It was late evening when Rukia and the Kurosaki family crowded into Ichigo's room. Ichigo lay unconscious on the bed as Yuzu worked to set up an IV borrowed from the downstairs clinic. Had it been any other family, the seriousness of the situation would have drawn nothing more than downcast stares and the occasional sniffle. Three months in a near-comatose state - according to Urahara's diagnosis- was not news to be celebrated.

But the Kurosaki family did not weather hardship the way others did.

"He will be alright," Rukia said softly, encouragingly, with a small smile. She could see Karin standing off to the side, her arms folded in an effort to appear casual. But she knew better. She could see the distant look in her eyes as she worried for her brother. Yuzu's own melancholy could be glimpsed, with a familiar eye, as she went about making Ichigo comfortable.

"Our Ichigo is truly a sleeping beauty!" Isshin declared, causing Karin to roll her eyes.

Rukia blinked, awkwardly. "I am not sure-"

"Perhaps Rukia-chan could wake him with a kiss?" he boomed, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Knock it off, you dirty old man!" Karin shouted, her face in her palms and gritting her teeth as if trying to will the embarrassment away.

Yuzu stopped to gasp; shocked yet finding some semblance of romance in the notion.

Rukia felt as her face flushed despite her best efforts. Her mouth opened as she struggled to reply, only to notice the closet door had opened just a crack, enough for Kon to discreetly and enthusiastically give her a thumbs-up.

"I-It does not work that way…!" she finally managed. She took a breath to calm herself. Then another.

Karin shouted at her father, again, and she grabbed him by the back of his shirt to drag him out of the room. They argued all the way downstairs. Yuzu took one last look at Ichigo, checking for anything else she could do. Only then did she grow quiet. She paused to stare at her brother. Rukia then saw the slight quiver of her chin and quickly moved to the girl's side.

"He will be alright. Your brother is very strong, he will not let this defeat him. He will be awake and well before long," Rukia said while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Yuzu took a deep breath that forced away any tears. She nodded at Rukia, forcing a faint smile, one that convinced no one, and caused Rukia's heart to break. She brought the young girl into a gentle hug. They stood like that for several moments, until Yuzu's breathing evened out, and she was collected enough to go downstairs with the rest of her family.

A quiet stillness filled the room as an unbearable force, pushing away any signs of life or warmth. It was jarring; she hadn't seen the room in such a state for a very long time. The only movement was the gentle breathing of Ichigo on the bed. It was a mere whisper; doing nothing against the wrongness of the room that left Rukia with the rising urge to fix it, somehow, or to leave immediately.

Instead, she sighed. It was a long, weary sigh that could only come from resignation to a long wait. She pulled a chair to the bedside and sat there, still and unmoving, her thoughts swarming against her. It was the first quiet moment in days.

In the battle against Aizen, Ichigo had thrown everything into the final blow. It was as if his soul, his spirit, his very being, powered the final attack.

After that, he collapsed.

It was a type of spiritual coma, Urahara said. Rukia remembered the sense of cruel realization that descended upon her and her friends as they heard the news. It was more than simple exhaustion from battle. It was the start of a long process known as 'spiritual power loss'.

Ichigo was given three months until he woke up. After that, for a period of some weeks, he would once again collapse as the last of his power faded.

For the first time in a long time, Rukia asked to go on leave. Captain Ukitake was immensely understanding, and encouraged her to take however long she needed.

Her brother had accepted her decision without protest. Then, he provided her with living-world currency- how he had gotten it, she wasn't sure- which he said would make her extended visit more comfortable. It was unexpected; but she thanked him with a grateful smile, amazed how her brother could still surprise her.

It had been several days since she was able to sit, in silence, left at the mercy of her own thoughts with no distractions to cling to. Nor could she look away from Ichigo's unconscious form, and the unsettling stillness to his expression.

The closet door opened behind her. Kon ran straight into her shins, hugging one of her legs and babbling in a cocktail of distress and worry. He wailed almost incoherently, equally thankful Ichigo was going to be okay, but blaming him for leaving his sisters for so many days and making them all worry.


