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Chapter Eight: Curse of a Conscience
Rukia has a quick temper but she has a hard time holding grudges. She'd spent the night crying until her pillow resembled a mural with the smeared mascara and the lipstick soaked through its case. She eventually fell asleep from exhaustion and when she woke up this morning, she had a completely different perspective.
Try as she might, she just couldn't stay angry, especially since Rukia realized that her anger was mostly unsubstantiated. Ichigo was crystal clear when he told her that he expected to be able to pursue his own personal affairs even when they were married. It was written in plain text in black ink on the contract she signed. She couldn't really dispute that.
Also, Rukia never once considered that Ichigo's heart may have already belonged to someone else and that when Isshin decreed this marriage between them, he had to give that up and hurt the woman he loved. What if Rukia was the third party? The force that will tear their love apart? The reason for his pain and heartbreak? The reason for her misery?
Meeting Ichigo the first time, she couldn't imagine him being so passionately in love with a woman. Having spent time with him in the past week and a half, she had a harder time imagining him not being loving, sweet and generous to the woman who captured his heart. Even if that woman is Riruka Dokugamine beautiful, sophisticated, rich and perfect in every way to become Mrs. Kurosaki. The kind of wife Ichigo would be proud of.
So Rukia decided that despite the emotional beating her heart took the night before, she wasn't going to hold it against him. He would marry her and continue on with Riruka until he could officially be with her once they divorced. He'd been good to her mostly and this was the least she could do for him.
Having given Inoue and Ikkaku the day off, she went to most of her appointments for the day all by herself, canceling those that weren't important. Amazingly, no one checked up on her. For a moment, it felt like she had her old life back.
After lunch at Urahara's, Rukia walked around the park where she met up with the reporters for a chat. If anyone noticed her slightly despondent mood, no one mentioned it. Since the media hadn't been allowed inside the party and most of them had left by the time Ichigo and she went their separate ways, none of them really knew what had happened.
One reporter asked if she had met Riruka and although her insides had turned into ice at that question, she managed a merry smile and said that she didn't get a chance to be introduced to her even though she'd been at the party.
It wasn't until late afternoon that Rukia took a cab to Isshin's house to visit him.
"Well, this is interesting," Isshin said after he studied her for a long moment while nibbled on a scone. He wore an expression he would usually only have when deliberating a very serious business decision. She wasn't sure why he would look like that considering they've only sat down for ten minutes since she arrived. A ghost of a smile suddenly hovered on his lips as he rubbed his chin. "I'm struck with a sense of deja vu. I found myself having a very similar conversation with my son last night except it was half past midnight and over brandy. He said as much as you have since you got here which isn't very much at all."
She frowned, straightening up. "I'm not sure what you're getting at, Dad."
"Did something happen last night, Rukia-chan?" he asked, gazing directly at her. "Ichigo looked like he swallowed a handful of nails and you look like you're having the worst toothache."
- Well. There's nonchalance out the window. Isshin is apparently omniscient.
"It's nothing serious," Rukia reluctantly conceded, being as vague about it as possible. "Just a little tiff. It'll blow over in a few days."
He raised a brow at her, unconvinced. "The two of you are getting married in a few days."
"Yes, well, no one said the journey to the altar would be smooth one," she said sulkily before she sighed. "Alright. What did he say?"
"Ah, Rukia-chan," he said with a smile. "For your marriage to work, you're going to have to talk and work it out together. You don't want your in-laws to meddle."
She raised her brow back at him. "Oh, really? I say the only in-law left around in this marriage is already meddling."
- Like demanding his son to marry a diner waitress when he was already in love with the perfect woman.
He chuckled. "I'm only here to make sure you're both happy with the choice you're making."
- What choice? The reason we're doing this is because we have no choice!
"Tell me something, Dad," she started, picking at the scone on her plate. "If it had been someone else, a different girl, would you be as supportive of Ichigo marrying? Would you welcome her as much as you welcomed me? Treat her like she's your own daughter like you treat me?"
His eyes narrowed for a second in thought and she worried that she'd given herself away with that question. But she couldn't take it back now and she didn't want to.
"I wouldn't be a hypocrite and say yes when I know I wouldn't," he answered slowly. "If she was a good person and genuinely cared for my son, I'll be more open-minded. When you're a rich, successful man though, affection can be easily bought and I don't want that for Ichigo.''
Rukia felt sick and she quickly looked down into her cup, unable to meet Isshin's eyes.
- You certainly won't want me for him then. My affection was bought at a million price tag.
