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

Author's Note: Hi! We have another one-shot today set a little farther back into the future. So to clear things up, most of these collection takes place during a year and a half. So Rukia decides to go visiti Ichigo in the first one-shot and at one point (more about that later) they decided to visit each other every weekend or so, unless they can't for whatever reason. So during one weekend, Rukia goes to Karakura, and on the following one, Ichigo goes to the SS. And during their visits and when they are apart, they keep understanding things about their relationship with each other. The problem is that they aren't in chronological order. So between the first two one-shots there's a timeskip. The fifth one-shot takes place around a few months after the second one, the sixth one is right after that one, a few weeks in between. Yesterday's one-shot is set in the middle. And this one is set at about a year after Rukia goes to visit Ichigo that first time.

Anyway, hope this made things clearer.

As always, thank you all for reading and reviewing!

Hope you guys like this one too!

See ya!

the girl who is supposed to have him

Prompt: east of the sun, west of the moon

Summary: It doesn't matter how much fate tries to keep them apart, Rukia won't ever let him go. Because she knows they are meant to be together.

Rukia waits outside the Captain Commander's office, not knowing why exactly she had been called here.

When she had received a hell butterfly that morning, she had believed maybe the sōtaichō wanted a full report on the state of her division, now that Ukitake-taichō was gone and she was in charge.

However, she has been waiting for too long, so she fears this is not a normal meeting.

And the way Ise-fukutaichō keeps avoiding her stare makes her think something is terribly wrong.

She is proven right when finally Nanao tells her that Kyōraku-sōtaichō is waiting for her, but there is pity in her eyes as she says this.

This spells doom for her.

Fearing the worst, Rukia goes into the room to find the leader of the Gotei 13 sitting on his desk, drinking sake.

"Ah! Rukia-chan, welcome, welcome. Sit down, please. Want a cup of sake?"

To his credit, Kyōraku Shunsui is as friendly as always.

He still wears his pink kimono, his straw hat and, as far as she knows, Nanao still has to remind him to check all paperwork and to attend meetings.

But beyond his amicable appearance, Rukia knows he hides a lot of darkness within, like most Shinigami do, especially those in high positions inside the Gotei 13.

And she wonders why exactly he needs her there.

What had she done as of late that had warranted a private meeting with the Captain Commander?

The only way to know is to go through this meeting, so she takes a seat and drinks the sake that has been offered to her.

"So how are things in the division? Everything going well? The new trainees are behaving?"

Captain Kyōraku makes small chit chat and Rukia answers in the best way she can, being as respectful as possible.

He politely asks her about some issues inside the division, chuckles every now and then, congratulates her on her paperwork, and, finally, he reclines on his chair and smiles.

"Jūshirō would be so proud of you, Rukia-chan. You're guiding the 13th division in the way he would have wanted. Keep up the good work and you'll make captain soon." The Captain Commander congratulates her and Rukia feels a bit of shyness creeping in.

"Thank you very much, sōtaichō-dono." She bows down her head, out of respecy but also to hide her burning cheeks. "I will be sure to keep working on bettering the state of the division." She solemnly vows.

The older man chuckles and waves his hand.

"Ah, don't be so formal, Rukia-chan. You make me feel old. Well, older than I am."

The two share a smile, and suddenly the peacefulness of the moment is shattered when Kyōraku turns serious.

"Anyway, you're probably wondering why I asked you to come here." He asks her and when Rukia nods, he continues, "You see, it's come to my attention that you have been spending a lot of time in the world of the living this past year. And I've also seen Ichigo-kun quite a few times visiting the Soul Society. Well, sometimes more than seen I've felt his massive reiatsu."

"Yes. Sometimes I visit Ichigo on his hometown, and other times he comes here to see everyone." Rukia explains their agreement without revealing too much about it.

"I see." The Captain Commander sits back and stares at her with his unyielding eyes.

She feels a chill running down her spine and she realizes in that very moment that something is about to change.

"Do you know why we Shinigami exist, Rukia-chan?" He abruptly questions her.

She's caught by surprise, but she still answers.

"To lead the spirits of those who have just died to the Soul Society, to purify the Hollows that eat spirits, to protect the spirits residing in the Soul Society and to maintain the balance of the universe." She recites as if she were still a student.

"Very good, Rukia-chan. That's a great answer. But it's not always as easy as it sounds, right?

