Bleach 1. Angel Massacre

**Chapter 1: Angel Massacre**

"Daddy! I'm bored~! I wanna play!" Nagged an eight year old Uryuu, clinging to his father's leg, the tall man glancing down at his son.

"Uryuu, I have work to do and you have your studies to attend to, we have no time for playing," the tall man chastised his son sternly.

Uryuu's face dropped, lower lip sticking out as he looked up at his father, "I'm sorry, Father," he mumbled, removing his arms from his father's leg and twiddling his fingers behind his back, playing with the half formed wings that the Quincy clan bore. The wings were nothing more than decoration, they couldn't be used for flying, they felt nothing, and when cut they grew back like hair, but despite their apparent uselessness, they were a sign of coming of age, and Uryuu felt immense pride toward his.

Ryuuken softened his eyes with a sigh, reaching down to place a hand on his son's shoulder, "Go on then, you want to become strong to protect our people, don't you? You have to study for that, these things never come easily."

Uryuu's face brightened, breaking into an innocent smile, "Un! I want to be big and strong like you, Daddy! I want to protect the people I love, just like you!" he cried, hugging his father's leg tightly before running off, looking behind him as he waved to his father gleefully, slipping on the wooden floorboards and landing on his bum with a thud. He scrambled up from the floor, face colouring as he ran off again, leaving a slightly smiling Ryuuken behind.

Uryuu ran outside, stuffing his feet into his shoes as he ran, making a beeline for the huge hedge maze. His father had meant study by reading the material his tutor had given him for the day, but reading all that stuff was boring. Too boring.

Dry old manuscripts about the history of the Quincy clan, and the origins of their techniques were no fun at all... and ever since his tutor had shown him how to materialise spirit particles, he'd been imagining himself as a hero. He dreamt that his clan was attacked by a hoard of demons, and everyone was running scared, but _he_ wasn't afraid.

He could see it now, in his mind's eye. The garden was chaos, shrubbery strewn over the yard as demons ravaged his family home. Silently he strolled round the corner, as tall and cool as his father, a great blue bow in his hand. The demons could feel his spiritual pressure before he rounded the corner, one charging at him. Uryuu shot it down with ease, raising an eyebrow at the remaining demons in challenge.

The demons bolted for it, terrified of Uryuu's strength, but Uryuu was too fast for them, shotting streams of arrows until not a single beast remained.

He felt the glow of pride swell in his heart; someday that would be him, he was sure of it.

Uryuu shot round another hedge maze corner in his home's expansive garden, shrieking when he ran into a wall of flesh, toppling them both to the ground.

His eyes widened when he saw who it was he'd run into, blood pouring into his cheeks. The girl before him was the very girl he'd had a crush on for as long as he could remember. He had always tried to look cool around her, tried to be sophisticated like his Dad, but the harder he tried, the more of a fool he looked. She never laughed at him when he made a fool of himself, but he could see it in her eyes: she didn't think he was cool.

"Uh-S-Sorry! I'm really sorry, are you okay?" he asked the girl sitting in the grass beside him; her wings had only just begun to develop, though she was only half a year younger than Uryuu.

The girl who stared back at him with large doe eyes was also powdered with blush, her voice young and cute, "Uryuu-kun... Uh... I'm very sorry, that was my fault, I was-"

"No, it was my fault, I was running and I-"

"It wasn't your fault!" she cried out, eyebrows curved into her forehead in the perpetually worried look she always wore.

Uryuu and the girl stared at each other before bursting into a fit of giggles, the girl pulling her long black hair out of her face, trying in vain to clean herself up.

"What were you doing out here?" he asked.

"Burying treasure!" she chirped.

"Treasure?" brightened Uryuu, "You mean like coins and jewellery and crowns and gems and ancient scrolls and- uh... what kind of treasure?"

"It's a secret!" she told him seriously, her large eyes boring into him, "Um, Uryuu-kun, what about you?" she asked tentatively; as far as she'd known no-one else knew how to get to the middle of the maze, and those that did were older and had no patience for it.

"I'm going to go practise materialising spirit particles!" he explained a little too enthusiastically.

"Woah, really? I always wanted to be a Quincy fighter, but... well... you know..." she mumbled.

As a girl she hadn't been allowed to learn any spirit techniques, Quincy men preferred their wives subservient.

"You can come watch," smiled Uryuu hopefully, he couldn't make any weapons yet, but he was a natural at gathering spirit particles, "If you want, I mean."

The girl's eyes widened as she nodded enthusiastically, pulling herself up and skipping to the middle of the maze, followed closely by a still blushing Uryuu.

They made it the middle of the maze in no time, taking a seat on one of the benches there. The grass was slightly overgrown and there were weeds shooting up through the gravel path, but that was what Uryuu loved about this maze so much, it was like his own little world, nobody bothered him here... well, not usually, though his tutor had recently become annoyingly aware of the place.

He had no problem with the girl sitting beside him being here though, it was like a shared secret now, like... Uryuu blushed furiously at the thought of this being "Their place", blushing even more when he realised he'd been staring at the black-haired beauty all this time.

"U-Uh, sorry!" he cried louder than necessary. He spluttered for a moment, not knowing what else to say before trailing off.

Without another word be set to his task, trying to relax himself, his hands hovering in front of him as he tried to accumulate the spirit particles in the air. After a minute of staring intently at the air beneath his fingers he finally saw a spark of blue light flash, sputtering dangerously before growing in size.

Particle by particle Uryuu gathered the blue light, creating a warped, almost circular ball between his hands. He glanced up at the girl proudly, looking away hurriedly when she met his eyes. Uryuu's concentration swayed, eyes widening as he lost control of the ball, feeling it drop from his invisible grasp to land on the bench, searing a hole through the wood.

The ball of spiritual particles fell to the ground with a thud, scorching the dirt before spluttering out of existence.

Uryuu couldn't look away from the bench, mortified, but before he could say anything they were interrupted by a stern male voice, "Uryuu-sama, this is why I told you to read the manuscripts when you're alone and practise spirit particle gathering during our lessons."

Uryuu looked down, face scorching as he was scolded by his tutor who had magically appeared from the shrubbery, he glanced apologetically at the girl beside him, who was looking down embarrassed, "And you young lady, don't you have somewhere you ought to be right now?"

The girl jumped in surprise, her face suddenly moulding into a look of horror, "Uh-uh, I've gotta' go! Sorry, Uryuu-kun!" she cried, scampering off into the maze, her baby blue dress fluttering behind her.

"Uryuu-sama, you have to have read all of those scrolls I gave you by tomorrow, I suggest you start them now."

"Yes, Sir." Replied Uryuu, head down.

Shamefaced he bowed to his tutor, breaking into a run as soon as he was out of sight, not missing a single turn as he bolted for the house, running along the wooden flooring of the veranda, slowing to a halt as he rounded the corner. He leant against the wall, catching his breath. God, his tutor was such a slave driver.

"Uryuu-kun! Good morning!" called a man from a bench amid the shrubbery. Uryuu brightened as he recognised his Grandfather, running over to him.

"Good morning, Grandfather!" chirped Uryuu, his previous embarrassment and current instructions already forgotten. He rushed over to the older man, bowing politely before jumping into his arms, giggling when his Grandfather's beard tickled his neck.

"Look at you! Your wings sure are growing quickly! How's my favourite Grandson then?" asked the old man. At one point in his life, he had been known for being one of the most merciless warriors of the Quincy clan, but in his old age he had softened, holding a particularly soft spot in his heart for Uryuu.

Uryuu giggled, pride glowing in his face at the first comment, "But Grandfather, I'm your ONLY Grandson."

"That you are! Well, I think my favourite and only Grandson has something they should to be doing right now," intoned the old man knowingly, "Do you perhaps have something schooling related you ought to be doing?"

"H-How did you know!?"

"I can see into your mind, young one," explained the old man seriously, looking into a face lit with wide-eyed awe, "That, and you're tutor's standing right over there giving us a very stern look, if I do say so myself."

Uryuu glanced over his shoulder to find his Grandfather had been telling the truth, his tutor was leaning against a tree about 10 meters away, staring at him warningly.

The old man leant in to whisper in Uryuu's ear, "Well, I think it's about time for you to attend to your studies, before I get pulled in as well."

"Okay!" agreed Uryuu easily, he didn't want his wonderful Grandfather to be pulled into his mess too. He slid off the old man's lap, turning to give him a quick bow before running off again, kicking his shoes off messily as he ran into the house.

A second later he returned meekly, lining the shoes neatly by the door before disappearing inside again.

"Honestly, you shouldn't encourage such nonchalance" the tutor told the old man, walking over to sit beside him.

"I don't know what you're worried about, that kid has more talent than us old farts put together" replied the older man cheerfully.

"That's exactly why," he mumbled, almost to himself, "he has so much talent, so much promise! At such a young age he can already gather spirit particles together strong enough to burn through a hunk of wood, but he lacks all the discipline required for a warrior."

The old man simply smiled, "I have faith in him."

He gave a sigh, it was no use reasoning with his pupil's number one groupie, you could never win.

* * *

Uryuu pushed the scroll he'd been reading away. It felt like he'd been here for hours, pouring over this boring, useless information. Somewhere from the other side of the house he heard a woman's scream. He pouted to himself, someone was probably out pulling pranks and having fun without him, while he was stuck inside.

