AN: Well…here is another oneshot that I wrote on impulse…it's a bit more on the sad side, sorta. Well, it was inspired by some song, and I guess the song was kinda sad. Anyway, here's the short story. Dunno where in the Bleach timeline it is. Somewhere in there.
WARNING: you may have to read this more than once to 'get' it. If you don't get it, send in a review saying you don't and I will explain it to you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach
- - -
Waiting
- - -
"It is a sure known fact…For a shinigami to die; he or she must have their head separated from the body."
Kieto Haru,
Vice Captain, 1st division, 100 AD
- - -
Unknown time
Unohana walked in the patient's room, not surprised to see two figures on the bed.
She tapped the female on the shoulder.
"Rukia, it's morning."
The other woman's eyelids fluttered. She untangled herself from the person next to her.
"Mmm…" she murmured. "It's morning already?"
"Yes," Unohana answered as she opened the blinds. "I hope you didn't do anything –"
"Haven't heard that one before," Rukia said before Unohana could continue her dry, not to mention overused joke.
"Well, I just thought, after this long you might have gotten a little bolder," replied Unohana from the doorway.
"Go away," Rukia shouted half-heartedly, as she playfully chucked a pillow at the closing door.
But…what she had said was partly true. She turned around, and surveyed the figure next to her. He wasn't sleeping.
A coma. That was what they had called it on earth.
It had been terrible, that day. She had found him dead. Well, almost dead. His head been partly severed from his body. At that, she had thought all hope was lost, as when a shinigami's head is cut off from the body, eternal death ensues.
She had done the only thing she could have done. She brought his battered body back to Soul Society. They had immediately ordered her to go back, and fetch his real body, providing no explanation to the family.
They simply thought…he had disappeared. It was cruel, but it was the only thing they could do if they wanted to save his life.
And save his life they did, but he never fully recovered. He had just lay in this…coma, day in and day out. She stayed with him, for the majority of that time. Sleeping beside him, and taking his near-lifeless form in her arms.
Many shinigami often wondered why the great ryoka, who successfully infiltrated Soul Society, had been nearly killed by such a low class hollow.
Rukia knew why. She suspected others knew too, but she didn't go out of her way to tell any of them.
This was her responsibility, and so she stayed by his side. She had tried talking to him, but there was never any response. Last night she thought she couldn't take it anymore, and had confessed her love to him. She told him that she loved him, told him that she was sorry.
Yet there was no reaction.
"Ichigo…won't you ever wake up?"
- - -
Present time
"Ah, Mr. Kurosaki, you have a visitor."
"Did they make an appointment?"
"Ah, no, she just said to tell you, 'Rukia'. She said that you would understand."
Ichigo swallowed. Just when was the last time he had seen her?
- - -
10 years ago
Rukia bit her nails, a sure sign that she was feeling uncomfortable.
"I like you…" she said slowly.
"But?"
Ichigo raised his eyebrows expectantly. There had to be a 'but'. There always was, not that he confessed his love to girls occasionally. Up front, his face was painted with the same bored expression, but inside, he was squirming. The suspense was killing him.
It had been alright, a moment ago, the two of them playing a simple card game Ichigo had taught her. Upon impulse, he had taken her hand as she was about to take a card from his hand. She hadn't questioned him, as if she knew something had to happen. Instead, a heavy silence had followed, before his abrupt confession. It was terribly simple, he thought, looking in her eyes.
But now…now was the un-simple part. The part where he had to wait for a response. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes seemed to turn to hours.
"But...I can't…"
"Have a relationship right now," Ichigo finished for her.
She looked up in surprise. Did this human kid just take the words out of her mouth? He knew her quite well. She furrowed her brow.
"How did you know I was going to say that?"
"Never mind. But it's ok…I can wait for you," he said hesitantly, as if expecting a negative comment.
Rukia's face turned serious again. What was she going to tell him? She knew herself, that she was getting too attached to him, and she had thought to bring up the topic someday – and obviously he had too. Although, her intention was quite different to his. She had intended to ask him if he realized that the both of them were starting to become attracted to each other.
She was just that one step behind. Also, she wanted him to note all the rules and regulations about relationships between a shinigami and a human – it wasn't unprecedented of course, there were a few cases about shinigami and human love, though extremely rare.
The most recent one she had heard of was a former captain of the Gotei-13 marrying a human woman.
The results were disastrous – something about the wife dying, Byakuya had said, but did not elaborate any more. Of course, she had asked him to continue, but he simply walked away, in that usual huffed manner. She thought him say something about that 'idiot kid'.
Thus, after all these events, she had decided that the two of them (after she had confronted him with the issue of course) would have to compromise to make sure that they were not placed in any 'awkward' situations. She didn't want him hurt. Of course, Rukia had stopped denying that she liked the guy, but had kept telling herself that she could easily pull herself out of her emotions if need be. Things were fairly easy going here on earth, so she had decided to also take it easy with herself.
But it looked like he had beat her to the 'talk'.
She took a deep breath. This would be the painful part.
"I'm sorry Ichigo… Actually, I just…don't like you."
She hated lying. She looked down, not looking him in the eye. Because she knew what she would find there. Pain.
Even though she had zero experience in love, she wasn't dumb – she knew the boy had feelings for her as well. It was so obvious at times.
"I'll wait forever."
Goddammit, Ichigo! Why do you have to make things so hard for me?
"No…" she heard herself say. "Don't wait for me. At all." She tried to make her voice cold, just like that day when she had left him to go to Soul Society. Part of her wanted to believe that he wouldn't believe her, just like that time.
A pause.
"Ok," she heard him say softly, and felt his hand remove itself from hers. She resisted the urge to grab onto his hand, and keep it with her. She was only doing this so that he would be safe, she told herself. So he could be safe.
