Goodbye Memories
On a certain day in that remained as memory, I woke up earlier in my room that filled with many animal stuffs whether on the bed, cupboard, or desk. And still with those sleepy eyes, I rose the curtain up and then opened the window, thus, I could feel the gentle sunlight entered my room and stroke my body with its warm. It was a nice morning, through the window I could see my favourite flowers blooming in its beautiful color of pink, Cherry Blossoms. Yup, it was March, the beginning of Spring and that day was the last day of my high school life before graduation that would be held the next day. Did I sound unhappy? Well, I couldn't deny it, thinking about graduation made me sad, very sad. I would be separated from friends who had been with me for the whole years, no, no, no, even if we were separated we would still be connected by hearts and we still lived under the same sky like what I often saw in quotes of school life anime I often watched. But even so, there was one person I don't wanna be separated with.
He was my childhood friend as well as my best friend (read: eternal rival). I've already had feeling for him since we were little, but of course, I hadn't confessed to him yet, because just thinking about it made my blushed heavily aka I hadn't had enough courage point to do so! I loosed a deep sigh really hoped that I'd be able to gather my courage to confess to him someday. I kept staring outside with that sad look, thinking about it until I heard a voice calling me from outside.
"Hey, Rukia how long are you gonna keep staring at the sky with that pitiful look as if you're dejected for not being able to fly from the window!?"
I was really shocked, could you imagine that you're in the middle of deep thinking and then an unknown mysterious voice called you out of nowhere? You'd be shocked too right? But the case was different for this one though, it was a familiar voice I knew very well. I looked down on the street and saw a tall orange-haired boy wearing uniform standing near the electric pole, staring at me. Yeah, he was the person I referred as my childhood friend as well as my best friend (read: eternal rival), Kurosaki Ichigo.
"Who the hell is thinking a cliche thing like that, you idiot!" I shouted back at him with furious look on my face, he's really a jerk despite all of that good description of him.
"Whatever, just get ready and come down here, you're the one who forced me to come here earlier today anyway! W-wait, you called me idiot? Look at yourself before you call someone idiot, you idiot chappy maniac!"
I immediately closed the window and pulled the curtain back leaving that kid ranting like a little kid (read: old-geezer) outside. Geez, is that the person I liked? Sometimes I wondered, why did I like him? We always ended up having quarrel like tiger and bunny (wait, did tiger and bunny were like that? If they did, I prefered becoming the bunny then since they were fluffy and tasty, I meant pure and cute, kyaa! Kyaa! (?) ) but it deepened our friendship and my feeling ever more somehow. Once again I loosed a deep sigh before brushing my teeth, showering, changed to my school uniform, and having breakfast and all of those I did less than 20 minutes like usual. I really valued time and didn't want to waste them since the lost time was irreplacable. After that, I opened the front door and from my house gate I could that kid still standing near the electric pole and didn't move an inch from the last time I saw him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, I forgot that I asked you to come here earlier today." I said that with straight face without feeling guilty of making him wait for that long at all, why? He always waited for me in front of my house and we went to school together since our houses were very near (he lived in the small mansion next to my house with his parent and two little sisters while I temporarily lived alone now since my parents were going for business trip and my big sister studied in University called Todai University).
"As I thought your really forgot about it. 20 minutes 55 seconds, your record haven't changed at all" said that kid calmly well, I meant Ichigo as he closed the book he read, from what I saw that book was a medic book. Ichigo's father was a doctor in that town and Ichigo himself wanted to be like his father, so he could save many people which was his dream since he was little.
" Eh, he has stopped ranting and not mad? How strange (read: suspicious) You count it again like usual, how stupid." I smirked when said that to make his little brat mode on but I ended up making him.
"*sigh* O, pitiful Chappy maniac, Kuchiki Rukia, you know that the majority of people who call others stupid or idiot or something like that in actuality are the stupid or the idiot ones. And that bad habit of your might be the reason why you didn't get taller." What an unexpected reaction," he said that in a wise tone (?) as he fixed his glasses again, and that last part made flipped my switch and ended up landing a punch which flew away for a few meter (wait, since when I'm that strong (?) ).
"Gyaaah! That hurts, Why did you punch me,short chappy maniac!?" He snapped.
"Hey, who said I didn't get taller? My height increased 0.52cm yesterday so I'm currently 146.52cm now. You got it now, kiddo?" I said that in monstrous tone as my eyes glowed in red and soul reaper aura emitted from my body.
"I-I understand, c-congratulation and roger, mam!" Ichigo seemed to be astonished and with that 'she's a grim reaper thought' that could easily be read from his face, he bowed to me, so I turned my back while grinning victoriously like a maniac villain (I'm not a maniac though) and continued walking to school after saying "Let's go" to him.
After walking for about 15 minutes, we arrived on the street filled with many cherry blossom trees on the both sides of the street that led to our school which was located on the top of a small hill at the end of that street. That street seemed less crowded, maybe because it was still early (class would begin in 30 minutes). I and Ichigo then decided to take a seat under a big cherry blossom tree which was our most favourite spot to play since we were little in a park, umm.. it was so small I don't know if it could be named a park or not though. But from there you could see the scenery of city in the morning and it was pretty awesome, especially in Spring like that when the fallen Cherry Blossom petals made your heart calm and you could read books or even playing game in peace here like what the ki...I meant the boy who sat beside me was doing then (saying that as she stared awkwardly to Ichigo who was reading another medic book), seeing him like that made me feel happy, even though he looked like a cold-hearted person outside but actually he was a kind-hearted person inside. yeah, kind-hearted person unless he entered his little brat persona which made him act like 6 years old kid.
"Hey, Ichigo, How do you feel now?" I said that to begin the conversation, a nice conversation I hoped, but the probability for that was extremely low, guh..
"I feel good like usual, see, I'm safe and sound and even able to read this sacred book while sitting under cherry blossom tree calmly like this." He said that as if he wanted to pick a fight with me.
"That's not what I meant, dummy! I mean, we'll graduate tomorrow. How do you feel about it?"
"..." he was suddenly silenced, out of wonder I asked him, " Hey, are you listening, Kurosaki Ichigo?"
"I am, but I dunno what answer I should give. Happy, sad, or happy and sad or very happy or worry and sad at the same time..."
"What kind of complicated feeling are those. You're really complicatedly stupid."
"Stupid, then the previous honor student named Kuchiki Rukia who was defeated by this stupid person would be lesser than stupid, I pity her so badly, soooo badly." he mocked me in a wise annoying tone.
"Shut up! Shut up! You want to be punched again!?" I tightened my fist in front of my face angrily.
