Between Me and Thee by KuroKuchiki (Bleach)

Summary: Rukia and Ichigo knew that separation was part of the deal but they didn't understand was how hard it would be nor what life would be like when they met again. Two years can change a person. AU/OOC.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/6430713/1/Between-Me-and-Thee

Word count:483k

Chapters:40

Chapter 1- From My Mouth to the Gods' Ears

Disclaimer: I own neither Bleach nor it's characters.

A mop of flaming orange hair appears as the front door of the Kurosaki residence opens. His perpetual scowl, more recognizable to his family and friends than most celebrities, finishes his look of fatigue and total indifference. Kurosaki Ichigo has made it home after another agonizingly long day at school.

"Tadaima." He offers in bored manner.

"Okieri, Onii-chan!" Yuzu replies out of the kitchen. "How was school?"

Trying hard not to look his sister in the eyes, he simply offers, "It was fine, Yuzu. I am going to start on my homework. I'll be down in a couple of hours."

Yuzu nods, "Sure. I'll tell Otou-san you took a nap."

"Thanks, Yuzu." The boy says and starts his quiet ascent up to his room.

Yuzu simply watches her older brother walk up the stairs. He just hasn't been the same during the last two years. He seems to go through the motions of continuing his life, but that is all that they have been; motions. He still goes out with his friends and has even gone on a few dates, but other than that, he keeps himself holed up in his room. She has heard from their Otou-san that his grades are better than ever. Yet, somehow, it doesn't make up for the lack of fire that she never knew that she would miss. It all happened after Rukia-chan went away. Since then, he hasn't bothered to put as much effort into fighting their dad or anything else. He does just enough to get by and not be noticed. What happened with Rukia-chan?

Once inside his room, he plops down onto his bed and stares at the ceiling. Blinking slowly, he tries very hard to calm his breathing. What the hell? Why can't he just let go and move on? He lived 15 years without being a shinigami and was only one for a year. Why is this such a big deal? His life isn't permanently in danger anymore and he doesn't have to worry about bolting out of class to go kill some monster that is threatening a harmless soul. No, he doesn't have to worry about getting stronger and he doesn't have to worry about pleasing her.

Her…two years of not talking to her. He hasn't heard from or of her. No one even brings up her name. That should make him happy. Really, it should. But somehow, it just…hurts that hardly anyone remembers her or thinks of her. Except for me. I think about her all of the time. It's like she never existed.

Maybe it's because when they parted he didn't say all of the things he needed to say to her. He wanted to tell her how much he would miss her and how badly he wished that things would have turned out differently. He wanted to tell her that he wanted her to visit him from time to time just so he would know that she as alive and okay. He wanted her to know that he was not okay with this. Not in the slightest. But his verbal skills vanished right along with his hope of life fulfillment.

She has probably moved on. She is probably spending her time with a boyfriend or Renji. She has probably convinced herself that this was for the best and forgot about him as soon as she moved through the gate. Right now, the small girl iis looking at some schmuck with those eyes and talking him into anything she wanted. She probably never even thinks of him.

Turning on his side, he stares at his desk and at the closet. He hasn't gone in that side of the closet for at least a month. He opens it from time to time and lets her scent rush his senses when the pain of loneliness gets to be too much. It is amazing that, after all of this time, her scent hasn't faded; just like his need for her. Sometimes, he talks to her, even if she can't hear him. He never thought that he would be without her. For the many times he had told her to go away, he has spent the last two years eating those words. The taste of them is bitter…scalding. He takes his right hand and opens the top desk drawer. Blindly, rummaging, his hand falls on the object that he wanted. Pulling out a small black binder, he lays it in front of him on the bed. For a few moments he just rests his hand on it while still staring at the closet. Why do I do this to myself? Because it is the only way I can see her with me. As part of his daily routine, he takes a deep breath and opens the book. Turning to the last page, next to the cover, his eyes rest on a small picture that is taped to it. It is one of those pictures that you take in a mall photo booth. The two faces in it are almost unrecognizable since they are so young. He is scowling at the girl to his right who happens to be holding his nose and laughing hysterically. He can see her neck angled back, eyes closed and all teeth bearing. Her small hand is almost comical against his face and her dark hair has swung backwards. Though he is frowning, he can tell in the picture…his eyes give away how happy he really was; how happy he was without even knowing it at the time. He allows his index finger to trace the picture and a soft smile graces his face. Sometimes, she could just be such a know it all bitch, that he forgot about moments like that one. Moments where it was just them and they could be themselves; they could be the people that nobody else knew. He shut his eyes tightly; he hasn't been that person in two long years. I miss you, you annoying midget. He was never more free than when he was a shinigami; when he was clothed in nothing but his soul. She was the one who released it; the first to see it.

