Rukia remained trapped in her unconscious state until the darkness began to finally dissolve around her. Her vision returned, albeit a little blurry at first, and she tried to lift her head a little but a sudden rush of pain tore through her senses and urged her to remain as still as possible. Her whole body ached as if she had just been trampled by a stampede of horses and her wrists felt uncomfortably raw as if they had been rubbed together with sandpaper. However, none of the aches on her body could compare to the powerful throbbing of her head.

Rukia's limp body was slumped over the muscular shoulder of a tall, robust man in a police uniform. The irritation of her wrists, Rukia realized, was caused by a tight rope that had both hands tightly bound to one another behind her back. Perplexed by her surroundings, she winced from the pressure in her stomach as she stared at the footprints the man's feet had left on the snow-covered ground. Why was she tied up and hoisted over a man's shoulder like she was nothing more than a sack of potatoes?!

Memories from the day's earlier events finally managed to creep their way back into Rukia's consciousness as she suddenly became aware of her current predicament.

She was going to be sacrificed to the Ice Dragon.

She quickly tried to shake off her lethargic disposition as she tried to yank her wrists free from the rope but her attempts at breaking away were futile. A hand harshly gripped her rear as the rugged voice of an irritated man growled at her.

"Quit yer' movin'," the policeman snorted as his teal colored eyes narrowed at the girl slung over his shoulder. Even though she weighed about as much as a small child, the girl was still tiny and nimble enough to slip between his hands if he didn't keep his guard up.

Realizing that she was being held as a prisoner, she began to fight against the hands that held her in place. "Unhand me this instant, you filthy dirtbag!" Rukia shouted as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. He was far superior to her in strength and height but her violent squirming caused him to nearly lose his footing and drop her in the snow.

"I said quit movin', you crazy bitch!" the officer shouted again, this time with more ferocity in his voice, as he struggled to keep himself steady.

"LET ME GO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Rukia howled back, her legs ferociously kicking in the air. One particular kick managed to collide with the man's cheek, causing him to detonate in a fury of curse words and threats. If Rukia could manage to land another direct kick to his jaw, she just might be able to break free of him long enough for her to dash away.

All of the commotion caught the attention of Kisuke Urahara as he lead a small crowd of people towards a large forest that awaited them a few feet ahead. With a heavy sigh, he shook his head in disappointment as he stepped away from his followers to take matters into his own hands. "Is there a problem, Officer Grimmjow?" the mayor asked calmly as he approached the boisterous officer and the feisty woman.

Urahara's chilling voice not only caught the attention of the police officer but it also stunned Rukia, too, as her jaw clenched tightly in anger at the very sight of the despicable blonde man with the stupid, green-striped hat. "N-No, your honor! It's just that this little brat won't quit tryin' to get away. She fuckin' kicked me!" Officer Grimmjow quickly replied as he took advantage of her stupefied reaction to reach up and use both arms to restrain her. Trying to hold her was almost as hard as trying to hold onto to a wiggling fish—she just kept trying to slip away out of his fingers like the grimy beast she was!

Urahara watched the blue haired policeman scramble to keep the fierce girl trapped within his grasp. It was a rather silly sight to see the tall and brawny Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez desperately try to subdue such a small, scrawny woman. That Rukia Kuchiki was certainly putting up a good fight! He had to commend her on her efforts but this was no time to be dawdling around.

With a quick thrust of his arm, Urahara jabbed his fist into Rukia's solar plexus. All of the air was instantly knocked out of Rukia's lungs as nothing more than a mere grunt was expelled from her lips. Pain surged through her as her vision began to be shrouded in another cloud of black mist. All the fight in her was instantly sucked away as she crumpled down into Officer Grimmjow's arms, falling completely limp and helpless.

"It doesn't take much to restrain a child, Officer Grimmjow. You should know that by now," Urahara chimed in with a playful grin upon his lips. His smile; however, didn't quite reach the cold, threatening glare that urged Grimmjow to quit fooling around for possibility that he, too, might receive a firm beating.

The officer with the cobalt hair simply gawked at the mayor for ruthlessly punching the Dragon Priestess in the gut without thinking twice about it. "Y-yes sir," Grimmjow grumbled as he looked down at the unconscious woman in his arms, almost feeling sorry for her. Almost. That rough kick to his jaw kept him from presenting her with any real pity but she was still just a kid…

"We're finally at Hallowed Forest," Urahara said quietly as he walked alongside Grimmjow, keeping a close eye on Rukia in case she decided to wake up with much vigor once again. His mahogany eyes gazed out at the tall trees marking the entrance of the town's famous forest. Endless acres of woods surrounded the corners of Karakura Town and very few hikers dared to venture into them too deep.

Hallowed Forest had coined its name amongst the townspeople of Karakura Town for being the final resting place of the yearly sacrifices. The ritual of offering the Ice Dragon a human sacrifice had existed for centuries since the early ages of the town's establishment in the late 1700's. According to the elders, the dragon used to retrieve the sacrifice himself and reveal his godly form to his followers. No one had seen the Ice Dragon in the past seventy years and Urahara couldn't help but curse his young age.

