Here it is people!

The much-awaited epilogue.

Enjoy the read!

.

.

Epilogue : Our Memories

.

.

She was laughing.

For a reason I did not understand, she was there, at the end of the stony path in some valley of Seiretei, bent over and laughing with her friend, Inoue. It was a clear sound, rippling through the dusty whoosh of the hot breeze, and I forgot everything for a moment.

A moment I say, because an annoying man smacked me back to awareness, literally.

I clutched my throbbing head and turned around to glare at Ishida Uryu, my adviser. What was the matter with him? He didn't have to smack me!

"As a matter of fact I did," he answered as though reading my thoughts, annoying me further. "You look like a hungry dog staring at her like that, Kurosaki. I could almost see the wagging tongue."

"I was not-"

"Seriously? I thought we were past the denials-"

"Okay, okay, OKAY! So I was staring at her. What else do you expect? I haven't seen her in over a month!"

It had been a little more than a month – 48 days to be exact, and of course I had been counting – since Aizen's trial. That was the last day I had seen Rukia and her troupe of friends, before sending them back to their villages. I had tried stopping Rukia and goading her into staying back, but honestly speaking, there was nothing I had to offer that could make her stay back. The one person she cared for the most had no affection for the luxuries of palatial living, and I suspected Seiretei held a sentimental value for Rukia, an attachment to which no other place in the world could compare.

And hence I had spent one very miserable month and 18 days.

It was not that there was lack of work – my days would be filled with reorganizing the inner council of ministers, reassigning portfolios, removing Aizen's loyal followers, transporting girls back to their respective villages, organizing the coronation ceremony which would be held to officially abolish the slavery and trading of subjects, and paperwork. A whole lot of paperwork, always ensured by the lovely Ishida Uryu.

But the nights… they would be so lonely.

With Rukia no longer around, I would have no option other than to sleep off the day's exhaustion. Sometimes I would lie awake and stare the jar she'd knocked off when attempting to punch me, the hard bound book ( I knew this from experience ) she'd throw my way when I'd annoy her, the doors she'd slam open every evening to announce her presence and obvious displeasure –

And then I'd think, why is every memory of ours filled with acts of violence?

Every night, I'd ask myself that question and almost laugh at it. There were no our memories. I didn't know what her memories of us were, but my memories of us… they were of moments when our eyes would meet, and she'd turn away, afraid to let me in; when we'd come dangerously close in the game of assassination and she'd stare at me, her confusion at the obvious tension between us seeping in me; when her voice would break when the subject of her brother would come up; when her fingers would unconsciously push back that strand of hair falling between her eyes…

I nearly groaned. Save these for the night, idiot.

"Ichigo?"

My heart started thumping loudly and I felt irritation flare up within me. What was the matter with me! Since when had I become so feminine?

"If you don't like us, why are you here?"

That's when I looked down – she was extremely short – into the blazing eyes of the woman who had been plaguing my nights. She and Inoue seemed to have noticed us standing and covered the path to reach us while I had been lost in my daydreams. Daydreams about those eyes. Those eyes which were blazing… angrily?

"What?"

"You were scowling at us."

My irritation must have shown. How would I explain it to her? "Um," was the intelligent reply I gave.

"That is the expression Kurosaki was born with, Kuchiki-san."

I glared at Ishida. Thank you for the save, you bastard. When I turned back to look at Rukia, she had her eyes trained on Ishida, studying him with great interest.

"You know my last name."

"I see no reason not to."

Bad answer. Rukia's eyes narrowed. "And pray tell, what may be the reason for this interest?"

Ishida's eyes glittered behind his glasses, which he adjusted in a sign of obvious excitement. "It is a little difficult to not know about the woman who invaded the palace walls, declared her intention to assassinate the emperor and ended up bringing down his biggest enemy."

Rukia smiled sweetly at him. "Or maybe Inoue told you."

At this Ishida straightened up, stiff and uncomfortable. "Maybe?"

When did he meet Inoue? "When did you meet Inoue?"

"He has been visiting our village to meet her since the past month and a half, Ichigo." Rukia answered drily, sparing a glance at her fidgeting companion.

