Disclaimer: I do not own bleach

She didn't know what to do.

This wasn't a new thing for her. She was always the one that deferred to her friends. She wanted to make them happy. There weren't many anyway. Most days it was really just her and Tatsuki. Sure there was Chad, Ishida, and…Kurosaki, but other than sometimes eating together on the roof…all they had in common was their battles. Even then she does as she asked.

They tell her to stay back and let them handle it. And she does.

They beg for her to heal someone. She does, most times without anyone asking.

He told her he leave with him and she did.

Orihime was not a shinigami, Quincy, or even a martial artist. She was a spectator. She knew this. She wasn't fond of the fact, but didn't know what else to do. She was afraid. Such fear stalls her mind. Rarely has she stood up to insurmountable odds like her friends do on a regular basis, only when there was no one else.

She was afraid.

She didn't want to die.

She didn't want her friends to die.

She didn't want to fail them, her precious friends.

Fears like that stole her courage and made her still. But Orihime wasn't afraid right now, she was terrified. Her dreams and fantasies were odd and one of kind, but never could she have pictured the scene before her. It was purely the stuff of nightmares, the kind she woke up from before she clearly saw the monsters.

She saw these monsters.

One was a demon like her brother told her about his stories. Something spawned from the darkest recess of the world. It was the same demon that had ripped her from her friends and her world. The demon with those cold unfeeling eyes that made her heart wrench and soul wither. Here he was in a chimerical form born only from the worst nightmares. The one that would destroy the world around her and not understand the tears she shed.

He killed Ichigo Kurosaki.

Then Kurosaki….no…then something inside him came out. This new monster was something perhaps worse than her demon. Orange-red hair clashed with black and white skin. Behind the black sword and white horns were fiery eyes. Those eyes only existed to burn, much like this monster. It only wanted to kill.

The monster was beating the demon. She watched with her breath trapped in her throat as the demon fell again and again. As it was dashed against the stone pillar, the monster roared. Her heart nearly leaped from her chest. Yet the ungodly sound had freed a thought from the inner workings of her mind.

The demon did only as it was told. The monster just wanted to devour.

Orihime made a resolute decision, possibly her last.

The monster flew to its prey and she moved, hoping to be fast enough.

The silence struck her first. It had not been quiet for awhile now, all shouts, threats, and explosions. But it was quiet now. Then she felt the pain. It was not the pain that made one scream out. This was the agony that threw a body into shock. The body then tries to protect the mind from the coming death. Her head fell limp and she saw the black blade protruding from her chest. She wondered how close it was to her heart.

Orihime hear the sound of breathing next. Behind her where slow, measured inhalations that could only be Ulquiorra, her demon. The other was ragged and somehow twisted or modulated. Kurosaki, the monster.

As a coppery taste filled her mouth, she tried to look at the monster's face. The eyes had gone, reinforcing the mask appearance of the hollow. She wondered if that was a good sign. A few words managed the work they way out of her throat, "Stop….Please…Kurosaki…kun"

The monster did not flinch, nor even move. She wasn't sure but the demon seemed still as well.

Then the monster tried to speak. It was gravelly and weak. "Ori…hime…Protect…Orihime." The hand on the sword tightened and the arm flexed. A slight orange glow returned to its eyes. She gave a gasp of pain.

"You are hurting me!" she did her best shout, but it sounded more like a whisper. A shaking hand removed itself from the blade and the hollow staggered back. Orihime started to fall and felt strong arms catch her. Looking up, she was surprised to find her demon holding her. His wide eyes betrayed his confusion. Her ears might have heard him whisper "why" or just imagined it. It was hard to tell through the pain.

Turning back to the hollow that was once her friend, "This whole fight is hurting me. Don't you remember what you said? You are becoming more like a hollow and Ulquiorra is becoming more human." There was a startled gasp above her. She turned her eyes back to his to show him her conviction. Orihime knew she was right. She could feel it in his energy, in the look on his face. The sclera of his eyes had even changed from green to white.

As he transformed he felt more like mortal man. It felt like he gained what Kurosaki lost.

