Simplicity

It was a simple statement on a simple day. Two words.

"Morning, Rukia," Ichigo said.

But it wasn't that simple was it? Simple to say, maybe. Two words; two meanings. To anyone who overheard this greeting, it was, indeed, a greeting. But to Rukia, and to Ichigo as well, it meant so much more.

Seventeen months ago, another simple statement had been said… whispered. This phrase too had two meanings.

"Later, Rukia."

Two more words; two more meanings. Then, for seventeen months, nothing had been said. There was nothing either of them could say. So, they stayed silent for over a year. A time when everyone but the other could hear them, see them, touch them, hurt, or love, them.

But that time has passed now. They are free to listen and talk to one another. Still, neither of them was very verbose to begin with. It's the statements such as "Later" and "Morning" that convey all that they should have said before, and all they are still trying to say now.

They want to pour their hearts out to each other, embrace each other, cry, laugh, and never let go. But they're too proud to do that, both of them. They don't ignore their feelings, though. When they see each other they trade their stoic stares for faint smiles of joy. The true joy they have rarely felt in years passed, but are able to give to the other.

They still stay quiet, content with being under the same roof, in the same room. They let their eyes do most of the talking. Entire conversations transpire the few brief seconds when amber meets amethyst. When one is feeling off-balance, then they let their mouths move, forming comforting words.

The comfort is not in the words, however. It is in the knowledge that the other cares enough to speak them. Comfort can be conveyed in many ways: a glance, a touch, or even by being in the same room. Even if it seems one is ignoring the other, they both know where their thoughts are.

When looked at from the outside, their relationship is simple. Two quiet people, friends, who enjoy spending time with one another. Although, to all those who understand, it couldn't be more complex. It's the relationship between the black sun and the white moon, between amber and amethyst, and between two souls connected by a tightly woven thread. A thread soaked in red with the blood spilt in the fight for each other' for their own right to live.

People say the sun sets, and then the moon rises, so they can never truly be together. Although, they are both part of one eternal eclipse. One is the only light the other needs.

So, when they say things like "Morning" and "Later," they know what they mean. These are not greetings and farewells. These are pledges of their devotion that not even death can annul.