Rukia's Sonnet, a bleach fanfic

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, if I did Rukia would still be in the manga and she and Ichigo will obviously be a couple. But again, that would make Bleach boring and predictable right? Sigh, well it doesn't hurt to dream a little. Kubo sensei why have you forsaken Rukia? Sniff. Sniff. Btw, the lines from Sonnet XVII belong to William Shakespeare.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Minna-san, I've been suffering from a huge writer's block as thick and as stubborn as the gate of Seiretai. Argh! I've been trying to update my other fanfic but the words were not coming out right. So I decided to write a new one to get the flow going. Well, I wrote the poem first in Ichigo's POV. I thought if his idol is Shakespeare then why not try to make him one. Hehe. I hope I was successful. Words from the poem, Rukia's Sonnet, are mine, so please don't steal it. Here's to getting over my writier's block and finishing up my other fanfic update. And here's to you, readers and reviewers alike, may your sun shine amidst the rain. Enjoy!

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RUKIA'S SONNET

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Ichigo scowled at the book he was trying to read. He squinted and moved his lips to follow each line of Sonnet XVII but he kept seeing the same lines over and over again. He closed his eyes and slammed the book shut. He cursed under his breath involuntarily, letting his frustration pass unheeded.

It was not like him to lose concentration, especially if he was studying the work of his most respected author, William Shakespeare. But lately, not even Shakespeare could take away the feeling of gloom and dread within him.

His life had gone back to normal. But he actually didn't know what normal is anymore because strange things kept happening to him. Being a temporary shinigami for one, meeting Vizards for another. The latter had been bothering him so much lately, though, that he can't focus.

He feared the thing inside him - the one that would devour him completely if he lost control. He clenched his fists tightly. 'What am I supposed to do?' he thought desperately.

He looked around his room and laid his eyes on the closet door. He knew only too well that it was empty. It had been empty for a while. When he got back from Soul Society, he reveled at the idea of having the room all to himself again with his privacy reinstated. Now, he wouldn't have to be stressed out if his father or sisters barged in without notice.

Yet somehow he felt as empty as the closet. His "normal" life had a void that only one person can fill. And he knew that he was missing her terribly. This was made even worse by a fearful truth gnawing at his heart. He felt helpless and hopeless at the same time.

'If only she was here,' he said to himself, remembering that her mere presence could allay his fears and alleviate his suffering. But he immediately took back what he said. He didn't want her to see the monster that was trying to erase him.

His ears caught thunderclaps and a crackling sound of lightning. He averted his gaze from the closet to the window. Huge dark clouds were forming. And he knew that rain would not be far behind.

A random image drifted in his troubled mind. It was the time when he and his friends were leaving Soul Society. Both of them had smiles on their faces. But he wasn't sure if he was happy or not. Somehow he had managed to push at the back of his mind a saddening thought - that it was the last time they were going to see each other.

The rain began to pour heavily. He closed his eyes and let her smiling face linger in his thoughts for a while longer. Minutes passed. When he opened them, he felt at ease. He reached out for a pen abruptly as if he had thought of something he didn't want to forget. He grabbed his notebook and wrote while raindrops steadily pounded on rooftops.

Rain slides her many fingertips against the windowpane

While her cool whisperings encourage me with a liquid alto

Eavesdropper, she wishes only to be party to my pain

And truly, she trickles in to abet my meandering ego.

But ignore her. It is you after whom my wishes chase:

I think of you and on weeping windows trace the outline of your face.

Rain makes lush things thrive

Makes moist lives grow.

Rain, she keeps humming – all the while

Drumming against my dissolving window.

My thoughts only go to you as rain soaks through my reason:

I will let the rain have her way

In the madness of this wet season

But please, I beg you, let me lose myself only to you.

Ichigo read and re-read what he wrote, trying to determine what was missing. He nodded absently when he realized what it was and wrote, "Rukia's Sonnet." Seeing her name on paper gave him solace. He wondered if she would like it. Meanwhile, the rain refused to be ignored and was coming in torrents now.

He looked out the window again and thought, 'Only she could stop my rain.'