STOP ME WHEN YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH

Huh, Well Now

Ichigo may or may not have scooped Rukia back into his arms and then abruptly left the shoten. Sue him, he just wants her to get the rest she deserves. Being gentle with her while jumping through his bedroom window on the second story was a little hard, but he made it up all the same. He tosses the bloody shihakusho robe over the back of his desk chair, and then tucks the small girl into his bed covers with Sode no Shirayuki. Rukia doesn't seem to mind in the least.

"Ichigo? Are you going to go back?" She asks in a cute, tired voice.

He gives her a small smile. "I'm going to have to. I'll be back in a few hours, so get some rest, okay?"

She nods her head sluggishly, shimming further into the covers. Her big, girlish eyes flutter shut, and he studies her for a short moment. She's so cute. God, he wants to climb into those covers with her.

"Don't you have to get going?" Rukia mumbles.

His ears burn. Yeah, he got caught. "Er - right."

Choosing a random shirt from his closet, he slips it on. He goes legs first out the window, yet finds him pausing. He glimpses back over his shoulder to get one more look at her.

"Ichigo."

"Sorry!"

He leaps out and practically shunpos away. Of course, it's only right that he's stopped by his normal human friends. He happened upon them at the worst time. Tatsuki reaches out, and snags his arm with her's. His feet nearly come out from underneath him.

"Tatsuki, what the hell?" He snaps.

"How could you move like that?" Keigo starts instead, a certain horror to his expression. "It's almost not human."

What? He takes a closer look at who's present. Only Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro. Good. The closer he looks, the more tired they look. They look... worried? It's a Sunday so they're in their casual clothes. That means they can't be here because he's missing school. Well, more school.

"What's wrong?" He changes the topic instead.

"What's wrong?" Mizuiro repeats with mild hysteria.

"I don't know, Ichigo. You tell us," Tatsuki growls.

"I-"

"If you say anything resembling 'I don't know,' I will hurt you," Tatsuki swears.

And, well, Ichigo snorts in humor. Not the best reaction to angry Tatsuki, but it happens anyway.

"Alright then. Come with me."

"What, really?" Keigo asks.

"Just like that? I thought you'd put up more of a fight," Mizuiro quirks an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm trying to use my head a little more," the ginger admits.

"Is Orihime with you?" Tatsuki demands, his arm still hooked in her's. Is she holding him hostage?

"Inoue? She's at the place where I'm heading."

"Really?"

"Yeah, so let's go."

Finally, she let's him go. He rubs his arm, making sure there's no damage. Huh, nice. Not even a bruise.

The four make their way to the shoten. Ichigo can tell that his friends are memorizing every step they take, every street they cross. Poor things. They go down the short, dirty alley that leads to the shoten, and he can hear his friends hold their breath. What do they think is going to happen?

Oh great. His dad is waiting for him on the porch. Fuck me, he curses.

"Ichigo, where's Rukia?" Isshin questions.