AN

After today, all author's notes will be after the chapter. I'm going to take certain liberties with this story and I don't want to hear any complaining about OOC or other things. Remember this is AU so almost anything can happen. All locations will be in Japan, but don't kill me if they end up eating American food or sitting in chairs instead of pillows.

Disclaimer-I own nothing.

No Escape

Chapter 1

"Things have been a little... weird here lately. Watch your back, okay?"

Ichigo Kurosaki always did-it's how he'd survived nearly a decade in Delta Force-but in the week since hearing Rukia's odd message, he hadn't been able to get those words out of his head. Nor had he been able to forget the way her voice shook when she spoke them.

It was the first time she'd ever called him, and it hadn't been to catch up on old times. Something was wrong, and Ichigo had driven three hundred miles out of his way to find out what it was.

His Mustang slid through the quiet residential streets as he searched for the right house. He only hoped that the return address on the Christmas card she'd sent him last year was still good.

It didn't matter that he was starting a new job tomorrow and had to be in Osaka by morning. Nor did it matter that he hadn't seen Rukia in fourteen years. What mattered was Rukia had called him, and although she hadn't asked him to come, there was something about the slight vibration of fear in her voice that made everything else seem unimportant.

So, here he was, in Karakura-the home of bad memories-where he promised himself he'd never go again. All because little Rukia Kuchiki was afraid and Ichigo couldn't let that stand.

He figured he had about two hours to find out what was freaking her out, fix it, and get back on the highway if he was still going to be sitting at Uryu Ishida's breakfast table by morning.

Anticipation rolled through him and settled in his chest, making him grin like a fool. After fourteen years in the military, he was out for good now. He could hardly wait to see his friends again and start his new life.

Ichigo Kurosaki, security consultant. It had a nice ring.

He turned the corner onto Rukia's street and found the right house number. The place was old, but well maintained and way too big for one person. Even in the dark, he could see the bright white paint glowing under the porch light. The landscape was tidy, the trees pruned, and even the winter-dead grass managed to look manicured.

Ichigo pulled into the driveway, hoping this was the right place. She hadn't left an address in her message, and he was afraid that if he'd called to ask for one, he would have regretted it.

They hadn't exactly parted under the best of circumstances, and Ichigo wasn't going to make it easy on her to push him away, not while there was any chance she was in trouble.

He got out of his car and stretched to ease the tightness in his back. As much as he loved his Mustang, it wasn't really made for his tall frame, and he hadn't taken much time to stop and stretch along the drive. He'd been too anxious to get here and have this over with.

Of course, now that he was here, he was seriously reconsidering the wisdom of his decision. He had no idea what he was getting into here, or even if she'd want to see him after so many years.

A cold March wind whipped around his body as he headed for the front door on reluctant feet.

The last time he'd seen Rukia, she'd been sixteen, sitting in the back of an ambulance hugging her knees. Tears had been streaming down her face as she'd watched the police drive away, with him handcuffed in the back seat of the patrol car.

He wasn't exactly looking forward to their reunion, but he was man enough to reach out and push the lighted doorbell.

Pleasant chimes filtered through the leaded glass at the top of the door, and a moment later he saw a shadowy movement behind the window. The door opened, and it took Ichigo a full ten seconds to recognize her as Rukia Kuchiki. He'd been expecting a larger version of the sixteen-year-old, sickly child he'd last seen, with stringy hair and sallow skin stretched too tightly over frail bones. In fact, if it hadn't been for those unmistakable amethyst eyes, he might never have recognized her at all.

Ichigo had seen a lot of beautiful women, but Rukia was simply... stunning.

The shock of it silenced him for a moment as he drank her in. She was taller now-easily five-five-when before she'd barely reached the middle of his stomach. Beneath her casual clothes were slim, tempting curves made to fit just right in a man's palm. Her glossy, raven-black hair hung in waves past her shoulders, but a fringe of bangs hung around her pixie-like face.

Her eyes widened, and she stood there in shocked silence, staring at him.

Ichigo stilled, giving her a moment to adjust to the surprise. He wasn't sure how much he'd changed since she'd last seen him at seventeen (except for growing six inches taller and his obnoxiously bright, spiky orange hair growing a bit longer), and he found himself holding his breath, hoping she wouldn't slam the door in his face.

