All right, a warning, there will be some strong fluff in this one, but not strong enough to be considered M I think.

The next Chapter will have plenty of explanations; some riddles will be solved, though not all of them...I've decided to make this fic a mystery.

I've change one thing, originally they were going to go to the Soul Society 6 months after which would have been December 21st, but now I've changed it to 5 months and November 21st.

Enjoy!

November 21st …

It was dark; she was running through the dark Menos forest trying to escape from Hollows. She could fight them if she wished, but she was outnumbered, there were just too many of them. She managed to get farther from them and found a cave in which she could hide. She fell asleep there for a couple of minutes, until the horrible cries of the Hollows outside awoke her. She looked around the cave to find that it was dark; in the darkness she could hear that someone else was there with her.

She stood up and wandered the cave searching for this presence, but she could not see a thing. She tried to use a kido spell, but to her dismay saw that she couldn't, it was as if her abilities had vanished. She stopped suddenly, as she felt a pair of cold fingers running through her back; it was at this point that she realized that she wasn't wearing any clothing. She panicked as the strokes from the cold strong hands grew more intense.

She fell, fell into the darkness and had no idea how; she was no longer in the menos forest, but rather in her own room. She looked down to find that she was wearing her Yukata and was not naked as she feared. She looked up at the ceiling, and her eyes widened as she felt a weight on her body, though there was no one there. This weight spread throughout her body preventing her from moving away. She tried to get free but did not succeed; the body above hers was large and heavy in comparison to hers.

Suddenly there was a pain, a sharp pain that brought her to an abrupt pause; she feared that if she moved this pain would increase. It filled her inside, stretching muscles she had never used and barely even knew existed. This pain came and went rhythmically, and as it went increased in speed and force to the point that her eyes were glassy and she was breathing heavily. Her hips were pressed onto the mattress more than any other part of her body; they were thrust deeper into the mattress with the rhythm of the sharp pains.

Rukia woke up in her futon drenched in cold sweat; panicked, she scanned the room for any intruders. It was early in the morning, and she could see through the window that the sun was just beginning to rise. She sighed and walked to the door; she opened it and sat outside, the leaves were falling, and there was a slight wind rustling the leaves. She closed her eyes as she felt the cool wind caress her face; she opened her eyes when she heard steps drawing near.

She opened her eyes to find her nii-sama walking through there already dressed in his Captains uniform; he paused for a moment in front her without sparing her a glance; his aristocratic chin held high just as always.

"It's early Rukia, go back to bed."

"I couldn't sleep, I had another nightmare."

"Did I not tell you to see Captain Unohana regarding that? Must you be so reckless with your health?" At this he briefly looked at her.

"I apologize nii-sama, I just didn't think anything of it."

"Do not be so irresponsible Rukia, you are in no condition to easily dismiss illnesses that come your way."

"I will go to Captain Unohana after breakfast, I promise."

"Very well then," said Byakuya; he gave her a cold glance before leaving.

"Kurosaki-kun! Will we be going to the carnival again?!" Asked Orihime excited as they walked home after class. Normally Ichigo would not complain about her company, but lately the girl didn't give him any room to breathe.

Ishida had moved to a private school over the summer, and now their group of friends was another member short. Chad mysteriously disappeared during their breaks and lunch; Ichigo figured it probably had something to do with a girl since he blushed every time they asked him. Orihime and Tatsuki had not spoken to each other for the last week; Ichigo didn't know why, only that this caused Inoue Orihime to follow him around during and after school.

"Listen, Inoue, I'm very tired today; I'm heading home."

"Can I come with you Kurosaki-kun? I could help you with your homework," smiled Orihime brightly.

"Actually, I think I'd like to be alone, it's nothing against you I just…I'm not feeling so well," said Ichigo silently.

"Oh," said Orihime sadly.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," smiled Ichigo, and he walked away.

"Goodbye Kurosaki-kun," said Orihime to herself sadly; she couldn't hold back the tears running down her face. She needed someone to speak to, Tatsuki, she needed to speak to her; they needed to end this silly argument and become friends again.

As soon as he got his house Ichigo rushed to his room as quickly as he could to avoid being kicked in the face by his father; he wasn't in the mood to retaliate today. He jumped on the bed and looked up at his ceiling. 'Rukia, how much longer are you gonna be gone? What happened to you?' thought Ichigo.

He turned his head to the side to look at the closet; he stood up and walked over to it. He looked inside to find it empty and lonely; there was only the Chappy doll that Ishida gave her on her birthday; all her other stuff was still in the room she had been occupying while she was here. His dad and his sisters still asked him from time to time where she went, and every time he answered that she was staying with some relatives for a while.

He never thought he would come to miss Rukia so much, he'd grown used to being around her; she had quickly become a constant in his life, and now that she was gone a large part of himself was missing. That was another reason he didn't allow Inoue to get so close to him, the walks home after school, the evenings out in the town, the studying in his room…all of this was Rukia's; he was not ready to replace her. He was not ready to spend all afternoon locked in his room studying away for a test with anyone but her, he would not spend large parts of his nights having conversations with anyone but her; he would not argue, laugh, eat, fight with any other girl but her.

