72WARNINGS: This is rated T for now because it will contain adult language, mature themes, and be as realistic as possible. It may in the future contain lemons but I promise to warn you about those beforehand.
Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. Not making a dime. But a girl can dream.
Author's Notes: Not much to say at this point except that I hope you thoroughly enjoy my take on what could be Ichigo and Rukia's future. One idea of many, of course. And I chose a really funny sounding title to keep the story from seeming too sweet or sappy or annoyingly perfect. That would so not be them.
I also want to quickly interject that I really, really didn't want to be one of those to assume Ichigo would do what his dad did as far as career. _ I seriously didn't want to. I don't see him being a doctor at all. But I do, however, see him being über loyal to his family and their business… Anyway, please read, review, and respond to my questions at the end!
Our Timing Sucks
Rukia groaned and forced herself out of bed. Pushing the soft, pale blue comforter and expensive white sheet away from her body, she lost valuable heat and lightly cursed the alarm. After giving it an adequate hit with her fist to turn off the insufferable sound, she shuffled sleepily over to the adjoining bathroom to the master bedroom.
Ichigo had already gotten up and left a few hours before. His hours in school and his clinical training forced him into adapting his internal clock to that of a morning person (by force, not by choice). He went to bed before her and got up before her. The raven-haired woman growled at that as she ran the hot water for her shower. They barely saw each other now. Most of her classes were in the afternoon and then she would report to her clinical training around dinner time.
Her husband was already well into his time at the well-respected Karakura University. He would confess willingly that he didn't imagine going into medicine, especially because he couldn't imagine living long enough to care. He honestly saw himself already in Soul Society by the time he was in his mid-twenties. But here he was, twenty-four years old, married to a shinigami 'princess' who had loved him enough ("You mean gullible enough, idiot," she had said, love clearly laced in her words.) to stay in the Living World and become, for all intents and purposes, a human. Oh her family had been none too pleased with her decision. Correction: her brother had been none too pleased. Everyone else's opinions be damned. But seeing her happy, smiling, and laughing without abandon, melted that frozen heart. Not that he had become a sap by any means but it did at least mean that her husband would not be under immediate threat of execution. As long as she stayed happy, that is.
But back to their life plans. Ichigo would finish his time in school to become a Physician's Assistant, specializing in traumatic injury, within a year and would take over an active role in his father's clinic while beginning his residency. He didn't want to go the route everyone expected him to go and become a medical doctor or specialize in an area of pediatrics. He may have been a nice guy, great older brother, and have a heart of gold but he couldn't foresee himself spending his entire career with sick or dying children that would turn him into a homicidal maniac. He knew that death wasn't the end, god how he knew it, but that didn't make watching young ones suffer any easier. It would have broken him for sure.
Besides, once his residency was over, he'd get great hours and be able to breath down his wife's neck more often. He had grinned when he told her his plans to bug her every second he could spare. She had pretended to be irritated and kicked his leg, bringing forth a curse and a glare from her over confident lover. But they both knew what she meant: "Good."
Her five-year life plan, on the other hand, kept getting interrupted and altered. She kept being called back to Soul Society for family or squad needs or called out to assist the undertrained shinigami looking after the city until she finally erupted in a fit of anger and told them to stop ruining her "happily ever after". She, along with Ichigo, would return to Soul Society as agreed after she had a fair shot at a human life with her husband. Living as a human, after all, was a short wait in relation to how long people lived in the afterlife. They could freakin' wait! And, of course, because she seems to have shitty luck, she had gotten her first human illness immediately following. She had to withdraw from that semester and recover from the flu before she could run around like a mad woman trying to catch up. Again. The only good part about that experience was just how wonderful her lover had been to her when she was ill.