In the past few years, there have been many threats and even without them, there's a lot of injustice in the Rukongai, as you're surely aware.

A lot of souls fear Shinigami more than they like them.

And then there's the fact that we've been meddling too much in human affairs."

During this last part, the captain looks pointedly at her and Rukia gulps.

"But we still have a duty to fulfill. As we've experienced before, the balance of the universe is a delicate thing. If you tip the balance even a little, our reality might unravel, and we cannot let that happen."

He explains matter-of-factly, while she can only nod in agreement.

"Which is why I have to wonder about the ramifications of a human and a Shinigami spending so much time together."

Kyōraku says at last and Rukia finally understands what is going on.

"I can assure you, sōtaichō-dono, that I do not use my powers while visiting Ichigo and I am inside a gigai most of the time.

Ichigo, as it is his duty as the Substitute Shinigami of Karakura, does use his powers but he has learned to suppress his high reiatsu levels while on the human world.

He only lets loose when he comes here."

She explains, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

"And I am sure you do, Rukia-chan. You're responsible like that and Ichigo-kun probably does all he can to protect his town from Hollows and the like.

But my question is, what are you two doing? No matter how much of an extraordinary human Ichigo-kun may be, he's still a human. And you are a Shinigami. Your place is here. With all the other Shinigami.

And Ichigo-kun's place is in Karakura. Until he dies, that is. Which is not something either of us wishes to happen soon, right?"

She furrows her brow at these statements.

"We didn't think we were doing anything wrong. We didn't think it was forbidden for Ichigo to come here to visit or for me to go to Karakura."

"No, no. It is not forbidden."

The Captain Commander shakes his head.

"Ichigo-kun can come here whenever he wants. Gods know I even thought he would be a permanent resident here after the last war. I believed maybe his new powers would be too much for the human world.

But, no.

I'm not worried about that. Whom I'm worried about is you, Ruka-chan."

"Me?" She's dumbfounded at hearing this. "Why would you be worried about me?"

"Well, because Ichigo-kun is human, he may continue on living a very human life, one in which a Shinigami like you won't fit anymore.

I and quite frankly other Shinigami are worried that if you two keep going like this, you might end up hurt.

Ichigo-kun will keep growing up, getting older each day, appearing older.

And you, my dear, will stay just the same for the foreseeable future.

His goals may be different five years from now than your own goals will be for you.

Will you still feel comfortable when you go to the human world still looking young and beautiful while he's already an old man?

What if he gets married and forms a family of his own?

And don't get me wrong, Rukia-chan, I want Ichigo-kun to work closely with the Gotei 13. I'm just not sure that is the life he is going to want."

Rukia considers her superior's words carefully.

In a sense, he is right.

Ichigo and she are from two very different worlds.

And it is true.

Eventually, Ichigo might want something else.

To be normal.

To live a more mundane life.

There is even the possibility he will want a regular job, a marriage, children, and the like.

And as the decades pass, Rukia will remain the same.

But that is not exactly true either.

She had already changed from who she was when she had met Ichigo, and she had become better after that.

She had wanted more from life.

Different things than just her duty as a Shinigami.

And she had decided that it was okay for her to wish.

And it was more than okay for her to want Ichigo.

Because it doesn't matter how much fate tries to keep them apart.

Or how much everybody thinks it is wrong.

Rukia won't ever let him go.

Even if a future in which their goals align is as improbable as going east of the sun and west of the moon, still Rukia won't let Ichigo go.

Because she knows, deep in her heart, that they are meant to be together.

And nothing can change that fact.

"With all due respect, sōtaichō-dono, Ichigo is not a normal human being. And I am also not like other Shinigami.

The bond he and I share is not like any other.

And it doesn't matter what happens in the future, we will find a way to stay together, no matter what."

The Captain Commander listens to her intently, and at the end of her short speech, he starts boisterously laughing.

"Oh, Rukia-chan! That is what I was expecting to hear!"

"Wait, what?" She asks, mouth agape.

"I wanted to see how serious you were about each other, but don't worry, you passed my test with flying colors!

You don't have to worry anymore.

So long as your division is being managed neatly, you can go visit Ichigo-kun whenever you want. And of course he can come to the Soul Society at anytime!"

"I… I'm not sure I understand…?" She blurts out, flabbergasted.

Kyōraku just chuckles.

