Summary: Just an Ichigo and Rukia moment set to take place after they rescue Inoue from Hueco Mundo.
A/N: Spoilers if you haven't read the manga up to chapter 286!!!! Well not really, but I refer to the past and add my own stuff and it helps if you know what I am talking about and can tell what i added and what came from the manga :P Anyways here it is…
Almost Wonderful: ONE SHOT
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Looking at the evening sky, one would never know what was soon to happen…..not in a million years. The temperature was cool, a gentle breeze went through the air every so often, and the sun was setting beautifully in the horizon.
An orange haired teen pushed his fingers though his hair, then placed his arm back on the bench were he was sitting atop a hill. He put his other hand in his jacket-pocket, and slouched on the bench a little. He stared at the beautiful scenery, it was almost wonderful.
"This may all disappear soon…" he couldn't help but think.
It had only been two days since he helped rescue his friend from Hueco Mundo, but it already seamed like an eternity. Even though he managed to save Inoue, Azien still was able to carry out what he intended to do. The Hougyoku had been released. All he could do was train and wait……..wait until Azein released his army of arrancars. But on an evening like this, he could almost forget, almost.
He stared up into the sky and watched as the beautiful evening turned into a stunning night. The stars shown so brightly as if they knew the impending doom; that no one may be able to see them another night, so they shinned their hardest on this night. The moon was bright as well, but it was in a class of its on beauty, one that even the stars couldn't match.
"…………." Ichigo sighed. The night was so amazing. A war couldn't be coming to end it all.
He put a hand threw his hair again, and then stretched both his long arms across the back of the bench. He leaned back and gazed at the stars and the moon again, trying to savor the moment.
"AHHHHHHHHHH…!" Ichigo yelled. His moment of peace had been disturbed by a certain raven haired girl.
She had put he face directly over his view as he leaned back into his gaze. She had snuck up on him from behind.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR RUKIA?!" Ichigo yelled, a little embarrassed that he had been caught so off guard.
"I was looking for you idiot." She said calmly "I figured you would be here."
Ichigo calmed down and put his arms back on the bench stretched out. Rukia came around the bench and sat down next to him. Nothing was said for a few moments, they both just stared into the night sky.
"How did you know I was here? He suddenly asked.
"Well, besides from the fact that you still can't hide your huge ass sprit pressure for shit, I knew you needed to get some air and think…." Rukia started.
Ichigo glared at Rukia as she smirked back at him. He soon lowered his glare and decided to ignore the first part of her answer. He looked back up to the sky.
Rukia also removed the smirk from her face and looked back up at the stars. They were still very bright; the lights of the city hardly affected them. Ichigo and Rukia had the perfect view.
"It is a beautiful night," Rukia thought out loud.
"Yeah……… it is." Ichigo agreed.
They continued to look at the stars, both lost in thought. Neither one needed to invade on those thoughts, it wasn't needed. They were both thinking about the war, what was going to happen, when it would happen… it was a scary thought.
Rukia changed her gaze to Ichigo for a moment. She looked sad for a moment. He was only 16 years old and he was about to be a key player in the biggest war in Soul Society's history. He has gone through so much pain and struggled… so much….all because of her.
"Don't look at me like that, Rukia, your face will get stuck like that," Ichigo joked.
"I wasn't looking like anything you moron!!" she yelled, surprised he knew she was looking at him.
Ichigo laughed," You need to stop worrying so much."
"I AM NOT WORRIED ABOUT YOU!" she said a little embarrassed.
Ichigo smirked, he finally could get her back, "I said stop worrying in general, I never said anything about me….."
Ichigo laughed. At a loss for words, Rukia punched Ichigo in his side. He grunted but it only made him laugh harder. Rukia turned away from Ichigo on the bench and folded her arms. Ichigo stopped laughing after a while and the two were in silence once again.
The wind began to gust through the air. It blew through Ichigo's hair and blew his clothes slightly as it moved on to Rukia. It blew her hair across her face and her skirt and blouse fluttered through the air slightly. She shuddered at the chill.
Ichigo looked over at a cold Rukia. He moved his arms from the back of the bench as he began to remove his jacket.
Wondering what the commotion was about, Rukia turned around, only to be attacked by a jacket.
"What are you doing Ichigo?" Rukia asked.
"What does it look like stupid? I am saving you from a cold," Ichigo said as he placed the jacket on her shoulders. He had on a long sleeved shirt, he would be a little chilly, but he would be ok.
"But….." she began to object, but she stopped herself, she was a little cold.
Ichigo placed his arms stretched out on the back of the bench again and slouched down a bit and stared at the sky again. Rukia sat in her same position facing Ichigo, still a little shocked at his kind gesture. She looked at Ichigo again, then turned facing forward on the bench and did something neither one of them expected.
