Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any related materials. Bleach is property of Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump.
Takes place sometime after season five of the anime, but that knowledge is not significant :]
Mending Our Hearts
A Bleach fanfiction by Emile Amadare
A small girl with indigo-colored eyes hiked up the snowy mountain, dressed in a warm, purple sweater and tan skirt as she dragged her bag behind her. The full moon and the bright white ice crystals lit her way as she trudged up to the cozy, two-room cabin that she would be staying in for a week. As the chilly breeze whipped through her hair, she loosened the lavender scarf that was wrapped around her damp neck. Rukia reached the cabin with her last bag from the taxi a full twenty minutes after the others had finished unpacking. For unknown reasons, her head was fogged with thoughts, which slowed her down.
Since Chad was visiting family and Tatsuki was at a tournament, Ichigo, Orihime, Renji, Uryu, and Rukia decided to spend a couple of weeks in some remote mountain on Hokkaido.
While Rukia hauled her bag up the stairs to the porch, Uryu hurried back down with money to pay the taxi driver.
"Hey, Uryu!" Rukia called.
"Yeah?"
"I can chip in, too!"
"Since when do you have any yen?"
"Since Isshin started giving me an allowance for helping out around the house," she smiled.
"Oh. All right then. But we've already got it taken care of," Uryu said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Okay." She had finally reached the cabin. She turned the doorknob, opened the door, and let out a great sigh of relief. But that relief soon vanished when she looked upon the couch.
Ichigo had just been kissing Orihime.
"Uh…. Sorry for the interruption!" Rukia panicked. She quickly stepped back outside, slamming the door behind her. Ichigo and Orihime stared at it with wide eyes and red faces.
Rukia slid against the door into a sitting position, devastated. Her heart raced as she stared into the trees. A tear rolled down her cheek.
She was never convinced that she was in love with Ichigo until now.
The weeping girl wiped the tears from her eyes as she heard Uryu walk back up the stairs. She quickly stood up and searched the cabin for a second door, to the other room. Fortunately, she found one, and collapsed on the bed immediately after entering.
'Ichigo…'She thought. 'After all we've been through together…you chose her… We saved each other's lives, and almost died for each other… You mean so much to me…
My heart hurts.
You were always looking out for her…' Her body tensed up as she cried harder. 'Ichigo…'
"Rukia?" Renji said from the doorway.
"…"
He frowned. Then he walked over to the bed and picked her up in his arms, careful not to hold her small body too tightly.
"Renji…" she sniffled.
He took her out to the back porch and set her down on the cold wood, then sat beside her. It wasn't long before she started crying harder again.
"Whoa, what happened? I've never seen you like this. What's wrong?"
She was crying too hard to speak.
"Come on, Rukia! I'm gonna keep asking until you tell me. I want to help you…It hurts me to see you like this, Rukia…" He put his arm around her.
As she calmed down a little, she said, "Ichigo…"
"...What the hell did he do?"
"…Orihime…"
'…It's obvious that Orihime admires him…' His eyes widened. "…Are they together?"
Rukia let herself fall onto Renji's lap, tears streaming down her face non-stop.
'So Rukia does love him… I guess I had already lost… But this is no time to be thinking about myself.' "I'm sorry…"
Renji gazed at the forest in front of them, which lay under the illumination of the full moon. It was so peaceful. Long, silent moments passed before he said, "I don't blame you and Orihime for falling for Ichigo. He's hot." Rukia quietly giggled at that, which was Renji's goal. He laughed too. "Seriously… I never told you, but some guys are hot enough for me. Ichigo can be a jack ass, but there's something in him for everyone to love. He's grown on me…" 'But I've loved you longer… '
Rukia sighed internally. 'I guess I've got lots of competition… And right now, Orihime's won.'
"Still, I won't let anyone get away with hurting you." He cautiously stroked Rukia's soft, black hair as he listened to her sweet voice speak his name.
"Renji…"
He was silent as he gazed down at her. Her tears were coming to a conclusion, at least for a little while. He gently gestured her to sit up, and said, "We should get some sleep." Her eyes trailed down to her lap; she didn't want to be around Ichigo for a while. Renji read the hesitation in his companion's watery eyes. "… You don't have to sleep in the main room… You can take the bedroom," he offered. A wary smile appeared on Rukia's face as she felt comfort in the strong man's warm arms.
"Thank you…" she whispered. Her eyes trailed to the ground, then back to his, then out into the low sky. "I hadn't even realized that I felt this way…" she confessed.
Renji half-smiled. "You should get some rest." He gently guided her around the cabin. 'I cheered her up, at least a little bit…' He sighed.
The journey to the outside entrance of the bedroom seemed longer to Rukia than it should have, but Renji's warm touch was comforting and soothing. On the inside, though, Rukia was exhausted and hurting. Discovering her heart's desire as it was torn away from her sure wasn't pleasant. She definitely needed some sleep, that is, if she COULD sleep. Her head felt fuzzy.
Inside the bedroom, Renji turned on the light as Rukia sat on the edge of the bed. He then strode toward her and gently removed her coat, hanging it on the coat rack afterward. She kicked off her boots as she stared at her lap, and then pulled off her scarf and gloves. Renji took those also, setting them on the table in the corner. As he moved toward the door, Rukia stopped him, for a reason unknown to her. "Renji…" she said with a lonely look, "… I'm not… kicking you out…" She looked down nervously. She wanted to be alone, but at the same time, she didn't want him to leave.
He looked at her, slightly bewildered, and then he smiled and removed his winter gear, and turned the light out.*