Hello again! This is the last one-shot. I think that it is the cutest of them all, but it is also slightly cheesy. Oh well, I hope you like cheese! ;)

If you liked this, I have another that has yet to be posted, so be on the lookout. Also, I would really appreciate it if you read my other story, "Frosted Dreams." I think that it is one of my best, and I encourage you to read it even if you don't like the Hitsukarin paring. Thanks for reading!

I don't own Bleach. If I did, Hinamori would just SHUT UP ABOUT AIZEN ALREADY!

"Ichigo, you're facing the wrong way!" Rukia screamed at him.

Ichigo jumped to the side, almost getting impaled in the head. "Shit!"
"He's to the left, to the left!" Rukia pointed, as if that would make a difference. The Hollow was fast.

"Shut the hell up, I know what I'm doing!" Ichigo turned around, but the Hollow had already moved. Suddenly, it was behind Rukia. Ichigo tackled her, the Hollow's tail skewering him through his midsection.

"HA, HA, HA," the Hollow laughed, whipping his tail around and Ichigo with it. "STUPID SHINIGAMI. YOU SHOULD HAVE LET YOUR LITTLE GIRLFRIEND DIE PEACEFULLY. NOW YOU'RE GOING TO WATCH AS I RIP HER LIMB BY LIMB."

Ichigo lifted Zangetsu and chopped the Hollow's head clean off. He fell to the ground, blood flowing from the new hole in his body. Rukia rushed over to him.

"You idiot!" she screamed at him. "When will you learn to stop worrying about me? I can take care of myself."

Ichigo coughed. "He almost killed you." He sat up slowly, trying not to lose more blood than he had to.

Rukia bit her lip, refusing to cry. When would he stop being so reckless? Sometimes, he made her so mad. In her fury, she smacked him in the head before helping him up.

They walked home, Rukia supporting Ichigo as they did. He was in no more pain than he usually was when a hole was made in his body, and he was relieved that Rukia didn't get hurt. About a block from their house, the two saw Renji.

"Aw, Ichigo," he laughed, "not as strong as you think you are, eh?"

"Shut up, Renji," Ichigo said through clenched teeth. "What do you want?"

"Well, I was on my way to your house to ask Rukia if she wanted to see a movie."

Rukia gasped. "I've never been to a theater before."

Ichigo had always intended to take her, but he never got around to it.

Renji's whole face lit up. "I went with Ururu and Jinta yesterday, and it was amazing! The picture was huge, and the food was great. They have this thing called popcorn…"

Rukia laughed. "Okay, okay. You're on, Renji. Just let me drop Ichigo off."

Ichigo had a weird feeling in his stomach, and it wasn't just the wind blowing through his torso. Rukia was talking about him as if he were some dog, a burden of some sort. He ripped his arm off of Rukia's shoulders, and Rukia let go of him in surprise.

"Go," he said, not looking at her. "It's not like I can't walk a block."

She looked at him with concern for a second, then shrugged and looked at Renji. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah. Let's go see what's playing." They walked away, talking loudly and laughing.

Ichigo limped the last block home. What was wrong with him? Was he actually jealous? It's not like he liked Rukia or anything. Anyway, it was Renji. Renji. Renji was his friend. Besides, he knew that Renji and Rukia were just really good friends. What was he worried about? As he jumped through his window to regain his body from Kon, Ichigo decided that what he was really feeling. He felt left out.

No big deal. Next time he would just tag along.

Ichigo paced his room, Kon watching curiously.

Rukia never came home last night.

He had waited up for her, just to make sure that she came home safely, but he hadn't felt her reiatsu anywhere near his house. For a while he worried that something had happened to her, but then he remembered how unlikely that was, considering Renji was with her.

Ichigo stuffed his books in his backpack, pissed off. She could have at least called.

He walked downstairs. "Onii-chan!" Yuzu called. "Breakfast is ready."

"Not hungry. See you guys later." He walked out the door, headed towards school.

Karin looked after him. That's strange, she thought to herself. Ichi-nii never skips breakfast.

Ichigo had walked halfway when he saw her. She was leaning a wall, seemingly waiting for him. "There you are," she said when she spotted him, hands on her hips. "I was just about to go on without you."

Ichigo didn't answer her. He was relieved that Rukia was okay, but he was still mad.

"Oh," Rukia taunted, "someone's moody today." She looked surprised when Ichigo walked past her without acknowledgement, but quickly caught up with him. "What's your problem?"

You're my problem. "Why didn't you come home last night?"

"Renji and I saw two movies." Rukia had to take quick steps to keep up with his long stride. She was surprised to see that for some reason Ichigo's jaw was clenched. "Then we got caught up talking about old times. What's the big deal?"

