Summary: Rukia's execution and rescue (bits and pieces, in chronological order) from both Renji and Rukia's perspectives. It skips a lot but if you've read up to book 21 (chapter 187) you should be able to follow along. How they feel during all the commotion and the aftermath.

Panda: Hey, so you guys probably don't know me, because I normally write Shugo Chara fan fiction. Anyways, I started reading Bleach about half a year ago and now I'm obsessed. And I love absolutely RenRuki so that's probably what I'm going to write a lot of.

Renji: You talk too much.

Panda: Shut up or I won't post this fan fic. And then what will you do?

Renji: -sweatdrops- Disclaimer: Manga Obsessed Panda does not own Bleach. (Thank goodness.) Or "A Thousand Years".

Panda: I heard that! In any case-

Rukia: Please read and review! Thank you!

Panda: Yeah, what she said. xD Enjoy~!

Note: In case you didn't read the above summary, let me remind you that these are all flashes of scenes and they won't really make sense unless you've read up to chapter 187 or Volume 21.

"A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri

Rukia gazes out into empty space, handcuffs digging into her wrists as she waits. Waits for her execution day to come. Waits for it all to end. Waiting. Waiting. The clock ticks and she knows her seconds are numbered. What do you do when you don't know how much longer you have to live?

Heart beats fast

Colors and promises

How to be brave

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall

"Goodbye," she whispers, a tear slipping down her cheek. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid...She swallows hard. What a lie. She doesn't want to die. Not like this. Not now. The sky is so blue today. So blue and bright and amazingly deceptive. A perfect day. A perfect day and she is going to die. Her heart pounds in dreaded anticipation. So this was what the end felt like.

But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

"Renji!" Her breath catches in her throat at the sight of her best friend, wounded, bloody but amazingly alive. "I'm so glad you're alive!" Forget the fact that she's been saved by an illegal Soul Reaper who is probably Seireitei's most wanted. Forget the fact that none of them will make it out of Seireitei without being killed. Renji has come back for her, fought to get to her, and he is alive.

One step closer

"Ichigo, you idiot!" Rukia shrieks. She can hear Renji yelling at the orange-haired boy as well but it sounds muted, like the world is in slow motion. Despite the lethargy, her heart speeds up as she stares at the man who is clutching her so hard and shaking with fear, adrenaline, and relief. Ichigo, you're an idiot, a complete idiot, and a rash fool, but thank you for letting Renji save me.

I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

"Renji, let me go! Put me down! We've got to help Ichigo!" Rukia protests, attempting to squirm out of Renji's arms though he is running at such a fast pace and even though in reality, she never wants to leave him. She knows it was worthless to argue with him, because he is as stubborn and tenacious as herself, but she has to make sure that this wasn't a dream, that he isn't some illusion about to slip from her grasp yet again.

Time stands still

Beauty in all she is

I will be brave

I will not let anything take away

What's standing in front of me

"Nobody thinks badly of you, Rukia. Stop blaming yourself. Depend on me." Renji holds her a little bit closer. They are going to make it out of this mess, he can feel it. 'Even if you die, don't let her go,' he recalls Ichigo's words. What an idiot. He isn't going to let her go. That would kill him. Anything else, he could take. Leaving her, after he finally had her back in his arms, would be a fate worse than death.

Every breath

Every hour has come to this

"Don't be sorry." He rolls his eyes. She always blames herself for the inevitable. "Don't thank me, either." How can she thank him after all this? How can she thank him after he had basically forced her to accept the Kuchiki clan's offer of adoption, after he had pushed her away? He has spent far too long regretting that to be thanked now. And now was the time he is going to redeem himself. This is what he trained for. This is the reason why he had worked so hard to become Vice Captain. All for her.

One step closer

"What did you say, Captain Aizen?" Renji freezes but his heart continues to thump loudly. He must have heard the captain wrong, he must have. There is no way...

