LOL alright presenting chapter 10! YAY! I already had this one written out. (It was a matter of getting off my lazy butt and typing it out XD) I want this updated today. That way I don't have to totally rush on the next chapter. (Although I'll probably end up starting to write it out tonight) Oh and this was going to be in chapter 9 but I figured that I should stop where it was. It would've been too rushed. (Or I thought so)

Disclaimer: don't own bleach ;)

~Uryu's POV~

I watched as Ichigo cradled Orihime in his arms. For some reason, I felt like something was off. Like last time, when she had first disappeared. But I couldn't understand one thing, Did she manage to regain control? Or did Demi disappear somewhere? Honestly, I couldn't tell you. But from what I could see, Tia seemed very tense.

Does she feel the same way I do? Or is she preparing to fight? The way she's clutching her zanpakutou to her side, it's like she knows that it's not over. That's when I felt her reiatsu, and it was growing rapidly.

~Chad's POV~

Slowly, I walked towards Ichigo. The atmosphere seemed very tense. Everyone seemed anxious, or maybe confused? There was no way to tell.

Rukia and Renji followed behind me. Toushirou, Hinamori-San, and Rangiku-San stood beside each other, worry spread across each of their faces. Gin walked towards the three while Grimmjow stood there. His expression was unreadable as he looked around. Yoruichi-San and Nel stood beside Uryu. They had been silent, almost like they were assessing the current situation. As for Tia-San, well she was standing very still. Almost like she was waiting patiently for something or someone to make an appearance. However, from what I understood, Ichigo was the one taking this the hardest.

~Tia's POV~

I could see Chad, Rukia and Renji approach Ichigo from the corner of my eye. Ichigo looked very defensive. His reiatsu was also flaring because he was really confused about everything. I was able to detect regret coming from him the most though. But I could have laughed right now. He acted like he never wanted anyone around the two of them.

Honestly, I couldn't blame him. Not when I was the exact same way. Hell, I'm still like that. Just I haven't really showed it much. But I knew it would come down to this. With her current situation, Orihime wouldn't be able to obtain Bankai because Demi used up almost all her energy. But I was able to sense it slowly rising.

So while she's healing, it's my duty to stall for as long as I can. Til she's ready to use her Bankai.

~Ichigo's POV~

I continued to hold her. It felt right to have her in my arms. Although I wouldn't actually admit that out loud. I knew she was still alive and she asked for me to stab her, but I still felt guilty. Because it was my fault that Demi had used her. Abused her. Like she was an object.

But I knew better than to think that. She would never blame anybody but herself. She's so selfless, I feel bad because that's how she was easily manipulated. Crap. I think that's the reason why I wanna protect her from anyone or anything. And that's why... I love her. So much.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Chad, Renji and Rukia stare at me. Sadness was reflected in their eyes.

"You gonna be okay, Ichigo?" Chad asked me.

When he asked me that, I wanted to scream 'Do I look okay?' but I refrained myself. I'm pretty sure Tia-San would agree with me when I say I'm overprotective of Orihime. But from what I've seen, so is she. Then again, she is the older sibling.

"Orihime-San." Renji whispered.

"Why did this happen to her again?" Rukia asked with a cracked voice.

I blinked. Then it occurred to me that it must have happened before. Or something like it. Why else would Demi hate Rukia so much? But now that I think about it, maybe I should have asked Tia-San before we left.

I sighed. Trying to get a hold on my emotions. None of the others needed to see me act this way. After all, Orihime had already seen me like this. I don't need anyone else knowing. No way. Definitely embarrassing.

My gaze turned back towards Orihime. I felt her reiatsu slowly rise. I found it rather comforting, despite the situation we're currently in. But it also made me feel remorse. Because I couldn't save her until it was too late.

My head dipped towards hers. Gently, I pressed my lips to her forehead. They lingered there as my eyes closed, drowning in her warmth. I pulled away though. Seeing as this was really not a good time to be doing this. Also because she wasn't awake. So it would've felt like I was taking advantage of her or something.

Just then I felt a dark spiritual pressure. It was coming towards the five of us. That's when I saw Demi coming towards me at lightning speed. If I hadn't noticed her black hair and dark green eyes, I would've mistaken her for Orihime.

