DISCLAIMER: Bleach is not mine. Kubo-sensei owns it and I'm glad he does. >

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Minna-san, this story is just a one-shot attempt at a possible (read: theoretical) scenario that may happen after chapter 204 of the manga, specifically the Ichigo, Rukia and Arrancar meeting. I'm getting a bit antsy about not knowing what happened to Rukia and Ichigo after that chapter and so I imagined (yes, I have quite a big imagination…hehe) something like this. It may be a bit spoilerish for those who have not read the manga yet. So my apologies in advance if you got spoiled rotten. Anyway, it's one-shot because I just needed to jumpstart my writing for my other un-updated fanfic (I hereby insert, shameless self-promotion here: What She Feared the Most…teehee). I pray that Kubo-sensei will not keep us waiting so long to find out what happened to IchiRuki. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks for reading. Ja!

It all happened so fast. It was as if he froze and time swept passed him before he could blink his eyes and realized what just transpired. He heard Rukia's earnest voice telling him to fall back and the next thing he saw was her small body falling to the ground.

The Arrancar had its back turned to him and he saw it flicked its blade-like hand, reminiscent of a samurai shaking his sword off of the blood of his fallen opponent. It was at that moment the cold truth doused him from his momentary shock. He heard himself shout her name, his anger and concern rising over the edge.

"RUKIA!" Ichigo shouted as he ran towards the Arrancar at top most speed with Zangetsu drawn. 'How could I had been so slow,' he chided himself furiously.

The Arrancar didn't move even though it had seen his fast approach. It merely tilted its head to show him a wicked smile as if daring him to attack with all his might.

Ichigo brought down his Zanpaku-to with full force on the grinning Arrancar, his rage seething at that masked face. But it met Zangetsu's blade with its bare hands, pushing him with a mere gust of its reiatsu. He slid backwards a couple of feet, putting his blade down to stop him from toppling over.

"What's the matter? Is that all you've got?" the Arrancar said in mock irritation. "And here I thought the one I got first was the weaker one."

Ichigo looked over where Rukia laid motionless. He tightened his grip on his sword to suppress his anger. 'I got to remain calm. I got to get Rukia out to safety first,' he said to himself, while fear and worry hang on every word. He willed his mind to come up with a quick plan.

"Oi," he shouted at Chappy, the gikongan in Rukia's gigai, who was hiding by the sidelines with a confused and worried look on its face. "Get Rukia out of here!"

"Hai, pyon!" it said without second thought as it dashed out to where Rukia was, its mind filled only with its Rukia-sama's safety.

But the Arrancar was faster and rushed to meet it before it could reach Rukia's side. "Oh no you don't. You filthy little insect," it said as it gave Chappy a kick on the face, sending it flying towards a wall. "You keep away from my prey I'm not done with her yet!"

'Gomen,' as he glanced at Chappy's slumped body, knowing fully well that his ploy had successfully distracted the enemy. Taking advantage of this, he flash stepped towards Rukia and carried her away. But the Arrancar was already in front of him, its blade-like hand aimed to strike both of them down. Ichigo managed to quickly block the attack with Zangetsu in one hand. They locked blades, each one pushing the other with equal force.

"How cunning of you to distract me using that doll," it said, coming face-to-face with Ichigo. "I didn't know you had it in you to be so treacherous shinigami!"

"BAKA!" Ichigo smirked at the masked face. "You are just too dumb to see right through me."

He pushed Zangetsu down and kicked the Arrancar squarely on the face. It stumbled a few feet, startled and shocked at what hit it.

"And that's for kicking Chappy!" Ichigo said defiantly.

"Now you've done it," it said as it pretended to fix its hollow mask in place while grinning maniacally at Ichigo. "I was thinking of playing with you for a while but seeing that you're such a boring opponent, I've decided to just KILL you right away!"

The Arrancar's sharp, pointed hand rapidly extended towards Ichigo, its aim sure and deadly. He had barely enough time to shield him and Rukia from its dangerous approach, putting his sword's wide blade in front of it. It poked at Zangetsu hard, pushing Ichigo a couple of feet away. It continued its attack again and again as he struggled to block every move.

But the next attack was so fast and so strong, Ichigo was unable to avoid it. The pointed tip of the hand slid across Zangetsu's blade and extended towards Ichigo's shoulder, piercing him in the process. He felt his knees gave way and his other arm let go of Rukia.

