The cacophony of thoughts swimming around in her brain was the first thing Rukia became aware of as she gradually regained consciousness. It was as if someone had a remote control and they were channel surfing through her head. Ideas and feelings flit past before she could focus or make sense of them and she slowly moved her head from side to side in protest.
"Ah!" A soft gasp of pain escaped her lips. Her neck was stiff and sore. She must have fallen asleep in an awkward position. Tentatively, she moved her limbs. They felt tired and heavy. In fact, her whole body was lethargic as if she'd just had a marathon work out.
Furrowing her brow she considered opening her eyes, but at the moment it seemed too much of an effort. Instead, she tried to focus her thoughts again. So many feelings were tumbling about… Hmm… Regret and… Sadness? Was she sad? She hadn't thought so, but maybe she was, otherwise why would the thought be in her head? The more she concentrated on the sadness, the clearer it became and she felt an ache in her heart. No, it wasn't her, but someone out there was sad and needed comforting. She should try to find them, help them…
Forcing herself to open her eyes, she tried to sit up, but moved too quickly. A quick stabbing sensation from her neck had her crying out. Instantly an intense wave of disgust and loathing washed over her and she tried to recoil from the dark, negative thoughts. What was going on? She felt confused and afraid. Was she losing her mind? She darted her eyes around the room as she searched for an explanation.
There was movement beside her and she saw that it was Ichigo. Of course! It all came rushing back to her now. Their argument, the angry accusations, her emotions all over the board due to her heat cycle. She'd pushed Ichigo too far and he'd snapped. They'd had sex and then…
Oh my God, they'd blood bonded!
Rukia quickly moved her hand up to her neck and touched the source of the pain. No wonder it hurt, Ichigo had had his impressive canines dug into her flesh while they'd wildly mated. She imagined that their frantic movements had resulted in the skin and muscle being more than a bit torn. Well, the hurt wouldn't last, but at the moment it was definitely tender.
Sitting on the far side of the bed, Ichigo was hunched over. His bare back was to her and he had his head propped in his hands, with his elbows resting on his knees. She shifted so that she was sitting and tentatively reached out a hand to touch him.
"Ichigo?"
He jerked at her touch and seemed to hesitate before turning, as if reluctant to look at her. His face was impassive, but the expression in his eyes couldn't totally hide how he was feeling. His eyes… They were pools of despair and regret. She gasped as it suddenly all made sense to her. If they were blood bonded, their minds were now connected. Her confusion was because both of their feelings were rushing through her brain and she didn't know how to sort them out yet. But, she frowned and felt her heart lurched. If these were Ichigo's feelings, then he was the one who was regretful. But why? Then it dawned on her.
He'd blood bonded with her in the heat of the moment and now wished he hadn't. He didn't want to be bonded to her. She disgusted him! Rukia felt tears beginning to well up. At the same time, Ichigo groaned, closing his eyes. Another wave of loathing washed over Rukia and she felt her lips tremble as she acknowledged how he felt about her.
Ichigo wiped his face with his hands, and then looked at her again before sighing heavily. "Rukia, I'm sorry. This—" He dipped his head towards her neck. "It was a mistake. I never should have done it."
Unable to stop them, tears began to spill down her face as she silently cried. For quite some time now, she'd been hoping Ichigo would want to blood bond with her and now that he had, he thought it was a mistake! He didn't love her, she'd misinterpreted his actions completely. While he liked the sex they had, and tolerated her in his home, he didn't want to be bound to her mind, body, and soul. She felt like someone had just ripped a chunk out of her heart.
Through a haze of tears, she saw Ichigo lifting his hand towards her, and she recoiled back. She couldn't bear to have him touch her right now, knowing that it didn't really mean anything. As she moved away, Ichigo's arm froze mid air, then fell to his side, fist clenched. She shuddered, now his pain and anger swept through her. Probably he was remembering the whole mixed up mess with Renji and was mad at her. It was all her fault.
She wiped her hands across her face, watching as Ichigo got dressed with angry, jerky movements, his face set in stone. He was leaving her. There had to be a way to fix this. In a trembling voice, she started to speak.
"Ichigo, about Renji. I swear I never did anything—"
"Just forget about it. It doesn't matter now." His mind seemed to be building up some kind of a wall for his feelings were becoming harder to read, as if he was able to lock them all away.
