Okay, so on this not so lovely, exceptionally cold, and rainy day, I bring you the last chapter of Bleach: Who Needs Enemies? I'm really say to finish this story, because I had a great time writing it. Hopefully you guys enjoy this last chapter; I made it super long to make up for the shortness of the previous one :)

Chapter | 21

"Brother, I'm home," Rukia declared as she stepped into Byakuya's office.

Her brother continued to scribble on some papers for a second longer before lifting his head. "Ah, Rukia, welcome home. I assume your weekend was nice?"

Rukia's smile faltered, but she managed to regain her composure before her brother noticed. "Yes, very much so."

"I am glad to hear that. I am not well versed in the behaviour of women, but I agree that a girls' weekend is much needed." Byakuya took a sip from the water glass on his desk.

Rukia gulped, a cold sweat forming on the back of her neck. "Yes, I would very much like to do it again."

With that, Rukia took her leave.

Okay, so yeah, she might have lied to him about who exactly was going on their little weekend holiday, but she also knew there was no way he would let her go otherwise. Now she wished that she had listened to her gut, told him the truth, and let him forbid her from going.

By the time she reached her bedroom, the pit in her stomach had grown to a nauseating degree.

After they had finished cleaning the house, they only had enough time to grab their things and head to the bus stop. Once on the bus, pretty much everyone was asleep within the first ten minutes. Talking to Ichigo had been near impossible. By the time they were back in Karakura Town, Ichigo all but ignored her to get away. Maybe she could—

Rukia's phone buzzed.

Faster than a cat hunting a mouse, Rukia was across the room, grabbing for her phone on the desk.

Lifting the phone to her ear, Rukia answered with a very enthusiastic, "Hello?"

"Rukia… You okay?" Tatsuki asked on the other side of the line.

Rukia mentally scolded herself for not checking the caller ID first. She had been hoping it would be Ichigo.

"Yeah, sorry, don't worry about it," Rukia apologised.

"Okay then. I just wanted to let you know that I accidentally grabbed your brush from the bathroom when we were packing. Do you mind if I bring it around sometime in the next hour?"

"Sure, I don't have any plans."

"Great, see you soon." Tatsuki hung up.

Sighing heavily, Rukia returned to her bed and dropped onto it like a stone. She lifted her phone until it rested next to her face, practically willing Ichigo to call her.

He never did, and by the time the butler announced that Tatsuki was there, Rukia was a pity-party of one.

"You are definitely not okay," Tatsuki announced after one look at Rukia.

"Maybe not entirely," Rukia mumbled from her bed.

Tatsuki closed the bedroom door behind her and crossed the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Tell me about it."

If it had been anyone else, Rukia probably wouldn't have said anything, but after what she and Tatsuki talked about, Rukia found she was more willing. It was a strange sensation to her; opening up to others.

"Ichigo and I may or may not have slept together," Rukia whispered.

There was a moment of silence. "Wait, what?"

With a groan, Rukia pulled herself into an upright position.

"Last night when we went upstairs," Rukia started, "Ichigo was just as drunk as the rest of us and we both kind of blacked out…"

"So you don't remember…" Tatsuki finished.

Rukia pushed her hair out of her face, a little relieved that she didn't have to keep what happened to herself anymore.

"What did Ichigo said?" Tatsuki asked after a moment of deliberation.

"We haven't really talked about it," Rukia admitted.

Tatsuki raised a finger. "Then you need to get on that."

"I know, but it's easier said than done. I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to approach him about it." This wasn't just something she could spring on him.

"And I get that, but how about I make you a deal?"

Rukia eyed her sceptically.

Tatsuki laughed. "Oh don't look at me like that. All I want to say is that I'll talk to Renji if you talk to Ichigo."

"Easier said than done," Rukia retorted.

Tatsuki smiled. "And you'll feel a whole lot better once it's done."

"Or worse," Rukia pointed out, "the possibility is definitely there."

