuchikis would be able to track them here, not to mention that while they also had a property near the cottage they hadn't visited in quite some time.

"Stop grinning" Ichigo told Urahara "it gives me the creeps"

"Oh, you always think so badly of me!" Urahara said dramatically "I was just thinking about my latest case!"

Isshin's eyes widened as Yoruichi, who was sitting next to Urahara, put her hand under the table to grab his thigh in a warning manner.

"Case?" Rukia asked curiously.

Ichigo rolled his eyes as he pointed at Urahara.

"Well, he's a..."

"Farm keeper" Isshin began.

"Mad scientist" Karin said.

"Candy shop owner" Yuzu added.

"... and a private detective" Ichigo said finally.

"Really?" Rukia asked surprised "that's interesting, I've never met a private detective before."

"We're not really common" Urahara agreed "although my favorite work is the farm and the candy shop."

Yoruichi rolled her eyes, every single one of his jobs was related in different ways, he just liked to be enigmatic and mysterious about it.

"What's your latest job anyway?" Karin asked.

Yuzu pouted.

"He won't tell" the blonde girl complained, she was obviously extremely curious "every time we ask he ignores our questions."

"That's called client's confidentiality" Isshin said calmly "it's for the best."

"Besides it's just about a youngster who escaped from the equivalent of a prison" Urahara said as if he was talking about the weather and Isshin choked while drinking coffee.

Yoruichi, who hadn't removed her hand from Urahara's thigh, sank her nails into it expecting him to shut up but he didn't even wince, which was impressive because Yoruichi liked to keep her nails long.

"Juvenile? Correctional?" Ichigo asked scoffing "why would you lose your time searching for someone like that?"

Rukia frowned.

"Well..." Urahara said smiling while focusing on Rukia's expressions "his family is pretty worried about him" he explained "I'm just helping them to locate him."

"They should forget about him, don't you think?" Ichigo said nonchalantly "he was in prison, he escaped, he'll end up paying for his crimes sooner or later."

Rukia glared at Ichigo.

"That's pretty judgmental, carrot top" she said disapprovingly "you don't know why he was in a juvenile prison to begin with."

Ichigo frowned at her.

"People who are there are criminals, midget" he said "he probably robbed or hurt someone, hell, we don't even know if he's a murderer."

"He might be innocent" Rukia retorted "it's not like the system is fair in most cases."

"Should I repeat myself?" Ichigo asked, his temper rising up "if he was in there is because he's a criminal, people who commits crimes end up in there, that's how life is."

Rukia raise an eyebrow at him.

"So, every institution around our country is filled with people who either belong there or choose to be there? No matter the nature of the institution?"

"Basically, yeah" Ichigo said, what was she getting at? Why was she defending a criminal?

"So, every single girl who is inside a convent is there because she choose to be there?" She asked finally and Ichigo gaped.

By this point of the conversation Karin was eating breakfast while enjoying the argument like a ping pong match, Yuzu had stopped eating as she was looking worriedly at his brother and Rukia and Isshin was looking with widened eyes their conversation.

Urahara was hiding his grin behind his coffee mug and Yoruichi was looking impressed at Rukia.

"You cannot compare a convent to a prison, Rukia."

The violet eyed girl scoffed.

"You would be surprised" she said while stabbing her food with the fork "although perhaps prisons are a little better."

Ichigo didn't miss her bitter tone.

"Let me rephrase" he said carefully "you cannot compare the people inside a prison with the people inside a convent, that's madness."

Rukia scoffed again.

"Why?" She asked angrily "what's the difference?"

"Between criminals and novices?!" Ichigo asked dumbfounded "seriously?"

"Criminals steal, nuns do too" Rukia said as a matter of fact "you would be extremely surprised if you were to step into a nun's room, they do have their share of expensive perfumes and nice furniture, most of it is paid by the offerings."

"But..."

"But if you're talking about novices and not full grown adults I can tell you, by alphabetical order, how many of my things ended up stolen in my own room."

"Fine" Ichigo said "you have a point, but we're talking about a boy who escaped from prison, his family is looking for him and..."

Rukia smirked at him and Ichigo realized then what he was saying, he was in some way describing Rukia's situation.

"You might want to rephrase that" she said amused.

"Novices at least know how to follow the law" Ichigo excused, what was he supposed to say? He couldn't understand what Rukia's point was.

"What law? The ten Commandments?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo nodded.

"Do not steal, do not kill, do not lie..." he enumerated.

Rukia crossed her arms.

"You're talking as if every single person who does that deserves to be punished" she said tilting her head.

