Not again. Not again.

"Let her go!" Renji snarled, raising his Zanpakuto.

The Hollow laughed, and I felt my arms lift up my own sword. I couldn't stop them. My actions weren't my own, just like when I had been fighting that Bount and his doll had taken control of my body. I was being forced to fight my friends once again.

"Foolish Soul Reaper," the Hollow laughed, voice high and cold like nails on a chalkboard. "She is mine until I devour her soul. Oh, how fun!"

"Bastard!" Renji shouted. His face was twisted in fury. "Howl, Zabimaru!"

His sword transformed into the broad, rectangular blade with the spikes protruding from the sharp edge.

Kill me, Renji, I begged silently. Kill me now.

I didn't want to hurt anyone else while I was like this. It was a disgusting feeling, having something inside me, controlling my movements and even my voice. My body was no longer mine, and it sickened me that I had let this happen not once but twice. It would probably be best to just kill me now, and let it be done.

But Renji wouldn't do it. I knew he wouldn't. He was too much like Ichigo; neither of them ever listened to me. They both had that annoying habit of doing the opposite of what they were told. Ichigo…Where was he?

"Damnit," I heard Renji mutter. "Where is that moron?"

He tried to rush past me to reach the Hollow, but I automatically intercepted him, and he lunged back, unwilling to harm me.

"Rukia," the Hollow growled, his voice resonating inside me. Against my will, my body straightened to attention. The foul creature clearly relished the situation. "End him."

I tried to hold back. I tried to keep myself from leaping out, but there wasn't even the slightest hesitation when I pushed off and called my Zanpakuto.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I felt myself cry. No, I screamed inside. "First dance, white moon!"

Renji had a split second's reaction time, in which a circle of ice formed on the ground around him, but it was enough for a Lieutenant of the sixth court guard squad. He leapt out just in time, but I couldn't feel relieved. I too was a Soul Reaper, and a quick one, and without control of myself, I had already called the second ability of my Shikai.

"Second dance," I said, feet just barely hitting the ground before I stabbed downward. "Hakuren!"

I wanted to turned away as the wave of ice formed. There was no way Renji could dodge this one too, and by the look on his face, he knew it. But I couldn't forced my head to move, my eyes to close. The Hollow was going to make me watch as I attacked my own comrade. The wave reared, and then surged. It was going to hit him. It was going to freeze him. It was going to kill him.

Except it didn't. Instead the most wonderful sound met my ears.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

A wave of pure spiritual energy collided head-on with the Hakuren, dissolving my attack like it was nothing but a couple of snowballs. I was so close that the energy made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Landing lightly on the ground in front of Renji was the owner of that second attack, a young man with unruly orange hair, wearing a Soul Reaper's black Shihakusho and holding the largest Zanpakuto I had ever seen. That Zanpakuto was permanently in its released state, a testament to its wielder's enormous spiritual pressure, and it was a strange form even for a Zanpakuto in Shikai. It remained as a sword, but was as long as his body and elegant with a wicked curved blade, but didn't have any sort of proper cross guard or hilt, and the handle was instead wrapped in bandages that trailed away into the air. Said wielder straightened up and slung his sword across his shoulders.

"Can't you do anything on your own?" he chuckled at Renji.

"You're one to talk!" Renji snarled, but I could sense his relief. "You're so damn useless! Would it kill you show up on time once in a while?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the newcomer said.

That wonderful sound was that of Ichigo Kurosaki's voice. He turned to look at me across the field, those deep brown eyes sparkling with humor.

"You're kind of hopeless, aren't you Rukia?" he laughed. Then his smile fell, and he readied his weapon. "Looks like we're gonna have to save you again. You'll owe me huge for this one."

I wanted to cry, but of course I couldn't. Ichigo…

"Ready, moron?" Renji asked, but he smiled as he said it.

"Whenever you are, idiot," Ichigo answered. Then he spoke to me again, and he was just taunting me. "Try and hit us both, Rukia."

That idiot. I was going to wack him a good one when this was all over.

