A ray of bright white light hit Rukia's slightly opened eyes. She tried raising her hand to block the light, but noticed a weight weighing it down. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the light and she was finally able to look at her captor. Byakuya's eyes opened not long after, smiling as he saw her face.
"You're awake," he said with more relief than he let on.
"How- What?" Rukia's face was full of confusion, and her voice was hoarse, it was almost painful for her to talk. Byakuya took the glass of water next to her and lifted it up to her lips while she drank the contents gently to refrain from putting more pressure on her throat.
"Your first and last fight as my wife... and I nearly lost you." Byakuya noticed that Rukia still had a confused look etched on her face an continued to explain. "You saved me from a hollow and you've been in a coma since. We... We weren't sure if you'd wake up."
"How long have I been gone?"
"A month."
"Have you been sleeping at all?" Rukia asked worriedly, tracing her fingers under Byakuya's eyes.
"Not very well." He took his hand and placed it on her still pale cheeks. "There was an empty space beside me."
"You were in my dreams," she murmured.
"I know. It took me this long to accept my feelings for you Rukia, and once I did I was finally able to call you back to me." He hesitated and looked away to the wooden floor before looking back to her bright violet eyes. "I always thought that my feelings for you were wrong- that I had no right to your love and kindness after the way I treated you. But I was selfish, and I wanted- no... needed your love."
Despite only being reunited for a brief moment, they felt as if a wall had been taken away from them, and they instead had shared a lifetime together.
"I love you Rukia."
"As I love you Byakuya anata."