Universe: Bleach

Parings: None!

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Adventure

Disclaimer: Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

Warnings: Some Spoilers for Fade to Black, Mild Swearing and Violence.

Author's Note:

Things are finally getting a move on now! So Ichigo and Rukia finally reunite; but will it go as well as Rukia hopes it will? Also Ichigo getting really suspicious of the siblings, will he finally confront them?

You'll find out in this chapter! Please enjoy Part VI of Memories of the Black Sun and if you have time please leave me feedback ^_^

Fade to Black: Memories of the Black Sun

Part VI

South Rukongai: District 78; Inuzuri

Ichigo sat easily on a thick tree branch on top of the cliff, his legs dangling down as he looked at the field below him; he sighed softly and closed his eyes.

"Ichii!" The sibling's voice suddenly cried out before Ichigo felt them jump on his chest and stomach; the air left his lungs with a huff as they continued to laugh happily.

"Damn it, you two. Are you trying to kill me?" Ichigo questioned after he caught his breath and forced himself to sit up; Kazuki continued to giggle as Hoshi smiled up at him.

"Come play with us, Ichii!" Hoshi demanded causing Ichigo to smirk.

"I'm not sure. Would you be able to keep up with me?" Ichigo teased even though he had no intention of letting them down; he planned to enjoy his stay with the siblings until the end.

"We can! Can't we -?"

"We can! We can!" Kazuki repeated after Hoshi's questioned causing Ichigo to chuckle quietly as he forced himself to stand to his feet.

"Well considering I've been tagged; that makes me it, right?" Ichigo questioned as he tied the sleeves of his haori and kimono up to his shoulders with a piece of ribbon; Hoshi and Kazuki nodded happily before they realized what Ichigo had just said.

"So why aren't you running?" Ichigo called out before he reached out for them; Hoshi and Kazuki screamed and took off running, with Ichigo not far behind them.

"I remember this place. I played with both of them up here when they were kids." Ichigo whispered as he allowed his eyes to open revealing his confused brown eyes; he sighed once again before looking down at his bare feet as he swung them back and forth slightly.

"Ichigo!" A voice called out faintly causing Ichigo to stiffen; he quickly brought his legs up and stood easily to his feet on the branch as he listened for the voice again.

"Ichigo!" A heard again before a female Shinigami ran underneath the tree with a strange animal on her shoulder; Ichigo narrowed his eyes before he brought up his hood and prepared to jump down.

"Where is he? I know he was here." Rukia muttered in irritation as she felt the lingering sense of Ichigo's Spiritual Energy; she couldn't help but notice though that it wasn't as strong as it usual was and she bit her lip lightly in worry.

Just as she prepared to call out his name again a small thump was heard behind her and quickly she turned around with her hand on her Zanpakuto.

Her eyes widened in shock though when she saw the figure crouching down a few feet in front of her; she could feel it. It was barely there but she would recognise that Spiritual Energy anywhere.

"Ichigo!" She called as she quickly jogged to where he was still crouching down; she didn't notice how Ichigo had tensed when she had called his name and she couldn't even see the way his eyes had narrowed in suspicion thanks to the hood.

"You're okay." Rukia whispered in relief as came to a stop in front of Ichigo's crouched form; Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he stood to his feet.

"Who are you?" He demanded causing Rukia's eyes to widen in shock.

"What the-? Ichigo!" Kon yelped in confusion and Rukia swallowed as she clenched her fists by her side.

"What are you on about, Ichigo? It's me." Rukia asked shakily but Ichigo continued to stare at her blankly; suddenly with a flash of purple Hoshi and Kazuki appeared in between her and Ichigo.

"Shinigami!" Hoshi cried out in shock and Kazuki growled softly while tightening his grip on the scythe.

"Why is there one all the way out here?" He whispered but Hoshi made no move to answer him; behind them Ichigo sighed before walking between the 2 siblings.

"Ichii?"

"Stay back." Ichigo ordered simply causing Hoshi to fall silent; Ichigo stopped in front of the 2 siblings before he pulled down his hood and glared at Rukia angrily.

"Who the hell are you? How do you know my name?" Ichigo demanded sharply causing Kon to growl on Rukia's shoulder.

"Don't talk to Nee-San that way, Ichigo!"

"Shut up, you weird creature!" Ichigo shouted causing Kon to snap his soft mouth shut; Rukia swallowed once again.

"Ichigo…you really don't remember me?" Rukia whispered in shock causing Ichigo to blink at her in confusion.

"C-Come on Ichigo…It's me, Rukia!" Rukia finally cried out and the reaction was instant.

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as unfamiliar scenarios flashed before his eyes; someone protecting him from a huge fire monster, someone catching him as he fell from the sky, someone firing a huge ice wave protecting him once again and finally someone pushing a sword through his chest while whispering their name.

