Ficlet
Spoilers: A few for episode 49 and 8. Or was it 9? Meh.
Don't worry Astarael00, Until Dawn will be up after this.
Rain I
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Rukia is sitting on the cold concrete wall outside the Kurosaki house. It's starting to rain. Not much, but the first droplets are falling. She tilts her face to the sky and closes her eyes.
Which one dies today?
She can feel the drops on her eyelids. Byakuya had once told her that every time it rained someone was dying, and each raindrop was a soul, falling from Soul Society to visit Earth and the dying human.
In her mind, he was right. Ichigo's mother had died on a rainy day. So had Kaien-dono. Her eyes prickle with tears at the thought of her late fukutaichou. She dislikes what the rain brings, but at the same time it is a comfort. It is part of her.
She doesn't open her eyes as Ichigo approaches and sits beside her. "You'll catch a cold if you stay out here."
Rukia nods, and finally opens her eyes, slowly, allowing them to adjust to the light. "It's raining," she says softly.
"Yeah."
Her mind shifts back to the now heavily falling rain. Ichigo's words before he left Soul Society ring in her ears.
Thanks to you, it seems the rain will finally stop.
Again, her eyes burn with suppressed tears. She couldn't stop it. She couldn't stop the dying.
Ichigo glances at her when she chokes back a sob. "Come on," he offers her his hand. "Come inside."
She looks up, smiles, and takes his hand.
Maybe she couldn't stop the rain, but at least together they had a chance.