Chapter 3: Porcelain

I can't wait, I can't wait, no
When I see little lights in the shadows
One must hide when the sun gets higher
I don't know what this madness means

He sat in silence on the floor of his cell. Zangetsu taken from him and his shinigami robes stripped from his body only to be replaced by a white gi and hakama. A red obi kept his hakama's in place about his thin waist. Currently, the imprisoned vizard looked down at his bare hands, staring at them with his emotionless brown eyes that were contemplating his future.

However, he was not alone, he never was alone.

God, he wished he were right now.

"Ichigo and Hollow went up the hill to fetch a pail of water." His hollow sang every so softly into the mind of Kurosaki Ichigo. Ichigo could almost see the amusement in his Hollow that hid behind his black and amber eyes.

"King fell down and broke his crown."

Renji came through the doorway and looked at Ichigo who was currently holding his head and saying nothing. The red head frowned as he walked over towards Ichigo's cell and decided to speak to the outlaw vizard.

"Yo, Ichigo."

"And Hollow came hurrying over."

Ichigo did not hear his friend speak, he was trying hard to block out his hollow who was singing oh so cheerfully in his head. His amber eyes stared down at the floor, not even noticing Renji having come into the room.

"Up got Ichigo, Down went Hollow."

It was getting annoying, Ichigo closed his eyes and Renji tilted his head at him. "Hey, Ichigo." He said a bit louder as he walked up to the bars. Wrapping his fingers around the cold steel. "Hey, what's wrong?" Renji inquired as he looked at his old friend with concern.

"As fast as he could move."

His hands grew tighter about his orange locks as he closed his eyes, "Shut up." He said in a whisper to his hollow. However, this only caused the beast to laugh within his mind and seem to make him even more cheerful. It was like; the hollow was projecting himself in Ichigo's mind. He could see him twirl with glee as he sang his next line, swinging Zangetsu about.

"He knocked Ichigo down and stole the crown."

"Shut up." Ichigo said again as Renji looked at him, "Ichigo…hey are you listing to me?" The red haired asked as he caught Ichigo's next words. "Shut up, I told you to shut up, Hollow." He muttered, as his knuckles grew white.

"Ichigo…" said Renji softly.

"And took little Rukia too."

"I said shut up!" Ichigo suddenly roared as he released his hair and slammed his fist into the ground. "Shut the fuck up!" He yelled at the top of his lungs and caused Renji to fall a step back from the bars. His amber eyes raised and he seemed to have noticed the shinigami.

"Renji…" He said slowly.

Renji stared at the boy carefully and watched his confused expression turn into surprise and then into sadness. "Ichigo, what was that about? Who were you talking too?" asked the red head. The ginger headed vizard looked away, "I, he wouldn't stop…" He said slowly as his hollow stared back up again.

"How does it feel King?"

"Stop what? And who is he?" Renji inquired as he took a few steps back towards his dark eyed comrade. "The…the hollow." He raised a hand and put it to the side of his head. "He just…" Ichigo did not finish as Renji frowned at him. So he really did have a hollow after all and it was talking to him, this was not a very good sign. It was bad. "You have to ignore it Ichigo."

"To know there is no where for you to run."

"I, I can't Renji. He is here," He pointed to the side of his head. "He will not shut up. He keeps talking. Just talking…" Renji once again leaded into the bars. "Ichigo, you have to ignore it and stop listening to that damn thing! You are going to make this shit hard on yourself if you keep listening to him!"

"No where to hide. No body to return too…"

Ichigo shook his head violently, "I can't! Everything he says is true. I cannot hide this; I cannot run away from it! I can't…" Ichigo stopped himself, was he unable to face all of this? "I just don't care! I want it to end!" He growled suddenly, catching Renji off guard.

"No choice, but to give yourself to me!"

"Go away!" Screamed Ichigo as he clang to his head once again. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Stop fucking with me! Stop talking to me! Stop giving me your traits! I am not you! I am not you!" He chanted repeatedly, hunched over with wide eyes. Renji said nothing as he watched the ex-shinigami talk to himself…and his hollow.

This was not Ichigo. The Ichigo he knew would have never been so weak would of never listened to his inner hollow. Hell, he would have never been taken so easily to Seireitei. It fucking irritated to Renji and he decided to voice what he thought. Hitting the bars with his sheathed sword, he grabbed Ichigo's attention.

"You moron! You have to get it together! If you don't by tomorrow you are going to be so goddamn fucked! Do you understand, that if Head Captain Yamamoto sees you like this that he will fucking sentence you to death?" He exclaimed. "What happened to your fucking resolve? You are not this weak! I heard you kicked your Hollow's ass a few times! Do it again!" Renji declared as his fist hit the bars.

"Oh, he sounds concerned about you, maybe we should tell him thank you and then rip his face off. After all, I really am in the mood for that after ripping your useless body to shreds." The Hollow chuckled, "Yer so weak, King, yer rage is starting to match mine really. Though, tell me, King. How does it feel to be the horse?"

