Log: Complete

[juicebox-woes.livejournal.com]

When; January 25th, afternoon.
Rating; PG-13 for language
Characters; Kuchiki Rukiajuicebox_woes, Kurosaki Ichigountame, cameo by Inoue Orihimesoten_kisshun
Summary; After his massive screw-up on Dirty-Secret Day, Ichigo takes the opportunity to try to not only get the point he wanted to make across to Rukia, but also to hopefully make up for his ass-hattery. OMG this is the log of doom, it's SO frickin long...
Log;

Okay, so thinking on it had been both a blessing and a curse. He knew now, how much of a mistake he'd made the day before. The trouble was, he also knew the reasons why he'd done half of the things he had. One, single curse. That same curse had been the cause for everything that had unfolded that day. Inoue's admission spawned his mood. The fight that followed had only been the start of it. And then Rukia's words had come at the worst of times. Not to mention Nell's reaction.

One curse and everything had gotten so mixed up. But at least... He knew what he had to do, and the first part involved his current position of standing in the middle of the expansive desert, staring out across the plains. He had one shot at this.

Heading through the forest towards the desert, she contemplated turning around and leaving. Afterall, what was the point? Her..whatever the hell he was, was probably just going to launch into an expansive and long-winded diatribe about how he wanted her to just stay the hell away from him. That was what he'd said, wasn't it? Gritting her teeth in a mixture of hurt, frustration, and anger, she spun and leveled a kidou blast at a rustling in the leaves. Nevermind that it was likely just some poor hapless creature that didn't mean her any harm. At this point, anything that came within Rukia's range was likely to get blasted.

That damned idiot!

Despite the fact that it had a rather woeful effect on the surrounding vegetation, it almost made her feel better as the kidou's energy rolled off of her in waves, the rumbling cracks as the trees split seeming to mirror her bad mood. And it certainly didn't help any that the fucking forest woudln't just end so she could get the yelling over with. With a final explosive crack, she snarled and simply blew herself a hole clear through the remaining 50 feet or so of forest. Stepping out of the smoking opening in the treeline, she stalked off across the sand towards the easily-recognizable reiatsu.

He glanced back over his shoulder, eyes on the cloud of smoke that rose from the forest. Even he was able to feel the waves of angry reiatsu that Rukia seemed to be excuding. The second explosion was answered with a sigh as he turned back once again, his back to her as she approached. Yet again, his eyes were on the desert ahead of him. He had no clue of how to start this, but he knew it needed to be done. And after everything he'd said the day before...it was only fair.

If fighting her way through the trees had been irritating, then trudging through the sand was definitely not helping her mood. Cresting the dune, she stopped about 10 feet from him, angry reiatsu simmering around her like the heatwaves on the desert. WHY had he picked out here, of all places? Crossing arms over her chest she stared at the back of the orange head in front of her. Infuriating man. Not just in the way he behaved, but in the fact that he always managed to put her in a position where she never could figure out if she wanted to beat him to a pulp or hold onto him and never let go.

"Well?"

He remained silent, the only sound was that of the wind rushing past them. Instead of saying anything, Ichigo simply put a hand in his pocket, his badge being pulled out and held in a tight grip. Eventually, he turned to face Rukia, his expression unreadable as he simply looked back at her. If the reiatsu hadn't been enough of an indicator, her expression was.

"I meant what I said." Only, he meant it all for a reason different to the one he'd gotten across.

Hard as it was, she managed not to flinch. Oh this was just perfect. He'd called her out here just to hammer home to point yet again? Frown deepening, she snarled at him, not quite managing to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"Well thank you so much, I really needed to hear it AGAIN. Now, if you're quite done, I'm going to go kill something and unless you want it to be YOU, stay out of my way."

Why the hell was he doing this? Didn't he see that she didn't need him to twist the knife and salt the wounds. She gritted her teeth against the tears of hurt and anger that threatened to squeeze from the corners of her eyes. NO. She would NOT let him see her cry. It didn't matter that she was certain he could tell how red and swollen her eyes already were from crying yesterday. Or that it might register, in some far corner of his obviously-concrete skull, that it was generally considered a BAD thing to make a girl cry.

So, maybe not the best thing to have said just then, but he wanted...no needed to get his point across in a way she'd understand. And short of having to spill everything, he didn't have a clue how. Telling her everything wasn't an option.

"We're not done yet. If you need something to fight, then fight me. If that's what it's gonna take to get you to fuckin' listen." It'd also probably be the only way he'd be able to 'talk' anyway.

She raised an eyebrow at him. Fight him? That was laughable. He wouldn't even train with her or anyone else out of concern that his hollow side would take over. A smirk.

"Like you'd fight with me. You won't even train with me. It's never me. I always have to sit in the fucking glass box and watch. You have any idea what that's like, Ichigo?! And you know what, after spending an entire goddamned DAY experiencing it, I'm not that thrilled at the prospect of doing it again!"

