Hello. The people who reviewed are clever and awesome. The people who didn't review but still got it right are still clever and awesome. So basically, most of you are clever and awesome.

Thank God no one who reviewed thought she was pregnant, of all things. Sadly, I cannot say the same for people I know personally...

(What the hell?!)

Anyway... allons-y!

Six

'But… shouldn't we see Kisuke? I mean, it's not exactly the same as what Ichigo was dealing with,' Orihime murmurs as she and Rukia approach their destination. 'This is different- it's your two dead friends living inside your head.'

'That's the initial reason I didn't want to tell Ichigo,' Rukia answers, barely catching herself from saying, 'And his Hollow.' She takes a deep breath. 'I thought, It's not the same situation. I won't be able to deal with it in the same way. And I wasn't even sure if I wanted to deal with it. I loved Homura and Shizuku like they were my own siblings. The fact that they're still sort of alive…' Rukia smiles wearily. 'It made me overjoyed. But I was scared too. They still hate Soul Reapers, even though as they lay dying they had practically come to accept that that parasitic Hollow was to blame for what happened in the past, not the Soul Society.'

'So they've been in your head this whole time? That event with Homura and Shizuku happened almost two years ago,' Orihime says.

'Something that Kurotsuchi did awakened them,' Rukia says quietly.

'But you said he injected Hollow blood-'

'When we told you and Uryu and Chad about why everyone- including the three of you- had briefly forgotten Ichigo and I,' Rukia interrupts, 'we mentioned that two of my long-dead friends had returned and had erased me from everyone's memories. And because Ichigo's Soul Reaper powers had awakened when I leant him my power a long time ago, you all forgot him as well. We told you that Homura and Shizuku caused havoc in the Soul Society, but Ichigo was finally able to defeat them and I stayed with them as they were dying.'

'Isn't… isn't that the whole story?'

Rukia sighs. 'They… merged spirits with me. I became a Vizored, briefly, but without a mask. I was possessed by the parasitic Hollow that had latched onto their souls and had finally entered mine.'

'So… are you saying that there's a Hollow inside you as well as Homura and Shizuku?' Orihime questions, her eyes wide.

Rukia is silent for a while as they continue down the road, thinking deeply about the answer she should give. 'That Hollow was destroyed,' she says finally. 'The parasitic Hollow is gone.'

Orihime smiles. 'Well, that's good, isn't it? You're just dealing with the siblings, not a Hollow!'

'That's what I thought, too,' Rukia says sadly. 'When I came to you yesterday, I was under that impression. But I had a dream last night…'

'Here again?' Rukia murmurs.

The air around her is pitch black, but now she is confident that she is definitely standing on something solid. She spins around slowly, trying to see if there is any light in any direction, other than this ebony void.

'Rukia…' breathes Homura's voice, somewhere nearby. Almost as if the voice is sounding inside the petite Kuchiki's head.

'Homura?' Rukia says. 'Where are you?'

'We're here, Rukia. We're always here,' Shizuku puts in, his voice echoing around her, confusing her senses. But it still sounds as if the voice is bouncing around inside her head. Maybe they're not actually here.

Please let them be here…

'Shizuku!' Rukia gasps. 'Why can't I see you both?'

'We're not… the same anymore,' Homura answers. 'We're dead, Rukia.'

'I know,' Rukia moans. 'But you're still alive here, right?'

'We've been dead a long time,' Shizuku replies quietly.

'No… you're still here.'

'We're memories, Rukia,' Homura continues. 'We've imparted our final gift to you. You will be safe. We're keeping you safe.'

Is it Rukia or are their voices fading from her head?

'Born to oppose the Soul Society…' Shizuku breathes.

'No,' Rukia whispers. 'No. Don't leave me. Homura… Shizuku… Please! Homura! Shizuku! NO!'

'Don't worry about it,' comes another voice, this one cold and watery. 'They can't hear you. They're gone. You've- just- got- me.' The last few words uttered are sing-song and a little mocking. 'Can you cope with that… Queen?'

The darkness has faded away and Rukia is left in her inner world. She gets it now. She completely understands it, and she wishes it could be any other way. She races through the snowy forest, looking everywhere for… It. No, not it. Her.

