I'm a little in hurry, so i'll be short on this one.

You guys, said you wanted Ichiruki, right? If this one it's not Ichiruki...then i don't know else could be! (even though i feel so sorry for Byakuya now... T_T )

(i've read all your reviews. Thank you! :D:D:D... i just didn't had the time to answer ... i barely had the time to write this... but i promise to make it up).

Anyway... Enjoy the chapter and have fun during week-end!

Previously:

"My dear guests, I would like to invite all of to the wedding of Lord Nanakuma Noru with Lady Shokun Natsumi , that will take place in 2 months at the summer residence of the Ryioing family!"

Shokun gasped loudly and put a hand over her mouth, almost passing out. On the opposite side of the room, next to the window, Goroza widened his eyes with anger. Next to the food table, Rukia let go of Ichigo's hand and turned to the stage with a confused expression…

Haruna, with satisfied smile, turned to the crowd as everybody started to applaud. Then, slowly, her smile faded:

Byakuya was nowhere to be found.

Shokun started to cry, while her official fiancé was making bows in front of Haruna in order thank her and her family… But Haruna was not paying attention to them. Her chin started to tremble and a helpless expression appeared on her beautiful porcelain face.

Byakuya was nowhere to be found. Did he really hate her now? Was he really hurt? Did she make a bad move with this engagement?... Her eyes turned to the entrance door wondering if he had already left but then, her eyes slowly widened…and her heart started to pound strongly. She got off the stage and as if she was hypnotized, she headed to entrance. In that moment Byakuya disappeared from her mind, her father also, along with all her secret plans and worries. There was nothing occupying her thoughts and heart in that moment, except for… that tall man that standing in the threshold. That man dressed in a wonderful kimono, with long and loose red hair, flowing over his shoulders.

"It took you some time to get here… Renji Abarai" she whispered to herself.

She approached him with sincerely happy smile.

"My, my…if I wouldn't know I would say that you are some kind of noble" she begun in her specific manner.

"Well don't get fooled by the appearances" Renji replied.

She cocked her eyebrows.

"You're late, you know that, right?"

"It took me a while to decide if I should come or…"

She frowned.

"What?...Why?... I told you, there's nothing to worry about. Even though it's a noble's party as long as you have some fancy close you don't…"

"Haruna!..." he interrupted her. "It's not about the clothes…I thought a lot before coming and the only reason that dragged me here in the end was… my wish to apologize!"

Her eyes widened.

"I'm sorry for what happened three nights ago… I know I have offended you and I don't even remember what happened! I'm a mess, Haruna! You shouldn't hang around people like me…"

She blinked confused then she gasped annoyed and grabbed his hand, dragging him inside. She looked in the crowd and after she found her father she asked a minute of his attention:

"Father, I want to introduce you to Renji Abarai, the lieutenant of the 6th Division…" she begun.

Renji who was more than surprised, just made a bow.

"It's pleasure…" Goroza replied absently then turned to Haruna with an annoyed frown. "We need to talk! The Ryoying's summer residence, are you nuts?!"

"Yes, father, we need to talk, but for that I'm sure we have the whole time in the world, don't we? Furthermore I can't neglect my guest" she said with sugary voice and gave Renji a meaningful look. "So I will see in the morning, father! Enjoy the rest of the night!"

And as she was holding Renji's arm she took a few steps ahead.

"Haruna!" shouted Goroza from behind.

"Don't! Don't look back!" she said to Renji as she was rushing her steps."Juts, let's go to a more private place!"

Renji looked confused as she saw her grabbing a bottle of sake. They left the party and she took him inside the house. After they went upstairs they stopped in front of a door. Haruna opened it and invited him in.

"Why are we here?" he asked diffident.

"Aaaaa… this is my room…" she said.

"I can see that, but why are we here?"

She cocked her eyebrows as she was pouring sake for both.

"Well... three nights ago nothing happened actually… and I thought of taking you here so you can make it up for the last time. What say you? The bed it 'pretty comfortable…"

He was blocked. Then she turned to him with a serious glare and a warm smile:

"I was kidding, Renji… I took you here so we can spend some time away from that exhausting crowd."

"Oh…I see" he replied relived.

"Now, let's have a drink!"

.

.

"What's this the wedding season? Everybody's thinking of weddings?" Ichiogo said intrigued as he looked at the couple on the stage.

"Everybody's thinking of weddings? Who else's thinking of getting married?" Rukia asked as she filled her glass of wine.

