Rukia wiggled in her seat as she tried to get more comfortable. But no matter what she did, her ass felt like it was melting. "Arugh, how much longer?" she whined.
"We're almost there," Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Can't you stay still?"
Rukia quickly glared at him. "I can't believe you're not affected by this! We've been sitting here for three hours!"
"It wouldn't hurt as much if you just stay still," Ichigo snapped back at her, "Stop whining and just relax. We're about to pull into the station."
At the mentioning of the station, Rukia looked out the window to see the station several meters away. They two have been sitting in the train for more than three hours, going from Karakura to Tokyo to join the rest of the Kurosaki family for a small Christmas get-together.
"Last stop: Tokyo," a voice said through the intercom.
"Alright, we're here," Ichigo stretched his legs in front of him before standing up from his seat.
"Finally," Rukia snorted as she jumped up. She stretched her arms above her head and tried to get some feeling back into her stiff body.
Ichigo smirked as he watched her trying to stretch her legs. "Feeling better yet?"
"No," she groaned, "I still can't feel my butt." Without warning, Ichigo leaned forward and grabbed her ass, groping it tightly. "Ichigo!" Rukia gasped as she slapped his hand away. "What are you doing? Someone might see!"
Ichigo chuckled as he leaned closer to her, trapping her against the window of the train before bending down next to her ear. "Nobody's watching," he told her as he grabbed her ass again.
Rukia's eyes closed when she felt him groping her again, but this time more gently. A moan was about to come out but she stopped herself by biting her lip. In the end a small whimper came from the back of her throat as she tried to push him away. "Ichigo," her body trembled when his breath fanned over her neck, "We need to get off the train."
A smirk appeared Ichigo's lips as he pulled away. "Fine, let's go," he replied as he reached over to grab their luggage from the shelf above them. But Rukia remained where she was, trying to catch her breath. She looked around and noticed that most of the people were already off the train or too busy getting ready to get off to have noticed them.
"Coming?"
Rukia looked up to a smiling Ichigo in front of her with a hand held out. Rukia smiled back as she placed her hand in his and followed him off the train.
The two stepped off the train and looked around.
"So, are we getting picked up?" Rukia asked.
"Nope," Ichigo shook his head, "My old man was suppose to but he had an emergency meeting this morning so won't be able to make it. So we're just going to ride a taxi."
Hand-in-hand the two walked out of the station and made it out to the streets where Ichigo called for a taxi. Rukia couldn't stop her huge grin at the thought of holding his hand in public. They were hours away from Karakura and nobody would recognize them if they walked around with intertwined fingers and acting like lovers. It was refreshing.
The snow was falling gently above them, making people huddle together to get warm as possible. And it was giving Ichigo the excuse to cuddle next to her real close. Ever since the incident with the school, they've been real careful not to be seen together outside. So even at school they wouldn't to meet up anymore (which bothered Ichigo since that meant no more sex in middle of school). But that also meant Ichigo was more affectionate when they were alone together at home.
He'd barely let her out of his embrace and that was just fine with Rukia. It was nice to have someone to cuddle next to during the snowy season.
A car finally pulled up in front of them and Ichigo helped Rukia inside before getting inside himself. He told the taxi driver the address and the two were finally on their way to the Kurosaki residence.
"It's been almost five years since I last visited here," she suddenly said as she kept her eyes out into the cold streets of Tokyo. "One year after the last time I visited, I left home and ran to Karakura."
Ichigo stared at her nonchalant expression with a frown. "You're saying it like it's no big deal."
"Because it isn't," she shrugged.
Ichigo silently stared at her before reaching over to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "I'm always here, you know."
Rukia looked up at him in surprise, before smiling. "I know." She leaned over and rested her head against his shoulder as his arm tightened to hold her closer to him. The two silently sat still as the taxi continued driving through the snowed Tokyo. Her eyes began to droop down after watching the snow falling gently like sakura petals in the cool breeze.
It was mesmerizing.
Flashback
Rukia sighed as she got up from bed. She looked over to see Ichigo snoring away on his stomach, too tired to be woken by her sudden movement. Unlike the bastard who jumped on her only a few hours ago, Rukia didn't feel tired at all. In fact, she was still nervous.
No matter how many times Ichigo comforted her, her heart would beat erratically whenever she thought back to what happened with Ishida-sensei and Yatsuro-sensei only a month ago. Even if they were good friends with Ichigo, there's no way they'd defend them if they suddenly get caught. Another sigh came from her at the thought.
Quickly slipping on Ichigo's button-up shirt and his boxers, Rukia quietly stepped out of their bedroom. Closing the door, she made her way to the living room and dumped her body onto the couch. It was late in the evening which meant there was nothing good on TV. So instead she reached over and pulled out one of the books Ichigo had recommended to her.
It's not too bad, she thought to herself as she read through the beginning of the story.
Ring ring ring!
Rukia was suddenly pulled out from her book when her phone rang. She quickly reached over and pulled the phone off its receiver. "Hello?" she answered.
"Rukia-chan!"
She knew right away who it was. "Ah, Kurosaki-san. How are you?" she greeted.
"Eh, what's with all the formalities?" Isshin whined, "Just call me daddy!"
