A/N: I just want to say this is the longest story I've ever written. Kind of excites me, not gonna lie. So yay for me! Haha. The cliffhanger last chapter killed some people, so I'm reviving you now with this not so long wait. Chapter named after, "Split Screen Sadness," by John Mayer.

Disclaimer: …

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Chapter 20: Split Screen Sadness

Shuuhei's eyes locked onto her. She was looking down at the kitchen island, avoiding his gaze on purpose. He felt his teeth clench together. His heart suddenly felt weaker than he thought it could possibly ever feel. The lips he thought were meant for him alone had touched someone else's. He didn't know what, but something seemed to shatter as he stood staring at the woman he loved with all his heart.

Rukia finally looked up and saw Shuuhei was staring down at his beer bottle with his palms placed down on the island on both sides of the bottle. His expression wasn't angry like she thought. The feeling she had began to get worse seeing him react in this unexpected way. He looked like he was about to crumble. "Shuuhei," she said softly.

He took a deep swallow and furrowed his eyebrows as he felt the world spin around him. He had lost. He felt it in his bones. He had lost her that simply. Ichigo had probably decided less than twenty-four hours ago that he was going to fight for her and he had already won. Was it really that impossible to be the one Rukia chose? He closed his eyes to push back the misery.

Rukia reached across the island and placed a hand on his while his eyes were closed. His eyebrows furrowed more. Why was she trying to comfort him? She was the one that made him feel this way. He couldn't take her contact anymore, so he slowly slid his hand out from underneath hers.

He opened his eyes and met her regretful eyes. She felt guilty, which he believed she should. He had one question that he needed to know the answer to. So he spoke so softly it sounded more like a whisper. "Do you love him?"

Rukia's mouth dropped open and her eyebrows flew to the ceiling. "Do I lov-" she began to question him.

"You know what I said, Rukia," he said callously.

She frowned and began to shake her head, "What are you trying to prove, Shuuhei? What do you want to happen here?"

"Why can't you just answer the question?" he asked with hurt eyes; his voice showing impatience.

She threw her hands in the air and began to walk out of the kitchen. She turned around before leaving the room. "Give me an answer!" Shuuhei finally yelled.

She stormed up to the island again and slammed her palms on it. She leaned over it to him, "I don't know!" She bowed her head and shook it. "I have no idea," she whispered with sadness in her voice.

Shuuhei took his eyes off of her. He didn't know how to go about this. No matter how much it hurt to hear her say that, he hated seeing her upset. And he hated himself for that.

Rukia picked up her head and looked at him with watery eyes. Her voice was strong. "I know that I do love you, Shuuhei."

He turned to meet her eyes again. "You just don't know how much," he assumed.

She couldn't say anything in response. It was true. She didn't know how much. If she did love Ichigo in that way, which she still wasn't sure about, she didn't know if that love out powered her love for the man in front of her.

He looked at her in a way that told her she had just inflicted pain. "What can I do to convince you that you belong with me?" he asked softly.

Rukia felt the waterworks coming. He was being so gentle and so kind about her possibly having feelings for someone else. She didn't deserve that. She wanted him to get angry. She wanted him to break something; anything. Before she could think anymore about it, the tears came streaming down. "I- I don't know," she confessed through a sob.

He frowned at her reaction. He couldn't help himself. His instincts told him to go over to the woman he loved and comfort her when she was crying. And that's exactly what he did.

She felt his arms wrap tightly around her. His lips touched the top of her head with a tender kiss. She cried even more from this. "Please stop," she asked through another sob.

"Why?" he asked softly; not budging an inch.

"I don't deserve this."

"What?" he asked slightly confused.

"You. Comforting me. It's not right. I hurt you," she said with a disgusted laugh through tears.

"But I was taught to never watch a lady cry," he said with a sad smile.

Rukia couldn't help but laugh lightly at his humor. "Why are you such a good guy?" she asked resting her ear on his chest as she sniffed.

"I'm not," he defended himself. "I'm just that in love with you," he stated casually.

She felt that guilty pain again and frowned as the tears started to die down.

"Can you answer another question for me?" he asked, causing her to pull away from him and look up with puffy eyes. He took that as approval. "Did you kiss him or did he kiss you?"

She swallowed. "He kissed me."

He gave a single nod. "Okay," he said walking out of the kitchen. She watched in confusion and then chased after him.

