My dear readers i want to say how much it thrills me to hear you saying that i have a good hand in writing. I truly take it as a compliment given that i don't write in my native language and that i don't put half of the effort i use in writing my own novels.

Of course, i am also pleased that you liked the ichiruki moment (that i wrote exclusively because you asked for it so much). So if this kind of moments will make you happy, i will obviously write more of them. So just let me know, because ever since the beginning i kept asking for some honest opinions and suggestions.

I am also stunned by the fact that my mr. adamxero actually spelled "great chapter" for the 18th one. I was like O_O ! And then: "I finally did it!" :D:D:D. Don't get me wrong Adam, i like your type of reader... it always compelles me to make things better... and better... and... i guess, better. (ps: i didn't understand to well what what said in your last comment with: "when two characters confess while intoxicated the author usually makes them forget...please don't." Sorry, my english it's poor)

Love Rukia asked me where did Byakuya go: "Home to get himself drunk!" Kidding, we both know byakuya never gets drunk... but he did went home ( the sequel it's inside the chapter) . And you said you liked my poetry... Thank youuuuuuuuuuuu... Actually you're the only one who noticed it!

Tituslepetitlion, merci pour ton commentaire. It n'a pas été ennuyant, pas du tout. Tu avais dit que je suis francophone out française. En faite je ne suis aucune de ses deux. J'ai appris le français a l'école... Merci pour tes conseils.

Anyway... here's another chapter... i know some of you don't like Nene-cha( she's not quite the honest and trustful type, i know) but her memories have their importance in the development of the story...

Mind the english mistakes...

and

Enjoy!

Haruna stood in her bed and while Renji put his head on her lap, she started to play with this loose hair. Renji felt that gesture that made him body feels warm, but the sadness couldn't be surpassed…

"You shouldn't do that, Haruna… Hanging around with people like me… People who have their hearts…"

'Stolen…Taken…Given… Broke' he would have liked to say, but of course he kept his mouth shut. Then Haruna leaned over him and kissed his forehead.

"Don't worry, lieutenant… my heart it's also taken" she whispered.

His eyes widened.

"I believe that last time we met I began to tell you a story that I haven't got the chance to finish." She continued. "You know me and your captain we grew up together. We were engaged, but we chose to live as brother and sister. We were best friends… and even if you won't believe it… He was different back then… I used to drag him along in all sort of trouble and adventures…"

~~Flashback~~

Haruna looked in her right…then she looked in her left. The alee was empty. 'Good!' she told herself. 'I'll shunpo fast so no one can sense my reiatsu!"

"Hello, Nene-cha…It's been quite a while!"

She stopped annoyed as she recognized the voice of the childhood friend and fiancé.

"Hello, Toto…" she begun with a forced grin. "How are you?"

"Busy…" he stated simply.

Byakuya who was around 24-25, looked now the closest to his actual appearance.

"I see…" Haruna replied. "Well…I'm busy too…so what about we catch up later?" and she displayed her most charming smile.

Byakuya remained emotionless as a stone.

"Uuuh!" she gasped annoyed. "What do you want?" she suddenly asked cutting all the sweetness.

"I want to know what you're doing when you should be at your headquarters…" he stated with his poker face.

She raised her eyes surprised.

"Last time I remember your name was Kuchiki, not Ukitake…so thank you for your concern, but I'm compelled to justify my actions in front of you. Now, if you excuse me, I have some things to do…"

"I believe you are compelled to justify your actions in front of me…If you have forgotten you still are my fiancé."

Haruna's eyes widened for a second, then she approached Byakuya with slow steps:

"Indeed…I am your fiancée, not your wife so I can't have you ordering me around." She whispered with a menacing voice. "Not yet."

"It's wrong what you're doing…" he said untouched by her tone of voice.

"Toto, I believe I'm too old for your preaching…" she said while she turned her back.

"Do you think I don't know that you're sneaking outside of Seireitei lately? It's not as you're missing a day or two… You're being away for weeks and you're returning only at the end of the month to write you activity report so that Ukitake won't notice your absence…"

Haruna smiled ironically.

"I thought you were too busy with your shinigami career to be still paying attention to my actions…"

And then she started again to walk.

"Nene-cha! You're keeping things from me…"

She gasped.

"No, Toto…" she said gently. "I keeping away from you only the things that might not interest you"

"Since I also skipped my shinigamies duties for them…I think they might interest me" he said.

