Chapter four! Yahooo! And personally, I think that this one is really cute - I love the ending, because if you haven't noticed, it's been raining in the past three chapters, so just keep that in mind while you read it. I was so close to making the ending different - and if I feel like it, I'll post another story with some endings changed...lol. This was originally a sad ending but...I did promise a happy ending, so here it is.

Okay - if any of you reading know the band Rise Against, feel free to make a song request - in a few chapters, I'll be taking other song requests (You know, once I get more REVIEWS hint hint...I'm desperate here guys, come on - I'm considering doing one of those 'when I get X number of reviews, THEN I'll update'...don't make me do it people...please?)

This one really sucked, because while I was writing it, I accidentally refreshed my page without saving. Bleh. That's what I get for editing on the site. Stupid keyboard shortcuts. Gah, anywho...moving on...even though last night I was screaming and thiiiis close to throwing my computer against the wall and just being done with it. But...I just took a few calming breathes, and repeated over and over again that this was for Rukia and Ichigo, and if I just gave up, I would be doing them a great injustice.

Bleach is not mine. Though, I am considering marrying Kubo...then I could probably convince him to add more romance between Rukia and Ichigo. Remember, IchiRuki is goodness!

I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you who's is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words

We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labour I'll slave till the end,
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand

Swing Life Away

Begin Chapter Four:

"Jeez, are you always going to be such a pain?"

She laughed, walking backwards while facing him – the streets filled with bumper to bumper cars and dozens of stores on her other side. She tried not to let her eyes wander to the many stores that hung Chappy the Rabbit merchandise in the windows. If Ichigo caught her again, it would mean endless teasing, and then she would have to hit him, and he would grumble to himself for a while – losing the good mood that he seemed to be in today.

"I'll stop being a pain when you stop being an idiot, how does that sound?"

He growled, reaching out and messing up her perfect bob before she could stop him, "How did I ever became friends with such an annoying midget?"

Slapping his hand away, she turned around and huffed, "How did I ever become friends with such an annoying berry-head?"

But, she knew the answer to that - they had become friends because, in reality, Ichigo was the only person Rukia could stand, and Rukia was the only person Ichigo could stand. It was a special understanding that they had with one another. Growing up, Rukia had always been treated like she was a queen - the most important person in the world. Not uncommon for children, but as she grew up she was trained to act like she was better than everybody else - sometimes she hated Byakuya for raising her that way, but what else could she expect from him? If she was a Kuchiki - she was going to be the best damn Kuchiki she could be. She had never been able to live with others - as a child, she hadn't been allowed to play with children, so she had grown up disliking all other people.

Then, in middle school, she had met Ichigo Kurosaki.

It wasn't an immediate attraction - she didn't see him, and know right off the bat that they would become best friends. In fact, the first time he spoke to her, her general dislike for people turned into pure hatred.

Nobody had ever told her she was a stuck up bitch before, until Ichigo had called her that in the middle of class. She had refused to be partnered up with him for a lab - her only reason being that she didn't like his stupid hair. Then, he had called her out with the line that made her punch him in the face.

After that, they had glared down each other, until she decided that she would be his partner - just to make his life a living hell. She made things difficult, refused to share her ideas, and a few times, even though to this day she denied it, purposely sabotaged his diagrams and re-wrote his essays. She never expected to find anything in common with him. Of course, Ichigo hadn't told her anything, he was too busy loathing her existence to talk to her more than he had to - it had been his annoying father that had spilled about Ichigo's mother and having to raise his children alone, without a motherly figure. And she had pieced the rest together herself.

She only spent her third block biology class with him, but when she saw him in the halls - he was never with anybody else, except for a few seconds of conversation with a large, student whose name she didn't know.

Later on, he became one of her friends too, and she learned that his name was Sado - or, Chad - as what Ichigo called him.

But, Ichigo was like her - he didn't like people, because the only people he liked was his family, and after his mom died - in that horrible accident by the bridge - he thought that his family hated him. After that, he instinctively turned away from other people, just so that they didn't feel for him...because what if he screwed up again? One of the things that had brought them closer together was when her sister died. Rukia had known that it was coming - after years of sickness, and her sister slowly having her immune system weakened with nothing to stop the infections, there was nothing anybody could do but sit around and watch her die.

