The weather was warm that day.
He lay on the cool ground in the shade, strong arms folded behind his head and neck, with one long leg lazily drawn up halfway. The orange haired teen's eyes were closed, the natural scowl that often placed itself upon his lips was gone and replaced with an expression of total and utter relaxation.
It was rare he could find these moments, with his badge going off at all hours and Shinigami popping up every 30 minutes with a new enemy he needed to defeat. To lay in the shade on the roof, and enjoy just feeling the cool breeze run over his skin and through his hair was like getting a break from it all.
Of course, in 20 minutes Rukia would be greeting him with a foot in the face asking why he was lazing about.
A few more minutes, he thought, closing his eyes.
The door to the roof swung open.
Her shoes tapped lightly against the ground as she practically skipped out into the open, taking in the warm weather and pleasantly cool breeze pushing it along.
She gazed about the empty space, looking for the familiar face of the Karate champion of Karakura. She had hoped if Tatsuki would be anywhere, it would be on the roof.
Not just because a certain orange haired boy's reiatsu radiated from this place, no sir. Purely to find her friend.
But even she could admit she was lying to herself.
Upon spotting her crush lazily spread out on the ground her heart started to race with the usual excitement being alone with him gave her. There were few times when they were alone, without any sort of distraction or enemy to deal with, and usually those moments lasted precious few minutes. She cherished every second.
And so, she approached, a bright smile on her lips as she leaned over his tall frame ready to engage him in conversation. Just as she was about to speak his name, she paused. Noting his closed eyes, the steady rise and fall of his chest, and the calmer lighter feeling of his reiatsu.
Her lips curved into a small tender smile only Tatsuki had ever seen. And as it always was, it was directed at the boy sleeping at her feet.
"Kurosaki-kun must be tired." She mused aloud, her voice barely above that of a whisper.
She lowered herself onto her knees, holding her skirt in place as she settled into a comfortable position resting her bottom on her heels. Her hands smoothed her pleated skirt out over her thighs absentmindedly, lips puckering into a faint pout as she studied his face shamelessly.
Had Rukia-chan ever seen his sleeping face?
The answer came to her at once as the memory of his awakening after the battle with Aizen surfaced. Yes, Rukia had. In fact, all of them had. So, it didn't really matter, did it?
No, she decided, but this time matters…
Her head cocked to the side as she noted the lack of the lines on his forehead, which would normally be expected of someone who had saved entire worlds. Even after all the hardship, all the blood spilt, he looked like the average young man. If one paid no mind to the vibrant hair color.
Her fingers twisted into a small length of hair laying over her shoulder, bringing it up before her eyes to stare at curiously.
Her own hair had always been different as well, though it was arguably less vibrant than his own. Like his, the color of her hair had always brought attention to her. Both good, and bad.
If they had children, what would their hair look like?
Her hands slapped down on her cheeks quickly as she shook her head back and forth, dispelling the thought from her mind as quickly as it had appeared.
She still had to tell the boy she liked him for goodness sake!
Well… she had done that though he didn't know it.
The memory of that night was thoroughly embodied in her mind. It was not a sad memory, and certainly not a happy one, but it was slightly bittersweet. She had confessed to her (sleeping) crush, but only when she was sure it would be the last time she might see him.
What did that say about her?
She would never burden him with her feelings of course, not if she could help it. And for years that had been her excuse for not telling him how she felt. How could she jeopardize their friendship when he seemed perfectly fine with where it was at? It would be cruel, and stupid of her. Not to mention risky on her part.
She could be happy loving him in silence. That was enough for her.
Timidly and almost without thought, her hand stretched out toward him. Her slender fingers slid over the smooth skin of his cheek, tracing the natural contorting with a feather light touch. Feeling bold, she allowed her palm to gently ease closer and cup his cheek, thumb smoothing over his cheekbones. Tiny sparks ran up and down her arm, and for a split second she felt the urge to pull away.
