Him and Her
Author: foxmagic
Rating: PG-13
Italics: thoughts, emphasis, and any other random crap that I decide doesn't belong in regular font.
Warnings: Some spoilers all the way into the soul society arc and through recent chapters.
(I read chapter 178 in Japanese, so I don't know if I got the correct impression of things. Bear with me.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing I say!
Reviews reviews!
OspreyAnimeG- Yay! I'm gonna hafta get me one of those flags! Actually, I did get this 10 inch statue of Ichigo at Con…heh heh heh.
hellokitty-sayhello- No, unfortunately I will not be following the story through soul society. Not only has there been to many stories and drabbles put out on that subject, but I also feel limited when writing on events that have already happened. I'm skipping to post SS, with some small flashbacks here and there.
Azamiko- Thank you so much!
Xeledhwenx- Ha HA! Thanks! I'm glad you like 'em.
Lain Lang- I completely agree with you. I can't believe how many drabbles there are on the SS arc. It's almost too much. That's why I decided to skip it for the most part. I'll be adding tidbits in here and there, because it's impossible to totally ignore it. But other than that you won't have to worry about a lot of chapters like that. (I wonder how many people I'm offending with this kind of opinion lol)
azn anime addict- Eh eh? Confusing? You aren't the only one to say that. I apologize for anything that confused you. Yeah…at the end of the chapter, the words in italics were quotes from things people said later on.
Pipp-ORK- Ah! My most wonderful and praise-worthy reviewer! (lmao). I'm so glad you enjoyed my last chapter!
Ryu Isaac- Wow, I appreciated your review a lot. It really lifted my spirits. Thanks, and I hope this next chapter is enjoyable as well!
SAL-chan- Huzzah! You liked it? I'm so glad! (As I type this, I am practically falling asleep at my keyboard. Oh the late hours! lol)
anime-obsession260- Thank you thank you!
mickey-sin- It IS fantastic. And you are a great muse, oh wonderful mickey-sama!I hope Kash is keeping you in check!
boeboebi- I'm sorry I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make it confusing…eh heh heh. At the end of the story (where it was switching on and off from regular type to italics), the italics were quotes I inserted from what people said to Ichigo after Rukia was taken to soul society. Does that make sense?
Mizura Enoki- Hai! I checked out the Bleach community a little while ago. Pretty cool (heart heart). Thanks for staying with this story, it means so much to me!
evil-mittens- Yays! Thanks! And here's a new chapter for ya.
(A/N) Eh…well I have sorta jumped to post-SS, so I hope the transition was at least a little smooth. And it seems like a lot of you agree with me about how redundant SS arc has all become. I apologize for my latest chapters, for they will have something or another to do with soul society, as it is a big part of the storyline. But I just didn't want to go through the ENTIRE SS arc, because frankly there are enough fics out there that do. So that's why I jumped ahead. And also, I must say sorry to those of you who I have confused with my last chapter lol. I guess I should have made things more clear from the beginning. I tried my best to explain it in the reviewer responses.
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Story Five: His struggle and Her worth--
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Ichigo!
Ichigo!
A young, orange-haired boy opened his eyes to stare at the blue sky above him. Another dream…another reminder of that place. He should have expected as much. They couldn't simply just leave and forget. That was too much to ask in a situation like that. Now, as he desperately tried to get a grip on the life he had left behind, he couldn't help but wonder…
Would he and the others ever be able to return to their old lives? Would they be able to feign innocence after witnessing so much?
Ichigo sat up and shook the stray grass from his clothes. It had only been a week since their return from Soul Society. One agonizing week of reacquainting himself with what it was like to be a normal teen. Well…a normal ghost-seeing, Hollow-kicking, shinigami-fighting teen.
Okay, maybe that wasn't so normal.
Either way, he would have to learn to adjust. School wasn't too far down the road and that alone would be a pain. But throw in a delusional father, two overly-suspicious sisters, and one set of pestering friends, and you had the makings of a disaster. Or a really bad migraine at the very least.
None of that mattered for the moment, though. At that exact point in time, Ichigo was a boy who had nothing to do but lay on the grassy bank of the river, contemplating whether it would be worth moving from his spot to go and grab a soda. No shinigamis, no Hollows, and definitely no talking cats. Just him, the blue sky and-
"ICHIGO!"
…and the shrill cry of some one calling out his name.
What the hell…He tried to sink further into the grass, hoping it would hide his body from the approaching girl. Or maybe said person would just take the hint and go away.
Yeah, fat chance.
"Ichigo, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
He rolled over on his side, brushing her words off without so much as one peep.
"Hey, listen to me when I'm talking to you!"
"Go away, Rukia. Can't I get any peace without you constantly following me?" He snorted.
The boy didn't know if he should be extremely pissed, or very angry at the kick she had just dealt. He decided to go with both, considering they were practically the same thing. "Damn, that hurt!"