Oh, how he would have loved to revel in the majestic gleam of the dragon's scales and gaze upon his incandescent wings in person. As mayor, he could only hope that he would someday be granted the chance to be graced by the dragon's physical presence, just as his ancestors before him did.

It truly was discouraging that the dragon had gone into hiding for nearly seventy-two years. No one knew why he decided to remain out of sight and it made it all the more difficult to conceal the secret operations going on within the walls of Karakura Town from the rest of the world. The younger generation was far too imprudent when it came to preserving the religious traditions of dragon-worshipping and if any outsiders caught wind that human sacrifices were being made, it would undoubtedly be catastrophic for the town. Luckily, Hallowed Forest was the perfect place to offer tribute to the dragon. According to the prophecies passed down from the elders of the town, the dragon was said to have taken refuge deep within the depths of the woods.

For the past seventy years, the city council has banished their divine sacrifice into the woods in hopes that the Ice Dragon would find favor in their offering and humbly accept it. Year after year, the sacrifices had accepted their fates and spent the rest of their short days in the Hallowed Forest. Bodies have never been found and there was even a special unit designed specifically to patrol the edges of the forest to ensure that the tributes never escaped the clutches of the dragon. The sacrifices were left at the dragon's mercy so that the town as a whole could be spared from calamity for another year. The elderly or newborn infants often made the most ideal choices as an offering to keep any suspicions at bay about any yearly disappearances of Karakura Town residents but the city council had grown fearful that the dragon would eventually grow bored with such mundane offerings. The idea of having a Dragon Priest or Priestess was a newer phenomenon that had started in the early 1980's and it provided the dragon with a wider diversity in human oblation. The only down side to it was that it had been rather difficult to conceal the death records of the priests/priestesses to the rest of the world…

Keeping the secret of the sacrifice had been of the utmost importance for all of Karakura Town's residents. Strict rules had been put into place for centuries and as times progressed, the rules had to be enforced even tighter. Residents were not permitted to move away under any circumstance; should they try, execution was inevitable. When a child reached the age of eighteen, they were to be taught the truth behind the Ice Dragon lore; those who showed signs of opposition were to be punished as criminals. Outsiders were permitted into the town but revealing any dire information to them was punishable by death for both parties.

It was a rough way to live but it was how the town managed to survive. People were oddly compliant with the way things were run; too many accidents in the past had warned the citizens against attempting to rise against the city council. Plus, it wasn't as if the city council was flat-out cruel to their beloved natives. As gratitude for following the rules, the city council safeguarded its people by ensuring that everyone had an adequate job and that the town's finances were distributed evenly amongst the townspeople so that no one faced financial hardship. Every single person in the town had food, shelter, and a comfortable lifestyle.

As long as they didn't step out of line, the city council would continue to provide them with everything they could possibly need to spend their days happily within the walls of Karakura Town.

A female voice tore Urarahara from his thoughts. "Urahara-san, the child is waking up again," interrupted a very calm Yoruichi as she stood beside him, her violent hair whipping around her face in the wind's current.

He had been so occupied in mulling over thoughts of the town's erratic ways of praising their deity that he had almost entirely forgotten the matter at hand. His gaze slid over to the dazed Rukia who was still detained by the arms of Officer Grimmjow. Urahara felt a little guilty for punching her so roughly to silence her; her expression of utter defeat and surrender was quite pitiful. After all, he didn't want to bruise the dragon's meat in case the dragon was picky about how presentable his food was.

"Ah, yes," Urahara replied to his comrade with a malicious smirk. "Let's send her off with a prayer of good fortune to the town. May we continue to find our place in the dragon's good graces!"

Officer Grimmjow released his tight grip on the frail girl and set her down. Her feet were instantly met with the cold kiss of the snow on the ground as it graced her sandals and seeped into her thin socks. Rukia staggered a bit like a wobbly fawn learning how to walk and her tremors made it even more difficult to stand. Her stomach swelled with clambering pain and her head was spinning faster than before. She felt like a battered up rugby player who had been knocked down one too many times during the game and was now on his last leg. Everything around her was blurry and even the blue haired officer standing guard beside her looked to be nothing more than a blob of floating colors. It literally took everything she had to keep herself from vomiting on Officer Grimmjow's polished black boots.

Kisuke signaled for the crowd of people following him to stay where they were at a safe distance in case things got ugly. He took his sweet, precious time in advancing towards Rukia with his chin held high in a pompous manner. Rukia tried focus her eyesight on the mayor while struggling to ignore the dizziness that threatened to swallow her body whole.

Even though every fiber of her being seared with agonizing pain, the ireful woman still succeeded in directing a cold glare at the heartless man. Not even the snow beneath her feet was as icy as the stare she shot at him as she compiled all the anger and hatred she could muster into those piercing eyes of hers.

"You…You bastard," she grunted, wishing for nothing more than to return that ghastly punch to the gut that he had so graciously inflicted on her only moments ago. "You won't get away with this!"

Amused by her fiery spirit, Urahara quirked a slender brow on his forehead as a smirk crept its way along his chapped lips. "Oh? I do believe that there is no crime here for me to get away with. By offering you to the dragon, Karakura Town will be peaceful for yet another year. I can guarantee that everyone in the whole city is grateful for your humble sacrifice and no one will protest against your valiant death."

