Be warned; This chapter contains strong violence and horror.

WHEN THE SUN STOPS SHINING

Ichigo's eyes widened. "What...did you say?"

"Must I repeat myself? Very well, the moment you entered this room, you entered my world!"

"But...That's-" Ichigo couldn't finish the sentence, he was too stunned.

"Impossible? Hardly. I have a unique power that is far above all of your powers. Oh, yes, I know all about the shinigami!" The Doctor grinned.

"Bastard!" Ichigo lunged again, but a blade suddenly burst up through the floor and cut off Ichigo's sword hand. He stared at the stump which pumped blood out like a horrid fountain.

"Ha ha ha ha. You are quite headstrong aren't you? It is unfortunate that you can't process what is happening...It could possibly save you." the doctor sighed. "But I guess it can't be helped."

"What is this?!" Ichigo screamed, grasping the stump of his arm.

"This is 'Warp World'." The Doctor explained.

"Warp...World?" Ichigo looked around nervously.

"Everything you see here is from my own imagination. Whatever I conjure in my mind, appears here. That means I have total control over everything, ensuring there is no escape for anyone unlucky enough to enter it!"

"This is insane! What kind of power can grant such a thing?!"

"Tao. This is the ultimate power a human can obtain! Even shinigami are powerless against such overwhelming strength!" The Doctor chuckled.

"Well, if I can't defeat you here, then I'll just have to force you back into the real world!" Ichigo smirked, suddenly confident.

"Good luck, but the only way to end this illusion is to knock me unconscious...Or kill me!" The doctor closed his eyes and suddenly dozens of identical clones materialized out of thin air.

"This doesn't scare me! If there are fifty of you, then I'll just kill them all!" Ichigo raised his sword and glared at his opponents. "Getsuga Tensho!"

The huge explosion of energy struck down the room full of clones, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. When the smoke cleared, both the Doctor and Eve were somehow unharmed.

"Wasn't that a bit reckless? You could have killed little Eve over here had I not saved her."

"Enough talk! Fight me for real instead of hiding behind your silly illusions!" Ichigo prepared for battle, but the Doctor stood his ground.

"I was never a fighter, as you can tell. That is why I perfected a technique that even the most veteran fighters couldn't defeat!" Doctor adjusted his glasses and a ring of flames suddenly appeared around Ichigo.

Ichigo didn't flinch, his gaze set squarely on his foe.

"How fearsome. Even in the face of such a hopeless battle you still stand firm. I commend you, shinigami, but your anger alone won't save you."

Ichigo looked around and then flash stepped behind the slab. The floor beneath him disappeared and wicked stakes shot up, intending to impale the shinigami warrior. Ichigo jumped onto the wall and leapt off in time as the wall froze. Ichigo then flash stepped out of the way of a sudden acid rain from the roof.

"Very good. Congratulations on surviving so far, but how will you fare against this?"

Ichigo tensed, prepared to evade an oncoming attack but nothing happened. His eyes darted left and right, still anticipating a strike, but for some time nothing happened. Ichigo relaxed slightly and laughed.

"Seems like the ace up your sleeve got stuck!"

"Oh, quite the contrary shinigami. How about you check on poor little Eve?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he ran to the girl's side. She had grown and her hair had gone a little darker. Even her face was different. She no longer looked like Eve. She looked more like...

"AAAAAAGGGH!!" Ichigo tried to turn away but his body had become paralysed. His eyes wouldn't close either. The Doctor was forcing him to stare at the corpse of his very own mother...Masaki Kurosaki.

"Recognise that face?" The Doctor asked expectantly.

"How...How did you know?!"

"In this world, I can access your memories and use those memories against you."

"You...Monster!!" Ichigo growled, still trying to turn away.

"It...Hurts..." The voice was lighter than a whisper and it was barely recognizable, but somehow Ichigo heard it.

"What?" He asked shakily.

He looked into his mother's eyes as she began rising from the table. "It...Hurts..."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Ichigo cried, tears flowing freely down his cheeks.

"How fun to see a hardened warrior reduced to tears!"

"SHUT UP!!! YOU MONSTER!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Ichigo roared, but it was to no avail. He was so helpless he couldn't even blink anymore.

"Ichigo..." Masaki moaned. "Can you...Give me a hug?" Her body was stripped bare and her body was ravaged by hideous scars. One of her eyes was bulging out and it slowly rolled out of the socket and dangled down on her cheek.

Ichigo wanted desperately to throw up, but the Doctor stopped his body form doing so. "Damn you!"

"Please...I always regretted...Not giving you...One last hug... Before the hollow..." She stopped as he skin began to grow pale and crimson tears spouted form her eyes.

