Well, this is it the next chapter. I soaked a lot of blood sweat and tears into this...well - not exactly. My computer died, and I got a cold...better than the other way around I guess. There's lot of dialouge and this chapter was starting to get really long, so I broke it up into a couple of parts. I, also, notice; that, I, use a lot; of comas and semicolons. I'm trying to break the habit :)

The Road to Recovery…

"Ichigo…"

That voice…

It felt as though the voice was coaxing him to answer, like finding a path out of the darkness.

"Can you still hear me?"

Yeah, but I can't…

"Try not to struggle. Your body and soul have been reunited, no small feat. Moving may rupture the bond."

I understand…but who are you?

"Do not waste energy asking questions you already know the answer to."

He tried to force open his eyes. There was a cloudy mist, and as he blinked back the sleep, a field of white flowers unfolded before him. What is this place?

"This is a manifestation I have created in your mind. I have brought you here to protect you from the pain of seireishuuzen – soul mending."

A speck of red across his vision, then it was gone. Traces of the color dotted his thoughts and an image of a steel prison flashed before him.

I'm…healed? I should be dead… A veil fell away in his memory and a horrible feeling emerged, full of pain and agony. His life ebbed away as soon as those steely knives entered his body, slicing through his muscles and scraping across bone, trapping him in a vice. In that moment his life was ended, and the empty pang of death struck him: So this was the feeling that still clutched at his insides, dull and shifting like a writhing snake.

"Is he alive?" he heard a new voice, now. It was further away, and he had almost thought it was his imagination at first. It was a pleasant sound, deep and melodic.

"Yes, but you should not interfere. Your presence here has already disrupted the flow of his spiritual energy. Keeping your exposure to a minimum…would be in both of your interests."

Ichigo looked around in his limited field of vision. Limited was an understatement; his head felt too heavy to lift or even move from side to side. He craned his eyes downward to look across the field. Fuzziness still interfered with his vision; he blinked back – tears? – to try and improve the view. A fleeting bit of red again, but this time moving much slower than before. It seemed to be hovering before him, wavering in his bleary eyesight. No matter how much he tried, he could not focus.

"Very well, then. As long as…he'll be alright." The voice faltered and faded as Ichigo's eyesight started to darken.

No…don't go yet! Tell me who you are! He felt as though he were screaming at the top of his lungs. There was no voice; he realized just then that he had not spoken a word through the whole ordeal. The world faded to black and as his consciousness slipped away, he desperately clung to the image that burned before his eyes.

A red ethereal flame that flickered in even his damaged eyesight, a white gleam flecked around it…like a malevolent angel, dark and light at the same time.

Don't you die yet, soul reaper, the voice stated. We have unfinished business…

Rukia, still reeling from the effects of the blast, could barely manage to prop herself up. Fortunately, her recovery process was moving along swiftly and after minimal lag, she started in her fastest pace. Kon despite his size won the race to the building and he scaled the wall to get a better view. There were advantages to being pint sized, he thought, as his body weight would hardly make any impact on the crumbling exterior. From here he could alert Rukia before she tried to enter if there was any danger of the building caving in around her.

Kon surveyed the area in an attempt to determine the stability of the rest of the structure. There was thick smoke and dust rising from the hole in the roof as he peered inside, trying to discern anything apart from the fog. As the smoke slowly dissipated, he smiled. There in the warehouse both Ichigo and Uryuu were miraculously unharmed; however the perimeter of the ceiling had been blown apart, leaving debris and concrete falling from dangerous heights. Something was odd, and as his vision of the two became more discernible he sucked in his breath.

From his aerial view he could see a perfect circle on the ground containing the two men, untouched by the crumbling particles of dust and dirt, seemingly impervious to the chaos around them.

"How is it possible that they're completely unharmed by all…this!" Kon gaped at the sight.

From what was left of the rooftop Kon seen Rukia barge through the front door and hurry to Ichigo and Uryuu. "Rukia, be careful!" Kon called to her. Sensing a shift in the building's integrity, there was no doubt in his mind; whatever miracle kept this building upright wasn't going to last much longer. Everyone needed to evacuate, before this structure would come crashing down on top of them.

The sagging, dangerous edifice around them differed from the sight of Ichigo and Uryuu. In that solitary area, the one piece of ground that remained intact, their bodies were posed as if merely sleeping. That sole place seemed peaceful amidst the impending destruction.

As he gazed on the peaceful sight, Kon came to a horrible realization: Where was their spiritual signatures?

"Ichigo…Wake up." Rukia whispered under breath. She gently pressed on his chest as if to wake him from a slumber. It seemed that Ichigo would pop awake and chide her in his regular sarcastic manner, but his eyes remained closed and his breathing shallow. She felt her stomach sink a little and she took up his hand in hers. "Ichigo…I'm sorry…" she started. This whole ordeal felt like her fault. In her gigai form, she was next to useless in a battle. To send Ichigo in her place – even if he was a powerful soul reaper – was a bad decision. This burden was hers to bear; she was responsible for his…

…death?