"They don't?" Urahara asked genuinely curious.

"Well, it depends" Rukia reasoned.

"Depends on what? You're talking about criminals, Rukia! Doesn't God punish those sins?"

"He does" Rukia agreed "but it's not as if God does not take into consideration everyone's personal situation"

"Explain yourself" Ichigo said while looking straight at her eyes "you're not making any sense."

Rukia sighed.

"Well, we cannot judge, we come from a place of privilege" she began "but let's suppose that this boy that ran away from prison is poor..."

"Financial status is not an excuse" Ichigo said crossly "that's beyond ridiculous."

Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she said "let's use another example. A five year old, orphan boy who knows nothing about the world steals a wallet because he's hungry as hell, does he deserves to be judged? Do you think God will punish him?"

Ichigo frowned.

"No..." he agreed reluctantly "but children are an exception."

"But those are the children that grow up to be victims of the system" she reasoned "they grow up alone without knowing any better, they have to look for a way to survive and once they do the more privileged people" she gave Ichigo a knowing look "judge them."

"But prisons also serve as rehab centers" Ichigo said "several prisoners end up finding redemption there, although I still believe some people do not deserve it."

"I used to think the same" she admitted "but only God can judge them."

"Which proves my point that they'll end up being punished" Ichigo said without backing down "because these are the same people that spend their whole life hurting others, sinning and believe that the system failed them instead of looking for their own way out. Doesn't God praise the hard workers? The ones looking for a better life while helping others?"

"He does" Rukia agreed "but as I told you before, God is not a dictator He will not judge a..." she waved a hand around while thinking for a better example "poor girl the same way He will judge me."

"Rukia" Ichigo said frowning "you're not a criminal."

"Ichigo" she said "God is not a dictator or a control freak, He came here for the sinners and He welcomes with open arms those who confess their sins and find true regret."

"Then what about the ten Commandments?" Karin asked.

"Well, those are a basic guide" Rukia explained "but it's impossible to follow some of them point by point."

"Why?" Ichigo asked genuinely confused, wasn't that the law? What did the nuns teach her at the convent?

"It would be impossible to function in society like that" she said "let's suppose that you're planning a birthday party for Renji but it's a secret but somehow he ends up getting suspicious, would you answer honestly if he were to ask you? Would you ruin his birthday surprise just because lying is a sin?"

"No" Ichigo answered frowning "but..."

"But if you want a more extreme example" Rukia added before he could add anything else "if you kill someone in self-defense it does not count as a sin, it's basic human instinct to protect your life so if you're being attacked and end up in a situation like that, God won't punish you for defending yourself to save your own life."

Ichigo supposed that she had a point which only fed his curiosity.

"What about me?" Ichigo couldn't help to ask.

Rukia noticed how the annoyance on his eyes was replaced by genuine interest.

"What about you?" Rukia questioned confused.

"You know everything I've done" he said carelessly "won't God punish me for that sooner or later?"

Isshin exchanged a surprised look with Yoruichi, Rukia knew everything and even then she decided to stay by Ichigo's side? Isshin didn't know why he suddenly felt extremely grateful with the Kuchiki heiress.

There was a deafening silence for a few seconds. Rukia looked with widened eyes at Ichigo who smirked confidently at her.

"There's no need to look at me like that" he said "everyone in here knows about it."

"Oh" Rukia said blinking surprised a couple of times "I see, well..." she cleared her throat clearly nervous "do you really want me to use you to prove a point?"

Ichigo nodded.

"I'm curious" he said, the smirk wasn't leaving his face.

Rukia blushed slightly.

"Well, God won't punish you" she said straightforward "that's in the past."

Ichigo frowned.

"But all I did..."

"It does not matter" she said frowning back, she hated his self-hate "I do not know why you left your house but you said it yourself, you were in a bad place emotionally speaking" she sighed "you were really young, Ichigo."

"Being young does not mean..."

"Do you want to go on a self-hate rant or will you let me finish?" Rukia asked angrily and he shut up.

Yoruichi smirked at that.

"You made some mistakes" Rukia continued "but everyone does, what's important is the fact that you went back to your house, you forgave, you probably were forgiven too" she said shyly while looking sideways at Isshin who smiled kindly at her "you found true regret and you confessed your sins."

Everyone's eyes widened at this as they looked questioningly at Ichigo but he wasn't taking his eyes off Rukia's face.

"I mean, you confessed to a novice not a priest but the point remains" she said while blushing slightly "you are the exact representation of..."

