Towards The Last Bad Dream

The next zone was really terrifying, not because of the bone like that covered the floor, but because of the immense darkness of the moonless sky. The only thing that covered that hell zone with light was the mere light coming from very faint candles all around the zone; it was very difficult to see something around that place, everything seemed to be filled with darkness, and the bones that made the path they were walking on seemed to be about to break at any second, and if it did they would be most likely consumed in the darkness that surrounded the zone.

Uryuu's bow acted as light bringer in the zone and illuminated much of the way they were crossing. He didn't say anything, after Orihime stood her ground he decided not to mess with that girl anymore, if he could he would avoid talking with any of those three crazy bitches, after all what they were after was completely insane.

That zone affected Tatsuki particularly, and it wasn't that she was afraid of darkness, but it brought her a distant memory from the past.

"Mommy, mommy!" Tatsuki said; she was almost barely a kid then.

"Tell me, sweetheart." Her mother replied.

"I just had an awful dream! You and daddy were walking around a very dark place! You were screaming my name, but I couldn't reach you… and the floor was made of bone, it collapsed and then you were lost in the darkness!"

"Calm down, Tatsuki-chan, my dear." Her mother said "It's alright… it was just a bad dream."

"Tatsuki-chan?"

Orihime's voice made her come back to reality. She smiled, pretending to be fine, while the zone actually triggered those childish fears, and as she kept walking the fear was nearer to overcome her, how could she have dreamt about a hell zone in her childhood?

"I'm fine." Tatsuki lied with an unconvincing smile "Let's keep moving."

Orihime could tell Tatsuki wasn't fine, but her mind was also somewhere else at the time and she couldn't take much attention to Tatsuki's fear; she was thinking about Ulquiorra's scent, she felt it, and she wanted to meet him, to be able to fulfill that promise she made her… she told him that the next time they found each other, she would be her heart. Then she snapped, and realized that while thinking about wouldn't bring Ulquiorra to her, she could actually help Tatsuki with whatever that was in her mind.

"It's not good to keep things from us." Rukia said first "You can tell us what is going on." There was a brief silent and then she looked at Orihime "That goes for you too."

Orihime turned her head towards Rukia, a bit shocked for that comment, yet she smiled, because she could tell Rukia cared for her. Even when Ulquiorra, Ichigo, and Uryuu-who she saw as a total different person- weren't around, she still had two gals for her, two friends that were like sisters.

"You shouldn't let your guard down." Kon warned "Danger is all around here."

Indeed, and they would learn that soon. As the words fall describing what happen to these three girls, the darkness was most likely to consume any kind of light around, including Uryuu's bow.

"Damn it!" Uryuu cursed "As we reach the zone's end it's easier for the light to get consumed by darkness! So don't get lost! Keep track of our spiritual pressure and, if you are afraid of getting lost anyway, join your hands!"

Uryuu's hand joined Orihime's, which surprised her as she felt in that touch something she thought lost in the man before her; kindness. He was being gentle as he touched her. Tatsuki held both Orihime's and Rukia's hand as Kon grabbed Rukia's arm with might.

Soon they fell in true darkness and nothing could be seen, everything was reduced to nothing but pitch black, as they felt how some of the bones crumbled, and so Tatsuki made a silent groan; nobody could hear it, it was almost like a scream, it was reviving her childhood's memory.

"Dad? What are you doing? DAD?"

"TATSUKI! RUN!"

Tatsuki's eyes were filled with tears, and a very silent cry that wasn't heard by anyone. Her heart beat fast as she remembered even more horrendous events of her past, events that eventually made her live on her own. This zone was bringing all that back, it was like a torture.

"Please, please, stop it!" She said while crying "Dad… what are you doing to mom?"

And then the gun shoots.

This time Tatsuki couldn't keep it together; she finally allowed her groan escape the silent tone and it was faintly heard by Orihime and Rukia as their hands felt something like rain drops falling in them; tears.

"Tatsuki?" Rukia asked concerned "Are you ok."

