Miracle – XI

Rukia stirred as her mind slowly – very slowly – began working again. Her entire body felt heavy, and the simple task of trying to open her eyes struck her as being impossible. So instead she contented herself to laying...wherever she was and trying to make heads-or-tails of what was going on. The last thing she remembered...

Oh. Right. The last thing she remembered was climbing out of her window into a very mean storm. And she had collapsed. But after that it was all kind of...well, not there.

Am I dead? She wondered. She scratched that thought when she realized she was breathing. She didn't believe in heaven or God, but if she did, she was pretty sure they didn't breath in heaven. Did they? Suddenly she wished she had paid more attention in Sunday School. Though she was pretty sure they had never mentioned something like that.

Okay, not dead, she finally decided, So then where in the world am I, exactly?

Her first thought was home. If she was there she would scream. No louder than her parents would scream, of course, when they found out she was waking up. Oh God. Her parents. Okay, so maybe she was better off dead.

After a minute though, she ruled out home. Her bed at home was more comfortable than this. Okay then. So where the hell was she? A hospital? If she was in the hospital, she'd probably just kill herself. She didn't want to be in the hospital again.

Finally, curiosity overcame her desire to be comfortable and clueless, and she struggled through the process of opening her eyes. And she concluded something. Wherever she was, she knew she had neverbeen there before. "Oh boy," she groaned. So not only did she not know where she was, she was willing to bet her parents had no clue either. Oh hey, the silver lining.

Rukia pushed herself up with shaking arms and looked around. Wait a sec, realization hit her, I do know where I am

It was the Kurosaki Clinic. Ichigo, Rukia blinked, He must have...but how did he...how did he know, how did he find me?

At that moment, nothing was making even the remotest bit of sense. Before Rukia could take in anything else though, a coughing spasm tore through her body and she doubled over. She groaned as she straightened up again once the fit had passed. She could definitely remember times when she had felt better.

How long had she been unconscious for? Did her parents know where she was? If they did, exactly how badly did they want to kill her? Rukia sighed as she rested her head in her hands. Her entire body ached. Part of her wanted to try and make more sense of what was going on. Most of her just wanted to go back to sleep though, and deal with it later.

Fate and luck didn't want to see to be on her side today though. "Rukia! You okay?"

She looked around at the clinic door. Ichigo was standing there, looking somewhere between happy and concerned. His usual scowl was there, as usual, of course. "Hey," he walked over to the bed as she looked away. Suddenly, she felt a little shameful. "Ah...you feeling all right?" he asked after a minute, running his hand through his spiky hair.

"Uh yeah, fine," she muttered. She rubbed her arms, both of which felt oddly cold, and shivered, "Little achy, kind of..."

"Cold?" Ichigo guessed, then went on in a much more sarcastic voice (which Rukia was pretty sure she should have expected), "Gee, can't imagine why, I'm not sure how long you were in that snowbank for...I'd guess half an hour at least, probably more, possibly more. In fact, most likely definitely more..."

"Am I the only who thinks your turning into a babbling idiot?" she started to laugh, but it became a cough. Ichigo touched a hand to her head, and swore.

"Damn you're head's hot. Guess your fever's a little worse than I thought," he made a face, "Your parents said something about taking you to the hospital once the snow let up-"

"Parents? Hospital?" Rukia's head snapped up, violet eyes meeting amber, "Wait, what? My parents? They know I'm here? How mad are they at me, and how badly do they want to kill me? And what are they saying about a hospital?"

"Calm down already," Ichigo said in a would-be soothing voice, "Yeah, your parents know you're here, of course they do. They were freaking worried sick you moron, your mom called here looking for you, she was talking to my dad when I brought you in. And they're pretty upset with you, I'm not really sure I can blame them"

"When you...what?"

"Yeah, I'm the stupid idiot that went out into thatlooking for you," he jerked his thumb at the window, and Rukia saw that snow was still coming down. Hard. "I actually think it's better out there than it was earlier. I'm still trying to get the feeling back into my toes. You're lucky though. I mean, I guess you're lucky. My dad said it was a miracle you didn't catch hypothermia. Or that something worse didn't happen to you"

Rukia noticed that Ichigo was acting...shifty. He didn't seem to want to look at her – his amber eyes were dodging in every which direction. His feet were shuffling sideways on the floor, making it look as if he was preforming a very odd dance. His hands were clasped behind his back, except for when he reached on up and ran it through his orange hair, giving his already messy head a look of one who didn't care for himself. "What's your problem?" she finally asked, feeling faintly annoyed. He was beginning to bug her. A lot. She was beginning to wish he would just look at her. And stop acting like a babbling idiot.

"Problem? Don't have one"

"Right, and I'm not short"

"Well we all know that's a lie"

Rukia wished he'd come a little closer so she could hit him. "Just tell me what's up with you. Is there any particular reason you're looking anywhere that isn't at me?"

"Nothing Rukia, it's just..."

