Author's Note: THANK YOU'S to everyone who reviewed! I was so happy to know that so many people liked the first part. It really got me excited. Here is the second and final chapter of the two-shot. Sorry for not uploading it faster; finals are coming up and I'm really busy.

Please read below and see what happens to our favorite duo. Will they find love? Or separate forever?

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach

Rukia tried her best to smile in front of everyone but her face was too stiff, very unlike the gentle expression she usually wore. In fact, everyone noticed her constantly swollen eyes, which the servants at the Kuchiki estate had confirmed that it was due to her constant crying at night.

Questions started as to why the Kuchiki princess had been so distraught lately.

She was forced to return home and never return to Karakura.

She had a fight with the great hero of the Winter War.

Her brother found out and stopped her from eloping with the hero.

Her pet bunny that the hero bought her after the war suddenly died.

The Chappy show was going to get cancelled.

Rumors went on and on but no one knew which was true because the topic of their conversation wouldn't say anything. Her mouth remained closed unless it was necessary for her to speak. She was even quieter than her older brother.

Days turned into weeks, by then rumors were escalating to crazy degrees. Her friends were very worried about her health but no matter what they said, she would still go to work and fulfill the duties she hadn't been able to do since she was away.

And that was the thing: nobody was allowed to say the word 'Human world,' 'Hero,' 'Orange,' and especially 'Kurosaki Ichigo' in front of her or else her face would immediately contort in pain and become completely cold. Someone even stated to have seen her running away to cry in a ditch.

That was when her friends all figured out that the reason for her distress was caused by none other than Ichigo. They whispered how they weren't surprised, seeing as how often they fought even about the smallest things. But what they couldn't figure out was how big was the fight this time that she wasn't going back to the human world and he wasn't coming to get her?

The possibilities were endless, but they were so sick of rumors and not the actual facts that they were set on finding the truth. That was why they were pressing their ears against the door to eavesdrop on the report Renji was giving to Byakuya after he made a quick trip to meet the source of the problem.

Byakuya remained impassive as Renji straightened his shoulder to recall his account at what happened in the human world.

Flashback

Ichigo groaned as he continued to suck on the straw of the empty juice box. "What do you want?"

Abarai Renji, who had just landed on the school rooftop where everyone were having their lunch, glared at the man in front of him, ignoring the curious looks of others. "I want the truth."

"Alright, you only got those tattoos to cover your residing hairline."

"Not that!" he shouted, then paused to think before quickly replying, "And that's not true!"

"Fine," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders, "Byakuya really needs to get off his high horse and take out that six feet pole out his ass."

Renji was turning red like his hair. "Not that! I'm talking about Rukia!"

"…"

Everyone looked over at Ichigo who became suddenly stiff, his glares giving off danger warnings. But he didn't say anything, just like every time anyone of them had asked where Rukia disappeared off to the past few weeks.

Renji knew something big happened just by the expression on the young Shinigami Substitute's face. "What happened between you two?"

"Mind your own fucking business," Ichigo growled as he stood up and made his way back inside the school building, his body completely tense and his hands curled into tight fists.

Nobody bothered him the rest of the day at school. Not even the teachers called on him to answer the questions because everyone could feel his mood emitting off of him. But Ichigo could still feel Renji's reiatsu near the school grounds, the red head purposely sending it off to let him know he wasn't done yet.

As the school bell rang at the end of the day, Ichigo stayed behind to wait for everyone to clear out the grounds. His friends didn't approach him, having figured out why he was waiting. Minutes passed as Ichigo stood by the window to make sure the coast was clear. Once the grounds cleared up, he grabbed his bag and pulled it over his shoulder.

Taking slow steps, Ichigo finally came up to the middle of the school soccer field where Renji was waiting for him, still in his Shinigami form. Thankfully there was no soccer club today so campus was empty, allowing Ichigo the chance to talk to the red head without appearing crazy to any possible onlookers.

"Why are you still here?" he immediately asked once he stopped a few feet away from the other man, his fists in his pocket and his frown still lower than usual.

"To get an answer," Renji answered him, "The moment I saw Rukia's distraught appearance when she came back to Soul Society few weeks ago, I knew something happened between you two."

