Chapter 5: the Truth
Rukia appeared in near the cave next to Melody. He'd taken her away from Ichigo right after he'd stabbed him. "Are you alright?" he asked her. "Why? Why did you hurt Ichigo?" she asked him. "I thought you wanted him dead. I was just helping you," he said in a calm voice.
Melody looked toward the sky and saw the sun just sitting in one spot. "He's still alive. If one of you were to die, then the sun or the moon would vanish," Melody told her. Rukia rubbed her eye and looked at her sward that dripped with Ichigo's blood. She hated him, for betraying her, and making her believe she was in a place of dreams.
She began walking over to the sun. "Where are you going?" Melody asked her. "Where do you think? I'm going to kill Ichigo," Rukia said in a voice so chilling it made Melody shiver. As Rukia walked away, Valentine walked up to him, her face filled with sorrow.
"Look what you've done to them! Do you see how evil this plan is? You must stop this at once!" Valentine shouted. Melody pinned Valentine to the wall. "If you don't want to help me Valentine then fine! I'll finish them both myself, and then I'll eat them!" Melody said as he left Valentine pinned to the cave. Her arms were connected to the cave and she couldn't move. She knew that Melody would kill them both off.
Rukia walked to the sun once more and saw him sitting there clutching his wounds. He was unaware that she was behind him. Rukia pulled her zanpakuto out and pointed it at his head. She was about to hit him but she hesitated and stopped right by his neck. Ichigo saw the tip and jumped away.
He looked at her in shock. "Rukia you came back!" he said. "Don't speak to me as if I'm your friend. We're enemies, you betrayed my love! My trust!" she shouted as she swung her sward at Ichigo. He grabbed the hilt of Zangetsu and mirrored her attack. "Don't you see! You've been tricked. That creature with you is a hollow! He's messing with your head-"
"Lies!" she shouted as she thrust her sward at Ichigo. He had no choice but to swing his sward which hit Rukia right in the chest. She fell back and landed on the ground. Ichigo looked at her in shock. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. "Rukia!" he shouted.
She stood up and ran from him as the blood dripped out her wound. Rukia was as shocked as Ichigo. He actually cut her. It was a shallow wound but it bled horribly. She sprinted back to the cave where she expected to see Melody, but instead she saw Valentine who was still pinned to the cave.
Valentine looked at her in fear as she walked over to her. "Please don't kill me!" Valentine begged. Rukia could sense the hollow in her but she seemed harmless. Rukia took her off the cave and set her down. Valentine got a close look at her.
"Your the girl with Melody," Valentine said. Rukia expected Melody to be the little creature she was with. "Your in danger!" Valentine said. "What do you mean!"
"Melody may look nice but he's evil. He's trying to separate you and that boy your with so he can kill you!
"He's been lying to you two, and the more you believe him the stronger he'll become!" Rukia looked at her in shock. So Ichigo was telling the truth all along. She felt horrible for cutting him and hurting him by calling him names. He knew that this was a lie and she didn't. She was very mean.
Valentine walked up to Rukia. "That boy with you is going to get killed if you don't help him," Valentine said. Rukia shot up from her depression and walked away. "Where are you going?" Valentine asked. "I'm going to look for Melody and kill him. You find Ichigo and tell him what had happened."
Rukia walked away from Valentine and began looking around.
...
Ichigo saw the red moon slowly lose it's color and turn white. Was she happy again, or was it a trick? Ichigo stood up and clutched the dry blood in his chest. He began walking over to the moon when something crunched in the bushes.
Valentine came from the bushed. Ichigo knew she was a hollow and began attacking it. "Wait! I'm here to help you!" Valentine shouted. Ichigo stopped attacking it so she could explain. "Rukia's looking for you, she wants to help you!" she shouted. "If you don't hurry she could die!"
That's all Ichigo needed to hear. He dashed into the woods and began looking for Rukia. Valentine chased after him. "Be careful mister, Melody may look like a little creature but he's sneaky. If your not careful then you'll die!" Valentine warned. "Rukia!" Ichigo shouted. "Where are you?"
