THE NIGHT OF RUKIA'S DISAPPEARANCE

'Captain-Commander, I know you know something! Tell me! Please, so that I can understand this whole fiasco!' Renji pleaded from his superior, Shunsui Kyoraku. The head of the Gotei 13 remained silent as the lieutenant trembled to prevent tears from falling. The boy was evidently furious. Understandably so. He had no idea what was going on. Suddenly, his world had turned upside down and no one was being of any help to him about it.

It must be terrifying to be going through that all alone.

'Your frustration is warranted.' Kyoraku allowed. 'But let's get back to business, shall we? Regarding your testimony...'

'We've been going over what I said a million times now.' the redhead threw his arms up.

He was seated on a wooden chair in front of the Captain-Commander's desk. Three witnesses to this confidential exchange - Byakuya Kuchiki, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Soi Fon - were standing behind their subordinate at equal distances from each other. Their presence was instilled only to verify the happenings of the hour. But the more they were learning about the events that occurred in the human world, it was impossible not to gain some personal curiosity themselves.

Especially for the leader of the sixth squad, Byakuya Kuchiki. They were talking about his sister-in-law, after all.

'Like I said.' Kyoraku was struggling to maintain his composure. 'Your frustration is warranted. I understand that this is a stressful situation for you. But I need you to clarify the sequence of events you described in your testimony.'

'Fine.' Renji conceded with a low growl.

'Now, you left with Rukia-chan right after her coronation as captain to meet with Ichigo and his family. Then, you stayed overnight at the substitute shinigami's house...'

'Yeah.'

'Then in the morning, you wanted to take your kids to the park.'

'Yes.'

'But you left Rukia-chan at home because she was feeling sick.'

'She wasn't sick. Her back was hurting.'

'Alright. Then you got to the park, all of you, with the kids?'

'Yeah. Both of them.'

'Ok. And out of nowhere, Ichigo-kun decided to head back home alone?'

'It wasn't out nowhere. He wanted to check up on Rukia.'

'But he returned to his home alone, right?'

'Correct.'

Kyoraku cringed. That sounded sketchy as hell. 'I see. Then after a while, you and his wife follow him back with the kids?'

'After a good hour, yes.'

'Then-'

'Then Orihime and I walk into them canoodling on a bed.' he raised his eyebrows and flashed a tight smile. 'Sorry. Wanted to say that one myself.'

From the corner of his eye, Kyoraku saw Byakuya smirk.

'Anyway...' the interrogator continued. 'This is the part that confuses me. Past that point, I almost feel like you don't have a solid recollection of what happened. The story just kind of explodes.'

'I'm telling you the truth.'

'You told me that after you walked in on them, Ichigo-kun fled the scene with his wife and Rukia-chan woke up with wings on her back.'

'Yeah.'

An awkward pause. 'Don't you think that's a little vague?'

'What's vague about it? He left 'cause he's a pansy, and she sprouted wings. That's literally what happened. Oh!' he jolted. 'She also froze half the house. Without using her zanpakuto. So go figure.'

'Why didn't you speak to her about it?'

'She left before I could.'

'Isn't your shunpo faster?'

'That wasn't shunpo.' he grit his teeth together.

'What do you mean?'

'She wasn't running at an enhanced speed. She moved her hand a little and her presence simply vanished. Poof! Gone! It was like she teleported or something.'

'And you don't find this strange?'

'Of course I find it strange.' Renji bared his canines. 'It's weird. But even if I ask you what that was about, something tells me you aren't going to tell me. You're the one who exiled her after all - for no reason! So why would I seek answers from you about all this?'

Kyoraku kept silent, but made a conscious effort to soften his gaze. Everyone in the Seireitei knew just how much Renji loved Rukia. His heart belonged to that woman for an eternity. His devotion to her took up a large chunk of who he was, and he identified with that aspect of himself with pride. It was like his dream came true when they married each other.

So to be put in a situation like this...

The head of the Gotei 13 understood. He sympathized.

But he'd be damned if this became a bigger mess than it already was by allowing more players to be privy to this sick game.

'You may leave now.' he adjusted his floral kimono top.

The hot-headed member of the sixth squad didn't want to go. He wanted to stay and demand answers to questions that hadn't really formed in his mind. He wanted to scream, throw things, beat somebody up - he wanted to stop feeling this way, like he had been rejected.