"Rukia-chan..."
Rukia forced herself to look up when Isshin's voice trailed off. He was looking at her with a pensive expression, his eyes kind. "It doesn't require a perfect woman to make my son happy. He just requires the woman perfect for him."
Her face crumpled but she fought the tears like crazy. "How do you know I'm perfect for him?"
He smiled. "I don't. I'm just hoping you are."
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
"I'm not... as great as you th-think I am," she said between soft gasps, taking the handkerchief Isshin handed her which only made her feel worse so she cried even harder. "I don't... I don't even know... where t-to start. Being the k-kind of w-wife you want me to be, for h-him."
"You don't have to be any kind of wife, Rukia-chan," Isshin said, leaning forward and rubbing her shoulder soothingly. "You just have to be yourself."
"As if that's enough!" Rukia exclaimed with a moronic laugh choked with tears. "I'm dirt-poor. I haven't stepped into college. I'm barely a decent artist. The only thing I know about business I learned from Urahara and that's not recommending me a lot. And I often say the wrong thing. How could I possibly be right for this? How?!"
"Dad, what's going on here?"
Rukia whipped around, her tears surging back to her throat when she saw Ichigo standing behind them, a dark scowl on his face. She quickly turned away and bit back a groan as she wiped her face down with the handkerchief.
"dammit,"She muttered, glancing away when Ichigo came to stand beside her chair. "What are you doing here anyway? Did you know I was here?"
"Just because Ikkaku is off-duty doesn't mean I'll let you run around the city unprotected," he answered impatiently. "Now, tell me why you're crying?"
She refused to say anything else.
"Why is she crying, Dad?" Ichigo asked, his tone sharp with irritation.
Isshin sighed. "You're going to have to find out yourself, son."
"Rukia," Ichigo began with a near growl as he sat on the chair next to her and touched her elbow to try to move the hand covering her face away. " Why are you crying?
"I am not crying!" Rukia snapped, moving her arm away from his touch. She finally returned her gaze to him and regretted it because even though he had shadows under his eyes and his jaw was rough with a day-old stubble, he looked strikingly handsome.
"You are crying," he replied gently, gesturing to the damp handkerchief she was clutching in her hand.
"Fine! I'm crying," She retorted waspishly.
"Why?" he pressed.
"I'm crying because... I'm crying because I have my period!"
- Great, Rukia. That's just great. Now he'll think you're a bigger moron.
Ichigo's brows shot up and Isshin just chuckled before giving her an apologetic look. Rukia tossed the handkerchief down on the table and rose to her feet. "Thanks for the tea, Dad, but I've got to get going."
"Alright. See you around, Rukia-chan."
"Rukia, wait - "
"Ichigo, son. Wait a sec."
Rukia strode out of the gazebo so fast. She turned and Ichigo talking to his father and watched the She should really run now but she stayed rooted in her spot, waiting as he slowly walked toward her.
"Rukia." His voice was decidedly gentler and lower now.
She raised a brow. "What? You're not screaming at me anymore? 'Coz I haven't completely lost my hearing yet, if that was your goal."
His jaw clenched. "I had to promise my father I wouldn't or he wouldn't have left us alone. Are you this talented at winning all the boys over? First my Dad, then Grimmjow."
The resentment in his voice wasn't lost on her especially with the added emphasis on his best friend's name.
"You begrudge me the kind treatment that men like your father or your best friend give me?" Rukia demanded. "Where do you come off staining something completely innocent and making me out as some kind of attention slut or worse, when you're probably fresh out Riruka's satin-covered bed?"
- That shouldn't have come out.
His hazel eyes glinted for a second as he stiffened, his nostrils flaring. "So this is about her."
Rukia scoffed and threw her hands in the air. "No, not at all, actually. It's about me and my completely idiotic tendency to hope that you were gentleman enough not to insult me like you did last night. I get it that people will make me a pariah for thinking myself capable of becoming Mrs. Kurosaki but I just didn't think it would come from you. At least not after... not after you've been nice to me in the past week and a half." His expression became darker and he opened his mouth to say something but she held her hand up, too carried away now to stop. "It's not really your fault, I just have this annoying habit to warm up to people after they've been good to me. I shouldn't have done that with you considering the cold, callous nature of our arrangement. Besides, you probably really hate me for getting you into this mess even though I had no idea what your Dad had done at first. You could've been happy with Riruka, living your perfect lives, yet here you are stuck trying to reform me so I could be acceptable enough as your wife. I totally understand now why you were so furious about it the first time you told me Isshin's crazy idea. It wasn't just his ultimatum. It was giving what you could've had with the woman you love to a random girl your father picked out. Totally get it."
