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I had many feels after watching the Bleach anime episode 342... and suddenly while writing this I had no feels. OK.
Rukia doesn't think about why she does things for Ichigo until he is safe and resting in his bed.
Actually, she doesn't even think about it then. It takes Kurosaki-san spotting Rukia. "Ah, Third Daughter!"
At the exclaimation, Rukia drops Ichigo's leg by accident; she was trying to get him to lie on the bed properly. It figures that Ichigo would be annoying even when unconscious: he sprawls across the bed and Rukia doesn't know how to set it right. She thought that in her shinigami form, no one would see her.
Kurosaki-san can, and he seems to notice her distress too. "Ah, just leave him. Only Yuzu knows how to tuck in an unconscious person properly. A skill worthy of one of my daughters!"
For all that Kurosaki-san was fun to watch, Rukia hasn't thought of many good responses to his statements. The adults on the streets she grew up on were to be avoided and jeered at from the safety of the gang's sanctuary. Neither are the Kuchikis a household of rapidfire conversation and action. So Rukia settles for a factual, "I'll leave this to her then, if that's alright." Then she drops Ichigo's leg. It makes a thud on the floor.
"It's more than alright! You're part of the family!" Kurosaki-san does a snap and a wink. Rukia stares at him some more. "But if you're in the mood for something serious..." Kurosaki-kun snaps off a salute. "Thank you for all you've done for my idiot son."
He capers off before Rukia can reply.
Rukia settles down on the only spot still free on Ichigo's bed with a huff. She doesn't know what she has done to receive thanks. All she has done in the last few days was follow Ichigo around. Ukitake-taichou had told her to keep Ichigo from fighting, but it's Ichigo. His reaction to everything is fighting. Even tonight -
Ichigo is Ichigo. If anyone else had been there, Rukia is sure that Ichigo would have asked them to hold the hollow for him to get the last strike in. Renji, Ishida, Chad, Kurumadani... He would have bothered them until they gave in.
So why had Kurosaki-san thanked her?
Rukia is just glad it was her. There were benefits to following Ichigo around after all. It was a great big hassle and she had to enlist Kon to walk Ichigo's human body back, but she had seen Ichigo through right to the end. It was only right, wasn't it?
What Rukia knows is that Ichigo wouldn't have thanked her. Sure he would have smirked and dropped hints about how she wanted to do it and didn't have to be ordered until Rukia was ready to turn around and confirm his suspicions - and then he would let the whole thing drop. She knew. He had already done it to her once, at the riverside. It's as if he wanted to test her resolve to tell him things.
She hadn't elaborated then. She hadn't needed to, when Ichigo made it all too clear that he understood. But there were some things that had to be said, even if Ichigo didn't need to hear it. It was Rukia who needed to hear it, for herself. That was all that she had done all this time. She had let Ichigo continue to fight because she had needed to see him press on despite all odds. She had let Ichigo give the final blow because she had wanted to see him fight one last time. She had brought him home to remind herself that this was where he belonged.
That's why she says this aloud; when Ichigo slumbers on, when there's no one around to hear, when it's not quite time to say goodbye. She says, "Live well, idiot."
Only then does she get up from Ichigo's bed. She has to tell their friends about the impending loss of Ichigo's powers. She already guesses that some of them will thank her, for the chance to stay with him to the very end.
She doesn't need their thanks: it's what she wants to do.
I don't know how it became like this. It was meant to be a story about how far they are under each other's skin that it doesn't really matter whether or not they are in love with each other to Rukia. It just is. But sometimes Ichigo needs that assurance because he doesn't always understand. Otherwise it's like what happens at the riverside - he just wants to TEST her commitment. But then it turned into... this. I dunno.
Rukia doesn't think about why she does things for Ichigo until he is safe and resting in his bed.
Actually, she doesn't even think about it then. It takes Kurosaki-san spotting Rukia. "Ah, Third Daughter!"
At the exclaimation, Rukia drops Ichigo's leg by accident; she was trying to get him to lie on the bed properly. It figures that Ichigo would be annoying even when unconscious: he sprawls across the bed and Rukia doesn't know how to set it right. She thought that in her shinigami form, no one would see her.
Kurosaki-san can, and he seems to notice her distress too. "Ah, just leave him. Only Yuzu knows how to tuck in an unconscious person properly. A skill worthy of one of my daughters!"
For all that Kurosaki-san was fun to watch, Rukia hasn't thought of many good responses to his statements. The adults on the streets she grew up on were to be avoided and jeered at from the safety of the gang's sanctuary. Neither are the Kuchikis a household of rapidfire conversation and action. So Rukia settles for a factual, "I'll leave this to her then, if that's alright." Then she drops Ichigo's leg. It makes a thud on the floor.
"It's more than alright! You're part of the family!" Kurosaki-san does a snap and a wink. Rukia stares at him some more. "But if you're in the mood for something serious..." Kurosaki-kun snaps off a salute. "Thank you for all you've done for my idiot son."
He capers off before Rukia can reply.
Rukia settles down on the only spot still free on Ichigo's bed with a huff. She doesn't know what she has done to receive thanks. All she has done in the last few days was follow Ichigo around. Ukitake-taichou had told her to keep Ichigo from fighting, but it's Ichigo. His reaction to everything is fighting. Even tonight -
Ichigo is Ichigo. If anyone else had been there, Rukia is sure that Ichigo would have asked them to hold the hollow for him to get the last strike in. Renji, Ishida, Chad, Kurumadani... He would have bothered them until they gave in.
So why had Kurosaki-san thanked her?
Rukia is just glad it was her. There were benefits to following Ichigo around after all. It was a great big hassle and she had to enlist Kon to walk Ichigo's human body back, but she had seen Ichigo through right to the end. It was only right, wasn't it?
What Rukia knows is that Ichigo wouldn't have thanked her. Sure he would have smirked and dropped hints about how she wanted to do it and didn't have to be ordered until Rukia was ready to turn around and confirm his suspicions - and then he would let the whole thing drop. She knew. He had already done it to her once, at the riverside. It's as if he wanted to test her resolve to tell him things.
She hadn't elaborated then. She hadn't needed to, when Ichigo made it all too clear that he understood. But there were some things that had to be said, even if Ichigo didn't need to hear it. It was Rukia who needed to hear it, for herself. That was all that she had done all this time. She had let Ichigo continue to fight because she had needed to see him press on despite all odds. She had let Ichigo give the final blow because she had wanted to see him fight one last time. She had brought him home to remind herself that this was where he belonged.
That's why she says this aloud; when Ichigo slumbers on, when there's no one around to hear, when it's not quite time to say goodbye. She says, "Live well, idiot."
Only then does she get up from Ichigo's bed. She has to tell their friends about the impending loss of Ichigo's powers. She already guesses that some of them will thank her, for the chance to stay with him to the very end.
She doesn't need their thanks: it's what she wants to do.
I don't know how it became like this. It was meant to be a story about how far they are under each other's skin that it doesn't really matter whether or not they are in love with each other to Rukia. It just is. But sometimes Ichigo needs that assurance because he doesn't always understand. Otherwise it's like what happens at the riverside - he just wants to TEST her commitment. But then it turned into... this. I dunno.
