Heart's Desire Chapter 7, a bleach fanfic

Heart's Desire Chapter 7 Heart's Desire Chapter 7By C. LeShay

Genre: Romance, AU

Characters/Pairings: IchiRuki, etc.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Me no own Bleach!

Warning: As this is an AU story, many of the situations are changed to fit my idea. I'll try to make the characters as in character as I possibly can do. All of the captains are here (that means Aizen, Gin, and Tousen) but I added a division (thus Gotei 14 instead of 13). The setting is in Seiretei and no one is living in Karakura. The timeframe is somewhat feudal, so no technology stuff except for what the 12th division uses.

Summary: In the middle of the war against the Arrancar in Seiretei, Kurosaki Ichigo laid siege to the district of the noblest of all nobles. The mission: to capture and take as hostage the sister of his enemy, Kuchiki Rukia. The problem: the hostage herself.

Warning: the obligatory fluff chapter; I'll try to tone it down as much as I can, okay?

…

Recap of previous chapter:

"Ichigo! Ichigo!" a voice called out. "Wake up, Ichigo."

Somewhere in the middle of the fog that he could see, Ichigo could hear the voice call out to him – as if it could take him out of the nightmarish world that he was currently in. Blocking out the sight of his mother's bloody body, and the hurtful glint of Aizen's glasses, Ichigo willed himself to follow the voice.

"Ichigo!"

Suddenly, he felt a smarting pain against his cheek. Ichigo's eyes flew open. Only to find Rukia beside him, his head cradled against her chest and her hand in his.

…

Beads of cold sweat was dotting Ichigo's forehead. Damn, that dream was so eerie and peculiar. Instead of focusing on his terror, he decided to take a look at Rukia.

To his surprise, she was looking pale and she had a slight look of worry on her smooth face. That really clued him in into what happened. After all, it wasn't everyday that Rukia wore such an expression openly. Obviously, whatever it is she saw shocked her a lot. "It's just a nightmare." She said, trying to reassure him, although her tone was somehow implying that she didn't think that it was the case.

"What did I do this time?" he asked wearily as he attempted to disentangle himself from Rukia's hold. Seeing that he needed the space, she complied immediately, but not before helping Ichigo get his bearings.

"This time?" she asked, puzzled at the question.

"I tend to thrash around and sleepwalk." He replied flatly, remembering the time when he socked Ishida during one of the missions to the real world. During a nightmare episode while they were watching over a certain town, Ichigo had hit him so hard, he broke the bridge of his fukutaicho's glass frames. Another was when he kicked Keigo in the shin, causing multiple fractures. But the worst was when he was only 10 years old, when he pitched himself out of the window into the cold waters of the lake in their summerhouse. His father claims that he wasn't worried, but Tatsuki, who heard about the incident from her uncle, said that Isshin had a stark mad look in his eyes as he saw his son fall freely three floors from the window. If it wasn't for his father (who was at the grounds back then) diving out into the waters to save him, Ichigo might have not survived.

Until he started his schooling at the Central Shinigami Spirit Institute when he was 13, Ichigo was never given a room upstairs - ever.

Rukia frowned as she recalled the events "Well, you thrashed around and moaned like you were in pain…"

It didn't escape Ichigo's attention that his wife was looking at him warily, as if expecting him to do anything violent at any given moment. Though she sat still and was the picture of calm, Rukia's hands were bunching the blanket and smoothing out its creases alternately.

"Did I hit you?" he asked quickly, looking at her over to see tell-tale signs of injury. His eyes scanned the side of her face, and then he took a glance at her arms. After being convinced that she was not injured, he felt his body relax slightly.

"No. You just… thrashed around and… I tried to wake you up." Came the hesitant reply.

Ichigo gave her a careful glance, once again. This was to check if she was lying. If he hit her, he doubts that he'd live to see the end of it. "Did you hit me?" he asked this time, remembering his stinging cheek. As his hands moved over his face, Ichigo came across the stinging skin over his cheekbone.