Ichigo's eyes widened and then he gave her a guilty smile.

"Those two are the ones who asked me to plan their wedding. Remember the time we were at that shop? But that's odd I thought the Ryoings were against their marriage…"

Ichigo gave her another guilty smile. He remembered clearly the time they start planning a wedding which turned out to be…'theirs'.

"So who else it's thinking of getting married?" she asked again.

Ichigo tossed off his drink so he won't have to answer her.

"Come on! Let's go to the gardens!"

She grabbed another round of glasses of wine and she followed him.

They took relaxing walk through the dark alleys that were illuminated only by some small hand lamp. It was what everybody would have called a romantic atmosphere. They slowly drank their wine as they begun casual conversation. She started to tell her about his time spent in the college. She asked him about his future plans. With a diffident smile he asked her: "You mean professionally… or personally?". She instantly blushed and decided to drop the topic. He asked her about her life as lieutenant and her time as a Kuchiki. She shrugged her shoulders and begun to tell her some boring stories. "So nothing really changed around you. You're the same old Rukia that I know" he concluded. "That makes me kind of happy… but all these years you did nothing but to make slalom between your office and the meeting with the Elders? I mean… you didn't have a boyfriend …or something?" he added with an apparently casual tone of voice, in order to hide his true curiosity: did she wait for him?. On that question she turned to him confused. "Well, I didn't have the time for romance…nor the interest" she replied. Ichigo smiled relieved.

"What about now… do you have the time or…" he asked.

Her eyes immediately widened.

"Sorry… sorry…I guess it's the wide who's talking in my place…"

Again they changed the topic. They made the tour of the garden for a couple of time… then they had another round of wine. He told her she looks beautiful. She blushed and told his that he's drunk. He gasped and told her again that she is beautiful… and then he suddenly asked her:

"Rukia… have you ever been in love?"

"Ichigo you changed… back then, when we first met you would have never asked me about these kinds of things…"

"Well back then I was a high school junior… I was too preoccupied of getting stronger and fighting Aizen… Still Rukia, have you ever been… you know?"

She bowed her face with an amused smile.

"Still you don't look like the kind of person who will start this kind of topic…"

"I guess it's easier when you are drunk…" he replied.

"You could say that again!" she added with a slight laugh.

"Still Rukia…have you…?" he insisted.

She turned her gaze to the nocturnal garden.

"I might have been …"

"You might?" he asked intrigued.

A strange smile appeared in her little lips.

"I might have been in love with the same person for 9 years…" she answered and lowered her gaze to her glass wine. The same smile lingered on her lips. 9 years of one sided love and yet she never regretted a second of it.

"9 years…?" he asked and in his mind he started to remember where was he 9 years ago. His eyes suddenly widened. He was a freshman on his way back home. He was late for dinner, had a fight with his father and went directly to his room. Then a little black angel jumped his room, trough window…

He turned to Rukia: "Does this guy knows?"

"There's no use…" she replied.

He suddenly felt as if something heavy had hit him.

"We literally leave in two different worlds… and he already has someone… Furthermore Nii-sama would never approve him…"

He turned to her:

"Tell him!" he snapped.

Her eyes widened.

"Ichigo… stop it! You're drunk!"

" You worry too much about your brother thinks…" he said annoyed.

"There's no need to get so worked up! It's not like it has something to do with you!"

"I believe you should do only what your heart tells you to do!…" he continued untroubled. "If I would have followed the rules, just like Byakuya did… you would have been dead by now!"

"Ichigo why do you bring this now?... We were only talking about… love…" she replied troubled.

"Exactly, Rukia… we were talking about love!…" he shouted annoyed. " We were talking about 9 years spent in uncertainties!… Always caught between two wars and my lack of courage to admit my feelings… Always caught between two visits in Soul Society and Karakura… We never seemed to have the time…we never seemed to find the right moment… That's how 9 years have passed!"

Her heart skipped a beat.

"Ichigo…" she hissed. "Stop it, please… you are crossing the line!"

" Don't try to change the topic!...Because those 9 years have been the same for me!" she snapped.

Her eyes widened.

"You know nothing about me, the man, I was these last 6 years…" he continued. "You sent me to college! You said: "Enjoy your human life! This world it's the best thing you can get!" And I did listen to you… I did my best to enjoy these years only because you've asked me to do so! But you never knew that …"

"Ichigo…" she said with a small voice. "These are words… only words…and I won't believe them! I won't let my heart to beat for one night so I can watch how you'll break it…tomorrow when you'll go back to your hometown…to your human life…to your lover!"

