AN

Hey guys! Super excited because my 17th birthday is in two days. Get excited! Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer-I own absolutely nothing. Seriously. Not even the idea.

No Escape

Chapter 21

By the time Monday morning rolled around, Rukia regretted that she had to go back to her real life. The weekend had been a fantasyland where she, Kon, and Ichigo were all safe and cozy at home, enjoying each other's company.

Sunday, while she was cooking lunch, Ichigo and Kon finished installing the security system, and the sound of their deep voices chatting and laughing made her heart swell until she thought it would break open.

And at night, after Kon had gone to sleep, Ichigo came to her. He made her feel cherished and showed her things about her body she'd never known. The pleasure he wrung from her was almost too intense to be real, adding to the fantasy-like quality of those two short days.

It was easy to forget her friends had died, which only made Monday morning that much more difficult to face. She had an appointment at the funeral home today.

Thankfully, the principal had given her the day off to take care of the arrangements. All she had to do was drop off her lesson plan for the sub.

She'd just gotten dressed and walked into the kitchen when the phone rang. She answered it, and Detective Kira's deep voice filled the line. Without preamble, he said, "We have a suspect."

"Who?"

"We started looking into Aizen's life more deeply, looking for people who might have wanted revenge for his death. Yammy's name was on a list of family members. He's Aizen's nephew."

Shock ripped through Rukia, and she gripped the phone tighter. "How can that be? How could I not have known Yammy and Aizen were related?"

"They didn't share a name. We only found out because we have access to the right databases."

Rukia stood there, glued to the spot, shaking and unable to process the news. She didn't want Yammy to be the killer. She didn't want Kon's father connected to this in any way, because it connected Kon, too. Thanks to Yammy, Kon had enough of a horrible legacy to live down without adding murder into the mix. "Are you sure he's the killer?"

"Everything points to him. I had your car checked for prints as Ichigo suggested. Yammy's were found all over it, especially in the areas where the car had been tampered with. And it had been tampered with, Rukia. We found enough tool marks to prove that without a doubt. Between that and the family connection to Aizen, it's a pretty safe bet that Yammy's our guy."

"He sabotaged my car? How could he have done that knowing his own son might have been in there with me?"

"We'll know more after we question him, but first, we have to find him."

"You don't know where he is?" asked Rukia with a squeak of panic in her voice.

"I've got men watching his motel room, but he hasn't come back yet. We're working on getting a warrant to search it right now, and I've got officers out visiting the homes of friends he was known to hang out with before his arrest. I'll let you know when we find him, but in the meantime, be careful. If he's our guy, I don't want you going aywhere near him."

"I won't." Her hands were shaking as she hung up the phone.

Kon's father was a killer. She didn't know how Kon would handle that news, not after everything he'd been through.

Ichigo and Kon came into the kitchen, talking about breathing exercises. She had no idea what for, but it hardly mattered. When Ichigo saw her face, his smile fell and he crossed to her. "What's wrong?"

Kon didn't know about the murders, and she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Not yet. Not until the police were sure it was Yammy.

Rukia forced her expression into a neutral mask. "That was the police. Yammy's gone missing. They said we should keep our distance if we see him."

Kon snorted in disgust. "Like we needed anyone to tell us that. No one wants to be around a jerk like him."

Ichigo gave her a hard stare, like he knew there was more to the story she wasn't telling him. She shook her head a tiny bit, hoping Kon didn't see the motion.

Ichigo did. He shed his suspicious look with ease, taking her lead. "If he shows up, what are you going to do, Kon?"

"Steer clear. Don't worry. I have nothing to say to him."

"If you get close, he might hurt you."

An angry flush rose up the back of Kon's neck as he put his jacket on. "You don't have to tell me that. I know just what he can do. I've seen it already."

But he hadn't. Rukia wept inside for the pain she knew would come to him if Yammy was responsible for all those murders. She prayed the police were wrong, even if it meant the killer was still out there on the loose.

She grabbed Kon's arm and made him look at her. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"I will. Things are good now. I'm not going to do anything to mess that up." He leaned down and kissed her head in a bumbling, awkward move, then rushed out the door.

She watched him through the window as he got in his car and drove away.

Ichigo's hands settled on her shoulders, his warm comfort sinking into her. He turned her around to face him. "Tell me the rest, what you didn't want Kon to hear."