"Psch," Ichigo snorted, "Why are you saying it like as if it's my fault?"

"Because most of the time it is," Renji smirked, almost laughing at the glare he received.

Ichigo crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. "Well, this time it isn't."

A nonexistent eyebrow went up. "So you're saying its Rukia's fault?"

"Yeah."

This time Renji snorted. "Psch, that's pretty manly of you; blaming your problems on a woman."

"Let's see how manly you are when a girl denies the special connection you two have and runs away after breaking your heart."

Renji opened his mouth to say something but only ended up gaping. "Wha—what?"

Ichigo nodded his head. "You heard me: Rukia was the one who left me just because she thought it was wrong."

"I…um—that's…shit," Renji cursed off to the side. To be honest he wasn't sure how to reply to this. Sure he—just like everyone else—figured there was something going on between them, but it was still different to hear it being said. Not to mention that that meant Ichigo and Rukia talked about it already, which also meant that they weren't that dense.

He knew a little part of him wanted them to be, so he wouldn't have to suffer from seeing her smiling at Ichigo's side instead of his. But he had been bracing himself for quite awhile because he knew it was inevitable and he truly wanted nothing but the best for his two best friends. He had taken his heart back and ready to move on…but Rukia rejected him?

"Then…you—"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, already tired of Renji's stuttering. "You should really get your brain checked out because you're not making any coherent words right now."

"Prick," Renji glared, "What I'm trying to say is: you two actually addressed the topic of your relationship?"

"Yeah," he sighed, "And it didn't go the way I wanted it to."

"But I still need to congratulate you."

"Why?"

"Because I never thought you'd get the balls to actually confess to her."

Ichigo growled lowly in his throat, ready to just pounce out of his body and beat up that red head into a bloody pulp. "I'm not that dense…and neither am I impotent," he added the last part as he suddenly remembered how many times his old man and almost all the other guys he knew always asked if that was one of the reasons he was shy in front of girls. "I was waiting for things to progress naturally but that plan was shot down the moment Rukia decided she didn't want that to happen."

Renji frowned as he went into deep thought (which was starting to hurt). "But why would she do that? We all know how you two feel about each other."

"As much as I like how much you guys know about our relationship and personal life," Ichigo snarled sarcastically, "I'd prefer it if you guys just butt out of this for awhile. Rukia needs her space and I'm giving it to her."

"That's pretty mature of you, Ichigo, but also pretty stupid." Renji stepped closer and placed a reassuring hand on the other man's shoulder. "This 'space' is making Rukia even more depressed. She spends all day either locked up in her room or her office, only coming out to travel to and fro. If she sees anything orange or see strawberries, she would tense up and run away. She's no longer the tough girl we all knew; she's rotting inside-out."

A flash of worry crossed Ichigo's eyes as he listened. When Renji was done, he shrugged his hand off his shoulder. "And it's killing me to know I am the cause of it."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"For that stupid midget to open her eyes and to act on what she really wants," Ichigo told him, "I already tried pounding the truth into her before but she doesn't want to listen so I'm waiting. And I will wait until she figures this out herself."

Renji blinked at him in shock, pity, admiration and, a hint of, jealousy. "What if she doesn't?"

Ichigo quickly answered as if he had already practiced the answer a thousand times. "Then I will wait until I 'naturally' meet up with her again."

A frown appeared on Renji's face as he realized what that meant. "You mean, when you die."

For some reason Ichigo smirked at him. "Looks like you're brain isn't completely dead, dumbass."

Renji promptly ignored his smartass comment. "But what if you don't remember anything from this world?"

"I won't forget," he told him sternly, almost as if he knew something the other didn't. "Because I know we were destined to be together so nothing is going to stop me from being with her again. I remember that little boy who was stuck in a body of the parakeet Chad owns and he remembered him when we first went to Soul Society. If that kid could keep his memories, then surely so could I."

"But it's not that simple! The chance of you remembering is random!" Renji shouted, "So don't wait and just go to her now! Who knows if someone might come by and snatch her away?"

