Bleach 1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"Ichigo-kun?" Orihime leaned over into Ichigo. Her face was only a couple inches away from Ichigo's. Her eyes reflected worry and sorrow and she reached her hand forward and touched his cheek lightly, as if trying to find where he really was.

Ichigo blinked.

"Huh?" He said. His eyes returned from the dreamy state they had been in a few seconds ago. He noticed how close Orihime was and backed up a little. Orihime noticed and leaned back as well, taking her hand back and wrapping it in her other arm. She looked down, her eyes showed pain and loneliness. Ichigo noticed, but he didn't know what to say. He looked down as well, trying to think of a way to lighten the air.

"Ichigo-kun...where are you?" Orihime asked. She hadn't planned on asking at all. But the pain had gotten too strong. She couldn't bear another moment of watching Ichigo be anywhere but with her.

"What?" Ichigo asked.

"You're not here Ichigo-kun. All the time you're somewhere else. You're in your own world." Orihime looked down. "You seem happier over there than with me." She uttered the words. The words came down on Ichigo like daggers. They were forcing him to face it. The events that he relived every day to keep the aching hole in his chest under control. The story he used so he could maintain the mask that kept everyone else from worrying about him.

'You're so stupid.' He told himself. He had tried dating Orihime because she often seemed clueless and he thought she might not notice. But she had, it turned out that she wasn't so clueless after all.

"And when you look at me, you don't see me. You see someone else. I know there's someone else." Orihime said. The words stabbed Ichigo's heart where the hole was, making the hold even wider. But his mask seemed to get thinner. Yes, there was someone else. But no, Ichigo had never intended on letting her get in the way of him moving on. He could tell that he hadn't succeeded or gotten close. She still haunted him everywhere he went. Her face was everywhere, her voice was everywhere. He could still even feel the brush of her hair against his shoulder and the touch of her lips against his. And to think that he had tried to forget all of this.

"...Tell me Ichigo-kun. Where do you go all the time?" Orihime leaned in again. This time, Ichigo didn't lean away. "What can you not let go?"

"...It's a really long story. It might take forever to finish." Ichigo said uneasily. He was desperate to get them away from the story. What had happened to him in highschool.

"Ichigo-kun, I can wait." Orihime said again.

Ichigo sighed. He knew he wasn't going to convince Orihime out of this. The hole in his chest started to ache again. The mask he had taken so long to build, started to melt away, revealing the pain he had felt all the years without her around. All the regret, sorrow, pain, and selfishness that had been hidden was starting to reappear. Orihime could see it surfacing. She held his hand and squeezed it to let him know that she was there for him.

"We...we first met when I...when we were both 8." Ichigo started.

* * *

I was helping my dad out around at our hospital since Karin and Yuzu were still a little too young and Mom wasn't around. I was doing the small jobs like taking out the trash and sweeping the floors when she came. Now that I think about it, she had come from a rich family that went to those big expensive hosptials, so it was a coincidence that we had ever crossed paths at all.

She came with another boy who was standing next to her, looking a little portective. Her childhood friend Abarai Renji. I concluded and went on to finish my job.

"Kurosaki-sensei! Rukia's hurt!" He hollored, completely ignoring the other patients that had been waiting way before him and the baby that started to cry. (Sensei is used for doctors too.)

She had a small towel covering a spot a little above her left eye. She held it down on the injury and waited in a seat in the corner quietly while Renji got help. She was looking around with her right eye when she spotted me. She got off the seat and walked up to me while I put away my broom.

"...Aren't you in Renji's class?" She asked cocking her head to the side in a girly way that I still can't belive she could do.

"Yeah." I replied.

"So you're Kurosaki-kun." She said nodding.

"He talks about me?"

"He said that you were an orange strawberry that knows no manners." She said and giggled. "At least the orange strawberry part is true."

"Shut up." I said annoyed. I turned around about to leave.

"I guess the no manner part is true too." She added.

