She knew it had taken over the moment she felt the cold, sheer steel run through her abdomen, forcing her back to slam into the wall behind her. Beads of sweat ran on the sides of her face, Rukia panted heavily as she looked up from the ebony blade, her own vivid red blood dripping from it, and weakly spoke, her voice almost a whisper, "Ichi...go...?"
She knew on looking up that violet would not meet hazel. Instead, she was greeted by depthless, cold black and gold eyes and a sadistic smile.
She could drown in those eyes.
On murmuring the name, 'Ichigo's' grin grew bigger.
Rukia let out a soft cry, tumbling forward when he carelessly yanked Tensa Zangetsu from her gut, tossing it to the side just a few feet away, as if bored by it. Her blood splattered the ground, almost like paint, reminding Rukia of the time she and Ichigo had repainted the Kurosaki clinic. The irony of such memories coming up in such an occasion as this was rather silly.
Almost.
Her eyes squeezed shut, wincing in pain, when his hand gripped her neck harshly, pushing her forcefully back into the wall and pinning her there.
She would never allow herself to scream.
Rukia gasped, her hands gripping his ruthless fingers weakly, as he brought up his other hand, surprisingly gentle as he ran his fingertips over the thin trail of blood running from her side of her mouth. Rukia stared, her expression helpless, as he ran his tongue cynically over his fingertips, tasting her blood-
All with that terrifying smirk on his face.
She was not scared.
Rukia looked down, panting softly, trying to catch her breath, ignoring the feeling of her blood running down her body from her open wounds. Being stabbed by Tensa Zangetsu was going to leave a large scar, not just on her body, but on Ichigo's heart when he would find out where the scar came from.
Time stood still.
She tried hard to keep her focus, begging her body not to shut down on her just yet. As her vision began to blur; as she silently cursed herself for being weak and begged Ichigo to come back to her, he ran his fingertips against her lips softly before gripping her chin and pulling up harshly, forcing her to look up at him, his face now so close their lips almost touched. Rukia silently screamed, in her mind, for that horrid expression to just leave his face- to just see that familiar, endearing scowl that so usually graced it, or that rare smile, so like the sun.
Not once did that grin leave his face.
"For you, Queen, I could be."