Chapter 17
You are special to me
I' m going to kill you... dear kitten... present... stop it, Ichi...
Ichigo, you´re going to die...
Ichigo.
ICHIGO !
It was happening all over again, Kisshu could see it. The battle. The lights. Him, attacking her... her.
Ichigo.
Her name... her name was shining. Huge, bright pink capital letters. Her eyes, her hair, her smile...
Only... she wasn´t smiling to him.
No... she was crying now.
She was bending over his injured body, tears spilling from her eyes. He could see his reflexion in them. He could see himself, dying, defeated. Dying for her.
But she was crying...
Kisshu... she whispered, with despair in her voice.
She is crying for me, he realized.
No... don´t cry, Ichigo. I was lucky. I was lucky to have this time with you...
I love you.
He wanted to kiss her. One last kiss, before dying.
He struggled to get up. She stood still. She didn´t help him. She couldn´t move.
During a few seconds, only one thing mattered to him : her rosy soft lips he had tasted so many times.
But he didn´t make it.
Ichigo watched him carefully. She had stopped talking.
She felt weird.
He... his eyes are moving. He´s dreaming...
His lips started to part strangely. Ichigo saw it. Her eyes widened.
This is so... familiar... wait...
She was seeing it all over again. His last moments on Earth. At least she thought so at the time. He was trying to kiss her before dying.
This is what he´s dreaming about.
Ichigo was sure of it.
I couldn´t... I didn´t kiss him back.
Because it was impossible.
He was kissing me to say goodbye... and I didn´t want him to die... so I didn´t do anything... I was still hoping he would live.
But he didn´t.
So...
Ichigo stood still for a moment. Then she bent over Kisshu´s body.
She knew what she had to do.
Very softly, she pressed her lips against his.
Kisshu opened his eyes.
I made it.
He... he had kiss her.
No... she kissed him.
No. I can´t die. I can´t die now. Ichigo kissed me. I can´t die after this.
His mind was drifting back. Slowly. Very slowly.
Ichigo understood he could hear her. He could sense her. The kiss had... worked... ?
She heard his voice in her head.
« You don´t love me. »
It was an accusation.
A true accusation.
She had to be honest now.
She had to say the right thing, or else...
« No, I don´t love you. »
There was a small silence.
« Why did you kiss me, then ? Why did want me to wake up... and hear this ?
« I wanted to be honest with you. I owe you this.
« You don´t owe me anything. I´m nothing to you. »
This time, Ichigo replied very violently.
« Don´t ever say that again, or I´ll slap you, no matter what state you are in. It´s not true.
« You´re one feisty kitten.
« Well, that´s one of the reasons you love me, right ? »
If he could, he would have chuckle.
« Yeah... one of them.
« What are the others ?
« They can all be recaped like this : you are Ichigo. That´s the best reason ever.
« Sometimes I think you and Masaya could get along very well. That´s exactly what he tells me.
« What a jerk. Can´t make up his own compliments, has to copy me...
« Just because he loves me means he´s a jerk ? »
Kisshu thought about it... and couldn´t resist to tease her a bit.
« Why not ? For all I know, I´m one.
« Absolutely. You can´t win my affections, so you fall into coma. How smart and brave. »
His face clouded over.
« It´s not my fault. It´s...
« Yes it is your fault. You are the one who chose to let everything go. Thiswas your choice all along. You can wake up anytime you want, you just have to...
« I don´t want to wake up. You don´t love me. »
She wiped her tears and took a deep breath.
« But you love me.
« Do you listen to what boys say to you, Ichigo ? It took that long for you to realize...
« You love me, and you want me to suffer ? »
He seemed chocked. Obviously, he never thought about this.
« Make you suffer ? Never !
« But that's what you are doing. You want to die. You want to die and... and if you die, I´ll never stand it. I DON´T want you to die, Kisshu. You are important to me. »
She...
He couldn´t think.
She really...
« But you...
« I care for you. You´ve been so close to me. We´ve been through too much together. I don´t love you, but you are special to me, and... I want you to stay with me. To be happy. »
Her words moved him deeply.
They were... honest. Caring. Sweet.
He asked :
« I shall be your... friend then ? »
Ichigo frowned.
« I suppose you can say it like that. But then the meaning of friend is much more complicated than people think. »
He gave a faint smirk.
« Mmm. Your friend. Yeah... I could live with that... »
His head moved a bit. Ichigo watched him.
His eyelids started slowly to part.
The young girl smiled.
She knew she had done it.
Kisshu won´t die... he will live.
