I don't own Bleach.


The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you


The sun was setting the night Rukia and Ichigo pulled up to the not-so-abandoned hospital where Don Kanonji was airing his next show. They got out of the car and pulled their jackets tighter around their shivering bodies.

It was nearing twenty-two degrees. But that didn't stop the Don Kanonji's fans as they headed to the set. People around them were talking and "bwahahahaing" and dragging their children along to the place where the fans were allowed.

Ichigo and Rukia walked with the crowd, looking and listening for any sign of a hollow. They pushed themselves on their way through until two people came up in front of them; Uryuu and Orihime. Clearly, it looked as if Uryuu had been dragged along. They plastered their arms on their shoulders and recited the Don Kanonji chant, "Bwahahaha!"

Ichigo and Rukia rolled their eyes but smiled. Some things never changed, with Orihime that is.

"Show starts in two minutes!" a mechanical voice yelled over the intercom. "The people here for the Don Kanonji show please start heading over to the set. Again, the show starts in two minutes."

Ichigo sighed as Orihime and Uryuu went along with the other fans and headed toward the set.

"You ready?" he asked.

Rukia nodded.


"Welcome!!" Don Kanonji screamed to the crowd. "How are you guys doing today?" The crowd roared with their response. "Bwahahaha!" he yelled.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" the crowd replied.

Ichigo and Rukia sweat-dropped.

"And say a big hello to my new friend, the talking bird!" There were two fireworks that went off, and while the people were looking at the sky, an assistant came out with a cage and handed Kanonji a cage. Inside was a small bird that could speak.

The crowd looked back at the star and he held the cage up and a small bird was inside. The bird

"Say hello talking bird!" Kanonji said.

The people repeated, "Hello talking bird!"

"Please," the bird pleaded. "You must get out of here. You'll get hurt."

The people gasped and looked to Kanonji for help. The man smiled and glared at the bird. "Don't worry," Don yelled reassuringly. "What the talking bird means, is that it'll be dangerous for me! But I'm going to save all of you from the bad spirits that lurk in this place."

He set the bird cage on the ground.

Behind him, there was the hospital. It was at least three floors tall; bigger than the clinic that Ichigo's father owned. There were two sliding glass doors and over a hundred windows, most broken.

It looked like the set of a scary movie.

There was a loud crash from inside. Some of the people screamed. That was the queue for Ichigo and Rukia. Quickly, they went to the back of the crowd and got Rukia out of her body. They found a nice place behind a huge trashcan to lay her body, though Rukia despised it. Ichigo laughed.

Then, they headed off. Rukia jumped over the people and she waited. There was a roar. She didn't flinch. Don Kanonji said something about a bad spirit coming. He pulled out his wand-looking fighting tool and walked over to the door.

The hollow came crashing through. Like Rukia's book, this hollow looked just about the same. It was wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt. His hair was black and slicked back. His face was covered with a white mask.

Rukia walked forward, unsheathing her sword.

Don Kanonji turned around and saw her. "Wait, what?" he said. "What are you doing here kid, can't you see there's a spirit here!"

"Of course I can see," Rukia said. "I'm here to exterminate it. So just stand back Mr. Don—"

"Miss, get away!" she heard the bird cry from its place on the ground.

"What? There's no oth—"

Crash!

Rukia whirled around. There it was. The hollow…that was after the little boy's spirit; the one locked inside that bird. Oh no. This wasn't good.

She had to fight two hollows at once.


She ran inside the building, two hollows on her tail. They shouldn't take long, maybe the one who was after that little boy would be harder but the one who had just recently turned into a hollow shouldn't be that bad.

There was a crash behind her but Rukia didn't turn around and look. She had to get away from those people. She had to … they could get hurt. She turned a corner and the wall burst out from behind her. She had to fight them now. They were going to kill her. She turned around to see a hand coming toward her. Quickly pulling out her zanpakuto, she blocked the attack but skidded backward until she hit a wall.

She looked up at her attacker.

It was the one trying to attack the bird.

It was a good thing she left Kanonji and the little boy quick enough so the hollows would follow the stronger reiatsu. If she hadn't left when she did, what would have Kanonji done? The little boy?

Another attack, but this one was from the other hollow. He came from the ceiling. The old ceiling crashed from the force and Rukia dove out of his path of motion. He slithered from where he was and was about to attack her again. She brought up her sword and cut off his arm.

The hollow of the hospital backed up and hollered in pain. Rukia took the opportunity and ran to the end of the hallway and up the stairs to the roof. That way, the hollows couldn't use the actual hospital to their advantage.

They crashed through the roof not two seconds after she reached it.

"Mmm," the boy's hollow said. "You smell pretty good, Soul Reaper. Why don't I eat you first and then that little boy?"

Rukia smirked. "How about I kill your sorry ass and then get back to the show? How does that sound?" She went in for the attack but the hollow stopped her.