Her eyes widened.

"Tell me…" he insisted. " Where are you going when you're leaving Seireitei?"

She turned to him and watched him with a deep frown on her forehead, and then she finally said:

"Fine! I'll take you with me… but if you'll blow a word to Ginrei or to my father, I'll beat the crap out of you!"

A slight smile appeared in the corner on his mouth. With no other words, he followed her until the gate of the 12th Division's barracks. There, they both stopped behind the corned.

"Akon is always opening the gates on monday at noon so he can receive the research materials. That means that we still have 10 minutes left…"

"…I think you want us to enter in the 12th Division's barracks by intrusion…." He stated emotionless.

She didn't reply.

"It's time!" she said after a few moments. "We'll shunpo!...At 3…1…2…3!"

Holding their hands as they were doing it in childhood, they both shunpo-ed, as she was leading him in the deposit room. There they stopped. She started to search frenetically thought the boxes and racks but finally she turned back to him with an exhausted expression.

"There's none of them left here…We must go to the laboratory and get them."

Said and done. Without any additional questions he followed her again. But in the front of the lab's door he stopped.

"This door won't open" he stated objectively.

"I can see that!" she said annoyed as she was pulling it.

"Make it open!" he said emotionless while he was watching her from behind.

"I'm… trying!" she growled as used all her strength.

"Maybe we should use force…" he suggested.

"I don't think…" she begun to say, but the next second she saw him drawing his zanpakuto.

'Shire…Sendonsakura'

"The alarms! You idiot!" she yelled as he door turned dust in fort of them.

He turned to her confused, as the laboratory seemed calm and empty. Annoyed she pulled him away and made her way to the lab.

"You idiot child! The alarms are ringing in the captain's office directly! We have less than 2 minutes, until he'll be here! You'll stay put and don't touch anything."

Of course he couldn't stay put and he followed her, looking around the obscure room with an unpleased expression.

"This place it's been conceived without any sense of elegancy…"

"It's science laboratory. It's not supposed to be elegant!" she said while she was searching among the racks. "Yessss! I found it! Come on' let's get out of here!"

But the moment she grabbed what seemed to be two jars, she screamed with a scary expression as behind the racks Kisuke Urahara appeared with a tangled smile upon his face.

"Taicho!" Haruna hissed in shocked.

"At 3!" Byakuya said with his calm voice, while his eyes also seemed to be more then surprised."1…2…"

"3!" Haruna shouted and they both disappeared.

Urahara remained behind with a confused expression, but the next second in the front of the destroyed door Byakuya reappeared. Haruna who was holding his hand was also brutally stopped from her flashstep and as she lost her equilibrium he felt with her nose on the floor.

"You are not the captain!" Byakuya stated pointing at Urahara.

"Well…." Begun Urahara.

" Are you crazy?!" Haruna shouted as she put herself together. "Let's get out of here!"

"He's not the captain!" Byakuya insisted.

"Who the hell cares?! Let's run!"

Urahara blinked as he watched the scene.

"I do! He's been banished from Soul Society!"

"Aaamm…" tried Urahara to speak again.

"You're a traitor!" Byakuya spoke with an annoyed expression. " As the heir of the Kuchicki clan and the 3rd seat of the 6th Division, I shall hand you to the Central 46!" and he drew his zanpakuto.

"Just cut the Kuchiki bullshit and let's get out of here, Kurotsuchi will be here any moment!" Haruna growled annoyed.

"I'm afraid the lady it's right…" Urahara finally said untroubled by Byakuya's zanapakuto.

But the next moment, a strong reiatsu filled the laboratory.

"Mmmm…." Stated Urahara calmy. "Too late!"

"Who had the courage to enter my sanctuary?!... Urahara?!" the voice of Mayuri Kurotshuchi was heard.

"At 3!" Haruna mumbled scared.

"1…" began Byakuya, but the same moment they disappeared from the the 12 division's barracks. They shunpo-ed in their usual manner, splitting at half of the distance and reuniting in the forest near Rukongai.

When she finally arrived, he was already there. It was a well known fact in Seireitei that Byakuya was already a master of shunpo. Still breathing loudly from all the running she approached him caring the two jars that she stole from the laboratory.

