Hello there!

Here is yet another fic from me. I think I'm on a roll. Knock wood. Thanks to the lovely Feilyn for the virtual kick up the ass with grammar and a little habit I have with punctuation. Well, no much more to say really, just that I hope you enjoy!

Every life must come to an end. For Kurosaki Ichigo, it was inevitable. For his family, it was far too soon.

She could feel that something was wrong the moment that he stepped through the gate. His reiatsu fluctuated wildly, far more than usual.

Confirming her suspicions, he grabbed her by the wrist and with no regard for her safety or dignity, literally dragged her towards her room in the thirteenth's barracks before slamming the door shut behind them and pinning her to it.

He kissed her fiercely, mouth moving over hers desperately over and over again until eventually he pulled away, leaving her breathless. She followed him - she always did - away from the door in a daze and tilted her head up to look at him when he stopped, leaning slightly against his chest.

Letting out a long sigh, he pressed closer and slid both arms around her waist, leaning down to bury his head in her shoulder. She stood on tiptoe to meet him, skimming her hands up his arms and around to the back of his neck so she could twist her fingers through his hair, anchoring him to her.

They stayed locked together for a long time - she wasn't sure of how long it was exactly, his proximity was frying her brain - but when he finally loosened his grip, he didn't remove his head from her shoulder. She didn't complain, rather liking the whole leaning-on-her-and-not-letting-go thing, but when her calves started cramping she did the first thing that came to mind to get him off her, releasing his hair and raising one hand so that she could smack him on the back of the head.

He swore, lifting his head from her shoulder to glare at her. Surprisingly though he didn't let go and make a large fuss like he usually did, so she hit him again, this time a well-placed punch to the shoulder. He growled in annoyance but didn't budge so she continued hitting him in the same place until he let her go and gave her that look that on any other day, would have meant that he was about to throw a tantrum.

But the most he did was send another one of those famous Kurosaki glares her way before turning and presenting his back to her, hands clenched at his sides. She stared at him stupidly for a few seconds (her brain refusing to register that fact that he had actually turned away from her) before she moved closer and curled her arms around his waist, resting her forehead on his back.

She could feel the muscles tighten underneath his clothing as he inhaled deeply, holding his breath for several seconds before finally releasing it, hands unclenching slightly in time with the movement and moving to cover her own.

They stayed like that for a while until his head dropped, gaze fixing firmly on the floor as he removed one hand from hers and reached into his obi, pulling out a small piece of paper and sliding it into her hand.

She pulled away, confused. "What's this?"

He shrugged, still facing away from her. "Just read it"

She shook her head slightly in annoyance but nevertheless unfolded the paper and scanned the document quickly, noting absently that it was well creased, obviously having been read several times already. Her eyes widened as she took in the gravity of the situation.

"Ichigo. I'm so sorry."

He turned to face her, gaze apprehensive. "You believe it then?"

God damn this man was thick - hadn't she proven to him time and time again that she would always be behind him? - "Yes of course. I mean it's a little soon, but you wouldn't make something like this up. It was inevitable."

He looked away for the briefest of seconds before snapping his gaze back to her, face set in that carefully created mask that she had seen far too many times before. "You're the only one that thinks so. No one else is behind me."

Stepping closer, she let the paper fall forgotten to the floor as she scrutinised him carefully. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head, then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her again, the facade slipping just a bit as he buried his head back into that favourite shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it. Not yet anyway. I just thought you should know."

She sighed and stood back up on tiptoe to ease the pressure on his back, arms winding around him as he pressed his lips to her neck briefly before tightening his hold. "I take it you're staying tonight, then?"

"Please." His voice was filled with ten times more desperation than his kisses had held earlier, and she could feel the tension running through his body as he lifted his head to look at her, the need obvious in his eyes as well.

She raised one hand to trace the outline of his jaw - which wasn't easy considering he was pretty much crushing her to him - and drew him in for a kiss, hoping to comfort the young shinigami. Comfort however, was thrown out the window when he returned her kiss with far too much fervour, sending both of them stumbling backwards towards the wall, crashing against it rather ungracefully. She let out an indignant squeak and barely resisted the urge to smack him again as his hands slipped around her waist to undo - rip apart - her obi, throwing the fabric carelessly to the floor.

"Ichigo!"

He shook his head, hands moving to push the fabric covering her shoulder aside so that he could smother the bared skin with hot open mouthed kisses, leaving both of them gasping when he pulled away. "Please."

She sighed, anchoring her hands in his hair as his lips travelled lower, barely able to control the twisting in her gut as his tongue graced the top of her breast and her legs automatically wrapped themselves around his waist. "Of course. Just don't rip my clothes."

He glanced up at her for a second and she itched to slap away the arrogance that flashed across his face. It was quickly forgotten, however, when he lifted her away from the wall and over to the futon, lips still attached to her chest and hands gripping onto her thighs, trademark scowl on his face again. She stopped him before he got there though, unhooking her legs from his hips and letting herself slide to the floor, completely forgetting that her hands were still tangled in his hair. He let out a hoarse yell as he was yanked down to her level and she silenced him with an apologetic kiss, sliding her hands down his chest and under the band of his hakama.

He let out one of those rare groans that sent electric currents through her whole body and kissed her harder, talented tongue keeping her occupied while he expertly removed the rest of her shihakusho. His own clothing quickly joined hers on the floor when she finally registered the cool air against her skin, fumbling slightly in her haste to press her body against his.

He drew in a sharp breath as soon as they touched, holding it until she started to worry about his safety then let it out slowly, most of the tension in his muscles vanishing with the used air as if that skin to skin contact was all he needed. She knew that the problem hadn't disappeared, but judging by the way he was now taking it upon himself to explore her skin with lips, tongue and teeth, things were definitely looking up.

"Thanks, Rukia."

She smacked him, trying to ignore the fact that the movement of his lips against her neck was sending a tingling sensation through her entire body, "Don't be an idiot, Ichigo…"

He nipped her neck gently to stop any further comment then lowered them to the futon and proceeded to put his teeth to work along her shoulder as his hips began that beautifully timed rocking against her own. "Yeah I know, I still have to talk about things later. But for now can I just do this?"

Considering that her head was beginning to spin from the sensation caused by his hot breath washing across her skin and that tightening screw in her stomach, she wasn't about to disagree. Nor was she going to stop him from running a hand down her thigh, choosing instead to encourage him by wrapping both legs around his waist. "Promise we'll talk?"

He paused and smiled slightly, and although it wasn't as sincere and perfect as one of those special ones he usually reserved only for her, it still took her breath away. "Promise."

Kurosaki Ichigo always kept his word.

He was also very persistent. That damn hand was moving along her body again, and she couldn't think. Hell, she didn't want to think. Let alone talk. Talking required thinking. And when he moved inside her and they began those synchronised movements that had taken months to perfect, thought became little more than an annoyance.

She could think in the morning.

Well there you go, Cessation. Hope you enjoyed!