Disclaimer: Bleach and all its wonderful characters belong to Tite Kubo
Notes: This is a written version of that river scene in episode 342, but since this is fanfiction...I get the liberty to insert and manipulate how they feel ^^ So don't worry, it's not exactly the same because I added some parts as well :)

Enjoy!

The water was a shimmering plane of cobalt.

Scattered pieces of driftwood bobbed to the surface and lazily streamed down the current. Every now and then, Rukia would spot a pair of dragonflies soaring right above the mirror of blue. Their delicate wings shone flecks of amber as they circled each other and disappeared into the sky.

Across the river, she could see the city bustling with cheerful shoppers and children. The winter sun kissed the tip of her nose, dusting a faint tint of blush over her skin. She inhaled deeply as a sharp breeze flew in from behind. Loose strands of hair escaped from her pink scarf.

Rukia absent-mindedly tried to tuck them back in, but her efforts did little to help. She finally gave up in exasperation and allowed the wind to do what it willed to her hair.

A faint sigh blew out from the corners of her lips. She knew it was foolish for her to feel this way, but she couldn't help it. Ichigo's reiatsu was growing fainter with each day, and pretty soon, she won't be able to feel his presence at all anymore.

Just knowing that he was safe always gave her a sliver of comfort (he perpetually seemed to be the center of trouble after all.) Now, she couldn't even sense the distance between the two of them.

A sad smile tugged on her lips. But what can I do to help? He always ends up saving me.

She raised her hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. It was a fact that Ichigo had far surpassed her own fighting abilities. His combat skills even rivaled that of a captain on the battle field. How did some fifteen year old human boy get so strong that he put her hundred and fifty years of training to shame?

Of course, she was eventually able to put aside her pettiness to admire the man he had become (what she didn't appreciate was the stupid, impulsive things he always did that put his life on the line).

Rukia managed to conjure up a pitiful laugh. If Byakuya were to see she state she was in now, he would be deeply disappointed. A shinigami wasn't supposed to get sentimental, those kinds of feelings only got in the way. But alas, here she was, getting upset over dumb, hot-headed Ichigo Kurosaki.

She felt so selfish for wishing that his shinigami powers would remain just a little longer. Living a normal life would be healthy for him. It was because of her that he had to face countless near-death situations, so why couldn't she just be happy for him? The loss of his powers would be a blessing in disguise.

"Hey, there you are!"

Rukia's eyes widened at the familiar sound of his voice.

-X-

Ichigo stuck his hands in his pockets as he strolled down the pavement. Where the hell could Rukia have gone? The skating rink was going to close soon, and all of their friends were already waiting. Now that his powers were beginning to weaken, he couldn't just concentrate on her reiatsu and locate her whereabouts anymore. That little brat was always disappearing right when you needed her.

For some reason, it seemed as though she had been avoiding him lately. He couldn't figure out what he had done to be treated so dismissively, but something was clearly troubling her. After living with Rukia for so long, he'd been able to pick up all the little things she did when she was frustrated.

"You know, you always bite your lower lip when you get anxious." Ichigo leaned in closer to inspect her.

She immediately shoved his face away. "I do not!"

"See? You're doing it right now!" he snickered.

A pillow hurled in his direction.

Ichigo squinted his eyes when he spotted a figure clothed in yellow sitting by the riverside. He was surprised to find Rukia hiding out in his favourite spot of all places. He slowly walked towards her. The solemn expression she wore difficult to read. He hated that he couldn't decipher what she might've been feeling.

Her eyebrows knit together in a doleful manner. Rukia Kuchiki looked crestfallen.

"There you are!" he said as he approached her. "Why're you staring blankly out into space?"

Her body shifted uncomfortably. She refused to meet his eyes. "It's nothing."

There it was again. That stupid passive attitude that she had been giving him for the past week. He was genuinely worried about her. "Really? 'Cause you've been acting strange lately," he blatantly pointed out.

"No I haven't." She finally stood up.

"Then why won't you look me in the face?" Ichigo pressed on. His weight shifted from one leg to the other. He was upset that she didn't want to tell him what was going on. Their friendship was built on trust, so why was she being so secretive all of a sudden?

But to be completely honest, she wasn't the only one who was having a hard time making eye contact. Up until recently, Ichigo had no qualms about keeping his eyes on Rukia for maybe a second too long, but now, he'd begun to feel self conscious. Whenever he tried to focus his gaze on her, he'd always have to avert his eyes almost immediately.

Otherwise, his heart would go mad within its ribcage.

