AN: So… In order to get back on track with the other stories I have going on, there will be no Christmas special this year… Your Christmas present will be the ending of the Halloween special before the year is over :P

Seriously – this ends the story – next chapter ties it all together and there you have it – finally… Thank you ALL for your patience, emails and kind words! I appreciate you all!


Chapter 9

Zanko was not pleased. He felt the blast of reiatsu and was instantly by her door. How dare she defy him! How dare she!

"You will be punished for this!" He said as he walked in. Rukia stood there, in the door frame of the bathroom, her arms behind her, the collar on the floor in front of her. One small drop of blood trickled down from her neck where she nicked herself taking the collar off. Her eyes, wide. Her demeanor, calm.

"No," she said, defiantly. She raised her head, "Release the others!" She demanded.

"Submit, now!"

"NO!"

"Kuchiki, this is your last warning!"

Rukia threw her hands up and started chanting, "Hado sanju san, Sokatsui!" As blue fire erupted from her hands, a surprised looked passed over Zanko's features before he was hit and thrown back through the doorway crashing into the wall on the other side. Rukia quickly followed and put her hands up again. "Hainawa!"

The yellow light emerged and crawled its way across the hall and wrapped itself around Zanko before he had time to recover.

"Release me!" He yelled.

Rukia stood over him. "Where is Ichigo?"

Zanko laughed. Rukia took a small step back and looked down the dimly lit hallway. "Ichigo!" She called out. "Ichigo!"

Zanko continued to laugh. Rukia brought her attention back to him. "Where is he?"

He stifled his laugh long enough to ask, "Who?"

"Ichigo!"

"Where is he, indeed." He looked at her. "Release me and I'll tell you where he is."

"You must think I'm a fool," she said as she took a few steps into the hallway. "Ichigo!" She called out again. Not hearing anything, she made her way to the end of the hall. She touched the door to the basement. She glanced back at her captive before deciding to open it.

The basement was dark. She gave herself a few minutes for her eyes to adjust before she took a few steps down. She felt for the pull string to the light. She pulled it and gasped.

The basement was empty.

No rats, no blood, no bodies. The floor was completely clean.

Rukia narrowed her eyes and made her way down. She looked at the corner where she kept herself many nights before. Clean. She looked at where Rangiku-san and Ikkaku were hung. They were gone. Renji, gone. Hitsugaya, gone.

Quickly, she ran back upstairs. The hallway was empty.

A chill ran down her spine as the hairs on her neck stood.

Shit.

She clutched the sliver of mirror tighter and brought her arm up, ready to strike if need be.

"…" She heard his voice in the distance, outside of the house, taunting her. Carefully, she walked down the hallway being careful as she passed the open door to her "room".

Her heart was pounding, deafening her ears in the silence.

Snap!

Rukia turned…Nothing.

She took a step into the kitchen, nothing. She scanned the counters looking for something to replace the little piece of mirror with but the counters were bare, the drawers, empty. She glanced at the side door, the one she escaped through once before and looked at the sun. The door was slightly open, the sun shining through. She guessed it was mid-afternoon by it position.

She resisted the urge to run. She knew her ankle wasn't fully healed and she wouldn't get far. No, she had to be patient, cautious.

Is that something Ichigo would do?

Ichigo.

Was he still here? Bound somewhere? Or was he dead, like everyone else she cared about? The thought made her unconsciously sob.

She briefly closed her eyes and controlled her breathing. She pushed the thought of Ichigo's death from her mind.

"Where are they?" she yelled out. She took a step towards the door. And then another. "Answer me!" She touched the door and pushed it open while taking a step back in case he was there waiting for her.

Silence.

"Zanko!" She screamed. "Where are the others?" She asked as she stepped through the door.

She found him leaning on a tall oak in the middle of the small yard. In another time, another place he might have passed for handsome.

"What others?"

Rukia paused. Blinked. "Ichigo! You will release Ichigo!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Rukia took a step back. What?

Zanko grinned and stood. He walked towards her. She put her hand up, "Don't come any closer!" His grin became wider, impossibly wider and he didn't slow.

"Hado Sanju-ichi Shakkaho!" Red fire flew from her hands aimed at Zanko's chest. Only he wasn't there. Her eyes grew as she felt his presence pass her. She felt his hands on her as she turned to face him.

"I'm done playing with you, Kuchiki. It's time you joined everyone else in their fate," he said as he tightened his grip around her waist with one hand and pulled out his sword with his other.

Rukia didn't have time to think, she took the piece of mirror she was holding and plunged it into his chest, where his heart should have been.

Gasping, he released her and stepped back.

Rukia took off into the woods.

"You can run, but I will catch you, Kuchiki! You're MINE! You already gave yourself to me! HAHAHA!"

She heard the words and his laughter and ran as fast as she could. Her ankle was a hindrance and she couldn't run near as fast as she needed to. Shunpo was out of the question. Not that she could in her gigai anyway.

Red, yellow and orange colored leaves flew by her as she ran. Fall was her second favorite season. She loved the many colors the leaves turned before they browned and fell off the tree.