He had stood there. In front of her. Unable to reach out to her or convince her to calm down. A demonic version of herself appeared before his very eyes. It was obvious that she needed help. But all he did was observe her in frozen fear after trying desperately to show her the same affection she craved from his rival, from the man that was most important to her.

Of course he'd never be able to reach the moon.

Of course his desperate howling wouldn't get her to so much as budge in his direction.

The moon was busy waiting for the sun to come up.

And he wasn't her sun. He already knew that.

But he loved her.

'Thank you, sir.' his bruised soul mumbled before taking his leave.

Kyoraku propped his elbows up on the desk. He folded his hands and rested his chin on top of them. The three captains were still in the room, awaiting his next order. 'Soi Fon, Zaraki - you may go.'

'What a load of shit.' the burly figure yawned and stomped away. The petite chief of the Onmitsukido trailed by his side wordlessly. Once the pair had stepped out, she slid the door behind her to give the remaining two gentlemen their privacy.

'Wings.' Kyoraku whistled. 'Rukia-chan has wings. Can you imagine that?'

Byakuya didn't even acknowledge that he was being spoken to. He remained unmoving. His eyes were downcast and he gave no indication that his attention was elsewhere but in his own mind.

'Hey...' Kyoraku faced his junior. 'Are you alright?'

'Yes.'

'Then what's going on? Why aren't you saying anything?'

'The entire situation at hand fails to follow any logical rationale. Why are you so concerned that my sister has wings? Have you exiled her because you suspect that she is a bird and not a shinigami?'

Damn. Looks like Hisana didn't tell him anything after all.

Kyoraku scratched his beard in deep thought. He had hoped that Byakuya would be able to assist him in formulating a plan to pre-empt whatever it was that Heaven was planning. He had this nagging feeling that the foreign realm was plotting against them, but couldn't figure out why or how they would go about an attack without jeopardizing their spotless reputation of being mediating pacifists. The general idea was that if it didn't concern Heaven, then Heaven would not interfere or take part in irrelevant matters. And for exemptions when they did, they did so quietly. They were supposed to lack the aggression of the inhabitants of the other dimensions, but Kyoraku knew the truth.

Heaven was the most brutal of all.

The power to smite, punish, and condemn at will without the requirement of a reasonable foundation; that ability may belong to the jurisdiction of the purest world of celestial organisms, but it was an ability that undoubtedly corrupts even the most resilient of souls.

'I understand Rukia.' Byakuya continued. 'I understand why she is not allowed to enter the senkaimon. What I do not understand is Ichika being unable to do so as well. You exiled Rukia. Therefore, Rukia must be the suspect of a crime. How is it that even her daughter is dragged into this mess? So much so that she incurs the same punishment?'

'She's Rukia-chan's daughter.'

'And?'

'And that means that she poses a threat to Soul Society. She could be...' he shook his head. 'She can't be allowed back in here just yet, and I can't allow Renji to go be with her because it could just make matters worse for everyone.'

'This is such a big deal to you. What has my sister done?'

'Rukia-chan didn't do anything. She's not a criminal.'

'Then why is this happening?'

Kyoraku rubbed his temples. Talking to Byakuya was just giving him a migraine. 'I can't tell you that.'

'Then why have you asked for privacy with me?'

'I thought you might know something.'

'About what? I do not know anything. I do not probe, I do not ask. I simply accept the choices of my sister.'

Kyoraku chuckled. 'Are we seriously still salty about Rukia Abarai?'

Byakuya lifted his chin defiantly. 'I do not believe she is in love with that man. And even if she were, I would not approve of that union, had she come to me to talk about it first.'

'And why not?'

'Granted, I was a horrible brother. But he was a horrible comrade. He hurt her - physically. He swung his sword at her - a woman, a defenseless gigai, his supposed love of his life. Even the most heartless of shinigami have that one person that they cannot cut. And he cut her.'

'He thought she committed a crime.'

'So did as well. We all did. Ichigo Kurosaki did. He knew it the best because she was charged with that crime because of him. Yet he chose to save her.'

'Are you implying that you'd rather your precious baby sister be in the arms of a human, umm... What was it that you used to call him? Oh yeah: brat?'

