My first IchiRuki fanfic! \O/
The wind
Ichigo returned home slowly, enjoying what he saw on the road. A great excitement was felt inside him. He felt different in a familiar way. And he liked it. Due to an arduous process conducted by Xcution, organization in which he had not trusted, Ichigo was recovering his powers and was able to see spirits again. During the long months of "normal" life, the he did everything to convince himself and the others that he was happy and that he did not need the powers back. Above all, he tried to convince himself and the others that he did not miss her.
It was better that way, he thought when he remembered the day she had parted from him, if I had said more than I should at that time ... things would have only become more difficult.
He did not want to bother anyone, so he lied. He forced smiles almost automatically, but it was unbearable. So, whenever he could, he would rather spend his time alone. The truth was that, regardless of being with someone or not, he always felt the same thing. A void... a melancholy that was not possible to measure in words. A quiet desperation.
Ichigo tried to get on with ordinary life, but it was almost torture. In the beginning, almost everyone was worried about him and asked him if he was okay, which he always answered affirmatively. After some time, no one asked that anymore. Everybody continued their lives and was happy, which was normal.
Ichigo, despite how much he tried to like it, just hated that normality. He felt a real anger inside him when people threw those smiles to him. He did not like to feel that way and knew that the others had not done anything wrong, but it was useless. Some of his closest friends, who understood him, understood his situation and tried not to bother Ichigo unnecessarily, they tried to give him space. Unfortunately not everybody did so.
Inoue tried, during those months, to approach Ichigo. She always greeted him joyously in the class, called him in the hallways and even accompanied him on the way of home. Ichigo felt suffocated by that sudden persecution, but did not do anything. After all, Inoue had always been kind to him; he would be a total idiot if he were rude to her. Orihime was a fragile girl and had suffered too much; she didn't need to tolerate a former substitute shinigami's bad mood. Ichigo had no choice but to treat her well and pretend that nothing was wrong with him. He even accepted a manga from the girl, who had described it as a beautiful story of love and devotion.
"Death Note?" Ichigo asked at the time he received the manga.
"You know it, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked excitedly.
"I watched it on television. I just don't understand why you said it was a love story."
"Kurosaki-kun! Misa was madly in love with Light! They were a lovely couple and would have lived happily ever after if he had not died!"
"Did you read the whole story, Inoue?"
"Sure! Misa's feelings were so well-done, the couple was very cannon!"
"But... what about Light, Inoue?"
"How so?"
" If I remember correctly, he didn't love Misa, I think he even wanted to kill her."
"...No, Kurosaki-kun, you didn't interpret the story right. Light loved Misa, he always treated her well, like a gentleman, he just did not realize how much he loved her. Maybe the anime didn't let the thing clear because of those yaoi fanservice, but Limi is cannon! The authors would not have developed Misa's feelings for nothing!"
"Yeah, whatever."
The memory of that day he had picked up the manga appeared very clear in his head while he was walking. Ichigo remembered that he used to watch Death Note with Rukia and that she was troubled with the characterization of the shinigami. However, she really liked L, to the point of drawing him. It was a drawing of a rabbit with dark circles under the eyes and eating cake.
"Rukia..." Ichigo felt a weight in his heart when he remembered it. "When can I see her again?"
Arriving home, the boy hurried to his room. He threw open the bedroom door and immediately looked out the window anxiously. Nobody was there. He then opened the closet. No sign of her. Ichigo lay in the bed, overwhelmed, and covered his eyes with his right arm.
"I can already see spirits again ... I know she would not be here, but... I'm really stupid!"
Ichigo stayed there for hours and fell asleep. However, the sound of footsteps in his room woke him up. It was night; the moon was visible in the sky outside. He removed his arm over his eyes and looked at the direction of the closet. He felt the air vanishing and his heart began beating too fast when he saw that little person examining the desk.
Her hair was a little longer, about five centimeters.
She wore the black kimono that he remembered well, but now with a distinctive of lieutenant in the arm.
He could hear her voice as she wove comments aloud.
"It seems that things have not changed this week. He has been eating too much chocolate and leaving the packaging here, what a lack of consideration to Yuzo. I better keep my voice down, or someone can hear me. Last month I almost was caught, I must be discreet."
Rukia turned to Ichigo's bed and saw the boy looking towards her with eyes wide opened, pale with shock. The girl gave a quick spin to see if there was something behind her, but found nothing. She looked back at Ichigo, who was now sitting up in bed, staring at something that was in his front with an incredible intensity.
What are you seeing, Ichigo? There's nothing else here but me, right? It seems to me that you can see..." Rukia's voice choked and she suddenly turned her back to him, crossing her arms nervously. "This is not possible. None of the other times... I know you cannot see me anymore. I cannot keep that stupid hop..."
Rukia fell to the ground after receiving a push in the back. Still on the floor, she turned around and saw Ichigo with his leg stretched out of the bed.
"You are very noisy, you know... shinigami?" Ichigo said. He was smiling but his eyes were getting moist. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his right arm and pretended he was scratching them. Rukia looked at him in amazement, standing up slowly.
"You're seeing me?" She asked, looking at Ichigo with an expression of surprise and happiness.
Ichigo stared back, replying:
"Yo."
They studied each other silently for several minutes, until Ichigo said:
"I'll never let you get away from me again, Rukia."
"Idiot" Rukia said with some anger, then adding with a smile, "You're never far from me."
Ichigo was surprised to hear that. Rukia got closer to him and whispered:
"You always were and always will be in my heart."
Ichigo gave a huge smile after hearing that. All the unhappiness he felt the past months had disappeared, like the rain clouds that are carried away by the wind.