Disclaimer: I do not own BLEACH. I wish I do though. I just own the storyline, the dialogues, the scenes and all of the happenings in this story. And of course, the characters that weren't in BLEACH! ^^
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Ashezo: Thanks for the encouragement~ You always reminds me to update~ thank you… the chapter you're waiting is here already. Hope you would love this one too~ ^^
falconrukichi: Calm down ~ haha ^^ He will be.. in the next chapters… but, you would have to wait~ thanks for always reviewing~
deadpoolhulk: thank you for reviewing. I'm glad you found this story of mine interesting… ^^
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To my reviewers: I really thank you for the time and the patience you gave me~ I'm really happy! Thanks! ^^
To the anonymous reviewers: Continue to review please! I love your reviews too! Thanks!
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Stay By My Side – X
The Crescent Moon
~Mikazuki~
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Toushirou and Yazumi searched throughout Italy to find Ichigo for Rukia. He needs to know what happened to her. Yazumi's father also helped them in their searched. It's the least thing he could do for the raven haired girl.
Soon, her father found out where Isshin, Ichigo's father, was transferred in Italy. The cousins wasted no time and went to the said hospital.
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:: June 25, 2007; 6:30PM; In a Hospital in Rome ::
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"Are you sure that this is the place?" Toushirou asked his cousin as they stood in front of the huge building.
"Dad said so. Let's just go in and see for ourselves." Yazumi replied as she walked in. Toushirou sighed and followed her.
They walked in front of the reception desk and ask the lady. It seems that the said lady is not Japanese.
"Excuse me," Yazumi started. "Is there a person here by the name of Kurosaki Isshin?"
"Well yes Ma'am. He's the head nurse here." The nurse replied politely.
"Can we meet him now?" Yazumi asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry ma'am but you can't meet him without an appointment." The nurse stated.
"But, this is important." Yazumi said once again. "We need to speak to him."
"I'm so sorry Ma'am but there is a rule here."
Yazumi sighed and tried again to reason. "But—" she was cut off by a male voice from behind.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
They turned around to see Kurosaki Isshin standing there with a surprise expression when he saw the two teens.
"Uncle." Toushirou muttered.
"Toushirou-kun? Yazumi-chan? What are you two doing here? I thought you two are in Japan?"
"Uncle, we need to speak with Ichigo but we don't know your address here. That's why we searched for you." Yazumi explained.
"I seem to see that this is important."
"Yes, Uncle. Very important." Toushirou said.
"Is Rukia-chan here too?" he asked.
"Uncle, we are here because of her." Yazumi replied calmly.
Isshin was shocked. "What do you mean?"
"Uncle, we'll explain later. But first, we need to tell this to Ichigo." Toushirou said.
Isshin nodded. "Alright. Come with me. I'm heading home now anyways.
The cousins exchanged glances before looking at Isshin again. "Thank you so much!"
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0o0o0
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:: New Kurosaki Residence in Italy; June 25, 2007; 7PM ::
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Momo, Karin and Yuzu were watching some kind of anime called Bokura ga ita. [a shoujo anime from Japan; I like it~] Momo and Yuzu were already crying from the anime when the main characters were separated as Karin rolled her eyes from their emotional reaction.
Then, after a few minutes, breaking news suddenly appeared at the screen. They wore their eyes wide.
"Sorry for interrupting your watching because we have very hot news just recently from Japan News Team!" the reporter reported. "Kuchiki Byakuya, the president of the Kuchiki Records and the last blood of the Kuchiki Clan, dead?"
"HUH?" the Kurosaki twins said in unison. They continue to watch the news for more.
And true, there's more to that.
"And Kuchiki Byakuya's sister-in-law, Kuchiki Rukia, disappeared?"
Momo stood up from her seat and blurted "WHAT?" out loud. "ICHIGO! COME HERE! HURRY!" she yelled but her eyes never wavered out of the television.
Ichigo, who was in the kitchen eating, dropped his spoon from Momo's yell. "WHAT DO YOU WANT!" he asked back.
