A/N: I wanted to get it out by today so I worked myself to the bone. Hope it turned out well. Please be nice about some possible errors. This is named after, "Love Remains The Same," by Gavin Rossdale. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Same as before.

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Chapter 21: Love Remains The Same

Rukia took a sip out of her wine glass to give her fake smile a time out. For the past twenty minutes she had laughed and smiled at the couple in front of her as they spoke of songs they had written together and little moments that couples share; ones which would be cute and adorable to anyone else besides Rukia Kuchiki.

Senna giggled. "I'm sorry. Here we are going on and on about what we have been up to and we haven't asked about you," Senna apologized with a smile.

"Yeah. Tell us something," Ichigo added with an encouraging smile.

Rukia was taken by surprise. There she was trying to tune out the telling of Ichigo preparing a candlelit dinner for Senna and then all of sudden she was put on the spot. Due to the glass already being located at her lips, she quickly tipped it back and finished it. She saw Ichigo raise an eyebrow, but she smiled politely and began to speak as she placed the empty glass on the table.

"I haven't been doing much of anything, actually. I've only really got time to write," she said with a shrug.

"Surly it doesn't monopolize your entire life," Senna said somewhat taken aback.

"Oh. No, it doesn't," Rukia agreed. "It's just I keep coming up with more ideas that I want to add in and it's growing."

"Wow. Sounds exciting. I can't wait to read it," the curious young woman commented.

Rukia smiled at her remark curiously. "I never really pinned you as a reader," she admitted.

Ichigo let out a disgusted chuckle and looked away from their table into the restaurant. Rukia saw this and glared at him. "What?" she asked due to his reaction.

He shook his head. "Quick to judgment, as always."

Rukia let her mouth fall open as she took it as an insult. "Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief. "I am not quick to judge."

He began to chuckle. "Bullshit. You judged Gin before you even knew he was an abusive drunk."

"Well that was a good call then, wasn't it?" she said with an 'I told you so,' look. "Besides, you were the one that called me a midget before you even knew anything about me!" she defended.

He laughed, "I was able to see you, wasn't I? I'd say that was enough to make that assumption."

Rukia glared. "Bastard," she mumbled under her breath, but he clearly heard and responded with a victorious grin.

The writer quickly turned back to Senna with an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. It's just…"

"Bullshit," Ichigo mumbled innocently. Rukia glared at him immediately. "No one's talking to you."

"It's okay. No offense taken," Senna said with a kind smile.

Rukia hated her even more at that moment. 'No offense taken my ass!' she yelled in her head. 'Little miss goody-two shoes. Get angry at something! What is wrong with you?!' she continued to yell in her head. She smiled, showing her teeth, while she clenched her jaw as tight as she could. Why she wanted this woman to get upset, she had no idea.

This whole dinner was driving her mad. One, she was getting into annoying arguments with her supposed best friend. Two, awkward wasn't enough to describe her discomfort. Three, she had yet to get her food. And four, wine was vanishing from her glass the moment the waiter came and poured her a full one.

Senna had a sad face on display. "So how are you doing, Rukia? I heard you had a rough breakup with Shuuhei a few weeks ago. How are you holding up?"

Rukia immediately looked to Ichigo. His eyes were wide. He obviously was going to stay quiet it seemed. Something inside Rukia cringed. 'He's hiding his involvement?' She let a laugh resonate in her head. 'I guess that makes sense. Why tell her you thought you were in love with me and decided to try and win me back?' It wasn't a bitter thought… maybe a disappointed one though.

"I'm fine," she said with complete truth. "I've never felt better actually. It feels good to be free from any ties."

"Like the main character in your latest book," Senna said with enthusiasm.

Rukia let out a single chuckle. 'This girl really did read it.' "Yeah. Exactly."

Senna looked over at her boyfriend. "You've been awfully quiet," she said with a slight smile and the tilt of her head.

He returned her facial expression. "Just letting two important people in my life talk. Makes me happy to see you two talk freely like that."

Rukia wanted to throw up. Why was she there? Why did she agree? She was being compared to this Barbie across from her. She thanked the waiter mentally as he poured more into her glass.

Senna grinned even more at him. "I'm happy that you're happy."

'Oh god! I don't think there's enough wine in the world for me to drown myself in. This is making me gag,' she thought avoiding looking at the two sitting in front of her.

