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You had felt the rain that poured whence he bled, whence you thought he had…
You swallowed hard, a lump inside your throat that you could not seem to rid yourself of.
He had - hadn’t he?
Y/e/c hues lingered upon silken midnight locks - midnight locks you could remember vividly as they passed through your fingers. Your body shook as you gazed upon brown hues that you never stopped seeing. A tall, lanky figure of a man who hadn’t needed his tricks to deceive you, to bring you to the man’s side. Though his lips hadn’t held the smile you remembered so well, instead curled down, pursed in an understandable distraught, you had never forgotten the smile that reminded you of the crescent moon itself.
He had done so much wrong in the time you remembered beside him.
You held his hand whence you thought he had…
Outside of the Seireitei, beside the residence of the Shiba family, green grass stretched between you and the man you had watched perish. Another time, you attempted to swallow the lump that stuck in your throat. Neither of you spoke a word as you stared, his brown eyes at once wide, before they shifted down to the grass below him. Shame, you could easily presume, as you felt your stomach churn. Even still, minutes passed as neither of you spoke a word. This hadn’t been the reunion you expected, and yet, you hadn’t expected a reunion to begin with.
Especially not with Tsukishima Shuukurou - the man you fell hopelessly in love with.
Your lips parted once, before they hastily shut once more. There had been so many words you wished to convey to the man you left a memory of, and yet, the way your heart tightened in your chest prevented those words from spilling past your lips. Warmth covered your face, dripped down your chin as you shuddered. This time, you felt the way you shuddered. The warmth of your surroundings hadn’t caused such an action, not even that of the wind that reminded you of a warm summer day’s breeze.
His lips finally parted once more, words you could hardly hear with the distance between the two of you. Your name slipped across his lips, you were sure, followed by that of an apology. Tsukishima had never been a man of lengthy apologies - no - he hadn’t been a man to apologize at all. Not genuinely, you were sure. Though his words were light, barely audible, you could hear the drip of sincerity within his words. “I know a simple apology is not enough for you to ever forgive me for my transgressions,” was a modicum louder than his previous words, uncomfortable and yet genuine all the same. The midnight locked male seemed as if he was ready to say more.
You had been the one to cut him off, though. Striding towards him, hasty strides, you had stopped his words before they had started. The gentle breeze nipped against your wet cheeks as you could care less which words Tsukishima would have used. In a hasty motion, you wrapped your arms around his neck, buried yourself in his slender frame. Your grip had been taut, unforgivably so, as if he were to disappear to reishi were you to loosen it.
“Don’t speak,” were the only two words you could manage to slip across your lips as you held him tight. Your whole body shook as you felt the man gasp, a minor hesitation as he met your embrace. There was so much you wanted to say - even more you wished to ask - and yet, you hadn’t wished to ask a single word as you held him close. His scent was what you remembered it to be, a gentle sandalwood fused with something irresistible.
It was the scent of the man you loved wrapped around you as you melted into his embrace.
He never had to use his tricks upon you for you to follow him into the dark. While he had been gone, you had to atone your own sins, naivety and otherwise. You had never truly betrayed your comrades, and yet, you still aided every moment of rebuilding through a broken heart. By Ichigo’s side, you returned to the Soul Society, and by his side, you had spoken your goodbyes. That last day after you had lost him, after you had said goodbye to the soul reapers, you never thought you would be standing outside of the Shiba household. You never expected to be in familiar arms, pulling you as tight as you had him.
Gently, he pressed his lips to the crown of your head, lingering for more than a few moments before he rested his head against you. Though the wind brushed your skin, the world around you lay dormant as you reveled in the familiar sensation. The Shiba household had always been much louder than this, and yet, all you could hear was the man’s heartbeat.
Tsukishima Shuukurou hadn’t received your forgiveness…no, you knew better than that.
Cleaning up his mess had been something you had to work with Orihime to rebuild for months. Her trust had been a harder thing to truly rebuild, but the woman had been wonderful - forgiving to perhaps a fault - and eventually, you had. The fact that he breathed, though - lingered amidst companions - you were willing to accept he had been there to help.
“We’ll talk…later,” you assured him, y/e/c hues closing as you dissolved into the warm feeling that swept up your body. “For now…”
You could not help cracking a smile, though you hadn’t removed yourself from his arms. You hadn’t made any effort to look up at the man who held you so close. If you had, you knew you would simply burst to tears once more. In his arms, though, the warmth outweighed your conflicted mind.
“I’m glad to see you again, Tsuki…” you finished, a subtle waiver in your words from the tears that had streaked down your cheeks.