Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

gagboy: I can pretty much guarantee a romantic pairing is not going to happen. The first reason for this is that I do not believe such a thing working between Arrancar or Hollow. And the second reason being that I plan for Ichigo and Nel to have a best friends sort of relationship, or even going as far as soulmates, albeit not in the romantic sense. Though perhaps I should clear this up by not putting them up for a pairing.

lightning rider666: As I hope I've properly clarified in this new chapter Ichigo is currently an Adjuchas albeit slightly different in the sense that he does not (yet) have a thousand voices running rampant in his mind with another small change to his Adjuchas state which can be read in the chapter down below. Thanks a lot for the heads up by the way, I have edited the first chapter to hopefully make it more obvious that Ichigo is indeed an Adjuchas rather then a plain old fashioned hollow.

Ligerheart: I am unsure about Nel being part of the Espada years before Aizen obtained his Hougyoku. I do not believe it impossible. But I personally do not think this is the case. After Aizen obtained the Hougyoku I believe no more then a year at max would have passed untill the start of the Arrancar arc and that is already pushing it's limits by far. The problem is that it was stated that the three privaron espada are the only three Arrancar in Aizen's army that have achieved shinigamification by natural means without use of the Hougyoku. Therefore I always believed it safe to assume that at the very least the memories from Nelliel and Nnoitra have happened somewhere in the past year (Assuming it even was a year). On the other hand he could've started his recruitment well before he even obtained the Hougyoku, the only difference would be that he could not turn them into Arrancar untill he actually betrayed the Soul Society. Either way as far as I know no official statement has been made regarding this, so speculation likely won't matter much in this case! The truth is, in the world of fanfiction anything is possible so I'll just stick this.

Chapter 1: And the clock starts ticking.

That very same night Kurosaki Isshin lay in his bed, very much unable to drift off to sleep. The reason for Kisuke's visit couldn't be good indeed just as he had thought. Isshin couldn't really get his mind to believe what Kisuke had just told him, it just seemed so surreal. His son, his only son, turned into a Hollow? No, that just couldn't be right. He'd never actually seen Ichigo fight as a Shinigami but he had felt Ichigo drive off a Menos Grande a mere month after he had started. His son was strong and he knew it. On the other hand, Isshin himself had never gone through the Shattered Shaft, he really didn't know what it was like. From what Kisuke had told him it was generally very tough and not many ever made it out of there in one piece. But he honestly couldn't blame Kisuke.

No if there was one person to blame for this mess, Kurosaki Isshin thought it was Kuchiki Byakuya, Rokubantai-taicho[1]. It were his actions that led to Ichigo's decision to have to go through the Shattered Shaft 'training'. And if Isshin was to have a say in the matter, Byakuya would pay a heavy price for just what he did to Ichigo.

There was however, one other troubling subject Kisuke had started about last night. Kisuke seemed to believe Ichigo's free will remained, he didn't seem to be instantly subjected to either anger or hunger. More important then that it seemed the Hollow that was Ichigo might have been truly intelligent for it kept his ability of speech. If the man telling him this hadn't been Urahara Kisuke, Isshin would've laughed it off instantly. A Hollow that just turned, who wasn't instantly subjected to hunger, who could actually talk and according to Kisuke his reiatsu level was quite a lot higher then the average Adjuchas. Indeed if the person who told him such a story hadn't been Urahara Kisuke he would've never believed the man. One could say Kisuke was many things, slightly crazy was certainly one of them, one thing he was certainly not however was a liar. Isshin was inclined to believe the man, after all he wouldn't dare lie about a serious situation such as this.

Those were the thoughts that led Isshin to his next problem. His daughters. Karin and Yuzu would not react well to the news of Ichigo's...death. Yet, Isshin couldn't exactly tell them what truly happened could he now? His daughters weren't even aware of the existence of Hollow and Shinigami. Noone in his family had known Isshin used to be a Shinigami, not even Masaki. He'd always told himself that he'd tell them one day. Sadly Masaki died before he even got to tell her, and now Ichigo died too. But his daughters were too young, he was sure of that, the truth would hurt them more then comfort them. He would have to wait, another ten years and perhaps they would be ready to hear the truth. But how could he possibly tell them Ichigo had just died? It was true ofcourse, Ichigo had died after which he turned into a soul-eating monster straight from a little girls nightmares. His body still sported the wounds it had received from his fight with Byakuya and Renji though. Isshin sighed, he saw only one option. He'd have to tell his little girls that Ichigo had died in some sort of streetfight he'd accidentally gotten involved in. Ichigo would kick his ass so badly if he knew just what he was telling his daughters about his death.

