Bleach: The Underworld

SUMMARY: Ichigo Kurosaki is a regular boy, attending college, working, and trying to make it through life. When he meets a beautiful girl named Rukia, he's thrown into a world that he never knew existed: The Underworld. My first AU/Crossover. ICHIxRUKI, rated M

Author's note: I'm not sure if this is exactly an AU or a crossover fic...all I know is that I got this idea from Scarlet Letter's AU story: LOCK AND LOAD. I decided I'd try my own hand at an AU story just for the hell of it. I, personally, LOOVE Scarlet Letter's story, and I'd recommend it even if my attempt sucks. Scarlet Letter is so much better than I am, anyways. XD This is based off the popular movie series: UNDERWORLD, in case you hadn't gotten it from the title. I ask that you give this a chance, seeing as it IS my first Crossover-type story. Please, give me constructive criticism and pointers at the end. :) Flame me if you want....but I'd rather NOT be flamed, lol. Thanks.

KEY:

**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx** : Change of Character and Time

*****************: Change of Time

xxxxxxxxxxxx: Change of Character

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except this general story outline idea thingy, lol. I don't own Bleach, or Underworld 1, 2, or 3.

Chapter 1

"For the better part of the past 800 years, we've waged war in the underbelly of society. A secret war fought in the shadows of the world. A war waged between the Death Gods as we're called, and Hollow. We are a part of the 13 Court Guard Squads...and it's our job to eliminate these 'Lost Souls'."

Two figures sat hunched on a windowsill, looking down on a bustling city street. Rain poured down from the night sky, and lightning flashes illuminated the two window-sitters. They both wore long black leather trench coats, that fluttered in the wind that howled through the sky-scraper filled city. One figure was a petite female with raven black hair, wet and slicked down, and pale ivory skin. A single bang hung down in the middle of her face, hanging between her violet eyes.

The figure next to her was a young, strapping male whose pale skin contrasted with his short buzzed black hair. His piercing blue eyes almost seemed to glow with his eagerness as he listened to the woman next to him. She looked younger than him, weaker even, but she was twice as old as he was.

"Being a Shingami is difficult, and is more than just simply killing the few remaining Hollows that wander above their nesting grounds deep under the earth. We have to protect the civilians from ourselves, as well as our enemy." The female said, her voice a medium calming tone. Her voice carried to her companion beside her, above the booming thunder and loud roar of the falling rain.

"Why do we call them Hollows? It's not like they're actually hollow. And it has nothing to do with their ability to shift." The female's companion asked, his piercing blue eyes boring deep into her violet ones.

"Though the moon no longer holds its sway over these...animals...they are called Hollows because they are devoid of heart. They are simply beasts filled with rage and cruelty, therefore being called 'Hollow', even in human form." The woman said.

The male nodded, and looked out over the city, down into the teeming masses underneath them that hid their prey. He brought a pair of binoculars to his eyes, and scanned the crowd. His lips pulled back from his teeth and a grin as he spotted their targets. Elongated canines shone bright white in the night, despite the gloom, and he pulled the binoculars away from his face. He handed them to the female and she took a look.

"It's time to move." She said, and shoved the binoculars into a pocket on the inside of her trench coat. She signaled to her two comrades outside of the building, on opposite rooftops as her and her new companion.

"Are you ready, Ms. Kuchiki?" Her companion asked, his blue eyes twinkling in excitement.

She regarded him calmly, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. She ignored her two comrades on the other buildings springing from the rooftops and down into alleys, landing easily stories below without any signs of strain. She stared at the newly recruited Shinigami, and offered him the tiniest hint of a smile.

"Call me Rukia." She said softly, and his grin widened. She smiled slightly, aware of how contagious this new recruit's attitude was. Then, she jumped off the windowsill, and plummeted down to the street a good 15 stories below. As the wind whipped her trench coat through the air, as well as her hair, she felt like the rain. Like the rain, she would wash away the dirty, grimy, filthy things...and make the world clean once more. Yes...she was like the rain.

**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx**

'Wake up, get ready, go to school, go home, eat, go to work, go home, sleep, repeat.' Ichigo Kurosaki sighed mentally. He was just an average, ordinary, every day young man. He worked at a Hospital, he went to college, he owned his own apartment, he had very little free time, and even less time to sleep. He was tired of the repetitive cycle that sucked the life from him…but he couldn't just give up on working or on college. 'Sleep. Yeah. Get rid of sleep.' He thought wearily. As if he could do that.

The walk from the hospital where he worked as a male nurse, to his apartment, wasn't terribly long. He had to walk to the subway first, a very small distance from the hospital, and then ride the subway to the other side of the city. His apartment was a little over a block away from the subway…yet another small distance. And, lucky him, the college Campus was close to his apartment. It only took twenty minutes of walking to get to the main building, and from there, a few more minutes to the classes he needed to attend. But…he still had no free time. The only time he had to think, was during the walks to and from his destination.

