It had been a week since Rukia had come back from Soul Society, and Ichigo was loving every minute of it. His attitude had changed from Hollow-like, to Chappy-like. His family was so surprised that Ichigo’s father even forgot his daily attack two days in a row. Rukia seemed to notice a change too and one night decided to ask Ichigo about it. 
“Ichigo, I have a question that I require an answer from you.”

“Shoot” Ichigo replied broadly while he was finishing up his homework for the night. Rukia plopped down on his bed which gave her a sharp look from Ichigo.
“Ichigo….why have you been acting so different lately?” Ichigo’s pencil suddenly snapped in his hands. “I mean, it’s like you are a totally different person. Before the whole Soul Society mishap, you where this depressed, modest acting kind of guy, but now, you seem so…happy”
“Well uhhh” Ichigo’s cheeks began to turn red, “You see…ah forget it, it’s something that I can’t explain.”
“Why not?” Rukia asked in her sweet innocent school girl charm.
“I just can’t. And quit it with that fake tone! It’s so annoying.” Rukia smiled.
“Then I guess it’s working just fine.” 
That night, Rukia couldn’t sleep. She had been wondering about Ichigo’s sudden change in personality all night and could not seem to come to a conclusion. She slowly opened the closet door and just sat there watching Ichigo sleep. Ever since Ichigo had come to save her, Rukia had been awakened to deep emotions toward strawberry head that had been locked away by the pressures of her job. But now, she began to look at Ichigo in a new way. The way that his hair gleamed in the light, the way that his eyebrows bunched together when he knew a joke had been made about him….Rukia let out a deep sigh and went over to his bed side. She watched him breath in and out over and over again in the peacefulness of the night. She sat down on the edge of the bed side and gazed at Ichigo with a deep longing in her eyes. At that moment, a moon beam came down from the sky and pierced Ichigo’s face, and for that second, Rukia knew that she had fallen in love with a human. 
In that same moment, Ichigo stirred and woke up. Rukia’s body tensed up and waited for the yelling that was sure to follow, but for some reason Ichigo didn’t yell. Instead…he seemed concerned.
“Rukia! What’s wrong? Are you ok?” Ichigo asked with deepness that Rukia had never seen before. There was a deep feeling of concern emitting from his eyes that grasped her senses until she was brought back to reality from a hard punch to the shoulder. “I said, are you ok Rukia!”
‘At least I know that he hasn’t completely changed’ thought Rukia. “Uuuuuuuuuuuuuh yeah! Everything is ok. Ummm there was just a…..just a….Hollow! yes, there was just a hollow that I was just about to go deal with”
“Hold up! I’ll get ready.” Ichigo eagerly responded.
“NO! no, that’s quite alright, I can handle it!” Rukia almost screamed back all the while she was beginning to blush.
“Are you sure?” Ichigo asked with yet again concern. Rukia was beginning to think that Ichigo had been replaced with some modified soul because he was acting like a whole new person.
“YEAH! Of course I can handle it! It’s just a wimpy hollow” Rukia said with a frown on her face.
“Alright….but be careful, I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you” Ichigo said as he flipped back over and began to snore. Rukia rushed out of the room leaving her gigai on the floor. She didn’t want Ichigo to see her now red face.
‘And I call Ichigo a strawberry head’ Rukia thought to herself. She jumped out of the window and ran to the river side. She sat down and thought about Ichigo. ‘Why can’t I even function without turning red when I’m around him? Do I really love him that much?’ Rukia asked herself. ‘There was no reason for me to come back that involved my work….I only came back because it was painful to be away from him…I can’t help but say it, but…’ “I’M IN LOVE WITH ICHIGO!” shouted Rukia to the birds and the fish in the river. It felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. To be able to shout it out to the world seemed to give her comfort and reassurance.