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Honey and Maple Syrup: Chap. 7

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Six Years Ago…

“Rukia,” Ichigo stated one night while flipping through his magazine. He lay sideways on his bed so he had perfect view of the shinigami in front of him. He glanced up from the glossy pages to see the raven-haired girl staring up at him, waiting for him to continue.

It’s now or never. He HAD to know.

“Who was that man that Byakuya said I looked like before you went away?” he questioned curiously before leaning over a bit suspecting that her answer would be very soft.

Her eyes down casted. “He was no one,” she replied.

“He has to be someone,” Ichigo chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed that the room became a few degrees colder. “I mean he can’t be no one….Why would your brother of all people know about him? He must have been important somehow. Who was he?”

“No one, Ichigo. Just finish reading.”

“Come on, Rukia,” he pushed. “Just tell me something about him and then I’ll never ask about him again.”

Rukia rolled her eyes and looked away. “His name was Kaien,” she finally answered. “He was my captain’s former vice captain. He died.”

She looked back down at her magazine and continued to flip the pages, not paying to any of the words or pictures on the page. Why would Ichigo ask such a question?

“How did he die?” he asked next.

“Why do you want to know?” Rukia asked.

“Why won’t you tell me?”

“It’s bigger than you, Ichigo,” she told him coldly. “It’s not something that you think you can go and change. Don’t think you can because you can’t.”

“Are you talking about me or you?” was his next question.

She looked up at him suddenly her eyes full of hatred. “I was talking about…” she stated firmly though her eyes betrayed her. Ichigo saw it. Who was this guy? And how had he made Rukia feel like this?

“Who was he?” Ichigo asked slowly.

Rukia knew that no matter how hard she tried she would never win this fight. She knew that eventually she would have to tell Ichigo about Kaien. It was better she then someone else after all.

“Kaien was thelieutenant of Captain Ukitake’s squad. His wife was, Miyako, was my idol. I wanted to be just like her. She was beautiful, smart, kind…

“The first day I met him...I was so nervous. Everyone believed that because I was adopted into a noble family that I was just another one of those jerks that think they’re better than everyone else. I wasn’t and still am not that way. I was nervous about meeting my captain.

“I mean, what would he think of me? A shinigami, barely out of the Soul Academy just because her older brother had arranged it to be in his squad? I fully understood that he might not want me.

“But I didn’t get to meet the captain that day. I met someone else. I met Lieutenant Kaien. He treated as if I was just some other worthless shinigami. It was that sense of normalcy I needed.”

She continued on with her story as Ichigo leaned forward, listening. He didn’t want to miss this. He had been wondering for quite some time now about that man. Kaien was his name. Why had Byakuya said he had “A striking resemblance to him” and why had Rukia reacted the way she did.

Did he look like him?

Was she in love with this Kaien?

But he was married and she admired his wife. Because she was nice, kind, beautiful but mostly because she was with him, a little voice in the back of his mind whispered.

She went on about a mission that Kaien’s wife had been given. She told him of the hollow attack and how Miyako had slain her own men, because the hollow had taken over her.

She said that Kaien went after her with herself and Captain Ukitake in tow. When they had arrived, Miyako was dead. And he attacked the hollow just to be slain himself. The hollow took over his body and she was told to run away.

“But I went back,” she said, her eyes sad as rain. “It was raining and I felt so cold. I was afraid. I didn’t want Kaien’s body to be treated like that. So I went back. And the hollow came down and I stabbed him.”

Ichigo went forward a bit more.

“Before Kaien died, he regained consciousness and told me thank you and he was glad that he could leave his heart with me. But I deserved no thanks. I didn’t go back because I HAD to save him. I went back because I was scared to lose him. I only saved myself that night. No one elseespecially Kaien. That’s it. That’s the story. Happy?”

She ended sarcastically but Ichigo could sense grief behind those violet eyes. Who was this guy? And how did he make Rukia feel this way? Was he that important? Did she love him?

And that led to something else. Would she cry or feel grief if he died? And if she did, what did that mean? Did it mean that she loved him?