That was another factor that she'd been trying to avoid. It had been hard enough to face the fact that she was afraid of being useless and powerless while those she loved fought. But now...to have not just Ichigo, but her brother and Renji trying to force her into that position again...

"You and Nii-sama and Renji make a great team, you know? All three of you just deciding that you can make my decisions for me, that it doesn't matter what I think about it."

"What the two of them say has fuck all to do with me." It never had mattered to him before, and it was doubtful it would ever change. No matter what else did. "What the hell do you want from me? If shit happens to me, I take care of it myself. If my friends get hurt, it's the same. I ain't trying to fuckin' well lock you up. But thinkin' I'm gonna let you pull out of the truce 'cause of something I do ain't gonna happen." This wasn't going to plan...

"I ain't letting you out of here till you work that out. You're not leaving the truce, whatever happens." And if that meant having to fight, then so be it.

Violet eyes narrowed.

"What do I want? I want to know why the hell it's always you. It's always you who takes care of things, you who fixes it, you that makes them pay. It's never us. It's always you. But you wouldn't understand how much that hurts, would you?"

She paused, one hand resting casually on Shirayuki's hilt. "Not letting me out of here? Last I checked, you don't own me. I'll go whereever the hell I want to."

"Inoue is my responsibility. I've failed her once already. There's no way I'm ever gonna do that again. If it was one of the shinigami, then you're welcome to it. But my friends are my responsibility. And I don't give a fuck if they're your friends too." In the end, it all boiled down to one thing. "I'm not having someone else killed cause I can't protect them."

Bringing up his sminigami badge, Ichigo scowled. "Never said I own you. Just that you ain't leaving here till this is sorted out."

Hand tightening around Shirayuki's hilt, she leveled her gaze at him. "Yes. I am. Whether you like it or not."

His answer came in the form of his body collapsing to the ground. Instead, he now stood, clad in his Shinigami robes, Zangetsu secured to his back. Eyes narrowed on Rukia, he waited calmly for her to make some move to leave.

Well, that answered that question. Normally she might have actually backed down. But in this case, anger and hurt feelings took the brunt of any rational thought. Violet eyes never leaving his, she pulled Shirayuki from her hilt, holding the blade in front of her. "Mai, Sode no Shirayuki." At her words, the plain katana shifted into the pure white shikai form, white ribbon curling softly in the breeze.

Following suit, Ichigo too brought out his zanpakuto. The huge blade was held out easily, the bindings waving loosly. He cast a brief glance down to his body, noting the fact it was so close. Well, he'd just have to move the fight away a little. And now...to wait...

"You don't have to do this, Ichigo. Just get out of the way and let me leave." Well, he apparently wanted her to make the first move. Hopefully, this would be over soon and she could....try and put it all behind her.

"You're not leaving til this is sorted." He'd repeat it as many times as he had to, if only for cover. Yes, he wanted to sort the problem out, make sure that Rukia would agree to what he'd said, but there was more to it than that. He just had to hope it would work.

"Fine. Then I'll sort it." Shunpyoing behind him, she turned and held one hand in front of her. "Haddou no Sanjuuichi: Shakkahou!" The red kidou blast fired towards him as she backflipped out of the way. Hopefully that would serve enough of a distraction to where she could simply get around him and leave. As much as she wanted to hit him, this wasn't what she'd had in mind.

He'd be lying if he said he'd been expecting her to attack so soon. However, that didn't mean he hadn't been prepared. As the attack was fired, Ichigo turned, using Zangetsu's blade to deflect the blast as well as it could. A moment later, he was on the move, closing the gap between them in hopes of having her move away. A little further and his body would be safe.

She knew perfectly well what he was trying to do, and ironically, her mind had much the same thoughts. If his body died, he died. And if she was the cause of that....No, not the time to be worrying about that. She backed up, maintaining the distance between them and readying herself. It was a simple fact that he was faster then she was, so it was only a matter of time before he caught up to her.

Once they were far enough away (or as far as he thought was safe), Ichigo simply...stopped. It was all down to Rukia. If she tried to leave, he would stop her, no matter what that meant. Obviously, there were certain limits to that. But for the time being, he was simply waiting for her. "You're a Shinigami, so stay with 'em. It don't matter what the hell I do."

That didn't make sense. He was the one who seemed to intent on fighting her to keep her here. Why had he just...stopped?

"It matters to me. Now get out of my way, Ichigo."

"If they say you can leave it, then you can. But you're not using me as a way out of the fuckin' truce." Zangetsu was moved to a single hand, its tip resting softly on the sand. "Until you agree, I'm not letting you leave."

"Fine, then." Another flash of shunpyo and she was right there in front of him, dropping into a crouch as Shirayuki swung in a fast upward arc towards him.

His eyes widened for the briefest of moments, suprised yet again by the fact she'd attacked. His body moved automatically a moment later, his blade swung downward, coming to a stop as it clashed against the attacking blade.