"The prodigal son" Isshin said smiling and Rukia nodded while smiling back.

"Exactly" she said "you're the lost sheep that came back, God won't judge your past any longer. Look around you, you've been forgiven."

"I'm not religious..."

"You don't have to be religious to realize that you've been blessed with a beautiful family" Rukia said finally.

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Oh, sweet Ichigo" Yoruichi said with a cat like grin "is that a blush on your face?"

"Shut up!" he said annoyed and giving up on the whole thing "so, to summarize I shouldn't be a classist asshole who judges people because only God can judge us?"

"Basically" Rukia said clapping once.

"So, are you going to send this job of yours back to prison?" Ichigo asked Urahara.

"I don't think I will" Urahara said smiling.

Rukia smiled back.


"She knows" Isshin said once Ichigo and Rukia went to the garden leaving the adults behind, the twins wanted to rest a little on their room "she knows what he did and she doesn't care."

"You sound shocked" Yoruichi pointed out.

"You're not?" Isshin asked her.

"A little" she admitted "but it's just like she said, that's the past."

"I can think of several young girls that would judge the hell out of him if they were to find out" Isshin said worriedly, Ichigo's past was one of the things he thought would bring him problems once he started to date someone "and you're telling me that the girl that has been inside a convent doesn't care?"

"She's quite the jewel" Urahara agreed as he took out his cellphone "are we playing with them or not?"

Isshin frowned.

"Oh, come on!" He said "I thought we wouldn't play any matchmaking nonsense."

"Don't be a party pooper" Yoruichi told him "I agreed that we wouldn't but after that interesting breakfast I think it'll be okay to give them a little push."

Isshin sighed.

"Who is going to help you?" He asked Urahara.

"I happen to know quite a reliable boy" Urahara said as he dialed a number.


Ichigo decided that showing Rukia the farm would be fine. There were plenty of animals there and she could touch some of them so she would like it. The farm was located a little far away from the cottage but it was quite easy to get there, he was about to tell her his plans when suddenly a blonde boy stepped into the garden, jumping over the fence and walking towards them.

Ichigo frowned.

Hirako Shinji was running towards him with a huge smile, he was actually a friend of Ichigo but they hadn't seen each other in quiet some time since Shinji lived permanently in the countryside.

"Ichigo!" Shinji greeted happily "the people in town told me that you came and I couldn't believe…"

He stopped talking as he saw Rukia and Ichigo frowned deeper. Shinji's eyes widened as he smiled wider, he took off his hat and bowed dramatically in front of Rukia.

"I didn't know there was a princess visiting" Shinji said while taking her hand "oh please, sweet maiden, tell me your name."

Rukia tilted her head. The blonde, tall boy with the weird smile was pretty funny but something on Ichigo's expression was telling her that he didn't like him that much, but she just couldn't be rude and ignore him so she decided to talk to him.

"I'm Rukia" she answered amused with the weird boy's behavior.

"That's such a gorgeous name" he said while looking up at her "my name is Hirako Shinji, you can call me Shinji of course, what are you doing here?"

"Nice to meet you" Rukia said politely "I'm…"

"I invited her" Ichigo said while putting an arm around Rukia's shoulders "she's with me."

Shinji smirked while ignoring Ichigo and offering Rukia his arm.

"Is this your first time in the countryside?"

Rukia nodded as she freed herself from Ichigo's arm and grabbed Shinji's.

"Then the least I can do is to show you the farm" Shinji said and Ichigo glared at him "if you allow me I'll escort you, there are several animals there, do you like them?"

"Animals?" Rukia asked smiling "I love them, are there bunnies? Chickens? Dogs?"

Shinji nodded.

"Any farm animal you can imagine" he said while walking with her "come with me."

Ichigo decided to ignore the pang of jealousy he felt as he saw Rukia walking with Shinji and talking excitedly about the farm. So what if there were animals there? He was about to suggest the same damn thing! He just didn't have the chance! Groaning inwardly he decided to follow them, there was no use in staying behind sulking.


"Okay, it worked" Urahara said while observing everything from a safe distance "we should follow them."

Yoruichi and Isshin nodded. They both had to admit that watching Ichigo losing his cool because of jealousy was something too funny to miss.


The first part of the farm that Shinji showed Rukia were the stables. Urahara had a couple of horses and Ichigo wasn't that interested in the animals but Rukia gasped and when Ichigo realized what she was seeing his eyes widened. Shinji was also surprised so he stayed next to Ichigo.

Rukia was decisively approaching the biggest horse around.

Senbonzakura.