I turned around. "You called me a name, I have every right to be rude to you."

"You have a point." Rukia said. "I guess you're right."

"Hey, Rukia!" Renji called. He pointed to my Dad who had just won another trophy.

'He probably thinks he scored.' I thought. I knew this because every time a guy with some nice looking clothes had come in, he had been extra nice and had treated them first. Of course he was well-liked so people forgave him and still came to our place. He had always called the rich people who came, trophies, and I knew that Rukia was probably going to be another one of his trophies as well.

Renji followed Rukia into the Dad's office, or that's what he called it anyway. They came out a few minutes later. Rukia had a bandage above her eye that was covered by a couple locks of hair as black as the night sky. She looked over at me and smiled as she walked over. Renji followed her.

"Yo Ichigo!" Renji said waving a hand.

"Yo." I said without much expression. "So, Renji. What did you tell her about me?" I said pointing at Rukia.

"Oh not much." Renji said laughing. "You see she...!" He stopped and grabbed onto his foot. "Ow!" He shouted.

"Let's go Renji! Bye bye Ichigo-kun!" Rukia waved as she dragged Reni with her out the door.

* * *

I didn't see her after that. Renji mentioned her occasionaly but that was about it.

I didn't see her again until I was 11. I had just started middle school. I was walking home after school when I ran into her.

"Kya!" She fell back and I caught her before she fell. "Huh...?" She looked at my face and blushed. I stared at her, or stared down at her. She had either gotten shorter or I had gotten taller. Whichever it was, it didn't really matter.

"Hey, what do you know? It's Rukia of all people." I said sarcasticaly.

"What's that suppoused to mean?" There was anger in her voice as she pushed my hands off her.

"Means I didn't excpect to see you."

"You defininetly don't know your manners." She snarled as she brushed some dirt off her private school uniform.

"At least I'm not a short in height and temper." I replied. "And you should be thankful to me for saving you from falling."

"Don't call me short! You're just too goddamn tall!" Rukia shouted.

"Oh, for a rich kid in a private school you have a foul mouth."

"Shut up!"

"Well if you're around Renji I guess I can't blame you."

"Renji isn't as bad as you are." She turned around and tried to stomp away.

"Hey, no one is bad as Renji. Not even me." I retroted.

"There are a million stars in the sky, Ichigo. It wouldn't be surprising if one of them happend to be the one." Rukia said with a mischevious smile on her face before she rounded the corner and was gone.

"?" I stared at the corner where she had dissapeared for a long time.

* * *

"So long actually." Ichigo said chuckling. "That my Dad actually beat me really bad when I got home." He said. He had noticed that it had gotten easier as he talked more, so he decided not to stop and keep on going. The hole in his chest filled just a little bit, but it was still there. His expression relaxed a little. Orihime noticed as well, and her expression relaxed.

She looked out the window of Ichigo's room where they were sitting. The stars twinkled against the pitch black sky.

'Rukia-san was right. It wouldn't have been surprising at all.' Orihime thought.

* * *

First Ichiruki story!

Second Bleach story!

Inspriations: Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard and I'd do Anything by Simple Plan

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Ichigo, Rukia, or anything other than the plot.

Please review people! I want to know if this story would be likeable. I thought it up after listening to Ocean Avenue and then I'd do Anything on shuffle in my ipod. (The miracles of the ipod.)

I'm going to have a ton of fun with this story. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I didn't start really seeing her again until I started high school. It was in homeroom, I sat in my assigned seat when I noticed who was sitting next to me.

"...What a surprise." She said when she saw me. "To think that we would be in the same high school." She didn't really seem to be talking to me since she was staring out the window the whole time.

"I'm equally shocked." I replied. It wasn't a surprise that I was sitting next to her since our last names were similar. (Kurosaki and Kuchiki) Rukia laughed.

"So Renji didn't tell you then."

"Tell me what?"

"It's a secret."

