Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters! Thanks to CrystalRaindrop007 for Beta'ing! The song is Far Away by Nickelback!
Our prints in blood, I'll hold your hand. You fell, I smiled, I'll help you stand.
Before The Rain — VI
"Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed, shocked, as she took her hand out of his once she was steady on her feet again. He looked down at the ground, his orange hair hiding his facial expressions from her. He glanced up slightly, his brown eyes meeting her own violet ones. She didn't blink and he didn't either; he was staring into her eyes, searching for the hate he was sure had to be there.
But it wasn't. All he saw in her eyes was sadness; sadness he knew that he had caused.
"Hello, Rukia," he said quietly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Hinamori gave Rukia a soft jab in the back. She glared at her friend, but turned around to face Ichigo again. He was still looking down at the floor, not speaking. She said,
"Ichigo . . . I-" she stopped speaking, reaching up to twist a strand of her hair in her fingers. "Can we . . . talk . . . or something?"
He looked at her for a second more before he brushed past her, his hands still in his pockets. As Byakuya followed him, he whispered back,
"Sorry, Rukia. I can't talk now."
She stared after him, tears prickling in her eyes as she watched him walk off without so much as a goodbye.
"Rukia . . . " Hinamori started, but she didn't get to speak, because Rukia pushed past her and ran off, knowing she was close to tears. Hinamori yelled, "Rukia!"
But her friend was gone. She had run out of the house, leaving the door swinging open behind her. Hinamori sighed in defeat.
God! These two were so thickheaded!
"Yuzu?"
Ichigo's voice was quiet and calm as he stared at his sister. She was wearing a white apron and was holding a cooking spoon in her hand, but the second she saw him, she dropped the spoon and ran over, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly.
"Ichi-nii!"
Ichigo noticed she was crying. He leaned down to where he was closer to her height and pulled her into his arms, letting her cry softly into his shirt.
When all her tears had been cried, she stepped back. Ichigo smiled at her, all traces of worry or sadness gone from his face as his eyes raked over his little sister.
"God, Yuzu, you've changed so much."
She blushed as he wiped a strand of hair out of her face.
Then, he hugged her again and didn't let go until he was sure she was going to push him away. Then, Yuzu began happily yapping about how she had lived for the past four years.
"And I like Rukia-chan! She comes and talks with us a lot. I met her when I was new. I was scared at first, but she gave me a hug and a flower and I felt happy. I was eight at the time, and she was twelve. Her and Inoue-san are my best friends!" she said, pointing to another girl across the room. The girl blushed and turned away. Ichigo raised his eyebrow.
"Do you talk to Rukia a lot?" Ichigo asked.
"Mm hm," Yuzu nodded, her eyes glowing as she began telling Ichigo of the times she had spent with Rukia, in and out of the kitchen.
"Hey, Yuzu, where is Karin? When you were moved, where did she go?" Ichigo asked, standing to his feet and placing his hand on Yuzu's head.
"Oh. Well . . . Karin went somewhere else. I haven't seen her in four years. But . . . but . . . I think she's OK. She's strong, and she had Urahara-kun as her owner. That was when she left. I don't know where they are, but I know that he said he would take good care of her," Yuzu said, smiling as she looked up at Ichigo. "Oh, Ichi-nii . . . it's so good to see you again."
He smiled and hugged her again.
It wasn't good to see her again . . . it was wonderful.
This time, This place
Misused, Mistakes
Too long, Too late
Who was I to make you wait?
Rukia dropped down in the flower garden, sitting on one of the benches. She dropped her head in her hands, willing herself not to cry. Ever since . . . ever since her fight with Ichigo . . . she had been closer to tears than ever before. It seemed to her like she was always fighting tears.
Honestly, why did she care so much if Ichigo hated her? Why . . . why did she feel as if her heart was breaking in two as Ichigo brushed past her so easily? Why did it seem like she wanted to cry so desperately? Why did she feel as if . . . as if . . . she would give the world to have him speak to her again?
Why?
Was . . . was it love?
