Disclaimer: Do not own Bleach, but one can dream can't they?

Warnings: This is an AU story. This chapter is very dark as there are many deaths; after all sins must be committed to require atonement. You've been warned. Also, next chapter will be present day.

Pairings: Mainly Ichiruki

A/N: Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for everything.

Atonement

By: akirk85029

Rukia shuddered as Ichigo ran his fingers along her collar bone. His touch always felt like he was leaving a burning trail across her skin, as if he was touching her very soul. She had known Ichigo for a year and a half and they had been lovers for a year, since her brother had left the kingdom to visit surrounding ones to strengthen their alliances. Ichigo was a knight in her brother's army and they were forbidden to even speak to her, a princess. Rukia opened her eyes to see the flaming amber ones of the man she would love forever. A smiled graced her lips. Her brother was back today and they were not sure when they would be able to see each other again.

"You shouldn't be in here." Rukia said looking around the hardly used library, especially since her brother had gone anyway.

"Do you want me to leave?" Ichigo asked leaning in to steal a kiss.

Rukia moaned into the kiss. His kisses were always so passionate; they made her feel so alive.

Neither noticed the sound of footsteps scurrying away from the scene they were making.

Ichigo pulled her closer, the sound of satin and silk rustling from her expensive gown as she moved. Rukia moved her arms around his neck, one hand running through his hair.

Ichigo stopped his assault on her mouth when he felt the point of a sword against his back. How had he been so careless that he didn't even hear someone come into the room. He opened his eyes and saw the fear that was etched into Rukia's face. He knew who was behind them.

"Brother" Rukia squeaked out holding tightly to Ichigo. She knew the punishment he would receive and she didn't want to let him go.

"Rukia you will remove yourself from this boy." Byakuya said coolly.

"Brother, No, you can't do it! I love him!" Rukia yelled to her brother.

Byakuya turned his head to Renji, who came around from the other side and made to grab Rukia. She held even tighter to Ichigo, she couldn't let him go. She couldn't let him suffer that fate for loving her.

"Rukia" Ichigo said softly to her. His hand coming up to her shoulders in an attempt to push her away to keep her safe. "Please leave. I don't want you to witness this." Ichigo continued placing a soft kiss to her temple.

"No!" Rukia yelled tears now freely falling.

Ichigo gave her a hard shove and Renji caught her pinning her arms behind her back so she couldn't run back to Ichigo. Ichigo looked into her face offering an apology, but she wanted no such thing.

The guards immediately confiscated his sword and pushed him to his knees, one guard holding a sword to the back of Ichigo's neck in case he decided to fight back.

Byakuya walked around to the face Ichigo. "You know the penalty."

Ichigo just looked up at the man he swore fealty to several years ago. The man he would have died in battle for and felt nothing but loathing for the man. He turned to look at Rukia who was struggling against Renji to break free. "Rukia." Ichigo called to her causing her movements to temporarily stop. "Wait for me? No matter how long it takes I will find you again!" Ichigo continued.

Rukia gazed longingly at him. "I'll wait for you forever if I have to." She said strongly.

They both heard the drawing of steel from Byakuya's sword as he pulled it from it's sheath.

Rukia watched as Byakuya plunged his sword into Ichigo's heart. She wanted to cover her ears at his scream of agony, but she could never appear so weak; she would be strong for him. She watched as everything she knew about Ichigo left his eyes and became lifeless. She felt her heart stop beating. It stopped the moment Ichigo died.

Byakuya looked at his sister. "You only brought this upon yourself."

Rukia stared at her brother and felt nothing. She couldn't feel anymore. She didn't even say anything in retort. Her tear-stained cheeks showed the last tears she would ever cry.

Renji pulled her from the library to lead her back to her room. As he was dragging her down the hallway they had passed her sister-in-law, Hisana, and Rukia thought she had heard a soft "I'm sorry" as they went by.

Renji stopped with Rukia in front of her bedroom. She couldn't go in there. There were so many memories. "Renji, can you take me to see Momo?" Rukia simply asked.

Renji had been Rukia's friend growing up and when he went into the knighthood he had seen so little of her. She had changed and his heart wasn't sure it could take the way she was looking at him. It was like her eyes held no emotion anymore. He didn't like it. Renji nodded his head. He could do this if it would help her. "Sure."

Hisana had quickly retreated back to her room after seeing Rukia in the hallway. She had meant no harm to the young knight. She had thought she knew her husband. True, it had been an arranged marriage, but she had quickly fallen in love with him. He was always so cold when anyone else was with him, but if it was just her he could let it all go. She paused when she heard the bedroom door open and her husband walked in.

Byakuya looked over at his wife as he walked into the room. He didn't say anything. He walked over at sat down in a chair across the room and held up the bloodied sword. "I feel as though I have damned my soul."

Hisana rushed over to him and crawled into his lap. Byakuya dropped his sword and it clanged loudly on the floor. He held onto his wife.

Renji knocked loudly on the door that lead into the house of Toushirou and Momo Hitsugaya.

A petite brown haired woman opened the door and gasped when she saw Rukia, her longtime friend and Renji. She moved out of the way as Rukia walked past her into the house. Renji told Momo he would just wait for Rukia outside. Momo nodded in acknowledgment and closed the door.

Rukia walked over to the small crib and picked up the small baby that was inside. She glided over to the rocking chair and sat down rocking said baby. Momo just sat across from them waiting. She knew something bad had happened and she was afraid to know the truth.

Renji sat outside and was peeking into the small living area. He didn't know that the Hitsugayas had had a baby; of course he had been gone for about a year.

Rukia gently rocked staring into the eyes of the little one she was holding. She removed the hat that had to be constantly on the little girl and revealed a head full of orange hair. Neither of them heard the string of curse words that were coming from outside.

