A/N: Next chapter! Fast update! Yes! Alright. So this is named after "You and I Both," by Jason Mraz. Beautiful upbeat song. Warning – in order to get this out by tonight I did a very bad job with grammatical mistakes and sentence structure. Don't judge too harshly. Well I'm only guessing because I didn't proof read it. Forgive me. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Uh-uh.

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Chapter 16: You and I Both

"So Rukia, tell me something. Why is it that you moved from your hometown of Karakura to this celebrity filled city? I mean, we've seen that you like your privacy. You could have been just as successful being a writer there as you are here," Orihime asked taking a glimpse at her note cards.

Rukia smiled at her friend. She could tell she was taking this seriously considering she already knew most of these answers. She was doing what everyone in front of a camera does: pleases the public. Orihime had reminded her before the show that these weren't her questions and that if any of them hit her the wrong way, she apologized beforehand.

"You're right, I do love my privacy," Rukia agreed politely. "And I absolutely love Karakura Town, as I'm sure you do too," she said with a wink. "But it's such a small town. I wanted to get out there and see something different. Experience is great inspiration by the way."

"But you wouldn't have had to deal with any of those paparazzi or reporters with all those annoying questions," she said with a sad smile as she mocked herself.

"I happen to love one of those reporters with all those annoying questions," she argued playfully. She then smiled, "It's gotten a little too rough for me now and then, but I've learned to accept the hype. I mean, I've been taught to not shy away from all the pictures and questions. Who would have thought a writer would have so many people looking up to them? Why not be an influence for people to do what you love and not what everyone else is doing?" she said with another wink to her best friend.

Orihime nodded. "So how about we talk about that trial of yours that took place a couple months ago?"

Rukia sighed and threw a hand to cover her face. She looked at her friend between her fingers. "That wasn't the high point of my life…"

Orihime chuckled. Rukia then spoke again. "I was angry. And yes, I did punch that reporter in the face. He was being rude and saying untrue things. I probably shouldn't have hit him, but…" she shrugged. "It felt good," she said with a sad smile.

The strawberry blonde woman hesitated before speaking and then asked the next question with apologizing eyes. "What was he saying that made you so angry?"

The raven haired woman's eyes grew slightly wide. She blinked a few times and then exhaled with a sly smile. "We're hitting the hard questions today, huh?"

Orihime smiled, "It's rare to get the opportunity to get you to talk. You might as well get it all out there so you can get it over with."

Rukia let out another breath and nodded. "That was during the time when the rumors of Ichigo Kurosaki and I being a couple were all over the place. I mean, they still exist now when I'm in the middle of a great relationship, but this was when it was literally every other thing someone said to me."

Orihime nodded as Rukia continued. "As I'm sure many remember from your interview with that orange headed buffoon, I've known him since we were kids. And yes, we were high school sweethearts. Well, I really don't think we could ever be called "sweethearts." We were never the lovey dovey kind of people. I'd call him a moron; he'd call me a midget," she said as she looked towards the ground with a distant smile.

She then looked back up at Orihime. "I still don't understand how that turned into those kinds of feelings." She said shaking her head with a smile. "But it was kind of hard for me to ignore all those rumors and accusations. We were in love once," she said with a pause. "But time changes things. I hadn't seen him in a few years, which was when we broke up and after talking to him twice everyone thought we were together." She rolled her eyes and reached for the glass of water on the table.

Rukia began to take a sip as Orihime pushed for more. "So you were being reminded of your previous relationship with him and that is what made you angry?"

Rukia brought the glass away from her mouth and sighed as she placed it back down on the table, "I don't know if you can say I was angry over that. I was more upset, I guess. I was being reminded of something that I technically was forced to let go of."

Orihime looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

The raven haired woman all of a sudden felt aware of the camera on her. She wasn't being afraid to speak the truth, but now it was getting a little too personal. She probably shouldn't have said that last part. She could only imagine what Ichigo was thinking right about now.

Rukia chose to buy herself some time. "What do you mean, 'What do you mean?'"

"I mean, what did you mean by being forced to let go of something?" Orihime asked again.

Rukia squinted curiously at her friend, "What do you think it means?"

