This is my second fanfic I ever did, but my first for Bleach. Enjoy! I'm still an amateur, so comments would be helpful. Plus, ingnore if there are grammar errors, cuz English is my 2nd language. =)
There he was. Lying on his bed, hopeless and eyes covered
with pain and fear. His body covered in white, long
bandages. Rukia sat next to him, watching as he moves
constantly trying to fight away the pain. He did what he had
to do. He saved Karakura Town from destruction. He defeated
Aizen. He used all of his reatsu to protect both Soul
Society and the real world. But now, Rukia can't help but to
think that what he had done to deserve all of this.
"Please...Please, stop..." Ichigo mumbled in his sleep.
"....I couldn't help but watching him suffer. I wished I'd
replace myself for him. Without even noticing, a shed of
tear started to drop on his cheek. No, it's not his. It's
mine. I shed a pearl on his cheek. But somehow, I couldn't
wipe it. I can't bear to eliminate it. I never had this
feeling about Ichigo before. This strange feeling...Could it
be...No. I'm such a fool. There's no way I could have that
feeling over Ichigo...." Rukia thought.
____________________________________________________________
The next morning, Ichigo woke up. He saw Rukia sleeping on
the floor with her yesterday's clothes on. Ichigo felt
weird. Why didn't Rukia sleep in his closet as always? Maybe
she fell asleep on the floor? Ichigo made a conclusion.
"Onee-chan! Breakfast is ready!" Yuzu shouted.
"Ahh, my body..." Ichigo whispered to himself.
"....It hurts. It still hurts a lot. Eventhough it's all
over, it looks like the pain is still with me. I gotta wear
my clothes so that Yuzu, Karin and dad will act as nothing
had happened. Ahh, I gotta wake Rukia up. She's been
sleeping like a log...." Ichigo thought.
"Hey, Rukia, wake up already...It's 8 in the morning. Yuzu
already made breakfast." Ichigo said to Rukia.
"...Huh...Yeah...I'll go down later...zZzZz.."
"Suit yourself."
Ichigo walked down the stairs slowly, as his wounds were
not properly healed yet at that time. He tried to act as
usual so that his family will treat him like usual too.
"Onee-chan! You look pale today! Why???" Yuzu shouted.
"Yeah, Ichi. You look different today." Karin said.
"My son! Why are you so sad today! To cheer you up, here's
my flying super awesome frenzy ki--" Isshin said to Ichigo.
Ichigo kicked his dad right on his face.
"Now that's my son! Ahh..."
"I'm going to bed. Call me when dinner's ready."
"Onee-chan, you haven't eaten your breakfast yet!
Onee-chan!" Yuzu shouted once more.
"Yeah, way to go, dad. Way to go." Karin said.
Ichigo went upstairs to his room. He lay his head on his
pillow, trying to figure out something in his mind.
"....What am I going to do now. I'm still a Substitute
Shinigami. And there are still Hollows to be killed. Aizen
is gone. But Hueco Mundo is still there. Ah, I should get
some rest. It's Sunday. Maybe I should dooze a little
more...." Ichigo thought.
"Hey, Rukia, can you get me some Coke in the fridge.."
"Hey, Rukia, come on, don't be such a lazy ass, get me..."
"Rukia? HEY RUKIA! ARE YOU DEAF???"
Ichigo opened his closet. Rukia's not there. He try to
search for Rukia. He went to Yuzu and Karin's room, but
she's not there either.
"Kon! Where's Rukia?"
"Oh Ichigo. You're good at treating women, aren't you? I
think Nee-san ran away!" Kon screaming at Ichigo.
"Don't be an idiot! Why would Rukia want to run away all of
a sudden??"
"You still haven't got a clue after all this time? Poor
Nee-san! Bad Ichigo! Bad Ichigo!"
Without hesitation, Ichigo stepped on Kon's soft, plushie body.
"Ow! Ow! Alright! Alriiiight!! Look over there! She left
you a note!" Kon trembled in pain.
"A note...?"
