At lunch-break, when Ichigo went to play football, Rukia took the opportunity to go off on her own. The early afternoon was an unlikely time for hollows and she needed time to think about what had happened and its implications. The spot she chose was a tree on the edge of the schoolgrounds. She scaled the trunk easily and perched on one of the branches, her legs hanging down. From here, she could see the tops of nearby buildings and a vast swathe of the bright summer sky. Insects buzzed around her and birds sung. The sounds of the living world were a constant heartbeat, but also a reminder to her that nothing here would last.
She could not forgive Urahara or even Uryu for the parts they had played. Soul Society would have monitored the appearance of a menos in this world. Someone, somewhere, even now, would be asking questions, she knew. So, her time had run out. But she was still unclear about what to do, save that she had made a decision on one thing and one thing alone: she would do everything in her power to keep Ichigo from falling into their hands. That would have to be her starting point. From there, surely, other things would fall into place. There had to be a way.
"There she is! Hey, Rukia! Come on! Come to lunch with us!"
She glanced down from her perch to see a group of girls from her class waiting beneath the tree. Orihime was waving a lunchbox at her. She opened her mouth to make an excuse, but realised she had none.
Usually, she ate with Ichigo and his friends. Failing that, she preferred her own company, so it felt strange to sit with a crowd of girls with their quick voices and their laughter. Unlike Ichigo's companions, they kept up a constant flurry of conversation that became a gentle buzz of sound as she ate, now and again smiling as she heard themtalking about someone she knew.
"So, Kuchiki-san, are you and Kurosaki-kun an item?" asked one girl suddenly.
Rukia choked.
"Michiru! You can't ask that!" cried Chizuru. She was a tall girl with red hair and glasses. Rukai knew her as one of Orihime's friends. The other who had spoken was small with a ponytail, and Rukia couldn't recall having seen her in class.
"Why not, Chizuru? You're always saying that you think they are."
"But still, you can't ask! It's not polite!"
Orihime, seated to Rukia's left, reached out and touched her arm:
"It's alright, Kuchiki-san. She doesn't mean anything by it."
Rukia tried to hide her shock. Only Orihime seemed aware that the question had disturbed her so deeply. The other two were grinning:
"Well, now the question's out there," said Chizuru: "Are you a couple or aren't you?"
"Ichigo and I, we're – good friends."
"Oh, that's a shame," said Orihime, still resting her fingers lightly on Rukia's arm: "Because I like Ichigo and Tatsuki likes Ichigo. If you liked Ichigo too, I'm sure he'd be happy."
Tatsuki, who had been observing from a distance, moved closer and sat with her chin on her knees:
"That's not how relationships work, you know, 'Hime. It's not that more is better."
"Well, I don't like Ichigo," said the small girl. "He scares me."
"That's only because he frowns all the time," said Chizuru. They continued to talk and Rukia looked down, staring hard at the lunch on her knees that had suddenly become less appetising.
"Hey, Rukia, over summer we're planning on going to the beach," said Orihime suddenly: "All of us. Ichigo too. You'll come, won't you?"
Rukia looked at the girl whose eyes were shining and hopeful:
"I don't know. I mean – maybe."
Orihime's face fell:
"You know that what you always say, Kuchiki-san. Maybe. Always maybe."
"Is it? I'm - I'm sorry. But maybe."
Because how could she tell her the truth?