She was about to talk, but she acted. She took Rukia and Orihime and jumped to the right as she heard something hissing in the wind. Uryuu was fast and he drew a Seele Schneider, which brought the light that his bow could not bring any longer. The light illuminated a pair of bat wings that Orihime recognized right away.

"Ulquiorra…" she said faintly.

Uryuu's blade shaped weapon illuminated every single faction of that body, which camouflaged almost perfect in the darkness of the night, the legs, the arms, the wings, and most of his body was nothing but black, and only his green eyes were able to produce a glimmer that made him a little bit visible in the dark.

"How do you know my name woman?"

"No…" Orihime said both saddened and pissed "Not you too…"

She grabbed her hair pins and she held them in her hands with might; she knew he might come against them as enemies, and he was already at full force. No, she wouldn't let the past repite, this time she was stronger, this time she would be able to save him no matter what.

"Tatsuki, Rukia, this is personal."

Both Tatsuki and Rukia could tell that by the very moment she pronounced nothing but their names without the affective "chan" or the respectful "san". She was dead serious, dead pissed, and really, really sad.

"Orihime…"

"I'll be fine." Orihime said "Let me handle him, you go for Ichigo."

But Tatsuki didn't hear her, she just stepped forward and, when she saw Ulquiorra coming against Orihime, she hit him. The impact didn't really harm him at all; it merely made him step backwards.

"You posses iron fists, Tatsuki Arisawa."

Now she didn't expect for him to know her name. Orihime was about to tell Tatsuki to leave her deal with it, but by hearing Ulquiorra mention Tatsuki's name she grew curious and scared.

"How did you…?"

"You are the only one that withstood the judgment."

"Judgment?"

"TATSUKI-CHAN!"

It was a matter of splits seconds; Orihime pulled Tatsuki backwards and she protected them both from a cero oscuras with her Shiten Koushun. The defense was merely able to repel the blast and counter attack. Ulquiorra's arm was harmed by the back fire of Orihime's defense as she threw Tatsuki backwards. She knew her friend could deal with Ulquiorra, she knew that together it would be even easier to bring him down, but she didn't want that. She gave a dead away look towards her friends, and in a moment of weakness she left her old self come back and the tears fell. She wanted to be strong like everyone around her, but inside she was very fragile; however it didn't change her resolution.

Rukia was able to see all that through Orihime's eyes, and although she shared Tatsuki's concern for her, she realized there was something more precious in stake; Orihime's pride.

So Rukia grabbed Tatsuki and forced her to run away.

"Hey!" Tatsuki complained "Orihime needs us! We are a team!"

"This is Inoue's battle." Rukia replied "Didn't you look at her eyes? This battle is more than a regular fight; there are more things at stake."

"What if she gets hurt?" Tatsuki yelled "WHAT IF SHE DIES?"

Uryuu, who remained silent for the whole scene, suddenly stopped and he pointed the way out for Rukia and Tatsuki.

"That way you should find Ichigo." He said as he stared at Orihime and Ulquiorra, who were starting to succumb in the darkness "I'll be here for Orihime, if things get ugly, I'll help her."

"How can I trust you that?" Tatsuki asked.

And for one second she thought she saw through the glasses, through the eyes; the real Uryuu Ishida, the one who actually cared for Orihime. Or was she thinking to see it? Did she just wanted an excuse to leave Orihime alone? Just thinking about it made her sick, and she no longer knew what was the best thing to do.

"Don't be selfish."

Those were Rukia's words as she forced her to keep running, and Tatsuki noticed that tears fell from her face; she didn't want to leave her alone at all.

"Orihime entrusted Ichigo to us!" Rukia said with a bit of broken voice "We can't fail!"

And so they left; Tatsuki was only able to move forward after seeing Rukia's tears, after realizing how much important Orihime was for her as well.

"DON'T DIE ORIHIME!" Tatsuki yelled "COME BACK WITH US WHEN YOU'RE DONE!"

And so they kept their track to the end of that dark zone.