FAVORITE LIAR


The first time it happend, Ichigo didn't know if it was real or just a dream.

They had just finished up the conjoined High School Graduation party the Kurosaki household hosted for Ichigo and his friends. Ishida had left first (and early) at 10pm and everyone else dropped off slowly after him, until it was only him, Orihime, and Rukia.

Orihime had slowly put on her shoes and thanked Ichigo for hosting the lovely night, pausing before opening the door and showing herself out.

Rukia had already starting tearing down crepe paper and throwing away the stray plastic cups around the room. Stiffling a yawn as Ichigo finally dragged himself over to help. Rukia muttered something about how late it was and Ichigo checks the new watch on his wrist that his father had given him as a graduation gift. 2:18AM, and there was still so much clean up to do...

"Oi, midget, lets finish this tomorrow." He yawns out, ignoring the glare she sent his way for the insult.

Rukia hums in agreement regardless, throwing one last bunch of decorations away before walking her way up the stairs. Ichigo follows closely behind, eyes solidly on the stairs instead of looking at (but maybe occasionally glancing at) the back of Rukia's thighs as the sundress she wears every so slightly hitches up with each step. His body is feeling tired after the bustle of the past 24 hours of getting ready for the party, the graduation ceremony earlier in the afternoon, and hosting a series of friends late into the night.

Closing his bedroom door behind him, Ichigo yanks his faded T shirt off and slides out of his skinny jeans in favor of pajama pants. He can hear the shower running and knows he won't be able to do anything until Rukia uses all the hot water. He still needed to brush his teeth and wash his face and the midget was severly hindering that plan...

And suddenly he's up with a jolt, not remembering even laying down on his bed and quickly glancing for the time again. 2:51, and he wonders if he should just lay back down for sleep, but eventually he decides to pull him away from the comfort of his bed.

The bathroom is still steamy from Rukia's shower as Ichigo pushes the cracked door open to step inside. Rukia, wrapped in a towel, automatically steps aside as he makes a grab for his toothbrush and hers, as her hip bumps the door lightly closed to keep the heat in. Ichigo puts toothpaste on both brushes and Rukia grabs hers from his hand, immediantly getting to work. He opens a drawer for his comb and she slides over his prefered face wash. They move as if routine, finishing up one task to moving on to the next. Rukia's running a product thrpugh her damp hair while Ichigo washes his face. He turns the sink off and Rukia hands him a towel, he presses it over his face as another wave of tiredness crashes over him. When he pulls the towel away, Rukia is too close to him... this isn't part of the routine...

"Congratulations on graduating, Ichigo." She whispers, before standing on her tiptoes to place a quick kiss to his lips. She presses his comb into his hand and pushes her way out of the still steamed room, the cold air against his back truly the only indication that she had left.

He stands there for another few seconds before running the comb through his orange locks, looking at his reflection with a new scowl on his mouth. The comb goes back into it's designated drawer and he goes on autopiolt to turn the lights off before going back into his bedroom. The moonlight washes over his room as he lays on top of his comforter, still trying to process what had happened...

But sleep wins over his confused thoughts and pulls him into a dreamless night.


He's apprehensive when he wakes up, wondering what the day holds for him. What did that kiss mean? His brain is fully awake with senarios and questions and confusion. They had always been a duo, their bond impecable and their routine within their friendship secure... but now...

Walking down the stairs with as much silence as possible, he sees the entire party has already been cleaned up and the house is back to it's normal state.

'At least one thing is normal again...'

Yuzu is finishing breakfast for the family and Rukia is finishing making a round of tea as the Kurosaki's gather around the family table. Everyone has their prefered seat and they rarely change from said seat as Ichigo joins them.

'At least some things are still routine...'

And as the breakfast conversation flows between all of them, Rukia included, Ichigo wonders why everything feels so normal and yet everything feels so different at the same time.

"Anything wrong, Ichigo?" Yuzu questions after a lull of conversation.

