Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to CrystalRaindrop007 for Beta'ing!
Memories In The Rain
Ichigo sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, trying in vain to warm his stiff fingers. It was cold; it was raining.
And he hated nothing more than the rain. As the cold, hard droplets fell upon his head and as the harsh wind blew the water all over his body, he hung his head and tried to get home as quickly as possible, because he hated being outside. The memories that always came flooding back to him made him want to scream out, but he never did. He never gave into the urge to fall to his knees and scream. He needed to be strong for his family. For Yuzu, Karin, his father, and even though she wasn't, by blood, his family, he had to be strong for Rukia, because she hated the rain, too, and she wasn't as strong as him.
He needed to be strong for them all and let them know that they could move on, even though their mother was gone. And even though she was gone, she was watching over them all.
Letting his amber eyes wander up to the sky, Ichigo stared deeply into the never-ending black that assaulted his vision. The rain looked like it was coming from nowhere. What was beyond the sky? Nothing?
"Ichigo ... "
Ichigo turned around, his eyes slowly falling from the sky to meet the violet eyes of the girl who had changed his life.
"Huh, Rukia?"
"We should go home; the rain is getting harder."
Since when had it become 'home' to her?
"Ya. Whatever."
But he didn't move, and neither did she. They just stood there, letting the rain soak through their skin. Rukia shivered slightly and Ichigo sighed, taking off his coat, wrapping it around her shoulders.
"Dope. Bring a coat next time."
His coat wasn't helping much because it, too, was completely soaked, but Rukia didn't say a word as she pulled it tighter around herself and breathed in the scent that was so familiar to her.
"Thanks."
"Whatever."
They were both silent until Ichigo spoke up again.
"Remember that time, several months ago, when you said you would wait for me to tell you about my mom?"
Rukia nodded slowly; she did remember. How could she forget? After the fight with Grand Fischer, she had held a dying Ichigo in her arms as she healed him. She would probably never forget that day, as his warm blood slipped through he fingers as she tried to stop him from chasing the Hollow that had nearly killed him.
"She died trying to protect me. And no one blames me, even though she gave her life to stop me from dying. I ... I was so stupid. I should have never run after that girl; you can't save someone who is already dead. I didn't know ... but my mom ... she gave her life without a second thought to keep me safe. I took her away from my dad, and from Yuzu and Karin; I took away their mother before they could even barely remember her. I took her away ... and no one blames me."
"Ichigo ... " Rukia started, but he didn't stop.
"Yuzu and Karin don't blame me, and my father doesn't blame me, and you don't blame me. Why? Why does no one realize that it was my fault?! Why!" Ichigo said, clenching his hands into fists as the rain dripped from his hair and into his face.
"Ichigo, it wasn't ..."
"Yes it was, Rukia! It's my fault she died. My dad told me that my mom would have given her life for any of us kids; she would have done it, and she did. He's the only one who remembers clearly the day my mom died, and yet he's been the most forgiving. That day, with the Grand Fischer, I talked to him; you heard. He told me that no one blamed me ... but someone does. I do. I hate the rain, because it was raining when she died. I hate the rain so much ... and it seems that every time it rains, another person I love is almost taken from me."
"But that one time, it was you that was almost killed, Ichigo. You gave your all to protect your sisters. You would have given your life ... and if you had, would you want your sisters blaming themselves for what had happened? Would you want them to live with the guilt they would have felt if you had died that day?"
" ... " Ichigo didn't answer, he only stared at the ground harder, his hands clenching so tightly, his fingers digging into his flesh, that blood began to slip down his hand.
Rukia reached over and placed her hands over his, uncurling them and fingering the blood in his hand.
"I hate the rain, too. I hate the rain, because I was forced to kill someone close to me. I ... when I ran my Zanpaktou through his heart, it wasn't like what I had done with you. He died. And when I gave you my powers, the split second before I realized you were alive and well, the fear and pain inside me that I had killed you like I had killed him was terrible."
"Rukia ... why are you telling me this?" Ichigo asked, watching numbly as his blood began to run over Rukia's own fingers.
"Because you told me," she said, her violet eyes reflecting the water and blood that was slowly riding over her soft skin. She continued slowly, "I don't want to hate the rain, because it's so beautiful, but somehow, I can't help it."
"I know."
Ichigo took his hand away from Rukia's and wiped the blood off on his jeans. Rukia let the blood on her hand slowly slip off with the rain, not caring as it slid down her arm.
"We should go home," she said again, slowly and quietly.
"When did it become home for you?" Ichigo asked, staring down at her and watching as the rain hit the ground without mercy, making grass fall and mud spring up from the ground, spraying everything close by.
"I ... I'm not sure," Rukia replied.
"Ah."
"Why, then? Why do you think of it as home?"
"Because I feel welcome. With my brother, it's nothing like it is here. He almost never looks at me, yet here your father and sisters treat me as if I really am a part of your family."
"They like you, you know. Even Karin. I think ... I think she started warming up to you as the Arrancar attacked, and I know she missed you as well as me when we went to save Inoue. Yuzu missed ya, too."
Rukia smiled softly.
"They're like the family I never had. Renji's like family ... but he's a guy."
"Hey! Don't say it like that's a bad thing! I'm a guy, too, ya know," Ichigo said, smirking as he stared down at Rukia.
"I'm well aware of that fact, Ichigo," Rukia said, rolling her eyes. "But sometimes it feels as though you've forgotten I'm a girl."
"Nah. Never forgot that," Ichigo said, shaking his head to get the water out of his eyes. "Always known you were a girl."
"Uh huh. Sure, Ichigo."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked, a small vein popping in his head as he glared at her.
"Oh, nothing. Just you seem kind of dense about girls."
"Huh? Whatcha mean?"
Rukia rolled her eyes again.
"Inoue-san; she likes you, you know."
"She does?"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Rukia sighed, putting her hands on her hips.
"God, you're dense."
"Stop saying stuff like that!" Ichigo growled, but only half mad. Rukia smirked and gave him a soft kick in the shin. He sighed, "Well, whatever. I ... if she doesn't confront me about it, I'll never bring up the subject. She's just a friend, and I don't want to complicate that."
"Well, maybe you're not quite as dense as I thought."
"Rukia!"
"Whatever. Come on, I'm going home."
"You said it again," Ichigo said, smiling softly as he allowed Rukia to pull him along by the hand.
"What?"
"Home."
"Ah. Well ... that's because it is home."
Ichigo just smiled, shaking his head. He said, "Ya know, we can start over."
"Start over?" Rukia asked, pausing in her tracks under a small overhang that shielded her from the rain. Ichigo nodded, leaning back up against the store wall and stuffing his hands into his soggy pockets.
"Yeah. We hate the rain because of the bad memories it holds for us ... but can't we love it for the good memories it holds?"
"Which ones?"
"Um ... how about this one?"
Ichigo reached over, taking his hands from his pockets, and took Rukia's face gently in his hands as he lowered his lips to hers. Her eyes went wide as his soft lips glided over hers, but her eyes soon slipped closed. When Ichigo pulled back, Rukia said breathlessly,
"Yeah, that one will do."
Hmm ... brain fart. But I had fun with this one. What did YOU think, is the question! Personally, I want to see something like this for the end of Bleach.
Please Review!