Chapter 20:

It happened faster than Rukia could process. She recalled clashing blades with Ichigo and the next thing she knew, she was colliding with the window. She could feel the shards of glass rain down upon impact. Then she felt the fresh air as she and Ichigo both tumbled outside. Based on this information, she could only conclude that during the attack, they both forced each other into the window. She wasn't thrown. She knew this because Ichigo was there with her, not jumping after her, but tumbling through the window as well.

She quickly pulled herself up to stand in midair. It was only a two-story drop, but could still result in injury. She had to locate Ichigo quickly and assess whether or not he was still a threat.

He was standing further away, facing the broken window they had smashed through. Rukia was between him and the window, which also meant that she was between him and Yua. He showed no signs of injury, clutching his sword with one hand. He breathed bloodlust through his clenched teeth, telling Rukia at once that he was still a threat.

Unsure of what was going on and being unaware of his exact mental state, Rukia tried talking to him, thinking he didn't recognize her. She could think of no other reason for him to be attacking her like this.

"Ichigo. Ichigo, listen, it's me. Rukia. You know me. Remember?"

"Will you stop wasting my time, Rukia? Why the hell are you here, anyway? Shouldn't you be in the Soul Society or something?"

He seemed to be aware of who she was. Maybe he was being manipulated somehow.

"Ichigo, calm down. We don't have to fight each other."

"You won't get out of my way!" he shouted angrily. "What choice do I have?"

"Just calm down and talk to me."

"I don't have time for this! Leave me alone!"

Rukia wouldn't let him leave. Through their short exchange, she realized that no one was controlling him and he was awake enough to know who she was and where they were. Ichigo was aware of his actions and making conscious choices. The problem was he wasn't thinking clearly. He was frantic and irrational. He probably wouldn't listen to reason no matter what she tried.

"Why do you want to fight me so bad?"

Ichigo looked at her with fierce eyes. "You got in my way! You wouldn't listen!"

"I need you to listen to me, Ichigo. I had to get in your way. You were going to kill those students. I couldn't let you do that; do you understand? They're just normal humans."

"They got in my way first!" he spat viciously. "They can't have Yua! I won't let them! She's mine! Mine!"

The girl with the perfume bottle in her pocket. The item Rukia had been trying to take.

She understood that the perfume caused a reaction in the males who smelled it and that Ichigo had been one of those males, but she had no idea it reduced him to this. The Ichigo she was looking at now wasn't normal in any sense of the word. She wasn't prepared for this, her expectations for the results being far smaller before witnessing it up close and personal.

"Ichigo, you don't actually care about Yua," she tried to tell him, not knowing how many similar conversations he had already endured. "It's the perfume she's wearing that's making you crazy. It's making you say these things you don't mean."

"I love Yua! She's mine! I know that! Those are facts! I love her and she is mine!"

"How can I get through to you? Ichigo, the perfume is making you think these things. You're not yourself. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, I do! I know I do! I've never been more positive about something in my whole entire life! I'm certain of this! I know this! I do!" he shouted feverishly.

Despite his appeal he thought he delivered most passionately, all it did was convince Rukia the exact opposite of what he was trying to convey. These were the ramblings of a madman, not someone with clarity. If anything, his shouting coupled with wide, unblinking eyes made him look deranged.

"Ichigo, you are not yourself," Rukia enunciated firmly. She felt like she was talking to a child throwing a tantrum.

"I'm more myself than I've ever been, Rukia! I know who I am now and who I want to be. I know what I need! Yua is the answer. She's everything I need! She's drawn out something in me that I never felt before. Something I never knew I had."

"Yeah, she's brought out your madness," Rukia argued. "What she's done isn't good, Ichigo. This isn't what you need. It's the last thing you need."

"You don't understand!"

"The people who say that usually are trying to justify something they know is wrong or they have no actual argument." Rukia had a feeling it might be pointless but she tried reasoning with him one more time. She had to see if he could be reached on any level. "Ichigo, this isn't you. You have to see that."

"I told you, I am myself. The me I'm supposed to be. She's brought it out."

"She's brought out the worst in you, Ichigo."

"That is not true!"