Over the next few days, Rukia continued her vigil at Ichigo's side. But boredom and spiraling thoughts still threatened. She started reading whatever manga were found in Ichigo's room, or provided by the twins. Then, she moved to his fantasy books, finally turning to whatever other books were left on his shelves. After that, she took the magazines kept in the clinic waiting area, and once those were finished, she finally went with Yuzu to the store to buy something new to read. Kon, antsy and unhappy, would sometimes sit on the edge of Ichigo's bed and listen to Rukia dramatically reading passages aloud.

It was not long before she found a place in the Kurosaki daily routine. When she wasn't at Ichigo's bedside, she was helping with the clinic or in household chores. There were challenges, given her lack of knowledge about mystical devices such as 'dishwashers' or 'vacuums', but a dramatic lament was more than enough to draw sympathy rather than suspicion. Yuzu began to cook dishes Rukia particularly liked, such as curry. It had only been a week.

Still, her vigil continued.

She knew it was foolish, in many ways; he would be unconscious for months. But she could not be anywhere else, no matter what logic and duty tried to convince her of.

At times, Karin and Yuzu peered through the doorway to check on their brother. More than once they ended up sitting on either side of Rukia, on the floor with their backs against the wall, huddled against her. The twins fell asleep like that, sometimes, with the sisters resting their heads against Rukia's shoulders and her arms comfortingly around them both.

The distractions could only last for so long until she was left at the mercy of her own thoughts, encroaching upon her silently, keeping peace at bay. She would wonder about the final weeks of his condition before his powers were truly gone. There was a logic in that, clear and stoic, which she welcomed. Her mind grew filled with methods of extending his powers for as long as possible. It would be difficult. But it was worth it. They would have more time together, that way. The 'normal' they had forged together in the months they had known each other.

Rukia thought of that often. It was important to be thankful for what happy memories one had, and to make the most of peaceful times. Her life in Rukongai had instilled such things in the face of an ever uncertain future.

But it wasn't long before the images of Karin and Yuzu, quietly waiting and bravely forcing away tears, weighed more each day. Even their father's forced smiles and jovial attitudes began to slip, hinting at the weight, he, too, began to bear. Rukia had seen it before, briefly, around the anniversary of Masaki's death.

That day lived in perfect clarity in her memories. She could see the determination in Ichigo's gaze as he swore, above all else, to avenge his mother. As she could remember the invisible burden of grief that still wore at his family. His form bloodied, his breathing coming in gasps as he leaned on his sword, barely alive against all odds. All of it fueled by a grief that time struggled to wear away. The pain Ichigo endured, silently, but never shared. As she could remember each and every time he was injured in battle.

The image of Ichigo, laying unconscious in the Fourth Division, his chest covered in bandages and battle scars, would forever live in Rukia's memory. He looked as if he'd been fighting for decades as a Shinigami- and yet, it had been mere months. Every moment of seeing him bruised and bloody and wounded existed in her mind, still. The images flashed one after another, unhindered, in her solitude at his bedside.

Was that the true cost of having spiritual abilities? Of knowing her, of protecting her?

Rukia mulled the question for hours one night. She pictured his life just months ago, able to see spirits but otherwise a normal existence. She thought of all the mundane worries of a high schooler in Karakura. A peaceful life. A life free of bloodshed.

She shut her eyes, letting out a sigh. That was still some time away. Almost three months until he woke up. She would deal with the matter when the time came.

But fate had other plans.

She was helping put supplies away in the clinic when something shifted. The world seemed to blur, pulling away and slipping as if she were no longer within it. Her body only faintly her own, the room a world away through fogged glass. She leaned against a wall to steady herself and concentrated on her breathing. It was not pain; not as she had known it.

Not trusting herself to flash-step, or to even leave her gigai, she muttered an excuse to Yuzu as she walked out the door and managed to arrive at Urahara's shop.

And then the future changed.

She took a moment outside, in an alley, to allow herself the luxury of acceptance and grief. She hastily wiped away any signs of tears, and with a shuddering breath she stood up straight, squared her shoulders like a true Kuchiki, and entered the Kurosaki house with a believable smile.


"Are you sure you can't stay?" Karin asked, watching Rukia as she gathered her things. Karin was good at appearing unconcerned and collected, but Rukia could easily see through it.