"Where are you going?" she asked somewhat panicked.

"I'm going to have a little talk with Kurosaki," he said with anger coming into play. He reached for the door handle and let himself outside.

Rukia eyes bulged. "Wait! No! Shuuhei!" she yelled running out the door after him. He was already pulling out of the driveway. "Shit!" she yelled as she ran for her car to follow. She growled as she passed that motorcycle parked in front still.

She tried to follow close behind him, but they got separated at a traffic light. By the time she pulled up to Ichigo's house, Shuuhei seemed to already be inside. She prayed nothing happened as she parked her car.

She ran to the front door and was about to knock when she saw that the front door was already slightly open. She pushed it lightly and watched as it opened on its own. A sound came from the living room.

She ran in and saw Ichigo standing inches from Shuuhei. Both had their chins raised up as their eyes shot lasers into the others. "You know it's illegal to barge into someone's house, Hisagi," Ichigo said with a slight smirk.

"Fuck you, Kurosaki. What kind of game are you playing?" he said through gritted teeth.

Ichigo smiled even more. "All's fair in love and war," he mused.

"Forcing yourself on her isn't fair, asshole!" Shuuhei growled in his face.

Ichigo squinted curiously. "Forced myself?" He gave a glance towards Rukia who was biting her lip. "Is that what she told you?" he asked with the same hurt she saw in Shuuhei's eyes earlier. His ambers rested with her for another moment before turning back to meet his rival.

"I never said he forced me, Shuuhei!" she defended Ichigo to avoid any unnecessary violence.

"If making out is forceful…" Ichigo mumbled in Shuuhei's face.

Shuuhei's fist clenched as the other grabbed a handful of Ichigo's shirt, "Shut the hell up or I'll give you another fucked up face!"

Ichigo glared with a smile playing around the corners of his lips. "Temper, temper."

Rukia frowned. "What?" she said in realization. The two men froze and looked towards the woman they loved dearly. She walked up to them and rested her hand on the forearm of the hand grabbing Ichigo's shirt. Shuuhei dropped his arm in response.

She looked up at Shuuhei with an incredulous glare. "You gave him that?!" she yelled pointing to Ichigo's cheek. It was still healing.

Shuuhei stuttered to find words. "He was suggesting things!" he was finally able to say.

"What kind of things could he have suggested that would make you punch him?!" she asked in amazement.

"That he was making you happy when I wasn't around!" he yelled back in defense.

She opened her mouth in shock. She quickly turned to look at Ichigo. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Both of his eyebrows rose from the unexpected turn of events. He then stared into her eyes with determination. "It means exactly that. It's not my fault if he read into it."

She glared, "Bullshit. I know you, Ichigo. You were trying to piss him off." She turned back to Shuuhei. "But you didn't have to hit him!"

"I was afraid of losing you to this pompous ass!" he said waving his hand in Ichigo's direction.

"You didn't have anything to be afraid of," Rukia said calmly. "But now you do." She shook her head. "I can't believe you hit him because of what he said."

"I was defending you!" Shuuhei yelled in return.

Ichigo looked at him with annoyance. "Bullshit. I wasn't the one going on about how she was mine. You made her sound like your favorite stuffed animal. 'I'm not going to let you take her from me… blah blah blah,'" Ichigo mimicked.

Rukia looked at Shuuhei with shock. "Is that what I am to you? An item?"

"No!" Shuuhei yelled. He looked up at Ichigo with burning in his eyes. "I was just trying to make it clear that you weren't his," he said through gritted teeth.

Then, he felt it. She delivered an uppercut under his jaw. He flew back into the wall and slid down it. He held his jaw with both hands and looked at her with question.

Her nostrils flared as she sent a death glare at him on the floor. "I'm not something to be owned," she spat at him. "We're over. You're not who I thought you were," she said with conclusiveness.

She turned towards Ichigo who was taken aback by her action. He didn't know what to say. She frowned sadly as she walked closer to him. "You lied to me."

He didn't even try to defend himself like Shuuhei did. He frowned with guilt and gave a nod.

She shook her head. "If my boyfriend hits you; my best friend, you're supposed to tell me; regardless on whether you provoked him or not. You lied to me for your sake, not mine."

Ichigo was going to argue with her, but then he held back. He didn't realize it before, but she was right. He was being selfish yet again. He somehow turned it around in his head to justify his actions.

