I HATED THIS FREAKING CHAPTER BECAUSE I PUT SOMETHING IN THERE I DON'T BELIEVE IN... I FEEL SO BAD FOR RELEASING THIS BUT IT WAS THE BEST I COULD DO! UGH. BUT THANKFULLY AFTER THIS CHAPTER AND MAYBE THE NEXT THINGS WILL GET SO MUCH BETTER. SO... TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE A FANFICTION ACCOUNT: GET ONE SO I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS! HEHE. SO YEAH, LOVE BLEACHEE. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.

Chapter 10: Danger, Danger, Danger

"W-what...a hollow? Quit messing around Rukia..." Ichigo tried to laugh it off.

'What's wrong with him? Something's not right... Every time I say the word hollow he gets so... nervous. What're you hiding from me...?' Rukia thought to herself.

She observed as he began to wring his hands together and lick his lips repeatedly.

Ichigo chuckled a fake laugh. 'Why am I so nervous...?'

The possibility of Orihime having a hollow was impossible. She'd have to be a shinigami, and she'd have to go through hollowfication and... Maybe he had something to do with this.

Ichigo pushed those thought to the back of his mind. There was no way she could have a hollow like him.

"I'm not kidding, Ichigo. That's why I was sent here... to find out the truth." Rukia sighed deeply.

She adjusted her body on the steps to face him. Leaning against the rail, Rukia began to talk.

"Ichigo, listen. Yesterday night, the Soul Society detected a hollow's reaitsu. Really powerful reaitsu... not like an Arrancar, but more like a Vasto Lorde."

Ichigo could feel the sweat forming on the insides of his hands. This couldn't be a joke. The Soul Society never played around... especially when it came to hollows.

"Although it didn't last long, the reaitsu was incredibly strong. But no one is able to detect here in the World of the Living. That's probably why nobody here has felt it; I'm guessing that's because it has to do with the hollow's conscious state of being. In other words, it can choose how much reaitsu to let out."

Rukia stopped to make sure Ichigo was still listening. His chocolate brown eyes stared down at the ground in concentration, but he heard every word.

"I was sent here to the World of the Living to take Orihime's hollow into custody and take her to the Soul Society so we can find out exactly that hollow came into being. That's my new mission and the reason I'm back. Ichigo, do you understand?"

Ichigo's brain went numb. He couldn't believe the words he was hearing.

"I had to tell you this. Because I know Orihime's your friend... you two are really close. Hollow's go after the ones they love most, which scared me when I heard the news."

Rukia's eyes looked at him hopefully. She wondered if he believed her. When Rukia herself heard about the Orihime's hollow, she refused to believe it. She pleaded for the Captains to listen to her, for Orihime's sake. But it was no use. The ordered Rukia to go and take Orihime's hollow into custody.

And if need be, she was to arrest Orihime, too.

All in order to find out the truth.

"Ichigo! Are you listening to me? This is serious... she could hurt y-"

"Do you really think that Orihime could have a hollow?" Ichigo suddenly asked in a low voice.

"Er... I-I don't know. But I can't risk it, Ichigo. I have to find out and keep you safe-" Rukia tried to explain.

"Stop it, Rukia. Do you take me for some kind of idiot? Geez, what the hell. You and I both know that's impossible. Orihime can't have a hollow because she's not even a shinigami-"

"I wish that were the case, Ichigo, I really do... Orihime's my friend. It kills me to have to have this mission of taking her into custody. I don't want to see her get hurt because of that demon in her. Which is why I have to capture the hollow and if I have to I'll arrest Orihime, too." Rukia said to him.

"So why are you telling me this then? I have nothing to do-"

"Ichigo. Please... I need you to stay away from her." Rukia pleaded. She took his strong hands and held them.

Ichigo looked at his friend's beautiful eyes. She'd been gone for over 5 months... he'd missed her. And the only reason she was back was to take away the girl he loved.

"I-I can't." Ichigo whispered to her. Her eyes widened as he said those words.

"I-Ichigo... fuck! I'm telling you this for your own safety. I know you and Orihime are close, but she could hurt you, for fuck's sake!" Rukia yelled.

"Orihime... she's been through too much. I refuse to let you or anybody else hurt her again-" Ichigo screamed back.

"BUT ICHIGO-" Rukia tried again.

"But nothing, Rukia! I don't believe she has a hollow. There's no doubt in my mind..."

Ichigo was fighting back tears. So much talking about hollows brought back the fresh memories of what he'd done to her.