If her wrists hadn't been tightly bound by the ropes, Rukia would have lunged herself at him and clawed out his eyeballs with her fingernails. He really didn't think there was anything wrong with killing her to appease some false god! He really thought that murdering her was the answer to their little weather problem!

"Just you wait, Urahara," Rukia hissed with a voice so deep and low that it could even make the ground quiver beneath her. "You will get what's coming to you. Even if I have to come back from the grave and yank your soul to Hell with me, I will not let you get away with this."

Her words didn't even evoke so much as a smile from Urahara as his expression suddenly dropped. He tilted his chin towards the sky as he averted her penetrating glare. The clouds were gray and dreary; it would only be a matter of time until it snowed again. The air was frightfully cold and the temperature would drop even further as nightfall commenced once again, bringing ice and snow along with it.

"I'm sorry, Rukia-chan," Urahara uttered breathlessly as he continued to turn his face towards the heavens. "This is how it must be. Just because times have changed does not mean that we as humans need to change with it. As long as the Ice Dragon lives, he will require the blood of humans to remain healthy and prosper. He watches over us and guides us through everything we do. He is the reason that all of us are able to live long, healthy lives. It is by his benevolence that we haven't been entirely consumed by snow. In fact, we should be grateful that the only thing he requires is one sacrifice each year. Other dragons require a lot more than that and for that reason alone, we should all be grateful to him."

Rukia's shoulders fell forward as her death glare melted into a look of devastation. There was no point in fighting him. There was just no getting through to him. He actually believed dragons existed and he had the townspeople so far up his ass than even they, too, believed in mythical creatures.

Tears began to well up in her eyes, partially from the jabbing pain in her stomach and head and partially from the vanishing hope within her spirit. The blue haired officer grabbed Rukia gently by the arm as he escorted her over to the edge of the trees. Rukia couldn't find the strength to fight against him anymore; her tiny arm muscles just couldn't compare to the girth of his burly arms and the last thing Rukia wanted was to be pummeled by another fist.

"That's a good girl," Urahara said with a rueful gleam in his eyes as Rukia passed by him. "We're all indebted to you."

She had no words to say to him. He was an insane man and not even years of therapy could cure the illness of his mind. As Rukia neared the edge of the woods, she noted just how tall the trees were. As a child, she used to look out at the boundless sea of trees from her bedroom window at the Kuchiki Inn. She had always wondered why it was forbidden for children to go near the Hallowed Forest and even tourists were advised to steer clear from it. Her classmates had always joked that there were monsters living in the forest, ready to snatch away any wandering soul that dared to enter the woods.

And now here she was, about to be devoured by the maze of the trees that she had been taught to fear as a child.

Simply standing by the entrance was enough to make her knees tremble as all the breath in her lungs grew stagnant.

"What're you waitin' for? Get going, kid."

The impatient grunt of Grimmjow from behind her did little to quell the rising terror within her as she gawked at the forest, unable to move her legs as her mind screamed for her to run as far away from the woods as her scrawny legs could carry her. She couldn't calm the terror within her; the fear that death lurked right beyond the borders of the forest and that if she dared to take even so much as one tiny step into Hallowed Forest, she would be greeted by the Grim Reaper.

Don't be frightened, Rukia. This is much better than being stabbed to death. In fact, this could really play out in your favor! Just find a place to hide in the woods and then escape to the nearest town before dawn. Rukia tried to comfort herself by devising a plan of survival in her head but the officer beside her placed a rough hand on her shoulder.

"Don't even think about running away, kid. We've got security cameras lined up on all the edges of these woods. If you even think of trying to sneak away, we'll shoot you down and find another live sacrifice to feed to the dragon." His gruff voice led her to believe that there was nothing but truth to his words. With a little closer inspection, Rukia could see a tiny camera hanging on one of the nearby tree limbs on a particularly tall tree. The lens was pointed directly at Rukia, recording her every movement as she stared up at it in disgust.

"If you guys are that concerned then why don't you just kill me now?" Rukia scoffed as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. Surely not every inch of ground was covered by surveillance cameras. Maybe if she got far enough, she could find an opening that wasn't under the watchful eyes of the cameras.

Grimmjow simply shrugged before expectorating a glob of spit on the snowy grass by Rukia's feet. "If it was my choice, I'd shoot your ass right now and dump your body in the middle of the forest for the dragon to eat. Too bad the elders think the dragon only wants live offerings. But we can easily replace ya' if you decide you'd rather have a ton of bullets in your chest than be swallowed up whole by an ice-breathing beast."

Judging by his tone, he wasn't joking. She would just have to come up with another plan of escape… Maybe there were campers out there in the middle of the forest! Maybe they had a cell phone and she could call someone for help! Surely only Karakura Town residents were sucked up into all this religious, Ice-Dragon bullcrap! Surely someone from the outside would be willing to help her!

