Hi! As i promised, here you have a soon update!... Mistakes might come (spelling/grammar), please be indulgent! :)
Rukia exited the dance hall in hurry. It was the second time regretting her choice of coming back to the real world…
She kept running on Karakura's streets, trying to chase away from her mind the imagine of Ichigo and Orihime dancing… the image of them hanging around each other's neck. She was so full of anger! She was so full of pain!... She was so hopeless.
"Nii-sama…" she whispered as she stopped in the middle of a crowded street.
If there was a place in this moment where her heart would have felt safe now, it would have been back on the porch of her room. She would have enjoyed the chilly breeze as she watched her brother taking his nocturnal walks. Just like a child who was seeking comfort in his parents' arms, Rukia was dreaming now of being next to her brother. Even if he wasn't exactly the right person capable to console her, his simple presence would have been enough for her to feel better, since his face was the first thing coming up in her mind when she was thinking of the word "home". For her, Nii-sama meant home and being home it meant being safe.
What she needed now more than anything else was to be safe from her own feelings…
She gasped and pulled herself together… but then she turned her head as something caught her attention. Next to her, there was a music store. As she stopped for a second and listen to the music inside, she recognized the song on which earlier she learned bachata.
'Well… this human music doesn't sound that bad' she told herself and before she could explain herself what she was doing, she was already inside the store. She approached and she saw everywhere the same cd was . "Burning soul- the newest and the hottest bachata songs"
She instantly remembered Orihime's wonderful dress. Rukia was a confident person. She had never doubted her look… but Orihime was a wonderful women. She could not blame Ichigo for wanting her. Rukia had never compared herself with anyone before… and still she didn't want to believe that Orihime was more beautiful than her. She also never needed herself to be attractive since her duties required her only strength and sense of responsibility… but now, for the first time in her life, she wanted to look in the mirror and put on some make up… she wanted to fix her hair… she wanted to buy an attractive dress… She wanted to learn how to dance…
"Madam, can I help you?"
Rukia startled as she saw next to her an employee from the store. The short men approached her and looked at the cd she have starring for the whole time.
"Ooooh, I see! Wonderful choice!... This compilation it's been selling like hot bread! Would you like me to charge it for you?" the man begun cheerful.
"I…I'm not sure…" Ruka mumbled.
"Or perhaps do you want me to pack it for you? Perhaps you are thinking to make it as a present?" the man insisted.
"A present?" Rukia asked confused.
"Well yes… to your boyfriend perhaps. Latino songs are really sensual … it brings to life the hidden passions!" he said with a meaningful smile.
"My boyfriend?! … I beg your pardon? I don't even have one!" Rukia replied annoyed.
"Then perhaps to one of your friends or relatives…" the employee added untroubled by Rukia's reaction.
"Relative?...No, I don't think Nii-sama would…" she said talking more to herself.
"Oh, I'm sure he would! Madam, I can assure you that this cd would be a perfect gift! Now let me pack it for you!
Before she could even know, she found herself on the way back to Karakura's Clinic holding a gift bag with passionate bachata songs in it.
'I could never give this to Nii-sama…' she told herself and her face turned red when she imagined Byakuya's grimace while she was handing him "the present".
In front of the Kurosaki's residence she stopped for a second with diffident look. It was already dark but somehow, she hoped she would find the house empty. She opened the gate, stepped in… and suddenly she heard her name being called.
"Damn it!" she told herself.
.
.
"Inoue… I must tell you something…" Ichigo began with a deep voice.
Orihime looked at him worried as he seemed truly anxious.
"…You might misunderstand at the beginning …but I believe that you disserve to know the truth… Rukia and I…"
As she heard that name mentioned, she bowed her face sorrowfully.
"I know…" she whispered.
Ichigo's eyes widened. When she try to look at him, he seemed almost scared. She gasped.
"I don't know why are you so surprise… I'm not surprised at all…why should you be then?" she said.
Ichigo remained… speechless.
"It's something I should be expecting since she is back…" she added.
Ichigo blinked.
"Rukia is a nice person… but every time she comes here, her presence becomes the beginning of a tragedy…"
Slowly Ichigo's eyebrows begun to frown confused.
