Author's Soundtrack:
Not Meant for Me by Wayne Static
Connection Achieved by Kid Juggernaut (club music)

Chapter Five

Four more women.

Three days hadn't passed and he had killed, mutilated, and discarded four more women, scattering their brutalized remains about the city. And the media was having a field day. Every hour, on the hour, they were running "Breaking News" reports with new information gathered by some wayward witness who was looking for their five minutes of fame. Specialists were interviewed, analyzing the killer's intentions and motivations. They offered their suggestions to the authorities, who were in a frenzy trying to nail down the madman terrorizing their city.

"Ripper's Scion" is what they were calling him.

This wasn't about fame for him, but he was probably enjoying the attention and the bad light it reflected on the British Council. He was mocking them. Mocking her. This wasn't about feeding and indulging himself in a flagrant disregard for the rules. This was a blatant provocation. And he was doing a very good job at provoking her. When they'd found the second and third bodies, it was clear he hadn't even fed on them. Instead, he had cut them up and let them bleed out.

When they'd found the fourth body - eighth taking into consideration the six women he killed before they finally caught up with him - she finally got the full backing of the Council. Their carefully rebuilt reputation was at risk the longer he continued to evade them. All funds and efforts were to be funnelled into her department, and she was taking full advantage. As soon as they'd given her unfettered access, she had nearly every person in the consulate combing through evidence, witness testimonies, and security footage to help her find some sort of tell or pattern that would either lead them to his next target or help them come up with a plan to draw him out.

Their efforts hadn't been wasted. In hundreds of hours of security footage, they were able to track his movements, evaluate his hunts. The girls he killed didn't look the same. Their skin tones were different, ranging from light to dark. Their hair was of an even larger variety from straight to curly, natural to unnatural in color. But there were commonalities. They were all tall and curvaceous. He would find a target in a nightclub and watch her, stalk her. If she wasn't drunk enough or traveling alone, he abandoned one query for another.

And he favored three nightclubs, hopping around seemingly at random. At first, they weren't sure how they were going to differentiate which club to focus their attention on until a tech had a musical realisation - the same DJ played at all of the clubs he hunted in.

In 24 hours, after the last body had been found, they finally gathered enough information to act. Tonight, that same DJ was playing at Club Nova, and the Council would provide a tempting piece of bait.

Drawing in a deep breath, Rukia exhaled slowly. The full force of the Council was on the streets tonight, her hunters' numbers padded by the addition of Hiyori's security agents. There still weren't enough people for her liking. Despite her confidence Nnoitra would be at Club Nova, she didn't dare risk leaving the other clubs unattended.

She leaned back in her chair and stretched out her stiff muscles. She had been sitting in the surveillance van for nearly three hours, listening to loud, ear-bursting music, and humans screaming their conversations at one another. She felt like her ears were going to bleed. Watching them grind on one another like feral animals in heat through six large monitors wasn't making the situation any better.

Maria, one of the Council's tech genius', managed to hack into the club's security feed, giving them extensive access to every single camera the club had to offer - including an unsavory one in the women's bathroom. When this was over, she might file an anonymous report.

Rukia's eyes flitted from screen to screen until she spotted her agent inside. Sally, one of her human agents who worked for the Council, was dressed to kil,l. Somehow she'd managed to fit herself into a skin-tight, revealing black dress that made her double D's nearly burst out the top. She leaned against the bar and ordered another drink. How she kept everything in place was mind-boggling and impressive.

The DJ scratched a record and turned up the volume. Rukia winced and ripped the headphones off her ears. She glared at them with complete hatred and considered throwing them across the van. How could Nnoitra like this kind of music? Could it even qualify as music? It only ever sounded like cats in heat howling in an auditorium full of drums.

As she contemplated crushing all of the electronics into small unrecognizable bits, the smell of warm soothing green tea filled her nostrils. She glanced down at the thermos Ichigo was holding out for her. Every muscle in his body was wound tight like they were ready to snap, and it wasn't because of his dislike for their current mission. Since their visit to the morgue, Ichigo had been avoiding her, only involving himself when duty demanded it.