He smirked. Yeah, right. She wouldn’t grief and she doesn’t and couldn’t love him. Simple as that.

But still the question nagged at him. “Why did Byakuya say that I have a striking resemblance to him?” was his next question.

She smiled slightly not looking up from her magazine. “Because,” she replied casually, “you look exactly like him, except his hair was much darker than yours, Strawberry.”

He nodded and went back to his magazine.

Hours later, the questions still ran through his mind. Had Rukia really been in love? And with a guy who was, one, married and two, looked exactly like Ichigo? It didn’t seem right. That wasn’t like Rukia. Of course this was before she was probably all bottled up and never told her feelings to anyone. Hell, that probably WAS the reason she was that way.

He laid there, the moon shining on his ceiling, stars sparkling outside pondering the thoughts. And then, he had to tell her something. He had to tell her SOMETHING that might finally break that wall she had built, glued, cemented, locked, and threw away the key, around that lonely heart of hers.

He got out of bed and walked over to her closet. He pulled it open to find her sleeping figure inside. “Rukia?” he said ever so quietly.

But it was just enough.

An eye lid popped open. “What do you want, Ichigo? Idiot, it’s too late to talk. Go back to bed.”

She rolled over so she was facing the other way.

“Rukia,” he said again.

“What!?”

“I wanted to tell you, that even if some hollow takes over my body and kills me,” he told her, very calm to say the least. “I never want you to think that I died as a shinigami to be your fault. You came here and gave me a purpose. Okay?”

She smiled slightly; sleep still clinging to her violet orbs.

“Alright,” she replied.

“Good.” He started to head back to bed when a voice stopped him.

It said, “Just don’t let your wife go out and try to fight a hollow that has killed every other shinigami it’s faced.”

“I won’t.”

He looked back at her and grinned. A cocky, I-know-what-I’m-doing grin. “Yeah,” he told her. “I’ll never let anything happen to you either.”

She smiled.

And he smiled.

And then, somewhere up above, a smiling former Lieutenant and his wife grinned, watching the girl they had loved so much finally break that wall that surrounded her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Indeed, Ichigo had arrived at the scene just three minutes after one of the nurses told him that his pregnant wife needed him. It seemed very strange that that would happen, considering his work was nearly forty five minutes away from the “scene of the crime” in the terms Ichigo called it.

And indeed, there were six traffic tickets that fell out of Ichigo’s jean pockets as he pulled out his cell phone to call the clinic and say that he would need the rest of the day off.

Two nights later, after Orihime had successfully healed Rita and Rita had received a shower of compliments, Rukia, Rita, Ichigo, Byakuya, Orihime, and Uryuu went out to where ever Rita wanted.

After much thought and several hours on the internet, phone book, and Rukia’s nerves (though Rukia was still too touched to get that annoyed) she decided that she wanted to go to the ramen shop down the street.

Out of all the places they ended up at just a plain restaurant down the street.

Rukia let Rita explore her closet, touching different dresses and whatever else she thought was “So pretty!” and had to try on. In the end, she had picked out a light blue sundress thin straps and two huge, white daisies on it. Then, she sat down at Rukia’s dresser while Rukia did her hair.

She had very soft hair, Rukia noticed as she pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail.

“Rukia,” Rita said. “Thanks so much again for doing this for me. You wouldn’t believe how many nice things the captain has paged me. She said I was doin’ a real good job…”

Rukia smiled as the girl, not looking older than fifteen or sixteen years old, rambled on and on about how much she loved it here.

…………………………………………………………………….

Four and a Half Years Ago…

They had been forced to do this. It was just a dare. Just a dare…just a dare…

That’s what Ichigo kept telling himself as he waited at the table for a certain raven-haired shinigami. He twiddled his thumbs. Damn, why am I so nervous? He thought.

It had been a simple truth or dare game at lunchtime on Friday. Ichigo shouldn’t have even been INVOLVED if it wasn’t for that damn girl that was late at this point.

Keigo had wanted to play truth or dare. And Ichigo, of course, said no. So, Keigo had asked Rukia, Tatsuki, Orihime, along with every other one of their group to join.