He glared down at the sidewalk, as he brushed past slow-walking people around him. He hated walking in the rain. No, scratch that. It wasn't the walking in the rain…it was the rain period. He hated the rain more than he hated liars…and he couldn't stand liars. For the past week, the city had been covered on and off by a storm front, and this was the third night in a row that there had been rain and a thunderstorm. Yet, despite this depressing fact…tons of people still crowded the city streets and sidewalks.

Ichigo had his bright orange hair covered by the hood of his black cotton hoody jacket…but it was practically useless. His hair was soaked, as was the rest of his clothing. His amber brown eyes scanned the crowd quickly, looking for the entrance to the subway. His near-constant frown deepened as he saw the amount of people going down into the subway, and he momentarily wished he could fly.

He pushed his way through the crowd as he neared the subway entrance, and quickly descended the steps. Out of habit, his eyes scanned the area for any possible muggers. He had been mugged once before…and now he was very observant of his surroundings. Well, normally. But at the moment, he noticed a man with abnormally pale skin and dark hair hanging off to the side in the rain and leaning on the cement wall that led down to the subway. He could have moved a few feet to his left to get out of the rain and hide under the overhang…but he just stood there, his piercing blue eyes glancing up at the sky. Ichigo catalogued the man with long black hair, making sure to watch for him…just in case. Then, Ichigo moved on.

He flipped his hood back as he made it under the overhang and down towards the subway, allowing his orange hair to practically shine thanks to the dim fluorescent lights of the subway. He passed pillars, easily passing through the crowd on the subway platform, but froze. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, and he felt a strange change in the atmosphere. It wasn't a physical change, really…but he had always been sensitive to emotional and 'spiritual' changes (he didn't even know what the hell that meant, but his father had once described it as that, so Ichigo stopped arguing and just accepted it) in the atmosphere. On instinct, he turned around.

The first thing he noticed, were two men shouldering their way roughly through the crowd…and in his direction. One was a scrawny white man with unkempt shaggy brown hair that was practically pasted onto his forehead. That man's eyes were wide, his cheeks sallow and his eye-sockets seeming sunken. The man's companion was a large, bald, colored man with a slight goatee and mustache. He looked healthier…but meaner. They both wore bulky brown leather trench coats, and moved with a slightly too-eager momentum in Ichigo's direction. Instantly, Ichigo knew that they were a threat to him.

The Second thing Ichigo noticed in the brief second he turned around, was that the man from the entrance of the subway was behind the two men approaching him…and his eyes were locked intently on the two. His blue eyes were practically blazing with hate, and his top lip was pulled back slightly to reveal his teeth like an animal. Water dripped off of him, and his pale skin that held the water droplets seemed to glow in the fluorescent lights…the falling droplets of liquid also catching the light. Ichigo instantly knew that this man was neither his friend or his enemy…but he would not benefit from trying to be nice to the man.

Ichigo, in just that split second, knew that something was about to happen…something big. Something…life-threatening. He reacted quickly, taking in his surroundings: how big the crowd was, the possible exits, the distance between him and the three men, and if there was anything in his surroundings to defend himself with. He spotted his opportunity almost instantly. The Subway train was here, but the doors were closing. He might make it if he roughly shoved people out of the way…but there was an older lady in his way.

'Live for sure and injure an old lady, or possibly die and let the old lady get on the subway.' Ichigo thought tersely, glancing around for another possible avenue of escape. He prided himself on the fact that he was a polite and caring person, putting others before himself. But, something about the three men was so sinister, so frightening…that despite the colder temperature at the moment, he felt like he was at least a hundred degrees.

He acted, and thanked whatever gods that were in existence that he could not only live, but keep the old lady from getting hurt. He dashed forward, grabbing the old lady firmly by the shoulders, and hurled them both into the subway right before the doors closed. He shoved her through first, and tumbled in behind her, his jacket hood almost catching in the closing door. Ignoring the squawking protests of the older woman, he spun and glared out of the subway door window as the door sealed with a hiss. The two men were moving fast, glaring in his direction…but moving deeper into the crowd and away from the subway train. The man behind them matched their pace and chased after them…though the two men obviously had no clue about their pursuer.

Content that he was safe, and had avoided something that he was sure would have threatened his life, he turned to the older lady he had shoved into the subway. He gave her the kindest smile he could, shutting up her squawking, and he said softly, "I'm sorry for pushing you, but I didn't think you'd make it in here in time."

The old lady frowned slightly, sniffed, and pulled the hood off her yellow rain parka. She turned away from Ichigo, and said, "Thank you…but you should have been more gentle." Then, she firmly looked away.

