A/N: Thank you for any and all reviews, favorites, and follows, as well as all you other readers out there!

Bleach and all products thereof are copyright to Tite Kubo, et al.

Saturday, February 22, 2003

Ichigo dug the fingers of his free hand into the ground of the training room floor. Rukia continued to grip his other hand steadily in hers and turned her head to look at him with sympathy. Their link had faded now, and was only just barely if at all still present, but even without it she could feel his turmoil. She didn't know the words to say to make it better, so she just held onto him.

"And so now you know everything that I know," Isshin said to them at last, exhaling. It had taken about three-quarters of an hour to explain, but then again he had been rather exhaustive. It had been tough to read their reactions throughout the whole story. He didn't really know what either might be thinking, except that Rukia now showed concern and empathy for Ichigo.

None of them said anything for awhile, until at last Ichigo spoke up. His tone was reigned in as he said "The General said 'Your current mission can be thought of as a training day' and told us to get stronger. She said that when we were, they'd 'assist as necessary in putting Soul Society's outstanding issues to order'." He said nothing else for awhile. "So 'outstanding issues' means him, right? That's why they want us to get stronger, so we can fight him?"

"If that's what you were told, then it sure sounds like it," Isshin replied. He considered Ichigo and Rukia gravely. It went unsaid that if the Americans were willing to lend a hand against Yhwach it was because there was something even worse on the other side of him that they in turn needed help with. There was no point in thinking about what that might be right this moment.

"I see," Ichigo said at last.

Rukia's eyes widened as she realized what was happening first. "Ichigo..." she muttered.

Reiatsu was again pouring out from him despite all the reiryoku he'd spent that day. The hand he'd dug into the dirt clenched into a fist as he began to slowly push himself up on it and brought a knee up under himself.

"Hey, hey, easy now, you're in no state to be—" Isshin began, suddenly showing real fatherly concern.

"Oto-san…dad…thank you," Ichigo said, looking up to meet his gaze. Isshin blinked at this, and his features once more firmed up in response.

At that, Ichigo brought his other leg up under himself, and both pulled and scooped up Rukia. Realizing what he was doing and in no great position to oppose it, she let go of his hand at the last second and weakly slid her arms around his neck, bringing her head beside his. He stood with her, picking her up and holding her against him, one arm around her waist and the other beneath her rear. She just managed to get her legs around his core and whispered "Better watch those hands, fool," in his ear.

Ichigo replied "Kuchiki-dono, you really should know better by now than to insult the help." He gave his old man one last glance only to find he was smirking at the way they were behaving together. "Don't you start either!"

Isshin held his hands up in response before Ichigo turned to start walking back toward the ladder. He was now facing Rukia and she just smiled at him for a moment before turning her face against Ichigo's neck. He was sure that under any other circumstance she'd be embarrassed as hell at all this, but not today. Today she looked like she was proud of Ichigo. He smiled despite himself. "So, what are you gonna do, Ichigo?" he called out after the retreating couple.

Ichigo stopped and for a moment said nothing, before saying "We're too beat up today to continue training or to do anything about what you just said, so I guess the only thing to do is rest up and continue tomorrow." He stood still for another moment, before calling back out "Dad…why today?"

"I said that Urahara told me what happened," Isshin said, "I guessed that you were beginning to understand some things and would find out sooner or later, and so I thought it might as well be sooner."

Ichigo tilted his head as if in understanding at this, although the motion also brought his head to rest against Rukia's. "Hey, you want to eat dinner with my family tomorrow?" he whispered into her ear.

"As long as we don't stay too late," she whispered in reply, lightly gripping his back.

Ichigo tilted and turned his head away from her so he wouldn't deafen her, calling back "Hey, dad, we'll be coming over for dinner tomorrow, so tell Yuzu, yeah?"

"Oh, what an honor," Isshin said in what was only slightly a jibe, before adding "Sure thing." And with that, Ichigo and Rukia were gone, the former having used shunpo to get the latter up the ladder.