'I'm sorry!' she calls. 'I understand this! Homura and Shizuku placed you here in the hope of protecting me. They created you for that reason alone. But you've been here almost two years, with my memories, and your life is lost. And so now you must hate me instead.'

Laughter, almost childlike in innocence, echoes from tree to tree.

'I know you used to be me,' Rukia continues. 'Please, come out! I can help you! I helped Ichigo's inner Hollow, and I can do the same for you! You're a part of me, as you were once Rukia Kuchiki, with my life. I understand that. You still are Rukia, just like I am.'

'Hee hee…' the laughter continues, ringing through the forest.

It will be so hard to find her, Rukia thinks. All this snow drifting down, including the snow already on the ground, will just help her camouflage. She must blend in completely here.

'Let me help you…'

'Why should I need help?' comes the reply, taunting and icy at the same time. 'I know what I need to do, even if you don't get it, Queen.' She puts a large amount of emphasis on the last word.

'Please,' Rukia begs, twisting around fearfully. All she can see are the trees with their branches covered in snow. There! Movement behind a clump of twigs. A strand of pale white hair, dancing through the cold air to hide behind a tree. Rukia pushes her way through a deep patch of snow, desperate to find the one behind the tree.

'Sode no Shirayuki. Please help me,' Rukia begs quietly, wondering where her zanpakutô is.

'She does not obey you alone,' laughs the voice in hiding.

'Show yourself!' Rukia cries. 'Hating me is not going to solve anything! I told you- I can help you!'

The only reply she gets is that cold, twisted laughter.

'So… you are dealing with an inner Hollow,' Orihime says finally once Rukia has explained everything.

'Which is why we're going to see the Vizoreds,' Rukia puts in.

'To… defeat it, right?' Orihime says uncertainly.

'She's a she, Orihime,' Rukia murmurs.

'Rukia.' The bigger girl stops, causing the smaller to halt as well. Orihime rests a comforting hand on Rukia's shoulder. 'You… you're not thinking you can reason it it- her, I mean? We discovered that… Ichigo's Hollow was lying about his creation, remember?' Orihime looks awkward, as if not wanting to remind Rukia of their previous situation with Hollow Ichigo. It's not in Orihime's nature to decide whether a creature is evil, but after what Ichigo's Hollow did…

While Orihime contemplates this, Rukia is trying to decide whether to tell Orihime the truth about what really happened with Hollow Ichigo. Of all of Rukia's friends that live in the human world, after Ichigo and his Hollow, Orihime is probably the one Rukia would like to trust with the knowledge of the truth. In the Soul Society, Rukia can think of few that she can trust. She would love to say that Byakuya would be the one to tell, but she knows that's entirely not true. Same goes for Renji, especially since he's always hated Hollow Ichigo. Momo, maybe. She generally means well, like Orihime. But right now, Rukia is not even sure she should tell the orange-haired girl.

Oh well. She might as well try.

'Ichigo's inner Hollow… was helping us all along.'

Orihime blinks. 'What?'

'He stabbed Ichigo to make it look like he had betrayed us,' Rukia continues. 'When, in actual fact, he had done it so that the Soul Society would forgive us and believe that we were innocent.'

She is glad to see that Orihime seriously seems to believe her. 'So… he wasn't even a double agent… he was more like a triple agent? Like Serverus Snape in Harry Potter?' Orihime looks rather excited with how her imagination has made a comparison.

'Um… yeah… sure,' Rukia mutters, not having read the Harry Potter books because they only exist in the human world and not in the Soul Society. Trust Orihime and her imagination. She smiles at that. Orihime really can be quite childish.

'But… he's dead, though,' Orihime says, her smile fading. 'That's so sad…'

Rukia grins. 'If you were to walk into Ichigo's bedroom, right at this very minute… given that it's a weekend, you'll probably find Ichigo completing homework at his desk with a small white cat plushie sitting beside him, taunting him about the incorrect answers that Ichigo is scribbling down.'

'He's alive?'

'We smuggled the pill out of Hueco Mundo. He and Ichigo take it in turns going to school. But you can't tell anyone.'

Orihime nods. 'I understand. Your secret's safe with me.'

'The hell do you think you're doing here?' Hiyori hisses the minute she has opened the door the Vizored's warehouse.

