"NO!" Orihime screamed, bolting upright. Gasping for breath, she choked back a sob, pushing the covers off herself and standing up to get a drink of water. As she shakily brought the glass of water to her lips, the image of Ulquiorra's hand in Ichigo's chest flashed in front of her, and the sound of glass shattering on the floor brought her back to reality.
She bit her lip, wishing she could see Ichigo. He had told her to call if she had any more nightmares….and she really wanted to see him alive. The only image of him she could currently conjure up was one of his lifeless eyes as he fell to the roof of Los Noches. She shuddered and ran to her phone, decision made. She held her breath as the phone rang. "…Hello?" Ichigo's voice was quiet and husky from sleep. "I woke you up, I'm so sorry!" She winced "Never mind, go back to sleep, I'm sorry!" She hung up quickly before he could respond and sighed at herself. Hopefully he'd think it was just a dream or something. She sighed again and knelt down to pick up the glass.
As she dumped the last shards into the box she'd designated for sharps, there was a knock at the door and her breath caught in her throat. She nervously stepped towards the door and unlocked it, taking a deep breath and putting on a smile before opening it. "Hi!" she said cheerily before meeting Ichigo's intense eyes. "Can I come in?" He murmured and she nodded, stepping back.
He stepped in and gently took her hands in his own "What happened?" she looked down at her hands that were dripping with her own blood. "I must've cut myself with the glass" she laughed nervously "No big deal!" He frowned at her and she bit her lip, engulfing her hands in her healing shield. They watched at the cuts faded away but Ichigo's frown only deepened. "You did this with glass? Did you drop something..?" he questioned, and she nodded "Just a glass of water."
"Right." He followed her to her living room and sat across from her. "You called. You had a nightmare?" he looked into her eyes, searching for something. "Y-yeah" she confirmed quietly, falling silent as the graphic image of his death flashed through her mind again. "Do you want to talk about it?" he probed gently. Her gaze fell on his chest, but she didn't reply. He watched her for a minute, and then let out a deep breath "I have them too."
Her gaze snapped to his "You…do?" He nodded "I see Aizen standing over bodies, I see Grimmjow's hand in my stomach." She winced at that "I see…" he swallowed "I see Uryuu, with my sword-…" he choked and she threw herself into him, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her, chuckling darkly "This is supposed to be about you." She shook her head "You need someone, too." She pulled back, still sitting very close to him. "My nightmare tonight…" she started hesitantly, pulling her knees to her chest. "I saw you." She admitted quietly and a pained expression crossed his face before he shifted away from her a little.
"I'm sorry, Orihime." he murmured hoarsely "I'm so, so sorry…." She shook her head as she realized what he was thinking "No! No…I…" The image flashed through her mind again and tears welled up in her eyes "I see Ulquiorra's hand in your chest" She whispered, burying her head in her folded arms and trying not to sob. She missed Ichigo's shocked expression morph into horror as he realized she'd been reliving his death.
He put a hand on her shoulder, unsure what to do. What would he want, in this moment? To see that his friend was okay. But he was here, sitting next to her…He thought back to her staring at his chest. He thought she had been avoiding eye contact, but now….He winced. Hearing her hiccuping as she fought to control her tears, he pulled his hand away from her. She looked up to see him pulling off his shirt and she blushed, turning away "What are you-?" "I'm alive" he interrupted her "I'm alive and I'm here, and I'm fine." He grabbed her hand and put it on his chest, right where Ulquiorra's attack had hit.
Her startled gaze fell to her hand and she gently stroked the light scar. Ichigo's hollow had healed the wound, but it still left a mark. She remembered trying to heal it when they returned home, focusing her energy on that while he was under her dome for other injuries. She couldn't. His hollow reishi had seeped into the scar tissue, and she wasn't strong enough to reject it.
She wondered now if rejecting it would undo the healing instead, and was suddenly glad the mark was still there. She pressed her hand into his skin once more before pulling back, suddenly shy. She watched Ichigo's eyes flick open, his jaw tight. "Did I hurt you?" she frowned, but he shook his head. "Just thinking" he assured her as he slipped his shirt back on. "It used to hurt" he admitted at her look of suspicion. "But you'd have to give it a decent punch for it to hurt now."
She relaxed, leaning back and belatedly saying "Thank you, Ichigo. That….helps, a lot." He gave her a small smile, relieved. She thought for a minute "You…you can call me too." She suggested timidly "If you need to talk." He stared at her for a second "It's only fair" she argued, and he nodded slowly "I…I can do that. If I need to talk." She smiled brightly at him, and he was relieved to see she was now relaxed. "You're okay now, yeah?" he stood up and she confirmed "Yep! Much better. Thank you again." She walked him to the door.
"See you tomorrow!" she called after him, and he waved his acknowledgement as he made his way down the stairs. Shutting the door behind her, she went back to bed, slipping into a deep, dreamless sleep.