Forbidden Love

Chapter 22 - I'm Coming To Get You

Tiny grains of sand flew up under the Shinigamis' flat-bottomed sandals, sending whirlpools of the dust into the air. The pools swirled around in lopsided ovals before the currents of the wind took over, pelting it towards the Shinigamis' vulnerable faces. The three friends clenched their eyes shut, still running forward despite their onslaught. A sigh fell from full lips and the orange-haired Shinigami slowed his pace to a standstill, trying to catch his breath as brown eyes gazed up at the castle before them. The other two Shinigami slowly came to a stop, the red-haired Renji moving to lean against one of the fragile trees. Rukia followed suit, squatting down on the ground and sending yet another tornado of sand up into the sky. Ichigo trudged over to her slowly and sat down beside her.

"I don't know about you, but it feels like we aren't getting any closer to it." Rukia looked over at him before directing her gaze at the stony building they were heading for. Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips in thought. Suddenly, she sat up and her eyes widened marginally.

"I think you're right, Ichigo." Renji growled in anger, startling the two.

"Ya mean afta all this runnin', it was all fer nothin'?" Ichigo shrugged half-heartedly, worried that he would never save Shiro and Inoue. Rukia stood, stepping away from Ichigo to brush the dirt off of her flimsy clothing. Renji began to grumble under his breath and Ichigo's lip fell into his mouth to be gnawed on thoughtfully.

"What do we do?" Rukia's voice interrupted Ichigo's anxious thoughts and he pushed them away violently towards the back of his head before standing up and moving beside her.

"I have no idea." Ichigo gazed at the huge building before a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye. Turning, he saw a lizard with a little hollow mask slowly creep out from behind a rock. "Look." Rukia and Renji turned, staring at the little creature as it took a quick look around before burrowing into a sand dune. Ichigo crouched down, looking at the fluctuating sand as the creature went deeper. "When I came here, I thought it would be a place of death, but they have little animals here, too... Wait. Don't hollow have to eat human souls? What do these guys eat?"

"Hueco Mundo, like Soul Society, has a high concentration of spirit particles. They can get energy just by breathing." Ichigo nodded, watching as another little lizard crawled around, sniffing at him and Rukia before dashing away. "It was like when you saved me. Just be being in Soul Society, I could regain my powers due to all the spirit particles." Ichigo looked at her and smiled.

"I'm glad I met you, Rukia." Round, violet eyes turned to him, sparkling with happiness. She gave him a light punch on the shoulder, knocking him off balance and making him fall into the sand. As the dust cleared away, he could see her grin.

"I'm glad I met you, too."

"I hate ta break up yer little moment guys, but we need ta be careful. Remember, we're in their territory. Not only are we enemies, but we're food, too." Ichigo looked up at him, ignoring the first comment as he rose.

"Renji's right. Let's get going." They all stood and stretched, about to head off when they heard a crash nearby. Gasping in surprise, they turned to see a giant worm writhe as it bursted from the sand. Just behind it, two strange looking hollow leaped over a hill, following it. Ichigo was distracted from this when he heard a cry and saw a glimmer of green. A small child in a ratty old cloak was running, tears pouring from her eyes and rolling down her face. Loud sobs fell from her chapped lips. He gasped again and stepped towards the scene, snatching Zangetsu off his back.

"Let's save her!" Ichigo didn't wait for Rukia and Renji's consent and leaped forward, swinging his blade into the stomach of a larger hollow. It went flying back into a sand dune a few feet away and Ichigo saw Rukia and Renji go after the giant worm and smaller hollow behind him.

"Wait! Stop it! Wha' did Nel's fwiend ever do to ya?" Ichigo turned to see the little child screaming at them from a few yards away. She pulled down the hood, revealing green curls and a bone mask.

"A... hollow?" The three Shinigami released the other hollow and they all fell into a protective stance behind the tiny child. She bowed before them and the others followed as she began to apologize.

