Thank you to all the reviewers of the first chapter, it was a great response! Thank you to animelover1993, Illidan the Half Demon, TheDarkSlayer, HELLO I'M, fuzzibunniez and Nickstar1991! Please keep it up guys! :D Enjoy!

02 - Blood, Love and Water

'Getsuga Tenshou!' roared Ichigo, swinging his blade around him, severing a Hollow in two, the beast shrivelling up and vanishing into thin air. The wind rustled through Ichigo's vibrant, orange hair, the boy's brown eyes surveying the town below him. In a flash, he sped downwards, slamming into the ground, chunks of rock and stone floating up around him, the dust settling. In front of him, a scared looking individual was cowering against a telephone pole, whimpering at the sight of Ichigo towering above him.

'W…wait…I…I have things left to do here…' the spirit cried but Ichigo bent down and rammed the hilt of his zanpakuto into the man's forehead. Shaking his head, the man uttered a strangled cry as his body dissolved into millions of blue sparkles, each one fluttering around the Shinigami before disappearing altogether. Out of the air behind him, another Hollow pounced, Ichigo spinning round and blasting the creature into the wall of a nearby house, a plume of smoke rising from the scene. Turning away, Kurosaki vanished without a word, looking up at the nearby school with a dark glance. From the window of Karakura High School, Orihime Inoue looked out of the window at where Ichigo had been. Her eyes fluttered dreamily and she sighed heavily, the wind catching her hair and she flicked it aside with a dainty hand.

'Kurosaki-kun…I want you to talk to me. I want you to tell me what's wrong. Now…all you do is fight. It hurts my heart…I can feel it burn with every swing. Don't feel you carry a burden alone. Your friends do too…Kurosaki-kun…' she thought to herself, images of Ichigo's violent struggle against Aizen flashing into her mind. It was horrible, gruelling and dark. All their friends, all their comrades, even their enemies had to pull together to achieve victory. There was blood and more blood, like a red rain. Aizen had become demonic, a creature of pure, untameable malevolence. Many people fell to bring him down. Perhaps Ichigo didn't realise, but she knew in her heart everyone was being tormented by it just as much.

'Miss Inoue?' the teacher suddenly asked, Orihime roused from her dreaming. The girl apologised and turned back to the book, but not before she looked out of the window one more time.

Meanwhile, Ichigo sat on the roof of a small house, gazing up into the sky. Breathing out, he rested his hands behind his head and lay back, his substitute Shinigami badge on the tiles beside him.

'What's with the Seireitei? They've given me practically no orders for ages now.' he thought to himself. Looking down at the Urahara Shop, he watched as a sparkling light appeared in the sky. Raising an eyebrow, the teenager sat up and leapt from his perch, awaiting someone's arrival. Stepping out of the Senkaimon was Kisuke Urahara himself, Yoruichi Shihoin following closely behind. Ichigo watched in a deep sadness as she staggered out of the gate, Urahara helping her up. The women's leg was wrapped in a tight bandage, thick nails sticking out of the thigh section, almost like they were holding it in place. He didn't want to, but Ichigo was reminded instantly of what happened. It all had happened so fast. Aizen was about to be kicked, the attack was lightning fast. How anyone could have humanely reached out and grabbed her leg in that speed didn't seem possible to him. But then, that was it. Aizen wasn't human. He was a monster.

'Urahara-san…' Ichigo muttered, scampering over to them. Kisuke kept walking, his back to the boy. '…yo, Urahara-san!' Ichigo called louder. Urahara opened the front door to his shop, Ichigo stopping in his tracks and just waiting. The shop keeper helped Yoruichi through the doorway and then waited also, the wind picking up, billowing his green haori.

'What is it, Kurosaki-san?' he asked bluntly, not facing the boy. Kurosaki looked at him oddly, raising an eyebrow.

'Hey…what's going on, Urahara-san…why isn't Seireitei contacting me?' Ichigo asked, taking a step further towards the man. Kisuke didn't say a word, instead, he made his way into his building. Ichigo's eyes widened and he grabbed his zanpakuto.

