A/N: Greetings all! And welcome to chapter seven! I know you've all been eagerly awaiting this part, so I won't stall any longer! You know the drill: please forgive the little things and enjoy!
Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. Not at all, no matter how much I wish otherwise.
Holding On
Chapter Seven: Removing the Veil I
"I'm sorry, Tatsuki," Orihime said as she pulled her easy dinner off of the stove top. She barely managed to keep the phone nestled between her shoulder and her ear as she moved, adding, "No, no, I'm fine. It's just that I realized I'm really behind on chores, and since I'm not working tomorrow, tomorrow's really the best day for me."
Perfectly balancing the plate of food on one hand, Orihime lifted her water glass and moved toward her living room as she listened to her best friend.
After another minute she smiled and said, "Of course. Okay, thanks so much, I really am sorry! I'll see you on Monday, alright?"
Within moments she'd managed to set the food down, flip her phone shut, and settle at her table.
What she hadn't told Tatsuki was that she wouldn't be working her scheduled shift for Sunday, either. She had already given her shift away, making up some excuse that she didn't feel too guilty about.
It's important, she told herself as she quietly began eating. She really doubted that it would take her all weekend to reverse her recently-discovered bout of memory loss, but she had to be sure. Plus, when I get my memories back, there's a chance I'll discover that my friends have had their memories abducted, too. I'll need the time to reverse that as well.
And, hopefully, they could figure out what, and who, was responsible for the memory loss.
So she ate her dinner as quickly as she could, and then she hurriedly washed the dishes. After a quick trip to the bathroom Orihime double-checked to make sure that her door was locked and then she moved to her bedroom.
It would be easiest if she could at least sleep through some of the process. Not to mention the bedroom was the only place where she would really be able to stretch out, and something told her she would be stuck beneath her dome for a while.
As she settled onto her futon Orihime released a breath and said, "Alright, I'm ready. Souten Kisshun."
"Well, I suppose that could've gone worse, right?" Renji asked as he, Rukia, Ichigo, and Kisuke gathered in the basement beneath the shop.
On a half-sigh, Ichigo said, "Yeah."
"I'm honestly amazed he believed you," Rukia declared. Grinning faintly up at Ichigo, she added, "You're not that great a liar."
Ichigo rolled his eyes at her. "That's why I avoided lying as much as I could. And it's not like he trusts me yet."
"He trusts you enough to agree to keep your secret," Renji pointed out. "I'd say that's something, considering you know he's fairly close to Chad and Orihime."
Acknowledging that they had a point, Ichigo shrugged and repeated, "Yeah. But he probably won't keep it too long, especially not if it ever comes up."
"Well, then you'd better get to work on regaining Chad's and Orihime's trust," Renji suggested.
Rukia turned her teasing grin to Renji and said, "Oh, I think he's already got a good lock on Orihime's."
Renji lifted a brow, his own lips transforming into a teasing grin as he asked, "Oh?"
Trying not to sputter, Ichigo snapped, "Would you shut up? It was one dinner!"
An instant later he knew he'd said too much.
Rukia snickered as Renji and Kisuke turned knowing, teasing, smirks in his direction.
"'One dinner', huh?" Renji asked. He wiggled his eyebrows pointedly and continued, "Did you have dessert, too?"
Ichigo's fist landed firmly in Renji's face and he growled, "Shut up, Renji. No, there was no dessert – and there sure as hell wasn't anything like that!"
"And, uh, just how many dinners have you shared with Orihime before?" Rukia asked knowingly. Before Ichigo could respond, she added, "With just the two of you, I mean?"
Looking away now in an effort to hide his reddening cheeks, Ichigo crossed his arms and replied, "That's none of your business, midget."
Rukia's grin switched instantly into a frown and she leapt up, landing a kick to his head as she cried, "That's the second time today you've called me that! Don't think I'm going to tolerate it!"
Laughing, Kisuke waved his fan at them and called, "Alright, alright, settle down, please! I think the important thing to note here is that Ichigo seems to be making progress! And, when you report back to Mayuri, make sure to note that those who lost the most of their memories still seem to inherently trust Ichigo, without any real reason to do so."
"We'll do that," Rukia assured the former Captain as she stepped up beside Renji. Looking back over to Ichigo, she added, "Good luck, Ichigo. We'll be back as soon as we can."