Ichigo stopped walking. "I waited for you to come home!" he yelled at her. "Now I'm tired."

Rukia stood on tiptoe in order to get as much in his face as possible. "I told you that I can take care of myself. You being tired is your own damn fault."

Secretly, though, she was happy that he had worried about her.

"Have it your way." Ichigo continued walking. He was too tired to argue with her, and he was starting to sound like he was her dad or something. "After school we need to stop and get some chips."

"Why?"

Ichigo glanced at her incredulously. "It's Kurosaki Bingo Night. Don't tell me you forgot."

Rukia felt terrible. "I already have plans."

"What plans? You know that we have Kurosaki Bingo Night on Thursdays."

She explained to him that Renji had asked her to do a thing called bowling and she had been so excited that she had forgotten what day it was. Ichigo didn't respond.

"Ichigo, I'm sorry," Rukia said sincerely, trying to get him to look at her. "But I've been to a lot of Kurosaki Bingo Nights and it wouldn't hurt to miss just one. Besides, it's not like I'm a Kurosaki or anything."

"Yeah, well tell that to my dad." He looked straight ahead, still refusing to even look in her direction. "It doesn't matter. Go." The only thing that got him through Kurosaki Bingo Nights was observing the way Rukia interacted with his family—his dad had to drag him kicking and screaming before she came.

Rukia was surprised at the ease Ichigo gave in. He must not have cared if she came or not.

They had finally reached school, and no longer had to talk about bowling or bingo.

If anything, Ichigo was mad at himself. He had always intended to take Rukia bowling, but he could never find time, on account of Hollows and her almost getting executed. It seemed that Renji was taking his place.

"Lunchtime!" Orihime squealed. "Food, food, food…"

As usual, they were all having lunch on the roof. Keigo was rambling on and on about how Mizuiro didn't invite him to a party, Tatsuki was grimacing at the things Orihime was eating, and Ichigo was talking to Chad.

Rukia felt bad. She was starting to realize that she hadn't seen much of Ichigo lately, which was a hard feat, considering they lived in the same house. She purposely sat next to him at lunch, hoping to show him that she hadn't forgotten about him.

"Hey Ichigo," she said softly, trying not to draw any attention to herself. When he looked at her, she asked in her most helpless voice, "Can you open this juice box?"

Ichigo didn't seem to notice the hint. "Do it yourself, it's not like you don't know how anymore."

Shot down.

"Ichigo!" Keigo suddenly shouted, appearing over their shoulders. "Tell Mizuiro to hook us up with some hot girls. He could get us dates for the school dance."

"What school dance?" Ichigo asked, pushing Keigo away from him.

"You haven't heard?" Keigo's mouth dropped in horror. He was such a drama queen. "There's going to be balloons and cake and close proximity to lovely ladies and their lovely ti—"

He was cut off by Tatsuki punching him in the face. "Perv," she muttered.

Rukia's eyes lit up. A dance! It sounded like so much fun, and what an excuse to get dressed up. She peeked at Ichigo. Maybe she could get him to take her…

"Mizuiro, you have to help us!" Keigo was on his knees, begging for this one bit of happiness.

"I don't know, Asano-san," Mizuiro replied, texting on his cell phone.

"Why are you being so formal with me-ee!" Keigo wailed. "I thought we were friends. Ichigo, tell Mizuiro to get us hot dates!"

"Tell him yourself," Ichigo said, chewing on his sandwich, "Kurosaki Ichigo does not do dances."

Shot down again, and she hadn't even said anything this time! Rukia was getting mad now. When they got home, she was going to convince him to take her. She really wanted to go.

"That's because Kurosaki Ichigo can't dance," Uryu said from a corner.

"What did you just say?" Ichigo yelled, standing up. "Say that to my face!"

"You heard me." Uryu was standing now too. "The tip of my pinky has more grace than your whole body."

Chad watched to make sure the squabble didn't turn physical, Keigo moaned about how much he wanted a girlfriend, Orihime finished her lunch and eyed Tatsuki's, and Ichigo finally returned to his spot next to Rukia, mumbling about "that damn Quincy." Basically, it was a normal lunch.

It was late. Rukia stepped through Ichigo's window, headed towards her closet. She was afraid of waking the twins, and she didn't feel like explaining why she was coming home at three in the morning.

"Ichigo." He didn't answer her. She stood by his bed, looking at him. "Ichigo." No response. He must be asleep, Rukia thought, still staring at his sleeping form.

He looked so peaceful when he slept. He usually had some sort of scowl on his face, but when he was sleeping, his true self showed. Rukia was overcome with the urge to touch him.

