This came to me while cooking Alphabet Soup today. It's just a cute, little fluffy thing that I wrote down. Man, don't I have an impressive vocabulary? Huh.

Anyway, I really hope you like this!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters.

Alphabet Soup

Rukia smiled as she walked into the kitchen and saw the short message scrawled onto the piece of paper beside the vase on the table. It was in his wirting; she could tell. The messy, slightly slanted letters could be identified anywhere, anytime. Picking up the small, white piece of paper, she turned it around in her hands until her eyes settled on the writing.

Hey, Rukia. Sorry I couldn't stay. Your brother would have killed me or something. Just hope ya find this before he does. Love ya.

Below, it was signed Ichigo. Rukia smiled and stuffed the small piece of paper in her pocket. He always did this. He would visit during the night and in the morning he would be gone. Sometimes he would vists several nights in a row, and sometimes he would come only once or twice a month. But she always loved seeing him, no matter how often. And whenever he would visit, she always got asked why she was so happy the next day.

She would always answer the same.

"No reason."

But everyone knew there was a reason . . . they just didn't know the reason.

Sighing, Rukia walked out of the kitchen and into the hall, pulling on her shoes and mittens before walking outside. The cold bit at her skin, but she smiled nonetheless. The note was tucked away in her pocket, and she would put it with the others tonight.

The next time he visited was a week later. He snuck in her window, and she was still awake; somehow, she knew he was coming and she had waited up for him. That night, after slowly making love, they talked about anything and everything but when he would have to leave in the morning. When she had fallen asleep, she was curled up in his arms, her head resting on his bare chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her small body.

And the note, this time, was spelled out on her hand in permenant marker. She couldn't wash it off, so she had to hide the words: See ya soon. Love ya, and signed by Ichigo, all day. Renji and her captain nearly saw them twice or three times, and she vowed she would kill Ichigo when she saw him again.

Which, of course, she didn't.

The next time he came was weeks and weeks later; by then she had forgotten all about killing him, and met him with a kiss as he climbed through the window. That time they talked way into the night and partly into the morning.

"Why do you keep leaving?" she asked, curling into his side but not meeting his eyes. "We can't keep doing this forever."

"Why not?" he asked, kissing her neck and smirking.

"Because . . . what if . . . what if we ever want to move on?"

He stopped.

"Do you?"

She could sense the hesitation and slight fear in his voice. She turned around in his arms and climbed on top of him, resting her head right beside his on his shoulder.

"No. But what about you? Don't you ever get lonely?"

"Nah. I love ya. Don't want to move on."

And she smiled. It was the first time he had actually spoken the words 'Love ya' aloud to her. He wrote it in each note, and he showed her how much he loved her every time he made her body feel on fire when he made love to her, but he had never spoken the words aloud.

"Good. I don't want to either. But . . . Ichigo . . . what if something happens?"

"Like what?"

Rukia blushed slightly as she spoke.

"What if I ever get pregnant or something? We never use protecion."

"Are you worried about it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well . . . not worried about having a baby so much as what we'll do if it happens. No one knows that you visit me, so how will I explain it if you don't come soon enough for me to tell you?"

He shurgged. "I visit often enough. But if you're worried about that happening, then just send me a message if it does. We'll worry about it then. For now, let's enjoy the time we have together, OK?"

She nodded, letting a smile come to her lips as he wrapped her tightly into his arms.

And, as if her words had somehow jinxed them, a month and a half later, Rukia woke up to find herself sick to her stomach and spent the whole morning in her bathroom, feeling like crap and throwing up last night's dinner. Not sure of anything, she went to Unohana and asked for a test.

"Someone I know? Renji, perhaps?"

"No," Rukia said, rolling her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. "Not Renji. But you know him. So, what were the results?"

"Positive. Seven or eight weeks, I would say. Congratulations."

"Thanks. Um . . . could you not tell anyone?"

Unohana nodded and Rukia jumped to her feet, walking out of the room.

She needed to send a message.

Ichigo yawned as he climbed out of his bed the next morning. He wanted to see Rukia; it had been nearly eight weeks since he had last seen her, probably the longest time between his visits. Sighing, he pulled himself from his pajamas and changed into his clothes fo the day and walked downstairs.

She had been there.

He could tell; her scent still lingered in the air, and as he set to making breakfast, Ichigo couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he waited for any sign that she would show herself.

But then he found it.

It was a bowl of soup from the night before.

Alphabet soup.

And the letters were carefully arranged into three words. Three simple words that made Ichigo, once he understood what they meant, feel the weight of a thousand pounds pressing on his shoulders and wanting to smile like an idiot at the same time.

Time to worry.

But, as he climbed out of his window, forgetting everythig but seeing her, he wondered why she used Alphabet Soup.

Well, once again . . . CHEESY! Gah. I'm cursed, I tell ya. :P I just can't keep from writing this stuff. Sighs

And the Time to worry part was from where Ichigo told her not to worry about anything until, and if, it happened. ;D

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