Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ She Will Be Loved ❯ Chapter 17 ( Chapter 17 )

She Will Be Loved

 

By Tituba

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

 

(A/N: This chapter goes out to anyone who has reviewed for this story. You have no idea what it means to me.

Without further ado, the chapter everyone has been waiting for.)

 

 

 

 

Chapter 17

 

Rukia pulled off the cap to her thermos and placed it to her lips. Tipping it all the way back she waited until she could taste the very last droplets of Chef's famous hot chocolate inside of her mouth. Her tongue flicked across the rim, making sure to catch any obdurate specks stubbornly sticking hopelessly onto the metal, and unhappily put the lid back on.

 

She sighed and shifted her body. The blanket she had set on the ground cushioned most of her legs and her bottom. She shivered lightly and pulled her thin sweater even tighter around her body. She should have worn a thicker coat; after all, it was getting later into October, it was almost November really. The nights were getting colder and the sweater she had was suited for weather in the sixties, not the very low forties.

 

She sighed and drew up the edges of the blanket beneath her. She wrapped them around her legs and sighed when she felt a little warmer. She looked at her watch and smiled softly, it was almost time. She moved backwards a little and settled herself so she was lying down on the grass. Her feet barely peeped out from the blanket and for once in her life she applauded herself on her lack of height.

 

She turned her head to the side when she heard a small group of people begin to laugh. She was not the only one who had come out to enjoy the meteor shower. Astrology enthusiasts and star-gazers of all types had come to the Karakura Park to watch Mother Nature's ravishing show. There were groups scattered all around, some had even come out early and had small barbeques. Lawn chairs, blankets, and camp fires were also speckled throughout the park. Rukia had been tempted to join a group or two so she could be near a fire but had thought better of it. She wanted the solitude that a night like this would bring.

 

Now, as she situated herself on her back, she was staring up into the beautiful night sky. The color was something indescribable. It was a mix of navy, indigo, violet, and pure black. She had never seen a singular color so wonderful blanket the entirety of the sky. The night smelled fantastic too. She knew it was silly to say that a night smelled beautiful, but it was true. She could smell cinnamon, fallen leaves, and the chocolate Chef had prepared. It made the night even more fantastic. Another breeze blew over her and she shook. Yes, except for the temperature it was an amazing night.

 

Rukia sighed and blew out a hot breath of air from her mouth. She watched as it turned into mist and slithered up to disappear into the inky blackness of the park. It really was cold.

 

She brought her wrist to her face and examined her watch once more. Ten forty five. Ms. Ochi had said that the real shower would start around eleven. Rukia put her wrist down and simply stared at the heavenly ceiling above her.

 

A few meteors were already passing by but she paid them no mind. She wanted the entire sky to be lit up with sparkling lights. She didn't want just one or two… she wanted it all.

 

Taking in a deep breath she allowed her mind to wander for a few moments. She wondered what Ichigo was doing right now. It was only the middle of the Homecoming dance; he was probably in the middle of the floor, squirming uncomfortably with Orihime. She giggled when she thought of Ichigo dancing in a room crowded with hyped up teenagers. Ichigo never liked dancing, not even that time when Hisana made them do a little slow dance when they were smaller and she had been dressed in a kimono six sizes too big. During their other years of high school he had never even bothered to go to any of those dances, she hadn't gone either. It wasn't because she didn't like dancing, it was just that she couldn't stand being around that many people for such a long period of time. Anyway, if she had gone she would have ended up attaching herself to Ichigo for the entire night.

 

A few more stars tinkled across the sky and she smiled.

 

Orihime probably looked interesting tonight. He would be wearing a black tuxedo, of course, and it would cling to his lean frame welcomingly, making him look like a dashing prince. His orange hair would be unruly and wild, even though Orihime would probably try and push it down. Rukia frowned, she could never understand why Orihime didn't like his hair the way it was. She thought that his hair was a tiny window into his complex and vigorous personality. It was rough and untamed, just like him. Rukia shivered again but didn't know if it was from the cold or from the images of Ichigo she was conjuring in her mind. She could see him now, leaning against a wall, one knee bent slightly, above his head would be streamers and balloons, he would be wearing a scowl, and he would be cast into shadows so the darkness would made his sharp features more prominent.

