Disclaimer: This man does not own Bleach.
Kill the Moonlight
"...Mr. Kurosaki...? Why are you taking me with you...?"
Isshin continued to move through the Rukon district as he searched for Ichigo. He looked over his shoulder at her.
"...Why, you ask? Isn't it obvious? Ichigo already has very little faith in us, and no doubt he's distraught at the fact that you might be one of Juhabach's."
Orihime gulped slightly and protested, "He'll kill me!"
"You heard Yamamoto, didn't you? He wants you either on his side or off his mind. He won't progress as long as the thought of betrayal still haunts him. I'll let you talk to him first, then I can teach him some things about Zangetsu."
He chuckled underneath his breath at her slight shudder of fear. As they continued, he stopped suddenly, holding Orihime back. He looked over to his right in the forest of the Fugai district.
"We're here. I can sense him in the clearing over there."
While Orihime still could barely speak, Isshin turned to her and announced, "...Being quite honest, here... I really don't believe you're as bad as Karin believes... But I hope you have a good enough explanation to keep your ass alive."
With that, he pushed her closer to the clearing. She stopped and turned back towards Isshin and exclaimed "Wait, you're not going to let me go in alone, are you!? Surely, we'll do better going in together!?"
"...No."
Her features dropped as he pointed to the forest, threatening her with the slight click of his Zanpakuto. She turned around slowly, hugging her arms around herself as she entered the clearing.
Isshin watched her slow movements and sighed.
"...Hopefully, Ichigo will be rational..."
When Orihime arrived to Ichigo's position, she was surprised at finding him on the ground, bleeding all over his body.
"Ich-Ichigo!? Oh God, what happened to you!?"
The person in question looked up in shock as he stared into the wide, blue eyes of Orihime. He breathed deeply before collapsing back into the dirt.
"...Juhabach said...he wouldn't see me again after that last battle... I guess...this is what he meant... I'm not going down...without a fight...Orihime...!"
Orihime jumped back in fright as Ichigo held up his Zanpakuto, knees wobbling as he dropped into a stance. She quickly shouted, "I'm not here to kill you!"
"...Then how did you get here...? I know Yamamoto wouldn't let your ass waltz right in...!"
She giggled dryly as she awkwardly rubbed her cheek and corrected, "Actually, he did. He told me to come here and explain myself..."
Ichigo panted heavily as he collapsed back to the ground, the weakness gaining hold of him momentarily.
"Damn...you...! What the hell...is there to explain!? You've meeting with Juhabach...since before we met! You're no better than Aizen! You liar-!"
He was cut off as Orihime's Spirit Weapon nicked his throat slightly as she held it up to him. This was definitely something new to him. She quickly grabbed his neck, putting him in a vice grip and continuing to point her blade at Ichigo's throat.
"Listen to me before you start tossing around accusations... Don't you ever compare me to Aizen."
Ichigo cursed Zangetsu for weakening him in his inner world. He would have been able to toss her away easily. She leaned in closer to his ear and whispered, "...That night... I admit, I did know who you were at the time... But only because Juhabach has always expressed interest in you...I had no idea about you as a person..."
Ichigo grunted, "That doesn't change the fact...that you've been threatening everyone with your presence...! That Juhabach came to Soul Society and stole my powers because of you...!"
"No! I had nothing to do with that! I've long ceased working for Juhabach!"
Orihime grunted in pain as Ichigo elbow her in her temple, causing her to release him as he rolled to his feet.
"Ow! Wait, Ichigo! Lemme explai-!"
Ichigo roared, "Shut up! I don't want to hear your voice anymore!"
She jumped to her, bringing up her Spirit Weapon as it clashed with Zangetsu. She felt her hands bleed under Ichigo's heavy force. As she continued straining under his blade, she protested, "Stop this, Ichigo! I'm trying-!"
"...Kill the Moonlight...Zangetsu..."
Isshin's mouth dropped from the outside of the forest as he watched the large explosion appear from inside of the forest.
"Damn. Thought he was more level-headed than that."
He heard the voice of his daughter behind him as she drawled out, "Really, Dad? This is Ichigo we're talking about... Nothing is ever level-headed with him around."
"I have to agree with Karin, father. You should have known this would happen."
Isshin frowned as sighed, "I'd hope he would leave her alive... I wanted to use her to learn more about Juhabach... Guess we better intervene then..."
Ichigo... I wonder if you can tell what I'm thinking about... I've always heard...that you can understand one better when you clash blades with them...
