STOP ME WHEN YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH

So, That Happened

Ulquiorra leaves shortly after that bombshell. Fucking dickhead. What the hell is Ichigo supposed to do with that? There was no time frame given, so Aizen must be confident Ichigo will join with little thought. How wrong that man is.

Not knowing where else to go, he sits in his mess of a room. He locks himself in with the request of being left alone. To his surprise, they leave him be. He lays on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Not again, he thinks to himself. Why is this happening again?

Rukia is gone, and the world continues on without her. Again. How can the world do that? Why can it spin when she's being held hostage? She's probably as scared as she is bloody from the beating she took. Oh, and he just stitched her up, too. How much pain is she in?

He needs to get back to Shiro and talk to him. But how? He won't be able to without going Hollow again. There has to be another way. Him and his spirits mutter back and forth about the best course of action. They come up with bits of a plan, Ichigo wanting to stick it to Aizen with no mercy.

There's a knock on his door. What the fuck? Does nobody understand what "alone" means? He answers the door, snarl at the ready. Ryuuken's bored face stops him in his tracks, however.

"Ryuuken," he blinks.

"Kurosaki," the bespectacled man greets. "Are you going to let me in or not?"

"Oh. Uh..."

And he does - mostly because he doesn't know what else to do. Ryuuken must be here for an explanation for everything. He has to be. Why else is he here? The last he heard of Ichigo, the ginger left him a shady ass text a few days ago.

"I see you've had guests over."

A snort forces its way through Ichigo. "I guess you could say that."

"Once again, someone has taken Rukia," Ryuuken comments as he surveys the room.

"Last time she went willingly. This? This is different."

He turns to Ichigo, face unreadable. "Isshin told me everything."

"And?"

"It doesn't look good."

The sigh that carries through the ginger brings him to the floor. He sits there, leaning against the broken closet with little worry it'll break more.

"What am I going to do?"

To his surprise, Ryuuken sits beside him on the floor. The older man rests his back on the closet frame, and Ichigo waits for him to get comfortable.

"What do you believe is the best outcome?"

For who? "To join Aizen. Even if he doesn't let Rukia go, at least I'd have her back."

"And what about the bigger picture? Aizen wants you on his side for a reason, Kurosaki."

"Probably to use me as a sacrifice like Rukia before or some other creepy shit."

"Son," Ryuuken starts.

"I have thought about it, don't get me wrong. But - what else am I supposed to do? Let her die? I've given too much for her, and even then..." he trails off.

The bespectacled man nods in understanding. "Is this goodbye?"

"How about see you soon?"

"See you soon, Kurosaki."

* * *

Here he is again, back at Sakura Park. Fuck, he really never hated this place until now. At least he's wearing something warmer this time around, his attire of a leather coat over his hoodie and fingerless gloves shielding him from the cold. Unlike last time where he had to take shelter in Ryuuken's lincoln. He shoulders his backpack in nervousness. God, he hopes Ryuuken doesn't tell his dad about this.