A/N: I just want to say thank you once again to my readers. Can I just tell you, you guys are the best there are!
Everyone of you always put a smile on my face and give me such encouraging words! Thank you so much for your support.
Sorry for the late update but I hope you enjoy the chapter!
As always, reviews are so very much appreciated!
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The night provided a breeze that ran against her skin causing goosebumps to raise on her arm. She welcomed the chill; it helped to distract her, at least momentarily, from her brooding thoughts. She knew it was going to be difficult when she talked to Tatsuki, but she wasn't fully prepared for her friends tears. As soon as she received word earlier that day from Urahara-san that they would be invading Hueco Mundo in two days, she knew she had to tell her best friend where they would be going. Ichigo told her he would speak to Tatsuki with her, but she wanted it to be a more private moment with her best friend and now she was glad she had done so.
Tatsuki would have never wanted anyone to see her cry like that except Orihime.
Tatuski told her she understood why, told her she knew it had to be done, but that didn't change the fact that she was so scared for her best friend. The stories Orihime told her about Hueco Mundo were not pleasant ones and the karate champion made sure she brought up everyone of the dangers she could think of to warn Orihime about. The healer did her best to reassure her friend that this time would be different; they would be going in as a group, united together, but it did little to make her feel better. Just the remote possibility that Tatsuki wouldn't see her again was enough to shake the strong barriers of her independent, fierce personality.
The pair sat in Tatsuki's bedroom for a few hours, talking and comforting each other. When Orihime was ready to leave, she decided to take the longer way back to her home and stopped by the river. Sitting herself down on the banks, she leaned back into her hands and tried to just enjoy the calm night sky. The face of her surrogate sister crying kept flashing through her mind though. Orihime rubbed her hands vigorously along her arms to ward off the slight chill. Thankfully, no one else had come along while she had been there, as well as no Arrancars or hollows. She was supposed to have called Ichigo when she was ready to leave but she needed the time alone right then.
Her own emotions were mixed about returning to Hueco Mundo. She had sworn she would never return to that desolate wasteland. After being rescued from the so-called palace of Las Noches, and getting into the garganta with Ishida, she had taken a final glance of the barren landscape and wished it good riddance. Now she was being told they would have to return.
Oh, Ichigo had given her a way out and told her he would actually feel better if she would stay behind. That was simply not an option for her. While she understood his reasons for wanting her to stay behind, she couldn't very well let her friends walk into a battle without being there to help protect them and heal their injuries. And if the fighting would be anything like the last time, there would be a definite need for her healing powers.
She honestly felt like Grimmjow was telling the truth about the numbers of Arrancar left over, but Urahara's statement about there being a larger number of Arrancar than what they were expecting would not leave her head. It had already been decided that the team going would consist of Ichigo, herself, Ishida, Sado, Rukia, Renji, Toshiro, Byakuya, and Kenpachi. Toshiro was ordering Rangiku to stay behind in the living world along with Ikkaku and Yumichika in case the Arrancar decided to attack there. Kenpachi told Toshiro there was no way he was missing another battle and Byakuya would not say the reason he was going, only that he was.
Orihime was sure he was going to keep an eye on Rukia. She was badly injured the last time and if he hadn't shown up with Hanataro she might not have made it. Regardless of the way he sometimes presented himself, she knew he cared about his sister a great deal; that's why he volunteered. Yamamoto-taicho had only asked for volunteers this time, instead of handing out orders, and the three captains immediately agreed for the mission.
It was getting late but there was no need to rush home tonight. The group agreed they should just go ahead and miss school the next day so they could be sure to prepare for the invasion to take place the day after tomorrow. There was nothing she needed to prepare, besides assuring she had her hairpins with her, so she continued to gaze into the stars, sending up her own prayers for everyone's safe return.
She felt his familiar reiatsu closing in on her quickly and she turned her head to greet him as he bounded over the hill to her side.
"Hey Ichigo-kun."
"Orihime, what are you doing here? I told you to call me and I'd come walk you home didn't I?" he said as he slid Zangetsu off his back to sit beside her.
