The Nightingale

Chapter 64: Confidence

Summer — x493 / July 13

Rukia had gone to that meeting with Ichigo's family, but since she saw Kirio's smile upon receiving her and sat in the designated chair, she knew something was wrong. Kirio didn't tolerate her and that detail wasn't a secret to anyone, even Ichigo's uncle had told Rukia why Kirio saw her as a stranger in the family; although it was something that Rukia had deduced from all the comments Kirio made during her stay in Adelaar.

Still, Rukia tried to ignore that feeling and tried to enjoy the gathering with a smile to meet Ichigo's cousins that she didn't know yet and answer all the questions they had about her; because it was also no secret to anyone that she communicated with the ring before the Shadow covered everything and the ring was broken.

Everything seemed to be going well, the princesses and the wives of the princes were kind and had made her feel at ease, until Rukia felt inside her the same feeling that she used to have when she used the ring and Ichigo used magic; it was that feeling that Ichigo was upset about something.

Rukia didn't know if it was intuition or if it was really the magic of the ring inside her that was telling her that Ichigo was upset, but she got up from her seat and apologized to all the women in that room intending to get out of there.

— Dear niece, I'm sure you can spend an afternoon away from my dear nephew. Enjoy this moment with us. — Kirio commented with that smile that Rukia didn't like.

The other princesses agreed with those words and Rukia had no choice but to sit back in her seat and put on that mask of kindness that Ichigo had helped her perfect. There was only one reason Kirio wanted them apart and Rukia didn't like that conclusion at all.

Little by little, that monster of jealousy began to wake up and very subtly one of its tentacles began to wrap itself around Rukia's body.

She had to remind herself of Queen Masaki's words, about not confronting Kirio because the woman could be really dangerous, and she stayed in that meeting hiding all the sensations that Ichigo's anger caused her; in addition to the suspicion and jealousy she felt herself.

This time, that feeling was even stronger than when she was wearing the ring, because even the ring had a limit and the distance between the Beach House and the room where they had the tea party was much larger than the one between the king and queen area in Adelaar.

Rukia needed an excuse to get out of there and go with Ichigo, she was worried about all those feelings that weren't hers, besides the strange feeling that something was wrong and that got bigger and bigger with Kirio's smile.

One of the princesses, the eldest daughter of Ichigo's second uncle, was telling something about a lemon pie and a very boring tea party with people Rukia didn't know, when a servant entered that room with a message for Kirio, informing her that her eldest son was on his way to one of the fighting arena.

— Will my child have a friendly fight? With who? — Kirio asked with a smile.

— This is not a friendly fight, your highness. — Replied the servant who seemed slightly alarmed. — It is to fight against Prince Ichigo. The prince has been fighting with the Shadows and…

— Ichigo.

Rukia didn't even finish listening to what the servant said, she left that room and ran as fast as her feet could carry her to the fighting arena that Ichigo had shown her earlier. The place was a labyrinth, but she managed to find the entrance and arrived just at the edge of that fighting arena, her heart fluttering and feeling with an overwhelming force that feeling of anger that was not hers.

Ichigo was in the middle of the fighting arena, which looked like a coliseum because it was surrounded by raised seats, fighting against three soldiers dressed in black who were attacking him at the same time trying to knock him down. Rukia hadn't seen Ichigo so angry, she hadn't seen him fight like that and that really alarmed her; she also realized that the sensation arose from her tattoo on her ribs.

There were spectators, more people than expected, and the torches were illuminating everything so that the fight would be appreciated; the princesses who had been at the afternoon meeting had already arrived and were sitting watching the fight. There were also soldiers around the fighting arena, and Rukia could see how they exchanged with each other to continue the battle. At that moment, Rukia wondered how long Ichigo had been fighting or if the fight had started a short time ago.

Rukia was about to enter the fighting arena when she felt a hand on her shoulder preventing her from moving. She looked up to find Ichigo's uncle, Kisuke, standing next to her holding a sword that looked too real to be just for training; she suddenly remembered that Kisuke's son was going to fight Ichigo. Rukia wondered what had happened that Uncle Kisuke's eldest son wasn't allowed to fight.