He was angry, and understandably so. What she had done was uncalled for. Instead of acting on logic and experience, she reacted purely on fear and instinct. When he'd grabbed her, all she could think about was that moment when the beast had throw her on the bed and the look of hunger in its eyes. The dagger was in her hand before her back hit the wall.

The hurt she had seen when he saw the dagger was like stabbing herself in the heart. He knew, then, that she didn't trust him - not entirely. No, she corrected herself, she didn't trust the beast. But, she thought, wasn't that the same thing? To believe the beast took control was to believe Ichigo was too weak to fight it.

The doubt seeping into to the corners of her mind made her sick to her stomach. As a human, he had stood against an unknown enemy. As a human, he kept stepping into her dark world because he couldn't leave well enough alone. As a human, he chose to throw away everything he knew so he could stay with his sisters and get revenge. As a newborn, he abandoned those sisters to join her in her fight against Aizen. Ichigo Kurosaki had done so much more in one year than she had done in one decade, and she had the audacity to doubt his strength.

For the past couple of days, she tried to figure out how to mend the bridge she torched to the ground, and she still didn't have an answer. She wasn't sure she deserved to find one. When the mission was over, she would take more time to consider how to make amends. Right now, however, she needed to give this mission her full attention.

Giving him a small smile of appreciation, Rukia took the thermos. She ignored the painful sting as he immediately turned his attention back to the monitors, reminding herself it was a deserved slight.

"I still don't like it."

Rukia stared at the tea, trying to figure out which particular "it" he was referring to. How she reacted when she touched him? The mission? The tea?

Since he was glaring at the monitors, she figured he was talking about the mission.

"She'll be fine," she said in a weak attempt to reassure him. She took a sip of the tea. The hot, mild flavor was like heaven. "She's a trained Council agent. Compared to the other victims, her chances of survival, even without us watching her back, are considerably higher. We'll be there to intercept him before he can try to do anything to her."

Assuming he even showed. It was nearly one in the morning and they had yet to spot the one-eyed bastard. Their window of opportunity was closing with every passing minute, and she was beginning to doubt they picked the right club. Maybe he didn't like this DJ after all. She couldn't blame him.

"He's here," Ichigo said suddenly, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

Straightening in her seat, she followed his gaze to one of the monitors. He was difficult to see, his spindly form lurking along the edges of the crowd. The resolution on the camera wasn't great either, making his features difficult to discern, but it was him. And someone had his attention. The way he paced slowly from side to side, his face always pointed in one direction. Was it Sally who captured his attention or someone else? They had prepared for the possibility of him hunting a different target. The risks were higher for everyone, but they could handle it.

Around her neck dangled an earpiece that connected her with her teams. She slipped it into her ear and pressed it to open up the channel.

"All units. Target spotted at Club Nova. East side of the room. Target's intended victim is unconfirmed."

"Should I start to leave?" Sally subtly brushed her hair over her ears, her hand concealing the movement of her lips.

"Negative," Rukia told her. "We don't have confirmation you're his target."

"We should be in there."

Rukia studied Ichigo. He was staring intently at the screen, his hands gripping the edges of the switchboard, turning his knuckles white. Any tighter and he might have snapped it right off its bolts. As much as she understood his concern and anxiety, they couldn't run in there half-cocked. There were too many humans, too many escape routes, too many things that could result in a lot of blood and damage. And they would lose their only living link to Aizen.

"No. We stay put."

Ichigo's head whipped around, his eyes wide with disbelief. "She's in there alone with that monster."

"She's not alone. She's surrounded by hundreds of people. Nnoitra is a lot of things, but he won't kill her in the middle of the club with-"

"We don't even know if he's after her!" He was wild and desperate. He wasn't seeing a professionally trained agent, he was seeing Karin or Yuzu. And there was nothing she could say that would make him feel more comfortable with the plan. He didn't even realize that this kind of thing happened on a daily basis. Somewhere, right this moment, there was a vampire hunting their prey. They would drain their victim and either kill them or leave them for dead. The Council had shielded him from the grim reality that the world was a dangerous place. He thought he knew and understood the dangers of vampires, but he didn't know, not truly.

At least if something happened tonight, whomever Nnoitra attacked had a much better chance of surviving than if it had been any other night.