She reached out her hand, her gaze for some reason focusing on his lips. Just as she was about to explore the curves of his face, she thought the better of it and snatched her hand back. What was she doing? She obviously hadn't been getting enough sleep. Perplexed at herself, Rukia climbed into her closet and closed the door.

Ichigo exhaled the breath he had been holding. Rukia's scent lingered.

They were walking home from school one day when he decided to do it. Normally, dances weren't Ichigo's style, but Rukia had been talking about it all week and he thought it would be interesting to take her to her first dance.

"Hey Rukia," he started, looking down at her, "did you want to go to that school dance?"

Silence. Rukia looked at him in wonder. Did he just ask her out?

"Ichigo, I'm already going with Renji."

Renji.

"I'm really sorry," Rukia started, but Ichigo cut her off.

"No big deal." He was trying really hard not to let the shame and embarrassment show in his face. "I didn't really want to go anyway. I just wanted you to go."

There was an awkward silence. Why did Rukia feel like she couldn't breathe? Why did Ichigo feel like his insides were being shredded?

Suddenly, Ichigo's Hollow sensor went off. There was now no need to think about the emotions that were smothering them.

Ichigo was at home watching soccer on tv with Karin. He wasn't really a soccer person, but it was a distraction from the confusion in his head.

"AAGH!" Karin put her hands over her head. "He was OPEN!"

Ichigo smiled. "It's just a game, Karin."

She didn't seem to hear him. "AAGH! DUMBASS!"

The doorbell rang, but Karin was too busy yelling at the television to notice. It didn't matter, because Yuzu answered it. "Onii-chan!" she called, "one of your friends is here."

Ichigo looked over his shoulder, too lazy to get up. It was Renji.

"Yo, Ichigo."

"Hey." Ichigo swallowed. "If you're looking for Rukia, she's not here. She went shopping with Inoue."

"Nope." Renji walked around the couch and sat down. "I came to hang out with you."

"Oh, okay." There was silence as both stared at the tv. Karin was momentarily distracted by Renji's 70's getup and tattoos, but she returned to her soccer game with renewed vigor. She was extremely excited when she found out that Renji knew nothing about soccer, and took it upon herself to explain the basics to him.

In no time at all, Renji was yelling just like Karin, pissed off at the players and the calls the referee was making. The energy of the room made Ichigo smile, but he quickly turned it into a sort of smirk. He had an image to uphold, you know.

"Ichigo, go get me some grub," Renji ordered, leaning back on the couch.

"Get your own damn snacks," Ichigo replied.

There was an elephant in the room, and everyone was ignoring it.

"I'm the guest here," Renji snapped. "You should be offering me food."

"No one asked your ass to come over here anyway," Ichigo countered.

Renji grinned, then continued watching the television. Eventually, Yuzu entered with snacks anyway, and sat down, complaining that she didn't understand the concept of soccer.

"We've been friends for a long time," Renji said quietly, startling Ichigo. "I…I won't give up that easily."

"Neither will I." The words escaped his lips before he had even thought about it, but once they were said, Ichigo knew that they were true.

Renji smiled, then got up and stretched. "I'd better go. Karin, I had fun, and thanks for the snacks, Yuzu." He nodded at Ichigo, then left.

"You sure have some strange friends, Ichi-nii," Karin observed.

"Tatsuki, you have to go to the dance with me," Ichigo begged. "Please?"

"No can do Ichigo." Tatsuki wasn't even looking at him, concentrating on sharpening her pencil. "Goes against the code."

"What code?" Ichigo was desperate. He needed a date. He wasn't going to sit at home by himself while everyone else was having fun; his dad would never let him hear the end of it.

"You don't date someone who your friend likes."

Oh, that code. Too bad Renji's not familiar with it.

"Ask Orihime." Tatsuki finally looked him in the eye. "Between you and me, she's been hoping that you would ask."

"Inoue?" It seemed like a solid plan; Ichigo could handle being her date. "Thanks, Tatsuki."

When he asked her, she turned pink and accepted right away. "I knew that you were going to take Kuchiki-san, but I still hoped."

Ichigo nodded in reply and then asked what color her dress was. That was that. He tried to ignore the pang in his heart.

It was the night of the dance. Ichigo had picked up Orihime, who looked very pretty in a yellow halter dress, and had given her the corsage he had bought for her. "Oh, thank you!" she cooed, her eyes bright with excitement.

The gang met at a restaurant before the dance to eat and converse. Ichigo came with Orihime, Tatsuki with Chad, Mizuiro with a mystery babe, and Rukia with Renji. Keigo and Uryu came alone, though Uryu had considered asking Chizuru before realizing how desperate that was.

They were sitting down eating, but Ichigo had a hard time keeping his mind on the food. He kept looking across the table at Rukia and Renji. It seemed that they were sitting way too close, and Renji had slung his arm over the back of her chair.

