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(ICHIGO)

9:45 pm

There was a reason why people didn't kill themselves in the company of others.

Wasn't the moment supposed to be a private one? I mean, the whole situation would just be really fucking uncomfortable- especially if this other person was a complete stranger.

So you can imagine why I couldn't just pirouette off the freakin' ledge like it was no big deal after she stormed off like that. I could practically feel her eyes boring into my neck.

Fifteen long minutes passed, and she was still sitting by the staircase looking all pitiful and oh-woe-is-me. When I stole a glance in her direction, she immediately averted her stare.

This Kuchiki girl was tiny, but she looked even smaller with her knees pulled up to her chin like that. I could see the length of her dark lashes flutter as she fixed her gaze to the ground. God, just looking at her was depressing.

I let out an exasperated sigh then finally stood up. I slowly began to make my way towards the spot in which she was curled up in. Her eyes still refused to meet mine.

Don't get me wrong, I still thought she was an annoying brat, but I didn't want her perpetual rain cloud to hover over the two of us anymore.

(And I couldn't help but feel a little bad about the way I yelled at her.)

I swallowed my pride. "Hey."

She looked up at me with those dumb, sad eyes. They made me feel like the biggest jerk alive.

And now that I had approached her, I realized that I didn't know what to say.

Hence making me sound like a bumbling idiot.

"Well I um- I shouldn't have- I mean- it's just that- argh, damn it!" I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. I hated how I sucked at apologies. It was one of those things that I could never get right for the life of me. "Look, err," I racked my brain for a polite way to address her. "- Lady Kuchiki…I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier okay? I wasn't exactly in the brightest of moods."

Her enormous blue eyes blinked. "If you were, you wouldn't be here right now."

Point taken.

"Right…" I stuck my hand out for her. "Can we just- can we just start over?"

The shape of her lips curled upwards. "Don't call me Lady Kuchiki, my name is Rukia Kuchiki. Just Rukia Kuchiki."

"Okay Just Rukia Kuchiki, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

She grabbed my hand and pulled herself up. "Nice to meet you, Strawberry," she giggled.

I would've been mad at her, should've mentioned that this was a huge pet peeve of mine, but there was this stupid smile on her mouth that made me bite my tongue. It lit up her entire face like a Christmas tree.

You know those subconscious on-a-scale-of-one-to-ten-how-hot-is-she things that guys do to girls that we first meet? Yeah. Her dumb smile somehow made my previous rating of seven point six out of ten suddenly skyrocket to a ten out of ten.

I did all I could to hide the shame I felt from thinking this. It didn't help that the cold contributed to the flushed look on my face.

Rukia twirled towards the edge. She looked down and almost immediately took a nervous step back. "Maybe we should just, I don't know, jump at the same time. That way, neither of us will have to witness the aftermath of what happens after hitting the ground," she said softly.

I exhaled, still skeptical about why she wanted to do this. To be honest, I firmly believed that she wasn't going to go through with it.

"No way." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "People will think we had some romantic suicide pact going on or something."

She raised her eyebrows and let out a low whistle. "You mean even in death you still have an image to maintain? Now that's taking vanity to a whole new level," she said in a teasing tone.

I scowled, but couldn't come up with a clever retort. Of all the people I could've been stuck with up here, it just had to be her. God must really not like me after all. "I'm not the one who's all dressed up for the occasion," I pointed out accusingly.

She looked down at her extravagant attire.

Rukia lifted her hands and began to take out the golden pins in her hair. Each pin made a faint clinking noise as they hit the ground one by one. She shook her head to loosen the rest of the strands. After removing the last one, her slender fingers worked on untying the obi sash around her waist.

I widened my eyes. "H-Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

She paused, but only narrowed her eyes at me before resuming. I swallowed hard when the fabric loosened.

Here I was, all ready to cast away every ounce of feeling I had, so how could she was just stand there and try to sabotage that with her beguiling means of subliminal seduction? God damn it, I refused to give in to temptation! I was better than this! "Stop right there!" I cried out indignantly.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "What is your problem?" She didn't wait for my answer before she slipped out of the entire garment and let it drop to the floor.

"Aghh!" I slapped my hand over my eyes and stumbled backwards. I tripped over my own feet and fell to the floor. "Shit!"

My tailbone was probably in tears at this point.

"Ichigo." Rukia sounded close.

Oh God, what if she was naked? I scrambled a few inches back.

"Ichigo. Remove your hand," she ordered. Irritation was lacing up her voice.

I clenched my fingers even tighter.

Suddenly, I felt several rocks being pelted at my head. "Ow, ow, ow! What the hell?" I yelled. My hands instinctively moved up to protect my victimized brain.

