A year ago, none of this would have mattered to him. His blood coating the sandy surfaces of Hueco Mundo, painting the walls of the cave he was currently hiding in, would have hardly phased him. The thought of dying wouldn't have even made it to the forefront of his mind; only winning was important back then; surviving. Hell, he wouldn't have fled; he wouldn't be hiding like a coward. But this wasn't about being a coward. This was about saving his own skin for someone else; for her.

"Please come back."

"Ruka…" He rasped, blood getting caught at the back of his throat. "Shit." He groaned as his back slid along the rock wall behind him leaving a trail of dirt and blood. "I'm sorry, Kitten."

His head fell forward until his forehead pressed against his knees. He cradled his side where the deepest wound resided, pulsating painfully. Breathy sighs and intermittent gasping filled the silence around him. He was nothing more than a wounded animal here, biding his time. Biding it for what? For the inevitable death he was certain to face once that creature found him? He knew from the moment he decided to come back that he would have to end him; that this would be life or death. There was no gray here. And right now, he was much closer to death than his enemy.

An angry, broken snarl erupted from his lips as he sent his fist into the ground beside him. A cloud of disheveled sand flew into the air, stinging his wounds and adding to his suffering. It didn't matter. He deserved all of this. If there was anything he learned from his time with her, it was that he fucking deserved every bit of this.

But she didn't.

"Shit!" His head fell back against the wall, the only support for his exhausted body. Large drops of sweat dripped down his brow until they landed on the thirsty ground. His hair was caked with dried blood and sweat, the stickiness making him itch. He just needed some time to recover and heal. Then he would figure out a way to end that son of a bitch and find a way back to the World of the Living. He must have missed the portal by now. It took him much longer than expected to find who he had been looking for.

An image flashed to the forefront of his mind. It was an image of her standing and staring at the large black garganta that was supposed to bring him back. He cursed to himself again as something so simple evoked such a painful crushing in his chest. He had guessed that some time away from her would numb the nagging emotions she plagued him with. He was wrong. They only became worse. Much worse.

"I ain't leaving you behind, Ruka. I promise I'll get the fuck out of here and back to you." His free hand slid along the ground, scooping up a pile of sand. He stared at it, studying each grain like they each held their own secret. "But I can't come back yet. I can't until I finally end him." With the little strength he had left, he crushed the sand and evaporated it out of existence.

The rasping grew quieter and his muscles relaxed. Exhaustion pulled at him and soon he let the darkness drag him into a much needed sleep.

*/ Hi all! So finally got a good enough chunk done with this to be able to post. For any newcomers, please note that this is a sequel to the Futile Repent, so you may be a bit lost if you jump right into this. This story is rated M for strong language, violence, tragic situations, and lemony content. You've been warned. With all that said, I'm currently looking at a bi-weekly update schedule as life has become insanely crazy and left me with very little time to write. So, I apologize in advance for any delays or extended breaks between chapters. I'm going to try my best to keep a regular update schedule as I did with the original. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy! */