Chapter six is here =), sorry for taking so long to update I feel really bad for making you think that I wasn't posting because of reviews (which was not the reason why I hadn't posted by the way.). Thing is, I'm in my senior year and I had tests (9 subjects, NINE) so I had no time to pass my chapters from paper to laptop.

I'm sorry! Now on with the story, it's Ichigo time.

Chapter Six

A dimension away, in Soul Society, Ichigo had already managed to infiltrate the Soul Society with the help of a shinigami hating local that had found him after hearing the rumors of a shinigami staying in the Rukongai. The man of the Shiba Clan had claimed his hatred for all things shinigami, but once he had learned the reason for which Ichigo had come here in the first place, he had agreed to help them.

He had taken the group to his home, which turned out to actually be his sister's home, where he had taken the tedious classes to learn how to control his Reiatsu to a certain degree. After those, he had vowed to himself never to even attempt kido lessons. He had spent three days in intense concentration to be able to form the Cannon Ball made from Reiatsu and even after all that time, the best he could maintain it was just beyond the barrier that surrounded the white walls and made the whole process necessary for entry.

When he crashed into the prestigious city, the first thing he realized was that he was alone. He could not sense his friends, but it was nothing new seeing as he sucked at following a Reiatsu trail. No though over his safety came to mind even as the alarm bells rang across the deserted white hallway, his only worry was that of his friends.

That first day he spent within the walls of his enemies, he had managed to keep hidden. It had come as a surprise to him to know that no one had noticed his location yet, but he was not one to question his fortune.

Unfortunately, his luck didn't hold out to the next morning when a bald man found him while he was lost and attempting to find his way through the pale maze towards Rukia. His fight with Ikkaku made him realize how much at a disadvantage he was in this hostile environment. Without Inuoe, he had no way to heal himself. From then on, he exercised precaution.

There was nothing her could do to help anyone if he was dead after all.

Ichigo felt like laughing and he would've if he wasn't afraid of the choking hazard his blood currently represented. He was laying on the shattered ground where he had fought with the captain of the eleventh squad. The pink haired girl who was apparently his lieutenant had already carried the gigantic man in a display of pure strength to where he assumed was the hospital in this place.

Ichigo, despite what many thought, was not a fool. He knew that the fact that a healer had found him after his fight with Renji and been considerate enough to heal him was a fluke. He wouldn't find another person like Hanatarou.

Still, he felt disappointed in himself at his failure, he couldn't even stand to look for one of his friends, all he could do was lay there in silence with the knowledge that he was going to die soon, and if for some reason he did not someone would find him and he would be imprisoned.

The chances of one his friends finding him were lower than impossible. At that thought, Ichigo chuckled, the sound garbled and wet with blood. It had taken less than two weeks to fail his promise of rescue. He did not know what he had been thinking coming to this place where there were opponents far stronger than himself. Who did he think he was? He has only a fifteen year old kid.

That thought echoed across his mind before the memories of Rukia's smile came to mind. His thoughts made him realize that he would not regret dying, not like this. Even if he had failed him purpose, he would not regret coming to his death. It had been for a good reason after all.

Brown eyes were closing when a pair of feet came into his view. With a last effort, Ichigo made his gaze travel further up. A kind face with black eyes and dark hair greeted him, but before he could rationalize who she was his eyes closed and darkness drowned his awareness.

Cool hands were caressing his hair the first time his mind emerged from the clutches of unconsciousness. Those fingers and the equally cold drops that splattered over his face was what compelled his brown eyes to open.

He noticed he was lying on his back and that a ravaging pain was eating though his nerves. Above him, he could barely make out a figure with dark hair and unmistakable violet eyes. He felt his lips curve into a smile before his eyes cleared.

What he saw was indeed Rukia's face, but her violet eyes filled with tears that overflowed, making it impossible for this to be the woman he knew. Her face was filled with tears, yet the Rukia he knew was a strong woman, why would she be crying?

His hand twitched her way in a feeble attempt to wipe away her pained expression, but his strength failed him once more before his mind fell into the familiar void of unconsciousness, a confused frown fresh in his face.

The steady murmur of conversation was what woke him the second time, his body heady and lethargic as the dank cell he found himself in echoed with unintelligible words. He could feel the lack of Reiatsu deep within his bones and it gave his a feeling of nakedness that the pure white kimono did not help to ease. He had become so accustomed to the power coursing through his veins that he had forgotten what it meant to be a normal human.