"I apologize, I cannot stay as long as I hoped," she said, with an apologetic smile. "However, I know he will be well taken care of. I will return as soon as he awakes."

Both sisters had rushed forward to grasp her in a tight hug. Rukia shut her eyes, returning the embrace gently, willing herself to remain collected and calm. She dismissed the thickness in her throat and the faint blur to her vision. Even Isshin tempered his theatrics as he mourned her departure.

Retrieving her spirit phone, she carefully passed it to Karin. "I will be very far away, but you will be able to contact me using this."

The twin nodded, the responsibility fully realized in her sober expression and nod.

With a final smile- tinged with sadness, and offered to comfort the family- she departed, opened a senkaimon gate outside of view, and returned to Soul Society.


Three months was his diagnosis. That was the plan as Urahara predicted. But Ichigo was a stubborn fool, the biggest Rukia had ever known.

He woke up two weeks after she left.


Rukia arrived not long after Karin's phone call.

It was against Urahara's advice. She was supposed to have another two months in the reiatsu-rich air of Soul Society. But still she rushed straight through the private senkaimon at the Kuchiki estate. She ignored the same pull of the world against her, every movement sluggish as if moving through water. Rukia stood, waiting for several moments, focusing on what she could. She wanted to rush to the Kurosaki Clinic immediately, but muttered a curse as she went to Urahara's shop instead.

Not long after, she rushed to the Kurosaki Clinic, up to Ichigo's room, and called him a fool for taking so long.


Almost instantly, Rukia resumed her role as a bubbly student at Karakura High School, falling perfectly into place amongst Ichigo's group of friends.

With Rukia staying at the Kurosaki house and attending school, it felt very much like the 'normal' of before. It was easy to become lost in the moments of daily life, as if things were just as they were. As if they didn't have just several months left together- Urahara's revised estimate that took Ichigo's tenacity into account. But it made it easy to play along, and Rukia embraced it for Ichigo's sake. There was no point in reminding him of a future that was outside of their control.

The weeks that followed were a whirlwind of new experiences. Rukia insisted that Ichigo show her the marvels of the human world, saying he was long overdue, and that she was tired of waiting. Pressing matters such as eating ice cream, meeting a robot, or seeing a horse in person.

"You can't meet a robot," he grunted. "They don't work like that."

"That's not what my research has revealed. It cannot be hard," Rukia countered.

The next day after school, Ichigo led her through a strange route and subway that brought them deep into the city. They arrived at a special technology convention filled with impossible things, all of which Rukia had to inspect personally. She was in awe.

Ichigo smirked, then he smiled, and then he dragged her to meet a robot. It was not a maid, as she thought it would be, and had no weaponry.

It was disappointing.

The human-sized claw machine, complete with oversized prizes, was not.

They arrived barely in time for dinner at the Kurosaki house- empty-handed of prizes, to Rukia's dismay. But she eagerly regaled the table of their adventure, her excitement refusing to abate.

Rukia wanted to see a horse. She also wanted to ride one, as she'd read about in cowboy novels. One day, Ichigo brought her- and the rest of their human friends- to a local fair. The beast was far taller than she anticipated, towering over her already short height. A creature of muscle and hooves. It smelled like parts of Rukongai.

Suddenly, Ichigo was helping her upward, higher, until she sat in the saddle. Her ride was spent clutching the creature for dear life as it trotted with a clop-clop. She remained flat against its mane, for fear of sitting upright and falling, and blubbered accusations at Ichigo for letting it get that far.

He merely walked alongside, placing a hand on the reins, mocking her for her cowardice while casually giving reassurances. When she mustered the courage to sit up, balancing on the creature's back as it jerked forward, he smiled as if she hadn't spent the last several minutes calling him a fool.

"Ah! I see what it means to be a cowboy, now," she beamed.

Ichigo huffed a faint laugh. But he smiled, still.

Orihime waved from her own horse on the other side of the pen. Chad, Tatsuki, and Ishida had taken to standing outside of the fence.

"Thatagirl, 'Hime!" Tatsuki called.

Chad flashed them both a thumbs-up of support, while Rukia spied the tiniest smile on Ishida's lips, one he thought went unnoticed.