— I don't recommend that you enter, you could be injured. — Ichigo's uncle explained with a slight smile that was meant to be kind. — I hadn't seen him this angry in… well, in a long time. I recommend that you sit down together with all the curious people and enjoy what is going to happen.

After those words, Ichigo's uncle entered the fighting arena and swung his sword in a similar way to the way Rukia had seen Ichigo do when he was training and she was going to visit him. For a moment, Rukia thought that Kisuke was going to attack Ichigo directly but instead, something moved on the floor, a growl was heard and a shadow launched at Ichigo, who was fighting against the soldiers.

The three soldiers fighting him quickly stepped aside, and Ichigo swung his sword around to slice through the shadow before parrying a blow that came out of nowhere. Rukia hadn't realized when Kisuke had arrived with Ichigo, her attention had been on that shadow that looked like a dog that was too big and scary.

From the seats where the curious spectators were, Rukia could hear some murmurs that she didn't pay attention to; she didn't move from her place, the last thing she wanted was to be with Kirio again and she preferred to stand there watching the fight.

The swords collided again, again and again, and again making the combat tense because it was evident that the swords they used were real; but it was not the only thing that was happening in that place.

As Ichigo and Kisuke fought, the shadows on the ground rose up and tried to distract the opponent, but at the same time they attacked each other. Rukia could see that Ichigo's uncle summoned those kind of dogs in a way that she couldn't understand. She was trying to see if Kisuke moved his hand or said something, but the man was focused on the fight; it was as if just by wishing, the shadows moved at his will.

Ichigo on the other hand didn't summon anything, the shadow moved like a wave, like an extension of himself and suppressed the dogs; he also didn't say anything or move his hands to summon the shadow, Ichigo's attention was totally focused on his attacker.

The swords collided, repelled and both Ichigo and Kisuke moved away for a few moments before attacking again. Both were full of wounds and bruises, and Rukia could see them bleeding at the same time that the wound disappeared thanks to the use of that gift of war. Rukia wanted to stop that fight and at the same time she felt how Ichigo's anger was diminishing with each clash of the sword, so that prevented her from moving from her place.

Rukia felt how Ichigo's anger disappeared at the same moment that he ended up lying on the floor with one of Kisuke's feet on his chest, the point of the sword on his throat and with three of the shadow dogs standing around Ichigo, growling at him threateningly. Rukia didn't resist any longer and entered the fighting arena at a run, she heard screams asking her to stop, and a second later the dogs that were growling at Ichigo focused on her and launched an attack against her.

The fight wasn't over, the killing intent was still in the air between Ichigo and Kisuke, and the shadows moved against Rukia taking her as an enemy. Everything was too fast, neither Ichigo nor Kisuke could do anything to stop the attack, and Rukia watched as the dogs ran towards her while she covered her face to protect herself.

— NO! — Rukia screamed instinctively and waited for the attack that didn't come.

The silence that fell from the stands, from where they had tried to warn Rukia not to get close to them, was complemented by the silence in the fight arena. Rukia lowered her arms, thinking that they had summoned the shadows to prevent them from attacking her, but the dogs were still there, walking around her, sniffing her and recognizing her; she lowered her hand and one of those dogs sniffed at it for a second before licking her fingers.

The sensation was strange, they were shadows but they had a physical form. They didn't feel like dogs did, it was cold and strange, but tangible.

— My Moon, how are you doing that? — Ichigo asked, who had already got up from the floor, and was covered in dirt, blood and sweat. The sword had been left on the floor, far from where they were because his uncle had disarmed him.

— I don't… — Rukia looked up confused. She looked from Ichigo to Kisuke and back to the dogs, who were still there as if they were real puppies seeking her attention. — I'm not doing this, I thought one of you two was.

