"Ugh! Come on, Rukia! Open up!! You never took this freakin' long to get ready before!!" I yell as I knock on the door for the 30th damn time. I sigh and sit on my bed with a soundless plop. I stare at the door.
"You know, if we're late for school...it's your damn fault!! I might just leave without you..."
Yeah...like I actually would. I sigh angrily again. Ever since Rukia came back with us after we saved her from Soul Society, she hasn't been the same. I mean...yeah, she looks different. She lost weight, her skin's paler, and those scars on her neck may never fade away but she not Rukia anymore. She doesn't hit me or yell at me...or smile like she used to. She's lifeless...she's not the Rukia I know anymore...and it really sucks.
My attention goes back to the closet as I hear it swish open, Rukia walking out. Her hair's disheveled and bags are under her eyes. She slowly comes out of the closet. Rukia...
"Sorry," she looks up, "I over slept..."
"You don't have to go to school if you're not ready yet, Rukia. You could wait a little while longer..."
The normal Rukia would smack me over the head and yell, 'Don't consider me weak! You're so stupid, you moron!!' But no. She looks to the floor.
"No...I'm okay...let's get going..." she says as she gracefully goes to the window, jumping out.
I look out the window to check if she landed...and she did. She always does. I sigh angrily, my hand turning into a fist at my side. I walk downstairs and out the door. We walk in silence, like we usually do...but this isn't the peacefully, comfortable silence we had before, this was a horribly painful silence.
Painful? Why painful? Nothing should be painful anymore. I saved her. I fought through everything to save her! She should be happy to be alive! Why the hell is she acting like this?! Did she not want to come back that freakin' much?! Or did she really want to die that badly...?
"Why did you save me, Ichigo?"
I look behind me, shocked. She's looking down, her hair covering her eyes. I wish I could see them. Is she upset, angry...crying?
"You saved me and my family so I saved you...we're even." I say like it was the easiest thing I ever done, continuing my walk. She stands still though. I sigh again. I'm going to have to do this eventually, right? I turn around. Better if I do it now.
"What the hell is your problem?!" I yell "It's like you've given up on life!! So maybe you freakin' did, but now you're alive!! So live, damn it!! Is that so damn hard for you!!"
She keeps her eyes to her feet, adverting my glance. Man! She's driving me crazy! Why is she acting like she's going to die.
"I don't know what to do, Ichigo."
I glare at her, "What's that suppose to mean?"
"I've given up on life...I thought I was going to die...killing you and everyone else who came with you in the process. I blamed it all on myself. But now I'm walking the streets with you like nothing happened, like I wasn't alone for two months, withering away...how can this be?"
I stare at her in silence for a second, taking it all in. Then I snort and turn around, "It wasn't your fault I came...it was my choice...but the rest is your fault. You should have known I was going to save you and haven't given up everything. You should've have hope. Was I that weak that you didn't have any faith in me?"
"I was just scared that you would die...I didn't care what happened to me..."
"And I didn't care what happened to me! I was scared youwould die! So suck it up, damn it and move the hell on!!" I fume. I'm mad, really, truly, freakin' mad. Worried about me...I wasn't the one captured and sentenced to die!Man Rukia, you really screwed that one up!
"So...I worry about you and you worry about me...Is there a problem with that?" She says louder, sounding slightly annoyed. Slightly like herself. Perfect.
"Why? Do youhave a freakin' problem with that?! Do you not want me to care?! Cause I don't have to! I could've just let you die!!" I yell back. I can feel a smirk approaching my features. I really don't like saying stuff like this to her cause I wouldn't let her die and like hell I care. If I didn't she would be a pile of burnt ashes by now. This better work, damn it.
She doesn't say anything.
I sigh, "You really are hopeless..."
She looks up, aggravated, "No! Youare the hopeless one, Ichigo! No matter how many times I said to leave me alone and run, you always came back! If you listened, you wouldn't be scarred like you are now! You'd be the normal human you were before! But you came back and saved me anyway!!"
"So are you that upset I saved you? Did you want to die?"
"No," she says, kinda softly, "I am extremely grateful that you saved me..."
"So get over it...you're happy...I'm happy..." I mutter the last part. Damn, my face is getting red. I turn so she doesn't see it. I think she smiles...damn...she heard that.
"Fine, then, baka! I'm over it!" She yells, swiftly hitting on the head. Damn, it hurts like hell, but I can't help letting out a laugh. There we go.
She walks on, her hands behind her back walking straight. She doesn't turn around.
"Thanks Ichigo..."
I grin, "No sweat...had to break you outta that trance somehow." I snicker again. Why the hell am I laughing...am I thathappy that Rukia's okay...weird.
She turns around and smiles, "We're going to be late for school, Ichigo. Race you there." She breaks out running.
"Hey, what the hell?!" I yell as I chase after her, my grin still on my face.
She hit me.
She yelled at me.
She smiled.
There's my Rukia...
The Rukia that holds a place in my heart...
Forever.
Well, that was refreshing to write! I don't know why...but it just was! Yeah...it was a fluff with almost no meaning but, everyone's got fluff in them, you have to let it out once in a while. Yeah...it felt good to write that. My faith in IchiRuki was restored with the new Bleach ending so...I had to write one! Ichigo POV...I thought it was cute! I kinda think of it as a sequel to One Small Hope...but it kinda isn't...I just see it that way.
Hope you liked it!