Ichigo roared as he dashed towards her with his new Shikai. It appeared as an extended meat cleaver with a handle wrapped in bandages.
"Stielhandgranate."
Orihime, using her Spirit Weapon as a basis, created a destructive arrow from the hilt and fired it towards Ichigo as he came down with his Getsuga Tensho.
...I lied... I lied to you that night...and I'm lying to you now...
The explosion tossed both of them off of their feet as they landed on separate trees from across the clearing.
...I saved you...because of the stories...that my mother told me... Each and every bedtime story she told me... The main character always consisted of the same features...
Orihime and Ichigo kicked off of the tree at the same time, both clashing in mid-air.
...They always had orange hair...and they always carried a big sword...and he always rebelled... That hero... The hero that I've heard so many stories about...has always been my greatest inspiration...
They swiped through each other, each bleeding heavily as they landed on the ground and turned around again.
...I saved you...because I wanted to understand the hero that my mother adored so much...
She shot another arrow towards him, though he grabbed it before it could touch him. Before long, she felt his blade come across her chest.
...I saved you...cause I had hoped...that I could believe in you...
"Bankai!"
Before he could release Tensa Zangetsu, he was slashed in his back, causing him to drop to his knees in front of the fallen Orihime.
"Ichigo, I think you're going a little too far. She was trying to explain herself to you, idiot."
The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the dark hair of a female and mumbled, "Who...are...you...?"
"...I think he's dying again. Shock him."
Ichigo's eyes snapped wide and he moved to hit the nearest person, which happened to be Karin. In response, she swiftly dodged his fist and smirked.
"Woah, Bro... Gettin' kinda slow there, aren't ya...?"
Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he looked at her, along with the other occupants of the room. He gazed towards a middle-aged woman who was bouncing on her toes in joy as she stared at him.
"Oh my God...! I can't believe I'm seeing this right now... Daddy, hold me, 'cause I'm gonna pass out!"
Karin frowned and stared at her twin sister before shouting, "Stop acting so dramatic! He doesn't even remember us!"
Yuzu immediately hopped away from Isshin and ran to Ichigo's side as she grabbed his hand and shouted, "Do you remember me!? It's me, Big Brother! Don't you remember!?"
"...Big Brother...? Are you...?"
Yuzu nodded frivolously as Ichigo lamely finished, "Karin?", which caused both Karin and Yuzu to hold their face in their hands.
On his left, Karin complained, "We're not even real twins! We're fraternal, damnit! You shouldn't mix us up!"
He looked over to Karin, and then back to Yuzu, and then back to Karin. He blinked and said, "...You guys are old. How can you be my little sisters when you both are pushing middle-age?"
"...Oh that's it, now! My foot is going in your ass as soon as you get off this bed!"
Ichigo grimaced at Karin's threat and thought to himself, 'No, that's definitely my sister...'
Looking back at his other sister, he flinched at the motherly anger demonstrated on her face as she held her hands on her hips.
"...You definitely are Ichigo, alright. Just as stupid and tactless."
His eyes squinted as he yelled, "Hey! I'm not stupid! What kinda sister calls her older brother stupid!?"
"All sisters, stupid!"
Isshin and Kisuke couldn't help but chuckle as each of Ichigo's sisters grabbed his arm, threatening to rip them off as he protested.
"I guess you're excited about having Team Kurosaki back, huh?"
Isshin grinned slightly as he said, "As kitty with milk, my dear Kisuke... As a kitty with milk."
"Is that supposed to be directed to me?"
Both Kisuke and Isshin turned as Yoruichi entered the room. Isshin's eyes narrowed as he noticed Orihime was peeking out from behind her.
"...So you've decided to accept his offer, Yoruichi?"
Considering she was once again wearing the haori for the Second Division, the answer was not a real surprise.
"...Only til this crap is over... Now that I'm here again, this place seems so dull compared to the lively human world..."
Isshin blinked and exclaimed, "I know, right!? I was thinking the same thing!"
Kisuke's expression darkened as his eyes stayed glued to Orihime. She showed no reaction to him, however, as she continued to look down at her feet.
"So Unohana healed you as well... Orihime?"
At the sound of the girl's name, Ichigo's sisters stopped fighting with him and turned towards Orihime. Ichigo growled as he moved to stand from his bed, only being held down by his sisters.
"What are you still doing here?"
Orihime softly insisted, "I'm here because I haven't explained everything to you. I'll tell you what I know about Juhabach... But I want to talk to Ichigo alone."