"Yes." Rukia admitted, shrugging. However, she was trying to stifle her laughter at the disgruntled tone he used. "Took you a while to wake up."

Snorting, Ichigo pushed aside the bedcovers as he made a move to stand.

"Where are you going?"

"You take the bed," Ichigo said as he walked to the door "I won't be sleeping anymore." Without waiting for a reply, he left.

Rukia could only look at his back as he shut the door. Whatever it was, the dream must have been really bad for him to resort to leaving. She knew that even if she provoked him into an argument, his heart was not in it. And their disagreements were definitely something that they both were passionate about. It was as if proving the other wrong was their respective life missions and to gloat in the success of shutting the other was a heady prize they craved.

For him to ignore such an opening was definitely weird.

But sparing it no other thought, Rukia settled back into the warmth of the bed. As her eyes drifted shut, her thoughts suddenly went back to Ichigo. Was he warm outside? The simple living room was a bit drafty (Isshin-dono…er… father explained it to them belatedly in a letter that reeked of suggestive themes not meant for those below the age of consent and maturity) and he would probably feel the chill in a few minutes.

Rukia's eyes flew open. She debated on whether she ought to go out and give him an extra comforter, but she shot down the idea immediately. No. There was not going to be a repeat of that incident while Ichigo was having a nightmare earlier.

Flashback

Rukia grumbled as she felt Ichigo thrash on his side of the bed. She tried to be patient about it, but he was really getting onto her nerves. Did the man honestly think that she could sleep through that racke? "If you don't stop that, I swear I'm going to kill you." She grumbled, trying to pass him a subtle message.

Apparently, he REALLY was thick-headed. Ichigo was either not hearing her or he was good at pretending that he could not hear her. The second thought made Rukia's blood run cold. The asshole better be prepared to die the moment she stood up. Mentally, she counted to 50.

Suddenly, Ichigo gave a low cry. "NO!"

Immediately, Rukia sat bolt upright. "Ichigo?" she asked, alert to anything. Leaning over the pillows she saw him thrashing around as he convulsed painfully. "Ichigo!" Without second thoughts she jolted his shoulders "Wake up, you're having a nightmare!"

Unfortunately, whatever it was, Ichigo was NOT snapping out of it anytime soon. He, as Rukia observed with alarm, was mumbling and crying incoherent words while he lashed out at an unseen opponent. His face was contorted in anger and there was a snarl building from his thought.

It must have been one hell of a menos, Rukia thought to herself.

Ichigo's fist missed Rukia's cheek by a few millimeters. Snarling, Rukia grabbed him by the arm "Ichigo! Wake up idi-

Out of the blue, Ichigo's other hand grabbed Rukia's and pulled her to him.

Letting out a small squeak of surprise, Rukia tumbled straight onto his chest "Ichigo!" she grumbled, pushing against him earnestly, "Let go!" But he was not listening. If anything else, Ichigo's grip on her tightened as he continued to mumble words that held no meaning. "You creep!" Rukia hissed viciously, wondering if the asshole was awake all along.

Yet his trembling form was proof enough that he was still deep in slumber. Sighing loudly, Rukia forced herself to remain still. Perhaps, the moron really was having a nightmare and somehow, the contact with another person calmed him. She squirmed, trying to find a better position in his strong hold. It was awkward really, as half of her body was still draped over the fortress of pillows, while the half of her was sprawled over Ichigo. Carefully, she angled her head so as to let it rest against the crook of his neck – for the sake of breathing, of course – as her chest was pressed flat against him, allowing her to feel the erratic beats of his heart. One of his hands found themselves wound against her hair. Perhaps, for once, she would let this slide.

Wryly, Rukia wonders what would happen should he wake up. She imagined him going so red in the face like earlier. Perhaps seeing him almost get a coronary would be payment enough for this uncomfortable position. The prude idiot.

Did he always sleep like this? If so, this was going to be a problem. She had no intentions of being crushed and – she raised an eyebrow as she felt Ichigo's right hand slide dangerously close to her posterior – groped on a regular basis. "I'm going to chop that hand off tomorrow." She promised herself sadistically.

