Fallen Sword

"I really don't understand your motives."

The girls left the place after a good night sleep, which didn't come easy, but once they managed to sleep through the night they became a little more relaxed, plus they restored any single bit of spiritual pressure used in previous battles. Their powers were top up, so that was a comforting thought, unlike having to travel through hell following Uryuu.

He walked towards the river and he dived in, and so the girls- plus Kon- also dived into the water, and as they did they realized that they could breathe underwater, and as they swam, following Uryuu's lead, they started to catch a crimson glimpse at the bottom of the river, which soon became a glitter that covered their whole sight. Once they opened their eyes, they noticed that they were falling from a crimson sky towards a place filled with pale blue buildings, and around them there were huge monster like skeleton covered in meat around their extremities, wielding shields and swords, with their skulls staring at each of them, and their arms covered in what seemed to be a protective armor for the shoulders.

"This is one of hell's most dangerous zone and the only way to reach the king!" Uryuu announced as everyone fell into blue platforms beside the great amount of building "If you get trapped by those guys and then ate you can never leave hell!"

Orihime was the one who felt fear the worst, pushing her legs to the fullest in order to escape from those hell monster that were following them; she was the one who got carried away with fear, however Tatsuki was as scared as her, or even more, this world was after all awful, something she was not prepared to handle, and the only reason why she was able to keep it together was because she knew freaking out would make no good, still her heart beat with might as she sped up to keep with Uryuu's pace. Feeling that you were followed was an awful sensation, especially when one of the monsters came across a right path, destroying a great amount of buildings to come into the party in a surprising dash as it reached its hand towards Orihime.

"Shiten Koushun!" Orihime yelled as she repelled the hand and forced the monster to back down due to the explosion that covered that monster's arm.

"Bakudo no rokujuu ichi (61)" Rukia said trying to keep her cool "Rikujou korou!"

The binding demon magic was a real challenge for Rukia, because it was the first time she made a multiple cast, targeting at least eight of the monster that followed them. They would be set free soon, casting a bakudo in multiple targets wasn't very usual among soul reapers, so Rukia decided to give it a lucky shoot and succeeded, but it both consumed a good amount of her spiritual energy and it wouldn't last as much as a single tagert.

"What are you doing Rukia?" Tatsuki asked "You cast that bakudo in eight enemies! You could have asked me to help you with that!"

"Sorry…"

"Don't waste your spiritual energy so fast!"

"I'm ok, this is barely a tenth of my strength."

"But…!"

"Stop complaining, for god sake!" Uryuu interrupted "Rukia made it easier for us to keep onwards! Let's leave it at that and don't let your guard down! There are more guardians than these guys."

"I hate hell!" Orihime yelled "I HATE IT!"

"Well, that's the idea of an eternal punishment for the souls that have sinned." Uryuu replied as if he was stating the obvious.

Orihime almost couldn't stand this new version of Uryuu, and the only thing that stopped her from calling him out was that soon a new white glimmer covered their sight as they arrived towards a new hell zone.

They were standing in what seemed to be a white coliseum pillars around a deep pit in front of them, and behind them there was a cliff leading to a deep sea covered in what seemed to floating giant white petals.

"This zone doesn't look like much hell." Tatsuki commented.

"For now." Uryuu commented "Don't let the appearance of this zone fool you, this is probably the most infamous zone in the whole hell, but then again it's just what I have seen as far."

"Why is it so bad, then?" Rukia asked.

"This zone deceives those who come in here." Uryuu said "It catches your soul's greatest memories and then it modifies them. If you fall in the water behind us you will immediately start feeling the effect of the memory being modified, it will change your greatest memories into your greatest nightmares."

"Changing memories?" Tatsuki asked right away.

She, Rukia and Orihime shared a concerned look, considering the same thing. Someone manipulated the water of that sea and used it so that they could change everybody's memories. Still, even if they figured out how they changed everything, when and how was it played it out? And how come Tatsuki wasn't affected? Why time stopped and she could keep moving? Whatever that happened was beyond the surface of what they have learnt so far, but they were getting closer.

