A/N: This is my second entry (diferent category of course) for the 'Whispers of Love' contest at the IchiRuki FC on Bleach Asylum; Enjoy!:)

Ichigo inched the door open as quietly as possible with one hand while balancing a bowl of soup and medicine in the other.

The tastefully simple room was dominated by a large bed, its white sheets a tangled mess that covered a slight bump breathing evenly on the center of the mattress. Ichigo made his way around to the side of the bed and, after setting the medicine down on the bedside table, sat down next to the bundled up breathing mass that he knew to be his wife.

A smile tugged at his lips at the term 'wife'. His eyes almost unconsciously strayed to see the glint of the golden band newly placed on the third finger of his left hand. He brushed the thoughts away though, ready to pay attention to the matter at hand.

Still holding the hot bowl on one hand, he used the other to gently shake a specific area of the bump where he figured her shoulder would be.

"Hey," he said softly, leaning down towards her face. He could just see the locks of ebony hair sticking out rebelliously from under the covers. "Rukia…" he called.

A low incoherent grunt was his response. Normally, when presented with a similar situation, Ichigo wouldn't hesitate to harshly pull the covers away from her and force her to get up; but these weren't the usual circumstances for many reasons, though one of those was the main cause for his caution.

Ichigo heaved a sigh. "Come on, Rukia." he started as diplomatically as possible while setting the bowl of soup on the bedside table as well. He took the edge of the blanket currently covering the raven-haired woman and pulled it back just enough to reveal her unusually pale face.

"Rukia." he repeated uncharacteristically gently, tenderly brushing a lock of damp hair away from her face. "Look at me." he said quietly, but firmly.

Rukia slowly seemed to force her eyes open and she uncurled slightly from the ball she had compacted herself into. She looked weakly over her shoulder at Ichigo, her eyes scrunching uncomfortably despite the dim lighting of the room. "Ichigo?"

"I need you to sit up a little." Immediately seeing her reluctance, he added, "Just for a little bit."

She looked like it was the last thing that she wanted to do, but also like she simply didn't want to argue. So, with a little help from Ichigo, Rukia sat up and leaned back against a couple of pillows pressed against the headboard.

Ichigo took a good look at his wife; her ivory skin was nearly colorless, her delicately curved lips were chapped, her nose was bright red, there were shadows under her eyes and a light sheen of sweat dampened her face. He held her chin to make her look at him.

"How are you feeling?" A stupid question. He could tell by just looking at her that she felt like hell had ran her over thrice.

"Delightful."

"At least you're well enough to manage sarcasm." he remarked, letting go of her face as her violet eyes narrowed at him.

He then pressed his large hand against her forehead, feeling his eyebrows furrow as he noticed her fever hadn't gone down.

Rukia watched him wordlessly as he grabbed the bowl of soup, took a spoonful and held it up to her. "Eat." he instructed.

She folded her arms over her chest and eyed the soup disdainfully.

Ichigo resisted the urge to groan. "Don't be difficult for once, okay? You won't feel better unless you eat something. So," he inched the spoon closer to her mouth. "Eat."

After a moment of hesitation, Rukia conceded and opened her mouth. Ichigo didn't know whether to be relieved or concerned that she had caved in so easily, without so much as a fight. She didn't complain to being fed by him either; not that he minded.

When the bowl was emptied, her put it away and stopped Rukia as she started to lay back down. "Not yet," he said. "You have to take your medicine first."

She groaned, looking exhausted and ready to go back to sleep, but didn't complain.

Ichigo gave it to her as patiently as he had fed her the soup, not uttering any smartass remarks or complaining about anything. Very unusual for him. He thought it might be the serene Caribbean air acting on him, but most likely it was not.

Deep down he knew the reason for his kind and considerate actions was concern for his wife.

"Okay." he said when they were done. "You can go back to sleep now."

He started to get up to leave the room and head to the connected kitchen to wash the bowl, but was stopped by a small "Ichigo?"

He looked back to see Rukia's big violet eyes staring up at him from the bed, her slight figure comically sinking into the sea of pillows and sheets on the huge bed. Before he could ask her if she needed anything, she spoke again, saying the last thing he expected to hear.

"I'm sorry." her eyes dropped and she looked so genuinely regretful it almost broke his heart.

"For what?" he asked incredulously.

Rukia looked, if possible, even more regretful. "For ruining our honeymoon." she spoke in a tiny voice that was unbecoming for her.

Ichigo frowned. "How, exactly, did you ruin our honeymoon?"

She looked at him like he was stupid.

Ah, there. A look I recognize. he thought to himself.