He threw her across the roof.

She slid to a stop and felt her temple; it was bleeding. She stood up again and held her zanpakuto out in front of her. She breathed in and out very slowly. The hollows were a little much for her. After all, she hadn't fought any hollows at this much strength. She definitely hadn't fought any hollows together. This was beginning to be too much.

The boy's hollow charged and rammed her again. She flew and hit the side of the head against the ground. She tried to get up but she couldn't.

He eyes hurt to keep open. Those hollows … they were coming … and she was going to die. She couldn't move. She could only lay there and wait for her death.

Flash.

Rukia tried all she could to turn her head. She couldn't see who it was but she did hear to things, two words. It sounded like … like a release of a zanpakuto but not one that she had ever heard before.

"Myu-jikaru-kouu," the voice whispered. Rukia could tell it was a woman. She saw a flash of light and the hollows were sliced down the center. Rukia heard the brief sounds of music; beautiful, angel-like music. Rukia forced herself to open her eyes all the way. She had to see who that was.

She briefly saw the end of her shinigami robes and longer hair before her eyes shut again. So, the shinigami saving her was a woman …

She heard that music again. What was that? It sure did sound beautiful, whatever it was. The shinigami's zanpakuto was released and its power was music. It wasn't one of Rukia's characters…she knew that.

There were two cries; the hollows. They had been beat, she knew it.

She felt to slender hands press up against her forehead and suddenly she felt much better. Rukia opened her eyes to finally see the person who saved her but that person was gone. She looked up and saw Don Kanonji was running to her.

"Hey, kid!" he yelled. He helped her to her feet and asked, "Are you okay?"

She rubbed her head. She couldn't feel a gash, only cracked blood. She sighed a "yes" and they she was about to start walking down to the bottom to the hospital when a small voice.

"Thank you, Miss," it said. She turned around and saw, for the first time, the small bird on his shoulder, "for saving me and all those people."

She walked over to the bird and pulled out her zanpakuto. "I deserve no thanks, for it wasn't me who saved you. Thank the person with the musical zanpakuto. She deserves your thanks. Not me."

The little bird nodded and Rukia stuck the hilt on its forehead. There was a brief flash of light and the little bird was gone. Don Kanonji looked over to her. "I sent his spirit to a better place," she merely explained and then turned around to walk down the stairs, limping from an injury she didn't know she had.

"Hey, kid," he yelled more softly. She turned around, suddenly tired. "You did the right thing, bringing those monsters up here."

She nodded. "Mr. Kanonji," she said. "When you fight another spirit, don't stick your weapon inside the hole in its chest. That only makes it worse. Use some other way to take it down."

"Why?"

"Just trust me."

She turned around and walked to what was left of the stairs and continued until she was out of the building. She could faintly hear the sound of Kanonji saying that the bad spirits were gone and all was safe in Karakura Town.

She could see Ichigo. He was waiting for her. He looked over and saw her, bruised and tired walking toward him. She smiled faintly.

She reached him and he helped her through the crowd. They reached the trashcan where her body was and saw that it was gone. "Looking of this?" someone said. They turned to see Urahara. He smirked. "Here you are, Miss Kuchiki."


"You're a liar, you know that Kurosaki?" Rukia asked while they were driving home.

He looked over to her, shock etched on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that when you first came to the bookstore you said that you would explain everything to me later. You never did."

Ichigo looked at the road passing. "We never had time. We're either working exterminating a hollow."

"Um, we?" she asked, pulling up to a stop. "I believe I'm the one putting my life on the line. I thought you said that you only gave me a little of your power. Where is the rest of it? Why can't you help me?"

He groaned. "You should know the answer, you wrote it. I accidentally gave you all my power. I've never given my powers before. I winged it."

"Winged it?!" she yelled. "What do you mean? So you almost killed me? Great, I'm glad that I can trust you." He smirked and she fumed. Yep, he could finally see the old Rukia coming back. "And what about a gigai?" she went on, still fuming. "Where the hell did you get a gigai overnight? I know you can't buy them anywhere!"

"Well you should know the answer to that one," he said. "I got it from Urahara. He said he's from the real Soul Society. He had them."

Rukia nodded, her anger gone. She was too exhausted to be angry for long. She pulled into the parking lot by her apartment and parked the car.

They walked inside the apartment all the while a shinigami watched them from above. She could feel the faint presence of rain. "You have no idea what's coming Rukia," she said from the roof her shinigami robes waving in the stormy breeze. "I just hope you can get out alive."


A/N: That's it!! How was that?? Who out there can't wait to see Grand Fisher?! I can't! I'm so excited to write the next chapter it's not even funny! And, I know I haven't told you guys lately, but I really do appreciate it all. I love you guys so much! :). If you have any questions, just ask!

Please Review!


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"Surprise, my third daughter!"