"Jokes aside, don't be mad like that or your height will decrea...Ouch!" I punched him again before he finished that sentence. Talking about height like that was really taboo for me, many people mistook me as middle-schooler and even worse, elementary school student because of it... Ah, it was not that I was short anyway. It was just they who were freakingly tall! And yeah, I used to be the honor student in this Karakura Academy before this kid, I meant Ichigo took that title from me. All of his score were below me at first but in the last term they were above me. *sigh*. Well, it was in the past, let the bygones be bygones.
"Hey, you haven't completely answered my question, so what do you really feel? You must be sad, right, since we have to say goodbye to this place soon, and also to the others too since we're going to different universities with some of them?"
"Different universities, huh?" Ichigo muttered those words as he closed his book and then gazed at the sky.
"Hello, don't tell me that you're not sad at all you cold-hearted ma..." before I finished that sentence Ichigo turned his face to me as he smiled as said, "The answer will be given after school, okay? I also has something urgent to tell you, chappy maniac."
"Eh?" I was shaken by that smile, it was weird. He never smiled like that before, even though he smiled but it seemed he was very sad inside as if he would go away, faraway...leaving me alone.
"A-Alright then." that was the word, the only word I could say before both of us moved from that spot and continued walking to the school building. I was still wandering with that thought as we were walking to our classroom, would Ichigo really go away from me? If that's true then what should I do? I don't wanna lose him...I want to be with him forever.
During classes, I couldn't concentrate at all. His sad smile still appeared in my mind and I ended up looking at him who sat on my right side for about ten times during every class we had before lunch break. Forgot to tell, Ichigo was also my classmate and I didn't know if it was just a coincidence or an inevitable, but we were always in the same class since kindergarten. During lunch break, I saw some girls from neighbour classes came to meet him, they were from home economic club. They also brought bento for him. Yeah, Ichigo was pretty popular, maybe it was because of his cool personality in society as the captain of Kendo Club or his charming appearance. Nufufufu, stupid girls, you didn't even know what kind of annoying brat, I meant guy he was inside (suddenly some scenes of our quarrels are being played in my mind but he ended up kneeling before me in each scenes). But even though he was surrounded by pretty girls, he didn't lose his integrity and kept reading his books and tasted their bento and said thank you, and then kept reading again and ignored them after that. Conclusion: he was really annoyed by his fangirls, but not dumb enough to reject free delicious meals. I grinned as I ate my own bento with some of my classmates, fortunately they didn't see my grin or they would think that one of their friends needed to see a psychiatrist because of her insanity. Or for the worst scenario they'd scream then ran away from me as if I were a monster or devil then I got arrested like a criminal, which certainly wouldn't happen.
It was finally the last class and 10 minutes left before the bell rang. Ah, I couldn't wait for it. I kept trying to think positively about something Ichigo would tell me, maybe he wanted to tell that actually he secretly was a big fans of Chappy or he bought Ambassador Seaweed costume and planned to cosplay using it or he changed his dream from wanted to be a doctor to be the Pirate King and he would ask me to be his crew!? Or he would say that he wanted to conquer the world like what Alexander the Great tried to do and request me to help him!? No, no, no things so cliche like that mustn't be it, or could he want to confess to me!? Kyaa! I would be extremely happy, shocked, and might faint on the spot if it were true! Ah, weird imaginations started being played in my imaginary field.
"Kuchiki Rukia, what are you giggling about? Something funny with my lesson?" Our homeroom teacher Jushiro Ukitake-sensei suddenly scolded me and everyone in the class stared at me and some of them giggling thinking I was a klutz from their annoying looks. My,my it seemed my unexplaninable imagination made me unconsciously giggled like a maniac, such a misfortune, geez.
"Nothing, Sensei, sorry." I stood and bowed and sat back again in embarrasement and I could see Ichigo loosed a deep sigh as he looked at me as if he thought "You really are a pitiful Chappy Maniac."
A few minutes later the bell rang, almost all of us immediately went home and some who got cleaning duty on that day were still in class and I was one of them. I told Ichigo before to wait for me at the usual spot, he said roger then walked away while I...I was stuck with this cleaning duty that I did full-heartedly (usually did it quarter-heartedly) since it was the last time I did it here, I might miss to clean this class someday after graduation I thought. And a few minutes later, I finished my duty and went outside to meet Ichigo who was standing under that big Cherry Blossom tree in that park staring at the sky with the fallen cherry blossoms as the background. Ah, he was extremely cool back then, made me stunned in amazement and wanted to take a pic of him with that pose, but I didn't do it since it was so cliche. The negative thoughts about what he wanted to tell me still haunted me as well as those weird positive thoughts too, so I took a deep breath to calm my mind and heart and slowly approached him.
"You finally come after 17 minutes 44 seconds." said Ichigo as he turned his face and looked at me and then said, "waiting for that long is tiring you know, mini slowpoke flea."
"..."
"..."
"...WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING MINI SLOWPOKE FLEA, YOU NERD BRAT!" I swang my fists to him in rage aimed for his head, legs, stomach, hands, and face but he managed to avoid them all easily (he used to be a martial artis in elementary school, but I never thought he was still skillful) and said, "Joke aside, don't be mad like...ugyaah!" Ichigo screamed in pain after I used my secret technique 'Gift from Sky' aka I threw my bag that contained many books to sky and it fell right on his head made him fell to ground instantly, that was one hit kill secret tech I learned from a certain game I playe...wait, since when this became a combat story like this!?
"How 'bout that present? Want some more, nerd brat?" I gave triumphant death glare with soul reaper aura as my background to Ichigo who groaned in pain.
"I-I humbly refused the present." he said that as he tried to stand while holding his head. I actually worried a bit but even though he looked like a weak guy he was actually pretty strong, at least strong enough to stay alive after being hit by heavy bag like that because if he were a bunny he would have died for sure already (?)
"So what's your answer and what do you want to tell me about?" with straight-face I asked him that and once again he was silenced for a few seconds then he walked slowly to the fences on the edge of that mini park looking at the city below him sadly. His gloomy aura coud be felt for sure, I was silenced too waiting for his answer and finally he said.
"It's so sad, the scenery here is as beautiful as always but unfortunately this is the last time I could see this before my long return." his tone implicated that he was truly sad back then.
"What the hell are you saying, we could visit this place anytime we want when going back to this city for vacation, Todai University is not really far from this city, right, right?" that was what I said, I was confused of his words. Both of us would go to Todai University for sure, he was the one who said he would go there last year when we were still the 2nd graders after he said his recommendation to england was refused.
"I'm going to go to America for college."
Hearing that made me stunned, I felt like my heart was pierced by spear and my body was struck by thunder I couldn't move my body still trembled, I tried to hold back my tears and faced the worst scenario that happened right before me the only thing I was afraid the most, we'd be apart...I tried to reply but my mind was scrambled in fear, only one word out from my mouth, "W-why?"
