C 10 – Fall to Pieces

Rukia ran towards that direction as fast as her tired legs could take her. At that time, she didn't even look back, didn't see Ichigo falling down. She kept looking around for Renji and her Nii-sama. She ran, seeing only happy Shinigamis and the battlefield was very sorrow with dead bodies all over the place, but not a certain red hair shinigami or certain blank face of her Nii-sama.

She continued passed around some shinigami then she spotted a red hair guy, leaning his wounded and tired body against a half trunk, big tree. Beside him, laid a taichou, his taichou's coat was covered with blood. They were Renji and Byakuya. Rukia ran towards them.

"Nii-sama! Renji!" Rukia shouted as she ran towards them. Renji looked up, tried to stand up but he can't. His leg was broken and the pains were almost every where in his body. Byakuya, on the other hand, can't move a single finger because he lost lacked of blood and he needed to be treated or he will die.

Rukia bent down to give a look to Renji's wounds and her Nii-sama. She tried to heal the cold hearted Kuchiki Byakuya, but only some wounds closed because of her remaining reiatsu. Renji looked up to the sky over him and saw a Death Butterfly. "Rukia, we can call for the 4th Division. A Death Butterfly is up there," Renji pointing to the Death Butterfly.

Rukia nodded and send a message to the 4th Division for help. Minutes later, Hanatarou came with his medical kit. Hanatarou helped to heal Byakuya's wounds. Rukia and Renji looked at them, full of hope.

Then Hanatarou helped Renji but he couldn't heal completely his broken leg. They had to go back to the 4th Division to be healed. Byakuya was brought back by Hanatarou and Renji walked to the 4th Division with Rukia's helped.

--

Ichigo tried to open his eyes. His body was too weak. Then he heard someone shouted. A finger was on his neck, checking for his pulse. "Help here! He's still alive!" Ichigo heard that guy shouted to his helpers. Next, he felt that his body was floated from the bloody ground and landing on a stretcher. The stretcher floated followed by the Shinigami who checked Ichigo's pulse just now. Ichigo opened his eyes as wide as he could.

As the stretcher floated to the Soul Society Hospital (4th Division), Ichigo looked at the battlefield. Everywhere, you can see 4th Division shinigami tried to save the shinigami who still alive from the battle. Ichigo saw Urahara trying to help Yoruichi who was wounded badly from her belly and below. He tried to stay awake but his eyes felt too heavy.

"Hanatarou-kun!" the Shinigami shouted when he saw the third seated Shinigami walking towards the same direction with a taichou beside him. Hanatarou looked at the Shinigami.

"Tanaka-kun!" when Hanatarou recognised his friend. Tanaka then sent one of his men to help Hanatarou.

Byakuya was put on a stretcher because Hanatarou had to help Rukia and Renji. "Rukia-san let me help with Abarai-kun" Hanatarou asked Rukia politely.

Ichigo heard Hanatarou calling Rukia which made he opened his eyes again although it was quite hard to do. Ichigo saw Hanatarou, Byakuya who was on the stretcher Rukia and Renji. Suddenly Renji fell on Rukia because he conditions worsening; his legs couldn't support his body weight anymore.

"Renji!" Rukia shouted his name as he felt on top of her. Ichigo eyes widen as he saw what happened. He didn't hear but only to see that Rukia was hugging Renji tightly and tears came out from her eyes. Ichigo couldn't help to feel that he was jealous and miserable when he saw it. Then the pains came again. This time, his throat was like on fire. He tried to stay connect to the world but he failed. He was disconnected from Soul Society to his unconscious world.

--

A week had passed since their victory against the war. Rukia walked to a ward no 4869. Inside there, a certain orange hair Shinigami laid unconscious with a bunch of cords attached here and there on his body. Rukia sat on a chair beside the hospital bed. She was worried about that special friend of her. Sitting there for hours just to look at him, worrying that he will go away from her.

Ichigo hadn't awake since he passed out when he saw Renji falling on top of Rukia. Not just that, the tumor in his brain began to spread out, slowly without he or anybody else noticing about it. Unohana-taichou already healed all his wounds and bruisers; also restoring his blood using Urahara's inventions but one thing for sure, she didn't notice his brain cancer and tuberculosis.

Rukia took his pale hand, brought it to her cheek. Tears began to stream down from her beautiful eyes and flowed to Ichigo's hand. "Ichigo, please wake up. There is something I need to tell you, so please wake up. Something which is very important that I haven't got a chance to tell you back when we were in Karakura" Rukia cried even more but silently. She was very worried, not just to Ichigo but also her Nii-sama and Renji. Byakuya had been worsening since yesterday and Renji too but all three if them, Ichigo was the worse.

Rukia put down his pale hand also laying her head on the bed. Soon the dreamland approaching her and she was falling asleep. 'Ichigo, I love you,' she mumbled in her sleep.

--

Next day, Unohana-taichou came in to check on Ichigo's conditions. Well, first thing she saw was Rukia and she was expecting it. Ever since Ichigo was there in the hospital, Rukia usually can be found in Ichigo's ward; rarely to be found in her Division, Kuchiki's Mansion or other places. The healer walked slowly towards Rukia for waking her up.

"Kuchiki-san, wake up. Its morning already" a smile was on her motherly face.

Rukia stir up a bit and stretched her hands because of the tiredness covered her small body. A morning smile and greet were gave to the motherly taichou. Rukia looked sadly towards Ichigo who was still in the same spot and condition as he was a week ago. She patted Ichigo's pale hand gently. No more tears came from her eyes.

Unohana was checking the cords, Ichigo's pulse and something else when suddenly a 4th Division's Shinigami came in hurry. "Unohana-taichou! Something wrong with Abarai-fuku taichou! His body was ice cold and he didn't breathe. Isane fuku-taichou had tried to bring him back but she failed. We need your help right now!" the Shinigami panted in every sentence.