"I was just tricking you into admitting your true relationship with Ichigo-kun, to see if I had to worry about his continuous visits.

But it is fine.

I see how it is.

Well, I'm not even surprised.

You're the girl who is supposed to have him, after all.

Don't let others stop you from pursuing your own happiness, and if anybody gives you trouble, let me know."

Rukia is still not sure what is going on, but, nonetheless, she smiles at him.

"I will do that, sir."

The captain keeps chuckling to himself, but smiles brightly at the young Shinigami.

"You can go now, Rukia-chan. And please, tell Ichigo-kun he should come visit me one of these days. I hear he's now old enough to drink now, and I want to toast with him."

"I will tell him, sōtaichō-dono."

With that, Rukia bids Captain Kyōraku goodbye and she leaves to her own division, trying to process the strangeness of her visit.

She's still not quite sure she got what her superior tried to tell her, but it is alright.

Maybe Ichigo will get it once she tells him.

Or that is what she hopes, anyway.

Meanwhile, the Captain Commander is still chuckling to himself.

"Ah, to be young and in love."

A/N: So I had no idea what to write for this prompt. I had a feeling it was from a fantastic story, maybe even a song or something, so I googled it. Sure enough, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" is a folktale from Norway. It's kinda like the story of "Cupid and Psyche" in which if the bride peaks, she loses her husband and has to look for him. There are many tales of a "lost husband" and I'm sure you guys know several. It also has elements similar to "Beauty and the Beast." Anyway, so I read the story and it is about this white bear that asks a father for his youngest daughter in exchange of riches. They agree and the girl leaves with him. He's gone throughout the day and gives her a bell that if she chimes it, it'll give her whatever she wants. But at night she feels someone sleeping next to her. Eventually, she grows homesick and the white bear lets her go to visit her family, but warns her that she shouldn't be alone with her mother, otherwise it'll bring them back luck. She goes home and tries to evade her mother, but ends up alone with her at one point. She tells her mother that there's a man who sleeps next to her at night. The mom tells her it's probably a troll and that she should peak in the night when he's asleep. And she gives her a candle. Sure enough, when she's back home, and her husband's asleep, she peaks and realizes she's been sleeping next to a handsome prince, so she leans down to kiss him and the wax drops on him and wakes him up. He scolds her and tells her he was cursed by his stepmother and would've been freed if they had lived like this for one year. But since she looked at him, he has to go back to his castle "east of the sun and west to the moon" to marry a troll princess, his stepmother's daughter. So he leaves and the girl goes looking for him. Well, as it turns out nobody knows where "east of the sun, west to the moon" is. It's meant to be this impossible place. And that's one of the ideas I wanted to use. The other one is that the prince needed to marry the troll princess, so we're led to believe he refused, got cursed in the form of a white bear and the only way for him to go back to normal was either marrying the troll princess or finding a wife who wouldn't look at his true form at night until a year had passed. So I liked this idea of changing destiny, which is the one I think fits the most with IchiRuki.

As for the title, "the girl who was supposed to have him" is kind of an epithet in the story. All the old ladies and the winds the girl meets as she looks for "east of the sun, west of the moon" call her this. So I decided to use it as a title, kinda to indicate that Rukia is the one to change Ichigo's destiny, like this girl is the one to change the prince's destiny. Eventually, in the story, the North Wind takes her to the castle "east of the sun, west of the moon" and there she eventually meets the prince, and they trick the troll princess and the stepmother. They do end up together and they live happily ever after as it is usual.

So I also decided that a Shinigami needed to test Rukia and Ichigo's resolve to be together. Byakuya was not a good candidate because I'm pretty sure he knows, as a) he lived through a similar situation, and b) he trusts both Rukia and Ichigo. And most importantly, he trusts Ichigo with Rukia. So it needed to be someone else. Renji was out of the question for obvious reasons and it needed to be someone who posed a certain opposition. Nobody else would do but Kyoraku, as the Captain Commander he's the only one who can forbid them from seeing each other. But I didn't want him to seem as an asshole all through the end. So it was just a trick. He supports IchiRuki but wanted to be sure just how far they'd go for each other.

And even if Rukia didn't clearly mean that she loves Ichigo and her feelings are returned, they can't fool Kyoraku. He has lived for far too many years to recognize love when he sees it lol.

So I hope you guys enjoy it!

Until next time!