He stood up, stretching his back as he fought a yawn, padding over to the window, surprised to find the sun was setting, casting vibrant orange shadows over the garden; he must have been reading that scroll longer than he thought. A brighter flash of orange registered in his vision. His eyes straining to see the colour that blended in so well to the scenery.

"Is that... a fire...?" he wondered out loud, but it had disappeared as quickly as it had come. He whirled in shock when his bedroom door was pulled open abruptly, admitting the little black haired girl.

"Uryuu-kun! Uryuu-kun, we have to leave!" cried his crush, running into his room as she grabbed his arm roughly, pulling him along with her.

"Wha-What's wrong? Where are we going?" he asked, shocked at the usually meek girl's panic as they ran.

Dumbly he finally noticed the tears trickling down her face, before noticing the blood streaked over her clothes and hands.

He gasped, "Are you okay!? You're bleeding!" he cried, still running.

"It-it-it-'s not m-mine!" he cried, her sobs picking up, small hiccups and ragged breaths falling from her mouth, "Th-There's a demon! He came and he-he-he k-killed-" that was all she managed before her sobs overtook her, wracking her body as they ran hand in hand.

"Who!? Who did he k...kill?" asked Uryuu, his legs trembling as they hit a down-hill at a sprint, his brain finally understanding that they were headed for the secret passage out of the house. He could hear the yells of dying men now, the sounds of death, fear, and destruction filling the night air.

"He told me-hicc!-he told me to-to find you and run-"

"Who told you!?" demanded Uryuu desperately, terror building in his throat.

"You-Your Grandf-father," she managed through the sobs that were coming even stronger now.

Uryuu felt as though he'd been struck in the face. He stared dumbly at the girl, her glossy hair stuck to her wet face, "G...Grandfather...?"

He felt a cold ball grow inside his sternum, tightening as he ran; abruptly he stopped running, falling to his knees as he wretched into the grass, tears blurring his vision. It was too much. It was all just too much.

"We have to keep running!" begged the girl, pulling at his arm, "we have to-"

Silence.

Nothing but silence.

A silence that tore at his ears.

Fiery hot and ice cold all at once.

Uryuu stared in horror as she went very still, a terrified whimper escaping her mouth as her dress bloomed with blood, steadily spreading over her front.

"U...ryuu...kun... I..." Slowly her eyes glazed over, so slowly, yet all too fast.

Uryuu felt the terror curl in his chest as he stared at the man standing behind her, his face grim as he loomed over the pair, his eyes cold. Merciless.

Uryuu jolted awake, a scream dying on his lips, breathing heard, his clothes soaked through with sweat. He shook his head as he tried to forget the awful memory, pushing his fingers into closed eyes as he battled the tears that threatened to fall.

He'd thought he was finally done with those dreams, the terrifying night his clan had been murdered, and the girl whose name he had never been able to remember since, as though her very name would bring forth the events of that night all over again, so his brain had locked it away to protect him.

He fought against the image of her dulling eyes, the blood that had bubbled from her mouth as she had said his name for the last time.

A loud, careening sound filled the room, pulling him from his thoughts. Uryuu clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle it, sobs shaking his body as he cried for the people he would never see again. He hadn't been strong enough. He hadn't even been able to protect a seven year old girl.

"U-Uryuu-tan!... what's wrong?" asked a small voice beside him, jolting him from his breakdown. Of course, he had the kids to worry about, he didn't have time for this.

"Nothing Yachiru, go back to sleep," he murmured as he swiped the tears from his face, offering a tragic attempt at a smile to the pink haired girl, glancing around the small room at the other kids to make sure he hadn't woken them.

"But you're crying! Are you hurt?" she asked, crawling over to hug him, running her hands over his body to check for wounds, eyebrows pulling together in worried confusion when she found none.

"Shhh," he soothed here, pulling her close to him, "I'm fine."

"Uryuu-tan..."

Gently he lay down, pulling the girl with him, wrapping her in his arms, as much for his sake as for hers. These children needed him, they had no-one else in this world. They were his reason for living, the only reason he hadn't taken his life all those years ago.

"Shhhh," he whispered again, allowing himself to relax, "everything's gonna' be just fine."

* * *

**A/N**

**So... What'd you think?**

**This is a request fic for the wonderful Isame Kuroda who has the most amazingly creative, messed up little mind. I'm truly grateful to be able to write this story for her, I'm getting really excited about it ^_^ I really hope you like it Isame Kuroda!**

**Please review, I reply to all PMs and reviews :)**


	2. Nostalgia

**Chapter 2: Nostalgia**

Uryuu reached over his shoulder grimly, slicing away carefully at the stems sprouting from his shoulders, wincing as he nicked the skin.

He grimaced as the blood slid down his back, he would have to let it bleed until it dried. He set back to his task, slicing bit by bit at the stems of the cursed wings he bore. He remembered how he had felt when he had started to grow them: self-conscious, but oh so proud; he couldn't wait for his wings to grow, until they spread out in great arcs of glory, silver feathers flashing in the sunlight like his father's had.

He'd had that dream for as long as he could remember, until that day, when all who bore the cursed things were hunted down by a single demon, women and children slaughtered alike.

How had only he escaped? His bloody nightmare was the only memory he held of that day, he remembered nothing from his friend's death, only waking up cold and alone in a forest nearby, and hiding there for days and days until his hunger overtook him and he'd been forced to pull himself from his depression and find something to eat. He'd known the location of the hidden village all his life. It was a refuge for Quincy, a place for them to flee in times of need.

Memories of the hunger and cold swept through him as he recalled his first days as an outcast. The villagers had been too scared to take him in for fear of bad omens, a small few leaving food and water for him as they turned their backs on a small, scared little boy, who had no-one left in this world.

The dark haired man curled his upper lip with disdain. It didn't matter _how_ scared they had been, they ought to have grown a pair and helped him; it was a miracle he'd survived the way he had. If it had been anyone but a boy training to become a Quincy warrior, schooled in the art of survival, they'd have perished for sure.

Sighing, he ran his fingers over the newly blunted stubs of keratin, all that remained of his clan's heritage. He'd taken to hiding his wings half a year after the massacre. It had been difficult at first, as he'd hacked away at the last connection he had with his dead brethren, but instinct had urged him forward.

Carefully he stood, brushing the fallen slithers of keratin into a piece of cloth. In the beginning, it had been a blow to his pride, to rid himself of the beloved attachments, but as time had passed, he'd come to see them as the reason for his situation, as though if the wings had never existed, he would never have lost his family. He would never have witnessed death. He would not be all alone in this world.

A pang of guilt surged through his chest as he began pawing at the dirt, scooping away at it. That was wrong. He wasn't alone, he had a new family now. His heart warmed at the thought of his five charges. He was their protection, and their source of food, though recently they had all begun learning how to hunt with him.

Uryuu piled the shredded keratin into the hole, packing the newly turned earth tightly on top of it and scattering leaved and twigs over the surface, hiding his presence.

He remained kneeling there, though all he wore was a pair of pale brown leather pants with no shirt. He wanted the blood trickling down his back to dry before returned to the children. His wings were a reminder of all that he had lost, and all that they still stood to lose. Nobody needed that reminder.

Memories of the five children that relied on him tickled his mind; he remembered their first meetings so clearly.

He'd met Ururu and Jinta first, when he was fourteen, six years after the "Angel Massacre", as the slaughter of his family had come to be called. He'd seen the two wander into the village from afar; the two had been skinny and covered in dirt, but the red haired boy had glared at anyone who had approached, yelling something Uryuu hadn't been able to hear.

_"You two," he called after staring at the kids for a while; they'd been wandering about looking like they had no idea what they were doing. He scowled briefly at the scurrying villagers who scuttled away, eyes down as they ignored the official leper of their town._

_The red haired boy turned his passionate eyes on him at once, taking a defensive stance in front of the girl, "don' come any closer!"_

_Uryuu frowned but stopped walking, the boy didn't look like he was in any state to keep walking, let alone defend himself._

_Slowly he raised his hands, palms fingers spread, and took a step closer, "I'm not going to hurt you."_

_The boy stumbled backwards, pulling the girl back with him, eyebrows pulled together as he glared at Uryuu, "Well ya wouldn' tell me if you were gonna', wouldja?"_

_The pair looked to be nine or ten and far too skinny for Uryuu's liking. _

_Uryuu kept his hands in the air and stilled, "Where are you from?" he called out._

_The boy hesitated, gritting his teeth as he eyed the dark haired teen before him, "None o' your business!"_

_Uryuu could relate. _

_"You got anywhere to stay?" he asked them, not missing the girl's expression as she dropped her gaze to the ground._

_The boy remained silent, studying him with narrowed eyes, "That still ain' none o' your business."_

_Uryuu took that to mean "no"._

_"You can stay with me," he offered, "I live out of the village; it's small but it's completely hidden..." he gave a cursory glance around at the few lingering villagers, "and no-one here knows where it is."_

_The kids exchanged a glance. Uryuu could see the temptation their faces, but clearly they knew better than to trust a stranger. It must have been his youth that had them considering it in the first place._

_The kids turned back to Uryuu, "we ain' interested," murmured the red-head sullenly, gripping the girl's hand as he pulled her away hastily._

_"Th-Thankyou though!" called the girl, looking over her shoulder before scurrying after the boy, her pigtails bobbing above her shoulders._

Uryuu had left it at that. If those kids didn't want his help, he wasn't going to force it on them. If they were _that _desperate they would have taken him up on his offer.

