lullaby
. o .
In retrospect, it made sense that Chad had a lovely singing voice.
He spoke little enough that Rukia had to admit she hadn't thought much about his voice at all, but half-remembered Ichigo mentioning guitar lessons or a musically inclined ancestor.
So, that first night in Hueco Mundo, just as the tuneless winds and pitiless expanse of white sands weighed on the minds of their small rescue party, sleepless in a circle of cloaks without even a fire, Chad's voice came as a surprise, singing in a quiet but confident baritone. She couldn't understand the words, but there was something soothing to that. Enough words had been said (yelled, threatened, insinuated, bargained) since Orihime's disappearance to fill her thoughts with fear and defiance in equal parts. It felt nice to not have to worry about the words, if only for a moment.
Renji, sitting to her right, picked up the beat and tapped along happily. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow in her friend's direction, but Renji only flashed her a quick smile in response. The next song was his, and though Rukia recognized it faintly — had she heard it playing from Orihime's radio what seemed like a million years ago; spirits, had it only been last week? — she didn't work to place it. Renji's voice, though unstudied, had an uncharacteristic calmness that she focused on, hoping for a little of his steadiness to wear off.
If, as Renji finished and Chad picked up the beat, her eyes felt heavy for the first time in days… well, then. The winds still whistled; the sands still looked endless. She prayed silently that Orihime was alive and doing what she seemed to do best: making everyone within earshot fall in love with her (Hollows lacked hearts, sure, but if anyone could do it, Rukia's money was on her red-headed friend.) For now, her friends were still standing. Still singing. She could rest. Perhaps there was space for hope yet, somewhere between the sense of defiance warming her chest and fear she couldn't shake.
Either way, they would face it in the morning. Together, she thought, and fell asleep with a smile.
. o .
fin
. o .
Disclaimer: as always, the character and worlds are not mine; I borrow them from Kubo Tite and the Bleach creative team.
Sabe's Scribbles: It does seem that nearly everyone falls in love with Orihime on sight. Except for Ichigo. Which, having just finished the manga, makes the canon epilogue perplexing. (I reached the final chapter hoping she'd end up with Chad. I suspect this only concretes I'm not the Target Shounen Audience. =P ) …where this story is concerned, I never expected to enjoy writing Rukia nearly as much as I do, but she's delightful. This could be read as a companion piece to "Reveille," in that it also deals with Rukia and her families-of-choice somewhere around that point between waking and sleeping life, but ultimately stands alone. Your thoughts as a reader are always welcomed!