"You're-?" Ichigo gasped before he clutched his head as it started pounding; Hoshi called his name out in worry as he fell down to his knees.

"It's her fault!" Hoshi whispered furiously and Kazuki growled as he swung his scythe before disappearing with a flash of purple; Rukia's quickly pulled her Zanpakuto out of its sheath just in time to block his attack.

"Stop it!" Rukia shouted as she quickly pushed him back but Kazuki easily caught his footing and charged at her again.

"That's it! Kill that Shinigami!" Hoshi shouted as she kept her arms around tightly Ichigo who kept his eyes clenched tightly shut.

"I said stop it! Bakudō # 4- Hainawa!" Rukia shouted as a Spiritual Energy rope blasted from her hand and wrapped around Kazuki's arm and scythe holding him in place; Hoshi's eyes narrowed in annoyance as her purple and black Spiritual Energy started flowing around her and Ichigo.

"You think this could hold me, Shinigami?" Kazuki asked calmly before he suddenly vanished from the Bakudō with a flash of purple before appearing behind her; Rukia quickly spun around and brought her Zanpakuto up to block his attack as he brought it down with a blade.

"Shunpo? No it wasn't. Who are you and what do you want with Ichigo?" Rukia demanded as her foot skidded slightly against the grassy floor but she stayed firm against Kazuki's strong attack.

"We are your enemy." Kazuki replied calmly and ignored her other question as his scythe flashed white before it suddenly started sinking through Rukia's Zanpakuto; her eyes widened in shock before she quickly used Shunpo to get away from him.

"What was that?" Rukia gasped as she looked at her Zanpakuto expecting it to be broken but the blade was completely clean; Rukia could feel her Zanpakuto's confusion about her backing away.

'It looked like it went clean through Sode No Shirayuki...' Rukia thought to herself before Kazuki suddenly vanished.

"No wait!" Rukia shouted as she looked over to where Hoshi and Ichigo sat in the grass but they were gone as well; leaving her and Kon alone on the hill.

"Ichigo..."

A few hours had passed since their confrontation with Ichigo; after he and his captors, that's what Rukia is going to assume who they are any way, disappeared Rukia started searching through Inuzuri to find them without luck.

Eventually she was forced to stop as she didn't want to exhaust herself at such unpredictable times; luckily she had managed to find a small abandoned hut and with a grateful sigh of relief she plopped herself down on one of the steps.

"Nee-San, no matter how we look at it, it's obvious those two are the ones behind this whole mess; they even managed to take Ichigo, which means they must be incredible strong." Kon pointed out as he jumped down from her shoulder and started pacing; Rukia sighed as she slipped her Zanpakuto free from her Obi and placed the belt beside her softly.

"I can't believe Ichigo would forget about us though. Did you see what he was wearing? He didn't even look like a Shinigami and I could barely feel his Spiritual Energy." Kon continued on but he paused when Rukia refused to answer him; he quickly jumped on her lap and looked up at her curiously.

"Did you notice, Nee-San? His Zanpakuto wasn't even with him."

"Yes Kon I saw." Rukia muttered in annoyance as she brought a weary hand to rub her face with another sigh; finally she allowed her hand to drop and looked off to the side.

"I don't know what to do. Nii-Sama and Renji think I've gone insane, I'm a wanted criminal and now Ichigo doesn't even remember me." Rukia whispered before she swallowed and started fiddling with her fingers.

"Did you...did you notice how happy he looked, Kon? I've never seen Ichigo without a scowl on his face but with those 2 his face was clear, happy. Or at least he was until he collapsed to the ground in agony thanks to me." Rukia laughed softly without humour before she looked at Kon sadly.

"I'm beginning to wonder why I'm trying so hard to bring him back." Rukia admitted and Kon's black eyes widened in shock.

"W-What? Nee-San we can't leave Ichigo without his memory! If we do that then everything will continue to fall apart! Soul Society is a disaster zone all because they forgot Ichigo; his family, his friends, they've all forgotten him! The one person who gave them hope! You saw the results of the memory loss, everyone is back to the way they were before they met Ichigo!" Kon shouts causing Rukia to look to the side; the stuffed-doll shook his head angrily as he continued on.

"Did you forget we're at war, Nee-San? Without Ichigo, the Seireitei don't know that they were betrayed and are at war! What if Aizen attacks them and they aren't prepared for it! Ichigo is their only hope to defeating him and the Gotei 13 known this and yet your willing to put thousands of lives at risk just before you don't want to make Ichigo unhappy?" Kon gasps for breath as he glares at Rukia furiously; he loves Rukia with all his heart but he also loves Ichigo too. They were the two who had saved him from destruction by the Soul Society; he may act like an idiot and a pervert but if push comes to shove, you can guarantee he would stand by their side even if it meant going against his vows.

To see one of his precious people giving up on the other for such selfish reasons, it made Kon see red; it made him become furious with Rukia for the first time.

