~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Ikkaku's POV)

"GET HIM!"

The dust that rose up from Uryuu's arrow billowed around them, making it hard to see, but he knew where Hollow Ichigo's laughter was coming from. Aiming for his general direction, he drew and thrust Hozukimaru at the disembodied sound. He found no purchase, but as he retracted his Zanpakto he felt someone grip hold of one of the three parts and yank, catching him off guard and sending him off balance, even as the debris swirled violently with Renji's own attack, barely missing where he was standing and blasting into the ground beside him. More chunks and particles of tile flew up around them, and for a second, he forgot about who might be on the other end of his Zanpakto as he yelled,

"Hey, watch it!"

No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than he was forced back by a sudden blow to his abdomen, his breath being forcefully expelled from his lungs as the grip on Hozukimaru was released, and he stumbled backward, cursing. Regaining his grip on his weapon, he caught a flash of that eerie white and red mask seconds before he felt the gust of wind of several thousand cherry blossom petals slicing through the air around him, cutting into his own flesh as they passed. Yet even with the onslaught of attacks, the Hollow's chilling laughter only grew in volume around them, ignoring the shouts of battle around him, rising goosebumps on Ikkaku's flesh.

He caught the glint of steel seconds before it hit him, and managed to raise the blade of Hozukimaru just in time for metal to clash, sparks flying around them even as another blast beside him send more chunks of ground flying into the air around them. Putting all his weight into his counter, he vaguely recognized the shape of the sword before he growled out in frustration,

"Renji, focus!"

Immediately the sword retracted, but he found it hard to blame the red-head; with all this dust flying around them, it was hard to tell who was where, and what was who. He felt another growl slip past his throat as he felt movement to his other side, and lunged forward, Hozukimaru poised to strike. He had just sent his blade downward, only to have a sudden blast of debris strike the side of his face as it cut into the wall of the hallway. This was getting them nowhere! He was almost ready to just step out of the dust and wait for the Hollow to do the same when he heard a pained gasp from behind him, where he had last known Uryuu to be standing.

Almost exactly at the same time he realized this, he heard Byakuya yell an order that neither he nor Renji needed to hear to obey. Already he was running toward where Uryuu had been, finally breaking free of the billowing dust they had kicked up to see Uryuu draped over the Hollow's shoulder, and quickly disappearing down the hallway. Frustration built within him as he realized just how much quicker the Hollow was than himself, and he was about to yell out to Renji to reach him before he escaped before he watched the red-head beside him try exactly that.

He watched as Zabimaru extended, slicing through the air as quickly as the Hollow could move, and had almost reached him when the Hollow lept into the air, just in time to avoid an attack that would have taken his legs clean off. He heard Renji's uttered curse as the Hollow swirved down a different hallway, and with as much haste as they could, Ikkaku and Renji followed. Turning down that same hallway, Ikkaku chanced a glance from the hall they had come from, only to see Byakuya and the white-haired Quincy disappearing down a different hall in the opposite direction.

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. This was a full-fledged battle now, and the Hollow was their prey. They would divide to conquer, and the human who knew the hospital like the back of his hand would know the short cuts to do it, too. All they had to do was keep on the Hollow and lead him straight into Byakuya's trap; simple enough.

If Renji wasn't a hot-headed dumbass, that is.

Keeping on the Hollow's tail was easier said than done, and by the first few turns they had almost lost him. That was when Renji activated his Bonkai, using the giant sword-turned-bone-snake to smash through walls and rooms, managing to keep the Hollow in their sights when he disappeared completely. After several failed attempts to actually reach the Hollow, Renji finally gave a cry of victory when some of the debris from yet another hallway wall blew up directly in front of the Hollow, blasting him off course and into another wall. Ikkaku could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins as they closed the distance between them and the Hollow, and heard the hissing just a second too late.

The entire section of walls and rooms to their left exploded out of the rubble of Zabimaru's wake of destruction, catching him and Renji in its wrath, blowing them away from their target. Ikkaku slammed against the opposite wall hard enough to fracture his skull, and instantly felt the heat of fire pressing against him. Opening his eyes without remembering he had squeezed them shut, he realized there was an excruciating ringing piercing through his ears and making the world spin around him.