"If it wasn't for me, you would be out at the beach, enjoying the warm temperature and the sand and the breeze." she started. "Instead, you're locked up in a dark room feeding me soup, and it's all my fault." she sounded mad; not at him, he knew, but at herself.

He immediately walked back and sat beside her, feeling the mattress give slightly under his weight. "What are you talking about? You're the one that wanted to come to the Caribbean, idiot. Not me."

That was the wrong thing to say.

"I told you if you wanted to go somewhere else-" she started to protest.

"I don't want to go anywhere else." he cut her off. "I'm perfectly fine right here with you." he stated simply.

Rukia lifted an eyebrow and looked at him dubiously. Then she turned her face stubbornly away and muttered something that sounded like disagreement while sinking further into the bed. It looked like it would swallow her whole any minute.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "In any case," he said, getting up again and taking the empty bowl. "I didn't plan on spending much time outside of the bedroom anyway." he said casually, stretching lazily for effect as he went to leave the room.

He didn't check to see her response but he knew she would be fighting a smile now.

After he washed the bowl, he returned and saw Rukia curled up to one side, breathing deeply. He figured she was asleep again, but when he went to pull up a chair by her side he found her violet orbs wide open.

"Pensive, are we?" he asked lightly as he sat down and looked at her.

Rukia sighed and turned to lie on her back and stare at the ceiling. "What time is it?"

Ichigo frowned at her question, but checked the alarm clock beside him anyway. "Five to midnight. Why?" he looked at her quizzically.

Rukia's eyes widened slightly when she heard the time, but then she eased back. A look of almost sadness swept over her features. "The new year is almost here."

Ichigo realized she was right. "You could be a little more cheerful about it." he commented sarcastically.

"Ichigo," she sat up suddenly, looking at him. Except, she did it too quickly and looked sick all of a sudden. She hunched over and put a hand to her head, looking pained.

"Rukia!" he was alarmed now, immediately jumping up to support her. "Hey, hey, come on." he tried soothing her, holding onto her shoulders. It was another moment before she relaxed again, though she looked a little paler and her breathing was a bit shakier.

His chest tightened with worry.

Ichigo put a hand on the side of her face; her skin felt warm and clammy against his palm. "You okay?" he asked, concern showing clearly on his orbs.

Rukia nodded mutely, her gaze cast downward. "See what I mean? You should be enjoying yourself. Not taking care of me." she finished miserably.

Ichigo blinked. Then he gently used his hand to lift her chin and looked at her sternly. "Rukia, in case you missed that part, I'm your husband. I'm supposed to take care of you. I wouldn't have married you if I wasn't willing to do that." And much more… he added silently.

"I know, but…" he saw her tiny fists tighten at her sides. "This was our honeymoon. We were going to go to the beach, and dancing, and we were going to have lots of food and…And…" she looked defeated. "It wasn't supposed to be this."

Ichigo shook his head, not taking his eyes off his wife. "It wasn't your fault that you got sick, dumbass." despite his insult, his tone was kind. "And besides, what do you mean 'this'? You and me stuck here?" he gestured to the general area of the room. " 'Cause if you do, then let me tell you that I don't mind 'this' one bit."

She looked at him skeptically, and Ichigo took her face in both his hands, holding her gaze firmly and leaning closer so their foreheads almost touched. "Listen to me." he instructed seriously. "It doesn't matter whether it's my birthday, or Valentine's Day or Christmas. We're together. That's all that matters, isn't it?" he looked at her sincerely, hoping she was truly grasping the meaning behind his words.

"I could care less where we spend our honeymoon." he said in a low voice. With one hand, he tucked some of her hair behind her ear. His eyes moved down to her lips, and he traced her bottom lip with his thumb before looking into her eyes again. "I'm happy with you." his words were simple, honest, and heartfelt.

In the background, he heard loud noises that meant fireworks were being thrown now, their colorful lights shining through the closed curtains of the hotel room.

Rukia gave him a small smile, the first one he'd seen all day, it made his chest swell. "Happy new year, Ichigo."

His returning smile was genuine. "Happy new year, Rukia."

For the first time, the couple welcomed the new year as husband and wife. Ichigo leaned forward and caught her lips in a light kiss. Before he could pull back, Rukia hastened to deepen the kiss, and he responded accordingly, enjoying the tender caress of her.

Fireworks still sparked in the background as the rest of the world celebrated. Ichigo and Rukia celebrated as well; and Ichigo didn't care if it meant he would get sick later.

He knew he'd have someone to take care of him. Always.

THE END

A/N: There you go, folks! Short and sweet. Hope you enjoyed :) And an early happy 2011 to you all!