Hello wonderful people! Welcome to a new update after such a long time. I hope this chapter compensates for my long hiatus. For Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors chemotherapy is not really used for GIST but a type of chemo called targeted therapy is commonly used to shrink the tumor.

Also please check my profile for an update about discontinued and continued stories.

Previously...

"Convince me" She answered hoarsely. "Convince me that I'm wrong".

Ichigo slowly climbed on top of her and stared down with determined eyes. "I love you" He whispered with a strong voice that didn't match his tear soaked face. Rukia closed her eyes and quietly whispered those three words back. "And always"

"So... the final choice?" The doctor asked as Ichigo squeezed Rukia's hand and they stared at each other for a minute.

"Chemotherapy"

Dr. Fuji nodded in approval and walked across the room to get another clipboard that held numerous amounts of papers. "Chemotherapy will be a long and painful process but it will hopefully be worth it. Now, we have a lot of papers to fill to prepare for this treatment" Dr. Fuji handed Ichigo the clipboard and he stared down on the first page that had Preparing for Chemotherapy printed on it. He felt something on his stomach as she handed the same copy to Rukia. "The treatment we are going to use is called target therapy. Since the tumor has affect Mrs. Kurosaki's esophagus and all the way down to the lining of her stomach. Thankfully that is only as far as it went" She reassured Rukia with a smile when she saw her shiver. "The tumor is lodged on her stomach and it had only spread onto her esophagus but that doesn't mean we will not need immediate attention." She urged them to flip to the next page and listed all the treatments for this particular tumor.

"We will be using the neoadjuvant therapy which will require us to use imatinib to try and shrink the tumor and we shall see how it goes from there" Dr. Fuji smiled and flipped the next page of Ichigo's clipboard. "We will start the treatment in two weeks. Before then, Mrs. Kurosaki will need some preparations. Please sign this to acknowledge that you understood the process of the treatment and accept it"

After a while Rukia and Ichigo walked out of the office with his arm around her shoulders. "They said to make sure to get sufficient amount of water" Ichigo said while pulling out a bottle of water and nudging it at Rukia. She sighed heavily and softly pushed the bottle away.

"I don't feel like drinking right now. Can we do something exciting and something that'll limit me from doing because of chemotherapy?" She asks while they walk towards their car. "Like a date in a restaurant specializing in ramen! I can't have greasy or fatty foods during the process so why not binge on it" She said cheerily as they both got into a car. "Also we should go to a park and hang around or something-" Ichigo placed his hand gently on her lips to stop her rambling.

"Babe, how about we get take outs for ramen and rest at home. Just chilling at home will be troubling for you during the process, so why not just relax?" Ichigo said with soft eyes and Rukia's eyes relaxed a little while nodding. After they got ramen they slowly settled down on their couch and started to devour their meal. Suddenly Rukia stopped eating and froze which lead Ichigo to freeze as well.

"Rukia are you ok-" Before he could finish Rukia jumped up and stumbled along towards the bathroom where he heard her start to retch. Starting to panic, he swiftly followed after her and saw her hovered over the toilet. His eyes filled with sorrow as he gently patted down on her back like the night they found out she potentially might have cancer, and which that possibility became a reality for them. When she stopped vomiting she heaved a little as Ichigo gently placed her on his lap while he sat on the cold tile of the bathroom. "You feeling better?" He whispered and she gave a weak nod. He peeked in the toilet and his heart shattered as he saw a little bit of blood in the bile again. He slowly started brushing her hair with his fingers as she whimpered. He picked her up and carefully placed her on their bed when he reached their bedroom. Ichigo started kissing her neck and didn't hesitate to continue when she turned her head away.

"Ichigo what are you doing. I'm not in the mood" she said weakly as she tried to push him away. He roughly sucked on her neck which she responding by giving out a small yelp. He smirked against her skin and ignored her comment. Ichigo delicately pushed her onto the bed so that she was fully lying down and steadily climbed on top of her while supporting his weight with his arms placed near her head so that he was caging her. "Ichigo stop-"

"Let me help you forget about everything," Ichigo quietly said as she stared at him with sorrow eyes. "Let's just forget about everything for this moment. It's ok if we come back to reality in an hour or so. Just let me help you be tranquil even just for an hour" He smiled sadly, "Let me give you tranquility." Rukia's eyes filled with tears as she playfully pushed his chest.