"There is nothing more that I'd like to do than to go grab that midget and bring her back here. But…" he paused as he ran a shaky hand through his unruly hair. "I know she'd hate me even more if I did that. And she would look for a way to leave me again. It would ruin my entire purpose of being with her."

"So you're just going to wait?"

Amber eyes stared at him, full of resolve and pain at the same time. "Yes."

The red head sighed in frustration. "Geez, you two are way too alike; both stubborn to the core."

"I know," he sadly smiled.

Renji nodded as he turned around and started to walk away. "I got it. I have to go back and tell this to taicho before he decides to just come and kill you. I'll see you later." He was about to jump up and shunpo away but Ichigo's stopped him.

"Renji."

"What?" He turned around to see his once-opponent still smirking sadly at him.

"When you see Rukia…tell her I don't regret a single moment we had shared together and that I'd be willing to wait however long she needs for her to come back to me."

Renji stared at the orange head before scoffing. "I'll tell her if I can remember all that sappy shit."

Ichigo chuckled. "Thanks."

End of Flashback

"That's everything, taicho."

Byakura continued his paperwork as if that was all he had been doing. But in reality he had heard everything his vice-captain had reported and was gripping his brush to the point that it was about to snap into two. "You're dismissed."

Renji bowed deeply in respect as he exited his captain's office. He had been working under that man for years and knew that even though he seemed impassive, Byakuya heard every word and was going to do something. Once he was outside, he joined his group of friends and pressed his ear against the door to listen for any movement.

"What do you think he's going to do?" Matsumoto asked.

"Probably kill Ichigo," Hisagi answered.

But Ikkaku's shiny head shook side to side. "Not before I get there first. The moment any of you sees Kuchiki taicho heading to the Human world, let me know so I can go ahead of him."

"You're an idiot," Matsumoto slapped him over the head as she pressed her ear back onto the door. "I don't hear anything."

"Maybe he won't do anything," Hinamori suggested.

Nanao pressed her ear closer. "He did appear quite calm during the report."

"No, you don't know taicho," Renji quickly interjected, "He was tensed the entire time. I was so close to shitting my pants. I'm so glad I'm not Ichigo right now."

"That's because you're weak. Let's go spar outside and put some muscle into 'ya," Ikkaku smirked as he was about to get up from the crouching position he was in, but was immediately pushed back down by Matsumoto's large breasts.

"Shut up, I can't hear!"

As they all continued to bicker and bet what was going to happen next, Byakuya continued to work on the paperwork that was piled high on his desk. He knew very well what was happening on the other side of his door (seriously, those idiots weren't so quiet and their reiatsu was leaking with every word), but he was still on duty. So he had to use everything he had learned as a Kuchiki to remain in his seat and finish his work before addressing this pest and his relationship with his sister.

All he had to do was calmly wait and everything will turn out alright…Snap!

Shit, he needed a new brush.

---

It was very dark outside by the time Byakuya was able to leave his office. The moment he opened his door, he didn't even acknowledge the presence of the seated officers that were sleeping by the door. They had apparently gotten tired after restless hours of waiting to see what Byakuya was going to do next that they fell asleep.

With careful steps, he made his way to his home, already feeling the weak reiatsu of his sister.

"Kuchiki-sama," his head servant bowed deeply on the floor the moment he entered his grand home, "Do you wish for me to prepare a warm bath?"

"No," Byakuya answered, "I need to see Rukia first. Prepare us some tea."

"Of course." The old man stood as quickly as he could and went to prepare the tea as Byakuya made his way to his sister's room. Once he arrived at the candle-lighted room, he stood by the door as he announced his presence. "Rukia."

There was some shuffling on the other side. "Yes?"

"May I come in? I need to talk to you."

Within seconds the doors open to reveal a tired looking Rukia who was greeting him. "How was your day, Niisama?"

He merely nodded as he stepped inside. Just as he sat down by the low table in the middle of the room, a servant came in to serve them tea while Rukia slowly took a seat across from her brother. Byakuya watched the tea being poured into his cup and once he dismissed the servant, he took a sip of the deep fragranced drink before finally looking up at his sister. "How was your day Rukia?"

"Very well," she whispered half-heartily, not even lifting a finger to the ceramic cup in front of her. She had grown quite thin in only a matter of weeks.