 

She looked at her watch and made a small sound of surprise. It was already five of eleven. She reached her hands over and pulled out the second thermos Chef had packed for her. She was now desperate to drink something warm, the temperature felt like it was dropping by the second. She unscrewed the cap and sat up to drink it. The warm liquid poured down her throat and she trembled again. Her mind was chastising her softly for coming out without so much as a light summer jacket on.

 

She took another sip and sighed when she saw the first large shower of meteors. They were gorgeous. Silver slivers of light streaked across the starry sky and she smiled at them quietly. Another breeze blew by and she shook violently. She pressed the thermos against her nose to try and warm it up and grumbled when she couldn't.

 

She couldn't go home now though. Not when the sky was beginning to blossom fully with so many sparkling lights. She could hear `ooh's' and `ahh's' coming from the people several yards away from her. They had doused their campfires and were currently staring up into the sky, simply wondering at the enormity of it all.

 

“Twinkle, twinkle…” Rukia murmured, drawing her knees up to her chest and gripping her hands tightly around the thermos. They were shaking and numb but she took another sip anyway, determined to stay and watch the shower.

 

Another breeze blew by and Rukia bit her lip to try and suppress the—

 

Something heavy and warm fell on her shoulders. She started and nearly jumped out of her frozen skin. She whirled her head swiftly to the left and then to the right but didn't see anything—or anyone. Another breeze came over her yet this time it brought with it something else. It was a scent that knew backwards and forwards. A heady smell that emanated from one person and one person alone. It carried the scent of spices, cinnamon, and the hot, faithful sun; she loved it as much as she loved the man from whom it spilled.

 

The grass behind her shifted and Rukia felt the solid weight of someone large sit behind her. She didn't turn her head to look but her breathing had suddenly become harder. She could barely feel the cold air coming into her lungs. Her head was dizzy with his signature smell and her heart was beating out of her chest. Suddenly, she saw knees appear on either side of her body. She couldn't breathe. She just couldn't.

 

Ichigo's arms were still clothed in a stiff white shirt and his knees were encased in black dress pants. She felt a warm shudder run over her as his arms reached out from behind her body and then crossed over her chest. A small gasp escaped her mouth as he pulled her back gently. She acquiesced after a moment of hesitation and simply fell back into his chest.

 

“Ichigo,” she whispered. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had in her entire life. This single moment eclipsed every other significant event that had occurred in her life so far. This was… it was… Ichigo.

 

His knees tightened gently around her body and he grasped her tighter with his arms. She could feel her breathing becoming quicker as his heat seeped inside of her. It stretched to fill every piece of her body. Her nose had become part of her again, her fingers were less numb, and she could feel her feet once again.

 

“Rukia,” he murmured, his voice sounded so choked and weak. It was unlike Ichigo and yet… she knew it was him. This was the raw, vulnerable side of him that he rarely showed to anyone. This was him, real and honest, sitting behind her. She was about to say something when he let out a long breath and pressed his entire face into the crook of her neck and shoulder.

 

Rukia's first gasp was short lived while the second one was loud and penetrating. It echoed off the trunks of trees and then shot back to the two. Ichigo's lashes brushed against her skin, his mouth was on her neck but he was not moving it. He had no facial expression, she could tell by the flat line of his lips on her skin, but his scowl was still there, she could feel it plain as day.

 

“Rukia,” he said again, moving his lips softly as he spoke.

 

“Ichigo.” She responded. That seemed to be all that she could say. She just didn't know if there were any words that could come out of her mouth that would appropriately describe her feelings right now.

 

Silence dominated the air except for Ichigo murmuring her name again and again. It was like he couldn't go a few minutes without some type of confirmation that the two of them were actually there… together.

 

After a few moments of graceful and bliss-filled quiet Rukia snaked her hands upwards and placed them on top of his own. Ichigo's fingers threaded through them and she quaked when his thumbs began to caress the skin of her hands. He kept stroking and she kept shaking. Ichigo hugged her tighter and she clutched him even harder. She leaned her head back a bit and rested against his orange hair. It tickled her face and she breathed on it softly. His hair ruffled and she sighed. His skin was so warm.