Orihime all of a sudden turned to the camera with a huge fake smile, "I think it means we should go to a break! We'll be right back!"

The strawberry blonde turned to her best friend. "That got awkward fast," she stated.

Rukia sighed, "I said more than I wanted to. Sorry. I didn't know what to do."

Orihime chuckled. "It's fine. These questions are personal. But I have to ask them. I should be the one saying 'sorry'."

"Don't worry about it. Agreeing to do this means I should have been prepared for this kind of thing," Rukia explained.

"Speaking 'means,'" Orihime said with a smile, "Let's try not to say that word for the rest of the interview. We may have over done it."

Rukia laughed, "Agreed."

"And you don't have to answer them if you don't want. Just say something creative. I know you have that capability."

Rukia sighed, "Alright. We'll see what happens."

"Oh, I'm getting the green light," Orihime said getting herself situated again. "Welcome back to The Secret's In The Telling. I'm here with Rukia Kuchiki and we're talking about some juicy questions that many of you have been dying to know," she said to the camera and then turned to face Rukia again. "Where were we?" she asked the raven haired woman in order to give her the option of what to do about the question.

"I think we were talking about relationships?" she said in a question form. She decided to be as vague as possible.

"Oh! That brings me to this next question. How are you and Shuuhei doing?" she said with a kind smile.

Rukia exhaled as she felt her body relax. She was in a safe zone now. It was a much more comfortable atmosphere now. "We're doing great. He came back two days ago from being kidnapped for about a month."

"Kidnapped?" Orihime said, faking concern.

"Yeah," Rukia answered as she continued to act. "He said they used whips and told him to do things under poor conditions. Said they were a big fan of role playing…" she said with a grimace.

Orihime let out a laugh. "Shuuhei is staring in that new action film that's being filmed in the desert, right?"

Rukia smiled. "Yeah. I'm thrilled he's back, although he has to leave again in the next few days. All work, no play."

Orihime tilted her head curiously to the side, "Any plans for you two in the future?"

Rukia raised both eyebrows, "Like marriage?" Her friend replied with a nod. "Um, we haven't really talked about it," she said moving uncomfortably in her chair.

"Do you see a future with Shuuhei?"

Rukia let out a laugh. "Who couldn't? He's one of the hottest actors in the world. Do you know how many girls out there dream of him as their husband and having his babies?"

"I bet too many," Orihime said with a laugh.

"Mhm," Rukia said with a smile. "But yeah. Shuuhei and I are going really good. Haven't had any issues and he's definitely a prince charming."

Orihime showed a face of swooning. "And he's your prince charming…"

Rukia broke eye contact and looked towards the floor. "Yeah," she said in deep thought before looking back up at her friend with a forced smile.

Orihime looked down at a note card. "We got a few specific questions here for you from some fans. This one is asking about your next project." She looked back up at Rukia, "They want to know anything you can say about it."

Rukia smiled sweetly. "Well, I haven't been talking about it for a reason. I'm so excited to get it out there for people to read, but honestly, it's killing me slowly."

"Why?"

"My publisher's gave me a deadline. I can safely say the book will be out sometime this fall. It's what my contract says. And to hand in a chapter every few days- well let's just say writer's block has been quite present lately," the writer said as she combed her hand through her shoulder length hair.

Rukia continued, "But I can tell you that this is definitely going to be my favorite one yet. I can't even give you the title because it's still too hard to name. I'll figure it out though. Also, I apologize that I have decided not to give out any information on what it is about." She shrugged, "So until you have it in your hands, it's a mystery."

Orihime sighed. "That's so cruel," she let slip from her mouth.

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Don't try to make me feel guilty."

"You won't even tell your best friend what it is you've been slaving over for months! It's not very polite," she said almost with a pout.

The raven haired woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "What can I say? I'm stubborn," she ended with a smirk. "Maybe you should ask the next question."

Orihime sighed, "The next person says that they recently read in a magazine that you went to a dinner party for the celebration of the new magazine, Fallen Angel. Your date was Ichigo Kurosaki. How close are you two now and is it true that he is no longer dating Senna Otonashi? Maybe he broke up with her for you."

