Disclaimer: Bleach owns. However, I do not own Bleach. In addition, I do not own any Bleach characters, Bleach songs, or even Bleach the cleaning product. Here is where the confusion lies.

Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite. Were it not for his existence, our lives might be slightly less pathetic (having some time freed up away from Bleach-obsession). He slaves over the series so that we have something to wank over.

Brief Description: Ichigo stumbles upon Rukia's lifeless body. But there is only one person who can save her. But will Ichigo risk his own life in the process?

Chapter One:

Discovery

I wonder what my friends are doing right now. Are they sprinting down endless hallways, making their way past a multitude of doors; unsure that the one they just passed was indeed not the direction of their intended destination? I bet they think I'm on some romantic get-away vacation; drinking fancy cocktails on some private beach somewhere with some mysterious lover. I bet they think I'm having the time of my life right now.

Ah, yes; a vacation indeed! "Come to Hueco Mundo! Take a stroll through dimly-lit corridors and experience bliss for the first time! But beware of the espada, who frequently rove these halls, eager to dissect any newcomers like a frog. Your vacation may quickly come to its end!"

Panting as I made my way through dimly-lit corridors, I paused. I sensed Rukia's reiatsu nearby, though weakened either by distance or, more likely, a fatal wound. Large doors loomed beside me, these of a slightly different stature than the last, enticing me to enter. I felt Rukia's reiatsu, stronger now, though fading at a rapid rate. Fear had me in a chokehold. I could feel my heart pounding, becoming more violent with each step forward.

Breathing heavily, I shoved the door open in one thrust; my heart pounding faster, more intensely, as the ominous feeling grew stronger. The faint light spilling into the dark palace extended itself as the door widened; the center of which, to my horror, laid Rukia's lifeless body. Her maimed body appeared before me like some gruesome work of art; a centerpiece that seemed not in the least bit out-of-place in this sinister and unpredictable world.

When I finally approached Rukia, she was on her last few breaths. She appeared to me like a Rukia shishkabob, her torso being maimed by the zanpakutu of some unfamiliar espada. Upon being maimed, it appeared she'd simultaneously determined that her assassin would face the same fate as his victim. That sounded like something Rukia would do; stubbornly unable to surrender to death until she finished a battle herself. Between her and her opponent, she would not be the first to die. If she couldn't save Inoue herself, she would at least prevent one more arrancar from standing in the way.

Looking to her motionless body, I wondered: Was I… too late? I kneeled down before Rukia's mutilated body, fighting back the tears that were forcing their way to the surface. If Rukia was still alive, would she really want to see me in such a pathetic display? Still, there was nothing I could do to hide the trembling of my hand as I reached to check her pulse. The fear consumed me, knowing that, even if she were alive, there was nothing I could do to keep her that way. I am not Inoue. I cannot heal. I cannot take back what has been done. I haven't even defeated one espada, and here Rukia gave her life in order to do so.

There was still a pulse. Still only a flicker of her reiatsu. Unexpectedly, I felt Rukia's hand grasp my wrist; my hand still kept firmly in place, hoping for some sudden burst of spiritual energy to arise. Her eyes parted slightly, fixated on me as though trying to reassure me that she'd be okay. "Arigato… Ichigo…" She closed her eyes for the last time. "Save Inoue for me."

With those words, I sensed her reiatsu completely dissipate and her soul seemed to pass through me; into me. She became a part of me. I stared at her lifeless body in disbelief. Is this really where it ends, Rukia? After all we've been through together, are you really going to leave me like this?!

My eyes downcast, completely shaded by crazed bangs, I let my first tear fall for my departed comrade. "This can't be how it ends!" I screamed, my voice echoing between the high walls of the empty palace. "You were supposed to be so much more!"

Rising to my feet, I made my resolve, squishing my brows together even more than usual. "Nell, I'm going to have to ask you to walk beside me from now on. Do you think you can do that?" The strange arrancar child who'd been hitching a ride on the Ichigo taxi peeked from behind a large pillar, where she'd been hiding in horror from the sight upon entering.

"Ith Ichigo's friend dead?" Nell, still terrified, dared to ask; the answer being quite obvious.

"Yes," I responded solemnly, unable to meet the child's gaze. "I don't know if you can resurrect the dead, but I do know that, if anyone could, it'd be Inoue." That is, assuming I can save her, I thought to myself.

Could Inoue really heal wounds this extensive? Not just wounds, but… death? Could she overwrite God's divine plan? And if her powers had really developed that much, how much more dangerous would she be by Aizen's side?

I cringed as I lifted Rukia's corpse from the espada's zanpakutu. "It's a good thing you only weigh, like, fifty pounds," I remarked, laughing nervously in an attempt to make light of the situation. With each centimeter she rose along the ridiculously oversized zanpakutu (though I'm not one to talk), the sound of flesh spilling tempted me to vomit. Resisting the urge, I continued to lift her deceased body above the zanpakutu, ignoring the blood that trickled down my cheeks and seeped into my clothing. At last, the forked tip finally released its grip on Rukia's abdomen! Letting out a short-lived sigh of relief, I paused before making my last elevation. I let out a huge grunt as I heaved her body, which now felt like slightly more than 50 pounds, onto my shoulders.

"I won't leave my comrade behind. We decided to fight side-by-side, and I will not abandon her now." I glanced at Nell, crouched in the corner. "Are you ready?" She nodded, rising to her feet in preparation. "Let's go."

With Rukia's comatose body hunched over my shoulder, I made my way down the dismal hallways; hoping, by heading the same direction I'd come from, that I was not going to suffer the same fate as my fallen comrade. Hoping that, despite my injuries and exhausted energy, I would be able to squeeze out any last bit of power I could in order to reach Inoue.

"I will not let your death be for nothing… Rukia." I grasped her childlike body just a little tighter as I vowed to at least do this much.

Would Ulquoirra be waiting for me ahead? Or someone new? Would I be able to defeat anyone in my current condition? I didn't know. But I had to try, for Rukia.