Bleach 1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Rukia Kuchiki was in a bad mood. She'd been kicked out of her already run-down apartment because she failed to pay the rent on time. The reason of this had been because she'd been busy studying and reading instead of her usual hobbies of begging for jobs (and money). She'd had the epiphany of focusing on her studies for once.

Besides that, she had been pulled into the forefront of the group that had dubbed themselves 'The Soul Society'. It was a gang that consisted of a variety of teenagers who had little money or nowhere else to go. They were mainly joined together by each of them claiming to have supernatural powers such as seeing the future or feeling the deceased's presence. The few people that had heard of the gang knew that they were nothing more than outcasts who pick pocketed, looted and graffiti-ed. Not so much a cut throat gang as misfit kids that were desperate, wanting to be special and seen as no more than a nuisance.

It was a while ago that Rukia had started running with them. She had been thirteen at the time and, finding her family unbearable, had started her life on her own. It was something that all kids that age wanted to do and she had spontaneously made this happen. Much to Rukia's displeasure, this was harder than she had first thought, but the Soul Society had slipped her information to help her out. They had found her because of her classmate's whispers that she could see the shapes of the deceased, which she had just insisted her mind was playing tricks on her.

The jobs they assigned her were simple and easy. Steal that woman's jewelry, or break into that shop for the instant ramen. All the money she earnt she could keep, providing they receive their cut.

As she grew older, she did less and less 'favours' for the gang, her morals telling her that it was wrong to do so. She focused on getting a decent job, not causing adolescent trouble. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy for Rukia to get away. Now, the 'elders' of the group demanded that she take an active role, being the age that they were when they started out. The younger ones that had foolishly signed up recently needed help in getting the money to survive.

Therefore, today they had demanded that Rukia steal some money for the benefit of them all. The knowing way they added that _she_ needed it too made her suspicious that they had something to do with her eviction. She had been doing rather well for herself and was actually working up the guts to leave when the eviction happened. She started to wonder if the group had ulterior motives. She never had found out where the money they reaped went.

It wasn't her place to start asking and getting in trouble though. She was reasonable at fighting and quick to get away, but she knew she wouldn't be able to take them on if things got rough. Things certainly would if they found out how disloyal she really was. She'd had no choice but to accept the job, pulled back into the thug life again.

Now, perched on a short pillar, Rukia peered at the passersby in search of a target. The Soul Society didn't just need the money, she did to buy a dinner and find a decent place to sleep. She'd been thrown out of her apartment in such a rush that she had only what she could grab in five minutes, leaving her with the dark hoodie and jeans she'd been dressed in and a backpack that contained bare essentials, a couple of books and her favourite blanket. There was no food that she had scavenged.

She fiddled absentmindedly with the rabbit shaped hair slide in her hands whilst she waited, brooding with her own self-pity. Then, her violet coloured eyes narrowed as she spotted a suitable victim.

The 'target' was a boy of her age, wearing a grey high school uniform and a grumpy expression. The most eye-catching thing about him was his bright orange, spiky hair, which made him stand out like a traffic cone. Despite this, Rukia had noticed him because his nose was buried in a black wallet filled to the brim with notes. That was just the kind of money that she needed.

Pushing off the post, Rukia sidled over to him, putting on her best act. She had done this a hundred times before and was confident that she could put on a show.

"Hiya!" she chirped in her flirtiest voice, noticing with slight annoyance that she barely reached his shoulder. Just how gargantuan did one person need to be?

"What do you want, kid?" came the moody response from him. The boy's eyes had barely flickered towards her, like she wasn't worth his time. He obviously thought she was younger than she really was, which, although it had its perks, was a pet peeve of hers. Not to be discouraged, Rukia hopped around so that she was in front of him, her beaming smile still in place. He didn't stop his pace, which meant she had to start walking backwards so she wasn't trampled by him.

"I was just wondering," she had to pause for half a second to come up with a believable lie. Since she was so out of touch with this, she hadn't even thought this through a little bit more. "If you wanted to grab a pizza?"

It was a terrible lie, especially since there were no pizza places vaguely nearby, but it was the first thing that Rukia had thought of. With years of experience, she knew that high school guys never passed down an opportunity to take a young girl to dinner.

It was actually the perfect plan. Woo them into buying her pizza, get free food and when they get their wallet out all it took was a well-placed pinch to a pressure point and the money was hers. They were held up on giving chase by having to pay for their food, which allowed her a quick getaway. They'd never see the mysterious dark haired girl again.

"No, thanks." The ginger guy replied grumpily as he was forced to looked at her. Yeesh, his glare was as sharp as his tone. "I've got places to be."

Not to be deterred so easily, her life was on the line after all, Rukia faked a girlish pout and blinked her eyelashes. This was going to be harder than she first thought. With no opportunity to ready herself, she probably did look like a homeless girl begging for food. People didn't trust others that looked like that.

"Meeting a pretty girl?" she asked, pretending to be disappointed at the prospect. This had happened before and it was nothing the puppy dog eyes couldn't fix. Now though, she just needed a way of keeping him talking long enough to obtain the money. Her mind was running circles and she tried not to look panicked at the prospect of losing.

"No, now leave me alone!" he snapped-obviously his attitude matched his hair. He pushed her angrily out of the way. She gave a cry when his hand collided with her breast, though she couldn't tell if that was part of the act or not. Rukia grabbed his wrist on instinct to right herself so that she didn't fall backwards. She knew that she couldn't give up this easily. This was the opportunity that could fix her life-sort of. He had stopped at her contact, probably ready to throw a punch.

She needed a distraction. Anything. Anything that took long enough to get into his back pocket and run without him knowing what he'd lost. Rukia's eyes darted around as she tried to think of something adequate to say. The old 'that's a funny place to put a piano' normally scored high, but this guy would likely not even look and just hit her instead. She needed something different-something shocking.

Rukia was faintly aware of him yelling questions at her further when the idea hit her. She'd always been one to read too much romance and though every bone in her body told her not to do it, it seemed like the only option she had. Leaping up onto her tiptoes and hoping she wouldn't gag too badly from this experience, she jammed her lips into his.

His open mouth was silenced immediately, his eyes probably bulging with the shock, but she didn't know. Her own eyes were squeezed shut to try and block out what she was doing. This was a terrible, horrible, stupid idea. Yet it was too late to back out now.

Rukia wrapped an arm around his neck as she returned her feet to solid ground. He was lurched over her. It had appeared to work however, as their lips started to move against one another's. Slowly, as though searching the shape of each other's lips to see if they met their own. His lips tasted of soda and hers probably of candy, since it was the main part of her diet. She was aware of the tingling sensation that his touch caused, that one of his hands was on the back of her head. Her free hand reached his jean's pockets. It had to be in one of them.

His other hand was on her waist as she found her way to the back pocket of his jeans. It seemed that he was completely entranced with her. The old Kuchiki charm strikes again, even if it was in a less than dignified way. Groping for the wallet, she tried to keep her lips moving so that he wouldn't be suspicious.

_There!_ she found the familiar bulge of a wallet and carefully slipped it out. Once she had a secure grip on it, clenching it in her fist, she slowly released her grip on the tall boy. He was staring at her dumb-founded as she smiled sweetly.

"I have to go," she whispered, then sidestepped behind a walker. Now was the time to dodge through the crowd.

Rukia was running now, skillfully avoiding the other passersby as she shoved the wallet into her bra and ducked down an alley. From there, she was able to navigate the maze until she was sure the boy wouldn't follow her.

As soon as she had started running, he called after her, still as angry as he had been before. He must have only had two moods, angry and angrier. Then it seemed that he had noticed the missing money as he cried out 'my wallet!' Hopefully he had stopped to retrace his steps, thinking that he had dropped it at one point, so that he wouldn't see which direction she went in.

Now, Rukia sat on a dumpster, counting through the notes in her loot. She wiped a hand across her mouth to try to rid herself of the taste. She had no real problem with kissing, but manipulating someone like that made her feel bad and had left a sour taste. Overall though, it had left a buzz throughout her lips and mind. One that she was sure was down to her morals being manipulated and nothing to do with her target.

