EDIT (01/08/2007): Dang it! I guess I can't do this. I couldn't finish before the New Year. Oh well, rest assured, I shall be done soon. Someday… eventually… maybe this year…
I hadn't noticed before, but this is the chapter where I actually use the title somewhere in the story. Can you see it? Read carefully.
I find it very amusing to write those scenes with Ichigo fighting his inner hollow, battling the schizophrenia. I know someone who knows what that feels like (most unfortunately, but she's okay).
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Hmm, now we know what that black emptiness where Hollows formed is called: Garganta, the gap between dimensions. The best part was when Ichigo thought Hueco Mundo would be "gooey" (that's how one scanlation wrote it), with corpses lying around; he has a very stereotypical vision of the underworld. Kubo-san has not forgotten to inject some humor into the situations, in spite of the grave turn the story has taken. And I like to do the same.
I always make an effort to reply to the reviewers, just so that I can thank them for reading, because it's really exciting to get a review, especially a nice one. Makes me feel all warm and tingly inside. I'm terribly sorry for lying to those who reviewed, telling them I would update this weekend (I didn't actually know I was lying at the time). My computer was being temperamental, and I just started a new job. I'm in a sort of Hueco Mundo myself right now. But now I'm back on track.
I'd like to point out, as a side note/disclaimer/credit, chapter 8's title "The Swordless Soldier" was taken from blacklullaby's fanart of the same name, which was posted in the IchiHime livejournal community, in honor of Orihime-chan's birthday (September 3rd, for those of you who might wonder), and I just thought it was perfect. It's genius (the fanart, I mean). You should go check it out.
Author's note: I wanted to make clear that the spellings I use for the different types of Arrancar are the closest to how they sound in English or Spanish, rather than the phonetic reading. This is because the name 'Arrancar' itself is the proper way to pronounce the name of these Hollow-Shinigami hybrids, because, like with many stuff, Kubo-san is using Spanish words (Arankaru becomes Arrancar, since 'arrancar' is Spanish for 'to tear or rip off'). In any case, it doesn't seem that the words/names 'adjucas', 'gillian' or 'vastrodes' have any meaning in Spanish, so it doesn't really matter how you spell them. They're just made-up names.
Music: "Learn to crawl" by Black Lab, "Ghost love score" by Nightwish, "Cast no shadow" by Oasis, "It's all over but the crying" by Garbage, "Sleeping with ghosts" by Placebo, "All of this past" by Sarah Bettens, "Prayer for the dying" by Seal, "How soon is now" by Love Spit Love.
Disclaimer: Kubotite is the genius behind all of this. I am merely doing this for my own guilty pleasure.
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Coming Undone – by Deathberry15
9: No stairway to heaven
Ichigo felt like he was floating. It was almost like being in a twister, spinning endlessly but slowly. He couldn't recall what happened after being hit by the negacion. He had been about to choke Ulquiorra, his fingers slithering around the Arrancar's hollowed throat and pressing with the supernatural strength his inner Hollow provided as it wrapped itself around his consciousness and overtook him; the next thing he knew, Ulquiorra was gone, the ground was gone, and Ichigo felt weak, the Hollow receding so fast that he thought he might have blacked out briefly. Now, he floated in emptiness. He felt rather heavy, even when he felt no gravity pulling him in any direction. He couldn't tell up from down, if he was breathing in stale air or not breathing at all, or even if he was moving at all.
Where were the Vizards? He was almost certain, if they were still on Urahara's plan of action, that Hirako and the others had followed the Arrancar into the negacion. But there was nobody and nothing else there. The Arrancar had disappeared too. He was utterly alone, as far as he could see, surrounded by nothingness. He couldn't even be sure if he had crossed to the other dimension.
What if he was dead?
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Ichigo turned his head in all directions, looking for the source of the voice. "Hiyori?" he asked softly.
"Ichigo-kun, move your ass!" another voice said. Hirako's. "This isn't exactly the most pleasant place!" Ichigo tried not to panic, but he still couldn't see anyone.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Are you staying here, pretending to swim, or are we going after those guys?" the voice rang in his ear. Ichigo turned with great difficulty, given he had no support. He came face to face with Hiyori.
