Chapter 2: Hand of Sorrow


The curse of his powers tormented his life

Obeying the crown was a sinister price

His soul was tortured by love and pain

He surely would flee but the oath made him stay

He's torn between his honor and the true love of his life

He prayed for both but was denied


Her world was falling apart. It had been on verge for many months now, maybe years. Slowly, little by little it had been crumbling like a like week old corn bread. Rukia stared at Ichigo. He was standing as still as a statue with Zabimaru pointed at his front and Senbonzakura at his back. He was stuck and she knew it, there was no way he could shunpo his way out of this situation.

If he pulled out his mask, could he run away? But that took time, and it was time that he had run out of, because of her. Oh god! Had her brother followed her here? That had to be it; it was the only logical way because she never met Ichigo at the same place twice! But of course Ichigo's powers were always on, off or full blast. Her brother could of easily found him that way, but how come he never did when he came to the real world to scout?

She bit her lower lip, she heard her brother speak to her then, to get dressed. No one was looking at her; they all were staring at the orange haired vizard. It did not seem to hit her until now, they where not just coming for her, they where going to take him to Seireitei as well!

In a single motion she had gathered a white sheet to her front and rushed at Byakuya. Her small body collided into his, not to knock him over, but to grab a hold on him. She used one hand to keep her front covered, not caring if her backside was shown to the world, to her brother, or to Renji. Her other hand reached up and clang to her brothers black sleeved gi out of desperation. She pressed her body against his and looked up at him with eyes full of fear and pain.

But Byakuya did not look at her, "Rukia." He said with his strong voice as Ichigo turned his head to see what his lover was doing while Renji tried his hardest not to look at his childhood friend and to fall for her silent plea that she was about to voice.

Rukia shook his head violently, "Don't take him away!" She cried out in a painful plea. "Tell them you did not see him! Tell the Gotei 13 and Head Captain that Ichigo was not to be found! I was trying to find him so I could bring him in but failed!" She pleaded with her noble brother as tears trailed down her rosy checks like twin waterfalls.

"Tell them anything! I will do anything! I will never leave the Kuchiki Mansion ever again if you wish it! But please! Don't take Ichigo, don't let them lock him away just because he is different from you and I!" Her raven head dropped onto her brother's arms as she cried into his sleeve. Her arms wrapped about that strong arm and her sheet dropped but she did not care, all she cared about was Ichigo's safety. It was her fault that he was in this mess now, if only she had stayed home and did not come to see him!

Silence entered the room and all that could be heard was Rukia's sobbing. Ichigo, taken by the grief he was causing bowed his head and looked away from the woman he had come to love. Renji felt as if some unknown force, like Ichigo, was strangling him he was feeling Rukia's pain and wish he could end it or at least help it disappear forever. But the noble brother never moved a muscle, his eyes never lowered to his sister, and his sword stayed ever close to Ichigo's skin.

"Rukia," he started with his emotionless voice, "Remember your place."

A deep intake of breath came from Rukia and her shaking body came to a halt. It was as if she had just been slapped in the face; in fact, it would have been better if Byakuya had indeed slapped her rather then spoken those words.

Remember her place.

She was a Kuchiki, a line of nobles. She was dishonoring her brother with her actions and love towards a man that was on an invisible chopping block. Slowly, her pale hands loosened their hold on Byakuya's arm. It was if her world was crumbling all around her, her legs where shaking. She was not sure if she could hold her own body up any longer. Why should she? She had no reason to knowing that Ichigo was going to be put away for the rest of his life.

Her body slid down her brother's form, she fell to her knees. Her lost sheet surrounded her like a pool of ice water. Her raven head was lowered in defeat and submission. Ichigo finally looked at her, he wanted to do something, to hold her and tell her that it would be alright, that he was not going to be taken so easily.

But whatever strength he had left him, "Rukia…" he said ever so softly, his foot moved to take him to her but the blade of Senbonzakura came around to the front of his neck, stopping him from bowing down to hold his lover.

"She is not your concern any longer, Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo eyes brown orbs looked up almost challenging the older Kuchiki, but his averted eyes told that Ichigo was not going to fight his fate that he knew he was going to face sooner or later. So he stood tall as Senbonzakura forced his head up.

"Abarai," Renji snapped to attention, pushing his personal feelings to the side, "Hai, Taicho!"

"Bind and Escort the Vizard Kurosaki Ichigo, into Seireitei and place him within the 6th Division holding ceils."

"Hai!"

