Long Way Home: A Desperate Tale of Survival

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any characters. We should know this by now.


Priorities

"Renji!" Rukia shouted, grabbing the grate with both hands. "What is he doing here?! He should be with my brother!" She furiously began tugging at the grate, making bits of dirt fall off it.

Ichigo was taken completely by surprise. Seeing Rukia so frantic was shocking to him, having only seen her as the calm and logical warrior that he'd come to know. Without thinking he grabbed and pulled her away from the grate, slapping his hand over her mouth. She struggled to break free, eyes focused on the grate.

"Calm down!" Ichigo whispered furiously, "You need to start thinking straight or we going to get caught!"

All at once, Rukia's struggles ceased and she slowly began taking in large breaths through her nose. Ichigo pulled his hands away and let her push off him, her eyes still focused on the grate. He watched her slowly approach it from the side and glance around the room. His face hardened and he turned back to head down the tunnel.

"We need to hurry."

A hand grabbed his leg and he was surprised when Rukia pulled and actually stopped him from advancing. He turned to see her glaring and gritting her teeth at him.

"I'm not going. I refuse to leave Renji," she pointed to the grate and continued, "Help me get this off."

As she reached up to try to pry it loose, Ichigo grabbed her hand and pulled her away. "Are you crazy?! There's nothing we can do for him now! Besides, he's the one who rushed the checkpoint like a madman trying to—".

Rukia tore free and punched him in the face. The force of her fist actually bent his nose a bit and blood oozed from his nostril. Before he could collect himself, Rukia grabbed his robes and shook him violently.

"I don't care that I owe you for saving my life, I won't let you talk about Renji like that!" She stopped shaking him but held him close to her face, "Even if he's a fool for rushing the checkpoint, the fact is that he came here to find me! And I won't leave him to die for—".

She suddenly stopped when Ichigo grabbed and pushed her off him. He placed his fingers on his nose and small snap occurred as he forced it back into alignment, wincing in pain. Rukia felt a twinge of guilt and pulled a cloth from her pack. For a moment, all Ichigo did was glare at her, until he felt the blood drip on his chin. Apprehensively, he took the cloth from her and wiped the blood from his face.

"Sorry," was all she uttered as he finished cleaning himself up. "But I won't relent. I'm not going to abandon Renji."

Sighing heavily, Ichigo replied, "Listen Rukia, I'm not exactly keen on leaving someone behind either. But you know what's at stake here. You need to get back so that your brother can put a stop to Tsukishima's 'business'. Without you, more people are gonna suffer." She scoffed, not wanting to admit that he was right.

After she didn't respond, he continued, "It's not easy and I won't pretend like it won't hurt but there are bigger things at stake. Not only that, we don't know the layout of this building and if we get caught now, we'll be handed over to Tsukishima himself. Think about it, would this Renji guy want you to put yourself in danger for him?"

He paused but she remained silent. "I'm sorry but it too great a risk right now," Ichigo reasoned.

Rukia clenched her fists as she remembered that the bastard Tsukishima was supposed to be arriving soon. However, that brought out a new fear in her, one that she couldn't suppress.

"Ichigo, I understand all that. But you need to understand something." She looked up at the grate before turning back to him with fiery eyes. "I told you that I had friends when I was an orphan. Most of them died from disease or hunger until only one remained – that one was Renji."

The orange haired man's eyes widened and he suddenly lost his enthusiasm. Seeing this, Rukia continued, "After I was adopted, Renji spent all his time training and eventually joined my brother's forces. He worked his way up through the ranks until he became my brother's right hand man, just so he could continue to support me." Ichigo saw the pain in her eyes as she looked up at the grate again. "He's been like brother to me my entire life. And he's the last of the family I had growing up on the streets. And that's why—".

To Ichigo's surprise, she grabbed her blade and unsheathed it, which was difficult in the narrow passage. Pointing her sword at Ichigo, she said, "—I can't abandon him. Not after all he's done for me."

Abruptly, she twisted the point of her sword up and thrust it between the edges of the grate. Ichigo saw what she was doing and crawled toward her desperately but arrived too late. With one swift motion, she unhinged a part of it, breaking the wood on the opposite side of the grate. As it came loose, the grate bent downward and Rukia used her feet to kick it down and stick it in the dirt of the tunnel, blocking Ichigo's only path to her.