"Rukia stop this nonsense talking!... You think I'm happy back home, don't you?... What a perfect life I have, right? The engineering student with a gorgeous girlfriend and a bright professional future in front of him! Isn't this what you think? I got the best things this life could offer me, right? But I told you back then, haven't I? 6 years ago, do you remember? The best for me… it's you Rukia!" he shouted, half annoyed, half frustrated, half desperate .

She suddenly put her hands over her years:

"Words…words…words! These are only words and they won't work on me! They will never get my heart! Because I know… I know what you have back home… I've seen you dancing with her!" she said with an almost crying voice."

"Words?!" she shouted exasperated.

"Don't torment me anymore…" she begged.

"You want something more than words?!" He said and took off her hands from her years. Her eyes widened. He pulled her close…

"Ichigo…don't…" she whispered but he pressed his lips on hers.

She gave up. She gave in…she dropped the glass of wine and put her arms around his neck holding him tight. She didn't even know what she was doing…but she couldn't stop. She thought of those countless times when she had secretly dreamed of this moment. She thought of how she scolded herself for each and one of those thoughts… She thought of the feeling of being complete… She felt as if her heart beat for the first time…'I'm so hopeless in love with him…" her thoughts whispered and she pulled him closer… and closer…and closer… as if her heart will stop if he'll leave her for a second… as if she won't be able to breathe again if his arms won't be around her.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. His heart has never pound that strong before. His head was dizzy. A moment ago he was shouting, he seemed to be self-confident. She didn't have to know but his knees were trembling…and he was so scared that she will reject him again. Before it broke his chest, his heart almost stopped when he felt her arms holding him tight…when she responded to his kiss.

She also opened her wide and violet eyes…. She put her little fingers in his cheeks and they both looked into their eyes.

"9 years…I've also been hopeless in love with you…" he whispered.

Her chin started to treble.

"You're drunk, Ichigo…" she said with a low voice.

"I might… but drunken people always speaks the truth" he replied and took her in his arms.

They remained there silently for more than a half an hour, when he finally spoke:

"I remembered… when I told you to come with me to the party you said that you were going with Byakuya…but it seems that you ended up being my date…"

Her eyes suddenly widened scared.

"Nii-sama!" she hissed and brutally pushed him back.

"Huh?" Ichigo snapped confused.

She approached his with a glooming expression.

"If he sees us… he'll kill us both!"

"I don't care!" he replied and tried to embrace her again but she got up in her feet.

"Come, let's go inside… he might be looking for me and he knows that I'm with you…"

Ichigo rolled his eyes annoyed and followed her.

.

.

The sake disappeared faster than any of them would have guessed. Haruna threw herself on the bed with a lazy, half-asleep expression.

"Will you go to get another bottle?" she said.

"Just be sure to not fall asleep until I get back!" Renji said and left.

He went downstairs and noticed that the guests begun to leave. He looked at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was 3 am. He wondered if should leave too and leave Haruna to get some rest. He approached the table looking for a full sake bottle, but then he suddenly stopped. He saw a few meters away from him… a gorgeous Rukia looking around with a worried expression. She was beautifully dressed… her cheeks had pale shade of pink. Somehow that pale blush made him thought that something good happened to her recently.

"Rukia…" he found himself speaking.

She turned and as she saw him her eyes widened.

"Renji?!...Is that you?" she asked surprised.

"In flesh in bones!" he replied a little dazed.

"You were invited too?"

"Long story… don't ask…" he replied still looking at her girlish blush, wondering what could have cause it.

"Well… you look stunning!" she complimented.

"Y-yeah…" he replied absently, still looking at her slightly intrigued. She looked changed… she looked like a …woman.

"I didn't found him anywhere!" a voice suddenly said. Renji turned and saw Ichigo. He looked at him surprised and before he could say something, he noticed Rukia blushing more intensively. And that was the moment he understood reason Rukia had a totally new air.

"Renji! You were here too?..." Ichigo asked.

"Yeah…I arrived not long ago…" he replied absently, faking one of his specific grins while his eyes were still lingering on Rukia. Suddenly an inexplicable sadness filled him. He forgot about Haruna… He forgot about the party… He wasn't in the mood for anything. "Well, I'll see you around… someone it's…waiting…for me" he added and left. When he came back in Haruna's room, the women welcomed his with a cheerful smile.