Cursing inwardly, he took in the sudden destruction around him, flames licking at the walls around them, catching on all the debris Renji had left around them. It was only as the ringing slowly faded and brought back his hearing that he realized Renji was lying motionless next to where he had landed. The crackling of flames and the rising pressence of blackened smoke was filling the hallways as Ikkaku began to realize that in the sudden explosion, they had completely lost track of the Hollow. Bringing his hands to his head, he winced heavily as he touched the spot that was impacted, and as he brought his right hand away, he found it covered in blood.

Grimacing, he reached for Hozukimaru and the blood-clotting ointment contained within, only barely catching the flash of white and red and managing to raise his weapon in time to block the sudden gleam of metal that came down upon him as Ichigo's Zanpakto sliced through the quickly heating air. Ikkaku could feel the wooden handle of his own Zanpakto starting to fracture under the weight and sharpness of the thin sword, and in an attempt to shrug the Hollow off, he pushed back with all the strength he could muster, despite the lingering dizziness plaguing him from the explosion.

Gasping in a breath filled with smoke, Ikkaku fought the urge to cough as he watched the Hollow quickly recover from the thrust and return for another attack.

"RENJI!" he yelled, straining his body to keep up with the speed the Hollow had, barely blocking a slice to his side.

Sending the blade of Hozukimaru down toward the Hollow's head, he heard the clash of metal on metal as the billowing smoke filling the room started to cloud his vision again, once more giving the Hollow the advantage of cover. His eyes flickered over toward where Renji had been laying, only to find he could no longer see him through the smoke and flames that were rapidly growing around them. Shifting his stance ever so slightly, he felt his lips curl upward into a sneer as he repositioned his grip on his Zanpakto. Fine... the Hollow wanted to play hide and seek...?

Let's play.

Mustering up what was left of his energy, he activated his own Bonkai, the twin sleuces forming into his hands. With a not so gentle slice through the air with one of them, he moved some of the smoke out of his line of sight, if only for a few seconds.

"Come get some, Hollow. Now that Renji's out of the fight, I won't have any more distractions."

Fighting off the urge to cough again, he snarled as he closed his eyes, knuckles turning white on each of the handles of his blades. The smoke was too thick now to worry about trying to see through it, and if he was going to somehow manage to keep up with the Hollow's speed, he would have to rely on being able to hear him coming instead of seeing him. So with a calming breath, he strained his ears, barely able to hear the gentle swishing of air behind him; metal clashed as he swung his right weapon up to meet the Hollow's downward slash. Turning toward the sound, he swung with the left, hoping to catch the Hollow off guard, but found himself only slashing through air.

Before he could reset his stance, he felt a brush of metal on his shoulder, feeling the pain only after he felt his own blood splatter against his neck. Gasping in a quick breath of smoke, a fit of coughing wracked through his body, his legs becoming unstable and forcing him to back up against a wall. He could feel the intense sting of sweat in each one of his wounds, made worse by the rising heat surrounding him. Forcing himself to keep his eyes closed, he realized if he didn't concentrate, this would be the match that killed him. With his back against the wall, he knew his opponent couldn't get behind him, so he focused his hearing forward and to his sides, listening intently for anything.

Seconds passed as he waited, until the hairs on his neck rose and he swung both his weapons in the direction of the next sound he heard. He missed his target, but felt the air move in front of him, and with a heave, he used the chain attached to the sleuces to manipulate the right blade in the direction the Hollow had gone. Finally he struck something, and heard a pained grunt seconds before something impacted the wall a little ways away, spraying more rubble into the fire pit of a hallway.

Turning to face the sound of impact, Ikkaku sneered again, setting his stance back to his defensive position. He might not be able to see the Hollow, but he could counter-attack him just fine. As long as he waited until the Hollow made the first move, he could -

He felt the pressure in the air change before he heard anything this time, and knew the attack was coming from above. With a mix of a cough and a battle cry, he raised both his blades; one to block the attack, and one to make his own attack, only he heard his voice come out strangled: bubbly. He felt warm liquid bubbling up in his throat, and thought he was about to throw up before he sputtered out another fit of coughs, chunks of red spraying from his lips. He hadn't even felt an impact, but he felt the cold metal now; imbedded deep in his stomach and almost touching his spine...

