Ichigo wasn't the type to get sick, he wasn't the type to lay around all day, letting a girl of all people, sit there with him, letting Rukia, of all girls, sit there with him, doing, if anything, nothing but having casual conversation, yet there he was, doing exactly that, he thought it was weird, and the day before, wen Rukia wasn't looking and he was in the snow, (without a jacket on) he had no clue that this was going to happen, well, he kind of did, but would do anything to make it apparent that he wasn't going to do wat Rukia said, why? Because he is a stubborn fool, that's why, and now he was paying the price, but just because he was layed up and stuck in his room didn't mean that Rukia had to suffer the same punishment, right? nWell that gave him an ideah, a ridiculouse ideah, that normally would have gotten him a good slap in the face, but not today, right? "Hey Rukia," "Hm? Something wrong?" "Well, just because I'm stuck here, dosen't mean that you have to be, why don't you go draw or something?" she put down her book and smiled, "Because I have nothing better to do, I might as well sit here, after all, you're really the only person I can hang around with, plus, your dad and sisters aren't here, so it's just you and me!" Ichigo rolled his eyes at her, "Do you have to pretend to be so peppy? It's making my headache worse," "Oh, it is? I'm sowwy," now she was just trying to make him mad, "That's even worse," she smiled even bigger, "Sorry, I just couldn't miss the oppertunity," Ichigo rolled his eyes at her again, she got up, "Were are you going?" "To get some crayons, I want to do a drawing now that you mention it," she began to walk off, she hesitated getting to the door, as Ichigo looked down at her leg, "Is your leg hurting you?" "No, I'm fine," Ichigo remembered the day before,
"Ichigo behind you!" Ichigo turned around, swinging his sword at the on-coming hollow, Rukia turned her sword, "Dance, Sode No Shiaryuki," these were just minor hollows, but there were many of them, "Ichigo get out of the way!!" Ichigo jumped behind the circle of hollows, as Rukia stood on the tip of her foot, spun around, and froze every hollow that was near her, she leaped up, slicing the mask off of each hollow, she leaped higher to get the last one, that just happened to be the biggest, she came down on the hollow, sword drawn, her bare leg scratched a branch, she landed, clutching her injured limb, as she rose the wind had blowen her pant leg up, and she wasn't looking at were her leg was, "You ok?" Ichigo asked approaching her, "I'm fine," she lifted her hand from the wound, blood splashed the snow around her, Ichigo returned to his body, and Rukia returned hers, he carried her home, ounce there she exited her body, and let him treat the injury,
'It probbably still hurts though,' he thought Rukia returned moments later, things were remotely humaine for a little wile longer, then, it happened, "Hey Ichigo! Look at my drawings!" she held up the sketch board that she had stol- I mean "borrowed" from Ichigo's room, Ichigo was already dizzy, but this was gonna make him feel like he had a hangover, dipicted, was a bunny with short black hair, and a big babng over it's face, in a wite coat, another bunny with orange spikey hair and xes for eyes, with it's tounge hanging out, and a huge sledge hammer right over the red headed bunnie's head, the other bunny holding the hammer, for ounce he was so stunned that he couldn't say anything, his mouth was gaping, bad ideah! Because, instead of Rukia taking this time to smile in the quite, she took this time to literally shove pills down him, wen he felt her hand over his mouth and a sudden gush of water drowning him, he was out of the daze, struggling against her, his face and bangs were wet, the cloth on his head sliding ff slowly, Rukia was quite pleased with herself, she tried to stop giggling, but the site, the hole incedent, was just too humerouse! She couldn't help it! He glared at her with a murderouse look, "WAT was THAT?!" Rukia started to laugh even more, "Well," she began, regaining her composer, "You're very difficult, do you no that?" "Yes, but did you have to do THAT?!" she started laughing again, "Further more! Why was my nunny nocked out?! Not that care about your horrible little drawings," "Because I had to give you medicine," "In the picture or did you no that I would be gaping and do it on purpose?!" "Ok, we'll go wth that," "Go with wat?!" the anger in his eyes made Rukia grab her stomach to stop her ribs from hurting from laughing so hard, Ichigo fell back on his bed, covering his head with a pillow, to look like he was trying to tune out her laughter, but he wasn't, he liked the way she laughed and he wished that he could hear it more often, he smiled, noing that she couldn't see him, and gently went to sleep, her laughter soothing him into fantisy,
