EDIT (12/20/2006): I'm still resolute about finishing this revising before the year's end. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this…
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I'm sure some of you are puzzled by the turn of events, but this chapter will explain anything that you feel might be a plot-hole in my story. I do not allow such things. I always explain. So don't freak out, I haven't gone out of my mind. I merely twist things in an orderly fashion to fit my story. I am twisted after all.
This chapter has got a bit of a different format. Unlike the previous ones, structured into pieces, the action takes place in one single location, all at once, so there are no breaks, but we do dwindle back and forth between diverse points of consciousness, meaning we sometimes see things from Ichigo's head, sometimes from Urahara's, sometimes from Rukia's, Hitsugaya's, etc. I hope it doesn't get too confusing.
And I've gone into that stage of the story where I can't opt for one title to the chapters, so I give them several. You decide which one's you think are more fitting for each.
I'd like to thank Alexz, my beta reader, for sticking with me, and for supporting this story (even if she hasn't reviewed a single time, but I understand. She's busy catching up with the manga, which I just recently managed finally to force on her); and thank you to one of the readers (I'm sorry, I can't remember your name right now, but you know who you are) for the fanart she did for this story. I'm currently figuring out where to post it, I shall have to start a profile in deviantART and post it there with her permission. It's really awesome work. And she says she'll work on more. I love you so much!! You're brilliant!! As soon as I've done that, I will provide the link for anyone who wants to see it.
Music: "Obzienka nol" by t.A.T.u., "Velvet divorce" by Sneaker Pimps, "Get off my land" from Operatica: O Volume 1, "Before I'm dead" by Kidney Thieves, "Only happy when it rains" by Garbage, "Body crumbles" by Dry Cell, and pretty much the whole of the Queen of the Damned soundtrack. Bloody brilliant.
Disclaimer: Bleach and everything related to it belongs to Kubotite, o great lord of brilliant plots and kick-ass characters. I am but a humble fan doing this for her own entertainment.
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Coming Undone – by Deathberry15
8: The swordless soldier (or The withering hibiscus)
Minutes seemed to pass as everyone stood in choked silence, barely recovered from the shock. Only Urahara didn't look too surprised; maybe he had seen this coming.
It finally started raining, large drops pelting them while thunder rolled. Everyone wondered momentarily if this was some sort of sign, that things were about to turn ugly. But they didn't need a sign to realize that.
They stared at each other for the longest time, Ichigo and Orihime. He was frozen, holding his breath in sheer fright; she eyed him curiously, a smile still playing at the corner of her lips. She looked rather amused.
"Wow… this is awkward," Grimmjaw said, but he was smiling sarcastically, looking at each shinigami in turn with an expression of satisfaction
How could this happen? How had she made the transition from human to Hollow to Arrancar, in such a short time? Had this been Aizen's intention all along? Had Urahara been wrong about what he planned for Orihime?
Inoue would never… they all thought. But it was possible.
Ichigo was thinking the exact same thing. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do now. But all he could think of was the person standing before him.
Had she lost all hope? Could someone like Orihime truly ever become a Hollow? She led such a happy, fulfilling life; she had friends who cared for her, people who appreciated her. How could she change into this?
But then he thought of her brother, Sora; he was a good person too, he protected her all his life, even going as far as running away from their family to keep her safe, and raise her on his own. He became a hollow because he became lost, lonely, and hopeless. He missed his life, he was torn out of the world, out of his life, out of Orihime's life so suddenly, so tragically, and it all contributed to him losing all hope. He was tortured by memories of his sister, thinking she had forgotten him. Despair and grief and sorrow had driven a hole into his chest.
If someone like Sora could turn into a Hollow, why not Orihime?
But it happened so fast…
"Well, we could stand around all night, if you want, or we could go ahead and kill you already. Either way, it's not like you can undo it," Grimmjaw boasted, hand on his hip. Obviously, nobody considered the possibility of undoing it; it was more along the lines of figuring out what they would do now that it was done.
Ichigo, however, could not. A voice within was telling him to not despair, but his mind was so numb that he couldn't see or think clearly. He felt as if an invisible something had suddenly wrapped around him, clouding his mind, taking away the air.
He could see her face in his memories, her smile, the way she beamed at him when she spoke. He saw her face, tearful and sad, and he remembered the way she smelled and tasted of mint tea the first time he kissed her; she smelled like the chocolate fudge cookies she had brought him when he was sick, and when she kissed his forehead, he inhaled a whiff of that. She smelled like flowers and tasted of saline tears when he kissed her that second time, at her doorstep. He remembered her face, the last he saw of her, when the Arrancar took her two nights ago, before she disappeared into another dimension.
He nearly choked as he recalled all these things, flashing before his eyes, and blinking water out of his eyes he saw her face again, the cold eyes, the cynical smile, that gaping hole in her chest. He couldn't believe it was all gone; all her smells, her flavor, her smile, to be replaced by this.
Contrary to what his conscience was telling him, he was suddenly overcome with despair and sorrow and anger and horror. To think that he had fallen in love with her. But it was too late.
"Kurosaki-san, it's okay," Urahara said, and Ichigo thought he sounded a lot like his conscience, and his words were not any more soothing either. "That's not Inoue-san," Urahara added.
"What?" Ichigo hissed, shooting a look over his shoulder at him. For some reason he couldn't stop trembling.
"That is not Inoue-san," Urahara repeated. Ichigo stared at Urahara in disbelief. "She cannot possibly have become an Arrancar," Urahara added.
"And how is that?" Ichigo asked, voice strangled. He felt hot tears brimming at his eyes. Urahara was giving him false hope. He did not want to cling to a false hope.
Still, Urahara walked up beside him, keeping his eyes on Orihime and the other Arrancar. "It's likely she'd lose her powers. The transition could cause them to disappear. I'm sure Aizen wouldn't want that," he explained. The shinigami looked at one another; Tatsuki, who had tears running down her cheeks, sucked in a breath and let it out in a trembling sigh of relief.
"And besides," Urahara continued, "Arrancar are Hollows who have acquired shinigami powers. She has no zanpakutou."
It was true, and that was one of the things that the shinigami had noticed; that she had no sword.
"But her hairpins could be like a zanpakutou," Rukia spoke up. "That is what she told me once."
"That is what I told her," Hachigen said. "But that's only in comparison. It's not an actual zanpakutou."
"And even then, she would lose her powers. Her hairpins wouldn't work," Yoruichi agreed.
"That's it! She's got two hairpins!" Renji exclaimed triumphant, pointing at Orihime. "That's not right. We've got the other one. One of them is a fake."
