Only the weak and the cowardly will let themselves be swept by what they presume to be the wish of the universe.

"Have lots of towels ready," the junior doctor had said, trying his earnest best to convey his knowledge of what was to come in a way that would be most easily received by the family. He may have said much more, in a much more tactful way, but this sentence was all that stuck with Rukia. His eyes carried a heaviness more than a doctor's empathy, more than the sympathy for a dying patient. He had pushed his bleached blonde bangs out of the way to make proper eye contact with his patient, but nothing can prepare you for the face of death. When there is the impending gloom of tragedy, and change, and release, all that is human will be affected in a very human way. Sometimes, all we can do is be human. And sometimes, to share the burden of that moment, that was enough.

"This is a number to call if you have any needs regarding medication. We will be here at any time to help you be comfortable." The tall silver-haired pharmacist had said, her hands trembling a tiny bit as she unconsciously bit her lips. She was also young and inexperienced, and meant her best, and wanted to be helpful. In this moment though, her sterile, professional words did nothing to cover her humanity. She was sad for them, sad with them. And that was enough.

"Is there anything else we can do for you in the meantime?"

"Can we drive by the river?" She had smiled, weakly but contentedly. Byakuya held her hand on one side and squeezed gently. Her head turned slowly towards him, her eyes full of affection and adoration.

"Yes, we can," the bald man had gritted out after a moment of composing himself, voice thick and fists clenched and eyes blinking furiously. The gruff paramedic that everyone admired, that was brave and courageous and restarted hearts and delivered babies and saved lives. This was not a life that was his to save. Sometimes his job may only be to drive the ambulance back to their home around the scenic route. Just a driver, just a human. And that was fine, that was enough.

She arrived at home and went to sleep in the arms of her love. The red liquid was no longer seeping out of her endlessly as it had been before. She went to sleep, and then, she transcended the stars.

A tear fell from the corner of Rukia's right eye, landing in the nest of her hair and disappearing, never to be seen.

Not far to her right was a window and a wall. To her left was an empty space. There wasn't much she could see by only shifting her eyes, but her neck was as stiff as a board and refused to move. She blinked blearily, squinting in the sun-brightened room.

It was not her own room for sure. The ceiling was much higher for one, and none of her belongings were around. Unless she had gotten evicted? How long had she been sleeping? Yes she was slightly behind on rent, but surely her bond could be used to cover at least a little bit? The sunlight shone through the thin mesh curtains, it's glow warming her body through the clean white sheets on top of her. It was too hot. She wanted to leave her skin.

"You're finally awake!" A young voice squeaked.

Rukia attempted to turn her torso in the direction of the sound. On the slightest twist, she was struck with a pain so severe that made her grit her teeth to stop herself from yelping. It was a purely physical pain, to a degree that she had never experienced before. The sharpness of it made her hold onto her breath, but this put pressure on her abdomen and that too was painful. The pain intensified the burning and she wanted to escape from the fire into the sea. It was too hot, too much, too suffocating. She slipped back into blissful unconsciousness before the sound of footsteps could reach her.

The next time Rukia opened her eyes, the room was dim, embraced by the orange glow of twilight. From her flat lying position, she saw the periwinkle sky meet the edges of the red horizon and the browning leaves of trees immersed in the fading light. The evening air was cool and fresh, a very light breeze floating in through the slightly open window. Her apartment did not have such a large window.

"Where am I?" She croaked, voice sounding like she had swallowed a cup of sand.

"You're at our clinic," a voice to her left said.

Rukia would have jumped if she was physically capable. Gingerly, she twisted her head anticlockwise to face the source of the sound.

"Yo," Ichigo said, peeling an apple with a fruit knife.

He was sitting on a stool level with the bed she was lying on. There was a nightstand next to him that sat against the head of her bed. Some distance behind him was a wide empty space, and behind it, blank walls leading to an open door. He was looking straight at her face, but he was vertical while she was horizontal. It was kind of funny; she had not seen his face from this angle before, and he looked as constipated as ever.

"You...Ichigo?"

"Yeah. Our family operates an urgent care clinic."

"Why am I...here?"

Ichigo's hands stopped on the apple. For a second Rukia was worried that he had cut his hand.

"Why, you say…You don't remember?"

"Remember..." Rukia pondered, then gasped and attempted to sit up. The abrupt movement exacerbated whatever was hurting her and her eyes squeezed shut, a hiss forcing its way past her lips. She felt a hand on her shoulder gently push her back down, supported by another hand flat on her upper back. There was a warmth above her that was absent just before. It was a pleasant, airy warmth, like a large cat's acceptance, the radiating heat of another human's body temperature. She wanted to lean into it, but the hand on her shoulder was stronger and kept her pressed down. "Where are they? The two girls?" She rasped through short puffs of breaths.

