A/N: Hi there! Welcome to my first IchiRuki fic. :) This was inspired by the twenty-sixth ending theme of the anime, 'Song For…' by Rookiez is Punkz. I still keep up with the manga though. I hope you enjoy it! Here it goes…

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any copyrighted material in this fic. I would mention something about an original character I created, but Kubo-sensei already provided us with a lovely selection and a fruitful universe!

Song for Rukia

It was good to be home. Rukia played this thought over and over again in her mind, all along the way to the Kuchiki estate ever since she left the Senkaimon. As she stepped into the first of many corridors, she was met with a swarm of servants, each asking if she needed assistance with anything or if they could treat any wounds she might have; she had decided to lessen Captain Unohana's burden and healed any other injuries that could still be bothering her since the battle's end one month prior. Even then, she told herself that she should be happy, for she was home after too long a time.

"Enough. Let her be," came Byakuya's chilling voice from down the hall. Although she had known her adoptive brother for many years, it always surprised her how well he could project his voice without having to raise it. By his presence now, he had returned from another meeting with the Captain-Commander. So everyone was already settled in…

The servants all bowed their heads, making way for Rukia to wordlessly pass and continue to her quarters. As she walked, the ribbon of her pure white Zanpakutou drifted on the floor, the sound light in comparison to the clopping of her sandals. She hadn't bothered to seal Sode no Shirayuki again, but it was time that she did, for she hadn't been expecting the sudden urge to train as soon as she came back. The next time she conversed with her sword, the beautiful spirit might end up complaining or even refuse to reply. Finally arriving at her room, Rukia pushed open the sliding door and removed her sandals, stepping inside. She lifted her Zanpakutou to the afternoon light coming in from the open window. Sode no Shirayuki glowed a moment before settling back into its sealed form, which Rukia then sheathed. With a sigh, she went over to the window and slid the sword into the black stand – a rectangular framework with a circle in the centre for the sword – next to the cushioned bench.

It was good to be home, she thought again before flopping down onto the bench, letting her head hand hang out the window so that she could see the sky up above. It was strange that this room felt so different. As usual, it had no particular scent to it; she liked the window to remain open, letting the breeze in and giving her a picture perfect view of the garden outside with its little pond – the very reason why she didn't hang any paintings in her room. Only her sketches were allowed to be put up, but the air from the window always ended up knocking them from their places on her plain walls, hence why one day, in her annoyance, she had nailed a picture of a bunny to the wall using an empty Soul Candy container. Of course, a maid told her brother about it, and so her drawings had been placed in a viewing book on a table at the far end of her room. Even that was untouched. Her bed was normal, the mosquito nets around it parted, the pale purple comforter and pillow still creased from the day she had left it. She hadn't opened her closet yet, or her bathroom, but she could already guess that they looked the very same as they always had.

So why did this all feel different?

Even later that evening, after a typical Kuchiki dinner – complete silence, no conversations – she felt as though… something wasn't quite right. As she lay under the covers of her bed, she still searched for what was missing. Her hands, neatly folded on her abdomen, made their way up to her face to touch her cheeks; she still felt the same. That ruled out any physical changes. Her bed still felt the same, as proven with two minutes of poking and smacking the futon before she finally settled down. So what was it then? Her nightclothes… she reached under the covers, expecting to find the elastic waistband of a pair of bright yellow, checked pyjama pants. But instead she found a big bow. Hm, nothing but a minor misconception… She had worn that particular human pair an awful lot. Yuzu would be delighted to find them back in her closet.

Rukia frowned and closed her eyes. Surely things would be better in the morning. While she slept, something began to make her nose twitch. There was a certain scent nagging her nose, making it tickle. Still asleep, her hand reached up to rub her nose, but then the scent became stronger. It was actually very familiar… And then she started to feel as though she was bottled up, enclosed. It wasn't completely horrible since she had always been a nimble person, small spaces never frightening her. This feeling of being in a space that was small but not so small – for her – was also oddly familiar. She huffed, forcing herself to dream of something else. It was beginning to annoy her that she couldn't lay a finger on what her senses were imagining. But the scent neither died down nor grew stronger. And the enclosed-but-not-really feeling stayed as realistic as ever.

Silently creeping in and out of a sliding door at either night or day… Cracks between the doors acting as windows… Clothes and shoes and a backpack shoved in one corner… Lying awake at night pondering over the future… Waking up to the beep of a Soul Pager… The ripping of a Hollow's cry in the dead of night… Listening to his voice as he confided his thoughts… Hearing his deep breathing as he slept… That sad smile as a different pair of sliding doors separated them once again…

Rukia sat up with a start. Her breathing had quickened, her pulse racing. She looked around in a panic, feeling something of dismay when she found herself not in a closet, but in her very own bedroom. Her gaze fell onto the misshapen sheets half-covering her. Why was she longing for, missing something so commonplace? Her bedroom was a definite upgrade from a teenaged boy's deodorant-reeking closet, surely. She rubbed her head, stepping out of bed and moving to her open window, seating herself on the bench.