"Yeah, but I wanted to be alone for a little while. Everything's been fine so please don't worry."
"Is everythig okay with you and Tatsuki?"
"Yeah, well, it is but she's upset of course. She doesn't want any of us to go back there but she knows it isn't something we can avoid."
"Orihime..."
"I'm going Ichigo." she interrupted, knowing what discussion he was going to return to. She heard him sigh heavily before he laced their fingers together.
"Fine. I won't say it again but I will make you promise to me again...you will stay near me and do your absolute best to stay safe."
"I will Ichigo, you know that; but I will also protect those I can and I will heal any injuries that arise. I'm not going just so I can be near everyone. I'm going to help us win this war so we can all come back home...together."
He raised their joined hands and kissed the back of hers softly. "I know and we will." They sat in silence together and watched the slow moving river reflecting the glow of the night sky for a while longer, each of them involved in their own thoughts that mirrored the others.
They rose together later and began a leisurely pace back to her apartment where Toshiro and Rangiku were already waiting for her.
Ichigo ran behind Byakuya and Ishida along the pathway they made through the garganta. Their control of reiatsu was much more refined than his own so he didn't even voice a complaint when they stepped in front of him when Urahara opened the portal. Orihime ran beside him, her hair flying wildly behind her. As much as he wanted to protest and force her to stay behind, he knew she wouldn't. He also admitted to himself that they needed her healing powers. Even if someone from the fourth squad had accompanied them, which they didn't, her powers healed faster and she could focus on her surroundings and place her golden barrier to protect them if needs be; something the members of the fourth squad were unable to do.
The others ran behind him, everyone silent except for their slightly labored breathing. Not much had been said in the shop before they all left. There was none of the usual joking nor light hearted banter amongst them; the situation was too serious to allow them their usual frustration outlets. Urahara had wished them a safe journey before they all departed and now, they all ran towards that desolate landscape once again with thoughts of the upcoming battles firm in their minds.
The stale air of Hueco Mundo hit their faces as they emerged from the garganta. Off in the distance, they could see the crumbling remains of Las Noches. Pillars were half destroyed from their previous battles, as well as some more recent ones. Unlike last time, when Ichigo and his friends entered into the building itself, they found themselves standing in the desert portion of Hueco Mundo.
Ichigo took in their surroundings, pleased to see no one around them for the moment. As they previously discussed, Byakuya led one squad of himself, Rukia, and Renji. Toshiro would head another with Sado and Ishida leaving Orihime and Ichigo to go with Kenpachi. The group re-vowed their promise to meet up again, as they had before, and split in their separate directions; Ichigo's group running forwards, towards Las Noches.
It seemed not much had changed since the last time he set foot in this plane of existance. Small, creatures donning hollow masks flittered about moving out of their way as they ran. Nothing else marred the landscape save for a random withered tree.
Ichigo stopped abruptly in his tracks as he heard Orihime gasp. Neither himself or Kenpachi were able to feel reiatsu's very well so he was already prepared to be aware of Orihime's reactions to foreign reiatsu's.
"What is it Orihime?"
"Right ahead...I-I'm not sure..."
Kenpachi stood in front of them listening so he was hit with the large spray of sand that was launched into the air as the enormous menos landed in front of them. Two others descended behind them and immediatley formed ceros in front of their mouths. Ichigo grabbed Orihime around the waist and shunpoed away from the blast. He deposited her safely to the side of the battle and was about to instruct her to raise her shield when Kenpachi called out to him.
"Oi Ichigo. What are you waiting around for?"
The bright haired teens were gaping at the sight before them. Regardless of the fact that they had seen his strength in battle before, it was an astounding sight to see how quickly he had disposed of the three large menos. Orihime broke her trance first.
"Come on Ichigo-kun, maybe you can fight the next ones." she giggled when he turned his unamused face towards her but fell in step along with her.
From the east, he saw the glow of a large cero blast erupt and Ichigo had to force himself to keep moving forward. He knew his friends were strong and could fight for themselves but he couldn't help but to worry about their welfare. Orihime sensed his tension and placed her hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze to show she felt the same.
