Here ya go! Thanks for all the reviews people!
Ichigo felt his face go white and for a moment everything froze. Orihime looked back at him with tearful eyes. "It- It's true." She choked out and let the tears once again flow.
"No, she can't- I mean- no." his voice came out a whisper, "Rukia can't be dead."
Stiffly Orihime nodded; this was the hardest part for her, seeing Ichigo in pain. No! She roughly reminded herself, it's almost over! You can do this! She went over to where he was sitting, his face still frozen in disbelief. "It's okay," she murmured putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You still have me." her voice was hopeful.
Numbly, he nodded. She's dead... dead... dead... The words bombarded his shocked thoughts. Memories floated around; him and her the day before, sitting in the meadow laughing and smiling. The first time they met, she in her Soul Reaper robe and him in his plane clothes. Her excited eyes when she told him that she would see him later… No! She can't be dead! his hands curled into lethal fists, so tightly his knuckles turned white. He had made up his mind.
"Ichigo?" Orihime ventured, "are you okay?" Her tears had subsided and she now looked at him with excitement.
"I have to go," he whispered suddenly getting up, the chair tumbled over with the force. The healer backed up, a confused look painted over her already fake features.
"What?" What is he doing? she thought confused.
"I have to go," he repeated running out of the house. She's alive, he told himself firmly, I would have felt it if she had been killed. He began to sprint down the street, I'm coming Rukia!
...
The last thing Rukia remembered before the giant whatever-it-was came down on her was hearing someone screaming. Her last, vague thought before drifting off was, Why is someone telling me good bye? She now looked at the walls around her, they were pure white. Or at least would be if not for a dark, heavy black mark that snaked through cracks and twisted around itself as if in pain. As the hours wore on, Rukia kept staring at that single glimpse of color in her colorless world- she had awoken to find herself in a white kimono- but thought about things other than her strange capture.
Ichigo. Ichigo was one of the main things that her mind kept wondering back to. Why didn't he come? No matter how much she tried to stop them, the thoughts and ideas of what could have happened popped into her brain. Un-realistic scenes of him being taken by the same things she was nabbed by; him bleeding somewhere after fighting it, his lifeblood slowly seeping out from beneath his unconscious body...
Snap out of it! Rukia slowly let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. No, she firmly told herself, Ichigo is fine. He's safe. I hope...
At Ichigo's House
Orihime stood in the Kurosaki's living room, a stupidly stunned look still distorting her normal perky features. "He- he left," she stuttered to no one, "He left. He chose her. Her left." She slumped onto the floor. "He chose her instead of me. Not me, her." At this point angry tears began to flow down her cheeks (surprised she hasn't run out yet) leaving a fresh salty trail.
Suddenly the hopelessly sad look in her grey green eyes was replaced by one of hate and determination. "He chose her instead." The words didn't match her hostile look and made themselves sound like she had accepted the inevitable. Ichigo hadn't, in fact and for the nth time, picked Orihime and had run to save Rukia.
"Fine," she whispered a small smile creeping it's way in, "I'll have to make sure that he realizes the mistake he's making." The healer jumped up with renewed anger and energy. "I'm coming Ichigo!" she bolted out the door, not even bothering to close it or pick any of the discarded furniture up.
Later...
Isshin Kurosaki walked into his house half an hour later, happily muttering to himself. After strutting proudly through the kitchen he entered the living room and prepared to relax on the couch, maybe watch his favorite show later. Finally opening his eyes to make sure he didn't miss the couch (again) he noticed the overturned chair, boxes of Kleenex (used/empty), and noticed, for the first time, that no one else was home. "What the-"
Review! Flames will be used for roasting marshmallows! Okays, I'm not sure where Rukia should be so if anyone has any suggestions (anything except Wako Mundo) I shall give you a virtual cookie! Thanks! :3