It was a black horse that belonged to the Kuchikis, what was the animal doing here? Ichigo didn't understand but Rukia ran towards it before he or Shinji could stop her and once she was in front of the animal she caressed the horse face.

"I think I'm in love" she said "what's his name?"

Ichigo frowned.

"Rukia, stay away from it, it's name is Senbonzakura and he's untamable" he said worriedly "he'll break your neck if he manages to escape from the stable."

"Senbonzakura" Rukia muttered "that's a gorgeous name, I don't understand why it rings a bell" she said without listening to Ichigo's warnings "can I ride him?" Rukia asked, her eyes were shining with happiness.

Ichigo paled.

"Hell no!" He said scared, he didn't dare to go any closer to the black horse, it was a menace and he couldn't understand how Rukia could feel so comfortable while touching it. Besides was Ichigo's imagination or the horse looked also happy to be with Rukia? That was odd.

Senbonzakura only obeyed and listened to the members of the Kuchiki clan.

"Oh, come on!" Rukia said while looking at the horse's face and caressing it lovingly "he's gorgeous, I would love to have one!"

Yoruichi fought the urge to scoff. She couldn't tell her how the horse, practically, belonged to her. Her father was the owner, they were just taking care of it for the time being. She didn't want Rukia to get hurt so she got out of her hiding spot and approached the teenagers along with Urahara.

"Why don't you try another one?" Shinji asked looking as scared as Ichigo "those are nicer."

The horse made an angry sound and Shinji took two steps back.

"Oh, no!" Rukia said without taking her eyes off the horse "don't listen to him, you cannot be compared to any other horse, okay?"

"Fuck" Ichigo said and then looked at Urahara "why is that dark beast in here? I thought that Bya..."

"We're taking care of it for a while" Urahara explained quickly before Ichigo could say Byakuya's name "the neighbors asked us to do it, they haven't been coming lately."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, he knew that the Kuchiki's property was bigger than Urahara's and he also knew how they paid some trustworthy employees to take care of it. Most of the employees were probably scared shitless of Senbonzakura.

Hell, he couldn't blame them.

"You'll let me ride you, won't you?" Rukia asked the horse.

"Can't she ask me that?" Shinji muttered under his breath and Ichigo looked at him enraged "don't tell me you don't want the same?" Shinji said to Ichigo.

"Shut up" Ichigo said finally while putting his hands inside his pockets, he didn't need mental images of Rukia asking him that, not at all.

"Well..." Urahara, who was still paying attention to Rukia, said "I guess you can do it, the horse looks comfortable with you."

Rukia gasped happily and Shinji paled.

"Sorry" he said while bowing slightly "but I cannot prepare that horse, it hates me and I don't want to lose my head."

"It's okay" Rukia said before anyone could suggest anything else "I don't need a saddle!"

Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Are you suicidal?" He asked angrily "that beast is..."

The horse made another menacing noise and Ichigo took a couple of steps back.

"Don't insult him!" Rukia admonished him angrily "I'll ride him" she said decisively "can I?" she asked finally while looking at Urahara and Yoruichi.

"As long as you don't die" Yoruichi said and Rukia nodded.

Ichigo thought that it was a god thing that Senbonzakura had the reins on because no one dared to get any closer. Rukia opened the stable and led the horse towards the center of the property where the horse's circuit was, Ichigo observed impressed how Rukia mounted Senbonzakura smoothly.

The dress was showing her legs and Ichigo elbowed Shinji so he would stop staring, but she was hard to ignore because her white dress had a nice contrast with Senbonzakura's black color.

With one pull of the reins Rukia ordered Senbonzakura to start moving and the horse obeyed, she was smiling while riding the horse around the circuit and Ichigo fought the urge to stare too much. She was gorgeous, there were obviously several sides of her that he didn't know and he couldn't wait to ask her about this one in particular.

She circled the whole circuit two times before approaching Ichigo and stopping right next to him.

"What?" he asked her in awe, he thought she looked amazing, he couldn't stop staring at her.

"Come," she said extending her hand and smiling at him "ride with me."

"I want to live, thanks" Ichigo said while eyeing Senbonzakura fearfully.

Rukia rolled her eyes and then looked at Shinji.

"Do you want to ride with me?" she asked the blonde boy and before he could even answer Ichigo scoffed.

"Never mind" Ichigo said "give me your hand, midget."