Then, there was the ice cream. A mysterious delicacy that simply didn't exist in Soul Society, and, from what Rukia gathered from her human friends, it was a serious crime not to have eaten it.

"It's not my fault you never brought me any," Rukia said as she and Ichigo walked down the street. "I asked you many times."

"You always asked in the middle of the night. I had homework, and I wasn't going to head out that late."

"So unreasonable," she said, keeping her gaze forward.

"It's not unreasonable!"

Chad, Orihime, and Ishida met them at the ice cream parlor, somehow very interested to see Rukia's reaction to the mysterious dish. Rukia gathered it was some kind of ritual, and that ice cream played a sacred role in human society.

Curiously, she marveled excitedly at the bowl of colorful scoops that was placed in front of her. And surrounded by all her human friends, she thoughtfully took a bite. Her eyes widened, as if she hadn't truly lived until that very moment.

"Ah! It's good!" she beamed. She took another bite, then another, then stopped when her head sharply ached. Ichigo explained it was 'brain-freeze', and happened when you ate too fast. She accused him of not telling her beforehand, as he should have, but it did nothing to deter her enjoyment of the next bite. Or the next.

Everyone seemed pleased with her reaction, digging into their own bowls of ice cream. Rukia took a moment to savor the image before her. All of her human friends, sitting happily together; any worries cast aside in the company of nakama. She sought to absorb every detail and second, committing it to memory as best as she could.


At night, they fought hollows.

Brief moments were found in the way they leaped across rooftops, and they fell into the comfort of routine. But the signs were inescapable. She watched as his limbs grew heavier with each strike, how his movements became strained, each leaving him sagging from the effort. She saw the knit of his brow, the intense focus on movements that used to come as easily as breathing.

She was witnessing a death before her. It lingered on, cruel and slow, taunting them. No mercy was found in its languid march.

And yet, he smiled still.

She should have stopped him from fighting. But she offered only paltry resistance, interfering only when it was too much for him to bear. It was all she could do.


"Are you going to join any clubs at school?" Rukia asked casually one afternoon, as she walked with him back to the clinic. "You'll have more time for such things."

Ichigo shrugged. "I dunno. Never had any interest, really."

"Perhaps you could play your guitar?"

Ichigo blinked and came to a stop, staring as if she morphed into an alien.

"Do not be difficult. Your guitar. The one you have in your room."

He scoffed and resumed walking, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I don't play guitar."

She watched him closely, a mischievous smirk finding ready purchase. "Oh? Are you saying you keep a guitar in your room but don't know how to play?"

"So what?" he grunted in an effort to appear annoyed.

Her smile grew. "I see. You bought the guitar to appear 'cool', and perhaps to win over women."

"I didn't buy it to get women! Where do you get these ideas?"

"I couldn't say I'm surprised," she continued easily, watching him with a sidelong glance, "I have heard musicians are very popular in the living world, and that women are drawn to them. I've done research on the matter."

"What kind of research did you do?!" he balked."Shut up! I didn't buy it to pick up women, okay?" His scowl was a paltry effort that did not fool her, further evidenced by the hint of a smirk that tugged at his lips. "I just thought it might be something to try, that's all."

"And yet you never learned?"

He shrugged. "I never got around to it. School, family…"

Rukia knew the words which went unsaid. Shinigami duties. Saving you.

With expert practice, her tone remained light, as if she were encouraging him for a simple test at school. "Fool. You will have time for such things, now. It's something to be thankful for- and to take advantage of. You will not need to worry about hollows and matters of Soul Society."

Unbidden, her voice had gone quieter. "It will be easier to focus on your own life. Your own future." As it should be, she mentally added. As it was always supposed to be- a peaceful, human life, free of violence and bloodshed.

She risked a sidelong glance. Then, she elbowed him in the side, causing him to cry out in shock and pain.

"What was that for?!"

"You were moping. That is not allowed," she said plainly.

"What kind of rule is that?!"

"It does not matter. You must follow it."

"I'm not moping," he whined.

"Exactly. You are not allowed."

He scowled, somehow bordering on amused.