"You….you…lunatic!" she hissed while she was trying to catch her breath. "You…and your Kuchicki mumbo-jumbo!...You …could have had both of us killed by now!"…

"I will immediately go and inform my grandfather about Urahara'a intrusion. As the captain of the 6th Division he will…"

"You're more stupid than I thought!... How are you going to explain to Ginrei your presence in the laboratory?" she said and put the jars on the grass.

Byakuya approached them curiously. Immediately his eyebrows frowned confused, as he saw little black wings struggling inside.

"Hell butterflies? You went through all this for hell butterflies?" he said. "What are you doing with them?"

"Honestly…what can I do with a hell butterfly?" she replied with a bored air.

"You have only two options…you may send a message or…

"Or you can go to the real world!" she added with a cheerful smile.

His eyes widened.

"That's forbidden!" he said.

She rolled her eyes.

"You said you wanted to know where I'm going when I'm skipping work… So are you coming of not?"

End flashback

"That day I took him to Paris…" Haruna said.

"You mean Paris…like the Paris in France?" asked Renji surprised.

"You want to know what he said when we were above the Eiffel Tower?" she replied.

Renji looked at her curiously.

"He said: "The view on the sokyoku hill it's far better… but I think I'll spend the week-end here"

Renji cocked his eyebrows surprised.

"It's hard to believe that Taicho would have broken the rules so easily…"

Haruna smiled.

" Your 'taicho' was a different person back then…and perhaps if some things won't have happened he would have been the same now…"

"Some things?..."

She looked into his eyes for a couple of seconds but then she suddenly turned her gaze to the window.

"Anyway… let me tell you what happened after that week-end in Paris. We came back home and he had this idea that will change his life…"

~~Flashback~~

"I forbid it!" Goroza replied with a stiffed air.

"But daddy…"

He turned to her with a menacing gaze. Then, he turned his eyes to a young Byakuya who was standing apathetically next to his daughter. Ever since they entered in the study he hardly spoke two words.

"And… you …Byakuya! I had bigger expectations from you! I know she's irresponsible… but you?"

Byakuya didn't reply. He just looked with boredom at the cup of tea he was holding.

"Daddy… pleases! If you talk to grandpa Ginrei and say it's your idea, he will agree..." Haruna insisted.

"Have you lost your mind? How can you ask me to let the two of you go in a one year vacation to the real world?! I don't even know how you could come up with this idea!"

"It was his idea…" she replied with a low voice pointing at Byakuya.

Goroza's eyes widened.

"I'm petrified, Byakuya!...I would never expect something like that from…"

Calmly, Byakuya put aside the cup of tea and looked at Goroza.

"If you talk to my grandfather and you convince him that it's good idea for me and Nene-cha to spend one year in the real word, I promise you that right after we'll get back we will have the wedding ceremony."

A frown on Goroza's forehead appeared. Suddenly the vacation to the real world sounded like a good idea.

"But it's a promise!" he said.

"You can even use this one year to take care of the preparations…" Byakuya replied impassively.

Goroza looked at both of them, silently for a couple of seconds.

"Fine!" he concluded and then he turned to Haruna. "Young lady be aware that by the time you get back your home will be the Kuchiki manor!"

~~End Flashback~~

Haruna turned her gaze from the window, and found Renji asleep with his head on her lap. Silently, she started to play with his hair again.

"Don't let me sleep here…" he whispered.

"Shhh… don't worry… you are safe"

.

.

Rukia opened her eyes. Her first reaction was to ask herself if she was dreaming: Ichigo was asleep, next to her …or more precilely, on her. She found her kimono untied…and Ichigo's head was on her chest, while his hands were around her. She slowly remembered last night and as her cheeks became red, a girlish smile appeared on her lips. She stood there a couple of minutes enjoying the moment… and then, slowly and carful to not wake him up she got off the bed. She took the obi from the floor and before she leaves she turned for a second. She leans over him and kisses his sleeping lips.

"You're not leaving… right?" he whispered with his eyes closed.

He grabbed her and pulled her close, starting to kiss her with lazy… sleepy gestures. He slowly put his hand under her cloth, looking for her waist… then for naked back. Soon, as they were so close to each other, they started to look as one body, covered by one cloth… her kimono.

"Still…I have to go, Ichigo…" she whispered.

"I don't care…" he replied as he descended his lips to her neck.