"Just what?" Rukia prompted him in a threatening tone when he stopped talking again, "What is it just Ichigo?"

"It's...um..." he took a deep breath, and then he lost it completely. "It's just...what the hell were you thinking?!"

This took Rukia by surprise. "W-What? What do you mean? Look, I know going out in that blizzard wasn't my brightest move ever, but-"

"It's not just that"

"Than what?"

"Look it's...Everyone was worried sick about you...and when I found you, you were barely breathing...did you ever stop to think about how much you taking off like that would hurt everyone else?"

"Ichigo obviously I wasn't thinking much at all-"

"And that's another thing"

"What the hell do you mean now?"

"I'm talking about what my dad said before. You could have died Rukia, did you ever stop to think about that?"

"I'm pretty sure I just said-" Rukia froze. "Wait. Oh wait. I know what this about. Oh jeez, that's just perfect. Just perfect"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo sounded confused now. But Rukia no longer was. Now she was just mad

"You!" she snapped, folding her arms and turning away from him in a huff, "I told you, I already have people that worry about me twenty four-seven, I don't need you adding your name to the damn list!"

"Why shouldn't I worry, Rukia?" Ichigo said in a low voice, "You're going to turn around and do something stupid like go out in a blizzard, yeah, I'm gonna worry. Were you trying to kill yourself or something?"

"No, the Leukemia is doing a fine job of that on it's own, thank you"

"What are you going on about?"

Rukia honestly wasn't sure anymore. Her brain felt completely clouded, by both fever and anger. All she knew was that if Ichigo didn't back off, and soon,she couldn't be held responsible for whatever actions she might be forced to take (which might involve ripping his head off). "Rukia, look, I just-"

"Save it, Ichigo," she snapped, losing her patience, "All right? Just...leave me alone. I don't get why you care so much anyways, like I said before, it's none of your business"

She didn't have to look at Ichigo to know her words at hit him hard. That was reflected in his voice; there was a hint of hurt. "Why? I dunno, maybe because I thought we were friends. Guess I'm the stupid one, huh?"

Rukia looked around, but only had time to catch Ichigo's retreating back. Sighing heavily, she fell back in bed and closed her eyes. This was way too much to deal with all at once. Putting it off until morning sounded really good right then. So that was what she did.

Ichigo dropped onto his bed. His adrenaline was still pumping from his argument with Rukia. "Why the hell do I care so much about her anyway?" he grumbled into his pillow, "She obviously doesn't give a damn, why should I?"

Gee, that same old annoying voice annoying voice spoke up in the back of his head, Let's think for a second, maybe because...you love her?

"Shut up," Ichigo muttered, "You know, I really wish you would just go away"

Haven't we been over this before? I'm freaking you for heaven's sake, I can't just go away

"Well go away anyway!"

Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe you're insane? I mean, you're talking to voices in your head, telling them to go away. I'm pretty sure that's one of the signs of a crazy person, correct me if I'm wrong here-

"Shut the hell up," Ichigo growled.

Fine. But I notice you didn't bother denying the fact that you love Rukia

"I don't love her!"

Then why didn't you say that when I first pointed it out? Why'd you just tell me to shut up?

"Because you're driving me insane and I don't feel like listening to you. Plus, there's really no point in denying it, seeing as how you'll just keep talking anyway-"

But you're still not denying the fact that you love her

"I just did!"

"Ichigo?" Ichigo bolted up on his bed, and saw Isshin standing in the door, one eyebrow raised. He was looking at his son, obviously concerned, "You okay? You're er...talking to yourself"

Ichigo blinked. What could he say? "No, I'm talking to the voices in my head"? That would have sounded a little too insane. "I'm er...you know..." he tried to sound nonchalant, "Just trying to sort out my thoughts. Out-loud"

"Uh huh. I see," it was obvious Isshin didn't believe him, "Are you sure you're okay though? You seem a bit...distracted. Worried about Rukia-chan?"

The name made Ichigo's blood boil. "Oh hell no," he said angrily, throwing himself under the covers and pulling the covers over his head, "Why the hell would I ever worry about her?"

"Well let's see, considering you went out into a snow storm and nearly froze to the death just to save her," Isshin pretended to think for a second, and Ichigo scowled. He really, really hated his father when he made sense.

"If I'd known she was going to be such an ungrateful bitch I would have let her freeze," the orange-haired teen recounted his conversation with Rukia to his father. Isshin waited patiently, nodding like he understood, all though he really didn't have a clue.

"Sounds like she was being a little ungrateful," he said when Ichigo was finished talking, "Maybe you should look at it from her point of view though"

"Which is..."

"Hisana told me Rukia-chan and Byakuya had a fight before she ran out. In fact that's why she ran out. She wanted to get away from her parents, away from their worry, away from their rules – which she probably considered unfair. Then to have you jumping down her throat about it, when she knows her parents are going to do the exact same thing in the morning...she said some things she didn't mean. You can't hold it against her, really, I'm sure you said some things you didn't mean as well"

"Like hell I did, I meant everything I said"

"Oh, so you meant it when you told me you thought she was an ungrateful bitch?" Ichigo blinked. Maybe that had been a little harsh...