Surely.


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N): Hey guys! I'm sorry I didn't add an author's note to the last chapter. It was late and I was uploading it as I was brushing my teeth for bed so I left it at that. Anyway, I'm happy to see that this is getting popular! ^-^ It's really encouraging for my and gives me motivation to improve my writing.**

**In terms of news with this fic, I've edited the description slightly so that it reads better (even if I ran out of characters) and I'm currently searching for cover art (if anyone is an artist here and would like to help me out I'll offer a oneshot request or something.)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm sorry for any painful waiting it may have caused.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

Chapter Two

The short, tired girl leafed through the small roll of notes that she had left. The majority of the money that she had stolen had been sacrificed to The Soul Society, however, with her rent out of the way she was free to indulge in herself a little more than usual.

The last two nights had been completely miserable for Rukia. When it came to food, she had been able to gather a few half-edible scraps from the bins, but she knew she'd have to start stealing again soon.

The first night wasn't too bad, for she had been able to stay at the base of the gang. It wasn't comfortable with only a tattered mattress and a dozen others sleeping way too close for comfort, but at least it had been warm.

The following morning though, she'd had to head off on her own again. Rukia had been welcome to stay longer, but not only did she not get on with many of her fellow members, she hadn't wanted to show weakness. That meant that she'd hunted out a small nook in an alleyway, bundling in her hoodie to conserve body heat. Unfortunately, it had rained, washing away her slightly optimistic feelings and leaving her soaking all morning.  
>In order to cheer herself up, Rukia had opted to spend the day in town.<p>

The toilets at the shopping centre provided her with the means to dry herself and freshen herself up. She figured that whilst she was here she could buy herself another set of clothes, therefore she was wandering up and down in search of a 'petite range' shop.

However, she'd soon became bored and slinked into a glasses shop. Rukia needed something interesting and entertaining to brighten the day, and who doesn't love trying on glasses? Her hands were clasped childishly behind her back as she strolled down the aisles, looking curiously at the glasses. There had to be a pair that would make her look completely ridiculous that would make her feel a little better.

She stopped suddenly, her converses squeaking slightly on the polished floor at the movement as she spotted the perfect pair. They were round with a tortoiseshell frame, at least the width of her finger, the frames seemingly magnifying the stands behind it. Anyone who had any taste would never dream of buying them. So, naturally, Rukia tried them on.

She flicked her pitch black hair out the way and grinned at her reflection in the mirror. The glasses were way too big for her face and made her look like an overgrown fly.

Her view was actually obscured due to the fact that they were glasses with an extreme prescription, which made everything extremely blurry for her. Though, as she went to take the frames off, she froze, seeing a figure behind her that stopped her heart as well as her hands. There was an unmistakable person behind her who had a very similar shock of orange hair. It couldn't be the boy she'd stolen from...could it?

"You!" a shout from the boy behind as he saw her, told her that it had to be.

Without stopping to think, Rukia bolted from the shop the way she had come, the ginger boy's yells ringing in her ears. As soon as she dived through the entrance of the shop, a caterwauling alarm went off from the shop, able to be heard from a large distance away. She knew from experience that the security of the shopping centre would be dropping to her like fleas to a dog anytime now. She pumped her limbs faster as she ran, her heart beating at a ragged pace.

She couldn't give up now, she had to escape from the ginger menace. It wasn't rare for her to run into someone she had thieved from, but she was normally more alert and could dodge out of their sight.

Looking for a place to escape, Rukia darted into the toilets, the door swinging shut behind her as she leapt through the window. As she tucked herself into a ball to make penance for the sill and the half closed lid, she hit her shin on the bottom of the window.

Hitting the gravel outside the centre and righting herself, panting heavily, she rubbed the feeling back into her stinging leg. She glanced left and right for somewhere safe to go. There were still sirens in the centre, so she knew she had to keep moving. But which way?

Making a split-second decision, she turned left abruptly, only to bump into a solid mass. Rukia stumbled backwards, dazed from the impact, before she was pushed into the red brick wall of the building. The action had winded her and her head had bounced off the wall, the accidentally-stolen glasses dropping to the ground, adding to the chaos as the glass smashed.

The person that she had bumped into had the scruff of her hoodie in his hand, keeping her in place. As Rukia blinked stars away, the angry expression of the ginger boy came into focus, his eyes flaming shards that seemed to cut into her, reminding her of her crimes. He was clad in thin, square frames that made her throat feel uncomfortably hot. Her heart beat painfully in her chest. This was the first time that she'd ever been caught.

"You stole my wallet!" he accused, almost growling with anger. His face was so close to hers that she could feel spit fly from him. She struggled against his hands with her own, but he was a lot stronger than she was so her actions were useless.

Rukia's heart begun to sink like the titanic, still thudding loudly in her temples. The security of the shopping centre wouldn't let them get away with this and with each moment trapped with this guy, the more likely she was going to get caught, maybe arrested. She didn't know if her pride could take getting caught by two people in one day. Not to mention The Soul Society would kill her, or worse.

"I didn't have a choice!" she spat back at the boy, still pushing against him. Her anger and panic had caused her to retaliate against him, as opposed to pulling off a dirty trick then running. He didn't seem to comprehend how much trouble she was in because he rolled his eyes distastefully.

"Everyone has a choice." He told her, like he was talking to an incompetent child or a lowly criminal. Rukia opened her mouth to argue once more, however froze at what she saw in her peripheral vision. The security team had found them.

The ginger guy turned to what she was staring at, his eyes widening as he understood. He brought a hand to the glasses he was still wearing, like it had only just occurred to him that he was in trouble too.

"Run!" Rukia shouted, with a strong push against him, the distracted boy let her go. She continued sprinting in the direction that she was headed beforehand, maps in her head forming obediently to alert her of the best hiding places nearby.

"I expect you to pay me back after this!" the guy continued from behind her. She rolled her eyes, starting to detest him, thinking that it was useless to start to explain to him that there was barely any money to return.

He was tailing her, she realized quickly, once she'd taken a series of turns. He was close to her as well, maybe running at the same speed had she not have had a head start.

Rukia felt a twinge of pity for the boy. Not only had he been pickpocketed, now he was being chased for stealing glasses by accident because he was chasing said pickpocketer. He must have been having a crazy couple of days since she had crashed into his world.

Remembering a spot she'd discovered several years ago and shaking off thoughts of the boy, Rukia took a sudden turn into a narrow alley. She'd used it a year ago, but was apparently smaller then, for now her shoulder scraped the walls. If she needed to turn things could get rough.

She could hear the ginger guy stumbling behind her, the uncomfortable twinge returning in her gut. Taking a breath whilst cursing herself internally for her weakness, she grabbed his wrist as he passed and pulled him into the entry way with her.

The alley was an even worse fit on the boy, who was cramped up like a jack in the box as the panted from the run. It was slightly cooler here due to the shadows, which cooled the sweat on their foreheads, slightly obscuring their view of each other. The short girl had to fight the urge to rest her head on his chest from exhaustion. It had been a while since she'd ran so fast for so long like that.

Regarding each other wearily, but staying silent-seemingly joining up to complete their escape, they listened to the security team run by and both breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"We got away," Rukia gasped through breaths. With her rear foot, she searched the ground behind her for the box that she remembered would help her climb onto the rooftops for an escape. Then she'd have to move to a different area of town to avoid ever seeing him again. He had proved to be pretty persistent so far, so he'd probably keep perusing her.

It was as though he had read her thoughts, as he encircled her wrist in his hand, holding her with so tight a grip that she had to bite her lip to stop a cry.

"The money. Now." He demanded. Rukia shook her head.

"There's only about two hundred yen left. It's not worth it." She tried to explain. Not mentioning that money was what she'd planned to spend on her dinner. She'd had enough of half empty takeaways.