"That damn English degree is gonna be the death of me"

Ichigo chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I know you love it when I use my fancy literature skills on you" He joked as his heart squeezed when she flashed a big smile. He slowly brought his face closer to her and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Bring me to this world of tranquility"

After a few hours of them cuddling and their love making session, Ichigo groaned when he heard their doorbell ring. "Who the fuck decided that it was a good idea to visit at ten pm?" He growled as Rukia chuckled and briskly started to dress up again. Ichigo just decided to throw on a bathrobe and that pure white and fuzzy. It was a robe that Rukia absolutely loved even though it was way too big to be hers. He stomped towards the door, angry that his cuddling session with his wife had ended so abruptly. When he opened the door his eyes widened when he saw Inoue and Ishida standing on the opposite side. "Ishida? Inoue? What the hell are you guys doing at this time-" He was violently pushed away when Rukia took over his place and gently smiled at their friends.

"Hi guys. What brings you guys here?" She asked politely as Inoue gave her a tight hug and Ishida just nodded at her.

"Oh Kuchiki-san! We were so worried about you that we couldn't wait 'till tomorrow morning to visit you. So we literally decided to visit you now" She said cheerily as she also gave Ichigo a quick longing glance. Ishida nodded and implied that it was more of Inoue wanting to visit right now instead of in the morning. "Kuchiki-san your face is so pale! Luckily I brought some ingredients to make you some warm supper!" Inoue exclaimed happily as she pounced into the kitchen. Ichigo and Ishida both turned blue from thinking about the catastrophic meal that Inoue could be planning. Rukia just tilted her head and followed her along to the kitchen.

"What meal are you making Inoue?"

"Well Kuchiki-san-"

"Her surname is now Kurosaki" Ichigo butted in when he finally had enough of Inoue calling Rukia her maiden name. Inoue's face turned pink and her eyes lowered as she hid her shaking hands behind her back.

"Well K-Kurosaki-san, I decided on making spaghetti but instead of meatballs I'm gonna add gummy bears to literally sweeten up the dish and for dessert we can have pickled ice cream!" Ichigo turned away and quietly retched as Ishida just started to sweat excessively. When Ichigo turned his attention towards Rukia, his jaw dropped when he saw her eyes sparkle and her hands clasp together in a face filled with awestruck.

"Inoue that sounds amazing! Also just call me Rukia, Orihime" Rukia smiled as she noticed how Orihime was uncomfortable with calling her Kurosaki. She knows that Orihime has had a crush on Ichigo since their high school years and that had created some rivalry between them. However Rukia really wanted to break that and become friends with her. She'd rather have people on her side so that she can get as much support as she could during this time. It was a hard time already and making enemies wasn't gonna help. She and Orihime happily prepared the late supper together and Ishida decided to settle in on the chair next to the kitchen.

"So Ichigo, how's everything going with Rukia?" Ishida asked as Ichigo shadowed Ishida by sitting next to him.

"Well, as you guys know we decided on chemotherapy. Just so we can contain it and such. I don't know how well it'll go but I'm hopeful." Ichigo replied with a loud sigh and ran his hand violently across his orange mane. "For now, we're just preparing mentally and physically for her treatment. As you can see we were trying to relax when we were- intruded by unexpected guests" Ichigo completed his sentence with a fake glare towards Ishida. He chuckled when he saw the glare and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry we intruded you guys during your intimate moment-"

"I never said we had sex!" Ichigo burst out with a red face. Rukia's face also turned red as she suddenly lost grip of the box of noodles which all fell towards the floor. "Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed as if she was in danger and rushed to her side while picking up the box of noodles. "Be careful babe, what if you get hurt?" He lightly scolded. When Rukia came back to her senses she grabbed a box of noodles and smacked his head.

"Baka! Don't say that so casually. What's happening in the bed stays in the bed" She hissed and Ichigo chuckled as he rubbed his head. He replied saying he understood and wiggled his eyebrows at her which almost led her to swat at him again but he quickly retreated back to the table. Inoue's hair hid her expression as she her hands turned into fists and her whole body was visibly shaking. She tried to breathe slowly and wiped the tears that threatened to fall. Despite them being married for years, It was still uncomfortable for Ichigo and Rukia to casually announce their intimacy. Sure they loved making love to each other but they didn't feel the need to reveal that fact to them since it was a special moment that only they should know.

