That bit of news got a bigger reaction than he ever expected. Her violet eyes grew so wide that he was sure they would pop out if anyone gave her head a gentle tap. But worse was her expression - a deathly pale livid fear that had him speechless. "…brother?"

"Yeah, the brother I told you about. The one who died." Ichigo said tersely. "I'm sure it's him."

"Onii-san!"

He peeked from behind the pillar, too afraid to come nearer. He didn't like coming near people who had a dark shadow hanging over them. He knew what it was – when people are about to die the shadow hangs, ready to smother them to death.

"Onii-san, please wake up!"

The shrill cries of the girl next to the bed was so sad, like his own cries when…

"Onii-san!!!"

He knew he would never forget the cries, not the faces.

"But turning into a monster like – oi! Where are you going?" He blinked as Rukia prepared to jump out and she tensely looked at him from over her shoulder. "Isn't it obvious? We have to get him."

"But we don't even know where he's going!"

"I do," She glared over her shoulder. "What are you standing there for? We have to go to Inoue's – fast." And she was gone, leaving Ichigo torn to decide whether to follow her suicidal jump (goodness knows she's pushed him off enough buildings) or to do the humane thing and leave through the front door.

... To hell with the door. With a muttered curse, Ichigo jumped and quickly sprinted to catch up with her.

Rukia definition of fast was…greased lightning. Inoue's house wasn't too far – just a couple of blocks – but by the time he got there he was severely winded and had to use a lampost for support.

Rukia sniffed at his panting. "Men are such babies."

"Wh – why you *gasp* I'm the one carrying the sword here!"

Rukia rang the doorbell and after a moment the door was opened by Tatsuki. She arched an eyebrow in surprise when she saw who it was. "Kuchiki-san?"

"Hello!" Rukia had slipped into her saccharine overloaded-schoolgirl persona. "We were in the neighborhood and thought to stop by! How are you doing?" Nevermind that it was a little over midnight.

"We?" Tatsuki lifted a curious eyebrow and spotted Ichigo lurking nearby, still looking like he had run a marathon. Putting two and two together, Tatsuki came to the completely wrong conclusion and her mouth formed an 'o'.

"It's not what you th – " Ichigo tried to explain but Rukia stopped him short and narrowed her eyes. "Ichigo!"

For she had just sensed it - a ripple in the spirit energy around her, the sign that something was breaking through the dimensions.

Unfortunately for her, Ichigo was completely crap at sensing energy flux, for he was still blinking stupidly at her. Which lead to a dire consequence.

"Tatsuki, who's at the door – " Orihime was about to get up when she heard a loud rush of air, like the sucking of a vacuum cleaner, and then the impact came.

Cursing herself a hundred times over, Rukia delivered a swift chop to Tatsuki's neck to knock her out and bolted into the room, Ichigo stumbling behind her. And did a double-take.

Lying next to the table was Orihime.

Lying next to the wall was also Orihime, the brother-monster looming over her menacingly. Ichigo's eyes darted between one Orihime to the other. "Hell? Illusion?"

"Look closely. The one next to the table is her body," Rukia said, "The other one is her soul. Do you see the chain?"

Ichigo saw a chain running between the two Orihimes. And now that he was thinking clearly, he saw that the soul-Orihime was slightly blurred, like most of the souls he was used to seeing.

"Whatever you do, you must not break the chain. If you do, Orihime dies. Understand?" Rukia was eyeing the Hollow wearily. "Try to bring the fight elsewhere and I'll restore her soul to – " Her words were cut short when the Hollow snatched soul-Orihime in its claws. And for the first time, Ichigo heard its rasping voice.

"…no…"

Ichigo frowned.

"…not taking her…Kurosaki."

"Leave the girl," Rukia demanded to the Hollow. "She is still with the living!"

"…not taking her. I won't let you." The Hollow muttered. "Not…Kurosaki. Not taking her."

Sensing that the Hollow was distracted, Ichigo tried to lunge at him, but didn't see the tail coming to intercept and smacked him out of the window. "Ichigo!" Rukia cried and hurriedly ran outside into the street. "Ichigo!"

Pain. For some reason he didn't expect that falling out of the first storey would hurt so bad, but then remembered that he had been smacked out like a tennis ball. Of course. Groaning, he got to his feet, hearing Rukia's light footsteps coming towards him. Damn, this is getting ridiculous. "Ungh."

"Don't 'ungh' me – what were you thinking?!" Rukia stared at him in disbelief. Though part of her was relieved that Ichigo had somehow managed to cushion the impact with reaitsu, another part of her was marveling at just how quickly could he grasp things she had only demonstrated once. Or the amount of reiatsu he had to withstand the impact with only minor cuts.

Ichigo violently shook his head to get rid of the dizziness. "He's got hide as tough as steel."

