A/N: Okay, so this chapter is much longer than the others, guess it makes up for the lack of updates. Let's see other songs that go with this, Clin Mansell: Together we will live forever, Manna ft Ville Valo: Just for Tonight, Good Charlotte: A ghost of you...
Well, enjoy, and don't forget to let me know what you think!
"Yes, but you, you never change, you're so short, are you ever going to grow up?" Rukia grew furious at his words and turned away from him annoyed.
"Well you're still the scared little-" she gasped when she felt him wrap his arms around her from behind; he buried his nose in her hair, taking in her scent; his bare chest touched her exposed shoulders.
"I'm kidding, you've changed so much it scares me, in a good way. Since you returned… it was different than all the other times," he whispered in her ear, "when I saw you sleeping next to me…it should have been something I'm used to, but I couldn't stop staring at you..." Rukia tried to say something, but whatever incoherent words were about to form in her mouth, came out in a gasp as he brushed his lips on the side of her neck. She could not describe this feeling, it made her anxious, it made her shiver, it scared her, but in a good way.
…
Dawn was breaking, and Ashido sat beside his lovely bride, she was bare beneath the bed sheets, sleeping peacefully as her chest rose and fell with her breathing. He slipped the bed sheets off and ran a hand down from her neck, to the valley between her breasts, and down to her womanhood. He paused there, looking at her throbbing center, it still quivered slightly from their earlier activities.
With his hand, he wiped off the remains of blood, and wiped his semen from her inner thighs. After he was finished, he lowered his face, sprinkling kisses to her core, she moaned in her sleep; he smiled and delved in. Rukia's body trembled, and even though she was asleep, was hit with a severe orgasm; Ashido lapped up her dripping essence, and held her bare body close to him. After a few moments, he let go of her, and covered her with the sheet; he walked over to the window and watched as the sun rose.
A few minutes later, Rukia woke up with an urge to be filled, her sex throbbing madly, she opened her eyes and stretched her body, grinding down on the bed. Her lustful eyes scanned the room. Ashido was standing by the window, his eyes gazing at the sunrise; he was clad in his boxers. He must not have heard her stretch because he looked surprised when Rukia walked over to him, wrapped in the sheets.
"You're awake," he said with wide eyes as his wife approached him. He noticed her walk was different, there was a swing to her hips that was never there before, and her eyes, they were darker, devoid of the sparkling innocence they once held. She looked older, more serene, confident, the old Rukia was much more insecure, and even though he would miss Rukia the child, he was excited about spending the rest of his life with Rukia the woman.
"Good morning Ashido," she said looking up at him.
"Good morning," he said looking at her through piercing blue eyes, they were so intense, and made her shiver with anticipation. She looked to the floor bashfully, and pressed her body against his. She tilted her head up, and gave his neck a gentle kiss.
"You're not sore?"
"A little," she said looking off to the side as her hand crawled up to his bare chest, "but I don't mind-if you want to that is," she said nervously. Ashido startled her by pulling the sheets away from her body and letting them drop to the floor; Rukia blushed a deep red.
"Of course I want to," he whispered hotly in her ear; he carried her over to the bed and placed her on it gently. Rukia became self-conscious when he ran his eyes all over her body; she looked away blushing.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered, lowering his lips down to her neck, and nipping his way down her throat. Rukia massaged his scalp with her fingers, tickling the back of his neck with her fingertips.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you last night," he muttered against her neck as his fingers trailed down to her core, caressing her folds gently.
"But it won't hurt anymore…will it?" She asked, gasping at the sensation.
"I don't know," he said looking into her eyes sincerely.
"Ashido, you're so beautiful, you look like an angel," she said after a moment of looking up at him; she bit his chin and spread light kisses all over his face, his eyelids, then pressed her lips to his. He took this as an opportunity and deepened the kiss. One of his hands came up to cup her breast, while the other ran up and down her side. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he groaned.
"You look different this morning, powerful, manipulating," he said as his lips trailed down to suckle one of her breasts.
"Really?" She moaned out.