He risks looking at Rukia who has no issue meeting his gaze, a question also resting on her face as to why he hasn't made his usual quips to his dads increasingly bad jokes.

"I'm fine." He lies, taking another bite of tuna as the normal hum of chatter fills the table again.

It isn't until that evening when Ichigo finally has Rukia alone without the constant presence of his family. The day had been normal... absurdly so. They had gone through what had been planned for the entire day. She still had teased him when he almost dropped the manga he was holding and he had bopped her on the head with it as if it was programmed into him. He rolled his eyes and made a comment about her and Yuzu watching Chappy the Rabbit together in the living room and she had thrown a couch pillow at him in responce. He still hip checked her in the kitchen when they prepared dinner with the family and they both had ganged up on Karin when she makes a comment about their teamwork still failing to produce a decent batch of rice for the meal. It's all so normal when his head is still such a mess from what happend at 3AM last night...

They're in his room while she finishes a scribble and he puts away his clean laundry, the silence which wouldn't be abnormal feeling exactly that for him. He stares at the side of her face until his question bubbles out of his throat.

"Why did you kiss me last night?"

She looks at him now, brown meeting violet as her face stays neutral.

"I didn't kiss you last night, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ichigo feels a flush overcomes his face, his heartbeat increasing with nerves and anger.

"Yes you did!"

She rolls her eyes, closing the sketchbook and works on putting her pencils and erasers away. "What you dream about is your buisness. Honestly Ichigo."

Another boil of emotions fills his chest as she wishes him goodnight and heads back to his sisters room, making him question everything about his sanity or lack thereof.


They go to the libary the next day, Rukia insisting they go in search of a Chappy the Rabbit drawing tutorial book Yuzu had been telling her about from breakfast hours earlier. The air conditioned building is a welcome relief from the summer haze they had to walk through as Rukia approaches a man behind the desk to help with her search. The employee graciously walks them over to the abandoned, but correct section and leaves them to finish her quest.

Her eyes flit over various volumes as her fingers brush over the top of the spines. Ichigo stands a few paces down from her, casually glancing over the titles as well. The books don't help his muddled mind. 'Kissing: The Complete Guide' and 'Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands' only infuriating him more.

"Ah! They have two copies!" Rukia's joy distracts him, as she brings both books over. "Are you going to learn how to draw Chappy with me?" She teases, handing him a copy.

The need to glare and retort back overwhelmes him and he gives into both. "You're on your own with that one. And you can add this book to your checkout." He snaps, placing a kissing book onto her stack.

She glances down at the title before meeting his eyes agian. "Seems more like a book you need for yourself." She quips, meeting his eyes again... but they don't stay there. Her gaze flicks down to his lips before meeting his eyes again.

There's cotton in his mouth and electricty sparks in his brain... and he does the only reasonable thing in this situation. Quicker then flash step, his hand finds her jaw and he pulls her to him, slashing his mouth over hers and pressing their lips together.

A moment of terrible dread fills him before her mouth moves against his, soft and deliberate and knowing. He returns her movements, her pressure, her intent before he pulls away sooner then he would have liked but longer then what should have been for a test of his sanity.

The small silence between them is short lived before Rukia asks if there are any other books that he needs. Not finding himself able to speak, Ichigo shakes his head no and they go back to the front desk to check out with two books.

One, a tutorial for drawing Chappy. The second, 'Kissing: The Complete Guide'.

The next few days are a blur. Rukia comes into his room the same day of their libary excursion and gives him a kiss good night. He doesn't let her leave with just the quick one she had initially given him and keeps her... occupied... for a few more minutes before also wishing her sweet dreams. He puts his arm around her after they had finished exterminating a very low level hollow while the suns rays peak above the horizion, leaving it around her the enitre walk home. They watch a movie that afternoon while the rest of the Kurosaki's are watching a local baseball game. His lips finding hers again half way through, and not leaving them until they jump apart at his family's return, putting a friendly distance between themselves before Karin rounds the corner, ranting about how awful their hometeam is. They meet up with Orihime, Ishida, and Chad for diiner out and he tries to hold her hand under the table. Rukia meets his eyes, sending a quick glance at the others before releasing his grip.