Inhaling, her nose drew in his scent. It was a masculine scent but it was not as oppressive as she imagined it to be. He also smelled vaguely of pine, possibly from his soap. His yukata, though damp with sweat still had the scent of detergent and sunshine. While his bright orange hair smelled like… citrus. The though made her smile.

Giving in to the urge, Rukia closed her eyes to better categorize and imprint in her mind the many things that she noticed about Kurosaki Ichigo. She shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position, as her leg was cramping. Unwittingly, the movements made her lips touch the skin of his neck.

Blushing in ten shades of red, Rukia stiffened. She did not just kiss his neck, right?

Swallowing an embarrassed squeal, Rukia immediately pushed herself off Ichigo. She didn't care if he woke up now, or what, all she knew was that she had to put some distance – any distance – between them. Though his hold on her arm tightened, Rukia wriggled fiercely and was able to slide back to her side of the bed, although Ichigo was still holding her tightly. To her horror, he rolled to her side of the bed, intent on following her there, to follow the warmth that her body once provided.

"ICHIGO!" she screeched in panic as the pillows toppled from their perch. She tried standing up but she lost her balance and she half landed on Ichigo again, giving him the leverage to grab her in a tight hold. Unconsciously, he burrowed the side of his face against her chest while his right hand snaked to her side. "DAMN YOU!" she snarled as she tried to sit on the mattress. "Ichigo! Ichigo! Wake up Ichigo!"

Enough was enough! She kneeled so she could free her left hand and despite being in an awkward position, she raised it and slapped him soundly against the cheek.

There was a moment of blessed calm, before Ichigo's eyes flashed open.

End flashback

In embarrassment, Rukia buried her body beneath the comforter as far as she could. "Idiot! Kuchiki Rukia, you idiot!" she berated herself. "You moron!"

Why was her heart beating fast? Not only that, but she was feeling out of breath, and her face seemed like it burst into flames. Frowning, she recounted the last time she felt her pulse race this way. Was there any particular reason then?

The last time all these things happened, she was running for her life from a group of hollows at the world of the living while she waited for reinforcements. Mentally she shook her head; no way, this was not the same as that time. Rukia wasn't stupid. She knew that these feelings had something to do with the opposite sex. Whenever she attended social functions, her handmaidens always asked her if she felt such things after a dance or conversation with any man. Though they denied it, Rukia was certain that these were questions that the elders asked to find out if she was showing interest in men – or to test if she was easily swayed by such preludes to intimacy.

Byakuya nii-sama said that feeling these things, though a burden to them, was a pretty normal thing. When she became betrothed to Aizen Taicho, her brother warned her not to be swayed by such feelings, as it was unbecoming for a Kuchiki.

Belatedly, Rukia realized that she never worried about such things because simply put, she never felt such emotions from spending time with Aizen Taicho. Not even once, all at once. Even during the times when he kissed her.

So WHY was it that she was now feeling these things? With Ichigo nonetheless? Was it because she was married to him? Was it because he tried to grope her while he was unconscious?

"Argh!" Rukia gritted out in frustration. "This is so annoying!"

Wait. Maybe it was because she exerted an effort to get him off her. Yes! That was probably it! Then it means she'll be back to normal tomorrow morning! Of course!

Really, what was she worrying herself for? It was all just a simple thing that needed a simple explanation. It was tiring to wake someone from a nightmare…

Finally feeling calm, Rukia allowed herself to fall asleep.

…

"It is important that you get to the Central 46 before daybreak. I fear that if we are to delay, it will be too late."

"I am sorry that I was unable to get the information earlier, Taicho."

There was a pause as the rustling of sleeves against paper were heard faintly "We are at war, any messages from Seiretei would be delayed. This not your fault; so please, do not look so dejected."

"Hai." A much relieved and happier voice said softly.

"Kuchiki-taicho will leave in the morning tomorrow. I am counting on you to pass this petition to the necessary people before we get there. Thank you for your efforts, Hinamori-kun."