"Yes, I'm curious, why don't we try this differentl…" she was confused when Ashido got off of her and sat beside her.
"Ashido?" She asked attempting to hide her disappointment.
"It's your turn to be on top."
"And now, the main attraction of the night, The Masked Angel and Tiger Lily!"
"You ready Schiff?"
"Are you sure about this, what if we get caught."
"Don't be such a baby, come on, like we practiced…"
…
"Ulquiorra, yo, Ulquiorra!"
"What do you want Grimmjow?!"
"You keep on spacing out, I was asking you if you wanna head down to the pool area?"
"We need to remain unseen by the shinigami."
"We'll just hide when they're coming then, come on, let's go out and sun bathe a little huh? What do you say?"
"We are not on vacation."
"Come on, eh?"
"No."
"Good mornin."
"What?" Asked Rukia snapping out of her daydream. She had been sitting by a table outside in the pool area, when she found her mind submerged in a field of flowers.
"Oh, hi, Debra am I correct?" Asked Rukia recognizing her as the woman met in the lobby yesterday.
"Yeah, Mrs. Kano right?"
"Call me Rukia, well, have a seat," said Rukia smiling.
"Rukia, have ya had a good stay? How was our complimentary breakfast?"
"Marvelous," sighed Rukia content as she recalled how great their breakfast was, she and Ashido had eaten fruit off each other's bodies, and had the deepest conversation in the history of their relationship.
"And yo husband?"
"He got a call from work and decided to see what they wanted."
"But on yo honeymoon? He should'a made'em wait."
"Well, our line of work is pretty…important, it comes first, even before our honeymoon," said Rukia laughing sheepishly.
"As long as ya don't mind," said Debra; then Rukia's eyes landed on something Debra held in her hands. It was a beautiful flower, with shades of gold and orange, and black freckles in the center. Seeing her interest in it, Debra handed it to her.
"Wow, I've never seen such an interesting flower before, where did you get it?" Asked Rukia examining it with fascination.
"Ah don't go an' spoil da flower by telling her that. This flower here's a tiger lily, they grow wild where ma grandmotha lives."
"Tiger lilies…they're so beautiful, no question why one would rather be an exotic tiger lily…than a dull depressing anemone," said Rukia thoughtfully.
"Yeah, they are very pretty flowers. Ma grandmotha says all the women in our family are like tiger lilies, strong an' independent…but I'm not so sure bout that," she laughed, "say, would ya like to come see them later."
"Huh?" Asked Rukia surprised.
"You wanna come to ma grandma's house? She's an interesting' woman, an' I think she'd like ya. Besides, we have one heck of a flower garden; looks like the garden of Eden when the sun is settin'."
"Sure, I'd like that," smiled Rukia.
"So, meet ya here round six thirty?"
"Of course."
Ashido returned to the gigai he had left in his room. He had left earlier to scout the area, he sensed the presence of a Hollow, and even though it was only briefly, he thought it best if he checked. Once inside his gigai, he left to the pool area where he promised to meet his bride. He found her sitting by a table with a flower in hand.
"Hey," he said bending down to kiss her on the lips before he took a seat in front of her.
"What did Ichigo want?"
"He wanted to know if I was taking care of you," lied Ashido, he didn't want Rukia worrying about Hollows during their honeymoon, he wanted her to have the time of her life.
"I'll have to give him a proper scolding for interrupting our honeymoon when we get back," smiled Rukia mischievously as she reached over to him and bit his earlobe.
"I think I've created a monster," he smirked when she trailed her lips down to his neck.
"I can't help it, you've woken a side of me I never even knew existed," she said pressing her lips to his; their tongues battled relentlessly before they broke apart due to a group of young girls giggling as they passed them. Rukia blushed, she had never been one to publicly display affection before, but ever since yesterday her body had been acting strange, was this what it was like to be in heat?
"Come on, let's take a walk around town," said Ashido standing up and offering to help her up.