"Oi!" he exclaimed when they accidentally bumped foreheads.
"Ouch! Idiot! Can you behave like a normal person? Geez…" Hiyori muttered angrily, rubbing her forehead.
"What is this place?" Ichigo asked. He noticed the other Vizards, behind Hiyori, standing around waiting for him. Wait. Standing… around? "How are you doing that?" he asked, pointing to the glowing jagged-edged platform where they stood, hovering solid like a bridge over the emptiness.
Hirako grabbed his arm to keep him still. "You use your spiritual pressure and the energy in this place to create a place to stand, and then a path. That way you can walk around, instead of floating around like an idiot and getting nowhere, like you were."
It took Ichigo a moment to figure out how to do it. Soon he standing again, leveled with the Vizards, who were impatiently waiting for him. "Where are we going?" he asked when Hiyori and Riza each seized Ichigo by the arms and pulled him along, as if to make sure he wouldn't stray again.
"Where do you think?" Kensei answered. They seemed to know exactly where they were headed.
"He means we have no idea. We're going by instinct," Hachigen explained. "Whichever way you go, you end up in Hueco Mundo. You just have to keep going."
"This isn't Hueco Mundo?" Ichigo asked.
Rozu shrugged. "It's more like the gap between dimensions."
"It's the place where Hollows are made," Hachigen explained.
There was a moment of silence. They were all probably thinking the same thing. Ichigo mildly wondered why they weren't being attacked already.
"Where is Aizen?" he asked after a pause.
"That's where we're headed, moron," Hiyori replied. "He's in Hueco Mundo."
Mashiro gave an annoyed sigh as she jogged along the group. "What are we even doing here? Why are we going after this Aizen guy?"
Ichigo briefly looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm going to kill him," he answered determinately.
There was a silence, the sound of footsteps nonexistent as they seemed to glide over the surface of the path they created. They continued to run noiselessly.
Hirako gave him a sideways look. "Ichigo," he began hesitantly. "Killing him won't bring her back."
Ichigo slowed down and turned, and the Vizards had to stop to avoid crashing into him. "But you do understand that this guy, this traitor shinigami, is planning to use the Hougyoku to kill thousands of people and collect their souls, to awaken the ou ken, so he can go and kill the King of Soul Society? And God knows what that might do," he replied, huffing in anger. "He's mad, and he's going to be the end of all of us. He must be stopped anyway. That's why I have to kill him."
"Yes," Hirako said, nodding slowly. "But you do understand that killing him… won't bring her back… right?"
Ichigo hesitated for a long moment, and Hirako and Hiyori exchanged knowing glances. It was too soon to ask him this. But Ichigo still nodded grimly.
"I know."
Hiyori wasn't too sure. Hachigen made a strange sound.
"It's not over yet," he muttered. Hiyori wondered what he meant by that. She didn't get to ask, though, because Ichigo started down the path again. The Vizards caught up to him. They fell silent as they continued on their way. Ichigo didn't like the silence; it gave him a chance to think.
Killing Aizen wouldn't bring Orihime back; he knew that. But he yearned for the satisfaction of getting the chance to do away with the man who made her into an Arrancar. Revenge, he felt, would at least soothe his rage a bit. Aizen had been the one to put her through all of that. And for what? Ichigo had killed her anyway.
He wished he didn't feel this way; he wished he hadn't fallen for her. If only there was a way to undo it, undo everything. But maybe it wouldn't make a difference. Whether he loved her or not, she was still his friend and he would still seek to avenge her death. But that would never be enough.
Part of him wanted revenge, but another part of him could not care anymore. What motivation was there? She was dead.
All he could think about was the chain of events that led up to this. From the day Ichigo defeated her brother's Hollow, she could see him that day, and she remembered afterwards. When Rukia returned to Soul Society, Orihime was the first to realize she was gone, and she knew something was wrong. She came with him to Soul Society, to be by his side and help in any way possible. She even saved his life, when Aizen had nearly ended it, using those powers she had obtained. The powers he had awakened.
And he had not once thanked her for it, for sticking by him. Was he stupid? He knew she cared for him, that much she had shown. Would it have made any difference at all if she had known sooner how much he had grown to love her?