The only thing that has kept his sanity together is the hope that one day soon, he'll start being able to see spirits again. It feels like he's blind. Part of him was confused, the other elated and yet another part worried. Would she come back to see him if she knew he could see her again? If he got his powers back, would she come back to him? How he longs to feel her reiatsu once again- the one that made his hair tingle when it was happy or pissed; the one that made him go into a murderous rage when it was sick or injured; the one that broke his heart when it was sad; he wanted it back near him, beside him. He wants it to permeate him and engulf him; he wants to feel it in every fiber of his soul like it used to. As soon as he is able to become a shinigami again, he is going to Soul Society and…is it really so wrong to want to see her again?

He has tried, repeatedly, to tell himself that this is just a useless crush that will go away soon. He will wake up one day and not even think about her. When he meets another girl, the midget will fall to the background of his consciousness. Girls chased him non-stop. He didn't have to ask them out; they came to him.

Unfortunately, for him, he has met other girls and they all did absolutely nothing for him. Sure, they were attractive, but he wasn't attracted to them. They were usually so sweet he would just as well throw up. They would let him say and do anything he wanted. They bought all of his excuses of why he wouldn't hold their hands, kiss them good night or hug them in a non-platonic way. He would say that he was a private person and didn't do public displays of affection. Sometimes he would say that he was getting a cold or that he had sweaty palms. He used every excuse known to man. He never went on more than one date with a girl because, really, what was the use? Sure he was a guy and guys have…urges. But the plain old fact of the matter was, he didn't get any of those urges looking at them. If the girls weren't so wimpy they made him ill, there was the critical bitch. The ones that tell you what you do wrong, what to do and when to do it. That kind of shit he only let pass with the Kuchiki princess. Usually, the girl would ask him to dye his hair, be more sweet, complain about his scowl or some other useless bullshit. They drove him crazy. How sad was it that a 17 year old boy, who was a virgin and had never kissed a girl, turned down girls all of the time? The worst part was that the only ones he entertained were the dark haired ones.

Not that he would necessarily take Rukia on a date. It's just that when she is around, no girl approaches him and that is just fine. He doesn't need dates or the bullshit that comes with most relationships. He just wants her. He wants someone to slap him when he is wallowing in self pity. He wants someone to tell him to stop taking himself so seriously. He wants someone to sleep in his closet and wake him from night terrors. He wants someone to give piggy back rides to and force him to spend his money on them with those gorgeous eyes and button nose. He wants to say something crazy and watch her frown in irritation. He wants someone whom he can touch. Albeit an antagonizing way, touch none the less. He wants someone who understands him enough to not force him to talk all of the time; someone he could just look at to communicate. He wanted someone who he knew as well as they knew him without prying or trying too hard. Rukia was that someone. Sometimes, he can feel her in his dreams. She's moving the hair out of his face as he lays his head on her lap in the park. Many times that has been the end of his dream when the beginning was frightening.

Sitting himself up, he puts the picture away and stands. After a good stretch, he goes to his laptop and boots it up. While it is running, he decides to change his clothes. Looking through his dresser drawer, he grabs a t-shirt and some sweatpants. He wonders where his 'Nice Vibe' t-shirt went. He hasn't seen it in over two years either. Then again, it probably doesn't even fit anymore. He now stands 6' 3" and that shirt worked well at 5' 11". Still, he loved that shirt. He will definitely have to clean out his closet and look for it…his side of it at least. He has no intention of cleaning out the other side of the closet until he leaves for college. Too bad she isn't going with me.

After changing his clothes, he turns to the screen sees the image that both breaks him and makes him smile. His wallpaper shows the image of the side of someone's face pointing toward the ground. Their eyes are cast downward, but you can still see their unusual shade of blue. The soft smile is truly sweet. The black hair on the side facing the camera is behind their ear and the other side of hair hangs like an onyx curtain except for that one stubborn bang. That day, they had been at the park with his family. Yuzu had brought over some flowers. The girl in the picture found them pretty and smiled down to his sister. Once again, he runs his fingers over the image of his screen. He imagines the soft skin of her face and the beautiful curve of her neck. God, when did he turn into such a sap? Before she left, he was as fortified as a rock. Nothing could penetrate his resolve once it was set.

