Remember Me

Broken Quill and Scattered Ink

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

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Chapter 2

Ichigo stepped outside into the sunlight, walking around the dojo until he found Rukia, tampering with some of the flowers in the garden. Ichigo noticed right away that the flowers she was touching were a bit strange. Their petals were transparent, yet their foliage was visible with the strange silver outline. Its leaves were silver. There were rows and rows of the flowers, making it look as though Rukia was lost in a vast land of silver snow. He walked towards her.

"Rukia, there you are!" Ichigo shouted, a bit irritated at her late arrival. "I was looking all over the freakin' mansion for you!"

Rukia turned at his voice. "Did you get well rested last night?"

Ichigo waved away the question with his hand. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. Look, how come you went back to the world of the living without me?"

Rukia gave him a stern scowl before turning back to the flowers. "I had to do something with your body. I didn't want your family to find it there, dead on your bed like that. Too traumatic. And I was going to tell them that you had died." She paused, gave him a glance, and then turned back to the flowers again. "But I didn't have to. Kon will watch over your body."

Ichigo paled.

"I'll make sure he won't do anything to it." Rukia said quickly. "I'll check on him in a few days. But don't worry. He has lived with you long enough to know how to mimic your actions."

Ichigo crossed his arms. "Hey, why couldn't I go with you? I could've threatened him and made sure that—"

"I didn't want to put you in a Gigai."

Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?"

"Your death is strange. For some reason, even after being eaten in your Soul reaper form, you are still very much here in the Soul Society. I couldn't let you go back and cross over to the world of the living; it may do something strange to your body."

Ichigo noticed how Rukia's eyes softened. She walked a little further from him, down to another patch of the silver flowers.

She continued. "You may dematerialize all of a sudden, for all we know." She said, her voice low.

"Rukia," Ichigo started uneasily. "I don't get it."

"What?" she flashed a look of annoyance over her shoulder.

There was a pause, and Ichigo turned away.

"Why am I still here?"

Uncomfortably, Rukia turned back to the soul flowers. "I…I'm not sure." She peeled off a transparent petal, now the color of her fingers that were holding it. "We think that your Hollow Spirit has driven you to pass through the Soul Society…."

"But…I was eaten by that Hollow, wasn't I? And I was in spirit form. So I shouldn't even be here. My spirit or my…my Hollow Spirit. Both of them. Me. I was eaten whole. I shouldn't be here." He held his head, lost by the tiniest of confusing thoughts.

Rukia narrowed her eyes at the flower in between her fingers. "Stop talking about it, idiot." She ordered sharply.

"But Rukia…!"

Rukia turned on her heel to face him. Suddenly, even though she was much shorter than he, Rukia's position beneath him became all more intimidating.

"I said to stop." She said slowly, firmly. "I don't want to hear it, okay?"

"Why?" Ichigo's frown creased his forehead. "What's wrong with a little wondering? I just want to know why I'm still alive—"

"That's enough!" Rukia closed her eyes, shouting with the strength she had left. Despite the strength that came out of her voice, Ichigo couldn't help but notice her fists at her sides shaking warily. Her weakness was showing. It was something she hardly ever showed.

"So you're alive, Ichigo! Why aren't you happy with that?" Rukia continued, turning back to the flowers. She kept her back facing him, so that she wouldn't have to face him herself. Her voice softened. "You are alive. To me, right now, that's the greatest news I could get. So stop questioning what has happened. And just…just be grateful."

Ichigo stood still, afraid that even one soft breath would break the fragile Rukia. Absently, he stepped closer to her until he was beside her, staring at the flowers she was staring at. Breathing the air she was. Trying to understand what she was thinking.

He hated when she was hurting because of him.

And by the way her eyelids lowered over her sad violets, Ichigo couldn't help but smile.

"You worry about me too much."

Rukia's only response was taking a flower and shoving it into Ichigo's mouth.