"JUST HURRY UP YOU IDIOT~!" Momo's voice trailed back.
Ichigo sighed but complied. He looked at his mom who was looking at him with a smile. He smiled back and stood up walking out of the kitchen.
"Momo, why the hell are you yelling anyway?"
"Look at the news!"
"Eh? What do you me—" he trailed off when he saw the headline. "WHAT? How is that—? By-Byakuya's…"
"We are here now exclusive, outside the Kuchiki Records to wait for the Kuchiki siblings' uncle, Kuchiki Ryoushi." They heard the reporter say.
At that exact moment, Ryoushi appeared in the glass door out of the building. "Oh, here he is." The reporter walked towards Ryoushi and moved the microphone towards him as she asked, "Good afternoon sir. Is it true that Kuchiki Byakuya-sama was dead?"
Ryoushi looked at her and the camera sadly. "It's hard to accept but I think you're right. He's dead. It's true. He died in an airplane crash. A few days ago."
Ichigo took a step towards the television and stood still.
"What about his sister-in-law, Rukia-san? Is it true that she disappeared?"
Ichigo felt his heartbeat fast as he thought of what had happened to her. He kept telling to himself that she's alright. After all, she promised him that she will be okay. And he knew that she will never break it. He trusted her so much.
But, he didn't know what to think nor to do once he heard what possibly happened to her.
"She didn't disappear. When she learned that her brother died, Rukia locked herself in her room. And of course, because of that she suffered from her depression state again. And well… she committed suicide and died."
All of them stood still as they let the news sink in. Ichigo's heart shattered instantly as he heard those words. He slumped on his knees on the floor with eyes wide and head low. His tears flowed out of his eyes uncontrollably. It seems that he didn't felt this. He's so absorbed at the hurt he felt.
Rukia…
"Sad to know that sir." The reporter said in sympathy.
"Yes. Supposedly, she was the heiress of the Kuchiki Family. But now, as the documents say, I will be taking care of… of all their properties and the Kuchiki Records." Ryoushi explained.
"Thank you sir." The reporter replied.
Ryoushi left the scene with a car.
The reporter looked at the camera. "And now, it is confirmed. The Kuchiki Siblings were dead and the Ku—"
Karin turned off the television when she went back to reality.
Yuzu was crying while clinging onto Karin's shoulders as Karin let herself show her weakness just this once.
Momo cried too as she looked at Ichigo's limp form on the floor. "Ichigo…" she sniffed.
Ichigo shook his head. He couldn't believe it.
"It-It's not true… she promised…" he mumbled as tears continued to roll down his cheeks. "Rukia… why did you…"
Masaki heard the news and hugged the twins. And then, as if on cue, Isshin arrived.
"Tadaima!" He walked towards the living room and saw his family mourning for some reason.
"Oi, what happened?" he asked.
"Uncle, Kia-chan, she's dead…" Momo mumbled.
"EHHH!" Yazumi screamed in surprise as they enter the living room.
"That's not true." Toushirou said calmly.
Ichigo recognized the new voices and stood up from the floor, wiping the tears away that he didn't know existed. He turned to the cousins who were Rukia's long time friends.
"Is Rukia with you guys? Where is she? And why the hell you're here?"
"We are here because of her." Yazumi said turning away from his gaze guiltily.
"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked. He felt some kind of hope surged through him. Maybe… just maybe… what they will bring to him was good news.
"You need to know what really happened." Toushirou said.
They went to Ichigo's room to talk. They told him about Kuchiki Ryoushi sending them to Italy to pressure Rukia but they didn't know why. [A/N: They didn't know that Ryoushi was the one who was behind Byakuya's death.]
After that, Momo explained to them what they had watched at the television a while ago.
"That's impossible! I just talked to her before we departed from Japan." Yazumi said.
"Really?" Ichigo asked with hope in his voice.
"Yeah, I recorded our conversation in my phone. Listen." She flipped her phone and clicked it. And put it on the floor where they were encircling it.
They listened to the conversation.
