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Author note: and we're here! 20 chapters later. I never thought I'd make it so far in this story, and I have everyone who left encouraging words for me to thank for it. I don't have much of an outline, but there is likely not many chapters left of this story. Please have fun reading and let me know your thoughts! Thank you all.

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Shadow of Love; Chapter 20

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And you are unforgettable
I need to get you alone, oh
Why not?

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Rukia awoke at the time of dawn, though there was no sunlight to show for that- the sky was grey and somber, raindrops still pattering on the window. The fireplace was still going- she could hear it crackling, making the room stay warm and cozy. She rolled over onto her left, snuggling closer to Ichigo, who was still asleep, reveling in how warm he was- like a furnace even without any clothes on.

When had they gone to bed? Her sleepy mind slowly recollected the events of the night, adding to the feelings of warmth. They'd made love in front of the fireplace.. fallen asleep in front of it.. at some point, Ichigo had woken up, picked her up, and carried her to the bed. She had no clue of the time- after all, it'd been dark- and then they'd done it again in bed before falling asleep.

She blushed at that memory, looking at Ichigo's sleeping face again. He was in such a deep sleep, the typical soft scowl on his face was nowhere to be seen as he was relaxed. Her eyes roamed over his face as if memorizing every fine detail of him before she drifted off to sleep again, holding him close as she did.

The next two days went by just like that, much to Ichigo's dismay. The plans for kayaking, walking trails, and boating trips he'd made for them had to be canceled because of the never-ending rain, He'd known the weather would be cooler- after all, it was November- but the rain had been an unplanned circumstance.

Still, he found it hard to really be upset about it. They'd spent the last two days in complete bliss, in each other's arms the majority of the time, making random love in bed, bathing together, and running around the place with little or no clothing on. He'd never imagined he like doing things like that, but it felt so freeing to just be with her in private. At the same time, the knowledge of their little vacation coming to an end and having to go back to their regular lives felt daunting.

He tried his best to ignore it and simply enjoy their last night there. Rain still pattered on the window of the master bathroom as he listened to Rukia's low humming as she filled the large whirlpool bathtub with water, pouring in the bubbles under the stream to make it foam.

Why did his stomach feel like it was in knots? This weird, twisting feeling of anxiety he had was one that was familiar, but one he hadn't felt in quite some time now. He couldn't understand it. Why did he feel like there was something slipping away from him? In reality, he knew what was causing him to feel the way he did.. taking action for it would be something else.

His eyes remained blankly fixated on the heavy raindrops sliding down the bathroom window, only shaken from his thoughts when Rukia's voice broke his depressive train of thought softly, "Ichigo,"

He turned back to look at her, his eyes softening and his uneasy thoughts dissipating from his mind as his gaze shifted to her. The tub had been filled, frothy bubbles creating a foamy, soft layer on the water, and Rukia... oh, Rukia. She reclined against the edge of the tub, her chin resting on her hands with her inky, dark hair gathered in a messy updo with a satiny cream-colored ribbon. Her wide, glassy blue eyes looked at him with a lidded expression, "What is it?"

He walked back to her, sitting down on one of the steps, he leaned against it, reaching out and grazing her cheek with his finger as he whispered, "I'm not looking forward to leaving tomorrow."

"You don't want to leave?" she questioned as she closed her eyes, lifting the bath sponge and running it over her shoulder. He took her hand gently, taking the sponge from her and running it over her shoulder himself.

"You don't have to.."

"Let me," he whispered in response, and Rukia's eyes opened from the tone in his voice, watching his face keenly.

"Ichigo," she grabbed his wrist gently, removing the sponge from his hand, she tossed it into the water, watching it float down and disappear into the tub before turning her attention back to him. "What's wrong?"

"I just-" he began, pausing in frustration at his struggle to articulate what he was trying to say. "...It's been so great to just exist.. together. But tomorrow, when we go back to our regular lives.. go back to me in the living world and you in the soul society.. not really knowing when I'll see you. I hate it."

Rukia quieted at that, instead, she simply reached a free hand to him. He shrugged the bathrobe off, draping it on the counter before turning to join her in the tub. He sank into the heated, fragrant water next to her, letting her settle in his arms. It was odd- feeling comfortable being clothesless around her. He didn't exactly have the same physique he used to have when he was a teen. He hadn't fought many hollows since he was 17, and being thrown into the chaos of his life meant that the shinigami substitute patrolling he used to do and had loved had taken a back seat rather permanently in his life. He was older now, things hurt more easily than they used to. Things he would've brushed off and gotten over within moments could take days to shake off. He'd never been the type to overthink or dwell on his appearance.. he knew for 40 he looked great. Not caring about other people's opinions was easy... but when it came to Rukia, it was a completely different story.