 

Ichigo raised his face a bit and his cheek pressed against hers. She let out a tiny whimper and felt her body twitch.

 

His breath on her ear was warm, “Are you cold?” He whispered.

 

She shook her head, lessening and increasing the pressure on their cheeks. “No,” she murmured, “I'm not.”

 

He hugged her tighter and enveloped her even more. “Good.” He turned his head a bit and pressed his soft, slightly open, mouth to her cheek. Rukia gasped and turned her face completely towards his. His eyes were staring directly into his. She gasped again when she saw him and his gorgeous eyes. She could see the meteor shower she had forgotten about reflected in his amber irises. His pupils were black holes that swallowed her completely, driving her deeper and deeper into his heart. She saw everything in his gaze. His fears, his insecurities… his love… she could see everything.

 

Her breathing was harmonious but swift. Ichigo didn't say a word as he leaned a bit forward. He didn't kiss her. He pressed his forehead against hers and simply absorbed her.

 

She closed her eyes and accepted his compressed skin against hers. Her breath fanned out against his face, their lips were mere inches apart. Rukia soaked in Ichigo's spicy scent. He did the same.

 

Ichigo drew in a breath, “You smell like chocolate.” He murmured softly.

 

“Chef made cocoa.” She responded in a whisper. It was such a mundane topic but right now it seemed to be important to both of them.

 

He nodded and closed his eyes as well. They sat for so long. The minutes melted away as their mouths swayed, close, then far away, close again, then further away. It was an endless dance that tested the wills and hearts of both participants. Rukia was still enclosed in his arms, his warmth enveloped her like a blanket. He sat behind her, he didn't complain about being stiff or cold or uncomfortable. It seemed like he just wanted to sit with her and hold her.

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

Rukia's eyes fluttered open and she looked at him through a dreamy haze. His eyes were open and she swallowed hard when she felt the intensity of his gaze. She nearly drowned in such an expression.

 

“Ichigo…” she murmured but he didn't let her say anything else. She couldn't say anything; his eyes were powerful and passionate, her words were simply stopped in her throat.

 

“For so long,” he whispered, “I thought about only what I was feeling. I never thought about what you wanted or what you needed. I was selfish and I was stupid.”

 

“Ichigo…” she murmured again, her voice was so weak, his strength, courage, and warmth was washing over her, making her insides sizzle with emotion.

 

His fingers tightened around hers, “You have to know Rukia,” he murmured with more urgency than before, “You have to know that without you… I don't exist. God Rukia, you're my other half, you've always been my other half. I think I was afraid to say it—to say that I needed you. But not your body, I need you as a person and as my friend.” He swallowed and drew in an unsteady breath. “I love you Rukia. And I'm not afraid to say it anymore.”

 

Rukia's breath caught in her throat and in that moment she felt like that singular breath would be the last slip of air she would ever take again… at least, not as she used to be. She was reborn. She could feel her soul crawling out of her center as his declaration was repeated again and again in her head. Her heart constricted and released as it beat wildly in her chest. She clutched his hands closer to her and he tightened his grip on her fingers. He seemed to understand that she would need time. She needed the ability to process what he was saying before she did anything else.

 

Rukia felt the blood rushing through her veins; it was rekindling anything and everything inside of her that had been left for dead only seconds before. She gasped again and again, his sinfully delicious breath shot into her lungs as she struggled to comprehend everything that was going on right now.

 

She found herself shaking again as she shifted her body. She was now perpendicular to him. Her body was still enclosed warmly in his. She could feel his panting breath against her face and her eyes lowered softly. It seemed like it took forever for her to gather the courage to lift her azure eyes to his burning amber ones.

 

She was staring into his eyes and she could see the truth of the universe in his gaze. Stars sparkled in the dark coloring of his irises while the entire world was placed in the pupil. She swallowed heavily and let out a shuddering breath. His stare was enough to make her entire body melt in his grasp.