He feared that if he allowed anyone to even remotely fill in the blanks that Rukia left she would not return. If he allowed Inoue to make him laugh again or distract him from his thoughts of Rukia, Rukia would disappear from him forever.

Orihime stood in front Tatsuki's door nervously; she hesitated first, but then she knocked. Tatsuki opened the door and glared at her, but allowed her inside anyway. They walked to Tatsuki's living room and both sat down on the couch.

"So you want anything to drink?"

"No, thank you." they remained silent for a while; then Orihime burst into tears and embraced Tatsuki, shocking her.

"Forgive me Tatsuki, I didn't mean to make you feel lonely and left out, but Kurosaki-kun was so lonely after Kuchiki-san and Ishida-kun left; I couldn't leave him all by himself," cried Orihime.

"It's okay Orihime, I know how you feel about that baka, the idiot doesn't even have a clue about how much pain he causes you, that carrot top Kurosaki doesn't deserve you," sighed Tatsuki; she let go of Orihime and looked at her, "so what's wrong?"

"I don't know, Kurosaki-kun didn't want me to study with him at his house, I know it's not a big deal, but I feel like he's pushing me away; all the things he used to do with Kuchiki-san he doesn't let me do with him."

"Well you shouldn't feel bad about that Orihime. It's not you, I'm sure he wouldn't let anyone take Rukia's place, studying together and doing whatever it is they did together was their thing, and I don't think he wants to share that with anyone. I think waiting for her to get here to do those things together gives him hope that she will come back," smiled Tatsuki at her.

"I know, but why can't I be Kurosaki-kun's Rukia? Why won't he let me get close to him like he lets her?" Cried Orihime wrapping her arms around Tatsuki.

"It's all right Orihime, you're not the only person in the world that's going through this. I know it hurts, but it will go away one day…you know, Ishida felt the same way," said Tatsuki; Orihime looked up at her surprised.

"How did you know Tatsuki?"

"How wouldn't I know? That boy has been smitten with you since that group of yours started hanging out together and going to the Soul Society."

"How did you know that?"

"Urahara let us in on it; he let us watch when Ichigo went after you to get you back from that one place."

"Hueco Mundo?"

"Yeah, that was it. And Ishida, I have a funny feeling he had feelings for you ever since then; and I'm sure when he met you at the pier it had nothing to do with Kurosaki; what the two of you talked about that night, that's the reason he left, isn't it?" Orihime looked at Tatsuki sadly and nodded.

"I didn't mean to be mean to him, but I'm in love with Kurosaki-kun. I don't know what I feel for Ishida; that's why I ran, because I didn't know what to say to him, I couldn't say yes…but I couldn't say no either…" said Orihime fidgeting nervously.

"What?! Orihime…you have feelings for Ishida?!" Asked Tatsuki brightly.

"I don't know…Ishida-kun is so different from Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun is brave, strong, selfless, forgiving, kind, and he saves everybody even if he doesn't know them. But Ishida-kun, he's gentle, smart, creative, soft, determined, understanding, he thinks before he talks, and he smells clean like the rain. And his eyes, he has big pretty blue eyes; the moon reflects itself on them like it does in the ocean," smiled Orihime; Tatsuki looked at her surprised.

"Orihime, I think you're falling in love with Ishida."

"Whaaat?! I'm in love with Ishida?! But I didn't even know it…"

"No, I don't think you're in love with him…yet, I think you were starting to fall in love with him just before he left…"

"Oh no, I drove him away, and I hurt him," said Orihime sadly.

"It's okay, what's his address? You can go speak to him later."

"Me? But what am I going to say to him; I'm too embarrassed to go Tatsuki."

"Don't worry, I'll go with you and I'll stay until you feel confident enough to talk to him."

"Okay," smiled Orihime.

That night, Ichigo was lying on his bead, all the lights were off, and in his hands he held Rukia's Chappy doll. His cheeks were damp, his eyes red and puffy, and his gaze saddened. He placed the doll on his chest and closed his eyes; he opened them again when he heard a loud crash in his room. He looked up to find Urahara on the floor. Urahara immediately stood up and straightened out his clothes.

"Come on kid, let's go to my shop."

"I'm busy."

"Busy doing what? Crying?"

"No, I was brainstorming for my Literature Essay…and I wasn't crying!"

"Hahaha…right, anyway, you don't have a choice kid, Soul Society orders; either you come peacefully or I drag you there unconscious if I must."

"Soul Society?" Asked Ichigo immediately getting up.

"Yes, they've requested your presence along with the two humans and the Quincy."

"Why?"

"I don't know, I just know it involves one Kuchiki Rukia."

"Rukia?" Asked Ichigo attempting to hide the excitement in his voice, but failed horribly.

"Yes, now let's go, it's six forty five and they'll be expecting you there at seven thirty."

