Patches
It has been three years since she had left him. Ichigo has moved out of their family clinic and into his own little apartment. His room is bare, with no posters or books. The walls are whitewashed. There is no closet.
Ichigo finds it so funny that for the past three years, he had tried so hard to remember her. Do hard to cling to the memories he already knew were slipping through his fingers.
Now, he doesn't like the fact that everywhere, there are still traces of her. He doesn't fight hollows anymore. Hollows remind him of the first time that they had met, not knowing they would change their lives forever.
Everyday his routine is the same. He wishes for some change, some sign of her, but he knows he shouldn't. Everyday, he finds himself forgetting little bits and pieces of their time together.
He closes the window when he sleeps. He knows for a fact that she won't be coming into his room anymore. They had an unspoken promise, a silent vow. She doesn't come back, so why should he have to suffer for it. So every night, Ichigo closes his window and his heart.
He hates himself. He always pushes her away, but for some reason, he also yearns for her. Ichigo knows that he is weak, weak for missing her when she probably doesn't even think about him anymore. He hates her even more.
Every day, those memories fade. He wishes they would all go away, but he knows that they won't. They would always remain in his mind, in little patches, popping up when he least expects it. He knows that he will never really have a clean slate because she will always come back.
One day, as Ichigo was getting ready to go to bed, he hears a knock on his door. He opens it and he sees Rukia. He isn't surprised because she promised. She doesn't ask him too many questions.
All she asks is why he closed the window.