Protect The Heart On My Sleeve

A chill ran down Orihime's spine as the spiritual pressure flooded the balcony.

"It's him! No…! This can't be happening again!"

In a flash, Ichigo had grabbed his sword and pushed her aside. She stumbled back, making a desperate attempt to catch Ichigo's hand as it left her arm. But her fingers only grasped at the empty space in front of her. Suddenly she felt as though a heavy weight were pushing her to the floor. She reached out her hand again, but the weight dragged it back down. Her legs shook beneath her and the crushing force enveloped her like a giant hand.

"Ichigo! Ichigo, get out of here!" She screamed and screamed, but the words wouldn't reach her lips. She tried to breathe, but the hand-like weight squeezed even harder. She wasn't in control anymore. Her knees gave way and she collapsed to the floor. Even as she lay on the ground, the force felt like it was pushing her further and further into the tiles.

"Ichigo!"

For a moment, she thought maybe he'd heard her plea. He glanced over his shoulder and grimaced when she looked up at him. She hoped that maybe he'd turn away, but instead watched as he reluctantly turned back to face the set of impassive emerald eyes before him.

Orihime's fingernails dug across the tile as she tried to fight against the building pressure. "Don't do it!" Another failed cry reduced to nothing more than a whimper.

"You won't be as lucky as last time."

"I already told you. I'm not going to lose to someone like you."

"No, Ichigo!" She felt as if every bone in her body were ready to break in two. Was this all she was good for? Was this all she would ever be able to do? Just sit helplessly and watch as the people around her fought and died to protect her. It wasn't enough just to want to fight. So many people had told her that she simply hadn't reached her full potential. But if she couldn't find that power within herself when she needed it the most, when people were dying right in front of her, when she couldn't even find the strength to stand, then what was the use?

She'd watched as Chad was nearly killed during the first Arrancar invasion. Even then she had thought that she could stand up for herself so as not to be a burden to Ichigo. In the end she wasn't strong enough, and both she and Ichigo suffered horrible injuries. After making a promise to Ichigo that she would be able to fight on her own, she was kidnapped, forced once again into the role of the damsel in distress. It was a never-ending cycle. She didn't want to believe that that was all she was capable of. She wanted to believe that there was something she could do, something that she had kept hidden even from herself. But time and time again, another piece of that hope was torn away.

The pain was starting to dissolve into an overwhelming numbness. With the side of her face pressed up against the tiles, her glassy, honey brown eyes stared off at the scene of clashing blades. She winced as she watched Ulquiorra's zanpakuto claw across Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo stumbled backward with his back against the wall, holding up his sword to block Ulquiorra's swinging blade. He gritted his teeth and his knees buckled under the weight.

As Orihime watched him, she knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer. He'd been fighting for too long and he was reaching his limits. Fighting against the pull of the enveloping spiritual pressure, Orihime turned her head ever so slightly until she finally caught a glimpse of her glowing shield and the small orb sitting inside of it. It was beginning to twist and its shape was becoming distorted as the shield continued to eat away at its surrounding layers. Shun'o gave a meek smile of encouragement. Orihime tried to muster a small smile of her own, but her attention was pulled away to the sound of clashing blades that shook the very air around her with the force of colliding boulders.

She watched as Ichigo knocked Ulquiorra's hand out of the way in order to avoid a devastating green cero blast. He swung his sword out in front of him, ripping across the front of the Esapda's jacket. Then he was kicked backwards. He stumbled back a few paces and then immediately charged in again. The battle was terrifying to watch, but also mesmerizing. It was the sheer power and force that came with each swing of a blade and every deflection, the tension in the hands that held those blades, Ichigo's face of pure determination. At some points, there was a part of her that admired him for it- pulling himself up from off the ground and charging straight ahead again and again. It could be considered by some to be mere stubbornness, or even recklessness, but Orihime still wished that she had just a bit of that in her. But then, as she watched him, she would get a horrible sinking feeling at the thought that one of these times… he may not get back up. Even as she told herself that she believed in him, the thought would linger in the shadows, like some taunt in a sick and twisted game. Now that feeling was getting stronger… but there was another feeling that strengthened in response.

"Do something!" she told herself. "Do something! Stop watching and stop shaking! For once, just stand on your own!"

Her hairpins twinkled as she pushed her fist up against the floor.

"Why do you want to go to the Soul Society?"

She pushed harder, slowly lifting herself from the ground. Her answer was, and always would be, "… To protect Ichigo."

Her arms were shaking, but she continued to fight against the weight of the surrounding spiritual pressure. "Why did I come here?" She pushed off of her knees. "… To protect my friends!"

Ulquiorra ducked under Ichigo's swinging blade as his own zanpakuto thrust forward. The young shinigami leaned to the side as the blade just barely grazed his cheek. He quickly grabbed Ulquiorra's wrist but before he could take another swing, he felt the Espada's knee shoot into his stomach. Ichigo lurched forward, where his face was met with a pale fist. There was a loud crunch as his cheekbone shattered and he was launched backwards, his sword flying out of his hand.