"I'd prefer not to," she quickly retorted.
"Well, what are you and Ichigo planning to do on Christmas?" he quickly asked.
Rukia frowned as she looked back to peer at the calendar. "That's more than a month away."
"It's never too early to plan a special family get-together," he replied, practically grinning through the phone.
Rukia smiled. "Well, I'm not quite sure yet. I'm still waiting to see if my family has anything planned."
"Well, if things don't go well, then why don't you come over here and spend it with us? The girls and I are missing you like crazy. Oh! And you can bring that idiot son of mine with you," he quickly added. "I'm planning on a big Christmas party to topple over the one I did last year."
"A Christmas party?" Rukia asked only to clarify it to herself. "I'm not sure… I'll ask Ichigo and give you a call tomorrow."
"Excellent!" he quickly replied. "If you need something better to convince him with, just tell him if he doesn't come then I'm going to show up at your place with all of his baby pictures. Even the ones with him running across the street, naked, when he was 5!"
Rukia couldn't stop the small laugh that came out of her. "I'll try my best to persuade him," she said, "But either way I still want to see those pictures."
"I'll tell you the entire story, Rukia-chan!" Isshin replied. "Well, talk to you tomorrow!" She could perfectly picture his goofy smile.
"Yes, I'll call tomorrow," she responded, "Goodbye." Rukia closed her cell phone shut and stared at it silently for a few seconds. The smile that Isshin had plastered on her face was slowly dissipating the more she thought about Christmas and what it might entail.
Should she call niisama and ask him if he had any plans?
And if he did, should she attend or bail out?
Would he even care?
A sigh came from her lips as she scrolled down the contact list in her phone with some reluctance. After finding his number, Rukia stared at her brother's number for sometime as a battle ensued in her mind: to call or not to call?
With a disgruntle groan, Rukia pressed on the 'call' button and placed the phone over her ear. She remained quiet as it kept ringing, silently hoping nobody would pick up.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri—"Yes," a deep voiced answered.
"Ni-nisama, it's me, R-Rukia," she stuttered.
"I am aware of that," he coldly replied, "Why did you call?"
Rukia quickly gulped to get rid of the lump that suddenly formed in her throat. "Well, I was wondering if, um, well…"
"It is not lady-like to stutter like this," he suddenly interjected.
The lump was back. "Hai, I-I understand," she squeaked. But there was only silence afterwards as Rukia sat, rock stiff, on the couch mind completely blank.
"Rukia," he suddenly called out.
"Yes?" she answered.
"What was it you needed to ask me?" he asked with a tinge of impatience.
Rukia's face flushed. "Yes, well, I just, um—I just wanted to know if you had any plans for the holiday."
"…There's still more than a month left before Christmas," he responded.
"Yes, but I—," Rukia paused as she tried to think of an excuse, "I believe it's never too late to plan ahead," she quickly added, partially using Isshin's excuse from only a few minutes ago. She waited patiently while there was a pause from the other side.
"…Good enough," Byakuya finally answered, "I have an important meeting in the States so I won't be here. Is there anything you need?"
"No," she quickly replied, trying to hide her obvious excitement, "I just wanted to make sure."
"Very well. If that is all then I must hang up now. Goodbye, Rukia," he said.
Though she knew he wouldn't see it, Rukia nodded her head. "Yes, thank you. Goodbye, niisama," she responded just before she heard him hang up the call. The smile on Rukia's face faltered a bit as she pulled her phone away, but the thought of spending Christmas with Ichigo and his family brought it back full force.
"Rukia?"
The said woman looked up to see a disgruntle Ichigo frowning at her. "Yeah? When did you wake up?"
"Just now," he yawned, "I didn't like the fact you weren't there when I woke up so I quickly came over to look for you."
Rukia smiled as she stood up and walked over to give him a small kiss on the lips. "Well, I'm fine so let's go back to sleep."
Ichigo nodded as he grabbed her hand and quickly led her back to their bedroom. As soon as they got under the covers, he reached over and pulled her body next to his, making sure to have a tighter grip on her so she wouldn't escape this time. "By the way," he suddenly spoke up, "Who were you talking to on the phone?"
The smile widened on Rukia's face as she shoved it against his chest. "Nobody really."
Feeling too tired to interrogate, Ichigo just nodded as he closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him again. But just as he was about to be taken to dreamland, the woman in his arm suddenly moved.
"By the way," Rukia looked up and smirked as Ichigo's eyebrows scrunched closer even more, "We're going to your father's for Christmas."
Ichigo's eyes immediately opened wide as he stared down at Rukia's smirking face. "WHAT?"
End of Flashback
"Oi, Rukia, wake up."
The raven head groaned as she forced her eyes open. "What?" she mumbled.
Ichigo smiled as he gently nudged her off his shoulder. "We're here," he responded before stepping out of the taxi.
Rukia sat up straight and glanced out the fogged window. The car had stopped and it was parked right in front of a small family clinic in a quiet neighborhood. Finally processing in her head where she was, Rukia groaned as she pulled the door open on her side of the car and stepped out. Once outside, she turned around to see Ichigo pulling their luggage from the trunk. "Need help?" she offered.