"Nel's really sworry. Nel never thought 'eternal tag' would make people think da wong thing!" Ichigo cocked his head in confusion.

"Endless tag?" Nel nodded her head furiously.

"Yep! Bwecause there's nothin' fun ta do here!" Ichigo shook his head, still staring at the four.

"But... You were just crying!" Nel giggled and looked up at Ichigo with a big grin.

"Tha's bwecause Nel is a swerious maso-kiss so not crying is no fun!" Ichigo growled and glared at the other hollow.

"What the fuck are you teaching this kid?" Rukia pushed past him with a scowl, crouching before the small Nel. Violet eyes lit up with a small as Rukia spoke to the little girl.

"Nel is your name?" Nel nodded and grinned a toothy smile. Nel gestured towards the two hollow beside her. The smaller one bowed when she gestured towards him. "Dis is Pesche, Nel's bwother. And dat's Dondo Chakka. He's Nel's bwother, too!" Then they all stood abruptly and gestured to the large worm behind them.

"This is our pet, Bawabawa!" They all waved largely at grinning worm and smirked back at the three Shinigami.

"Hold on! Arrancar have families and pets?" Ichigo spoke up, pushing forward past Rukia to stare at them in confusion. Nel pouted, sticking out her lower lip in anger.

"You meanie head! 'Course we do!" The others nodded behind her.

"I met her by chance and thought she was adorable so I became her brother, dontcha know?" Pesche nodded in agreement beside Dondo Chakka.

"That means you aren't siblings at all..." It went silent and then they began to scream at him, all at once.

"D-den what are we?" Tears begin to spill from all of their eyes and, taken aback, the three Shinigami backed up.

"We're not siblings?" The screaming went on before Ichigo hushed them with an apology and said he was wrong. Rukia and Renji gazed at him out of the corner of their eyes and he shrugged in confusion. The others finally calmed. Nel waddled foward a little and tugged on Ichigo's billowy pants. "Dees make ya look kinda like a Shinigami!" Ichigo frowned.

"We are Shinigami. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, a subsitute Shinigami, and that's Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji." Nel trembled and stumbled backwards before pointing at the three with a chubby pointer finger.

"Yer bwad guys!" Dondo Chakka and Pesche began to freak out behind her, mumbling loudly and quickly so their words were indecipherable. Ichigo's brows furrowed.

"You didn't know we were Shinigami?" Nel pouted angrily.

"Ya didn't tell us! Ya really are bwad guys!" Nel spun around to face the others and began to scream along with them. "Dey're gonna kill us!" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Uh, no. We're not going to kill you." Nel spun around to face Ichigo, her large eyes even wider in her confusion.

"W-weally?" Ichigo nodded slowly and smiled. Nel stared at him for a moment. "Well... Den I gwess we'll twake ya to Las Noches!' The green-haired child grinned toothily.

Riding on the back of Bawabawa wasn't exactly what the three Shinigami were expecting. They climbed aboard anyway and soon found themselves heading towards Las Noches at a reasonable pace. Nel had hurridly crawled into Ichigo's lap once he sat down and Rukia and Renji had begun to chat quietly about what they expected to come. The other two hollow sat beside each other a little ways behind them, murmuring to each other softly every once-in-awhile. It was all together a very peaceful trip, but one that would surely lead them to a very violent battle.

All the quiet had allowed Ichigo to drift off sleepily and he began to daydream. The orange-haired substitute Shinigami thought about what he had said to the Hollow earlier. 'That means you aren't siblings at all.' Ichigo squirmed when he remembered something similar that had happened once when he was younger.