Her frown deepened as her voice became weaker. She felt herself begin to get sick. The two men that she thought meant the most to her let her down in a way they would never know. "You even made me worry about you. You made me care whether or not you killed yourself on that damn motorcycle!" her voice grew louder again, but she brought a hand to rest on her stomach. She felt disgusted to the point where she was going to throw up.

Her eyes locked with his and then she slapped him nice and hard on his already injured cheek. He grimaced and brought a hand to cover it. He had nothing to say. He was going to take what he deserved. That was something he had learned to do.

She took a step backwards so she was at equal distance between the two. "You two fought over me," she said with pain growing throughout her body. She was so tired. "You didn't fight for me."

She looked towards the floor and closed her eyes tightly. She then looked back up. "I'm done." And then, she walked out.

Ichigo stood there with his injured cheek stinging. He didn't even care that Shuuhei continued to sit no more than eight feet away. They both lost. It was over without a victor. Ichigo knew now that it was probably for the best. She was right. They fought over her. It wasn't even a question. They focused on taking her away from the other instead of just winning her love. How stupid could he have been? He wanted to run away; escape from everything. But he knew he couldn't. There was no where he could run to. He would always be reminded of her.

He took a few steps and sat down in his recliner. He saw Shuuhei begin to stand up from the corner of his eye, but didn't bother to give him any attention. Within seconds, he was walking out of his front door.

Ichigo rested his head back into the chair. The silence was perfect. Not only was everything in his house quiet, but his thoughts were completely gone. He had nothing to think about or to say. His phone rang in his pocket. He slowly reached for it without moving his eyes from the air he was lost in. He answered it without looking to see who it was. "Hello?" he said emotionless.

"Hey."

And I don't know where you went when you left me but
Says here in the water you must be gone by now
I can tell somehow

Rukia drove home with nothing but tears falling down her cheeks. She was a complete mess. She loved them both and they both ended up hurting her. And to top it off it left her feeling nauseous. She was going home to let herself crumble to pieces and she was going to hide away until she was able to pick herself up again. She only wished someone would be there for her. Sadly, her best friend was unwelcomed.

One hand on the trigger of a telephone
Wonderin' when the call comes
Where you say it's alright
You got your heart right

Driving from Ichigo's house to hers was a blur. She could barely remember the trip from her car to the stairs, where she collapsed. She didn't have the power to get all the way to her bedroom, so the first five steps are where she stayed.

She cried because she needed to. Her emotions were all over the place. Her mind and body were confused. She had enough of it all. It was time for her to let herself out and this was the way to do. So that, plus the events that occurred minutes ago made it a pool party where she sat.

Maybe I'll sleep inside my coat and
Wait on your porch 'till you come back home
Oh, right
I can't find a flight

It was rare when she ever cried alone. Usually she never let herself be this weak. It was always someone else's doing that caused her to break. And that someone was always there to hold her as she cried her eyes out. She just wanted to be held…

We share the sadness
Split screen sadness

The sobs were surprisingly loud, but it didn't matter to her. It didn't matter to her that her hair was in her face from being bent over on the steps. It didn't matter to her that her eyes were red from the amount of tears she had shed that day or the fact that her hand was incredibly sore from punching her ex-boyfriend with all her might. What did matter was that she lost two people that she cared deeply about in less than ten minutes.

Two wrongs make it all alright tonight
Two wrongs make it all alright tonight
Two wrongs make it all alright tonight
Two wrongs make it all alright tonight

She stayed like that for quite some time. It didn't feel that long to her though. The sobbing ended and now she just rested there enduring the torture of human emotions. She was falling deep into a crack in the earth and she tried her best to take it like a champ. The tears continued to trail down her face without being able to stop them.

"All you need is love" is a lie 'cause
We had a love but we still said goodbye
Now we're tired, battered fighters

"Hey," a voice came a foot or two away from the stairs. She sniffed and raised her head to look at the man standing in front of her. His height matched evenly with her. Ichigo's face was caring as his hands rested lazily in his jean pockets.

And it stings when it nobody's fault cause there's
Nothing to blame At the drop of your name
It's only the air you took and the breath you left

She groaned at the sight of him. "How did you even get here?" she asked in annoyance.

Ichigo ignored her tone and remained calm. "The door was practically wide open."

She glared, "No. How did you get here? Your bike is out front."

"Same way I got to the café earlier."

"You walked?!"

"Yeah," he answered, seeing no big deal.

