Post 181 drabble
Word count: 200
For IchiRuki LJ theme #85 walking around with blinders on

Imposed Solitude

Soul Society is quieter now, after Ichigo and the others have left. The perfect conditions for Rukia to concentrate fully on getting her powers back, immerse herself completely in the rigorous training she requires, recall familiar movements from lessons she's taken before. And really, ever since she became a Kuchiki the whispers have followed her everywhere, commenting on every aspect of the street rat that became a noble. So why should these whispers be any different?

"Did you hear the intruders came just to rescue her?"

"Why didn't she go with them?"

"Stupid! How can the human world compare with Soul Society? This is where a shinigami belongs!"

She lets them talk, walks past them unseeing even as the whispers rise and fall as she enters the room. Because now, nothing else is important except for her goal. It's time she stopped protecting herself: she has to become stronger, so that she can protect others.

And in her mind's eye, she fondly recalls an orange-haired boy, who left everything he knew to protect her, all because of foolish human emotions that no shinigami should have.

That's the reason why she stayed in Soul Society. For the moment, nothing else matters.