"Nah," he shook his head as he pulled out their last bag before slamming the trunk shut. He walked over to the driver's side and passed him a few yens through the window. Once paid, the driver quickly took off, leaving to couple alone in the snow. He sighed as he grabbed their bags and led the way to the front door. "Let's just get this over with."
Rukia smiled as she quietly followed him.
Once they reached the front door, Ichigo held their bags tighter as he tensed, not daring to move a finger.
"Ichigo?" Rukia frowned at him, "What are you doing? Ring the doorbell already."
But he quickly shook his head. "No, I know what's going to happen as soon as I do," he said, confusing Rukia even more. He didn't clarify what he meant as he quickly pulled her behind him as he stepped off to the side. Once they were situated several steps away from the door, Ichigo reached over and cautiously pressed the doorbell.
Rukia would have smacked him for looking stupid if she hadn't witnessed what happened right after he pressed the bell.
Ding dong.
"ICHIGOOO!" A body shot out of the door like a bullet, but it connected with nothing so it quickly flew past them and straight into the snow in the streets.
"Let's go," he quickly ushered her into the house and slammed the door shut behind them.
"Who was that?" she gasped.
"Who else? My old man," Ichigo scowled.
"Oniichan! Rukia-neesan!" The two people looked up just in time to see Yuzu running up to them and throwing her arms around them for a big hug. "I'm so glad you could make it!"
Rukia smiled as she hugged her back. "Thanks for having us."
"Yeah, kiddo," Ichigo smirked as Yuzu pulled away, "Besides, I've been dying to try some of your food. The midget here is still horrible when it comes to cooking."
Rukia quickly turned to glare at the man but he quickly stepped out of the threshold and into the house.
"Where's Karin?" Ichigo asked.
"I'm right here," Karin called out from her spot on the couch. She turned around and smiled at the guests. "I'm just watching some indoor soccer."
"Who's playing?" Ichigo asked as he quickly joined his other sister on the couch.
Rukia rolled her eyes as she followed Yuzu into the kitchen. "So, what's for dinner?"
"Oh, I'm trying a Western dinner tonight," she proudly announced, "The turkey is cooking in the oven and I have almost everything else ready."
"Is there anything I can help with?" Rukia asked as she looked around the kitchen.
"No, you're the guest!" Yuzu gasped as if she just asked an impossible request, "Please go and rest in the living room. You must be tired." Rukia was about to retort but was quickly pushed out of the kitchen.
"Just listen to her, Rukia," Karin called out from the couch as soon as Rukia came into view, "Yuzu cooks for the sake of cooking and will be stressed if she doesn't do it all by herself."
Rukia nodded as she went over to sit on the couch. Ichigo scooted over as she sat down in between the siblings with one of his arms thrown behind her. "So what's going on?" Rukia asked as she looked at the game.
Ichigo shook his head. "Nothing much. Both teams suck as hell."
"Not to mention they have no sense of how to kick the damn ball," Karin growled in annoyance.
Rukia nodded as she watched the game when something struck her. "Kurosaki-san!" she gasped as she turned back to see the door still closed.
"Don't worry about him," Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly as he continued watching the game, "He's just an idiot."
"But he might freeze to death!" Rukia gapped at him.
"No he won't," Karin stepped in, "This cold weather is not enough to kill that old goat. You'll need to do much worse then that. He'll come back in a few seconds."
And true enough the door swung open and Isshin came flying in. "ICHIGO!" he screamed again as he stretched his leg out to kick his son from behind. But Ichigo just leaned forward and Isshin's body went flying past him and straight into the wall.
Nobody but Rukia gasped.
"Well done, my son," Isshin groaned as he slumped to the ground.
"Will you ever learn?" Karin sighed.
"Merry Christmas!" five glasses clinked together as they toasted to the holidays in the living room of the Kurosaki clinic.
Rukia sipped her soda as Ichigo and Isshin took a swig of beer. "That was a fabulous dinner, Yuzu," she grinned at the young girl.
Yuzu blushed. "A-arigato!"
Ichigo ruffled her hair. "Yeah, it was really good. It wouldn't be bad if the midget learned a thing or two from you."
"Let's see if I cook for you anymore after this," Rukia glared at him.
Isshin laughed out loud. "Don't mess with your woman's food or else you might find screws in your rice one day," he looked at Ichigo who only rolled his eyes as he took another swing of his beer.
Karin smirked as she looked at her brother's girlfriend. "So how are things with you, Rukia?"
"Good," she nodded, "Except for your brother being an idiot." She promptly ignored the glare she was getting from the orange head sitting next to her.
"Haha," Isshin continued laughing, "Just tell me when you need Ichigo smacked around, Rukia-chan. Daddy will give a good spanking."
"Shut up old man," Ichigo gritted his teeth.
"Whatever," Karin sighed as she reached under the tree in the living room to grab several boxes. "Anyways, here's my gift to you guys."
Isshin and Yuzu quickly followed her example as they brought out their presents. Ichigo, who had already placed the presents he and Rukia bought them under the tree before dinner, also brought them out and handed them out.
Rukia was very surprised when each of Ichigo's family gave her a present. "Um, you really didn't have to do this," she said.