Heaviness over his throat alerted him to the fact that he had a collar around his neck. His hand drifted towards the item to investigate it and giving it a sharp pull he realized that it was stronger than it seemed. Finding no way to remove the accessory, he sighed and sat up in the small cot.

Ignoring the faint nausea, he stood up and walked a few feet towards the bars that kept him away from his freedom. The small steps had him gasping in a combination of pain and weakness which made him lean against the wooden bars.

Ichigo was panting and attempting to keep in the urge to vomit when his eyes caught the sight of black near his left side. He turned and saw the Shinigami standing guard there, it was obvious to Ichigo by his stance that he was attempting to ignore his prisoner.

"Where am I?" Asked Ichigo, earning a glare filled with so much hatred and disgust that it took him aback.

"Do not speak to me, you monster. Soon enough you will be dead, I see no reason for you to waste your breath." Snarled the man before snapping his mouth shut with an audible clack. Ichigo could only stare at the man in bewilderment, last time he had checked, he had done nothing to deserve such treatment from a man he had never seen before.

It was true that he had invaded him home town and defeated one of the captains, but something to earn such venom he had not done. "Umm, what happened to me?" He asked quietly, not taking the hint to keep quiet.

The man turned towards him in a sharp movement. "After you somehow managed to defeat Zaraki-taicho, Unohana-taicho found and healed you so that you could be executed publically for you crimes. If it would've been me who found you, or anyone else for that matter, you would not be standing here." Gritted out the man in anger.

Finally taking the hint, Ichigo backed away and made his way towards the cot that he had been laying on when he had woken up. Silence prevailed for the next hours and the only disturbance of the peace was when the guard got changed for another. Normally, he would've been bored out of his mind by now, but his weak body didn't even allow him that.

His vision was blurry, his breath hadn't leveled, every sound was torture and his body was covered in cold sweat. It took a while for his clouded mind to finally realize that he was running a high fever. It didn't come as a surprise to him when he remembered the wounds that had been inflicted by the captain of the eleventh squad. The fact that he didn't have his Reiatsu to strengthen him made him too weak for his body to fight back.

The silence was broken deep into the night by heavy footsteps. The loud noise surprised him, these men were supposed to be trained warriors. His frown, whether of pain or confusion, deepened when his brown eyes opened.

A clang echoing across the room forced Ichigo to sit up. A group of four men were standing in the doorway, the dim light making them look more menacing than they actually were and Ichigo felt dread shiver down his spine when he saw their expressions.

From his place in the cot, Ichigo could smell the alcohol in their breaths. The dread multiplied at the simple fact when he realized that he had no way to defend himself, he was in no state to defend himself. Making his body stand by sheer willpower, he watched as they stumbled into the small cell with narrowed eyes. He recognized one of the men as the guard he had first spoken to when he had woken inside the room, but the fact gave him no comfort.

"You know, you look too young to be a murderer." Slurred one of the men as he pointed a finger in Ichigo's direction.

At the statement, Ichigo's blood boiled. "I have never killed anyone in my life!" he yelled, his strength failing for a second before he stood up straight once more. A fist slammed into his cheekbone at the declaration with no warning.

"You are right! You didn't kill Aizen-taicho, you butchered him." Another man accused as he punched the defenseless teen in the stomach.

Too weak to fight back, the red-head fell to the ground boneless. He was confused. Who was Aizen? Why did they think he killed him? He had no way to answer those questions, so he did the only thing he could at the moment, he warped his arms around his head.

The men continued to hit him without caution and he could feel several bruises forming, but the worst was when a kick slipped past his feeble defense and shattered his nose. The blood loss was not helping the nausea from the fever and he could feel the world spinning around him as another hit made it's was to his stomach, making him gag and breaking several ribs. Luckily, he had nothing in his stomach to throw up.

The pain was unbearable and he realized that without his spiritual energy he was weak and useless, the beating he was recieveing was proof of his inability to do something. 'Then move over and let me show them the true meaning of pain.' A voice echoed within his mind, the crazed tone scaring the teen. A flash of a pale face with black sclera and yellow irises confused him, he was seeing a morbid copy of himself.

For the first time since he had woken up, he could feel his Reiatsu, but it was a tainted version of his own. In fear, he slammed the energy down. The feeling escaped along with the presence and as he focused on his surroundings he realized that the kicks and punches had stopped.