Karin rolled her eyes and drawled out sarcastically, "...Well that doesn't sound suspicious at all... After that incident in the woods, there's no way I'm leaving you alone with my brother."
"...I think we should leave..."
Everyone looked over at Yoruichi as she continued, "It's s~o obvious why they want to be alone... Isshin, looks like your third grandbaby's coming."
Isshin's eyes widened and the fire lit in his eyes. He shook his fist madly in the air as he yelled, "That's right, Ichigo! Daddy's so proud of ya! Make sure to throw her on the bed and nail that pu-!"
Yuzu eep'ed and grabbed her father, clasping his mouth shut as Karin kicked him out of the room.
"Idiot father! You're so stupid!"
Kisuke shook his head at Isshin's antics as he followed Yoruichi out of the room. He paused to stare at Orihime for a moment before closing the door behind him.
The room was filled with awkward silence as Orihime slowly crept to the seat next to Ichigo.
"...You know...the last time I made contact with Juhabach...was that night... I haven't spoken to him in years before that night... I had long left his service before then..."
...Traitorous mother... Murderous Goddess of Death... Another of your kind falls... We move closer and closer to the Holy Ragnarok... Bring me back my son...born in the darkness...
Ichigo frowned and looked away, staring out of the window towards the sunlight.
"...He trained me...and bunch of other teenagers for the future of the Vandenreich... Their sole purpose...was to destroy the man known as 'Sosuke Aizen'."
She noticed that his attention finally shifted back to her, encouraging her to continue.
"From the start...he's always said that... the only person who could help him defeat Aizen was the boy known as Ichigo Kurosaki... We never knew what that meant, nor why wanted to find you... He never even gave a description of you."
Ichigo blinked and asked, "So how did you know...about me then?"
"...I didn't. I never put two-and-two together and connected the boy known as Ichigo Kurosaki together with the childhood hero that my mother always told me about... I saved you that night because I wanted to believe in you, not under the orders of Juhabach..."
Eventually, she felt the incoming pressures, and stood to leave the area. Before she could move, she heard his voice speak again.
"Oi... The name's...Ichigo Kurosaki...a Soul Reaper... Maybe we can... meet again one day...under better circumstances?"
She looked over her shoulder, noting the small grin etched under his sun-kissed, orange hair. She smiled in response and nodded as she turned back to run across the cemented ground. She continued to run as fast as she could.
'That's him...! That was him...! The one Juhabach has been talking about!'
She knew she had to get away... If not for the Soul Reapers coming, but for the fact that Juhabach might have seen. She hoped that he wasn't connected to her Blut Nerv at that point. She had to get home now.
However, that entire plan had failed when she felt a Reiatsu signature appear behind her. She slowly turned around in fright as she practically surrendered.
"...I sensed him when he came. I didn't use Blut Nerv you, Orihime Ishida."
Juhabach stood behind her, his cloak flowing as he smirked at Orihime. Under his predatory gaze, she shuddered in fear as he fingers glided softly across her clip.
"...You look so afraid, compared to how easily you clung to the Vandenreich's ideals before. Didn't you want revenge on the bastard Soul Reapers who failed your mother?"
Orihime's chest heaved relentlessly as she moved further away from him.
"...Are you listening to that traitor father of yours now? He and the rest of your family are incapable of understanding, but you... I thought you knew better."
Quickly, Orihime released her clip, forming it into a bow as she took aim at him.
"Fullbring? I guess that would be all you would have to rely on...considering Letzt Stil took away your power when you tried to stop me the first time."
Juhabach weaved in and out of the constant barrage of her Tsubaki Arrow. Before he could make a move towards her, she activated a barrier, which stood between them.
"No."
He placed his hand on it and Orihime watched as it disintegrated before her eyes. After it collasped, Juhabach snatched her by her throat. He held up a finger, smirking at her puffed-up expression as she struggled to breathe.
"I'll give you one last chance, Orihime, to come back to the Vandenreich. If you chose not to, then the Vandenreich will destroy you."
He pressed the finger to her chest, and she froze as a small beam of light pierced the area near her heart. He dropped her unceremoniously on the group and turned on his heel.
"...I've... I've seen him... My mother was right..."
Juhabach turned over his shoulder as he stared down at her. She grunted as she moved to pull herself towards him, gritting her teeth as she did so.
"...You were right...he is the one...capable of killing Aizen..."
