Do You Remember Me? (Ichiruki Fanfiction: BOOK 2)

Chapter 4: Memories in the Rain

Ichigo Kurosaki

"Just hang in there, Rukia!"

Sweat trickled down his burnt skin as he held her in his trembling hands. It was a miracle that they survived that explosion. One second he was eating dinner and the next his own son shot some powerful light from a black and white katana. Tuesdays.

Ichigo laid Rukia down on the grass hills beside the river he had always gone to as a child, his hazel eyes narrowing in concern. Her chest had been cut and a pool of red had formed on her chest, her breaths coming out in short spurts.

"Sh*t.."

He groaned, slowly removing her shirt and using it to add pressure to her wound. He tried to avert his eyes from her undergarments. Ichigo was respectful like that.

His eyes glanced at his home behind him in the distance, a layer of smoke visible over the buildings that marked where it has been. Ichigo felt a pain in his chest as he realized his normal, apple pie life would be no more. No home, no money, no son of his or his wife.

His wife.

He bolted up, his eyes wide as he stared at the decimated house, his pulse stopping completely.

"INOUE!"

Ichigo cried out, looking at the pall of smoke and back to Rukia who had just woken up from his scream.

"I...Ichigo...?"

He gasped and bent down so their eyes would be leveled.

"H-Hey don't speak. You're badly hurt.."

He gingerly pressed on her wound, his fingers twitching with stress and anxiety . Rukia winced, sweat dripping from her face as the pain spread through her body like tiny red ants. After a few moments, Ichigo got up, his hazel eyes looking dreary and worn out.

"Rukia can you wait here for just a minute...? I-I need to make sure Inoue is okay."

Half of him way hopeful. There was no way she could've died right? Rukia shook her head weakly, causing Ichigo's heart to stop.

"No..."

Ichigo fell to his knees, head dropped down and his chin stabbing his chest, knowing that she wasn't lying. Those violet eyes had seen the truth. Ichigo couldn't believe it. His house was in flames, his son was a monster and his wife...his wife...

"...Ichigo.."

His hazel eyes looked up, seeing Rukia shakily get up from the grass hills with a determined look in her eyes.

"...I'll fix this for you, don't you worry."

Her voice was soft but forceful, like a distant memory in the back of his orange head. But sorrow and rage quickly replaced that faded nostalgia.

"My wife is dead and Kotori is a fucking murderer! And you're saying you can fix this?!"

Ichigo hissed out between his teeth, instantly regretting it as Rukia's eyes saddened down into diluted purple hue.

"...I'm sorry I-"

Ichigo began before finding that his voice was trapped in his throat, tears streaming down his face. Without holding back Ichigo began to sob, his cries ripping out of his mouth in erratic gasps and wet moans. His hands gripped the grass beneath his body as his world fell apart around him. What he believed to have brought him happiness became nothing but ash and confusion. Ichigo placed his head on the grass, his body coiled up in a ball of sorrow and devastation, the smoke from his home filling his lungs and clouded his thoughts. The tears burned in eyes, his vision fogged up from the overwhelming emotions as his lower lip quivered immensely.

"W-What do I do.."

He said to himself, finding it difficult to breath as his heart gave out and let itself go. His veins pulsed through his body, his bones ached as he felt no motivation to move. His skin was cold in fear and desperation, fingernails digging into the dirt in grief. And just like the droplets down his cheeks, the sky began to darken, rain falling down against his back causing his white shirt to stick to his skin. The tears were soon masked by the rain as the sky mimicked the inside of Ichigo's heart.

Rukia Kuchiki

She stood there in the rain, blood dripping down her torso as the pain became a numbing sensation that resembled her emotions. Ichigo was coiled in front of her, sobs still escaping his enclosed body as the rain pounded his back. Rukia slowly bent down, her knees touching the soaking dirt and her feet digging into the grass. She gingerly pushed Ichigo up again from the ground, getting him sit a little taller and to stare at her. His mournful and tortured face met her solemn and calm expression. He stopped his tears for a moment, the only sound being the rain that fell from above.

Rukia wrapped her arms around his body, pulling him into an embrace of care and comfort, as Ichigo rested his head against her chest. The two closed their eyes as she felt her heartbeat relax as well as his. Her small hands lay gently on his back, giving all the love she could to help this boy once more in such times of terror and chaos.

Because no matter what Ichigo goes through, Rukia would always be by his side.

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Author's Note: 
HELLO EVERYONEEEE! Sorry this took so long..the bleach ending just made me so depressed I just had to wait a little more to write. It's kinda creepy how similar this story was to that shitty ending but aNYWAYS. I shall continue to write this because we all need Ichiruki in our lives. I will always continue to ship them 💜 hope you enjoyed this chapter and see ya the next time I ever get to finish a chap