Demons, or as they had been hatefully dubbed, Hollows, had essentially taken over the world since the day Uryuu's family had been murdered. It seemed as though the Hollow that had performed the massacre was responsible for leading the lesser demons into Earth, from where ever the hell they had come from, and from there it had been one massacre after another. It made sense that the kids were running from something Hollow related.

The victims since, however, hadn't been targeted for any specific reason, just that they made good sources of food.

Uryuu had never understood why the Quincies had been targeted specifically. And they had been. Every other Quincy stronghold had been destroyed within the same week, and none of the bodies had been eaten, so food wasn't the reason. The Angel Massacre had been the first and last Hollow genocide, and they'd been thoroughly destroyed by a single Hollow, who hadn't been seen since.

Uryuu had thought that would be the last he saw of the children, as determined as they were to get out of the village. Clearly they were running from something, and Uryuu could only guess what, though with the way things were, he had a good idea.

As such, Uryuu was sorely surprised to cross paths with them within the next half hour.

_"Let him go! Please let him go!" wailed a young, female voice from nearby._

_Uryuu's head snapped towards the sound; he'd never been able to turn his back on suffering, as much as his self-preservation might have liked to._

_He took off down the street, turning the corner sharply and stumbling to a stop as he fought collision with the people standing right around the corner._

_He took in the scene at a glance: A middle-aged man holding the red-haired kid from earlier by the neck, his feet centimetres from the ground as he clutched at the man's hands. The dark haired girl was tugging at the man's leg, and crying for him to let go._

_The man turned to see his spectator, eyes widening when he saw who it was, "Min' yer own damn bidniz, Angel Boy!" he spat._

_Jinta made some worrying gurgling noises, legs thrashing in mid-air._

_"Let him go," intoned Uryuu coldly, walking forward quickly to ram his elbow in the man's sternum, the force propelling the man to the ground, dropping the boy's now unmoving body._

_The man pulled himself to his feet in a fit of coughs, hand pressed to his sternum, as he legged it clumsily down the road, turning the corner with haste._

_When Uryuu was satisfied that he was gone, he turned his attention to the fiery red-head from earlier. The pig-tailed girl leant over him, her large eyes glowing with worry and un-shed tears._

_Uryuu leant over the boy as well, satisfied that he was breathing, "He's just unconscious, he'll be fine," he informed the girl, who sagged with relief. "Come on, he can rest at mine."_

_They made their way to Uryuu's in silence, the red-haired boy hanging loosely in Uryuu's arms. He seemed so much younger when he was asleep. So much more innocent. He looked as any normal ten year old ought to look, one whose life hadn't been invaded by Hollows._

_Uryuu could feel eyes on him; he forced himself not to look back, just keep walking until he reached the village gates, where he glanced over his shoulder, scanning the empty area before continuing, satisfied that they weren't being followed._

_He carried the boy through the thick foliage, leaves brushing against them as he wound through the bushes and trees. He slowed as he reached the familiar tree that had been broken in half that marked his home, startling when the girl bumped into his leg._

_She jumped back hurriedly, but her worried eyes never left the boy._

_Uryuu pulled aside the leafy bush that hid a crassly made door, a small square of roughly cut planks, tied together with thick rope. He pulled aside the planks, motioning for the girl to enter. She hesitated for a moment before crawling through the doorway._

_"I'm going to push your friend in now, do you think you can pull him in?" he called to the girl._

_"Yes."_

_Uryuu lay the boy on his back, pushing him along the leaves. He was easy to push through, particularly with the girl's help; he was pitifully light._

_When the red-head's feet had disappeared from the entrance, Uryuu crawled in afterwards, pulling the crude door back in place, the bush rustling as it fell back over it. His home was larger than the entrance gave it credit for, one of the many positives it held. It had once been an animal's den, a large one by the looks of it. It was the size of a small room, with a high ceiling, and rounded, but craggy walls of a dome._

Uryuu remembered the awe that lit the girl's eyes as she stared at the room, torn between gaping and caring for her friend.

Things had run smoothly from then on, though the Jinta had kicked as fuss when he realised he'd been saved and was now at a stranger's mercy. His attitude had changed drastically when Uryuu had supplied them with bread and cold meat, which the pair had devoured in record time.

He hunted small game each day, with nothing else to with his time, and cooked them well away from the village, letting the fire die quickly and using the heat from its embers to cook and heat his food. He couldn't be too careful. Not only was there the ever present knowledge that he was one of, if not the only surviving member of a clan somebody wanted very dead, but he was also hated by the villagers.

In the beginning it had been fear and superstition, as though he would bring them the same bad luck that had befallen his people, but as time flew by, Uryuu could find less and less people willing to give him a job, and those he did find yielded little profit. He'd had no other option but to steal what he couldn't afford to buy. Needless to say, the villagers didn't take kindly to thieves.

He felt immense shame at his actions, but his determination to survive overpowered those emotions. If he had to eat dirt, he would. It didn't matter what happened, he'd been lucky enough to survive the Angel Massacre, it would be an insult to his dead brethren to die now. He glanced at the now sleeping children, his only blanket wrapped around their skinny shoulders. They clearly had nowhere else to go. Out there, they were going to starve. That, or be taken by Hollows or slave traders, the pathetic excuses of men that hunted and sold fellow humans in order to live in subservience at the Hollows' feet.

It was risky business, and many of that profession were killed in a fit of demon rage or hunger, but it was safer than being a part of the prey that lived in these hidden villages scattered throughout Alma. For those who had the stomach for it, slave trading was the perfect solution to an unpleasant situation.

Slaves almost always ended up as food for Hollows. Hollows liked their prey fresh, but not every Hollow had the patience to hunt. Slaves solved that problem.

Those that escaped death became sex slaves. For some strange reason, some of the demons had a perverse fetish for humans. Uryuu couldn't decide what was worse, to be eaten by a demon, or raped by one, and he'd sooner never find out.

As always his thoughts strayed to their ranking systems. Uryuu had studied the demons from afar, learning all he could about the world's intruders in an attempt to understand them better. He would never admit it aloud, but he held a pathetic hope of learning the reasons for the Angel Massacre. And what could he do it he _did _learn. Nothing. He could do nothing, and he had never found peace with that.

The lowest class was compiled of giant figures clad in black, identical, sharply pointed bone masks upon their faces. They didn't seem to have any motives behind destruction beside hunger, and there was no method to their behaviour.

The middle class consisted of animal shaped Hollows. No. Animal shaped wasn't the right word. Beast shaped. They acted with minimal purpose, going about their lives as any murderous, cannibalistic human might.

The upper class Hollows were the ones that really scared Uryuu. The other Hollows were like wild beasts, not too difficult for a cunning mind to out manoeuvre. The upper class Hollows looked and thought like humans. His limited knowledge on them was scrounged from eavesdropped slave trader conversation. Apparently the upper class had several names, the official name being Vasto Lordes, but they go by Espada and Arrancar also. They take on the form of a human, their only demonic feature a bone mask attached to their face, though he had heard that some preferred to remain in their true demon form. Uryuu was no idiot. The upper class were intelligent and powerful. Terrifyingly so. He had only ever seen one Vasto Lorde. He had been eight years old, and just watched a little girl die.

He shook the memory off, blinking her dimming eyes from his mind.

As they were now, humans stood no chance. They needed a leader, but it seemed that all the brave leaders were already dead.

He pulled himself back to the present as he tugged his shirt back over his head, setting about sharpening the wooden spear he used for hunting, allowing his mind to sink back into nostalgic memories.

Surprisingly, he'd met the twins, Karin and Yuzu, not three days after meeting Jinta and Ururu.

_Uryuu allowed himself a sense of pride as the two children joined him in hunting. They took direction well and had good common sense._

_Uryuu had allowed them to go hunt elsewhere, despite the dangers. He figured that they'd been living long enough alone that they could take care of themselves, and he had a feeling that forcing them to stay close would only push them away._

_They'd agreed to meet up in a clearing by the river where Uryuu had been cooking what food he could in a very small campfire that he'd set up for years. He made sure to only have it alight for as short a while as he could, and covered it thoroughly after every use._

_The tall boy was sitting alone under the cover of the trees waiting for his new wards. Well, more like companions; the children had accepted his offer to stay with him as they had nowhere else to go. He figured they felt they were far enough from whatever tragedy they had come from to settle down._

_He'd been going over their food stores in his mind, resigning himself to the fact that he'd be needing to steal more salt for preservation soon, when Yuzu had stumbled into the small clearing, staggering under the weight of another small body hanging off her shoulders._

_Uryuu was wary at first, but noticed the blood dripping down her arm. "Are you okay?" he asked._

_She jumped at his voice, flicking her eyes around the clearing to check for others. Uryuu could see the confliction in her eyes. Clearly she needed help, if excess amount of blood and unconscious body pulling her down were any indication, but she was wary enough to be careful of strangers. Those slave traders were no wives tale._

_Uryuu stood up slowly, hands spread in front of him, revealing he held no weapon. "I'm not going to hurt you." He soothed._

_She looked like a deer caught in headlights, whipping her head around the clearing as she considered her escape options._

_Just then Jinta decided to stumble into the clearing, Ururu in tow. The blood soaked girl stared at him as though he were a ghost, recognition lighting her eyes. "Jinta, Ururu, you're alive... I thought you were... the others were..."she broke off, a loud sob marring her mangled smile as tears ran down her face._

_Jinta broke the stare, rushing forward to grab the girl from her arms and lay her on the ground. Yuzu flinched as Uryuu approached, but held her ground._

_"It's okay, Yuzu," assured Ururu in her sweet little voice, "he's a friend."_

_"Uryuu, she's bleeding bad." Jinta cut in, voice panicked as he applied pressure to the wound in her side._

_Uryuu was pulled from his hesitant distance in a second, carefully pulling the dark haired girl into his arms and leading the way back to his den._

It had taken longer than he would have liked, but eventually he had managed to stop the bleeding enough to clean the wounds.

