Hello buddies. I was quite surprised, to say the least, how much you actually liked the chapter I disliked most! Really, you are awesome, guys! I couldn't be more grateful! Well, I hope you will like this chapter as much as the ones before! Enjoy chapter 8 of "New Life"!

„Ichigo…" Rukia sighed. Their lips were mere inches apart and he felt her sweet breath caress his skin. Ichigo held her face in his hands. It was incredible how soft her skin was, softer as silk. Passion was so plainly visible in those big, violet-blue eyes he adored so much. He was so close to fulfill his deepest desire, he was about to kiss the woman of his dreams. Her eyelids fluttered from the sheer intensity of the moment as Ichigo inched closer…and closer…and…closer…

"Iiiiichigo-chaaaaaaaaaan!"

The moment was officially ruined. He looked around.

"Iiiiiiichigoooooo-chaaaaaaaaaaaan! Wake up!"

"What the hell 'wake up'? I'm not sleeping at all you brat!" What was she thinking?

"Yes you are Ichigo." He looked surprised at Rukia. "Now wake up already!" She yelled and he could see her fist move with an incredible speed towards his stomach, he waited for the impact-

"OW!" Aiko clutched her head with her hands after it collided with Ichigos as he shot up from sleep.

"Oh Aiko, I'm sorry!" Ichigo rubbed the sore spot of his head with one hand as he inspected Aiko's with the other. "Are you hurt?"

"Uh, I don't think so…I guess. What were you dreaming Ichigo-chan? You made weird noises and your lips looked funny and you mumbled Rukia-sans name and-"

"I didn't dream anything at all; it must've been your imagination!" Ichigo replied hastily. What the hell was he dreaming now, really? Kissing Rukia? Seriously?

"It sure didn't look like you were dreaming nothing at all, Ichigo." Rukia smirked, although she was beet red.

Ichigo's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he looked to were that all too familiar voice came from. There. Rukia. Right in front of his eyes. Standing with as much grace as ever, the sheer elegance of her being overpowering everything within its grasp, her skin looking softer as the softest rose petals, softer as the softest silk-

"What the hell are you doing here, Rukia?" Ichigo interrupted his way-out-of-line-thoughts.

Creepy…

"Ichigo-chan, how can you greet her like that?" Aiko scolded him. Again. "I let her in before I woke you, because she said she had to see you."

"I see…" Ichigo looked at Rukia, waiting for her to speak up.

"Yamamoto sotaicho assigned us on a mission, Ichigo."

"Just us?" He asked, wondering why his room suddenly became so hot.

"Yes, it's a quite dangerous investigation mission for two, at least on fukutaicho-level. Since he thought that we both knew each other so well and that we work with each other so well he assigned us both for this mission, hoping to prevent any personal complications between the assigned taicho and fukutaicho so they could concentrate on the task at hand." Secretly she felt proud that outsiders, including Yamamoto-sotaicho, thought like that about hers and Ichigos relationship.

"I see…what is this mission about and when do we start?"

"Yamamoto-sotaicho said that there were Arrancar appearing sporadically in Karakura Town but that the intervals between the appearances were decreasing. We have to see if we can find out why. Also there were no fights or dead human reported, if possible we have to investigate that too, to find out what their intentions are. Today at 8pm we leave for the human world and have 72 hours to find out what is going on."

"Alright, then I'll have to start the preparations." He looked down at the sitting Aiko. "I have to find someplace for you to stay too…" Ichigo thought about reliable persons and came to just one conclusion. "I guess I ask Hinamori first if she could look for you while I am away."

"But I don't wanna!" Aiko whined and looked at him with shiny puppy eyes.

"That doesn't work on me Aiko and you have to."

"But can't-"

"No, you can't come with us. This is way too dangerous for you!" Ichigo said firmly and with any intention to show that this discussion was over.

"Fine." Aiko pouted with arms crossed over her chest.

Ichigo just sighed with annoyance. "Aiko, pouting like that won't help you either. It's just three days. I and Rukia will be back all healthy. Now be good and keep smiling like you always do. That way I like you much more." He smiled at her.

"There really is something wrong with you. You make it sound like watching me doing paperwork day after day is the most exciting thing you ever."

