#and Ichigo couldn’t even think of anything to scold them on but he can’t let them off the hook that easily

[biribirichan1]

We’ll find a way

A million memories flood through Ichigo as he witnesses Rukia, radiant in her royal regalia - ascending the steps to the high priest waiting to crown her as the first reigning queen of their nation. Queen Rukia. His heart felt like it would burst from pride - she had worked so hard to overturn the rules that said that only male heirs could be in line for the thrown. Even as a child, that’s what she’d aspired to. “Just you watch Ichigo, I’ll be Queen one day,” - with her arms held out to the sky, and her eyes sparkling with the ferocity that he loved so dearly.

Ichigo clutched his heart. “Don’t think about her eyes, you fool. You’ll never make it through this.” He knew that his heart was not just bursting, it was also slowly breaking, because he knew today marked the day when they had to part their ways. He’d known for so long that this day would come, had steeled his heart for it - so why did it still hurt so bad? It’s not like he hadn’t been warned. By his dad, by his friends, by anyone who knew. But call it fate, call it being soul mates, there was no keeping them apart. Ichigo had tried. Really he had. The first time he and Rukia had been caught kissing, his dad had given him the scolding of a life time. “We in the Shiba clan exist solely to guard the Kuchiki royalty, not to fall in love with them!” Isshin had roared. “She’s a princess, Ichigo! One day, she’ll be married into other royalty. You’re just looking to get your heart broken, son.”

After that, he had managed to avoid Rukia for a week. A mere week - until the red string of fate crashed them together. He smiled wryly thinking that rather than it being the string of fate, it was Rukia who had crashed him to the wall and kissed him senseless.

“Rukia, we’ll end up like Romeo and Juliet.”

“I don’t care,” she shot back, defiance in every fiber of her being. “Now, shut up and kiss me back.” And Ichigo had shut up and kissed her. He had never been able to say no to her anyways.

As the days turned to months, and the months turned to years, and Rukia successfully avoided all her suitors, Ichigo had started to get optimistic - perhaps, just perhaps, by some stroke of fate, they could be together.

That illusion didn’t last very long. Rukia’s determination and her magnetic personality really got people’s attention in court. Combined with her success on the battlefield, she had become immensely popular. Ichigo had long known it in his heart, but Rukia was born to be a Queen to her people. So it was no surprise to Ichigo, when without his own heir, her ailing older brother, King Byakuya, made Rukia his successor, defying hundreds of years of tradition. When Rukia told him, he had been so happy. He had picked her up and spun her around in the garden they were in and kept saying, “I always knew.” Rukia however, in response had burst into tears - one the few times in his life that he had actually seen her cry.

“Rukia, love, what’s wrong? You’ll be the first Queen of the land. You’re making history. You should be so proud!”

Rukia didn’t say a word. She had just wept, and held him close. Ichigo found out the reason for her tears from his father. “She has to choose her husband within a year of her coronation.”

As Ichigo had ranted and raged, his father laid a hand on his shoulder and told him, “His Highness broke all the rules to make Rukia the next queen. It’s just not possible for one person to alter so much at once.”

And so the race towards coronation began. King Byakuya had wanted to hand off the crown before he passed away to ensure a smooth transition. Their country was at a delicate stage with war brewing on the south borders, so it was essential to keep the morale high. It seemed to Ichigo that all the old advisors planned to incorporate the hunt for Rukia’s husband as part of the morale boosting activities.

“Should we really be having such lavish parties with His Highness in such a state and a brewing war?” Ichigo had complained to Rukia one night.

Rukia just flashed him her enigmatic smile, and said “Looks like someone is jealous.”

“Can you blame me. That pompous ass had his hands all over you while danci-” his words were cut off by a passionate kiss from Rukia. “Ichigo, you know I have eyes only for you, right?”

Night after that, all of Ichigo’s protests were drowned by her kisses and assurances of “Trust me” and “I love you” and “We’ll find a way.” Ichigo knew he was just fooling himself, but how could he say no to her, when all he knew was just to be with her? To love her? To never let her go? So he let himself be fooled and allowed himself to love her as long as he possibly could. And so the days kept going much like before, until it was finally the night before the coronation, and he knew he couldn’t continue this farce any longer. The advisors had finally picked a suitable man in his eyes. Ichigo had scrutinized Prince Renji for days, and couldn’t really find any major faults with him. He knew Rukia would be happy eventually, if she allowed herself to be. After all, she was getting to live out her life long ambition. He was just getting ready to go to her garden, where they usually met, and bid her farewell on his own terms. It was already getting harder and harder for them to meet in secret after she was named King Byakuya’s successor. He knew it would be almost impossible to meet alone after she was crowned Queen.

As he got ready to go, he heard a knock at his door, before a crying Rukia stumbled in and into his arms. “Rukia, what are you doing here?”

“Ichigo, Ichigo”. She kept crying his name and holding him like there was no tomorrow.

“Rukia, what are you doing - we can’t keep doing this! Your coronation is tomorrow -” Suddenly Ichigo felt his heart shatter. Rukia’s tears, her desperation, all clicked into place with such a painful clarity. It’s tomorrow, his heart thundered. It’s tomorrow. All this time, he had been thinking that he would bid her farewell today without really understanding what that meant. His heart had numbed him to his true circumstances. To his reality. But finally with Rukia in his arms, his heart had awakened.

He stopped fighting her, and poured his heart and all his love into her, hoping, wishing it would stay with her for her entire lifetime. Even if he was no longer there. Because today was all he had with her. There was no tomorrow. After tomorrow, all he would have would be his inner demons with her smiles, and the memories of the time they spent loving each other. 

Later as they held each other, Ichigo had tried to say how much he loved her. Had tried to say goodbye. Each time, Rukia had chased his farewells away with her kisses. She didn’t want them. So he resigned himself to just holding her and loving her until the first rays of dawn spilled across the bed they shared.

Rukia was the first to get up. As she pulled on her clothes, and got ready to leave, her mask was back on. She looked at him and asked, “Ichigo, you had once said that you’d leave the Shiba clan as soon as I got crowned. Is that still what you plan to do?”

Ichigo looked at her. “Rukia - I.” He hung his head. “You know I’ll always love you, and cheer for you and pray for your success. But I don’t think I could see you be married to someone else day in and day out. I just couldn’t. It’d kill me, Rukia.”

“I see. Very well then.” And before Ichigo could even say anything, she was gone. Gone from his arms, from his room, and out of his life forever. “Goodbye, Rukia.”

The tears wouldn’t stop anymore. Ichigo looked at his beautiful Rukia, radiant with the crown over her head. “Long live the Queen,” the jubilant crowd shouted. “Long live Queen Rukia!”

Rukia beamed at the crowd in front of her, and raised a hand for silence. “Today we have made history,” she roared. “To anyone who thinks that a woman is any less than a man, take note. The heavens have spoken and the people have spoken. I, Rukia, am proud to take up the crown today, and serve as your very first Queen.”

The roar was deafening. Ichigo looked around to see some of female spectators clapping with tears in their eyes, some waving their handkerchiefs, and some cheering with their fists raised. Rukia’s special squad of female warriors, Division 13, had their swords and spears high up in the air and kept chanting Rukia’s name again and again and again. He couldn’t have been prouder. He knew that Rukia had the whole country mesmerized by her charisma, just as she had him in her spell for all these years. “Look at how far you’ve come, love.” Ichigo breathed.

Rukia raised her arms again for silence. “As you all know, we are passing through a turbulent time. War is brewing on the southern border, and the lack of rains has our farmers in a dire crisis. It is exactly because the times are so pressing that I will need all your support and dedication. Together we will push this country to peace and prosperity once again!” More cheering erupted.

Rukia paused for a bit, and then started again, but in a slightly somber voice. “Though I will warn all of you - the road to prosperity is not easy and requires many sacrifices, changing of old mindsets and new ways of thinking. There are many places in which centuries old tradition have safeguarded our peace and happiness, but there are also places where it has held us back. Kings before me have promised to uphold tradition and honour in their coronation speech, but as you can see I’m a little different.” Rukia gestured to her dress.

The crowd roared with laughter, and Ichigo amused himself by seeing the sour expressions on the members of the royal advisory panel. Trust Rukia to use humour in her coronation speech and piss off those old farts. No one other that that daredevil could have the guts to pull that off.

Rukia continued, “So today, as your Queen, instead of promising to uphold tradition, what I promise to uphold are my people’s happiness and this country’s prosperity. Help me make that a reality everyone. Work with me!”

The crowd went crazy. Never before had a royalty asked to work with the common public. Never had they put the happiness of the people before the country’s traditions. “Rukia, you were born to a Queen. You’ll be amazing.” As he started walking away from the crowd, and out of Rukia’s life, he just wished he could have cheered for her success from right beside her than being just another spectator in the crowd. “Be happy, my love.”

...

“What do you mean, my application to quit got rejected?” Ichigo yelled at his father, who also happened to be his superior as the head of the Shiba clan).

“Here, you can see it for yourself. It has Queen Rukia’s seal and everything.” Isshin grinned.

“Dad - this is not funny. Who does that? I’ve never heard of a royal guard’s application being rejected! This is so ridiculously petty - even by her standards.”

“Ichigo - my boy. Calm down.” Isshin dropped his voice, “You’re one lucky bastard. Haven’t you heard? Rukia got into a lot of trouble after her coronation.”

Panic flooded his heart. “What do you mean, dad?”

“What I mean, you silly son, is who do you think all that breaking tradition in her coronation speech was aimed at? Shortly after she was crowned Queen, she broke off the engagement with Prince Renji too.”

“She WHAT?!” Ichigo sat down on the nearest chair and put his head in his hands. “Dad, I’m so confused. I let her go. I said goodbye. Why is she jeopardizing herself for me?” Ichigo knew how twisted court politics was, and felt nothing but fear for Rukia.

Isshin sighed, “Did Her Highness ever say goodbye to you, Ichigo? She told me she intended to fight for you with everything she had, son.”

“But the advisors, the generals - she’ll lose support in court. Dad, you know how it is...” Ichigo trailed off.

“Well, be thankful that your girlfriend has got quite the super powers. The generals can’t win the war without her, the advisors can’t win against her popularity. She’s been playing her cards magnificently.”

Patting his son on the back, Isshin continued, “Ichigo, stop sulking and go meet up with her. But before you do, do think of how you’ll handle her rage at submitting your resignation. You know how she hates it when people don’t believe in her.”

Ichigo balked. His dad was right. There would be hell to pay.

...

“Ah Ichigo, I thought you quit.” Rukia said impassively.

“Your highness, this is the matter I requested a private audience for - to speak about my application.”

Rukia turned to the two clerks handing off papers for her to sign, and said, “I’ll finish this in a few minutes. Can you give us some privacy?”

“Of course, your Majesty.” The two men turned to leave, closing the door beside them as they exited.

A deathly silence filled the room, until Ichigo could take it no more.

“Rukiaaa,” he pleaded.

In response, he got a heavily embroidered cushion in his face. “You fooool. You were actually going to leave, weren’t you? Didn’t I tell you to trust me?”

“You were crying the night before the coronation. I thought you had given up hope too. How would I know you had other plans?”

He got another cushion thrown at him. “Of course, I was crying! I was scared! Do you know how hard its been - fighting for you - for us?” Rukia trailed off, furiously wiping away the tears that had sprung up in the corner of her eyes.

Ichigo couldn’t take it any more. In one swift motion, he closed the gap between them and took her in his arms, breathing her in. “Rukia, I really am sorry. I should have believed you. Forgive me.”

He heard a muffled no from his chest.

“Rukiaaa, you know how crazily in love with you I am right? I won’t lose faith again. I’ll fight for you - for us, for our love.”

Silence.

Ok, Ichigo thought, she’d need a little more coaxing. “How about to make up when you get off the next day, you and I can have a little picnic in your garden. I’ll get all your favourite snacks.” He inched a little closer. “I’ll even smuggle in some of the juices boxes from the Southern border that you love so much.”

“Ichigo, we’re might be going to war with them!”

“Doesn’t mean they don’t have the best tasting juice in the continent.”

“Humph, fine.”

Ichigo laughed. Even with the crown on her head, Rukia’s pout made her look so much like the child she truly was. He leaned down to kiss her, and thanked the gods, or fate or whatever supernatural beings there were for allowing him to still be with Rukia. He didn’t know if they truly could ever get married, or be together like a normal couple, but he realized in that moment that he didn’t need normal. As long as he was the one in her heart, he was content to simply be by her side and love and cherish her with all his soul.

“I love you, Rukia.”

---

Happy Ichiruki month everyone! This story turned out to be super long because I combined 5 days worth of prompts! Written for Ichiruki AU Week Prompt Day 17: Coronation, Day 18: Tradition, Day 19: All my Demons have your Smile, Day 20: Romeo and Juliet, Day 21: Supernatural. I’m not sure if the characters were too OOC, but I tried to keep Rukia’s feisty nature alive as the heir to the throne, and Ichigo’s angst vibe from when he lost his powers and couldn’t see Rukia. Let me know what you thought! Hope you enjoyed

[hibiscusangel15]

Two Months

Happy @ichirukimonth 2020, everyone! Here’s the first of a series of fics I plan to write!

Summary: He’s only known her for two months. Why does her leaving feel like a betrayal? For Day 5 of Ichiruki Month 2020.

Rating: K+

Day 5 Prompt: Betrayal

Also crossposted to FFN and AO3!

How long does it take to form a habit?

Thirty days. One month.

It took even less than that for Ichigo to grow used to her steady presence in his closet. How odd that spending just another month with her made her absence feel like a loss.

It was ridiculous, of course. Two months was hardly enough time to form a bond, let alone get to really know a person.

And yet, he had come to know Rukia, hadn’t he? She had a strong sense of duty. She loved rabbits. Her drawings sucked ass.

He’d seen her smug. He’d seen her smile.

He made her cry.

All within the span of two months. All because of him. And because of him, she was going to die.

Rukia didn’t deserve such a fate. She’d thrown away everything that night they first met. All on a whim, too. That was what shook him most.

Saving lives to her was as easy as breathing. She saved his family’s lives. Inoue and Tatsuki’s lives. Chad’s life. Even Kon’s.

And his. So many times in a thousand different ways. In ways that put her own at risk.

She was so stupid. She always harped on and on about how reckless he was, but then she went and acted just as foolishly.

Ichigo turned to his now-empty closet. “Hypocrite.”

He wished he could hear what her snarky response would be. At least then it would trigger a petty argument or a wandering conversation. Anything but this awful stillness.

How long does it take to break a habit? Another month? Two?

Nighttime was too quiet without her.

Their late conversations had been sparse, at first. In the early days, Rukia would scold him over improper fighting stances or techniques, and he would ignore her out of pure spite. Ichigo wasn’t sure when exactly this shifted into something more casual. He did remember the topic that sparked it, though.

“What’s it like there?” he asked her one night. “In Soul Society, I mean.”

Rukia seemed startled by the question. Probably because he acted like he didn't care much about their work before. That didn't mean he didn't want to know more about her world.

"It's...peaceful.” She dragged the word out like some unruly dog. Like a practiced courtesy even she didn't believe in. “You never have to worry about hunger unless you have spirit energy. Thankfully, a lot of people don’t.”

“What happens if you do have spirit energy?”

“Then you become a Shinigami.”

“No, I don’t mean that. I mean, if most spirits don’t feel hunger, then they don’t feel the need to eat obviously. But if you even have the slightest bit of spirit energy, what are you supposed to do? I can’t imagine a world where the majority doesn’t need to eat needs farms or food production. Are you just gonna starve? Can you even starve if you’re dead?”

Rukia looked away. “You can. Your soul might even fade because of it.”

“So what’re you supposed to do then?”

“Weren’t you listening to me, idiot? You become a Shinigami.”

Ichigo sat up in his bed. “Yeah, but what if you don’t want to be a Shinigami? I mean, there’s gotta be other ways to help people with spirit energy in the Soul Society.”

“I didn’t think humans could be this naive.” There was a hint of a smile in her voice. “Surely even in the World of the Living, most resources are relegated to merchants and the wealthy.”

“I’m not naive,” he snapped. “You’re the one that acts like Shinigami are doing ghosts a favor by sending them off to Soul Society. That place sounds awful if you have spirit energy.”

“What else can I do? Most humans believe that the life after this one is peaceful. Who am I to take that away from them?” she asked. “Could you honestly tell me you’d say anything different?”

The headlights of a car washed over his ceiling, illuminating his room for just a split second. It was long enough to catch the weary frustration in her eyes, harsh and heavy and cold.

Her gaze became more of a challenge to hold. She was right. It hurt her to be right.

Ichigo’s eyes fell first. “No, I probably wouldn’t. It’s just….”

“Just what?”

“It’s just sad. I don’t know. I haven’t even been a Shinigami that long, but even I know it can be exhausting. Dropping everything to kill Hollows, running the risk of serious injury or death…. Not everybody’s gonna be cut out for the kinda work you guys do.”

“Yes, well. You make do.”

And just like that, she shut the topic down. He still had so many questions he wanted to ask.

“I guess,” he said instead. “Oh, and Rukia?”

“Hm?”

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“For making you feel bad, I guess. I still have a lot to learn about this Shinigami thing.”

Rukia was quiet for a long time. Then she laughed, a soft, genuine sound that took him completely aback. It was the first time he’d ever heard her laugh that way.

A part of him wanted to hear it again. To see the gentle smile that accompanied it.

It wouldn’t be the last time he cursed the darkness between them.

“Fool,” she whispered. “You don’t need to apologize for something as trivial as that.”

His face grew warm. “Too bad. I just did.”

“Hm.” She shuffled for the closet door handle. “Good night, Ichigo.”

“Yeah, good night.”

The screen sliced through their space and wreathed the room in damnable silence.

                                                         * * *

Ichigo regretted not trying to make her laugh more that night. He regretted not doing a lot of things during those months with Rukia.

Once he finally had time to process everything that happened the night Renji and her brother took her away, all Ichigo felt was angry. Mostly at her.

It didn’t make sense for him to feel this way, he knew. She saved his life. His pathetic, worthless life.

She protected him one last time, and he couldn't even scrounge up enough decency to be grateful.

No, he couldn’t think that way. He would rescue her. He would protect her in the same ways that she was always protecting him.

He was right to be ungrateful. He was right to be angry.

Rukia gave up everything for him. She did so without hesitation. But Soul Society simply decided her years of service, her sacrifice, her life meant nothing.

And she had agreed with them. Kicked him away, yelled at him, threatened him, and agreed with the bastards that attacked her that she had no right to her own life.

It was a betrayal he was not willing to stand for.

So he would stand and fight. It didn’t matter who. It didn't matter how many. Anyone who got in his way was an enemy. Anyone who put Rukia through that hell wouldn’t get to decide her fate. Rukia herself could fight him on this if she wanted to. He wouldn't let her be resigned to her own death.

He already decided her opinion about all this didn’t matter. All that did matter was her safety. Her happiness. The chance to hear her laugh that wonderfully soft laugh again.

Ichigo would let that guy with the cane and weird hat train him if it meant a shot at recovering any of that.

Two months. In just two months, Rukia had changed his world.

Now he would do anything to change hers.

[lo-55]

Shattering Chains of Fate Ch. 16

(Not) One of Us

School started far too soon for Ichigo’s tastes.

He sits in the back of the room, with the doors within view and the windows to his left. He has two ways out and access to all entry points, in case something horrible happens. Hopefully it won’t, but it’s an old paranoia that keeps him on his toes.

His friends, thankfully, seem to be readjusting to life as humans. Uryu had taken hard to losing his powers, something that even Orihime couldn’t fix, but Ichigo had spoken to Ryuken about it after they got back and the man had had the strangest look in his eyes. Ichigo wasn’t too worried about him. Uryu was more temperamental and vicious than the rest of them, for all he seemed to be elegance incarnate. He was also more resilient than he looked.

He shouldn’t have to be. But Ichigo couldn't change that.

He was barely listening to their teacher talk about some new student when an awareness shot through him.

He sat up straighter when a young man walked into the room. Straight blond hair, a curved smile, and long limbs. He was fit and strong. He didn’t have much puppy fat, but he could have passed for someone held back a couple of years if it weren’t for his eyes.

  The eyes always give it away.  

They were playful, mischievous, and far too old to belong to a human.

Ichigo slammed his head onto his desk and ignored the startled squacks and stares from his neighbors. What the fuck is happening now? Can’t his life ever be normal?

He manages to hide a rueful smile. No, it can’t be normal. If it was normal, Ichigo would be a paranoid wreck. As long as strange, dangerous things were happening he knew he could handle whatever came at him.

Like the new kid was coming at him.

