A/N: Oh wow, thank you all so much! Art and I are so happy you guys like it! :) We're both very new to the Bleach fandom so we're trying our best to keep the characters in characters.

Please excuse any errors you may find. My keyboard is being buggy.


Chapter I

The Day I Tried To Live

"When you've suffered a great deal in life, each additional pain is both unbearable and trifling,"

-Yann Martel Life of Pi

Birds.

Ichigo woke up to birds singing. He opened his eyes to a shady area. Green trees towered above, blocking out the sun to below. He felt warm, and the smell of a campfire radiated nearby. The natural sound, the birds, made him wince, groaning in response, and mentally telling the obnoxious animals to shut up. The aching pain was like someone had hammered into his skull, placed a bomb into it, and blowing it up. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to move, and it hurt to…live.

The familiar masculine voice echoed in his head.

Live, Kurosaki-san, and wake up.

It repeated his words over and over, and Ichigo squeezed his eyes tightly.

Wake up…

The voice started to change.

Kurosaki-san…

It was feminine and wasn't in his head. It was a soft, but dark voice, and Ichigo dared to open his eyes to see her.

"Kurosaki-san!" Her voice grew even more demanding, and Ichigo knew it was hopeless to keep his eyes close forever.

He forced them open once again, letting a shire blinding light overwhelm him before seeing the shadowy trees again. He groaned in pain, feeling a hand brush over him lightly, and a slight warming of the skin on his chest. It grew hotter until the feeling of being burned, like a child touching a hot stove, came rushing through Ichigo's body. He yelped, whacking the hand away, and breathing heavily from the oncoming fever. Drops of sweat formed on his forehead, as he lifted himself up, catching the figure sitting there in a blood-stained, white haori. The long, dark hair created the barrier between him and her, but it was down, flowing like a straight river in a dark desert path, holding many secrets and a past never forgotten. The woman sat there still like a hawk—Ichigo could feel her shadowy gaze on him, and he shivered internally.

They sat silently; Ichigo kept his watch on her, fighting against his drooping eyelids, and catching her head turning marginally towards him. He could see a fraction of one of her eyes—menacing. Her smile turned upwards into a devilish smirk. Ichigo swallowed.

"Unohana-san?"

"Kurosaki-san, you have finally awoken," she said, her voice dark. "I'm glad."

The pain increased, and he placed his hand on his head, feeling the pulsating sharpness of where he landed. He blinked a few times, trying to get his vision back to normal. A ringing reflected off his ear drum, a sound he seemed he couldn't get rid of. And he tried to remember…

"What happened?" He asked, eyes wide, hands clenching his head.

"You were unconscious for two days," she breathed; standing up, black hair still concealing a full view of her face. "We came back to the Soul Society shortly after you blacked out."

"The Soul Society?" He shook his head, glaring at the dancing fermenting oranges and red of the flames. "You didn't answer my question." Not speaking. He asked again. "What happened?"

"Kurosaki-san…."

"Where are the others?" He shot her a look after cutting her off.

She was in full view, her hair cascading down her body reaching her lower back. Her eyes were narrowed, but holding a menacing and shadowy look. The smile was gone, replaced by perched lips. And a disfigured piece of skin, red with short legs, stuck out, sitting on her chest—an unknown story to Ichigo. Her Shinigami uniform was torn at the hems, and covered with dirt and blood. She looked nothing like the captain Ichigo first met.

"Unohana-san, where are-"

"Dead." Her response was quick, voice monotone, not enough time for Ichigo to really process the thought. "They all died in a massive explosion set by Aizen."

His lips moved, but no words came out. It got stuck half way through the signals in his brain. A mental breakdown was in motion, and red lights alarmed inside Ichigo's head. The anger meter went up full throttle, bursting like an overflowing chemical. Ichigo, ignoring the warning pounding on his skull, shot up onto his feet, grabbing Unohana by the collar, and locking eyes with the dark abyss of her eyes. He was barley touching her nose, and could feel her warm breath on his skin. The tension thickened.

He breathed heavily. Teeth clenched. His voice came out like a snake's hiss.

"What do you mean? Tell me dammit! What do you mean they're all dead!?"

"I mean what I mean, Kurosaki-san," she calming said, taking a hold of his wrist. "Now I would let go before you get more hurt than you already are."

He stepped away, clenching his hands in fists.

"How can you be so calm about this?" he yelled. "How can you stand there not wanting to do anything?"

"Kurosaki-san, you do not understand what the situation is right now," she sighed. "Aizen has won; the Shinigami has either died or joined him. We are survivors of this war."

"We came back together, Unohana-san, so why didn't you help the injured? Why didn't you at least get everyone out of there?"

"I tried, but you see, there were so many injured…." She paused, and a chill up Ichigo's spine as she spoke. "…. If I moved them, they would've bled to death."

"What about Karakura town? In the human world, what about the people? My family?" His voice fell quiet. "And the other's in Heuco Mundo? Renji, Byakuya, Kenpachi,…Rukia, are they alive?"

But there were no words.