Ichigo quickly went to his study desk and grabbed the note
that Rukia had left him.
'Ichigo, I'll be in Sereitei for a moment to meet Renji and
Rangiku-san. Don't look for me. - Rukia. '
"...Sereitei? Why now? Why did she left me? She always ask
me to come with her whenever she go somewhere, even in Soul
Society..." Ichigo thought.
"Hey Kon, take care of my body for a while. I'm going to
meet Uruhara for a moment."
"Me? In this ugly body of yours? Again? I don't th--"
Ichigo choke Kon.
"Alright! Alright! At least I could meet Orihime-san and hug--"
This time, Ichigo choke him harder.
"I understand, Ichi...Ah..."
____________________________________________________________
Without a moment to waste, Ichigo transformed into a
Shinigami and went to the Uruhara Shop. Fortunately, Uruhara
was there, lying on the tatami floor fanning himself while
Tessai was sweeping the floor.
"Hey, Uruhara! I gotta go to Sereitei for a moment! Open
the Senkai gate for me!" Ichigo shouted.
"May I know why..?"
"It's a long story!"
"Sorry. I can't let you pass the Senkai gate without first
knowing your motive. It's a rule." Uruhara said.
"I...I think Rukia's up to something."
"Rukia? Something? I thought she was with you. Well, you
even sleep with the same room with her."
"Hey! Don't get the wrong idea! I...don't know...She left a
note saying that she's going to Soul Society to meet Renji
and Rangiku-san, but I think she's lying."
"Alright, alright, but try to hide your reiatsu a little.
Your reaitsu's like a cannonball waiting to be explode."
"Yeah, got it."
Uruhara opened the Senkai gate. A hell butterfly came and
Ichigo went inside the gate. There were two officers
standing by, guarding the gate. Luckily, Ikkaku passed by
and tell the guards to let Ichigo in.
"Ikkaku! Where are you going?" Ichigo screaming to Ikkaku.
"I'm off to see Kenpachi-taichou! See ya!"
"His head is shining brightly today..."
"....Ah! Now's not the time. I gotta go find Rukia. But she
said that she'll meet with Renji and Rangiku-san here. Looks
like I have to go to the 6th Division's place to find
Renji...." Ichigo thought.
____________________________________________________________
Ichigo ran there as fast as he could. There, he found Renji
practicing his Bankai with the squad's taicho, Byakuya
Kuchiki. He felt reluctant to disturb their practice, but
for the sake of Rukia, he ran to Renji.
"Hey Renji!"
"Huh? Ichigo? What are you doing here?"
"Sorry to interrupt, but have you seen Rukia??"
"No, it's been a long time."
"NO? Have you seen her with Rangiku-san???"
"Rangiku is busy finishing loads of paperwork after
Hitsugaya-taicho forced her to do it. It looks like he hid
some of her sa-ke to make her suffer. But they're pretty
busy this month."
"Damn! I knew it...Hey Renji..."
"What?"
"I think Rukia's up to something. She left a note saying
that she want to come here to meet you and Rangiku-san but I
guess that doesn't happen."
"What?? Rukia's gone??? Where??? Taic--"
"Calm down! Don't tell Byakuya about this! I don't know
where she is right now. We gotta find her."
"Okay, we'll start at East Rukongai." Renji replied.
They searched, and searched, and searched. But Rukia was
nowhere to be found. Then, they went to the West, South and
North Rukongai and searched there. Again, Rukia wasn't there
either. Ichigo felt hopeless. He asked himself if he had
done anything wrong to Rukia.
"...Maybe I was too harsh on her? But she doesn't seem to
care about me calling her a midget. Did I hit her? Yeah, I
hit her once when we first met. But she's the one that
always hit me with her ruthless kicks...Rukia...Where are
you?...." Ichigo thought.
____________________________________________________________
"Hey Renji, maybe we should meet Rangiku-san first and ask
her about Rukia." Ichigo said.
"I've already told you, Rangiku is--"
"I know! I just want to make sure..."