=0=

As he sat across from the green-haired woman who had just introduced herself as Nelliel he couldn't help but notice he was getting slightly hungry. Then again he had more important things to worry about at this moment in time. To start off with, how did he get there and what did this woman have to do with it all. She must have played some part in it all he was sure of it and her attitude up untill now wasn't exactly trying to convince him of the opposite being true either.

Yet at the same time he had about a hundred questions for this woman. To start off with what was she? He believed she was a Hollow but he couldn't be entirely sure about it either. After all she looked more like a human then any Hollow he had ever seen before. He had questions and he had a lot of them, this woman would answer them one way or another.

"You are in the Menos Forest in the realm of Hueco Mundo," Nelliel said as if sensing the unspoken questions.

Hueco Mundo. It sounded familiar. He knew he should know what it meant, it sounded much like...home, should sound. If a Hollow ever had such a thing as home then that is what it would sound like he was sure. Yet there was more he wanted to know, much more and since she seemed to be okay answering his questions he decided to continue.

"Do you know how I got here?" He asked.

"I know how you arrived here but I can only guess as to why you arrived in the state you were in," She stated.

The state I was in? I remember being rather sore when I woke up but right now I don't even feel sore. I feel just perfectly fine as a matter of fact. With each answer she gives me more questions keep popping up. At this rate we'll be going on forever.

"Could you just tell me everything that happened from...the start, untill now. With each question you answer more questions keep popping up in my head, at this rate we'll be going on for a while so perhaps it'll speed things up," He asked her.

She sighed. But answered nonetheless. "Very well," She started, before she paused, apparently unsure of how to start, "The truth is, you just appeared before me last night. A Garganta opened up in front of me and you fell out before it closed. You lost consciousness seconds after. I took you here to this cave to help you recuperate but you didn't seem to need it, you appear to have some passive regenerative abilities that healed you within a couple of hours. One thing I did manage to find out is that you were likely attacked by Shinigami, the reiatsu traces left on your body were definitely not from a Hollow, that much I can tell."

It wasn't a lot of information. She merely told him how he appeared here and her speculation of what happened before he got here. The annoying thing was that he couldn't remember a thing other then that huge blue flash engulfing him from every angle. Somehow her explanation seemed to click though, he was sure she was right. He just didn't know why, yet. But he vowed to find out what happened to him.

"Now, I have a question for you" Nelliel's high pitched voice called out, distracting him from his thoughts, "How come you aren't rushing off to eat? How come you haven't attacked me yet? You haven't eaten for atleast eight hours. As an Adjuchas the voices should start to get to you by now and if you do not eat before long you will revert back, you should know this yet all evidence seems to point to the fact that you either do not know or simply do not care. Which is it?"

'Adjuchas? Revert back? Voices in my head? What the hell is this woman talking about?' More and more questions keep popping up the more time I spent with this woman, what is going on here?

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. Voices in my head? I realise I'm hungry but it's not like I'll die if I don't eat in the next hour. Explain yourself, woman," He said to her.

Meanwhile Nelliel was starting to get confused by this, seemingly, young and new Adjuchas. She was certain he was in fact an Adjuchas, none of the facts made her believe otherwise. He was able to travel through Garganta's an ability that not even every Adjuchas was able to accomplish. He was able to actually speak something only Adjuchas class Hollow and above were able to achieve, with the exception of a select few normal Hollow who simply managed to live for a long time without being subjected to purification. And last but definitely not least his reiatsu level was definitely indicating he was extremely powerful for an Adjuchas, which at first, made her believe he was an older Adjuchas. But since he apparently didn't even know what she was talking about he must be a new one, the only other explanation would be that he was suffering from some kind of memory loss, which seemed rather unlikely as well, such a thing wasn't unheard off but it was still very uncommon to happen to Hollow. But why didn't he know what she was talking about when she mentioned the voices? Every Adjuchas has to suffer hearing the constant voices in their head, the voices of the hundreds or thousands of souls they've devoured in their lifetime. Just why couldn't he hear them? No, it wasn't that he couldn't hear them, such a thing is impossible. After a Gillian evolved to an Adjuchas they would have atleast devoured a couple of hundred souls. The only logical explanation was that the voices simply weren't there which should mean that he evolved straight into an Adjuchas upon turning into a Hollow. That was something Nelliel had never heard of before, she had a few theories as to how this was possible but at this point it didn't matter too much.