After Aiko responded to that just with grumbling and mumbling under her breath, Ichigo rolled his eyes and was about to stand up from his bed when he realized that he had not that much clothing on as it would be proper in front of Rukia, even if he had sleeping pants on. It still did feel wrong though, walking around Rukia with a bare torso.

"Uh, Rukia…uh…would you mind…?" He stammered, blushing, his eyes looking everywhere but at Rukia.

"What do you me- … oohh! I-I…uh, I'm sorry, sure, I j-just turn around…I won't peek, I promise!" She stammered, her face turning beet red.

"Thanks…" Ichigo mumbled as he stood up and went to the bathroom.

Rukia stood there in Ichigos room and heard the gurgling sound of Ichigo cleaning his mouth of the toothpaste. She smirked evilly.

"But Ichigo, now honestly, what kind of dreams of me did you have really?"

After she heard Ichigos coughing and a loud bang from the bathroom she grinned.

"I TOLD YOU ALREADY, I DIDN'T DREAM ANYTHING AT ALL DAMMIT!"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot." Her grin widened.

But just what did you dream about me now…really?

After his preparations were finished and Aiko was dropped off at Hinamori's ("you are so mean, wait until you come back, you have to buy loads of candies for me to make this up to me!") they met at the Senkai Gate of Division 5.

"You all set, midget?" Ichigo smirked at Rukia.

"Yes strawberry, and you?"

"Yeah…"

He had a strange feeling in his stomach. After so much time he would see Karakura again, but not under the kind of circumstances he would have preferred. Yet, he couldn't change it. He wouldn't have any time for some kind of reunion anyway, but he also couldn't help having this feeling in stomach.

"You know, that we don't have any time for seeing Sado, Orihime or Ishida, do you?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, his scowl in full force. "I know."

With that they took off to the real world.

They sat on the rooftop of a building, waiting. They waited now for hours for anything to happen. It was well past midnight already, but nothing happened so far. Ichigo became rather bored and pulled out from his sleeves another book from his sacred Shakespeare collection. As he was about to begin reading he noticed Rukia looking curiously at him.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked rather annoyed.

"What is that?" She pointed at the drama in his hands.

"This is a book. You never saw one?" He asked sarcastically.

Rukia punched him in the arm as a vein pulsed on her forehead. "You know what I mean you imbecile!" She forced through her gritted teeth.

"Yeah, yeah…" He muttered, rubbing the sore spot on his arm. He held the book in front of her. "This is a drama-"

He was cut off as Rukias soul phone went off. She looked at it and got on her feet immediately.

"Arrancar." Was the only thing she said to Ichigo. He put the book back inside his kimono and got on his feet too.

"Remember me to explain you what a drama is." Ichigo said, causing Rukia to smile just a little. She nodded and they headed into the Arrancar's direction.

"What exactly will we do?" Ichigo asked as they made their way to the Arrancar.

"We will confront the Arrancar. If no other choice, we will confront them with force. Usually they are way too arrogant to not tell a taicho or fukutaicho their intentions. If they won't tell us anything by free will though, we have to force them. If we don't get anything out of them that way too, we have to kill them. But we have strict order to stay in Karakura. Following them to Hueco Mundo is absolutely prohibited by Yamamoto-sotaicho."

"Alright, let's do this."

They soon arrived at the Arrancar's location, a construction yard in the border of the city, but there was nothing. Ichigo could feel the reiatsu, clearly the reiatsu of an Arrancar, but he couldn't see anything.

He looked questioningly at Rukia, who just shrugged and pushed random buttons on her phone.

"This must be broken…" She mumbled, frowning slightly.

"Just because you have no idea how some random technical device is working doesn't mean it has to be broken. Let me take a look at it, midget." Ichigo reached for the phone but Rukia tried to hold it out of reach, pushing Ichigos face away and trying to step on his feet at the same time.

"Stop that already you moron, I will not give you the phone!"

"Just let me take a look at it, maybe you- OOWWWW! WHAT THE HELL YOU BITCH?" He yelled as he tried to pry his hand from her teeth, as she bit him- firmly.

"I told you to stop it; this is what you get when you don't listen to me." She stated nonchalantly, not at all affected by the nearly maniacal glare Ichigo shot at her, holding his throbbing hand.