He felt his heart fill with pride as he recalled Jinta's and Ururu's actions. Both had done his bidding without a question, and Ururu had even found the time to deal with Yuzu's minor wounds while he had cared for Karin.

The twins had been easy to win over after that, and if Uryuu was surprised at finding two more strange children alone but three days after Jinta and Ururu, he was even more surprised to find they had come from the same village.

He wondered about that frequently, about what had happened to their village all those years ago, but none of the youth seemed inclined to talk about it, and Uryuu had resigned himself to never knowing the whole story.

Yachiru had been the easiest to convince to stay with him. He figured since he had started collecting strays he may as well continue. He had become like a guardian angel. The bitter irony never failed to escape him.

Yachiru had been orphaned by her father, Zaraki Kenpachi. Even an outcast like Uryuu had heard of the man, his infamy reaching every hidden village one way or another. To some he symbolised hope and strength; to others idiocy, an example of the fate reckless rebels met.

Kenpachi had been a huge man, powerful but quick, and always looking for a fight. He sought out the strongest enemy he could find to sate his love of violence. Unfortunately for him, humans stood little chance against Hollows, and though he had won hundreds of fights to the death with Hollows, he wasn't invincible. It had been inevitable that he met his end by the hand of a Hollow.

Unfortunately Yachiru had also inherited his love of fighting and excitement, and never failed to put herself in dangerous situations. She didn't seem bitter at his death either. Sure she missed him, but she was proud that her father had died in battle. It was what he had always wanted.

Uryuu shook his head. He was just glad she was a good fighter, taught by her father after all, and an expert at remaining undetected.

_"Yuzu?" Jinta called. The red head always lost his cool when it came to the fair haired girl. The others he knew could take care of themselves, but she was so soft spoken and gentle that he worried about her._

_"Yuzu, where are you? Are you okay?"_

_He turned around at the sound of rustling leaves, nearly jumping out of his skin when the mild mannered girl he was expecting in his mind was replaced with a small, pink haired bundle of energy._

_"Who are you?" he demanded, instantly on the offensive. Being a kid himself, he knew not to trust someone just because they were young._

_"hmmmmmmmm?" she near whined, "who are _you?"

_Jinta hesitated. So far she seemed harmless enough, and though he would never admit it to that four-eyes' face, he was also in the protecting business. He glanced around quickly. It had become habit for all of them to find out how many people they were facing, and where the possible escapes lay. "Are you alone?"_

_She beamed at him, nodding her head vigorously. Jinta didn't know what she had to be so happy about, most people who were alone were only alone because their companions were dead._

_"What's your name?" he asked, softening his voice._

_"I'm Yachiru!" she said a little too loudly._

_"Hey, keep your voice down!" he said dangerously. The last thing he needed was for people to find them because of some girl's loud mouth._

_She slapped her hands over her mouth quickly, looking around conspiratorially, before leaning closer to him. She cupper her hands around her mouth and whispered, "I'm Yachiru. Who are you?"_

_Well he couldn't see any harm in giving his name. "...Jinta."_

_"It's nice to meet you," she whispered loudly once more, settling Jinta's frayed nerves. She seemed innocent enough._

_Uryuu chose this time to step out of the shadows, making his presence known. He'd figured that it would be wiser to stay as hidden back up if things turned ugly, but he too had been awed by the cute little girl. She looked to be eleven, with bubblegum pink hair, rosy cheeks, and dark pink eyes._

_"My name's Uryuu," he introduced himself, "Do you have anywhere to stay?"_

_The girl smiled at him brightly, "Yep!" she'd informed them, "I'm staying with you!"_

Uryuu chuckled at the memory. It was one of his fondest.

He kicked the wood shavings from his spear to the side, flicking them under the blanket of fallen leaves.

In hind sight, he felt he had offered her a place to stay a little too quickly, especially knowing now that she was capable of killing a grown man with ease, but he was glad he had done so.

That had been a year and a half ago, and they hadn't met anyone else since.

He made his way down to the river, slipping his unclad feet into the icy water and holding still, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim by.

He looked up as Jinta, yuzu, and Karin broke through the foliage. The three of them stuck together like rice. He felt a sad smile pull at his lips. He wasn't blind, and the kids were terrible at hiding their feelings.

It was sad how it had worked out, a lose-lose situation for all three. Jinta was in love with Yuzu. He worried about her more than anyone else, and his eyes were always glued to her when she wasn't looking.

The adoration was sweet, Uryuu just wished he could be a little more stealthy about it.

Jinta was loud and brash, but shy in his own way, and in his efforts to hide his feelings for Yuzu, he failed to hide them from anyone else. Namely Karin.

The dark haired girl was stuck. She was protective of her sister, and wanted what was best for her. Uryuu could tell she felt a tremendous amount of guilt for wishing it was she that Jinta liked instead.

The situation was completely messed up. And of course Yuzu remained oblivious to both of them, which didn't help matters any.

Uryuu wished he could jump in and do something to help, but really there was nothing he _could _do, and even if there was, he doubted anyone would accept hive advice. They would have to sort these things out for themselves.

He pulled himself back to the task at hand, cursing under his breath as the first fish swam past him to safety. Every bit of food he could gather mattered. He had lost count of how many times he had gone hungry for the children.

As a Quincy he unconsciously absorbed spirit particles from the air. The spirit particles gave him energy, but did nothing to quell the hunger that burnt at his stomach. It was a test of strength, to have food right within his grasp, but choose to give it away, and he was proud to be able to say that he was strong.

The children needed him to be strong.

He speared the next one, tossing it onto the bank to finish dying. The three children joined him, shivering when the water hit their skin.

"Where are Yachiru and Ururu?" he asked.

"They said it was too cold to go fishing," Yuzu said, "so Yachiru's foraging and Ururu's working on the net."

"It's always too cold to go fishing," griped Jinta," it still has to be done." He didn't mind though, he enjoyed fishing.

The four of them stood in the water until they lost feeling in their feet, grins on their faces when they counted seven large fish. One each for dinner, with one left to preserve for later. It was always nice when the river yielded plenty of fish, but this bountiful streak only lasted so long, as they were all reminded come winter time.

Uryuu was just hoping that net would be done soon. It would make things faster and produce more fish with less effort. The winter was fast approaching, and they would need to fill their stores before it hit.

He pushed that thought aside, noting that it was perfect weather for a fire. It was heavily over cast, and they'd heard nothing of slave traders in these parts for at least five months. It felt like the perfect night to take a risk.

So with that thought in mind, Uryuu build a small fire in the steadily darkening clearing, and began cooking the first decent meal they'd had in a week.

...

**A/N**

**So? What do you all think so far? I'd love to hear your theories and opinions :) Please tell me if you're confused about anything and I'll make sure to explain it in the next chapter.**

**And remember, reviews make me update faster!**

**EDIT: Soooooooo... it's come to my attention that when I first uploaded this chapter... I may have accidentally uploaded the second chapter of "Rescue" instead :P So, I know this won't apply to everyone, but if you originally read that chapter, and are now wondering what the hell you were smoking... my bad! (^~^)**


	3. The Bread That Started It All

**Chapter 3: The Bread That started It All**

"Ah!" Uryuu cried as pain stung at his hand. He gave the bubbly girl before him a dirty look, "No need to hit so hard, it's just a game."

They'd been playing "slaps", a stupid hand game intended to stave away boredom, and in their case hunger, but usually only resulted in two pairs of very sore hands.

She gave him her brightest smile – the smile she used the most. God this girl never stopped smiling. "Ken-chan used to always say that you shouldn't do anything half assed! _You _should have been paying closer attention, not spying!"

Uryuu blanched. Had he been that obvious? Ignoring her language – it was a trait she'd picked up from her late father- he shushed her, peeking over his shoulder to see if they'd been overheard. He relaxed when Jinta and Yuzu were just as deeply engrossed in each other as they had been before.

He smiled. It was small and sad, but a smile none the less. He was happy for them sure, but Karin just couldn't catch a break. The new couple had just made their romance official. They were both fifteen now, and apparently Jinta had plucked up the courage to tell Yuzu how he felt. It was dangerous to beat around the bush nowadays; you never knew how long you had left.

