Pride (IchiRuki Fanfiction) 💗

Part 8

"Hey. You are back." Ichigo greeted Rukia when she entered his room.
"Hey. Guess I am." She replied and put the bag full of her clothes on floor.
She slowly went up to Ichigo's closet, sliding its door sideways.
"How was your sleepover at Orihime's?" He asked her.
"Very good, thanks. We had a lot of fun together. Orihime's a nice girl." Rukia stated.
"Yeah. She certainly is." Ichigo agreed.
An awkward silence took over. To stop the awkwardness, Rukia spoke to him again.
"So...I see you haven't used this closet while I was gone." She noticed.
"Well yeah...You were gone only for a day, so what's the use of putting stuff inside when I would have to take it out the next day anyway..." Ichigo said and Rukia wanted to hit herself for saying such a random thing to him, not even thinking it through before saying it out loud.
"Fair point. Um...How was your day?" She tried to change the topic.
"Pretty normal. Nothing happened. No Hollows appeared while you were gone in this area." He said.
"That's good to know. Orihime's house is pretty far away from yours, so even if some Hollows did appear, I wouldn't have been able to sense their presence from that far away. I was quite worried though." She admitted.
"Why?" He asked her, curiously.
"Well...I was scared...that something could happen to you. And to your family." She told him the truth.
"You never have to be scared for me or for my family. Even if Hollows did appear, I would have handled them pretty well on my own. You know that." He stated, being mad at her for underestimating his abilities.
"Yeah...It's just that lately...I haven't been able to calm down completely. I am constantly worried that something might happen to you, to your family, our friends, this town...It's scary. We never know what Aizen could think of. He's powerful." She admitted that she was scared of Aizen.
"Rukia. Aizen sure is powerful as heck, but he wouldn't win against us, because so are we. You may not realize this yourself, but you are quite a potential when it comes to sword play and it's good to have you on our side. Aizen pays prices for his people to stay with him while we don't have to do that. His people are very likely to betray him any time for a better deal, while we would never dream of doing such a thing as betraying each other. And that's because WE are a team. But before that, we are friends and that's where the true value lies. Aizen doesn't have any friends and that's why he will constantly be living in a fear. You, however, shouldn't be scared of anything because you know that I would never let anything happen to you!" He stated and looked her deeply in her eyes while holding her hands.
"I know, but...Just the thought of not being able to help people...Seeing them get hurt in front of my own eyes...Not being able to protect them...That would destroy me." She said and looked away.
"Hey. Look at me. I know. That's why we have each other, right? You and I could do anything. We will defeat Aizen together one day. All of us. I don't know how and I don't know when, but I do know that we will definitely defeat him. You just have to trust me, Rukia." He said and looked at her softly while he held her hand. For the first time in a while, she didn't feel the need to hide. She was out there in her true form. A vulnerable little girl that hides under a mask of a tough Hollow slayer. And she didn't feel exposed. Ichigo's words comforted her being and for the first time in a while, she felt safe. But that wasn't the only thing that she felt. Many emotions were going on inside of her and all of them were caused by Ichigo's soft words and soft touch. Her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty, her knees were clenching and she felt nervous. Only he could make her feel this way. Only he had this effect on her. The tension was building up between them and the atmosphere in the room became quite stuffy. She turned around to face him, when he looked at her. She trembled.
"Is something wrong?" He asked her.
"N-No, everything's perfect. " She lied.
"You are trembling." He said, knowing she was lying to him.
"It's cold in here, after all. Your room is always chilly. Especially in winter." Rukia made the most common excuse ever.
"Well you shouldn't be wearing a T-shirt in winter time, you idiot. Let me get you my hoodie." Ichigo got up and went to his wardrobe.
"No, it's fine, you don't have to." She said.
"I am not letting you freeze tonight. That closet of mine that you sleep in every night...It's quite cold itself, plus it's tiny which makes it really uncomfortable for you to sleep in there." He said.
"So? It's not like I have a better option." She stated.
"You do. My bed would be perfect." He said.
"What?!? Where would you sleep then?" She asked while blushing.
"In my bed, with you. My bed is just the right size to be used by two persons and besides, it's much more warmer and comfy then that stupid old closet, don't you think so?" He said.
"Yeah, that's true, but still..." She said reluctantly, looking away with her cheeks still red.
"Oh, I see. It bothers you because I am a guy. But if you were to sleep in my bed with me tonight, I wouldn't mind. And I certainly wouldn't do anything to you because I am not interested in you that way, so you wouldn't have to worry. In the end, the choice is yours so just do whatever you prefer." He said. She got a bit offended when he told her he doesn't find her attractive in that way, but she couldn't blame him. She was never feminine and girly around him. She was always being very loud, yelling at him, kicking him and being aggressive. No wonder he doesn't like me. I wonder...What kind of girls does Ichigo like?
She thought.
"Well, if you are fine with me sharing a bed with you then yes, I do accept it, but under one condition only." She stated.
"Okay, let's hear your ground rules." He said ironically.
"Touching in any shape or form is strictly forbidden and if you attempt to do so, I will be violent." She warned him.
"Jeez, Rukia. Chill out. As if I would touch you." He said, laughing.
"So we are agreed then?" She asked.
"Yes, we are. Deal." He said. So the deal was made.