"Orihime wait for me!" Shouted Tatsuki running after Orihime who was running with abnormal speed towards Ishida's house. Tatsuki was finally able to catch up to her when they reached his door. Orihime knocked on the door anxiously and looked at Tatsuki nervously.

"It'll be all right Orihime, don't worry."

Ishida opened the door; he looked at both girls confused; Orihime covered her eyes when she saw that he was wearing nothing but boxers, Tatsuki however couldn't stop running her eyes along Ishida's very impressive form. His skin was smooth and creamy; he was slim but very well toned; he had muscles in his arms chest and stomach; this surprised them considering that Ishida looked so thin all the time.

"I'm sorry Ishida-kun, did we come at a bad time?" Asked Orihime.

"Who is it Uryuu?" Asked a beautiful red head with large green eyes; she was wrapped in bed sheets; she came behind Ishida and wrapped her arms around him placing a soft kiss on his back.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I interrupted," said Orihime hiding her sadness.

"Don't worry, I just got a call from Ichigo anyway, we need to go to Urahara's shop, you can come inside and wait while I get dressed," said Ishida.

"But Uryuu, aren't you gonna introduce us first?" Asked the girl smiling kindly at Orihime and Tatsuki. She apparently was a very nice girl; she didn't seem to recent the two girls at all.

"Oh yes, I apologize, Christine, these are Tatsuki and Orihime; they attend the same school I used to attend. Tatsuki, Orihime, this is Christine; she is a…friend from school," said Ishida, "well, come in then."

They all walked inside; Orihime and Tatsuki sat on the couch and Ishida walked inside the room; Christine remained with them in nothing but the bed sheets; she smiled at them. Orihime couldn't help but notice that not only was Christine beautiful, but she had a great body, her waist was slim, her hips broad, a well tone behind, and an impressive pair of…a great chest.

"So, are you Ishida's girlfriend?" Asked Tatsuki; Orihime immediately elbowed her on the side.

"Me? Uryuu? Oh goodness no, he's not my type, I have a girlfriend, we are in an open relationship of course. Uryuu and I we…we're friends with benefits, Yukina knows that; sometimes she sleeps with Uryuu too," said Christine brightly; Tatsuki and Orihime looked shocked; Tatsuki started laughing.

"So what is Uryuu now, like a gigolo?"

"No, goodness no! Uryuu was an innocent before Yukina and I got our hands on him, we had to get him drunk the first time; you should have seen his face when he woke up, it was so cute he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. That's what caught mine and Yukina's eye, we were looking for a way to spice up our relationship, and he was just so cute and innocent; underneath those glasses is a total hottie, but he himself doesn't seem to know that. It took some persuasion to convince him to join our little party, but eventually we convinced him." Orihime and Tatsuki's jaws dropped.

"Oh, but I can assure you, we're the only girls he's been involved with. Why? you like him don't you?" Christine asked Orihime.

"What me? Well I…" said Orihime nervously.

"Oh, I'm sure Uryuu would love you, you're gorgeous," Christine stood up and walked over to Orihime, "and you have great tits," said Christine massaging Orihime's large breasts thoroughly with her hands; she giggled when her thumbs teased her nipples roughly.

"Stop that hurts!" Cried Orihime.

"Does it really?" Asked Christine giggling as she twisted her nipples; Orihime cried.

"Get off of her you lesbian!" Yelled Tatsuki tackling her to the floor; she looked down horrified to find that Christine's bed sheets had fallen off giving her a full view of…

"If you wanted my attention all you had to do was ask," grinned Christine mischievously; she grabbed Tatsuki's face and tried to plant a kiss on her.

"Eeww get away from me you lesbian!" Screamed Tatsuki; Christine stopped as soon as Ishida walked into the living room and grunted. He was glaring with his arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently on the floor.

"Sorry Uryuu, your friends are just so cute," smiled Christine letting Tatsuki go.

"Well, then let's go Orihime; Tatsuki, we'll walk you home first."

"What's taking them so long?" Said Ichigo pacing back and forth impatiently. He, Chad, and Renji were waiting in Urahara's basement.

"Oh look, here they come," said Urahara; Ishida was walking ahead looking very upset, and Orihime was behind him crying as she held her breasts.

"What happened?" Asked Ichigo.

"Yeah man did you molest her or something?" Asked Renji.

"I did no such thing…one of my female friends from school did," said Ishida crossing his arms over his chest; he was obviously still very upset about it.

"Well I'd pay to see that," said Renji; Ichigo hit him on the back of the head.

"You perv."

"All right then, so are you all ready?" Asked Urahara; they all nodded.

Urahara opened the portal for them and they all stood in front of it. Orihime noted that Ichigo had a very determined look on his face.

"All right, well remember to run," said Urahara; he and the rest of the Urahara Shop staff pushed them into the portal.

They ran through the portal as quickly as they could; Ichigo was at the front while Ishida was at the back breathing heavily. Once they exit the portal and were now in the Soul Society, Captain Hitsugaya and Rangiku were standing in front of them; they had a serious look on their face.

"Come with me," said Histugaya; they followed him into Sereitei.