I do not own the Bleach manga, anime, or movies! None of those works are, nor will they ever be, mine.

I only claim this story.

Orihime

I don't know exactly what changed. Ichigo went out the building a minute ago to fight Ulquiorra, and Uryu stayed back to protect me. Then suddenly a weight pressed down on my body. Uryu looked over at me, and I saw him briefly hunch over as well from the force of the reiatsu. He looked up toward the roof of Las Noches. "What happened up there?" I knew, vaguely. I felt it. This wasn't Ichigo's. This was too heavy, too widespread. Something's wrong. "Ishida-kun." He looked over at me. "Could you carry me up there with your power?" He stared at me. "Please, Uryu."

He stared at me for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. We'll both go." As we ascended, Uryu started talking. "Is this..spiritual energy?" He looked at me, shocked. We'd faced the shinigami in the Seireitei, but this reiatsu was something else altogether. I felt like a hand was closed around my body, slowly squeezing as we ascended. "We need to hurry." I nodded. I just needed to get up there.

I jumped off Ishida's platform onto the roof of Las Noches and scanned around. There were four or five pillars, most reduced to rubble by the fight. Ichigo was nowhere in sight. One pillar stood on the roof in front of me, the last one standing. Uryu looked around as well. "I don't feel Kurosaki's reiatsu anywhere." I wasn't surprised. The black reiatsu hung in the air all around us like a dense, heavy fog. It would be difficult to find anyone's reiatsu in this.

I looked over at Uryu, then looked around again. Where is Ichigo? I noticed a shadow on the ground, and followed it to the top of the pillar in front of us. Ulquiorra stood at the top of the last standing pillar, silhouetted in the moonlight. Horns extending behind his head, wings protruding out of his back, and his tail wrapped around Ichigo's throat. Ichigo's body was limp in the air, dangling, his chest bare. His body was bruised and bloody, cuts and bruises crisscrossing his torso and stomach. "Ku..ro..sa...ki?"

The Espada turned his head, looking down the pillar at me. "You're just in time." he said, his voice calm, like I was home in time for dinner. "Now is the moment that the man you trusted dies." He tapped Ichigo's chest with a finger, building up the energy of his reiatsu into a Cero.

"Stop!" I screamed desperately up at him. Black reiatsu, more than I had ever seen, shot through Ichigo and out of his back in a black Cero tinged with green. Ulquiorra unwrapped his tail from around Ichigo's throat and dropped him from the pillar, the reiatsu from his Cero still disturbing the air.

I saw the hole as Ichigo fell from the edge, his body limp. The hole in his chest, almost big enough to fit my head through it. "Nooooooooo!" My eyes stretched wide in shock, I ran forward to him. I managed to catch Ichigo with Soten Kisshun just before he hit the roof. I couldn't think, I just ran to him.

Ulquiorra suddenly stood in front of me, his wings outstretched. "It's useless. Your powers can't bring him back." I wanted to hit him, to demand he stop fighting my friends, stop talking, but I was too numb. His wing snapped back, deflecting a shot from Uryu's bow. He looked over his shoulder at Uryu, and I took the chance to run past him to Ichigo.

I activated my Soten Kisshun over Ichigo, the golden glow illuminating his bloody body. Some of the blood from his body had leaked out and spread in a puddle around his chest. I looked over his body as he stared straight ahead, his eyes lifeless. What should I do? What should I do? I healed him before, when I first saw him after coming here. I can do this. I concentrated on the Soten Kisshun, pouring my reiatsu into it. Ichigo might still be clinging to life. I was able to do it before. Why isn't it working? This should work! I can do this! The hole still prominent in his chest disagreed with me, mocking me and echoing the Espada's words. 'Your powers can't bring him back.' I left to keep him safe, but he came after me. Kurosaki should be okay. I had faith in him. He's strong. I expected him to win.

Uryu suddenly flew past me, his left arm bleeding from the wrist. The left hand was gone, blood in its place, dripping along the roof's surface. He skidded to a stop. I stared at him. "Ishida..kun."

He looked over at me, panting. "I've already stopped the bleeding. Take care of Kurosaki, Orihime." He got back up and charged at Ulquiorra, who swatted him away with his tail.

"Ishida-kun!" I turned away from Kurosaki-kun and activated Santen Kesshun between Uryu and Ulquiorra. He smashed through it easily with his tail, and I watched as he stalked forward slowly.

Ulquiorra looked down at Ishida. "You said you were calm. I see none of that here."

Ishida is beaten. He doesn't have the strength to win this, and neither do I. This Espada is too strong. What do I do? What can I do? Kurosaki-kun. He's gone, defeated. He's...dead, and I couldn't help save him. Not this time. Then I heard something stand up behind me.