For a second he stood there, his body shocked into paralysis at the sudden, blossoming pain in his body, with nothing but the crackling of flames and the loud cackle of the Hollow echoing around him.

This wasn't going to end well.

~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Rukia's POV)

The hospital had just come into sight, and Rukia had to stop herself from breaking out into a run at the sight of it, especially since she and Urahara had just felt the Hollow's pressence pop up again. She felt it in the constrictions of her chest that something was extremely wrong, and things were only about to get worse if they didn't get in there this instant. Glancing back at Urahara, she was about to voice such an opinion when a loud explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet, and the lower left wing of the hospital's windows shattered, plumes of blackened smoke rising from their depths.

Rukia gasped, her leg muscles bunching to break out in a run when she was stopped by a hand held out in front of her, as if Urahara had already known her train of thought.

"Rukia, I need you to stay out here in case anyone comes out. You never know, Uryuu may find his way out of the hospital. He did the last time, or so I take it."

She turned her head, eyes widened in astonishment at his joking demenor, only to find him quickly shrugging out of his overcoat and handing it and his hat to her.

"Wait! But...!"

The items were all but shoved into her possession before he himself took off like she had wanted to, disappearing through the sliding glass doors of the hospital. Her breath caught in her throat as she stood there, shifting her feet uncomfortably as her eyes returned to the billowing smoke rising from the windows that had shattered. Uryuu was in there. So was Ichigo, and Renji, and her brother, and... and...

Urahara's cloak and striped hat were dropped uncerimoniously on the ground before she had even thought about going against his orders, but as she barreled through the sliding doors herself, she knew in her heart she wouldn't have been able to stay outside and not be able to do anything.

She had to find Uryuu.

~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Uryuu's POV)

Somewhere within him, he knew he should be putting up more of a fight than he was. He knew that something was terribly, irrevokably wrong and that he needed to fight it. To stand up and actually do...

Do what? That other side argued, What could there possibly be to do that you haven't already failed at before?

He tried in vain to calm his heartbeat, as erratic as it was, but his inner voice plagued him still.

You're worthless.

You're wrong!

You couldn't kill Ichigo if he was standing point blank in front of your borrowed bow.

As if to prove a point, the darkness that had cocooned him swirled and distorted into black, billowing smoke; at the same time a sharp crackling sound found its way through whatever had deafened him to the outside world. His entire body throbbed with a dull, burning ache that made his muscles protest every move he made, quiet groans of pain slipping unbidden past his lips.

Something was wrong. Coughing, he could feel that same burning filling his lungs with every breath, and struggling to turn over, he began to realize he was bathed in the glow of flickering fire all around him. Sucking in a heated breath and instantly regretting it, Uryuu shot up coughing again, his eyes flying wildly around him, taking in the rubble around him. Black, red and white surrounded him in a fog of bewilderment and horror as he tried to recognize his surroundings, only to find a blurry, flickering "STAIRS" sign hanging from a chunk of demolished wall by only a few wires.

This... this was still his father's hospital. Once he realized that, it was easier to make out through the billowing smoke all the chunks of tile wall and floor that were either demolished or engulfed in flames. A shiver went down his spine as he did his best to remember what in the world had happened, but the only thoughts going through his head were disjointed and distorted. Flashes of his room, school, the hospital when it wasn't burning, and a few other odd images that refused to make sense in his mind.

He couldn't remember how he got here, and it was scaring him worse than the ever present heat that caused the droplets of sweat rolling down his forehead. He had to get out of here. Somehow, someway, he had to... what? What was he supposed to be doing again? Struggling to his feet, he winced heavily at the pain that shot through his entire body, biting down on his lip to keep from uttering a cry only to taste the coppery tang of blood on his tongue. His chest felt tight and constricted, and as soon as he made it to his feet he was coughing again, the force of each cough threatening to send him back to the ground.

