Disclaimer-Once again for any paranoid wackjobs, I don't own anything.

Warning-More kinky Ichiruki sex!

No Escape

Chapter 22

The visit to the funeral home to plan Hanataro's service was harder than Rukia had expected. Thank God Ichigo was there to hold her hand and help her get through it.

The coroner still hadn't released his body yet, and they had no way of knowing how long it might be until they did. Hopefully not too long. She needed this to be over-to know Hanataro was resting in peace and that she'd done everything she could to give him the kind of respect and love a real family would have.

Ichigo hit the drive-thru at a burger joint, but Rukia wasn't sure she could eat right now. She was too upset. Too heartsick over realizing that she'd really never see Hanataro again-never see him blush because she caught him looking at her, never hear him lecture her about putting more money into her retirement account.

"We'll get you through this," said Ichigo in a steady, confident voice.

Rukia wondered if he'd ever been unsure of anything in his life. If so, she'd never seen it. He was rock solid, and she couldn't imagine having to deal with all of this without him.

When he left, she would probably grieve for him as much as she was for Hanataro. What a lovely thought that was.

"I'm going to be fine," she assured him. "It's just hard right now, you know?"

Ichigo nodded, sparing her a quick glance away from the road. "The funeral will be tough, but so are you. And I'll be there by your side."

"Don't say that, Ichigo. We don't know how long it will be until they release the body, and if the police find Yammy and prove he's the killer before then, you'll already be gone. I don't want you making promises just because I'm upset."

"I'm going to be here for Hanataro's funeral," he stated in a hard tone.

"You have your job to think about. I doubt your boss is going to appreciate you taking time off so soon after starting."

His hands tightened on the wheel, and his voice took on an unnaturally neutral cadence. "Don't worry about my job. I've got it covered."

Rukia let it drop. He was a grown man and could make up his own mind. Besides, she really wanted him by her side when they stood at Hanataro's grave. She didn't want to face that alone.

Ichigo pulled into her driveway and killed the engine. Before she could open her door, he turned in his seat and took her hand in his. Bright shards of clear amber shone in his eyes, and he had a fiercely determined set to his hard jaw. "We're going to get through this. The police will find Yammy, Momo, and Renji will be safe, and you won't have to worry about any of us anymore. All you'll have to worry about is figuring out how you're going to keep up with all those kids you're going to bring into your home."

That was a happy thought, and she so desperately needed one of those right now. "How do you know? How do you know that's the way it will end?"

"Because you didn't stop fighting when the police didn't believe the suicides were murders. You didn't give up. We have the police on our side now, working on the case, and as much as I think that Detective Kira is a dickhead for thinking I could kill those people, he's smart and determined. He's not going to let us down."

Rukia clung to that notion and let it make her feel better. She still wasn't as confident as Ichigo was, but she'd never met anyone who was.

"Will you do something for me?" she asked.

"Anything in my power, Beautiful."

"If something happens to me-"

"It won't."

She covered his mouth so she could finish. "If something happens to me, will you take care of Kon until he graduates?"

Under her hand, Ichigo's face went white. His pupils contracted down to tiny black points, and a fine sweat broke out along his forehead. "I can't, Rukia. I'm sorry."

"But he doesn't have anyone else. His dad will try to get him back, and I know you'd be able to keep him safe. He's almost done with school, and he's no trouble at all."

"It's not that. Kon's a great kid. But I can't be his dad."

"Why? You're great with him. He listens to you. Looks up to you."

"Only because he sees me as some random guy who will be gone in a few days. If he actually had to listen to me, it would be different."

"Why?"

Ichigo got out of the car, slamming the door hard. His sack of fast food was still sitting between the seats. Rukia grabbed it, along with the coffee mug full of fancy tea one of her students had given her, and followed him inside.

He'd made quick work of unlocking the door and was no longer in the kitchen by the time Rukia walked in. She threw the bag of food and tea on the counter, along with her purse and jacket, and went to find him. She was not going to let him leave her hanging like this, not for something this important to her, and not when he was obviously in pain.