After, she found that the only person she felt that she could go to was Ichigo. Even if they didn't like each other, he was the only person who understood her pain - and after that, he seemed to realize that as well. So - they became each other's true friend - and shared all of their secrets, all of their sad thoughts and horrible memories. And then they spent almost everyday together, and Rukia had never been so glad to have been called a bitch in her life.

"You didn't say yes, did you?"

Ah - she was reminded of the reason they were arguing in the first place, "Well, what was I supposed to do? Tell Takoando that, no matter how much he was attracted to me, I could probably never feel for him ever?" She rolled her eyes, "You might not care if people know you're a unfeeling jerk, but I still care if people think I'm an unfeeling twit. I'll just have to go out with him a few times, and then make up some excuse - same thing I do every time." She thought he'd understand by now. Or, maybe this was just him playing protective big brother again.

Either that, or he was jealous. She snorted. Yeah right.

"I just think it's lame that you have to have to put yourself through this - we both know you'll be bored out of your mind, and you'll use that awful, ear-piercing voice -," He made a painful face, "Thank God I don't have to put up with that."

"Aw," She made a hurt face, bringing her voice up a few octaves, "You don't like my voice Ichi? That makes me so sad - whatever will I do?"

"Gah!" Ichigo waved his hands expressively, "Did you just hear what I said? Stop it! I hate that voice."

She laughed, in her normal voice, punching him in the shoulder. When he winced, she laughed harder, before calling him a wuss.

"Well, just never date me. You won't ever have to hear it then." Unless I'm trying to annoy you, she added silently, and a little smugly.

"I keep that in mind," Ichigo retorted dryly, "But why don't you just say no to a few of them? You don't have to go out with every single on of those freaks."

"Just because you reject every girl who shows any interest in you, doesn't mean that that's the way to go." She didn't mean for her voice to be that cold and biting, but they were starting to tread into dangerous waters - and she was very aware of that. Right now, she just wanted to end the conversation.

"Pfft," He scoffed his scowl reaching his eyes - a sign that he was starting to get really pissed, "What would you know? You probably like the way those guys fawn over you - you've been going out with one every week."

"Oh yeah, Ichigo -I love watching them fawn over me - I sit myself down on a thrown and watch them fight for my favor, eating popcorn and enjoying the show. God, Ichigo - just drop it, okay?" He was starting to get annoying; they usually never fought, unless it was some variation of light teasing, but when they did fight, all the stops were torn out and they went at each other like rabid dogs.

Not that great for a friendship, but like she said - they hardly ever fought like that.

They continued on in silence. In a few blocks, they would go separate ways, and after a good nights sleep, they would be able to wake up tomorrow and pretend that nothing had happened. She ignored the tug of her heart telling her to talk to Ichigo and sort things out. She cringed. Because that would mean opening her heart up to the buffoon and having to admit that he was right.

She had been going out with more boys lately. She didn't want to admit it, but...she was looking for somebody. When she was with Ichigo, she was happy and could talk and really be herself around him. When she wasn't with Ichigo, however, it was like she was the only person in the world, and it was a lonely, empty world. Most of all, though, she hated that Ichigo didn't feel the same way. He didn't seek her out - he didn't start conversations with her - it was always Rukia who found him, brooding by himself in the hallway, or sitting alone on the roof, eating his lunch. Maybe if she tried to find a girl to hang out with, Ichigo would get off her back and leave her alone.

But - she couldn't get along with girls. Her nose scrunched just thinking about it - girls always talked so fast - Rukia could never understand what they were saying when they sat around in their little flocks and chattered. Also, their words flew out of their mouths faster than they could process them, causing more drama than a friendship with a girl was worth. And it wasn't like she could go up to the girls at school and ask them to skip class and throw ball with her in the park. Because of that stupid Ichigo, she had acquired a taste for breaking the rules. And football. But, football with two people was a little redundant. Usually, it just ended up with them fighting for the football and calling each other names, before one of them got tied to a post. But...she knew that boys weren't that much better. Ichigo was the one exception - though at some times he was a little dense, and he never looked happy...other boys just sat there and stared, stammering over themselves trying to think of the right thing to say.

