Author's Note: The final part. FYI, when I wrote this, I imagined this taking place right after Aizen is defeated, at the end of the Hueco Mundo arc to parallel the end of the Soul Society arc. Should make more sense now. Sense: sight.

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V. THE SUN WAS DYING LITTLE BY LITTLE

At the time of evening, all of Seireitei was washed in an orange glow, causing the sky to appear the same vibrant hue as Ichigo's hair. The sun, although still too bright to look at directly, was slowly sinking out of sight beyond the horizon and in its retreat, hues of purple and blue were beginning to tinge the sky's edges.

In the heart of the Kuchiki mansion was a beautiful pond where the floating lilies grew rampant, circular leaves of vivid green floating upon the pond's surface, the lily pads blending seamlessly with the water. Some of the buds had yet to bloom; the petals of those that had appeared an almost iridescent pure white with a deep golden center. The flowers were extraordinarily large, baring their deepest secrets open for the entire world to see. The water's surface was like a mirror, reflecting the orange skies and hiding from view the complicated, tangled, and sometimes ugly vines and roots of the enchanting floating lilies.

A graceful, ornate wooden bridge, painted a brilliant red, arched over the middle of the pond. The pond was surrounded on all sides by the walls of the mansion; the rooms, it seemed, revolved around this core, this lily garden.

Amongst all the glowing orange reflected on the pond was Ichigo's stolid face as he leaned on the bridge's railing on his elbows. The usual scowl was on his face – if possible, the scowl was deeper than usual – and his brown eyes appeared almost black, clouded by thundering, troublesome thoughts.

He was startled by the sound of light, cautious footsteps; when he turned his head, he was met with the stunning indigo eyes of Rukia. They stared at each other for a moment before Ichigo abruptly returned his attention to the watery image of the golden orb, the sun.

"Ichigo..." Rukia murmured.

The boy (how fast he has grown into a man) shook his head vehemently. "Stop. I already know. It's the same as last time, right?" Rukia said nothing; she did not need to put the obvious into words. "You're going to say that I don't belong here. You're going to say that you don't belong in the human world. I get it."

"I--" she began.

With a look of contemplation on his face, Ichigo cut her off, saying quietly, "It's funny. I understood last time. I didn't like it, but I understood that you wanted to stay in Seireitei although not two days before people here wanted to see you dead. But this time... I just don't understand. What is so different about this time?"

"You're over-thinking this, Ichi--"

"I'm not. Because it's not as simple as you're making it out to be." His scowl darkened."Tell me something. Is it so wrong to feel that the place I belong is neither in this world nor in the human world but by your side? Is it so wrong to feel that the place you belong is by my side?" He was struggling for words, his frustration clearly visible on his face. It was difficult for him (either of them, for that matter) to manifest his feelings into clear-cut, tangible words. But like in any other conflict or problem in his life, he gave it his best effort, his best effort to show this woman beside him that he did not want this to be the end. Ichigo ran his hands through his orange shock of hair, tugging at the strands.

He didn't wait for an answer. "I don't understand why your voice sounds the clearest to me, why your touch always brings me back to sanity when nothing else does, why your scent is so goddamn intoxicating, why--" Ichigo was rambling and he knew it, but he could not stop, his lips and tongue would not stop moving, betraying him, freeing him... "Does it matter where we are – whether here or there – so long as we are together? I love you, goddamit--are you going to answer me or what?!"

Ichigo's mouth snapped shut when he realized what he just said and silence descended upon them, adding to the seemingly tranquil scene but for the awkward tension in the air between them. Slow realization dawned upon his face, the handsome face of a man that still had a boyish air about it.

Was that what he had been trying to say all this time? Was it?

He stared at the woman standing before him, this small, petite woman over whom he towered over yet still felt so vulnerable to. He imagined how easily his arm wrapped around her tiny waist, how fiercely her deep violet eyes glowed with passion. He could not see what the abstract concept of love itself was, but if he had to describe what it was, he would say: Rukia. Ichigo knew that this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

If there ever was a clear-cut answer in Life, Ichigo decided, then this was it.

"I love you," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.

He tried to read her porcelain face for any reaction at all, but Rukia was now looking out on the pond like he had been just some minutes before.

The floating lilies called to them tantalizingly with their open buds, as if daring them to do the same. The sun was dying, little by little, sinking ever further down. Soon, the sky will be black – as black as his shinigami uniform that now fit so comfortably on him like a second skin, as black as Rukia's hair.

Her hand found his, resting upon the vermillion wooden rail of the bridge. Her thin, graceful fingers laced with his large, calloused ones, intertwined like their destinies.

"I love you, too, you idiot," Rukia whispered, and Ichigo was startled (surprise, mixed with relief that his feelings were reciprocated) by the quiet happiness he heard in her voice. "And, no, it doesn't matter, as long as we're together."

Yes, the sun was dying little by little. But only for this evening, for the sun was destined to continue to glow through the moon and inevitably reborn the following morning.

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fin

Author's Note: It's finished. Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Don't worry; this isn't going to be my last ichiruki fanfic, so until then, thanks again!