The strawberry blonde blinked a few times and then looked up from the card. "Wow. Blunt."

Rukia took a deep breath and then puffed her cheeks out before letting it exhale out of her mouth slowly. She then chuckled, "Specific topic today, huh? Kurosaki's that much of a mystery to everyone?"

Orihime shrugged. "I think…" she hesitated. "I don't think they see him as a mystery. I think they just want to know what you have to say about him. They already heard what he had to say about you…"

Rukia stretched her neck and let out another deep breath. This was stressful, but she knew there was no avoiding it. If she tried to, people would get suspicious and also think badly of her. 'Might as well tell them what they want to know,' she told herself.

"Yes, we did attend Urahara Kisuke's dinner party the other week, but it was strictly as friends. We wanted to help promote the magazine considering we were on the first issue's cover. He's a great guy to have around when you need a shoulder to cry on or if you just want a really good distraction. We're really close friends and I couldn't ask for more."

"What about the latter part of the questions?" Orihime said hesitantly.

"Ichigo and Senna are on a break right now. She went touring on a different continent and he stayed here. They didn't see the point in keeping a long distant relationship. They might give it a try when she comes back. This break had nothing to do with me," she stressed the last statement.

Orihime nodded and then read another question. "Another Ichigo one."

Rukia laughed, "If there was a polite way to groan I would do that right now."

"Sorry. Maybe they think that if you're asked repeatedly about it all that you'll eventually come to terms with your fate," Orihime said.

"I doubt they think that," Rukia said with a chuckle.

"No, this question says that. 'The reason we all ask about the two of you is because we hope that if we asked repeatedly about it all that you'll eventually come to terms with your fate.'"

Rukia gave a chuckle of surprise. "Wow. No kidding?"

"Also, they want to know if you ever saw a future with Ichigo?"

"Strange how that question was used minutes ago with a different man…" Rukia stated in amusement and then shook her head with a smile. There was no giving up by the fans. "A long time ago I did. We were young and in love. Who doesn't dream of a house with a picket fence and little kids running around?"

"Cute," Orihime commented. "By the way, that was from the leader of the IchiRuki Fanclub. There's no doubt that they won't ignore that."

"IchiRuki? Did they seriously give us a couple name? We're not even a couple!" Rukia exclaimed with a smile due to disbelief. This was all a bit too ridiculous for her.

Orihime shrugged. "Think about it this way. Your fans love you so much that they want to see you happy."

Rukia then looked into the camera. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm happy now. Please try to understand that?" she almost begged.

Orihime laughed and patted her friend on the arm, "Try not to let it get to you. He's being harassed just as much."

Rukia smiled and shook her head, "I hope so."

"Okay, tell me this. Why is it that you can laugh about all this and I'm the one that looks like a complete ass for trying to set people straight?" she yelled on the phone at a certain man that she was constantly paired with.

"Because you are a complete ass. I'm the good guy in this relationship," he said with a smirk that she could imagine from his tone of voice.

"Bullshit! You're the cocky, rude guy in this relation- wait! That's just it! This isn't a relationship! See! Your stupid remarks are the cause of all of this!" she exclaimed, knowing she was probably on the verge of making him go deaf.

She imagined him rolling his eyes during his next comment, "Calm down, shorty. I swear you let the littlest things get to you. I think its pretty clear we're not together. Try not to cry about it."

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated at the moment."

"Do you ever appreciate it?" he asked curiously

"Stop talking. You're giving me a headache," she said beginning to rub her temples.

Ichigo looked at his phone incredulously and then spoke, "You do realize that you called me, right?

"Ugh!" she yelled and then threw herself on her bed; her face in a pillow.

"Okay, maybe I should give you some alone time…" he began, feeling awkward.

"N-," she began with her face still in the pillow. She lifted her head and tried again. "No, no. I'm fine. I just needed to vent a little."

"So you called me to vent about hating the fact that people want you and me in a relationship?" he asked, finding it a tad unusual.

Rukia bit her lip. "Um, yeah. Sorry. That was pretty stupid wasn't it?"

"You've done dumber things."

"Thanks a bunch," she replied, dripping in sarcasm.

"Mhm."

"So are you going to the fundraiser thing tonight?" Rukia asked changing subjects.

