This is the SEQUEL to Shadows In The Night. PLEASE read that one first, or this will make no sense!

Story Title: Whispers in the Heart
Rating: T
Genres: Romance/Drama/Angst/Adventure
Pairings: Mainly Ichigo/Rukia - There will be a few more, though.
AU?: Yes/No - Takes place in the Bleach world. AU timeline.
Summary: He's dead. She know it - or does she? Ichigo is forced to make Rukia believe that he and Raye, Michio's twin, are dead. As Rukia tries to move past this as the years go on, Ichigo tries to find a way to come back to her. Can he do it before she falls in love with another man?

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to CrystalRaindrop007 for Beta'ing!

"Nuh uh. My sissy is itty bitty! I gets to protect her!"

Whispers in Your Heart — I

June 3rd - 2007 - Three Years Later

"What did you say?" Ichigo asked numbly, gripping the hand of his small daughter tighter; she was restless, bouncing around, wanting to get home. He looked at the three captains standing in front of him. Captain Yamamoto, Captain Kuchiki, and Captain Unohana. And they were all there for one reason, and one reason only. The reason his face was pale and his hands were shaking as he reached down to pick up his restless daughter.

"I'm sorry, but this is the way it must be, Captain Kurosaki."

"But ... why?" he asked, trying not to yell; it always upset Raye, Michio's twin.

"We have our reasons, and those reasons will be revealed in time."

Once Captain Yamamoto had finished speaking, Unohana took over for him.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo. But they are too strong. I first noticed it a few months ago ... whenever Raye and Michio are together, their power is more than anything I've seen. Even yours or Captain Kenpachi's. But when they are apart, it is so low that we can barely detect it. I never thought of it before, but the twins have a connection, a very deep one. We know that they have even managed to talk to each other in their minds, right?" Ichigo nodded and she continued. "There are people looking for them. People who want power. Aizen Sosuke, too; he yearns for power, and he will do anything to get it. He'll kill Rukia, Ichigo, both you and I know it."

"I'll protect her!" Ichigo yelled, forgetting to keep his voice down as he ran his hands over Raye's soft, Black and orange hair. She whimpered slightly as his voice rose.

"You can't, Kurosaki," Byakuya said. "You're gone on missions for days, even weeks at a time. You can't protect her, or the children."

"I can ... "

"You can't."

"Why ... why dead? Do you have any idea what that will do to Rukia? Any idea?" Ichigo asked. "Not only me, but Raye, too? God, Rukia loves the twins so much ... that would break her," he said, gripping tighter to Raye. All three of the captains in the room were trying to keep the emotion off of her face, but all three knew exactly how it would hurt Rukia. In the worst way possible.

"I said there are reasons. I cannot tell them to you them now, but this must happen. Rukia must believe that you and Raye are dead."

July 11th - 2009

"Mommy? Who's that?"

Rukia smiled as she sat Michio, who was now almost five, on her lap and showed him the photo album she had put together for him.

"That's your sister."

"Nuh uh. My sissy is itty bitty! I gets to protect her!" he said happily, pointing over to the crib in which his one and a half-year-old sister slept. Her black hair was spread out beneath her face and her tiny hands curled and uncurled in her sleep. Rukia ruffled Michio's hair, smiling sadly. He was so much like Ichigo.

"Yes, but you have another sister to protect, too."

"I do?"

Michio's violet eyes were bright and wide in the way only a small child could manage. Rukia nodded.

"Yes, you do."

"Where is she?" Michio asked, looking around the room for any signs of a second sister.

"She's gone, like daddy."

"But she'll come back, right? Like daddy will?"

Rukia tried to force back tears.

He didn' know. Michio didn't know his father, and his twin sister, were dead. She hadn't told him, because, one day, maybe they could come back. But he needed to know, just not now. He was only four, just a baby, really. But he was so much like his father. When Anyame Hisana, named after both her own sister and Rukia's sister, was born, he had announced happily, "I wants to protect her and you, mommy!"

At that time, he had just gotten out of diapers and she still had to baby proof the house or he would eat spoons.

"Yeah, baby. She'll come back."

"What's her name?" Michio asked, bouncing up and down in Rukia's lap, turning the page in the photo album with his tiny fingers. His eyes lit up when he saw the next picture. "It's daddy!"

Rukia was glad that Michio was turned away from her, because she could no longer hold back her tears when she saw how happy Michio was to see his father, even if it was just a picture. She said, trying to keep her voice under control, "Her name was Raye Anyame."

"That's ma other sissy's name!" he said, poking a picture of all four of them together; Raye and Michio were being held by Rukia and Ichigo, and were about a year old. "There she is again! I wike her!"

"I liked her, too. I loved her, and your daddy did, too."

"I wants to see her," he said, looking up at Rukia. "Mommy, why are you crying?" he asked, worried, as he stood up on the bed, his bare feet sinking in the blankets as he reached up to hug Rukia. "I don't want mommy to cry."

Rukia hugged him back, wiping her tears away. Michio held onto her for the longest time before he pulled back and placed a wet, slobbery kiss on her cheek.

"I love you, mommy."

"I love you, too, baby. But ... bedtime!"

Michio groaned loudly and dropped back onto her bed, bouncing a few times before he landed flat and pretended to die. Rukia scooped him up in her arms and carried him over to his bed on the other side of the room. Once he was tucked in, he 'came back to life' and kissed Rukia again before saying, "Read me a story!"