He didn't even realize when it happened. Somewhere between her sickness and his, or maybe even before that. He knew how much she worried about him. But only recently had he noticed the bond they shared. Perhaps she had known how he felt about her. But he wished he could've told her.
"We're almost there, aren't we? I can feel it," Riza said suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. He squinted through the darkness. There was nothing ahead.
"What in the world are you talking about? Almost where? I don't see anything," he said.
Hiyori gasped. "Ichigo, stop!"
But it was too late. It was like he had broken through the sheet of darkness, literally. He stumbled into a dimly lit room, feeling a sudden change in his weight and speed. It was like being in outer space and suddenly returning into the atmosphere; gravity pulled him down, making him aware of his body mass, feeling heavy and slow. He skidded to a stop, nearly falling flat on his face.
"What the—!" he exclaimed loudly, as he crashed into the opposite wall.
Kensei looked around. "Where did he go?" he asked, frowning in confusion. One moment Ichigo was there, and the next he was gone.
"Oh, I think we're here!" Mashiro saild.
Ichigo rubbed his head and glanced back. There was a gap, much like Garganta, torn on the wall he had "smashed" into, and the Vizards were calmly climbing through. As soon as the last one was through, the gap closed like a mouth, shutting upper and lower lips tightly.
"Oh, there you are," Kensei said to Ichigo.
"Is this Hueco Mundo?" Rozu asked.
"Yes," Hirako said. "So much for a quiet infiltration; the whole place probably knows we're here."
"This can't be right," Ichigo mumbled, staring around. "This place looks… like a museum."
"What were you expecting: rotting corpses and a river of blood?" Hiyori asked. When he blushed, she rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot, you know that?"
Ichigo ignored her, though he was still blushing. "Alright, let's go," he said and headed to the open doorway. He stopped when no one followed him.
"What?" he asked.
Hirako looked perplexed. "Do you even know were you're going? This place could be huge. I mean, it's a whole other dimension, and we're supposed to walk around aimlessly, until we come across something, and hoping we don't get killed in the meantime? Is that your plan?"
"Got a better idea?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. The Vizards looked at one another. Then they shrugged at started after Ichigo.
The doorway led into a corridor, exactly like the one they just left, except this one stretched out longer, curving slightly to the right. But it was as empty and stark. The air was not so stale in here, but it smelled odd. Ichigo couldn't quite place the smell, but it was rather unpleasant, or at least it gave him a bad feeling. It's like somehow it reeked of—
"Hmm, smells like bad spirits," Riza said casually, wrinkling her nose.
Ichigo gave her a blank look. Why she would quote Don Kanonji in a moment like this was beyond him, but he found it oddly appropriate to describe the smell.
"What?" she asked, noticing everyone was giving her weird looks.
"What in the world made you say something like that, and make it sound so spontaneous?" Kensei asked.
"What?" Riza said. "That's what it smells like."
"How do you smell bad spirits? And what do bad spirits smell like anyway?"
"I don't know, okay? What are you getting at?"
"I'm merely pointing out that you make no sense at all."
"Would all of you shut up?!"
Everyone stopped and stared at Hiyori, who looked thoroughly annoyed. She turned around to face them.
"We're in freaking Hueco Mundo, behind enemy lines, and you're actually arguing at the top of your voices—"
"As if whispering would make a difference if we can't conceal our reiatsu," Ravu said quietly.
"You're arguing like idiots when we should focus on where we're going and on watching out for any Arrancar around," Hiyori finished, ignoring him. "I suggest we stop acting like kids and get serious. Otherwise we're going to get killed," she continued. "I don't know about you, but I would like to get out of here alive."
"Where's Ichigo-kun?" Mashiro asked, looking past Hiyori.
Hiyori turned to look. There was no sight of Ichigo ahead. The corridor seemed to go on endlessly. Clearly, while they argued, he had gone ahead. Without them.
"Shit…" Hiyori muttered, and gestured for the others to follow her. What is he thinking, going off by himself? She thought, desperately hoping they would find him before he would do something stupid that could get them all killed.
---
"Is that so?"
