Author's Note: Hey lovelies! How long has it been since I last updated this story? Argh, I'm a terrible person, aren't I? I'm so so so so sorry guys! But I really am busy with school and battling with a serious writer's block for this story. But! I have dragged myself out of that stupid hole and gave you people an update! YAY!

Thank you so much for your support! And as usual, I would like to thank those special special people, whom have motivated me to keep writing on. OMEGABLACK, shie0917, SuperRukia (Your name reminds me of that episode with that Maid Cop thing. HAHAHAH), Tazski, Prizz, IsleOfSolitude, Pandorrah, 120mad4books, 193Otaku, Rukia Shirayuki, Cyndy-kawaii-chan, Obliterator1519, lish222, Badapple12, curio cherry, Wawa (I think you have reviewed! Either that, or someone is using the name "Wawa" as well.), Ginger-202 (Oh god, I hope you're okay! But urm, I don't think this chapter will make you laugh that much. D; ! Sorry!), falconrukichi, digzzz, teshichan, anne, Indie07, Anime Angel (Whoa! Your review was like… whoa. Really long. I must say, thank you so much for your strong support for my story! I love you so much already for that!), and Tyra Campbell for your reviews and subscriptions. THANKYOUSOMUCH.

This chapter is a little longer. And… contains a lot of IchiRuki fighting. Pretty serious chapter, I thought. Argh, so much for not wanting to ever make another melodramatic chapter. Yuck. But I like this chapter. (8

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei. AND FUCK YOU ANIME-CREATORS! WHY DID THE BLEACH ANIME END? WHY? I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION. YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T NEED AN EXPLANATION, I NEED THE ANIME BACK. NOW.

Disclaimer of the disclaimer: I didn't mean that. I love you Anime-creators. You have my heart and soul.

Ichigo stared at the ceiling from his bed; he wondered how long he has been like this. He couldn't go to sleep. Something was missing. In fact, it has been this way for more than a month now. Something just wasn't right. The room was too quiet. He could only hear his own breathing. The light tossing of something in the closet was missing. The soft murmurs of someone dreaming were missing. The steady breathing of her was missing.

However, that's not the only thing that was keeping this shinigami awake, because more importantly, he was plagued by the events that happened just a few hours ago.

He knew Inoue had brought him to many of his favourite hangouts to celebrate his birthday; he was surprised that she even knew of them. But he could vaguely remember those hours. Heck, he couldn't even remember what she said when he walked her home after dinner at his place. "Wait, did she even say anything?" And then suddenly, it seemed to him that he could vaguely remember ever dating Inoue at all. Those memories were just so… so insignificant. Was his brain failing him? IS HE GETTING DEMENTIA AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE!

He decided it couldn't be. Because if he did, he wouldn't be able to recall the many times Rukia and him had silly banters about equally silly things. If he did, he wouldn't be able to reminisce how cute she looked in those bunny ears at the Chappy Café. If he did, he wouldn't be able to remember the strong feeling of worry and loss when he felt her reiatsu at Karakura Theme Park. If he did, he wouldn't be able to recall everything Rukia had ever said to him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Because if he did, then he shouldn't be able to remember every contour of Rukia's body when he hugged her a while ago. "What is happening to me?"

Ichigo let out a growl as he turn to lie face flat on his bed, struggling with the inner turmoil that was growing in him as he thought about how he should not be thinking about Rukia. "If I am thinking about not thinking about her, wouldn't that still be thinking about her? FUCKKKKK!" He buried his face deep into his pillow this time.

And suddenly, his mind was set.

Well, he still didn't get the whole Rukia thing, but he knew he had to end things with Inoue. It was now or never.

Still, with this new resolution in his head, he was finding it hard to go to sleep. The orange-headed man tossed and turned in his bed for what seemed like the four hundred and eighty-sixth time.

Little does he know that this insomnia was plaguing another person currently in the Kurosaki household.

Rukia sighed again, careful not to sigh too loud so as to avoid waking up the twins. She loved them dearly and she knew that if they were to hear her sighing like this, they would've become very worried and concerned. While it was always a good thing to share your troubles with someone, she couldn't bring herself to say anything. The first and most obvious reason was because Rukia was a person who keeps everything to herself, much to the irritation of a certain carrot-top and maybe a tomato-top too. The second reason was because she doesn't even know why she was sighing in the first place or why she was feeling so troubled.