The four men were standing with theirs back to his fallen form like a kind of wall, but the gentle Reiatsu that had entered the scene called his attention. Through the cracks between the men he could spot small glances of the woman who had saved him, but he had no energy to attempt to gather more information on the woman.

"What is going on here?"Asked an older female voice, the viciously sharp edge of her tone barely hidden within the mothering voice. He could see a man's back trembling as he shifted his stance and gave Ichigo a clear image of the woman.

The first thing he noticed was that she was wearing a captain's cloak. The woman had her dark, thick hair braided underneath her chin and her cold, dark eyes were watching the men, but as he came into her line of sight her lips curled into a gentle smile that did nothing to settle the fear the men had. The dark, angry aura that made a background for her gave the smile a creepy edge.

"Is that my patient by any chance?" She asked kindly, tilting her head slightly to the side. At the last motion, the four Shinigami knew that they were screwed. The men stumbled over their words, the fear they had for the female captain almost making Ichigo smile.

"The same patient who was two days unconscious with a high fever and deep, gaping wound?" She added rhetorically, ignoring their words. After a few moments of silence, one of the men nodded. The woman hummed, the smile still in place. "I just remembered that the bedpans in the fourth squad need cleaning and you look like you have time in your hands."

The men stifle groans of complaint before bowing and preparing to leave the cell. "I also forgot to mention that seeing as Third Seat Madarame from the Eleventh squad is incapacitated along with the Captain of the same squad, paperwork needs to be done. You look able enough." She added as if finding the whole thing a perfect coincidence. The men shunpo'ed away before the woman could think of any more punishment for their actions.

T here of the men managed to escape, but the fourth one –the man who had served as a guard for Ichigo- was stopped by the Captains Reiatsu. "Now that I think about it, I need a helper here. Put him in the cot." The terrifying woman instructed. The guard, too afraid to refuse, picked the delirious shinigami up and placed him the cot.

"What it your name?" The captain asked her patient as the guard backed away from the bed and she kneeled before it.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Mumbled the strawberry, the woman stifled her gasp of surprise at the surname, but she gave no indication of her knowledge.

"I am the Captain of the Fourth Division. My name is Unohana Retsu." Offered the healer as the guard watched the civil conversation between them. "The one who protects, I assume. Is that why you are here?" She asked softly as she finished the preparations of the healing kido.

Ichigo smiled past the pale green light of the kido, his brown eyes caught hers and the determined light in his eyes surprised her. "Rukia does not deserve to die for saving a human family the only way she could, she does not deserve to die for giving me the power to protect my younger sisters." He answered, leaving unspoken the fact that he would give his life for hers, but Unohana caught the sentiment without the need of the words.

"How old are you?" Interrogated Unohana.

"Fifteen." Whispered the boy in his last moments of lucidity, the dark eyes watched his sleeping form in pity. The guard could feel a hint of guilt wiggle its way into his heart, watching the red-head sleep he realized that he had just attacked a child.

The black eyes of the Captain snapped to him. "You are free to go." She told him, no hint of her typical warmness in her tone. He had already heard all she wanted him to; there was no need to keep him here any longer. The man nodded before taking his leave.

Unohana spent the whole night at his side, healing the boy to the best of her abilities. Even if she knew that he was to be executed the following week, she could not help but to hope for the impossible. When the sun shone through the small window, the woman left with sorrow weighing her heart down.

Ichigo's body was covered in wounds and ravaged by the violent fever that had him delirious for the remaining week of his life. During his sleep, he dreamt of Rukia. Amongst the strong images of the midget, the memory of her crying face came to mind like the strongest of pests.

He knew now that it had not been a figment of his imagination; in his moments of lucidity he heard voices around him. Through them, he learned that he was to be executed in three days time alongside the noble that had warmed his heart.

Even if it pained him, he was grateful that he would get to see her one last time. The crackling laughter in the background of his mind grew stronger. He shuddered before falling unconscious once more.

Hope you enjoyed, I'll post the other chapter sometime this week and thank you for all the lovely reviews, they make me smile. Note about chapter 5: At the end, the scene where they met each other, I did it cuz i wanted them to know each other like in the episode 120(I think) of the anime, but i thought it would be strange to do the same scenario, and it didn't fit with her age.