"You make it sound like it's a third grade bake sale. You do realize they're not selling cupcakes, right?"

"Screw you, Kurosaki. I know it's for the environment. Trying to keep the world from looking like crap like you."

"Beautiful come back," he replied. She could see his smirk perfectly in her mind.

"Are you going or not?" she asked impatiently.

"Yeah. I'm performing."

"What? Why didn't I know about this?" she asked, her mood suddenly changing.

"Again with you wanting to know every single detail of my life…" he said with a sigh.

She shook her head as if he could see her. "I've got to go, but try to find me later."

"Why?"

It was her turn to look at the phone incredulously. "What do you mean 'why?'"

"Shuuhei's going to be with you. Why look for me?" he asked honestly trying to ignore the sting in his chest.

"Just because my boyfriend is back in town doesn't mean I'm going to ditch you. You're my friend, you idiot. Why wouldn't I want to spend time with you? Seriously, sometimes I think you really are a moron," she said with a smirk coming to her lips.

"Alright, midget. Go do what you gotta do. I'll see ya," he said with eyebrows furrowed as his chest again felt tighter than it had in years.

She heard the click on the other line and sighed. She couldn't believe it actually. They had become so close in the past few weeks and he was ready to take a step back just because her boyfriend returned. She didn't know whether to think he was being courteous or just plain stupid.

Oddly enough, she was having trouble getting over this little detail. It irked her. Her mind began to through theories in front of her eyes and she didn't like them one bit. 'He thinks he can just walk in and out of my life when he wants,' she thought and then shook her head. 'No. Maybe he's actually considering that if he hangs around me as often the rumors will keep going and Shuuhei will get upset.' She brought her index finger and tapped her lip and then shook her head. 'I don't think he cares that much about what Shuuhei thinks.'

Her hand then dropped to her lap as she sat on the side of the bed. 'But he does know that I care what Shuuhei thinks,' she thought with a mental sigh. She let out a laugh, 'Maybe Ichigo Kurosaki is a mystery. I can't even understand what he is trying to do by avoiding me.'

She stood up and went into her walk-in closet in her mission to find an outfit for the night. Her mind kept moving. 'Well he's not technically avoiding me. But he thinks he shouldn't be around when I'm with Shuuhei. Like Shuuhei wouldn't share me! He's one of the most easygoing guys I've ever met!' she added a chuckle at its ridiculousness.

She pulled out a pair of faded blue jeans. It was a casual event; something she was thrilled about. She loved to look pretty for special occasions, don't get her wrong. Its just she would choose jeans over a dress any day. She continued her search for a top.

'Ichigo's mood changes so quickly. One minute he's so damn cocky or caring and another he's serious or depressed. He tried to make it sound like that conversation was nothing, but he felt awkward about it; I know him that much. He's been kind of weird ever since Shuuhei came back actually. Like he's done something wrong and shied away,' she shook her head at the thought.

The raven haired woman grabbed a shirt on a hanger and pulled it down. She furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to determine if she liked her decision. She shook her head and hung it back up, causing her search to continue.

'The weird part is he hasn't done anything. It was weird. I have to admit that; when Ichigo saw the necklace on me two days ago. Shuuhei loves that damn charm on me so much. The poor guy doesn't have any idea when or who it's from. I mean, he thinks he's the first to tell me that it matches my eyes perfectly. I've heard that a million times by the one who gave it to me. That was the reason he bought it for me,' she finished her thought and pulled out another shirt. It was a three quarter sleeved shirt with a v-neck. The design on the black shirt was white music notes floating all over the front along with a winding music staff in which the notes should have been stationed on. She smiled and walked out of the closet with her jeans and shirt over her arm.

'The look in his eyes when he acknowledged the trinket on my neck made me feel weak; almost as if it was too much of a touchy subject that I shouldn't bring it up by ever wearing it again. But how can I do that when Shuuhei just bought me an extremely expensive chain to wear the damn thing on it? I'm expected to wear it tonight,' she let out an exasperated sigh.

'Men are always saying how they don't understand women; that they're too complicated. Well I have news for them,' she began as she got ready to change into her outfit. 'Women have a hard time understanding them too sometimes. The difference is: they're too simple.'

