A giggle bubbled from her throat as Ichigo pulled her onto the last rock of their ascent. Her foot pushed a few loose pebbles tumbling down towards the city.

"Byakuya is going to be sooo pissed." Rukia giggled.

"I don't know how the hell you could laugh at that." Ichigo murmured gravely. "Last time you sneaked out he nearly killed me. He's going to boil my ass!"

The only sympathy offered to him was her tongue stretching tauntingly out at him.

"Put that back!" he ordered.

"Or what would you do? Cut it off?" she asked with a smirk.

"How are you so sure I won't?" he snapped back.

She smirked and pulled him down so she could wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"We both know you won't do that." she whispered into his ear. She flicked her tongue along his earlobe. "You like the feeling it brings too much."

She pulled back and smirked as she saw his cherry-red face.

"See!" she laughed.

"Sh-shut up midget." he stuttered.

"Make me, strawberry." she provoked him.

He groaned before turning to face their destination. He couldn't help that his breath slowed and so did seem the world as he absorbed the sight of the ruins. No matter how many times he saw them he couldn't help but be speechlessly amazed.

Rukia was in the same dazed state beside him. When he finally broke out of his trance, he felt for her hand and pulled her along the grounds.

"Do you know that this water has healing properties?" Ichigo asked as they halted next to the pool with the pillar in it.

"Really?" she asked in amazement and excitement. She brought her finger to her mouth and bit down on it…hard.

"Uh…Rukia…no…eesh…stop…"

She smirked up at him before kneeling and placing her wounded finger near the water. She gasped as the water seemed to jump towards her finger. The water finally splashed on it and the wound closed up instantly. As soon as there was nothing left to heal, the water settled down again.

"You didn't have to do that..." he groaned.

"Yes, I'm a curious person so I had to." she answered in fake sweetness.

She leaned over the pool in curiosity.

"I wonder what would happen if I drink it…" she murmured to herself.

Leaning closer to the water, she put her hands in the shape of a cup and then- SPLASH!

"What the fucking hell was that for?" she screeched as soon as she was able to look up at him.

"Payback is a bitch, ain't it?" he smirked.

"Payback for what?" she practically screeched.

"For the tub thing." he answered bluntly.

She growled in frustration.

Getting out of the water, she proceeded to stomp angrily away.

"Rukia…aw…come on! You can't be serious!" Ichigo pathetically whined as he watched her retreating figure. She snapped her head back towards him, a cold, solid glare on her face.

"Take it off." she ordered.

"What?"

"Your clothes, asshole. I'm not walking around soaking wet so hurry and take them off."

He looked at her in disbelief.

"Rukia, you are not serious."

"No, Ichigo Kurosaki, you are not serious." she snapped. "Now take them off before I have to strip you."

"Well I'm sorry! You're just going to have to then."

A few minutes later, Rukia was happily rolling up the legs of Ichigo's pants and piercing a hole in his belt. He on the other hand was unwillingly standing half-naked and trying to come up with a plan to defend his shirt from her. She soon was contemplating over his shirt or vest. She tossed the latter back to him.

"Damned evil midget." he grumbled.

"Stupid strawberry." she countered with a smirk before skipping ahead of him. He mumbled a few curses as he fell into step beside her.

"Would you like to have my wet clothes to wear?" she asked in mock concern.

"Rather have a dog screw me in the ass." he mumbled sarcastically.

"I can have that arranged." she said leisurely as she widened the distance between them.

"No, no, no! I was only kidding." he blurted quickly. She giggled and skipped back to his side. She laughed loudly before grabbing his hand.

"Let's do what we came here to do."

He gave a slight nod before she pulled him into the cave.

"If what Byakuya claimed was true and the drawing in the book is from here," Ichigo said. "We might get clues to where you're from and how to restore your memories."

Rukia brushed her fingers against the paintings on the walls. They all were strangely captivating and familiar. At the top corner was a crudely drawn picture of a hooded figure fighting four figures three times his size. Next to that picture was another of the same hooded figure getting pierced in the side, then one of the figure hiding away, then one of him getting offered food…

"It's amazing that Byakuya could read this." she remarked. There were the most curious words written under each of the drawings. Some of the symbols were similar to those of this kingdom's but others were just all too different.