"Mama Luna, I met this nice gal yesterday, and I invited her over," said Debra, she was sitting by a table with her grandmother inside a hut. Even though she was her grandmother, Mama Luna looked surprisingly young, perhaps only in her mid to late thirties. There were grays in her hair, but her face was hardly wrinkled.
"I know darlin', Mama Luna sees everythin'"
"I know I'm not like ya or my motha Mama Luna, but, when I saw that gal, I felt something odd, ya think my sixth-sense is startin' to kick in?"
"Ya always had a sixth sense Debra, an' it's only expected that ya sense such a strong presence, that girl Rukia, she is Anemone," said Mama Luna looking into a large wooden bowl with dark water that was set on top of the table.
"Anemone?! From the story ya told momma and I?! But how's that possible, I thought she died."
"She did, but she was resurrected, killed, born again, then died, and now lives again in the realm of the dead."
"But I thought-"
"I didn't tell ya da whole story, I didn't tell no one the whole story, is too dangerous information for ya to know," said Mama Luna looking into the bowl of dark water somberly.
"Does she know about it?"
"She knows somethins off, but what she know doesn't even begin to touch da tip o the iceberg."
"Are we gonna tell'er?"
"No, we must let it run it's course, we will however, give'er support, she will need it mo than ever tonight," said Mama Luna finally looking up at Debra.
"Why?"
"Because, tonight there is no moon."
Rukia and Ashido were walking along the streets of the small town, there were vendors everywhere, selling all kinds of food, pottery, and jewelry. Rukia and Ashido went inside a jewelry shop, and Rukia found a silver necklace with beautiful gem that caught her attention, its color seemed strange a cross between purple and green.
"What kind of necklace is this?" Asked Rukia tapping her finger on the glass of the display cabinet.
"Oh that there's an authentic Alexandrite gem, cost you bout fifty American dollars," said a young boy from behind the counter; Ashido looked out the door and narrowed his eyes when he felt a slight Hollow presence.
"So cheap, I'll take it, but are you sure you don't want more money for it?" Asked Rukia surprised.
"Is fine really," said the boy; he handed her the necklace.
"Thank you," she said handing him the money; she took the necklace from him, " hey Ashido, can you tie the necklace for me?" Asked Rukia turning to look at him.
"Oh, what?" Asked Ashido snapping out of his daydream.
"You okay."
"Yes, I'm fine," he said clearing his throat ; he took the necklace from her and tied it around her neck; as soon as it was on, Rukia felt dizzy all of a sudden, but it quickly passed before she collapsed; she shut her eyes briefly to regain her composure.
"So what do you think?" Asked Rukia turning to look at Ashido.
"Beautiful," said Ashido sincerely, the gem complimented her pale skin wonderfully.
"Come on, I want to try scuba diving, I heard some of the hotel staff say it's quite the experience," said Rukia pulling him along and out of the shop.
"Well, done," said Grimmjow coming out of the backroom of the shop.
"Why did ya wanna give that lady that necklace? Where'd ya get such an expensive thing?" Asked the boy.
"You aren't supposed to ask, remember, I gave you money to do what I said."
"But don't you think she'll get suspicious?"
"You're asking too many questions."
"See, isn't this better than scuba diving?" Asked Ashido a bit out of breath, they were in their room and he was settled between her legs.
"Well that was kind of fun too, except the part where that jellyfish almost stung me," said Rukia nuzzling her head in the juncture of his shoulder and neck.
"Not all pretty things are gentle Rukia, you need to be more careful," said Ashido placing kisses on her closed eyelids; Rukia wrapped her arms and pressed herself against him, closing every gap between their bare bodies.
"I need to get dressed," said Rukia after a little while, pushing gently on Ashido's chest.
"Why?" he murmured against her neck.
"Because, I promised to meet a friend."
"A friend?" Asked Ashido as he got off of her.
"I spoke to one of the hotel manager's today, and she gave me a beautiful tiger lily; she said they grow wild where her grandmother lives, and I'd like to go see. You can come if you want."
"You go on without me."
"You're letting me go by myself," she pouted as she wrapped her arms around his torso and kissed his chest.
