The long waited Ch. 5 is here! Finally, huh? The reason or excuse for not updating it may not be much, but in March, we lost an uncle-in-law. 2 weeks later, an aunt-in-law and 3 weeks after, my grandpa, whom we got the blessing on seeing him for the first and last time. And a week after that, a neighborhood friend and on August 1, a cousin was killed. So, that's 5 deaths in less than 6 months or so. I didn't want to write because I wasn't in the mood since my grandpa's death affected us the most.

But, I was able to see a better view on Ichigo's and Ryous point of view on what they go through when someone dies. The experiences gave me more clearing on stuff. So, the story is going to get interesting. TRUST ME XD. This Chap. is on Ryous POV since his mom and him are in Ichigo world. Whoaaa... Scary huh? Don't imagine it just yet. Read and review!

5 reviews for Ch. 6!

V. Dreamland No More

Ryou was welcomed, not by the sound of wind or leaves ruffling in trees, but by someone's cries. Someone crying uncontrollably. It didn't take him long to identify who they belonged to: Ichigo. Her sobs echoed around him, surrounding him in this suffering and pain. Even though Ryous vision wasn't cleared yet, he searched for her, but all he could distinguish was the horrible place he was in.

It was hard for him to believe he was actually in a dream; that THIS was Ichigos' dream right now. Ban the word "dream"; this place wasn't even close to the word. The atmosphere was so heavy that it felt like being in a crowded room and everything was shrinking in on you. Kind of like suffocating, but it was just your chest feeling squeezed by a sky was gloomy and heavy, like a thunderstorm was nearing by.

Ryou noticed that he was under a large tree and above him, the leaves rested still and silent. Its canopy circled around him, creating a big shade. It seemed as if it had been raining because the leaves were shiny and there were drops dripping from the tips. Each drop sank to the ground and darkened the ground. Seeing his feet for the first time, Ryou noticed that he was barefooted. He felt stupid for not noticing before.

"What the-? Why are-?" Ryou looked behind him and angled his foot to see his sole, but he saw something else. His sole was painted in red, in fresh red paint. A strange rusty smell rose from the ground like the smell of rain after its storm. Moist and dirt mixed together only this time was rusty and moist. He reached out his hand until a drop fell on his palm. It was dark red liquid dripping from the trees and staining the ground in dark brown.

"Blood," he said at the same time as his mom, who came forward from beside him.

"The whole place is stained by it," Ryou pointed out, suddenly feeling terrified. Ichigo's cries continued, becoming a horrible sound effect. Beyond the distance, there were more trees that seemed to continue as far as Ryou could see. It horrified him more since this was Ichigo's dr-nightmare. Since when did she switch balloons, strawberries, and bunnies, for blood-covered trees, blood stained ground and gloomy sky? Just what did Ichigo see and go through these past few days?

"Poor Ichigo. Dreams reflect on what someone is feeling, kind of like a mirror. This is...I have not the words to explain," his mother expressed in pain. Ryou was speechless as well. His mind was suddenly in shock, in hold, absorbing the scenery. There was no wind and everything was still with Ichigo's cries echoing. As he examined the place, his chest was feeling tight and his mind brought memories of the Ichigo back then.

Every memory where she came out smiling, laughing, skipping, jumping, suddenly felt impossible for them to belong to Ichigo. They seemed to belong to someone else, like from a movie clip. As Ryou continued watching, the sound of her laugh echoed in his mind. He felt his mouth twitch when Ichigo's smiling face came and went. For Ichigo to turn from giddy-happy-Ichigo, to THIS, Ryou couldn't believe it. He didn't WANT to believe it. Ichigo had to be somewhere under all of this, referring to the REAL Ichigo-energetic happy Ichigo. There was no way Ryou was going to let her continue being like this.

Drops of blood continued staining his arms and face when he shifted towards his mom and spoke. "We can hear her, but how can we get to her? It sounds as if she's everywhere and not just one place as if she's crying through some big speakers." More drops fell on his face, streaking it with blood and his hair. He shook his head and wiped his face with his hand, but it only made it worse. There were a few drops on his moms face when she turned to face him and spoke.

"That's up to her, IF she wants to be found. Right now, what she's feeling is being shown. See how the trees go on and continue? Well, they're obstacles that Ichigo put so she won't be found, but there's a part of her that's still crying out." Ichigo's cries continued and he couldn't do anything but listen.

