Him and Her
Author: foxmagic
Italics: Thoughts, emphasis, and any other random crap I decide doesn't belong in regular text.
"Italics": Flashback speaking.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Reviewer responses:
rukiaprincess- Uwah! I updated. See see?
Ahria- Thanks so much for reviewing my chapters! You're reviews gave me encouragement. ;D
Panda- I love this series too. One of my favorites. And for just reason!
Michelle- Hee hee hee, you're so very kind! I'm blushing! (blushes). I'm really glad you like the turn I've taken. I had really hoped the story would head this way too, but ah well. So goes, I guess.
sinmay- No, I haven't placed Rukia back into her gigai. According to…was it Aizen? (Sorry…it's been a while since I've read the manga. I haven't been keeping up with things as of late). Well, according to (Aizen), she had begun to turn into a full human while housing that item (whatever it was) in her gigai, instead of recovering her powers. I'm playing off that, and so that would mean Rukia would still have powers for the moment, but no shinigami powers. She'd be like….Orihime. Except without the weird fairy thingies. Thanks for your input, though. As you will see, I have been meaning to go along with your suggestion since the beginning. Because a powerless Rukia is just no fun! D;
Male-chan- Yays! (heart heart) I shall keep going!
azn anime addict- Eh eh?
Joyrok- Fluff! (gasp). Fluff is good for you in healthy doses. But be careful to monitor your fluff intake! XP And yes, it was very sad. I wanted to kick the computer! And then I realized that it would do no good. O.o
Saccharine Rhapsody- Thanks for your review. I'm happy that others out there are enjoying this. ;3
anime-obsession260- Sweetness is awesome. XD
Akemi- Yay! Sorry this took so long. But here is another chapter for ya! I hope you like it.
Lain Lang- Oh yes…torture! You can't just go around kissing people like that! It's bound to come back and haunt you!
Fallen Angel X- Thanks. My primary concerns are keeping it IC and making sure I don't put too much fluff in there. Heh heh…it's really hard sometimes. XP
mickey-sin- Oi! It took me long enough. Sheesh. But hey, I was stuck in a rut…ya know?
Azamiko- Really? Thanks (phew). I'm always worried when writing fluff. Too much can make or break a fic. Nyah!
mianlien72- Yesh, Ichigo/Rukia pwns. Lol….mushy-parts, how I love them!
evil-mittens- lol. Heh heh heh…yeah. That was kind of random. But hey…it sounds like something she'd say, ne?
;-
Story Six: His confusion and Her emotions -Part Two-
;-
Rukia clenched and unclenched her fists. Something didn't feel right. Something didn't feel right at all.
She could hardly remember what had happened the night before. Only that she and Ichigo had initiated a spark that should have never taken place. And now it was getting to her. As previously thought, the rest of the evening was hardly good to her. It was filled only with restlessness and much tossing and turning. But she being a sensible woman, refused to get herself too worked up over it all. It was only one little kiss…surely it would never happen again.
If only that was the end of it.
Rukia would have been much inclined to forget the whole thing if it wasn't for the now-peculiar feeling that pressed deeply upon her chest. It made her feel sick, and yet invigorated all at the same time. But one had to wonder…was this a dangerous feeling? She didn't know what was going on, and neither going to Ichigo, nor calling on Urahara appealed to her.
"This is ridiculous." The girl muffled an angry yelp into her pillow. Another shot of pain. What was happening to her?
;-
"Here you go, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime held a soda in front of Ichigo's face.
He took it without breaking his gaze towards the sky. "Thanks."
The two teens sat along the bank by the overpass, attempting somewhat to enjoy the brief and lovely weather. Though Ichigo's dampened spirits didn't seem to help things any. Originally he had come out here alone, but Orihime had passed by and quietly took her place next to him on the green grass. It was too nice to stay indoors.
"Was it wrong to bring Rukia back here with me?" One of them finally spoke. "They said it was best for her to come with me till things settled down up there, but…"
"But?"
"But…" Ichigo fell back onto the ground. "But I'm just not sure. It's a lot of trouble to go through. And besides…"
"Kurosaki-kun doesn't want her to go, does he?" Orihime's bright face and soft words cut him off mid-sentence.
Instantly his expression hardened. "I never said that."
She giggled.
"Stop that."