White met black as she pushed back, Shirayuki's blade grinding against Zangetsu's. One hand moved, tracing patterns in the air as she spelled the kidou. Clapping a hand to his wrist, she sent the energy surging through his arm like a lightning bolt as she gave a hard shove with Shirayuki. Using the momentum, she pivoted and spun to come from behind with another slash of the snowy blade.

He grit his teeth, forcing Zangetsu back against Shirayuki as well as he could...given the sudden jolt of pain that was seering through one of his arms. Sliding back at the sudden push, he spun, his sword held in a single hand as he turned to try and block once more. "This aint gonna make a difference."

"Why NOT? Maybe if I do this, then you'll hear what I'm saying and STOP acting like you think I need a babysitter."

As soon as Shirayuki crashed against Zangetsu again, she'd pulled back and swung in again with another strike at high speed.

"I never said you need a fuckin' babysitter!" His defense was a shunpo this time, moving back enough to dodge the blade. "But you're still a shinigami. You're not throwing that away 'cause of something I do."

"I'm always a shinigami. Nothing you or I do will ever change that." He wasn't fighting back. Well, not really. She drove forward with another slash, gritting her teeth. "Fight back!" He needed to fight back. Otherwise....otherwise she couldn't stay angry, couldn't keep her resolve. Channelling another kidou into her hand, she pulled back and flung it at him. "Dammit, fight back!"

"Then start acting like one. You see any of the others plannin' to throw out the truce? There was a reason it was put in place, so stick by it. No matter what the hell happens." She was answered with yet another block, sparks flying as he caught Shirayuki's blade with his own. The kidou blast however, was unexpected, only managing to divert the blast to hit his shoulder.

"You think I wanted to feel like that? Like I don't know where my allegiance lies anymore? I didn't plan that, Ichigo. It happened." Pushing Zangetsu back, she struck again, eyes beginning to tear. "Fight back! Stop just defending and fight! I'm not some weak little kid!" Another strike, then another, their carefully calculated paths growing more and more haphazard. This wasn't good. She was losing her edge, losing the ironhard control she had on her emotions and losing the anger that was fueling her.

Every attack thrown, he did little more than move out of its way. This wasn't what he'd planned to happen, but at she was talking to him. Kind of. "Then change it. You're one of them, no matter what happens between us. Stay with them." It was the one place he could be sure she was safe.

"But I wanna be with you!" God, but she hated to say that. To seem so needy, so weak. But...it was true, and she'd already lost. Another strike with Shirayuki before the blade slipped from her hands and she just punched him in the stomach. Biting her lip, since holding back the tears didn't work when they were already slipping down your cheeks, she just punched him again, as though that would somehow fix things. "Fight back..." But the fight was already gone from her words, replaced with a pleading tone. If he fought back, then she could stay angry, could keep fighting. But...if he didn't....

He was still for a long moment, just watching her as she began to...break down. His gaze dropped, watching as Shirayuki fell to the ground, barely registering the fact she was hitting him. But it was the tears he saw that pulled him back to his senses. Zangetsu found itself piercing the ground to stand an armslength away from them, his hand remining on the hilt. "You are with me." If it'd come down to this, then he would do and say what he needed to. "But while you're in danger, I can't...You need to be safe. And being covered by the truce is the safest thing for you."

Gradually the pummeling slowed, her fists resting against his chest, thin trails of blood slipping down her arms where nails had bitten into her palms. Her shoulders shuddered as she tried to hold in the tears. But it hurt. "So to keep me safe....you'll turn your back on me and kill me just as suredly as the Arrancar would..." Forehead resting against the black fabric of his robes, she just kept looking at her feet.

"I'm not turning my back on you. I can't." His free arm slowly came up to rest gently on her back. "But while you're under the truce, you're safe. That's all I want."

Her lower lip quivered and she finally stopped trying to hold back. Arms went around him with vice-like tightness as she buried her face in his chest and cried.

His hand finally slipped from Zangetsu, moving to join the first as he wrapped his arms around the shorter shinigami. "...I need you to promise me that you'll stay with them. Under their protection."

A pause. Could she really promise that? Stand down, not do anything if something happened to him? Was...that even possible? She didn't really think it was. But....it was important to him, and....if she were being honest with herself, wouldn't she be telling him the same thing if their positions were reversed? Small hands bunched in the fabric at his lower back as she nodded slightly. She trusted him, had always trusted him. Maybe now was the time to show that trust and do what he wanted.

His relief was clear. Relaxing almost immedietly, his grip tightened briefly, before he pulled back a little, his arms simply resting loosly around her. "...thank you." And a weak smile accompanied it.

Another nod, though her arms didn't loosen. "..dumbass...." The slightly sullen response would have sounded more irritable if it had had any sort of force behind it. "You make me so mad....."