  Void dust, mirrors, sand storms.  

Ichigo lifts his head up to watch the new boy sit next to him. Shinji Hirako. He’d written his name backwards at the front of the room. For some reason Ichigo thinks of inverted pyramids.

He can tell, just by looking, this guy is trouble.

  Aren’t I trouble too?  

“Looks like I’ll be sitting next to you, Kurosaki. Let’s treat each other well.”

His smile is easy and his stance is confident, even when sitting.

Ichigo gives him a very pointed once over.

“Sure. Nice to meet you, Hirako.”

Ichigo manages to get halfway through the day before a hollow shows up and ruins it for him. He pops out of his body and leaves Kon to play student while he goes to take care of the issue and comes back. Three come throughout the day, more than there had been before Ichigo had left for Seireitei. It’s starting to tick him off.

It happens again while he’s doing his homework, only then he’s not alone.

Some dude with an afro interrupts him after it's dead. He shows him the badge Ukitake gave him, but apparently someone was pulling his leg. Or worse.

Ichigo is about to tell the shinigami where to shove it when his instincts scream at him and yank his hand around. Zangetsu sings when it collides with what would have cut deeply into Ichigo’s shoulder. A katana.

Ichigo doesn’t even pretend to be surprised by its owner.

“Hirako.”

The man grins like a cat.

Ichigo shoves him back to give himself room to breath. “When you said ‘take care of each other’ I didn’t know you meant like this,” Ichigo waves his hand at the two of them, swords drawn.

“What can I say. I wanted to see what ya would do,” Hirako is lazy and catlike as he prowls to the side. Ichigo keeps step opposite of him and the pair circle one another. “You should really lock your reiatsu down. You’ll attract unwanted attention this way.”

Ichigo scowls at him. “I am! This is as far down as it goes.” Kyo had gotten him to contain himself somewhere in Ohio, so he didn’t want another lecture on this!

“...Wow. Your control must suck worse than I thought.”

“You know what mother fucker-”

“Language! And here I was goin outta my way to be polite to ya,” Hirako said mournfully. He tapped the flat edge of his katana over his shoulder. He looked utterly at ease. Ichigo repressed a growl. It was for the best. The worse off Hirako thought he was the more of an upper hand Ichigo had.

“Uh huh,” Ichigo says dryly.

‘Ichigo,’ comes Medusa’s voice in his head.

  ‘Stay where you are. I’m fine for now. If anything happens, Achille’s can get to me in a second. He’s a Saber, for sure. You’re still a Lancer, not a Rider. You’re at a disadvantage where as I’m on even ground. Hold place.’

‘Right,’ all three chorus.

“I am!”

“Why don’t you just tell me what you came here for and we go back to being friendly,” Ichigo suggested. “Or we can keep fight, but we have to take it out of town. I’m not really…. Subtle.”

“No shit?” Hirako grins wider at him. “Alright, if ya wanna know so badly.”

He reached up and grasps the air just above his hairline before he pulls down-

A hollow mask.

Ichigo has no idea what to make of this. Kyo had said something about breaking down barriers with his Hogyoku, and making hybrids.

Ichigo touches his own cheek. He’d never made the connection before, but when he’d been fighting Kyoraku he’d felt something cool and familiar on his cheek. And his injuries. They turned white, like a hollow with a healing factor.

Something clicks into place.

Nieve. Nieve was another facet of his power. A shinigami power and hollow power. But no quincy?

His head was starting to hurt.

“Huh,” was all he said.

“Do you get it now? I’m a vizard. A shinigami who’s crossed into the domain of the hollows. I’m just like you.”

Ichigo nearly laughs.

“So join us.”

He nearly chokes.

“...Yeah. No. I just met you, and you just attacked me out of the blue. So. No.”

Hirako’s face contorted like he’d tasted something sour. “Didn't ya hear a word I just said? You're a Visored too. I know ya are. You’ll need our help.”

Ichigo lay Zangetsu back on his back so he could cross his arms over his chest. He eyed Hirako hard. He didn’t seem malicious, even if he had just attacked him. Ichigo knew when he was being played with, and having people test his skills was unfortunately familiar territory by now.

“Give me some credit,” Ichigo said tersely. “I’m not a lost dog looking for a pack. What does it matter if we are similar? I don’t know who told you about me, or what they said, but I’m not interested in joining any weird underground organization, or whatever you are. I have other things to do with my life, you know.

Hirako regarded him with new eyes. His head cocked, sending straight strands of blond fluttering out of the perfectly straight cut.

“Will it help if I say Kisuke asked me to help out?”

“He’s even shadier than you are. So no.”          

“Man. Kisuke wasn’t kiddin when he said you were stubborn, Kurosaki.”

Ichigo didn’t respond directly. He did have questions. A lot of questions. About Visards, and Kisuke, and Hirako too, but he couldn’t give himself away that easily. Not now that he had other options. Powerhouses at his back, ready and willing to fight. Ichigo gave Hirako and sharp once over, drinking in his power.

He was strong, but there was something slippery about him that made Ichigo’s hair stand on end. A very dangerous man indeed. Not to mention that as soon as the mask had come out his energy had more than doubled.

“Yer gonna need our help,” Hisako said again. “You must have already felt it. The hollow trying to claw its way into power. In soul society, you fought some pretty tough people, right?”

He knows exactly when Hirako is talking about. His fight with Kyoraku. Still, it’s clear Hirako is operating under false assumptions. There hadn’t been a struggle for control. It had been a surge of power and the taste of void dust, white on his skin and the guiding hand of instinct. Vicious and pure, a fight to survive. A fight to win.

“It’ll keep fighting to take control until it consumes ya. We can teach you how to control it.”

Ichigo narrows his eyes.

“I’m still not interested. And we’ve got homework, you know. I’ll see you tomorrow, Hirako. Maybe we’ll talk more then.”

After he’d had time to figure a few things out.  

*

For the first time in what feels like a lifetime Ichigo feels long fingers twine through his hair.

Ichigo opens his eyes to pale blue skies and lavender eyes.

“I’m dreaming,” Ichigo smiles slowly. He sits up and drags Merlin into a hard embrace.

He gives a startled, “Ooof!” But doesn’t push Ichigo away. He chuckles against Ichigo’s orange hair. “I see you missed me.”

“Shut up and enjoy the moment,” Ichigo scolds.

“Oh, forgive me master. I should just take you attention when you deign to give it.”

“I’m gonna punch you,” Ichigo warns. He let’s Merlin go a minute later. It’s only then that he realizes he’s not alone.

“Well ain’t this touchin’?”

Ichigo looks over his shoulder to find Nieve and Zangetsu standing behind them. They both look out of place in the beautiful scenery. They are weapons, creatures of battle and war. Not flowers and eternity.

Ichigo can’t imagine he looks any more like he belongs here. He is a soldier. He is not a real mage. He doesn’t have a place on Avalon. But, he has a place at Merlin’s side, where he sits. He shoots the mage a curious look.

Merlin smiles back at him, looking innocent. “I thought you might want to speak with them somewhere where they can’t disappear at will.”

Nieve looks offended. “Hey!”

Zangetsu frowns minutely. “This is a trap?”

“Of a sort,” Merlin admits.

“Are you reading my thoughts or something?” Ichigo asks. Merlin shakes his head.

“No. Only watching over you. I know you well enough to know when you need what little help I can provide you with from here. So, Ichigo. You have until you wake.”

“Asshole!” Nieve reaches for his sword, but Ichigo catches his wrists without even rising.

“Cut it out and sit down,” he scolds, his brows furrowing. “Merlin’s not wrong.”

He ignores the delighted smile on Merlin’s face.

“We need to have a conversation. All of us.  Sit .”

The both of them obey, slowly. Zangetsu looks physically pained. Ichigo ignores it. He looks to Nieve.

“You’re the ‘hollow’ Hirako was talking about, right?” He waits for a nod. Nieve is still, his shoulders drawn up and his mouth curved in more a grimace than a smile. “I thought so. That thing during my fight with Kyoraku, when I got stronger but it felt like my grip on reality was slipping, right before I got knocked out. And before, in America when Cu Alter- What?”

Both of them grew tense at the mention of the Berserker. Anger radiated off of even the normally calm Zangetsu.

“Yeah, you’re right, it was me. It had to be me! If I hadn’t stepped in you woulda died! Don’t you know that, King? Died! There was a hole in you’re goddamn chest and you didn’t even have a fuckin’ sword, and ya know what?!”

Ichigo leaned back when Nieve nearly launched himself forwards, right into his space. His gold eyes were furious and narrowed. “Ya keep pickin’ fights with stronger and stronger people! Fights ya can’t win on your own! So I stepped in, ‘cause if you die we all die and I’m not-”

“I’m not mad.” That shuts Nieve up a minute. Ichigo knocks him on the head lightly with a fist. “Stop freaking out already. I’m not mad. I just wanted to know, okay? I need to know what you are.”

“What I am? I’m you! I’m Zangetsu! I’m everything you could be if you just let yourself be! I’m the killing drive, and the shame and the guilt that your try to say you don’t have. I’m the anger under your skin and hatred in your bones. I’m your desperation, your fear. I am... your instincts! And I am not letting you die!”

Ichigo lets Nieve talk. By the time he’s done his chest is heaving and Zangetsu, who looks less an old man and more a young adult after their Bankai training, is staring at him from slightly behind him.

All is silent, for a long time, before Ichigo breaks the silence.

“Thank you.”

“I- what?” Nieve blinks at him, confused.

Ichigo runs his fingers through his hair and lets it fall back to his shoulders. “You said it yourself. When I was gonna die, you took over. You beat the Berserker. When I was losing my bout with Kyoraku, you started to step in again.”

“That witch did something to ya,” Nieve says reluctantly, “She did somethin’ to your heart. Our heart. I don’t think I can completely control ya anymore. That’s what stopped me when- well.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. If we’re really strong enough to take him on and win then…” Ichigo whistles softly. “So she stuck the raw destruction away. I get it now. That’s probably why no one told me before.”

“She told them not to,” Nieve actually pouts. “So ya wouldn’t be tempted to let me out again. Ya always fight too much with your head.”

“Uh huh,” Ichigo shakes his head. “Still. You saved my life, and probably everyone else I was trying to protect to. So thanks for that.”

“That’s it?” Nieve frowns at him. “You’re not gonna do...anything?”

“Not really? Now that I know how to listen to you there’s no reason for you to try and take control. We can fight together now. You’re still me, even you’re all the parts that make me reckless and dangerous. What else could I do but work with you?”

“Besides,” Ichigo smiles at them. “I always trust my instincts.”

Nieve gapes at him like a fish.

That just leaves one more thing.

Ichigo turns to Zangetsu expectantly.

“So?”

Zangetsu tenses. “So what?”

“There’s some things not adding up. And don’t think I missed what happened last time I tried to talk to you two. You kept him from saying something. What was it?”

They’re both silent. They look caught.

“...Does it have something to do with Nieve calling himself Zangetsu?”

“He doesn’t know what he said,” Zangetsu tries to dismiss. Ichigo pins him with a look.

“Don't’ start that. Tell me the truth. All of it. We’re going to fight together. We live and die together. I need to know what you’re hiding. Or how can I trust you to have my back? I’m not dealing with this again and I’m not putting up with it anymore.”

He’d let Romani hide things from him for a long time. He’d gone along with Kisuke even when he should have known better. He was not letting himself lie to him.

The air went out of Zangetsu. He turned his gaze to the grass, like it was too much to look at Ichigo.

“The truth. You want the truth. Of course you do.”

“Of course I do.”

Zangetsu sat back. His arms were braced. His hands are tight. He looks ready for a fight.

“The truth that I hid from you. And, from him.” he inclines his head to Nieve, the hollow. From both of them? “When we first met, I had him under careful control. It was difficult after his initial outburst, in America. But I managed. I needed to get to you first. I needed to be the source of your power, not him.”

“Why?”

“Because. I didn’t want you to fight. I don’t want you to fight. Fighting puts you in danger, and all I have ever desired was to protect you. I couldn’t do that if he was your power. It needed to be me. But the truth is, he is your Zanpakto. He is the true Zangetsu.”

Ichigo swallows thickly. That’s-

He didn't know what he was expecting. It wasn’t that.

“Then what are you? And why didn’t he tell me?”

“He didn’t know, at first. I pushed him so far down it confused his memories. We have both always been with you. Since the very beginning. Since you were born.”

“I’ll ask again. What are you?”

“I am… I am your inheritance from your mother.”

Ichigo freezes entirely.

“My-”

“I am the power you inherited from her. I am the part of your soul that is a quincy, and he is the part that is a shinigami.”

“A quincy. When I said I wished I was a quincy like her, why didn’t you say anything?”

“It was already too late,” dark hair falls along his cheeks. Anger pulls his mouth down. “I had just told you I was Zangetsu. How was I supposed to tell you I had lied when our relationship was so new? When our bond was so fragile? How could you trust me again after that? “

“After this?”

“Why did you lie in the first place? Why didn’t you just tell me that I was quincy all along? I could have fought-”

“It wouldn’t have worked. Your shinigami powers are more suited to combat.”

Shame curls around the spirit. Ichigo tries to wrap his head around everything he’s been told.

He is a quincy. He’s a shinigami. And a visord.

“How did I even end up with the shinigami and the hollow powers to start with?!”

The two spirits exchange the first glance from the time they’d been drawn into the meadow.

Merlin hums softly and cards his fingers through Ichigo’s hair soothingly.

“I might be able to tell you that. Though I can only observe what’s happening right now outside my tower, I have done some investigating on your behalf since this all started. Did you know your father and Urahara Kisuke were once friends? They met together after you left on your journey.”

“My dad and Urahara… oh. Oh. Dad’s a shinigami,” he doesn’t even feel anything towards that. No anger. No remorse. “And the hollow aspects?” he asks Nieve.

Nieve quirks a half a grin.

“Aizen’s fault, actually.”

“... of course it is.”

**

Of all the people Ichigo doesn’t know what to make of, Dr. Jekyll may just take the cake.

He’s a nice man. And smart. Too smart, really, for his own good, but Ichigo knows the book. He’s only read a few quotes from it for a project ages ago, but everyone and their mother and knows the gist of it.

Jekyll transforms into Edward Hyde, a horrible monster of some sort.

Yet, Ichigo sees no sign of darkness in Jekyll at all. Is there really a chance that he’s just coincidentally named after a title character from a famous novel?

No, definitely not.

It’s not possible at all.

Ichigo keeps his eyes on him. Closely.

Jekyll adjusts his gloves every few minutes, or whenever he’s talking about the fog or people being hurt. It’s a nervous habit for sure.

Ichigo wishes he could see his hands. He could see if there were calluses on his fingers or along his palms or knuckles. Nothing about Jekyll said he was a fighter.

Still, he was a doctor. If he did have to fight, wouldn’t that be perfect? He would know exactly where and how to hit someone to put them down.

Somehow, Ichigo can’t imagine Henry Jekyll hurting a fly.

They endeavor together to save the city. To save humanity.

There may be plenty of rotten people in the world, but there’s still good ones. Jekyll is one of them.  

* * *

Karin and Yuzu are cornered by him a day later at breakfast.

They managed to get him alone in the kitchen while their dad is in the clinic and Ichigo’s servants are out exploring the city, save Medusa who is in the livingroom.

Cornered is not the right word. Ichigo sits at the kitchen table while Yuzu works at the stove and Karin plays at her handheld, but they’re both watching him.

They know, he’s sure. Kon wasn’t really a very good actor, and his sisters aren’t by any means stupid. They’ve had to grow up fast, all three of them. Isshin was a failure of a father, something that Ichigo would have denied three years ago. He can’t anymore.

Ichigo fiddles with his hoodie strings for a few minutes while he tries to figure out how to broach the sensitive topic in front of him. In the end he does what he usually does. He says fuck it and goes for it.

“I found out something about mom.”

Karin’s head snaps up so fast her hat falls off. Yuzu spins around in the kitchen to look at him, surprise written clearly across her small face. Ichigo motions them both towards him.

“I found out mom could see ghosts too,” he says quietly. So Isshin won’t overhear, if he’s close enough. He won’t let him ruin this. He won’t let him keep secrets from the girls. “She was a quincy. A human who can see and interact with spirits.”

“Like you and Karin?” Yuzu’s frown is a sad thing. Ichigo cringes. She’s the odd one out, again.

“Yeah. And like you too. You may only sense them, but you’re like us too. Quincy are… fighters, I guess. They protect people from bad spirits. Mom was one of them. I guess I kind of am too, and you guys must be as well.”

“Fighters,” Karin repeats. She keeps her eyes on Ichigo. “Can you teach us to fight like them?”

Ichigo scowls. He doesn’t want them fighting at all, but he can’t exactly forbid them from doing it.

“Me? No.”

“But you know someone who can.”

He looks at Yuzu, who’s staring at him too. He thinks sometimes that she’s the strongest out of all of them. She’s the sweetest, but she’s also a steel spined girl who controls the household herself, and has for years despite being so young.

It’s Ichigo’s fault, he should have taken more of the burden from her.

It’s Isshin’s fault, none of them should have to bear the burden of running a house at all.

“Maybe. Probably.”

“Great,” Yuzu smiles sweetly at him. “You can introduce us this weekend. Eat your rice.”

Ichigo mutely does as he’s told, hiding a smile.

Isshin was gonna kill him. It would totally be worth it.

* * * *

Edward Hyde is a terrible man.

He’s as hedonistic as Jekyll is sincere and good. He’s as violent as his counterpart is passive, as vulgar as the other is polite.

Ichigo is almost ashamed to say he doesn’t mind the Berserker at all.

He’s honest, at least, and more loyal than Ichigo would have thought he would be. He delights in combat and blood shed, and he harms everything he touches reflexively.

Except Ichigo, apparently.

Ichigo peers over his shoulder at the destroyed helter skelters they’d encountered on their way out for supplies, if they could find them. Mash had been forced down a seperate street, leaving Ichigo with Jekyll, who had had no other option but to risk changing shape into this creature that lived under his skin.

Ichigo kept his hand on Hyde’s shoulder even when the Berserker pressed a knife to his throat. No blood was spilled by it. Red eyes were bright and nearly feral with delight over the fight. Ichigo could feel a headache coming on. This was going to be an interesting one.

“I think they’re dead,” he says dryly, nodding to the scraps of metal scattered around the ground.

“THey were fucking weak. And I’m bored. Why shouldn’t I cut you up?” he tilts his head and a wide grin spreads across his face. Ichigo doesn’t even blink.

“Because I’m too pretty?” he says dryly.

Hyde’s smile slips with surprise before it comes back and he cackles. “For once that punk ass bitch found a friend with a spine.”

Ichigo arches a brow. “Have you met Mordred? She’ll kick the shit out of you. “  

Hyde laughs again, like a crazy person, and pulls the knife back. “Let’s go. I wanna destroy something else before Henry get’s in my way again!”

“Joy,” Ichigo rolls his eyes, but follows after. Hopefully Mash will catch up soon.

* * * * *

“So,” Ichigo drawls slowly at Hirako when he sits next to him. “You’re really not giving this whole ‘joining you’ thing up easily, are you?”

Hirako shot him a grin. “I’m not givin up after only two days. Ya need our help, whether ya like it or not, Ichigo.”

The way he said Ichigo’s name, sing song and cheerful, made Ichigo wanna punch him in the face.

“Are you gonna try to fight me this afternoon too?” He asks. “Because I have other things I need to do. You know I have a life, right?”

“If ya do, you really should concede and let me help already. As long as you’re a visord all yer friends, all yer family is gonna be in danger. Until ya learn to control it.”

“I’ve got it all handled, thanks. I don’t know what yours is like, or what your situation is, but I’ve handled mine just fine.”

Hirako side eyed him mistrustfully. Ichigo ignores him entirely in favor of staring at the clock as it ticks down the last few seconds before school is over.

As soon as the bell rings he’s out of his chair and on his way to the door, until a hand catches his wrist.

He turns back to see Hirako smiling innocently at him, but his grip is a steel trap.

“Just what are you doing?” Ichigo asks with a scowl.

“Ya say ya have everything handled? Fine. Prove it, and I’ll let ya go on your merry way.”

Ichigo narrows his eyes. He does not like this at all, but what else can he do?

“... fine. Let’s go somewhere more private.”

“Oh Ichigo,” Hirako’s grin grows. “Buy me dinner first!”

“How about a knuckle sandwich?” Ichigo pulls his hand back and turns to march away. Fuck, he’s gonna have to ask Urahara for a favor now.

This is not a good day. Not at all.

* * * * * *

[tobito]

you carry my burdens and i carry yours

pairing: ichigo/rukia rating: t for angst, language and mentions of blood word count: 2174 summary: in which heavy rain falls on heavy hearts and ichigo and rukia finally talk about masaki and kaien's deaths.