"No, no story tonight. I'll let you stay up for a while and look at pictures if you want, though," Rukia said, handing him the photo album with a smile. He snuggled under his blanket in his doggy pajamas and opened the photo album, smiling every time he saw Raye. Rukia watched him, and soon, his small, violet eyes began drooping with sleep. After his breathing had slowed and his eyes fell all the way closed, Rukia kissed him on the head and carefully took the album from his hands.

She placed it on the bed, letting her fingers run over the picture of them all. Ichigo was holding Raye, and the longer she looked at it, the more she believed they would come walking through the door any day.

What would she look like?

What would Raye be like? Would she be like her brother? Happy and bouncy, or more of a girl? Would she draw bunnies or dogs? Would she like ketchup or mustard? Would she like pink or purple? If she was alive, would her shoes be bigger than the tiny pair Rukia had saved from when she was one and a half? Would she love her baby sister or be jealous?

Would Ichigo love Anyame?

She would never know.

Backing away from the photo album, Rukia wiped her tears away and leaned over the crib of the tiny baby. Anyame was nearing two years, yet she was small. Michio was small, too. Would Raye be small?

If Ichigo and Raye were alive ... she would be living with them, even if it was here in Soul Society. Even though Ichigo was promoted to Captain and asked to fight in the war, he still came home every day. She had believed he always would ... but one day, even though it was just to visit his family, he had never come back. She and Michio hadn't gone because they were both sick. Michio had the flu, and Ichigo believed that was what Rukia had, too.

But he was wrong ... and he had never known. If she had told him ... if she had told him she was pregnant again, would he have stayed home? Would he still be alive? Would he have been able to been called dada ... instead of the man that was in Anyame's life?

Dada had been Anyame's first word. And it had been said to a man that was not her father. Now, though, she called that man Unk Unk, or, in English, Uncle. But before ... she had called Renji, her childhood friend and the man that had given her and the children a home when Ichigo had passed away, dada. Renji had been shocked, and he hadn't reacted. Rukia, however, had run from the room, crying. She had refused to look at Anyame for a while, but then ...

"Rukia, let me come in. Anyame wants you, she's crying."

"Renji ... leave me alone," Rukia said, wiping tears away as she stared at Ichigo's photograph. Renji, however, ignored her and opened the door. He walked in and sat down on the bed next to her, reaching over and gently taking the photo from her. She looked up fast and tried to reach for it again, but he held it out of reach.

"Hold her," he said, motioning to Anyame. Once the baby was in Rukia's arms, he turned to her and said, "Now, Anyame, who am I?"

Anyame bounced in Rukia's arms happily. Rukia bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. Although Renji was the closest thing Anyame had to a father, he would never replace Ichigo. Never. But what Anyame said surprised her.

"Unk Unk!"

Renji smiled at the shocked look on Rukia's face.

"While I was on Earth, I saw a lot of little girls calling men that were close to them Uncle. So ... I tried it out. Sorry ... sorry about earlier," he said, reaching out to brush back Anyame's soft black hair. Rukia shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry ... I was being stupid, Renji. I ... I guess I need to move on, but I can't."

Rukia was crying again. Renji reached over and placed his hand on her face, gently running his thumb over her skin.

"No, don't be like that, Rukia. You loved him. It'll take a while for you to heal."

"I'm sorry, Renji. You gave me a home, you helped me with Anyame when she was born ... you gave her her name, but all I've given you is trouble. I've put two kids into your home and haven't given you anything. I'm sorry."

"Hey, I happen to be fond of Michio. He reminds me of Ichigo. He's a little monster. And Anyame, well ... she's like a daughter to me. I know I can't replace Ichigo, ever, but let me into your lives. Let me help heal your heart."

Renji reached down and gently kissed Rukia on the lips. She responded for a second before pulling back and looking away.

"No, I can't, Renji. I'm sorry."

Just then, Michio, who was only two and a half, ran inside the room and jumped up onto Renji's lap.

"Hey, Uncle Renji, lookie what I drew! It's me and Anyame and mommy and daddy and you!"

Renji smiled and as he saw the look of pain on Rukia's face as she stared at the crude drawing of Ichigo, he knew he would never be able to be that important to Rukia. She could never love him.

"I ... I have to go. See ya later, squirt," he said, ruffling Michio's hair.

"Bye bye Uncle Renji!"

Rukia smiled sadly as she watched Michio wave happily to Renji.

He had given so much, but in return, she wasn't able to give Renji anything.

It was true. That was only year ago, but still ... the memory was still clear in her mind. Renji had taken her in, given her a home, was by her side ... everything, when Ichigo had died. At the funeral, when Michio had cried frantically for Ichigo, trying to reach out to the casket that was being lowered into the ground, Renji had been the one to pick him up and comfort him. He was the one to help her through pregnancy, and he was the one who had named her and Ichigo's baby.

Not Ichigo.

Never Ichigo.

He was gone.

Should I continue? Should I go hide before people kill me? Neither? Both? What did you think? Good, bad, ugly? Too many questions? Gooood! And there ARE reasons for this whole, huge plot! I will tell ya soon! I will slowly unfold things, so please don't get on me about the million+ questions I have unanswered.

Please Review!