"Wakata." Renji said.
Ichigo and Renji went to the 10th Division's place. When
they entered, they met Rangiku in the taicho's headquarters.
Renji's face turned red and his mouth wide open all of a sudden.
"Ra...Ra...Ra...Ngi...Ku..."
"What? Rangiku-san? She's over th--" Ichigo choked for a
moment.
Rangiku were sleeping at that time. But her valley seemed
to be over-exposed. She was drinking 5 bottles of sa-ke
before she passed out. Ichigo's face turned red too.
"I never thought I've seen Rangiku's valley this
close...I...I..."
"Huhh...Hey...Don't be a pervert...Let's just...leave her
alone..."
Ichigo had to grab Renji's hand as he was reluctant to
move. He slapped Renji and they continued to search for
Rukia. They spent hours and hours in Soul Society trying to
find Rukia, but to no avail. At last, they decided to go to
the place where Rukia almost died - the Sogyoku Hill. Renji
and Ichigo swore never to go to that place again as it'll
bring bad memories of the past to life once more. But for
the sake of Rukia, they went there.
"....I promised myself. Renji promised himself. We both
hate this place...." Ichigo thought.
"The Hollow Forest...Are you ready, Ichigo?" Renji said.
"...Yeah. Let's find Rukia."
____________________________________________________________
They moved to the Hollow Forest, passing tree to tree,
shadow to shadow, bearing the sound from crickets singing to
the sound of wolves howling at night.
"Hey Renji, do Rukia keep secrets from you? I mean, as a
friend and all..."
"I think so. Well, at least she told me one. It's about
this person, but I still kept my promise to Rukia. I'll
never revealed it, even if it means death."
"Who's this person?"
"Like I said, can't tell ya. Why are you asking this stuff
anyway?"
"Oh, nothing, it's just that I think Rukia never actually
tell something about herself to me..."
"You still don't realize it, don't you...?" Renji hinted
something.
"What?"
"Ahh, nothing..."
"....Hmmm. Rukia telling a secret to Renji? That's weird.
But they've known each other since before I was even born.
Besides, they're really close...." Ichigo thought.
"....Ichigo, you're so stupid...." Renji thought.
They continued to search for Rukia. Then, five Menos
appeared right before their eyes. Ichigo and Renji
unsheathed their swords and the battle began.
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
"Houro, Zabimaru!"
The Menos disappeared. They went further into the woods and
they saw what it seemed like a silhouette of a person. They
ran to that direction and they saw the person trying to jump
over a deadly cliff. Renji knew that below the cliff lies
the Menos Nest. As it name suggests, it's the home of
millions of Menos fighting and eating each other's souls.
Even Renji couldn't survive fighting a million Menos.
"Wait! Don't jump! Hey!" Renji screamed.
"....Huh? Rukia? Is that you?...." Ichigo thought.
Ichigo used shunpo and managed to catch the person just
before she fell off the cliff. Ichigo and Renji were shocked
and in disbelief. It was Rukia that was falling off the cliff.
"Hey, Rukia! Wake up! Hey! Rukia!" Ichigo shouted.
"Don't shout at her, dumbass! She just passed out! We gotta
send her to the 4th Division care unit! Let Unohana-taichou
take care of her!"
"....." Ichigo just silenced himself.
____________________________________________________________
Ichigo carried Rukia in his arms to the 4th Division's
place. Ichigo run as fast as he could as all he could
ever think was about Rukia. They managed to get there in time.
"Her body is very weak. The Menos seemed to damage her
reiatsu a little. It also looks like she used kiddo to
hide her reiatsu as well. But the Menos managed to sense her
reiatsu. That's why you couldn't detect hers at the
first place. Maybe she's hiding something, but I can't put
my nose on somebody else's business. Make sure she gets
plenty of rest. Don't push her too much."
"Arigato, Unohana-taichou." Renji said.
"Arigato, Unohana-san." Ichigo said.
"....What is she hiding? Why can't she tell me what's
bothering her mind? Why can't she tell me her secret? Why
Rukia? Why? Why now?...." Ichigo thought.
