Characters: Ichigo, Rukia
Summary: She will fade.
Pairings: IchiRuki
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for 423
Timeline: Chapter 423
Author's Note: You can read about my opinion of chapter 423 in the author's note of Supernova. I'm actually writing IchiRuki now; can you believe it?
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
She's fading away like ash, the same way Ulquiorra did on Hueco Mundo. And just as quiet, just as dignified, but so much more sad than him; he never showed any emotion at death.
But her melancholy is as vivid as if she was dying, but really, it's because he's dying, in a way.
Rukia's like a scratchy videotape image now, something that doesn't define the quality of her. She's fit for much better than this, but this will be Ichigo's last sight of her, and even though he should have a better image of her to remember her by, he drinks in this last sight like it's fine wine—or water for a man dying in the desert.
The words "It's not fair" hang on Ichigo's mind but never leave his mouth; it will solve nothing to say what they all know to be true. "It's not fair" won't take back what's happening now. It won't stop it from happening.
It will happen, whether they like it or not, and they don't like it.
It's…close, now. The molecules of her body are fading from Ichigo's sight, for the rest of his life. They don't say anything; they don't know how. There's nothing left to be said, nothing that could fit what's happening to them.
All Ichigo can see is how shiny her hair is. The light gleams off, so bright, almost too bright.
Rukia lifts her chin and stares up at him, almost longingly with pinpricks of strange alien stars shining in her eyes, liquid in dark violet depths.
Funny…
Ichigo's never seen them before.
Wait.
He knows what they are. They're tears she's not willing to shed.
Too much pride to cry, despite everything.
They say nothing, do nothing, and the last thing Ichigo sees is violet eyes before Rukia fades away entirely, gone, ash on the wind to disappear.
He could drown in those eyes, if he could just find the water.