I do NOT own bleach and all that...only the OC.

Intro theme: Aozora no Namida - Takahashi Hitomi

Before anyone knew it, Ichigo readily released his blade from the concrete ground.

Just what on earth was he doing? Did he honestly plan to permit the Hollows a win? Before anyone could do anything, of course, nothing at this point was possible, Ichigo looked to them with a hidden message locked—swarming his chocolate painted eyes.

"Everyone…I'll see you later."

Letting his final words reverberate, Ichigo disappeared—along with the violent hole, with nothing to leave behind. No trace of life or hope within the surroundings. All that comforted them was the rain, falling instinctively. The sound of thunder was nothing but a faint, distant howl.

They stood there, lost, confused, and puzzled. What just happened? Each one of them could sense the chilly air reaching down their throats.

It wasn't a dream.

Ichigo was gone.

Where?

No one knew…

"Just what the hell was that asshole thinking using himself as a sacrifice?!" Renji finally questioned with fury in his voice.

"What an idiot!" Uryu jabbed, just as livid towards the Soul Reaper's decision. Chad frowned at the fact his friend was gone, but whispered nothing. What could he say? Persistently shouting his name wasn't going to bring him back.

The rain abruptly stopped that moment. Everyone got a look around and came to the realization just how soaking wet they all were—drenched in their clothing.

Orihime felt hot tears run down her cheeks. "Ichi… Ichigo."

Aneko immediately placed her hand over Orihime's trembling shoulder. She could see the strong hold in her eyes. Maybe she was trying not to breakdown herself. "Stop crying Orihime…"

Orihime's eyes broaden. "Aneko…?"

"Do you…honestly think Ichigo, that dumbass brother of mine who never gives up—always finding the easiest and stupidest ways out of situations…would go and kill himself?"

Orihime simply eyed Aneko. "…No."

Aneko glanced down at her cut, holding her arms slightly out. "He'll be back… I know he will…"

Renji then sighed and rubbed his head. "You know…she's right. Knowing that moron he'll just lose his temper on the Hollows and beat the living crap out of them. If he comes across any…"

Rukia quietly gazed to Renji—a small smile on her face. "You're right… I shouldn't have doubted him…"

"Well then…" Renji looked at Rukia. "We should head back to the Soul Society and give news of the situation here."

Rukia nodded. "Right…we'll keep an eye out incase anything may go wrong. We'll return to the living world later to check if Ichigo safely returned yet."

Aneko nodded. "Alright…" She slightly tilted her head inquisitively as two black butterflies gracefully emerged from the spiritual door that appeared before them. It didn't take her long to figure that the abrupt gate facing them would lead Rukia and Renji back to Soul Society.

Before anyone knew it, Rukia and Renji were gone, along with the spiritual gate. After taking a moment or two to stand in silence, Aneko glanced to the group. "…We should all head home and wait for tomorrow…"

Chad approached her, carrying Ichigo's lifeless body over his large shoulder. "What should I do with his body?"

"I think bringing Ichigo's body to the shop is best. I don't know what more to do with it…"

"Aneko…!" Orihime suddenly called, "What about that wound?!"

Uryu and Chad instantly looked to her, suddenly aware of the gash on her arm. She clearly lost a lot of blood—a trail of it visible on the wet ground, blending together.

"O-oh…well it's nothing too serious… I'll just treat it at home." Aneko assured.

Orihime pursed her lips momentarily. "Why don't you let me heal it?"

"There's no point in wasting your powers—mostly time, on a little cut I can heal myself…right?"

"But…" Orihime frowned.

"Don't worry…" Aneko forced the smallest of small smiles. "I'll be fine,"

"A-alright… If you say so…"

Lastly, after taking Ichigo's motionless body to the shop—with some difficulty, Chad and Orihime went back to their homes. All that could be done was to wait for tomorrow's bringing. In the meantime, Uryu assisted Aneko back to her house.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Uryu disquietly asked while both walking the regular path Aneko usually took to get home. The streetlights provided enough light for them to distinguish where the path ended, just before they began walking through the wet grass—puddles surrounding everywhere. "I can already enlighten you with the fact that it'll most likely be complicated to heal…"

Aneko momentary looked to him—past wet tousled bangs. "I'm fine… If anything, shouldn't you be more concerned about your own injuries…? They look far worst than mine."