"Let me explain the Hollow evolutionary chain to you..." She paused for a moment as if waiting for something. When it appeared he wasn't going to answer she sighed, and asked, "Do you have a name, Adjuchas?"

He had to think about that for a moment. Everyone had a name right? He was sure he was supposed to have one. If one was asked such a question you should be able to answer it instantly. Yet, he couldn't remember if he even had one let alone what it was.

"I honestly don't know, I can't remember anything at all. All I remember is being engulfed by a huge blue streak of light and then waking up in this cave, I do not know what happened before that nor can I remember what happened between the blue streak of light and waking up," He said, rather...apologetically?

Now this was interesting, Nelliel thought. So he did seem to suffer from some kind of memory loss. It was not abnormal for a Hollow to lose most of their memories upon turning. As a matter of fact it happened to the majority of the Hollow. Most did however keep their personality and as far as Nelliel knew every Hollow at the very least remembered their name. She decided to leave these thoughts for later and continue her explanation for now.

"Very well. Hollow eat and consume souls to fill the empty void within them. Throughout their entire life Hollow will always feel empty, that emptyness translates into hunger, hunger to fill the everlasting void within their heartless souls. But no matter how much souls a Hollow consumes. The void will never truly dissapear, I can vouch for that.

Now when a large amount of Hollow are located in a single spot. The Hollow will 'merge' to form a Menos Grande. Menos are divided into three categories. Gillian, Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde. A Gillian is what is formed if a large amount of Hollow are concentrated in a single spot. A Gillian is a mindless drone who does not have it's own free will. All it knows is how to consume other souls. Now every once in a while when a Gillian is formed, one of the Hollow that is used in the forming has a much more dominant or stronger soul. This soul will be the dominant soul inside the Gillian and the Gillian will actually have it's own free will. The dominant soul is the soul that has control and when it has consumed enough souls it will continue it's evolution by evolving to the next stage: an Adjuchas.

Adjuchas are the middle class of Menos. They often regain their ability of speech and are far more intelligent then the average Hollow. Adjuchas however are eternally tormented by the voices of every soul they have consumed and they do not only consume souls to fill the eternally present void inside their soul. If Adjuchas stop consuming souls they will revert back to their former Gillian form, but even worse they will lose the dominance they once had and the Gillian will be just like any other Gillian, a mere mindless drone on the hunt for more souls for as long as it may live.

The last stage of a Menos is what we call a Vasto Lorde. There are only about a dozen Vasto Lorde in all of Hueco Mundo. The amount of souls an Adjuchas needs to consume to evolve is unreal and it will often take centuries of consuming souls to achieve their goal. Only a very select few of Adjuchas manage to ever evolve into a Vasto Lorde. Vasto Lorde generally are highly intelligent Hollow who have managed to fill the void within their soul as far as possible. The emptyness in a Hollow's soul will always remain as I've said before, it can lessen but it will never truly dissapear. Apart from that Vasto Lorde generally take on a more human shape and their power is not even comparable to that of an Adjuchas. No Adjuchas alive would ever stand a chance against even the weakest of Vasto Lorde, no matter how powerful said Adjuchas may be. The power of a Vasto Lorde is on a completely different level."

'Most of the evidence seems to the point to the fact that I am an Adjuchas yet at the same time it is pointing at the fact that I am not, however Nelliel has told me that my power certainly equals that of one. And she did call me an Adjuchas,' He thought.

"Nelliel," He started, "What am I? You called me an Adjuchas earlier. Yet some of the things you have just told me about Adjuchas seem to point towards the fact that I am not."