Ichigo tried to get closer to Rukia and the dogs growled at him again, stopping and fixing their attention on him just like they had before, ready to attack him. Kisuke called out to them, tried to get them to come back to him, but the dogs growled at him too.

— Oh! Shadows are only supposed to obey the one who summons them, but mine don't even listen to me. — Ichigo's uncle commented with a nervous smile, playing with the hilt of his sword. — Dear niece, could you ask them to go home? You just have to tell them to go back to the origin.

Rukia nodded and did as Kisuke asked, the dogs licked her hand and became one with the shadows of the place, disappearing again. Murmurs sounded from the stands again, but Rukia ignored them and fixed her gaze on Ichigo, who was looking at her confused by what happened with the dogs. The silence between them was short but significant.

— Is there something you two haven't told me? — Kisuke asked causing them to look at him in silence.

— No. There is nothing, dear uncle. — Rukia commented quickly grabbing Ichigo's hand to pull him out of there. — Now I'm going to scold my husband for making me worry. Rest well, dear uncle.

Ichigo didn't have time to protest, Rukia pulled him hard and they left as fast as they could, taking advantage of the fact that the curious people were still in the stands still not understanding what had happened at that moment. Kisuke yelled at Rukia not to hit him too hard, but they didn't respond. Rukia was surprised by what had happened, but that wasn't what mattered to her at the moment, what really interested her was knowing why Ichigo was so angry.

They reached the beach house in silence. Rukia didn't let go of Ichigo's hand, who allowed himself to be dragged by her without putting up any kind of resistance. Rukia asked Renji to watch the entrance and prevent anyone from approaching that house; she didn't want them to be interrupted. As soon as they got to the room, Rukia felt that bad feeling again regarding Kirio and the reason for Ichigo's anger, and for a moment she hesitated to ask the question.

Again silence settled between the two.

— Why were you so angry? — Rukia asked after a moment of silence. She could choose to ask any question, but that was the one she was really worried about and the one she had been bugging her about all afternoon.

Ichigo sat up on the bed, took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. Rukia stood in front of him, looking at him and waiting for an answer with her heart pounding inside her chest.

— Yoruichi is here. — Ichigo replied without any hesitation.

Ichigo explained to her since he found Yoruichi in that hallway and the talk they had, until he left that room where they had that meeting. Ichigo had been alone with Yoruichi.

The monster of jealousy that Rukia hadn't felt in a long time reappeared with its tentacles covering her completely, but it didn't come alone; it also gave her a small dose of insecurity that didn't take long to grow as Ichigo spoke and she listened.

Rukia's emotions were in chaos, jealousy, insecurity and anger mixed like a whirlpool inside her that soon manifested itself making the tattoo on her ribs move for the first time; along with that movement, a dense mist began to cover Rukia's hands, but she didn't notice it.

The gift of war had awakened in her.

They had only talked about Yoruichi once, the night she had read Kisuke's letter, and Ichigo had explained who she was; that simple explanation had been enough for Rukia back then, but now it didn't seem like enough anymore.

— Were you mad that she's here? — Rukia asked, as jealousy won the battle against her common sense. — Or were you mad because I'm here and you can't see her freely? Oh, I know! You were angry about that child that you and she were going to have and that Queen Masaki prevented, right?

— My Moon, is not... — Ichigo tried to speak but Rukia put her right hand over his mouth to stop him from speaking.

— It's not, what? — Rukia asked again, her emotions were out of control and the gift of war made it worse. Her voice, her look, it was her and at the same time it wasn't her. — I already know! You were upset because you realized that you still have feelings for her, right?

Rukia felt something wet on the hand that was covering Ichigo's mouth and realized that he had his eyes closed and was clutching the edge of the bed tightly, as if he was in immense pain and resisted the urge to scream. It was a second it took for Rukia to remove her hand only to realize that Ichigo was bleeding from his face, in the same place where she had been holding him, and that the blood had started to trickle down his neck.

Rukia looked down at her hand, which was covered in blood, and the monster of jealousy release her from his grasp only to give way to fear.

— My Sun... I... I don't...