Renji nodded, echoing her promise silently, and then the two turned and slid through the newly-opened senkaimon behind them.
The tinkling of the Hell Butterflies heralded their departure as the doors slid shut a moment later.
"Just how many dinners have you shared with Orihime?" Rukia's voice was still floating through Ichigo's head nearly half an hour later, when he rounded the corner that would take him from Urahara's shop.
Just the one, he thought. It was the honest answer. But it begged the question – why? He'd never given it any thought before, especially since he and Orihime had shared a few lunches alone together. Now, however, he understood the difference. And he wondered what it was about the situation that had resulted in them sharing their first dinner. First and only, he reminded himself firmly.
Still, was there something that she no longer knew about him that ordinarily prevented her from extending an invitation like that?
The obvious answer reared its ugly head a heartbeat later. "Who the hell cares? Just make sure it's not the 'only' time that happens! I, for one, can't wait to hear the sounds she makes-!"
"Shut up!" Ichigo interrupted, knowing exactly where his hollow was going. "And you might as well stop thinking about that, 'cause I'll never let you anywhere near her!"
Snickering echoed through his head as his hollow replied, "You shouldn't deprive yourself like that, Kingy. You know the only reason I want her so damned badly is because you want her."
Ichigo ground his teeth at the accusation. It was hard to argue the hollow's point when he knew the fiend was right. But it was a moot point, anyway, and he knew that, too.
Before he could give it any more thought an unexpected voice interrupted his musings.
"Ichigo?" The voice belonged to Chad, who had just rounded the corner ahead of him, and was now watching him carefully.
Ichigo recognized the look on his former best friend's face. Chad was suspicious of him for some reason, and was studying him. Most likely trying to decide if he was still trustworthy. And Ichigo had a sneaking suspicion of why he was getting that look.
Still, he opted to play dumb for as long as he could, and he pulled a hand from his pocket in a lazy wave as he called, "Hey, Chad. What's up?"
Predictably, Chad's frown deepened for a split-second at the nickname he had yet to get used to. But he refrained from attempting to correct Ichigo, having noticed that he seemed stubbornly set on calling him 'Chad'. Instead, he asked calmly, "Can we talk?"
Letting his arm hang loosely at his side, and keeping his other hand in his pocket, Ichigo lifted one eyebrow just slightly and said, "Yeah, sure. What's on your mind?"
Chad moved a couple of steps closer, so that he could talk quietly and still be heard, before he said, "I asked Uryuu about this earlier, but he said he couldn't answer my questions. I noticed that you were with Uryuu when the hollows attacked a little while ago. And I noticed something unusual about your spiritual pressure."
That's what I thought. Releasing a silent sigh, Ichigo's expression fell back to neutral and he said, "Let me guess: you want to know why I suddenly registered as a Soul Reaper?"
Chad inclined his head silently.
"That's because I am," Ichigo stated plainly. Getting straight to the point worked best with Chad, which was fine with him, as it was his method of choice also. Although, right now, I'd rather not have to talk about it at all.
His visible eye was wide as he asked, "How is that possible?"
Ichigo tried his best to ignore the faint sense of déjà vu as he gave Chad the short, mostly-honest answer that he'd given Uryuu a couple of hours before. He wasn't worried so much about Chad suddenly not wanting to associate with him (if any of them were likely to do that, it would have been Uryuu). But he had really wanted – and hoped – to keep his power a secret until their friendship was a little more solid.
When he was done with his explanation Ichigo finally looked away and added, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
He had intended to add more, but Chad interrupted and said, "You don't have to apologize. We didn't tell you our secrets, either."
Ichigo looked back at him, allowing a faint smirk to curve his lips. "Good point. I guess we're even, then."
Chad inclined his head, silent for a moment, before asking, "I assume you act as the Soul Reaper on duty for Karakura Town?"
"Uh, yeah," Ichigo replied. "Unofficially."
Holding his hand out, Chad said, "If you ever need any help, I'll get your back."
Ichigo stared at the hand for several seconds. He knew Chad was fairly easy-going, and their friendship had literally sprung up in a matter of minutes the first time, so he had expected that Chad would be the easiest to win back. But somehow this still felt too easy.