Ichigo, I'll—

"—kill you if you go easy on me!"

Ichigo grinned. "You do that. Catch me if you can!"

Then he disappeared. I had a moment where I was stunned. Had I really said that out loud? I'd broken the bonds long enough to threaten Ichigo?

"I don't remember you being this slow." His voice came from right behind me. I started to turn, but his arms clamped down over my torso, pinning mine to my sides. He was so close that I could feel his breath ghosting across the back of my neck, and it sent shivers down my spine.

When had he gotten so fast? He might even be faster than my brother now, and he wasn't even in Bankai yet.

"Come on, Rukia," he said softly, and his tone changed. It wasn't quite so cheerful. "You're stronger than that Hollow. I know you are. Fight it."

"Rukia, kill them," the Hollow commanded. His voice reverberated inside me, making my bones vibrate, and I fought with all my power against the sudden urge to struggle even harder against Ichigo.

"Not today!" I heard Renji roar. I couldn't see it, but I knew that Renji had leapt at the monster, wielding Zabimaru high. As soon as I turned my attention to Renji and the Hollow, I felt the Hollow's hold over me strengthen again, and I began to writhe in Ichigo's grip.

"Ignore them, Rukia!" Ichigo shouted, holding me as tightly as he could. "Ignore them! Focus on me, just on me! You can beat it, just concentrate!"

Focus on him? But how—

"Quit thinking so much," Ichigo growled into my ear, and I could hear the strain in his voice from trying to restrain me. "You can do this, Rukia. Don't be an idiot."

An idiot? Why that pompous little…

"Ichi…go," I gasped, my struggles subsiding.

"There you go," he coaxed. "Come on, Rukia. You can do it."

"Stupid…" I panted, fighting to maintain control of my body. The Hollow was still inside me somewhere, I could feel it, and it took all of my willpower to push him back. Oddly, with Ichigo's arms around me, it was easier. Almost as though his spiritual pressure was wrapped around me, lending me extra strength.

Ichigo laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a moron," he said.

"The girl is fighting me?" the Hollow said in his grumbling voice. "How strange…"

"Hey ugly!" Renji bellowed. "You should be focusing on me!"

"Don't you…dare…let me…hurt…you," I said through grit teeth.

"Not part of the plan," he promised. "Hey, Renji, you still haven't killed that thing?"

"Would you shut up?" snapped the redhead. "You're not exactly helping, so give me a break!"

"It's just one Hollow!" Ichigo retorted. "I didn't think that a Lieutenant would have so much trouble."

"Shut your trap!"

I almost managed a smile. Those two got along so well, one would've thought that they had grown up together as siblings.

"Idiots…" I muttered. I felt Ichigo smile against my neck.

"Shut up," he responded, but there was no fire in his voice. "We didn't get possessed by Hollows, so you don't get to talk."

"What…ever," I groaned. My body was beginning to tremble with the effort of holding off the Hollow's power. In response, I felt a wave of spirit energy wash over me, Ichigo's spirit energy, strengthening me and helping me stand fast.

Somewhere off to our right, Renji was still battling the Hollow. Several times I heard Zabimaru make contact, but it wasn't a fatal blow, because I could still feel the monster's presence. Still, he must have been doing something, because the Hollow's hold on me began to lessen infinitesimally.

"This Reaper is strong," the Hollow mused, and his voice still penetrated the center of my being. "Much stronger than the girl."

"R-Renji," I panted, fear clamping down over my heart. "He's after Renji!"

Ichigo released me, whirling around with his sword ready, but he was already too late. The Hollow's shadow left me with the feeling of tearing out my insides, and I slumped, both free and in excruciating pain. Ichigo caught me with those lightning reflexes of his, his strong arms pulling me against his chest.

"Rukia!" he exclaimed, leaning down over me. "Rukia, are you oka—"

But he cut himself off abruptly. His entire body went rigid, and I heard the air whoosh out of his lungs as though he had just been sucker punched in the gut.

"Ichigo?" I said hesitantly. He didn't answer. "Ichigo!"