"Nonsense!" Isshin cried out, "You deserve only the best especially since you're living with this clueless son of mine."
Ichigo fought back the urge to punch him by quickly ripping open one present. He stared at the DVD set of Al Pacino movies and a new hardcover book for his collection before looking back up with a smile. "Thanks a lot you two."
His sisters smiled back as they opened their presents.
Rukia smiled at his gifts before proceeding to open her presents. She was shocked to see a Chappy mini-lamp staring up at her. She squealed before hugging Yuzu tightly. "Thank you! I've been wanting to get this for awhile now."
"I'm glad you like it, Rukia-neesan," Yuzu smiled widely as she returned the hug.
Karin rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you two like that bunny."
"Trust me, 'like' doesn't even come close," Ichigo shook his head, "She tried posting up that creepy rabbit poster all over our apartment when we first moved in together."
"What did you say about Chappy?" the two girls glared at the orange head with great intensity.
Ichigo gulped as he looked away. "Nothing."
"I thought so," Rukia huffed as she opened her second present. This time she was shocked to see a gift card to a Chappy's store. She smiled as she looked at Karin. "Thanks for the present."
Karin grinned back as she winked.
"Now that you finished opening their presents, open mine!" Isshin squealed out loud as he handed Rukia a small box. "It's actually a small gift for both of you."
Rukia smiled awkwardly as she received the gift and started to rip open the gift wrap. Very carefully Rukia lifted the cover of the box and peeked in. Ichigo, who was sitting next to her, leaned over to peek in as well but neither of them could see what was inside.
"It's something I got to help you in the bedroom," Isshin winked.
An uneasy feeling came across Ichigo as he yanked the box out of Rukia's grip and ripped open the box. As soon as he saw the vibrator inside the box, Ichigo crushed the box and threw it across the room. "We don't need this kind of shit!" he yelled.
"NO!" Isshin cried as he jumped up and caught the box before it could break through the window. "It took me forever to get this thing 50% off!"
Ichigo blushed bright red as he looked away. Rukia was also blushing real hard as she sat frozen on the couch.
Karin looked over and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Rukia, he's always like that."
"So that's what he was so excited about," Yuzu sighed, "He bought that over a month ago."
"Exactly, so appreciate what I got you!" Isshin cried as he threw the crushed box back at Ichigo.
"I said we don't need it!" Ichigo caught the box and threw it back at his father. The two men continued throwing the box back and forth while cursing at each other at the same time.
Karin growled as a vein popped out on her forehead. She got up and grabbed the thrown box before shoving it into the garbage. "There! That takes care of that!"
"NOOOOO!" Isshin cried as he tried to retrieve his present but was abruptly stopped when Ichigo swung a right hook at his father, knocking him down.
"Don't get up from there if you value your life," Ichigo threatened.
Yuzu sighed as she started to clear up the living room of discarded boxes and gift wraps. "Why don't we have some cake?" she offered.
"Sounds good," Karin said, "It might help Rukia get out of her daze."
"Huh?" the said woman looked up at the twins, "Did you say something?"
Karin stood up and helped her sister clear up the living room. "Do you want some cake?" she asked.
Rukia blinked at her several times before smiling. "That sounds great."
"Okay, wait here," Yuzu told them as she went to the kitchen to grab some dessert.
Ichigo, after knocking his father out completely on the floor, joined Rukia back on the couch and groaned. "Sorry about that," he apologized.
Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "That's okay. I guess I should have expected something like this to happen."
Ichigo sighed as he rubbed his face. "Still, that was hella embarrassing. Not to mention unnecessary."
"You mean your father's actions or the gift?" Rukia grinned.
Ichigo smirked as he leaned over and whispered to her. "Trust me: there's absolutely no need for anything like that. I know I'm good enough for you."
"You sure?" she raised a brow at him while keeping her smirk.
"I can prove it to you if you like," he said as he snuck an arm around her waist.
"Stop that," Karin glared as she returned to her seat across from them. "Do that later back at your place."
"Sorry," Rukia laughed as she pushed Ichigo away from her.
"I'm not," Ichigo muttered.
"Here we go!" Yuzu came back with plates of sliced cake. She quickly handed them out to each person along with a fork and sat down next to her sister. "So what have you two been up to?" she asked Rukia and Ichigo.
The brother shrugged his shoulder as he took a bite of the cake. "My school held a festival a few months ago and it was a big success."
"What was your theme?"
"It was a maid café," Rukia said.
"Oh, did you go to the festival, Rukia-neesan?" Yuzu asked.
"Huh?" Rukia looked at her confused for a second before remembering her 'role' in the relationship. "O—Oh, yes! Yes I decided to visit Ichigo at his school." The said man exhaled silently off to one side when Rukia quickly caught herself.
"So what's his school like?" Karin asked.
"Um, well, it's pretty big. And he seems to be pretty popular among the students," Rukia said.
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, only because I'm one of the most lax teachers there are at school," he said, earning him a laugh from Rukia.
"Then how are things at your college, Rukia-neesan?" Yuzu asked.
Rukia took a moment to think before smiling back at the younger woman. "Not bad. But I do have some professors who are assigning way too much homework. I can barely finish them all."