He never lets anyone see the wallpaper on his screen. He uses a different profile in public so that no one knows what it really is that he cherishes more than anything. They would know just how out of character he's been for a long time. How would people react if they knew he was so emo?

Sometimes, he regrets saving the world. It's a fucked up thing to think, but it's how he feels. If he had known how hard it would be when she left, would he have used his sacrificial technique? After a few moments, he concludes that he certainly would. But that doesn't mean that if he knew then what he knows now that he wouldn't have had any reservations. This gets more and more difficult every day. He is missing an essential part of him that he can't replace no matter how hard he tries.

After sitting in his chair and bringing out his books, he glances over at the screen one more time. He closes his eyes and lets his head fall backward. It feels like all of his soul just aches. He has cried so many times that he would be ashamed to tell anyone of his predicament. No one knows what he feels or how badly he suffers. During moments like these, it helps to talk to someone who will understand and not judge. So, he turns to the one person he feels open enough to talk to. "Mom?" he breathes shakily, " I hope you are listening. I know that I didn't appreciate her when she was here and that I don't deserve any type of special treatment. But if you can, please help me. Please bring Rukia back to me. I really, really miss my best friend and I would really like to have the rain dry once more."

Little did he know that his hurricane would dry to an oasis very soon. The light will pierce through the heart of darkness once again rendering the heart free of its captor.

Rukia sits by the koi pond on the Kuchiki estate. Her knees are folded up under her chin and her arms around them. She watches the fish move in the pond that her brother loves so much. Probably more than me. The fish swim and move in such abandon. They don't care who they bump into or how the other fish will react. They neither know what was outside of the pond nor did they care. They didn't know that there may be another fish out there that they are meant to meet. On the other hand, it keeps the fish from meeting other fish of another breed and altering that existence. God, how did she manage to fuck this up?

She told herself that this is for the best. She didn't want to leave him. Really, she didn't. But she had to. What would come of her trying to move between two worlds? One of the worlds she didn't really belong in. She was dead and she understood that. What she didn't understand was why she had to meet him. She has heard that it was Aizen's doing, but that didn't explain why she became so attached to him. For fuck's sake, she isn't this attached to Renji.

He's a human high school boy. By now, he should be about 17. She has watched him from a far. She visits secretly twice a week. She has seen him with other girls; never the same one twice. Part of her is happy for him and the other part weeps for the jealousy she feels for the other girls. She wants to be the one at his side. Though he never looks extremely happy, he is going through the steps to move on. That makes her proud. He is keeping his resolve and pride together. See, he doesn't need me anymore.

Once in a while, though, she doesn't get there until late into the night. When she gets there, he is usually having a nightmare. She has heard his voice call out to her in complete fright and anguish. It burns to know that she even affects his sleep. She feels as terrible as the day she was forced back to Soul Society by Renji and Nii-sama. She has marred him. She always sits at the edge of his bed and runs her fingers through the unruly orange hair. She wipes the sweat from his brow and tries to comfort him. She always smiles and coos at him until he settles down. When he does, he sighs her name and it breaks her heart all over again because she knows. She knows that no matter what front he puts on for the general populous, he is writhing inside. He wants his powers back so he can feel of use. She always understood his need to protect because she has the same one and her greatest need is to protect him. She will protect him at her own cost because he protected the world at his own. She hasn't told anyone, including Renji, about her semi-weekly visits. It would complicate things here and people would begin to watch her more than they already do. And if he ever got his powers back, she wanted to have the opportunity to volunteer for a mission to Kurakura. If they knew that she was still visiting a human, they would think that she was too close and never let her go there again. She needs to keep the door open and if her feelings show, they will surely shut it for her.

