July 23rd…

Ishida was in class, he was finished with his class work earlier than most of the students there. He looked over at Orihime Inoue who was chewing on her pencil thinking deeply; a hint of enlightenment flashed in her eyes, but then she shook her head and looked back at the book in disappointment. He smiled to himself as he looked at her; he found her adorable when she pouted about one thing or the other.

Their teacher interrupted his day dream when he stood in front of him and grunted displeased. He was a short dark man, with a funny bow tie and oversized slacks; he glared at him through thick glasses and ran a hand through his gray hair.

"Mr. Ishida are you finished with your assignment?"

"Yes, sensei," said Ishida respectfully handing him the papers.

"Good then, perhaps the rest of the class could follow your example and stop day dreaming long enough to finish their assignments," said his sensei loud enough so that everyone could hear him.

"Sensei I'm trying I really am, but it's so hard!" Cried Orihime.

"I could help her!" Said Ishida smiling brightly.

"Thanks Uryuu!" Said Orihime waving happily from her desk.

"I think not Miss Inoue, you will find that there is a certain point in your educational career where you can no longer move forward relying on the help of others."

"But I work hard sensei I really do, I got here by studying hard," cried Orihime.

"Yes, and the earth is flat…this discussion ends here Miss Inoue, now everybody get back to work." Suddenly Ishida stood up and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I believe you owe Miss Orihime an apology sensei."

"Do I really?" Asked the short man glaring at the boy.

"Yes, you have disrespected her by saying she has only gotten thus far with the help of others while in fact Miss Inoue is a bright student who has always excelled in every subject. It would be rather imprudent to make judgment upon her impeccable educational carrier just because she's having a difficult time tackling this subject...especially when the subject is advance for her year in school," said Ishida crossing his arms.

"Is that so Mr. Ishida?"

"Yes, sensei, for all your knowledge I would have thought you to be a wiser man, but it seems that I was sadly mistaken." His sensei glared at him but said nothing realizing that Ishida was right.

"All right Mr. Ishida, help the girl if you'd like," said his sensei in a superior manner, hiding back his ridicule. Ishida smiled pleased.

"Oh it's all right Ishida, I've got it now, but thank you!" Said Orihime cheerfully.

Just then, a moped was heard outside; Ishida looked out the window to find Ichigo outside waving at him. He looked over at his sensei and he sigh frustrated.

"If you're finished Mr. Ishida you can go." Ishida got his things and quickly left out the door. Orihime looked confused.

"I wonder why Kurosaki-kun has been waiting for Ishida-kun after school so much lately?" Said Orihime to herself, though everyone in the class could hear her; then she had an enlightened look on her face, "that's it! Ishida-kun and Kurosaki-kun must be in love! Oh, but what about me then? Well I suppose if it's the two of them it's okay, who am I to intervene in such forbidden love!" Exclaimed Orihime adoringly; she looked around to find everyone staring at her.

"Orihime-chan your are so selfless, how cute!" screamed the lesbian Chazuru wrapping her arms underneath Orihime's breast so that the large globs popped out even more, "how I admire Kurosaki and Ishida, to let their forbidden love float freely in the open, it's so romantic!"

Outside Ichigo waited impatiently for Ishida. It was almost one, and they agreed to meet Urahara at his shop so that he could help train them. Ichigo still needed help keeping his hollow form longer, and Ishida was keen on becoming stronger. They had been training for the past two weeks, but he still felt like he wasn't getting anywhere. Finally, Ichigo saw that Ishida was making his way to him; Ichigo glared at him.

"What took you?"

"The Physics assignment today was more difficult than foreseen," admitted Ishida.

"Heh," grinned Ichigo mischievously.

"Don't you look at me in that condescending manner, you wouldn't understand the first thing about Physics!" exclaimed Ishida.

"Whatever, hop on, we're late," said Ichigo; Ishida did as instructed holding on to Ichigo's back. They looked at the windows of the second floor of the school to find a group of girls observing them adoringly; amongst them was Orihime.