The black zanpakuto clattered to the ground a few yards away from Orihime's feet. She staggered towards it, almost falling to the floor again as she knelt down to pick it up. She looked over to where Ichigo was rolling over onto his side. She couldn't see his face, but saw his shoulders shaking in pain. In one single flashstep, Ulquiorra was looming over him with his zanpakuto outstretched. With one quick motion that was next to impossible for Orihime to see, Ulquiorra sprang forward, only to have Ichigo roll out of the way just before the blade speared the tiles. Before Ichigo could even get back on his feet, Ulquiorra lunged a second time. The boy tumbled across the floor, trying to avoid the onslaught of attacks. Everything around him was spinning and he could just barely make out the flash of white before each attempt on his life. In one final act of desperation, he managed to roll backwards and kick off of the ground, narrowly missing the tip of the Espada's sleek, silver blade. As Ulquiorra swung at him again, Ichigo reached up to block the blow, only to realize that his sword was no longer in his hand.

There wasn't enough time to get out of the way. "Shit!" he muttered with a grimace as he awaited the piercing blade. "Just take it!" he told himself. "It won't matter. I'm not dying here!"

There was a bright flash of light and then… nothing. Ichigo stared straight ahead and noticed a familiar orange glow standing between him and Ulquiorra. The Fourth Espada had lowered his sword. Ichigo looked over his shoulder at the sound of soft, uneven footsteps. Orihime was slowly walking towards him, the expression on her face looked as though she were in pain. He glanced down and saw his zanpakuto in her hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of green as Ulquiorra fired a cero blast in her direction.

"Orihime!"

Just as his foot left the floor to race after her, he was knocked forward by Orihime's shield. For a moment, he was completely lifted off the ground, his back pressed against the moving shield. It came to an instantaneous halt in front of Orihime and Ichigo flew forward. The cero rocked the shield behind him, but left it completely unscathed. He looked up at Orihime as she knelt down beside him, holding out his zanpakuto.

"Sorry," she whispered hoarsely. "I didn't mean to knock you down like that."

Ichigo took the sword from her shaking hands and stood up. He held out his hand to help her up and gave a small smile. "If you're feeling up to it, do you think you could do that to him?" he asked as he nodded back to Ulquiorra. He pulled her up onto her feet and she gave a slight nod. A bead of sweat slipped down her cheek as her entire body shuddered. Ichigo squeezed her hand tighter, wondering if she really was alright, but Orihime stood up straight and stared up at him. There was no doubt that she was still nervous, but there was something different this time. There was a small fire in her eyes that Ichigo had never seen before, but even then, he didn't feel surprised. It had never really mattered to him that she didn't like to fight. In fact, the idea of her being as aggressive as him, or even Rukia, seemed to bother him. But he knew that if he needed help, she would have his back. Like him, she fought to protect.

As he stared at the determined expression she was trying to maintain, he could see that inner strength that she'd always kept to herself. It wasn't as though he'd always figured she'd had it all along- he wasn't that insightful. It was that upon seeing it, it just seemed to make sense.

"It would appear as though you're expecting her to be of use."

As quiet as it was, both Orihime and Ichigo were startled by the sudden comment from the Arrancar behind them.

"What do you hope to gain from teaming up with someone who can't even protect herself?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo thought he saw Orihime sink back a bit behind him. He glared across the room. "How the hell would you know what she's capable of?" he snapped back.

"There have never been any flaws in my analysis of my opponents' abilities. She's meek and it's a wonder to me why such a profound power was given to her. It's foolish for a pathetic human to wield a power beyond that of a god."

"You're wrong." Ichigo responded flatly. "A person with compassion deserves that power more than anyone else."

"Compassion? Is that a quality you humans value? It only seems to bring you more problems."

Now Ichigo was seething, breathing through gritted teeth. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't keep looking at that condescending stare. He wouldn't let him talk about her like that. "You don't understand a damn thing about emotions, do you?"

"There's nothing to understand. Humans become entangled in this web of love and hatred and in the end, it destroys them. That woman wouldn't even be here if she didn't harbor an attachment to you and your friends. Only those who can rise above these trivial matters will survive."

"What's the point in surviving if you have no reason to?" Ichigo couldn't wrap his head around this twisted view of life. What was life with no emotions, no attachments? Breathing wasn't the same as living. Suddenly, a small voice broke through the silence.

"Feelings and attachments are the best thing about life… even when they almost feel like a burden…"

Ichigo's stare shot down to the auburn-haired girl beside him.

With her lips trembling, she continued. "E-Even if at times, all we feel is sadness, it's still proof that we're alive and have a place in the world. And the people that are close to us give us a reason to hold on. If they still believe in you, then you must have something worth believing in, even if you haven't found it yet." She looked up at Ichigo with a small smile. "Thank you," she whispered.

Taken aback, Ichigo simply stared at her as she stood up straight and raised her hands to her hairpins. "Orihime…"

"I want to try to repay everyone for everything they've done."

Ichigo smirked and pulled back his zanpakuto. "And I'll make sure I actually deserve that credit."


A/N: What's a Bleach fanfic without a little melodrama, eh? In all seriousness, I wanted to thank everybody for the encouraging reviews. I really appreciate it! ^_^