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0o0o0
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:: June 25, 2007; Same time; Karakura Town; Mikazuki Music Shop ::
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"Ainosuke?" a raven haired girl asked for her companion from behind the counter.
Ainosuke looked up from arranging the music sheets. "Hmm?"
She smiled. "Thank you."
"Baka." He smiled. "No need to thank me."
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We were always together
The two of us walked down a straight road
Separating into two,
We walked off in our separate ways…
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"Kia-chan…" Momo murmured as they finished listening to the phone conversation.
Ichigo clenched his fists tightly in anger. "She's so stubborn! She's an idiot! She's a stupid midget! Stupid stupid midget!"
"Ichigo…" Yazumi whispered. It hurts seeing her friends like this. But he needed to know. He deserved to know.
He looked down on the floor. "And… and yet… still… I… I love her so much…"
Silence engulfed them.
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I hold to this chest that overflowed in loneliness
Even now, I look up at the sky that seems about to cry
I thought of you…
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"But, you've helped me to get out of Tokyo. Give me a place to live, give me work and you've helped me to start a new life. I don't know how to thank you enough. I owe you everything."
Ainosuke shook his head. "You owe me nothing, Shanelle. So don't be bothered. Just do everything you need to do. Just do the things you think is right. And I'll always be here to help you and support you with it." He finished with a gentle smile.
"Ainosuke…"
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Even in the nights without you like that, no more cry
I won't cry anymore
Because I'm trying my best
Because I'll become strong…
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"Ichigo," Toushirou called out. "Listen to me. You need to be strong for her. She's waiting for you. All you need to do now is to fulfill your promise to her whatever it is."
"He's right. You need to believe in her. And I'm sure, knowing Kia-chan, she always does her best to fulfill her promises. I know that you know that most of all." Yazumi reassured him.
Ichigo sighed. "You're right. Then, I'll just do my best and I'll get back to her."
Toushirou, Momo and Yazumi exchanged smiles at their achievement.
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You must be watching too
This crescent moon that seems like it'll disappear
Because we're connected
Because I love you…
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Ainosuke stopped at a certain music sheet and continued to scan it. "This is…"
Shanelle curiously walked towards him to get a look at the music sheet. "What's that?"
Ainosuke ignored her and scanned the sheet.
"Ne, what's that?" she got a full view of the music sheet. "Hmm… what song is that?"
"This song is entitled… Mikazuki…" Ainosuke replied without removing his eyes from the sheet.
"Crescent Moon?" Shanelle asked in surprise. That's an interesting title. "Who wrote it?"
"It's…" he was cut off when a voice answered from the counter's door.
"It's me."
Shanelle and Ainosuke turned to look at him.
"Kisuke-san, you wrote it?" Shanelle asked.
"Yes, Shanelle-chan." Urahara Kisuke, the owner of the music shop where the two teens work, answered with a smile.
"You write songs?" she asked in surprise.
"Actually," Ainosuke spoke. "Kisuke-san is a song writer when he was still young and he was good."
Kisuke chuckled. "But that's a very long time ago…"
Shanelle continued to stare at the music sheet when something caught her eyes. "Kisuke-san, in the end, it says: 'dedicated to Yuki-chan.' Who is Yuki-chan?
Kisuke looked down. "She's my… first love…"
Shanelle was shocked. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"
"No don't be." Kisuke cut her off. "It's alright. Actually, I wanted to hear that song. Because, ever since I wrote it, I never had the chance to play it as a whole…"
Shanelle looked determine all of sudden as she thought of something. "Kisuke-san, would you like me to play it for you?"
Ainosuke looked at her in surprise. "Shanelle…"
"Really?" Kisuke looked please at her idea. "Will you?"
"Of course!" she got the sheets from Ainosuke's hands and went to the white piano at the center of the music shop. She put the music sheets on the piano sheet holder [A/N: I don't know what is it called so I just made it up. However, if you do, please tell me… thanks! ^^] and opened the piano that revealed the white and black keys. She took a deep breath, and start playing and singing.