"While I'm impressed at the amount of imagination you've put into spinning this movie-worthy, doomed love affair I have with Riruka, I'll ask you to stay out of it," he bit out, his tone hard and cold. "Regardless of our intimate relationship, she's a good friend of mine and it was only polite that I invited her to last night's party. I just didn't think she'd show up considering how badly she took the news of our engagement. I thought I would do my best to repair our friendship at the very least last night by not completely abandoning her to the gossiping crowd who were mocking her for having been dumped for a diner girl."
She forced a smile on her face, her lips quivering with the effort. "Well, I hope she's feeling better. I can totally sympathize, you know, having been mocked myself last night for having my fiance flaunt his lover right in my face during our engagement party. "
That's when his face lost color. A strange look flickered in his eyes before he groaned and closed them briefly. He finally understood.
He took a step forward, reaching for her. "Rukia. I didn't mean it like that..."
She snorted, moving away from him. "Of course, you didn't. You were too busy patching up with your lover to notice anyone else's pain. That's alright, Ichigo. Despite my waterworks earlier, I'm actually pretty tough about it. I've had years of practice of being taken for granted, having the band-aid ripped away over and over again from the same damned bleeding wound each time."
Ichigo's expression now looked thunderous. "I am not your goddamned father!"
"Of course, not!" Rukia retorted in disgust. "See, I had no better expectations of my father. I knew what he was and accepted it. You, on the other hand, are a complete contradiction sometimes that I forget exactly what it is that you want from me. But don't worry, I learn hard lessons fairly quickly and trust me, you wouldn't have to deal with my hurt feelings like this ever again because I'll turn them off for you! I'll be your perfect robot of a wife and see to my duties until I'm relieved of them in a year."
She haven't gone far when a hand gripped her arm and yanked her around, slamming her against Ichigo's solid wall of a chest. Startled, she blinked and opened her mouth to protest but the afternoon sunshine was suddenly eclipsed from her view when Ichigo's head came down, his lips catching hers in an almost bruising kiss.
Her toes literally curled as they lifted off the ground when Ichigo hoisted her up against him, not once freeing her from the kiss he was using so determinedly to assault her every conscious thought. Heat was shooting through Rukia's limbs that came to life on their own, clutching her body to Ichigo as she gave herself up to his kiss. Then to her utter despair, he roughly tore his mouth away from hers, only an inch or two that she could totally go for it again, but he started to say something through ragged breaths.
"I'm not sleeping with Riruka," he said.
"What?" Her voice came out a pathetic, breathless whisper.
"I'm not sleeping with Riruka," he repeated, settling her back down on her feet but not releasing her from his hold. "I haven't. Not since... Not since brunch, with my family.'
Clearly, he had been sleeping with her before that brunch. His statement made that distinction. "Why not?" She asked dumbly.
He gave me an are-you-serious look. "Because it didn't feel right then when I just declared to the world that I was marrying you. I'm not that callous, you know, despite appearances."
Her eyes narrowed. "But you had every intention to carry on with her after we were married."
Ichigo's jaw tightened. "I haven't really thought that far ahead to be perfectly honest. I didn't want to take away that option when we made the contract but I didn't make a conscious attempt to fulfill that task right away."
That confession didn't really make her feel that much better.
"Why? Were you too busy sampling your future wife?" Rukia retorted nastily. "After all, you're paying me a million. You might as well get your money's worth."
His arms instantly tightened around her and she felt the unmistakable press of his interest against her stomach. There was heat in his eyes as he watched her swallow hard at the realization that he was indeed attracted to her in that way.
"While I would love to pick up that gauntlet you threw down and have my way with you over and over again, Rukia, I'm not going to do it with you holding that money over our heads and making yourself feel like a whore," he said, releasing her abruptly and turning away.
She bit her lip and chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Why not? I'm already one. Your father said he wanted for you a woman who would genuinely care for you. whose affection couldn't be bought. He's clearly wrong about me in that regard."
He glanced at her. "I suspect my father knows exactly what he's doing, Rukia. His reasons aren't for you to worry about. You're giving up a year of your life to fulfill this ridiculous ultimatum he gave me and compensating you for it is the least I can do."
"Whatever makes you sleep at night, Ichigo," Rukia said with a humorless laugh. "If he wanted me to help you or something, he could've just asked. I would've done it for him. There was no need for such a covert operation."
