A/N: Interesting chapter I think. Anyways. Song is old time Ryan Cabrera "Take It All Away." And this entire chapter is basically one scene. The second one doesn't count because it's kind of short. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Non.

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Chapter 14: Take It All Away

"So when's the last time you talked to him?" Momo asked as she hugged a couch pillow to her chest.

Rukia leaned back in her loveseat and leaned her head back so that she was staring at the ceiling. "Last night. He called me when it was three in the morning so that he wouldn't wake me or catch me while I was at the book signing."

"He woke up at three in the morning to call you?" Momo said beginning to gush. "That's so sweet!"

Rukia sighed, "Yeah." That's all she could really say.

"Alright. I got coke and sprite. Pick, pick, pick!" Rangiku said coming in from Rukia's kitchen as she juggled three cans in her hands.

"Coke," Rukia said unenthusiastically. Rangiku threw it over to and Rukia sat up quickly to catch it. She did successfully, but gave an incredulous look towards Rangiku.

"Might not want to open that right away," she said as she handed Momo her can.

"Thanks a bunch," the raven haired woman said with pure sarcasm as she placed the can on the table in front of her and then leaned back to her original position.

"I bet he's dying to see you!" Rangiku said getting back into the conversation that was taking place before it was interrupted.

"Yeah," Rukia said softly. "He sends me texts messages saying he loves me and misses me every chance that he gets."

"He should be coming to visit you soon," Momo inputted.

"Maybe," Rukia replied in the same tone.

"You don't seem very excited about it," Rangiku commented on Rukia's emotionless response.

The woman in question shrugged. "I've just got a lot of things on my mind. Of course I'd be happy about my boyfriend coming to see me." She sat there thinking. 'Yeah. Of course I'd be happy…'

"What's on your mind?" Momo asked innocently.

Rukia remained in her position with her head leaned back, staring at the ceiling. She let out a heavy sigh, "Everything."

Rangiku rolled her eyes as she sat on the arm of the couch, next to Momo. "Care to elaborate?"

"Not particularly," the raven haired woman replied casually.

"Come on, Rukia," Momo said caringly. "Talk to us."

Rukia let out an annoyed groan. "It's just my editor is hounding me for some work. Then there's the fact that I haven't left my house in almost a week because there's just too much to do, so I'm feeling like a prisoner in my own house. Plus, my brother is staying here, which means I haven't been able to see people that much. And to top it off, now I can't write a damn thing," she blurted it all out, leaving her a bit out of breath.

Momo frowned, "But you have plenty done. I don't get it. You've been writing like crazy and only recently started giving away chapters."

"I was told I'm expected to have it out in stores by fall."

"But it's almost July!" her innocent friend exclaimed.

Rukia let out a single chuckle, "Tell me about it."

Rangiku squinted in confusion. "How is it even possible to get out that fast?"

"They're editing it as I give it to them and basically we're all going to get addicted to Lunesta because of it," Rukia said with a sigh. "Sad part is, I'm so stuck," she said dropping her head into her hands.

Momo and Rangiku frowned sadly at their friend. Momo spoke up, "Well how do you usually get inspiration?"

Rukia looked up, "I spend time with all of you and someone sparks something. It's all luck."

Rangiku smiled, "Well then, there you go! Let's go out!"

The raven haired writer groaned again and buried her face in her hands again, "I can't. I can't waste time gambling on whether or not I'll hit the jackpot when I'll probably end up forgetting by the time I get home to write it down. Might as well stay here and bang my head against the wall for something to fall out – same chances of coming up with something." She sat back up with her face now visible.

Momo frowned as she began to ponder the situation. Then her face lit up.

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Light bulb," she said emotionless towards her friend.

"We'll have everyone come here!" Momo said with excitement.

The raven haired woman immediately started to shake her head, "No, no, no. Not when my brother is staying with me. You know how he is," she warned.

"Rangiku waved her hand towards the defiant woman as if it were no big deal. "Byakuya needs to loosen up. Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him," she said with a wink.

