Disclaimer: don't own Bleach. AN: as far as recent stats on the archive page go…this is the 70th story for this couple. Whether it is simple humor or friendship, angst, romance, drama. All I have to say is this is dedicated to everyone who has written for a very unconventional pairing. I salute you. :) That said, on with the story!
A day in the rain
If walls could speak, they would whisper of silent agony. Endured pain by a soul born in fear, held captive in corruption bearing only the tiniest seed or fragment of the so-called heart inside. Only for the thought of one person: Rukia Kuchiki.
Hollows are lost souls. But even one such as them must have a beginning.
~*~
The afternoon was wet; she was wet. The sleeves of her kimono were damp, clinging on the shoulders to her clammy skin. Kiyone had abandoned her in pursuit of a Hollow at the edge of the town. Since it was her assignment and not Rukia's. She was obliged to hang around while Kiyone did her job. Glumly pushing hair out of her eyes, Rukia spotted the overhanging shelter of trees in a small Park across the way. It couldn't hurt to wait over there, now would it?
No humans seemed to be about seeing as the benches lining the pathways were quite empty. She sat down on the driest one, sighing. They were worried about her. Ever since Kaien's death, the Captain, Kiyone and Sentaro had been after her to cheer her up. Keep her spirit and her mind from dwelling on the guilt they said wasn't right. He had chosen to fight. It was his wish to avenge his wife's death but in the end…
She sighed.
Her head lowered in her hands. It was her fault. She had…her soliloquy stopped. There was a sound. She listened hard. It was someone crying. Immediately she stiffened, realizing with a certainty that it was coming from the other side of the tree her bench was under.
"Er…excuse me? Um do you…" she twisted around trying to see beyond the trunk of the tree, "…need help?"
A soul?
A man crouched, his T-shirt clinging to his skin, his messy black hair hung over his face, hiding his features. At the sound of her voice, he cowered, scrunching tighter into a ball against his long skinny legs. "I'm not going to hurt you," Rukia reassured, hopping over the backend of the bench. Her sudden movement brought a look of stark terror into the brief upturned flicker of glassy green eyes.
She sighed again.
Sitting back down on the end of the bench, her face half-turned away. The soul visibly relaxed. "You know I really am not going to harm you. In fact my job is to help you. But I can't help you if you won't let me." She shrugged. "It's as simple—"
"I'm alone."
Startled, Rukia forgot and stared. The soul shrunk against the rough bark of the tree as if trying to gain warmth for his chilled skin. "Sorry." She apologized, eliciting a tiny sigh from him. She wanted to hear him speak again. "I'm just sort of waiting for a friend. If you don't want to talk to a stranger then…"
"No." the soul peeked up shyly, "I can see you are not one of them."
"One of them…?" Rukia guessed he meant the Hollows, but played for another response.
"One of those masked things. Horrid creatures they are. I was…chased here…by one." He lowered his arm from his face, eyeing her curiously. Rukia in turn surveyed the soul with more than a passing interest. Slender with black hair, green eyes in a porcelain face, clothed in mud-spattered jeans and a damp bloodstained T-shirt.
They stared at one another; she blushed slightly not understanding why. The soul dropped his gaze, his hands interlocking and lying against his upraised knee. "What's your name?" he addressed to the ground. Rukia felt her heart beating a little faster, "R-Rukia Kuchiki. Yours?"
The soul glanced at her with sorrowed eyes, "I don't remember anymore."
"Oh…" Rukia wasn't sure what to say to that. The silence grew with only the leaves dripping disconsolate plips onto the ground. A thought occurred to her but she hesitated before saying it, afraid of sounding foolish. "Um…we could…"
The soul raised his head.
"You know…go for a walk or something?" Stupid! It ended up coming out like a question! Mentally Rukia berated herself. "Go for a walk?" the soul queried, his head cocked at an angle. She nodded, not looking at him.
"Together?"
She nodded again, swallowing hard.
"With you?"
Why did he sound so surprised? "Yeah. Who else?"
He seemed taken aback by the challenge in her tone. "It's…I haven't had anyone ask me that in a long time. And…it's raining," he finished dryly. She nearly fell over. "S-So what?! Not afraid of a little rain are you?" she smirked, her spirits lifting despite the dreary downpour.
"I suppose not. But…" the soul glanced beyond the cover of trees to further down the dirt path, "those things are out there."
"Don't worry! I'll protect you from them." Rukia stood up, her hand on the hilt of her sword. The soul raised an eyebrow, "if you say so…"he said hesitantly.
She beamed. It would be easy too, considering Kiyone was the one slaying the Hollows on the other side of town. And even if one managed to slip by, she was sure she could handle it. Another soul wouldn't be lost on her account if she could help it.