Rukia was trying to say something but she didn't know what to say, she didn't know what had happened for Ichigo to be this hurt.

Ichigo was trying to control his breathing, not letting go of the edge of the bed and still with his eyes closed, with that expression of infinite pain on his face. Rukia noticed that there were small cuts on Ichigo's skin, over his lips and cheeks, where her hand had touched him.

Little by little the blood stopped draining from his wounds that were slowly healing using that gift of war with which he used to heal her after they made love, and he slowly opened his eyes but did not let go of the edge of the bed.

— I was upset because she is here, because of everything she said, because she insulted you and because I knew that she would ruin everything with her presence. — Ichigo answered after healing himself and wiped the blood with his shirt.

Rukia looked up from Ichigo's lips, which had already healed, and found Ichigo's expression to be infinite emptiness; even his voice sounded empty. Without any emotion.

— I don't feel anything for her. We were friends, we were lovers, but all that is over. You know better than anyone what I think about having children... you know better than anyone what I feel for you... you know me better than... than…

Ichigo left that sentence unfinished and shook his head, as if that last statement didn't make sense at the moment; he got up from the bed and went over to her, took her hand and wiped it carefully on his shirt, even though it was dirty and covered in his dried blood.

— My Sun, I… I'm sorry… I don't…

Ichigo finished cleaning her hand and made her sit down on the bed carefully, but he didn't turn to look at her or say anything, and Rukia felt like crying at that moment at his indifference. Ichigo opened the door to the room and gave Tatsuki a couple of orders before closing the door again.

— The gift of war feeds on blood and is controlled by emotions; those that release it easier are negative emotions, they are the first ones that teach us to control since we are children or the gift ends up controlling us. — Ichigo explained calmly as he looked for clean clothes for both of them. — We can use any emotion, but it's easier with negative emotions.

Rukia wanted to say something, apologize properly, but Ichigo wouldn't look at her and she couldn't stop feeling the sensation of Ichigo's blood on her hand. She had hurt him, she had really hurt him, and she felt guilty and scared, and the urge to cry swirled in her chest with overwhelming force.

Ichigo had been teaching her about the gift and how to properly awaken it, had helped her with the readings and told her that he would be there when she achieved it, but Rukia had never imagined it would be that way. She knew it wouldn't be that way.

A couple of knocks sounded at the bedroom door, followed by Tatsuki's voice saying that what Ichigo had ordered was ready.

— Come, I'll teach you to relax. It's easier in the water. — Ichigo held out his hand for her to take, but Rukia didn't, she was afraid of hurting him again if she touched him. Ichigo realized that, so he took her hand for her to go with him to the bathroom.

— My Sun, I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you, I didn't mean to. It's just... I was upset and jealous... I... I really didn't want to hurt you... I just couldn't control myself, I didn't know that would happen... — Rukia was trying to speak while avoiding crying.

She was really scared and felt guilty for hurting him like that.

— It's okay. — Ichigo whispered behind her back as he untied the laces of her dress to leave her only in her inner nightgown. — It's happened to all of us at some point, don't worry. Get into the bathtub, the water is lukewarm.

Rukia nodded silently, trying to control that feeling of emptiness caused by Ichigo's tone of voice, and entered the bathtub, sat on the bottom and waited for Ichigo to enter with her, but he didn't; he took a stool and sat down behind her. He took a bowl of water and made her close her eyes before letting the water drain from her head.

Ichigo began to explain to her what she had to do to try to control her emotions. He taught her one of the prayers in that language of dawn that carried the prayers to the Original Mother, he taught her how to breathe and what she could think to try to help her calm down when she felt her emotions boiling over. He explained to her what magic felt like when it awoke out of control and explained what it felt like when it awoke at the wielder's will.

Rukia stayed in the tub until the water started to cool down, then Ichigo helped her bathe and as she got out of the tub he covered her with a soft towel before making her get out of the bathroom for Tatsuki to help her get dressed.