Rukia did so and Ichigo, who was still wary around Senbonzakura, mounted behind Rukia, he steadied himself as he put his hands on her waist and she started to ride gracefully again. Ichigo found himself relaxing and enjoying the whole thing, he never imagined that he would have the chance to ride the Kuchiki's most precious horse but it was interesting, although he promised himself not to tell Byakuya how a stranger rode his horse without asking for his explicit permission.

"Midget" Ichigo said "after dinner, once all the lights are off meet me at the garden, I'll show you something cool."

Rukia smiled.

"Sure" she said without hesitation.

She couldn't wait to see what other surprises Ichigo had in store for her.


The rest of the day went in a blur, Rukia spent the rest of the day with the twins and enjoying the countryside weather while Yoruichi prepared a picnic for everyone. The rest of the afternoon was filled with laughter and games and Rukia could swear that she had ate enough sweets and fruit to not sleep the whole night, she was going to have a sugar rush at some point.

Once dinner was over Rukia was on the room she was sharing with the twins checking the pictures she had taken during the day, she was asking them which should be her profile picture.

"I took a selfie with Senbonzakura" she said while showing it to them "what do you think?"

"It's lovely!" Yuzu said while admiring the selfie in which Rukia was smiling next to the gorgeous horse.

"It's great" Karin agreed "but you should try to use one that does not call everyone's attention too much, don't you think?"

Rukia nodded.

"Yeah" she said "I don't want anyone asking me awkward questions, what about this one?"

Karin and Yuzu grabbed her phone and saw a picture of Rukia laughing while holding a strawberry on her hand, it had obviously been taken on the afternoon picnic. Rukia was sitting elegantly under the shadow of a big oak tree and there was a plate full of strawberries next to her and she was wearing her hat, she looked pretty.

"This one is perfect!" Yuzu said and Karin agreed with her sister.

Rukia ended up setting it up as her profile picture in twitter and after saying good night to the twins the lights were turned off. Rukia waited for a few minutes until she was sure that the twins were asleep, she didn't know what to expect about what Ichigo told her, what did he want to show her?

As quietly as she could and without changing her dress she left the room and walked towards the garden, there was no one around and she was thankful. If an adult were to see her she wouldn't be able to explain what she was doing in the middle of the night. She was about to reach the garden when someone grabbed her shoulder and she gasped while turning around.

"Fuck!" Rukia cursed as she realized Ichigo was behind her "you scared me!"

Ichigo chuckled, he assumed that she would take the same hallway as him to leave the cottage quietly so the chance to surprise her was too tempting to miss.

"Keep it down" he told her "follow me, I want to show you something."

Rukia nodded as they went out through the backyard, Rukia wondered if there were any security cameras around the whole place, she didn't want Ichigo's family to get the wrong idea of her, she knew that sneaking out with a boy at night could lead to some misunderstandings and she didn't want that to happen to her.

"Won't we get in trouble?" She asked apprehensively "what if someone sees us?"

"Calm down" he said while grabbing her hand and walking farther ahead, he looked excited about something "Urahara is playing poker with my father right now, probably. Either way, they are in the basement or far away from the garden, no one will notice."

Rukia nodded as he helped her to get over the fence at the back of the garden. There was nothing but a huge forest surrounding them and Ichigo, without letting go off her hand, guided her through the darkness.


"And they are gone" Urahara said while looking at Ichigo and Rukia leaving through the forest and sighing dramatically "that's quite romantic, when was the last time we went to a midnight date, Yoruichi-san?" he asked while looking at his wife.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes at him.

Isshin snorted as he saw his friend using binoculars to spy on his son and the Kuchiki heiress from the window on the second floor.

"We should've stopped them!" Isshin said while pacing around the room impatiently.

"Don't be dramatic" Yoruichi advised him "we're talking about Ichigo here, don't you trust him?"

"I do" Isshin said without hesitation "but this is not a normal situation, the girl escaped from a convent and the only romantic and intimate experience Ichigo have had his whole life was with a boy, a troublesome, lost boy. I don't want them to hurt each other."

Urahara nodded while understanding his friend's point.

"It's only wise to be worried" he agreed "but it's not as if they'll do anything irresponsible right now I mean..."

"Ichigo left a hickey on her neck just a few days back" Isshin said bluntly and Yoruichi spit the beer she was drinking.

Urahara's eyes widened.

"Uh?!" Both, Yoruichi and Urahara, asked at the same time.

"She had a hickey the day she went at the hospital" Isshin explained "after I asked her about it she assured me that it was done with consent and that she wasn't sexually active. Ichigo ended up telling me that he had done it."

Yoruichi blinked confused several times.

"Well..." she said finally "at least now you know that he's definitely not gay."

