What if….. Hollow Ichigo killed Uryuu?
Uryuu tightly gripped Ichigo's wrist tightly, preventing the almost completely hollowfied teen's wrist. Preventing him from dealing another blow to the pale eighth Espada.
"That's enough…."
A bead of sweat trickled down his right cheek, emerging from somewhere just below his glasses.
"…Kurosaki."
His voice had a commanding tone to it, he was actually scared out of his wits. Who knew what Kurosaki would do in this form?
"It's finished. He's an enemy, but there's no need to carve up his corpse."
He gazed at this… Monstrosity of nature. His eyes cold but with a pleading look in them. Showing a lot more bravery than he felt. The hollow bent down, almost in half, glaring down at the Arrancar below him. Zangetsu clutched in his hand, tensing his wrist under the tight grip of the raven haird Quincy's pale hand.
"That's enough Kurosaki…"
Ichigo used more force, still staring down at Ulquiorra. His arm shaking slightly. All over Uryuu's face now sweat trickled down, his eyebrows knotted together deep creases forming between his eyes.
"Can't you hear me Kurosaki…!?"
His voice had risen to a shout now, as he grew more angry.
"I'm telling you to stop…!"
Was something registering in the part human, part shinigami, part hollow's eyes?
"If you do that…"
Ishida took a breath in, preparing the shout.
"…You truly won't be human anymore!"
The black blade slowly inched towards Cifer's open bare neck.
"KUROSAKI!!!"
Uryuu yelled on the top of his voice desperately trying to stop Ichigo from committing this act of evil.
There was a flash of black as the hollow moved. The raven haired Quincy's eyes opened wide, with a mixture of fear, pain and shock. The black zanpakuto was sticking out of Uryuu's chest, as almost as if in slow motion he fell backwards. Orihime who had been staring opened mouthed frozen all this time suddenly screamed,
"ISHIDA-KUN!!!"
Tears welled up in her eyes as Uryuu's limped body sailed through the hair, a horrible gurgling coming from his mouth. Then as he landed he was still. All the life gone from the teens eyes. His chest was higher then the rest of his body because it was forced up by the sword. His head lolled back forlornly. Blood tricking from his mouth, down his cheek and into his left eye. His glasses hung askew. If the hollow had thrown him a little further, he wouldn't have landed on the partially destroyed dome, surrounded by rubble, he would have slid down the white stone to the sandy deserted dessert below. If Uryuu's last words had been correct. Ichigo would no longer be human. Poor Uryuu had no chance. Orihime crawled over to his very dead body and started crying. In death he looked… Peaceful. More than he had ever done. Now frown, no expression of thinking. His face utterly relaxed, he looked younger, almost like the boy he used to be. A pool developed on the hard stone ground. It was crimson, his blood.
"No! No! ISHIDA-KUN!!!"
Tears flooded onto his body. From this angle, Orihime could see the pitch black sky, lit only by the moon, reflected in his lifeless eyes. She tried considered healing him but nothing could revive him now. His body may heal but nothing could bring him back. Hollow Ichigo was now ripping apart Ulquiorra with his hand, the Espada quickly disintegrated. Into sand, which was quickly swept away on the light wind. The hollow screamed into the silence before making his way through the rubble towards Orihime and Uryuu's body.
"Kurosaki-kun!"
Orihime shouted, tears streamed down her cheeks as she gazed up at him pleadingly.
"Please Kurosaki-kun! Please!"
Something registered in the hollows eyes as he gazed at her. Slowly… Slowly, the mask started to crumble away, all traces of hollow leaving the ginger males body as he fell forward onto a clear area of the dome. The hoe in his chest closing up. It seemed Uryuu had been wrong. The sight of Orihime's pain had brought him back to his human self. The urge to comfort overriding everything else. Orihime shook him. Gently at first the faster, more panicked.
"Kurosaki-kun! Wake up!"
Eventually Ichigo's eyes opened. His first sight was of the blood stained ground he lay on. He looked down at his chest. i No hole…/i Had he regenerated? If there was no wound, what was creating all the blood? He looked up. Seeing Orihime's tear stained face. He then slowly turned his head, gazing around. There was rubble everywhere. Loads. He followed the stream of blood a white boot. He slowly gazed up at the rest of the body, his eyes opened wide with shock as he saw who lay there, zangetsu still sticking out of his chest.
"NO!"
He shouted, although he couldn't remember anything he realized it must have been him that forced the zanpakuto through his friends heart. Ulquiorra was gone too. He must have done something.
He ran over to where Ishida lay, half propped up, bleeding. He sunk to his knees, not caring that his torn and tattered robes got soaked in blood. Almost all Uryuu's white uniform was dark red now, Ichigo rested a hand on it before standing up, pulling Zangetsu out. Uryuu's body fell down. His glasses skittering onto the ground, blood splashing the lenses.
Ichigo knelt down again, in shock, he lifted Uryuu up holding him close to his chest. Sobbing. It wasn't so much the loss of Ishida. It was more the fact he couldn't believe he had been able to kill someone so close to him. Raising one hand to Uryuu's head, he pushed against the black hair, keep Uryuu's limp head upright.
"How could I have…?"
After what may have been s second, a hour, a day or a eternity. He stopped sobbing, picking Uryuu's lifeless body over his shoulder. He stopped briefly the pickup the Quincy's glasses. The blood had clotted and so stuck to the glass as he picked them up. He'd made up his mind. There was no way he was leaving Uryuu's body here. Not the decompose slowly in this hell hole. Away from everyone he knew. He wouldn't say loved. He didn't think Uryuu loved anyone anymore. He wanted to give him a proper send off.
"Are you ok Inoue?"
Orihime wiped her eyes. And nodded.
"Then lets go.."
He felt hollow empty as he started walking. There didn't seem a point anymore. He couldn't believe he had killed Ishida. Uryuu was stubborn, irritating, a smart arse and far to full of his own opinions. But Ichigo had come to like the Quincy. God damn it! He was even one of his closest friends! And he had killed him! The hardest part would be explaining what had happened to Uryuu's father. Ichigo knew nothing about him. Apart from trhe fact he was probably a Quincy and that Uryuu had never seemed to like him. After that.. What would Ichigo do? He didn't know. But he didn't think he could continue living with this on his conscious. Not Uryuu Ishida's blood on his hands…