A/N: Hey everyone do you want to know what I just realized? I just left you on a huge cliff hanger! Does Rukia die? (Like we all don't know the answer to that one.) Is Ichigo in time? Even if how does he save her without use of Zangetsu? Why am I asking you all these questions? Are you even reading any of these questions? Will any of my questions ever be answered? Well, the answer to the last one is most defiantly since you'll be reading the answers in the next ten minutes or so depending on how fast a reader you are.

Previously…

"Oh god Rukia." he grunted in disbelief.

He had finally made it to the battle field. Rukia was mere moments from death clenching her shoulder, moaning with pain. A hollow was revving for his last attack, in fact it was half way there. The tentacle had maybe ten feet left until it reached impact. Ichigo did only what instinct told him to do, save her.

He leapt forward, no plan or strategy. Zangetsu had no time to be unraveled, there was only a slight opening one that would cost him, but his gut once again led his thoughts and it told him that anything was worth her. A scream rang through the night piercing the silent cloak surrounding the area. Direct hit.

Chapter 2

Blood discolored the dewy grass, leaving strokes of crimson under Rukia's feet. Was she dead? It was odd though she had thought that she'd at least have felt some horrific amount of pain. Her eyes never left the ground, watching as more blood oozed to the cold hard earth.

"But why am I still in any pain?" She wondered.

The effects of poison still were noticeable in her system.

"I'm not dead." She finally figured, but still not grasping the concept on why.

"Rukia…" A raspy sounding voice traced their way through her ears, Ichigo's.

"Ichi-go?" Her voice cracked as she had realized the reason for feeling no impact, she had not received it…he had.

Their eye contact never broke, hers in shock while his were in dismay.

"Why?" She cried feeling tears weal up in her eyes.

"Why did you jump in front of me?" Her emotions mixed between hate, fear, distraught, and love.

No response came, Ichigo merely stood still, a long tentacle still infiltrating his stomach cavity.

If it had hit Rukia at the same height she'd have been as good as dead. Ichigo could only grin at his perfect timing.

"How can you smile? How could you do what you just did for me?" She screamed knocking the smirk off his face.

Ichigo jerked slightly as the foreign object retracted from his stomach leaving a whole the size of a fist, blood spurring everywhere.

"I don't know." He said weakly gripping the small area of flesh that had been ripped away.

"How could you not know you stubborn ass?" her tone became more gentle, but still had some edge to it.

His voice came as a shock to her not seeing how he still could be standing.

"People do stupid things sometimes for no reason and I'm no exception, midget." His voice was attempting to stay even, but he was at his limit.

Too much blood had gone leaving him weak. His body was useless now, it was a miracle he could still stand.

Rukia tempted to move forward on impulse, trying to console to Ichigo's strong need of something to lean on, but her own body had betrayed her. The toxin had spread, they needed a miracle. Amazingly enough they received one, just in not the way they predicted, Renji.

"Man, that's one ugly creature." He swung in from the right dodging a tentacle aimed in his direction.

His cockiness almost made the two injured shinigami want him to get stricken down, just once, but they soon regretted that thought when he made contact with skin.

"Renji take it down now!" Ichigo screamed taking the last of his energy.

His body gave in tumbling to the grass, into the pool of blood he'd created. Rukia soon followed, but landed on her knees gripping her shoulder.

"Ichigo hold on," She whispered while becoming a spectator for the fight that broke out between Renji and the hollow.

"He's toxic, one touch and you'll be down within five minutes. Don't get side tracked." Rukia screamed following up Ichigo's comment.

"Got it." Renji muttered just loud enough for himself to hear.

He felt the eerie sensation after the contact with the slimy patch of skin. In two quick and precise movements he sliced through the mask leaving nothing but the blue graffiti that always signaled the finale of a treacherous fight.

"We have to get you two to Urahara fast." Renji declared giving Ichigo a quick up down seeing him in such bad shape.

"No shit dipstick. Don't forget you're going to have to stay for a vaccination, you got infected as well" Rukia muttered trying to stand with little success.

"We're screwed if none of us can walk." He retaliated, the signs of the poison was already apparent to him.

His speed on the last blow had rapidly decreased, it wouldn't be long before he'd be on the ground right next to Rukia.

"Call back up, there's at least two or three shinigami in the nearby area." The small shinigami was becoming annoyed with Renji's thick headedness.

He grunted already dialing phone numbers trying to figure out who precisely was in the area.

"Yes, alright, got it, no, uh, some field just before the bridge, of course not, just shut up and get your lazy asses over here, Ichigo's fucked up pretty bad. Yeah, Bye." Rukia had no idea what the whole phone conversation had been about but it did bring her attention back to Ichigo's limp body laying inanimately in front of her.

"I'm not sure where you get off with saying he doesn't care Rukia," Renji wandered next to her after calling Urahara informing them of there soon to be arrival and the medical attention they would need.

"It takes a lot of compassion for someone to take a bullet for you."

She wasn't stupid, of course she had known that. But was she really that important to Ichigo? Was she worth that much to him that he'd take 'a bullet' for her?

XxXxXxX

"Well, he's not in great shape, but he'll live…I hope The problem is that he'll be in a coma for a while." Urahara sighed, walking out of the room he had been tending to Ichigo in.

Rukia and Ichigo were both out cold, the poison had spread farther than thought. A little longer and Rukia would have been in trouble.