"Ichigo, can you please leave me with Rukia for a
moment..." Renji said.
"No! I'm not leaving her ever again!" Ichigo screamed.
"Please...Just for a moment...Ichigo."
"Tchht....Fine."
Ichigo opened and closed the door. He sat on the chair
outside the room, waiting for Renji to be done with. Inside
the room, Renji held Rukia's hand and whispered something to
her ears.
"Rukia, I know that I'm not suppose to break this promise,
but if you decided to leave Soul Society today, tomorrow or
in the future without saying a word to me or Ichigo, then
I'll have to break that promise."
Renji stood up and went outside the room. There, he stood
by Ichigo.
"Hey, take care of Rukia for me." Renji said.
"Where you goin?" Ichigo asked.
"I gotta go back to the 6th Division's place. Got some
work to do. Oh, and one more thing, don't you ever take your
eyes off of Rukia."
"Fine with me."
___________________________________________________________
Ichigo entered the room again and sat on a chair beside
Rukia. He glared at Rukia, watching her lying on the sick
bed. Ichigo's face turned gloomy, as he was thinking about
Rukia - and himself.
"....Damn it. I should have known that this would happen. I
vowed to protect anyone that's close to me, but I failed. I
failed to protect my mother, and now, I failed to protect
the one's that giving me strength all this time...." Ichigo
thought.
"Ahh...Hah..." Rukia started to wake up.
"Rukia? Rukia? Rukia..."
"...Ichi...Go...I'm...sor..ry..."
"Don't say anything. Just rest."
"...Can you...hold...my...hand..."
"Huh...Rukia...Sure.."
Ichigo held Rukia's hand as Rukia fell asleep. Soon, Ichigo
fell asleep too as they both were tired. The next morning,
Renji decided to visit Rukia.
"Hey dumbass, wake up already." Renji said.
"Huh...Oh yeah...Hey Renji, I gotta go now, I got school
today and I can't miss it...So, it's your turn to take care
of her..." Ichigo said.
"Sure. Just go."
"Thanks, Renji."
Ichigo went to the Senkai gate and returned to the real
world. When he arrived at his home, he returned to his
normal body again and put Kon's soul to his plushie.
"Ichigo! did you find Nee-san??" Kon asked.
"She's resting in Seireitei."
"Ichigo you fool! Why did you hurt Nee-sa-"
"Shut up, Kon. I don't want to hear anything. I'm going to
school."
"Ichi...go..." Kon watched a gloomy Ichigo.
Ichigo put on his school uniform and went downstairs.
"Onee-chan! Where are you going? You haven't eaten your
breakfast yet! Onee-chan!" Yuzu shouted.
"Just leave him alone, Yuzu. He's...just feeling moody
today. That's all." Karin stared at Ichigo as he walks by.
"Again, Onee-chan? You even skipped dinner last
night...Onee-chan..." Yuzu worried.
Ichigo then walked to school. When he entered his class, he
quickly sat on his chair without even saying hi to Chad,
Inoue, Uryu and Keigo. Inoue came to his table and greet him.
"Korusaki-kun! How are you feeling today??" Inoue said.
"Ah, Inoue. I'm fine, thanks..."
Inoue can sensed that Ichigo's not feeling happy that day.
Maybe something was bothering him. In an effort to cheer him
up, Inoue tried to start a chat with him.
"Ano, Kurosaki-kun, Don't you think that the weather is --"
"Inoue, I don't mean to break your feelings, but can you
please leave me alone for today...Just today...I don't want
to involve with anyone today..."
"Kurosaki-kun..."
When school was over, Ichigo went to the lake that had
taken her mother's life. The place where Grand Fisher killed
his mother. He stayed there for a while, to remember the
past for a moment. After that, he went to the Uruhara Shop.
There, he was shocked to see Inoue, Uryu and Chad sitting on
the tatami floor.
"....What? Uryu? Inoue? Chad? What are they doing
here?...." Ichigo thought.
