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HIS OBSESSION
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Rukia
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When the long war finally ended, she thought everything would return to normal. And when the realization hit her, she became afraid.
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A celebration was held in Seireitei, and everyone – shinigami, vaizard, exile, or human – who took arms and fought in the battle had been invited.
But Kuchiki Rukia was not in the mood for revelry. Her thoughts had been consumed by one person, and she did not look forward to their inevitable goodbye.
"Rukia."
She turned around. "Hey," she greeted, hoping her smile was bright enough.
Abarai Renji was not looking at her, though. "How are you?"
She chuckled weakly. "What do you mean? We've fought together these past few weeks. Of course I'm fine."
He did not look convinced, but seeing that she really wasn't in the mood to talk, he let her be.
She heard voices, and she peered eagerly at the door. Sure enough, her friends from the human world came in, and they looked as if the burden of the world had been lifted from their shoulders. She did not see the person she was looking for, though. She frowned in disappointment, and then gave a heavy sigh.
"Oi, what's with the sigh?"
Her eyes widened. She whirled around, and there he is - bright orange hair, cocky grin, and all.
"Ichigo, you-" she started to say, but she was abruptly cut off by his lips pressing down on hers. She froze. She wasn't really sure if she was just imagining things, so she just stood there.
He pulled away from her, blushing.
She blinked. "What-what was that?" she stammered out, still confused.
He scowled at her. "I just showed you how much I love you, and you just ask what the heck that was?"
Love-
Oh.
If possible, her face reddened more than before, but her happiness showed when a smile formed at her lips. He was watching her all that time, and now he was wearing an annoying smirk on his face. Now, that ticked her off a little.
"Ow!" he yelped, holding his stomach. He glared at her. "What was that for-!" he yelled. But then, it was his turn to be cut off. None of them minded the silence, though.
After what felt like hours, they finally pulled apart for some air. They were both red in the face, but they sported the same foolish smiles.
"I love you, too," she finally responded.
She wished that moment didn't have to end.
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She followed him back to the human world, amidst the protests of her brother and Renji. Once, she'd been a stickler to the rules. But then, she met him, and the rules no longer seemed to apply.
His family knew of their relationship, which Ichigo reluctantly confessed. Oh, she will never forget his expression when he did. It was priceless! That day, she felt that she truly belonged.
She had never felt more content those days. Sure, they still fought once in a while, but they easily made up and forgave each other.
Then, one day, a guy from school walked up to her. She had been quite surprised. She knew him to be some kind of jock, after all. He was popular and girls flocked to him, but he approached her. She admits she was a bit flattered by the attention. But she had Ichigo, and she was just about to tell the guy off, when he was lifted from her vision. She heard a resounding crash, and she gasped in horror at his crumpled form. Ichigo had a mad look on him, and he kept hitting the guy on the floor, until she finally shook herself and came between them.
He flashed his eyes dangerously at her, angry at her interception. She forced herself not to cower from him, and clutched at his arm. After several soothing words, he finally calmed down enough to be led away from the bloody jock.
Isshin got called by the principal as a result of that incident and Ichigo got the scolding of his life. He mumbled excuses and apologies, but when he had heard enough, he stormed up to his room without another word. The house was unusually quiet for one whole week.
Ichigo was a mess. He kept muttering, "You're mine. Mine," and she reassured him just as much that, yes, she was his. Rukia tried all she could to ease whatever burden he carried.
After another week or so, the father and son finally came to terms. She saw them engaged in deep conversation, and Isshin was back to smiling again.
A month passed uneventfully. Just when she thought the peace would last this time, it happened again.
This time, Renji had come to pay her a visit after he was finally given leave by her brother. He had been so excited to see her that he immediately gathered her in his arms. She felt cold shiver through her spine, and she recalled the earlier incident with the jock with painful clarity. She tried to get out of his grip quickly, but it was too late. Ichigo had seen the entire thing. She watched him walk calmly towards them, and she silently pleaded at him with her eyes. By then, Renji was looking strangely at her, and as he turned to look at what caught her attention, his face was met with the orange-haired teen's fist.
What followed was something she could only think of as a nightmare. Ichigo did not even give him time to stand; he just pounded relentlessly at him in shinigami form. Rukia shouted for him to stop the entire time, but he never heard her. He raised his sword and sliced through one of Renji's limbs. And when he was about to go for the second strike, she did not hesitate. She rushed forward and hugged him from behind. She didn't care if he turned his wrath on her; all she wanted was for him to stop.
He slowly turned his head to face her. "Why are you crying, Rukia?" he asked in a gentle tone.
She whipped her gaze at him, and she had to stop herself from gasping. It wasn't his question that befuddled her; his eyes were the cause of her rising despair.
"Don't cry, Rukia," he said, dropping his sword carelessly on the ground to hug her.
His usually warm, amber eyes had turned into deep coals of black.
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He carried her off to an abandoned building and virtually kept guard on her day and night. At that point, she was no longer in any condition to argue or plead. She was left in a silent state of shock.
Within the day, her brother had learned of Ichigo's atrocity, and he immediately arranged for his arrest. Rukia followed along numbly, as Ichigo refused to release her arm even for a moment.
When they arrived, the captains have assembled, and the general-commander was just about to pronounce his sentence when smoke suddenly filled the hall. A glint caught her eye, and her eyes widened. Renji had released his zanpakutou and was pointing it with a fury at Ichigo. With a will of its own, her body surged forward and collided with the blade.
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She felt her world dim. Then, she had the distinct sensation of being lifted. When she finally opened her eyes, the world just passed her by in a silent blur.