A/N: Well, this is the last chapter of this story, I hope you like it! Thanks for reading my story, and don't worry, I have a new Rukitake in mind and I will begin to write it straight away! Well, I've enjoyed writing it and it made me sad to write the final chapter! So...enjoy. Oh and I know a lot of people reviewed that they wanted to see Byakuya's and Renji's reactions but since this was set before my other story 'Letting Go,' they can't find out about their relationship since they do in the sequel story, sorry to disappoint anyone!

Chapter Seven

Forever After

The heat of the morning woke Rukia, slowly coaxing her out of her comfortable sleep. She stretched out, keeping her eyes closed as she smiled; she hadn't slept so well in a long time. She sighed, she felt refreshed almost, carefree and satisfied. She opened her eyes now, looking up at the ceiling before sitting up, pushing the quilt off of her. She gasped as she realised she was naked, her suspicions becoming true as she saw the pile of clothes on the floor. She looked to her right, seeing a very naked Jūshirō, making her blush as she stifled a gasp. Her face turned a deep shade of crimson as Jūshirō laid butt naked next to her.

She held her hand to her forehead as the memories of the previous hours came rushing back, causing her to feel disgusted with herself. How could she sleep with her captain? Of course she was attracted to him, but, still, she had succumbed to her lust and desire for him.

"Good morning," she heard Jūshirō say gently as he pulled the quilt over him, causing her to look to the side, keeping her face away from him, unable to look at him for all the embarrassment.

"Are you ok?" he asked worriedly, sitting up stroking her arm delicately.

"Last night…this morning…we uh…had sex, didn't we? Captain?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Jūshirō flinched at her sad tone and the use of his formal status, " Well, I know we made love…and every second of it was incredible…"

She slowly turned to face him now, her face ashen, making Jūshirō chuckle lightly.

"Why are you laughing?" she asked morosely.

"Because you're funny, Rukia," Jūshirō replied, "Your facial expressions do make me laugh sometimes."

Rukia frowned, this was no time to be laughing, she and her captain had slept together! This could cause a huge scandal in the soul society, especially since she is a Kuchiki! However her frown was soon wiped off her face as she felt Jūshirō's lips against her own, feelings the same pull towards him that she had felt last night, and for the past few days. She resisted for a few seconds however, she knew wasn't fooling anyone, particularly herself and found herself giving in to him once more.

She smiled as he moved over her once more, her eyebrows rising suddenly as she felt something hard press against her leg.

"At this time of the morning, really?" she said in tone that was far from amused.

"Well we did make love early this morning…I have had a beautiful naked woman in my bed all night…and my dreams have been non too innocent…of course I'm going to wake up with one…" he pointed out, blushing ever so slightly.

"Yeah, yeah," she brushed off with a smile, only inhaling slightly as she felt his thumb run over her pert nipple.

He smiled before he moved down, pleasuring her as he had done hours earlier. Rukia clutched onto him as only a short while later; they made love for the second time that morning.

xxxxxxx

Rukia sighed as they lay on the bed naked together once more, having taken a shower together and coming out feeling dirtier than when they went in. Jūshirō traced patterns into her skin, feeling the smooth curves of her body. She smiled, as she had never imagined that this could be reality, it felt more like a dream, one that could end all to quickly.

"Is this real?" she asked quietly, stretching her arms above her and reaching for the ceiling.

"You know it is," Jūshirō put gently, "I'm here with you, and always will be."

She rolled onto her side, facing him once more and falling into his embrace. They lay like that for what seemed an eternity, only moving when Jūshirō's phone beeped on the side table. He reached over grabbing the device before flipping the lid and reading the message. He grimaced upon reading it however. He slowly closed it and replaced it on the side.

"Who was it?" Rukia asked, already beginning to worry.

"Captain Kyōraku," he replied, "He was asking where I was, seeing as we were supposed to be back by now."

"Why?" Rukia asked quickly, panic starting to rise, "What time is it?"

"Around three," he said sheepishly.

"Three in the afternoon?" she half yelled, already jumping up and rushing over to her drawers of clothes, "The cleaners arrive to clean the apartment in half an hour and we haven't finished packing! On the even worse note, I promised Nii-sama I would be home by four so I could be ready for the meeting with the Elders at five!"

