I gulped, my face flushing red, and as I saw my fingertips beginning to fade away, I leaned down and pressed my lips to his. I hesitantly slipped my tongue into his mouth. Surprisingly, he didn't resist...

White flashed and I closed my eyes, surrendering to my senses...

FWOOSH!

"...I don't get it, what do you want to do?" Ichigo asked, staring at me intently. Without meaning to, I turned red and jumped up. Evidently, this reaction alarmed everyone as their gazes shot towards me.

"Rukia?" Ishida prompted curiously, "Something the matter?"

"Er...I have something to attend to. Please excuse me." Ichigo's face appeared lost as I hurriedly ran out of the room. Seeing the older Ichigo moments after I had spontaneously kissed the younger one wasn't a good idea; all this blushing and heart-pounding was going to kill me. I leaned against the wall, gasping, and slid down to the floor with a moan.

"I can't believe I did that! What the hell am I thinking... I couldn't help it. I just..." Tears formed in my eyes.

"Are you okay?" My eyes shot up to Renji's tall form. My heart sank as I smiled half-heartedly.

"I'm fine..."

He sat down with a shrug.

"Don't look fine. Something troubling you?"

I gazed downward sullenly and sighed. Was something troubling me? Apart from kissing the person I liked when he was younger and confusing him in the present, everything was perfect! Just perfect. My eyes wandered to the moon tattoo on the underside of my wrist. It had began to fade into a half-moon. I wonder what that means...I thought. Will my random time jumps stop when it completely fades away? A "new moon"?

"You know, maybe you should stop chasing Ichigo. He...doesn't seem to be interested in you like that," Renji murmured and shot me a meaningful glance.

"I-I-we're just good friends! I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered immediately, "There's no way we're in that kind of relationship!"

"I see..." Renji stood up, and dusting his hands off, he smiled. "Well, if nothing's bothering you, then maybe you should just get more sleep."

"Right, more sleep," I said with a forced laugh, "Could always do with more of that." As Renji's towering form disappeared in the distance, I gathered myself up with a scowl.

"Damn this! I can't take it! What's going on? Why do I keep jumping to the past? Who did this to me?"

"Rukia!" I turned and Urahara was running towards me but a white flash had already begun to envelop me...

"Find me in the past!" he managed to yell before a flash of light shattered his image from my view.

FWOOSH!

I opened my eyes, once again facing the sky. It was sunny and there were no clouds in the sky.

"Huh, it's you," a voice said glumly. I whirled around. He stood cockily in front of me, hands in pockets, chin jutted forward, and head titled. Oh my god...

The younger Ichigo sat down beside me and I marveled at our similar sizes. We not only stood at the same height, but his hand was the same width and length as mine.

"So...do I know you?" he mumbled, his cheeks faintly pink. Shoot, he does remember!

"...no," I said at last, "Not for a while anyways,"

He nodded, a small smile on his lips.

"I thought so," his face turned towards me, "You...you're a time traveler right?"

"Huh?" I managed as my jaw fell open.

"How else is it do you magically keep appearing here? Yesterday, at this exact same time, you showed up for the first time lying in the precise position you are in now. You seem to know me, though I don't know you. And yesterday you vanished without a trace...there's no other explanation. You have to be from the future!" the young Ichigo exclaimed, certain he was right.

"Uh...well, kind of, I guess," I said after a moment. How old is he? I never thought about asking him earlier.

Ichigo turned red and looked away.

"Are you..uh...my girlfriend...in the future?" he said in an undertone. I blushed and stared, transfixed, at the small circles of pink appearing on Ichigo's complexion.

"Well...no..." This is so awkward - I must be a moron. Why? Oh, why god?

"Hmph." Ichigo responded. "Am I stupid in the future? Why doesn't the future me like you? I...I like you." The last part was a whisper, but I couldn't believe my ears. To make it worse, my heart started tripping as if the older Ichigo had said those words.

"I..haven't told him yet." I replied. The younger Ichigo grabbed me, nearly livid with fury.

"TELL HIM- er, ME!" he cried, "I think I would want to know something as important as that." Confusion rippled through my thoughts. How was it that this kid liked me though I just met him yesterday?

"Can I ask you a question?" He stared intently at me, apparently expecting me to promise I would confess to his future self before he replied. I hesitated and the moment was enough for Ichigo to let me go and drop back down beside me. He stretched out his leg and arms and exhaled loudly.

"Why do you like me?" I said, watching him.