He eyed her taken aback. He had completely forgotten about the damage he received himself. Quietly staring aimlessly ahead, Uryu casually placed his long middle finger to the bridge of his nose, become conscious that he wore no glasses.

"Sorry…about your glasses…"

Uryu simply shrugged. "No need to be… I can just purchase another pair."

Aneko looked to the stars high up as they peeked behind some of the shady clouds—gradually parted. "I guess…if I hadn't come…then…"

"—Then I wouldn't have anyone to talk to," Uryu promptly said before she could declare anything negative.

She cocked her head in his direction, utterly speechless. "You need to stop being so hard on yourself. You probably believe that some of what took place was your fault, but it isn't… Nothing would have truly altered, Aneko."

Aneko ceased walking. She began staring at him, thunderstruck. Uryu began getting the impression that what he said might have been harsh…somewhat. "W-well…I just meant that—"

"—No, wait… You're absolutely right… I shouldn't always guilt myself into believing it's my fault… Somehow it makes sense…"

The Quincy stood there wordless. He silently watched, letting her pass him. Aware that she wasn't stopping, he began following her.

"But…" She unexpectedly paused, causing Uryu to stop beside her. He caught glimpse of an unsettling look to her eyes. "What's wrong?"

With a sigh, Aneko gently placed her cold hand over her arm, shielding her scratch. "If…if I didn't come…then Ichigo might have not been cut on the chest… Now that I think about it…I should have just backed off and let him handle the Hollow. I'm so stupid sometimes…"

Uryu frowned. He wanted to say something—disagree with her contradicting views, but who was he kidding?

She was right.

Because she had insisted on helping back there…Ichigo was hurt. Probably badly, too… Uryu wouldn't know though… He never got a good glance at the substitute's injuries.

"You know…" He finally spoke. "If we're paying the burden game…than I blame myself for something as well…"

Aneko simply looked to him, pondering on the high possibility that that something could be upsetting…

"I blame myself for letting you get hurt in the first place…"

Those words caught her off guard.

"…I should have been able to protect you—or at least have done something. What good are my powers if I can't even defend against Hollows…?"

Aneko allowed her brown eyes to widen their most. Meanwhile, her lips parted mindlessly. "Uryu…"

He grinned a grin that complimented his sea-blue eyes, revealing the kindness and sincerity that were exposed in his words. "So I guess we're both to blame for tonight's battle…"

It had just hit her that she was gawking imprudently into his eyes—giving Uryu the perfect chance to see how red her face was becoming. She instinctively looked away, pouting. "Y-yeah…well I'm more responsible…"

He began to hurriedly walk ahead of her. "Well, let's hurry back to the clinic and get ourselves cleaned up."

Before long, they both made themselves comfortable at the Kurosaki Clinic. Having access to all the proper essentials, Aneko was able to mend her wounds, as well as look over the Quincy's.

Lying on his exposed stomach, Uryu remained even—as relaxed as he could be. He was placed in one of the clinic rooms where her father would usually place a patient who was badly injured. That way they could be treated immediately.

Comfortably placed onto the bed, Uryu looked around, noticing all the medicines—medial kits and such, surrounding him. "…You know how to use all these equipments?"

Aneko kept her eyes focused on the medical cloth in her hands, carefully putting the proper antibiotic on it. "Yeah, don't worry. I won't kill you…" She grinned. "My father taught me all I need to know. After all, I'm usually the one who gets stuck helping him with his patients. You can't expect the poor guy to do it all on his own…"

Uryu looked straight, awaiting the pain. "Sounds about right,"

Aneko grew amused. "How so?"

"…Ichigo isn't reliable. Your sisters are young, aren't they? That only leaves you…"

Aneko approached Uryu, bringing a silver bowl of warm water with her. The cloth hung on the side of the gray utensil. "Guess that's true…"

He glimpsed to the side, catching a small frown. "…He'll be ok."

