Why yes, this is an AU.
There was no reason he went out of his way to go stargazing, but the fact remained that Ichigo Kurosaki was infatuated with stars. His semi-obsession went back to before his mother's death, back when Karin and Yuzu were babies. Whenever he couldn't sleep, his mother would take him out to the park and the two of them would just look at the stars. She would point out the constellations to him, taking hold of his hand and guiding it around the sky. Any other kid his age would have found it unbearably boring, and even he, with his personality, couldn't stand it at first. But the stories his mother told him were second to none, stories about Andromeda and Orion and Leo, and he grew to love going with her just to hear them. There was a period of time when he would purposely pretend he couldn't sleep pretty much every night so she would take him stargazing.
After her death, Ichigo felt compelled to keep the tradition going. He often thought about bringing Karin or Yuzu along to join him, but he never followed through with it. He tried to make time for it at least five nights a week, but with school tying him down that was sometimes impossible. Regardless, most nights he was out beneath the black veil, admiring its multitude of sequins. And he had come to appreciate being alone; it gave him time to think.
There came a night, however, when he was not alone, and he had no idea why.
He had left his house at around nine o'clock, walked the short distance to the park, and sat down on the grass. Nothing was particularly extraordinary about that, and the park was empty at first glance. It wasn't long before he was on his back, given a full view of the sky. That may have been the reason why he didn't hear the rustle of leaves as someone else lay down beside him, but he certainly heard when that person spoke.
"They're beautiful, aren't they?"
Ichigo shot up as if he had been shocked by lightning. He turned to face the stranger beside him to find that it was a girl, probably his age or a little younger. She was in the same position he had been in just a few seconds ago, and he couldn't help but notice how the stars reflected in her dark eyes, like a perfect replica of the night sky.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Oh, right. Where are my manners? The name's Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki." She sat up and extended her hand to him. Reluctantly, he shook it. "And you are?"
"Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Did your parents really like strawberries?" Rukia broke down in giggles at her own joke, and Ichigo scowled.
"You have a very original sense of humor," he deadpanned. Rukia stopped laughing.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I'm sure you get that a lot."
Ichigo shrugged. "You get used to it. Anyway, why are you here?"
"I've seen you around here a lot," she explained, waving her hand dismissively, "and decided it was time I said hello."
"You're pretty weird," Ichigo said, lying back down and folding his arms behind his head. His relaxation was short-lived, however, as Rukia had no problem with smacking his head.
"No need to be blunt about it, you jerk!" she growled. "Excuse me for wanting to make a new friend. I'll just leave if you don't want me here." She stood up and turned away, and Ichigo sat up again.
"Wait!" he called, grabbing her hand. "It's not that I don't want you here, it's just…you surprised me. You can stay, if you want."
Rukia smiled and sat back down beside him, bringing her knees close to her body. "You come here a lot. Why?"
"My...my mom used to bring me here when I was a kid," he said. "I really liked sitting here with her and looking at the stars. And then she passed away, and I kept coming."
"Wow," Rukia breathed. "That's…really sweet of you."
"Yeah, well…" Ichigo shrugged, having no intention of finishing the sentence. "What about you?"
"My sister brought me around here once to play on the playground, and I thought it was really pretty. So I started sneaking past her and my brother at night to come here. That's when I first saw you, 'cause of your hair."
"And?"
"And I thought it was weird that you always came alone, and never talked or anything."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "But didn't you come alone?"
"Well, yeah." Rukia smiled. "But it was easy to tell just by looking at you that you didn't sneak out. You've got that sort of self-righteousness about you."
"You saying I'm a goody-two-shoes or something?" The words were belligerent, but the way Ichigo said them was clearly jovial.
"Oh, no, I'm sure you've gotten in your share of fights." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone, looking at the screen for a second before sliding it back in place. "Anyway, Mr. Kurosaki, it's been a delight talking to you, but I should be going home before my absence is discovered. Will I see you tomorrow?"
"Uh, yeah, but—"
"Great! Be here by eight thirty!"
Ichigo didn't have a chance to say anything before she was gone, and he was alone in the park again.
After that, the two of them met in the park almost every night. Ichigo would tell Rukia all of his mother's stories and point out the constellations. It surprised him how little she knew about them, and when he asked, she shrugged.
"My brother - that's my sister's husband - told me that learning about stuff like this was useless. I guess that's part of the reason why I always snuck out."
Ichigo had just nodded, but he made a mental vow to teach Rukia to appreciate life's smaller details.
As time went on, the two grew more and more fond of each other. Three months after their first meeting, they finally decided to show it.