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"The days that I completely warmed my chilled hands by myself,
I so so yearned for your warmth
No matter how much I was told 'I love you' on the phone
I couldn't ever rely on you
I wiped my tears…"
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Kisuke was amazed by her voice and the way she played. "She… she's amazing!"
Ainosuke stared at her. Yeah, and she's beautiful with the reflection of light from the moon. He smiled. Rukia…
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"Even in the nights without you like that, no more cry
I won't cry anymore
Because I'm trying my best
Because I'll become strong…"
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0o0o0
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Few minutes passed and Ichigo's alone in his room. He didn't want to talk to anyone that's why Yazumi, Toushirou and Momo explained to his family all about Rukia. They were sad for Rukia of course, but since there's nothing they can do anymore, it's useless to keep thinking about the past right?
Ichigo sat on his bed, thinking deeply, contemplating. He's still blaming himself for what happened. But, decided to have a strong resolve, to believe in Rukia.
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"Next time, when will be able to meet, I wonder?
While embracing the batteries up until then
I said the one word that you love…"
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0o0o0
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While playing, Rukia reminisce her memories with Ichigo. She remembered their calm conversation, their bickering, their hands intertwined as they walked home, and their eyes gazing at each other, everything she missed about him… and that's why she also dedicated this song to Ichigo. She expressed all of her emotions in it.
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"Even in the nights without you like that, no more cry, I won't cry anymore
Because I'm trying my best, because I'll become strong
You must be watching too
This crescent moon that seems like it'll disappear
Because we are connected, because I love you…
I stretched out my hand toward the crescent moon
Let these feelings reach you…"
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The song finished and Rukia went to them.
"Shanelle-chan, you are amazing! You surprised me!"
Shanelle smiled warmly. "It's not that much. Are you feeling much better now?"
"Yeah, thank you." Kisuke smiled gratefully.
"It's nothing."
Kisuke chuckled and noticed the time. "It's time for my rest. Close the music shop okay? I'll go ahead now."
"Okay, take care." Shanelle said.
"I'll lead you outside." Ainosuke said.
"Okay, I'm so tired." Kisuke said. "Bye, Shanelle-chan."
"Bye, Kisuke-san."
"I'll be back." Ainosuke told her.
Shanelle nodded at him as they left.
Shanelle went in front of the piano again. It's white color sparkling because of the light from the moon. She looked up outside to see the moon.
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0o0o0
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Ichigo stood up, and looked at his window.
They thought of the same thing that time…
It was crescent moon tonight… they smiled.
They still gazed at the crescent moon.
Ichigo…
Rukia…
I'll continue to wait for the day. We'll meet each other again. Because, I love you…
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-END OF CHAPTER TEN-
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A/N: Interview of the Author [Me!] with Ichigo... Part 3!
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Me: Hi hi! We're going to have Ichigo here with us again!
Ichigo: Why me again?
Me: (whispers) you're so clueless that's why.
Ichigo: What?
Me: It's nothing. Question. What do you feel that you now know what really happened?
Ichigo: of course, I'm so mad at Rukia! Because she didn't tell me. And she also lied to me! But, I blame myself too. Because I didn't notice that something was wrong with her. I am a failure as a boyfriend.
Me: You realized that just now?
Ichigo: THIS TIME I HEARD YOU AND I WON'T TOLERATE IT! (angry)
~the interview ends here because Ichigo chased Me with a wooden chair, attempting to throw it at her~
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AUTHOR…
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HONTONI GOMEN NASAI!~ I am so slow in updating… I'm really sorry! My exams are coming soon so before I review my notes for the exam, I'm giving this one to you~ I hope you like it~
Next chapter will be fun because it is set 7 years later! Interesting ne? let's see what life they were in when after 7 years! ^^
Please read and review~ thank you for your patience with me… this is so far from end so please bear with me~ thank you! ^^
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SONG: Mikazuki _ Ayaka
[This song had an English version sang by a singer from my country. It was entitled, 'Crescent Moon' by Charice Pempengco. It's cute but I love the Japanese version better. If you're curious, just go to Youtube and type it… ^^]
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Next Chapter: Pray that you always understand me
\Yazumi_o9\