She smirked humorlessly as she grabbed onto his leg and laughed, "And he'll kill you right after...no matter how much you try to break him down... Ichigo Kurosaki is your bane...He will...destroy you..."
Juhabach frowned and pointed his finger towards her. A small beam of light appeared on the end of it, and Orihime closed her eyes as she began to pass out. Barely conscious, she never felt the beam, and she heard one last thing.
"Mah, Juicebox... I can't let you kill her yet... Captain Aizen still needs her."
Orihime's eyes snapped open as she woke in a familiar area, but was confused as to how.
"...This is... Urahara's shop?"
Suddenly, she heard purring, and turned around to see the cat form of Yoruichi running about.
"My, my Orihime... You're lucky I found you before some pervert did..."
Orihime frowned as she though of the night before and looked down at her feet.
"Your school clothes have been dried, thanks to that pervert Kisuke, so you can put them on and go whenever you want."
She looked down at the cat and nodded before standing to her feet. As she moved to gather her clothes, she heard Yoruichi question, "So what happened last night? Did you get hammered? Or...did you get hammered?"
Orihime blanched slightly at the cat, particularly as Yoruichi's eyebrows bounced at her last implications.
"No way! I'm not that type of girl!"
Yoruichi grinned and laughed, "Sure you aren't... Teenagers find outlets to relieve stress all the time. There's nothing wrong with having fun every now and then... But seriously, you were injured pretty bad...and you had a wound exactly nineteen millimeters from your heart."
Orihime paused as she pulled her skirt up, and looked down at her shoes. She slowly pulled her skirt up and moved to tie her blouse together as she replied, "It was nothing... I was tired, and I fell asleep... You know I can be sometimes..."
Yoruichi continued to watch Orihime as she placed her put on her jacket and moved to the front room of the Urahara shop.
"Hey, Orihime!"
She looked to her right as Kisuke sat there calmly, waving his fan as he stared at her from beneath his hat.
"...Hey, Mr. Urahara... What's got you so happy?"
Yoruichi interjected as she entered room and revealed, "He's trying to hide his blush 'cause he got to touch your panties."
Kisuke frowned and said, "Yoruichi, stop saying weird things like that. I'm actually happy cause someone I've known pretty recently just came back into town yesterday."
Orihime blinked at the sly grin on Kisuke's face. After a moment of awkward silence, she decided to ask, "Who?"
Kisuke paused as he thought up a crap lie to tell Orihime, "...Uh...Strawberry15... He...uh...she's my online buddy... We're gonna meet up soon... As a matter of fact, we already bumped into each other, if you get my drift."
Orihime deadpanned, "You really are nothing but a shameless pervert. I'm outta here... Later!"
Yoruichi watched as the girl left and wondered, "Who would have wanted to restore Orihime's powers?"
"...That's what I've spent all day trying to figure out..."
Orihime frowned as she left shop, as she realized they were speaking aloud on purpose. She walked aimlessly along the sidewalk, thinking about the other day...
'I wonder if that guy made it back to Soul Society okay... I hope he didn't get into too much trouble because of me...'
"Oi! Orihime!"
She was cut from her musings as a girl with twin maroon pigtails waved her hands in Orihime's face to draw her attention. Orihime blinked as she paused in her walking.
"...Riruka? What is it?"
The girl's eyes narrowed as she repeated her earlier question, "I asked you about your whereabouts the other day... You didn't come back to base..."
Orihime's eyes popped out for a second as she struggled to think up an excuse. Eventually, she sighed and just told her the truth.
"...I saw a Soul Reaper being attacked by some weird Hollow... So I went to help..."
Riruka raised an eyebrow as she and Orihime stopped at a crosswalk. She turned to her and asked, "Did you kill him afterward? If he was injured, you could've taken him back to base with no problems."
Orihime awkwardly brought her finger to her temple as she scratched at it and meekly replied, "I...uhh... I healed him and let him escape..."
The shorter girl paused in the middle of the street, and only moved when Orihime pulled her to the other side.
"...What...? You... You let him go?"
Orihime whistled as she tried hurry away, though Riruka grabbed her and pulled her back. She flinched from the girl's anger as Riruka screamed, "Why the hell would you do that!? They're here to investigate the murders and kidnappings, and you let him go!?"
"...I just... I...wasn't thinking... He just..."
Riruka threw her hands in the air as huffed in annoyance and groaned, "You never think, idiot! What are you gonna do when Soul Society finds out about us!? Ginjo's gonna have your ass when he hears about this!"