Both Unohana and Rukia gasped in horror. Unohana-taichou quickly rushed to Renji's ward and Rukia tailed her leaving Ichigo lonely inside his ward.

--

Hours passed quickly. Unohana and her comrades managed to bring Renji back. The problem with Renji was his lungs. Unohana had done a surgery to his lungs and it had brought Renji back to them but he had to stay in a ward where some Shinigami could take care of him and use an oxygen mask to breathe. Rukia stayed there with Renji. He needed a company to help him survived. She was afraid that her childhood best friend will leave her. About Ichigo, she didn't completely forget about him, but she knew that Renji needed her right now.

--

Ichigo tried to open his heavy-felt eyes. Several times he tried, and then he could open them. The lights hurt his eyes so much. He blinked for several times. He tried to recognise the room where he laid for a whole week. The orange hair Shinigami had no single freaking idea where he was. Luckily at the same time, Unohana-taichou came in to continue her check up.

"Unohana-taichou?" Ichigo called her. Although his voice was hardly to be heard, Unohana can still hear it, clearly.

"Oh, so you've wake up, Kurosaki-san. How're you feeling today?" Unohana asked him while checking some cords.

"Where am I?" Ichigo ignored her question, still looking around the white coloured ward.

"You're in 4th Division ward. You've been here for a whole week. Now tell me how're you feeling?" Unohana looked at her patient.

"I think I'm fine. Just some headache, that's all" Ichigo closed his eyes.

"Good then" Unohana wrote something on her papers and started her pace towards the door.

"Unohana-taichou how's Rukia?"

"Rukia? Kuchiki-san is fine. She didn't have any serious wounds. She's now in Abarai-kun's ward".

"Oh" he was covered with sadness, again. Rukia loved Renji that what he thought.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Kurosaki-san?" Unohana looked at her patient.

"No. No thanks"

"Okay. Rest well" Unohana closed the ward door.

Ichigo sighed when the door was closed. Rukia doesn't love him the way he expected it to be, but Rukia loved Renji. Ichigo looked out from the window. Birds flying over. The scenery was very peaceful. No more war, no more losing life and no more… no more love for Ichigo. Then he had made up his mind. He wanted to go out from here. Away from the 4th Division, away from Soul Society and away from Rukia.

He tried to stand up. First time and second time, he couldn't as his legs still weak. At his third time, he managed to stand up. He took a robe then covered his bandaged body and his orange hair. With that, he went out from the ward and moved to the exit of the Division.

For the first time in a week, Ichigo breathe peaceful-smell oxygen. Then he started his pace to the place where Rukia almost being executed. He walked there as fast as he could. When he reached there, some of his wounds reopened; the door to the living world had opened. The door opened for Shinigami to check the living world and for them to go back.

Ichigo entered it. He was trying to cover the pains and his orange hair. He was lucky this time because there was no the vacuum thing-y chased him. It was about half hour ride and it was sucks like hell. Ichigo's white robe soon changed colour to red because of the reopened wounds. When he reached the living world, it was connected precisely outside Urahara's shop. He entered the shop and took his body back before walked back to his house.

When he pushed the doorbell, Karin opened it. She was very happy to see her brother again. Yuzu came with Isshin because they heard that Ichigo had returned. Isshin was too happy but he didn't greet Ichigo with punches or kicks because he knew Ichigo was ill. Ichigo was glad not to receive any kicks or punches because he got enough of them for the war.

"Dad, I need couples of stitches. Can you do that?" Ichigo looked at his dad.

Isshin looked puzzled. "Why?"

"I got some cuts from some mobs."

"Okay. Let's go to the clinic. Yuzu and Karin please prepared the tools" Isshin gave commands to his kids. They started to move to the clinic. Ichigo let out a rare smiled. He had missed his family and to see that they were fine, had made him happy, at least to forget about Rukia for awhile.

--

Rukia walked back to Ichigo's ward after spend almost a full day with Renji and her brother. What she expecting wasn't what she saw. Ichigo wasn't there anymore. She ran to Unohana-taichou to ask her about Ichigo, because she didn't hear any news about he was transferred to another ward or he was awaken or he had been released from the hospital.

"Unohana-taichou, where is Ichigo?" Rukia asked directly to the 4th Division Captain.

"Of course he still in ward no 4869, Kuchiki-san. Why?" Unohana looked at the 13th Division fuku-taichou.

"He's not there. He's gone when I came back from Nii-sama room. I thought you moved him somewhere else" Rukia worriedly said to the healer.

"Oh my… This is bad! He was awake when I checked on him. Maybe he had gained his strength and get out from here!" Unohana-taichou worriedly ran towards Ichigo's ward.

There, they saw the bed was untidy, the cords were laid down on the floor and there was no Ichigo there. Unohana-taichou quickly sent a message to all Division members and Shinigami. If anyone saw Ichigo, they must report it back to the 4th Division because Unohana-taichou wanted to know if he'll be alright. But no one ever report about Ichigo because no one saw him.

Rukia sat inside her Division worrying about Ichigo. Then, something came up; he must be at his house! She quickly rushed to the place where she almost being executed. There, she found the door still open and she entered it.

She blamed herself for not to be with he when he woke up and he had been getting away from the 4th Division because of her. All the way to the living world, Rukia kept blaming herself and worrying about him.

--

Finished Chapter 10 – something that I really never imagine!! Well, since its New Year, so Happy New Year and to all Malaysian's student, welcome to 2007 Academic Year

Yeah one more thing, I wanted to know if there is anyone out there wanted to make Ichigo's got amnesia. Please Review!!