A/N- Ok.. I'm doing the AN at the beginning so that I don't ruin the atmosphere at the end. I'm so sorry that it took so long to upload this chapter but once again, I made it longer. This chapter is nearly 6000 words WOOT! Longest chappy yet! Also, I've actually finished writing the WHOLE story and there are 2 more chapters to go with an epilogue afterwards. (Somehow I managed to write the last 4 chapters in 3 days. Don't ask me how) But anyway, most of you will probably be wondering why I finished it all and that is because I GET A PROPER PUBLISHED COPY OF IT WOOOT (tho it's not actually published, it's just a proof copy BUT STILL!). Anyway, I'll send u guys a pic of it when I get it in the mail but it's preety cool!
Other news- In 2 days, this fic will officially be one year old! WOW I can't believe it's been going on that long... I probably won't post another chappy on that day but I might (if I'm feeling up to it) do some OFFICIAL ART for it (as in art done by the author, me). But anyway, if I do, I'll post an A/N on that day.
Updates after today will be once a week on a Sunday probably (or Monday) and I WILL update it this time. I promise.
ANyway, I'll let u actually read this chapter just don't forget
PLZ REVIEW!
Disclaimer: I do not own bleach... now let me go die in my own little hole...
Chapter 9
The truth behind the mask
Rukia's eyes shot open, hearing voices in the distance. She looked around wildly for a moment before relaxing, realising that she was in Ichigo's room. Sitting up slowly, Rukia found the she was lying on the bed, still in her guardian angel clothes. There was an insistent throbbing in her head but after a few moments, it dwindled away and she was left wondering what had happened.
Her memory was slightly blurry as if a memory modifier had been used on her but she could still remember the most important thing. Tsuki Kuro was alive. Heaving a big sigh, Rukia closed her eyes again, sifting through what she remembered. She had attacked the devil; she was sure of that but after that her mind went blank.
Purple eyes opened and the angel glanced around the room, wondering what had happened. If Tsuki Kuro was there, surely he would have attacked her but yet, she was still alive. Confused by the, Rukia stood up, ignoring the throbbing in her head as the room spun. After a moment, it settled and Rukia noticed a black feather falling to the floor. She went cold. "Not again.." She whispered softly and stooped down so that the feather landed softly in her palm. As soon as it touched her though, Rukia felt an electric shock go through her.
The angel threw the feather across the room, not knowing what had happened but the only thing that she knew was that no matter what, she had to get away from it. When she had touched it, she had felt cold, a deep kind of cold that seemed to suck the life out of her. Without a doubt, there was only one reason as to why this feather could have such an effect on her and that was because it came from a creature who was the complete opposite to an angel. Instead of purity and light, this creature was from the darkness. It was one of Tsuki Kuro's feathers.
Shivering slightly, Rukia wondered how she had gotten yet another feather on her but she found that she already knew how. Tsuki Kuro had put it there. Even though she had attacked him, he had obviously done nothing to harm her but what she didn't get was why he had done nothing. Pondering this, Rukia sat back down on the bed just as she heard a door slam. She jumped up. "Is it Ichigo?" She said eyes wide in excitement. Trying not to get her hopes up, Rukia quickly released the spell that she had put on herself and changed her clothes back to her casual ones. Glancing behind her to make sure that her wings were hidden, she waited as patiently as she could.
After a few minutes the door to Ichigo's room opened and Ichigo came in, a smile lighting up his face as he saw Rukia. "Hey" He said, closing the door behind him to make sure that his family did not see her.
Rukia felt tears well up in her eyes and she rushed forward to envelop him in a hug. "I'm so glad you're back." She said softly, relief coursing through her. "I was so worried." She smiled back at him before punching him lightly in the arm.
"Hey! What was that for?" Ichigo protested loudly.
"That was for making me worry! Where have you been Ichigo?"