"That's why I wanted to come out to dinner," Senna continued. She grabbed his hand on the table and looked into his eyes. He stared back curiously. "I love you, Ichigo. I've known that for a long time. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to love you for the rest of my life… if you let me."

Rukia began to chug her wine from the words.

"Will you marry me, Ichigo?"

Rukia choked as she spat out the wine that was in her mouth back into the tilted glass against her lips. Some of the liquid unfortunately sprayed in other directions. She sat the glass down at the table and coughed as she tried to gain her breath.

Ichigo stared blankly at Senna. He was just as shocked as Rukia. "Wow," was all he could really say at the moment.

Rukia watched with deep breaths. She felt as if she was watching through a two way mirror. The two didn't seem to notice her sitting their in anticipation of his answer.

Senna began to speak again. "I know we've only been going out for a few weeks."

'Three,' Rukia specified in her mind.

"But we went out for months before and I know this is serious," she explained.

'You also took a break,' Rukia thought as if to remind her.

"We only went on a break because careers got in the way," Senna said as if hearing Rukia's thoughts.

Rukia frowned in response. 'Last time I knew you hadn't even met his family.'

"You're family was so welcoming last weekend. I would love to be apart of something like that. You know I never really had a loving family," Senna continued to add as Ichigo stared with his still very shocked face.

The writer's fists formed on her lap. 'Shit. She's throwing a guilt trip on him.'

"And I've never met anyone like you before, Ichigo. I know I never will," she finished.

'Give it time. Haven't you ever heard that there are plenty of fish in the sea?' Rukia asked mentally with anxiety. She watched Ichigo.

His face softened; no longer expressing that stiff overwhelmed response. He smiled down at her with calm eyes. He gave a nod as he finally said, "Okay."

Everything went silent. There were no more sounds for Rukia. Everything seemed to have slowed down and movements were a blur. She watched as Ichigo and Senna kissed in slow motion. She could tell Senna was beginning to laugh with her excitement.

Rukia didn't react. She knew she was just sitting there staring blankly at their celebration. 'What happened?' she asked herself. 'You were happy a few hours ago. Now you're staring at your best friend who just got engaged and you feel miserable. Why? You should be happy for him. You should be toasting to them right now. So why do you want to run away? Why do you want to run away so badly that you can't move? You're stuck watching you're chest cave in. What is wrong with you, Rukia?'

And then, he turned in his head in slow motion to glance towards his best friend; a large smile was playing on his lips. The soft lighting of the restaurant caused a glare of light to shine in one of his amber eyes for a brief moment as his orbs locked with hers.

The hairs began to stand on the back of her neck and then suddenly, she felt it. It was distant before; as if only an echo in the back of her mind. But now she clearly understood it and she found herself to be a fool for not seeing it sooner.

She continued to stare at him in her almost stand still realm. His lips began to move and then suddenly, everything came back to normal speed as she heard him speak. "Rukia," he said with his voice saying her name so perfectly that she felt as if he had just sang it.

'You love him,' she finally told herself. She closed her eyes to hold back any unwanted emotions and by the time she opened her eyes again, her fake smile appeared again. "Congratulations you guys. That's great." She looked down at her watch. "Oh my god. It's already this late," she said with a fake concern. She looked up at the two and smiled apologetically as she began to stand up. "I really have to get going. I forgot I had to have a phone conference with a publishing company tonight." She pushed her chair in and noticed she felt wobbly from the one too many drinks she had.

"You're leaving?" Senna asked sadly.

Ichigo frowned in disappointment. "We didn't even get our food yet."

"Sorry," she said with fake sorrow. "It's work," she said with a shrug. "But you two stay and celebrate. I'll talk to you later." She began to walk away. "Congratulations again!" she yelled before turning completely around and heading for the exit.

Rukia came walking into her house with no particular expression across her face. It was almost as if she was numb. Her body didn't know how to react and her mind wasn't going to give a single moment to think about because she knew that would only be asking for something uncalled for.

She threw her purse on a nearby table without stopping as she continued to make her way towards her living room. She flopped down on her armchair, still wearing the dress she went to dinner in. Then, she took a deep breath and began to exhale.

"Interesting," a voice came from her left, which was the direction of her kitchen. She jumped and looked over with fear in her eyes.