"What the hell did you do with the rest of it?!" came the ever-angry response. She looked at her worn shoes almost sheepishly. How much could she tell him? Maybe if she indulged in him that she was homeless he'd take pity on her. Yet, her pride couldn't allow her to say that and she doubted he'd have any feelings other than hate for what she did.

Rukia carried on breathing heavily, pretending she was out of breath whilst trying to buy herself a few seconds to think. She sighed as she realized that she had no lies.

"It's...a long story." She admitted, chancing a glance at the ginger boy's face. His expression changed so that he was slightly less angry and a little more perplexed at the girl before him.

"Well considering I doubt I can get out of her, you should tell it." He said dryly, looking a lot less revenge crazed now. Rukia sighed irritably again, twisting herself so that she was leaning against the wall, the boy's hand still grasping her. She couldn't just come straight out about the Soul Society. She'd have to be careful and dodge around it.

It did cross her mind that she could just kick him in the never regions and run, but, she reasoned, this was the kind of person that would follow her.  
>Coupled with this, she suddenly felt rather heavy. Rukia came to the conclusion that she was actually very stressed lately. Lately, she had been like a leaf in the breeze, having no control or options left but to be steered along by someone else. Her heart was still racing but more than anything, she wanted to rest somewhere. There was a huge weight pressing down on her and Rukia felt the sudden need to indulge in someone. An disgruntled, ginger teenager would have to do. She wouldn't tell him all of it, just a little to lighten to lighten her burden.<p>

"I'm...running with the wrong crowd." She spoke carefully, not wanting to give too much away. The Soul Society was on a strictly need-to-know basis, she wasn't about to jeopardize her position. The boy seemed to relax a little though he still watched her with narrow eyes, silently telling her to continue.

"They told me to get some money," Rukia continued, her voice getting stronger as she developed her story. "I needed to myself, for food."

He surveyed her once more, taking in her even more grimy appearance, then he raised an eyebrow.

"That's your excuse?" he asked in a low voice. It was the quietest she'd ever heard him speak. She fixed him with a stony glare in response.

"I know it was wrong but it was my only choice, okay? I wouldn't expect you to understand." Rukia snapped, finally gathering the courage to pull her wrist away, though she could still feel his touch, like a ghost was there. She felt a lot better by exposing those few facts and the yelling had helped relieve some of her tension. Now it was time to leave and hope he didn't find her again.

"Are you coping okay?" the boy questioned behind her. He didn't seem particularly concerned, but she was still shocked. It had been a long time since someone bothered to ask her that.

The child within her wanted to turn back, hug him and sob for hours, building up a false hope that he would make everything better. The adult in her just wanted to get away to some peace and quiet.

"I have to go," she muttered, dodging the question for fear she'd say 'no' and spill her guts out. She climbed onto the wooden crate, which gave a questionable groan underneath her. There was a moment of silence before the boy spoke again.

"Who are you?" he said, continuing his interview of the mysterious thief. He probably meant what gang she was in and where she came from, but as Rukia turned back she gave a small smile.

"I'm Rukia," she said. Then she watched carefully as a smirk appeared on the boy's features as he gathered how she had just replied.

"The name's Ichigo."

Before he could ask another personal question, Rukia had swung herself onto the roof tops and was darting for safety. Ichigo…she thought to herself. A fitting name for such vibrant hair.

**(A/N): It's me again! I just wanted to say thank you so much for the reviews-I love reading them and I'm so sorry I don't reply. It's normally because I don't socialize with humans very often and would send you an essay for just saying you liked it.**

**To conclude, please keep telling me your thoughts, I'll keep writing and we'll all have fun together!**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N): Hey everyone! I did say in the description that they wouldn't be regular updates. To be honest, I do like writing this fic, but maybe I should have prepared more of a storyline since now I've got threads and nothing to knit them together.**

**I'm so so sorry for the long wait. I literally just forgot about this and I have no real excuse.**

**Anyway, it's here. It's longer than it used to be.**

Chapter Three

Ever since their encounter at the shopping centre, Rukia decided that Ichigo might lead her to somewhere safe to stay at. Plus, she was starting to warm to him and his ridiculous temper. Therefore she had very carefully stalked him as he made his way home. Of course, he had to return to the shopping centre and meet up with his family. It was a wonder how the security guards didn't recognize him.

Rukia watched with a cracked pair of sunglasses and her hood up from behind a display stand for the latest Assassin's Creed. He was talking to two small girls, one with dark hair and a no-nonsense attitude, whilst the other had mousy brown hair and seemed to be more of the motherly type. They had to be his sisters, she decided as he started walking them back home.

She felt a twinge of jealousy as she watched the three interact with each other, half wishing that she had a family that would joke around with her like that. She kicked angrily at the ground with her boot, accidently knocking a toy lion out of the way. Rukia looked around hastily and guiltily when she realized what she had done, though no one was looking for the stuffed toy.

Feeling bad for it, she picked up the lion. It was even dirtier than she was and smelt like sour milk, yet had a somewhat cute face. She had been so lonely recently, that she picked it up, deciding to call it Ichigo in honour of the boy who brought them together. It was childish to think such a thing had feelings, but she felt that she needed something to cuddle at night. If it was a dirty old lion toy, so be it. This was the 'take whatever you can get' point of no return.

This was when she realized that Ichigo had suddenly escaped from her and hurried through the streets in a panic, determined not to lose her quarry.

Rukia had been following Ichigo for three hours when he finally arrived at his house. Being as quiet as possible, she had sneaked around to his bedroom, thankfully at the back of the house. The bad news was that it was on the second floor, so she had to shimmy her way up the drainpipe and crouch in the gutter. Hopefully on one would think it strange to see her there if they walked past.

Like a bat, Rukia peered in at him through the window, which, unsurprisingly, was shut tight against the harsh winds. Similar to any teenage boy, he was busy on a video game; his eyebrows knitted together in concentration and his tongue slightly out in a face that made her bite back a laugh.

Now that she was here, the girl debated what to do. She couldn't just climb in through the window and ask for a place to say, since he pretty much hated her anyway. Tearing her attention away from _Borderlands the Pre-sequel_ (making a symphony of loud noises from Icihgo's T.V), she surveyed the rest of his room.

_That's a big wardrobe._ She noted, her hands turning a crimson colour from gripping the frozen gutter so long. When he left his room, she'd be able to sneak in-as long as she left before morning he would be none the wiser. She knew she was right to follow him!

It occurred to her that she wasn't in the right frame of mind, as she swung herself the right way again, since normal people would think it a bit creepy to stalk someone like this, but it didn't seem important right now. Her mind was seemingly elsewhere as she waited for him to leave, daydreaming about how warm and dry the wardrobe would be.

Ichigo stubbornly played his game for hours. Such that, when his father called him downstairs for dinner, it woke Rukia from her fitful nap on the roof.

She was really starting to regret not taking a DS or I-pod to keep her company. All she had was lion-Ichigo who she had started to try to clean with her spit before giving up and staring at the sky, thus falling into a slumber. It was a messed up dream where lion-Ichigo inhabited Icihgo's body, found a gun and was wreaking havoc on _Mad Moxie_.

So, as she heard Ichigo leaving his room, she brought herself off of the tiles as quickly as she could. She stretched, trying to ease the aches in her muscles; it was getting harder to separate the old from the new.

Rukia felt strangely like Spiderman as she carefully worked her way onto the windowsill. She had one foot on the sill, the other placed on the metal that nailed the drainpipe to the wall. Whilst one of her hands gripped the round drainpipe as tightly as she could, which still meant there was a high chance of falling, the other tugged at the bottom of the windowsill.

It sprung up in leaps and bounds, many times causing Rukia to right herself on the wall to regain her balance before pushing it further upwards. Eventually though, the way was clear and she was able to enter the boy's house for the first time.

Warm air surrounded her like a blanket, making her truly warm for the first time in days, (a good way of keeping her living cost down was to double the blankets and half the heating) the electric light overhead like a sun in her world.