"Your seem to be unique as I have never encountered one like you before. But I assure you I am certain you are an Adjuchas, for one your reiatsu equals that of a high-level Adjuchas, secondly you can talk and you can do so properly and thirdly you know how to create a Garganta. These are all major factors that are pointing towards the fact that you certainly are an Adjuchas. I have a theory as to what could have happened to you, if you would like to hear it?"

He quickly nodded, starting to get rather afraid that if he didn't eat sometime soon that he would lose his personality and dominance over his own body. If what Nelliel told him about Adjuchas just now was any indication he may not have a lot of time.

"I believe you have recently died as a human and when you turned into a Hollow you somehow managed to skip a part of the evolution. A reason for this may have been the fact that you, during your lifetime, somehow managed to obtain a large amount of spiritual energy. Theoretically this is possible as there are areas around the world that possess a lot more spiritual activity then others. For example I know of a place called Karakura Town that is the most spiritual active place in the world and it is pretty much seen as a hotspot for Hollow. The memory loss however is not something I can explain, it is uncommon but not exactly unheard of. It might as well have been some bad luck on your part."

It was interesting indeed but it did not answer the question he was anxious to hear the answer to. Deciding not to waste any more time in case he did not have much left he asked the question he dreaded hearing the answer to.

"I am currently rather hungry, however since I am a 'unique case' as you called it. Will I have to devour to stay dominant in my own body?"

Nelliel smirked at this. She had expected the question and avoided answering on purpose. She would be the first to admit she really enjoyed toying with this way too serious Hollow. On the other hand, considering his situation she didn't blame him for being as serious as he was.

"I can't be certain but I don't believe so. You have certainly never been a Gillian before for if you had you would without a doubt hear the voices I mentioned before. Therefore it is unlikely you would revert back into a Gillian since you haven't ever been one to start off with. If you are 'hungry' as you call it I would advise you to eat. But keep two things in mind. First off you aren't hungry, you are dead so food is of no importance to you, the emptyness in your soul however is starting to get to you and the only way to fill this emptyness is by devouring other souls. Secondly it is very likely that for each soul you devour from here on out you will gain an additional voice in your head. Quite annoying I can assure you," She finished with a grin on her face.

Relief filled his...heart? No, he didn't have a heart if he was to believe this woman. Nevertheless he felt relieved. It was time to go hunting, his hunger, no the void in his soul definitely needed to be refilled, even if only slightly. Yet, there was one more question he needed to hear the answer to. He was certain he already knew but he had to know for sure.

"I have one more question," He started and quickly continued before she got a chance to interupt him, "Why did you help me, Vasto Lorde?" He smirked.

She laughed heartily. "My my, aren't you the clever one? You certainly aren't stupid. How did you figure it out?"

"It was quite easy after your little explanation. I quote: 'Vasto Lorde generally take on a more human shape'. I believe I look more human then most ordinary Hollow. You, however, without a doubt look far more human then I do. I guess it is only logical I would assume you are a Vasto Lorde. And you aren't stupid either since you answered my question with another question. So let me ask again," He continued with a grin,"Why did you help me?"

She couldn't help but smile at that, he was an interesting one indeed. "You merely interest me, little Adjuchas," She couldn't hold back her laughter at the indignant look on his face for being called 'little Adjuchas'. She soon got her laughter under control and stood up. "Let us go out for dinner, little Adjuchas," She said with a wink in his direction before heading out of the cavern.

=0=

A day later in the First Division's Headquarters. All thirteen captains of the Gotei 13 stood assembled, ready to discuss whatever urgent matter they were summoned for. One out of these thirteen was, Aizen Sousuke. Next to him on his left stood Unohana Retsu, Yonbantai-taicho[2]. On his right side stood Kuchiki Byakuya, Rokubantai-taicho and the supposed killer of Kurosaki Ichigo, Aizen's soon to be prized trophy.

As he scanned the room he noticed the normally absent Jüsanbantai-taicho[3] Ukitake Jushirou was actually in attendance for a change, standing next to Jünibantai-taicho[4] Kurotsuchi Mayuri, President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.

Scanning the faces of the remaining captains in attendance he could clearly see that the majority of them did not have any clue whatsoever as to why they were summoned during these relatively peaceful times. Aizen ofcourse already knew, after all he was the one that arranged the meeting, secretely pulling the strings behind everyone's back. His thoughts were interupted by none other then Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni-Soutachi, the Commander-General of Soul Society. Said person hit the ground with his staff thrice and the murmurs quickly quieted down.