Ichigo woke up, it was night, the room was dark and he couldn't see, but he felt better, he felt something warm on his hand, he lightly sqeezed it, feeling the slender fingers attached to her hand, Rukia's head laying on the bed, her body slunched over, seeing her delicate face reminded him of the dream he had had, remembering all his efforts, remembering the orange embers burning her face, on that fatefull day of her ecicution, remembering the tears that stung her eyes wen he rescued her, he remembered the scolding she gave him wen he threw her off that scaffold, he smiled, but why had he wanted to save her so badly? His owne words rang in his mind, and he new that it wasn't because he had a disapaeting headache, "Because, she's waiting," "Because I made a promise," "Because I swore it, I just swore it, to no one, but myself!" "I finally found my resolve," "I'm here to save you Rukia," "I'm here to rescue you," "I came here to rescue you, this is the second time, and this time, will be diffrent!" each word lingered in his memory, everything he told his enemys and allies, and most importantly, the things he told Rukia, but why did he want to save her so much? Why did he want it to be him, to open the door, and let her free,? Why had that been important to him as well? It wasn't that important who rescued her, wenhe had gone to save Orahime, just that she was rescued, so why did it make a diffrence wen it came to Rukia? Was it to spend more days like this together? Certainly not, so why? Ichigo's head was spinning, but it wasn't because he was ill, he looked at her porcelin face, he brushed a strand of hair to the side of her face, her eyes fluttered open, it amazed Ichigo, how light of a sleeper she was, "Something wrong?" she asked him, "Yeah," Ichigo got out of bed and crossed the room, "Wat are you doing?" Rukia asked, "Don't worry, I feel fine, Dr. Rukia," her face got red, she blushed prufusely, Ichigo took her hand in his, and pulled her up slowly, he pulled her forward and embraced her, "I think I figured it out," "Figured wat out?" "Why I wanted to rescue you so badly, and why I wanted to be the one to do it," his smile brightened, he held her face, and before she could say anything, he kissed her deeply, she was going to protest, but at the time, the feeling was just too tich to ignore, something she had wanted to feel for a long time, it sounds foolish, but at the time, she didn't care weather or not she got sick, they pulled apart for air, "It's because I love you," but before she could reply, Rukia fell innto his arms, "Rukia! Wat's wrong?" her eyes were half closed, he felt her head, she had a really high fever, Ichigo layed her down on his bed, but before he could go, he felkt a tug on his hand, "Ichigo, don't leave me," "I won't, I promise, I'll be right back," she let go of his hand, and left the room
'How could this happen?! I no that I didn't make her sick, she already had a fever before anything I could have given her could sink in, now that I tyhink about it, it is kinda odd that I get better right before she gets sick,' his mind was racing, he soaked the cloth in cold water, he reentered the room and put the cloth on Rukia's head, she was already asleep, he sat next to her, and as well, fell asleep slowly
"Well? Wat do you have to say for yourself?" Ichigo opened his eyes, her voice was normal, but seeing her in his bed, her face scarlet, was unusual to him, "Wat?" "You kissed me, you got me sick," "I no I was better before I kissed you! Besides, you were already sick because you had a really high fever," Rukia thought for a moment, "I love you too," "Huh?" "You said you loved me last night, I love you too," "You were coherent enough o hear that? Good," "The kiss was worth it by the way," "Like I said," "I no wat you said, besides, I think you were just lovesick anyway," "Haha, very funny," "No, I'm seriouse! Lovesickness is very common amoung Soul Reapers," "You're kidding right?" "Nope! It's the truth! Because there isn't alot of disease in Soul Society, and emotions are amplified for Soul Reapers, and the only cure is to admit your true feelings for that person, Kian-Sir, was lovesick ounce," "For his wife, Miyako, right?" "Before they were married ofcourse," Ichigo looked at her, "Stand up," he said, she stood up, Ichigo put on a red gllove with a skull on it, and ragged Rukia's soul out of her body, "Wat was that for?!" Ichigo ignored the question and rolled up her pant leg, the area around her wound was deep red, he rose up, Rukia returned to her body, "Idon't get it, I disinfected it," he rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Oh yeah, I get to torture you, like you did to me!" he said, an evil grin crossing his face, Rukia layed down on the bed, letting her face form into a look of innocence and sweetness, Ichigo looked one look at her, before going to get the medicine, "But wat kind of man would I be if I did that?" he said, defeat dripping in his face and voice, she smiled, raising up, waiting for Ichigo to take care of her, like she had done for him, after all, many things in a marrige are about returning favors, right?