Though he wasn't about to blame her for that. After all, they'd done it all over the beach house for the past two days, and at one point she'd oh so sweetly described him as '6 feet 1 inch of burning, wild desire'.

Hearing that from her was more than enough to push the intrusive thoughts out of his mind... and suddenly remembering that moment now made him feel warmed over and pull her closer gently. Rukia leaned back against his bare chest, sighing when he kissed her temple and resting his chin on her shoulder.

Only she could make him feel better by saying nothing at all.

Rukia shivered lightly as they walked down the sidewalk, wishing she'd worn her coat since she'd worn such a short, fitted pale pink dress along with her matching heels and translucent tights. She giggled when Ichigo pulled her closer by the waist, blissfully unaware that it was partially due to the small group of college kids standing outside of the bar they'd exited who were all ogling her. He felt grateful at that moment that, as she lovingly put it, his face had "a permanent scowl" so he could use it on them while wishing he could protect her from all of their overly lustful looks.

"I should start letting you order for me, you know," Rukia laughed, tugging his arm teasingly, "The bisque you ordered was way better than my sandwich."

Ichigo chuckled, "Really? I didn't think your sandwich is that bad. I think you're just not a fan of sourdough."

She looked at him in surprise, "It's called sourdough? No wonder the bread was so weird. Thank you for switching, you really saved me,"

"Tch, it's nothing," Ichigo reached over and pinched her cheek teasingly, "You saved me first."

"You saved me more."

"No I didn't,"

"Yes you did," he bit back a laugh as she reached up and pinched his cheek back. They continued walking down the sidewalk of the busy street, though it was cold many people were out for the night, and they stopped as they came up to a building with a crowd of people at the front leading to the entrance, which was roped off.

"Ichigo," Rukia tugged on his jacket gently, "What's this place?"

"Hm?" he looked up at the blaring green and blue neon sign that read Eros, raising an eyebrow at the twinkling purple lights hanging from the roof and tall windows covered in a shimmering, iridescent film.

"It's a nightclub... and from the looks of it, a pretty pretentious one," he said snarkily, glancing back down at her, he couldn't help but admire how pretty her blue eyes looked with the blaring electric blue neon reflecting in them. "You haven't heard of this kind of thing before, nightclubs?"

"The only club I know of is Penguin," Rukia responded dryly, earning a laugh from him.

"I'm guessing my sisters had a hand in that?"

"Who else?" Rukia tugged on his jacket again, earning a laugh from him, "Baby, I'm right here, you don't have to pull me."

"Oh don't I?" she teased loudly, grinning when he raised a brow at her. "So are we going to go in?"

"Eh?" he looked at her in surprise, "You wanna go in? I didn't think.. I mean, I haven't really ever been.."

"Ever?" she glanced back to the building, "I assumed all young people go to these places for fun?"

"Well yeah, but my young years didn't really have much time for these things," Ichigo shrugged, "Plus, after a really nasty stint at one of Mizuiro's parties I swore of alcohol for the most part."

"Well, I won't push you," Rukia grabbed the front of his jacket, looking up at him sweetly, "But it could be fun. Something new you haven't done... and we'd do it together,"

He smirked in response, his hands cupping her face gently. "Not to be crass, but I can think of something fun I'd much rather do together."

She smacked his stomach playfully, before grabbing her hand, "Come on, let's go in. If you don't like it, we'll leave."

"...Are you sure?" he looked at the doors with an unsure expression, "It's just.. things don't go well when I get drunk."

"I'd never force you," she slid her hands over his shoulders gently under his jacket, "But it would be an experience.. and you can trust me. I'd never let anything happen to you."

He stared at her for a moment, and it oddly felt for a moment that all the noise and people around them were drowned out, just for a moment as he slid his hands down to her waist, pulling her close and kissing her, pointedly ignoring the ogling looks from passerby's.

"Let's go," he whispered as he grabbed her hand, both giggling as they walked to the entrance, only pausing to exchange amused looks when the security guard stopped them with a hand held up before turning to Rukia and requesting, "Miss, I need to see some ID before I let you in."

The inside of the club was darkened but still lit with rope lights that lined the ceilings, and spotlights that spotted the center of the dance floor. The pair made their way to the bar, Rukia ordering simple red wines for them as Ichigo nervously ate a bunch of maraschino cherries from an empty martini glass. Both of them finished their drinks, and Rukia touched Ichigo's hand gently. "Sweetie."

"Yeah?" he drank the last bit of his drink, setting the empty glass on the counter and nodding to her. Rukia leaned on the counter as well, eyeing him seductively. She didn't respond but slid forward in her seat a bit to lean closer to him, plucking one of the cherries from his glass and biting it in half, giving him the other half, and wincing in delight when he nipped at her finger gently.

