AN: I actually have more of the middle of this story written than I do the beginning… oops. Impatience on my part…

Denidene, Shadow Pain, Star Princess999 and Murasaki ice rain - Thank you all for your comments!

I hope this chapter will explain a bit more about Inoue, what's going through her mind and why she said the things she said in the preview. Mental stress can bring the best of them to their knees…

Still don't own it – (Do I have to put a disclaimer for every chapter? Seems kind of redundant…)


Chapter 2

"You can take your proposal and shove it up your ass, Aizen! I'm going to kill you as soon as I get out of this!" Ichigo raged.

"Brave talk for someone who is chained to the floor like a dog, Ichigo-kun. Once I've established my new army, you will lead them and destroy everything that gets in my way."

"What happened to your Espada?" Ichigo asked, giving a sideways glance at Hitsugaya.

"Life is about choices. Sometimes you make good ones, sometimes not. Let's just say I chose sub standard material and ended up with a sub standard army. While I may have lost the battle, I have gained so much information that the next time, I will be unstoppable. My new army will be made from material of the…highest quality." Gin and Momo then entered the room. On one side, Gin was holding Inoue's arm as she walked beside him. Slung over the opposite shoulder, he held an unconscious Rukia.

"Inoue! Rukia!" Ichigo called. Inoue looked at him and gave him a weak smile.

"Momo!" Hitsugaya called at the same time. She turned to him, her expression blank.

Gin walked up to Aizen and set Rukia down on the floor beside him. Momo took Rukia's chain and stood behind her. Gin led Inoue to Aizen's other side.

"Ah, look who came to join us, Ichigo-kun, Hitsugaya-kun. Everyone has choices to make in life, even in death. If you are going to lead my army, and you will, you will start your training now. He walked over to Inoue and started stroking her hair as he continued, "I will let one of them go. Kuchiki Rukia, or Inoue Orihime?"

"What?" Ichigo chocked out. His stomach turned as he watched Aizen put his hands on Inoue.

She stood, frozen. Fear crept though her body like she has never felt before. Any resolve she had when she first left everyone, to protect them, was gone. She tried to hide her fear when she looked at Ichigo, thankful that he was not in that inhuman form. She tried to get away from Aizen as he let his fingers stroke her hair. She tried to open her mouth to see if they would let her continue to heal Ishida, but she couldn't. Fear and uncertainty locked her into place. She felt her mind drift to earlier times, before Aizen, before Shinigami. She tried to block out what was happening around her. She was utterly, terrified.

"I don't like repeating myself, Ichigo-kun, and my patience is wearing thin."

"NO! You can't be serious. I can't choose between Rukia and Inoue. What do you mean you'll let one go? Does that mean I'm choosing death for the other? Get fucked, Aizen, I'm not playing your games! You're a fucking lunatic!" Ichigo bit out.

"You still don't seem to understand the situation you're in. Choosing not to decide is not an option." He said, letting a little irritation show. He removed his hand from Inoue's hair but not before pulling it, snapping her out of her thoughts, her escape. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "Don't you want to live, Orihime?"

FLASHBACK:

Throne room, Gin and Aizen are talking about their new plan.

"Ya gonna let the boy choose?" Gin asks.

"Of course."

"What if he chooses the one ya want to keep?"

With his trademark grin he replied, "He won't."

END FLASHBACK

Orihime looked at Ichigo and spoke softly, trying to get the image of his hollow out of her head, "K-Kurosaki-kun, you told me you came here to save me. Kuchiki-san came to save me to, didn't she? S-she's lived her life and now she's dead. She's a shinigami now, isn't it her job to, to p-protect humans? Kurosaki-kun, I…I want to live my life too." Tears were streaming down her face.

Hitsugaya looked at Rukia's still form and he felt irritation at the other girl's words. Our lives in death are to protect those that are living, true. Why does it sound…wrong?

Memories of Rukia flashed in Ichigo's mind: When they first met, her wonderment of juice, her fascination with the human world, her execution, her drawings, her stubbornness, her will to fight and protect, her strength and hatred of being underestimated. Then he thought of Orihime: her innocence, when her brother's hollow tried to kill her, her smile, her want to heal everyone and hurt no one, her kind heart.

Rukia slowly started to regain consciousness. The first thing she became aware of was something around her neck. Quickly suppressing the memories of her execution, she tried to bring her hands to her neck to investigate. Unable to move them, she realized she was tied up…and not alone. She heard voices but was still unable to make sense of anything. She tried opening her eyes but only got a blur and a sharp pain in her head as a response.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the voices. She relaxed a bit when she was able to make out one of the voices as…Ichigo's? But then, why was she tied up?

"…NO!…serious...choose…Rukia…Inoue…death..." Rukia could tell he was pissed off which meant something was wrong. Then she heard the second voice… AIZEN.

Aizen stood in front of his chair as his gaze locked onto Ichigo's eyes. "I offer you the chance to be a GOD! Part of being a god is making choices. Who shall live, who shall die. It's an everyday thing, really and one you WILL do. Now, between these two, who do you wish to send back? Choose, or you will ALL die."

Ichigo looked into Inoue's pleading eyes, then to Rukia's still form.

"Kurosaki-kun, please, PLEASE! I… I can't s-stay here. She's dead! She's already DEAD! PLEA-"Inoue's plea was cut off when Gin taped her mouth shut. Hitsugaya glared at her.

"Now, now… It wouldn't be fair to ole Rukia-chan here if you're pleading your case and she's…not." He said with a slight grin.

A soft moan was heard as Rukia once again opened her eyes. Voices became louder, whole and her vision had cleared. She wanted to throw up as her mind wrapped around the situation, the words that were being spoken, and the situation they were all in.

"I choose….Inoue." His eyes dropped to the floor.

He heard her shriek, "Kurosaki-kun, t-thank you!"

He barely heard the sharp intake of breath and Rukia's stunned, "I..Ichi..go"

He tightly closed his eyes, feeling sick over what he had done. Wanting to thrust Zangetsu through his own heart so he wouldn't have to look at her, wouldn't have to see what was in her eyes.

"So you can make a decision. I'm very proud of you, Ichigo-kun." Aizen's voice cut through the room, instantly quieting Orihime. "Gin, let her go and take the other down to the lab." Gin released his hold and the kido from Inoue, walked over and grabbed Rukia's arm. Inoue ran to Ichigo's side as his eyes grew wide. LAB?

Smirking, Gin said, "I guess this makes ya expendable, eh, Rukia-chan?" her eyes didn't move, they were still locked onto Ichigo's bent form.

"Gin…" Aizen warned.

"Hai, hai" he replied and picked up Rukia.

"I…Ichigo…" she said again. This time he opened his eyes and looked at her knowing he would regret it. Shock, horror, sadness, and something else were all there, swimming together in her violet orbs. So many things he wanted to tell her: what she meant to him, how she made him smile, how sorry he was for failing to protect her and not choosing her. He opened his mouth to say all of this, to say something. Nothing would come out and then, she was gone.

He was vaguely aware that Inoue was holding onto his arm, vaguely aware Hitsugaya was growling, vaguely aware of Aizen's presence as he started walking towards him.


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