"I don't get it…" Rukia mumbled, still pushing random buttons on her phone. "Soul Society sent us this location and I can clearly feel its reiatsu coming from here…"

"OI! ARRANCAR! COME OUT!" Ichigo yelled.

"Yeah, now every Arrancar will come out, you must be a genius. You'd put Hitsugaya-taicho into shame with that brain of yours."

"Shut up…"

"We have to split and search around the area I guess. You go that way, I the other."

As Rukia was about to turn, Ichigo grabbed her arm firmly and stared her in the eyes. "If you find that Arrancar let out a pulse of your reiatsu. If you realize you are not strong enough to beat it try to."

Rukia was a little taken aback by Ichigos action but relaxed immediately. After all, he was always like that.

"Stupid strawberry. I can take care of myself, you don't have to worry. And I won't try doing something stupid." Ichigo kept his firm hold on her arm and still held his firm look in her eyes, causing her to sigh. "Alright, I will let out a reiatsu pulse if I find him. But since when can you locate reiatsu and separate any reiatsu from another anyways?"

Ichigo let go of her arm and looked away, blushing furiously. "Icanidentifyyours." He muttered very fast, causing Rukia to blink in confusion.

"What?"

Ichigo sighed. "I said, I can identify yours." He repeated slowly, blushing even more.

"O-oh…oh, ok…just mine?" Rukia blushed too, a little surprised. Why would he be able to locate and identify her reiatsu but not the reiatsu of someone else?

"Yeah, just yours. But now let's get going or that Arrancar will be gone." Ichigo said and glanced at her over his shoulder as he headed off to search for the Arrancar.

Rukia looked after him and turned finally to search for the Arrancar in her half of the construction yard.

He can only trace, identify and locate my reiatsu, only mine! At least without trying so hard to finally get it! He told me that he has a hard time to identify one reiatsu from another, that it wasn't like he couldn't do that at all but that he had to concentrate really hard to finally be able to, like with faces and names! But he has no problem with mine!

Rukia couldn't help that stupid grin on her face as she wandered somewhat aimlessly around the construction yard, throwing quite the party in her head as she contemplated what Ichigo admitted to her. She was so out of her mind with happiness that the sudden burst of heavy reiatsu caught her totally of guard and forced her on her knees. She looked up and saw the Arrancar sitting on one of the iron bars, watching her with his expressionless face. He had the usual white clothing that all Arrancar had. His hair was white, straight and parted in the middle and the remainders of his broken mask were what appeared to be 4 small horns, 2 on each side of his forehead. Rukia took a deep breath to focus herself on the task at hand- the Arrancar. As she stood up she remembered what Ichigo told her to do, so she let out a great pulse of reiatsu, one that Ichigo would never miss, not even if he couldn't identify hers that easily. She drew her sword, just to be on the safe side.

"You warned the other shinigami?"

Rukia didn't say anything.

"I see."

With that he suddenly disappeared and reappeared directly in front of her. Just by reflex Rukia moved her sword to block his sword but had a really hard time to keep her stance.

Damn, he is strong!

He drew his sword back, one hand always in his pocket, the sword dangled lazily in his hand to the ground.

"What are your intentions, Arrancar? You come here, attack no one and go back to Hueco Mundo? And why did we feel your reiatsu in a different location then you were?" Rukia asked firmly, keeping her stance.

"You said it already. We are experimenting with our reiatsu. Like you saw, the distance between my reiatsu and me is rather short, what means engaño is still at the very beginning of its development."

"And then what?"

"You will see."

With that he disappeared again but this time he didn't reappear. Rukia tried to search for his reiatsu and immediately ran towards its location, all the while letting out small pulses of reiatsu for Ichigo to know her location. As she arrived at the new location she stopped, looking around. He probably used that engaño again, misleading her. She cursed herself for falling for that again and looked around frantically.

He has to be somewhere close, damn it!

"This is why we try to achieve perfection in engaño."

Rukias immediately swung around towards the voice, her zanpakuto immediately in a defensive posture, which was her luck. She flew through the construction yard and hit an iron bar roughly with her back as the Sode no Shirayuki blocked at least a little amount of the attack. Gasping for air, which the collision drained her lungs of, she struggled to stand up.