"I hereby declare this Captain's meeting opened," The Soutaicho's voice rang out through the First Division's Headquarters, "We have gathered here today to discuss the fate of one Kuchiki Rukia, unseated member of the Thirteenth Division."

Several murmurs were heard throughout the room. It was clear rumors had been circulating about said person. Yet noone was sure of what her fate would be. It appeared Central 46 had finally come to a decision. As Yamamoto raised his hand to motion for silence he quickly continued.

"Kuchiki Rukia has been accused of the crime of giving her spiritual powers to a human boy. Her actions have resulted in the death of said human boy, therefore, in twenty-five days Kuchiki Rukia shall be executed on top of Soukyoku-Hill, the remaining period of said twenty-five days shall be spent in the Shrine of Penitence."

"You can't do that! We all know it wasn't her actions that resulted in the death of that human boy, each of us has read Byakuya's report on the matter!" Yelled Ukitake Jushirou, Rukia's captain.

"Silence, Jushirou! The Rokubantai-taicho did what was expected of him. We cannot allow humans to posses Shinigami powers, that is ancient Soul Society law! It was due to Kuchiki Rukia's actions said boy had to be eliminated." The Commander-General's voice rang out through the room.

Ukitake's shoulders slumped. Clearly he realized that ancient Soul Society law can not be disobeyed. Personally he believed Rukia did what was right but there was truly nothing he could do to help her. A human boy suffered an early death which was indirectly her fault indeed. He sighed and as the Captain's meeting was concluded he quickly turned around and made his way back to his Division's Headquarters.

=0=

Urahara Kisuke sat around a table in his shop together with Kurosaki Isshin, Shihouin Yoruichi, Yasutora Sado, Ishida Uryuu and Inoue Orihime. He called them all here today to discuss the fates of Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia. His friends for one weren't even aware of the former's fate just yet. And Urahara personally thought that since it was Ichigo's final wish that Rukia be rescued that was just how it should happen. But it wasn't up to Urahara alone, no they would have to decide together.

"So, I bet you all wonder why I have called you all here today?" Urahara asked in his usual jovial tone. "Ofcourse I wouldn't have interupted your training for a mere tea-party," He continued, the jovial tone of his voice dissapearing much to the shock of those present. Those who knew Urahara well knew he wouldn't often get serious unless the situation absolutely called for it. Those who didn't know him as well had obviously never seen him get serious before.

"Um...why isn't Kurosaki-kun here too? Shouldn't he get too hear this as well?" There it was, Inoue asked the question Urahara was dreading to answer. In this room there was only one person who currently knew the answer to that question apart from Urahara himself.

"I-I would've invited him, ofcourse. This meeting is actually about him, and one other person. I'm afraid, Inoue that Kurosaki Ichigo, has died." Urahara said, his eyes downcast.

Silence reigned through the room. People looking from one to the other as if seeking confirmation. However the only two who could give such a confirmation were looking steadily at their feet.

"N-No!" Inoue shouted, "Kurosaki-kun is a strong person! He couldn't die just like that, what makes you think he could!? Do you think this is funny?!" She yelled tears welling up in her eyes.

Urahara slowly raised his gaze to meet her eyes. As Inoue saw the seriousness in them she instantly broke down and grabbed a hold of Ishida, who desperately tried to comfort her.

As Urahara looked around the room at the people gathered around the table he noticed there was one person who was having an even harder time with it then Inoue. This person was Yasutora Sado. There were not a lot of outward signs that would tell a person he was even feeling any emotion at the moment. But as Urahara looked him in the eyes he was surprised to see the most grief stricken look in there he had ever seen before. It was obvious that Kurosaki Ichigo had meant a great deal to Yasutora Sado. Next he looked at Ishida Uryuu. He could see this boy too had trouble dealing with it. If Urahara wasn't mistaken they hadn't been friends for very long. As a matter of fact Urahara would bet on the fact that the Quincy would've never openly admitted he considered the Kurosaki boy a friend at all. But at the look in his eyes Urahara could see it. He could see the grief for a lost friend and rival. Lastly he turned his head to look at Yoruichi next to him. The cat was looking at him inquisitively but looking at the current state of the other members in the room she seemed to decide not to speak. Urahara knew she would have more to say later though.

