17.

~GOODBYE~

He hurried through the sky, as fast as his shunpo allowed him.

Slightly out of breath, he kept his eyes fixed on the person running away from him.

Aizen.

Just the name made him clench his fists and his eyes light up with fury.

Aizen.

Just the thought that the shinigami was free made hundreds of questions appear in his head, made him confused, didn't let him believe that what had happened minutes before was real.

That Rukia was bleeding to death among the captains and he, Ichigo, was chasing Aizen Sousuke above the streets of Seireitei.

Everything happened so quickly it felt like a blur.

Rukia was stabbed, suddenly Aizen was there, chaos ensued and in the uproar and confusion Ichigo found himself giving chase after the former captain of 5th division.

The real culprit.

His doubts about Nanase were right.

His faith in Inoue was right.

So when Aizen finally stopped, somewhere in the middle of woods in Rukongai, the orange-haired boy faced him with nothing but rage, hatred and determination to get answers for every question, and to destroy the very man in front of him.

Aizen narrowed his eyes at the fuming substitute shinigami, but didn't lose even a bit of his usual confidence. Instead, he asked nonchalantly:

"You're wondering how, aren't you?"

Ichigo barely refrained himself from attacking the other. Everything boiled inside him when he heard the question, but the truth was he needed the answer to it.

"If you calm down, I'll tell you how," Aizen spoke suddenly and the substitute shinigami's eyes widened. He didn't know how to respond, and the former captain found it amusing. "Now, don't be so shocked. I have time. Besides," Aizen smiled to himself, "doesn't the villain always share his plan with the hero?"

Ichigo gritted his teeth at the other's mocking tone. It seemed like Aizen didn't consider him a threat and the orange-haired boy couldn't stand it. Wasn't he powerful? Didn't he defeat Aizen before?

Yet he only clenched his fists even more, to the point that it hurt, ready to listen. Aizen knew Ichigo wouldn't harm him before the end of his story.

Aizen only thought for a while, trying to grasp the whole story, before he turned back to Ichigo and looked him in the eyes confidently.

"You see, Kurosaki Ichigo, when you're in prison, you suddenly have much more time to yourself than you used to. It's actually pretty dangerous, I must admit, to sit in your cell for years and just let your thoughts wander, while not having anyone to talk about them with. I've seen people dreaming about how it'd be to be free, only to start believing in their silly imaginations. The overwhelming darkness that rules there doesn't really help, you know, you desperately need something to do, simply not to get crazy."

Ichigo looked at Aizen unsurely. He thought that he saw a faint sad smile on the other's face, but he immediately shook the impression off when Aizen proceeded to talk about his way to prevent the madness.

"Luckily, I found myself an interesting thing to do. After some time in my cell I noticed I could still feel my zanpakutou. I found out I could still communicate with it. It hadn't been placed somewhere far away and this," the former captain smirked, "was your biggest mistake."

The orange-haired boy narrowed his eyes, waiting for an explanation, which Aizen gave him quickly.

"Hypnosis."

He laughed at Ichigo's confused face expression.

"That's the ability of my sword, and that's what it taught me during those two years, hypnosis. No one suspected that I communicated with Kyouka Suigetsu regularly, and in the end I could manipulate anyone within my sight." Aizen spread his arms in an inviting gesture. "Admit, Kurosaki Ichigo, there's only one thought that can come to mind in such situation."

Ichigo had to admit.

"To escape."

Aizen nodded with a smile. His behavior irritated Ichigo greatly, but the boy had to endure it.

"Luckily, I was among the prisoners that Inoue Orihime took care of," the other continued. "It was really easy to put her under my hypnosis and manipulate her. Everyone around trusted her and let her go wherever I wanted." He chuckled. "She was an exceptionally useful tool."

A moment later he was held firmly by the collar by no other but the furious substitute shinigami. Ichigo was shaking from anger; he wanted to get rid of Aizen right there and now, to make him pay, for everything he'd done to Inoue, for how he spoke about her, and for the amusement that appeared in his eyes when he watched the other in such state.

But Ichigo could only let out a frustrated breath as Aizen calmly shook his hand off, with enough force to put some distance between the two. He had to listen to the whole story, to know the whole truth.

And he could only grit his teeth again when Aizen shook his head disapprovingly.