So she had to keep altering her schooling to prevent her from falling too far behind Ichigo. He thought she was amusing as hell when she confessed to wanting to keep up with him. Not just for pride's sake, of course, but because she wanted to do things with him. But so much for that because she was still working on her bachelor's degree while he was already in graduate school. She had originally planned to work side-by-side with him in the clinic, despite never having been interested in the 'medical arts' before. But it wasn't about her interests or hobbies. It was about being with him, sharing responsibilities, supporting him, being a part of his family, being a team. And it was frustrating to no end that she couldn't, well shouldn't, use her memory modifier to stay caught up in her classes because the medical profession had this annoying habit of actually needing the person to know what the hell they were doing. Her kido could only do so much without raising suspicions…
"Dammit!" the woman pulled the nozzle away from her body as her skin took on a red-hue. The water had a horrible habit of heating up at odd intervals and burning her. She would be grateful when they could move into a house of their own rather than renting this apartment close to Ichigo's classes. There was a reason this place was so cheap. But she couldn't blame Ichigo for wanting to make it without assistance from her wealthy brother (despite his already generous contributions). She had actually been particularly surprised, impressed, turned on when she found out that he had been saving to support himself in the future throughout high school and, along with the trust created by his mother when he was born, they would be able to make it by without juggling employment with education.
But with how often she had to withdraw from classes and start over or change her major to try and accommodate the time frame she gave herself to graduate, she felt like a burden on him rather than a partner. She most certainly didn't feel like she had the time (or patience) to consider going on to PA school like he did now that she was at least three to four years behind him. So she changed it again. She moved her plan from double majoring in Biology and Chemistry (which, she believed, to be the devil incarnate) to simply Biology. Then it became, much to her horror, Nursing. At first she didn't mind since it was still medical, useful to the Kurosaki Clinic, and she'd at least graduate with one useful degree and not have to continue her education if life (or the dead) kept getting in the way. But then when Ichigo found out and practically ripped her clothes off – her new lab coat with the Nursing school's emblem and her baby pink colored scrubs – to have his way with his "sexy nurse", she found herself irritated. She didn't want to be lesser, an underling! She wanted to be equal!
But her sweet, orange-haired idiot made her feel better. He couldn't care less what she chose to major in, when she graduated, if she even worked… He just wanted her with him. Those sappy moments were so precious to her, despite not being able to handle the flattery or displays of affection well still. When she blushed and pushed him off, he knew. She, at least, no longer pummeled him for it.
And now here she was, getting dressed with little to no motivation, fatigue both mental and physical, wearing down on her, just telling her to take the day off. Now, Rukia never shrugged off her duties, gave up, or gave in. Well, mostly never. But today? Well, she could make an exception. Screw classes today. Screw her resident Nursing Practitioner who would berate her for not showing to clinicals this evening. She was tired like she couldn't ever remember being. No matter how many times she was cut, stabbed, or impaled on one thing or another, she kept going. But this damn human body, human world, was wearing her thin!
With only her underwear, bra, and scrub shirt on, she collapsed back onto the warm, queen-sized, Western-style bed, barely having the energy to pull covers over herself before she lost herself to sleep again. The world could wait while she enjoyed a little more sleep, after all.
It was just after lunch time when Ichigo had finished with his lectures and came home to a quiet apartment. He decided to take an extended lunch break and be able to drop by Rukia's class to surprise her if he could get something in his stomach quick enough to meet her. Nothing made him smile quite like catching his little soul reaper off-guard and seeing her eyes go wide and catching the gasp from her lips. Ichigo smirked to himself with just that thought.
He shrugged off his light jacket, kicked off his shoes into the corner of the foyer, ran his hand through his hair once, and dropped his wallet and keys on the entryway table before taking long strides to the other side of the living area where the kitchen was located. That's when he spotted Rukia's set of keys on the kitchen table, her little white and pink Chappy the rabbit keychain hanging off the main ring.
So she didn't leave today? he wondered. Part of him worried that she had fallen ill again but then the other part of him grinned from ear to ear to think that he'd be able to pounce on her that much more easily. Ignoring food for now, he lowered his reiatsu and quietly stepped toward the bedroom.
It was easy to be quiet in socks on a carpeted floor, plus it didn't hurt to be Kurosaki Ichigo, shinigami extraordinaire. He reached out a long arm and gently pushed the bedroom door open slowly before leaning his head in to search for his partner. His dark amber eyes found her fast asleep in the bed, her towel from her morning shower forgotten on the floor next to it.