As Inoue's crying slowly quieted down to a silent sobbing Urahara decided to continue. "Seeing as I have already released quite a bombshell on all of you today perhaps it would be better to continue this conversation tomorrow?"

Urahara could see Inoue and Sado were definitely considering this idea but before they could voice any of their opinions they were interupted by Ishida's voice.

"No, I believe it would be best for all of us if we were told what happened right here and now. Dealing with grief once is bad enough but having to get over your grief first and then be reminded of it again is just cruel," Ishida stated, leaving no question of the fact that he wanted to know everything right here and now.

Urahara had to agree the boy made a valid point. Having to deal with your grief once was bad enough indeed. It wouldn't do to have them get over it only to be reminded of it again and then have another bombshell dropped when they heard the Kurosaki boy had turned into a Hollow. It was for the best, indeed.

"As you all know Kurosaki-san lost his Shinigami powers when he fought the two Shinigami from Soul Society," Urahara started. "Now you see, I have this 'training program' I suppose you could call it, which would've allowed Kurosaki-san to regain his lost powers. The 'exercise' could be performed only once and he had to succeed the first time if he was to be succesful. Sadly...he wasn't." Urahara finished as he let out a sigh.

"I can safely pressume Kurosaki volunteered for this 'exercise' of yours knowing the risks and without being forced into it?" Ishida asked.

"Yes, he knew of the risks although I would be the first to admit that perhaps I should've explained the risks more clearly," Urahara admitted, shamefully.

"I feel there is something you aren't telling us Urahara-san, out with it, now," Ishida all but commanded, one could clearly see his temper was starting to get the better of him.

"I will explain, Kisuke," Isshin who hadn't spoken a word since the meeting started said. All eyes turned on him, not without reason though as Ichigo's friends hadn't met his father before.

"And you are?" Ishida asked.

"Kurosaki Isshin, Ichigo's father," Isshin explained. At this revelation the eyes of Inoue, Sado and Ishida widened. This was one thing they obviously hadn't expected. Ichigo's father had been sitting at a table with them for this entire meeting all the while listening while they were discussing things that would get a normal person send to a madhouse instantly. As if sensing the unasked question Isshin continued. "I used to be a Shinigami, and I have been dead for a couple of hundred years now," If possible their eyes widened even further. Dead for a couple of hundred years? This guy was absolutely ancient!

"But enough of that, I will explain to you what happened that caused my son to die," Isshin started. "The exercise Kisuke was refering to is something he called the Shattered Shaft. The person performing the exercise will get his Chain of Fate cut and be thrown into the Shattered Shaft, which is commonly just a very deep pit. An erosion on the Chain of Fate will form as soon as it is cut. The person who is thrown into the Shaft will have his arms bound behind his back and will be asked to climb out of the shaft before the erosion reaches his chest. Obviously the only way to do this is by rediscovering your dormant Shinigami powers." Ishida instantly gasped at this. Isshin was sure the Quincy knew what this meant.

"Ishida, I'm sure you know what happens when the erosion reaches your chest," Isshin stated, leaving no doubt about the fact that he knew Ishida knew.

Ishida meanwhile, was at loss for words. How could Kurosaki Ichigo have taken this test when he knew what would happen if he failed? A Shinigami's job is to purify Hollow. Kurosaki's fate was without a doubt a fate worse then death itself. But in a way it didn't surprise Ishida as much as he thought it would. Kurosaki always was a reckless individual, he never did care too much about his own personal safety. Realizing Isshin had asked him a question he shook himself out of his thoughts.

"When the Chain of Fate reaches the chest of a plus, said plus will turn into a Hollow..." Ishida said, closing his eyes.

"Ichigo?! A Hollow?! No..." Yasutora Sado's voice rang out throughout the small room. His eyes blazing with anger as if willing the first person to say such a ridiculous thing again to drop dead.