"Dammit Rukia!" he shouted, not caring if he was heard now. He tugged and pushed but the force of her kick had embedded the wood too deep for him to move it. Rukia moved to get out of the tunnel and into the area above when he shouted, "Stop! You can't just abandon all the people who are counting on you!"

This made her stop. She closed her eyes and steeled herself before looking back to him and replying, "I haven't forgotten them and that's why you need to get away. You are their salvation now." She pointed to him and demanded, "Get the letter I gave you to my brother. Once he reads it, I know he'll send aid!"

Clenching his fists against the grate, Ichigo pleaded, "There's more to it than that, you idiot!" He kept trying to get the grate out of his way but it refused to budge. Rukia took a deep breath and, to his surprise, smiled.

"Don't worry. The letter doesn't mention you being a criminal." Ichigo's eyes widened as she continued, "As long as you don't reveal the brand, my brother will get you home. I promise." Her words caused Ichigo to freeze in place, his breathing calm but his face filled with shock. Using this opportunity, she climbed out of the tunnel and into the fortress.

Just before she disappeared from sight, she turned back and said, "Thank you for everything you've done, Ichigo. I never would have made it this far without you. I know you'll get that letter to my brother…I trust you."

She turned and didn't see his reaction to her words, instead focusing on her task. And with that, she took off into the fortress, her cloak hiding her in the darkness. As she left, she heard Ichigo curse and the shuffling of his movements underground.


The winding paths were dimly lit and that made it easier for Rukia to move around. The dawn hadn't come yet and that added to her stealth as she began searching the halls for stairways. More than likely, Renji would be kept in an underground cell and if she could find her down there, all she would need to do was get him back to the secret tunnel. That is, if it wasn't discovered by the time they got back.

Rukia knew that she was being foolish; that Renji would scold her for coming to his aid, but that didn't matter to her in the least. The red haired idiot was her closest friend and she would be damned if she let herself abandon him when he needed her the most.

"We're family," she whispered to herself, "And family takes care of each other, no matter the cost!"

Steeling herself for any encounter, the raven haired woman heard voices in the distance. Quickly hiding in the darkness using her cloak, she peeked to her side and saw two men coming out of hallway. It was clear that they had just ascended stairs, as they were climbing the last just as they got out of the hall. As they passed, Rukia heard them say:

"That red bastard took out nearly fifteen men with that little stunt he pulled."

"I've never seen a man fight like that before. He was practically a wild beast!"

"Well, at least that cell ought to hold him for now."

"Yeah, until His Lordship arrives to interrogate him."

Moving right next to her without even noticing her presence, the soldiers began to laugh heartily. As the men passed, Rukia gripped her robes to keep from drawing her blade and dispatching them on the spot. It was difficult but leaving a trail of bodies would only increase the chances of her capture.

When they were finally gone, she pushed off the wall and advanced to stone spiral staircase and began to descend herself. It was more brightly lit than she had expected, so she moved down quickly to find a spot of darkness to hide in if necessary. She tried to keep her step quiet but her pace increased as she neared the bottom.

As she exited the stairway, she noticed a long row of doors that she assumed were the cells. Unlike her own prison in Tsukishima's castle, this one was well lit and offered few places to hide. Rukia knew that she needed to find Renji quickly and set out to search the doors. The first few were completely dark and empty, not a sign of life remained in them.

She continued along, checking every door but kept finding nothing but darkness. As she neared the last door, she prayed that he wasn't being kept on a higher floor, dreading having to go back through the well lit staircase again. Testing her luck, she pushed open the final cell door and found a dim light inside.

Rukia swung open the door and found Renji, chained to the wall with various cuts and bruises littering his body. His upper robe had been torn off and whip marks lay scattered on his chest. His hair was no longer tied up, but hung around his face, reaching his chest. Although he was in horrible condition, Rukia could not help the relief that washed over her as she approached him.

"Renji!" she whispered loudly, making his head snap up to see her.

His eyes took a moment to adjust before he clearly saw her. "Rukia! I knew you were alive!" he said, his voice tired but still strong. "But why are you here?! If you managed to escape, then you should have gotten away when you had the chance!"

She scoffed and replied, "And leave an idiot like you to rot in my place? Does that really seem like something the heir to the Kuchiki Clan would do?"

Although he wanted to protest more, Renji was too overjoyed that she was there and only managed to smile. Rukia smiled back and knelt down, grabbing his chains with both hands.