But that still doesn't stop her from sitting in his closet sometimes and watching him. She keeps the door cracked so she can watch him until he goes to bed. One night, about a month ago, though, that got to be a little problematic. He started working on his homework and then he just stopped. He looked back at the closet for a few seconds and then put his hands to his face. His shoulders shook slightly and she though he was remembering something funny they had done. She thought that he was laughing. It warmed her a little to know that he could still have happy memories of her time with him. Then, he unexpectedly opened the door. The look on his face frightened her. He looked so forlorn that she wanted to touch him but she didn't dare. His eyes were pink and his scowl was so sad, that it made her chest tighten. Then, he placed his hands right beside her knees and pushed his face down to the futon. She finally understood the shaking. He was softly crying. He was trying to hide the excruciating pain in his heart. When she heard his words, she began to cry herself. "Rukia…why didn't you come back? Why don't you care about me? I did what you would have wanted me to do, but I lost my powers. When I lost my value to Soul Society, you just abandoned me. Please, just visit me…make the rain stop."

I didn't abandon you, baka! I have been with you for the duration. I just can't let you see me. Of course I care about you. I would never abandon you because you have more value than the world to me. Her feelings…what a mess. She misses that complete moron more than she has ever missed anyone, including Kaien-dono. She misses Ichigo like someone has ripped out her heart and fed it to her. Though watching him hurts, it helps to just let her eyes rest on him; to know that he is okay. While she can't touch him when he is conscious, she can feel him close to her. At night, she sleeps in his Nice Vibe t-shirt. She took it when he was unconscious for a month along with his old pillow. She wanted something that would remind her of him. She does have pictures, but they don't have his smell. Whenever his pillow begins to lose its smell, she goes to his house and switches it out so that the smell is perpetual. Sometimes, she wonders if she should have used memory modifier on him to forget her. It would have broken her, but it would have been the humane thing to do. See, she is selfish. She wanted him to remember her so that when the day came that he could see her, they could share history together even if his future was with someone else.

So, I've become a stalker. So fucking what. If she didn't, she'd go insane. It always ends this way for her. Every time she becomes close to someone, she is rent from them. Renji, Kaien-dono, Ichigo…several times. The gods hate her, she is sure of it.

What is it that she wants? What the hell does she expect? Not only did she irrevocably alter his life, she has the nerve to want to be with him. She would love to live in his world as a human with him. She would love to live in a world where she could not be a Kuchiki with rules. She would love to go to high school and then college. It would be heavenly to be anything she wanted to be and she wanted to be with him.

But what does she get instead? She gets to watch him grow up into a gorgeous young man and date several girls. She hasn't even considered any date offers. None of them were like him. They wanted her to act like a perfect noble lady. She had to reign in her temper and be charming. What a bunch of shit. Besides, if she started dating, the Kuchikis would start talking about her marriage prospects and that is out of the question. She wants to marry someone because she loves them and they love her. She wants someone who will let her slap them around, curse like a sailor at them when she needs to, be pissed when she needs to; she wants to let her true self out. Ichigo was that someone.

Not that she is in love with Ichigo. She just likes the way he accepted her tomboy ways without chiding her on how unlady-like it is. He didn't mind her fighting. He didn't mind her very sharp tongue. He didn't expect her dress like a fucking china doll. He did pick on her height, though…baka. That is when she would give him a kick to the shin or one of her famous right hooks. She laughs out loud. He would always grab his jaw and call her a bitch right after the fact. She knew that he didn't mean it in a completely derogatory way. Besides, he had shown her more respect than her own clan and she had grown over the last two years to five feet, fuck you very much. But that is of no matter. He can't see her anyway.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out her pink Chappy wallet. In the back, behind the money is a picture that serves as a reminder of what she left behind in the Living World. Karin, Yuzu, Isshin- san, Ichigo and her had gone to the fireworks display for a festival. She had run to the top of the hill to see them better. Out of nowhere, she is snatched off of her feet and feels herself moving toward the water. Evidently, the boy had been calling her for like five minutes when he got frustrated and grabbed her. She had kicked and fussed but, when she got where he wanted to go, she shut up. He, gently, got her to her feet and let her eyes move across the sky then down to the dark water to see the colors reflected back at her. Her face held a look of pure wonderment. He was looking down at her trying to frown but was unsuccessful. His smile was genuine and his eyes held some emotion that she didn't understand. However, she did understand her look. She was so happy then. Otou-sama had taken the picture and Ichigo had snapped out of his stupor right afterward. She smiled sadly at the scene. How she missed those days. How she missed his family. How she missed him.

Rukia had closed herself off. She has become as cold a Kuchiki as any in history. Her face never holds emotion in company. She is impassive and indifferent and no one here knows her well enough to guess what she is thinking except Renji whom she keeps at arm's length. Of course, she loves Renji like a brother. But even he has no right to venture into what lurks in her heart. The fewer people who know what she is feeling, the easier it will be to pull off her lie if that time comes. People will believe that she is doing her duty, not running back to the best friend she has ever known; the best life she has ever known.