"We've been over this." She kept her tone calm and even. "We need to wait and see who he might be after. If we go in there now, we won't be able to stop him. We stick with the plan, whether he goes after Sally or someone else. We watch, follow, and intervene before he can cause any harm."

Scowling, he pushed back his chair and threw the doors at the back of the van open, jumping into the wet street. He grabbed his sword from where it sat in the corner and hooked the strap onto his belt.

"Where are you going?" She demanded, trying to keep an eye on him and the monitors. Nnoitra was still standing near the perimeter of the crowd, unmoving as he continued to watch his prey.

"I'm going in there. I'm not going to lose someone else," he told her gruffly and slammed the doors shut.

She cursed. The last thing she needed was Ichigo running off and messing everything up. Best case scenario, they manage to salvage this and walk away with a new potential source of information. Worst case scenario - she didn't want to think about it, and she didn't want Ichigo to live with it.

"Katie," Rukia called to the agent sitting in the driver's seat. The young woman glanced up from her romance novel, intent on tuning out anything unless it was an order. "Keep an eye on the target and let me know if he moves. I'm going to try and stop this from going completely to Hell."

As Katie climbed into the back with an obedient nod, Rukia grabbed her sword and climbed out of the van. She closed the doors and searched for Ichigo. She spotted him hurrying down a side alley leading towards the back door of the club. Wasting no time, she was beside him in a second.

"Ichigo, stop."

When he ignored her and continued walking, she stepped in front of him, forcing him to pull up short. His gaze was like a bright fire, stoked with his anger and disappointment. He could be angry with her later, right now, she needed to make sure this plan succeeded.

"If you go after him in the middle of the club, you're only going to get people hurt or killed."

His laughter was full of bitterness. "I'm not an idiot. I'll draw him out, away from the crowd."

He might not have been an idiot, but he was certainly acting like one at the moment. He was wearing blinders, his emotions blocking out anything else except his desire to save a life. If he didn't stop and see what was around him he would lose a lot more than one person. She needed to expand his focus, see the bigger picture. As he stepped around her, she grabbed his arm firmly and slammed him into the wall of the alley.

His eyes went wide with shock. Clearly, he'd forgotten how strong she was. She stamped down the momentary feeling of smug satisfaction. It wouldn't help her here.

"You have no means of drawing him out. He's not interested in you. But if he sees you, gets a whiff of you, he'll know we've set a trap. That club is full of people. They aren't just protecting Sally, they're protecting him. One wrong move and he won't hesitate to slaughter everyone in the building. It won't just be Sally that's dead."

The defiance flashed across his gaze momentarily and then faded. Relief settled the pounding in her chest. Their relationship was already damaged. It was unlikely he would ever forgive her if she laid him out to stop him. It would be another betrayal.

The door to one of the buildings slammed open, cracking against the wall. Rukia pulled Ichigo into a narrow side alley that cut through the buildings like a channel. She pressed him into the wall, in case he decided to fight her, and clamped her hand over his mouth. Beneath her grip he struggled, but she pinned him with an icy glare.

A drunk couple, a man and a woman, staggered out of the door and stumbled down the stairs that led from the doorway to the alley. They laughed at one another, weaving and wobbling, bumping into each other until they turned a corner.

When they were out of sight, Rukia removed her hand. "I know you have your concerns. We all do. None of us are happy with this plan, but this is our best chance at capturing Nnoitra. I know I haven't done a much to garner your good will or trust recently, but believe me when I say that if I had another way of doing this, one that didn't risk lives, I would take it. Sally is our best bet. She's a trained agent. She might not be as strong as a vampire, but if she gets in a tight spot, she'll be able to handle one for a few minutes and buy time for us to get to her."

The corners of Ichigo's nose curled as he growled his disapproval, but he didn't move against her hold on him. He didn't like it, but he wasn't going to run off again. She loosened her grip.

"I know you don't like putting humans at risk. I tried to avoid it, but we don't have any other options. If I had gone instead-"

Ichigo's head snapped and he gnashed his teeth, his dark amber eyes alight with rage. A small part - tiny - saw the beast in those eyes. It feared it had taken control and that she would have to deal with him. She quickly shut it down. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"That wouldn't make it any easier or better," he growled. His eyes bored into her, and she felt heat gather in the pit of her stomach.