"Yammy is Aizen's nephew."

Ichigo's brows lifted in surprise. "Seriously?"

Rukia nodded. "Detective Kira thinks he's the killer. They're looking for him now."

"Do they have any hard evidence against him?"

"Yammy's fingerprints were on the underside of my car."

His eyes narrowed to menacing slits. "I should have kept Yammy from running the night Kon climbed out his window. You never would have been in that accident, and Hanataro would still be alive."

"You can't blame yourself. It's not like any of us knew what he was going to do."

"Why didn't you tell Kon?" asked Ichigo.

"Because I'm hoping the police are wrong."

"Wrong? Yammy is the nephew of the only man who connects all the people that have been murdered. He sabotaged your car, which could have easily killed you. He probably sent those thugs after us outside the restaurant, too. How much more evidence do you need that he's the killer?"

"You're right." She let out a heartsick sigh of regret. "I'm denying the truth, wishing Kon didn't have to be touched by this sickness. He's already been through so much. I just want to protect him."

"You should tell him. He's stronger than you think."

Ichigo had been right about Kon before. He was probably right now, too. "I will. After school, I'll tell him everything. For now, he knows to stay away from Yammy, which will keep him safe enough to live one more relatively normal day."

One more day to be a kid before she shattered his world and told him his father was a killer. He was the son of a murderer, the great-nephew of a child molester and rapist.

Rukia laid her head on Ichigo's chest and breathed in his clean scent to help calm her worry. He was so strong and solid, so comforting in the face of all this ugliness. She was going to miss having him here, feeling his touch bring her to life.

If Yammy was found today, Ichigo would likely leave tomorrow.

Her fingers curled against his back, gripping him tight. She wanted to hold on to him. Keep him forever. Instead, she pulled away and drew a deep breath into her lungs.

"We should go. I want to make sure the sub has time to look this lesson plan over before class starts."

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Ichigo dropped Rukia off at the front doors of her school so she wouldn't have to walk in the cold. He had just pulled into one of the visitor spots when his cell phone rang. It was Uryu's number on the caller ID, and Ichigo wished he was more of a coward so he wouldn't have to deal with this call.

He was already cringing when he answered the phone. "Hello."

"Where the hell are you?" asked Uryu.

"Karakura."

"Still? Please tell me you're on your way out of town right now."

"Sorry, man. I really am, but I can't leave yet."

A grinding sound that could only mean expensive dentist bills filled the line. "I need you. Now. As in yesterday. If I lose this contract, I won't be able to employ you. Not to mention I won't be able to pay Chad, either."

Well, shit. Ichigo had been aware there was a big contract Uryu was working on, but he hadn't realized just how pivotal it was to his business. Maybe he should have asked better questions. Not that anything would have changed his mind about staying to help Rukia. "I don't want to lose my job, and I sure as hell don't want Chad to lose his, but I can't leave Rukia until this mess is sorted out. It's too risky."

"Then bring her with you. Do whatever it takes, but get your ass to Kyoto."

"I'll try. I swear I will, but in the meantime, can't Chad step in?"

Uryu's long pause was not a good sign. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" asked Ichigo, already dreading the answer.

"Tatsuki was admitted into the hospital last night."

A sick sense of dread squeezed Ichigo. "Hospital? I thought she had the flu?"

"She does, but apparently, it got bad enough that she couldn't quit puking. They admitted her for dehydration, but there's no way Chad will leave her, and I'd never ask."

"Oh, man. I didn't know. Chad's gotta be a wreck."

"That doesn't even come close to describing him. Don't try to call. He nearly reached through the line and strangled me for waking her up this morning with my call. I'm sure he's turned his phone off by now."

"He's only three or four hours away. I wish I could go sit with him. Keep him company," said Ichigo.

"If you have time for that, you sure as hell had better make time to get your ass out here."

"It's not an issue of time. I can't leave. There are people in danger here."

Uryu let a long sigh of regret. "I really hate to say this, but if you can't come today, I'm going to have to find someone who can. This contract is too important to screw up."

Ichigo felt his future plans slipping away and his chance for something resembling a normal life along with them. FInding another job as good as the one Uryu offered him just wasn't going to happen. There were things he could do-plenty of ways to make money-but none of them would be the same as working with his old friends. They were the closest thing to family he had, and the idea of letting go of that made him sick.

