Author's Note: I believe I've already said, at least three times, that the sequence of events in my fic is extremely skewed for my convenience. I've already established the fact that things are not going to go as they did in the manga, but thank you for bringing it up anyway. There are way too many loopholes...But I will do my best to explain everything eventually, though it's difficult to do it effectively. Sorry. Also, this chapter marks the half-way done point, so I suppose it would be good to let you know that as soon as Ichigo & Company safely reach the real world, the story will shift a little, but the main conflict will remain the same until I wrap things up.

And yes, I am still using the names of Jay Chou songs for my chapter titles.

Seconds later, Ichigo found himself running for dear life alongside Isane as they left the building, unnoticed as they had gone through the rear exit. Fortunately, his precious cargo, in other words, Hitsugaya, didn't weight too much, being fairly small, and thus, he wasn't as exhausted as he thought he would be, though resting sounded like a great option at the moment. The sound of his feet pounding against the pavement was quickly drowned out by the sound of his own heart thundering painfully in his chest, constricted by his ragged huffing and puffing, and Hitsugaya's constant complaints.

"Put me down, Kurosaki!" Hitsugaya demanded indignantly, squirming in the strawberry's grasp, "I can walk by myself! It's not like I don't know how, you dolt!"

"Ouch!" Ichigo yelped as he felt the unhappy captain's hand shoving at his jawbone with reasonable force. "Stop wriggling around! You're making this harder than it needs to be!"

"You're not very clever, are you?" Hitsugaya retorted angrily, his struggles only increasing as each second went by. "It would be much easier if you'd put me down this instant! Even more so if you had just left me there like I had asked you to!"

"My ass!" Ichigo snorted, "I just saved you and you're not even going to act grateful!?"

"Shut up, you insolent ryoka! Put me down at once! I don't need you to carry me!"

"H-Hitsugaya-taichou," Isane implored, "Please, cooperate with Kurosaki-kun and I. This is the best way to get you somewhere where you will be safe."

Hitsugaya merely gave her a glare that was frigid enough to put Antarctica to shame.

The fukutaichou of the fourth division quickly looked away with an involuntary shudder, deciding that translated into words, that expression meant something along the lines of "Say one more word and I will kill you."

"S-Someone's coming!" Ichigo spluttered suddenly, interrupting the intimidated Isane's thoughts, hearing voices and footsteps from around the corner.

"Quick," she murmured, dashing behind a building, and Ichigo, who was still clutching Hitsugaya tightly like a child clinging to a teddy bear, hastily followed. "We'll lie low until it's safe to move again."

They stood in silence, Ichigo's grip tightening defensively around the boy in his arms as they listened to the shinigami who had arrived from around the corner speak.

"Are you sure they went this way!?"

"Yes! I could have sworn I saw them moving this direction!"

"Then where are they now?"

"Beats me! But we're screwed if we don't get that kid back!"

"Who was in the group?"

"No idea. I just know there was one of the ryoka and he had that Hitsugaya kid with him, but I didn't really see who else they were with."

"Kurosaki-san," Isane whispered, "I'll distract them and lead them in a different direction, since they don't know that I was leading you yet. Listen closely, you must take Hitsugaya-taichou and return to the fourth division by yourselves. It's straight ahead. You will see the division's insignia painted on a building. You just have to go through the gates there and then head into Unohana-taichou's office as quickly as possible."

"Got it," Ichigo answered back in a low voice.

"Put me down," Hitsugaya interrupted in an irritated whisper, his hand threateningly held in a position that looked suspiciously like he was about to fire an explosive kido spell up the strawberry's nose.

"F-Fine," Ichigo stammered, eyeing his hand and the murderous look in his teal eyes warily before finally relinquishing his hold on the annoyed captain, gently placing him on the ground with reluctance.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice riddled with concern as he watched Hitsugaya teeter unsteadly like a baby bird only just learning how to fly. As he hesitantly took a small step forward, Ichigo couldn't help but notice him wince in pain as his weight shifted to his left leg.

"Toshiro, what's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. And for the hundredth time, don't call me that."

"I don't like this," Ichigo insisted, "Please, Toshiro, let me help you. You're in no condition to be moving around on your own…"

"Shut up," Hitsugaya snapped, and Ichigo instantly closed his mouth, slightly hurt. "You think I am still a child? You think I am helpless? I never asked you to save me, Kurosaki, so don't tell me that you are indebted to me. I know how to walk. I don't need you treating me like a toddler."