Rukia let out a loud laugh, "Ha! If I let you talk to him, I'd probably be moved halfway across the globe." She shook her head. "Byakuya's not a people person. Plus he's not a fan of some people," she said the last part sheepishly. The two friends looked at each other with the same thought in mind from Rukia's remark.

Rangiku sighed sadly, "Then we won't have him over."

Rukia laughed, "Oh yeah. That's real nice," she said sarcastically.

"Well sacrifices have to be made at the moment. You're in dire need of work," Momo explained.

Rukia crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head to the side to look away. "Well there's really no point in having people over if it's gonna be that way," she said casually without realizing what she was really saying. Her eyes went wide. 'What the hell did you just say, Rukia?' she questioned herself.

"What?" Rangiku asked for both herself and Momo. It was something that startled both of them, but there was no mistaking it. That both clearly heard her and they both clearly understood her.

Rukia didn't reply to Rangiku's question. Instead, she continued to stare off to the side with furrowed eyebrows as she questioned her remark.

Rangiku frowned with determination. "Screw Byakuya, then."

Rukia's eyes went wide again and her head snapped towards the blonde's direction. "What?" she asked with surprise.

Rangiku continued. "I think he should understand more than most people how important work is. This is for your job," 'And happiness,' she added in her head. "So he should just suck it up. Kurosaki isn't even a bad guy! He's practically a hero to some people. He should be thrilled you're with someone who is that good and successful."

Rukia let the word 'with' ring in her mind, but instead of correcting her like she usually would, she decided not to comment on it. Instead, she took a different approach. "Thank god he's not her right now, otherwise you would have boosted his already off the charts ego."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I didn't hear it, huh?" a voice came from behind her. Her back straightened from the sound of his voice and she found herself having trouble swallowing. She turned around to find him leaning his shoulder against the doorframe with a tantalizing smirk on his lips.

She then glared, "How long have you been there?"

He smiled even more at her annoyed appearance. "Not long, midget. Just enough to hear Rangiku compliment me and then hear you shoot me down."

Rukia turned back around. "Hmph." She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.

Ichigo walked around so that he could sit in the recliner placed closer to the loveseat rather than the couch. He grabbed Rukia's unopened soda on the table in front of her as he walked by and then sat down on the chair.

"Hey!" Rukia complained, but Ichigo ignored her.

"So what we talkin' about?" he said nonchalantly as he opened the can and took a swig. This caused Momo to giggle and Rangiku to smirk as Rukia continued to glare.

"Nothing. We're talking about nothing," Rukia said bitterly.

Rangiku ignored her as well and stared at the new arrival. "We're having a little get together here later. Can you help us tell everyone?"

Ichigo almost spat out the soda in his mouth. He looked at Rukia with shock. "You're throwing a party?"

Rukia began to growl as she turned her gaze from the orange haired man towards Rangiku, who opened her mouth when she shouldn't have. "No, I am not having a part. I have too much work to do."

Momo stayed quiet; too polite and nice to do anything against her friend's wished; although she did agree with her blonde friend…

"Yeah, but you can't do any of that work without inspiration!" Rangiku said and then turned to Ichigo. "We're her inspiration," she explained casually before turning back to Rukia. Ichigo opened his mouth to speak a silent "oh" in understanding.

Rangiku spoke again. "Plus, you said yourself that you haven't seen people in a while. You need a break."

Rukia sighed in defeat. Ichigo then realized something. He began to laugh, "How's dearest Byakuya going to feel about this?"

Rukia groaned. "He might be fine with the party if I explain it, but the thing he might be pissed about is you being here," she said looking at Ichigo.

The orange haired man smirked, "Then I'll make sure to show up early." He downed the rest of the soda and then placed it on the table next to him.

Rukia rolled her eyes, "You two are so childish."

He began to laugh. "You know you love it," he said with his eyes closed and his hands locked behind his head.

She raised an eyebrow as if he was insane. "Why would I love both of you fighting over what's best for me?"

His eyes shot open and immediately found hers. A playful smile was on his face. "Who said anything about you loving Byakuya fighting for what's best for you?"