"They just brought her here to taunt us," Tatsuki said, finding her courage. "To make us believe we've lost her. But I know that's not Orihime. That can't be her."
"Will you all stop talking about me as if I were not here?" Orihime's voice boomed, interrupting them. She sounded angered, vicious, and very unlike herself.
"We only came here for one thing," she said. "But I should take care of other business too, shouldn't I? Unfinished business, if you will."
Ichigo gripped the hilt of Zangetsu tighter, palms sweaty, wondering what she meant. Orihime advanced a little further, looking around the group.
"It's time to sever all bonds. I no longer belong here. Shall we begin?" She glanced over her shoulder at Ulquiorra, who gave a solemn nod. Orihime grinned.
"Starting with you," she said, glowering at Tatsuki. Tatsuki barely had time to utter a mild 'huh?', when Orihime was suddenly beside her. She had used sonido, and transported herself instantly beside the spiky-haired girl. No sooner had everyone realized what happened, Tatsuki was flung roughly against the solitary tree in the riverbank. Tatsuki let out a garbled yelp as she bounced against the trunk painfully and rolled to the ground, landing in a shallow mud puddle, half-unconscious.
"Arisawa-san!" Hitsugaya exclaimed, and he and Renji motioned to help Tatsuki. But Orihime appeared in front of them, as if she had been standing right there the whole time. She gripped each by the neck, making them halt so suddenly that she nearly disarmed them. But neither dropped his zanpakutou.
"You two I never cared for much," she said, and threw them over her shoulders, as easily as if they weighed nothing at all. They landed roughly, not too far. Renji, however, recovered swiftly and gripped his zanpakutou.
"Howl, Zabimaru!" he exclaimed, crouching on all fours, wielding his blade. The odd saw-like blade of Zabimaru swung out like a chain, lashing out at Orihime.
"RENJI, DON'T!" Ichigo shouted, but it was too late.
The blade reached Orihime. Or at least it looked like it did. The tip was crushed to pieces by something invisible.
"I don't think so," Orihime said, turning to face Renji. He only stared in shock at Zabimaru's blade, chipped thoroughly near the tip. Then something moved toward him, almost imperceptible. They only watched as Renji gave a spastic shake, as if he had been shot, and fell backwards. He groaned from his place on the floor.
"It's her shield!" Rukia said. She shunpo'd over to Orihime, and hacked once with Sode No Shirayuki. What shield?
"RUKIA!" Ichigo shouted again, but he didn't move. He was rooted to the ground, and just stared in utter disbelief. He had even forgotten the other five Arrancar behind him. But they weren't doing anything, either; they just watched, just like any person watches a show. This was a show for them.
Rukia's blade never touched Orihime. It was stopped by something, clanging loudly, but nothing seemed to be there.
The Santen Kesshun; it was barely visible. For the first time, the others noticed the very faint glow surrounding Orihime. Unlike the triangular shape it used to adopt, the shield now molded to the shape of her body. Orihime grinned from behind it.
"And you," she began. "You're the one I'm most eager to get rid of." She gripped Rukia by the neck, lifting her off her feet, and held her just off the ground, pressing her fingers into her throat. Rukia groaned, trying to pry those strong fingers off while she sputtered and gasped for air.
"Kuchiki-san!" Hitsugaya and Yumichika and Matsumoto and Ikkaku exclaimed in unison, watching helplessly.
"RUKIA!" Renji cried, lifting his head only to stare, because that was all he could do. That was all anyone could do. She was literally untouchable.
"You suddenly show up, turning our lives upside down, and wreaking havoc all over town, all because you couldn't do your job right. And then we have to risk our lives to save your sorry ass! It's all Kurosaki-kun can talk about ever again after that: Kuchiki Rukia," she sneered when she said that name.
"You're not Inoue!" Rukia yelled, nearly tearing her throat, and hacked repeatedly at Orihime, but every blow bounced on the shield. The blade was being crushed.
"I'm quite done with you," Orihime said, a bored expression on her face, and she pressed harder into Rukia's throat. Rukia continued to strike Orihime wherever her zanpakutou would reach, but to no avail. Eventually she dropped Sode no Shirayuki to the ground, and her hands wrapped around Orihime's wrist, in a futile attempt to loosen and get out of that deadly grip.
"ORIHIME, STOP!" Ichigo shouted, and he finally leapt forward. He tackled Orihime, and even if she didn't fall, she stumbled enough to drop Rukia.
"Oh, why hadn't we thought of that?" Ikkaku wondered loudly, as Rukia fell to the ground, coughing. Orihime found Ichigo gripping her by the waist now.
"Stop it! This isn't you!" he cried, desperate to shake her awake, to bring her back to her senses.
"Ah, Kurosaki-san…" Urahara said, lifting one hand to speak. "If I may say so, this—"
Ichigo felt like he had been hit by a rampaging truck. He flew some ten feet up, then back down, feeling almost like he was being sucked down toward the ground with the gravity force of a smaller planet. In other words, it felt like falling in slow motion; very painstakingly slow, hitting the ground with such force, every muscle and every bone hurt so very noticeably, like he was experiencing the whole thing frame by frame. The wind was knocked out of him completely.
Urahara's eyes widened beneath the flap of his hat. "… Is not a very good idea," he finished.
Ichigo couldn't move. Orihime glowered at him. "Whoever said you could touch me?" she spat. He swallowed hard. Behind them, Grimmjaw and Yammy laughed.
Renji stood up, still groaning. "I thought you said her powers were gone now that she's an Arrancar," he said to Urahara. "But she can still produce a shield, not to mention she's really freaking strong right now," he rubbed his back meaningfully.
"I was making an assertion. I wouldn't really know. It was just a possibility," Urahara replied.
"Then what is there left to do?" Ichigo asked, starting to get up. Orihime didn't stop him; she just watched him.
"If you're not going to directly attack her, as opposed to just trying to stop her, then I think it's just pointless that you do this," Urahara said.
"Once again, speaking like I'm not here," Orihime said. "How rude."
"You're offending Orihime," Grimmjaw said, feigning indignation.
"Don't you dare speak her name!" Ichigo shouted.
"What's the matter, shinigami?" Grimmjaw asked haughtily. "Fancy she's all yours? She never was, and she never will be anymore. She's one of us now," he said tauntingly, and laughed. Surprisingly, Orihime laughed too, a low, grave laugh unlike the clear soft one she had before; and this time she was laughing at Ichigo.