"Psch, then maybe you should try and actually do your work," Ichigo scoffed, "I can't sleep when you have the lights on all night because you're behind on your work."
"Maybe I'd be able to finish things a lot quicker if somebody could help around the house," Rukia growled at him.
Ichigo growled back. "Hey, you're the one who lost that bet fair and square. Besides, you keep throwing me out of the kitchen whenever I try to help you."
"That's because you have a tendency to put way too much salt in the soup," Rukia huffed, "And you tend to break things when you use the vacuum cleaner."
"That was only once!" he retorted.
"Hahaha! Is my son really that much of a bother!" Isshin laughed as he jumped back up on his feet, his face swollen from Ichigo's punches, "Rukia-chan, allow daddy to beat him up! I'll show him how to treat a girl properly!"
"Shut up," Ichigo kicked him to the wall before heading towards the stair.
"Where are you going, Ichi-nii?" Karin called out.
"To bed," he responded, "You guys wore me out with your insanity." He waved back as he ascended the stairs. As soon as he entered the room, he closed the door and dropped himself on his bed, not bothering to even turn on the lights.
He sighed as nuzzled into his pillow. It's good to be back here…he suddenly frowned, But it's not good to be here with that old man again. He rolled over onto his back and placed his arms behind his head. He stared out the window and silently watched at the snow fell outside, illuminated by the moon in the night sky.
As his mind started to wander, sleep started to take over him. He didn't know how long he's been lying there but he assumed it must have been over an hour or two when Rukia suddenly came in. At the sound of the door creaking open, the orange head woke up to see his lover entering the room wearing a bathrobe with her hair all wet. "Did you take a shower?" he asked voice a little hoarse.
Rukia looked up and nodded. "You left us for so long that we decided to call it a day." She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "You okay?"
"Ah," he replied as he scooted over to accommodate for her. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"
"Your dad just kept talking about how incompetent you are in the bedroom," she smirked, "And he kept crying in front of your mother's poster whenever Karin hit him."
Ichigo groaned. "That bastard really needs to check into a mental facility."
Rukia smiled as she leaned over him, placing one arm next to his pillow, encasing him underneath her. "Hey," she started as she leaned forward, "You forgot to give me my Christmas present."
Ichigo raised a brow at her as if in amusement. "Well, you forgot to give me mine too."
"Don't worry, I have it," she told him before leaning down to brush her nose against his, "But I want mine first."
Ichigo smiled as his arms reached out to bring her body closer to his. "I have something, but it's not something you can wrap."
Rukia pulled away to frown at Ichigo. "Why?" she asked before something dawned at her. She gapped at him before glaring. "Did you forget to buy me my present? And is that suppose to be your excuse?"
Ichigo rolled his eyes as he brought her back to him. "Stop being so bitchy and just hear me out."
But Rukia continued to glare daggers into him, this time silently. A sigh came from him as he knew nothing will get through her until he gave her his 'present.' He's been preparing this specific 'present' for weeks and he was going to make it perfect, just like her. Ichigo placed a hand at the base of her neck to keep her steady as his thumb gently caressed her skin. The two stared deeply into each other's eyes as walls were broken down and their entire being was exposed to one another.
"I love you."
Rukia's eyes widened and she blinked several times.
Did he just… Was that a… Did he really…?
Her lips parted as her jaw fell down. Her heart was beating with the intensity of a rocket ship and her breathing just increased as his words slowly sunk into her head…and her heart.
A knowing smile broke on Ichigo's face as he gently brought her down to lightly press his lips against hers. He knew she was having a hard time with his sudden confession, but he had hoped his kiss would be enough to pour out all his feelings to her.
She got the message.
Rukia soon started to respond to his kiss and it slowly became more passionate as they expressed their feelings for each other through it. Time stood still as the two young lovers shared this one moment, this one precious moment that was theirs and only theirs.
After a few minutes Rukia finally pulled back for some air but didn't stop the wide smile that was donning on her lips. "I love you too," she whispered, her voice slightly choking as tears of pure joy started to swell in her eyes.
Ichigo smiled back as he stared into her eyes with all his love before reaching up to wipe away some of the tears that fell. "I know." The two continued grinning at each other as they soaked in the moment. Finally, he broke their peaceful silence. "So, where's my present?" he joked.
The grin quickly turned into a smirk as Rukia's eyes hinted at her robes.
Ichigo looked down and a huge smile came out as his hand reached down to grab the knot in front. "I have a feeling I'm going to like what's underneath here."
"Open and see for yourself," she dared him.
Ichigo quickly pulled at the knob and watched as the bathrobe slowly, painfully, and sexily parted down the middle. He snaked a hand inside and onto Rukia's shoulder to push it off of her to see the most naughtiest looking lingerie in front of him.
It was red.
It was lacy.
It was down-right sexy.
"You like it?" she asked, bringing his attention back to her cute face, "I bought several pairs so I can change into a different one if you'd prefer it."
"Baby, everything looks fucking good on you," Ichigo smirked as he sat up. He grabbed her body and brought her onto his lap, her legs straddling his hips and her robe hanging off her arms. "Now, how about we do our own Christmas celebration?"