"We have the rest of the week, and it's a little awkward for me being the only man in a group of women."
"You're so mean," she said standing up; she looked at him playfully pretending to be angry at him; Ashido couldn't help but scan his eyes appraisingly along her naked body.
"If you don't leave right now, you're going to spend the entire night in here, with me," his eyes were hooded and dark; it was amazing how much lust emanated from them.
"Fine, but I'm very unhappy with you, just so you know," she said frowning at him slightly before smiling; then she headed to the bathroom to take a much needed bath.
"Oi, you think they'll be out any time soon?" Asked Grimmjow bored; he and Ulquiorra were lurking outside of Rukia's and Ashido's cottage.
"We must carry out the plan without mistakes. I kill the husband, and you keep the woman busy."
"So I can play with her then?" Asked Grimmjow rubbing his hands together, thinking of the possibilities, "it's been a while since I've had a good fuck."
"Kuchiki Rukia will be reluctant to join us after we kill her husband, do not anger her further."
"Fine," sighed Grimmjow disappointed, "but have in mind that I'm only doing this for the cake."
Rukia was dressed in a yellow sundress and had her hair up in a ponytail. When she walked out of the bathroom she found Ashido, dressed in his night pants, and looking out the balcony with a troubled look on his face.
"You okay?" she asked walking over to him.
"Yes, I'm fine," he said attempting to hide his anxiety, but Rukia still saw through him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm fine, go out and enjoy yourself, just, just be careful, okay?" He said trying the keep his tone light, but the worry in his voice was very clear.
"What is this about?"
"Well, you're very clumsy Rukia, I'm trying to look out for your. The jellyfish incident, what was that about?" Said Ashido laughing; Rukia's look of worry softened.
"I can take care of myself, I'm not a child."
"Sometimes I wonder," he laughed; she punched him gently on the arm.
"I'll be back later then," she said; she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. Then she turned away and left out the door.
Ashido walked over to the balcony and looked outside, he couldn't see them, but he knew they were here. They had done a good job concealing their reiatsus, but had purposely shown him a glimpse of their true power, to intimidate him, and from what he'd felt, he gathered that they were very powerful, much more powerful than he was. One of them in particular had been following him around, this unsettled him, but he was relieved that the strongest of the two was following him and not Rukia. Ashido paced around the balcony but then stopped.
"I know you're there ," he said, and slowly, but surely, a pale man in white descended to the balcony from the rooftop.
"Why are you here?"
"To kill you," said Ulquiorra stoically; Ashido seemed distressed as he took this in, but then he laughed.
"So this is what it comes down to then," he said laughing bitterly, "all right, but you will leave Rukia alone, understand?"
"Retrieving Rukia Kuchiki is part of my orders."
"I don't care what your orders are! I will not let you harm Rukia!"
"You will be dead in a matter of minutes; there is nothing you can do about it."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Information concerning my mission is not to be disclosed."
"I'm going to die anyway, so what does it matter if you tell me? Consider it one of my dying wishes, I get three"
"And the other two?"
"Do not harm Rukia, and, when I die, let my spiritual particles scatter freely."
"You will not be putting up a fight then?"
"I never said I wouldn't," said Ashido; he popped a mod soul pill in his mouth and exit his body in shinigami form, "come on, you and I, to the end."
'Goodbye Rukia, and thank you. I die today…the happiest man in the world.'
Rukia didn't know why she felt like this, so uneasy; there was a strange pang in her heart, and she didn't know why it was there. She shook off the feeling when she found Debra waiting for her at the pool area.
"Ya ready?"
"Yes, of course," said Rukia.
"All right there?"
"Yes, I'm fine, just a little tired, Ashido and I went scuba diving today."
"Well that's understandable, come on, let's go."
Rukia followed Debra to the outskirts of the town; they stopped in front of a beach house. It was an adorable place, not too large but not too small, and the ocean view was fantastic. Then they walked inside the house.
"Mama Luna? Mama Luna? She must be doin' something in the back hut," said Debra; she and Rukia went out the back door.