One hand rose, moving up to Rukia's face as it brushed the final tears away. "...sorry." For yelling at her. For making her cry. For forcing her into fighting. For...more things than he could really think of just then.

She watched him, somewhat sullen expression still lingering on her face. "That's it? 'Sorry'? Well 'Sorry' isn't good enough, dumbass." And, in what her rational brain would have likely termed a total lack of any sort of reason or sense, she grabbed the front of his robes and yanked him down to her level to press her lips to his.

So the shock was there, his first and foremost reaction for longer than he'd like. His second reaction was to pull back, a confused look on his face. The third however... Reclosing the gap, he moved back into the kiss, his hand sliding down her face to wrap back round her waist again.

When she felt him pull back, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd miscalculated. But then, his lips were pressed to hers again and his arms wrapping around her. Her hands loosened, sliding up his shoulders to tangle around his neck and pull him closer as she kissed him back, like she'd wanted to do for so long she couldn't even remember

And to think, the day before they'd been arguing to the point that he'd told her to leave. Even if it had just been a case of wanting to protect her, to now be here, in this situation... If this was how spars with Rukia were going to end, then he'd have to make a habit of asking her to fight more often. He couldn't help the grin that escaped him at the thought.

As much as she was enjoying herself, the need to breathe eventually made itself known and she broke away, gasping for breath. Leveling a slight glare at him, she raised an eyebrow. "Took you long enough, dumbass. Even with me doing the hard part."

As Rukia pulled back, Ichigo smirked, silent yet again. This time, a hand passed through her hair as he placed a last gentle kiss on her lips. "Shit happens." Or so the saying went. Besides, things seemed to have changed now.

She rolled her eyes and rested her head against his chest. "You know I still don't like that you won't take part in the truce....But I know I can't change your mind. Just.....be careful..please.."

Looking up over the landscape, Ichigo sighed. He knew that, as long as the arrancar were here, there wasn't going to be much chance of him not fighting. His hatred of a certain arrancar wasn't going to stop just for the sake of a truce. But he could at least promise her that he'd be careful. Right? "...nothing's gonna happen..."

"Promise me! Please...just...promise me that you won't get killed." She knew it was probably pointless to even ask. Afterall, she knew very well that Ichigo was simply going to go off and do whatever he wanted. But...just hearing him say it...it would set her mind more at ease. And with the way the situation in the City could turn at any moment, even that small bit of grounding seemed appealing.

"...I can't." Swallowing dryly, he looked back down to her, frowning at himself. As much as he wanted to be able to promise he wouldn't be killed, he knew that was something he didn't know for sure. Not given who his opponents were. "...I wont just let it happen though. But I...I can't promise that to you."

She nodded slowly, pulling a roll of bandages out of her pocket and beginning to attempt to wrap up the bleeding crescents on her palms. Which was a bit hard, considering she had two injured hands to work with. "I....I understand, Ichigo...". And she did, as much as she didn't like it. Neither of them could promise something that hinged so strongly on what the other side did. But..even what he could give her was somehow enough.

Stepping back a little, his hands moved to take the bandages from Rukia, starting to wrap her injuries himself. Only once they were fully covered did he look back up. "...let's head back." The less he had to say about the "promise", the better.

With a slight smile, she let him bandage her hands, watching as he wrapped the linen around her palms. When he'd finished, she knelt and picked up Shirayuki, resealing the zanpakuto and sheathing it before standing back up. "Alright." With a nod, she stepped forward and hesitantly took his hand, lacing smaller fingers through his. As much as she wanted to try and get him to see things her way, there was no point to it now. There'd been enough fighting. And as much as she was actually fond of the usual bickering, this sort of fighting Rukia felt she could do without.

Reaching for Zangetsu, the sword was put back into place, material moving to wrap tightly round the blade and fixing it into place. At the feel of Rukia's hand in his, he squeezed lightly, before starting to lead the way back over to where his body lay. Letting go for the time being, he was quick to jump back inside. A quick dust off and he was smirking back at Rukia, even as his hand moved back to hers again.

Oh, but she was glad she didn't have to do that anymore. That was one good thing about the City. She had a form just like any human, that was physical and tangible not only to the other Shinigami and to Ichigo, but to everything. Without having to jump out of it constantly. Fingers linked easily in his as she smiled up at him. "We should spar again sometime. When I'm not all screwed up. I let you win."

He'd say something about the fact he hadn't actually done anything. But right now, he was...content? to just be where he was, as he was. As comfortable as yelling may've been the norm for them, he was happy to just remain as he was. "...I've got you something for when we get back."

She glanced up with a quizzical look on her face. "You...got me something? Like..a present?" That was surprising. Ichigo didn't really seem the sort for presents.

A nod was his only answer as he continued heading back toward the apartments. His 'gift' would either go down well, or he'd be off looking for something else to do with it. But that he would know once they got back.