Man, she's coming so damn fast. But who's she after? Me, Rukia, Renji Chad? Or perhaps.... My arms tightened around Orihime, almost like I was trying to fuse her within me. Her head was resting below my chin. But what am I supposed to do? Zangetsu was in the wall behind us.

Rukia, Renji and Chad stood in front of us, trying to cover us as much as possible. So we'd be shielded from Demi. Renji was getting ready to release his bankai while Rukia got into her pose and Chad powered up his arm.

Just as Demi was headed for Rukia, she vanished. It was until I sensed her behind me did I hear Rukia shout at me.

"ICHIGO! WATCH OUT!"

I turned to come face to face with two blades crossed. I looked up to see Tia-San beside her. So that's what she was waiting for. My eyes blinked before I saw her zanpakutou screeching against Demi's and caused her to go backwards.

She turned to look at me. "Ichigo... Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah I'm fine. Thanks Tia-San."

She smirked at me before tossing her zanpakutou in the air. However, it was actually spinning.

"Ichigo, I need you to make sure Hime wakes up without being harmed. It's the only way she can go into her bankai. Right now she's gathering the reiatsu she needs. I'll fight Demi for the time being. Ichigo, I'm trusting you with her life."

She turned to look at Demi. Her zanpakutou landed in her hand. She raised her arm as the blade started to glow.

"Ookami Tsume!"

She swung her arm and a streak of metallic blue erupted from her blade. Finally, the battle begins.

~Hime's POV~

I groaned. It's so bright but warm as well. Where am I? This place feels very familiar to me. But at the same time, it feels distant. I opened my eyes to find myself in a very different place. It was similar to my other world. But why do I have two?

I got to my feet and took a walk around. Maybe it would jog my memory. As I walked, the field got taller grass. Almost as if it was growing as I passed. The grass was so tall, I had to run through, waving my arms like a weed whacker to prevent myself from falling over.

When I got the clearing, I froze. There was a young woman with white hair and black streaks. She was sitting on a rock, looking up at the clear, blue sky.

"Ah, so you've come, my dear child."

I pushed down any fear I had. Slowly, my feet dragged me towards the woman. Maybe I knew her from long ago because I felt like I could really trust her.

"Umm.. Do I know you? You seem oddly familiar."

She chuckled. "Yes you do know me. Although we haven't spoken since you were younger."

She turned to look at me. I gasped when I saw her. Light silver eyes that sparkled in the sun's gaze.

"Do you remember me now, Orihime?"

"SHINA!"

~Momo's POV~

I was standing near Shiro-Kun. I was nervous as first as I watched Ichimaru-Taichou come closer to us. But when he held Rangiku-San, I realized that maybe he was never evil to begin with. Perhaps Aizen threatened him with Rangiku's life.

I felt my hand being squeezed. I looked at Shiro-Kun. He gave me a small smile. The type of smile that helped reassure me that everything would be alright.

"Don't worry Momo. Tia-Taichou is very strong. She won't lose."

~Renji's POV~

There's something different about the way Tia-Taichou is fighting. It's almost like she's stalling. For what purpose though?

I looked down at Rukia. She was standing beside me, her hand clutching my sleeve. Sweat was dripping down her face. I think she was more worried about Orihime-San than Tia-Taichou.

"Rukia."

Her gaze turned to look at me. I smirked at her.

"Hey, don't worry. Tia-Taichou knows what she's doing."

I hope.

~Ichigo's POV~

As I watched Tia clash swords with Demi, I couldn't help but notice her speed. It was way different than the last time, when we were headed towards Urahara's. What kind of powers does she have?

She smirked as she shunpo'd behind Demi, which resulted in her arm being cut. Demi roared in pain and lunged at Tia only to trip and fall flat on her face. What's odd about this fight is that it's like they're not even trying to kill one another. More like they're little children fooling around at the park.

Tia held her zanpakutou in the air preparing to swing but she froze. Her eyes closed and she moved her arm the zanpakutou was held in front of her face. That's when I felt her spiritual pressure sky rocket. Her eyes opened as she yelled.

