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Description — AU, IchiRuki — Ichigo and Rukia are innocent, convicted criminals who are in jail for life. As the girls side of prison is being rebuilt, these two unlikely "murderers" will have to learn to cope with each other ... if they don't kill each other first.

____________________________________________________________________________

Previously …

“What does this all exactly mean?” Ichigo asked cautiously from his seat. For at least an hour his father and Kenpachi had been discussing random that Ichigo couldn’t really comprehend.

“It means,” his father said brightly and eagerly — more so than he had in a long time — “you’re conviction is now questioned. Did you really kill your mother? Or was it this man? This man who is in custody and awaiting trail … Akane Aya’s son as a witness.”

Ichigo tried not to show any emotion.

“This means,” Kenpachi took over. “You can go to court and, instead of being the one charged for murder, you can be the one putting someone away … the real guilty man. Not you, the poor innocent kid who deserved to be nowhere but at home.”

It was probably the most compassionate thing Kenpachi had ever said in his lifetime. Especially to a convict, innocent or not.

“When’s the trial?” Ichigo asked, feeling his throat clog with joy … something he hadn’t felt in so long it almost hurt physically.

“Next week,” Isshin replied, grinning.

Ichigo finally broke out into a smile. “Well, then,” he said, not thinking of anything, anyone else but the ground on the other side of those chain link fences … freedom. He didn’t think of Rukia and how he’d be breaking the promise he’d just given the day before. He wasn’t thinking of his father or his sister.

All he could hear was freedom.

And the man responsible finally going away. Forever.

____________________________________________________________________________

The courtroom was staring at him. He knew it. Without looking up from his hands, Daisuke answered, “They killed my mom. They came in a-and … ordered for something … and then th-they drugged us …” He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t face him.

Risking a glance up, Daisuke’s eyes connected with those of his mother’s murderer. Immediately he paled and his eyes became wide. Mr. Ukitake stepped in front of the man, blocking Daisuke’s view.

“Is the man who killed your mother here, in the courtroom?”

But it was too late. The poor boy was shaking with fear and regret. Why had he said something? If he’d just kept his mouth shut, everything would have been fine. Well, his mom still wouldn’t be alive but still … lots of kids didn’t have moms. He could have been fine.

Now he was surely going to die.

“Daisuke,” Mr. Ukitake whispered, crouching in front of him. “He can’t hurt you now. Please, answer the question. Is the man who killed your mom here?”

Tears fell down Daisuke’s face. “N-no,” he mumbled, sadness etching his voice. Ukitake looked to the ground in defeat and then glanced back at the defendant. The man, Grand Fisher, was smirking darkly. Daisuke whimpered quietly as his locked with the ones of his mother’s murderer.

“No further questions,” Ukitake sighed and took his seat.

Grand Fisher’s attorney, Mr. Ulquiorra Schiffer, stood up and cracked a brief smile. “The defense has no questions to offer at this time,” he said smugly and then sat back down.

Daisuke’s eyes never left Grand Fisher’s, the man who murdered his mother.

____________________________________________________________________________

She felt as if her heart was being ripped into tiny little pieces. She felt like she was paralyzed and ferocious animals were attacking her unmoving body. She felt like the world was flipped upside down and whatever god holding it up was shaking it.

“Y-you’re what?” she asked quietly, a hole replacing the spot where her heart had resided not seconds, minutes, hours before. She had been totally peaceful — well, as peaceful as she could ever get — and she was finally happy. She felt like her life was actually going to turn around for the better.

But now … now, everything was different.

“I’m testifying to put that bastard that killed my mom away,” he repeated, his voice laced with excitement. “Another kid’s mother was killed the same exact way my mom was. Rukia,” — he grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly — “I’m going to get out of here.”

She felt like puking. Her stomach twisted and she looked away and stood up. Her shoulders were shaking with pain, fear, and exhaustion. He looked so happy. The smile he never wore refused to fall; his eyes were bright with excitement.

So, he was getting what he always wanted — and he was leaving her behind.

“But,” she managed to whisper. She looked up at him and his face fell a little; worry started to etch his features, finally, he looked like he was being dragged away from his happiness. “Y-you promised me that we’d stay together. You promised.”

“This is what we’ve always dreamed of! We’ve dreamed about this day, Rukia! You know, you know like I do. Sure, we came here because we were responsible for their deaths, but … we’ve always hoped to get out of here. I used to make-believe with this. And now it’s here. I’m getting out of here!”

The shock wore off.

