a/n: This is the third chapter. I hope that you enjoy this fiction. Thanks again ChevalierAirumel for beta-ing. I could not have done this fic without you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!

For any real numbers a, b, and c, if a = b, then a + c = b + c.

Chapter Three: The Additive Property of Equality

For the benefit of the reader, a brief dialogue is presented to give a background regarding the events concerned in the letter of Ichigo to Ichikyou. The dialogues appear in chronological order with respect to the storyline.

"Rukia, did you specifically follow what I told you to do?"

"Of course, my lord. I have done exactly what you ordered."

"Very well, I have already given you instructions what to do next."

"General, with all due respect, are you certain that Ichigo Kurosaki will not see through this?"

"Definitely, why Rukia, do you think he will do something I will not expect?"

"No, it's just that—"

"Do you doubt me? I can predict him just as I can foresee that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west."

"But, what if I betray you?"

"As I told you, Rukia, everything about him, even the lives he influences, is taken into account. Have I gotten rid of your uncertainties, dear woman?"

"No, I never doubted you for a second. By the way, Ichikyou-kun wishes to see you."

"My son? Then, send him in immediately."

"Yes, I shall. My lord, I will be leave for the seventieth district in an hour."

"I trust that you will not fail."

I don't know if you've been to the seventieth district moreover walked through the crowded streets of the seventieth district. When I was there, I swore that not even a pin could fit through the crowds. Hanatarou Yamada followed closely while dragging the horse. The alleys had not only people of all walks of life (or death) but also every possible thing that could be sold. From food and clothing to jewelleries and weapons, the place had it all. All sorts of noises, from sales talking to curses, blended into some sort of buzz. The seventieth district was indeed the centre of trade and industry in Soul Society.

I, Nozomi Owarino hurdled through the busy alleys. We were looking for an inn or a place to somewhere we could stay for the night. However, I stopped dead in my tracks when I caught a glimpse of a woman with short black hair. I knew immediately who the woman was. Without second thoughts, I rushed against the crowd and even climbed a few stalls where it was necessary. Instinctively, I separated her reiatsu from the rest of the crowd and followed her, corner after alley after boulevard. I ran after her from the sixty-ninth through the sixty-first district. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me and as much as the crowd allowed me. Finally, I was lead into maze of empty pathways.

Of course, though I had thrown away the name of Kurosaki Ichigo, I was still him. And you know, Ichigo Kurosaki would everything in his power to catch up with her.

"Rukia, wait." I shouted seeing the woman turn around and run away. I was so surprised to feel a panic in my voice.

I followed her, ignoring the fact that I had already lost my way back to Hanatarou. I walked faster. She started running. I took flash steps. But, she suddenly disappeared. I looked around me. She was gone. I swore and turned around making my way back to the marketplace. She stood there looking straight at me with a calm and cold stare. I gulped. I remembered her promise not to spare me the next time we met thought she wasn't going to spare me this time. So I was prepared myself for the worst.

"Why are you following me?" she said unruffled.

Rukia took a step closer to me and I took a step back. As I reached for my trusty katana, the woman grinned and circled around me like I was some prey she was ready to devour. I gulped again. I had learned by heart that this woman had a lot of tricks up her sleeve. For all I knew, she might have premeditated this 'chance meeting' all along. I mouthed few words but they could not even get pass my throat. I stood before her mumbling nothing, feeling like an idiot.

"What's the matter, did the cat get your tongue?" she raised a brow implying that she was not amused.

"So, you're married now, huh?" I was hoping that I found the right words to say.

"I have a son." She replied. But before I could even say anything, Rukia continued. "The general is his father." Her tone was ambiguous. Not even I could possibly tell if it she was telling a lie or truth. She coughed and looked away from me. "What do you want from me? Do you want revenge for my killing those friends of yours or do you want to surrender yourself to the General?"

"Rukia, you don't have to go back to the general." I replied. There was unexplainable feeling brewing within me. I wanted the shinigami to run away with me. I wanted Rukia back to the way I remembered her to be. To be honest, I really wanted to protect her. "You can take your son and come with me. You don't have to kill. I know this isn't the life you want, Rukia. Come with me. Let us return society to how t should be." She looked reluctant. I continued persuading her. "I don't care why you married him. It wasn't your choice, right? Come away with me. Start your life all over again."

"Ichigo," she said coldly. "What makes you so sure that I did not marry him out of freewill? What makes you certain that I am not content with my life?"

"Why?" It was the only thing I could say.

"Because it is what it is. It's just the way things are."

"Why?" I repeated. I could no longer find any other word to say.

I cannot fully describe to you how shattered my heart was when she answered my question. Never could I imagine Rukia Kuchiki having reciprocated feelings with anyone (despite the fact that she did imply of her feelings for me once). Over and above that, she married a man I had never heard of in my entire life. I could not imagine anyone winning the heart of Kuchiki Rukia. (Even I had a hard time believe that your mother really did fall in love with me) And now, here was Rukia doing everything for her husband even if it meant killing. How was the general able to accomplice such a feat? I was falling apart infinitely many times from the inside.