"Ichigo... please. Just do this for me. Just until we can prove Orihime's innocence. The Soul Society says she has a hollow. I'm obligated to believe it until proven otherwise. And that's what I'm trying to do... prove them wrong. But if she hurts you, then that's more evidence. So just stay away from her, please!" Rukia cried out.

Ichigo watched Rukia stare at him with glistening eyes. He turned away from her gaze, ashamed to tell her no. He couldn't believe this.

He hurt Orihime, and just when he promised to protect her and never leave her side, he was being forced to leave her to protect her.

'Fuck my life...' Ichigo cursed at himself.

"I-I also want you to be safe, Ichigo..." Rukia breathed.

Ichigo lifted his head again, only to stare directly into her peaceful eyes. She crawled to him, placing her hand on his chest, forcing him against the side-wall of the staircase.

"R-Rukia... what're you d-" Ichigo stammered. She was incredibly close to him... too close.

Her short black hair hung on her face, framing her delicate features.

Ichigo gulped as he felt her warm, soft hands cup his face, bringing it down to hers. Before he could react, Rukia had placed her lips on his.

Rukia's lips pressed down onto his, making him uncomfortable. His mouth remained unmoving as she continued to send her love to him.

Her hands played with his orange fringy hair, while he stayed frozen in his pinning position. He wanted it to be real, but he couldn't join in the fantasy. He could only think of Orihime... his hime. The girl he'd be willing to die for.

Now here was the girl who taught him to live, kissing him. Making him leave the other and making him feel... hot.

Ichigo began to give in to Rukia's tenderness. His lips slowly began to respond, moving in rhythm with hers.

He wrapped his muscular arms around her small frame, bringing her closer to him.

They sat along the staircase, taking in each other's life. The windows burst at the seams with the now brightly lit afternoon sun.

A nostalgic feeling had indulged its' self onto Ichigo as he crave her body; giving a feeling that this should have been for a long time. His arms were tightly wrapped around her shoulders, hers, clinging to his hard muscular chests; basking in each other's ambiance, creating each other's warmth.

'What am I doing... what about Orihime? How can I do this to her... my princess.' Ichigo realized.

Ichigo clutched onto Rukia's shirt, forcefully pulling down, catching her attention. His eyes opened in fright as he felt guilt overcome him.

"I-Ichigo, are you ok? Y-you stopped..." Rukia gave him a confused look. His actions had left her perplexed.

First, he didn't kiss back but then he began to desire her. Rukia could feel it. And now, he just abruptly stopped.

He looked down at her, his eyes dulled by guilt. Rukia stared back into his eyes, trying to understand.

'Why does he look so scared?' Rukia thought to herself, studying his beautiful face.

He pushed her away lightly, not looking at her face. He stood up from the stairs, leaving her sitting there.

"Ichigo! What's wrong... did I... was I too bold or something?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo continued to walk down the stairs, his shoes touching the marble steps.

"Rukia. I'm sorry... but I can't be here right now. If I gave you the wrong idea, sorry. I'll talk to you some other time."

He waved with his hand apathetically. Rukia watched him leave.

"Ichigo... about Orihime..." She called out to him.

"Don't worry. I'll stay away from her... I promise." Ichigo solemnly said to her.

For some inexplicable reason, Rukia felt guilty too.

'I shouldn't have kissed him... it was too soon. But he kissed me back, didn't he?' Rukia questioned her mentality.

Rukia's eyes watched Ichigo disappear around the corner. After he walked away, Rukia heard shoes scrape the steps above her. She whipped around, nervous as to who had seen her kiss him.

"Who's there?" Rukia called out, menacingly.

Tatsuki Arisawa stepped out from behind the corner, walking down the steps with a quirky grin sprawled across her face. Her cheekbones seemed like they were about to pop from smiling so hard.

"Whoa, Rukia... I figured you guys liked each other but not like that." She teased Rukia.

"How much did you hear?" Rukia asked nervous. She couldn't let anybody know about Orihime's hollow. It was confidential. Telling Ichigo was already breaking the rules...

"Relax. I just got here to see you guys eat each other's faces... so what the hell do you have against Orihime?" Tatsuki asked her, slightly pissed.

"So you heard Ichigo promise to stay away from Orihime, huh? It's nothing, Tatsuki. I just don't think he's good enough for her. She likes him, but I want her to be safe from him... you know he's rough." Rukia lied.

It was actually vice versa. Rukia wanted Ichigo to be safe...