"You had to learn that first-hand, didn't you?" God, her sarcasm doesn't let up, thought Ichigo as he noticed the Hollow hovering in the air, Orihime still captured. Only now, she was awake. "Rukia, how long does that chain thing go?"

"As long as necessary, but that's not your primary concern."

"What? As long as the Hollow dies then it doesn't matter if Orihime dies as well?"

"I never said that – watch out!" both jumped out of the way when the Hollow's tail crashed into the road where they stood. Ichigo landed on a wall, cursing. Freak! Why does this happen to him anyway?!

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime was struggling now, trying her best to wriggle free. "You monster! Let-GO!" She tried to bite him, but it probably hurt as much as an ant bite. Less than that, even.

"Inoue, don't provoke him," Rukia warned. This doesn't look good. Not only does he have a tough hide, but he's fast as well. To strike him Ichigo needed accuracy and strength, both which he lacked. She flexed her fingers, feeling the spirit flow. Should she risk it?

Her concentration was suddenly disrupted when her command receiver beeped again, a single high note. Her frustration was evident by the absolute irritation in her eyes when she flipped it open. Another Hollow? And… "So near?" She gasped.

"I only want what is mine," The Hollow suddenly spoke up, a rough, raspy voice. "I only want her back."

"The hell?" Ichigo cursed. "You're dead, don't you get it?"

Rukia made a mental note. Tactless too. "Please release Inoue. We don't want to make this any more difficult that it is." Meanwhile her mind was racing, trying to figure out which was more important – which should be prioritized?

There was a patter of footsteps, and Rukia's blood curled. A passerby? Is there time to warn him away?

Too late, a shadow had come into view, and Ichigo nearly stumbled back in shock. "…Chad?!"

Indeed it was Chad, with a guitar on his back and the birdcage in his hand. He looked surprised to see Ichigo, and Rukia too, but there was something else in his eyes – a strange fear. "Ichigo?"

"Chad stay back," Rukia commanded. "Run away!"

But the Hollow was quicker, and before any of them could react Chad had been knocked into a wall. The birdcage fell out of his grasp and the door banged open, letting the parakeet free. Ichigo groaned. Catching a bird is decidedly more annoying than hunting Hollows.

Rukia couldn't stop a wry comment. "That's one more thing for you to do."

"You're asking a high price, Rukia," Ichigo growled, wanting to go over to Chad but was unable to let down his guard. "Inoue, stay calm and I'll get you out of there!"

Inoue's reaction was different however. She had swiveled around as much as she could, looking up intently at the grotesque mask. The piece that had fallen off was hidden behind a greasy lock of hair, but all men know that women have x-ray vision. "…onii-san…?"

Good, Rukia thought as her words seem to have an effect on the Hollow. Now while it's distracted, she can perform a binding spell and free Inoue. Despite what she told Ichigo, saving innocent souls are her Number One priority. Only thing is, one must isolate all emotion for it to work, and Ichigo is far too impulsive for that. "No one is trying to take Inoue-san away from you," She consoled him in a calm voice. "None of us are."

"He is. He has. Kurosaki Ichigo has."

Now that made Ichigo frown. As far as he could remember, he did nothing that even resembled protectiveness towards the girl, let alone possessiveness. His felt his cheeks burn at Rukia's half smirk. "He did, did he?"

"I DID NOT!" He snapped. But words seemed to be wasted on the Hollow. "I will not let him have her!" And with that shriek, out sprayed a greenish substance, which Rukia managed to avoid but not Ichigo. Acid, she thought as Ichigo painfully clutched his arm. And judging by the foul smell; "Don't inhale it!" Rukia ordered. "It's poisonous gas!"

Unfortunately (or fortunately) for them, Orihime was knocked unconscious by the gas. But it was perfect timing. "Hadou 4: Byakurai!" She fired the spell and it hit the Hollow's arm, forcing it to release Orihime. At this point, Rukia was betting on Ichigo catching her, and the boy didn't disappoint.

But the strain of firing the spell could be felt. Her hands tingled unpleasantly and she felt drained, like she had fired twenty of them consecutively. So it was indeed alarming when her body refused to respond when she saw the other arm lunge towards her.

"Rukia!"

THWACK!

Dimly she heard the sound – the sound of Hollow claws colliding with her arm and sending her crashing into a wall. There was pain too, but at the moment identifying it was impossible. Ichigo…she heard Ichigo's voice, and that pulled her out of her confusion. She instantly doubled over with pain, struggling to channel her remaining reiatsu to her injuries to lessen the damage.

Ichigo could only watch in horror as the Hollow flung Rukia away like a rag dog. This can't be happening…

But any thoughts of running to the girl's aid was forgotten when the Hollow turned its empty eyes to him. "I hate. You." It rasped. "You stole her. She won't speak of anyone but you. I Hate You."

