Shiba Kaien's elongated tongue slithers out of his mouth.

"...S... Sir... Kaien..." she gasps, terrified.

"...Why do... you call my name so many times...?" the Hollow possessing Kaien asks. "Are you that worried about me, Girl...?" he looks up at her with black, empty sockets where Kaien's friendly eyes used to be. "Am I that... dear to you, Girl?"

He flies up to the tree she stands on in one powerful leap, "If I'm that dear to you, then I'll devour you next!!!"

Captain Ukitake appears in front of Rukia. He holds the Hollow back with his Zanpaku blade at the Hollow's - Kaien's - teeth.

"...Captain...!" Rukia stares at his back as Ukitake fends off the Kaien creature.

"...Run away, Kuchiki," Ukitake speaks over his shoulder.

"...Eh..." she looks up at him in confusion.

"Hurry up!!" Ukitake snaps, "You want to die!?"

Without any hesitation, Rukia leaps off the large branch and sprints madly into the woods. How... she fights back her tears, How could this happen... Why... Sir Kaien...!

(Intro page - Black with messy white paint for the chapter title. The word "wijnruit" is described in the notes at the bottom.)

Ukitake and the Kaien creature hit the ground running. They keep a distance of about fifteen feet as they pace each other.

"What's wrong! Why aren't you coming at me!?" the fake Kaien provokes Ukitake, "I know it! You're the only one who is thinking of a way to pull him out!!" the Hollow pats its chest, on the spot above Kaien's heart. "It's no use!!! It's not like I've entered a human's body! I'm a spiritual body the same as he is. It's a fusion of two spirits! We're bound together forevermore!!" Ukitake's eyes harden at this news. The Hollow chuckles, "After I savor him for a night, I'll just eat his spirit body from the inside out!!"

Ukitake appears behind the Hollow in the next moment, completing his swing. The Hollow falls back in shock as blood spurts out of a clean cut across the side of Kaien's neck. "...Ah... kach...!?"

"...I see," Ukitake says coldly. "In that case, I have no choice..." he raises his sword, "I will slay Kaien's body along with you."

"Son of a bitch!! Are you SANE!?" the creature holds a hand over Kaien's bloody neck. "You'll slay him!? Your own subordinate!! By your own hand!!"

"I will do it," Ukitake faces the Hollow as he falls into a smooth fighting stance. "I cannot allow Kaien's body be eaten by the likes of you."

Ukitake's eyes widen as he suddenly coughs up blood. He hunches over as the hacking coughs refuse to end. Shit...!! Why at a time like this...!! He looks up to see the Kaien Hollow attack with tentacles pushing out of his arms. Shit...!

Ukitake braces himself as the Hollow scores wounds across his side. However, the Hollow doesn't follow up on his attack and leaps past the Captain. The creature has suddenly found far more interesting prey. Ukitake looks behind him to see what the Hollow is after now. His eyes widen in shock.

Kuchiki Rukia is at the edge of the forest with her blade drawn. She looks completely terrified as she stands there.

"Kuchiki, you idiot!!!" Ukitake screams, "Why did you come back!?!"

At that time

Ukitake tries to reach her before the Hollow does, but his wounds and his harsh coughs will not let his body get far.

I came back without any plan.

The Hollow charges at her, but she is frozen in place. Ukitake grits his teeth as he makes a painful decision.

I simply thought I shouldn't run away alone like that. I thought I must save Sir Kaien...

Ukitake raises his head and screams, "KILL HIM!!!!"

Kaien gets closer. She can see tentacles crawl out of his mouth and empty eye sockets. She is speechless as Ukitake's words reach her.

"That guy... isn't Kaien anymore!!!"

All she sees is the deadly creature heading her way.

"KILL HIM!!!"

Rukia's Zanpaku sword pierces the Hollow and tears through his back. Dark blood coats the blade from tip to hilt. Red droplets drip down on her cheeks. A silent moment passes before the first drops of rain reach her face as well. The salty water mingles with Kaien's blood, deluding it as it traces a path down Rukia's skin...

The heavy sky wrenches open and rain comes pouring down. Kaien's impaled body slumps over Rukia's small form. Kaien slowly tilts his head to the side, "...Captain... Thank you so much... for letting me fight..."

Ukitake stands behind them, too late to make it in time, but not too late to say farewell. He holds his bloodied arm and looks at Kaien and Rukia with deep sadness, "...It's alright."

"...S... Sir Kaien...?" Rukia stares at him, fearful and confused.

"...Kuchiki... you went along with my selfishness..." Kaien's hand reaches around to hold her against his chest, "and now you've had something horrible happen to you... I'm sorry... It must have been so hard for you..." His eyes have returned to normal, but they are blank and unfocused. A slight smile reaches his lips, "Thank you. Because of you, I can leave my heart here and leave..."

His hand on her back starts to deteriorate, dissolve, break apart and disappear in the rain... (1)

No way.

Rukia reaches up and clutches his body against her as she sobs.

No way. I didn't do a single thing that deserves gratitude. I ran away because I was too scared to fight you. I came back because I became scared of running away to save myself. I stabbed you with a blade because I couldn't bear to see you suffer.

She cries in the field with Kaien's lifeless body weighing her down.

The one I saved was my own self. I am weak.(2)

The memory of that rainy night fades...

So weak.

She lies on her back in the center of her prison in the White Tower, waiting for her execution to arrive...

It is not worth saving me, she thinks, It is not worth shedding blood to save me...

(1) Why is his form deteriorating? It must be a partial deterioration, because she eventually took his body back to Rukongai for the sake of his siblings. That's how Ganju saw her, ne?
(2) The word she uses ("minikui") does mean "ugly" - but in this context, it goes deeper than that to mean a tainted weakness within oneself. So I chose to use the word "weak" as a way to reflect that meaning better than "ugly", which just applies to appearances most of the time.

Note: Thanks to djudge here's some great info on the "Wijnruit" plant and its remedies: