Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter 2

Both Rukia and Orihime had been brought far from the others though it was clear that Rukia's presence was a mistake and only happened because the two had never let go of the other's hand. They were thrown towards a wall and Rukia immediately stood protectively at arms length in front of Orihime. She was ready to give up everything to protect her from harm.

She watched in fear as Aizen stood a few feet away and watched them. He smiled darkly at them as Gin stood beside him with his usual snake like expression. Gin's smile widened as he said, "Miss Kuchiki, how nice of you to join us. It's a shame that this is a private party. No peeking."

Her eyes widened as he appeared in front of her with his arm already halfway through her chest. She hadn't even seen him move at all and already there was nothing more that she could do. He lowered his lips to her ear and said, "I don't like uninvited guests."

She let out one final choked out breath before he threw her across the room while he pulled his arm out of her chest. All she heard was a scream before she hit the ground without life. Orihime had to fend for herself now but she was defenseless against whatever was about to happen to her. Rukia had already lost herself to darkness.

Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks as he felt Rukia's reiatsu vanish instantly. He grit his teeth in anger and continued at a faster pace as her rushed to her last location. He couldn't let anyone else down. He was already aware of Chad's fall but he also knew that Renji and Uryu had stopped fighting as another soul reaper Captain arrived to take over their fight.

"I can't believe how lucky I am." A voice rang throughout Hueco Mundo. "To think that I had only planned to have the humans come here but now I have four Captains and four Vice-Captains trapped here as well."

Ichigo grit his teeth in anger as he recognized the voice. He had only encountered the man once but he would never forget anything that he saw or heard from him. He was the one behind all of this. He was the reason that Orihime had suffered while he struggled. He was the reason that Rukia had fallen as well. Aizen's voice rang throughout Hueco Mundo as he boasted about his accomplishment.

Ichigo didn't want to hear it anymore he just wanted to get to his friends and finish this once and for all. He hadn't wanted to admit it but he did come here for a fight. He came to battle Aizen and end this war of his before it had a chance to spill out into Karakura more then it already had. He had no doubt in his mind about what he wanted now but one question persisted in his mind, why had Rukia been taken as well?

He was sure he wasn't the only one wondering this as well. He was sure the thought had crossed Byakuya's mind as well though he hasn't said a word since he announced that he was bringing Rukia and Orihime with him. After that had happened he had gone silent. As Aizen finished his little speech Hanataro voiced what had Ichigo so bothered, "I don't understand why Rukia was taken as well. Do you think Aizen has a plan for her?"

Vice-Captain Yachiru looked over at him from Captain Zaraki's shoulder. "She went with big boobs because they were holding hands. Hana didn't notice?"

Ichigo looked over at her almost shocked. He hadn't even noticed anything like that so how could that child have seen anything of that sort. Then he remembered that she had run over to greet Orihime. But then why were those two holding hands? Once again as if thinking the same thing Hanataro asked, "But why were they holding hands?"

Ichigo watched the Vice-Captain carefully waiting for her answer but she just smiled and said, "Maybe they like holding hands?"

"I somehow doubt that, Yachiru." Zaraki said bluntly.

They fell into silence once more as they continued on. Gratefully the two of them hadn't been taken too far away and they were already getting close to them or at least one of them if Rukia's body had been moved. It was unlikely for that to happen but if it did there may be no way of finding her again and they would have lost her for good. Ichigo could only hope that Orihime could do something about Rukia's wounds and that Rukia's body was still there.

"I got it." Yachiru announced loudly. "They like each other in the grown up way."

This time she got even more doubtful looks for her suggestion. But instead of Zaraki denying it Ichigo was the one to crush the idea. "That's not even close to what it would be. Last time I checked they were both into guys."

"They were in guys?" The Vice-Captain laughed. "You're funny, Ichi."

Nel, who had also remained silent for a while and rode silently on Ichigo's shoulder, gave the Vice-Captain an upset look. She wasn't fond of others making fun of Ichigo and wasn't about to let her get off for it either, "Be nice to Itsygo, pinky."

Soon the two began to argue with each other as all but Hanataro ignored them. But as Hanataro tried to stop the arguing he just got picked on by the two children instead. The two were getting along now at least as they came up with names for him. In the end they stuck with 'Hana' however. Most likely because it was feminine and he wasn't all that masculine to begin with.

The four of them ran down the hallway while two hitched a ride on the ones in the lead. They were close now. Orihime was just at the other end of the hallway and hopefully Rukia was too and there was still something that could be done for her. If not then Ichigo would make Aizen pay for his actions. He had already been responsible for two of Rukia's near death experiences and both of Orihime's captures.

They picked up their pace and began to leave Hanataro behind them as he did his best to keep up. No one paid much mind to his begging for them to wait for him. It was best that he wouldn't be spotted when they entered the room. That way they could draw attention away from the door and he could sneak in and help Rukia if he could.

It was only a moment before Ichigo kicked down the door and glared at the only moving figure in the room. The espada that was in there was already smiling when the door was kicked down but when he laid his blue eyes on Ichigo his smile just widened and he turned to face him properly. He pulled Orihime to her feet by the hair and it was already made clear of the abuse made to her. "You come for her or the other one."

He motioned to the side and Ichigo glanced over to find Rukia's body lying in a pool of blood. Ichigo narrowed his eyes but didn't dare make a move until Orihime was away from him. "Let her go, Grimmjow. This is between us."

"I'm well aware of that, Kurosaki. But this was just too good to pass up." With that he threw Orihime at the closest wall.

As she hit it she pressed her body against it in fear of what would happen to her next but with the clash of steel behind her it was clear that Ichigo had taken Grimmjow on the first chance he got. Regardless of the fight taking place right behind her she didn't move until she felt something pulling at her sleeve. Orihime glanced over and found Yachiru beside her with a smile. Orihime smiled weakly in return before she was being lead away from the fight and around the room to Rukia's side.

When they got there Orihime immediately raised her inner shield. She soon noticed Byakuya standing close to them as well. It was strange to see him standing there doing nothing while Ichigo and Zaraki fought Grimmjow. Yachiru skipped over to him and began tugging on is sleeve saying, "I want it, I want it. You promised."

Orihime gave them a confused look as Byakuya reached for something in his robe and gave it to her. She smiled happily at the small pouch she was handed and sat down to watch the battle not even half the room away. It was soon evident that she had been bribed with candy to bring Orihime to Rukia's side to heal her. Orihime smiled warmly at him as she brought up her other shield to protect them from harm.

Byakuya stepped away from it immediately and said, "It's in the way. Just do your job."

Orihime nodded and put all her concentration back on Rukia. She had almost faded completely. If everyone had shown up just a moment later it would have been too late to do anything about it. She smiled sadly down at Rukia as she took her hand again. Their hands touched for only a moment before they were away from each other.

If they weren't holding hands before then this wouldn't have happened to Rukia at all. Orihime was happy that she had been brought along at first because she wouldn't be as afraid if they were together but then Rukia had gotten hurt and almost died because they were holding hands when the other espada had come to take her away. But no more after this, there would be no more interactions between them if it increased the chances of Rukia getting hurt like this again.

The thought saddened her since they had finally made their feelings known to the other. But she would rather have the sadness of knowing and not doing anything then the pain of loosing the person you touched. Her vision blurred with tears as she knew they could never be together like this. As much as they wanted it there was no way it could work like this.

Tears rolled freely down Orihime's cheeks as her heart broke inside her. She wanted to be with Rukia so much but it could never happen if it would put her in danger. Something gently grazed her face and wiped away her tears. "Please… don't cry... Orihime."

Rukia sounded so weak right now. Her voice was even weaker now then it was when she had come to her room earlier. It hadn't even been an hour ago and this was the second time she had been badly injured. Orihime moved out of Rukia's reach even though it caused her so much pain to do so. She could practically feel Rukia's heart breaking within her. "What happened?"

Orihime looked away from her and did her best to wipe away her tears but soon found that Rukia wasn't talking about the tears in her eyes. Her face had been cut up and bruised by the espada that had been watching her. Parts of her face were even beginning to swell. Just grazing the swelling sent tiny pin pricks of pain throughout her face.

She noticed the other soul reaper that had come along with Zaraki as he ran across the room over to them. He knelt down next to Orihime and immediately brought up his own kidou to heal her wounds. "Just relax."

She smiled warmly as she brought her attention to the fight once more. She could still tell how much her neglect was hurting Rukia but she couldn't put her in anymore danger. This was all the pain she could inflict on her and even doing this tore her up inside. Orihime didn't want to hurt Rukia anymore. Her eyes widened with fear as her inner shield returned to her hairpin. Rukia still hadn't healed completely.

Orihime tore her gaze from the fight back to Rukia as she struggled to her feet. Orihime left the kidou that was healing her wounds to bring Rukia back to the grounds. With Rukia's wounds it wasn't hard to get her back down. Both their hearts broke as they saw the pain in the others eyes. Tears dripped from Orihime's eyes onto Rukia's face. "Just lie down and let me heal your wounds."

Rukia nodded weakly and Orihime released her and brought up her inner shield once more. This time their eyes didn't leave each other as they smiled weakly at each other. Orihime faintly noticed the kidou come up at her face once more as her wounds finished healing.

Ichigo swung his sword full force at Grimmjow but he blocked it with ease as he stopped Zaraki's blade with his bare hand. The crossed blades shook with the wielders anger as their eyes never left the other. "You're still holding back, Kurosaki."

Grimmjow pulled the Captain's sword closer and tossed him to the side with ease before throwing Ichigo through a wall not far behind him. He waited only a moment before following him out as well while Zaraki jumped through the hole not long after. Yachiru ran after him in high spirits as she cheered him on the whole way.

Ichigo kept being pushed back until he was thrown out of the building itself. He caught his balance as Grimmjow attacked him once more and forced him all the way to the ground where he landed with a cloud of dust and dirt. As Ichigo jumped away from Grimmjow the Captain came down on him with his own attack. With the force of gravity intertwined with the attack it managed to go through and cut him from his shoulder down to his waist before Grimmjow was able to escape it.

Ichigo was panting heavily as he lunged at Grimmjow once more to attack him again. He was still exhausted from his last battle with Ulquiorra that he had barely survived. His wounds had been fully healed but it did nothing for his energy. Their blades locked once more and their reiatsu battled around them as well. "If you don't stop holding back soon you're gonna die, Kurosaki."

Grimmjow forced Ichigo back once more and lunged at him again to avoid Zaraki's attack. Ichigo couldn't get his guard up in time to stop it and the sword pierced his shoulder and ran through. He seized the opportunity to thrust his own blade through Grimmjow's chest. Ichigo winced as the blade ripped through his shoulder. He pulled his blade out and jumped back knowing he couldn't do this without using his hollowfication.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as Grimmjow dodged another of Zaraki's attacks and he allowed his mask to form. He lunged at Grimmjow once more with a greater speed and hit him with more strength then he normally would have had on his own. Grimmjow didn't have time to react this time and got hit by the attack but even still he grinned, "It's about damned time."

He jumped away from both Ichigo and Captain. He held his sword at the starting position of a low swing and the blade began to glow as he put his free hand on the blade forcing his opponents to pick up their guard. In a swift motion he scraped his hand along the length of the blade and called out, "Kishire."

A violent flow of reiatsu spiraled and caused massive gusts of wind all around them as Rukia and the others watched from the building above. Orihime's shield had gone up automatically and she gripped Rukia's arm in fear of what they witnessed far below them. There was no telling what would happen next but one thing was for sure, Ichigo was in no condition for this battle.

Rukia shifted nervously as she knew she should be down there fighting along side Ichigo and just standing here as a spectator was the equivalent of abandoning him but Captain Zaraki was also down there fighting. So if she did go down there she would not only be in the way but abandoning Orihime as well. Rukia knew that her brother wouldn't intervene with this fight and would remain here so Orihime would be safe here without her but she still couldn't leave the girls side.

As the reiatsu started to settle they found that Grimmjow had changed in appearance and undoubtedly strength and speed, considering the feline-like look he now held. He grinned almost sadistically showing how jagged his teeth have become. Blades protruded from his forearms and calves making him much more dangerous to go up against considering his speed before. But now it had likely increased along with his strength.