She glared out into the cool night, a frown crossing her features. A thought then occurred to her. She remembered Inoue once, about to walk back to her apartment alone after school, saying that home was where the heart was… For a minute, Rukia let her defense mechanism slip down and really considered the possibility of being at her own residence at the Kuchiki estate, while her heart was still lingering elsewhere… perhaps in a wooden closet within a clinic in Mashiba, just another suburb in the enormous Karakura Town back in the World of the Living.

If she could put it into words, Rukia would say that she did, in fact, miss that place. But then again, she had never been a master of emotions.

One Year Later…

Another Squad Four runner zipped past her, almost knocking her over. "Damn crowds," she muttered to herself as a whole transit of Squad Four came scurrying after the little runner. Why was it so busy at her own squad's barracks? Panting from behind her caught her attention, and upon turning around, she saw Sixth Squad lieutenant, Abarai Renji, really pulling his weight along. "What's with you?"

He looked up and finally decided to collapse on the wooden railing lining the landing. "Another pair of my sunglasses broke…" he managed, before sinking to his knees.

"That's what you get for buying stupid headgear," replied Rukia heartlessly, moving to lean on the railing beside him. "And what's with all the people?"

"There's been an incident in Karakura." Renji caught his breath and leveled his gaze with hers. "The hollow attacks were increasing since last week, and today a squad of shinigami was almost attacked. The Onmitsukidou's trying to suss it out, but the reiatsu readings haven't been normal… You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked after a moment of Rukia's wordless staring.

"What, Ishida? He should be fine." Rukia looked away at the wall in front of them.

"Not Ishida…"

"Then I don't know! It could be Inoue or Sado or Asano… It doesn't have to be specific to him only. The others have fair reiatsu too."

"You're trying to avoid saying his name, aren't you?"

"No, I just don't think his name is valid anymore. He's just another human now," she finished quietly.

"You know he can never be normal," stated Renji as though it were a fact. He stood with a sigh from the effort. "If you don't say it, then I will."

"Don't push my buttons, Renji."

"Ichigo! Ichigo, Ichigo, Ichigo… I-C-H-… umm… igo! Kurosaki Ichigo!"

"Shut it…"

"Ichigo." He smirked. "Ichigo-san, Ichigo-kun, Ichigo-sama…"

"I said shut it, Renji." She covered her ears, scowling and looking away.

"Ichigo-chan, Ichigo-tan, Ichigo-senpai, Ichigo-dono. Come on, say it with me – Kurosa-"

"Shut the hell up!" she shouted and rounded on him, giving him a firm punch on the shoulder. "I know Ichigo is normal now. I've seen it. He doesn't think about us anymore – not you, not me, not anyone in Soul Society. He's forgotten us and he's living the life he's always wanted."

"And how do you know?" Renji rubbed his arm with a scowl.

"…I went to the World of the Living," she said, and closed her eyes. "I've been there twice since he lost his powers, and both times he looked normal and happy. Yes, it's really weird of me to do that, but I had to… for closure…"

"You did?" Renji looked surprised. He found it suspicious that Rukia would openly admit it, but she had. It seemed like something she would do… and it was something she probably needed… But there was something odd about the way she said it. With another sigh, he decided to let it go. She was proving to be sensitive about this subject, and that was weirder than her supposedly going to the World of the Living to spy on Ichigo.

"Yes. And I'm not going back there for a long time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm on my way to Captain Ukitake for more information on an Osaka mission I have tomorrow. See ya, Renji." She waved her hand dismissively and stalked off in her original direction.

She'd lied – she had been only once, and had only motivated her statement from the fact that he had been eating dinner with his family. They all seemed content enough; Inoue was praying before her brother's shrine; Ishida was loitering around the Karakura Library, preparing to destroy a 'bookworm' Hollow; and Sado was having a nap. The only unusual thing was that Karin seemed to sense her presence from far away, and when the young girl had tried to look, Rukia was already within a Senkaimon on her way back to Soul Society.

So far, life had become ordinary again. People in the barracks say that she'll move on, find new interests and interesting humans in other places like Osaka, but deep down she knew she couldn't. No, nothing could replace the bonds she had forged in Karakura Town exactly one year ago.