Ichigo could barely hide his fright. "Orihime…" he called, and the others had to wonder what he was thinking. Rukia stood up, panting, watching him intently.
Orihime stopped laughing instantly. "Don't you dare speak my name either," she paused as if to give full effect to her words "…shinigami."
Rukia and Hitsugaya and Matsumoto and Renji and everyone looked at each other momentarily, then at Urahara. Hopefully he knew what to do. He seemed as disconcerted as the rest of them. What was the point of their plan anymore, if Orihime was not the same Orihime and they could not rescue her because it was too late? Was there really anything else they could do besides killing her, or attempting to kill her?
They knew Ichigo would never do it. He could never kill Orihime, Arrancar or not. None of them could.
"Kurosaki-san," Urahara said. Ichigo turned to him, hoping against all hope that Urahara wouldn't say what he thought he would say. The blond shinigami gave him a solemn look, almost apologetic.
"You have to end this. There's no other way," he said.
Ichigo swallowed the lump in his throat. Orihime cocked an eyebrow.
"Well, you can at least try, but I'm not sure it will do much good," Grimmjaw said gleefully.
"Urahara, there…" Ichigo began, choking over his own words. "There must be another way. This can't be..."
"Urahara-san, you can't possibly imply that this is really Inoue. She just can't be," Rukia said loudly.
Urahara nodded. "Ah, but of course. That's not Inoue. Not anymore."
His face turned fierce and strong, and he looked at Orihime determinedly.
"And if you're not willing to end it yourself," he said, stepping forward, "then I will."
Before Ichigo could respond, Urahara used shunpo to appear in front of Orihime, sword drawn, and deliver a swift but powerful blow. Benihime was not fully release, but even from where he stood, Ichigo could feel the impact of the sword reach him like the echo of a boom. Still, the zanpakutou impacted on nothing but the invisible shield, the dim glow intensifying at contact.
"I thought that had already been deemed pointless. What is this guy trying to do?" Yammy said.
"Enough of that," Grimmjaw added, annoyed, and his sole arm drew out his zanpakutou and advanced toward the group. Yammy and the other two Arrancar did the same; even Ulquiorra, seemingly passive as he was, came to stand behind Orihime, ready to lend a hand. Not that she seemed to need it.
On her part, Orihime clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "This is very rude of you, Urahara-san. You have something that belongs to me, and I just came to get it," she said with a tone of fake diplomacy. "Now, can I have my hairpin back?" She pouted and batted her eyelashes at Urahara. "Please?"
Urahara gave her his trademark grin, and in response moved with an unsightly speed around her, bringing Benihime toward Orihime numerous times, with the same force over and over again, attacking from various angles, but it didn't even put a scratch on her.
"Fine," Orihime retorted. "It's not like I need it anyway. Isn't it obvious?" And she stood absolutely still, smiling as Urahara grunted and groaned with his effort.
Ulquiorra jumped in her defense, just as the shinigami came at them both, and started an all out fight. Rukia and Renji immediately went for Grimmjaw, who was about to take advantage of Ichigo's distraction to attack him. They clashed swords with the one-armed Arrancar, who retained all his strength. Ikkaku and Yumichika had to handle Yammy between the two, because the huge Arrancar was simply too strong for one of them. Matsumoto was engaged with an unknown male Arrancar with long dark hair and small eyes, and whose broken mask resembled a helmet, resting on the crown of his head. Hitsugaya resolved to help Urahara. There had to be a way to break through that shield. But if Orihime had gotten more powerful, he knew that shield was impenetrable.
Ichigo lunged at them both, Urahara and Hitsugaya, trying to stop them. They could not seriously mean to… kill her? Somewhere inside the Arrancar façade, inside that hollowed body, there was still some part of Orihime left. He was determined to find it and bring it back.
With a groan of effort, he brought Zangetsu down upon Hitsugaya. The tenth division captain had but a split second to stop the blade with his own, Ichigo coming close to chopping off an arm.
"What do you think you're doing, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya asked. Ichigo spun his zanpakutou to release it from the grind, and assumed a fighting stance.
"What do you think you're doing? If you kill her, there is no way we can rescue her." Ichigo stabbed at Urahara, but Urahara was quicker and blocked it.
"She's gone! She's not Inoue anymore! The Inoue Orihime you knew is dead. This Arrancar is our enemy! We must eliminate her!" Hitsugaya shouted, stepping in front of Urahara.
"Are you willing to kill us to save her, even when she's not worth saving anymore?" Urahara asked.
"You can't be serious… you're wrong!" yelled an outraged Ichigo, lunging toward them, thrusting Zangetsu at them so they would dodge; he did that until they had moved away, and he was standing between them and Orihime. She, in the meantime, watched with interest, while Ulquiorra stood at her side.
"Ichigo, get out of the way! If we don't kill her, she's going to help them! And then we will all be dead!" Hitsugaya said. He thought of releasing Hyourinmaru, but once again, it would be too dangerous. There was too much water around, and it was just starting to rain harder. Hitsugaya didn't want to really hurt Ichigo; just for him to step aside. It wouldn't be easy; Ichigo regarded him with utmost loathing, Zangetsu tightly gripped with both hands, the huge blade glinting with raindrops.
"If you want to kill Orihime," he said in a dangerous hiss, "you'll have to kill me first."
"I´ve heard that line from you before."
Ichigo slowly turned to face Orihime, eyes wide. Rukia stopped, leaving Renji alone to handle Grimmjaw, and she stared in disbelief.
She had been almost certain that this was all a hoax. She was sure Aizen would've been able to turn Orihime into a Hollow and then an Arrancar, not in such a short time. How could this woman be Orihime?
But it was true that Ichigo had said that very phrase once before before, and Orihime would remember; when Acid Wire, the Hollow of Sora, came for Orihime, and Ichigo arrived just in time to stop him. Rukia was there too, climbing up a drainpipe to get to the second-story flat.
If this wasn't the real Orihime, how could she have known that? Only a real Hollow would retain such memories from life. It could only mean then that she really…
"You've said that to me in the past; you've said it to your enemies. That you will protect me," Orihime said, stepping toward Ichigo, until they stood so close he could feel her breath on his face, her bangs grazing his cheek as she lifted her head to look up at him, and her eyes bore into his.
"You keep breaking that promise to me, and I'm just so… hurt," she whispered sadly. Ichigo started to shiver. "You let me down."