Hinamori reached out to take the folded parchment. "I will be there before sunrise, Aizen taicho."

Then, the fukutaicho of the 5th division disappeared in a fast wave of shunpo.

Aizen Sosuke sat stiffly in front of his desk. "Rukia-san." he murmured absently to himself.

…

While Rukia was happily frolicking in dreamland, Ichigo was still wide-awake. The seats in the living room were uncomfortable and not made for someone to relax on; but as of the moment Ichigo had no desire to sleep or rest.

Shit. That was one hell of a nightmare. It was just like before, every time. Aizen, his mother, the blood…

Except for one small detail. His mother never spoke to him in any of his dreams – ever. All she did was look at him with open, vacant eyes that seemed to be accusing him of something. This time however, Kurosaki Masaki spoke, and she told him, no ordered, that he should NEVER let go.

Of what? He wasn't holding anything in his dream. Ichigo wanted to think that it really was the hougyoku that his mother referred to, but it made no sense. After all, Urahara already took the damned object with him and disappeared from the face of Soul Society the night Masaki was killed. If his annoying godfather had any remaining lick of sense in him, he would have done the right thing and destroyed his dangerous invention. Yoruichi did say that the former 12th division taicho never talked about it, and she preferred to believe that it vanished completely.

Suddenly, Ichigo's thoughts drifted to his wife who was sleeping soundly in the other room. If it wasn't for Rukia (and he already figured out just WHOSE voice was it that he heard), Ichigo didn't know what might have happened. He probably might have hurt himself in the process. Whatever. He was really just relieved that he didn't endanger her in any way. That would have been a bad thing for him if ever it became public knowledge. True, couples do bicker sometimes, but Ichigo doubts that Byakuya would let it slide if he socked the other taicho's sister – accidental it may be.

Great. That was all he needed for Rukia to think he was a basket case. If he was the sort of person to drink himself to oblivion, he might have done so. But Ichigo remained where he was, sitting there until the first streaks of color appeared faintly across the night sky.

…

Being a shinigami was already ingrained in his bones even at a young age. Unlike most children, Ichigo had practically been forced to learn the rudiments of combat instead of spending his time playing. Not that he minded, of course. After that night his mother was murdered, Ichigo handed over his rights to a normal childhood and pushed himself into becoming better than Aizen and his father.

Old habits really die hard, thought Ichigo as he did his routine of improving his sword skills. If it was any regular morning, he would have sparred with Ishida or Sado, maybe even Tasuki. However, considering that he was in his honeymoon, Ichigo had no choice but to practice the sword motions using the contraband contraption Urahara sent him. Though practicing with an animate dummy was good, Ichigo wanted a real, live sparring partner.

Not because of the blood spilling – that would be Kenpachi's reasons for asking for a spar. What Ichigo wanted was an unpredictable and emotional sparring partner. Someone who would react to provocation and respond to conversation. Urahara's dummies never did talk back and it annoyed Ichigo. Back at the 14th, he was used to Ishida's condescending little throws; Keigo's whinning; Mizuiro's snarky yet eerily polite comments; Tatsuki's screaming and bitching (especially during those PMS days when she really fought him with the intent to kill), as well as Sado's miniscule responses. Sparring with them always felt like it was a REAL battle, not something dictated by a program made by a crafty bastard.

Feeling someone's eyes on his back, Ichigo turned and saw his wife standing by the door. "You're awake." He said curtly as he parried the blade of his opponent. "You can call someone to make breakfast."

"I already made breakfast." She replied, looking at him curiously. "How long have you been out here? And oh, for the record, I wasn't the one who taught Inoue how to cook."

"So I don't have to worry about food poisoning?"

Rukia raised an elegant eyebrow. "Please, it would be weird if I kill you a day after the wedding. Besides," she added, shrugging carelessly "If I wanted to kill you, I won't resort to such underhand methods. Trust me, you'll know – and you'll get a fighting chance to try and stop me."

