Title: Angel and Demon

Setting: AU

Rating: T

Summary: She was an angel, a being created from the purity of God Almighty. Demons were supposed to be the bane of her existence. So why did she sacrifice everything to save that accursed orange-haired demon anyway?

Disclaimer: Fill in the blanks- Bleach does _ belong to me. ;P

Angel and Demon

XXX

The first thing she noticed as her curved eyelashes fluttered open out of their own accord was that she was falling; slowly descending down into the realm of pitch black with no one to hold onto.

And yet, she didn't care about it. Her amethyst orbs gazed down to the unknown realm below her with an odd detachment. She saw huge-bonfire like fires burning brightly, heard the screams echoing of inhuman pain and suffering, she knew what lay in store for her as soon as she descended. Yet, she still acted or rather pretended that she didn't.

Her snow white complexion marred by the vacant expression on it, her vibrant, captivating orbs dulling by the second; she shuddered as she felt the harsh air lashing on her porcelain hair. Her long midnight strands whipped themselves against her small face.

Yet, she didn't feel afraid; pain and anxiety had left her body ever since that night instead only the cold numb sensation of being banished remained.

Being banished.

XXX

She chuckled bitterly at the hollow sound that resonated every time she ran her tongue over that term. She was an angel of light, a testament to the will and purity of the Gods. She should be appalled by the very notion of her being banished out of the golden shimmering gates of Heaven. The very thought of leaving the realm of eternal peace should have frightened her immensely.

She should be saddened by the news of never having the privilege of seeing the faces of her friends and family again.

That's right.

Her friends and family.

She should have so many fond memories of them, of her blood brother Renji, of her brother, Byakuya, her Captain, Ukitake. She should remember every single unspoken secret they had between themselves, every form of smile they shared, and every drop of tear they wept together.

But, there wasn't.

All that remained of her memory of them was an empty vessel sporting a stranger's face, like broken fragments of a spoilt china set, pieces of an incomplete jigsaw puzzle that were doomed to remain incomplete forever.

She could try as hard as she want, plead as hard as she could, but they would never be the same again, things would never go back to the way they used to be.

The way everything used to be before she met that accursed Ryoka.

XXX

The insistent pain behind her served as a painful reminder of what she used to be. She didn't need to look at them to know that her wings are already torn and bloodied. She winced slightly at the pain.

How she wished she could spread them open and feel the sheer weight of a single feather on her palm, but her realistic mind told her to cast that fantasy away. The dream of her ever soaring in the sky again would from now on forever linger in her mind like a surreal fantasy. One she would dream of at night, but feel nothing but shattering disappointment in the morning.

Droplets of crimson blood spewed from her bloodied wings onto her hands. She clenched her little fist hard against her pristine white gown that was now decorated by the undeniable evidence of blood.

Why?

XXX

Why wasn't she feeling any form of remorse?

Why did this hollow, aching presence continued to exist within her?

Why does that hideous image of him still lingering on her mind when she had tried so hard to suppress and bury it?

She shut her weary eyes. It didn't matter. In a few moments time, all of her pain and suffering would end. Resistance was futile any way. There was no way her petite frame would survive the fall. Not a single chance in bloody hell. Hell was where she was heading.

She was now a creature of the damned, destined to forever wander along its fiery pits alone.

It would have been a blessing for her to simply die.

A sad smile came to play upon her lips as she found herself once again reminiscing. She remembered their first encounter vividly.

All too well to point of it being painful.

It wasn't love at first sight.

He was just lying there in a crumpled form on the hard pavement when she found him. His skin was oozing with blood, his face bruised and bloodied. Scores of scars littered themselves carelessly upon his toned upper torso. The wounds hurt him to the point of him being unable to move, but yet he kept his malicious specks of golden yellow focused on her, daring her to take his life.

In short, he looked every inch like what a high ranked demon of his kind should look like. Fearless even during their most vulnerable moments. Even then, with her limited medical experience, she could tell he was injured badly.

It would have been easier to simply leave him there and let him live out the remainder of his pitiful existence.

So why didn't she leave him to die?

XXX

The question constantly haunted her mind. Demons were the bane of their lives, the thorn in their flesh, their sworn enemy. Why did she risk every single grain of light within her limited existence to save him? Why did she pull out all the stops for a single stranger she had never even met before?

The other light beings sneered at her stupidity.

They called her a fool, nothing but a sentimental fool who made the wrong decision, who underestimated the power of the tainted ones.

They see her as the defiled creature that soiled the good name of the Kuchikis by offering herself to a demon.

