A:N/ This story is mine to be honest, I just abandoned the previous account of mine cause of personal reasons and I loved this story the moment I wrote it, so I decided to put it up here.

Happy reading. The next and final chapter will be up tomorrow.

Pairing: Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki.

Promise: Broken

'You call that a drawing!'Ichigo pointed at her drawing paper and snickered wickedly, trying to piss her off. And by the looks on her face, he was succeeding. He watched in silent amusement as the girl in front of him balled her hands and landed him a painful fist in his head.

'THWAK'. The muscle in her temple was still twitching in annoyance.

Ichigo howled in pain, anger and laughter all at the same time. This girl knew how to land a bruising punch.

Ichigo glared at her and they started their usual fights about nothing and everything at the same time.

Rukia sighed and looked at the fresh picture she had drawn just about now. 'Ichigo would have laughed at this', she thought mentally,'And he'd have amde me angry and we'd have started a useless stupid fight. And after, we'd be in the floor, laughing till our stomach hurt.'

Oh what wouldn't she had given to have those crazy moments with him again.

'You see Ichigo, I'm improving', she said softly as she leaned back in her chair and let her tensed muscles relax as she closed her eyes. She still couldn't believe he was gone. She thought about that abnormal orange hair, that crazy attitude, the tender side of him that he didn't let anyone but her to see. How could he be gone.

She opened the window in front of her table and felt the evening air caress her face. Then she got up and eyed the clothes and the photographs of him on the bed. She couldn't let him go. She had kept them by her side just to feel close to him, even for a second.

She got to the bed and felt those green army clothes. The texture of clothes was rough against her soft skin. She took a whiff of smell, it smelled just like him. Without her knowledge, her favourite words escaped her lips,'Ichigo!'

She then rummaged through the photographs. Ichigo with his comrades in arms. The omnipresent furrow of his brows smoothed out as he smiled for the camera. It felt like forever as she looked, caressed and felt the last of Ichigo's belongings.

Before she turned off the lights to sleep, she thought she saw something orange move by.

'Great, and now I'm hallucinating', she thought as she slid into the bed, hugging his clothes. Too afraid to close her eyes to dream and too tired to take anymore of the loneliness that engulfed her being.

'Don't go Ichigo, please', she pleaded with tears in her eyes,'It's not your fight. You are an artitecht, a painter. You are not a fighter. Please Ichigo!'

'If it's my country's fight, then it's my fight Rukia. I may not be the greatest of the fighters but I can fight and they are going to need all the help they can get', Ichigo said with a tone of finality in his voice, looking anywhere else but her way.

'But Ichigo...', she trailed off. He had a good enough reason. He wanted to protect his country. It was a noble cause. What was she supposed to say to that.

'Rukia, please. Don't try to bind me to you. If you keep on going like that, my resolve will falter. It is our country and it's calling for me. I can't turn a deaf-ear to the call. Plus, what sort of person would I be, if I don't do this!', Ichigo finally rested his roaming eyes on Rukia. He looked her piercingly in the eyes and tried to pass along the message that was in his heart.

And Rukia understood. 'You hace already enrolled, haven't you?'

Ichigo nodded in confirmation. Rukia smiled despite her bleary eyes and hugged him,'I'm glad you are the man I love. Whatever you choose, I swear, I'll stand by you 100% and that's a promise. But promise me that you'll be back to me in one piece!' She tried to chuckle despite the tears.

'You love me'. Ichigo asked her, feeling happy. His hold on her tightening. He knew she cared for him and he was in love with her but with her, he had never dared to voice his feelings and she wasn't so vocal about her feelings either.

She giggled as she broke apart from him,'Yes!'

'All the more reasons for me to make it back home alive', he grinned as he enveloped her petite form again. 'I've got a surprise to give you anyway', he added mysteriously.

She asked him what the surprise was but he flat out refused to tell her,'Patience is a virtue Rukia', he would say looking at her expression.

And the day had come for him to leave. He had gotten accepted.

'Promise you'll return to me', she told him through the train-window.

'Promise!',he had sworn, his eyes glittering as the train stared to move.

He was the man of his words. He always managed to keep his promise despite all the odds. But this one, he couldn't. He had failed to keep the most important promise in his life. He didn't return to her. He had left her forever.

The sound of guns, bombs.

The smell of poisonous gases, rotting corpses, blood soaked Earth.

The sight of death, enmity.

The sacrifice of the patriots for the country.

They had stood their grounds and despite the odds, they had fought with all their might. They were all martyrs now but somehow Ichigo had managed to survive and had called for reinforcements. They will be here soon and the battle of this fort would be won by them.

The enemy had fought as valiantly and Ichigo respected them for that. Their reinforcements had been called and defeated. Ichigo was the sole survivor of the vicious battle. He'd seen so many of his fellow comrades and the enemy fall to their death. But it was for the nation's pride and it was worth it.