Aneko looked to him surprised. "I'm talking about Ichigo."

She simply shrugged. "I…I know. I'm just a little worried…that's all."

Uryu sighed. "…We'll talk to Urahara tomorrow. He'll know what to do."

Aneko nodded. She then placed her eyes to Uryu's back, studying his scratch. "…It's not too deep. Long, but nothing serious…" She assured with a smile. "At least we cleaned it out. All I have to do is apply some antibiotic onto it. I wish you would have had Orihime heal a bit of it though…"

Uryu listened attentively. He was slightly astonished by the therapeutic knowledge she had. "It should prevent any infections… It'll also minimize scarring…"

Uryu could feel her leaning in closer. "This will sting a little." She then warned as she got the cloth ready. "I'll try my best not to make it hurt as much, Uryu."

"Don't worry… I've been through worst."

As a few minutes flew, Aneko managed to put the needed medicine on Uryu's gash, placing a large bandage over it. Once she was done, she went to the sink, washing her hands. "…Sorry if it hurt. You should have it looked over at the hospital, though. Get stitches…"

"I can heal without all the medial treatment." Uryu sat up, sighing in relief. "It's over…that's all that matters."

Just then, Karin entered the room with new clothing for Uryu. "I managed to find something dry for you."

Uryu received them. "Thank you,"

Aneko smiled to her appreciative. She knew that telling Karin the truth about everything would be a lot easier. Besides, Karin is one of the few humans that are spiritually aware… Aneko figured it was time she told her everything—from what she knew, at least. Ichigo knew more about Soul Society, the rules with it, and every other vital detail.

She was just relieved that she could trust her. She's the only one who knows out of Yuzu and their father, and she planned to keep it that way…

Letting precious time fly, Karin finally went to bed. It took a lot out of Aneko to reassure her that Ichigo would be fine…

Back in the living room, Uryu was comfortable yet again, on the pullout bed. Aneko struggled to stay up with the Quincy. As she sat on the floor, finding more comfort with her legs crossed, Aneko began to think…

A few days ago…Uryu was just some extraordinary boy that fought Hollows with Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad. He was just that mysterious human that held the title: The Last Quincy—who chose not to socialize too much, especially when it wasn't necessary to him. But now…here they were, both getting along just great. Aneko lightly smiled, hugging her knees in ease. Now she could say she finally comprehended what Orihime had kept telling her—that Uryu Ishida was a kind person who was really wonderful to have as a friend…

Uryu turned his head to the side, facing Aneko. "You really don't have to sit there for my sake. I'll be fine. Your treatment is working already," He smiled. "You should rest up."

Aneko blinked. "Oh…! Well I guess I'll be going to bed then…" She got up, approaching the set of steps. "Goodnight, Uryu…"

It was cold—climate and malice-wise. The very bitter presence itself was strong enough to craw under your skin, giving you a sense of fear and loneliness. As the dreaded touch of death brushed his cheek, Ichigo slowly pried his eyes open, immediately aware that he was in a world far more remote than he would have liked. "…Where?"

"So you've finally awaken?"

Ichigo shifted his eyes straight ahead. He noticed Zangetsu standing over him quietly. Once his eyes met the eyes of his blade, everything made sense. "Zangetsu…where did I end up…?"

"Where both ends meet. This is the place that permits nether the dead or the living to collide."

Ichigo managed to stand up. "What do you mean by that…?" He questioned, still in a daze.

"As hell is made for the collection of future Hollows and Soul Society is made for collecting souls that have peacefully passed on, this is where the souls of those who have collided living and dead energy in one, are sent. If a living being is sent through a gate which consists of a Hell Butterfly or to just to be in their soul state, and doesn't have any of those, they cross the border into this world."

Ichigo frowned. "I see… It's like going through the Senkaimon, right?"

Zangetsu nodded. "Ichigo, because you're in soul form and entered this world, you can escape. Those who are unfortunate to have entered here are usually unable to leave."