Grabbing a pillow, Rukia hugged it to hide her nakedness, feeling exposed and unsure. He would know how she was feeling too, and she was desperate to hide it from him, but didn't know how. She couldn't let him know how hurt she was. Sniffling, she reached for a tissue from the bedside table, turning her back momentarily. There was a click behind her and she stiffened. The bedroom door had shut and she was left alone. That was when she really broke down. Throwing herself across the mattress, she sobbed, heartbroken and mourning the loss of all her dreams.
Ichigo loathed and hated her. She disgusted him. How could she have been so wrong? He'd seemed to genuinely care for her, so what had gone wrong? True there was this mix up about Renji, but could that be enough to turn him against her? If he'd truly cared, he would have stayed and talked to her. Now that they were blood bonded, they were farther apart than ever.
Rolling over on the bed, she stared at the ceiling and tried to find Ichigo with her mind. Vaguely, she could sense his annoyance and immediately withdrew. He didn't want her bothering him. Somehow, he was managing to block her from his mind and didn't appreciate her trying to break down his barriers. She blinked rapidly and curled up into a ball. Never before had she felt so sad and alone.
She must have been exhausted from the emotional turmoil and her restless sleep the night before, for when she awoke dawn was just breaking. Pulling the covers over her head. Pushing her hair from her eyes, she clambered out of bed. After taking only two steps, pain shot through her foot eliciting a curse. Glancing down, she realized she'd just stepped on the hard corner of a box that was lying on the floor. Glaring at it, she vaguely recalled that she'd landed on it yesterday when Ichigo had thrown her on the bed.
At one point in time, it had been wrapped in colourful paper with a pretty bow. Now, due to its rough treatment, the corner was crushed and the bow was decidedly squished. Carefully she picked it up, turning it over in her hands until she found the tag. It was written in a bold scrawl, but still quite readable. 'Happy Birthday, Love Ichigo.'
Her hands trembled. It had been her birthday yesterday and she'd totally forgotten about it! Her lips trembled as she stared at the tag. He'd written 'love Ichigo.' Had he meant it or was it just a throwaway term used when signing a card? His feelings just a few hours ago led her to believe it was the latter. He had no love for her, even if he had remembered it was her birthday and bought her a present. A lone tear rolled down her face and she quickly scrubbed it away. She wondered when he'd set the present out. The package had been on the bed when he'd thrown her down, so he must have placed it there at some point after coming home in the morning.
Chewing on her lip, she tried to decide if she should open it or not. It was addressed to her, though she doubted Ichigo still wanted to give her anything. After a few moments of hesitation, she sat down on the edge of the bed and opened the box, curiosity winning out. Drawing away the layers of tissue paper, she gave a soft cry of delight. It was the purple sweater she'd looked at on her second day. Gently she picked it up and stroked the soft material against her face. How had Ichigo remembered her mentioning it? Confusion filled her.
What was going on? Did Ichigo care or not? The present seemed to indicate yes but his feelings after blood bonding with her were a definite no. Maybe he had felt something, but her deceit over Renji had ruined it.
Realizing that she was clenching the sweater in her hands, she smoothed the material and refolded it into the box, then threw out the wrecked paper and bow. The card she kept, tucking it into her small jewellery box. Even if it meant nothing, she wanted to remember that at one point, Ichigo had cared a little bit.
Standing by the dresser, she wondered what she should do next. She didn't feel like facing the rest of the pack. Logically, she knew they wouldn't be aware of what had happened, but she didn't feel up to faking happiness. Unfortunately, hiding in the room wasn't a solution either. Eventually, she had to face the world. As she wavered, practicality won over. Her stomach rumbled reminding her that she hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day. Taking this as a sign, Rukia quickly dressed and went in search of something to eat.
Rukia followed the familiar clatter of pots and pans that let her know that Rangiku was back in her domain. As she entered the warm, friendly kitchen, she pasted a smile on her face and tried to sound perky.
"Hi Rangiku-san, good morning."
Rangiku was pulling a ham out of the oven. She closed the oven door and finally turned to look at Rukia. Giving a cry of joy, Rangiku hurried across the room and embraced her.
"Oh, Rukia, I'm so happy for you."
Automatically returning the hug and lightly patting her back, Rukia frowned. "Uh… thanks, but why?"
Stepping back, Rangiku beamed at her. "The blood bond, you silly goose."