And as much as she like spending time with Ichigo...it wasn't enough for her. She needed something else to take the edge off her loneliness, and she would swallow needles before she ever admitted to Ichigo that she liked spending time with him. Leaving that up to assumption was good enough for her. And he never seemed to mind. But, she was getting scared - she had never needed somebody before - she had never wanted to talk to somebody before, and having realized that Ichigo was the one she wanted to talk to on days she felt like screaming made her realize that she couldn't let it go on.

She needed someone else. Boy, girl, it really didn't matter. Just someone who wasn't Ichigo.

"See ya," She grumbled when they reached the corner. He didn't respond, just kept scowling and turned the corner, too busy brooding to care.

When he was out of ear-shot, Rukia sighed forlornly. As much as she hated drama, she sure knew how to get herself caught up int he middle of it.

She had barely stepped off the curb when a blaring, ear-piercing noise shot through her body – so loud that it caused her stomach to jump into her chest. She turned and stared at truck that was a few feet from her – getting closer and closer without showing any sign of stopping.

But…it was trying to stop, wasn't it? Why wouldn't it try to stop?

Rukia tried to make sense of it – she tried to make her brain work past the haze of confusion that he descended on her. Wait. Her mind reeled – shouldn't she be afraid? She was about to be run over!

It hit her then. Ah. Bad choice of words Rukia thought to herself, before she was drowning in her own fear.

Chills ran down her back, and she took a step back. A veil of heavy, dark ice wrapped around her and pinned her to the asphalt - when the hell did transport trucks get so freaking big? And...when did she get so small? She hoped that she didn't suffer - dying immediately would be nice...wait.

What was she thinking? Move out of the way idiot! Her brain screamed at her, so loud that she could hear it over the screeching of the tires - so loud that it almost seemed like someone was screaming it in her ears. Then, she was hit hard by something from the side - knocking her forward, out of breath and dragged her across the street. Was she hit by another car? It sure felt like it...but, then she felt arms around her and looked up to see bright orange hair.

Oh. Someone had been screaming at her.

The truck blared behind them, angry yelling coming from the drivers side as he passed, but Rukia was too busy staring at Ichigo, and then at the stop she had been standing. And then back at Ichigo.

"What's wrong with you?" He held her by her shoulders, towering over her, "You almost got yourself killed! Jeez you're one annoying midget!" He pushed her forward, making her continue walking, while grumbling to himself, "Why are you so troublesome?" His other hand was stuffed into his pocket, and Rukia was still bewildered, her brain still trying to catch up.

"Ichigo..."

He rolled his eyes, ignoring her stare, "Just be more careful, midget. It's hard for drivers to see you, ya know."

She should have hit him for saying that, but with the shock from almost being killed and all, hitting him slipped her mind. She walked beside him, stiffly, before she finally calmed down enough to realize that she had bit her tongue when he knocked her out of the way. Oh well, it could have been worse. She peeked a few side glances at Ichigo, who was still scowling in front of them. How had he...?

Bah. Rukia shook her head. She didn't need to know that right now. What she needed to think about was that, as much as she really hated to admit it, Ichigo was the only person she would ever be able to stand. Who else would appear out of nowhere and save her when she wasn't paying attention? Not that it happened often, or that she needed saving but...it was nice, knowing that she had someone looking out for her. Maybe she should rethink the whole dating thing. After all, dating other boys was taking away her time with Ichigo, and...well, he obviously cared enough for her to save her from being road kill. Maybe he liked her more than she thought.

The were crossing another street when he grabbed her hand, a display that almost seemed desperate to her. But, Ichigo was never desperate.

He looked at her for a moment, before looking away quickly and answering her confused gaze. "I'm not gonna let you get run over, air-head. If I did, who would I hang out with? If it means holding your hand when you cross the street to keep you around, I guess it's what I gotta do."

Rukia was shocked, but didn't let it stop her from walking. He didn't even look around to make sure that no one was watching. How odd. Well, Rukia supposed that he really did care more then she thought. And that gave her heart the little push it needed to get into happiness.

"Huh," Rukia looked at the clear blue sky above them, realizing something just before they reached her house.

Ichigo gave her a hard look, before turning his head upwards as well, despite his irritation, "What?" he asked gruffly.

"Nothing..." She shook her head, looking back at him, a warm smile on her face, "It just... didn't rain today."

End Chapter Four