Stepping into the dimly lit room, the curtains pulled tight over the single window to block out as much sun as possible, he neared the bed. Nearly his love's entire body was hidden beneath the sheets, the soft, still somewhat damp black hair poking out of the top and splayed over the pillow. It may have started off short years ago when she up and decided to cut it off after their nearly two year absence from each other (not that he minded the change because it made her look, well, sexy) but now that she was incredibly busy and insanely distracted by everything else in life, she barely remembered to even get it trimmed. It now hung down just below her shoulders and loved to cling to her cheeks. She'd curse at it for being in her way but she'd blush and smile when it gave Ichigo something to play with or grab onto.
Ichigo, on the other hand, occasionally let his grooming go out of laziness but never let it reach far onto his neck before it drove him crazy. He'd never cut so short that his bossy lady couldn't grab on to, of course, but having it itch the lower part of his neck was just not going to happen. Something else he could do without is the need to have to shave. Not that he was hairy like his old man or anything but remembering his high school days without needing the extra time in the morning to do so was nostalgic. And that chore was necessary because Rukia's soft skin didn't agree with bristliness. And let's be honest, he'd shave his body or dye his hair if it meant he'd get to be close to that noble brat. He was just thankful he didn't have to resort to either one of those.
The orange-haired man began to rethink his plan of attack. She just seemed too peaceful to simply jump on her and he felt a twinge of guilt for even thinking it. But it was definitely too good an opportunity to not do something. So he compromised with himself and ever so silently slipped into the bed, under the covers, right behind the slumbering woman. Gingerly, he replaced the sheet and comforter on top of them both, snaking his left arm around the body of the woman next to him and pressing her close to his.
He began to massage the slim but firm hipbone of his 'prey', giving an appreciative hum against her hair that she was wearing nothing but underwear on her lower half. He then nuzzled her neck, leaving a trail of light, feathery kisses. While his ministrations were starting to get him in the mood, Rukia had yet to even budge. She normally only slept like the dead (no pun intended…) when something was wrong. Did she not sleep last night? Was she sick again? Was she just ignoring him?
Ichigo listened in closely to her breathing and scowled lightly. No, she was breathing steadily and serenely. She was definitely still asleep. His hand smoothed over her hip and onto her firm stomach, rubbing soothingly over the soft skin. It had only been a few years since she had donned a quality gigai with the sole purpose of her soul bonding to it. She had become human, complete with the effects of aging. They could both still exit their bodies if I really needed to (which they haven't) but it was to be avoided if possible. Rukia had to sit in on a feature film length lecture from Urahara he called "Taking Care of Your Gigai: Becoming Human". She didn't even fully disclose to him what Hat-n-Clogs had discussed with her but he figured it was mostly useless, perverted information from the blush that had been on her fair cheeks.
But he did find himself appreciating his love's form more and more as time passed. Appreciating, loving, lusting, etc. Whatever you want to call it. She was always beautiful, of course, but now that her physical form wasn't caught in perpetual early teen years she was stunning. He had to beat other men off with sticks, visiting shinigami friends included, and made sure to flash her rings around when necessary.
Her breasts were round and full, though still quite modest. She had always been self-conscious about that but he strove to convince her that he didn't require nor desire her to have a cartoonishly large chest. That would be ridiculous, intimidating, as well as a hassle. Then there were her hips and ass. Oh how he especially adored them! She was still quite slender but her curves jutted out just enough to be quite alluring, especially when she wore tight skirts or jeans. And, well, she was still a midget. In his adulthood he reached a splendid five feet eleven inches. His gorgeous chibi, however, had only gained a few inches and maxed out at four feet eleven inches. That's right, he still towered over her – by an entire foot, actually. As did most of the adult population. But he loved her adorable stature and how tote-able that made her. He especially loved how that last part really got on her nerves.
