Title: Of Chocolates and Obligations. And Falling
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Prompt: Confession
Word count: 937
Summary: Words are said, but reading between the lines is more important. IchiRuki. Post-timeskip.
Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me.
Author's notes: This story was written for the 2012 Valentine's Day GiveAway at BleachAsylum's IchiRuki FC.
Honmei choco: "True feeling chocolate". On Valentine's Day, women give honmei choco to men that they have romantic feelings for. Honmei choco is generally of higher quality and more expensive than giri choco.
Giri choco: "Obligation chocolate". On Valentine's Day, women give giri choco to men that they have no romantic attachment to such as their friends, co-workers and casual acquaintances. Giri choco is generally of lower quality than honmei choco.
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Forget love… I'd rather fall in chocolate.
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He comes home to see her lounging on the sofa in the living room while channel surfing and talking to Yuzu. Upon seeing him, Yuzu stands up, dramatically announces that she's going to shop for groceries, and sweeps out of the room after giving him a stare that he can't begin to interpret.
"What are you doing here?" he says, heading up to his room with Rukia on his heels.
"Why, Kurosaki-kun, surely you haven't forgotten the significance of this day," she simpers in her very faux, very sweet voice.
In reply, he unzips his bag and pulls out a considerable amount of packages, each differing in size, color and design, because even though Kurosaki Ichigo is sometimes thought of as a delinquent simply because of his hair color, most girls agree that his confident and aloof manner, coupled with his looks, can be quite appealing. However, it has to be noted that it is the Student Council President, Ishida Uryuu himself, who received the most number of chocolates, much to Keigo's disappointment.
"You have more admirers than I expected," Rukia says, sitting on his bed and starting to read the cards attached to the packages.
"They're all giri choco," Ichigo rolls his eyes.
"Oh, really? I think I love you, Kurosaki-san. Hmm… I don't recognize this name though," Rukia says, holding up a small heart-shaped box. The quality of the wrapping assures both of them that it is expensive store-bought honmei choco.
"Ignore it," Ichigo mutters. "It's only the chocolate I'm interested in".
"Is that all?" she replies mildly.
Ichigo looks up in surprise, but Rukia merely puts a piece of chocolate in her mouth and chews thoughtfully. Used to her considering everything that belongs to him as hers, and perhaps because he is happy to see her (deep deep down in his heart), he decides not to say anything.
"So... What are you doing here?" he repeats.
"I came to give you your chocolate, obviously," she says, holding out a square silver box tied with a glittering purple ribbon. The heavy embossed card is adorned with a picture of Chappy with a tuft of orange hair.
"Honmei choco?" he says, with a smirk.
"Giri. Homemade giri choco," she says, grinding her teeth and tossing the box onto his lap. "I've already gave everyone else their share".
He's halfway through her gift (which is just a tad too sweet) when she speaks again.
"Come to Soul Society with me"
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A man falls in love through his eyes, a woman through her ears.
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Isshin waves them off happily at the senkaimon, and as he follows Rukia around the winding roads of Soul Society, he takes the time to really observe her. Seventeen months (and a little bit more) has not changed her much. She behaves exactly the same way around him. He remembers Mizuiro telling him that women sometimes cut their hair shorter because a huge change has taken place in their life, but he is not cocky enough to assume that she has done it because of their separation. She may have simply decided to cut a few inches off just for the heck of it. Or got into an accident during kidou training. The badge, he knows, is a symbol of pride and the gloves are undoubtedly a sign that her relationship with Byakuya has continued to improve.
"It's been a long time. Since we've been alone together," he murmurs, the words emerging unbidden. There are admittedly times, when he wants to go back to the days when she was a freeloader at his house, where she is his ray of light and he is the man in her heart, and they bicker and do normal things and everyone assumes they are just a normal boy and just a normal girl. Her duties as a lieutenant has kept her busy, and he has decided to buckle down in his studies for his last year in high school though he still continues working for the various sports clubs and Ikumi (money is money, thank you very much).
There is enough ambient noise that causes him to think that she has not heard him, but she turns and smiles. It is a light genuine one that he rarely sees, or perhaps it's just that she rarely bestows that smile on anyone, but for the first time, it crosses his mind that she is beautiful, and perhaps Kon and Keigo had been right after all.
He has never paid much attention to her physical looks before, apart from that she's short and quite light (making it easier for him to carry her on his back), and that her eyes, which have the ability to convey so many different types of emotions, are a stark contrast to her dark hair.
"I know," she says finally, turning to look up at him, the corners of her lips drawing up. "Were you lonely?"
"Of course not," he says. But he answers much too quickly and much too loudly, and he knows that she has seen though him.
To his surprise, she takes hold of his hands, without a trace of the playful smile that was previously on her face.
"Ichigo, it's only when you're tested that you truly discover who you are. And after that, you'll be able to discover who you can be. I don't know where our destination is and what obstacles we will face, but I've decided. Let's do our best in our journey. Together".
"OK," he says, putting his arms around her, his lips brushing her jaw line. "OK, Rukia".