"The Ichigo I know would never attack his friends like that and he would never go after innocent human beings with a sword!"

"They mean nothing to me! Who cares? And you wouldn't need to be attacked if you just stayed out of my way!" Ichigo lifted his sword but didn't swing it. It was meant to emphasize his point.

"We're trying to help you!"

"You can help by getting out of my way and letting me do what I want!"

"We can't do that, Ichigo."

"Then you aren't my friends."

"Sometimes friends have to tell you no and prevent you from doing what you want because it's detrimental to you. Just listen!"

"No, you listen!" Ichigo pointed his sword at Rukia. "I don't need you to tell me what I can and can't do! If it makes me happy, why stop? Real friends would want you to be happy."

"Not if-"

"I don't need friends anyway," said Ichigo, cutting her off. "I don't need anyone. All I need is Yua. She's all I'll ever need."

Rukia was taken aback, not by his words but by the crazed smile creeping onto his face. If he didn't look deranged before, he certainly did now.

"Yes, once I get rid of you, I can be with Yua without any distractions. I'll never have to hear you ever again." He chuckled madly. "That's perfect. Friends are a distraction anyway. Yes. And those other guys are just in the way. All I have to do is get rid of them all and Yua and I can be together. Just us. Forever. Just me and Yua. Yua and me. Forever. Just us. Forever. Yes."

"Ichigo, get a hold of yourself," Rukia ordered him. He was really starting to scare her.

"No one… No one can have Yua but me! Just her and me forever! I won't let you come between us! I won't let you stop me from having her! She's mine! Mine! Yua is mine!"

Ichigo dashed forward, swinging wildly at Rukia. She dodged but the tip of his Zanpakuto snagged her sleeve and sliced it open at the shoulder. Without his usual swordplay, Rukia thought she had the advantage. She might as well be fighting an amateur.

Rukia tried to disarm him but Ichigo wouldn't allow her to do it, expecting the move. He tore a slit across her stomach when she tried. She checked the wound but there was no blood. It either missed her flesh or just grazed her.

Ichigo kept swinging, fighting more like his Hollow than himself. She managed to knock the sword from his hand but it wasn't enough to stop him. Before the sword could hit the ground, he kicked it as it fell, turning it into a projectile which did hit her arm when she blocked. He leaped forward and pulled it from her arm and swung at her with one hand. She blocked with her sword and retreated to a safe distance.

Inside the school at the same time, Yua was only now becoming aware of the danger she was actually in. If Uryu hadn't made that comment and if that student hadn't caught Yua in his chest, the inevitable fight might have been postponed for another hour; or more likely, another few minutes.

She was fine with them pushing and shoving each other, but they didn't wait for her to leave the crowd before doing it this time. She was caught in the center of the crowd which decided to settle the score then and there. At first, things were a little rough but manageable, but now, as they took swings at each other, elbows and feet whacked her from different angles.

Yua tried to settle the matter the way she always did by way of an order but when that didn't work, she resorted to promising them a reward for the ones who obeyed.

"Ow! Hey, guys, knock it off- ow! Stop it!"

One grabbed her wrist and wouldn't let her go. She was pulled close to his body and felt a sharp tug as he was attacked from behind and dragged down. Another boy took his spot, pulling her close and holding her to his chest with both arms. His arms helped protect her head but it was hard to breathe with her face in his chest. He was then attacked and a different boy grabbed her arm.

"Guys, stop being so rough with me. Let go right now."

They did not obey. They argued and fought over her, shouting over each other and pulling her in different directions.

"Stop fighting right now!" she ordered loudly. "Your queen commands it!"

"She's mine!"

"The hell she is!"

"She's mine!"

"She's mine!"

Different boys grabbed her arms and pulled. They dug their nails into her skin as they tugged and heaved.

"Ow! You're hurting me!"

They didn't stop no matter how much she complained.

Desperate, she called out, "Whoever's not hurting me, I'll stay with! Everyone else won't be allowed near me again!"

"That means she's mine!"

"No, she's mine!"

Those holding her didn't loosen their grip in the slightest. They only pulled harder.

"The hell I'm letting her go!"

"I won't let anyone else have her!"

"Yua's mine!"