Noticing it was a cream carpet, she took her muddy boots off straight away, resisting the urge to try out his bed. It looked so inviting, unusually neatly made, the pillows plump. It was just waiting for her to lay down on it.

_No_, Rukia scolded herself, picking up her boots from the floor. She may not have much time left before Ichigo finished eating, there was no time to play around. She crossed to the wardrobe and slid the door open in a business-like manner, side stepping out of the way as a hockey stick almost fell on her. The neat appearance of the Ichigo's room now seemed to be because of the horrendous mess in his wardrobe.

It was divided by a wooden board that split the space vertically. The top was fairly reasonable, with his clothes hanging in an orderly fashion and spare duvets spread on the board if need be. The bottom however, was littered in old wrappers, cans, half worn clothes, abandoned textbooks and who knows what else.

She placed her boots on an already muddy P.E uniform and climbed into a sitting position on the worn duvets. They weren't particularly thick, but they were a lot comfier than her previous seats, so it felt like a luxury. Rukia sighed, placing her bag next to her, feeling content.

The bubble of peace popped as she heard voices on the landing and scrambled to close the wardrobe door in time, sealing herself in to the darkness. She strained her ears, holding her breath as she stared into the seemingly never ending black expanse. There were footsteps, then an angry muttering. _She was found out!_

"Karin! I thought I told you not to go in my room!" Ichigo's voice came through the wood of the door, making Rukia's heart jump with relief.

"Why would I go into _your _room?" was the just as angry response, Rukia recognized the voice as the dark haired girl's.

"Well _someone _opened the window." The boy shouted back, still annoyed. In the dark, Rukia winced. _How could she have done something so amateur?_

"Well it wasn't me!" the defensive yell told them. Ichigo grumbled to himself some more, calling her a dirty liar, before he resumed the game. Rukia looked up to the ceiling, thanking each and every star that he didn't remain suspicious of the open window.

As the sound of the game raged on outside, she let out her breath. It wasn't that she was lucky or happy to be here, but it was a start to making things better. Lion-Ichigo was soft against her fingers as she hugged him to her stomach, mindful not to get him too close to her nose, the real Ichigo outside almost as comforting. There was no reason for her to feel this way, but hiding in his closet, she felt…safe.

There was the smell of warm linen that greeted Rukia as she woke up. That wonderful homely smell like warm towels and soft duvets. She smiled, nuzzling her face into the furry object in her arms, taking a big whiff of the smell.

Immediately, she came away gagging. _That _wasn't where the good smell had come from. _That _was lion-Ichigo and he made her eyes water in the darkness. Trousers brushed her messy hair as she sat up in the cramped space and remembered where she was. The closet.

There was a ringing sound piercing her head that came into focus as an alarm. _It must be a school day_, she thought groggily. _Which must mean that…_Rukia clamped her hand over her mouth to stop her gasp. _He'll need his school things! _(As read previously, these things are in the wardrobe with her.)

She had no time to move as the door of the wardrobe was pulled open and honey yellow light blinded her. Her stomach was a mess since it was kicking itself so hard-she had planned to be the first one awake! How could she have laid in? She sat there, helpless and caught, feeling as though she was in a spotlight as Ichigo's tall shadow loomed over her, waiting for him to shout, drag her out, call the police or all three.

Instead, Ichigo surprised her by snickering to himself.

"I've heard of the term 'coming out the closet', but I'm not sure this is what they meant." He said, staring at her, his smirk widening when he saw lion-Ichigo, who was hurriedly shoved back into Rukia's bag.

"You're not mad?" she asked hopefully, rising to her feet. Maybe he'd let her leave! She did save him yesterday, so he did technically owe her one.

In response, Ichigo shook his head, his expression returning to its usual 'angry' as he cracked his knuckles.

"No, I'm mad." He muttered. He paused, cracking his knuckles in a way that made Rukia wince. She had never been taught how to fight, but she had seen enough people brawling at the Soul Society to figure out the basics. "I just don't want to scare my little sisters."

"You wouldn't hit a girl." Rukia said bravely, her eyes fixed on his fists in case he decided to throw a punch, hoping to call his bluff.

"Try me, you little nutjob," Ichigo seemed to growl, though he slowly lowered his hands back to his sides. She looked down at her socks, which were almost completely worn through. He was in the way of her escape and for once, she felt she couldn't leave without a little bit of an explanation-by means of apologies.

"I have nowhere else to go," she was expecting it to come out as little more than a whisper, but instead it was more of a whine.

"So you stalk some random guy who already doesn't like you?" his demanding whisper increased in volume, making her even more scared to look up. She didn't really mind if he tried to punch her, she guessed that she deserved it.

"I'm sorry." _There _was the whisper Rukia had been trying for. She did mean it, even if her tone was part of the act to let her stay here. She had been feeling bad for all she had done to the boy, even if she had a hard time saying it out loud.

Silence rung as loudly as a bell between the two. Rukia considered grabbing her boots and high tailing it back out the window whilst she still had the element of surprise, but something kept her where she was.

"…If you had asked politely, I might have let you stay." Ichigo finally said above her. Her head snapped up in an instant, her eyes wide with hope.

"I said might!" he continued, crossing his arms as he avoided her eye. "Stop looking at me like that."

"I'll make it up to you," Rukia promised, pulling her boots out of the wardrobe as she spoke. Her time was up, she'd have to find somewhere else to go until Ichigo trusted her more.

It may seem crazy, but she was starting to view Ichigo as a friend-an ally of sorts. She noticed how he didn't comment on where she had kept the shoes and flashed him a grateful glance.

"I know," she smiled mischievously as she said it. "I'll take you to see a film."

"What? With my money?" Ichigo demanded, his voice starting to raise now. Maybe he'd forgotten that the rest of the house was sleeping. Rukia's smile immediately dipped into a frown.

"There is none of your money left! I told you!" she retorted.

"Well where the hell did it all go?" it was Ichigo's turn to whine. Obviously his money had meant a great deal to him, yet how could Rukia help that now? What's gone is gone.

"That doesn't matter." she said cagily, starting towards the window. Ichigo stopped her by grabbing her elbow.

"Are you in some sort of trouble?" he asked in a low voice. Rukia didn't respond, keeping her eyes on the window in front of her. _Yes _a little voice inside her said. _Yes, you are in trouble. _

Eventually Ichigo sighed. "I'll meet you after school, okay?"

The girl turned, breaking free of his grip. "Okay," she paused for a moment, registering the words that were just said. "Maybe okay will be our always."

With a wink and the dodge of a playful slap, Rukia was gone from Ichigo's room. There was something different in the air between them now that made her truly feel they were on the road to becoming friends. Maybe she did have a place to stay after all.

**(A/N): Okay so I have a question to ask you guys. Is everyone in character? Am I doing a good job of narrating Rukia's thought process?**

**Thanks for being patient~!**

**Thanks so so much for Abba, who pointed out the formatting issues in chapter two. I have no idea what happened but it's all fixed now.**

**See you all when I see you.**

Funnily, she found herself looking forward to when Ichigo finished school.


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N): Hey guys! Quick update this time-good good. I don't know why but I've been really itching to continue this fic. I had mocks all last week so I had no time to come back to it, but I thought about it a lot. Maybe it's because the opening is the first song on my I-pod.**

**I've got a couple of notes, but I'll say them at the end.**

Chapter Four:

Rukia herself had not attended high school in a long time. Her job had kept her busy-when she had it-and it was not like she _had _to go anyway. From time to time, she'd pop into a bookshop and scan through the textbooks they sold there. Sometimes she went as far as doing a little internet research to make it seem like she wasn't _that _uneducated. Most of it went over her head.

Now that she had to kill six hours waiting for Ichigo, she was actually starting to consider attending. There must be a way she could bluff her way into the back of a classroom. It would be a perfect way to kill time, even if it would bring the 'the day passed so slowly' or 'they couldn't wait for school to end' feeling that she'd read about in books.