Her mind drifted to a certain warmth she felt just hours ago. His chest was firm yet soft at the same time. His arms wrapped around her so tightly like she was going to run away at any given moment, but yet so delicately like she was frangible and he was afraid he would break her. His scent, dancing around her was strong yet subtle enough that she had to resist herself from burying her head into his chest. She had felt so safe and secure in his arms, and yet so vulnerable towards her own emotions and maybe his. Most importantly, she couldn't decide if those feelings seemed so wrong or so right.

"Oh God no! This is so wrong! What am I even thinking? What is that idiot thinking? He shouldn't have hugged me! If he didn't, all these wouldn't have happened. Yes, it was his entire fault. That idiot!"

Ichigo rubbed his eyes and sat up on his bed as he threw Kon the "alarm clock" out of the window. "When did I fell asleep?" He thought while he put on his uniform and readied himself for the day. Yes, today. It was going to be the day he told the truth to Inoue. It was the day he stopped lying to himself that this relationship was ever going to work. Today.

He walked down the stairs to Karin and his dad bickering as usual, and Yuzu setting down a pot of coffee on the dining table. But, Rukia nowhere to be found.

"I mean, soccer practices should be fine. They're only gonna build up your legs. But if you did too much push-ups, daddy is afraid you will become under-developed!" Isshin exclaimed as he used his hands to cup his non-existent breasts.

"SHUT UP YOU PERVERT! Why would I even be concerned about these kind of things!"

"Morning Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called.

"You should be concerned because your daddy wants a son-in-law soon."

"I AM ONLY 11 FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

"Morning. Where's Rukia?" Ichigo asked as he sat down beside Karin who was currently strangling the daylights out of their father.

"Rukia-nee-san has gone out, she said she was meeting someone before school." Yuzu replied. A twitch immediately appeared on Ichigo's eyebrow, he asked with narrowed eyes, "Someone?"

"Well she didn't specify who. Why are you so concerned anyway?" Karin asked with a smirk after Isshin fainted from lack of air.

"Concerned? Pfft. I wasn't concerned. I'm going off." He stood up, barely even touching his breakfast, leaving the table towards the door. "Later." He called out.

Isshin climbed back on his chair, rubbing his throat attempting to bring the colour back while groggily saying, "Ah, that idiot. Probably trying to catch up with her."

Yuzu merely giggled as Karin agreed, "Yeah. And who said you could wake up!" before launching herself at him again.

Ichigo arrived in class to see Rukia already seated at her desk. He was annoyed, not only because he wasn't able to catch up with Rukia and that "mysterious someone" that she was meeting, but also because he didn't manage to meet Inoue on the way to school. "Guess that means I would have to tell her after school." He sat down beside Rukia, his eyes never leaving her as he took out his relevant books for the first lesson. Rukia seemed to avoid him at first, but after ten minutes of Ichigo's constant glaring, she couldn't take it any longer.

"Maybe if you were to stare a little harder, you can actually make out the air molecules that are currently floating around me."

Ichigo grunted at her comment before looking at her seriously and asking, "Who was the someone?"

"Huh?"

"Who was it that you have to meet before school?"

"Oh, there wasn't anyone."

"No one? Cheh, like I would ever believe that."

"Suit yourself."

"So who was it?"

"Alright people, get back to your seats! Class is starting!" Ochi-sensei announced as she set her teaching materials on the desk before proceeding to take the attendance for the day.

"Who was it?" Ichigo hissed again.

"Is it so hard for you to comprehend that I actually wanted to walk to school myself?"

"Asano!" "Here!"

"Then why did you tell them that you were meeting someone?"

"Chikano!" "Here!"

"It was just a silly excuse. They wouldn't let me off to go to school alone either. Ichigo, can you stop being so meddlesome?"

"Honsho!" "Here!"

"Meddlesome? I couldn't care less who you meet."

"Inoue!" "Here!"

"For the last time, I didn't meet anyone!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU BEING SO SECRETIVE AND DEFENSIVE?" Ichigo yelled as he stood up and pointed an accusing finger at Rukia. The whole class went silent as Rukia flushed in embarrassment.

"Kurosaki, please… settle your differences outside of class next time. And, I take that you and Kuchiki are present today. Oh, and Kurosaki, you will be serving detention today." Ichigo groaned at this.

The sun was almost setting before Ichigo was released from detention. He sighed dejectedly when he realized Rukia had already left instead of waiting for him. Oh well, at the very least, he had finished his homework for the day so that should be something worth feeling happy for. He strolled casually towards the gate but stopped dead on his track when he saw Inoue leaning against the wall, as if waiting for someone. "Oh yeah, I was supposed to talk to her."

"Tatsuki has training again?" He asked as he walked towards the auburn-haired girl.

Inoue almost jumped from the sudden sound. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't even realize Ichigo was already standing right in front of her. She had decided to wait for Ichigo's detention to end so that she could have a talk with him. There was something really wrong with their relationship, and this time, she won't be lying to herself anymore. She had it all wrong. She had it all wrong the last time she confronted him, by the canal. Inoue told herself that she shouldn't be so selfish. "A-ah, no… I was waiting for you, Kuro- uh, Ichigo-kun."

She shouldn't be so selfish as to beg Ichigo to stay with her. It is SHE who has to work for it. She had to change herself.

Ichigo blinked at the unfamiliar greeting. "Uhh… okay. So… you want me to walk you home?"

"Yes, I would like that." She replied calmly as she walked beside him.

"Listen, Inoue. I, uh…"

"Yes, Ichigo-kun?" Ichigo flinched again. "Why does it sound so weird?"

"Uh…" He couldn't. Ichigo mentally laughed at himself bitterly. He was Kurosaki Ichigo! A man who fought with hollows on a daily basis. A man who achieved bankai in just three days. A man who defeated captains! But he couldn't muster up the courage to just say that one line. He was hopeless.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes before Inoue burst into frenzy at the sight of an ice-cream stand. "ICHIGO-KUN! I WANT ICE-CREAM!" She almost yelled as she pulled Ichigo along with her. "First the Ichigo. Now "I want" instead of "Can we?" The hell is going on?" Despite his suspicion and his desperate need to end this, he decided to follow her anyway. "The least I could do is make this last walk home with her a nice memory, I guess."

They found themselves walking in home silence again, Ichigo holding a cone of vanilla ice-cream while Inoue held her own strawberry with bean paste topping one. How in the world does the ice-cream man have bean paste topping was beyond him. But he decided that was a question that could be answered later. He had a bigger problem to solve now.

Inoue broke the silence once again, babbling away about her day in school and how she decided to write about robotic mermaids taking over the world for their assignment due next week. "So, what do you think, Ichigo-kun?"

"Huh?" It suddenly dawned on Ichigo that he wasn't even paying attention to whatever she was saying.

"Y-you, haven't been listening to me? Oh, Ichigo-kun… you-yo-you, idiot!"

"Wh-what?" This made Ichigo stop abruptly to stare at Inoue incredulously.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo-kun! I didn't mean to say that… I mean, I meant to say that! But not that way… I mean…" Inoue held up both her hands to her chest, waving frantically as she struggled to explain herself.

"Ichigo. Demands. Idiot." After piecing the parts together, Ichigo finally figured out what she was trying to do. She was trying to change for him. He let out a sigh; he had to do it now. "Inoue… stop."

"Huh?"

"You, you don't have to do this. I- we- this-… I don't want to lie to you anymore."

"L-lie to me?" Inoue was on the brink of tears. She knew this was coming. And this time, this time she felt as if she couldn't prevent it anymore.

Ichigo thought hard about his choice of words. Could he really use the phrase "break up"? Were they even boyfriend-girlfriend in the first place? "We should stop dating."

Her heart stopped.

She had prepared herself for this. From the first day she took a liking towards Ichigo, she had prepared herself for rejection. So why does it still hurt so much? Why does it still feel as if she it had caught her completely off-guard?

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Ichigo's growl. She looked up, eyes still red and watery, to see Ichigo almost fuming. She followed his gaze to find Rukia walking along the pathway across the street with another guy. They weren't holding hands or anything. In fact, they weren't even standing that close to each other. Just two people walking side by side, occasionally looking at each other as they engaged in some sort of small talk. She squinted to see her partner clearer, and realized it was a senior from their school. Before she knows it, Ichigo was already storming across the street towards the oblivious pair.

"So THIS was the mysterious someone?" He almost yelled as he approached them.

"Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed as she looked at him, startled.

