Beautiful Wish
I walked along the beach with you.
And as I did, memories flashed across my eyes.
Painful, tragic, memories.
With each memory, there was a new thought. And with each thought, footprints appeared.
Sometimes, there were two pairs of footprints. Other times, there was only one.
This had me troubled; for during the times of sorrow and defeat, there was only one set.
So I turned and said,
"I am broken. You promised me you would always be there for me. So, why, in the horrible, troubled times, You were never there? Why?"
You stopped and looked at me. The only sounds were waves crashing against the sand.
"Because, during those times where you saw only one set of footprints, I carried you."
I smiled, closed my eyes, and whispered...
"Thank you."
-My rewrite of Footprints in the Sand, by Mary Stevenson
"I know..."
Rukia's broken and hurt voice rang through Ichigo's head over and over and over.Ichigo stood motionless, looking at the sleeping girl in the guest room. He looked in sympathy at the young girl. She really had no one...
Ichigo turned to leave, and heard a soft groan.
"Please... stay..." Ichigo stopped. He thought she was sleeping. "Ichigo...Please, stay..." Rukia whispered a little louder.
Ichigo stood still for a moment. Stay? Ichigo didn't know what he was thinking when he said what he said next.
"Of course." The words slipped right out of Ichigo's mouth.
One second he was looking at Rukia through the doorway, the next he was sitting next to her bedside, her hand intertwined with his.
Rukia smiled weakly, her eyes still closed. "Thank you." Ichigo smiled lightly. "Don't mention it..."
After a few minutes, Rukia's breathing became even, signaling she was sleeping.
Ichigo did it almost on instinct; he leaned forward and brushed his lips to her forehead.
"Good night." He murmured, and stood up to leave.
Rukia smiled in her sleep.
Isshin smiled slightly as Ichigo walked out of the geust room. Ichigo frowned.
"What are you lookin' at, goat-face?" The orange-haired teen asked threateningly.
"Oh, nothing... it just seems like little Ichigo has finally grown up into a man." Isshin replied, a goofy grin on his face.
Out of nowhere, Ichigo kicked Isshin in the head. "Dad! Come on! Rukia's just a friend! And what about Inoue? She is my girlfriend, you know!"
Isshin laughed, rubbing the bump on his head. "Yeah, well, if Orihime's so special, why'd you just call her 'Inoue'?" Ichigo looked at Isshin. Though the orange-haired teen never really thought of it, he hadn't stopped calling Orihime by her surname since Kaitou paid his family a little visit.
"And, to be honest," Isshin continued, "I like Rukia-chan much better. Yuzu defiantly likes her more, and, even if she won't admit it, Karin does, too. And I'm sure your m.."
Ichigo didn't wait to hear the rest. He knew where Isshin was getting at.
And he didn't like it.
Flashback
"My heart, holds a melody for me... I'll always remember you... There will not be, an eternity for us. Although we will find a way! Listen close... to my heart's piano! Hold it tight, and listen to the aquamarine melody! Look for the shining moon, as it fades away! Until the sounds of the final waves vanish... Just walk with me to the sea now, for all of tonight. Because I care for you, but there are things I can never say! Dancing in the night, like the shining stars... I can't look to the sky, or my past will return... Tomorrow our love will shimmer so bright! And it's like destiny's soprano..."
As she sang the final note, Mitsuki was thrown in a series of coughs.
"Take it easy, okay, Mi-chan? You already have a cold, and when you have something like leukemia, you have to be careful." Hisana said in her usual soft voice.
"Oh, come on sis! It's nothing bad! Leu.. leu.. whatever it is can't be that bad, could it? Don't listen to Hisana, 'kay? It's a really good song, sis!" Seven year-old Rukia said, bouncing up to Mitsuki. The black-haired girl smiled weakly. How would you tell your seven-year-old little sister you could die at any time from cancer?" Thank you, Rukia-chan, but Hisana's right, I should rest."