"They're fine, thanks to you," Ichigo replied, a barely noticeable softness to his voice. This was her first time hearing him speak in this tone, and the first time seeing him with this open, calm expression. His brows were almost smooth, his mouth relaxed, and his brown eyes held a warm tenderness in them that she recognised as the same as what would appear in Byakuya's eyes on certain impressionable days. He was still holding her down by the shoulder.

"Let me sit up," she eyed his hand.

"You probably shouldn't."

"Why?"

"It'll hurt."

Rukia was never one to back down from a challenge. Much like many of the people she grew up amongst, she was also a stubborn fool. She had been beaten up plenty of times in the streets of Inuzuri (by fists and sticks), collided multiple times by carriages (non-automated), and fallen off many roofs (though the roofs in Inuzuri were not as high as the roofs in Karakura). Nothing had yet to break her. Renji had always said it was because she was a midget and did not have much surface area to hit. Hisana was much better at the art of complimenting and had assured her that it was her agility that helped her avoid the worst of the impacts. She was always worried though, a concerned crease in her brows every time Rukia limped home with scratches and a great big grin behind the jug of water that she had...borrowed. Hisana didn't like it when Rukia got hurt, and towards the end Rukia didn't want to do anything that Hisana didn't like. The requisition duty went to Renji instead, the constant freeloader at their home who was Byakuya's only remaining underling from his pre-husband days. Not that Hisana liked seeing Renji hurt; it was just hard to see a lot of things on Renji's heavily tattooed body.

Rukia wanted to scoff at Ichigo's comment. Her pain tolerance would surely be much higher than that of a city boy's! She gave a tiny nudge with her shoulder to signal for him to release, but his grip remained. She nudged again, this time a little harder. Ichigo's grip on her shoulder seemed to waver, then tightened again. She frowned.

"I didn't know you had interests of this kind, Ichigo," she sighed dramatically.

"W-what?" His grip on her shoulder wavered again.

"It's fine to have fantasies as a growing boy, but I'm afraid I am already a plucked flower. Or does that strike you fancy?" She glanced up at him, batting her long eyelashes exaggeratedly.

"What? No! I didn't as—no! I don't! What the heck are you thinking?!"

"Hmm, you're surprisingly innocent for a high-school-aged male. This isn't what my resources have taught me."

"What resources? What are you talking about?"

"You know," she smiled mysteriously and made a come-hither motion with her hand. Ichigo stared at her hand with suspicion, then tentatively moved his ear towards her. She cupped one hand over her mouth and whispered something into his ear.

His face lit on fire and he jumped away immediately. "What the—what—what!"

"Then let me go! What are you holding me down for!"

"I'm telling you it'll hurt!"

"It was just a motorbike!"

"J-just?!" Ichigo looked at her incredulously. Just what did this kid get up to in her spare time?!

Rukia shrugged his hand off with one smooth movement and began lifting herself up from the bed. Her abdominal muscles felt like they were dripping in acid. She managed to elevate halfway before tiring and dropping her weight on to her left elbow. Suddenly, a throbbing pain exploded on the left side of her torso. She grimaced, face draining of colour as a thin sheet of sweat formed on her forehead almost instantly.

"I told you!"

"What...happened...to me?" Rukia wheezed, finding she could not take deep breaths.

"The motorbike that hit you fractured three ribs, Rukia. You're already pretty lucky it was just that," Ichigo muttered. "Take it easy for six weeks."

"Six weeks?!" Rukia's outcry was as if he had just insulted her firstborn. "Are you for real?! I can't stay still for six weeks!

"Calm down. You can still go to school." Relief appeared on Rukia's face and Ichigo could already tell what she was thinking. "But no labour-intensive exercise." He emphasised every word as if he was talking to a little kid. "An example is carrying and lifting heavy things," he said pointedly.

Rukia glowered and said nothing. It wasn't like Ichigo would be there to surveil her. She would give her thanks, pay her dues, get out of here and go to work. When she was very young, she and Hisana had shared a pile of hay with a female dog that had recently given birth and was nursing puppies. She grew up drinking the milk of that dog. The dog milk gave her a strong body. She had strong bones. She would be fine.

The pain had finally faded to a manageable level. Taking care not to put pressure on her left rib cage, Rukia pushed herself into a sitting position, her sore abdomen complaining in exertion. Her back leaned heavily against the headboard as she struggled to not whimper in the presence of her classmate. At a glance to the nightstand on her left, she saw a dainty glass vase with a single yellow flower inside it. Next to the flower was a small white plate with a half-peeled apple on it. Her eyes moved to Ichigo and almost laughed. He was sitting on the stool again, and under the dim light of the setting sun, his hair was the perfect in-between colour of the flower and the apple skin.