He shifted uncomfortably, his amber eyes flickering around the room. He couldn't tell her the truth but at the same time, he didn't want to lie to her. Realising that she was watching him with a suspicious look, he gulped and laughed lightly. "I was just taking care of something." Rukia's glare darkened and his smile disappeared. "I'm sorry for making you worry Rukia but this was something that I had to do."
The angel studied his face for a moment, purple eyes filled with worry and hurt but after a moment she sighed. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I should respect your personal matters." A small smile appeared on her face, her eyes lighting up. "Anyway, you're not hurt so I'm happy."
Ichigo looked down at her smiling face and for a moment, it looked like he too was going to smile widely. But then he glanced towards the door, as if fearful that someone might be watching them. His amber eyes were thoughtful and he opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. Heaving a sigh, he made his way over to his bed and sat down, putting his head in his hands. "I'm sorry… I'm just a bit out of it today."
Rukia's smile wavered and she walked over to him, concerned. Ichigo had always been a strong confident person in the short time that she had known him and it seemed strange to her to see him like this. It meant that something was horribly wrong. "Ichigo… it's alright. You can talk to me about it. You can trust me."
Ichigo looked up at her, spiky orange hair falling over his face and he shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry. This is just one thing that I don't want to talk to anyone about."
"That's alright. I understand." Rukia looked down at him in sadness. She trusted Ichigo with her life and so she had hoped that he would trust her in the same way. But then she remembered that she hadn't even told Ichigo the truth about herself yet. She groaned inwardly. How can I expect him to trust me if I can't even tell him my secrets, she thought to herself.
Ichigo frowned as he saw her ever-changing expression and he wondered what was making her think so hard. Sighing for the second time, he looked away hoping that she couldn't see the doubt that was evident on his face. He wanted to tell her the truth so badly that it actually pained him to look at her now. She was in love with him but not the real him and that was what hurt so much. But he knew that if he told her the truth, there was a good chance that she would hate and it would all be taken away anyway. Wondering what he should do, Ichigo didn't even notice as Rukia snuggled closer to him on the bed, wrapping her arms around his body.
In that instant, when the devil and the angel were so close to each other, Ichigo felt his reiatsu flare up in response. He had been in a rush to get back home after his talk with Keigo and so he had clumsily made a reiatsu seal. Because it was clumsily made, its reaction to Rukia's reiatsu caused it to break, reitsu leaking out and filling the room with the dense dark power that was his.
Rukia leapt off the bed, her eyes wide in horror. "No.. that's…" She whispered softly, glancing at Ichigo with a horrified look. "Ichigo. You have to leave now!" She pulled him up off the bed, talking urgently.
Ichigo mentally cursed his bad luck and wondered just how long it would be before Rukia realized that the reiatsu was his. Trying to play along, he looked at her strangely. "Why? I only just got home!"
Rukia shook her head, beginning to panic. She didn't mind fighting Tsuki Kuro on her own but it she had to protect someone, there was a good chance that either one of them would get killed. "Look. Please just trust me." Ichigo nodded and Rukia breathe a small sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and concentrated, searching with her powers to find the source of the reiatsu.
Ichigo watched her in horror. She was mere seconds away from discovering that the power was coming from him. Thinking quickly, he took a deep breath in and focused so that his reiatsu surged out suddenly. Rukia was knocked from her feet and she fell to the ground, landing in an undignified heap but still very much conscious. Ichigo rushed over to her and while she was glancing around in surprise, he lifted his shirt sleeve up. Whispering softly in an ancient language, he renewed the reiatsu seal and was relieved when the reiatsu that had been leaking into the room disappeared.
"Are you alright Rukia?" Ichigo helped her get to her feet, a concerned expression on his face.
Rukia looked at him in shock but then nodded to him, breathing heavily. She didn't know what had just happened and she wasn't sure if she ever would. Shaking off a feeling of foreboding, she wondered how she was going to explain this to Ichigo. "Ichigo... I need to tell you something..." She trailed off, her eyes catching something black on Ichigo's arm. She reached out with her hands and pulled up his sleeve, gasping in surprise as she saw that a ring of black letters in an ancient language wound around his arm. "Ichigo... when did you get this?" She asked, wondering where she had seen this strange tattoo before.