Wait. She checked his wounds. The blood and slice marks in his clothes remained, but the skin beneath was unbroken and perfect. "How is this possible!" she gasped. Uryuu's plan must have involved this, but no mortal could produce this type of result. In the midst of that thought, her look shot across to the other man. "Uryuu!" she cried out and lunged to his side.

Uryuu was sprawled on his side in a seemingly relaxed pose. Blood seeping from wounds indicated otherwise. The hue added a wicked dark pattern to the already red-stained attire, circling around and down the stitching. Rukia pushed him onto his back and felt for a pulse. His spiritual pressure was all but gone, and breath barely escaped his lungs.

Her focus shifted back to Ichigo, then to Uryuu. If she did not do something quickly, two men's deaths would be on her hands.

Kon fell with a plop from the ceiling. He brushed himself off with all haste while ranting. "Rukia, we got get out of here because if we don't the place is going to collapse and kill all of us so I suggest that we get moving NOW!" the words came out like a blur while tugging on Ichigo's orange hair and marching towards the nearest exit. "Come on we've got no time to lose!" To accentuate the remark, the structure shuddered around them.

"Now, now, now, now, now!" Ichigo's body was not moving at all from the small creatures advances. He pulled his hair, tugged at his clothes and hopped up and down on his chest. With a huff he sat down, arms crossed. "He won't budge!"

"I would be able to carry one of them to safe distance," Rukia looked disgusted. "but I don't think there will be enough time to…" she trailed, deep in thought. Her eyes swam as she shifted through various ideas.

"Thought that you might need some assistance, Miss Kuchiki" an ominous voice echoed from the front entrance. A tall, dark form stood, all but blocking the light emanating from the doorway. His billowing cloak floated in the cross breeze of the entrance and with a flick of his wrist, the fan in his hand flared open. It appeared to act as a signal, for three other figures emerged alongside him. Casually, he waved the fan to produce a breeze while his accomplices surged through the passage and towards the group. As the ominous figure stepped closer, Rukia recognized the half shaded face of Urahara, complete with green and white striped hat. Tessai, Ururu and Jinta moved in, extrapolating both of the injured men: Tessai draped Ichigo over his shoulder while Ururu and Jinta braced Uryuu by his arms and legs. Rukia looked on helplessly as they were carried away.

Urahara must have noticed the look. "There is still much to be done for your friends, Rukia. I suggest that your first priority is getting out of this building, or your role will be reduced substantially." He stepped back out of the building as the foundation shook angrily to support the statement, urging her to concede to his suggestion. Concrete slabs fell in large chunks, littering the floor, creating a dangerous path to the exit. The warehouse lurched again in a violent seizure, and the walls collapsed wholly.

Kon, who had been hiding behind Rukia during the appearance of Urahara, had suddenly jumped up and bolted for the door. "GET OTTA MY WAY!" Kon screamed past Urahara, leaving a trail of smoke and tears. Rukia was not far behind. As the stone and metal structure screeched around her, she neared the exit racing at breakneck speed. Her body protested as she kept the pace, but there was no time to think about pain now. The sound was deafening; she didn't even hear Kon's cry as he turned and viewed the magnitude of destruction with her still inside.

Stone and metal rained down on her, dust falling in her hair as she ran. She glanced up to see a huge boulder the size of a car, twisted with metal and rebar, hurtling towards her. Rukia's eyes widened at the approach of impending doom. It made a whistling sound as it fell through the air and it most assuredly would land on top of her within seconds. A gasp stuck in her throat, but was lost in the sound of the whole building caving in around her. She closed her eyes…

A swift tug pulled her away from harm through the entrance as her hand brushed falling concrete, solidly packing the doorway with rocks and dirt. She looked up at her savior to find that it was Urahara himself, still locked onto her arm. Rukia puzzled at his grasp; she never would have thought a mere store owner possessed such strength. His eyes were not visible under the shady brim of his hat, but his smile was enough indication that somehow this was a favorable turn of events. He let her arm drop. "Tha-." She started, rubbing her concrete bruised hand.

"Enough said, Miss Kuchiki," Urahara tipped his hat. "Now, if you don't mind." Bending forward at the hip, he graciously gestured for her to take the lead.

Rukia looked around, taking note of her surroundings. Ichigo and Uryuu had indeed made it out safely thanks to Urahara's posse. Kon was pouting several yards away, sitting with his arms crossed. "Kon?" she called.

"I'M NOT COMING ANYWHERE NEAR THAT MADMAN!" Kon pointed. Obviously, he had still not recovered from almost being killed by Urahara. "I'M FINE RIGHT HERE!"

The rest of the group had apparently taken no heed to Kon's rant; they were already half a block away, walking quickly towards the Urahara shop.

"HEY, WAIT!" Kon shouted as the skittered after them. "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! RUKIA!" he wailed.

- Yay for Urahara! FYI: Kisuke was very hard for me to capture IC. Hope I pulled it off! Review please!