Ichigo only sighed, and ignored the looks from the other passengers…frowning as he sunk deep into thought. What the hell had that been about?

**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx**

Rukia Kuchiki walked down the halls of the large manor that was the headquarters of the Noble families of the Shinigami. She was no longer wearing her standard outfit she wore when she went Hollow Hunting…which consisted of tight black leather pants, long-sleeved shirt, corset, trench coat, and thick-soled, knee-high boots very similar to combat boots. At the moment, she was wearing a Kimono, but not the standard kind. It was sleeveless, and there was a split up the outside of the Kimono almost to her hip…showing a daring amount of skin. It was pure white, just a bit whiter than her pale skin, with black trim around the edges. Her hair was in its standard style, with the long bang hanging down in her face.

She passed several other Death Gods, but didn't acknowledge them. She strode down the poorly lit halls in her high heels, not making a single sound as she walked down the expensively furnished halls. She turned down several other corridors, until she found the Shinigami she was looking for.

"Rukia." The figured called, and sauntered towards her. He wore a business suit, with his bright red hair pulled back into a ponytail, and his strange eyebrow tattoos plainly visible. His dark eyes regarded her, seeming darker due to the abnormally pale skin that marked him as a Death God.

"Renji Abarai." She greeted formally, and the redhead frowned. She was only playing with him, a fact that he apparently couldn't see. So, she made it clearer. She kicked him in the shins, seeing as he was close enough, and though it made him howl in pain, it got the point across. He grinned after the pain subsided, and she smiled back.

"I had heard you came with Nii-sama so he could talk to Yamamoto." Rukia said, and Renji acknowledged it with a brief nod.

"Yeah…well I heard that you came back from a Hollow Hunt without killing any Hollows." He laughed at her. She glared and crossed her arms.

"There were too many civilians…and they were acting strange. They should have seen us several times…but they were too preoccupied by something. They seemed intent on getting something, maybe a meal, but then they ran away before grabbing anyone." She explained grumpily, and Renji rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. A Hollow resisting a meal and NOT noticing us? Hah." Renji laughed jokingly, but then saw her look. He winced. "Okay, whatever you say." He quickly amended, recognizing the slightly angry look from his childhood friend. She got this way alot when things didn't go according to her plan, and he knew she was still angry from the failed hunt the day before. He knew the perfect way to relieve her stress.

He turned, to go down the hallway the way she had been walking before, and jammed his hands in his pockets. He then jerked his head slightly, and said, "Let's go to the range. Captain is gonna be with Yamamoto for a while...and I've been wanting to see if your crappy shooting's gotten any better." He said, and started to walk down the expensively decorated halls.

Rukia retorted playfully, "Please. You're the one who couldn't hit a Hollow thirty yards away." But, she walked to his side and kept up with his liesurely pace. Their gaits were unusually graceful, but that was standard for a Shinigami.

*****************

'Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam!' Shots exploded from the silver-white barrel of a large handgun, answered by shots fired from a large jet-black assault rifle. Porcelain busts, faces of long-dead ancients, exploded from the shots from the two firearms. Several more shots were fired, before the two Shinigami stopped, and all that was left of the busts were the shattered bases of the busts.

Rukia ejected the magazine of her pistol, and caught it deftly in her left hand. She placed the empty magazine on the flat metal table in front of her, and to her right, Renji ejected his magazine. He still had a lot of ammunition left, but he was content in the fact that he didn't have to waste a whole magazine on a tiny bust. He hoisted his rifle up onto the shoulder of his black business suit jacket, and rested it there casually.

He looked down at Rukia, grinning, and she looked up at him with a small amused smile. "You've gotten better." She admitted. He grinned and shrugged.

"I had to, so I could rub it in your face." He laughed. She allowed a rare true smile to grace her features, before arching a delicate black eyebrow.

"You may be better…but I'm twice as good." She said confidently, and raised her right hand and fired down the range without looking. The last bullet that had been in the chamber of her weapon fired, and left a glittering trail of white as it launched. Renji's eyes tracked it easily, and he glared at it as it hit Rukia's intended target: The base of her target bust. The bust exploded, not as ceramic, but as ice shards.

"Showoff." Renji grunted, hiding his admiration. He laid his assault rifle down on the metal table, and glanced around the giant cement floored and walled basement room that was simply known as 'The Range'. Partners sparred in hand-to-hand combat, in using their special abilities, and using swords. The place was almost as large as the manor itself, seeing as it was the basement of the manor. It was a good two stories below the Crypt, the bottom floor of the Manor.

Renji strode away from his weapon, and Rukia laid hers down and gracefully went to his side. He pretended to be examining the other Shinigami, and he spoke. "Rukia…" He said gruffly, trying to quell his sudden nervousness. Rukia didn't respond, but he knew she was listening.