With a flick of the wrist Zabimaru returned to nothing more then a normal zanpakutou, then the blade was sheathed. His hand then went into the inner pockets of his robe and dug around. Finding what was needed he looked at Ichigo with a look of apology as he brought forth a red band. Stepping forward he slid the thick red band onto Ichigo's neck. Instantly the two ends snapped together.

Once together, four holes appeared on the collar, two on each side and a few inches apart. Ichigo had seen this device once and he knew to put his hands behind his back as the thick red four wires came out from the collar. They wrapped around his wrist tightly, putting his hands together and locking them tightly. He felt his reiatsu fade almost into nothingness. His cold amber on black looked at Renji, his old comrade looked away feeling a shiver go down his spine.

Ichigo did not have to ask why Renji would look away from him. He had the eyes of a hollow, which wouldn't look away from them. Byakuya, seeing this was done raised his hand as a pair of Hell Butterflies came into the room, one went to Renji and Ichigo while the other rested on Byakuya's shoulder.

Renji turned to look at Rukia, god, he hated to do this to her and especially Ichigo. "Come on," he paused, "Vizard." It was like poison to his spirit to call Ichigo such a thing, a sin. Ichigo was Ichigo…not a Vizard, not…a hollow. But he had to remember that Ichigo had been broken, the boy was not the one he knew. Ichigo would of never allowed this capture, never allowed anyone to take him from Rukia or Rukia from him. He would of never, ever, allowed his hollow to touch the surface of his spirit.

But he was allowing it all to happen.

He grabbed one of the four strands, it snapped and became a leader. Renji took out his sword once again and slammed it into nothing, the blade disappeared half way and he turned it like a key. Instantly, an old fashioned Japanese door appeared and opened slowly.

With a sigh Renji stepped through the door, Ichigo was pulled after him. The orange haired Vizard turned his black and amber eyes towards the lover he was leaving behind. A deep frown was sit in his features, his eyes reflected regret and a since of helplessness. He couldn't stop this from happening. It would be almost impossible for him to lift his sword to its full force again.

What was the purpose?

His eyes stayed on Rukia, even after the doors slammed shut.

Silence entered the old hotel room; the only thing heard was the cries of Rukia. Kuchiki Byakuya sheathed his sword and bend down in front of Rukia. He said nothing to her as he laid his hands upon the pale sheet, then draping it over her form.

"This is unbecoming of you." He said at last with a small sigh. The Kuchiki leader put a hand on his sisters shoulder. A sign of affection he would never show in public, he knew this was tough for her, but it had to be done. There was no way around it. Rules were rules and orders were orders.

But as soon as that hand rested on her shoulder she shrugged it off, her voice full of venom as she yelled at her sibling. "Don't touch me! Don't you ever touch me!" Her pale hand gripped the soft fabric, still warm from its pass use.

"Rukia." He drew his hand back and she drew away, "This is for his own good."

"Kill him is not for his own good!" She yelled. Byakuya flinched emotionally but not physically. All he did was stare at the angry petite woman. "His death has not yet been decided."

"But that will kill him! As soon as they see his eyes and feel his reiatsu change, he will be marked and you know what? It's my entire fault! It's my fault for going to him, if I had just stayed away none of this would of happened!" A shaking hand went over her mouth.

"And you took him from me, from me!" She declared in a soft voice.

"I need not remind you of the dangers of your decision." Stated the older Kuchiki as he stood and moved across the room, leaving Rukia to her thought it would seem. Rukia nibbles on her lower lip, the dangers of her decisions.

Shiba Kaien.

Oh god, Ichigo was becoming another Kaien. In his own way he was becoming a hollow much like Kaien had, in turn it had changed him into an Arrancar in one way or another. She remembered his loving smile that Ichigo used to show her, the way he looked at her and laughed with her. The way their eyes were the same when the hollow started to come, though Kaien had attacked her to try and feast on her soul.

Ichigo had not done that.

He would never do that. At least, she did not think so but she had thought the same of Kaien as well. Rukia cringed at the memory of her sword slicing into the chest of Kaien. She never wanted to do that, never wanted to even picture herself doing the same to Ichigo.

Oh God.

"He, he," She stuttered, "He, it's different. Kaien….the hollow…."

The sound of something falling to the ground caught her attention. Her gray-blue orbs looked to her right to see her clothing in a bundle. "Dress." Byakuya said once again. He then turned to his right and headed into a side room.

"Bathroom." She said, causing her brother to stop in mid step. He did not turn to look at her as he heard the sheet fall from her body and the ruffling of clothing. His hand rested on his blade idly, waiting for his sister to continue.

"His body, please don't..." Her voice had a deep sadness within it. But Byakuya merely closed his eyes and headed towards the rest room that was in the side room. He walked at his own pace. He tilted his head to the side slightly as he noticed the door was half open and that something red was smeared on the doorknob. Confused by this he raised his hand and pushed the door open.