"Ichigo, don't listen to her!" Rukia yelled, and motioned to cut in. At that moment Ulquiorra did an almost imperceptible flick of his wrist. For Rukia it felt like was punched in the stomach by something invisible, and she flew right into Hitsugaya, the young captain catching her just in time. They both rolled across the wet grass, stopping a few feet of distance. Hitsugaya quickly sat up, helping Rukia to do the same. She convulsed, coughed and spat out blood.
"Rukia!" Renji shouted, but he couldn't quit his fight with Grimmjaw, who even as he fought with only one hand, was still hard to overpower.
Orihime looked over Ichigo's shoulder, watching Hitsugaya try to make Rukia lie down and she fought him to stand up, even as blood still to trickled down her chin.
"Kuchiki-san, you're hurt! Stay here! That's an order!" he shouted at her, pushing her down, but Rukia grabbed fistfuls of his haori to either push him out of her way or use him as support to get up.
"Ichigo—" she tried to shout, but she choked on the blood rising in her throat. Suddenly, her eyes rolled backwards, and she fell back. Her hands relaxed and let go of Hitsugaya's kimono, and she simply lay there, limp and lifeless.
Ichigo swallowed hard, trembling, the air barely making it to his lungs. He couldn't look over; he knew Rukia was hurt, that everyone around him was in grave danger, but he couldn't take full notice of it. He only stared at Orihime. It was like he was under hypnosis.
There was a flurry beside them, and Ichigo suddenly realized Ulquiorra and Urahara crossed zanpakutou, blades meeting with a resounding clang.
Orihime chuckled. "In any case, whoever said I needed you to protect me?"
Urahara grinned; Ulquiorra looked solemn and serene. They moved with incredible speed, shunpo and sonido, swords clashing again and again.
"A worthy adversary," mused Urahara, and narrowed eyes, his voice lowering. "Okiro… Benihime."
Something inside Ichigo's head made him finally snap out of it. Tessai carried Rukia over to where Tatsuki lay, still doubling with pain. Were they still alive? Hitsugaya had left Rukia's side, and was now helping Matsumoto handle the unknown Arrancar. Zabimaru, Hyourinmaru, Haineko, Houzukimaru, Fuji Kujaku, Benihime, all zanpakutou in shikai, clashing against an Arrancar. Yoruichi, flanked by Jinta and Ururu, stood at a distance, keeping out, just surveying the scene. And in the midst of it all, Ichigo and Orihime still stood detached from their surroundings.
"What are you doing, Orihime?" Ichigo asked, his voice shaking. Orihime smiled, and she spoke so close to him her lips grazed his own.
"Merely living up to my new nature," she said softly. "Aizen-sama requested that I personally take care of you. And I will."
Ichigo mildly wondered what she meant. What was her plan? Why wasn't she aggressive toward him? And why wasn't she attempting to get the hairpin anymore? But most importantly, how could she possibly use her powers, if both hairpins were not in her possession?
These thoughts, however, Orihime seemed to perceive, and she smiled as a sort of reply. "I may not have a zanpakutou. But I have something better," she said, broadening the gap between their bodies. "Do you want me to prove to you how real I am?"
She lifted a hand to her hairpins. "Let me show you my bankai." She was about to summon the Six Flowers of the Hibiscus Shield, the power that worked like a sort of zanpakutou. It only made sense. He had seen them at work, but did they really have a higher level, even now when she was an Arrancar?
"Shun Shun Rikka," she called out, and he knew he was about to find out.
A most peculiar thing happened next. She was surrounded by swirling smoke, blocking her from view for a moment. Then the smoke dissipated and she didn't look any different. But then the Shun Shun Rikka materialized around her, shooting out of her hairpins like they usually did. Only this time, they weren't the tiny fairy-like creatures they always were. They were the size of a normal person.
They landed heavily on the ground, standing like regular people, although still retaining their individual qualities, including the wings attached to their backs. Hinagiku with the horned eye patch; Lily with her goggles; Ayame's large headdress made her look twice as small underneath it; the bald-headed Baigon with his half-mask; the leader, Shun'ou, standing taller, with her hair knotted high on her head; and Tsubaki, with his dark hair swept up and his lower face still covered by the mask, retained all the intensity in his dark eyes, which now glowered menacingly at Ichigo.
He stood directly between Ichigo and Orihime. The shinigami and Arrancar paused long enough to watch as Orihime's "bankai" made its first appearance.
"Tsubaki…" Ichigo murmured in awe, and the Tsubaki sneered at him.
"What is it that you want, woman?" he asked Orihime. Orihime merely curved her lips up into a smile.
"Koten Zanshun," she said.
Ichigo barely reacted when he almost felt the lights go out. Tsubaki had lunged at him and very nearly split his face with a high kick, following instantly with a blow to the forehead with the butt of his hand. Ichigo stumbled backwards, almost falling, but he regained his balance in time, shaking his head to rid himself of the dizziness. Tsubaki was just as fast as when he was small and flew, but now he was twenty times bigger, and stronger too.
"I think it's time," Urahara said, glancing around. He watched the shinigami engaged in fierce fighting with the Arrancar; they were having trouble overpowering their enemies. If they were meant to succeed at this, before anyone else could get hurt, they needed to be quick. Urahara nodded, and gave a loud whistle.
From the other side of the river, came the Vizards leaping from one bank to the other as if it were nothing more than a wet ditch. They had been concealed, waiting for the signal. This was their chance to shine.
They landed near the very edge of the river. Ichigo looked over his shoulder at them. He knew they expected him to release the Hollow within in order to battle and win. But right now that was the last thing in his mind.
"He won't do it," Hirako acknowledged as soon as he took in the scene and realized what was going on. "It's Orihime-chan," he added.
"He's an idiot, then. Clearly she's an Arrancar now," Hiyori said, frowning in disgust at the bleach-headed boy. "She's the enemy."
"No. She's a friend," Hirako said. "She's still his friend."
"That's not Orihime," Hachigen said suddenly.
"She ain't?" Kensei asked.
"I can feel it. Her powers are different," Hachigen responded. They shared similar powers, he and Orihime. Maybe only he could tell.
Yadoumaru Riza shrugged. "Whatever, he still won't do it. So I guess we'll have to do it ourselves." But before she could get too close, Tsubaki leapt at her. He jumped clean over Ichigo's head and delivered a strong flying kick at Riza, swiftly knocking her back a few of feet. Kensei and Rozu caught her.
"Feisty, eh?" Mashiro giggled. "He's a cute ninja boy. He's like that Uchiha boy from that manga you read, isn't he, Riza?"
