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Description
...and then Ichigo seems to sense Rukia's approach, and he turns to face her as the last of his reiatsu folds back into himself.

"Rukia," he says in an entirely different voice, and in his brown eyes there is a burning thing that is meant for only her to see, and he takes two unsteady steps toward her.

And then his eyes roll back in his head, and like the inexorable toppling of a tower that has had its last supporting stone pulled away, Ichigo falls.

- -

Rukia bends over his face, her over-fatigued muscles quivering, trying to listen for the faintest breath, but she hears nothing, feels nothing, and she cups his face in her hands, leaving bloody streaks down his temples and across his cheeks and over his lips. "Ichigo. Ichigo, come back," she says, as if her order will make it so, and she waits for a minute that stretches across another lifetime, and when nothing, nothing, nothing happens, she drops her head until her lips press against the corner of his mouth.

It is not a kiss, not exactly—it is a thing born of desperation and grief and sorrow, that this place should have stolen the two men she loved—it is a lament, and it is a goodbye, and she closes her eyes against the tears that she cannot check.

-----

Another excerpt from my fanfic, Deathsong. This scene is from the penultimate chapter; the last battle has finally concluded, but Ichigo no longer has the strength to stand. Or remain conscious. Or live, maybe.

The coloring of this particular piece is due entirely to ~Jade-Sabre , who ragged me about using blue so much recently and insisted I therefore use green instead and actually try stretching my coloring muscles. Well, Jade, this is kind of a blueish-green anyway, so nyah. (Thanks. <3)

Sketched by hand, lined in Manga Studio, and colored in CS2. About two days.

NOTE: I highly recommend downloading the image to see the full detail. Full-size on most monitors may not do it.

Description
...and then Ichigo seems to sense Rukia's approach, and he turns to face her as the last of his reiatsu folds back into himself.

"Rukia," he says in an entirely different voice, and in his brown eyes there is a burning thing that is meant for only her to see, and he takes two unsteady steps toward her.

And then his eyes roll back in his head, and like the inexorable toppling of a tower that has had its last supporting stone pulled away, Ichigo falls.

- -

Rukia bends over his face, her over-fatigued muscles quivering, trying to listen for the faintest breath, but she hears nothing, feels nothing, and she cups his face in her hands, leaving bloody streaks down his temples and across his cheeks and over his lips. "Ichigo. Ichigo, come back," she says, as if her order will make it so, and she waits for a minute that stretches across another lifetime, and when nothing, nothing, nothing happens, she drops her head until her lips press against the corner of his mouth.

It is not a kiss, not exactly—it is a thing born of desperation and grief and sorrow, that this place should have stolen the two men she loved—it is a lament, and it is a goodbye, and she closes her eyes against the tears that she cannot check.

-----

Another excerpt from my fanfic, Deathsong. This scene is from the penultimate chapter; the last battle has finally concluded, but Ichigo no longer has the strength to stand. Or remain conscious. Or live, maybe.

The coloring of this particular piece is due entirely to ~Jade-Sabre , who ragged me about using blue so much recently and insisted I therefore use green instead and actually try stretching my coloring muscles. Well, Jade, this is kind of a blueish-green anyway, so nyah. (Thanks. <3)

Sketched by hand, lined in Manga Studio, and colored in CS2. About two days.

NOTE: I highly recommend downloading the image to see the full detail. Full-size on most monitors may not do it.