"I actually planned to go to Todai University too at first, but a week ago my uncle who teaches in that University in America recommended me to that University and I was accepted since my grades are all excellent. That University suits someone who wants to be a doctor he said, so I can't miss this golden chance and my family supports me too so I gladly accepted the offer and going to depart for America tomorrow, right after our graduation." He explained that to me.
"Why you didn't tell me this earlier, why!?" I couldn't hold it back, my tears flowing down.
"I'm sorry, I didn't wanna make my best friend mopping around during the last week of her high school days, but I couldn't keep it any longer. This is the right time to tell you about this I thought, once again I'm very sorry."
Didn't wanna make me mopping and ruin my last week in this school...I understood that, but even though he told me that now, it was still painful, I wanted to run away from that place but my legs couldn't move. I only stood and crying ther until I felt his warm hand pat my head and his gentle voice said, "Don't cry, if you cry I'll be sadder too. Even though we have to be apart, it's just for a while not forever. We can text each other everyweek or everyday but unfortunately we couldn't fight directly though and I'll really miss that." I knew he's sad too actually, but still be able to joking like that, he did have strong heart, not like me.
"Ah, one more thing Rukia, if you keep crying like that you won't get taller quickly and for the worse case you'll be shorter, shoooooooooorter! so short that even Chappy you might meet someday will think that you're one of their rare unidentified species!" hearing things that he said earlier made me forget my sadness and my blood felt like boiling in rage.
"GO GET TRAMPLED BY PEDESTRIANS ON STREET AND DIE, YOU JACKASS!" I entered my berserk mode and punched him as strong as I could resulted in him flying away to the nearby Cherry Blossom tree and his usual "GYAAAHHHH!" could be heard.
Damn that brat, making someone who was extremely sad because of his leaving angry like that. He was extremely revolutionarily cosmically ultra hyper a jerk, a JERK! "YOU'RE DAMN JERK, ICHIGO!" I screamed like crazy there and I realized my tears had stopped, and yeah, the sadness still lingering in my heart but it was our last after school time , I didn't wanna ruin it, so I tried to hold my sadness back, locked it for a while in my heart but I didn't know how long it would be kept there, but now I didn't wanna make him sad for he who tried his best to comfort me.
I slowly walked to the victim of my deadly punch. he still groaned in pain under that cherry blossom tree. I then reached my right hand out to help him standing and said, "This is our last after school time and the last afternoon we'll spend togeher, right?" "Yeah, you could say so, ugh." he weakly answered as he reached his right hand out to mine, I then pulled him up, in my mind I suddenly had idea, a great idea for this last occasion before we apart, I took a deep breath then smiled to him and I said,
"Let's visit the places where everlasting memories dwelling, Ichigo!"
It was 03.00 p.m.
I and Ichigo were walking down the cherry-blossom street and then arrived at an intersection after a few minutes of walking. The left one led to the city shopping district we usually passed on our way home or to school (That area was very crowded and many shops like bakery shop, cake shop, game shop, shop that sold manga, anime dvd, figurines, etc and the coolest was a certain shop that specially sold bunny-shaped things from bunny-shaped cakes to bunny-shaped dolls with Chappy as its mascot!)
Then up ahead led to another park bigger than one near our school and this place was also filled with many cherry blossom trees and became the most favourite spot of families in this city for having spring party under those beautiful trees, I and ichigo often played there when we were little and a certain incident also happened there ten years before, an incident which led to everything.
The right one led to a hill behind our school where a wide flower field existed on the ground lower than the main road and a certain Karate dojo was located not far from the flower field, precisely located on the higher ground above the main road and to reach it ones had to climb up a long stair. Ichigo always mumbled, "Why did they put that dojo in a high place like this in the first place?" everytime he climbed up and climbed down the stair to buy foods or sake for Urahara-san, his master. Yeah, Ichigo too was a martial artist or former martial artist to be exact, he was the member of that Karate Dojo whose leader was a middle-aged man named Kisuke Urahara (we often called him Urahara-san or gramps sometimes though). But Ichigo didn't come to dojo to practice as often as he used to since he got to the 2nd grade of senior high school, the reason might be because he didn't have enough time due to school activitie like being captain of Kendo Club already made him extremely busy.
"Ichigo, let's take the right road first!" I said that as I grasped his right hand and continued walking.
"Hey, isn't that..."
"Hurry! Hurry!" I said that phrase then we continued walking up the hill where there were cherry blossom trees in both of left and right sides even though they weren't as many as ones near school area. That main road was quite long and took us a few minutes to finally arrived at the center ground where from there we could see the flower field on the lower ground below us with stairs connected both grounds. I and Ichigo then sat on the wooden bench there where from that spot we could see some kids playing hide and seek, running all over, and making flower crown, they all were laughing happily and their mothers watching them.
"This sure brings back memories, doesn't it Ichigo?"
"Yeah, memories of we often came to play here when we were kids like them and everytime we came here a certain Chappy maniac made such a weird flower crown and shouted out "I'm a cute and kind-hearted princess of a great bunny empires! All of my loyal peons, kneel before me or I'll turn you to be an uncute disgusting bunny! Kuhahahaha!" Ichigo shouted that line as he imitated the acting from that line and made me grrrrr! Since it was such an embarrasing line that came out from my simple and innocent mind as a cute little prin...i meant girl.
"Hey, look at yourself, you always ran around that field with wooden sword swung around and shouted out manically, "I'm the legendary monster hunter Kurosaki Ichigo-sama. Now evil dragons who hid in these holy land of colorful petals come out! I'll slash you in half, no in ten pieces, no, no, no in a hundred pieces and then grill you to be a BBQ! Come out! Come out! Are you afraid of me, dumbass!?" I jumped around imitated that line too like he did before with a small branch I picked up from ground.
"It's not like that, your lack of expression in saying those great words will definitely crush little boys' hopes and prides and dreams! Apologize to the world now, you cruel demonic chappy maniac!"
"Look who's talking, you're all grown up now and still think that ultra hyper weird line as great words!? You better go back to elementary school and enjoy your lalalala I'm a legendary monster hunter life as much as you want you childish brat!"
"You're the childish one not me and you don't even get what I meant, you stupid chappy maniac, I bet even that old hermit of the Legend of Ultra Hyper Weird Chappy will be sobbing seeing one of its species is as pitiful as you, pitiful, Pitiful!"
I and Ichigo kept ranting in our tiger and bunny dialogue like usual and kids who played in that flower field looking at us in such weird glares as if they said,"Mom, those two adults over there are creepy." "Don't look at them, dear." said the mom and then they continued their previous activities seemed like losing interest in us or they pitied us or scared of us. After realized that those kids and their mom saw us like that, we stopped our quarrel because of pride as high schoolers. And also at the same time, we could hear an old man's voice calling us from behind. "Hoo, you two get along well like usual, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san." We looked behind and saw a figure of an old middle-aged man holding walking stick and wearing such a white cap with green lines or green cap with white lines and wearing wooden-sandals standing behind us.