"We already have an amazing outcome. Donations are flying in and we'd like to thank those of you already giving us your support. The number is at the bottom of the screen right now and you don't have to spend more than you can. Every little bit counts!" Momo yelled with enthusiasm as she stood next to a very laid back redhead.

"Don't even think you can't make a difference. Five bucks can buy a trash can on the side of the road. No excuses," he said with a frown until Momo nudged him with a fake smile on her face. He then understood and put on a forced grin as well.

Ichigo shook his head. "He's such an idiot," he whispered more to himself than anyone in particular.

"For now we're going to go into a break so stick around for some performances. We even have a satellite all the way across the world to give you a performance by Senna Otonashi. So stick around!" Momo yelled energetically. The two hosts walked off the stage after the cameraman gave them the signal.

There were hundreds of circular tables located throughout the enormous theater. White table cloths with lit candles in the center were everywhere you looked. The building itself was dimly lit, so the candles helped give it a comfortable ambiance.

Ichigo sighed as he cracked his neck. His eyes stared into the small flame of the candle at the table he was sitting at. Being reminded of a great opportunity that his manager screwed him over with was not pleasant. He tried to calm down as he pictured himself punching his close family friend in the face.

"Hey, I thought I told you to try and find me?" a soft, playful voice came from behind him as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. His back straightened immediately as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He turned his head quickly with wide eyes and then exhaled to try and regain control of his body.

Both of her eyebrows were raised from his reaction as her hand remained in the air from surprise. She let it fall to her side before moving into her usual stance and crossing her arms over her chest. A smile began to form on her lips. "Tense about something?"

"No," he answered shortly as he stared blankly back at her.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Okay?" she said in confusion. Then, she smiled again. "I tell you to find me and you make no attempt whatsoever."

"How do you know I didn't look for you?" he said with a frown.

"You're sitting down listening to Renji be a moron on stage," she stated confidently.

"What's your point?"

She looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious? You could care less what he has to say, no matter what it's about."

He let out a disgusted chuckle. "Way to make me sound like a complete asshole," he said looking away from her at nothing in particular.

She frowned. "What's wrong?"

His eyes went wide and then he looked back at her immediately. "What?"

"Something's wrong with you. You're upset. You're trying to act like a hotshot, but not the usual cocky type. You're being mean and angry, which means something upset you. Tell me what's going on," she demanded in a soft tone with caring eyes. 'Why didn't I see he was hurt over something earlier? Was I being that selfish earlier?'

It was moments like these that he realized just how much he hated her knowing so much about him. He wasn't ready for her to see right through him. It had been awhile since someone could read him so easily. He had no idea what to do.

She took a seat next to him and all he could do was keep his eyes completely focused on her. She leaned forward towards him in her seat. "Come on," she started to put on a soft genuine smile. "I've had to pull things out of you so many times before. You should really stop thinking this time will be anything different."

He looked away from her violet eyes. They were dangerous to stare in at times like these. "I'm just stressed out."

"Well I can tell that," she said like it was obvious. She placed her hand on his knee causing him to move his eyes to the area of her tender touch. He then met her eyes again. Bad idea. Her head was tilted to the side slightly with pure innocence. "Share with me your worries," she said in a joking tone with a smile.

He bit down hard. How was he supposed to deny her an answer? She seemed to care what he actually felt. Maybe he could tell her straight out that he loved her more than anything and that he would die for her. Maybe he could propose to her right then and there. Or maybe he could grab her hand placed on his knee, give it a slight tug so that her body would collide with his, as would her lips. Then something caught his attention over her shoulder. Shuuhei was walking in their direction. His eyes locked back with hers.

"I just…" he struggled to find words. He needed to know what he was planning, but before he could think it through. He spoke. "I miss Senna." He didn't know he was that desperate.

Rukia's eyes went wide for half a second and then she slowly dragged her hand off of his knee and sat back in the chair. She gave him a soft smile as Ichigo felt disgusted with himself; her removal of her hand burned terribly. If he could, he would run out of there and deal with this now very upset stomach.