Rukia was running through the woods. She had her zanpakuto in her hands as she went through the darkness. She then reached that same pond that she'd been at. She didn't see any forms of life, just the water that rushed into the pond. She then heard Melody from behind. She swirled around and swung her sward at him.
"You bastard!" Rukia began, "You tried to have me and Ichigo separated so you could kill us! I trusted you. I thought Ichigo had betrayed me and I belittled him. I've caused him pain and suffering because of you!" Rukia shouted.
Melody curved a smile on his face. "Settle down. I see you've found the truth. I'm guessing that damn Valentine told you about all of this! I'll get her later. But now lets deal with you," Melody said. Rukia didn't leave her guard down. She was cautious of her surroundings as Melody vanished.
She must not panick, if she does, she's as good as dead. "Rukia!" she heard Ichigo shouting her name. She turned around. "Ichigo...?" she said. Suddenly, three long black tentacles shot through Rukia's chest as the blood spilled out.
Rukia spat up blood as the grass became covered. Ichigo was still shouting her name but it was beginning to sound quieter as if he were leaving. Her vision became blurry as the tentacles were yanked out of her chest and she fell into the water. The pond was deep as she sank into the darkness.
Unlike before, there was nothing to light the bottom, just the dark scary exterior of the midnight blue water. She couldn't breathe, she could neither see. For a second she thought she saw Ichigo in the water next to her. He looked at her sadly, and he reached his hand out to her hand.
When she grabbed it he turned into dust and she closed her eyes as a tear blended into the water.
...
Ichigo neared the pond with Valentine where he saw Melody standing there. There was a considerable amount of blood on the grass and the water was rough. Valentine suddenly shivered. "Where the hell is Rukia?" Ichigo shouted.
Melody just stared at them, a smile on his face. Ichigo looked at him with resent. He didn't want to know what he did to Rukia, he was too afraid. "In the water..." Valentine stuttered. "She's in the water..." Ichigo looked in the water and dropped his zanpakuto.
He jumped into the pond and swam down to the bottom where he saw Rukia drifting to the bottom of the water. She had three giant holes in her chest and her eyes were dead. He swam to her and grabbed her arm as he swam back up.
Ichigo set Rukia on the grass and shook her. "Rukia..." he said over and over. The life in her eyes slowly opened and she saw Ichigo. The blood filled her lungs but it couldn't stop her from dealing with the pain and talking to Ichigo.
"You came..." she choked. Ichigo looked at her frail shaken body with softness ans sorrow. "...even though I didn't believe you..." Rukia said. "Of coarse I did," Ichigo smiled. Ichigo rested her body on the grass next to Valentine and looked at Melody who looked at him in pleasure.
Ichigo picked up his zanpakuto and looked at Melody. "So your the cause of all of this?" Ichigo shouted at him. "You played with our feelings and tried to kill us!" Ichigo dashed at him. "I'll cut your heart out!"
Melody hopped from his attack and hit Ichigo on the cheek. The blood spilled out as he swung his sward at him again. Melody dodged every attack with ease as Valentine tried to keep Rukia alive. She was slowly slipping and if she just left her there she'd die for sure.
Melody had put some decent attacks in Ichigo. He didn't have to do much though, he was already hurt from the wounds inflicted by Rukia. Ichigo clutched his sward. If this were a dream and he still had his powers, he must have his hollow mask.
"Don't let your guard down!" Melody shouted as he sent a tentacle toward Rukia. Ichigo sprinted to her. "Rukia!" he shouted. Ichigo didn't get to the tentacle in time as it pierced through skin. Ichigo looked in shock as well as Rukia. Valentine had gotten in the way.
"Aw Valentine, you always was the good guy," Melody mocked. Valentine was bleeding white blood(unusual). "I had to, I couldn't allow you to do this to them," she said. Melody slowly took the tentacle out of her chest so it would cause more pain.
Valentine died but she vanished and surround Rukia's body. "Rukia!" Ichigo screamed. Rukia couldn't believe what she was seeing. The truth to defeating Melody flashed before her eyes as the hollow died. Ichigo attacked Melody while he wasn't looking. He cut his arm as it bled purple blood.