"I've got his attention. I'm initiating the next part of the plan."

Rukia and Ichigo shared a glance before nodding. Arguments could wait for another time.

"Roger, Sally," Rukia whispered, pressing her earpiece. "Katie, keep an eye on the target. Delta Team, get into position."

"Roger."

"Roger."

"Ready?"

For a moment, she thought he was going to ignore her and act on his own. But he nodded and stepped out of the channel. Finding a set of ladders, he scaled them and hopped onto the rooftop above. Rukia made her way to the front of the club, arriving just as Sally was exiting the building. She laughed as she tripped on the front step. The bouncer approached her, asking if she was all right. She giggled and waved him off. When she was steady on her feet, she made her way down the sidewalk.

"Target on the move."

A minute later, Nnoitra stepped outside. Casual, unhurried, he gave the air a quick sniff. Rukia was downwind. He couldn't smell her, but she leaned into the dark shelter of the alley and waited. A pleased smile spread across his face and he headed in the same direction Sally had gone.

"Delta Team in position. Waiting for the signal."

"Following target on ground level," Rukia checked-in. Just as Nnoitra rounded a corner, she began her pursuit. It was slow going, maintaining a safe distance and making sure she remained unseen and undetected, but Nnoitra was easy to track. His scent was a suffocating blend of leather and cigarette smoke.

Sally stumbled her way through a couple of alleys, giggling as she spoke on her phone and tripped on her own feet. Nnoitra was still keeping his distance, leaving Rukia to wonder what he was waiting for. She was completely isolated, the perfect victim.

And then he was gone.

She wasn't sure how she missed the movement, but he was no longer in the alley - and neither was Sally. Somehow he managed to slip her detection and grab Sally. She searched the alley, looking for any sign of them. Their scents mingled and lingered, but she couldn't hear or see them. Ichigo was going to kill her. She reached for her earpiece to alert the others when she felt a presence behind her, looming and deadly.

"I'm rather flattered by the effort you've put into tracking me down," his breath whispered against her ear.

She was quick to put as much distance between them, trying to ignore the unpleasant shivers racing across her skin like an infection. Nnoitra watched her with an amused smile, holding a struggling Sally against his body. Long fingers wrapped around her neck and tightened like individual boney vices. Rukia ordered herself to remain still. Any sudden movement and he would snap her neck. She was fast, but not that fast.

"Great job finding someone who matches my tastes. I hate it when they're too skinny, like walking skeletons." He shivered, grimacing in disgust.

"Let her go, Nnoitra," Rukia commanded with much more authority and control than she felt. Slowly, her hand moved towards the grip of her sword.

"Ah, ah, ah," he chided, squeezing Sally's neck and eliciting a strangled cry. "Touch that sword and I break her neck."

She nearly bit her tongue in her fury but dropped her hand to her side. Her eyes remained trained on Nnoitra, but she desperately wanted to search for Ichigo, find out where he was and what was taking him so long. Something or someone must have gotten in his way to prevent him from stepping in. Did Nnoitra have a partner? It was possible, especially if he was working with Aizen, but Nnoitra didn't strike her as a team player. He liked his privacy and freedom.

Without Ichigo to provide an element of surprise, and the Delta Team waiting for a signal she couldn't send, she was on her own.

"She isn't a part of this."

"Isn't she?" He held up her earpiece and crushed it between his fingers. With a lithe smile, his tongue slipped between his lips and slithered across Sally's cheek. Sally recoiled and tried to break free, but Nnoitra held firm. Raising her foot, she slammed the spike of her heel into the top of his foot. It punctured his shoe and blood began to seep out of the top. He howled and loosened his grip on her. Sally tried to run, but Nnoitra buried his hand in her hair and yanked her head back, exposing her throat.

In the small moment of chaos, Rukia unsheathed her sword and closed the distance between them. Her sword slipped between his face and Sally's neck, nearly taking off the tip of his nose. Nnoitra hurled himself backwards. Rukia brought her sword down across his wrist and cut off his hand, effectively separating him from Sally.