"Hey Kurosaki, we all decided to meet Uruhara-san to use
the Senkai gate." Uryu said.
"What for..?"
"To visit Rukia." Chad said.
"....They know about it? How?? Only me and Renji knew about
it..." Ichigo thought.
"Ichigo. No need to hide. Renji came here last night and
told us all about it." Uruhara said.
"Us? You mean that all of you were here...last night?"
Ichigo said.
"Kurosaki-kun, we don't want you to suffer all of this on
your own...Rukia-san is our friend too...The reason why we
came here is to help her..." Inoue said.
"Inoue...Arigatou." Ichigo bowed down.
____________________________________________________________
After a brief moment, Ichigo uses his Shinigami
Representative Badge to turn into a Shinigami. The, he and
the others went to Soul Society through the Senkai gate.
They managed to pass through the guards with the help of
Rangiku and Renji, who were well aware of their presence at
that time. Then, all of them went to the 4th Division's care
unit, where Rukia was one of the patients. Rukia was staring
at the window while holding a cup at the moment, not knowing
that Ichigo and others were on their way to pay her a visit.
"....Ichigo...I'm sorry that I ran away....I could never
forgive myself about what had happened...." Rukia thought.
Without notice, tears began to ran down her face.
"Hey Rukia! How are you--" Ichigo stopped.
Ichigo watched as tears began to roll down on Rukia's
cheeks. Inoue, Chad, Uryu, Rangiku and Renji were there,
too. They saw Rukia crying. Rukia looked at Ichigo and
immediately she wiped her tears with her hands.
"Hey! You guys! You didn't tell me that you all were coming
here..." Rukia said.
"It's ok, Rukia-san! We're here to cheer you up! Here, I
bought some lettuce and carrot-infused chocolate cake for
you!" Inoue said, happily.
"Thanks, Inoue..."
"Hey Rukia-san, you should get some rest and try to stay
away from harm. We're here because we care about you,
remeber?" Uryu said.
Ichigo and the others smiled as Rukia began to cry. But
this time, she cried because she was happy. Those were her
tears of joy. They chatted and have fun until it was
nightime. Uryu and Chad told Rukia that they have to leave
early as they have school the next day. But Ichigo and Inoue
decided to stay for awhile to accompany Rukia just a little
bit more.
"Hey Ichigo, I have to meet Kuchiki-taichou for a moment.
I'll be right back." Renji said.
"Yeah, alright." Ichigo said.
"Kurosaki-kun, I'll be outside with Rangiku-san for a
moment..."
"Ok, Inoue."
Soon, there were only Ichigo and Rukia in the room. Just
the two of them.
"So, Ichigo, you--"
"Just cut the crap. Rukia, why did you lied to me and the
others? Why did you try to jump off that cliff?"
Inoue and Rangiku were busy talking about their lives when
Inoue started to stop talking and put her ears on the wall
to hear Rukia's and Ichigo's conversation. Rangiku also did
the same thing. They were eavesdropping their big talk.
"...I...I was..." Rukia trembled.
"Why did you try to do a stupid thing? You know I can't
afford to lose another person in my life right now..."
"Ichi...go...I...I...I was trying to kill myself..."
"Kill yourself?? Why???" Ichigo screamed.
"It's....It's because I can't afford to get into other
people's ways..."
"Other people's ways? What are you talking about, Rukia??"
"I...I...I know that Inoue likes you, Ichigo...I just knew
it..." Rukia lowered her voice.
Inoue's face started to change. Her face turned from
anxious to pale. Rangiku also heard the conversation. It was
no mistake. Rukia just told Ichigo that Inoue's into him.
"Ra...Ran...Rangiku-san...Please forgive me..." Inoue's
voice shriveled.
"Ah, Inoue!" Rangiku shouted.
Inoue ran as fast as she could as tears began to roll down
her cheeks. She ran to the Senkai gate all by herself. When
she appeared in the Uruhara shop, she stopped crying and
passed out there. Looks like she was having an emotional
breakdown.