"She's staying with me!"

"I'll kill you if you try!"

Yua looked into the face of the one on her left, giving him a stern glare. "Let go of me right now or I won't allow you to see me again."

He dug his nails into her arm. "You're mine! No one else can have you but me!"

"Let go!"

"Never! I want you too much to let you go! You and I will be together forever!"

She desperately looked to the one on her right holding her wrist with both hands. "Please let go of me! You're hurting me! Stop!"

"You're mine! I won't let anyone else have you!"

Yua squeezed her eyes shut from the pain. "Get off of me!"

"You and I will be together forever!"

"I won't let them take you away from me!"

"Stop it! You're displeasing your queen! You're supposed to make me happy, remember? When you love someone, you're supposed to want them to be happy! Make me happy and let me go right now!"

"Who cares?!"

Yua looked up. "Huh?"

"Who cares if you're happy? Keeping you for myself makes me happy. It's what I want more than anything!"

"There's no way I'll ever let you go!"

"Broken or in pieces, it doesn't matter! I'll have you for myself no matter what!"

"I don't care if you want me. I don't care if you're happy. I want you and that's all that matters!"

"I'll kill anyone who tries to take you from me!"

"I'll never let you go!"

"No one will get between us!"

"You and me forever!"

"Yua!"

"Yua!"

"She's mine!"

"Mine!"

They weren't listening to her anymore. They didn't care anymore. They just wanted her for themselves and it didn't matter her condition or preference. She wasn't even a person to them anymore. She was just an object they all aimed to claim.

She was now realizing what Orihime and her group had theorized days before. Objects had no feelings. Their wants and needs didn't matter. They were just something to own. She had become an object to them.

Just like with an addiction, these addicts didn't care about the packaging or conditions. They had to have it. If there was a limited supply, they would resort of horrific methods to get their fix. They didn't care about the feelings and wellbeing of their fellow addicts. They didn't care about what their fixation wanted. They would do anything for it and when that failed, they would just take it.

Orihime watched them push and shove each other. Watched them bite and scratched, punch and kick, strangle and stab and bludgeon. They looked like feral animals fighting for dominance. She struggled to find any human features.

She heard an explosion from behind and turned. She was the only one to do so. No one else cared about anything but Yua. If they had, they would have noticed a more intense fight going on at the other end of the hall between two friends.

Behind her, Chad and Uryu were battling each other as if the other were an enemy Arrancar. Uryu had his bow out and had already fired several shots at Chad. Chad's arms had changed for battle and he was using his left more than his right.

Uryu was still somewhat sensible but Chad was dangerously unpredictable and desperate. Uryu didn't want to kill Chad but he wasn't opposed to fighting him either. Chad didn't care if he killed Uryu or not. The less people around, the better. It meant there would be less people to keep him and Yua apart.

"El Directo," he murmured before trying to land the blow on Uryu's skull.

Uryu fired an arrow at the same time to defend himself while jumping aside.

Chad's fist hit the window and glass shattered instantly and the frame cracked, long fissures running up the walls and ceiling. The arrow hit the shield on Chad's other arm and was quickly shattered.

"Guys, stop!" Orihime cried out, knowing what would happen if they both fought at full tenacity. If they held nothing back, the school would likely be destroyed with them inside. "Stop!"

Chad and Uryu faced each other stubbornly.

"You don't deserve her," Uryu snarled. "You're just a mindless beast."

Chad had no comeback. He just unleashed another attack which Uryu dodged. Then one of his fists hit Uryu's shoulder knocking him into the wall. It brought him to his knee but didn't stop him from readying another arrow.

"El Directo," Chad announced flatly at the same time Uryu fired.

Orihime sent her shield between them, saving them both injury. She begged them to stop but they didn't listen. They moved around the shield to attack again.

She would have followed them with the shield but Yua's scream brought her attention back to the crowd.

In their desperation to get Yua, the boys had pulled her arm so violently that the bone finally snapped. As if the pain from the break weren't enough, they continued to pull, aggravating the injury.