"I'm afraid so Yasutora-san," Urahara started, "But it is time we return to the matter at hand. Kurosaki-san fled to the realm of Hueco Mundo after he was injured in our attempt to purify him. What we need to discuss however is what we will do from here on. As you all know Kurosaki-san's wish was to rescue Ms. Kuchiki. I personally believe that since it was his wish we should all give our very best to see it through, even without him"

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself!? It's not as if Kurosaki-kun's even dead to begin with! He's just...he's just...he's..." Inoue's yelled angrily before quietely sitting down again, her eyes cast downwards towards her lap, tears silently falling down her face.

"Do not delude yourself Inoue Orihime," Urahara started strictly, "While your grief is shared among each and every one of us you should be well aware of the fact that he is truly gone. In death a plus either get's sent to Soul Society or it ends up turning into a Hollow. You know this so the sooner you face this reality the better," He finished softly.

Inoue could do nothing more but nod. She knew he was right but it was just too hard to think about it right now. Kurosaki-kun had always been such a strong person. Standing up for what he believed in and fighting for his friends and loved ones. She just couldn't get used to the fact that he was now truly gone.

"But back to the matter at hand, I believe we should head to Soul Society the day after tomorrow, early in the morning. If we are to go at all. Are there any of you who do not wish to honour Kurosaki-san's last wish?" Urahara asked, leaving no question of the fact that everyone would follow.

Slowly but surely each and every one of them shook their heads. Letting him know they would all head there together. He knew it was harsh. Barely allowing them two days to deal with their grief. But they would have to hurry he was sure.

Getting up he let them know they were free to go home. As he walked out of the room he added one more thing before he closed the door behind him. "Be sure to meet eachother here the day after tomorrow at nine o'clock in the morning."

=0=

Kuchiki Rukia was sitting on the single chair in her cell. Thinking back on her time in the living world she had to admit she didn't regret what she did. Getting to know Ichigo and his friends. Going to school in the living world. Ichigo's father and his crazy antics along with both of his adorable sisters. No she didn't think she would ever regret what she did. She was well aware of the fact that giving your Shinigami powers to a human was seen as a capital offense. Yet at the time the human boy, Ichigo resembled Kaien so much. Ofcourse she didn't think the boy was a mere clone of Kaien. No they were similar in a lot of ways but one could also tell them apart just as easily.

She started to realise she'd grown very fond of Ichigo and he'd, in the short time they'd known eachother, become a very important person to her. It broke her heart when she so harshly told him not to follow her but she had to make sure. She knew he would come after her if he survived. If he came to Soul Society he would inevitably die and it would all be her fault. It was best this way. Whatever her punishment was going to be, she was glad she got to know Ichigo and she was glad that she'd atleast be able to give him a chance to live his life.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a door opening. As she looked up she could clearly see the figure of Nii-sama approaching the cell she was being held in. His face as impassive as always, but she knew deep down, that he was dissapointed in her, as always. As he reached her cell he turned around and looked at her. The emotionless mask that was his face seemingly looking straight at her very soul.

"Central 46 has decided upon your punishment. Twenty-five days from now you are scheduled for execution on top of Soukyoku-Hill. The day after tomorrow you are scheduled to be moved to the Shrine of Penitence where you will spend the last of your days. That is Soul Society's decision." Byakuya stated, his voice as impassive as ever.

Rukia meanwhile, was shocked. She had expected a severe punishment, imprisonment for several decades at the very least. But a death sentence? The thought had crossed her mind a couple of times yes, but she never actually expected to get one. Nonetheless, there was nothing that could be done about it now. If she truly was to die then she would go down with honor befitting the Kuchiki name, she would not disgrace her family name any further. And so her face remained impassive when her Nii-sama spoke his final words to her.

"This shall be the last time you and I shall speak." Byakuya said as he walked away.

"Rukia, the next time we meet shall be on the execution platform." He said, seconds before closing the door behind him.

'So this is how it's going to be,' Rukia thought with a bitter smile on her face. 'I just hope Ichigo is still alive,'

= 0 =

[1] Rokubantai-taicho : Sixth Division Captain.

[2] Yonbantai-taicho : Fourth Division Captain.

[3] Jüsanbantai-taicho : Thirtheenth Division Captain.

[4] Jünibantai-taicho : Twelfth Division Captain.

And here's the second chapter. I didn't really plan to finish it a day later but the sooner the better I guess. I hope you like it. Tell me what you think of it! R&R!