Ichigo followed her gaze, despair flickering in his amber eyes as he saw what she was looking at. It was over. He knew that she would recognize the tattoo for what it was but when he gathered up the courage to look at her, he saw that she did not seem to recognize it. He shrugged. "I don't know. I can't remember when I got it." He paused and then spoke softly "What did you want to tell me, Rukia?"
Rukia looked up at him and then smiled sadly "Nothing important."
When Rukia arrived at the school the next day, she was shocked to see Keigo standing outside. Not once had he ever been at school this early and she had never seen him waiting outside. Wondering if something was wrong, Rukia walked up to him "Hey Keigo." She said.
Keigo jumped at the sound of her voice and spun around before visibly relaxing "Oh it's you."
She frowned. Keigo seemed different. He wasn't acting goofy like he normally did which meant that something was wrong. Trying to read his expression Rukia asked "Is something wrong?"
Keigo shook his head adamantly "No, no" He said but he kept looking at Rukia with an expression that was between awe and scared. This made her confused. Not once had he ever looked at her like that and she had never given him reason to.
Deciding not to press further, Rukia settled in beside him waiting for Ichigo and the others to arrive. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Keigo kept glancing at her back. She bit her lip to stop herself from yelling at him when something occurred to her. There was nothing behind her, at least not what a normal human could see. Rukia's eyes widened and she spun around to face Keigo who gave a small 'eep'. "You know don't you." She said to him.
"I don't know what you're talking about" Keigo told her but Rukia had seen that fearful look when she had spoken. There was only one possible explanation for the way that Keigo was acting. Somehow, he had found out about her.
Deciding that he wasn't going to tell her the truth, Rukia risked everything and leaned forward, placing a hand on his arm. She closed her eyes and Keigo shouted out in alarm. Purple eyes opened. Keigo was staring behind her, his eyes wide as he gazed upon the two brilliantly white wings that spread out from her back.
Just by looking at him, Rukia could tell that he had already known. He wasn't as shocked as she would have expected from someone who was just finding out the truth, nor was he that scared of her. Instead, it looked like something had just been confirmed to him. Sighing, Rukia let go of his arm and her wings disappeared from his sight.
Keigo shrunk visibly under her penetrating gaze "I can't believe it Rukia." He whispered softly "You really are an angel."
Rukia watched him for a moment longer before nodding. She glanced around quickly to make sure that no one was near them "How did you find out, Keigo? I was so careful."
Keigo nodded at that, his eyes fixating on something on the other side of the road. "You were. You gave no clue about who you really were."
"Then how did you find out?" Rukia's eyes narrowed suddenly "Someone told you didn't they?" It was the only possible explanation. No one should have found out about her. It was completely impossible as she and been extremely careful. Frowning, Rukia wondered if Urahara had gone and told someone. It seemed like the kind of thing that the crazy shopkeeper would do.
Keigo coughed and looked away from her gaze. He mumbled something that sounded like 'Ichigo' and 'Tsuki Kuro'.
Rukia froze, her eyes widening but before she had a chance to ask Keigo about it again, there was a shout from behind her. She spun around to see Ichigo and Mizuiro walking towards them. "Hey!" Ichigo shouted a big grin on his face.
Rukia smiled, not even noticing as Keigo leapt behind her with a yelp of fear. She walked towards Ichigo who suddenly bent down and kissed her. Beside them, Mizuiro gasped and even Keigo was shocked. Ichigo turned to them and grinned "What?" He asked.
Mizuiro looked from Ichigo to Rukia and back again "Are you two...?" He asked, eyes wide.