Feeling herself flush, Rukia clamped a hand over the mark on her neck. Darn, she should have worn something with a higher neck.
"So you and Ichigo finally took the big leap. Was it like I described it?"
"Yeah, it was… amazing." Rukia answered slowly, not sure what to say. Yes, it had been the best, most mind-blowing experience she could imagine, but afterwards, well… things had definitely gone downhill.
"Now don't be shy. I still remember what it was like with my Gin." A dreamy look washed over her eyes for a moment before focussing. "So, where's Ichigo? I'm surprised he didn't keep you locked up in the bedroom all day."
"Ichigo is… Well… I don't really know. He left right afterwards and I haven't seen him since." She shoved her hands in her back pockets and stared at the floor.
Rukia looked a bit shocked by the news, but quickly composed herself. "Well, just use your connection. Think about him and you should get some sense of where he is or what he's doing."
Rukia shifted uncomfortably. "I… I can't. He seems to be blocking me out."
"What? Blocking you out when you've just bonded! Now, that's rather strange. I mean, it's possible to learn to keep the other person out sometimes—handy for planning surprises and such—but I've never heard of anyone doing it the first day."
"Well, our Alpha is a private sort of guy, I guess." She darted a glance up at Rangiku, feeling the need to tell someone about what had really happened. "We didn't part on the best of terms anyway."
Rangiku's face reflected her disappointment. "You had a fight after blood bonding! Whatever was it about?"
In the face of Rangiku's concern, all of the feelings from yesterday came rushing back and her pep talk about being strong fell to pieces. Blinking rapidly, Rukia tried to keep her tears at bay and just shook her head, pressing her trembling lips together. Gently, Helen laid her hand on Rukia's arm.
"You're crying! Please, tell me what's wrong. I was mated for quite a few years. Maybe I can help."
The soft words proved to be Rukia's undoing and she started to sob loudly. Rangiku gathered her close, soothing and clucking while the whole story was related. When she was done, Rukia wiped her face with a tissue that Rangiku handed her.
"Now Rukia, maybe you have it all wrong. When a couple first start to sense each other, it's usually just vague emotions and it can be hard to interpret exactly what they mean or what caused them. It takes practice and time for the connection to fully develop."
She shook her head sadly. "No, I felt those emotions and they weren't coming from me. They were Ichigo's. And if he wasn't loathing me, then why was that feeling there?"
Pursing her lips, Rangiku shook her head. "I don't know, but I'm sure there's an alternative explanation. That man loves you. Why, he even had a birthday present delivered for you! It came around noon yesterday, but he'd already left, so I just set it on your bed. Did you find it?"
Rukia nodded. "It was lovely, but I think he's changed his mind about me now." "People don't just change their mind about who they do and don't love that quickly. I'm not saying he wasn't a bit upset with you earlier, but it wouldn't cause him to fall out of love. It was just a misunderstanding and once he thinks about it, he'll realise that."
"No he won't. He believes Riruka can do no wrong."
Rangiku sighed heavily. "True. She's his blind spot, but Ichigo's bound to realise the truth through what he's sensing from you. Has he been reading you at all? Any tingling in your mind, like someone else is there?"
Rukia shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Humph! Stupid man. How is he ever supposed to understand you, if he doesn't make some effort?"
"I really don't think—" The door opened behind her, and Rukia stopped mid-sentence.
Uryu walked in, he crossed the room and peeked in the oven. "Mmm, ham and scalloped potatoes for lunch! The guys will appreciate that after being out in the cold and wet."
"Wet?" Rukia glanced out the window. It wasn't raining.
"Yeah, down by the mouth of the river. Someone—aka Grimmjow—left three barrels of oil there. Thankfully, the patrols scared the guy off before he tipped over all three. The clean-up won't be nearly as extensive since we caught it so early. Ichigo's been out there almost constantly coordinating efforts the past two days."
Rangiku looked meaningfully at Rukia. "That explains it, Rukia. He's been so busy, he hasn't had time for anything else."
Rukia gave Rangiku a faint smile, not nearly as hopeful as the other woman was, but at least she now knew where Ichigo was spending his time. Hmm… Barrels of oil. Oil containers were missing from the back of Maki's garage. It was too much of a coincidence for it to be a coincidence. Grimmjow had probably seen the oil there when he left his car, or Riruka—posing as Reeka—had noticed it and then told Grimmjow. Recalling how dishevelled and muddy Riruka had been coming in the other morning, it now made sense. She'd been out helping put the barrels in the river, though why she was helping Grimmjow after he'd threatened her, still made no sense.