Any other man would have been caught unaware by such a brash statement. Rukia had a way of saying things emphatically yet vaguely, which did well to confuse anyone. Instead of asking if she was joking or change the subject into something more normal, Ichigo just gave a small smirk "You're certainly welcome to try."

Without another word, Rukia spun on her heel and headed back indoors.

Focusing on his opponent, Ichigo steadied himself for the next level in the program. Urahara designed it in such a way that more and more dummies joined in the fray whenever Ichigo slowed down his pace. This was to force him to defeat his opponent faster or at least hold his ground when he became outnumbered.

Well, as Yoruichi once said: Bring it on.

"Shakkahō!"

With barely enough time to react, Ichigo leapt high in the air just in time to see the dummies charred by such a large blast of kidō. As he landed on the ground, surprised, he felt someone dash from behind him. Bringing up his zanpaktuô, Ichigo blocked the end of a blade. "What the hell?"

"Die, Kurosaki!" Rukia said venomously as she once again brought up her sword.

"Rukia!" he shouted as he parried her attacks. What in the world was wrong with her? Debating on whether or not he should attack, he unknowingly gave the other the chance to launch a barrage of attacks. "What in Soul Society's name are you doing?"

"Enough talking!" she snarled "This time, we will end this!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he weaved to the side. "Do you want my father to kill me because I fought you?" Shit, did she somehow snap and lose her marbles? What happened last night anyway?

"I swore upon the graves of my family, I will make you pay!"

Now completely confused, Ichigo shoved Rukia forcefully aside "The hell? You don't even know where they are buried!"

"Justice will be served!" Shouted Rukia as she threw a red blast in his direction.

Damn, thought Ichigo as he rolled to the side only to be met with Rukia's charging form. She was good. Rukia was seriously good at fighting. Despite the fact that she was not strong enough – her sword thrusts were still a bit shallow to put serious, mortal damage – her movements were fast and agile. She was able to change directions fluidly easily. It was unnerving to imagine her with high-level shunpo and a strong sword arm.

Ichigo had to admit grudgingly, if she got any better, he would be in serious trouble. "Snap out of it, Rukia! I don't want to injure you!"

"Your days as a tyrant will be over and I will set the people free!"

What the heck was that about? Ichigo wondered as he froze in place.

Across him, Rukia rolled her eyes in annoyance. "What, was it too lame for you?" she huffed, her chest heaving with labored breathing. "You didn't want to be a tyrant?"

"What was that all about!" Ichigo shouted in frustration. "Have you gone completely mental?"

"Listen here." Rukia said impatiently, "I wanted a spar. So get back on your stance and fight me. On another note, fight me seriously. You're insulting me by holding back."

For a moment, only the slow rustling of the wind could be heard. The dried leaves that had fallen were slowly spread about, some even spun lazily in the air before descending gracefully onto the ground. Suddenly, Ichigo found his voice "You wanted to spar with me?" he asked dumbly. "But… what was that you were… talking about?"

Rukia frowned. "That's how we spar in the 13th division." She said slowly. "When I spar with the third seats, that is."

"You role-play?" he asked in surprise. What in Seiretei's name was that all about?

Blushing furiously, Rukia tried her best to give him her most severe glare. "Well you spar in such a boring way. Sentaro-san and Kiyone-san are much interesting opponents than you. Doesn't it get boring to do the same thing over and over again?"

"What?" he says in equal surprise. Was everyone in their division loonies? "What does your Taicho say about that?"

"Kyouraku Taicho actually drops by to watch with him." Rukia said smugly. "He says we're very creative and artistic."

"Oh god." Mutters Ichigo. They were nutters, each and every one of them. Suddenly, he just looked up to realize one important detail. "Rukia! You're still wearing your Yukata! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Giving him a look that clearly said he was stupid and that she knew it even before he did, Rukia smugly said, "If someone wanted to kill you, would they allow you to change into your hakama first? Geez, how did you become a taicho?" She straightened up again "So, are you going to spar with me yet, or do you plan to stand like that the whole day?"

