'Sup? This is certainly the longest chapter I've written for this story, and second only to chapter 12 of Don't Be Afraid as the longest chapter I've ever written, all as a reward for you guys for waiting just over two months. Yippee! I should have some cookies as a reward or something. Or... maybe not. I'm a bit mean at the end. I kind of throw a little humour in the middle and some tragedy at the end. Yep. 'Cause that just what I do ;)

Also, the return of a character most of us love!

The end begins

Hey, Rukia. It's Ichigo.

I'm sorry I had to write this message and stuff it under your front door. I tried calling you but you didn't answer, and once Zangetsu found out that I had attempted to get into contact with you and Toshiro, he confiscated the phone. I would email you but he took my laptop as well.

I'm not angry about that. I know he's doing it to protect me, because he knows how desperately I want to contact you guys, and that will threaten my safety or something. I know the risks, but I have to do this. I need to explain to you why I'm leaving. Well... I'm pretty sure you already know, and I'd imagine that writing down the specifics is not a very good idea when it comes to a letter, in case they find it. I'm sorry. I really am. I wish I could say that I might be able to come back some day, but I'm sure you realise how dangerous that would be. Always on the move... that's me.

I guess I've just got to hope that we'll win this war, then hopefully we'll see each other again.

Kon may need a home once I'm gone. I know he took a liking to you, and I'd feel a lot happier if he had a good home.

Oh, and if you see Toshiro at any point within the next few hours, can you talk him out of it? He's pretty intent on coming with me and Zangetsu, and he'll be in so much danger if he does do that.

Bye, Rukia.

I love you.

Once I've finished writing it, Shiro says, A little cheesy at the end, don't you think?

I don't care, I reply. I want her to remember how much she means to me.

Would you want her to come with us?

No, of course not. She could get killed, I answer, but a part of me screams that I don't want to leave her behind. I don't want to leave any of this behind. This place has felt more like home than any other place I've lived in, even more than my last location. I actually made proper friends, friends who will keep my secret safe with them, friends who are willing to even come with me and help me win this war.

And I actually fell in love here. As I gather any documents I've received while I've lived here, ready to be burnt like they always are, Rukia's face continuously flashes through my mind. All the things that have happened between the two of us... making friends, that Halloween when she stopped me from falling into the darkness and becoming a monster, the journey to stop Toshiro from giving away my location, that moment where I thought that bullet was going to hit her...

I shiver at the thought of what would have happened if I hadn't developed my Telekinesis moments before.

I feel a brushing down at my ankle and my stomach twists uncomfortably as I look down at Kon, who gazes straight back with his dark eyes. I'm going to leave him behind too, but, as I said in the letter, maybe Rukia will take him in. She'll have something to remember me by in any case.

'Sorry, boy,' I murmur. 'It'll be goodbye soon.'

His gaze almost seems to say, There doesn't have to be a goodbye.

Yes, there does, I think sadly.

As I arrive back home after my journey to Rukia's house to deliver the letter, I wonder why no one answered the door when I went over there. Both Shirayuki and Rukia must have been out, but I felt like I was tearing up inside. Just one last goodbye. That's all I would have asked for. Just a final farewell.

Great. Now on top of everything else, I'm going to have to explain to Zangetsu about me creeping out of the house while he was booking flight tickets.

But as I open the front door, ready to come up with whatever excuse comes to mind, I hear voices in the living room. Oh, shit- is it-? No, it can't be...?

I push open the living room door and peek inside to see Zangetsu talking to someone standing beside the door, meaning that they turn to look at me as I reveal myself.

It's Grimmjow.

'What... the... fuck?' I manage to get out.

Sure as hell didn't see that coming, Shiro says, sounding as shocked as I feel.

'Hey,' Grimmjow greets, his face completely indifferent, although I can tell that there's definitely something important on his mind.

'Don't 'hey' me!' I exclaim angrily. 'What the hell are you doing here?!'

'I was just telling your dad that you need to get out of here. Like, ASAP.'

'What are you talking about?' Zangetsu demands.

'The Hollows are coming,' Grimmjow says, looking completely serious and utterly without that stupid grin of his.

'Wh-what?' Both Zangetsu and I are dazed. How in the hell does he know? What... how could... how does he... what?!