"You know if you ever need anything…" He paused and looked in the opposite way Rukia was, so they couldn't see each other at all. "Or anyone…" he added, blushing slightly. "I'm here for you…right?" He asked.

A faint pink tint appeared on Rukia's cheeks, but she answered softly, "Of course I know that." She replied. Then, she turned her head to look at him. "Thank you." She said softly.

He turned to look at her, flushed in embarrassment slightly, and nodded. He stayed silent, but he leaned in slightly towards her, smelling her sweet scent. He suddenly had the urge to kiss her…and he was about to do it. He leaned down more, and her eyes glazed slightly as he drew closer. His eyes scanned hers, searching for permission, as he prepared to close the remaining distance between their lips.

"KUCHIKI!" A voice roared, and Renji and Rukia jerked apart as they were yanked back to reality. Rukia turned slightly, looking towards the direction the voice had come from. A man with dark purple hair, pale skin, a dark sleeveless leather zipped-up vest with a collar, tight leather pants, and heavy boots appeared by them.

"Kaien-dono?" Rukia asked, surprised by the appearance of her Lieutenant. His lean form seemed tense with either anxiety or excitement…but she couldn't tell. The tattoos on his hands and forearms seemed to make him look even more tense and muscular…but Renji glared at him nonetheless. They were both Lieutenants…but Kaien was stronger.

Kaien ignored Renji. "We've got a Hollow spotting. Same area as yesterday, and the new kid thinks it's the same ones!" Kaien crowed, and Rukia almost sighed. An escape…and a hunt. She was genuinely thankful for this opportunity to get away from Renji…and her emotions that were suddenly in turmoil.

"Great!" She said eagerly, and Kaien grinned.

"You've got lead this time Kuchiki…it's time for me to see your leading in action." Kaien said, and Rukia blushed slightly.

"Thank you, sir!" She said loudly, and Kaien winced.

"Okay, okay. Hurry it up! We have to go…NOW!" Kaien said, and turned and sprinted away. Rukia was about to, but then remembered her weapon. She grabbed her pistol, her empty magazine, and then saw the black assault rifle on the metal table. She turned to Renji, and composed herself.

"I'll be back." She promised, and Renji glowered. But, he nodded and shoved his hands in his pants pockets. With that, she turned and ran…graceful even in high heels.

**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx**

Ichigo Kurosaki stepped out of the hospital, weary from a long night's work. He had been let off early, due to some strange and unexpected generosity from his boss. It was almost midnight…three hours short of his normal 8 hour work night. He sighed, and threw his hoody up over his bright orange hair to stop his head from getting wet from the steady drizzle outside.

He stepped out into the drizzle, frowning in distaste. "Damn rain." He muttered, but then started walking. He knew it wasn't technically rain, but it was still wet and falling from the sky. That officially made it 'rain' in his book. He grunted as he walked past the ambulance pull in, and into the dark night.

Car horns honked, tires splashed through puddles, a few people stomped around, and Ichigo couldn't help but think, 'I wish life was more than this.'

He trudged his way to the subway area, just barely paying attention to his surroundings. His mind was elsewhere…busy contemplating how long it had been since he had seen his friends. He had been friends with them since high school, and they had stayed in contact until now. Ichigo hadn't seen Sado Yasutora, Uryu Ishida, Orihime Inoue, Keigo, Mizuiro, or Tatsuki for around a few months. And it was horrible, not having seen his friends in so long.

Sure, they dropped an email by each other every once in a while…but they hadn't taken the time to get together for a while. If Ichigo was completely honest…he would admit that he really missed them. Even snobby, stuck-up Ishida. Though he missed the strong, almost-always-silent Chad, and the bouncy-and-always-ditzy Orihime the most. Hell…he even missed Tatsuki a lot more than usual.

However…he was forcibly yanked out of his reverie by the sound of an approaching subway train. He blinked owlishly, and looked up. He was on the platform, standing near the edge, surrounded by a few other people. He winced. If he had been mugged…he wouldn't have stood a chance. To reassure himself, he cast a quick but surprisingly in depth glance around.

He spotted a young attractive blond woman, looking very nervous to be out alone at this time of night. He also saw several older men, haggard and grey-haired. A mom who worked the graveyard shift, a few young men who looked like party animals, a few non-descript men, a large bald colored man with a trench coat, and a few people in black leather with abnormally pale skin coming into the subway boarding platform area.

Ichigo froze, his eyes widened, and he forgot how to breathe. The large black man…he was from yesterday. He was a threat. Ichigo was about to throw himself backwards, and hopefully further away from the approaching man…when he saw the man freeze. His dark brown eyes, almost black, seemed to blaze with a sudden intensity. His nose twitched, obviously he was smelling the air, several times.

