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11. Death

War-time. The word tolled painfully in Rukia's head, ringing out someone's death.

She could feel blood crusting below her lip, Shirayuki slippery in her grasp, the rubble's dust clogging her eyes. War-time.

What was she doing? Oh, she was resting. Resting because she was one of the few with only shallow cuts and bruises, and she needed to be strong if someone else fell.

Who will fall next?

Death seemed to be lurking close, that cat-eyed haunt, stalking about the ruins of buildings and shattered bodies.

A sudden shift in the air behind her - she almost turned, her deadly blade swinging, but just in time she realized the shift was not from an enemy. A hand paused lightly at her shoulder. "Rukia, you okay?"

She wanted to scream no, how could anyone be okay, this is war-time, you idiot - But she stuttered a sigh and muttered, "I guess."

She raised her head, timidly regarding his well-being. "What about you, Ichigo?"

At least he was here to talk to, his face concerned, ravaged by war just as her face was. He forced a difficult smile. "Decent." His hand left her shoulder, leaving behind an empty space of loss.

"I've- I've got to go back to fighting," he said, and she now noticed the bags under his eyes and the gauntness of his cheeks.

"Rest," she pleaded.

"I can't. It's..." He didn't finish, didn't want to say how bad things were looking.

"Listen," he began, catching her shoulder again, "you shouldn't stay here. Things will get real rough, and you can't be caught up in it."

"Ichigo, I do not need to be protected, I can fight -"

"You've said that before, I know. But... Here, now.... Please." With a jolt of bitter understanding, Rukia saw it, clear and painful, in his expression.

"Just... go. Don't stay." His eyes refused to break from hers. "You... out of everyone, can't get hu -" He choked, either on the dust or on his own words.

There was a fragment of fence stuck in his hair. She gently removed it - a small act of kindness compared to what he was doing for her. "All right," she murmured, close to his ear.

And just before she turned to shunpo away, she grabbed his hand and looked right into his face.

"Don't die," she commanded fiercely. "Don't die, Ichigo."

His lids lowered. "I won't."

They separated ways, hearts connected - through war-time, and through death itself.

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