So maybe I'll sleep inside my coat and
Wait on your porch 'til you come back home
Oh, right
I can't find a flight

"The café is down the road from your house. This isn't even down the road from the road from the road from the road from the road from your house!" she said in disbelief.

He shrugged. "I needed the forty-five minute walk. I've been slackin' on my exercise," he added with a playful smile. She let her gaze fall away from him and shook her head with a sniff.

So I'll check the weather wherever you are
Cause I wanna know if you can see the stars tonight
It might be my only right

His smile fell as he continued to stare caringly at her. "You're not doing so hot, huh?"

She looked at him quickly and glared. "Ya think?" she said sarcastically.

"Well I'm just thankful you haven't kicked me out," he said casually.

"Yet."

He let a chuckle out and then it fell silent again. "I know I deserve you to hate me and have you throw things at me until I leave," he began and paused.

We share the sadness
(two wrongs make it all alright tonight)
Split screen sadness
(two wrongs make it all alright tonight)
We share the sadness
(two wrongs make it all alright tonight)
Split screen sadness
(two wrongs make it all alright tonight)

"But I came here not because I love you in a very un-platonic way; but because I knew you'd be hurting." He paused again and then continued. "I came here because you're my best friend. I don't want you to go through this by yourself," he said with determined eyes.

That was the first time she heard him say that he actually loved her. There was no way that she would have missed that. She sniffed again, "Why do you care now? You didn't seem to care when you lied to me."

He sighed. "You're right," he agreed without a doubt. "I didn't want you to know how I felt yet. I was afraid and did what first came to mind." He paused once again. "I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

Rukia huffed and rolled her eyes. "It's not like you committed murder or anything. You just lied to me about something important," she took a minute to think. "But I can see why you would be scared to tell me about it. You weren't ready to tell me that… ya know," she reasoned without saying the actual words.

I called
because
I just
Need to feel you on the line
Don't hang up this time
And I know it was me who called it over but
I still wish you'd fought me 'til Your dying day
Don't let me get away

She looked at him with a frown. "But why did you provoke him? You didn't have to be such an asshole for no reason."

He chuckled, "No, I didn't. You're right again." He began to smirk, "You better be living in all this 'You're right,' business because you'll rarely hear it again."

"You know I am," she answered with humor in her voice, but her expression didn't change.

Ichigo spoke again. "I was angry with myself that night. I wanted to take out my anger and I saw possibility through him. But by the time I got him to hit me, I felt like, well, what you said: an asshole."

"Well as long as you know," Rukia responded.

Cause I can't wait to figure out what's wrong with me
So I can say 'this is the way that I used to be
There's no substitute for time

"Does this mean you forgive me?" he asked with hope in his voice.

"It means I need my best friend right now."

He smiled sweetly at her, "I'll take it." He stepped closer and held his hand out to her, "How about we take this to the usual moping area?"

Or for the sadness
(two wrongs make it all alright tonight)
Split screen sadness
(two wrongs make it all alright tonight)
We share the sadness
(two wrongs make it all alright tonight)
Split screen sadness
(two wrongs make it all alright tonight)

She wiped away a tear and stared at his hand before finally taking it to pull herself up. They made their way up the stairs until they made it to her bedroom. They took their usual place on her bed with her head resting on his chest as he held her tightly. This position was something they had made a habit of in these situations many years ago.

"I want to ask my best friend a curious question," she said feeling much better in his arms.

"Shoot," he simply said in response.

Oh and the sadness
It's alright, it's alright
Oh and the sadness
It's alright, it's alright

"Are you sure you love me?" she asked quietly.

He was surprised by the question. He wasn't really sure how to respond to it. Did she think he wasn't? He laughed internally at how ridiculous the question really was. He was completely sure. Finally, he began to respond.

"Maybe you're just lonely because you miss Senna," Rukia said before he could answer.

Oh and the sadness
It's alright, it's alright

Ichigo couldn't believe it. After all of this, she still believed that one lie. He frowned as he began to think. 'Maybe she's trying to find excuses for you because she can't let you down easily. Maybe this is her way of saying she just wants us to be friends,' he thought with sadness. 'She keeps saying that I'm her best friend,' he realized. 'That's all she wants from me.'

He took a deep breath as his chest clenched. "If all you want is friendship, then that's what I'll give you," he said evenly. 'At least I gave it my all. She just doesn't want me like that.'

