Isshin speaks with a somber, sharp exhale. "She…she was like a third daughter to me."
The sounds of Yuzu's sobbing gently echoes through the room, periodically punctuated by Karin's reassurances, though it is not too difficult to tell that she is rather shaken up too.
"She was a wonderful woman…who will be missed by many."
Orihime, too, is crying, a silent sparkle on her cheeks. Chad sits beside her, eyes closed in mourning. Uryū is off to the side, straight-faced. Those who knew him could tell he was upset, just better at hiding it.
"Fortunately, the death was quick: painless."
Keigo and Mizuiro along with other classmates sit in tight rows, still in shock. Even Ochi-sensei had shown up, a frown and gleam in her eyes revealing the distress of the death of a student.
"While it may not have been the most glorious way to go, she will remain in our memory for ages to come."
Ururu and Jinta stand off to the side, Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai behind them. Ururu too is sobbing quietly, while Jinta for once tries to offer some awkward comfort. The three adults of the group stand still, disbelief still flickering in their eyes, though a sense of reluctant acceptance is slowly winning.
"She was a wonderful daughter, a wonderful student…"
Kon sits silently beside the casket, refusing strongly to miss the funeral to the point that he agreed to be silent to attend.
"Though none of you knew where she came from, you were quick to welcome her, and bring her in as one of yourselves."
Even Don Kanonji attended, mourning quietly for the best friend of his number one pupil.
"With this said, would anyone like to say any last words for the deceased Kuchiki Rukia?"
Ichigo sat in the corner, face buried in his hands. He did not cry. He did not deserve to cry. He did this, just like with his mother. Why did he always screw everything up?
He sighs, slinking down in his chair. His hands slide down his face, revealing bloodshot eyes with dark bags.
Everything was so wrong. This shouldn't have happened. Rukia should still be here. They should be laughing joyously, they should be having fun.
He had to take that away from everyone.
"Was Ichigo's cousin informed yet?" Keigo whispered innocently.
Obliviously, Keigo made Ichigo slink even further into depression. He had yet to inform Byakuya or Renji, or well, anyone from Soul Society. They had wanted their own personal funeral before the one that would take place in Soul Society. Rukia's non-medium friends deserved that much.
Isshin stepped down from his pedestal, putting his hand on Ichigo's shoulder, "Don't blame yourself, Ichigo. We've been through this. Let us help."
But how could he not blame himself?
He was wrong when he said this was like his mom.
This was infinitely worse.
It started so innocently…
He was young then. It could be excused. Now, he was older. He should have known better.
…then snowballed uncontrollably.
He couldn't even remember what started it.
They were on vacation… In France.
It was a fight.
"I don't care! I'm tired of all your crap!"
"Fine! I'll leave then!"
"Then leave already!"
Their first major fight.
He had took Rukia there in a duel celebration; celebrating the return of his powers, and Rukia's promotion.
They were both worked up. It was something stupid, Ichigo was so sure of it. He just couldn't remember what it was. They had split ways, Ichigo walking off to the town, Rukia sprinting the opposite direction.
Ichigo walked along the sidewalk, glaring sharply at the ground. People chatted innocently, completely oblivious to the wrongs in Ichigo's life. Heck, even the sun glowed brightly, warming everything in its sweet embrace that felt so wrong. Why couldn't it be raining?
He had soon realized what a fool he was. How could he let something so foolish get between his friendship with Rukia? He turned around, planning on apologizing, but the damage was already done…
Ichigo sighs, the anger finally draining to exhaustion. He figures that must have been what caused the outburst between them. Getting across the seas was rather stressful, the two day trip filled with tension. It was one of those days that felt like everything had gone wrong.
Fortunately, knowing Rukia, she was already over it. They could make up, and everything would continue as if nothing happened.
He would even buy her an apology gift.
As he headed back to where they split up, a TV in one of the windows caught his attention. Of course, the commercial was in French, but the important part was that there were bunnies. The window of the store had a big picture of that bunny, which pointed to a display in the store. Figuring it was good enough, he entered the store.
As he picked up the bunny plush, he heard the signature siren of an ambulance fly by, and after wondering about it briefly, he discarded the thought, and proceeded to pay for the bunny.
He exited the store, but a scene on the TV caught his attention.
It was the news, a red bar with writing on it implying that it's breaking news or something otherwise important. It would be a rather pretty scene, a sharp point clawing out to a body of water, if it wasn't for the foreground. A bus was parked rather awkwardly on a sharp turn, as if it was trying to swerve without any space to. It was surrounded by police. The main part of the picture was the blood splattered over the bus, the ground, covering everything in its macabre embrace.
Ichigo shuddered. Now he knew what that ambulance was about.
It took a while for him to finally realize. Whether it was just because he did not notice, or because he denied it so subconsciously was a debate without end.
Ichigo walked quietly. He was quite a distance from that television set, but he couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension. It felt like something was missing. For the time being, they had borrowed special equipment that would allow them to have a spiritual-free trip, so perhaps the lack of spiritual energy was bothering him.