Rukia's jaw almost dropped at the sight of the garden, Debra wasn't exaggerating when she said it looked like the garden of Eden. There were large fruit trees everywhere, the grass was lush and green, and it was covered in tiger lilies.
"It's so pretty," said Rukia' she bent down to smell one of the lilies.
"They've been here since ma family moved here," said Debra.
"How long have they lived here?"
"Over a hundred an' sixty years."
"Where did they live before that?"
"America," said Mama Luna walking out of the hut and towards them.
"Hello, I'm Rukia, Rukia Kano, nice to meet you," said Rukia extending her hand towards her.
"Ya can just call me Mama Luna," she said extending her hand towards her; as soon as Rukia took her hand, she felt a jolt of electricity run through her hand, this woman's reiatsu it was…unimaginable, was it normal for a human to have such spiritual energy?
"Come on inside, I'll make ya some tea."
"Thank you," said Rukia; she walked inside.
"Looks like I don't have to keep her busy, fuck I didn't even need that tracking thing…I still don't know why Ichimaru would got such an expensive necklace though…" said Grimmjow to himself, he was hiding not too far from the house.
"I should probably get going, it's a bit late," said Rukia they were sitting inside the living room.
"Nonsense, yo husband's got all week wid ya. You're welcomed to go in the kitchen and help yourself to some chocolate cake with strawberry sauce," said Mama Luna; Rukia's eyes widened in adoration.
"Oh my god, how did you…I love chocolate cake with strawberry sauce!"
"Don't know, just guessed," said Mama Luna; Rukia dashed towards the kitchen; once she left, Debra looked at Mama Luna suspiciously.
"What are ya doin'?
"What d'ya mean what am I doin'?"
"Don't think I don't know, you don't want Rukia to leave," said Debra.
"Fine, you're right, but it's for her own good, she's safe here, a few minutes more and it will be over."
"What will be over?"
"The act that will lead to Anemone's impending heartbreak."
"This bitch is taking too long," sighed Grimmjow annoyed; then he felt a spike in Ulquiorra's reiatsu, telling him he had finished his task. Success. He wasn't needed here anymore, Ulquiorra would take care of it from here, it would have been more fun to tease the bitch a little. On the bright side, he could go to that bar he'd been dying to go to now. Of course, there still was one more thing to do.
"Bye," said Rukia waving at Debra and Mama Luna; she was already outside the house. She walked towards the resort, and when she was in front of it, the lights went out.
"Great, and I can't even use my kidou," sighed Rukia annoyed; to top it off, it was a moonless night. The hotel staff were turning on the emergency lights, so it wasn't so dark anymore.
A different thing could be said for her cottage, as she stood in front of it, her violet eyes couldn't make out anything in sight; she had to feel around to make her way inside. She went up the stairs and to the bedroom, very carefully; then she heard a thumping on the floor.
"Ashido? I'm back," she said opening the bedroom door, but there was no response, "it takes more than that to scare me you know."
She walked farther inside the room, and even though she could not see or touch anything, she felt a presence standing beside the bed.
"You really want to play this game with me?" She asked smiling mischievously; she unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor, leaving herself clad in a bra and panties, "maybe you just want my attention?" She walked closer to him; once she was in front of him, she grabbed his hand and placed it over one of her breasts; he let out a surprised gasp.
"What's wrong? You're so cold," she said moving his hand over her cheek, and kissing his palm and fingertips, "you're freezing," she said beginning to worry; she wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her head in his chest, he was wearing an opened jacket and could feel his cold skin.
Without saying anything else, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed along his neck, "make love to me, maybe that will make you warmer," she whispered in his ear; she felt him stiffen, "please," she whispered again, licking along the shell of his ear; he tasted different somehow.
