Thanks to meladi1, DaughteroftheMafia, Black Bankai, racesa36, and Taylor Devline for reviewing on the last chapter! Love to you all.

"In films murders are always very clean. I show how difficult it is and what a messy thing it is to kill a man."

- Alfred Hitchcock

"Ichigo!"

The ebony blade descended on its targets in a blur almost too fast to see. Ichigo's opponents were able to jump in opposite directions to avoid the deadly strike, allowing the sword to crash into the sand unhindered. A thick cloud rose into the stagnant air, concealing Ichigo in the thick veil. It took only a few tense seconds for him to burst from the covering and aim his attention at Rukia.

Claws outstretched, Ichigo slashed at Rukia while cackling madly with glee. His lips stretched in an unnatural grin even as his strikes were consistently blocked. A particularly strong strike knocked her slightly off balance, allowing him to catch her off guard with a roundhouse kick to the ribs. She landed hard on the ground, breath knocked from her lungs as her opponent loomed over her.

"Hoeru, Zabimaru!" Renji's call could barely be heard above the persisting laughter. The clang of clashing steel soon followed as the substitute's and lieutenant's swords met with a rain of sparks.

With blades locked, each struggled to gain the upper hand against the other. They were close enough to each other for Renji to get a clear view of Ichigo's blood-stained features. The smile splitting his face twitched at the edges, cracking the dried blood remaining on his face. As Renji looked into his hollowfied eyes, he saw only emptiness encasing the unreflective golden spheres that normally held so much life.

Renji shifted his weight and was able to slide his segmented zanpakuto under Ichigo's, slashing at his exposed abdomen. The tip nearly grazed his skin, but the teen managed to execute a quick sonido to evade the attack. He landed behind Renji already in motion to attack, but the static sound that accompanied every sonido had alerted the lieutenant of his position. He twisted around to parry the strike and block the next. The two jumped back from each other, preparing their next attacks.

A wave of freezing air and snow rapidly cascaded towards Ichigo, approaching quickly from behind so that he had no time to react. The wall of white washed over him, cutting off the growl that had begun to form in his throat. As the white cloud dissipated, Ichigo's frozen form was revealed surrounded by feet of thick, jagged ice.

The Shinigami breathed in relief at the sight, panting from their quick brawl. They starred apprehensively at the frozen figure of their friend. It was off-putting to see him stuck in a state of such monstrosity and anger; twisted and wrong.

A loud crack pierced the otherwise silent air with many more quickly succeeding it. Both soldiers flinched back at the sharp noises, instinctively dropping into battle-ready stances. Seconds later, the ice completely shattered and exploded outwards. Its former prisoner let out a feral growl as he shook his body free of the larger chunks of ice still clinging to his skin. The grin that constantly adorned his face had disappeared, leaving his features to contort into a fierce snarl. The gray markings on his exposed chest began to noticeably darken, continuing their crawl across his torso like snakes.

Black reiatsu seeped from his body as he raised his sword. A heartbeat later and he was in the air above the Shinigami, a getsuga coating his blade's edge. The attack was released the next second without a word, crashing into the bleached sand at their feet.

Rukia and Renji narrowly dodged the attack, managing to jump out of the way before the deadly energy struck. However, they found that there was nothing for them to land on as they descended. All that remained of where they previously stood was empty air.

They hastily worked to solidify reiatsu beneath their feet in their fall, but neither noticed when a second silent getsuga was thrown towards them through the dust. The attack slammed into them, forcing the two further into the hole below. They were dragged down to the bottom, their bodies crashing into the hard ground.

Ichigo stood stoically in the air above the opening they fell through. His face was schooled blank, head tilted down for menacing shadows to wrap across his contours. He watched silently as his prey hastily tried regained their bearings, picking themselves up from where they landed. They quickly took in their surroundings, coming to the realization of where they were forcefully thrown.

The Forest of Menos.

Enormous crystallized trees towered above them, stretching their lengths into the ceiling of hardened sand shrouding the expansive forest. Surrounding them was empty blackness that extended endlessly on all sides. The sounds of hollows howling echoed in the distance, creating a ghoulish symphony of noise.

Ichigo launched himself from his invisible perch and sped down towards his opponents. He used nearby branches to propel himself faster, destroying each in a shattering burst of splinters and dust. Within seconds he reached the ground, sending a small tremor through the earth when he landed. Both Shinigami had regained their footing and managed to jump out of the way in time. They separated and took to the safety of the trees to hide from the substitute.