Cursing and snapping like a rabid dog, Nnoitra gripped the bleeding stub of his arm. Using his distraction to her advantage, Rukia pulled Sally to her feet. She flailed, trying to rid herself of Nnoitra's detached appendage, the fingers twisted in the tendrils. When it was free, she threw it down and spat on it.

"Go. Now." Rukia ordered, keeping her attention on Nnoitra. If she was going to deal with him she needed Sally out of the way.

With a nod, Sally ran full sprint towards the end of the alley and out of sight. She would be able to signal the Delta team and draw them to her location. All Rukia had to do was keep him busy. Killing him would be much easier, but she needed him alive.

Nnoitra's cries of anguish finally subsided, leaving behind a monster consumed by grief. The muscles in his face tightened and twisted in ferocious rage as he stared at his missing hand. It would have been the perfect time to attack - or the worst. Some creatures were far more dangerous when unhinged. It was safer to use the opportunity to call for backup. She reached for her earpiece.

"Ichi-"

Not enough time. He was in front of her, his face so close to her's she could only see his eyes. They were filled with madness, uncontrollable fury that nearly numbed her entire body with fear. That would have equaled death, so she moved. She was moving back, evading the grasping fingers of his remaining hand.

"How dare you?! How dare you?!"

He gave her little room to maneuver, putting her on the defensive despite his handicap. His wrath fueled him, propelled him forward blindly like a man possessed. It should have made him an easier target to manipulate and corner, but he wasn't giving her any time to plan, to shift the fight in her favor. Her back hit a wall and she realized he had moved them out into a public street. It was empty except for a line of parked cars, but if she didn't move him back into the alley it was going to be full of people.

His fist crashed against the wall beside her head, showering her with rubble and dust.

"You bitch! I don't give a shit how interested Aizen is in you! You're going to pay for taking my hand!"

She kicked out, striking his wound. It was still healing, the skin slowly closing over exposed muscles, tendons, and veins. He screamed, like an animal being slaughtered, and leaned away from her. She stabbed him, the white blade of her sword sliding into his torso and out the other side. Bracing her feet against the wall, she launched them both back into the alley. He fumbled for his own sword, and before he could draw it, she planted her feet on his chest and pushed herself away from him.

The soles of her shoes slid across the slick surface of the alley, but she drew to a halt. And then he was behind her, his sword tearing the skin from her left hip to her right shoulder. She could feel the teeth that lined the edges, effective for ripping at the flesh. She bit down on the scream that wanted to burst from her. The power and moment of the attack knocked her forward. She rolled, hissing in agony as the fresh injury made contact with wet concrete. She could feel little bits of rock and debris sticking to the bloody gash.

"Shit. Shit!"

When she staggered to her feet, Nnoitra was clutching his head, staring at her like a terrified child. The change was dizzying.

"He's gonna kill me. No, wait. Maybe he won't. I mean, It's a scratch. It'll heal."

"What the hell are you going on about?"

Nnoitra watched her, but it was like he couldn't see or hear her. He was lost in his own thoughts, his own world, and it looked terrifying. It looked like the perfect distraction. Biting back the pain as her wound tore open further, Rukia lunged at Nnoitra. She would cut him, maim him, dismember him until he was nothing but a talking torso. She would make him suffer for what he'd done to those women, what he'd tried to do to Sally.

"What the hell is that?"

He was finally seeing - what, she didn't know. She didn't care. Swiping downward, the tip of her sword sliced across his chest. He stumbled away from her, and then he was groping his chest, searching it for something. Glistening white in the dim streetlight, something spread from the wound, crawling and creeping slowly across his skin like white frosted crystals.

He gasped and stabbed his sword into his flesh. Rukia watched in stunned horror as he dug deep and cut a chunk of skin and meat from his chest, throwing it away from him. It hit the ground and shattered into several pieces, now completely consumed by a mysterious substance. Steam rose off the pieces and they crackled like ice in water.

"What the fuck did you just do?" Nnoitra demanded, glaring at her.

