A/N: Srry for the late update. Am busy, was not motivated and pissed at my brother like normal old times.

Oh, and I saw the anime movie- 5 Centimeters Per Second..it's really sweet..one of the very few sappy angsty movies I actually liked.

Thankyou for the review, Miku Alli :)

Returning

9th January, 2011

A Lot of things happened today. First of all, me and Ichigo got t up early so we could leave for home. Yuzu is much, much better now, and is getting better still.

"Bye, and thankyou for returning home, son." Isshins said, in one of his normal states, as he hugged Ichigo, then hugged me and whispered in my ear "And as for you, Rukia-chan, Ichigo's head over heels for you so don't mind all that crap he says." I went red.

Yuzu smiled at me.

"Take care" she said. I smiled and hugged her.

Then Karin casually sid bye, bbut finally got overwhelmed by emotion and hugged both me and Ichigo.

They gave us our Christmas presents (I don't know why, but I guess they really did think I owed him and all because I was presented too- with a digital camera, soccer ball and a chappy plush toy!) and we got into my BMW and Ichigo started to drive.

It was quiet for sometime, then Ichigo said quietly "Thankyou, Rukia. I owe you so much."

I smiled looking out the window "It's Ok. That's what a girlfriend is there for."

He looked at me, amber eyes wide "Girl…friend.?"

I smiled at his face. He looked amazed, it made me have a fluttering feeling inside my stomach.

He smiled, then looked in front of him, with a sad expression "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You ought to know everything, Rukia. I just picked you up from the street, demanded to have your car and got you here, If it was anyone else, they would've thought I was crazy" he laughed.

"I've met crazier" I admitted. Finally, he was about to tell me something!

"My mum…I loved her. She was the one who always listened to me. My Dad once told me that I was named Ichigo so that I could protect the one person I loved. In that case, I thought, I wanted to protect my -" he choked a little "-she died when I was nine. In a car accident..saving me.."

That's why he had freaked out when he heard of the accident. I mean, he would be anyway if someone told him his sister was on her deathbed. But maybe he was getting paranoid..I would be. What if what had happened to his mom would happen to him? I couldn't help having this sinking feeling…I had guessed it, but I didn't want Masaki Kurosaki to be dead. "It was my fault"

"Stop being stupid." I said

"No, it was mine. I shouldn't have…I just ran out on the road and she shielded me….Rukia, I couldn't save her.." he looked at me with blank eyes "I…couldn't .Nobody blamed me, but I couldn't shake off that feeling inside me. I started being locked up in my room, and having short conversations and snapping angrily at everyone. I hid myself away, Rukia. I got scared.."

That's how I feel. I don't even belong in Nii-sama's life. I felt like such a burden, even if he never said I was. And no one could persuade me out of it because it was all in my head.

"Then, when I was 14, Yuzu had another accident when I was with her. I pushed her away at t he last time…but I had the feeling that I wasn't able to protect her. I had let her come in danger. It was my fault, and I felt like I wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to them again because of me, so I ran away.. I had my own mobile till then, so Dad kept on calling me. He even tracked me down and sent me cash every month, but I never contacted him."

"You ran away?" I stared at him. He was such an IDIOT " Are you mental? You think you're the only one suffering? You never imagined what your family went through?"

"Dad and I had a fight. He said I was being stupid, but I told him he didn't understand.

Ever since then I've been living far away from them and going to Karakura High. Recently when I moved next to you, he got to know of my address somehow. I think it was Toshirou who told him."

"Hitsugaya?" I looked at him surprised.

He nodded "We used to be friends, until he moved to live here. When I ran away, I went off to his house. I think he contacted my Dad,"

"I'm- I'm really sorry.." I said. He shook his head and concentrated on driving. We were not in any hurry like last time, so we had started at around noon, but stopped at a café for a lunch and were going slowly.

"What happened to your sister?" he asked quietly.