Ichigo said nothing as he bowed his head, Renji looked at his friend and was unsure if his words reached him or not. "Ichigo," he said slowly with a deep frown his eyes reflecting sadness.

"I'm not the horse…I am not the horse, I…I…"

--

Birds chirped and sunlight flooded into a room within the Kuchiki manor. A pale arm came to rest over the soft features of a young woman with raven hair. She moaned softly and cracked her eyes opening slowly as she dropped the said arm and rolled over on her side.

Where was she?

She closed her eyes again and let her arms lay out before her; slowly she reopened her eyes as she heard the sounds of padded feet creep up near her. Then the shifting of clothing to indicate that someone was sitting, she did not want to open her eyes. She was afraid to suddenly as her mind was stirring into a state of complete and utter awareness.

She felt pressure on her head, nothing that was harmful but simply out of affection. She knew it was a hand once she felt it slid through her dark locks.

"Rukia." Said a soft voice, one that was monotone and yet held some emotion within it. Her eyes remained closed and slowly, tears became to form from under her lids. Her lip trembled but she made no move to turn away from the comfort she was gaining.

"Rukia, open your eyes." Said the voice and she could not help but obey. Her vision was instantly filled with the form of her older brother, dressed in plain green robes with a black haori. He held no hair decor and no delicate scarf about his neck that was worth the amount of ten mansions. His expression was emotionless but his eyes betrayed him.

They were full of concern and this merely made her shut up her eyes even tighter now once she closed them again. Her mind rolled into action a she recalled the events from last night. She so badly wanted to pull the blanket that was covering her over her head and hide forever in the darkness. The image of Ichigo's battered body came to her mind and her tears poured from her face.

"I am sorry!" She said with a trembling lip. "So sorry." She added in, feeling like she had been a fool. To think her bother would of done something to a lifeless body without a soul. To harm anyone when they held no weapon or anyway to defend themselves was not the way of the Kuchiki Clan.

In addition, she had pointed her finger at him, called him a murder and so much more.

She brought her hands up to her face as she sobbed. The hand of the elder Kuchiki soothed her hair as he spoke. "Do not concern yourself with such matters." He said with his ever-soft voice. His gray eyes stared down at her as he watched the sister of his wife shake with sadness and lose.

He did his best to keep his straight face and offer his support to her, but as a brother there was, only so much he could do. The one person in this entire undead world that could do anything for her at all was in prison. Ironically, held within his very own division, it felt odd really, to be the one to hold his sisters lover within prison. Knowing that the boy would receive the death sentence but he would never voice his opinion.

Rukia cried and her body shook, "I, I, Ichigo." Kuchiki frowned and looked away but did not stop his only show of affection as his hand moved through her hair, aiming to calm her. "Ichigo, he, he is going to die isn't he?" he chocked.

Byakuya did not answer.

Rukia was silent.

"Rukai…"

"I don't want him to die! He never did anything wrong, all he ever did was fight for his friends. To protect everyone from harm, even if it lead him down the path of a Vizard." She suddenly sat up and clang to her bothers dark green gi with her fist. "Please!" She cried out with pleading eyes once again.

"Don't let him die! Don't let them kill him! He isn't dangerous! He would never attack anyone here in Seireitei! He never ate a soul!" She bowed her head against her brothers chest. "I love him, Nii-sama. I don't know what I will do without him and now that his mortal body is gone. He is forever a spirit; he needs our care, our love, our understanding! He needs help, Nii-sama! He is confused, he lost his way!"

Strong arms wrapped around her small form and held her close as Byakuya was forced to say something he did not want to say, but had no choice. Rukia needed to know she had too. Slowly, the older Kuchiki spoke, "Rukia, there isn't anything we can do."

"What?" Rukia asked as she raised her vision to look at him with disbelief. Was Byakuya condemning Ichigo?

"He is the only one that can help himself. He has to find his own resolve. We can not give it to him."

"But!"

"No one can help him, no one can save him." Byakuya said slowly. "He has to fight this battle alone and if he fails, he will die alone."

"I will not let him!"

"You don't have a choice. However, nothing is set in stone, wait until tomorrow. He will be judged then."

Rukia lowered her head and chewed on her lip. She hoped and prayed, they would not condemn her loved one. Kurosaki Ichigo was a protector, not a villain.

A/n Now that was interesting to write if not tricky. I am so used to using Hichigo as a source of comedy. Lol it was so hard to write Hichigo as being a bit of a villain and not use comedy at the same time. So I mixed it up, so hopefully he sounded villain like I hope so. Also, pardon the OOCness with Byakuya. But I wanted to do a brother and sister scene again so badly! There was more I wanted to add, but I decided to save it for later chapters and plus College is keeping me on my toes.

Well, until next time

Ja Ne!