"...I know... But I didn't tell him everything about me... I just healed him and let him go... Considering that Hollow was so powerful, Soul Society probably believes that it was responsible for it..."
Riruka sighed as she walked away, and Orihime silently followed.
"Did you even get the guy's name? We can be on the look out if we ever see him again, then we can rectify your mistake."
Orihime slightly frowned at the "mistake" comment, but held her finger to her chin as she thought about it.
"...He had spiky-orange hair and a large sword on his back... His outfit was different from the other Soul Reapers, with these weird, 'X' shaped marks on his arm and a black and white collar..."
As she began describing him, Riruka once again paused in her steps, but didn't say a word. Orihime continued, "...And he said his name was..."
"Ichigo... A year ago, I failed to kill Juhabach. I lost my powers, and Xcution helped me understand my Fullbring, so I could compensate for it... But that wasn't enough... My powers, even now that they're back, aren't enough... So I'm here... For me... For my mother's sake... I'm here..."
She dropped down to floor, her hands grasping his arm as she begged, "I'm here on my knees for you, begging for you to come-!"
Outside of the door, Isshin and Yuzu both had cups pressed against the door as they attempted to listen in. Karin stood behind them as she grumbled, "I'm sure that's not what she meant by 'being alone with Ichigo', idiots.
"Shush, Karin. My boy's becoming a man."
"I'm here on my knees for you, begging for you to come-!"
Isshin's eyes lit with the flames of a perverted father as he kicked down the door, causing everyone to look at him like he had grown a second head.
"Enough of this foreplay bullshit! Daddy wants to hear some real action!"
Karin's eyes widened in disbelief as she mumbled, "Oh...my... I have the absolute dumbest father in existence."
"First, you gotta whip it out! Then you thrust an-!"
Karin didn't even have to move, as Yuzu kicked her Dad for her. Ichigo and Orihime, whose eyes were both wide, stared at the group with slight annoyance. Orihime still blinked at Isshin as she lamely finished, "...with me...and help me...kill Juhabach..."
Ichigo didn't register her words as he glowered at the group outside of the room and yelled, "All of you are idiots! Get out!"
"You guys are having a lot of fun."
The group glanced at the right end of the hallway as Shinji Hirako turned the corner with Retsu Unohana.
"You sure are a rowdy bunch... I'm going to have to ask you to stop disturbing my patients."
"So what do you think they kidnapped her for...? Orihime, I mean."
Tatsuki frowned as they walked away from the school. She sighed to herself and revealed, "Most likely, since Juhabach attacked Soul Society... They probably know that he's after her..."
"You think? I don't know... When we came downstairs, everyone was pretty pissed at her... The old guy looked like he was gonna kill her."
They both paused as Uryu stood in front of them, leaning against his car. Ginjo was in the front seat, staring out of the window just as bored.
"Dad? What are you...?"
Uryu frowned and ordered, "Get in the car. Don't ask any more questions until you get in the car."
Riruka and Tatsuki both look at each other with confusion as they shrugged and followed his orders. Uryu drove as if he was in a hurry, causing Riruka and Tatsuki to bump their heads against each other.
"Yo, Dad!? What's going on!?"
While their father drove, Ginjo revealed, "We got a message from Urahara...! He told us we have to hide...!"
"Hide...? From who?"
Uryu grimaced as he turned the wheel, looking around him before he parked in a small hideaway. He turned and looked over the seat of the car as he stated, "Orihime was taken to Soul Society because they know about her involvement with the Vandenreich."
Tatsuki and Riruka blinked before repeating, "Orihime...with the Vandenreich? Old man, you're joking."
Uryu frowned and said, "No, I'm not. Quincy fall under a certain Selective Service act by Juhabach. When they reach the age of Fifteen, the child must report to Juhabach for testing...only one child. My wife and I selected Orihime."
Riruka's jaw drop as she mumbled, "Holy..."
"Orihime lost her powers a year ago because she used Letzt Stil, and I led her to Xcution to regain her powers. Juhabach still wants her as a part of his army. He's after her now since he's already stolen Kurosaki's Fullbring."
Tatsuki shook her as she said, "Dad, slow down! Why are you telling us this!? Why are you saying this now!?"
Uryu move to speak until a soft thump appeared on the top of his car. He sighed and said, "That's because I need you both to run and get Sora and the rest of Xcution...because Juhabach is sitting on top of my car."