The next question was how to convince Ichigo of what was going on. There was no hard evidence. Riruka wouldn't be dumb enough to leave muddy shoes and pants lying around, and obviously she'd masked her scent since no one mentioned scenting her. Furrowing her brow, Rukia wondered how she could prove her suspicions. She considered telling Rangiku and Uryu, but decided to go Ichigo with her evidence first. Even if he was mad at her, he was the Alpha and anything concerning the pack on a large scale needed to be brought before him.
Deciding some fresh air might help her think about how to present her case, she took her leave. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she stared at the ground as she walked instinctively heading for the woods and the trail that ran through it. The sound of footsteps caught her attention and she looked up wondering who else was out. With narrowed eyes, she watched the figure approach.
It was Momo. Pausing, Rukia waited for the other girl to catch up to her.
"Morning, Momo." She called out once the girl was close enough to hear.
"Rukia." Momo looked at her a bit warily, as if unsure what to do, then took a deep breath and gave a rather forced looking smile. "I was just heading out for a walk. Care to come with me?"
Somewhat surprised by the offer, Rukia hesitated before nodding. This was a change. "Uh… Sure. A walk would be great."
They headed into the woods together, each cautiously observing the other. Finally, Momo spoke cutting of the awkward silence.
"You know, Riruka said something to me.."
"Riruka?"
"Well, she approached me, saying she was suspicious that you were cheating on Ichigo and asking if I knew anything about it."
Oh really, Rukia thought to herself. The conniving bitch knew all along that there was nothing going on, but just twisted things around to make it look bad.
"When was this?"
"Um…that night when you and Ichigo went out for a run."
That would have been Tuesday night. So Riruka had most of Wednesday and Thursday to plan her sabotage.
"No, Momo I wasn't cheating on Ichigo. I did met with someone yesterday, but he was a friend from my old pack."
Momo walked along silently for a moment, considering the information. She looked at Rukia out of the corner of her eye. "So there's absolutely nothing between you and that friend of yours?"
"Nothing at all. Just friendship."
"And you're in love with Ichigo, not this other guy?"
Rukia hesitated, but then decided it could do no harm to tell Momo the truth. She did love Ichigo, even if it wasn't reciprocated. "Yes, I really do love him." Impulsively she decided to press the point and pulled her jacket open, revealing her neck. "See? We've even blood bonded
Momo stared at the mark, apparently speechless. Finally, she smiled and spoke cheerfully, though it seemed a bit forced. "Well! If you guys are blood bonded then what you're saying must be true. Ichigo would know if you were cheating on him."
A sound drew Rukia's attention and she saw Tatsuki slowly loping towards them, her breath appearing as little white puffs as she ran down the woodland path. Once she drew near, Tatsuki phased back into her human form. "Hey, Rukia. I haven't seen you for a few days."
"I know. I'm sorry. The time just seems to fly by now that I'm working more days." Rukia felt bad for ignoring her friend.
"It's okay. I understand. Where are you off to?"
"Just taking a walk and talking," Momo supplied.
"Do you want to join us?" Rukia noticed that Momo seemed to stiffen a bit at her suggestion and wondered if the two didn't get along, though Momo was usually so soft spoken and demure it would be hard not to get along with her.
Tatsuki checked her watch. "As much as I'd like to, I really don't have time today, but we'll get together soon, okay?"
After promising to call each other and saying their goodbyes, Tatsuki left and Rukia glanced at Momo as they continued to stroll along.
"Don't you like Tatsuki?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, when I asked her to join us, you didn't seem thrilled with the idea."
"Oh. Well, I have something to say and I'd prefer not to have an audience."
"What is it?"
"Riruka called me this morning, saying how worried she was about Ichigo and that maybe the two of us could help keep your relationship stable. She wanted us to get together and talk to you, convince you that seeing this Renji guy was a bad idea. Just wait until she finds out how wrong we both were!"
"Riruka said that?" Rukia couldn't keep the shock from her voice. Something was wrong with this picture. What was the woman planning now? And why involve Momo?
"So where were we supposed to be getting together?"
