"That was pretty amazing Kuchiki-san!" Urahara complimented.

    Rukia responded with panting and resting her hands on her knees letting her katana fall to the ground. A sheet of sweat was plastered on her face.

    "Hey, c'mon!" Ichigo said as he walked over to her. "Just shake it off, shake it--"

    "Yes, because... doing that is... so casual." She paused to inhale and exhale during her sentences.

    "Tsk, I was joking around!" Rukia gave a single chuckle in reply. Ichigo bent down to pick up Rukia's zanpakuto, only to drop it the instant he barley lifted it. "What the--!"

    "What's wrong?" I feel sick...

    "It's cold! I was confused on whether it was burning hot or freezing for a second...and you're holding that like it's nothing!? How are you sweating if you can hold that and not feel that cold?"

    Rukia took the sword, still uneasy; breathing was a bit simpler now. She held it in her right hand for a while feeling nothing, and then tossed it from hand to hand a couple times. "It doesn't feel cold at all...and how, should I, know?" In the backround, Urahara showed a tad of interest in the subject.

    "Oh yes, we did see the Menos' wound freeze up. Could it be that you're using the zanpakuto's power already?" He said. "Well this is very interesting!"

    "Huh? Zanpakuto have...power? I... thought it was just a sword..." Her heartbeat began to increase. My knees won't stop shaking.

    "Why else would you freeze the wound like that?" Ichigo stated.

    "I... I don't know..." she replied quietly. Not that she felt stupid from not knowing the answer (Ichigo had quite the tone in his voice), but she just couldn't raise her voice any higher... I can't feel my legs...

    "Do you mean to tell me that you haven't told her about zanpakuto ablilties, Kurosaki-san?"

    "Well...I never got to it. I mean, it would be kinda impossible for someone in her situation to awaken--" There was a soft thud behind him.

    Rukia had fallen to her knees. Her panting became more frantic, her eyes were shut so tight that they felt like her eyelids would rip apart. Everything was fuzzy, she could only hear the blood rushing through her ears, and the floor was shifting from side to side. What just happened...? It had happened within a few seconds.

    "Wwwoah there!" Urahara sang as he suddenly appeared next to the half conscious girl to keep her from falling.

    "Rukia?!" By the time he turned around and knelt down to get a closer look, she was out like a light. "Sh*t...she's really pale."

    "Poor thing burnt herself out." Urahara said. He placed his ear over her mouth; breathing seemed okay. "She is most likely dehydrated. As far as the minor injuries go, you should be able to take care of that, right?"

    "Yeah..."

    "Try and stay far back, she needs fresh air to breathe in. You know the basics for a fainting victim right?" Ichigo nodded. "Then I guess I'll leave you to it!" He dissappeared.

    "Wait-! Ugh, always using shunpo*..." He hovered his hand over Rukia's forehead and a green glow appeared making a vrrrrrr sound. The cuts and bruises on her face were soon gone.

    He eventually healed her completely and sat back, taking a deep breath. That required all of the reiatsu I probably gained back... Rukia stired.

    "Alas, the girl lives!"

    "Ugh..." she opened her eyes.

    "If you're gonna stand up, stand up slowly. We don't need you passing out again. I do not want to have to carry you home and come up with a story to tell your brother..."

    "Did, someone heal me?" Rukia sat up, noticing how she felt much better (such heal. much unharm. very no hurt. wow).

    "Actually, you somehow regenerated all by yourself."

    "Thanks."

    "No problem." Ichigo stood up.

    Rukia followed, turned around and found her zanpakuto, picked it up and sheathed it. She just then noticed how they seemed behind a building. "Wait, are we in a different place than before?" They began to walk.

    "Yeah, unless a high school boy in the middle of a park that looks very focused on the grass is normal."

    "Wow, okay, I get it! What's with the tone?"

    "A~nd now ya know how it feels."

    Rukia turned her head to the side with a hmpth. "Wait...where's my real body? Chappy?"

    "Oh right...I sent her to the Urahara Shop." Before Rukia could complain and blurt out a ton of worst case scenarios, Ichigo added in: "I'm sure they told her to get over here."

    "Oh....wait! There she is~! :D"

    "What!?"

    They looked ahead to see a sprinting Chappy approaching them. "Rukia-sama~! Ichi-nii~!"

     "Chappy!" Rukia opened her arms for a hug only to see Chappy bear hug Ichigo a second later. "Eh?"

    "Ichi-niiiii! You said you'd give me a piggy back ride!" she whined.

    "What!?" He said, blocking her by the forehead. "Oh...right...great..."

    "I'm sorry Chappy but I need to get back in my body!" Rukia says.

    "Awwww..."

    "Hmm, how about I draw you some bunnies for the next time I need you!"

    "Really? Okay then!"

    "Wait, you can draw?" Ichigo asked.

    "More or less..."

    ~ The Next Day at School ~

    It's lunch break and they are the only ones in the class room.

    "You call that a drawing!?"

    "Yes, I do!"

    "So even Kurosaki fell for Rukia's drawing lie, eh?" Renji, a desk in front of Rukia added.

    "Why didn't you tell me anything? I wasted 10 minutes waiting for her to draw a baby style bunny!!"

   "It's fun to watch other peoples' reactions."

    "Why, you! Ugh...just get that drawing out of my face!"