The group traveled at a slower pace but continued moving forward. No other attacks came and it had Ichigo feeling very uneasy. The cero blast he'd seen near his friends earlier was the first and last indication he'd seen of any battles. Time dragged onward as they continued towards Las Noches. When they finally first stepped onto the crumbling pathways of the enormous building, Ichigo grabbed Orihime's hand and squeezed it lightly. Though she didn't say anything outloud, her face showed her gratitude for his support.
"What the hell? I came here to have some fun dammit! There hasn't been a single arrancar around!" Kenpachi growled.
"Isn't that a good thing though?" Orihime replied meekly in the presence of the near barbaric warrior.
"Hell no. I wouldn't have drug my ass out to this piece of shit hell-hole if there wasn't gonna be any fighting."
"We gotta keep searching. They're probably hiding somewhere." Ichigo said.
"Tch. You search, I'm sitting down right here until I see something to kill."
Kenpachi sat down on the nearest stone surface and made himself comfortable. No amount of coaxing from Ichigo would rouse the man and he was losing his patience. Orihime was about to try and calm Ichigo down when the cell phone Rukia gave her began going off.
She fiddled with the buttons for a few moments before finally figuring out how it worked. "Umm...hello?"
"Orihime!" Rukia's frantic voice screamed from the other end. "We've been ambushed by a large group of hollows and adjuchas. We need back up. Can you guys come?" Her voice carried loudly so the others heard Rukia's question. Orihime looked up to Ichigo, question poised at her lips, when Kenpachi interrupted.
"Finally! Ichigo, you stay here. I'm not letting you get any of the fun."
"Kenpachi wait a..." Ichigo began but Kenpachi shunpoed away.
"Rukia-chan, Zaraki-san just left headed your way."
"Thanks." was the only reply before she hung up.
"When did she give you that?"
"Shortly before we left. We wanted to have some kind of way to communicate since we would be splitting up. I'm glad she did now."
"Yeah, it was a good idea."
"Ichigo-kun, is it okay for us to let Zaraki-san go to them by himself?"
"It's fine. I'm tired of listening to him bitch anyway. Come on, we'll look around here some more."
The pair stayed close together as they walked around the grounds of Las Noches. Silence was the only thing that greeted them. Dark, dried stains littered the stone pathways. Orihime shivered as she realized it was probably blood left from their last unwanted visit there. As they turned the corner of the building, she felt a dampened presence. It was a familiar reiatsu that seemed to be leaking out in bursts; as if the owner was trying to call her attention. Shivers ran down her spine, this time in fear.
"Ichigo." she whispered.
The fear in her voice made him go on alert instantly. He allowed his senses to flare out as he concentrated on finding what caused her worry. Almost immediately, he felt the pulse of reiatsu and he placed himself in front of her.
"Took you long enough."
Ichigo followed the voice upward with his eyes and saw Grimmjow sitting atop one of the crumbling pillars. He kept one long leg dangling while he had the other bent and his arm rested against it. His pose was leisurely but his eyes were concentrated on their every move.
"Grimmjow, what are you doing here?"
"Waiting on you." he replied instantly.
"We're here for the other arrancar, not for you." Ichigo replied. He'd already removed Zangetsu from his back and now held the sword by his side.
"You're wasting your time with that. They've already left."
"What do you mean Grimmjow?" Orihime asked.
"The last two took off a few days ago after the others reiatsu disappeared in the living world. Said they didn't have any reason to fight you humans and they didn't wanna die. They ran off like the cowards they are."
"Really?" Ichigo asked in disbelief.
"I already told you shinigami, I don't lie."
"Kurosaki!"
The bright haired teens both turned at the voice. Sado, Ishida, and Toshiro were running up to them; each with their weapons drawn.
"Shoulda gotten more hollows."
Though the statement had been said softly, Ichigo still heard it.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I could tell you brought more friends" he sneered the word as if it left a horrible taste in his mouth "with you. Couldn't have them distracting our fight so I gave them something to play with."
"You sent those hollows after Rukia-chan and the rest?" Orihime asked.