And so, reluctantly, Ichigo had joined along.

And of course he would pick dare (who would be a sissy enough NOT to pick dare). And of course a selected few of his classmates had huddled up contemplating the possibilities. And they had come up with this.

“Are you just going to sit there and act like an idiot, or are you actually going to try and act polite tonight?” a sour voice asked from behind him

He stood up to see a glaring Rukia. Her arms crossed over a light blue sun dress with thin straps and two huge daises on it and her hair up in a messy ponytail, she seethed.

SHE was the problem.

Not only did the dare involve her. It involved her in the most uncomfortable situation! He had to go out on a date with her.

Wait let’s repeat it: He had to take her out on a date!

It was…was…unthinkable. Them?On a date? What was wrong with this? Shouldn’t they be out fighting a hollow or something rather than sitting in this Italian restaurant thinking of just HOW uncomfortable they were?

“Yeah, whatever.” He pulled the chair out for her and she sat down. He shot his tongue out at the back of her head before he sat back down at his assigned seat.

They didn’t speak.

They ordered and they sat there in pure silence. It weighed down on them like the weight of not being able to breathe underwater. When their food came, both picked at it wondering when this night would be over.

Ichigo actually looked decent tonight, Rukia thought picking up a bit of rice. He was wearing a nice shirt and slacks. It was a change.

It seemed that in the past few months things had felt different between them. She was always mad about something and usually took her anger out on him. He had suffered what seemed to be “stomach pains” too in the past month. Every time the brushed by each other or near each other, Ichigo’s heart would race, his sixteen year old hormones would shoot, rocket high.

And to resolve those emotions they would talk…yell…and eventually scream.

She actually looks and is acting civilized tonight, Ichigo thought sipping his drink.

They went on a while not speaking.

Ichigo thought back to that day when it happened. Keigo knew that Ichigo would have played if Rukia did. Not because he wanted to, it was because Rukia was too ignorant to even know how to play. So, technically this was all HER fault.

And he repeated his thought out loud, very low so she wouldn’t hear. “This is all your fault, you know,” he whispered.

She heard it.

“Excuse me?” she questioned looking up from her dinner. “I believe this is YOUR fault considering the fact that it was YOUR dare that got us here.”

Keep your cool, Ichigo, he thought wearily.

“Yes, but if you wouldn’t have showed up to play I would’ve had to play. Therefore this is entirely YOUR fault.” She glared dropping her fork and folding her arms.

“I can take care of myself. And I’m not in control of you,” she said. “You didn’t have to play.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then why don’t you draw it for me so I can.”

Their voices were quite loud by now, causing a few disturbances in the restaurant. “Crap,” Ishida said at another table with Orihime across the way; they weren’t sent to go and spy on the two shinigami. So far, the whole “love connection” thing wasn’t working.

Ichigo stood up and slammed his hands down on the table. “This is YOUR FAULT!!” he yelled.

Rukia stood up also. “YOURS!” she cried, like a two year old.

Several waiters were headed over to check on the “happy” couple.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU, ICHIGO!!” she yelled.

“YOU’RE SUCH AN IDIOT!!” he screamed.

“I HATE YOU!!”

“NOT AS MUCH AS I HATE YOU!!”

Those feelings stirred as they yelled. Stomachs dropped and hearts raced.

It was now or never.

So, she did it

“DO YOU WANT TO KISS ME AS MUCH AS I WANT TO KISS YOU?!!!” she yelled grabbing the edge of the table cloth.

“I’M SURPRISED SOMEONE AS SMART AS YOU WOULD HAVE TO ASK!!!” he yelled back.

And suddenly Rukia had her hand in his orange hair and he had his hands planted firmly on her shoulders, their lips smashing up against one another’s.

It was a very unexpected first kiss to say the least.

Yet, neither one of them pulled away.

Screaming to kissing, ironically, that’s what you call love.

Mission accomplished, thought Ishida.

