A/N: This chapter is going to be a little shorter than the others, most likely, cuz it's just a quick Prologue, to give you an idea of how Ichigo dies, and what he and Rukia finally admit to each other!
I watched in horror as Aizen and Ichigo fell from the sky, blood streaming after them.
"Ichigo, no!" I Shunpo-ed over to him and caught him before he hit the ground. I let Aizen's body smash against the hard, dry, ground; the bastard deserved it.
Uryu, Orihime, and Chad saw, too, and rushed over. Uryu got there first, using hirenyaku. I set Ichigo on the ground gently, and felt his light, shallow breathing, saw the blood pouring from a fatal wound in his neck, felt his heart pounding irregularly.
"Hey Rukia… Ishida…" he managed to say before coughing up blood, as if he wasn't losing enough already.
"Kurosaki, don't," Uryu said. "You might strain yourself and die before Orihime gets here."
Just then, Orihime and Chad caught up. As soon as she saw Ichigo's wound, Orihime screamed, "Soten Kesshun, I reject!"
A yellowish shield appeared above Ichigo, and I sighed in relief. It was going to be alright; Orihime was going to be able to heal him.
But something was wrong; Ichigo's wounds weren't healing. The blood still stained the ground bright red.
"Why isn't it working?!" Orihime screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Ichigo lifted up his head, "Aizen's… Bankai…" His whispers were barely audible, so we all had to strain to hear him. "Doesn't… improve… hypnosis… adds to it… makes it… so wounds… can't be…" here Ichigo coughed up more blood. "Can't be… healed… by Kido… or any… spiritual… means." Ichigo dropped his head on the ground and coughed up more blood, exhausted.
The rest of us looked on in horror; that meant that unless some miracle happened, Ichigo would die.
"Kuro- Ichigo." Uryu said, addressing Ichigo for the first time his first name.
"Heh, Uryu… you were… a good… friendly rival."
"Ichi—"
"Chad… guess we can't… watch… each other's… backs… anymore."
I knew what everyone else was thinking as he said those words, because I was thinking the exact same thing: That's because you won't be here much longer.
"Orihime…"
"Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime paused and amended. "Ichigo!"
"Thanks… for everything… you've done… for us… you've helped so… many people."
But she couldn't save you, Ichigo!
Ichigo was getting weaker, he was losing a lot of blood, and the fact that he was still alive and talking was amazing.
"Rukia…"
I couldn't bear this. How was he so calm about this? He was about to die, yet he smiled and talked like he had years to waste!
"Ichigo, idiot! If you weren't about to… about to die, I would punch you in the face. Why are you so calm, why do you act like this is nothing more than a temporary farewell?!"
Ichigo looked at me, sadness in his eyes. "Do you… suggest… I mope and wail… complain… about how I… didn't get… a chance to… live life… to the fullest? And Rukia… this is just… a temporary… farewell. Do you… know for… a fact that… we won't… see each other… on the… other side?"
"But, Ichigo… I… I love you."
"I… love you… too."
With that, Ichigo sighed and a great shudder went through his body.
He was dead.
"NO!" I screeched, shaking him. "Ichi… Ichigo! No, no, no…"
"Oi, Ichigo!" Renji called, Shunpo-ing towards us. "Wha… why didn't you heal him?!"
"We couldn't." Orihime's voice was muffled.
"Why not?!"
"Aizen's Bankai," Uryu said, but his voice sounded flat, dead.
"Huh?!"
"Later, Renji."
I stared at Ichigo, the man I had loved. "Of course, the man I loved would die." I muttered bitterly.
Rain started to fall, washing away the blood, drenching me. I stayed right where I was, beside Ichigo. I refused to let anyone heal my wounds. The war was over; we had won. So why did I feel so lost?
Ichigo…
Ichigo…
Goodbye.
A/N: So please, tell me what you guyses* think! R&R, and I know Aizen's Bankai was a little weird considering his Shikai, but I wanted Ichigo to have a few last words with his friends without being healed.
*I'm well aware that "guyses" is not in the dictionary. However, it is in my dictionary, so it counts. HA!