"But how did you manage to escape?" Renji asked, "Were you captured by Tsukishima's soldiers after all or—".

"I was captured but managed to escape, with a little help from…Never mind, I'll tell you the details later! Right now we need to get out of here!" she insisted.

"Right," he replied trying to figure a way out himself. Rukia pulled out a small pick from her pack and began trying to unlock the chains. "Rangiku told me that you stayed behind to hold off the guards," he continued, "Who was it that helped you escape? I though all of our spies had been discovered."

Suddenly a click sounded and one of his manacles came loose. It clanked to the floor and Rukia moved to get the next one. As she reached up for it, she said, "The man who helped me showed me a tunnel that will get us out of here, but we'll need to hur—".

A hand suddenly clapped over her mouth while and other grabbed her wrist with the pick in it.

"Got her!" A soldier shouted, dragging her away from Renji.

"Rukia!" Renji shouted before another soldier appeared and kicked him in the face. He tired to fight back with his free arm but the soldier grabbed his hand and led it back to the manacle, chaining him to the wall again.

Rukia struggled against her offender and shouted against his hand, her muffled screams ringing out. She tried using her free hand to pry his hand from her mouth but the other soldier who had retrained Renji caught her hand. The two soldiers pulled her hands behind her back and tied them together.

Once she was secured they pushed her to the floor and laughed.

"Never expected anyone to come for this red bastard but it's a good thing we decided to check up on him when we did!"

"The reward for this woman's capture will be enough to keep us fat and happy for years!"

As Rukia's face lay in the grime of the dungeon floor, she cursed her luck. She had been so close! A few more seconds and she and Renji would have been on their way to freedom! The laughter of the soldiers stung her pride and she glared up at them. However, something odd caught her eye.

As they laughed one of them suddenly became deafly silent. The other soldier looked at his partner and saw his face twisted in agony. Glancing down at his chest, a black blood-stained sword protruded out the front. Suddenly, the blade disappeared and the soldier fell next to Rukia, red oozing onto the floor.

The other soldier grabbed his blade but was too late. A figure in the dark rammed the black blade through his chest as well, quickly retracting it and allowing the body to fall next to the first. The figure in the dark adjusted his hat and bright orange locks appeared. Amber eyes locked with her violet ones and Rukia couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face.

"Ichigo," she said in surprise, "Why are you—?" Without a word, Ichigo cut her bonds and helped her to her feet. As Rukia looked at him, all of her surprise turned to anger. "You idiot! I told you to go on without—".

Rukia's world spun for a moment as her face was jerked to the side. Her cheek stung and she looked back to realize that Ichigo had slapped her across the face. Shock overcame her and she didn't know what to say or do. Fortunately, someone nearby did.

"Hey! Who the hell are you, you bastard?!" Renji shouted, "How dare you attack Rukia like—".

Ichigo held up his hand to Renji and cut him off, "Just shut up for a second!" The ferocity of this tone shocked the red haired warrior into silence and Ichigo took that opportunity to continue, "What the hell is this?!"

Ichigo pulled out the letter that Rukia had given him and thrust it in her face, the binding open and the writing visible. Her eyes widened as she saw the binding undone. She averted her gaze and said nothing. Ichigo glared at her and pulled the lettering up so he could read it.

"…Dearest Brother," he read aloud, making Rukia and Renji turn to him. "…as a last request, I beg you to give Ichigo Kurosaki a permit to return to his family in Yamamoto's territory…" he paused and stared but she remained silent, so he continued, "…thank you for the kindness you have shown to me. I will see you again – in the next life!"

Ichigo lowered the paper and shouted, "This isn't a letter! It's a record of your last rights, dammit!"

Finally, Rukia was able to overcome the shock and her features hardened. "What did you expect, Ichigo?" she questioned, "I told you to use that if something happened to me. Not only that, I trusted you to deliver that to my brother—".

"That's not the point!" he retorted, smacking the paper in emphasis, "The point is; you gave up! You resigned yourself to death before we even set foot in this place! That's what pisses me off!"

Abruptly, he lifted the paper, took it in both hands and proceeded to rip it to pieces.

"Idiot!" Rukia tried to reach out and stop him but her turned his back to her and finished tearing it apart. "Why did you do that?!"

"I'm giving you an incentive to get yourself back alive!"

"You fool! You could have gone back home and—".