Rukia nodded, slightly embarrassed but Ichigo hugged her close. "You have a problem with that?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in anger. But the two teenagers shook their heads adamantly and Ichigo smiled again. "Good." He looked down at Rukia, noting her joyful expression. "What are you so happy about?"
"Nothing" She said, her smile widening and suddenly the bell rang through the cold air.
Ichigo looked up with a slight frown. "Damn." He said softly before glancing back at Rukia "I'll meet you inside. I just need to talk to Keigo about something first."
Rukia nodded and both she and Mizuiro walked into the school leaving Ichigo with Keigo. Keigo watched them go and heaved a sigh. "She knew that I had figured out that she was an angel."
Ichigo looked at him in surprise "Really? You didn't tell her that I told you, did you?"
"No. Of course not. You told me not to tell her and so I didn't…." He trailed off thoughtfully "I'm guessing that you still haven't told her yet."
Ichigo shook his head. "She just seems so happy" His amber eyes were filled with sadness. "I don't want to be the one to destroy that happiness but.. I think I might have to."
"Why?"
"Because I'm leaving this town. It's too dangerous for me to stay any longer with more than one angel here. If the angels find out that I'm still alive, they'll destroy this town just to get to me and I can't let that happen."
Keigo's eyes widened "Where are you going to go?"
"I'll find somewhere." Ichigo grinned at him, but it was just a mask that was hiding his true feelings. "But I'll probably come back sometime, I just don't know when."
"It could be years before you can come back."
"I know."
The two friends fell into silence as they thought about it, each of them wondering just how different life would be. Finally Keigo spoke softly "We'll all miss you."
Ichigo smiled at him and this time it was genuine, with a trace of sadness. "I'll miss you guys too."
Then they both walked into the school, wondering whether this was going to be the last time that they saw each other.
"Urahara!" Rukia slammed the shop door open, revealing an empty room. She frowned. It was not like the shopkeeper to leave his prized Shoten unattended at any time of the day. It was even stranger as it was during opening hours. The angel heaved a sigh and began to pace backwards and forwards, ready to wait for however long she would need to. She needed to find out the truth and nothing was going to stop her until she knew for sure that Ichigo was alright.
The young angel bit her lip, pausing in her pacing "Hang on, Urahara wouldn't leave his shop like this so he must still be here!" She glanced around warily, wondering whether he was watching her right now and concluded that he probably was. An idea suddenly formed in her mind and she grind, holding her hands out in front of her "Ruler of the mask of flesh and blood.." She began to chant, a light growing at her fingertips. If Urahara wasn't going to come out voluntarily, she would force him out.
It worked. A figure appeared in the doorway, waving a fan about "Now, now Miss Kuchiki. If you would refrain from destroying my shop, I will gladly help you with whatever you want."
Rukia lowered her hands and the light dissipated. She eyes the shopkeeper warily, not sure just how much she could trust him. But special times called for special measures, she thought to herself and she needed to know right now. No one other than Urahara could possibly have the information that she wanted and so she knew that she would just have to trust him for the time being.
Ignoring the shopkeepers scheming expression, Rukia said "A demon can do many things. One of those is the ability to take over a body. Taking over a body, or rather 'Infestation' as us angels call it, can only be done by extremely powerful demons. If done by a demon with a low amount of power, the spell will not work and both the demon and the host body will be destroyed."
Urahara stepped forward, a frown evident on his usually happy face "You're are just repeating textbook things, Rukia. I already know all of this."
Rukia nodded, her purple eyes thoughtful "Yes, but I need to make sure about something."
"What do you need to know?"
"If a demon inhabits a body, the soul of that body dies does it not?"
Urahara paused slightly before answering "Yes."
"An angel can easily tell whether a demon is inhabiting a body because the spell used is obvious to us, yes?"
"Yes but I can't see where you are going with this, Miss Kuchiki." Urahara waved the fan about in front of his face.