"Inoue" Ishida softly called out which caught everyone's attention. He walked towards her and slowly wrapped his arms around her. "Do you need help with anything?". Everyone froze when they saw what was happening before them and Inoue slowly turned bright red. "I-I'm ok Ishida-kun, just a little hot that's all" She said while tugging at his arm so he could let go of her. He hesitantly let go of the hug but kept his hands on her arms. "Ok, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help" He smiled warmly before eyeing Ichigo and going back to the living room.

"What was that I saw?" Rukia asked with a teasing glint towards Inoue which made her shake her head and blush again lightly. "W-we'll Ishida recently said that he had feeling s for me but I told him I can't give him an answer right now-" A quick glance towards Ichigo didn't go unnoticed by Rukia, "I don't know if I want a relationship so I needed time" Inoue finished with a nervous laugh before carefully taking the noodles and placing them in the tall pot. "There, now where did I put that sauce?" She walked over to the other side and looked through the bags while Rukia turned to Ichigo and pull him down towards her face with his shirt. How she knew he was walking towards her again when her back was facing him, he doesn't know. Ichigo gave her a goofy smile before wrapping his arms around her waist. Rukia lifted her head and Ichigo smirked as he leaned in and gave her a soft peck on the lips.

"Did you worry about me? It was just some stupid noodles dropping" Rukia teased as she nuzzled his chest. He hugged her tightly and blushed a little.
"Shut up you know you're at a sensitive spot right now. I can't help but be extra worried my love" Ichigo softly said with a sad smile. Rukia looked away with a hurt look. She never really wanted to be weak, nor chose to be weak, but she felt blamed. Ichigo softly turned her head towards him again and kissed her cheek. "We'll work it out Rukia. We also do" He gave her his signature smirk and she shook her head.

"Idiot" She whispered and gave him a shy smile. No matter how sad she was, Ichigo always had a way of making her feel better. He never made her feel that she was alone and she was eternally grateful for that. They stared back at Inoue when she cleared her throat and motioned towards the noodles and announcing that they were done. "Inoue how about we skip the gummy bears in the spaghetti and put meatballs instead?" Ichigo cringed when he saw her trying to open the bag of gummy bears. She looked towards Ichigo and blushed.

"I wanted to make something sweet for Ku-Rukia though" She said as she stared back at him with sparkling eyes that he couldn't say no to.
"Then how about some ice cream and gummy bears?" Rukia suggested when she saw Ichigo struggling to say no. Inoue smiled and nodded her head furiously
"That's an amazing idea Rukia-san! It will go so well with pickles" She cheered as she drained the water from the noodles. Rukia chuckled at Ichigo's green face again as Ishida came back in and smirked, "So dinner's ready?"

...

"So Kurosaki-san, what's the final verdict of treatment?" Ishida asked respectfully and Rukia shook her head at him and laughed. "Please, call me Rukia too Ishida. We're no strangers now" She teased as Ishida nodded curtly and replied saying she should call him Ryuu then. "Well we decided on chemotherapy," Rukia eyed Ichigo and gave him a small smile, "We start in two weeks, and before that happens I can eat anything I want with plenty of water. After going into treatment I'm gonna become a prisoner and not be allowed to eat many things" She sighed dramatically and Ichigo playfully punched her.
"Then why not the surgery?" Inoue asked with genuine curiosity but didn't notice how Ichigo and Rukia tensed up. Ishida noticed and was going to butt in but Ichigo quickly answered, "It was a quicker way to remove the tumor but it had a low risk of survival... I didn't want to risk it. I don't want to lose her" He looked towards Rukia and gave a weak smile. "If it gets smaller, hopefully with chemotherapy, we'd be able to have a higher rate of a successful surgery and Rukia would still be here" He kissed Rukia and pulled her closer towards him even when the couch they were sitting on fit only one person comfortably. Inoue quickly finished her can of beer when she saw the affectionate gester and wiped her mouth.

"Inoue-" Ishida started but Inoue shook her head and gave a drunk giggle. "Ishida I'm ok! I can take alcohol well. See?" She jumped up and spun around the living room a couple times before crashing into a coffee table. "Inoue!" Rukia gasped as they all went towards her and helped her up. "Ah... that hurt" Inoue sniffed as she rubbed her leg. Rukia chuckled and carefully examined the bruise. "It looks like it'll hopefully just be a bruise. Don't worry Inoue it won't scar" Rukia cooed and was flabbergasted when Inoue started sniffing louder and eyed Rukia with tears in her eyes.