"Yeah, didn't have too many left for this group. They must've finished them off already."
"He is correct about that." Ishida said. "It wasn't a particularly large group but they were strong. Fortunately, one of them said something about 'Grimmjows orders' to the others so we finished them off quickly to come find you."
"This has nothing to do with the rest of you." Grimmjow said menacingly.
"What do you want Grimmjow? We've already fought. You lost but you're alive, can't you be happy with that."
"The fight wasn't over!" he screamed. "It was interrupted by Nnoitra! I am not done with you Kurosaki!"
Ichigo didn't immediately respond to his cries of outrage. Something like pity entered his eyes as he looked at the Espada again. "I'm done with you though, Grimmjow." Ichigo turned to leave the area and his friends fell in step behind him.
Grimmjow was seething with rage. How dare this useless fucking human continue to look down on him? Ichigo turning his back on the fight was nothing more than cowardice in his eyes. He demanded his fight with the shinigami. The scar that raked across his chest almost seemed to burn as his temper exploded. Twice now he had fought the orange haired shinigami and they had never finished the battle. Ichigo's death would be the only thing to quench his desire to fight the man. But right now, his eyes held none of the desire to fight Grimmjow longed to see.
He wanted to kill him when he was at his strongest. Only then could he prove he was the better fighter; prove he was stronger than the damn shinigami. Hands clenched at his sides as he watched the group continue to walk away. Taunting his prey had not worked. How could he get that anger to surface once again?
A slow, feral grin appeared on his face as he recalled certain events that provoked the short temper on the human. Dust kicked up around him as he used his sonido to get to that retreating figure.
Ichigo was strapping Zangetsu to his back when he felt the reiatsu suddenly pop up right behind his group. The muffled squeak he heard made him whip his head around and grind his teeth in anger.
Grimmjow stood back from the group, holding Orihime captive in his arms. His face held his twisted smile as his hand covered her mouth. Ichigo watched in disgust as Grimmjow's hand covered her flat abdomen and pushed her back against his chest. Grey eyes wide with fright stared back into his chocolate orbs.
"Let her go Grimmjow." Ichigo ground out.
"Why Kurosaki? I thought you were leaving. You didn't wanna fight remember?"
"I'm not telling you again." Their friends watched on in fear as Ichigo's reiatsu began to swell around him.
"You will fight me Kurosaki. If you aren't in the mood to fight me now I can always change that." Grimmjow began trailing the hand resting on Orihime's stomach up her torso. "Does this piss you off?" The hand was dangerously close to her chest now. Bits of black began leaking into Ichigo's steel gaze. "Perhaps you understand now Kurosaki. Nothing will stand in the way of our fight. Not even your damn self." His hand moved away from her chest to clench her waist and keep her in place. Without breaking eye contact with Ichigo, Grimmjow leaned down and bit Orihime's throat, his sharp incisors piercing her flesh. She whimpered in pain as a thin trail of blood washed down her neck.
Ichigo's reiatsu was so heavy his friends began to struggle to stay upright. A dark feeling crept into his lighter reiatsu that sent chills down their spines. They all knew his hollow was begging to be freed.
"Let's do this." Ichigo muttered darkly to the blue haired Espada.
Grimmjow pushed Orihime away from him and leapt high into the sky. Ishida rushed forward to catch her. Ichigo paused only for a second to make sure she would be okay before exploding upward to follow the Espada.
"Inoue-san, are you okay?"
"Y-yes. Thank you Ishida-kun." She called out Shuno and Ayame to heal the bite at her throat. Never would she have imagined Grimmjow to treat her person like he did. Of course, it was all nothing but a taunt to get Ichigo to fight but she still felt dirty. All she wanted to do was rush home, take a hot shower, and wrap Ichigo's arms around her. That wasn't an option, so she at least took care of the physical wounds he left behind.
A heavy blast of wind flew from the fighting pair above them, scattering the sand in all directions. Orihime called her shield out in front of the group so they would be protected as they watched the horrifying scene.
Grimmjow raised his hand, forming the blue light of his Gran Rey Cero before blasting it towards Ichigo. When the smoke cleared from the explosion, Ichigo's hollow mask was on. They heard Grimmjow laugh heartily.