Six Months Later…

"So, aren't you gonna go see Ichigo again?" asked Matsumoto Rangiku. "I hear he's doing well. Maybe he'll do even better if you appear…" She winked down at Rukia.

The much-shorter girl fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm pretty busy these days."

The busty blonde's shoulders fell. "Aww! Why? You're even more of a workaholic now! And you're doing more than you should to help Nanao with the Shinigami Women's Association… That's just killing fun, Rukia-chan." Rangiku jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at Ise Nanao, who was desperately struggling to hold Yachiru back from mauling a bag of candy with a picture of Byakuya's face on it.

"Ladies, this dismisses – quit it, Yachiru! – …uh, you can go now!" screeched Nanao.

Outside, Rangiku announced that she felt like some shopping in the World of the Living. After successfully convincing the women standing around her to come and waiting for Nemu to speed off to get Captain Kurotsuchi's permission, Rangiku let the others walk ahead, only keeping herself back. "Rukia-chan?"

Rukia, looking distractedly off to the side, returned the concerned, blue gaze directed at her. "Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"W-Why wouldn't I be?" said Rukia quickly.

"You're… You seem different…" Rangiku struggled to find the right words, having already heard plenty of the previous talks given to Rukia.

"Well, change is good, isn't it?" Rukia looked away. "And I've changed."

"I know, Rukia-chan. I think we've all changed in our own ways since leaving Karakura behind – it was an experience we can't forget." Rangiku looked down, a secret smile faintly lighting up her lovely face. "But we're still the same people, just like they are, too. And just like we can't forget them, I don't think they can forget us…" She glanced at Rukia to find a vulnerable, unguarded expression on her face. Understanding this, Rangiku clasped Rukia's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Talk to me."

She shut her eyes tight. "I…"

"Matsumoto-fukutaichou?" A sweet, feminine voice spoke.

Rangiku and Rukia looked up to see Unohana Retsu standing a short way away. "Unohana-taichou," they both greeted her.

"I'm sorry if I was interrupting your conversation," she said, eyes narrowing to nearly-closed slits as she smiled. "But I need to borrow Kuchiki-san for a few minutes. Is that all-"

"Rukia!" Renji's deep voice penetrated the quiet exchange. "Rukia, I need to tell you something!" He came into view, running, from a distance behind Rangiku. He jogged to a stop and doubled over, panting heavily. "Hey, Matsumoto-san," he greeted the frowning blonde, who was secretly wishing he hadn't interrupted Unohana. "Rukia, Unohana-taichou is coming to…" he broke off after straightening up, realizing the latter had already arrived. "Oh, uh… Never mind then…"

"Abarai-fukutaichou, we were in the middle of a talk. Do you mind waiting with Matsumoto-fukutaichou while I speak with Kuchiki-san?"

"O-Of course not! I'll talk to you later, Rukia-chan." Rangiku turned around with a nervous tinkle. "Come on, Renji," she said more harshly and pulled Renji by his spiky pony-tail as they disappeared around a corner, Renji muttering apologies as they went.

"Y-You wanted to talk to me, Unohana-taichou?" Rukia smiled awkwardly.

Unohana nodded, opening her eyes. "We were discussing things at a captains' meeting about the uneven reiatsu levels in Karakura Town. After we established that it is an important matter, we handed it over to the lieutenants to select a suitable shinigami to record the levels in person and investigate the matter. We aren't entirely sure whether it involves Kurosaki Ichigo, but we need someone to look into it either way. And after the lieutenants put in their feedback, they have selected you."

"Me?" Rukia's heart stuttered in her chest.

"That's right. You are a member of the Noble House whose job is to keep and maintain Soul Society's records, you are an unseated officer who has no current assignments, and you have been to Karakura Town before, knowing people there personally and being able to blend in. You are the ideal choice, Kuchiki-san. You only need to accept the mission, and you will be on your way to the World of the Living tomorrow morning."

"Does my captain know of this?"

"Yes – Ukitake-taichou is the one who recommended you."

"Oh." She flexed her fingers and bit her lip, trying to imagine what would happen if she were to accept, or if she were to decline.

Unohana watched her, sensing her indecision. "I can give you by the end of today to decide. You are the first choice, but there is a second… Although I hope you consider it, for this job is not only suited to you, but it would also be nice to revisit your acquaintances… Please choose wisely, Kuchiki-san. Good evening."

"Thank you, Unohana-taichou," replied Rukia as the captain left in the direction she had come from.

When Rukia turned around, she nearly hit into Renji, who had apparently been listening from around the corner the entire time. "What was all that about?" he demanded.