Rukia hated the rain.

It reminded her of things she wanted to forget.

It reminded her of Ichigo's pain. Of how quiet he became whenever droplets would begin to fall from the sky. Of how he refused to tell her what was wrong, even though he'd never hid anything from her before. Of how much it hurt to see him cry in anguish when Kugo took his powers. Of how she could do nothing but watch as it soaked him wet and disguised itself with his tears.

The rain was cruel to Ichigo and that's why she hated it. That's why she had to stop it for him whenever it threatened to fall and hurt him again.

But, she also hated the rain because it reminded her of Kaien. It reminded her of her shaking hands gripping her sword as it impaled the man she admired more than anyone else in the world. It reminded her of his cold body pressed against hers as blood spilled from the wound in his chest. A wound she bestowed upon him. It reminded her of his last words, of him entrusting his heart with her because she, no one else, would protect it with her own life.

She hated the rain that wasn't loud enough to mask her screams the night she lost him. The rain that mocked her and reminded her she wasn't the only one who cried, that her tears were nothing compared to the heavy drops falling from above.

She hates the rain. But, she knows Ichigo hates it just as much. So, she swallows her own sorrows and searches for him. Because he needs her, even if all she can offer is her silent company as her own heart mourns inside her chest.

She finds him on a hill, just above the cemetery. She thinks about asking him why he chose this place, but stops herself when she remembers it must be because of his mother. Rukia doesn't know much about her, just that she was a great woman, a Quincy, who died too young. Rukia doesn't say anything as she sits next to Ichigo on the ground. He's in his Shinigami form and it leaves her wondering where he left his human body, and whether or not he really cares about that right now.

"You know, you'll get sick if you stand out here without an umbrella," she says and almost slaps herself because of course he can't get sick when he's a shinigami and she knows it. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Ichigo doesn't say anything and Rukia is both glad and very concerned. Glad he didn't acknowledge her stupid mistake, but worried he might not even know she's here right now. Rukia curses herself for a second time. She had been foolish enough to think Ichigo might have found closure now that Yhwach was gone and the war was over. But scars, if deep enough, will always leave a mark.

She sighs. Stopping Ichigo's rain usually came naturally, she needed to pull herself together. It wasn't about her right now. Only him and him alone.

"You don't have to say anything, you know."

His voice startles her, causes a chill to travel down her spine. He sounds tired, sad, and she hates it more than anything.

Ichigo is right, though, she doesn't have to say anything. She could just sit beside him and wait for the rain to stop. She could tell him what she said before, that he doesn't have to open up until he's ready to do so. That she will be here if he ever wants to talk.

But she knows Ichigo won't talk. It doesn't matter if Yhwach is dead, or if the war is over or any of that crap. It won't bring his mother back, it won't give him closure, it won't ease his pain.

But Rukia can't just not say anything. Maybe it's her throat asking for release from that tight knot suffocating her, but she lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and she speaks, "I know. But I want to."

"Rukia," she starts after a few seconds but the petite lieutenant stops him.

"I hate the rain too. It reminds me of everything I've lost," she says and avoids looking at him. She can't look at him. Not yet. Not until she says what she needs to say.

"Have I ever told you about the first time I killed someone?" She doesn't let him answer. "Not a hollow. A person. It was a long time ago. When I joined squad 13, I wasn't welcomed with open arms." She recalls those times with a bitter taste in her mouth and clears her throat, "My squad members thought it was unfair, for scum like me to be adopted into the Kuchiki clan and be thrown into a division almost immediately. They were afraid I'd become a seated officer without working just as hard as they did. Everyone hated me before they even knew who I was. And I couldn't exactly blame them, could I? I didn't deserve to be there, I should've stayed at the Academy longer. My skills were next to mediocre. I hated being there. I hated being told I wasn't good enough. Because the longer I was there, the more I believed everything they said."

Rukia took a deep breath again and felt Ichigo's gaze on her. She didn't look back at him, continuing her tale instead, "I thought I'd never get someone on my good side, much less make a friend. But, then I met him. His name was Kaien. Kaien Shiba. He was Captain Ukitake's lieutenant at the time."

She heard Ichigo let out his own breath. She knew he recognized the name. From what she gathered after the war from the rest, his father had told him the truth about his heritage. About who he was before he met his wife. That he was head of the Shiba clan and captain of the 10th Division before he went missing in the world of the living.

"Lieutenant Kaien was kind to me, but he was also very blunt. He pushed me to be the best version of myself. He wasn't afraid to scold me because of my last name or distance himself because he thought I was just a brat being handed everything. To him, I was an important member of the squad. He was the first person to welcome me with open arms when Renji and my brother weren't there. To teach me about what it was like to be a shinigami. To care for me. Ichigo, he was the first person I ever loved."

Rukia finally looked at him only to find him looking right back at her. Was that sadness in his eyes? Understanding? Surprise? She couldn't tell.

"He had a wife. She was beautiful and brave." And everything I wanted to be. "She was hurt during a mission to cleanse a hollow. She was brought back to the squad barracks, except it wasn't actually her anymore. The hollow she was sent after had managed to devour her soul and was using her body to trick and kill other shinigami. Captain Ukitake and Lieutenant Shiba tried to stop it. I was told not to interfere. Kaien wanted revenge for his wife, it was a battle to defend his pride as both a husband and a shinigami. I should've gone back, should've called for back up even if the Captain told me otherwise. But I stayed and I got in the way. I fucked everything up."

The use of a curse word startled Ichigo and she noticed the boy scoot closer to her, a look of concern in his eyes, "Rukia."

"I got him killed, Ichigo. The hollow took over him and I put my sword through his chest. I killed the man I loved and instead of cursing me to death, he used his last breath to entrust his heart to me."

She wanted to say more, about what his death did to her but she couldn't speak. A sob itched inside her throat and she struggled to keep it in. The rain poured louder and she couldn't breathe.

God, she was panicking. This was very bad.

A flick to her forehead managed to push her out of her own thoughts, Ichigo had ended up in front of her, his inches away from her forehead. "You're stupid, Rukia."

Huh? "Huh?"

She just poured her heart out to him and all he did was insult her? She was about to yell at him when she noticed his eyebrows furrowed in obvious annoyance. Why was he upset?

"Kaien...my cousin, didn't die because of you. You didn't kill him. Hell, you saved him. He was able to leave this world as himself because of you. He entrusted you with his heart, his memory. I may not know the guy, but he clearly wouldn't want you to say these things about yourself. So what if the guy had a wife? He still loved and cared about you. Just as much as you love and care about him too. So stop being an idiot. He's not gone, is he? His heart is still with you."

The way he yelled at her surprised her. Usually, it was the other way around. She wasn't used to Ichigo raising his voice at her, even if he didn't do it to offend or disrespect her. He genuinely wanted her to understand that her suffering, her guilt, wasn't okay.

I see.

It was quite foolish of her, really. To not have noticed until now. Ichigo didn't just look like Kaien. He was Kaien. He was Kaien's harsh and gentle words of encouragement. He was Kaien's pride and humbleness. He was Kaien's bravery and determination. He was the Kaien she had fallen in love with.

But he was also Ichigo. The Ichigo she loved now. The Ichigo she will always and forever love.

She rose her palms and placed them on either side of his face. Ichigo looked surprised at her action but did not pull away, instead he did the same.

"Never again blame yourself for his death, Rukia. You're not someone who takes lives, you're someone who saves them. Just like you saved mine."

She nodded and let out a gentle laugh, quiet and subtle. But still there for him to see and hear.

"I didn't know. That you hated the rain as much as me. Guess I was too focused thinking about myself." He dropped his hands to his side and she followed suit.

"It's okay. You don't have to-"

"I thought I'd be okay. Yhwach is gone. The man who killed my mother is dead and I delivered the final blow. But, there's still a gaping hole in my heart. I still think I could've done more to save her back then. I still think that maybe, just maybe if I had been strong enough back then, she wouldn't have died the way she did," Ichigo said, his eyes drifting to the cemetery below them.

"I'm sure your mother and your cousin feel the same, then," she said to him, softly. "I did not know your mother, Ichigo. Even though I would have loved to. Truly. She sounds like a wonderful person. She gave birth to three spectacular children. She raised a family who was kind hearted above all else, even after she was long gone. Ichigo, your mother did not deserve to die. But you do not have to carry the blame of her death. Not anymore. Not when I'm here to share it with."

"Rukia-"

"No, Ichigo. I will not take no for an answer! Didn't I tell you before? Comrades are supposed to be there for each other. If the weight is too much for you to carry some days, then I'll carry it for you. Because I know you'd do the same. Not just for me. But for Ishida, Inoue, Chad, Renji and everyone else."

Ichigo's eyes widened before he scoffed, a hint of a smile on his lips. "That's how it is, huh? You carry my burdens and I carry yours?"

Rukia nodded, "Yes! No buts, no what ifs."

Ichigo gave the cemetery one last look before his eyes found their way back to Rukia's. She was right. He wasn't alone. He had her now.

He knew his mom would've loved her, just as much as his dad does. As much as his sisters and friends do.

And sure, he didn't know Kaien, but he was glad he had been there for Rukia when no one else was. He was glad the man had given Rukia the strength and confidence she has now.

~

Ichigo hates the rain.

He hates what it reminds him of. Losing his mother. Losing to Byakuya and Renji. Losing his powers.

But as much as he hates the rain, he will always be grateful it brought him the greatest gift.

The best thing to ever happen to him.

His White Moon.

also posted on ao3

[amrita-gsk]

Okay, okay, so I watched Fade to Black the other day and I kept thinking "Wow, that one IchiRuki blog I followed recently was righter than rain. They're gott damn fools in love." And then I watched Hell Verse and I'm like, "He went back into Hell for her (and Renji n Uryuu, but the focus was on Rukia so like, whatever, right?). He's a gott damn fool in love." It's so obvious that's is nearly painful, lmao

Sorry for the super late reply but I hadn’t checked my asks, I’M REALLY SORRY!!! But never late than never, right? 

You are most certainly right, it’s physically painful to watch just how obvious their relationship is and even though the movies aren’t considered canon (although FtB is half canon due to how much Kubo invested himself on it) it does leave you thinking just why Pierrot always made so much emphasis on them. People like to argue and say it was because Rukia is the co-protagonist and that’s why she is shown to have so much importance to Ichigo, but in my opinion they could have highlighted Rukia‘s general relevance to the series without it holding such a sentimental value for him… however I can’t say they came up with it out of nowhere because they only took what already existed in the manga, deepened it and centered around it to make a whole movie out of it. Also, what was said by Kubo, Masakazu Morita and Fumiko Orikasa during the promotion campaign for the movie raised a lot the expectations regarding the nature of their relationship, I’ll quote some:

INCLUDED IN THE FADE TO BLACK MOVIE GUIDE

(Morita and Orikasa were interviewed regarding their experience while working in the movie. I shall refer to the interviewer as Q… for question, yes, I’m that simple. There were also some titles for some questions, which I will keep along the questions. )

Q: What were your thoughts when you first heard the third movie will be a story centering around Ichigo and Rukia?

Moritan: Compared to the first two movies, when I read the scenario I felt that it was a very strong story. I thought that it was a story that would revolutionize the “origin” of Bleach, with the meeting of Ichigo and Rukia as its main focus.

Oririn: I was surprised by the catchphrase “sayonara Rukia”. Director Abe told me that “something is going to happen to Rukia” so I felt insecure (laugh). But then I saw that the scene from the first episode was going to be in the movie and understood that because the TV animation of Bleach exists, this movie was able to exist as well. It is because of this that I think this movie may reach deep into the hearts of the people that has supported us up until now.

Q: To convey things that can’t be seen… Parting from this theme, what does this movie strongly aims to express? 

Oririn: The movie tries to show something that can’t simply be seen with your eyes. I think that if I were to put it in words, I’d call it “bond”, but even then something deep inside our hearts might disagree. I feel the movie theme is so delicate that it cannot be explained just by words.Moritan: Because we’re practically done with recording this third movie, I feel very strongly about the “bond” there is with Rukia and beyond that, the connection between their souls. We reenacted Ichigo and Rukia’s meeting in the first episode from four years ago. Since then, through all of our journey and until now, as Ichigo and as myself as well, there were a lot of times when we came to become used to our mutual relationship. Then, a shocking meeting was drawn again and Ichigo as well as myself, were reminded of how important Rukia’s existence is. We were able to question it again. I think this series is becoming like that.

Oririn: I know that Ichigo cared about Rukia but I never thought it was something this deep, so it was a bit unexpected. Right now it seems appropriate to call it “history” because thanks to the things of the past we are able to have today, which is connecting to the future. I feel very strongly that Ichigo and Rukia’s relationship isn’t something that was built in the blink of an eye but rather it’s something that’s still being built up.

Q: It’s quite complicated, isn’t it?

Moritan: For me, I feel that the theme this time, “bond”, shows that the connection between souls is thicker than blood, but if I were to say that’s everything there’s to it then it would feel wrong and that won’t do. The first movie theme was “protect”, the second was “believe” and I took those words inside and buried them deep within me while performing. But this time it wasn’t enough to just use the word “bond”. Even if you were to say “I really love you” to your loved one, you still wouldn’t be able to tell them how much you really love them. My feelings are exactly like that right now. But even if “bond” couldn’t describe it, saying “super bond” sounds weird (laugh).

Q: Let’s pick up on what Orikasa-san said.

Moritan: There are a lot of things packed inside that emotion. And inside of it, choosing just one won’t show you the way. I wish to leave it to everyone’s own impression to see and feel just how deep that feeling is.

Oririn: That’s right, we’ll leave it to every fan that watches the movie, to decide with their own thoughts and feelings if the story is really that deep or not.

Q: Is Ichigo and Rukia’s confrontation an important point?

Oririn: It’s their first confrontation, but this time Rukia isn’t herself and doesn’t have any memories so I just went along with it without giving it much thought.

Moritan: It was difficult for me. Ichigo could never attack Rukia, you know. So it was really hard to fight her. It was very hard for Ichigo to see Rukia’s altered form.

The Recording Process

Q: How was the recording?

Moritan: Back when we did the first movie it was also our first time so we got really worked up about it, but because this is the third time, the recording became stylish and refined without any meaningless acts. The whole recording was made so it could be observed from behind, so we could concentrate only in performing and it was very fun. I was able to perform Ichigo’s core essence without any distracting thoughts. However it was my first time having to shout “Rukia!” so much.

Oririn: I’m usually the one that keeps calling “Ichigo!”, right? (laugh)

Moritan: I actually discovered a new way to perform and wistfully cry out “Rukia”.

Q: Speaking of performance, we heard that Ichigo’s voice is being renewed?

Moritan: That’s right. I changed my voice this time. It’s the fifth year and the third movie after all (laugh).

Oririn: Is that so? (laugh)

Moritan: Actually, Ichigo’s voice has changed numerous times up until now. I think you’ll notice that his current voice is really different if you watch the first episode again. I’m leaving behind my turning point and letting Ichigo grow. The Ichigo of this moment is like going back to the first Ichigo as I performed raising my voice a bit. What’s more, I usually talk monotonously and as if I was uninterested but this time I attempted to more or less give more intonation to it so the words themselves would express on their own. Actually, and I’m not trying to show off, but when I was practicing at home this voice for Ichigo was naturally born. When I stopped to wonder why, I realized just how much Rukia’s existence is able to move your heart. So this voice came out naturally from myself and I felt that if I performed with it as it was, my own heart would also be easily touched. So then I was able to act with this voice during the recording.

Q: As a result, did the Sound Supervisor give you an OK?

Moritan: I did it secretly without asking permission. I got scolded and were given an NG (no good) so I was worried. However, because the voice intonation was congruent, Ichigo’s change in emotions was tangible in the story.

Q: Then, did Orikasa-san make any changes as well? 

Oririn: Even though the movie was special, I didn’t make any changes. I’ve been entrusted to perform Rukia in the TV anime version until now, so I’m always striving to express Rukia’s feelings one by one. It wasn’t any different for the movie. Only during her time in Inuzuri, the young Rukia who lived together with the twins had a different personality than the Rukia after her meeting with Ichigo. I think that she became cooler. During the flashback scenes, I performed while keeping in mind that she would express her emotions differently during those times.

Q: Did you make any good memories during the recording?

Oririn: During the scene when Rukia’s memories about Ichigo are returning I was asked to insert an improvisation of a warm word that symbolizes her, but because Rukia only used to say insults, I couldn’t come up with anything (laugh).

Moritan: Everyone tried very hard to think of something, but at the end all we could come up with was “tawake” (idiot). It was troublesome. I said, “I don’t remember ever being told warm words!” then everyone burst into laughter.

Oririn: The whole cast and staff were laughing hard, and come to think about it, even Kubo-sensei who had come by was laughing as well. Looking at his smiling face I could really feel his trust in us. It left a very good feeling.

Moritan: Even though he was busy, he kept looking after us for the whole two days of recording. His presence gave us strength and assured our hearts.

Message

Q: To finish, do you have a message for the fans?

Oririn: This time around the movie is about “a feeling that can’t be described by words” (laugh). What the characters hold inside their hearts couldn’t be expressed by a single word, it doesn’t have a shape and it can’t be seen but they’re connected at their very core… I strongly think that rather than watching, I wish everyone will be able to feel it.

Moritan: I hope for the fans to think about the importance of calling out someone’s name. This time, Ichigo is calling out Rukia, Renji, Byakuya and other people’s names but no one calls out his name. Even though he calls out no one answers him, so now I know how sad it is having no one to call your name. A name isn’t only something for you to call other people, but for other people to call you as well, that’s what I’m trying to say. I wish for everyone to watch the movie and understand how important it is. And after finishing watching the movie, I wish everyone will call out the name of the person they love.

…Those were Morita and Fumiko’s opinions on it (there’s more, but this is already long as it is) now, here’s what Kubo had to say about it:

INSIDE THE PAMPHLET GIVEN OUT DURING FTB’S PREMIERE

Kubo: The third movie is a special work for BLEACH. It’s different from the usual element of the other movies and it’s a story in which BLEACH’s origin is closely drawn. I’m hoping for this story to remain, even if just a little, inside the heart of a lot of people.

INSIDE THE MOVIE GUIDE

Q: Like in the previous work, we heard you were involved in this year’s movie since the early stage. 

K: I think it all started around March when Director Abe and the movie staff came to me. Back then, Director Abe wanted a “back to the beginning” theme and wished for the main characters, Ichigo and Rukia, to be the focus of the story. On top of that, he wanted to portray something that linked back to the first chapter of Bleach, it’s original appearance… I was very happy to know that the movie was heading in that direction and said “that’s good, let’s go with that!” And from then on I joined in the production and put together the story and the setting after discussing it with everyone. 

Q: We heard the scenario was completed after a lot of hardships?

K: The theme of the story was something I could agree with, but there were still some parts that made me worry up until the end. The speech in the last scene especially, I discussed it and decided it with the director at the recording studio (laugh). 

To tell you the truth there are still bits I wanted to develop but if I did that who knows how long the film would be (laughs).

(I’ll make a pause here because in case anyone is wondering, he’s referring to Ichigo’s speech at the end, the one that goes: 

“If death isn’t really the end, then that time we met might not have been the first. We might have been connected from long before that. I’m not really sure, but I think maybe once a bond is formed, it never disappears. If that’s the case, even if we forget everything, we’ll be connected again somewhere in the future.”

Soooo… yep, he personally worked on it.)

Q: Even the subtitle was given from you?

K: Ever since the second movie the subtitle was brought up by me. Since the moment I heard Rukia would lose her memory the image that her memories of Ichigo and the Gotei 13 would disappear came into my mind. After that, the meaning of “disappearing into black” became the subtitle “fade to black”.

Q: You even came up with the japanese subtitle “Calling Out Your Name”.

K: After coming up with the english subtitle “fade to black” they asked me to come up with a japanese one (laugh). So after carefully digesting the scenario I searched for some scenes that could hold the key words that I could use and found in the plot that someone calling someone else’s name was a strong expression that “even though no one else remembers you I do” and I found out it had an important meaning behind it, especially regarding this story where Ichigo keeps calling Rukia’s name. So that’s how I came up with the subtitle “calling out your name”.

Q: Please tell us, in your opinion, what’s the highlight of this movie?

K: Regarding the fights it’s not Ichigo vs. the Gotei 13, but Ichigo vs. Rukia. In the first scenario there wasn’t a “last boss” yet and someone raised the question about it. And we thought that since Ichigo forgot about Rukia, “we want to see Ichigo and Rukia!” We started planning after that. In this fight there’s actually a scene that links back to the first chapter of the manga and in my opinion I feel it’s the most important scene in the movie. It links with what the director said about going “back to the beginning”.