"Is this the person you have been secretly meeting?"

"What? I haven't been secretly meeting anyone, you dumbass!" Rukia retorted once she regained her composure. Her eyebrows twitching dangerously at Ichigo's sudden outburst.

"Oh yeah, then who is this? Just some random stranger who happened to just walk beside you? I bet he was the one who walked you to school today!"

"WHAT? I already told you, I. WALKED. TO. SCHOOL. ALONE. TODAY. And, Haruka-kun here is our senior. He saved me from a speeding van just now. Speaking of vans, I am going to kill that guy if I ever saw-"

"Like hell would I believe that! Because it was so coincidental that a speeding van just turn up from nowhere, and he just HAPPEN to be there right?" Ichigo was yelling at the top of his lungs now.

"Actually, what she said was true." The guy beside Rukia answered. Ichigo whipped his head towards the guy, and actually looked at him for the first time. He had slightly disheveled black hair, and piercing green eyes. Ichigo cursed under his breath when he realized that the guy wasn't bad looking.

"Yes, and it's so nice to know that you're so concerned about my well-being, Ichigo." Rukia replied with sarcasm dripping venomously in her words. Ichigo was slightly taken aback. Maybe she really was saying the truth. Now he, too, felt like killing the man who drove the van for almost hurting her.

"Still doesn't explain how he mysteriously showed up just in time!" He snapped back, still feeling immensely enraged by the thought of her being protected by a man that wasn't him.

"WHAT. HOW CAN YOU BE SO… ARGH. Mysteriously or not, if he didn't show up at that time, I probably wouldn't be standing here now fighting with you! You know what? I don't even know why I am still standing here fighting with you in the first place!"

"RIGHT. BECAUSE YOU HAVE A BETTER PLACE TO BE THAN HERE, GOING OFF DATING WITH YOUR "SOMEONE", OR SHOULD I SAY HARUKA-KUN!"

"FOR THE LAST TIME I DON'T HAVE A FREAKING SOMEONE! LET ALONE HARUKA!"

"SO HE IS JUST HARUKA NOW? I DIDN'T KNOW YOU GUYS WERE SO INTIMATE!"

Rukia clenched her fists tightly and gritted her teeth, she was getting really really annoyed by how unreasonable Ichigo was. She hissed, "I am SICK and TIRED of trying to explain myself to you. GOD, what the hell are you even thinking? If you want so BADLY for Haruka to be "someone" to me, then FINE. So be it."

"So you're not even denying it now, huh?"

"Yes, Haruka is that mysterious someone. Happy now?" She turned towards Haruka and grabbed his hand before walking towards the opposite direction. "Come on, let's go. I can't freaking stand being in close vicinity with that idiot for another second."

Ichigo stood there, stunned as they slowly trudged away. He was at loss. How did he let this fight spiral out of control? How did he even lose his temper so badly that he wasn't able to control himself from saying those awful words? He stared helplessly at the two figures again, and thought about how he would give anything to turn back time, and to be the one walking beside her now.

Just as he thought he should just turn back and leave, he saw it. And the anger that was almost diminishing inside of him threatened to explode once again. Haruka had changed the position of their hands so that their fingers were currently interlocking each others. Ichigo dangerously flirted with the thought of Getsuga-Tensho-ing the guy's sorry ass, but decided against it as he opted for a modest punch across the guy's face. Of course, not without sending him a few steps back.

"DID I SAY YOU COULD TOUCH HER-"

And he, too, was send flying.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Rukia yelled after kicking the orange-haired man on the head.

"I was-"

"STOP!" She screamed, with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands clutching the ends of her skirt in hopes of containing herself. "Seriously, stop. You just hurt another guy, you idiot!" Rukia bolted towards Haruka, pulled out her memory-modifier, and blasted pink smoke into the air. She, then, stood up and glanced at Ichigo. She said, "You better stop all these… these weird behaviours you've been displaying lately, or I swear I'll never speak to you ever again" before she walked away.

This time, Ichigo didn't follow.

Author's Note: ONCE AGAIN! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH PEOPLE, I CAN HUG YOU TO DEATH RIGHT NOW. Thank you for your patience! Reviews are much appreciated.

And, uhh, if you're free, you could read my new one-shot! Well, not exactly new, considering it has been there for like 2 weeks now. BUT YEAH.