"Urahara-san! What are you doing here?" said Ichigo and I in unison.
"Hoo, I just back from store buying sake and saw you kids here, so I greeted you first thinking you wanted to visit me." Urahara-san said that as he showed us the sake he bought and pointed at higher ground right where that dojo located.
"We actually just wanted to see this flower field and didn't have a single thought of visiting you at all, gramps." Said Ichigo as if he were trying to be meanie, yeah he usually acted like that in front of his master while Urahara-san was,
"I see, thank you for your concern but this will be your last visit before leaving it seems, my ex-pupil *sniff*sniff*" Strange intimidating aura could be felt from Urahara-san as he pretended crying like the translation of that was "You've got big guts,huh kiddo?". But from the way it looked, Urahara-san sure knew that Ichigo would go studying overseas.
"I told ya, I didn't plan to visit you at all gramps, your hearing sense really dropped as you grow old, geez."
Yeah, those two really had strange master-pupil relationship and more like rivalry despite of the gap of their ages which's...ahaha...but after that both of them were silenced for a moment (me too since I didn't wanna interrupt their conversation aka don't wanna be involved there) then words that broke the silent came out from Urahara-san and that was, "I see, alright then I'll go home and enjoy my leisure time." as he started to walk away before he then said, "You have changed to the point that I never thought a snotty brat who came and begged to be my apprentice would grow up like this. Don't lose sight of your own dream, my student, Godspeed." He said that as he continued walking leaving Ichigo who was a bit stunned in surprise, yeah, it's been an age since he last heard that "Godspeed" word from his master to him, long before he left the dojo.
"You too, don't go die yet before I came back here, noisy master." Ichigo smiled as he shouted it in tone full of spirit like what a martial artist should be. Urahara-san only raised his right hand to us as he kept walking and I just smiled seeing that moment of master and student I often saw in manga I read. After that I and Ichigo continued walking back to the intersection and went to the right side from where were standing back then, to that park.
It was 4 p.m. when we arrived there, after we bought ice creams from the nearby vendor, we sat on the one of park benches looking at some kids playing soccer there. Ichigo often played here with his friends when he was seven, back then I hadn't talked to him yet despite of being neighbour since I just arrived to this city and a certain incident happened here, made me amazed him till then (first impression you could say) and since then too we became friends.
"Hey, Ichigo, do you still remember what happened on April 23rd ten years ago here?"
"Ah, of course I do, no one will forget the days when they could have been dead meat." He said that with straight face as he ate his ice cream.
Yeah, 23rd march ten years ago, in this Karakura park there was an incident where a certain little girl almost kidnapped by a certain syndicate that used little children as their experiment objects, sold them or their organs. That little girl was standing near the park gate seeing children around her ages playing happily with their friends there. She wanted to play, but she didn't have friends there and didn't have courage to even enter park. As she stood there, a black car stopped near her and two masked men came out from that car, and caught her hands tried to bring her to that car. That poor little girl struggled and screamed for help, and suddenly a soccer ball that was shot from the park hit one of the masked man's head who held her hands enough to make him released her hands and that little girl ran away to the park as she was chased by the other mask-man and suddenly between them an orange haired little boy who was like a punk appeared holding wooden stick in his hands, threatened the kidnappers but he ended up being kicked at the stomach and punched in the face by them. The other kids who were playing there scared because of the other kidnapper threatened them with knife and pistol. The boy kept being beaten up by the kidnappers and that little girl who tried to stop them got knocked down to ground. They were all powerless, until an middle-aged man in japanese traditional outfit who passed the park inevitably came there because of the screams he heard. There he beat the kidnappers one by one like a raging demon. The police came not too long after that, caught the kidnappers who were almost in the brink of death and that little girl and that boy were brought to hospital. The little girl's injury wasn't fatal enough and she was treated for 4 days in that hospital while the boys got his some of his ribs broken and had to stay for a whole month in that hospital. Both of their parents came everyday to the hospital, at first they scolded their children due to act carelessly but they finally understood the reasons and situation. After she permitted to leave the hospital, that little girl still came there everyday to visit the boy for a whole month with her parents until he recovered. She then asked him why did he save her back then, if he didn't do it then he woudln't get injured badly like that. That boy just smiled brightly and said that was because she was his friend and a friend had to protect their friends not abandon them. That little girl stunned in shocked, her tears then fell down... it was the first time she heard someone acknowledged her as friend like that and that little boy was the first friend she had in that city. Since that day onwards, those two became close friends and often went out playing together. That little boy then also looked for the middle-aged man who saved them back then and found out that he was the owner of Karate Dojo in that city, Kisuke Urahara, he then made his resolve to train under that middle-aged man's aid as a martial artist.
"Do you still regret your action back then?"
"Huh? So stupid I have given you the answer ten years ago, did you forget about it?"
"Of course I didn't forget stupid, I just wanted to make sure if you still remember it or not."
"Weirdo. By the way,Rukia."
"What?"
"Your ice cream melt down to nothingness there." Ichigo said that as he pointed at my ice cream which only the holder left while the cream melt to ground.
"*shocked* Such a misfortune."
I loosed a deep sigh looking at the ground where the carrot-shaped ice cream fell. Ichigo then bought me another ice cream and bought one for him too and after we finished eating it,we left the park and walking to the shopping district.
That shopping district was pretty crowded around that hours (it was 5 p.m.) as we walked someting that caught my sight made me run to a certain shop and that shop is of course that Chappy-ish shop! Through the window I could see a golden chappy doll which was an ultra rare item there. Ah, my eyes were sparkling!
"Hey, Ichigo! Look! Look! That golden chappy doll is awesome, right!? Right!?"
"What a chappy maniac *sigh*."
"tch, you don't understand the feeling of a maiden after all."
"A maiden won't say tch and it doesn't have any relation to this matter at all, chappy maniac!" he snapped in a comical way.
"Ah, I hope I can have that doll." I ignored Ichigo and kept staring at the chappy doll with sparkling eyes.
"Hey, don't ignore me and off to your lalalalala world, Hey!" and he snapped again.
After spent some minutes staring at the doll, I decided to leave the shop after I bought chappy-shaped muffins and pudding for desserts that night. I and Ichigo then wandered around the shopping district aka did window shopping and actually the one who enjoyed it was only me while Ichigo seemed to be the one who was in pain following me all around, that was the last afternoon we spent after all so I didn't wanna waste it.
"Hey, hey, Rukia the sun will set soon, should we go home now?" Ichigo seemed tired of wandering alone.
"Ah, eh, go home? Oh rite." I was back to my dejected mode again, once we went home then we wouldn't be able to meet until the next day and after the graduation next day, he'd leave and we wouldn't meet again and couldn't hang out together like that for a long time, but I had no choice, we then walked down the street that led us to our home, the pain echoed as I took each steps.
