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A young man sat cross legged in the elegant reading hall, his wavy dark hair gathered together into a messy, yet fitting, ponytail. Even as the graceful double doors creaked open nosily, deep brown eyes never broke away from the novel set before him.

A scuff was heard from behind the man.

"My lord," the gruff voice quipped, "Why don't we go out and find us some fun? Those annoyin' books will still be here when ya get back."

His page was turned and the noble raised a curious brow, "A butler of such a high established household wanting to sleep around with the commonwealth?" The brunette gave a playful chuckle, "I thought I trained you better than that, my friend."

"It's not my fault," the butler defended weakly, gloved hands shoved deep into the pockets of his trousers. "They're so much more fun than all these stuck up noble bitches!" His lord didn't need to glace up to notice his sinister smirk; it was clear in his voice. "Let's go out and get us some pussy!"

"I cannot," the dark-headed man shook his head, even as he smiled, explaining simply; "I am engaged, after all."

The butler's deep blue eyes narrowed as he let out a scuff. "Pssh, I heard ya haven't seen her in years." He moved to sit before his master, posture sloppy as he made himself comfortable in one of the many luxurious reading chairs; "Ya just gonna agree to this and marry the girl? I mean, yeah, sex with a virgin is fun and all but it's a fuckin' pain in the ass, boss. You're wasting your time!"

"That doesn't concern me in the slightest." The man replied with a laugh. "It's the right thing to do. I'll be marrying the infamous, Rukia Kuchiki, after all. No matter how much trouble it will surly cause me, I'm willing to make this dreadful compromise for the House." His words oozed sarcasm and his partner in crime shook his head in amusement.

"Boss, you're more a monster than I am!"

The noble snapped his reading material closed and met the blue-eyed man's stare with slight disdain, "It seems that I am unsure if I should be offended by that statement."

The servant waved his hand simply, dismissing the comment. "How do you plan to marry this kid? You're a total freak." The remark was followed by a wide smirk as he watched his master with clear amusement.

A well-kept hand found the pony tail resting against the nape of his neck, the noble tightening it as he scowled at the insult. "She's young, I'm sure she'll be able to keep up with me if it comes down to that." The noblemen stood as he continued, "But I'm not worried. All things considered, I do have others that need attending to."

"Huh? Ya talking about that maid of yours?" When the lord simply stared back at him in reply, the butler ran a gloved hand through his wild, messy locks in frustration; "I thought you said she's just a warm mouth to you!"

"She is." The aristocrat agreed, eyes narrowing slightly as palms ran down his crisp dress shirt, "But that matter isn't any of your business." He heard his friend scuff but continued nonetheless; "The fact is, this marriage means little to me but when it comes time to produce an heir, I'm surly going to enjoy myself."

Bright blue met deep brown and they both gave a laugh.

"Ya know, I'm curious as to how long she'll last with ya!"

The noble's dark eyes moved to the newspaper resting on the coffee table before them, his grin twisting into a sickeningly sweet smile; "You and I both, my friend. You and I both…"

Three weeks had gone by since the event in the garden and yet, everything seemed to be proceeding as usual.

Although, neither dared to mention how the demon had gathered his little human into his arms after they both had reached their peaks surrounded in damp grass; Ichigo protectively holding her shaking form against his chest as the sun crept over the horizon.

Rukia had felt broken and she had let Ichigo hold her together the best he could. Her tears had soaked his skin, the man's soft kisses soothing as he rocked her softly.

They didn't dare bring up such a horrific thing.

Even though the event had been thick with unsaid emotions, discussion hadn't seemed to be necessary. It became something that was just theirs. Putting that aside, the couple shared one thought: What did it all mean? In the back of their minds, they knew they were too scared to admit the truth. They couldn't afford to overcomplicate things now. Their relationship was too delicate—fragile— to begin with.

Everything had returned to normal, and yet, nothing had.

No matter how breakable, in a way, the peace that followed was reassuring. Rukia's schooling continued as always, the demon butler at the front of the class, lecturing away about boring educational matters. Her studies and noble duties filled their days once again; paperwork became a draining necessity that served to clear confused and distracted minds.