For some reason, Rukia didn't expect him to say that. It was weird hearing him say those words. Out of all the things she had gotten him to admit when she knew he was upset, this kind of thing never came up. He never confessed to her that he had feelings for any other girl besides herself. She felt something tug at her chest, but paid no attention to it. No matter what the subject was she knew that she had to help him get through this feeling of hurt.

"Are you upset about seeing her perform in a few minutes?" she asked calmly.

What was he supposed to do now? He had completely lied to her. Was he supposed to keep going with it now? He wanted to grab the knife on the table and run it through his chest. He figured he might as well have proof of the pain than live in secret turmoil.

He took his eyes off of hers and looked to the floor. He nodded slowly.

"Maybe you should try to talk to her? She seemed like a nice girl. I doubt she'd be able to deny you after hearing the hurt in your voice when you tell her," she said feeling sympathy for him. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back over her shoulder and saw Shuuhei. She delivered a smile, but saw he was angry about something. What was with all the men in her life having something bothering them? She decided to finish with Ichigo first before attempting her boyfriend. Her eyes went back to amber.

He let her words move through his mind. 'The hurt in my voice won't be meant for her,' he thought to himself in response to Rukia's suggestion. "Maybe. I'll have to think about it." He knew he had to end this. So he took a deep breath and forced a believable smile. "I'm feeling better now. Thanks, but I've gotta get goin'. I'm supposed to be performing after Senna," he said beginning to stand up and walk past her.

She quickly grabbed his forearm; something he internally groaned at. He really wanted her to just leave him alone for awhile. He looked down at her and she just continued to smile up at him. "If you need to talk, just let me know." He gave another smile, although it was less convincing. He turned to walk again, but she didn't let go. He turned to look at her again; something that continued to tear at the flesh in his chest.

"Good luck," she added with a beautiful smile. 'He doesn't need it, but I want to cheer him up. He's pretending to be fine.'

He smiled for real in response. "Thanks."

She let go of his forearm and began to walk away. Rukia looked up at Shuuhei. "So," she began with another concerned face. "Care to tell me why you're angry?"

He looked at the retreating back of a certain orange headed man. "Don't worry about it."

Ichigo stood behind stage as he waited for Renji to mess up his introduction. Not like he needed any special invitation, but he knew Renji would make him look bad somehow or another or just make him feel uncomfortable.

"She's got one beautiful voice, I'll tell ya," the redhead began before looking away from the screen on the wall where Senna's performance was seen. "And who else would follow her but her ex-lover. "Ichigo Kurosaki, get out here!" he said with a grin.

The orange headed man wanted to kill him. 'Ex-lover? Fuck you, Renji,' he cursed in his mind as his teeth gritted together. He was having trouble remaining stable without his little embarrassing stunts.

He came out onto the stage with a smile and sat down on a stool already set up for him. The microphone was placed a little too far away as he sat down with the black acoustic guitar on his knee. He smoothed out his dark blue jeans on his thighs and pulled his shirt down. He wore a collared, white t-shirt under a green t-shirt that had the word, "Listen," written on it in script.

He leaned forward to grab it and pull it forward. "Hey there," he said with a suave tone. "Some of you are surprised to see me with a guitar, I don't blame you. You've known me as a piano man. But I started off with the guitar, so I'm bringing back my youth, I guess," he said with smirk.

Then, he sang.

Was it you who spoke the words that things would happen but not to me
Oh things are gonna happen naturally
Oh taking your advice I'm looking on the bright side
And balancing the whole thing

He had written this song back when he admitted on Orihime's talk show that he had feelings for Rukia. It was something he never planned on introducing to an audience, but he was feeling daring. But now that Rukia believed he had feelings for his ex, he honestly didn't have anything to worry about. Sadly.

But often times those words get tangled up in lines
And the bright lights turn to night
Until the dawn it brings
A little bird to sing about the magic that was you and me

He had lied to her. That's what his words said. He lied to her months ago when he said the feelings he had for her were strictly platonic and he had lied to her now, saying he had feelings for someone else. But although his words revealed sadness, there were other words that revealed possible hope.

Cause you and I both loved
What you and I spoke of
And others just read of
Others only read of the love, the love that I love.

