" Where do you think you're going, girl? "
She heard him call out to her from behind the wall of trees, his voice hoarse, and she felt herself shiver. She kept on running. Running as far away from him as possible, and doing so made her feel like a spineless coward. She wanted to tell herself that it was all a dream, a sick twisted dream, that she'll have no choice but to wake up from.
" Don't you want to play with me anymore? "
" G-get away from me! " Her throat felt try, and she didn't even recognize her own voice. She was sure she didn't sound like that; scared, weak, and pathetic.
" And here I thought we were the best of friends... "
She stumbled into yet another thorn bush. She felt her face stinging unbearably, but not because of the deep scratches she got from running. Tears seemed to bother her more than her own fresh blood did.
" Rukia...come out, come out, wherever you are. "
She had faced many other things more fearsome than this, than him. But he seemed to be the only thing she couldn't even look at, not while he was wearing that mask.
" Quit running away from me. "
She couldn't go through this all over again. Hollows...they seemed to think of pushing her off the edge, into insanity, as a very entertaining hobby. She promised herself, from the night of her beloved Lieutenant's death, that her sword would draw blood from hollows, and hollows alone. It would've been hard to kill anyone, but he was special, his death would send her plummeting into the depths of oblivion. She would take her own life, if there came a time that her blade ever pierced his flesh. That was how much he meant to her.
" Ichigo... "
Her whisper was almost inaudible, and yet, he heard it. It took him as long as it took her to say that one word to get to her side. For a brief moment, she thought she saw a hint of brown in those eyes, a warm, familiar brown, that reminded her of the sunny afternoons they used to spend together; it truly was a far cry from the beetle black that dominated his eyes for the past few hours.
" Ichigo? " She barely managed to speak. He growled in an almost beast-like manner, as if the real person buried deep beneath that monster was fighting desperately to gain control. She shrunk against the nearest tree, panting for breath, hoping for any sign of him returning. It was beyond her to stop the tears from leaking out. She fell to her knees, her hold on the zanpaktou she planted firmly into the ground was the only thing that prevented her from falling over.
He was howling in pain, one hand on the mask, struggling to get it off, the other held his sword, which he used to slash the air blindly. This went on for what seemed like eons, and all she could do was weakly call out his name, helplessly trying to reach out to him.
And then, as if fate had suddenly decided to lend a hand, the mask fell to the ground, shattering upon impact. He was on his knees, breathing heavily, not once letting go of his zanpaktou. He looked straight at her, with the brown eyes she loved so much.
" R-rukia? "
She could have died happily at that very moment, knowing that she hadn't died by his hand. But, she couldn't let herself, not in front of him. She ran up to him and sobbed into his chest, forgetting everything else that mattered, along with her sword.
He had his arms around her. Then, she felt him twitching as he leaned up to her ear, and whispered something that ripped at her soul the moment she heard it.
" Can't believe you fell for that one, little girl. "
She was paralyzed, and when she finally looked up to his face, she found that it was stark white, and his bright orange hair, and comforting brown eyes were once again gone.
" Why don't you run away so we can play tag again, Rukia? Wouldn't it be more fun that way? "
She didn't let go of him. Nothing else mattered anymore. She was breaking down into pieces, and it was hightime that he actually stabbed her.
" Well, well, well...so you do love him, don't cha? "
She nodded, her face still buried into his chest. Love...it never got her anywhere. Right now, she felt like love was mocking her, displaying a similar replica of what had happened to the first time she's ever loved. That man, Kaien Shiba, died. She had killed him, and it took her years to realize that the love she felt for him was no more than what a sister would have felt for a brother. That the man she really loved was right there in front of her. Yes, love was mocking her, all these events were happening before her eyes, a repetition of the most painful moment of her life. As if to highlight that fact, the rain started pouring down on them.
He was grinning maniacally, and raising his sword, getting ready to give her the final blow.
" He feels the exact same way. "
He brought the blade down to her, and she shut her eyes, expecting a pain through her chest. It never came, and the last thing she remembered before passing out was an orange-haired boy, running through the trees, a shattered mask in his hand.