Rukia's breath was quiet and steady from behind one of the giant trunks. Her sword was grasped firmly in both hands and held in front of her at the ready. Although her eyes were fixed on the eternal black void in front of her, her focus was directed at the writhing mass of Ichigo's twisted reiatsu. At the moment, she could tell that he was in the same spot as when he first landed. Waiting; unmoving.

Then he was right behind her.

Rukia managed to swiftly duck as a fist coated in red and black burst through the trunk of the tree centimeters away from the space her head had been. She quickly rolled to her feet, orienting herself to face where the attack had come from with zanpakuto at the ready. The fist retracted and in a blur of motion Ichigo came speeding around the trunk. The sadistic - wrong so wrong - smile was once again unnaturally pulled across his lips as black and white blades danced.

Blow after blow rained down upon Rukia as she struggled to keep from being skewered. Each strike had immense amounts of strength that she strained to block. The hilt of her sword was nearly ripped out of her hands more than once due to the force of the blows.

Deflecting another strike that wrenched painfully at her shoulder, Rukia saw her opening and raised her hand towards Ichigo. Blue fire gathered in her opened palm and blasted towards him, engulfing his body in the azure flames. He stepped back a few paces from surprise, allowing Rukia to use this opportunity to hastily shunpo to a nearby branch for some much needed distance.

The moment she landed, Renji flashed onto the scene and immediately engaged Ichigo. With flames still licking his skin, Ichigo eagerly met Renji's strikes. Each fought with vigor, Renji to protect and Ichigo for entertainment. With Ichigo's enhanced strength and speed, Renji was easily being overpowered. Ichigo also seemed to be getting stronger with each passing moment, proving to be more difficult of an opponent than when they first crossed swords in the beginning of the fight.

With a whip of air, Rukia came swinging at Ichigo's side when he locked blades again with Renji. Her sword was stopped before it met flesh as one of Ichigo's hands shot out and grabbed the blade, not reacting when the edge bit into his palm. Both Shinigami let shock leak into their features while Ichigo smirked in response. His skin, now nearly completely alabaster white, barely contrasted with the ice slowly crawling up his hand and arm.

In one swift motion, Ichigo kicked Renji in the abdomen, causing him to crash into a crystallized trunk. His body crumpled against the fractured stone and landed heavily on a large branch.

Turning back to his other prey, the hollow gave a harsh yank on her sword to bring her closer. His own weapon moved in a sudden blur of onyx and embedded itself in her shoulder. Crimson gleamed on the metal and ran in steady rivets down Rukia's back, slowly soaking into her torn uniform.

Rukia yelled from the searing pain and desperately clawed at the zanpakuto where it met with her maimed flesh. She tugged at the weapon, but it did not budge from its position. Its wielder decided to slowly twist the blade, ripping the delicate strands of muscle and crunching bone.

Rukia could not suppress the strangled scream that worked its way from her throat. Her hand continued to claw at Ichigo's weapon mangling her shoulder with renewed vigor. Her other hand was still stubbornly clinging to her own sword's hilt, unwilling to let go of her only means of defense even if it was currently useless in the teen's grip. As Ichigo stopped twisting his weapon, Rukia was able to crack her eyes open – she had she closed them? - and looked at the blood-stained face of her friend. He cackled lightly at her pained expression.

"Kill," he began to mutter again with a light flutter of giggles, "Kill. Kill. Kill!" Ichigo began to slowly, meticulously pull his blade out of his victim's shoulder, savoring the agony he was causing her. His sword was nearly completely removed when Rukia made her move.

She quickly thrusted her free hand, previously clawing at his blade, out until it pressed against the substitute's bare, marked chest. "Hado thirty-three, Sokatsui!" she strongly commanded. Instantly, blue lightning erupted from her hand, arching through Ichigo's form in glowing, jagged bolts. Rukia then brought her feet up and kicked Ichigo in the chest, forcing his seizing form back. His sword fell with his smoldering body and was torn from Rukia's shoulder. She grunted from the force, but managed a small backflip from her momentum before steadying herself in the air, watching Ichigo's convulsing body limply fall to the forest floor.

Before he hit the ground, he vanished with a resounding boom and reappeared standing on the sand. The extensive burn he had received from her attack was already rapidly healing. Muscles reformed and scorched, blackened skin healed with a piercing hiss. Within seconds he had healed completely without a mark from his wounds.

