I seemed to have caught writers block… I have an idea, it's just I need some things to lead up to that… xD

You don't need to worry; I'll keep updating, but if things seem to be trailing off into now where, please let me know!

And also, if you have any ideas, ANY AT ALL, I will be very grateful if you would leave them in a review.

Thanks!

. : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : .

Tatsuki seemed to be staring off at nothing again. She had been doing this for at least the past hour, and trust me when I say it's nearly impossible to get her back on track, but I had to get her to focus. The fact was, she knew where Zangetsu was and that meant my Zanpakuto hadn't been destroyed.

"Tatsuki," I softly called. Her eyes refocused themselves, but only briefly enough to scan the walls before spacing off again.

I closed my eyes, suddenly finding it really hard to resist yelling.

"Tatsuki!" This time I shouted. Her head snapped up to look at me, the fear I saw suddenly didn't seem to matter. I needed my answer, I needed it now! "Where is he? You said you know where Zangetsu is. Where is he?"

"Uh… Well, umm…"

I scared her. Sorry.

"Your Zanpakuto was given to Mayuri to be tested, but when the testing started your sword made everything go haywire. The Zanpakuto was given to the head captain and it remained in his office for as long as I can remember."

"So it's still there?"

"Yeah… at least, it should be. I've been locked up for about a month… so unless they decided to get rid of it…"

She trailed off into a mumble, but by now I had stopped listening. I turned to Shiro and asked, 'You used to be a part of Zangetsu, right?'

'Yeah. I know where yer goin' with this and no, I can' sense his presence.'

My heart sunk. If Zangetsu's presence was gone, did that mean-? But of course, Shiro had an answer for that too.

'Don' get yer pants in a knot. Just 'cause I can' sense 'im doesn' mean he's dead. If the blade is still intact, all ya have to do is touch it and it'll turn te Shikai again. We'll have Zangetsu back in no time.'

I nodded to Tatsuki and Shiro as well, but kept my smile on the inside. However the smile vanished whenever a second thing occurred to me. 'When Zangetsu's back, doesn't that mean you'll be suppressed again?'

I could sense his smirk. 'Glad to know yer concerned.'

I hid my blush.

'An' ta answer yer question, no. My power grew within the past eight years. As fer Zangetsu, he lives to make us stronger an' tha's fine with me.'

'He lives to make us stronger…' I repeated that to myself. Being stronger was good, sure, but what would be the point if there was no one to protect? Well, since my friends were no longer around… Ha! What was I thinking? I'm protecting myself aren't I? And I'm helping Tatsuki.

Then there was also Shiro… and soon Zangetsu.

"Ichigo…" she softly sighed. "What do we do now?"

I returned my attention back to the small black haired girl currently sitting against the wall in front of me. She put up a good question, but I held the obvious answer. "I'm getting Zangetsu, going to the Senkaimon and getting us both out of here."

Tatsuki, for the first time since sunset, smiled.

"We'll be under the cover of darkness and have at least another four hours to go until sunrise. If everything happens smoothly, then we should be out of here in time for you to see your family in the morning."

"Yeah," she quietly cheered. Tatsuki stood up and together we walked down the maze-like barracks of the sewer.

I was a little surprised when she started leading the way. Shortly after she explained that she was once part of the Fourth Division. I had already known, Hanataro being the one who told me, that the Fourth Division had the outline of the sewers burned into their memories, but I didn't deny her the chance to boast a little bit about knowing something that I didn't.

We travelled for a little while in silence, as suggested from Shiro to me and me to Tatsuki. Our footsteps were soft and we walked slowly to muffle them further. Suffice to say, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

It also helped to walk in silence because of sudden Shinigami appearances. We could hear their feet smacking the ground as they ran or we could hear the echo of their voices. We also sometimes stopped to listen to the voices if we heard something that might be important.

'Those idiots should learn teh keep their mouths shut.'

'Maybe, but if they did we'd never learn anything. Right?'

Shiro just smiled.

Tatsuki and I pushed ourselves up against the wall of a nearby corner. Voices that had been muffled a moment ago became clear as our walking stopped.

