Wrote this before the Thanksgiving time where I won't be able to. Sorry that it is so short Q~Q

Two hours since Ichigo had brought Mutsuko back into the clinic and the girl had been unsconscious the entire time. He watched as his dad had checked to make sure nothing had been damaged worse than just her skin, surprised that Mutsuko didn't even stir that Ichigo almost wondered if she was dead.

But no, she was still breathing. She had to have been running on adrenaline and fear to remain conscious as long as she had. His dad banished him into the house so that he could continue treating Mutsuko, only allowing him and his sisters back there once Mutsuko had some guazes on her arms and a splint on her left ankle.

"Who is she anyway, Ichigo?" asked Karin as she looked up at her older brother. Ichigo scratched the back of his head before sighing heavily. "She's a friend of Orihime's," he answered. "

Yuzu, holding an ice pack in her hand, winced at the bruise on Mutsuko's pale cheek and Ichigo could only imagine her reaction to the bruise on her eye. Ichigo himself could barely stomach down the sight. It caused tendrils of unease to rise in the orange-haired male, the stalks winding around his heart fast. Yuzu stepped forward to the left side of the medical cot where Mutsuko laid unconscious, her eyes brimming with tears before she gently pressed the ice pack against Mutsuko's left eye. Ichigo could only imagine what Yuzu was feeling, seeing so much pain on a girl that looked no older than her brother.

A sharp intake of breath drew his attention as Mutsuko's fingers twitched against the linen sheets. Yuzu withdrew for just a moment as Mutsuko pushed herself up, her arms trembling from either pain or exertion, strands of brown hair falling in front of her eyes. She slowly moved her head, taking in her location with hazy eyes, blinking at her bandages owlishly. It was strange; before she fell unconscious on the way, Ichigo made her aware she was getting treated in his family's clinic. Yet here she was, not barely even aware, like she didn't know.

Karin was at Yuzu's side in a blink of an eye, her hands on Yuzu's shoulders to gently pull her away from Mutsuko. Ichigo, on the other hand, drew her attention of him. "How are you feeling?"

Mutsuko blinked at him, a flicker of recognition in her dark eyes. "You..." she murmured softly. "You were the one who pulled me back..."

"That's right." He nodded. "You were about to throw yourself in front of a train." The words sent shards of ice through his veins, the question of what would have happened if he and his friends hadn't been walking by to see her where she was. Mutsuko's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion and Ichigo felt his heart weighing heavily inside of him at how much pain she must be feeling in that eye of hers. "My dad fixed you up after I brought you here from Orihime's a few hours ago. Remember?" he told her.

"When was I...?" A frown crossed Mutsuko's visage, brows drawn in confusion as she raised a hand to her forehead. "Strange, I don't..."

"You can't tell me you don't-" began Ichigo crossly, and at the darkening frown on Mutsuko's face was when he realized it. There was no recollection in her eyes at the memory. "...Sorry. What do you remember?"

"The train crossing. Hearing the train coming. And...you." Mutsuko bit down on her lip as her left hand slowly enclosed over her right wrist and Ichigo remembered. He grabbed her and yanked her back by the wrist, effectively shocking them both. "You saved me...why?"

"Why did you want to die?" The words were out before Ichigo could stop himself and Mutsuko averted her eyes, her shoulders rising up to her ears. She was clamming up, withdrawing into her pallor shell and shutting him out.

"Ichigo," whispered Yuzu. "I think she should rest…"

Mutsuko said nothing, a sign that she really was done talking. Despite that, Ichigo wasn't going to throw her out. Not until he got an answer out of her. "Take care of her, Yuzu," he told his sister briskly.

Those deathly eyes flew to his before he turned his back and walked away.

"What was that?"

Not even two minutes into his room and Rukia was already on his ass. Ichigo glared at the female Soul Reaper from where he sat on his bed. "What do you mean?"

"Your behavior towards the girl currently in your father's clinic. He and Yuzu were urging her to eat and she refused. What did you do to make her close up?" asked Rukia sternly, crossing her arms.

