Chad's POV:

I looked up, having defeated the Esapda who refused to give me his name. I wished he had because I felt bad for fighting him as it was. I noticed that Ichigo's spirit pressure changed into something unfamiliar and that vaguely resembled a hollow. I saw him bend and contort, changing. I knew this wasn't good, so to protect the one we came here for, I ran to her body and grabbed a hold of it.

"Hey, Uryuu, Renji, Rukia, I think we should go back," I said mellowly to them as they each finished their individual battles.

Rukia stepped forward, "But Ichigo!"

Uryuu pushed his glasses up his nose, "If we hurry and get her to Orihime, she can save her and then we can come back for Ichigo,"

Renji scoffed, "If he's still alive,"

Rukia pointed to the Esapda, frightened by Ichigo.

"Fine, I'm with Chad," Renji agreed.

"I don't want to leave him like this," Rukia watched Ichigo go on his rampage.

"None of us do, but I think if we can save her, she is the only thing to save him. If not, then it's better he's here. Plus, if we could somehow bring him back, who knows who could get hurt, and if we could save him and someone he cares about gets hurt, he'll never forgive us," Uryuu told Rukia.

She nodded and Renji activated the device that would bring us back to Kisuke Urahara's shop. I carried Yasu the whole way. Orihime, Kisuke, and Yoruichi were waiting for us. Kisuke and Yoruichi were talking discreetly and Orihime was training by herself. She stopped when she spotted us and ran to greet us. She froze when she saw Ichigo wasn't with us, then she continued running to us when she noticed Yasu in my arms.

"What happened?!" Orihime exclaimed as I set Yasu on the ground to be healed.

Kisuke and Yoruichi ambled over and Renji told them what had happened, with a few interjections from Rukia and Uryuu. Orihime barely listened as she worked.

My head buzzed and swam. I felt hot, cold, tingly, and numbed as my eyes fluttered open. I looked at everyone surrounding me, expecting to see Ichigo. I frowned and sprung up as it became clear he wasn't with me.

"What happened? Where's Ichigo?" I started to cry, fearing the worst.

"He's back in Hueco Mundo," Rukia looked at me in pleading despair, "I know we don't like each other, but-"

"If you're going to ask me to save him, don't bother. If you think that I'm just going to go on my marry way without him, than you are truly an indescribable bitch ass moron who doesn't deserve to live. I know I should be grateful, and considering everything that led to meeting you all, I shouldn't be this way, but my Ichigo is fighting for his life, alone, and you think I won't save him? To me, that is unforgivable. Only for the sake of my love will I pardon you," I shook my head angrily.

"Good to see you're fine enough to fight. Now you can go back. However, I can only send you back," Kisuke looked at me to deterime my intentions.

"I am enough to save him," I nodded with all my will.

"Yes, you are," He nodded in agreement.

"But-" Orihime started to protest.

I smiled at her and put my hand on her shoulder, "I do thank you for bringing me back to life, but without Ichigo, it was pointless. If I can't save him, I'm better off dead, so this is for the best,"

Finding no arguement, she smiled back, "Just promise that you'll try bring him back in good health,"

"I will, or I will die trying," I got up and walked toward Kisuke.

"You really have changed for him, haven't you?" Yoruichi asked.

"I have," I smiled bleakly, knowing how much was on the line, "Kisuke, I have my own way to get back and here again,"

He looked at me knowledgeablly, "I know,"

"Of course you do," I rolled my eyes and pulled out a small cooper hoop from under my tongue.

I held the hoop over my finger and it expanded so I could wear it like a ring. I put it on my pinkie and turned it three times with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes, the remains of Los Noches in Hueco Mundo stood before me.

"What the hell happened here?" I looked around me and noticed I was in what was once my room. Now it was just a pile of rubble.

A piercing cry shattered the ringing silence and my head automatically snapped to the source. Feet away from me, I saw an immense Hollow eating the two female Arrancar that dressed me. It wasn't familiar. Not at first, but after looking at it for only three seconds, I realized it was Ichigo.

"What happened to you?!" I cried and ran up to the Hollow.

He merely shrieked at me. I ran up to him and stopped so I wasn't in "harm's way". I knew Ichigo would never hurt me. Not intentionally.

"Ichigo, it's me! Yasu!" I slowly took baby steps forward.

He let out a fearsome roar that knocked me to my knees. While I was recovering, he swung his arm at me and sent me flying back into the remnants of my marble doorpost. It cracked from the impact, buckled from my weight, and crashed down over my head, pinning me down.

"Ok, that hurt," I pushed the structure off my body like it was a rag doll.

Seeing I still wasn't dead and most likely thinking that I would make a tasty snack, Ichigo lunged at me. I didn't want to hurt him, so I just braced myself and took a defensive position.

It didn't so well as I though it would, so I started to bleed where he hit me and large bruises instantly rippled across my body. But at least I had him where I knew I could save him. I held him in my arms, embracing him with all my strength. It hurt more than anything, because he was trashing around as hard as he could to get free.

I started to cry, not from my pain, but from the pain of realizing that I wouldn't be able to save him, "Ichigo, I'm so sorry I'm so late. I couldn't save you. You saved me, but I couldn't save you in return!"

Hollow Ichigo's POV:

Who was this annoying woman who suddenly appeared. I was full, eating those two last women. And this one was acting strangely, but whatever, I'll eat her too and be done with it.

Ichigo's POV:

Blackness, that's all I could sense. I couldn't see, feel, taste, smell, or hear anything. I pondered if there ever was anything else, the blackness overwhelmed me that much.

"Ichigo, I'm so sorry I'm so late. I couldn't save you. You saved me, but I couldn't save you in return!" A faint, familiar voice cried.

I knew that voice, but where did it come from? Wait, I heard something, that means that I'm not as gone as I thought! Then just maybe, if I heard that, then maybe I could regain my other senses. No, there was no reason to. I had nothing....

Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, a small diamond fell from the blackness, but it was no longer black all around me. Shades of grey had smeared into the void. It reminded me of a rain storm. The smell of rain mixed with the captivating image, and I felt the diamonds pelt down on me, only it made me wet and cold. I could taste not raindrops like I expected to, but teardrops. The diamonds tasted like teardrops.

Against my better judgement, I looked into the clearing clouds, expecting to see the sun, but instead I saw Yasu's face. It was bloody, tear-stained, and beyond sadness. Had I done that to her? No, I couldn't have, I was here. That means that it was that bastard Hollow that lived in me, just waiting to take hold of me.

Wait, how was she fine and here? She died. She died and I gave up controll of my body. Then how was I here in this now crimson rain?

"Wow, you really are stupid, aren't you?" The one who stole my body and hurt Yasu appeared before me.

I ran to him to kill him, but something held me back. The image of Yasu, the sun or whatever she was in my inner world, she had a normal-sized body and she held me back, shaking her head, "Let the coward go,"

I listened to her, grudgingly, "Yasu....."

See? I made good on my promise, at least in my mind I did....

Oh, and this chappy is possibly the longest chapter I have ever written, so yay me! I own Bleach now! (I wish)

Nope, Still Bleach-less.