In the next few minutes, Byakuya merely stared at her slumped form, knowing full well how lifeless she had been these past few weeks after running back to Soul Society to escape one obvious person back in the real world. And from Renji's report, he now knew what was upsetting her so much.

That ryoka boy, who broke into Seireitei and defied all odds and logic, that ill-mannered and brash boy who came in and turned everything Byakuya knew upside-down, was the reason for his heart broken sister. No, not because he rejected her (because if he did, he'd be dead in millions of little pieces), but because she rejected him for the sake of keeping the balance between their worlds.

But even still, he couldn't understand what the problem was. He had also been in her shoes: in love with a woman who couldn't be with him. But instead of giving up to the laws, they fought to be together. And no matter how short their marriage lasted, those five years before her death were the happiest moments of his life.

Hisana, he silently prayed in his thoughts, If you can hear me, please help me with what I'm about to do. And he was really going to need it as he prepared to do the one thing he thought he'd never had to do: defending that kozo. He took a sip of the tea to clear his throat before starting. "Rukia."

The said woman flinched at the tone of her brother's voice. "Yes?"

Byakuya stared at her stiff form. He wanted nothing more than to sigh at her weak state but thought better of it. Instead, he continued, "Do you remember what I told you about your sister?"

"…yes," she replied after a long, confusing pause.

"Hisana was just a woman from the dirty streets of Rukongai. I had to do everything within my powers to marry her. I had to face harsh words from my family, almost got kicked out of the clan, and disappointed my family. But none of that mattered because I still had Hisana by my side."

Rukia still refused to look up. "I see—"

"No, you don't 'see,'" he interrupted, causing his sister to finally look up at him. "Rukia, if you truly understand everything I had sacrificed to be with your sister, then you wouldn't be here in such a pathetic state."

The young Kuchiki stared at her brother, blinking her wide eyes. "I don't understand, Niisama—"

"I did everything to be with the woman I love. But sadly, you are doing nothing but walloping in despair," he calmly told her, "I expected more from you."

Rukia choked back a sob as she looked down again. "Niisama…at least nee-sama was here in Soul Society. I—he…we can't be together because we do not have that simple leisure. I will not go against the laws of my world just to be with him."

Byakuya wanted nothing more than to roll his eyes at her. Things would have been so much easier if only Hisana was here to smack some sense into their little sister. "Do you think love can be easily stopped because of simple laws? They have been made by man and can be changed by man. Surely that kozo had showed that to you."

Rukia remained silent as she stared at the ground.

"And you should know that everyone here would defend you if anything was to get in the way of your happiness," he continued, using everything that he had to have not spat it out like a curse. "There are more people rooting for you two then you know."

The Kuchiki princess finally looked back up and Byakuya could easily see 'hope' returning to her dead eyes. Taking one last sip of his tea, he stood up from his seat and walked out of the room without giving his sister another look. But as he closed the fusuma door behind him, he heard her tiny whisper. "Thank you…Niisama."

A small smile tugged at his lips as the Captain of the 6th division headed towards the family shrine for his daily prayer to his wife. Never had he spoken so much cheesy stuff in only a few minutes, but he knew Hisana would have been proud of him for doing it in her stead. Even if he despised the boy that had dodged his Senbonzakura and had unacceptable hair, he was willing to set everything aside for the happiness of his sister.

But the moment he breaks her heart, then he and everyone else in Soul Society wouldn't mind killing him in the most tortuously way possible. And he even had a fool-proof plan all set up, just waiting for the right moment to use it.

---

Like the past few weeks—has it really been almost two months now?—Ichigo silently walked his way back home, his partner-in-crime nowhere in sight. It was weird spending such a long time without her when she was a constant presence in his life for the past few years.

After just dropping into my life like that, how can you expect me not to care about you? he sighed as he thought to himself. Nobody, not even his father, was asking him where Rukia disappeared off too. Not after the scary first few days when he'd do a 'Kenpachi' on a Hollow whenever someone asked him about her.

But now, he was kind of hoping someone would ask him where she was because he was afraid of her disappearing in their daily lives. And more than anything, he wanted someone to come and tell her how she was.