"Rukia," Ichigo gritted out "change into your hakama and gi." The idiot did not even realize that her yukata was parted slightly – both at the bottom and top parts. In fact, he could already see her kneecaps and a slight skin of her chest.

"Eh?"

"You're flashing certain body parts." He said simply, feeling a headache building.

Rukia looked down. "Oh." she said simply, though there was a slight red hue that was flashing across her face. Okay, maybe 'slight' was not a good word, because the red was even at her neck and down to…

"JUST GET DRESSED." He snapped.

"Well excuse me for offending your prudish sensibilities." She retorted. "I failed to realize that my leg and chest showing would cause you to have a coronary." Instead of going back indoors to change, she stepped even closer to Ichigo, holding up her zanpaktuô to defend herself.

Angry with him for not taking her seriously, Rukia immediately took an offensive position and charged at him. She brought down her zanpaktuô in a graceful arc that narrowly missed Ichigo's ear by centimeters "Fight me! Do you think that I can't spar with a taicho without him holding back?"

"Don't be an idiot." He snapped as he deflected another attack "If you wanted a spar, you could have just asked nicely."

"Then what are you waiting for? Attack me already!"

"Not until you change your clothes, I won't." Ichigo spat "If you want to get a decent spar with me, you do as I say."

Rukia threw a blast of red flame at his general direction "Oh come on. You're wound up because of that?" she asked incredulously "I thought I was the Kuchiki here not you. Haven't you heard of improvisation?"

Improvisation my foot, thought Ichigo as he looked at his wife glare at her. Contrary to what she thought, Ichigo was actually a very smart man. True, he often acted before he thought of a visible plan, but his flashes of insight especially when in battle made him a formidable opponent. It was pretty obvious that the minx was planning something. And considering it was Rukia, the odds that it would be against him were high.

Still pressing her advantage, Rukia was too caught up in trying to get Ichigo to attack her directly that she failed to see him slash his zanpaktuô at her direction. "What?" she asked. Instead of replying, Ichigo shrugged and gave her a sardonic yet cheeky grin. To her surprise, the sleeve of her yukata dropped halfway down her arm courtesy of a direct hit from her husband's zanpaktuô. "You asshole!"

"What?" he asked in amusement. "Credit me with a brain, will you? Fighting while in a yukata is a definite tactic used by women. It might work on someone like Keigo, you know."

With another slash, the other sleeve fell down.

Rukia raised an eyebrow "I didn't know you were channeling Keigo today."

"Rukia, you can't expect a person not to take advantage of an opening, would you?"

"Only you could take a war tactic out of context and twist it into something perverted." She said dryly as she successfully evaded another encounter with the end of Ichigo's zanpaktuô. "Really Taicho, I thought that you were above tricks like this…"

Oh yes, she was an actress all right, a first-rate one if he might add. "When dealing with YOU – I figured I had to pull out all the stops." Ichigo retorted, albeit good-naturedly as he continued to slash, flaying the hem of Rukia's yukata.

"Does that involve pulling out all the threads from my clothes?"

Ichigo looked at her seriously, "Let me strike a deal – you change into your hakama and gi and I will stop."

"Like I said," she gritted out icily, "I doubt anyone planning to assassinate me would give me a reprieve so I can change into my shinigami clothing. In fact, I would even expect an attempt while I'm asleep or while I'm taking a bath."

In the back of his mind, Ichigo knew he was acting like a petulant child – and that she was right too. Logically, he should be pleased that his wife had a sensible head on her shoulders (and yes, what a lovely head it was), but he stomped his foot instead. "Listen here you, I say you change into a hakama and gi – and I mean NOW. Are you planning to expose yourself to strangers, or is that what you do all the time?"

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance, as Kuchiki's were way above juvenile displays of emotions –

Yeah, like you haven't been acting like one since you were in the 14th division, Rukia's treacherous mind was telling her. Rukia clamped down the guilty feeling and faced Ichigo squarely. "Might I remind you that I am not 'exposing' myself to strangers since it is clear that we are ALL ALONE right now?"