"See ? I didn't fall asleep!" but then, as she noticed Renji's bad mood, her cheeriness suddenly disappeared.

.

.

"Well if he's not anywhere… maybe he just left the party!" Ichigo said after Renji left.

"How could he?" Rukia replied annoyed. "He couldn't just leave me here!"

"I think is better that he left… Would have you preferred to see us in the garden?"

Rukia bit her lips.

"You're right…" she replied as she took another glass of wine from servant who pass next to her, holding a tray.

"Furthermore we are both drunk…"

"You're the one who's drunk … not me!"

"Really?" he replied. "Try to stand in one foot!"

"I'm not drunk…" she insisted and tossed off the wine.

"Ok… that's it! I'm taking you home!" he concluded.

"Nooo! Wait, wait, and wait! I can't let Nii-sama to see me like that!

"So now you admit that you're drunk?"

She blushed.

"I'm…. a little tipsy…" she admitted.

He cocked his eyebrows.

"Fine, let's go now!"

"No!... I'm not going home!"

"I was not taking you home… We're going to my place"

"Your place?" she asked distrustful.

"Well…it's Renji's place…but I'm standing there while I am in Seireitei…"

"Then i can't come… where will Renji sleep when he comes back?"

Ichigo frown.

"Renji just got here… I'm sure he won't be home until morning so… let's go!" he said and the same second he took her in his arms in a bridal way and shunpo-ed out of the house. When they arrived, he put her down and opened the door. He turned around to invite her in, but he found her spacing out while she was starring at the sky.

"I can't believe what is happening tonight!..." she whispered.

With a slight smile he approached her from behind and as he put his hand around her hips he kissed her neck and then approached her ear with another kiss:

"I wasn't expecting this either…but I guess i can't help it now…" he whispered.

But Rukia didn't answer. He suddenly felt her tensed and saw her putting the little fingers on the spot of her neck that he just kissed.

"Rukia are you alright?"

She blinked speechless, with her eyes wide opened.

"Gosh, Rukia! Do you always act like this when someone kisses you?"

She blinked again.

"Or… don't' tell me you never…"

Her face turned red. Ashamed, she tried to mask her timidity by a failed attempt to punched him.

"Oi! Rukia!" he reposted but then, after he looked at her, he started to laugh." You look so funny!"

"Stop it!" she said with a girlish voice.

"Or what? You'll kiss me?" he said while laughing.

"No!" answered with her face still red. "I'll never kiss you again if you won't stop making fun of me!"

"Ok! Ok!...I'll be good! He said biting his lips, but after a second on which he reconsidered the problem he added: "You won't kiss me, right? No problem! I'll kiss you first, then!

And he kissed her again, while he took her in his arms in a bridal way.

"Wait Ichigo! Where are you taking me?"

"To the Paradise!" he said sarcastically.

"What?!"

"I'm taking you inside…where else do you think we can go at this hour?"

"Ok! But put me down! I can walk by myself!"

"Shut up Rukia! I'm trying to be romantic!"

"You! Romantic?!" she said bursting into laugh.

His face turned red.

"Shut up, Rukia or I'll kiss you again!"

"Yeah! Right!" she added and kept laughing.

"You asked it!"

And did. He kissed her again…And again… And then as he couldn't pay attention to where his feet were, he stumbled over a chair. He dropped her on the bed and as he lost his equilibrium, he felt over her… with his face over her chest.

She started to laugh loudly.

"That was not funny…" he commended.

But then as his head was over her chest, after she stopped laughing, she begun to pat his ruffled hair. He slowly took her hand and kissed her palm. Then he put her arms around her and hold her tight… but as his hands were holding her, his fingers started , unconsciously to untie her kimono.

"Rukia… I want to ask you something…"

"What is it, Ichigo?"

"What do you think about marriage?..."

She gasped.

"It's a good thing to be done with the person you love…" she replied.

"…And I love you, Rukia…" he said.

Her eyes widened. He took of the obi…and slightly pulled the kimono enough so he can reveal the skin of her décolletage. Then he put his head on the naked spot of skin and begun to hear clearly that: "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"And your heart… it tells to me that you also…love me" he whispered.

Then both of them closed their eyes.

Thank you in advance for reading! Until next time...you know it! i do my job writing and you do your job reviewing!

Bye-Bye! :)