She brought her hand to her chest feeling her heart beat at a very unhealthy rate as she tried to catch her breath. "God! You always sneak up on me! Can you purposefully march into the room next time so you don't have to worry about being charged for homicide?!"

Byakuya rolled his eyes as he swirled his scotch around in his glass. "Rukia, you are aware of my line of work."

She threw a hand up in the air and waved it at him, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a habit being all stealth-like."

Byakuya let out a surprising smile. "I was merely going to say I wouldn't have to worry about being charged as a murderer due to my line of work," he finished with a smirk; hiding it as he took a sip of his drink.

Rukia looked at her brother with shock; not because of what he had said, but the fact that he had made a joke. She was taken aback. It must have been the drink talking.

"I was joking, Rukia," he said with his smile falling due to the look he was receiving.

"I know. And it's shocking," she admitted.

He rolled his eyes again and decided to move onto a different subject. "I'm half surprised that orange headed buffoon didn't follow in behind you."

Rukia let out a groan. Her eyes opened wide in response to her reaction. She didn't plan that. Byakuya stood raising an eyebrow at her response. "I just was with him."

"May I ask where you were coming from?" he asked seeing her dressed in one of her nicer outfits.

She felt the stress coming back onto her shoulders. "Dinner," she exhaled greatly. "With him and his fiancé," she added with no emotion.

"Excuse me?" Byakuya said with surprise.

Rukia internally groaned this time. She was paying close attention to her body in order to prevent reactions like before. 'Please don't make me say it again,' she begged mentally.

"Kurosaki is engaged?" Byakuya asked with curious eyes.

Rukia continued to look away from him and nodded slowly.

The feelings going through the elder Kuchiki were mixed. He never liked Ichigo Kurosaki and to have him committing himself to someone that wasn't his sister was something he would celebrate over. But at the same time, it was something he could quite possibly murder over.

He looked down at his sister as he tried to analyze her. She sat relaxed in the chair with her pointer finger drawing circles on her dress lying on her crossed legs. Her head was bowed watching her finger move elegantly.

"So why aren't you in a rainforest or desert right now?" Rukia asked changing the subject.

"They don't have any assignments for me at the moment," he stated flatly as he continued to watch her unaltered position.

"How do you feel about it?" he asked with determined eyes as he tried to understand.

"It's good you get a break. They can't have you constantly risking your life trying to-"

"Not that," Byakuya interrupted her.

She looked up at him with confusion. "How do I feel about what then?"

"The engagement."

Rukia looked at him with disbelief; as if to say 'why are you asking me this?' "I'm happy for them."

Byakuya's eyebrows rose as he brought the glass to his lips for another drink. "Are you?"

Rukia frowned. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

He chose to not answer her with words, but instead with a simple stare that seemed to tell her exactly what he was thinking.

She felt her exterior about to break from her brother's clear inference. She swallowed away the lump in her throat before she spoke. "No. It's not like that."

He continued to stare at her in the same way only his eyebrows furrowed lightly.

She huffed in response. "It's better this way."

He looked at her with irritation. "How is it better to feel unhappy?"

"Because he's happy! It would have never worked anyways!" she defended herself. She was getting riled up and she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

She stood up hastily from her chair and shook her head. "I can't believe we're talking about this," she said beginning to walk away.

"Why is it so hard to believe?" he asked with his annoyance more apparent. This stopped her from walking out of the room.

She turned around and looked at her brother as if he had gone crazy. "Did you get shot in the head without me knowing?"

He continued to frown towards her, waiting for an answer. She sighed and brushed a hand through her hair. "Since when have you ever cared about how I feel towards Ichigo?"

"Is that what you think?" he asked as he tried to understand. "That I didn't care whether or not the boy ever hurt you?"

Rukia only stared back at him; not needing to say words. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's the reason why I dislike him so much," he explained in his still very cold manner. "Because he always has that possibility of hurting you. He's done it before."

"But it always seemed like you would rather him hurt me so that he wouldn't be around anymore," she explained with emotion breaking through her voice.

He shook his head with irritation. "No matter how much I might have or still might want him out of your life, my want for you to be happy triumphs over it. I would never wish him away if I knew you truly wanted him to be there."

