Chapter 2 - Into the Human World
The stuffy halls of the Kuchiki mansion never failed to help Rukia feel protected. The safety of the walls of her real home, however, also never failed to help her feel suffocated. The bleak and empty halls stretched out for as many rooms as it could hold and always looked as if nobody lived there. Her soft steps let out small creaks as her weight pushed on the centuries old floorboards underneath her. She turned to the room she had been beckoned to, earlier in the morning, and slid it open gracefully. She bowed.
"Come in," the ever-cold Byakuya watched as his sister-in-law entered and stood before him.
"Good morning, Nii-sama, Ukitake-taichou." She bowed once more, and sat about a metre away from the two heads.
"No need to be so formal Kuchiki," Ukitake smiled, "we are old comrades, are we not?"
"Old is… a term I prefer not to use, Ukitake-taichou," she flashed her smile, meeting eyes with her captain.
"Yes, well, on to more pressing business," He unrolled the scroll that had been resting on his lap thus far. "With the acknowledgement of your brother and captain, you are hereby deployed back at Karakura town." He read.
Rukia looked at him in slight surprise, the face of a noble never contorts to intense reactions, she remembered.
"There have been reports of rieatsu activity from Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya said, the distaste of the name sharpened his tone. "It is requested that you replace the current shinigami to watch over Karakura and Kurosaki."
"Understood." Rukia replied in firm voice.
"Kuchiki, if anything or anyone seems suspicious, don't hesitate to contact your brother and I first." Ukitake smiled.
"Duly noted, taichou." She bowed her head slightly.
There was a short silence until Byakuya cleared his throat.
"Do not lose sight of your mission," he reached out and put his hand on her head for a brief moment, then pulled away, "you are dismissed."
Rukia stood quickly, bowed, and then walked out of the room.
"Getting soft there, aren't you, Kuchiki-san?" Ukitake said to Byakuya as Rukia slid the door to the room closed.
She couldn't believe it. She was allowed to see Ichigo again… and everyone else of course. She decided to leave that night, without a word to anyone else; she wanted to see him for herself.
In the middle of the night, Rukia sat up wearily. Slipping off her sleeping garments, she pulled on her shihakusho swiftly, and then quietly slid her door open. She glanced back at her room, and then left, not even bothering to close the door. She crept down the halls quickly, her steps light, letting out gentle thumps as she escaped through the window viewing their garden.
The soft tinkle of the messenger butterfly led her through the open doors of the crossing gate. She followed in time to the beat of the butterfly's wings, staring into the darkness, not knowing what to expect.
The gate opened on the other side revealing the night and pouring rain. She stepped onto the wet cement, the rain not fazing her, despite getting wetter by the second. The door slid shut, the sound echoing with the raindrops in the silent streets. Rukia stood there, taking everything in for a few seconds, and shunpo-ed to Ichigo's house, a route she knew all too well.
She arrived at his window, and saw that he was asleep. She put a hand to her lips, in awe of the entire moment. She walked through it gracefully, and sat at the foot of his bed. His room hadn't changed a bit, the same emptiness yet warmth welcomed Rukia, flooding memories into her mind. Her violet eyes traced along the shadows of the trees on Ichigo's walls, and she landed on the doors of her small room. That closet was all she needed to take a rest from a tiring day of fighting hollows, a small smile escaped her lips, the thought lifting the heavy air around her. Her eyes then fell on Ichigo's sleeping form. He seemed to be looking nothing like his age, she noticed that his hair was grown out a little longer than normal, but his arms still long, toned and powerful.
She wanted to touch him.
Just a little graze, perhaps a pat… would he feel it?
Suddenly, said male let out a frustrated grunt and pulled the pillow he was lying on onto his head. Rukia jumped, and stood up, realizing that she had gotten too close. She took a few small steps back, and leaned against the wall by the closet.
Silence.
She could hear her heart thumping madly in her chest. Was she breathing too loud? She was told that he had gained some power back, but what was he able to see? Or even feel?