"Yes." Uryuu replied breaking the girls train of thoughts "What are you assuming?"

"Uryuu." Orihime said impatiently "You…"

"… You have nothing to do with this." Rukia interjected.

Orihime was glaring at Rukia; she wanted to tell Uryuu everything, every little detail of what happened, and then she came to interject with that comment. Uryuu wiped his glasses a little and then he stared at Rukia with a serious, analyzing look in his blue eyes.

"Since we arrived in hell you have gave us your assistance, but you never said why." Rukia said while drawing her sword out "You have told us as much as hell as you seem to know, however if what Kon says is right then you are not just doing this as an act of kindness, but as a mean to an end. I demand to know what it is."

"Let me answer your question with another question." Uryuu replied tranquil "Why are you seeking for Ichigo?"

There was a brief silence and before any of the girls could answer, Uryuu spoke up again.

"You just hesitated about telling me." He said "I can't blame you; you must have your own reasons, just as I do, so what if we just keep our mouths shut and keep as before? You can save the blade for later Rukia, I'm not planning on back stabbing you…"

"… yet…" Kon mumbled.

"Stop it." Orihime muttered in pain.

"You need guidance as you know nothing of hell, if I'm not guiding you then there's nothing you can do here, besides why would I want to harm you? We have never met before…"

"STOP IT!" Orihime yelled out loud.

Tatsuki realized that it was more than what she could withstand, and until then she never realized how close she used to be to Uryuu. She loved her friend… or was it even more? She knew she used to be deeply in love with Ichigo, but could have something changed? Orihime went to places where she never stepped in, she was already set in a world she didn't know until recently. There was little she could do to help.

Rukia sighed; she also knew Orihime was having a rough time, however she did expect she could be able to keep it together in order to keep their search for Ichigo as a main priority, and now it seemed like their hell guide was about to become an enemy, and as such she took a defensive stance, just in case.

"You're not Uryuu!" Orihime said as she stepped towards him "The real Uryuu Ishida would never say such cold hearted things."

"And how come you know anything about him?" Uryuu asked "We have never met…"

"YES WE HAVE!" Orihime's yell made him give two steps backwards "Stop this nonsense! Try to regain your memory!"

"My memory is…"

"It's not fine!" Orihime replied as she started bursting into tears "Nothing is… All the people I care about are in peril because of me… it wasn't enough to drag Tatsuki and Rukia to hell with me, but now I get to see you like that…"

It was one of the few times she addressed Rukia by her first name and called Tatsuki without the 'chan' that showed affection. Also she stopped the flow of tears as she grabbed Uryuu's shoulder with might.

"Take us to Ichigo." She ordered with cold voice "Now, no more detours, no more comments, take us there, NOW!"

I have never seen Orihime so pissed… I have never seen her stand in her ground like that. She must be really pissed with all this. Tatsuki was usually the kind of person who called people out like Orihime just did, the one who set things right, and seeing Orihime able to talk so coldly made her chill, especially when she said 'Ichigo' instead of 'Kurosaki-kun'.

Rukia was shocked, and she could notice that Uryuu did not see that coming. She stored her blade as she kept an eye on Uryuu who seemed to faintly smile.

"I thought you were just a sweet heart bimbo. Apparently I have misjudged you." Uryuu commented as he lead them towards the pit "We have to go through the pit, but it's not as simple as it seems, soon we'll be in a dark zone, so you better join your hands or you will get lost."

Tatsuki grabbed Rukia's and Orihime's hand as the double, just as Uryuu grabbed Orihime's left hand and stared her with what seem a look filled with a little bit of lust. Tatsuki felt like beating the crap out of him, still she knew it wasn't time for that.

They all made a leap forward and as they fell in the pit and embraced the darkness that covered their sight, Orihime was able to faintly feel a scent.

"U… Ulquiora…"