I DON'T OWN BLEACH

"If you asked why I love her, and If I considered you a person who 'needed to know' such a thing I would tell you...that I love her simply for the way that her heart breaks."

What the Rain Gave Me

Chapter 2; An Act of Contrition

With the sunset kissing the top of the highest buildings of Karakura town Ichigo Kurosaki dangles a dripping wet foot out of her shower to touch the soft pink rug wondering if she remembered to turn her stove down. "Ugh, My food will be dryer than dirt." she moans wrapping a towel around her body and padding out her bathroom towards the kitchen.

Opening up the oven she waves her hands in the air as black smoke pours out filling up the kitchen. "Shit!" she pitches a bitch at herself for being that distracted. Pulling her plate out of the oven by a hand mitt she unleashes a horrific groan. "I killed it. It' s like a double homicide... Once when it was fished out of the ocean and again when I tried to cook it."

"You are the one who has changed."

Ever since she heard Toshiro utter those words she has felt unsettled. Actually, it was the way he said it, was like it was the most logical and correct response ever. Which really pisses her off. "I kiss him and run away, he kisses me and I run away." she whispers tossing her food into the garbage and walking over to her bed to get dressed.

Flicking her eyes over the soft green cover draped neatly across her bed she frowns at the silent red cell phone. Wanting it to ring, needing to be useful to someone is a hard habit to break. It was only three years ago when the world depended on her actions. The only calls that come are from her part time jobs and occasionally Urahara. But even Urahara's calls aren't as often. There isn't a person to save, or a war to be fought. There is just her... just Ichigo.

"Ah... I have no choice, but to eat out." Grabbing her coat she walks over to the door and stuffs hers feet into her shoes. "Hiiro's Pizzaria here I come!" she says swinging the door open and smacking directly into a hard surface.

"You always seem in such a rush."

Instantly recognizing Toshiro's voice she straightens herself up and prepares to argue with him, but deep down she knows he is teasing about her always darting off around him. "Ah, so you noticed that too." she says quietly, pressing her hot palms to her hips to wipe off the sweat. "Toshiro.. I am so-"

"I'm not really here about that." he says eager to ease away that nervous look in her eye. "Here." Lifting up a box, he hands it to her secretly enjoying the surprised look on her face.

"A gift?" Ichigo leans on the open door of her apartment and blinks in shock as the box moves in her palms. "Wha?!" Tugging open the top of the box she finds a small black kitten with stunning green eyes perched on all fours. "A cat?"

"I took something from you." He tells her reaching a hand down to pet the kitten but his eyes stay on Ichigo's face. That face tortured him all night. "And, I realized last night after you left..."

"What's that?" she says, feeling a rippling under her skin from the bold teal eyes gazing down at her. It's never been this dangerous to be close to someone like it feels near him. There is a current of energy swirling with his movements. "It's water... he is like the tide moving in."

"Nothing... should ever be taken from you."

Ichigo eyes widen in surprise, those confident words pull her below the surface. Even air around her changes as rains roll in to blanket the city and cool it down.

"Please say you forgive me."

"Of c-course..." Ichigo whispers looking up at the sad expression in his beautiful eyes. It would be impossible to not forgive this man of anything. Setting the box down inside her apartment, she turns back to him and rises up on her tiptoes to kiss him. The rain comes down steady in a light mist just enough to cling to the locks of his hair. "You're forgiven." she says just before gently grazing his lips. Suddenly she is grabbed around the waist and pulled against the solid wall of his chest. Threading her palm through the back of his head, her fingers slip through the damp silk strands of his hair. Lips push at hers, more and more until she needs desperately to breathe, but she lingers just a bit longer against Toshiro silently thankful that he isn't regretting or stopping the kissing habit they seemed to have picked up.

Finally satisfied he pulls away from her and sucks in a deep breath of air.

"G-Good at that..." Ichigo puffs leaning against her door with her right arm. "You are... Damn that's a good kiss." Struggling to get her focus back she shakes her head to lose the dizzy feeling in her mind, but it's no use. Toshiro has taken a firm hold of her senses and doesn't seem to want to let her go. "Wow."

"I have to go now." he tells her turn towards the sidewalk the rain already has formed puddles of water to avoid. "But I will be back in three days. May I take you out to dinner?" Toshiro pauses looking back at the wide smile beaming in his direction despite the rain pouring down. Her response isn't needed, he can tell by that sweet expression that he has her, and if she is willing he will keep this woman for just about always. Alright maybe even a little longer than that.

Three days later;

"I'm still not sure what to do with her." Toshiro growls, flicking his eyes over to the small clock on his desk. In three hours he is to pick her up. That's only three hours to decide how someone properly date a woman like Ichigo Kurosaki. Has anyone thought up a plan for romancing a typhoon? "Getting food is a given, but after that I have no idea where to take her, what to show Ichigo in Soul Society that she hasn't already seen."