Q: As you were involved in this movie, were there any bits you drew thinking about going “back to the beginning”?

K: I didn’t come up with the idea of using the scene where Rukia gives her power to Ichigo like in the very first chapter, so going back to that scene in the movie made a strong impression in me and I felt that it was very interesting. On top of that, because of this story I was able to recognize once again that Ichigo and Rukia’s relationship is something special.

Q: What do you think about the bond those two have with each other?

K: It’s not friendship but it’s not an amorous feeling either. Regarding these two, I don’t think there is other relationship like theirs in other works where despite standing in a very close position with each other it is not romance (laughs). But in this year’s movie there is a scene where Ichigo says Rukia is his “precious nakama” and I think that explains their relationship well.

Q: You watched the movie at a private screening, but what sort of feelings did you have about it?

K: I had fun (laughs), because it’s my own work it feels completed but on the hand it means that you can’t create anything stronger than that. In some parts while I was drawing I would think “would this sort of situation really happen?”, but even so I was the one who thought and came up with the plot so even it amazes me it doesn’t feel “new”. Even if I as the original author was involved, the drawings are done by other people and the voices are done by the voice actors, so when the movie is completed I always savor the feeling of surprise. “They should move like this”, “their voices are like that”, I always give feedback with a lot of emotion and excitement, and I’m always looking forward to that.

Q: What bits do you want everyone to focus on?

K: The relationship between Ichigo and Rukia. The change in their feelings.

And there you have it. I won’t add anything about Hellverse because they centered more around the action aspect of it during the promotion so that’s it. I did find curious the fact that Kokuto decided to use Rukia to bait Ichigo to attack him… although I could always just go with “she’s the only female of the group, Ichigo has a savior complex, yadda yadda yadda…” but they could have also just kept Yuzu longer in hell to motivate him. There’s also the fact that once he defeats him he basically forgets about Uryuu and Renji as he’s too occupied talking to Rukia… I WONDER WHY *shrugs*. The thing with Fade to Black is that Kubo was deeply involved in its production and as I quoted above from what he said back when it first got released he actually said that he came up with the plot himself and that it was his work, and I think it speaks tons about what actually is the nature of their relationship when you watch this movie and you get that speech at the end (besides everything that happens in between, including Ichigo’s built-in Rukia radar), and then the author of the original work comes and tells you he worked on it himself.

IchiRuki is painful in the sense that it’s so right, so harmonious, so obvious, so perfectly written and executed, but it got served wrong at the end. But yes, their relationship is the maximum expression of love there is on earth and I think I don’t speak only for myself when I say they’re the goal.

[darisu-chan]

Connected

Hey!

This one-shot is part of my “alternate Bleach timeline” which you can read in order in the following links (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (the end of that one) ). This one is set directly after “2″, meaning it’s number 3 in this order.

Hope you like it!

You can also read it here.

Prompt: long-distance relationships

Summary: Ichigo and Rukia deal with being separated after finally getting together. 

Ichigo could hardly believe that that which he had wished for had actually come true. He and Rukia had been dating for a month already ─ although not in the best of circumstances. He still felt bad that, in a way, he had crashed her wedding to Renji. Ichigo never meant to hurt him. However, he couldn’t say he regretted it. He loved Rukia with all his heart, and it turned out she also loved him as much. Marrying Renji would have been a big mistake. And, who knows, maybe he would have made a similar mistake, dating someone he didn’t even like. His decision to talk to her before the wedding had been a blessing in disguise. Rukia hadn’t gotten married and both had run away to Karakura. There, they had spent four amazing weeks together. Ichigo had been on vacation from college, so they had spent all that time together. They went to the movies, they took long walks in the park, they watched the fireworks together, they ate dinner with his family, they read her favorite horror manga together, Ichigo made dinner for her once and they had a picnic on the river bank. Sometimes, they went Hollow hunting together and it was like in the good old days. Other times, they didn’t do anything special. They hung out in his room, talking about nothing and everything. Their future goals. Their dreams. Their motivations. Their feelings.

“I want to be a full-time Shinigami.” Ichigo had expressed one day as they both lay on his bed.

Rukia hadn’t even been surprised. She merely smiled at him. “Then become one.”

“You won’t tell me it’s dangerous or that I’m wasting my life?”

“I’m tired of giving you that excuse. It’s your life. Choose what will make you happy. I’ll support you, always.” She told him, looking at him straight in the eye. “And, besides, you’ve already been through many dangerous situations.” She joked.

Ichigo smirked. “Like defeating the whole Soul Society for you.”

She snorted and hit him with a pillow. “Fool.”

There were moments when they didn’t talk at all. When they were alone, their lips would join together and they would kiss, tongues exploring the unknown, hands wandering underneath their clothes. They felt closer than ever before. As if they should have been doing that from the beginning. It was definitely bliss.

But… all dreams must end.

This was a vacation after all. A break from their normal lives. After summer was over, Ichigo would have to go back to classes and Rukia would have to go back to her squad. She was the lieutenant, in charge of her whole squad now that Ukitake was gone. Kiyone and Sentarou would keep things in order, but they still needed their leader.

The end of summer came before either would have wanted, and they stood outside of the Kurosaki Clinic. Rukia was in front of him, looking as unexcited as he was feeling. It was reminiscent of another time they had said goodbye. Although, this time they could still see each other eventually. That wasn’t as reassuring as it should have been. Ichigo would have given anything to remain by her side.

“I’ll call you when I’m settled.” Rukia told him, the Senkaimon already opened behind her.

“I hope Byakuya isn’t too mad about it.” He replied, scratching the back of his head. He definitely didn’t want to face the older man’s rage.

She chuckled. “I don’t think so. Nii-sama was the one to encourage me to tell you the truth.”

“And I’ll never understand why he did that, but I’m forever grateful for it.”

Rukia smiled at him. “Glad you two are finally getting along.”

“Ah.”

They went silent, each staring at the other, trying to memorize the way they looked in that moment.

“So I guess I need to go.” She eventually said.

“Seems like it.”

“Don’t be so sad. I’ll be back when you least expect it.” Rukia said, elbowing his ribs.

Ichigo scowled. “Yeah, that could be several months from now.”

She sighed and then buried her head in his chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. “I promise it won’t be like last time. I’ll make time and come in less than two months. We’ll also be able to talk through the phone.”

He nodded. “I’ll try and visit often too. Even if it’s only for a day.”

Rukia stood on her toes and pecked his cheek, making him turn red. “I’d like that.”

“Great.”

They kissed one last time, neither wanting to let go. But they had to pull apart just in case someone walked in to find Ichigo speaking to air. He didn’t need the fame of being crazy. He had enough by being mistaken for a hooligan.

“Bye, Ichigo.”

“See ya!”

And with that, she was gone.

Two months went by equally fast as they were slow. Each day was torture for Ichigo. He couldn’t focus in class. He got nostalgic each time he passed by a place that reminded him of Rukia, the river bank, his high school, the park, hell, even his own closet! It didn’t help that his friends and family asked about her often. And sure, Rukia called him almost every day, but that only made him miss her more. It would have been better if he could have visited her. However, she was extremely busy, and he had been too in a way, with classes and whatnot.

“And then Kiyone and Sentarou fought in the middle of a drill. I had to scold them, though deep down I was dying with laughter.” She told him that day during one of her calls.

Ichigo laughed with her. “Wish I had seen it.”

“Wish you had been there.” Rukia said, her eyes softening.

He exhaled shakily. “Me too.”

They grew quiet. Tension palpable in the air. He missed her. He missed her so damn much it was painful.

“When are you coming back?” Ichigo blurted out.

His girlfriend ─ God, he still couldn’t believe it! ─ frowned. “I don’t know yet. There’s been a lot of changes here. We’re still recovering from the war. And my squad’s in bad shape. If Ukitake-taichou were here, it would’ve been different.” She trailed off, eyes downcast. “And then there’s the fact I still can’t escape the rumors.”

Ichigo winced. “Is it still a problem?”

“Not around the Shinigami. The nobles on the other hand…”

“My dad called Kukkaku-san for help. But she said she doesn’t have much importance currently. Yoruichi-san asked her brother for help, though.” He explained.

“Nii-sama’s been doing what he can to. But this one’s on me. I’ve been doing what I can to explain the situation. I hope one day I’ll be free of judgement.”

The nobles, especially the ones from the Kuchiki Clan, hadn’t been too happy when Rukia had called off the wedding only to run away with him. All kinds of rumors had sprung from that decision. That she had been cheating on Renji the whole time. That Kurosaki Ichigo, the hero of Soul Society, had crashed the wedding and stole the bride. That the two had eloped to marry in secret. That Rukia was pregnant with his child and that’s why she hadn’t been able to marry Renji. They called her all kinds of things. Slut. Cheater. Whore. Ichigo wanted to give them all a piece of their mind, but Rukia had convinced him against that. Although being away for a month had helped in springing more rumors, it had given Byakuya the time to explain to the clan what had actually happened. The support of other nobles had been needed as well. But, still, things hadn’t changed much. Ichigo now knew how much Rukia had suffered when she had been adopted to the clan. Decades of solitude. She had just recovered from that and become her best self, and now she had to deal with this. He felt partially guilty for that. If only he had been man enough, they would have started dating right after the war with the quincies was over.

“Ichigo.” She called him, making him ignore all the self-deprecating thoughts that swirled his mind.

“Yeah?”

“None of this is your fault.” She said, voice filled with many emotions.

He sighed. “I just wish I was there to help you out.”

“Me too.” Rukia said. “But maybe it’s better this way.”

Ichigo grumbled. “I don’t care if it’s better. I just want to be there for you.”

She smiled sweetly at him. “And that’s why I chose you.”

He felt his heart rate increase as his cheeks turned red. “Sh-shut up.”

“And you’re cute to boot.” Rukia added, a teasing smile replacing the previous sweet one. “It’s really cute how you blush as if you were still fifteen. How old are you again?”

“You’re one to talk. You get red when I mention everything I want to do to you.”

It was Rukia’s turn to become flustered. “Don’t say such indecent things over the phone!”

He merely laughed. “You didn’t say that last night.”

She coughed. “In any case, I’ll come back as soon as I can. I’ll let you know beforehand.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll wait for you.”

They smiled at each other and, wishing them a goodnight, they hung up.

Ichigo collapsed on his bed, a stupid grin plastered on his face. Definitely the highlight of his day was talking to Rukia.

Rukia sighed as she finished more paperwork. Life had been hectic since she had come back to the Soul Society. Everybody whispered when she passed them by. People pointed fingers at her. She knew what they said. (There goes the girl who left her groom at the altar. The same one that eloped with the Substitute Shinigami. I heard she’s pregnant. I heard she cheated on her fiancé. I bet she wanted them both to herself. Cheater. Whore.) It was a pain to deal with it daily. It would have been much easier if Ichigo were there. He would have punched anyone who dared disrespect her. The thought made her smile. On the other hand, Rukia was happy he wasn’t around to hear that. She wanted him to live a more carefree life. She missed him, though. She missed him more now than ever before. It was as if a part of her only felt alive when Ichigo was near.

She had intended to go to Karakura soon, but two months had gone by and she was still stuck in Soul Society. There was a lot of paperwork to finish. Meetings to attend. Issues to oversee at the barracks. And Rukia had been aware this life wouldn’t be easy. That had been the reason she had tried to push her feelings away and almost made the worst mistake of her life. She had shared as much with her now boyfriend. But Ichigo was nothing less of brave. He hadn’t given a damn about that things that would try to keep them apart. He knew they would be able to overcome anything. That was how strong his will was. One of the traits she admired most about him. He was that kind of man in her heart. This pain and loneliness was worth it if, at the end, she got to be with him. So, Rukia decided to endure everything with a smile on her face until she could see Ichigo face to face again. It wasn’t as if they didn’t speak on the phone often enough. They were connected through those electronic waves. (She really needed to ask Urahara about that technology and how that even worked.)

Someone knocked at the door.

“May I come in?”

“Ise-fukutaichou.” Rukia acknowledged the newcomer. “Please, come on in.”

The lieutenant of the first squad entered her small office. They greeted each other as they normally did and Nanao sat down in front of her.

“I’ll cut straight to the point.” The woman said. “The Captain Commander wants to see you.”

Rukia nodded, dumbfounded.

Although she was a lieutenant, and she had been one for some time now, it wasn’t often that Kyouraku wanted to speak with her. In fact, they had only spoken once or twice in the two years that had passed since he became the new captain commander. Most of their conversations had been about the late Ukitake and their shared memories of him. If there were problems in her squad, Rukia submitted her issues with a written form and received one in return. It was a very bureaucratic process. Only the captains of each squad had direct communication with him. But, she figured, that since her squad lacked a captain, maybe certain things needed to be informed to her directly.

Rukia arrived at the first squad, following Nanao. The other Shinigami greeted her as she entered the barracks. She soon passed many rooms until she arrived at Kyouraku’s office. Nanao knocked the door and announced Rukia’s arrival.

“Ah, Nanao-chan! Let Rukia-chan come in!” He said, addressing them as informally as ever.

The lieutenant rolled her eyes in exasperation what Rukia muffled a laugh. Waving goodbye to Nanao, she entered the room and was warmly greeted by the Captain Commander.

“Come on, Rukia-chan, take a seat.” He told her, ushering her in.

She did as she was told and sat down in front of him. Kyouraku served her tea and the two sipped on it calmly. Rukia was curious as to why she was even there.

“How was the world of the living?” He asked her suddenly. “Is that little town as lively as ever?”

She nodded. “It’s the same as always. Although the Hollow activity seems more controlled now.”

“Good, good.” The commander muttered. “And how’s our dear Ichigo-kun? As sturdy as ever, I hope?”

Rukia blushed slightly at the mention of her boyfriend. “Yes. He’s been doing fine.”

“How does he like it being a Shinigami still?” Kyouraku kept asking. “Is he in good shape? He hasn’t had any problems with his powers?”

She shook her head. “He’s still as powerful as before, though more in control with his powers.”

He smiled. “And, say Rukia-chan, do you think he’s gonna come soon?”

“Pardon?” Rukia asked.

The older man chuckled. “Well, I know about his ambitions and waiting for his death sounds like an awfully long affair. Now that he has a good reason for coming here,” he said as he gestured to Rukia, “maybe he’ll like to speak to me about his future?”

She blinked once and then smiled in relief. Ichigo had told her early on that he wanted to become a full-time Shinigami. She hadn’t even bothered telling him what that would entail. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew exactly what that meant. Leaving his family back home. Not enjoying a human life. Going on life and death missions. Getting his hands dirty for the sake of others. But, Rukia found out, living a normal life wasn’t for someone like Ichigo. Being human was like being death for him. It had been in death itself where he had found the place he belong. It was a plus that that side was beside her.

“I think so. Yes.” Rukia replied quickly, feeling ecstatic about the prospect of Ichigo’s future life.

“In that case, why don’t you go and tell him yourself?”

“Sorry?” She asked, once again perplexed.

“Take a few days off. Got to Karakura. Spend some time with Ichigo-kun. And then, you can both come here and I can talk with him. How does that sound?” Kyouraku asked her kindly. His tone of voice sort of reminded her of her late captain.

“It sounds perfect, sir.” Rukia nodded, already smiling.

“Then get going. I got your squad covered.”

Rukia nodded, bowed once, left the room, and began running once she was out. She ignored Nanao calling out to her. She ignored everything and everyone around her. Without a second thought, she opened the Senkaimon. She ran all the way until she saw the exit. She jumped and, there, she was back in Karakura. She broke into a sprint and, leaping through the roofs, she soon found her way to the Kurosaki house. Rukia knew that she had to go to Urahara’s to get a gigai, but right now, she couldn’t care less about such eventualities. She simply climbed to Ichigo’s window and went through it, landing on his bed.

“Rukia?!” Ichigo exclaimed from his desk.

“Hi.” She said, approaching him and landing on his lap. He instantly wrapped his arms around her, but she could see he was still shocked.

“W-what are you doing here?” He stammered.

Rukia laughed. “What, do you want me to leave?”

“No!” Ichigo said quickly. “I was just wondering. You said you’d tell me in advance if you could come here.”

“Well, there’s been a change of plans. The Captain Commander gave me a few days off, and I immediately came here after he told me that.” She explained, feeling comfortable against his chest.

“What? Just like that?”

“Yep.”

“Huh… what’s the occasion?”

“Oh, nothing important.” Rukia said jokingly. “He just wants to talk to you about your future.”

“My future?” He asked confused.

“Ichigo… he wants you to become a full-time Shinigami.”

“Really?!” He exclaimed, a grin on his face. She nodded. “When should I go talk to him?”

“In a few days.” She answered. “Right now, we should enjoy our time together.” Rukia said, getting cozy in his arms, face getting close to his.

“Oh?” Ichigo asked. “You haven’t been here for five minutes and you’re already thinking about that.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

He didn’t even need to be told twice.

They kissed passionately, pouring into the exchange everything they had been feeling.

Although their bond could take anything and be as strong as ever, the feeling of being finally next to each other was overpowering enough.

It was good, then, that they wouldn’t have to be apart any longer.

Ichigo and Rukia would both finally be together, after so many years.

They couldn’t wait for what the future had in store for them.

[hoshikonobleach]

19 Rukia/Hoshi please! Maybe late 1800s? Honestly whatever speaks to you I'm into it

GASP. Y’all, here it is… the first Ruki/Hoshi on this blog. Enjoy it. 

19. historical AU (historical period of your choice)37. arranged marriage AU49. psychic connection

watch me FAIL lmao. This one is LONG. And I hope I did it justice. Rukia’s a lot closer to her personality when she’s with Ichigo & the others. And Ichigo is a sweetheart someone pls love him (besides me)

From a young age, whenever Rukia went to visit her grandfather in the summer, she knew never to go to the Urahara Manor. It was just something that you didn’t do. When she was allowed out to play with the other children, they would always dare each other to go and touch the front gate of the Urahara Manor, and some would report back saying they heard a noise or saw a figure, and that would cement Rukia’s fear even more.

There was something about that place that made her senses act up. And it was on her way home, so she would pass by it. Normally, she would uphold the Kuchiki Ideals. Walk, not run, through anything that scared you. But now, she only ran. She knew Renji wouldn’t tell on her. They would make a game of it—whoever ran past the Manor the fastest had to by the other ice cream next time.

Rukia hadn’t bought Renji one single ice cream.

But today, Renji and the other kids couldn’t play something about summer homework. And Grandpa Ginrei had given Rukia money to buy ice cream on that hot summer day for them both, hoping that she’d hurry before his son got back and scolded them for not doing any of Rukia’s extravagant list of activities. Rukia had the two ice creams—an ice cream sandwich for her grandfather and a weird looking character ice cream for herself—in hand as she walked by the house, excited to eat, when she heard it.

“I-I-Is someone there?” Her little voice quaked with fear. She was across the street, but the cries sounded like they were only a foot or so away from her. Despite everything, Rukia took slow steps across the empty street and stood in front of the house. “H-H-Hello?”

The street in front of the Urahara Manor was mostly deserted. The town was about a mile in the direction Rukia came and her own home was about a quarter mile away from this place. All the other houses were rundown around it.

“Why won’t anybody play with me?” The voice, much clearer, cried. Rukia peered in through the gates. A young girl, about her age stood there, hands rubbing against her eyes as she cried.

“You have a scary house.” Rukia blurted out before she could stop herself, then slapped her hand against her mouth. The girl pauses, looking up at Rukia. Her eyes are red and puffy, but lighter than her bright red hair. “U-Uh, I’m… I gotta go.”

“Wait!” The girl reaches out, running towards the gate and slams into it. The look on her face is pleading. “Y-You can hear me?”

Rukia tilts her head. “Y-Yeah?” She says, blinking. “You’re talkin’ real loud. Crying loud too.”

“D-Do you wanna play with me?” The girl asks, hope filling her silver eyes and Rukia almost says yes, then she feels the ice cream dripping down her hand.

“I can’t!” She yelps, which startles the girl into falling back. “B-But, tomorrow! Tomorrow I’ll come back!”

“You promise?” The girl stands again. Rukia nods, sticking her pinky through the bars of the gate.

“Yeah, pinky promise. You do it like this.” Rukia gestures for the girl to copy her, which she does, “I pinky promise to come back tomorrow or I’ll stick a thousand needles in my armpits! Or that’s what Renji says anyway.” The girl giggles, wiping excess tears from her eyes.

“Then it’s a promise.” The girl grins.

“I’m Rukia.” Rukia finally says, pulling away.