"For now, we can't do anything for her. But meanwhile..." She extended her arm with her palm down and her sword appeared and she wrapped her fingers around the handle. "Let's practice. Since you're very agile and flexible, your reflexes should be tuned in enough, thanks to your cat genes," she stated, slowly smiling in the end. Ryou couldn't help form his crooked smile. His mother remained ageless, despite the 9 yrs. she's been dead. Well, her body at least. He did notice a little change in her: she was a little serious. She was still sweet, kind, and caring, but, it wasn't showing through her like before, which was all the time.

She was a little serious and thoughtful, something she rarely was, as if she was holding back. And now that he saw her clearly with sword and serious, he almost didn't recognize her. It was his mom all right, from the outside, but from the inside, she was THERE, but not completely. Kind of like Ichigo. Immediately, he rejected the sudden comparison. How and when did she start using the sword so easily? This wasn't like her.

"This isn't like you mom," he said directly with seriousness. Her eyes turned away from him as she lowered her sword and exhaled slowly. A small chuckle vibrated from her and she turned to face him with a smile.

"You're right. This isn't like me; teaching you to fight with a weapon and holding one myself." She paused and her look turned intense.

"When I became your guardian, I was so terrified on fighting and using a sword. Just the thought on having my hands being stained by killing something, by someone's life, literally mortified me, but I continued to fight. It wasn't until an evil spirit broke in when I realized I wasn't fighting how I was supposed to. I was only using half of my will." The seriousness in her eyes melted a bit as she paused and he saw that she examined him. She always put that face whenever she remembered something. Her memory didn't last long until she started speaking again.

"The spirit was hurting you, practically eating you and to this day, I regret letting it go to that extreme to finally wake up and use my sword. It was fear that was holding me back, and all that drove me was the need to protect you. As long as I was here, protecting you, that's what I was going to do. After that, fighting became...fun." Ryou raised his eyebrows the same time she turned her head and giggled a little. Did his mother just say what he thought she said? FUN? Fun for HER?

"Using a sword is more than a weapon, more than just to kill. It's what's behind it. It's a tool for you to protect someone and that every victory is just another battle won because you've protected that person from getting hurt," she explained as she raised her sword and stared into it. "But, the feeling on being able to do something for you, Ryou, surpasses everything. That is why I'm able to lift up the sword and fight."

"I just can't take you as violent mom," Ryou replied as he crossed his arms. He still couldn't get passed the fact his mom was here. It felt like talking to a mirror with someone's pictured posted to it. It was probably the rush residue from earlier.

Her face came up and she laughed. Her laugh sang out from her, awakening Ryou's memories on how he loved to her hear laugh. It was warm and kind, the kind that doesn't force itself out, but it's gentle and peaceful. Her laugh and Ichigo's sobs mixed with each other, creating a scary combination of oil and water.

"Oh no..," she coughed out between giggles. "I only turn 'violent' when a demon is near. I'm just armed wherever I go, but that doesn't change who I am." She continued to smile even though blood streaked her face. "I'll always be the same, Ryou."

Ryou smiled warmly at her and chuckled a bit. "I'll get past the sword."

Memories of them suddenly replayed in Ryous mind. Every memory, through good or bad when he was a kid, showed that his mom was still the same, only more dedicated to her task and Ryou admired her more. In spite of what happened, Ryou admired her even more and gave him motivation for his case.

And right now, for Ryou, Ichigo was his task. In death, he could say it now; he will protect her from anything. Protecting her mattered more now than before. Mostly since Ryou could do something about it, something to get the real Ichigo back, because there was no way he was leaving her this way. And with his mother here, this just made the situation more interesting.

Ryou held out his hand and stretched his fingers downward as his sword appeared under his palm.

"So, what's the first thing to do?" he asked, as he held a grip on his sword.

"Stay alert. Don't let them catch you off guard and stay keen to everything; your surroundings. Now..," she lowered her sword a bit and glided a few feet away from him while her hair rippled to her sides. "..We'll do a couple of jousting just to get you familiar on using your sword." Drops of blood continued to drip and she was stained by little red dots all over. A drop rolled down from the right eyebrow to her cheek.

Planting her feet on the ground, she separated them a little and gripped her sword with both hands and angled it towards him. Ryou suddenly felt unsure of this. The fact that he was about to 'battle' with his mom troubled him, but, the thought on hurting her by accident or something happening, suddenly froze him. He didn't think when she mentioned "teaching" him how to fight; she referred as fighting each other.

