Title: Rebirth Of A Phoenix (1/1)
Author: Cella N
Fandom:BLEACH
Ship: Orihime/Aizen, Orihime/Grimmjaw, Orihime/Gin, Orihime/Ulquiorra, etc.
Rating: Mature.
General Summary: He will not kill her, though. He will just turn her into something…beautiful. ORIHIME. AIZEN. GIN. ARRANCAR. Lessons on the human mind: when in danger, you make the best of it. Or you die.
Warnings: Sexual contents, violence, psychological torture, dubious consent. All those pretties.
Spoilers: Lots of spoilers, up to 240.
Dedications: To Amanda, because she is my partner in crime, and because I love it.

A/N: DARKFIC. Very. I'm not kidding when I say this. My take on Orihime's descent into darkness, however forced and fractal it may be. Deals with a lot of those ugly theme you wouldn't want your kids to read. I cried while writing this fic's end. I cried, and shivered, and God. I loved writing this oneshot. Highly recommended that you listen to the song 'Mary', by Tori Amos while reading this. Oh yeah. Well: This is the end. Goodnight.

Rebirth Of A Phoenix
:phase one:
Everybody wants something from you,
Everybody want a piece of mary
Lush valley all dressed in green
Just ripe for the picking

She reminds him of Hinamori.

It's not the looks, or the voice, or the love she feels for the one person who will never see her. It's the weakness. Inoue Orihime is weak. Her power may be, by far, the most valuable treasure he's found yet, but it's not developed. It's still dormant.

There are a million things that she could do, if she could use her powers correctly. If she'd allow herself to develop them, to nurture them, to give them wings to fly. But she doesn't. No. In stead, she lets herself sit beside Kurosaki, heal, encourage, be a bother. When she could rule over them all, with a flicker of a wrist. And yet, she couldn't because in that soul of hers, she's pure. Benevolent, kind, loving, human. Too human.

She reminds him of Momo.

It's in her struggle, in her stumble, in her way of speaking. And at the same time it's not. Momo-chan loved him so much, that he had had to kill her. She couldn't have lived without him, it's just that simple. He will not kill Orihime, though. No. He will make sure that she doesn't love him, that she hates him, and as long as she lets him grow her powers, it'll be enough.

He won't kill her. He will simply turn her into something…beautiful.

-----------

Minutes after Grimmjaw's arm is healed, the newly re-established Espada turns towards his healer, laughing, and laughing, and laughing. Under the attentive eye of Aizen, he pulls Orihime, who squeaks in terror, close to him. It's uncharacteristic of Grimmjay to display such reactions, but Aizen's always told them to be polite with their guests. It would be most impolite to not thank her.

And just like that, he brings her forth, and presses his lips against her lips forcefully. He's just stolen her first kiss. She's left with tears in her eyes, and a lip that's bleeding from her patient's mask. She's breaking, and Aizen can see it.

"You should enjoy your stay here, Hime-chan," Aizen murmurs. "You've been declared a 'traitor' by those who were your friends. We're all you have now, you see?"

Orihime's breaths are coming out in broken pants, and she tries, oh she desperately tries to stand as far away as possible from the grinning monster who had kissed her, and all the other monsters.

"If you behave," Aizen says, slowly, "We'll treat you like our princess."

In her attempts to put some distance between them and her, she runs into someone's chest. She looks up, and the scream freezes half-way through her throat. A hand is placed on her neck, keeping her head tilted backwards, towards the person who smiles at her with amusement. She knows him, and he looks more frightening now, than before.

"You're ours, now," Gin sings happily.

-------------------

Orihime is given a room to herself; it's small, and pretty. It's to show her that she isn't a prisoner, she came here by her own wish. She will be treated like a 'princess' by them, and like a 'traitor' by her friends. It hurts. It hurts, and stings, and she wants to cry; because it wasn't her wish to come, but she had to, she had to, or else everyone would've died. And she couldn't have possibly lived with that burden.