'I want Rukia to be with the man she loves, and who loves her back.'

'You don't believe she loves Renji?'

'After he abandoned her as soon as I entered the scene? If she loves him, it is sad to say that she is quite foolish. Why love that man, when the other man never gave up on her? Actually, he abandoned his family, friends, and even risked his life to get her back. The difference in the level of care between these two cases is impossible to ignore.'

'Man, you're one scary guy!'

'What?'

'I'm just saying!' Kyoraku laid his palms up in a surrender as he roared with laughter. 'If I was a young girl, I wouldn't ever bring any boys home to meet you!'

Byakuya shrugged the joke aside because he simply couldn't understand what was supposed to be so funny. Instead, he continued, 'Rukia these past five years has been a hollow version of what she used to be. It is almost like she had forgotten what was important to her.'

Forgotten?

Huh.

Wait.

Alarm bells were dinging at the back of Kyoraku's eyelids. His gut twisted sickeningly with the realization of what was actually going on.

Before his predecessor, Genryusai Yamamamoto, died, the old man had already arranged for the confidential files containing information that only he should be privy to to be locked in a vault bolted to the floor of the Captain-Commander's quarters. When he passed away, Kyoraku inherited all his belongings and was expected to always reside in those chambers. Eventually, the vault caught his attention and he unlocked it through manipulating his reiatsu. Perhaps Yamamoto anticipated his death and made it so that the vault would recognize his successor's reiatsu.

There was a lone folder hidden in the depths of the pitch-black safe. When he had flipped it open, it only contained one sheet of paper. Reading through its contents, he remembered feeling giddy. Like he had just been told the secret to Christmas. Oh, no, what he had uncovered was far more scandalous. But because he thought there was never going to be any use for it now that everyone had moved on with their new lives, he locked it back in the vault and forgot about it.

But now...

'Yes...' Kyoraku stared into space. 'Yes, she did forget...'

'Captain-Commander?'

'Maybe that's why.' Kyoraku stood up and grabbed the aristocrat by the wrist. Byakuya's face scrunched up in disgust, but chose to say nothing about it. Although this man was not nobility, he was still his ultimate superior.

'Captain-Commander, where are you leading me?'

'To my quarters. I have to show you something.'

'Captain-Commander, what-'

'I think you're right. Rukia-chan has forgotten. But maybe she now remembers. That explains the wings, the powers... everything!'

'Tell me what is going on!'

'I will.' Kyoraku let go of him when they reached the front of his room. He slid the doors open and motioned for Byakuya to get inside. Once he closed the doors behind them, he headed over to the vault that he had chosen to hide behind stacks of books. 'Here.' he waggled the folder in front of the stoic man's face. Reluctantly, he took it but didn't open it.

'What is this, Captain-Commander?'

'The truth.'

ONE WEEK AFTER RUKIA'S DISAPPEARANCE

'Otou-san, how long is Ichika gonna be staying with us?' Kazui beamed at his father from underneath the covers. Ichigo was just tucking him into bed, arranging an assortment of pillows around his offspring. Despite being crass in the battlefield, he was actually a very loving family man who wanted nothing but happiness and comfort for his child.

'I don't know.' the orange-haired man sighed. 'But be nice to her. I'm sure she must miss her parents.'

'No, she doesn't.'

'Kazui.'

'She sees them all the time!'

Ichigo hung his head. He wasn't about to argue. Ichika had been saying for quite some time now that Rukia was still around, even though that was evidently not the case. The poor child must have been seeing things. 'Alright. Just be nice to her, OK?'

'Yes, Otou-san.'

'Good.' he kissed his son's forehead.

'Otou-san...'

'Yeah?'

'Do you love me?'

'More than anything.' he smiled.

'And you love Okaa-san too, right?'

'Yeah.'

'But do you love Okaa-san the way you love Oba-san?'

'You mean Rukia?' he swallowed involuntarily.

That was a very specific inquiry to make.

It was making him nervous.

Why would his son ask him such a thing? Actually, why was he being anxious about it? He never cheated on Orhime, and never gave Rukia an opportunity to suggest that she had feelings for him, if she had any at all. If he said so himself, they were pretty good at veiling over the complex web of hurt that now comprised their friendship. Especially in front of the children, who didn't deserve to How could a young boy be so astute to the dynamic they so meticulously attempted to gloss over?