Rukia began to see a new side of her brother. Surprisingly, he actually did care about her happiness and not on whether or not he liked who she was spending her time with. This was, if not the only, one of the few times he has ever opened up to her. She appreciated it at such a confusing time in her life, but she couldn't fully enjoy it.

Byakuya was still shocked by the news. He had been there a little over a month ago and had the young man confess his feelings about his sister to his face. What had happened to cause this to alter, he wasn't sure, but his sister was finally coming to the realization of it all and he wanted to know what could be done to fix it.

Rukia looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm not going to do anything, Byakuya," she said softly to stop his mind from conjuring up a plan.

"So you rather throw it away without trying?" he asked coldly. Rukia gave him a determined look. He hissed and turned his head away from her. "This was not how I raised you."

Rukia let out a laugh. He looked at her in bewilderment. She shook her head with a smile, "It just clicked. You are actually telling me to not let go of Ichigo Kurosaki."

He gave her an even look, but she saw the flash of amusement in his eyes and then it was gone. "I don't know what happened those few years ago. I'm not sure if anyone knows for that matter. But let me tell you something," he led in with his unemotional tone.

"You can live your life and make many mistakes and many will hurt from them. You can go on living pretending as if they never happened, but there will always be that constant reminder." He turned his head away, breaking the eye contact. "And you end up hating yourself for the flashes of images and regret it from ever beginning." He then met her gaze again; she herself sucked in air from the steady and sensitive stare of her brother's similar yet less prominent violet eyes. They weren't even blood related, but their eyes still shined in the same manner.

"But it only takes you time to realize the mistakes weren't anyone's fault to begin with. They were just a stepping stone, one that helped mold the path for the future," he spoke gently. He tilted his head innocently as he stared at her. "The future is now, Rukia. The question is… have you realized it yet?"

Rukia had trouble speaking. She was blown away. Everything she needed to hear was being said and it was coming from her brother; someone who was never around and never showed affection. Her heart swelled at his newly found compassion. Her eyes softened as understanding came through.

She sensed the double meaning in his words. The reason he was being so emotional was due to the memory of her beloved sister, Hisana. She remembered hearing him talk in his sleep when she was younger. He would cry and ask for forgiveness, but Rukia was too young to understand what any of it meant. She knew now that he took the blame for her sister's life. He accused himself of being the reason she was in the car accident due to her coming back from finding she was, in fact, pregnant. He used to wish he could take it all back; even go far enough to say that he would sacrifice never knowing her to have her live a normal life. But it seemed he had come to terms with what he believed to be his mistake of ever meeting her. He knew that his life wouldn't have been as full as it was now if he hadn't. He still had his younger sister, Rukia, and that was something he was more than thankful to Hisana for.

Byakuya began to turn and walk back into the kitchen. He walked a few steps but then stopped and turned slightly back to her. "Time is a precious thing, Rukia. If you make up your mind, you only have so long before you can take it back. You can't race it; it's an unbeatable battle. So make sure you decide and are content with your decision before it's too late." And then he disappeared into the kitchen.

Rukia stood there trying to take it all in. 'What exactly does he want me to do?' she thought as she continue to stand in place. 'Its like he wants me to go after him, but then he tells me that if I decide what I want to do, to be sure of it. It's like he's supporting me, yet telling me I'm wrong,' she thought in confusion. She let her head fall back behind her shoulders and stared at the ceiling as she exhaled loudly. She turned around and began to make her way up the stairs to her bedroom.

'How could I love him? After everything that we've been through, how is it that I still dream of that house by the ocean with a picket fence and little kids running around with me in his arms?' she asked herself in annoyance.

Rukia let out a grunt and threw herself backwards on her bed. "I was over him!" she yelled with frustration. 'He says something to me weeks ago and I'm left dwelling on it with false hope!' she yelled in her head this time. She rolled to her side and rolled up into a ball as much as she could in her dress. "It's not fair," she whispered before she allowed herself to fall into a distracting sleep.

It had been a few days. Rukia really didn't know how many. She had been avoiding a certain man that she refused to believe she was in love with. She didn't even leave the house, despite Byakuya's urges for her to. She wasn't moping, just isolating herself.

Ichigo tried calling her and texting her, but she didn't respond. She felt bad considering he didn't do anything to deserve it, but she needed to do this. It was for her sanity's sake.