They pleaded her to listen, to rationalize, to think.

They told her that it wasn't real. They tell her she was being tricked, enchanted, and disillusioned.

The demon was preying on her naivety and innocence. The demon was tempting her into spiraling down the abyss of eternal darkness with him. Yet, she didn't care, nor did she pay heed to their lectures.

They tell her that she had lost her mind. The demon had poisoned her mind, made her lost her will to live, to believe in the light.

She was a fool blinded by what she thought was love. The thought of a mere child like her who hadn't even passed their first millenium would comprehend the meaning of love was hopelessly ridiculous in the eyes of many.

Her actions were made to be an example of what her kind should never again commit. Like the broken and blood-stained wings behind her, her very essence of purity had been tainted. And for that, she was no longer tolerated amongst the pure.

Her tainted presence darkens even the brightest of stars. Surely, the punishment for such a filthy creature was for it to be banished and thrown out of the abode of eternal peace and tranquility.

What I thought was love…

XXX

No, they were wrong. She shut her eyes and drew in a sharp intake of breath as bittersweet memories of them assaulted her mind.

She knew it was love from the way his golden specks that usually seemed so dark and cold revert back to their usual shade of warm amber every time he sees her.

She knew it was love from the way his lips would curl into that familiar yet breathtakingly handsome crooked smile every time she smiles at him.

She could tell what he's thinking just by a simple glance. She knew that he meant every word when he whispered the three magical words into her ear shyly.

She knew that while others see him as a monster, warrior and murderer, none of those opinions mattered because they weren't hers. She knew that she loved him.

Perhaps, she really was an idiot, but she blamed him for that.

Somehow he had taken up all the remaining recesses in her mind, secretly replacing every old memory she had with others, until all that she could think about was him. His musky scent that smelt faintly of cinnamon lingering on her, his feather-light touches arousing her, his warm honey-amber eyes believing her.

He was a thief who kept stealing chip after chip of her heart until it became his; in his presence, she became nothing more than a lump of unexplainable emotions. He made her lose the ability to talk, to act; made her into this simpering fool who kept offering everything she had to him and not ask for anything in return.

She should hate him for making her into this defenseless piece of trash. And yet, the very thought of him offered her a piece of tranquility like no other being in Heaven and Hell could. In the end, she was going to die because him and because of that, she didn't mind.

She was crying now. Pearls of white salty droplets slid down her cheek nimbly.

She chided herself for what was the use of crying.

Crying couldn't solve anything. Crying wouldn't stop her descent. Crying wouldn't reunite her with Ichigo.

She was such a stupid simpering idiot.

Where was that proud angel who held her head high?

Part of her wanted to yell at him, to let him see how his sudden leave left her broken in shambles, wanted him to come back and rescue her, wanted to know why he left without saying goodbye but her pride would not yield.

She refused to believe what everyone else was telling her-that he had indeed been simply toying with her.

Claiming her as his was only an act of demon induced possessiveness. The mere thought of it twisted her gut; it hurt her more than the physical wounds that ran along her petite form.

So, maybe it was better for her this way. To simply ease herself into the welcoming embrace of death, and hope fervently in the next life to be reincarnated as a human being, instead of being an angel or demon.

She could feel the cold breath of death surrounding her now. The faint whispers that she had overheard when she began her descent began to amplify themselves until they became shouts of pain and suffering. Mutilated bodies and tortured beings lay amidst their own pool of crimson liquid, choking on their own blood, begging for help and mercy that never came.

Bile rose to her throat. Silently, she shut her eyes tight. Mentally counting the distance that was rapidly decreasing.

XXX

She waited for the impact of fiery pavement against her face. Seconds went by. It was only when she mentally counted to 60, did she feel the presence of a familiar being behind her. A pair of arm came out behind her and wrapped themselves rather tightly around her slim waist.

And all of a sudden, everything else stopped moving. Gravity seemed to have lost its sudden pull and she was simply suspended in mid air with the new comer. She shuddered and drew in a sharp breath, involuntarily taking in the new comer's musky scent of cinnamon.

Her eyes fluttered open instantly.

She whirled around in surprise.

Behind her, stood the ever-so arrogant Kurosaki Ichigo with his lips curved into an all-knowing smirk. His warm honey-amber gaze focused directly on her. He wore a haggard expression on his face, bags formed under his eyes.

He looked terribly tired, as if he was forcibly dragged away from his bed in the middle of the night. Yet, she could feel the warmth that was simply radiating from his tall figure. Her hands reached out of their own accord to touch his cheek. To tell herself it wasn't a simple dream.