Ichigo stayed in there for a long time, longer than she had been in there, and Rukia began to think that maybe Ichigo was punishing her for hurting him.

When they got back from Maranni, after the Great House incident and Ichigo had told her about the gift of war, she thought it was too much and even had doubts about that relationship and had returned Ichigo's engagement ring. She had asked for some time to think. Ichigo didn't look for her, he let her clarify her feelings and come back to him, because he was clear about his feelings and was waiting for her.

The same thing happened when he talked to her about Eternity, she got angry, the feelings overwhelmed her and she walked alone along the beach; when she returned he was there, waiting for her.

She was the one who used to turn away from him to think, and Ichigo was the one who used to turn away from her just so he wouldn't hurt her like she had done to him that night. Rukia began to think that maybe just how she was feeling right now was how Ichigo felt when she used to walk away from him.

Ichigo came out of the bathroom wearing only soft cloth pants and with damp hair; he approached her, who was still awake and sitting up in bed, leaning against her headboard with her legs covered by the sheet, and gently caressed her face.

— Have a good rest, Rukia. I'll see you at breakfast.

— Where are you going? — Rukia asked, holding Ichigo's hand and feeling that distance in his voice when he spoke her name.

She didn't want him to leave that room, her mind had quickly created the scenarios where he and an unknown woman met only to end up in a bed. Insecurity and jealousy stirred his mind causing a chaos of emotions and ideas causing fear.

— To the living room. — Ichigo gently pushed Rukia's hand away before heading to the bedroom door to get out of there.

— Are you punishing me for hurting you? — Rukia's voice trembled as she asked that question.

— No, I wouldn't do that to you. I know you didn't do it on purpose. — Ichigo replied but he didn't look at her, he just held the door open. — Only this time I need to think. I think I assumed something too quickly and was wrong.

Ichigo closed the door behind him after that answer. Rukia didn't want to ask him what he was going to think about, she was afraid of the answer he might give her and at the same time, she wanted him to tell her what was filling his mind.

—

Kisuke was drying his hair when Kirio entered the bedroom they had shared since they got married; she didn't say a word to him and sat in that little chair in front of the mirror to start untangling her hair before sleeping. Kisuke only saw his wife in silence, sitting on the bed, without playing with his fan or with that strange coin that he sometimes held between his fingers.

Kirio was upset.

— If you don't tell me why you're upset, I'll never know. — Kisuke commented without that amused voice he always used. It was from him that Ichigo learned to manage appearances.

— Is there something you don't know in this place? — Kirio asked with a hint of irritation, setting aside the comb and turning in her small chair to look at him.

Kisuke smiled, as if he had been caught in the middle of a joke.

— I know a lot of things, I just don't know which one made you angry. — Kisuke confessed without taking his eyes off his wife's angry expression. — Be a good princess and tell me what's wrong with you, dear wife.

— Why didn't you let our son fight Ichigo? — Kirio asked, though Kisuke knew that wasn't the real question or the real cause of her anger. — Our son is almost as good as you, why didn't you let him fight Ichigo? It would have been a good training fight for both of them.

— Because it wasn't a training fight. — Kisuke replied simply. — If our son had fought against Ichigo, we would now have to be preparing a funeral. The killing intent in each swing of Ichigo's sword was overwhelming and our son wouldn't have been able to counter the attacks without hesitation. Also, his shadow control is pretty good, and our son's...

— Our son's shadow control is excellent. — Kirio got up from her seat upset. — It's fine that Ichigo is a prodigy of the gift, but you speak of him with too much pride and put our son down.

Kisuke also got up from his seat on the bed.

— I don't look down on our son, I know he will undoubtedly be good, and he knows it too. It's just that Ichigo is special, as well as his wife.

— That girl! — Kirio began to walk across the carpeted floor of the bedroom. — You should have let the dogs attack her, now she would be dead and our dear nephew would be free from this ridiculous marriage.