Ichigo's knuckles ached from clenching his fists too tightly. Not a good sign at all for the man who was used to controlling his body rather than the other way around.

On more than one occasion, he'd spent days peering through the scope on his sniper rifle, gathering intel or waiting for a shot, knowing that an enemy patrol could stumble upon his location at any moment, but he'd never been as nervous as he was right now, facing Rukia again after so many years.

What if she didn't like him? What if she saw only that angry, belligerent kid he used to be? Or worse, what if she hated him because he was the boy who'd killed their foster father?

Ichigo stifled the urge to run, to protect himself from whatever bad opinion of him she might have. He wasn't sure he was man enough to live through her disappointment. But instead of running, he squared his shoulders and stood his ground.

Rukia blinked several times as if she wasn't sure she believed what she was seeing. She stood frozen, holding the door open, and he could feel the heat from her brightly lit home sliding over his face as it leaked out into the night sky.

"It's really great to see you, Rukia."

She stood there, just far enough away that she didn't invade his personal space, but close enough that he could reach out and touch her.

He didn't. He was too worried how she might react.

Ichigo tried to smile-normally such an easy thing for a man like him to do with a woman-but no smile would come.

"Ichigo?" she asked in a confused tone, like maybe she wasn't sure it was him.

"Hi, Rukia. Been a long time." He sounded casual, almost careless.

"What... what are you doing here?"

Not exactly a warm reception, but then again, he hadn't expected one. Too bad that didn't make it sting any less. "I got your message. Thought I'd come find out what was going on."

She glanced past him, looking up and down the street. After years of covert operations, Ichigo knew that look well. She was expecting trouble.

"You shouldn't be here," she told him.

"I probably should have called first before dropping by."

Again, she didn't look at him but kept her eyes on the street. "No. I mean you should go. Now."

If it had been anger or resentment brightening her eyes, Ichigo would have turned on his heel and marched out of here. But it wasn't. He saw the faintest flicker of fear cross her face, heard it waver in her voice.

If she expected trouble, then Ichigo was going to be right here when it showed up.

"Will you please let me in?"

"No. Just go, Ichigo. Before someone sees you. Please."

Ichigo turned and looked at their surroundings. He saw nothing out of place, no signs of anyone watching from the deep shadows surrounding her home. "Who's going to see me?"

A car turned the corner at the end of the block, its headlights splashing bright swaths of light against the house across the street.

"Get inside." Rukia grabbed the front of his shirt and gave him a hard tug.

Ichigo barely stopped himself from stumbling into her as she pulled him into the house and slammed the door shut. "Get down." She yanked on his shirt again, tugging it toward the floor.

He ducked even though he had no idea why. He figured he must just be too used to doing whatever the ladies asked. Usually, when they asked him to do odd things, it ended in both him and them having a really good time.

He was pretty sure this was not going to be one of those times.

Through the window, he saw the car drive by without stopping or slowing.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded.

She let go of him and turned to peek out the window. Ichigo tried not to look at her ass, but he couldn't help it. She was right there, he was ducking as she'd asked, and everything was aligned so that he had no choice.

Her tight jeans molded to her perfectly, showing off the kind of curves a man never forgot. Her raven-black hair fell below her shoulders, and it shimmered an instant before she turned back around.

"Why are you here?"

"That message you left worried me. I was on my way to Osaka to start a new job, so I thought I'd stop by and make sure you were okay."

Her slim shoulders sagged a bit in relief. "Osaka. That's hours away. You'll be safe there."

Safe? As in, he wouldn't be safe here? What kind of mess was she in?

Frustration was swiftly eroding Ichigo's patience, so he took a deep breath and tried again. "Will you please tell me what's going on?"

"It's best if you just leave. There's no need for you to get involved."

Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and planted his feet. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on."

Her full lips tightened and her eyes narrowed, glowing with a hint of anger. "I didn't invite you here. You have no business being here. If you don't leave, I'll call the police."

He shrugged. "Fine. Call them. Maybe they'll know what's got you so spooked."

"I'm not spooked. I'm just being cautious."

"Why?"

Her mouth clamped shut and she looked away.

