Story: Positive Change
Summary: Rukia has a nightmare, which causes her to have doubts and regrets. Who do you think comes to comfort her? Ichigo, of course!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach...
"Rukia... You have to do it... You have to kill me... It's the only way to save yourself... P-Please, Rukia, before the hollow completely takes my body." Ichigo struggled to say, as he tried his best to resist the hollow's control, however, she could tell by the look on his face that he couldn't hold it back much longer. She just stared, trembling, as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She was clutching his Zanpakuto and holding it out in front of her.
"...I-I can't," she choked. "There's no way I could-!"
"You have too!" Ichigo exclaimed. "Please, you have to do save yourself!"
She gasped, her eyes widening, as she suddenly remembered how she'd felt after having to kill her former Lieutenant, Kaien. It was the same as back then. She was helpless, and unable to protect the people she cared about. It hurt so bad to know that she was still this weak.
At that moment, she reflected all the training she'd done since then; had all of her efforts been for nothing? What had she lived for? A Soul Reaper's job was to protect and ensure every human's safety from hollows, but, what had SHE done? Nothing, other than getting a human mixed up with the Soul Reapers.
"Rukia..." Ichigo pleaded, over two thirds of his face already consumed by his inner hollow's mask. The only part that was left was his right eye, which practically suffocated her just by looking into it. The look in that showed her everything; everything he was feeling. All of his regrets, every bit of pain, and, above all, every ounce of shock and disbelief he was feeling at that moment, she could also feel it. She could hear his silent screams, begging for her to do it; begging for her to set him free, and to end it all.
"...No," she shook her head in refusal. She didn't know what think any more. 'Why did this have to happen? Why?' was all she could think."I-I..."
"Rukia..." whispered Ichigo, no longer able to control his body, suddenly advancing towards her.
"Rukia!"
She quickly shut her eyes, her grip on his Zanpakuto tightening, as she expected to die at any moment. After what felt like an eternity, the killing blow had it never came. Instead, when she finally gained the courage to open her eyes, the first thing she saw was the smile on the strawberry's face, before he fell to the ground. She gazed down at the blade of the sword which was now covered in blood. Her body began to tremble in fear, as she let the sword go, it's metal loudly hitting the ground.
She swallowed, and her legs below her now felt heavy, suddenly giving in. Dropping to her knees, she couldn't move. She stared down at him in shock and disbelief, her tears uncontrollably falling.
"ICHIGO!" Rukia woke with a cold sweat, her eyes shooting wide open. She was immediately taken by surprise when she suddenly noticed he was standing over her, holding down her arms. The expression on his face was, for the most part, unreadable, but only someone who'd known him for quite some time might would've been able to recognize that it showed a small hint of concern. Once he saw she was awake, however, he released his grip, setting back down at the end of her 'bed' and looked away. He sighed, scratching his ear mockingly.
"Jeez, you're annoying, you know that? While you were sleeping, you started shouted. What if dad had heard you? Now, how would I've been able to explain this to him? Ya stupid idiot." he sneered. When she said nothing, only looking away, he couldn't help but glance. "Hey, I was only kidding."
Rukia turned over, covering the visible side of her face with her hand, trying to hide her tears. Her shoulders trembled, as she silently cried.
"Way to go, Ichigo!" said Kon, popping out of nowhere. "Now you made Rukia cry! It's okay, Rukia, Ichigo can be a real jerk some-"
"Shut it, Kon!" the orange head interrupted, picking him up to eye level. "And what do you mean 'Jerk'?! You're the one who's eavesdropping, you little rat!"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" the mod soul exclaimed. "I DEMAND YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTINT!"
"And if I don't?" Ichigo challenged, smirking.
"I'll... I swear I'll make you regret it!" Kon threatened.
Ichigo grunted, a thoughtful look on his face, then he glanced over at Rukia.
"Rukia, I'll be back in a minute." he told her. "I think Yuzu would love to know where her stuffed animal has went. She would probably love to get it back."
A very noticeable flash of fear appeared in the 'lion's' eyes, causing him to grow tense, as he remembered every time he happened to cross paths with that 'Witch in Disguise', as he would put it, he always ended up downright humiliated, flowers attached to him, and dressed in some of the most embarrassing clothes, consisting of fluffy rabbit ears, little princess dresses, and feminine jewelry.
There was even one time that her 'little makeover' had landed him in the bathroom for five or six hours just to wash off the bright crimson crud she'd smeared around his mouth. It was called something like, 'lip stick', though he'd done much better to remember it as 'lip shit' instead.
Ichigo, and Rukia, even Renji on one occasion, never helped make things any better for him. They just laughed and mocked him, almost as if he had no feelings.
"NO!" he cried hysterically, his eyes moist with tears. "YOU CAN'T! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME WITH THAT-THAT-THAT WITCH! PLEASE, I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU ASK! I PROMISE!"
Ichigo studied him for a moment, before grunting and walking over to the window, snapping it open.
"You'll do anything, you say?" he questioned, however did not give him enough time for a response. "Then stay out here, until I say otherwise. Got it?"