Suspended in mid air, a surge of unexplainable feelings coursed through her body. It made her want to cry and laugh the same time, it made her racing heart felt as if it was going to explode any second.

It was happiness, pure and simple that could only be found when she was with him.

He placed his callous left hand onto hers on the cheek, reassuring her that he was indeed right before her and not a conjured illusion. She traced her hands lovingly over his lower jaw, enjoying the feel of the rough stubble that was starting to form beneath her quivering touch. His movements seemed to mirroring hers as she found his right hand drawing abstract figures on her lithe back. It comforted her. She smiled, feeling the last of her tears sliding away.

He pressed his lips against hers, giving her chaste kiss that was both sweet, soft and gentle. He marveled slightly at how her plump red lips always looked so inviting and tasted like edible cherries. Her kisses were like a drug he couldn't get enough of, a drug that sometimes drove him to insanity. He could spend an eternity by simply being suspended in mid air while hugging her.

He missed her.

He supposed she would have been pretty upset at his sudden departure without even telling her.

But that can wait.

The most important thing now was to bring her back with him for medical care. His heart clenched at the very image of her bloody pliant form. Her once pure white wings, as opposed to his midnight black ones were caked with dried blood.

And her pristine white gown was splattered with blood stains. Her face though radiant with happiness still showed pain. Pain he wasn't capable of shielding her from.

The very thought of her being tortured and cast out of Heaven for the sake of him made his blood boil. Undisguised fury radiated from him as would molten lava from an erupting volcano.

He would make sure they pay for what they did to her later.

He burrowed her deeper into his embrace. He exhaled a breath that he had been unknowingly holding. Resting his chin directly upon the crook of her neck, he whispered silently into her ear.

"I'm sorry."

Sensing his anger and guilt, she wrapped her arms around in his neck, staring at him with her luminous amethyst orbs. She leaned in pressing against his rough lips with a passion that was eagerly returned. He nibbled at her plump lower lip, tilting her chin ever so slightly. She moaned as she felt sharp teeth nipping her lower lip.

He shuddered feeling their close proximity, savouring every moment they tender kiss they shared. He understood what she was saying by simply responding to that simple little kiss.

It didn't matter.

It didn't matter as long as he came back to her.

She'll bear every single scar on her back as long as it meant to be able to see him again.

He smiled in spite of their respective injuries. He'll do the exact thing for her; sacrifice every single thing that defined him as a demon for the sake of her. He loved her too much to let her go. He was stupid of him to even try it in the first place. The thought of never seeing her lovely face again, was worse than a thousand arrows piercing his heart.

Don't leave me again.

XXX

That was the message her teary amethyst orbs were trying to tell him. It was fine even if she didn't express herself verbally. Because he understood her every expression, every smile and grimace. He was her soul mate. He would know everything there is and ever will be of hers. And she would too. She was his beacon of light, the one who kept his nightmares at bay, the one who would always stand by his side without cringing in disgust or fear.

"Let's go home, Rukia. Our home," he murmured into her ear.

Cradled against his chest, she simply nodded. Hearing the satisfying thump of his heartbeat. His heart was alive and beating, as was hers. She placed her pale shivering hand on top of where his heart should be placed.

Looking upwards, she beamed in utter happiness, mirroring his tired but nonetheless still happy grin. Carefully, he lifted her into his arms. Her head against his chest, his chin on top of her midnight strands.

They were the two imperfect pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that fitted perfectly together. From here onwards, she would bravely endure every single obstacle thrown in her direction with her hand intertwined with his.

As long as he was by her side, everything would turn out fine. Her home was with him. Because her heart was with him. And she knows that it was the exact same with him even if he didn't proclaim his love for her out loud. They didn't need it anyway.

Because they would remain eternally, Rukia and Ichigo as long as they were with each other.

Should the other cease to exist, they too would crumble and fall. They were the black sun and the white moon.

Contrasting against each other at all times, and yet still destined to be together.

A single life time spent with you was already a blessing from Heaven. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to meet you as you are and fall in love with you every single life time. But if I were to continue to live for five life times, then I would spend the remaining four remembering you. For those five times I'd still have the same person in my heart.

Cherishing every memory we had of each other. And I know you'll do the same in a heartbeat for me.

Author's Note:

My first series of one-shots, mostly AUs; sort of parallel to the Ichiruki relationship we all love and adore in the original storyline seen from my point of view.

Inspiration: Orihime's confession.