Rukia found herself unable to respond. Did she like Ichigo fighting Byakuya in order for him to be around her? She never really thought of it. Maybe that's why she tried to get her brother to understand more than she tried for Ichigo to understand.

The silence was broken by Rangiku's phone ringing. She looked at the LCD screen and then picked up with a smile from ear to ear. "Hey there," she said flirtatiously. The rest of the room gained the same feeling in their gut that made them want to punch a wall. "Alright, I'm on my way. I didn't realize what time it was," she said looking up at the wall clock. "Okay, see you there. Love you," she said before closing her phone.

She looked up at everyone. "I gotta go meet Gin for lunch. How's seven sound for later?"

Rukia began to open her mouth in protest, but Ichigo cut in with a smile, "Seven's great." The raven haired woman glared at the man.

Rangiku began to walk out of the room towards the front door. She then stopped and turned around, "I almost forgot! Is it alright if I bring Gin along tonight?"

Rukia clenched her jaw. She wanted to spit out a 'hell no!' but the hopeful look in her friend's eyes stopped her. For some reason, she would feel bad if she denied her this. "Sure," Rukia said unenthusiastically. "Why not?" she added in the same tone.

Rangiku frowned, "Try to be excited about this. You deserve to have fun. I'll see you later," she said turning and exiting.

The raven haired woman frowned at her friend's retreating back. She thought that her unenthused attitude was due to the party. Being accompanied by Gin Ichimaru didn't even cross her mind as being the reason.

They heard the door slam and Momo turned to look at Rukia. "I'm surprised you said 'yes'."

Rukia rubbed her temple with closed eyes, "So am I."

"I'm glad you did," Ichigo said easily as he stretched. The two girls looked at him with an incredulous look.

Rukia was the one to speak though. "Why are you glad?"

"It means a lot to her. It's good to know you care how she feels," he explained.

"And it's not good to care about her well-being?" Rukia asked disbelievingly.

Ichigo sighed, realizing this was getting into a complicated conversation. "No, I didn't say that. I think we all are pretty much on our toes for anything bad to happen."

Momo interrupted. "Rangiku told me she found out that Gin had been in bar two nights ago. She said he didn't come back drunk, but his breath smelt like alcohol. He even admitted to having a drink."

Rukia's nostrils flared as her eyes remained wide. She looked at Ichigo as if to say, 'I told you so.'

Momo sighed. "I feel like there's nothing we can do," she said sadly.

The three sat in silence; Ichigo and Rukia absorbing this new information. Finally, Momo stood up. "I should probably get going. Toushirou said he's going to take me somewhere. It's supposed to be a surprise," she said trying to sound excited, but having trouble from their previous conversation. She let out an uneasy laugh. "So I'll see you later, kay?"

Rukia nodded silently without looking at anyone or anything in particular as Ichigo watched Rukia carefully. He could tell she was deep in thought. He knew they were going to be in deep conversation once Momo shut the door behind her.

Momo frowned at the atmosphere she was about to leave and then turned around and left.

The two sat in silence for another minute before Rukia stood up and began to walk out of the room towards the kitchen. Ichigo immediately stood up as he watched her retreating back. He began to walk after her, "Rukia."

She stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around immediately. She turned finally. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I feel like I'm just watching her walk down a dark alley and that she might never come out."

He then took a few steps closer as his head tilted to the side. He listened to her as she talked, "I'm afraid for her, Ichigo. Gin is a bad guy. I don't believe he's changed. Someone can't change that much in a short time; not when he's that bad."

Ichigo had trouble not taking that out of context. He had changed in a short amount of time. Did she count him in that category? It wasn't like he had changed into a completely different person; just that he changed back to who he used to be; back to who she used to love.

He stopped a foot away from her, "I agree with you, but Rangiku is our friend. We can't just tell her to stop seeing a guy that she loves. And who knows? Maybe he loves her back. I mean, even bad guys fall sooner or later." He couldn't help but think that his last sentence came from another part of his mind that wanted to defend himself as well.