It became a violent tug-of-war, just as Orihime feared. One grabbed the front from her uniform to pull her towards himself but ended up ripping open her clothes instead. The shirt beneath her uniform was still intact but the uniform itself was torn, pieces hanging from the tatters and the boy's fist. Another boy dragged Yua down by her hair.

Yua's wails and pleas left Orihime shaking. This was horrible.

What was she supposed to do? Without her friends to rely on, this was all up to her. She could attack them, but she didn't want to hurt them. It wasn't their fault. She could heal them afterward but there were so many and depending on their state, her powers might do nothing. She couldn't risk that.

No one would listen to her. Rukia was probably still fighting Ichigo somewhere, so she couldn't help. Those boys were going to kill Yua if she didn't do something.

Orihime rushed in, trying to get close. She used her shield to block part of the crowd but there were too many pressing in on Yua to catch them all without catching her as well. If her shield caught them all, it wouldn't make a difference since they would all be on the same side of the shield. At least keeping those ones at bay helped Orihime get close enough without having to worry about being trampled.

Orihime tried to pull the one in front of her away but he wasn't budging. Hitting him with the side of her fist did nothing either. He didn't seem to notice what anyone was doing to him. He had yet to notice the blood trickling down his face from the brawl. He was too strong to hold back, desperation enhancing his power. She quickly gave up and got down on her hands and knees.

This was even more dangerous, she knew, but it was the only way to see Yua who had disappeared under the mass moments ago. Dragged to the floor, Yua was in even more danger than Orihime. Stomping feet pressed down on Yua's body. Her good arm was lifted up to protect her face but the rest of her was unguarded.

Orihime tried to crawl between legs but it was no use. Knees bombarded her head and shoes stomped her hands no matter where she was. Tucking into a ball with her arms under her chest, Orihime called out to Yua between moving legs.

"Yua! Yua!"

She could hear her screaming and crying.

"Yua!"

"Help me!"

Orihime extended her hand but she couldn't reach Yua. She didn't mean to, knowing she would be unable to drag her away from this mess. She meant to grab something else.

"The perfume! Yua, the perfume!"

Feet kept stomping and knees kept bumping. Bodies fell, people tripped.

"Yua, give me the perfume! It's what they're after! Please! Give it to me!"

She could barely see Yua through the crowd of legs and bodies. Glimpses of her were visible for only a second before disappearing again. She saw Yua's arm move. A glint.

"Yua, please! Yua!" Orihime crawled closer. The glint was no longer there. Everyone was pressing too close. The yelling and fighting were deafening.

Something rolled between feet and Orihime quickly snatched up the bottle before someone could step on it, pulling it from the fray and into her chest. She carefully examined it. It looked like the right thing. It was intact. This was definitely it.

She crawled away from the crowd, turning back when Yua cried for help again.

Of course. The effects weren't right away when it came to recovery. It took time to get it out of their systems. Time Yua and the others didn't have.

Orihime looked desperately around for a solution.

The sprinkler system overhead. Water might wash it away. It worked on Ichigo. However, they suspected that it only worked quickly on him because he had only gotten a small dose at the time. It would help muddle the scent but it wouldn't be enough to stop them entirely.

Her eyes scanned the area but nothing was popping out to her. That is, until she saw the home economics room.

Remembering a past conversation, Orihime deciding to put a discussed theory to the test. It might not work, but there was no way to know unless she tried and nothing would happen if she didn't do something.

Rukia blocked another attack from Ichigo and as she prepared to block again, anticipating another strike, she noticed something.

Ichigo was staggering in the air. It seemed to take great effort just for him to lift his sword and when he did, his swings weren't on target. Sometimes he missed entirely. He looked dizzy.

Aside from the crazed look in the eye, he had deep bags under his eyes and he had lost some color in his complexion.

"Ichigo, when was the last time you ate or slept?"

Panting, Ichigo answered automatically, not courteously. "Don't know." He probably wouldn't have answered at all if he had been thinking straight, finding it to be none of her business.

"Do you know what day it is?"

"Huh?"

"What day of the week is it, Ichigo?"

"Don't you know?"

"I'm asking you," she said.

Ichigo stumbled slightly as he paused to think. "Uh… It's a weekday. Um… I haven't really been keeping track lately. A lot of them are blurring together."