Allowing an honest grin to curve his lips, Ichigo accepted Chad's hand and said, "Good to know."
Of course, it really wasn't that simple, he realized. Yes, Chad seemed to have accepted his friendship. They could fight together again. Ichigo could call him if he needed backup, or even silent support.
But their bond still wasn't what it had been.
They had exchanged no promise to risk their lives for what the other believed in.
They were friends. But they were not yet brothers-in-arms.
And if that note that Ichigo had found on his pillow a week before had been telling him the truth, there was still some significant work to be done before he would truly have Chad back.
But it's a step in the right direction, he told himself. And, for the time being, he would just have to be satisfied with that.
Ichigo was becoming more and more restless as the night went on. It was well after midnight now, and he had long since abandoned his body in his bedroom, hoping to find a hollow or two who could help him work off some of his building tension. So far his hopes had been in vain.
Damn, he thought as he landed on another roof, his eyes skimming the well-traveled street. Where are the hollows when you actually need them?
"Sitting back and laughing at you, probably," his own hollow offered, sounding half-bored and half-amused.
"You weren't exactly the hollow I had in mind," Ichigo retorted, holding still for a moment. It was a sad state of affairs when he had nothing better to do than bicker with his counterpart.
"I figured as much. It's not like you to admit when you need me."
Gritting his teeth, Ichigo silently growled, "That's because I'd be lying."
His hollow tsked at him, the sound echoing throughout his mind, before the hollow added, "We both know that's not true, King. You've needed me lots of times. Want me to list them for you?"
Ichigo recalled those moments all too easily, and he had no desire to let the fiend list them out as if they were written on a bullet-pointed piece of paper.
But he didn't want to admit that his hollow was right, either, so instead he changed the subject entirely. "What woke you up this time, anyway?"
A sense of smugness emanated from the being inside of Ichigo before he replied, "I don't get why you can't accept that I enjoy popping up randomly. If it pisses you off, or frustrates you, or makes you do something embarrassing, then it's worth it to me. Unless you make yourself look like an idiot – that's my image, too, after all."
"No, it's not," Ichigo retorted, shaking his head and flash-stepping to another roof. There was no sense in standing around for too long.
Resignation heavy in his tone, the hollow said, "Unfortunately, it really doesn't take much to make you look like an idiot, King. You should really work on that. I mean, you'll never get the Queen to take you in if doing so would make her look bad."
Ichigo's jaw ticked and his hands curled into fists. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't talk about Orihime!"
Snickering faintly, as the hollow faded away, he said, "And yet you don't even have to think about who I meant. Time to wake up, Kingy…."
Landing on a large tree branch in the park, Ichigo lifted one hand and curled his fingers into the trunk. Of course I knew who you meant, you bastard, he thought.
The problem wasn't admitting how he felt about her. The problem was that he needed to focus on rebuilding their friendship, or he would never get her back.
And there was a good chance that he would never quite get her back, anyway.
His fingers dug deeper into the bark of the tree, biting into his skin, but he barely felt the pain.
He would have to be pretty damned lucky to be able to get their friendship anywhere close to where it had been before. And he'd never considered himself to be particularly lucky.
So he would focus on the problem at hand. He would do everything he possibly could to earn her true, unyielding friendship.
Anything more than that is a pipe dream. It always has been. And he would only be hurting himself if he let himself forget that.
Orihime Inoue was too good for him.
She was too pure, too precious, too innocent, too sweet – too perfect. She could do anything, be anyone, go anywhere that she wanted. And she was beyond out of his reach. Everyone knew it.
His heart just refused to listen.
She was trapped in a nightmare. She knew it was only a nightmare; that it wasn't real. Or, more accurately, that it was no longer her reality. She had already lived through this – already survived it.
But, in that moment, the dark skies of Hueco Mundo were more oppressive than ever.
The white sand beneath her covered knees was harsh and grating.
The sounds of a largely one-sided battle echoed in her ears, coming from somewhere behind her.
Her breath was coming in short, desperate, painful gasps.
Her eyes already burned from the tears that were still streaming down her face.
She was pulling at her hair, scratching at her cheeks, doing anything at all to distract herself from the unbearable ache in her chest.
Her heart had never hurt so badly. Her world had never fallen apart so effortlessly.
Her brain was numb. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say.
There was only one thing that she did know.