"This time I'm sure it's about those creature we saw two days ago… isn't it?... I'm sure you'll have to fight again… I am sure you will have to…go back in Soul Society at some point… I'm just wondering how soon it will be…"
He bowed his face with a sorrowful smile. As usual she misunderstood everything. It has always been a part of her charm… and this time he couldn't even blame her. How could a naïve and pure heart as hers, could believe that him… that him… Oh! But he couldn't just tell like that!... He needed to do it in a way that would hurt her less.
"Tomorrow…" he said finally. "I will leave tomorrow…"
Her eyes widened with a painful expression. Then she turned her face to the window. 'It's hopeless to go against things that are bigger that you' the told herself in that moment.
"I see…" she whispered. "Well… I won't meddle in it, this time!" and then she turned to him, forcing a cheerful smile. "It seems that every time I wanted to help, I ended up making things worse… The time you saved Rukia from her execution...I know I wasn't much of a use… Then, the second time when i wanted to help, I ended up being captured and you got yourself almost killed because of me… So this third time I will stand off…I believe that's for the best…"
Ichigo's eyes widened. Still he couldn't say anything.
"If you are with Rukia, I know you will be safe… because she is much stronger than me so…she will protect you…" she added while her eyes were becoming more and more sorrowful.
"Inoue…" he managed to say, thinking of approaching her.
"She will protect you… so you can protect everyone else…" she continued and her eyes begun to be filled with tears.
He almost reached his hand to hold her…
"And when everything will be over… " She continued. "You'll have to promise me that you will come back to me, because I'll wait for you… I'll wait for you no matter what!
Hearing her lasts words he immediately pulled back his hand.
"Inoue…" he said. "You won't have to wait for me anymore…"
Indeed. He could not fool him or her anymore… She disserved to know the truth!... But how could he when Orihime's gaze looked so fragile and confused?
"Kurosaki-kun…" she managed to say. "I've waited for you months to come and rescue me from Hueco Mondo… Then I've waited for you during whole highschool to accept my feelings … I've also waited for you these past 6 years, because I could see you only during holydays and summer breaks…It seems now that I waited for you all my life… do you believe that won't be able to wait for you to come back from Soul Society?..."
He clinched his fists. He bit his tongue… took a deep breath and finally spoke:
"I didn't say that you won't be able to wait for me… I said that you won't have to wait for me anymore…"
Slowly any expression of any kind, started to disappear from her face.
"Inoue… I might not even come back from there…" he added.
…And her eyes were getting bigger and bigger…
"I might remain there and become a fulltime shinigami…" he hid his eyes while he spoke, trying to keep his voice cold and composed. "Don't you remember Inoue? What was the reason I went to college in the first place? … It was just a little vacation in order to enjoy this human life before I could finally go to Seireitei…"
He heard her tears and her whims.
"So that's your final choice?... After all these years we were together…"
Ichigo clinched his fists, still not able to face her.
"But I know you will be back…" she added while she dashed away her tears.
His eyes widened.
"Inoue… please don't…" he tried.
"I know you will be back!" she said louder so she could cover his harsh words with her lovely voice. "…Because everyone here it's counting on you… because everyone here needs to be protected by you… because I know you won't let those creatures to hurt your family!... So even if you chose to remain in Soul Society and even you are going there tomorrow, I know that you will be back so you can fight those creatures!"
"Inoue…"
"So even if it would be for the last time…I will wait for you! I will wait until you'll chose Soul Society forever…" she concluded.
"Please, don't do this…" he whispered. "You'll only hurt yourself more… I've already done a lot of wrong to you, so please don't torment yourself anymore…There is nothing for you to wait, because nothing from what you had and from what you hoped you'd have, will not return to you… even if I might be in front of you again, in flash and bones…"
She looked at him speechless… so he finnaly found the courage to raise his eyes and face her.
"Becoming a shinigami… it's not all about it!" he continued. "There are also other reasons for which I'm doing this… And even if it might be cruel to admit them in front of you… It's the only way to be honest with you… Inoue i…"
"No, Ichigo…" she said with her serious voice. "No matter what your reasons are I will not hear them now… It seems to me that you are taking these decisions hastily so, please… let us finish this conversation when you'll be back from Soul Society…"
They looked into each other's eyes for a couple of seconds, both tormented and pained. In the end Ichigo added:
"Don't wait for me…" his voice was almost begging her. "Even if I might come back… don't …"
It was hard for him to spoke those almost magical words: "let's break up!"… Insead he could only repeat: "don't wait for me".
In the end, the only thing she could reply him was:
"It's getting dark… and I must go to work… Your dad gave me night shifts…"
.