Isshin groaned.

"I'm too young to be a grandparent" he said dramatically "I just want them to go slower, is that too much to ask?!"

"Ichigo is a gentleman around her" Urahara said carelessly while showing how much faith he had in his godson "whatever pace they end up choosing it'll be the best for them, it's not like they're idiots, one or two kisses won't destroy their friendship."

"And once Byakuya finds out?" Isshin asked.

"Leave that to Rukia," Yoruichi suggested grinning "if she's anything like Hisana she'll end up throwing a tantrum and fighting with teeth and nails against her father to keep Ichigo by her side" she said proudly "Not even Kuchiki Byakuya will be able to go against her wishes."

"So, I should just spend the whole night worrying over them?" Isshin asked.

"Yeah!" Yoruichi said happily "just add beer to the mix, it'll make it easier and besides, you're talking about my goddaughter too, we'll worry together."

Isshin accepted the beer and chuckled.

He would have to trust both teenagers and pray that everything would turn out for the best.


"Had I known that you were not great at walking in uneven ground I would've look for something else to do" Ichigo said and Rukia, who was now on his back, pulled his hair a little.

"Shut up!" she said angrily "you didn't say we were going to come hiking I wouldn't have brought sandals."

"Well, we'll be there soon" Ichigo promised.

"Where exactly?" she questioned and Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Fuck, midget" he said "would it kill you to wait? It's a surprise."

Rukia sighed and kept quiet, if it was a surprise like the bunny's meadow she was looking forward to it so she decided to stop complaining. Looking up she realized how the moonlight was sneaking through the branches of the trees giving the whole forest an amazing glow, she could also see several stars, she couldn't remember seeing that many before. She knew her family had a house in the countryside, it belonged to her granddaddy, but she had never been there.

"You know" she said casually "I cannot believe I am here right now."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked while stepping carefully over the tree's roots, he had been around this place several times but the ground was tricky, he didn't want to trip with Rukia on his back.

"Well…" Rukia said while still looking at the branches and the stars above them "when I was little I lived with my family in Tokyo, I never left the mansion because daddy has always being quite overprotective but I liked it, I never complained."

Ichigo nodded to let her know he was paying attention.

"But then as I got older I had a crisis and I was taken to the hospital immediately" she told him "the doctors informed daddy that I had inherited my mom's condition and that I would have to be extra careful with my health" she sighed "daddy's overprotectiveness got worst and I started to complain about being locked inside the mansion."

"Why?" Ichigo asked.

"Because I always assumed that I would go outside by the time I was older but when I realized that I could die quite easily I understood how much I've been missing out" she explained "I didn't have friends my age, I didn't know how to ride a bicycle and I didn't know how going to school felt."

"You wanted to see the outside world before it was too late" Ichigo summarized while jumping slightly over a few tricky rocks.

"Exactly" Rukia said "but I never got the chance to go out, not even my grandparents were comfortable with me living like a normal girl, they were afraid that something might happen to me."

"That's silly" Ichigo said frowning "staying inside the house forever would've killed you in the end."

"Right?" Rukia said, she was glad he understood "but I stopped complaining, they couldn't have kept me inside the house forever so I just waited for the moment they would let me go to a normal school at least."

"But…?" Ichigo asked.

"But then something changed" she said as she hid her face on his back "one day the maid was ordered to pack some clothes for me and the next thing I knew is that I was going to be sent to the convent."

There was a silence of a few minutes and all that could be heard were Ichigo's footsteps.

"At first I thought about trying to enjoy the whole thing" she admitted after a while "but when they stopped visiting and the letters stopped arriving a whole new hell began and I swore I would escape. I begged for them in every single letter just to get me out of there and they never answered, I felt like an abandoned child."

Ichigo felt really angry at Rukia's family, he seriously couldn't understand why they would do something like that. The worst part was that he knew that deep down they weren't bad people because no one with bad feelings would've been able to raise someone like Rukia. So, what was their deal? Ichigo was really curious.

"But" Rukia said and Ichigo could tell that she was smiling "now I'm here! In the middle of nowhere while letting a boy carry me towards his secret place, if daddy could see me he would lose his…"

"Shit?" Ichigo suggested and Rukia laughed.

"Exactly" she said.

"And if the nuns and the girls at the convent could see you?"

Rukia smiled as she closed her eyes while trying to imagine their angry, jealous faces.

"Oh, they would blush angrily while saying things about how much of an indecent little girl I am!" she said chuckling.