He was already up the stairs when she caught up with him. She followed him into his room without asking permission. She didn't even care she was invading his private space.

He kept his back to her, and she could see tension vibrating his frame. "I don't really want company right now."

"Fine, then answer my question and I'll get out of your hair. Why can't you be Kon's father? Is it something he did?"

He turned around and looked at her like she was insane. "God, no. He hasn't done anything wrong."

"Then what is it? You're a good man. You like him. I trust you. Why won't you take care of him for a few months? Is it your job?"

"I don't have-" He ran his hands through his hair, making an even bigger mess of it. "It has nothing to do with the job."

"Then what, Ichigo?"

"I just can't be anyone's dad. At least not yet."

Rukia had no idea what he meant by that. "Why not yet? Is something happening I don't know about? Are you going back into the military again?" The thought that she'd have to worry about him day after day and go for months without hearing from him scared her silly. She wasn't sure how she'd deal with it if he said he was going back to that life again.

Not that she had any say in the matter.

"There's nothing you need to know," he said.

It was an evasive answer, but she let it go in favor of pursuing what she really wanted to know. "Then what's going on? If you're not ready to be a dad now, when will you?"

He whirled around. His face was angry red, and his lips were pressed together so hard they were a bloodless white. Pain glowed in his eyes-a kind of pain she hadn't seen since the day he'd been arrested for killing Aizen and hauled off to jail in handcuffs. "Never, okay! I'm never going to be worthy of that kind of responsibility. I'm great at keeping people alive. You want me to kill someone? I can take them out from so far away they'll never hear the sound of the bullet that ripped their brains out. But I can't be responsible for raising anything resembling a normal adult." His voice grew softer, regretful. "It's just not in me, no matter how much I wish it was. I know that now."

Rukia was stunned silent. She'd had no idea he felt that way. How could one man be so wrong about himself? She had to make him see reason-see the truth. "I've never known a man who would make a better father than you."

"Bullshit," he snapped.

"Hardly. Do you really think I'd put Kon with someone I thought would be bad for him?"

"You're desperate," he said as if that explained everything.

"Asking you was not an act of desperation. Who better to raise Kon than someone who knows where he's been? What he's going through?"

"The blind leading the blind?" scoffed Ichigo. "Is that your idea of good parenting?"

"You're not blind. You're experienced. You know the price a child pays when his parents don't care. You've lived it."

His gaze went to the carpet, and his shoulders hunched in shame. "Which means I'll make the same mistakes."

"No. It means you'll know better than to make them."

Ichigo shook his head. "I can't talk about this anymore. Just let it go, Rukia. Find someone else."

He was hurting, and she was causing it. She had to stop pushing, at least for now. She'd give him time to think about what she'd said, but there was one more thing he needed to know. "Taking care of Kon is not something I would ever coerce you into doing, but whoever I'd find to care for him would be my second choice."

Ichigo let out a heavy sigh of regret. "I can't be the man you want."

"You already are."

"I don't mean sex."

"Neither do I."

She couldn't stand seeing him hurt any longer without trying to comfort him. She had to touch him, had to try to ease him. She didn't want him to feel like he was alone. He'd been alone for too long.

Rukia went to him and ran her fingers through his hair in an attempt to straighten it. The smooth strands slid between her fingers, and Ichigo stood statue still, letting her fuss over him.

"Maybe you were only a good time in bed to a lot of the other women you've encountered, but you're a lot more than that to me. I know it in my heart. You always will be," she told him. "You know that, right? You know what a great man you are, don't you?"

The tightness around his mouth softened. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought she saw the hint of tears welling in his eyes. Sometimes it was easy to forget Ichigo was human like the rest of the world. He was so capable and confident, like he could carry the weight of the world on his shoulders and still have room for more.

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "You shouldn't have so much faith. People will just let you down."

"Not you," she assured him. "You've never once let me down."