The monster screamed. This was not a roar, but a scream filled with despair and pain. It shook and swung its arms around madly. Falling to its knees, the monster clutched its head as it screamed again. The claws dug into the white material covering it. To her horror, she saw blood seeping from the wounds. It was more than a simple hollow mask.

Then it looked at her. "Ori…hime…" It breathed.

The thing that was once Kurosaki ran. It flew away, a scream ringing out into the eternal night.

Whatever words Orihime would have said to her departing friend or to Ulquiorra were lost as darkness and pain took her mind.

She woke up to the familiar warmth and barely audible hum of a healing kido. Her eyes fluttered open to find Rukia's concentrated face. The girl wanted jump up and hug the petite shinigami. But even though the pain had mostly faded, sheer exhausted prevented her from giving her customary greeting. A pair of warm hands laid themselves on her shoulders, just to be sure. Then she head Ishida's voice.

"Don't try to move." The clipped tone of voice and the way he clenched his jaw revealed just how bad her injuries were. She wondered about Ulquiorra or Kurosaki. It felt like the demon was nearby, though his energy was oddly subdued. Ichigo's spiritual pressure was nowhere to be found.

This made the often airheaded girl wonder about the pained look in Rukia's eyes. Orihime was not nearly as dense as most people thought, more than a little loony but certainly not stupid. She wondered just how deep the connection was between the shinigami and her crush. A crush that had little left. She could never make Ichigo smile and Orihime had spent years silently trying to. Rukia could make him light up like the sun.

Trying to ignore the pain in her chest, she focused on the pain her heart and observed her healer. She was leaned too far back and that made her stretch out her small arms more. The tension apparent in her body was probably impeded the flow of energy to the healing kido. Orihime had learned that much from the fourth division. Rukia's head was slightly tilted and her eyes would occasionally flick in one direction. Ulquiorra felt like he was in a different direction, so that left only one option.

Rukia wanted to leave and find Ichigo.

Rukia cared for Ichigo as much as he cares about her.

With this strangely pleasant thought, she fell back to sleep.

Waking again, Orihime found herself propped against a large piece of rubble and covered with Ishida's jacket. In front of her was said Quincy and Rukia sitting quietly if very tensed. Only they weren't facing her. They were watching Ulquiorra, who was sitting further away. Still in his second release form and with his head down, he looked like he was meditating. Or praying. The very Orihime-like idea of a demon praying made her smile.

Ulquiorra noticed the change and stared at her. This prompted the other two to notice she was awake as well. Two of them looked like the wanted to rush to her side. Instead they glared back at the hollow. Then Ishida nodded to Rukia, and the shinigami carefully walked over to her charge.

Quietly, she whispered, "How are feeling? I did the best I could, but you shouldn't move much."

"I feel fine, Kuchiki-san. I'm just tired," Rukia started to relax until Orihime added, "Why haven't gone after Kurosaki-kun yet?" Taken aback, the shinigami stuttered and mumble something. Sighing, Rukia turned towards the demon.

Deciding they did not have time for this, Orihime spoke as loud as she could, "Ulquiorra, are you going to kill me?"

The demon replied in his usual monotone, "I have already said I have not been ordered to kill you."

Hoping she sounded firm, she said, "That is not what I asked."

After an uncomfortable pause he answered, "No."

"Will you harm my friends?"

She was surprised to hear him sigh, "Only if they don't stop staring." The two in question flinched.

Rukia turned back to her friend, "But, Orihime…"

She was cut off, "You have to save Ichigo!" Tears prickled her eyes, "I couldn't reach him. I never could."

The shinigami suddenly looked very sad and very worried.

"You are the one that made him smile," Orihime said, brushing the tears away. "I like the smile you give him."

Pulling her sternest face, she finished, "Now you go get him!"

The words sinking in, Rukia stood up. Looking like noble she was, she bowed low to her friend. "Thank you." And she was gone.

With the shinigami's departure, Ulquiorra approached his former prisoner. Ishida hand flexed and glanced back at Orihime. She nodded and he nodded then stepped back. The hollow gave Quincy a look that questioned what exactly the man thought he could do against him. Orihime frowned at this.

She saw the question in his eyes, and he even spoke it, "Why?"

Orihime countered with one of her own, "Why aren't you attacking us."