'Yes! Rukia Oba-san!'

'Of course not.' he laughed forcibly. 'I love your Okaa-san. I can't love Oba-san, she's just a friend!'

'But can't you love your friends?'

'Sure. But I mean-'

'I'm asking because I feel like you don't love Oba-san. And I think that's making her a little sad...'

The older of the two tilted his head quizzically. His eyebrows furrowed and amber orbs widened disbelievingly. What an unusual observation to make. Was Kazui seeing things? Because Ichigo didn't feel that way at all. No, it seemed like Rukia had moved on years ago. After all, she went ahead and had a family of her own. 'What makes you think that?'

'Because Ichika and I think that Oba-san loves you more than an Oba-san should.'

'Kazui, that's not true.'

'I think you hate Oba-san for feeling that way.'

'Kazui, don't concern yourself with adult problems. And that's not true. I could never hate her. She's very important to me. You know what she's done for me, for all of us. You know that we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her.'

'But Otou-san, you don't look at Oba-san the way you look at Oka-san because you don't even look at Oba-san anymore. Ichika thinks she's lonely. I think so too. I think Oba-san is all alone.'

'Kazui, Rukia is stronger than you think she is.'

'Oba-san doesn't depend on you like Oka-san does. So how would you know if she's really hurt inside? Oba-San does things by herself, even though it hurts. Ichika said that Oba-san is really like that; she does things on her own and doesn't tell anybody. One time, Ichika went to Oba-san's bedroom because she had a nightmare and saw her crying. But when Oba-san saw Ichika, she stopped crying and pretended to not be sad.'

'That... That sounds like her.' Ichigo conceded. His heart warmed at the image of Rukia swallowing up her sorrow to come to the aid of her daughter. That woman never changed one bit. She was still as self-sacrificing as ever. He wished that she would take care of herself more, but that selfless nature of hers was one of the reasons he simply could not get over her. 'But I don't think your Oba-san's alone. She has Ichika, your Renji Oji-san, us...'

'I don't think she feels like she has us. I don't think you want to be there for her either.'

'Huh?'

'You fight more with Oba-san. You get mad at Oba-san. You ignore Oba-san. And Oba-san looks hurt when you do that.'

'No, Kazui, we've always been that way. I'm sorry that it bothers you. But when she and I first met, we were already rowdy with each other. That's just how we've always been.'

'And you're friends with each other? Otou-san, you tell me not to be friends with people that hurt me. So why does Oba-san get to be your friend when you hurt her?'

'I'm not hurting her.' Ichigo was panicking.

He knew that Kazui was always an intelligent boy, but the level of perception he was displaying at the moment was that of a gifted prodigy. Or perhaps they were simply innocent remarks that the adult was taking too hard because although he tried to deny it, a big part of him felt so guilty about sabotaging their bond. He was naive to think that marrying Orihime wouldn't change the dynamic between them. Had Rukia not reciprocated his feelings, the situation wouldn't be so awkward now. He knew that, and yet there was no way he could just walk away from this life he had chosen for himself.

His feelings for Rukia were as powerful as ever. He couldn't call it friendship, but he gave up on the idea of it being love a long time ago. He still felt a head-spinning connection to her, a security that only she could provide him.

But it just wasn't worth giving everything up for her.

No, not anymore. Not with Kazui. Not with Orihime.

Too many people were depending on him.

'Good night, Kazui.' Ichigo ruffled his son's bright hair. 'Don't think too much. I'll see you in the morning.'

'I love you, Otou-san.'

'I love you too.'

Ichigo stood up from the side of the bed and closed the lights before shutting the door behind him. He leaned against the mahogany and sighed deeply. That was a stressful conversation to have. He felt like he was being interrogated in the highest court. He felt like a witness on the stand, a criminal who had to explain himself to the jury.

He was wracked with guilt over Rukia leaving - why? He had been trying to brush away the feeling for a while now, but he couldn't shake off the idea that he was somehow involved in that. The way she looked at him - like he had taken her world and crushed it in his hands right in front of her - embedded on his mind.

His gut felt like his insides had been scooped out. Fuck. Why did she look at him that way? Like he hurt her?

