They ran into the white room, frantically searching for an exit – but there was no door. The room was long with tall blank walls, with only one slim window in the top left corner. It didn't let in much light.

"That's our only chance! We'll have to climb!"

They moved quickly, Renji giving Rukia a leg up so she could reach the ledge of the pane-less slit and scramble up. She paused momentarily, staring out.

"It's no good, we're in the side of the cliff and there aren't any outcrops – and it's way too high to drop!"

Renji jumped and caught the ledge himself, pulling up to crouch beside her.

"Even so, we don't have a choice" he said. "Perhaps if we go up – the rock seems a bit easier to climb after a couple of metres.."

But he sounded uncertain. The cliff face was steep and it was a long way to the top.

The two were quiet for a moment, trying to come up with more options, still breathing heavily from the run.

"You're right," said Rukia finally. "We've got to get out of here, and this is the only way. Up is best. Let's go."

With that, they slipped out and twisted upwards to grasp the rock face, fingers and toes searching for cracks. Rukia went first, her slender limbs moving one at a time and grim determination on her face. Renji followed, grimacing as the muscles in his fingers and forearms protested at the unaccustomed effort.

Neither spoke as they climbed slowly, each movement agonisingly careful, ever more aware of the distance below them. A slip would be fatal. Fortunately there was no wind, but even so with such tenuous holds it wasn't long before they were dripping with sweat, and seemingly every muscle was crying out in pain.

To Rukia, the ten minutes she had been working her way up the cliff face seemed like an hour, and the goal seemed no nearer. Already fatigued from battle and their desperate escape, she felt as though she had long since passed her body's limit. It was only her will to survive that was keeping her grip strong. She knew Renji was wounded, and risked a glance down every so often to check on him. Like her, he was struggling on, but how long could they last on adrenaline alone?

As Renji paused again, resting his forehead against the cool stone and gasping for breath, he wondered if they could really make it to the top. He wondered what he would do he fell, or more importantly if Rukia fell. He would surely reach out to grab her, and then they'd both go down. But that would be better than reaching the summit alone… He felt himself going light-headed, the still-bleeding gash in his side sapping his little remaining energy. Not much longer… he'd been an idiot to get them into this. If Rukia had any sense, she'd never forgive him…

At that moment, movement caught Renji's eye. He turned his head slightly to see a stream of white passing to his left. It took his haggard mind a moment to realise what he was seeing, and it clicked just as Rukia called out.

"Nii-sama!"

Eyes widening, Renji flung out and held the strip of thick cloth, releasing his hold on the rock. He looked up to see Rukia had done the same, both of them hanging motionless for a minute, still some fifty metres below the cliff edge. There, the motionless form of Kuchiki Byakuya could be seen silently gazing down at them.

Without another word, Rukia and Renji began climbing hand over hand, the rough cloth offering far surer grip than the shallow cracks of the rock face. Byakuya himself was pulling them up too, so that before long both were collapsed on short grass, panting, and then laughing with relief. Rukia sat up on her knees, the blood still pounding in her ears.

"Thank you, Nii-sama" she smiled.

"Aa" Renji agreed, rolling onto his back before propping himself up slightly on his elbows.

"I don't know if I could've hung on much longer there! What took you so long with the rescue, Taichou?"

Byakuya merely nodded.

"Kurosaki informed me that you had been trapped in the building. It simply took me a while to locate your reiatsu."

Renji laughed, and Rukia moved a little closer towards him.

"You see? I told you Ichigo would have no problem once he was out. We'll have to thank him later."

"OK, OK, but let's get our breath back first huh? And I need to pay a visit to the Fourth Division too!" Renji grinned.

Rukia just smiled and wrapped her arm around him, carefully avoiding his injury. He blushed slightly and glanced at Byakuya, but the austere captain was gazing out across the canyon and showed no sign that he noticed.

"Ne, Renji?" Rukia spoke softly.

"Uh.. er, yeah?"

"Don't scare me like that again, OK?"

The sun shone down as they rested.