Ichigo pointed his sward at Melody. "Bankai!" he shouted as the black and red flames of spiritual particles swarmed around him. Melody looked in fear. The tip of the skinny black sward poked out and Ichigo used flash step.
An hour had passed and Ichigo was winning, he was sure he was. He was cutting him, his blood was spilling, he wasn't as badly wounded as him. Why wasn't he dieing? Ichigo slashed Melody over and over as he smiled. "You'll never figure out how to kill me!" Melody shouted.
Ichigo didn't understand what was going on as he continued slashing him. Rukia knew how to kill Melody, but should she do it? Should she cause Ichigo the pain all over again? There was only one way to kill Melody and Rukia was prepared for the outcome.
She reached her hand out to her zanpakuto and looked at Ichigo one last time. She closed her eyes and tried to think of happier times. Ichigo was still hitting Melody who suddenly shot his tentacle at Ichigo. But, it then stopped an inch from his chest.
Melody screamed and then exploded into thin air as Ichigo tried to realize what had happened. He then took a glance at Rukia and gasped. Her sward was stabbed into her heart as the blood spilled even more. She'd fallen and was unconscious.
Ichigo ran over to her and pulled to sward out of her chest. Rukia slowly opened her eyes and saw she was on Ichigo's lap. Ichigo looked at her with sadness. "Valentine sent me a vision. She said the only way we could kill him was if one of us were to die," she slowly said.
"If so then why didn't you let me do it instead?" Ichigo asked her. Rukia smiled at him. "Because, why would I let you die instead of me..?" She looked in his deep brown eyes and looked happy. "Rukia, you sacrificed yourself to save me? I don't understand why you'd do this."
"Why wouldn't I?" Rukia cringed as her heart beat widely. "Don't be so sad Ichigo...I will always be with you..." she said. "Our hearts are still connected. Even if I die, you'll always be in my heart." She raised her hands and rubbed some blood off his cheek.
"Remember that you promised you'd never leave me," she whispered. "These passed few days we were together, have been the best of my life. I'm was happy. I still am happy. I'm happy to be dieing in your arms, that I'm not alone," she said.
Ichigo squeezed his teeth as he looked up at the moon. The sky was grey and the moon was fading away. "I was happy too," Ichigo said to her. "I thought that we'd be together forever, that nothing would happen. I thought we'd forever me in harmony."
Rukia began crying as she looked in his eyes once more. "Thank you, for all the fun you've given me. Because of you, I think I'll die with some peace in mind," she said. Ichigo closed his eyes and a tear streamed down his cheek. It landed on Rukia's face as she looked at it.
Ichigo had begun crying over her. "This is the first time I've ever seen you cry," she whimpered. "I wasn't able to. I wasn't able to protect you. I'm weak!" Ichigo cried. "Why call yourself weak? Does that make you feel better. You are the strongest, kindest person I've ever known. You are not weak."
The moon was only a then line now. She really was dieing. "Kiss me," Rukia whispered. "One last time before I go," she pleaded. Ichigo leaned down and gave her a soft, tender kiss as they both cried under the grey sky. He kissed her for awhile as he embraced her in his arms.
Her blood drenched him as her grip on his shihakusho loosened. Her head bobbed back as she released the kiss. He felt her heart stop pounding, and screamed as he looked to see the thin line of the moon was still there. He suddenly saw something white appear near him. It was Rukia, she glowed and she was in a pear white dress as she hovered over the grass.
Rukia's purple eyes looked at him as she gave him a soft smile. She grabbed his hands as they gazed at each other.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Because of me I have caused you all this pain and suffering. But I will still thank you. Because of you, I have died happy, and you will always be with me." Ichigo looked at Rukia as her spirit hugged him. He softly hugged her.
When those who die leave, their spirits are cold, but Rukia's was as warm as the sun, Ichigo thought as her skin brushed his. She began slipping out of his arms as her hand slowly slipped out of his. "Farewell," she called at him as she drifted up into the moon. The thin line vanished and a small tear drifted down his cheek.
Those who die, there souls are just as sad as the ones they left behind. The moon will always move with it's sun.
There is an epilogue to this. Please read it so you can find out what happened to Ichigo after Rukia's death. I hope it was(n't) sad. I cried typing it. Farewell moon.