The scene he found was something he was not prepared for at all.

Across the bathroom walls, written in the open shower in dark red was:

Who is riding who now?

Confused and suddenly fascinated by this surprising message, Byakuya stepped towards the shower. He leaned forward and touched the writing that had dried hours ago. He instantly came to the conclusion that the redness was not paint.

It was blood.

He blinked and tilted his head when he felt something sticky and cold enter his tobe. Lowering his head and pulling his foot back he noticed the redness was on the floor of the shower and now on him. There was large puddles and smears across the lower ends of the shower. Slowly his eyes followed the trail of red until his eyes came to the source.

His orbs grew wide as he say the battered and pale empty body of Kurosaki Ichigo. The flesh was ripped apart, it was missing an arm, and his flesh was sliced by what appeared to be by a sword. Slash marks littered his wrist and neck. The boy was even missing his eyes. He took a step forward to look at the body better but something stopped him. His eyes went south and he now knew were the bloody arm went and there was no doubt in his mind that it had been used like a pencil to create the message on the wall.

He heard Rukia walking towards the bathroom and Byakuya moved, this was something her already distraught mind should not see. He crossed the bathroom with a shunpo, and turned his head to the right to look at the mirror that he had missed.

Under the bathroom mirror was the pair of bloodied brown eyes, staring at him, writing above it in blood was another phrase.

What are you staring at? Bitch.

What the hell.

That was the first thing that came to his mind, what had Ichigo done to himself? But, he had to wonder, was it really Ichigo that did that to his body or the hollow that was within his soul. Either way, this was a job for 4th Divison to clean up and quick.

"Nii-sama?"

He turned his cold eyes towards her, "Rukia, don't..." He reached out to stop her but it was to late. She weaseled past him. "I won't leave his body here for…" She stopped, she saw the wording upon the shower and her eyes slowly were lowering towards the ground in pure shock.

A hand shot out and covered her eyes, Byakuya was cold and never showed any hit of emotions but he would be damned if he let his pride and joy see such horrors of her lovers body in pieces. But he wasn't fast enough, she saw the disembodied arm and part of Ichigo's body that the shower doors where not hiding. She could see his mangled feet that had been broken in a way no foot should ever be and slashes markings that would make a butcher proud.

Her knees began gave out as those images burned into her brain and Byakuya was there to catch her when her knees shook. He pulled her body into his strong arms and quickly turned away from the bathroom door as she screamed at the top of her lungs. He held her tightly as her body shock and thrashed.

"Let me go!" She screamed, "Ichigo! Oh God! What did you do to his body? Ichigo!"

The older Kuchiki held her close to his body in a strong hug, keeping her head gently but firmly against his chest and trapping her arms with one arm in the hug. "Rukia." She said softly, showing a rare sign of affection. "What did you do? What did you do to him? He can never come back! You took his life!" She screamed into his chest and tried to pull back but Byakuya would not have it.

"You hated him! You hated him! You bastard! You fucking bastard!" She cried out as tears once again flooded down her face as she was finally able to free one hand. She raised it and slammed it into his chest. Beating him with all her might. "You killed Ichigo!"

"How could you?" She yelled as she looked at him, "How coul…" she was staring up at his hand instead of his cool eyes. She didn't understand what he was telling her, as her eyes grew dim. All she could think of was the mess that was Ichigo's body that was within the bathroom, blocked by her brother's form.

Byakuya sighed as Rukia went limp in his arms. Standing up and holding his little sister in bridal style he shifted her slightly and brought out his zanpakutou. He stabbed it into the air and gave it a twist. The doors appeared once again and the butterfly that was near him flew about his head, as if greeting him. Slowly, the Taicho stepped towards the door and into it.

He did not look back as he kept walking. The doors closed and then disappeared; destroying whatever light would of brightened the dark hotel room. There was nothing but silence within the dead room. The silence ended as the rumble of a brewing storm echoed out the windows. A small flash of thunder brightens the room and highlighted the empty and used bed, which once housed two lovers in their one moment of solace.

Slowly it started to sprinkle upon the broken window as the lightening flashed. But the soft rain suddenly increased its attack on the broken window and pelted it roughly, allowing water to splattered upon the warn mattress.


A/N And wow, that was a long chapter but it was awesome! Punches fist into the air Yata! I updated, this is one of my fastest updates ever! I am rather proud of myself. Well, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to seeing you when I get the next one ready. And as for any readers that are currently reading "Not Gonna Get Us" I plan to have that updated over the weekend if all goes well.