It wasn't just sleep deprivation but his fixation on Yua. Since he couldn't focus on anything else, his obsession prevented him from keeping track of time. He either forgot to eat and sleep or he was so determined to spend every waking moment with her that he refused to do anything that would take attention away from her.

If he hadn't slept in days, that probably contributed to his demeanor now and his poor fighting skills. The exertion was making it worse, bringing these afflictions to light. He didn't seem to notice but Rukia noticed and called attention to it.

"Ichigo, you have to rest and take care of yourself or…"

"I don't need to eat. Yua… Yua sustains me. She's all I need. I don't need sleep. It's pointless. Closing my eyes would block her from my sight. I have to see her. I have to see her."

Rukia didn't want to fight him in the first place but knowing his condition made her want to even less. He was pushing himself too much. His body was bound to give out.

"Ichigo, I'm not going to fight you."

He looked at her, still panting.

"Just sit down and…"

"I want Yua. I need Yua."

"Sit down and I'll get her for you."

Ichigo took a step closer. "She's mine. I'll have her for me. She's mine. Yua is mine."

"Ok, Ichigo, let's just…"

Ichigo lifted his sword. "She's mine! You'll keep her from me! I won't let you!"

"Calm down, Ichigo."

"No! She is my strength, my everything! I need Yua! Yua!"

Rukia raised her hand and said something Ichigo couldn't make out but he knew what she had done. Chains of light coiled around his torso, binding him. He couldn't move like this which was Rukia's intention.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "There. Now just sit tight and we'll fix everything." Rukia looked back inside the building. "I should probably bind those students as well so they don't…"

With all his strength, Ichigo broke the chains binding him and attacked Rukia while her back was turned. Sensing him, she turned and blocked.

This wasn't the first time he had broken one of her binding spells, but it was still a mild surprise. She tried to subdue him with a different one but he dodged and tried to cut her in half. She daftly moved aside and contemplated using her Zanpakuto but decided against it. She wouldn't release her sword's power on him like this. She tried another kido.

This time five beams of light caught him around the middle and held him in place. He kicked and struggled but couldn't get free.

"Just stay put while I help Orihime with those students," Rukia told him.

Thinking she was going to take Yua away from him, Ichigo writhed and snarled. Finally, desperation and recklessness drove him to take extreme measures without thinking it through.

Able to lift his sword, Ichigo brought it close to his body and attempted to cut himself in half in order to free himself.

Rukia saw what he was doing and yelled for him to stop but he kept going. Seeing the blood and how irrational Ichigo had become, she undid the kido and he fell.

Distressed, Ichigo looked back at the school and tried to force his way inside, driven to see Yua.

Orihime opened every cupboard in the home economics room in a frantic search for something she could use to counter the fragrance. Water wouldn't be enough to wash it away, so maybe a conflicting smell would weaken it faster. She and Uryu didn't touch on it much while he was at her apartment but it seemed like a decent solution since nothing else seemed to be working.

She looked for anything with a pungent aroma. She planned to make a kind of stick bomb she could douse Yua in to cover up the perfume.

"Smelly thing, smelly things…" Orihime loaded up her arms with whatever she could find and began to pour it all in a bowl. The school's culinary program left a lot to be desired in terms of ingredients but there was still plenty to choose from. Lots of common spices one would expect to find in most kitchens and plenty of fruit and preserves.

Chilly powder, blue cheese, grape juice, leche jam, vinegar, kimchi. She threw it all into a bowl and mixed it, splashing the concoction on herself and the counter-top.

The school shook violently. Orihime could feel the tremor through her legs and she gripped the table to steady herself. That was probably from Chad and Uryu's fight in the hall. She had to hurry before the school came down. Dust was already falling from the ceiling.

She didn't know if this was smelly enough to cover Yua's perfume. Having her smell like a garbage can would turn anybody off but these guys were a special case. It had to really be foul.

She searched the room for other things she could use and saw someone crawling through the door. It was Tatsuki. She was in rough shape but still in one piece. Orihime ran to see her.

"I'm fine," Tatsuki insisted. "It's just my ankle and hip."

