ChapterTil Death Do Us Part

Shalan's Say: Hello… the title to this chapter may be a little misleading (or it could be spot on) but anyways… there's a reason behind it… and you would see why if you would stop reading this stupid author's note and start reading the CHAPTER!

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Miami, Florida

He smiled as she squealed with laughter, lifting her arms out of the convertible top. "I thought you would like it…" he chuckled as another peal of laughter echoed in his senses.

"Thank you…" she smiled as he leaned over and kissed her tenderly. "Pay attention to the road Kaien!" She squealed as they nearly flew off the side of the road. He laughed and jerked their car back onto the road. Her long black hair whipped around her face and back in the wind, the bright mid-morning sun sending cascades of red, blue and purple through her hair. Her brilliant violet eyes were closed for the moment in ecstasy from the joy of the car. Her peaches and cream skin was porcelain doll like, soft and silky. The lavender halter top was pure silk, exposing the valley of her breasts. Her tan shorts barely reached her mid-thigh, her long smooth legs exposed to the morning air.

"I love you Rukia…" he told her and she looked over with a grin.

"I love you too Kaien…" she giggled, letting their lips brush before forcing him to look at the road. "You're going to kill us if you're not careful! I don't want to spend our holidays DEAD!" She grasped her seatbelt as he jerked the wheel, teasing her.

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Ichigo leaned the barrel of his rifle against his thigh, staring at the pack of gum in his hand. The note attached to it made him frown. "I took your cigarettes… this is better for you… Love, Kazumi." Ichigo spat then ripped open the package of mint gum. "This is better for me…" he growled and began to chew angrily on the gum, he wasn't going to get any joy out of the gum… he would have, however, gotten at least a little joy from a good cigarette. "Damn… damn damn… double damn…" he cursed under his breath as he gnawed at the minty rubber.

"Are you still throwing a fit Kurosaki?" He heard a voice over his ear piece.

"'Bout time you got here…" Ichigo roughed his hair with his hand as he leaned back from the window.

"Sorry… got a little held up…" Kisuke Urahara. Age 31. His uncanny ability to show up at the last second and still know what the hell was going on was something that annoyed his cohorts… and as such he employed this tactic as often as was possible. Tall, blonde and drop dead sexy the man had a knack for other things too… like flirting (successfully) with girls nearly half his age and simultaneously pleasing his significant other (of 15 years).

"Yeah? What was her name this time?" Ichigo stuck another piece of gum in his mouth and heard Kisuke snort.

"SHE was getting mad at me about my inability to put the milk carton in the ice box…" Kisuke snorted and Ichigo smiled, swallowing the gum. "You know if you swallow that the gum is going to stay in your tummy for five years…" Ichigo scoffed.

"Yeah… sure it will… what do you take me for? A five year old?"

"Well in that case it'd be gone when you turn ten." Ichigo frowned.

"I'm not five you idiot…"

"I know that… but it's so fun making you feel like one…" Kisuke laughed so hard Ichigo thought he would die… and secretly hoped that he would.

"Shut up… so am I killing the target today or what?"

"Are you watching the window?" Kisuke sang and Ichigo turned his attention to the window directly across from him to watch for Aizen's ugly mug.

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"Hush…" Rukia giggled as his arms wrapped around her waist. She slapped him away and opened their hotel room door. Before she could say anything else he locked his lips over hers, shutting the door behind them.

"I've got you now…" he whispered, pinning her calves against the bed.

"I guess you do…" she chuckled as they toppled over onto the bed. That was when it happened. A single shot enter the side of Kaien's head and exited the other. Rukia screamed, leaping back from what seconds ago had been a perfectly alive Kaien.

She whirled around, looking for the shooter but saw no one. "KAIEN!" She screamed and dropped to her knees, pressing her hands into her eyes as tears dripped down her face and onto her thighs.