It had something to do with her powers, that was easy enough to figure out. Glancing at her sword, she noticed the blade, guard, and hilt were covered in a thin layer of ice, but her hands weren't cold. They didn't stick to it or hurt. Whatever this power was, it didn't seem to affect her.

Good to know.

"Is that why he wants you?" Nnoitra demanded, staring at her sword with intrigue. Fear was there, slowly creeping into his features like her crawling ice.

Could she control it? Use it to lock Nnoitra in place? She tried to reach for it, like a hand groping in the dark for a light and found nothing but air. It wouldn't come to her, and there was no time to try.

"I won't let him have it."

She managed to get her sword up in time to stop his assault, but she missed the smaller, curved blade sticking out from the sleeve of his shirt. She barely managed to evade the blade, but Nnoitra was ready with his next attack. He struck with fast and hard, each blow against her sword more powerful than the last, jarring her joints and limbs.

And then he was on his back, halfway down the alley.

A tall figure stood in front of her, silhouetted in the light. He held no weapon, but then again, he didn't need it.

"Hands off, cyclops." Her heart stuttered at the familiarity of his voice, and she wondered what he was doing there, but Nnoitra drew her attention as he growled and got to his feet.

"Who the fuck are you?" He studied the interloper with disdain and disappointment. "I expected the ginger brat - not that it matters. If you're one of hers I'll kill you all the same."

"I need him alive, Ashido."

Ashido turned to look at her, surprise and confusion dancing in those steely gray eyes, but she kept her focus on Nnoitra. His barrage of attacks had been broken, but there was no telling what tactics he might use next.

Five more people appeared at the end of each alley and several more stood along the rooftops. Half of them were dressed in the familiar garb of her hunters, the others wearing the uniform of the Japanese hunters. Ashido brought friends.

A cursory glance revealed that Ichigo wasn't among them.

Nnoitra's eyes darted about the alley, his madness abating into something more akin to stoic panic. He was as good as caught.

"Drop your weapons, Nnoitra. You're coming with us." She stepped beside Ashido. The earthy scent of sage mixed with cinnamon washed over her and her heartbeat steadied. It was like she was back in the humid forest of Borneo, cornering her elusive quarry after a long, satisfying hunt. She had forgotten the effect he had on her.

"I'm going to have to decline. Adios, little princess."

Nnoitra turned and attacked the hunters behind him with full force. Even without his hand, he was a difficult man to deal with, and Rukia briefly feared he might manage to escape. Ichigo dropped down from above and hammered the hilt of his sword into Nnoitra's spine. He collapsed in a heap of gangly limbs. Ichigo clapped him in restraints before he could get to his feet, and pressed his sword up to Nnoitra's narrow neck.

Rukia hurried to his side with Ashido right beside her. Ichigo snarled at Ashido, but her concern was for Nnoitra alone. She shoved her hand into his mouth and began searching for a poison capsule. Dr. Collins had her theory about the chip, but she needed to be sure he didn't have any other means of killing himself.

"Bite down and I slit your throat," Ichigo threatened in Nnoitra's ear.

When she was sure he didn't have a capsule, she pulled her hand out and wiped it on her pants. Nnoitra spat and gagged at her intrusion. Not like she was feeling all that great about it.

"Bitch!" He spat again. "You're going to get me killed!"

Rolling her eyes, Rukia turned her attention to Captain Matt Whitt of the Delta Team. He stood just a few feet away, eyeing Nnoitra cautiously. "Captain Whitt-"

"Shit, Rukia!"

Ready to scold Ashido for addressing her so informally in front of her agents, Rukia spun on her heel only to see the shocked and angry visages of both Ashido and Ichigo. The mild ache along the length of her back reminded her of the gnarly wound Nnoitra inflicted. Adrenaline forced the pain to the recesses of her mind, but after the fight it probably looked considerably worse than it felt. But she didn't have time to worry about it. It would heal.

"It's fine. I'll take care of it when we get back to the Consulate." Both men prepared to argue, but she turned her back on them and spoke with the captain. "Captain, I assume Sally has been picked up."

"Yes, ma'am." He opened his mouth to say something else but closed it when she gave him a pointed stare. She appreciated the concern her team had for her, but she had a prisoner she wanted to interrogate.