Some time back Renji had came to ask him what happened and he had hoped Rukia would have returned by now. But only the red head came back few days later, telling him his not sure what was happening.

A deadly look appeared on Ichigo's face as one person came to mind: Kuchiki Byakuya. That prick with a six feet pole up his ass must have done something to stop Rukia. He was always against the idea of Rukia spending so much time in the Human world that he must have taken this chance to separate them for good.

"I'm going to 'Bankai' his pink ass someday," he growled.

Ichigo continued his quiet walk—although his brain was going crazy with desire to blame someone of his misfortune—when he stopped at a sudden sensation. At first he wasn't sure what it was. But the longer he spent concentrating on this particular feeling, a soothing warmth enveloped him.

Turning towards the direction that it was coming from, he calmly made his way towards it. Refusing to appear too desperate to find out whether his hunch was right or not, he slowly made his way towards the river. As he stepped onto the wooden bridge, he took slower steps as each one brought him a little closer to his destination.

At the center of the bridge, he came to a full stop as his target was only a few feet away from.

The subject took her time in turning her head towards him to acknowledge his presence. The moment she did and he saw those violet eyes, he was ready to drop everything and just run to her. But he kept his legs still as he examined her instead.

She appeared no different from before, but her clothes were looser on her, obviously because she had become thinner. And there were tired bags under her eyes, and large orbs he loved so much were dull until the moment they met his amber orbs. The light immediately appeared as she smiled sweetly at him.

"Hey."

A small smirk tugged on his lips. "'Hey' yourself. I thought you weren't coming back."

Rukia shrugged her shoulders as she held her hands behind her back to face him completely. "I wasn't…but Niisama told me to come back here. Something about you being incapable of defending this city by yourself."

"Che," he scoffed, "I fine by myself. Heck, I defeated him without breaking a sweat last time."

"But if it wasn't for him I might not have come back," she told him, noticing his disbelief, "Niisama told me what you told Renji several weeks ago. And he helped me talk to Central 46 and the elders of the Kuchiki clan about our situation for the past few weeks. If it wasn't for him, I might not have been able to gain their approvals."

A groan escaped his lips as remembered how much he was cursing that man just now. "Does that mean I actually have to thank him?"

"Maybe," she shrugged, "I suggest a formal dinner."

"I'd rather go on a date with Kenpachi and duel with him."

A light chuckle came from the woman in front of him. "I knew you'd say that."

This time a smile really blossomed on his face as he took a step forward. "So, is there any other reason why you're here?"

She looked straight into his eyes, not budging as he took another step towards her. "Maybe."

"What's that?" Another step.

"I realized something," she replied.

Another step. "What?"

"That destiny cannot be ignored."

Ichigo finally appeared directly in front of her. "Good." He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer to him as he placed his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ichigo," Rukia sighed in contentment as she closed her eyes to relish at their close proximity.

"Rukia," he whispered as his other hand came up to trace her warm cheek. "I'm never letting you go."

"You're turning too girly. Stop sprouting cheesy lines and kiss me already."

He chuckled as he pulled her flushed face against his own and finally sealed their promise with a deep, loving kiss that neither of them was going to deny from then on.

Alive or dead, destiny continues to move and once the wheels continue to turn by the sands, it cannot be stopped by any outside force. Destiny continues and it is better to embrace it rather than deny it.

…

…

…

But it sure didn't seem that way when Ichigo suddenly found himself having dinner with an angry Byakuya who stabbing his food with his chopsticks like he would the boy in front of him if he made one wrong move. He knew he should have gone with Kenpachi when that monster chased after him the moment he stepped into Soul Society.

Yup, maybe it would have been best if they had kept this a secret.

The End

A/N: HAHA! That last part just came to me during the middle of this chapter so I had to put it in.

Well. how was it? Did you guys like it? I know Ichigo or Rukia might have appeared a bit OOC, but I have never really seen them struggling with their feelings for one another so I wasn't sure how to portray them. Hopefully it wasn't too off.

Anyways, thanks a lot for reading this and I hope you guys continue to support me with my other fanfictions. See you guys around! (And don't forget to review for this too!)