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From the outside Ichigo and Rukia may seem like very verbal people. They do tend to argue...a lot; but that doesn't mean they can't appreciate things, especially each other without verbalizing it.
It's the small things.
In the morning she slowly slides her closet door open and tip-toes into his bedroom. She walks over to his still sleeping self and plants a kiss on his forehead, his nose, and lastly on the lips.
By the time his eyes flutter open he is welcomed to an empty room.
Yet he still smiles.
As they walk to school they hands intertwine for brief instances, instances where no one can see them. They quickly unclasp as they run into Orihime, Ishida. and Chad.
It can be their own secret.
During lunch he brings the juicebox that she loves.
She decides to get the strawberry cake from the cafeteria which he always craves for.
They are two distinct halves that always seem to fit together.
They fight Hollows, and when Ichigo sustains a bad cut on his leg, she runs over.
The concern in her eyes seems almost surreal. He never sees that look anywhere else.
She really does care. It took him a long time to realize that.
Sometimes at night he has nightmares. She notices.
On those nights she walks out of her makeshift bed and crawls in with him.
Running her hands though his hair, she calms him and gently wakes him up.
"It's okay," she murmurs, so softly that only he can hear.
"Rukia..." he whispers, clutching onto her Chappy pajamas with such force that it almost causes her pain.
She gently kisses his forehead.
"Relax Ichigo," she says, adjusting herself so that they are eye-level. His eyes are filled with tears.
"I love you," he says, his voice so full of raw emotion that it sends a chill up Rukia's spine.
"I love you too," she calmly responds, enveloping him in a hug.
Minimal words but maximum impact.
Moonlight shined through the window as the clock read 3:23 A.M..
They both slept peacefully now, bodies intertwined.
The moment was still, quiet, and perhaps most importantly, theirs.