"I'm so tired..." I moaned against his shoulder. He held me tightly in his embrace, not wanting to let me go and allow me to slip away into nothing.
"Don't go to sleep. Whatever you do, don't close your eyes." he said to me; ordered me not to slip into the darkness. "Help is almost here. Don't you dare leave me..."
I felt the hot ooze drip down my head. I couldn't feel my right hand and my body felt overall numb and hurt. My eyes were heavy with sleep. Sleep, that's all I wanted right now. But the thing I wanted the most could end up killing me.
"Rukia? Rukia, are you still with me?" he asked me. I didn't reply and I received a violent shake from him as a reaction. "Rukia, stay with me!" he cried. I heard the tears escape his eyes and into his voice. I let out a shattered cry and breathed heavily. "Rukia, don't you hear that?" he asked me.
It sparked my curiosity.
Hear what? I heard nothing. What could he possibly be hearing?
"Don't you hear them? The crickets?" he asked me. I heard absolutely nothing. Crickets? Here? In this barren land of nothing but cold and blood. "The crickets, Rukia. You can't hear them? Singing their song and hopping in the grass?" he asked me again. I didn't hear anything. I didn't see anything. How could he possibly hearing this? Has he lost his mind? There was nothing. Nothing but the silence of the land and our heavy breathing.
"You're a fool..." I groaned. "There is nothing..." I said sickly. He shook me slightly once more.
"You're the fool, Rukia. Can't you hear them? The crickets are everywhere. They're chirping and ringing like doorbells." he said to me. I heard absolutely nothing...
My heart suddenly jerked and pain surged through my body. I shivered and felt a thick copper fill my mouth. I threw it up, getting it all over his back. I was dying.
"Rukia!" he exclaimed. I groaned again, the hot drops running down my bloodied and bruised face. "Hold on, Rukia. Please! Please don't leave me!" he must've screamed. I couldn't tell. I heard ringing... Ringing? C-could it be?
"Rukia!"
Was this what he was really hearing?
"Rukia! Rukia! Rukia, NO!"
There really were crickets...!
Rukia!
I hear them now, Ichigo... I hear them... I really do.
"Don't leave me! No!"
They're so loud! I never realized how close they were. He was right. He was right about the crickets. I hear them. They're everywhere and I didn't even know... how stupid of me... just simply stupid...
"Damnit, NO! NO!"
What's the matter, Ichigo? Why the tears? Can't you hear the crickets?
I was in a very dark mood when I thought of this. I was tired, sad, and lonely. I was inspired by a Spanish story my teacher told my class. I'm usually not one to take on or read tragic stories, but I was upset and so, I aimed for IchiRuki. Did you enjoy? Tell me what you think! I own nothing in this story.