………………………………………………………………

Dinner was nice. They ate while talking and laughing, all except Byakuya who kept glancing Rita’s way. He had been staring at her for quite some time. Rukia was about to give him a hard time about it saying things like “Ooo, Nii-sama has a little crush” or simply, “Byakuya quit staring, it’s rude” but she rejected against the idea. He was probably trying to figure her out.

He was a strange man, Rukia concluded.

“Where is Rei, anyhow?” Rukia asked, eating some rice.

“She’s at Mr. Kurosaki’s house,” Orihime replied. “I went through the whole phone book and not one babysitter was available tonight. And I remembered that Mr. Kurosaki said that he would watch Rei any time so…I just left her with him.”

Ichigo almost chocked. “My father?” he croaked. “Are you sure that you wanted to do that? I mean when our kid is born, my father will be the last resort for a babysitter. And I mean LAST.”

Orihime chucked. “Your father’s really nice, and he likes kids. I’m sure Rei will be fine.”

Ichigo shook his head, smiling a bit and went back to his dinner.

“Rukia?” Rita questioned sometime later. “Have you and Ichigo thought of any names yet for your baby?”

Ichigo and Rukia passed glances at each other. Actually they hadn’t really talked about it that much. They didn’t know what it was and they didn’t really have anything to call it besides naming it something after Ichigo’s mom or Kaien.

“We really haven’t thought about it,” Ichigo replied.

“Oh, alright,” Rita replied, looking back down at her food.

“Is something wrong?” Rukia asked, sensing something wrong with the girl.

She looked up and smiled. “Oh no, there’s nothing wrong. I’m just thinking.” Suspicion still clung to Rukia’s eyes but she nodded and went back to her food.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Three and a Half Years Ago…

He clung to her wrist and squeezed it slightly. Translucent tears fell down the young raven-haired woman’s face as she reached out to the window. A young man’s eyes, was determined and confused.

“Why are you leaving again?” he asked quietly.

She didn’t answer.

Rain fell down outside. Thunder boomed and lightning crashed.

He asked the question again. “Why are you leaving?”

They stayed in that position for what seemed like forever.

Rukia still would not answer him. The truth was she couldn’t. Her feelings, her emotions had gotten in the way. They had established a relationship just two months ago. They had went out, held hands, slept in the same bed. Yet, Rukia couldn’t do it.

They couldn’t behind the Soul Society’s back. It just wasn’t right. Though she wasn’t a SLAVE to the rules anymore, she still felt like she should follow them in some way.

And so, this was her solution. She would run away, going to Urahara’s shop and then flee to the Soul Society and off to a district where she would hideout for a while.

But he had come here earlier than she thought he would. And they had ended up here, his hand grasped firmly on her wrist.

“Please let go,” she asked.

“No,” he replied. “Not until you tell me why you’re away.”

“Just let go, Ichigo. It’ll be easier this way. Please.”

She almost begged. He could the plea in her voice.

“No. Tell me!”

“I can’t do this!” she screamed. “I can’t do this!”

He pulled her into a tight embrace before she could continue. He knew Rukia better than anyone, he knew when she was lying, telling the truth, worried, or whatever else that might be going through that head of hers.

“I can’t behind their back…” she whispered. “I—I can’t…”

She sounded defeated.

“Don’t worry,” he told her his voice ever so confident. “We can make this work…we can…”

“But…but…”

He pulled her away, his hands planted firmly on her shoulders. “Look at me,” he commanded. She looked up at him her face very dry looking. “If we love each other, we can make this work. Okay? Do want to make this work? Do you want to be with me?”

“What kind of stupid question is that? Idiot…I thought you were supposed to know everything about me,” she replied, smiling. “Of course I want to be with you.”

It was now or never, he thought.

He smiled. “Then stay with me.”

And suddenly, in those four words, Rukia understood. She knew that no matter how hard she tried she would never escape him. Their paths would always be intertwined. Better to flow with the river rather than go against the tide, she concluded.

“I’ll stay,” was her answer.

And stay she was what she did.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

After dinner and many eventful stories, the Kurosaki’s along with Rita and Byakuya walked to their house and inside. Byakuya went straight to bed.