Rukia started moving again. "Rukia!" I screamed her name pleading to return to me. Though I wish not to identify it as love, I felt it a need to always keep her out of harm's way. I consider it as something encoded in my genes. I had this impulse to make protect her, even if it is protecting from herself. For her, to marry a man that she barely knew, is in itself a contradiction.

I was chasing her again. The memory of how she ran away from me has always been a trauma. I was panicking. I did not want her turning her back to me. I ran after her again through the crowded streets shouting out her name. However, my voice just could not reach her. She had kept her distance from me. I wondered, was she so afraid of the general that she refused to talk to me or was it simply because she could not care less of my existence?

I saw your mother stop running again. She looked at me with her ever-piercing violet eyes, as if to tell me to follow her. I ignored her silent plea and ran towards her stretching out my hand. Just when I was a meter away from her, huge wooden doors slowly hid the sight of your mother. I realized that I was at boundary of the sixtieth and fifty-ninth districts. I was at brink of taking down that giant gate, but I was relieved that I had enough sense not to.

I watched the doors of the sixtieth district shut on me like I was no more than a mere street rat. I shouted your mother's name at the top of my lungs hoping that I could reach her, but to no avail. I made my way back to Hanatarou. I search for his reiatsu. You have no idea how relieved I was when I found him. He was resting by a bench near an inn. He proudly told me that he found a decent place where we could spend the night. I consented, knowing I could do nothing more about Rukia that day.

When I told Hanatarou of the chance meeting with Rukia, I was surprised that he advised me not to follow her. He told that it was impossible to get through the gates of the sixtieth district without permit from the Court of Pure Souls, and that I should be content to set up a life here. He suggested to me that I should be a merchant. Though I was no longer Kurosaki Ichigo, I believed that it was still my duty to look after the best interest of Rukia. I felt obliged to save her from her apparent misery. Of course, I was the one who thought she was in misery.

Feeling hopeless, I placed my hands in pockets. That was when I realized that I had a few valuables in possession. I knew they would amount to at least a few million ryo; enough for me to start a new life. But, I didn't want a new life. I wanted to win your mother back. I knew I couldn't just stand there. Or at the very least, I wanted to know why she married the general.

However, I told no one of my plans. I knew that if they found out what I wanted to do, they would have tried to stop me. The following day, we immediately looked for a decent place to live. Though it took us almost noon to find a suitable house, it was perfect. Somehow I was more certain that would be able to get past the gates of the sixtieth district in less than a year. It was not a simple house, being at least two times larger than the one I lived in when I was alive. I bought myself two maids, a cook, and a couple of bodyguards.

I could not describe my surprise when I went to buy my new slaves. It took me about a minute or so to realize that I knew two of the bodyguards I bought. I stared at them. One was a bald man with a bad mouth (even worse than Renji). The other had a more elegant way of speaking. (I thought he was gay.) As you might have guessed, these people were none other than Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika. They were former seated officers of the eleventh squad.

Throughout my stay in the sixty-fourth district, they had really been nothing but helpful. When I set up my business, they got rid of most of my competitors. And they also cleaned some of the messes I got into. I would say that I could not have left that district if it weren't for them.

Anyway, after buying the manpower I needed, I found out that I had only half of the money I originally had. I knew very well that this money could not support a decent business. Desperation indeed induces miracles, if I could consider those gifts from a divine being.

It was Yumichika and Ikkaku that told me what business I should start. I did not want their idea at first but desperation pushes a man to nearer the blade. As Ikkaku always said, "When you're desperate, nothing is right or wrong." Every time I thought of Rukia made me more agitated. My mind keeps telling that I had to do something about her current state as soon as possible. And by that time, I had lost all reason. I didn't care what would become of me. Ichimaru Gin was right; I did not want to save the world. I just wanted to save Rukia. I did not care how I'd get her, but I would. When you have the money, power, and the time, you can do anything.

My business jump-started in no time. As soon as the first shipment of my goods came, money came in like water flooding the river for I sold items at a far lower price than any other establishment. Almost everybody in town bought it from me. I will not hide the fact that the commodities I sold were untaxed (i.e. smuggled). However, I prefered to call it untaxed. If I had not done that, I would not have been able to buy the permit to cross the gate to the sixtieth district.

Making the long story short, by the end of six months, the original money I had increased ten-fold. Sure, Ikkaku and Yumichika had to slit a few throats. It was all right. The people they killed were playing dirty. That was the justice they deserved. And after all, as Ikkaku said, "They were just unlucky."

By this time, I was also a few steps away from buying the permit to enter the fifty-ninth district. It was to be sold in an auction. The starting price was high. And, I knew it would go higher. I needed to get that permit, by hook or by crook. I had to make sure it was well in my grasp. And I knew there was no other way but to get rid of some competition. They were about five of them. Ikkaku and Yumichika helped me get rid of them, of course.