'They know where you are,' Grimmjow tells us, his blue eyes flickering over to the window. 'They're going to be here soon. I know that you guys have got plans to go to New York soon, but you need to leave now, instead of in a few hours or whatever.'

'How... why... what?' I stutter. Am I the only one who's completely lost here?

No, this is very confusing, Shiro says.

Let me get this straight: Grimmjow, the school bully, the ring leader of that stupid gang that I beat up at Halloween, the guy who's been avoiding me since then, has come to tell us that we're in danger from the Hollows?

Well, I've summed it up but it's not making anything any clearer.

'How do you know about all this?' Zangetsu asks, proving that he, too, hasn't got a clue what's going on.

'Never mind that,' Grimmjow says. He certainly seems to be growing nervous now. 'You just need to listen to me. Get out of here before they come.'

'No, I think an explanation here would help out a lot,' I finally say.

Grimmjow sighs. 'Rukia told me to warn you.'

'… Okay, that just raises more questions.'

Grimmjow raises up his hands. 'Okay, here's what I know: I went to Rukia's house earlier on to ask her whether it really is true that you are an alien-'

'What?!'

He glares at me. 'That white-haired midget isn't the only one who did his research after that fight on Halloween. The difference between him and I was that I wasn't stupid enough to go and meet up the people I talked to on the internet-'

'Don't call Toshiro stu-'

'It doesn't matter, anyway!' Grimmjow shouts. 'The Hollows found me and my friends this morning. They asked where you were-'

'You told them?!' I screech furiously.

I should have made you kill him when I had the chance, Shiro snarls, and I don't even have time to question what he means because I'm panicking so much-

'I lied,' Grimmjow says coldly. 'Nnoitora and the others reckoned that we should tell them- I mean, they were threatening us. They said that they'd kill us if we didn't give them the information they wanted. I told them you lived up at the opposite end of Karakura to where you really live, and they left. My friends were really angry because they thought that the Hollows would come back for us when they found out that I hadn't told them the truth.'

'Why would you do that?' I ask.

'What?'

'Why would you lie to them?' I continue. 'Why not just tell them the truth. You've risked your own life, now.'

'Hey, I know we don't like each other, but I don't want you dead!' Grimmjow protests. 'They're going to kill you. They're not human, and neither are you!'

'When did you work that out?' Zangetsu asks.

'I- had a feeling. For a while. When I saw them, I could tell they weren't human. They looked so different.'

'But Hollows looks like us,' I say. 'Momo looks normal.'

'Hinamori? She was with Rukia when I went to see them, after the Hollows threatened us.'

'What?' I'm ready to race off now. I don't really need to work anything out.

Rukia's in danger from the Hollows because she knows too much.

And there's a Hollow with her right now.

'Ichigo. Don't move,' Zangetsu instructs me, and I can see from his expression that this is a command.

'But... Rukia...'

'They're fine,' Grimmjow snaps, obviously irritated because I keep interrupting him. 'When I said I knew the truth, Rukia filled me in. She didn't really want to say anything because this was your big secret, but she said that I needed to come here and warn you that the Hollows are coming.'

'Why couldn't she-?'

'Her sister was in the middle of telling her something important,' Grimmjow says. 'They didn't really explain much, but I knew that Rukia couldn't leave just then. She made me promise to help you.'

But how does Grimmjow know where Zangetsu and I are heading? He says he got all his information from Rukia, but how does she know? Did Toshiro tell her and... Momo? But I don't think I actually mentioned our destination to Toshiro, even though he really wants to come with us.

'And you accepted that?' Zangetsu says, looking suspicious.

Grimmjow looks down at the ground. 'Despite everything, Rukia and I did grow up together here in Karakura. We were once actually friends, if you would believe it, even if we didn't see eye to eye. I realised how important all of this was, and I know that you mean a hell of a lot to her.'

Rukia's trying to protect me? Oh God... Momo left Toshiro at the hospital and must have gone over to Rukia's house and told her that the Hollows are coming. And what now? Momo is definitely aware of how involved Rukia is in all of this, and I know she calls Rukia a friend, but doesn't this mean that she'll have to... kill her?

'I have to go,' I say quickly, my voice rising in fear. 'Rukia-'

Within the next second, and explosion rips its way through the house and I am blown off my feet.