But why would that start bothering him just now?
He rubbed his forehead, and mutely realized that he should start looking for Rukia around here.
It would be so much easier to go to Soul Reaper form, seeing as they brought Kon for emergencies, but he'd have to go all the way back to the hotel, and that would probably just take more time.
He scratched an itch, still trying to shake that feeling of dread.
He scanned the crowd for that familiar crop of black hair, that yellow sundress that he hated so much.
There!
Ichigo rushed over, to realize that it was Rukia, just not physically.
He was confused to realize that it was a picture of her passport on TV.
He was even more confused to realize that it was a news channel.
It started to click when he realized that it was the same news channel as on the previous TV.
It really clicked when the screen flickered back to that bus.
No. No. No. It couldn't be.
But it was.
He had rushed to that scene immediately, following a helicopter that he saw high in the air.
But he was too late.
Everyone was too late.
"Rukia! Rukia! RUKIA!"
Where were the sirens? Why weren't the sirens going?
Why weren't they trying to save her?!
He had burst onto the scene, an almost unstoppable force.
It took four police officers to restrain him.
"Let go of me, damn it! RUKIA!"
He managed to push them to the side, and suddenly wished he never did.
He wished he never went on this vacation.
Perhaps if Rukia had died at the hands of a hollow, Ichigo could have handled this.
Perhaps if Rukia had died at the hands of an Arrancar.
Perhaps if Rukia had died doing what she loved.
But this scene…
Rukia sprawled on the ground—there wasn't much left, just a few scraps of that hated sundress were visible. The bus splattered with blood.
…It seemed so unnatural.
Why wasn't it raining? It always rained when these things happened.
From there, Ichigo was dead.
He remembers a rather nice young man, a translator that was helping the authorities sort out what had happened. He was kind, he really was. From the information that Ichigo had given him, the authorities had deduced that the distraught Rukia had fled from their argument, through a forest, and finally onto a street. The seldom used highway that she had ran onto was a rather sharp turn, preventing drivers from seeing what was there until it was too late.
It was just one of those things.
The bus driver had apologized extremely, seemingly even more worked up than Ichigo was. Ichigo could barely look into his haunted eyes.
Ichigo couldn't blame him.
It wasn't the man's fault.
It was his.
If he had never started that stupid argument…
If he had never let it escalate to that point…
It was hard to swallow. The disbelief rung loudly in his numb mind.
At one point, he could have sworn she was still alive.
Ichigo perked up suddenly, "Rukia?!"
The translator stopped in what he was saying, and looked at Ichigo, before having to suddenly restrain him.
"Let me go, she's alive!"
"No, she's not…," The translator informed him gently.
"I saw her!"
"No, you imagined it, sir…She's gone…you're in denial…"
Ichigo had slowly calmed back to the numb state, the rest of the trip passing in a blur. He had wanted to get home immediately, and booked the quickest flight back.
Isshin pats his shoulder again, snapping Ichigo out of his thoughts. "It's your turn, Ichigo."
Ichigo shook his head mutely.
"You'll regret it if you don't…"
Realizing it as the truth, Ichigo stood up, and walked to the pedestal.
And, he talked.
He talked about the good times, he talked about the bad times.
He talked about how they couldn't stand each other, and yet had one of the strongest bonds together.
He talked about how they met abruptly, how she crashed into his life.
He talked about how they adventured together and grew close.
He talked about how much he regretted that this happened.
And above all…
He talked about how much he would miss her.
He walked back to his seat. He didn't feel very numb anymore.
It was finally crashing in, everything falling to a state of finality.
Isshin went to the pedestal, and said the final words.
"May the deceased rest in peace."
Finally, the ice was broken.
Yuzu's quiet sobs break into full tears, as Karin continues to comfort her, though she seems to be rather close to breaking down too.
Orihime starts to sob, Chad quietly putting his arm around her. His expression hasn't changed, yet he somehow makes it clear that it finally sunk in too. Uryū finally makes a face, a depressed grimace that tells he's been through this before.
Keigo and Mizuiro start crying, though it's not as pronounced as the others. Various other classmates start too also, mainly the females that got to know Rukia rather well. Ochi-sensei isn't crying, though her eyes are lined with that glaze that shows she might start.
Ururu too breaks into full tears, tightly holding on to a distressed Jinta. Behind them, Urahara and Yoruichi finally lost all sense of disbelief, eyes closed in silence. Tessai's expression hasn't changed, but it's just in his aura that he's upset, plus, if one looked closely, they could see a single tear.
Kon, too, has a tear, despite his existence as a plush toy.
Don Kanonji sat down, even the proud hero overwhelmed by emotion.
The tears for Ichigo finally started, despite his whole attempt to not cry.
He didn't deserve it…
He didn't, damn it…
"Baka."
Ichigo's head snapped up.
"Don't you know that when a Gigai dies, the Soul Reaper is just freed?"