Her speech got faster as she started mumbling frantically, throwing clothes into her suitcase, forgetting about her lack of garments on her body, and only stopping when Jūshirō pointed out how ironic the act was.

"Calm down, Rukia," he soothed as he moved off the bed, throwing on some clothes from his own drawer. He quickly made the bed smoothing out the quilt and placing the pillows on top. He helped her with her packing, picking up her toiletries from the bathroom and passing them to her, as well as her reading book from the living room and the various bits and bobs from around the apartment. He also checked the washing machine for any clothes that may have been left before moving to pack his own things. He carefully placed everything in his suitcase, as Rukia got dressed, she put on a clean t-shirt and then robes over the top.

"Is that everything?" he asked, taking one more through look over the bedroom, and checking under the bed.

"I think so," she said rather quietly as she zipped up her case, "I'll go check the other rooms."

Jūshirō nodded as she checked the living room, allowing him to check the bathroom and kitchen once more. Satisfied that nothing had been left, the two of them grabbed their bags and took one last look at the apartment, the incredible memories the two had created together making Rukia cry.

"Oh, Rukia," Jūshirō said gently as he hugged her, pulling her into his warm body and hugging her tightly, "It'll be ok, I promise."

"What are we going to do about us?" she asked as she let go and picked up her bag, conscious of time.

"Continue our relationship, as long as you want to" he replied warmly as he too carried his bag to the door, "We can carry on as we are now, I don't see why you can't move in. We may have to keep it a secret and let it out slowly, as it may cause a scandal, particularly with the women in the soul society."

"Yeah," she agreed, knowing that the women's scandal was the least of the problems, "But the main problem is…is my N-Nii-sama."

"Ah," Jūshirō continued as he opened the door and took one last look at the flat. Rukia sighed but smiled at the memories before passing in front of Jūshirō so he could shut the door, "Why is he problematic in our situation?"

"Because," Rukia explained as they walked down the stairs, "I am adopted by the Kuchiki's, meaning that I have to be married off to another noble for diplomatic reasons such as a peace treaty between clans or alliances. I am only good as a bargaining chip. He would never let me have a relationship with someone I loved. My relationship with Ichigo was also a secret."

"Hmmm, that is a problem," Jūshirō said was they exited the building and walked onto the main streets, invisible to human eyes, "Well then our relationship can be a secret. You are allowed to sleep over at friend's houses aren't you?"

"Yeah," Rukia sniffed, her damp face lightening a little, "I do it all the time."

"Well, aren't I a friend?" he continued.

"I guess," she answered a little more happily, "A boyfriend."

"But maybe not tell him the last part," he chuckled.

He swapped his suitcase into his other hand as he took her hand in his as they made their way to the outskirts, following a path around the edge of the city and finally reaching the checkpoint. Jūshirō opened his phone, calling the Soul Society as Rukia perched on the edge of her case.

"Captain Jūshirō Ukitake here," he replied to the girl's questions on the other end, "Requesting the use of the Senkaimon at checkpoint four…thank you."

He flipped his phone shut and put it in his pocket before holding her hand once more, "What time does your meeting end?"

"Um…it starts at five so…" she counted in her head, rubbing the back of her neck as she did so, "Probably seven I would have thought."

"Good," Jūshirō concluded with a smile, "In that case, will you want to have dinner with me tonight?"

Rukia blushed; this was the first time he has officially asked her out and the thought made her feel lighter than air, "Yes." She managed to say.

"I'll see you at eight o'clock, in front of the squad barracks," he smiled, "You probably don't know where I live."

"Ok," she said with a smile that mirrored his own, she would love to see his house.

She stood up abruptly, as he pulled her up into an embrace, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She kissed him back with passion, only stopping as the Senkaimon appeared in front of them. She pulled away before grabbing her case and taking his hand once more. She smiled as they walked into the Senkaimon, taking one last look at the living world and smiling to herself contently.

xxxxxxx

"Rukia," came the voice of her stoic brother, "I presume your assignment in the living world was successful?"

"Yes, my brother," she replied humbly, keeping her bow low and her head even lower as she knelt behind him, his own form knelt in front of the low shrine in front of her.