Still in a haze (but retaining conscious thought), Rukia stumbled to her feet and felt warm liquid run down her front. Pain. Blood. Carefully cradling her throbbing arm (and it had just healed too), she distantly registered three deep gashes that gushed blood. But amusingly, she was more upset about ruining a dress than fatal injury. At least she was alive, for now. Not much can be said for the future unless she does something about this mess.

"Ichigo!" She called, the effort making her dizzy. "We have to end it fast. Inoue…"

"You don't need to tell me twice," Ichigo grumbled, readying his sword and with a roar, charged. Something sparked in him then – maybe it was Orihime knocked unconscious, maybe it was Rukia all torn and bloodied, whatever it was, he was furious.

As his sword connected with the mask with a sickening crack, he suddenly felt sucked in, flung into a void.

"Nii-san, I'm home! Mou, why didn't you eat the oranges I gave you? Ah, nevermind! Today Kurosaki-kun smiled at me!"

No, not a void. This…

"Nii-san, good morning! I played outside in the snow with Tatsuki-chan! And Kurosaki-kun was there with his sisters too! We threw snowballs at him but he was grumpy as usual."

This feeling… he knew it. It was what he had shrouded himself in all these years.

Loneliness.

Sadness.

Bitter resentment.

A scream, a push, a loud crash

"Nii-san, I almost got run over by a car today, and hurt my leg. But Kurosaki-kun helped me up and checked my groceries, eventhough I wasn't really hurt he was still so nice, and Kuchiki-san too!"

And anger erupted, so violently that Ichigo nearly suffocated from its intensity. Clawing desperately for air, his fingers latched around something.

Hairpins.

"Nii-san, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was angry at you. Nii-san! Don't leave me! Please! Nii-san!!!"

Her wails was what pulled him back to reality. Jerking back suddenly, he fell on his rear, heart beating erratically.

"Nii-san!"

It was disintegrating into spirit particles, he knew. But still Orihime clung to it, desperately shaking it. "Nii-san!"

Numb. His eyes shifted to Rukia, who was standing next to him. Injured, he thought. But alive.

"Nii-san…" Orihime whimpered, heartbroken as he hands gripped empty air, the glowing spirit particles swirling around her like a gentle caress. How ironic it is that when Hollows die, they die beautiful. "Nii-san…"

Ichigo willed the zanpakutou away and stared at his hands. "He was the one who saved her."

Rukia looked questioningly at him.

"Earlier, at the junction. He was the guy who pushed Inoue away."

Her eyes widened slightly. "…I see." She slowly made her way to the sobbing girl and knelt next to her. "Inoue…"

The tears again. Ichigo so hated seeing women cry.

"He's gone!" Inoue cried out unhappily. "Gone! Why did you kill him Kurosaki-kun?"

"Inoue, he was no longer the brother you knew," Rukia said gently. "After his death, his spirit stayed on earth to protect you, and eventually he turned into… that. We have to make him move on, to lay his spirit at rest, or he will harm you."

"But why? This is so unfair," Orhimie sobbed as she clutched at Rukia's collar. "My brother…"

Rukia sadly stroked her hair, allowing the girl to grieve. Ichigo stood helplessly, not knowing what to do.

Which reminded Rukia of something she had to teach him to do. Lifting Orihime's face, she produced a silver pen. "Look here."

Flash!

"Ack!" Ichigo scrambled over and looked in horror at the unconscious Orihime. "What did you do?!"

"Memory modifier. You've seen it before, haven't you?" Rukia showed the pen-device to him. "Although this one is the low-grade modifier. Which means the memory substitution will be random."

Like a fish out of water, Ichigo could only gape. "Huh?"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Carry her into the house, quick. Leaving a soul outside the body for so long might affect her."

"Wait a minute, you're acting pretty calm about this," Ichigo observed as he carried Orihime's soul up the stairs to its body. "And you're hurt!"

"I've staunched the blood flow, so there's nothing to concern you with." Rukia rolled her eyes. "Hunters are able to staunch the flow of blood with spirit energy – a temporary aid until help comes along. Just hold the soul over the body and it'll return back on its own. No groping!" She checked the still unconscious Chad and somehow moved him to an undamaged part of the wall, discreetly flashing the chikan.

When she entered the apartment, he glared at her. "Those gashes are nothing? I don't know how long you've been this Hunter thing, but loss of blood is not the only way to die, you know."

"Uh-uh," Rukia carefully crouched down next to the prone form that was Tatsuki.

"Your wounds can get infected, they'll fester."

Deciding that she would have to modify her memory as well, Rukia pried open one eyelid and flashed the chikan.

"Or if they're deep your internal organs might get inflammed,"

Satisfied, Rukia relaxed and felt the heaviness settle around her.

"Or you might – Rukia?!" Ichigo gasped when he heard a thump and saw Rukia sprawled on the floor. "Oi, Rukia! Oi!!"