“Hoshiko.”

Rukia awakes with a jolt, sitting up and startling her maid. Momo jumps, almost dropping the tea tray she had been carrying. “L-Lady Rukia!” She yelps, her eyes wide, “Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” Rukia replies, her voice breathless, “I just… I had a dream—more like a memory, I guess.”

“Oh?” Momo puts the tea try down on the cart, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. “Is it the nerves?”

“Maybe,” She replies, “I dreamt about the summer home, when we would visit Grandfather Ginrei. And my friends from that town.”

“Hm,” Momo hummed, “Your husband-to-be is from that town, so maybe it resurfaced some memories. It has been some time since you’ve been there, right?”

“Yes,” Rukia finally pushed back the duvet and swung her feet over the edge, “Grandfather became too sick to live on his own when I turned sixteen. We haven’t been there since, now I am twenty-one.”

Momo pours Rukia’s tea while Rukia herself moves around the room, opening the curtains and windows, letting in the fresh air. “Well, today is a happy day, is it not?”

“It’s certainly a sunny one.” Rukia replies. Her fingers pause on the back of her sitting chair. “Momo,” Momo looks up, setting down the tea pot. “Do you think I’ll like him?”

“He seems very likable.” Momo replied, “From all the stories I’ve heard… it seems he has an easy time befriending people.”

Rukia feels a ghost of a touch on her skin, and in her mind, she sees red hair and a bright smile. Somehow, she doesn’t think she’ll like her suitor much.

Her dress is large, nearly taking up more room than it should as she stares out the window for the tenth time. Her grandfather chuckles, sipping at his mid-morning tea while Rukia huffs, sitting down on the sofa. “Are you hoping, perhaps, they’ve gotten lost?”

“If I said that, Byakuya-nii-sama would surely had my head.” Rukia replies, “So instead of saying it, I shall think it and think it loudly.” At this, Ginrei laughs, and one of the attendants enters the room, “They’re pulling their carriage around to the front!”

Rukia tenses, her hands freezing where they are and her eyes go wide. “I was just as nervous,” Ginrei says, “Meeting your grandmother. Though, we did come to love each other.”

“I’m already in love.” Rukia blurts out, then slaps her hands against her mouth. Ginrei chuckles.

“I know. As was I, at that time.” Ginrei sounds wistful, and the look on his face is far off. “Maybe you should make yours eternal.”

Byakuya is already outside when Ginrei and Rukia arrive. The carriage pulls to a stop and it’s quiet for a moment, before the door is slammed open and a boy flies out, landing right at Rukia’s feet.

“Guys, we’re supposed to be making a good first impression.” Another voice says. Rukia notes that the horses aren’t startled and the driver looks bored.

“My son should be more prepared to meet his new fiancé! Instead he’s playing around!” At this, two more people come falling out of the carriage. A large man with facial hair and a much younger man with glasses, dressed in white. Two girls follow him, then another man, much larger and tanner than the rest. And then finally, another girl.

Before she can get a clear look at the girl, the boy on the ground finally stands up, blocking Rukia’s view of her. He is tall and well-built and his bright orange hair is exactly as she’d imagined it and Rukia blinks. He acts as if he hadn’t been tossed five feet from a carriage. Really, the only thing noting he had been tossed was probably the dirt marks on his clothing. “Sorry about this lot. I’m Ichigo Kurosaki. You’re Rukia?”

“Yes.” Rukia finally says, “R-Rukia…. Um, Kuchiki. Please to make your acquaintance.” She bows and he laughs.

“We’re to be married, but you act so distant. I hope we’ll be good friends.” Ichigo then says, “I brought my entourage, I hope this is alright?” He turns to Byakuya who merely nods. “That’s my dad and sisters, that’s Uryu, and that’s Sado, and the girl is—“

“Hoshiko.” Rukia breathes out, startling Ichigo.

“Er, yeah, do you know each other?” He steps out of the way when Hoshiko comes barreling towards them and slams into Rukia, sending them both to the ground.

“Rukia! Rukia! I was so worried when you didn’t come back! I thought you hated me!” The girl cries, hands gripping onto Rukia’s dress.

“Of course I don’t hate you!” Rukia yelps back, “I could never! I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to you when we left.”

“I’m so glad we’re reunited!” Hoshiko cries, sitting up and pulling Rukia with her. She then hugs Rukia around the neck, “Don’t leave like that again!”

“Not to, um, break this up,” Ichigo cuts in, “But, Hoshiko, how do you know Rukia—er, Lady Rukia?” Hoshiko pulls away for a moment, standing and pulling Rukia with her, though she doesn’t let go of the girl at all.

‘Rukia’s a friend of mine from childhood. I met you guys the summer she stopped coming to Karakura Town.’ Rukia watched, puzzled at the hand movements Hoshiko made.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Lady Rukia, friend of Hoshiko.” Ichigo finally says, though it sounds a little odd to Rukia. Hoshiko looks at him, and Ichigo nods, “Let us have fun tonight.”

“I’m confused.” Rukia says at the banquet that night. She and Ichigo are dancing across the ballroom floor. “What was Hoshiko doing with her hands? All that.. stuff, and how you guys did it back or... just spoke.=”

“You don’t know?” Ichigo raises an eyebrow. “She was signing. It’s what people who can’t hear or speak—or don’t want to speak—do to communicate.”

“Hoshiko can speak just fine.” Rukia argues, her eyes gliding across the room to where Hoshiko dances with Ichigo’s father. The two laugh as he spins her around much more aggressively than any other dancing pair. “I’ve heard her voice, it’s lovely. She can sing as well, and that’s divine.”

“She can’t.” Ichigo says, “She had a disease at birth, which muted her for life. I don’t know how you manage to figure out everything she’s saying when she doesn’t speak.”

“Because she is speaking.” Rukia gets a little louder, before coughing and lowering her voice. Her cheeks tinge pink and she looks down.

“They say,” Ichigo changes the subject, “That how you know someone is your soulmate… you’re able to hear their voice even when they don’t speak. Like some kind of mind connection or something.”

Rukia hums, but Ichigo continues speaking, “When I saw you two in the garden earlier, all I heard was you speaking—and Hoshiko wasn’t signing. She was just sitting there, listening and nodding and making wild gestures. It made me really think about my decision tonight. I knew there was nothing else I could do.”

“Decision?” Rukia echoes. Ichigo nods and they stop near the middle of the dance floor, coincidentally near Hoshiko and Ichigo’s father. “What do you mean?”

“I’m breaking off the engagement.” Ichigo says loudly, and without preamble. The look of shock on Rukia’s face is enough to make Ichigo laugh. He motions Hoshiko over and breaks away from Rukia. “I’d very much rather not fight Hoshiko for your hand in marriage. So, it was nice meeting you, Lady Rukia, but I’ll take my chances elsewhere.”

Ichigo bows to her, before signing at Hoshiko and then walking away with his father. Hoshiko takes Rukia’s hands and they begin dancing as if they had never stopped. “Ichigo’s always like that, don’t mind him.” Hoshiko grins, “He’ll find someone someday. Did you know this was his third broken engagement? That’s why I was surprised when such a noble house sent a letter.”

“To be honest, it’s because I’ve had just as many broken engagements.” Rukia replies, “I must confess, Hoshiko, I have often thought about you and longed to return to you.” The words make both of the girls blush and Hoshiko looks away.

“I was supposed to be the one laying down all of these cheesy lines.” Hoshiko pouts, then laughs. “I wonder if your brother will allow this. If he is looking for benefits, House Urahara has much to offer. I handle business with many people from different lands and my father is a very bright inventor. We have many allies and much to offer.”

“I don’t care if he doesn’t.” Rukia surprised herself. What surprised her even more was that she meant it. “I want to be with you, I… I love you, Hoshiko.”

“And I love you, Rukia.”

[volcanofireflame150]

A Soul meets another Seoul

Ch1; Ch19

Chapter 18

Renji's POV: We left Akari and Ichigo alone so they could sort this out, it bothers me that she was saying that last part towards Ichigo and no one else. Something tells me that she did not sleep well last night, then Shuhei asked, "What's going on between the 2?" "She didn't tell you," I told him, "Ichigo is now her new big brother." "Oh, that makes sense now," said Shuhei, "No wonder why she calls herself Akari Itsuki Kurosaki." "Hey, at least, she is no longer part of Squad 10 or any of the squads," said Rukia, "Because the captains will only tell her to only master Fire powers but she's becoming something else that no one will hold her back." "No one, but Ichigo might," said Uryu, "Akari will listen to him if she sees that there is no choice but to listen to him." I pointed at Uryu, saying, "He's got a point because remember that one Hollow that was so close of killing Akari and Rukia, you tried to tell her to run and let us handle it but she told you no, when Ichigo told her that she needs to heal up and wait for the right time, she listened to him and went to safety." "That's right," said Rukia, "He's always telling her things that she'll listen to him but no one else other than him." "Not entirely true," we heard Ichigo say, "It's just at the time she was struggling with Toshiro Hitsugaya, so I had to do something." "That's right," I said, "So, how is she?" "She told me that she recently had a nightmare where I turned against her," said Ichigo, "That's all she said, it got me to notice on how fidget she was being." "So, what did you say to her?" asked Shuhei. Ichigo said, "I told her that before that happens I am going to spend my free time spending time with her so if that does come true, she'll know what to do." "Sweet thinking," said Shuhei, "I'll wait until then so we can keep seeing each other." "Speaking of your relationship, Shuhei," said Ichigo. Uh oh, I sense the protective brother showing up when Shuhei asked, "What is it?" "How many times did she call you over to meet her somewhere?" asked Ichigo. Silence, shit, Ichigo is defending Akari this is a big step for her right now but this is for the best, Shuhei checked his Soul Page, I looked and looked the other noticing on the countless times she has called him. Ichigo said to him, "Thanks to you on not knowing when to pick up, her Soul Page got taken away from her in class last week." Yeah, guess how many missed calls Shuhei received? Almost 100, so Ichigo has the right mind to be like this right now, and no one is stepping in to say or do anything to stop him from scolding Shuhei. Then Ichigo let him off with a warning, "Look, I know that you were probably busy doing some duties but once in a while if she calls, pick up, she is your girlfriend after all!" Shuhei never looked so upset before, I guess he didn't realize that if Akari doesn't know on what's going with one of her closest loved ones, she automatically thinks of the worse and gets a nightmare right after I guess that is what happened with her. Then Ichigo finished off on what he was going to say, "Ignore her again, and I'll make sure that she doesn't have to deal with this ever again, you are a great guy but she is my little sister now and I'm doing everything I can to make her happy for as long as I can so upset her or make her go through that again and I will come for you, ya hear?" "Yes, Ichigo," said Shuhei. Ichigo then said, "Now, go to her and apologize, but better make it a good one because she's not like any one else in the Soul Society, I've come to realize that she's more human than someone who was born in the Soul Society." That got my attention, I asked, "Are you saying that she was born here after all?" "That's what I'm thinking," said Ichigo, "I can't be for sure, she's much more powerful than I am, I can't believe that I'm saying that." "Well, she's powerful in an elemental way," said Shuhei, "Didn't she say that she was chosen to be an Elemental wielder?" "That's right, she did say that," said Rukia, "Meanwhile the EXO guys have Majestic Octopus." "By the way, how are they doing?" asked Ichigo. Rukia said, "They are still in the Academy, same with the 3 guys." Shuhei went to Akari, I hope she's going to be alright, then I told Ichigo, "Also I couldn't believe what I heard from Shadow Phoenix." "What did you hear?" he asked. I told him, "She had a crush on Old man Zangetsu." He spat out his drink, coughing, then said, "She must be insane, falling for him!" "Be thankful that it's not your Hollow self," said Rukia. Ichigo said, "Don't speak too soon, Rukia, love is still love even in spirit form." I had to ask, "Has Levy fallen for someone?" "Of course I did," she said, scaring us all. Uryu said, "Geez! Don't do that!" "Don't tell me what to do," she said, giving him sass. Damn, he's being told by a Water Elemental, I asked, "Who was it?" "Oh, it never went away," she said, "He's with Captain Hitsugaya." "Oh wow," said Ichigo, "I wonder who has a crush on Shuhei's." "Funny that you should say that," said Levy, "because you just said her name." "Shadow Phoenix? Then who is in love with Old Man Zangetsu?" asked Ichigo. Levy said, "Believe it or not, Blizzard is in love with him, and speaking of your Hollow side." "Uh no, don't tell me," said Ichigo, "Serene Jewel." "Uh, Ichigo, you might want to not mention that name because Talon is right behind you," I said, sounding scared knowing Talon is the husband of Serene Jewel. He sees him, instantly backs off on what he said, "I didn't know I swear!" "The one who is in love with your Hollow side happens to be the Cosmic Elemental, Cosmos," said Levy. Ichigo asked, "Of all the other spirits, why him?" "Why not him?" asked Levy. Ichigo said, "Because that's saying that she's in love with me, since we are the same person!" "Oh, your right," said Levy, "Well, it was a long time ago before you knew us and Akari." "Apparently," said Ichigo, "Anyway, who's her crush now?" Levy shrugged, "Haven't seen her in a while since we are separated because we can't be too far from our physical weapons." I'm completely lost on what she just said, Rukia explained it to me, "She means if they go too far they'll eventually first lose all of their elemental powers and left alone without their powers then they actually die." "Oh, damn, that's a harsh way to go," I said.

Akari's POV: When that was all going on, Shuhei came in while I was reading the book that Talon gave me to get a better understanding on different rock formations, I asked, "What brings you in here?" "I came here to say that I'm sorry for not picking up the phone when you were calling me," said Shuhei. I looked at him, asked, "Did Ichigo tell you on what happened 2 weeks ago?" "Yeah, wait, 2 weeks ago," said Shuhei, "What do you mean by that?" "I forgave you the last time we spent time with each other," I told him, "This situation has got nothing to do with that." "Then what is it?" asked Shuhei. I told him, "I met this guy named Grimmjow, we met at least 3 times this month, I wanted to burn him but something held me back like wanted me to let him live." "Did you?" he asked. I nodded, "Something tells me that he was meeting me for a reason and I can't shake that feeling off." "Maybe this time try to greet in a more friendly approach," said Shuhei, "That may change things." "But here's the thing, Shuhei, he has a Hollow hole where his stomach should be," I said to him. That got his attention, I met someone who is very bad, though might not be it's just I need to avoid conflict at all times because I do not want to risk Ichigo fighting my battles. Shuhei sees the gears turning then said, "Just tell Ichigo to back off on the battles you are involved in." "That's exactly what I am going to do," I said, getting up from his bed and went to him. Once I reached downstairs, I heard this from Renji, "Also, Ichigo, when are you going to let Akari fight her own battles?" "I just don't want to take the risk of losing her and her other friends," I heard Ichigo say, "I mean I want her to fight for her own battles but that guy seems too powerful for her to handle." That's right, Grimmjow did drain my fire powers, Rukia sees me, looks at them, "Guys, she's up." "Finally Shuhei apologized," said Ichigo. Shuhei came down, "That happened 2 weeks ago, she forgave me the last time we hung out. But this is what she wanted to talk to you about fighting her own battles." "That's right," I said, "Look I should've known that you were going to take the fight into your own hands but for once in a while let me fight alongside you, I don't want to feel like I'm worthless in battle." "You want to fight alongside me?" he asked, "But why?" "I want to remain at my brothers side for as long as I could," I said, "I can shield us up with multiple elements!" "Well, that took a turn on what we had in mind," said Renji, "We thought you would want to fight battles on your own." "Then how would I help my big brother?" I asked. It's official, I'm a part of the Kurosaki family, I spoke out, "I, Akari Itsuki, am proud to be calling myself Akari Itsuki Kurosaki, Ichigo, thank you for being my light!" Apparently that's all it took for me to obtain Layla's Light Scepter, Levy clapped her hands, "Great job getting Layla's scepter." "I thought it was a long sword with a cross shaped hilt," I said, in confusion. Levy said, "Keyword WAS, it still is though, but she never lets her wielder use that, so you can do blindness to your foes in battle." "How by saying Blinding Light?" I asked. I didn't know it would actually do that, thankfully we all had our eyes closed, after a while, Ichigo told me, "Never do that again, please." "Sorry I didn't know it would do that," I said, "Hey this would be a great light source when the lights go out or a blackout." Then I noticed the feeling went away, Renji asked, "Are you alright, Akari?" "I don't have that feeling anymore," I said, "Apparently that's all I needed to say." "Wow, so, you were feeling sick all day because of that," said Ichigo, "Why didn't you say that before school started?" "It formed when class started," I said to him.

When night appeared I was waking outside of Ichigo's room so he can have his privacy then he said, "You can come in now, Akari." I went in, saying, "Once again, thank you for letting me stay in the same room as you." "Anything for my new sister," said Ichigo, "Just make sure that you need to get something off your chest so you don't run into that problem ever again." "Sounds like a good idea, Ichigo," I said, "So, what should we talk about now?" "What do you want to do for your future?" he asked. I thought about this, "Maybe make a career of playing video games like I have seen people do online nowadays." "Anything else but that?" he asked. I thought about it for a while, then I pulled out all the books I was received, noticing the hard work Levy and Talon were in the making of their own books. Then I said, "Maybe become a writer one day." "Alright, that's 2," said Ichigo, "What's your 3rd?" "Singer or an artist," I said, "Like all of my fox drawings are really good." "Yeah and they might make you popular," said Ichigo, "Do you really want to become a online gamer?" "I don't seem why not, you can get paid for doing stuff like that," I told him, "I even looked it up." "You are one curious girl," Ichigo said, "But thankfully I can watch on all the stuff before you released into the public eye." "Yep, I mean, I got to do something other than Hollow duties," I said, "Plus, I am officially no longer part of the 13 squads because I realized how much you mean to me, Ichigo. You are a better brother than Toshiro Hitsugaya." "Then who's the better father?" asked Ichigo, "It better not be my father." "Well, I did say that I'm your new sister," I said, "So, that's counting him." Ichigo understood on where I am coming from, though then again, Isshin is always trying to charge at Ichigo and never at me, though I guess it's only his and Ichigo's thing. Then Ichigo asked, "When are you planning on staying here in the world of the living?" "It sounds like you don't want me for too long," I said, sounded hurt by that. He sat up quick, "No I didn't mean like that! I meant like aren't you worried that they might pull you away from here." I shook my head, "After all, I'm going to convince Shuhei to live here because I'm not moving anywhere." "Shuhei seems to understand you a lot better than anyone else can," said Ichigo, "Then again, you can tell me almost everything." "Even the graphic details?" I asked. He blushed then said, "I said almost everything I didn't mean that stuff." "Oh, I get it now," I said, giggling at his shy state. When I went to sleep, my dream started all sweet, then a certain darkness formed, I looked to what it was, I saw the figure saying, "We are going to have fun with you!" Then I heard a familiar voice saying, "Stay away from her, you assholes!" I saw that Ichigo's Hollow self was here in this dream? Wait this is not a dream, I asked Hichigo, "What are you doing here?" "I'm not letting the king lose his new sister to insanity," he said, "By the way, don't ask on why I call him that, I just do." "I wasn't going to but thank you for helping me," I said. Then as soon it got silent, everything became bright again, Hichigo said, "Please no hugs." I did anyways, I like giving hugs, don't judge me, I can hear him groan in disgust, I asked, "What, don't like affection?" "I just..don't get the point of showing affection to anyone who I don't know," said Hichigo. After that, I opened my eyes, looking to over where Ichigo is just laying there sleeping, then I hear Rukia's slight snoring, then I got out my smart phone that Asteria gave me, then started to watch Markiplier playing Prop Hunt, I couldn't help but laugh at the stupid and funny things that Mark and his friends were doing. I reached out to Mark saying 'Hey Mark, I came across your channel in hopes of finding a way to make me forget all the problems that I am currently dealing with, I just want to say that I hope I can become friends and met you someday' I posted the comment and never did I feel this joy in like forever. I finally fell back asleep, I had a really good dream for the rest of the night, when I woke up, Ichigo was already dressed for school, he said, "Come on hurry up, I don't want to be late." "I'll meet up with you," I said, "Give me some privacy." He did that, I changed to the uniform, then I noticed a red and green flower on the top of my head, Ichigo then came in, "What's taking you so- huh? Where did that come from?" I took it off, read a note saying 'Thank you for showing me what a hug is. signed Hollow side of your brother' I smiled, I'm glad that I can somewhat change someone. Ichigo comes over, takes the flower out of my hand, sets me down and started to think on what my hair should be like. I noticed he got out, a hair brush, spray bottle, and hair pins and ponytail holders. After a while, he put the flower in the masterpiece he created, I looked in the mirror, at least he tried his best to make it the same hairstyle that I had it in. I took off and made sure it was perfect on how he imagined on what it looked like, then put the flower back in where he had it. I looked at him, "Just perfecting it the way you were imaging, Ichigo, now let's go." "Don't you want breakfast?" asked Ichigo, "I mean you can still flash step there." "Oh yeah, well, I can eat toast while I'm on my way there," I said, "Besides I want to know on what it feels like without doing that. I only use that if that I need to go somewhere far away or emergencies only." "I see," said Ichigo, "Well, meet you at the school then."