"I know what you're thinking, kiddo'," Grimmjow snorted as he leaned in close to the tiny woman, his mouth only inches from her ears. His breath smelled strongly of cigarettes and Rukia held her breath to avoid the stench. "Give it up. Don't come up with any stupid plan of escape. You're better off dead than being stuck in this hellhole of a town. Urahara's doing you a favor by killing you now so you don't spend your whole life wondering if you or your family is going to be chosen to die next. No one makes it out of Hallowed Forest alive. Just accept your fate and maybe the dragon will eat you quickly."

Was he trying to comfort her? Because it clearly wasn't working. Apparently the whole town was okay with her being the next sacrifice because they were just glad it wasn't them. If she hadn't been chosen as the Dragon Priestess this year, she would have learned about the town's secrets when she came of age. Would she, too, have simply complied with the town's laws and accepted it as their culture? Would she, too, have continued to live peacefully in her town while wondering who was going to be the next honorary guest in the Ice Dragon's tummy?

"The city council is full of nothing but raving lunatics," Rukia whispered to him, careful as to not to raise her voice in case other ears were in tune to their conversation. "You and the rest of the town could easily unload a few rounds of bullets into their skulls and this whole Ice Dragon nonsense would get washed down the drain along with them. Why don't you guys revolt against them?"

Rukia's suggestion caused a deep chuckle to escape from the back of Grimmjow's throat. The man shook his head before folding his arms over his chest. "They're more than just a few raving lunatics. They've got a whole army behind them and there are not enough people willing to go against them. Trust me—I've seen what happens to those that oppose them and it ain't pretty. Besides, I don't know about you but I'd rather not have the Ice Dragon smite me for blasphemy."

"I might have found you to be a sensible guy, Officer Grimmjow, but it seems like you believe in the Ice Dragon just as much as those psychopaths do. You're no better than them," Rukia mumbled as she stared down at the frosty ground. A few blades of grass could be seen poking their heads out from the thin layer of snow but they would soon be bathed in another thick blanket of ice soon only to be forced into hiding once again. Droplets of snow were already beginning to flurry down from the sky. Grimmjow took notice of the snow, too, and decided to drop his little chit-chat with the priestess and continue on with his mission.

"No more yacking. You better get going," the man with the aqua hair snapped as he shoved her forward.

Rukia could only wish that roots would somehow magically sprout from her feet so she didn't have to take even one step into that forest. It was dark and scary, like something out of a horror movie, and the very thought that this place was going to be her grave made her shiver from something other than the chilly wind.

"P-Please! No!" Rukia shouted as she turned on her heels to run. Grimmjow's arm shot out quicker than a bullet and seized her arm tightly to halt her movements.

"NO! I don't want to die! Please! Don't make me go!" She pleaded once again, giving one last shot at attempting to get out of this situation by crying. Had they no pity on a poor, defenseless girl?! She looked over the officer's shoulder at the small crowd of onlookers that had been watching the departure ceremony from a safe distance. "Don't let them kill me! Please! This is all insanity! You can't murder someone over some crazy cult! Please! Come to your senses!"

She kept shouting over and over in hopes that her cries would reach even one person. If at least one individual would stand against this cruelty then she could maybe get herself out of this situation and reason with the city council. Grimmjow's strong arms tried to hold her steady once again as he demanded her to shut her mouth but Rukia struggled all the more, continuing to try to reach the hearts of the townspeople as she desperately cried for help.

A couple of natives whispered amongst themselves but none dared to step out of line. Standing to the side of the small crowd were more guards of a similar ranking to Grimmjow. Unlike the officer that was holding Rukia still, these guards were fully armed with shot guns. Fully loaded shotguns.

Of course no one is going to step in. If I don't become the sacrifice then someone else would have to. They're only looking out for themselves, Rukia thought to herself as pained tears cascaded down her cheek. It was so cruel of them to idly stand by and watch a young girl get exiled into a dark and dreary forest but Rukia could hardly blame them. They probably knew that if they dared to defend her, then they would risk getting pelted with bullets.

Or maybe they would even be forced to take her place.

"Give. It. Up. If you keep making a scene, they're just going to shoot you and find another person to take your place," Grimmjow grunted dangerously as his nails dug into her arm, piercing her skin until a few drops of blood rose to the surface. Rukia cringed from the pain but she still struggled to free herself from his grasp.

She wanted to run as far from those woods as possible. Deep down she knew that the moment she stepped into Hallowed Forest, she would never be able to return. She would never be able to poke fun at Ichigo Kurosaki or enjoy chatting the days away with Orihime Inoue. She would never return to the Kuchiki Inn and she would never be able to take over the family business. She would die cold, hungry, and alone. It was the worst death imaginable…

"Please! Just shoot me already! I don't care! Just don't send me into those woods!" the petite woman screamed, her lungs burning as the frigid air dove into them. Her voice grew hoarse until her cries were nothing more than heavy sobs.

"ENOUGH!"

A loud voice boomed through the crowd, silencing the distressed whispers of the villagers. Rukia's cries also came to an abrupt halt as a figure pushed his way through the crowd, taking slow and careful steps towards the imprisoned priestess.

"Byakuya," Rukia murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

What was he doing? Why was he coming towards her? Of all the people in Karakura Town, Byakuya was the very last person she wanted to see. He betrayed her and allowed the townspeople to tie her up like some kind of criminal and deliver her as the main entrée for an imaginary dragon.