Rita went shortly after still acting strange. Rukia and Ichigo stayed up a while, watching TV, talking about what they were going to do with a baby room…

And finally, after much discussion and old reruns Ichigo and Rukia trudged up to bed. Ichigo went inside their room and went to bed after putting a pair of shorts on. Rukia on the other and thought she heard slight whimpering coming from the bathroom.

She walked over to the bathroom door and opened it, to find Rita on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chin, and crying.

Rukia immediately went over to her. “Rita,” Rukia asked. “Rita, what’s wrong?”

She didn’t seem to notice that Rukia was even there. “Rita?” Rukia touched her shoulder and the girl looked up, bright blue eyes stared at violet ones. “Rita? Come on, you can tell me.”

Suddenly, the girl looked as if she finally realized that Rukia was even there. “Oh, Rukia,” she said slowly. “Rukia I’m fine. Just miss home, that’s all. Don’t worry about me.”

She’s lying, Rukia thought.

So, Rukia leaned herself up on the wall and smiled, closing her eyes a bit. “You remind me a lot of Orihime,” she said. “Though she may be in pain, she’ll never admit it. She would just want everyone to be happy. You’re like that.” Rukia glanced at the girl, who was wiping her nose of her arm, trying to get the tears to go away. She continued, “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”

Rita looked up to the ceiling. “I’ve prayed,” she started. “I’ve prayed for an opportunity like this. When I grew up in the sixty-eighth district I hoped that I had enough spiritual energy to leave there and go to the Soul Reaper School. When I did that, I couldn’t wait to become a Soul Reaper. I studied and never had fun. Instead of going to parties, I studied. Instead of making friends, I made enemies.

“By the time I became a Soul Reaper, I realized that I didn’t have anyone. And then, my captain sent me here. I was so happy. I mean, I got to meet you and Ichigo, my greatest idols. My only “friends” during school. When I got here, you had so many friends, and you were so happy.

“Tonight, you shared stories of old times and talked to one another like you had know each other forever. You and Orihime and Ishida-kun and Ichigo are what I’ve always wanted. I want to share stories and laugh and…and—“

A fit of sobbing coughs came over her. Rukia patted her on the back until it was over. “And now that you mention it,” Rukia said quietly. “You’re a lot like me too. During my lifetime after Vice Captain Kaien died, I felt so withdrawn from everyone. Then I met Ichigo. And Orihime, Ishida, Chad, Tatsuki, and all the other people at Karakura High School. I felt like I belonged somewhere.

“So, being the robotic Soul Reaper that I was, I ran away. I couldn’t deal those worthless human emotions. Of course, Renji and my brother found me and, after fighting with Ishida and Ichigo, they took me away, back to the Soul Society. You probably know the rest of the story.

“I’ve haven’t told anyone that I ran away from my emotions before. It feels good to get it off my chest. It feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Rita replied. She looked almost like a child. Of course, Rukia thought. That’s all she was. She was just a kid in this big world. She doesn’t need to live it the way I did.

“I have this feeling,” Rukia said after a while, “that you’ll make lots of friends here. After all, you’re pretty, smart, sweet, and an amazing fighter. You’ll do just fine.”

Rita smiled saving the rest of her tears for another time. “Thanks Rukia,” she replied, a true smile spread across her face. “You’ll always be my best friend.”

Rukia would have smiled if she didn’t feel a sharp kick. “What?” she whispered to her kicking baby. “Are you jealous?”

“What?” Rita questioned.

“Here, give me your hand.”

Rita obliged and Rukia set it on her stomach. Not two minutes later did the baby kicked again. Rita’s face lit up. “Oh wow, it sure does like to kick.”

“I think it’s jealous of me,” Rukia replied. “It wants to be your best friend. Is that it?” she spoke to her stomach next. “Are jealous because you think I’ll steal your Aunt Rita from you? No way, I could never do that. What kind of mother would I be?”

Rukia snuck a glance at Rita and smiled.

She had her.

The girl had tears flowing down her face with joy just hearing that she was part of Rukia’s family.
I don't own Bleach.

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