"What's the matter? No more tricks up your sleeves?" the Arrancar asked him mockingly as it advanced towards Ichigo, recoiling its blade-like hand. "Tsk, tsk. I'm beginning to think Ulquiorra was right. You are a trash."

Ichigo looked at the Arrancar, his eyes seething with anger. "I don't care what the likes of you think of me. You are all just a bunch of goddamn losers!"

He swung his sword at the Arrancar, his speed gaining momentum. This time, it was his turn to cut again and again. He could feel it frantically blocking his every swing. He increased the speed of his attacks, which also raised the speed of their exchanges until he decided to give his last blow.

It was a fake attack. He brought Zangetsu's blade up to make it seem that he was going to cut his opponent from above. The Arrancar fell for it and raised its blade like hand to parry the blow. But Ichigo moved his sword down and sideways in one swift move, slashing the Arrancar on the stomach.

The Arrancar was surprised by the move but it wasn't completely caught off guard. It had managed to move itself out of the way of Zangetsu's full blade, receiving only a shallow wound from the blade's tip. Ichigo pushed Zangetsu as far as he could to pierce the Arrancar but it extended its other sharp hand towards where Rukia was.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed under his breath. He had forgotten about Rukia. He called upon every ounce of his strength to give him the speed he needed to get her out of harm's way. The Arrancar's murderous hand landed on empty space.

"Gomen Rukia," he whispered to the raven-haired shinigami as he bounded off rooftops swiftly, increasing the gap between them and the Arrancar. He looked at her worriedly, her face pale and her breathing slow and shallow.

'Damn it! I've let my pride get the best of me again,' he muttered in frustration. He should have done what Rukia told him – to fall back and not engage the Arrancar. 'I've put her life in danger. She has been seriously wounded and there I was fighting angrily with that Arrancar. If I hadn't got to her in time…she would have…'

He pushed the dreadful thought at the back of his mind. Right now, he needed to focus on getting her medical attention. He could feel her damp robes in his hands and the smell of her blood in his nose. His shoulder throbbed from the wound the Arrancar gave him but he willed himself to ignore it, considering that he had had more fatal wounds than that before.

But he didn't know the extent of Rukia's injury and the feeling of not knowing made him more determined to get away from the enemy. If he couldn't find help soon, she would bleed to death. And the thought scared him more than he cared to admit.

"Rukia, don't you die on me, damn it!" he said, clutching the unconscious shinigami tighter in his arms. She had been unconscious for far too long.

"I…chi…go," Rukia slowly whispered as if she had read his mind. She was willing her closed eyes to open even for a second to look at him and make sure he was there.

"Don't talk," Ichigo commanded, yet his voice was soft and soothing. "Just lay still. We're going to find help soon."

But he knew better. This was Rukia he was talking to and just like him she would never listen to a word he says. She managed to open her eyes and caught a glimpse of Ichigo's face. He looked grim and his scowl seemed deeper.

"You…look…morose," she whispered again, this time she labored at every word. Her voice was hoarse and forced as if she was having a hard time breathing.

"Ah…you don't look so good yourself," Ichigo said, not looking at her for fear that she would see his worry and concern etched all over his face. This was not the time to show weakness. Not for him. And not for her either.

"Who…wouldn't? I got a hand poked into me…again," she said slowly and softly, trying hard to sound normal and unharmed. She felt Ichigo's grip tightened around her protectively. "But…this time…it really hurts," she whispered and made an attempt to chuckle. But the laughter didn't come; instead she held her bleeding stomach as she winced in pain.

Ichigo looked at her, his worry evident in his amber eyes. "Damn it! Didn't I tell you not to talk? For once, Rukia, why don't you just listen to me okay?" His voice was pleading and earnest this time. Not like him at all. She knew and so she just smiled at him weakly. She moved her head closer to his chest, somehow Ichigo's heartbeat felt comforting. It took her mind away from the searing pain that burned at her gut.

"Baka! Don't worry too much," she said, making her voice loud enough for him to hear. "I won't die here. If I did…then your trip to Soul Society to save me...would be in vain." She let out a sigh of discomfort as if saying a full sentence had taken her breath away. She clutched tightly at his robes to let the pain subside.

Ichigo looked at her again and gave her a strained smile. His concern had made him forget how strong she really was. "Ah…that's why you need to hang in there," he whispered. "I'll find help soon."

"Sorry for all the trouble…Ichigo," she whispered, her eyes fluttering. She could no longer keep them open and so she let herself slip into unconsciousness once more. "Sumanai…" she trailed off.

