No one in sight. While Rukia breathed a sigh of relief, Ichigo's loud voice suddenly echoed, bouncing off the white walls and high ceiling. "This is disappointing? Where's the welcoming committee?"

"Shut up, you fool!" she hissed, sending him a sharp glare. The tiny Arrancar child that had followed them in, glanced about fearfully, perhaps sensing something as she did. But, where-? As a Shinigami, she had been trained for detecting minute levels of spirit pressure, she didn't sense anything...but...

There! Her eyes caught the slight shadow at the top of the flight of steep stone steps ahead. Her hand dropped to the hilt of her sword, a warning to Ichigo about to fly from her lips when it happened.

Steel crashed.

The hiss of air whooshing past her.

His yell and stifled curse.

Nel's cry and the sound of dripping.

Within the space of a few seconds, Rukia's mind was still processing everything. Threatening to shut down with each plip-plip-plip. her knees shook weakly. "I-Ichigo?" the sob caught at the edge of her words like hysteria she refused to give into. Slowly, ever so slowly she turned around and met the emotionless green eyes of the Arrancar.

"Your journey ends here." Red spatters stained the perfect white uniform. Whether he was addressing her or Ichigo on his knees, was questionable. "You let him go-!" Rukia steeled her voice, withdrawing Sode no Shirayuki swiftly.

The Arrancar favored her with an apathetic, unconcerned gaze, passing over her twice without much change of expression. "He will die.." as if to drive this home to her, the paper white hand tightened around his throat. Her eyes flashed, her legs ready to propel her forward for the charge.

"..and you will as well." The narrow eyes hardened then the faintest of curves lifted up one half of the bi-colored lips. "Unless you act in accordance to my orders."

"Nev-!" she would rather die than betray her race, perhaps he knew it, staring at her so intensely that she felt she was being drawn into the hypnotic emerald orbs.

"Do not be foolish, woman. If you do not comply, Kurosaki dies here."

It was no idle threat to be taken lightly. She knew it wasn't, recognizing the subtle grip that could tear off her friend's head in a second. One wrong move...though she hated it, defeat lay within moments.

"What is it you want?" she glared hatefully at her enemy.

Sode no Shirayuki's clang punctuated the tense air.

The Arrancar released his hold; unconscious, Ichigo slid to the ground with an audible flump.

"Come with me, Shinigami.."

-TBC..

Disclaimer: don't own Bleach.

AN: Au in that Rukia goes along with Ichigo and Nel rather than go down her own separate path. Meant to be a two-shot. =.= sleepy)

Thanks for reading. No flames!

Reviews appreciated and I will try to get the second part up very soon! ^-^