"....Inoue-san? Inoue-san??" Uruhara began to worry.
"Tessai, take her to the guest room. It looks like she just
fainted."
"Yes, boss." Tessai said.
____________________________________________________________
"What? Inoue....Inoue Orihime? Rukia, you're not serious
are you?" Ichigo said in disbelief.
"It's true, Ichigo...Before she went to Hueco Mundo under
Aizen's command, she wore a bracelet that Ulquiorra gave to
her. That bracelet can hide her reiatsu even in the form of
a human, making her invisible to human senses, but not
Shinigami senses. It was nightime..."
"Stop it, Rukia! Don't lie again...!" Ichigo shouted in anger.
"No! I'm not lying! When it was nightime, I was on my way
upstairs to visit you, and when I opened the door a little,
I saw her talking to you...She started to hold your right
hand, and..."
"And...Rukia...?"
"And...she tried to kiss you, Ichigo...but she couldn't
because of...me..."
"Because of you...why..."
"She said that she's jealous of me...How I'm able to cheer
you up in just a short amount of time, how I'm always by
your side even when fighting Hollows..." Rukia started to cry.
"Rukia...I...I...don't know what to say..."
"Can you see it, Ichigo! I'm just a good-for-nothing
person! Because of me, Inoue's life has turned upside
down...She likes you the moment she met you when her brother
died at your clinic..."
"Rukia...This is insane. Pure insane. I gotta go." Ichigo said.
"Wait! Ichigo!" Rukia screamed, trying to make Ichigo
believe her words.
Ichigo opened the door and looked at Rangiku.
"Where's Inoue?"
"She just left...Back to the real world..." A shocked
Rangiku said.
Ichigo quickly ran to the Senkai gate, hoping to ran into
Inoue and explain everything to her. In the meantime,
Rangiku watched as Rukia cried and cried continuesly.
"It wasn't your fault, Rukia..." Rangiku said, trying to
calm Rukia down.
"Yes! It's all because of me! I destroyed Inoue's hopes and
dreams...I should have known better, Rangiku-san..."
"Hush hush, dear...How about you go to rest...Tonight, I'll
take care of you..."
"Ra...ngi...ku-san..." Rukia continue to sob.
Before Rukia fell asleep, she whispered something to Rangiku.
"I...I...I actually like him. But Inoue's feelings for him
are much more important than my own feelings. Inoue is such
a nice person. I would never wanted to hurt her in the first
place. But...but...I like him too..."
"...Rukia..." Rangiku looked at her as she fell asleep
afterwards.
__________________________________________________
Ichigo managed to get through the Senkai gate and arrived
at the Uruhara Shop. There, he met Jinta and Ururu.
"Where's Uruhara??" Ichigo asked.
"He's at the back, orange-head." Jinta said.
"Be careful, Kurosaki-kun. We got a guest..." Ururu added.
Ichigo went to the back room and he opened the door. There,
he was shocked to see Inoue lying on the futon, and
Uruhara watches as Tessai tried to heal her.
"Why is Inoue here, Uruhara-san?? Did she passed out??"
Ichigo started to worry.
"Ah, Ichigo. You come to the right place. How was
Rukia-san?" Uruhara muttered.
"Rukia...She's fine..." Ichigo's face started to change.
"Good to hear. Well, Inoue-san fainted a while ago and it
appears like she's having a high fever. It's okay, our
Tessai here is trying to heal her. She'll have to spend the
night here in order to recover."
"Huh...Uruhara-san...can I stay here for a moment..."
"Sure. But don't you have school tomorrow, Ichigo?"
"I...I wanted to say something to her...in private..."
"Ah...Wakata. Well, as long as you're OK. But make sure not
to wake her up. She needs rest."
After half an hour, Tessai managed to heal Inoue. Uruhara
and Tessai went out of the room and shut the door. Ichigo
sat beside Inoue. He looked at Inoue, lying unconcious on
the futon.