She lies on her bed, and closes her eyes. Traitor. Theirs. Traitor. Theirs. No-where to run. Can't run. Can't misbehave. Have to be good. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor.

Theirs.

:end phase one:

:phase two:
growing up isn't always fun
they tore your dress and stole your ribbons
they see you cry, they lick their lips
but butterflies don't belong in nets

She doesn't understand them sometimes.

Not that she wants to, particularly, but it would be nice: understanding them. It would give her a sense of minimal control, or small, temporary power over her own life. Something she couldn't possibly hope for, not when she's the hostage of these vile people. Vile, inhuman, monsters.

Only they're not. That's what hurts the most. It would be easier to hate them, it would be easier to bear it, if they weren't so nice to her. Treating her like a princess, as they promised. Maintaining conversation, feeding her, amusing her. She's not being treated as a prisoner, and that's what hurts. It would be easier for her to cry at night, if she'd be tortured during the day. But for now, when she cries at night, it's in the form of dry heaves and half-choked sobs, muffled into her pillow; it's out of confusion, out of guilt. Because she doesn't know what they're doing to her, because she can't cry when she's not being hurt. And they're not hurting her; but yet, she feels the need to cry.

Each of them have a way of treating her. They're cold, manipulative, and evil; she knows this. But they don't let it out. Sometimes, it's only one person to come to her small room.

-------------

This week, it's Ulquiorra who enters her room.

He's carrying a plate of something which could be called food. It's set in front of Orihime's bed, and he stares impassively at her form, lying on the bed in a foetal position, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Eat," he demands, his voice without tone.

Orihime shivers, and pushes herself closer to the wall behind her.

"It's not poisoned, you know?" Ulquiorra drones, sitting down on the bed next to her. "So eat."

Orihime cowers in front of him, a reasonable reaction that humans display in front of the object they fear. Ulquiorra grabs her arms, and it's soft, yet strong; like it was when he intercepted her in that tunnel. No negotiation.

"If you eat, I'll tell you something about your friends," he whispers, pleasantly.

Orihime perks up, a bit, and stretches her hand forward, grabbing the plate. She pulls it towards her, and takes a bite.

"A few of them tried coming for you," he says, and Orihime chokes. "I killed them."

Bile rises up in her throat, and Orihime spit's the food in her mouth out. Her eyes start spitting tears in the same way. Angry, angry like she's never been before, she throws the plate at Ulquiorra's head. He dodges it, and the plate, together with her food, make a splat on her wall.

"Get out," she croaks out with a harsh voice.

"That's not you choice," he says, and leans forward. He's studying her face. "Do you hate me? For killing your friends?"

Orihime looks at him, bewildered. "Do I hate--God, yes, I hate you," she says, and the sobs start. Her body is shaking, shaking with her dry cries, and she mumbles names, names of the friends he's killed, in a wild attempt at giving them a funeral. A goodbye. "I hate you…"

Ulquiorra leans forward, the grip on her arm still steady. He pulls her towards him, and now she's crying into his shoulder, and she hates it.

"Your pain is interesting, woman," he murmurs into her ear. "I kill your friends, and you cry. What would I have to do, I wonder, to make you scream?" he questions.

Orihime pulls away from him, eyes tired and wary, and pleading. "Kill me."

Ulquiorra smirks slightly. "You give up so easily," he says, and lets her go. The Espada stands up, and makes his way towards the door. He opens it, and turns towards Orihime, serious expression mocking her. "You didn't even think it could be a lie…"

Orihime's breath catches, and she hastily stands up from the bed. "Is it a lie? Are they alive?"

Ulquiorra turns his back to her. "Of course they are. They never came for you in the first place. Aizen-sama already told you: we're all you have now." He sighed, and listened to her breathing. "I'll bring you more food, and you will eat it."

He leaves. Orihime falls to the floor, defeated. She's been taught a lesson: she will never know when they're telling the truth and when they aren't. Trust will be no option in this realm. Whether her friends are alive or not, she can't be sure. She hopes they are. Even if she's a traitor for them now, she wants them all to live.