He could wake at any moment and catch her, and the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was… assaulting him somehow.
But her mind was already dancing around in one of her vivid daydreams.
In this dream he was hers, and she was his. Happily, happily his. And they had spent a nice quiet lunch together on the roof, no friends, and no hollows to interrupt them. Worn out from exams and hollow hunting, he trusted her to keep their classmates (Keigo) away as he rested. And she would smile, placing a sweet kiss on his cheek, and earning one of those rare tender gazes of his. The same gaze he had given her when he had held out his hand towards her and rescued her from Hueco Mundo.
This was something she truly wished wasn't a fantasy. Just a small, intimate moment such as that would have made her day. Week? Month? Year? His affection would send her to the stars...
But she wouldn't lie to herself. He was a man built for friendship, and family. To protect those people, he cherished. Though maybe someday he would find someone, and love them. Cherish them above others. But it couldn't be her, not a broken girl from the broken splinter of a broken family.
How ironic, coming from the girl with the power to bend space and time.
In an absentminded gesture, she began to softly brush her fingers up through his hair. As gentle and kind as every action she performed, particularly where he was involved.
Later, she would stare at her hand with both awe and horror at her uncharacteristically bold actions.
For the longest time, all was quiet. The wind had grown softer, allowing the sun to warm the air. A perfect day, with a few fluffy white clouds to make shapes out of. She found herself speaking once more, almost compelled to talk to him suddenly, in a voice that could have been nothing more than a soft lullaby to anyone who could have passed by.
"Kurosaki-kun..." She began slowly, gently brushing her fingertips over a few stray strands of his bright hair. "I suppose you wouldn't know this, but you're one of my best friends..."
A tiny smile slid to her lips at her own words, and the truth of that statement. He and Tatsuki had become important people to her, not to say she didn't value any of her other friends, of course she valued them all equally. But the two of them held special spots in her heart that couldn't be replaced or shaken apart by event he strongest foe. Tatsuki was someone she considered a true sister, and Ichigo…
"In many ways, you've saved me – everyone." Her soft voice bore a level of fondness that only someone could have toward the person they truly loved and admired with all their heart.
"You showed me I can change. That I can fight for people, in my own way. I can protect them... Just like you." Her head fell back, and she let out a long exhale as she felt the growing weight on her shoulders release itself just slightly. And she realized maybe she did need to tell him this, even if he was in the land of dreams and unable to hear it. But just maybe, some part of him would.
"You're so amazing, Kurosaki-kun... You don't see it, but you do something to everyone you meet. You change them for the better. You changed me. I think... maybe, that is why..." Her cheeks tinted pink as she looked back down at his still sleeping face.
"I really can't imagine not loving you..."
His eyelids flickered, and she felt her breath get caught in her throat, her entire body freezing for a few moments before he finally exhaled long and slow, shifting in his sleep. His left arm moved out from under his head in favor of resting on his stomach, and for a moment she was distracted by the sight of his long, tanned fingers resting just inches above his exposed belt. She could swear she saw a sliver of skin-
Her cheeks darkened in shade, and her eyes zipped back up to his face.
He was tired... the bags under his eyes seemed to become more visible upon her sudden realization of this fact. Such a young man, only just starting life, and he had experienced battle grounds that were more than just physical. And even then, the physical ones he experienced were even more horrific than even the most decorated veteran could claim to have seen.
And that's what he was, a soldier.
Her hand slid out of his hair, unbuttoning the buttons of her blazer to peel it off and fold it carefully. After a moment of hesitation, she slid her hand under his neck and lifted his head just enough to tuck it under his head as a makeshift pillow. It was better than the concrete roof, that she was certain. And he needed the sleep dearly. She rose back up to her feet quietly, giving one last fond and blushing smile to her sleeping crush.
"I'm happy I met you, Kurosaki-kun…"
If she had looked back before leaving through the door to the roof, she would have seen the faint tilt of a smile and the warm gaze of gentle brown eyes.