Four! Get up! NOW! Shiro screams at me.

'Wh... what happened... ?' I groan, coughing as smoke enters my lungs. I open my eyes to find the air around me completely full of dust and smoke, and I'm lying uncomfortably on a rough surface. I sit up and gaze at my surroundings.

The entire living room has been blown apart by some sort of bomb. There's rubble all around me and I can make out Grimmjow a few feet away, rubbing his head in confusion. I notice a crimson stain in his blue hair.

'Zangetsu?' I call, terror gripping me. 'ZANGETSU?'

'It's okay... I'm here,' he croaks from somewhere through the smoke, and I sigh in relief.

'What the hell happened?' I ask.

It's the Hollows! Shiro says, and I detect a hint of excitement in his voice. They're here!

'I told you they were coming,' Grimmjow coughs, wincing as tries wiping the blood away from his forehead. 'We've all got to get out of here.'

'Shit...' I push myself to my feet, spinning around the room as I try to peer through the smoke and detect any enemies. I can't see or hear anything around me except Zangetsu and Grimmjow, who are both getting up, also on their guard. Where are the Hollows?

IDIOT. Spirit energy!

Right... I close my eyes and control my panicking thoughts to make this easier. Immediately I can sense dark crimson sources completely surrounding the house.

'They're all around us,' I hiss at the others.

'How can you tell?' Grimmjow asks, his blue eyes wide. 'Is it because of those Legacy things Rukia mentioned?'

'Yeah...' I glance over at Zangetsu, questioning internally which option we should take: flight or fight?

'How are your Legacies coming along?' he asks, a reluctant look in his eyes. I guess that means we're taking the fight option.

'Lumen's fine, although a fat lot of good that'll do,' I say. 'The most I can do with that is blind them. My Telekinesis is working well, so I should be able to use that. The fire Legacy...' I trail off. That particular one can come on whenever it feels like, as if it's got a mind of its own. I still have no way of properly controlling it, but I know that strong emotions should make it easier for me, and I'm certainly panicking quite badly inside.

Zangetsu trudges over to his desk in the corner of the room, which is still managing to stay upright. He pulls out the Chest from under it, as we've been keeping it there ever since we last used it. He motions me over so I can help open it. After we here the click which tells us that it is open, Zangetsu rummages around inside it, before pulling out a couple of glowing blue daggers. Grimmjow and I watch in fascination as he grasps one of them in his right hand. Grimmjow is stunned when Zangetsu hands the other one to him.

'You're going to need to defend yourself if you want to get out of here alive,' my Cêpan says.

Grimmjow nods, still staring at the dagger as he takes it from Zangetsu. 'What about him?' he asks, jerking his head at me.

'I can use my Legacies as weapons,' I answer. I begin to notice the sources of spirit energy drawing closer. 'They're closing in,' I quickly say to the others.

'Get ready,' Zangetsu says grimly.

Through the smoke, the first set of Hollow advance towards us.

They're wearing the same black armour and the darkened helmets they had when the invaded Lorien. I still can't get a proper look at their faces, and I'm thoroughly confused. Grimmjow described their appearance as 'not human', but Momo looks perfectly ordinary. I don't understand that.

The soldiers are all carrying glowing red swords, and they lunge forwards at us, ready to impale us. I dodge the ones aiming at me and quickly focus on the debris around me, using my Telekinesis to lift up the bricks and wooden planks before I make them collide with the soldiers' heads, effectively knocking them out.

Don't think that's suitable for this battle, Shiro hisses, his voice high and cold. Aim to kill. They're your enemies, and you can't afford to let them live.

'Sh-shut up...' I whisper, spinning around to face a tall soldier who has just entered the scene. I try knocking him out with one last floating brick, but he counters it with his left fist and swings his sword down at me with his free hand. I use my Telekinesis to stop it from slicing my head open, resulting in his sword being stopped a few inches from my head by an invisible force, almost as if I have a forcefield. I kick the Hollow in the gut as hard as I can and he goes lying backwards at a tremendous speed, crashing into a part of the back wall of the living room, which has miraculously managed to stay standing up until this point. But now, the wall crumbles and it just happens to have been one of the only things keeping the ceiling from collapsing on top of us. I hear a deep rumbling noise as part of the first floor gives way, crushing several Hollows who had decided to attack us from that side of the house. I watch in amazement and then in horror as the ceiling falls on top of them, before I notice Grimmjow battling a Hollow dangerously close to the tumbling rubble. The Hollow is crushed by a falling wooden beam and Grimmjow just has time to stare at the ceiling falling above him before I shoot forwards, using the super speed the other Garde and I have to pull him out of the way.