"Idiot, the injured is not supposed to say sorry," he said, bringing her closer to him. He doubled his speed; this time he was intent on going to Urahara's shop. 'He'll know how to heal her.'

"So you think you could get away from me that easy huh?" A familiar voice broke into his thought. He abruptly looked over his shoulder and saw the Arrancar a few feet away. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw that it was gaining on them.

'Shit, this guy is one persistent bastard,' he cursed to himself. Soon it was running side by side with him, grinning as it came closer.

"Where are you going? Don't tell me you're running away in fear," it asked as it came close to his side.

The Arrancar raised its hand and took a swipe at Ichigo. He dodged the blow. "You know, I don't take kindly to rudeness," it said, clearly amused at the cat-and-mouse chase. "I simply hate it when an opponent leaves me without even saying goodbye."

He ignored the taunts and kept his anger in control. He would not waste any more time with this Arrancar. He would have to get away quickly and put some distance between them. So he willed his body to speed up as he bounded from one rooftop to the next. He could sense the Arrancar was falling back behind him.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, shinigami!" It shouted and Ichigo suddenly felt a hard kick between his shoulder blades. The blow made him lose his footing and sent them careening down the side of a building.

He almost lost his hold of Rukia but he was able to react quickly enough to grab her tightly by the waist. 'I got you, Rukia. I won't let go,' he thought in desperation. He could feel the wind rushing past as they fall uncontrollably. He had to think of something or that would be the end of them both.

He struggled to change his position in mid-air while keeping a tight hold on the injured shinigami. A quick twist and he was facing the oncoming ground. When his feet touched the side of the building, he broke into a run, catching the momentum of their fall.

He knew it would be impossible to stop completely. So he catapulted himself, using the sidewall as a launching pad and landed on a low rooftop, shingles breaking under his feet. He jumped down on the street and broke into a run. 'There is no time to stop,' he told himself. 'We must get away.' Meanwhile, the Arrancar was shouting at the top of its lungs high above them.

"Hey shinigami! You can run but you can't hide," it laughed evilly. "Your reiatsu will tell me exactly where you are and that would be the end of you."

Ichigo paid no heed to what he heard. He knew he couldn't go up the rooftops anymore because the Arrancar would be waiting. But the streets were unfamiliar to him so he didn't know where to go next. He was beginning to feel like a mouse inside a maze and cursed silently. He felt Rukia slightly stirred in his arms and it brought back his resolve. He would find a way.

He could sense the Arrancar looming above their heads, still shouting and mocking him. He ran into an alley, but it was a dead end. He cursed again and started backtracking but he felt the strong reiatsu of the enemy directly above them. Ichigo froze, he wished he knew right there and then how to suppress his reiatsu but it was no use, the Arrancar had discovered them. Something akin to the feeling of a trapped animal snapped inside him. It dangerously bared its fangs, anxiously waiting to clamp its teeth on someone's throat.

He knew they could no longer run or hide. The enemy was upon them and that left him no choice. He had to face and fight it. So he gently laid Rukia down, making sure she was hidden behind discarded boxes and crates. He didn't want to leave her but the enemy had cornered them, making escape impossible. So he would fight for them. And he would fight for her just as he did back in Soul Society.

He launched himself up until he was on the rooftop of the building where the Arrancar was waiting smugly for him. It eyed him with amusement.

"Where's your comrade? Did you hide her somewhere?" it inquired cheerfully.

Ichigo didn't answer, his menacing eyes looked straight at the masked face.

"No matter," it said dismissively. "Judging from her weakening reiatsu, she'll bleed to death soon enough."

"Why don't you shut up," he said between gritted teeth as he reached for Zangetsu. "And let's get this over with!"

"As you wish," it said with an evil grin. "But let me give you the name of the one who will kill you - I'm Grimmjow, Arrancar Numero Seis."

"I don't care who the hell you are, I'll make you pay for what you did to Rukia," Ichigo said, rushing to meet Grimmjow head on.

"You'll die first," said Grimmjow confidently as he parried Ichigo's blow. "And since she's still alive, I'll find her and put her out of her misery painfully and very slowly."

Hearing these words broke Ichigo's self-control as he felt his anger drowned all reason. It was as if he had gone berserk and the wild animal within him had been released. He would do whatever it takes to defeat this enemy even to the point of allowing his hollow-self to take over.

Slowly, he could feel a mask covering his face. He didn't resist for there was only one thing in his mind: he must win at all cost. He just had to.

END