Uryuu had been nearby when Yuzu had told Karin the news. He'd felt a pang of sympathy for her, but Karin had only said how happy she was for them, and not to get too sappy when she was around. It was harsh for Karin to endure, but he supposed it was just a crush. It would pass. Probably. The depressing part was that Yuzu hadn't clued into Karin's feelings, and proceeded to share every little feeling and occurrence with her twin.

It was almost like a form of torture, he mused.

He tore his eyes away, wondering where the two dark haired girls had run off to. It had started pouring rain a half hour ago, strong sheets of rain bouncing off the ground like liquid bullets. The girls had gone off in a feeble attempt at finding food. They were three weeks into winter, and already the limited food store had dwindled to a startling size; they'd been eating one small meal every second day, and it wasn't enough. At this rate they were going to starve to death.

Of course their chances of actually finding berries or game were minimal at best, but Karin had clearly needed a bit of space, and Ururu had volunteered to help. They all preferred sticking in pairs; it gave them a peace of mind.

Uryuu stood up, stretching his sore muscles. They'd been sitting in the small room for several hours, hiding against the cold, and he'd had enough of breathing in dirty air.

He flicked an apologetic glance at Yachiru and made his way to the flimsy door, "I'm going to go find Karin and Ururu; they shouldn't be out in this rain."

He flinched as sheets of rain pelted through the entrance, slapping him in the face. He covered the entrance back up, cursing the ankle deep mud that surged around his feet.

The freezing water pellets stung his face as he made his way through the trees. The girls could be anywhere, but he had his bets on the village. None of them liked to steal, but sometimes it was unavoidable.

His ears pricked up at the sound of angry cries muffled by the falling rain. He picked up his speed, racing to the village edge as he tried to pinpoint the cries. They were clearer now, an angry woman yelling, her words punctuated with smaller, higher pitched cries.

He turned a corner, heart battering his chest when he located the sound, Karin trying to pry a well-built woman off of Ururu.

He joined the fight, holding the woman back by an arm as she screeched about his influence on the brats, how he'd brought them up to be ungrateful troublemakers like himself.

Uryuu briefly wondered what they had to be grateful for, but let it go, relieved when the woman turned on him instead. At least now she wasn't hurting the people he loved.

He gave her a firm shove, kicking her feet from under her, grim satisfaction on his face when she stumbled backwards and hit the ground hard. He supposed he ought to have felt guilty, but she'd been beating a little girl for the crime of wanting to live. He found it hard to muster mercy for people like that.

"Come on," he said softly, though it was lost in the rain. He picked the four muddied loaves of bread from the ground, relieved that they had them. He felt guilty at _that_ though, Ururu had suffered to get this bread, but in the end, a beating was better than starvation.

The three of them made their way from the village hastily. The last thing they needed was for the woman to follow them.

Uryuu knew she wouldn't, it was far too wet, and the mud too deep for that, but he didn't like taking chances.

...

"What happened!?" cried Yuzu in shock, jumping from beside Jinta when the three of them stumbled inside. There was little light inside the den, but Ururu's beaten state was obvious to their adjusted eyes.

She rushed to help them, noting that Karin sported damage as well.

"This happened," Karin informed them with a grim smile, snatching a loaf of bread from Uryuu and motioning towards it.

She watched in satisfaction when their faces lit up, the ever present discomfort in their stomachs a constant reminder of all they hadn't eaten that night.

Their glee was instantly shattered when a sob broke through the silence.

Ururu dropped to a crouch, arms wrapping around her too skinny legs as the tears slid down her face.

"I'm sorry," she wept, sobs wracking her body, "I'm so sorry."

Uryuu was shocked into action, dropping beside her and wrapping her into his arms. This had come as a huge surprise. Ururu. Strong, brave Ururu who always bore everything with a smile, was breaking down in his arms. In all the years he had known her, she was the only one of his wards that he had never seen cry. For someone who looked so weak, she had turned out to be the strongest of the group. Seeing her now was disconcerting.

"Don't be sorry," he soothed, "There's nothing to be sorry for, it's okay." He was joined by Yuzu, who knelt to share the crying girl's burden, soon followed by the other three. It felt nice, being wrapped in their small arms as they comforted Ururu.

"It's not okay," she continued, distraught. "I'm so weak, I'm not strong enough to protect any of you."

It was like a slap in the face. She thought she was weak. The knowledge tore at his heart. "Ururu, you are strong. All you kids are strong. You're the strongest people I've ever met." He assured them in a whisper.

In a way, it was almost true. Certainly taking their ages into consideration they were the strongest people he knew. But then, any child able to survive in the world as it was now would have to be strong.

"I'm not strong." Mumbled Ururu into his tear soaked shirt, lifting her earnest gaze to Uryuu's face. "But I'll become strong. I promise. I'll become strong enough to protect the people I love."

"So will I!" agreed Jinta loudly, slapping his sister on the back, joined by a chorus of promised strength from everyone else.

Uryuu felt pride light his heart, aware that he took more pride in them than he perhaps deserved. But how could he not? They were all so resilient. So unwavering in their resolve. They were his pride and joy, and he would do anything to protect them.

He twined his arms around them all, crushing them close to him in a sign of affection before letting go. "Come on, if you're going to get stronger, you need to eat." He said to an all-round agreement.

Tonight they were going to live on the wild side. They were going to eat two days in a row.

...

"Sir, you were right," said the lean man with awe. It didn't matter that his boss was blind, he'd been the one to notice the water filled footprints that had been left in the thick mud. No-one else had even considered the possibility of hidden strays when they had invaded the village.

"How many are there?"

"We know for a fact that there's one young man, and two children that looked to be about 13, but I don't think they're alone. We tracked them to their burrow, I have men waiting nearby."

"Very good job, Shuuhei," praised the dark skinned man solemnly, "Bring them in, I want them with the others within the hour."

...

Uryuu rolled over groggily, his light sleep broken by the sound of the crude door scraping open. He didn't bother to look. One of the kids probably had to relieve their bladders. They'd been stuck inside all day, after all.

The sound of the rain still thrummed on the ground above, lulling him back to sleep. He was pulled from his slumber once more by the sound of rustling cloth beside him, "Whadis it?" he mumbled lazily.

Uryuu's eyes flew open when a large, cloth covered hand pressed into his face, holding him down. His hands clawed at it, but did little. He felt boneless. A harsh chemical burned his sinuses.

He cursed the world as he felt the last shreds of his consciousness slip away.

...

**A/N**

**Drama party~!**

**I'd say I'm sorry... but I'm really not :)**

**I am sorry about the length though, it's a bit short. Oh well.**


	4. Auction

**Chapter 4: Auction**

White hot pain lanced through Uryuu's head, searing the back of his eyeballs. That was all he could think about. His brain throbbed and his throat was raw.

Foreign sounds met his ears. Uryuu scrunched his brow in confusion, hissing at the pain the small motion caused.

_What...? It's so loud. Like back then. I haven't heard sounds like these since... _His brain didn't want to cooperate, _a very long time ago._

He pried his eyelids open, squinting against the harsh light that assaulted his retina'.

"Where...?"

Foggy recollections flittered through his mind. Panic coiled in his stomach as his memories returned. He flew into a sitting position, a groan tearing from his throat as a million colours burst behind his eyes. He ignored the pain, trying to fight the fog that lay over him like a heavy blanket.

Finally his sight cleared enough for him to make out his surroundings. He was cramped in a large metal cage surrounded by familiar faces, most of which were in a similar process of waking up, some crying in defeat. He swept his eyes over the array of bodies, vaguely recognising the woman who had beaten Ururu.

He scrambled to his feet, terror rising in his throat as he searched for the children. He stumbled over the villagers' bodies, pushing people aside and digging through the dirty fabric, relief flowing through him when he recognised a shock of pink hair.

Uryuu staggered to the girl, pulling her limp body into his arms, letting his muscles relax when he found the others sprawled around her. He felt tears prick his eyes. They were safe; for now at least.

He leant down and ran his hand over all of them, assuring himself that they were alive and real, before flicking his gaze to the world outside. Demons of different shapes and sizes prowled the muddy grounds. Uryuu recognised most of them to be middle class. His gaze fell on the large stage, blood running cold when he noticed the crimson stained boards that covered the surface.

Yachiru stirred in his arms, waking at the stimulation to her senses. He stroked her hair gently, waiting for her to wake, noting that Jinta and Karin were also rousing.

He let his eyes wander the cage now, taking in the solid, rusty iron bars with gaps just large enough to fit an arm through. The bars were welded to the metal floor and ceiling. They appeared to be set on the ground, the low angle making it difficult for Uryuu to take in the rest of his surroundings.

"U...ryuu... tan...?" asked Yachiru groggily, still wrapped in his arms. She had no smile for him now.

"I'm here" he whispered, kissing her forehead. "I'm right here."

"...Uryuu..." came Jinta's voice, and he switched his attention to the others, who were now in the process of understanding their situation.

He smiled sadly at the children. This wasn't looking good. He was glad they were awake now though, escape wouldn't be possible if they were still unconscious.

"Are you alright?" he asked, searching them for injuries. As far as he could tell they were only tired from the drugs.

His heart eased when they all nodded at him. Oh right, he had strong kids.

His attention was caught by a deep, smooth voice echoing from a microphone, and he realised the voice was coming from a figure now standing on the stage.

The man it belonged to had short wavy brown hair, and dressed in white; he was flanked by a silver haired man also dressed in white. A benevolent smile held his features as he continued talking.