Ichigo paused when he heard voices. He had already gone through a maze of passageways and corridors, empty rooms and winding staircases, and he really had no idea where he was, only that he was getting further and further away from the Vizards and their senseless bickering. Which obviously wasn't such a good idea either; he was now utterly alone and lost and backup-less against any enemy.
He could be going in circles for all he knew; there seemed to be no end to this place. Every room looked exactly like the previous one. There were no windows and no lighting system, but somehow everything was lit up dimly by an unknown source. It was eerily quiet everywhere he went, the muffled noise of his waraji on the marble-like floor and his rhythmic breathing the only sounds as he explored the enormous building. That is, until now.
The voices came from beyond the nearest doorway, inside the room. He carefully approached, careful to stay hidden.
"Aizen-sama, what are you planning to do now?" one of the voices said from within the room.
Aizen! Ichigo thought, anger flaring. He could sense several people in the room, among which were Arrancar and shinigami; if Aizen was there, then maybe Tousen and Ichimaru were as well. Ulquiorra, Grimmjaw and Yammy were there too, of that he was sure, along with the black-haired one Hitsugaya had frozen, and the small child-like one, Wonderweiss, and the weird guy with the vine-like zanpakutou, Luppi. Could they sense him, spying on them?
Aizen sighed heavily. "I don't understand why you couldn't simply fulfill the orders you were given," he said. "But what you say sounds interesting, and I do trust your judgment, Ulquiorra."
"Does he ever not?" Ichigo heard someone else, probably Grimmjaw, mutter under his breath.
"And if Grimmjaw doesn't have anything to say in the matter, I would like to test your hypothesis," Aizen continued. Grimmjaw grumbled almost inaudibly. "If you are correct in the end, then we would have gone through all this trouble for no reason."
"No trouble at all, Aizen-sama," Yammy's deep voice rose now. There was a chuckle and a sniff
"In my opinion, you guys let them off too easily," a new voice said. If Ichigo was not mistaken, it belonged to Luppi.
"It could become a hassle," said the other Arrancar, the black-haired one. "Or not."
"In any case, we may not have to wait so long to test out that hypothesis," Aizen said.
"Why is that?" Grimmjaw asked.
"It would seem we have a guest outside the door, listening in to our conversation."
Ichigo felt his heart skip a beat, and a cold sweat broke out his forehead.
"Where are our manners? Please, invite him in. We've been expecting him, after all, haven't we?"
Ichigo couldn't help but tremble; he was alone and about to face a room full of his enemies and he had no idea what he would do, or what they would do with him.
"We were wondering when you would give us the honor of your presence," Aizen said, voice booming. "Kurosaki Ichigo."
Ichigo's hands curled into fists, and he hated Aizen even more. He would not hide and wait for them to come to him. Gathering up his courage, Ichigo stepped out from behind the wall and stood under the threshold. His eyes fell immediately upon Aizen; he was grinning at Ichigo.
Ichigo found himself staring into a great room with a roof so high he couldn't actually see it, and walls as blank and empty as the rest of the place. On the back of the room was a high wall, on top of which sat a great high-backed chair; Aizen's throne. But Aizen wasn't sitting in it. Instead, he was down below, with the Arrancar. They stood in the very middle of the room, huddled around something, and watched him as he came into view.
Ichigo swallowed a lump in his throat. He would not be intimidated. He took a moment to survey the entire room. There was, in fact, the Arrancar he already knew, and about a half dozen others, beast-like and human-like, small and gigantic, and he assumed some of them were Adjucas, some Gillians and some Vastrodes, but he couldn't tell the difference. They all looked the same to him. Weird and frightening.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, moron!" Hiyori's voice boomed behind him, startling him. She yanked him back by his shoulder. "We've been looking all over for you and you go and—Oh…" she trailed off when she saw the welcoming party.
"Oh, you found them," Hirako said in a very small voice, as the Vizards all came up from behind and saw into the room as well.
"I wish I had known you'd bring such a big party with you. We would've fixed up the place. What a shame. Right now, it would seem rather… inhospitable," Aizen said, smiling at the newcomers. "But you did arrive just in time."