With that, he threw him outside, quickly and securely locking the window behind him, before making his way back to the closet.
"That damn pest," he growled beneath his breath, hearing the a small tap on the window, as Kon threw himself against the glass, however shortly after, gave up.
"Sorry about that little 'interruption'." Ichigo scratched the back of his head, then looked at Rukia, who was now staring into space, a look of pure fear, shock, and worry in her eyes. She was tightly clutching her chest, breathing heavily, as her shoulders were once again trembling. Ichigo hated to see her like this, but wasn't sure of what to say, as comforting people had never really been one of his strong suits.
"Rukia," he started to say, as he reached over, gently placing a hand on hers. "Look at me, Rukia,"
She hesitated at first, but after a moment, she shakily glanced over at him. "A burden isn't meant to be shouldered alone, got that? You have people who are here for you. Don't ever forget that, you idiot."
He turned around, letting go of her hand. "So once you're ready to tell me what's upsetting you, I'll be there to listen."
"I-Ichigo..." she said, grabbing hold of his arm. He stopped, and gazed down at her over his shoulder, sending her a questioning gaze.
"Promise me one thing..." she looked away, her lips pursing, before she continued. "Promise me you won't sacrifice yourself."
Ichigo sighed, but smirked. "Heh, you worry to much."
He looked away, towards the window, his smirk fading. "But, really...I made this decision alone. Whether you like it or not, what's done is done. I made a commitment, and I'm gonna do just that."
She looked away choking back tears.'If I hadn't got him into all this, he could've been leading a normal life right now. He wouldn't be involved with the hollows, and he wouldn't be risking his life to protect this town. He could, for once, just be an average high school student, hanging out with his friends, joking around, goofing off, and whatever else normal teenagers do. Because of me, his life was changed.'
"I-Ichigo, I'm sorry..." she whispered. "If it weren't for me, you could be living a normal life; you wouldn't be risking your life. I got you involved with the soul reapers, and your whole was changed because of that, because of me... For that, I don't expect you to forgive me, but I...I am truly sorry..."
By now, she was in tears, unknowingly clutching his arm, as she buried her face into his sleeve.
He was quiet for a long time while she cried, before he finally spoke.
"You idiot." he said. "There's nothing to forgive you for. You saved my life, and my family. For that, I couldn't be more any more grateful. You did change my life, alright, but...it was a positive change."
Without hesitation, he turned around and pulled Rukia in gentle, but strong, embrace. She hesitated at first, but soon enough, returned it with ease. For some reason, all of her tears, pain, and doubts all suddenly stopped, as she smiled warmly. For once, she actually felt safe, like nothing could go wrong. For once, she felt at ease.
"I'm glad I met you..." Ichigo told her, then softly added, with a smirk, "Pipsqueak...'
The corner of Rukia's mouth twitched, and within seconds, a loud and most disturbing roar of agony was sure to be heard in every inch of Karakura town. A certain carrot-top was now setting flat on his butt, clutching his forehead as tight as he could, to hold down as much pain as he possibly could.
"What the hell was that for?!" Ichigo demanded. "I was only trying to lighten up the mood! Loosen up a little, won't you?"
"I'll have you know that, though I may seem small to you, I have over ten times the experience level of yourself." Rukia spoke, as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, and I suppose that's why I was able to defeat one of the Lieutenants, Renji Abarai, the infamous and 'invincible' Captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, and yet another captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, your so-called 'older brother' who is said to hold one of highest ranks of all the Soul Reapers." replied Ichigo. "So that means you're comparing yourself to them, right?"
"Why you-" Rukia was suddenly cut short when Ichigo could hear his father's footsteps quickly approaching his room. He abruptly pushed her back into the closet, slamming the door behind her.
"ICHIGO, MY YOUTHFUL SON! IS EVERYTHI-" Isshin was immediately cut off as he entered, a baseball bat hitting him in the back of the head. He fell to the floor, moaning in discomfort, before falling into unconsciousness.
"I assure you, dad, he's fine." said Karin, dragging him out of the room, closing the door behind her. "You're the one I'm worried about..."
"Thanks, Karin." Ichigo sighed in relief.
Rukia lay on her 'bed' in the closet her eyes closed, but deep in thought as Ichigo's words rang in her head, excluding his rather 'rude' and 'insolent' comment, however. Just who did he think he was, anyways? Seriously, of all the things to call her, it had to be 'Pipsqueak'.
"I'm glad I met you."
She then smiled, letting out a small laugh. 'You may be an idiot, and reckless sometimes, but...I'm glad I met you too...Pumpkin head.'
Ichigo looked around the room, thinking hard. 'Had he forgot something?'
Then he shook his head and reconsidered. 'No he must've been mistaken.'
Moments later, outside his window, Kon watched from several yards away, in utter shock, as the lights in Ichigo's room went out, leaving him in tears.
"DAMN YOU, ICHIGO! HOW COULD YOU FORGET ME LIKE THIS?!"
A/N: What did you think?! Review, please? It's my first Bleach Fanfiction. Hope you liked it.