AFTER THE FALL 2

My Time of Dying

She knew where she was even though she had never been here, her lavender eyes survived the world she had broken into, took in the horrors that this once peaceful land had become. The horizontal buildings were laid to waist slowly decaying under a blood red sky with black clouds chocking the horizon. This, this was his world now; it mirrored the chaotic nature of his soul, his broken heart. She was a bit surprised at the emotion that sprung forth in her, it was not one of fear, or horror, it was anger. His heart belonged to her, as her heart belonged to him; he had no right to live in such a state of turmoil, because she would never allow him to.

She looked to her waist, Sode ne Shirayuki was not by her side, that wasn't surprising though, she was after all in the world of another. She slowly began to walk through the horizontal world, feeling the evil reiatsu swirling around her. She felt it lurking in the shadows waiting for her, waiting to devour her whole, but this didn't detour her, it only strengthen her resolve, I will not lose you Ichigo, not when we waited so long for each other, not when we can finally be together, she thought to her self.

Lightning flashed from the dark clouds as thunder shock the very core of the land. It was as if the whole of his soul quaked at her presence. "Are you to afraid to face me?" She called out against the storm, "Is this what has become of the great Ichigo, afraid to meet someone in battle." The wind began to howl, as the loose debris from the buildings pelted her, opening up fresh wounds on her smooth skin. And yet still she moved on, "Shall I wait here for your courage to build? You who faced off against some of the most powerful entities in creation now cower to a little girl?" The wind howled louder in reply to her question, "Pity I thought you were made of sterner metal."

"You are not wanted here." A voice echoed above the howl of the wind, "You are not needed here."

"It is not your decision where I go, you gave that up when you declared your…"

"Betrayer!" The voice boomed shattering some of the windows that lined the building of the world, "Used my power, used my strength."

"Do not make up lies to appease your own fears, it is beneath you." Rukia said wiping a small trickle of blood from her cheek.

"And what do you know of strength, you who cower behind your…"

"Enough!" Rukia shouted, "enough of your games, enough of your hiding, Ichigo heart, his soul, belong to me, I will not speak to a shadow of his fear."

A lightning bolt shot from the sky and crashed inches away from Rukia's foot, she felt its power, felt the electricity run up her leg and up her spine, she felt her muscles contract and cry out in pain, but she would not move, she would not be pushed back.

"Pathetic," Rukia said as another lightning bolt shot towards her, "Demon flare," she shouted as a blue flame exploding from her hand meeting the lightning head on, a blinding flash of light streaked across the red sky, "Pathetic." She said again.

"Unjust, unjust," The voice screamed in rage, "I have seen your world, I have seen the betrayal, of your so called Soul Society. All are unjust, all will pay."

"Then come now," Rukia answered the voice, "Pass your judgment on me. Pass your sentence that you speak of, I am here I await your…"

Laughter cut her off; it spread through the land like fire, reverberating through the wasteland of the world, "Oh, and now you, you speak, so high and mighty? You, who have risen in status because of the memory of a sister who abandon you, you who are nothing but a replacement for the one who was truly missed, you who are only a choir to be maintained. What do you know of courage? You who still seek the approval of a man who isn't even your blood, you who betrayed and left a friend that was like a brother, just so you could live the life of a noble, and you dare speak to ME OF COURAGE."

Rukia felt her heart waver, felt her resolve slowly break as images of Renji flashed in her mind. Renji the one who stood by her like a brother, the one who stood by her in poverty, who protected her, Rukia felt her hands tremble and for the first time began to feel the wounds on her body that were inflected by the elements of this chaotic land. The laughter boomed again, "Nothing in this world is outside of my knowledge, little one." Rukia's legs began to shake, "And what of your resolve, what about that honor you hold so high?" The voice began again, "I know why you gave the boy your power, your strength. I know the secret in your heart of hearts. You were hurt, beaten, he, this human boy was your escape, so you pierced him with your feeble zanpaktou, releasing all of your responsibility and burdening him with it. How easy it must have been to sit on the sidelines, hovering over him, like some great warrior, like a self-righteous bitch, when it was you who was the coward, you who shirked your responsibilities."

"NO!" Rukia yelled as she fell to her knees. "It wasn't like that, you liar, you filthy.."

"Oh, how the blade cuts deep when it's turned on you shinigami, how the light burns when it reveals all the dark shadows of ones heart."

Rukia felt the evil reiatsu hit her, crushing her on the ground. She felt her strength waver as it was overwhelmed with the guilt, the guilt that she still carried in her soul. "You stole the poor boy's destiny, threw him into a world he was not meant to see, not meant to enter, the world his father tried so desperately tried to keep him from, and by doing that you created me." Insane laughter swirled around her, infecting her, chilling her soul.

"Hypocrisy," the voice continued, "lies and hypocrisy is all you shinigami's are good for."

Tears fell from Rukia's lavender eyes, "No, its not.."

