Hollow Virus

By: Crim

Disclaimer: This is a One-Shot written for Rukia's Birthday Drabble Challenge. The prompt was "AU- Near death experience during Apocalypse." Please do not redistribute onto any other site. All characters belong to Tite Kubo.

Author's Notes: This is an Alternate Universe Fic. I do not particularly like writing AU Fanfiction nor have I ever written one so I'm not very good at it. I basically correlated the characteristics of Bleach and fused it with the essence of the mainstream Zombie genres like Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead, I Am Legend, etc. Karakura has become the typical zombie-infested city like Racoon City. The "zombies" share similar traits as Hollows. Instead of being Shinigami, Ichigo and Rukia are special agents that must exterminate those who have turned into "Hollows." The very lax scientific terms are only based on my long-forgotten knowledge from biology class. Since the prompt was given to me by one of our Followers from Tumblr, I had to deliver as best as could seeing as how this was written for a Challenge.

...

"All vitals unstable. Complete Hollowfication shall commence in ten minutes." The robotic tone of the computers continued to repeat it over and over.

Multiple monitors incessantly beeped amidst the chaos of trying to stabilize the petite woman who looked too young to be put through so much torment. Her body was violently convulsing as she tried to free herself from the iron steel straps of the hospital bed. She had become infected and it was only a matter of time before she completely transformed into one of them.

He refused to let her body become possessed by that defiled Hollow Virus. Her warm, porcelain skin was gradually decaying into a cold ashen corpse. The deep violet eyes that always reflected her inner beauty were now clouded with darkness and murderous intent. This was not the woman he fell in love with. This virus was after her heart, the one thing that made her complete. Once devoured, she would become a creature that preys on other souls to sustain its own life. There was no cure for the Hollow virus, but it was both their jobs as part of an elite task force to protect the city from those who have lost their souls and became a host to this plague.

Flashbacks of yesterday's attack replayed over and over. She protected me. Because of that, she was bitten. It was supposed to be me. I'm supposed to protect her. I should be the one suffering. "Rukia... I will save you..."

The thunder crashed down violently during this stormy night. Rukia's growls competed with the roaring storm outside. Her veins were seeping out as she aggressively tried to break free.

"Ichigo, you're bleeding." A hand gently patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, one of those fuckers nearly sliced me before Rukia... Never mind, it's just a scratch. Tell me you found a way to fix this, Professor Urahara!"

The scruffy, green and white clad scientist lowered his head, afraid to speak candidly. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-san. We've been working on this long before Kuchiki-san even got infected and we still haven't been able to successfully create an antigen that will eliminate the Hollow virus. It keeps mutating at a remarkably rapid rate. Anything we use to fight it is still too weak against it."

Ichigo's auburn eyes sparked burning flames. "That's not good enough!" He slammed his fist at the wall with so much power that it formed a crack. Urahara sympathized with his angst, but for the first time he felt stupefied for not having substantial results to be of any help. The alarming rate at which the entire city was crumbling towards its ultimate downfall brought the eccentric scientist to reluctantly accept that Rukia had to be annihilated. Otherwise, the crew and her loved ones will succumb to her wrath.

"She doesn't have much time."

"I know..." His fist was tightly clenched. But with a eerily calm composure, he took a final look beyond the beast that has taken over her physical form. His eyes will always see the spirit of the woman who was connected to his heart and now it was being literally torn out by the virus eating away at her body. Your pain is my pain. He reached into his holster and slid out his black Desert Eagle .50 Caliber Handgun adorned with the name "Zangetsu" on its frame. Rukia's rage exuding from the final stages of her Hollowfication allowed her to break through three iron-plated straps that held her down. She had two more to rip through before she became a higher threat. That was when Ichigo pointed the gun... away from her. He held Zangetsu by its grip and handed it to Urahara.

"Use this if Benihime doesn't get it done."