His knees grew weak then, forcing gravity to take over and lower him to the ground. Silent tears, like small drops of rain, quietly crept up in Ichigo's eyes, falling down one at a time.

"I am sorry, Kurosaki-san." Unohana whispered.

"Karin, Yuzu, Dad…no." He pounded the ground with his fist. "No! I refuse to believe any of them are dead! You have to be lying to me. You just got to! Please…tell me this is some kind of sick joke. Tell me everything is alright and Aizen is really gone. Just tell me….something!"

"I can't say anything that will make you feel better. What you are living in is reality, Kurosaki-san, and in reality there will be deaths, sacrifices, and events that don't go as planned. What we need to do now is leave this forest and find some food. But we have to be careful. Aizen has already—"

"Tell me what happened," he cut her off, his voice softer than a child's touch. "I blacked out and all I can remember is….seeing or hearing you and Aizen talk."

"There wasn't much said between us."

"How did you find out everyone was dead?" He looked up at her, trying to read her emotionless face. "And the others in Heuco Mundo, how do you know they're dead?"

"When we arrived back in the world of the living, you went to battle Aizen while I went to search for survivors, but ran across the head captain's broken body. There was nothing I could do, so I went to search for more, and came across more and more of the dead. Some captains…lieutenants…gone. I heard from Aizen about Heuco Mundo. He told me Kurotsuchi-tachio had built a bomb and implanted it when he was there. He had been on Aizen's side this entire time; I couldn't believe it when I heard it.

"I helped as many Shinigami as I could. Sarugaki-san was badly injured, as well as many others, but when I saw the purple flash in the sky, I knew you were in trouble Kurosaki-san. They told me to go help, no matter how much my beliefs fought with me. I finished up quickly, and when they told me to go, I left, unknown what the consequences would be."

"But they could still be alive," he said, his tone rising in hope. "They could've gotten out of there. We just got to go look for them."

Ichigo stood back up, feeling a rush of dizziness wave over him, clenching his head from the pain. He started walking, every step wishing he would die right there. He leaned on a tree for support a few steps away, feeling the exhaustion inside.

He heard Unohana behind him.

"Kurosaki-san, I warn you to be careful, especially out here. We must be careful not to get caught or we'll be killed. He has spies all around the Soul Society now thanks to Kurotsuchi. If someone attacks us, there'll be at least one still hiding who'll report it.

"And there is one more thing." Her voice dropped. "Aizen didn't succeed in creating the key to the Soul Palace."

Ichigo breathed, sinking in her words carefully.

Everyone I love is gone. They all died for nothing! And now Aizen…fuck!

"How do you know of this?" he asked.

"A few of his scouts came by yesterday when I was trying to find a place to rest. I overheard them. I also recognized them as officers from the ninth division. He's going find another way inside the palace. But for now, he's stuck, giving us an opening to get stronger and strike. "

"Why not strike now?"

"Kurosaki-san, do you think it is wise to walk into the Seireitei? Who knows how many people are behind Aizen now. The Shinigami of the Gotei 13 might as well be with him. We can't just walk right in. Be smart, Kurosaki-san, and always stay one step ahead of your enemy. Right now, Aizen doesn't know we're here. I've been very careful on keeping it that way. So don't ruin it."

He slid down the tree, watching her take her blood-stained, torn captain's coat off and placing it in the fire.

"Why are you burning it?" he asked, frowning.

"It served its purpose. For now, I am no longer a captain of the Gotei 13. We'll have to change clothes, get rid of these uniforms so no one recognizes us."

"Won't they see the smoke?" he signed.

"I put up a barrier around this place." He saw her smirking at him. "They won't be able to find us."

The coat became shrivelled, breaking down into brown pieces and flying into the air as ash. Ichigo watched silently as it became nothing, disappearing into the atmosphere of the Soul Society. He would have to live without his friends, without his family…. Without.… I'm sorry, Rukia.

The fire hissed when it was extinguished, leaving only the singing birds.

xXx

The edge of the storm had come on them hours ago, like thieves in the smothering light of dusk. Fingers of lightning touched down in the valley in front of them, stretching down into the sunset silhouettes of nearby mountains. The wind grew, making it difficult for them to travel further ahead. They would meet the storm half-way to the village below the valley, and would have to find shelter for the night.

Ichigo's muscles were rocks, weighing him down, as if the world had stacked on top of his head, and causing him blistering pain with every step. Long strains of black hair fluttered and danced in the harsh wind, swinging and twisting like a fierce tornado. The remaining orange sunlight reflected off the shiny strains, hiding many secrets in its smooth texture. Ichigo was used to seeing it worn in a thick braid at the front, concealing the red scar on her chest; it would be different to have her look this way.

But never has Ichigo ever seen someone so….He shook his head, ridding of then inappropriate thoughts swirling in his head like a never-ending whirled pool. His stomach growled, and he clenched his stomach, wishing he had eaten more than the rabbit they caught and smoked earlier that day. He was still weak from battle, still injured, but considering Unohana had gotten a small proportion, even after killing it and gutting it with her hands, he shouldn't be so greedy.