Flashback

Shiro often got into fights when they were little. The albino would come up with a broken nose, bruised fists, black eyes, scraped palms and knees, and occasionally a few cracked ribs. Luckily enough, Ichigo worked enough in the clinic with his dad to know how to deal with things like that and the orange-haired child would quickly patch him up before their parents could see. Ichigo didn't like Shiro fighting alone, but when he brought the idea of joining the albino, his twin insisted that if Ichigo saw him fighting, Ichigo should immediately leave. Ichigo would begin to argue but Shiro would quickly remind him that he needed a nurse to patch him up. Ichigo would smile and giggle before nodding and giving in.

Everything was fine for awhile until one night when Shiro and Ichigo were walking home from school. Shiro wasn't usually bothered on the way home. The kids who picked fights with him would usually ride the city bus or get stuck in after-school detention. That day, however, a few of them decided to have a sleepover and walked home instead.

Shiro and Ichigo were chatting, walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand. They were giggling at something Shiro had said when one of the bigger kids spotted them and nudged his pals with a sharp elbow. The crack of their knuckles as they headed over was what distracted Shiro and he spun around to face the advancing trio. A snarl ripped out of Shiro's throat and he prepared to beat the shit out of the kids when he felt Ichigo's hand in his, gripping a little tighter when the orange-haired child noticed the others. Shiro's eyes slipped away from the black eyes that still hadn't healed from the last fight and down to his twin beside him. Shiro knew he couldn't fight with Ichigo there. Something would go wrong and he wouldn't be able to save his brother.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here. Two little fags enjoying a little walk." Ichigo scowled but it looked more like a pout. His mouth opened in a reply but Shiro hushed him with a quick squeeze around his fingers and a side glance out of the corner of his narrowed eyes. "Ya gonna talk, ya little bitch?" The last word was accented with a tap on Shiro's nose. Gold eyes crossed to stare at the offending finger before turning up to glare at the bastard before them.

"I ain't got time fer ya shitheads today so fuck off." Dark eyes narrowed into a squint as the alpha male leaned down to stare at the albino.

"Excuse me?"

"Ya deaf now, too, stupid?" A rough growl fell out of the boy's mouth and he lunged out with a fist, just clipping the side of Shiro's cheek with a silver studded ring. The albino flinched. Quickly, he spun around again and shoved Ichigo away. "Run, Ichi!" The brown-eyed child reluctantly nodded before sprinting away, Shiro chasing after him until a mammoth hand reached out and snatched up the back of his sweatshirt.

"Not so fast, whitey." Shiro yelled out when he felt something sharp prod at his shoulder.

"Ichi! Wait!" A 'schwip' echoed through the air when it slipped down quickly, cutting away at the gray fabric and revealing the pale skin beneath. A twinge of pain ripped up his back when he felt the knife dig into his skin. "Ichi... Ichi... No!" Chuckles behind him and another slash. Two swipes and his struggling began to weaken. The loss of blood took it's effect and he began to lose his strength. The slicing just continued until he fell limp in the boy's arms. Black began to flood into his eyes as the pain began to ebb away. He called out one last time, "Ichi." Then, he lost consciousness.

Ichigo ran, his feet pounding on the pavement. Adrenaline rushed through his body, making his short legs stretch farther, his slow arms pump faster, and his usually calm heart beat stronger. Shiro had told him to run, so he did. Ichigo had thought Shiro was right behind him until he heard his name being called. The brown-eyed boy's pace faltered and he was about to stop but his mind told him to just keep going. You'll be safe if you keep running.

Tears welled up in his eyes before slipping out. The sound of his feet hitting concrete echoed as he blindly ran home. Yes, home. Home is safe, Ichi. Leave Shiro. Ichigo obeyed the commanding words, running faster and faster until he saw the familiar doorstep. The orange-haired child leaped up the steps as swiftly as he could. Ichigo stopped on the top stair, pressing his palms to his knees for balance as he tried to catch his retreating breath. You're safe now.

Ichigo looked up when he heard the voice again. The orange-haired boy looked at the door in front of him. Suddenly, it hit him. He couldn't go inside. No... He left his brother, his twin... He left Shiro. If Ichigo went inside now, mommy and daddy wouldn't forgive him. No, he had to go get Shiro.