Ichigo gritted his teeth. Of course it was about that. "I asked her a simple question."

"And that was?"

"Why she was about to throw herself in front of a train."

"Why on earth would you ask her that!" Rukia's stern tone of voice, while she used it a lot, surprised Ichigo in this context. She only saw Mutsuko once and the fact that her aura screamed in irritation at Ichigo, he couldn't ponder why.

"What's your problem?" he asked.

"Why would you ask her that when she doesn't trust you enough to give the answer?" snapped Rukia. "You've seen it yourself, that girl is scared out of her mind! Being invasive isn't going to get her to open to you!"

"She opened to Orihime enough, maybe I can ask her what Mutsuko's deal is," suggested Ichigo irritably. He didn't like going behind Mutsuko's back to get information instead of (probably gently for once) asking her, but she wasn't talking. Rukia had a point that the girl didn't trust him, but she trusted Orihime enough to probably tell her what was happening. It was an option he had. However, his mind contradicted the idea. Orihime was trustworthy. If Mutsuko told Orihime anything, then Orihime was keeping her mouth shut.

The sound of rapid footfall echoed from outside of his room before his door burst open. Yuzu stood in the threshold, panting heavily. "Ichigo..."

"Yuzu? What's wrong?" Ichigo frowned. He knew his sister could be overreactive at times in comparison with Karin.

"I-It's Mutsuko-san!"

Whether Yuzu said more or Rukia interrupted her, Ichigo wasn't sure. A deathly wail, one only the spiritually aware could hear, shattered the calm. Ichigo caught Rukia's eyes before Rukia nodded. "Go downstairs, make sure everyone is safe," she ordered. Ichigo was already being tugged by Yuzu, whose head was turned back to the hall right as Rukia emerged from her gigai and jumped out of Ichigo's window.

Yuzu pulled Ichigo down the stairs hard in her concern for the stranger currently in their care. Once they were in the family room, Ichigo's eyes fell on Mutsuko standing in front of the glass sliding doors, her left leg trembling from, likely, her putting her weight on the sprain. Her back was to them and Karin was frowning.

Ichigo directed his attention to his other sister. "What is she looking at?"

"I don't know, but she hasn't moved. Just came out here looking like a zombie and she's...just standing there." Karin's voice was a whisper, something Ichigo was unused to. Karin was rarely spooked; something about Mutsuko set her on edge.

Ichigo walked toward her, his guard up. The last time he was in close proximity with her in the clinic, she was struggling to free herself by trying to beat him. "Hey, what are you looking at?"

Silence was the response he recieved and a light shiver raced up his spine in droves when he heard another deathly wails he recognized. The Hollow sounded way too close.

Mutsuko slowly lifted a bandaged hand, laying it against the glass, her attention fixated on the other side. Frowning, Ichigo tentatively placed a hand on Mutsuko's shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern creeping into his voice. The concern only grew, coating his throat, when Mutsuko didn't even stir, barely gave a flinch. Her entire composure was of an eerie calm, not even her fingers twitched. The only movement was the tremble of her left leg.

Ichigo strained his ears, frustration brewing within him now. He didn't like having Rukia battle a Hollow by herself in case there was more than one; however, he could no longer hear the wailing of it, but could still feel a faint spiritual pressure.

Mutsuko's hand fell from the glass and, just as suddenly, the reiatsu vanished. The sound of movement upstairs could only mean Rukia returned from slaying the Hollow. Ichigo frowned, unease settling into his mind like a stone in a river. While he no longer heard the Hollow (which are particularly noisy in battle to the spiritually aware), the strange lingering of spiritual pressure that could only belong to a Hollow hovered in the air before he turned his eyes back to Mutsuko.

She was looking at him now, her left leg raised slightly from the floor as if she had it that way the entire time. She blinked at him owlishly, even as Yuzu ambled over, fussing. His frown darkening, Ichigo lowered his voice. "Did you hear that?"

Two heartbeats was all it took for Mutsuko to slowly, almost eeriely doll-like, tilt her head before she answered, her voice lighter than the air they breathed.

"Did you want me to?"