Was she really being serious?

"Are you being serious?" Well, he had to ask. The thought of his mother jousting with him, sounded illogical. Did she really think on jousting with him? Where did that idea come from?

She didn't lower her sword, but she straightened her posture. She looked at him sweetly, which didn't fit her when she had a sword in her hands. "It's part of your training, Ryou. I'm just helping you prepare yourself. And don't worry about hurting me. Look..." She gripped her sword with one hand and extended her other arm in front of her.

Ryou immediately saw her plan, but just as he opened his mouth to protest, she slashed her sword through her arm and it slid through, the same way his did when Ichigo fell. "See? We can't get hurt by our weapons, much less another angel. I won't get hurt and you won't get hurt either," she pointed out with a smile. Ryou felt his stomach twist on what he just saw, but gripped his sword and grasped the fact that all he had to do was let everything come at him, with no questions, swords and all.

With Ichigo still crying around him, he enclosed his sword between his hands and copied her movements. The wet soil mashed under his feet like mud. Holding a sword felt alien to him; it was his first experience with a sword. It glinted a little down the blade and reflected everything. Despite the distance between him and his mom, it made him feel safe but very unsure of himself. For the first time, he didn't have a solution or options. The situation was like scattered marbles: all over the place.

It's like that saying: "Life can change in one second." He already experienced it once, and he was experiencing it right now. As much as the situation was confusing for him, he took note of someone else who right now, was hurting really bad. And that was Ichigo. Confusing or not, dead or alive, swords or arrows. WHATEVER, Ichigo was hurting right now and a lot of pain. Her cries mirrored her emotions and her dream reflected her feelings. And for some reason, it hurt Ryou and DEEP. She was still alive and she had a lot to experience and live. And that was more than enough to make her happy and protect her.

Gripping the sword tighter, he moved his foot a bit and his mother lunged at him in full speed. Right away he confirmed that his cat genes were still intact because he had swung his sword behind him, where the blade screeched and hit hard against his mothers. His right arm trembled a bit as he kept his sword behind his back and he looked back to see his mom between the blades, concentrated and smiling. Blood stained the length of the blades and a few drops stained them.

"Impressive. That will come in handy for you." She removed her sword and suspiciously, he turned around to face her.

"Doesn't it seem weird that I still have my cat genes? Since they were in my system, they're expected to STAY in my body," Ryou pointed out. It was basic anatomy. Anything in a body stays in the body.

"Well, they probably became part of you like instincts. We all have them, but since yours got mixed with animal it became more potent. Kind of like glue." Her expression changed when she tilted her head a little bit to her right. Ryou saw that her eyes turned hard and he noticed the same thing: Ichigo wasn't crying anymore. It was dead silent. They were caught up in swords and such that he had forgotten about her. Lesson #2: NEVER GET DISTRACTED. Surely this was one of his mothers' tactics.

"Look," she said as she pointed towards her right. Ryou turned and saw a clear path a few feet away from them. It snaked along some trees and continued where Ryou couldn't see.

"We need to hurry." His mom was already running towards the path. Instantly, he ran after her with sword in hand. Now that Ichigo wasn't crying, it felt scary in both senses: the place and for him. For him because he couldn't be sure if she was ok, if she was awake or still asleep. As long as she wasn't giving some signal of life, that disturbed him.

His mom was a few feet away from him when she crouched, opened her wings and she glided above him. The path went straight until it curved around a tree ahead of them. "What do you think is going on with Ichigo?" Ryou called out between strides, keeping his eyes forward. His sword disappeared from his hand and as he continued running, he felt that he wasn't panting. He was breathing regularly, but there was no instant exhaustion. Despite how tight the air felt, he still breathed easily.

"She's made a path for us. She wants to be found, but we must find her before-" Something had interrupted her. To his left, he heard a loud ruffle and a sharp snarl. It all happened very suddenly then.

"RUN!" His mom roared.

She launched herself at him from behind, making him loose a step which sent him sliding towards the ground. His arms scrapped against the sharp rocks until he sank his fingers into the soil. His hand made a 360 degree turn as he swung his legs around him until he was crouching. This time, his heart was pounding against his chest and he breathed hard through his teeth. Removing his right hand from the ground, he flexed his tingling fingers as clumps of moist soil fell. Down the length of his arm were long scractches and Ryou expected blood to be oozing out, but to his surprise, the flesh mushed back together like dough and he was healed.