"Good Afternoon, I thank you for attending today's meat Auction." He said in a honeyed tone. "First off, we'll begin with the youngsters that have taken so many of your attention."

Uryuu froze. He flicked his gaze around the grounds, aware that every pair of demon eyes lay on him. He grit his teeth. Not on him. Worse. They lay on his wards.

A man unlocked the door of the cage that Uryuu hadn't realised was there, and stepped forward, rolling his eyes when Uryuu stood and assumed a fighting stance.

"Che. Always gotta be a hero, don' there?" His tone sounded annoyed, but his eyes said otherwise. He looked like he enjoyed it when people struggled, like it was all part of the game.

Uryuu sized him up. He didn't look too big. The man was well-built and muscular, but not impossible to beat.

Then it clicked. "The man". He didn't look like a Hollow... but the shard of a jawbone stuck to his face said otherwise.

Uryuu paled. This man was an upper class demon.

He took a step closer, grin spreading across his face when Uryuu held his ground. The grin set his bright blue eyes alight.

He moved closer still, faster now, until he was directly in front of Uryuu. He swung his fist towards his head, surprise flitting over his face when he met air. The grin returned in full force as he raked his eyes over Uryuu appreciatively.

"Faster than I thought." He praised, enjoying Uryuu's set determination.

He lunged forward again, sending a barrage of punches Uryuu's way. The raven haired boy wasn't _that_ fast. This man was a monster. His fist deflected off his skull harshly and he fell to the side roughly, tripping over the villagers as he fell.

Uryuu's head whipped up sharply as the man stepped toward him.

"Che," he spat, scorn dripping from his voice, "and here I thought ya were gonna put up a real fight."

Uryuu stumbled to his feet, placing himself between the kids and their pursuer. The blue haired man's mouth pulled into a sneer, "Ya've got guts, but I ain' interested in ya anymore. Yer weak."

Uryuu held his ground as the hollow stopped in front of him, his sneer morphing into an arrogant grin. Uryuu didn't see the movement as a blunt force swung into his head. He fell into the bars, a sharp crack echoing through the space as his head met iron.

He felt his eyelids droop; he could feel the depths of sleep pulling at his consciousness, darkness creeping into his vision. He fought against it. He had to save the kids. It was his duty; his responsibility. They were his reason to live. If anything happened to him, he would never forgive himself.

His sight was a blur, colours flashing through his mind as he struggled to see clearly. Above the roaring in his head he could hear Jinta crying out in pain and Yuzu's cries of fear. He struggled against his vision, forcing the blurs into images as he forced himself to his knees, gripping the iron bars as he attempted to stand.

The blue haired hollow had Jinta by the throat, ignoring the hands clawing at his wrists as he tossed him out of the cage. "Jinta!" he heard himself yell, his head swam as he finally staggered to his feet, wobbling as he tried to find his balance.

He threw himself at the hollow, who batted him away like a fly, before pushing Yuzu and Ururu through the opening. Uryuu could hear Karin's wails as her twin was pulled from her grasp. Uryuu pried himself from the ground once more, tripping over the bodies of the villagers, who were beginning to rouse, as he threw himself over the two remaining girls. From the corner of his eyes he could see the red haired boy being pulled onto the stage, the auctioneer's cool, honeyed voice breaking through the air as he began taking bids.

The blue eyed man grabbed a hold of Yachiru's wrist, eyes widening in shock when a pair of small hands gripped his hand and yanked him forward.

Yachiru slid from Uryuu's grasp, pink eyes hard, a glint of excitement shining in their depths as she unfalteringly stared into cerulean blue.

Karin sprung from Uryuu's protection at the opening, rushing through the cage doorway as she struggled towards her sister.

"Karin!" yelled Uryuu, as the dark haired girl was swept into another hollow's arms, wrists pulled behind her back as he pushed her onto the stage. She ran to her sister and held her, the fair haired girl leaning to sob into her sister's shirt. Karin's head darted to and fro as she searched for an escape route.

His attention was pulled back to Yachiru and her enemy, who were swinging at each other wildly, grins on both their faces. They moved swiftly, neither landing any blows as they darted and dodged around each other. Uryuu gaped. He knew Yachiru was fast. He knew she was fierce. He knew she was strong. He knew she was _Kenpachi Zaraki_'s daughter. He hadn't in his wildest dreams thought she could hold her own against a low ranking hollow, let alone this monster!

His attention was pulled by Ururu's shriek as a large man came up beside her. She assumed a fighting position and stepped in front of the twins.

Uryuu took in the large knife that glinted in the man's hand. His eyes widened, breath quickening. What could he do? He bolted for the cage door, coughing blood as a heavy fist assaulted his stomach. He doubled over, falling to his knees as the blue haired man took a strong punch to the face from the little girl; his recompense for leaving himself open in order to stop Uryuu.

Uryuu pulled himself to his feet once more, white knuckled as he gripped the iron bars, leaning his entire weight on them. His breathing was sharp and ragged as he fought to breathe around the pain in his abdomen. His eyes focused and unfocused as he stared at the stage.

He froze.

Upon the stage, the man holding the butcher's knife pressed it against a struggling Jinta's neck.

"Get off of me, scum!" the scared boy spat.

Time froze as the blade dug into the skin, drawing screams from the other children on the stage. Blood spurted from his neck, red droplets flying to land over the three girls before him. Jinta's eyes grew wide, shock and pain mingling in his final moments.

Uryuu's mind went blank, and he lost the strength to move. All he could do was watch wide eyed, mouth agape.

The executioner dropped Jinta's unmoving body to the stage floor, moving over to Ururu. The girl held her ground, moving to ram into his stomach, but it did little good. The man grabbed hold of a pig tail, flinging her to the floor roughly. She surged to her feet.

Uryuu could see her eyes. She was scared, but unwavering in her courage. Her small face pinched and serious as she stared the man down.

He made his way to her again, paling as she landed a kick to his abdomen, and stumbled forward. Ururu was stronger than she looked. She took advantage of his pained state, ramming her interlocked fists to the back of his neck. He fell to the ground, but grabbed her shirt, tripping her over.

The recovered all too quickly, crawling to crouch above her as she tried to escape. He brought his fist down heavily to her stomach, a smirk pulling his mouth at her cry of pain.

Swiftly he brought the knife to her throat slitting it cleanly. Wet choking noises filed the air, and Yuzu's cries picked up as she screamed Ururu's name.

Uryuu's hands shook. His brows drew together slowly as he grit his teeth, a despaired grimace stretching his mouth. "Ururu! No, Ururu!" Yuzu's and Karin's desperate cries mixed with his own. He could feel the tears pooling in his eyes

He struggled over the villagers, running into a solid wall. The blue haired hollow stood before him, holding him back. He had blood streaked down his face, but stood victorious over Yachiru, who was crumpled on the ground, coughing blood as she attempted to stand.

Uryuu fought against the man, arms flailing wildly, as sticky fat tears broke free from his eyes, coursing down his cheeks.

The executioner stepped before the two girls, not bothering to pull them apart. Karin spread her body over Yuzu's, her efforts wasted as the man gripped her hair, pushing the blade against her bared neck. Yuzu jumped in the way, and the blade slipped, slicing through Karin's shoulder. The dark haired girl cried out in pain, a trembling hand clutching her soaked shoulder. She forced herself to stand, face twisted with rage and anguish as she ran at the man, followed by her sister.

They attacked him together, Karin swinging her foot into the man's jaw, while Yuzu grabbed at his leg, throwing his balance. All three slipped in Ururu's blood, the sticky substance staining their skin red.

Karin pushed at her twin, pulling her along as she made her escape. Her body fell to the ground as a large hand wrapped around her ankle.

"Karin!" cried Yuzu, rushing back to try to free her twin.

"Run!" screamed her sister as she was pulled back, "Yuzu, run! Please! Run!"

"No, please don't hurt her! Please! Karin!" begged Yuzu, her tear streaked face crumpled as she fought crawled towards her again.

"Run!" yelled Karin again, "Run!"

The man pulled her head back by her hair, baring her throat to her sister. He slid his knife over the flesh, sprays of blood spurting over her twin.

"Karin!" sobbed Yuzu as the girl fell on top of her, her blood seeping into her clothes.

The executioner reached for her. Yuzu tried to run, but her twin's corpse held her down, their limbs tangling.

She slipped and slid, clawing at the wooden boards as she tried to escape.

He drew the knife along her skin, and abruptly her cries fell short. She too fell limply onto the stage, head hitting the wood loudly.

Uryuu's tears blurred his vision, his voice raw as he screamed for them. He could feel something expanding in his stomach as he struggled against the man. It felt like a warm light that seeped through his veins; the sudden strength he was filled with was overwhelming. Uryuu's head felt light and dizzy, but he couldn't feel anything past the grief and rage that surged through his body.

A blinding blue light shot through the cage, spikes of a solid blue light shooting from his body. Distantly he felt a warm liquid splatter against his face. He looked up to meet shocked blue eyes, his captor's lips dripping with blood. The man's weight pulled against him, dragging him to the ground. He landed with a thud as Uryuu shoved his weight off.

The dark haired boy stood, gaze flicking over his surroundings as he directed the rage he felt towards the demons outside.