She shook her head with furrowed eyebrows. "That's not love. Love wouldn't leave bruises on her skin or give you a trip to the emergency room."

He looked at her with sad eyes. "He was a drunken bastard that used her as a punching bag. We all know. But we should try to give him another chance if she has decided to," again his last sentence meant more.

"Why are you defending him?" Rukia asked incredulously, although she remained calm.

He sighed and then let his facial expression clear. His face was relaxed. "So far he's done nothing but put a smile on Rangiku's face. Why should we hold anything against him? I think a second chance is in order," he added boldly.

"People never change. They always have their original self lurking somewhere deep inside. I truly believe that," she said confidently.

This surprisingly made Ichigo relax even more. He felt that his own case did not need defending after all. He knew she believed he changed back to who he used to be. She wouldn't say that if she didn't speak the truth. But he still wanted her to give Gin a chance; not for Gin himself, but for Rangiku.

So much beauty in life
Shining on the outside
Empty on the inside

I get lost sometimes
Blinded by the flashing lights
Distractions always in my eyes

"But maybe he realizes that she doesn't deserve that. Despite what you may think, there is still the possibility that he loves her."

"Or he could be using her," Rukia said coldly.

"Rukia," he whined, thinking she wasn't being considerate.

"What? He could be using her. She'd do anything for him. He could be pulling her along for his own enjoyment," she defended casually. She knew how it felt.

"No one can be that sick in the head," he said in a tone that told her it was a ridiculous thought on her part.

So I'm following the sound,
the sound of my heart
Beating

"You'd be surprised what people do to other people," she said emotionless. Somehow Ichigo felt he had been pulled back into this conversation after thinking he was freed from any painful memories.

"Where'd you get that from?" he cautiously asked softly with a sincere stare.

"Stories," she said in the same softness. She broke eye contact with him and looked to the side to nothing in particular.

You can take it all away
I don't need it
Underneath, I'll still be the same
You can take it all away
I don't need it, it's not me
You can take it all, take it all away
I'll still be the same

Then, he placed his hand on her cheek, his thumb caressing her temple. "How could someone so thoughtful be so easily swayed?" He looked curiously into her wide, shocked eyes as if he could answer the question by staring intently into her.

The fact was that Rukia's head was no longer full of as many thoughts as he had believed. She was only thinking of the way his calloused yet soft, hard hand felt against her skin. His touch burned her skin and she knew that this was definitely a third degree. It paralyzed her body, leaving her motionless and speechless. His eyes mesmerized her into a trance that somehow kept her from feeling any pain that might have been caused by this burn. And his light, comforting touch held her in place; stopping her from fainting to the floor.

Are you hiding still?
Don't you want to love yourself?
Don't you know that someone will?
Time can turn it around
Leave it all that's dribbled down
That's the only way to find it out

Then, she closed her eyes softly and felt his continuous caress on her temple. "Do you have any idea what that feels like?" she whispered effortlessly through her plump lips.

Ichigo's heart leaped in his chest from her words, but he tried his best to keep cool. Was this simple action of his thrilling her just as much as it did him? Rukia slowly opened her eyes to reveal her serene violets. Before he could reply, she spoke again. "To think that someone's been carrying you the whole time and then to find out that they've been dragging you instead?"

Are you following the sound,

the sound of your heart?
Beating

Ichigo's chest no longer leaped for joy. It fell. Deep. And his hand immediately stopped his comforting movement on her temple. He didn't know how it felt. He only knew that he had caused her to feel that way a long time ago. It hurt to hear the tone in her voice that revealed a past hurt. He slowly began to remove his hand from her cheek, but he found he no longer could.

You can take it all away
I don't need it
Underneath, I'll still be the same
You can take it all away
I don't need it, it's not me
You can take it all, take it all away
I'll still be the same

She had stopped him and held his hand back against her face gently. He felt her cooler touch on the back of his hand. She always gave that icy chill whenever her skin met his. His eyebrows furrowed from confusion.

