I'm mentally stuck in the Arrancar Arc, but more because it really offers such a wide veriety of possibilities for Fanfiction regarding Ichihime. xD I feel like I need to write them all before I can move on to the Fullbring arc.
So, without further adeu, behold the alternate ending to Orihime's kidnapping.
"Syonara, Kurosaki-kun..."
Those words. So lost, and filled with pain.
Those fucking words.
They hurt him. They sent small sharp needles into his heart that twisted and withdrew themselves slowly before stabbing back in once more. Echoes of those words lingered in his thoughts as a gentle whisper, though he had no recollection of actually hearing them. Ever.
She never said Goodbye, even after school. It was always "See you tomorrow, Kurosaki-kun." or a "Bye Bye, Kurosaki-kun." heard distantly as he turned a corner.
Never a "Goodbye", because she didn't believe in such words. He knew it. They all knew it. Those words were too negative for her, and even subconciously she always assured that any goodbye was not final.
"Syonara, Kurosaki-kun..."
A chill ran down his spine, and his hold on Zangetsu tightened.
His eyes scanned over the white marble hallway before him, gazing at the seemingly endless path ahead. It gave no turns, no doorways. It continued on and on, until just the sight of it brought an angry growl up from his throat. Just the sound of his sandal covered feet hitting the ground began to send tremors of pure frustration through him as the white halls seemed to continue on forever.
He had to find her. He had to bring her back. If anything to stop the echo of her sad, sad voice from ringing in his head. To replace it with the bubbly laughter he'd taken for granted. The laughter that was always accompanied by her bright smile and gentle assurances.
"Hehe, sorry Kurosaki-kun, I'll try to be more careful next time!"
The only issue was that he had no clue where she was, or how to find her from there. Her barely there reiatsu was smothered by the gargantuan reiatsu of the Arrancar and Espada throughout the bleak wasteland. Normally he was attuned to it, having always felt it surround him after nearly every battle when she came to heal him. It had seeped into his own until he could sense it without so much as a dash of concentration.
And Kami he needed that sense now.
His eyebrows drew together, his one free hand not gripping Zangetsu tightened into a white-knuckled fist. His feet pounded against the ground faster as he sped on, his worries intensifying with his reiatsu. And it was only a flicker of a heartbeat after his reiatsu flared, that he felt another far softer flicker of warmth-
The shout escaped him before he had any chance of stopping it. It was loud, desprate even, as it echoed down the large halls.
"Inoue!"
x-x-x
Her room was cold.
The pristine white couch lacked any form of comfort to it, though it was really quite fluffy. The tiny coffee table that sat in the center was plain, and a perfect match to the couch. Atop it sat a single vase, with a single flower she assumed to be native to the desolate world. Though there was no water in the vase, the plant seemed to flourish. As though it fed off the reiatsu in the air.
Often times her gaze rose up to the window, to gaze at the artificial sky with less and less hope each passing day. The same pretty moon she saw at all hours of the day continued to cast a low filer of light through the bars.
She knew the second her friends had arrived; it was hard not to. Their warm, strong reiatsu touched her senses and her heart had given a painful lurch back to life. Even now it continued to hammer inside her chest with ferocity.
And it only grew when she felt his reiatsu traveling closer, building as he fought. At times she swore she could hear him battling. There was even a time that, for a split second as she gazed out the window, she could have sworn she saw a familiar black blur in the distance. Far, far in the distance - but there.
"Kurosaki-kun..." her voice came out in a whisper, longing yet fearful. It wouldn't have been the first time they had tricked her into thinking he was there. Just outside; calling for her and demanding she give some sign that she was there. There were times she swore she felt his reiatsu, and eagerly flared her own, only to remember the last time she thought it had been him.
And while part of her wanted to be found, another part desperately needed him to stay away. Far, far away. She had come here to protect them, and yet they had followed her right into hells nest.
She wanted to be angry, and to be upset with them. She wanted to tell them they shouldn't have come, and that they should rush home to defend Karakura. However, she couldn't fight guilty part of her that was crying happy tears with every real pulse of reiatsu that she felt. For every time, it would be just a little closer.
They came for me...
"Inoue!"
Her heart froze in her chest.
x-x-x
"K-Kurosaki-kun..?" A frail voice reached his ears, and his heart leaped to his throat as he skidd to a quick stop. This wasn't an echo.
His head snapped to his right, toward a seemingly flat wall. But as his eyes focused, he could see the faint outline of a hidden door. So faint, that he felt his spotting it alone had been pure luck. It was incredibly well hidden.
Not an echo...
A tanned hand slammed against the bone white stone separating them, pushing this way and that as though to move it. When that didn't work, his hold on Zangetsu tightened reflexively. The only plan he could think of was to blast the thing down. Just a normal hit against these white walls seemed to do nothing; they were built to hold against attacks. But he had no idea how large the room she was kept in was, and the sound alone could alert enemies as to where he was.
With time running against him, it seemed that would be the only option.
"Inoue, get away from the door as far as you can and put your shield up." He commanded, backing up a few paces as his other hand came to grasp the dark hilt of his sword. The dark chain that hung off the end rattled restlessly, as if even Zangetsu were on edge.
She gave a confirmation of her position in an almost too quiet "Alright" before he allowed his reiatsu to flood from his palms into Zangetsu. Not too strongly, but just enough to do what he needed. He had to be careful.
"Getsuga... Tenshou!"
The explosion was still larger than he had intended; dust and rock rising from the point of impact to rush right back at him. He stood firm however, until he could see the wall had indeed been destroyed.
He bolted through the craggy opening, into a room that was far too cold for any human to live comfortably in.
And there she was, a picture of frail perfection standing in the far corner of a white room, illuminated by the golden glow of her Santen Kesshun. Large grey eyes gazed at him with a timid kind of hope he was sure hadn't been expressed since she had been taken.
She was thin compared to when he had last seen her, and clothed in the same kind of uniforms the Arrancar and Espada wore.
Tears began to spill down her cheeks in waves, though she did not move from her position. Instead her arms rose to hug herself, a single hand rising to cover her mouth as the other gripped the fabric of her black belt on her opposite hip. It then occurred to him that she was physically trying to hold herself together.
"Y-you came..." She hiccuped, and for a moment he was almost insulted. She thought he wouldn't? His thoughts drifted back to the head captain and his words stating her betrayal. Telling them that they could not go to rescue their friend. Unable to really think of anything to say - despite the fact that his mind had reflexively run several scenarios through his brain - he simply nodded.
"I'm here."
Her head nodded quickly, auburn locks bouncing with the movement. And the corners of her eyes crinkled in a familiar way, twinkling as tears began to form in their depths. It was only when her lips curled into a tiny smile did a sob escape her. It was quickly muffled by her palm, eyes squeezing shut as she inhaled a shaky breath.
In the same moment his arms slid around her shoulders drawing her into his chest. He didn't even remember crossing the room, but it didn't matter. His hand slid into her hair, tucking her head under his chin. It took only a small moment for her hands to grasp his Shihakusho in what quickly became a death grip. He could feel the warmth of her tears plip onto the uncovered part of his chest revealed by his tattered robes.
"Lets go Inoue... its time to go home."