As the reinforcements arrived, Ichigo left his position and got to the battlefield to check if anyone was alive for the medical treatment. The reinforcements with the medical troop followed him.

And before he knew what was happening, he heard gunshots. A white hot searing pain started from his chest and he looked at his chest to see the green shirt bleeding red. Before he fell to the ground, his attacker fell first. Around 6-7 bullets deep seated in his body, the man spoke before he succumbed to Death.

'It was an honor fighting against you Captain Kurosaki!'

Ichigo realized what had happened. One of the opponents had hidden himself well, waiting him to show himself and BANG!

'I'm not going to fulfil my promise and my surprise', Ichigo thought. Ichigo's heart was in fire as he called one last time,'Renji!'before he followed his attacker's suit.

Before leaving his exhausted body, he told his lieutenant and his best friend in army Renji.'Get...letter...Rukia...a month from now...her birthday', was all he could manage and Rukia was all he could remember before he gave into numbness and breathed his last.

'Ichigo', Rukia jerked violently from her sleep. She had been having this dream a lot recently. Who was Renji? What was the letter all about? She thought wearily as she got up from the bed.

The window covers blew maddeningly. She could swear she had seen something black swirl at the window. She shook her head to clear her head. Today was her birthday. 'A birthday without Ichigo',she thought hollowly.

She felt her eyes pricking but didn't shed her tears. She'd promised to him, she wouldn't. Ichigo had sacrificed himself for the sake of the country and their country had won the war. He'd done it for the nation, for his pride and for the peace of everyone.

He had chosen his path and she was proud of what he had done with his lfe. It was for the greater good. A small smile, barely recognizable tugged at her lips as she made her way to the washroom.

She could feel someone had been following her a lot lately. She felt it but couldn't find who it was. Whoever he/she was, the person was so familiar with her.

It was about nine when the bell rang. On the door was the handsome tattooed redhead she had often seen in her dreams. Renji Abarai stood there. This was the same woman, the reigning queen of his Captain's heart. He had seen her in the pictures Ichigo often looked at.

Without further ado, he pulled out a thick letter from his pocket and handed it over to her,'Ichigo taichou wanted me to give this to you. And happy birthday, by the way!'

Rukia looked at the envelop with searching eyes and took it with trembling fingers. Letter from her dream. Were the dreams true then?

Renji eyed the beautiful raven haired and violet-orbed woman in front fo him. The woman, whose beauty was marred by the death of the man she loved. She had of course lost some weight, there was dark bags under her eyes and her eyes spoke of sadness. Rukia was oblivious to the stare that she was receiving from the redhead.

She opened Ichigo's letter slowly. Renji decided to leave the poor girl alone with the letter, give her some privacy and he left. It wasn't in his place to comfort the girl anyway. This was the girl who had managed to capture the heart of his most admired Captain.

Small other envelopes with names of rooms fell to the floor along with a set of keys. Rukia's feet started to tremble as she slid down to the floor, her feet unable to take the weight of her body. She opened the major letter. Ichigo's beautiful handwriting was scrawled all across the paper.

Oye Rukia, (Rukia smiled at the informal beginning, so Ichigo like, she noted pointlessly.)

Happy birthday love. Wow, my midget's getting old. I hope this year brings something really new and hopeful to you.(Rukia snorted at that. What hopeful thing will happen to you when the one person you love ends up dead!)

Now onto the purpose of this letter. You're reading this letter means that I'm not around anymore. The feeling of death really reaches out to you in a place like this and I'm afraid that I may not be able to keep my promise to you but I want my surprise delivered to you, this exact day. It was a dream I've created for you and for myself using your idea but you have to carry on without me.

The fact that I'm not with you doesn't mean that the world is over yet. You are the strongest person I know and hell you can even kick my arse. But there are certain things I want you to know and have.

I want you to know that you're not alone. Look in the sky and you'll find me hovering over the clouds, feel the wind and you'll find my caress, smell the air around and you'll find yourself filled by my love...

I want you to know that you were indeed loved. Don't be sad that I'm not around anymore. Be strong for me. Don't be angry of the choices that I've made because there are certain things that a man must do. There are many things that I'm sorry for. I'm sorry for leaving you and hurting you but I'm not sorry for loving you.

I hope you can get over me fast but before you do, I want you have the piece of my dream. I wanted to take you myself but now I guess I can't. Use the map and find the home I've made for you. Use the keys and open the letters with the name of the rooms on the respective room.

And lastly, I love you always...

Forever Yours,

Kurosaki Ichigo!

Rukia read and re-read the letter and took the mini-letters and the key that had earlier slid to the floor.

What was Ichigo up-to now?

And the Italics are Rukia's memories and bold one the dream Rukia had and also the reality. But I guess you have figured that one out..

Reviews are warmly welcomed...

~Rain