She felt her cheeks redden slightly. She hadn't gotten a present since...well, since summer when Yoruichi-san had unexpectedly given her the plushie. Granted, it had been a plushie of Ichigo, and she'd been so mortified that she still kept it a secret. But still....Ichigo had gotten her a present? She looped an arm through his as they walked, resting her head against his arm. "Will I like it?"

"I think so." He couldn't tell just yet. He was fairly sure she'd like her gift, but whether she'd actually want it was another thing altogether. "You'll see in a bit."

"Alright. Ne, I found this thing at that food-store place, and I think I'm going to try making it for dinner. It says it goes in the macro-wave, so it should be easy." Hopefully he was distracted enough to not argue with her about cooking.

Glancing sideways, Ichigo shrugged his shoulders slightly. Perhaps letting her try to cook wasn't the best idea in the world. But...she had to learn, right? "...it's a microwave. And I'll give you a hand."

At his words, she almost tripped over her own feet. He was....not arguing? Not flipping out and demanding that she stayed outside of a 10-foot radius of the kitchen like usual? And he....wanted to help her? She ignored the voice in the back of her mind that cooed and squealed over how..."domestic" it would be for the two of them to be cooking dinner together and looked away, cheeks red. "I....I can do it myself. But...if you want to, I don't mind."

"You think I trust you in there on your own?" His tone was light, proof that he was only joking around, this time. "It aint all that hard really."

As they reached the landing, she pulled out her key and unlocked the door before pushing it open and stepping inside. Heading straight to the kitchen, she pulled out the packaged frozen entree and held it up to him. "See? It doesn't look that hard. But...." She turned it around, bemused look on her face. "I can't read it...."

Following inside after her, Ichigo paused to lock the door, before moving to go read the instructions. He shook his head, amused at her reaction. "It's in English." A few moments of translating and he finally muttered a quick set of instructions. It was probably just as well he'd actually paid attention at school.

She nodded, deep in thought. English, huh. This place really was just like the human world, so full of strange and challanging things. Taking it over to the black and silver box, she pulled open the door and stuck it in, then stood staring at the buttons. Which one did what? Last time she'd just pushed a bunch of them and the resulting explosion had been enough to make that little white thing in the ceiling scream. Then just after she'd stabbed the offending piece of machinery to death with the kitchen knife after it had startled her, water had burst from the silver thing in the ceiling. So maybe it was better...."Ichigo....which button do I push?"

Moving after Rukia, Ichigo took a position behind her, his hand moving past her side to point to each button as he pointed out what each one did. Only once he'd done that did he drop his hands back, placing them, yet again, around Rukia's waist as he waited for her to turn the machine on.

Trying not to blush as his arms slipped around her waist, she mimicked his movements, face breaking into a smile when the machine whirred to life. "I....I did it? It won't explode again?"

He shook his head lightly. "No. So long as you put it in for as long as it says, you'll be fine." And as an afterthought, "You've also got to make sure that you don't put anything other than the container of food inside." Preferably no forks please.

She nodded. No, she didn't think she'd put anything else into the machine. Glancing up at the new smoke detector, she frowned. "And I won't have to cut that noisy thing to bits again?"

Following her gaze, he smirked. "Not unless you start setting fire to things again." Considering the state he'd found the kitchen in when he'd gotten back, Ichigo was pretty proud of himself that he'd managed to fix up most o the damage. Sure there were still various knife holes and burnt patches, but it was in one piece, which was good enough for him.

"That's what that thing's for? What about the silver things that spray water from the ceiling? Is that for fires too?" He really had done a good job of fixing things up. Turning around to face him, she let her hands rest on his arms, glancing up over their heads and pointing at the other sprinklers. "Are those the same as the ones in here?"

"The sprinklers? Yeah, they're to put out any fires that go off." Which would've explained the soggy carpets. "It's all just to make sure the place don't burn down." Glancing back to the microwave quickly, he took stock of how long they had left. Plenty of time.
"You ready for your present now?"

That drew her attention back to him. "I...ok. Should I...close my eyes?"

"Go take a seat in the front room and I'll bring it in." Stepping back, he made his way out of the kitchen, leaving Rukia to make her own way there.

"O....OK...." Slightly confused, she nevertheless did as he asked, settling herself down into her favourite corner of the couch. "Do I need to close my eyes too, or just wait?"

A quick glance back and he nodded. "Yeah. Just close your eyes and I'll be right back." Heading into the bedroom, Ichigo made his way over to a corner where a carrier lay in wait. Inside, a small, tan bunny sat, staring up at him. The moment he crouched down beside the cage, it was up on its hind feet, waiting for the top to be opened. "Sorry about that." Opening the top, he scooped the creature out, holding it carefully as he made his way back out into the front room. Taking a seat on the table in front of her, he held the rabbit on his lap in full view of Rukia. "You can open your eyes now."