She opened her mouth to gloat over her victory, but all thought of it was lost as something pulled at her, only faintly, from outside the realm of existence. It was all too familiar in recent weeks. She had long found how best to continue on, outwardly schooling her features and focusing on making steady footsteps so that no one would notice. Even as her very body seemed to have no form; her very spirit nowhere and yet everywhere as perception was blurred. Distant. Yet she was dimly aware of the air in her lungs as she forced an even breath and the crisp bite of the winter air.

Rukia hadn't so much as flinched in the seconds since it began. She turned, casually, towards Ichigo. "I remember I have an errand at Urahara's. I will meet you at the house."

When she looked to him, she was surprised to find he had frozen in his steps seemingly seconds before. He watched her with his brows furrowed, as if in concern. His stare teetered between distraction and worry; as if he fought to focus on her words.

"What is it?" he asked, distractedly.

His sudden soberness was off-putting. She'd made sure not to show the slightest hint of anything amiss. Not even for Ichigo to notice. And yet his reaction disquieted her. His gaze as if he could see through her.

"It's merely something for my spirit phone. There's no need to worry about it," she said easily.

"I know something's wrong," he said, as if discovering the words for himself.

"Nothing's wrong. It's merely something for the phone," she said.

"I just-" he started, struggling, then shaking his head in agitation. "Nevermind."

The feel of the winter air was fading in and out by then. Not wanting to risk dropping her facade, Rukia carefully walked away, keeping herself upright and even just until she was out of sight.

By the time she reached the Urahara shop, she was breathing harder than she should have. It took concentration to move forward as everything around her pushed and pulled away. The dizziness was the hardest of all. Muttering a curse, Rukia sagged against the shop entrance and opened the door to find Tessai in the front room. He ushered her to a nearby cot and began healing kido. She let the warmth of it wash over her, soothing like a balm. The urge to shiver began to subside, as did the pricks on her neck and chest. She was a physical being, once again, fully aligned with the world. She let out a long sigh.

After several long moments, Tessai withdrew his healing spell, leaning backward with a nod. Rukia thanked him and carefully rose to her feet.

Urahara's familiar steps could be heard entering the room. "You shouldn't push yourself, Kuchiki-san," he said evenly. "We were expecting you to come more often. Remember, this is a temporary solution. You already risk-"

"I will stay until the very last of his power is gone," Rukia said sharply. There was no room for question; only intensity that spoke of her burning resolve, a resolution made that would defy the world itself.

Urahara dipped his head lower, guilt pressing his mouth into a thin line. "Very well."

The bite to her words was uncalled for- even if it was deserved. She closed her eyes with a sigh, reaching for a measure of calm. "I will visit as often as I can," she said quietly.

She moved for the door.

"Have you told him?" Urahara asked.

She paused in the doorway, her back to him. A heaviness settled in her chest, a sinking feeling, as she mulled the inescapable fate which had haunted her for weeks. In cowardice, she had pushed it away. But time was cruelly denying her sanctuary, closing in around her and leaving nothing but the unrelenting truth. The truth Ichigo deserved.

"No," she said.

She left before he could reply.


"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked.

"What?" Rukia blinked. She cast a curious glance at him as they walked their usual route home from school. It had been days since her 'incident', he should have had no reason to suspect anything, or to worry about her.

"I know something's bothering you," he finally said, calmly. "You don't have to tell me."

"I-" Indignant, she searched for the words. "How can you casually ask that-"

His gaze bore into hers. There was no accusation there, only an undeserved sympathy, a concern.

Then, he shrugged, looking at the nearby river without actually seeing it. "It's okay. You probably have orders from Soul Society, right? They probably told you to keep me from fighting. To keep from losing my powers faster."

"Why would you think such a thing?"

"I know something's bothering you. You avoid looking at me, sometimes. It's been that way for days."

The denial died on her lips. Guiltily, she forced herself to look at him. There was dismay there, in his expression, but it was overshadowed by resignation. Something that had no place on him. She wanted to shout at him until it went away.

Temptation beckoned for her to confirm his suspicion, knowing it was technically true, that it wouldn't be a lie. She had tried to keep him from fighting lest it quicken his power loss. Admitting that would save her from burdening him with the real truth. But something was heavy within her chest- he deserved to know. She couldn't deny him that, no matter how cowardly she was.

