Bleach concept and characters belong to Kubo Tite who finally decided to kill off some of the good guys and did so in such a gory fashion. Though I wonder if he butchered those characters, does it mean that he no longer wants them so we can claim them as ours? Anyway, this vignette is my take to what was going on in Ichigo's head in Bleach#512: "Everything But The Rain"; therefore, it contains major spoilers to said chapter though Byakuya's lines were more or less reworded. It's not a slash fic, but if you wish to interpret it as such, you're free to do so. Basically I wrote this story just to get an angsty feeling out of my system so I can shift my focus back to writing my other story, Love Takes Time. Since I already wrote it, I might as well just post it even though it might not be all that good. Cheers.

Before The Rain Falls

Kurosaki Ichigo was on a brink of a nervous breakdown. He couldn't tell how long he had actually spent to bash through whatever kind of trap it was that the Quincy had used to capture him between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. He couldn't have been locked up for more than an hour in reality, but in his mind, it certainly felt like eternity to be trapped there in the dark cage when all he heard from the communicator were voices calling out to him, hoping that he would come and rescue them.

The Substitute Shinigami never thought he would ever be so glad to see Akon's face in his life, but he was. However, that feeling was short-lived since the next thing he saw was Akon being taken down right before his eyes by a Quincy whose name and power Ichigo didn't care to listen to as he simply blasted the Quincy away with Getsuga Tensho before he quickly flash-stepped away from the scene to where he sensed, albeit very faintly, the presences of Rukia and Renji.

His heart ached at the sights of his friends lying in the rubbles of what had once been Seireitei's beautiful street. His only relief was that he could still feel their spiritual presences regardless of how weak those presences were. At the very least, they were still alive, which more than he could ever say for all fallen Shinigami he had passed on his way to them. However, there was nothing that was in Ichigo's power to do to help them. After all, he was not a healer, and he did not possess any miraculous power to manipulate reality. So while it killed him to have to leave them behind, Ichigo swallowed the pain and flash-stepped past them to search for other people that he could still assist.

He didn't intend to stop there at first, as all he saw was a large pile of rubbles and a big hole in a random building's wall, but a small movement from that broken wall caught his attention, and Ichigo almost wished he had never stopped there.

After all, despite having expected the worst, it had never crossed Ichigo's mind that there would be a day when he would find Kuchiki Byakuya in a complete wrecked state that Ichigo was sure that if it was not for the fact that the nobleman had been embedded into that wall behind him, the man would have already fallen to the ground and been drowned in the pool of his own blood.

Ichigo wasn't sure if the nobleman could see him at all from that position, since what used to be sharp, slate eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate through anyone's defense appeared to be very dull and lifeless - like eyes of some dead fish.

It was heartbreaking to see Soul Society's most prideful man being reduced to such a humiliating condition that Ichigo wanted nothing more than to run away and leave Byakuya there to face his demise alone. However, despite how painful it was for him to see Byakuya in that state, Ichigo still believed the captain deserved more than that from him; especially when he suddenly voiced his question.

"Are Rukia and Renji still alive?" Byakuya asked. It was evident to Ichigo that the Shinigami had some difficulties in bringing those words past his lips. The voice that used to be smooth sounded hoarse as if it came from a throat of a man who had not drunk any water in days.

Ichigo didn't need any doctor to tell him that Byakuya could draw his last breath at any second then. After all, from the amount of blood he saw on the ground beneath the man and from the countless cuts that were visible to him even from that distance, it was miraculous that the captain had held out for that long.

Ichigo's throat felt tight by the question. Even though the man could be dead at any second, his first concern was still toward his sister and his direct subordinate. And Ichigo didn't have a heart to tell him the truth that while they were alive he didn't think either Rukia or Renji would last much longer either.

"Yeah. They're alive," Ichigo replied, hoping that his voice did not betray anything that he did not wish to convey. Still, his voice broke when he added just so that man before him could rest in peace, "They're fine."

Ichigo wasn't sure if Byakuya was totally convinced, but at the very least the Shinigami's expression seemed to relax slightly when he heard that reply.

"I see," Byakuya said softly. "That's good."

Yet, even then, Ichigo still noted how the Shinigami didn't seem to be totally relieved. And even though Ichigo felt that he should say something, he didn't know what to say.

"My time has come," Byakuya stated, confirming what Ichigo had already known since he first saw the man in that condition. The calmness in his tone made it almost impossible to believe that the man was talking about his own demise. "To think I'm a captain of the Gotei 13, yet I cannot do anything to prevent those trespassers from massacring their ways into Soul Society. In the end, I was defeated myself and failed my subordinates and their family. What a humiliation."

Regret and guilt was evident in the Shinigami's voice, and while Ichigo wished he could say something, there was no word he could say to make it all go away. So in the end, all Ichigo could do was standing there quietly and listening to what could have been the man's very last words.

"Call me pathetic if you will," Byakuya continued, unable to care less that Ichigo had not said a word in reply to what he had said previously. "But despite you being a human who is not supposed to be involved in this war or even to be here to begin with, I still have one last favor I would like to request from you."

Ichigo nodded. By that point, he was already too overwhelmed by emotions. His chest felt so constricted that he couldn't even utter anything to urge the man to continue.

The prideful Byakuya he knew would never ask for anything of him, and more often than not, he would make some harsh comments and show Ichigo such a low regard, like he didn't want to associate himself with the likes of Ichigo. Therefore, for him to lower his pride and request something of Ichigo, it had to be something that was very important.

And because Byakuya had never asked him for anything, Ichigo decided that he would grant his dying wish. Because it would be the last thing he could do for that man, and Ichigo owed him at least that much, if for nothing else, than for being one of the people who had helped him gain his Shinigami power back.

"Please protect Soul Society, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Of all selfish things he could have asked of Ichigo at that moment, the man requested him for what Ichigo himself had already planned to do, so Ichigo just nodded. Byakuya might have deserved to at least hear his promise, but Ichigo's throat was too dry and his eyes felt too hot. If he uttered anything, his voice would be shaking by all emotions that were overwhelming him, and Byakuya deserved more than a shaky reply. He wanted Byakuya to believe in his strength, so the man could be at rest and a firm nod of his head was all Ichigo could offer.

Seeing a solemn nod from Ichigo, Byakuya let out a relieved sigh and closed his slate eyes for one last time.

Ichigo averted his eyes from the scene, and flash-stepped away. While he could have stayed and accompanied the man as he drew his last breath, Ichigo believed Byakuya would prefer him not to be there. He wouldn't need Ichigo's pity nor Ichigo's mourning. If there were anything he needed from Ichigo, it would be to end that war and protect Soul Society; and Ichigo wouldn't be able to do that if he were to remain there.

So he flash-stepped away to where he sensed the strongest spiritual power, and he did not look back. The light might have already gone out for Byakuya, but for Ichigo, yet another fire of fury had just been kindled in his heart.

There would be time to cry and mourn for all lives that were lost later after the threat was permanently eliminated. He would let his inner world be flooded over with rainstorms when everything was over and the war was won. However, then was still not the time.

The King of the Quincy was about to leave when Ichigo reached to where he was, but there was no way Ichigo would let that man just walk away after all the destruction that those Quincies had caused to Soul Society. Not after they had taken away so many people that he had the privilege to call his allies and friends.

Ichigo had failed his friends once when he arrived too late to save their souls, so he would not fail them again this time. With the thought, he threw Zangetsu on the ground to block the path of that Quincy King before he followed suit to pick his sword up and raise it at his arch enemy. Even if he had to die, he would not lose.

After all, he had a promise to keep.