"I'll be back soon…" she added as she slowly got off the bed.

"Soon it's not good… be back sooner than soon" he replied with his eyes closed, while he reached his hands to grab her.

"Go back to sleep, Ichigo…" she whispered and kissed his cheek.

"Ahaa…" he replied and she knew he was already asleep.

She opened the door and shunpo-ed to her house. Her head was dizzy and something was telling her that it was not because of the drinks she had last night. She was trying to pull herself together but all she could think about was Ichigo. She was seeing him everywhere! No matter of how much she was she was trying to think of something else, she ended up coming back to Ichigo… When she stepped on the porch of the Kuchiki manor, she rushed her steppes. She wanted to go her room, throw herself on the bed and rememorize over and over again the moments spend in the Ryoing's garden…

"Rukia…"

That voice… Suddenly all her dreams were chased away. She raised her eyes… Byakuya was in front of her. For more than one minute they stool still and silent. A strange glare appeared on the noble's face. He looked at her ruffled hair… at her untied kimono… at the obi she was holding in her hand.

"Rukia… where were you last night?" he finally asked.

His voice was white. No inflexions. No subjectivity.

"Where could have I been? At the party with you, Nii-sama…" she replied, but her voice was slightly trembling.

"Rukia… the party finished at 3 am. Now, it's almost noon…" he added.

Her heart started to beat strongly.

"Where were you?" he asked again.

She knew it was hopeless to lie. She clinched her fists and faced Byakuya:

"With all due respect, Nii-sama… I'm a grown woman, not a child. I'm not compelled to justify all my actions! Especially when it comes to my personal life!"

And after she said that just turned around and left.

Byakuya remained stoned, alone on the porch. He didn't understand what happened. He didn't want to understand what just happened. Her untied kimono…and Ichigo's reiatsu all over her body… He suddenly felt the odd eagerness to… destroy something… but he just…couldn't move.

.

.

'Stupid me! Saying something like that to Nii-sama!' she scolded herself as she entered I her room and started to undress. All her good and dreamy mood disappeared. The maids followed her in order to help her with the bath but for the first time in 60 years,she yelled at them 'to get out'. She began to scold herself again. She was so ashamed when Byakuya saw her kimono untied. And when he started to put all those questions as if she was some teenage girl caught while she was kissing her boyfriend…She cared a lot about Byakuya… maybe it was even more than consideration and careness… but she couldn't give him details about a night she just spend with a man. Furthermore nothing happened. But she guessed that it was too late to explain that to Byakuya. After he saw the obi she carried in her hand, he must have made his own movies in his head. She as so ashamed! But she couldn't just go and apologize… she couldn't just tell him: "I'm sorry Nii-sama… It was improper to appear like that in front of you. And yes I've spend the night with a man. It was Ichigo … but nothing happened, because he's Ichigo right? And he is always so careful and full of tenderness and consideration…and…"

Uuuuuuuug! No, she couldn't!

She took a quickly bath and get dressed in her shinigami uniform. It was impossible for her stay inside the house, under the same roof with Byakuya. She just shunpo-ed to her headquarters. Even though her office responsibilities have been taken care of by Kotetsu while she was in the human world, even though it was Sunday, she was sure that she will find something to do…

And then…as she was passing through the corridors of the 13th Division, a strange idea crossed her mind. She remembered the conversation she had last night with Haruna Ryoing. She stopped and looked in her left. Next to her there was the repository of which, as a lieutenant, she held the key. She approached the door and opened it. She saw in front of her the all the boxes which held the zanpakutos of the resigned shinigamis.

"It's only a curiosity… Just to see if it's for real…" she told herself as she entered.

She knew they were all put in alphabetic order…so she went directly to the letter R. '…Ramon…Reiko…

Renzo…Riku…Rinji…Ryoing…'

Her eyes widened. So it was true…

She approached and took the long box. She found inside a normal sized zanpakuto. She put the box down and took it in her arms. She suddenly took a step back since out of nowhere a strong and inexplicable feeling of sadness overwhelmed her. The zanpakuto was light. Lighter than a normal one and its blade was not sharp. She stood there for couples of minutes considering this last aspect. A blunt blade could not be dangerous…

Then she suddenly put the zanpakuoto back in its box. She took it with her and left the room.

.

.