.
They both walked together home. They were silent. None of them spoke a single word. None of them tried to grab the other's hand. When they arrived, Orihime went directly to the kitchen to help Yuzu with the dinner, while Ichigo went directly to his room.
Isshin who noticed the heavy atmosphere between the two watched them, until he finally decided to break the ice and went upstairs knocking on his son's door. When he saw the curious look on his father's face, Ichigo just made an unpleased grimace:
"Now… it's not a good moment for stupid questions…" he said.
Isshin cocked his eyebrows.
"I wonder if there ever was a proper moment for them…" he said thoughtfully as she approached the edge of the bed on which Ichigo was laying."Still… what happened?"
"Nothing…" answered Ichigo.
"Nothing indeed appears to be… because I've never seen Orihime this silent before…"
Ichigo took his face into his palm with a tired gesture.
"Dad…" he suddenly said. "I'm going to Soul Society tomorrow…"
Isshin turned to him hardly surprised.
" With Rukia only…"
Here, the old man's eyebrows lift.
" Am I doing a bad thing?" the boy asked.
"It is bad as long as your heart tells you it's bad…"
"If I fallow my heart only… other people will be hurt for the sake of my happiness…" he added.
"I believe that the same 'people' will be more hurt if you'll pretend being happy next to them… while your heart will be somewhere else…" the father replied.
Ichigo gasped.
"What will she do from now on?... She once told me that being here with you …and Karin and Yuzu…it's like being part of the family she never had…How, can I take that away from her?"
"Better than asking yourself what others sould do… you should be more concerned about yourself!... Don't worry for Orihime she will be safe here! I promise you to take care of her the same way I did all these years… but you… do you have the slightest idea in what are you getting yourself involved if you are going to Seireirei?"
Ichigo gasped again, this time annoyed.
"I don't have any plans if that's what you're asking me… I just trust Rukia… she would know what to say to the captains and to that old man…so if I trust her, you should trust her too!"
"I trust her more than you do, Ichigo… but this is not a matter of trust, but a matter of choice! … I know what Gotei 13 it's expecting from you!"
Ichigo turned to his father, looking directly into his eyes.
"I know that too… But don't worry I will come back and smash those hollows and prisoners just like I used to do it in the past"
A smile appeared on Isshin's lips… and then suddenly, he kicked the boy's stomach.
"Good!" the man concluded cheerful and got up from the bed. "Then, have a good trip… and don't forget to bring me back … some souvenirs!"
Ichigo looked at him while he was holding on his stomach.
"What was that for?" he asked frustrated.
A wide grin appeared on Isshin's face.
"That?... For nothing! I just caught you off your guard!" he replied as he was heading to the door.
"Crazy old man!..." he mumbled , but in the corner of his mouth a slight smile appeared. " But you will take care of Orihime, right?"
Isshin stopped for a second.
"It's a promise…" he replied and left the room.
.
.
When Isshin went downstairs the first person he encountered in the kitchen was Orihime, already dressed in her nurse uniform. The moment she saw him, she started to act nervous, talking nonsense.
"Well… work, work… I must hurry…but the carrots were left in the fridge… I don't know if Ichigo will like my new garlic sauce…I believe I have a stain on my uniform…Stupid me, I must hurry and wash it!"
Isshin continued to watch Orihime surprised for another couples of seconds, than his face suddenly become serious.
"Orihime…" he began. "You are my daughter too…"
The girl suddenly stopped her mumbling and looked at Ishhin with big eyes.
"…But Ichigo it's my son… My only son, do you understand that?"
Orihime bowed her gaze. Of course he was his only son… and he would do anything for his happiness. Of course that no matter what he would do, he will be on his side. That was the little parenthood selfishness. When it comes to their children, they could never see things clear. Ishhin was no different from any other father… so he will support Ichigo all the way, even if this meant letting him becoming a fulltime shinigami… even if this meant turning her heart apart.
"I think I must get to work…" she finally said with a low voice and left the room.
She stopped in the chilly breeze of the night and took a deep breath in order to detain her tears. Ichigo was about to leave for Soul Society… He was about to start fighting again… and the only thing she could think of was that he will no longer be by her side.
"How selfish…" she whispered and put herself on the stairs of the entrance door.