"Ichigo you fucking dumbass, get over yourself and just open your eyes on that stupid shit-for-brains head of yours!" This time her voice was shrill (and a little scary).

With reluctance, I slowly lifted my head to see Rukia looming over me. All bristling five feet of her. Covering her body was a dainty white nagajuban that clung loosely to her figure.

Right. I had forgotten about that layer.

Guess I was a little too busy focusing on other things...

Rukia continued to glower at me. For someone so short, she sure looked threatening.

I blinked, unsure of whether this was disappointment or relief I felt. But before I could react, another pebble hit my temple. I quickly jumped back up on my feet as the pain registered. "Hey what was that one for?" I growled sharply.

She placed her hands on her hips. "For being a perverted idiot! As if I would ever do such a thing…let alone with you! Jesus." She turned away in exasperation.

"Could've fooled me," I muttered under my breath.

A draft of wind swooped in from behind us. Rukia vigorously began to rub the sides of her arms. I rolled my eyes. Of course she was going to get cold. She should've thought of that before stripping her only source of warmth off. "I'd put that kimono back on if I were you," I said knowingly.

"I could hardly move in that thing, I'll be fine," she snapped.

Man, how stubborn was this girl?

(RUKIA)

9:56 pm

A heavy mass of fabric landed on top of my head. I reacted almost immediately and tore it right off, angrily clutching the cloth in my right hand. "What the hell? I'm not your personal coat hanger!" I glared at him.

"Just take it will you? The chattering of your teeth is driving me crazy," he hissed insistently.

Oh.

My eyes fell on the black sweater. It was plain, but it had an inner fleece lining that felt really soft against my fingers. The cloth reeked of lavender and coconut though. I didn't even want to think about what he had been doing before he got here.

"What about you?" I looked at him with uncertainty. Ichigo had only been wearing a tee shirt underneath, and he was clearly freezing now.

He crossed his arms stiffly. "I'm not that cold, don't worry about me."

I shot him an annoyed look. "I'm not worried about you, it's just that it's your shirt," I said.

"Then what are you waiting for?" His mouth stretched into a grin. "I don't want to be the one who has to deal with your body once it turns into an icicle."

I stared at him, puzzled about why he cared at all.

"Just wear it already! And quit looking at me like that! It's a sweater, not some rejuvenating life elixir," he snapped.

I nodded meekly and draped his zip-up over my shoulders. The fit was enormous on my petite frame, so I pulled it closer over my chest. It was still warm from him wearing it. "Thanks," I mumbled awkwardly.

He turned his head to face the cityscape. As pathetic as he looked, I could see that the longing in his eyes was real. I didn't know why he was up here tonight, and I wasn't sure if there was a way for me to ask without being intrusive. I took a few steps towards him. "Orihime isn't that much of a catch anyway, you'll find someone better," I said in my lame attempt at comfort.

Ichigo's hands curled into fists. "I'm not here because of Orihime," he said. "I broke up with her because she was too good. I know it sounds cliché, but it's true. "

I stared at him in disbelief. The two of them were both unnaturally attractive, so together they were like some atomic rainbow, firework spewing match made in heaven. She even shared the same hair colour as him. So in what way was she possibly 'too good'? In commitment? In her career? In bed?

"Too good how?" I pried on. I didn't mean to sound nosy, but I was genuinely curious.

He inhaled deeply. "Just too good, like unicorns-and-butterflies-out-of-your-ass good. I swear, she even did her laundry with these sparkly rays of purity emitting from her pores."

"I'm serious," I deadpanned.

Ichigo grinned. "You think I'm kidding. But okay, Orihime gave her all in everything she did, but I couldn't love her the way she deserved to be loved."

Jeez, this guy really was a closet romantic. "Then why'd you get together in the first place?"

His hand rose to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "I thought she was hot." He flashed me an embarrassed smile.

And I spoke too soon.

I slowly sat down on the cold ground and looked at him as a signal to follow suit. "So what's your story Strawberry? I assume that you don't jump off towers for the hell of it."

"Would you stop calling me that? It makes me sound like some pansy-ass." Ichigo began to bend his knees. He crossed his legs as he took the spot in front of me. "And I asked you first! I mean, hate to break it to you, but you're kind of a big deal around here."

I looked away. "If you're so well informed about me, then you probably know why that festival down there is being held," I said quietly.

His eyes gazed over the edge. "Yeah." I could practically hear the cogs in his head start to turn. "I went there the year that girl collapsed from nerves or something like that. Everyone crowded around her and I was shoved to the front of the circle. The guy who proposed to her just fell to his knees and started crying. It was a bit too much for my eight year old self to handle."