His stomach dropped at the sight he met. The cage was scene of gore. He spotted Yachiru amidst the bodies, pierced as so many were with a blue spear of light.

Uryuu's face crumped, a new wave of tears flooding his eyes as he crawled to the girl's limp body. He felt desperately for a pulse, ragged sobs tearing from his body when he found none.

Yachiru was dead. They were all dead. His reasons for living; the children who relied upon him to protect them. He had failed them. He had been weak, and now they were dead.

He clung to the small girl, pulling her into his lap, hand trembling as he pushed her hair from her face, running a thumb down her cheek gently.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, the words spoken on a soft sob. A tear rolled down his nose, landing on the girl's still warm face. He watched as it mingled with the blood. "I'm so sorry."

"I failed you. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered. He let his head fall, landing on her unmoving chest, body shaking with the grief. "I'm so sorry", he whispered into her still warm flesh.

His vision darkened, and his body fell limp, still clutching Yachiru's corpse as the adrenaline wore off, and the stress and damage he had taken finally began to affect him.

...

When the show finally ended, the demons returned to their bidding. Snippets of conversation about the children's demise spread through the crowd, little sympathy being shown. Ichigo ignored them all.

_That reiatsu... _It had seemed so familiar, but he couldn't place it. There was something about that boy that stirred in him emotions he hadn't felt in years.

He stepped closer to the stage, commanding Aizen's attention with his fierce aura, who broke off mid bid to acknowledge him.

"Kurosaki-sama," he greeted, his voice syrupy, "how can I help you?"

The tall, long haired hollow had always intimidated Aizen far more than any of the other Vasto Lordes did. Yes he was probably no stronger than the rest, but while the others chose to appear almost human, save for a bone fragment attached to their face, Ichigo Kurosaki forever wore his hollow form.

He was tall and lean in a shredded black kimono that he always wore, his skin was white, and he practically glowed in the sunlight. Long orange hair sprouted from beneath the white mask that covered his head like a helmet. Black markings ran along the helmet in a pointed design, broken by the gaps that showed glowing yellow eyes, before continuing into a sharp point. Long, curved horns protruded from his mask, angled in front of him, their sharp tips a safety hazard to anyone who got close enough.

Not many did.

"I want that one," he said, a finger indicating Uryuu as his choice.

"Ah! A fine choice!" said Aizen, "We'll send him up for auction right now if you-"

"No." replied Ichigo, cutting the phony human off. He retrieved a small leather pouch from his pocket, and tossed it to the auctioneer, before quickly making his way to the cage.

Aizen peeked inside the bag, eyes widening when he identified the coins inside. This was far more than a single human was worth.

His gaze slid back to the fearsome demon as he stepped out of the cage, a limp body tossed over his shoulder. Every demon there stared at him as he left, not a single glance backwards as he walked away with his prize.

...

**:'(**

**Yes, they're dead. No, they're not coming back. Do you want to know why they're not coming back? Because this is Bleach, not Naruto.**

**I hope you enjoyed that, please tell me if the angst was enough. I wasn't sure if I wrote enough detail for their deaths.**

**Thanks you for reading, and please don't kill me, at least Ichigo's finally in the picture :)**


	5. Dream

**Chapter 5**

***IMPORTANT NOTE: To anyone who hasn't read Chapter 4 "Auction", you may not have been informed of its publishment, so if "Auction" doesn't ring a bell, please go back and read that first. Thank you, and enjoy :)**

...

Uryuu stirred. Through his hazy dreams his brain registered a familiar scent.

It was the incense his grandfather always had his servants use on bed linen and kimono. The sweet scent was one he'd always known and hated: sickly sweet. Now though, Uryuu couldn't be happier to smell it.

He pried his eyes open, puffy eyed and dry throat. He could feel the dried tears on his cheeks.

Soft morning light filtered in through the bamboo blinds. He rubbed his eyes wearily, brushing sleep from them as he peered around the room. It was his grandfather's bedroom.

A smile tugged at his mouth, a laugh bubbling from his lips as he shook his head in disbelief. It was a dream. It was all just a dream. He hadn't failed those children. They weren't dead.

...Had they ever even existed?

He recalled the little girl on the day of his clan's massacre. The dream had shaken him, but it had also given him reasons to stop being a coward. Who knew when he was going to die?

He let his laugh fade as he flopped back on the pillows, inhaling their scent deeply.

He was safe. It wasn't his home, but his Grandfather's home. Of course. He had been studying as his Grandfather's villa, walked through the maze, hidden from his teacher. This is where that terrifying nightmare had taken place. He shook the thoughts from his head. It had been the strangest dream he'd ever had, and he never wanted to experience it again. It had felt so... real.

And so long... He'd felt so old. Is that how he was going to be when he was older? Is that how he would look and act?

It had felt like years had passed by... as though he'd lived every day for years out in that abandoned den.

The hunger, cold, and pain. The villagers' hate for him. How had he even managed to dream that up?

His brow furrowed. It really had been all too real.

Slowly he sat up once more, taking everything in more carefully. No, he hadn't been mistaken. This was definitely his Grandfather's room, but something was off...

He looked closer, finally noticing the thick layers of dust that carpeted the furniture.

What?

In any self-respecting clan, cleanliness was regarded above all else, at least in non-Warrior affairs that is.

The pain in his shoulder finally registered, and he surveyed his body, stiffening when he found he wore the same, hemp clothes from his dream.

He sported cuts and bruises, and a particularly tender spot on his forehead. He couldn't see it, but it had puffed up, and felt like an egg had grown from his skull.

Waves of nausea hit him when he noticed his hands. The large, calloused appendages were covered in dried blood, the black flakes brushing aside to reveal copper stained skin. They began to tremble. Images of the children as their throats were slit one by one assaulted his vision. Yachiru's corpse, speared with that glowing blue light held tight in his mind.

He felt his stomach try to heave its way out of his throat, and he swung his head over the side of the bed, vomiting everything in his stomach. Fresh tears slid down his face, and sobs mixed with the now dry retches.

He grit his teeth, ignoring the burn in his throat.

"It was real. God, I'm sorry." He whispered to the children, "I'm so sorry. I was supposed to protect you... but I let you-"

Another sob tore from his throat, cutting his apologies off. It had been him that woke but never bothered to find out who was at the door. It had been him that had failed to protect his wards as they were led to the slaughter. He had even been the one to killed Yachiru. It had been his spear that had pierced her body. It had been his responsibility, and he had failed them all.

Why was he still alive? Why did they die, but he live? Where was the justice in that?

He forced his sobs under control, though his body still silently convulsed, and the tears still ran down his face with abandon. The warm liquid burned trails down his cheeks. The guilt was overpowering.

Here he sat, mourning those children. He didn't deserve to mourn their deaths. He should be dead with them.

His head jerked up as the paper door slid open, his gaze falling on the pale, horned figure.

Uryuu's heart clenched with rage.

A Hollow.

The tall figure grunted in surprise when Uryuu tore out of the bed, ramming into his stomach.

He pushed the boy away easily, eyes cold, but Uryuu took no notice. He didn't seem to realise that his attacks were doing nothing, that he could barely reach the beast, let alone harm him. That wasn't important. What mattered was that he was trying. He was fighting for those children. He was turning his rage against something, allowing the pent up anger to guide his actions.

"You... you killed them! All of you! You disgusting, pathetic _Hollows_," spat Uryuu. "You killed them!"

The tears came faster now, dripping from his nose and down his neck. Ichigo shoved Uryuu away and the boy stumbled. His head was light and he felt dizzy, but still he persisted, jumping up again and clawing at him.

"I didn't touch those children," Ichigo informed him coldly.

"It doesn't matter. _Your kind _killed them. They were so young... so good... so strong... and you _killed _them!"

His blows faltered as a new wave of tears assaulted his eyes. Was there no justice?

Ichigo said nothing. That logic was sound. He understood it well.

Uryuu fought past the grief as he flung his fists at the taller man, but Ichigo had tired of this.

He swiftly grabbed Uryuu's wrist, pulling on it harshly, in such a way that Uryuu's body swung around, back to him, and Ichigo could capture the other wrist also.

He pinned Uryuu to the bed, wrists held behind his back with one hand, as Ichigo tried to quiet the dark haired man. He had questions for him that he wanted answered. Uryuu's reiatsu had been so familiar; it had brought back not memories, but rather, a deep emotion. He had wanted to cry when he'd felt it. He had wanted to tear every human, demon and animal limb from limb from its body in a fit of rage. He had wanted to obliterate the grounds with a cero. And yet, he couldn't place where he had felt it before.

Now however, all he could think of was how similar Uryuu was to himself. A younger, happier self. Back before he had begun to hate the world for turning, the seasons for changing, and life for continuing on, as though nothing had happened.

An almost sentimental emotion rose in his chest. An emotion he doubted any human would believe possible in a demon.

The boy struggled beneath him, ignoring his orders for composure. He flung his head back in an attempt to head butt his captor, crying out when a sharp horn pierced his cheek, burying itself deeply in the flesh.

Ichigo pulled back. He hadn't intended to draw blood. He knew himself well enough to know its effect on him. Blood loosened his control, and brought out his true demonic mind. The results all depended on the emotions he had been feeling prior.

Crimson liquid poured from the gouge in Uryuu's face, below his left cheekbone. It seared with pain.