Quickly looking up, he saw his mom a few feet from him in a defensive position. Her legs were opened and her sword in front; just like before, only more intense this time. A low, sharp growl came from somewhere. He couldn't see what was in front of her until he stood up. Crouching low like a fierce lion was a revolting horrid dog. Only this dog was beyond the natural. Its' pointy ears were pulled back and its body was hairless, like a naked mole rat. It looked like recent burned skin with veins exposing.

The tail snaked behind it like a whip and it snarled fiercely, showing its bare white teeth within a net of saliva. Over all, it was an animal picked out straight from someone's nightmares. And its' size was of a great Danes', only a bit bigger.

"Ryou, get to Ichigo," his mom ordered seriously that he thought she was speaking through her teeth. The animals menacing stare turned intense through its red eyes.

"I'm not leaving you with THAT," Ryou answered back, crossing his arms surprised at his moms order.

"It's not an option Ryou!" she answered rigorously. Ryou's eyes flinched at how harsh she sounded. "Find her and have her wake up. I'll hold this off." Her wings expanded behind her like a bird getting stretching its feathers. They kept growing until Ryou couldn't see the demonized dog no more. It was like a wall on each side and his mom looked petite between them.

"Go," she answered calmly. Her head turned slightly to her right so Ryou could see her eye. "Don't worry." She smiled a calm smile as if everything was allright. As if there wasn't some supernatural-freak of nature, ready to bite her head off in front of her. Then out of nowhere, a thin red vine snaked wrapped around her neck the same time it made a sharp SNAP! Ryou's chest felt like it got stabbed as he saw his mom's eyes bulged out and her mouth open wide, making a horrifying face of asphyxiation.

"MOM!" he shouted frightened as he darted towards her. He was within reach when her right wing swooshed down, sending feathers flying everywhere. He heard the sound of arrows zipping and sharp yelping coming from his mom. Her other wing mirrored it and again, he heard loud sharp cries with a mix of yelps and howling. The whip loosened around his mothers neck and her face relaxed. Immediately, she responded between breaths.

"Hurry. Once Ichigo's awake, it will be gone." Ryou couldn't help but snarl under his breath. He couldn't choose Ichigo over THIS, but if he stayed, Ichigo would be in more danger. Both her and his mom were equal right now, despite the difference. Ryou exhaled sharply, turned around and started running down the path. Behind him, he continued hearing the struggles of his mom and the cries had stopped. Everything was leaving him with no choice. He felt like he was running away like a coward.

He felt like he was between a wall and a sword: nowhere to go, but to wait and see the swords next move. He curved around the tree and saw that the path continued downhill. But if he'd be more coward if he didn't do anything for BOTH. Despite how Ichigo plucked his nerves all the time, deep down he knew he had feelings for her. Of course, he never showed them seeing that it would do no good, but he cared for her. He...loved her. He knew Ichigo would never respond to him, seeing that she was in love with that Aoyama kid. And what's worse than falling in love with someone who's heart is already taken?

Either way, it didn't matter now. All he wanted now was to find her, bring Ichigo back to life, and even if it meant fighting each other again, that was fine as well. It would bring her back.

His feet plastered against the mushy path as he ran downhill. His wings would be very handy right now if they were functional. It didn't go steep, but the path curved to the right behind another tree and as Ryou turned, his feet slammed hard and he slid a little when he came to a sudden stop.

-End, Part V

Dum dum dum. So a BIG APOLOGY if this seems rushed. I was planning on making it longer, but I decided to leave it at that. Its allready long enough haha. So tell me how I did. If Ryous character is ok. The idea with him is that everything is coming at him, like a RUSH and he's just taking everything as it comes. So yea

So Ryou is worried about Ichigo and why doesn't he seem to notice that? haha What happened to his mom? Did she die? Will she die? Will she be in my next chapter? Will Ichigo wake up in time? Will Ryou find her in time before that DOG rips her apart? Will it get to Ichigo? Didn't his mom sound mean? Is Ryou under some prescription drug? What of Ryou? Why can't his wings work? Why is he limited on some stuff? If Ichigo wakes up on time, what will happen? What about her mom? How will Ryou find poor depressed Ichigo? REVIEW AND FIND OUT in CH. 6!