Rukia snuggled closer to him and yawned, "Why don't you give her a call?" She didn't really understand why she was pushing it. Maybe because she felt this was really why he was acting so different. He couldn't possibly ever love her the same way as before. It was impossible. Her mind couldn't wrap around the thought. She figured she'd get him on the right track before he wasted his time with something he didn't really want and before she wasted her time thinking about something that wasn't exactly healthy for her to think about.

Ichigo frowned as his earlier phone call replayed in his mind.

"Senna?" he asked with surprise.

"Yeah," she said in a sweet voice. "Hey Ichigo. How are you?" she asked tenderly.

"I'm-" he paused as he realized how he really was. "I've been better." He sighed, "But how are you doing? The tour treatin' ya well?"

"Actually, its over. I'm on my way home," she said with a slight laugh.

"Wow. That went by fast," he said in response.

"It wasn't really meant to be very long," she commented. "But I called you because… well," he heard her sigh on the other end of the phone. "I wanted to know if you wanted to try it again. I completely understand if you're not interested or anything. I mean, we haven't talked in weeks. I'm just… putting it out there."

He smiled softly at how nervous she sounded. "Do you think you could give me some time to think about it?"

He could imagine her smiling sweetly in return. "Of course."

Ichigo continued to frown. Rukia had just given him the okay to just be friends. She told him to call Senna. That was a pretty clear sign. His heart ached, knowing how much he truly loved her. And because he loved her so much, he was going to listen to her. He would do anything she asked him to. He looked down at Rukia and to his surprise, she was fast asleep.

He was going to need to contact Senna soon if this was his decision. Any delay would make this denial so much worse. He gave it one final thought and then leaned up slightly to reach into his pocket. He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Senna.

'Let's give it a try.'

Ichigo and Senna came walking into Urahara's office holding each other's hand.

He raised his eyebrows at the sight. "Well, well, well. Back together, I see. How long has this been going on?" he asked curiously. Yoruichi couldn't really believe her eyes as she sat on Urahara's desk.

Ichigo smiled, "Almost three weeks."

"Wow," Yoruichi replied. "You two jumped right back into that didn't you?"

The couple looked at each other; each with a smile and then back at the two who questioned them.

Senna spoke up. "So you wanted to see me about a photo shoot, Yoruichi?"

"Yes," she said sending a slight glare to Ichigo, "But what's he doing here?"

Ichigo held his hands up to show no offense. "Just tagged along," he explained.

Urahara spoke to his client. "So when was the last time you spoke to Ms. Kuchiki?"

Ichigo thought for a moment. "Um, well about two days ago. Why?"

His manager shrugged, "No reason. Just curious. Wanted to know if she's been working hard, that's all."

Ichigo squinted suspiciously at the older man. "Okay…"

Yoruichi began to speak to Senna again. "So how about two o'clock on Wednesday?"

"Sure thing. I'll be there," Senna said with a smile. "Is that it?"

"Yep. We're done," Yoruichi said causing the young couple to stand up.

Ichigo glared at her. "Took no more than ten seconds. Why can't you ever just do it over the phone?"

She smiled at the man she knew since he was a little boy. "This way I can look them in the eye and know that I told them about our appointment. There's no excuse."

Ichigo looked at Urahara. "Maybe you should try that out for a bit," he said with an edge of bitterness. The manager laughed in return as he watched the two walk out of his office with a wave.

Yoruichi looked at Urahara with disappointment. "I guess things didn't go as you planned."

He sighed, "No, they did. I believe Kurosaki did everything I knew he would."

She frowned in misunderstanding. "Then what happened?"

"Ms. Kuchiki's response to it was not completely thought out," he said leaning back in his chair.

It was Yoruichi's turn to sigh. "Rukia can be so oblivious at times," she said staring at the far wall in thought. She looked over at him again. "So now what?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't look like we can do anything. Might be a lost cause."

She gave him a light whack on the side of his head. He looked at her with wide eyes as his hand flung up to hold his head. She frowned at him, "Don't you ever say that. We agreed to want the best for the two of them and giving up on them being together is breaking that agreement!"

He began to chuckle, "Okay, okay! We'll hope for the best!"

She smirked. "Much better."

"Now what do you want for dinner?"