Slowly opening her eyes, she was struck dumb at the sight of the rabbit. Blue-violet eyes widened incredulously as the stared first at the bunny, then at him, then at the bunny again. "Ichigo......you....got me a....a bunny?" Reaching out a tentative hand, she stroked one floppy ear.

Ichigo could only watch as Rukia took sight of the creature. If only for the look on her face, he was determined to remember the moment. Nodding his head, he stayed silent, even as the rabbit stared up at the hand that hand moved to pet him. Shuffling forward, the rabbit moved to the edge of Ichigo's knee's, trying to find a way to get across to Rukia. He wanted more petting!

Hesitantly, as though she was afraid she would hurt it, she scooped the furry creature up, cradling it to her chest while she scratched it behind the ears. Her face broke into a gentle smile as it snuggled up to her.

Though not wanting to break the moment, Ichigo pulled himself onto his feet. It was only for a few moments however, as he slid into place alongside Rukia, an arm sliding around her, mindful of the small creature she held. "He needs a name too."

"Chappy." As if it was really ever in doubt what she would have called it. "His name is Chappy." Snuggling the small creature, she looked up at Ichigo, eyes misty. "Ichigo, I.....I don't know what to say."

He really hadn't needed to ask, had he? "Should've known," he muttered, clearly amused. Her admission was simply answered with a tightening of his arm around her, his free hand moving to Rukia's cheek as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips....only to feel a tickle on his hand as a furry head came up to investigate what they were doing.

She pulled back with a small chuckle, scratching the rabbit's furry head. "Chappy, you're interrupting the moment." With the rabbit suitably distracted, she slipped her free hand around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss that put the previous ones to shame. It wasn't much, in her opinion, but it was the only way she could think of to show him how much she loved the gift.

A smirk, and Ichigo was pulled back into the kiss, without protest. Even before things had gone downhill, he never would've imagined something like this ever happening. Not that he'd ever thought of it before. No, of course not. But now, they were able to simply be with each other, without anything in their way. And for the time being, he was happy to take that.

And just like before, eventually breathing coupled with Chappy's insistent nuzzling necessitated pulling away reluctantly to breathe. Snuggling up under his arm, she sighed and cuddled Chappy to her, tickling the rabbit's floppy ears. "Ichigo?"

Pulling back, he shook his head. Once again Chappy seemed to be taking advantage of the moment. He looked down to the rabbit, a faint smile on his face in memory of his hunt for the 'perfect present'. "...yeah?"

"Can things....be like this more often? I...I like this.." She giggled as Chappy nibbled on the end of her finger.

"s'long as you quit acting like an idiot." A grin in response and his arm tightened around her. "...then yeah."

"I am not an idiot." She scowled at him, but was loath to start a fight right now. Things were...too nice. She nuzzled her head against his shoulder. "I love you...."

He froze at her final three words, the first being forgotten as the phrase was uttered to him. Sure, she'd said it before. And sure he'd kind of said it too. But that was before everything. A deep breath, and Ichigo forced himself to look back down at her. "......" Okay, take #2. "...I love you too..." See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

She shook her head slightly. "It's....ok if you don't want to say it, you know...." Well, it was somewhat ok. It wasn't really that it didn't bother her if he didn't say it, but she could tell how difficult it was for him. And as much as she was realizing she liked hearing it, was it worth making him uncomfortable over it?

"It's not that." How to explain to someone that it wasn't the words themself that were hard to say. It was more what was related to that. How to explain that the last person you'd told that you loved them had... "I want to say it. It's...what I feel."

"I...I know you do. Even though...I didn't before. I know now." She glanced down at Chappy, who had curled up into a tan ball of fur in her lap and was snoozing quietly. "I.....before, I....thought I was just a bother to you...That....you'd never want me.."

At least she wasn't questioning the same thing. Though the topic was equally as hard. Well, no reason to lie now, was there? "When you first came into my room, you'd probably be right. But things got better pretty quick." And now, they'd finally reached a comfortable level. One that...they had time to explore.

She giggled and nodded. "It's not like you weren't a pain in the ass too, you know. You actually kicked me, and then mouthed off. No one had ever done that to me before. And I thought you were an annoying, arrogant, rude bastard. But..." Her eyes took on a warm expression as a soft smile grew on her face. "When I saw you fight, to save your family....something changed. And....when Renji and Nii-sama came to take me back to Soul Society and Nii-sama nearly killed you, I....realized it. And..even more when you came to save me. But....I couldn't say anything." Her expression turned thoughtful and she frowned. "Afterall, why would you have chosen me? A shinigami, who's violent and you fight with so much, and who gets on your nerves. Especially when there were so many other candidates around who would have been better. I still.....almost don't believe it's real...."

"'cause you're the same violent, arguementative, and annoying person that I...fell in love with." He shook his head, smirking to himself as memories of their past flickered through his mind. "You're willing to kick my ass in gear. You're able to put up with the amount of shit I seem to dish out. And you always seem to be there when I need you. Why the hell wouldn't I feel like this about you?" A snort of laughter. "'sides, there's more to you than just bein' a shinigami."