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The red-headed lieutenant paused in his tracks. By habit, his hand flew to the hilt of his sword that dangled from his side.

His eyes narrowed in irritation; he began to feel Rukia's reiatsu.

"Oh, now she's here." He muttered, looking around the quiet marketplace. "She appears when I'm already halfway to the Kuchiki mansion."

He felt the direction of her reiatsu; it was carefully hidden behind Ichigo's blazing one. Both were flowing from the direction of the Kuchiki mansion.

"Well," Renji thought aloud. "No need to pummel the carrot-top if Rukia's not hurt. But then again, it doesn't hurt to check on why Ichigo is here."

Picking up the speed, and hand still on hilt, Renji ran off through the quiet district and towards the Kuchiki mansion.

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"Do you think his days are numbered?"

Her voice was quiet and reserved. She was asking the question as though it were a chore; something she really did not want to know.

"I can't answer that," Byakuya's voice replied quietly. "With Kurosaki, who knows what will happen?"

Ichigo hid behind the wall, secretly eavesdropping on the siblings' conversation.

"I see," that was Rukia. Ichigo slumped against the wall, sliding down to a sitting position. He pushed the back of his head against the wall, sighing quietly. It's about me…again. She won't stop worrying about me…

"Nii-sama…I—I was thinking."

"You're clearly afraid," Byakuya interrupted. His tone was insightful, yet harsh; pulling out the raw emotions Rukia had been trying to hide and then thrusting them into her face.

Ichigo knew she must have her head down right about now.

"Yes, well—I'm only fearful for his well-being is all," she clarified.

"Tell me…what were you thinking of doing? Allow him to stay here for the few years his body will keep him alive?"

Ichigo frowned. He wasn't that much of a burden.

"I was actually thinking of…of ending him myself; this strange thought came upon me last night. I can't stand to watch him disappear before me; and was thinking I could end his suffering quicker."

Kaien-dono is haunting me…

Ichigo felt his heart stop. He listened to the pregnant silence. He felt the atmosphere of the Soul Society wrap around him and he found his hands crawling up to his throat, searching for a way to breathe.

The long pause ensued. Then: "You really wish to do that, Rukia?"

"N-no! I could never! I was only telling you of my thoughts of last night." Rukia blurted out. "After those thoughts left me, I wondered what had come over me. I must have been delirious. The thought should have never even crossed my mind, Nii-sama. I can never hurt him." She paused to breathe, and so did Ichigo. Then quietly, he heard her say: "I've hurt him enough already."

"You're a fool to think of that ryoka so many times a day," Byakuya whispered. "He doesn't deserve so much."

"Nii-sama!"

"If you aren't going to do anything about him, why worry? Let him dissipate on his own."

"But…I…want him…here." Rukia whispered. Determination laced her whisper. "I don't want Ichigo to leave…the mere thought makes me…"

She paused, where Ichigo could almost imagine her breaking down.

"You had stated earlier you wanted to kill him yourself."

"But I was only thinking of ending his misery!" Rukia shouted back. Ichigo heard her gasp. "I'm sorry…Nii-sama. I'm…I don't know what's coming over me. Forgive me."

There was a ruffle of clothing, where Ichigo guessed that Byakuya had gotten up to leave.

"Thank you for…listening to me, brother." Rukia whispered, unsure.

Ichigo left as quietly as he could, walking to the land of silver snow outside.

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"Ichigo?"

He did not turn around. Instead, Ichigo said quietly: "You sure you won't stab me in the back or something?"

Ichigo wasn't even sure why he had asked that.

He heard as she breathed in slowly. "You…heard me."

"Sure did." Ichigo wasn't sure if he was angry at her. Maybe just felt betrayed…

There was a pause.

"I don't…forgive me. I don't know what I was thinking."