He couldn't bear it.

'Ichigo...' she groaned, gliding her fingertips over the sword lodged into her womb. 'Ichigo...'

The thunderous pattering of the rain outside was static to his mind. It was uncomfortable, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Truthfully, he was sort of thankful that there was a constant interruption to the random scenes playing out in his head. He was seriously considering the notion that he was developing symptoms of mental illness. It must be due to all the stress he was in. There was no other explanation.

It was always the same damn choreography too; a woman that was the spitting image of Rukia, save for her silvery sheen, painfully muttering something about a baby and calling his name as a metal weapon pierced through her.

It was fucking terrifying.

It felt so real. He could smell the coppery sweetness of her blood mixed with the sweat and anguish of the battlefield, he could hear the screams and cries of at least several hundred soldiers surrounding them, and he could even feel his own soul crack every time it played in his mind.

Fuck.

Rukia told him not to come after her. She commanded him to stay put. He had to have confidence in her. Maybe she knew what she was doing. Perhaps this would all blow over soon.

He wanted to have faith in her.

'Ichigo.' a voice interrupted his thoughts.

He turned around to see who it was. A pathetic plea at the back of his head hoped that it would be Rukia, but it was just his wife. Her long hair, which was usually tied up in a loose ponytail, was now free flowing to show off its voluminous shape. She was already in her pink pyjamas. She was normally asleep at this hour. Why was she up? 'Orihime. What-'

'Even my own son.' she started darkly. 'Even my own son is rooting for you and her to get together!'

'Orihime.' Ichigo rubbed his temples. 'Are you serious right now?'

'What you're doing is wrong.' she accused in a shrill tone, walking over to him. Her hands came up to his chest, clothing his black dress shirt with an iron grip. He paid no mind to that, but knew that nothing would become of them if he lost his shit. He used to love it; her sensitivity. He used to love having motivation to be kinder, gentler. But at times like this, it was just exasperating to have to bottle up his own vexation to ensure the sanity of another person. He couldn't begin to image what would happen if he dared bite back at her.

'Tell me then.' he responded cooly. 'What am I doing that's so wrong?'

'You have me. And Kazui. But it's not enough for you.'

He chuckled humourlessly. Here we go...

'You promised me.' tears pool in her eyes. 'In front of the priest. You said we'd be together forever.'

'And we will. Nothing's changed.'

'That's the problem!' she hissed, the tears now streaking down her cheeks. 'I thought that over time, I'd be the only woman you ever looked at!'

'Orihime, please think about this for just one second.' he was getting irritated. Before they were married, he never had a chance to spot her rampant insecurity. But now it was driving him insane. He never would have guessed that a woman as unmistakably beautiful and well-mannered as her would even find reason to be uncertain of so many things. She was blessed with everything in the world. So why the lack in confidence? 'You were my first and only girlfriend. You're my wife. What are you talking about?'

'But you never loved me. Not like-'

'Stop.' he raised a finger. 'Don't go there. I don't know how many times i have to tell you that I don't fucking love her, OK? She's done a lot for me. She's been there for me. But what we have is platonic.'

'Then why is she your everything?! Why are you broken when she's gone?! Why aren't you the same Ichigo that I love when she isn't here?! Do you know horrible it's been, having to endure your moodiness, watching you beat yourself up inside, without you ever opening up to me!? The only time I can glimpse that strong, powerful man I fell in love with is when she's around and you're avoiding her eyes!'

'Endure my moodiness?' he palmed his chest like she just electrocuted him. 'Me? What about you? Over and over, you talk about this stupid obsession with Rukia! One minute, you love me, you're sweet, you're kind. The next minute, you throw a tantrum! Why are you crying? There's nothing to cry about!'

'Why can't you just admit that what you and Rukia have is special?! Why can't you admit that she does things for you that I can't?!'

'Orihime, enough.'

'Ichi-' she was cut off by him lightly grabbing her by the shoulders.

'Not where Kazui can hear.' he whispered, leading her into their bedroom. He locked the door and raised his hands in surrender. 'Orihime, enough. I don't like this topic. I don't want to discuss anything related to Rukia with you.'

'Is Ichika even Renji's?'

God.

