Of Love and War Chapter 4: All Hail the Heartbreaker, a bleach fanfic

Of Love and War

By: Raven612

Chapter 4: All Hail the Heartbreaker

Summary: Ichigo thinks about what Byakuya has told him and has asked of him. He then thinks if Rukia is really worth his life, then he pours his emotions into a new song, and then an unexpected visit causes him even more confusion. What is our hero to do?!?!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Bleach characters and I don't own the songs "All Hail the Heartbreaker" or "Black Dresses" by The Spill Canvas, but I do recommend that everyone go and listen to them, they are AMAZING!!!!!!!

Ichigo arrived home from school, with, thank God, no fights. He sighed loudly as he made his way to his room, successfully avoiding everyone in his house. Although he had no major fights he did have a major confrontation and he needed to clear his mind and relax.

School

"Hey, Ichigo," someone called from behind him as he made his way to home room; he turned to find Rukia waving him down.

"Rukia, what's up?" he asked walking over to her and leaving his friends.

"I just wanted to make sure you really do forgive me," she said blushing and played with her hands as she looked at the floor.

"Rukia, uhm sorry to tell you this but, it wasn't you that rearranged my face, so I really don't have to forgive you for anything."

"I know but I feel bad for it because it was my boyfriend and he used me to get to you."

Ichigo cringed when she said the word boyfriend, "Rukia look, I'm not worried about it so don't you worry about it okay, I'm fine, I guess though if I was worse off, like if he ruined my good looks or anything, then you should be worried."

Rukia laughed, "Well anyways I just wanted you to know that I had nothing to do with anything and I wanted to make sure that we could still be friends." She smiled slightly as she finally looked into his eyes.

"Sure we can be friends, but I'm pretty sure your boyfriend wouldn't like that," Ichigo tried not to sound too bitter but he felt bad when he noticed the sudden look of sadness in Rukia's eyes.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, if only we had met under better circumstances," and with that she turned on her heel and Ichigo could tell she was about to cry.

But why would he make her cry, they had only spoken to each other a total of 5 times now, not near enough for her to trust him completely and sure not enough time to have her seriously want to be good friends. Ichigo shook it off and figured he must be imagining things.

Later that day during lunch Ichigo noticed that Rukia was sitting by herself. Orihime sat next to him along with his other friends. He nudged her.

"Hey Orihime, why aren't you eating with Rukia?" he asked.

"Oh, well she, she, well we're not really good friends," Orihime said sadly.

"But you two were walking together at the river a few days ago," he said wondering what might have happened.

"Yeah, well she was kind of a last resort, I mean don't get me wrong I would love to have Rukia as a friend, I mean she's a very good person and she's very nice, but she's so locked up," Orihime started listing other traits about Rukia she liked and disliked, then she said something that caught Ichigo's attention.

"And her boyfriend is a total nutcase, he hurts her, I know he does, but she just won't admit to it and she won't talk to me about it, and it truly hurts me to know she puts up with it." Orihime said sadly as she looked over at Rukia.

"I know he does Orihime, and I'm supposed to help her get out of her relationship but I don't feel like getting killed so I don't even know if I want to try." Ichigo was disappointed in himself even as he said the words, he really did want to help her but he had no idea how to do it with minimal hurt to both of them.

"Oh Ichigo you have to help her! I'm very sure that if any one can it's you!" Orihime chirped as she clapped her hands.

"Orihime it's not that easy," he huffed as his head sank to the picnic table.

"Don't worry Ichi, I'll help you!" she said with a bright smile.

That's when Ichigo got really upset and worried. There is no way he was going to get Orihime caught up in all of this; he was not going to risk her getting hurt. First off she was too much of a nice person, and not to mention what Uuryu would do to him if so much as a scratch landed on his precious Orihime.

"No Orihime," he said firmly.

She only smiled and walked away, 'Damn it!' he shouted in his mind, he knew from her smile she had made up her mind and she was not going to back out, she was a person who couldn't stand to see anyone else being hurt.

Present

Ichigo really had no idea what to do, he was seriously considering going to Byakuya and telling him that there was no way he could get Rukia away from Renji. It was too dangerous, he knew that if Renji had to he would kill them both, and Ichigo was not about to risk Rukia's life or now Orihime's. Ichigo turned over on his bed and grabbed his song book; he then jotted down a new song.

"All Hail The Heartbreaker"

I had the notion that you'd make me change my ways
My bad habits would be gone in a matter of days
I had the feeling that you'd open up my eyes
To a whole new world that had since been in disguise

But that day will most likely never come for me
And it's just my luck to end up getting stuck
To everything you are

So tonight I'll sit and pick apart your pictures
And overanalyze your words
But the truth is that I've never fallen so hard
It's taking everything in me
Just to forget your sweater so far

I had the notion that you'd make me forget the world
But your undecisive mind shows me that
You are "just another girl"
I had the feeling that those looks you gave me were real
What if I ripped your heart apart at the seams
Maybe then you'd know how I feel

But that day will most likely never come for me
And it's just my luck to end up getting stuck
To everything you are

So tonight I'll sit and pick apart your pictures
And overanalyze your words
But the truth is that I've never fallen so hard
It's taking everything in me
Just to forget your sweater so far

