Gift Horse

Summary: Sometimes timing is all it takes to change history. Ichigo defeats Ulquiorra to reach Rukia faster, but only after he surrenders control to his hollow. This deviation from the expected timeline changes hands in fate, especially since the hollow demands compensation for his cooperation, exchanging services for goods—namely, Rukia. AU, IchigoxRukia

Author's Note: The scene that I take creative inspiration from takes place in Bleach Ch. 268 onwards while Rukia is battling Aaroniero, Ichigo has already been fighting Ulquiorra in full Visored form when he feels her reiatsu crumble. As the plot for this story progresses, it becomes evident that I've taken certain liberties with the canon narrative. It is fairly obvious that I don't own Bleach, otherwise I wouldn't be making another wishful story.


Chapter One: Trump Card

Rukia was down for the count.

In those moments of fading consciousness, she gritted her teeth against the pain spearing her ribs, but the pain of facing down death in utter stillness hurt much, much more. Rukia bowed her head over her shattered sword, whispering Kaien's words to herself as a mantra, a promise to her nakama. She repeated these words to Renji, who had left her with the Kuchiki house in an unexpected act of self-sacrifice. To Inoue, whose fear of loneliness paralyzed her innate ability. To Ichigo, who dedicated his life to guarding all others at the life-price of his mother, the only life he could not protect. Rukia guarded these friends close to her heart because she too knew how crippling it could be in the dark.

Don't Die. You must absolutely not die alone, Kuchiki.

Rukia let out a quiet sigh as she sank bonelessly to her side. Her eyes sealed her off to all the color in the world, submerging her into the fold of a merciful sleep.


The moment Ichigo felt her reiatsu disintegrate, his heart leapt with a sickening lurch.

"Where are you going?"

Damn. Was that Arrancar still talking to him? Ichigo felt a surge of inexplicable fury as he walked further away from the Espada, his words controlled even as his reiatsu spiked in turmoil, "To save Rukia."

Ichigo's shoulders tensed at Ulquiorra's next words: "Even though I told you she died."

He stopped defiantly with his back to the Espada, "I don't believe you." Ichigo didn't have time for small talk. With each moment, the pulse of Rukia's reiatsu grew weaker still. The buzzing in Ichigo's ears kept him from understanding even the words that came from his own mouth.

Still, these words managed to filter through the static, "… What if I were to tell you that I was the one who brought Inoue Orihime to Hueco Mundo in the first place?"
This was the tip of the iceberg. Ichigo leapt forward in lightning speed, bearing down his sword with unnerving strength, which Ulquiorra calmly deflected. "Don't you get it?" Ichigo snarled, "Because of you, Inoue was marked as a traitor!" And because of you, his mind was yelling, you put Rukia and the others through unnecessary danger! You fucking rat-bastard!

Something in Ulquoirra's eyes shifted, giving him the illusion of momentary vitality, "Now do you have a reason to fight me?"

Ichigo's mouth stretched into an unholy grin, "Che, do you just like asking stupid-ass rhetorical questions?"


Orihime dropped her fingers from her face, her expression unchanging as Grimmjow simmered in surly impatience by the door. His scowl hadn't moved after he had watched the human girl those two stupid bitches—useless lapdogs, pretty accessories Aizen kept around for entertainment. What was the use of wasting the energy to create them, and what was the use of saving them? Grimmjow thought the Shinigami and humans were the exact same regarding life. Not Arrancars—they welcomed death into their midst. "Hurry up," he growled, gathering up the girl in his arms, "I've got a shinigami that's just askin' to be skewered." Ignoring the human's flinch, he tied her up for good measure before giving chase.

By the time they had reached him, Ichigo was also down for the count, but with a sizeable hole in his chest. Nearby, a child wailed, babbling nonsense over his body as Grimmjow approached. Orihime could not contain her trembling when the ex-Espada kicked Kurosaki-kun over, and she could see the parting blow Ulquiorra had left on his prey. Her hands shook as she healed the boy, wishing with all her heart that she would reject the hole that marked him like any other ordinary Hollow. His eyes opened, and the sigh of relief Orihime became a choking gasp of horror.

Instead of the amber warmth she had expected, they were a ghastly inversion of red and black. A grey, sly smile haunted Kurosaki-kun's features as he rasped, "Missed me much, Inoue?"