Ichigo had never touched Rukia before. She'd always seemed so frail, and he was afraid of hurting her, maybe even breaking her.

But she wasn't breakable anymore. He'd felt the strength of her body as she'd tugged at his shirt. He could see for himself that she was whole and healthy.

No reason not to touch her now.

He put one finger under her chin and forced her to look at him. The pad of his finger grazed her soft flesh, and when her eyes finally met his, they were such a stunning deep amethyst he nearly forgot what he was going to ask her. But that spark of fear was still there, and it helped his brain keep spinning rather than stall out under the power of those eyes of hers. "Why, Rukia? Why should I leave town? Why are you so afraid?"

She swallowed nervously, and a subtle vibration made her chin wobble for a second before she controlled it by gritting her teeth. "Because people are dying, and I don't want you to be next."

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Rukia never should have let the truth slip out, but she'd never been able to resist Ichigo Kurosaki. Not when she was sixteen, and certainly not now when he was standing right in front of her, so handsome and big and unexpected. And he was touching her. She'd spent years dreaming about him touching her, and now that he was, she could hardly think straight. Sure, it was just the tip of one finger, but with Ichigo, that was enough to make any woman's body heat up.

Like she needed any more excitement in her life right now. She had more than enough without adding both ancient history and a years-old crush to the mix.

Ichigo was bigger than life. Confident, self-assured, gorgeous. He was tall, lean, and graceful, with eyes so warm and chocolate brown they could melt a glacier. His hair was longer now than it had been during his rebelious youth, but it was still so bright orange it caught the light whenever he moved. He had the kind of magnetic appeal that made women flock around him, and Rukia wasn't immune to the gravitational pull of his good looks and charm. She never had been.

Rukia hadn't understood everything she'd felt for him when she was a girl, but now she knew exactly what those goosebumps meant, as well as the little shiver that ran along her spine when his finger grazed her skin. She was no longer innocent, which also meant that she knew what she had to lose by letting herself become charmed by the potent effect he'd always had on her.

His glittering eyes caught her gaze and held on. There was a fierceness there, a kind of unyielding determination lurking just below that charming exterior. Whatever the army had had him doing for the past fourteen years, she was pretty sure it hadn't been behind a desk. He had the air of utter competence, complete control.

His eyes moved over her face, and though the finger under her chin hadn't moved, she still felt as if she'd been caressed by him. "What do you mean, people are dying? Who's dying?"

No denying it now. Time to switch tactics. "I'm being melodramatic. I was just shocked to see you. That's all."

Ichigo's jaw hardened, his eyes narrowed in warning. "Bullshit. Tell me everything, and tell me now."

No. She wasn't going to cave just because he wanted her to.

She pushed his hand away, breaking the contact between them.

The best way to protect him was to get him out of town, as far away from this place as possible. If she pulled him into this mess, he'd stay, and she couldn't have his death on her hands. Not after what he'd done to save her fourteen years ago, what he'd risked.

He'd given up his life for her, gone to jail for her. She wouldn't repay him for his kindness by pulling him into danger-assuming she wasn't just imagining the whole thing.

Which was entirely possible. No one else believed her.

"I'm sure it's nothing," she said, plastering a bright smile on her face.

"Let me be the judge of that." His tone came out too demanding, so he softened it with a "Please."

Maybe she should tell him everything. He was former military. If anyone could see a threat, it would be Ichigo. And if he looked over the evidence she'd gathered and didn't think there was anything odd, she would at least be able to relax.

"You're probably going to think I'm crazy."

"Crazy chicks are hot."

Rukia felt the blush warm her cheeks. She hadn't been a girl for a long time, but one minute with Ichigo and she was already feeling like a teenager again, insecure and uncertain. The only difference was that back then she hadn't been able to gain his attention, and now she had every bit of it aimed right at her.

It was more than enough to make any woman squirm.

"Spill it, Rukia, or I'll have to show you just how much I learned about interrogation techniques in the military."

"You don't scare me."

A slow, lazy grin lifted his mouth. "That's only because I'm being very careful not to, babe. I'm still playing nice here. Want me to move on to Plan B?"

Yes, a crazy part of her mind screamed-the part that was still sixteen and so infatuated with Ichigo she couldn't think straight. Anything he wanted to do to her had to be better than letting him walk away. Again.

