A/N: Okay, finally the last chapter is done. I'm intrigued by what reaction I'll get. What a long strange trip it's been... Well, I loved writing this story and it's my first complete work, so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Please read and review.

Enjoy.

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December 24th, Christmas Eve.

Curiously, it came as ordinarily as any other thought that one would have while scrubbing the floor. That morning Urahara woke everyone yelling something about Christmas cleaning, and Rukia was assigned the mind numbing task of wiping the floor. As the wash cloth went around and round on the tatami mats, her mind wandered in a similar circle.

No reason... maybe that's why she still talks to me...No reason...she still talks to me...

Ahh, that's it.

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Rukia could hardly contain the excitement of her discovery as she pressed the doorbell outside of his house, above her snow blossomed in large flowers from the ink black sky. Even through the front door, excited voices could be heard from inside the house and conjuring up an image of warmth and bliss in the cold.

It seemed the longest time when Ichigo finally appeared at the door, shrouded against the cold by a dark sweater. There wasn't a hint of surprise or unease as he silently implored her face for the reason of her appearance.

"Ask me again, if you still care to know." Rukia looked defiantly up into his gaze and said.

Still, he said nothing and continued to search for something in her eyes, hesitating to put himself back into that place of vulnerability.

"Why?"

"No reason." A proud smile spread out on her lips.

"No reason?" He repeated with a look of utter disbelieve, not sure if he heard correctly.

"There is nothing about you, or of you that I love. If I loved your voice, that you can't speak to me in now, or that infuriating stubbornness that you don't have anymore, I wouldn't be able to love you now. But I still do, because I love you, Ichigo, nothing else."

She finished in a single breath, her cheeks flushed from the effort. Rukia still dared not to breathe as she looked to Ichigo for a reaction. A gleam quivered in his auburn eyes as he continued to look at her intently. Rukia heard a rush of air as he opened his mouth to speak, but his words were caught at the sound of a voice that Rukia thought she would never hear again.

"Who is it, Ichigo?" Orihime said in that impossibly sweet voice of hers, appearing from behind Ichigo's towering figure.

Her face paled at the sight of Rukia's snow laden stature, her mouth opened and closed, trying in vain to find words fitting for such a surreal occasion. Ichigo's eyes darted between the two women, waiting from either an explanation for their drastic reactions. None came as Rukia turned her heel and ran as quickly as she could the other way.

It was only then that she realized how strong and cold the wind became against her fragile body, snipping at every inch of bare skin and bringing tears to her stinging eyes. But Rukia had to keep running, as far as she could to leave the humiliation behind. One after another, her thin soled feet pounded on the asphalt road, slipping occasionally on patches of ice. In any normal frame of mind, she would probably realize that Ichigo and Orihime were nothing more than mere friends. On that precise day and moment, though, it was nothing but betrayal. So she ran faster, away from their taunting laughter that chased her relentlessly.

Her head ducked away from the flurry of snow and ice pellets blown against her, Rukia gradually lost all sense of direction. She wondered how far she could go, as long as there was a road beneath her feet, where she was going was no longer important.

"Rukia!"

The faint sound of his voice reached her through the sheets of wind and snow, spurring her to run even faster away from it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a vague dark figure moving towards her. Rukia had no idea why she was running away from him, when all she wanted at the moment was to share the warmth of his skin and see the smile in his eyes.

The pavement ended abruptly under her feet as a road stretched before her, a few lonesome cars whizzed by all hurrying to return to the places they call home.

There Ichigo was, standing across from her on the other side of the road, seperated from her by a deep chasm in every sense of the word. Unmoving, he flickered in and out of sight through the torrent of white, any expression he might have had lost in the distance.

Before Rukia could process it all, Ichigo unrooted himself and stepped on to the road, moving towards her. He was running, as quickly as his legs and the wind allowed, but all Rukia could see was the two brilliant dotes of light that were quickly looming him. No rational thoughts transpired in the next moment as her legs carried her, on their own accord, to where he was. How her short legs could've covered the distance before Ichigo did was unbeknownst to her, but she did sure enough as the cold metal impacted with her fragile flesh.

Rukia's eyes were wide in disbelief, a quiet gasp of surprise escaped from her mouth that was unheard over the sharp screech of brakes. There was no pain, just a deep freeze that penetrated to her bones, immoblizing her. She was vaguely aware of her rather harsh contact with the ground, but the surge of hot liquid, thick and metalic tasting, that bursted through her mouth was harder to ignore.

Lying on the ground, she could feel the tiny tremor of his every step, thundering towards her. Rukia felt his arms picking up her shoulders and lightly laid them on his knelt lap, his shaking fingers wiping the sickly scarlet on her lips. It was getting harder and harder for her to stay conscious, but she forced herself to bring his stricken face into the sharpest focus. At that moment, every care in the world disappeared, all except for burning that image in to the deepest corner of her mind.

Ichigo looked as though he was about to cry. What a strange sight, Rukia thought almost nonchalantly. But he steadied himself.

"I wanted to remember, like you once reminded me." His voice tingle in her ear, bringing an irrepressible flutter to her tired heart.

She smiled and finally let close her drooping eyelids.

"Thank you." The words almost came out as a sigh. "There, I finally said it. You finally heard it."

He gave a choked sound and encircled her in the final embrace, holding in it all the love that he remembered and forgot, and all the memories he lost and made. Rukia could feel countless icy specks, mixed with hot droplets, falling onto her cheeks, her eyes, and her lips.

"I'm glad, that this time we could say good bye. See ya, Ichigo." Her lips jerked into a difficult smile, "and this time, I can finally keep my promise."

"See ya around, Rukia." Ichigo forced a teary smile and kissed away the snowflakes that fell on her eyelashes.

The last bond she had with the the world broke as soon as the words left his mouth. When the last breath of warm air flew out of her parted lips and the last shred of her mind sank into darkness, Rukia muttered an ancient prayer.

With you, I finally found that place not reacheable alone.

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A/N: Thank you for reading And the last sentence came from the Clover manga by CLAMP.