"Dance with me?" she asked softly, almost shy- and even though he did not consider himself a dancer in any sense, he could not find it in him to refuse her, following her to the floor as if she were a magnet.

It was not until a few hours later that they tumbled out of the club, Ichigo shrugging off his coat for Rukia as she'd refused to wear a coat and cover her dress up. By then it was nearly dawn, the air biting and frosty as he draped the jacket over Rukia's petite shoulders, tying the arms together to keep it from falling. He took her hand, and they walked back to the beach house together, the sky a mottled periwinkle-blue, a reminder that dawn was approaching.

"How you feeling? Sleepy?" Ichigo questioned, squeezing her hand gently to get her attention as he glanced at her, unable to stop a small smile at how the cold air made her cheeks and nose turn rosy.

"It's hard to feel sleepy after all that," Rukia admitted, "Why?"

"Then let's clean up and watch the sunrise on the beach. It's our last day here, after all."

"Hmm.." Rukia nodded, smiling up at him. "Okay. We might as well take advantage since it's not raining."

"Yeah."

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, unable to ignore the distant look in his eye.

They finished their walk to the house, Ichigo grinning as he watched Rukia strip off the clothing she was wearing hastily and tossed them on the bed, beelining for the bathroom. He emptied his pockets on the nightstand before removing his own clothes and making his way to the bathroom just as he heard the sound of the faucet turning on. They showered together, him more hastily than hers, finishing in 10 minutes before getting out.

"You're done already?" Rukia questioned as she turned to look at him, her arms paused as she was lathering the shampoo in her hair, her expression slightly pouty.

He only chuckled, reaching out and grabbing her chin, he gave her a quick kiss. "Take your time. I'm just gonna clean up a bit. When you're done, let's watch the sunrise together."

"Okay, see you."

With that, he slipped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him and making his way to the mirror, combing his hair and quickly tugging on a pair of black pants and a white buttoned shirt, rolling the sleeves to his elbows before making his way to the living room to retrieve the things he needed.

He slipped out of the sliding door, closing it quickly, and crossed the porch to the beach, walking down until he was just in front of the shore. He sat in the sand cross-legged, hastily unwrapping the cellophane from the many bouquets of white roses he'd bought, feeling extra grateful that he'd thought ahead to find the nearest florist from their house. Tucking the plastic under one arm, he held the now unwrapped flowers in the other, taking them one by one and sticking them into the sand by their long stems, so that they stood straight up.

He'd been worried it may be too cheesy, planting roses by the stems in the sand to create the shape of a heart, but now that he was seeing it, it didn't look too bad. He felt glad he'd gone with only white roses and no other colors, it just looked neater that way. He'd never been the type for grand gestures... but ultimately, Rukia deserved something special.

He gave a quick final look over his work, before hurrying back to the house to dispose of all the wrapping before Rukia got out.

He made his way to the kitchen, warming croissants and hot cocoa, as well as some grapes and kiwi they'd bought the day before, arranging it and taking it outside, where he sat it on the patio table.

After almost half an hour of wrestling with the beach house's complimentary hair dryer, Rukia set it down in satisfaction at having finally finished drying all of her hair. She gave it a final brush through, before exiting the bathroom, going to her bag, and pulling out a baby blue satin slip dress, quickly pulling it over her head and down. It stopped just above her knees, so she pulled her white coat over it, careful not to get the fur-trimmed cuffs wet as she did so, knowing Ichigo would make her go back inside and change if she didn't.

She blotted a rosy-colored lipstick on as her final touch before heading out the back door, smiling when she saw Ichigo already sitting at the table waiting for her. "Hey."

"Here," She sat down across from him and he handed her a mug. They sat in peaceful quiet for a few minutes to eat, Rukia eating the last of her croissant and wiping her hands as she raised a brow, "The sun's rising."

Ichigo glanced over his shoulder behind him, "Let's go down to the water and see it from there."

"Oh, it must look pretty from there." she mused, and she slipped her hand in his as they walked down the stretch of sand to the water.

The wind was a little stronger the closer they got, and when they reached where Ichigo had placed the arrangement of roses, Rukia paused in confusion. "Wait, what's.."

"Go on," Ichigo said softly, placing a hand on the small of her back to coax her along, walking so that they were in the center of the heart. Rukia looked around her in stunned silence, taking in the dozens of white roses that made up an elaborate heart shape. "Ichigo, what.."

As she turned to face him, she stopped suddenly when she realized he was kneeling, finding herself at a loss for words. Ichigo held a velvet ring box in one hand, the other still holding hers. He looked up at her, brown eyes soft and holding that vulnerability he'd only so often bear for her and her heart skipped a beat at his next words-

"Rukia... let's get married."