To make matters worse, Rukia looked stunning. She had done something to her hair; it was twisted into some sort of updo. Her dress looked like it was made for a princess, strapless and red with a poofy bottom. It seemed to accentuate her small frame.

"Dateless, again," Keigo moaned ."Why me?"

"It's okay Asano-kun," Orihime soothed between mouthfuls of her food.

Ichigo looked at her. "Inoue, are you really going to eat all of that?"

She looked down, noticing for the first time that she had ordered twice as much food as everyone else. "I sure am!" She answered, giving him a thumbs-up.

Tatsuki laughed. "You're a growing girl, right Orihime?"

Ichigo picked up his napkin absentmindedly, brotherly instinct taking over. "You're making a mess," he told Orihime, wiping her mouth with it. Orihime blushed profusely, and for some reason, Ichigo caught Uryu staring at him.

He tried eating, but he didn't taste any of the food he shoveled into his mouth. He spent most of the time sneaking peeks at Rukia and Renji, making small talk with Orihime, and wondering why Uryu kept looking at him. By time it was time for dessert, he needed a break and excused himself.

It was raining outside, really pouring. Ichigo leaned against the restaurant wall, protected by the overhang. It was getting harder and harder to sit there and pretend that nothing was wrong.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime was standing there, looking very concerned. "You were gone for a while, so I thought I'd come and check on you."

"I'm sorry, Inoue." Ichigo knew what he had to do. This wasn't fair to her. "I just…I can't do this anymore."

Orihime looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "I know." She looked at her shoes, then out into the pouring rain.

Ichigo smiled. "Besides, there is the code to consider."

"What code?" Orihime asked, looking back up at him.

"Never mind." Ichigo took her hand. "Hey, you should talk to Ishida, he seems lonely."

Not as lonely as you, Orihime wanted to say. Instead, she nodded.

"I really am sorry, Inoue." He let go of her hand, and started walking into the rain, not really knowing where he was going. Ichigo just knew that he had to get away from here.

He had only gotten about two blocks away when he thought he heard his name being called. Ichigo turned, but all he saw was rain pouring onto the sidewalk. He kept walking.

"ICHIGO!"

The punch hit him square in the face. His hand shot up to his face reflexively, and he looked in shock at Rukia.

Her hair had come undone, and her dress was pretty much ruined. "How dare you!" she vented. "Are you trying to ruin this for me?!"

Ichigo just listened, confused and still shocked.

She smacked him. "How dare you? How dare you!? HOW DARE YOU!" With each sentence she pushed him, until Ichigo grabbed her by the arms and forced her to stop.

She looked at the ground, breathing heavily. When she looked up again, Ichigo was horrified to find tears streaking her face. "Y-You think I didn't notice you flirting with Inoue?" she shrieked. "You think I didn't notice how you kept checking to see if I saw you? Were you trying to get me jealous? Congratulations, it worked!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Suddenly, Ichigo was mad too. "Besides, you are the last person who should be mad! You've been ditching me for Renji!"

"You're the one who said you didn't want to go to this dance!" she yelled. "I thought it wasn't that big of a deal when Renji asked me. Remember? It's not your style."

"It's not." Ichigo's temper flared. "That doesn't mean that I didn't want to go with you!"

"Well, it sure didn't seem like it!"

"How the hell would you know?! You were too busy with Renji to notice me!"

"HOW COULD I NOT NOTICE YOU? I LOVE YOU!"

Her words rang through the air. The rain poured down and raced into the gutters. They panted, seemingly out of things to scream at each other. It took a second for them to realize what they had each confessed.

Rukia covered her mouth with her hand. Had she really said that? She had never thought about it before, but now that it was out in the open she realized that she always had.

She loved Ichigo.

Ichigo stared at her in wonder, not sure he had heard her right. Her hair was plastered to the side of her head, and her makeup was running. Her dress was waterlogged and the hem muddy.

He thought she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.

Rukia was going crazy with anticipation. Why wasn't he saying anything? She had just professed her love to him and all he could do was stare at her. She was just starting to panic when Ichigo kissed her.

He cradled her face and kissed her, in the middle of rain and tears and makeup.

When they parted, they looked at each other. This wasn't a dream. This was really happening.

Suddenly, Ichigo held out his hand. "Do you want to dance?"

Rukia looked around. It was pouring, and people with umbrellas were staring. They were in the middle of the sidewalk. Cars were whizzing by.

It didn't matter. She took his hand and they started to dance right there. It started off normally, but soon turned into more of an embrace. They held each other, swaying in the rain to music only they could hear.

Rukia smiled. If this was what school dances were like, she couldn't wait for the next one.