The best part of her being in the Living World with him was that she was not forced to desert Soul Society to do so. For the first time probably in her entire existence, they did right by her. Once Rukia and himself passed on, whether or natural death or not, they would return to their soul form and return to Soul Society and to the Gotei13 with memories intact. He could forgive them all wrongs they had done to her for that one wish granted and the burden it lifted from her heart. He knew she would have chosen him anyway but he didn't want her to be hurt, be it sooner or later.
"Rukia," he didn't bother to whisper since he was trying to wake her up but he did limit his volume to a low, gentle tone. "Come on, short stuff. Wake up." He placed a few more wayward kisses on her neck, below her ear, then on her cheek. When he finally roused a sleepy groan from the petite woman, he smirked and couldn't help himself. "I could just take the comforter away, you know."
"Do it and I'll maim you, Berry," came the noble's reply, muffled through her pillow and the comforter she had pulled over her face. But her annoyance echoed through nonetheless.
"Well, that's not very loving." Ichigo tried to make his words sound hurt but rather failed, his amusement evident.
There was a pause before her voice broke the silence, sounding a little more awake this time. "…Do it and I'll maim you, husband."
'Husband' chuckled a bit and nuzzled back into her, allowing himself to freely caress her exposed skin now that she was conscious. "Everything ok, wife? I didn't expect you to be home, much less half dressed. Not that I'm complaining, mind you."
She slapped his roaming hand away from her body, albeit with fatigue, and rolled over to face him. She peered up through one tired eye at his suggestive smirk, too proud to admit it made her weak in the knees but too sleepy to give him what he wants. She always did like his smiles, whatever the mood. He had a way of grinning with his whole face, that wide mouth portraying joy, lust, amusement, sarcasm, and contentment. And when you pair that with his sharp, piercing, honey-colored eyes, they could melt this Kuchiki's heart. Not that she'd say that kind of mushy stuff out loud. At least, not very often. Perhaps next year. Maybe.
"I don't think I slept well. Just really tired." Rukia kept her explanation brief as a yawn took over. She modestly held her hand up to her mouth to cover it, licking her lips after. Her lips were one of Ichigo's secret obsessions. Of course everyone swooned at her luxurious hair, her doe-like eyes, and her delicate hands. But that small, pouting mouth with her full lips were delectable. He especially loved how her top lip seemed just a bit plumper and gave her a sweet, innocent look. Well, when she wasn't cursing or injuring him, that is.
"How tired?" Ichigo lifted an eyebrow in subtle suggestion as to how they could be spending their lunch time.
"Too tired for that, you pervert." But she couldn't help the smile that graced her face. How could she really be that upset at her handsome idiot wanting her that much?
"That's too bad…" He kissed her forehead tenderly and started to slide out of the bed, chuckling when she groaned with displeasure at his leaving. "Want me to make you some lunch?"
"Pancakes?" the eager question came from under the covers.
"I said lunch, midget – Ow!" He rubbed his thigh on the spot where her leg shot out from the sheets to give him a swift kick. "Hey, I didn't get what I wanted so why should you?"
"Are you bribing me for sex with pancakes?" Her face finally freed itself completely from the comforter and simultaneously glared and inquired at the other person in the room in near abhorrence, though not very genuine.
"You make it sound like a bad thing – OW!" He rubbed his thigh again and stepped out of the room before pointing an accusatory finger at her. "Dammit, Rukia! That hurts! You almost hit a very sensitive spot."
Ah, their bickering. They both loved it. Their lovers' quarrels, their verbal foreplay. It was downright homey. She finally sat up in the bed, her hair tousled and unequivocally sexy, and smirked at him. "You mean I missed?"
He glowered and appeared to be readying himself to attack her. But after a thorough growl in her direction he sighed and straightened up, leaning against the doorframe, clearing his throat. "Yes, I guess you did. Your aim just isn't what it used to be." He grinned and caught the alarm clock she attempted to hurl at him, enjoying the fury on her beautiful face. "But the best part? I will definitely be getting what I want today while you most likely won't be getting yours." He chuckled and left for the kitchen, knowing when he was pushing the limits and when to make a quick exit.