He stood to the left, and the Arrancar stepped back at once. As they did, Ichigo's eyes were drawn to something on the bare floor, around which the Arrancar had been gathered. He thought it might be the Hougyoku. It wasn't a 'thing' at all, though. It was Orihime.
Her body lay on the ground, eyes closed, the blood-stained white garments pooling around her, as if someone had placed her there very carefully, in a sort of funeral posture, like a body inside a coffin; hands linked on her chest, an expression of peaceful rest. Her broken mask was still there, the hole in her chest was still there. Ichigo wished he could look away, but he was entranced, stunned. His heart thumped fast and loud inside his chest.
"What must you be thinking, eh?" Aizen continued, standing next to Orihime's body. "Coming all the way here, and for what? If only she had known, right?"
It looked almost like he was trying not to smile.
"She didn't even put up a fight, did she? She gave in easily, so that you and your friends would not be harmed. That is all she wanted, but… it's tragic, isn't it?" He bowed his head mournfully. "She never wanted to get her hopes up, over whether she would be missed, whether anyone would care that she was here, whether anyone would actually consider rescuing her. It made her so sad to think of what she had left behind, so much that she became… hollow."
The smile continued to tug at the corners of his lips, as he crouched beside Orihime, his eyes sweeping over her still form. Ichigo blinked back tears.
"All these thoughts only pushed her further into grief and despair. How she had disappointed her friends, how she had once again failed to protect those around her. How…" his grin became wider, "how she thought her Kurosaki-kun would never love her. Not like she loved him."
Ichigo felt a tear slide down his cheek. He didn't want to seem weak and vulnerable, in a situation like this. But he couldn't contain himself.
Aizen shook his head. "Tell me, please, this terrible sob story is not true. It breaks my heart."
"What heart? He's a psycho," Ravu said quietly, with a contemptuous sniff.
"Bastard," Ichigo hissed, trembling, unable to hold it in any longer. "Why did you have to do that to her?"
"Do what?" Aizen asked. "We were just playing around. I thought you might find it entertaining." He looked into Orihime's face, smiling, and stroked her hair. "She's a great actress, isn't she?"
"Don't touch her…" Ichigo said weakly; Hachigen put a hand on his shoulder. To comfort him? Restrain him? He couldn't muster the energy to do anything anyway. The Vizards and the Arrancar looked on, silent and unmoving.
Aizen's hand gently caressed her face in an oddly affective gesture. "I wish I could've been there to see you. But I guess we can watch it all again later."
"Isn't that right, Inoue-san?" he said to her.
Before their disbelieving eyes, the broken mask vanished, as well as one of the hairpins, and the hole in her chest closed. The white Arrancar garments changed into her own clothes, the same skirt and top and knee-high boots she'd been wearing that night on the riverbank; there was no more blood either.
"Wake up, Inoue-san, there's someone here to see you," Aizen whispered into her ear. Ichigo held his breath.
Orihime opened her eyes, and looked up, frightened, into the faces of the Arrancar surrounding her.
"I was hoping this was one of my weird dreams," she muttered. Ichigo stood stock-still and speechless watching her… come back to life.
She didn't recoil when Aizen held a hand out to her. She took it, and stood up, dazed, no longer scared but visibly disconcerted. "I thought it was over," she added, and was about to say something else, but she looked around and found Ichigo and the Vizards standing outside the door, rendered motionless with shock.
"Kurosaki-kun…?" she whispered, her eyes widening. Ichigo didn't answer; he was too astonished to speak or move and he was holding his breath.
"See? I told you he would come," Aizen said in a fatherly tone, patting Orihime's shoulder. For her part, Orihime was deadpanned.
Ichigo finally snapped out of it. His body pretty much moved on its own. He lurched forward, crossing the threshold in one giant step. "Orihime—!"
Ulquiorra lifted an arm and made a sweeping motion in Ichigo's direction.
Something knocked Ichigo back, as if a giant hand had swatted him away, and he was hurled backwards; Kensei and Ravu tried to catch him, but Ichigo slammed into them with such force, the three of them crashed into the wall behind. Orihime covered her mouth with both hands, to keep herself from screaming.
Aizen nodded toward Ulquiorra, as if to say that was enough, and the Espada lowered his arm.