"Kuchiki-san, what are you doing?" Urahara questioned in a calm voice as he took a quick step to block the man's path to his sister. "You know you can't take her place. You're not a virgin so you're not a worthy sacrifice for the dragon."

The black haired male slowly turned to face the mayor, an apologetic expression taking over his usual bleak and empty façade. "My sister is causing a bit of a ruckus. I only wish to find a way to calm her down. It would be extremely troublesome for everyone if she refused to offer herself to the dragon and tried to run."

Urahara, perplexed by Byakuya's soft voice and worried eyes, simply nodded his head. "If she keeps struggling and tries to run, we'll have no choice but to kill her. We can't risk her causing an uproar outside the city but sacrifices are no good to the dragon if they're already dead. If you think you can find a way to calm her down then be my guest." He stepped aside to let Byakuya pass and with a quick wave of his hand, he signaled to the nearby guards to lower their weapons.

Byakuya approached his shaking sister before calmly instructing Grimmjow to release her. "Give me a few moments alone with my sister. I will see to it that she calms down and causes no more problems for anyone," the head of the Kuchiki clan stated to the officer. With a roll of his eyes, Grimmjow shrugged and set off to stand next to the mayor. He wasn't sure if it would be all right for him to leave the girl's side but if Rukia didn't calm down after talking to her elder brother, they'd have no choice but to shoot her anyways. Why did teenage girls always cause the most problems during their final ceremony?

Rukia's hands flew up in defense as she took a step away from her older brother. "Stay back," she hissed while desperately refusing to allow her brother to see any more pitiful tears escape without her consent. "You're one of them! You knowingly gave me up and convinced me to be the Dragon Priestess! You sacrificed your own sister—your own flesh and blood—so that the Kuchiki name would be honored! You have no right to speak to me!" Her voice quaked with every syllable but she stood her ground firmly as her brother continued to stalk towards her.

In one swift movement, her brother scooped up the tiny woman in his arms and embraced her soundly. She wasn't even granted a moment's notice before his arms wrapped tightly around her shivering form but now that he was holding her, she could see that he, too, was trembling in his shoes as well.

"I'm so sorry, Rukia," he mumbled into her ear. "I'm…so sorry that it had to happen this way but I had no other choice."

His voice, cracking at the edges and full of heartfelt sorrow, was unlike anything she had ever heard from her dear brother before. The ever apathetic Byakuya never let any emotions leak into his voice but now here he was crying and dramatically holding her in his arms as tight as he could. All of this was enough to push Rukia over the edge as she broke down and wept into her brother's chest, her tears soaking his clothes. She returned the embrace and gripped onto the light fabric of his black coat.

"Please! Please don't let them send me away! I don't want to die!" she whimpered into his chest, her voice muffled by his clothing.

Instead of offering her words of solace over her death, Byakuya leaned in closer and whispered something unexpected into her delicate ear.

"I need you to listen to me, Rukia. I need you to go far into the woods. Go as deep as you can and don't stop for anything; not even for a short break. In the heart of the woods lays a mansion that not even the city council knows about," Byakuya said very quietly, continuing to press her frail body against his chest.

"W-what? I don't understand," Rukia replied but was instantly hushed as her brother continued on with his instructions.

"Look for a man named Toshiro Hitsugaya. He's the owner of the mansion. Once you find his home, tell him that you are the younger sister of Byakuya Kuchiki. He'll see to it that no harm will come to you. But you must go now! It's already getting dark and it will be far too cold for you to walk for too long and you'll freeze to death before you even reach his home." With that statement, Byakuya released his tight embrace and stood up before removing his black coat off his shoulders.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya?" Rukia repeated softly as if she was testing the name upon her lips.

With a short nod, Byakuya slipped out of his jacket and wrapped it around his sister's shoulders. "He's an old friend and he owes me a favor. Just make sure you never return to Karakura Town! If you do, nothing but death surely awaits you. In the meantime, I will work on trying to fix things here in Karakura Town and put an end to this sacrificial nonsense." He reached out to take hold of her hand gently before bringing it to his lips and presenting her with a gentle, reassuring kiss.

Rukia smiled at the soft feeling of his lips upon her hand before she drew her arm back, wiping away some of her tears and snuggling into the warmth of the coat he offered her. "Onii-sama…" she mumbled softly, trying to hold back from crying once again. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"We will meet again, Rukia. Fear not for I will one day come for you when I find a way to sever the chains of the city council. But for now, there's no more time to waste. There's a small flashlight in one of the pockets and a letter to Toshiro Hitsugaya. Use the light to guide your path and make sure you deliver the letter to him as swiftly as you can. Please go now," Byakuya implored her as the sound of approaching footsteps crunching through the snow reached his ears. Officer Grimmjow must have been given the order to break up their little "farewell party" and wrap things up. Either Rukia was going to be exiled into Hallowed Forest or she was going to be killed on the spot to make way for a more willing subject.

"But, Onii-sama! Where do I—" Rukia tried to probe him for more answers but quick shove to the shoulder towards the woods was all she needed to know that the conversation was over.