[yamithediaperdork]

Playdate part one: Ichigo’s morning

Ichigo's Morning Ichigo yawned and sat up in his bed, rubbing a eye and trying to wake up. He'd been having a silly dream again where he'd been a super cool hero and stayed one forever..Instead of the truth that was his current life. If the 27 year old had needed any reminder that his days of slaying hollows and being the savoir of the world were behind him the stench in the air from the massive diaper taped to his hips would of made it clear and he whined a little and reached for his stuffie and put it to his face. It had once been the default body for Kon, but after Ichigo had repeatably planted his diapered butt on him and totally loaded his huggies (back when he had a degree of self control, which seemed like years ago now, instead of only a few months) Kon had checked out and now served a real reaper. Still he got to keep the lion stuffie and sometimes Ichigo liked to pretend that Kon was still in there, or at least like right now, use him as a stink shield. Pulling the stuffie back from his face Ichigo looked around his nursery, with it's baby blues and cartoon prints all over the place, and wondered if deep down if his darling wife turned mommy wasn't always preparing him for this, because at times it sure as hell felt like she preferred her husband to be a helpless big baby. Still, he had to admit that being stuck powerless and helpless would of been a whole lot worse without her (the thought of having to ask his dad or sisters to change him made him shudder) and the big baby sighed and called out so that the baby monitor would let mommy know he was awake. "Mommmy! Baby Ichigo made boom boom!" He called, blushing red. It was the only way for him to let her know he was stinky that she seemed to understand, otherwise  he'd be forced to wait till she 'just' happened to noticed he was stewing in his own soft serve. Orihime had been awake for half a hour, having gone and pumped out some breast milk for her little guy in case he wanted to crawl around and play instead of sitting in her lap and smiled as he called out for her. There was times she felt bad about taking Rangiku up on her offer to help make her husband a helpless baby but truthfully she had been getting sick of him always charging off to face the next big monster or bad guy. The same kido spell that left her widdle Ichigo a helpless big baby also gave her more then enough muscle power to lift him with zero effort and made her able to produce breast milk as needed (and with what a little piggy her widdle man could be, that was a good thing!) Sadly the Kido spell couldn't do anything to block off the smell as she walked into the nursery she'd set up for her clueless husband and she made a little face and waved a hand. "Wooie! Smells like somebody made mommy a extra big and smelly present in his sleep!" she teased and waved a hand. Sitting in his crib in his thick diaper which bugled under the black onsie Ichigo had worn to bed, he looked less like the kick ass spirit reaper that everyone had known him as and more like a big stinky toddler, who was pouting at his mommy. "Couldn't help it." he whined and hugged his stuffed to chest with one hand while his free arm was used to pop a thumb in his mouth. "Awww! Mommy knows that, she was just having fun. Come on sweetie, let's get you outta that poopie diapie and into a clean one, then you can have some num nums while mommy tells you about what we're gonna do today!" She gushed. Ichigo nodded and using the crib railing pulled himself to his feet, toddling uneasily in the crib then held out his arms for Orihime to pick him up. She had of course gone with a crib that the side didn't come down on, so he couldn't try and sneak out of the crib while she was sleeping, and loved how cute he looked when reaching out to her to pick him up. grabbing him under his arms and lifting him out with ease, Ichigo naturally got his legs around her waist as she set him on her hip, a hand under his bulging diaper butt and squishing the mess around as she carried him over to the changing table. The onise was the first thing to come off and it showed the formerly white diaper had been stained a dark dark brown and she giggled a little. "I bet Mr.stinky-pants is looking forward to a nice clean diapie, even if it won't last long huh?" she teased, and tickled his tummy. Despite himself Ichigo giggled back and squirmed, kicking his legs a little. "Mommy! hehehehe yeah yeah!" he coo'ed. Untaping the diaper she was trying to be nice and not tease him anymore but laughed out loud as Ichigo whined and held his nose, making his voice sound super cute and funny when the big baby whined out one word. "Stinky!" "Heh, well you can't help it sweetie, and it's OK! Mommy loves you even if you are a big stinky baby." she coo'ed and planted a kiss on his forehead, then got down to the dirty deed. With Ichigo in a fresh diaper and a pair of socks, he rode the mommy express out to the kitchen, nuzzling his head into her shoulder. she didn't bother to fully dress him for the day till after he ate anymore, after he kept getting oatmeal or whatever breakfast was all over himself. Strapped into his high chair as he had trouble staying in a normal chair now, he sucked on the bottle of mommy milk she'd let on the tray for him while waiting to see what he was having, kicking his legs back and forth. "Sooo since we're having a special day today, and I want you to be a good little boy, I decided to spoil you and made your favorite..chocolate chip pancakes!" Orihime said with a BIG smile on her face. the pancakes had the chips melted in a way that they looked like smiley faces and Ichigo grinned around the nipple of his ba-ba and then started to cheer, forgetting to finish what was in his mouth and some milk dribbled down his chin. "hehe, and that's why you're in just your diapie." Mommy teased, using a cloth to wipe his chin. They'd given up on bib's with him as he just didn't like how they felt around his neck and had a tendency to stuff them down his diapers no matter HOW many times she'd spank his butt red over it. Giving him a baby fork and knife, and pouring some syrup on the pancakes, Orihime sat down to watch him eat with a cup of coffee and a few pieces of toast for herself. It wasn't till he was half done with his second pancake (and with his cheeks full of it) he tried to ask her what was so special about today, but she just wiped his chin and scolded him to finish chewing and swallowing before trying to talk. "So..what's so special about today mommy?" he asked, syrup coating his cheeks, chin, hands and chest. "well I noticed you've been a little bored just playing by yourself in the nursery or even in the living room. and those meanies down at the park teased you till you cried." Orihime started, and Ichigo winced. The memory of the brats at the park was far from pleasant, and there were days when he still swore he could feel the sand they had poured down the back of his diapers or taste their farts from them sitting on his face. Honestly, those brats had gotten off lucky all mommy did was tan their behinds and send them to their parents! "Sooo I went and contracted anther Mommy who has a baby like you and set up a little play date. I'm sure you two will be the best of friends in no time and no one will have to feel bad because your BOTH big babies." She finished and tapped a finger on Ichigo's nose. Ichigo for his part jaw dropped, There was OTHER big babies like him!? this was a thing where it was forced? Maybe him and whoever his new super bestest pal was gonna be would be able to figure out a way to be big kids again! or at least play soldiers or action heroes or- a sudden thought hit him and Ichigo made a face "what's wrong?" "Uh..Mommy? Is the other baby..a BOY? Not a icky girl?" Ichigo asked. Orihime got a amused look on her face. "and what's wrong with girls?" she asked. "I'm a girl you know." "welll like..you're my wife..and mommy..so it's different..but dun wanna play wiff dolls or stupid stuff like that." Ichigo whined. "It's a boy. but I'll wait till they get here for you to see who. for now, I think somebody needs a bath." Helping the big baby out of his high chair, she noted he had soaked his diaper and so carried him on the 'mommy express' as he called riding her hip, to the bathroom for a tubby.

[darisu-chan]

Survive

More IR goodness for y’all. Hope you like it!

You can also read it here. 

Prompt: a future or futuristic au

Summary: As the world goes to hell, Ichigo and Rukia must battle robots just to stay alive.

Rukia groaned as she shoot another robot in the face. Although it had been a scary ordeal at the beginning, after the first week it soon turned boring. Once you learned the gist of it, killing robots intent on overcoming humans wasn’t as difficult as movies made it look like. Just a few shots on their metallic head, and they would drop to the floor like flies. By this point, it was just bothersome. Or maybe that was just her case, for her paranoid brother had made her train to survive an apocalypse since she was five. For Rukia, robots infesting the Earth was just a little less annoying than a zombie invasion. Demons conquering the world would have made for a much more interesting turn of events.

“That was the last one.” The voice of her companion brought her out of her reverie.

It was Ichigo, her partner and boyfriend? She wasn’t sure of the last part. Their relationship was complicated as it was without adding the fact they were living in an apocalyptic environment. When the robot invasion started, they had been hanging out at his place. It didn’t take long for them to figure things out, and grab the many guns they had stored for precisely this scenario. Ichigo’s family was as eccentric as her own (although Byakuya would have died ten times over by the hands of a vampire before admitting this). They had followed everything they had learned. Taking Ichigo’s armored car, they had left the chaos of the city. Given the fact the robots and whoever was controlling them had hijacked all transmission towers, they couldn’t contact their families and friends. Rukia knew there was only one place their crazy families would have gone to, and that was the series of bunkers called Seireitei, which had been built for such a scenario. There were more crazies out there who founded an organization called Gotei for precisely such an event.

“Let’s get out of here before more come back.” Rukia said, putting her guns away. Ichigo did the same thing and together they walked out of the building they had been in.

They had a very clear mission. Killing as many robots as possible until reaching Seireitei. Although it wasn’t like they had any other options. Wherever they went, there were pesky robots hell-bent on killing them. Reasoning with them was out of the question. They were programmed to shoot anything that moved. Battling them was the only thing left to do. It would have been better to defeat the person responsible for this mess, but, sadly, they had no idea who could it be. Fighting that person between just the two of them was out of the question. They needed to regroup and fast. Thankfully, they were sure the other members of Gotei would make it. Some, like Rukia’s brother, lived very close to the place. Others, even if they lived far, possessed the same weaponry as they did. Everyone had been trained in battle. Together, they would be invincible.

“What are you thinking about?” Ichigo asked as he drove.

It was quiet. The moment they had left the city and headed to the countryside, the less robots they encountered. It was unnerving.

“I’m wondering if they already made it to Seireitei.” Rukia answered. “And I’m also thinking about how long it’ll take us to get there. We have resources, but we rarely get any sleep.”

“We were trained for this.” He retorted. “I’m sure everyone made it. And we will make it.”

“How long until we arrive?”

“Twenty four hours.”

Damn it all! Why did the bunkers had to be so far away? Between fighting robots and looking for people and resources, they had lost seven days already. Rukia felt good that they had been actually decimated large quantities of the robot army, however she couldn’t help but feel angry every time they arrived somewhere and found out all the people around had been killed. With each corpse they encountered, she wanted to scream.

“Hey.” Ichigo’s soothing voice called out to her and made those terrible images vanish.

“Yeah?” She said, turning to him.

“We’ll get whoever did this. Don’t worry.”

She smiled and took his hand. It was warm.

“I can drive if you want. That way you can sleep.” When Rukia saw that he was about to shake his head, she added, “I’ll promise I’ll wake you up if I feel too tired to drive.”

“Okay.”

It was around seven in the morning when Ichigo woke up. Rukia had driven all night. She couldn’t help it. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the dead bodies of the people she hadn’t been able to save. She knew that weighed Ichigo too. She had seen him moving restlessly in his sleep. The situation was taking a toll on them and, even with all the training, Rukia didn’t know how long they’d last like this. She contemplated all of this as she looked out of the window. After realizing she had stayed awake the whole night, Ichigo had naturally scolded her and told her to sleep while he drove. He had had around six hours of sleep and was ready to go. Knowing he’d get pissed if she didn’t do as she was told, Rukia fell asleep. Somehow she had managed to sleep around five hours when Ichigo woke her up to eat something. He had parked in the countryside, very close to the bunkers. By nighttime they’d be there.

“Here you go.” Ichigo said, giving her one of the cans they had.

“Thanks.” She said, as she started eating her noodles.

“We still have enough gas to last us for another two days.” He said, slapping the hood of his car. Given the fact it all happened so fast, and Ichigo’s care wasn’t exactly big, they had taken only the indispensable.

“It’s good we’ll get there today, right?”

“Most likely. And there we’ll get more supplies.”

“I wonder if nii-sama’s making preparations.” She said, eyes turning sad at the thought of her older brother. Last time they saw each other, they hadn’t been in the best of terms. He hadn’t wanted her to move to the city just in case of an emergency. He had been right.

“Knowing Byakuya he must’ve rallied the Gotei by this point.” Ichigo said.

Rukia hummed noncommittally as she ate the rest of her soup. She stopped when she felt a presence too close to her. Looking up, she found Ichigo, who had already cornered her in the car. His hands trapped her from both sides and his face was close to hers.

“Stop worrying so much.” He said, his breath mingling with hers.

“I can’t help it. I want them all to be save.”

“Me too. But there’s not much we can do yet.”

Rukia nodded and mustered a small smile. “At least we have each other.”

“I think that’s more than enough.”

Soon his lips were over hers. Rukia sighed in happiness and grabbed his face, pulling him closer. He responded by sucking her lips, making her moan. This was new. They had been friends for a while now, and Ichigo had been the reason she had moved to the city. She had always felt that they went beyond normal friends, for their bond was incredibly strong. However, she couldn’t say they were romantically involved. Not until some days ago, at least. Just before the world went to hell, they had kissed and made love for the first time. It happened so fast. In a month, they were already attached to the hip. They thought this was the beginning of something new they hadn’t bothered to name yet. Then, in the blink of an eye, they had been fighting for their survival. Life wasn’t fair. But at least Ichigo was there. Had she been alone, Rukia would have become insane. It was the same for him.

“Easy, tiger.” Rukia joked, pulling away from him. “We need to get to Seireitei today.”

Ichigo grumbled, annoyed that their bonding time had been interrupted. “The moment we get there, we’re not leaving our rooms for a week.”

She laughed, knowing he wasn’t being serious and suggested they continued driving. Somehow, even with danger looming ahead, Rukia couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach.

Ichigo and Rukia stared at the place in shock. They had managed to arrive to Seireitei at ten, but even before getting there, they could see something was wrong. There was fire, people running around, and robots everywhere. They had gotten there first.

“No.” Rukia whispered in denial. How had this happened? Nobody knew about Seireitei except for the Gotei.

Ichigo didn’t say anything. Spurred into action, he jumped out of the car and grabbed his guns and ammo. “Aren’t you coming?” He told her.

She nodded and imitated him, following him to where they could see the chaos coming from. It was the main building, where the higher-ups would normally hold conventions and planned ahead. Thankfully, other bunkers hadn’t caught on fire yet, but robots were swarming from them. Not even needing to speak, they both nodded and entered, shooting robots here and there. They saw a lot of their companions already there, guns in arms. Rukia started shooting on one side, and Ichigo in the other. As she moved, she found a person slumped on the ground. Her eyes widened when she recognized her. It was Hinamori Momo, another member of the organization.

“Hinamori-san!” She said, kneeling down and protecting her. “What happened?”

“Rukia-san?” The girl said in a weak voice. She was injured in the stomach. “You made it.” She said smiling.

“How did this happen?” Rukia tried again, gently shaking her.

Hinamori cried. “It was Aizen-san! He betrayed us! At first I couldn’t believe it, and I denied all accusations. But today I found out it’s true.” She said as tears rolled down her cheeks. “He attacked us. He’s behind everything!”

Rukia cursed. “We need to get you out of here.” She said, assessing the situation. If she could get her to the car…

“No.” Hinamori cut her. “It’s too late for me. But not late for them. Please, help them!” She pleaded, clutching Rukia’s hands in hers.

“We’ll save them.” Another voice interjected. Turning around, they found Ichigo kneeling down next to them.

“Thank you, Kurosaki-kun.” Hinamori said, eyes starting to close. “With you two here, I know everything will be alright.” She didn’t say anything else, for her eyes closed forever.

Rukia stood up, tears already falling down her cheeks. She felt furious. Aizen Sosuke, member of their organization and one of the higher-ups had betrayed them. He had betrayed the whole world. He had caused this mess and countless of people were dead because of him, including Hinamori, his assistant. The girl had trusted her superior more than anyone, and he had killed her. Next to her, Ichigo cursed loudly. He was as pissed as she felt.

“Come on. I secured us a door.” He suddenly said, starting to walk away.

Without a second thought, Rukia followed him. They shot more robots and kicked them out of the way until they found the door they were looking for. It led to one of the conference rooms. As they entered, both almost threw up. Around forty people were there, unmoving. They had bullet wounds and their blood pooled on the floor.

“What’s going on?!” Ichigo yelled, enraged.

Rukia pursed her lips. “I hear sounds on the other side. No doubt there’s were the other robots are.”

They nodded and moved to that door. It was even more chaotic there. Robots swarmed everywhere, while other members of the Gotei tried to shoot them. There were bodies on the floor. It was difficult to see which ones were robots and which humans.

“Rukia! Ichigo!” A voiced called to them. “Thank God you’re here!”

“Renji!” She exclaimed. It was Abarai Renji, her childhood friend.

“Are you unharmed?” A new voice added.

“Nii-sama!” It was her brother. Other than tired, Byakuya looked fine.

“We’re both alright! What about you?” Ichigo answered, not even once stopping shooting.

“We’re fine but the robots are getting the best of us!” Renji answered.

“We need to kill these ones and move to the ones below!” Byakuya added.

“But with you here, I’ve no doubt we’ll do it in no time!” Another person said.

“Dad?!” Ichigo exclaimed, looking at his father dressed in protective gear and wielding two guns. “Where are Ka─”

“Your sisters are safe! Right now we need to focus on this fight! Can you do it, son?!”

Ichigo grinned. “Che. I’ve been dying to see if you were actually right about your crazy theories, old man.”

Rukia chuckled and covered Ichigo as he jumped and shot a few robots on the ceiling.

“Third daughter! Glad you’re safe!” Kurosaki Isshin told her, moving to be closer to her.

“Thanks! You too!” She told her father-in-law, using the opportunity to kick a robot from behind. Isshin immediately shot it.

“With you two here, we’ll definitely win!”

The battle went on. More people joined them from outside. Apparently most of them had been dealt with. The real problem was inside the main building. More robots kept springing up, and nobody knew from where. Urahara Kisuke, one of the most knowledgeable members, inferred Aizen had hidden them in the lab. He asked Ichigo and Rukia to join him and his friend, Yoruichi, to look for the lab and end thins once and for all. Together, they walked to the lab, only to find it even more infested with robots. Cursing, the four didn’t waste time and started shooting all of them.

“Kisuke, we need to split!” Yoruichi exclaimed, realizing they couldn’t get right to the machine which produced robots if they were all busy killing more of them.

“No!” Ichigo yelled. “We need to stick together!”

“I’m afraid Yoruichi-san is right!” Urahara called after shooting a robot. “We will stay here, while you two go and destroy the machine! I’ll leave things to you, Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san!”

“Let’s go, Ichigo!”

“Yeah!”

The two left their older friends and navigated to the farthest end of the lab. They kept shooting and creating entries between robots so they could move easily. However, it felt as if they hadn’t killed a single one even if many already lay on the floor. Rukia felt fear. This could be it. Their short lives ending because of a mad man.

“We might not make it!” Ichigo called to her.

Even if she was feeling that way as well, she felt the need to ignore him. “We won’t! We can do it!”

“Rukia! Listen to me!” He suddenly said, his back crashing against hers. “This might be the last time I’ll be able to say it!” That puzzled her. What else could there be left to say after they had known each other for so many years? “I love you!” Ichigo said, turning around and looking right into her eyes.

Rukia felt all air leaving her. She gasped.

Ah,

There definitely was something left to say between them after all.

“I love you too!” She proclaimed, smiling at him.

“Great!” He said, then shot a robot behind her. “So, now that we’ve established that, you won’t mind me asking you this, right?”

Rukia changed places with him and shot other two robots. “What is it?”

“Will you marry me?”

Questioningly, she turned to look at him. Ichigo stood tall and proud. Rukia searched into her eyes and she found many things. Fear. Worry. Anger. And above all else, love, directed to her.

“Yes!” She exclaimed.

Rukia ran and leapt into his arms, her lips crashing into his. After all this time as friends, and the short period they spent as a couple, had taught her many things about the man in her arms. He was kind, noble, brave, and her best friend. She wanted to spend all of her life with Ichigo, be it seventy years or only five seconds.

“This is not time to be kissing!” Yoruichi complained behind them.

“Sorry, but it was now or never!” Rukia yelled back.

“Ready?” He asked her, gesturing to the machine.

“Ready.”

Together, they ran to the machine, intent on destroying it and ending this mess once and for all. Rukia didn’t feel fear any longer. She knew that as long as she was with Ichigo, everything would be okay. They would both survive. She was sure of it.