The next few seconds were a blur. Orihime could only see bits and flashes, but it seemed that Kurosaki-kun and Grimmjow both reacted at once. Grimmjow yanked the cord that tied her to the Espada as Kurosaki-kun leapt to his feet and made a slashing motion with his forearm. Orihime felt the sudden pull of gravity as the cord severed, and she fell neatly into Kurosaki-kun's arms. Then, they were both airborn, racing across Hueco Mundo at hairsplitting speed, the sound of wind howling and traces of Grimmjow's colorful cursing ringing in her ears. Unable to contain a blush from spreading over her face, the human girl looked up at Kuro—no, his Hollow, she saw to her astonishment that the planes and angles of his very face were shifting. She couldn't suppress a shiver this time from trailing down her head, shoulders and arms. Kurosaki looked down at her with malicious amusement, and if anything, seemed to tighten his grip on her with what could have resembled a smirk if it didn't seem like his jawbones kept moving under the skin's surface. The color on Orihime's cheeks soon blanched. She couldn't—no, wouldn't—say anything.


In those moments after Ulquiorra had left Ichigo to die in the sandy terrain of Hueco Mundo alone, Ichigo looked down at the cravity where his heart should have been beating, with skin and flesh to protect it from prying eyes and hands. The Hollow in his mind was howling, and Zangetsu had receded into utter silence. Ichigo felt his reiatsu fade before his eyelids began to droop. He fought the desire to sleep with a chilled panic. Zangetsu! He called, Old man! Help me out—if I die, you die, too! His mind suddenly filled with dead quiet before a sick laughter began to echo, ringing in his ears.

Stupid King, his Hollow snickered, In your haste to finish off the Arrancar and get to your little shinigami, you left yourself wide open. Now, you lie there dying to pay penance for your stupid mistakes.

Shut up, you sick fuck! Ichigo shouted, Now isn't the time to play power games—where is the Old Man? If we die, you go down, too.

The Hollow stopped laughing, but Ichigo could still feel its sick amusement in the words that rolled out in a purr, I could also say that if I find a way to stay alive, you do, too

Ichigo latched onto those words with boyish desperation: What do you—why even play with me? If you can, do itnow.

That all depends, the Hollow seemed to sneer, If we play things my way, you'll have to be content with… loosening the tight grip you rein in on me.

Not a chance in hell, growled Ichigo.

Then you can just very well die…

Go fuck yourself!

You may want to think that one through, King.

Ichigo snarled a string of incoherent sounds before he felt his reiatsu decrease to an alarming level. You don't have much time left, King…

Ichigo closed his eyes in resignation, his mental voice sounding suspiciously close to pleading, All I ask is that you save Rukia and keep her alive so we can beat Aizen together.

His Hollow snorted, Tall order, that. Are you sure you're in a position to make any requests?

Ichigo's fingers clenched in a fist to contain his hate, Just do as I say, and you can have it!

It? The Hollow asked slyly, It as in your body, or it as in your life, and all the trimmings that come with it?

The last thing Ichigo remembered was his weak retort, My body—you'll never have my life

We'll see for ourselves, King…


They had arrived in a small, murky cave. If it weren't for the delicate slivers of Rukia-san's reiatsu that resonated from the walls, Orihime wouldn't have known why they chose to stop there. As soon as they landed, Kuro—his Hollow spilled her carelessly onto the ground before flash-stepping over to Rukia's side. Orihime stumbled forward onto her heels in an equally alarming speed, her mouth open in a silent scream, No, don't!

Don't… touch her. Please, don't hurt her!

But as she ran over to Rukia-san's side, she watched the Hollow roll Rukia over onto her back with a careful touch that had been noticeably lacking in his treatment of her, and Orihime bit her lower lip to keep the jealousy from flowing. Her running gait halted to a stop as she stood over the pair, watching Kuro—no, his Hollow's fingers skim around the sword wound that had pierced through Rukia-san's torso.

"Get over here," the Hollow ordered gruffly, and Orihime obeyed without a second's hesitation, her hands already stretched out to reject the damage wrought on her friend's petite body. The wounds closed together, the skin gradually appearing whole, but as the healing restored her friend's body, Orihime could see something shifting in Kurosaki-kun's face through the corner of her eye. And… were his eyes changing color? The Hollow's knuckles were drawn white, as if he was trying to contain his body from leaping forward, from pulling forward to…

To do what? Cover Rukia-san? To lay over her? To embrace her? To maim her?