The coppery scent of blood filled the air.

His composure snapped.

A clawed hand pushed Uryuu's face into the sheets roughly, the other raking down his back, over the hemp shirt and trousers.

The human struggled wildly as the cloth slid from his body in tatters, revealing his naked flesh.

Uryuu cried out as those razor sharp claws sliced lightly down his back, shallow wounds opening beneath them.

He tore the tattered kimono from his own body, aligning himself with Uryuu's opening instantly.

His hands rested on either side of Uryuu's hips, digging into the flesh to keep Uryuu's struggles under control.

With one forceful shove, Ichigo buried himself within the boy, starting a gruesome pace without a moment's pause.

Uryuu's scream echoes throughout the room, bouncing off the walls. His hands gripped the bed sheets, and tears pricked his eyes as his flesh was stretched and torn.

His head pressed into the mattress and he grit his teeth as the tears began to fall, the sharp pain of each thrust accompanied with a constant dull throb.

Cracked sobs escaped his mouth past the screams as pain seared his back side.

Ichigo briefly noticed Uryuu's pain, but payed it no mind. The tight heat that wrapped around his arousal was intoxicating, and the scent of coppery blood filled the room spurring him on.

Sweat glistened over the pair, trailing down their sides and pasting their hair to their faces.

Uryuu jerked as a sensitive bundle of nerves was hit, crying out in a mixture of pleasure and pain. Waves of disgust rolled through his stomach. Was he really so weak that he could possibly enjoy this? His stomach heaved at the thought, but his stomach was empty. Instead it clenched and heaved, but produced nothing.

His prostate was hit again, and this time he felt himself become half hard. Sobs of shame tore at his throat as the demon continued its ministrations. Uryuu had never felt such self-hate as he did right now. Thoughts of the children flittered to his mind. They were dead, but he was here allowing one of their murderer's kind to take him.

Ichigo picked up his pace, shoving harder into the boy. His vision was clouded with a haze of red, and nothing but the scent of blood and the need to quench his overwhelming arousal entered his mind. He was close. He could feel his climax building in his abdomen. The sounds of Uryuu's pain and pleasure assaulted his ears, and with a final snap of his hips he released inside the broken human, an inhuman roar tearing from his mouth as he flung his head back, horns rearing into the air.

As he came down from his high, his vision cleared, and he finally surveyed the scene that had just played out. Uryuu lay naked on his stomach before him, blood and semen dripped from his now empty anus. He ran his eyes over the bruises and cuts with a scowl. He knew this was going to happen. It always did when blood was involved.

Suddenly he was pulled from his thoughts as he noticed the feathered stubs protruding from between Uryuu's shoulder blades. He had been too overpowered by the scent of blood to notice them before, but now that he had, everything made sense.

That reiatsu, the feeling it had given him of anger, hate, and the darkest pain all made sense now. That Godforsaken clan that bore wing of such beauty, but held such hate in their hearts had dies out years ago in the wake of the Angel Massacre. Yet here one was, lying before him, so innocent and stubborn. So like himself in his younger years.

His fist clenched as those unwelcome emotions flooded his body, face crumpling into a mask of pain and misery. Swiftly he left the room, and the unmoving boy, arriving in another wing of the house with seconds to spare before he lost control.

A bright red cero formed beneath his horns, and within a moment he had burnt most of one wall completely away.

As his rage subsided, the tears finally escaped beneath the mask, ragged sobs shaking his body as he slumped to the ground. Memories flashed across his mind; memories of youth and innocence, an undoubted happiness, hate and violence, an inescapable fear, a profound love, and a ruthless loss. Memories he had buried long ago. Memories he had prayed he would never see again.

Memories of a happier time.

A time that he would never see again.

...

Uryuu lay covered in sweat. He could feel liquids seeping from his rear, and the wounds over his back and hips stung.

Slowly he pulled himself from the bed, untangling himself from the damp covers. His limbs felt weak, and his mind was groggy. All he could feel through the pain and exhaustion was an overwhelming sense of disgust.

He slid from the bed, wobbling on unsteady legs as he searched the house. Quickly he found the bathroom, finding an indoor Onsen. Memories of his childhood assaulted him as he recalled never being allowed into this particular Onsen by his father, but his grandfather snaking him in anyway. The bittersweet memories stung at his eyes as he stumbled into the hot water, not bothering to wash properly first. His wounds stung harshly beneath the hot water, but ignored them. He dunked his head beneath the water, allowing the soothing liquid to encompass his entire body, before pushing to the surface for air.

Quickly he began to scrub as himself clean, rubbing his hands over every inch of his body, ignoring the pain as he fought to rid himself of the demon's touch. Blood and semen floated in the water as he worked, and he pushed the away with a scowl.

Carefully he worked his fingers into his tender scalp, the wounds from the auction only reminding him of the children's' deaths. Images of that awful day flooded to the surface, but he made no effort to forget them. He didn't deserve that peace. They were dead because of him. He should be dead too.

Briefly he considered how easy it would be to end his own life, but that traitorous voice within him called him a coward. His death could never atone for their deaths. To end it now would be running away.

He soaked in the water until his skin became soft and wrinkled. Slowly he stepped out of the Onsen, the cold air sending goose bumps over his skin, and stinging his wounds.

He stood their dripping for a moment in a daze, but pulled himself back to reality.

With a much clearer head he made his way back to his Grandfather's bedroom, wincing as each step jostled his tender opening.

Without a glance at the sullied bed, Uryuu went straight to a chest of draw, pulling two Kimono out. He dried himself with one carefully and systematically, not thinking about anything. Once he was dry, pulled the other one around himself, tying the Obi clumsily. It had been many years since he has last worn one. It was disconcerting; everything felt so familiar, yet everything had changed. Life could never go back to how it was.

The paper door sliding open startled him from his reverie, and his head shot up to face his captor. This was it. This was how he would die, and Uryuu was determined to go out with the last remnants of his pride still intact. He was dressed, and cleaned of the Hollow's touch. He would die like a man.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow.

He opened his eyes when none came, surprised to find the demon hadn't moved.

Anger flared in his eyes and he clenched his fist. "Hurry up and kill me."

Ichigo didn't reply. True, at the auction he'd had every intention of killing the human once he'd learnt about his reiatsu, but now he didn't wish for him to die. It made no sense to him. This human was a Quincy, and Ichigo had never found it in his heart to be merciful to their kind before.

"I said kill me," repeated Uryuu from between grit teeth.

"What is your name, Quincy?" asked Ichigo.

Uryuu's jaw dropped. How had he...?

Right. Of course he had seen his wings.

"Answer me."

The voice was strange to Uryuu's ears. He had never heard this demon speak before. Where the blue haired Hollow had sounded like a human, this Hollow sounded as though he had a human voice that was being distorted as he spoke.

"I refuse." He answered. He didn't want his life prolonged by idle conversation, "now kill me."

Ichigo ignored him. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. Tell me your name."

"Why do you care?"

Ichigo paused. He had to think about the answer to this.

Finally he spoke. "Because I want to know the name of my new living companion."

Uryuu's eyes widened as he stared at the demon in disbelief. "I-" he cut off around the lump forming in his throat, "I won't live with you, Hollow."

"Call me Ichigo." Ordered the demon, taking a step toward Uryuu.

Uryuu ignored him and held his ground.

"Tell me your name, human."

"I refuse."

Uryuu couldn't see past the garish mask that covered his captor's face to see how his refusal had affected him, but the annoyed sigh that came from him answered his question.

The horned man turned and began to walk away, but stopped short at Uryuu's voice.

"Why aren't you going to kill me?" he asked.

Ichigo turned around to look him in the eye, considering his words before speaking. "Because you remind me of my younger self. We are very alike, you and I."

What had he just said? "Alike? You think we're alike?" demanded Uryuu, "We have nothing in common" he spat venomously.

"You are wrong." Answered Ichigo, "We were almost the same at one point. I know your pain better than anyone else, and I am the only one who can understand you."

Uryuu hesitated. He had always been a thinker. "Then that makes me the only one who can understand you."

Ichigo faltered. He hadn't made that connection yet. Without a word he turned on his heel and walked away.

Perhaps the human was right. Perhaps he had finally found somebody who understood his pain.

...

**I am SOOOO sorry this took so long to come out :( I've been really busy as of late, and haven't had much time for it. In fact, I'm supposed to be studying right now, but felt so guilty that it wasn't finished yet that I wrote this instead.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it and that it was worth the wait :) **

**Please let me know if I was right in my assumption that you hadn't been notified at the update of chapter 4. The reason I think you might not have been told, is that when I uploaded it, was having some issue with notifications, I wasn't receiving Emails for PMs or anything. **

**Then, when I finally uploaded chapter 4, I was waiting for "Oh my God!" sort of shit storm reviews, and I didn't really get much of a response for a while... that could just have been you guys being lazy though. (Not that I can judge, I'm probably lazier than the lot of you.) **

**the same goes for "Sorry Doesn't Cut It", "Rescue", "Cereal", and "Strength and Weakness", so if you're following me or those stories, and did't get updates for new chapters, or in the last two cases, new stories, please go back and check you haven't missed them. :)**

**Anyway thanks for reading, and please review!**


End file.

Bleach, Angst, Romance