"Hey, Rukia." after a few minutes of walking Ichigo called me.
"What's up? You stepped on a dog's tail?" I looked at him with innocent emotionless face.
"Of course not! *cough* you know that this road leads to school, Kuchiki Rukia-san?"
"Oops, it means we went the wrong way, ahahaha."
"I see, I see, so we went the wrong way for 17th times in 40 minutes, right? Ichigo smiled brightly and sparkling flower petals as baclground could be seen behind him.
"Yup, that's right~" I smiled brightly too with the same background like his.
"..."
"..."
"...What a chappy maniac, you do purposely have bad sense of direction after all..." Ichigo smiled then he looked away.
"It seems so." I replied with those three words then this time for sure we went the right way to our houses.
"Fuuh, finally we arrived, see you tomorrow, Rukia." Ichigo opened his house gate and waved his hand to me.
"Wait, Ichigo."
"Huh, what's the matter?"
"N-nothing, I just wanted to say thank you for today. It was fun."
"Well, guess I should thank you too."
We smiled to each other and then entered our own house, and finally visiting event ended and it'd remain as memories in our hearts, other precious memories.
Another morning finally dawned, it was the day every student had been waiting for. The day when birds would be free from their cages and spread their wings to a new beginning after going through an ending. Like usual, I woke up earlier and rose the curtain up and opened the window, but I didn't see Ichigo waiting for me near the electric pole like usual. I thought he must be still in his dream world or had left earlier or... no, for the last worst probability...I wouldn't say it and kept being optimistic. I then prepared to go to school and after grabbed my school bag, I grabbed the bento I made last night specially for him and placed it into my bag. Here in Japan, we had a certain tradition in graduation. On graduation day, usually a girl would give the boy she liked a hand-made bento to confess, while the boy would give the girl he liked his first button of school uniform. That's right, I had made up my mind on that last day before he left, I'd surely confess my feelings for him since that was the only chance, wasting that chance would make me regret it for the rest of my life.
With courage after taking a deep breath, I opened the front door as I held my bag in my right hand and...
"Ciaossu!"
That orange-haired boy aka Ichigo stood there and greeted me with the phrase usually used by a certain hitman of a certain series I read and watched (the clear different was that hitman was a baby not a high schooler).
"I-Ichigo, I thought you hadn't woken up yet!"
" My, my, I'm not dumb enough to wake up late on the last day of high school life we're having now, chappy maniac. And by the way, it took you 15 minutes 55 seconds to get here after opened the window, earlier on the last day, huh?" He said that as he showed me stopwatch he kept in his pocket.
"So you've been watching me until just now!?"
"Yeah, and it seems you didn't realize it and the question you asked me just now proved it." He grinned as he... no, he didn't wear his glasses.
And then we walked to school like usual and on the way to school we talked about various topics and sometimes we had our daily Tiger and Bunny quarrel again, making people who saw us looking at us with unease glares. We passed the shopping district, then finally arrived at the cherry blossoms street which meant that the school was near, walking up it and finally arrived at the place we'd leave soon. We headed to our class and when we entered the classroom, other classmates planned about a surprise gift to our homeroom teacher, Jushiro Ukitake-sensei and of course both of us were dragged in it too.
The bell then finally rang, all of the senior students gathered in the auditorium to have graduation ceremony and listen lectures from the principal and the student council president which were extremely long to the point people would sleep if the things they said weren't meaningful, but the lectures somehow felt different from what they usually gave...yeah, it was graduation after all, 'Cherry Blossom Colored Graduation'. After the ceremony ended, all of the students went back to their own class and waiting for their homeroom teacher.
In our class, all of us were waiting patiently until Ukitake-sensei came and stood in front of the class. Somehow he looked happy and somehow he looked sad, even so he still did his best to smile as he giving his speech and we all were silenced, focused at listening to him.
"Time does fly so fast, never thought it's finally been a year I become your homeroom teacher and it's been three years I've taught you guys in this school, but it feels like yesterday to me. And thus the ending is drawing near...(he took a deep breath) really teaching you guys needs a lot of patiences and you did annoy me with your lack of discipline, your poor grades sometimes, your problems, etc hahahaha...(he laughed awkwardly) but it was a lot of fun...the days I spent together with you guys are like a gentle song that make me alive and they are all precious memories in my life...We may be separated after this and you will walk in your own paths each of you believe to reach your dreams as you officially be parts of the society. That's why I want you not to take this graduation as the ending of everything yet since your journeys are still long. Let this graduation leads you to a new beginning of another arc in your own stories. Also never forget about your memories here in this school, whether with your friends, with teachers, and with this school itself even though they are bad memories or good memories, you must carve them in your hearts because in that way you'll be able to feel the proof of our bonds! Don't forget about the lesson of life we taught to you too, grow up as a fine and great adult out there! And feel free to visit us here since we're all family after all! (he said those lines in full of spirit tones like he usually used when teaching us) and this is the last thing I want to say to conclude this speech...(he looked down) I'm very grateful to have you guys as my students." Ukitake smiled gently as the tears he held back flew down when he said that last line filled with his true feelings for us all. Not only that I could see everyone in that class moved to tears including me myself...yeah, you might feel same in your graduation day where you'd be apart from your friends who had been together with you for years. Then everyone rose up from their seats, gave applause to Ukitake-sensei and then our class rep. Uryuu Ishida gave an album filled with our pics and also a scroll filled with our message for him. Ukitake-sensei finally cried tears of happiness when he looked at the contents, even I never thought he'd cry like that. After that one touching moment, we started singing a song together before going home, a gift for our beloved homeroom teacher and for ourselves, Sakura Colored Graduation.
The hymn of lonely footsteps and held-back tears
Still linger within the gymnasium
I gathered faint memories that remained in the school buildings
And embraced them, never to forget them all
I will not say thank you, as it will become a goodbye
It's a Sakura-colored graduation,
Let's meet again with a smile
Even if we go on different roads,
Our hearts are one
It's a Sakura-colored graduation,
Let's move on to the future
With the "graduation" still spelled on the blackboard
I opened up the album that was left one desk
The white pages overflowed with words
I was unable to continue reading as my eyes blurred by joy
My heart became so filled with warmth
The Sakura-colored wind stroked along my wet cheeks
(Your smile is forever in my heart)
(I never forget about you)
(Don't worry you never walk alone)
In the evening sky, a small bird strays from its group
It wanders about, but still flies strong
I, too, will not lose, so let's walk forward
I will not say thank you, as it will become a goodbye
It's a Sakura-colored graduation,
Let's meet again with a smile
Even if we go on different roads,
Our hearts are one
It's a Sakura-colored graduation,
Let's move on to the future
Because we are never alone
Finally it was time for us to go home, we left our classroom, climbed down the stairs to the 1st floor and saw many students did the same and as we were outside the main building we could see many students left the school gate, some of them still remained in school talking with their friends. I then looked for Ichigo as I held the bento tightly but once I found him, I saw many girls gathered around him and offered him their bento. Ichigo seemed couldn't get out from there and those girls kept pushing him to eat their bento and some of them had already fed him up. Seeing that scene made my blood boiled in rage, but I could do nothing. It seemed as if reality ruined my plan, all of it. I then turned my back and walked away from there, I could feel my tears fell down and after shedding it, I sat on the nearby bench staring at the bento in my hands. Felt betrayed, I then ate it alone as I engulfed in sadness.