His hands shook on my arms, trembling violently.

"Hey!" Renji shouted. "What's going on over the—oof!"

I looked around in time to see the Hollow send Renji flying backwards with one huge hand, watching as my friend landed with a crash to shake the earth into the trunk of a tree. A horrible, rumbling laugh erupted from the creature, with lumbered slowly and casually to where Ichigo crouched, still holding me.

"Foolish Reapers," the Hollow crooned. "Always so quick to jump to conclusions, and so quick to drop your guard. Silly girl, I never said I wanted your angry, red-haired friend."

My stomach dropped to the soles of my feet as Ichigo slowly, so slowly, lifted up his head, and I understood with horrifying clarity the mistake I had made. The Hollow had been fighting Renji physically, but he had also been fighting to control me through Ichigo's powerful spiritual energy, the energy that he had been using almost as a shield. In that one instant when I called Renji's name, Ichigo had let his guard drop from himself and thrown his focus to Renji, who had never even been the target.

I looked up into those brown eyes, usually on fire with emotion, but now devoid of anything at all. They were flat. Blank. Absolutely empty.

"Ichigo, is it?" said the Hollow cheerfully. Ichigo nodded slowly, and the Hollow cackled, delighted. "Oh, you have a great deal of spirit energy. I will enjoy eating your soul."

"No!" I shouted, and tackled Ichigo to the ground. He didn't move underneath me, but that didn't make me feel any better. His eyes were too flat.

"But first, perhaps you should take care of your friends," the Hollow said, its horrid eyes landing on me.

Ichigo nodded mechanically, and in a movement so fast it didn't exist, he bucked me off of him and onto the ground. The air whooshed from my lungs as my back slammed against the hard earth, and stars popped in my vision. I could heard Ichigo climb to his feet nearby, but I couldn't quite see him. I could hear the deadly shink as he readied Zangetsu. In my current state, I would never be able to defend myself from Ichigo. It was hard enough to battle someone like him when I was in top condition. I couldn't count the times I had watched him fighting, and thanked my lucky stars that I could count him as an ally and not an enemy. He had so much power, so much skill, for a human with only a substitute Soul Reaper's badge, and I had shuddered many times when I thought of fighting against him in battle.

"Ichigo," I murmured. "You're strong, too."

"Hee hee hee," the Hollow laughed. "He is indeed! Now, Ichigo, finish her off!"

Ichigo grunted. What exactly did that mean? Coming from him, it could mean anything from sure thing to I'm hungry. Ichigo was a pro at caveman-speak. Then he grunted again. I forced myself to sit up and look around. More stars came into being, but past them I saw my companion, his face in both hands, his sword buried in the dirt at his feet. His body was trembling violently.

"Ichigo," said the Hollow with more force. "Finish her!"

"I—don't—think so," Ichigo growled, every word carefully enunciated.

"What?" the Hollow hissed.

"I said," Ichigo spat, and he parted his fingers slightly so that I could see one beautiful, glowing brown eye between them. "I don't think so. There's already one too many people inside my body. There's no room for you. You can't make me hurt Rukia."

"Ichigo," I whispered, my eyes stinging.

His large, scarred hands fell away from that beautiful face, and those deep brown eyes were once more the eyes I always saw when I thought of him. Full of bright, burning fire. Ichigo looked over at me, and gave me a small smile.

"Have a little faith, Rukia," he teased. Then he turned back to the Hollow, and his features slipped into harsh scowl.

"I don't understand!" the Hollow screeched, backing away from Ichigo as he pulled Zangetsu out of the ground. "How have you broken my hold?! You are not even a full-fledged Soul Reaper!"

"Now you've really pissed me off," he said calmly. "Never underestimate me. And never hurt my friends."

Ichigo gave the Hollow a deadly smile that was more like a baring of teeth, and held his sword out in front of him with both hands. My eyes widened when I realized what was about to happen. His spirit energy was expanding even more, gathering around him and bursting from him like electric pulses, greater and more potent than before, which was saying a lot.