Her mom used to tell her of love. And she had experienced love with Kaien . . . but she had only known Ichigo for a short time; maybe a week. Could it . . . could it be love?
Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know,
Not knowing the answers to any of her questions, Rukia just sat in the middle of the garden for what seemed like forever. She sat . . . and she thought.
What was she going to do? She hated her life!
Rukia cried out in frustration as she kicked a log that was holding in a bed of beautiful roses. Bending down, she took one of the roses and picked it gently from its stem.
She sat down on the ground, her negs beneath her as she turned the rose around, finding a small thorn on the stem. Pressing her finger to it, she let the thorn rip through her soft, pale skin. She bit her lip, not letting a word of pain slip past her lips. Once she had cut a small line from the top of her thumb down to the bottom, she dropped the crumpled rose to the ground.
'Cause you know,
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
Watching as the warm, red liquid ran over her finger, she took a deep breath in, her body shaking from the slight pain that seemed to travel throughout all her nerves. Biting her lip harder, until she drew blood, she winced. Once her blood had completely covered her thumb, she used her other thumb to wipe it around on her four other fingers and her palm, then pressed her hand to a small, white rock on the ground. She gasped as the cold stone bit at her hand.
When she took her hand away, the stone had her five finger prints on it and her palm print.
"To look back on my life . . . and to remember when I was myself, uncomformed to my family's wishes. To remember . . . to remember when I still had those beautiful memories of my loved ones that are beginning to fade. And to remember love . . ."
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore
She cut herself off then pressed the open wound to a piece of cloth she had in her pocket.
Leaning back against the bench she had been sitting on only minutes ago, she smiled as she looked up into the sky.
As she watched the sunset, she wished that it would stay beautiful forever. But the beautiful colors that painted the sky just before dark closed in were only there for a few minutes. There . . . and then they went away.
And she wondered, wherever he was, if Ichigo was watching the sunset, too.
Soon, as she continued to stare vacantly into the sky, the sun has almost gone down all the way. It had to have been at least an hour since she came out here. It had been roughly four-thirty when she had left the house, and it never started to get dark until at least five-thirty or six.
Sighing and picking herself up off the bench, she smiled as she took a deep breath in. She closed her eyes and let the wind wash over her, let her jean skirt fly in the wind . . . let her hair whip across her face.
And she gasped when she felt a hand on her face. A hand that wasn't her own. She opened her eyes and looked up.
"I-Ichigo . . ."
On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of hell to hold your hand
He stood there, his orange hair sticking out deeply with his black turtleneck and jeans. His rough hand danced over her face as he moved her hair out of her eyes. Neither spoke. They looked deeply into the other's faces, looking for the unspoken words. Her violet eyes were caught in his . . . she couldn't move her gaze as his brown orbs gazed deeply into her.
And it felt like he could see into her very soul.
"I'm sorry, Rukia," he began, not breaking their gaze as he cupped the side of her face with his hand.
"Ichigo . . ."
"I'm so sorry, Rukia. Those things I said . . . God, I didn't mean to make you cry. It hurts to see you cry . . ." he trailed off and smiled the smallest bit as he cocked his head to the side. She smiled, too, reaching her hand up to cover his.
"I can't deny that it hurt, Ichigo . . . but please, don't . . . please, don't feel as though it was your fault that your mother died. Please stop blaming yourself for the past. Please move on, because if you don't, you'll be hurt in the worst ways. And you'll hurt those around you. Like . . . like you hurt me . . ."
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything but I won't give up
'Cause you know,
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Rukia . . . I just . . . I dunno. I just lost control, I guess. I do that a lot. Well . . . not a lot, because . . . God. I'm rambling again," Ichigo paused and reached a hand up to run his fingers through his messy head of orange hair. He continued, "Rukia . . . I'm sorry. And when I say that, you'd better believe I mean it. Because you are the first person I have I've ever said that in my life besides to my family."
Rukia smothered a laugh.
"Glad you find me amusing," Ichigo said, smirking. But then his face turned softer. "Look, I would really like it if . . . if you would take me riding again . . ."
He left his sentence open, letting it be more of a question than a statement. Rukia turned her gaze to meet his, her head cocking to the side.