Ichigo sighed. "That's good… So how do I get outta' here?"

"Do you see that red orb?"

Ichigo looked past him, noticing a small gleaming orb levitating behind Zangetsu. "Y-yeah, I see it. What about it?"

"Use me to slice through that red target." He ordered.

"Uh, ok… Seems simple enough…" Ichigo reached back—luckily his blade was still attached to him. Once his firm hand gripped the hilt of his sword, the binds that covered the cutting edge gracefully removed themselves.

Zangetsu calmly watched as Ichigo sliced at it, and witnessing the orb shatter in half, like a shard of glass.

"Good… Now when I say, jump through the portal that will appear."

Ichigo nodded, anxiously waiting the portal…

Nothing seemed to be happening though.

"Uh…" Ichigo looked to him—a plain face visible. "Nothing…is happening."

"It should have opened…interesting,"

"What the hell do you mean 'Interesting'?!" Ichigo questioned irritated.

"Calm down Ichigo…it only means that we can't go this way. It seems that someone or something doesn't tolerate it."

"Oh… That's just fine. You know, we should just sit back, obey that something and not interfere…" Ichigo suggested in hard sarcasm.

Ignoring Ichigo's ranting, Zangetsu walked further, spotting a black hole—much like the one that transported them here, yet less violent. "You'll have to make a longer journey then I thought to get back home,"

"Figures…" Ichigo uttered beneath his breath. As he approached him, the substitute noticed the black hole reveal a hidden image within its endless entrance. Inside was a whole new world. Intrigued by this, Ichigo observed it closer. "W-what the heck is this?"

"This place is called Kioku,"

The first thing Ichigo became aware of was the amount of golden flowers overflowing in this strange world. It was as if this dimension was taken care of—so clean and pure. "What's an entrance to a place like that doing—"

Before he knew it, Ichigo felt his body shift forward, falling into a lighter world. The wind smacked his face as he dropped toward the field of flowers. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Stop crying! Relax yourself!"

Ichigo noticed Zangetsu slowing down as he got closer to the meadow of flowers. Ichigo tried to calm himself down but he was getting nowhere. The teen was still helplessly falling down. "THIS ISN'T WORKING!"

"Concentrate or you'll die!"

Ichigo gulped at the very thought. Dying, and by landing on a bunch of little flowers? How humiliating…! "Dammit!" He closed his eyes, relaxing himself, body and mind. He could soon feel less pressure from the wind. As he finally opened his eyes, he noticed he was slowly landing on the ground. "H-hey…! I did it!" He grinned.

"Now…" Zangetsu walked to a little rock and sat on it.

Ichigo blinked. "What are you up to?"

"…We have to wait till the other portal opens up."

Ichigo cocked a brow. "What are you talking about now?"

"It's simple… I told you we have to take the longer way back to your world…"

Ichigo tilted his head."Alright… How long are we talkin' here? A minute? Maybe…5 minutes?"

"The portal can open at anytime. Longest…? I'd say a year…"

"A YEAR?!"

It was obvious that morning finally came into Karakura Town. Aneko discovered this as she gradually opened her eyes to the daylight beaming on her worn-out face. Pulling the covers over her face, she grunted. Morning came much too hasty for her liking. After waiting a moment to let her body adjust to a new day, she began hearing a shrill call of a baby bird. Slowly, she removed the warm bed sheets from her view, looking out her window…

"There you are…" She continuously blinked until her vision became clear once more. On top the thick, husky branch sat a small nest, holding the culprit. "…Alright, alright… I'll get up if you stop crying like that…" She murmured, reluctantly sitting up. Moving strand of hair behind her ear, she carefully got off the bed. She immediately regretted it once her body began aching.

"Man…I hate side affects." She openly stated, sitting back down on her bed in a slumped position. "I feel like I'm past my fifties…"

Momentarily, Aneko eagerly began looking around. The sun shone its brightest today—beyond doubt, illuminating her room with a healthy atmosphere. Her eyes then caught sight of her clock—shaped as a smiling moon, embracing a small star. Her mind suddenly reverted to the very day she got that alarm clock. Her lips pulled back from her teeth, revealing a small grin. Ichigo had got it for her as a last minute gift on Christmas.