"In the woods. She said how you loved being out here, and that you'd be more receptive to what we had to say if you were in a comfortable environment. Actually, we're almost at the meeting spot now. It's just over this little rise."
Rukia looked around, suddenly taking stock of her unfamiliar surroundings. She'd been so busy thinking that she hadn't really noticed where she was going until now. Tall trees surrounded the place where she stood, and just the faintest evidence of a trail was noticeable through the tangled, dried grass. The sound of rushing water told her she must be near the waterfall Ichigo had told her about and sure enough, a glimpse of the lake was evident through the trees. Realizing they must be in one of the areas that Ichigo had said to stay away from, she moved to walk away.
"Momo, I don't think we're supposed to be here. Wasn't most of the area around the lake declared off limits?"
Momo took Rukia's arm in a firm grip, stopping her from leaving. "Technically, yes. But the cleanup is happening a few miles away, almost on the other side, so we're in no danger. Riruka thought there'd be less chance that we'd be disturbed here."
Momo checked her watch and then sat down on a fallen log, pulling Rukia down beside her. "She should be along any moment."
A nervous feeling skittered down Rukia's spine. This whole setup didn't seem right. "I don't think we should stay here. Let's go back."
"But Riruka going to be here any moment. It would be rude to leave without letting her know. If we wait, we can both explain the mix-up and then walk back together."
"I don't care if it's rude or not. We need to go." Rukia tugged her companion to her feet then froze when a twig snapped behind her. Closing her eyes, a feeling of dread washed over her. Somehow, she just knew who it was going to be behind her.
Ichigo sat at the head of the table, poking at his food, unable to eat. Rukia was off to work by now and he couldn't help but think of how badly they'd parted. Yesterday morning, he'd had such hopes when he'd come home early, leaving Uryu temporarily in charge of the oil clean up. It had been her birthday and he'd been planning the day for quite some time, Grimmjow and his annoying childish pranks weren't going to be allowed to spoil the day.
Staring blindly across the room, Ichigo reviewed how the day should have gone. He'd arranged for a private room at the TeaHouse where the two of them would have had an intimate meal together. His friend, Ganju Shiba, had even had the chef make a special menu just for the occasion. When Rukia finally finished her shift, Ichigo had thought he would meet her in the parking lot, blindfold her, and then bring her in through the private side door.
She'd be so surprised by the luxurious surroundings, he could just imagine the look on her face when she saw the four poster bed, complete with a curtained canopy, the hot tub, the gold faucets in the bath… After a leisurely meal, he would give her his presents. He smiled thinking how she'd react to the purple sweater he'd bought. She'd mentioned it on one of her first days here, but probably never realised how closely he'd been listening to what she said.
The sweater had been sitting on hold at the store for the last two weeks, with instructions to deliver it that morning so there was no chance of Rukia accidentally finding it. Next, he'd planned on presenting her with a delicate gold bracelet he'd picked out to suit the fine bones of her wrist. It had a small wolf medallion hanging from it, inscribed with their names and the date of their mating.
For his last gift, he was planning on professing his feelings, thus giving her his heart. He knew he had always been cautious about opening up to anyone, but with Rukia it was different. He felt comfortable sharing his inner self with her and wanted to ask if she'd blood bond with him. Then, if everything went as he'd planned, they'd spend the rest of the afternoon making love and discovering each other's most secret thoughts and feelings.
Of course, that was all a dream. Nothing had happened as he'd planned. Instead of an intimate afternoon of bonding, they'd spent the time arguing. He'd crossed all the lines, leaving her frightened and confused. Now, he wondered if she'd ever forgive him. The temptation to go poking about in her mind to discover how she was feeling was strong, but he knew he had no right.
In ordinary circumstances, blood bonded mates would think nothing of tiptoeing through each other's thoughts, but he and Rukia were hardly ordinary. He'd forced the bonding on her, and even though in the end she'd actively participated, he still felt as if he'd almost raped her. Self-loathing and disgust consumed him. How could he have done that? Losing control was never an option for him.
