Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to CrystalRaindrop007 for Beta'ing!

Shadows In The Night — III

Rukia was sitting at the small table, talking to Yoruichi and holding a cup of warm tea in her hands, when the door flew open. It was Urahara. He looked as though he had run from far away, and was panting.

"Rukia! Hide!"

Rukia didn't have time to question what Urahara was saying. Only seconds after he had yelled, Byakuya and Hitsugaya appeared behind him. Rukia's eyes went wide as she stared up at the two captains. Yoruichi automatically stood up in front of Rukia, ready to defend her if it came to that. Urahara stood his ground to the two captains. No one moved for what seemed like forever. Suddenly, Rukia was overcome with nausea.

How inconvenient.

Dropping to her knees by the trashcan, Rukia threw up any trace of what she had eaten in the last few hours. Yoruichi looked in her direction, concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine," Rukia said quietly, still not moving from her spot by the trashcan.

"If you come quietly, we will not use force," Byakuya spoke from the door, his voice as calm and cold as ever. Hitsugaya just looked bored.

"No! I won't!" Rukia protested firmly, standing to her feet and backing up against the wall.

"Very well."

Byakuya walked forward only to have Yoruichi get in his way. Using flash step and taking her off guard, Byakuya threw her off balance; her movments were slow because she wasn't used to being in her human form after so many years.

She flew into the wall, her head making contact with a crack as she fall slowly to the floor. Urahara stood in the way, taking his sword from his cane. Byakuya stopped walking for a brief second, motioning to Hitsugaya. The smaller Shinigami walked forward. He understood what Byakuya wanted; to get Rukia and get out with as little bloodshed as possible.

Hitsugaya walked over to Yoruichi and pulled out his Zanpakuto and held it against her throat. Urahara glanced quickly between Rukia and Yoruichi. Rukia was pressing herself hard up against the wall and Yoruichi had begun to bleed from the contact with the wall.

His brief hesitation gave Byakuya all the time he needed. In less than one second, he had Rukia held tightly around the waist and was carrying her out of the Urahara Store. The only person faster than him at shunpo was Yourichi. And she wasn't much help right now.

He watched as they walked out. Rukia was struggling for everything she was worth. Byakuya, finally tired of fighting her, pulled a small shot out of his pocket. He had been ordered to take it along just in case. Pulling the cover off with his teeth, he shoved it into Rukia's arm. Her eyes went wide as she realized what was happening.

Urahara could still hear every word.

"No! Please, no! It'll hurt the baby!" Rukia was yelling again, but her strength was slowly evaporating. "No, no, no . . . the baby . . ."

Suddenly, she slumped into Byakuya's arm. He proceeded to carry her out of the store, leaving Urahara with Hitsugaya.

It was raining . . .

"No!" Urahara yelled, beginning to run after Byakuya. But Hitsugaya was still there, holding his Zanpakuto against Yoruichi's throat.

"You move, and I will kill her," he said. Urahara wasn't sure he believed him, but he couldn't chance it. The look on Hitsugaya's face certainly suggested that he would, indeed, be ready to kill Yoruichi if the need arose.

Urahara was torn between keeping his promise to Ichigo and saving Yoruichi's life. If he went after Rukia, Yoruichi would die, but if he stayed, he was killing Ichigo's child, and possibly Rukia as well. But in the next second, his mind was made up for him. Hitsugaya suddenly disappeared from the room in one or two quick flash steps. Urahara ran over to Yoruichi and bent down beside her.

She was still awake, but blood was leaking from her mouth and out of a wound on the back of her head. She coughed a few times and lifted herself onto her elbows.

"You f-fool, go after them," she said, just barely managing the words before passing out.

Urahara didn't know what to do.

"Final Release, tensa Zangetsu, Chains Of Heaven - Slicing moon."

Renji and Ichigo just stared at each other for a few seconds, neither wanting to be the one to have taken the first move. Ichigo was about to open his mouth to speak when he felt something cold fall on his nose. He knew it was a stupid thing to do, but he couldn't stop himself as he lifted his head toward the sky. Rain was starting to fall down. Ichigo smiled and looked back at Renji.

"I hate the rain. It brings back too many bad memories," Ichigo said quietly, still not moving his eyes from Renji's.

Seconds later, Renji surprised Ichigo by making the first move. Ichigo jumped out of the way at the last second, the end of his clothes getting snagged by the blade. As Renji's Zanpakuto cut through the building they were standing upon, Ichigo silently thanked God that it was abandoned.

Coming to a stop at the edge of the building, Ichigo quickly caught his balance.

"I don't want to fight you, Renji. Just please, leave us alone!"

"I can't do that! I have orders, and Rukia's already been taken! They're probably on their way here already to pick me up before we head back," Renji said.

"Already been taken?" Ichigo yelled, shaking his head to get the water out of his eyes. The rain had begun pouring down faster and faster. "What the hell do you mean?"

"Look, Ichigo, I really didn't want to do this to you. But orders are orders, do you really think I would do this of my own accord?"

Ichigo was speechless.

"But you said it was because of Rukia!" Ichigo sputtered, shaking his head again. The rain was worse, and it was making it hard for him to see. It didn't look like it bothered Renji one bit, though.

"I love Rukia, but that's not completely why I am doing this!"

"Completely?" Ichigo asked. He could feel that Renji wasn't sure of his actions. Renji knew that he could never have Rukia unless Ichigo was out of the way, but at the same time, he knew that, if he killed Ichigo, he would be hurting Rukia in the worst way possible.