Ichigo had kept his feelings on lock down for so long, he wasn't sure if he was ready to share them just yet.

Besides, there would be no point in fabricating some neon signed love confession now. As much as he didn't want to accept it, his time with Rukia was almost up.

He had to let go.

"…You've been like that for a while now," Ichigo breathed out. His heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces as he waited for her to speak.

A strong gust of wind bellowed and picked up a flurry of scattered leaves. The foliage fluttered towards the two of them, dancing spontaneously with the breeze. Rukia turned her head to shield her face from the wind. Her small shoulders collapsed in a defeated manner.

As the draft whirled around Ichigo, its force blew a small slip of paper folded in quarters out of his breast pocket. It flittered into the air and slowly drifted to the ground by Rukia's feet. He practically dove for the slip once he realized what had fallen out, but it was too late. She had already bent over to pick it up. Ichigo watched helplessly as she began to open the note. Her small fingers smoothed out the creases to read its contents.

Rukia's eyebrows furrowed as she scanned the paper. "This is..." she began to say. He waited impatiently for her reaction. "This is the note I wrote to you when I was being hunted by the Soul Society!"

Ichigo considered his options: he could pretend that he didn't know how it ended up in his pocket ("Ah-ha-ha...how'd that get in here? Must've thought it was my homework or something!") , or he could grab it from her hands...and eat it. Too bad it seemed unlikely that he could pull off the former or the latter.

A smug smile tugged at her lips. "I can't believe that you still have it!" She poked his chest teasingly.

Ichigo looked away. "Keh, I was just being considerate to the community. People would go blind by just looking at these obscene cross-animal illustrations," he scoffed.

She narrowed her eyes and haughtily crossed her arms. Her entire body turned away from him in disagreement. "Shut up, like you can do any better. Besides, it doesn't change the fact that it was in your jacket!"

He was never going to hear the end of this. "It looks like a retarded raccoon. I bet I could draw better in my sleep...with my hands tied behind my back," he said dryly.

"And you kept it close to your heart too! Now isn't that sweet?" she waved the note in front of his face in a mocking manner. "Gee Ichigo, I never would've pegged you for the sentimental type!"

"Shut up!" he growled as he tried to snatch it back. She successfully guarded it away from him. "I found it after you decided to stay in the Soul Society, okay? It didn't feel right to just trash all your belongings like you never existed!"

I couldn't just forget about you. I didn't want to.

Rukia ignored him and clutched the paper tighter in her hands. The expression on her face suddenly fell as she inhaled a deep breath. "You haven't changed one bit since the first time we met," she tried to laugh.

Ichigo finally shoved his hands back into his pockets. He took a step forward. "There's something you want to tell me, isn't there?"

Watching Rukia now made him realize just how badly he wanted for her to feel the same way as he did. The awareness tore his insides apart. His face must've looked so pathetic. Ichigo swallowed, suddenly getting cold feet. He was afraid of what she was going to say. He didn't even know if her response would have anything to do with her emotions, but if they did, he wouldn't know how he'd handle it.

"Yeah-" Her voice rang in his ears. Rukia finally whirled around to face him.

"It's okay," Ichigo quickly cut in, "You don't have to tell me."

An annoyed look fell over her face. "What's with you? First you tell me to say it, then you tell me not to!"

He smiled, glad that she had returned to her former self. Sadness didn't quite suit her. "Sorry, I just wanted to be sure."

She scowled at him and placed both hands on her hips. "Quit messing with me!" she fumed.

"Hey I apologized didn't I?" a grin stretched across his face. "We've known each other for a long time now, I can pretty much guess what you're thinking," he simpered smugly.

That was a lie, but he liked to pull on her strings a little. She looked cute when she was mad.

Her glower melted into a sigh. "You really are a piece of work."

So are you, but I mean it in the best way possible.

Ichigo pointed to himself. "I'll hear what you have to say before you leave."

"Huh? How'd you-"

He placed his hands on her shoulders and began to push her along. "Come on, I have a surprise for you!"

"But-"

"We'll talk later, just keep walking!"

Ichigo didn't know how long he had before Rukia returned to the Soul Society, but at that moment, it simply didn't matter- neither did whatever she had to say to him. He wanted to focus on making her happy, that was all he really could control. After all, Renji wasn't the only man who loved the smile she wore.

Rukia had stopped the rain in Ichigo's world, so now it was his turn to return the favour.

The first time I watched this episode I honestly thought that they were going to share a heart felt confession when Ichigo said, "There's something you want to tell me, isn't there?" Seriously, I was so prepared.

But of course, the animators like to tease us.