He might get injured… He might risk his life again… and all she could think of was her burning desire of having him close. There were so many others who needed his protection. She wasn't the only one… she was…His heart was too big to accept only one person inside…
She suddenly raised her head as he heard the gate opened.
"Rukia?..." she asked.
.
.
"Damn it!" Rukia thought as she approached. "Inoue… is that you there? I am sorry for leaving like this from the dance hall…but suddenly I had… some urgent matters to take care of!" she said and displayed one of her charming but fake smiles.
"I see… I understand, so you don't have to worry about it…" Orihime replied, but her voice sounded weird. Rukia approached and she saw her standing on the stairs with a sad expression.
"Inoue… are you alright?"
Orihime raised her gaze and looked at the gift bag Rukia was holding.
"Burning soul- the newest and the hottest bachata songs?..." she whispered. "It's a present?... I'm sure your brother will be pleased to receive it…"
Rukia's face instantly turned red.
"No..n-no… it's not for Nii-sama!" she immediately said, but Orihime was not paying attention to her anymore. She turned her gaze to sky.
"Kurosaki-kun… will be safe with you… I guess…" she finally said. "So I shouldn't worry about anything…"
Rukia's eyes widened.
"Still there is one thing I keep worrying about…" she added and then she put her face on her knees. "I'm such a mess…I can't help but being selfish!"
Rukia looked at her, not knowing how she should react.
"I never wanted him to go to college in the first place!" Orihime suddenly snapped. " No , I didn't because I knew that he would be so far away from home… I envy you so much Rukia…"
Rukia frowned her eyebrows.
"You also knew that you won't see him if he goes to college yet you insisted for him to do so… You always thought of what it's best for Kurosaki-kun… You are indeed strong and mature...you're quite the opposite of me…"
Rukia thought of going next to her, trying to comfort her sadness, but somehow she felt that her legs were stoned.
"This year…he would have graduated from master also… So he would have come back home… and maybe then, we would have built a home of our own… During the last two years he always used to tell me that after the school it's over he will settle down…"
Rukia clinched her fists. Slowly this was turning into a conversation on which she didn't want to take part.
"But now… it seems that I misunderstood his idea of settling down…in the end he chose to remain a shinigami…he chose to not bind himself to anyone…and anything…"
Rukia's eyes widened again.
"He asked me to stop waiting… He asked me to set myself free…But how can i?... he had been part of my life for so long that I don't believe I would manage to carry on without him…"
'This girl really … loves him' Rukia thought. 'What am I doing between the two of them?'
"Don't worry, Inoue…" Rukia finally said. "I will bring Ichigo back to you… no matter what!" and after she stepped on her heart saying those words, she approached and she put an arm on Orihime's shoulders with a motherly gesture.
.
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Meanwhile in that small bar at the periphery of Seireitei, Haruna and Renji were laughing out loud while they were trying to maintain their drunken heads on their shoulders. As usual, Haruna managed to say nothing about her past with Byakuya, succeeding instead of squeezing all the information she could from Renji. From the moment he become drunk he started to tell her anything about his past in Rukongai…about Rukia… about the time he spent at the Shinigami Academy with Hinamori and Kira… about how he became a Lieutenat…Then slowly she started to tell him about the time she used to be a shinigami… about her four failed marriages…Then they talked about love… about friendship… about drinks…about food…about weather…about music… and before they could acknowledge it, they were enjoying themselves…
"Miss Haruna… Miss Haruna…" Renji mumbled as he looked at the empty bottles in front of them.
"D-d-drop the miss…"she replied with her tongue numbed and twisted from alcohol.
"Ok… Ok… Haruna… I believe they're closing the bar…" he said.
"Shit!" she hissed as she put her head on the table. "I c-c-can't go at h-home like this…Dad would kill me!"
Renji laughed.
"Still under daddy's control?" he asked.
"Shut up!" she said and she punched him. "It's not what you think!"
He looked at her confused, with his cheeks turned red from all the drinks he had.
"…Still I can't go home… I think I will have to sleep on this table…" she added and closed her eyes.
Renji watched her for a couple of seconds, and then he pushed her with his index finger. She didn't move.
"You can't sleep here…" he stated.
"Hmmmm…." She replied.
"Really… they will kick us out soon" he added, half asleep.