After witnessing this miraculous act, Rukia hastily shunpoed to her injured comrade. Renji had managed to shakily get to his feet with one hand tenderly pressed to his side.

"He's got one hell of a kick," Renji wheezed, "Broke a few of my ribs." His breath hitched and he started to cough harshly, a small stream of blood dribbling from his lips. "It feels like something got punctured."

Rukia kept her attention almost solely focused on Ichigo. He starred right back at her, unmoving and unnaturally still. "He got me pretty good too," Rukia softly spoke. Her hand firmly pressed down on her wound, attempting to stem the flow of blood. Her sword shook in her grip as her entire arm trembled from the pain. "It's going to be difficult to use this arm now," she ground out with a wince.

Ichigo was becoming impatient. He had given his prey more than enough time to deliberate and plan so that his hunt would be more fun. But they were taking too long for his liking. The hunger was angrily boiling inside him, demanding to be sated. It had started near the beginning of the fight, steadily increasing as the battle – if it could be called that – progressed. But at the moment he was enjoying playing with his food; tormenting them; watching them squirm; giving them the glimmer of hope that they could win. It was pathetic.

Something was pushing at the back of his mind. He was able to ignore it when it appeared during the beginning of the fight and continue with his fun uninterrupted. But it was steadily getting stronger; more painful to the point where it felt like his head would split open from the intense pressure. He raised a shaky hand to his face when his vision suddenly swam in dizzying swirls. Then the pain spiked.

The warriors snapped their full attention to Ichigo when he unexpectedly hunched over himself with a sharp cry. A white substance oozed from his mouth and one of his eyes, seeping across his face and forming the shape of a mask as it hardened rapidly. He clawed frantically at the forming mask even as it continued to grow even with his struggles. A full bull-like horn formed on the left side of his head paired with a dark red stripe traveling down the side of his face. When the mask had molded itself roughly halfway around his head, his arms fell to his sides with his head bowed low to his chest.

Abruptly, sharp barks of laughter erupted from his mouth, the corners curving up in a horrifying grin. He whipped his head up to look at the two Shinigami watching him tensely. His eyes held a crazed glint that sent sharp chills down their backs.

"Yer both so fuckin' pathetic!" Ichigo yelled, his voice warbled and doubled over itself to make a strange echo. "Are ya really so weak that ya can't even put up a half-assed fight with him?" Another series of cackles bubbled across his lips. "He was just playin' with ya too, and he still beat the shit outa ya easily."

Renji and Rukia looked down at their friend in confusion. They continued to hold their defensive position in case Ichigo attacked unexpectedly.

Renji slowly leaned towards Rukia. "Why is he acting so different?" he quietly questioned, only loud enough for her to hear. Rukia shook her head mutely, eyes never straying from Ichigo's form.

"Yer just like the pathetic excuse I have had to call King,"he spat out the word with a sneer, "Weak an' useless an' practically askin' ta be takin' down from yer false high standing." He pointed his black sword at them, still coated in Rukia's shimmering blood. "When I kill ya both, it'll be the final straw I need to break my horse fer good." He finalized the statement with a series of hysteric giggles.

"That's his hollow in control right now," Rukia whispered, "I can't sense Ichigo's reiatsu at all anymore." She had previously been able to feel traces of it, albeit twisted and wrong. Now there was nothing resembling what it used to be. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped her zanpakuto tighter in anger.

Rukia took a confident step forward, nearly teetering on the edge of the narrow branch. "Why?" she questioned.

The hollow's face scrunched up in confusion, "Huh? What are you yappin' about?"

Rukia ground her teeth in anger. "I said, why? Why are you so insistent on taking control and torturing Ichigo like this?"

"That's a stupid question," the hollow stated. Rukia seethed.

"Enlighten us then."

"Is it really so hard ta figure out? I'm a hollow. End of story." He rested his sword lazily on his shoulder and placed a hand on his cocked hip. "I'm a creature born of instinct an' hate. I refuse to be ruled by someone that is far weaker than me. It's like a lion servin' a mouse. It makes no sense. That's why I'm overthrowing my weak King, but I ain't gonna let him off so easy. He needs ta be punished."

"That's it? That's your justified reason? Revenge. Pitiful revenge?!" Rukia hissed. "How dare you." She shunpoed in an instance to the space directly in front of the hollow. "Just give Ichigo back to us!"