Rukia had never been able to have those high school experiences. The cliché cafeteria scenes, gossiping and pranking teachers, friendship groups or boyfriends had always seemed something out of her reach. Thinking about the precious memories Ichigo was no doubt building made her feel desolate inside. Like she was really missing out.

So she was moping in the streets, hoping to find someone vulnerable enough to get the money to pay for a cinema ticket from. Money was something she was running low on, therefore it made sense to earn a little back.

It was then she had a stroke of inspiration as she passed a small bookshop. Looking around quickly, there was a young girl nearby that would surely play along with her. She was only ambling along, so if she was late to school it was clear that she didn't really care. It was worth a shot.

"I dreamt a dream tonight!" Rukia called to her, pushing through the crowd and crossing her arms. She adjusted her stance so that she looked a lot more jovial. The small effect was enough to make a few people stop and linger for a moment. Anything unplanned can become a street performance.

"Me too," the girl replied happily, a wide smile appearing on her face. If she got the reference she wasn't letting on. "What was yours?"

_Well, that was something Rukia could work with._

"That dreamers often lie," she raised her arm to the audience, a smirk on her face as she played her part. The girl's grey eyes widened as she realized what was going on and giggled slightly, maybe flattered to be chosen as a victim.

"In bed asleep, whilst they do dream things true," she declared proudly, in her bell-like voice. Her hands were on her hips.

"Oh, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you," Rukia pointed at the girl dramatically. "She is the fairies midwife, and she comes in shape no bigger than an agate stone..."

What was the young thief up to now? Well, spontaneous street performance of course. Her plan was to recite the Queen Mab speech as flamboyantly as she could, whilst not letting anyone else realize she only knew half of it. She remembered that the film had left a lot out of it, so it was unlikely they'd really notice. Anyway, it was important to make people think it was a professional performance, hopefully they'd tip her.

"Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace!" the girl, who had thankfully played her part as Romeo, cried once Rukia had reached the end of her dramatic speech, seemingly getting into the façade as well. "Thou talk'st of nothing."

Rukia paused as she looked at the girl, her eyes narrowing and widening as she struggled to remember the next line. After a moment, she realized that she could call it a day there-the most famous lines were out of the way. She grabbed the girl's wrist and pulled them both into a stage bow. Keeping her hand outstretched to the audience.

To her great surprise-and joy, 100 yen bills were thrust into her hand. It wasn't much, but she did have all day. The girl looked ecstatic too, putting her own money away in a tiny, animal shaped purse.

"Thanks," Rukia gasped, a little out of breath from the performance. The whole mood changing thing was draining. The girl broke into that large grin she had.

"It's no problem," she chirped. "It was fun. I'm Orihime, by the way."

The dark haired girl blinked-_did Orihime think they were friends or something_? _Just for that?_ _How weird._

"Rukia," she nodded and then carried on down the street, unsure of what else to do. Waves of relief spread over her as she shoved the money in her pocket. That was incredibly risky, but had worked. Thinking back, there was a lot of Shakespeare that Rukia could remember and she grinned to herself as she headed to the park, wishing she had a hat (for the change of course).

"Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" Rukia cried melodramatically, causing many people around her to start staring. She would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying this. With a hand on her forehead to clarify the 'woe is me, Juliet' image, she continued. "Deny thy father and refuse thy name! Or if thou will not, be but sworn by my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Shall I hear more?" a familiar voice said behind her. For a moment, she froze up, ready to spin around and gape at this new arrival. Then she stopped herself, remaining in character for the moment. "Or are you going to tell me what the hell you're doing?"

"What man art thou that thus bescreened in night, so stumblest on my counsel?" Rukia improvised, jumping to the most fitting line she could think off and angrily turning on Ichigo. He simply raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by her antics once again. They were both glaring angrily at each other, their hands poised on their hips.

"Stop mucking around," he snapped at her. "You promised a cinema trip."

Rukia noticed that people were still looking at them curiously, perhaps thinking this was still part of the performance.

"Why, Ichigo, I had no idea I meant that much to you." Rukia smirked, her violet eyes glittering with mischief.

"Let's just go," Ichigo almost growled, he had obviously had enough, since he stormed past her, his hand circling her wrist and pulling her away from her entranced audience. Rukia had no choice but to stumble after the tall boy. She was mostly done anyway.

As they continued, Rukia felt a hand on her shoulder. She tugged her hand to symbol for Ichigo to stop, which-thankfully-he did. There was an old woman squinting up at her with a wide smile that made the short girl feel strangely warm inside.

"That was wonderful dear," she said, kindly pushing a note into Rukia's hand. The small girl gave a quick curtsey.

"The pleasure was all mine," she purred, her voice dripping with charm before she continued on her journey. Anyone who gave her money was sure to get her sweetest act. Since she had stopped, she was able to fall into step with Ichigo, which was nice. Pink dusted his cheeks for a moment as he realized that he still had hold of her and quickly dropped her wrist.

"What did you think you were doing anyway?" he grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and starting down the street on the path to the only cinema in town. They both knew the way, since it was a popular hang-out for kids.

"I've always liked drama, but I had no idea it would make me rich." Rukia answered, a smile tugging at her lips as she put her new money with the rest. His eyebrow rose, though he gave no further comment.

The two arrived at their destination not ten minutes later. The lobby was slightly run down, with suspicious stains on the patterned wallpaper and plush floor. Posters for the films showing lined the walls and there was the heavenly smell of fresh popcorn drifting in the air. There wasn't much on this time of the afternoon, which made Rukia lose interest quickly.

"What about that Egyptian thriller thing?" Ichigo interrupted her from counting her money nervously-she kept forgetting if she had enough or not. Her gaze flickered up to the poster for a moment.

"It looks terrible," she remarked dryly, then sighed. "But if that's what you want, your wish is my command."

He gave her a playful nudge with his elbow then started towards the desk. Which wasn't really a desk, since it was in between the two popcorn cases and only had a small computer to show you could buy tickets there.

The middle aged woman looked up at their approach, her cat-eye glasses glinting in the bright, yellow lights. Rukia let Ichigo embarrass himself by ordering the tickets to a film neither of them new the name of-not even the poster had it clearly marked. Eventually though, the woman understood what he was getting at and started entering it in, pausing when she saw the rating and looking between the two.

"I'm sorry," she said with a tight smile, her flinty eyes on Rukia now. "Do you have any I.D?"

Now everyone said that should be taken as a compliment, but frankly, Rukia found it an insult. She may be short, but she didn't really look under fifteen, did she? Was it the bunny hair slides? Lots of teenagers liked bunnies-that shouldn't mean anything. She didn't wear make-up often purely because she felt no need too.

Nonetheless, she sighed and thought about if she had anything that could be used for I.D. Not much that would help her case.

"No, I don't. Sorry." She admitted, visualising exactly where she had left it at her old house. God knew where it was now.

"Well then, I can't let you in. It's our policy to check." The woman at the desk continued. Ichigo immediately curved into his favourite frown.

"That's ridiculous!" he said, his voice unknowingly developing into a yell. _That _Rukia would have been flattered at, if her mind wasn't already whirring. This was an argument she'd had before-when she was actually sneaking in-so she knew exactly how to handle it.

First, she politely thanked the woman for her time, before tugging Ichigo to the side of the counter. She pulled him behind a potted plant in the reception and out of earshot.

"I have a plan," she whispered, for the first time getting the fact that Ichigo really wanted to see this film-it was obvious in his eyes. "Buy your ticket, and some popcorn."

"I'm not going in there without you," he argued, receiving hushing motions at the volume of his voice. It was quite a cute thing to say, but he was a teenage boy. Teenage boys liked getting things for free. "You promised."

"I know, and I'm getting in-now listen. Buy tickets and popcorn, then go straight into the toilets-the ones right by the screens." Rukia continued. The only toilets in the cinema were right at the bottom of the corridor, next to the last screen. Convenient when you can't make it all the way through the Hobbit and good for a secret entry. "I'll meet you at the window."