We both fall backwards out of the danger zone just as the entire area of that part of the ceiling gives way, falling exactly where we were a second ago.

Grimmjow is in shock. 'You... you saved my life-'

'Not the time!' I yell, leaping to my feet and pulling him up with me so we can help Zangetsu, who is surrounded by about three or four Hollows (it's quite hard to tell with all the smoke).

Panicking, my Lumen is switched on in an instant and the light from my palms falls one of the Hollows in between Zangetsu and I. As I watch, the leather parts of his armour catches fire and he screams, falling over in shock. Zangetsu takes this opportunity and lunges forwards at the fallen Hollow, sticking his sword into the Hollow's body just under the breastplate. With a screech, the Hollow disintegrates before our eyes.

Smiling in grim satisfaction, I work on setting fire to the other Hollows, hoping like hell that my fire Legacy will develop properly right now and I'll be able to deal even more damage to our enemies. The fire seems too out of control in my panic, however. As well as the Hollows, various areas around the room begin to emit smoke, and pretty soon there are flames dancing away all around us.

'We need to get out of here!' I call to the other two.

'No shit!' Grimmjow agrees.

'The Chest!' Zangetsu barks, immediately reminding me of the very important Chest which we cannot leave behind.

'I'll get it!' I reply, aware that I am the fastest out of the three of us.

I race into the smoke, heading in the direction I hope the Chest is. I am greeted with the sight of a Hollow soldier coming from the side, intent on grabbing the Chest before me. And, crouching right on top of the Chest, hissing away, almost as if he's guarding it, is Kon.

The Hollow kicks out with as much strength as possible, his foot striking Kon in the side. The cat wails in pain as he tumbles from on top of the Chest, flying off into the smoke until I hear a terrible crash as his small body comes into contact with something hard and solid.

'No!' I scream. 'KON!'

The Hollow turns to face me and from the gap in his helmet I can see his dark eyes glinting maliciously. In my fury I throw my fist forwards into his stomach. I put so much force into the blow that the armour he's wearing shatters and I feel my fist break through his skin too. Crimson explodes from the place where my fist came into contact with his body. But I don't care, because once again the darkness is spreading over my vision and my emotions are fading away as if they were never even there in the first place. They seem so irrelevant now. The only thing I'm focused on now are these dark instincts swirling inside me. The Hollow in front of me crumbles to the ground, his breath coming out in short gasps. I stare down at my bloodied fist, a tiny bit of bewilderment entering my mind.

Why is it that this keeps happening? After the last time it happened, last night when Rukia and I went to rescue Toshiro, I never questioned it. And the first time, on Halloween, I was scared if how close I came to killing Grimmjow...

There's something inside me. Some sort of darkness. It's like I've been trying to ignore it, to deny any existence of it, but now I have to face facts.

Every time my vision goes dark, I feel nothing but hate and the instinct to kill. I can hear a voice, so very quiet, only a mere whisper, telling me to kill, to murder...

What the hell's happening to me? I turn away from the dying Hollow at my feet at look at Zangetsu, hoping like hell that he'll be able to give me an explanation.

'Get the Chest,' Zangetsu calls as he pulls his danger out of the chest of a Hollow. 'Hurry!'

'R-right...' I bend over the body of the Hollow I defeated, pulling the chest into my arms. I glance off to the side, trying to spot Kon, but... I'm pretty sure it's too late...

Grief washes over me and the darkness temporarily creeps away from my vision.

Grimmjow is breathing heavily, a wild look in his eyes. He kicks another soldier away from him and the Hollow tumbles into the smoke. I hear a crack as the Hollow's head collides with what's left of the wall.

'Come on. Let's get out of here,' I say to him and Zangetsu. They nod.

