Anthology: Our Feelings

by Her Pretty Smile


Synopsis: #2: IchiRuki. Ichigo's thoughts in episode 342.

Warning: Unbeta-ed; may contain mistakes or any of the sort.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Genres: Romance/Drama/Slight Angst


#2: Someday, We'll Meet Again

:-IchiRuki-:


ICHIGO KNOWS WHAT'S HAPPENING to him. He knows far too well.

When Rukia mentions him not using shunpo, he instantly finds a counter, not wanting to show weakness. Not in front of anyone, and especially not in front of her.

And then he sees her looking at the ice-skating rink with something in her eyes.

He decides that he will take her there tomorrow.


-;-


WHEN HE SPOTS HER with a solemn, almost sorrowful look on her face, he somehow knows what happened.

But he just greets her in the same normal, casual manner he always does, knowing that speaking up on the topic will not help his situation at all.


-;-


THE FOLLOWING DAY, HE takes her ice skating with his friends, and when she asks him why, he says that he'd noticed the way she was looking at the rink before.

She looks at him for a moment with somewhat startled eyes before laughing. He knows why this is so, but he just waves it off.

When they're in the rink, he takes her hand and guides her. Then, when he thinks she can do it by herself, he lets go.

He thinks it's amusing the way she tries to grab his hand when she thinks she's going to fall. And then, just as he'd expected, she holds her balance in seconds.

But then she stumbles and he immediately takes a hold of her hands.

She sighs this off, but he can tell that she enjoys ice skating far more than what she shows outwardly.


-;-


WHEN THE FIREWORKS OCCUR, he looks up at the night sky. He stares at the bright colours exploding in the darkness and inadvertently catches a glimpse of her face.

She's staring up at the fireworks with awe and wonder, and her smile suddenly looks a lot like it's shining a lot brighter than the different colours in the sky.


-;-


WHEN THEY WALK HOME together that night, she tells him that she had fun. Then they talk for a while before the beeping sound occurs.

He immediately breaks into a run, all the while asking her where the Hollow is.

But then when she calls his name, he stops, and he can see the hesitation in her eyes.

But in the end, she still lets him fight, and he's grateful for that.


-;-


AS EXPECTED, HE CAN'T fend off the Hollow, and when she saves him and takes him to the roof, he apologizes softly for getting in her way.

And then she surprises him by declaring that he isn't in her way and that she will always help him.

Because they're nakama.

With that, he smiles softly.

When she freezes the Hollow's legs just as he'd told her to, he does the final Getsuga Tenshou...

...and feels his reiatsu slowly disappearing.

The last thing he sees, however, is her worried face, and when he closes his eyes, he knows that he has no regrets.


-;-


WHEN HE WAKES UP, he realizes that he's been sleeping for a while now.

He then reveals to the people who are in his room that he knew that his powers are fading and tells her that he also knew that she was ordered to stop him from fighting.

Then he asks to go outside.

When he does, he feels odd. He can't sense any spirits anymore.

He turns to look at her, and he realizes that she's slowly fading from his sight.

She tells him with a melancholic face, "This is goodbye... Ichigo."

"Seems that way, isn't it?" he replies softly.

"What's this? Don't look so sad," she says teasingly with a mock-smug air, even going so far as to pat him on the stomach. "Even if you can no longer see me, I am still able to see you."

"What the hell? That's nothing to be happy about," he says, slightly annoyed. "And I don't look sad!"

Then their proximity is suddenly at about half an arm's length, and he looks away slightly while she, on the other hand, lowers her head.

"Give everybody my regards," he says quietly, trying to sound casual.

"I will." Her voice sounds quieter than his.

He turns his head towards her and looks at her with a soft, almost sad expression.

When she's about to almost fade away from his sight, she looks up, and he sees the vulnerable, sorrowful look on her face.

"Bye, Rukia..."

And she disappears.

Looking up at the sky, he allows a soft smile on his face.

"Thank you."


A/N: My very first shot at IchiRuki. Was it okay? It took a lot out of me to capture the whole scene, but I think this is the best I can do for now. :)