Anger replaced it.

“I was perfectly fine with staying here for the rest of my life!” she yelled, going to the other side of their cell. “Okay, yeah, so, when I first got in here, I wallowed in my guilt and, yeah, I wanted to get out still — because I wanted it to be a mistake or a horrible dream. I don’t think that I’m innocent. I didn’t kill Kaien Shiba. But I didn’t do anything to stop it either. I’m just as much as a killer as Metastacia is.

“And … you promised me that you’d protect me! The man who killed my best friend is here and if he sees me he’ll kill me too! He. Will. Kill. Me. I thought … I thought you …” — she paused, looking away — “I know it’s selfish to think of you as my bodyguard but you are … were so much more than that. You were my best and I – I …”

Ichigo shook his head. “I’ve been dreaming …”

“You promised,” tears filled her eyes. “Y-you promised you’d stay with me …”

“I know,” he replied, his voice cracking.

She looked up at the small window she had stared at since she started sharing the cell with Ichigo and then even before, when she had a cell of her own. Rain poured from the sky and onto the ground, making everything harder for everybody else. People would be struggling to get to work on time and children would be trapped inside their homes.

“Leave,” she whispered.

“Wha —“

“Please leave,” she looked up into his eyes, her hands clutched. “You’re going to get out and you’re going to go on with your life. So, from now on, I’ll be alone and I’ll have to learn how to protect myself … on my own. Just, go.”

Ichigo nodded. “Rukia …”

“GO!” And then he was gone, leaving her alone again. So, she didn’t kill him but it sure did feel like it. Despair rolled off of her skin and filled up the room. She felt like she was going to be sick. She felt isolated and claustrophobic.

And tears leaked from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she slid down the back wall. Then, burying her face into her knees she cried out loud.

She felt something touch her shoulder and rub it gently. She looked up to see the face of the one she loved first: Kaien. He looked down at her kindly and she felt her chest swell with relief. He was alive, he was here, how was that possible? What was …?

His face changed. His eyes went from blue to gray, his hair from short and black to red and long. He gained tattoos on his face. He wasn’t Kaien. It was Renji. “Rukia …” he said sadly.

And thought she didn’t know him, at all really, Rukia leaned into his comforting embrace and she let her tears fall once more. She didn’t believe she could ever be in this much pain. And yet, she didn’t doubt that she could. Her whole life had been in pain 90 percent of the time.

Why should she be happy now?

She didn’t deserve happiness.

____________________________________________________________________________

He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat. And he couldn’t seem to take one step without thinking about her. Guilt coated his heart and brain; he couldn’t do anything without thinking of how he could have stayed behind and protected her.

When Kenpachi and his father talked about him finally getting out of his personal hell, he hadn’t thought twice about what he wanted. But, at this point in his life, it wasn’t really sure what he wanted anymore. He cared about Rukia and her safety more than his own … because she’d saved him.

And now — now, he’d betrayed her. Now, while he was about to testify to the very same court that put him away, she was hiding somewhere from the man who killed her. He was going to go outside. Outside. A place Rukia may have never get to see.

“How are you feeling?” his father asked.

“I can’t do this,” Ichigo replied sickly. “I – I can’t. Rukia … she needs me. I can’t face him. I can’t do it. It was my fault Mom died, Dad. It was me.”

Isshin took him roughly by the shoulder. “Ichigo,” he growled. “You’ve waited too long and I’ve worked too hard for you to throw this all away now. You want to get out, don’t you?” — Ichigo nodded — “Then you have to testify. You can’t think about her or anyone else. Think about yourself, just this once, please.”

Ichigo bowed his head and then nodded slowly. “Okay,” he said.

Isshin smiled. “You won’t regret this,” he said, pulling his son into a hug. “We’ve waited nearly ten years for this break. And now we have it. Ichi … your mother would be so proud of you. She would want you to finally get that life you deserve. Help Rukia, when you’re free. Please.”

Ichigo nodded.

The two large doors of the courthouse swung inward and Ichigo gasped slightly. So this was it, he thought. This was that sign that everything would be okay. This was his chance to finally get out of his hellhole; he couldn’t think about Rukia because, when he did get out, he’d make sure she was with him.

“Ready?” his father asked, touching his shoulder.

Ichigo faced the waiting courtroom, who had all turned around to look at the youngest boy in the world to be sent to prison for life, and he closed his eyes. Mom, he thought. Please, help me face him.

Then, holding his head up high, he walked inside.

