The Calm After The Storm

Ulquiorra quickly disintegrated. His hand was the last thing to vanish; Orihime stood hands clasped together, close to her chest. Ichigo stood staring coldly and silently for a few moments, the cuartro espada had finally understood what a heart was, the knowledge had also killed him. Had he felt remorse for all that he had done? No one knew, and no one ever would no. Because he was dead.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo turned to Orihime, he saw the glinting of tears in her eyes and moved over to hug her. At last, she was safe. He could barley begin to imagine what she was feeling. The trauma she must have been through.

"Inoue... Are you ok?

Orihime nodded, as the tears began to fall thick and fast from her eyes, Ichigo's soulder was quickly soaked with salty tears. As soon as she had begun it felt as if a heavy weight was gradually being lifted from her shoulders. One that had been crushing her over the last few days. It took what could have been a second, a minute or an hour to stop. All sense of time vanished when the crescent moon was forever in the sky. Orihime stopped, the sudden realization that Ichigo was hugging her; he'd never done that before. She blushed, remembering the night she'd left, how close she had been to kissing him. And the state that he was in. She was that close now. She turned her face to look at him. He looked back, his eyes, so brown... So beautiful... The two of them leaned forward, they were so close, their lips about to meet when-

"Please... I don't need... That... Right... Now..."

They both broke apart, blushing deeply with embarrassment, to turn to look at the source of the very familiar voice. Uryuu lay in a pool of blood, barely conscious... A very large pool of blood. A very large pool of his own blood. Ichigo's eyes opened wide. He had completely forgotten about the Quincy.

"Uryuu..."

The gaping hole in his abdomen was bleeding without any signs of slowing. This was alarming as there was a thick stream trickling on the stone ground. Ishida was also alarmingly white. He was usually alarmingly white but right now, he looked like a healthy corpse. A healthy corpse with a stump of an arm where his hand used to be and a large stab wound caused by his zanpakuto...

"Finally... He notices..."

Just then he coughed, spraying blood everywhere. His usually immaculate mantle was splattered.

Orihime rushed over, guilt on her mind. How had she forgotten about him?

"Ishida-kun!"

She knelt down next to him, trying not to kneel in the blood. No easy feat, considering the quantity. She set to healing him, the yellow shield covering his whole body. In fact he was the perfect shape. Point at the top, pointy and the bottom and thin all the way down. An ellipsoid.

Ichigo stood over watching, the stubborn teen was supposed to be his worst enemy and yet, he felt an odd connection to him. Not love that was unthinkable, more that of a good friend he trusted. He just wished he'd shut up about the pride of the Quincy and stop being so goddamned stubborn! In a way though, he respected him. Ishida would fight without second thought for what he believed in. He just believed in some crazy things. And he never stopped giving out lectures!

After what seemed like years, Ishida was finally healed. He stood up straight. Looking down to scan his filthy tattered attire.

"Hey Ishida, didn't you bring spare uniform this time?"

Ichigos's voice asked mockingly. The reply from Uryuu how ever was not what he anticipated.

"I did actually... Why so desperate to see me change?"

At this Ichigo could only start shouting randomly as Uryuu turned to Orihime.

"You ok Inoue?"

When she had nodded in reply and Ichigo had stopped shouting, (still with a angry red flush in his cheeks) Uryuu took control.

"Right, now I think our best idea is to get Chad, and leave then help the Soul Society out in the world of the living. Our best bet would be to track Chad's reiatsu and then leave the same way we entered, you with me?"

"Yes Ishida..."

Kurosaki started patiently and then ended up yelling pointing down at the large hole in the dome they had come through.

"BUT HOW THE HELL DO YOU SUGGEST WE GET DOWN!"

"Easy..."

Uryuu replied, giving his glasses the trademark push up.

"The way Orihime and I came up. I've learnt a few things while in Hueco Mundo...."

How had she forgotten about him?