I thought about this, and wrote it. Simple as that. I think what inspired it was a book I saw today called Unspoken. And I got to thinking about how much is unspoken in Bleach.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters.

Unspoken

When he finds her, she is sitting outside on the roof, her hair blowing around in the wind and her shoulders are shaking slightly with the freezing cold. Her intense violet eyes are staring off in the distance as she hugs her arms around herself, trying to warm up; he knows it won't work because she is wearing a tank top. He walks up to her and takes off his coat, wrapping it around her shoulders. She flinches in surprise as his warm fingers run softly across her bare skin.

"Why are you out here?" he whispers, afraid that the slightest sound will disrupt the beautiful calm that had fallen upon the city.

"To think," she responds, just as quietly.

Neither of them speak for a few minutes. He begins to feel the loss of his coat as the wind picks up, blowing their hair in all directions.

"Think about what?" he asks finally.

When she turns to look at him, he is looking out toward the city. His arms are crossed across his chest, and he is wearing an intense look that nearly scares her. As she is about to look away, he turns and their eyes meet.

"About going back."

He knows what she's talking about; she talking about leaving this town, their school and their friends. And she's talking about leaving him.

"And?"

She doesn't respond. Instead, she hugs the coat more tightly around her body, glad that it was too big for her. He looks back out at the city, taking in a deep breath of the cold night air. It stings at his throat, but it's comforting in a way. It makes him feel alive.

"Do you miss it?" he asks, attempting to get an answer.

He fears she's not going to respond again, but she finally speaks, her eyes cast downward.

"I miss my friends and family. I miss being a part of something."

"You're a part of something here," he argues.

"Not really. Everyday at school, I watch you with your friends. You talk about things that are totally normal, and as we walk home, I have to ask you what it is. I don't belong here in this world, I belong back there."

He doesn't speak. He can't argue that she knows next to nothing about his world, but he doesn't want her to leave; he wants her to stay by his side forever. But he knows that it can never happen. One day, she will have to leave, and he knows it.

"You belong here, too," he says softly, his eyes drifting closed with the gentle sway of the wind. She turns to look at him, and when he looks at her, he is smiling softly. Not the fake smile he puts on so often, but a real smile. She likes seeing him smile.

"Not like back there.

"You can belong here."

"But do I want to?"

He has no answer. Instead, he moves closer to her and zips up the loose coat that is hanging around her shoulders. He doesn't know why he did it; natural, perhaps? A lot of things have come natural to him lately, especially when he's around her. Like protecting her. Whether it's from a Hollow, or from catching a cold, lately, it's come naturally.

"I want you to."

She is totally unprepared to hear him say that.

Silence falls between them. She doesn't speak and he doesn't either.

"Do you mean it?"

"Yeah, I do."

It wis the first conversation that they have had in a long time that didn't include name calling and yelling, and she finds that she rather likes it. It's nice to talk to him without screaming and insults.

"I don't know if I can. I want to see everyone I knew before. I want to be back there again, fighting side by side with my friends."

"Then I'll come with you. I'll stay by your side," he whispers.

"But your family . . ."

"I won't leave forever. I'll come back. But this is something I want to do. I don't want to leave you, and I don't want to forget."

She smiles a little, turning her head toward him. She finds that he is still looking at her, his hands now stuffed inside his pockets for warmth. He's standing a lot closer to her than she remembered.

"Will you really follow me if I go?"

"Yes."

She notices that he said it without hesitation.

Her smile growing, she takes advantage of their closeness and lays her head on his chest. He's surprised at first, but he slowly slips his hands out of his pockets and wraps his arms around her, pulling her small frame to him. She seems so fragile clasped gently in his grip, and he knows that he would do anything to protect her.

They stand like that for a while, neither speaking. Her face is buried in his chest, but her nose is still cold. She finally pulls back a little, looking up at him.

"Ichigo, my nose is cold."

He smiles and kisses the edge of her bright pink nose, surprising her.

"Then let's go inside, Rukia."

But they don't. They stand out on the roof for a while more, Rukia wrapped in Ichigo's arms, because they know that the peace and quiet won't last forever; it will shatter, and these little moments will have mattered, if not to anyone else, then to them.

Neither speak it aloud, but he knows it and she does, too. They love each other.

And it's little moments like these that make them realize what is unspoken.

Well, what do you think? Was it sweet? Sad? Plain terrible? Hmm?

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