All alone.

No one was around.

All alone.

In their honeymoon.

The two looked at each other.

"I think I'll go take a bath." Rukia said nervously, sheathing her zanpaktuô hurriedly.

"I'll go have breakfast… I'm hungry." Ichigo agreed, walking indoors with flurried movements. "See you later, then."

Rukia didn't even stop in her tracks. "Of course." She said quietly.

"Ano…" Trailed Ichigo before she could walk out "Would you… like to go fishing?" his tone was unsure; if it was about hearing her answer or finding out the reasons why he asked, even he did not know. Then again, he had been wondering how he could make them more at ease with each other.

Until they were able to answer all her questions about her past and Aizen's involvement in it, they should at least try to act civilly with each other and not act as if a bomb was waiting to go off between them anytime. Perhaps she would like to see if they could make this arrangement more comfortable – at least make them stop hurling insults at each other with unmatched speeds or something.

Would Rukia be willing to do that or would she still see him as a threat?

"Rukia?"

Instead of turning around, Rukia glanced up to see the white clouds crawl lazily. The wind was strong yet gentle as it made the blades of grass dance and the flowers bob merrily. Her frayed yukata's hem fluttered gently before resting again against her legs and the loose strands of her hair drifted over her face like a light veil. From her position, she could see the sun shine brightly, but hiding from sight only to come out occasionally and bathe the grounds below in a soft, warm light.

All in all it was a beautiful day.

Finally, Rukia took another step to leave, pausing for a moment "I'm not particularly good in fishing. Will you teach me how?" she asked softly to the wind.

From behind her, a similarly quiet voice replied "Aa."

Smiling slightly, Rukia walked on.

…

"The owner really looks pensive, doesn't he?" the grumpy voice of Jinta said carefully as he peered from behind the shoji screen. "He doesn't wear that expression ever. Even when we got massive refund and exchange forms for faulty merchandise last year. I wonder what ticked him off this time…"

Beside him, Ururu, the brunette child nodded shyly. "Kisuke-san has been looking at the calendar again."

"Yeah; last night, I heard him mutter that if 'Yoruichi-san doesn't return by the day after the day after tomorrow, she might not be returning for a long time.'

"Poor Kisuke-san… missing his cat."

"Idiot!" Jinta said as he hit the girl on the head, causing her to mutter a pained 'ouch.' "The owner really is weird to be pining after a cat that much. I wonder if –

Suddenly, large fists suddenly hit the two children on the head simultaneously. "What are you two talking about?"

As the three started a mini-riot, Kisuke continued to calmly sip his tea as he gazed outside the window. His usual cautious and cynical self was looking for traces of imperfect climate conditions. Karakura-cho really had one of the worst weather conditions in Japan. All that global warming thing was making it rain and then become too sunny quickly. However that day, there was a gentle breeze that whistled by, giving the people something to be happy about. Below his view were a couple of children running around, playing tag, their delighted squeals filling the sunny skies. It was a perfect kind of weather, actually.

And that was what caused Urahara to feel apprehension. "Keep your eyes peeled, Yoruichi-san." He murmured to the passing wind, hoping that somehow it would reach the one he wanted to talk to.

…

Rukia's melodious laughter drifted from the stream. "That was fun!" she said impishly, as she saw Ichigo up to his waist in the water after he attempted to wrestle a particularly large and stubborn fish that pulled him down the bank. It would have been okay for Ichigo had he not slipped on the mud and tumbled into the water with a splash.

"You know, you could have offered some help." He grumbled as he eyed his still dry and warm wife who was laughing unabashedly at his plight. Of course, it was enough to provoke Ichigo's temper like a red flag, and he was just a few seconds away from blowing a fuse. "Oi, stop laughing, will you!"

However, his wife continued to laugh at his predicament. "I can't help it, you had this really idiotic look on your face." Rukia quickly scrambled to higher ground after seeing the look on Ichigo's face. "No, you are not going to trick me into 'helping' you get out of there." She tittered. "I know all the dirty tricks in the book."

