Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Pairing: IchiRuki, kinda RukiKaien
Spoilers: Volume 3, and Kaien arc
Word Count: 821
Under the Moonlight
By PaintedTyrant
Rain. Death. Fragments of a forgotten childhood.
Kurosaki Ichigo flipped over onto his back. A week after the Grand Fisher incident and he still couldn't sleep at night. There were too many things to think about; too many questions, not enough answers.
Simply put, Kurosaki Ichigo was frustrated. He couldn't sleep, he had too much to think about, and that… that witch in his closet was snoring. Yes, definitely bad.
At times like this, Ichigo would always look to the moon for guidance. It had been said that the serenity and beauty of the moon could comfort any troubled soul. To Ichigo though, it meant so much more.
When he was younger, he had always complained when his mother came to tuck him into bed. He appreciated the gesture, he really did, but it was the knowledge that for the next eight hours, his mother wouldn't be with him that made him anxious. As a result, his complaining worsened, and soon, he started to cry as well.
He wanted to be with her all the time.
Eventually, Masaki decided that something had to be done. She knew that Ichigo wasn't worried about himself, he was worried about her. After all, he had told her many times before that she was the one person he wanted to protect. The meaning of his name wasn't lost upon him.
As his mother though, she wanted to protect him too… and so she told him a story.
Once upon a long, long time ago, before there was night and day, the sun and moon were enemies, battling for the love of the earth.
The sun would always remain in the sky, while the moon would do the same.
The sun, which was moon refused to back down. It thought that it deserved the earth's love much more than the moon did. Nothing could get in its way.
The moon, on the other hand, was calmer - but it was just as competitive.
However, one day, the sun was not able to shine. Even though they were rivals, the moon was still worried. It told the sun to rest for a while. The sun was angry but complied with the moon's wishes anyway.
The earth was covered in darkness, save for the small circle of light in the black sky. The moon did not have the time to rest and the light that previously emanated began to dim.
Fortunately, the sun was rejuvenated and took over the task of bringing light into the world again, giving the moon time to rest.
After that incident, the sun and moon would take turns protecting their beloved earth from the bitter darkness, while the earth watched over them in turn.
Their everlasting love for each other continues today. You can see it every time your gaze falls upon the sky (1).
By the time she finished telling the story, Ichigo had already fallen asleep, transported to the world of dreams where he was the earth, who loved both the sun and moon.
The words his mother whispered to him as she pulled his blanket up to his chin resounded in the halls of his mind.
I will watch you through the moon.
Tonight, however, the moon was hidden behind some clouds. Ichigo continued to lie awake.
Suddenly, the snores he heard before were replaced with sobs. Making his way towards the closet, Ichigo couldn't help but wonder why Rukia was crying, especially in her sleep. That is, if he really did hear the sobs.
As he opened the closet door, he was met with the sight of Rukia hugging her blanket tightly against her chest. Her body shook with every cry she produced.
Leaning a bit closer, Ichigo heard her mumble something but he couldn't quite make out what she was saying, though he was sure he heard her say "Kaien", then "hollow", then "sorry".
She was still saying sorry.
Before he could lean in to wake her up, he felt himself being pulled down and soon found himself staring at Rukia's closed eyelids. Slowly, his mind registered that she was kissing him… and that he couldn't bring himself to pull out of it. He panicked.
In a few moments, it was over. Rukia was sleeping peacefully again and her snoring returned. Ichigo was glad that she recovered from whatever dream she had, but a part of him wished that the kiss had gone on longer.
On the way back to his bed, he saw that the moon had emerged from behind the clouds. He noticed that it was a full moon.
When Rukia opened the closet door in the morning, she saw a smiling Ichigo. Though seeing Ichigo smile was a pleasant surprise, she couldn't stop herself from asking him what had happened to make him so cheerful.
He looked at her then and casually said the nothing had happened, and continued to smile.
I found another moon.
(1) This story is from my imagination. It probably doesn't make sense. Forgive me.
I'm not sure if I managed to get the point about Masaki being the sun and moon, and Ichigo being the earth across. And the implications that come along with it of course. Also, the lines are annoying.
Reviews are appreciated, though unnecessary.