Hi minna-san! I'm back! (After 3 years urk XDXD) Wow it's been a long time! I'm really quite surprised by all the support even after so long :O Thanks so much for being there all this time! I feel so bad for leaving you guys hanging there...

everyshadow, sacred cat, blood 87, bella4evr3, Hitsukarinlover29, guest(s), binderya22- I'm really really really sorry for the long wait! I hope you guys are still there supporting me and thanks so much for waiting! Your patience will be rewarded! New chapter's here! *woots*

Gaby- Thanks so much for the review! (hopefully my writing standard hasn't dropped after so long ) I probably missed 3 birthdays and 3 Christmases but Merry Christmas and Happy birthday in 2016! XD Here's the chapter at last!

tarakarin- Wow your review really gave me alot to think on! I'll keep them in mind as I develop the future chapters :) Thank you for the feedback!

Please review! (I was actually halfway through chapter 6 like 3 years ago but my comp crashed so it's gone :( So this is a complete rewrite of it 3 years later... I haven't visit the Bleach fandom in a long time so hopefully everything still seems legit ) *reviews are much appreciated**winks* Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo does.

Falling Sakura

Chapter 6: First contact

"Karin! Are you alright?" Rukia shouted. She made her way there just in time to catch Karin as she passed out. Karin's katana slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground with a clatter. "Karin!" Rukia shook Karin who was lying limply in her arm. She checked Karin's pulse and to her relief, it was stable. On visual inspection, Karin seemed to be fine other than some minor bruising on her arms and neck. However, Rukia couldn't be sure until she got Unohara-taicho to check on her.

Ichigo felt his sister's reiatsu fluctuate while he was sitting his in office 'handling' a mountain of paperwork. The orange-headed shinigami had his arms behind his head and his legs on the table. The same time her reiatsu spiked, he felt a sudden increase in reiatsu in her vicinity. That could only mean one thing: hollow attack. Instantly, he was on his feet. He grabbed his zanpakuto from the wall and shunpo-ed to where the disturbance was. Kuso...Karin you better be alright... By that time he arrived, majority of the shinigami present were locked in combat with hollows. It was chaos as swords clashed and kidos were fired left, right and centre. Screaming civilians were trying to get out of the way while shinigami struggled to deal the sudden hollow attack. Ichigo weaved his way through the chaotic streets, shouting Karin's name.

"Ichigo!" He heard someone call his name. "Rukia?!" he stopped and scanned his surroundings spotting her in a alleyway. As he got closer, his worst fear was confirmed. The baby sister he swore to protect was lying motionless in Rukia's arms. He felt undiluted fear coursing through his veins. "Karin! What happened to her?" "She was protecting a little girl from a hollow... She doesn't seem to have any life-threatening injuries but we need to get her to the 4th division to be sure." Ichigo immediately scooped Karin up in his shaking arms and shunpo-ed to the 4th division. After Ichigo had left, Rukia looked at the katana at her feet. It was evidently Karin's zanpakuto. The zanpakuto was beautiful, its long shiny blade reflecting her image. The guard was angular and somewhat cross shaped, decorated with an intricate design. The hilt was black, trimmed with gold while the sheath was red. She quickly picked it up and followed after Ichigo.

It has taken a fair amount of persuasion and even threats to convince Ichigo that Karin was in good hands and that he was needed at Rukongai. Initially, Ichigo had wanted to stay by his sister's side despite Unohara taicho's reassurance. "That's my little sister in there! I need to make sure she's okay!" he was making a ruckus outside the 4th division barracks. "Ichigo, she will be fine! Unohara taicho already promised that! You can check on your sister later but right now we're all needed at Rukongai. Kuso...don't make me drag you there." Renji shouted as explosions were heard in the distance. "Don't worry Ichigo, I will be by her side. I'll look after her." Rukia grabbed Ichigo's arm. "Go now! The hollows are destroying Rukongai!" Ichigo glanced once more in the direction of the 4th division before reluctantly nodding. After Renji and Ichigo had shunpo-ed away, Rukia entered the 4th division barracks.

The last thing that Karin remembered was being choked to death by a hollow. One moment she was gasping for air and the next moment she was engulfed in darkness. It was a weird feeling, sitting in the dark where she would occasionally catch glimpses of Rukia and Ichigo's concerned faces. This is a really weird dream. "Hello? Is anyone there?" she called out. Her voice echoed but there was no reply. She wandered around. There didn't seem to be anything but never-ending darkness in this void.

Somehow, she felt she was not alone. "I know there's someone there! Come out!" "I know you're hiding!" "How do I get out of this place?!" She didn't know how long she spent shouting to herself but she was getting angry. "Come out you coward! I have a life to live! Ichi-nii is probably really worried right now! I have to get out!" She heard someone laugh then. "It's surprisingly entertaining watching you wander around aimlessly. Finally, a response! "You're the one who has been speaking in my dreams! It's about time!" It was a familiar yet foreign voice, rich in tone and distinctly male. "I've always been here, just that you've only been able to hear me recently." "That's just creepy. Are you sure you're not a stalker?" He laughed again. "Nope."

"I need to get out of here right now!" Karin was losing patience and the look on Ichigo's face startled her. As much as she was curious about the mysterious voice in her head, she had to return to tell Ichigo she was fine. "Turn right and look over there." She did that and squinted. "What am I looking at?" She heard a sigh. "Look closely." Slowly, a small light appeared in the distance. "There's your exit." She started to walk in that direction. "Doesn't walking towards the light mean..." Karin was sure that whoever it was talking to her was smiling now. "Didn't you agree to trust me? Let's meet again." The light grew brighter and enveloped her.

Karin opened her eyes, squinting at the sudden brightness. She was lying in a bed somewhere in the 4th division barracks. Groaning as she tried to move, she inspected her various bruises. It seemed to be early morning. Sunlight shone through the curtains which were swaying in the light breeze. She could hear birds chirping outside and the sounds of shinigami going about their morning routines. The door opened and Ichigo stepped in with tray of food. "Hey Ichi-nii!" she greeted. His eyes widened. "K-karin!" He almost dropped the tray of food as he made her way to her side. Ichigo pulled her into a tight hug, ignoring her groans of protest. "I was so afraid I lost you there. I should have been there." "It's not your fault Ichi-nii. I was the one who ran off on my own." She patted Ichigo's back reassuringly. "I'm fine now." " I was supposed to protect you Karin!" Karin quickly stopped Ichigo's rant. "You've gotten yourself hurt like this many times too Ichi-nii. It was my own choice and I don't regret what I did so stop blaming yourself. I'll be more careful in the future okay?"

Karin heard from Ichigo that somehow a large number of hollows had made their way into Soul Society and they had gotten the situation under control eventually. The cause of the breech was still being investigated. After 2 days in bed, Karin was ready to move. She ignored Ichigo's protests and walked out of the 4th division, limping a little. It felt good to stretch her legs and smell the sweet morning air rather than stay in the 4th division headquarters where the smell of medicine and antiseptic gave her a headache. She decided to head to the 6th division headquarters to annoy Byakuya with Ichigo grumbling the whole way there. As she neared, she heard voices in Byakuya's office.

Small glimpse of Karin's zanpakuto this chapter XD it'll be developed further in the coming chapters so look forward to that! (Yep, I'll try to update soon haha XD Won't be 3 years this time guys!) Until next time! *peace out*