"Huh? Oh, Unohana says-"

"No, I know what she was talking about – I'm a lieutenant." He pointed at the badge strapped to his arm. "But I'm asking why you were acting like that. This is a real mission that needs to be done for real – we're not sending you to Karakura just to meet up with anyone again."

"I know that. I just don't see why the reiatsu levels are like that – Ichigo is normal now. He's got the life he's always wanted." She shrugged. "Everything should be normal now, so there's no need for me to go and do something like this when it's obvious how normal he is. It's probably just a bunch of extra Hollows in the area. Someone else should go because I have more important things to do than something so commonplace and plain to see."

"So is that how you are now?" he asked her quietly.

"What?" Rukia went on stiffly. "I believe that since he's normal now, I shouldn't interfere. There's no real point in seeing him when we already know how it'll look. I can't-"

"Shut up and listen, for once!" Renji surprised her by grasping her shoulders and leaning down to look her in the eye. "Do you honestly not want to see Ichigo just because he's normal now? Because he's living the life he's always wanted?"

She sighed. "No, Renji, I-"

"I'm not done! If I know Ichigo – and hell do I know him! – he wouldn't just let your memory fade away in that head of his! Don't you get it, Rukia? You're a special person to him. And if you didn't realize it, you must be thicker than I thought. Sure, if the Inoue girl was sentenced to execution, he'd go after her 'cause he's known her for years. But not you – no, you skipped into his life quicker than I can make a mess of Kido, and then you left even quicker. If he didn't give a damn about you, if you weren't anything to him, it would've been the easiest thing in the world to just turn around and let you, a stranger, leave through that Senkaimon. His life would've gone on happily, you say!

"But you're so wrong, it's not even funny. Would any average kid leap into some strange world and fight spirit madmen just to save this random soul's life? Hell no. If you think your relationship with him just vanished as soon as you left, you're wronger than a frozen hell. From the moment you met, you created a bond, and that bond hasn't broken. You've changed his life not for that little period a while back, but forever. And we're still connected! Don't deny that you can't feel it too. You left a lasting impression on him, Rukia.

"And if you also think he doesn't want to see you because he's normal, think again. You should know best Ichigo doesn't think like that! He still cares about you, he still cares about the consequences if Aizen gets his powers back – he still cares about all of us. You weren't some midget shinigami he met by accident. You're a person to him; a special one he's never gonna see for the rest of his human life 'cause she refuses to see him again… In his mind, Rukia, you're still living, you're still breathing somewhere. He hasn't forgotten – and thanks to you, he never will, dammit. So," Renji turned her around in the opposite direction, "go after Unohana and get your skinny ass to the Human World. He's waiting." With that, Renji gave her a shove forward and crossed his arms, closing his eyes shut, showing her the finality of their 'conversation'.

She stumbled at first, but after gaining her balance and taking two steps forward she paused and looked over her shoulder. "Renji-"

"Don't even try arguing! Otherwise I'll-"

"Thank you."

Renji's eyes popped open, and he recovered by grinning smugly. "You know me – the pleasure's all-"

"Don't push it," she said, cutting him off. She looked ahead again with the softest of smiles before breaking into a streaking silver shunpo.

Renji eased out of his smirk as she went, smiling almost sadly to himself. "She finally gets it," he said with a sigh, walking off. In truth, it had been the hardest thing in the world for him to let her go. But he would do anything for her, so long as she was happy.

The sun was high in Karakura Town, marking noon. If one had spiritual potential, they would have seen a figure clad in a black kimono leaping from lamppost to lamppost, headed for Karakura High.

Rukia leapt down from the final lamppost opposite the gates of the high school, landing in a crouching position with a grunt. Rising to her full – but still short – height, Rukia looked up at the building in front of her. She had finished the recording of the reiatsu an hour ago, and suspected that the higher-ups planned it so that she'd have extra time to kill. It was lunchtime at the high school, and if she took a look around, she would know exactly where to find her friends. She took a step inside the gates, but upon jerking her head to the right, she saw a big tree. It had been a while since she'd climbed it… Eh, why not?

Taking a running jump, Rukia hooked onto the side of the towering tree, scaling her way up to a sturdy branch and resting on it. Hm, much easier without a gigai on… From here, Rukia could spot Inoue's group quite a distance away. She could vaguely see them sitting in the middle of a ring of trees just after the corner of the building. His group sat on the building above the girl's group, and she could see them both if she went closer; she jumped while simultaneously using shunpo to thrust herself forward, only just catching the branch of a tree a short way from Inoue's group. Swinging herself off that branch and to a closer tree, Rukia now perched like a cat above the group of girls. Another tree or two had grown since she had last been there, and they blocked the view of the building… no, those trees had always been there, she recalled. She had almost forgotten they were. Looking down at the group, Rukia saw the auburn-haired girl smiling innocently at Tatsuki, who had Honsho's outstretched arm twisted uncomfortably. All the other girls were continuing their conversations, Inoue the only one to try and stop the amusing abuse of Honsho Chizuru.