We've only just made made it into the street outside the ruins of my house when we're greeted by the sight of some humans I really don't want to see, plus more Hollows. It must be my unlucky day.

It's Grimmjow's gang, all looking nervous but rather triumphant at the sight of me. I work out what's happening pretty quickly: they were unhappy about Grimmjow lying to the Hollows, so they decided to find my enemies and tell them where I really live.

'That's him,' Nnoitora says, a mad smile on his face. 'The one with the orange hair.'

'What the hell, guys?!' Grimmjow yells at them.

'We don't want to die just 'cause you sent them in the wrong direction!' one of his friends hisses.

I refuse to let myself get too angry in case that darkness comes back. Instead, I say, 'Get out of here, right now.'

Nnoitora stops smiling. 'What?'

'If you stay, you're going to get killed,' I say. 'This is going to be a big fight, and you're only going to be getting in the way.'

'Do what he says,' Grimmjow tells them.

'Aren't you going to go, too?' Zangetsu asks him.

Grimmjow looks hesitant, but he shakes his head. 'Nope. I promised Rukia that I would help you.'

Just a mere promise is making him risk his own life. As strange as it seems, I'd say that Rukia still means a lot to Grimmjow despite everything.

'Besides,' Grimmjow continues, 'if these Hollows don't die now then they're just going to come after me afterwards anyway. I'm too mixed up in this; I might as well help out. And I don't like owing you.' It takes me a second to realise he means that moment a few minutes ago when I pulled him out from under the falling debris.

Zangetsu bows his head, but I can tell he's going to let Grimmjow make his own decisions. 'Very well.'

'Where are you from in the universe, anyway?' Grimmjow asks, turning to me as his friends all cast fearful glances at the Hollows before they bugger off.

'What does it matter? We could die within the next few seconds,' I point out.

'Exactly. You might as well tell me now. And if I do survive, I can at least safely say I've met Martians or whatever.'

'The moon,' I say sarcastically to mock him.

Grimmjow grins. 'Oh. I would have thought you were from Uranus.'

'Ha frickin' ha.'

Zangetsu manages to smile. 'Are you both ready?'

'Yep,' I say, preparing my Lumen in the hope that I'll be able to create more fire. I place my Chest on the pavement, hoping that it won't be stolen during the battle, and then I prepare to attack.

We deal with the Hollows swiftly. There are about six of them, but with my Telekinesis and enhanced speed and strength, they don't stand much of a chance. Unfortunately, the adrenalin is wearing off and I'm beginning to tire drastically. It's getting harder and harder to use my powers, and I know that pretty soon I won't be able to. Nevertheless, I keep fighting as hard as I can.

Once the Hollows have disintegrated, I quickly scan up and down the street for signs of new soldiers. I can't make any out, but I know not to let my guard down. There's no such thing as luck when you're me.

Suddenly, I hear a strange shriek-like roar coming the sky. I just have time to notice a huge shadow appear around me before someone grabs my arm and quickly pulls me away. I hear a loud crash come from the place where I was just standing and I stare in disbelief at a huge monster that has just landed on the road, a long purple tongue licking its large white teeth. The creature is brown and about the size of a lorry, with massive, leathery wings and a wolf's head which is small in comparison to to the rest of its body. It would have squished me if I hadn't been pulled out of the way in time.

'There!' Grimmjow pants beside me. 'Now we're even!'

'Zangetsu, what is that?!' I yelp.

'An Adjuchas!' he replies from the other side of the monster. 'It's a creature from Mogadore, a beast the Hollows use as weapons!'

'Shit!' I curse, knowing that my draining powers won't enable me to fight this monster.

I hear a roar, even louder than the first one, erupt from the ruins of my house. Despair takes hold of me; another creature means we're definitely screwed.

This is the end. I'm going to end up exactly like One, Two and Three. I've failed. Across the world, the remaining Garde are going to feel a searing pain around their ankles as Number Four dies. As I die.

Don't you dare-! Shiro growls furiously. Of course he's upset. If I die, I'm guessing he will too.

Zangetsu's been trying to keep me safe for so long on this planet, and I've been such an idiot by blowing it all. He's going to die as well because of all my stupid mistakes.