 

“I love you Ichigo.” She whispered as her breath whispered over his face.

 

She sat there, panting for no other reason than his proximity. Her body was tightly enclosed in his and she tingled in every place she and he touched. Her mind was fuzzy with heat and her mouth was dangerously close to his.

 

Her lids suddenly became so heavy. She could barely support them anymore. They began to slowly slide down her eyes, swallowing her vision in blackness until she could not see Ichigo any longer. But she could feel him. Oh, she could feel him. He was close… so close to her. His mouth was barely centimeters from hers. His breath was sweet and heady on her face. It was making her feel drunk and dizzy and disconnected from everything that was going on around her. She could sense nothing except his encroaching kiss. She could not feel the wind on her face or hear the crickets chirping around them or smell the smoke from the doused campfires near them or even feel any other part of her body except for her lips. Her lips which were tingling and alive even though they had not been touched. She could feel her face growing warm but it was not from anything she had done. It was Ichigo. Everything was Ichigo. She could feel nothing but Ichigo.

 

Her mouth parted softly and she whispered his name.

 

She felt something sweet and warm brush over her mouth. The heat of fire and the sparks of electricity fell through her mouth and inside the entire expanse of her body. She drew in a sharp breath and immediately felt him again. He barely passed across her lips but it was enough. Her breathing was nearly stopped inside of her chest and she shivered when he brushed her lips with his again and again. Her mind was buzzing with fuzziness. She couldn't even keep her mouth from shaking as each press became firmer, each touch became warmer, and each spark became enflamed.

 

His name slipped from her lips, unbidden and uncalled for by her mind. She trembled in his grasp and then his arms tightened around her. He whispered her name in a way she could only call passionate and finally pressed his lips firmly against hers.

 

Rukia sucked in a breath of air and immediately melded herself to him. Her fingers released from his and she pressed them against his chest. She could feel his finely ironed shirt underneath the palms of her hands. She couldn't help herself from sliding them upwards until her knuckles brushed against his silken strands of hair. Each strand cut into her skin until she felt like she would bleed if she kept going but die if she stopped. His arms snaked around her middle and drew her in until she was molded to him. His hands pressed against the sides of her ribs and tickled her through the thin layers of her clothing. Rukia wound her limbs into his mass of orange hair and sighed against his mouth.

 

He was moving slowly; his lips were touching and teasing her own as though he was almost afraid of truly tasting her. His warm lips were parted only fractionally. It was just enough to allow her own to dip into the grooves of his. His strong and patient mouth caressed hers, cherished hers, and loved hers. She didn't know why, but small noises kept escaping the confines of her throat. She had never been kissed in such a way. Every touch he made increased the melting, heating, boiling pressure inside of her stomach. Her heart was beating at an uncontrollable rate. His touches, his scent—spice and cinnamon—were awakening things in her she knew she felt, but had never experienced.

 

Her mouth opened a bit more and she whispered his name once again. The breath she used to expel the singular word drifted across the expanse between them and seemed to break him, body and soul.

 

His tongue slipped out from his mouth and brushed against her lips. Rukia opened to him but he withdrew, his mouth angled over hers before he allowed is tongue to slide out once again. This time he ran it along her bottom lip once, twice, back and forth and then pulled back, seemingly savoring her flavor. A small but guttural groan came from the back of his throat at the same time a breathy moan escaped her.

 

His hands at her waist pressed against the small of her back and Rukia found her chest fitted snugly against his. She whimpered softly and then gasped when the full force of his kiss crashed upon her lips. Ichigo tilted his head to the side and slanted his mouth over hers so he could probe into her, slick and heady, warm and tantalizing, again and again. Rukia's fingers gripped his hair tight enough to pull out the strands completely but the rest of her body was so weak and limp; it was soft clay beneath his fingertips. He cast her to his body then kissed her so she might be fired in the intense heat. She was so palpable in his hands.

 

Their once soft and gentle kiss had turned into a stunning act of desperation. Each one knew that the other was the earth, they were gravity, they were the sun and the moon and the stars and without them they would simply cease to exist. Ichigo's hand moved to her neck and his warm fingers traced her collarbone as she nipped and suckled his mouth.

