Chapter 2: Fading into Darkness

A/N: Well here is chapter two…I have most of the story in my head so it shouldn't take me too long to update…I just got to get around work, but I should finish the story in a few weeks….school starts by then and I am going on a trip b4 that so I gotta finish….I don't wanna leave ya hanging!! Please R&R, I wont keep writing if I don't know u wanna read!! U will make me think I suck…..:( Ok read!!!

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"Cold, that's how she feels. There is barely any life left in her. She can't be dead," Ichigo thought to himself as he touched the hand of a small shinigami.

So still, she lay in a pool of her own blood; the dark haired woman looked dead. Her face was so pale, no longer having the look of snow it once kept. The clutch her hand had on her sword was now loose, her whole body was limp.

Three figures stood above what looked like a corpse with horror across their faces. The tall, orange haired shinigami's expression was the worst. Pain, anger, sadness, and guilt were written on his face all at the same time.
Inoue glanced at her friend's expression, then over to what looked like a dead Rukia. She sighed.

"Inoue, please try," Ichigo said in the most humble of voices.

Inoue sadly responded, "…..I don't know if I can, she doesn't seam….,"

"She's alive," Ichigo cut Inoue off as he stared at the dying woman whom he had spent so much time with.

Inoue nodded and called her fairies. The dome around Rukia was huge. It was bigger than the one the she had used to heal Ichigo. So much healing had to be done. The wound had been there for so long, so much blood loss.
Inoue stared at Ichigo looking at Rukia. He looked so sad, much worst than when she was taken away from him the first time. She couldn't stand Ichigo being so sad, so she decided he was right, he had to be. He always had been, especially when it came to Rukia. Rukia was still alive.

"But With a wound like this she should have been dead long before we arrive, I wonder," Inoue started to think to herself, but she shrugged it off and concentrated harder. She must save Rukia, for Ichigo's sake.

Ichigo continued staring at the giant dome. Ichigo had never seen Inoue put so much of her power into healing. He wondered if Inoue would be strong enough to make it through the healing. His gaze slowly turned to the face of the dark haired shinigami. He couldn't help it. He was worried.

Ichigo changed his glace to Nell's direction, she was scared. Ichigo turned to her and patted her head.

"Don't worry Nell, Inoue knows what she is doing," Ichigo said softly to Nell.

"But Ichithgo, itths taking so long, this is longer than when you, was hurt," a sad Nell replied.

"Don't worry Nell, everything will be fine," He said with a smile which soon faded, and turned to a frown.

But Nell was right. So much energy was being taken away from Inoue. She was not looking well. But she was now nearly done, something was wrong.

"This isn't right, why is she not awake, I can't….I can't keep going," Inoue said as she collapsed in Ichigo's arms.

"Inoue!" Ichigo said in shock as he placed her on the ground softly,"…what happened?"

She slowly said, "I don't know, she is healed, but she won't respond, she won't wake up, it's as if she is not there…."

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN????" Ichigo yelled, though not intending to.

"……………….," Inoue was at a loss for words.

"She is in a coma," a small voice said.

They all turned their eyes to see a small fairy. It was Ayame looking very sad.

"….she has gone through a lot of trauma, her body may be healed but her mind does not know it yet. She is still in the hands of fate, she may still die." Ayame sadly finished

"BUT SHE'S HEALED!!!!" Ichigo challenged.

"Yes, that is true, but now it's up to her and her alone. Whether she lives is based on her will to live. She has to break away from her coma before she falls into darkness…."

"Darkness…." Inoue said," I remember, when I was training in Soul Society with Rukia, we studied some healing books……"
Inoue looked up, surprised that she had everyone's attention.

"Darkness, it's what shinigami comas are referred to as, because they have to fight it in order to live, or else they will fade away…into the darkness…"

Ichigo's eyes widened with Inoue's words. He knew what she meant. Rukia was in a battle within her mind. Something he was all too familiar with. He wanted to help, no, he needed to help, but what could he do?

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"Do you think they will know what happened?" a grinning white haired man said to another smirking man.

"No, not at all," Azien replied," They are too over come with grief…"

"You can see them?" Gin asked. The two were now very far away from where they had left Rukia. They had returned to their "castle".

"Yes, the sky is clear above them, I have a good view," Azien said looking into the air contently.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Gin said, not completely sure what Azien was planning.

Azien grinned," Nothing really, just watching…."

Gin turned away unsatisfied. He hated being filled in at the last moment. But whatever Azien had going on in that, literally, insanely smart mind of his had to be something. What were his true intentions for this group?


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"……." Ichigo expressed as he felt something strange,"Rukia…"

"What's wrong Kurosaki-kun?!" Inoue said alarmed at Ichigo's sudden gasp.

"No…it can't be, I just felt Rukia's spirit energy go further away," Ichigo's eyes were wide open….staring at his still lifeless partner.

"What can we do?" Inoue thought. She was scared. "I have never seen Ichigo like this. And Rukia, how could we wake her up?"

Suddenly Ichigo got up from Inoue's side and walked over to Rukia who wasn't far away. He kneeled down beside her and stared at her still body…still appearing to be lifeless.

"Rukia…" He said as he huddled over her and lifted her head slightly. "Wake up"

He then put a hand over both her eye lids and lifted them up. Her eyes were so dark. There was no sign of life. But regardless of that
fact, Ichigo stared deeply into her lifeless eyes.

Inoue stared at Ichigo confused. She didn't know what he was doing. But neither did Ichigo for that matter.

Ichigo continued staring into Rukia's eyes with his hand behind her head lifting it up slightly. To his surprise he saw a glimmer something had happened. His eyes widened as he stared at the small light in her eyes.

Inoue saw the expression on Ichigo's face change. She moved in closer to see what was going on.

"KUROSAKI-KUN!!!!" she screamed.

Nell came over to see what Inoue was so upset about and her eyes started to swell up. Ichigo's eyes were completely dark. They were as dark as Rukia's eyes. He sat there frozen in a pose with Rukia's head still in his hand. His eyes were still looking into hers. He looked dead.

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A/N: YAY!! I love cliff hangers!! I wonder what will happen….well not really because I am writing the story, but I wonder for you!! Please review! I need a reason to continue!! And about some words being misspelled in Nell's sentences its b/c I forgot that she has a lisp and I decided to put it into the story. Next chapter: A silver lining