She lounged on her couch with her hair up in a small ponytail, wearing a plain white baggy t-shirt with a pair of baggy jogging shorts meant for men. They were just so comfortable though.

She sat there watching "The Notebook" with a box of Chewy Chips Ahoy on her lap, a bowl of Doritos to her left and three empty cans of Dr. Pepper to her right. She threw a can at the screen as the female lead had trouble deciding between her past love and her current one. "You end up dying at the end! What's the point?!" she yelled in frustration. No, she wasn't moping at all.

Then, her doorbell rang. Something inside her told her who it was and she had no reason to disagree with that feeling. There was no point in avoiding it anymore. She got up and dragged herself towards the door.

"Hey! Where the hell have you been?" Ichigo asked with annoyance in his tone, but a smirk on his face as he began to walk past her into the house. She sighed and closed the door behind him.

"I've been here," she said with a shrug.

He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "It's been four days since the dinner. Why haven't you been picking up your phone or anything?"

Rukia took in his words. It had been four days. She mused over the fact that it hadn't felt that long. She began to walk towards the kitchen for another can of soda, which caused him to follow. "I've been isolating myself," she said in response. In other words, she had been moping.

He scrunched up his face. "Why would you do that?" he asked seeing her apparel from behind. She looked a bit too relaxed.

She opened the fridge and reached in for a can and looked at him as she pulled away. "Because I felt like it." She noted that he looked good. A pair of sunglasses rested in his rebellious hair as he wore a blue muscle shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. His toned body was easily seen and she held back the urge to- 'No! No! Stop it, Rukia!'

"That's just dumb," he said with annoyance as he leaned his back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. Rukia's eyes watched as his bicep flexed from the movement. She shook her mind from more terrible thoughts and scowled at him.

"Look who's talking," she said immediately before turning and opening the can at the kitchen island.

"What the hell does that even mean?" he asked not really caring that much, but asking nonetheless.

"I don't know," she said with irritation. "You're just dumb. Don't ask questions you don't know the answers to."

Ichigo gave her a confused look and ignored it. "So I've been trying to talk to you, but you've been isolated," he said putting quotes around the word.

Rukia took a sip of her soda. "Get on with it, Kurosaki. Haven't got all day," she said lazily.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I interrupted anything," he said making it obvious as he examined her outfit.

She looked down at herself and then back at him with a frown. "Shut up. What do you want?"

He sighed and began to rub the back of his neck. Rukia caught his nervous tick and felt curious as to what he wanted that could make him uncomfortable.

"I wanted to know, well, since you're my best friend and everything," he began and then let out a nervous laugh. "It's kind of weird considering you're a girl and all, but," he said pausing as he avoided eye contact.

"Spit it out, Ichigo," she said with impatience and definite interest.

"Would you be my best man?" he asked with a weak smile.

Rukia felt a shocked shiver run over her body. Swallowing became hard. Her grip on her soda can became tighter until it cracked. She jumped from the sound, while Ichigo raised a brow once again.

She stuttered to talk, "M-me? Why? I mean what about Uryuu or Chad? Renji even?"

He shook his head, "I want you standing next to me up there."

Rukia felt so small all of a sudden. She wanted to be standing next to him too, only on the other side of him. 'What are you doing?' she asked herself calmly. 'Let it go. You already decided this. You should be honored.'

She then pushed every upsetting feeling deep down into a place that it would have trouble getting out of right away. Then, a smile was forced to her lips. "I'd be honored."

Ichigo grinned and then walked over to her. He quickly picked her up and spun her in a circle, which widened her eyes in surprise. He set her down with his grin still on his face. "I knew you wouldn't let me down."

His hands were still placed on her hips and she had her hands placed on his chest. 'Please let go of me,' she begged mentally. It somehow brought back the feelings she pushed away.

"Can you believe I'm engaged?" he asked with a laugh. "How ridiculous is that?"

Rukia let out a fake laugh, "Ridiculous." 'Now let me go!'

He then looked down at her with sincere ambers. "Thanks for doing this for me," he said softly before pulling her closely and hugging her tightly. Rukia felt a whimper in her throat. Of course she would do it. She would do anything for him.

She had to swallow… now! It was so close for tears to start streaming down her cheek. She needed to swallow and push it back. Her head rested against his chest as her eyes slammed shut. Then, it was too late. Three tears came strolling down.