~*~
They walked in step. Nearly touching. It felt strange to be close to another even if it was just a wandering spirit. Rukia had never been one to have many people close to her. Only Renji…and Kaien. "Is something disturbing you?" the soul commented, glancing at her face.
"Uh-uh." She lied, "Why do you ask?"
"Because just now your countenance was greatly altered. You seemed…sad."
"You must be imagining things," she snapped, not at all liking her emotions being read so easily.
"Perhaps." The soul mused doubtfully. She glanced at him askance finding him doing the same. "Uh…" her cheeks felt hot all of a sudden, "why are you staring at me?"
I could ask you the same question, the soul thought but didn't say. Instead, "I've done this before. With someone else."
"I thought you couldn't remember anything."
"I didn't say that." The soul said testily. A frown creased her forehead, "well if you can't remember your name then at least do you know whom it was you used to walk with?"
"A woman." It was his turn to frown in thoughtfulness; "we used to…" he glanced at Rukia then to her hand, brushing the backs of her fingers lightly, "…hold hands." She very nearly recoiled not from any unpleasant feeling from his touch but from mere uncertainty. Was it right for a Soul reaper such as she to be holding hands with a spirit? She was sure proper etiquette had taught that as a big no-no.
"What happened to her?" Rukia finally asked with difficulty.
The soul looked away, withdrawing; "she died."
It was wrong to ask but…
"Have you tried looking for her? Searching every—"
"Everywhere?" he gave a mirthless laugh, "where is it that I haven't? She's gone. She left me behind." Rukia sensed him near to breaking down so she carried out the only option her numbed mind could think up. She reached out and grasped his hand. She saw his surprise and tightened her grip.
"C'mon, there's a gazebo up ahead by the lake's edge. We can rest there."
~*~
The soul felt strange holding hands with the girl.
It wasn't uncomfortable or unpleasant in fact…he rather liked it.
It was nice having someone see him and speak with him instead of being lonely all the time. It was a definitely nice change but…
"You said you were waiting for your friend."
"Uh huh." The girl all but pulled him along to the worn steps of the wooden gazebo. He mounted them right after her, her arm swinging back, never breaking the contact between their hands. He decided he definitely liked it.
"Will you be going once they come back?"
The girl seated herself and he followed on the rickety circular booth.
"Probably."
"Take me with you."
"What?"
"You heard me. I want to go with you."
She blinked, lifting their conjoined hands then raising her other to brush the single bang hanging between her eyes to the side. Stubbornly it stayed the same. "Why would you say that? You don't even know where I'm going back to."
"It doesn't matter," his eyes were bright on her, "you're the first person to talk to me after so long. I…I don't want to be alone anymore so take me with you." There was urgency in his voice that belied his calm nature. He didn't want to stay hovering in a city full of people who could no longer see him. And most importantly…
…He wanted to keep seeing her.
~*~
"Alright." Rukia thought for a moment then turned to him, her expression serious; "this may hurt a little." She slid her hand from his, standing in the same movement. She stared into his eyes, laying her hand on the hilt of her Zanpaku-to, preparing to draw it out. It was in that moment, that she failed to see it. Even to sense it before it was too late. The Gazebo exploded in a shower of ruptured fragments. Rukia was thrown clear, the soul throwing his fragile body over her as debris clouded the sky and the massive shadow of a winged creature hovered low.
~*~
It was one of them.
"Oh ho ho! So this is where've you've been hiding, boy!" cheerfully it cackled.
The soul carefully raised himself up from the unconscious girl. His glance into her face copied the memory of her features. Engraving them onto his mind.
He stood.
"Take me. I won't run."
It wasn't heroic or brave or even noble.
He only had one wish even as he was taken into the darkness of the creature's belly.
…To see her again…
~*~
"Rukia! Oh my—what happened?!"
She turned at Kiyone's approach. "There was a Hollow but it got away."
The wreckage of the gazebo was catching quite a bit of attention from the humans so they both thought it best to leave. It was easy to guess what had become of the soul, just another meal for a hungry Hollow's belly.
It was easy to forget as she did; thinking there was nothing to be done for the lost soul.
After all she didn't even know his name.
~*~
"What is your name, comrade?"
The one that had been him on that day so long ago, looked up, reborn.
"Ulquiorra Schiffer."
He had known her name.
~Finis~
AN: in the manga vol. 24? Not sure. When Rukia was given the mission to the world of the living, I swear they had mentioned a time where Kiyone had taken her along. This one-shot is supposed to take place during that. ;) Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated. ^^
Note: halfway through typing this we had a power outage! EEK! Near disaster anyway… :P