"Kurosaki-san, you can't-"

"I won't let my fiancé die alone like this..." Before he could further explain, the blood-thirsty fiend finally broke through her restraints and pounced on Ichigo with insane force. He put up no fight and simply embraced her. Rukia's sharp claws dug into Ichigo's back, scraping against the deep scratch that was already there. She sank her teeth in his neck, aiming for his jugular vein. Ichigo winced but succumbed to the pain. The heavy blood loss caused him to lose consciousness and completely black out.

…

There was nothing but silence. He couldn't hear the heavy panting and roaring of a vicious beast. The boisterous clamor of the storm had subsided. The rain has finally stopped. His eyes felt heavy, making it difficult to open them. There was a bright light above him which made it more of a challenge to see whether he passed on already or not. His body had an oddly numb sensation giving him the illusion that he was floating. Soon he was able to feel pressure around his neck and shoulder. That was when the steady beeping sounds became more audible. Ichigo found himself still at the underground lab, but this time he was the one attached to monitors and IV drips. So, I haven't turned into one yet? But if he did, he wouldn't be this clear minded and passive.

"You're finally awake, Kurosaki-san." A familiar face has been sitting by his bedside.

"Professor? But how am I... Wait! Rukia! What happened to her?" The barely recovered patient sat up from bed in a panic. His monitors reacted to his sudden bewilderment.

"She's pulling through... because of your foolish luck." Urahara unfolded his paper fan to hide his pleased grin. "You are the antigen." Ichigo inquisitively looked at Urahara, thinking the scientist really went insane. "The Hollow that scratched you left traces of its own infected blood in your bloodstream. Without you noticing it or even turning into one, your antibodies fused with the Hollow Virus to create a mutated antigen, but it remained dormant. Kuchiki-san's bite reactivated the antigens that were protecting you and fused with her virus as well. This gave it the ability to constantly evolve to fight off newer mutations like Kuchiki-san's virus. Right after she tore at you, her Hollowfication quickly subsided. She has reverted back to her normal self. I guess this is scientific proof that you guys make a great pair."

Ichigo's spirit was so excited by the news, but his physical body held him down. He immediately became lightheaded and fell back onto the bed.

"You lost a lot of blood. We also had to take some samples from you to make the vaccine and provide treatment on the rest of the population. If everyone else can recover as quickly as the both you did, then this Apocalypse will finally be over." From the corner of his eye, he could see someone by the door peeping in. He got up from his seat and proceeded on his way out. "I'll leave you guys to catch up..."

There she was. His bride-to-be reflected a beautiful light off her white robe. His ray of light was so angelic amidst the hell that once took over. "Ichigo..." Each careful step she made toward her fiancé's bedside was slightly timid. She remained doubtful that this was not an obscure dream.

The peaceful reunion immediately changed its course when Rukia swiftly planted a forceful punch into Ichigo's face. "YOU MORON! How could you put your own life at risk? Did you think you were being a hero by trying to kill yourself? What if I had killed the rest of the crew after tearing you apart?"

"GAH! Dammit, Rukia! I was distraught! I didn't know what else I could do! Is there a problem with that?"

"You gave your Zangetsu to Professor Urahara! You couldn't be a man and just do it yourself?"

"Sorry that I couldn't kill the woman I loved with my own hands. I'll make sure that I won't hesitate next time! Be more grateful dammit!"

"I never said I was ungrateful! You just couldn't think properly with that thick head!"

Their typical argument went back and forth and ultimately ended in Ichigo sticking his tongue out and taunting a very fuming Rukia. In reluctant defeat, she clenched her fist and gave Ichigo a very light "punch." "I probably would have done the same..." she softly whispered as she slipped herself into the arms of her future husband. It was his embrace that saved her life and soon, the lives of many. Although by sheer luck, their loving bond made it possible for the world to live and see the sun wash the rain away.

"Ichigo, can you believe we survived an Apocalypse together? That has to count for something."

"Hm. Don't get ahead of yourself. I still have to survive the married life with you."

End.