It started after Ichigo had finished another story. Rukia was outlining the new constellation with her finger when suddenly she stopped.
"Hey, Ichigo."
"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, turning his head so he could see her better.
"We're kinda like a couple, right?"
Luckily for Ichigo, it was dark, so Rukia couldn't see how red his face was turning. Little did he know, Rukia was thinking almost the exact same thing.
"Um...I don't know. Did...did you want us to be like a couple?"
"Yes!" she gasped, then cleared her throat. "I mean...yeah, kinda."
"Well, then we're a couple."
Rukia smiled and turned on her side, facing him. Without warning, she enveloped him in a hug.
"Good," she said. Ichigo smiled and wrapped an arm around her.
Their confessions having been made, they began to spend more time together, not just in the park. They would go everywhere together on the weekends, but no matter what they did during the day they would always find themselves back at the park past sunset. There were times when Rukia would fall asleep resting her head on Ichigo's lap, causing him to follow suit and not wake up until the next day.
But six months later, something changed. They were walking around the streets of Karakura, talking and simply enjoying each other's company, when Rukia broke down in a fit of coughs. It had been happening more and more recently, and every time it got a little worse and Ichigo became a little more concerned, even after Rukia assured him she was fine. This time, however, was different. She wouldn't stop.
"That's it, I'm taking you to the hospital," Ichigo decided.
"No!" she wheezed. "I'm fine!" The intense coughing afterwards did nothing to help her claim.
Ichigo contemplated taking her to his father's clinic, but decided she would be better off in a bigger hospital with more people to look after her. He wasted no time in getting her there.
Rukia was taken in for an examination, and Ichigo was left waiting outside until it was done. Finally, after what had felt to him like an eternity, the doctor emerged.
"What's wrong with her?" Ichigo demanded. "Is it tuberculosis? Bronchitis?"
The doctor shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Kurosaki. Rukia has lung cancer."
With those four words, Ichigo's world shattered.
For the next two months, he was at her side as often as he could manage it. He would bring her fresh flowers whenever the old ones died, and he stayed there talking to her until both of them were fast asleep. He was there more than her brother and sister, who made a point of being by her side as long as they could.
Her medical reports said nothing but good things. The chemo was working, she was recovering quickly, and the cancer was almost gone from her body. The doctors predicted that she would be discharged within the next month.
After two months of success, though, the treatments began to fail. The cancer came back stronger than before, and the effect the chemotherapy had was next to nothing. It became clear that Rukia would not survive the month.
When she was told the news, she only had one thing to say.
"I want to go stargazing with Ichigo again."
Ichigo was more than willing to comply, and Rukia was granted freedom from her hospital room for one night, as long as she was back before ten.
The two of them sat in the park that night, Rukia's head resting in Ichigo's lap as he stroked what was left of her sleek black hair.
"Tell me a story," she rasped, and it killed Ichigo to hear how much the illness had changed her, how much pain she must have endured. But he had to hold back his emotions for her.
"Okay," he said. "Here's one you haven't heard before. Once, there was a great hero who loved everything about the sky. He had lost the person he had cherished the most, so he had decided to live a solitary lifestyle. But he changed his mind when he caught sight of a beautiful raven. People don't usually think of ravens as beautiful, but this one was different. Her feathers were sleek and shining, and they seemed to reflect the stars. And when she spread her wings, she looked like a phoenix. The hero became infatuated with that raven, and she became his new companion. They went through everything together. Then, one day when the hero was going through the forest and the raven was following him in the sky, he heard her cry out. He rushed to save her, but found her body pierced by an arrow. The raven refused to let him mourn for her, and instead placed herself in the sky before she died, where she knew he would always be able to see her."
Rukia sighed, and her eyes became fixated on a certain star.
"That was a good story," she told him. "When I die, I want to be like the raven. I want to go to the sky."
Ichigo knew there was no point in denying that she would die. "You will," he promised. "I know you will. And you'll be the brightest, most beautiful star up there."
A smile worked its way into her features, and she beckoned for Ichigo to lean down. When he did so, she kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, Ichigo. You taught me to appreciate the little things. I love you."
Her breathing began to hitch, and soon it stopped altogether. Ichigo tried to prevent himself from looking at her, but he knew he would have to sooner or later.
The sight of her made the tears he had been holding back flow freely. The smile was still on her face, but that wasn't what caused the pain in his chest. It was her eyes, still open and reflecting the stars, just like the raven's feathers.
With one fluid motion, Ichigo had closed her eyes. He bent down and kissed her cold forehead, taking hold of her limp body so he could carry her back to the hospital.
"I love you too, Rukia."