"Because I've realized," she paused with her facial expression becoming less serious and more relaxed; an expression of silent gratefulness. "After spending so much time thinking you were dragging me, while you tried to convince me otherwise, I finally realize that you really are carrying me," she finished with her hand now gripping his tighter against her face.

Coming in with nothing,
leaving with the same
It's all inside
Coming in with nothing, the
only thing that saves
Is here inside

And with the words said aloud, she was finally able to take the burning of his touch without feeling that pain she was afraid of; she could embrace it.

Ichigo's eyes widened for a second, but then his face fell into a slight smile. How simple would it be for him to place his other hand against her other cheek? How easy would it be for him to take a small step forward so that he could feel her breathing against his own skin? What could prevent him from leaning down so that his face was even with hers? What could stop him from causing their noses to brush for a mere moment before a more tantalizing contact would be made?

You can take it all away
I don't need it
Underneath, I'll still be the same
You can take it all away
I don't need it, it's not me
You can take it all, take it all away
I'll still be the same

He raised his other hand and placed it on her other cheek without causing her to flinch from his touch. What could stop him?

His heart could. He knew now, although if he really thought about it, he would realize that he knew along that he loved her in the way he feared. Ichigo Kurosaki was in love with her. And that scared him to death. He had already been through that once before and he broke her heart. There was no point in pretending he didn't. It was a fact. He was afraid of what he could further do to her. Would he hurt her again down the road? It was possible; so possible that he would do anything to prevent that possibility, which included doing absolutely nothing about his feelings of the heart.

Then, another thought broke in as her amethyst eyes stared delicately into his. 'She doesn't feel the same,' he thought with a sinking feeling in his gut. 'Why would I jeopardize everything I've worked for only to ruin it?' His stomach churned in a nauseating knot. 'She's with Shuuhei.'

I'll still be the same

So there he stood, with her literally in his hands, and he was going to do something so out of character; he wasn't going to go with his instincts. He leaned his forehead against hers, "And I promise," he began before closing his eyes, pained from holding back. "I'll never let you fall," he finished as he felt his heart begin to ache.

I'll still be the same

Then, he pulled away. She no longer felt the warmth he supplied and she found herself missing it dearly. What has gotten into her? Why would she miss his warmth? 'Get a hold of yourself, Rukia,' she yelled in her head.

She found trouble balancing herself. Her mind was all over the place and his sudden retreat left her a little off. She knew what she expected him to do, but somewhere deep down inside her… she wanted him to go through with whatever it was.

He looked down at his watch and then back up at her. She blinked a few times and finally could think straight. The effect had worn off. He nodded in the direction of the exit behind him. "I should probably get goin'," he said casually.

"Why?" she said quietly with soft eyes. Apparently it hadn't worn off completely.

He gave a crooked smile, "Curious?" He began to walk towards the door and she followed.

She then was taken over by old habit. She rolled her eyes, "I doubt you have anything better to do, that's all." He opened the door and walked down the steps before turning around to look at her at the top of the steps.

He furrowed his eyebrows with a smile, "Oh yeah? What is it that I could be doing here that is so wonderful?"

"I'm here," Rukia said quickly without thinking. Her eyes went wide. 'Did I really just say that out loud?' Her heart began to beat like crazy. 'What the hell was that about, Rukia?!' she yelled in her head. She felt her cheeks begin to blush. 'What is your problem?!' she thought even more. 'Stop it! Stop it right now! Turn around and walk away. You have more important things to do than baby-sit a stupid, over grown carrot!'

His eyes began to bore holes into her. 'The more she speaks the more I'm tempted to slam her up against a wall! Damn it! Stay cool,' he yelled in his head. Before he could reply with a remark that would loosen the tension, she spoke.

"Beat it, you over grown carrot!" she yelled suddenly. Her eyes went wide again and her mouth fell open. Her mouth had a mind of its own apparently because she was having trouble controlling what came out of it today.

Ichigo's eyebrows rose from surprise. "What the hell?!" he yelled in complete confusion. "Alright, I know I didn't do anything wrong." He spoke out loud, although she did not know the complete meaning of his words.