"Well, you've been having quite an eventful time outside that place" Ichigo commented as he remembered the few things she had done "in one year you'll have several stories to brag about, but since we don't want them to find you, you'll just have to enjoy the moments they'll never be able to enjoy."

Rukia nodded.

"In a year I'll have completely forgotten the convent" she said enthusiastically "I'll be too busy being free to even think about them."

"Totally" Ichigo agreed and then he pause "we'll be still going to church in one year?" he questioned.

"Of course!" she said without hesitation and Ichigo sighed. Perhaps her religious side wasn't going to go away anytime soon but it didn't bother Ichigo, it was sort of cute and it saved her from Grimmjow trying anything funny on her and it also impressed Ichigo's family during breakfast.

After walking further ahead Ichigo heard water running and smirked.

They had arrived.

He walked a little faster and stopped abruptly when he found out his secret spot.

"This is it, midget" Ichigo said as Rukia got down of his back "this is the secret place I wanted to show you."

Rukia's eyes widened as she looked around her.

Ichigo had brought her to a waterfall, a small, wonderful waterfall that was only illuminated by the moonlight. She smiled as she took off her sandals and stepped into the water. It felt amazing, the water reached her ankles and she could tell that it was deeper a little further ahead, she really wanted to swim.

"This is a secret place?" she asked while turning to look at Ichigo.

He was taking off his tennis.

"Yeah," he answered while smirking cockily "I discovered it when I was little, I never told anyone. I think that the town's people know about it but I've never seen anyone else here and you're the first one I bring."

Rukia smiled at that and she extended her hand so he could grab it.

"It's awesome, carrot top" she said "thank you for bringing me."

Ichigo grabbed her hand so he could step into the water with her but she took him by surprise and pulled him with more strength than necessary. Ichigo's eyes widened as he fell into the water and he heard Rukia laughing, he stood up while coughing and frowned at her. Rukia was still standing in the less deep part but Ichigo decided to correct that.

"You'll pay for that" he said.

"Is that a threat?" Rukia asked and Ichigo surprised her by splashing water to her face, she closed her eyes instinctively and before she could process what was happening Ichigo took her by her waist and jumped into the deep water with her, she yelped a little as they both fell with a loud splash.

"Idiot!" Rukia said as they came out of the water.

Ichigo laughed at her surprised face.

Rukia put her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, it was deeper than she thought and it had been quite a while ever since she swam for the last time. She didn't count the convent, she always refused to use the pool there because the only time she did the girls almost drowned her.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked her after noticing how tightly she was holding onto him "do you know how to swim, right?"

Rukia scoffed.

"Of course I know how to swim!" she said defensively "I'm just not that good at it."

Ichigo chuckled.

"Relax, I won't let go off you" he assured her while putting his hands under her thighs to support her better.

Rukia blushed slightly as she started to regret not changing into something more comfortable, the white sundress didn't feel appropriate to swim in the middle of the night. Sighing she decided to relax, she was with Ichigo so nothing would happen. She looked up and noticed the amount of stars on the sky, she never got that kind of views in the city.

"It's gorgeous" Rukia muttered while observing the stars.

Ichigo, who was only looking at Rukia's eyes, agreed with her. She was gorgeous, inside and out, he still couldn't get over how someone like her spent three years of her life inside a convent and what he found even more unbelievable was the fact that he was the one who ended up finding her. Sometimes he felt like thanking God for that, because while he wasn't religious he got to the conclusion that only a supreme, divine force could have send Rukia to his life.

She was still holding onto him and Ichigo could feel every single curve of her body against his, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the waterfall and Ichigo realized that he was getting lost in her eyes.

"Midget" he told her and Rukia stopped looking at the stars to look properly at him.

Their faces were only inches apart.

"Yeah?" she asked.

It was then when she noticed that Ichigo was looking at her with soft eyes and she blinked confused. She had seen Ichigo looking at her like that a couple of times before and she knew that those eyes were only reserved for her. Kurosaki Ichigo never used those eyes in public and right now, those same eyes were sending shivers down her spine.

"Remember when you said that I stole twenty percent of your virginity?" he asked her lowly.

Rukia nodded while chuckling.

"I already confessed" she told him "so I'm free of sin."

Ichigo shook his head.

"You didn't do anything" he told her "shouldn't I be the one confessing? After all it was all my fault."

"I asked for the hickey" she said "but if you do want to confess we can go to church."

"I think I'll need to confess after what I'm about to do" he said.

Rukia's heart skipped a beat as she lost herself in Ichigo's eyes, she had an idea of what he wanted to do and she wanted too. It was one of those things she was curious about, she never imagined that Ichigo would be the one suggesting it.