She remembered the painful sensations that started while he was unconscious; how her very soul felt pulled in every direction, as if she would fall out of the world itself. And the visit to Urahara's shop that changed everything.

She took a deep breath, letting out a soft sigh. "Ichigo," she started, driven by shame not to look at him.

"After your powers fade… I will not be able to visit the human world as much as I have." She spoke plainly, simply relating the information.

"What?"

"I will need to stay longer in Soul Society than anticipated." She paused, bringing a hand delicately to her chest. "It seems… My soul did not escape injury, during the events of recent months."

"Your… soul?"

Urahara's explanation came all too easily, the words repeated in her mind endlessly over recent weeks. "Yes. It seems there are consequences for housing the Hougyoku within one's soul."

"What does that mean?"

She turned away from him and watched a duck swoop into the river. It landed easily on the water, almost glowing in the sun's reflections on the gentle ripples. She paused, searching for the strength to continue. Her very being cracked like glass; the sense of disconnect hovering, still, just within consciousness. "My soul is splintered, Ichigo."

"I don't…." he breathed, making a choking sound as his voice rose on the verge of panic. "What does that mean?! They- They can heal you, right? You're going to be okay?! What about Orihime-"

She looked at him, then, resolute. "I will be fine, Ichigo. You need not worry about me." A sliver of strength returned, and she basked in the truth of it. The courage drained away just as easily, forcing her to look away from him. "However, one's soul is different from spiritual forms. Souls are not so quick to heal, like normal injuries. It is only by spending time in the reisatsu-rich Soul Society will I begin to recover."

"I don't understand," he said through gritted teeth. "How…?"

"The Hougyoku placed a strain on my soul when it was hidden there. Then, other events over time caused duress. Separately, each event would not be cause for worry. But there is only so much a soul can endure, only so much strain it can bear, without cracking.

"Traveling through the senkaimon gate places strain upon a soul. Normally, even a low-level Shinigami is strong enough to bear it without trouble. Any spiritual ability is enough to pass through unharmed. That is how our friends from the human world were able to enter Soul Society safely."

She swallowed, ignoring the thickness in her throat. "But my soul… it is not protected, now, as it should be. Each pass through the gate strains it and risks further damage." One more pass through the senkaimon, for now, Urahara had said, gently but soberly, in a recent visit. Anything more would be too risky for your condition.

For several moments, Ichigo was silent. "And from transferring your powers to me. That's the real reason, right?" Ichigo finally said, lowly.

It was exactly what she refused to voice aloud. "...That is part of it, yes. Although it is not the only cause."

"But that started it." He leveled an unflinching gaze, his voice low, tormented more with each syllable. "You lost your powers because of me. Then you got that gigai that kept sapping them away. Then they put you in that tower that kept you from getting better." His frustration grew into anger- directed at Soul Society, at Urahara, at Aizen. But, most of all, himself.

She shook her head, her tone firm, finally strong enough to look at him. "It is not your fault, Ichigo. I will not hear such things from you."

"How long?" he asked, empty; the words almost taken by the wind. "How long do you need to stay in Soul Society?"

"It is hard to know," she said. "I'm sorry."

He was quiet. He was lost, staring into nothingness and away from her with his hands in his pockets. She could see the stiffness in his shoulders.

"You are not to blame, Ichigo," she said gently, firmly. "I will be well, as will you. Here, you will have your own life to live, surrounded by your family and friends." A life as a human, as it should have always been. A life that had no place for her. Perhaps it never had.

His eyes narrowed, pained. "Rukia-"

"If it is guilt you feel, you must promise to enjoy your peaceful life to the best of your ability. You must reject any sense of despair which comes for you. You cannot let it. You are stronger than that. Is that so hard to believe?"

Even speaking the words aloud caused hope to flare within her. She moved to stand in front of him, gently placing a hand to his arm. "We will both find happiness, Ichigo. Each within our own worlds."

When his gaze met hers, she saw as his spirit returned and the spark returned to his eyes. She managed a small smile, almost intoxicated by his strength, even as part of her was breaking inside.