A wave of ice and snow erupted from her bleached blade and cascaded towards the hollow. He flashed a sharp grin and released a small, potent getsuga that collided with the oncoming ice. His attack quickly overpowered her weaker one, causing a miniature explosion to stir the sand and push Rukia back from the force. She was thrown off her feet, rolling on her side until her back slammed into a solid trunk.

"Take this, you bastard!" Renji roared as his blade crashed into the hollow's side. He was knocked back a few feet from the blow before he sonidoed to stand directly in front of Renji without a mark. Moving faster than Renji could follow, the hollow grabbed the lieutenant's face in his hand. He threw him headfirst in the sand, creating an indent in the ground. Renji choked out a gasp as the air escaped his lungs. Specks of blood flew from his gaping mouth as he desperately tried to bring air back into his shocked lungs.

"Renji!" Rukia cried out. She hastily scrambled to her feet and ran back towards the pale monster. She had to abruptly halt in her tracks when the hollow pointed his blade at her, dripping in concentrated black reiatsu.

"I can't believe that this is all the fight you two can manage," he lazily drawled. He placed one of his clawed feet on Renji's chest and pressed down. This earned a pained cry from his victim as his broken ribs violently protested the abuse as audible cracks sounded from his mangled rib cage. The hollow placed his other foot on top of Renji's wrist, preventing him from using his sword. "Really though, it's a surprise that you've both survived fer this long." He cackled again as he pushed down harder on his chest.

"Oh well," he nonchalantly shrugged, "At least ya gave me a little fun while ya lasted." He pointed his hand at Rukia and bright red reiatsu began to gather in a swirling sphere near the tips of his fingers.

Rukia, having recognized the attack, prepared to dodge for when the deadly cero was released. She would not be able to block such a powerful attack in her current weakened state.

His smile twitched and suddenly fell, adapting an expression of shock. The hilt of his sword smashed into the masked side of his face, cracking the porcelain material. Thin lines spidered away from the impact site as small pieces of the white bone mask fell. The pale skin beneath was exposed with the majority of the mask stubbornly clinging to the youth's face. The chaotic orb of energy in his grip slowly faded until it completely dissipated into nothing.

He stumbled back with staggering steps, releasing his captive under his feet. Both hands flew to his head and began to frantically claw at the jagged sides and cracks, desperate to find purchase. He doubled over, tremors wracking his body as he yelled in anger and pain.

Rukia shuffled nervously on her feet, concerned but wary of the beast that had taken possession of Ichigo's body. Renji rolled to his hands and knees, breathing short and clipped, before rising to his feet unsteadily and standing by Rukia's side.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked softly. She tried to move closer to his shuddering form, but a firm hand on her uninjured shoulder stopped her. She looked back and locked eyes with Renji.

"Rukia," he said, "You can't. He's still not himself. We don't know what his hollow might be planning or if it's even him right now."

She placed her hand on his, wincing as the motion pulled at her wound. Her eyes were stern and unmoving, but held a softness of understanding. "That's still Ichigo in there. Just let me try. He's fighting and this may be the only chance we get to talk to him and help him beat this." She stepped away, Renji's hand falling off her shoulder, and moved towards Ichigo with an unwavering stride.

"Ichi-" she cut off as the tip of the black sword nearly sliced through her neck. She barely avoided having her throat torn open as the tip grazed her skin, leaving a thin trail of blood streaming down to her collarbone.

Renji was instantly by her side, defending against Ichigo and each sloppy slash he made. His attacks were uncoordinated and haphazard, but held just as much power as before. He continued to hold on to the side of his face with his expression a mix between hysteria and agony.

Rukia quickly rejoined the fray. Swords met in a dancing blur, sparks leaping off their blades into the reiatsu saturated air. "Fight him Ichigo!" the stubborn lieutenant chastised as the teen stumbled back with a distressful cry. Even with him being so unfocused on his opponents, they could not land a single blow.

Ichigo continued to blindly lash out at his comrades before he abruptly stopped dead in his attack. His already powerful reiatsu spiked to an absurd level, catching the Shinigami off guard as they froze in their tracks. The substitute leaned back, gripping his head in a strong vice and screamed. His voice warbled and twisted, sounding more similar to a howl from a tortured animal. He staggered backwards before hunching over, breathing harsh and labored.

He appeared beside Renji before either he or Rukia could react, both still heavily weighed down by Ichigo's reiatsu. Renji brought his weapon up just in time to deflect Ichigo's strike from cutting him in half. The force behind the attack was enough to push him entirely off his feet, sending him flying through the air. Ichigo turned his attention to Rukia and raised his sword to strike. She was better prepared for the attack and managed to brace herself when his blade met hers. She visibly struggled against his ebony sword, muscles trembling with the strain. He slowly inched closer, orange locks falling over his shoulders to frame his demonically bloodied features, stopping inches away from her petrified face.