"Shut up, Mashiro, or I'll go Uchiha on your ass!" Riza yelled, rubbing her shoulder where Tsubaki's foot had connected with it. Mashiro only stopped giggling when Tsubaki lunged at her, picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder. Ravu caught her, and both landed roughly on the ground, slipping in the mud.
"Ow… the Uchiha ninja is not so cute anymore," Mashiro complained.
Rozu blinked in surprise. "Are these… those fairies she shoots out of her hairpins?" he asked, looking at Tsubaki and the other people standing around Orihime.
"These don't look like fairies at all!" Kensei said, lifting his zanpakutou ready to strike when he saw Tsubaki coming at him this time, but Tsubaki moved too fast. Kensei made a thrust, but Tsubaki jumped and landed on the blade, standing on it. Kensei stared in awe at Tsubaki, just before the solo fighter back-flipped and caught Kensei in the jaw with a high kick in mid air. The Vizard fell back, dropping his zanpakutou.
"Wait a minute, I thought she didn't have her hairpins. I thought we had one!" Riza said. "How come she can still call them out? And how did they get so big?"
"This is… not real," Hachigen said. "They're not real."
"Feels pretty real to me," Kensei growled, nursing his chin. He jumped in just as Tsubaki was taking on Rozu, Ravu and Hirako all at once, and doing quite well.
Hiyori unsheathed her zanpakutou. "Ichigo! Why aren't you doing anything?! What the hell are you thinking?!" she bellowed at his back. He seemed to ignore her.
"You were right, Ulquiorra," Orihime said, smiling pretentiously. "They came after all."
Hirako and Hiyori stared at one another in shock. The Arrancar knew about them?
Ulquiorra watched them and Urahara. "They're not your business," he said calmly. "We will handle them."
Orihime nodded. "Hinagiku! Lily! Baigon!" she shouted coldly, and the human-sized fairies turned to her. "Santen Kesshun."
The three fairies zoomed in three separate directions, spreading out around Orihime and Ichigo. "I reject!" Orihime commanded with a wave of her hand, and a large bright bubble materialized around them, glowing like a round cage made of yellow beams of light.
Tsubaki tossed Ravu aside before leaping into the shield, falling through the center and landing between Orihime and Ichigo again.
"Argh, I'll kill that bastard…" Ravu sputtered, picking himself up. The Vizards approached the glowing bubble. But Hachigen signaled for them to stop.
"It's solid," he said, and he carefully touched it to show them.
"Well, she does that too. It's a shield," Urahara replied.
"I can't go through," Hacchi added, pushing more forcefully. He probably thought it would be like the invisible barrier he created to conceal reiatsu, and which only Orihime was able to perceive and walk through.
"We'll have to destroy it, then," Hiyori retorted, pulling out her zanpakutou.
"You can't destroy it," Urahara added. "It's really up to Ichigo now."
"Oh, no…" Hiyori said under her breath, looking into the shield.
"The hairpin…" Ulquiorra said, turning back to Urahara.
"I thought she said she didn't need it," Urahara said.
"We will find it," the Arrancar said passively.
"D'cha hear that, new guy? Best help Ulquiorra look for the hairpin. Seems he can't do it on his own," Grimmjaw yelled with a resounding laugh. The shinigami and Vizards looked puzzled.
"New guy?" Matsumoto wondered out loud. It wasn't the first time these guys had referred to one of their own as new, but who were they speaking of that time?
Another Arrancar was still hidden by Yammy's huge frame, as if purposely concealing himself. Promptly he emerged from behind his comrade.
"Ulquiorra?" he asked, the small child-like voice at once recognizable. It was Wonderweiss Margera, looking as wide-eyed and innocent as always.
"The cat woman…" Ulquiorra replied, gesturing to the area above, on the top of the steep hill. Yoruichi, Jinta and Ururu stood on the sidewalk, concealed in the shadows from the buildings behind them. They immediately noticed how Wonderweiss was suddenly looking straight at them.
"She has it. Get it and bring it to me. Kill her if you need to," Ulquiorra added.
Yoruichi had barely any time to think what to do next, when Wonderweiss was suddenly on top of her. He moved so fast that she only noticed him when he landed on her back, attaching himself to her shoulder.
"Get off her, you freak!" Jinta shouted, wielding his huge customized baseball bat (or at least it looked like a baseball bat); he swung at Wonderweiss, but the Arrancar caught the bat with his bare hand, and started waving it around while Jinta was still holding it. He threw it aside, along with Jinta, who nearly flew over the edge of the sidewalk but managed to hang on to the railing.
Yoruichi was bending over, flailing around wildly, trying to somehow shake the blonde Arrancar off; but he held on tight, out of her direct reach. He wrapped his arms and legs around her, binding her arms as well. He was stronger, much stronger than he looked. "Shit," she muttered, trying to free her arms to pull him off.
"Do it, Ururu!" Jinta yelled from where he lay.
"Hai!" replied Ururu, and pulled out the huge bazooka-like weapon, aiming directly at the Arrancar. It was a wonder how she managed to miss Yoruichi while still perfectly hitting Wonderweiss, but it barely did any good; the Arrancar coughed, waved away the smoke and dust, and continued to claw at Yoruichi, unhurt.
"GERROFF, DAMN IT!" Yoruichi yowled like a cat as she struggled; Wonderweiss had wrapped his arms around her neck and was beginning to choke her.
"Hey! The lady told you to get off!" Ishida yelled, coming out of nowhere from the right.
Yoruichi was surprised. The Quincy archer, in his white uniform, blue bow glowing in the darkness, aimed an arrow directly at Wonderweiss.
"Where'd you come from?" Yoruichi asked.
"Urahara said to be at hand if it was necessary. Seems you guys can't take care of a handful of Arrancar on your own," he said smugly.
Wonderweiss hissed at him, and suddenly leapt onto him, but Ishida jumped out of the way. He released the arrow from the string, and made ready to shoot again. Wonderweiss, however, pulled out his zanpakutou, and he seemed to slice the glowing arrow in half as it flew toward him; he continued to lunge at Ishida, staying out of the range of his bow. But between the cat woman and the archer, he seemed unable to make up his mind over whom to attack. He settled on the woman, since Ulquiorra had ordered him to, but just as he leapt in her direction, he seemed to freeze midair.
Ururu had dropped the giant bazooka, latched on to Wonderweiss's ankle as he jumped, and was now waving him around like a baseball bat. Wonderweiss seemed to be trying to kick her away, and even prepared to shoot a cero at her, when she finally let go, literally hurling him away. He landed inside the river, sinking beneath the surface, but even then it seemed he released the cero after all. The underwater explosion resulted in a great fountain, shooting water and rocks from the riverbed, splashing everyone nearby, and forcing them to dodge falling rocks.