But the rest of her, the sane, rational, adult part of her, knew better. She had moved on to bigger and better things in her life. She didn't need anything from Ichigo. Not anymore.

"No. That won't be necessary. Just get in your car and drive off, and I swear I'll tell you anything you want to know on your cell phone on your way out of town."

"Not good enough. Start talking."

Ichigo had had a powerful presence even as a teen, yet it was nothing compared to the force of will she saw blazing in the man he'd become. He was harder than he had been. More formidable. More irresistible.

"I never should have called you." Too bad she hadn't realized it before she'd picked up the phone. All she'd been thinking about was warning him so he'd be safe. She'd never once thought that call would bring him to her doorstep.

"But you did."

It wasn't the first mistake she'd made, and she knew it wouldn't be the last. The only thing she could do now was damage control. "Fine. You might as well sit down."

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Ichigo held out his hand for her to lead the way. She left the foyer and went into the living room. A brightly lit fish tank sat against one wall, its colorful occupants gliding gracefully through the water. A few pieces of art hung here and there, mostly paintings of flowers. The furniture looked comfortable, but it was piled with mountains of superfluous, girly pillows covered in beads tassels and other shiny bits of fluff he couldn't name.

Rukia perched at the far end of the couch, well out of range of any more touching, which was truly a pity. Ichigo took the hint and cleared away enough pillows so that he could sit on the love seat, positioned between her and the front door.

If there really was something outside to be afraid of, it was going to have to get through him first.

Rukia fidgeted with a pillow, and Ichigo could see the faintest tremor running through her fingers.

Whatever was scaring her, Ichigo wanted to find it and kill it. He'd never been sure what it was about Rukia that brought out these fierce protective instincts in him, but he'd always thought it was simply the fact that she'd been so small and frail.

Apparently, he'd been wrong, because she was neither of those things anymore, yet his irrational urges hadn't died down over the years.

The knowledge was more than a little unsettling.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and blurted, "In January, I got two of the Christmas cards I sent returned unopened."

Ichigo sat there waiting for the rest of her dark confession. It didn't come. "Okay. I can tell that it bothered you, but I'm dense, so you're going to have to fill in the why part for me."

"I've been sending Birthday and Christmas cards to every one of the kids that shared a foster home with me since the night you... left."

Ichigo felt a little blush creep up his neck at the knowledge that ever one of the cards she'd sent him were tucked away safely in a weatherproof bag with all of his other precious belongings. He'd never been able to throw them away. He wasn't sappy enough to pull them out and reread them or anything. At least not very often.

"In case I haven't said it before, thank you for that. I always look forward to hearing from you."

"Thanks. Everyone seemed to enjoy getting my cards, which is why it was odd when those two came back."

Ichigo shrugged. "People relocate."

"That's what I tried to tell myself, but..."

"But what?"

She shook her head, and some slippery strands of hair slid over her shoulder to graze her smooth cheek. Ichigo shoved his hands under his thighs to keep from reaching out to brush her hair back into place just so he could feel the slippery weight of it running through his fingers.

He knew what women's hair felt like. He didn't need to feel hers, too.

"It just bothered me," she said. "The cards were to Shuhei and Senna. Remember them?"

Ichigo shook his head. He tried not to remember too much about the years in between the time his mom wrapped her car around a tree because she was too drunk to drive, and the time he joined the army. It was best that way. "I was only there a few days. And a lot happened in those few days."

Sadness tilted the corners of Rukia's full mouth. "But if it weren't for those few days, who knows where I'd be now? You saved me from Aizen."

Sosuke Aizen. It had been years since he'd heard that man's name, but not a day went by he didn't think about him-about how much he wished he could kill him all over again for what he'd done to so many children. Slower this time.

Ichigo didn't let his anger toward the man show, worried Rukia might think it was directed at her. Instead, he lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug. "Anyone would have done the same thing."

"No, they wouldn't have. There were a lot of anyones around at the time, and no one did a thing to stop what was going on. You did."

He really didn't want to talk about Aizen. Not now, not ever. "I guess I don't remember them. Sorry."

"I think Shuhei might have already left Aizen's place when you came to live with us. Senna was there, though. She would have been about eight at the time."

