Ichigo sat in his bedroom, his brown eyes stared down at an unopened letter. He knew who it was from and what the contents would say. As much as he tried to deny it. He knew just knew it. His heart ached as he began to think of the perfect moments they shared together where he had felt complete, it felt natural, and so right. There had been a familiar warmth being in her presence a warmth he had locked away so long ago. In his darkest trouble and coldest silence; he looked for her and she was there. It had given him a hope that he thought had faded long ago He studied the sheet of paper carefully and wondered how many hours had passed since she had returned. He resigned himself to the fact that there was just no denying it. He needed to read these words for himself.
Ichigo,
By the time you receive this letter I will have returned to soul society to stay, permanently. Thank you, for teaching me how to smile again. You gave me direction, a guiding hand that I desperately needed. With you, I learned the meaning of things I had tried to forget, unconditional love, trust, and most importantly bond. It has carried me through the darkest nights and lifted me up when I needed it the most. It has given me hope and a reason to go on, and I will go on knowing that you have touched my life.
Rukia
Emotions piled up higher and higher as the realization finally sunk into the very depths of his soul. She was gone. The emptiness had begun to set in as he buried his head in his hands and wondered how he was going to get through tomorrow without her. His world come crashing down around him, for the very thing that held him up had been pulled out from beneath him. It was a bitter cold that he knew would never cease as the darkness slowly encroached. It threatened to take away the one place that had felt lighter and more at peace than it had in 8 long years. It was a bond steeped in depth and understanding, but to him it was more than that. He too, had learned how to smile again, and to him it made all the difference. However, none of that seemed to matter anymore, for it had all disappeared in the blink of an eye. She had gone back to a life in the soul society, and he, he was left with nothing but the quiet and painful beating of his own heart, and a head full of memories. That's when his tortured mind began to wander to the many things left unsaid. However, through all this din there was one thing most of all that he had so desperately wanted to say and with one breath of air he let these four simple words spill from his lips.
"I love you, Rukia."