Isshin rubbed the back of his head and said "Hmm, maybe I didn't do such a bad job after all, dear," to nobody in particular.

Ichigo landed at the top with Rukia securely still in his arms to find Ishida, Inoue, Chad, Yoruichi, and Urahara all sitting around a kotatsu having tea. Urahara did not look any different despite Yoruichi's earlier threats.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue started, before seeing Rukia. "Is Kuchiki-san alright?!"

"I'm fine, everything is fine," Rukia muttered from against Ichigo's neck.

Ishida adjusted his glasses as he looked at the pair. Their reiatsu had gradually differentiated itself again since somewhat before Yoruichi had exhausted their fighting spirit, and had reverted more or less completely in the time since Isshin had gone downstairs. As they stood before them now, they were essentially back to normal, although Rukia still seemed quite drained. Ichigo had, judging by the spike in his reiatsu a few minutes ago, found some previously untapped reserve of power. This was unusual, but so was everything else about him.

"Everyone," Ichigo said, before looking puzzled, "When did you get here?"

"You don't remember?" Chad asked.

Rukia stealthily and gently nipped his neck to quietly get his attention. "Uh, sorry, kinda forgot with all that was going on, um, we'll—we're gonna be back in a minute in our bodies," Ichigo said, before making his way to a side room where he'd left his body and Rukia had left her gigai.

Everyone else watched them go before exchanging looks. "Are you sure they're back to normal?" Chad said.

"Don't look at me," Yoruichi replied, sipping at her tea. She was still dehydrated and in no mood for any further adventures or arguments today.

"They looked normal to me. As far as such a thing is possible, anyway," Ishida said.

Inoue just smiled.

Ichigo knelt down beside their physical forms with Rukia, releasing his grip on her somewhat. "Hey, are you okay?" he whispered to her.

She lifted her head and he caught a glimpse of her eyes before she closed them and brought her forehead against his. Their noses touched and he could feel her breath against his lips. Her arms tightened around his neck slightly. "Rukia…" he whispered, cheeks flushing. After a second, he closed his eyes in turn and brought his arms around her waist. They held onto one another then, just breathing together.

He couldn't feel whatever it was she felt anymore, couldn't sense her thoughts like some sort of second instinct, but he didn't need to in order to understand her perfectly in that moment. He resolved then that they would talk more later, even as he said nothing to ruin the moment.

After what seemed like hours she pulled her head back and they looked at one another. She regarded him with the chill, arrogant expression of nobility she could wear, but the effect was betrayed by the little smirk she had and the warm look in her eyes. "We're making them wait," she said, a dignified tone in her voice. Ichigo gave a tight smile and let her go, and they both got back into physical form.

Their friends were shocked upon their return by the completely different mood that they conveyed. Gone were the by turns volatile and exhausted Shinigami they had seen earlier. The difference was hard to pinpoint, but it was there in every smallest motion and expression. Rukia moved with a grace and elegance and Ichigo with a swagger and confidence that neither had demonstrated once the entire day. It was a seemingly miraculous transformation that left the gathering at the table as confused as their exit minutes ago had.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san…Kuchiki-san, we were just about to check and see if—" Ishida began.

"Our apologies for making you all so concerned," Rukia said with a small smile. It wasn't quite her schoolgirl voice, as her tone was normal and it sounded entirely genuine, but the cadence was definitely evocative of it.

"I take it my dad already left?" Ichigo asked plainly.

"After the two of you came up," Chad said.

"Would you care to join us for tea, Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san?" Urahara asked.

"Unfortunately, some fool has unilaterally determined that our mission is to recover so that we can fight again tomorrow, and so we have to excuse ourselves," Rukia replied, looking sideways in mock judgment of Ichigo.

Ichigo seemed to completely ignore the slight and lifted a hand to hold out two fingers to Urahara and Yoruichi. "We'll be back tomorrow," he said, as if what had happened today was no big thing. He brought the hand up into a wave and added "See the rest of you then if you're coming by," with a small smile before turning, casually slipping an arm around one of Rukia's, and walking out through the shop. Rukia was alongside him every step of the way.