"Found you, chappy maniac." I heard his voice and when I looked up I could see Ichigo standing before me and then he took seat beside me. I didn't respond to that greeting and kept eating the bento.
"Eh, you're eating bento in graduation day? What a weirdo you are...I thought you would give it to someone. Don't tell me no one didn't wanna receive it and you ended up eating it alone." Ichigo was as sharp as always, but I tried to be calm and avoid his suspicion.
"N-nah, I planned to eat it since the beginning. By the way how was it?"
"How was what?"
"Got fed up by pretty girls in graduation is nice, huh?"
"It's rather annoying than nice, really they keep bothering me..."
"How naive you are, you still accepted them even though they're annoying."
"If I didn't then I couldn't get out from there..."
Silence stroke for a moment, until I realized that the first button of Ichigo's uniform was gone.
"Hey, what happened to your uniform's first button?"
"Eh, a certain girl from there begged me to give it to her."
"So you gave it to her?"
"Yes, it's just a button after all, what's the matter? You look pale like an undead?"
"Do you know the meaning of..." before I completed my sentence, a girl ran to our direction as she called Ichigo's name and it looked like she had been looking for Ichigo.
"Ichigo-sama, thank you very much for accepting my love!" that damn girl said that as she smiled innocently. Ichigo seemed confused and I...I who had already depressed almost having heart-attack hearing those words.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ichigo asked her.
"You ate my Bento then willingly to give me your uniform's first button, that means we're lover now, right?" she excitedly said that...that damn girl...
"Ichigo I have bussiness to take care off, goodbye." I said that to Ichigo then I walked away from there ignoring Ichigo who called my name a couple of times, now I couldn't take it anymore, I could only feel pain echoed in my heart...hurt it was really hurt...
Back to Ichigo...
"Hey, what the heck do you mean!? I never said I accepted your love or anything and the hell for something so cliche like that proved that I wanted to be your lover. Have you lost your mind, kid!?"
"But I...I really lo..."
"Shut the hell up, I don't wanna listen anymore crap out of your mouth. Get out of my sight!" Ichigo who had run out of his patience scolded the girl who later ran away in tears.
"This is what I don't like from persistent woman...and now I have to look for that chappy maniac." Ichigo mumbled that as he grabbed his bag but as he took another step, his phone ringing.
"Ichigo where are you? It's almost time for you to depart, could you get here in 2 minutes? We are waiting outside school" it was call from his dad, yeah, it was almost the time for him to leave. Actually, he would have absent that day but because it was graduation he had to come and had to leave immediately after they ceremony ended.
"Could you wait for a few minutes more? I haven't said goodbye to my friends and teachers."
"I'm sorry but looks like I couldn't since the others have mumbled waiting for you in the airport and keeps calling me, sorry, son."
"I see...I'll be there soon then." He hung up the call and then quickly walked to the school gate where he could see his dad's car outside on the other side of the street. Before he continued walking, he turned his head looking at the school and said, "Forgive me, Rukia. It's time for me to go..."
Back to Rukia...
"I was so stupid, how could I let my emotion controlled over me, Ichigo isn't that kind of person, he wouldn't have accepted that girl's confession." Was what Rukia Kuchiki thought back then as she walked back to the bench where he left Ichigo just then. But as she arrived there she didn't see him there anymore and caught by fear, she quickly ran to the school gate and just like what she thought while running, "Could it be Ichigo has already left?" was true. From in front of the gate she saw a familiar car, she often saw and it was Kurosaki's family car with Ichigo sitting with straight face in it. The car then began to move, was ready to leave its place. She called him but it was such a waste, Ichigo couldn't hear her since the car had moved and it slowly disappeared from her sight as it was running down the street, leaving Kuchiki Rukia standing there, alone.
She couldn't move, it had happened, truly happened. Thing she thought as a nightmare...
Tears fell down her cheecks and then she ran away to her class where she left her bag when she hid from Ichigo after incident with that girl. And after running for a while, she finally arrived in front of her class's door and she slowly opened it, but there are things that caught her attention and surprised her. On her desk there were a bouquet of forget-me-not flower, a golden chappy doll she saw in the chappy-ish shop the day before, and a letter...
Rukia then slowly walked to her desk and opened the letter...
"No matter how much time we're separated, please don't forget it. At the other side of the world, there'll be someone thinking about you, extending its hand towards the same light. So let's meet again someday, at the usual place with usual smiles and thanks for being my best friend all this time."
Reading that letter made her burst in tears of sadness as she uttered the reply of that letter, "Idiot, you're such an idiot Ichigo."
Rukia's POV
Another certain morning of Spring, just like usual I had woke up before my alarm clock rang. It's been 5 years since I graduated from senior high school and also five years I had been living without him by my side. At first I lived like someone who was chained by loneliness, I lost the true meaning of a smile, and couldn't think of other things other than the reminiscence of my past like I didn't care about my surrounding nor my future especially when we texted each other which we rarely did. Many things happened since that hard time I had, with the help of my friends who kept encouraging me, little by little I could back to my normal self and accepted reality with its people and lived normally like what people around my ages should do, even though it was like a puzzle with one last piece missing, and thus, I could finish my college and working as a designer of a certain company in Karakura City found by Unohana-san. And that day was finally the day, he called me the night before and told me that he'd come back that day. That news felt like remedy that cured my anomaly status. After finished that morning preparation (showering, having breakfast, changed into an outfit I specially prepared), I went out from house. After I closed the house gate back, I stared at the blue sky saw the clouds were running to the direction of that park as if they were guiding me. I then started running a little to that place. I passed the road we often walked everyday and little by little memories of those days we spent with laughters and tears being played. Has he changed now? Would he still remember me when we meet? Could it be...he already has girlfriend and brings her with him today? Those were the thoughts I had back then, but I managed to overcome it with my belief, I believed in him and wouldn't repeat that mistake on that graduation day again, wouldn't ever again.