"I could feel it, you know. Sometimes," he said.

Rukia watched him questioningly.

"When something was wrong. I don't know how," he shrugged.

She frowned. "I am not sure-" she blinked, realizing their surroundings for the first time. They weren't on the usual way home. "Where are we?"

Her questioning look was answered with a mustered smile, as if he knew something that she didn't. He smirked and started walking.

The secret remained, as she badgered him to tell her where they were going.

Their secret destination was an ice rink. It had already grown dark with the sun no more than faint purple-blue lines disappearing over the horizon. Skaters were everywhere as they slid, wobbled, or fell over the ice.

"I saw you looking over here the other night," was his only explanation, "I figured you wanted to try it out." He shrugged as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.

Rukia stared at him incredulously. Then, she chuckled and shook her head.

She remembered looking at the ice rink just two nights earlier while they were fighting hollows. Even a year ago, she would have dismissed the sight as pointless and human. Now she marveled at it. How unique it was, yet so simple. Something so strange, yet so fantastical; something only humans could imagine.

Ichigo led her onto the ice. He ignored her protests about her inexperience, how strange her feet felt, how a larger skater could easily run her over. He dismissed each and every one of them. There was no reason to worry, simply because he was with her.

He held her hand to steady her. Still, she flailed and stumbled about, insulting him every other second. Somehow she kept an air of Kuchiki elegance around her from sheer obligation. But his smile was infectious. He smirked when she fumbled. She laughed when he caught her, even as she struggled for balance.

She couldn't help the smile that found its way to her lips as he led her across the ice; every bit the stubborn fool she had always known him to be.

That night, just as they were about to leave, the sky burst in a cascade of colors.

"They built a theme park nearby. It just opened," Keigo said. Everyone stopped where they were to gaze up and marvel at the display. Every other second saw another burst of color, illuminating everything and everyone. The boom-pop-hiss could be felt in her chest with each firework.

After a time, she tore her eyes away to look toward Ichigo- only to find him already watching her intently with a smile. She blinked. "What?"

He glanced back at the sky, but his smile held. "It's nothing."

She managed a light scoff in amusement, marveling at the moment together, knowing it would be a precious memory. She would cling to that image of him, smiling warmly in a way that was rarely seen, lit only by the starbursts against the darkness. His tender gaze, entranced, as if she were a dazzling display of light.


They walked as a group back home until it was time to part ways. Everyone shared in heartfelt waves of goodbye, to the point that even Uryu offered a slight, pleasant nod in farewell. The chilly air swept through the empty streets, causing Rukia to pull her coat tighter around her.

"You cold?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm fine. It is not too long of a walk." She dug her hands further into her pockets.

A beep-beep sound came from Rukia's bag that made them freeze in their tracks. She flipped the phone open.

"A hollow, not far from here. Out of the way from the others," she said after a quick scan of the locator map. She started to look for her Chappy soul candy in her bag. "I will take care-"

"I'll get it."

Before she could utter another word, Ichigo had used his badge to transform into his Shinigami self. She barely shouted a protest before he started to run off.

Muttering a curse, she quickly swallowed the Chappy pill and shouted instructions over her shoulder for it to watch Ichigo's body. She caught up to Ichigo easily with a single flash-step. They leaped from the streets to the lower rooftops, sprinting from one building to the next, until they could hear the tell-tale sound of a roar. A roadside food cart was already knocked to the ground, sending people scattering away in a panic.

"Wait, Ichigo!" Rukia called. The moment it was visible, she knew he would try and charge it on his own; something she desperately sought to avoid. "Stay back and draw its attention. I will attack from behind."

He nodded. They split off, Ichigo going towards the center of the rapidly emptying street, dodging between the crowds as best he could. Rukia leaped from one light post to another. She paused, crouched and waiting. Moments later the beast's form rippled in shadows, looming above the nearby shops. The ground shook and shuddered.

The hollow's head snapped as its attention shifted. Its tail flickered; the briefest pause before thudding forward on six limbs toward Ichigo in the street. It was all but empty by now, as far as she could see.