"The meeting between the Elders has been cancelled, grandfather had another pressing matter arise," he continued, "I suggest you take the time to rest."

Rukia couldn't help but smile widely to herself; she had more time with Jūshirō this way, "If I may brother, I wish to go out this evening. I have not seen my friends for many a night and wish visit them.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes at his sister's disobedience at not taking his advice but allowed her to do as she wished, "Do as you wish."

"Thank you, Nii-sama," she replied, keeping her emotions under control as butterflies fluttered around in her stomach.

She stood up, giving a low bow before walking away carefully, trying not to trip up in her excitement. Once out of earshot, she rushed to her room, grabbing out her favourite purple short dress and grabbing her towel, ready for a relaxing bath. She hastily sent him a text, asking to meet him an hour and a half early due to the cancelled meeting, giving her more than enough time to relax herself and get ready.

xxxxxxx

Jūshirō waited in the dim light of the streetlights, looking out for his love to appear in the distance, he disliked how the it got late early at the end of the fall, much preferring the summer warmth and light. He smiled as he heard her pure voice call out to him, prompting him to call back and rush to meet her with a loving embrace.

"You look lovely," he smiled as he strained his eyes to see her in the soft light, "Well what I can see of you."

She laughed before nodding in approval of his smart shirt and sexy jeans combination. She looked him up and down, smiling as she did.

"Very nice," she complimented him.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied, "I was worried you would find it weird seeing me so informal. I wasn't this lax even in the living world.'

"I think you look far from lax," she said with a blush, "I want to see you relaxed all the time."

He smiled as he took her hand, "Shall we get going?"

She nodded as she followed him to his house following the main street for ten minutes before turning off into a smaller street and then down several more interconnecting streets. She gripped his hand tightly, she had been slightly afraid of the dark ever since Kaien's death. After a few more minutes, they came to a less populated area and after a few more minutes, even less houses were visible.

"I like the open space," Jūshirō explained as he eventually led her to his house, the only house in the vicinity.

"I do too," she agreed as he led her down the quaint path to the front door. She watched as he flicked through his keys and found the correct one, opening the door, releasing a gush of warm, pleasant smelling air. She smiled as he welcomed her in, taking her coat and hanging up before indicating where to put her shoes. He kissed her shoulders sensually as he stood behind her, teasing down her dress straps and wrapping his hands around her.

He reluctantly moved away, heading towards the kitchen to turn the stove up to warm the food that was cooking slowly. He poured he a glass of red wine as she examined his house. She looked around smiling at his quaintly decorated house, the pictures of his family on the walls, the bowls of potpourri on the low table in the living room and the smell of a clean house. The couch was decorated in pillows and a cosy rug lay in front of the roaring fire, inviting and snug. It was just the home she had always wanted to live in.

"Do you like it?" he asked as he handed her the glass.

"I love it," she replied, taking it from him and sipping it, tasting the sweetness of the summer berries and the tang of the strong grapes in this draft of wine.

She smiled; he has a good sense in decorating and in wine picking. He leant down as kissed her cheek as she took several more sips. She placed her glass on the side before turning to him and kissing him on the lips passionately, the wine already influencing her. He kissed back, slipping his tongue into her mouth and exploring her fervently.

He suddenly broke off, briskly walking to the stove and putting the food back on a low temperature before taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom.

"What about the dinner?" she asked, also excited as they walked up the stairs quickly.

"It'll be ok on the low temperature and it needs to be cooked slowly, it'll be nearly done by the time we are."

She smiled as he opened his bedroom door, revealing a huge emperor size bed, which he quickly led her to. He picked her up, putting her on the bed and hovering over her lovingly.

He held her close, passionately kissing her once more as she pulled at his clothes.

"You make me so happy," he whispered, his breath short in the passion of removing each other's clothes, "I love you, Rukia."

"I love you too," she replied, "I'm so happy we're together."

"I've waited for you to come into my life for so long," Jūshirō continued between kisses, now half naked from her actions, "Thank you."

"Thank you for coming into my life," Rukia replied with a smile as he kissed her neck and ran his hands over her body, causing her to shiver in delight.

The two of the wrapped their arms around each other as they made love, holding onto each other, neither wanting to let go, and neither letting go of each other for the rest of their lives.