"Left you to die?!" he countered, making her stop and look at him, "If I hadn't come to help, you'd both have ended up being tortured, killed or even sold as damned slave! Did you really think I was going to just go back home and forget everything that's happened?!"

Rukia gritted her teeth and shouted, "Since you were so keen on leaving Renji behind, I figured one more wouldn't matter!"

"That's only because I figured that we would most likely get caught, which you did!"

"What's that?!" Renji finally spoke up, entering the debate. He stared at Rukia and said, "You deliberately put yourself in danger just to come find me?"

"You would have done the same for me," was her only response, her features stern.

To this, Renji let out a great sigh and shook his head. "Dammit Rukia, if I had know this would happen…" his voice trailed off quietly.

"None of that matters now," Ichigo told them both, still glaring at her. "The guards will be here soon. We need to get moving."

He marched up to Renji and cut his manacles, freeing the red haired man. Rukia went over and placed her childhood friends arms over her shoulder, helping him up. As she helped him, Ichigo went to the door and glanced around, not seeing anyone.

"If we hurry we just might be able to make it back before they discover the entrance to the tunnel," he informed them, securing his hat tightly, "At this rate, we may need to fight our way out."

"If it's so much trouble for you, why come back at all?" Rukia sneering at him, "You should have just gone home."

Ichigo clenched his fists and spun around, getting right in her face. "I came back because I didn't want you to die. Do I need any more reason than that?"

That caught her by surprise, not only his words but how concerned he appeared to be. He pulled back and stared down at her, a melancholy look on his face. Their eyes met and neither of them could look away, bearing into each other's souls. It was Ichigo who turned away first and headed for the door.

"We can debate how stupid we both are later. For now, let's just get the hell out of here."

"…Alright, but this conversation isn't over yet," Rukia said, helping Renji to the door. Ichigo nodded to her and departed first, leading the way back to the tunnel.

The moment he was gone, Renji said to her, "I'm guessing he's the 'friend' that helped you escape?" She nodded and kept moving forward. "Huh. You sure know how to pick 'em."

Rukia scoffed and replied, "There wasn't much choice in the matter."

"Regardless, he does have a point," Renji said, making her look to him. He looked down at her and said, "As much as I hate to admit it, if this Ichigo bastard hadn't of showed up we'd both be dead by now. If nothing else, we owe him for that." Rukia remained silent and didn't acknowledge her friend's words.

As she carried her injured companion out the door and into the hall, she looked up and saw the orange haired man carefully scouting ahead. Almost against her will, she smiled and whispered to herself:

"He certainly is a fool, but I suppose I am as well."


Rukia assisted Renji as they ascended the stairs, Ichigo in front with his sword drawn and prepared for combat. There was no way for them to hide Renji, not enough space even with both of their cloak would hide the three of them. Knowing that, Ichigo was prepared to fight off anyone that hindered their progress.

Ichigo exited the staircase and scouted both directions. "It's clear," he whispered, gesturing them forward. Rukia helped the limping Renji up the final steps and began moving toward the tunnel entrance.

"Do you know where we're going?" she asked Ichigo, honestly concerned that they might become lost.

"Yeah, I made sure to memorize my steps and know how to get back," he replied, his voice seeming to understand her question without taking offense. "Luckily it's not much further."

Rukia breathed a sigh of relief. Without Ichigo as their guide, she wasn't sure how they would have made it back. She had a vague memory of the way back but the orange haired man must have indeed memorized the route. Just when she recognized the area and saw the door leading to the tunnel, the air around them changed.

Suddenly, Rukia stopped and noticed that Ichigo had frozen as well. The orange haired man was staring down the hallway, his eyes squinting as if to see something.

Rukia turned to see what was wrong when suddenly she saw a glint in the distance. The sound of wood being smacked reached her ears and her eyes widened when the point of an arrow abruptly appeared in front of her. She gasped and retreated back with Renji a bit to see that Ichigo had caught the arrow just inches from her face. He winced as blood ran down his hand, the point of the arrow glinting a bright red. Grunting, Ichigo threw the arrow aside and waited for the next volley but it never came.

Sounds of shouting came from the far passage and suddenly a troupe of armed samurai appeared in front of them. They drew their blades and blocked the passage. The leader of the troupe stepped forward and shouted, "Surrender at once and we will spare your lives! Resistance will only hasten your deaths!"