The angel bit her lip, a single strand of black hair falling across her face. "That is all I wanted to know." She turned around sharply, her eyes betraying her emotions while her face remained impervious to the shopkeepers gaze. Stepping forward slowly, she made her way to the door, trying to calm her racing heart.
"But that is not the case for the devil." Urahara called out after in a jovial voice.
Rukia froze, her eyes widening suddenly. "What?" She said, spinning back around to face him. "But isn't the devil like a demon?"
"No. He's quite different. The race that the devil belongs to is its own race, just like the demons or the angels. The rules that apply to demons are different from the ones that the devil abides by."
Rukia gulped slightly and stepped forward. "Can the devil inhabit a host like a demon?"
Urahara thought for a moment before answering, his striped hat hiding his eyes from view. "Yes and no. The devil can inhabit a body but it is a different case to the way a demon inhabits a body. The devil does not actually kill the host and instead, he co-exists alongside. The host in most cases doesn't even know that they are being possessed by the devil whenever he feels necessary. Why do you want to know?"
Rukia looked away, her large purple eyes filled with a mixture of emotion. "There's this guy.." She started to say but when an evil look appeared on Urahara's face, she began to walk off. "Look, don't worry."
The shopkeeper grabbed her wrist and she whirled around to face him, surprised to see a serious and concerned look on his face. "I may act stupid all the time Rukia but I actually am worried about you. You have been acting.. strange ever since Tsuki Kuro appeared. And now.. now you ask me if a devil can inhabit a host? What's going on!"
Rukia saw the sincerity in his eyes and gave a soft sigh. "There's this guy at the school. He was one of the first people I met and I know him really well now. But the other day, when I was talking to him, I saw a tattoo on his arm, identical to the one that Tsuki Kuro has. It's some letters from an ancient language that I don't recognize. Also, I used a spell to try and find him because he went missing for a couple of hours and… I couldn't find him. It wasn't like he was dead, more that he just didn't want to be found. But the spell led me to an object, a small black feather, identical to Tsuki Kuro's feathers."
She paused for a moment, a feeling of relief sweeping over her. It was good to finally tell someone what she had been wondering about. "There's another guy I know, Keigo. This morning I found out that he knew that I was an angel and when I asked him how he had found out, I could swear that he said that Tsuki Kuro and Ichigo told him. I.. I just think that Tsuki Kuro could be taking over this guy's body because I know him well enough to know that he is definitely not Tsuki Kuro."
Urahara was silent for a moment, his eyes dark and thoughtful. "I understand your concern. If I was in your position, I would have come to the same conclusion as you have." He waved his fan but his face stayed serious. "There is a way that you could find out the truth but I need to know before I tell you, are you sure that you want to know the truth?"
Rukia breathed in deeply and thought about it. She was absolutely certain that Tsuki Kuro was not Ichigo because he trusted her enough to have told her by now. Also, he did not seem at all like Tsuki Kuro. "There is no way that he could be Tsuki Kuro" The angel repeated in a determined voice and nodded to Urahara. "I do want to know the truth."
Urahara nodded back to her. "Very well then. There is a spell that I know that would reveal if Tsuki Kuro is inhabiting this person's body. But if that is the case, the spell will cause Tsuki Kuro to briefly take over control of the body. You must be sure that you are ready for him if that happens."
"I'll be ready."
The shopkeeper looked at her determined face and gave a soft sigh.
Rukia walked home as the sky grew darker, numerous stars beginning to appear above her, twinkling brightly. A gentle breeze ruffled her short black hair and she smiled, reminded strangely of the soul society. She remembered clearly the days were she used to watch the sunset, enjoying the breeze that would gently blow her.
It had been a while since she had thought of the soul society, she realized and she briefly reflected on the fact that she didn't consider it as her home anymore. No, she considered wherever Ichigo was as her home now.
Rukia wondered what Byakuya would say to her if he knew that and was glad that he didn't. He hadn't even wanted her to go to the human world, let alone want to stay there.