He raised a brow wryly. "Right. Like if he asked you to take up with me and marry me, you would. We both know you hated my guts since the moment you met me."
"If you'd been nice and asked me to dinner, I might have said yes," She grumbled sullenly, rolling her eyes. "You could've asked me to get cheeseburgers and fries and I wouldn't have put up an argument."
At the mention of cheeseburgers and fries, Ichigo's face twisted into a scowl and she mentally slapped herself.
"Are you sure about that?" he asked testily. "Because I distinctly remember you slamming the door on my face last night when I brought you cheeseburgers and fries."
Her lips tightened into a thin line. "Yes, well, I'd already eaten. There was nothing special about ordering drive-thru food. I needed it and Grimmjow was there to accompany me. End of story."
His face flushed with anger. "Don't lie, Rukia. You know it meant something so don't claim otherwise. It was our thing and you went and did it with Grimmjow."
Her mouth dropped open in incredulity. "Our thing? Marriage is our thing but you're given special privilege to go off and do your marital duties with someone else. All I did was get fast food with a guy. Get off your high horse."
Her momentum faltered when Ichigo didn't say anything for what felt like eternity. He just kept looking at her, deep in thought, his eyes inscrutable. Rukia started to fidget.
"Is that what you want?" he finally said. "Do you want us to exercise our marital duties? To make our marriage real and exclusive for the duration of it? 'Coz I can do that. I want to do that."
There must've been a mini-earthquake that happened in that space of a few seconds when Ichigo's words sank in because she nearly lost balance and toppled over.
She blinked, backing away a step when he started walking toward her. "Wait, what? You said you're not interested in that."
A corner of his mouth curled up. "You know that's not true, regardless of what I said in the beginning. Besides, can't a guy change his mind? I want you to be a real wife to me in the year we're married."
Her mouth was still hanging open. She couldn't form words.
"Besides, it will solve this problem we have," he said softly, coming up to touch her cheek with the back of his hand. Shel couldn't turn away to save her life. "You won't ever be put in a position where my fidelity to you is questioned and I get to hold you and make love to you every night that I'll never have to look anywhere else."
Her temper flared back in full force and she took another step back from him. Something in her expression must've stopped him because he went no further.
"Right. Because why go through all the trouble of availing yourself of other women when your wife is conveniently available for you to use? You're quite a practical man, Ichigo Kurosaki. And quite romantic. You just know how to make a girl feel special."
"Rukia, calm down," he said with an exasperated sigh which only angered her more.
"I'm perfectly calm, Ichigo," she hissed just as her hands balled into fists. "In fact, I'm so perfectly calm and logical that I can say this. I will be your bride in name only and that's it. You will no longer touch me or kiss me or be affectionate to me unless it's absolutely necessary for show. That way, I don't get all these mixed signals and you don't get too interested in getting into my pants. The more distance we put between each other, the clearer the lines remain."
She could see a muscle ticking on Ichigo temple which indicated his frustration. It wasn't until she saw the flash of steel in his eyes that she realized he was also very, very angry.
"As you wish."
Saying nothing else after that, he walked past her and disappeared around the house.
It didn't take long for her to realize that getting what she wished for wasn't the same thing as becoming happy, not when your happiness was the one person you wished would stay far away from you.
.
.
"Grimm, I love you forever and ever."
He smiled and rolled his eyes at her just as she stole a couple more gummy bears from the small pack he'd snuck into the wedding rehearsal two days later.
Rukia still wasn't happy with Ichigo since their fight at his father's house but she was determined to fulfill her role as the perfect wife diligently doing her duties, including bearing the rehearsal with him with civility and a smile on her face. She was sure that the people close to them like Isshin and Grimmjow wouldn't miss the strain between them but Isshin was very subdued while Grimmjow did his best to keep her company and lighten up her mood. Hence, the gummy bears.
"Do you love me enough to ditch this fancy wedding and run away with me?" Grimmjow asked with a mock-serious expression on his face.
She choked on the candy and he gently clapped her back.
"Don't blurt that out to random girls, Grimm," She said with a laugh. "Someone might actually take you up on it."
He grinned. "I only ask it from girls I actually want answers from."
"Did you get a yes each time?" She asked, playing along and popping another gummy bear into her mouth.
He shrugged. "I don't know. You're the only one and you haven't given me an answer yet."
Warmth crept on her cheeks and she was about to respond when someone cleared their throat loudly behind them. Ichigo was standing there without expression, barely acknowledging his friend. Rukia tensed up.