[darisu-chan]

The Six of Hearts

Prompt: “Kurosaki … Kuchiki … I leave it to you…”

Summary: It’s time for the final battle against Yhwach. With the help of his friends, will Ichigo be able to defeat him?

You can also read it here.

It is over. Ichigo thought as he watched Yhwach open a portal. His powers were gone. All he felt was a void in his mind. It was over. He had lost. Ichigo second guessed all the decisions he had taken which led him to this moment. He felt nothing but despair.

“Farewell, Ichigo.” Yhwach said, turning to look at his body lying on the ground. “From this moment on, I have no need for your or for my children, the Sternritters. Just sit back and watch from here as I bring ruin to it all… The Soul Society and the real world.”

Frantic footsteps could be heard approaching them. Ichigo vaguely noticed the reiatsu that accompanied them. It was Rukia and Renji, who were coming to help him, no doubt. However, it was done. He had lost. There was nothing they could do. Both lieutenants watched horrified as Yhwach turned to look at them, noticing the bodies of both their friends, almost unconscious and deeply injured.

“It’s rather insulting having these insignificant pests coming after me in droves. With your bodies on the brink of exhaustion, I’d be amazed if you could take even one more step from there.” Yhwach said. “But if you truly wish to come for my head, then, by all means, please do. I shall leave this gate open for all of you. And if you do choose to pass through, then, in light of you exceptional spirit and fortitude, I shall bestow upon you a most extravagant and luxurious death.” He threatened them. “For I shall find the future, that one moment in time where each of you feels the greatest amount of joy and happiness, and it is there, I shall slaughter you.” Ichigo barely digested his words, already deep in despair. “So, from this point forward, every time you indulge in your own happiness, you shall think of my words. And, in that moment, when you do, you will remember my looming shadow, the terror of death I now promise you, for all eternity.” Saying these words, he started walking into the portal.

“Wait!” Renji suddenly yelled. “Hold it right there, you bastard!” He pointed Zabimaru towards Yhwach.

Ichigo gave a shaky breath. Stop… don’t even bother, Renji. He thought hopelessly. It was over, after all.

Yhwach stopped and then threw a piece of a broken blade. Renji was horrified to recognize it as Ichigo’s Zangetsu. He could only watch as the greatest foe he had ever seen left through the gate, not even sparing them, one last glance.

“Ichigo! Inoue!” Rukia shouted, and then rushed to aid them both. The two of them were deeply wounded, and Rukia had to admire that they were still alive after receiving such injuries. “What on Earth is that ability?” She muttered as she assessed the damage. She had never seen something like that. Not even from Aizen. She started healing Orihime, who had the worst injuries. “He can actually rewrite the future? If he can do that, then there’s no limit to what he can accomplish…” Rukia rambled on, trying to make sense of the situation. There must be a way, though. She thought. It can’t be over yet.

“So…sorry, Kurosaki-kun.” Orihime rasped from where she was lying. “I couldn’t heal Tensa Zangetsu…” She cried. “Which means I won’t be able to use my ‘rejection’ to undo any of the destruction that’s occurring or that will come in this future that we’re entering… Please forgive me… Now you won’t be able to fight any more.” She whispered. It was clear Orihime was despairing as well. It was a pitiful sight. Rukia frowned, deeply conflicted.

Renji, however, had another thing in mind. He grabbed Ichigo’s arm and pulled him up. “Get your ass up.” He commanded seriously.

Rukia gasped, shocked. “Renji! Wait! Now’s not the time!” She yelled at him. Idiot! You’re hurting Ichigo!

“We don’t have that luxury! We’re gonna go after him.” Renji barked back.

Rukia knew he was right. They couldn’t just stand there and watch the world burn to a crisp. Still, there must be another way. Rukia was sure of that. “You fool! Charging in head first is no plan! We need to regroup and form a strategy before we confront him!”

“We could sit here ‘til we’re blue on the face… ain’t no strategy that’ll work against a freak like that…” Renji muttered.

Rukia sighed. “There’s… there’s got to be something…”

“Yeah… you’re totally right… it’s too late… it’s hopeless now…” Ichigo said, eyes downcast and dead.

“Ichigo.” Rukia said. There had been few times when she had seen him defeated, but even then, it was his will to live which keep him going. Now, though, he looked already dead. She hated to see him like that. She stood up and walked towards him. “I know it seems like there’s no way to win, but I know that if we stay together, between all of us we can come up with a solution.” She said with conviction. It was time to be brave.

The young man chuckled mirthlessly. “Like what? I can’t even fight anymore, Rukia. I have no sword.”

“We can help you with that.” A voice said from behind them.

Ichigo turned and was surprised at what he saw. “Tsukishima!” The fullbringer, as well as Ginjou and Yukio were there. “Chad!” Ichigo exclaimed, for his friend was with them. He looked as if he had seen better days, but he was still standing.

“What are you doing here?” Ichigo asked them.

Tsukishima shrugged. “Ginjou said we’re taking your side now, so I didn’t really have much to say on the matter.”

“You’re taking our side?” Ichigo enquired, not quite believing his words.

“You really are a prick.” Ginjou barked. “I never said we’d take their side. My exact words were we’d come to repay our debt to him.” He said with a smirk. “Now, Ichigo, let Tsukishima here pierce you with his sword.”

Ichigo recoiled at that. “Why should I trust you?”

“Because they’re here to help you, Ichigo.” Chad said and smiled.

Ichigo nodded, having calmed down. He trusted Chad blindly. “Okay, do it!”

Tsukishima did as he was told, and pierced Ichigo with his sword. “Orihime.” The man turned to the girl. “Use your souten kishun on his sword again. He may have rewritten the future with such an immense power that you’re not capable of ‘rejecting’ it with yours. But, if there is a past where that didn’t happen, then you should be able to ‘reject’ it there.” He explained. “And that’s exactly what I’ve inserted.” He, then, pointed to his sword. Then, as Orihime used her ability, Zangetsu returned to normal. “Your sword has not been broken.”

Ichigo gasped, amazed at seeing his zanpakutou in one piece again.

“Well, then, I guess we can call our debt repaid. We’re square now, right?”

Ichigo grabbed his sword with shaky hands, and then stood up again. “Hell yeah!” He said, resolve filling him. He wasn’t going to hesitate anymore.

“Well, let’s go!” Renji said, turning to leave.

“Wait! Weren’t you listening earlier?! We need a plan!” Rukia stopped him.

Renji glared at her, but before he could say anything, Ichigo interrupted. “Rukia’s right.”

“What?”

“When I came here to fight Yhwach, I came almost without a plan. Because of that, Inoue and I got hurt, and my sword was broken.” Ichigo exclaimed.

“Kurosaki-kun…” Orihime muttered, feeling bad thinking she had failed him.

“I won’t make the same mistake twice. We need to have a plan, so we don’t such a big disadvantage.”

Renji sighed. “Fine, but don’t take long!”

Meanwhile, Rukia sat down to think. There must have been something. Ichigo and Inoue together had been defeated, but Ichigo wasn’t so lost in that plan. While Ichigo fought, Inoue used her abilities to shield him and heal him. That had been a smart move. However, one person against Yhwach, no matter how strong, was at a serious disadvantage against such an opponent. However, not even Yhwach could probably fight many adversaries at the same time without difficulty. “Got it.” She said, attracting everyone’s attention.

“What do you mean?” Renji asked her.

“I have a plan. It might not work, but it’s better than nothing.” She said.

“Go on.” Ichigo encouraged her.

“One against one won’t ever work with Yhwach. He’s clearly more powerful than anyone in here.” Rukia started explaining. “However, even such a powerful being might have trouble keeping more than one opponent at bay.”

“What do you mean?” Ichigo asked.

“That if, say, five attack him at the same time, he won’t defeat us so easily.” She smirked. Ichigo smirked back.

“And who’s those five?” Renji asked.

“Ichigo, you, me, and Inoue and Sado if they’re up to it.”

Chad nodded. “Count me in.”

Orihime smiled. “Me too!”

“And then?”

“Each of us will have to attack with all we have. Except Inoue, I want her shielding us as much as possible. Ichigo, you, Renji and I should all use our Bankai. With Shikai, we won’t ever get anywhere.” Rukia said. “If all goes well, with our powers combined, we might be able to defeat him.”

Ichigo smiled. “That’s a plan! Let’s go!”

Together, they walked towards the gate. Ichigo stopped for a moment and observed his friends. They were all worn, and should be resting, however there was a special glint in their eyes. They were filled with hope. Something Ichigo was lacking. They went through the open portal, and started running. Dread invaded Ichigo’s body once again. Would they be able to make it? What if they lost and all of them died?

“Are you sure you should be tagging along?” He asked them.

His four friends eyed each other, before they all nodded towards Rukia, who walked to him and slapped the back of his head. “Stop acting so pitiful, tawake!” The small Shinigami scolded him. “Yes, we’re sure! We’re not going to leave you alone, Ichigo! Everyone here stands by you! Believe in our strength as we believe in yours!”

Ichigo looked at her completely mesmerized. He had been so deep in despair that he had forgotten an obvious fact ─he wasn’t alone, and had never been alone in this fight. His friends would always fight by his side, as he would be by theirs. He smiled softly at Rukia. As always, it had been her who pulled him out of his misery. He nodded. “Alright. Let’s go!” Rukia smiled back at him.

They ran until they noticed Aizen had freed himself from his chair, and was now fighting against Yhwach. It wasn’t much of a battle, with both talking more than fighting. Ichigo soon realized Aizen was giving him time to prepare. He turned to look at Rukia, a plan already forming on his mind. She nodded, understanding. They both turned to stare at the others, sending them a signal. This was it. Time for the final battle.

“You’d stand in my way? For the sake of Soul Society?” Yhwach told Aizen. “I don’t think that would be in your best interest.”

“This has nothing to do with interests.” Aizen explained, smirking. “My only agenda is to eviscerate any who might try to rule over and control me.”

Just then, Yhwach noticed that Ichigo and Renji had jumped, swinging down at him. Yhwach ducked and put distance between himself and his enemies. “Ichigo, Renji, you arrived rather quickly.” He said, gauging their reactions. “I’ve already seen it all. That the two of you would come here. That would you restore your blade again only to have it shatter once again in your arms.” He almost laughed, as he watched Ichigo’s shocked expression.

Behind them, Orihime used her powers and restored the sword once again. She could not explain why, but this time, it had worked without Tsukishima’s interference. It seemed that the fullbringer might have added more than one past where that didn’t happen. Yhwach growled.

“You’ve got some rather annoying good fortune, Ichigo. But, it doesn’t matter, I will win no matter what. I’ve seen it all.” He tried to take a step forward, but his legs were momentarily frozen by pure, white ice. Turning, he looked at Rukia in the eyes.

“Did you see that happening too?” She questioned, huffing.

Yhwach chuckled. “Ah. So this is that present in which Rukia and Orihime decided to join you, eh Ichigo? Even your friend Yasutora has decided to join in the fun.” They stared at him in disbelief. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Either way, you will get the same result.” Saying that, he attacked them.

They all leaped, and formed the position they had agreed on beforehand. Orihime settled at the back, protecting everyone with her shield. Ichigo stood in the middle, carrying Zangetsu in his hands. Rukia stood at his right, already using her Shikai. Meanwhile, Chad stood at his left, preparing to attack. Renji, Zabimaru in Shikai form, stood next to Rukia. They started attacking him, starting with Ichigo. He jumped and swung his sword at him. As he did that, Renji soon followed suit, attacking with Zabimaru. Next, Chad would jump and try to punch him. Finally, Rukia used Sode no Shirayuki to freeze the ground, as she tried to hit their opponent too. Yhwach chuckled as he dodged each and every attack. However, they did not manage to injure him. It was getting frustrating. They kept swinging at the villain, getting hit time and time again. However, Yhwach hadn’t managed to injure them completely either, for Orihime used her shield to protect all of her friends. Because of this, she was the first to fall, receiving a well-directed hit from Yhwach, to stop her from shielding them. Ichigo stepped forward and tried to hit his enemy to no avail.

“You all are hanging by a thread.” Yhwach commented as Ichigo breathed heavily. “You should have waited to get healed. Why didn’t you, Ichigo? Was it because you thought you shouldn’t waste time to come after me? I thought I made it pretty clear. That, even if you chased me down, you wouldn’t be able to change a single, damn thing.” He spoke gravely. Then, Renji attacked him with his zanpakutou, but Yhwach dodged once again. “That applies to you as well, Abarai Renji!”

Renji was already fed up. He remembered Rukia’s plan of using their final release form, and proceeded to do it. “Bankai!” He yelled. “Souou, Zabimaru!” He attacked again, but it was useless. His Bankai collapsed. “Shit!”

“When will it get through that thick skulls of yours that even a meager Bankai will be made impotent? All Bankai have been destroyed in the future.” Yhwach explained. “And yet you would still oppose me? So, in order to drive this point home, I’ll crush you with my very hands!” He yelled.

Rukia, who had almost rushed to aid Renji, paused. Was it that futile? No, maybe there was a way. She stopped to think. Could it be? An idea had hit her, but she wasn’t so sure it would work. Meanwhile, Chad, who had been watching passively, attacked this time, leaping suddenly to confront Yhwach. “Brazo derecho de gigante!” He yelled, and then got hit, collapsing on the floor. Before he could get hit even more, Aizen jumped out of nowhere.

“Aizen?! You? Acting as a shield for these people? Ha! Now, I’ve seen it all. Unifying before a common enemy… Actions benefitting the very losers you detest so!” Yhwach taunted him, but Aizen didn’t speak.

“Hadou 99, Five Swirling Dragons of Destruction!” He recited the incantation, and a dragon sprung from behind him. He sped towards Yhwach.

“By the way, it appears you have yet to notice, Aizen Sosuke, that your Kyouka Suigetsu has already broken!” He exclaimed.

Aizen’s eyes widened as he took the hit from Yhwach. Blood dripped down the gash on his chest, as he went flying and hit the ground with a vicious thud.

“Futile. I’ve already seen that as well.” Yhwach merely muttered. “Ichigo.” He turned to look at his enemy, who had jumped to fight him. “A golden opportunity is slipping right through your fingers…” He said as he grabbed Ichigo’s sword. “You assessed the layout of your situation, and decided it would be ideal to unite yourself with Aizen Sosuke. However, as you have clearly seen, Kyouka Suigetsu’s power is no match for mine either.” He said cockily. “The one to feel the wrath of my power in the first attack was Inoue Orihime. Then, Abarai Renji, and finally Sado Yasutora. Now, the one whose arm I shall pluck off will be yours, Ichigo.” He said. “Remember nothing escapes my gaze.” After his words, Zangetsu broke again, its pieces falling to the ground. “Rest in pieces, Ichigo.” Yhwach said, as he made a hole through Ichigo’s chest. Blood splashed everywhere as Yhwach laughed. “It’s been fun, Ichigo. Your resistance was mildly amusing at best. So, the least I can do for you is erase your existence along with Soul Society.”

“I see.” A voice said, which wasn’t Ichigo’s. Yhwach turned to look intently at the person he had grabbed and realized it was Aizen. “So you think you’re gazing at Kurosaki Ichigo. Fascinating.” He said. He then looked behind him. “This is time to try your abilities out, Kuchiki Rukia.”

“Bankai!” Said Shinigami exclaimed. “Hakka No Togame!” Rukia activated her Banaki, her appearance changing, turning pure white as the ground froze around her. She used shunpou to reach Yhwach, attempting to freeze him.

The man laughed. “So yours can still work? Ah. I see now! Well, Kuchiki Rukia, let’s see what that Bankai of yours can do! Catch me if you can!”

Rukia cursed as she chased after him. Her time was running out and she knew she had but one chance. Propelling herself, she managed to reach Yhwach in time to partially freeze half of his body, rendering him motionless. “Now! Ichigo!” She shouted.

Ichigo leapt and swung his sword down. “Getsuga Tenshou!” He managed to hit Yhwach, and watched as he dissolved into a black mass with eyes covering. Next to him, Rukia breathed heavily, having had returned to normal.

“Is he gone?” She whispered.

“It appears so.” Ichigo answered, still staring at what used to be the King of the Quincies.

“Passable enough.” Aizen commented. “Well done responding to my Kyouka Suigetsu as quickly as you did.” He praised the pair.

“On my way here, I got this strange familiar feeling. I talked about it with the rest before we arrived.” Ichigo explained. “It was similar to the one I felt when you had placed everyone under Kyouka Suigetsu’s spell.”

“Indeed.” Aizen nodded. “I released Kyouka Suigetsu before you all arrived here. Furthermore, I confirmed that it could be used to interfere with his ‘Almighty’ clairvoyant powers. The final components were you, Ichigo, who is unaffected by Kyouka Suigetsu for lack of exposure. And you, Kuchiki, who, by the power of the Hogyoku, ended up not being unaffected by it.” He said, looking at both of them. “Who would have thought that me not showing you the release, Kurosaki Ichigo, and that storing the Hogyoku inside of you, Kuchiki Rukia, would have paid off like this?” He added as an afterthought. Then, he frowned and turned around, facing the mass that was Yhwach, directly attacking him. He collapsed.

“Aizen!” Ichigo shouted as both he and Rukia watched horrified how Yhwach surrounded them.

“Kyouka Suigetsu’s effect appears to have ended. Pride? Or did it just reach its limits?” He wondered out loud. “Say, Ichigo, did you really think something of that caliber would be enough to kill me?” He spoke, as the mass became humanoid. It was a frightening sight. “My power is the power to alter the future itself. I can even rewrite futures in which I have died!” He yelled.

Ichigo jumped head first, trying to hit him, but Yhwach made his sword fall from his grasp. “Useless!” Next, Rukia tried to freeze the ground or his legs again as Ichigo went back to grab his sword, but Yhwach dodged every attack. Just as Ichigo was about to grab Zangetsu, Yhwach hit him with his black mass.

“Gah!” He exclaimed in pain.

“Ichigo!” Rukia shouted, and leapt to his aid, only to be absorbed by the mass too.

“This is the end.” Yhwach told them gravely. “This world and Soul Society will, before my power, lose their form and become one!” He laughed.

Rukia frowned. She needed to do something. She activated her Bankai once again, and dropped her body temperature to zero, rushing to Yhwach, and watching as he slowly froze. He glared at her and grabbed her, freezing as she cried in pain.

“Rukia, no!” Ichigo shouted.

“Did you really think your measly Bankai would hurt me, girl?!” Yhwach said, as he crushed Rukia on his hand.

“No, but it was a good distraction.” Rukia taunted, watching with pleasure as he kept freezing.

He growled, but before Yhwach could say or do something more, an arrow stabbed him. “What the…? What is this?” He asked, as he felt himself become paralyzed. He started freezing more rapidly. He loosened his hold on Rukia, dropping her on the ground. His powers had suddenly stopped.

“Ishida?!” Ichigo exclaimed, as he saw his friend standing there. It was obvious he had been the one to fire the arrow.

“Now, Kurosaki!” He shouted.

Ichigo grabbed Zangetsu, and rushed towards the villain.

“So what!” He screamed. “So what if you managed to stop my powers for just an instant?!”

Ishida gulped. It’s useless… is it? His mind rapidly rushed to his fight with Haschwalth. Your powers might be the only ones capable of stopping his Majesty’s Almighty. He thought hard about it. He jumped, and rushed to meet Ichigo halfway. We still have time! Just as Ichigo’s zanpakutou hit Yhwach’s hand, it broke, revealing Zangetsu’s original form underneath. Ichigo cut him in half. Ishida wasted no time and activated his own powers.

“Schrift!” He yelled. “Antithesis.”

The two of them silently watched as Yhwach’s form imploded and disappeared, leaving no trace behind.

“Great timing, Ishida.” Rukia said, as she limped towards them. She was hurt from the fall and for having thawed too quickly, blood was dripping from several wounds on her body.

“Rukia!” Ichigo yelled, and rushed to her side, holding her before she could collapse. “Idiot! You know you have to melt slowly!” He scolded her.

“Tch. I needed to buy us time.” She explained.

Ishida smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Kuchiki-san. Your efforts were not in vain. We defeated him.” He said.

“About that, how exactly was it possible?” Ichigo asked, lying Rukia on the ground to asses her injuries.

“The arrow I fired at Yhwach was made from a type of silver which forms as the result of Auswahlen. If it mixes with the blood of the one who activated it, can, for just an instant, stop his powers. Ryuken gave that arrow to me, and I used to stop Yhwach just in time for you to cut him down, Kurosaki.” Ishida explained.

“But were Ichigo’s powers enough to defeat him once and for all?” Rukia said suspiciously.