'Nice greeting,' Rukia sniffs, although she can understand why. After her last encounter with Hiyori, she imagines the blond girl probably holds a grudge against her and Momo.

'Okay. The Kuchiki princess and the princess by name. What's the reason for the royal visit?' Hiyori mocks.

'Get out the way,' Rukia mutters, pushing past Hiyori with Orihime following nervously behind. The orange-haired girl shoots a tentative smile at Hiyori, and the blonde returns the expression with an angry scowl instead.

'Miss Inoue! And Lieutenant Kuchiki!' Shinji exclaims, sitting up straight on the Vizored's sofa. 'To what do we owe the pleasure?'

'Why aren't you in the Soul Society, Captain Hirako?' Rukia asks.

'I just came for a visit,' Shinji says, lazily stretching out. 'To be honest, I was sent out here to see if I could find you during your disappearance. Your brother and Captain Ukitake were quite insistent about it.'

Rukia feels a warm glow inside, a happy feeling she gets whenever she is informed of her brother caring or worrying about her. 'But I'm back now,' she continues nevertheless. 'Should you go back?'

'I'm sure Momo can handle the squad while I'm away,' Shinji replies, sounding as if he hasn't got a worry in the world. 'So why are you two lovely ladies visiting?'

'Quit flirting, Shinji,' Hiyori snaps as she walks past Rukia and Orihime.

'Are you jealous?' Shinji asks her.

'In your dreams, baldy!'

'They're nice here, aren't they?' Rukia says sarcastically to Orihime, making the other girl smile awkwardly.

'Hachi's quite nice,' Orihime murmurs. 'He helped fix Tsubaki for me.'

'So, why are you here?' Hiyori demands, spinning around to face the two girls.

'Okay… this could take a while.' Rukia walks over to the corner and pulls up a couple of chairs for herself and Orihime. The two sit down and Rukia continues, 'So, I'm sure you're all perfectly aware of how Hiyori's inner Hollow took control the other night.'

'How do you know about that?' Hiyori snarls.

Rukia shrugs. 'Ichigo's Hollow told me.'

Shinji looks completely calm. 'So, our suspicions are correct. He really is still alive.'

'Yes, and that first story he told us all was the truth,' Rukia carries on. She tells Shinji and the other Vizored the same story that told Orihime.

'You realise that he's probably still lying,' Hiyori says.

Rukia frowns at her. 'He's not. Our inner Hollows really are what he told us they are. They all deserve to be released. I'm sure I've made that clear.'

Shinji nods thoughtfully. 'Okay, I can understand why you think that. I can even believe that it may be true. What I don't get is why you say 'our' inner Hollows. As if you have one as well.'

Rukia hesitates, before saying, 'As I said, I think I made myself perfectly clear.'

The creature has watched for so long.

The dying wishes of Homura and Shizuku echo within her head, but they are almost forgotten. The memories of her past also become distant, as if it is no longer relevant. She can't say that she's particularly desperate to get her life back, as it was in two ways tragic intertwining to become the same sad story.

Rukia Kuchiki, the one whose appearance she shares, has no idea that she exists. Well, she barely exists as it is. She is not like other inner Hollows, as she was not born the same way. On the outside, the two times when she managed to control the body, her hair is lilac and her eyes are too. But here, only her eyes remain the same.

Black sclera and lilac irises watch as Rukia trudges through the deep snow of the inner world, desperate to find the creature. The Soul Reaper seems frantic and rather distressed as she calls out to the creature. Laughing under her breath, the creature jumps from branch to branch, watching Rukia struggle to make her way through the snow.

'I can help you,' Rukia calls, violet eyes trying to find the creature. 'There's no need to hate me or anyone else. I know who you are, and what has happened to you.'

You couldn't be more wrong, Dark Rukia thinks, smiling. Poor, poor Rukia…

They should have Harry Potter in the Soul Society. Speaking of Harry Potter, I recently received a complaint about the way I use speech marks, how I use one (') instead of two ("). Well, I do it because it's instinctive for me. J. K. Rowling gets away with it. So does Rick Riordan. And Erin Hunter, and Malorie Blackman, and Chris Riddle, and lots of other famous authors. It's obviously a valid way of using speech marks, so what's the problem?