"SHINIGAMI!" The man roared, and suddenly he reached into his trench coat and pulled out a pistol while he jumped sideways and behind a large tile pillar. The scrawny, brunette man that Ichigo had missed seeing, also dove away and behind a pillar.

Ichigo's eyes were drawn to the entrance of the dingy platform, where three people stood. They all wore tight black leather clothing, long black leather trench coats, all had pitch-black hair, and all of them had abnormally pale skin. Ichigo's eyes were drawn to the figure who stood at the front, a female who stood at the tip of a triangle formation. Something about her made him breathe in a sharp gasp, and made his heart suddenly explode back into a frenzied beating. As if that was the signal…all hell broke loose.

The three leather-clad people reached inside their trench coats, near their hips, and with a motion faster than he could follow…withdrew shining silver handguns. Flashes of fire blew from the muzzles of the weapons, and Ichigo's ears were overwhelmed by the sudden explosion of gunfire. He instinctively ducked as screams filled the air, and he threw himself to the ground.

The impact of the cement hurt his chest, elbows, and he scraped his chin…but all of that was meaningless as pieces of tile rained around him. He fought back panic, and scrambled behind the nearest pillar in hopes of finding cover. Gunfire, screams, shattering tile…all of it overwhelmed Ichigo. He found himself paralyzed by fear, and he curled up and placed his hands over his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut and screamed in his head, 'This isn't real! This can't be real!'

But then, one sound reached his brain: A sound of a woman screaming for help. With a sudden rush of adrenaline, he snapped his eyes open and frantically looked around. Off to his left, out in the open, a woman lay…bleeding. He saw the bullet wound in her arm, and he instantly sprang into action. He was meant to help people…that's why he became a nurse. He dove out of his cover, ignoring the sudden explosions of tile near him, and skidded across the ground to the injured woman.

He stayed low, and yelled, "It's okay! Just hold still!"

The woman, a younger lady that was around his age, with light black hair and strangely brilliant brown eyes that were almost orange, was crying in pain. But, she nodded as she heard him, and he set to work. He took off his hoody, ignoring the pain of tile flying past him and cutting the now bare skin of his arms, and used the arms of his hoody to tightly tie the cloth around the girl's upper arm. He tied it tight, making a tourniquet, and pressed with his right hand hard on the bullet wound, scrunching her loose long-sleeve around his hand and using it to absorb the blood from the injury.

He didn't know why, but he looked down at the young girl, and gave her a smile…a rare thing from him. "You'll be fine!" he said loudly, and the young woman tearfully nodded in response. Her skin was pale, and he feared she would go into shock. He had to keep her talking.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki…I'm a nurse!" He yelled, over the roar of gunfire. He looked down into the bright eyes of the woman, and asked, "What's your name?"

She looked frightened, but at least he knew she was responsive. She answered back, "Senna! I'm a student at a local college! I was just coming home from there!" She yelled, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks and onto the dirty cement floor.

Suddenly, Ichigo saw motion out of the corner of his eye, and snapped his head to the right. One of the dark-clad people…a younger man, appeared. He had blazing blue eyes, buzz-cut black hair, and a strong body-type that suggested he was very fit. His shining silver pistol aimed above Ichigo, and Ichigo snapped his head to the left to see what the man was aiming at.

The scrawny white male, dark eyes blazing with malice, stood there, aiming his black pistol at Ichigo. Ichigo's eyes widened, as the scrawny man took three bullets to the chest…but only snapped his eyes up to the pale man across the station. His black gun blazed as he fired four shots, and his lips drew back to bare his slightly discolored teeth.

Ichigo snapped his head to the right, and saw the black-clad man fall backwards, blood spilling from four wounds to the chest. Ichigo watched as the man fell backwards in seemingly slow-motion, his gun dropping from his hand. A sudden blur of white and black appeared at the falling man's side, and Ichigo recognized the woman who had led the other black-clad people. Her eyes were violet…and they were locked above Ichigo, on the wild man who had just shot her comrade.

Two shots rang out, and Ichigo didn't know how…but he saw the bullets fly from the woman's gun. Ichigo knew without looking…the man unfortunate enough to be fired on was dead. The woman glanced at him momentarily, but then knelt beside her comrade and quickly moved her hands over his body. Ichigo barely heard over the roar of the two remaining combatants, the voice of the angel clad in black.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Rukia knelt beside her newest comrade…and almost wept. He had been newly released from training to be a Shinigami, fresh from the Academy. He had told Rukia that he had always dreamed of being in the 13th company, being able to work and cleanse the world alongside of Rukia. But now, he lay on the cold cement, fading from the fatal wounds that he had received seconds before.