Rukia leaned back in her chair and stretched her back. She exhaled from how good the stretch felt. The writing was going very well for her in the past few weeks. She was more than thankful. She wasn't sure if it was her sudden stress relief from a hectic love life, but at the moment she felt content with being single. It allowed her to focus on her pressing career.

She looked at the time and knew it was time to get going. She had another book signing to do and was really excited for it actually. It was already assumed that she would get questioned on her top secret project and even though she still wasn't going to say a word, she was excited to see the anticipation in her fans' eyes.

And like she assumed, she did get the questions. She smiled, "I'm sorry. I made a pact with myself that I wasn't going to say anything until it came out."

An 'aw' was heard throughout the crowd. "But the wait is getting shorter, so hopefully you guys can hang in for a little bit longer." Another 'aw' was produced.

"Alright," she thought to herself. "I'll tell you what. I'll answer one question about it, but it can't be about its contents. No specifics. Ask and I'll let you know if I can answer it."

She pointed to a woman that looked to be about her age. "Is it based off anyone in your life?"

Rukia thought about it, "Hm, I'm not going to answer that one," she said with a smile. "Ask me again when it comes out."

The writer pointed to a young girl, who looked to be in her teens. "Is it a love story? Will there be any… kissing?" she said with a blush.

Rukia chuckled, "Yes and yes. Hopefully that's enough for all of you to think about for now. So let's get signing!"

She sat at the table with a smile greeting each individual that approached her. It had gotten about halfway through the crowd when her eyes spotted a man with orange hair come walking in the front door. She began to smile even more and then shook her head at how stupid he was for coming through without some sort of disguise. These people were going to eat him alive. Then, her eyes caught someone attached to his hip; or hand: Senna.

Rukia's smile seemed to fade. This she didn't quite understand why. The last time and only time she had ever spoken to the female singer was back at the premiere of Shuuhei's movie. That wasn't a very pleasant time for her.

Well, she couldn't completely say she didn't know why she felt that way. It was clear to her that the thought of him actually loving her again was left in her mind for too long before it was pulled out. She wanted to slap herself for even thinking about it. She didn't understand herself and how easily she could get swept up in something involving this man that took over her life.

It's not like she was in love with him. She laughed at the thought. That wouldn't happen again. She thought there might have been a possibility a few weeks ago, but that was when her emotions had gone haywire. She had control now and she knew how to differentiate between what was rational and irrational again.

The crowd began to scream in alarm from her surprise guests and she rolled her eyes as she sat back in her chair. The pair of musicians walked up hand in hand with smiles as they approached the writer.

Senna looked around as they stood right in front of her. "This is amazing! I'm so excited for you!" she cheered with a grin.

Rukia laughed at the woman's reaction, "Thanks, I guess." She had the need to give off an attitude; another mystery of why.

The crowd still roared. Rukia smiled as she raised an eyebrow at Ichigo and shook her head. He grinned back at her and turned to the mob. "Just visiting a friend. Don't mind us," he explained and then turned back around.

"To what do I owe this visit?" Rukia asked curiously.

Ichigo shrugged. "Had nothing better to do. Senna wanted to get her own signed copy."

Rukia was shocked by this. The dislike she had towards this sweet and wonderful woman was now making her feel like a complete bitch. Senna put her book down on the table for Rukia with a smile. The pages were worn meaning she had actually read it. This was too much for her. She didn't want this. It seemed wrong.

She internally groaned as she signed the inside cover. She handed it back to her with a fake smile. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Senna said holding the book to her chest. Ichigo put his arm around her shoulders.

"We also wanted to know if you wanted to have dinner with us tonight?" he asked casually.

Rukia's mouth fell slightly ajar. 'He did not just ask me about having dinner with the both of them…'

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "Rukia?" he said when she didn't respond. "Dinner? Tonight?"

The raven haired woman sighed mentally. 'He did just ask.' She quickly thought of a way to get out of it. Then she stopped herself. 'Why are you trying to get out of it? There's nothing wrong with having dinner with your best friend and his girlfriend. Get a hold of yourself,' she thought.

"Sure. Why not?" And after those words came out of her mouth, she had the urge to kick herself.

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I'm a confusing person, aren't I? You think I'm going to have her choose someone and then bam! She chooses no one. But like she said, she wants to kick herself. Maybe it means something. Maybe it doesn't. The world doesn't move incredibly fast. I'm taking into consideration how the human mind works and how stupid and indecisive it can be. Rukia: Exhibit A. So there you have it. Later