"I can't go in the girl's toilets!" Ichigo muttered, causing Rukia's pupils to rise to the heavens in frustration.

"Fine. I'll get in through the boy's window. Are you in?" she asked, holding out her hand to Ichigo. She knew what she was asking-for him to break the rules. He was completely against that. It felt like if he took her hand, he would be making _her _a promise.

Ichigo scowled, thinking for a minute, then his hand gripped Rukia's, giving it a quick jerk that was presumably a shake.

"Okay, but I hope you know what you're doing." He resigned as the two stood up. Rukia winked, then started walking out of the cinema.

"See you later," she called behind her back, for the benefit of the woman on the desk more than anything. _Maintain the illusion_.

As soon as she was out of sight from the interior of the building, the short girl broke into a sprint, her trainers skidding on gravel as she rounded to the back of the cinema. Luckily, it had been built to be shown off, leaving gaps either side that were perfect for shady transactions and getting around quickly.

She had done this before, with a few of the Soul Society gang-when it was a laugh and they could relax. They'd never think of doing anything as petty as breaking into a 15 film now.

Bathroom windows are always misted or frosted, which helped Rukia figure out which one it was. Peering into the half open one, she saw a row of urinals fixed onto the flaking ceramic wall.

Biting back a gasp of shock at the sight of a man there, she ducked down onto the cinder block again. That was a sight that would haunt her nightmares. Impatiently, she strained her ears for a sound that Ichigo had entered.

Finally, the window squeaked as it was forced open fully and she turned, standing, to find Ichigo there, a large bucket of popcorn under his arm, still wearing his school uniform.

"C'mon," he murmured, moving out of the way as Rukia placed her hands on the windowsill. It was just over waist height for her, so it took a small jump to land get up. She climbed inside as silently as she could, her boots clicking as they made contact with the floor.

Her nose wrinkled as she was forced to return the window to its original state-more out of neatness than anything.

"Do guys' bathrooms always smell like this?" she asked, pulling the neck of her hoody up like a doctor's mask. Ichigo rolled his eyes-which looked almost red in the artificial light. "It's really gross."

"Yes, now stop being silly," he tugged her hoody back down and lead her out of the room. They were on the other side of the small paper stand were a lazy, spotty teenager checked tickets. He wasn't even looking their way

Ichigo lead her into the screen and even allowed her the aisle seat like a true gentleman. Considering they were on the far left of the screen, this was a big deal. The ads onscreen cast the two in a ghostly blue glow as they waited for the film.

"Did you run into a girl called Orihime today?" Ichigo asked suddenly. Rukia's eyes narrowed as she turned to him at lightning fast speed.

"How did you know?" she snapped, not used to being the one with her privacy breached.

"She couldn't keep going on about a pretty girl who recited the Queen Mad speech to her," Ichigo explained dryly, a handful of popcorn entering his mouth at the same time.

"You really think I'm pretty?" she teased, flicking a kernel at him. He snickered in response.

"No, _she _thought you were pretty. You practically swept her off her feet." He said and Rukia was unable not to chuckle a little in response. "Will you be stealing her purse next?"

"What do you mean?" she asked; her voice still slightly breathy from laughing. Ichigo still hadn't turned to her, like she was just a distraction, even though she was curled up on her seat, twisting completely to see him better.

"Well, you seem to be a thief of hearts as well as money." Ichigo spoke carefully. Rukia's eyes widened-_did he really mean-_

She opened her mouth to demand his feelings for her, when the adverts burst into action. With the loud explosions of some ridiculous comedy going off, she knew he would pretend not to hear her. So she resigned herself to sulking in her chair instead.

_Of all the things to see…_she thought bitterly to herself as the movie started. It was cliché at it's finest. Not five minutes into the movie, she spoke up again.

"How dumb can you get?" she asked the screen. "They've _just _said the pyramid is haunted and you still want to go in there?"

She was quickly hushed by Ichigo, though she gave him a withering look to further express her feelings. Yet, it was impossible to miss the smile growing on his features and she proudly took some popcorn. There could be a lot of fun in going to such a bad film.

"Ah yes, I'm sure nothing will go wrong. It's not like there's a curse, or anything." She carried on jubilantly over the dramatic music as the three main characters headed into the pyramid.

"What's the bet that they all protect the blonde teenager even though she clearly doesn't want to be there?" Ichigo interrupted the silence as the characters looked nervously around the interior of the pyramid. Now, other people were turning around and giving them sharp looks.

"Turn around and go home-" Rukia yelled, spurred on by the other's actions.

"Before that happens!" Ichigo cut across her, as poison darts shot at the characters.

"Yeah, let's go deeper! There won't be any more booby traps!" she mimicked, laughter bursting forth from her.

"A five year old has more common sense than this!" he shouted, tossing a few pieces of popcorn in the direction of the screen. People were starting to mutter and glare even more, watching them laugh with eyes full of venom.

"What a surprise, one down. Two to go," Rukia remarked. They continued in this fashion for a while. It was great fun and they were both in stitches.

The other residents, unfortunately, were not.

They may have started with only glares, but it had quickly escalated into furious hushing noises. Some guy had started swearing and another woman through her food at him-thankfully she had finished her nachos a long time ago.

"You're a bloody nightmare, aren't you?" Ichigo muttered, picking flakes of popcorn out of his hair and shaking his head. Rukia gave him a dazzling grin, knowing he was enjoying himself really.

Then she froze as her phone vibrated with a message, her heart in her mouth and her breath stopping for a second. _No_, she thought desperately. _Not here…not now._

Ichigo was giving her such a happy grin, like he actually enjoyed her company. Maybe he did want to be friends with her…maybe something more. He was certainly not the boyfriend material she had read about, but he was cute and she did enjoy his company. She couldn't take it if she had to ruin it now. It was a rotten thing to do.

"We should get out before security come," she said quickly, reasserting her grin to its rightful place. She had to get out of her soon and read the message. It was so dark that hopefully he wouldn't twig she it was forced. Ichigo nodded hastily, as though he only just noticed the implications of all he'd accomplished.

The two ran down the stairs, pelted with popcorn and coke, all the while laughing as the people on screen screeched at the approaching mummy.

"Well, you were right," Ichigo said reluctantly as they ducked into the toilets once more. "That movie sucked."

"Eh, it was okay, actually. Better with commentary." Rukia admitted, feeling proud that she was right about something. As the tall boy leant over the sink, running his fingers through his already unruly hair to rid it of confectionary, she checked her phone. As suspected, the Soul Society needed her. Urgently. She paused as her eyes took in the text.

_This was something new._

"So I was thinking-" Ichigo continued; his orange head still firmly under the sink. Feeling terrible, Rukia made a noise to show she was listening as she padded to the windowsill. As he continued, she swung herself out and hid under the windowsill. "-We should go…hey? Where'd you…?"

His words trailed off, tearing her up inside. _How could she have pulled a Batman on him?_ Rukia paused, her mouth at her phone and her eyes squeezed shut.

She couldn't let the guilt overcome her. She had a duty, this was important. This was keeping her alive-not fantasies with some guy.

Right now, she had bigger fish to fry.

The text had been sent out to everyone in the Soul Society, demanding they arrive at 'HQ' immediately. They had a new threat.

The 'Hollows'.

**(A/N): Okay, so notes.**

**-Is high school compulsory in Japan? I've seen a couple of shows were it isn't, but that is just T.V. I don't think Rukia would go anyway.**

**-I can totally see Rukia digging Shakespeare. She seems to read those kind of novels a lot, eh? (Also, I've got Romeo and Juliet on the brain from doing it in english lit-pray for me.)**

**-Give me bisexual Orihime or give me death!**

**-The film is actually based on an advert for a film called 'Pyramid' that I saw advertised recently. It just looked so predictable and hollywood. No offence to anyone who likes it of course.**

**BIG BIG THANKS TO hopelessromantic and hikaro shinji FOR REVIEWING SO MUCH! IT REALLY MEANS A LOT! EVERYONE KEEP SPURRING ME ON AND I'LL UPDATE QUICKER.**

**Also, question:**

**Do you think Ichigo would be into 70s music? 80s? Just old music. I need to know this because I'm addicted to the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N): Cheep cheep! It's been a month and I'm back~! Things were getting a little bit of plot in the actual chapter and I'll probably have to sit down and right a plan up soon. But for now, we'll just stick with this:**

Chapter Five

Sometimes when you lay on your bed and stare at the ceiling you descend into madness. Sometimes you calm down so much you get philosophical and scare yourself. Sometimes you forget why you're even there in the first place.