Grimmjow glared at both Ichigo and Zaraki as they all waited for someone to make the first move. It wasn't long before Zaraki charged at him without thought or consideration to any changes or difference in skill. Before he even came close to attacking he was struck and went flying back by a move that neither he nor Ichigo saw, though he did see that attack that struck him and sent him even further then the first strike had sent the Captain.

Ichigo went flying back and crashed through a giant pillar. He hit the next one and fell to the ground panting in his exhaustion. This wouldn't go well with him like this but Grimmjow was too stubborn with his hatred and was already pulling him up by the hair. When he was back on his feet Grimmjow punched him in the stomach over and over again without pause.

With each hit he coughed up blood and lost more and more control of his hollowfication and the more malicious Grimmjow's smile became. Soon it would be over for him but he still held his resolve to win even with his huge disadvantage now. He could sense Zaraki's fast approach and no doubt Grimmjow had sensed it too since his punches had increased dramatically in force.

Grimmjow quickly seemed to get bored and threw Ichigo aside to fight the Captain next. Ichigo hit the ground and did his best to push himself up. He coughed violently as he tried to catch his breath. Blood dripped thought the teeth of his mask and created a small pool that was quickly absorbed into the sand. Pieces of his mask started to crumble away as it started to crack. He forced himself to his feet and went back to attack Grimmjow once more.

As he got closer he noticed that Zaraki wasn't bothering much to block any of the attacks and was getting pretty cut up. The whole time he had his masochistic smile on his face as he enjoyed every minute of the fight. Blood sprayed from his wounds as Ichigo approached him to attack but as he got closer to them one of the blades on Grimmjow's arm cut through a strap of Captain Zaraki's eye patch.

The Captain's reiatsu exploded around him making Grimmjow jump back as Ichigo attacked him. His blade punctured his skin but didn't cut deep enough for it to be of any lasting effect. It didn't matter much as Zaraki's blade broke through Grimmjow's defense and cut him deeply. As the blade left he was met immediately with Ichigo's blade once more. He used the deep cut to initiate his own that stretched vertically across Grimmjow's body.

He winced as he jumped back to avoid an onslaught from Zaraki as he laughed almost manically at the wounds he was getting as well as causing. Ichigo stood back recognizing the insanity of the Captain and knew better then to get involved while he was like this. Allowing Zaraki to act like a maniac was a good way to take a breather and calm his nerves for a moment.

A few minutes into the onslaught it was clear the battle was already almost over as wounds covered a majority of their body and blood sprayed from their wounds with every movement they made. Ichigo watched them knowing that to reenter the fight now would be suicide and he could be cut down by either one of them. Whether it was from Grimmjow's hatred towards him or just getting in the Captain's way either one was likely if you considered the insanity those two held.

Both swung relentlessly at the other without pause and each got closer to their death. The smile on the Captain's face widened as he received a near fatal wound. When the two separated from each other he burst out laughing, "And here I thought you were going to be boring. You're more fun than I thought you would be."

Grimmjow spat at the ground before lunging at him once more as he yelled, "Don't underestimate me! I am the king!"

The Captain gave him an unconcerned look as he blocked the attack with ease and threw Grimmjow off balance. It was over in an instant as the Captain cut right through him. He fell to the ground as he returned to his normal form. He choked for air as Zaraki rested his blade on his shoulder and turned to walk away. "I don't care much for those who think too highly of themselves."

Ichigo allowed his mask to disappear and his zanpakutou to revert to its normal form as the Captain walked over to him. They met eyes for a moment before he looked away and said, "Go get that woman."

The dust and reiatsu had settled but all three were still alive. Orihime hesitantly removed herself from Rukia's arm. They met eyes for a brief moment where they shared a smile before Orihime looked away. Rukia's smile faded painfully at the distance between them now. She didn't understand what had happened when she was unconscious that would make Orihime so distant from her.

