Tomorrow I'll celebrate my birthday (june 1st), so you'll get the chapter a bit earlier.
Enjoy it, maybe I'll give you all a present tomorrow as well.
Depends if I get any good ideas
Until then

See ya
Your,
Shiro Yue

Ulquiorra closed the novel he read, which was the second for this day, as he finished it.
After taking a look at the sky to see that it began to turn red, as the sun began to set, he decided that starting another one would be a waste.
His gaze then wandered to Rukia who still sat in the same position, like this morning when her training began.
The raven had to admit that she was determined, but that alone wouldn't bear fruit to her training.
He put the novel aside and waited as he watched her.
After some minutes he thought that it was time.

He picked up a small stone and aimed it at her forehead.
Then he threw it strong enough to reach her, but not injure her.
He saw that Rukias brows furrowed when he moved, and a second later the stone hit her in between her brows.
"OW!"
The woman's eyes snapped open and she rubbed her bruised spot.
"What was that for?"
"You failed."
The Vampire brushed the angered question aside and rose from his place.
"Wh-what?"
"You only reacted to the sound of me moving and failed to notice the stone thrown toward you."
"But wasn't that the meaning of this training? To listen closer to my surroundings?"

Ulquiorra now came over to her.
"How should that help with creatures like us, who can move soundlessly and hidden from your sight? You failed and you know the consequences."
Now he stood in front of her, looking down at her figure.
"You can't kill me. Ichigo...He wouldn't allow it. I'll be leaving here alive!"
She tried to stand, but only managed to crawl back, because her legs had gone completely numb.
"I never said anything like that."
"Eh?"
Ulquiorra knelt down and picked the confused Rukia up, bridal style.
"What I said was exactly what I meant. Judging your personality, this was the most likely outcome. Because you remained in one position for hours your legs have fallen asleep and you won't be able to walk like this, lest stand."
With the woman in his arms he walked toward the exit of the garden.
"I'll be bringing you to your house and make certain that no harm was done to your legs, with the missing blood circuit."
When he had lifted her up, Rukia had let out a small noise and grasped at the front of his kimono.
She was so embarrassed of herself and this situation, because she totally had misunderstood this person, who now still was so kind and cared for her well being.

When they reached Rukias house he gently set her down and supported her,until she unlocked the door and then lead her inside, where he inspected her legs after she had sat down on her sofa.
He found no damages on her legs, and so left as soon as the blood-flow went back to normal.
Though, before he left through the door, he told Rukia.
"It's not the five senses you have to strengthen. It's the sixth. You need to learn to know that there is something around you just by sensing its presence."
His friendly attitude then changed back to his distant persona and he continued, as he opened the door.
"We'll continue tomorrow and so forth until you got it."
The door closed behind him and Rukia sighed.
She didn't get that man.
First he was mean, then nice and then showed her the cold shoulder again.
"Is he tsundere?"
She mumbled to herself.
Whatever it was, it didn't matter at the moment.
Rukia was too tired to think further about it and as soon as she laid in bed, she had fallen asleep.

For another person though, sleep wouldn't come so easily.
Ichigo laid awake in his bed, next to Shiro for hours.
Once he finally managed to fall asleep, disjointed, short dreams plagued him.

Rukia stood in front of him, demanding answers about her parents once again.
"Tell me already,what happened to them! I have a right to know."
Ichigo was fed up with those arguments and list his nerves for a moment.
With a slightly risen voice he told the woman, to make an end of this once and for all.
"I say it just one more time. I don't know what happened. Now sit down and keep quiet if you don't have anything else to talk about."
Offended, Rukia dropped onto the sofa and turned her back toward Ichigo, just like a child that's been scolded by his parent.

That dream had been of an event not too long before Rukia found his diaries.
It was unpleasant, but not as bad as the one that followed after it.

Ichigo paced up and down on the hallway, in front of the delivery room.
Haruka was in there since some hours, together with her husband.
He had come here as soon as Akira called him and told him that the baby was about to be born.
He was so happy for them, that they managed to get one after all.
Eventually the door opened and a nurse came to him, Akira hot on her heals.
"Are you Mr. Kurosaki?"
"Yes. How are Mrs. Satsuki and the child?"
"The child..."
"Please! I'll talk to him. You can get back to my wife. Thanks for your work."
Akria cut the nurse off, who then nodded and went back to the station.

"So?"
Ichigo turned his former question to his friend.
The other man avoided his eyes, it made him even more nervous than he already was.
"The child...was a boy."
Ichigos brows furrowed.
"What do you mean, was?"
"It wasn't breathing and couldn't be reanimated."
"No..."
Ichigos eyes widened slightly and he felt a stab to his heart at those news.
"Ichigo..."
The orangettes hands rested heavily on Akiras shoulders.
"Is Haruka alright?"
"She's tired and devastated, but healthy."

Silence laid over them, like a heavy blanked.
"I'm sorry, Akira."
Ichigo finally pressed the words out with a thin voice.
"You don't have to apologize. We'll have to try again, when we got over it."
"But Akira..."
"You helped us a lot and I won't ask you for it again."
The man turned around, to go back to his wife on the station, when Ichigo asked him before he could leave.
"Can I come with you?"
Taking a last look toward the orangette, Akira shook his head.
"She doesn't want to see anyone right now. I also would prefer if you'd come again another time."
Ichigo let his head sink and headed to the exit as Akira went to the opposite direction.
"I understand. Take care, both of you."
He said as they departed.

The scene went black for some moments before he dreamed a part of that dream again.

Akira was looking into his eyes for the first and only time.
"The child...was a boy."

Again and again those words rang in Ichigos ears as blackness took over the scene.

With a gasp he sat up in bed and hid his face in the palm of his right hand.
What in the godforsaken name of Lucifer was going on?
"Ichi? Why are you up?"
"A bad dream."
Shiro turned around to his mate, still a bit sleepy and asked after a half suppressed yawn.
"What about?"
"The Satsukis child."
"Rukia."
Ichigo shook his head.
"No."
Shiro frowned, as Ichigo finally turned his face to him and told as a matter of fact.
"The stillborn boy they had, who would be the same age as her now."
"What are you talking about?"
Ichigo got up.
Though it still was early, there where he planned to go, would be someone he could ask about the matter.
"That I have been lied to by someone and I'm finding out by whom."

He dressed and drove to the hospital where Haruka had given birth back then and requested for the birth register of the woman.
The nurse at the desk though, told him that she couldn't give any documents to persons who weren't related to the patient.
He should go and try at the municipality and ask for a birth certificate there.
Ichigo did as he was told once the municipality opened, but they refused to hand out a copy to him because he wasn't a relative as well.
Slowly but surely his search ran out into thin air and he was left without any more options.
Now he got a slight idea how Rukia had to have felt until now.

Chapter 18
End