Ichigo ran upstairs and found Rukia laying face down in the hall. She was incoherently mumbling something.

"Rukia!" he exclaimed, kneeling next to her. He shook her, trying to wake her up. He shook her harder, still waiting for some kind of response. He was shaking her as hard as he could, but she still wouldn't wake up.

"Rukia!" he shouted in her ear. There was no sign that she could even hear him. He picked her up and put her in his bed, rather than sticking her in the closet. He pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down, waiting for her to wake up.

She was in the same dark neighborhood that she knew too well. The child was playing with her friends, singing the same chant that now haunted Rukia's memories. Any minute now, any minute and the two men would come around the corner, shouting at each other.

"You owe me, Kurosaki!" one man shouted.

"People die, life goes on. We tried to save your wife" the other man, Isshin Kurosaki, said.

"I'm not talking about that! You know what you owe me!" the first man shouted.

"I don't have it! I have three children! I can't afford to pay you" Isshin yelled.

"I don't give a damn! I have a sister to raise!" the other man shouted. Haruko looked over at the two men, one of them being her older brother.

Her brother grabbed Isshin and shouted "You'd better find a way to get the money" his voice lowered, "or I'll kill you."

"Is that so, Haru?" Isshin asked, smirking. Haru looked down as Isshin slowly pulled the knife out of his gut. The silence was filled with young laughter as Haruko's friends fell to the ground, ending with the verse that scared Rukia the most.

Ashes...ashes...they all fall down

Suddenly Rukia was in the white room again. The young girl stood in front of her, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Help me! Help me catch the bad man who killed my brother! Please!" she sobbed.

"I-I-I can't do that" Rukia said, backing away.

"Please..." Haruko whispered.

"No...he's..." Rukia began.

"My brother is dead because of him!" she screamed.

"No! It was just a dream! Leave me alone!" Rukia shouted, falling to the ground. She had to escape. She had to free herself from this nightmare. The white room was fading into another scene. A strangely familiar place. She was lying in Ichigo's bed.

She sat up slowly, looking around. She looked up at Ichigo's concerned face, into his fearful eyes.

"What happened?" he asked, concern filling his voice.

"I...your...nothing" she stuttered.