She bit her lip as an irritating silence passed between the two of them. She wished he would get angry. If he would get angry, then this awful silence could be broken, and maybe, just maybe, she could tell him everything, tell him that she was lying, tell him that she was only trying to protect him, and that she actually…liked him.
Instead, he stood up quietly.
Rukia squeezed her eyes shut, her cards forgotten on the floor.
"I have to go to the bathroom."
- - -
He washed his face, to wash away the warm dampness on his cheeks, whatever it was. As he looked in the mirror, he felt a slight spiritual pressure somewhere outside the house.
A hollow, and a weak one at that.
Using his substitute shinigami badge, he changed into his shinigami form. Rukia had probably sensed it by now, but he didn't really want to bother her. Actually, he didn't feel like talking to her at all. He wasn't mad…just very, very sad.
Well, what could he possibly do? All he could do now was just…no, he couldn't even wait for her. Right now…his life felt empty.
He shook his head. This wasn't the time to think about such thoughts now. He had to focus.
- - -
Present time
Rukia didn't make eye contact as she walked into the neat office. She first, turned directly around to close the door, and then, sat down on a chair. She then busied herself, straightening out her skirt.
"You can sit down, if you like."
"Funny," she replied.
She finally looked at him. Really looked at him. He had grown his hair out a fair bit longer, but it looked much more…fashionable, especially with the orange colour. He wore glasses now, but instead of making him look 'nerdy', it made him look intelligent.
"You look well," she heard him say.
"I was about to say the same thing," she smiled, and really meant it. She hadn't seen him in about a decade. She didn't know the details…but he had just disappeared – and at the worst time too – just after she had told him that she didn't like him. She wanted to blurt out everything – how was he going, how he was eating, and…did he have a partner?
"Uh…" Ichigo paused. He wanted to ask her so many things. Instead – "Do you want to go for a walk?"
- - -
Their conversation progressed, to say the least. They were sitting on a park bench, and had been talking for hours.
Ichigo had made up some excuse, and had skipped work for the rest of that day. Finally, Rukia decided that she better bring up that topic, after all, he had done so all those years ago.
"Ichigo…"
"What?"
His blunt reply made her smile. Just like the Ichigo she knew and…loved?
"I…want to apologize…"
God, she felt like the Rukia from ten years ago. Stupid, ignorant, and in love with this stupid boy, who didn't seem so stupid now, and certainly did not seem like a boy.
She had only realized that she loved him when he was gone. Gone, and out of her reach. All the more reason to tell him now.
"I want to apologize for what I did to you back then…"
She went on to explain. Explained everything, including the reason why she had rejected him.
"…and…"
Now, this…this was the hard part. Up until now she had been telling him that she had loved him, telling him that it was in the past. But now…
"I love you."
Simple, and to the point. Something she thought she would never do. Now, she reasoned, that he would have his revenge – stomp on her heart the way she did to him, disregarding his feelings. It hadn't made things any better when she learned that boys at that age were very sensitive when it came to their emotions.
Ichigo, up until now had been quietly sitting, listening to her story. She sat, and waited for his response.
She felt his hand cup her chin, and she was forced to look him in the eye. His sad eyes.
Sad?
"Rukia."
She shivered when he said her name, so softly and tenderly.
"I…I'm married. And I have two daughters."
She had thought that the pause from ten years ago had been the most awkward silence she would ever encounter with Ichigo. Apparently, she was wrong.
Ichigo let go of her chin.
"Sorry."
She opened her mouth to respond but no words came out. She tasted salt.
- - -
Ichigo cried that night. His wife tried to ask him what was wrong, but he just kept sobbing quietly.
Finally, his wife placed her arms around him and had said quietly, "Please…don't go anywhere."
A pause.
"I need you."
Then, she slept, and him soon after, curled up like a baby in her arms.
- - -
Sunlight streamed through the window, like every other day. Except…this time it was different, somehow. Like it was coming in from another side.
And the pillow felt different. The bed too. Somehow, he felt lighter. And the warmth next to him…that was his wife. Wasn't it?
She must have been worried, he thought. He had been crying last night, and hadn't explained to her at all.
Without opening his eyes, he spoke.
"Hey."
"Ichigo?"
The voice sounded…different. Somewhat surprised.
Rukia?
"Rukia?"
His eyes flew open remarkably fast for someone who had been in a coma. "What are you doing in my…bed?"
He was about to say house, but he then took a look around at the white room. This was not his house.
Rukia didn't answer – she just had this weird look on her face. As if she was about to burst out in tears, yet she looked happy.
He leaned back a little, though liking the feeling of her next to him. "What's with you?"
She also looked a bit different, he noticed. Hair a lot longer, her face a lot more mature. Did she suddenly grow up from when he had seen her last night? And why was he in this place anyway? He had a family to look after.
"Ichigo…you've been in a coma."
Tears streamed down her face.
"A coma?" he replied in disbelief. What the hell? Didn't he have a job, a car, and a family? Where were they?
She didn't say anything, but continued sobbing.
He finally asked the question that had been running around in his mind.
"How long?"
"One…hundred years."
- - -
AN: Bah, this is where I'm ending it. If it's too confusing then too bad. If you got it, well then that's great!
Basically, Ichigo felt sad after he was rejected, went out to fight a hollow, nearly got himself killed and was stuck in a coma for 100 years. During that coma he dreamed that he basically grew up normally, had a wife, kids, etc.
That time Rukia had talked to him, had triggered his recovery (i.e. the time she had talked to him while he was in a coma, telling him that she loved him – he had actually heard that, but in his comatose state, he had thought she had come to his office and had told him when they went on their walk to the park bench)
Anyway, whatever. Something new from me. Cya!
PS. I might put in a sequel. Most probably. Maybe. Might. There is stuff I could tie up.
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