    "Since when were you the critic!?" Rukia demanded.

    "The whole time! Geeze you owe me 10 minutes of my life, Rukia" He just barley stopped his eyes from widening but felt the chill on his back as he realized his mistake. Sh*t.

    Did he call her by her first name? Renji thought. Before he could ask, there were people in the door way.

    "We~ have~ arri~ved!" The playful voice of Hinamori was present along with the rest of the group.

     "Pretty late too." Renji said. "What took you guys so long?

    Hinamori sighed. "Kira-kun was being over dramatic again!"

    "It's clear that I tripped that person, he needed an appropriate apology." the blonde replied. Can he see with his left eye? Ichigo thought since it was covered with his hair.

    "Kira-kun apologizes too much! Lighten up, everyone was sure that he tripped over the table leg!"

    "Sorry if I agitated you, then." That was a joke.

    Ichigo joined in then rest of the group as they laughed, the happy impression he gave the others was 100% fake.

    This place...I don't belong in a place like this...

    ~ While going home ~

    "Hey Ichigo, I've been meaning to ask...what is Soul Society like?"

    "Hm? 'What is Soul Society like?'..." He thought for a moment. "It's pretty fun there; you're as light as a feather and as a spirit, you can continue to just run and run, and you're never hungry."

    "Is there food there?"

    "Yeah, but you can only taste it. There's not really nutritional value or anything like that."

    "Ohh."

    "Why so curious?"

    "I just wanted to know what the place I was sending these souls to was like."

    "Hm."

    Another thought crossed Rukia's mind. "Wait, what exactly are Hollow? Do they just appear, or..?"

    "Hollow are unsaved souls that were trapped here on earth."

    Rukia was afraid she would hear that answer. "What? I've been killing people!?"

    "You don't necessarily kill the Hollow, when they are cut by zanpakuto, the sins they committed after they became a Hollow are purified and they go to Soul Society."

    "Well...what about the sins they committed while they were alive...?"

    "If they committed horrible sins, like murder for example, while they were alive and then turned into a Hollow, the instant you get the killing slash on it the gates of hell would appear and take them away. Luckily that hasn't happened...it's so chilling to watch that happen."

    "How about about seeing relatives that died?" she asked cautiously.

    Step, step, step, step...

    Her tone had altered just the slightest. "It's difficult. In fact, I don't know if it's been done. It's just this vast world with certain districts, and a place for the poorer people and richer ones. When you're there...it's just another world. You have to make new friends, even find yourself new parents if you died as a little one. But it will take time to find a relative or someone specific."

    "What? That's a little unfair..."

    "That's just how the world is, even on both sides."

    "Hm."

    "Hey, if one day you wanna go there and find your sister, it's worth a shot." Rukia opened her mouth to say something, but receded. "Sorry."

    "No, you're definitely right!" Rukia brightened up. "Just, how exactly would I get there without dying?"

    "I wonder..."

    "What!? You got me all excited for nothing!?"

    "Before you whack me on the head with your school bag, how are you feeling?"

    "Huh? From yesterday? Everything feels fine." She moved her arms around. " Nothing too sore or broken. Why? Is another one like yesterday coming again?"

    "Those rarely appear, I was just checking."

    "Well, now that we're asking, how are you? You've been quiet all day."

    "I'm just tired from yesterday."

    "Oh, you're tired?"

    The conversation faded as they entered the gates to Rukia's house, and Ichigo walked towards the guest place in the backyard. He looked up at the sky nervously before going into the house.

    ~☆~

    Rukia went up to her room excitedly; she realized that Chappy's pill worked on her stuffed bunny (the only problem was getting the pill back...).

    "I'm back Chappy!"

    "Oh oh oh! I just remembered!" Chappy hopped over to Rukia's pillow and pulled out a piece of paper.

    "Huh?"

    "Ichi-nii asked me to give this to you once you finished dinner!" She said handing the letter to her.

    "Ichigo?" In half a second, Rukia's mood went from curious to worry. "What...? What does he mean by-!?"

    She dropped the letter and picked up Chappy. "I'm sorry, but I really need to transform right now."

    "No problem if it's for Rukia-sama!" Chappy coughed up the pill and the doll went limp.

    Sheesh, that's still creepy. Rukia thought as she held the small pill in her palm. She sat down on her bed and then took it so Chappy would land on the pillows instead of the hardwood floor (Woo, did she learn that the hard way...no pun intended).

    "I'll be right back!" Rukia said and jumped out the window.

    'Thanks for everything. Goodbye. ~Kurosaki Ichigo' What are you planning to do? Damn, I should have actually read it...whatever. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Rukia followed the traces of Ichigo's reiatsu to to the best of her ability.

    ~☆~

    Two people in shinigami uniform appeared in the sky, one standing and one crouching down looking at something with goggles. It was a girl with short, somewhat spiked hair.

    "Are you serious?" she said. "They weren't kidding, he really is in a gigai. Wonder were her got himself one..." Ichigo was running down a sidewalk, getting far away from Rukia's house.

    "Just go get him." Said the other shinigami, who looked more like an adult. He had black hair and a haori over his uniform and barley, just barley, looks similar to....

    The girl chuckled, lowering the goggles. "Kurosaki Ichigo. We~~~ fo~~~und you~~~!"

    ~☆~

Shunpo = flash step.

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