"It is true," the voice yelled, "I was there remember, I was there when you spoke to him that day, the day after you stole his life. I was there when you told him that as a shinigami he was responsible for protecting souls and humans, with his life if necessary. Tell me you little BITCH, tell me where was your responsibility on that night, where was your willingness to die for a human, for a soul, for HIS SOUL. You suffered a wound, but you still could have killed that hollow, yes the odds of you surviving the battle was slim, but it was your responsibility." The voice laughed as Rukia screamed in sorrow, "you're a hypocrite and a liar, you are weak, your weakness will kill the man you love, it is all your fault. All of it, all of it is directly linked to your weakness."

Images of Ichigo falling to his hollow side flashed before Rukia's eyes. She saw him shake, saw his mind fall, "This was because of you." The voice said laughing at her pain.

Rukia began to shake her will slipping from her, she fell prone on the ground. It was all her fault, the pain Ichigo was in, the suffering he endured, all her fault. The battles that Ichigo fought in, the pain from each and every wound he received flashed before her. She saw the countless injuries, the screams of pain, the pools of blood, it was all her. She set him down this path of pain and battle, she caused him to give up his human life, she opened the door to the hell he now lived. But the voice wasn't done yet, the pictures began to change it showed Ichigo looking at her, him falling in love with her, "And you see, taking his life wasn't enough was it? You had to toy with his emotions, lead his heart, force him to fall in love with you," Countless images of her and Ichigo laughing, fighting, and just being close to each other flashed before her eyes, and every image always ended the same way, her leaving him to stay in Soul Society, him grieving her absence. She saw him starring at his empty closet, day after day, starring out the window each night hoping to see her coming, praying that she would come, "You, played with his heart, used him for his strength and after every time you were done, what did you do? You left him to his pain, to wallow in the pain that can only happen when the one you love is gone." The laughter continued.

The wind swirled around her, the clouds raced in the sky, lighting and thunder boomed everywhere, as the rain pelted down from the sky covering everything in a black liquid like substance, the voice whispered now, whispered in her soul, "But do not fret little one, you should feel proud, even I couldn't have broken him so completely as you have. For what it's worth, I approve."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," Rukia yelled as her heart broke in two and the laughter began again. Image upon image flashed in front of Rukia, images of her failure, of her weakness, images showing Ichigo pushing himself past endurance, past, pain, for her, only to break down as she left his side. She saw Isshin cry as he realized what his son had become, when he saw that his son was no longer just a human, but that his son had picked up a zanpaktou, she felt his pain as he realized the life that lay before him his only son. It was all her fault, her Rukia the Ice Queen, Rukia the stoic aer to the Kuchiki blood line, her who constantly failed the expectation of those around her, constantly falling having to be picked up by some one else. "No, not this, please not this…"

"What is it Rukia!" The voice screamed in delight, "Not, him, not him he who you truly loved, he who looked so much like Ichigo." The voice cackled in crazed fascination, "HE WAS MARRIED, married to a woman who helped you, and you hated her for it, ahhhhhhhh but how the lies build, how the knife cuts. Is that why you killed him?" The image of Sode ne Shirayuki, piercing Shiba Kaien's chest, his blood covering her face, "You killed him, killed him because he would never be yours."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," Rukia screamed through hysterical sobs, "It wasn't like that, I idolized him, idolized her, he was the first, she was the first people to show me any kind of affection outside of Renji, I never loved him not like…."

"Silence you conniving BITCH, do not speak to me with your weakness, it pollutes the very air I breath." CRASH; a bolt of lighting hit Rukia's body her head snapping back, as blood flew from her lips. A flash of light blinded Rukia from the images of her failures.

Stupid, fight you midget, fight!

The voice shook Rukia, what was that, where did that voice come from. Rukia looked around the world of pain she was in, and was surprise to see that the voice that mocked her seemed unaware of the other voice, crash the lightning hit her again, unrelenting pain shot through her body. I can't, I can't fight. She screamed in her mind, I'm too weak.

The voice was hysterical now, wild with rage and lust, "You are nothing, nothing you stupid shinigami, nothing."

"Please, please stop." Rukia yelled, but her plea fell on deaf ears. The wind picked her up and through her into a building. She felt the broken shards of glass, rip into her flesh, felt her bones splinter as it crashed against unrelenting stone. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Sode ne Shirayuki, I'm too weak." Rukia yelled as the laughter intensified.

The pale white Ichigo watched her from the shadows, his smile splitting his face almost in half. His hand gripped the demon blade tightly as its evil energy consumed him. "She will fall, I will break her, make her beg to die. She will be nothing, I will make HIM watch, make HIM watch as I destroy his love, make HIM watch as I destroy Zangetsu, I am King, I am King, I AM KING." The pale imitation of Ichigo began to laugh again, insanity ripping at his mind, these two were so easily manipulated, so easily broken, he thought to himself, "Heeheeeheee," it laughed out loud, "Just a little more you stupid BITCH, just a little more and HE'LL be mine, HIS heart will be mine and I will be WHOLE." It said rubbing the hole on his chest where his heart should be. "I will be king." His laughter chocked in his throat as brown eyes glowing a faint blue flashed in his vision.