"Alright, Ururu!" Jinta pumped his fist in the air. Ururu smiled sheepishly, even with her ubiquitous mournful expression.
Yoruichi stared at Ishida and Ururu. "I could have handled that myself," she said angrily.
"Indeed…" Ishida rolled his eyes, and pushed his glassed up to the bridge of his nose.
"BANKAI!"
There was a deafening roar, and a gust of cold wind forced everyone to shield their eyes. The air chilled, raindrops froze as they fell, smashing like crystals when they hit the groundl, and pelting everyone painfully as if it were hail. The ground was soon covered in frost, and rain and mud puddles turned to ice.
"Hitsugaya-taichou!" Matsumoto shouted, half-scolding and half-surprised.
"What? It's either this or we can spend all night in a vicious cycle and we might just end up all dead!" Hitsugaya declared. It was difficult to control his bankai when it was raining, difficult to make sure he would only hurt his enemies and not his friends, but he had no choice. It was getting exhausting.
"Well, you could've told us sooner and we would've done this!" Hiyori said, and she pulled out her mask. The other Vizards followed suit. Soon enough, they were teaming up with one shinigami or the other. Kensei and Ravu joined Ikkaku and Yumichika; even as one against four, Yammy didn't seem preoccupied, until…
His fist was stopped by someone from behind. It stopped only inches from punching the life out of Yumichika.
"Oi! Sado-san!" Ikkaku greeted Chad. "Great timing! We're nearly done with him, you know?"
"Where have you been anyway?" Ravu asked.
"Waiting," Chad said simply, holding Yammy's fist back with his newly-powered arm. "Urahara's orders."
He became locked in a one-on-one fight with Yammy, hand to hand. Only this time, it wasn't as easy for Yammy. Chad had grown very strong, his armor tougher.
"Hey, no fair! What about us?" Kensei shouted indignant.
"I guess we should go help," Ishida smiled at Yoruichi and gestured for her to follow before rushing down the hill and landing next to Renji, as Hirako joined them too. Ururu picked up her bazooka and went to help Jinta, who was nursing scrapped knees.
Yoruichi, however, suddenly found she was unable to move. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Ulquiorra standing beside her, a death grip on her right hand.
"You're good," she mused with an acknowledging raise of her eyebrow.
He held his zanpakutou to her neck, his tightening grip on her wrist nearly making her drop the hairpin, which she held in her balled fist; she wanted to scream. Urahara was suddenly in front of them, holding Benihime against Ulquiorra's arm.
"But we are better," he said with his trademark grin. He and Ulquiorra crossed swords again.
Rukia felt herself being yanked violently into consciousness, returning to the waking world. It felt like she had been floating and was now back on the ground.
In fact, she was lying on the ground, and her whole body ached much like she had taken a big fall.
"Kuchiki-san…"
"Ichigo, don't—!" Rukia yelled, sitting up like a spring, and winced in pain. She found Tatsuki, a trickle of blood staining the side of her face, holding her arm, kneeling beside her, while on her other side, Tessai was sitting cross-legged, holding her other arm with huge hands.
"Kuchiki-san, do not get up just yet! I am not done healing you! Don't make me get Ururu to restrain you!" he said, annoyed.
"Wha—but…!" Rukia mumbled confusedly and looked around. She was a little way away from the core of the fighting. Beyond the tree sitting alone in the river bank, the Vizards and shinigami were in fierce battle with the Arrancar. Hitsugaya bore his cloak of ice, which could only mean Hyourinmaru had been released fully. It seemed to her, at first glance, that it was all now under control. The Vizards came. The Arrancar were outnumbered. Urahara's plan had worked.
"Tatsuki, where's Ichigo?" Rukia asked, ignoring the pain in her gut and the dizziness.
Tatsuki gulped, lips trembling. Rukia did not wait for an answer. She wrenched free from Tessai's grasp, and painstakingly got up.
"Rukia!" Tatsuki went after her. They slipped and fell on the ice, but Rukia kept running, Tatsuki chasing her. They came to the midst of the battle. Matsumoto and Hitsugaya, with the aid of Mashiro and Rozu, overpowered the unknown Arrancar. There was an ice box, like a coffin, where the Arrancar had been standing. Ishida was having trouble; it was difficult to shoot at the Arrancar at such close range and at the same time making sure he didn't hit any of the Vizards. Who knew what could happen to them if he did; they were part-Hollow, after all.
"Ichigo…" Rukia gasped, seeing the bubble shield beside the riverbank.
No one could hear what was going on inside the bubble shield. They could only watch as Tsubaki advanced toward Ichigo.
Orihime stood back, watching the two opponents. Tsubaki kept glancing at Orihime, perhaps expecting instructions. But Orihime was looking at Ichigo, who never took his eyes off her.
"Are you waiting for me to kill you?" she asked.
Ichigo shook his head. "No," he replied quietly.
"Well, maybe then you should do something about not getting killed," she said smugly, "because honestly I don't think Tsubaki-kun here appreciates your lack of enthusiasm. I can't say I'm terribly excited myself. So if you're planning to make it easy for him, then I would suggest you merely end your life instead of putting Tsubaki-kun in this pitiful situation."
Ichigo shook his head, trying to dispel what was before his eyes. "What happened to you?" he asked. "You're not Orihime. You can't be."
"You keep telling yourself that," she responded. "It eases your mind, doesn't it? Makes you feel less guilty."
Guilty? Ichigo couldn't believe she had said that. He had been eaten away by guilt for the past two nights. But guilt was not the reason he did not fight back.
"Tsubaki," she said simply. Tsubaki did indeed move like a ninja. He leapt and lunged at him, springing up from behind, jumping over his head, upside down. Everywhere he looked, Ichigo had flying kicks and right and left hooks and punches, and he was blindly receiving them all. He was being tossed all over the place, and he could barely see his enemy. Ichigo landed on the ground roughly only to be picked up and thrown down again. He gripped Zangetsu as tight as he could, but he felt his strength leaving him more than a couple of times, and he was afraid he would lose his only weapon and be rendered defenseless. Still, he couldn't lift Zangetsu to shield himself at all. He was not putting up a fight. He couldn't.
"Wait," Orihime suddenly commanded. Tsubaki tossed Ichigo one last time, and the boy landed on his back, gasping for air, groaning in pain. He was bleeding all over, cuts and bruises on his body and face. His nose was bloody and he could barely breathe through it, so he took ragged gasps through his open mouth.