"Oh shut up," Isshin smirked.

"She's probably going to leave early if the snow has let up, and I'd say it is. You might want to talk to her before that happens, who knows when the next time you'll see her is otherwise. Night Ichigo," Isshin left Ichigo to his thoughts, closing the door behind him.

"It's not that bad Kuchiki-san!" Orihime said in a bright voice as she bustled around Rukia's room, trying to make it look more home-like. But of course, nothing could make a hospital room look more home-like. Except maybe saying good-bye to it.

"Sure it is," Rukia grumbled as she fell back on her pillows, "It's every bit as bad as I'm making it seem. And it'll just get worse the longer I'm here"

Long story short: Rukia was in the hospital again. Dr. Kaname had decided that, after her little adventure the night before, she should be kept in case something happened. And considering the fact her fever was currently around one-hundred and four, that was probably the best idea. But of course, Rukia would never in her life admit that. "It's for the best," Orihime said with a smile, "I'm sure in the long run, you'll be happy with the decision"

"Don't count on it," Rukia muttered, folding her arms and wishing her mother would hurry up and get back. Hisana had gone home to pick up some things for Rukia (books, school-work, anything to keep the girl distracted from the fact that she was in the hospital again, like anything could really do that). Byakuya had gone to work, of course, though he promised to get out early and come right down. Not that Rukia minded so much. She was still kind of upset with her father. Though not nearly as much as she was with Ichigo.

"So how come you're sulking?"

"Not sulking"

"Come on Kuchiki-san, I know a sulk when I see one," Orihime teased, "And you are most definitely sulking. Now tell me, why are you sulking?"

"Well..." Rukia did want to tell someone, "Do you remember that boy I mentioned before, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Orihime nodded, so Rukia dove into her story about the fight she and Ichigo had. "I mean, really!" she finished after five minutes of raging, "Like I don't have enough people on me, worrying twenty-four/seven, now him too?! I don't need that; I don't need someone around who's going to spend their life constantly tracking my medical records, making sure I take my medicine when I'm supposed to, treating me like some helpless kid! I just need someone who will treat me normally"

Orihime was a good listener, thankfully. She paid close attention through Rukia's entire rant, nodding when it seemed right to nod, and when the younger girl was finally done she said, "Rukia, have you ever wondered why everyone worries about you the way they do?"

"Because they're over-obsessive?" Rukia guessed, folding her arms and flopping back on her pillow, pouting.

"Not exactly," Orihime smiled, obviously amused by Rukia's attitude, and un-phased by her sarcasm (as most people who knew Rukia were), "Believe it or not, Kuchiki-san, when people like your parents and Kurosaki-kun look at you, the first thing they see isn't a girl with Leukemia. The first thing they see is a bright, vivacious young girl who has so much going for her in her life, and they feel attracted to you. You're the kind of person, Kuchiki-san, who could light up an entire room if you try. Like there's a spotlight on you. But then something happens, and it reminds them that you really are sick. And it scares them. It scares them to think about something happening to you. And that's when they remember you're sick. I know it's hard on you, not to mention incredibly annoying, but you have to see it from everyone else's point of view. It's difficult, dealing with the fact that you're different from everyone else, but that doesn't mean you have to hate the people that worry about you. Just remember, they do it because they care, not because they're trying to hurt you. All anyone that cares about you wants is for you to be safe. I know it's difficult, but you have to understand; no one wants to hurt you. That's the last thing they would ever want to do"

Rukia blinked as she stared at Orihime. This was the most sense the young nurse had ever made. It was almost a scary thing, hearing her be so sensible. No, it was a really scary thing, hearing Orihime be so sensible. "I guess...I mean...I don't know"

"Think about it," Orihime said as turned to leave.

"Ishida-san, wait," Orihime smiled as she turned around.

"Yes, Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia paused, unsure of how to put her thoughts into words. Finally she said, in an aggravated tone, "You know what, forget it. Is Hinamori still around?"

Orihime looked rather put off by this, but said in a patient voice, "She's here still, yeah. But if you're looking to see her, you might want to wait a day or two. There was a...a bit of a complication, earlier this morning, one of her lungs collapsed. She's all right now," Orihime added to the panicked look on Rukia's face, "But she just got out of surgery a little while ago, she's probably still under-"

Rukia tried hard not to laugh. Hinamori was loopy enough without drugs, but with? That was a scary, scary thought. "I'll wait," Orihime's regular smile was back.

"Do you need anything?"

"A new life might be nice"

"Well, can't get you one of those, sorry. Call me if you need something I can get though," she left, leaving Rukia with nothing for company but her thoughts. And some company those were.

Author's Note: Wow. I hadn't realized how long it had been since my last update. it was a real surprise when I saw. anyways, I know nothing happened in this chapter, don't feel compelled to remind me. just review - please? - Sam