After running for a few minutes, I arrived on the cherry blossoms street led to that place. That street hadn't changed even though five years had passed, cherry blossom trees still filled the sides of the road. That road was quiet that morning, because it was Sunday perhaps so students didn't go to school. I then slowed my speed down and began walking normally. From faraway I could see that park, my heart was throbbing a bit faster as I took each steps forward thinking about what I should say to him after those five years, even though we texted each other, we only talked about minor things such as condition, progress in studying, latest chapter of manga, latest episodes of anime, latest game that kept going on for whole five years with a little joke. But it would be lame to be used in this encounter. I then finally arrived in that cherry blossom park, the promised place for our meeting after five years. Really, that place didn't change much besides of small fountain and some new benches put there made it became more like parks often seen in RPG or visual novel. I looked around but didn't see Ichigo at all, only saw a young man in glasses wearing a brown cap sitting on one of the benches near the big cherry blossom tree reading a newspaper, I felt I ever saw him somewhere but I couldn't remember it. I then sat on the bench next to that man as I grabbed my picture album filled with photos of Ichigo and me and our family from my bag and then opened it. It felt nostalgic, I shed tears a bit as I saw each pictures because they reminded me of the time when we were still together even though there was one picture missing, picture of our graduation day.
Ichigo's POV
Five years had passed since I left that city, my family, and my best friend. Those five years I spent with studying seriously to chase my dream finally paid off, I had become a doctor and I decided to go back to my hometown helping people there like my father did. After spent a few hours in plane, I finally arrived at the airport and my father came to pick me up that morning. We had a small conversation inside that car until it stopped not too far from that place, a place where I promised to meet her that day, Cherry Blossom park near our senior high school. Hahaha, I wondered if she had changed since the last time I saw her. I then left my luggages with my father and got off the car, holding a newspaper. I then walked to that park and sitting one of the bench there reading newspaper I prepared to make a surprise attack when she came. A few minutes later, a beautiful black-haired young woman came and took a seat on the bench next to me. She resembled Rukia, but there's no way Rukia's height would be around 166cm even after five years right? Thinking so I then continued reading newspaper as gentle spring breeze stroke me making me felt so nostalgic, waiting for that Chappy maniac who could have turned into real Chappy coming there.
Rukia's POV
An hour had passed and Ichigo hadn't shown up either. Maybe he is still on the way was what I thought. I then rose up from the bench to buy soft drink from vending machine near the entrance of that park, waiting for that long made me thirsty even a tropical chappy couldn't avoid that. When I passed that man, I realized that man didn't move from his spot at all and he seemed to worry about something like he was waiting for someone there (he sometimes turned his head at the entrance). When I passed him again after buying a soft drink, that album I held in my right hand fell. I was about to pick it up but my soft drink fell too, fortunately I hadn't opened the drink yet or my precious album would have been...ah, I didn't want to imagine it. I then crouched down to pick them, but someone's hands had reached them before me and I found that man who was reading newspaper helped me picking them up.
"Here you go miss, be careful more later, okay?" he told me that and I then bowed down thanking him. But when I rose my head up, I saw that man's hair was orange just like Ichigo, could it be him? After thinking for a moment I decided to ask him that, I walked to his direction and said,
"Excuse me, mister." Rukia politely asked that man who had sit back on the bench.
"Yes, can I help you again?" That man answered her.
"Umm...are you Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Yes, how could you know my name?" that man seemed confused because a stranger he just met knew his name as if that stranger was a fortune-teller.
"Ichigo is that really you!?" Rukia shouted at him in surprise
"Huh? Do I know you or something like that, miss?" Ichigo became more confused.
"It's me, Kuchiki Rukia! How could you forget about your own childhood friend you just texted yesterday!?"
"...EH! YOU'RE RUKIA!" Ichigo stood up from his seat with an extremely revolutionarily shocked expression written all over his face.
"Wait, this must be a dream, there's no way that short chappy maniac named Kuchiki Rukia who often being mistaken as elementary school student grew this fast just in five years I didn't see her. Impossible, extremely revolutionarily cosmically ultra hyper impossible!" If it was a gag manga, Ichigo would be seen as a weirdo who shouted because of extreme shock. But Ichigo was still Ichigo, he didn't realize those words could bring him to his grave, just like the effect of space-quake that happened in his I-field.
"I see, so in other words you thought it was impossible for me to get taller huh? YOU DUMMY ORANGE!" Rukia was pissed of, very pissed of to the point she launched a high-speed punch to Ichigo, but when that punch touched him, nothing happened and Ichigo didn't fly away even move from the place he stood.
"Eh, it didn't affect me at all." Ichigo said that as his worry disappeared but then he saw Rukia grinned with black aura emitted around her and those red eyes, and then he felt a heavy wind stroke his body andthe fallen flower petals too, made him flew a few meter away and landed unsafely under that big cherry blossoms tree and his usual "UGYAAAAHHHH!" could be heard and writing of "Tiger vs Bunny, Bunny Wins" appeared on the screen (?).
"Secret technique: Cherry Blossom's Fist of Pressure, that's the name of that move. How did it feel?" Rukia smiled 'innocently' in front of almost knocked-out Ichigo who then regained back his consciousness and stood and, "Where the hell did you learn something like that!?" he snapped like a little kid.
"I invented it on my own."
"Ah,I see, so you've evolved to be a weird chappy maniac with such level of martial art skill, huh?" Ichigo smiled with sparkling bunnies' heads as the background.
"Yup, you could say so." Rukia smiled with the same background too before she tightened her fists with murderous aura and stopped after Ichigo apologize full-heartedly (read: zero-heartedy) to her. Those two later sitting on the bench under the big cherry blossom tree aka bench where Ichigo was sitting earlier.
"So we ended up waiting for each other for an hour without knowing that both of us have already been here, I didn't realized it at all, change of appearance is very scary." Rukia said that to Ichigo who sat next to her.
"Yeah and I ended up caught by my own surprise attack." said Ichigo.
"Surprise attack? Could it be you planned to surprise me by wearing cap that almost covers your hair and reading newspaper at time like this in park which's the old you wouldn't do?"
"Exacta, you ended up completely tricked me more even without making any disguise with that unexpected new form of you."
"You made me sound like becoming an alien, it was just you who's too stupid."
"Well, no one would ever think a short chappy maniac with height about 146.52cm would be a young lady with height about 164 cm."
"It's 164.05 cm to be exact. Kufufu, I'm destined not to be short after all." Rukia said that proudly making Ichigo who heard that couldn't help to giggle.
"Are you making fun of me?" asked Rukia.
"No, I just imagined what would have happened if you're still in lalalalala form, I bet people who saw us walking home later would think that you're my daughter."
"Their eyes were rotten if they thought so, but the mind of someone who imagined that first couldn't be compared to it not in a good way."
"What a meanie chappy maniac."
"What a stupid orange-ish weirdo."
After making fun of each other like that, both of them looking at the sky, clear blue sky that gave harmony to people who saw it.
"Rukia, do you still remember about what happened in our graduation day?"
"Of course, but which one? There were so many things happened back then."
"One when I left without saying goodbye to you."