All the dirty tricks in the book? Ichigo doubted that someone raised as a Kuchiki even KNEW what being dirty means. His question must have shown in his face, because Rukia waggled a finger in front of her like the oldest of her tutors whenever she gave a wrong answer to those useless and pointless questions. "Yes, I am aware of THAT dirty trick and there is no way in Hueco Mundo will you be able to pull it on me."

"Stuck up prissy bitch." Ichigo muttered under his breath as he hauled himself out of the water. "Would it kill you to be nice?" Suddenly, he came face to face with Rukia holding a large knife. "What are you doing with that?" he asked warily, eyeing the thing she held in her hand "You do know it as a joke right? Me calling you a stuck up prissy –

"Finish that and I will skin you alive." Rukia warned in a deadly serious tone. Then she gave him a small smile "You do want me cook that fish, right? Unless you suddenly had a hankering for sashimi."

Ichigo opened his mouth to answer, when he and Rukia suddenly felt the incoming rush of reiatsu. Quickly, the two stood to attention, their zanpaktuô's held innocently close to them should anything occur.

Rukia chuckled "You're turning me paranoid, Ichigo."

"You're making me cautious, midget." Was the only thing Ichigo said before several members of the Secret Mobile Corps appeared around them.

Ichigo stood to his full height. "Is there anything I can do for the SMC?" From the corner of his eye he could see Soi Fon Taicho standing a good distance from behind Rukia without making any move to attack. This was the only reason he did not draw his zanpaktuô.

"Kurosaki Taicho." The cold voice of the 10th division taicho, Hitsugaya Toushiro was heard. From around a massive tree, the smaller captain stepped out. "By orders of the Central 46, you are hereby placed under arrest."

"On what charges Hitsugaya?"

Beside him, Rukia stiffened as Hinamori Momo fukutaicho also appeared.

"For attacking the 6th division and for the kidnapping of Kuchiki Rukia."

C. LeShay's corner:

Gyah! Another chapter done.

Okay, so I tried not to make Ichigo and Rukia as OoC as possible. As well as the other characters for that matter. I mean, the whole calling each other names is good, but married people don't exactly call their wives bitches and their husbands as bastards, right? Plus they're working together now. For better or for worse, they have to at least keep up pretenses of their camaraderie. I watched too many asianovelas to know that. Of course, knowing IchiRuki, they WILL slip up sometime and hopefully that's just during when they are alone.

I seem to use flashbacks too often… I have to remedy it in the succeeding chapters.

Again, this chapter was really difficult to write, because this is the pivotal chapter that will signify all hell breaking loose in this fanfict series. I had to give it one last IchiRuki tension before Ichigo gets arrested. After all, he did something wrong too. From the first chapter you all knew he really wasn't going to get away with it. Okay, so Hinamori made it in time to get Ichigo arrested, watch out for the arrival of Byakuya and Aizen. Everything is going to unravel now; would it be too much to ask for reviews and encouragements? I didn't get much last time, and I'm kinda worried that not that many people enjoyed chapter 6. Heck, I don't even know if you'd like this. LOL.

And oh, I changed the spelling of the hougyoku here. The previous chapters still retain the previous spelling. I don't have time to go back and make the changes. Maybe sometime in the future.

I'd like to welcome the presence of recklessflight at the helm: thanks for the input! She was my beta for MTDFD and SFD (you all know what they are). Hmm… yeah, her disappearance gave birth to the un-betaed phase where I posted stuff with typos. Fortunately, that ended with the arrival of Kaya and Jazzjackrabbit. Between my betas, I have a fairly wonderful writing life. Thanks to you guys. Plus, hi to the members of my e-family who reviewed (Mizu no Tenshi and bunnisteffi); especially to 07Janina07, the deadline-oriented mommy who is my source of M-rated fics. Your inputs helped me a lot here, and the soon to be written lemon will be done in your honor (WHEN it happens, and its still a LONG WAY off).