Author's Note: Whoo, this is the LAST chapter. I'm so proud of myself for actually finishing a fic...I've started a new one and will post it later today or some other time in the very near future. It's called Ryoka and you can check out my profile for details. In the meantime, I will also wrap up The Pursuit of Happiness and continue on From Me To You, though I'm considering suspending that one because I'm not too fond of it.

Anyway, enjoy, and thanks for reading.

When he opened his eyes, Ichigo found himself staring at the stark, blank ceiling. With a groan, he tried to sit up, realizing that under his tattered kimono, practically his whole upper body was in bandages. He looked down, finding that he was sitting on a hospital bed of sorts, and he realized, he must be in the fourth division.

It was completely silent, except for the sound of rain pelting the ground outside.

Rain?

That was new. He didn't remember it raining in Soul Society before, but then again, he had never been there very long earlier, either.

Nonetheless, the strawberry, although still in a wounded condition, promptly decided that he wanted to see the rain.

He stood, making his way out of the room and down the hallway until he reached the main exit. Opening the door, he stepped outside to see thousands of droplets of rain falling softly to the ground in a muted melody.

With a sigh, he seated himself on the porch under the overhanging, looking into the grey sky and savoring the soothing sound of the rain hitting the earth, the earthy smell that the rain always brought, and the sight of the silver droplets falling from the clouds.

For a long time, he was entirely alone, just sitting there and staring. He had already lost track of the time, and he was wondering how long he had been out there.

That was when he felt a familiar reiatsu from somewhere behind him.

He turned to see Hitsugaya standing in the open doorway, quietly watching the rainstorm from behind him. He, too, was in bandages, Ichigo noted, but he was wearing only his kimono and not the tenth-division haori. The absence of his symbol of authority seemed to take away his haughty air and replace it with an innocent, almost child-like one.

"Toshiro…?"

"I was wondering when you'd notice."

With a small laugh, Ichigo patted the ground next to him. "Come on over and have a seat. I guess we can watch the rain together, if you want."

Hitsugaya hesitated uncertainly, before finally stepping towards the area Ichigo had indicated and sitting down next to him.

Unconciously, Ichigo absently wrapped an arm around Hitsugaya's shoulders, pulling him close. The boy didn't seem to mind this, so he went on to speak again.

"You like the rain?" he inquired.

"Not really," Hitsugaya answered quietly. "It's just that it brings back memories."

"Yeah. I know what you mean."

Students shrieked, holding their books over their heads and scrambling frantically towards the buildings where they would be safe from the rain indoors. Some of the boys playfully splashed some of the shrieking girls with the puddles, while others just stood under the eaves of the roves, waiting for the storm to pass.

Kusaka and Hitsugaya were one of those who were waiting.

"Do you like the rain, Toshiro?" Kusaka asked with a smile.

"No. Getting wet is so childish," Hitsugaya snorted.

"Really? I think it's the second-best thing to ice."

"No, it's not. Rain and ice aren't even in the same league…Hey! Where the hell are you going, Kusaka!?"

"What does it look like?" Kusaka laughed as he stepped out from under the roof and into the open, where the rain instantly began to fall, drenching him from head to foot. "Come on! It's really fun. You should try it, Toshiro."

"Fun?" the snow-haired boy repeated indignantly. "You're crazy. Come back over here where it's dry before you catch a cold."

"Toshiro," Kusaka insisted, extending his hand towards him. "Try it. I swear you'll like it."

"Why are you always doing such immature things…?"

"There's nothing immature about living life to the fullest, is there?"

At these words, Hitsugaya's words trailed off. Kusaka was right. Life wasn't going to wait for him. It was just going to pass him by and slip through his fingers while he stood there stupidly, just because he didn't want to get wet.

Uncertainly, he reached out, placing his dainty hand in Kusaka's, allowing him to guide him out from under the roof and into the open world where the rain reigned over the sky.

"See?" Kusaka laughed, seeing Hitsugaya's wide-eyed expression as he promptly began to become drenched in the downpour. "It feels nice, doesn't it?"

"I guess you're right…"

With another laugh, Kusaka affectionately wrapped his arms around Hitsugaya, lifting him into the air and spinning him in circles. And despite himself, Hitsugaya found himself realizing that this was one of the happiest moments of his life.

It was immature beyond comprehension, but by now, neither Kusaka nor Hitsugaya were even close to caring anymore.

"Love you, Toshiro."

"I love you too, Kusaka, you idiot."

Blinking hard, Hitsugaya forcefully wrenched himself back into the present as he furiously wiped at the tears stinging at his eyes with the back of his kimono sleeves, angry with himself for getting so emotional over a mere flashback that had been induced by the rain.

"Hey, Toshiro, what's wrong?" Ichigo inquired.

"I-It's nothing," he muttered quickly, trying to brush it off. "There was just something in my eye…"

"It's okay," Ichigo answered quietly. "There's nothing wrong with crying every now and then. That's what the rain is for."

"What do you mean?"

As Ichigo rose from his seat, Hitsugaya blinked. He was surprised to see that Ichigo, too, had tears slowly trickling down his face.

"Ichigo, why…?"

"I lost my mother in a rainstorm, just like this one. It was a long time ago, but…" His words fading, Ichigo slowly stepped out from under the overhanging, into the rain. He was instantly soaked, and as the rain ran down his face, it was impossible to distinguish it from the tears.

"…But the rain hides everything, right?"

"I guess," Hitsugaya murmured quietly, looking at his feet.

"Toshiro…"

At the sound of Ichigo calling his name, the juuban tai taichou slowly looked up.

Ichigo was holding his hand out, extended to him, a smile on his face. "Come on. I promise you you'll like it out here."

Teal eyes met brown.

That was when Hitsugaya realized that like Kusaka, Ichigo knew what life was. He knew how to live, not to survive, but to live. To be alive. And if it involved running out into a rainstorm, then so be it.

Thank you, Kusaka…Thank you for allowing me to finally move on…

With a small smile, Hitsugaya placed his hand in Ichigo's, allowing the strawberry to guide him out into the rain like Kusaka had years ago.

The rain hit him head-on right away, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind the frigid liquid drenching his hair and clothes at all, the chill seeping comfortably deep into the depths of his soul. Despite that, however, he felt surprisingly warm. All he needed was Ichigo's smile and his unconditional kindness. And for the first time in a very long time, he thought, that maybe he had finally found the peace he had been searching for ever since the day Kusaka Sojiro had died.

"See? It feels nice, right?"

"It does…"

There was another pause before slowly, Ichigo reached out, taking Hitsugaya in his arms and drawing him close, holding him tightly, before finally, leaning downwards and gently tilting Hitsugaya's face upwards with one hand, he pressed his lips to his.

Hitsugaya wasn't surprised, and he wasn't hesitant this time, either. He knew what he wanted now. He knew what he was capable of and what was best.

Slowly and softly, he reached upwards to wrap his arms around Ichigo's neck, deepening the kiss ever-so-slightly.

It didn't matter that the rain was still falling. It didn't matter that both of them were soaking wet. Nothing at all mattered at this moment.

And Hitsugaya realized something. He had been wrong at first, but now, he was confident enough with himself to assume one important thing.

This may have been a mistake, as he had personally told the strawberry himself before. This might not have been true, either, but even if it was, Hitsugaya Toshiro was utterly convinced by this point that falling in love with Kurosaki Ichigo had to be the best mistake he had ever made.

"I love you, Toshiro."

"I love you too…Ichigo."

THE END.