"..."

"So, what have you been up to lately?" Rukia asked finally looking me in the eye for once.

"Nothing really. The usual." I said leaning back in my chair.

"The usual?"

"You know, working at the hospital, doing my homework."

"...I don't mean to be rude but, is your hair color natrual?" Rukia asked randomly.

"..."

"Sorry, that was random wasn't it." Rukia blushed in embarassment.

"It was." I replied bluntly. "But yeah it's natural."

"I thought so. You didn't seem to be the type who would dye their hair looking for attention." Rukia said.

"Hey! You 2 over there! Enough witht the romance!" The teacher shouted over to us. We both jumped and turned away from each other.

"Sorry sir but there was no romance." I managed to say but Rukia stayed silent. The rest of the class grinned and laughed at us, which pissed me off a little.

When class ended, I was relieved and quickly left the classroom. But my relief was short because it turns out that Renji, Rukia, and I are the only ones who live in the same direction.

* * *

"So guess who I had to walk home with?" Ichigo laughed slightly. Orihime laughed too.

"That must've been hard." She replied.

"Yeah, it was." Ichigo said. "...At first."

* * *

"Why do I have to walk home with _you_ guys?" I mumbled, hands in pockets as I stomped a few feet ahead of them.

"What can we do? We live in the same direction." Renji asked.

"You hate us?" Rukia asked looking surprised.

'That surprised face is pissing me off...' I thought as I looked back at her.

"...No." I finally said.

Renji had a look on his face that said, 'Now _that's_ a lie.' But he didn't say anything so the subject dropped.

After a while of walking in silence, Renji suddenly said, "See you guys!"

"What?" I asked.

"From here, I go this way and you 2 go that way." He said pointing to the streets liking he was talking to a first grader.

"Don't act like I'm an idiot." I said.

"Well, anyways bye. And don't do anything perverted" Renji said and walked away leaving me and Rukia alone.

"Why would we!?" We both shouted at the same time.

We walked in silence for a long time.

'Renji...' I thought to myself, still pissed.

"...Kurosaki-kun..." Rukia said.

"Huh?"

"Oh! Nothing!" Rukia said. "...Hey look, the sun's setting." Rukia's eyes looked past me to the sky that was a brilliant red.

"It's nice." I replied bluntly.

"Stupid." She said. "For things like these you need to use words like beautiful at the least." She said as if to scold me. I scowled at her.

After walking a little more, she pointed to another road.

"My house is this way." Rukia was about to turn around when I stopped her.

"Are you going to be alright on your own?" The words came out without thinking and I was about to tell her to forget it when she spoke.

"Renji used to walk all the way with me since he was worried. So if you want to, you can escort me back too." Rukia said looking at me excpectantly.

_"As if." I said snorting._

Or at least that was what I wanted to do. I thought as I walked with her all the way to her house.

'Dad's going to kill me for being late.' I thought. 'And if I told her what I really was doing he wouldn't shut up for the next 4 weeks...' I thought to myself.

"We're here." Rukia interrupted my train of thoughts.

'WHAT!!' I thought when I saw her 4 story mansion. I stared at her, my mouth moving without any words coming out.

"Oh, stop it." Rukia said brushing me off. "I wouldn't live here if I had a choice." She said.

'Well I sure as hell would!' I thought as I stared at her.

"Anyways, thank you." Rukia said waving. "You'll escort me back everyday from now on won't you?" She asked.

"What?" I asked.

"I thought you would." She said and closed the gate. "You don't have to come pick me up for school though, so don't worry." Rukia whispered. Then she turned around and ran about a mile through gardens and into her house or more like castle.

"Leave you idiot!" She called from the other side of the gardens when she was at the door. I glared at her, although she probably couldn't see it anyway and left running so I wouldn't be too late to dinner.

'Maybe he would beat me less then.' I thought as I ran faster than I probably ever had in my life.