I can honestly say
That I never, ever, ever felt this way
Your lips, your eyelashes, your skin
These are the parts of your body
That cause my comatose to begin

I will sleep another day
I don't really need to anyway
What's the point when my dreams are infected
With words you used to say
I will breathe in a moment
As long as I keep my distance
I wouldn't want to go messing anything up

So don't go worrying about me
It's not like I think about you constantly
So maybe I do, but that shouldn't affect
Your life anymore
I knew it the moment you walked into the door

So don't go worrying about me
It's not like I think about this constantly
So maybe I do, but that shouldn't affect
Your life anymore
I knew it the moment you walked into the door

I'll let you get the best of me
Because there's nothing else that I do well
I'll let you get the best of me
Because there's nothing else that I do well
I'll be the giver and you'll be the taker
I guess that's how this one's gonna go I'll be the giver and you'll be the taker
You've got me down on my knees and I proclaim
All hail the heartbreaker

Ichigo had completely immersed himself into his writing that he didn't notice the soft tapping on his window. When he looked up Rukia was standing before him.

"Hello," she said as she studied him.

Ichigo jumped about three feet into the air, "What the hell!" he screamed at her and then regretted it as soon as he had seen who she was.

"Sorry to scare you, again, but I did knock this time," she pointed out.

"I didn't hear you," he countered.

"I said sorry, for about the thousandth time," she said with a smile as she sat next to him on his bed, he quickly shoved his song book under the covers.

"What was that?" she asked noticing it.

"No-nothing, it's just homework," he said quickly as a slight blush creped into his cheeks.

Rukia nodded detecting his lie, but didn't say anything about it. Rukia studied his room and noticed a beat up acoustic guitar. "So do you play?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh?" he asked surprised as he looked at Rukia.

"Guitar idiot," she then pointed to it.

"Oh that, uhm, yeah I play a little, nothing too serious though," he smiled sheepishly.

"Could you play me something?" she asked with a smile and a puppy-dog look.

"No, nope, can't play for you, can't play for anyone actually." He said lying through his teeth.

"Ichigo, shut-up and play a song for me," she said sternly locking her intense violet eyes with his cool amber ones.

Ichigo gulped, he was now between a rock and a hard place. "Uhm, to warn you out right I am no good, I am totally tune deaf."

"I don't buy that for a second," she said with a laugh as she grabbed his guitar for him. She handed it to him and then sat Indian style on the floor at his feet and looked up at him expectantly.

Ichigo heaved in a long breath and began to strum a soft tune. He closed his eyes to forge that Rukia was in the room with him and began to sing a song he wrote a few years ago.

"Black Dresses"

In muddy grass we stand side by side
With our knuckles interlocked
Black dresses flood the cemetery
In this cliche tragedy

Just do as you're instructed and...
Take this razor and cut your palms
I'll do the same until a river of crimson begins to flow
Now drip your ruby red over the casket
A funeral for my once loved youth

My secret is fatally gorgeous
I'd die for you
But in this Bonnie and Clyde kind of romance
Tell me what would you do?
My secret is fatally gorgeous
I'd die for you
But when your precious life is at stake
Tell me would you die for me too?

The quivering liquids in your stomach
Will eat away at the bad habits that have made you
A real character in the story of your now distant life
Goodnight and goodbye, quickly

In gentle greens we stand side by side
With your head buried in my chest
Black veils send me shivering
The fear that part of me is dying

The quivering liquids in your stomach
Will eat away at the bad habits that have made you
A real character in the story of your now distant life
Goodnight and goodbye, quickly, quickly

Goodbyes are said and roses thrown
And the crowd starts to weep
But the irony of the story is when I fell to my knees
And began clawing at the dirt in front of the tombstone
Of my bashful childhood
With you by my side, you're screaming at the
Top of your lungs, "let it go"
And I'm screaming at the top of my lungs
"The ceremony was not proper, there was not enough people,
And who picked the music?
Those melodies almost made me physically sick"

The quivering liquids in your stomach
Will eat away at the bad habits that have made you
A real character in the story of your now distant life
Goodnight and goodbye, quickly
Goodnight and goodbye, quickly

Rukia's breath was caught in her throat as she listened to his beautiful song. "Wow Ichigo that was wonderful, I had no idea you were…..so emotional. But just out of curiosity, what made you write this?" she asked curiously looking up at him.

"Well it kind of signifies the growing up I had to do after my mom died and how it made me feel." He said sadly as he put his guitar down.

Rukia nodded and moved back to the bed to sit next to him, she placed her hand over his. "I know how you feel Ichigo, it's not easy, I lost both of my parents," she said sadly as she looked into his eyes hoping to comfort him.

"Sorry to hear that," he didn't know quite what to say.

"It's alright it was a while ago," she smiled, gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and stood up. "Well I guess I better get going, it was nice of you to share that song with me Ichigo." She smiled and jumped out the window.

Ichigo just shook his head, how was he supposed to tell Byakuya that he didn't want to be the one to save Rukia, he didn't know what to do now.

A/N: Yeaup so it's been quite a while eh? Well I just started college and it's been taking up a lot more time then I imagined so here it is!!