Ichigo wrapped his arms around her by willpower this time and the doctor gasped. "Don't worry mum. I forgive you for saving me back then. It wasn't your fault...I...I love you." Ichigo stepped away and left his sword embedded in the rotting corpse of his mother.

"What?! How the hell did you-"

"You should have known..." Ichigo's glare pierced through the doctor and he suddenly began backing up against the wall. "Once you entered my mind, you had passed the point of no return!"

"Dammit! I won't lose again!! Train may have beaten me, but I will not let it happen again!!"

"Sorry Doc, but I'm going to have to pull the plug." Ichigo hooked his fingers across his face and then dragged them across, leaving behind a white mask with red markings. Ichigo's eyes suddenly glowed yellow. A black aura surrounded him and he roared like a beast.

"NO!! DIE!!! DIE YOU STUPID SHINIGAMI!!!"

The doctor summoned every trick he could, but Ichigo blocked every projectile, cut down every phantom and slowly made his way to his foe. The doctor ran for the door and yanked at the handle, but just as he was about to leap out of the door he heard Ichigo shriek something in a distorted voice.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

The doctor was half out the door when the blast hit. His legs were incinerated and he lost half of one arm. The tattered man was thrown out the door and he slammed through the stony walls and landed in a different room.

Ichigo walked into the real torture chamber and went to Eve's aid rather than finish off the doctor.

The doctor dragged himself away from the battle and left unnoticed.

Meanwhile, Ichigo approached the poor young girl on the slab. Unfortunately, her condition was never a mirage. She was a mess. The sick doctor had left her chained to the table, unclothed and cut up from head to toe. The only part of her body not lacerated was her face which was contorted in agony. She was unconscious for now.

Ichigo cut the chains off of her hands. He then took off his coat and put it on the injured Princess. Using his one arm, he then picked her up and hung her over his shoulder before running off.

He made it to the forest when the pain was suddenly unbearable. He struggled on until he was in the middle of the forest, then it was all too much. The valiant warrior collapsed in the dirt with Eve lying on his back.

*****

Rukia searched through the castle but found nothing. She scanned the surrounding forest for any trace, but again came up empty handed. It seemed both had been lost...

Rukia hung her head and began the trek home where she would have to deliver the horrible news.

*****

Sven overheard footsteps beside his bed and so he opened his eyes and snapped out of his resting for a moment to check on his surroundings. He instantly recognized Rukia as she stumbled into the room, her head lowered and her body trembling.

"What happened?" Sven asked.

Rukia was silent.

"Hey! I asked you what happened?!" Sven repeated louder.

The girl looked up with clouded eyes. Her cheeks were wet with small rivulets of tears. She fell to her knees and cradled her head in her hands.

Sven rolled out of the bed and crawled over to her. His body was still weak from his near death experience earlier. He wrapped his arms around Rukia and stroked the back of her head as she wept softly into his shoulder.

"I...I searched everywhere!" She cried. "There was...No trace..."

Sven's eyes widened and he fell back. "No...No that can't be?!"

"I'm...I'm so sorry! I should have stopped them the first time...I failed...."

Sven ignored her, drowning in his own sorrows. The once strong IBI agent and sweeper was now a broken man. He had lost everything in his life. He had lost life's game. He tried to hold onto his sanity, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, but it was no use. He released his anguish in a desperate cry to the heavens.

"!!!!!"

He fell to the ground and wept, unable to contain his misery.

Both he and Rukia had lost precious ones without ever saying goodbye...without confessing their love. Sven had lost a friend and the child in his care. Rukia had lost her unwitting lover... Both had been robbed of their treasures.

Sven grasped the sides of his head.

The Seeing Eye...It was right!! Why? Why didn't he save her?! I don't understand...

Sven glared at the tubes in his body and he began yanking them out one by one. Rukia tried to stop him, but he pushed her aside and got back into his suit.

"Where are you going?" Rukia asked, crawling after him.

"I'm going to find Eve...Or die trying!" Sven closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble. Goodbye." With that, the veteran sweeper ran out, haunted by Rukia's lonely cries which carried on down to the end of the hall. Sven tuned out to the world and focused on getting out no matter what.

The doctors barely noticed him, too absorbed in their own work.

Sven didn't notice them either. He staggered on until he was standing outside. An eclipse seemed to be occurring, though it was far from coincidence. Without Eve, the sun could no longer shine. Sven wiped away a tear before he limped off in search for Eve.

Where did Eve and Ichigo end up? Were they claimed by an unknown force or are they still trapped out there in the forest, undetected somehow? Or has something even worse happened? Will Sven be reunited with Eve and Rukia with Ichigo? Or has this battle had it's first casualties? Read on to find out!

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