Author's Note: This is my first fanfic. I sincerely hope you enjoy it. If so, please review. I LOVE reviews. Seriously, they make my day worthwhile. Also, thanks to everyone that reviewed so far. You guys are awesome! :D
Oh, and I made some changes. I don't have a Beta reader, so there's bound to be occasional errors, right? '^_^
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
'Blood… There's so much blood. So much threatening, dark blood…' thought Rukia Kuchiki as she fell to her knees on the forest floor just outside of Soul Society. 'But, what happened?' She felt confused. One moment, a figure soared towards her as she protectively held her sword out, and then… 'Kaien-dono!' Her violet eyes widened considerably at the sudden realization. 'No… It can't be true… Please…'
However, Rukia could not deny the body that was slumped against her, one hand of hers trembling on the sword's hilt. She also could not deny the voice. Oh, the kind voice she believed was as lovely as birds singing!
"Kuchiki… Kuchiki…" he gasped. "This…must be killing you inside, but thank you. Because… of you… I can leave my heart here… in Soul Society."
"Kaien-dono," Rukia whispered in fear and sadness. Rain fell upon her face, or was it tears? She was not able to tell. Her small, almost fragile hands held him tightly as they trembled. She thought that maybe, in that single, subtle gesture he would find the strength to live. His eyes that dulled from blood loss began to close. Her sword had pierced him too deeply.
"I'm sorry Kaien-dono. Please don't die!" Rukia cried out quickly. Kaien was becoming heavier and heavier against her.
With his last breath, he laughed lightly and replied, "Kuchiki, I already said thank you…" He passed on a few seconds later. Rukia felt too astonished. How rapidly one could feel lonely at the death of a loved one; she felt as though a piece of her heart disappeared. Raising her face to the sky as the rain poured down, she wept, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
*
"Rukia?!?" called an alarmed voice from across the room. "Oi! Rukia!" A few quick strides brought Ichigo Kurosaki to his closet, where Rukia slept. He opened the door.
She tossed and turned on her 'bed'. Sweat lightly covered her face as she screamed, "NOOO!"
Ichigo shook her awake for various reasons. One, he worried about her mental well-being, two, he didn't want to awaken his family, and three, his father was a lunatic, and a light sleeper. "Rukia, wake up! It's only a dream!" She bolted into an upright position as her eyes opened simultaneously. Gasping, her face whipped around back and forth, frightened. Her eyes widened, both scared and trying to adjust to the dark room. She saw a figure before her. "Kaien-dono?" she asked hopefully. Ichigo felt bewildered for a moment. Quickly, he remembered her 'memories in the rain.' 'How could I forget? One of her most horrifying times in her life and I just…forgot?' he berated himself. Rukia would not have forgotten about his mom. Gently, his hands brushed her hair back from her face. "Fool… You're sweating," he muttered with a slight, comforting laugh.
Once her eyes adjusted and her mind came into focus, she murmured, "Ichigo…I…" She averted her eyes in guilt.
"Yeah," he said. "Everything's alright now; it was a nightmare. Don't worry about it," he added while she looked guilty over calling him Kaien-dono. "You need to stop blaming yourself. Now, let's try to be quiet, or my dad, if you can call him a dad…"
"ICHIGOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" yelled a rather querulous voice from behind his door. "Everything okay in there? I heard you screaming like a girl. A really shrill voiced girl, too. But that's okay, my boy! If you were truly scared… No! I will not commend my son's girlish inflections when I can be teaching him to be a man!"
"Damn it," Ichigo muttered under his breath. "I'll be back," he whispered to Rukia. She nodded slightly. He closed the closet door and opened the bedroom door with force akin to a tornado. "Shut up!" he said. "You'll wake Karin and Yuzu, and I think you were merely imagining things. I. DON'T. SCREAM. LIKE. A. GIRL." Ichigo resisted the urge to kick his father with excessive force.
As Isshin commented, "But, my dear son—" Ichigo slammed the door once more. This time, he made sure to lock it.
"Now," he continued. His brown eyes looked at her, concerned. They were saying, 'If you wish to talk about it, you can. Don't forget that.' He waited.
Rukia took in a shaky breath. She crossed her legs in an Indian position and began. "When I graduated from the Academy and joined the Gotei 13, I felt lonely. It's a terrible emotion, like it's consuming you and making you feel sadness. Renji was in another division, and we never talked a lot, anyway. Nii-sama acted cold and distant, even though I now realize he does care. I didn't have friends, either. Then, Kaien-dono came into my life.
"He became my mentor, as was his duty as the vice-captain. He was extremely nice, and we formed a friendship. He even taught me how to call out my zanpakutou.
"But one day, a hollow possessed him. There was nothing we could do, or so my captain said. He told me to run. Although I started to, I couldn't go very far. How could I desert my only friend, the one I looked up to? I couldn't. I came back, but the hollow inside of him tried to attack me. Scared, I held my sword in front of me, and I stabbed him. He died, as you know." Ichigo nodded, but said nothing. He knew she needed to continue.
"So then I fought with the Espada, Aaroniero. Remember when I said he took on the form of a shinigami? That shinigami was Kaien-dono. It was inexplicably painful to fight him, but I ended up defeating him. After the victory, I felt as though I was flying. Released of my previous guilt, I lived on." She smiled lightly to eliminate the suffocating atmosphere.
"Sometimes, though, in the rain, I feel the guilt of killing him. He felt grateful I murdered him in Soul Society, where he could forever leave his heart, but still. I KILLED HIM. That thought never fully leaves. But now, I can face myself in the mirror, and only in the rain do I feel any guilt." Rukia looked outside, proving her point. Rain splattered the window like tears on a face, or blood on a sword. As though it were painful to look at, she stared back down at her folded hands.
They both felt a little surprised. Rukia and Ichigo did not say a whole bunch to each other. Instead, they communicated through their eyes and facial expressions. However, some details need to be said aloud.
Now Ichigo wanted to say something. "Come here," he told her, taking her hands subconsciously. He led her towards the window. The clouds in the sky were starting to clear, and you could then see the full moon shining elegantly in the sky. It stopped raining. "Look at the moon. It's going to dry the rain now. It's shining brightly, dominant over all other objects. It's going to dry the rain so you don't need to feel the pain anymore…. And… If the moon doesn't dry your suffering, then I will, because I cannot stand to see you like that. I'm glad that your guilt is steadily dissipating. When it is completely gone, I'll make sure it never comes back; I swear to that." He took a deep breath and stood up taller. There were a few more things he had to say.
"Once in a while, I realize that you are the moon in my heart. Because you gave me powers, I can protect everyone… I'm so grateful…I…" But he stopped. He did not think he could continue and speak of his mother. Not just yet. Maybe one day, he would. Ichigo also wanted to let Rukia know how much he loved her and admired her pure strength. Looking into her eyes, he desperately wished that she would understand.
Rukia looked back at him. The moonlight gently shined on the two of them. She nodded and whispered, "Ahhh…. Yes, I know." Her violet eyes revealed that she felt the same way. He looked outrageously happy. Finally, they each understood that they were not merely precious nakama. "Ichigo, I know. I can see it in your face when you look at me… And… You're the sun in my life, if you want to continue quoting Shakespeare. " They smiled at each other, the same smiles they saved especially for each other and no one else.
For Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki, speaking is not always communication. Their faces alone expressed the deepest emotions they held within themselves. In a way, you could say language was beneath them. If you wish to not put it that way, then, it's merely easier for them to speak through their faces. Their bond is that special and deep.
And that, my friends, is IchiRuki.