Ichigo heard the door. With his eyes still closed he wondered if Rukia was back. She should have been back by now. She told him that she will be back "sooner than soon". He didn't know how much time had passed, because he didn't know when he fell asleep. The last thing he remembered was that he was kissing her… and that suddenly she told him that she must go. "Go where?"… To the toilet perhaps…

The steps were approaching. She was certainly back… he will wait for her to be next to him… he will pretend to be asleep and then he will surprise her by grabbing and kiss her!

Oh… she was here! He slowly grabbed her writs and pulled her close. Something was wrong. Didn't Rukia have the smallest wrist in the world? He opened his eyes and his face turned blue.

"Are you nuts?!" Renji shouted with an annoyed expression.

Ichigo started to yell and pushed him away.

"Why are you here?"

"What the hell?!" Renji snapped. "That's my house!"

"Then why are you here now? You should have come back in the morning!"

"It's afternoon you dumbass!"

Then Ichigo got off the bed and started to look around the house. "Where is she?!"

"What's wrong with you?" Renji asked annoyed. "You're making a lot of noise…and I'm hangover!"

'Where is she?' he insisted while he looked in every corner of the house.

" Are you deaf?!" shouted Renji. "My head hurts and if you won't stop I'll kick your ass and then I'll kick you out!"

Ichigo suddenly stopped. Renji turned to him surprised. It was actually the first time in his life when he was actually listening to him.

'She left…' Ichigo thought. 'She left before i could settle things with her" but then a strange glare appeared in his eyes. He suddenly turned to Renji.

"Oi…Renji… Tell me… What do you think about marriage?"

"Huh?!" the red haired man snapped with a weary face.

"Marriage Renji… you know when you have a ceremony and then you can live the rest of your life with the woman you love!"

Renji blinked confused.

"I'm decided!" Ichigo hissed.

"Huh?!"

"Renji, I've been thinking about this ever since I left Karakura! I will propose to her!"

"What?!" Renji shouted as if he had chocked with his food. "To whom?"

"I give a shit about what the other would say! I will just marry her and that's it!" he added without paying attention to Renji's question. "So what do you think?"

On his turned, Renji was trying to figure out what was Ichigo actually talking about. Then he remembered that Rukia mentioned 2 weeks ago when she got back from the real world that Ichigo was together with Inoue Orihime. Automatically, he thought that Ichigo was talking about that human girl.

"Well… she's hot…" Renji commented.

"Hot?!.." snapped Ichigo. "She's perfect! And I will propose to her!"

"Well… congratulations…." Renji replied not fully convinced.

Slowly Ichigo'face turned white.

"How am I going to do this?...Do I have to buy I ring?... And flowers?..." he snapped.

Renji didn't answer. He was obviously not interested with the matter.

"But flowers are…to old fashion right?... Then a restaurant?... A walk in the park? A firework spectacle? O maybe a plane on the sky writing : "Please… marry me!"… How am I going to this?" Ichigo said alarmed.

"Just calm down…" Renji replied and threw himself on the bed.

"You're not helping!" Ichigo reproached.

"Well… I can't… my head hurts!"

"Whatever…" he replied and went to the bathroom to have a shower. 'Maybe I could give her that ring mom used to wear…" he thought.

.

.

Shortly, after Renji left, Haruna went to the living room. After she listen to her father and his round of shouting and yelling concerning the Nanakuma wedding at his summer house she went with him in the study and begun to calculate the money they had to pay for the party.

"The food?" she asked.

"Taken care of…" he replied. "Now… 55 bottle of wine…87 of sake…"

"13 have remained untouched…"

"We'll sent them back… I don't want to see you drunk for the next 2 weeks"

Suddenly there was a knock and a servant entered carring a long box.

"This has arrived for you Miss Ryoing"

Haruna took the box and the note it came with it: " Friendship it's rare thing and it's built on trust. I sent you this as a sign of my trust in you. Kuchiki Rukia"

Haruna opened the box and saw inside… her zanpakuto. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips as she took the sword on her hands. Instantly, her father took a few steps back with a scared expression. She started to laugh.

"Well that brings back memories for you…"

"Put that down…" he hissed.

"Don't worry, old man… I don't plan to use it on you anymore" she replied and got up in her feet, heading to the door. "Let's see… where would that Kurosaki Ichigo be now?"

Thank you in advance for reading! Until next time ... you know... read...review... Each opinion counts!