"If you hang out with me long enough, I will."

"Is that an invitation?"

His jaw tensed, though she couldn't tell if it was anger or frustration that caused it. "Rukia, I can't-"

She covered his mouth with her fingers. The smooth warmth of his lips made her shiver. "I know. I shouldn't have said that. I understand the rules between us."

He pulled her hand away. "Damn it! There aren't any rules."

"Yes, there are. For both of us." She couldn't give up her dreams, not even for Ichigo. She'd learned the hard way that a man who didn't want what she wanted out of life would never make her happy. Nor would she make him happy. And she wanted Ichigo to be happy, even if it was with someone else.

She'd be smart if she just learned to enjoy him now, get over her feelings for him, and move on with her life. Let him do the same. It wasn't fair of her to try to make him something he didn't want to be, no matter how good at it she thought he'd be.

She'd stop pushing so she didn't mess up what little time they had left. She had now, and for now, she was the luckiest woman alive, and would be until the day he left.

Maybe today if the police found Yammy.

She wouldn't think about that now. She couldn't. Letting him go was going to rip her apart. She loved him. She couldn't pretend it was something else any longer. Her childhood hero worship had turned into something deeper, something more permanent.

Something she was going to have to learn to live with when he was gone.

Rukia stepped back, separating herself from him even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. "I'll leave you alone."

He grabbed her hand before she moved out of reach.. "No. Don't leave."

She turned toward him again and saw something in his face she'd never seen before. Uncertainty. He was frowning, and his eyes were darting around the room.

"Ichigo? Are you okay?"

"No. I just... don't leave me." The words came out strangled, like he couldn't get enough air.

"Okay. I'll stay."

He didn't act like he heard her, he just kept talking. He pulled her against his body and caged her with his arms. "I'll make you feel good if you stay, Rukia. I swear it."

Instantly, her body responded to his offer and his nearness. Her skin grew warm and her stomach tightened. She couldn't seem to look away from his mouth. She wanted to kiss him, but not because he was worried she'd leave him. She had to convince him that she'd stay with him even if he didn't make promises that heated her blood.

"You don't have to do that to make me stay," she told him.

He tightened his grip as if he thought she might be jerked away from him if he didn't hold on tight enough. She'd never heard Ichigo beg, but he was getting frighteningly close. "I need you. Please."

She opened her mouth to reassure him she wouldn't go anywhere, but before she could speak, he kissed her. It was a hot, desperate kiss that made her toes curl inside her shoes and her lungs work overtime. His tongue slid inside her mouth to find hers, and all her thoughts scattered. All she knew was that the man she loved was kissing her-needing her-and she couldn't bring herself to push aside something she wanted so much.

Her body relaxed against his, melting into his tight embrace. She didn't even have to worry about standing up under her own power. Ichigo would keep her steady.

His kisses moved over her chin and down her throat, nipping and licking as he went. "That's right, love. Just let me make you feel good."

And he was. Already her body was humming along, eager for whatever he did. Her fingers dug into his back, and she loved the feel of his hard, powerful muscles bunching whenever he moved. He was so strong, but it didn't make her feel weak by comparison. Instead it made her feel safe, protected.

His quick, elegant fingers unhooked her bra and slid around front to tease her breasts. Without touching her nipples, where she wanted him most, he traced a spiral path over her skin, making her arch her back.

"I want to see you," he told her as he tugged her shirt and bra off over her head. She was sure her flyaway hair was a static-y mess, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

The room was bright, with sunlight streaming in through the window, but she didn't care about that, either. She wanted him to look at her if that excited him, and it had last night. She'd never forget the way his eyes darkened to bronze when he looked at her naked body. Just like they were right now as he stared at her naked breasts.

His half-lidded eyes, heavy with arousal, fixed on her chest. He drew one long finger over the swell of her breasts in a touch so light she wanted to scream for more. "I love how you blush here for me. Such a turn-on to know you can't hide how much you want me."