"What's their deal?" Asked Ichigo confused; Ishida shrugged and they both left.

Urahara was sitting by the table eating rice when suddenly Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu crashed on top of the table dog piling an exhausted Kon.

"Give back the candy," growled Tessai.

"It was only a piece of gum, can't you give a guy a break?" Asked Kon squealing under them.

"No!" They all replied in unison. Urahara sighed and made his way to the front door, where Ichigo and Ishida were about to knock.

"We're here," smiled Ichigo.

"Yes, I can see that, but what I don't see is the merchandise," said Urahara squinting his eyes at them.

"What merchandise?" Asked Ichigo confused.

"Nah I've just always wanted to say that, come in boys!" Said Urahara patting their backs as they walked inside.

They made their way to Urahara's basement where they were met by Renji and Chad who were already there. Renji was meditating while Chad sat playing poker with Nova, Ririn, and Cloud. He figured Ririn was the one to win because she jumped up and did the Irish jig.

"All right everyone, we will commence," said Urahara.

Chad and Renji started practicing together while Ririn, Cloud, and Nova observed them. Ichigo took his substitute Shinigami badge and got out of his body, taking his zanpakuto in his hands; Ishida followed behind with his Quincy bow and arrow.

Urahara's eyes danced back and forth as he sat back and watched both groups dueling, over with Renji and Chad, Renji seemed to have the upper hand. With Ichigo and Ishida, Ishida had the upper hand, he pinned Ichigo to a boulder by shooting an arrow through the clothing of his arms and legs; Ichigo scowled, and not too long after set himself free. Not so long after, both Renji and Ichigo used their Bankai. Renji surrounded Chad with his snake-like companion Zabimaru, but he was shocked to see that Chad wrestled the large skeleton snake on the floor; he then pulled back and Zabimaru released a kido which Chad promptly blocked with his arm. Ichigo was still having a difficult time attacking Ishida; the Quincy was just very quick, and his abilities had improved greatly.

"Ichigo, go Hollow, let's see if you can beat your record time of twenty seconds," said Urahara who was now drinking a lemonade that Ururu had brought to him.

Ichigo did just that as a mask formed on his face; they fought diligently for ten seconds when Ishida stopped abruptly and Ichigo almost stabbed him with his zanpakuto, but he held back falling to the floor as he tried to stop himself.

"What the hell is your problem idiot I could have killed you!" Yelled Ichigo standing up from the floor.

"I have somewhere I need to be," said Ishida looking at his watch.

"What? What could be more important than this you baka!" yelled Ichigo furiously.

"Well I…kind of told Orihime I would meet her tonight," said Ishida attempting to hold back the blush that tinted his cheeks. Immediately everyone stopped and looked at him.

"So you're finally popping the question huh?" Said Renji smugly elbowing Ishida on the side.

"Whaaat? No I'm not going to propose to her I just…goodnight," said Ishida clearing his throat and walking out of there with his head high.

"That's not a good reason you jerk! Pervert," said Ichigo scowling.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous Ichigo," said Renji grinning at him mischievously.

"Of course not, Inoue is just a friend," said Ichigo defensively crossing his arms over his chest.

Ishida ran to his house to change and then ran as quickly as he could towards the pier; he found Orihime standing there waiting for him already; as soon as she saw him she smiled and ran over to him.

"Ishida-kun, I was starting to think you weren't going to come."

"That's silly Orihime, how would I forget?!" Smiled Ishida scratching the back of his head nervously. Orihime watched him curiously, she noticed that he looked different, he was wearing jeans and navy blue long sleeved shirt that clung perfectly to his slim yet toned form, the color of the shirt brought out the blue of his eyes…and he wasn't wearing any glasses; his eyes sparkled magically with the light of the full moon. Her jaw dropped for a second, was this the same Uryuu Ishida? She had never noticed before, but his skin was smooth and flawless; it almost looked like snow…or perhaps vanilla ice cream….? Her stomach grumbled and she looked away embarrassed.