Kisuke smiled because he knew they had gotten to the point his wife was upset about. Everyone thought that he had stopped the dogs from attacking Rukia; but it was true that he had no control over them and there was no way for Rukia to exercise any control over the shadow because she didn't have the blood of Vayalat nor was she wearing the ring. Being descended from the Jeweler's blood did not give Rukia that kind of power or any kind of gift.

Kisuke didn't walk behind Kirio, he just followed her with his eyes because it made him uncomfortable talking to nothing while his wife was walking around.

— If I had let them attack her, our dear nephew would now be suffering from the loss of his Eternity. You are too cruel to him even though you were like his mother while he was here.

— That girl cannot be his Eternity! — Kirio lost a bit of the calm that she always maintained in those situations. — I was like his mother, I took care of him and protected him and that's why I know what's best for him, and that girl is not at all the partner he needs.

— And our dear Yoruichi is the partner he needs? — Kisuke asked raising an eyebrow curiously. — I remind you that that girl has suffered what she has suffered because of you. If you hadn't convinced her that...

— It wasn't my fault! It was because of Masaki and you, because if you two hadn't gotten your hands dirty, our dear nephew would now be married to a powerful woman and have a son to carry on his legacy.

Kisuke slowly shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, at the moment he needed his fan to keep his hands busy; plus it would serve to defend against Kirio if she attacked him.

— If what you wanted had happened, we would now have no nephew and Masaki would be devastated by the loss of her only son. — Kisuke reminded her calmly. — Ichigo is not governed by our rules, he is governed by the rules of Avanta, and in Avanta they have controlled the offspring of the princes.

— We would have protected her! — Kirio answered, stopping to walk around the bedroom. — She could have lived here, raised her son here… something! By the Shadow, Kisuke!

Kisuke sighed at his wife's insistence on that subject and sat back on the bed, tired of it. Kirio was quite insistent when she put her mind to it and wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted.

At that moment, Kisuke regretted not telling Ichigo in the morning that Yoruichi would arrive at the palace together with her brother, but his nephew and Rukia looked so happy that he didn't want to break that feeling so violently.

— My dear Kirio, you better accept that our dear nephew chooses his own life. Making Yoruichi come will only get Ichigo in trouble. He wasn't happy about the encounter you provoked with her today.

— Silly stuff! They just need to talk, clarify their feelings and they will be together again. They are just mad at each other for everything that happened.

Summer — x493 / July 14

Rukia couldn't sleep that night, after Ichigo left the bedroom, she let all the emotions she was holding in release and started to cry.

She felt guilty for hurting Ichigo that way, he had explained to her that the wounds caused by the ankh were incredibly painful and that they took time to heal; but he didn't scream when she hurt him and he didn't push her away to free himself because surely he would have hurt her too.

Although he hadn't stopped talking to her and taught her what she needed to know to learn to control herself, his tone of voice, as if speaking to a stranger, made her feel worse; her heart ached at the indifference Ichigo showed to her.

It was the first time that he was angry with her, he had always been patient with her, cared for her, protected her and let her choose; he knew how to control his emotions so as not to hurt her.

She didn't stop thinking about what Ichigo said or what she had answered, doubting him even though he himself had told her that morning that she was the only thing he thanked the Shadow for. Ichigo had shown her his love in so many ways and she, in a single moment, had doubted that just because she knew Yoruichi was there.

Rukia had never been jealous or insecure, but right now, those emotions ran through her like a snake. She was scared and didn't know what to do, other than let Ichigo think like many times he had allowed her to think.

She stayed in bed, even after sunrise, and waited for Ichigo to enter the bedroom, she wanted to talk to him, she wanted to fix this and apologize for doubting him and for hurting him; but when the door opened, it was Tatsuki who came in carrying the breakfast tray just for her.

Ichigo told her that they were going to have breakfast together, but there was only service for her.

— Tatsuki, where is Ichigo? — Rukia asked with her heart pounding and feeling the urge to cry again even though her eyes hurt from crying last night.

— The prince left the palace early in the morning, said to apologize to you, but that he would come back when he was free. — Tatsuki explained pouring some coffee into a cup. — A messenger came looking for him.