Still, Uryu had a company to build, and Ichigo couldn't be there to help make it happen. Not when Kon's and Rukia's safety was at stake. There was no choice. So what if his plans didn't pan out like he wanted? He was tough. He'd suck it up and move on. Some people were never meant to be part of a family, anyway. He was probably one of them.

Ichigo forced his voice to come out steady and even, showing no signs that his world and all his bright, shining plans for his future were falling apart. "I understand. I'll call Shinji for you. He left the service two days before me. He's probably done getting drunk and laid by now. Maybe he's borred and ready to work again."

"Shinji Hirako?" asked Uryu.

"You remember him?"

"I worked with him once. A little outrageous, but he got the job done, right?"

"Every single time."

"Can I trust him?" asked Uryu.

"With Nemu's and your little son's life."

"Okay. Call him. I'm desperate enough to give him a shot."

He ended the call and tried not to pay attention to the searing pain of loss ripping him apart. His dream of days spent working side by side with Uryu and Chad, and his evenings hanging out with his almost-nephew, crumbled. The bitter taste of loss coated his mouth until he thought he might throw up.

It had been so long since he'd dared to dream about anything more than his next conquest in bed. Pursuing this dream had demanded more courage than any mission he'd ever undertaken. And where did it get him? Right back where he'd started, with nothing in his future but the bleak knowledge that no matter how hard he tried, how long he worked, he would never truly belong.

He'd always be the one on the outside looking in, wishing for something others took for granted-something he could never have.

Ichigo shoved away his regret at losing his job. No sense in throwing a fit over something that was already a done deal. Uryu had a family to think about, and Ichigo wasn't going to get in the way of something like that, no matter what it cost him. His happiness was expendable.

He scrolled through his contacts until he found Shinji's number. Before Ichigo had even hung up the phone, Shinji had agreed to help and was out of his hotel room and heading for the highway. With luck, he'd hit Kyoto by sundown. Knowing Shinji, he'd work through the night and keep working for the next ten days straight if that's what it took to help Uryu.

So much for Ichigo's dream of being a part of Uryu's business-part of his family. He'd have to find his future elsewhere.

It made him wish more than ever that he could be the kind of man who could find it with Rukia. Too bad he cared about her too much to risk trying.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Yammy was pissed. Rukia walked into her school like nothing had happened. He'd seen the wreck on the news. He'd seen her car. How the hell had she walked away from something like that?

Fucking airbags.

Yammy's time was running out. He'd ditched his motel room and was sleeping on an old girlfriend's couch, but sooner or later, the cops would track him down if he stayed in town. He needed to get out, but not without his son.

Maybe the plan to get Rukia out of the picture was flawed, anyway. Who knew what those nosy social service fucks would do even if she was gone? Chances were they might find another Rukia to put Kon with and he'd be stuck finding him all over again.

What Yammy needed to do was convince Kon to leave with him. Make it look like he ran away. But how was he going to do that? Kon had been brainwashed and wasn't likely to trust him. What he needed was leverage-a way of convincing Kon to come peacefully.

Rukia was an obvious choice, but she had that goon living with her now. No way was Yammy going to mess with that guy. He wasn't made of hulking muscles, but there was something about the way he moved, some kind of confidence that told Yammy he was dangerous. He'd learned to spot men like that in prison and keep his distance. He wasn't about to fuck things up by getting stupid now.

So if he couldn't use Rukia, who could he use? That blond piece of fluff Kon drove to school this morning? It wasn't the first time he'd seen them together. Maybe there was something going on between them.

Hell, maybe Yammy would bring her along with them. He hadn't had a piece of ass that fine in years. He was due.

A plan started forming in Yammy's head, and he laughed at how simple it was. All he really had to do was grab the girl. If Kon cared about her, he'd come along without a fuss. If not, then Yammy still had himself a sweet little things to fuck. It was a win-win situation, just the kind he liked.

AN

That's it for now. Did I forget to mention how freaking happy I am that this story has exceeded 100 reviews. I guess that's my early Birthday present from you guys, huh? Make me even happier and continue to review and who knows, the next update might be a lot quicker. Later!