But despite their usual routine now set back in motion, something wasn't sitting well with the demon. No matter what they forced themselves to believe, something had changed. Although they both desperately wished that everything would resolve itself after that emotional night, ignoring the circumstances didn't change the fact that something had clearly shifted between them.

Rukia seemed to be struggling with the situation the most.

The noble seemed to be trying to keep a professional distance from her butler, much to his frustration. At the beginning, she would weakly push away from his advances, blushing cutely with a whimper about how their days were filled with necessary events that couldn't afford be pushed on the back burner. And at first, Ichigo had accepted her logic but as time progressed, he noticed that when a clear opportunity presented itself, more excuses would be made. She would push him aside, uninterested in him and it was hugely playing at Ichigo's self-control.

It was almost as if the years they shared together never existed; as if he was shoved back to a time where he was simply her guardian rather than her irreplaceable lover.

Rukia was his everything and yet, she thought excuses would be enough to end what they now had; what he had wished for in the back of his mind for years now.

Her intention became clear. The young lord was hiding from him, plain and simple. When the realization first entered his mind, Ichigo had one thought—

No matter the reasons she had, running from him was never acceptable.

He would get her back. The man would do whatever he had to as long as that one objective could be achieved. She was his. Ichigo was tired of his precious bunny fleeing from his affections.

Rukia Kuchiki was playing a very dangerous game.

"Goodnight, Ichigo."

His little master was pushing the demon to his breaking point.

Another day had gone by and after being dressed in her sleepwear by the butler, Rukia curled up under her bedding, ignoring Ichigo's heated stare that was currently burning a hole into the back of her skull.

The situation that he would once describe as ridiculous had progressed to near sickening.

"Have I done something to displease you, master?" despite the overwhelming emotions the demon was currently experiencing, his voice was deep and even. His mind was set. Ichigo wouldn't allow such trivial sensations to make him weak, especially now. He couldn't allow this game to continue any longer. He despised the awkwardness that had followed them since that magical moment in the beautiful garden. He wanted his human back. And he was damn well going to get her back, even if he had to drag her to him, kicking and screaming.

Rukia glanced over her shoulder at him then, blinking in practiced confusion. "What do you mean?"

Ichigo held back a scuff. She wanted to continue her game, to play innocent, but he was simply fed up with her little acting fixation. He was done playing. The butler's sanity couldn't afford this to continue.

He decided to cut to the chase; "You've been ignoring me."

Rukia let out a sigh, nearly wanting to deny the obvious but she knew it would be pointless. After all, he was right.

Maybe a different approach would do; "We've been over this, Ichigo. Things have been hectic…"

"You and I both know that hasn't stopped us before." He was scowling now, his kneeling form watching his master closely, almost as if he was prepared to strike if she decided to scurry out of his grasp once again.

Her beautiful orbs softened and as the sentence left the noble's lips, his eyes twisted into a heated glare, his psyche becoming clouded; "I know. I do apologize. You can just take care of yourself tonight—"

That was all it took. Ichigo's mind snapped. Just like that; completely snapped.

An animalistic snarl left the demon and he found himself over his master in a blink of an eye. Bright red orbs glared down at stunned violet, pinning her in place.

He felt heat deep in his belly, a raging typhoon of anger pushing him forward. "Very well, I shall take care of myself then, master."

The quick movement of her demon stunned her, surprised her—unnerved her. Eyes wide, she struggled against at the hold he held on her, "Ichigo!"

His crimson eyes narrowed dangerously and Rukia felt a jolt of fear run through her. The Ichigo she knew and loved wasn't like this, especially when it came to her. She could see clearly the fury in his demonic daze and she nearly flinched away from his heated stare. The little noble didn't know what to expect and that alone was terrifying.

Then, he moved closer to the shocked girl beneath him. His nose brushed against hers, breath shallow, and the young lord couldn't break away from his stare, no matter how hard she tried.

The deep crimson tone was spine-tingling.