Ichigo scoffed and unsheathed his sword. "No point in hiding anymore."

Preparing himself for combat, the orange haired samurai looked back to his companions. Renji had a stern look on his face and Rukia was ready to rush the door. Seeing this, Ichigo turned back and said, "We only get one shot at this. We're gonna break through and get to the tunnel."

"Right," Rukia agreed, "We won't fall behind."

"And I won't slow you down!" Renji assured, pushing off Rukia and standing upright. She tried to help him but he held up his hand and said, "I can make it from here. After all," he grinned at them, "We're almost home!"

"That's right!" Rukia concurred, drawing her white blade and preparing for battle. "We didn't come all this way just do die!"

Renji nodded to her and turned back to see Ichigo holding out a small knife for him. Without a word, the red haired warrior took the blade and gripped it tightly, backhanded. He nodded to Ichigo and the orange haired samurai turned back and pulled a few throwing daggers, that had been tinted black, from his robes. His eyes locked onto the lead soldier.

"As soon as I make an opening – run."

He heard them give a grunt of acknowledgement and couldn't stop the grin that temporarily formed. Steeling himself, Ichigo bolted forward, throwing three daggers. The lead soldier was unprepared for the attack and unable to see the dagger properly in the dim light. So much so that his world went black before he realized the knife had embedded into his head.

Surprised by the loss of their leader, the remaining soldiers were caught off-guard when Ichigo rushed them. He slashed his way through them, cutting down anyone that tried to fight back. He parried blows from both sides and countered quickly, killing or disabling his attackers. Behind him, Renji ran as fast as possible, taking out any that tried to go at Ichigo's back.

Bringing up the rear, Rukia's white blade flashed as she kept anyone from approaching from behind. A few reinforcements tried to sneak up on them but were surprised to see her ready for them. One of them rushed her but she sidestepped and bashed his face with the hilt of her sword before countering the soldier behind the first. Pushing off his attack, she swiped at his knees and he tumbled to the floor, tripping up the other reinforcements.

Turning back, Rukia dashed as fast as she could for the door leading to the room with the tunnel. Ichigo reached the door and cut down the man guarding it. He turned and ushered Renji inside, watching as Rukia closed the distance between them. As she ran, she looked to Ichigo and saw the flash of a blade behind him.

"Down!" she shouted, increasing her speed. Instantly complying, the orange haired man dropped to the floor and barely dodged the blade that would have cut him in half. The soldier stumbled from the force of his blade missing the target and looked up to see Rukia spin and slash him across the chest.

Crimson burst from out and landed on her face and robes as the man fell dead. She held out her hand and Ichigo readily took it, allowing her to pull him up. For a brief moment, their eyes met and a faint smile appeared on both of their lips. They quickly nodded to each other and turned to enter the room with the tunnel.

However, just when they about to enter, they saw a horrible image. Inside the room, just inches from the tunnel entrance, Renji lay flat on his face with blood oozing from his body. Standing over him were ten men dressed all in black, straight swords held in their hands. Rukia instantly recognized them as Tsukishima's stealth force, proof that the bastard was already inside the fortress.

But that didn't matter right now, as her eyes focused on Renji's injured body.

"Drop your weapons!" one of the stealth force commanded, positioning his blade at the red haired warriors head. "Or this one dies!"

Ichigo grit his teeth as the reinforcements from behind fast approached and soon they would be boxed in. Rukia glared at the stealth force man and gripped her sword, prepared to try and rescue her friend.

Before anyone could react, the stealth force man suddenly found his sword ripped from his hand. Looking down, he saw that Renji had grabbed the blade itself and jerked it away. Stunned, the stealth force man was unprepared when Renji jumped up and stabbed him in the chest. Using that momentum, the red haired warrior screamed and pushed the man's body back toward the door.

Renji slammed his offender into the man next to the door. The dying stealth force warrior pulled out something round from his robe and lit it. Seeing what it was, Renji quickly slammed the door and locked it, keeping Rukia and Ichigo out of the room.

"What are you doing, Renji?!" Rukia shouted, pounding on the door.

Suddenly, from inside the room, Renji shouted at the top of his lungs, "Get away from the door!"

Ichigo's eyes widened but he didn't have time to think before a massive explosion rocked the area. The force splintered the door and Rukia body was blown back toward the wall. She couldn't prepare for the impact and braced for pain but something soft grabbed her. Crashing into the wall with whatever had encased her, she heard a cracking sound and a grunt. Her eyes shot up to see Ichigo between her and the wall, blood trickling from his mouth.