____________________________________________________________________________

Seven Months Later …

Flashback …

There was a brief tug to his shirt. Ichigo looked down to see the face of a young boy, barely nine years old, looking up at him with the happiest face he’d seen in a long time.

“Thank you,” he whispered quietly, blushing slightly. "For helping put away that guy ... who killed my mom."

Ichigo got on his knees and pulled the kid into a tight hug. “I know what it feels like,” he said just as quietly. “To lose the person you care about most to someone you don’t even know.” He felt his shirt become wet with Daisuke’s tears. “But … you were the brave one. You stood up for her. I just … I was so scared, that I couldn’t do anything but admit it was me that killed her.

“You stood up for your mother and I’m sure she’s very proud, wherever she is.”

He released the boy and he saw him wipe his eyes. “Thank you,” he said again. “I’m glad Grand Fisher is going to jail. Maybe now … I can start to move on.”

End Flashback

It was the biggest turnout of the century. When Grand Fisher, a member of the mob and murderer to more than two women, was put away, the nine-year-old child who had been in prison for nearly ten years was finally condemned innocent.

After ten years of suffering, pain, and staring at that little square window in his cell, Ichigo Kurosaki could finally say that he was leaving the only place he could really remember living in. No longer would he wear the orange jumpsuits and no longer would he be cleaning the “mystery meat” from the dinner plates. No longer would he be here …

He figured he should be happy.

But he wasn’t happy. He was mourning the loss of his home, the one that became his home with his roommate. He was terrified for his best friend, the girl he loved more than anything: Rukia. The last time he’d talked to her, that day so long ago, she ended up screaming at him and he right back.

During the trial he stayed in a hotel so he’d never seen her since. And he missed her more than anything. He missed her occasional smiles and bad jokes, even her abusive nature. He knew that she was in danger every single day and yet … he hadn’t done anything.

And now, as he was walking down the hallways that he used to know better than himself, he couldn’t help but to think about all those years he had been alone, and those few months he had been totally content with staying there for the rest of his life.

Nothing much had changed. The girls’ side of the prison was nearing the end of their construction, so, soon, everything would return to “normal.” Well, as normal as anything got around here. Rukia would be leaving this side soon so she would be safe from Metastacia.

Everything was still grimy and dirty, with leaks and water on the floor. The cells were as bad as ever, the beds still hard, the pillows and blankets still nonexistent. The tile was slippery and cracking all around him. The lights were flickering in most places, as they usually were.

Yet, Ichigo felt like he had walked back home.

For the past week, since he was — by national law — condemned free of the charges against him, he had moved back home, into his old room, and he felt so awkward, so out of place. He missed the drip-drip-drip of one of the leaky pipes that had never been fixed and he missed the soft breathing of his roommate.

He missed prison.

Laughing out loud, Ichigo called himself crazy. He had dreamed his whole life to leave this place and with just a few little sentences …

… “We find Grand Fisher … guilty of the murder of Akane Aya and Masaki Kurosaki.” …

… His whole life had changed.

Coming up to the most familiar cell of them all, he nodded to the guard standing there and then walked inside. It was the middle of the day meaning Rukia wouldn’t be in here. The only reason he was allowed to come back here was because he had a few things back here, like a picture of his family and a book he’d read a billion times since he was younger: Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

It was a little ironic, but, hey, it was one of his favorites.

Walking inside, he ran his fingers along the rough bricks that made up the small space. He sat on Rukia’s bed, his old bed and sighed contently. Looking over, he saw the little sink and toilet that had never worked properly since he got here. There was a tiny bookshelf by the strip of a window that used to dream about.

He walked over to it and pulled out his copy of Julius Caesar and noticed that his picture that had been next to it, was now marking one of pages. He smiled lightly; it looked like Rukia was reading it.

And then, he knew what he had to do. His mind started racing. Once he left this cell, he’d have to leave this prison forever. If he wanted to talk to Rukia, he’d have to by a separated piece of glass and they’d have to talk through a telephone.

He had planned on solving her case as soon as he got out. If that didn’t work … then … then, he’d have to break the law saving her …

He’d break her out.

Grabbing a pen out of his pocket, he pulled out the family photo — the one with his mom, dad, sisters, and himself a little over nine years ago — and flipped it over, jotting down a note on the back. That way … when Rukia picked this book up to read tonight, she’d find this note …

And he could finally help her.

Grinning to himself, he slipped the pen back in his pocket, put the book back, and exited the cell. He nodded to the guard and then left the prison, his home, and went back to his house … his new home.

