"In Too Deep"

"Brother..?" Ichigo quaked, finally understanding the situation. He and Rukia had been discovered. There was no use lying to Byakuya after he saw them holding hands. "Bya- er... Kuchiki-san," Ichigo lowered his head so that Byakuya was staring at the top of it. "My name is Kurosaki Ichigo. Rukia and I-"

"Have no relationship," Byakuya simply said.

Ichigo looked up in disbelief. Rukia cringed. She couldn't say a thing to her brother. No matter how much she wanted to tell Byakuya that Ichigo was her boyfriend, she knew that in the end, Byakuya wouldn't have it.

"But you don't even know me yet to judge me," Ichigo raised his voice, a little angry that Byakuya was looking down at him like he was some pest. Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say, because Ichigo could tell that Byakuya was already seeing him as an eyesore, even though Byakuya's expression was void of emotion. Also, if Byakuya were to know about Ichigo's past, it would seriously make Ichigo's situation worse. "Please," Ichigo pleaded.

Byakuya parted his lips, "I already dislike you, and that is all I need to know. Come, Rukia." Byakuya turned around, facing his back to them. He wanted no questions asked and he expected Rukia to obey him without resistance.

Rukia and Ichigo exchanged looks, and Ichigo could see the pain in her eyes. The two of them didn't know if this was going to be their last meeting. Would this be farewell forever? No, Ichigo would not let this be goodbye. "It's okay, you can go," Ichigo said, confident that Rukia would be fine. She was a capable person afterall.

Rukia frowned, but knew that she couldn't keep her brother waiting. "I'll be back," she promised before leaving with Byakuya.

Ichigo waved, watching Rukia disappear from his sight. His hand fell to his side as he stood there, slowly feeling doubtful about her return. When she comes back, he'll make sure to never let her go again.

"Ichigo!" Rangiku flung her arms in the air, approaching him. "The night isn't over; would you like to boogie?" She shook her hips left and right while blowing a kiss at him. She stopped, seeing the bitter look on Ichigo's face. "Did something happen?"

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to go home. I'll tell Aizen to return your money."

"No, that's fine; I had a great time with you. Would you like me to drive you home? The party is boring anyway," Rangiku insisted.

Ichigo thanked her, but denied her offer. "I'll call a cab."

And so Ichigo left the party by himself. After paying the taxi driver, Ichigo went inside Rukia and his home where he found Kon waiting by the door. The place was cold and dark, lonely as well. Already, it felt like there was no trace of Rukia left. Ichigo picked up Kon, strolling around the apartment and looking for evidence that Rukia existed, just to reassure himself that she was a part of his life. Her clothes were still in the closet, her scent was still on the pillow, and her makeup was still in the bathroom.

Kon jerked in Ichigo's arms, hopping onto the floor and going back into the living room where he waited for Rukia to return.

"Geez, how annoying," Ichigo scratched his head. He sat on the couch, watching the door. "There's no need to sit there and wait like a creep Kon. She'll be here before dawn." Kon scratched his floppy ears and licked his paws.

They both waited there, listening to the sound of the cats outside and ticking noise coming from the clock. However, no matter how long they waited, Rukia never came back... even when dawn arrived.


Two Days Later

"Whadya mean ya quit?" Grimmjow bellowed, eyes fierce and mouth snarling. His foot was on the table that Ichigo was seated at. They both were at Hueco Mundo, but because it was daytime, no one was here yet besides them two.

"Your plan to blackmail me won't work anymore. Her brother already figured us out, so since that's happened... there's no reason for me to work here any longer," Ichigo simply told.

Grimmjow finally barked out laughing, "Tell me, what happened?" He pulled out a chair, sitting on it while leaning forward, eager to hear about Ichigo's 'tale.' "Did her brother castrate you? Did he give you a death sentence?" His grin widened with each question.

Ichigo blinked slowly before standing up, preparing to leave the place for the last time. "Don't bother me anymore," he told.

"C'mon, something had to happen! Seeing you this miserable, it must mean that-"

Ichigo turned around, giving Grimmjow a look that was scary enough to shut him up. "We are in the middle of a shitty neighborhood inside this shitty club," Ichigo grabbed an ice pick that was sitting in a bucket of ice. He pointed it to Grimmjow's neck, running it along his adam's apple, "Do you think anyone would hear you yell if I suddenly felt like ramming this through your throat?"

Grimmjow froze at Ichigo's threat. He staggered backwards, glaring at Ichigo when he stabbed the ice pick onto the table. "You're a dead fucker if I see you around again, Kurosaki."

Ichigo scoffed, glad to leave. Hueco Mundo was a place he'd never miss. Ichigo wondered if he should visit Gotei 13 again. He already went yesterday in hopes of seeing Rukia, but she wasn't there. She'd been missing for two days already... "What are you doing, Rukia?" he mumbled, placing his hands in his pockets while strolling through the area.

Rukia promised to come back, didn't she? Or was Byakuya locking her up in a room so that she couldn't escape? Ichigo groaned, frustrated with these questions. How long would it be till he saw her again? It wasn't officially over between them, was it?

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo turned around, seeing Orihime carrying a bag of groceries. "Inoue..." her name slowly rolled off his tongue. "Here, let me help." He scooped the bag out of her arms.

Orihime laughed nervously, "You don't have to do that." They both walked towards her home.

"Do you still live by yourself?" Ichigo asked. Orihime nodded. "Why not live with Tatsuki? I heard she's living by herself too."

