THE HITS KEEP COMING

The Blood of My Enemies

Ichigo readies him and his wife a bath. They are both covered in blood and desperately need to change. They silently undress as they watch the large, bronze tub fill and steam. He stares at her bandaged torso, wondering if a bath is the right move after all. At the almost desperate look in her eyes, he says screw it.

Ichigo slips in first, leaning on the back of the tub. His legs are long enough to reach the other end of the tub where the faucet is. He holds his toes under the running water, melting in the bliss of a hot bath.

Rukia stands over him, ready to enter the tub. She undid her braids. Ichigo sits up a little straighter to allow her more room. She steps in between his knees and takes an achingly slow time to sit down. Her white knuckle grip on the tub's edge is brutal as she leans back against his chest.

He reaches over to the nearby table and pulls a wash cloth off of it. He soaks it in the water and runs it over Rukia's neck and shoulders. She sighs, relaxing a little more. He kisses the top of her head, thanking every higher power that she's okay.

He shuts the water off with a shove of his foot. The room goes quiet. They sit in the silence with a sense of content. They're so busy all the time in Hell, and they're finding it harder and harder to have moments like these to themselves. Now with the call for war across the realms, they're going to have less and less time alone together.

After a long pause, Rukia takes the washcloth from Ichigo and gets to work scrubbing the blood off his hands. She holds them out in front of her face as she inspects under every nail and between each finger, searching for any kind of deficiency. She scrubs his hands clean of blood as always. Her ability to forgive the monster inside of him is nothing short of astonishing.

She starts to sit up, but a shock of pain stops her. Ichigo can only guess she was stabbed. Neither of them have talked about what happened to the other yet. He offers his hand to her, and they gently sit up together. She sucks in a harsh breath, and then she let's it back out more softly.

"Let's wash your hair," Rukia says.

Water sloshes around the tub as she shifts around. They both move a little to compensate for the other person. She's straddling him now. She leans out of the tub to grab a bronze bowl from their side table. She fills it with water from the tub, directs his head slightly back, and slowly dumps the bowl onto his head, all the while being mindful of his bandaged face. A little bit of shampoo later, and she is working her fingers through his hair. Another few bowls of water, and his hair is as clean as it can be.

The water they sit in is the color of rust. Blood has tainted it, just as it taints everything else. How does Ichigo always manage to find himself covered in blood? Rukia takes the washcloth and wipes off the last of the blood from his face the nurses at the infirmary didn't get.

"There, all better."

Ichigo bites the inside of his cheek. His fingertips trace the top of the bandages wrapped around her torso. She watches and waits, the concern and curiosity clear on her face. To be fair, she was never one to school her looks with him. She's never needed to hide what she was thinking from him.

"I was worried you were dead," he says bluntly.

She gives him a reassuring smile. "I ran into a squad of Quincys investigating one of the entrances to the hidden pathways that lead to the tunnels underneath the castle. I got stabbed, but I left none alive."

Chills run down Ichigo's back. "They found an entrance? Do you know if there are more down there?"

"No, but I told Masaki-sama after I stumbled across her on the way to her chambers, and she has people checking it out. Then she left to go help you."