Tale of the Two Lovers

by Ulquiorra9000

Review response to Guest: Your concerns are well-founded, and don't worry, I already thought of it, and things will start to be addressed here in this chapter.

Chapter 10

Rukia double-checked with the manor's staff and security guards, and determined that the Kurosakis had already left back for the world of the living, and Ichigo had gone first. Part of her was tempted to be furious... but almost as quickly, she realized something else. Rukia swapped bodies into her gigai, put on an ordinary blue sun dress, then opened a senkaimon gate for Karakura Town. She promised Hisana that she'd be right back.

This evening, Karakura Town looked just the way Rukia had left it: a deep orange setting sun, with the first few stars shining on the opposite horizon as a cool breeze picked up. There wasn't much traffic out at this hour, except for the occasional taxi or sedan with headlights already on. Rukia made her way to the Kurosaki house and rang the doorbell.

"Rukia! Back so soon? I'm touched!" Isshin cried when he threw open the door. He enveloped his third daughter in a hug.

"Th-thanks, Isshin," Rukia squeaked in his bear-like grip. She felt herself being lifted at least a foot off the ground. "Is Ichigo home? I wanna see him."

"Oh, Ichigo?" Isshin let Rukia go and ran a hand through his hair as he looked up at the skyline. "Sorry, Rukia, but he said he needed some fresh air and headed out. Didn't say where."

Rukia felt her gut clench. "He... ran away? At a time like this?"

Getting her meaning, Isshin's expression softened and he held her petite shoulders in his hands. "I know my boy, Rukia. He didn't run away. No way he'd do that to us. I'll bet he meant what he said, and just needed time alone to sort things out in his mind."

"Oh. Of course." Rukia nodded; it was like Ichigo to do that. "I'm sorry to bother you. I'll be on my way."

Once again, Isshin clearly got her meaning. He nodded back. "Good luck." He gently closed the door.

Squaring her shoulders, Rukia climbed up the nearest tree and leaped from its highest branch to the top of a telephone pole, the breeze flapping the hem of her sun dress. She shielded her eyes with a hand and scanned the nearby area. A dog barked in someone's back yard and a bus rumbled down the nearby 4th Street. But she didn't see a familiar head of carrot-orange hair.

So, Rukia leaped to the next telephone pole, then the next, still searching every nook and cranny. Then again... Ichigo wasn't a stray dog. Rukia narrowed her eyes. If I were him, where would I go? There were a few sentimental spots around here he might visit to clear his head. Rukia checked the underpass where Ichigo had helped Chad deal with some bullies, plus the dojo where he trained as a kid, and the banks of the Karakura river. After a half hour, Rukia visited a small park near the river in northern Karakura Town, and she found her fiance sitting on a wooden bench.

Ever so quietly, Rukia approached him from the side, and Ichigo looked totally unaware. She stopped a few paces from him, hands clasped at her navel. "Nice evening to go out, isn't it?" she asked gently.

Ichigo jolted, then looked over at her with an exasperated smile. "I can't shake you, can I?"

Rukia made a crafty smile back. "Would you even want to?"

"No. Here, sit with me." Ichigo scooted over, and Rukia sat next to him, hands folded in her lap. She sat there in silence for a few minutes, watching squirrels chase each other in the trees as a passenger plane flew overhead. She could just barely hear its engines from down here.

Finally, Ichigo spoke up. "My mom used to take me here every Sunday, and I'd play make believe with sticks and rocks with my friends. Then my dad took over that duty after mom died. I'd always imagine that a stick is a samurai's sword, or a wizard's wand, or a showman's baton."

Rukia sat there, listening.

"I was just goofing off as a kid," Ichigo went on. "Later, I thought the idea was stupid, and I focused on middle school and high school. I had a responsibility. You know how high up the class rankings I am." He gave her a watery smile.

Rukia glanced down at her lap. "If you want time alone -"

"No, I don't mind," he told her quickly. "It's a public park, and there's enough room on this bench for two." Ichigo patted the bench's weather-worn wood. "Why wouldn't I want to share this with my fiancee?"

Rukia reached up and gently turned Ichigo's head in her hands so he was facing her. "If you resent me or the Kuchikis, you can just say so."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Hey, that's not -"

"I can tell why you're here." Rukia swallowed. "You'll miss this park and its memories, and the whole town, too. You're homesick... right?"

"I wasn't gonna just say that."

"And why not? I'm your fiancee! You can talk to me."

Ichigo glanced down. "I didn't want to sound selfish. Maybe I am being selfish."

Rukia lowered her hands and shook her head. "Oh, come on. You're only human. Who can blame you?"

"Probably your brother-in-law."

Rukia shivered, imagining Byakuya's face. "Yeah, he doesn't give much thought to human stuff." She scuffed her feet on the grassy ground. "I bet you feel pretty left out. No one's asked what you think of all this."

"My dad did," Ichigo put in.

Rukia's smile came back. "I bet you didn't say a thing to him."