Such a case was not true for Ichigo Kurosaki.

No matter what else he thought about he couldn't quite distract himself. He hadn't been able to distract himself properly all week. Like a fly or mosquito. It was always hovering there, in the back of his mind. _She _was in the back of his mind.

Rukia.

He didn't even have her last name. He knew next to nothing about her, other than that she was a little thief, a good actress and had no home. It wasn't that he'd had no dealings with the homeless, in fact, he often gave them the loose change he had, but he'd never felt this way about them. Never obsessed over one of them. Never_ kissed_ one of them.

Ichigo frowned at the memory, closing his eyes. He still didn't know quite how he felt about that, or how Rukia had felt about it either. And he'd put a _lot _of thought into it. When she'd invited him out, he'd actually been a lot more pleased than he had let on. It meant maybe they had a chance to be friends-maybe something more if it amounted to it. All he really wanted to do was find out more about her…maybe help her if he could. Maybe kiss her again.

But then she'd disappeared. Disappeared like Mrs Frederick.

Would he ever see her again?

Ichigo lay there for a few more minutes, mainly wallowing in irritation and confusion, before he had an idea-_find _her. He pulled himself up and the blood rushed to his head as he started towards the wardrobe, spurred by the moment.

That was where she had been hiding. Maybe she'd left a clue to her whereabouts. She seemed the kind of girl that would leave cryptic clues to her whereabouts. A Margo Roth Spiegleman.

Ichigo slid the door open and smiled slightly at what he saw. Her backpack wasn't there, but something that definitely belonged to her. That crusty old lion toy she'd been sleeping with. It's smell wafted over to him now that the door was open and he wrinkled his nose in revulsion. Maybe it was a childhood toy? It looked more like she'd picked it up of the street. Anyhow, the toy was good. It meant that Ichigo had a reason to track her down.

It was still light outside-he had time.

So Ichigo started at a half run down the corridor, the thudding caused his little sister to slide open his door. She stared at him in alarm.

"Where are you off too?" Yuzu asked, her brown eyes wide. "I'm going to start dinner soon."

"I've just gotta do something, I'll be home in time-don't worry!" he blurted, slipping out of the front door. He could hear his dad charging after him in the next moment and started running down the street. _It wasn't late, _he justified to himself_. He _was _fifteen, he could go out and not say where_.

The boy slowed to a walk as he realized that he didn't know where either. He couldn't just wander around indefinitely, hoping to bump into her. Suddenly, he felt kind of silly and had to stop himself to consider where to check first.

Ichigo found himself heading to the cinema again, around the back to where he had helped Rukia sneak in. Maybe another clue was hidden there?

He was heading down the alley when he heard the muttering coming from the other end. Before he continued (much more slowly this time), he pressed himself against the wall. They didn't sound like Rukia, but it was still his only lead. Maybe they knew her.

Cigarette smoke and…something else-something sharper-carried on the wind as Ichigo reached the corner. The window was now broken and glass fragments glimmered in the amber light. There were a bunch of tall figures standing and sitting around the dumpster area. Some were on discarded bins whilst others just lounged on the floor. Some gangly and some broad. They were all wearing dark clothing and masks.

The masks were what was different about them. Gruesome, shiny, white things that were decorated with sharp strokes of red and black. There wasn't a lot of chatter going on, since a lot of them were balancing plants that smoked in their mouths, though Ichigo did hear 'girl' and 'dispose', among a couple of other phrases that didn't make sense.

'Soul Society' being one of them.

Suddenly, one of them seemed to glance in his direction and Ichigo took it upon himself to make a quick getaway. He was suddenly regretting having such conspicuous hair. If they had seen him and thought he was suspicious…he had trained at martial arts but didn't feel like taking that group on. Although he'd got into fist fights, they were always against those he knew he could handle.

As soon as he had turned the corner, he started running again. This was ridiculous. He'd never find Rukia in this city. He'd have to head home and hope their paths would cross. Head home fast. They might follow.

Just in case anyone was following him, he took a couple of alternative routes home, which he only ever used if he was running late to school. It was a weak defence, but it could throw an amateur off the trial. He was glancing back every five seconds, and even though he couldn't see anyone the hairs on the back of his neck prickled like there was.

Safety was just around the corner when someone collided with his chest and they both stumbled backwards. Ichigo stopped himself from falling, preparing himself for a fight with a possible mob member.

What he saw was the opposite.

In front of him was a wide-eyed, dark haired girl that he knew too well. He would hug her if he wasn't so mad/slightly on edge/didn't know her that well.

But she hadn't seen him. Rukia was on some kind of auto pilot, instead starting a left hook headed straight for his chin.

Ichigo reacted quickly, blocking her fist and the kick that she sent his way. She was keeping her head down, which was a fair tactic-it would make her a little harder to memorise.

"Get your head out of your butt-it's me!" he hissed. The hits had hurt more than he thought they would, coming from such a skinny girl. She was obviously hiding some sort of skill.

She paused, flicking her hair out of her eyes then took a long breath out. Her whole body seemed to sink, though her breaths were still quick, her eyes still darted around. She was on edge.

"Ichigo," Rukia panted. "What are you doing here?"

"I-" he clenched his fist, suddenly a little embarrassed at his reasoning. Then he realized that he'd just crushed the lion toy's head and held it out to her. "You left this in my wardrobe."

"Because I was coming back." She snapped.

"What?!" to say the least, this news shocked Ichigo into almost yelling in the alley. He was shushed hastily by the girl, who gave another glance around.

"I'm still allowed, aren't I?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"Of course," Ichigo mouth acted without thinking and he swallowed. He tried to fix his angry tone back in place. "If you were going to stay at my place, then why did you run off earlier?!"  
>"I…" Rukia paused and worked her mouth, as though searching for the words. "I needed to do something."<p>

"Stealing?" he deadpanned slightly, though was glad she hadn't chosen him as her victim this time around. It could also be a lot worse than a little thievery. 'Sleeping with the fishes' worse, if you catch the drift.

"No, not this time," she muttered, her pale face tinging with a little pink. Rukia chewed her bottom lip as she looked Ichigo up and down again. "There's this new gang in town."

Ichigo heard his heart beat in his ears. _It couldn't be. But at the same time-it _had _to be._

"Do they, by any chance, wear freaky masks?" he said. Rukia's cheeks lost all colour as she nodded.

As she glanced around yet again, her eyes and mouth narrowed. There was a split second where Ichigo was going to ask her what was wrong, before her fist was spiralling towards him (again).

He side stepped automatically, ready to be furious, then his eyes widened his surprise as someone grunted from the blow.

He spun and saw a masked man behind him. _He _had _been followed! _

There wasn't a lot of room for a fight in this back alley and, though he wanted to help, Ichigo found himself pressed against the brick walls as the masked guy aimed a kick at Rukia. She deflected it with her palm and followed up by countering another punch.

The guy in the mask caught her fist in his, then, in a clean motion, stepped inwards and managed to flip the girl by her wrist over his shoulder. It was a powerful technique that happened to fast to make it out fully.

There was a sickening thud as Rukia's head hit the ground. For a moment her whole body shuddered like she was going to get up, before she lay still.

Ichigo acted without thinking. He was doing a lot of that tonight. The masked man was standing almost in front of him, so he raised his knee to collide with the other's gut. The man stumbled backwards-almost falling over Rukia's body, then regained his balance, ensuing a self-defence stance.

