Chapter: By Myself

Shalan's Say: I had to explain to my dad's best friend about how I stay up until the wee hours in the morning to write for you guys (and to talk to my lovely beta Bella) But anyways… I was listening to By Myself by Linkin Park and Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin during this chapter; you can tell which if you pay attention…

&&&

When she came to Rukia's eyes were met with a familiar sight… the canopied bed of her old apartment. For a second she thought that everything that had happened was really just a dream. "What the hell… was everything just a dream…" Then as she sat up her sore breasts, heavy with milk throbbed slightly. "Ouch…" And she heard a baby cry. "Misaki…" she grumbled and stood up. "When did Ichigo bring me back here?" She wondered out loud. "Ichigo?" She asked, walking out into the hallway.

She walked into the room where she heard Misaki crying from and picked the baby up. "Hush now Misaki…" she cradled her baby in her arms. "Hush now…" she whispered, unbuttoning her pajama top. The baby eagerly accepted her breakfast and Rukia laughed

If Ichigo came in right now she would hate him. She remembered the first time she had told him about her endeavors as a breast feeding mother.

"Ichigo! It would be better for the baby…" she told him and he sighed.

"But it's weird… I mean… isn't that my job?" He chuckled and she smacked him. His hands gripped her big belly and gently palmed their way across the silky skin.

"Ichigo! Stop it!" She laughed as he pulled her close from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I love you…" He smiled and kissed her on the lips.

"I know you do…" she laughed and his palms rubbed across her belly again.

"She is going to be the most beautiful baby… just like her mother…" He kissed her jaw.

"She's going to be the kindest woman… just like her father…" she smiled as their lips met again. She turned around to kiss him harder as his hand waited until the baby kicked again.

"Oh… Ichigo…" She turned around as she heard footsteps. She froze as she saw Aizen in the doorway. "Y-You…" Ichigo's image flashed through her mind then suddenly everything flooded back into her head. Ichigo was dead…

"Hello Rukia… her name's Misaki right?" He walked over and she drew away.

"Sta-stay away from us…" She then stood her ground. Ichigo couldn't be dead. There was no way he could be dead… he would come and save her just like he did every time.

"Fine… just thought you should have this…" he flicked a Polaroid at her. "Don't think about going anywhere or contacting anyone… you're mine again sweetheart." He jerked her face forward and kissed her lips, walking out of the room.

She dropped to her knees as Misaki separated herself from her mother's breast. "Ichigo…" she whispered, picking up the Polaroid. It was a picture snapped of Ichigo's head. Blood was splattered all over the place, a three inch gash in his temple. "ICHIGO!" She screamed, tears pouring from her eyes, burying her face into her baby's blanket.

&&&

Ichigo frowned as he leaned back in the chair. "This is fucked… I told you people to fucking take care of her…" He slammed his fist against the table. A week after his brush with death the young detective was back on his feet and madder than a rattle snake.

"Listen… he moved faster than we thought…" Toshiro threw his hands up and a knife cut his cheek, flying past him into the wall. Uryu clicked his tongue.

"Look Ichigo… we still have one man on the inside… It'll take a bit to get him moving but we can get him to get her…" Uryu lifted a hand.

"YOU DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND DO YOU!? MY DAUGHTER AND MY FIANCE ARE IN A FUCKING TRAP! A TRAP THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!" Ichigo slammed his chair back and turned away from them, the muscles in his back rippling with anger.

"Ichigo…" Uryu placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"This wasn't a part of the plan…" the carrot-top's eyes darkened. "I know… but I love her Uryu…" he turned around.

"Ichigo… just let her go… she's just collateral…" Toshiro offered his hand and Ichigo's eyes opened wide.

"COLLATERAL!? THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND MY DAUGHTER? FUCKING COLLATERAL HITSUGAYA!? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" He punched Toshiro in the face.

