Title: On the line
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Character/Pairing: IchiRuki
Disclaimer: It's okay even if I don't own Bleach. IchiRuki is finally canon, so it's alright. Hahaha~ Look between the lines people! Even Kubo worships it! (God~ I must be dreaming~ :D)
Author's NOTE: Yo! It's my first time writing here in Bleach fandom but I've read something IchiRuki... four years ago. Hahaha~ so after four years I finally got courage to write something for my first ever favorite anime pairing so please be gentle :D
Black kimono, that's what he first see that night, flying with the wind against the moonlight. The first time he saw her. On that fated night, he never thought that the shinigami who he throws his desk at, is the one who he will save, nor the one who will fight with him by his side.
"Kuchiki Rukia..." she said, "... it's not Shinigami, it's Kuchiki Rukia,"
The moment he said his name - "Kurosaki Ichigo" - and pierces her sword on his chest, it's like he felt his constant world changing, that that world stopped and changed its rotation, facing the unexpected way. And after defeating the Hollow who tried to kill his beloved family, the completely acknowledge the presence of the unknown. Shinigami. And he accepts the fact that his world won't be like it used to.
'Hey, you know, this could be something,' he thought. But he let it slide, after all, he never believes on what romantics called 'destiny' nor what lunatics called 'fate'.
So one and a half year from that night, here he is, sitting with Renji and other Vice Captains and their Captains, Orihime, Ishida, and Chad in Kuchiki Mansion. They are celebrating their victory from Winter War. They defeated Aizen and his company and place back where the King's key should be. It was a month after the war. One month is used to defeat the remaining Hollows, repair both Soul Society and Karakura Town, heal many wounded Shinigamis and close down the connection between Karakura Town and Hueco Mundo.
"Oi, Ichigo! Having fun?" Renji turn to him.
"Hmm. Yeah." Ichigo give a slight nod.
"What's with that reaction? You're the hero! Drink!" Ikkaku give him a bottle of sake and some sweets.
"Oh, no. I'm still underage,"
"What's that? Feeling down? You're not lively," Renji asks. "Same as Rukia," he snorted.
"Oh, where's Rukia, by the way?" Ichigo noticed that she's not there even if it's her house. Orihime heard it, looked at Ichigo with eyes looking defeated. Ichigo doesn't even notice she's there even if they're in the same room while he noticed Rukia who isn't.
"Outside," Renji pointed his thumb outside; Ichigo followed it and saw Rukia in the front garden. Ichigo get up and went outside.
"What's that? You're giving him a chance. You already gave up?" Ikkaku moved closer to Renji.
He sighs. "As if I had a chance on her. I can't defeat a hero," Renji drunk his sake.
"Baka! Love and battle is not the same!" Ikkaku drunk his.
"They are. You're both fighting for what you want. In a battle, you're fighting for peace, in love, you're fighting for the person you want," Renji's eyes soften.
"Being heartbroken makes a stone a poet eh~. Well, drink your heart out! Let alcohol wash away the pain for a while!" Ikkaku give another bottle to Renji and he drinks it in one gulp.
"What is it Orihime? You're looking down," Matsumoto put her arms around Orihime's shoulder and asks.
"Matsumoto-san... I think I should give up," Orihime said. They are in the corner of the huge, noisy room so no one heard it.
"Why is it?" Matsumoto sit up straight and look at her eyes.
"I know, Kurosaki-kun would never notice me," she stared.
"He saved you,"
"Because he thinks it's because of him that I'm kidnapped,"
"He saves everybody,"
"Yes, he even sympathized his enemies," she smiled, "But, after all this mess, he's still looking for Kuchiki-san," Orihime's smile fades.
"What makes you give up?" Matsumoto moved beside her, looking on the wooden floor.
"Kuchuki-san is the one who changed Kurosaki-kun's world, and no can, not even me. And I can't defeat her with that strength,"
"You don't need brutal strength in love,"
"No, not that kind of strenght. I mean the strength to change Kurosaki-kun's life and world. I don't have that," Orihime accepted her defeat.
"Yo!" Ichigo sat down with her in the garden.
"Yo," Rukia said back.
"Why are you here? You should be partying," he asks.
"I should ask you back," she said without looking away from the moon.
"I can't drink," he made an excuse.
"I don't drink," she answers.
"What's wrong?" Ichigo knows her. When she's this silent, something's wrong.
A long silence.
He thinks she's debating to herself, if she'll tell her what's wrong or not. And he'll wait; after all, she waited for him too.
"Ichigo..." she started, Ichigo let a small sound telling her that he's listening. "Do you think I'm selfish if I say don't get hurt for anyone anymore?"
The question caught him off guard. The look at her with knotted eyebrows and she look at him with those eyes. Those eyes that says 'please'.
"Okay, I'll change the question... Will you don't get hurt for anyone anymore?"
Still, the question is hard.
"Ichigo, do you know how guilty I felt every time you lay unconscious, with Inoue or anyone healing you because you're a shinigami who always fight?"
"It's not your fault that I always fight," he said.
"It's my fault that you become a shinigami,"
'So that's it,' he thought.
"Do you regret making me a shinigami?" Ichigo asks, a bit hurt. 'If she regretted it, then it means she regret meeting me,' he thought.
A long silence, once again.
"I don't. What I regret is grabbing you in this mess," she said.
"That's the same,"
"No. Making you a shinigami and making you fight with us is not the same! If I'm just stronger..."
"You're strong," Ichigo said.
"I'm not. Even if I don't want to, I'm always relying on you," she said on a sad tone. 'It pains my pride,' she continues in her thoughts.
"Because I'm always here," he look at her and smile, his genuine smile that he only give to Rukia, "And it's my choice to help you or not, that's why from here on, all your objections about saving you or anyone is rejected," he smiles, she smiles.
"You're selfish,"
"I'm selfish," he admitted, "I can't afford to lose you,"
Rukia pull her right eye brow up and look at him.
"Oh, really?" she said while nodding and smiling.
"Yeah, you're the one who changes my everything, you're a person who I'm willing to put my life and pride on line just to save and be with you,"
"Sounds like a confession to me," she said while trying to hide her blush.
"I think I am," he said while he pull her close and give her a kiss.
"Now that I think of it," he said after the kiss, "maybe, you're jealous that I'm saving everyone," he smirks.
"I-I'm not!" she deny, blushing.
"Hehe, so how far did you get to?" a voice is heard," Matsumoto. Obviously, she's drunk; she may do anything in a second. She may tell anybody what she saw.
"M-Matsumoto! How long are you there?" Ichigo said while getting away from Rukia.
"Hmmmmm... Before you kiss. K-i-s-s~" she smiled playfully.
"What's with the commotion here?" and he came out, the greatest fear, Byakuya Kuchiki.
"B-Byakuya! / Nii-sama!" Ichigo and Rukia said in unison. Everyone else come out from the room, much to their surprise.
"Well~ Ichigo and Rukia are..." Rangiku started, everyone's ears are focused on her while their eyes are focused on Ichigo and Rukia, "kissing~" Oh My deathGod.
"What? You corrupted my sister's innocence, Kurosaki Ichigo. I must punish you," everyone hides, "Scatter, Senbunzakura,"
"Nii-sama! Wait!" Rukia shouted.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A/N: So how's that? I feel fresh after reading Love is a Journey by allero1990, it's an AU fic but its fun to read. So I'm very inspired. Please let me know what you think, this is unbeta-ed so there's many errors, I'm so sorry for that. Please review so I know if I should continue writing about IchiRuki or I'll just stay as a reader. Thank you :D