"Bankai!"

~Hime's POV~

Suddenly I felt the ground shake. Almost like there was an earthquake. Shina's face held a frown that somehow reminded me of Ichigo's.

"It appears that Tia has released Rain. Orihime, listen to me. You've got to release me."

I blinked. "What?"

"If you don't, Tia will kill us. Remember, if anyone else kills Demi, we die too. Only we can kill her if we want to live."

"I understand."

"Don't worry. I will help you with killing her off. You just have to focus on aiming and choosing the attacks. If anyone gets in the way, I'll redirect them so they go towards Demi."

I nodded. "You can count on me Shina!"

She grinned. "I know I can. That's why I chose you as my master after all. Together we will bring her down! Until then, farewell my child."

A bright flash made me shield my eyes. It was a blinding white light. When I opened my eyes, the first person I saw was none other than Ichigo.

~Ichigo's POV~

Whoa. So that's what Tia's bankai looks like. A black and blue wolf appears beside her in what looks like a water form and summons rain. That's amazing! I've never seen that before, not even when she was training me.

I decided to move me and Orihime to a cliff. It was far away from the fight and I didn't want her to get caught up in it. Chad, Renji and Rukia moved to where Yoruichi-San and the others were. I wonder if she knew about Tia's bankai. Seeing Tia in her bankai makes me wonder what Orihime's looks like.

Just then, I felt like I was being watched. I looked all around me first but when I saw no one around, I thought I was being paranoid. I shook my head as I looked down at Orihime only to see her grey eyes starring up at me. My eyes widened.

"Orihime?" I whispered.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw her smile at me. She looked a bit tired, but she just woke up. So it was understandable.

"Ichigo. Are you alright?"

I looked at her before my grip tightened around her and I pushed her into my chest. I buried my face in her shoulder as her arms wrapped around my neck. Her face rested at the side of my neck.

"I'm sorry, Orihime. If only I had realized sooner, I could have prevented this from happening. Damn, I promised to protect you and yet I had to stab you just to save you."

"It's alright. It wasn't your fault. If anything it was mine. I shouldn't have let Demi get to me. Now because of it, everyone is in danger. But I'm gonna fix this. I promise." She whispered.

We sat there for a bit, not even caring about the fight happening below us. We pulled away and looked into each others eyes. She smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

She stood up and walked towards the edge of the cliff. At first I didn't want to let her go. But then I figured that after this, she could be all mine.

She held out her hand. I watched as her zanpakutou formed in her hand. She looked at me, silently asking if she could go. I smirked at her and gave her a final nod to say she can. She gave me one last smile before pushing her foot off the cliff, heading towards the fight.

~Tia's POV~

Shit. This wasn't going the way I wanted it to. Because of the fact that I was fooling around, Rain was getting more tired by the minute. Also it didn't help that I haven't been in this form for a long time. But on the plus side, I did some serious damage to her. However, I don't know how much longer I can stall for her.

That's when I saw Demi point her finger. A blue light came from the tip and she was pointing directly at the others. I knew exactly what it was. A cero. She fired it and I ran desperately with Rain. I couldn't let them get hurt because of that bitch.

Luckily, Rain beat the blast and took the hit. The pressure however, caused her to collapse on her stomach. But because of how I endured it, I was able to remain in Bankai. I was really tired though.

"Tia-Dono!" Rukia screamed. I was covered in blood but that never stopped me from smiling at them. Her eyes showed horror but I couldn't figure out why. That's when I noticed Ichigo was standing with them but Orihime was missing. I was so lost in thought I failed to sense Demi behind me. She was able to strike me but when a zanpakutou appeared. I knew who it was right away. Her spiritual pressure stood out.

I turned to look as the other person's zanpakutou clashed with Demi's.

"Orihime."

A/N: That's where I'll end it. And yea It's a cliffie again XD

Ookami Tsume means wolf claw. I wanted it to be wolf slash but I couldn't find the Japanese word for it. XD

So what do ya think now? The battle will actually get better (hopefully) now that Orihime will be facing off against Demi. Let's hope I can write that ;)

Until next time, see ya later *waves*

~Tia-Chan~