Orihime presses her cheek against the cool floor, and breathes deeply. She won't give him the satisfaction of giving up so easily the next time. Orihime is theirs now. And like the worm that easily eats the apple from the inside out, she will break them from the inside. No matter the cost. She will do it.

For her friends. And for herself.

:end phase two:

:phase three:
oh mary, can you hear me?
mary, you're bleeding
mary, don't be afraid
we're just waking up
and i hear help is on the way

Aizen smiles pleasantly when Ulquiorra comes to his room, at the end of the first week.

"How is she?" he asks, his long fingers fiddling with the clasp of Ulquiorra's shirt.

"Confused," Ulquiorra says. "Desperate. Angry. Complex." He pauses for a bit. "Interesting."

Aizen smiles, and it's like when a proud father smiles down at his son. His hand pulls Ulquiorra closer, until the Arrancar is leaning his head against his creator's shoulder. "Tell me more," he instructs slowly.

"She wants to hate me," he answers. "She thinks her friends are dead. She believes whatever I tell her, so it's easy to confuse her."

"Interesting," Aizen smiles, deftly undressing his beloved creation. "Carry on."

"She won't eat much," Ulquiorra breathes out over Aizen's shoulder. "She's interesting, but…she's a bother."

"I see," Aizen murmurs, pulling away. "Well, maybe we should send someone else to take care of our princess, ne?" he says. He kisses his creation, his servant, his child, his protégé, his perfect minion.

"I'm sure Grimmjaw would like the challenge."

---------

The second Grimmjaw enters her room, Orihime's brain thinks: 'He wants me to heal him again. He's hurt. He must've fought. Maybe he fought Kurosaki-kun. I hope Kurosaki-kun's okay. I wonder if they're thinking about me.'

Grimmjaw's blunt, and more direct than Ulquiorra ever hoped to be. Whereas with Ulquiorra, those past months had been about challenging her mentally, leaving her exhausted and not knowing whether he had killed her friends or not, Grimmjaw cuts to the point.

"I'm not here for you to heal me," he says, walking towards her with a predatory gleam in his eyes. "I'm not here to tell you how I killed your friends," he smirks, as he stands over her cowering form. "And although I'm sure it would be interesting, I'm not here to talk."

He's on her bed now, Orihime under him, and he grins down. "I kissed you once, and I know you didn't like it," Grimmjaw says into her ear. Orihime gasps, and shrinks under his form. "Let's see if I can make this more enjoyable."

He's kissing her again. And Orihime knows why he's here now. He's here to terrorize her, physically. Ulquiorra made her question her sanity, left her mind tired and confused. Grimmajw will do the same to her body. The way he's handling it, with infinite care, as if this is a present he's never had before; it confuses her, it leaves her breathless. Because she knows, innocent as they think her mind to be, she knows how the violation of a body should feel. She should be disgusted. But when he licks her collarbone, she shivers in pleasure. And when he strokes her clit, she should feel repulsed, but she lets out a tiny mewl.

And then he's inside, hot, and too big, burning into her skn, and into her everything, and it hurts. But not because he's raping her, no. because she's enjoying it, and that means it's not rape. It's sex. And Orihime doesn't understand her luck, doesn't understand why this person above--inside--her should be the one to take her first kiss, her virginity, her last bit of control.

"I'm only preparing you for the rest, Hime," he breathes into her ear. He's too soft with her, too careful. "They never let me have a present all for myself, let alone a princess," he explains. "But I'll have you, I'll have you over and over and over. Until they stop me from having you," he chuckles low in his throat. "And you'll love every moment of it."

And she does. It makes it worse. She's been broken, she's confused. Mentally, physically as well. It only took two Arrancar. One week with Ulquiorra made her weak enough to want to jump from the nearest tower. Plummet down to earth, to ground, and with the wind in her hair, die, and die, and die. It's only the first day with Grimmjaw's company, and she's already in need of a tower.