As he placed the alarm clock on the kitchen table, he could hear her cursing him in the bedroom as she pulled herself out of bed. He hoped she knew that if she didn't put some clothes on her lower half before joining him, he'd be getting what he wanted sooner rather than later. Too bad, he thought as she entered the kitchen and snuck a glance over his shoulder. She did put on some of her jeans. But at least they were rather snug and ripped once on the left thigh and on the right knee, revealing glimpses of smooth, milky skin.
Damn her husband and his confidence, his arrogance, his cockiness! And double damn him for it all being well earned! Before she could gather her thoughts to attack his retreating form, she found herself appreciating the view. From his broad shoulders to his slim hips to his perfect rear end to his long, strong legs. All of his training, his fighting, and even nowadays as he stays in great shape by working out with her, his body was magnificent. It wasn't too bulky or unseemly and it wasn't lanky or un-sculpted. And that was all for her. Not that it would be a bad thing for him to 'win' this argument but she really didn't like to lose. Either way, letting him leave thinking he's gotten away with something was enough to irritate her.
But then, this was all foreplay to them. She fought a smile as she pulled on her ripped jeans. She knew how much he liked them and would at least tease him a bit since he probably was going to get what he wanted later. She ran her fingers through her unruly hair in an attempt to tame it while she exited the bedroom in search of her man – er, the food.
"So, you're skipping classes today, I take it?" he asked her in amusement as he dumped some leftover curry in a hot pan and began to stir it with purpose, the sizzling and scent filling the small kitchen.
"Pretty much," she smiled, sliding onto the counter near, but not next to, the stove where Ichigo was cooking for them. She watched him push around the food by the wooden spoon with careful precision. She was hungrier than she originally thought. Leaning to the other side of herself she reached into a little jar on the counter that had some of her favorite snack crackers hidden inside and she slowly chewed on one while waiting for Ichigo to feed her.
"What's the occasion?" The food thoroughly heated through, he began to dish it out into two bowls he had already pulled out of the cupboard.
"Why does there need to be an occasion?" She was feigning innocence, of course, even having to turn her head away from him to hide her slight smile, her fingers returning to her scrub top, smoothing out the wrinkles from her impromptu nap and brushing off the small crumbs from her cracker.
"Because you don't cut classes." He then smirked handsomely, pushing her knees apart and stepping in between her legs to nuzzle into her neck, his body pressed into hers, and added, "And I may want to join you."
"I bet you do," she tried to mumble sarcastically but it came out in a breathy hushed tone as she reacted to his affections on her skin. "But you need to go to work and be the bread winner so that you can buy me Chappy stuff." He growled at that and pushed further into her warm body, making sure she could feel as much of him as possible. "Hey, fool! Stop it and feed me!"
Ichigo gave her delicate skin one more nip before pulling away just enough to push a bowl of curry into her waiting hands. They ate in relative silence, Rukia still perched on the counter and Ichigo turned to the side to rest his hip on it between her legs.
"You know…" Rukia said softly between her last few bites. "I supposed I wouldn't complain if you were to play hooky with me just this once. It is Friday, after all."
"I knew you couldn't resist me," the orange-haired man smirked and set his empty bowl and chop-sticks to the side. "Oof!"
Rukia had pushed her empty bowl into his gut to cut off his arrogance and smirked as her arms crossed over her chest. "Actually, I was thinking it would be a good a time as any to go visit your family for dinner without giving up your 'precious weekend'." When her partner's face fell she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "For one, your father has been blowing up my phone about what a failure his son/my husband is for keeping me from visiting for the better part of a month. But I also got a message from Yuzu that Karin will even be arriving at some point today from Tokyo."
"Family guilt. Nice, Rukia. Nice." The sarcasm was heavy and she could tell that it was working. He sighed in defeat. He felt that they barely had time with each other, let alone enough time to drive clear across town to spare some of their free time with his crazy father. But that really wasn't fair to Yuzu now that he was forced to think about it. After his sisters graduated high school, Karin had high-tailed it out of Karakura as fast she could to a university in Tokyo. She earned herself a soccer scholarship and was studying journalism.