Ichigo seemed bemused at why she was grinning. He wore the same expression as one that she saw on Renji's and Byakuya's faces many years ago, when she had hit her head against a tree while escaping from a small gang. Those were fonder, happier days. Rukia's breathing gradually returned to normal, laying her hands down in her lap as her body relaxed again.

"Thanks for helping them, Rukia."

She looked down at her folded hands. "It's what anyone would have done."

"No, it's not."

"What, wouldn't you have done the same?" Her head flicked up, large eyes fixing on his.

"Just accept, you stubborn…" Ichigo sighed. "Anyway, thank you. A lot. We owe you." He looked into her eyes with uncharacteristic seriousness. She didn't even know him that well though, how could she say if it was uncharacteristic or not? She was getting ahead of herself.

"You're welcome," she said, looking away. "How are they?"

Rukia could hear the sound of his fists clenching without looking. "Yuzu is...at home." Rukia noticed how he deliberately didn't say 'okay' or 'fine'. "Karin is…" He muffled a curse. "Bastards, if I could get my hands on them, then I..."

"What happened to Karin?" Rukia asked in morbid apprehension.

"Had to take her to the hospital yesterday. Yuzu said they kicked her until she passed out. Think it ruptured her appendix."

Rukia's eyes widened as a flare of anger lit up within her. How could people be so cruel? They were such little kids! "How is she now?"

"Stable. They're keeping her in for a few days under observation."

This could only mean that her injuries were worse than a ruptured appendix. Rukia glanced at Ichigo. His brows were knitted together again and his eyes were dark, stormy and frustrated. Rukia had seen the same look in Byakuya's eyes when Hisana's prognosis was revealed to them. The eyes of someone cursing their powerlessness.

"What kind of big brother am I," Ichigo gritted, glaring intensely at a spot on the ground. "I can't even protect them. What the hell have I been doing…"

Rukia felt a pang in her chest unrelated to her cracked ribs. She reached out with her left hand, intending on giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder. Before her hand could touch him, his own flew out and caught it. He held her wrist and looked up at her. His hold was a little tight, his hand a little cold, pressure and temperature that did not blend into her skin and seamlessly disappear. His eyes were wide, like a feral cat in the middle of the night. He did not let go.

"It's not your fault," she murmured honestly. "None of it is your fault."

He searched her eyes for a lie. Rukia looked on genuinely, openly, not averting her gaze. After a moment, he released her wrist. Rukia withdrew it, itching to rub at it but holding herself back. He probably didn't intend on grabbing her aggressively like that. The space between them took on an air of awkwardness.

"Good thing your family has a clinic, to take care of her."

"Yeah."

She could reassure him that everything would be okay. She could promise that the ones who hurt them would receive their rightful punishment. She could even tell him that this would never happen again. But that would all be lies. Humans could not predict the future. The good guy didn't always win. Some things would not be explained even beyond our moment of death. She would only tell him what she knew was true. She would not mislead him or give him false comfort in the colour of white lies. That would surely be a punishment for him too.

"Good thing your fever went down, or we might have sent you to the hospital too," Ichigo said to break the tension in the air.

"Oh," Rukia said. Sure enough, she didn't feel disoriented and uncomfortable the way she had when she woke up the previous time.

"You're very anaemic, you know. My dad was looking for an internal bleed for a pretty long time."

"Sorry to trouble him."

"Are you stupid?" Ichigo chuckled.

Rukia's lips curled upwards too.

The sun was almost gone now. The last remaining light was only a sliver at the horizon. Rukia shivered; she did not look forward to the journey home in the dark. Despite her multitude of adventurous experiences, she was still just a 15-year-old girl. The thought of that white shed made a chill travel up her spine.

"Ichigo..." Rukia murmured, suspiciously shiny eyes unguardedly looking up towards Ichigo's hair. She hated asking people for help. "Can you... walk me back home?"

"HELL NO!"

"?!"

Ichigo's eyebrows were knit tightly together and his trademark scowl was fully in position. "You're not going back to that place. You're not even cleared to go anywhere!"

"I'm fine! I need to go home and water my flowers!"

"I'll go water your flowers! Stay here for now and rest. We will find you another place to live. That neighbourhood is dangerous."

"What do you mean you find me… I—I can take care of myself!"

"I know that, but this is what's going to happen. You have no say." He had the nerve to stick his tongue out, the infuriating bastard.

"You...you…" Rukia started. "You obstinate tyrannical man!" She managed.

"Obstinate or not, tyrannical or not, you're staying here until you're cleared to be running around. You can say whatever you like about me, but I am a man that won't let a debt go unpaid." What a testament to his character that he didn't get mad at her and give the classic 'I'm trying to help you'! He still looked pretty mad though! Why was he mad at her for this?