Rukia hadn't realized her blushed chest turned him on, but she was glad it did, because there was nothing she could have done to stop it. "It's only fair," she told him as she pressed her palm against his erection. "You'd never be able to hide this, either."

Ichigo groaned, and his head fell back. Rukia was filled with a rush of womanly power knowing she'd done that to him with just a touch. It made her feel bold and more than a little aggressive to wield such power over a man as strong as Ichigo.

She wanted him naked so she could feel his erection filling her hands as she stroked him. She wanted to hear the sounds he made when she touched him just right and see the way his body tensed as he held back from the brink of orgasm.

Rukia managed to get his fly open, but his jeans were too tight for her to push them down. Ichigo obliged her by stripping, flinging his clothes to the floor.

She watched, fascinated by the way he moved. Sleek, powerful muscles shifted under his skin, making her mouth water. He didn't try to hide from her but stood there and let her look her fill.

He was blindingly beautiful in the bright light of day. His skin was smooth and tan, though there were a few pale scars here and there that marked the risks he'd taken and sacrifices he'd made in the line of duty.

She found one near his left shoulder and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the mark.

Ichigo shivered. "Take off your pants, Rukia."

She ignored his order and found another small scar on his ribs. She kissed it, as well, and watched in awe as the muscles in his stomach rippled.

She spied another scar on his right hip and knelt so she could reach it, too. She lingered over the kiss, swirling her tongue over the mark, making him shiver.

His erection bobbed in front of her, imposible to miss. She gave him a wicked smile, then ran the tip of her tongue up the length.

Ichigo hissed out a vivid curse and fisted his hands in her hair. Since he'd come into her life, she finally understood all those women who enjoyed performing oral sex on men. It was a thrill to see his reaction, to wield the tremendous power to make him feel so good he shook with the force of it.

She took him into her mouth, and she could feel his body quiver with barely controlled passion. Oh, yeah. She could get used to this.

He didn't give her much time to enjoy herself before he pulled away and lifted her to the bed. "Pants. Off," he said in words so thick with need they were nearly unintelligible.

Rukia grinned and obliged him by stripping out of her slacks. She lay back on the wide bottom bunk bed, wearing only a pair of lavender satin panties.

Ichigo's eyes zeroed in on those panties and his cheeks darkened. "Tease," he accused.

"They match my eyes."

This time, it was his turn to smile, though his was so dark and knowing she was almost afraid of what he was thinking. "Yes. They do."

He covered her body with his and took her mouth in a deep kiss. Rukia groaned as goose bumps rose up along her limbs. The man knew how to kiss, and she was pretty sure that every time he did that swirling thing with his tongue, she lost another pile of brain cells to overheating.

His big hand cupped her breast. Her nipple hardened against his palm. She felt him smile against her mouth in response.

Ichigo shoved a hard thigh between her legs, pressing it against her mound. Shocks of sensation rioted through her belly. She made a desperate noise and dug her fingernails into his back.

"Like that?" he asked her.

Speech was imposible, so she didn't try. Instead, she moved her hips, grinding herself against him because it felt too good not to.

He toyed with one nipple while moving down to take the other into his mouth. Heat and sensation jolted through her, meeting up with all of the hot pleasure pulsing low in her abdomen.

Her panties were slick and wet as she rubbed up against Ichigo's thigh, but it wasn't enough. She wanted to feel him inside her, filling her up.

With clumsy hands, Rukia pushed him away enough that she could grasp his erection. As hot as she was, his skin was even hotter, smooth and slick from her mouth and his own excitement. She spread her legs wide and pushed her panties aside while using her other hand to guide his penis where she needed it.

The tip of him slid along her slick folds, and she pressed her hips forward to join them together.

"This feels too good. So hot." Ichigo went still, then pulled away from her, out of reach. He was panting, staring down at her exposed flesh while he licked his lips. "Need a rubber."

Right. She'd forgotten in the midst of the haze of pleasure engulfing her, but thankfully, Ichigo had more sense.