My eyes widened as he said this. He was there that night?

I shifted uncomfortably and held his shirt tighter over my body. "It wasn't…nerves that caused her to faint."

He stared at me expectantly.

"She was my sister, Hisana...and she was really sick at the time. She died a few nights after my brother-in-law proposed."

Ichigo looked at me with a glazed expression. I guess I shouldn't have dropped this on him like that. I didn't expect people to know how to react when I told them about my sister. "It's okay," I quickly added. "It was a long time ago."

"I'm sorry," he kept his eyes on the floor.

"My brother was more affected by it. He really loved her. The only reason I'm a Kuchiki at all is because Hisana asked him to take care of me."

Normally, I wouldn't express my feelings to anyone, especially not to semi-celebrities whom I've acquainted myself with thirty minutes ago. But I wasn't going to see this guy ever again after tonight, so it's not like I had anything to lose. It felt good to release my pent up thoughts, and once I started, I couldn't stop.

"I think- I think he looks at me like the brat who's just a pale imitation of his bride. So I understand why he hates me so much," I said sharply.

"Hates you?"

"Hates me. If he found my corpse at the bottom of the tower, he'd cry out, 'What is this rotting body doing in the silk of our finest kimono? The blood is staining the fabric! Get it to the dry cleaners- quickly!' " I mimicked in a low voice.

Ichigo squinted his eyes at me. "Well thank God you removed the kimono then."

A laugh escaped my mouth. "Yeah."

"Are you in love?" he suddenly asked.

I lifted my head. "Huh?"

"Are you in love, with the guy you're getting engaged to? If your brother-in-law loved your sister, it wasn't some arranged marriage right?" he inquired.

I pulled my knees up. "Byakuya was…really influential. Hisana and I weren't even nobility. So yeah, I guess you're right."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "What about you?" he asked softly.

I was starting to feel uncomfortable. "I don't know," I whispered. I rested my cheek in the crook of my arm.

He frowned. "Maybe this Byakuya guy doesn't want you to go through the same thing he did. Arranged marriages are stupid, but I don't think he hates you."

I didn't respond when my eye caught a glimmer of light in the sky. I immediately shot up to get a better look.

The sky lantern danced with the wind and slowly billowed towards the moon. Soon, more carriages of light made their way up into the clouds. Their incandescence illuminated the night, like thousands of little fireflies floating in the air.

Ichigo got up as well, curious to what I was looking at. He turned around and widened his eyes at the sight. "Holy shit…"

I took in a deep breath. I witnessed the same thing every year, but it never looked as beautiful as it did now from above. I thought back to Byakuya's quick calligraphy strokes, and wondered what kinds of wishes were being thrown into the sky. I realized that I never got around to writing mine tonight.

"Well this is romantic," Ichigo said nonchalantly.

I elbowed his side. "Shut up."

"Maybe if we leap off now no one'll notice," he pointed out.

He was probably right, but neither of us took any steps closer to the edge. We continued to admire the infinite glow of the lanterns. I broke my stare to steal a glance at him. Golden flecks reflected in his eyes, and his solemn expression was impossible to read.

All of a sudden, an audible ping rang in both of our ears. We whirled around to see where the sound had come from. The doors of the authorized elevator were slowly sliding open.

I gasped as Kiyone Kotetsu stepped out through the doors. I froze. It was as if my knees had locked in place and couldn't move at all. "Rukia! There you are! Why the heck are you up here? Let's go, you're late for your-"

I felt a hand suddenly grip at my wrist and pull me towards the stairs. "Come on!" Ichigo began to drag me down the steps. When I finally registered what was happening, I quickly regained my balance to fall in sync with his pace.

We raced down the flight, and pushed past the people on the observation deck.

"Rukia! Where are you going?" she hollered as she chased after us.

When the two of us finally approached the elevator, Ichigo jabbed at the button impatiently. "Hurry up…" he growled. The arrow lit up and the doors began to open. "Yes!"

We scrambled inside and pushed another button to close the doors. Ichigo leaned over to catch his breath. We were both panting mercilessly from sprinting so hard.

"Why- are you- doing this for me?" I asked in between breaths.

He scoffed and turned his head. "Che, what makes you think that? I just remembered that I wanted to have my last grand meal before I leapt off."

A smile pulled at my lips. "You're really something else."

Once we arrived at the bottom, we carefully made our way outside. The crisp air grazed my face like a sheet of frozen ice.

We wasted no time to run into the night. My heart felt like it was going to explode with fear and passion as my legs tried to keep up with Ichigo's.

I was really scared.

But at the same time, I was also a little excited.