I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

"Renji!" Rukia gasps in horror as Renji's blood splatters the ground. I'm not worth this. I'm not... She clutches his torn Shihakusho to keep herself from trembling violently. She doesn't know why Captain Tosen had brought them here. She doesn't know why Captain Aizen wants Renji dead. All she knows is that she doesn't want Renji to get hurt anymore. "Please, Captain Aizen, I'll-"

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

"I told you to shut up, Rukia." Renji directs his glare at the Fifth Squad Captain. "I'm not letting her go." I'm not letting her go ever again. His mouth twists into a snarl and Aizen merely looks amused. Well, Captain Aizen could believe that Renji is joking, but if the Captain tries to even touch Rukia, he will experience some serious pain. Renji clenches Zabimaru in one hand and cradles Rukia in the other. Zabimaru, he knows, could be repaired if the hilt remains intact. Rukia, on the other hand, is irreparable and irreplaceable.

One step closer

"We only get one shot, so don't miss it." Renji tries to sound confident as he whispers to Ichigo. He knows, though, that Rukia can hear the thudding of his heart and feel how his arm shakes uncertainly. But he can't let that deter him. He has to do this. For Ichigo, for everyone that attempted to rescue Rukia, for himself, for her. He has to fight.

One step closer

Rukia cannot tear her eyes from the motionless bodies on the ground, the earth soaked with blood-their blood. Captain Aizen's spiritual pressure proves so intense she cannot stand up but even if the pressure lessened, she still wouldn't move. They couldn't be dead. They had come so close and yet victory danced out of their reach. Ichigo. I knew I twisted his fate beyond fixing. But even more importantly, Renji! She wants to stretch her fingers to him, hold him tight, heal him with what's left of her spiritual energy. She's not scared for her own life, not even as Captain Aizen pulls her roughly to her feet. She's more concerned for the lives that were lost because of her. I'm not worth this.

I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

Rukia sits by Renji's mattress, hovers really, despite Captain Unohana's gentle advice to lie down and recuperate. She has already learned that Byakuya will recover just fine, now she has to see if Renji will as well. Then and only then can she rest easily. Captain Unohana had said that if he wakes up soon, it would be a good sign of recovery. She touches his cheek lightly, barely brushing the skin. "Why did you get more hurt than me?" she mutters. It doesn't make sense, why so many people had gotten injured on her behalf and yet she was nearly unscathed. She watches his chest rise and fall unsteadily. "I wish it had been me instead of you."

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

Renji stirs, eyelids flutter open. His dark eyes lock onto her amethyst ones and he manages a painful looking half smile. His lips move but only a rasping sound emerges. He clears his throat, wincing at the slight movement. "Rukia.."

"Renji!" Rukia whispers. Her hands begin to shake and tears form in her eyes.

"I'm glad it wasn't you," he tells her in a soft voice. "I'm glad it was me."

"You nearly died!" she scolds him, though her heart is lightening with every second that she spends realizing that he will heal.

"And I would do it all again if it meant saving you."

"I'm not worth it." Finally, she says the words that she's been thinking out loud.

"Yes, you are." And he says it with such affirmation that she can't help but believe him.

Now the tears start to fall. "You're an idiot." She gently strokes his hair. "Now, go recover. With you and Nii-sama both out of commission, who knows what will happen to your company?"

He smiles at that. "Yes ma'am," he murmurs, closing his eyes once more. She begins to leave the room, to follow Captain Unohana's orders and get some rest for herself. "Rukia." She stops and looks back. He stares at her and he looks so vulnerable that she is sure she can read his mind and vice versa. "I'm glad you're alive."

She walks back to him and squeezes his hand. "I'm glad you're alive too."

"But I meant it, you know. I would die a thousand times again if I died for you."

"I just told you that I was happy you were alive and now you're telling me you want to die?" she teases. She shakes her head. "I don't want you dead, Renji." She takes a deep breath then bends down and kisses his cheek. "I love you, you idiot."

He gingerly stretches out his hand and caresses her cheek. "I love you too."

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more


Panda: I was originally going to make it entirely flashbacks but then I realized that I wanted an actual, definite ending, so the end is my own.

Rukia: I like it. -hugs Renji-

Renji: -blushes and hugs back-

Panda: Thank you so much for reading! Please review! Reviews are love! I enjoy hearing everyone's opinion, so even if you didn't like this story, then please tell me (and possibly give me suggestions on what I could work on). Thank you again! :)