The door to the hotel room burst open and Rukia fell back, looking up at the intruder. "Damn it!" Ichigo cursed as he fired at the window on the other side of the bed. A shot came through and skinned his upper right arm, something he could ignore for a moment. "Can't people just close the damned blinds?" He spoke to Kisuke on the other like who gave a snarky laugh. He steadied his hand gun with one hand and fired again, gaining a shout from outside the now shattered window. He heard the sound of someone propelling and he ran to the window, swinging himself out by his arm and firing at the person sliding down the side of the building. "DAMN DAMN DAMN!" Ichigo shouted and put his gun back in its holster, gripping his upper arm with his left hand. "Fuck… have you got him?"

"My name's not fuck… but yes I've got him… we'll send out another squad to get him Ichigo… tend your wounds and… is there someone in the room with you?" Ichigo turned slowly to see the forgotten form of Rukia, hiding behind the bed, her arms wrapped around herself. He sighed and pulled out his gun, pointing it at her forehead. Her terrified eyes were wide, her entire form trembling.

A wind picked up in the room and Ichigo swung around as a helicopter rose up. The shooter stood in the open door. The carrot-top fired, pulling the trigger as many times as his clip would allow. He dropped the empty clip and quickly loaded another, diving behind the bed next to Rukia. The man in the helicopter opened fire, the machine gun in his arms shredding the bed and anything around it. Ichigo waited until he had stopped. He leaned over and placed the barrel of his gun against Rukia's temple and rested his finger against the trigger. Their eyes met. Ocher melded into violet and for a moment his heart stopped. For the first time his finger slipped. Instead he gripped her arm and threw her out the door.

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"LET GO OF ME!" Rukia screamed as Ichigo forced her into the bright red Lamborghini. He slammed her door shut and got in, locking all the doors in the car. She began to scream again and he looked up at the ceiling of the car, praying to god that she would stop before the police came and asked what was going on.

"SHUT UP!" Ichigo clapped a hand over her mouth and she fell silent from shock. "Listen do you WANT us to die? You're going to get yourself killed if you don't be quiet. That man that just killed your husband is going to kill you too if you DON'T BE QUIET!" He shouted in her ear. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" She nodded meekly and he removed his hand from her mouth. "Good… now shut up and put your seat belt on." She complied and buckled her seat belt and he stepped on the gas so hard she was thrown back in her seat as they flew down the empty Miami street.

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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (The State of Suck)

"Sit." Ichigo commanded and Rukia sat down on the bed. He sat down in the chair of the hotel and rested his elbows on his knees. Lacing his fingers together he rested his forehead against his hands. "Okay…"

"What's your name?" She asked. She appeared to have calmed down from earlier in the day.

"Are you hungry?" He ignored the question and her face suddenly became miffed.

"Look I was quiet all day like you told me to be… I should at least get to know your name…" Ichigo's tired eyes met hers and she tilted her chin up.

"Ryuu. Just call me Ryuu…" He told her and she blinked, then her eyes caught the serpentine dragon tattoo on his hand and wrist.

"Ryuu huh?" She nodded her head. "You want to explain to me why my husband is de-de-de…" she couldn't seem to get the word out and he sighed.

"Not really… since I don't really know anyways… my target was the man that killed your husband. Not your husband…" Ichigo rubbed his temples tiredly. Why had he rescued her? She would have been better off dead wouldn't she?

"Are you still trying to kill the man who killed my husband?" Rukia stared at him pointedly. He sighed again, his head throbbing.

"Yes, if he's not already dead… but anyways… where do you live I'll take you home and…"

"NO! I'm staying with you." He looked up. "My husband was killed by this man you're trying to kill Mr. Ryuu… I have no choice but to come with you…"

"You can't come with me…" He stared at her. Most normal people would have been in the throes of sorrow after the death of their husband. Most people wouldn't have trusted a stranger with a gun…

"Why not? He was my husband! I can't just leave his death to the dogs… and besides… doesn't this make me a witness? Won't he be looking for me?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes as she stood up. "You got me into this… how can you tell me that I can't avenge my husband's death?" Tears welled up in her eyes.