"Huh?" Ichigo said quietly as he reacted to a head being placed on his shoulder.
"Thank you Ichigo." Rukia said quietly
"Oh, it was nothing, I'm not cold," Ichigo said.
Rukia shook her head in his shoulder, "No, not just for the jacket for everything."
Ichigo looked down at her a little confused. Rukia could feel his gaze and clarified herself. She didn't look at him though because she knew he was looking at her.
"…for saving me twice now, I don't think I said thank you either time. And for being…..you. I don't know how I can repay you for putting such a burden on you…." Her voice trailed off. Not only did he save her in Soul Society, but he came back to Hueco Mundo after saving Inoue to get her. It was too much.
The wind blew again, conveniently covering the expression on her face. But Ichigo didn't need to see it to know what it looked liked. He smiled and looked to the sky again.
"I don't know why you keep saying such dumb things Rukia," He said.
Rukia looked up at him ready to hit him for not accepting her humbleness, but she stopped herself, Ichigo was smiling.
Feeling Rukia understood where he was about to take the conversation he continued.
"You never put a burden on me. You saved me. You gave me the power to protect my family and people I care about. And for that I don't know how I could ever repay you."
Rukia was speechless for a moment. Then her eyes filled with tears, though none fell from her eyes, and she buried her head in his chest. Her loud voice was muffled a little.
"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT? I HAVE BROUGHT NOTHING BUT PAIN TO YOUR LIFE AND YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS' LIVES! YOU DON'T NEED ME—"She started. But she stopped at the touch of a hand go around her shoulder.
She looked up to see that Ichigo's hand had moved from on the bench to on her. She was confused by his actions.
"What is he doing?" She thought to herself.
She turned her gaze to Ichigo's face. He had a stern look on his face as he continued to look at the stars.
"You really do like saying dumb things Rukia," He began.
He slightly tightened his grip on Rukia and turned his head until his amber eyes met a pair of watery violet ones. She returned his gaze, staring into his eyes, waiting for him to continue.
"I do need you, Rukia." He finished.
Rukia lowered her eyes a bit. "You idiot, no you don't need me. You've become so strong…."
"...because of you." He finished her sentence for her.
He lowered his head closer to hers until his lips met her forehead. He gently pressed them onto her forehead and kept them there for a moment.
Rukia's eyes widened as she felt his soft lips on her forehead. She slowly closed her eyes and embraced the moment. She clutched onto Ichigo's shirt slightly hugging him.
Feeling Rukia's consent for the moment, Ichigo held her a little closer to him, slightly hugging her as well, while he kissed her forehead.
He slowly removed himself from her forehead. With his free hand, he wiped the wet spot from her forehead gently with his thumb. Then he tenderly brushed the hair from her face with his hand.
She looked up at him and smiled, and he smile back. This was truly a picture worth a thousand words. Ichigo and Rukia were both smiling the most genuine smile, and for them this was very rare indeed. And they both knew it.
Rukia put her head back on Ichigo's shoulder and gazed back up to the stars.
Ichigo then turned his gaze back to the stars, his arm still around Rukia.
They both stared at the stars in silence. Nothing else needed to be said or done. She knew him, and he knew her. They knew that this moment may not happen again, this moment of peace, not for a long while. A war was coming, they just needed to enjoy this night. They were both with someone they cared about, on a beautiful night with the stars and the moon shinning brightly and a gentle breeze was going by.
After some time, Ichigo looked down at Rukia and saw that she had fallen asleep. He smiled and kissed her forehead again, and turned back to the stars. It was getting late, and he knew he would have to carry her home soon. He began to stand, but stopped when he heard a sleepy voice.
"Not yet," Rukia said pulling him back down.
"Ok," he replied. He didn't want to admit, but he really wasn't ready to leave yet either.
Ichigo settle back down it his seat, with one arm around Rukia and his other in his lap as she rested back onto his chest. The stars continued to shine for them and the night sounds were at a gently whisper. The moment was perfect, until a troubling thought broke in.
They both couldn't help but wonder when they would be able to share another moment like this. What would happen to them after to the war?
Ichigo shrugged the thoughts and pulled Rukia closer.
Rukia dismissed her thoughts as well.
War was coming soon enough, they didn't need to ruin this moment, with such thoughts. This bench, the stars, the moon, and the wind; it was for them, for this night. Though, without the war this moment might have been sweeter and may have stirred heavier emotions, it was close enough, and they were happy. It was almost wonderful, and they were both ok with that.
A/N: Sorry if anyone is mad that they didn't kiss. I don't see them kissing that soon. I think the kiss on the forehead is good enough to show how much they care for each other. They say a kiss on the forehead is a kiss of love…I heard that from a friend. Well, I hope you guys get how important that kiss on the forehead was! Besides it was titled almost wonderful……Please REVIEW!! It's good for me and you!!!