A MONTH and a HALF? All this while Ishida had been seeing Rukia, here in Seiretei, and not once bothered telling me?!

"YOU-"

"They became acquainted in the palace while he was still your secondary adviser," Rukia interrupted me, calmly gauging Ishida. "Apparently he would be by Inoue's side through the night to make sure she didn't take any extreme steps out of her concern for my well-being."

"That was not what I was going to ask him!" Though it was something I had been unaware of previously, it was something I could question him about later. But there was obviously something more important than that right now-

Ishida smiled indulgently. "If I had not visited Inoue-san, how would you have kept tabs on the Emperor, Kuchiki-san?"

At this Rukia froze, her calm demeanor rumpling and panic-filled eyes darting to mine. I had a sudden déjà vu moment from the memories I recounted every night.

She immediately went on the defensive. "I did not-"

"You asked me about his health."

"Because he had been poisoned!"

"You asked if he still had the harem."

"Because I needed to know if those girls had been transported back safely!"

"You asked if he had finally won the favor and loyalty of all his court subjects."

"Because I was involved in the Aizen controversy!"

She was panting now, her cheeks puffed up and filling with blood, hair disarrayed due to the vigorous head shaking.

Ishida shrugged. "Okay."

She looked at me, and I tried my best to look neutral. But the damage had been done.

I was happier than I had been in the past 48 days.

Perhaps she sensed it too, for she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. I had come to realize that the gesture meant she was being stubborn and in denial. "Don't let it get to your head, Ichigo."

"Too late for that."

"Rukia?"

"Mm?"

"Someday, I'll tell you about my mother."

I could suddenly feel her eyes on me. She said nothing, but I could feel her questions.

It was evening time. We had spent the entire day touring the village of Seiretei, with its rising white towers, churches, flower fields, people. Inoue and Ishida had wandered off with some children to explore some flowers, while Rukia and I sat here, on the steps leading to her house.

I looked at her.

We were not in the same place. Where were we? We had started out as enemies, moved on to begrudging acquaintances, cleared up all the misunderstandings to start afresh... and now we were in a strange place. Neither friends, nor acquaintances, nor.. anything more. All that had remained constant was this undeniable something that had existed between us from the first moment we'd met; something I knew she felt too but had not come to realize.

And that is why we were not in the same place.

Here we were, seated next to each other, shoulders nearly touching – the closest we had ever been, mutually and willingly…. But we were still far. She was in the realm of discovering what we had, and I… I had reached the destination called realization.

She was far from it. Far, far from it. But she had made a start.

Maybe someday we would be sitting on these very steps, and she would be laughing with me, and we would be remembering our memories, and then we'd laugh together, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder.

She would know my soul, I would know hers.

But that someday was still away. For today, this one little step would have to do. One step at a time, for her towards realization, and for me towards her.

Till then, I guess I would just have to wait.

"Ichigo?" she asked softly, an underlying current of nervousness in her voice.

I felt a smile grow on my face, happiness in my heart. "But before that - how would you like to come to the palace and be the moral educator for children?"

"Is that why all those years back you-"

"No. Yes." Sigh. "Maybe. I wanted you, but it was also because you were very educated!"

Laugh. "You are such a girl, Ichigo."

"Your manliness makes up for it."

Smack.

"I love you too, wife."

So here it is! The End. La Fin.

I enjoyed this so much. And I feel proud for having completed this story, this idea, this fantasy that I wished to share with you all.

I wanted to make the epilogue in Ichigo's POV. All through the story we got to see Rukia's POV - her strength, her fears, her confusion - why not Ichigo? Though here I have just touched upon the part of his character that is concerned with his feelings for Rukia. If you have read the previous chapters carefully, you'll realize that they spell out Ichigo's character as well. I guessed many of you might have wanted to see his POV concerning her!

As for what happens between their conversation on the steps and the snippet of the future... I guess that's a story for another day. Or up to your imagination! Sometimes, reading in between the lines and open endings spell out a lot more than concretely worded closure.

Thank you so much for your support. All your reviews, favorites, follows and hits in fact encouraged me greatly. You'll are a great audience! I hope you all enjoyed this ride as much as I did. :) Adios, and see you all in The Courting Of The Princess!