They had been given a fifteen-minute break and Grimmjow plied her with gummy bears. Not too long ago, she saw Ichigo taking a phone call and pacing away at the front steps of the chapel.
"Hey, what's up?" She asked gamely, giving him a slight smile.
"I have a small crisis to avert at work and I need to get going now," he said, his expression remorseful. "Can we come back another time so you can take your photos?"
She bit her lip, torn. "Sure. We can go now if you'd like."
"I can drive her back home," Grimmjow said. "She can stay behind and take pictures and I'll stay with her and make sure she gets back okay."
Ichigo swivelled his gaze to his best friend. "Do I trust you?"
Grimmjow gave him a cocky smile. "With everything else but her. But you know I'd never harm her."
"But you're going to try to steal her from me," Ichigo said with a scowl.
"You can bet your life on it," Grimmjow confirmed, showing no sign of wavering under Ichigo's near-murderous glare. "I normally wouldn't compete except that I have a strong suspicion I can make her happier and she has to know that before she walks down the aisle with you."
Rukia rolled her eyes in disbelief at the sheer lunacy of their conversation. She held up her hands and wedged herself between them. "Alright, alpha males. Let's stop talking about me like I'm not here or like I'm some toy you guys are fighting about."
Ichigo's nostrils flared, his gaze never leaving Grimmjow who was shooting him the same look of challenge. "I'll stay."
"Ichigo, no." She protested, turning to face him. "If you're needed at work, go. I'll stay and Grimmjow can drive me home. You have my promise that my virtue will remain intact."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, babe," Grimmjow said casually and she suspected it was more so intended to rile up Ichigo rather than actually warn her.
Nevertheless, she turned to the man and smacked him in the chest, which was as hard as a tree trunk but she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from letting out a loud ouch. "Behave yourself. I will not be subjected to yours and Ichigo's pissing match. If you don't stop teasing, I won't stay here with you."
He clutched a hand to his heart in feigned hurt. "Rukia, why do you ask me these impossible things?"
She laughed and shook her head at him before grabbing Ichigo by the wrist and pulling him aside. "I'm really going to be okay. Just go. Don't worry about Grimm. He's harmless."
Ichigo raised a brow. "I remember a conversation with him a few nights ago telling him the same thing about Riruka. That didn't hold much weight to him, did it?"
She rolled her eyes in irritation. "It might have something to do with the fact that you were already sleeping with her before. Grimmjow and I are as non-sexual as a pair of tombstones, really."
Ichigo grinned despite himself. "You just have no idea of what you're capable of, do you?"
"Many things, I assume, But I don't sit around and tally up all my awesome attributes. They come up when I need them. I try not to shove them in people's faces like a second nose."
He laughed. "Alright, I'll leave. But should Grimmjow do anything stupid, I'm on your speed-dial."
Rukia gave him an impatient sigh. "Yes. On number twelve, I believe. Oh, wait, there's no button for that. You must be the one on six labeled nagging mother."
"Smart midget" he said as he tapped a finger on her nose and turned toward the door. "I'll see you later, Rukia." Then to Grimmjow who stood a few feet away from them patiently waiting, he said, "Hey, Grimm. Remember second grade when I broke all your fingers? Yeah? Just keep thinking about that."
"Sure, barbarian," Grimmjow called back out with a grin. "I remember when I kicked you in the balls right after that. Did Rukia want babies? 'Coz I'm pretty sure I caused you permanent damage."
She elbowed Grimmjow in the stomach. "Boys, take it down a notch, will you? I don't want to suddenly get struck by lightning here with all your filthy talk."
"Just remember, Grimm," was Ichigo's parting shot before he jogged down the front steps of the chapel and into his waiting car.
Twenty minutes later, she and Grimmjow were sitting on one of the sturdier low branches of a white oak tree, sharing a lone bottle of water they dug up in the backseat of his Range Rover and a chocolate bar.
"Are you excited about the wedding?" he asked, passing her the chocolate bar for her turn at a bite.
She shrugged. "Isn't every girl?"
He gave her a meaningful look. "I think we've established since the night we met that you're not like any girl. Despite everything, Ichigo's a good guy, once he's let you in. But most of the time he'll be stubborn and difficult. He's not the most sensitive person either. But he'll always have your back and he's relentless when it comes to someone he cares about."
"Are you trying to convince me to marry Ichigo, Grimm?" Rukia asked teasingly. "'Coz I can assure you, I'm already doing that."