"I think my presence makes you insane. If you killed me now, you'd not only end my suffering…but yours as well. I encourage you to kill me anytime, Rukia. Besides, I'm supposed to be dead anyway—"

"Shut up!" Ichigo felt her tiny arms grab his shoulders and swivel him around. For once, he saw her close up. There were tiny, noticeable bags beneath her bright eyes. She has been not able to sleep. "Why are you making this harder than it already is?"

"I'm not doing anything!"

"I have to sleep at night, trying to think of everything you've left behind; thinking of how long you may live…how you're going to die! I didn't want you to suffer anymore than you had to, and so I'm trying to give you the best!"

"That includes killing me?" Ichigo shouted back, pulling away from her hold. He wasn't afraid of the thought of dying; he had obviously done so once already. He only felt angry that it was Rukia who had even allowed the thought enter her mind.

"I told you, I didn't mean it!" her violets blazed with fire. She brought her tight fists to her sides. "I'd never kill you, you know that!"

"I don't think I know anything about you anymore, Rukia!" Ichigo turned away, walking towards the mansion.

"You're such a child! I'm trying to give you the best, and here you are, shouting at me!" she countered against his retreating form.

Sarcasm dripped from his lips. "Forgive me for not being grateful for your thoughts of killing me."

"Ichigo!" Rukia called. "Come back here!"

"No!" Ichigo threw over his shoulder. "If I'm such a child, then allow me to demonstrate how a child acts!"

He walked inside, shutting the paper shoji door.

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When Renji finally got there, he began to wish that he hadn't.

He's been sitting there for almost ten flippin' minutes now, waiting for one of them to speak. But neither of them budged; equally stubborn and as equally angry. The taller orange-head and shorter raven-haired soul reapers sat back to back, heads stuck up in the air and frowns on their faces. The red-head could tell they had been through some sort of argument—and by the way they were childishly acting, he was sure it was over something stupid.

He pressed his palms over his knees, pushing them deeper into the wooden floor. He bowed his head, heaving in a deep sigh.

"One of you has to tell me what's going on. And why is Ichigo here?"

Ichigo was the first to break. With a grunt, he huffed: "I'll give you two guesses."

Ichigo was wide open. Grinning, Renji lifted his head. Perfect opportunity. Renji couldn't help it. "You're either visiting the Soul Society to make out with Rukia or visiting the Soul Society to make out with Rukia."

Renji howled as he earned two lumps.

After that was said and done, Rukia answered quietly: "He's dead."

Nursing both bumps, Renji looked up at his old friend with wide eyes. "No way."

Ichigo huffed again, looking away angrily. "You didn't have to tell him, Rukia."

Rukia looked forward, crossing her arms. "Well, I didn't expect a child to be able to do it."

Ichigo swiveled towards her, grabbing her shoulders and turning her around to look at him. Completing the look with knitted eyebrows, he shouted at her: "Stop saying that! I'm not a child; I can take care of myself!"

Rukia's eyes softened. "Don't you think I know that?" came her whisper. Unexpecting her soft tone, Ichigo was taken aback. He said nothing, and Rukia continued.

"I just…wanted to help you get through this. Just like you have helped me so many times." She bowed her head. "That's why I went to the world of the living. To check on your body and your family. So you wouldn't have to. So you wouldn't have to do anything but relax."

She breathed, feeling her normally collected face burn up. "And I'm sorry for my thoughts about killing you the other night; I never meant it as harm towards you. I'm not even sure what I was thinking." Ichigo Kurosaki…you make me insane.

Ichigo slowly let go of her shoulders. A slow smile graced his lips. Renji only stared from Rukia to Ichigo, then back, intrigued by it all. Or, more accurately, half intrigued. The other half of him felt his heart drop. Geez…they make up fast.

"Rukia, I think it's you who needs to relax." Ichigo answered.

Rukia looked up, flashed a smile, and then turned away. "Kuchikis never relax when faced with a duty."

Renji smiled sadly at the couple, wishing it was he who had died in the world of the living.

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End of 2