"Good." She frowned. "You deserved it."
"…yeah yeah."
The sound of twigs snapping nearby gave evidence that she had taken a seat next to him. For a brief moment, everything was quiet. Even the world around them stayed silent…if only for a bit. But the silence was not uncomfortable. It held faint traces of understanding between the two.
"Why do you always come out here?" Rukia softly asked, as if afraid to break something delicate by speaking.
"It's peaceful. I don't have to deal with anyone bothering me. Or I didn't until you showed up."
She inadvertently flinched. That hit home for sure. "…I'm…I'm so-"
"Don't you dare say 'I'm sorry'." Ichigo stopped her. He had heard those words far too much lately. "You're sorry? Well I'm not sorry, okay? I don't regret anything."
The small girl curled her legs up to her chest and stared at the ground. It was evident that they were no longer talking about today.
"Then is it okay…for me to regret it?" Her voice was cold, betraying her true emotions.
"You shouldn't have to."
"…I know."
Ichigo sighed at the frustrating mess they were in. Turning over, he used his hand to shield the sun from his eyes. "Rukia…don't ever doubt the worth of your life. Don't toss it aside like it's nothing. We didn't go to Soul Society for nothing. We went to save a life –to save your life. Do you regret being alive, Rukia?"
"Perhaps…perhaps I regret being alive at such a high cost."
"Course you do. Because you're you, and nothing will ever change that. Because even if I try to knock some sense into you, your thick head would prevent anything from going through."
That earned him a rather fierce scowl.
He continued, unfazed. "If you had died, what then? Would things automatically be better? Would we be better off for it? I might have been granted temporary peace from your insanity, but then I'd never hear the end of it from Kon. He'd murder me in my sleep."
Resting her head on her knees, Rukia stared far off at the setting sun. "This turned into one big mess. And it all started because you refused to let me do my job. I ended up having to save your sorry ass, and therefore lose my powers."
"And I saved your sorry ass in return. I think that makes us even."
She looked down at his face, eyes closed in mock sleep. Even? They were even? Hardly. Both of them knew that the only reason she jumped in to save him back then was because it was her duty. It was her responsibility to see that he was unhurt. But as an innocent human boy, he had no such obligation. There was no duty for him to fulfill. And so…
What was it that drove him to protect her like he did?
"And you can stop wallowing in your doubt. That won't get you anywhere."
Rukia bristled at how well he knew her. "I'm not wallowing!"
"…and lying." Ichigo added.
"Shut up!"
He smirked, trying hard to hide his amusement. And she couldn't help but smile with him. She was certain that the answers wouldn't come all at once. Things would most definitely take time. But that was okay, because they had all the time in the world.
"Hey, Ichigo?"
"What is it."
"Let's stay like this…"
He opened his eyes to cast a sideways glance at her shadowed form. "…what?"
"Let's stay like this…for a little while at least." Rukia repeated.
For a moment he remained silent, mind regressing back into thought.
It had been a long time coming. Just a few days ago, they were fighting for their lives. And today…today their goal had been reached. Today, everyone was safe. Ichigo had defeated the shinigamis that stood in his way, rescued Rukia as she was about to be executed, won the battle between him and Bayakuya, foiled Aizen's plans, and cleared Soul Society of the Hollow raid. He had done all this, with the help of his friends and fellow shinigamis, and was finally able to leave –to come home. But Ichigo didn't come back alone. One very human shinigami followed.
Now if that wasn't an oxymoron, he didn't know what was.
Despite her no-care attitude, it must have been hard. The human emotions which she had once despised were now her own. The life she had once thought temporary was now permanent. And neither of them knew what tomorrow would bring…but it was alright.
They were just fine with that.
"Let's stay like this…for a little while at least."
"Tch…" Ichigo got to his feet and held out a hand to help her up. "Come on, let's go find some food. Yuzu probably started dinner already."
Rukia looked up at him. She hesitated briefly before finally grasping his hand. The boy pulled her up with ease and started off down the road ahead of her. And that's when it finally hit her. As she stood there, watching his back while he walked, she saw it. Ichigo had grown…he had accomplished what a normal man could only dream of.
One fifteen-year-old boy had changed the course of shinigami history.
"Hey, you coming or what?" His gruff voice broke through the twilight.
"Well if you didn't walk so fast, I'd be able to keep up!" She shot back, running after him.
Neither of them knew what tomorrow would bring, but it was alright. They were just fine with that.
Because…
Because they had all the time in the world.
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END--
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(A/N) Gyah! No, that's not the end of my story. I plan on continuing. I mean, torturing Ichigo and Rukia after the soul society arc is just as much fun as torturing them before the SS arc! Just remember that any of my interpretations of life after soul society is purely guessing. I do not know for sure what will happen.
Thanks and please review!
foxmagic