My eyes slowly opened, but this time I didn't feel relaxed. A slight pain vibrated in my bones and I touched my head. It hurt. As I looked at my hand, I realized it was soaked in blood.
"Oh no..."
"Hey! HEY!" I weakly turned around to see the younger Ichigo rushing towards me.
"What happened? Why are you bleeding?" As he gathered me up in his arms, my eyelids began to droop.
"HEY! You can't die!" His tears dropped on my face, "Please tell me what happened!"
I shook my head. I don't know what's happening either...
"You don't know? Dammit! What's your name? I need your name!" he shrieked. My vision was blurring and it was hard to stay awake now.
"Kuchiki...Rukia..." I whispered.
The chirping of birds and the hum of the AC slowly woke me... I opened my eyes to see a white ceiling.
"Rukia!" Ichigo cried, jumping up from the chair beside the bed. He sank down with relief as I turned towards him. "Thank god...you're okay.."
I couldn't help but smile.
"You know, you're much more emotional than the Ichigo I know," I whispered. He scowled and turned away, but I could see his ears were red.
"It's just that... I've never met anyone like you," he mumbled. Hmm, perhaps kissing him was too much, I thought.
"Rukia?" I turned my head and nearly jumped out of the bed. Kisuke Urahara stood by the doorway. "Ah, so it is you. I thought so, but I just had to be sure..."
I whirled on the younger Ichigo.
"How do you know him?" Wasn't Urahara someone Ichigo only knew because of me? He shrugged.
"I don't really - I just know he operates this store. It was the closest place at the time..."
Urahara smacked Ichigo on the head with his fan.
"You talk too much. Please leave while I talk to Rukia-chan for a moment," Urahara said lazily. Ichigo scowled and left the room with a slight backward glance at me. I smiled at him and he relaxed.
As soon as the door shut, Urahara turned to me.
"You came from the future, didn't you Rukia-san?" He looked at me carefully. "Not only do you seem older, but it seems..." Urahara suddenly shook his head.
"Never mind. The important thing is," he tapped my wrist, "this thing."
I recalled the horror in Urahara's face and wondered why he didn't seem as worried as then.
"Yeah...I got it at a moon festival celebration," I explained, "Ever since then, I've been jumping back and forth in time."
Urahara nodded knowingly.
"Let me ask you a question. Are you in love with someone right now?" he said, his eyes hidden beneath the pin-wheeled hat.
Surprise colored my face. Why did he need to know that?
"Because that tattoo you have there is known as the Moon's Tear, and is a bit of both a curse and a blessing - it depends on the user." He grabbed my wrist and pointed at the moon.
"But you should be careful...you're running out of time, Rukia-san," he said. "If you don't complete the requirements of the spell, then what you just experienced is only the beginning."
My hand shot to my forehead and I realized it was wrapped with bandages.
"Yes, that's right. You'll suffer headaches, bleeding, pain...and eventually death. Each time jump will take a heavier toll on your body," he explained. A chill had crept through the room.
"Then what do I need to do to stop them?" I said, my voice tense with anxiety.
Urahara shrugged. "That's the thing - it's different for every person. For you to be given this tattoo, there must be a reason...I would suggest you recall the conditions of the night you went to the moon festival..."
White light crept into my vision and I reached out to Urahara.
"Wait! How-"
FWOOSH!
I blacked out.
"Rukia-chan! Rukia-chan! Look at that! It's so pretty! Can we go look at it?" Inoue begged me as she pointed at the small booth with a crescent moon painted on its sign.
"All right, if you want to," I said helplessly as the girl dragged me away. I turned back towards Ichigo and the group. He shot me an amused smile with an expression that said, 'do you want me to rescue you?'
I rolled my eyes and waved goodbye with a grin.
"Oooh, look at this! Fortune telling!" Inoue suddenly shrieked, interrupting my cool wave-off to Ichigo.
I bent down, fascinated by a particular sentence.
"We can tell you what you want the most - a 100% guarantee!" I read aloud.
Inoue and I exchanged disbelieving looks and suddenly, the curtain was swept aside. I was stunned. The woman, tall and striking, was beautiful in a mystical sense. She had dark, Arabian-like skin and decorated jewels across her body. Resting on her head was a silver tiara with a pearl embedded in the center.
"Whoa... so beautiful," Inoue murmured in amazement.
"Hello ladies...do you wish to have your fortune and your greatest desire read?"
"YES!" Inoue burst out without waiting for my opinion. The lady smiled charmingly and welcomed us into her tent.
She sat down on the puffy cushion and brought out a bowl of crystal clear water. It was still and as I peered over, I saw my reflection. Suddenly, she dropped in a gem stone, and ripples vibrated across the surface.
I looked up to find her eyes on me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
"Would you like to go first...?" she said in a silky voice. I felt my heart pound as Inoue shoved me forward.
The lady motioned for me to sit down in front of her. I did as told and she dipped her hand in the water, swirling it around and causing the gem stone to float around lightly. As it swirled around, I began to feel drowsy. The air felt thicker and my sense had dulled a great deal.
"Your heart has a strong emotion...it's a burning desire you greatly deny exists," the lady abruptly murmured. "In truth, you are not the only one who denies this shared feeling... One whose heart shines with the deepest courage and pride with a wish to protect those he loves also denies it..." Her eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Ah..I see. It is that situation," She drew forward and gave me a mysterious smile.
"Would you like me to offer you an opportunity?" I blinked my eyes slowly and without thinking, nodded...
"AHHHHH!" I screamed, jumping up from the bed. Ichigo stared at me in surprise, frozen as my scream broke off midway.
"Um.. are you okay?" His eyes suddenly became heavy. "You were...bleeding a lot when they found you. What happened to you, Rukia? You've been acting strangely recently, and now you're injured." He turned his back to me as he soaked the wash cloth in water.
I looked around and realized I was in the 4th division's care. Ichigo turned to me and gently wiped my face with the wash cloth. His strong fingers steadily cleansed the blood away from my face. As he worked, I found myself looking at his eyes.
"Ichigo..."
He looked at me.
I touched his face and leaned forward, my lips pressing against his.
"I love you,"
His face was stiff as I caressed his face in my hand, inhaling his musky scent, but suddenly he dropped the wash cloth and ran his fingers through my hair gently. Ichigo's tongue swam through my mouth and I burned with heat. His hair was so soft...
Pulling back, Ichigo's dark eyes bore into me intensely.
"No - wait. Why are you hurt? What's going on?"
I looked at my wrist and smiled.
"It's okay now. It won't happen anymore," I looked at him and smiled, leaning into his shoulder.
"As long as I'm with you, I'll be fine."
The moon tattoo had returned to a full moon, and instead of the bold ink lines, it was now a faded silver.