A memory sparked in his head from his first day living at Aizen's. A little purple-haired girl crying in her closet, hugging herself and unwilling to come out.

A lump of revulsion formed in his throat. No way could he go back to that page in his life. He hadn't realized it at the time, but as an adult, he was pretty sure that Senna's behavior had been the first sign he'd had that Sosuke Aizen was a sadistic, child molesting bastard.

Finally, after a too-long struggle, Ichigo was able to speak, though his voice shook. "I remember her."

"She grew up to be a happy woman. You need to know that. What happened to her was horrible, but she overcame it. She even got married about a year ago."

"Good for her. I'm glad she's doing well."

Rukia's gaze fell to the pillow she cradled, but not before Ichigo saw the sheen of tears she hurriedly blinked away. "She's not doing well... anymore."

"What happened?" he asked her, not really wanting to know, and feeling like a coward because of it.

"When her card came back, I called her to make sure she was okay. Her husband told me that she killed herself on Christmas Eve. Overdose."

Shock slid through Ichigo, tightening his muscles against the need to reach for her, offering her comfort he wasn't sure she'd welcome. "Oh, God. I'm sorry, Rukia."

She sniffed and straightened her shoulders, though Ichigo could still see a shadow of grief haunting her eyes. "I'm fine. Really. She and I ended up in different homes after Aizen's. We weren't that close. It's just sad, you know? She was so young. Only twenty-two."

Ichigo could barely remember what he was doing ten years ago when he was twenty-two. Raising hell and chasing women whenever he was on leave, no doubt. Same old, same old. He probably still believed he was immortal at that point.

"After finding out about Senna, it took me a while to gather the courage to look up Shuhei to see why his card also came back. And then when I did start looking, it took me a while to actually find him."

"So you did find him?"

Rukia gave a tight nod.

"Where?"

"He's dead, too," she said.

This was beginning to sound bad. Like more-than-two-hours-to-fix bad. "How?"

Rukia pressed her lips together as if willing herself not to speak. Her hands shook harder, but she said nothing.

"How did he die, Rukia?"

"He killed himself. Gunshot to the head." Tears sparkled in her eyes again, making them glow a vibrant violet. "Then a few weeks ago, my friend Orihime slit her wrists." She swallowed hard, twice, then cleared her throat. "I found her body. Her baby was in the next room, crying. She was lying in a tub full of blood. The tears on her face were still wet. She was still... warm."

She pulled in a long breath and let it out slowly. "If I'd been five minutes earlier, maybe I could have saved her. But I wasn't, and now she's gone, too."

Ichigo couldn't sit still any longer, not when she was shaking like that, on the verge of tears. He knelt in front of her, took her hands in his, and modulated his voice so it was calm and even. "Tell me what's going on, babe. I can help you."

He feared the worst-that those deaths had put the idea of suicide in her head, too. He couldn't let that happen.

"If you really want to help, then you'll leave. Right now. I don't know what's going on, and I can't risk you, too."

"Risk me how?"

She squeezed his hands, though Ichigo didn't think she realized she was doing so. "It's not safe here for you."

"Why not? You've got to help me understand."

She was silent for a long moment, and then finally, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Her voice was a quiet whisper of sound, but he heard her clearly enough. "I don't think those people killed themselves. I think they were murdered."

That news shook Ichigo to the core, leaving him floundering. He kept his voice and expression carefully neutral, reserving judgment until he had more information. "If you think people are being killed, why didn't you call me and tell me about this sooner?"

She tried to pull her hands away, but he wouldn't let her. He held firm, keeping her right there with him, demanding that she give him an answer.

"I called once to warn you. You weren't available, and I felt weird leaving a message. I figured you'd think I was crazy."

Ichigo's jaw clenched in frustration. How many other times had she tried to contact him when he couldn't be reached? He should have been there for her-for all of those kids. After all, he was the one who had put them all back out on the street. He should have done a better job of looking out for their wellfare, even if he had been just a kid himself.

At least he'd gotten to her now, before it was too late.

"Well, I'm available now. And I'm not going anywhere until I know you're safe."

Uryu, his new job, and his new life were just going to have to wait.

AN

Seriously guys, this time REVIEW!