Okay, so I know I said this chapter would come next week, but I'm sick at the moment and have nothing but free time on my hands. ._. Anyway, a little bit of pre-game discussion. The opening scene is about a month before chapter one, but the second scene and beyond is a direct continuation of chapter one, also scene 3 is in Rukia's mind, so just keep that in mind as you read. I apologize for the confusing time line, but I'm trying to keep this pretty true to the show which tends to have a lot of time-line breaks, so I'm just going with it. XD Enjoy~

The Fallen

Chapter 2: Dreams and Perseverance

EXOutlaw

"Ichigo!" Kon jumped onto the sleeping boy's face. He woke up, tossing the stuffed lion against the wall.

"How many times have I told you not to do that?" He asked groggily, stepping out from his bed then picking the small animal up by it's head. "What the hell is it?"

Tears streamed down it's face. "Sister left us again," he explained, pointing toward a note left upon the desk.

Ichigo walked toward the desk, setting Kon down next to the letter. The parchment had pictures of Chappy doodled all over it. As usual the letter was written cryptically and required some deciphering. After an hour or two he made sense of the writing.

Going back to the Soul Society for a while. See you soon.

~Hugs,

Rukia Kuchiki

"Why the hell does she have to make these damned notes so complicated?" He questioned, slumping back in his chair.

"Because she knows you're in lub with her, and if she told you she'd have to deal with you clinging to her leg," Kon teased, making a kissy face towards his room-mate. A fist came down upon his head, as soon as he finished.

"Whatever. I'm not her mom, she can do whatever she wants."

"Don't you miss her a little, tiny bit?"

"Not at all." The boy stood up and bellied himself onto his bed. The toy followed.

"You know, you sure are something Ichigo. You risk your life several times to save her, then when she disappears you act all like 'I'm a man, I don't care about anything. Grrr!'" He impersonated his voice poorly. "What's with you?"

"Kon. Shut up." He reached to turn out his lamp.

"Sister..." Kon groaned.

Rukia Kuchiki took a fighting stance against her mysterious foe. She charged forward, taking a slash, but her opponent managed to dodge by a thin margin. She swung several more times, finally managing to land a blow upon it's shoulder.

The two captains stood their distance and observed the battle. Neither of them were completely sure how to react to the situation that stood before them.

Rukia stood facing her darker counterpart in the allies of the Rukon District.

"Make it stop. Give me back control!"

"Why should I? You're weak. You hardly deserve the body you were given. I find myself to be a more fitting candidate. Honestly, why are you so upset? I'm making sure you don't die, after all." The pale woman spoke, her voice dark and echoing. "Face it..." She trailed off, interrupted.

Taking advantage of her darker-self's gum flapping, the Soul Reaper managed to flash step behind her, blade put to throat.

"What was it you were saying?"The pale woman scoffed. "Rukia, Rukia, Rukia. Pointing a blade at yourself. You must be plain stupid," she rolled her yellow eyes. "So be it. You win for now. But don't get cocky, because I won't give you a moments rest," she sneered as she let her body fade.

After struggling for a time, Rukia managed to rip the mask from her face. She gasped for breath. Her hollow had depleted her of all energy. Her vision began to fluctuate between blur and black, until finally she hit the floor. Her last depiction was her foe, defeated on the ground.

When she awoke she was safe in her room. Her eyes traced the room. In the corner sat Byakuya, sleeping with his sword by his side. To the side of her was a tray of tea, all the ice melted; a bowl of soup; and an assortment of sweets. Under her blanket she founds a Chappy doll with a pink ribbon tied around it's neck. She looked back towards her brother, smiling. He's really much more caring than he likes to lead on. She sat up, and took a sip of tea. The 6th squad captain's eyes opened. He got to his feet, and trailed over to his sister.

"Are you feeling well?" He inquired, his voice flat as usual.

The woman moved her arms and head, assessing possible injuries. "I feel alright."

The man's eyes shut a moment, as if he were trying to grasp words to speak. "Please rest," he finally spoke. "You don't need to be exerting yourself," he shook his head.

She nodded. The air was silent. "Am I in trouble?" She questioned, nervously.

The man seemed puzzled.

"I became like a hollow. That's illegal," she clarified.

Byakuya pondered a moment, then answered, "Are you sure you are alright? The report said you were defeated by a hollow, and you were saved at the last second by captain Ukitake. Is that not what happened?" For the first time Rukia had ever seen, her brother wore a slight, knowing grin for just a moment. "Besides, why are worried? If you were in harms way, would Ichigo Kurosaki not rush to your rescue?"

The girl smiled wryly. "I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I took a pretty big blow to the head, huh?"

The man nodded. "If you will excuse me, I must go now in order to make the captain's meeting," he turned to the door, looking back. His sister gave him a last wave of dismissal, and at that he exited.

The woman laid back down. I guess I'm going to have to get back to the world of the living, soon. I'm going to have to get help from them, it appears. She struggled to sleep, for a while, tossing and turning, then finally slumber kicked in. That night, her dreams were more peaceful, her hollow to weaken to cloud her mind. She dreamed of Ichigo.

To be continued...

That's all for now, sorry! ^^; Remember, if you read, please review it. I mean, if you've read up to this point, you must be somewhat interested, so please please please let me know what you think! :]

And on my last note, I've decided to keep this updated pretty frequently, so expect 2-3 updates a week. I mean, I'm not writing especially long chapters, so I think I can afford to update more often than some, yes? Anyways, til next time!

P.S. Review now, please. Kthxbye!