Hisana sighed thankfully. "Thank you. At least you're not trying to kill yourself." Mitsuki raised a brow. "Hold up, 'Sana, I said I should rest, I never said I would. I have a competition to win. There's no way I'm gonna let some stupid cold get me down!" Mitsuki said, determined.
Hisana sighed again. "Mi-chan... it's not just the cold... you just got out of the hosp.." But Mitsuki tuned her out. She turned on the stereo behind her, took in a deep breath and began singing again.
"Right now, I just want to quietly sleep in a translucent wind embraced in wings. Let"s look for the whereabouts of the destiny I was entrusted with. A swarm of falling petal-like feathers dance down..."
"Mitsuki-chan... you heard the doctor. Go inside and rest. Kaitou-kun is inside with your medicine." Hikaru said, tapping her foot, obviously not pleased. Mitsuki pouted. She finally nodded when Hikaru gave her an irritated glare.
"You can suck the fun out of everything, can't you Hikaru?" Mitsuki asked, glaring at her stepmother. "You're so boring."
Hikaru sighed. Mitsuki was definatly the most rebellious of the four kids. "I only do these things because..." "You care..." Mitsuki sighed walking inside the house.
Hikaru picked up a little sheet of paper, "Unable to See Tomorrow" written as the title. She scanned the contents, and shook her head. She looked up at Rukia, who was picking flowers, and Hisana, who was helping Hikaru clean up.
"Hisana...where does she learn these things? I mean look at these lyrics...'Eternity is so endless and suffocating. So much that it sounds like something someone would long for. I want to be loved and for someone to be next to me but I can"t seem to find tomorrow.' And the rest of the lyrics... are so sad. Does she write this?"
Hisana nodded. "Yeah, but the songs are good."
FLASHBACK OVER
"...Even if a bird loses her wings, the wind will never vanish... "If I become one, if I become the wind, will my wish be fulfilled?" I'm saying it so nastily "If we're together, then join our hands, they're wings" From the voice of you, who are strong, ah, somehow tears overflowed..."
Mitsuki sang the song over and over again. After she got diagnosed, she had had a sudden interest in life, birds and the wind in particular.
"When Hisana was too injured from Kaitou to put Rukia to bed, I had to. Byakuya didn't know a thing about the poor kid. I used to sing her that song every night, but if it was my turn, Hisana would." Mitsuki said, looking at the two teens that walked in her room.
Mitsuki smiled somewhat weakly. "Hello, Yoruichi-san, Kiyone-chan.'' Yoruichi pouted. "No. No 'san'. I hate the honorifics." She said. "Just Yoruichi."
"Sorry, Yoruichi." Mitsuki said, her eyes a little distant. Yoruichi blinked, then turned to Kiyone. "You told her, didn't you?" Kiyone nodded slowly. "She had to know." Kiyone looked at Rukia. "And Rukia deserves to know why you left."
"Yeah... whatever."
Ichigo looked at Orihime. How would he say this? They were alone, sitting under a large sakura tree for lunch.
Orihime, it's over!
No... he couldn't do that. She'd start crying."...Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked timidly. Ichigo broke out of his thoughts.
"Inoue." Ichigo quickly relized his error. "Uh... I mean, I'm sorry Ori-" Orihime put a hand up, effectivley cutting him off.
"It's okay. I get it. There's no spark. There never was. You like Kuchiki-san."
Ichigo's eyes widened. Where had that come from? "Inou- Orihime, I appreciate you doing this. And you're right... there is no spark. But I don't like Rukia. Not like that, anyway." The orange-haired teen told his now ex-girlfriend.
Orihime smiled slyly. "Whatever you say, Kurosaki-kun."
Ichigo got up to leave. Before he left though, he told Orihime this: "Inoue, I don't want our relationship to be weird. Can we start over? Before you asked me out?"
Orihime smiled.
"I'd like that."
A/N: I bet most of you are happy.
I like the next chapter... things are going to run a lot smoother now that IchiHime is gone.
The chapter should be out by Monday.
T.M.U
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