"Ban…" Ichigo growled, still smiling, "kai."

There was a moment of deadly silence, where not even the wind whispered. Then his spirit energy rushed in around him, compressing for just a moment into an intense, explosive ball of pure power, and then it exploded outwards with the force of a bomb. The strength of Ichigo's full release knocked me backwards, and the surrounding trees groaned as they were bent away from the focal point of the blast. This power was equal, possibly even greater than that of Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of squad eleven, who was known for his crippling spiritual pressure.

I tried to see past the blinding light of Ichigo's reiatsu, but all I could make out was his imposing silhouette holding a long, thin katana. The long jacket that was part of his Bankai whipped around his ankles in the gale caused by his release.

Ichigo was truly frightening.

The light from his transformation flashed and died, leaving him standing quite at ease, holding the thin daito in his right hand. It was so odd that his Bankai was so small. For every single other Soul Reaper to master Bankai, their fully released weapons became something massive, but here was Ichigo, holding a sword that looked almost delicate. But I knew that inside that small sword was the power off all of Ichigo's spirit energy, compressed into one space. The compressed spirit energy gave him enormous strength and speed to surpass even that of the flash step, a skill he had long since mastered. I had seen firsthand how he had seemed to make copies of himself with that speed.

The Hollow never stood a chance. It didn't even have time to scream. One second Ichigo was yards away, and the next, he was behind the monster's head, swinging down with that sword.

"Getsuga," he said quietly, "Tensho."

The wave of black energy cleaved the Hollow cleanly in two.

"Bastard," Ichigo spat as his feet touched the ground. He released his Bankai and his clothing and sword returned to normal. He held the blade against his back and waited until it had wrapped itself in bandages as a makeshift sheath. I leaned back against the ground, my aching body screaming at me for rest. Who knew that being possessed could be so tiring? Thank goodness Ichigo had come, or there was no telling what would have happened. Then, was there ever really any doubt that he would turn up? Ichigo was the hero of his story. It was his job to protect everyone he cared about, even if it didn't make sense for him to think that way.

"Rukia."

My eyes flashed open—when had I closed them? Ichigo was standing over me, his sword slung across his shoulders, quite characteristic of his usual self. One would never have guessed that he had nearly been possessed by a Hollow, or that he had even been fighting. He looked good as new.

"Rukia, are you okay?" he asked. I managed a tired smile.

"I'm fine, Ichigo," I told him. "I just need some rest."

"Okay," he said wearily. "That's…good."

I wasn't one hundred percent prepared for his knees to hit the ground when they did, but I managed to catch him before he face planted into the dirt, guiding him onto his back and taking his head in my lap. He'd fallen unconscious, probably form the massive amount of energy he had just used. However powerful he might be, he was still human—sort of—so his body could only take so much strain. His skin was too hot, and his pulse beat like a hummingbird's wings, but I was sure he would be fine after some rest.

Smiling softly, I gently brushed his orange hair out of his face, as peaceful as I had ever seen it even in sleep. I reached down and took his hand, lacing his fingers through mine, and watched in surprise as his lips twitched upward. Was he awake after all?

"Ichigo?" I said softly. No response. I pinched his cheek. His brow furrowed and he twitched, but he didn't shout or jump up. No, he was definitely out.

I brushed more hair out of his face, then went to just kind of stroking it. His hair was so much softer than it looked; I would have thought it would feel more bristly, but it might have even more smoother than Orihime's. He turned his face in my lap and nuzzled my knee. My face burned hotly, and it must have been a rather unattractive shade of red. What was he doing? Was he always like this when he was sleeping? I started to pull my hand back from where I had it curled in his hair, and his brow furrowed like he was pouting. I tried to pull my hand out of his, but his fingers tightened on mine and his face fell further, until it looked like it usually did when he was dreaming. That was to say, kind of angry.

Now I was really curious. I took his hand again, and his expression relaxed. I slid my fingers into his hair like before, and he almost smiled. How strange.

"Hey, Rukia!"