Description
Description — AU, IchiRuki — Ichigo and Rukia are innocent, convicted criminals who are in jail for life. As the girls side of prison is being rebuilt, these two unlikely "murderers" will have to learn to cope with each other ... if they don't kill each other first.

____________________________________________________________________________

Previously …

“What does this all exactly mean?” Ichigo asked cautiously from his seat. For at least an hour his father and Kenpachi had been discussing random that Ichigo couldn’t really comprehend.

“It means,” his father said brightly and eagerly — more so than he had in a long time — “you’re conviction is now questioned. Did you really kill your mother? Or was it this man? This man who is in custody and awaiting trail … Akane Aya’s son as a witness.”

Ichigo tried not to show any emotion.

“This means,” Kenpachi took over. “You can go to court and, instead of being the one charged for murder, you can be the one putting someone away … the real guilty man. Not you, the poor innocent kid who deserved to be nowhere but at home.”

It was probably the most compassionate thing Kenpachi had ever said in his lifetime. Especially to a convict, innocent or not.

“When’s the trial?” Ichigo asked, feeling his throat clog with joy … something he hadn’t felt in so long it almost hurt physically.

“Next week,” Isshin replied, grinning.

Ichigo finally broke out into a smile. “Well, then,” he said, not thinking of anything, anyone else but the ground on the other side of those chain link fences … freedom. He didn’t think of Rukia and how he’d be breaking the promise he’d just given the day before. He wasn’t thinking of his father or his sister.

All he could hear was freedom.

And the man responsible finally going away. Forever.

____________________________________________________________________________

The courtroom was staring at him. He knew it. Without looking up from his hands, Daisuke answered, “They killed my mom. They came in a-and … ordered for something … and then th-they drugged us …” He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t face him.

Risking a glance up, Daisuke’s eyes connected with those of his mother’s murderer. Immediately he paled and his eyes became wide. Mr. Ukitake stepped in front of the man, blocking Daisuke’s view.

“Is the man who killed your mother here, in the courtroom?”

But it was too late. The poor boy was shaking with fear and regret. Why had he said something? If he’d just kept his mouth shut, everything would have been fine. Well, his mom still wouldn’t be alive but still … lots of kids didn’t have moms. He could have been fine.

Now he was surely going to die.

“Daisuke,” Mr. Ukitake whispered, crouching in front of him. “He can’t hurt you now. Please, answer the question. Is the man who killed your mom here?”

Tears fell down Daisuke’s face. “N-no,” he mumbled, sadness etching his voice. Ukitake looked to the ground in defeat and then glanced back at the defendant. The man, Grand Fisher, was smirking darkly. Daisuke whimpered quietly as his locked with the ones of his mother’s murderer.

“No further questions,” Ukitake sighed and took his seat.

Grand Fisher’s attorney, Mr. Ulquiorra Schiffer, stood up and cracked a brief smile. “The defense has no questions to offer at this time,” he said smugly and then sat back down.

Daisuke’s eyes never left Grand Fisher’s, the man who murdered his mother.

____________________________________________________________________________

She felt as if her heart was being ripped into tiny little pieces. She felt like she was paralyzed and ferocious animals were attacking her unmoving body. She felt like the world was flipped upside down and whatever god holding it up was shaking it.

“Y-you’re what?” she asked quietly, a hole replacing the spot where her heart had resided not seconds, minutes, hours before. She had been totally peaceful — well, as peaceful as she could ever get — and she was finally happy. She felt like her life was actually going to turn around for the better.

But now … now, everything was different.

“I’m testifying to put that bastard that killed my mom away,” he repeated, his voice laced with excitement. “Another kid’s mother was killed the same exact way my mom was. Rukia,” — he grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly — “I’m going to get out of here.”

She felt like puking. Her stomach twisted and she looked away and stood up. Her shoulders were shaking with pain, fear, and exhaustion. He looked so happy. The smile he never wore refused to fall; his eyes were bright with excitement.

So, he was getting what he always wanted — and he was leaving her behind.

“But,” she managed to whisper. She looked up at him and his face fell a little; worry started to etch his features, finally, he looked like he was being dragged away from his happiness. “Y-you promised me that we’d stay together. You promised.”

“This is what we’ve always dreamed of! We’ve dreamed about this day, Rukia! You know, you know like I do. Sure, we came here because we were responsible for their deaths, but … we’ve always hoped to get out of here. I used to make-believe with this. And now it’s here. I’m getting out of here!”

The shock wore off.