She knew that the Arrancar just played with her and that that was the only reason she was still alive. She didn't stand a chance against him. And the chance she never had decreased with the addition of that new technique. As she was on her feet, she didn't was time to release her zanpakuto.

"Mae, Sode no Shirayuki." The zanpakuto turned completely white and a white ribbon appeared on the pommel of her sword.

Rukia looked around. It was infuriating for her. The Arrancar disappeared again but she didn't know where. She could feel his reiatsu but wouldn't fall for it again.

"Rukia!" Allowing her heart to jump a little bit, she turned towards Ichigo. "Rukia, are you alright?"

His face was full of concern. "Yes, I am alright. About time you are here." Rukia still had a hard time breathing, she was sure she would have a hell of a bruise on her back. Her wrists began hurting too, as the force of the barra bent her wrists back.

"Ichigo, you have to listen carefully now." She began explaining him what the Arrancar told her and Ichigos frown deepened.

"We can't separate from now on, Rukia!"

"I know, it would be too dangerous." She couldn't deny it, since she was lucky that the Arrancar took her just half seriously. Even if it was insulting.

"Come on."

They walked again towards the reiatsu, having no clue what else they could do at the moment. It surprised them though, that the Arrancar sat there, waiting for them.

"I see, your shinigami friend finally arrived."

"What's it to you? And what do you want?" Ichigo growled.

The Arrancar just got on his feet and held his sword towards Ichigo. "Ensarta, cuerno diabólico."

A wave of reiatsu streamed from the Arrancar, after he released his sword. Dust was everywhere, forcing them to shield their eyes. They waited for dust to clear and both backed away a step, holding their zanpakutos in fighting pose. The whole body of the Arrancar seemed to be covered with horns, but they were way bigger than the ones of his broken mask. His fingers were now more like huge claws and the horns on his head also grew bigger. He looked at them, expressionless as ever.

"What I want, you ask. I shall tell you, Kurosaki Ichigo. The Arrancars are rebuilding what was left over after the war. We are preparing. Did you ever wonder…were Ichimaru Gin was gone?"

Rukia gasped and Ichigos eyes grew wide. But they had no time to be surprised as the Arrancar shot a huge amount of his horns towards them. They barely had time to dodge and Rukia got hit by a few on her leg.

"Argh!" She yelped as she clutched her hurt leg, not able to move it anymore. "Damn it!"

"Rukia!" Ichigo screamed and wanted to run to her, but was blocked by another rain of horns.

"Don't worry about me, you fool!" Rukia glared at him.

Shit, shit, shit! I have to end this fast!

Ichigo lost no more time, holding his sword straight in front of him.

"Bankai!" He shouted. Black energy twisted around him, as his clothing changed into his usual bankai attire and the huge shikai of zangetsu turned to the elegant, thin and pure black bankai of tensa zangetsu.

Ichigo immediately sped towards the Arrancar, swinging his zanpakuto with great force but the Arrancar dodged and shot his horns with great speed. Ichigo dodged them to but the Arrancar disappeared.

"SHIT!" Ichigo yelled but run towards Rukia. "Rukia, are you alright?" He looked at her calf, which was pierced by 4 big horns and frowned.

"I am fine you moron, look for that Arrancar!" She yelled at him, trying to push him away.

"I can't leave you here alone like that!"

"Ichigo…" She growled at him. "We have an important mission and your duty as a taicho is to fulfill that mission!"

Ichigo sighed in defeat. "Fine, but as soon as you catch even the slightest glimpse of that son of a bitch, you-"

Rukia held his mouth with a hand, hindering him from speaking on. "I know, I will sent reiatsu pulses, now stop worrying and go after him." Rukia said softly. Ichigo's face softened too.

Ichigo looked at the direction were the Arrancars strong reiatsu came from and frowned again. "I have to do this…" He muttered. Rukia looked at Ichigo and knew immediately what he talked about and she also knew that he was right. He held his hand in front of his face and moved it slowly down as if he would claw himself. His visored mask appeared out of thin air and he looked sideways at Rukia. She stared him in his now yellow and black eyes, his face hidden by the red striped white mask in form of a skull. "That way I am faster."