"I wanna open you up," Grimmjaw mutters, "And see what you're made of inside. See what made your little mind think it was safe to heal my arm. Oh, you're mine now," he snarls against her breast. "Mine, mine, mine."

That night, she finds herself scrubbing at skin with the blanket they've given her. Scrubbing and scrubbing until her bloody arms are raw, and hurt. It's not enough.

She wants to corrupt them from the inside, but so far, that's what they're doing, and successfully.

----------

"Tell me," Aizen murmurs into Ulquiorra's neck, minutes after their heartbeats have finally calmed down. "Tell me, have you told her of her friends' attempts at saving her?"

"No," Ulquiorra answers.

"Tell me," he whispers again, "Have you told her that they ran away, retired, tail between their legs? Have you told her they've abandoned her?"

"Should I?"

"No," he says, and smiles. "We'll let her think they're never coming for her. We'll let her think they never came."

"What are you planning, Aizen-sama?"

"I'm going to mould her," he says. "I'm going to make her into something…beautiful."

:end phase three:

:phase four:
everybody wants you, sweetheart
everybody got a dream of glory
las vegas got a pin-up girl
they got her armed as they buy and sell her

On the third week, Gin is waiting just outside of Orihime's room. When Grimmjaw exits, he catches a little glance inside, and sees the girl wrapped around herself, naked and trembling. Gin smiles at the Arrancar. The grin that was on Grimmjaw's face fades away.

"Your week is done," Gin says.

Grimmjaw snorts and shrugs it off. "Eh, I knew I wouldn't have her forever." He scratches his arm, looking much like a satisfied cat. "At least I enjoyed her while I could."

Gin tilts his head to the side, and smirks, knowingly. "You got attached."

"Like fuck I did," Grimmjaw snarls. "I ain't weak to care for a bloody human bitch."

Gin chuckles lowly, and turns around from the man. "Your face says differently," he drawls, and walks away. "Oh, Aizen-sama wants to see you. He wants you to tell him all about this week."

-------

The following evening, when Gin enters Orihime's room, he's humming to himself.

It's been a while since he's last had a woman. No matter how much he's tried to convince Aizen to make a female Arrancar, the tight-up bastard wouldn't give in, saying stupid reasons about how a female would cause an uproar in the balance that his army has so far. It's not that Gin cares, but sometimes he wishes he'd have a woman. They're soft, and pliant, and never argue about who should be on top.

And from the look on Orihime's face, she's already been trained enough by Grimmjaw during one week. She's submissive, and that's going to be very pleasant towards Gin. The first evening they do not speak. Not a word is spoken from his lips, although Orihime tells him that he's Gin, the man who left Rangiku behind, who broke her heart, who betrayed her. But he cuts her off with a brutal kiss, and then flutters kisses all over her skin.

Her breasts are large, much like Rangiku's. Her breath doesn't hitch when he kisses them, though, and he doesn't like it. He was going to draw it out, to pleasure her as much as he would pleasure himself, because it had been so long since his last woman. But because she doesn't react like Rangiku, he gets bored quickly. So he fucks her, and enjoys her screams. He enjoys his superiority over the Arrancar, who so far, haven't made her scream like him. Ulquiorra made her cry, Grimmjaw made her moan; Gin will make her scream.

When he leaves, strutting out of her room, he meets Aizen's gaze somewhere along the way. He smirks. Gin doesn't know what plans Aizen has for Orihime, but as long as he lets him fuck her every now and then, it'll be fine. It'll be more than fine.

In her room, Orihime's awake, and scrubbing at her skin with fury. She'll never be clean, but neither will they. Her plan might be working, or it might not. She won't know, unless she's let out of the room they've put her in. but so far she's offered them each different responses: cries, moans, screams; in a wild attempt to maybe make them compete between each other. Break their companionship, break the ranks. Break them, as much as they are breaking her. She knows her friends aren't coming, she's accustomed herself to that idea. But she will help them, in her own way.