She cast one final look at her brother, eyes watering with all the gratitude and sorrow within her heart, and then she pivoted her feet and began to charge into the forest. She ignored the looming feeling of doom that strangled her heart as she pushed her way through the trees. She could feel danger and death licking at her heels but she suppressed her fears and continued on.

It was getting colder and colder by the moment. The sky was darkening and snow was falling at a quicker rate than before. She needed to find this mansion; to find this Toshiro Hitsugaya and seek his help. Byakuya must have done something extraordinarily nice for him if this man was to return such an awfully large favor to him. Her curiosity would just have to be put on hold until she could ask this Toshiro Hitsugaya herself once she located his mansion.

Although it pained her greatly to flee from the town she once loved, she at least had a sliver of hope to help her get through this large trial. She should have never doubted her brother. She should have known he wouldn't let anyone kill her and that he had a plan up his sleeve the entire time! She had to have faith that he would find a way to crush the elders of Karakura Town and put an end to the Ice Dragon lore.

She looked over her shoulder one more time to see if she could catch a glimpse of her brother's shadow but the trees and foliage were already too thick for her to see beyond more than a few feet. "Don't worry, Onii-sama. I will find this Hitsugaya and we will make sure the city council pays for what they have done!" Rukia grumbled to herself as her tears evaporated into the winter sky and a strong resolve replaced her sorrow.

"So, Kuchiki-san, you seemed to have cheered your sister up quite a bit," Urahara said to Byakuya after Rukia made a daring leap into the forest. "What on Earth did you say to her that made her change her mind about being afraid?"

Rukia had been fighting against the police officer the entire time and not even threats could ease her thrashing. Urahara's mouth twisted into a bemused grin as he placed a hand on the other male's shoulder.

Byakuya glanced at the hand touching him before he turned his gaze to face the quirky man beside him. "Nothing important. If fear alone did not work on persuading Rukia to commence with her Dragon Priestess duty, then I figured a little hope might ignite a flare within her." He reached up to remove the hand from his shoulder as he walked past the mayor and back towards the dispersing crowd.

"Hope? That's ingenious," Urahara responded as his eyes sparkled in awe at the cleverness of the other man. "Hey, come to think of it, Kuchiki-san, I hear that there might be an open slot in the city council this upcoming year. Yamamoto-san is about to retire and we need a good, strong-willed man to be a part of the team. We know you'd be a good candidate—I mean, you threw your own sister to the wolves to help keep this town safe—so what do you say?"

Byakuya regarded the blonde man with feigned interest as he smiled lightly. "I think that sounds plausible."


Toshiro paced around his room, the heels of his black boots clicking along the hardwood floor as he roamed the vicinity in circles. He probably wouldn't have bothered to cease his pointless trotting for another hour or so but a loud, impatient knock at the door brought him back to his senses.

Oh, how he hated being interrupted whenever he was lost in thought. He grinded his teeth together in irritation as he shot a glare at the door as if it were to blame. "Who dares to disturb my peace?" He knew exactly who it was; there was only one servant who was foolish enough to knock on his door after he deliberately told every one of those damn servants to not bother him for the remainder of the evening under any circumstance.

"It's me, my lord," Ukitake replied from the other side of the door. "May I come in? I need to speak with you immediately." The urgency in voice made it clear that dismissing him would be more trouble than it was worth. With a loud groan, Toshiro gave up and opened the door.

"Damn it, Ukitake, I thought I told you to not—"

"Disturb you, yes, I know, my lord. But I think you know why I'm here."

Toshiro paused and shut the door behind his servant as the tall, slender male stepped into his quarters. The soft glow of the fireplace kept the room nice and warm and Ukitake couldn't help but wonder why the Ice Dragon would even permit something as hot as fire in his room. He liked his mansion cold and musky and normally warm things appalled him. He hated eating hot food and he never even slept with blankets on. Perhaps that human body of his finally needed to be tended to? Human bodies needed to be kept at proper temperatures at all times.

"And why, pray tell, is that?" Toshiro snapped as he found himself in a worse mood than normal.

Ukitake turned his attention away from the gleaming fire and back to his white haired master. "There is a disturbance in the force," Ukitake said with a straight face. "Er, I mean, there is a disturbance in the forest."

Toshiro rolled his eyes as he brought up two fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Ukitake, you know I hate it when you make pop culture references. I thought I told you that watching excessive amounts of television was bad for your mind?"

Although he hated most human inventions, he must have been watching a good bit of television himself to catch that sneaky Star Wars insertion Ukitake had so cleverly used in an appropriate manner. "Ah, well, you see, my lord," Ukitake chimed in as the edges of his mouth pulled up into a chipper grin, "it gets awfully boring here in the mansion after all the chores have been done. I have reread almost all the books in the entire library at least two or three times and it's the same stories over and over. Oh, but television is constantly changing and provides so much entertainment—"

"Enough! Just tell me why you've so boldly dared to disturb my quiet evening…" Toshiro grumbled, trying his best to cool his augmenting temper.

"As I said before, something has disturbed the stability of Hallowed Forest. I can only assume that someone has trespassed into our woods but that is highly strange considering the fact that I placed a warding spell over all the entrances to the woods. The spell should have inflicted a great sense of fear and panic to anyone who dared to cross the border and it should have prevented any explorer from mindlessly wandering into our territory," the taller male answered, his expression growing stern as he searched his master's face for any signs of reaction.

