disclaimer. look. if i owned bleach this fic would not be necessary.
dedication. to my poor, fellow shippers. we'll always have fic, at least.
an. the phenomenal let down that was that bleach ending had to come with some angst.

title. let the rain fall.
summary. And though he finds himself filled with longing whenever he looks at the moon, he tells himself there's nothing wrong with letting the rain fall this time around.

The rain has stopped.

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It was electric. It was sudden and unexpected, but welcome all the same.

She was the moon's light, breaking through the clouds and putting an end to his eternal storm. It was a thought he rarely allowed himself to linger on, their lives being the constant tangled web of never ending wars that they found themselves a part of.

There had been nothing more important than protecting the people he cared about.

There was no thought that could be spared on anything other than making sure those people made it out of those wars alive.

That she made it out of those wars alive.

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His fingers twitch at his sides, the urge to reach out and touch her coursing through his veins.

He didn't want to say goodbye.

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Because of you, the rain has stopped falling.

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"So, you're not going to tell her?" Karin's voice echoes for the briefest of moments, and he's tearing his gaze away from Rukia's petite form.

"Tell her what?"

"Oh, come on. Don't be stupid." She sits up, and he finds himself unable to control the sudden fidgeting of his hands. "Ichigo, you've got to tell her."

"Karin, you don't understand."

"The hell I don't." She leans forward, and he thinks very briefly, "I'm your kid sister, but I'm not stupid. You care about her. You always have."

"It's not always that simple."

She's ready to protest, but he's grateful that she sees something in his face that makes her drop the matter entirely. Before she leaves him to his thoughts again, however, she reaches over and gives his hand a gentle squeeze. "I just want you to do whatever makes you happy."

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Everyone has left and it's only her.

Violet eyes so dark they shine black under the moon's light, and he reaches out without meaning to, brushing away the strands of hair that threatened to take those eyes away from him.

"Ichigo."

"What?"

"Your life is here. Mine is there."

"I know."

And he does.

He knows, he understands, and he agrees wholeheartedly that the possibility of them is practically non-existent.

But he also understands that this is the only chance he's going to have to express to her just how much she means to him, so he slides a hand behind her neck, fingers curling into the dark locks of her hair as he leans in.

Pain flashes across her features, but those eyes fall shut and she stands on the tips of her toes to meet him halfway.

Lips meet, and she melts into him. Fingers curl tighter around the locks of hair, as his other arm makes its way around her waist, pulling her closer.

He can't recall ever feeling as completely blissful as he did in that very moment.

All too soon the need to breathe arises and she's the first to pull back. Foreheads touching, they linger there, attempting to catch their breath, and he holds her there like he's terrified she's going to slip right through his fingers.

And she does.

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The rain starts again.

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Orihime's smile is a warmth in his chest and their son is the light of his life.

And though he finds himself filled with longing whenever he looks at the moon, he tells himself there's nothing wrong with letting the rain fall this time around.

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"Yo."

"Hey!"

Her smile sets off a fire in his heart and the rain stops falling once again.

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fin.