Even if she must sacrifice her sanity along the way.

-----

It's been four days since Grimmjaw last had her, and now he's sulking.

No. Not sulking. He's furious. Gin is in his face, going on and on about how lovely her screams are, and how warm she is on the inside, even if trash like Grimmjaw touched her previously. The Arrancar clenches his teeth together, and glowers at the man, promising himself, quietly, that at the first occasion, the first opportunity that rises, it'll be his sword through Ichimaru Gin's throat.

It's not because he cares for the girl. Sure, she was nice, and she had let him pretend that she was his, his own present, his own property: but it wasn't that. He was sick and tired of Aizen, and Gin, and Ulquiorra. He wanted out, he wanted his own reign. At the first shot, when he saw the opportunity fit, he'd show them why they had done wrongly, when they had cut his arm off, before.

And the first to go would be Gin.

:end phase four:

:phase five:
god i want to get you out of here
you can ride in a pink mustang
when i think of what we've done to you
oh, mary, can you hear me?

Another week passes, slowly and painfully. The person to enter her room this time, is Aizen himself.

He stands before her, and wipes away tears and blood and dust from her face. He throws a white cape over her naked shoulders. It's his Captain's cape, she realises. He smiles benevolently at her, and holds a hand out.

"Come," he orders calmly, and Orihime's hand trembles when she places it in his.

This is the first time she gets out of her room, since she's been brought here. Aizen takes her, guides her by the hand, all the way up to his throne; he sits on it, and pulls Orihime on his lap. His arms encircle her, bringing the cape closer around her body, and his chin rests on her shoulder.

"Where do you belong?" he questions softly.

"He-here," Orihime answers. She will not cry.

"Who do you belong to?" he asks kindly.

"You," Orihime trembles. She will not cry.

"Who is your only hope, Orihime-chan?" he inquires, smiling into her shoulder.

"Y-you," Orihime shakes. She will not cry.

"Do you understand, Hime-chan? Do you realise that your friends will never come for you? That they think you're a traitor? Do you understand that the next time they see you they will hate you? They will kill you? Are you conscient of that fact?" he murmurs, loud enough for all the Arrancar below them to hear.

"Y-yes," Orihime answers.

She cries, and cries, and cries, and cries.

----------

For a week, Orihime is taken out of her room, by Aizen.

Sometimes they have tea. Sometimes they talk. Sometimes he fucks her, if he's angry or irritated at his minions. Sometimes he shouts at her, asking her how she could possibly understand the magnitude of his project. Sometimes he tries explaining how his goals are perfectly humane, and why she should join him, help him. Sometimes he watches as someone else fucks her, and sometimes he joins in. Sometimes he's good, kind; and at times he's evil.

And all the time, Orihime is crying, because she's defeated. She's lost.

It all comes down to one evening, when he takes her to the room where he creates his Arrancar, and lets her witness a birth. The creature that comes out is fragile, and child-like, and Orihime wants to throw herself over it, protect it like a mother.

"You see? If they didn't have me, they'd be killed by your friends," Aizen whispers in her ear. "Do you understand now that I am a father to them? I only help them become what they can become; I give them power, I mold them, I create something perfect, and beautiful and powerful."

Orihime nods, frightened, and shaking.

"Will you let me do the same to you?" he questions. "Will you let me be your father? Will you let me show you how far your powers can stretch? Will you let me make you? Will you be mine?"

And Orihime nods. Aizen smiles, and touches her hair in admiration. This is his precious treasure; this is his princess, this is what he will turn into something beautiful.

---------

She's sleeping when she hears her name being shouted from outside the door. She runs towards the door, opens it, and steps into hell. Hell in Hueco Mundo. Ironic, and painfully true.

There's a battle. A fierce battle, with Shinigami, with a lot of Shinigami. And in one corner, where the shouts for her name are coming from, is a group. Her friends. Kurosaki, Ishida, Chad, Rukia, Renji, Rangiku, Hitsugaya. They're there. They came. For her. To save her.