 

Their worlds were spinning and the earth beneath them was collapsing. Ichigo kissed Rukia with the fervor of a starving man. His tongue touched and drove into every part of her lips and her mouth. It was like he was the artist, she his model, and it was absolutely necessary that he commit every single detail about gorgeous mouth her to his memory.

 

Rukia was just as hungry. Every desire that involved Ichigo kissing her came to new light and burned within her soul until there was nothing she could do but simply battle the flames with a kiss. She was demanding but kind. Her fingers scraped his scalp but soothed the marks. She panted into him and desperately tried to press every part of her body against his. She needed him and wanted him with the fullest extent of her being. Now she had him… and she was never letting go.

 

The need for air was ignored until their flushed features and struggling lungs demanded it. They broke away with a gasp and panted hot air into each others faces, their breaths misted upwards in unison and drove into the sky now littered with stars.

 

Neither of them could speak. Their mouths were raw and their lips were used. Their bodies were shaking and their hearts felt like they had just run two thousand miles in the blistering sun.

 

There was nothing left to do but hold each other. Ichigo pulled Rukia to his front and she sat sideways in his lap. Her breathing was erratic but so was his. He clutched her to him and buried his face into her raven hair, simply breathing in her scent. She tucked her head under his chin and tried to calm herself. She no longer felt cold. She felt hot. She was burning. She risked a glance up at the sky and knew that her body belonged with one of those meteorites. Those enflamed balls of mass that simply fell to the earth after they had spent such a long time aimlessly wandering the cosmos. She now knew what they felt like. She too had been wandering. She too had been lost. Now, she was with Ichigo, her rock, her earth, her home.

 

Her name was whispered through his lips and she pressed a kiss to his collarbone, exposed slightly over the folds of his shirt.

 

“I love you.” She whispered, tasting the words on her tongue. They were so right.

 

“I love you.” Ichigo whispered back. He seemed to be experimenting with the phrase as well. She knew that it was foreign to him. He had said it to no other woman outside his family. Not even, she knew with absolute certainty, to Orihime.

 

Rukia clutched Ichigo even tighter and he did the same. They simply sat there, occasionally stealing kisses and whispering the same three words, over and over and over again. After a while they slid back onto the grass, lying on their sides, facing one another. Neither one of them cared to even look at the meteor shower anymore. Rukia stared into Ichigo's eyes and he stared into hers. Lights danced off of them and they huddled together for warmth. Ichigo's arms were wrapped around her body and she was pressed into him.

 

It was near one in the morning when the cold became too much to bear. They stood together, packed Rukia's things, and when they began to walk back Rukia's numbs limbs worked jerkily and slowly. After a few moments, Ichigo bent down and picked her up. She didn't protest, she simply wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face to his chest. He carried her the entire way to her house and when they got to her door he opened it without setting her down.

 

Rukia nearly cried with happiness when Ichigo continued to carry her, all the way up to her bedroom. He brought her inside quietly, the hinges on the door barely made a sound. He set her down gently atop her sheets. She turned to him and an unsettling panic stirred in the pit of her stomach as she stared at him with piercing eyes. He shook his head softly, instantly understanding exactly what she meant.

 

“No,” he whispered as he came to lay behind her. “Not until you want to.”

 

With that he settled his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.

 

“Sleep,” he whispered, his breath puffing into her ear.

 

Rukia could already feel the drowsiness overtaking her body. She gave a soft nod and then sighed, “What about… Haji?” She ended on a yawn.

 

“I love you Rukia,” he whispered, “And I'm not going to leave you. Not now, not ever. And I'm not going to leave you tonight. I don't care what Haji—or anyone else—says.”

 

Rukia let out a small chuckle and shook her head once before feeling the heavy drowsiness of sleep slip over her. “You're crazy,” she murmured, “But I love you.”

 

Ichigo pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck and tightened his hold. “I love you. I love you Rukia Kuchiki. So much…”

 

They fell asleep together on her bed. Ichigo's arms around Rukia. It was quite clear that he never intended to let her go.