* * *

"...She owed me a lot for sure." Ichigo laughed. "When I got back, my Dad beat the crap out of me and then I had to think up an excuse, which no one believed anyway."

"You walked with her every day?" Orihime asked.

"Yup. Everyday...or every school day. I only saw her at homeroom and after school." Ichigo said. "It wasn't a lot of time." He said. "At that time, it was the worst times of my life."

'But...it became your best times didn't it? Even now, those times will forever be better than your time with me.' Orihime almost said those words, but decided against it, not wanting to hurt him. "...I, will never be able to beat her.' She thought and closed her eyes.

'What are you doing?' She asked Rukia in her mind.

* * *

I hope you all like this story.

I already have the end in mind. (In my opinion it's a really good ending so don't give up on me.)

Review please! I know there's a lot of Ichiruki stories so mine will be hard to find. But if you were lucky enough to, then review and let me know what you think so I can be a better writer!

Be one of my stars and review please! (Even if you don't want to be my star!)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Hey." I turned around to see Renji running after me.

"What?" I asked.

"So..." He said and then gave me a look that I didn't quite like. "What do you think about Rukia?"

"What?" I asked shocked. Where had he gotten that idea?

"Don't play stupid, you know you have the hots for her." He says teasingly as he elbows me in the chest.

"Where the hell did you get that idea?" I yell at him.

"He's right." I hear a voice behind me and literally freeze.

"Aw, c'mon Rukia. Y'know I was just teasing." Renji says as he walks off.

"I apologize about Renji." Rukia says as she walks up right next to me. "I hope he didn't embarass you."

'Why's she talking so polite like a Mother apologizing for her son's behaivior?' I think to myself as I tell her it's no problem.

She smiles and we walk to school together. Of course I make sure to put space between us so no one else will ask annoying questions. She doesn't seem to mind, or rather she seems to know my motives and doesn't object.

In homeroom, it seems that I'm the only one who's still tense is me. Which kind of makes me angry, although I'm not quite sure why. I'm so fogged up with my own thoughts that I don't hear Urahara-sensei talking to me.

"Huh?" I blink and look up at him; he looks very mad.

"I'm sorry Kuraosaku-kun, but since you weren't paying attention I guess you'll have to stay afterschool." He says. "Now as I was saying..." He continues his speech.

I groan and my classmates snicker at me. Rukia giggles a little too, and this makes me a little ashamed.

* * *

After school, I'm sitting at the class room waiting for the teacher to come back when Rukia pokes her head in the room.

"...Rukia?" I asked as I stare at her in disbelief. She should've been long gone by now.

"Shhh." She orders as she comes into the room. "I've talked to Urahara-sensei." She whispers.

"What?" I ask.

"He'll let you get away with it once, so let's get out before you cause any trouble or attract any attention." She smiles mischeviously as she grabs my hand and pulls me out of the classroom.

"Wait! But how did you...?"

"No explanations!" Rukia orders as she pulls me to the stairs and starts skipping down.

"Okay..." I pause and make sure no one's around. "Then how about 'Why?', Rukia." I say as we get down the stairs.

"I can't go home without my escort, can I?"

"Can't Renji do it?"

"He had karate classes or something and Byakuya would flip if he found out I was walking home alone." Rukia says casually.

"Byakuya?"

"My brother." She says as we exit the gates. We stop a couple blocks away.

"...You can let go of my hand now." I finally say after a while.

"Oh! Sorry!" She quickly let go of my hand. "I forgot." She says.

"Forgot what?" I ask.

She laughs. "Well, I guess that conversation that morning is non-existent in your mind."

"...Oh, that. Yeah, that's okay." I say quickly. "A small price to pay for you getting me out of there."

"...Now, " She puts her hand up and I stare at it in confusion. "...will you escort me back home, sir?" She has a coy expression as she waits.

I'm silent and sorta glare at her, but I take her hand anyway and we walk home together.

"You still owe me." She says.