"You must be hungry," smiled Ishida; she nodded.

They walked towards one of the food stands and got a couple of hot dogs; they sat on the bridge observing the way the moon reflected itself on the ocean. After they finished they were silent for a moment; Ishida looked around to find that they weren't the only people there. There was a family nearby; their young toddler looked at the stars through toy binoculars and pointed at the moon. There was a couple nearby sitting on a bench; they were snuggling close to each other; there was an old man scowling as he looked at them; he mumbled something about indecency.

Ishida looked over at Orihime and she smiled at him kindly. A blush formed on his cheeks, and he hoped she did not notice it. He looked at her hands lying limp on her lap, and he wanted to take one and hold it, to touch those soft hands that had healed so many. He shifted uncomfortably trying to control his urge to hold her; she noticed there was something wrong with him and looked at him worried.

"Are you all right Ishida-kun?"

"Yes," said Ishida trying to relax.

"So what was it that you needed to talk to me about?"

"I um…I don't know if I should…"

"It's okay Uryuu-kun, you can trust me!" smiled Orihime. In the back of her mind she thought 'this probably has something to do with his relationship with Kurosaki-kun!'

She remembered during lunch mentioning to the girls in her classroom that Ishida had requested to meet her tonight to speak to her about something; all the girls giggled in unison.

"You're so lucky Orihime-chan! He's probably gonna let you in on his and Kurosaki-kun's relationship!" Said one of the girls bursting into giggles.

"It's so romantic! You're going to be like the nurse in Romeo and Juliet, I wonder if he's going to give you a letter to give to Kurosaki-kun!" Exclaimed Chizuru overjoyed, "you have to promise to tell us in full detail what he tells you!"

"What? But I can't., not if they want it to be a secret."

"Oh come on Orihime, drop the good girl act, you know you're as turned on by this as we are!" Said Tatsuki from the doorway.

"Tatsuki-chan?" Said Orihime surprised.

"Well if you're not going to tell the rest of these idiots at least tell me about it, I am your best friend," said Tatsuki crossing her arms over her chest; immediately Chazuru attacked Tatsuki.

"You're crazy if you think that Orihime-chan is only yours!"

"Well she is my best friend not yours!"

"Why you little…!"

"Stop it!" exclaimed Orihime annoyed; they all stared at her surprised, "I will not betray Ishida-kun's trust, I will keep whatever he tells me to myself!"

And that's how it ended, Orihime swore that she wouldn't share with anyone what Ishida told her tonight. She looked at him and smiled again; she could tell he was nervous and was fidgeting a bit.

"Well…?"

"Orihime I…" Orihime drowned the rest of what Ishida said with her own frantic screams.

"It's okay Ishida-kun, I don't blame you for falling in love with Kurosaki-kun, he is an amazing man after all. I want you to know that even though I am in love with him it's okay with me that you are together because the forbidden relationship you guys carry is…" she paused as she finally let the words that Ishida said sink in, "special…" she said looking at Ishida surprised; he was surprised as she was, but at what she'd just said. Then they both spoke shocked at the same time.

"Ishida-kun did you just say you were in love with…?"

"You thought I was in love with Kurosaki?!"

"You're in love with me?" Asked Orihime shocked, but to Ishida's misfortune, not in a good way.

"Yes. But I see you are in love with Kurosaki," said Ishida sadly. Orihime remained silent for a moment; she looked into Ishida's starry blue eyes, and for the first time in a long time didn't know what she felt; this frightened her, Orihime as indecisive as she could be, always knew where her heart rested. She looked at him confused, and he looked off to the side, his entrancing eyes watering, holding more sadness than they usually did. He looked back into her eyes; his eyes piercing her soul, such sadness…such beauty, the mixture of beauty magic and grief was maddening, she didn't know what to make of them, how to read through something so forlorn and intense.

"I'm sorry Uryuu," said Orihime bursting into tears; she stood up and ran away. Ishida remained there for a while. Letting everything slowly sink in, and when it did, he allowed for the tears welling up in his eyes to carelessly roll down his cheeks.