"Ichigo! You're—".

"We don't have time!" he shouted, feeling the vibration around them.

He looked up and saw the structure weakening and grabbed her again, rolling to the side. Less than a second later, the roof collapsed and blocked off the way to the room with the tunnel. Fortunately, the enemy reinforcement were also cut off but so was their only escape. Rukia saw this and shouted in frustration.

Beneath her, Ichigo grunted in pain and she saw him still holding onto her. Getting off him, she grabbed his arm and pulled him up. She tried to help him but he pushed her away.

"I'm fine," he insisted, holding his side. "We need to go! Where's your friend?!"

Rukia gasped as she remembered where the explosion originated. Just then, the sounds of men screaming in pain reached them and they turned back to the rubble that blocked the passage. Between the fallen boards and rubble, Rukia could see Renji, battling against the reinforcements that had finally reached the tunnel room.

"Renji!" she shouted, trying to clear the debris. The last of the reinforcements screamed as Renji cut him down, allowing the red haired man to shift and look at them. A huge smile appeared on his face and he approached the rubble, limping heavily.

"Thank the gods, you two made it!" he shouted, leaning on the wall. A large wound in his side bled profusely and the sight of it made Rukia try to clear the way faster.

"We'll be there soon! Just hold on!" she insisted.

To her surprise, Ichigo began to help clear the path. "We may be able to squeeze through," he told them, doing his best to hide his own pain, "Just need a little more time—".

"I found one! Over this way!" a soldier far down on Renji's side of the rubble shouted.

Narrowing his eyes in the direction of the voice, Renji turned back to Ichigo and Rukia and said, "Forget it! We're out of time! You two need to go!"

"No!" Rukia refuted, working faster, "We're all getting out of here together!"

In her haste, she pulled a board away and heard a rumbling. Above her, another section of the roof gave way and Ichigo tackled her out of the way. They managed to avoid being crushed by the falling debris but Ichigo grunted loudly, clutching his side. Rukia saw this and gritted her teeth, looking between Ichigo and the newly formed rubble.

"There's nothing you can do for me now!" she heard Renji insist, "Go! I'll never forgive myself if you died here because of me!"

"I-I can't just—!"

"You have to get home!" Renji shouted, stopping her. "You have to tell your brother about what's happened! Don't let all the people who've died be for nothing! You have to put a stop to this!"

Rukia tried to get up but Ichigo grabbed her arm. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but he's right!" he insisted, "It's now or never!"

Rukia wanted so much to protest but couldn't as she saw how much pain Ichigo was in. His hand clutched his side and his mouth was still leaking blood. These injuries had been caused by her carelessness and she clenched her fists in anger.

Furiously looking back at Renji, she shouted, "Get to the tunnel, Renji! You should still be able to make it from your side!"

From the other side of the rubble, Renji replied, "Got it! I'll see you soon!"

"Don't die on me, you hear!" she retorted, hearing him scoff a moment later.

"I'm too stubborn to die!"

Renji's voice was hopeful and it gave Rukia the strength to stand, pulling Ichigo up with her and supporting him. Just before they were about to depart, Renji shouted one last thing to them.

"Ichigo!" the orange haired man looked back and saw Renji gazing at him through a space in the rubble. Their eyes burned into each other and the red haired warrior finished, "I'm counting on you!"

Ichigo nodded firmly and allowed Rukia to usher him down the hallway. She stole a glance back at the rubble and took a deep breath, steeling herself as she assisted Ichigo in making their way toward the door at the far end of the hallway.

Meanwhile on the other side of the rubble, Renji watched them go and sighed in relief, intense pain washing over him. His vision blurred but he saw that the reinforcement had already reached him and blocked his way to the tunnel room. The soldiers slowly approached him and he scoffed at them, making them jump back.

Pushing off the wall with blood profusely draining from his side, the red haired warrior grinned and shouted, "Bring it on, you bastards!"


"Just a bit further," Rukia assured Ichigo as they made their way up and out of the fortress.

They had found a staircase leading up and hoped it lead to the outer wall or at least near it. Ichigo tried not to have her completely support him but at this point he was sure that one of his ribs were either broken or cracked. Luckily, he could still breathe properly which meant it didn't pierce a lung, a small miracle.