"…urosaki." One of them finished stating. It was a male.

I smirked taking an odd pride in being the first one mentioned.

"Yeah. They just confirmed that he left the tower. Damn that bastard's fast." A rather deep voice, but it belonged to a female.

"Mayuri predicts he's going to Division Six's barracks and that he might try to reach out to the Kuchiki's because of the lieutenant and the captain that lives there. The Head Captain has ordered-"

"I know Tatakau! I heard from lieutenant Abarai, the same time that you did, that we're to protect that area…"

From that single conversation I now knew that Renji was still alive, an entire division was occupied in protecting the far side of the Seireitei and strawberry was still the worst name for a boy to have… (If you don't get it, Tatakau means Fight and Ichigo means Strawberry.)

We stood in silence until the very last footstep was heard. That was when Tatsuki turned to me, waved her hand towards the left and we walked off in silence once more.

After a few more minutes we heard a cry. It was a scream filled with the most agony I had ever heard. It came from in front of us and despite Tatsuki's protests I went down to see, then immediately regretted it.

Flashes of orange and red flames greeted us on the walls. Distorted shadows stained the areas black where fire couldn't reach. Sounds of screaming and crying could be heard from every direction. I dared turn the corner for a mere second only to find a gruesome sight.

Blood stained everyone and everything. Fire boiled the blood and burnt anything the blood didn't touch. Ashes of burnt bones lay like carpet. Men wearing Shinigami robes held whips forcing other Shinigami to boil and burn and melt repeatedly.

"Wha-" I could feel the heat burn into my throat. "What is this?"

Tatsuki took hold of my arm and pulled. I only half ran behind her as my legs were still half immobilized. (This being caused by what I had just seen.) I watched the fire disappear behind several familiar walls. Tatsuki waited until there was absolutely no trace of orange left before she sat us both down. I was in shock, but she herself was panting.

"What was that," I questioned. My heart was pounding and the blood in my ears boiling.

"Exactly… what it looked like," She gasped. "Torture."

"Torture? Why!?"

Tatsuki shivered. Her hand traced the sleeve on her upper right arm from obvious anxiety. A trace of blue appeared on her cheek, later gathering into a blob of water and rolling down off her nose. "It's where they put Shinigami that refuse to listen. Those who question their orders, who speak out of line… who deny that Ichigo Kurosaki is a monster."

My heart nearly stopped, though I could hear it beat quite clearly in my mind. I couldn't explain it. There was something boiling my insides, turning my emotions into hate, and mocking me from the back of my mind for being so weak. It was making me hunger, but… I still just couldn't explain it. As for what Tatsuki had just said… I was waiting for an explanation on that too.

"It's where I was for five years," she screamed, or at least she would have if we weren't trying to hide. "They took me to the Shinigami academy who in return told me Yoruichi and Kisuke couldn't be trusted. They beat me until every last ounce of free will was drained. And I wasn't the only one. Several people where all there, all undergoing the same 'training', all learning to be perfect soldiers. I was released a month after I started, that's how fast they could get you to break. From there I was put into the fourth division, then the sixth and then the second. In the second is where I learnt about where you were, locked away with all of your powers drained. When I asked why, I was told simply that you were a monster and never to bring it up again. I then asked Renji who denied knowing anything. Then I dare asked Rukia, who replied with the crap about betrayal. The next day she stood beside my captain as she ordered my torture."

Rukia did what?! "That can't be true. No… Rukia would never… and Soi Fon? Ordering torture?"

"It's true, every last word." Tatsuki lifted her sleeve, revealing a long and thick mark. "I'd show you more, but my dignity would never allow it."

"Th- Then…" My words were being drowned by the rage threatening to leave my lips. I swallowed then punched the wall hard enough for my fist to bleed. "I need Zangetsu. Now."

Tatsuki nodded. She pointed down yet another hallway before wiping away her tears and taking off in a run. She was determined to get out of here just as much as I was to kill the bastard who turned the Soul Society into this.

. : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : .

Just one more shove and Ichigo's cracked. x3

Alright… that was a rather dark chapter and I'm here to warn you it only gets darker.