But she couldn't help it. She had made so many friends already and she really did not want to leave them behind when she went back to the soul society but she knew that she had no choice. If she was lucky enough, she would get Karakura town assigned to her when she became a high guardian but the chances were slim.
She began to hum as she walked along, singing a tune that she had heard Ichigo listening to and she was so distracted that she almost didn't notice the figure standing in the darkness until she was metres away from him.
Rukia stopped suddenly, her heart beginning to beating wildly. He was standing there, his form a clear as ever, demonic eyes watching her every move. He blinked and Rukia wondered whether he could have been as statue if he hadn't moved. The angel frowned and crossed her arms, slightly embarrassed. Then she uncrossed her arms and fidgeted nervously, a light blush creeping its way onto her cheeks. After a few more moments of fidgeting, Tsuki Kuro tilted his head, amused at her strange actions "What is bothering you?"
Rukia's frown deepened and she shifted his invisible wings slightly, realising that this was the perfect moment to ask him the question that had been annoying her for quite some time "Why?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you not kill me?"
Tsuki Kuro stepped back, seemingly shocked. He shook his head and made a small sound "I thought better of you, Rukia." He sounded bitter, his eyes full of sadness.
Rukia's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't expected this. He seemed genuinely upset and hurt by what she had said. Trying to hide her confusion, she spoke "I attacked you and yet you did not harm me in any way. Why?"
"Because little angel, I do not like to harm people. Especially you."
The angel felt even more confused. She had been told that Tsuki Kuro was evil and would kill people to get his way but here was thi apparently evil person, telling her that everything she had been told was a lie. "I don't understand" She said softly, her arms falling to hang beside her.
Tsuki Kuro disappeared and was suddenly next to her, his head bent low. He gently placed a clawed hand on her should and she made no move to remove it, taking comfort in this small gesture. "You don't need to understand Rukia. I'm leaving this town so you don't have to worry about me anymore."
Rukia spun around, her purple eyes wide. She had only just gained back the person that she had believed to be dead and now he was leaving her again. I don't know what to think, she thought to herself, her emotions in turmoil. "Why are you leaving?" She asked him.
The devil looked at her out of his demonic eyes and sighed before heaving a shrug. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure why Rukia. I guess it's partially because of you."
"Because of me?"
"Yes. I know that if I stay here any longer, you're going to tell the soul society that I'm here and then an all out war would ensue." Tsuki Kuro looked away from her. "Also…."
"What?"
"If I stay here any longer," He paused as if unsure as to whether he should continue. "..you might be hurt more than you already have." He sighed softly, his eyes dark. "You weren't meant to find me Rukia. I hadn't wanted you to find me but you did anyway."
Rukia was silent for a moment, her purple eyes thoughtful. As she looked at the creature in front of her, she felt a pang of sympathy. Tsuki Kuro seemed like he really had not wanted this to happen but she wasn't sure… "Why didn't you want me specifically to find you?"
"Because I didn't want you to dig deeper." Tsuki Kuro sighed, his head hanging low. "I knew that if you found me, you would be hurt by me and true to that, you have been hurt. Everyone I try and get close to just ends up getting hurt."
"How do you know that I'm not different? I mean, I know who you are but I'm still her aren't I?"
The creature laughed lightly, sad eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "True but Rukia, I haven't exactly been truthful to you. Yes, you do know what I truly am but you do still not know who I am."
The angel crossed her arms, getting slightly annoyed with all this talk of truth. She knew that she wanted give Tsuki Kuro another chance to redeem her trust. "That may be so but I want to know. I want to be able to trust you but I can't do that without knowing the truth. Everyone else may say that you're evil but.." She took a deep breath in, hoping that she wasn't signing her death warrant. "I don't believe you are. So please, let me trust you. Tell me the truth."