Grimmjow's probably going to die alongside me and Zangetsu, and this was never his battle. I've disliked him as long as I've known him, but he actually decided to help me defeat the Hollows, just because of a simple promise.

Toshiro's probably getting ready right at this moment, planning to set everything aside to come and help me win this war. The Hollows will probably track him down and kill him, all thanks to me.

And then there's Rukia. She's with a Hollow right now, completely in danger. I'll never be able to save her. She'll die, just like all of us, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

Rukia...

What's left of my house explodes in a flash, blasting debris above our heads, flying off in every direction. From deep within the smoke I can make out the silhouette of an enormous creature, growling in anticipation. It's even bigger than the first monster, and as it steps out of the smoke and onto the road I can see that it is an enormous lion. It shakes its mane, clearing its fur of bits of rubble, before its large black eyes focus directly on me. It's almost as if I can read the emotions behind those great big orbs, and for a second, I feel as if I recognise something about it...

No... it couldn't be...

The lion catches sight of the other monster behind me and gives a huge roar. I feel a wave of hot breath sweep over the street, almost blowing me off my feet, and in an instant the lion crouches down before it leaps high up into the air, soaring straight above me.

The other monster makes another shrieking noise and rises up to meet the lion. The two immediately tumble to the side, causing an almighty crash as their huge bodies slam into the ground. They roll off into the ruins of my house, and I can make out ripping and snarling noises from deep within the smoke, accompanied by more loud crashes as the two monsters begin to fight each other.

'Holy shit!' Grimmjow exclaims, staring in amazement at the ruins as we both make out the silhouettes of the two giant animals. 'Why are they fighting each other? Aren't they on the same side?'

'They are enemies because one of them is Loric,' Zangetsu tells us as he walks over to us. 'I had no idea that he was a Chimæra, but it all makes sense now.'

'What?' I ask, turning to face my Cêpan.

'It explains why he found us, and not any other family on this street,' Zangetsu continues, a look of wonder in his eyes. 'He must have somehow sneaked onto the ship when we left for Lorien, maybe.'

'Wait, what the hell's a Chimæra?' Grimmjow asks.

'A native creature to Lorien,' I say, remembering those visions Shiro and I saw of a younger me playing with that animal. 'They can shape-shift. Like Kage.'

Zangetsu looks impressed. 'You remember Kage?'

'I saw him in some flashbacks,' I explain. 'He was my pet or something, wasn't he?'

'I believe he still is,' Zangetsu says, nodding over at the ruins.

'You mean...?' I begin as I turn back to face the battle. I hear a deep, painful growl emitted from one of the creatures and another colossal crash as its body slumps to the ground. The other creature gives a triumphant roar before it appears through the smoke once more.

The lion, or rather, Kage, is the winner. He makes his way over to us, shrinking in size as he morphs into a different shape. By the time he gets to us, he has changed back into the form he's stayed in for the last few months: a small, lion-like cat with a collar and name tag reading, Hello, my name is Kon.

'Hey, boy,' I greet him, relieved and astonished to see that he is alive and he is actually the pet I had all those years ago on Lorien. The now small animal leaps into my arms and begins to purr.

'Awesome,' Grimmjow says, grinning approvingly.

Kon/Kage's fur is matted with blood, but Zangetsu reassures me that he is a powerful creature and he should heal fine.

Our moment of euphoria keeps us distracted. Even Kon/Kage doesn't sense anything, so none of us see it coming. One second we're standing here, enjoying the fact that we won the battle, the next, we are quickly pulled back into the harsh reality that we haven't won the battle yet.

Kon leaps out of my harms, hissing in distress.

Because rising out of the smoke at the other end of the street is another Hollow, with a huge gun that is definitely not something from Earth. The end of it is glowing crimson, charged and ready to fire.

And then he really does actually fire it.

Straight at me.

It happens in slow motion, like these things always do. It's strange, because it happens in stories and films when a character is about to die, but you never think it's actually possible to happen in real life. And hell, it is happening.

But my body won't respond, as it's going at a different speed to my head. I can't move. I can only watch as this huge, red, glowing light, soars towards me, heading straight for my chest-

But it doesn't hit me.

It hits the figure who has just thrown themselves directly into its path, preventing it from ever reaching me.

It hits Zangetsu.