"C'mon… I need some new clothes and maybe a shower…" Her eyes locked onto his sleeve which was caked to his arm with blood from the open wound near his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" Rukia asked as he dropped a hundred dollar bill on the bed of the hotel room.

"Just be quiet and get into the car…" he walked away from the Lamborghini and stepped into a black Mustang convertible. A man dressed in a black suit stepped into the car that they had been in and drove away. Rukia stared at the Mustang as he started it. "Are you coming?" His voice rang from inside the car. She started towards the car then broke into a run, diving into the convertible and closing the door as he drove off.

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Phoenix, Arizona

Ichigo crossed his legs, leaning back in the chair impatiently. A spit bubble rose from his mouth and floated away. "Are you done yet?" He complained from the chair. She scoffed from inside the changing room and he reached into the pink bag at his side and pulled out a bra and fiddled with it.

"I want your opinion on these jeans…" she walked out with a hand over each breast. "Wha-what the hell are you doing?" She nearly dropped her own breasts. He had covered his eyes with a white lace bra. The woman who was waiting on them was nearly in tears as Rukia snatched the bra off his face. "Whose is this?"

"Yours…" Ichigo grumbled.

"Oh… well then why the hell are they on your face?" She snapped and walked off into the changing room. He stared at her retreating bare back and smirked pulling out one of the chemises and covered his eyes with it. Rukia walked out a few minutes later and handed the tags from the clothes to the sales woman along with her new clothes. She now wore a pair of light blue jeans and a tight white shirt. Her long black hair was pulled back in a messy bun with strands of hair clinging to her face.

"You are so stupid…" she grabbed the chemise off of his face and threw it into the bag. He sat up and walked off after her. He stood beside her, his hands in his pockets as he waited for the woman to scan all of Rukia's clothes. The Nordstrom women around them were nearly continuously circling around the area where Ichigo was standing. He frowned as Rukia set a new Prada bag, complete with pocketbook, on the counter next to the clothes.

"I'm not the one spending money on things I don't need…" he snapped and she backed off a little. She smirked as the woman rang up a 5,000 dollar ticket. Ichigo slapped a credit card down on the counter and drummed his fingers on the counter as the woman picked it up. American Express Black Card. The most prestigious credit card the company offered. Rukia was too stunned by the card itself to pay attention when he signed the receipt. He shoved the bags into her arms and walked off out of the store.

"So where are we going now?" She asked.

"I'm going to bed hopefully." He looked up as rain began to sprinkle down from the sky. He sighed as she blinked down at his hand. Clutched in his fist was a large ESCADA bag. She blinked as he tossed it into the back of a Land Rover and got in.

"HEY! Where's the other car?" Rukia protested before he got back out of the car and threw her bags into the back of the car.

"Just get in damn it…" He grouched and pulled open the box between the seats. Inside was a pack of his favorite cigarettes… a style of Italian imports. He pulled out the box, tapping it on his wrist then opening it. He grinned childishly as he pulled one out and placed it between his teeth, pulling out his gold and silver lighter and lighting it.

"Smoking is bad for you…" Rukia told him as he shut his car door. She shut hers and looked over at him as he drew in on the cigarette. His body seemed to relax as he blew smoke out of his mouth. She gasped as she grasped her purse off the floor of the car. "My stuff…" she dug around in the bag and pulled out her wallet and flipped through it. Everything was intact.

As they drove away into the pouring rain she looked over at Ichigo who was staring straight ahead, drawing in on the cigarette then tossing it out the window. His powerful jaw line and rusty red beard accented his ocher eyes, which were shadowed from tiredness. For some reason she felt safe with him. He gave her the same feeling that Kaien had always given her… security. She closed her eyes and snuggled down into the seat, letting sleep overtake her… after all… it had been a long 48 hours.

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HELLO! TIS SHALAN! LEAVE ME A REVIEW OR I NO UPDATE ANY OF MY STORIES… I love you all…

Shalan