"The possibility of what? That he might leave you?" Tatsuki scoffed.

Rukia looked at her lap. "I can't pretend like it's impossible."

A warm hand fell onto Rukia's shoulder. She looked up, feeling a little comforted by the gesture, but it didn't last long. In no time at all, Tatsuki snaked her arm around Rukia's neck and pulled her into a choke hold.

"Are you stupid or something?!" she practically yelled from above Rukia's head.

"Tatsuki," she managed to gasp, bringing her hand up to tap twice.

"Oh, sorry." Tatsuki loosened her hold a bit, but didn't pull back. "You and I both know Ichigo isn't the type to leave a girl over something as trivial as this."

Rukia opened her mouth to say it was not trivial, but Tatsuki cut her off.

"And yes, it is trivial. You and Ichigo might have slept together. Last time I checked, a decent conversation could solve that pronto. The real problem here is the fact that you two can't man up and have the bloody conversation."

For a long time, Rukia remained silent.

"You still conscious down there?" Tatsuki asked, finally releasing her.

Rukia sat upright again. "Yeah, you're right. I am being an idiot, but I'm just so terrified."

Tatsuki's demeanour softened. "Of what?"

Wrapping her arms around her waist, Rukia swallowed. "That he doesn't want me anymore. The idea of him being over me, or thinking that I'm more trouble than I'm worth is just too much for me to handle."

"Then tell him that."

Rukia's eyes bulged. "No way. There's no way I could possibly tell him that."

"Why not?" It was a valid question, and Rukia knew it.

"I don't know, what if he thinks I'm needy or something?"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Don't you think you guys are past all that?"

"I do…" Rukia sighed. "But still, it's not a nice feeling to have."

"Don't you know that love isn't a nice feeling to have?" Tatsuki joked.

Rukia couldn't help but laugh. "I guess I really do love him."

"And I can promise you that if you tell him that he won't care about anything else." Tatsuki hopped off of the bed, heading for the door.

"Thanks," Rukia said.

Tatsuki waved goodbye over her should. "No problem."

"Come on, you're a Kuchiki now, you can do this," Rukia said to herself in the mirror for the umpteenth time.

It was early the next morning and Rukia had woken up with a determination she couldn't shake. And she tried, she really did.

With one last glare at herself, she turned on her heel and headed downstairs.

Even with the cold front coming in strong, the day was surprisingly sunny. Sure, her breath was coming out in tiny puffs, but the clear sky made the cold just a little bearable.

She was in high spirits when she rounded the corner to her and Ichigo's usual meet-up spot, but he wasn't there. Rukia stood waiting for a few more minutes, but when it became apparent that he wasn't going to show, she continued to school alone.

So much for my determination, Rukia thought as she passed through the school gates. She planned on heading straight to her class, but someone caught her eyes.

"Chad!" Rukia called out as she made her way over.

Chad turned around and looked around aimlessly until Rukia cleared her throat.

"Oh, Rukia, good morning," he said, looking down for the first time.

"Do you know whether Ichigo will be at school today?" Rukia didn't have time to beat around the bush.

"He sent me a message this morning saying that he had other plans," Chad answered.

Rukia was a little taken aback. "Oh, I see. Thank you."

Before Chad could ask what was wrong, Rukia took off. She didn't want him seeing how unnerved the news had made her; Ichigo usually texted her when he would be late or planned on skipping all together.

What if he really was over her?

The though plagued Rukia's mind as the rest of her classmates entered the room. One in particular seemed to notice.

"Rukia, you look a little pale…" Orihime observed as she faced Rukia in her own seat.

"I'm not feeling very well," Rukia admitted, trying to force a tiny smile to her lips.

Orihime's brows knitted together in concern. "Do you want me to go to the nurse's office with you?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think this is something she'll be able to help with." Rukia gave a small laugh.