Smoothing out her skirt, she ignored the boy's bad mood. He knew that she could see straight through him, but it was another thing altogether to admit it.
"I think…" Her voice caught slightly in her throat. "I think that we will all be sad when she has to leave. But if it's what she must do, then I respect that. I won't ever forget her, and I know you won't either."
Instantly, Ichigo felt regret creep up on him once again. It was his fault that he was feeling this way. Going around and kissing people for no reason…it was just plain stupid. He felt as though he were being forced to give up a puppy that had followed him home.
That thought was shoved aside for all the right reasons.
"Don't worry so much, Kurosaki-kun! I'm sure it will be alright."
Ichigo grunted in reply, and Orihime smiled back at him.
It really was too nice to stay indoors.
;-
"Where are you going, nee-san?"
Rukia shoved a hat on her head and grabbed her cell phone.
"Be quiet." She narrowly missed kicking the stuffed animal.
Kon backed away slowly. He knew better than to mess with her when she was in one of those moods. And lately, such moods had been appearing more frequently.
"Can I come?"
"No."
"B-but…"
Having just about enough of it all, Rukia picked Kon up and threw him into the closet. After which, she abruptly barricaded the door.
"I'll be back soon." She called back over her shoulder, ignoring the muffled whimpering.
Rukia sailed out of the window and landed on the ground with ease. She didn't really want to go through with it, but Urahara would have to be informed of this pain she was having. It was true that she no longer required the aid of a gigai, but still…maybe he would have some answers.
The decision was firmly set in her mind. And so while Ichigo was out, the girl stole away to the familiar shop.
She looked up at the sky momentarily. What had originally been a lovely day, was now only an eventual storm. Dark clouds rolled in from the west, casting a shadow upon Rukia's path. It was odd and ironic, indeed. So odd that she thought maybe her luck was dissipating just as quickly as her spiritual awareness.
A raindrop hit her square in the forehead, taking with it her last nerve. She should have taken an umbrella.
"I'm still only halfway to the shop. It'll take me at least another te-"
Rukia paused in her verbal thinking. What was that noise she had just heard? It sounded like a…
Beep
The sound rang clearly in her ears as a sense of déjà vu hit her.
Beep
Quickly Rukia pulled out her phone. Sure enough, one poignant dot signaled the presence of an enemy. It was a Hollow.
Beep
It was close. Too close to go and find Ichigo.
Beep
Her cell then fell silent, and she had to wonder if it was a false alarm. Maybe…
"Hello there, little girl." A horrid voice called out behind her.
Rukia turned to face the threat. It was a Hollow alright, but nothing too overpowering. Even so, she had been long since stripped of all shinigami powers. There was nothing she could do. She needed Ichigo's help.
"Come come, be a good girl." Her enemy advanced.
Rukia scrunched up her face in disgust. "Why are you after me? I have no spiritual powers worth feasting on. Why not go after someone stronger?"
"What's this? Trying to talk me out of your death? I can see your powers all too plainly!" Taking the initiative, the Hollow lunged at her. And she responded without thinking.
It was doomed to fail in her mind. As Rukia waved her hand in the air, mouthing a spell of sorts, her brain was telling her to run. Yet her pride would never let her. Her pride was telling her to stay and fight.
"Binding spell!" A shout erupted from the girl's mouth.
Instantly the Hollow was confined to an invisible barrier, now frozen in mid-jump.
"W-What did you do!" It snarled at her. "Damn you! That's shinigami magic!"
Rukia's eyes went wide. Her body tensed as a jolt of pain ran up her spine. She couldn't believe it…those powers…her powers…
They were back.
Her powers were back.
;-
TO BE CONTINUED-
;-
(A/N) Yes! Look! I updated! Good god, it took me long enough. I know all of you probably had to go re-read the entire story because you forgot the plot by now. Heh heh…but what can I say? I've been in a Bleach rut lately. I haven't even been able to keep up with the manga online because my computer won't let me download the darn thing! Grrr! But that isn't to say I won't go out and buy Bleach merchandise. The anime store near here got a whole shipload of Bleach crap, and I had to endure the pain of shifting through it all on a limited budget. I'm supposed to be saving for Con…but I did manage to buy an Ichigo plushie. Woot!
Ichigo plushie says "Review, dammit!"
;D
foxmagic