His eyes were watering, tears mingling with sweat as he pressed the crook of his elbow to his mouth and nose, and the edges of the fire that roared around him was blurred and fuzzy, blending into the smoke that attacked him. He had to get out of the smoke and away from the fire. It was with that thought in mind he stumbled forward, toward where the sign had used to point, trying to keep away from the flames that seemed intent on trying to swallow him whole. His legs felt weak, and trembled with every step he took as he began making his way through the rubble and fire, but thankfully they managed to hold him up despite the coughs wracking though his body.

By the time he made it to the door that lead to the stairs, he felt like he was choking, unable to control the coughs that ravaged his raw throat. He reached forward to grasp the door handle, but it was that moment that his legs decided to give out on him finally, pitching him forward against the door. His head hit first, slamming against the metal door seconds before his right shoulder was smashed between the metal and his own falling body. His head and shoulder exploded with searing heat and agony, but even the gasp of pain that tried to escape ended up in another coughing fit that he swore was starting to tear his throat up.

He slid down to his knees even as he forced himself back, away from the heated door. For a moment, he just stared at the door, listening to the sounds of crackling and rumbling around him, all thought process gone from his mind. He felt... empty. Like there was something missing. He could barely see through his watery eyes, and the smoke that was filling his vision and lungs mercilessly was only a promise of what the fire would eventually do to him if he didn't make it out of here. Still, it was hard to remember anything, especially what he was even doing here...

Again he was struck by the sudden, almost violent feeling there was something vital he was forgetting, but even as the thought shook him, his ears picked up a sound that the fire behind him failed to drown out.

Metal on metal. The clash of swords, the groans and grunts of effort and pain: the sounds of battle. Instantly everything came back to him, hitting him more painfully than the heated door had. His heart clenched with more pain than he felt in his throat as he remembered that Ichigo had tried to kidnap him again, but somehow he had been left alone. With a sudden burst of energy fueled by fear, he lunged to his feet again, fighting off another bout of coughing as he pulled what was left of his sleeves over his hands and groped for the door handle.

When he finally found it, he gripped and pulled, grinding his teeth together as he fought through the pain that seared into his hands. Rewarded, he managed to open the door wide enough for him to slip through, thankful the fire hadn't reached this far yet. He had no clue where he was going, or where he was even able to go from here, but the stairs upward loomed before him, and without much thought, his legs were moving again.

He couldn't stay here. He couldn't let Ichigo find him. His head was pounding in pain, and on the fourth step his left leg buckled and he almost toppled into the stairs, only barely saving himself at the last second. Blinking rapidly to clear the lingering smoke from his eyes, it was only then he realized his glasses were long gone, dropped after he'd shot his arrow at Ichigo. Tears that weren't quite smoke induced began to form at the edges of his vision even as he slowly picked himself up off the stairs, coughing all the while.

He had to keep going.

Why? What's the point?

Trying not to let a whimper color his coughing fit, Uryuu continued to slowly climb the stairs, hugging the railing like it was his very own lifeline. He couldn't let himself stop climbing. The more distance he put between himself and Ichigo, the better it would be.

For who? You're just giving him something to chase after. As long as he's still alive, he'll keep coming after you until you're finally dead.

Again, his legs buckled underneath him, and for a second, he collapsed in on himself in a coughing fit, his lungs constricting like they were destroying themselves from the inside out. He couldn't give in. He wouldn't let himself. There had to be something... some way to fight this... something that he...

Something that he couldn't remember.

Does it matter at this point? Just let him kill you already; or do him the favor yourself.

Startled out of his thoughts, Uryuu's eyes widened even as he realized if he actually made it to the top of the hospital roof, the drop would be enough to kill him. It would mean no more running. No more fear, no more pain... it would all be over. Numbly, he managed to stand again, and began climbing the stairs once more.

Nothing would matter if he was dead. Not like it really mattered when he was alive. Still... he wished he knew the answers to the questions he hadn't been able to figure out.

What was he not remembering...?

Or did it matter at all...?