'Ichigo... I hate the rain. Rain falls in this world, too. When your heart is in chaos, this sky becomes clouded. When you are sad, rain falls so terribly easy. Can you understand... the horror of being pelted by rain in this solitary world?'
— Zangetsu, Bleach, Chapter 112
"Yo… I said 'yo'!"
"… What?"
"I'm bored. Entertain me."
Zangetsu turned his head to glare at the hollow disdainfully. Without making a reply, he turned his eyes back towards the sky.
"Che. Be that way." He started pacing around the 'jacked-up, sideways ridiculousness' that was Ichigo's inner world (eloquently dubbed as such by him).
"The clouds are gathering." Zangetsu finally said, eyes still skyward.
"Huh?" The hollow glanced up and saw angry grey clouds rolling in. He scratched his head and continued pacing. "Yeah, that idiot Ichigo keeps getting beaten up. So stupid. If he'd just let me fight more, he wouldn't have to deal with losin' all the time!"
"Hm… I wonder if that's it." Zangetsu felt that, while Ichigo was still a bit of a sore loser, that something was a little different this time. He felt that something in Ichigo had changed lately but, as the hollow had been in control in recent times, perhaps it was just his imagination.
Still, he was uneasy as the clouds multiplied and darkened and, suddenly, rain began to pour heavily.
The hollow swore and both Zangetsu and the hollow stood next to each other, gazing at the overcast sky.
"Okay, so maybe it ain't about the fightin' then. Hey! Maybe it's about a girl!" the hollow chuckled to himself.
"Hm. Maybe." Zangetsu stared at his outstretched palm, catching raindrops and forming a puddle of metaphorical sadness.
Ichigo could replay Renji's offer and Rukia's apology in his head a million times that night and, still, it would bring him no comfort.
A lot of things bugged him that night, robbing him of sleep while he tried to figure out what it was that upset him so much.
'You cannot weigh up the life of one person against the fate of the world.'
He tried to get that bastard's words out of his head and, occasionally, he would succeed, only to have them come back, louder.
But most of all…
He couldn't get Inoue out of his head.
Inoue…
Inoue…
She couldn't be a traitor. He wouldn't believe it for a second. She'd practically have to have a hole in her chest with her sword pointed at him before he'd start to believe it (even then, he'd think she'd been coerced).
He was obviously missing something. Or lots of something's.
He wanted to know why Aizen would want Inoue in the first place.
He wanted to know what she could have been thinking when she left. Why she went along with them. (Why she left him all alone)
But maybe what he wanted to know the most was why when that old bastard called Inoue just 'one person', he was so pissed off.
While he pondered this, sunlight slowly crept into his room and he slipped into a light sleep.
While he slept, he dreamt.
'…fall in love with the same person. Thank you, Kurosaki-kun… Goodbye.'
While he dreamt, the rain continued to fall.
A/N: First Bleach fic, so sorry for any OOC-ness or un-canon-ness. I don't really know how the inner world works, so sorry for any mistakes in that regard!
Disclaimer: Not mine! All Kubo Tite's (who shocked me with his age… he's only thirty! o.0)