Back at Urahara's shop Ichigo was sitting outside looking up at the sky; his look was not peaceful but rather troubled. Renji walked outside to find him in this manner; he sat by him and punched him on the shoulder.

"Hey!"

"What's troubling you carrot top?" Ichigo stayed silent for a moment.

"It's been over a month and still no word from Rukia."

"Well, she was probably given assignment. I mean really there's no need for her to be here, you're here along with Ishida, Chad, and Inoue, not to mention… me!"

"You're an arrogant bastard Renji!"

"Yeah I know. But you know what I say makes sense, maybe they didn't think Rukia needed to be here anymore. Maybe Captain Byakuya finally allowed for her to be placed in an officer's seat; Ukitake has been in need of a lieutenant you know."

"Yeah I guess it makes sense," said Ichigo sighing sadly.

That same night back in Sereitei...

Rukia sat on a chair inside her room as Rangiku fixed her hair up in an elegant knot. Once she was finished. Rukia stood and looked in the mirror. She did not recognize herself; she was no longer the little Rukia with a feisty attitude. She was a lady, the polished and refined ice princess that the Kuchiki clan had always wanted her to become. She wore an elegant indigo silk kimono, with a red silk obi, there were red cherry blossoms along hems of the sleeves, the bottom of the Kimono, and along the collar.

The silk made her feel self-conscious for it clung to her young curves and accentuates her bodily features, it was sinful, an item of clothing created to arouse desire. There were rubies along the bottom of the kimono, making it feel all that more heavy, she wore an expensive ruby necklace and various ruby bracelets. Her long slim neck was left exposed revealing her creamy flawless skin, and she immediately covered it with her hands, she was so used to hiding behind her hair; she was repulsed by the woman she saw in the mirror.

Rangiku gently pulled her hands away from her neck and looked at her closely. Regular everyday Rukia was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but polished Rukia was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her skin was like fresh fallen snow, and her tinted soft lips reminded her of cherries, her eyes in particular were dazzling, they were the night's gems, shinning intensely with the light of the moon, her eyes were a mesmerizing mixture of purple and blue, making them look like the young night. Rukia looked at her frightened; Rangiku smiled at her and embraced her.

"Don't worry kid, you're beautiful," said Rangiku embracing her; when she let her go Rukia looked at her sadly.

"Not as pretty as you," smiled Rukia. Rangiku herself was quite dazzling, she wore a violet kimono with purple blossoms, and even though the occasion didn't call for it, her breasts breathed the night air as they always did, revealing themselves to the world.

"Well, let's join the party," smiled Rukia, though Rangiku noted that she was very nervous.

"Hey, don't worry about it okay, everything will be fine," Rukia smiled weakly and Rangiku laughed.

"What's so funny?" Asked Rukia a bit bothered, some of her usual temper coming back.

"Well, it's just that, think about it, many would be more than honored to be in your place, heck, many would kill to be in your place."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, then why don't I feel so lucky?" Said Rukia attempting to smile again.

"Well given the situation, and the manner of it…I don't blame you. I understand that for you it's traumatizing, perhaps even scarring," said Rangiku placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Yes, but I have to go through with this, besides, it shouldn't be that bad, I mean, like you said…many would kill to be in my place."

Rangiku smiled at her and Rukia started to open her bedroom door to exit when Rangiku held her back; Rukia looked at her confused.

"Just remember what I told you, be careful, don't push yourself too much."

"I'll be careful, I promise," smiled Rukia.

"All right then well, good luck kid," said Rangiku embracing her; it took a lot of her self control to keep herself from crying; same could be said for Rukia her eyes were watering, and she was fighting to keep them from rolling down her eyes.

"Well, we should get going, this festival won't last all night. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and my plan won't work after all," said Rukia hopefully, but then her smile quickly faded.

"Let's go." Both women walked out the door; destination: the Moonlight Festival Ball.