I want to apologize for the delay. Its just that I had a hard time thinking about what to do with the characters. But now I have a clear vision of what is going to happen. These three chapters are leading up to the conclusion of this fanfic. I have decided to concentrate on the developing relationship between Orihijme and Ulquiorra and the back lash involving IchiRuki. Dont be disappointed that Byakuya isn't in these chapters, he will be back for the conclusion. I hope you guys enjoy the drama!

Chapter 13:

"Come on Ichigo, just hold my hand. It's not too much to ask for" Rukia pleaded childishly with the scowling Ichigo.

"I said no already. Don't ask me again." He replied sternly.

"But Ichigooooo!" She batted her eyelashes at him in a very innocent girly way. It made his scowl melt away and made his heart pound a tad bit harder. However, he looked at her for a split second and proceeded to walk away. Rukia's face fell. Maybe Ichi doesn't like me as much as I thought he did, she thought gloomily.

"You can hold on to my arm, but that's it" He said reluctantly. Rukia ran to grab his arm with a smile on her lovely oval face. It made her so happy that Ichigo showed some sort of sign of affection towards her.

"You know Ichigo you should treat me a bit more like a girlfriend. I mean I ask for the simplest signs of affection and you shun me—"

"Ichigo?" said Ishida bewildered. Was he seeing right? What the hell is going on? Questions ran through his mind.

"Oh Ishida! Didn't see you there" said Rukia as lightly as she could. Ichigo looked the other way. Somehow, for some reason he could not bring himself to face Ishida.

"Of course not Rukia. If it isn't a bother, I would like to have a word with Kurosaki. And that word would have to be now" Ishida said without a particular trace of emotion, but Ichigo knew what he wanted to talk about.

"It's a bother. Later" Ichigo tried to leave, but Ishida stepped in his way.

"I said I would like to have a word with you. It is important, can't your child like mind register that."

"Move from my way Ishida. I have nothing to say." Ichigo retorted. This is exactly why he did not want to hold Rukia's hand to school. This is the type of bullshit he dreaded and did not have the patience for.

"Calm down Ichigo. Ishida I don't think Ichigo wants to talk right now. When he's in the mood, I'll make him come see you"

Before he had anything to say, Rukia bustled Ichigo into the building without any moment's hesitation.

"Okay, now what's the matter with you and him?" Rukia was asking for an explanation. It didn't make sense for Ishida to get so worked up over nothing. He hadn't been to school since the Annual Spring Dinner because of sudden illness.

"I don't know." Ichigo harbored a menacing expression. Ever since he had been dating Rukia, people wouldn't stop staring at them. They wouldn't stop whispering tales of deceit regarding him and Inoue. It bothered him the way some people looked at him. They looked at him with eyes filled with disgust, disbelief and regret. It felt like they were accusing him of abandoning Inoue. But, that was not the case. It was she who abandoned me for that sonvabitch. Not me! Balling his fist, he slammed it into the wall without thinking. The impact had left the wall with a deep indent of rage and frustration and his hand with a disgusting, open gash.

"Ichigo! What the hell!" yelled Rukia.

"Ichigo, please what's the matter? You can tell me." She asked him soothingly.

"Rukia. I need to go. I need to get away. Don't follow me." With that said, he ran. He ran out the building onto the street, past the students hurrying to get to class on time. He kept running until his lungs burned from the physical strain. He ran until he couldn't think.

"Rukia, you mind telling me what is going on between you and Kurosaki?" Ishida couldn't help his curiosity and anger. Therefore, asking her was the only choice he was left with.

"We're dating. I thought Chad told you." Replied Rukia.

"Chad?" He hadn't mentioned anything to me. Shaking his head, he proceeded on with his inquiry.

"So how did this come about?"

"Well Ishida he confessed his feelings"

"Confessed?"

"Yes, confessed" Well at least she thought he did. Essentially, it did sound close to a confession of his love for her.