The animal's blood still stained her hands from lack of a stream nearby. Ichigo offered to wipe them on his clothes, but she refused, leaving it to dry on her pale hands. She had told him she had hiked down to the stream at the bottom of the river, and carry water back. She said she couldn't shunpo since locating a shunpo detector almost on every tree and after an unfamiliar escaping Shinigami was running a few hundred yards in front of her through the thick brush, he shunpoed, getting killed instantly with a red mist from small eye-like machines, impossible for him to escape.

"Kurosaki-san, we must hurry," her voice reached him, and saw her head turned slightly to him, waiting.

Ahead, the grey clouds turned, whirling around like angry monsters born from Hell's fire. Thunder drums pounded from the gods loud conversations, fully aware of the situation below. Lightning turned night into day, colours of purple striking the edge of the valley mountains. Cool drops of rain fell onto Ichigo's skin, making him shiver and producing small bumps on his surface of his skin. First, the rain was light, but the closer they got to the bottom and to the village, the more the rain came down, usually in waves of momentum with the fierce wind. By the time they reached the bottom, their clothes were soaked to the skin, clinging to it like a child to its mother. The blood and dirt seemed to have washed away, but both were chilled and wanting warmth.

The village was tiny, holding a few farm houses. Only one out of five had lights on.

Ichigo used all his energy and rushed to it, leaving Unohana behind looking through the cloaked landscape. He tapped on the shoji door when he arrived, watching Unohana carefully.

I sense it too, Unohana-san.

The door of the hut slid opened a crack, and a raspy male voice came out.

"Whoever it is, go away! We don't want any trouble here."

"Sir, look, we're not here for trouble. My companion and I just need a place to stay for the night."

The shoji door opened fully to reveal a shrunk old man. His wrinkles covered every inch of his face. Long, grey hair tied back in a short tail at the back of his head. Teeth, yellow and rotten, eroding from years of a toxic chemical, were slowly disappearing from time.

"Shinigami, eh? We don't house no Shinigami. Go find somewhere else to stay."

Ichigo swallowed, now watching the shadowy grounds too.

"Dear? Who is at the door?" Another voice, female and soft, added from inside.

Ichigo's head whipped back to the old man, and elderly woman, wearing fewer wrinkles, and holding a warm smile, appeared from inside the warm hearth.

"These Shinigami want to spend the night," the old man said, scowling.

"Oh my, how long have you two been outside in this terrible weather? Step aside dear, and let them in."

"But they are Shinigami."

"But aren't bad, are you?" She looked at Ichigo, and he shook his head. "See, now let them in."

Ichigo stepped inside, calling out to Unohana who quickly followed. Inside, it was warm, a burning fire in the middle, lit the single room in a bright yellow glow. The air carried the scent of rosemary and varies of spices.

"You both look soaked; I'll grab some dry clothes. For now, make yourselves at home, and I'll get some tea going after."

They both sat down, Ichigo immediately feeling the heat warming his skin.

"Thank you," he said.

"So are you two run-aways?" The old man sat down across from them. "Guess that Sosuke Aizen all that then."

"You've heard about Aizen?"

"Of course we have," the woman answered. The sounds of rummaging continued. "Ever since two days ago we have. He's taken over the Soul Society and everyone in it. He's caused a nation-wide panic all over. Started killing off normal souls and Shinigami who isn't following him, which I guess you two are on the list now."

"He's calling it the 'Cleansing," the old man said. "Now we're in trouble because you're here."

The old lady handed them dried clothes, and pointed to a small wooden divider in the corner where they could change. Ichigo nodded to Unohana to go first.

"So, what are your names?" she asked.

Ichigo took the tea from her hands, and watched the steam evaporate.

"Do you not recognize us?"

"Boy, we live out in the middle of nowhere," the old man said. "We don't know no names from the military. Except Aizen, of course."

Ichigo paused, thinking about a solution. He glanced over to Unohana, seeing her hands peak from behind the divider.

"It's Ling, and that is…."

"Yachiru."

Ichigo turned his head, eyes wide. Unohana's hair was still down but hung over her curves perfectly. The Red dress hugged her body, and even concealed the scar on her chest. He blinked as she sat down beside him.

"My name is Yachiru."

"Yachiru and Ling, huh?" The old man raised his eyebrow. "Well, don't really matter to me who you are. Just get out of here in the morning."

A rumble of thunder shook the house and Ichigo's eyes went to straight to Unohana, holding the same narrowed eyed, flat mouthed expression. There was a hollow nearby. The pressure rained upon them as heavy as the drops outside.

"What is it?" the man asked.

"Have you seen Hollows in this area recently?" Ichigo asked.

"Hollows? Of course we have. This valley has been their home for years. Why do you think nobody lives here?"

"And they don't bother you?"

"As long as we don't bother them, they won't bother us."

How strange….

Thunder roared. Pressure grew closer. But none came close.

Not yet, at least.


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Thank you to Gorgantuan, Guest, TheFallenGeneral, Starscape91, Uchiha Rai, Acolyte of the Blood Moon, and boredrandom for review the last chapter! We loved seeing your reviews. :)