Why didn't she say something of substance when they parted? Why didn't she hug him? Why didn't she tell him how sorry she was that this was happening or thank him for being an amazing person? Why didn't she thank him for saving her? Why didn't she just do…something…anything?

What she needs is a miracle. But for her, miracles never, ever happen. She is more accustomed to tragedies than miracles. She only remembers one miracle in her life. It was the moment that she gave Soul Society a reason to execute her.

She is arrested out of her thoughts when she hears a stick snap and it alerts her that someone is coming. Quickly, she puts the photo away and pockets her wallet. She stands up to address whoever is coming toward her. To her surprise, it is both her captain and her brother. What could they both possibly want?

Rukia got directly to her knees and bowed as lowly as possible. These are two people she has to please equally and perfectly. One was hard…two was hell. "Ohayo, Ukitake-taicho, Nii-sama." She decided to address them in the order she saw them. That way, she could defend why she had done it if she gets critiqued by her brother. Logical mistakes are forgiven; gut instinct was punished.

"Ohay, Kuchiki!" Ukitake replied brightly. "How are you this morning?"

"I am well, taicho. Thank you for asking. Am I to assume that you are doing the same?" Rukia replied. She was being polite, charming and she set it up so that his answer was either 'yes' or 'no'. That would allow her to getting on with addressing her brother. Making him wait too long was a no-no.

"Why, yes, Kuchiki, I am doing well. Thank you."

"Ohayo, Rukia." A low baritone voice sliced in. Gone was the soothing voice of her captain. It was replaced with the harshness of what she was to be reminded. She had to put up her façade of stone.

Kuchiki Byakuya would not repeat the same question as Ukitake. He was a man of upbringing, so he never followed someone else's lead. He was original. Besides, he wanted to know why she was up so late. He had heard her pacing down the halls at 2:00 AM. She was in her uniform, not her house clothing. Where was she? "I trust you slept well last evening?"

Rukia kept her face to the ground and gently closed her eyes. She steeled her nerves for what she was about to say and she made her face as hard as she could. She had been caught coming in last night from Ichigo's. He had been having a horrible nightmare. It was especially violent and he thrashed about so much, she had to go to him. When she got inside the window from the telephone pole, he was trembling, balled up in the fetal position. She didn't think and simply sat down on the bed. She then laid her front to his back. The small girl wrapped one arm under him at his waist and took her free arm and reached up to his hair. She ran her fingers through it slowly and whispered in his ear, "Shhh, Ichigo. It's okay. You're not alone. I'm here. Shhh…It's okay…." He immediately stopped trembling. After about five minutes, he fell to a calm sleep pattern. She waited for about an hour to make sure that he was in a deep sleep before she left. By that point it was 20 minutes of 2 AM. She was really, really late.

Looking up to her brother with a look that mirrored his own down to a 'T', she delivered the coldest response she could muster. And, even by Bykuya's standards, it was impressive. "I was having trouble sleeping. I decided to take a walk around the Seiritei to relax me. I apologize if my footsteps awakened you, Nii-sama."

Byakuya almost jumped. He almost didn't believe his ears and eyes. Who is this and what have you done with Rukia? She just gave him a logical explanation without one stutter or moment of hesitancy. Well, well…our Rukia is growing up. He told the clan that she would come along in time. She had hung in there regardless of what had happened to her.

Nonetheless, something told him that she was lying. Rukia didn't show any of her emotions these days. She was very cold. One of the things that he secretly liked about his sister was that her eyes were soulful, just like Hisana's. They told the story of how she felt, when she was happy or hurt. These days, he couldn't see anything. He didn't think the girl had it in her. Hisana never developed it. By comparison, however, Rukia had more years in it and had mastered it. Whatever she is hiding, she is doing the actions under the cover of darkness; discretely. He has no idea how long it's been going on. The only reason he caught it last night is that he was up late reading. This Kuchiki preferred to be in bed before 11 PM. He must get proper sleep to function properly. However, he would bet 10 mansions that it has to do with the kozo. Not that he is a betting man, of course.