"Oh, Captain you have such an annoyed look on your face." Matsumoto pops up from behind Toshiro to press a fingertip to the wrinkled spot between his eyes. "Is it that difficult to go out with a pretty girl?"

"No!" he grumbles ignoring her enormous boobs pressing at his back. It's been a longtime since he had any reaction to those. Matsumoto is like this annoying older sister who wants to torture him for having any selfish desires. So he is content with telling her as little as possible about his forthcoming date with Ichigo. But Rangiku for all her trouble has always read his emotions perfectly. What a bothersome Lieutenant he has. "I haven't dated in years... not since..."

"Then I have an excellent idea for you!" Rangiku pipes up before he has to say Hinamori's name. That person should be forgotten and her precious captain should be allowed to move on. Setting a flier on his desk she moves around the chair and gives him a wink. "There is a festival going on at division six. Take Ichigo-chan there."

"The Wisteria Festival, hmm." Toshiro picks up the invitation to look it over. It's a good idea. So good he can't help but wonder if Matsumoto wants him to go on this date as much as he does. "Do you think it's too late to ask a woman to wear a yukata? I don't want to trouble-"

"Oh-ho~!" Matsumoto slides in front of Toshiro to sit on his lap. "You want to see Ichigo-chan in a yuka-ta~!" She pokes his nose for just the right effect. "Pervert!"

"What?! No! I just thought-" Jumping up from the chair he drops Rangiku on the floor and scowls with a fierce blush creeping up on him. "Well, I think she would look pretty." Shaking his hands in front of him he pushes away the image of her wearing a sweet little- "It doesn't matter. It's rude to ask a woman to change her clothes. I'm-I'm going to my quarters to take a shower."

"You do that." Matsumoto pulls herself back to her feet giving Toshiro a wave as his tall head vanishes through a doorway. Instantly her free hand pops open a cell phone and speed dials. "Hee-heeeh. I gotta make this happen."

Two and a half hours later Hitsugaya walks into his office ready to pick Ichigo up when he hear the entrance door slide open and two females voice bickering.

"Are you sure? He did say he would come to my door... Maybe I should just wait for him at my apartment."

"Don't be such a wuss." Rangiku tells Ichigo with a light shove. "You are already in Soul Society. Now get in there and knock him dead!"

""F-Fine!" Ichigo manages to yelp back as the doorway to Toshiro's office slides open and she is pushed through it. Quickly the partition snaps shut behind her and she comes face to face with Toshiro. He is wearing normal human clothes, blue jeans and a white shirt with a high collar jacket on over it. "Hey." Giving him another once over she decides human clothes look nice on him, but as she looks up into his eyes the stunned expression makes her suddenly nervous. "I-I-I."

"You are wearing a yukata." he says blinking at the light green fabric with large red and orange leaves spilling across her very feminine shape. "How?"

"M-Matsumoto-san made me!" she blurts out curling her fingers into the hem of the garment. "I-I can change it! I'll fix it! I will look normal okay?"

"No!" Toshiro gathers his composure, sliding a hand through his white hair. "Don't you dare flutter off! You look... incredible. But I am going to change!" he says staring at the orange obi around her waist that matches her hair perfectly. "Ah, very good. You-" Flicking his gaze up to her hair he is shocked at the cute style. Her long hair is pulled into two low buns curling at the base of her neck making her bangs hug her face just the right way. "Yeah that is-" his voice falters for what must be the tenth time already. "Beautiful. So give me five minutes." Whirling around he marches back up stairs and thrusts open his closet. The spot where his yukata normally is- is empty. "MATSUMOTO!"

Ichigo almost jumps out of her skin, entirely distracted by the way those big teal eyes of his kept looking her over. "They were intense... intensely staring me down like I was a priceless jewel. To be valued, to be called someone's girlfriend is what I have wanted. I need him to keep looking at me that way." A rumbling followed by two sets of footsteps echo across the ceiling, then a loud crushing sound makes her a little worried. "Maybe I should help?" The door opens a moment later and Toshiro appears in a light blue yukata with three bold white stripes running along his right shoulder.

"I am sorry you had to wait for me." he says motioning towards the doors leading to the exit. "Shall we?"

"Oh it's fine. You look nice."

"Ah, I should be the one saying that." Toshiro replies moving to the side and letting her step through first. "You are lovely dressed this way." Wrapping an arm around her waist he pauses long enough for her to nod and they flash step away.

Matsumoto pokes her head out from a door and smiles widely. She is satisfied. It's the satisfaction of a woman who moved a large boulder up a mountain. Now all she has to do is wait for gravity to knock it in place. "Hi-sa-gi~!" she giggles into her phone. "The coast is clear! Bring the sake!"

A few moments later Ichigo finds her footing, the scenery around her strikingly familiar. Standing next to Toshiro the tall crimson gate the division six looms above her covering half her face in a long shadow. "This is..."