"If you will let me," she said.
He nodded and smiled, reaching down to take her hand in his. He broke their gaze, looking down at the ground as he said slowly,
"Rukia . . . who was Kaien?"
"I-I . . . Kaien was . . . " she started, but broke herself off as she felt tears well up in her eyes.
'Cause you know
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
Ichigo gently took her in his arms as he saw her begin to cry. She stiffened, but quickly relaxed in his embrace, sighing deeply as she let her tears finally fall. He muttered,
"You can tell me when you feel like it. I'll wait."
He held her until the sun had disappeared over the horizon. There was still a little light being cast along the grassy plains, but not much. Then, she pulled back and wiped away the remainder of her tears. He smiled and held out his hand. She reached out and took the orange daisy he had gently clasped in his fingers.
"Thank you," she said quietly, twirling it around in her fingertips. He nodded. She looked back up at him for a second before asking, "Ichigo . . . you sister . . . her name's Yuzu, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. It was so nice to see her again. But Karin, my other sister . . . Yuzu said that she was sent somewhere else, and that she hasn't seen her in four years. I hope she's alright."
He trailed off and stared into the distance.
"Ichigo . . . could you do something for me?" Rukia asked, gently placing the flower he had given her on the bench they were standing beside. He nodded.
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore
"What is it?" he asked softly, tightening his grip on her hand as she hauled him over to the rock that bore her handprint in blood. He gasped when he saw it. But beside hers, on the rock, was a large space.
Large enough for another hand.
"Could you . . . could you put your handprint beside mine? So whenever I look at this rock . . . I can remember you as well everything else that this signifies?"
"In blood?" he asked. She nodded. He looked slightly nervous, but leaned over to pick up the rose she had discarded earlier. He pressed it into his thumb, and carved the same mark on his hand as she had in hers. He didn't even wince as the blood ran over his hand. She gripped his other hand tightly in hers, her eyes shining with anxiety as she watched his blood slowly drop to the ground below. When he had spread it across his fingers and palm, he pressed it to the rock.
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
That I love you
He pulled it back after a second and smiled, taking the hand that she had pressed to the rock earlier, holding it lightly in his as he pressed their hands together. His hand was large and scarred while hers was small and soft. Their blood ran together, as she had removed the cloth from her hand.
"I'll always remember you, no matter what," Ichigo said, pulling his hand back and leaning down to write something on the rock beside their handprints, also in blood. After he was finished, she looked down at the words.
Our prints in blood, I'll hold your hand. You fell, I smiled, I'll help you stand.
"Cheesy, huh?" Ichigo asked, blushing as he took his hand away and wiped some of the blood off on his jeans.
"Yeah, just a little. But I like it."
Rukia laughed at the look on Ichigo's face. He raised an eyebrow and then shrugged.
Rukia stood to her feet and smiled as she reached over and grabbed the flower that Ichigo had given her.
I have loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
"Now, we need to get back before dark, stupid," Ichigo said, smiling as he took Rukia's hand. She stuck her tongue out at him and jabbed him in the stomach as they walked out of the garden hand-in-hand.
At the garden entrance, they stopped and Ichigo turned to Rukia, holding her hand tightly in his.
"Ah . . . Rukia, there's something else I kinda wanted to say."
"Mm hm?" she asked, looking up into his eyes as he scratched his head.
"Ah . . . well . . ." Ichigo rolled his eyes to the ever-darkening sky and then turned to look at her again. He swallowed all of his pride, trying to force it into a corner. But it was like trying to shove a square inside a circle. He finally said, "I . . . well, I like ya."
She smiled.
"I like you too, dofus."
"No, that's not what I meant. I . . ."
Words didn't seem to be enough, so Ichigo sighed, pulling his hand from his hair and letting it fall to rest on Rukia's cheek. Shrugging and preparing himself for a slap or kick, or worse, he lowered his face and pressed his lips to hers.
'Cause I'm not leaving
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Wanna take bets on if Ichigo gets hurt or not for kissing Rukia? I'll start the bidding at one hundred.
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