PROLOGUE

Her eyes were watering and her vision wasn't clear anymore. Orihime could feel pain, even though she was not in her physical body anymore. And looking down at her chest, her suspicions were confirmed. There was indeed the Chain of Fate attached to her and on gently pulling, it burned.

How stupid. She assumed that her shield would have blocked the attack. That the forceful blast of energy would have bounced off. That she would have survived long enough for someone to come and help her. Someone always came to help her. She was always saved in time, because of Ichigo. But he was in Soul Society now. And he wouldn't know anything about what was going on in here. She was going to die here by the hands of his man and no one was going to save her. Maybe everyone in Soul Society was dead so the chances of Rukia, Rangiku, Renji or even Toushiro coming to her rescue were equal to zero. She didn't know where Chad or Urahara are. Were they okay? Were they injured, bleeding heavily some where? The next question had her choke back a sob.

Were they dead?

"Look up girl...are you afraid?" The mans reiatsu was like a blade to her throat. She felt it wrapping around her, smothering her.

It was close to impossible to maintain her posture standing. Soon, she fell down on her knees due to the dense reiatsu which came from the long, dark haired man who stood over her. She knew who he was. He was from the Vandereich. The very group of Quincys who were reigning havoc on Soul Society. The very same people who Ichigo went to stop. But if he was here, who was leading the Quincys in Soul Society? Had the Shinigami realised that the leader was here, in Hueco Mundo?

"I asked you something, girl." Came a deep voice which was too close to her. Orihime, with deadly fear coursing through her veins, risked a glance upwards and gasped. He was right there! He seemed to have flash stepped from his previous position a few feet away from her and was in front of her, kneeling, his dark eyes intensely staring into hers. Her breathing was crushed; she might have been breathing through a bag wrapped around her head. Her mind was in two. She wanted to jump back into her physical body-to do anything to escape this terrible man. She was terrified that he wouldn't kill her quickly, in the ideal way she wanted to pass on from one world to another. She knew what he was going to do to her. He would kill her slowly, intimately, in every way he knew she feared and loathed and would enjoy every second of hearing her scream for mercy-to beg him to kill her already so as to stop this madness.

She swallowed thickly and answered, keeping her voice strong.

"I'm not afraid of men like you."

He cocked an eyebrow. That was the only change in his expression, which wasn't a good sign. It meant that she failed to invoke him into doing something rash. She wasn't buying herself time. No, she was making the bloody clock go faster.

"I see. Then you surely wouldn't be afraid to die by my hands either, would you?" He said, slowly standing up.

The air around him crackled, signalling that he going to fire at her again, this time at a dangerously close range which without a doubt would kill her instantly. She disintegrate, her soul would be vaporised. If he killed her, she wouldn't go to Soul Society or even become a Hollow for that matter. Her existence would be removed from the world. She wouldn't meet Sora, who was waiting for her to come home to him in the other side. Her eyes instantly teared up and the little that she could see of her future also disappeared from her vision. Her head sagged in defeat-her body limp.

The man knew this posture all too well. It was that of surrender. She wasnt going to put up a fight. This woman had lost the battle within her to keep living. Killing her now would be a favour. It would merciful to introduce her to Death himself than to let her go on with the knowledge that she gave up the minute she faced Death: to live with the awareness of how pathetically useless she was.

Orihime could perceive that he had aimed an arrow her head. Her heart thundered. Strange indeed, how it finally made its presence known to her at a time like this, when it soon wasn't going to be her heart anymore.

So this is it...I die like this...?

The one face that sparing to her mind was that of Tatsuki. She clenched her eyes shut and prayed the hardest she ever had in her whole life in hopes that her friend would hear her.

Thank you Tatsuki...for protecting me. I'm sorry I'm leaving you...I love you.

And there was Ishida, Chad, Rukia, Renji, Rangiku, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Byakuya, Yoruichi, Urahara, Chizuru, Mizuro, Keigo...Ichigo.

I couldn't tell him. I couldn't bring myself to admit my true feelings for him. I never got to properly thank him for saving every time when I was in trouble. And most of all...for being the man I first fell in love with.

Thank you...Ichigo.

When the arrow pierced her, the pain was unbearable. She felt her whole body was being ripped from inside out. This was ten times worse than being stabbed, shot, smothered, drowning or being burned alive. Even beheading seemed like a tempting escape from this particular form of pain. What ever was left of her resolve crumbled. She was ready to beg him. She would fetch the moon, if only to die without pain. Her remaining shred of bravery and courage shattered and she let out a wild scream of pain which was impossible to keep in. There was a bright light, hot and searing which enveloped her body. Then nothing.

The man starred at the place where the human woman was just seconds ago. How strange. Her soul didn't vaporise, as it usual did with everyone else.

No-instead-it shone.

He could still feel the startling gust of reiatsu that was expelled from her body when the arrow struck her. That kind of reiatsu was quite unlike anything he'd ever seen.

But pondering aside, she was dead.