It took Orihime a second, but she seemed to catch onto something. "Ooooh, is it that time of the month?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Rukia's face blanched. "What, no, that's not what I'm talking about."

"Is it Ichigo?"

There it was again, the tug in Rukia's stomach. She must have made a face.

"I knew it. What happened."

Rukia gave a sad smile. "I think he's really mad at me."

It was clear Orihime knew there was more to the story, but she didn't push Rukia for details.

"Is there anything you can do to make it right?" she asked instead.

"I wanted to, but he's not at school today and my bravado is fading a bit," Rukia confessed. "And if I leave it any longer, I don't think we'll bounce back."

"Then go to him," Orihime stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're the last person I know that would let something like this stop her. If you really want to apologise, go to him."

Rukia considered it for a moment. True, she wasn't the type of person who would give up so quickly, but she also regularly ended up with her foot in her mouth. She knew that if she didn't approach this problem with caution, it was very likely that she could lose Ichigo.

But on the other hand, she would definitely lose him is she didn't do anything. At least, if she screwed things up, she'd go out with a bang.

"Okay, I'll go to him," Rukia decided. She could feel some of her determinism from the morning returning.

Unfortunately, classes dragged on forever. By the end of the day, Rukia felt more worn out than she had expected to, but she wasn't going to let it stop her. Her mind was made up and that was the way it was going to stay.

As she was about to leave the school-grounds, Rukia heard someone call out her name.

"Uryu?" she asked as he approached her.

"Good, I managed to catch you," he said as he reached her. Then he reached into his pocket, revealing a silver necklace. "This belongs to you, right?"

Rukia gasped, taking the necklace from him with great enthusiasm. "Yes, thank you. I thought I had lost it."

"I found it while we were cleaning the living room," Uryu explained. "You and Ichigo really managed to do a number on that place. I assumed you dropped it then."

"Ichigo and I did what?" Rukia asked, completely confused.

Uryu looked at her with a concerned expression. "That night we all got drunk. You and Ichigo rampaged through the living room, remember?"

A nervous laugh escaped Rukia's lips. "Actually, no. Everything after Ichigo and I went upstairs is a bit of a blur..."

Uryu seemed surprised by this. "Oh, I wasn't aware. Well, it was about fifteen minutes after you and Ichigo disappeared. You came running downstairs, pillows in hands. It took over half an hour, but you guys finally settled down and then you declared that you needed a shower. That's the last we saw of you guys for the night."

"Anything else? Anything at all?" Rukia pressed.

Uryu shook his head. "No, but Chad did go upstairs to check on you guys once we heard the shower stop. Says he found the two of you passed out in bed."

Before Rukia could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around Uryu's waist and hugged him tightly. "You don't know how happy I am to hear that!"

"You are?" Uryu asked as she stepped away, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Yes! Thank you for the necklace and the news!" she called as she turned on her heel and jogged towards her destination.

Even with this new information, her problem was far from solved, but at least she had something to lighten the mood. Hopefully Ichigo would at least want to hear her out.

She thought about everything she would say to him, but as turns out, her time wasn't enough. As she rounded the corner to the Kurosaki's home, she came to a sudden halt. Ichigo was standing outside.

Judging by the way he was looking up and down the street, he seemed to be waiting for something. That was, until his eyes spotted Rukia.

Sucking in a breath, Rukia approached him.

"Ichigo, I need to talk to you," she declared once she was within hearing distance.

Ichigo's jaw clenched. "Rukia, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I know, but it really can't wait any longer. I—"

"I'm sorry, but now really isn't a good time," Ichigo cut her off.

Rukia took a step back as if he had slapped her. "I really just need a second," she tried again.

Ichigo was about to say something when a honk interrupted them. They both turned to the sound.

"Again, I'm sorry, but I need to go." With one last look at her, he took off to where the car had stopped further down the road.

Rukia stood in stunned silence, watching as he slipped into the passenger's seat. The car took off with a slight screech, and even though she tried, Rukia couldn't see who the driver was.