"Sure didn't." Ichigo glanced away.

Rukia hesitated, then rested a hand on Ichigo's thigh. "Well, I think it counts, Ichigo. I don't want you to be miserable or feel left out. Tell me... do you want to live in the Soul Society? And live with me, and be with your Shiba relatives? Do you want the future that Byakuya and I want for us?"

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" Ichigo said with a nervous laugh. "Hey, did the hero Kuzo in your story face something like this?"

"Yeah, he did. The rabbit kingdom wasn't his home, and the people were different than him... but he grew to love the place. Especially since the rabbit princess gave him a lifetime supply of free bean buns and rice balls."

"Is that going to be your wedding gift to me?" Ichigo teased. "Because I do get hungry."

"Dammit, Ichigo!" Rukia swatted his shoulder. "This is a chapter of our lives we haven't written yet. And this time, I need a co-author. I need to know, maybe not today, but sometime, what you really want. This is your story, too."

"Our story..." Ichigo sighed through his nose and watched the squirrels play. "It can kind of trap you, can't it, being in a story? Beginning, middle, end... and you expect everything out of the protagonist. He's out there in the spotlight, and he's gotta do something."

Rukia scooted closer and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. "If anyone was reading this story, they'd be a big fan of yours, Ichigo. I know I would be."

Ichigo kept watching the squirrels. "I don't know how to say good-bye to all this, Rukia. I don't know how I can go forward into the next chapter."

"Hey, the next chapter isn't done yet," Rukia reminded him. "Write it with me. This story shouldn't have just one author. I can only do this if you want to."

Ichigo made a small smile. "Damn... you really do love me, don't you?"

Rukia blushed. What's his game? "Of course I do! Why even ask?"

"In the old days, you'd just plow on ahead with whatever you want, and drag me along," Ichigo said. "Come on, you remember those days... but now we're really equals."

Rukia hugged him tighter. "What else would we be? I love you. You're my partner."

Ichigo reached up and ran a hand through Rukia's dark hair. "Yeah. Partners. Rukia, I really do love you, and I'd do anything to make you happy. I don't want to be separate from you ever again."

"And that brings us back to the big question, doesn't it?" Rukia lay her head on Ichigo's broad shoulder.

Ichigo was silent again for a moment, and Rukia stayed where she was, feeling him breathing, wondering what could possibly be going on in that mind of his. She'd wait as long as he had to, even if the sun went down and the moon rose high in the sky.

Finally, Ichigo cleared his throat. "I'm going back."

Rukia hastily sat up, letting Ichigo go and setting her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry?"

Ichigo turned to face her, a confident grin spreading across his face. "You know what... maybe I just need to keep testing the waters. The Soul Society ain't so bad. It could grow on me."

Rukia hesitated. "Ichigo, you don't have to do this just for my or my brother-in-law's sake. It should be something you want to do."

"And it is." Ichigo took both of Rukia's hands in his, eyes fixed on hers. "I'm not the type to wimp out. I got a little overwhelmed with all this wedding stuff, and yeah, I'm still not sure what I'll do in the end... but whatever I end up doing, I want to figure it out with you. And with your family."

"Hey, they'll soon be your family too, remember?" Rukia said, returning Ichigo's smile.

Ichigo blinked. "Oh, yeah. That's the whole point of all this, isn't it?"

"Well, I happen to like your plan." Rukia leaned forward, closed her eyes, and planted her lips on Ichigo's, savoring the warm taste. "Now, are we spending the night here, or back at the manor?"

Ichigo glanced over his shoulder in the direction of his house. "Hmmmm... how about here. I think your favorite show is on. Then we can get an early start on our engagement tomorrow morning at the Kuchiki manor." He stood, still holding Rukia's right hand in his. "Care to join me?"

Rukia's smile widened. "Duh!" She got up too.

They didn't say another word about the engagement. Instead, Ichigo picked up dinner on the walk back home, pointed out a new ice cream parlor for future reference, and then they watched Rukia's favorite and silliest game show on TV, snuggled under a blanket in the dim living room. The house was quiet, and Ichigo was thankful for that. Just one quiet evening was all he wanted.

It was pretty late by the time Ichigo and Rukia finally went to bed.

*o*o*o*o*

"Ichigo, are you sure you don't want to stick around?" Hisana asked the next morning after breakfast at the Kuchiki manor. She put on her best-puppy eyes look, justl like Rukia. "We could play Go in the garden. I'm pretty good, you know."

Ichigo bowed his head. "Thank you, but Rukia invited me to visit the Rukongai's first district to show me around some more. Maybe we could play this evening."

Hisana made a small, polite smile. "Oh, of course. Well, have a good time! You know, the first district is pretty big. Are you excited to see it all?"

"Yeah. She mentioned taking me to the Aizari Kanban quarter," Ichigo said casually, shrugging. "I dunno what that even is."