"Oh. Well, you got a point there. But Orihime likes the guy. And recently some things have gone on... I think they actually hooked up. She threatened me right before you got here when I tried to hurt Ichigo, can you believe that?"

"What? She tried to hurt you?" Rukia suddenly panicked. Her small hands gripped Tatsuki's arm roughly.

"Whoa! Geez, relax. But yeah, she did." Tatsuki snatched her arm away from Rukia.

Rukia's eyes hardened to the ground. A chill ran down her spine as she realized that the hollow inside Orihime had already started to become infuriated towards her friends...

How long till she turned on Ichigo?

Tatsuki's hands waved in front of Rukia's face, snapping her out of thought.

"You ok? Guess it surprises you too... I love Orihime. She's my best friend; I couldn't believe she did that to me... and for Ichigo! Imagine when she finds out about you two... she's going to go ballistic-"

"There's nothing between us-" Rukia tried to explain but was shut down.

"Nothing my ass! What was that, then? Trust me, Ichigo wanted you." Tatsuki grinned. Rukia looked at her incredulously.

"I-I don't know why I kissed him. Damn, I'm an idiot. But what's important is that he stays away from Orihime-"

"Why the hell are you so hung up on him being close to her?" Tatsuki exclaimed. The excuse Rukia gave her about Ichigo not being good enough didn't seem right. Rukia would never say Ichigo was a bad guy...

"Oh, I know. You're threatened by Orihime, aren't you? I see..." Tatsuki said with a coy smile, suddenly standing up.

Rukia blushed and shook her head fiercely, making her short hair whip around. "N-no... that's not it! It's just th-" Rukia stammered.

Tatsuki covered Rukia's mouth to keep her from talking.

"Shh... look. Between you and me, I think he'd be better off with you than Orihime. Ichigo's only causes Orihime pain because ever since she fell in love with him, he's only let her down. So I won't tell her about the kiss, but I will tell her bad things about him. Then she'll fall out of love with him. Then she'll back off... ok? We all win!" Tatsuki smiled, pleased with her plan.

Rukia panicked in Tatsuki's strong grasp. She flailed her legs around, trying to pry her fingers off her face.

'No... If she tells Orihime anything, she might get angry and hurt her!' Rukia thought.

Tatsuki pushed Rukia to the ground, leaving her dazed. Tatsuki ran down the stairs and around the corner, her long hair flying behind her.

Rukia shot up and tried to follow her. Once she turned the corner thought, Rukia lost Tatsuki's trace completely.

She ran her hands through her hair in frustration, sweat falling down her face.

'Fuck...'

Later...

All day, ever since she ran away from Rukia, Tatsuki has avoided the small girl. She hid underneath tables during study hall and even skipped lunch. Tatsuki also dedicated her time to find Orihime... but she couldn't find her.

The bell signaling that school was over trilled throughout the campus. Tatsuki looked over at Ichigo's desk.

Empty. He ditched before school was over. On the stairs was the last place Tatsuki saw him...

Tatsuki turned her head to look at Orihime's desk as well. Empty.

'Where the hell is she?' She thought as she packed up her stuff. Pushing the chaos of the late afternoon, she made her way outside, where once she had elbow room, she sprinted off to find her best friend.

Tatsuki ran until her sides hurt. Orihime... she had to find her. She had to get Ichigo out of her head so she could move on in her life.

The sun was high in the sky, just like the day she saved Orihime from that man... ever since, Tatsuki always protected Orihime. She never had anyone to take care of her, so Tatsuki always felt she had to.

The day Orihime lost her brother was the day she saw Ichigo. Ever since, she always cared for him. It made Tatsuki upset that she even cried for him.

'And that bastard never returned her feelings. He kissed Rukia after walking hand in hand with her! He really is no good for her... if I do this, then maybe she'll move on.' Tatsuki thought to herself.

Tatsuki turned onto an old abandoned street; the one Orihime usually took to go home. 'Maybe she went home?'

Her feet pounded against the ground, outside. The ground blurred below her as she ran as fast the wind. Then her body collided with someone else. It felt like she had run full-force into a brick wall. She was nearly knocked off her feet, and Tatsuki turned to face the other person in rage...

"Hey, why don't you watch where the fuck you're-?"

On the ground, Orihime stood, rubbing her legs in pain. "Ouch… that really hurt." She said innocently.

"Orihime..." Tatsuki smiled. Orihime looked up, a bright smile replacing her hurt expression.

"Tatsuki... what's wrong? Why were you running?" Orihime asked with curiosity.