Yoruichi exhaled and drank her cup in a single swig before pouring herself another, muttering "I think maybe I made a mistake."

"Don't begrudge them their happiness," Urahara chided her.

"You didn't have to fight them off for five hours!" she hissed, adding "You're helping out tomorrow. You have no excuse for not helping with hakuda."

"Sado-kun," Inoue said, "have they always been that…cool?"

"Not always," Chad replied after a moment of consideration. It was like they were for the moment the peak versions of themselves as they had once been, but there was something different about them as well. They were clearly in love, that much was obvious, but beyond that there was a certain strength to them…he suddenly recalled something his abuelo had once said. "Una marea alta levanta todos los barcos:" a rising tide lifts all boats. What he couldn't determine was whether they were only the first boats riding a wave, or the tide itself. If things were as severe as they had made it sound, one would assume it to be the first, but knowing them it could just as easily be the second. Either way… "Something is coming," he said.

Everyone turned to look at the young giant's strange comment. He clearly wasn't speaking about the immediate present. Urahara and Yoruichi said nothing and their expressions turned grim as they glanced at one another.

"This is how Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san have decided to confront whatever that is," Inoue said quietly, but with a confidence that was unusual. "They're going to stand together," she continued "strong and unbowed in the face of everything."

"Inoue…" Ishida said in response, surprised by her analysis.

Urahara let out a sudden loud sigh at the turn in the atmosphere and stood, saying "Well, it's getting late! I take it we should expect all of you tomorrow morning as well?"

"Yes," the three teenagers affirmed in turn as they rose. With that they excused themselves and made their way out of the shop. Inoue and Chad, living quite close to one another, went one way. Ishida, living in the opposite direction, went in the other.

Rukia and Ichigo unlocked the door and walked back inside the house they were still only slowly starting to call home. They took off their shoes and made their way to the couch together, sitting down and sprawling out next to each other in silence. It was the first time all day they'd really had a moment to just relax. They sat in their own worlds for a minute before Rukia glanced over at him.

Pushing herself back up to an upright sitting position, she picked her way over to and atop Ichigo, turning him so he was parallel to the length of the couch before resting her head against his chest and sliding her arms under his. Ichigo wordlessly brought his arms up around her and slid a hand up to the back of her neck, gently rubbing. She let out a sigh and settled against him. He watched her for a moment before relaxing in turn.

After a minute he could feel Rukia giggling against him. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"I just remembered that Ganju and Kūkaku are your cousins," she said quietly.

Ichigo exhaled and complained mildly "Why'd you have to go and say something like that?"

She lightly nuzzled at his chest in response, teasing "Don't speak so poorly of your relatives; I was just thinking that technically you're a noble too."

"Didn't the Shiba clan lose its status as a great noble family?" Ichigo asked idly. He didn't know anything about Soul Society's politics.

"Status is one thing and lineage is another," Rukia replied.

"Why would all that matter anyway? Kūkaku would probably just beat me up more if she knew…" Ichigo said with mild irritation at the thought.

"What makes you think she doesn't know? Didn't she treat you basically just like Ganju?" she asked, before laughing "It seems you have an odd tendency of accumulating surrogate sisters, Ichigo."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, transitioning from rubbing her neck to massaging it in reprisal for her mockery at his expense.

"Mmm, nothing," Rukia said. By her count, he now had at least three older stand-ins in Kūkaku, Ikumi, and Yoruichi, and a mostly-younger one in Nel Tu. Tatsuki sometimes acted like an exasperated equivalently aged one, and Inoue seemed to be increasingly acting like a concerned one. All parties would probably deny it. "Anyway," she continued, "If you're a noble, it'll make things easier."

"What things?" Ichigo said, still not entirely following the topic. He was imagining Kūkaku screaming at him to do push-ups.