"..." Rukia was silenced.
"I'm sorry, very sorry."
"It's alrite, plus you have apologized to me before."
"I apologized via message, but I want to directly apologize to you now. So will you forgive me?"
"Absolutely no." Rukia instantly answered that with straight face making Ichigo almost dropped his jaw.
"Joke asides, it was indeed painful when you left without saying anything, but I knew the reason and I understood it. So it's alright, I forgive you." Rukia smiled a little when she said that to Ichigo.
"Thank you, Rukia."
"But there's one condition I want you to fulfil."
"What's that? Could it be that I have to cosplay as bunny man and you'll spread my pic in that costume over net!?" Ichigo trembled a little.
"No, not that, but that's worth to try." Rukia teased him making him worried so badly.
"So what is it?"
"Don't leave like that again, okay?"
Hearing that condition Rukia demanded, Ichigo just smiled and then said, "Yeah, I won't leave my you, the best friend I ever have like that again, won't ever."
"B...Best friend...huh?" Rukia muttered that word in a sad tone.
"Hey Ichigo, what do you think of this phrase that said 'a childhood friend is a future mate'?"
"I think that often happens in game, anime, and manga. Why do you ask me?"
"N-nothing, I just wanted to know what others think about it."
"How strange, but alrite then. By the way, Rukia do you want to go home now? It's almost lunch time and my dad told me that my mom, Yuzu, and Karin make special cuisine today to celebrate my come back." Ichigo rose up from the bench and reached his right hand out to me.
"G-going home? Okay then, can't wait to see what kind of foods they make." Rukia tried to stay calm as she stood up even though inside she was struggling about her feeling. This won't do, if I don't say that now, it'll end up regret it like five years ago, but...I...I... was what in her mind, but suddenly memories of those days being played again in her mind, memories of the last day they met before graduation, memories of that graduation day, regrets she felt after failed confessing her feeling to Ichigo on that day, events of five years she had lived without him, everything being united into one pillar of memory, a pillar that gave her courage. Kuchiki Rukia took a deep breath, shackles that binded her had been broken,
"Ichigo, I have something I wanted to tell you since long ago." That word she said made Ichigo turned his back and asked her, "What is it? Not about your real identity who is truly a chappy, right?" Ichigo jokingly laughed a little.
"Since long ago, I...I..."
"..."
"I've always liked you!" Rukia shouted that to Ichigo making him stunned in extreme surprise.
"I don't want to be separated from you again, I don't want you to leave me alone again, I want to be with you forever, I love you! I truly love you, Ichigo!"
Kuchiki Rukia finally confessed her love to Kurosaki Ichigo, feeling that she had kept for years in her heart. And without she realized it, tears fell down her cheeck, not tears of sadness nor happiness, but tears of fulfilment when she was finally able to do thing she wanted to do since long ago and burden in her heart finally had been lifted. Meanwhile, Ichigo was speechless for a moment after hearing that confession of his childhood friend but then smiled, he walked slowly towards Rukia until he arrived in front of her and placed his warm arms around her, embraced her. "You really are chappy maniac, doing confession out loud like that here, fortunately only two of us here or we'll be watched by many people." Ichigo jokingly said that again made Rukia's cheeks became red. "But I'm glad, you feel same towards me." Ichigo continued his words making Rukia widened her eyes thinking the possible meaning of that words he just said. "I've liked you too since long ago, I wanted to say this earlier on the graduation day but I had to leave back then. But now I'm standing here next to you, thus I want to say I love you, Rukia. Only when I'm with you I could feel the happiest and be able to be my true self. It's lot of fun especially when we have quarrel like tigger and bunny. I want to be with you forever too, protect you forever, I never want to leave your side anymore." Kurosaki Ichigo finally confessed his true feelings toward that childhood friend of his. Rukia was very surprised, she never thought that Ichigo would feel the same toward her and carried the same thing the wanted to tell each others for a long time. She couldn't hold back her tears, she cried there in his embrace as the fallen cherry blossoms petals down upon them blowing by the breeze.
In that afternoon of Sunday in Spring, Kuchiki Rukia and Ichigo Kurosaki left the park and walked down the street holding hands, together. Both of them feel lighter, far lighter than they used to be. With the feelings finally conveyed, no burden left in their hearts. They looked at each other and smiled as the kept walking, to the beginning of the future they'd walk in together.
Two years later...
Morning dawned upon Karakura town, and the sun gave warmth to its residents. It was another lovely morning with the birds chirped like singing a song. In a certain house that song could also be heard. It was around 08.00 a.m. many people had prepared to go to work and the same went for the new family's head of the family resided in that house.
"Ichi, here's your lunch." A young woman in a lovely apron with bunny emblem on it out from the kitchen bringing lunch box.
"Oh, thank you." A young man who sat on the chair in dining room reading morning newspaper answered it as he flipped the newspaper and put in on another chair next to him.
"Bunny-shaped rice, bunny-shaped sausages, bunny-shaped fish cake, bunny-shaped croquettes, bunny-shaped carrots, bunny-shaped broccoli. Everything in bunny-shaped again, huh?"
"Yup since making bunny-shaped foods is my best speciality in cooking even though it takes way more nerves, time, and devotion. Are they cute?"
"Yeah, very cute to the point people in hospital will think I've a taste of a kid."
"So you don't like it?"
"No, I really like it especially when it's made by my lovely wife."
"..." that young woman's cheeks became red.
"What's the matter, Rukia? Are you blushing? You look like a red-cheeks chappy just now." That young man teased that young woman.
"N-no, I'm not! But you call me chappy again, huh?"
"I just said you look like a chappy just now, not calling you chappy at all."
"They're same, hmph."
"Ooh, I got to see your angry face again, so cute. And you look more lovely in that chappy apron too."
"T-there's no use trying to praise me."
"Really? your face became red again just now."
"S-shut up! By the way, here's another thing for you." That woman gave the man a box wrapped with red ribbon, the man took it and then opened it.
"Heart-shaped chocolate with Chappy-emblem on it!?" The man seemed shocked.
"Did you forget? Today's Valentine's day."
"Yeah, I almost forgot, but...the chappy-emblem on it doesn't change at all, just like what you gave me last year."
"You're wrong. See, the size of the emblem is a bit bigger compared with one I gave you last year."
"Eh, you made it so detailed, as expected."
"Of course I'm an expert for this kind of thing."
"Expert in weird chappy-ish thing you mean?"
"It's not chappy-ish thing, this is a new form of art."
"I see, so this is chappy-ish art then."
"No, well, whatever. By the way, don't you have to go to work?"
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Alrite, thanks for lunch and the chocolate, Rukia." That man said that as he walked to the front door and waved his right hand at that woman who waved her hand at him too.
"See you later, Ichigo. I love you. I'm really glad I could spend my life with you.
FIN