His chorus dreamed of days where he could freely love her. It described not only that, but days where she felt the same in return. It was something so rare yet somehow it had ended. Somehow they fell out of love… or so they made it out to seem.

See I'm all about them words
Over numbers, unencumbered numbered words
Hundreds of pages, pages, pages for words
More words then I had ever heard and I feel so alive

He wanted anything to hear her say that he was her one and only. That she could only ever love him. He wanted to know why he felt so strongly about her; how she was the only one who could make him feel so dramatic yet alive at the same time. He never felt this weak about anyone before, but the more his unrequited love tore at his insides the more he found the words harder to sing.

Oh love, no
You and I, you and I
Not so little you and I anymore, mmm...
And with this silence brings a moral story
More importantly evolving is the glory of a boy

The words were reaching out to Rukia. They were beautiful and his fingers played elegantly on the instrument she grew up hearing him play. Her eyes admired his craft, but her heart ached for some unknown reason. Was it pity? She could only assume so. These words carried so much longing. She wished Senna could give him the happiness that he deserved.

Cause you and I both loved
What you and I spoke of
And others just read of
And if you could see me now
Well I'm almost finally out of
I'm finally out of
Finally deedeedeedee
Well I'm almost finally, finally
Well I'm free, oh, I'm free

Rukia knew the pain he had. He missed Senna. She remembered that feeling; that feeling of yearning for the other when they were not within reach. It was painful. And although he had been the reason for her pain, she wouldn't wish it on him. He was her best friend after all. She would look out for him as he looked after her whenever she needed it. If he could be there for her when she was down, she could be there for him.

And it's okay if you have to go away
Oh just remember the telephone works both ways
And if I never ever hear them ring
If nothing else I'll think the bells inside
Have finally found you someone else and that's okay
Cause I'll remember everything you sang

Ichigo looked away from the microphone, away from his guitar, and away from his lap. He finally met the audience. And despite his best effort to avoid finding her, she was the first person he saw and his eyes couldn't move from her. He knew the words he sang at the moment told her that he was fine that she had moved on; that he would be happy for her. But he also sang of how he would never forget what they had. And as he stared across the room at her, he meant every word.

Cause you and I both loved what you and I spoke of
and others just read of and if you could see now
well I'm almost finally out of.
I'm finally out of, finally, deedeeededede
well I'm almost finally, finally, out of words.

He sang the first line of the chorus strongly; the one line that said that they had been in love and that it was pure. His eyes never left her and he knew that she didn't suspect a thing. He couldn't take it anymore. He bowed his head towards his guitar and sang the rest of the song with his eyes closed tightly, but with his heart wide open.

Then he ended. The applause roared. He gave a nod of appreciation with a smirk and then walked off stage with his guitar in hand. He walked to his own little room that he was given and placed it back in its case. His head pounded along with his chest. He'd end up giving himself a heart attack at this rate. Then, he heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he said without turning towards the door. He wasn't in a hurry to see who it was.

"Hey. Can I talk to you?" the deep voice said with a serious tone as Ichigo heard the door click behind him.

He turned to see Shuuhei standing about four feet away with his hands in his pockets. The look in his eyes told Ichigo he meant business, but he was not in the mood for company. He needed alone time. Didn't people understand that?

"Um, sure," the orange headed man said hesitantly.

"I just want to clear some things up," Shuuhei began with a strong posture. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the obvious defensive stance. "While I was away, you became close with my girlfriend." He paused, "Now I don't care who she hangs out with. She can be friends with whoever she wants. She's her own person. But I know you two have had some sort of past. It's no secret."

Ichigo squinted slightly to try and understand where he was going with this.

"The fact that you two were in a long and complicated relationship doesn't even bother me. It's the way the people respond to it that bothers me. They encourage it. I think you can understand how that might upset me," he said casually.

"Of course. Makes sense," Ichigo said with his same suspicious look.

"But that only started bothering me after a buddy of mine told me that you went as her date to an important dinner party," he said, finally getting somewhere.

Ichigo took a deep breath, but continued to give off a serious stare. The man hadn't done anything aggressive yet, but he didn't want to look like he could be easily pushed over by some hotshot actor.