"May I?" he asked her and she nodded.

Rukia closed her eyes instinctively, her heart was beating frantically but she ignored it, and before she could even count to three Ichigo kissed her. She was pretty sure that this was pure bliss, the whole moment was perfect and when Ichigo started to move his lips she answered shyly, she didn't know what to do but Ichigo didn't seem to mind. His hands under her thighs tighten a little and she sighed happily.

She never imagined having a first kiss like this so she decided to enjoy the moment.

Ichigo on his side was trying to be careful, really careful. She couldn't understand what he liked so much about Rukia, she was gorgeous, considerate, smart and assertive but he didn't forget all she had gone through recently so he didn't push his luck. When she started to answer the kiss he found himself pulling her closer to him and she sighed making a little, girly sound that made Ichigo's heart skip a beat.

God, forgive me he thought as he bit her lower lip a little.

She gasped and Ichigo took that chance to use his tongue and, in what he thought was a blessing, she granted him access without hesitation. He was enjoying the moment a lot, she tasted wonderful and her shy movements were driving him crazy.

He couldn't remember liking someone so much, he couldn't remember a sweeter kiss or a more perfect moment.

Rukia's hands were on his hair and he wanted to keep her with him forever, he got so lost in the moment that he didn't realize that he was starting to get a little rough, it wasn't until she moaned a little that Ichigo realized what he was doing so against his wishes he ended up the kiss and put his forehead against Rukia's.

They both opened their eyes at the same time and looked at each other while breathing heavily.

Rukia was blushing and Ichigo knew they were both going to go back to the cottage with swollen lips.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

Rukia nodded.

"That's like fifty percent of my virginity, carrot top" she said while smiling at him.

Ichigo chuckled.

"You are really something else, crazy midget" he said.

She shrugged and then kissed his cheek sweetly.

"That was amazing" she whispered on his ear "I never expected to enjoy my first kiss that much."

Ichigo sighed happily.

"We still have some time before going back" he said and Rukia noticed that he had a hoarse voice "should we make the most out of it?" he asked.

Rukia nodded shyly and Ichigo kissed her again.

They didn't go back to the cottage until a little bit before dawn.

GOD THAT TOOK A WHILE! (Seriously, I fought with a huge writer's block so reviews will be more appreciated than ever)

Thank you so much for reading this! I cannot even explain how much I struggled to get rid of the writer's block, really! I'm quite happy with that last scene and I cannot wait to read your comments about it.

So, for those amazing souls that keep this fanfic going by leaving me reviews, which part did you like the most? Let me know.

I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter:

Brunna Aprigio d: Thank you for your review, here's the update, I hope you like it! Kisses!

Bleach power: Oh, thank you so much for your review, I love to know how you read most of my stories, I'll be waiting for your review, tell me if you liked this chapter, okay?! Thanks again, take care!

XLeoX10: Thank you so much for your review! I'm so glad you liked it! I cannot wait to know what you think about this chapter, kisses!

Jobananasan: Your reviews light up my days! I have important things planned for grandpa Ginrei in the next chapter so stay tuned! I'm actually excited about reading your opinion on this chapter and I cannot wait for you to read the chapters to come, thanks for the support! Take care! Kisses!

Natsumivat: ¡Gracias por tu review! Me encanta que te guste la historia, espero que este cap también te haya entretenido ¿Qué parte te gustó más? Espero subir el próximo mucho más rápido, la verdad si me costó escribirlo. Voy a estar esperando tu review y muchas gracias otra vez por tu review. ¡Cuídate y besos!

Achalida: Thank you for your review, don't worry! We'll be seeing more about the Kuchikis really soon, promise! Let me know if you liked this chapter, okay?! Take care, kisses!

Grimmjowlover: Hi! The update is finally here! Thank you so much for your review and support! I hope that waiting for this chapter was worthy! Let me know what you think about it, okay?! Take care, kisses!

RukiYuki: Thank you so much for always reviewing! It means a lot to me and I cannot wait for you to read this chapter! Thanks again, take care!

Nejes: Thank you for your review, I hoped you enjoy the Ichiruki scenes on this one! Let me know, okay?! I'll be waiting for your review, kisses!

Ichirukitrash4ever: I looooved your review, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! I cannot wait to read your comments on this one! Hopefully you enjoyed it! Thanks again, take care! Kisses!

If I didn't mention you let me know so I can thank you properly.

Pd. I apologize for my grammar mistakes.