"Why do you look so mad though!"

"I'm not mad!" He looked mad.

"I don't need you to pay a debt! I haven't done anything out of the ordinary. I'm sorry I made Yuzu wait to call you, it wasn't the time!"

"You think I'm mad about that?"

"How do I know what you're thinking?"

She looked so small in that instant. Ichigo sighed, figure relaxing slightly as his face softened just a tiny bit. "You know, you have no issues when it comes to giving for nothing in return, but you're really bad at receiving things. Why can't you just let it go for once?"

Rukia opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He had a point, he really did. Rukia recognised this to some extent. But she had always lived by it, because that was the way it was. No one else had said it was wrong or anything. Is it not good to be selfless? To be generous and kind? The world is so lacking in generosity and kindness.

"Sometimes people can be so selfless that they end up hurting themselves," Ichigo said as if reading her mind. "You're not alone, Rukia. You always act all proud and cool like an anime hero shouldering the whole world's burdens. You should trust people from time to time." He paused, then added as an afterthought, "And by trust, I don't mean people like Aizen."

His tone held a hidden message. Trust him; he wouldn't betray her. She felt a lump form in her throat as her nose started to burn. He really didn't owe her anything, and here he was, encouraging her in his rough unrefined way, words so untactful but so straightforward. He could have been at the hospital with his sister, someone who shared his blood, and here he was, peeling an apple. Who knew how long he had been sitting there already? She did not ask, to save him his pride. She had missed this. The city was so complicated, people always seemed to talk in circles and you could never take what you hear at face value. This awkward person almost reminded her of the happier times at home.

...Or maybe she was overthinking. Being too idealistic and conceited. Why would Ichigo care? He was a good guy, she'd give that to him. But he barely knew her. Aside from saving his sisters and getting hit by a vehicle on the way, what else has she done for him? Why would he go out of his way for her? What was that about saving the world? Was her facade of being a normal city high school student not convincing?

"Oh and don't even think about going to your part-time jobs. I've told them you're bedridden at the hospital for the next two months. Get a good rest. Why do you have so many jobs anyway, do you even sleep?" He was grumbling towards the end.

"How did you—who told you where I worked?" To her knowledge, he only knew her from the supermarket and the izakaya. Surely he didn't know of her other three jobs too?

"That blonde dude from the izakaya told me. He had your list of references all ready when I got there for some reason," he muttered. "Maybe he owes money to the guy that hit you."

What Ichigo did not tell her, was that his first official greeting to her dearest manager had been a punch in the face, followed by a threatening collar grab asking if he had anything to do with the accident. Good old Manager had taken it like a man and did nothing to provoke Ichigo further. He had even seemed relieved that Ichigo was there since he was Rukia's 'good friend'. He had been the one that had asked Ichigo to notify all of Rukia's employers of her incident.

Maybe he did owe money indeed. Oh well, she wouldn't know any time soon. Ichigo didn't look like the type of bodyguard that would be lenient. Perhaps she could escape from the window to go to work? She glanced up towards it. It didn't look too high.

"Why would you do this for me?" She asked, genuinely wanting to know.

Ichigo looked away, the darkening of his cheeks barely noticeable in the dark blue evening. He cleared his throat purposefully. "Don't take this the wrong way," he muttered, tone almost bashful. Rukia stilled in anticipation.

He mumbled a string of sentences too quietly for Rukia to understand. Rukia's eyebrow twitched.

"What?"

He mumbled the sentence again, but she could still not interpret him.

"Whaaaaaat?"

"I SAID, you remind me of my sister Karin, always so stubborn, likes to argue, and tries to appear strong! You should learn to rely on people from time to time!" He yelled, his whole face darker as if he had just spilt his innermost secret.

Rukia's heart dropped for some unknown reason. "Oh," she replied, the momentary brightness from an emotion that she had yet to put a name to fading from her eyes.

Ichigo glared at her. If he was a manga character, then he would surely be decorated with puffs of air coming out of his nostrils to signify the respiratory effort of his earlier outburst. He seemed to be waiting for a response.

"I see," Rukia responded.

"Good!" He stood, the abrupt movement causing the chair to squeak against the floor. "Get some rest, yell out if you need. Yuzu will bring dinner soon." He marched out of the room before she could say anything else.

That's right, how was Yuzu doing? Rukia hasn't asked about her yet. Guilt hit Rukia as she realised that the poor girl must have seen the motorcycle send her flying. She hoped she wasn't traumatised.

Rukia did not end up escaping through the window that night. She had the best sleep she's had in over a month.

But still, she dreamed.

To be continued :D