"Things with us," Rukia said meaningfully. She slid one of her hands up between the back of Ichigo's head and the pillow he was resting against.

Ichigo was silent for awhile. "Your brother," he said eventually.

"Nii-sama might interfere in his own ways but he wouldn't truly act against my happiness; it becomes much easier for him to convince the rest of the clan though if proper tradition seems to be being followed," she said.

Ichigo said nothing to this, not really wanting to think about the courtship of nobles and suitors and all that kind of nonsense. It wasn't like their own relationship had exactly been the modern norm either, but after today's events, after they'd finally admitted their feelings and pledged themselves to one another, none of that mattered really. He didn't think of Rukia as his, or himself as hers, they were each their own and the other's equally. They were a unit. They were…the words "Combined Task Force Raven One" echoed through his mind again and he grimaced even as he grinned. "That bastard," he muttered.

"Don't call nii-sama that," Rukia said irritably.

"Not Byakuya, I was just thinking of that guy," Ichigo said, returning to the moment.

Rukia paused at this before adding "Well…although I don't disapprove, you probably shouldn't call him that either. I hate to admit it, but all this is in many ways the result of their actions, particularly his."

Ichigo really didn't want to think about it that way and so they laid against one another in silence then. His mind drifted onto other things, like what being part-Quincy meant. He remembered the glasses then, remembered having caught sight of himself in the peripheral view of them the last time he'd worn them. His aura had been a strange looking purple. And Karin and Yuzu were that light fuchsia. In their case, red, blue, and white all added together. He was the same except with some yellow thrown in. Human, Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy—he was all of them. He had guessed something like that from the moment the Morning Star had powered him back up, but this was the first time he was really forced to meditate on it.

His thoughts turned then on what his dad had said. He considered it only out of the corners of his mind's eye, refusing to look at it directly then. He already knew. He knew both parts of the equation, but to acknowledge them right now would ruin his time with Rukia, and so he looked sideways at the truth, hardening his resolve to deal with it the next day.

Rukia's voice calling his name snapped him back to the moment. She had become aware of where his thoughts had likely gone when his hand had stilled and his reiatsu had begun to fluctuate. She knew too, or could guess. She had heard the voice in his head during their earlier battle with Yoruichi, the one that had screamed out Yes, attack! Attack! Attack, attack, attack! She had never seen the Hollow in his conscience before, but she had seen it then, as surely as she had seen Zangetsu and as Ichigo had seen Sode no Shirayuki. The three entities in their two souls had not been surprised by one another at all. And Zangetsu had been silent. One of the very last things she had felt across her link from Ichigo was the Hollow's laughter, as if she had heard it from a great distance.

Ichigo opened his eyes to find she'd lifted herself up and moved forward against him, had tilted his head up. Her face was only a few centimeters away from his, and she was smiling softly. After a second of eye-contact she closed her eyes and the distance between them, bringing her lips softly against his. He was still for a moment then, and so she kissed him first. That seemed to break the spell and he closed his eyes in turn as his hand slid up into her hair. He kissed her back. They held it for awhile, enjoying and exploring one another for the first time, before Rukia broke it off and laid her head beside his.

She listened to him breathe for a moment, before saying to him "If we only ever focused on what was in front of us instead of what we have, our resolve would become hard but brittle. And if we did the reverse, it would become ductile but soft. Doing both is what'll keep us strong, Ichigo. It's okay for us to remind ourselves what we're fighting for. That's the only way we'll keep fighting for it."

Ichigo turned his head to look at Rukia then, staring into her eyes. She met his gaze equally for a long while before closing her eyes once more and again pressing her forehead to his. He turned with her, pulling her close. She buried in against him. A thousand things came to mind to say but he didn't like any of them and so he just held her tightly. Rukia, I promise…Xcution…Yhwach…whatever the Americans are afraid of…we'll cut through them all. We'll do it together.

Now you're starting to think like a real King, a voice echoed in response.