Further Down the Rabbit Hole

Story 3: A Little Help

Rating: K-Plus for Safety
Misc: General
Pairings: Very slight IchiRuki if you read it that way
Disclaimer: !hcaelB nwo t'nod I
Summary: As Rukia contemplates Ichigo's leaving, she gets some sound advice from one of the last people she would have expected.

He had left. He had left and she hadn't told him. Time elapsed in odd ways between the two worlds and it wouldn't be too unexpected if she never saw him again. Their relationship couldn't possibly end that way, with so many things still to say.

A flash of pink hair distracted Rukia from her depressing thoughts and she drew back, a little quickly, as the Lieutenant almost head-butted her in the chin. "What're you thinking about, Sulky-chan?" Yachiru asked innocently.

"O-Oh, a friend, Kusajishi-fukutaicho." Rukia answered quickly, not expecting the child to understand.

"Oh! You're sad about Icchy leaving, right?"

Rukia paused at the girl's nickname for Ichigo. As someone who held pride in her ability to hide her emotions, she was unused to being seen through so easily. "Yes," she replied finally, and with a weary smile, "I'm sad that Icchy left."

"Why are you sad?"

Rukia glanced at the little girl oddly, caught unaware by the strange question, "What?"

"Why are you sad?" Yachiru asked again, "'Cause Icchy left and being sad won't help, you know."

"I... I had something I wanted to tell him."

"Then tell him when you see him next!" Yachiru scolded. The scene must have appeared infinitely odd to anyone watching, the small Eleventh Division Lieutenant lecturing a Shinigami twice her size, "Just make sure you see him again and you won't have to be sad." Rukia frowned as thoughts suddenly flooded her mind. She couldn't help how she felt but, then again, Yachiru's words held a good deal of truth as well. "You'll die someday, you know. Why waste time being sad?"

Rukia leaned forward and hugged the small girl, "You're very wise for your age, Kusajishi-fukutaicho."

"Nu-uh," the little girl said, giggling at the thought, "It's all stuff I learned from Ken-chan in Rukongai!"

Rukia stiffened and, for a few seconds, only saw the old, old eyes peering out from the young girl's face. They were eyes that had seen life, had seen loss, and had accepted them both, perhaps more than she had herself. "A-Ah." Rukia stammered, wondering what the girl could have seen in her years.

Before Rukia could say anything else, Yachiru had already pulled her to her feet, "Come on, Sulky-chan!" she yelled, "Old Shiro-chan might have some candy for me!"

A/N: Hi again. Just popping in with another drabble.

This one I wrote so it could (depending on how you decided to read it) be read as either an IchiRuki pairing fic or an IchiRuki friendship fic. I'm not really a hardcore fan of this pairing either but you really can't deny that there are some deep emotional connections between the two.

Please pardon the title pun.

This is my third drabble; however, that is no excuse for it to suck. If it does, please don't hesitate to tell me.
Please review, as feedback is always appreciated.

B-E