I looked up. Renji had recovered somewhat from being blown into that tree, and was standing up, rubbing what was probably a splitting headache with his hand. I almost laughed. He had bits of leaves and twigs in his hair, and his Shihakusho was covered in dirt.

"Is the idiot dead yet?" he wondered, limping slowly over. Zabimaru was back to its normal state, and was safely in its sheath.

"No, not yet," I chuckled, looking back down at the idiot in question. He stirred when he heard Renji's voice.

"Damn," Renji groaned, flopping down beside me. "Too much to hope for, I guess."

He prodded Ichigo in the ribs.

"Hey Ichigo," he said, continuing to poke him. "Wake up, idiot, this is no place to be napping.

Ichigo groaned and slowly opened his eyes, looking straight up. When his eyes focused on me, he cried out in shock and shot into a sitting position, but couldn't get any farther because our hands were still linked. He yelped again and dropped my fingers as though they had burned him. His ears were red as cherries.

"Why were you holding my hand?" Ichigo demanded, still blushing darkly. My own face felt really warm now too.

"I-I wasn't!" I denied immediately. "You took my hand while you were unconscious! You wouldn't let me pull away, either."

"I—huh?" he said, confused.

"You heard me!" I snapped, unnecessarily angry by his reaction. Exactly what bothered me about him freaking out? That was pretty normal for him, always overreacting about everything. Why did it irritate me this time?

"If you two are done," Renji cut in, looking back and forth between us uneasily. "You should head back to Ichigo's place before someone notices that his body isn't moving."

"That's right," Ichigo groaned. "That stupid stuffed animal disappeared again, so there wasn't a mod soul to put in my body this time."

"Yeah, so get moving," Renji snapped. "I'll head to Kisuke's place for now."

"See you later," Ichigo sighed, clambering to his feet and helping the redhead up.

"Try not to kill each other," he answered, looking down at me before taking off, leaving me alone with Ichigo.

Ichigo held out a hand to help me up, and I accepted it, already past my momentary anger. I could never stay angry at him for long.

"Ready to head back?" he asked quietly. I nodded, and he led me away, walking at a leisurely pace despite his concern that someone might find his apparently dead body before we got back.

"Ichigo, don't you think we should go faste—" I asked, but he had this irritating habit of interrupting me.

"Rukia."

"I—yes?" I said, startled by the tone of his voice. It was determined, but apprehensive at the same time. He paused on the sidewalk, and I nearly ran into his back.

"You're sure you're alright?" he checked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said with a roll of my eyes.

He didn't start walking. Curious, I walked around him and peered up at his face, but it was shadowed by his hair.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" I asked, tugging at the front of his Shihakusho. "You can talk to me, you know."

Instead of speaking, Ichigo wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me close to his body similarly to what he had done when he was restraining me. But it was at the same time very, very different, because when Ichigo buried his face in the curve of my neck, he wasn't calm and collected. His spirit energy was trembling, wrapping around me with his arms in an almost desperate embrace.

"Ichigo…" I said uncertainly.

"You're an idiot," he said shakily, breath fanning over my throat. "Running off to deal with a Hollow on your own. Why didn't you come and find me first?"

"Ichigo, I'm a Soul Reaper," I pointed out. "I've been hunting Hollows since long before I met you. I can handle them."

"Just like you handled that one?" he asked. I had no reply. What was this feeling that was beginning to flutter in my chest? "Rukia, you have no idea how worried I was when you just disappeared. You should have found me."

"You were busy," I said weakly, remembering vaguely that he had been out with Orihime when my Hollow detector had gone off. "I didn't want to interrupt."

"Are you crazy?" he demanded, but instead of pulling back, he held me tighter. "Out of all the possible things to worry about, that's what you came up with? Orihime would've understood."

"That's not…" I mumbled. "I didn't want…"

Why hadn't I gotten him? The truth was that I was mad at him. Mad at him for making plans without me, mad that he made plans with Orihime and didn't include me, mad because he had been spending so much time lately with her. But I couldn't tell him that. I couldn't possibly tell him that I resented all of the time he was spending with his…with his girlfriend. Even that word made me mad!