"I just always thought....that you'd want someone like Inoue. Someone who's kind and beautiful and gentle. Who loves everyone, even those who don't deserve it." She cocked her head at him. "More to me then a shinigami? What do you mean?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Even after all this time, hadn't she been able to see it? "What is a shinigami?"

Well...that was a strange question. She frowned. "What's a shinigami? A soul with a high density of spirit power, trained to focus and harness that power for the purpose of keeping the balance of souls and cleansing Hollows. You know that."

"And is that what you do every single second of the day? Is that what you're doing right now?"

"N...no....but what does that have to do with it?" She knew he had a point. He always had a point. She just...didn't know what it was.

"So being a shinigami is just your job. You take breaks as you need too." Oh, he had a point. The trouble was trying to get it across. "So would you say you're just a shinigami?"

"I....guess not." She'd...never really thought of it that way before. But...if she wasn't just a shinigami, then what else was she?

"It's the other part of you that I...love." Though of course, he would leave her to draw her own conclusions as to what that part was. "You're not as different to other people as you think you are."

"I'm not?" That was news to her. She always felt like she was so different from the rest of them. An outsider in their little group, despite the fact that she walked beside them. Afterall, she was a shinigami, they were human. An indelible difference that she couldn't ever change.

"wouldn't say it if you were." Smirking slightly, Ichigo pulled his arm back round and onto his feet. His hand reached out, sliding carefully around 'Chappy' as he lifted the bunny from her. "...I'll go put him away." And meanwhile, "...check on dinner, okay?"

She frowned slightly as the rabbit's warmth was removed from her lap and the comforting feel of Ichigo's arm around her vanished, but nodded and stood up. "So I just see if it looks right?" Heading into the kitchen, she pulled open the microwave. Not macro-wave.. she reminded herself. Peering at the dish inside, she sniffed it hesitantly. It smelled good. And it didn't look like her last few tries at cooking. Which was probably a good thing. Glancing back over her shoulder, she called out to Ichigo. "I think it's done. Can you check to make sure?"

Placing the rabbit back into the cage (though it'd woken up in the process), Ichigo headed back out in time to catch Rukia's request. Making his way over, he pulled the tray out, placing it on the sideboard while he checked to see it was cooked. "Looks fine to me." Turning back to Rukia, he pointed up to one of the cupboards. "Wanna dish up too?"

Nodding, she stood up on her tiptoes and pulled out two plates, setting them on the counter. With a smile, she pulled out the rest of the dishes they would need. Handing him a serving spoon, she giggled. "This is fun. Almost like we're married or something." As soon as the words left her mouth, she turned bright red. "N..N..Not that I meant anything by that or anything, that is. it just....TV! Yeah, the couple on the TV."

At the single word, all Ichigo could do was freeze for a few long moments. Once he actually managed to regain use of his own body, his reactions weren't any better. The spoon was placed down and Ichigo turned on his heel and headed out into the front room. ...even as a joke, that was more than he needed to hear right then.

She hadn't meant to freak him out. But then again...she hadn't meant to freak herself out, either. With a sigh, she picked up the spoon and filled a plate for each of them before heading after him into the front room. "Ichigo? You forgot your dinner...."

Deep breaths. Just take a few deep breaths. SHe didn't know what she meant. Of course not. It was just a random sentence, nothing more. Deep breaths. Forcing back his look of suprise, Ichigo turned to face Rukia as she came into the room. "Ah, yeah. Thanks."

Settling down onto the couch next to him, she handed him the plate and fork, shifting to lean against him in what was quickly becoming her favourite way to sit. Setting her own plate in her lap, she picked up the fork and took a bite. A smile and a nod followed. "It's good. And...I really cooked it?"

Relaxing back in the seat, Ichigo began to eat. He refrained from commenting on the fact it was just a microwave meal. Afterall, for Rukia, the mere fact it was cooked and the kitchen was in one piece, was a feat in itself. "Yeah, and it tastes great."

"Really?" It probably shouldn't have meant so much, but the fact that Ichigo was actually complimenting her on something she'd cooked made her happy.

"I said it did, didn't I?" She seemed to be questioning each compliment he gave. Though she had good reason to, considering their past. Continuing to eat his meal, Ichigo turned silent, the only sound coming from him being the randoms clanks of his fork hitting the plate.

"I can see why Nell likes to stay with you so much. This is..nice." She studied him until she saw her opening and ducked underneath his arm to snuggle up against him again.

"It ain't that. It's 'cause there's noone else she knows." Well, liked. Barely able to keep ahold of the plate, Ichigo ended up having to place it down on the table. It was probably just as well he'd had enough. His arm shifted, making it easier for her to move into place, before coming to rest around her again. "...yeah."