The image still burned in her mind. Rukia and Ichigo...

"Orihime... are you ok?" Tatsuki said, completely ignoring her question. "Where were you in school?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I wasn't feeling too good so I decided to go home. I was about to go find you, actually..." Orihime held out her arm, waiting for Tatsuki to help her up. But Tatsuki didn't grab her hand...

Tatsuki's strong hands closed around her forearm, and she pulled Orihime up with force.

"Ouch!" Orihime cried out, holding her arm. Tatsuki smiled.

"Come on, I didn't pull you that... hard..." Tatsuki's words slowed as she saw blood seep through Orihime's sleeve. It diffused, making large stain on her grey suit.

"Orihime! Y-your arm... why the fuck is it bleeding?" Tatsuki screamed. Orihime gripped her arm, holding it close to her chest.

"N-no... it's no-" Orihime mumbled. Tatsuki snatched her arm and rolled up her sleeve, revealing a bloody word etched into her skin.

H O L L O W

Tatsuki stared at her arm until Orihime took it away gently. "Th-that's nothing, Tatsuki..." Orihime whispered.

"Nothing? You have bleeding scars spelling out a word on your fucking arm! Who did that to you?" She screeched. She took her shoulders, forcing Orihime to answer.

Orihime stayed silent. But the silence told Tatsuki everything.

"It was Ichigo... wasn't it?" Tatsuki mumbled.

"N-no..."

"Don't lie to me Orihime... was it him?"

"No! It wasn't Ichigo... kind of..." Orihime bit her lip.

'It was true... ever since Orihime met him, Ichigo has only caused her pain. That bastard...' Tatsuki seethed.

Tatsuki's grip on her shoulders relaxed. She looked at Orihime with anger.

"How can you defend Ichigo after that?" Tatsuki yelled, pointing to Orihime's arm.

The beautiful girl flinched as Tatsuki threw these harsh words in her face.

'If you knew, Tatsuki, that he saved me from myself. From him... then you wouldn't be saying those words...' Orihime thought in sadness. The sun rained down on her.

It rained down on her lovingly; making up for the days it left her in the dark. For the days the sun let her get beaten and raped... but it was too late.

"After he fucking kissed Rukia you still love him?" Tatsuki yelled in burning anger. Her shallow breathing stopped as she realized what she just said.

-THUMP-

Orihime's head lowered down, her hair covering her deadly, amber eyes. A fierce smile crawled across her face in anger.

"What... did you just say?" She asked one more time.

"N-nothing... I didn't say anything. Ichigo's an asshole. How can you still love- ouch!" Tatsuki cried out. Before she could think, she was pushed to the ground, her arm bent to an impossible angle.

The pain was so surreal, she couldn't feel the pain. Then Tatsuki heard something crack as she saw her arm twist. Then the pain came crashing down.

Tatsuki screamed as she sensed each individual cell and blood vessel bursting, each nerve ending blasting out electric shocks to her broken arm. Her arm was released, letting it fly down to the ground, hitting it with a thud.

As Tatsuki tried to crawl away, she felt a hand grab her ankle and effortlessly snap it, making her cry out in pain again. Tatsuki flipped over into her back, hoping to see her attacker, but no one was there. Not even Orihime...

'Is Orihime... the one hurting me... where is she?' Tatsuki could barely think. She can hear and feel her heart beating in her ears, and her vision became tunneled.

A force crashed down into her stomach, making her cringe. Blood escaped the side of her lip. Tatsuki had never experienced this kind of pain before... it hurt so much.

In an effort to defend herself, she picked herself off the ground, clutching her abdomen.

"You bastard... who the hell are you? And what'd you do with Orihime! Suddenly I'm talking and then I get attacked! Where is she? What game are you playing?" She coughed.

Then Tatsuki heard her.

A chilling laugh resonated around Tatsuki. It seemed to come from nowhere.

Then she flashed in front of her eyes, 2 inches away from her face. Tatsuki stumbled backwards, falling on the ground.

Her black eyes stared into those cruel yellow eyes that held only evil in them. "Ori-Orihime... no. You can't... be her!" Tatsuki whispered.

A ferocious growl escaped her lips. "Hah... you're actually right. I'm not her! That weakling... she doesn't have what it takes to defend what's hers. But you... you just love to talk about my Ichigo, don't cha?"

She kneeled on the ground, next to Tatsuki's hunched body. Her hands gripped Tatsuki's head, digging her nails deeply into her skull.