The walk home was a quick one; Rukia barely paid any attention. By the time she entered the Kuchiki mansion, her chest was heaving from the effort of not crying.

Luckily, a distraction walked straight into her.

"Rukia!" Rangiku crooned, "just the person I was looking for."

"Now might not be the best time," Rukia tried to say, but realised she sounded exactly like Ichigo.

Her statement, however, fell on deaf ears.

"Yours truly has a date tonight and I need someone to choose which outfit I look fabulous in," Rangiku said, hauling Rukia up the stairs after her.

Instead of fighting it, Rukia let it serve as the distraction she needed. Granted, the distraction continued for over an hour, but it kept Rukia's mind busy.

Just as Rangiku was slipping on her last high-heel, her phone started ringing.

"Hello, Rangiku speaking," she said in her usual perky manner.

Her expression changed to somewhat pouty. "What? Now?" There was a response on the other side of the line. "Very well, I'll meet you there."

Ending the call, Rangiku faced Rukia. "Want to run a little errant with me?"

Rukia considered her options; an errant with Rangiku or wallowing in self-pity. Needless to say, Rangiku won.

"Great, go get changed."

"Where are we going?" Rukia asked as she slipped into the passenger seat twenty minutes later.

"An old friend of mine is in town and he happens to have business at your school. He asked me to come pick something up that he brought along," Rangiku explained as they made their way along Rukia's usual route.

When the school building came into sight, Rangiku got another call. Pulling over, she answered the phone.

"Are you serious?" she demanded. Someone on the other side answered. "You left it where?" More inaudible sounds. "Fine, I have someone who can get it and I'll quickly meet you."

After saying goodbye, Rangiku put her phone done.

"Men," she sighed. "Do you think you could maybe go get my package?" she asked Rukia. "He left it in one of the classrooms after he suddenly got called away. I quickly have to go meet him."

"Um, sure," Rukia agreed.

Rangiku thanked her whole-heartedly before saying the classroom number. Rukia barely had two seconds to get out before Rangiku took off.

"Okay," Rukia mumbled before setting off.

The school was completely empty, and with the sun already setting, it was pretty creepy too. She found the security guard at the main entrance and explained the situation to him. To her surprise, he didn't hesitate to open up for her.

By the time Rukia reached the classroom, the sun had gone down completely. Luckily the security guard had given her a flashlight, but it would have been nice if he had just switched on the lights.

In one slightly annoyed motion, Rukia opened the door and stepped in. Her breath caught in her throat.

She wasn't alone.

Standing in the middle of the classroom was Ichigo. All the desks had been moved in a circle around him, each with two to three candles. The glow from the small flames made everything seem completely surreal, so much so that Rukia flicked her flashlight off to make sure it didn't suddenly vanish.

"What's all this?" she asked once she found her voice.

Ichigo smiled. "This," he motioned around him, "is me apologising."

Rukia inhaled sharply. "What for?"

Dragging a hand through his hair, Ichigo beckoned her into the room and Rukia went to stand in front of him.

"What happened this weekend upset you…" Ichigo began, but Rukia cut him off.

"It didn't happen," she said.

Ichigo inhaled deeply. "I know you don't want to think about it, but we can't pretend like it didn't happen."

Rukia grabbed his hand, wrapping both of hers around it. "No, I'm serious, it never happened."

And then she told him everything. By the time the story was done, they had both sat down on the two chairs Ichigo had placed.

"A pillow fight and a shower?" Ichigo laughed, "you have got to be kidding me."

Rukia laughed along. "No, and it actually makes absolute sense to me."

Ichigo's expression clouded over. He was serious now, all joked aside. "But you have to know, even if we did sleep together and things didn't work out so smoothly, I would never leave you."

He held her gaze, searching her.

Rukia smiled. "I know, and I didn't think you would, but I was scared."