A noise could be heard coming from the back of the apartment, as a pair of feet wandered across the carpets, leaving the confine of the bedroom, where they had been since the day previous. As they moved on into the living room they stopped abruptly, in tandem with what the eyes had seen, and the body had experienced. Inoue Orihime looked full on at what was happening on the couch, her breath catching, and her heart slowing a little in her chest. She would not allow them to see the sharp strike it had made in her heart, but rather, would just allow it to look as though it were no surprise. She had already guessed this was true, hadn't she? She had already thought she had know Kurosaki-kun's feelings...and Kuchiki-san's feelings....so, why did it feel as though someone had dropped a lead weight into her stomach?

At the slight noise, Rukia glanced up from where her head rested against Ichigo's chest. "Inoue..." It took a second or two for her to realize how awkward it must have been for the other girl, and bit her lip slightly. Well....despite the fact that the other girl had feelings of some sort of Ichigo, she didn't look that surprised. So maybe... "Are you...feeling alright? Since the other night, I mean?" That was it. Pleasent conversation. That should diffuse any tension in the air.

Looking back over to the door, a small smile appeared on his face. "Hey." His hand slipped despite himself, lying loosely behind Rukia as he turned in his seat. "...you okay?" The fact she seemed to be moving around was a good enough sign. But as he'd found out before, Inoue seemed to be good at hiding things.

Orihime looked up from her contemplations, quickly slapping a bright smile upon her face. "Yeah. I'm feeling quite better...thank you, Kurosaki-kun...Kuchiki-san." She tried to smile even brighter, as she looked about the room, trying to find a way out. Maybe she should go for a walk. There would be no harm in that, and it would get her away from the two of them, and help her sort her thoughts. Maybe she could find out why this was ripping her insides up like she had swallowed a feral cat. Going to the door, she slid on her shoes, turning back to them for a moment. "I'm going to go out for a walk around the building. I'll be back in a bit. I wanna stretch my legs. I was in the room so long without moving, that they are starting to cramp."

"Alright...I guess you probably do feel a bit cramped. Be careful though, Inoue.." Everything...seemed alright. And it was good that the girl wanted to go out and be active, right? She smiled. "And you don't have to thank us, Inoue. We're your friends. Friends take care of each other." Turning to flash a smile at Ichigo, she cocked her head to one side. "Right, Ichigo?"

"...yeah," he muttered offhandedly in response to Rukia. His eyes never left Inoue however, waiting for some sign that...what? He wasn't sure what he was waiting for. But something inside him told him something was wrong. Despite the fact she seemed to be wanting to leave, he couldn't help by mutter a serious, "...Inoue, can we talk? Later?"

Orihime nodded, with a smile. "Sure, Kurosaki-kun...we can." She placed her hand on the doorknob, turning it slightly. "I'll see you guys later..and I'll be sure to be careful." And with this, the orangey-haired girl slid out the door and from sight, into the hallways, and the night of the City.

She watched as the other girl slipped out into the night, eyes worried. Snuggling closer to Ichigo, her hand sought his. "Do you...think she's alright?"

He remained watching the door, even after it'd clicked shut. Turning back eventually, he gave a half-smile. "She'll be alright." Okay, so maybe he was lying through his teeth, but that didn't matter. He'd take care of it the first moment he got.

She nodded. It was a lie, and she could tell. But...she knew Ichigo. And she knew that he'd be determined to take care of it all himself. So instead of arguing, she just nodded and snuggled her head up against his chest again with a yawn. "Mmm....wish I could just sleep here tonight. It's comfortable....I can hear your heartbeat."

He'd agree. He really would. The only trouble with that was the fact that a certain child-like arrancar would be dropping by that evening. It'd been a hard enough task trying to convince her that she wasn't hate. But for him to suddenly retract his promise would screw things up completely. "For now..."

"Nell's coming over, isn't she?" Though she was loath to leave his arms, she didn't want him to feel as though he would have to choose whether to make her happy or keep a promise made with the child. "Even just for now is ok, Ichigo. I wouldn't want Nell to think that she's not welcome here, or anything." Nuzzling in, she sighed and closed her eyes, listening to the steady rhythem of his heart.

"...yeah." And it'd taken a lot to make even that happen. "I'll explain everything to her soon though. She knows some of it already, so it can't be that hard, right?" Seeing as Nell had already seen the post that Rukia had made the day before.

"No....it shouldn't be.....she's a....nice kid.....wish.....she didn't....hate me......" As much as she wanted to stay awake, to savor every moment she had to spend with Ichigo, the argument and fight from earlier had taken more of a toll on her then she'd realized. Not to mention the fact that she hadn't slept much at all the night before. Whichever it was, she slipped seamlessly into sleep within a few moments, cuddled contentedly against him on the couch.

A look of amusement passed over him as he watched Rukia slowly falling asleep. Shifting into a more comfortable position, he found himself content to simply sit there and let the shorter shinigami get some rest. He'd take care of things later. For now, he'd just...relax.