"You should really try to abstain, Kurosaki Ichigo," he commented with a sigh. It seemed he found it very amusing to watch the other struggle with his emotions. "Are you angry about Inoue Orihime? Wasn't it her that sent notes to Kuchiki? Wasn't it her that set up the trap in the mansion, killing Abarai Renji? Wasn't it her that killed Hisagi Shuuhei? It was, so-"

"Only because you hypnotized her!"

Aizen only chuckled again.

"I won't deny that, if that pleases you."

There was a moment of silence before he resumed his story.

"I can also admit that her guard was hypnotized too. That's why Inoue Orihime's reports never stated she had done something suspicious, and I could freely make her do whatever I wanted without the risk of getting caught. Thus, she could set me free, while everyone in Soul Society was wondering how to protect Kuchiki." Aizen eyed Ichigo. "It was an interesting show, whole this murder-of-Kuchiki thing. Drew attention perfectly, leaving me and my escape all to myself."

Ichigo couldn't even look at him anymore.

"There was one thing that didn't go as planned, though," the other started again, with a sigh. "Our beloved Inoue Orihime broke down one day. She couldn't bear the awareness of what she had done and told Kuchiki. I must say I was really surprised she was strong enough to break my hypnosis. Luckily, earlier I managed to make her change the list of the prisoners she took care of so that no one suspected me. Plus, for some reason, Inoue Orihime turned out to be loyal enough to jump out that window and not spill any secrets."

Ichigo kept looking down, barely refraining himself from doing anything to the man in front of him, whereas Aizen watched the other closely, observing every reaction to his words. His voice was the only sound beside occasional chirping of birds and it made Aizen want to laugh, at how the world was so oblivious to what was happening.

"I needed someone else to, let's say, 'work' for me," he continued nevertheless. "I even prepared someone before Inoue Orihime betrayed me, just in case. Lucky me, right? Nanase Kazuya seemed perfect. If he was caught, he had a great cause to try to kill Kuchiki, and his will was really weak. You know why, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

He didn't know.

"Because, despite everything I told him to say, he gave up revenge years ago. He didn't have any goal anymore, any motivation to do anything, so I manipulated him easily. He set me free and found my zanpakutou, then confessed he was the culprit in a good moment and went on to be executed. Of course I just had to see it, the final of my beautiful plan, but," he smiled the moment Ichigo's eyes finally met his, "there was yet another thing I didn't take into account."

Substitute shinigami's eyes widened in realization as Aizen's smile grew more evil.

"The temptation of completing what my fake notes started was too strong."

And Ichigo drew his sword at him with all his might.

The other immediately took out his Kyouka Suigetsu and in a matter of seconds the two men found themselves in a fierce battle. Series of powerful attacking and defending continued for countless minutes, but no one seemed to get the upper hand.

Ichigo, furious, was preparing to strike once again when suddenly, though because of the great distance they barely felt it, a single reiatsu disappeared.

The two opponents stopped in their tracks, pure shock written all over Ichigo's face and an ugly smile making its way to the face of Aizen.

"Oh? Kurosaki Ichigo, did you feel it?" the former captain asked in a mocking tone. "Is it just me or did Kuchiki's reiatsu-"

Suddenly, he couldn't speak anymore. Suddenly, he lost his breath. Suddenly, all was a blur, and the last thing he saw were Kurosaki Ichigo's mad eyes and his lips, saying something like "you shouldn't have gotten distracted" coldly, and then, when Aizen felt a sword being pulled out of him and he finally understood that Ichigo cut him, he was already falling down at a rapid speed.

He could only wonder how come he didn't sense that Soi Fon's division was after them all the time and waited in the woods to catch him.

Things didn't go as planned.

Ichigo, however, didn't even look back after he stabbed Aizen; he rushed back to Soukyoku, because maybe it wasn't true. Maybe…

…maybe Rukia wasn't dying.

…

She was the first to notice his form in the sky and found enough strength to smile faintly. Judging by the desperate faces that surrounded her she figured out there was nothing they could do, the wound was too deep, so she was immensely glad he made it. She didn't understand fully what was going on, what Aizen was doing there, why everything was so chaotic, but she didn't care anymore. She didn't have much time, she knew, and she only wanted to see him just once again.

"Ichigo…" she whispered weakly.

She ignored how everybody around her turned to her and started talking all at once, and instead focused on the person she saw in the sky. He was getting closer and closer. When he finally landed beside her she noticed how pained he looked and that tears were already in his eyes, but she still relaxed. He was with her.

"Rukia," Ichigo said softly, "we can still do something…"

He could see she already started to vanish, but he refused to admit it. Rukia only shook her head with difficulty and raised her hand a little; Ichigo helped her place it on his cheek.