He took care of the problem while Rukia shed her panties. When he came back to the bed, she expected him to take up where they left off, but instead, he gave her a dark, hungry look and knelt between her knees. He spread her thighs wide and lowered his head between them. His tongue grazed over her in a hot, wet caress.

Her whole body tightened with something too intense to be called pleasure, and her hips rose up off the bed toward his mouth. Ichigo pushed her back to the bed and held her hips in place while he licked and kissed her as he pleased. His tongue did that exquisite swirling and she was lost. The world spun away, and her body exploded in the most awesome, devastating climax she'd ever had.

Ichigo was with her the whole way, using his tongue to keep her spiraling out of control.

She hadn't even regained the ability to see when she felt the weight of his body settle over her and his erection slide inside her slick body. His movements were gentle, but she could sense his desperation in the way his body shook with tension.

He plucked at her nipple, which sent shockwaves of sensation to her womb and made her abdomen tighten. He must have felt it, too, because he sucked in a breath and his hips bucked forward as if he couldn't control them. His movement hit a sweet spot inside her, and all of the relief her climax had given her was swept away. That achy need was back, gnawing at her insides for relief, and Ichigo was being too gentle. Too careful with her.

"Roll over," she ordered him in a near snarl. She'd never sounded so forceful during sex before, but Ichigo didn't seem to mind.

He easily shifted them, rolling her body along with his until she was on top. The movement pressed him deeper and made Rukia gasp. No way was she going to last long like this. She felt so full she could barely breathe.

Rukia pressed her hands to his chest for leverage and lifted her body off of his. The ride back down was long and slow and had Ichigo gripping her thighs hard enough to leave white marks around his fingers. He made a sharp, guttural sound of pleasure that thrilled her down to her toes. She wanted to make him feel good, and now she knew just how to do it.

She set a teasingly slow pace that pressed him as deep inside her as she could stand on every stroke. His body had been made just to fit hers, hitting the right spots without her even having to try.

It didn't take long for Rukia to be hovering at the edge of orgasm again, but she didn't want to go alone this time. She wanted to feel Ichigo coming inside her when she let go-to know she was giving him as much pleasure as he was giving her.

His hands moved to her waist, making her speed up the pace. Beneath her, his body was coiled tight. She leaned down so she could kiss his neck, and the movement ground her clitoris against him. An electric current streaked through her core, and she couldn't hold back any longer. Her climax crashed over her, making her gasp and tighten around Ichigo's erection.

A high C rippled out of her as her body flew apart.

Ichigo's hands clenched on her waist, and his hips lifted up off the bed, shoving hard inside Rukia. From the depths of her own release, she heard him let out a rough roar. Then she felt him throb inside her as he came in time with the dwindling pulses of her own orgasm.

Rukia collapsed on top of him, breathing hard. Her body felt heavy and boneless, and a faint buzzing sensation made her skin tingle.

"You okay?" asked Ichigo in a rough, sexy voice.

"I thought you were an expert on women."

"You're not just any woman."

And if that wasn't the perfect thing to say, she didn't know what was. She turned her head enough to kiss his jaw.

Ichigo gave her a tight hug, then shifted her body so they were no longer joined. "After that, I bet you're hungry," he said.

"I probably will be in a minute. Right now I'm just thirsty. All that hard breathing made my throat dry."

He rolled her over so she was on the bed and kissed her nose. "Stay right here and I'll make you some tea."

"You need to eat your food, assuming it's still edible. I can make my own tea."

Ichigo shook his head and gave her a sultry smile that melted her will into a puddle. "I want you to stay right here. Completely naked. I'm nowhere near done with you."

AN

Now if you guys have been paying attention, you know that something is wrong. Since I've been gone so long, and also since I'm sure a few, if not all of you are in suspense right now, I also uploaded the next chapter. So read on. Oh, and for the person who asked about the final Chapter of TLAW, maybe for Christmas.