"That's it. Fight me with everything you've got so when you die you'll have no regrets!" they heard him scream.
"What's happening?"
They turned to see the others running up to them. Orihime quickly scanned their group for injuries. While there were some, none looked serious so she turned back to the fight. A small part of her chastised herself for leaving them hurting but she just had to focus on the battle right now. She knew how strong Grimmjow was and she worried for her love.
She heard the voices behind her but she didn't bother to turn around or try to listen to them.
"Orihime, are you alright?" Rukia asked as she knelt down beside the healer. Orihime saw her eyes searching her now healed throat. Someone must have filled them in on what happened.
"I'm fine Rukia-chan." she replied without her usual smile. She simply clutched her arms tight to her body as she watched Ichigo be thrown back by a strong kick from Grimmjow. Rukia's arms came around her shoulders for support. The girls watched on in horror as Grimmjow raked his hands along his sword before crying out his sword's release.
"Grind! Pantera!"
Ichigo clenched his hand around his Tensa Zangetsu as Grimmjow stood across from him in his released form.
"Kill him. Kill him. Kill him."
The words of his hollow rang loudly in his head, nearly distracting him from battle. He parried an attack by the Espada before launching another Getsuga Tenshou at him.
"He touched our queen. Cut off his hands. Cut the toungue from his mouth. Fucking kill him!"
Ichigo barely felt the pain from Grimmjow's claws as they sliced into his side. Instead, he found himself melding more with his hollows heavy reiatsu and attacking the Espada relentlessly. He dodged the darts Grimmjow shot at him, knowing first hand what they would do on impact, and used his shunpo to come up beside him and land a heavy slash of his sword to the man's thigh. Blood poured down his sword onto his hands, but he ignored it and wrapped his reiatsu around his sword and clashed with Grimmjows claws.
"I will kill you Kurosaki." Grimmjow uttered and kicked Ichigo in the stomach, throwing him into the side of another pillar. The light from another cero leaked into his blurred vision and Ichigo fired his getsuga to stop the attack. The pair flew at one another; fists met flesh in quick punches dealing heavy damage to one another. Ichigo slashed at him again with Zangetsu, getting by his attempt to block it, and sliced open the flesh of his left arm.
"You touched what is mine." Ichigo muttered darkly as he swung again, this time slicing open his shoulder. Grimmjow fell back, panting hard from the damage he'd taken and the heavy blood loss. He tried to stand but fell back onto one knee. Ichigo stood still for a moment, shutting out his hollows cries and allowing his emotions to calm down once again. The battle was nearly won; Grimmjow could hardly go on and Ichigo found himself loath to kill him. "Stay the fuck away from us Grimmjow." he spat and turned to leave.
"You leave and I will only attack her again. Wether it be today or in the future, be sure I will find you both."
Ichigo turned around to face him again and Grimmjow made his way to his feet.
"This is a battle to the death. Don't forget that human." he sneered. "One of us will kill the other. If you make the mistake of leaving this battle again I will hunt her down and destroy her in front of you before taking your life."
Ichigo stood still in front of him, making no move to leave now. Grimmjow launched himself at Ichigo's still form.
The onlookers below had not heard their words and watched in horror as Grimmjow flew towards Ichigo, who seemed to be lost in thought. Orihime screamed out a warning for him that turned into one of horror as they watched Ichigo swing Zangetsu once sideways. She turned her face aside, unwilling to watch the now disemboweled body fall to the ground.
As Ichigo decended to them, the remenants of his mask disappearing, his friends didn't know what to say to him. Though he won the battle, his face still held such anger they were almost afraid to break the stilted silence. He strode past them and knelt to Orihime, whose face was still averted. Once he placed his hands gently on her shoulders she looked up to him.
"Ichigo, are you okay?" she whispered. "Sit down, let me heal you." His eyes burned with emotions she couldn't place before his face finally softened slightly.
"Heal me at the shop. For now, let's just get out of here." He gently pulled her to her feet and the group walked away from Las Noches.