Hmm…. I'm not too happy with this chapter. I think something is missing. What is it?

This is totally Rukia's POV. Next time it'll be Ichigo's turn.

Three months later…

The sky was clouded and it looked like it could rain any minute.

Rukia was wandering around in the same park - where she often used to play as a teenager. This time, her friends from orphanage were not around. She was here with the new kids that lived there. They were like a big happy family. All the kids and her made it their daily routine to come and play here in the evening, she came here not so much to play, but to keep on eye on them. She had gotten a job in a nearby grocery shop owned by an old lady. The pay was low, but every penny was important for the orphanage. She also took some side jobs like baby-sitting and dog-walking for the few extra bucks. Ukitake-san was a teacher in a school, whereas Retsu-san was a nurse. They refused to use her money, but she was adamant, so they accepted.

Ukitake-san told her about Renji; most of the things she already knew, but the new and good thing was that he was well-settled, working for some big company. Unlike her Renji continued his education, albeit being very poor in studies. He also visited the orphanage every now and then. She was so not looking forward to his visit, because that would mean she has to lie to her only best friend. A small part of her however wanted to meet him and see him all grownup.

Sitting on a park bench, she thought about her meeting with Renji.

Renji's actual visit was very comforting in the sense that he didn't force her to remember anything. There was a familiar sense of warmth radiating in his behaviour, just like Ukitake-san and Retsu-san. Although, he suspected something about her behaviour. She was tempted to tell him her secret. However, she refrained from doing so, she didn't want someone innocent being pulled into her life full of lies. Though, Luck wasn't on her side. Also his actions on that day, left her perplexed.

(Flashback)

On the last day of Renji's visit, they were sitting on the park-bench, talking about unimportant stuff. Renji was deep in thought, very unlike him. He suddenly got up and started talking about their days together in the orphanage.

"You probably don't remember, but you were very mischievous as a kid." He stood in front of her grinning.

"You, my friend, once got bullied by an older kid. The next day, you dropped a bag full of cockroaches and lizards on his head. He was scared shitless" By now he was laughing his ass off, Rukia on the other hand was frowning.

"Hey! It wasn't me who dropped the roaches on him. It was You!" she yelled at him for accusing her. As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could swallow them back.

"Yeah….it was me. So, do you mind telling me what's going on. I kinda knew that you were bluffing." There was a gentle expression on his face. There was no use trying to avoid the inevitable. She took a deep breath and started.

"When I ran away from here…"

Rukia told him every little detail of her life. She always wanted someone to open-up to. She couldn't stop herself, even if she wanted to. So, she kept on talking. When she was done telling him everything, she waited for him to reprimand her, call her an idiot for destroying her life, with her own hands. However, she looked at him and saw a look of understanding. As their eyes met there was this feeling of being connected, as if they found something, they were missing for a long time.

Renji bent down and kissed her softly on the lips, he was trying to convey the message that he'll always stand by her side, no matter the situation. The kiss didn't feel weird, in fact it felt soothing. She was vulnerable, the touch- especially from someone who cared about her, gave her a great sense of comfort. She needed some kind of human contact to destroy her inner demons. She closed her eyes to soak up the warm feeling. An image flashed in her mind…Ichigo. Rukia gasped and pulled away from Renji.

"It's because of that guy, right?" he asked her, looking disappointed. She just lowered her head, without saying a single word.

"I'll wait." With that, he turned and left. He gave her a choice. One was to mope around, and the other was to accept him and move on. The choice wasn't hard; the implementation was.

(End Flashback)

Everyday she was reminded of the kiss when she came to the park. It forced her to think about how she was going to deal with Renji's proposal.

After a few minutes, all of them left, as it was time for supper. Retsu-san cooked and she did the dishes, the routine was set. Tonight as she was doing her dishes, she was feeling a bit anxious, a foreboding feeling. Maybe that was because of the nightmares she was having recently, she decided to ignore it and go to bed.

She still kept her city life a secret from everyone except Renji, and played the role of an amnesic girl. By now, she had perfected her façade. She was happy living here with everyone. Sometimes on gloomy days like this, she would remember her days with Ichigo, which filled her heart and mind with bitterness. Men like Aizen, Gin and Grimmjow had played with her body, but Ichigo had played with her feelings and she resented them more and more, every time she thought about it.

Next day she felt more distressed, as if something was going to happen and she wanted to avoid it at all cost. She completed her work and set-off towards the park. She was sitting at her usual spot looking over the kids, when she spotted two men getting down from a car. The identity of those men made her breath hitch in her throat. Rukia saw the two men approaching her. She knew them very well. She hardened her expression, so as to hide any hint of recognition that reflected in her eyes. Her brain was yelling at her to run away, but it was only going to make the matter worse. Hence, she stayed there, trying to look as indifferent as possible.

Aizawa Ayumu, kejora, HentaiLover69, ashezo, athenaphoenix17, falconrukichi, TagoMode, Thanks for the reviews.

TagoMode :-If you like a jealous Ichigo, then please read my other story- 'Not meant to be' also.

youtubesam I missed you !

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