They hadn't run into anymore soldiers, which could mean that they were still dealing with Renji. Rukia forced all such thoughts out of her mind, focusing on getting Ichigo out and past the large wall. There was no hope for making it to the Kuchiki side now; the checkpoint would be completely sealed. However, if they could make it over the wall, they could fall back to where Kaien was waiting. If he hadn't departed for home yet.

As they reached a door that they prayed led outside, Rukia slowly opened it and peeked outside. The sun had just risen and the light stung her eyes. Taking a moment to adjust, she stuck her head out and glanced around. They were fortunate, at least in a small way, as the stairway led up to the top of the wall.

Pushing the door open, Rukia lifted and pulled on Ichigo to help him hobble along with her. Shouting from all around indicated that the soldiers were still shook up from the explosion. Ichigo and Rukia looked toward the center of the checkpoint, watching the soldiers frantically run and try to gather information.

Ichigo scouted the men below them and said, "I don't see Tsukishima."

"He's probably not here yet," Rukia surmised, turning them away from the center and toward the edge of the wall. Looking over, she quietly gasped and said, "But he is now."

Ichigo looked to where she was staring and saw the despicable Lord leading a troupe of well armed samurai on horseback toward the base. Immediately, Rukia ducked down with Ichigo in tow and they peered over the top of the wall. They watched Tsukishima and his men reach the gate and saw it open for them.

"Now's our chance," Ichigo insisted as they entered the checkpoint, "They'll have to explain the situation and it'll at least give us time to make it to the forest."

Rukia looked up and saw the edge of the tree line and grit her teeth. "That's a lot of ground to cover. And we won't be able to use the cloaks to hide ourselves."

"Not necessarily," Ichigo said pushing off her. She watched him grab his cloak and turn it inside out, displaying the green and brown camouflage-like pattern on the inside. "With this, it'll at least hide us a bit. But you're right," he glanced to the trees, "It'll be a long shot."

Rukia nodded and turned hers inside out as well. After changing it, she peered over the edge of the wall, looked down and cursed, "Dammit. The fall alone might kill us." She turned around to see Ichigo reach into his pack and pull out a rope. Giving him a skeptical glance, she said, "You can't expect that rope to hold us both."

"It'll have to," he insisted, holding it out to her, "Unless you know how to fly?"

She took it quickly, tying it to a post and making sure it was secure. Ichigo crawled to her and allowed her to wrap the rope around both of them. Just before she tighten it around them, Rukia looked him in the eye and said, "Just so you know, this is gonna hurt."

"Kinda figured that," he retorted with an ironic chuckle, "But no time for comfort."

Rukia nodded to him and pulled tightly, securing them together. Ichigo grit his teeth and sucked in air through his teeth, holding in a scream. Slowly, Rukia supported him and led him to the edge. They glanced over the edge and both of them felt a wave of uncertainty. It was at least a thirty foot drop and repelling would be very difficult.

Just before Rukia was about to ask if he was ready, Ichigo held a knife in front of her face. She looked at it quizzically before glaring at him.

"In case this doesn't work. Cut yourself loose and—".

His words stopped when she slapped him on the head and sneered, "I'm not leaving anyone else behind. Like you said, we're in this together. So get used to it and help me lower us down."

Ichigo met her gaze but couldn't hold it long. With a defeated sigh, he replaced his knife and grabbed onto the rope. "Just don't drop us then," he said with a smirk.

The humor was surprisingly welcome and she grinned back and said, "Don't worry, I'll only drop you."

They shared a brief chuckle before holding the rope tightly and sliding over the edge. Fortunately, the rope was holding them and between them, they managed to slowly lower themselves toward the ground. With both of them using their arms to slowly uncoil the rope; they didn't have to worry about sudden jerks or jostling. They were over halfway done and it looked like they just might make it.

Suddenly, shouting came from above. "On the wall! I see them!"

Ichigo and Rukia looked up to see a soldier on the balcony pointing down at them. He saw the rope and ran to it with a knife. Ichigo and Rukia began lowering themselves faster, hoping to reach the ground but felt the rope begin to wobble as it was being cut.

"Shit!" Rukia swore as the rope gave way and they tumbled toward the earth.