"I don't wanna go home… but even if I wanted it, I couldn't… because…I c-c-can't move…"
"I could carry you…"
"Hmmm… A drank stranger holding the eldest daughter of Lord Ryoing in front of his house…I wonder what would my father say in front of that sight…"
"I didn't meant to "carry you home"…" he replied. "I was just thinking… if you don't have a place to go… you can sleep to my place…"
At the sound of that magic formula Haruna eyes widened and her drunken dazedness was replaced by a sensual glare.
"Is that a direct and indecent proposition, Lieutenant Abarai Renji?"
Renji opened his mouth a couple of times but no sound came out.
"Good, then…" she concluded with a mesmerizing smile and tossed off her last drink.
"Look…I don't want to offend you!" Renji finally managed to say. "We'll go to my place… and we'll sleep only…I believe that I also have an extra futon somewhere in the closet"
"Sleep?" she replied making a weary face. " If want to sleep only , I can do it on this table… Why even bother to go to your place?"
In the end he took her to his home. Nervous he opened the door for her. He turned on the lights and immediately, he started to excuse himself for the disorder and for the lack of luxury of his room. He asked her if she is hungry… he asked her if she needed an extra blanket but she didn't answer to any of those questions. She didn't seem to pay attention to the room either. A lustful smile appeared on her thick lips as she suddenly turned off the lights.
"Huh?...Why did you do that?" Renji asked nervous.
"You'll see why, in a moment…" she replied with playful voice.
He heard her steps approaching… then he felt her hands pushing him on the bed… and then he felt her crawling in her hand and knees over him… and then…
.
.
Wearing her shinigami uniform, Rukia entered in Ichigo's room. Next to the bed, she remained for couple of seconds and watched his sleepy face. Then she reached her hand and approached his forehead.
'This will be the last time I will pass my fingers through your hair' she told herself and slightly touched the edge of the orange strands. She smiled and as she kept patting his forehead, she whispered:
"Wake up, Ichigo…It's time…"
He slowly opened his eyes and saw her smiling face. Something felt warm inside of him.
"Listen to me…" she whispered. "We will leave now…"
He smiled wishing to approach and take her in his arms, but the next second she felt her hand grabbing his souls out his body. The next thing he knew was that he was in his shinigami uniform, running through the Precipice World, with Rukia by his side.
.
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The sun was almost up, a new day chasing away a long and eventful night. Orhime, as she finished her work, entered her room and saw Ichigo laid on the bed. She approached him hopeful, but as she felt his body cold, she understood that he was already in Seireitei. A sudden eagerness to hold him overwhelmed her. She already missed him… As she held her feelings in her clinched fists, she leaned over him, the same way she did years ago when she tried to kiss him goodbye, before Aizen kidnapped her… but then she suddenly stopped as she noticed a beautiful and warm smile upon his face… Her eyes widened. It was a smile she had seen so many times, but it was a smile that was never addressed to her… She remained still as a stone. That smile… that peaceful and relived expression of his could have been address to only one person. Given that he was already in Soul Society, it meant that the last person he saw was…Rukia. Orihime's heart skipped a beat. She backed off and then she saw on the bedside the picture of her and Ichigo turned around, with the image facing the wall.
She suddenly remembered Rukia's expression from yesterday morning when she held that picture…
She suddenly remembered that Ichigo and she had slept together that morning…
She suddenly remembered Ichigo's words : "There are also other reasons for which I'm doing this… And even if it might be cruel to admit them in front of you… I find them the only way to be honest with you…"
Her heart stopped.
She finally understood it all…
She took the picture in her hand and felt on her knees.
Tears started to fill her eyes and her face… drowning her words in pain.
As she hold the picture and as her whole body started to shiver, she kept calling with a desperate and small voice:
"Sōten Kisshun! I reject!... I reject!... I reject!... I reject!..."
Golden sparkles started to appear from her hairclips. But they all of them fell hopeless on her lap like a rain of shooting stars… Nothing happened. No matter how great her powers were… she could not reject the reality:
Ichigo…was in love…with Rukia.
"Sōten Kisshun! I reject!... I reject!... I reject!... I reject!..."
And then her phone stared to vibrate. She took it and opened the message she received :
"Ishida it's back in town. He wants to see you, but he is too proud to admit that. Maybe you could do something about it. Chad"
Her eyes widened.
Sooo... Renji got quite drunk and Orihime's finally getting the picture! Please don't feel sorry for her, i'm sure she will find her happiness. If i were you i would worry more for Ichigo ( just like his father said).
Anyway! Thank you in advance for reading!
I'm waiting for your opinions!