She knew that she could not, ever, accept the reality before her.
Ichigo Kurosaki could not be dead.
He could not be gone.
She could not have lost him.
Orihime shot awake with a gasp, propelling herself into a sitting position even as she reached up, clutching at her chest with shaking hands. Her brow was covered in sweat, and her hair was matted to her forehead awkwardly, but she ignored it. She focused on trying to regulate her breathing.
"Orihime?" Shun'ou's concerned voice called carefully as he and Ayame hovered a few feet away. "Are you alright?"
Her voice was shaky as she finally released the bunched fabric of her nightgown. "I…I remember." Tears pooled behind her eyes the moment the words left her lips.
She remembered everything now.
It had all come back to her as she'd slept beneath her Souten Kisshun. She even remembered not remembering him.
A choked sob tore from her throat, and Orihime's hands fisted in her lap. The first of the tears leaked free, unrestrained, as she gasped, "H-how could I? I can't believe…how could I let that happen?"
"It wasn't your fault, Orihime," Shun'ou offered quietly, moving close and resting a small hand on her heaving shoulder. "You did the best you could."
Orihime's hands lifted until they were covering her face as she gave in to her tears. Between choked sobs she brokenly gasped, "That's no…excuse! Oh…Ichigo!"
Shun'ou and Ayame exchange silent, saddened, looks before quietly receding to their resting places. There was nothing they could do to help for the moment.
After only a few minutes, Orihime sucked in a heavy, ragged breath and pulled her hands from her face.
She had to make everything better as quickly as possible. She certainly didn't have the right to cry over it, not when the one who had really suffered was Ichigo.
Do I call him first? Or do I fix the others first? It was a difficult decision. Though, she supposed, she could do both simultaneously.
She could send Shun'ou and Ayame to Chad and Uryuu, and then Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro. And while she was doing that, she could call Ichigo. It'll go faster if I can get them into groups. Maybe I'll ask Uryuu and Chad to meet up somewhere.
Decision made, Orihime turned toward her nightstand and reached for her phone. Her hand was poised over the small device when she finally registered what her clock was telling her.
It was barely past four in the morning.
Her heart sank. She just couldn't call them at such a horrible hour.
She pulled her hand back, leaving the phone on the nightstand, and chewed on her lower lip. What should I do? Could she justify calling Ichigo at four in the morning?
No. She couldn't. The news would keep until the sun was up and the day had begun. And she knew, though he'd never admitted it to her directly, that he slept horribly whenever he was stressed. So she was sure he'd been sleeping horribly all week.
For a moment, Orihime considered attempting to go back to sleep herself. Maybe, if I sleep off my tears, he won't be able to tell I was crying.
She shifted and looked down at her pillow. There was no way she was going back to sleep. And if she were to just lie down and try, she would only end up crying more. Not that she honestly thought that wouldn't happen, anyway.
A new idea struck her, then, and Orihime sighed in resignation.
It makes sense, I suppose.
If she was going to be up for the day, and she was unable to actually make more progress on fixing the terrible problem at hand, then she might as well use the time to compose herself. And possibly to figure out the best way to tell Ichigo everything she needed to.
Orihime pushed to her feet, then, and gathered up her cell phone and a change of clothes before making her way to the bathroom. She could already feel the next round of tears building in her eyes, and without a good reason to push them aside she knew that they would prevent her from doing anything else for a little while.
But what she really needed was to try and relax.
So, with that thought in mind, she set about preparing a bath. The hot water would ease the tension from her muscles, and probably help her cry. The time would help her come to terms with what had happened, and possibly help her devise the best plan for fixing it.
And then she would make her calls. She would set into motion whatever plan she would decide on, and, by the time the day was through, Ichigo's life would be back in order.
She would make sure of it.
To Be Continued…
A/N: So, first, let me say…I know it's a teensy bit shorter than usual, and I'm sorry. I tried (I really did!) to make it longer, but this chapter refused to be longer. So, I do hope you can forgive me for that! If it's any consolation, I can absolutely confirm that the next chapter is the one we've all been waiting for! (Yes, 'we' includes me – this is the chapter I've been waiting to write! LOL) But, before you rush off to the next chapter (and look, wasn't it nice of me to post it alongside this one?), could I convince you to drop me a note? Pretty please?