Rukia lightly chuckled as she shook off the rest of the robe and tossed it on the ground. "As long as we're quiet," she said as her arms wrapped around his neck, "We wouldn't want your family to come barging in here because of the noise."
"Trust me," he snorted, "I won't be the one screaming," he teased before smashing his lips onto hers.
Ichigo groaned as he struggled to open his eyes. He blinked several times to get rid of the fogginess as his vision cleared to see the back of his lover's head. A smile quickly tugged on his lips as he leaned forward to snuggle his nose into her black tresses.
Inhaling deeply to take in her sweet scent, Ichigo placed a small kiss on her head. His lips then continued to place butterfly kisses all over her as he shifted to place some more on her cheek. Feeling the sweet sensation running across her head, Rukia smiled as she was gently woken from her sleep. Once she felt Ichigo's lips on her cheek, she turned around and kissed him back fully.
After a while, Ichigo pulled back as he smiled down at her. "Ohayo," he whispered.
"Ohayo," she greeted back as she turned her body fully towards him before reaching up to bring his lips down on hers again.
Pulling back after a few minutes, Ichigo brought up onE of his hand to caress the side of her face as the two continued to stare into each others' eyes. "So, what do you want to do today?" he finally broke the silence.
Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't mind just staying in bed all day."
Ichigo chuckled as he pushed away some of the hair that was on her face. "You're beautiful," he whispered as he came back down to capture her smiling lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist as he climbed on top of her petite body. He angled his head to the side to deepen the kiss and was just about to reach for her breast when the door swung open with great force.
"ICHIGO! ARE YOU MAKING ME GRANDCHILDREN!" Isshin cried as he jumped inside.
"GET THE FUCK OUT!" Ichigo yelled as he threw his clock at his father, knocking him out, as Rukia quickly pulled up the comforter to cover herself.
At that moment Karin, who was walking by to go to her room, stopped and looked into her brother's room. Seeing her father unconscious on the ground and her brother in bed with his girlfriend, covered only with his comforter, she immediately denoted what happened. "Looks like you knocked him out real good," she laughed as she grabbed Isshin's legs, one under each arm and started to drag his body outside.
"That fucking bastard shouldn't have come in here without knocking," Ichigo sneered.
"Whatever," Karin rolled her eyes as she dropped Isshin's body in the hallway, "It's your fault for having sex under this roof with the old goat waiting for grandkids. You were asking for it."
Ichigo threw his pillow at his sister but Karin had closed the door just in time and the pillow just bounced off the door.
"Ichigo," Rukia groaned, "Can I come out now?"
"Yeah," he sighed as rubbed his face in irritation.
Rukia slowly poked her head out, searched around the room for signs of any unwanted guests, before sitting up with her body still hidden. "That was the most embarrassing moment in my life."
"You're telling me," Ichigo groaned as he plopped onto his back. "I should have knocked him out real good last night." He brought up his arms and crossed them against his head, trying to hide himself from the world.
Rukia sighed as she slowly got out of bed and grabbed the robe that she had discarded the night before.
"Where are you going?" Ichigo asked.
Rukia looked back to see the orange head peeking between his arms, meaning he's been watching her as she moved, naked, on the bed. It was impossible to stop a smile that was tugging at her lips. "I'm going to get ready and help your sister with breakfast." She quickly got on some undergarment, and warm clothes: a red turtle neck over a black skirt. "Hurry up and come down," she told him before leaving the room and heading to the bathroom.
Before Ichigo could respond, Rukia was gone and he was left alone in his old bed, naked and angry. "I knew I shouldn't have come here," he groaned.
In less than an hour Ichigo was freshly showered, in a pair of dark jeans with a simple navy blue turtle neck on top, and sitting by the table with a scowl. He gritted his teeth as he tried to ignore his father.
"And then the first child will be named after me! Oh! But if it's a girl then she must be named after my beloved Masaki. After that, the second child can just be named the other name that's not the first's… but if the first and the second are of the same sex," Isshin frowned as he rubbed his scruffy chin in deep thought. Pulling up nothing, he looked at his son in complete horror. "Ichigo! Daddy's confused!"
Ichigo groaned as he dropped his head onto the table. "Shut up!"
Isshin only pouted with teary eyes. "But I need to solve this dilemma quickly!"
"Just answer him," Karin exclaimed in annoyance as she sat in front of her brother, "If you don't, he's going to go on and on about this until he figures it out, which can be months."
"Eugh," Ichigo groaned again. "Old man, just shut up! Think about that AFTER we get a kid!"
"Ah ha! So you are planning to have my grandchildren with my lovely Rukia-chan! Papa is so happy!" Isshin squealed as he rushed over to a huge poster in the living room. "Masaki! We're going to be grandparents soon!"
While Isshin continued his rant, Ichigo banged his head on the table.
"Stop that or you'll get no breakfast," Rukia snapped at him when she appeared to set breakfast on the table.
"I think he is trying to kill himself," Karin smirked while staring at her older brother as he continued to destroy his brain cells.
Everyone soon gathered around the table for a simple, peaceful breakfast…of course, 'peaceful' is defined a bit differently in this household. Isshin kept ranting about how proud he was of his son, who was in the process of beating up his father while his girlfriend and sister tried to stop him. In less than an hour, after everyone somewhat ate their meal, they were all standing by the door with their winter outerwear clothes on.