"Tatsuki lives quite far from here. I really like where I live because it's convenient. There's a cafe nearby and the market is close too," Orihime said, smiling warmly to Ichigo. "How's Kuchiki-san?"

Ichigo's face fell dark for a brief moment. "She's fine," he said.

Eventually, they reached Orihime's home. It was a small apartment on the second floor. They went inside; Ichigo placed the bag on her kitchen table. Her home was quite clean and small, but very cozy. She had a small fish tank nearby where she kept her eight gold fishes. The furniture and carpet all had a warm color that brought some light into the place.

Ichigo sat on a bean bag as Orihime prepared some drinks. She set two cups on the coffee table, pouring them both some tea. She watched him intently as he brought the cup to his lips, sipping on the tea. "Kurosaki-kun, you look troubled."

Ichigo raised his brow. It was useless. There was no way he could pretend to be calm when he was clearly upset inside. "I should go-"

"You can talk to me, if you'd like. I don't mind."

Ichigo shook his head, knowing that it'd be a bad idea to talk about his relationship with Rukia to Orihime when it was clear that Orihime was still trying to recover from her recent heartbreak. "It'd be unfair to you if I were to confide in you about Rukia."

Orihime didn't waver. "No it wouldn't. It'd really be unfair if you treated me like a stranger."

Ichigo was reluctant, but felt it was okay to tell Orihime. He told her everything - the reason why he was a host, and the reason why he was a mess. "So... if you see her, please tell me," he finished. His hands were clutching onto his jeans as he was desperate to know what happened to Rukia.

Orihime nodded, "Of course." She could see how troubled Ichigo was. Before, when he never met Rukia yet, he was just a person with no goals in life - a person with nothing to fight for. She smiled, glad to see that Ichigo now had someone to live for. "You shouldn't worry. If it's Kuchiki-san, she'll definitely come back. She might already be home."

For some reason, Ichigo found solace in Orihime's words. "Yeah... Inoue?"

Orihime tilted her head like an owl, "Hm?"

"Thanks for being a good person."

Orihime was a little surprised, but she laughed anyway, nodding.


Ichigo walked home alone. The sun began to set and soon, it would be four days that Rukia had gone missing. He held his head low as he was deep in thought. Ichigo had no appetite, no strength to smile, and no desire to do anything.

"Who's here?" Ichigo asked himself, noticing an expensive black car parked in front of the apartment building. The chauffeur sat inside the car, waiting for someone it seemed. Ichigo looked up to the second floor where he saw the door to his apartment opened. Could it be? Ichigo dashed up the stairs, nearly tripping several times. He placed his hand on his knees, bending over while catching his breath. "Rukia?" he called out.

Finally, Ichigo caught a glimpse of Rukia. "Ichi... go," she slowly said. She stood in the middle of the room, casually greeting him like she was never gone. "What are you..?" she mumbled into his chest as he pulled her towards him, wrapping his strong arms around her small frame.

"Where were you?" Ichigo grimaced, angry. The empty feeling in his chest began to disappear as he felt Rukia close to his heart. "You're here to stay now, right?" When Rukia didn't answer, Ichigo grabbed her by the shoulders, looking her in the eye to try to find an answer. Her eyes were empty. Ichigo looked at the ground, to see her suitcase packed with her belongings. He finally understood the situation. "You're planning to leave? Without saying a word?"

Rukia grabbed Ichigo's wrists, taking his hands off her. Ichigo frowned, confused as to why she was staring at him like he was a stranger. Her thin lips curled into a mocking smile, "I don't get why you're making such a big deal out of it." She left Ichigo dumbfounded. Rukia reached down, grabbing her suitcase and preparing to leave.

"Why aren't you making a big deal about it? Is Byakuya threatening you to do this?" Ichigo raised his voice, glaring at Rukia. He was so mad at her. How could she just say something to heartless?

"Nonsense," Rukia spat. Ichigo cringed as she looked at him with judging eyes. "It's just that I finally came to my senses. What was I thinking in the first place? I'm a noble; hanging around with a lowly prostitute like you was a mistake. You're disgusting."

Ichigo's eyes grew large. There was a sharp pain in his chest. Why was Rukia, the only person who never looked at him any differently, saying such cruel things? Ichigo grabbed her arm, "I thought you were on my side!" Rukia didn't react at all. "Look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't feel anything at all in the past four months that we spent together."

"I felt absolutely nothing."

Ichigo's grip tightened on Rukia's arm, refusing to let her go. "So that's it? I was just a fool this entire time, thinking we both felt the same thing?" Rukia nodded. "If you leave, I'll just throw my life away again. I'll prostitute again," he said, hoping she'd show some sort of concern.

Rukia scoffed, "Do you think that won't bring me a peace of mind? You could disappear and I wouldn't even notice." Hurt, Ichigo's hand slipped from Rukia's arm. She grabbed her luggage, dragging it behind her. "You can spend your life wasting away if you want to, or you can spend it being happy with someone else." Ichigo glanced up at her, seeing a real smile appear on her face this time. "Ichigo... Your world will continue turning, even if I am not in it. Remember that."

The door closed and Ichigo could no longer see her. He fell to his knees, helpless.


A/N: Bam! Harsh break up eh?

Btw, I hoped you noticed that the last words Rukia told Ichigo were words of encouragement to let him know that it's not the end of the world for him and that he can still be happy without her. It's her way of telling him to be strong even though they're not together anymore ^^