For a few minutes, a fist fight ensued. Ichigo was hit a lot more than the mysterious guy was, but he was used to that. He could handle a few punches. As long as he didn't black out, he could win.

The battle ended with Ichigo giving the guy a vicious uppercut that cracked through the mask-which felt like it was made of clay-and sent the guy slamming into the wall. He slid down the bricks, leaving a small, dark trail, before lying still in a huddle at the bottom.

Breathing heavily whilst the adrenaline from the fight wore off, Ichigo wiped the blood that was pouring steadily from his nose. It also felt like he had split his lip and his left temple was throbbing. It was nothing that hadn't happened before. After the making sure he was fine, he checked the pulses of each fallen person. Both appeared to be knocked out, though the back of Rukia's head was damp and sticky. He wavered over her, unsure of what to do.

She probably needed medical attention. He couldn't just bring her back and shove her in his wardrobe (as was his first idea), since who knew if she would wake up. It would be exceedingly awkward to bring her back to the family's clinic. No doubt would everyone be suspicious of all wounds and figure out what he was trying to do tonight.

_Why _exactly, Ichigo wanted Rukia so safe was beyond him. Maybe the girl had grown on him more than he initially thought.

He sighed-being a hormonal teenager really is a mess-then bent down and scooped up the girl as neatly as he could (her head bumped on the floor a few more times as he did so, but he was sure it wouldn't make too much of a difference). Eventually, he was carrying the girl like a bride and finished the walk home.

"Hey, dad!" He called as he shouldered the front door open. His father and two sisters looked up from eating their dinner. "I need your help! Stat!"

His dark-haired father initially looked angry, like he was preparing a lecture, but his expression softened when he saw the unconscious girl in his arms. Yuzu immediately leapt up from the table and headed over with their dad, whilst Karin hovered by her seat.

"Ichigo!" Yuzu called, maybe in surprise or concern, her eyes taking in the blood (still) trickling from his nose. Their father however, was examining the pale girl.

"What happened?" he asked, taking her temperature and pulse. The girl looked like a porcelain doll, she was so pale.

"I…" Ichigo paused. He couldn't exactly say that he was in a fight with a gang member whilst searching for a homeless girl. "I was just out for a walk and I found her in the street."

Karin's eyebrows raised-she obviously didn't believe him, but Yuzu and their dad nodded and started to lead the pair round to the clinic part of the house.

Whilst their dad got to work making sure Rukia was okay, Uzo took Ichigo to the bathroom and started gently dabbing at his wounds with a bit of wet cotton wool.

"You should live," she told him quietly, with a small smile. "I hope the girl's okay too."

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded, lost in his own thoughts. _Gangs, fights, robberies…_ "I hope so."

_Just what was Rukia messing with here?_

Rukia could feel the blood roaring in her ears as she woke up. She didn't open her eyes, although there was a yellow light probing at them. Her body was aching all over, her wrist numb and puffy. She could barely move either. _Had she been captured? The Hollows could be holding her hostage! She'd have to be careful about how she proceeded._

After a while, the blood slowed so that it sounded like someone was marching through her brain, before disappearing entirely. Carefully, scared at what she might see, she peeked her eyes open. It was a very slight movement, so that to her captors it would be a mere flutter of her eyelashes.

She found herself in a scarcely decorated, white room. The thing that had been stopping her from moving was actually just a plump duvet that had been tucked too tightly and there were a couple of pillows behind her that kept her slightly propped. Her wrist was swathed in bandages. There was a table to her right and two orange blobs to her left.

Blinking quickly and opening her eyes fully to regain her vision, Rukia made out that Ichigo the lion had been tucked in the bed next to her and the _real_ Ichigo was sat on a chair. He wasn't looking at her to start with, staring in that moody way of his at his shoes, but then his maroon eyes flickered up to hers. It seemed to be a habit he'd been adopting as it took him a while to take her in.

"Hey, you're awake?" he asked as gently as it was possible. He still sounded annoyed. Probably that she was stupid enough to get caught.

"Yes," Rukia found herself croaking out, trying to pull herself into a proper sitting position. Her head swam and ached in agony but she did manage to sit up a bit straighter. "Where am I?"

"At my family's clinic." Ichigo replied. He was watching her carefully. Rukia concentrated on his face and saw that the area above his eye was a mouldy blue colour and he was sporting a bloody lip. Vague memories of the fight came back to her and she gingerly placed a hand on her head. There were snowy bandages there too.

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded at the question still on her lips. "You took a bit of a spill. Bad concussion and your wrist is slightly sprained."

"What happened to the hollow?" she mumbled, half to herself.

"That masked guy? I'm not sure. I left him in the alley." There was a pause where he studied her. "Just how deep into this gang crap are you?"

Rukia sighed, her hand at her head rubbing her cheek in frustration before dropping her arm. There was no running away from an explanation now.

"Pretty deep," she said.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" his eyes hadn't left hers. There had been no change in them, they were still Ichigo's blunt, moody eyes, but they seemed different…warmer somehow. Maybe it was all a farce he put on?

"I can't…" she shook her head slightly, then grimaced at the pain it caused. "I can't bring you into this."

"You already did," Ichigo snapped. Then he did something surprising.

He laid his hand over hers, his skin looked a lot darker than hers right now. Hesitantly, Rukia turned to look back at his face.

"I made this my business. I want this to be my business. I want to help you." He told her with an intensity that made her heart waver. Rukia swallowed back various emotions, then positioned herself on the pillows better for the long talk. Though she didn't let her hand move from his'. It was tingly against her skin, like popping candy.

"A while back, I joined a group called the Soul Society," she began. "It used to just be teenagers moaning about how hard their life was, but then other stuff started happening. The stealing and the fighting. I enjoyed it to start with-I know that sounds bad-but it was an outlet. It felt almost good. Like I was battling the world for what it dished out to me.

"I guess I grew up. I brought my own apartment on this side of town and started cutting off my connection to the gang…then they contacted me again. They cut me off from my rent and I was kicked out unless I complied with them. That was when I met _you_. Sorry about that.

"So now I'm stuck running with them again. Yesterday, they sent out a mass text to meet up. When I got there, they said there was a new gang in town-the 'Hollows', which I'm sure you're acquainted with. Apparently they're quite infamous in Hokkaido. We don't know what they plan for this town, but we're pretty sure they're up to no good. We may be petty thieves, but we want to protect this place."

Rukia's voice felt dry when she reached the end. There was a lot that she was leaving out-how the Hollow's were planning on tracking down the Soul Society-but her brain seemed scattered. It was the best explanation she could give under the circumstances. She was surprising herself by saying 'we', like she stood by the Soul Society.

When she looked back at Ichigo, she found a small smirk on his lips.

"You idiot," he said kindly (well, for him). "If you'd have told me you were homeless, then I would have given you the money."

There was a pause where the two teens stared at each other, each with a lot more understanding for each other.

"You're…not like how I would expect you to be. At all." Rukia said slowly. Ichigo looked slightly offended only for a moment before he finally softened into another small smile.

"The feeling's mutual."

**(A/N): They're starting to be more friendly now. uvu I'll bring in the romance again soon peeps, don't worry. I just have a couple of points I would like to elaborate:**

**-I don't know why, but changing Ichigo's ghost thing for the homeless seemed right. A lot of people don't look at the homeless on the street, so I guess that's his 'vision'.**

**-Mrs Frederick is a reference to this show called Warehouse 13. I didn't want to say Batman again and she was the first person I thought of.**

**-Margo Roth Spiegleman is probably a name you know better - Papertowns? John Green? I love that book I'm sorry.**

**-The only self defence I know is from a two page duologue and a week of a tiny course of it. I have no idea what that flip was I'm sorry (again).**

**-I also only bandaged Rukia's arm because it's not like a _sprain _sprain and it's not broken so...hrm.**

**Thank you to Appleschan! Hirako-I'm glad you understand me! X3 and hopelessromantic, you read my mind~!**

**See you in up to a month~! ;)**


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