“Yeah, Ishida, is he gone? I also heard you say something.”

Ishida shook his head. “No, I activated a special power of mine called Antithesis. Haschwalt told me it was the exact opposite of Yhwach’s Almighty. While you cut him down, I used it to destroy him. Let’s say I used his weakness against him.”

Rukia smiled. “See? I told you there was a way to defeat him. Our plan worked after all. We’re stronger if we’re all together.”

Ichigo nodded. “Yeah, though we have to give it to Ishida. He’s the true hero, this time.” Ichigo said, and then patted Ishida’s back.

The Quincy flushed. “Well, I’m amazed too that it worked. But I wouldn’t have been able to do that, if Kuchiki-san hadn’t frozen most of his body.”

Rukia chuckled. “That’s teamwork.”

The trio smiled at each other. They had done it.

Suddenly, a shout interrupted them. “Rukia-san! Ichigo-san!” It was Hanatarou, who was running towards them.

“Here!” Ichigo said. “Rukia needs your help!”

The boy ran to patch them up. “Someone is already healing the others.” He explained hastily as he bandaged Rukia. “There’s still a lot of people to heal.” Then, the boy turned around. “Wait… where’s Yhwach? Did you defeat him?”

Ichigo smiled. “Yeah, we did.”

It was over once and for all.

Omake

Aizen, having already recovered from the wounds Yhwach had inflicted on him, stood and grinned when he realized everyone else was distracted. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. While no one was looking, he would infiltrate the Soul King’s palace and take the place that was rightfully his. “Just as planned.” He muttered, smirking. But before he could start moving, something hit him square on the chest, forcing Aizen to fall down right on his chair. “What?!” He exclaimed. How could this be?! Who had deterred his plans?

“Yare, yare. Can’t have you running off, Aizen.” It was none other but Kyouraku Shunsui.

“What?! Unhand me this instance, Shunsui!” Aizen said, as he struggled on the chair.

“No, can’t do. You see, you still have to serve your sentence. If I recall correctly, you’re missing 18, 798 years.” Kyouraku replied, before ordering a group of Shinigami to take Aizen away.

“What?! No!” He screamed as he was taken away.

Shinji smirked in the distance. “Serves you right.”

[darisu-chan]

Perfect

Prompt: Fluff Daily Themes: Sun, Heart, Perfect

Summary: Ichigo and Rukia finally go out on a date.

You can also read it here.

Kurosaki Ichigo was anything but vain. He didn’t care that much about his looks or the clothes he wore. It if was comfortable and his style, he’d wear it. However, today he actually wanted to dress nicely. He raided his closet, frantic, looking for something decent at least. He found nothing, zilch, nada. All he had were ripped jeans and several T-shirts. The teenage boy cursed loudly. Of course he didn’t have anything to wear on this special occasion.

“Onii-chan, are you alright?” His little sister said, knocking the door.

“Yeah, Yuzu, don’t worry!” Ichigo said, running his hand through his hair.

However, his bedroom door was opened, and in came both of his sisters.

“It looks like a tornado passed through here.” Karin said, whistling.

“Gah! Who gave you permission to come in?!” The boy yelled, feeling completely embarrassed.

“Why are your clothes on the floor?” Yuzu asked instead. “Is something wrong with them?” She said innocently.

“It looks more like a wardrobe malfunction.” Karin commented, inspecting the clothes.

“Are you putting together an outfit, onii-chan?” The youngest Kurosaki said. “I can help you with that! What’s the occasion?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s clearly for a date with Rukia-chan.” Karin said matter-of-factly, making her brother blush.

“Wait, that’s not─”

“Did someone mention my third daughter?” Isshin stormed into the room looking wildly everywhere. “Wait, why are all your clothes on the floor, Ichigo?”

“Onii-chan’s got a date with Rukia-chan!” Yuzu exclaimed, grinning.

“What?! Seriously?!” Isshin yelled, looking at his son.

“That’s not it!” Ichigo shook his head vehemently, his cheeks red.

“There’s no need to feel embarrassed, Ichi-nii. We all know.” Karin said.

“Finally! My idiot of a son is becoming a man! And with my dear third daughter, no less! Ichigo, you’re making your papa proud!” Isshin ran to hug him, but Ichigo kicked him.

“Can you guys please not make this weird?” He pleaded, already giving up on the hope to dissuade his family that he wasn’t going on a date with Rukia when he, in fact, was going on a date with said girl.

“It’s not weird, onii-chan! We all know how you feel about her, and we’re glad you’re together now!” Yuzu said. From the very beginning, she had known Rukia was special to his brother, and was excited his feelings were mutual.

“Honestly, it took you too long.” Karin muttered.

“We were beginning to think you had been friendzoned!” His dad interjected, making his three children stare at him as if he had grown a second head. “What? I keep with the slang of the youth.”

“In any case, if you’re having problems, you can always ask us for help, y’know?” Karin said, her words holding more meaning than what could be inferred at first.

Ichigo sighed. He knew that he would regret this later, but he had run out of options. “Fine. I’m taking Rukia out on a date around the city. What should I wear?”

Yuzu squealed, Karin nodded approvingly, and Isshin yelled loudly.

“We have a lot to do! Starting with your hair!”

“Hey!”

His family was very obnoxious, but Ichigo couldn’t be too mad about it right now. It was a joyous event, really. This was his first date with Rukia after all, and it had to be memorable.

After the war, Ichigo had started contemplating about many things regarding his life. That had been the closest they had ever been to the end of the world. He could have died. His friends could have died. Rukia could have died. Life was too short to waste it away with nonsense. So, Ichigo decided to take his life into his own hands. First, he told his sisters that he was a Shinigami and everything that had to do with his job. Karin didn’t seem surprise. Yuzu had accepted everything, although she did admit she was worried about him. Secondly, he told his father that he was seriously thinking about not being just a part-time Shinigami anymore, but taking it as a full-time job. He’d become a Shinigami instead of going to college. Isshin accepted that fact, for he know that was what made his son happy. Lastly, he put his feelings for a certain Shinigami in order. He had always known Rukia mattered to him more than just a friend, but he hadn’t put those feelings into words. Now, though, he was brave enough to acknowledge the fact he had fallen in love with her. Ichigo decided to let her know, because they could have died, and she would have never known his true feelings. He confessed, expecting nothing, and was surprised when Rukia told him that she loved him back. They had been together since, but hadn’t actually gone out because of Ichigo’s schoolwork and Rukia’s job managing the 13th squad now that Ukitake had, sadly, passed away. The two of them had been through too much, and that is why Ichigo wanted their first date to be perfect. His life would keep going, and he would make the best of it, Ychwach’s words be damned.

“There! Do you like it?” Yuzu said. She had put together an outfit which consisted on dark tight jeans, black sneakers, a red shirt, and on top of it a black shirt.

“Yeah. It looks good, Yuzu.” Ichigo said, feeling satisfied with her choices.

“Here.” Karin said, passing him his leather wristbands. “They complete the look.”

Ichigo smiled at her, and put them on.

“Now, let’s do something about that hair, Ichigo!” Isshin said, taking out of nowhere a comb and gel.

“No! Leave my hair alone!” Ichigo yelled, covering his hair with his hands.

“I agree on this one with Ichi-nii, dad. He looks better with his hair as always.” Karin expressed.

“Yeah, plus Rukia-chan likes him with his hair like this.” Yuzu said, making her older brother blush.

“Ah, well. I guess you look good, son. Now, let’s talk about your date. Always be a gentleman, bring enough money for food, drinks, and other things Rukia-chan might want, give her your jacket if she gets cold, and most importantly, bring protection, I do want to be a grandfather but not right now.” Isshin’s three children blushed heavily.

“Stupid goat chin!” Ichigo shouted and kicked his dad.

“I just want you to be careful!” Isshin yelled back, punching Ichigo.

“We’re not doing that!” At this point they were brawling on the floor.

“Look, just take them. I’ll be happy to have mini Ichigos and Rukias running around, but you do not want to face Kuchiki Byakuya’s wrath, right?” The older Kurosaki said, cleaning the blood from his mouth.

“Fine!” Ichigo said, and took the condoms his dad was offering him. “But at least we could’ve had this conversation in private and not in front of Yuzu and Karin!” He pointed to his sisters who were still there.

“Oh no! What have I done?! I’ve tainted my beautiful daughters’ innocence! Masaki, I have failed you!” Isshin cried, and hugged both of his daughters.

“Dad, we took health class in school already.” Karin deadpanned, and got away from her father’s embrace.

“Well, it’s time. I gotta go pick Rukia.” Ichigo said, starting to walk down the stairs. His family followed him.

“Good luck, onii-chan, I hope you have fun!” Yuzu said, and hugged him briefly.

“Tell Rukia-chan we said hi!” Karin added.

“And I hope you brushed your teeth, son. Don’t want to scare her away after the first kiss!” Isshin joked.

“I’m leaving!” Ichigo retorted, slamming the door shut.

The three remaining Kurosakis watched him go with a smile on their faces. Then, Isshin ran to the poster of his deceased wife that he had hung up on the kitchen. “Oh, Masaki! Our son’s finally a man!”

“So, where is Kurosaki-san taking you today?” Hinamori asked Rukia.

“Just around town. Maybe even to this thing called ‘movies’.” Rukia answered simply.

“Sounds exciting!” Isane said. “Maybe we should have movies in our next meeting.”

“Yes. That’s an excellent idea.” Nanao nodded in agreement.

“You should take advantage of it, and go shopping, making Ichigo pay for it.” Rangiku joked, winking for good measure.

“Rangiku-san, stop giving Kuchiki-san ill advice!” Nanao scolded the blonde woman, making Rukia laugh.

The female lieutenants were currently at the 13th squad barracks, helping Rukia get ready for her date with Ichigo. Date. She had never expected she’d actually get to experience something as human as dating, but here she was, getting ready for a date with a human boy. Her cheeks turned red just by thinking about it. Although it was true she had harbored strong feelings for Ichigo for a long while now, she hadn’t expected to get into a relationship with him, let alone go on dates. It was something special, though. They had been officially together for some time now, but had spent little time together. When her schedule was suddenly freed for a day, it was the right moment to go visit Ichigo. She didn’t expect him to ask her out on a date. Yet, here they were, and she couldn’t be happier.

“What? It’s perfectly sound advice. The guys always pay, you know.” Rangiku defended herself.

“Yes, well, I do not think Kuchiki-san is going out with Kurosaki-san to mooch off his money.” Nanao replied.

“Guys, relax. It’s going to be something simple. We just want to spend some time in each other’s company.” Rukia said simply, cheeks rosy and a soft smile on her face.

“That’s so romantic!” Hinamori exclaimed, swooning a bit.

“Yeah, it is.” Nanao conceded.

Rangiku glanced at Rukia and smiled. The normally stoic Shinigami looked very happy. She had never seen such a calm expression on her face. It was clear to Rangiku that her fellow comrade was very in love with Ichigo. She felt a slight pang of sadness. Rangiku hadn’t forgotten about her friend Orihime, who was in love with Ichigo as well. Then, there was Renji to think about. Both were heartbroken after the news broke out. However, Rangiku knew that they would have to get over it. There were times when first loves didn’t work out. You can’t make someone fall in love with you. She thought, remembering her own experiences. Yet, despite pitying her friends, Rangiku was also happy for Rukia and Ichigo. They deserved to be happy after everything they had been through.

“So, what are you going to wear?” Rangiku asked her.

Rukia shrugged sheepishly. “I was thinking about a dress, but I don’t know.”

The girls nodded approvingly.

“Make sure it’s dark blue, so that it compliments your eyes.” Hinamori advised her.

“And it shouldn’t be too short. Just above your knees. That way it’s classy and feminine.” Nanao added.

“Add a necklace or other accessories to go with it.” Isane said.

“And pair it with killer heels. They’ll make your legs look long and sexy. Ichigo will appreciate it, believe me.” Rangiku said.

“Rangiku-san!” Nanao said, scandalized.

Rukia just laughed. “I will.” Then she looked at her phone. “Well, I gotta go. I’ll see you later!” Rukia said and dashed out, leaving her friends behind.

“I wish I could go on a date too.” Hinamori whispered.

“I’m sure if you ask my taichou, he’ll say yes.” Rangiku said deviously.

“Rangiku-san!”

“Stop meddling with other people’s affairs.” Nanao scolded her.

“Yeah. Whatever.” Rangiku shrugged. “So, who’s gonna tell Kuchiki-taichou that his sister might not come home tonight?”

The four women blanched.

“I’ll prepare beds in the 4th squad for the unfortunate receivers of his wrath.” Isane muttered.

Rukia opened the Senkaimon and landed in Karakura Town. She smiled, breathing deeply the air around her. She always felt calm when coming here. It relaxed her. Still smiling she walked to Urahara’s shop, where the man was already waiting for her with her gigai. She put it on, ignoring Urahara’s lewd remarks about the reason she had come for a visit. She asked him for the nearest mall, and started walking on that direction, still ignoring his words. Rukia noticed it was sunny, so that meant she would get away with using a dress like she had originally planned. She looked around the first store she found, and was lucky to find an indigo dress with short sleeves. She tried it on. It was a little shorter than what Nanao had recommended, but she liked it. Next, she grabbed a pair of black flats to go with the dress. She wasn’t going to listen to Rangiku. Using her human currency, she paid for the outfit, and then returned to Urahara’s to get dressed. There, she waited for Ichigo to come at exactly 3 o’ clock.

“Kuchiki-san~! Kurosaki-san’s here~!” Urahara announced, and Rukia came out of the shop, to find Ichigo waiting for her. His clothes suited him. He looked very handsome.

“Yo.” Ichigo greeted her with a smile on his face.

“Hey.” She said, a bit shyly.

“Let’s go.” He said, and Rukia walked towards him, nodding to Urahara on the way out.

“So, how have you been?” Ichigo asked her.

“A bit busy with the repairs and everything. Things have calmed down recently, though.” She explained, noticing their hands were almost brushing.

“That’s good to hear. Things were really bad last time I went.” Ichigo said, remembering Soul Society’s current state.

“And you? How’s school?” Rukia asked him next.

“Busy. We’re having exams soon, so I’ve been reviewing with Ishida a lot.”

Rukia smirked at that. “Oh, so Ishida’s your tutor now?”

Ichigo frowned. “Don’t remind me. He’s the worst teacher ever. He has no patience and is always scolding me.”

“Oh, poor, baby.” Rukia said, patting him on the cheek.

“Mock me all you want, but it’s true. He’s ruthless.”

The girl chuckled. “And your family?”

“Dad’s as crazy as ever.” Ichigo said, rolling his eyes. “The twins are good. They say hi, actually.”

Rukia beamed at that. “Tell them I say hello too, and that I’ll visit them soon.”

“You will?” Ichigo asked her, surprised.

“Yeah… I mean… if you want me too.” She blushed at that.

“Of course.”

“Then it’s a plan.”

They both smiled at each other. Ichigo reached out and grabbed her hand. Rukia smiled, and entwined their fingers.

“So, what’s the plan?” Rukia asked him, realizing they were walking to a mall near the school.

“I thought we could eat while we wait for the movie to start.” Ichigo said. “There’s a nice place around here. I think you’ll like it.”

Rukia nodded and followed her boyfriend. They arrived at a nice and quaint restaurant which served a variety of dishes. They were seated at a cozy table for two people. It was almost secluded, giving them the privacy they both liked to have. Ichigo ordered curry, and Rukia was a bit more adventurous and ordered an Italian pasta. As they ate, they conversed about different things, and Rukia laughed at Keigo’s latest antics. Ichigo seemed interested about the reforms Kyouraku was implementing and the changes they were going to be in the Soul Society. It seemed the place was going to be less rigid.

“Nii-sama talked to Kyouraku-soutaichou about the possibility of helping make things in Rukongai better for the souls living there. I think he was inspired by my sister. Many other Shinigamis supported his idea.” Rukia said.

Ichigo marbled at the fact Byakuya had changed so much since the first time he met him. He liked that the noble was using his privilege as captain and noble to bring about change in the Soul Society. Although, Ichigo was aware he wasn’t doing it just for his late wife. There was a very important reason for that petition, and it was standing beside Ichigo.

“There’s been talk about rebuilding the Sokyoku.” Rukia announced grimly.

Ichigo frowned. “What for?”

“It’s apparently an important landmark.” Rukia said, stabbing his pasta.

“It’s a sign of oppression and death, that’s what it is.” Ichigo muttered, remembering Rukia’s execution.

“I don’t think they’re going to rebuild it, though. A lot of Shinigami are against it. Nanao even started a petition against that motion.”

“I’ll sign it next time I visit.”

Their conversation turned light again, as Rukia retold a story starring Kiyone and Sentarou, and their inability to work as a team unless it’s meant to impress someone, such as their lieutenant.  Soon, it was time for the movie. Ichigo paid for their food, while Rukia teased him for being a gentleman. Then, they walked to the cinema and Ichigo paid for their tickets as well. They were going to watch an adventure film about a couple of spies discovering a great conspiracy against their organization and other secrets. Ichigo figured action was a good genre, for both weren’t really the romantic kind, and watching a horror movie on the first date seemed like a cliché to Ichigo.

The film was action packed as it had looked in the trailers, but soon the couple discovered it was more than that. The premise was interesting, and the actors knew how to execute the performance. Ichigo was intrigued to know who was betraying the organization, and how would the spies discover it. Then, the movie took a turn when it became clear something was going on between the protagonists. At one point, the main female character took a shot to save her partner, and almost died as a result. Ichigo could feel the protagonist’s raw emotions at seeing his partner laying on a pool of blood for his sake. He could understand it perfectly. The helplessness of not being able to protect someone important to you, and having to watch them suffer as a result. The woman confessed to her partner in the midst of chaos, and then she dramatically fainted, while the man screamed. Ichigo thought that part was a little too much, but got distracted from the movie when he heard weird sounds from beside him. He turned and found Rukia was actually crying, wiping furiously the tears that kept falling. That surprised him at first for Rukia wasn’t overly sensitive. Then, he understood the reason why she was crying. He smiled, and pulled her close to him. Rukia gasped, but then buried her face on his chest. Ichigo patted her back. She smiled at him gratefully. In that moment, Ichigo thought she looked just like the sun.

They exited the cinema, each telling the other their own impressions about the movie, and what they have liked and disliked about it. They had both agreed that, even though some parts had been too dramatic and cliché, they still would watch it again for the climax. As it turned out, the most unexpected character had been the traitor all along. Ichigo was sure that the film would be widely talked about just for that twist.

Their next step was the mall. They didn’t need to buy anything, but Ichigo wanted to spend more time with Rukia. They entered some stuff, and browsed the several items the stores sold. Ichigo tried on some glasses just to amuse Rukia, who laughed out loud at his bizarre choices. When they passed by a jewelry store, Rukia gazed at one of the necklaces on display, remembering that Isane had told her to accessorize. Ichigo noticed her gaze, and went into the shop, buying that necklace, while ignoring altogether Rukia’s complaints.

“You didn’t have to buy it.” Rukia said, shaking her head.

“You liked it, and I wanted to give something to you, to commemorate the date, you know.”

Rukia chuckled. “You’re surprisingly romantic.”

“Shut up.” Ichigo said, blushing as he helped Rukia putting on the necklace. It was simple. The chain was silver and it had a pendant in the shape of a heart. Isane had been right. A necklace really complimented the outfit.

They kept walking, casually strolling around town, their hands entwined. Once the sun set, it was time for Rukia to go back. Honestly, she wanted to stay longer, but it was impossible. She had duties she couldn’t ignore. Ichigo, noticing her sad look, promised to visit the following weekend. Rukia nodded happily, already planning to take out Ichigo and show him some places he hadn’t seen yet. Once they reached Urahara’s, they stopped, turning to look at each other.

“I had a lot of fun today, Ichigo.” Rukia said earnestly.

“I’m glad.” Ichigo said.

“We should do this again.”

“Yeah, any time you want. We can go to the beach, next.”

“I’d like that.”

The conversation had ended but neither had moved yet. Rukia bit her lip, expecting Ichigo take the hint. He blushed, appearing to think about it, and then he grabbed her hands.

“I really want to do this again.”

Rukia leaned closer. “Me too.”

Ichigo took this as enough confirmation to do what he wanted to do, and leaned down, pressing his lips softly against hers. Rukia made a sound in approval, and deepened the kiss. Ichigo pulled her closer, and continued kissing her until both were out of breath.

“See you, Ichigo.” Rukia said, as they separated.

“Yeah. See you next weekend!”

Rukia smiled and opened the Senkaimon. She waved once, and disappeared from Ichigo’s view. He sighed and smiled. The date had been better than he had expected. It had been perfect.