He doesn't know what it is about that boy that she can't stay away from. No matter what either of them say, there is something between them. Since Kurosaki lost his powers, she has changed. She is no longer the kind but boyish girl he used to know. No. She has been replaced by a cold and calculating young woman. He's saddened to realize that she became exactly who he wanted her to be. I liked the former Rukia better.

He is glad Ukitake came to him with this. After the winter war, he had to really think about much he had influenced the course of her life. Even played into Aizen's plans and almost killed her. He may not be able to give her emotional support, but he would at least let her make a decision that would give him a gauge of how right he was about the situation and its severity. Though it's not forever, it gives her some time with the boy. And if he gets his powers back quickly, she'll be back in no time. It will be like what those humans call camp. "I see. You may rise."

Ukitake is happy as hell today. He had needed a reason to send her the hell out of here. He knew she loved the boy. But he had to get a reason to send her there that wouldn't open the door to speculation or proof of special treatment. When he heard from Kisuke that Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu was growing, he had been overjoyed. Kuchiki had become so hard in the last two years. It breaks his heart to see her this way. After almost executing her, he doesn't feel that Soul Society ever made right by her. They didn't apologize for almost killing her. So, he made it his personal mission to take up the cause. He can't change Central 46, but he can do little things under the guise of the law and work it to her advantage. Luckily for him, the little things seem to have the biggest impact. He loved the way she had become after meeting Kurosaki-kun. She was sure of herself and confident. But she was also kind and compassionate. In the present, the latter is missing.

Rukia stands and stiffens her posture to a board, eyes straight ahead. "Hai. How may I help you this morning?"

"Well, Kuchiki, I have an assignment for you and I wanted to see if your brother had any objections. And, since he didn't, we decided to tell you where your next mission would be." Ukitake answers in a relaxed tone. He was so fatherly to her, that Rukia enjoyed his company greatly.

"Permission to ask a question, sir?" Rukia asks.

"Permission, granted."

"How soon will I be leaving?" Rukia asks.

"You will leave at about 9:30 this morning." The white-haired captain answers.

"Rukia, you should let him tell you all of the information before you interrupt." Byakuya interjects.

"Hai, Nii-sama. Once again, I apologize and to you, as well, taicho." She retorts with no trace of contrition. Her brother is surprised again.

Her captain eye rolls. "No need for that. In any case, your mission will be to Kurakura for an unspecified amount of time. Kurosaki's reiatsu is anticipated to build again. We need someone to keep him from being hollow food while he recovers his powers. You have worked with him in the past and have the best grasp on human ways of life. He could recover them quickly or it may take years. If you wish to have your post replaced, just say so. When he gains his powers back, you come back. What do you say?"

Rukia keeps her face on, and continues to blink. She is translating what she is not sure she heard. They are letting her go to the Living World to live with Ichigo until he gets his powers again. Holy shit! Then, Ichigo could see her and she could see him. The downside is, after his powers recovered, that she would have to come back. But, even so, he would be allowed here and she would get reasons to go there. Hell, she gets there now. Her brother agreed? Hells yeah! She better accept before they change their minds. Rukia bends forward to bow, "Hai! I accept. How will reports be delivered?" She has to keep it all business. She doesn't want any insinuations that she was running to Ichigo. She's held up the shield this long, she can keep it up for the next two hours.

"Send a hell butterfly to us on his progress and the occurrences of hollows each week. Two patrols will still be assigned there so that you can keep tabs on his training. Good Luck, Kuchiki!"

"Hai! Arrigato." Rukia answers.

"Rukia, remember that you are a Kuchiki. I expect a hell butterfly, as well, at least twice per month to update me of your progress. Is that undersood? Now, go get your affects in order. I will see you at the gate."

Still in the bowed position, she answers her older brother. "Hai, Nii-sama. Taicho." With that, she leaves immediately.

"Well, I am off to my day. Good day!" Ukitake says to his companion and shunpos off.

The older Kuchiki scoffs. "Good day indeed. Good luck, Rukia."

Rukia runs to her room. She runs so hard that raven haired girl has to hold Sode no Shirayuki to keep her from tripping her wielder. She jumps through her open window. She had remembered to leave it open today so that she didn't have t come through the front door like last night. Once inside, she runs to the bathroom, covers her mouth and screams at the top of her lungs. When she is done, she leans back against the door exhausted and elated.

A miracle just happened to her. Maybe the gods don't completely hate her…

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/6430713/1/Between-Me-and-Thee