"Let's go to our annual 'Kurosaki-family-snowball-fight' competition!" Isshin cheered as he threw open the door and ran outside like a mad man.
"He needs to grow up," Ichigo groaned as he calmly led the other girls out of the house and locked the doors behind him. "Does he still go to all those neighborhood gatherings just to rant off about mom?"
"You have no idea," Karin groaned as she grabbed her sister. "Com'on, Yuzu. We need to go catch that beardo before he does something stupid again."
"'kay," Yuzu answered before turning around and waving at her brother and his girlfriend. "We'll call you guys when we find him!" she told them as she ran with her sister.
"Be careful!" Ichigo shouted just in time before his sisters disappeared.
Rukia smiled as she stood with Ichigo in the snow. "Well that sure was exciting."
"What the fuck are you talking?" Ichigo glared at her before grabbing her hand. "Let's go."
"Where to?"
He shrugged. "Anywhere. I just want to stay away from my old man as long as possible. He already ruined enough of our holiday as it is."
Rukia grinned as she followed Ichigo's lead. "Still, I really enjoyed it. I never really had a Christmas party this exciting." She laughed before it settled down to a small smile. "You're so lucky to have such a great family."
"Psch," he scoffed as he pulled Rukia next to him so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders, "I bet you won't be saying that after you live with him for only a week. I bet you'd rather spend time with Keigo…" he paused to think about what he just said before shaking his head. "No, wait, that's no different. He's as bad as my dad."
Rukia laughed out loud as she snuggled into his warmth. Within a matter of a few minutes the couple arrived at a snow-covered park. "I think it's a bit too cold to play in the playground."
Ichigo ignored her comment as he led her to the swings. He wiped off the snow before stepping aside so Rukia could sit down. Once she had settled in, he leaned against the pole as he watched her slightly swing. "I decided to come over here since there's no way anyone would come here right now."
"Because only idiots would come here in this weather," Rukia teased him.
Ichigo glared at her. "Don't call me an idiot. I just came here since we could talk without anyone bothering us."
She rolled her eyes as lifted her legs up and stared at them. "So what do you want to talk about?"
"I don't know," Ichigo shrugged, "Anything."
Rukia lightly smiled as she settled her legs back down and started drawing random patterns in the snow with the tip of her shoes. "This doesn't have anything to do with what we talked about yesterday in the taxi, does it?"
Ichigo slightly flinched before he shoved his hands in his pocket. "I just couldn't stop thinking about what you said."
"What's so unforgettable about it?"
"I don't know," he scratched his head, "I just can't see anyone being so sad that as a child you would run away from home."
"I wasn't a child when I left. I was already thirteen," she corrected him.
"Whatever. My question is…" Ichigo paused before looking straight into Rukia's eyes, "Just what kind of place did you previously live in? Who tortured you so much that you have no regret in leaving your family and friends?"
Rukia, who was looking straight back at him with an emotionless expression, looked back down. An uncomfortable silence suddenly surrounded them, making Ichigo feel even more anxious.
Rukia let out a long sigh. "As I told you several months ago, I was adopted by my brother-in-law. It wasn't bad at first. My foster parents treated me like the daughter they never had, and since my sister was there, nothing really seemed different from a normal family."
Ichigo stayed quiet, afraid she would stop talking the moment he interrupted.
"For several years that peace continued. I was literally living like the princess every girl wanted to be," Rukia said just before her expression darkened. "But that all changed when I turned eight. I was at a family beach with my sister and her husband when she suddenly became sick. Our trip ended short and we were rushed to the hospital…"
When Rukia took another pause, Ichigo looked over and noticed her grips on the swings had tightened into little fists. Ignoring the cold snow, Ichigo walked over and sat down in front of her on the cold ground. He gently reached out and wrapped his arms around her thin legs while propping his head atop of her knees.
Rukia took a deep breath as she lowered her head to cover her face with her bangs. "For the next two years I had to watch my sister trying to fight for her life in the hospital. Niisama got all the best doctors around the world to tend to her but nothing seemed to help her. Apparently she had leukemia. And not matter what they did nothing seemed to work on her. If some sort of medication seemed to be working, it would only be a matter of time before her body started to reject them, making her condition worse.
"In the end, my sister p-passed away," she started to choke as unwanted memories came flooding back. "I was left to be raised by my foster parents since niisama couldn't stand to look at me. I looked a lot like my sister so it would only break his heart even more. But then, another year later my foster parents died in a car accident while I was home with a fever."
Ichigo remained quiet as he only tightened his grip around her legs. He ignored the small wet droplets that fell on his head from Rukia's eyes.
"I felt like the whole world was out to make my life miserable. And niisama was no different. Since he was my only relative I had to live with him but he only made things worse. He forced me to learn the proper conduct of being part of the Kuchiki family, but he never really cared about me. In fact, I was like an invisible ghost whom nobody paid any attention to," Rukia sniffed as one of her hands came to brush her tears off of Ichigo's orange hair, while stroking it at the same time. "Just as I was graduating from junior high school, I ran away from home."