Now, if there was one person I enjoyed killing most, it was Tonda Tsuchi. He would have won the permit if I was not as obsessive as I was in getting it. I secretly visited him one night. I can remember it clearly. It was a moonless and starless evening. It was literally as black as the night. The only thing that lighted my path was a small lantern capable of all brightening small radius. I clenched my katana tightly. When I was near his property, I blew out my lantern's light. I sneaked inside his quarters.

During my months as tsuwa, I had taught myself to see in the dark. I saw the outline of my victim and I drew my katana. Just as I was about to slash him, he lit a candle. You cannot imagine the look on my face when I was caught red-handed. I thought that he would counter attack. So, I was very surprised when pleaded for his life like a gutless hen. But, what surprised me even more was I loved how he begged. I had never seen anyone beg for his life that way.

When I was battling as a tsuwa, I have never seen anyone plead for their life per se. I could only take a glimpse of their eyes as if hoping that I would not kill them. I don't know. There must be something angelic about the way I look because even at their last breath, they actually believed that I wouldn't kill them*. And this Tonda Tsuchi fed my all powerful feeling and how I was the holder of his life.

The man bargained with me all that he had and I consented. He gave me half of his money and cried, "For heaven's sake, leave me alone. I just want to see my daughter on the other side of the gate." I knew that he would do anything just to get that permit. I could not let that happen. I needed that permit much more than anybody. So, I took out my katana and I pointed it to his throat. And he squealed like a little girl.

"I'm sorry." I just said. "I can't let you have it." With that, I pierced through his vocal box. Blood spattered everywhere. I did not feel ounce of pity. This man stood between me and your mother. I vowed that no entity would stand between me and Rukia Kuchiki. Coincidence or not, after I finished the man, rain started pouring washing away my crimes. It was as if the gods knew my intentions were out of selfless love.

Finishing off another of my competitors was a breeze. I basically just went in and went out of their mansions. I got home late that night all soaking wet while Ikkaku and Yumichika arrived even before it rained. We spent the rest of the night drowning ourselves with warm sake. I knew Rukia was well within my reach.

The day of the auction finally came. I woke up that day with an unsettling feeling in my stomach. I felt as if something terrible was going to happen in the auction. I took precaution and brought my katana underneath my elegant silken kimono. Hanatarou, Ikkaku, and Yumichika came with me, but still I had to be careful. Many people were desperate in getting that permit; perhaps far more desperate than me.

"But, they wouldn't dare go that far." Hanatarou said. If only he knew what I had done. I figured that it was best to keep from this boy the goings-on in this business as I wished not to involve Hanatarou in my wild goose chase of your mother. Hanatarou is a boy with a very promising future. If he were born earlier, he could have become a lieutenant in no time.

The starting bid was high. And it kept going higher as expected. I was confident. By the time the bid rose to triple its starting bid, I joined the game and raised it to more than five times. The crowd became silent. Going once. Going twice. Sold. The permit was mine. I rushed up the podium more than eager to claim my prize. In my excitement, I almost flash stepped. My heart was fluttering. I could hardly contain my happiness.

Just as they were presenting me the permit, a large blast tore open the ceiling. A couple of bandits were doing a heist! They knocked out half of the bidders in less than a minute. The thieves grabbed all the loot they could possibly hold, including the permit. I was mortified. I was so close to Rukia. These robbers dared to mess with me. I took out my zanpaktou and called out Zangetsu.

I ripped apart the man holding the permit. Then I took the rest of the robbers down. I did not spare none of them; not a single one. I hid the permit inside my robe. I was a step closer to Rukia. I will always remember that day as both the day of hope and the day of doom. Those days were indeed very dark, but they were not the darkest. I had lost count of the people I killed by that time, but I couldn't care less.

The general will pay for what he had done to Rukia. He would pay dearly and his life would just be the down payment.

"My lord, it is done."

"I could expect no less from my wife, Rukia."

"Did he get the permit to enter the fifty-ninth district?"

"Yes, General. He is entering the said district as we speak."

"Was there any problem encountered during the operation?"

"Just a couple of bandits trying to steal from the auction, but Ichigo Kurosaki took care of them."

"Tell me, how did he respond when you came into contact with him?"

"He did not take it very well."

"I see, as expected."

"Is there anything else of your concern, my lord?"

"You know, Ichikyou is growing up to be a very fine boy."

"Just like his father?"

"Yes...just like his father."

a/n: Phew! That was the third chapter. What do you think? Moon-chan is open to any comment, suggestions and violent reactions. Moon-chan will try to post the next chapter as soon as possible...depending on the number of reviews. Hehehehe. Just Kidding! 8D

Rants: Moon-chan is excited about the latest bleach movie. Though she hasn't watch it yet, she has already read the summary. She is already tingling with joy. And she has seen the hugging part of Ichigo and Rukia. And she also found out that Tite Kubo-sama has been very involved in the script writing. And I quote from Wiki, "The movie ties into the main manga storyline." IchiRuki forever. In your face, IchiHime fans! Gosh, I am such a fan girl.

NOTES
* This dialogue is taken from an episode in CSI Las Vegas

Happy Holidays guys!!!

Love lots,
Moon-chan