"S-Sorry…I didn't mean it like that," Ichigo muttered glumly. "I just…I just thought that maybe you'd be better off not pressuring yourself…" Hitsugaya's tone of voice had been so icy that he felt as if his entire heart had been frozen into a solid ice cube. He hadn't been expecting him to speak to him so harshly, after all, he hadn't intended on offending him.

"You thought wrong. In any case, we'd better get going."

"Hurry," Isane whispered, "I can only hold them off for so long." With that, she disappeared back around the corner, approaching their group of pursuers.

As soon as they seemed occupied, Ichigo and Hitsugaya quietly slipped behind another wall, cutting around the main path so they could make their way to the fourth division unseen. With a sharp pang of guilt and worry, Ichigo took note of Hitsugaya sucking in his breath and furrowing his eyebrows as he stepped with his left leg again, and he knew that something was terribly wrong, but he kept quiet about it, knowing fully well that he would only be chastised in return. After all, it was a matter of the captain's own pride.

After a few more moments of sneaking around the Seireitei, the two of them finally reached the fourth division office. With a sigh of relief, Ichigo pushed the doors open, waiting for Hitsugaya to go in first before he entered himself.

By the absence of shinigami presence in the room, Ichigo assumed that Unohana had not yet returned with Renji and Rukia.

He glanced worriedly at Hitsugaya, who had sunk to the floor, his back pressed against the wall, his breath coming out in sharp, ragged breaths. It was clearly evident that the boy was in pain.

"Toshiro," Ichigo murmured, approaching the boy, "Let me see your leg."

Hitsugaya looked up at the orange-haired ryoka, defensively drawing his legs up to his chest.

"No."

"Toshiro, let me see."

"I said, no. Why do you even care?"

"Please. I'm worried about you, and…"

"Don't try to sweet-talk me, you fool."

Frustrated, Ichigo promptly decided he was not going to let the snowy-haired captain boss him around any longer. After all, he had never been one to take commands from a kid three heads shorter than him, if not more.

Ignoring his protests, Ichigo knelt next to Hitsugaya, gently reaching out and softly tugging his left leg forward, letting it rest across his lap. With a frown, he softly pressed his finger against the said leg, immediately receiving a sharp hiss of pain in return.

He then took Zangetsu from his back, drawing it across the fabric of Hitsugaya's hakama, making a long, vertical slit from the hem of the garment down to the very end, revealing the slender leg concealed by the black cloth, the pale, smooth flesh contrasting with the hakama's dark color.

Hitsugaya's face instantly flushed scarlet upon his entire leg, up to his thigh being exposed for the strawberry's eyes to see, and Ichigo could feel his face heating up as well, but now was not the time to be embarrassed or to feel awkward.

As he pulled the cloth aside to gain better access, Ichigo inhaled sharply upon the sight that had been hidden within the folds of the pitch black fabric.

"Toshiro…You're wounded…"

Hitsugaya's left leg seemed to have been hopelessly and viciously maimed by something or someone, or a combonation of both, serving to cripple the boy. Blood was splattered across the porcelain skin, and dark, ugly bruises only stained it even further.

"Wh-Who did this to you?" the ryoka breathed out, softly running a hand along the wounded areas, quickly withdrawing his touch as he saw the victim of such injuries bite his lip to stop himself from crying out in pain.

"It's none of your business."

"Yes, it is," Ichigo choked out, "It's my fault. Tell me, Toshiro. Tell me, who did this to you!? I'll make them wish they were never born!"

"Kurosaki…"

At that moment, the office doors opened, revealing a very flustered-looking Matsumoto.

"I'm so sorry!" she instantly began prattling off, "I guess I just overreacted, and...Oh! Taichou?"

There was a pause.

"What exactly…Are you two doing?"

Ichigo looked from Hitsugaya, to Matsumoto, then back to the bare and exposed leg that was resting across his lap.

"Th-This isn't what it looks like!" he spluttered frantically. "I just…I…We…"

"It's alright, Kurosaki-san," Unohana cut in with her usual maternal air as she appeared in the room a moment later."We understand. Now then, move aside and allow me to treat Hitsugaya-taichou's injuries. We want to be ready to leave as soon as possible."

"What about Renji and Rukia?"

Unohana pursed her lips before answering quietly, "They won't be joining us right now."

"What do you mean!? What's wrong!?"

The motherly captain shook her head. "Don't worry," she insisted, directly avoiding the question, "They will come. Later. But the two of you must leave first. You cannot afford to wait for them."

"Then what about Ishida, Inoue, Ganju, and Chad?"

"I will arrange for their transport back to the real world later. I have sent several subordinates to find them and bring them here. For nows, you must go. Things will become much more dangerous shortly, and in your current state, you do not, under any circumstances, want to get caught up in it."