"Plea...se," he pleaded, voice cracking with a soft echo, "K-kill me."

Fear ran cold through her veins as Rukia's mind tried to process his words. Her grip d slackened just enough for Ichigo to push her blade down. His hand shot out and wrapped around her neck, immediately cutting off her airflow as his fingers pressed tightly into her trachea. Her feet merely grazed the ground as he began to lift her up higher and higher. His eyes were filled with desperation and terror as Rukia's struggles slowly died.

His head suddenly snapped to the side right before the head of a giant bone-like snake crashed into him. He released Rukia's abused throat and her body limply fell on the ground. On her hands and knees she choked and gasped for breath, fingers massaging her tender neck. Once she could breathe normally, she turned towards the fight to see Renji garbed in his bankai attire with his weapon coiling around his body. She had not even heard when he had shifted to that state in her oxygen-deprived haze.

Ichigo's words echoed in her head and she felt anger bubble in her chest, hot and heavy. How dare that hollow reduce him to such a shell of himself to drive him to ask for such measures. She picked herself off the sandy floor, fists clenched and knuckles paling to white.

Renji continued to try to hold Ichigo back, which was proving to be exceedingly difficult as his attacks became increasingly unpredictable and his strength kept rising steadily. Ichigo easily deflected another attack from the snake-like bankai and directed a potent getsuga at the weapon's head. The attack crashed into its side and it slammed into a tree.

"Kill me," Ichigo begged, "Kill me, please!" His cries were getting more desperate than they were before. He could feel the aching void in his stomach demanding to be stated with more ferocity. His hollow was pounding against the feeble barrier he had managed to throw up after regaining some semblance of awareness. But he was so close to breaking through and taking control again. His hollow's haunting laughter echoing in the forefront of his mind proved how much enjoyment he was getting by watching him struggle.

He did not want to keep fighting and grappling for control of his own body and mind. He did not want to kill his friends and feed on their lifeless corpses to only temporarily quell his insatiable instincts. He just wanted it all to end.

"No!" Renji yelled in protest to his pleas, "We will not kill you Ichigo!" He grunted as his bankai was easily swat aside. The momentum yanked on his hand grasping the hilt, tearing painfully at his shoulder.

"There has to be another way!" Rukia insisted, "Just let us help you!"

"Please!" Ichigo begged, eyes wide and filled with terror.

"No!" they both repeated with finality.

As the fight continued, it became obvious who had the upper hand. Both soldiers struggled to keep up. With the ever increasing attacks of their friend, it was becoming harder to deflect each blow. The pleas continued to tumble from Ichigo's mouth without any change.

Dodging large shards of ice, Ichigo turned towards Renji's looming bankai as it charged a ball of dark red energy in its open maw. Renji commanded the attack moments before his weapon released the blast with a mighty roar.

Ichigo rounded his back and lowered his head with a choppy growl. His horns, now both fully formed, pointed towards the fast-approaching attack. A small cero rapidly gathered between his horns and released in a similar manner to the oncoming blast.

Red met red and a burst of sound tore through the air. One attack overpowered the other and rocketed towards the beastly weapon. It met its target and in a deafening explosion and destroyed its bony body. Thin splinters rained down in spirals that peppered the sand in a thin blanket.

Renji was left stunned and weaponless, unable to defend himself. Ichigo launched himself through the air at a dizzying speed towards his victim with his arm cocked back, red energy coating his closed fist. Not having any time to dodge, the lieutenant was only able to bring his arms up in a feeble attempt of a shield.

The bala met its mark with a sharp crack of bone. Renji's body was sent careening in a downward arch, hitting a hardened trunk. His eyes rolled back in his head before he fell to the ground. He laid there in a heap; unmoving. Blood seeped from his mouth and a wound somewhere on his head hidden by his hair, forming a small puddle on the sand.

Ichigo slowly turned his gaze to the startled noble. His body language was entirely predatorial, but his eyes revealed his panic and fear. He took controlled, meticulous steps through the air towards her, black reiatsu seeping from his form and a growl rumbling in his chest. None of his actions were under his control anymore. His hollow had taken all of that from him. He could not even plead for the release of death, but only watch as he fought to kill friends.