"Look! I made a deal with some higher ups. I would help capture Rukia and you, but in return, they had to let the baby live. I had to pull some pretty big strings to do it, too! I did this for you guys!"

Neither of them spoke. Renji suddenly charged. Ichigo dodged, but Renji's blade wrapped around his own, holding it completely still. Neither of them could attack.

"You can't attack me if you don't let go!" Ichigo shouted, but he didn't think Renji had heard him. Thunder crashed loudly ahead as lightning struck close by, lighting up the whole area. Only ten minutes ago, before the rain had started, it had been bright outside. But now the dark, threatening clouds smothered out the light.

Renji growled, but unhooked his sword anyway. He had to end this quickly, he knew that much, because Ichigo was stronger than him. If he let it go on until it was a full blown fight, he would lose again.

Deciding to end it with one move, Renji focused all of his reiatsu into his sword. The blade began glowing a light red; Ichigo would notice, he had to make this quick.

Ichigo didn't know what it was. Maybe the rain was messing with his vision, maybe it had been better fighting on Renji's part, or maybe he just didn't see it coming, but in the seconds, Renji had stabbed Ichigo through the stomach. Renji's reiatsu flowed through him like a bullet, pulling apart his internal organs.

He fell to the ground, his blood mixing with the rain.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo. I really didn't want it to go this far. I really didn't. But you know how things turn out. We'll take Rukia back to the Soul Society, and she will be locked up." Renji started to walk away, but Ichigo managed to pull himself up onto his elbows.

"P-please, what w-will happen to the b-baby?" Ichigo stuttered, spitting blood out of his mouth.

Renji stopped in his tracks and sighed. He looked down at the ground and sighed.

"I don't know. A child with that power, if allowed to live, will have to be trained from the day it can walk how to control it. The child, if it is not used for experiments, will be given to a noble, probably, to train."

Just as he finished saying that, two, no, three more people joined him. Ichigo's vision was going blurry, and he didn't think it was just from the rain. He was dying . . .

"You got him?" a voice asked.

Ichigo blinked several times to get his vision back. He looked up into the face of Byakuya Kuchiki, who was holding Rukia in his arms. Hitsugaya stood beside him.

"Rukia!" Ichigo managed to yell, though began coughing blood the second he did.

"Shouldn't we alert someone to help?" Hitsugaya asked, his eyes straying to Ichigo; a large puddle of blood was now surrounding him.

"No," Byakuya said, not turning to look at Ichigo. "Let's go, Renji,"

Ichigo, gathering the last bit of power that he had left over, yelled, "What if it had been Hisana!"

Byakuya stopped in his tracks, his grip on Rukia tightening. He didn't turn around, but Ichigo knew he had struck a nerve. Renji stopped as well, only a few feet from Ichigo. Finally, after what seemed forever, Byakuya whispered,

"What?"

Ichigo could barely speak now. He could feel himself dying, and he knew it was only a matter of time until he did. Spitting out a mouthful of blood and water, he tried to speak.

"What if y-you and H-Hisana were i-in our p-position? W-what if it h-h-had been Hisana . . ."

Renji could see that Ichigo was getting through to Byakuya. He could see it in the way Byakuya twitched, in the way he looked, and in the way his resolve seemed to crumble. Ichigo had known just where to hit Byakuya, and he had hit it well.

"What i-if it had b-been your b-baby?" Ichigo stuttered, fighting the urge to let the blackness take over him. He knew he had to stay awake, he had to . . . he had to!

Byakuya still didn't turn, but both Hitsugaya and Renji could see he was fighting an internal battle, and losing. Renji growled, turning around to Ichigo, who was still fighting to breathe, though he could see each breath was getting harder to take.

If Ichigo didn't stop . . . Rukia and the child would be killed anyway! He couldn't let Ichigo get through to Byakuya, or his deal with Central 49 would be broken and Rukia would die!

"Shut up!" he yelled, kicking Ichigo in the ribs. Ichigo grunted in pain; he didn't even have enough energy to yell. Laying his head down on the ground, he knew that he wasn't going to win this battle. He was going to die . . . but he could do something worthwhile with his last breaths. For God's sake, he could save Rukia! He just had to get through to Byakuya.

"W-what would y-y-you have d-done . . .I-In m-my position . . . " Ichigo's vision was blacking out; he could only see the vague outline of Byakuya and Renji.

"I said shut up!" Renji yelled, preparing to kick Ichigo again. He didn't want to, but Ichigo was going to die, and that was that. He couldn't let Ichigo crack Byakuya's resolve. They had to get Rukia back to the Soul Society! They had to! He had sworn on his position as a vice-captain that they would bring her back. He would probably lose his position if they didn't!

"No," Byakuya said. Renji stopped immediately, but still glaring at Ichigo. Byakuya continued speaking, "A while ago, Ichigo Kurosaki, you made me realize that the rules weren't everything. I was ready to kill my own sister, I believed in them so firmly. But you realize, if I do this, it is one rule that I can't bend or break. If Central 49 ever finds out that I had Rukia in my grasp, and let her go, I would be stripped of my Captain's position and would be put in jail."

Ichigo didn't speak, he couldn't. When Renji had kicked him, he had broken several ribs, and it felt as though one of them had ripped open his lung.

"If it had been Hisana, I would be doing exactly what you are doing now."

Ichigo managed one last word before the blackness washed over him. He didn't know what Byakuya would do. He didn't think he would let Rukia go. Maybe make her sentence lighter, but not let her go.

"Please . . ."

In case you didn't get it, Ichigo was asking Byakuya "What if it was you and Hisana in me and Rukia's position? What would you do?"

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