"When you think about it, you're responsible for this. For all of it."
Ichigo looked between Orihime and Tsubaki, wondering who would deliver the final blow. He was dead, he knew it. He was going to die. Even then, he would take it standing. With great difficulty, he got to his feet again, and gripped Zangetsu with both hands.
"You promised you would protect me," Orihime said. Ichigo was taken aback. Her voice was softer, despite the angry, vicious tone. She sounded genuinely hurt.
"You said you wouldn't let anything happen to me. But they came for me and I was stuck in that horrible, dark place. They have plans for me, and whether I cooperate or not, it doesn't make a difference anymore, because you are going to die, and I will die, and everyone in this world will die too. So it doesn't matter anymore. Right now I just want you to be sorry. Because I shall never forgive you for this."
She gave a nod to Tsubaki, who delivered a spinning kick, knocking Ichigo clean off his feet. The shinigami landed in a heap on the ground, breathless and in pain. Tsubaki crouched beside him. Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. He used the last ounce of strength he had left, and punched Tsubaki twice, his fist connecting with the fairy's jaw.
Tsubaki's mask fell to his neck, revealing his face. So he had a face after all. He had a mild but remarkable resemblance to Inoue Sora; handsome, yet younger and intense. Those intense eyes stared back angrily at Ichigo, much like Acid Wire had, that night in Orihime's apartment. The night Ichigo had vowed to protect her.
He was now protecting himself from her. However did it come to this?
Before he knew what he was doing, he lifted Zangetsu, ready to strike Tsubaki dead. But he had no more strength in himself; he had rendered himself weak and powerless after taking that severe beating. Even as he lifted the heavy blade to guard him, Tsubaki easily pushed his sword out of the way, and in an unsightly move, drove his bare hand through Ichigo's chest.
"ICHIGO! NO!" Rukia's screaming barely reached his ears, as she crashed against the shield, beating upon the solid glowing transparency with her fists, crying, angry, panicked, desperate to get in. She used Sode no Shirayuki, but it was useless.
Ichigo barely perceived anything at all; not even the pain as Tsubaki promptly withdrew his hand, covered in blood, and he began to bleed from within, dark liquid spilling profusely from the wound, drenching his shihakushou. There was no breath left in him, he could feel his heart slowing down, thoughts whirling in his mind, confusing. He felt himself fading, but he had nowhere to grasp to hold onto life, so he didn't even struggle.
It was just like his vision: Orihime stabbed him through the heart with a zanpakutou. This was her real zanpakutou; the swordless soldier. Tsubaki was her blade, piercing him through and through.
He wished it to be over, he wished himself to die faster, to get it over with. And still he couldn't believe it would end like this.
Orihime said something to Tsubaki, Ichigo didn't hear what it was, but Tsubaki got up and stepped back, making way for her. She knelt in front of Ichigo.
"If you really loved me so much, then I wouldn't be like this."
She produced a real sword, a zanpakutou with a guard shaped like a flower, and a hilt woven of dark red silk; it literally materialized in her hand before his disbelieving eyes. The blade was long and curved, gleaming in the light of her shield. How could she make a zanpakutou appear out of nowhere?
"You drove a hole through my heart," she whispered. "Now I shall do the same."
Outside, even as they battled, the shinigami and Vizards watched helplessly. They knew he was dead; she would stab him and that would be the end for him, because he would never stop her. The only way to stop her would be to kill her, and he would never be able to do that.
Or so they thought.
"Goodbye, Kurosaki-kun."
She pulled back her arm, as if determined to bring the blade against him with as much force as possible, to really make him hurt. She started to come down upon him, but then she froze. Her face blanched, large brown eyes widening in surprise, her lips hanging open in a noiseless scream.
Rukia gasped, her eyes as wide. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto stared in shock. Renji and even Grimmjaw and Hirako stopped their fight to watch.
"Ichigo…" Tatsuki's voice was barely perceptible, as she seemed to be choking down tears, unsuccessfully. Her two best friends... She seemed to lose her balance, and Ishida hurried to catch her before she could hit the ground.
Yammy and Chad were locked in a struggled, but both stopped.
Yoruichi grabbed Urahara's arm, and he closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry… I'm…" Ichigo was babbling, tears streaming freely from his eyes and down his cheeks. "… I'm sorry…"
He had stabbed her first. Her body was impaled on Zangetsu, the blade going through her chest, where the hole was, piercing her through and through. Orihime gasped, in surprise, breathless, clutching at Ichigo's arms, trying to find support.
"I loved Orihime… I did…" he mumbled. He felt weaker, and couldn't hold Zangetsu up. Her body lowered toward him, and he touched his forehead to hers.
A thin line of blood trickled out the corner of her mouth.
"But you're not Orihime."
Disbelief was still etched on her face. Her blank eyes remained open, staring wide at him, and he heard her let out a long last breath, before going completely limp.
Ichigo looked away from her, and he saw Tsubaki and Shun'ou and the other fairies gathered around. Tsubaki and Shun'ou looked at one another, then at Ichigo, and he saw grief in their eyes before they started to vanish, turning into a glittering mist that swirled away in the wind. They did not beam back into the flower-shaped hairpins like usual. This time, they simply vanished.
The shield vanished. The zanpakutou disappeared, fading like mist. They were in darkness and under the rain again, though it fell softer now. The ice started melting.
Rukia sank to her knees. The shield keeping her out was gone. She could've rushed to his side, to his aid, but she couldn't move.
Gathering a bit of strength, Ichigo gently lifted Orihime's body off, and shut his eyes hard as he pulled Zangetsu out of her chest, tossing the sword aside, as if he couldn't bear to touch it any longer. He ignored the blinding pain in his stomach, the tremble of his weakening body, and very slowly took Orihime in his arms, turning her so that she almost lay on the ground. But he couldn't fight the urge. He pulled her into an embrace, crying quietly as he held her close to him.
Matsumoto started to cry. Hitsugaya rubbed her arm in a sort of comforting gesture, as he couldn't stop the tears coming to his eyes either. Chad bowed his head, his eyes concealed by his wild hair. Ikkaku gulped, frowning, incredulous. Yumichika looked down at his feet. Most of the Vizards were in solemn silence, and Ishida patted Tatsuki's back in an attempt to soothe her, while holding back his own tears. Hiyori exchanged a glance with Hirako.
"You're not Orihime… you're not… Orihime… you're not…" Ichigo choked. He repeated that line to himself over and over, as if trying to convince himself.