"Ah!" Tatsuki cried out. Her hands clawed at Orihime's, trying to release herself. She brought Tatsuki's ear to her lips.

"What did you say, about my Ichigo... who did he kiss? I didn't quite catch the name..." She giggled evilly, paralyzing Tatsuki with fear.

Tatsuki's breathing began to grow faster. The feeling she gave Tatsuki was horrifying. She could tell this being lacked empathy... this being lived for misery.

"Tell me!" The demon fiercely said through her teeth. Tatsuki summed up her courage to face her.

"N-no..." Tatsuki yelled out. She could feel the demon's gaze harden on her. Then Tatsuki felt something impale her stomach, leaving a lingering pierced sensation.

Her hand pushed through Tatsuki's skin with little effort and dug straight in. Instantly, she cried out in pain and felt the effect of the tear.

Tatsuki could feel her fingers move and jerk around inside of her body, making her scream in pain. Tears fell down her face from pain. The demon only laughed hysterically as she held her prey...

A searing burn flared up Tatsuki's side, consuming her in agony and making her mind go blank.

'Will I make it out of this alive?' Tatsuki thought. She jerked her hand in a bit further before yanking it out suddenly. Tatsuki's vision blurred as tears lined her black eyes. She felt the cold, hard concrete underneath her as she fell in a heap, slamming into the ground and shaking with shock.

She smiled sadistically, licking the blood off her hands.

Tatsuki couldn't speak at all as she felt Orihime's body push her further into to the ground. Tatsuki's mouth spewed out more blood as she coughed feverishly.

Her eyes weakfully flitted to the girl who sat next to her, devouring the blood off her hands.

"D-demon... you're a demon..." Tatsuki managed to say.

The menacing girl stopped, and smiled, revealing razor sharp teeth. "No... I'm a hollow."

Tatsuki closed her eyes, as her body surrendered itself to her wounds.

The wind blew fiercely, taking leaves from the trees with it. Orihime's eyes closed, and when they reopened, her grey eyes let tears fall as she saw Tatsuki lying in a pool of blood.

"T-Tatsuki... who... who..." Orihime squeaked out. Her hands reached out to Tatsuki's unmoving body, and then she noticed her bloody hands.

Her reality was torn into pieces as the weight of truth pushed down on Orihime.

A sea of dark emotions churned within her. The sorrow and the sheer unfairness of everything finally broke her down. The cruel exquisite world loomed up above her and there was nothing to do but break.

'What are you still doing there... crying over that nuisance? Get your ass out before someone walks by and sees you there!' A voice said to her in her head.

'No... Why would you do that to her? You monster...!' Orihime screamed back at the demon inside of her.

'I did it because she told me my Ichigo kissed Rukia Kuchiki! She deserved it...'

'W-what... he k-kissed...R-Rukia' Orihime couldn't think anymore.

Orihime had to get away from here... she picked herself off the ground, turned and ran as hard as her legs would let her. As she ran, her blood from the scars spread even more, like they were crying out.

Sliding her hands into her pocket, she pulled out her cell phone. Her hands fumbled to press 119 due to her wet vision. She placed the phone to her ear, waiting for someone to pick up.

"199 Emergency, what's your emergency?" A voice called out on the other line.

FINALLY THE TORTURE ENDS! HAHA, SO I HOPE YOU GUYS DON'T CYBER KILL ME. THIS IS NOT ICHIRUKI! I WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO MYSELF! (I DON'T HATE THE PAIRING... I JUST STRONGLY DISLIKE IT AND THINK ITS RETARDED) THIS WILL BE HICHI/ICHIHIME! SO I'LL UPDATE SOON... HOPEFULLY.

So to clarify: Rukia tried to warn Ichigo about Orihime's hollow (her mission is to take Orihime's hollow into custody, and if she has to she'll take Orihime too.) Ichigo doesn't want to put Orihime in danger or himself so he promises Rukia he'll stay away from Orihime. (Rukia wants ichigo's safety, she doesn't want to keep him away from Orihime. but Rukia kisses him because she wants to convince him to listen to her and because she likes him)Tatsuki sees them and hides until Ichigo leaves. She comes out and talks to Rukia a bit about the whole kiss. After talking, she runs off to tell Orihime to get over Ichigo because he's bad for her. Tatsuki sees the scars and sees it was Ichigo who did it, so she gets angry and tells Orihime about Rukia and Ichigo kissing. Orihime's hollow gets mad, almost killing Tatsuki. After the rampage, Orihime comes back and sees what she did. :(