Receiving no answer from him, she, lied back on the bed, pulling him on top of her; she wrapped her legs around his waist, and pressed her lips against his throat, "please, take me…" He hesitated for a long time; she was beginning to think he would turn her down, but after what seemed an eternity, his hand lowered to her neck of it's own accord. He left it there for a long time, it made her uncomfortable, but then it moved down, the touch of his fingertips was feather-light compared to the last times he had touched her, but she found she liked it, it was so gentle, so tender, and soft…tracing the column of her throat…her collarbone. When he reached her breasts, he pressed his entire palm over it; his touch was…incredibly powerful, of course it always had been, but this time, this time Rukia was moaning…just that simple touch.
She wrapped her legs tighter around him, and rubbed her sex against his; she could feel the bulge sliding along her hungry crevice, she was anxious to feel what was behind their bothersome clothing. He grumbled deep in his throat. She instinctively arched against him; his palm ghosted over her stomach, barely leaving the sensation of his presence there. He kissed her neck, ever so lightly, and so intense was the sensation that Rukia cried, freaking cried, there were tears flowing down her cheeks, and she was smiling.
"I've waited so long for this…for you," she whispered cupping his cheek; she wished she could see him right now, as she told him this, because somehow, for some reason she felt like she had waited eons to tell him this, like when she spoke these words, an immense weight was lifted from her chest. Like she could drown in the sensation of being with him, like this, and lose herself in the entirety of his being. Reading his skin, his lips, hearing the movement of his heart, the blood running through his veins…the wild beating of her own heart.
"Oh, god, thank you," she cried wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing his body tightly to hers, wanting to fuse their bodies together…just by holding him this tightly. Her breathing was erratic, and as her lips drew closer to his, her breath mingled with his own. Perfect. Had it always been this perfect? Had she ever been this happy? Her lips pecked his lightly, drawing away, and then coming back for another peck, their lips teased each other many times, before finally coming together and intertwining longingly. Every coherent thought had left her brain, their teeth clashed together, their tongues went wild, she wanted to suck him dry, to swallow the essence of his very being into her own…so that he would never leave her side.
He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head; she buried her nose in the crook of his neck. They stayed that way for a long time, it didn't feel right to move, it didn't feel right to change any of this. After a while, when it finally felt appropriate, he pulled away slightly, and wiped her tears away with the back of his hand. He ran his palm down her cheek, her throat, and placed it over her heart, the thumping was erratic, like her breathing, fresh tears ran down her cheeks. He kissed both corners of her lips, lifting both corners slightly, to create a smile; his attempts were proven a success when she giggled. He had never done something this cute…and sweet.
"Come on Ashido, stop toying with me," she giggled, now in a lighter mood; he stiffened.
"I am not your husband woman, now stop this nonsense." That voice…her eyes widened; before she had time to panic, he got off of her, and she sat up on the bed.
"You're…" then the lights came back, revealing the image of the stoic black-haired Espada…and something else…
"Your husband is dead," said Ulquiorra coldly. Rukia's hand went to her mouth, her eyes filed with horror and tears, there, on the ground in front of Ulquiorra, was Ashido's lifeless gigai.
"You killed him! You killed my husband how could you?! You heartless monster! I hate you!" There were a million other things she should and could have done, but she was so filled with rage and sorrow, that she did the first thing that came to mind and punched him on the face. He remained as impassive as before, looking at her lifelessly. Then his hand moved in an incredible speed, and chopped her in the back of the neck, rendering her unconscious. He caught her before she fell, and threw her over his shoulder. But just as he was about to leave out the balcony, the phone rang, and he felt compelled to answer it. He picked it up, without a word, waiting for them to speak first.
"Ulquiorra, ya must leave her there, I remembered something about Rukia…we'll have to give her some time to heal…" Gin's voice was low, a startling contrast from his usual perky voice.
"I understand," said Ulquiorra; he hung up the phone, walked over to the bed, and placed her gently on top of it. Even unconscious…her face was so sad. He took a couple of steps towards the balcony, but then turned back around, and thought twice, but then proceeded to dress her.
Gin was in his Hueco Mundo office, running his finger over an old marionette.
"I'm sorry Rukia-chan, no matter how much more I remember than the others…I had forgotten how fragile ya actually are."