"Rukia," he murmured, and this time he did pull back a little. I didn't have time to wipe whatever expression was on my face away, and it was plain for him to see.

Instead, I looked off to the side, hoping to see something to calm me down, but instead all I saw were happy couples walking down the sidewalk, and the… the jealousy inside me burned hotter than ever. Yes, I was jealous of Orihime for being the one that Ichigo had chosen. I was jealous of the bond they had that I never would. I was jealous that she was the one that Ichigo loved, not me.

Because I loved him. I had for a very long time.

"Rukia, do you not like Orihime?" he asked me, sounding faintly shocked. "I thought you two were friends?"

"I—no—that's not—" I spluttered at once. "Of course we're friends! I mean, I just—it's just that—the two of you—"

"Rukia, slow down," Ichigo almost laughed. I looked down at my feet and tried to gather my jumbled thoughts.

"It's just that…you two have been spending a lot of time together lately, and…I don't know…I guess I just feel kind of…"

"Jealous?"

I whipped my head up to yell at him, but the look on his face stopped me. His eyes were glowing, his mouth curved in the beginnings of a hopeful smile. Beneath that sincere show of emotion, I swallowed convulsively and looked back at the ground.

"I—yeah, I guess," I sighed in defeat.

"Rukia?" he said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" I said, bracing myself for the just-friends speech.

"Remember what I said earlier, back with the Hollow?" he asked. I blinked.

"Uh…That I would owe you huge after this?" I checked.

"I'm calling that favor now."

"Um…" I said, more than a little confused. "Okay, but what—"

"Please don't hit me."

I think I was going to respond with something, but I don't remember what, because I was distracted when one of his warm hands slid into my hair, and the other caught my waist, pulling me close for the third time that day. He leaned in swiftly, capturing my lips with his, and a startled noise left my throat when I fully understood that Ichigo was kissing me.

I didn't hit him. I didn't even pull back. My hands reached up and caught at his uniform, pulling him down. His lips were hot against mine, and his hand burned through the thin material of my Shihakusho at my hip. Ichigo always reminded me of fire, a blazing human inferno that caught and burned everything it touched leaving behind nothing but a feeling of intense heat.

The heat of his touch lingered on my skin even after he pulled back.

"I've been hanging out with Orihime," he said, his hand catching mine, "because she's been trying to get me to tell you how I feel. That's all."

I blinked.

"Um…" Was I in shock? Ichigo had just kissed me, so there was reason to be, but did shock make your head feel really fuzzy?

"Rukia," he grinned. "I love you, you moron. I have since I saved you from getting executed in the Soul Society."

"Ichigo…" I mumbled.

"Since when are you at a loss for words?" he teased.

My vision was narrowing, and I felt inexplicably heavy.

"Tired…" I said blearily. I swayed, and his arms caught me around the waist.

"Whoa there," he said. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Just…tired…" I answered. Then I blacked out.

The next thing I remember is waking up on a soft, warm bed, back in my gigai, in Ichigo's sparsely decorated bedroom. I groaned and sat up, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand. Something heavy was resting on my lap, and I glanced down. Heat flooded my face. Ichigo was sitting in his desk chair, which he had moved to the side of his bed, and he had fallen asleep using my thigh as a pillow.

The events that had happened prior to my blackout flooded back to me, and I smiled down fondly, running my fingers through his unruly orange hair. He stirred at my touch, and cracked open one foggy brown eye.

"You're awake," he noted, sitting back in his chair. I let my hand fall back to my side and nodded.

"I told you I needed rest," I said.

He smirked. "Yeah, I guess so. Still, I didn't think such a little kiss would put you over the top."

I flushed scarlet and hauled back to punch him. He caught my fist no problem.

"Was that your first one?" he asked, his grin growing.

I went to punch him with my other hand, but he caught that one too, and pulled me in dangerously close to him.

"I'll take that as a yes," he snickered. "Then this one'll be your second."

Ah, I love these two!