Instinctively, she grabbed onto him and used her shoulder to cushion the blow. They crumpled into the ground and grunted. Ichigo sneered in pain while Rukia shook her head to stave off the dizziness. It was fortunate that Ichigo didn't land on top of her, because it might have affect her mobility. However, her shoulder ached and her body was getting exhausted.

Both of them picked themselves up, with Rukia pulling the injured Ichigo to his feet. Shouting overhead was heard and they quickly began moving.

"Get low," Ichigo suggested, "It'll make us harder to see."

Rukia did as he said, crouching and pulling him along. "Have they spotted us?" she asked, not daring to look back.

"I don't know," Ichigo responded, glancing over his shoulder, "But the gates are opening!"

Not bothering to look back, Rukia quickened her pace and raced for the forest. The morning light was hindered by the shadow cast by the tall fortress and it was adding to their advantage. Ichigo kept checking behind them periodically and she heard him sigh in what she hoped was relief.

"They're only sending scouts and they're on foot," he told her, "Wait…get down!"

Ichigo pulled her down with all his weight. Rukia gasped at his action and found herself face first on the ground, his weight pressing into her back.

"Stay quiet," he whispered and she complied, trying to lie completely flat.

She managed to turn her head and see why he'd suddenly wanted to drop. Two scouts were advancing to them quickly. Whether they had been spotted or not, neither of them knew. However, the men were running directly for them, looking at the ground frantically trying to find them. Rukia slowly settled her hand on her blade, ready to jump up and attack.

Just as the men were to them, a shout sounded from the far edge of the forest tree line. "I found them! They're over here! Hurry!"

The two scouts stopped and turned toward the voice. Without hesitation, they ran for the tree line on the far side. Ichigo and Rukia were completely puzzled, who had they found if not for them? Not stopping to question their newfound luck, Ichigo slowly got off her and she began crawling toward the tree line that was close to them.

It was still a ways to crawl but at least attention was not on them anymore. Rukia heard Ichigo grunt each time he pulled himself forward and she said, "Let me—".

She was about to turn when he grabbed her leg and said, "Just keep going. This is the best chance we have and if you get up they might spot us. I'll be fine, just trust me!"

Rukia wanted to smack him for being so stubborn but after putting him through so much for her own stubbornness, she decided it was best to just keep moving. She hesitated for a moment but in the end followed his direction. She crawled to faster and allowed him to go at his own pace, but never getting too far ahead of him. At one time, she glanced over and saw the one of the scouts from before coming out of the forest and he seemed perplexed.

However, she kept focused on her task and eventually made it to the forest. As she entered the shade of the tree line, she propped herself against a tree and looked toward Ichigo, who was still slowly approaching. She prepared to reach out and help him when a foot step behind her made her whirl around.

The other scout stood over her, his sword raised and about to strike. Rukia had no time to grab her blade and no energy to dodge. She saw the scout smirk at her and she grit her teeth. Just before he swung his blade, two hand wrapped around the scouts head. One over his mouth and the other on his neck. The scout's eyes widened for a brief moment before his neck was abruptly twisted and snapped.

The scout fell dead and behind him was none other than Kaien Shiba, smirking in victory.

"Kaien!" Rukia whispered loudly, smiling as he leaned down to her.

"Thought you needed a bit of help. Was my distraction helpful?" he grinned and she gave an amused huff, recognizing it was his voice from earlier.

"I should have known it was you," Ichigo voice whispered, making them turn to see him just crawling into the tree line. "Thought you would have left by now—argg!" He grunted and held his side, teeth grit. Kaien and Rukia went to him and the Shiba Head placed Ichigo's arm over his shoulder and lifted him up.

"Well, I heard the explosion and figured it was best to stay and watch the show," Kaien said with a cheeky grin. "Good thing too. You know, two would be lost without me." He glanced back at the checkpoint and his face became stern. "But now's not the time for jokes. Let's move!"

"Right," Rukia agreed, following Kaien as he helped Ichigo along. Just before they headed deeper into the forest, she glanced back at the checkpoint and frowned.

"Home is so close…and yet so far," she whispered to herself before rushing after her companions.


To Be Continued…

Who saw this coming? Having to go the other and longer route, who would have guessed?! Well, most of you did actually but let's not dwell on my foreshadowing. This was a tough but fun chapter to write and I hope you all enjoyed the hell out of it!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorite this and my other stories! You guys rock, seriously! Leave me a review to let me know how you like it and to encourage faster updates! See you next time, my beautiful readers and keep on smiling!