"What!? Isn't this enough?" I ask, having a heart attack thinking what she might do next.

"Your reaction was what they call, 'bona fide'." She says as they reach her house.

'What does that mean...?' I think as I let go of her hand.

"Well, thank you fine sir." She says as she types in the pin to her gate.

"Stop it with the 'sir' thing already." I say as I turn around. She smiles before running off into the mile-long garden to her 3-story mansion.

* * *

"I later found out that 'bona fide' meant genuine or authentic." He smiles. "Which might have been true afterall."

Orihime laughs remembering how 'funny' and 'genuine' Ichigo's face was and how that made her fall in love with him.

"Bona fide." She says.

"Bona fide." He repeats.

* * *

"Hey Dad, you know who 'Byakuya' is?" I ask as I put my school bag down.

"YOU IDIOT!" He shouts as he round kicks him in the face. "EVERYONE KNOWS KUCHIKI BYAKUYA!"

"TH..." I got up. "THEN TELL ME WHO THE HELL HE IS!" I yelled as I punched him to the ground.

"...Oh yeah, he's the owner of a big company. They sell health insurance for us and other hospitals. I think he has a little sister about your age." He thinks.

"Yeah, I know her." I say.

"Oh, that's nice. Are you getting _friendly _with her?" He asks raising his eyebrows. I slap him this time.

"She's just in my class, alright?" I say.

"That was too defensive for my liking." He says. "Karin! Yuzu! Our Ichigo's growing up!"

"SHUT IT!" I yell as I throw my Dad across the room. I can hear Yuzu and Karin in the back in their pajamas getting ready for bed. They poke their heads out to look at me.

"What's going on?" Yuzu says and yawns.

"Ichigo's getting it on, I guess." Karin says as she turns to leave.

"What?" Yuzu looks worried.

"JUST GO TO BED!" I yelled embarassed. Eventually I just go home and sleep.

* * *

"I kinda hated her that night."

"Kinda?" Orihime asks.

"Well, I couldn't truly hate her. Not then, not now, not ever." He laughed a kinda sad laugh that echoed in Orihime's ear for the longest time.

"But I hated Byakuya for a while."

* * *

Too bad this story isn't too popular right now. But I hope it will!

Maybe it's a little cliffie-ish but I dunno.

Please review people!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Byakuya. What could I say about him? He was exactly what you would call a gentleman, always polite, a man of few words. But he was... cold. I didn't know why, but he acted like it.

"What's up with your brother?" I asked as I walked with Rukia.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Rukia asked back. Ugh...I hate when people answer your questions with another question.

"I don't know... he seems alone... and sad sometimes."

"Have you been observing him or something?" Answering with another question again.

"Could you just answer the question!?" I asked annoyed now.

"Okay, Ichigo..." Rukia motioned for me to calm down. "I guess he is a little. He lost Hisana, his wife a couple of years ago to a sickness no one could identify. Or so I've heard."

"So you've heard?"

"Byakuya doesn't like to talk about it. And I was brought into the family a year after she died. I lived with Renji before that."

"Okay..." I said, I learned more than I ever wanted to know.

"Sorry, I said too much."

"No, I was stupid to ask."

We walked in silence for a while.

When I reached her house, Rukia stopped.

"Get back here!" Rukia whispered loudly as she pulled my sleeve harshly and got me behind a wall, her body pressing against mine.

"Rukia...?" It seemed that I was the only one who noticed how awkward the situation actually was. She was too absorbed in the thing at her house.

I craned my neck to see what it was.

"Byakuya...?" I whispered.

"He can't see you with me!" Rukia replied.

"Why? Does he think I'm going to take advantage of you?" I asked.

"He thinks every guy is going to take advantage of me." She replied back, leaning on me.

"Except Renji."

"Well I've lived with him for a while and there was no problems so Byakuya trusts him." Rukia said as she waited for him to leave.

"Rukia..." I finally said. "You don't have to be laying on top of me like that."

