Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Summary: "Your zanpakutou is beautiful." Rukia is accustomed to hearing this. When those words came from his lips, however, she could hardly hide her smile. IchiRuki, oneshot

Here's something new! I've never written something strictly IchiRuki, so I decided to try my hand at it. And here it is! It's just a small ficlet, nothing completely huge, but I thought the idea was interesting, so I just went with it, no matter how short it turned out to be. I hope everyone enjoys it!


Dance, Shirayuki


Sode no Shirayuki.

The very name conjures up images of grace, of beauty, of poise, of elegance.

Out of all the zanpakutous, Shirayuki is considered the most beautiful. The one that would make the enemy stop in their tracks just to see a glimpse, but then it would be too late. That very enrapturing beauty would lead to their downfall.

Rukia is used to hearing all of the praise, all of the loving words told to her by other shinigami, whether ranked or not.

She should be particularly proud of all these praises, and she is, but the repetition gets a bit taxing sometimes.

Sometimes, she wants to hear about how well she handled that battle. About her battle techniques. And while she appreciates how utterly entrancing her sword is while in the midst of a fight, sometimes she wants praise on her techniques in using it.

She knows that Sode no Shirayuki feels the same way. She knows that her sword wants to be considered strong as well as beautiful, but now it seems that the overwhelming response of her weapon's appearance is all that people think about.

So when she sheaths her sword and looks over to the orange haired substitute shinigami, who has a wide, entranced look on his face, she expects to know what he'd say if he could gather himself enough to speak.

He walks over to her, his eyes focused on her large, luminous ones.

Ichigo approaches her, and stares at her for a good while before uttering, in a hoarse, stunned whisper, "Your zanpakutou is beautiful."

Somehow, those words stir in her heart. They are different this time. This time, he sounds as if he cannot speak. They sound like he had been stunned into silence by the very presence of her sword.

"You fight with her well."

Those words send chills down Rukia's spine.

For once, someone had commented on her fighting skills.

For once, someone was able to look past the beauty and see the technique it took to wield Sode no Shirayuki.

Her heart feels like it is two sizes too big as she absorbs her words. Shirayuki hums from her sheath, as if knowing how happy her owner is.

Rukia feels honored, feels so light on her feet that she think she might be able to fly, as she looks deeply into his chocolate colored eyes.

"Thank you." She mutters, and the grin that spreads on her face is surprisingly unlike the seasoned shinigami that usually berates and teases the spiky haired teen in front of her. The words are filled with a gratitude that she can't even put into proper words.

To her surprise, his strong, calloused fingers reach out and stroke the hilt of her sword, and his eyes never leave hers. "It was amazing to watch."

She nods curtly, but the blush staining her cheeks is a telltale sign of what she's feeling.

He gives her a smile that lingers in her thoughts later that night as she stares up at the ceiling as she tries to catch some sleep.

His words replay over and over in her head in a cycle that she wishes would never break. The praise of a substitute shinigami was something that she'd never thought she would treasure, but now she feels those words will never leave her memories.

She closes her eyes, and she sees his kind eyes, staring down at her with what she thinks was affection.

That night, Rukia falls asleep with a smile on her face and a full heart.


End.

Very, very short, I know, but it was something that was in my head and I couldn't get it out! I hope that everyone liked it, despite its shortness lol. I enjoyed writing this scene. I guess I just like writing short things like this in general. Anyway, I hope that everyone liked this fic! I would love to hear some feedback!

Thanks for reading!