In one swift move, Ichigo suddenly stood up. Rukia watched his expression as he walked towards the closet beside her, and opened it. A painful look replaced his otherwise scowling face. She glanced at the open closet, and then back at the orange haired teen, as he closed the sliding door and leaned his head against it.
Without thinking, Rukia reached her hand out, ready to comfort him.
"Ichigo…" She whispered and paused midway, the shock of her act froze her on the spot.
Ichigo turned to follow her call, and their eyes met for a brief second. There was a hopeful glimmer in his eyes, Rukia dared not move, as his hope disappeared into a shameful shake of the head.
Rukia took this as the chance to escape. With light and quick steps, she jumped onto his bed and then his windowsill. Her heart began to ache; she didn't want to leave. The feeling of being complete and comfortable was something she missed for months on end. She decided to take one last look before departing, only to see that Ichigo had turned, and with haste, she flew into the dark and rain. She landed gracefully on the grassy front lawn, now slightly muddy due to the weather. The sound of his window opening made her to turn and follow the noise. She watched as Ichigo was nearly out the window, looking into the dark. With a sigh, she began walking away, her eyes downcast, watching the blur in front of her.
A few meters away from the house, she heard footsteps.
She looked around; there would be no one on the streets this late in the night, not to mention the rainy weather. The steps grew closer, and she picked up her pace, calling out a hell butterfly, preparing to leave. However, the pace of whoever was behind her quickened drastically. Instead of following the butterfly, she let it leave, and following her curiosity, waited for the mysterious runner.
Rukia stood amidst the pouring rain, staring out into the direction of the steps. She closed her eyes, sensing the presence of the person, whoever it was, was but a few meters away. The rieatsu was small, but it was there, and it felt familiar. Her eyes opened, and there he was, standing before her, looking down at his feet, his face was a shadow.
Rukia watched on, biting her lip and willing herself not to touch him, not to make him aware of her presence.
He turned up to the sky this time, as if cursing the heavens.
"No…"
Rukia heard him whisper, her feet shifted slightly out of instinct, as he fell to his knees.
"That's my line."
The raven-haired shinigami felt her heart throb, her worried expression contorted to a soft, sad smile, and the longing to connect to him shone in her eyes. Her mind was clear, and she had no hesitations as she placed her hand on his cheek. She felt him flinch, but she kept her hand there. She wanted him to know that she was now watching him, protecting him, like he'd always done for her.
When he reached up for his cheek, that's when Rukia snapped back into reality. She pulled away quickly, clenching her hand and resting it on her chest as she passed him.
"Rukia…"
She heard him call, but she continued walking.
There was a shuffle of feet, the sound of water and a few exasperated breaths.
"Rukia!"
Her heart broke. The call was so passionate, and so painful to hear.
Again, her body led the way.
A few steps were all it took for her to end up by his side. She looked up at his face, his eyelids concealed his usually piercing gaze, and his eyebrows nearly touching in pure concentration. She looked at the darkness in front of her, waiting to be found, feeling his shifting rieatsu, which signified activity. She felt him move, and saw that his hand was before him, slowly descending. She held her breath, and his hand landed on her left shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat as she was suddenly pulled into his arms, landing on his wet shirt, and nearly being crushed by his hold. She closed her eyes, taking in some of his presence, and then pushed him away, muttering a weak incantation.
He fell to the ground slowly and Rukia caught the glimpse of a smile.
"You still fall as slowly as ever." She said, a smirk on her lips.
Ichigo landed on her small back, and she shunpo-ed through the rainy streets back to his room.
She slipped through the window after struggling to open it with his weight on her and placed him onto his desk chair. She took off his wet clothes easily, and exchanged it with dry ones, gently placing him onto the bed, and drowning him in three layers of sheets.
Rukia stood there, her amethyst eyes being lit up by the street lamps outside his window, her lips in a thin and sweet smile.
He had gotten heavier.
A/N: Thank you for your insightful reviews! I hope you like it. Should I continue? I can see one more chapter... I guess to further close this? Or... open it more? Hmm. Thanks for reading!