"Rukia, why didn't you choose surgery? I know I-Ichigo would've picked the surgery. Baka you should've tried the surgery" Inoue wailed and Rukia was shocked and hesitantly wrapped her arms around her friend.
"I...I'm sorry Inoue. I didn't know how much this decision worried you. I promise I'll be ok Inoue. That's very sweet of you. I-" She couldn't finish as Inoue roughly pushed her away and Rukia almost stumbled down onto the ground.
"Inoue! What's your problem?!" Ichigo yelled as he protectively placed his hands on Rukia's arms. Inoue didn't answer as her eyes were covered by her hair but they noticed how she was shaking violently.

"Just get the surgery you f-freak. Let's see if you live or not. I'm gonna be the one who- who's gonna be Mrs. Kuro-" Ishida slapped his hand onto her mouth and Inoue slowly fell down towards the ground into an unconscious slumber.
"Now, that's enough of your nonsense drunk talk, Inoue" Ishida whispered as he smiled apologetically towards the Kurosakis.
"Inoue..." Rukia whispered as Ichigo slightly glared at her. "I think... it's good to call it a night. Ishida, are you driving Inoue?" Ichigo asks as he starts to collect the empty cups that once held ice cream. Ishida nodded and carried Inoue in a princess style. "Thank you for having us, Kurosaki. And Kuc-" Ishida shook his head and continued, "Kurosaki-san. I wish you the best of luck" Ichigo opened the door for him and clapped him in the back with a sharp nod.

"Thanks for coming. We'll ah, see you guys later" Ichigo finished while Rukia came next to him and leaned on Ichigo and waved before the door fully closed. Rukia let out a stressed sigh and scratched her head roughly. "Hey... you don't think she has a grudge on me do you?" Rukia asked carefully as her eyebrows furrowed together. Ichigo smiled sadly and kissed her brows.

"Babe, no matter if she has a grudge, I'm here to protect if she even tries something" He replied as he picked her up as Rukia squealed.
"What are you doing fool! Let me down, my legs work completely fine" She laughed as Ichigo lead her to their room and softly plopped her onto their bed.
"You stay here, sleeping beauty. I'll clean up the kitchen and get you some more water" He gave her a wet kiss and quickly headed towards the kitchen. Rukia laughed as she carefully sipped on water. Suddenly she coughed violently and felt something move out towards her mouth. She didn't stop coughing for a whole five minutes with Ichigo suddenly next to her after hearing her violent coughs. When she looked at her hand that covered her mouth, it held a clump that was undetectable and covered in blood.
"Let's hope this chemotherapy will relieve some of the painful cancer symptoms" Ichigo whispered as Rukia nudged him for a napkin. "Babe, you know chemotherapy will make me more ugly, right?" Ichigo sharply turned his head towards her and was gonna retort but Rukia continued, "My hair will all be gone, my skin will be disgustingly pale, I'll be weak, I won't be able to eat-" Ichigo abruptly pulled her into an embrace and shut her up by pushing her face into his shirt.

"Stop it. Please... It's already painful for you." He mustered all his power not to let the tears fall as he felt his shirt get wet from Rukia's tears. He kissed her head repeatedly, hoping that his message was clear to her. He desperately need her to understand that she was all he would ever love and that he wouldn't let her go that easily.
"Ichigo... I can't make you happy. What if I die? Maybe... Maybe Inoue will-" Ichigo forcefully kissed Rukia to stop her from finishing her sentence. She froze for a bit before slowly reciprocating his kiss as they passionately expressed how much they longed for each other.

"Don't ever finish that sentence, Rukia. Inoue can't make me as happy as you do. Healthy or sick I'm going to protect you and love you," He smiled softly as her tears didn't stop, " 'Till death do us apart."

...

"I'm on my way out, Ichigo. Is our car ready?" Rukia carefully put on her shoes before checking to see if she put her keys in her bag. "Yeah babe. Come out, I'm parked in front and ready for ya" Rukia smiled and announced that she was on her way out and swiftly turned out the lights and made sure she had all her papers for this important day. She let out a shaky breathe and felt the pit of fear in her stomach grow. Chemotherapy day... hopefully the answer to their happiness as well. Rukia glanced once more at their house before opening the door and would've been on her way if it wasn't Inoue in front of her door.

Hey guys. I'm so sorry for the late update. Things have been rough for me these past years. Hopefully this update will make up for it :) Thank you sooo much for being patient with me and always being supportive. I love that I have a way to share my writing and be able to have so much lovely comments. Please check out my bio for updates on which stories will be on hold or discontinued. I'd be amazing if you left a review or a follow, and I'll see you guys soon hopefully :)