— I didn't see him go into the bedroom for his clothes. — Rukia whispered as she got up from the bed to sit at the table, although she wasn't hungry. She didn't want to think whose messenger it would be or she would start crying again.

— He put on the clean clothes from yesterday that I still hadn't arranged. — Tatsuki explained calmly and then sat down on the empty seat next to Rukia. — Is everything okay between you two? Last night I listened to the discussion that you had.

Rukia looked at Tatsuki, feeling her eyes fill with tears again, and hugged her starting to cry again. Ichigo hadn't spoken to her, he hadn't even wanted to see her and that hurt her too much.

Tatsuki hugged her and comforted her, listened to her and let her cry as much as she needed to cry at that moment; Rukia was like a little sister to Tatsuki.

— What are you afraid of, Kia? — Tatsuki asked playing with a napkin, attracting the attention of Rukia who was wiping away her tears. — Are you afraid that Prince Ichigo has feelings for that princess now that he has seen her again?

Rukia nodded trying not to cry again at that possibility. During the whole night her mind had not been quiet and had become a tangle of fears and insecurities, one worse than the other, which made her heart squeeze painfully.

— It is normal for Prince Ichigo to have feelings for the princess because she is part of his past. The past cannot be erased, you just learn to live with it and hope that it does not alter your future. — Tatsuki smiled a little but Rukia felt that explanation didn't help her. — The past can be hidden, but it would become a secret, a weakness that could be used as a weapon. A secret always brings another secret, and another, and another, until it becomes a mountain of secrets that collapses and crushes everything in its path.

— I asked Ichigo not to keep any important secrets from me. — Rukia whispered looking back at her fingers that wouldn't stop playing with the napkin.

— Prince Ichigo told you what you should know about that princess, he could keep it a secret but he didn't; don't let that past become a weakness.

— But what if…

— What if she tries something? Perhaps what the princess wants is to separate you from the prince, make you doubt what he feels for you so that she can be with the prince again. It's something that could really happen.

Rukia feared for those words and that possibility.

— I don't know what to do. — Rukia confessed squeezing Tatsuki's hand. — I'm really afraid, afraid that she will take him away from me. What do I do if she takes him away from me?

— Then you ask for a divorce. — That answer made Rukia look at Tatsuki as if she had just said something crazy. — Or you stay and make everyone's life hell, but divorce sounds better. No one takes anyone away; if the prince prefers her then you have nothing to look forward to there. Your happiness doesn't depend on him, it depends on you, little Kia. Just don't give up before the battle, show that princess why the prince chose you as his wife. They say marriages are trust, trust yourself and trust the prince.

—

Ichigo spent the whole morning, until a little before noon, at the inn where Koga was staying. He had never thought that Toshiro would actually travel to Vermist just to see Karin, but clearly he had been wrong, because the man had made the trip with every intention of making Karin his fiancée.

In another situation he would have gotten angry, threatened Toshiro with a speech about not playing with his little sister and maybe hit him, but at that moment his mind was on everything but that, so that threat was just a "break her heart and I'll break your legs."

Toshiro assured him that his intentions with Karin were good and Ichigo left that matter alone.

Koga and Ichigo were the kind of friends who weren't friends but weren't enemies either. They had been together with the mercenaries and it had been Koga who had suggested stealing the elephant they lost in that drunken spree; they had stories to tell and both belonged to the Triad.

They also both knew Yoruichi.

Ichigo and Koga spent the whole morning in silence, sitting staring at nothing with some Jetaiya liquor served in a glass for each of them; maybe it was too early to drink, but neither of them cared.

Koga asked a couple of questions that Ichigo answered in a simple way and they didn't talk too much, just enough so that Koga knew about Yoruichi's presence in the palace and he could imagine the rest of the story.

— I don't want to think about the tension that will be tomorrow at the dance. — Kouga commented eating an olive in brine. — But if you think Yoruichi will be a problem, you should tell Rukia the truth. I remember that Yoruichi was very… passionate about you.