"So he directly stated 'Rukia I love you, go out with me' "

"Nooo" Rukia's eyebrow started to twitch. Was it her, or was he doubting her story?

"So he said "I have feelings for you, go out with me" " Ishida pressed further.

"Noo"

"So he-" Rukia slammed her delicate hand onto the school desk loud enough for the neighboring classrooms to hear.

"Listen, I have to go now. I have things to take care of" She said with strained politeness.

"Sure, we can talk on our way there" Ishida got up from his seat and headed towards the door.

"No, It's an individual task. I rather not have any distractions" She faked a smile and walked away. No way was she going to sit here and be the target of his interrogation. She felt insulted.

"Rukia, if he did not outright ask you to go out or confess his 'feelings' for you, then how are you two in a relationship" Ishida asked with a slight edge in his voice.

"Ishida, things just happen sometimes." Rukia managed after a second or two and stalked off.

Ishida returned to his seat, only to find Chad passively sitting in the next one beside his.

"So you saw." Said Chad.

"I did."

"What he's doing is his choice, you know right?" asked Chad. Whatever backlash Ichigo and Rukia were subjected to, Chad took no part of it. Ichigo was his friend, who helped him in his time of need. Now it was his turn to help Ichigo.

"Of course it is. But is it right?"

Chad went silent for a moment.

"Who Knows"

Chapter 14:

Ulquiorra stepped onto Orihime's balcony, breathing in the warm summer air. His lungs responded kindly to the intake of breath. It was unlike any air he had been exposed to. It left his heart and mind at peace. Heart, he scoffed. Do I even have one?

He took a sip of his black coffee, looking at the dimming sunlight. The yellow and orange colours danced in the sky. To him, it seemed like a painting coming life. Watching the sunset cleared his mind of dark thoughts. Thoughts of him wondering aimlessly in Huenco Mundo. Thoughts of him being isolated, with nothing but the dusk of the desert to keep him company. The sun's warmth left him with a sense of true comfort. It was as if the sun was his companion now. It was there in the morning and eased him into the darkness of the night.

Ulquiorra thought Orihime would be his companion. She would be the one to keep him company, but it seemed as though she was lost. Lost in her grief. The usual bubbly Orihime now sought the company of the shadows in her room. For some odd reason he thought her sadness would go away the next day, but unfortunately it didn't. It had actually stretched far as four weeks. Orihime hadn't been to school in awhile either. One day he had asked her why wasn't she attending and she simply replied:

"I feel miserable there"

He had never asked her why; for he knew the answer: Ichigo. Love is a weird emotion, he thought as the last of the sun's light lingered in the sky. At one point, Orihime's love for Ichigo had been so strong that she was willing to face death for him but now, she didn't even want to see him. Or perhaps, she didn't want to see Rukia living out the dream she had dreamt about with Ichigo. Perhaps that's why she would sit at home with homework and work away. She scarcely smiled, and when she did, it was forced. It wasn't the same smile that the power to light up a dark room. It wasn't the same smile that warmed the heart.

He drained the last of his coffee, and watched the sun drown in the horizon. Darkness was taking control of the sky, and he was reminded of the colours of the desert he inhabited in. He then heard the balcony door open and footsteps shuffle behind him. Well, well look who's out from the shadows of despair, he thought to himself.

She stood there looking at the sky darken from the oncoming night. Looking from the corners of his eyes, he saw her eyes were as dark as the black/blue colour taking over the spacious canvass above him. There was vast emptiness in her eyes, and her mouth was cast in a subtle frown. Ulquiorra expected her to say something. Actually, he hoped she would say something. However, 45 minutes had passed and the little hoped he mustered up had vanished. Wanting to break the silence now, he opened his mouth to say something when Orihime cut him off:

"Do you see the darkness dance in the sky Ulquiorra-sama"

Staring at the sky, he saw the darkness come to a standstill.

"Darkness doesn't dance. It hunts."