"Division six has a nice Wisteria garden and every few years they hold a festival." Toshiro leads her through the large gate and down the path where other couples are heading. "I read that Japan has their festival in April or May. The weather in Soul Society is much milder so the flowers bloom in August."

"Yeah... they do." she says in a small voice. This is the worst place he could have chosen. "He will be here..." Forcing a smile on her face, she follows him under a set of arches and into a large garden that is spread out over several acres.

Vivid purples and white blossoms hang from the bowing trees limb spread out over a lovely courtyard. Under each tree a blanket is spread out and a single picnic basket is waiting for those lucky enough to have an invitation.

"I hope this is alright with you." Toshiro leans over her shoulder slightly worried at how quiet she has become.

"It's beautiful." she tells him, holding back the excitement in her voice as he chooses a purple cover tree hugged by pink moss to sit under. "I've always wanted to come here. I asked so many times, and here I am on my first date with Toshiro."

They settle on the blanket having a modest lunch when half way through the meal he begins to notice Ichigo looking around with a worried glance. He doesn't ask, he is fine to dismiss it as first date nerves. That is until Byakuya Kuchiki strolls past with Abarai Renji on his coat tails and her eyes shift to her hands. People who look at their hands like that have lost something precious. You literally feel the loss slipping through your fingertips, and can't help but stare at your empty palms."What did you lose, Ichigo?"

"This is really nice." Leaning back on her palms she stares up at the sun rays beaming through the small spaces between the branches. "I am not ruined. I am not broken. There is no need to be sad. I really have put that time behind me."

"Ah, the heat is unbearable." he says slouching over to lay his head on Ichigo's lap. "I can't wait for the rain season to start. The cold is so much better." The lump in his throat finally moves and he is comfortable. It might be her sweet scent calming him, or the fact that he is feeling pretty happy right now... and that is something he hasn't let himself be in a long time.

"Well when it's cold you can always put on more clothes. But when it's hot there is only so much you can take off. That's what my Dad says at least." she laughs pulling a hand fan from her yukata and waving it light over Toshiro's face.

"Hmm, a very practical point of view. I like it." And he likes the feel of her cushiony thighs, but no he won't say that.

"Oh, Captain Hitsugaya-kun, is that you with Ichigo-chan?" Juushiro Ukitake approaches the couple with a content look on his face. "Are you... here to enjoy the festival together?"

"It's a date Ukitake." Toshiro answers in a gruff voice. "I'm dating Ichigo Kurosaki. You can go back and tell Rukia Kuchiki. Mission complete."

"He says it so easily?" Turning her eyes to Toshiro she gives him a genuine smile. The spaces between peoples hearts seem so small, just like the hanging Wisteria over her head. "Yeah, we are dating."

"Ah, I'm a little obvious. Sorry to interrupt you two." Ukitake gives a bow and turns to leave when Ichigo pops up from the blanket and follows him to speak with Rukia.

Toshiro left by himself, lets out a light grumble as his head bobbles to the blanket. "The thighs are gone." His eyes follow Ichigo carefully, her behavior is lighter now and he ponders if it was something he said just now. Moving his gaze from the girls chatting he comes across Byakuya Kuchiki staring rather intensely at what looks like his date. His eyes narrow. "I see." The look on Kuchiki's face is one every guy knows. It doesn't bother him, Ichigo is here with him and she was open about liking him. So he is content to lay his long body out on the blanket and stare up at the tree praying for a cool breeze. That is until he senses Byakuya Kuchiki's footsteps nearby. "I'm not stepping aside for you, Kuchiki."

"Ichigo told you."

"I figured it out myself." Toshiro says rising to his feet and tucking his hands inside his sleeves. "I'm thinking... you wanted to keep her a secret. That's how self-obsessed nobles are after all. And she wanted to live openly." Moving his gaze back to Ichigo he nods as she notices the two of them standing together. "and do things like this with you... that is how Ichigo thinks."

"She could have returned."

The egoism of Byakuya expectations grate at Toshiro's nerves. "There is only moving forward for Ichigo." he says, moving away from Byakuya and heading towards Ichigo. "She doesn't know any other way to live." Walking up to Ichigo, he pulls her gently against his side and slides his hand under her chin. "I want to kiss you."

"R-Right now?"

"Can I?"

Blinking in shock she lightly nods and feels his palms cup her face and his light kiss on his lips. It's a small thing really, just a chaste kiss in front of his peers and friends. But he is boldly challenging the parts of her that felt small and brushed to the side. With this kiss, she isn't a secret, she is his now and most of he will try his best to make her happy. And Ichigo is whisked away before she can hear the flurry of excitement from the crowd.

Hey all! Here is chapter 2 of What the Rain gave Me. I hope you like it and look forward to the next and most likely final chapter. I had a great time writing this out for all my precious fans! HUUUGS for all of you! Please review~! Fuzzi