bleach drabble
ichigo/rukia
ichigo and rukia in the thrones of separation
note : spoilers for soul society arc conclusion, inspired by Offspring's 'Gone Away', and no, no, no, i do not own bleach (364 & 373 words respectively)
When Rukia first started following Ichigo to the old cemetery, she always tried to keep among the shadows to stay hidden. But soon she realized that he was always too distracted with his own thoughts to even notice her.
She knew that it was vaguely stalker-like behavior but she just wanted to know why he spent his weekends among the abandoned graves at the edge of town. After all, his mother's well-kept grave was on the other side of town.
Balancing herself carefully on the tree branch closest to the clearing where the small group of graves stood, Rukia watched him intently. He lay sprawled on his back next to a small stone poking through the long grass, in the middle of the clearing.
As he had the last few times, Ichigo just stared at the sky with one hand cushioning his head. The afternoon wore on and still he didn't move. Her legs started to numb but she stayed where she was, determined to find out why he was here.
A few times, he would reach out his free hand to the sky and mumble something too soft for her to hear. And he did glance at the small stone beside him and sometimes even rested his hands on it, as though caressing it.
But all that still didn't explain his little jaunts to the middle of nowhere. Determined to find out, Rukia settled down to wait.
When sunset finally came, he wearily got to his feet and walked slowly away. Rukia didn't follow him this time though. She waited until he had gone a safe distance before stumbling off the branch. Shaking off the numbness in her legs, she walked to the spot where he had rested and glanced around. Her gaze fell onto the small half-hidden stone he had briefly touched.
Curious, she crouched beside it and pushed away the long grass. She was surprised to realize that it was a grave marker for a child. And her hands froze as she read the name craved on it.
It was almost worn away but that one lone character was still distinct enough for her to read... Rukia...
It was her grave...
When Ichigo first got back from Soul Society, he thought he was fine with how everything turned out. Even if he had left Soul Society in chaos, and Rukia had chosen to stay behind, he had managed to walk away without a backward glance.
But lately, he found himself moping and frowning more fiercely than usual (as Tatsuki pointed out) and had gotten into the habit of sleeping with his closet door open.
He even agreed to help out in the clinic in an effort to cure this restlessness. Even though most sessions turn out to be more wrestling matches with his father than anything else.
One of his dad's patients, an old geezer who used to teach history at the nearby university, was Ichigo's favourite patron. Ichigo will help the old professor do his physical therapy while being told old historical facts about practically everything.
Usually he would listen half-heartedly and only give an appropriate grunt every now and then but when he mentioned the old cemetery just at the edge of town just for children who died young during the Meiji era, his attention had sharpened unexpectedly. He just knew he had to check it out.
That very Saturday, he sneaked out from the house early and made his way to the edge of town to find that cemetery. He knew no one will be there except him. After all, anyone who knew these children would be long gone themselves.
He slowly made his way through the forest, pushing against the tall grass and hanging vines. He noticed a clearing with a scattering of stones and as he drew nearer, Ichigo realized they were the grave markers.
He stood still for a moment, unable to believe that he actually found it. Sighing, he walked to the clearing and moved to a small marker near the center that seem to draw him.
Kneeling beside it, he held his breath and pushed the long grass that concealed it from view. His eyes widened at what he saw. Tracing his fingers on the character etched in the stone, Ichigo slowly exhaled.
It was almost worn away but that one lone character was still distinct enough for him to read... Rukia...
It was her grave...
i actually just wanted to write rukia's story for the song but something compelled me to try to explain how the whole thing came about thru ichigo's point of view. i also tried tying up the two parts with the same ending. so just to be clear, ichigo's part actually happened b4 rukia's. but i like it better if it was in this order.
btw, i'm not quite sure if the whole situation is even feasible. i mean what are the odds of ichigo actually finding what he was looking for? not very good, i'ld say. i also had to make up a time frame for rukia's death since i have absolutely no idea when that occurred. sweatdrop but let's all go along with it for the sake of 'what if', alritey.