The demon looked to the side and clenched his clawed and furry hand. He whispered, "I need to understand. Why, woman?"

Her head tilted and she grinned as best she could, "Because I think I would like to see your smile."

Ulquiorra did nothing at first. He stood unmoving, as if he hadn't heard her. His eyes then locked with hers. She wished she knew what he was trying to say. Before that could be answered, he stretched his wings as flew away.

As she watched him disappear towards the crescent moon, she swore she head Ishida mutter, "Weirdest day ever."

It wasn't hard to find him, Rukia mused. His energy, an odd mix of human, shinigami, and hollow, shined like a beacon in the barren desert. More obviously, she just followed the path of destruction he left in his wake. At first it was only massive craters left in the sand. After that it seemed like hollows, wild and otherwise, decided they were brave or stupid enough to attack him. He left a great many pieces, not all completely dead. Lastly, she could hear the ungodly wailing.

Rukia spent the time trying to ignore the carnage and attempting to work out her own thoughts and feelings. Ichigo's friends and family had often subtly commented on how much better he was since she dropped into his life. She smiled, thanked them, and quietly thought about how they didn't understand. They didn't understand what she was like after being adopted as a Kuchki, after Kaien.

After his mother died, Ichigo buried himself in bad attitudes and many many fights. Rukia, however, lived up to the nature of her zanpakuto, she was the ice queen. She was known throughout Soul Society, not only for her adoption, but for her emotionless demeanor and cold precision with which she carried out her duties. Then she met a stupid, arrogant…brave, kind, and selfless human named Ichigo.

He even saved her when she didn't think she was worth saving. How could she not return the favor? Besides her life would be very quiet and dull without him. With that thought, she increased the power to her flash steps to find him all the sooner.

When she found, Rukia wasn't sure what to think. Some parts of him were human, others covered in the black and white hollow shell…or skin? She couldn't be sure. There was a great deal of blood. Some of it may have been from the hollow, or it may not be his at all. As she walked in front of his kneeling form, she tried to get a better look at his face. One broken horn lay off to the side, the other hung resolutely on his head. His hair covered the length of his back. More than half of his face was still covered in the mask, though much of it was cracked and crumbling. The black sclera of his eyes rimmed his human brown irises.

"Run," he croaked out, "Get away from me."

The petite shinigami crumbled a little at hearing this. She wanted to hold him and tell him everything would be okay. But she knew that wouldn't get through to him.

The slap resounded across the empty sands as shards of white flew from his cheek. "Idiot!" she hollered, "Do you think really think I would just leave you!"

He stared off into the distance, wearing an expression of pain and confusion. A few mangled and muttered words left his lips; Rukia thought she could pick out the word monster. She froze as she thought back to Kaien, hollow Kaien, and the Kaien dying on her sword. For a moment, the memory of her told teacher was overlaid with this half-transformed Ichigo. Another person thanking her for killing them.

She fell onto him, burying her face into his chest. Her small fists pounded weakly against him. Ichigo was shaken out his trance as he heard her sob. "You aren't monster. You saved all of us. I can't do it again. You can't leave me!"

"Rukia…" Ichigo said weakly.

She lifted her head, tears running from those violet eyes. With every ounce of conviction and a slightly shaky voice, she said, "All your opinions will be ignored….idiot." Reaching her hands up, she gently began to peel away the remains of the hollow.

Ichigo remained silent under her caring ministrations, but he watched her face. The unruly hair that always insisted on in being in her face. The wide violet eyes. The button nose. The gentle curve of her tear-stained cheek. He found himself mesmerized by every detail. Especially the lips, the soft, perfect lips.

So engrossed was he that he did not notice she finished until she cradled his face in her hands. "All done," she declared. She smiled.

He did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her.

Orihime stood silently staring into the night. Ishida and Rukia went to check to others still fighting in Las Noches. Ichigo had returned to physical world to fight Aizen. She remained at her vigil, despite her friends asking her otherwise. She felt every proud of herself for that. Her friends would come around…probably.

There was a gust of wind, and she heard something move behind her.

Orihime smiled, "I knew you would come back."

Author's note: Thanks for reading!