"Don't cry," she smiled. "I'll be fine. Did you get him?"

Substitute shinigami nodded.

"That's good to hear."

No one interrupted as they simply looked at each other in the last moments of the 13th division lieutenant. She was almost completely gone when Ichigo hugged her one last time.

"I'm so sorry," he managed to say. "I'll miss you so much."

The raven-haired girl only buried her face in the crook of his neck and whispered:

"I'll be fine, Ichigo, I'll be fine…"

And when the last pieces of her disappeared in the sky, all the tears he stopped from falling since she asked him to broke through.

…

After Soi Fon's division captured Aizen, he was placed in a cell where reiatsu couldn't be used in any way. Captains already started talks about improving Soul Society's system not to let something like this happen again. Nanase Kazuya also went back to prison, but only after the captains had broken the hypnosis. A new lieutenant for the 13th division was yet to be appointed.

Days passed since the events at Soukyoku had taken place and Soul Society was slowly falling into its usual routine back, with everybody following their schedules again, this time not fearing to be the next target of "the culprit". News of the truth were a shock, but it was quickly replaced by utter sadness over everything that happened because of it. The grim atmosphere that hung over both Seireitei and Rukongai for the past months only deepened and was rather bound to stay there for a lot longer. It was difficult to smile, as it was impossible to forget the shinigami that Soul Society lost.

To move on after something like this, it needed more time.

Ichigo was meandering among the narrow streets of Seireitei, slowly main his way towards the Senkaimon. He still couldn't collect himself after what had happened. He couldn't believe he'd never see Rukia again, he still couldn't believe he lost Renji, Orihime, Hisagi… And yet, he now had to face his friends back in Karakura and tell them that Rukia…

He squeezed his eyes shut. She told him not to cry.

When Ichigo reopened his eyes he realized he was on Kuchiki property, but before he had time to tell himself off and leave, he caught a glimpse of no other than Byakuya.

The orange-haired boy frowned a little with concern.

"I could only watch her disappear," the captain told him once, shortly after Rukia's death. "I couldn't fulfill my promise to Hisana."

Ichigo had never seen him this sad before.

"I could only watch my sister disappear," he said, and his voice was laced with too much sorrow to take.

With the memory fresh in mind, Ichigo took his eyes off Byakuya and ran to the Senkaimon. Every second spent in her world, in Rukia's world, made it harder to leave.

…

Riruk glanced at the note she received a couple of days before and put it back in her pocket. With a heavy sigh, she straightened up, looking around at the view of the Onose river. The note was written by Ichigo; it shortly explained the situation in Soul Society. Substitute shinigami also asked whether Riruka could help him tell his friends about everything; he was afraid he couldn't do it alone.

That's why the Fullbringer was waiting for him to come back to Gensei, because of course she'd help. She didn't know Rukia, or any other shinigami, that well, but she could imagine how difficult all of it was to handle for Ichigo.

So she waited.

Suddenly, the Senkaimon appeared and Ichigo stepped out of it. Riruka pursed her lips; he looked worse than she expected. The orange-haired boy looked tired, as if he didn't sleep well for the past days, his eyes held only grief and sorrow.

When he noticed Riruka he forced a faint smile, but she knew better.

So when she hugged him the next moment, he suddenly found himself falling into her warm, inviting embrace, just like Rukia did a couple of days before.

"You did everything you could," Riruka whispered softly. "It's over now. It won't happen ever again."

Ichigo only nodded.

"She'll be fine, Ichigo, she'll be fine," the Fullbringer continued, unconsciously repeating her words. "You'll be fine."

He hugged her more tightly, whispering:

"Thank you."

His gaze wandered forward, to a lone figure in the distance, an old fruits-selling woman that didn't even notice them, too occupied by a magazine, and as he recognized apples somewhere on her stand, he thought that they really yielded a good crop this year.

Hello everyone! I still have those big problems when I'm writing the last Author's Note... never know how to start...

Well. It's been a long time since I started this story and now it comes to an end. It was amazing to write, really, and I'm really thankful for every favourite, follow, review... For every view, really. Thank you, people! I wouldn't be here without you! It's a great feeling to see that someone likes the story, is interested in it, it really is, and thank you for all that once again.

I hope you enjoyed this, from the beginning to the end, and that I didn't disappoint you too much on the way :)

By the way, Happy Lunar New Year everyone!

~Huusina