Everyone was very still. The rain continued to pour, and the ice began to melt.
The Arrancar were just as disconcerted; they were sure that she would kill him off before he could kill her instead. They were sure that he would never dare…
Ulquiorra stooped beside Ichigo, and in a strange gesture, swept his hand gently over Orihime's eyes, closing them. Ichigo flinched when he realized what the Arrancar was doing. "Don't touch her… don't…" he sobbed, holding Orihime closer, away from Ulquiorra's reach. The Espada did nothing in response.
Tatsuki sobbed into Ishida's shoulder. It was the only sound for a moment.
"We're done here," Ulquiorra announced, standing up again.
Yammy frowned, puzzled. "What about the hairpin?"
"We don't need it anymore."
Yammy and Grimmjaw looked at each other, dumbfounded.
"So we came and we did all of this, and she…" Grimmjaw trailed off, looking at Orihime's lifeless form. Was he affected by her death? "And it was for nothing?"
Ulquiorra did not reply directly. "It's up to Aizen-sama what shall be done now."
None of the shinigami seemed too concerned with stopping them. Ulquiorra walked away, heading toward the river. Someone had to fish Wonderweiss out.
"Wait… what?" Hitsugaya mumbled, confused. The shinigami and Vizards exchanged looks of utter disbelief. Rukia continued to cry, staring at Ichigo. He had put Orihime on the ground now, and he was kneeling beside her in a mournful gesture, holding one of her hands.
To everyone's dismay, even Urahara looked perplexed.
"Something's off…" he muttered, coming down the hill slowly. Yoruichi followed him.
"Yes," replied Hachigen. "Something is not right." He alone seemed unaffected. Like he was aware of something else, understood something deeper about this.
"We must still go to Hueco Mundo," he said to Urahara. The shinigami nodded.
"Yes, for Kurosaki-san's sake," he replied. "And Inoue-san's."
Yoruichi gave him a questioning look. What was that supposed to mean?
"You…"
Everyone looked at Ichigo. He was still shaking, but one look at his face made it clear that he was now shaking with rage.
"I'll kill you," he gritted his teeth, voice dangerously low, and looked up at Ulquiorra, eyes ablaze with anger.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" he yelled, and he stood up in one leap. His body seemed to regain strength, and shockingly, his wounds very slowly but steadily began to disappear. The great gap on his stomach closed itself up, and the only trace of it left was the blood on his kimono.
The Arrancar watched in awe as the mask materialized on one side of his face. Ichigo surged forward, transporting himself with shunpo, and suddenly stood squarely in front of Ulquiorra, and he seized him roughly by the collar of his white jacket, Zangetsu once again gripped tightly in his free hand.
"Ichigo!" Rukia and Yoruichi both shouted. Rukia finally got up, but she didn't chase after him.
Ulquiorra seemed mildly fazed, but just then, a great beam of light shot down directly from the sky, the sky ripping like a fabric, and covered them both.
But it was no use. Ichigo was unhurt by the negacion, and it was evident why, as more of his Hollow mask continued to cover his face. As Ulquiorra was being lifted to disappear into another dimension, Ichigo went with him, trying to choke him on the spot. They struggled under the light.
"They're getting away!" Ikkaku yelled.
"RENJI!" shouted Rukia. Renji felt himself being pushed roughly aside as a beam of light shot down from the sky and enveloped Grimmjaw. Hirako stayed put, and Grimmjaw struggled with him to get him out of the beam, but they were both slowly going upward, like they were traveling inside a pneumatic tube.
Renji groaned. He landed in a puddle, Rukia on top of him. She had pushed him out of range of the negacion just in time. If she hadn't, he could've been killed.
"Saved your ass," she mumbled.
Four more beams shot down from the sky, enveloping the remaining Arrancar. Chad jumped out of the way, just as Yammy was followed by Kensei, Ravu, Mashiro and Rozu, all fitting themselves into the tube of negacion and being floated up slowly. Another beam enveloped the ice coffin where Hitsugaya had locked up the unknown Arrancar, breaking it into frozen shards, while the Arrancar emerged from the center, coughing and gasping for air, but still very much alive, and throwing dirty looks in Hitsugaya's direction; Hachigen, Riza and Hiyori hurried to enter the light and waited to be taken away.
"Here we go, I guess," Hiyori said, looking none too pleased at what was probably a very strange feeling of floating.
Wonderweiss was sucked right out of the water. He seemed okay, but his face was scrunched up into an ugly pout, as if he were crying.
Finally, the last beam shot down to take Orihime away. Tatsuki motioned to go after it, but Ishida held her still in her place.
Everyone kept their distance from the beams, watching in mild awe and shock as the Arrancar, Vizards and Ichigo disappeared into the rip in the sky, and into Hueco Mundo. Then the sky closed. The rain did not cease, but the clouds swirling above seemed to thin out.
Renji helped Rukia get up. The others continued to stare at the sky for a moment, and eventually turned away, looking at each other.
"What now?" Yoruichi asked, staring at the dark sky, blinking to keep the water out of her eyes.
"I…" Urahara said, hesitating in a way that made Yoruichi shiver with preoccupation. "I honestly don't know."
---
Okay, this chapter took me much, MUCH longer than I expected. It was really tough to write it, because it was a huge block, and I kept adding to it and removing from some parts. Looking at how long it turned out, no wonder it was driving me crazy. But I'm quite happy with it. I like the ending.
And yes, Tsubaki in this fanfic is sketched out to be sort of like Uchiha Sasuke, my absolute favorite character from Naruto; I guess that's just how he looked in my head when I wrote this. Because Sasuke and Tsubaki both seem to be rather short-tempered, very serious, and the way Sasuke moves and fights is kick-ass, so I wanted Tsubaki to also have some of those moves. In any case, if the Shun Shun Rikka were life-sized, I don't think they would be whizzing around with their little wings. They would walk, and Tsubaki would fight like a ninja (he's even got his face half covered, like Kakashi, so I thought it was just appropriate.)
Whatever. I'm so hooked with both Bleach and Naruto (currently my two most guilty pleasures), and this story, I feel like I'm missing out on the real world. But who cares? I have my boyfriend to keep me grounded.
Once again, sorry this took so long and I'm sorry for the length of this chapter. And also, my apologies if this chapter was too sad and tragic, but that's me. It's all part of the story. But do not despair. It's not over yet. Who knows what I have in store for Ichigo and Co. Two more chapters to go. BOOHAHAHAHA!!!
Thank you for reading!! Have a nice one!
-Nariko the Seer a.k.a Deathberry15