Orihime scoffed. "You know the ironic thing about darkness?"

He waited patiently for her answer.

"It makes you feel so alone. It completely isolates you, and it can also suffocate you. But there's a comforting element to it. It shields you from the things you don't want to see."

Slightly surprised at her pessimistic outlook, Ulquiorra processed what she had just said and why she said it. And then it hit him.

"When you saw him with her, darkness was around you."

Orihime kept her eyes on the sky. "It helped me. It helps me now."

"I was in the dark for a long time Orihime, it's oddly comforting, but the isolation that's brought along with it can wear you down. If you stay too long in it, you lose sight of who you are and you blindly try to look for something. For anything that can salvage you from the fleeting feeling of being completely alone." He let what he had said hang heavily between them.

She looked at him and thought about how he must of have felt every day of the year looking up at the sombre night.

"Is that why you went to work for Aizen?"

Ulquiorra sighed, he wanted to give her an answer, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for the answer himself. To him, saying something out loud made it come absolutely true. He could feel Orihime's gaze, waiting for an answer, but silence is what he gave in return. Feeling Orihime's drop, he felt relieved.

"I think I may need to take a walk Ulquiorra-sama"

He remained silent. Was she asking for his permission?

"I just need to get a few things from the convenient store as well. Plus I need the fresh air."

He pondered for a brief moment whether it would be safe for her to go out at this hour. Although he wanted to say 'don't go', he didn't feel comfortable enough displaying such care for her when he was completely in control of her emotions. And she was practically an adult, he thought.

So despite the 'no' lingering on the tip of his tongue, he said "Okay". Nor did he bother to say be careful.

As she was about to leave, he said:

"Don't play with darkness. It's a dangerous game."

Orihime smiled at him. "I'm not playing with it. It's playing with me." With that said she left.

Chapter 15:

Ichigo tripped hard on the pavement. Landing face first, he cursed.

"Why the fuck does this happen to me" came his muffled voice.

He turned onto his back and laid there for a moment. The burning sensation in his lungs and legs kept him from getting up. It also blurred out thoughts of Ishida, and Rukia. But the burning sensation didn't haze out thoughts of Orihime. It reminded him of the times when he would train so hard beyond the point of exhaustion that Orihime would heal his wounds. She would stay and watch him train wee into the nights. Whenever he would get hurt, she would be right there beside him, ready to heal.

Truth was he missed Orihime. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he did miss her. Every waking moment, he was plagued with a sense of guilt; especially when he was with Rukia. Out of all the dumb things you have done Ichigo, this has to top them all, he thought warily. What was he to do now? He still remembered Orihime's reaction to Rukia professing her love to him. Not only could he see the anguish in Orihime, but he could feel it. As if he was the one hurting instead of her. Along with guilt, he felt surprised because he did not discuss anything about dating with Rukia at all, much less given her a clear explanation of how he felt towards her. But how in the world did Rukia announce she was dating me?

"No point in wondering now. What's done is done. Live with it" Ichigo told himself. He got up as if nothing happened and turned abruptly only to collided with someone. They hit the ground hard, but Ichigo took most of the impact. Bodies tangled, his head rested on her large bosom. They were soft. They felt like freshly fluffed pillows. What the hell, they're just boobs. He pulled himself up slightly to apologize to the woman, when he saw her.

Those big grey eyes, that small pink mouth, her auburn hair.

"Kurosaki-kun..."Orihime turned her head to the side. Ichigo's gaze was unnerving. She felt ashamed.

He was dumbstruck. The very person he wanted to avoid at the moment was underneath him.

"Kurosaki-kun. I..you.."Orihime tried to say something, but her brain was shutting down. She had never imagined meeting him like this after three weeks of not seeing him. She wasn't prepared mentally to deal with the feelings she didn't want to face.