With practiced ease she flash-stepped across lights and buildings to rapidly approach from behind. Drawing Sode no Shirayuki, she raised the blade high above her head, the chilled air whipping past her as she flew-

Then the world threatened to rip apart, her between it yet falling away into nothingness. She gasped; numbly she swung forward, but everything was blurred; the hollow itself a mere echo from a world away. Dimly, she could feel something slam against her. The memory of pain rippled through her, dulled. And she focused on sensing Ichigo's reiatsu with everything she could muster. She cursed, desperate to see and afraid of what she couldn't see.

She closed her eyes by remembering what it felt like; she thought of the sensation of breathing, that the air was in her lungs, and that she was in a physical world. She thought of it, desperately. Sounds slowly returned. As did the ache in her side, the cold winter air. Then, she heard the panicked shouts and screams of humans. The crash of rubble. The trembling ground in her feet and in her knees.

Gasping for breath, she found Ichigo at the other end of the street. He was darting back and forth to narrowly miss each swipe of bone-like claws, but never left the ground. The lack of flash-step left him far, far too close to each attack. Each slash grew closer and closer. Rukia managed a destructive kido spell, hitting the hollow's spiked back in the hope of drawing its attention. She scrambled to her feet, flash-stepping away just before a claw slashed open the pavement.

But its attention wasn't held for long. A small boy was running down the street, separated from the others, desperate to avoid the danger that was painfully unseen to his human eyes. Rukia moved to get in the way, only for the pin-prick sensation to cascade in her chest and the back of her neck. Her vision blurred; she cursed. There was too great a chance of hitting a human soul, or a building that might rain debris-

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

The arc of power was almost blinding in the darkness. Rukia watched, her heart in her throat, as it hit the white-bone hollow mask perfectly. The creature teetered backward, falling as it dissolved into black mist. The ground went silent.

What few humans remained quickly ran, leaving the street empty. Ichigo was leaning on Zangetsu to remain upright and struggled for breath.

"Ichigo!" With effort, Rukia managed to ignore the tilt of the world itself and rushed towards him.

His breathing came in gasps, his skin pricked with sweat, and yet he offered her a wane smile. As he had always done for as long as she'd known him.

"Sorry," he said, "I know you didn't want me to fight. Guess I couldn't help myself."

She shook her head, lightly. "Fool."

He faltered; his limbs suddenly heavy as his strength left him. It was all Rukia could do to try and catch him from hitting the ground. She struggled with his larger form, but managed to lower him gently to the pavement.

His reiatsu was fading by the second.

"You-" Rukia struggled, her throat suddenly thick, as she watched him helplessly. It had happened so fast; all of their time together, precious weeks and months- all of it taken in an instant. It was too soon. Far, far too soon-

She shut her eyes, fighting the onslaught of realization, of anguish and so many other things that filled her as she watched Ichigo's calm expression. How selfish she was to dwell on her own future. He always rushed so easily to protect others; without thought of himself or the weight of his sacrifice. And yet, he could bear it with a smirk.

"Fool," she said, quietly. Despite her efforts, her vision blurred. She knelt on the pavement next to him. "You sacrifice yourself for others so easily… You never give it a second thought," she smiled sadly.

He huffed a laugh. "It's okay," he said, still offering a faint smile. It was not tense in the way he wore a mask for others' benefit. It was serene; calm. "I don't regret it. Any of it. You know?" He gazed upwards at the glow of the city and the night sky. "Even losing my powers to defeat Aizen. I'm supposed to protect people… I was always meant to. I always knew that, somehow. In the moment… I just knew." He spoke with a quiet confidence few men could ever boast; the kind born of peace within one's soul.

Helplessly, she searched his face for the strength of knowing what to say next. He remained utterly calm. "Ichigo…"

His gaze became unfocused as consciousness slipped away. Ichigo's eyes found hers. "Just like I knew I had to save you," he smirked.

She managed her own wavering smile. "Fool," she whispered.

His eyes grew heavy, and his voice was only a murmur. The smirk faded as he watched her with that tenderness she had just started to know. "Don't forget about me, okay?"

"Idiot… I am the one who is supposed to say that."

He huffed a ghost of a laugh before his eyes fell closed.

- To Be Continued -