Stretching her arms, she noticed the screen on it revealed: 10:00 AM. With one last moan, she got back on her bear feet, an immense amount of pain on her arm. As she made her way to the mirror, she placed her hand over her arm, feeling the bandages. "…It still hurts…"

Once she reached the mirror, she analyzed her own reflection. "Wow…I look like crap…" As she quietly stared at her bed-hair, her eyes somehow trailed to her face, more than aware of the repulsive bags under her faint eyes. Truth be told, she hardly got any sleep…

Releasing the grip on her throbbing arm, Aneko gently rubbed her hand against her warm cheek. "Ichigo… I wonder how you're holding up…"

After changing into her casual t-shit and shorts, Aneko made her way into the hall. Passing by, the light sound of snoring gently entered her ears. Aneko froze, turning on her heels. Startled, she intriguingly looked into Karin and Yuzu's room. Karin was still asleep and apparently didn't want to be disturbed at the moment. And while trying to sneak a step, the floor creaked, causing the young Kurosaki to moan, moving under her black blanket.

Aneko held in a small laugh. "Man, if dad saw you like this—especially at this hour—he'd freak…"

It was always entertaining for her to witness Karin and Isshin dispute, considering Karin always won the argument. Leaving it alone, she finally reached the set of steps. Once she entered the living room, Uryu was nowhere to be found. The couch was put back together—blankets folded neatly on the table.

She made her way in the direction of the couch, fairly upset with his absence. Breathing out, she plopped onto the couch. "Figures… I mean, he does after all have other important things to do…"

Before she allowed herself to continue sitting there disconsolately, her stomach sang the unwanted song of desired chow. With a small blush, she placed her hands over her talking stomach. "…Ah, I almost forgot about you."

Traveling to the kitchen, she figured she'd make Karin some breakfast too. Sticking her head into the opened the fridge, she began pondering on what today's breakfast ought to be. She frowned. There were no eggs, milk, and bacon. Not even leftover food. "Aw, crap… I forgot it was my turn to do the groceries this week…!" Impulsively shutting the refrigerator door, she began smacking her head. "Aneko, you're such an idiot! Idiot! Idiot…!"

"Is everything ok…?"

Aneko promptly paused, jerking her attention back. Her eyes widen in surprise. "Oh, Uryu…!"

He approached the counter, placing a few grocery bags on it. Aneko approached—mostly to steal a look in the bag. Her fingers began opening a few bags, "So…where'd you disappear to?"

He lightly smiled. "I went to the convenience store to buy some supplies." He replied. Aneko moved aside as he began taking cartons out, placing them down. "It's my way of thanking you and your sister for your hospitality."

She sheepishly grinned. "N'aw, don't worry about it. We like to be of assistance." Now staring at his face, she noticed the new pair of glasses he bared. "H-hey…! Y-you have glasses?"

Uryu fixed them. "Yeah, I figured while I was out I'd quickly run home and get my old pair."

She frowned. "Why didn't you wake me up? I would have been more than happy to go with you."

Uryu placed his attention back to the groceries. He had gotten a breakfast set for them. "I didn't want to wake you up. It was no trouble at all." He assured. "I figured you and your sister would be hungry as soon as you got up, so I got some fast-food."

She beamed. "Aha, you know me too well…!"

Once they were settled, they ate in the living room—eyes glued onto the T.V set.

"Last nights storm cost the lives…of a family."

Aneko frowned. "Can we turn it up?"

"I don't mind,"

She placed the remote into her hand, turning it up a few bars. She then sat back, holding tightly onto her steaming bowl of rice.

"Police say that lighting must have struck the building causing it to collapse. Right now they're investigating…"

Aneko gasped once the screen revealed footage of the ruined building. Uryu simply looked to her.

"We've got word that the family consisted of a child of four months, a 54 year old woman, and a 10 year old girl—were all inside the building at the time."