Rukia backpedaled as she racked her mind to somehow stop Ichigo, but could not think of anything. Her previous attempts at attacking did not have any effect, which left her with no options. And now that Renji had been taken out of the fight, it left her chances of finding some way out of this situation dwindling by the second.

She landed lightly on a branch as Ichigo stalked forward, his feet hovering above the petrified bark. Rukia continued to back up with her sword held defensively in front of her. She flinched when her shoulders bumped against the trunk and glanced to her sides. Two large branches sprouted from each side, both wider than she was tall. A quick look above resulted in another broad branch, jamming her in a corner.

She was trapped.

Ichigo's haunting growl sent a chill through her blood. His limbs had begun to twitch sporadically; body moving discorrdinately as Ichigo continued forwards. He desperately kept trying to fight for his mind. He clawed for the control that was always out of his reach while his body moved and jerked against his will.

He pounced. Clawed hands stretched out ready to pierce and maim her soft flesh. His forgotten sword was still held tightly in his grip, forgotten and practically useless to him now.

Rukia panicked.

The sound of ripping flesh filled the air. Rukia's eyes widened, starring ahead sightlessly. She could not – would not this could not be real – comprehend what she was seeing. Ichigo's shaking claws were only a few inches from her throat. His face was frozen, no emotion present; blank. Embedded in his chest through his heart was her white blade, frosting the wound with a thin sheet of ice. The pristine metal was rapidly stained crimson as blood streamed from the gash, tainting it. It ran down to the hilt of the sword and steadily dripped onto her stiff hands.

Ichigo's pale body tipped to the side. The action added enough pressure to let the blade tear further through his chest, sliding between his ribs with little resistance. It tore from his side with a splatter of gore that added a bright splash of red to the dull tree.

Ichigo fell from the branch and landed on the ground with a dull thud. Rukia watched blankly, mouth agape and gasping for words. Images of Kaien flashed before her eyes; his lifeless corpse impaled on her sword nearly identical to how she attacked Ichigo.

It was all happening again. One of her most trusted friends and allies was dying by her hand.

She blinked away her haze and scrambled from the branch in a fit of flailing limbs, rushing down to where his body fell with a desperate shunpo. Dropping to her knees, Rukia delicately grasped his hand, making it shake with her own. He laid on his stomach, golden eyes fading to his original soft brown. The menacing mask crumpled away, dissipating into the air in large clumps. The gaping wound poured blood, greedily dunk by the parched sand. His breath was short and shallow, chest wheezing in small gulps of air with extreme difficulty.

Rukia gazed into his clouded eyes and was surprised to see Ichigo smiling softly back at her. It was not the sadistic, deranged smile that he had worn while fighting, but one that was Ichigo; full of compassion and understanding. There was no hint of hate or insanity or pain. Just pure happiness.

Gripping his limp hand tighter, Rukia starred back into his captivating eyes. "No, no, no, no," the words tumbled out of her mouth like a skipping record, "You can't do this to me Ichigo. You can't." Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill with every blink. "Don't you dare die on me."

She shook her head, hair whipping across her face, "No, no, you can't leave us behind. You can't leave your family behind. What about Karin and Yuzu? They need their big brother. You need to be there for them. Watch them grow up. Take care of them."

The hand in her grasp lightly squeezed her fingers, halting her rambles. She refocused on his face and saw the tears streaming down his pale cheeks. He sucked in a sharp, gurgling breath and whispered in a hoarse, barely audible voice, "Thank you." His eyes slowly slipped shut. One last rasping exhale from his lungs and his chest stilled.

Rukia's tears spilled down her face. She shuffled closer to his body, wrapping her arms around his blood-soaked form. She cradled his body close and buried her head in his matted orange hair. She silently sobbed while she clung to her friend's cold, dead corpse.

End.

A/N: The reason that Ichigo died from an attack to the heart was because it was a vital organ that his regenerating powers could not heal. My theory is that since he's technically not fully a hollow at this time, his hollow powers will not fully be in affect (i.e. can heal smaller scale cuts and abrasions, not vital damage to organs). I say this because I've had some questions about it and I just wanted to clear it up.

This has been a wild ride. This last chapter has taken me over a year to write, as I'm sure all that have followed this story know. Apologies for that.

All your feedback in the past is literally what got me through this story and actually finishing it. So thanks to everyone who reviewed and gave me inspiration.

Finally, please leave a comment to tell me what you think! I hope to see some of you in my next stories.

- Shiro