She stalled at the next drawing. One of the persons in the picture resembled her while the other had long, flowing, white hair. Her mind instantly snapped to her vision of the frozen garden. That picture was unmistakably a picture of her duplicate and the pale woman conversing.

"Rukia, you…" a soft voice whispered in her head.

As soon as it came, it was out of her mind. She shook her head gently and continued to through the cave art.

"Look here, I found it!"

She turned and went towards Ichigo.

"Right here." he said as he pointed to the desired picture. She studied it for a moment before looking at the caption below.

"Priestess of Sacrifice who would once again come in times of need." she recalled through memory.

Instantly, she felt her head go light before gaining tons. Before she could groan, the pain seemed to shoot through her skull and out through the roof.

"Rukia? Rukia, are you okay?" Ichigo asked as the girl's head dropped.

She looked up at him with large eyes.

"I remember."

"What?"

Her voice rose and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Did I stutter? I said I remember."

"What do you remember, Rukia?"

"I remember enough to know I've wasted too much time." she hissed as she pulled at her hair.

He blinked in confusion as she stalked madly around the cave.

"Time?" he repeated inquiringly.

"Yes, time damn it! Tazen can't be doing well! I've wasted a whole year!" she cursed.

"Year?" he asked. "You've only been here for a month!"

She looked at him angrily before her eyes softened.

"I can't be angry with you…" she muttered as she shook her head. "You don't know…you honestly don't know…"

"Rukia, am I allowed to know?"

She looked up at him with a sad smile.

"Ichigo, I…no…my people…we are slowly…" She took a deep breath here. "We are dying."

"Wait…what did you say?"

"You heard me, Ichigo. I'm going to die."

"But…but…why?" he asked, panic he didn't bother to disguise in his voice.

"Because of those beasts." Her eyes darkened as she emphasised the word. "They destroyed the only thing we had in our world to support Tazen's existence. He would ultimately die without a place to reside and without him, we would cease to exist." she explained.

"Why would your existence cease?"

"Because Tazen is the one keeping our existences from the effects of many curses and with that, his life is our life." she clarified.

"But…but…"

He stopped as her calm face altered into a realization-struck, frightened one.

"Is there something else Rukia?"

"Byakuya…"

"What about him?"

She looked him in the eye.

"He knew this language, Ichigo." She pointed to the wall. "He could have translated it. Only a person from my home speaks this. Only a person from my world can travel through 'The Net'."

"'The Net'?" Ichigo repeated.

"Not important." she declared with a wave of her hand. "Right now that noble just better have me answers."

-O-

Byakuya sighed as he reached over to rest his book on his desk. He ran his hand through his hair before sighing once more.
"You have some answers for me."

He snorted in the way only he knew how to do.

"I saved your life." he declared. "Show me some respect at least."

"Don't give me that bull!" she spat. "You know my language. How?"

"Hisana." was his calm reply.

"What?" she hissed.

"Your sister."

The next moment she was standing on his desk and holding him by his shirt's collar.

"Hisana is dead!" she barked. "You couldn't have met her!"

His eyes were coldly boring into hers.

"Let me go." he ordered.

"Or what? I'm the one calling the shots here."

"Let me correct you. You are not calling shots." he calmly replied. "You want my information and so you would have to let me go."

She growled before releasing him. He slowly fixed his position on his chair before speaking.

"How long have you known her to be dead?" he asked.

"Ten years in my time."

"No, eight in yours." he corrected. "Her body was never found so you presumed her dead."

"She was alive? Where?"

"Here, for two months." He took a deep breath and passed a hand through his hair. "We-"

-O-

Suddenly, Rojuro broke into a fit of rib-cracking coughs. Ivy jumped before rushing to his side.

"Mister! Are you alright?"

He stopped coughing long enough to give her a cold, hard stare. She visibly flinched.

"Get out of here!" he spat.

"Bu-but…" she stuttered but was cut off as he screamed at her.

"GET OUT OF HERE YOU DAMNED CHILD!"

She jumped to her feet his tears prickling at the corners of her mouth.

"Why?" she whispered.

"GO!"

She didn't waste any time to dash towards her home.

_0_

I know it's short but...Ugh...I am so sick.(and have two exams tomorrow)

My friends forgot that a guy was telling a kid this story when they were reading it. Did you? Hope not.

Please send me a review telling me what you think.