Orihime knew that Hollows were supposed to be a concentration of an individual's most base desires, but she never knew what Kurosaki-kun's Hollow seemed to think of the shinigami woman. Returning her attention to Rukia-san, she saw the faintest stirrings of awareness. She'd find out the answers to her questions, sooner than she'd like to know, perhaps.

Rukia's eyes slanted open, and the first thought that emerged in her mind was, Where is Kaien-dono? Then, she looked up to verify the answer, only to gaze into Ichigo's eyes. "I-Ichigo!" Her voice gave out, in a croak. She noticed that there was something off about the boy, his eyes a deeper red than the normal amber brown that warmed his face. His face drew closer, and Rukia noticed that his skin seemed ashen, observing something crawling underneath its surface. She licked her lips in another attempt to speak, and his eyes followed the motion, "What did you… How—?" A sudden movement startled Rukia; Ichigo had gathered her in his arms, pushing Inoue aside, Rukia noticed belatedly. Before she could voice her indignation, his head lowered swiftly, his mouth covering hers in a bruising, punishing kiss. Rukia heard Inoue's gasp, and she fisted the boy's sleeves in an attempt to push him away, but Ichigo overpowered her with his broader shoulders and draped over her like a fur pelt, deepening the kiss. His heat was overwhelming. Despite her best intentions, Rukia's eyelids began to droop. Traitorous, traitorous body!

For a few blissful, piercingly painful moments, all was silent in the caves except for the sound of breathing. Then Ichigo slipped his tongue out of her mouth to catch his breath, and Rukia took advantage of the moment.

Crack! The sound of her tiny hand slapping his face echoed through the cave.

"Idiot!" She yelled. She didn't need to turn around to witness Orihime's heartbreak. The girl's silence was steeped with the same solitude Rukia had nearly died in, and her fury was fresh at this violation of trust. She lifted her hand to strike again, to punish, even as her heart fluttered still from the warmth of his mouth. The little hand never made contact, swallowed up in Ichigo's stronger fingers, his limbs overpowering her, making her submit.

"Che, now I can see why King likes you," The voice that spoke had a rumble, a mixture of Ichigo's deep tones with a smoky, gritty friction that Rukia recognized at once as his Hollow's, "You're small but you pack a lot of punch for a bitch shinigami. Feisty." He tightened his grip to draw Rukia's resisting body closer until they were pressed flush against each other, "After all, keepin' you around was part of the deal."

Rukia's eyes narrowed, "Keeping who around?"

Ichigo, the Hollow—not quite one or the other, really—ran a finger down her jawline, the smile devious and alive, "King insisted you would face Aizen down with him." Rukia's confused expression grew even more chaotic when she heard him mutter against her ear, "Even if you two do it alone—against all odds, and against the others."

"What?" Rukia gasped, her grip tightening as she lifted her face in a mask of cold resolution, "What do you mean by that? I demand—"

"Rukia."

All three inhabitants in the cave froze. That voice belonged to someone who hadn't left Karakura for Hueco Mundo with them. Ichigo—his Hollow—blast, it would really help to get to the bottom of this split identity, soon—slowly released Rukia from his tight embrace and turned around with a smirk, "Hey there, Byakuya."

"Release Rukia, now."

Rukia didn't notice Ichigo still had a hold on her until she realized that his right hand was wrapped around her elbow, and he had customarily pushed her back, behind him. While this was hardly something to remark upon, she noticed that now, it put Nii-sama on edge. It was obvious that Nii-sama knew that something was up with Ichigo, as well. Byakuya approached the trio with unshakable calm, "Do not try to fool me—I have fought you before, Kurosaki. I can tell you are under the throes of your Hollow now. You should remove yourself from Rukia." The distaste in his enunciation of 'Hollow' was barely detectable; so too were the unspoken words, 'Do not touch her.'

"No." If anything, Ichigo drew nearer. Byakuya stopped, his eyes frozen in disapproval, and something else more primal—was it fear? Ichigo, or the Hollow masquerading as Ichigo, tossed his fiery head, exclaiming, "No, I won't give up my trump card. Not to you, nor all of damn Soul Society!"