She wanted to take the girls hand once more but feared her pulling away again. When she had tried to wipe away her tears and she had pulled away it was more painful then anything she had ever experienced before. It was as if everything she felt and was were being not only rejected but crushed by the very person that meant so much to her. The feeling was unbearable for her and she would do anything to rid herself of this neglect.

Rukia let out a faint sigh as Ichigo appeared before them. She didn't want to look over at him as Orihime hurried over to his side. "Zaraki's pretty bad."

"Kenny's fine, Ichi." Yachiru said as she hoped off the building to go join him.

Ichigo soon followed after her with Orihime as Rukia's chest tightened even more. She grabbed Hanataro to bring him down there as well as Nel jumped on her arm as well. "Nel wants to go too."

"Nel, I can't carry both of you at once." Rukia said quietly. "Stay here and I'll come back to get you alright?"

She barely paid any attention as Nel got off her arm before she brought Hanataro close to where everyone else was. She sensed her brother join them as well. There was still a bit of a distance between them and the others making Hanataro give her a strange look. "Rukia, is every-"

"You can make it on your own from here right?" She asked.

"Yeah, but why-" He started but Rukia took off before he could finish.

He stood there quietly for a moment as he tried to figure out why she had that hurt expression on her face. Rukia looked almost lost about something like something really bad had happened. Hanataro figured that it had most likely happened after she had been taken with Orihime. With that conclusion he hurried to Ichigo and the others to do what he came here for.

It didn't take long before he made it to them and started healing Ichigo's wounds. He looked at Hanataro blankly before looking around. "Hey, Hanataro where's Rukia?"

"She went back to get that little girl that was with you." Hanataro answered. "She should be here soon."

"I see," Ichigo replied as he tracked her reiatsu and found it was somehow off now like something had gone wrong. He turned his gaze back to Orihime and found that she seemed distracted as well. He let out a long sigh, "So that's it."

"Did you say something?" Hanataro asked as he looked up at him.

"No, it's nothing." Ichigo said slowly as he continued to watch Orihime. "Don't worry about it."

Rukia returned to where she left Nel and she immediately tried to get a ride but was quickly denied. Rukia walked to the wall and leaned on it as she clutched her chest a little. Her heart was breaking under Orihime's neglect and causing her pain. Her breathing was choked as she tried to banish her sob and Nel watched her in silence. "I just need a minute to relax then we'll go."

"Nel thinks Pinky was right." Nel said as she looked up at Rukia.

"Pinky?" Rukia questioned as she pondered the child's logic.

"Spiky's friend." She replied with a smile as she made an odd up and down motion above her head.

"You mean Vice-Captain Yachiru." Rukia said only to find that was useless to the child. "She's the one with pink hair."

"Yeah, Pinky." Nel laughed. "She said you and big boobs like each other in a grown up way."

A slight blush formed on Rukia's face as she looked down at Nel who continued to look up at her with a blank expression. Her head tilted a little as she asked, "What's the grown up way?"

The blush on Rukia's face worsened as she tried to find the best way to explain it to a child that couldn't even speak properly. She thought about it for a moment before figuring the best way to descried it was to be as subtle as possible, "Well it's when you have a really close bond with another person and you always want to be with them."

"OOOOOHHH!" She said loudly. "I like Itsygo in the grown up way then."

"No, that's not quite it." Rukia said. "It's more of when two people are in a relationship with each other."

"What's a relationship?" Nel asked immediately.

"It's not something someone of your age should know." Rukia said wanting to avoid anymore questions.

Nel crossed her arms and pouted up at her. "Why won't you tell Nel?"

"I won't tell you because we shouldn't even be having this conversation." Rukia said bluntly.

"If we shouldn't then why are we still here?" Nel asked as she pouted even more.

Rukia let out a sigh, "I just wanted to have a moment of silence to organize my thoughts. Come on, let's go."

She offered her hand and Nel took it quickly. She was lifted up and held close to Rukia's body before they left. They travelled slowly as Rukia was more anxious to face her death then Orihime. They came to a stop even further away from the others then she had brought Hanataro. Rukia carried Nel in her arms as she walked over to them at a slow pace. With each step her heart broke even more. How could Orihime just change her mind about them like that? It didn't make any sense at all.