He was choking, trying to say something, but she spoke loud enough for his sensitive ears to pick up what she was saying. "It's okay…you'll be just fine. I've seen worse." She said, lying.

"It…was an honor…" He choked out, however, ignoring her blatant lie. "To work at your side…Ms. Kuchiki." He continued.

Rukia fought back tears. She hadn't lost very many friends, or very many comrades before…but she wasn't new to the brutal feelings of loss. However, it still hurt, and was unbearably sad to see a new friend die before they could fully live.

"I told you…call me Rukia." She whispered, and allowed a single tear to fall from her left eye and roll down her cheek.

"Ru…kia." He gasped, and then…he was gone. His body went limp, and his eyes glazed over. Rukia pushed her emotions aside, realizing that there was still one more Hollow left to deal with. She bolted to her feet, and squeezed the handle of her shining silver weapon.

She dashed around the pillars, using her inhuman speed to its fullest potential, and spotted the remaining Hollow on the inside of the subway train. He was running, shedding his coat trench coat, with her remaining comrade in pursuit, firing his blazing silver pistol. She dashed to the nearest open door, but already was too far behind to accurately kill the Hollow without the risk of hitting her partner.

"Damn!" She yelled, and dashed down the narrow, yet thankfully open aisles of the subway train. She blurred as she ran as fast as she could, but she could just barely see the Hollow and her Shinigami friend three cars down already. She pushed herself as hard as she could, her thick-soled black boots pounding on the metal floor of the train, and raced after her friend.

The cars got darker as she ran further, and she was grateful for her very keen eyesight, as she drew deeper into the tunnel that the train had emerged from. She heard several gunshots, a loud crash and the grating sound of protesting metal as it was bent…and then the sound she had hoped not to hear. The sound was a deep-throated, beastly roar that shook the tunnel.

She blasted down the cars, eyes wide as she frantically raced to her friend's aid. She spotted the bent door of the last car, as it opened into the almost pitch black tunnel…and saw two shapes struggling in the dark.

She raised her gun, and fired two shots, above the shapes so that hopefully the Hollow would flee. It did, but not before flinging her Shinigami companion into the wall of the tunnel with a sharp 'CRACK!'

She sprang from the last doorway, and out into the tunnel, firing several shots in a horizontal spread so she would at least wing the beast. She heard no roars or yelps of pain, so she side-stepped to her companion.

"Are you injured?" Rukia asked, keeping her gun in her right hand pointed into the inky blackness ahead of her in the tunnel.

Her companion nodded, rising to his feet. His name was Soren, a shady guy…but one she had been able to rely on in a pinch. He dusted himself off and winced. "I wasn't expecting him to shift. He was fast…so he's had experience." Soren remarked sourly, and Rukia nodded.

"Soren…I need you to go back and get Darius' body, and get out of here quickly. I'm going after the Hollow." She said, and Soren nodded.

"Kaien won't like this." Soren warned.

Rukia only replied, "I'm not letting the Hollow get away." Then, she dashed into the darkness, relying on her enhanced vision as she was just barely able to see a few feet in front of her. She could have been able to see more clearly, almost perfectly…but she wasn't willing to risk a few seconds of vulnerability in this darkness just to see better. She could rely on her other senses.

She smelled the rank smell of the Hollow transformed into its true state, the smell of sour breath and whatever it was that made them smell so bad, and followed her nose. When the pungent odor seemed to suddenly disappear in the middle of the dark tunnel…she frowned and stopped in her tracks.

She pursed her lips, but then nodded. She would have to see her surroundings perfectly to understand where the Hollow went…and that meant she'd have to activate the Change. She raised her gun, just in case the Hollow attacked during her moment of vulnerability, and closed her eyes. She pulled on the power inside of her, the power that every Shinigami had…the power that every Death God was. She felt her nails sharpen ever so slightly, her eye-teeth start to elongate into fangs, and when she opened her eyes…she could see through the inky blackness as if it were a bright sunny day down here. She took a deep breath as she felt the ancient power flowing through her veins, and she glanced around her surroundings. There was a service exit on a cement platform, to her right, that she hadn't seen before. That was where the Hollow had gone.

She sprang up onto the platform, her grace and balance and power all improved by the ancient power flowing through her. As soon as her feet hit the cement flooring, she strode to the base of the flight of steps that went up to the surface. She glared, her acute vision seeing flecks of blood on the stairs. So Soren had at least gotten in a few good hits, to draw blood. But…by now, the Hollow was gone.

She closed her eyes, and she reverted from her true form, shivering as she cut off her power. She felt her anger erupt, at not only her foolishness in pursuing the Hollow, but also at causing the death of a friend. She had failed tonight…that much was certain.

"DAMMIT!" She yelled, but no one heard her in the ink-black darkness.

