Homesick

She couldn’t believe it.

Well, she could. He was still waiting for her just like the people said.

And for once, Rukia was rooted to the spot with nothing to say.

Ichigo’s actions spoke so much louder than words as he started walking toward her, his pace increasing to a hard run the closer he came.

She never expected him dropping to his knees in front of her.

She never expected his arms to clasp at her like a life line, burying his face into her stomach before looking up at her.

She never expected him to miss her.

Taken aback at the glassy sheen in those brown eyes staring at her, she cursed her heart for wrenching the way it did.

She wasn’t supposed to have missed him.

He had been a means to an end, a chore, an obstacle to pass to fulfill her duty.

Ichigo became a friend, a companion, someone to be there every day and she almost took it for granted.

She wasn’t supposed to fall in love with him, not like a good shinigami who only fell in love with fellow shinigami. But that didn’t count either, because when she transferred her powers to him, Ichigo became that shinigami that she only wished to return to.

A hot, unwanted tear streaked down her face as she realized just what else she wasn’t supposed to be doing.

Shinigami never cried.

They never smiled.

They certainly never became homesick for a world that was never theirs.