When Chad threw her out the window, she tried to land on her feet. She did then immediately landed on her hip. Her ankle got the worst of it. She wasn't able to walk without extreme pain and her hip made it difficult to switch feet. She finally had to crawl when she made it to the stairs and all the way here.

She still wanted to help but she was in no condition to fight.

"I got the perfume," Orihime announced and handed it to Tatsuki for safekeeping.

Tatsuki took it in her hand and sat against the wall near the dry pantry. "They're killing each other out there."

"I know," Orihime said with worry. "I'm trying to get rid of the perfume's smell with something very stinky but there's not much in here. The teacher brings in the meat and special foods on the day we use them for class so I just have the stuff that's here all the time to use and a lot of it's crackers and spices. Rice isn't smelly and honey is a sweet smell which they might like."

"If you're looking for something revolting, try that really smelly fruit they brought in for club. The durian thing."

"What's that?"

"It's supposed to be this terrible-smelling fruit," explained Tatsuki. "They were talking about it the other day and I heard someone brought one in to show off while we were looking for Yua during lunch. Said it was hidden in the fridge wrapped in a cloth. Cooking club meets tomorrow so it should still be in there."

Orihime rushed to the fridge and found something wrapped in a checkerboard cloth. It looked like a spiky melon. Having little time to debate, Orihime decided to use it in her stink mixture. The supply cupboard with the sharp knives was locked so she used her Koten Zanshun to attack the fruit, cutting it open.

She pinched her nose shut, eyes watering. Such a rotten stench! Had it gone bad? Tatsuki said it was the smelliest fruit in the world but she wasn't expecting this. She wanted to run out of the room, it was so awful.

"Perfect!"

She scooped out half of the plump innards and added it to her smelly sauce. Giving it a stir, she presented it to Tatsuki and asked for her opinion.

"Get it away from me," Tatsuki yelped and turned away from the bowl. "Just get it to them! Quick!"

"Oh, right!"

Promising Tatsuki she'd return, Orihime ran back into the hall with the bowl in hand.

The school shook and Orihime braced herself against the wall. Once it settled, Orihime looked up and saw a large hole in the wall where a row of windows used to be and another hole opening up an empty classroom. Uryu was climbing out of the rubble to continue his fight with Chad.

The boys were still clamoring over Yua who gave a loud scream when another bone was broken. They were tearing her apart.

Uryu jumped to evade Chad's attack. Chad grabbed Uryu's leg and pulled him down, whipping him like a toy. He flung Uryu into the wall and prepared to end the fight. Uryu tripped Chad and got ready to fire an arrow into his head.

Ichigo and Rukia crashed through the newly formed hole in the wall as their fight continued. Rukia slammed into the opposite wall and Ichigo landed in the hall, his sword hanging from his arm as if it were too heavy to hold up anymore. He was seething and murmuring deliriously.

Rukia pressed her back into the wall behind her at a loss for what to do. She didn't want to fight him and restraining him was no good either. He would either break the kido or try to harm himself in order to get away. She gripped the handle of her sword, ready to use it.

Orihime looked from the crowd of boys to her friends and then to the ceiling.

Anything to speed it up and help her friends.

"Koten Zanshun, I reject!" She aimed for the emergency sprinklers mounted to the ceiling. Her attack sliced through the tops, sending water raining down in the hallway. In seconds, everyone was soaked.

Uryu didn't fire the arrow but the fight wasn't done. Chad threw Uryu down the hall towards Yua and the crowd then charged in to finish the job, shoes squeaking on the wet floor.

Orihime tried to locate Yua through the crowd. She could barely hear her whimpering over the arguments. Orihime used her shield to shove a few out of the way. She could see Yua laying on the floor, several boys still holding on to her limbs as they shouted at one another.

"Hold on, Yua," Orihime called out. "Hang in there. And heads up!"

Gripping the edges of the bowl, she flung the contents into the air and watched the revolting mess in slow-motion fall and splatter all over Yua's body. The ones still holding her got some on their face and hands but she was covered in it.

Orihime waited, still clutching the bowl.

Water ran down her face from the sprinklers.

She waited.

Nothing seemed to have changed. The boys were still fighting. Still arguing.

The ones holding her limbs kept reciting their demented mantra.