Yesterday, he'd let the famed werewolf possessiveness take over. Reason had been lost and he'd brutally forced himself on his mate. What kind of a monster did that? Absentmindedly, he noted the fork in his hand was bending under the strength of his grip and his jaw clenched as he carefully set the utensil down on the table. What was happening to him? His behaviour was totally unacceptable, as if the wolf side of him was dominating the human. Indeed, when he'd blood bonded with Rukia, his wolf had taken over, driving him to claim his mate so that no one else could ever have her. He'd been too rough, too animalistic, so caught up in the act that by the end he'd dropped exhausted at her side, immediately falling asleep without even checking how she was feeling. When he awoke afterward, he'd stared horrified at the mark he'd inflicted on Rukia's neck. She'd moaned in her sleep and it had been like someone stabbing his heart. He'd hurt his mate, marking her in a fit of possessive rage, doubting her word..
True, the evidence against her was substantial, but he should have examined it with calm reason rather than just reacting in anger. When she'd finally stirred, he'd sensed that Rukia was scared and confused. Then, as the reality of what had occurred sank in, sadness seemed to consume her. He'd reached out to her, but she'd drawn back in fear and that was when he knew he had to block the connection between them. She didn't want him—well, she desired him physically, he knew that—but she couldn't really want him in her life anymore. His actions had destroyed the tentative relationship they'd been building.
Sensing someone beside him, Ichigo glanced up. Rangiku was there with a worried frown on her normally pleasant face. Raising his brows, he looked at her questioningly.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Ichigo, but the TeaHouse just called. Rukia didn't show up for work today and they were wondering if she was ill. I know she went for a walk this morning, but she never came back. Her car's still here… " Rangiku's voice trailed off and she twisted her hands nervously.
Ichigo pushed his chair back and stood up, nodding for Rangiku to follow him. He didn't want the rest of the pack overhearing their conversation. Once in the kitchen, he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Rangiku out of the corner of his eye. The woman was almost like a mother to him and he felt like a little kid confessing to her. "You see, Rukia and I… Well, we had a… disagreement yesterday and I told her she couldn't work anymore. I guess she thought I meant it."
"You what?" Rangiku looked at him incredulously.
"Yeah, I know. I'm an idiot. She's really mad at me, so she's probably waiting until I'm gone before coming home for lunch. I guess she forgot to call Ganju to tell him."
Rangiku seemed to be thinking hard for a moment before speaking. "Ichigo, it's really none of my business, but I can't keep this to myself. Rukia told me some of what happened yesterday—about the diary and Renji how you fought and then bonded. She was really upset—"
Ichigo interrupted. "I know. She's scared of me now and sad that I took away the chance to blood bond with someone she really loves- Hey! What was that for?"
Rangiku had just slapped him across the back of the head! He bit back the growl that such an action would have earned anyone else.
"Standard treatment for stupidity." Her hands were on her hips and she appeared to be shaking her head in despair.
"Stupidity?" In the back of his mind, he acknowledged that only Rangiku would dare say that to the Alpha.
"Yes. And if Rukia was here, I might slap her too, though she's young and in a new pack, so I'm more inclined to forgive her, but you! You're the Alpha, our supposed leader! You, of all people, should be able to read your own mate. Haven't you used your bond to figure out what she's really feeling?"
"I did, right afterwards. She was confused, scared, sad… I blocked her out after that. I'm not a suitable mate for her. Giving her a bit of privacy was the least I could do."
Rangiku snorted. "What you did was convince her that you didn't care, that you didn't want her near you."
"That's not true!"
"Whether it is or not, that's what she thought. Of course she was confused and scared! All of a sudden she had all your thoughts in her head and she couldn't sort them out. And you were feeling pretty down on yourself for the circumstances surrounding the bonding, right?" Ichigo tightened his lips, but nodded. "Well, Rukia took that to mean you hated her and regretted bonding with her, not just the circumstances surrounding how it happened. She was crying her eyes out this morning because she loves you, but she's under the impression you don't love her back."
Ichigo stared at the floor, wincing as an actual pain attacked his heart. He never meant to hurt Rukia. It was the last thing he wanted to do, and by trying to make things better, he'd actually made it worse.
She reached out and cupped his cheek. "Ichigo, you did the wrong thing, but for the right reasons. And you have to set this right before you lose her forever."
Rangiku had always had a soft spot for him, and her assessment of his character was more favourable than he knew he deserved. "So, what should I do?"
"Are you looking for another slap on the head?" Rangiku scolded him. "Hook up that wonderful connection you now have with your mate. Go find her, explain how you feel and then have some great make-up sex!" With that, Rangiku shoved him out the door.
Sorry 4 da late update guys...
No WiFi, No update ..:)