They could express themselves with one glace; it was one element that really added to their unique relationship. She didn't dare glance away from his intense gaze and after a moment, Rukia spotted something beyond the anger, annoyance and frustration dancing within his irises.

Pain?

Although still a deep ruby, his eyes softened at the sight of fear in his master's gaze. Did she expect him to harm her?

Ichigo blinked then. Had the demon planned to harm her? He couldn't quite remember now. His impulsive actions had been unclear. The butler had just wanted her to understand.

He wanted to be near her. To breathe her in and express the undying affection that was burning within his chest, begging to be set free.

He could never hurt her.

But the fact that she had thought he would, even for a brief moment, had caused a new emotion to surface within him. Did she really think that little of him? Was he just a monster to her?

The strawberry's eyes glazed as sadness overwhelmed him, but when a little hand reached up and gently cupped his chin, the butler blinked once again, his vision clearing.

"How do you plan to take care of yourself…?" It came out as a breathy whisper, the girl's cheeks burning in embarrassment. Ichigo's gaze was now soft and kind, but also concerned. Rukia had been foolish to think he would to anything to harm her.

That would never happen.

He was her everything.

The demon moved forward slowly, the gentlest kiss Rukia had ever experienced being placed against her rosy lips. Much to the lord's surprise, Ichigo did not deepen the kiss. He didn't want things to get out of hand and as he cupped her small hands currently framing his jaw line with his much larger pair, he nearly felt the urge to purr like a newborn kitten surrounded in fluffy warmth.

Then, Ichigo broke away with a soft pull of his chin. The demon's forehead pressed against hers, eyes now a gentle honey-brown; "We really should discuss that evening."

His closeness made Rukia's mind fuzzy, violet orbs running over the soft lines of his mouth, already missing the contact, "Hm?"

He watched her, sensing the girl's intentions and wants in her faraway eyes. Although, it may have been only one kiss, the emotions pooling from the press of skin had the demon almost wanting to give into temptation as well; but this was far too important to be pushed aside after coming this far.

How could the situation change so suddenly? He could smell her wants clearly now as she weakly struggled against his hold, craving more. It was distracting.

"You've been ignoring me," He said again, the butler's eyes now half-lidded as his little master ran her pink tongue over her bottom lip without thought, tasting him.

Ichigo spotted the soft blush of her cheeks darken at the accusation, her eyes finally moving away from him. He couldn't help but be momentarily confused at Rukia's timidly actions.

His little master was strong and fierce but the remembrance of that night beneath the cherry blossom tree caused red to stain her cheeks in obvious shyness.

It all made sense now that he really considered the seemingly impossible.

The distance, the awkwardness…That night in the garden had…Embarrassed her!

Ichigo nearly wanted to laugh at his own stupidity for not noticing sooner.

He had taken her distance personally, thinking that it was her way of cutting off their relationship but the truth was… Rukia was embarrassed of the emotions she openly showed in his presence. Such actions were new to them and it seemed the noble hadn't known how to handle the events. Besides, they had always been driven by lust rather than the emotions they both displayed that night. It was no surprise, really.

His lord never wanted to show her weaknesses and a large part of the butler hated himself for not being emotionally able to carry her burden. He would just have to work harder to push their relationship to that level of trust.

"Don't push me away ever again, Rukia." The demon breathed lowly, fire burning in his eyes along with his desperate need for the human before him.

'We'll face it together.'

The little noble nodded softly in reply, not trusting her words to come out even and composed.

As Ichigo's lips descended onto hers once again, Rukia allowed herself to get lost in the man hovering over her. As their clothes were tossed aside, the material now a clear annoyance hiding skin from wandering eyes, masculine, growl-like moans and soft feminine whimpers filled the bedchambers.

As they moved, their bond deepened with ever teasing touch and press against heated flesh.

Together.

I wonder who those mysterious men were...Hmm...no, I actually already know :D xD

I'm going to be taking the time to really focus on writing out this story before posting but it could take some time. This might be the last update for a while but please be patient and keep sharing your thoughts/suggestions! See you next time!

Review! :D