**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx**xx**

Ichigo had gotten out of the hospital, after giving a police report, a good four hours ago. Which meant he had gotten out of the hospital around his normal leaving time from work anyways. He had described what he could to the police, but he hadn't mentioned anything about them being after him. He knew that the police wouldn't believe it, and Ichigo was even less inclined than them to believe it…but Ichigo had a feeling that they were after him. Regardless, he made sure Senna had been fine, and then he had left.

He had wandered around for an hour, attempting to think of a plan. If the strange people after him knew him…they could know where he lived. He wasn't going to go home and possibly walk back into an ambush. He didn't want to stay at the hospital, because he was sure that the strange people after him knew where he worked. A gut feeling told him that. So, he had debated about what to do…and just let his feet go while his mind attempted to think.

Now, here he stood, at four o'clock in the morning…at an old friend's house. He gulped, staring up at the impressive house, knowing full well that his friend owned the place and hadn't rented it. He was much too responsible and proud to live in a house that someone else technically owned. It was pure white, except for pale and dark blue shutters, and edges. Typical. Ichigo knocked on the door hard, hoping his friend would hear him clear on the second floor of the house.

He waited for a few moments, listening, shifting from foot to foot as he stood on the fancy white porch. He knocked again, harder, three times. 'Knock, knock, knock!'

He heard a surprisingly clear and alert-sounding voice call, "Hold on a moment!" Ichigo was surprised to be able to tell that his friend's voice hadn't changed since high school.

Then, after the sounds of a deadbolt and chain lock being removed, the door swung open, and a soft white light momentarily blinded him. He heard a gasp as he squinted an saw the silhouette of his high school friend. "Kurosaki?" His friend asked, surprised.

Ichigo nodded, and his eyes adjusted so he could see his friend, an exact image of how he had looked in high-school…if not a little unkempt from being woken up so early in the morning. "Hey, Ishida…" Ichigo greeted weakly.

The severe looking young man blinked, pushed his glasses higher onto the bridge of his nose, and greeted Ichigo. "Kurosaki…what are you doing out at such an ungodly hour?" Uryu Ishida asked in surprise.

"I'm really sorry for waking you up, Ishida." Ichigo began, and tried not to laugh as he saw that Ishida was wearing a white cotton robe. "I didn't know where else to go…" He said, and Ishida instantly nodded.

"Come in…you look like hell." Ishida said, stepping back and opening the door. Ichigo glanced down at himself and his eyebrows raised in surprise. He had left his hoody with Senna, as her tourniquet, so his bare arms were showing. Dried blood trails were down his arms, and lacerations were visible from his arms being sliced by flying tile.

Ichigo stepped through the doorway, and blinked. Everything was either white or blue. White carpet, blue furniture, walls that were either white or blue, and curtains that were blue. Ichigo shook his head…thinking Ishida needed a better color scheme. Ishida shut the door behind Ichigo, and the young man's thin eyebrows drew together as he frowned.

"What happened to you?" Ishida asked, his voice authoritative…but betraying his genuine concern. Ichigo sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I…I was in the middle of a shooting at a subway station." Ichigo said, and Ishida's mouth dropped open.

"What?" Ishida almost yelled, and Ichigo winced.

"Not like that. I was on my way home, when these people suddenly started shooting at each other." Ichigo explained, and Ishida calmed down slightly. He gestured past the wide-open carpeted entry room that they were standing in.

"Take off your shoes…and follow me." Ishida said softly, and Ichigo nodded. He stepped out of his shoes, and followed Ishida to the right, out into a living room with two blue couches and a television in a corner. It was a dreadfully boring and undecorated room.

Ishida gestured to one of the couches as he flipped the living room light on, and said, "Go on and sit…you look like you could stand to get off your feet. I'll get some tea started."

Ichigo nodded, and wearily trudged over to one of the velvet, over-stuffed blue couches. He gratefully sank down into one, as Ishida walked out of the room. Ichigo thought carefully about how he would explain himself, knowing that Ishida was a purely logical person who listened only to facts. Ishida was a tough guy to convince about anything.

Ishida came back into the room, and walked over to the couch next to Ichigo and sat down. "You need to talk about what happened…right?" Ishida asked softly, showing a rare, concerned side.

Ichigo nodded. "I feel so confused…" He began, and closed his eyes and leaned back into the couch. He brought his hands up to his head and massaged his temples, as he continued. "I've never been wrong with my gut feelings…but this gut feeling is ridiculous."

Ishida made a small, affirmative noise, and Ichigo continued. "I noticed two men following me yesterday. One big, bald, black man in a trench coat, and a scrawny brown-haired guy in a trench coat." He said, and he heard Ishida shift on his couch. "Something screamed at me that they were a threat…waiting to kill me. So I just barely made it onto the subway before the doors closed…and got away. There was a guy following them, though…he was wearing all black."