Mindlessly, she makes her way towards them, enveloped in Aizen's old Captain robe; a maiden dressed in white, walking though the bloodiest of battles. Someone catches her halfway. She looks up: it's Gin.

"Where you going, pet?" he grins down at her. "Your friends are losing this battle," he drawls, and clenches her arm tight. "With all this fighting going on, I doubt Aizen will realise it if I killed you." The sword is out. Orihime closes her eyes.

She opens them again, only to find blood, blood running from Gin's mouth. Her eyes widen in horror, and her heart stops beating. There's a sword going through Gin's neck, and its once shiny metal blade is now dripping in his blood. A few drops stain her white dress. Stained. Bloody. She looks at her saviour, and wishes she hadn't.

"Come on, Hime-chan," Grimmjaw says, grabbing her arm after throwing Gin's body to the floor. "We're leaving."

They run. They run, and Orihime wants to tell him to stop, to let her go, to kill her already. In stead she asks of the other Arrancar.

"Some are dead. Some are fighting. I killed some," he sneers, and points towards a corner of the hall. There, between the flames, Ulquiorra's mask is the only thing left that hasn't turned into ashes yet.

"Oh God," Orihime croaks, and bends over. Heaving heavily, she vomits until all she's spitting out is blood.

"We're gonna leave this place. It's falling over, anyway. I'm gonna take you with me, and we'll raise our own kingdom," Grimmjaw murmurs. "Come, my little Hime."

They run, and Orihime is crying again. Crying and crying, her eyes red from the tears, and the smoke coming from the fires all around 'Las Noches'. Literal hell around her, and she's escaping with the Devil's son.

They're stopped, because there's one Shinigami standing in front of Grimmjaw, her sword pointed at his neck. Rangiku. "No," Orihime sobs, grasping Grimmjaw's arm. "Don't kill her, please. Please," she begs.

"I suggest you let her go," Rangiku orders.

Grimmjaw grins wildly, and pushes Orihime from him, drawing his sword out. "Bring it."

Orihime fall to the ground, and for a moment, she loses her consciousness. When she wakes up, she's being carried away from the battle, her skin hot from the flames around her. The person carrying her is the Devil himself. Aizen.

He takes her to the room where the Arrancar are created, and sets her down on cold stone. "I need you to heal my army," he says. "I need you to heal your brothers, Orihime."

She looks at him blankly.

"Do you understand? We can't afford to lose this battle, not with the Hougyoku's awakening up at 80. We have to win, do you understand?"

Orihime focuses his eyes on his. "You're afraid."

"Just DO IT!" he shouts, his face contorting into a monstrous expression. Anger. Fear. He's losing this battle, and he knows it. He's afraid.

"Alright," Orihime murmurs, and she leans down to kiss him. "I'll help you."

"Good," Aizen breathes out, petting her hair. "Good girl."

"I need a higher place, up above the Hougyoku."

"Why?"

Orihime smiles at her 'father', and kisses his forehead softly. "I'm going to awake it to 100."

Aizen lets out a breath, long and trembling. "You can do that?"

Orihime smiles. "You taught me how."

Aizen nods, and lifts her up unto a platform just over the Hougyoku. He kisses her, proud and powerful again, and tells her that he knew she was on his side. He's afraid, he's panicked, he's desperate. That's why he isn't paying attention to Orihime's expressions, that's why he listens when she asks her to go back down, because it's dangerous.

The moment Aizen's feet touch the ground, several people collapse into the room, fighting. Her friends are there. Some freeze, looking up at her: there, over the platform. In her hand lays their defeat. Some are still in battle, like Rangiku and Grimmjaw, but they're still hyperaware of Orihime's actions.