"Good. Prepare Nnoitra for transportation to the Consulate and call in to have a room prepared."

"You don't get it," Nnoitra continued to gripe, his tone sounding more like a desperate whine. He shifted in Ichigo's grip, rubbing his throat against the sword and drawing blood. "He'll kill me."

"Not if I do it first," Ichigo snarled.

"Why are you so worried about him now?" Rukia questioned. "You didn't seem so concerned about crossing him a few minutes ago."

"This and that are different," he defended weakly. "Killing you he might forgive, but he won't let you question me. He'll -"

His eye widened for a moment, then rolled into the back of his head. He fell forward, going limp in Ichigo's grasp. Ichigo dropped him unceremoniously and pointed the tip of his sword at the back of his neck. Rukia listened intently for his heartbeat and found it was silent. When his body began to convulse, they stepped back and watched as Nnoitra's skin began to loosen, his body consuming itself much like the others had.

"Shit!" Raking her fingers through her hair, she bit back the hiss of pain as her movement pulled at her wound. Clamping her teeth in frustration, she tried to think of her next steps. They would want to look at the body, look at the chip. She could send them off to a tech from Shinji's list. The body would have to go to the Consulate, but she trusted Dr. Bell to be discrete.

"Captain," Rukia called out, "alert Dr. Bell that we have a body for her to examine."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Rukia."

She ignored Ashido and turned to Ichigo. "What happened?" She tried to keep her voice even. Without a doubt, Ichigo's delay wasn't his own doing. Given his concern for Sally and the danger Nnoitra presented, he would have cut off his right arm to make sure he was there on time. Something delayed him, and she was fairly certain that something was named Ashido.

Ichigo shot a withering glare towards Ashido, confirming her suspicions. Ashido quirked a handsome smile and combed his fingers through his disheveled burgundy hair. Another wave of nostalgia washed over her. She was quick to tamp it down and remember that it was his fault her back felt like it was on fire.

"Explain."

He winced at her tone, as if she'd slapped him in the face, but he was quick to mask the discomfort. He'd always been rather good at that.

"My team and I were headed towards the Consulate when we spotted suspicious activity."

"By 'suspicious' he means me tracking you and Nnoitra," Ichigo spat, now standing beside her. Agents had already gathered up Nnoitra's body and were putting him into the back of a vehicle parked in the alley. "This asshole and his crew blindsided me. They probably would have tried to hog tie me if Whitt hadn't shown up."

"I apologize. I picked up Rukia's scent and thought you were targeting her. It was an honest mistake. If it makes you feel better, you were doing a very good job of holding your own." Ashido gave him a smug smile. Ichigo didn't look impressed.

"The thought of asking me what I was doing didn't occur to you at all?"

Ashido turned away from him and spoke to Rukia directly. "You should get that looked at."

"Don't try to pull that deflection shit with me, Kano," Rukia warned him, using his last name against him like a slap to the wrist. "I haven't heard of the Japanese Council sending a delegation."

"Our arrival was supposed to be confidential."

"Not from me," she informed him. "As director of Hunter Operations, I am to be informed of all foreign visitors. So why wasn't I informed of you?"

"I," Ashido began hesitantly, "can't tell you."

Rukia narrowed her eyes and stepped up to Ashido. She wasn't sure exactly what she would say or do to him. The ideas ranged from flaying him and leaving the pieces in the alley to smacking him upside the head. The sound of metal sliding against metal surrounded them, interrupting her before she could act. Ashido's team was prepared to defend their leader, even when they were deep in foreign territory. Her own agents didn't draw their weapons, but they were ready to act if necessary.

"Agent Kano," she said cooly, "why don't you explain to your agents just how dangerous it is to threaten to attack a Councilor on foreign soil?"

A bemused smile spread across his lips. "Stand down."

Obediently, his men sheathed their weapons. Her agents relaxed but continued to watch the foreigners as they worked. It was best she take a more professional route and avoid maiming or hugging him. She wasn't entirely sure Ichigo would tolerate such affection after his experience. She also wasn't sure her back was up for it either. The fire had spread, leaving her to wonder if Nnoitra had spiked his sword with a different kind of toxin.