Then, without seeing it coming, Rukia let out a startling yell of frustration. She turned around and took off inside and shut the door behind her. He ran back up the steps and tried to turn the handle, only to find it locked. He slammed his fist against the door twice.

"Rukia? Open the door! What's wrong? What'd I do?!" he yelled through the door.

On the other side of the door, Rukia sat with her back against it. Her knees were bent so that she could wrap her arms around her legs against her chest. "Nothing!" she yelled back, "You didn't do anything. I just forgot I needed to do something! I'll talk to you later, okay?" she said hiding her emotion in her voice.

Ichigo frowned with his forehead now placed against the door. He closed his eyes as he placed his palm against the door's cool surface. He took a deep breath. "Call me if you need me," he said as he began to push away from the entrance.

She smiled and then leaned her forehead against one of her knees. "Bye, Ichigo."

He then dragged his finger tips against the door one last time before turning and walking down the steps.

"Rukia, you have too much to do. You can't just decide to have playtime when you get stuck. This is what being a grown up is like," Byakuya lectured as he took a sip out of his wineglass.

He stood with his black dress pants and a blue button down long sleeve shirt. Anyone who looked at him would immediately think he was some powerful business man who had more money than they could imagine. And in a sense, he was. The Kuchiki's did have a hell of a lot of money. The only mistake in the common assumption would be that he was more of a government secret agent than a businessman; the type that could kill you with a spoon.

It always surprised Rukia how people would react to her brother in public. Woman would flirt with him on any occasion, but Byakuya being Byakuya, didn't give them the time of day. If there was one thing she admired about her brother, she could safely say that it was his commitment towards things; especially the way he was with Hisana.

Rukia let out a sigh as she stood on the opposite side of the kitchen island as her brother. "I get that completely, Byakuya, but this is my line of work. I need to be around people for the way I do my job. I can't just randomly come up with things. People influence me. This technically is part of my job," she explained in an understanding way. She couldn't believe she was actually trying to get him to approve of something she didn't even want to do.

Why did she care so much whether or not he approved? She was old enough to make her own decisions, right? Wrong. Rukia Kuchiki could make her own decisions, yes. But Byakuya's opinion meant a great deal to her. He was her only family now. Without him, there would be no one left to judge her for her actions. Since he was the only one, she desperately wanted his approval. She wanted him to be proud of her for everything she did.

Byakuya looked into her pleading eyes. "I will not tell you that you can't do this. This is your decision. I trust that whatever you choose will be in your best interest and I'll support you either way," he said taking another sip.

Rukia smiled at him. That's all she wanted to hear. She began to walk away before he spoke again, which caused her to stop in her track.

"Is Kurosaki going to be here?" he asked tilting the glass so that the liquid in side swayed delicately.

She sighed and then turned around to face him, "Yes."

He nodded slowly as he thought. "You know what I think of him, right?"

Her eyes settled on Byakuya's and she stood up straighter. She was confident now. Much more than before. "Yes."

"And you still intend on wasting your time with him?" he asked with no displeasure in his voice, though she knew that's how he felt.

"Of course," she said as a smile began to grow on her face.

He cocked an eyebrow. "What's so amusing?"

She shook her head with a chuckle, "Nothing really. I just remember having this conversation many years ago back in Karakura Town. Its funny how life brings you in circles."

Then, to her surprise, Byakuya's mouth twitched to what she believed had the potential of being a genuine smile. Rukia smiled towards him and then began to walk away again before she stopped herself. "Are you going to be around for later?"

He shook his head, "I'll be going out to see a play this evening. Urahara, Yoruichi and Isshin are meeting me there."

She smiled, "The old gang's getting' back together, huh?"

He let out a chuckle without giving away any emotion on his face. "I guess you could say that."

"Well have fun," she said as she walked away again.

"You too," he said staring at his sister's retreat with soft eyes.

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So next chapter will be there get together. I felt like it would be too long if I added all that in here and plus it gets it out faster this way. Later