"Oop…" Kisuke tilted his chair legs back to the ground and stood up as Ichigo corner Toshiro, his fist seemingly never leaving his face as his elbow drew back over and over again. Kisuke hooked his arms up under Ichigo's, jerking him back. "CALM DOWN! THERE IS NO NEED TO HURT HIM!" Toshiro wiped the blood from his face, blood dripping from his nose and lower lip. Uryu snorted a laugh and handed him a towel.

Ichigo's breathing was labored and his eyes were furious, alight with livid energy. It almost seemed that a glare from the light shimmered across his irises as he stared at Toshiro. "Fcking collateral…"

"We could go get her back…" A voice spoke from the corner of the room. A tall man stood there, his arms folded across his chest. His spiky hair stuck up in long thorns.

"What do you suggest we do Zaraki? Gun them all down… that's such a delicate procedure…" Uryu turned his head towards Ichigo. "You're the brains of this operation… tell us what we're going to do next Captain…" Ichigo's shoulders straightened. Uryu was the only one who dared call him by his rank.

"We're going to do nothing…" Ichigo sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. Zaraki's jaw even dropped at that one. He turned his head to look at the mixed group. "We're going to split up and wait for the word from our insider… he'll keep her safe… right now…" Ichigo leaned on the table. He had never bothered to put a shirt on, his suit pants were buckled around his waist with a shiny leather belt… but his upper body was bare and glinting slightly. "Call Abarai and Madarame…" he looked at Uryu who nodded.

"So does she still not know that Abarai is involved in all of this?" Toshiro asked as he walked back in, his face clean now.

"No… I never told her… and I doubt he told her…" Ichigo smiled lightly. "We've got a few sleeper cells out there that he doesn't know about…"

"Did you get the doctors to put that chip in?" Urahara folded his arms.

"The GPS? Yeah… they put it in… the back of her neck… she should be easy to find unless she's surrounded by magnets," Ichigo shrugged. "That's easy enough… but we have to get her back… and Misaki…" His look darkened again.

"Call Abarai and Madarame and then what?" Uryu tried to get him to continue.

"Call them and tell them to be ready to move when necessary…" Ichigo laced his fingers together.

"Alright… what about our guy on the inside?" Uryu questioned.

"Let him stay there a while longer… tonight call him and tell him all that's going on.

&&&

"Yes… thank you…" Aizen nodded as the door opened. He waved at Gin to come in and the white haired man walked in.

"Hey… what's going on?" Gin asked as Aizen hung up.

"Everything's fucked…" Aizen replied.

"Why haven't you killed her yet?"

&&&

Rukia hummed lightly as Misaki ate. She felt her baby's belly get rounder as she drank. She was hungry today… "I love you darling…" she smiled softly. "It's too bad you didn't get to meet your father… he was a good man…" she smiled, leaning her head back against the rocking chair. "He was the best."

&&&

Months passed slowly for Ichigo… he dragged his feet, he didn't have Rukia anymore… he had to get her back… he knew this… but he had to think carefully… he couldn't just burst in there… that would ruin everything they'd been working for… but he wanted her back in his arms so badly that his heart told him to just take a couple of backups and go in and blow the place to pieces.

"I'm coming to save you baby…" he whispered as he looked at the picture taken of them with their two month old daughter in her arms. She was radiant, her smile shining even in the picture. "You're a trooper… you'll make it through this…"

&&&

"I haven't killed her because I have no reason to kill her…" Aizen looked through a sheaf of papers.

"NO REASON?" Gin's eyes widened. The black man in the corner turned his head towards them.

"You need to calm down…" He told the white haired man.

"Aizen…" Gin stood up and from within his jacket held up a gun. "This partnership… is over…" He pointed the gun at his head.

"You won't pull that trigger Ichimaru…" Aizen said then his grey matter splattered all over the freshly cleaned windows and on Ichimaru's white suit.

"Heh… I guess you found that out…" His eyes were filled with delight. "Tosen… go bring her to me… perhaps she should see her husband…" he tilted his head, his red eyes opened.

"Yessir…" He walked out.

&&&

HELLO XDDDDD

How are all of you? Are you starting to piece together what's going on around here? I am XD Finally… anyways… keep holding on… because there's a ton more to come in:

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW!

Shalan