Standard disclaimer applies.
Author's notes: Am I traumatized with chapter 234-237? Yes, yes I truly am. Goodness, Kubo-sensei wants my heart to stop! But… for now, we're going back to that one chapter (181) where my eyes were also bulging out and my heart rate froze. I was thinking that perhaps the guys stalled around Soul Society for a few days before returning home, I mean, the Ichigo-tachi and the rest shinigami looked slightly healthier, so they had time to recover from injuries and stuff. So this should happen sometime around those days and before Rukia announces her decision to Ichigo.

P.S. AW! No one got the phrase... :P I'll tell you anyway. It was: "What is this red crap on my cheesecake?" xD I don't recall what episode it was myself (it was 3 AM and they were re-runs), but Joey was having a date with some girl and he was kinda pissed off because the girl always wanted to try out HIS food...

Rising Sun
28.07.2005 / 12.09.2006

Ichigo stared at the skyline, unconsciously grimacing and rubbing the sore spot on his jaw where that bastard Ganju had hit him earlier that night. He felt a little tipsy after the little scramble with Shiba Kuukaku's younger brother but the summer breeze was gentle enough to sooth him down. He heard a rustle beside him and he spared a glance at Rukia, who'd been settling herself into a more comfortable position next to him.

He sighed one more time. Rukia had said she needed to stay that night at the Kuchiki estate to check up on some things for her brother, so he'd just been thinking of dropping her off there and going back to the 13th division headquarters to get some rest. Instead, Ichigo found himself two or so hours later, still dwelling at the Kuchiki manor.

"Well... this is strange..." His legs were swinging over the ledge of the roof. It was barely dawn, and yet there they were, sitting together in silence. The sky was a mix of black and orange, as though the day was struggling to begin.

"Yeah…" Rukia stared at the sky, her dark blue eyes boring into the wispy clouds. She opened her mouth, paused briefly, and then spoke in a much lower voice than it had been intended. "It feels nice, though."

"Uh-huh." He glanced at her, found her lost in her own thoughts, and felt the need to break the silence that suddenly wanted to wrap around them. Out of custom, he had looked down at his wrist and found his watch missing. He was startled at first, but then comprehension settled on him and a small, ironic smile crept to his face. Of course, he thought, they weren't home. "How long has it been?"

Rukia made a wild guess that mustn't have been as wild as he thought. "Four hours, I think."

He nodded. "I see." He looked around, his eyes falling on the many rooftops in Sereitei. "So where's your brother?"

The girl let out a small sigh and plopped against the rooftop's surface. She locked her gaze on the many constellations in the night sky. "He's still in the hospital ward."

"He's still there?" Surprise was evident in his tone; he had thought Byakuya had been transferred from the hospital already. "Well, it seems I did beat the shit out of him, eh?" he smirked, a distinctly proud air about him. It had cost him enough to actually be able to say that. "What is he doing while he is there?"

"I don't know but it must be boring." She guessed, and without knowing, wasn't that much stray from the truth. The day before, her step-brother had spent the day staring at the white wall of his hospital ward while trying to ignore the 4th division nurse that had directed her obsessive flirting at him all day; most likely today had been like that too. Rukia smiled softly, "He said he wishes to be back as soon as possible."

"Yeah, so he can kill me now?" his said, half-sarcastically. Only half, because he knew it might as well be true. Ichigo had slowly lay down beside her, trying his best keep distance and not to brush her arm with his.

"Actually, I think he likes you," Rukia mentioned absentmindedly, recalling his brother's last words before passing out at the cliff some days ago.

Ichigo could have almost gawked at her. "He likes me?"

"Yeah," Rukia mumbled as her head turned his way.

"You serious?" he turned his head towards her as well, an incredulous brow arching at her as their eyes met. "You are talking about the guy that almost killed me?"

Rukia pouted, her voice deepening as she muttered, "Nii-sama isn't a very vocal person."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed into a skeptical look. "…I bet."

She shot up instantly and her face twisted into a frown as she exclaimed, "Nii-sama would come to kill you if he thought you'd harm me, though."

"Why would you say that?" Ichigo stared up at her impassively. Even from this position, him laying on the rooftop and Rukia sitting beside him and glaring down at him, she still looked so small.

"He's still my brother, of course," she said in a little, soft voice, as though she was feeling awkward at having to admit something of this kind of nature to him. It was given that her relationship with her brother wasn't in the best of terms, but that didn't mean she didn't have any affection toward her only family. Moreover, things had changed between them too. "He's very protective," she said then, this time more determined.

"You serious?" he seemed even more unconvinced, "You are really talking about the guy that almost killed you?"

"Ichigo…" she scolded sternly. The boy didn't know half of the story yet, though she didn't think her brother was willing to retell it. It had been hard enough for him to tell her the truth about her older sister and his beloved wife.

"I know, I know." He shrugged her off, not wanting to get into an argument over something he didn't actually understand.

"Hn…" She grunted, then turning down to stare at her fingers. He really didn't know, but she'd let it pass.

He sat up too and then looked down at her (once again surpassing her height even while sitting) as she suddenly fell quite. She was furrowing her eyebrows together, her eyes narrowing, and her posture had blocked him from seeing the faraway look in her eyes. "Now what?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking…"

She'd been thinking too much, she scolded herself, so deep into her thoughts to have actually strayed from the conversation and lost herself into them. There was something she had to say and she wasn't quite sure how to do it. She'd given it enough thought already, but now, she wasn't sure Ichigo was going to take things in a good way.

"Aha," Ichigo was back to his usual smirking, "Like I would for that one."

((WHAM!))

"Idiot!" She huffed, feeling overwhelmingly offended. The bastard was taking his pranks too far, it seemed. That or she was being over-sensitive, but she wasn't up to find out. Hitting him had felt good, though.

"Bitch! That hurt!" He yelped, rubbing the sore spot in his head. It hurt, a lot. And… was that blood?

"Don't be stupid." Rukia scoffed angrily. She crossed her arms over her chest, puffed her cheeks out, and looked away. Her cheeks were tinted in a slight pink, never been able to cope with the humiliation. And it seemed like he was the cause of hers as of late.

"Whatever."

"Ichigo…" She drawled out tentatively. Her eyes averted his at all moments.

Hearing her hesitant voice, the boy turned to look down at her, smirking at her as the dim sun rays glinted on his bright orange hair. "Yeah?"

"Nothing." She looked away, unable to say anything else.

The night was gone and a new day was starting all over. The sun gave the sky a deep red and orange color, mixed with the purple and dark blue left from the night. The stars had hidden already and the clouds kept moving. Beside her, Ichigo looked at the sky and the trees and the roofs of Sereitei. There was something about dawn that was extremely mesmerizing.

Rukia glanced at him and resolve swelled in her chest. There were still things she ought to do first before she can tell him her decision. Yes, hopefully there will be another time to say goodbye, properly. She would tell him soon. Today, she'd just like to watch the sunrise with him.