Yuzu was a student at Karakura Community near his childhood home, as she was nearly single-handedly supporting their father and his clinic while she worked on her own nursing degree. Ichigo had tried to convince her to leave home and go to one of the country's leading culinary schools but she felt too guilty to leave her father considering she knew Karin really didn't want to stay in town. Not that she wasn't good at her school work or enjoy caring for the sick or injured but her heart wasn't in it the same as when she was in the kitchen. Rukia was a big advocate for her transferring out and didn't want to see her 'little sister' give up a dream merely because she felt she'd be abandoning her family, which had Ichigo rolling his eyes of course.
"Now don't you think that's just a bit hypocritical, Rukia? OW! Dammit! What was that for?" Ichigo held his gut from where his newly married wife punched him and glared at her forcefully under his brightly colored bangs.
"For calling me a hypocrite!"
"Well, it's true! Do you remember what we went through – what I went through – to get you to be with me all because of your stupid subservience to the Kuchiki clan? OW! Stop doing that!" Rukia was actually snickering at him!
"That was entirely different, idiot. Besides, you shouldn't be complaining about that at this point. You got what you wanted, right?" The dark-haired woman was completely caught off guard when her husband threw her over his shoulder and stomped to their room rather than snap a comeback at her. She was also surprised when he told her what he wanted. Well, it started as surprised and then made its way to amused and then excited. And then, quite some time later, exhausted.
"You already told them we'd be there, didn't you?" Ichigo groaned and rubbed his palm on his face.
"Well, I didn't know for sure. You should be going to the hospital this evening, after all." Rukia grinned, leaning back on her arms on the counter, pushing her chest out. "But I did kinda guess that you'd want to follow me when you saw I wasn't going to classes."
"You are a sneaky bitch, you know that?" His glare could have started a fire if it were used on anyone other than his lover.
"And you love me," she shrugged and poked him in the forehead. She merely smirked at him but she was giddy on the inside. Not only did she never get tired of winning but she was actually excited about going back home for a visit.
Home.
It even sounded wonderful. Home to her extended family. And it didn't hurt that she'd get to see Ichigo get all riled up when his father jumped on him. Amusing and loving. A perfect family for a Kuchiki turned Kurosaki.
So now that I've gotten the first part completed (and so much more already planned in my head), I'm wondering what people think. Besides just reviewing to tell me what you thought of my style, set-up, characterization, etc. answer something for me (if you will). I know so many people are going to be missing all the fanservice of their relationship leading up to already being married. (I know because that's me too!) 1. So would you rather I include flashbacks in this story? Or create a couple of one-shots to accompany it? Or eventually get to a separate chapter story that is meant to be a prequel to this one? How would you like your Ichiruki poison? ^_~
(I'm leaning toward creating a prequel… Though maybe I really should have created that first… Geez, I'm all backward. But you get to decide!)
2. Also, do people want me to pair Uryuu with Orihime? I'm undecided as of yet and I figure I'll go with the majority on this one…
Oh and since I know not everyone watches/reads the Japanese version of the story (or perhaps we're not all at the same spot of the story) here is a vocabulary list for you! I figured it'd be nice if someone did one, right? I'll include any terms or phrases used in that specific chapter.
shinigami – literally "death god", translated as soul reaper in English. It's similar to how we'll use "grim reaper".
kido – spirit (or demon) arts, essentially it's the 'magic' that allows for concentrated spiritual attacks or spells.
reiatsu – spiritual pressure or energy (though there is an even more detailed description of the difference between the two, we won't go into it). This is the power source of kido and general shinigami abilities, as well as the dear oddballs of our main characters' friends like Chad, Uryu, and Orihime.
gigai – the temporary physical body used in the Living World
Gotei 13 – The 13 Court Guard Squads (in the English dub)
chibi – Meaning little, short, miniature. It's either meant as very cutesy or a way of calling someone short/small and being diminutive.