"...Inoue...I know that you can't hear me right
now...but...Gomenasai...Rukia just told everything about you
to me a while ago...I'm...I'm sorry, Inoue...I can't...I
can't project the feelings that you have for me right back
at you...Again...Gomen, Inoue..."
Ichigo stood up and went back to his normal self. After
that, he left the Uruhara Shop. He went back to
his house, walking upstairs to his room. There, Ichigo laid
back on his bed, trying to shut his eyes, trying to forget
everything that had happened for the past few days, but...to
no avail. He remembered what Rukia had said to him.
"....Rukia...I've hurt Rukia's feelings...And Inoue's...Why
is this happening...to me..." Ichigo thought.
The next day, Ichigo woke up, getting ready for school as
usual. He opened the window to get some fresh air. As he was
putting on his school uniform, Renji suddenly came through
the window and shocked Ichigo.
"Re...Re...Renji! Why the hell are you here??????" Ichigo
shouted.
"Rukia...Rukia disappeared again!!" Renji became anxious.
"Disappeared?? Rukia?? How??"
"She left the 4th Division's care unit while Rangiku was
sleeping. I can't detect her reiatsu, neither does Rangiku."
"But...but I have school right now! What am I suppo--"
"Cut the crap, Ichigo! What's more important?? Rukia's life
or your life???!?" Renji intervined.
"......Ikkuzoh."
____________________________________________________________
"Ahh...My head...Where is this..."
"Ah, Inoue-san. Looks like you've finally woken up."
"U...Uruhara-san...I'm sorry, looks like I fell asleep here..."
"No need to worry, Inoue-san. Why don't stay here for
awhile? At least drink a cup of tea for a moment to lighten
up your day."
"Oh no Uruhara-san! I shouldn't be disturbing you right
now! Gomenasai! I should go now...!" Inoue said in a
panicking voice.
"Uhh, wait, Inoue-san..." Uruhara stopped.
Inoue ran out from the shop and went to her apartment.
There, she quickly put on her school uniform and hurried
herself to school. When she arrived at her class, it was
already the third period. But luckily, the teacher hasn't
come in yet.
"Ah, Inoue! Why are you late?" Tatsuki asked.
"Tatsuki-chan! Long time no see!" Inoue smiled widely.
Inoue sat on her chair. She gazed on Ichigo's table, seeing
him absent.
"Hey, silly, why are you sad?" Tatsuki said.
"Oh! It's just...nothing..."
"It's because Ichigo's absent, right?"
"No no, Tatsuki-chan! It's because I'm...I'm sick last
night! Yes, that's right! Hahahahaha!"
"....Inoue...of all the boys in this school, why did she
like Ichigo...." Tatsuki thought.
____________________________________________________________
Ichigo arrived at Soul Society with Renji. They decided to
go to the cliff once more to see if Rukia was there.
But, Rukia was not there. Then they searched at Rukongai's
98th District to see if she was there. But they couldn't
find her here too. They decided to take a rest for a while
before continuing their search for Rukia.
"Ichigo, there's something...I wanna tell you..." Renji said.
"What?"
"Remember that secret? I promised to Rukia that if she went
missing again without saying a word to me, then I have to
tell you the secret."
"...The secret?" Ichigo looked at Renji.
"She...she actually likes you, Ichigo..."
"....What?? Rukia too?!??" Ichigo's face turned red.
"She always tells me about you whenever she met me. She
told me that the reason why she acts tough on you is because
she doesn't want to fall in love with you. But she can't
help it. She likes you since the beginning. Even I feel left
out sometimes. I've been with her since we were little.
After our friends died, we promised them that we'll become
Shinigamis. I...I...I love Rukia, Ichigo..."
"You...you...you like Ruk--" Ichigo stopped.
"Yes, I love Rukia since we were kids. But since you came
into our lives, looks like you're more important to her. I
have to love Rukia as a friend, from now on. So I'm asking
you this...please, Ichigo...don't break her heart
anymore..." Renji's face changed.
"...Renji..."