"Oh my god! I'm sorry!" Rukia jerked back, her face red.

"Indeed, you are right." Byakuya said.

We both stood still. I nearly had a heart attack, hearing Byakuya's voice, but Rukia seemed to be having something far worse.

"Byakuya nii-san." Rukia managed.

"Who is _he_?" He said it like a disapproving noble would if they caught their daughter with a peasant. Although that was what was pretty much happening.

"I'm Ichigo." I intervened before Rukia could say a word.

"Ichigo!" She whispered loudly, glaring furiously at me.

"Why are you with my little sister?" Byakuya asked, ignoring Rukia. His eyes were ice cold, but his expression was blank.

"I walk her home now." I replied bluntly.

"Ichigo!" Rukia hissed between gritted teeth.

"You didn't mention this..." Byakuya glanced over at Rukia again.

"I-I'm sorry!" Rukia quickly bowed down.

"Then what happened to Renji walking you?"

"He moved and his house is in a completely different direction, so since Ichigo's house is closer, we decided to let him walk me."

'Wait a second, my house isn't that close! You're making me walk double!' I thought, but this time I kept my mouth shut.

"I still don't see why you couldn't tell me." Byakuya said with a hint of disappointment which seemed to hurt Rukia a lot.

"I'm sorry. I just knew you wouldn't approve."

"Of course I wouldn't. How can I trust him?"

'Everyone at school isn't Keigo, dude.' I thought to myself as I stood there. 'Or Chizuru for that matter.'

"Well, for one thing he's gotten me back home safely so far."

"How do you know that he's not tricking you so that when you fully trust him, he will attack you?"

"But...!"

"Would you guys stop acting like I'm not here?" I finally shouted, annoyed at Byakuya for talking like I was some nasty pervert.

They stared at me, just remembering that I was here.

"... Anyway" He grabbed Rukia's wrist. "Tomorrow I better not see him." He turned around and took Rukia with him back to their mansion.

Rukia gave me one last glance. It was apologetic (expected), annoyed (expected), and longing (NOT expected).

I felt a tingle run down my spine. I just coughed up a barely audible, "Bye Rukia." And left.

When I got home, I dodged the usual attack from Dad and escaped to my room. In the distance I could hear my Dad discussing my strange behavior to Yuzu and Karin, but for once, I didn't care.

I had homework. NOW, I remember. I got up unwillingly and dragged myself over to my desk and tried to concentrate. But everything seemed to remind me of her.

She had told me WAY too much about her life, that was for sure.

Whenever I saw 4 on the paper, I remember how she told me that some buildings in japan skip the number 4 because it's bad luck. (4 equals death or something.)

Today's biology homework's example had to do with rabbits, Rukia's favorite animal.

And not to mention, the KUCHIKI family mark is on every frickin' thing from textbooks to notebooks to even some of my pencils!

She had become an inevitable part of my life and I hadn't even fought it. I put my face to my palm. I wasn't mad, just annoyed.

I finished each assignment in twice the time it should've took and barely got any sleep.

I really hated Byakuya Kuchiki.

And God, please make me sick so I don't have to go to school tomorrow.

* * *

"Did you have to go to school?" Orihime asked.

"Duh. If I don't want to go, there's no way I'd get sick." Ichigo replied.

"Do you still see Kuchiki on everything?"

"No, I make a point not to... but it had the opposite effect."

"Opposite?"

"Now every time I see a different company, Kuchiki's in my mind again."

"Oh." Orihime paused. "You know, Byakuya sounds like a misunderstood man."

"That he was." Ichigo agreed.

* * *

Chapter done!

I'm sad to say that this story isn't very popular and if it is, then 80 percent of the people reading are not reviewing or favoring or anything for that matter.

It's probably because unlike Hitsumatsu, Ichiruki is DEAD popular.

Oh well, review please! Every review makes me happy!


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Bleach, Romance