Ichigo glared at him but couldn't defend himself against that statement because it was true, besides he had completely forgotten about the ridiculous dance his aunt Kirio had organized to celebrate his birthday. In those moments, Ichigo was certain that this meeting with Yoruichi and that party had been organized by his aunt, who seemed to still believe that Yoruichi was the best match for him, not caring that he was married.

— Also, if you divorce Rukia, I'll have a clear path with her and I'll definitely ask her to marry me. — Koga added amused.

— Another one of those jokes, and I'll break your nose. — Ichigo warned before downing the rest of the liquor in his glass. — I remind you that she is mine, I saw her first.

— It's not my fault that your wife has everything to be a good queen. — Koga shrugged before dodging a flying olive with a smile. — You know I won't try anything with her, I value my life and my nose, and I saw her first.

— But I married her, so she's mine. — Ichigo got up from his seat, but there was not the victorious expression on his face that should accompany that sentence. — I think it's time for me to come back. See you tomorrow.

Koga got up and shook Ichigo's hand as a goodbye gesture but didn't let go, instead putting his hand on his shoulder in a friendly way.

— Don't let her presence affect you, or your relationship with Rukia. I know that the customs of Jetaiya and Avanta are different, but a marriage is a marriage, and I know a lot about that. Talk to Rukia and don't let distrust grow, because once it starts, it never stops growing.

Ichigo appreciated Koga's words and returned to the palace after buying some things in the city. He knew about distrust because his father had taught him about it, and it was painful.

Upon entering the beach house, Tatsuki greeted him and informed him that Rukia was still in bed because she was tired and drank some tea to get some sleep.

Ichigo knew why Rukia needed to sleep, he had heard her cry from the other side of the door, from where he hadn't moved all night and from where he had fought with his own demons not to enter that room and comfort her, because he felt that he couldn't do it; he needed someone to comfort him too.

Rukia's words hurt him, it hurt him that she had doubted him so easily, and it hurt him to know that she was crying because of him. It hurt more than the injuries she caused him for not knowing how to control magic.

It hurt him the same way it hurt that his father didn't believe him, and to keep from falling apart he shut himself inside himself for a moment.

But Koga was right, he had to trust Rukia and what they had.

He entered the room and found her lying on the bed, asleep and covered only with a light sheet, the door that led to the beach was open and the sea air entered the room moving the curtains. Ichigo took off his riding boots and sat on the bed next to Rukia, gently caressing her face, noticing the dry marks of tears on her cheeks, and gently kissed her cheek.

The day before had started so well and ended so badly, it must have been a joke of the universe.

— My moon. — Ichigo whispered very softly so as not to wake her up. — I'm back.

He sat on the bed, watching her sleep for a long time until Rukia slowly began to open her eyes, waking up from her nap because of the tea. Ichigo tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and Rukia immediately got up and hugged him tightly, catching him off guard.

— You're back! You're back! Don't go away again, don't leave me! — Rukia started talking so fast that Ichigo had a hard time understanding what she was saying. — I didn't want to hurt you. Forgive me. I didn't want to doubt you. It's just… I was jealous, I was scared. I'm still scared.

Ichigo hugged her tightly and stayed in that position, not letting go of her and fearing that she would get away from him.

— I'm back, my Moon. — Ichigo whispered hugging her and feeling her hug him tightly. — We need to talk.

Rukia slowly pulled away from that hug and Ichigo saw her eyes fill with tears. He didn't like her crying, he didn't like the feeling that she was crying because of him.

— Don't cry, my love. — Ichigo whispered wiping away Rukia's tears with his thumbs. — We'll talk about the kind of man I am.

— I know the kind of man you are, I've seen it since we've been together. — Rukia whispered without taking her eyes off him.

Ichigo caressed her cheek slowly and gave her a small kiss on the lips.

— Well, we'll talk about the kind of man I was.

Special thanks to jobananasan and diah77. Thanks also to those who follow this story.

I'll upload the next chapter as soon as I finish it.