"How did you end up in Karakura?" Ichigo finally asked.
Rukia smiled as she wiped away her tears and took a deep breath to steady her voice. "Well, Renji lived there with his guardians so I ran to him." She paused to look up when she heard Ichigo giving a small grunting noise, showing his annoyance. "He's my best friend."
"Yeah, whatever," Ichigo growled.
Rukia chuckled at his possessiveness. "We've known each other for years, even before my sister got married. And when he moved to live with his distant relatives when his parents passed away, we kept in touch. When I ran away from home he and his family quickly took me in and cared for me."
Ichigo didn't say anything this time but that didn't keep the scowl away. He only sighed and relaxed his shoulders a bit when he felt Rukia's fingers run through his hair again.
"After niisama calmed down, he accepted the fact that I didn't want to take part in the Kuchiki family, just as much as they didn't want anything to do with me," she said, "He soon sent money to me and gave me enough to start living on my own. After that, it's history."
Ichigo nodded but continued frowning. He thought hard about what he was going to say before looking up at her. "What did you mean about the Kuchiki family not wanting to do anything with you?"
Rukia slightly tensed. "Well," she cringed at the memories of those people, "Although my foster parents really liked me, the other members of that family didn't. They always saw my sister and me as some street rats that tricked my brother just to play dress up. When my sister died, many of them silently got together to celebrate."
"Why?" Even Ichigo was surprised by the amount of anger that was coursing through his body.
Rukia stared out into the vast white snow for a few seconds. "Since my sister didn't have any children, it meant that niisama's title as the Head of the Kuchiki family will be passed down to another relative along with all his riches and fame."
"Fucking bastards," Ichigo sneered.
"Hear hear," Rukia smiled in agreement. "But they got pissed when my brother made arrangements to leave everything to me at the moment of his passing."
"I see—" Ichigo got cut off at the sudden realization of what that meant. He slowly pulled away from her body to look up at her with wide eyes. "What?" he asked slightly breathlessly.
Rukia laughed as she used her finger to push his lower jaw up to close his open mouth. "You're looking at the heiress to the Kuchiki family fortune. Show some respect."
Ichigo immediately jumped up in surprise. "But I thought—Don't you hate your brother? And now that you ran away—"
"Well," Rukia tapped her chin with her forefinger in contemplation, "Even though I was treated like dirt by my so-called relatives, and even though niisama was very inconsiderate and cold to me, he still decided to leave everything to me." She shrugged at the thought as if it was no big deal to her. "I thought it was strange that niisama still has me as his heir when I'm not even living with him anymore. I guess he hasn't gone around to it just yet."
Ichigo just gaped at her in utter disbelief before sinking back down to his previous spot in front of her. "I can't believe I'm sleeping with a fucking 'princess.'"
Rukia smiled at his words. "Kinda makes you feel special, doesn't it."
"More like a criminal," he sighed in defeat, "Ishida was right."
Rukia laughed as she jumped off the swing and stood up straight. "Ready to go?" she asked as she extended a hand down to him.
Ichigo took in a deep breath as he looked up. He couldn't help but smile the moment he saw how bright her face was. "Yeah," he answered as he took her hand and got up. He dusted off his pants, now realizing how wet it was. "Damn, you couldn't have talked faster?"
Rukia frowned before looking back to see a wet spot around the back side of his jeans. She chuckled at the image. "Hey, you were the one who sat down, not me."
"Whatever," Ichigo groaned as he took her hand again and started to lead her out of the park.
Rukia continued smiling as they slowly walked hand-in-hand around the less crowded area of Tokyo. Just the thought of being able to share her sad past with someone made her feel alive again. "Ichigo?"
"Hmm?"
"…Thanks," she whispered.
Ichigo looked over at her before smiling. He pulled her closer and held her close to him. "Sure, no problem. I'm just glad you finally opened up to me."
Rukia wrapped her arms around his waist as they continued their walk. "I love you," she whispered.
Ichigo planted a sweet kiss on top of her head. "I love you too," he replied as they slowly walked.
After a few minutes, Rukia looked around and frowned. "Shouldn't we hurry?" she asked, "Wouldn't your family get worried if we're late?"
"That's the point," Ichigo grinned, "I want to stay as far away from them as possible until we leave tomorrow morning."
Rukia laughed as she snuggled deeper into his warm body. "But I like your family."
"Yeah, well I do too. But that doesn't mean I want hang out with them all the time," he said.
A heart-warming laughter came from Rukia as the two continued their walk in the snowy path, not caring about anything else in the world. For now, they were the only ones occupying it.
A/N: FINALLY I got all my stuff down from Rukia's past. I decided to include this part because...well, I'm sure most of you guys have already guessed it hehe. If u haven't...then just wait until next week.
Also, a lot of people are asking about what I'm going to do with Orihime and Renji now that they both 'secretly' know the truth. I pretty much have it all down but I just want to know what you guys think. Here's a hint: only ONE of them is going to be a problem while the other person comes out pretty okay (but don't worry since I'm going to give the first person a good ending too). So, what do you guys think I'm going to do? O.o
Anyways, thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Lov u guys!
Preview for next chapter:
An unwanted guest is waiting our two heros... HE finally makes an appearance!
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