And that was when she stopped abruptly and looked up, noticing Rukia in the trees. Her grey eyes widened, mouth falling open, her hand coming up to finger the bow at her chest anxiously. Rukia offered her a serene smile and held a finger to her thin lips. Inoue, whose eyes were beginning to water, nodded quickly, trying to fight back a huge smile. Rukia felt bad that she was so happy to see her, and hoped she might be able to speak to her later on, but she first had someone to find…

Before Tatsuki could see why Inoue was "upset", Rukia had already left that spot and was now airborne, using shunpo to arrive at the roof of the building. Walking along the concrete, she could see that his group was there, but he and Sado were missing. Before Asano could whip his head around in confusion, Rukia was already gone, making her way down the wall and onto the blacktop behind the main building. She heard pounding footsteps, and could feel a certain reiatsu coming closer – Ishida. Out of some paranoia, Rukia ducked into the small doorway behind her, pressing her back against the iron gate. She saw Ishida run past her, studying his surroundings intently, poised to activate his Quincy charm. She saw his deep frown when he turned to look behind him, but found no one there. Seeing nothing, he continued forward at a walking pace, adjusting his glasses. Then he spoke.

"Sado-kun isn't feeling well. He isn't at school. Kurosaki left at lunch to go somewhere – he didn't say where, but don't worry, he'll be back soon… Kuchiki-san."

Rukia's eyes widened, and when she stepped out of the doorway to address him, she found that he had gone. She'd known Ishida was intelligent and had a knack for perceiving things. He had known, somehow, that she was looking for the aforementioned someone. She was grateful for his understanding. At least he could tell her this, keeping in mind how much he insisted that he and that someone were not friends.

"Thank you, Ishida."

She was off again, speeding to the front gates of the school. She was eager now, her heart beating faster and faster with anticipation. Come on… come on… She was almost there, but it felt like she wasn't going fast enough. Past that someone's group on the top of the building, past the trees next to the school… It was so close. She urged herself forward, and then she felt a flicker of reiatsu that she hadn't been able to detect before. She nearly lost her footing and went tumbling out the gates, but instead managed to skid to a halt.

And there was that someone. Someone like… ah, but there was no one like Kurosaki Ichigo.

He had his back to her, putting his phone in his pocket after finishing up with a call. "You know, I had a feeling I'd be seeing you again." He kept his hands in his pocket and turned around, a blush creeping to Rukia's face as she struggled to contain her smile to him. "Hey, Rukia."

She walked closer to him, now completely unable to hide the happiness on her face. "Hey, Ichigo."

She came to a stop in front of him, looking up at the brown eyes that hadn't changed since she'd left. And it was reassuring, because at that instant she knew with a certainty that he had never forgotten her – or any of them – and he meant what he just said. She could have demanded to know how and why he could see her, what this new reiatsu clinging to him was, but right now it didn't matter. She raised her hand near to his cheek, unsure of what to do now – she had thought she might be prepared for this when the time came, but she was wrong.

What she did not see coming, though, was ending up tangled in a warm embrace, let alone responding to it. He was hesitant; but this was what their problem had been before – either one was too afraid to take another step forward; the step that they were afraid might be a mistake. Though in that moment she didn't care, proven when her own arms unlocked and clung tighter around his neck. His hold on her strengthened, and she couldn't help turning her head and taking in the scent that had become so familiar to her. It didn't matter whether they became more than friends yet, for as they held onto each other, it was acknowledged that they would always be a part of one another. No matter what sliding doors – or any other doors – came between them.

"I missed you too," he said almost inaudibly, the words vibrating in his chest.

She chuckled, feeling content as her eyes peered thoughtfully over the shoulder of the green hooded jacket he wore. "Say, I'm gonna be in Karakura for a couple weeks, and I need a place to stay…"

"I wonder where that is."

"You know there's only one place I can stay."

"Forget school." His eyes drifted closed. "Let's go home… Wait, have you grown taller?"

Her eyelid twitched in annoyance. "Shut up," she hissed and flicked his neck.

So Inoue was right then… Rukia thought to herself as they pulled away to look at each other, sharing in a grin. Home is where the heart is…

A/N:

IchiRuki ftw. :D Even though I don't write for them too much, I love this pairing a lot. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it! Let me know what you thought!

~SuperSonic Violet