"That's good to hear, I suppose" Renji mumbled stuffing his face with a slice of pizza.

"but what are you going to tell his family? He'll be unconscious for days. And when he is able to move he'll be pretty beat up." Renji pondered all the different possibilities wondering what Urahara would actually do.

"I already told them. It's all taken care of." The former shinigami whipped out his handy fan hiding the smile that arose to his face.

He knew with Renji's nosiness that it would be only a matter of time before he questioned his remark.

"You told them!?" A chunk of pizza flew out of his mouth landing on the wood floor.

"Abarai that's disgusting!" Urahara jumped back, beckoning for Renji to pick it up.

"And yes, where'd ya think Ichigo got it from?" His plan was to drive Renji crazy by not giving him a straight forward answer, but his plot backfired.

"I was always curious about that." Renji's eating pattern was back to normal.

Urahara whimpered in disappointment before disappearing through a set of doors.

Behind another set of doors laid Rukia staring at the blank ceiling. Nothing hurt on her being anymore, Urahara had numbed her body. That also meant that moving was out of the question at least for the next twelve hours.

"Rukia…no" A voice from beside her moaned, sounding half dead, filled with distraught.

Ichigo's body shook slightly resembling a fish gasping for breath, trying to grasp life. It had all been her fault, that he lay there so injured and numbed with pain. Urahara had said he did his best, but the medicine he gave her would have killed him, so suffering through the pain was the only option. A tear trailed down her cheek, her emotionless charade had been obliterated leaving a emotionally impaired little girl in it's place.

XxXxXxX

All he could see was black, every sense had been set to severe pain. Ichigo was at his limit, he'd never known torture like this.

"Rukia!" he screamed into the black abyss.

All his sight could register was an inanimate Rukia sprawled out in front of him, painting her last breaths. He had been too late, the hollow gotten to her first.

"Why? Was I not strong enough to save you?" All his words came out due to his distress.

Crimson liquid covered the area, the puddle growing in size as the seconds ticked by.

"Ichigo." the small body cried, leaving him speechless.

He'd gladly switch places with her if given the chance. It seemed like the main injury revolved around her stomach, a gaping hole from some object piercing her delicate skin.

"Rukia, you'll be alright, right?" his voice sounded more like he was convincing himself.

He was tired of being the sole spectator to this tragic scene, something had to be done.

XxXxXxX

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM!?" Rukia burst out from the stress, grabbing Urahara by the collar of his kamono.

"I didn't know you cared so much." Urahara smiled turning back to where Ichigo lay, still squirming with pain, they had assumed.

"I don't…" She stuttered folding her hands back into her lap, staring at the hard wood floor.

"It's just that it was my fault and all. Nothing more." Her tough non caring image had taken back control, kicking the emotionally unstable little girl to the side.

She dared not to turn, look upon the fallen Ichigo for if she did, that small defenseless little girl would find her way back into her heart.

"Acting bi-polar won't solve anything." Rukia had gone through at least seven different emotions in the last half hour she'd been awake.

"He's not going to DIE? Is he?" She once again became frantic, clutching Urahara around the neck.

"Strangling isn't the answer either!" Urahara gasped trying to get out of Rukia's menacing grip.

"Oh sorry." Her mood switched back to normal.

"Don't worry, he'll pull through." Urahara comforted Rukia, handing her a fourth cup of coffee.

She refused to sleep while Ichigo was in critical condition. The man besides hers words consoled her very little knowing he liked to twist the truth to his favor. And she was right he was hiding newly found information only his mind was aware of, Ichigo might not wake up.

XxXxXxX

Growing up in a medical environment proved of some use. He'd managed to wrap her torso with the top of his shinigami outfit, halting the bleeding temporarily.

"Rukia you'll be okay, I promise." His words were filled with sorrow.

In all actuality he had no idea whether she'd die or not, but he wouldn't stand idle and watch. Her eyes were prided open the whole time, staring intently at Ichigo.

"When did you ever care this much?" she panted in short shrill breaths.

This question hit him hard, it was so cruel sounding coming out of her mouth.

"I've always cared damn it," he practically yelled at her, "You're just too blind to notice." his mouth turned, resembling something like a half crooked smile.

The last part surprised him more than anything. It had been his mouth to utter it, but his brain didn't register any of the words. His gut though told him that his heart was the one taking control. He himself hadn't known what his actual feelings for Rukia were. Sure he had a slight idea, but he never exactly tested his hypothesis.

To be continued...

A/N: OMG! Ichigo may NOT wake up!?!? Gasp… seriously would I kill him off!? Would I? No pretty sure I wouldn't do something stupid like that to involve a large mob outside my bedroom window with pitch forks. I want to live to fifteen thank you very much.-Your Neko Writer

I really appreciate all your responses! The most popular answer was A1 so apparently we are having Orihime x Uyruu and Tatsuki x Renji. Which is good since I was going to have those couples anyway, I just wanted to see what you guys thought.

Anime question 2:

Why doesn't Ichigo have like a famous battle cry like everyone else???? Like Howl, Sing, Dance, blossom, smash, etc. it kind of bothers me, his is like MOOOAAANNN!!

Anime question 3:

If he doesn't have one which I'm 99.99999 percent sure he doesn't…what do you want it to be because I need one further into the story?????