I looked out at the window. It had started snowing "She was diagnosed with cancer last year.. Nothing worked..she was given 6 months..b-but..she passed away on 7th July, only 4 months afterwards.."

I felt it okay to cry in front of him, when I had never done so before in front of Renji.

He was about to hold my hand and reached out when my phone rang. Ichigo went back to driving bitterly while I fumbled with the press button.

Urahara's voice filled my ears when I picked up.

"Rukia- you got- you got another letter from Byakuya!"

I shot up from my seat and hit my head on the roof of the car. Ichigo jerked me down irritably and lip-moved the words "Who is it?"

I put my mobile on speaker so he could hear and asked "What did he say?"

"I'm sorry I read it when it's addressed only to you-"
"It's okay!" I cried "Just tell me!" I might be angry with Nii-sama, but getting a second letter from him within a month when he had not contacted me for 6 months.

"He says he's coming back!" Urahara replied.

I almost dropped the phone.

"Wh-what?"

"He says he's coming back on the 12th from the evening flight! He wants to be there for your birthday!"
I was in tears again but happy ones. He had cared. It sounds stupid of me but I had wanted him to love me like his own sister even when I never believed he ever would.

But it was true. He was coming back. I cut the phone after talking for some more time, and then both me and Ichigo laughed, and kept on laughing till we almost ran into a truck on the highway.

Then we returned and toasted to Yuzu and Nii-sama coming back. Only we didn't have any alcohol because apparently Ichigos' sworn he wouldn't have any after that accident when I came over to his place and put him to sleep. I don't regret it though, except having to see him with his pants off, which I would give anything to forget, unlike many other girls. We became friends from then on, and I can never forget or want to forget that.

Now, I'm his girlfriend. I think so, at least.

Whoa, I can't believe it. I saw that Urahara had stuck Byakuya's letter on my front door with duct tape.

I opened it and read it along with Ichigo-

Dear Rukia,

6 months I haven't seen you. It's been a wonderful experience here with the Shamans, but now I suppose it's time I came back to you. We all miss Hisana beyond our wildest imagination. These tribes have made me realize how much I need to be with you. Can you forgive me?

There are wonderful flowers here at the Netherlands- as far the eye could see! Most of all are the cherry blossoms, that remind me so much of the two women I treasure most in my life.

I will come here with you some day, you will not regret it.
Your birthday is coming up, and I have a lot to do here, but I would never miss it for the world. There is no point in wanting to make my arrivaI a surprise- I have forgotten the roads of Karakura, and I want you to be the first person I see when I come to the airport, I hope you will be waiting for me.

I land in Karakura Airport on the 12th of January on Flight no.268 at 5 o' clock.

Hope to see you there,

With love,

Byakuya

I had to cry and Ichigo laughed at me and I hit him. The next thing we knew, we were laughing so hard our stomach was aching.

I have never laughed so much in my life.

He wanted to make dinner but with my past experience with the Kurosaki's I decided it'd be better if it was me.

"What the heck-" he said, pushed me down on the couch and ordered some takeout. He struggled to hold me still while he paid for the stuff because I wanted to pay for my share. Idiot strawberry!

So after eating, we watched some sci-fi crap he liked. To get back at him, after that movie was done (at around eleven in the night) I put this high school romance movie- sappy and mushy stuff I know he hates- and I hate too. But, you know, just to get back at him.

It was worth watching him trying to snore and shaking him awake everytime he dozed off and watching that completely pissed expression he had.

Anyway, I told him I didn't like it either once it was over and he yelled "So you made me watch that 3-hour crap for NOTHING!"

Geez, how can he even start to think I'll ever like stuff like that? But as I said, it was worth it and I pushed him out of my door, laughing.

….Pissing him off makes me so happy.

A/N: There you go. Byakuya seemed a little OOC here, but he's supposed to have been spiritually awakened or something like that- how do you expect him to act?

So long. I'll update quickly if I want to or am encouraged *hint* *hint*

Review, people!

Thanks for reading :)

~SS~