"Yua. My Yua."

"Yua. My… God! What is that stench?!"

Orihime came closer, hopeful.

The boy holding Yua's broken arm let go to cover his nose with both hands, revolted.

The others cringed and turned away but still held Yua's arm and her legs. Then the smell became too much for them to handle and they released her.

The arguing subsided, leaving confused murmurs and complaints. Some even started to become more aware of their surroundings, commenting on the water soaking them. Most of them still had no idea where they were or what was going on. Some were torn over their attraction to Yua and that awful smell that made them want to gag.

Yua was left laying alone on the floor semiconscious, her arm and leg twisted at unnatural angles and clumps of her hair and clothes on the floor. It was hard to tell the tears from the water running down her face.

Orihime quickly began to heal her and the others who were left defeated on the ground nearby.

She left her healing tarp over them as she jogged a few steps away to check on her friends. "Are you ok?" she asked Chad and Uryu who had both lost the will to fight.

Chad looked like he was just waking up but Uryu had this look of horror and squeamishness on his face. He turned away and refused to look at anyone.

"Oh, I am so embarrassed," Uryu muttered as he tried to hide his face.

But Orihime couldn't be more relieved. "Thank goodness you're ok," she said with a smile.

"I can't believe I did that." Uryu was still beside himself. "I feel like such an idiot."

"You couldn't help it," Orihime told him, not realizing that Uryu was upset about more than just turning against his friends and fighting them.

His pride was hurt, knowing he had succumbed to Yua's perfume despite knowing all the risks, and the things he said when he fell for her were humiliating. He didn't sound like himself at all and he was ashamed at himself for preferring Yua and allowing her to treat Orihime that way in addition to his own treatment of her.

Knowing he wasn't in control of himself did little to make him feel better.

He knew what he did because he knew of the perfume. As for the others who were just coming out of it, they didn't seem to know what happened or what they had done.

Ichigo didn't want to fight any more either. He looked very confused and stupefied. His sword nearly fell out of his hand as he looked around in a daze.

"Rukia?"

She looked at him, unsure. "Yeah?"

He gave her a hazy look then looked at the state of the school, the sword in his hand and back at her. "What happened to the Hollow?"

"Huh?" Now she was confused.

"Were… Weren't we fighting a Hollow just now?" he asked, still dazed. He was trying to get all the pieces to fit. Seeing the sword in his hand and Rukia with minor injuries and torn clothing and the blood on his own body, Ichigo was led to believe they had been in battle recently and assumed it was with a Hollow. He couldn't think of what else they could be fighting.

"You were fighting each other, dumbass," Uryu told him, still keeping his back turned so no one could see his face.

Ichigo gave him a questioning look. "Why would we be fighting each other? That doesn't make any sense."

Orihime whispered to Uryu that they should keep this quiet like before and he decided not to argue.

Ichigo put a hand to his head, feeling unsteady. "Did I get hit in the head or something during the fight?" he asked. "I feel weird. And I don't really remember much of the fight. I know I was battling something but…"

Ichigo's stomach growled noisily.

"Oh, man. It feels like I haven't eaten in days."

"That's a distinct possibility," commented Uryu, still not looking at him.

Not trusting Ichigo to be able to get home by himself, Uryu offered to walk him to his house while Orihime healed the students. He advised Orihime to check on him later, knowing she probably wanted to make sure he was alright. If she didn't have a job to do, she probably would have volunteered to take him home.

The heavily injured students were gathered in one spot for Orihime to heal while they were still out cold. The students who were well enough to leave on their own did so, dazed and confused about what they had been doing. No longer feeling any sort of attraction to Yua, they had no reason to stay in the school this late and went home.

"By the way," Orihime said as she healed Yua and the boys, "how did you know about what was going on, Rukia? I was surprised to see you here. Why'd you show up?"

Rukia gave her a smile. "Kisuke sent for me."

"Kisuke did?"

"Yeah. He found your note this morning and sent an emergency message for me to come help you out. I came as soon as I got it."

Orihime blushed and smiled. Her note was a good idea after all.

"I'm glad."

The story will be concluding in the next chapter. Stay tuned.

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