How to die
Summary: "Don't die alone, don't die with regrets and don't die in the rain." Ichigo asks Rukia a question and her answer catches him off guard. It leads to a conversation and understanding the other's pain. Slight IchiRuki I guess.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any related characters/content.
"How do you want me to die?"
Rukia choked on the juice she'd been sipping and after a small coughing fit, stared up at the orange haired teen in shock, her violet eyes wide with a hint of fear in them.
"W...wh...what?" she spluttered.
Ichigo looked at her, his mahogany orbs dark and serious.
It had been a perfectly normal day for them, standing atop the school rooftop during lunch break and keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. She'd been nonchalantly sipping on one of the juice boxes she'd grown accustomed to drinking in the World of the Living, when Ichigo's question had made dark ripples in the calm waters of her mood.
"What do you mean?" she asked after a few minutes of awkward silence.
He didn't look at her when he replied, but merely continued to stare out onto the street below. "It's inevitable that I'm going to die one day, how do you want it to happen?"
"Ichigo..."
"I'm not so naïve that I believe myself invincible you know. I know I'm going to die like every other human has to eventually. I've just been thinking about it for a while now and wanted your opinion. You don't have to answer me if it makes you uncomfortable."
Rukia cast her gaze down to the street as well. "How would I want you to die, huh? I'm not sure but I know that nobody should ever die alone. You should try to spend your final moments with someone you cherish and if that's not possible, then anyone else will do. Just have someone other than Death itself bear witness to your passing."
Ichigo, eyes still cast down, nodded his head in agreement. The wind rustled through his spiky orange locks as his gaze settled on the people below, going about their day.
"Also, you shouldn't have any regrets when you die." Rukia continued softly.
Ichigo's eyes flitted to the right and briefly looked at her, lost in her thoughts, the juicebox forgotten on the concrete below, slowly leaking its contents. Rivers of yellow ran through the cracks and Ichigo settled on watching them slowly winding towards an unknown destination.
"You need to let go of everything when you die and you should tell the person with you that you have no regrets. Because if you don't let them know then they'll always wonder and then they won't be able to move on. And if you truly can't let go of your regret at the end then lie about it, because the only thing that still matters at that point is what you leave behind and not your own self."
This time Ichigo did look at her and what he saw caught him off guard. She was sitting down now, her back to the street, her eyes filled with sorrow and following the now dried up rivers.
"Rukia..."
"And whatever you do, Ichigo, don't die in the rain. Because I already can't stand the rain, if you died like that I..." she didn't finish her sentence and he glimpsed a tear trailing down her cheek.
"The rain is beautiful, don't soil it with the monstrousness of death." her voice was barely above a whisper but Ichigo still caught every word, deaf to everything else around him.
He knelt down and hesitantly wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You too, huh?"
She wasn't crying but her eyes were watery and her breath was shaky, so much so that she didn't notice his own trembling voice.
"Don't die alone, don't die with regrets and don't die in the rain. Got it. I promise you I will keep death at bay for however long it may take to fulfil those conditions. I promise you, Rukia, I won't kill the beauty of the rain."
AN: So there it is, my first oneshot. Hope you liked it and if you didn't tell me why so I can improve. I always thought it was kind of sad that both Ichigo and Rukia lost someone close to them in the rain. Both Ichigo's mother and Kaien died in the rain. (If I recall correctly.) Anyway please let me know what you thought.