Finally coming to his senses, he hoisted himself up quickly. Instantly, he felt hurt, guilt, anger tornado through his heart. He was so preoccupied with them, that he didn't even offer a hand to her. Instead, he turned around and slowly started to walk away.

Orihime sat up on her knees. Contemplating whether she should call out to him.

"Kurasaki-kun..." she whispered in the cold air. She didn't want to see him that's why she didn't go to school. But in the last few days, she had been aching to see him. Maybe this was her only chance to salvage what they had before all of this happened.

"Kurasaki-kun!" she said loudly. He stopped in his tracks. Hands tucked in his pockets; he waited for her to continue.

"Why?" was all she asked. She needed to know.

Ichigo had been dreading that question since the day Rukia had publicly announced she and him were dating. It was the main reason why he was relieved when she didn't come to school.

"Why" she asked once more. She just needed one answer. It was driving her crazy not knowing.

Because of Byakuya. Because you're a slut. Because I thought you loved me. Because you betrayed me, he thought bitterly. He wanted to say these things, but he couldn't let her know.

"I.."Orihime began to speak when Ichigo cut her off.

"You what Inoue?!" He said impatiently.

"I loved you..." there she had finally said. It was out in the open. It felt like a burden had been lifted off her chest. For so long she had wanted to say those words but she wanted to say them under different circumstances; not while he was harbouring hostility and anger towards her.

Ichigo shook his head disgustedly. "Yeah, you did love me. Before you met Byakuya."

"That's not true Ichigo. What happened between me and him was.." She stopped in mid sentence. Was it a mistake. Was she not the one who invaded his privacy, offered a caring hand?

"A mistake?" A dry laugh escaped his throat. "It's a mistake when it happens only once." Walking away with a grim smile on his face, he added on:

"After the first time, it becomes a choice Inoue"

"Ichigo please stop. You don't understand the pain he was in." Orihime said as she stood up.

Something in Ichigo snapped. He whirled around and in an instance he was near her.

"Pain!?What sort of pain Inoue" He said in a low tone simmering with strained control. They were nose to nose; Orihime felt the anger radiating like hot humidity on a summer day. It was too much for her to handle, so she cast her eyes on the ground.

"You don't believe me then" she said in a frail voice.

"Believe you? What sort of pain causes people to fucking grope each other huh?" He shot back heatedly. To show her how serious he was, he jerked her close to him and held her in position.

"Stop it Kurasaki. Please stop your hurting me."

He pressed her very tightly to him to make her feel pain. "Is this the pain he was in Inoue? Is this the pain that causes people to want to fuck each other?" He barked in her face. Orihime flinched at every word he said.

"Stop it Ichigo. Please just stop." Orihime pleaded with him.

"What?" Darkness hung over his face but his smile was sickly bright.

"Doesn't this make you all hot and bothered? Isn't this the way he seduced you last time?" He couldn't help it, he was losing control. All the emotions he kept a tight lid on his since the dinner were boiling over. It couldn't be contained any more. Orihime was taken aback by his aggressive and vulgar tone. It hurt her that he thought of her this way.

"Come on Inoue, don't tell me it doesn't. I saw you that night. You were hanging on to him. It was as if you were begging him to fuck you right there."

"Stop it!" She yelled.

"So it was pain! Does this hurt?" he squeezed her harder and she let out a moan of pain. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"And didn't he touch you Orihime? Oh yes he did!" Ichigo mimicked Byakuya's touch by groping her large breast.

"Please. I'm begging you stop" But Ichigo kept going, He wanted to make her feel ashamed of what she had done with Byakuya under the shadows. He wanted her to feel disgusted with herself. He wanted her to hurt the way she hurt him.

Ichigo was so bent on hurting Orihime that he didn't feel the reistu behind him at all. He also didn't anticipate the knock out trauma that he suffered at that moment. He dropped to the ground and saw his surroundings fade into darkness.

Orihime sank to her knees shocked from the ordeal. Silently, Ulquiorra picked her up gingerly and walked off into the night.