"Answer me, Nee-San!" Kon shouts but Rukia refuses to answer; only looking away as she bit her lip and clutched her hands tightly on her hakama.

Silence fell between the two of them before Kon scoffed and looked to the side while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine. You know what? Screw you, Nee-San! If you won't save Ichigo, then I'm going to do it myself! I don't care if he doesn't remember me or how happy he looks now; I know that's not his true life and the happiness he's feeling now is fake just like the memories that had been planted in place of Ichigo's absence." Kon said as he hoped down the wooden steps slowly; Kon sighed before he looked back at Rukia sadly.

"You've got to stop blaming yourself, Nee-San. Ichigo doesn't hold any blame against you, so why do insist on punishing the both of you like this?" He questioned rhetorically before he took off in a sprint; his feet squeaking with every step he made.

Rukia watched as the stuffed-toy disappeared from her eyesight before looking down to her lap with a sigh; she opened her pale hands before clenching her eyes shut when blood appeared on them with a flash.

When she opened her eyes once more the blood was gone.

Hoshi quickly pushed open the window of their hut and jumped through landing lightly on the floor; Kazuki followed soon after with the limp form of Ichigo underneath his arm, his orange hair covered by the hood on his haori.

"Who the hell was she?" Hoshi demanded but Kazuki simply shrugged as he set Ichigo down on the floor before moving to set his scythe against the wall.

"Are you okay, Ichii?" Hoshi asked as she knelled down as Ichigo slowly moved so he was on his knees, her hands going out in front of her but she hesitated.

"I-I knew that Shinigami...Yes I'm sure of it." Ichigo whispered before he suddenly reached out and grabbed Hoshi's wrist tightly; his hood falling back revealing his furious brown eyes and familiar scowl.

"You lied to me! I wasn't with you this whole time was I? What was I really doing? Why do I know that Shinigami?" Ichigo demanded and Hoshi shook her head as tears filled her eyes.

"I-I don't know!"

"Stop lying to me!" Ichigo shouted as Hoshi started sobbing; Kazuki quickly ran forward and grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back causing Ichigo to release Hoshi sending her to the floor

"Ichii stop it." He whispered as Ichigo angrily gasped for breath and tried to calm down; Hoshi sniffed as she slowly pushed herself up and knelled in front of the 2 of them.

"I-I'm telling the truth. I-I really don't know what you were doing. We went far away for such a long time." Hoshi whispered and Kazuki quickly ran behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder; Ichigo blinked in shock as his features slowly relaxed, his scowl once again disappearing.

"Far away?" Ichigo echoed and Kazuki nodded as he looked at Ichigo sadly.

"We only just got back; it took us almost 2 years to find you again Ichii." Kazuki explained quietly and Hoshi nodded.

"It was so we could see you again, Ichii! We did everything we could just to get you back!" Hoshi explained quickly and Ichigo bit his lip slightly.

"You went through so much just for me?" Ichigo asked quietly before Hoshi suddenly threw herself on to him in tears.

"Ichii! Ichii!"

"All the Shinigami are the same; all they do is steal." Kazuki hissed quietly and Ichigo blinked in shock at hearing such hate coming from someone who was usually so calm.

"That's right! They stole everything from us! They stole everything that was fun and made us happy; they even ended up stealing you away from us!" Hoshi cried out as she gript his shoulders tightly; Ichigo narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked to the ground.

"But..." He whispered before his eyes widened as flashes of memories once again appeared in his mind.

Someone pushing him aside and fighting an assassin, someone looking at him in shock as he stood in front of something that gave off great heat, someone catching him as he fell down to his knees in the pouring rain and finally the familiar face of the Shinigami Rukia smiling at him as they stood in a field.

"My name is-."

Ichigo grit his teeth as he his head suddenly started throbbing, his eyes clenching shut in agony as he tried to make it go away.

"Ichii! What's wrong?" Hoshi cried out as she felt him shaking underneath her fingers suddenly he broke free from his grasp with a shout of pain before collapsing on his side on the ground.

"Ichii! Ichigo!" Hoshi cried out as Ichigo grabbed his head tightly and shook violently before he finally fell unconscious.

Both Kazuki and Hoshi looked at Ichigo's unconscious form in shock before Hoshi suddenly grit her teeth angrily.

"It was that Shinigami's fault." She hissed as her purple and black Spiritual Energy started surrounding her; Kazuki looked up sharply as he pulled Ichigo's limp form into his arms.

"Onee-Chan?"

"Shinigami." Hoshi growled furiously her eyes sparkling purple; the two of them didn't notice Ichigo's eyes opening slightly and catching sight of Hoshi's furious form.

Omake

Glossary

- Bakudō # 4- Hainawa (這縄, Crawling Rope) — An energy rope entangles a target's arms.