She couldn't hide, no longer wearing the suppression collar, he would sense her. She couldn't out run him; he was an Espada and could use Sonido at any time and instantly catch her. That narrowed her options down significantly. Scanning the trees as she ran, she knew she didn't have a lot of time. She still had to find out what happened to Ichigo and whoever else he might have been holding. If they were still alive…

They HAD to be. She did everything he asked of her; every humiliating thing. Her eyes narrowed.

She heard the familiar sound of the Sonido and a twig snapped behind her. She was out of time. She found a branch and scooped it up as she turned in one fluid motion. She brought it up, chest height, ready to strike as she felt the cold steel of his blade enter her left shoulder. She managed to connect the branch to his left knee as she lost all feeling in her arm.

Zanko grinned even as he went down.

Rukia backed up, pulling herself off of his sword. She gripped the branch with her right hand tighter and put the tip to his throat.

"Where are they?" She asked again. Zanko looked at her with the same stupid grin on his face.

"I killed them," he said simply. He carefully watched her reaction.

To her credit, Rukia remained still. Unbelieving. Zanko laughed.

"You're so hung up on someone who didn't even care you were mine."

"What?"

"Ichigo, didn't care what I did to you. I told him you were mine. He only started caring when I said I would do the same to his girlfriend."

Rukia felt like the world was crashing down around her.

"Once I killed her, he went ballistic. He was so mournful, so sad, he almost begged me to put him out of his misery."

"No…that's not Ichigo at all. He would never – "

"He died blaming you, you know."

Rukia stumbled and dropped the branch. Zanko was quick on his feet and grabbed her.

"No! It's not true…it's not…" The blood rushed to her head, she felt dizzy, lightheaded and sick. Ichigo was gone and it was her fault. He…

Rukia fainted.


Well, that's it then. You have no one left. He killed everyone and Ichigo…Ichigo died hating you. If it wasn't for you, he would be living, he would be with his Inoue making little orange headed babies and his life would be perfect.

NO!

A bloody image of Ichigo floated in front of her.

"YOU did this to me! This is all your fault! He killed her because of YOU! I HATE YOU!"

No!

NO!

I did everything he wanted! I did it for you, Ichigo! I tried to save you!

"You're not good enough! You were NEVER good enough!"

That's not true! I can handle myself!

"Yeah, like you handled yourself into execution? Like you handled yourself with the Bounts? Like you handled yourself – "

STOP! STOP IT!

"You're weak!"

Pathetic.

Not worthy.

"Orihime is DEAD because of you!"

"I am DEAD because of you!"

Useless things die.

DIE!


GASP!

Rukia awoke with a start. She found herself in Zanko's arms. He had carried her back to the house and they had just entered the living room. She wiggled and pushed him away. Shocked she was awake, Zanko dropped her.

"Hado Sanju san, Sokatsui!" Rukia cried out. Zanko drew his blade and used Sonido. He was immediately behind her as the blue lightening crashed into the kitchen wall. A spark ignited and a small fire erupted.

Rukia looked down as his blade cut across her chest. She kicked behind her and fell to the floor and rolled away.

Zanko was instantly on her. He forced her to lay flat on her back as imitated her actions earlier and put the tip of his blade to her throat. A small drop of blood trickled out and down the side of her neck.

"Do it!" She said.

"Did I hear correctly? The great Kuchiki Rukia is asking for death?"

"DO IT!" She screamed as she stretched out her right hand and tried to reach his arm.

"Hmph," he said as he removed his blade. Rukia grabbed his arm and reached for the hilt. Zanko hit her in her face and stood up. Blood poured from her nose as she sat up.

The kitchen was on fire. Beside her, on the floor, was another shard of the broken mirror.

As she bent over to stand, she caught sight of herself in it.

Ichigo may have hated you, but you didn't kill him. Zanko did.

She looked over at him. His back was to her.

He killed Ichigo.

Rukia picked up the shard and tried to stand. She had to put most of her weight on her right foot as she had somehow broken her ankle again during the struggle.

"How does it feel, Kuchiki?" he asked, his back still to her. "How does it feel knowing the one man you loved died hating you?"

"He died because of you!" She yelled.

"No," he laughed, "he died because of YOU!"

"Nooooo!" Rukia yelled as she lunged at him. She threw her small body onto his back and plunged the mirror into his neck. She stabbed at him repeatedly, she didn't notice anything as they both fell to the floor, she didn't notice the fire had now completely engulfed the kitchen and was now spreading into the living room, she didn't notice she was covered in his blood, she didn't notice she had killed him.

She was completely focused on her task, she didn't notice the front door as it burst open.

She didn't hear the voices as they called out to her.

She ignored the feeling of someone restraining her.

She blinked and looked away from Zanko's body. She saw the raging fire that was now taking over the far corner of the living room.

She turned and saw Ichigo's ghost. He was standing in the doorway. Rukia reached out with her good arm to him before her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"I'm sorry…I couldn't…save you…Ichigo…" she whispered before collapsing into someone's arms.