A strange emotion flickered in Grimmjow's bright blue eyes. "I can hardly miss that fact. Ichigo's a smart guy. He found you and snatched you up before you could slip through his hands."
"You give me way too much credit. Has it ever occured to you that I was the one who didn't want him to slip through my hands?"
"Actually, it didn't because although Ichigo's a great catch, I think you can have any man you want, Rukia," he said, taking a bite before giving her the last piece, a smile on his face. "The only reason you're marrying Ichigo is because you love him."
A strange pounding started in her chest at Grimm's last statement.
- No. I couldn't possibly love Ichigo. It would devastate me.
"You do love him, don't you?" He prompted and she realized she haven't said anything in the last few minutes.
She put a bright smile on for him. "You're really asking me that? If you were a girl, you wouldn't need to. You'd be so in love with him yourself it would be ridiculous to imagine an alternate reality."
Grimmjow sighed and shifted on the branch to face her fully. "You're right. Any girl would fall for his good looks, wealth and status. Having known Ichigo most of my life, that's hardly news. That's the same reason he's managed to avoid marrying any of those women, because that was all they loved. I doubt you're prone to the same influences."
"Of course I am," She told him airily, tossing her hair back for an added effect. "I love a rich, hot guy as much as the next girl."
Grimm laughed and tossed her a piece of bark he'd scraped up from the trunk. "Be serious. What do you love the most about Kurosaki?"
Rukia pursed her lips, wondering how to get away from this particular topic.
"I love that he rescued me from the douchebag harrassing me at Urahara's," She started, feeling encouraged when Grimm's eyes lit up with interest. "I love that he randomly grabs my hand for a squeeze in reassurance. I love that he's actually funny when he's not being his usual self. I love that he has a good relationship with his Dad even if they clash sometimes given their very similar domineering personalities. I love that he makes me feel beautiful just by the way he looks at me sometimes, hence I can see how affected he is by me. I love that even though he thinks I'm a little crazy, he doesn't really do much to change that about me, even when he'd be so much better off with me as the perfect lady."
Rukia finally stopped when she realized she was rambling and glanced at Grimmjow in embarrassment.
He was just smiling.
"Well, you did ask me," She said with a roll of her eyes, tossing him the balled up wrapper of the chocolate bar. He caught it easily before the wind could.
"I did and I'm not sure whether I'm relieved or regretting that I did," he answered with a loud sigh. "I'm happy that you see a lot more in Ichigo than other women do but I'm crushed that I'll have a much harder time convincing you to leave him for me."
She burst out laughing. "Stop it. At some point I'll believe you and that'll just be weird."
He grinned and put his hand over hers briefly. "Think of it as an open invitation. Anytime he does something as stupid as break your heart, I'll be there."
When she realized that he could be serious, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Is it because you truly care or are you just competitive with Ichigo?"
"I don't compete with him, especially not over women," He protested with an oh-please look on his face. "We don't even like the same type."
She arched a brow at him. "Oh, yeah? Then why do you like me?"
Grimmjow pressed his lips together as if debating what he was about to say next. "You're not really Ichigo's type which I realized the moment I saw you. You didn't stand so primly or poise the smile on your face to be a specific size and look, or only laugh up to a certain octave. You were tapping one foot impatiently as if you'd rather be somewhere, grinned and laughed without holding anything back. It was at that moment that I worried whether my friend had finally found the right woman who was nothing like the others he dabbled with before or he had frontal lobotomy."
Rukia flushed but smiled. "I think there was a compliment in there somewhere."
He grinned. "It's all of it. You just have to realize, Rukia, that there's absolutely nothing wrong in being who you are even if it doesn't quite fit the mold. You have to stop second-guessing your worth just because you're uncomfortable with the change."
"Thanks, Grimmjow," She told him, putting her other hand on top of his which was already covering her other one. "I know exactly what you mean but it's nice to be reminded sometimes."
He nodded and patted her shoulder. "Good. Now, come on and let's get you home before Ichigo sends out a search party."
me: For some reason, this chapter didn't show up even after I posted it this morning. Thank you Amethysthazel for telling me. We needed this chapter to show how their motives have changed before the wedding happens. Sorry for the less IchiRukiness.
Again, thank you to all of those who have been reading and reviewing. Sorry no replies for today, I have an important meeting to attend to, and just re-uploaded this chap in a rush. :) We really appreciate your feedbacks. It helps to know if people are excited about the story. It makes me want to tell you what happens next as soon as possible. = )