"Captain Whitt, please procure a vehicle to escort our friends to the Consulate." The Captain confirmed her order and called another vehicle to their location.

Ashido frowned, seemingly displeased with her official tone. She gave him no opportunity to ask, motioning for him to follow after the Captain. He sent her a questioning glance but ordered his men to follow him.

"I'm sorry."

Rukia glanced up at Ichigo with confusion.

"For?"

"Not listening to you at the club. Getting held up. Not being here when that douche bag attacked. Not having your back," he cringed at his poor choice of words. "Pick a reason."

"Is it that bad?"

"Remember how mine looked?"

It was difficult to forget the vicious tear across his abs, the exposed muscle and blood. "Yes."

"This is worse."

It was her turn to cringe, grateful she couldn't see it. She could feel it, that was certain. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she was finding it more difficult to move without eliciting a riot of pain. "I'll have Dr. Bell take a look at it. It should have healed by now, but I think he used a poison again, maybe one more potent than the last."

"I know we lost a lead, but I'm glad he's dead," Ichigo told her, taking her arm and guiding her towards one of the vehicles. Normally, she would have pulled away, finding the gesture condescending, but after tonight, after their fight, she was grateful he was even willing to speak to her.

"I want you to know," she said, slowing their walk to a stop, lowering her tone so it was more difficult for the others to hear her. "I was worried for Sally just as much as you were. I don't put people under my charge in danger for kicks. I know I crossed a line, made it difficult for you to believe me. Hell, I pretty much destroyed it. My reasons will never be good enough, but it made me realize that if we're going to get through this - all of this - then we need to be able to trust one another. If we can't do that, then we're never going to reach Aizen and deal with him. He'll see that weakness and manipulate it."

"Rukia-"

She couldn't make out the emotions in his eyes. There were simply too many; anger, sadness, disappointment, regret, all culminating in a convoluted color of dark honey. She didn't want to hear his rejection right now. She wanted to get the words out that she had been meaning to say since that day in the morgue.

"I know it's not an easy thing to forgive, after everything we've been through. I don't expect your forgiveness or trust to be so easily earned back, but I want you to know that I'm being sincere."

He was silent as he studied her, evaluating her. She wanted to tell him to take his time, but after Nnoitra's mysterious and sudden death, she wasn't entirely sure they had any more time to spare. Nnoitra had been convinced Aizen would kill him, and he'd been right. From another country, another location across the world, Aizen had known Nnoitra had been captured and had dealt with him accordingly.

"Do you?"

Ichigo's words pulled her from her thoughts. "Do I what?"

"Trust me?"

There was a flicker of hope and hesitance in his eyes. His muscles were tense with apprehension. He was just as afraid of her words as she was of his. It hurt that he had to ask, but she'd given him no reason to believe she did. If she was truly honest with herself, she hadn't trusted him. She hadn't trusted him to take control of his own life and prove to the beast he could be strong. Behind his back, she threatened the beast to buy him more time. Instead of trusting him with the truth, she doubted his ability and planned to prepare him without his knowledge.

He had never given her any real reason to doubt. Since they had met, Ichigo had only continued to surprise her. Every corner they turned, new revelation, Ichigo adapted and found a way to survive and move on. He had been a confused and curious human when she found him. Now, he was her guard and partner, helping her hunt down a treacherous criminal who ruined their lives. If there was any room for doubt, it was with her. If things were going to change, it was going to have to start with her.

Holding her head up with determination, Rukia gave Ichigo a soft smile.

"With my life."

Author's Notes: A little bit of action, violence, and the addition of another familiar face! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was a little longer than most of my other chapters, but I still enjoyed writing it. Please R&R and let me know your thought.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but I added book covers to this story and For Blood. They aren't great - I'm pretty sure I actually hate them and might take them down. I did have a couple I wanted to use that I found on Pinterest, but I couldn't find the source to determine if I had the right to use them. Definitely a bummer.

Thanks to those who followed and favorited! A special thanks to the guests, BigNickDiggers, lightdesired, and yocel who left comments - I've been really pleased with a lot of your questions and insights as you read the story. I would love to answer them and discuss them, but I don't want to give anything away. I hope you all keep enjoying the story!