"The weird part is: that really didn't bother me. I trust her. And I believe you only went as friends. But of course my mind continues to think about things. So after I found that out, I understood that you accompanied her to promote a magazine cover that you two did together. Again, I didn't feel too upset." He paused, "I started to get suspicious though. The number of events you two attended together was adding up within a maximum of thirty seconds."

Ichigo felt it coming. He raised his chin up into the air slightly. He wouldn't be seen as weak now. Not when he needed to hide what he couldn't possibly have.

Shuuhei continued, "The one thing that did it for me was something I never expected." He pulled something out of his back pocket and unfolded it. He held it out lazily for Ichigo to recognize it. "This set me off." He looked at it for a second and then back at Ichigo. "There's no way you can look at someone like that and not mean it. I don't buy it."

Ichigo let out a chuckle and rolled his eyes, "Paranoid much?"

"I'm not laughing," he said bitterly. "I watched the way you looked at her before. I saw the way you looked only at her up on stage. If you have feelings for her, fine. But I want you to know that I'm not going to let you take her from me."

Ichigo glared, "She's not a piece of furniture. You can't claim her as your own. Human beings don't work that way."

"I've heard some things about how much you ruined her. She was a wreck for years after you dumped her. If you want to be friends with her that's fine, but if you even dare of trying anything, I will fight for her. She deserves someone who won't make the mistake of letting her go once," he said boldly. This last statement made every muscle in Ichigo's body tense. He wanted to grab the chair only inches away from him and smash it over his rival's head.

Shuuhei didn't say anything bad enough that it was cause for a beating, but the accusation and subject was something he wanted to deny and ignore. But the facts were staring him in the face. That cover said it all.

"I think you should get out before you say anything you might regret," Ichigo threatened clearly through almost clenched teeth.

Shuuhei furrowed his eyebrows and met Ichigo's glare. "The only thing I would regret is not making it clear that you don't have a chance."

Ichigo clenched his fists by his sides. "You have no idea, pretty boy. You clearly have no idea about any of this."

Shuuhei gave him a confused look in his eyes that told Ichigo to go on. "When she's upset, she runs to me. Not to her best girl friends, not to you, but to me. I'm the only one that can get her to stop torturing herself from her own emotions. I'm the only one that can take care of her when she refuses to let anyone do it. And I'm the only love that she'll remember beyond the day she dies." He raised his chin up into the air again. "You see, Shuuhei. You have no chance; not if I decided to fight for her."

Shuuhei took a step forward and raised his chin as well. "Stop living in the past. You're time is over."

Ichigo smirked in his face. "You see, that's where you're wrong again." He smirked even more, "You're just a distraction; a tool she holds onto that's supposed to keep her happy."

Shuuhei continued to glare, "Well at least she's holding me."

Ichigo glared even more with a smirk, "Yeah, but who do you think is making her happy?"

And just like that, Shuuhei let Ichigo have what it. His fist left the orange headed man's cheek bone cut from the ring on the actor's finger. Ichigo's body went flying back onto the table that held his guitar case. He looked up dizzily. He shook his head to clear his vision; decreasing four Shuuhei's to two.

"If I see you so much as touch her, I'll leave a mark much bigger than that," he threatened.

Ichigo really couldn't think of anything to say. He let him walk out of his room without attempting to fight back. He felt the swelling begin on his face. He gently raised his hand and let his fingers brush the wound. He brought his hand in front of him and saw the blood.

Ichigo let himself drop to the floor. Shuuhei hadn't planned on getting violent, Ichigo knew that. But part of him wanted it. It was going to be his way of being able to let out his anger and frustration with himself. But as soon as Shuuhei's fist hit his face, he felt disgusted with himself again. He felt he deserved this one sided fight. He felt he deserved a beating. Guilt began to flow through him as he realized he had intentionally made him get violent. But now that the words were exchanged, there was no helping this rivalry. Ichigo had to decide soon whether he was willing to fight for her because soon her head would be filled with words that Ichigo would only want for her to hear come from his lips.

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I had to stop. I promised people it would be out by tonight, so cutting it shorter than what I planned was necessary. Ugh, I'm grossed out by how many errors there probably are. Tell me what you think. Later