She pushed away from him and turned around before he could see her face. "Don't thank me," she said in a tone that she hoped sounded normal.

Ichigo stared at her a little confused but chose to think nothing of it. He then felt something on his chest and looked down. He saw three damps spots on his shirt and frowned. He looked back up in the direction of where Rukia had walked off to.

She sat back down on her couch with the remote in her hand, ready to push play. Ichigo walked in and found her with junk food all around her. He stared at her in question and then walked closer to her. He pulled the remote out of her hand and threw it on the couch next to her.

"Ichigo," she said in confusion as he pulled on her wrist to stand up.

"Let's go," he said dragging her towards the door.

Rukia blinked a few times before it began to register. Then, she started to resist. "No! Ichigo! Look at me! I'm not going out there!" she said thinking of her outfit.

"No one will see you," he said easily as he shut the door behind them.

"Where are we even going?" she asked in irritation.

"To me bike," he said within feet of his motorcycle. She scowled at him, "You knew what I meant!"

He sat down on the vehicle and then looked back at her. "Get on," he said with a nod behind him. He held out the helmet.

She growled and put it on. Then, she hopped onto the back and hesitantly placed her hands on his waist. "Can you tell me now?" she asked in defeat.

He revved the engine and smirked. "To the airport," he said quickly and then sped off before she could say anything.

After she stopped yelling at him for being too spontaneous for his own damn good and after she finished yelling at him for making her go in such an unattractive outfit, they sat silent through the flight and now sat in a car they had rented. Ichigo was driving with soft eyes as he stared at the scenery.

He peeked over at his passenger and smirked. "Oh come on. I rather have you yelling at me then this terrible silence."

She glared at him and then crossed her arms over her chest. He let out a chuckle. "You can so childish sometimes."

Rukia rolled her eyes at him and then looked back out the window. Ichigo sighed, "I'm sorry, okay? It just looked like you were in a dump. I wanted to pick you up and get you out of there fast."

Rukia let herself relax a little and then looked through the windshield. "Besides," he began, "You don't look that ugly, so I don't know what you're freaking out about."

Her eyes went wide as she turned and stared at him. He felt her eyes on him, but he kept his face neutral as he stared out the window on the road.

She felt her chest ache again causing her to furrow her eyebrows.

"Want to tell me what's up with you?" he said as he kept his eyes ahead of him.

"Not really," Rukia said stubbornly without looking in his direction.

Ichigo shook his head. "I'll get it out of you eventually," he said giving up for the time being. Rukia hoped for once that wasn't true.

"Want to tell me why you brought me back to Karakura?" she asked in return.

He smiled softly, "You need a break from that hectic life. You haven't been home since… well, since your sister. And I haven't been home in months," he explained with care.

Rukia bowed her head slightly from the mention of her sister and then looked over at Ichigo. He gave her a glance with a smile. "So let's try to relax and enjoy our visit home," he suggested.

She couldn't help but let a smile come to her lips in return.

A thousand times I've seen you standing
Gravity like lunar landing
You make me wanna run till I find you

They pulled up to Rukia's childhood house. It was still the same giant, luxurious house. Ichigo smirked at the building in front of him as he stood with his hands in his pockets. "It's amazing," he began. "You were probably the richest kid around yet you'd rather run around with a bunch of delinquents." He looked back at Rukia, who approached slowly.

I shut the world away from here
I drift to you, you're all I hear
As everything we know fades to black

She smiled, "There's nothing interesting about being rich and proper," she said looking up at the house. She turned to stare at Ichigo. "They never break the rules," she added with a mischievous grin.

"Except you," Ichigo said as he laughed. "You were a real rebel."

Half the time the world is ending
Truth is I am done pretending

Rukia rolled her eyes at him and then began to walk up the few steps, but then paused. She stared down at the steps and let images flash through her mind.

I never thought that I
Had anymore to give
You're pushing me so far
Here I am without you

She closed her eyes as her mind replayed a clear memory.

"I think this is a good time to talk about what's going on," his voice causally broke through her thoughts. She opened her eyes to see him sitting down on the step next to her, his elbow leaning back on the step above him. He patted the step next to him, "Come on."