Anger replaced it.

“I was perfectly fine with staying here for the rest of my life!” she yelled, going to the other side of their cell. “Okay, yeah, so, when I first got in here, I wallowed in my guilt and, yeah, I wanted to get out still — because I wanted it to be a mistake or a horrible dream. I don’t think that I’m innocent. I didn’t kill Kaien Shiba. But I didn’t do anything to stop it either. I’m just as much as a killer as Metastacia is.

“And … you promised me that you’d protect me! The man who killed my best friend is here and if he sees me he’ll kill me too! He. Will. Kill. Me. I thought … I thought you …” — she paused, looking away — “I know it’s selfish to think of you as my bodyguard but you are … were so much more than that. You were my best and I – I …”

Ichigo shook his head. “I’ve been dreaming …”

“You promised,” tears filled her eyes. “Y-you promised you’d stay with me …”

“I know,” he replied, his voice cracking.

She looked up at the small window she had stared at since she started sharing the cell with Ichigo and then even before, when she had a cell of her own. Rain poured from the sky and onto the ground, making everything harder for everybody else. People would be struggling to get to work on time and children would be trapped inside their homes.

“Leave,” she whispered.

“Wha —“

“Please leave,” she looked up into his eyes, her hands clutched. “You’re going to get out and you’re going to go on with your life. So, from now on, I’ll be alone and I’ll have to learn how to protect myself … on my own. Just, go.”

Ichigo nodded. “Rukia …”

“GO!” And then he was gone, leaving her alone again. So, she didn’t kill him but it sure did feel like it. Despair rolled off of her skin and filled up the room. She felt like she was going to be sick. She felt isolated and claustrophobic.

And tears leaked from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she slid down the back wall. Then, burying her face into her knees she cried out loud.

She felt something touch her shoulder and rub it gently. She looked up to see the face of the one she loved first: Kaien. He looked down at her kindly and she felt her chest swell with relief. He was alive, he was here, how was that possible? What was …?

His face changed. His eyes went from blue to gray, his hair from short and black to red and long. He gained tattoos on his face. He wasn’t Kaien. It was Renji. “Rukia …” he said sadly.

And thought she didn’t know him, at all really, Rukia leaned into his comforting embrace and she let her tears fall once more. She didn’t believe she could ever be in this much pain. And yet, she didn’t doubt that she could. Her whole life had been in pain 90 percent of the time.

Why should she be happy now?

She didn’t deserve happiness.

____________________________________________________________________________

He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat. And he couldn’t seem to take one step without thinking about her. Guilt coated his heart and brain; he couldn’t do anything without thinking of how he could have stayed behind and protected her.

When Kenpachi and his father talked about him finally getting out of his personal hell, he hadn’t thought twice about what he wanted. But, at this point in his life, it wasn’t really sure what he wanted anymore. He cared about Rukia and her safety more than his own … because she’d saved him.

And now — now, he’d betrayed her. Now, while he was about to testify to the very same court that put him away, she was hiding somewhere from the man who killed her. He was going to go outside. Outside. A place Rukia may have never get to see.

“How are you feeling?” his father asked.

“I can’t do this,” Ichigo replied sickly. “I – I can’t. Rukia … she needs me. I can’t face him. I can’t do it. It was my fault Mom died, Dad. It was me.”

Isshin took him roughly by the shoulder. “Ichigo,” he growled. “You’ve waited too long and I’ve worked too hard for you to throw this all away now. You want to get out, don’t you?” — Ichigo nodded — “Then you have to testify. You can’t think about her or anyone else. Think about yourself, just this once, please.”

Ichigo bowed his head and then nodded slowly. “Okay,” he said.

Isshin smiled. “You won’t regret this,” he said, pulling his son into a hug. “We’ve waited nearly ten years for this break. And now we have it. Ichi … your mother would be so proud of you. She would want you to finally get that life you deserve. Help Rukia, when you’re free. Please.”

Ichigo nodded.

The two large doors of the courthouse swung inward and Ichigo gasped slightly. So this was it, he thought. This was that sign that everything would be okay. This was his chance to finally get out of his hellhole; he couldn’t think about Rukia because, when he did get out, he’d make sure she was with him.

“Ready?” his father asked, touching his shoulder.

Ichigo faced the waiting courtroom, who had all turned around to look at the youngest boy in the world to be sent to prison for life, and he closed his eyes. Mom, he thought. Please, help me face him.

Then, holding his head up high, he walked inside.