'Ahhh... so it was like that...'

When they are alone, her hands and his hardly leave each other. From holding hands and cuddling to quick pecks and longer, feverish make outs that leave both of them out of breath with swollen lips.

It's after one of these breathless moments in his room, days after the libary, where she packs up the books for return that he questions her again.

"So all this kissing... what does that make us?"

Rukia continues her task, also packing a book about said kissing into the backpack for return. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She says flatly, zipping up the bag and swinging it onto her back. He glowers and pulls her back into him, lips against hers as she runs her hands through his hair until the question is forgotten.

She returns to Soul Society shortly after, and the next few weeks go by as they always have when she's gone. Slowly. Painfully so. They still communicate (not as frequently as her new duties have her occupied after her time away) but the questions in regards to them, and us, and what are we? are never asked. The topic of kissing is never discussed in person... let alone while in seperate deminsions. He asks if she's still coming to the beach with his family in a few weeks and she responds that she had promised him, hadn't she?

The beach cottage is small and the salt air is strong but the routine remains the same... difficultly so. Ichigo has to share a room with his dad as the girls crammed into the other. Their time without them is rare and is always busy with hands and teeth and lips. He wakes up one morning to Rukia rummaging through the kitchenette, packing a small cooler with snacks and drinks for their second day on the sand. She closes the lid before hefting herself up to sit on the counter.

"Good morning, lazy ass." She smirks, malicious teasing in her eyes. "Everyone went out to grab a few more snacks. We'll head out when they come back."

She's wearing a bikini with a long open shirt. It takes exactly three steps for him to slide in between her knees, chests pressed together as he (or maybe it was her?) launches another attack on the other. She struggles against him as he tries to quickly leave a mark at the base of her neck before returning his heated mouth to hers. The sounds of a key entering the front door lock is heard and Rukia forcefully pushes him away from her, causing him to barely catch himself before the rest of the Kurosaki's enter, his dad booming about their luck in finding his favorite coconut popsicles.

Ichigo grins at the slightly red mark on Rukia's neck, and not a single Kurosaki says anything about it... even if they catch Rukia glaring at him every once in a while.

In the water, Rukia's shirt laying on the sand as they wade through the waves, Yuzu asks if Rukia is dating anyone and a laugh and a "No!" escape the shinigami. Ichigo looks at her pointedly, an eyebrow raised as she simply smiles back before sending a splash of sea water his way.

The weekend is too short and their time alone is too little before she's back in Soul Society and time again crawls by.


It isn't until weeks later that Ichigo has another oppertunity to see her. Urahara has a package to give to Captian Unohana and since he's banned from Soul Society, he asks Ichigo to deliver it for him. Not one to be anyone's errand boy, he takes the task as nocholantly as possible and steps through the senkaimon to see Rukia waiting on the other side.

"I'm your offical guide." She explains with a small smile, before they both start walking towards the fourth division. "My brother said you can stay in the manor for the next few nights, he's assumed you would stay to train with Renji." She scoffs. "That pineapple says you've probably gotten soft with your absence here."

Ichigo also snorts at this. "Sounds like he wants to get his ass beat."

The walk to the fourth is mostly uneventful, until Rukia makes them cut through a small alleyway. With no one in sight, Rukia tugs the front of his uniform down to press a kiss against his lips. Ichigo doesn't test the waters, leaving the kiss as quickly as she does. But while his face is still close to hers, he breaks what may be an unwritten rule.

"I missed you." He says plainly, watching her face for a reaction.

She's quiet in responce, but keeps his gaze.

"I missed you too."

They continue walking, and Ichigo feels a bit more bold to break another rule.

"Be my girlfriend?"

She stops and he turns towards her, Rukia's face is blank once again.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Unohana gets her delivery, and Ichigo gets conformation that nothing had changed with Rukia when she pulls him in to continue what she had started in the alley.

Away from anyone who could see, of course.


Both Ichigo and Renji where correct. Renji had been able to start with an upper hand in their fight against each other, but Ichigo quickly falls into his old flow and both men have taken a beating. They have agreed to rest up for the remainder of the day and Ichigo wonders what awaits him at the Kuchiki manor. Rukia is waiting for him at the Sixths gates and leads him to his lodgings for the night. They're right outside the gates to the Kuchiki manor when a frightening spirit energy breaks their stride.

"ICHIGO!"

Whipping around, both shinigami see Kenpatchi hurrying over to him. Sword drawn, revealed eye gleaming.

"Did you really think you could come back here and not challenge me in another fight?!" He booms, a terrifying smile spreading across the Elevenths Captian's face.

"He just finished training with Renji, he'll be back to peak preformance tommorow." Rukia counters, watching Kenpatchi's face fall.

The Captian hums at this, before withdrawing his sword. "Tomorrow then. Don't keep me waiting." Then his eyes flick between the two of them and to the Kuchiki manor behind them. "Are you two dating or something?"

Rukia flushes with a series of no's and excuses before Ichigo cuts her off.

"We're friends who sometimes sleep together."

Kenpatchi's barking laugh booms over Rukia's flushed face and hurried dismissal before she hurries them through the manor gates.

Her anger seeths through whispers as they pass the stationed guards. "Why the hell would you tell him that!? We haven't had sex! What is wrong with you?!"

He grabs her should to stop her stride (and her ranting) to force her to look at him.

"It looks like we're both liars then." He says, their stares boring holes into each other before she shrugs his hand off. He catches up to her quickly, reassuring her slightly with a "Besides, who is he going to tell?"

At least he was right about that. Gossip about them doesn't spread around even after Ichigo bests Kenpatchi once again. The Eleventh Captian admiting defeat as Ikkaku demands his turn next. At lunch, Ichigo mutters something about how this is why he prefers Rukia visits him and she lands a light punch to his shoulder.

It isn't until a high alert rings via hell butterfly that all lieutenants are required for a breach in security in the east forrest that things take a turn. Ichigo demands to join and knowing it wasn't worth the fight, Rukia leads them in a flashstep to the cause of the commotion. Kira and Hisagi where already exchanging blows with what must be a few left over arrancar from Aizen's time in Hueco Mundo as Ichigo and Rukia split up for their own attackers that are coming their way.

The arrancar isn't so challenging and Ichigo dodges his blows while coming up with a strategy to take him down. It isn't until Rukia's shikai is released that his attention is lost for a few seconds. Her attack hits her target and the female arrancar goes out with a scream. His head whips back, not being able to dodge the attack fully and taking a sword into his shoulder. The pain and his own stupidity push him to bring down his hollow mask to make quick work of his mistake. Renji, Nanao, and Momo finish the stragglers as Ichigo lands the killing blow, Rukia rushing to to his side.

She forces him to sit, pulling aside his uniform with shaking hands as a healing kido washes over him.

"Rukia...?" He questions, her face pale and brow furrowed as she finishes her work.

Her hands are still trembling as he places one of his hands over hers and they both rest there against his chest. They both know this isn't the worst wound he's recieved in battle. Hell, Kenpatchi did more damage to him this morning then this small mistake he made in the afternoon. He squeezes her hand and she releases her grip on his uniform before he stands upright again, helping her up with him.

"Maybe... we can be... boyfriend and girlfriend." She whispers, barely heard over the last of the arrancar being dispatched.

Ichigo can't help the grin that spreads across his face, even more so when she links her fingers through his.

It was about time Rukia would be honest with herself...

Even if she had been his favorite liar.


This was my song choice aaaaaaaaaaaaand... I hate it. Hopefully it brings Rice James some joy. I'm sure his take on this song is much better then mine if you see his Jukebox Roulette. ;)

Until next time!

Song: Favorite Liar by The Wrecks