'Fuck me.' he rubbed his face vigorously. That pissed him off. His heart was racing out of anger. He didn't like feeling this way, especially not towards his wife. But she was egging his rage on. He asked her numerous times now to just drop it, but her jealousy knew no bounds. It was fucking ridiculous. He had done everything to make sure that she had no grounds to be this way; ignoring Rukia, never asking about Rukia, showering Orihime with affection even on days when he just wanted some alone time.

'Is she, Ichigo?' her bottom lip quivered. 'Is she yours?'

'Ichigo...' she groaned, gliding her fingertips over the sword lodged into her womb. 'Ichigo...'

She smiled through the pain.

'I-I've never...' he stammered. His tongue was numbing. He felt light-headed.

Was the room spinning?

'My... Our...' she choked and tears fell.

'Ichi-nii?' Karin knocked. 'Ichika wants me to sleep with her and Yuzu tonight. Just so you know, in case I'm not in my room.'

I'm sorry, he wanted to say, but it was impossible to speak or think with his dying lover in his arms.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

I didn't mean to.

'Ichi-nii?'

I'm sorry.

I love you.

'Ichigo!' Orihime tried to catch him, but he fell to the ground.

I'm sorry.

. . .

'Who the hell are you?'

'Is that any way to greet a guest?' Rukia's frosty eyes gleamed. She sauntered confidently along the red-carpeted leading up to his throne, her silvery kimono trailing behind her with the brilliant twinkle of snowflakes whirling amidst a blizzard. The guards of the palace were frozen in place, an invisible force paralyzing them.

The King was unaffected by this unseen power, but he wasn't about to charge recklessly at this stranger.

Friend or foe? What was she?

'Who the hell are you?' he repeated, finally standing up to meet her halfway. She stopped in her tracks and waited for him to approach her. He didn't unsheathe his sword. He didn't even so much as touch her. He simply stood before her, scarlet eyes darkening in suspicious and looking all the more intimidating with the frame of his long, black hair around his face. 'Are you deaf?'

She stifled a laugh.

'Answer me, intruder. Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?'

'I've come to answer your prayers.' she grinned.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone supporting this story!

Thank you to RukiYuki, Shirayuki992, blissbeat, Luna-Dara, achalida, Anon, hey, Cate-Deriana, jobananasan, Frost, E-kingmoney, and some Guest reviewers!

Shirayuki992, Orihime's tired of his hot-and-cold approach too, mainly because it gives her reason to believe that there are romantic undertones to Ichigo's feelings that he's trying to suppress. That's something I tried to explore in this chapter. Isshin will play an important role in this story!

jobananasan, I laughed so hard when you said "UFC style"! Too funny. But all those motivations you mentioned for them potentially fighting is going to come up later. Isshin will have more appearances in this story and he will eventually play an important role. The hogyoku may or may not have played a role in triggering her memories. The hogyoku's origins will be explained. As hurt as Rukia is, I don't think it would have been very in-character for her to rage out on her sister! Rukia has always struck me as very self-sacrificing and understanding - often too a fault! Yes, I will be bringing in Uryu! He deserved better. The voices in the Ichigo/Kazui scene were just that - voices. Ichigo will only start regaining full comprehension of his memories next chapter. Yes, it is because Rukia is now neither angel nor human. She has shinigami abilities in her as well now. The ramifications of this will play an important part in the story.

blssbeat, next chapter I'm going to start exploring Ichigo's memories from the very beginning! I hope this pleases you!

Guest, I've discussed this with NieveDrop and she was very convincing and saying that Ichigo is older now and he's a family man. He's more mature. He has different priorities. He wants to have faith in Rukia. But you'll see how his decision not to interfere changes after he regains his memories.

Anon, hope this explains Ichika's whereabouts. I'll be expanding on the children later on. Assume the children are five years of age.

hey, no! Those types of comments never bothered me. When I was thirteen, I got into the fashion industry and received much harsher personal attacks that I just had to shrug off. Words don't shake me.

Frost, your English is lovely, don't even worry about it!

E-kingmoney, wow thanks for clearing that translation up! That makes me feel a lot better about this ship.

Cate-Deriana, thanks so much for noticing that! I find that it helps me keep the characters more believable to their true personalities. The following chapters will be much more plot-heavy.

Thank you so much, everyone!

Working hard on the next chapter for you guys!