Hisana burst out giggling, a hand over her mouth. "Oh, that naughty sister of mine..."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Okay, what are you all plotting?"

Hisana waved a hand. "Oh, nothing... it's just that the Aizari Kanban quarter is sometimes called 'lovers' lane'. They've got everything there... bed and breakfasts, adult bookstores, novelty shops, matchmaker services, and lots of places to make out."

Ichigo felt his face go hot and he fought to keep looking cool. "Yeah, well, the human world has stuff like that."

"Oh, sure it does." Hisana giggled again. "Have a nice trip!"

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo wandered off and met Rukia at the manor's front gates. She even had a horse-drawn carriage waiting for them!
"Throwing around your money? That's not like you, Rukia," Ichigo said. He noted Rukia's elegant pink and white robes today, and the trendy flower-shaped hairpiece she wore.

"Hey, what's life without a little indulgence?" She patted his shoulder and smiled. "Let's just have a good time."

Ichigo grinned. "Okay, let's do this." He climbed into the carriage and helped Rukia up, and they were on their way... right to what Hisana was talking about.

Lovers' lane!

"I hardly ever go here," Rukia said happily as the both of them strolled down the busy streets together, her hand clasped in Ichigo's. "Look at all this stuff! I could spend all day here."

"No kidding," Ichigo said with a nervous chuckle. It seemed like half the people here were holding hands with someone, or visiting matchmaker ships in small groups, or totally making out on park benches. And Ichigo nearly bruised his forehead when he walked into the sturdy sign for an adult bookstore.

"Watch where you're going, buster," Rukia said, clearly amused. "Or were you distracted with what's in that store?"

Ichigo took one look and backed away hastily. "I-I wasn't looking!" He felt himself go red, his heart hammering. What in the world?!

Rukia smiled and went into the shop, unrolling an ornate scroll of a nude woman who was... well... doing a certain something with herself! "Why? This doesn't capture your interest?"

Ichigo covered his face with his hands. "I wasn't looking! I swear!"

Rukia giggled. "Relax, Ichigo. Oh, hey, this could be your thing... look at this..."

Very reluctantly, Ichigo lowered his hands, then beheld the sex manual Rukia was holding. "H-hey!"

"This is a popular one," Rukia said in teasing tones, motioning with the book. "See? The Timeless Art of Lovemaking. It's got everything we need in here, see?" She flipped through the book and showed him the diagrams and paragraphs in there. All four bases, and everything in between, was in there! Plus some stuff Ichigo had never even heard of!

Ichigo sputtered. "I-is this your an idea of a come-on, Rukia? I thought this was just an innocent little day-trip..."

"Hey, I know what I want out of my man," Rukia said cheerily, stroking the book's cover. "What's the use of having a stallion with me if I don't play with him a little?"

"You're sure in a good mood today..."

Rukia's eyes glinted as she beamed. "Why do you think that is?"

"Oh... I can think of a few reasons." Ichigo glanced away, trying to look nonchalant and aloof, and clearly failing. Rukia stepped closer to him and ran a hand down his cheek.

"What's the matter? Don't you want me?"

Ichigo flinched but kept looking away. "Y-yeah, sure I do."

"Don't you wanna show it, lover boy?"

"We're in them middle of public!"

"Not here, silly. Why don't I buy this and we can have a little fun this evening?" Rukia got out her money pouch.

Ichigo blushed and turned his head back to face her. "Seriously, Soul Society girls have no limits, do they?"

"Hey, we just wanna have a good time." Rukia winked and hurried to buy her book. Just as she came back, her eyes widened as she beheld someone approaching from behind Ichigo. "Hey! A little privacy, please?"

Ichigo whirled around and groaned when he saw Momo and Rangiku join them. "Hey there," Rangiku said, waving. "Fancy seeing you both here."

"You were looking for us, weren't you?" Ichigo accused.

"Oh, maybe," Momo said with a sly smile. "Hey, Rukia... I've got an idea. Join us at headquarters, and we'll round up the other girls. It's time to launch the operation."

Ichigo backed up a step. "Okay, what are you planning this time? I swear..."

Momo's smile widened. "Why don't you come with us and find out, Ichigo?"

Both girls turned and flash-stepped away.

Ichigo turned to his fiancee, pointing in the direction where Momo and Rangiku had fled. "What was that all about?"

Rukia snorted with amusement. "You'll hardly believe it, Ichigo..."

"Believe what?"

Rukia was clearly fighting the urge to laugh. "I know what they're up to. And it's time to start rehearsing."

Ichigo stomped a foot. "Rehearse what?"

"The Soul Society Women's Association is proud to present..." Rukia spread her arms wide. "...the live theatrical version of Tale of the Two Lovers!"

Ichigo mentally groaned. Why couldn't this story be over already?!

*o*o*o*o*

A/N: I would like to announce that I have officially adopted the story Marriage for a Million from missyromanticme15'saccount, and I will soon post chapters for it in a new upcoming story: Marriage for a Million: Love is Eternal.