"How's my little angel doing?" Rukia said running her fingers across her little girl's cheek. She kissed the baby's forehead. She turned to Momo. "Has she been good?"

Momo smiled. "She's always good. I think she knows that Toushirou and I are not her real parents though."

Rukia played with her daughter's bright orange hair barely taking note of Momo's comment. The little girl was only two months old, but she was the most beautiful child she thought she had ever laid eyes upon. With having her fathers hair and Rukia's eyes, which was a unique blend of blue and violet.

Rukia watched as her daughter drifted off to sleep and kissed the little girl's forehead before getting up and placing her back into the crib. She turned to Momo. "Please do whatever you have to do to keep her safe." Rukia said sternly.

"I will." Momo said, hugging Rukia knowing that she was saying good-bye, though still not understanding what was going on.

Rukia didn't hug her back. She couldn't. She had given the last bit of herself to her daughter. There wasn't anything left.

Momo released Rukia and held back the tears that were threatening to come.

Rukia just walked out the door and started heading back to the castle taking a different route home with a fuming Renji following behind her.

Hisana was still in Byakuya lap when there was a loud pounding on their door.

"Sir, Aizen's army has breached our Eastern gate!" A frightened person yelled on the other end.

Byakuya and Hisana both jumped up. He grabbed his sword from the floor and ran to the door and yanked it open. "Where are they?" He asked heading towards his throne room where the knights should already be assembling.

"They will hit the town by nightfall before reaching the palace." The young knight replied hastily.

They both ran.

Renji followed Rukia and stopped when he noticed she had stopped. He hadn't been paying attention to where they were heading. He just realized that she was standing on the edge of a precipice.

Rukia glared down and heard Renji suck in a sharp breath. She looked over to one side of the cliff and could see the waterfall. Ichigo had taken her there. She had given her virginity to him there. They had made love there.

She turned around to face Renji, who was starting to get worried. He took a step forward and she took a step back. He stopped. "Rukia, what are you doing?" He asked, trying not to show his fear.

"Renji, my heart died with Ichigo. I can't feel anything anymore; I'm hollow inside." Rukia said staring into his eyes. She took that final step backwards and fell into the abyss.

"RUKIA!" Renji yelled shooting forward only to grasp onto a part of her dress which ripped off into his hands. He stood up gasping for breath; he didn't realize he had been holding it the whole time. His eyes welled up with tears but he didn't let them fall.

He ran back to the castle, not sure of what to tell her brother.

Toushirou ran the second he was informed of Aizen's army and where they were heading. He didn't care if he was breaking protocol. He had to get to his wife.

He ran so hard and felt fear for the first time in his life when he saw that his house was on fire. He busted through the door only to come across the bodies of his wife and Rukia's child. He fell to the floor next to his wife. He hadn't been there to protect them. He had promised. He didn't even move as the fire started to consume him as well.

Aizen's troops marched victoriously through the town and approached the castle. They infiltrated quite easily; having a spy in the enemy's mists was definitely an advantage.

They quickly made their way through the castle seeming as if they knew their way around. Ichimaru made a startling find when he stumbled across Hisana and brought her with them his knife at her throat.

Byakuya immediately stopped everything when Aizen and some of his troops burst through the doors of the room they were in. He stilled when he saw a knife at Hisana's throat.

"Don't give them anything they want. Fight them!" Hisana yelled before the knife drew some blood at her throat.

"Oh he'll surrender or he'll watch as my friend here slices your pretty neck." Aizen said, facing King Kuchiki smiling.

Byakuya knew there was nothing he could do. They would kill her anyway. He looked at her and said "I love you." She replied the same. He raised his sword and watched as the knife slit his wife's throat and her body slid to the ground staining the floor crimson. He ran forward his knights with him.

Byakuya went for Ichimaru first. Aizen simply stood by as Kuchiki fought Ichimaru and Kuchiki's knights fought his own.

As Kuchiki's blade went through Ichimaru's head, Aizen's blade went through Byakuya's back piercing his heart.

Renji ran into the room and watched as his leader, his mentor fell to Aizen's sword. He ran forward sending his own sword through Aizen's back much the same way as Aizen's own attack had been. Aizen looked down at the steel protruding from his chest in amazement before he was completely gone.

Renji turned around to fight more of Aizen's men, but when they saw that their leader had died, they no longer wanted to fight. They were not as loyal as Kuchiki's men were. Renji and his fellow knights didn't care that they didn't want to fight, they slaughtered them.

They only stopped when they found that the troops from two of the neighboring kingdoms had arrived. Jyuushiro Ukitake and Shunsei Kyouraku, kings in their own right, appeared to help their longtime friend. Of course, Byakuya Kuchiki had married Shunsei's sister.

Jyuushiro looked down from atop his horse at Renji. "I thought Aizen wasn't supposed to attack for quite some time?"

"Well, I guess we've been misinformed." Renji retorted angrily. Jyuushiro and Shunsei looked at each other. "Everyone's dead." Renji spat out, throwing his sword to the ground in disgust. He had blood covering him from head to toe.

Shunsei not wanting to believe what he heard jumped down and ran to the castle to find his sister; his personal guards following closely behind him.

A woman walked forward from Ukitake's side. She bent down to pick up Renji's sword. He noticed she had one of her own. If he had been in his right mind he might have made a joke about a female soldier. She removed her helmet to reveal short spiky black hair. Renji felt unclean, like someone like her should not have to touch him, as she grabbed his arm to lead him back to the castle.

Jushiro followed them with several guards as well wondering what they were going to do now.

A/N : Okay, how was that? I know a little dark, huh. But they'll all be back in the present day for the next chapter for their second chance! So please don't kill me! At least not yet, anyway. This was jumping around in my head while I'm working on my other story. Hope it's good enough.