'HEY, ANSWER ME!' he shouted but in a flash he choked, his sword spiralling from his hand, Urahara beside him. Blood dribbled down Ichigo's palm and he sank to his knees, bursting into tears. The man looked down on him from under his hat, Ichigo sobbing.

'What's happened to you, Kurosaki-san?' Urahara asked sympathetically. Rain clouds began to gather overhead, the water unleashing itself upon the two of them. Ichigo clenched his fists together, slamming his hand into a puddle, shuddering.

'Why…why won't it stop raining? Is this all that's going to happen?' the orange haired Shinigami wept as the water ran down his face, cold and heartless as it was. Lifting his head up, he screamed into the sky, a heartfelt, primal cry. From the side, Urahara watched, removing his hat and holding it by his chest, lightning and thunder mashing together in the tremulous skies above. Then, from nowhere, Tatsuki emerged. Kisuke watched her slowly, the girl looking at Ichigo. She trudged across the sopping wet gravel and knelt down beside the boy, the rain bombarding her back.

'Ichigo…' she whispered, the sparkling droplets falling from her hair and onto the boy's cheeks as she leant over him.

'Arisawa…san…?' Ichigo asked. Tatsuki shook her head angrily.

'Why are you being like this, Ichigo?' she asked, snapping at him now. Ichigo looked up into her eyes, stunned. 'Do you know how much pain you are causing Orihime? We all know you are upset, but don't you think there are other things to be worrying about? You need to pull yourself together, do you hear me, you have to…!' she shouted, grabbing Ichigo by the coat's collar and hauling him upwards. '…you have to do it!' she cried but they stopped as a crunching sound was heard. Looking to the side, Orihime stood beside a building, her hand on the wall, her hair soaked and stuck to her face. She was looking at Tatsuki in some form of disbelief, the black haired girl suddenly feeling awful.

'Orihime, I was just…' she began, the other girl turning and sprinting away. Tatsuki clenched her fists and took one look down at Ichigo. In a sudden move she lashed out, cracking Ichigo in the face. The boy hit the ground, water and blood splashing up around his face. He felt his emotions, his senses drain out of him and into the puddle he lay in, only able to faintly hear Tatsuki's quick footsteps, running after Orihime. Ichigo lay there, motionless, feeling the water seep around him. He closed his eyes and simply waited. Then, the rain stopped. However, he could still here it. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked up, Kisuke standing over him, an umbrella out above his head.

'Come on now. Let's get you home.' he said simply, a twinkle in his eye. Ichigo woke up on his bed, the window open and banging loudly in the wind. The curtains were flapping rigorously and he pushed them aside to close the window tight. Rubbing his eyes, he slouched back onto his springy bed, contemplating the events that had just happened. Eventually, he thought nothing more of it and decided he would think it through tomorrow, resting his head on his pillow and allowing it to sink into the softness.

Tatsuki finally caught up with Orihime, the girl crying restlessly up against a wall, the tears staining the brick. The dark haired girl went to hold her but Inoue moved away, her face a bright red under the streetlight. The moon was hanging over them and a cool wind blew around them, the rain lifting off slightly.

'Orihime…' whispered the girl, the orange haired girl shaking her head.

'Stay away from me Tatsuki! I never…I never thought you…you of anyone would do this…' wheezed the girl who was now coughing amidst her tears. Tatsuki simply ignored her and embraced her, Orihime weeping into her shoulder.

'…silly. I was always on your side, Inoue. You know that.' whispered Arisawa softly, Orihime crying her heart out.

'W…why won't he just let me into his feelings? Am I the only one he won't?' the girl said weakly, the two of them still not looking at each other.

'Ichigo's always been that way, Orihime. You have to give it time. He'll come round…' the girl said, opening her eyes and sighing, the wind pulling up fast around them both. '…he always does…' she said quietly. At the end of the road, the sky began to crack and tear open at the seams, a churning black hole of despair opening right in the middle of the air, a melancholy green eye opening in the dark, his vision fixed on the two girls.