An unsettling silence wafted between the two men until Toshiro finally decided to speak up. "That could only mean one thing then."

Ukitake nodded once. "Yes, my lord. I fear that the residents of Karakura Town have tried to offer you yet another human sacrifice and have left them to die within Hallowed Forest."

Toshiro remained still for a moment, his eyes closing as he buried himself in his thoughts. After a moment, he quickly jerked his hand in the direction of the fireplace before growling in anger. In seconds, the flames of the fireplace were obliterated and the firewood was frozen solid as spiked icicles formed around the furnace. The room instantaneously grew dim as the flames disappeared and Toshiro grinded his heel into the floor, cursing all the while.

"I thought I was clear in my demands for no more sacrifices," the Ice Dragon roared, "and they still don't fucking listen!"

Ukitake simply watched his master as he vented out his frustration on the innocent fireplace. Speaking up now would only add to his fuming anger but the butler decided to take his chances anyways. "I understand your anger; the humans are indeed murderous, insolent creatures. However, getting angry will not fix the current issue at hand."

Toshiro's sapphire eyes were as sharp as daggers as they glared at his servant through the darkness of the room. He remained motionless for a moment before straightening himself up and undoing the top button of his black, button-down shirt. Sweat was beginning to form along his throat and his tight collar was making it hard to breathe. "I know that, Ukitake. Before you barged in here like the rude vagabond that you are, I had already felt the human's presence the moment she stepped into our territory. I've been contemplating on how we should deal with this matter…"

"You needn't worry yourself over such a trivial matter, my lord. I will handle this situation myself. There is no way she will discover the mansion; I have placed far too strong of spells over this estate so that it will remain hidden to any human eyes," Ukitake reassured the other man as he bowed his head deeply in respect.

Toshiro snorted before plopping down in a nearby chair, breathing furiously through his nostrils as he thought long and hard at what the best course of action would be. It had been seventy-two years since he accepted his last offering—his last human sacrifice—and he thought he had made himself quite clear to the townspeople that he would no longer be devouring humans. He had gone seventy-two years without even so much as a nibble on human flesh and they still couldn't get it through their thick skulls that he was no longer their deity; that he was no longer their Ice Dragon.

"I hate humans so much, Ukitake," he grumbled, sinking lower into his chair.

"I know, my lord."

"They just don't listen to anything."

"I know, my lord."

"We go through this every goddamn year. Why haven't they learned anything? It's almost as if they enjoy killing eachother. Do I have to use my mighty ice powers and smite them to teach them a lesson? No, because they still wouldn't quit. They'd still try to give me some beautiful virgin to selfishly try to save themselves. They're all pathetic… It'd be better if the human race was just wiped out entirely," Toshiro sighed as he folded his hands neatly in his lap as he leaned his head against the back of his red, velvet chair.

Ukitake allowed his master to vent out his feelings for a moment before he lifted his head to speak. "My lord, those humans need you. They will keep bringing you sacrifices so you will continue to protect them. It's true, you haven't tasted human flesh in seventy-two years. I know that you swore to never even so much as sample a taste of human blood but perhaps it is time that you've reconsidered your morals. Your body is growing weak and if you don't regain your strength soon then—"

"I know!" Toshiro barked, silencing his minion as he bolted up from his chair. "I…I know. Trust me, I know." His voice softened with every word as he flicked his wrist in the direction of the fire. In seconds, the ice crystals that had solidified over the flames melted and with the snap of his fingers, the flames of the fire flickered back into existence. The spiky haired male stared down at the palm of his hand as the fire lit up the room once more, casting shadows of the two men upon the walls.

His strength had definitely dwindled over the years. Before, he could cause the strongest of blizzards to sweep across the whole country with just a quick puff of his breath. Although that was centuries ago, Toshiro could almost still feel the frost resting in his lungs. He could still make icicles form just by channeling his energy but even something as little as that drained his stamina and he was beginning to regret his little show for Ukitake as a throbbing headache reminded him to be more careful with using magic as a means to blow off steam. Not to mention the fact that he had wasted a good bit of his energy trying to cause a small snowstorm in the city large enough to disrupt the Ice Dragon festival. As upsetting as it was, he didn't have enough power to continue the snowstorm through the weekend but he had been determined to try again.

Even a tiny drop of human blood would be enough to restore an adequate amount of his power to envelop the town in a harsh winter for weeks. A small chunk of human skin would give him enough power to make it snow for months. Ah, but if he chose to eat something as precious as an organ or even the whole body, he'd be strong enough to revert back to his original, dragon form.

He missed the feeling of the wind fluttering through his wings as he flew overhead. He missed how his crystal scales glistened in the sunlight or how heavy his tail felt when he beat it against the wind's current. He missed his former body; his former self

But he threw it all away. He was no longer the Ice Dragon of Japan. He had relished that title a long time ago along with his dragon scales.

He was nothing more than a beast trapped in human's clothing. It was better for everyone this way…

"My lord?" Ukitake spoke softly as he watched his master get lost in his thoughts once again.