"I know."

With that Ichigo disappeared towards the location of the reiatsu, hoping to find the Arrancar waiting there but no such luck. Ichigo decided to search throughout the whole construction yard and used shunpo to be faster.

Rukia tried to pull the horns out of her leg but they stuck to firmly and it hurt her way to much to do anything about it. Her hands were already bloody and under her leg the blood also collected itself in a little pool. She sighed and pulled herself towards a close by wall and into a sitting position, smearing a bloody line behind her. Trying to keep track on Ichigos reiatsu, she nearly missed the Arrancar as he walked towards her in a lazy way. She immediately let out several pulses of reiatsu out, hoping Ichigo would make it in time.

"Your reiatsu feels kind of panicked. I hope it's not because of me, Shinigami."

Rukia glared at him. He made her feel pathetic. "I try to make him feel alert, so he makes it here fast. If he would take his time you'd be gone again, using your sissy hide and seek ability."

The Arrancar stood there, eyeing her with a raised eyebrow. "I see."

Rukia shot him an icy glare, praying silently that Ichigo would make it in time. Outwardly she would never show it…but she wanted to live. She didn't want to die. A certain orange-haired fool wouldn't be with her, if she'd die. She couldn't have that.

The Arrancar got onto his attack pose, preparing to pierce a thousand holes in her with his horns. Rukia never closed her eyes. She wouldn't be weak in front of her enemy. She wouldn't.

He shot.

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"

Rukias eyes widened as she saw black fluttering in front of her, heard a cry of agony from the Arrancar and a grunt from Ichigo. He jumped into the attack to save her and fell right before her eyes with a thud and landed with his face towards the ground. She looked and saw the Arrancar motionless as he slowly disappeared. He was dead.

"Ichigo."

Nothing.

"Oi, Ichigo!"

Still nothing.

She pulled herself across the ground towards Ichigo. She shook him. Still nothing.

"Ichigo! Say something already!" He didn't budge. She saw how he struggled to keep his breathing steady. It looked like just breathing steady was nearly taking all his energy.

She reached over to roll him onto her lap and as she felt something wet and warm on her fingertips under his arm. She dreaded what was to come but rolled him over nonetheless, using all her strength. She grunted with pain as his weight was also on her hurt leg but it didn't matter because what was right before her eyes made her whole body go numb. Ichigo's torso was pierced by several of the Arrancars horns. She tried pulling but to no avail. Ichigo didn't react, didn't do anything. He just kept trying to breath. Her hands soon became bloody. She panicked.

"Ichigo, say something, please!" She pleaded. She didn't know what to do. Her healing kidos wouldn't be enough for injuries of that level, no matter how good she was at it. And she had not much time. Ichigos breathing became shallower by the minute.

Think Rukia, think!

There was only one ability that she could think of to heal Ichigo. And she had only one idea, how this person could find them.

A man with a green and white striped hat perked up as he felt this familiar reiatsu pulsing. He felt it before several times but he knew that this time it wasn't directed to her partner. He took out his fan and hid his face. "Phew, Kuchiki-san…that feels quite desperate, doesn't it? Tessai!"

A tall, muscular man immediately appeared and bowed in respect. "Yes, Urahara-sama?"

"Would you please wake Ururu and Jinta? We have to collect some old friends rather fast. It looks like there will be a reunion." Urahara Kisuke smirked.

Ok, what do you think? How about the action scenes? Did I ok? Or could I have done it better? Don't hold back. If you say what was good or what was bad I will be able to do better next time, so it helps me and if it helps me I will be able to make more enjoyable action scenes for you.

Well…other than that I don't have much to say this time so…well yeah…stay tuned…and stuff. :D

Oh right, I nearly forgot! I wrote in chapter 7 that Rukia would have taught Ichigo kido. But you know what? I actually confused that with konso- soul burial. Did you even notice? :D Because I'm sure you guys know that she never taught him kido :D

Well, that was that.

See ya! And don't forget to review. I'm glad that the amount of reviews rises per chapter but there still is even more possible! So don't hesitate, give me what I need so desperately! REVIEEEEEWWWWWW!

Garganta.