Story: Comfort in the Rain
Summary: Even the strongest of people have a moment of weakness somewhere in their lifetime; a moment where they may even consider the unthinkable. In those moments, you need someone to be by your side. An very good friend, or someone important, who knows you best, and in some cases, who knows you even better than you. one shot I started a long time ago but never finished.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach...
Drip.
Jushiro let out a painful sigh, allowing himself to sink to his knees, as he watched the rain from inside the room. Memories of several nights before kept flashing before him.
Drip. Drip.
Dark clouds had filled the sky, and the rain continued to fall. It truly pained him to lose yet another man. In his two thousand years of living, he'd faced multiple loses, and time after time, he'd been a witness to numerous battles and wars.
But this time, the way he'd felt after seeing his own lieutenant fall before his eyes; the sorrow that gnawed at his heart, as he listened to Rukia's sobs, and cries for Kaien not to die, was practically unbearable for him. He'd known it would be hard for her, but he had no idea as to how much it would effect her.
According to Unohana, she hadn't slept, nor eaten in three days. He didn't regret not helping Kaien in his fight with the hollow, for that he knew that was what he wanted, but he wished more than anything that he hadn't brought Rukia along. It would've been much better if she had blamed him for letting Kaien die, but she was doing the exact opposite – putting the blame on herself, instead. She felt she was the one responsible, when in reality, it was him who was guilty for putting her through all that agony.
It was his fault; every bit of it. His grip on the hilt of his Zanpakuto tightened, as fresh tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He couldn't explain it, but the recent happenings had left himself feeling almost as if he'd been betrayed, and as if he had no one left. He knew he wasn't alone, but that fact still didn't erase the feeling of loneliness.
'Perhaps it's the rain,' he assumed. Either way, it hurt, and he longed for the feeling to go away. Surprising as it may sound, this was far worse than any case of or illness that he'd ever had. It was slowly eating him away, each day being more stressful than the one before.
He subconsciously pushed out his sword, revealing the spotless metal of his blade. Light reflected off it, snapping him out of his thoughts, as he gazed down, studying it in a strange sense of awe.
For some reason, he found himself infatuated in it. In just a few seconds, this could all be over. The endless years of suffering would be gone. No more pain; no more guilt. He wouldn't have to be a witness to any more deaths. No more struggling with illnesses; with a single swipe of his sword, he could bring it all to an end.
Staring at the sword, yet, somehow, staring past it, he slowly pulled out the sword a lit further, when a hand reached out, gently resting on the top of his. At first, he stiffened, but as he gazed up, upon seeing none other than his eternal friend standing over him with a glint concern in his eyes.
Shunsui slowly shook his head, his way of saying 'it's not worth it'.
"Shunsui," Ukitake began, but closed his mouth uncertain of what to say.
"I can tell this isn't what you want, Jushiro." Shunsui told him. "Down deep, you know it as well."
"What do I want, Shunsui...?" Juushiro questioned in all honesty, after a moment, tears slowly leaking from his eyes. He knew Shunsui was right. He didn't want to die, but even so, what did he want? "I need to know..."
He gazed up, their hazel eyes meeting, and, after a moment Jushiro's hands fell to his side, letting his Zanpakuto slip back in it's sheath. Shunsui studied him, slightly taken aback by his question. Not that he was surprised, but more because it was painful to hear him say it. He immediately kneeled down in front of him, his pink kimono lightly blowing as he did so.
"You want to live." he told him, placing a hand on the side of his face. He softly wiped away the tears that had formed in the corners of his friend's eyes. "Even in times like these, you want to stay alive, so you can enjoy the good things to come."
Ukitake averted his gaze yet again, avoiding eye contact.
"I know I should be gracious that I didn't lose any more men than what I did, but it's very difficult..." he said. "Rukia is-"
Shunsui wasn't about to hear it.
"Rukia is going to be alright." Shunsui assured him, cutting him off. "She just needs some time."
"I wish I hadn't got her involved in all this chaos..." Juushiro trailed off into silence as Shunsui pulled him into a soft, but warm embrace, throwing his pink Kimono over him. Ukitake didn't particularly want to comply, but he was too exhausted to protest.
"You just need to rest..." Shunsui smiled warmly, as the white-haired captain gently rested his head on his chest.
"Yes...You're right." he replied .
Shunsui smiled softly. "Of course I'm right..."
It was in that day that Ukitake realized something. Even the strongest of people have a moment of weakness somewhere in their lifetime; a moment where they may even consider the unthinkable. In those moments, they need someone to be there by their side. A very good friend, or someone important, who knows them best, and in some cases, who knows them even better than themselves.
A/N: What did you think? I know it's out of character, but I tried my best to get it right. Please review, and if you can give any suggestions to make it better, or more in character, please let me know. (Typos, spelling, or grammar errors? Feel free to point them out.)