He collapses to the ground in front of me, and I see the Hollow at the end of the street realise his mistake, process in his mind that he's hit the wrong person, because he reloads his gun, ready to fire again.

But that's never going to happen.

Zangetsu once told me that strong emotions channel my powers better, and I finally understand the consequences of this, because at this moment, at these few seconds that never seem to never be ending, I turn what is supposed to be a fairly harmless Legacy into a lethal weapon. I cast my Lumen onto the Hollow at the end of the street with every last ounce of my strength I have and a scream full of pain, and he is instantly vaporised.

I fall to my knees, the Hollow already forgotten as I stare down at the man who kept me safe all these years, the man who promised my parents he would protect me, the man who took an oath in order to look after me here on Earth, the man who has just prevented my death...

… by achieving his own.

And all at once I can hear that familiar roaring in my ears as the darkness clouds my eyes. And right at this very second, I'm ready to kill every last Hollow, to make them suffer as much as possible. I will torture them, I will break their pathetic existences, I will murder them...

Yes, says that icy, high-pitched voice in the back of my mind, whom I now finally recognise as... as Shiro's...

It was Shiro all along.

Shiro is conveying all these furious, violent thoughts to me, but I don't care, because this is want I want- I want to kill every last one of them for everything they have done-

I remember how close I came to killing that one other time, that Halloween with the river and all the fury coursing inside me. I was filled with such rage, just as I am now, and I remember that moment I was about to do it, about to actually kill-

Only to be stopped by her.

By Rukia.

(Rukia?)

(I remember how she stopped me from becoming a monster, how she saved me from the darkness-)

(But she's not here right now-)

(I... I DON'T CARE. RUKIA WAS RIGHT. I... I HAVE TO... FIGHT IT OFF...)

(No! I hear his voice scream. Shiro's voice. It was Shiro. He was the reason for all that hatred inside of me-)

(NO! I hear him scream again, this time with much more force-)

(But I can counter it, because I have to be strong-)

(I have to deal with the pain the proper way, by grieving, not by killing-)

(NO!)

(I have to win. I have to win. I HAVE TO WIN.)

The blackness in my vision is blasted away and I am finally able to see the body of the man who raised me, who kept me safe, who protected me, who saved me-

'Zangetsu...' I whimper, leaning over his body, pressing my hand to his chest to feel for a heartbeat. And... it's still there!

'Hey... Ichigo...' he says quietly, his voice all croaky and weak.

'Just- just hold on... I can get help...' I beg him.

He smiles painfully. 'I'm a... Cêpan, Ichigo. I'm not as... strong as you... I'm not going to survive this...'

'Then you should have let it hit me!' I sob, feeling a horrible lump in my throat as tears well in my eyes.

'Of course not... there's no way I could ever let that happen,' he replies, coughing a little. 'You... you know what you need to do... get out of here, before more of them come... get to New York... help Nine...'

'Zangetsu, please...!' I cry, shaking him a little, in the hope that he'll snap out of this and sit up, ready to come with me. 'This is all my fault...'

'Of course it's not,' he says firmly. 'I made my decisions. I knew what I was getting myself into when I agreed to come and protect you here on... Earth...' He coughs a little more. 'I chose this. I did this in the... hope... that I'd see you grow up and develop your Legacies so you can... restore Lorien... I'm proud of you, Number Four.'

'Zangetsu...'

His voice is just a ghostly whisper. 'I wouldn't have missed any of it, Ichigo. Not for the whole damn world.' And then his body tenses beneath my hands and then relaxes as he heaves one last sigh, and I know he's gone.

I rest my head on his chest and begin to cry, harder than I've ever cried before, allowing my emotions to flow out instead of giving way to hate, so I know that the darkness that I'm now descending into is not of cold instincts and is instead a void of pain and misery as I drift away.

I'm fairly certain there will be two chapters left. The next one will be mainly Orihime's POV with Ichigo's POV at the end, and the chapter after that... well, you'll see.

Also, I plan to officially reveal Number Six's identity next chapter, although I have been throwing hints at who it is throughout the whole story.

I will focus on completing this story now that I have finished Injustice, so I imagine the updates will be a bit more regular ;)

Oh, and I haven't finished with the tragedy.

*awkwardly* So, uh... see you next time!