Aneko looked down to her food, fighting the urge to breakdown by gnawing on her bottom lip. Her hands trembled as they clasped the plastic bowl. She could feel her nose burn, eyes suddenly watering. "…I…I know…"

Uryu eyed her taken aback. How did this affect her? She seemed so distraught by this all, but why?

He placed his meal down. She hunched over, staring into her bowl. "T-that was the building…the building that we fought by…"

He felt quite dazed once it all sank in. "A-are…you positive?"

She nodded, whimpering every so often. "This family…died because of our battle. That poor family…"

"Aneko…" His voice seemed to drift off, a tone of voice that had become secluded. She felt as though nothing ever goes right when she engages herself into combat. "I…I'm sorry…but I can't help but feel…that I'm at fault. I don't understand why…"

The Quincy grimaced. "You can't honestly believe this is all somehow your fault?"

After keeping a strong lock onto her bowl, she finally set it aside. "…It…It's just that…"

"I don't know what more to say to you, Aneko… You seem to be the type who thinks what you want to think. You never see anything with your eyes, but just your mind…"

Finally focusing on him, she batted her eyelids in shock. "…I…"

He looked back to the T.V, pushing his glasses up. "What happened…it isn't your fault… It had nothing to do with you. Those Hollows are the ones responsible for that family's death…"

Aneko felt a smile develop as tears incessantly gushed down her flushed cheeks. "H-how embarrassing…" She began smearing her wet tears. "I shouldn't have cried like that. I'm sorry you had to witness me like that…"

He instinctively smiled. "Don't be. I'm really glad to see you understand—you understood what I meant by all that, right?"

She nodded, appearing completely flustered. "I did, which is why I'm so ashamed for crying like that. I'm still feeling so guilty for getting Ichigo hurt like that, though. I guess I made up for it by sobbing my eyes out. I feel like such a baby…"

Uryu reached for the controller, turning the television off. "It's quite alright…"

She felt his arm surprisingly brush against hers unintentionally, causing her heart to immediately sink in her chest. She was suddenly aware of the proximity between them both. Her heart thumped loud enough to count. Anxiously, she looked away, twiddling her fingers over her laps. He was quiet. She was tempted beyond temptation to glance over—sneak a peek.

What was he doing? Was he looking at her? Looking absently out the window, maybe? Maybe he was thinking about what he'd just seen? She couldn't feel her body anymore. She had gone numb, and completely uncomfortable.

As she was about to say something, and quickly, she heard heavy breathing. It was more than clear to her who it was coming from. She carefully looked at her side. Immediately, her heart stopped. "U-Uryu…?"

The bespectacled boy was fast asleep—elbow resting on the arm of the couch, meanwhile his chin seated itself over his fist. She bit her lip, moving in closer. '…He looks…so…peaceful. He must…have not gotten any sleep either.' She held her breath as she leaned in closer to his face, getting a better observation. Her heart continued to dance inside her, wanting to explode. She didn't understand this overwhelming sensation that triumphed over her. Aware that she was only humiliating herself, Aneko stood up, covering her face. "…What the hell am I doing? Who watches other people sleep? I'm insane…"

That was when a knock came from the side door of the building. "C-come in!"

Uryu's eyes opened. "…?" Aneko watched as he took his glasses off, rubbing his drowsy eyes. "…Did I pass out…?"

She nonchalantly shrugged as she placed her hands behind her back. "Maybe…I didn't notice."

Abruptly, Orihime came in the house with a bouquet of flowers in her arms. Uryu and Aneko glanced to her in silence.

"Orihime… What brings you here?" Aneko casually asked, "And who the flowers for…?"

Orihime smiled down at them with sadden eyes. "They're for…the family that was killed last night…"

The room fell silent for a moment.

"That's very kind of you…" Uryu finally said as he got off the couch. "Would you like us to accompany you?"

Orihime lightly smiled. "I thought it'd be nice…if we all went together."

Aneko looked to the floor. "I think that's a great idea…"

Ending theme: My Everything - Tenjochiki