"If you're telling me to eat the sacrifice that the humans offered me, I will do no such thing," Toshiro declared through gritted teeth.

"But…But you're incredibly weak. Seventy-two years is far too long for a dragon to go without eating humans! It is in your nature to chew their bones and drain their blood—it's how you sustain your vitality! I understand your feelings for not wanting to eat humans anymore but this is getting out of hand. What if you die—" Ukitake tried to persuade his master but Toshiro would have none of it.

He slammed his foot on the ground before stomping over to the large window of his bedroom. He motioned his hand to the outside, displaying the icy window for his servant to see. "I don't need to eat humans to live. I made it snow earlier and it's just now picking up. Do you see now? I'm plenty strong without preserving the dragon traditions!"

He was trying so hard to prove a point to his butler but Ukitake simply stared back at him with a skeptical frown upon his lips. His master, Toshiro Hitsugaya, was normally a man of very few words. He spent most of his time cooped up in his chambers and preferred to be left alone. He never said more than two words to his servants on a daily basis and Ukitake couldn't help but feel relieved that Toshiro was comfortable enough around him to divulge his humanistic behavior in times like these. The Ice Dragon would rather his skin melt right off his bones than to allow anyone to see him act so childish but apparently he didn't care how much of his true personality Ukitake got to witness firsthand.

"You're absolutely correct. It seems I was mistaken; you are plenty strong and there's no reason for you to listen to the advice of an old man like me," Ukitake disrespectfully answered as he didn't even bother trying to mask the sarcasm of his words.

Toshiro made a mental note to himself that he would cut Ukitake's pay in half for that comment. Then again, it wasn't as if he paid him anything anyways…

"You're fired," Toshiro grunted as he turned his back on his minion only to stare out the window once again.

"There's no way you could honestly mean that, sir," Ukitake grinned.

"Just get out of here already. Leave me be," Toshiro grumbled, anxious to end this conversation with his meddling servant and resume his frantic pacing in circles around the room in silence.

The commands were clear and precise but the man with the long white hair continued to stand in the room with an unfaltering gaze that remained locked onto the back of his master's head. Realizing that Ukitake had made no attempt to leave the room, Toshiro slowly turned his head in the man's direction with a scowl. "Didn't you hear me? I told you to leave."

"What about the girl?" the butler inquired as he cleared his throat and straightened up his shoulders.

"Girl? What girl?" Toshiro asked himself as his mind went completely blank for a moment as to who Ukitake was referring to.

Oh, right. The girl that wandered into my forest. The sacrifice.

"You seem to be very forgetful these days, my lord. Perhaps you need to drink some human blood and regain your youth," Ukitake teased but instantly snapped his mouth shut after a sharp glare from the other side of the room demanded he cease his childish antics.

Choosing to ignore his servant's former statement, Toshiro remained quiet for a moment as he pondered on what he should do about the sacrifice. It would be easier if he just left her out there to freeze; it wasn't as if she was his problem. He never asked for the townspeople to donate her body to satisfy his appetite and he hadn't even spoken to them in over seventy years. Everything that correlated to the sacrificing of random villagers was none of his concern anymore; if they were bloodthirsty enough to murder their own people once a year then that was their own problem they needed to resolve—not his.

"Shall I take care of this matter once again, my lord?" Ukitake asked as he broke the silence between them.

Toshiro refused to meet the eyes of his butler as he focused on the falling snow outside his mansion. His plans to ruin the winter festival had fallen through; he just wasn't strong enough to make a snowstorm last throughout the week. But perhaps if he tried hard enough again, he could make the current snow flurry thicken into a blizzard strong enough to knock out their electricity and block the roads. If he could somehow prove to them that he had no desire for any trivial offerings then maybe they would stop sentencing their people to death in his name. Both hands gripped tightly onto the window sill until his knuckles began to grow whiter than the hair on his head.

Such a sadistic race of people aren't worthy enough to live on my mountain.

He continued to seethe in silence until he decided to address the patient butler awaiting his orders.

"I'm going to freeze the town; make them suffer for a little while. I have just enough strength to make a blizzard strong enough to make them understand my wrath," Toshiro proclaimed as a smirk made its way upon his thin lips. "As for the girl, you may do whatever you wish. Kill her, save her, eat her…I couldn't care less."

Those were just the commands he wanted to hear. Ukitake bowed his head so low that a curtain of white hair fell over his face as he did so. "Then I shall handle the matter of this sacrifice in the same way that I have done to the others in the past seventy-two years."

"Fine," was all Toshiro needed to say to signal that no more words were going to be exchanged between them for the time being. Ukitake politely took his leave and left Toshiro to be once again enveloped in the silence of his bedroom. The crackling of the fire provided the only sounds in the room as the wind began to pick up outside.

There was no denying that Ukitake was right; he was horribly weak for a dragon. And still, something burned within his soul that gleamed brighter than the flames of his fireplace and was twice as scorching: his hatred towards the people of Karakura Town.

If they wanted their precious Ice Dragon to listen to their prayers then he would gladly oblige to their request and prove that he was, in fact, listening to them.

He would show them a blizzard like no other.