Ichigo reached up and trailed his fingers along her jaw. "I was too, but scared that I would lose you."

Covering his hand with her own, Rukia turned her head and kissed the inside of his palm. "I don't plan on going anywhere."

Without pulling his hand away, Ichigo managed to face his chair towards hers, moving closer until her knees overlapped his own.

"Great, because this evening has two functions," he pointed out.

Rukia raised an eyebrow, but held her tongue.

With his free hand, Ichigo reached into his pocket. "Close your eyes," he said.

Rukia hesitated, but closed her eyes. She almost protested when he pulled his hand away from her cheek, but it wasn't long before she felt both his hands slip around the back of her neck. He fiddled with something and then pulled away.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

When she did, Rukia was confronted by a small mirror. She was about to ask what it was for when she noticed something new to her reflection.

A necklace.

Rukia's fingers traced along the slim silver chain until it reached the two charms pressed lightly against her skin. It was a sun and a moon, barely bigger than the tip of her pinkie.

"It's beautiful," Rukia breathed. "But what's it for?"

Instead of answering, Ichigo took both her hands in his, bringing his face until it was a few inches from Rukia's.

"Rukia Kuchiki, you're probably the most stubborn woman I know. I'm surprised I've managed to maintain all your mood swings and indecisiveness. But despite all of that, I found that I've fallen in love with you."

The tears Rukia had been holding back suddenly came to life. She couldn't stop them as they flowed from her eyes, dripping on the front of her shirt.

"Stupid, you can't insult a girl and then tell her you love her," Rukia blubbered.

Ichigo wiped away some of her tears. "I can if I'm about to ask her out."

That didn't help with the tears thing.

"You're going to ask me out?" Rukia managed to say.

"I was, but you're really unattractive when you cry, maybe—"

Rukia punched him.

"Okay, okay, I'm just kidding," Ichigo laughed.

They settled down again and Rukia managed to get a hold on her emotions. Once she was done crying, Ichigo took her hand.

"Rukia, will you go out with me?"

As her answer, Rukia threw herself at him. Literally.

Neither Ichigo, nor his chair, expected this attack and he let out a yelp when all three of them when toppling backwards.

"Ow," Ichigo muttered. "You know, a simple yes would have sufficed."

But Rukia wasn't paying attention to this. She had managed to manoeuvre herself on his chest until their heads were at the same level.

"I love you too." And then she kissed him.

Ichigo didn't waste any time wrapping her tight in his arms. They stayed like this for a while, kissing, before Ichigo pulled back.

"Not that I want to stop this, but the security guard only gave me thirty minutes," Ichigo whispered.

Rukia sighed mockingly, but gave him one last kiss before standing up.

"I'm guessing Rangiku was included in this scheme?" Rukia asked as they left the classroom.

Ichigo gave a smirk. "She was more than willing to help."

Rukia shook her head, but wove their fingers together nonetheless.

"Thanks man," Ichigo thanked the security guard as they left the building. They gave him a thumbs-up in reply, returning to his game of Sudoku.

"How did the fact that we had a pillow fight not come up yesterday morning?" Ichigo asked out of the blue.

"Well, considering the state of mind everyone was in, it makes sense," Rukia pointed out.

"But come one, they didn't even mock us about it," Ichigo countered.

He had a point. If any of the other had done it, Rukia was sure that she herself would taunt them a bit. Ichigo would definitely, so why didn't they?

"Oh well, who needs enemies when you have friends like ours?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo laughed. "Right, who needs enemies?"

The End.

So yeah, that's the end of this one. Thank you so much to all the readers who started this story with me and managed to keep reading even through all my late postings. And to those who joined later on, thank you also, because all the reviews always made day just that little bit more amazing.

SPOILER ALERT FOR BLEACH MANGA.

Who else literally started crying when they read the last chapter? I mean, like, just, no. But on a side note, Ichigo looks pretty hot with his short hair, anyone out there who agrees?