The girl looks down at the Hougyoku, the green light touching her face. She smiles sadly, and steels herself for what's to come. She looks at Aizen, and he smiles at her. 'You see? I will become God,' his eyes say. Orihime shakes her head, and looks down again. No. You will not. She looks at her friends, at those that are shouting for her to come down, at those who are telling her that they believed her, that they'd help her, that everything would be alright. Begging her to not help Aizen. And Orihime cries, because she sees how in a small way, even her friends had doubted her.

"I'm sorry," she whispers to the wind. Her hands lift up, and she smiles up at the ceiling. Standing there, over the edge, bathed in green light, white robes billowing with the air and pressure, and arms thrown in the air; is the last time they see her before the end. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

It takes one second, and Orihime leans forward. She lets herself fall. She smiles, and cries, because this is what she wanted: falling, plummeting towards the ground, the wind in her hair, and her last breath thrown at the sky. When she falls, she falls into the interior of the Hougyoku, and she thinks: 'It's like jello.'

There's a voice in her ear, whispering 'stay, stay, stay, our princess', and a voice in her heart that says 'do it'. Her eyes open, and she looks at the ceiling. Someone blew a hole through it, and she can see something that resembles a sky. She smiles. Tsubaki, she calls. He's ready. They're ready, and crying, and Orihime tells them: 'Don't cry. Be happy for me. I'm helping them. I'm helping them. I love you. I love you. Goodbye. I love you. Goodbye.'

"Koten Zanshun," she whispers, her eyes fixed on the sky, "I reject!"

"NO!" Aizen's terrified scream comes.

The Hougyoku is cut in millions of tiny pieces, exploding in green light that bathes everyone in the room. Inside the Hougyoku, Orihime throws her last breath to the sky, and dies, and dies, and dies.

When it's over, five seconds later, Aizen is still in shock, still screaming, and looking at the pieces of his key to being a God float off to infinity. He directs his madman's gaze to the figure on the ground, and wants to run towards her, shake her awake and ask her to tell him that it's a joke. He can't do that, because a sword pierces his stomach. "For Momo, and for Orihime," Hitsugaya growls in his ear. A second later, a sword decapitates him.

The head of the man who wanted to become God rolls on the ground, coming to rest at the feet of a shocked Grimmjaw, who is still staring at the dead girl on the ground. Soon enough, the last Espada is also dead, because of his own imprudence.

Slowly, with heavy steps, the Shinigami, and the Quincy approach the body. Some of them cry, and some of them are frozen in place. Ishida Uryuu comes to stand beside her frail body, taking in the once-white Captain robe around her body, all stained with blood. Her face has cuts all over it, and it's a miracle her body is still in one piece. But her lips: they are smiling. The sad smile on the face of Inoue Orihime is something no-one from that room will ever forget.

Ishida lifts her in his arms with tender care, almost like a lover would lift one's love. He looks up at the people before him: bloody, hurt, pained, victorious; and chokes on his tears as he says: "It's over."

Matsumoto Rangiku collapses on the floor, crying, shoulders shaking, screams tearing her throat. Next to her, and holding her hands tight, Hitsugaya does the same.

"We will give her a proper burial," Rukia chokes out, sobbing into Renji's shoulder. "One worthy of a hero."

"That's what she was," Ichigo whispers, looking around him. "Let's go home."

They leave the room, Orihime carried away with grace and honour by her group of friends. She's back where she belongs. She will be treated like a hero. She died like one. She saved them. She changed the course of the battle. She took everyone by surprise.

On the floor of the burning castle, lies the head of the man who thought himself God. His eyes are still opened, focused on the spot where his precious treasure had lied; dead like him. She had reminded him of Momo. That comparison had been his fatal mistake. Momo wouldn't have had the courage to do what Orihime had done: break them from the inside, conquer them all, make them all care for her; and then betray them, and then show that what it really meant to be betrayed by someone precious.

He had tried to create something beautiful; and succeeded. And by that, he had condemned it to death.

:end phase five:

:rebirth failed:

:"Welcome back to the Soul Society, Inoue Orihime. Woman, friend, hero.":