Spinning around on the balls of his feet, he leaped down the steps again and began to make his trek back to where he had left Shiro.

After walking around for a few minutes, he realized that it was way easier to find the way home then it was to find his way back to Shiro. Ichigo's heart began to thud with worry and fear when a few minutes became twenty minutes and then half an hour. The sun was just beginning to dip over the horizon, sending brilliant purple, pink, and oranges hues into the sky, when Ichigo heard a soft murmur come out of a nearby alleyway.

Startled, he began to jog away when he heard the sound again and listened as it formed into a groan of pain. Ichigo inched back over, peering into the dark cavern of the alley. Shadows danced on the walls and he contemplated just leaving. Then, a shimmer of white shone out of the corner of his eye. Slowly, he crept inside, looking around for anything suspicious.

"Sh-shiro?" Ichigo hiccuped out a sob as his heart began to dance a little jig. "Are... you there?"

"Ichi?" Ichigo jumped when he heard the voice and ran over to where the voice originated behind a dumpster. The orangette pushed aside a few black trash bags that had missed the dumpster and crumpled to the ground beside his twin.

"Shiro! I've looked everywhere for you!" Gold eyes slid up to glare at him vehemently.

"Go away!" Ichigo recoiled from Shiro's outburst.

"W-what? Why?" Shiro's pupils fluctuated strangely and he groaned in pain again before shoving at Ichigo.

"Ya left me! Ya aren't my brother!" Ichigo let himself be pushed a second time, falling back onto the dirty floor. A few silent moments passed and Ichigo still hadn't moved. Shiro turned to glare at him again, hands clenched into tight fists. "Well? Why haven' ya left ye-" The albino paused when he saw the glimmer of tears as they spilled out of brown eyes.

"I'm n-not your br-brother?" Ichigo began to curl into himself and rubbed at his eyes with balled fists as he sobbed. Shiro swallowed hard.

"N-no-" Ichigo cut him off with a particularly loud sob. Shiro sighed and reached out, wrapping his arms around Ichigo. The orangette struggled for only a moment before giving into Shiro's insistent grasp and allowing himself to be tugged into a bleeding chest. "Ichi... I didn' mean it. Yer my brother no matter wha', okay?" Ichigo nodded silently. "Good, now help me up." The orangette hiccuped one last time before standing and pulling Shiro up. The albino stumbled so Ichigo swiftly wrapped a protective arm around him. Slowly, they made their way home together.

Flashback End

Ichigo sighed softly as he remembered that day. Of course they had gotten home late and were caught by Mom and Pops. Mom had immediately wrapped her arms around them while Pops stared at them with wide, startled eyes. Shiro had lost consciousness soon after and so they had patched Shiro up together while Ichigo waited with Yuzu and Karin in the kitchen. An argument had broken out about what to do about Shiro's behavior.

Ichigo couldn't really remember what had been the conclusion, but once Mom and Pops had said he could see Shiro, the orangette ran to Shiro and wouldn't leave his side until a pair of gold eyes had opened up like a fresh spring blossom. Shiro healed fairly quickly so they were up and about not even a week after the incident.

Ichigo carded fingers through his hair habitually. Brown eyes peered up at the castle before him. The castle that Shiro was in. Shiro and him had been through a lot. Ichigo vowed he would save his brother no matter what.

With that resolve, he sat up a bit straighter, eyes hard with determination. That's right, Shiro. I'm coming to get you again.

A/N: Why do my chapter endings suck so bad.

Also please read this:

I'm really, really sorry about my late update. I'm just.. It's hard for me to finish this. I almost don't want to. Don't worry though, I won't give up on this. I'm a really OCD kind of girl. Everything must be finished D: But, this means from now on, my shitty updates will probably be even worse. I'm really sorry.

also, minecraft is distracting

Love,

Sevvy.