Ichigo opened his eyes and looked at his carefully composed friend. "I got off work at Midnight, a full three hours early. I went to the subway, and the two guys in trench coats appeared again. They were about to come after me, when three people in all black appeared. The big black guy suddenly stopped, and even though he couldn't see the people…he shouted something like 'Shinigami'." Ichigo said, and missed Ishida's eyes narrowing.

"So, then the two groups of people started shooting. One of the black-wearing people tried to save me, but then he died. A girl…" Ichigo trailed off, remembering the beautiful woman. "She saved me. She was one of the black-wearing people…and she killed the scrawny dude. Next thing I know, I'm helping a girl who's bleeding, and a black-wearing guy drags his dead pal away."

Ichigo leaned forward and put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. "I don't know why, but something is screaming at me that those trench-coat people are after me. I didn't feel safe going home, and I think they know where I work. I couldn't tell the police, because they wouldn't believe me…so next thing I know, I'm right here." Ichigo finished.

Ishida glanced away, and rested his chin on his fist. "Hmm. That's a very short, but complicated story, Kurosaki." Ishida murmured.

Ichigo nodded. "Which is why I'm here. Maybe I'm going crazy, thinking that guys are out to get me, and that they're fighting another group of people in the process. But, that's what you're best at doing: finding the logical things." He said, and Ishida glanced at his long-time friend.

"You're right about that. You're more impulsive." Ishida snorted, and Ichigo grinned at the jab. It felt good, even at such a critical moment, to be back in the old habits with his friend.

Ishida cleared his throat and sat back in his chair. "Obviously, you're right about the gunfight. It looks like tile from the subway pillars was shattered, and lodged in your arm, as well as cutting you. I'd say that at the least…you're right about the shooting." Ishida said, pointedly glancing at Ichigo's right arm. Ichigo glanced down, and paled. In his right bicep was a shard of tile, though not big…it was certainly noticeable. How had he not noticed before?

He reached with his left hand, and gripped the shard between his fingers. He pulled it out slowly, gritting his teeth at the pain, and ripped a strip of cloth from his sleeve. He bunched the cloth up and blocked the miniature hole in his arm, ignoring Ishida's astounded look.

"Are you a fool? Why couldn't you just let me take care of it?" Ishida demanded, glaring.

Ichigo snorted, "Because I'm a damn nurse, Ishida. I can do it myself."

Ishida blinked, surprised. "You're a nurse?" He asked.

Ichigo grunted, angry he had just given away his biggest secret that he kept from his friends. None knew he was a nurse…they all thought he did something different. He had never said what he did, and they had all assumed something for themselves. "Yeah." He muttered.

"Oh." Ishida said, still surprised. "I see. Well…let me get you the first aid kit." He said, and hastily left the room.

As soon as Ishida had gone, Ichigo muttered, "Crap. Shoulda kept my mouth shut. Now he's gonna tell everyone."

Ichigo kept a steady pressure on his wound, and then waited for Uryu to return. The tall, skinny man walked in, with a little red kit in his hands. "Here, Kurosaki…" He said, handing the kit to Ichigo.

Ichigo quickly and efficiently took care of his wound, cleaning, sanitizing, treating and bandaging it. His hands moved quickly, surely, and with an accuracy that surprised the dark-haired Uryu. Once he was finished, Ichigo handed the kit back to Uryu.

"Thanks." Ichigo said, and then flexed his right arm. Nodding once he was satisfied he had full use of his arm still, he glanced up. Uryu was carefully examining him, and Ichigo frowned.

"What?" Ichigo asked.

Uryu shook his head. "Nothing. You can crash here, Kurosaki. Follow me to the guest room." Uryu said, and then without another word…swept out of the room.

Ichigo hastily got to his feet and followed Uryu, out of the living room, up a flight of stairs, and to the left. There was a plain white room, undecorated and with a wooden floor and plain bed with white sheets. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, as Ishida gestured to it.

"I would suggest you don't go to college for a day or two, just to be safe." Ishida said, as he walked past Ichigo once more. Ichigo turned, frowning.

"Miss college? Why?" He demanded.

Ishida stopped partially down the hallway, shrouded in the darkness. "Because…I think you're right about the people being after you. They'll know where you live and work and go to school. You're a target, Kurosaki. I can feel it. Stay here for a few days, and wait it out." Ishida said, and then disappeared into the darkness.

Ichigo shook his head, totally weary and exhausted from the past few hours. "Ishida…thanks." He muttered, and then he stumbled to the bed. He didn't even make it under the covers, before he fell asleep. But…the last thing to flash across his mind was the face of the pale-skinned woman from the subway station. The angel, clad in black.

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That's the end of the chapter! LEMME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!