____________________________________________________________________________

Seven Months Later …

Flashback …

There was a brief tug to his shirt. Ichigo looked down to see the face of a young boy, barely nine years old, looking up at him with the happiest face he’d seen in a long time.

“Thank you,” he whispered quietly, blushing slightly. "For helping put away that guy ... who killed my mom."

Ichigo got on his knees and pulled the kid into a tight hug. “I know what it feels like,” he said just as quietly. “To lose the person you care about most to someone you don’t even know.” He felt his shirt become wet with Daisuke’s tears. “But … you were the brave one. You stood up for her. I just … I was so scared, that I couldn’t do anything but admit it was me that killed her.

“You stood up for your mother and I’m sure she’s very proud, wherever she is.”

He released the boy and he saw him wipe his eyes. “Thank you,” he said again. “I’m glad Grand Fisher is going to jail. Maybe now … I can start to move on.”

End Flashback

It was the biggest turnout of the century. When Grand Fisher, a member of the mob and murderer to more than two women, was put away, the nine-year-old child who had been in prison for nearly ten years was finally condemned innocent.

After ten years of suffering, pain, and staring at that little square window in his cell, Ichigo Kurosaki could finally say that he was leaving the only place he could really remember living in. No longer would he wear the orange jumpsuits and no longer would he be cleaning the “mystery meat” from the dinner plates. No longer would he be here …

He figured he should be happy.

But he wasn’t happy. He was mourning the loss of his home, the one that became his home with his roommate. He was terrified for his best friend, the girl he loved more than anything: Rukia. The last time he’d talked to her, that day so long ago, she ended up screaming at him and he right back.

During the trial he stayed in a hotel so he’d never seen her since. And he missed her more than anything. He missed her occasional smiles and bad jokes, even her abusive nature. He knew that she was in danger every single day and yet … he hadn’t done anything.

And now, as he was walking down the hallways that he used to know better than himself, he couldn’t help but to think about all those years he had been alone, and those few months he had been totally content with staying there for the rest of his life.

Nothing much had changed. The girls’ side of the prison was nearing the end of their construction, so, soon, everything would return to “normal.” Well, as normal as anything got around here. Rukia would be leaving this side soon so she would be safe from Metastacia.

Everything was still grimy and dirty, with leaks and water on the floor. The cells were as bad as ever, the beds still hard, the pillows and blankets still nonexistent. The tile was slippery and cracking all around him. The lights were flickering in most places, as they usually were.

Yet, Ichigo felt like he had walked back home.

For the past week, since he was — by national law — condemned free of the charges against him, he had moved back home, into his old room, and he felt so awkward, so out of place. He missed the drip-drip-drip of one of the leaky pipes that had never been fixed and he missed the soft breathing of his roommate.

He missed prison.

Laughing out loud, Ichigo called himself crazy. He had dreamed his whole life to leave this place and with just a few little sentences …

… “We find Grand Fisher … guilty of the murder of Akane Aya and Masaki Kurosaki.” …

… His whole life had changed.

Coming up to the most familiar cell of them all, he nodded to the guard standing there and then walked inside. It was the middle of the day meaning Rukia wouldn’t be in here. The only reason he was allowed to come back here was because he had a few things back here, like a picture of his family and a book he’d read a billion times since he was younger: Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

It was a little ironic, but, hey, it was one of his favorites.

Walking inside, he ran his fingers along the rough bricks that made up the small space. He sat on Rukia’s bed, his old bed and sighed contently. Looking over, he saw the little sink and toilet that had never worked properly since he got here. There was a tiny bookshelf by the strip of a window that used to dream about.

He walked over to it and pulled out his copy of Julius Caesar and noticed that his picture that had been next to it, was now marking one of pages. He smiled lightly; it looked like Rukia was reading it.

And then, he knew what he had to do. His mind started racing. Once he left this cell, he’d have to leave this prison forever. If he wanted to talk to Rukia, he’d have to by a separated piece of glass and they’d have to talk through a telephone.

He had planned on solving her case as soon as he got out. If that didn’t work … then … then, he’d have to break the law saving her …

He’d break her out.

Grabbing a pen out of his pocket, he pulled out the family photo — the one with his mom, dad, sisters, and himself a little over nine years ago — and flipped it over, jotting down a note on the back. That way … when Rukia picked this book up to read tonight, she’d find this note …

And he could finally help her.

Grinning to himself, he slipped the pen back in his pocket, put the book back, and exited the cell. He nodded to the guard and then left the prison, his home, and went back to his house … his new home.