Drink to all that we have lost
Mistakes we have made
Everything will change
But,love remains the same

She sat down without thinking. "I feel lost," she spoke looking out in front of her instead of at him

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and smiled. "In what way?"

She let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know what I'm doing. I'm confused. I can't decide things anymore."

"Hm. That could be a problem," he stated. Rukia looked back at him.

"What is it that you can't decide about?" he asked curiously.

I find a place where we escape
Take you with me for the space
The city buzz sounds just like a fridge

Rukia gave him a warning look. He raised his hands. "Okay, okay. You don't have to tell me…yet," he said in response. He then relaxed back into his position. "Why do you think you can't decide?"

She thought for a few seconds and then answered. "Because I'm scared."

I walk the streets through seven bars
I have to find just where you are
The faces seem to blur
They're all the same

"What are you afraid of?" he asked calmly.

"Making a mistake."

He tilted his head, "Rukia, people make mistakes all the time. It's just something you have to risk in order to see where things go. It can't be that bad if it doesn't work out."

Half the time the world is ending
Truth is I am done pretending

She laughed with a sad tone. "But I know where things go if I do make a mistake. And it is that bad." 'I don't want to mess things up for you,' she thought to herself.

I never thought that I
Had anymore to give
You're pushing me so far
Here I am without you

Ichigo exhaled, "Well, I guess you just have to think about whether it's worth it." His eyes locked with hers. He shrugged, "Is it worth risking it all for it?"

Rukia turned her head away from him, "For me it is…" she whispered.

Drink to all that we have lost
Mistakes we have made
Everything will change
But love remains the same

Ichigo smiled softly at her. She then felt him pull her closer to him. She was now leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder. It was a shock, but she wouldn't deny it.

"Any chance you're gonna tell me the specifics?" he gave it another shot.

"Not a chance," she said flatly. He nodded and decided not to bug her if it was making her that upset. He then began to chuckle.

So much more to say
So much to be done
Don't you trick me out
We shall overcome
It's all left still to play

"What's so funny?" she asked with an eyebrow raised, her head still on his shoulder.

"You know we've been in this exact position before, right?" he said with amusement.

Rukia began to smile. This was the exact memory she was remembering minutes before. "Amazing how you're comforting me just like you were back then. You've still got that gift," she complimented.

He smirked, "Still got that affect on women…"

We - we could have had the sun
Could have been inside
Instead we're over here

She elbowed him in the gut. He groaned and then his smirk came back. "I know, I know. I'm still the only guy in the whole world that can catch you when you're falling," he said quoting her from his memory.

Half the time the world is ending
Truth is I am done pretending
Too much time too long defending
You and I are done pretending

"You musicians and your words…" Rukia said with a smirk earning a laugh from Ichigo.

"Nice switcheroo," he commented.

"Thank you," she said with a nod.

I never thought that I
Had anymore to give
You're pushing me so far
Here I am without you
Drink to all that we have lost
Mistakes we have made
Everything will change
Everything will change

They sat there in a comfortable silence. Ichigo was thinking about what could possibly be upsetting one of the most important people in his life, while Rukia was trying to decide whether or not she should like the fact of her leaning against the man that made her feel whole. There was so much for her to think about, but there was just so little time.

Ichigo then shifted away from her and stood up. He looked down at the steps and held his hand out.

I, oh I,
I wish this could last forever
I, oh I,
as if this could last forever

"Whatever you decide, I know you'll be okay." She grabbed his hand as he pulled her up. He then shrugged, "'Cause I'll always be there to catch ya."

Rukia felt herself melt. He had no idea and yet he still was able to calm her senses. She took a deep breath. Ichigo nodded towards the door. "Come on. Let's get you changed so we can go visit my crazy family."

Love remains the same
Love remains the same

"Rukia, my dear! To what do we deserve such a wonderful guest?" Isshin said with excitement as Rukia and Ichigo walked in the door. She was now wearing an airy yellow skirt with a white tank top. Her smile was large as she was met with the family she loved as her own.

"Oh shut up, Dad," Ichigo said, leading Rukia in with his hand on the small of her back. Isshin saw this and raised an eyebrow as he began to smile.

Rukia's back straightened in response to Ichigo's touch, but she didn't protest. Why would she?

"Rukia!" the youngest twin yelled, dropping the spoon by the pot and hugging her tightly.

Rukia chuckled, "It's good to see you too, Yuzu."

Ichigo looked over towards the two approaching them. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Chad," he stated with no emotion. It had hit a nerve when he found that one of his best friends was beginning to date one of his younger sisters. He could admit that he was too protective for his own good, but it was still hard to get used to. He knew Chad was an amazing guy, but it didn't change the fact that he was an older man who wanted to put his hands on his sister.

Rukia elbowed him in the side as she passed by to hug Karin. She glared back at him making him roll his eyes.

"Hey Ichigo," Chad said in response with a smile as he shook his head. He knew what Ichigo was doing.

Rukia hugged Chad and then Yuzu spoke. "Dinner's done, so why don't we sit down?"

"So tell us something new," Isshin said with a grin. He was too excited.

Ichigo swallowed and then cleared his throat. "Actually, I have some pretty big news," he said with a smile.

"Oh yeah?" the father added intrigued.

"Yeah," Ichigo answered. "I'm engaged."

Everyone went silent. Rukia's eyes went wide. They obviously didn't know. She looked at Ichigo incredulously. "You didn't tell them yet?" she hissed. 'It's been four days!' she yelled in her head.

He looked at her with confusion and then met the eyes of his father. He looked between Rukia and Ichigo and then began to smile. "Are you serious?"

Yuzu held her hands together against her chest with a smile breaking out on her face.

Ichigo nodded with a smirk. "Yep. Four days now," he said peeking over at Rukia who was shaking her head at him.

"I can't believe it," Karin said with a chuckle.

"After all these years, it finally happened," Yuzu said with teary eyes.

Chad stared with confusion. Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows curiously, "Well not really years. More like months. Senna and I think that's enough though."

Everyone was taken aback. They couldn't believe it. The smiles faded as everyone looked to Rukia. Ichigo was confused and then finally spoke, "What?"

Rukia knew exactly what was going on. They thought Ichigo and herself were engaged. She wanted to laugh at the misunderstanding yet part of her longed for it to be true. It saddened her to see the disappointment in the Kurosakis' eyes. She looked down at her plate to avoid staring into them. It hurt too much.

Isshin finally put on a smile. "I'm happy for you, my boy."

Ichigo smiled again. "Thanks."

"Congratulation," Yuzu said with fake happiness. Rukia could hear it, but she doubted Ichigo could.

Ichigo gave a nod as he went to take another mouthful of food.

Soon the dinner conversation changed due to most feeling uncomfortable. It was the usual dinner in that household. They laughed as insults were thrown between everyone except Yuzu, who was too kind to make fun of or insult anyone else.

Rukia felt at home. It felt right sitting there laughing every three seconds. It was something she missed. Something she used to do often in her childhood. Her thoughts began to wander as everything continued in front of her.

Was it worth risking everything? She would be jeopardizing Ichigo's future happiness with Senna. She would be jeopardizing their friendship. He had already admitted what she believed to be false feelings. How many times can they admit such strong emotions without breaking their friendship? It was so risky.

Her mind then wandered. What if he did reciprocate her feelings? Would they last? Would they end in disaster like before? That was something else she would be risking. She didn't know if they could ever become such close friends again if they had another terrible breakup. So, was it worth it?

She watched as the family moved in slow motion. They laughed as Isshin had just received a spoonful of peas in the face. His face in shock as Karin smirked at her aim. Ichigo smiled and shook his head. He then glanced at Rukia sitting next to him; the scene still in slow motion. His eyes shined down into her with a smile.

That one look that almost made time stop completely for her told her something. Something very important. Her brother's words played in her head as she stared into Ichigo's captivating eyes.

'But it only takes you time to realize the mistakes weren't anyone's fault to begin with. They were just a stepping stone, one that helped mold the path for the future. The future is now, Rukia. The question is… have you realized it yet?'

The past was something that wasn't anyone's fault. It wasn't Ichigo's fault for not loving her anymore and it wasn't her fault for not being there for him enough. There weren't any mistakes, just actions that led them to this moment in time; this moment where she had to make her decision and mean it because there was no turning back now.

Was it worth it? Her smile grew softly as her violet eyes shined with Ichigo's amber. She then knew her answer.

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Longer chapter. Hopefully interesting. Tell me what you think. Later