Tsuki Kuro gazed at her, demonic eyes peering out from beneath the skull-like mask. The sharp angles caught the rays of the afternoon sun, giving the mask a haunted appearance. The black wings that spread out from his back shifted slightly, the many feathers poised in the air. "You don't know how much I want you to know the truth but when you know, you won't trust me anyway." He trailed off softly, looking away. He wouldn't admit it but at that moment, he felt a stab of fear. He truly was afraid of Rukia's reaction when she discovered the truth and this was the one thing that was keeping him from showing her.
Rukia stepped forward and reached out with one slender hand. The tips of her delicate fingers touched Tsuki Kuro's chest, gently tracing the black patterns. "Please," She begged him "I need to know."
The creature looked down at her, hesitation clear in his eyes. "I shouldn't do this" He whispered softly and he moved backwards until he was a safe distance away from her. "I'm sorry Rukia but there are just some things that I can't tell even you." He turned to go, eyes dark.
"Like the fact that you're possessing Ichigo Kurosaki?"
Tsuki Kuro froze, his wings snapping out in shock and he turned around slowly, surprise and fear evident in his eyes. He stepped towards Rukia with his clawed feet, his hands curling into fists. "What did you say?" He said his voice low.
"I can't believe that you would do that especially to someone I care deeply about. Don't look so surprised. I figured it out when I wanted to find Ichigo after he disappeared. Why did you possess him?"
"Che, Rukia. You have no idea. For a moment I actually thought that you had figured out everything on your own but you're still pretty far from the truth."
The angel stepped forward angrily "Then tell me damn it! I need to know the truth." Her wings were trembling ever so slightly with the force of her anger but after a moment, it dissipated. Her purple eyes gazed at the creature that she had come to both love and hate at the same time and she gave a soft sigh.
Tsuki Kuro reached out tentatively and placed one clawed hand on her shoulder. The angel was surprised to feel considerable warmth from it and she looked up into the yellow and black eyes that gazed down at her. Pushing away her fear, she reached up ignoring the fact that her hands were shaking slightly and she ever so softly touched his face. It was smooth and cold, like a mask, not like a face at all and in that instant, Rukia realized just how wrong she had been. She had always assumed that this was what he truly looked like but now, being as close as she was, she realized that he was in fact wearing a mask. This mask hid his identity, the truth behind who he was.
This was what he has been talking about, Rukia thought her eyes wide. Carefully, she slid her fingers underneath the mask, preparing herself for what she would see. Tsuki Kuro jumped slightly when he felt her do this and reached up to stop her before he lowered his hands. "You do have a right to know Rukia and so I won't stop you. But remember this. I love you Rukia and I always will. That has never been a lie." A single crystalline tear slid down his face, tracing a thin line before dropping onto Rukia's hand.
The angel paused for a moment, feelings of uncertainty filling her. It was clear that he did not want her to find out who he was and it pained her to think about going against his wishes but she had waited too long to back down. Taking a deep breath in, Rukia pulled the mask up slowly, preparing herself for what she might see.
As she did this, the world seemed to go into slow motion. A thousand different outcomes shot through her head. She wondered whether he could be extremely ugly or if he was some horrible monster underneath but she knew that to her, it did not matter. When she had heard him say that he loved her, she knew in her heart that she truly loved him and nothing would be able to stop them being together. So they stood there, black and white, the darkness and the light. Eternal opposites. Good and evil. Right and wrong. But no matter how different they were, there was no denying it. They belonged together.
But then, the mask came off and spiraled to the ground, splintering into a million pieces, the sound echoing all around them. Tsuki Kuro looked down at Rukia and his black and yellow eyes slowly faded to amber. Spiky orange hair fell over his face, free from the restraint of the mask and he said softly to her, so softly in fact that she wondered later whether she had heard it at all. "I'm so sorry Rukia."
Rukia stepped backwards in horror, staggering amounts of betrayal flickering in her large eyes. Her black hair fell across her face as she shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. But the image in front of her did not disappear and after a moment, she reached out with one arm, her fingers brushing against the face of the person that she had once loved. "Ichigo..?"
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