Her body was being tossed around by the chaotic elements of the world, she felt her consciousness begin to fade, every inch of her body cried out in pain, her soul broken under the mountain of her failures, and here again in this world of madness she would fail again. She would never see him, she would never be able to touch him again, to smell him, to feel his strength mix with hers, she had failed before she had even begun. The laughter boomed on, adding to her pain, adding to her failure.

CRASH, once again her body slammed against the cold unmerciful stone of this world. She lay there beaten, broken when she saw him. His gray body strolling over to her, the clouds, the lightning the very air bowing to his presence.

He walked to her, a smile on his face. There she laid, that bitch, that tiny insignificant insect that kept him at bay for so long, that kept HIM from falling. Even now HE fought for control even now, broken and defeated HE clung to her, desperately trying to fight off the inevitable, desperately trying to keep Zangetsu from him, but that would all end. He didn't need Zangetsu now, not with this blade, not with the Demon Blade. And just as he no longer needed Zangetsu, this female was no longer needed, he wasn't Ichigo, he had no connection to her. The smile widened on his face when he saw her cough blood, saw her body racked with pain. He smiled insanely, knowing that he would fill the hole in his chest with this girls screams of agony, and the agony of HIM when he made the last remnants of HIS consciousness watch her demise, and when that weakling, that stupid BOY was finally broken, he would deliver the final blow, he would deliver Ichigo to oblivion with the knowledge that all he loved all he held dear would perish, with HIS body as the vehicle of their destruction. He couldn't help but laugh at that thought, everything, everything was so much fun.

Rukia opened her blood caked eyes and looked at the beast that controlled her love, he walked over to her, laughing, mocking, she knew she would die, knew there was nothing left for her to do.

He grabbed Rukia by her raven colored hair, stared into her big lavender eyes and laughed, he would enjoy this, milk it for everything it was worth, she would scream, she would beg, but only when every speck of pride was broken, when the last remnant of will was shattered, only then would she die, only then would he allow her the soles of death. "Run." He whispered in her ear, and then threw her, "Run you Bitch, RUN!"

Rukia's body hit the ground, she felt him coming for her, felt his desire. She stood up on shaky legs and began to run. A bolt of pure energy exploded inches from her causing her to stumble and fall, but she couldn't stop, she couldn't so she forced herself back up, forced her to keep moving.

He watched her fall again and again feebly attempting to dodge his attacks, feebly hoping to escape her fate. He laughed as he leisurely followed the skin bitch. Howled in ecstasy as he saw her tears fall, from fright. He toyed with her like a lion toys with its meal, he allowed her to narrowly escape, giving her a small thread of hope only to crush it time and time again. His eyes sparkled with demented glee as he saw her pure white robe stained red with her blood, cackled with evil amusement as he heard her gasp for air. There was no stopping it now, no stopping him for killing her, his smile widened showing two blood red fangs, her fear, her pain was intoxicating.

Its hopeless, Rukia thought, how can I survive this, survive him. He has all of Ichigo's strength and more, I can't compete, I'm too weak, too much of a failure. The energy blast hit her square in the back ripping cloth and skin alike. She screamed in pain, heard him howl in glee. I can't, I can't go on. Rukia thought as she crumpled to the ground.

"Finished already?" The creature mocked, "The great Ice Queen, beaten and broken." Laughter

Rukia didn't care what he said, didn't care what happened anymore, she had failed. Her hand slowly opened and a small cloud of smoke slowly began to dissipate.

He picked her up again. Shock her violently by the hair. Her blood flew from her wounds staining the ground. He stuck out his tongue and began to lick her face, licking the blood from her wounds, "You taste great BITCH."

She felt him through her strait up into the air, she saw him raise his sword to cut her down, it didn't matter nothing mattered she had lost, lost in her will, lost her resolve, but most importantly lost his heart.

The blade cut through the air, a blue streak of power trailing behind. His eyes opened in excitement as the blade drew closer and closer to her, closer to ending her pathetic life.

Rukia saw the blade come, felt its evil power. It would all be over soon.

And then time stopped, Rukia saw the crazed smile freeze on the monsters face, saw the blade frozen in air with its blue tail of power behind it.

She saw Zangetsu in his black suite, his brown hair blowing in the wind walk through the gray Ichigo, she saw him walk towards her, and then he stopped he turned and pointed in the distant. Rukia looked straining her eyes, she saw something it was small at first, but as it grew as it came nearer and nearer, and then she realized it was a person, a woman, "Sode ne Shirayuki," Rukia whispered.

"I'm sorry no," a voice as sweet and pure as a mothers kiss spoke directly to her soul.

The image came closer and closer, Rukia eyes opened in shock, her mouth dropped open as she whispered, "Kur, Kur, Kurosaki Masaki."

Please don't be too mad, I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews and J'anime Manga hope this doesn't keep you too much in suspense and once again thank you J'anime for your words of advise it meant allot.