After that, they saw Rukia buying some food from a vendor
not far away.
"Hey, Rukia!" Renji shouted.
"....Renji?!? Ichigo?!? How did yo--" Rukia said, shocked.
"Why did you ran away from your room?? We were worried
about you!" Renji scolded.
"...Renji...I...I decided to stop being a...shinigami..."
"Don't be such a fool, Rukia! We promised to our friends
that we'll become great Shinigamis! And we did! Why would
you want to resign, Rukia?!?"
Rukia went silent for a moment as she looked down.
"...Rukia...If you ever say that again to Renji, then I'll
stop being a Substitute Shinigami too." Ichigo said, in a
low voice.
"...Ichigo..." Rukia started to shed her tears.
"If you're not a Shinigami anymore, Rukia...Then all this
time, I've been fighting with Hollows, Arrancars, Espadas,
and Aizen...just for nothing...I've rescued Inoue, Uryu and
Chad all this time is because of you, Rukia...You're the one
that gave me strength, power, and happiness..."
"...Stop it, Ichigo!" Rukia screamed as she cried harder.
"So I'm asking you this, Rukia..."
Ichigo then hugged Rukia.
"...Don't you ever stop being a Shinigami."
Rukia stood there in Ichigo's arms. She was speechless.
Tears kept flowing from her eyes. She could not help but to
put her arms around Ichigo. Renji watched as the two of them
were hugging.
"....Good job, Ichigo...." Renji thought.
____________________________________________________________
Ichigo and Rukia decided to went back to the real world.
They were at the Kuchiki's Manor. Renji was there too.
"Hey, Renji, wanna go with us? You can freeload at
Uruhara-san's shop again if you want too..."
"Naah, I got tons of work to do. Just go on without me."
"Suit yourself. Bye, Renji."
"Bye, Renji..." Rukia said, with a smile.
They both went back to the real world after Rukia opened
the gate with her zanpaktou. They went back to Ichigo's
house. Rukia decided to sleep in Yuzu and Karin's room,
instead of the usual place, which is his closet. Ichigo went
back to his body and finally, he can actually sleep peacefully.
The next day, they got ready for school. Ichigo put on his
school uniform and went downstairs for breakfast. He saw
Rukia talking with Yuzu cheerfully at the dining table.
"Onee-chan! I made your favourite breakfast today!" Yuzu
said with delight.
"Oh, thanks Yuzu." Ichigo said.
They ate their breakfast and Ichigo stood up as he was
going to the door. Then, Ishiin came with his flying kick.
"Good morning! Ichig--"
Ichigo managed to dodge the attack, sending Ishiin flying
throughout the window.
"Old bastard geezer...Hey, Rukia, are you finished yet?"
"Yeah, thanks for the breakfast, Yuzu-chan! Let's go,
Ichigo." Rukia smiled.
They walked side by side together to school. When they
entered the class, Inoue saw them.
"Oh, Kurosaki-kun! Rukia-san! Ohaiyou!"
"Huh, ohaiyou, Inoue." Ichigo said.
"Ohaiyou, Inoue." Rukia said.
"Rukia-san! How are you now? Are you feeling well? I'm so
worried!" Inoue said.
"Ah, don't worry Inoue...! I'm fine now. Arigato...!" Rukia
cheered up.
"Really? That's great! How about we eat lunch....Oh the
weather is....Ah, Tatsuki-chan!...." Inoue continued to talk
about many things.
"....Inoue...She's trying to cheer me up...Thank
you...Inoue...." Rukia thought.
After school, Ichigo and Rukia went to the lake again.
Ichigo sat by the lake, while Rukia was standing beside him.
Orihime happened to pass by as the two of them were watching
the sunset together. Tears began to roll down Inoue's cheeks.
"....Kurosaki-kun...You like Rukia, don't you,
Kurosaki-kun...I'm happy that you've finally found solace
after all these years..." Inoue thought.
Inoue wiped her tears and smiled. Then, she continued her
walk and watch as the sunset began to fall down slowly.
~THE END.~