"Ah, first name terms?" Aizen said, watching Ichigo and the two Vizards getting up, wincing in pain. "I didn't know you were so quick."
"Orihime, are you alright?" Ichigo called, ignoring Aizen. Orihime blinked, still perplexed.
"Uh, yes, I'm okay," she sputtered. Ichigo smiled in relief, but he couldn't understand what happened. Why was she alive? Why was she back to normal?
"Haven't you figured it out by now?" Hirako asked, as if he had read Ichigo's thoughts. "It was all an illusion. A very realistic illusion."
It only took Ichigo a second to realize what that meant. Kyouka Suigetsu! Aizen's soul slayer, very unique in all of Soul Society, had the ability to create illusions. He made the whole Gotei 13 believe he was dead using that ability, and that's how he was able to carry out his plans to get to Hueco Mundo.
He had created the illusion of Orihime being an Arrancar, all the way to making it seem that she was dead.
Ichigo could barely contain the rampage of emotions, the feeling of relief that washed over him, knowing that she was in fact alive. That it was not his imagination.
"So it was Aizen doing it the whole time. Leading us here with a mirage," Riza said. "How cheesy."
"Why put up this entire act?" Hirako was saying, though it seemed he was talking to himself. "More importantly, why aren't they trying to get the hairpin anymore?"
"Whatever. This totally pisses me off. Now I feel like killing him," Hiyori snarled.
Ichigo didn't care. There was no time for heroics anymore. Now that he knew Orihime was still alive, the only thought in his mind was to take her and get out of there, before they could have a chance to get killed. His mind started racing. What should he do? If only he had a plan.
"Alright, you can take her back," Aizen said with a tired sigh.
The Vizards all looked at each other, puzzled. Ichigo did a double-take.
"Wait—what?"
"You came all the way here; you went through all this trouble. I suppose it's only fair that you take her back," Aizen said with a shrug.
"Are you fucking joking?!" Hiyori exclaimed.
"He must be fucking joking," Kensei said.
"It cannot possibly be that simple," Rozu muttered. But Aizen looked serious. Orihime and Grimmjaw stared at him as if he had lost his mind. Luppi grinned.
"Oh, you're in a good mood, aren't you? Tonight's been an entertaining night," he said sarcastically. "It puts you in a good mood, doesn't it?"
Ichigo stared blankly. "You can't… be serious," he said slowly. Aizen lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
"What's the matter? I thought you wanted to save her. I'm giving you the chance to do it," he smiled wider. "A chance to keep that promise you made."
If he had a plan after all, Ichigo would've shunpo'd next to Aizen and impaled him with Zangetsu to end it all. But Aizen was still too powerful. Ichigo was outdone.
"What's the catch?" he asked.
"Ah… funny you should use that word," Aizen chuckled, wrapping an arm securely around Orihime's shoulders. She was still too stunned to move or speak.
"As I said, you can take her back to the living world," he paused for dramatic effect. "But you're going to have to catch her first."
"Yeah, it couldn't possibly be that simple," Rozu repeated, shaking his head.
"That's it?" Ichigo asked nervously. Something was definitively off; he couldn't fathom why Aizen would do this.
Aizen merely started in Ichigo's direction, pulling Orihime along, and as they approached, he did something with his fingers.
Ichigo was suddenly going backwards again; pulled, rather like a hook had caught him by the navel and was dragging him back.
"Kurosaki-kun!"
There was a great whirlwind around him. It was like the building had disappeared around him, but he was the one who disappeared from it. He felt himself being lifted up in the air, he felt the wind whooshing in his ears, and when he opened his eyes and looked around, he was floating in darkness again.
"Whoa! How did we get back here?" Mashiro exclaimed. The Vizards were there too. Ichigo saw the Arrancar approaching, walking on a wide path of light. Aizen still had an arm around Orihime. She didn't even try to get away; she seemed almost paralyzed with fear.
They were back in the gap between dimensions. Ichigo hovered for a moment, disorientated, before gathering the energy to make a place to stand. "What are we doing here?" he asked once he was on his feet.
"We're going to play a little game," Aizen said. "Ulquiorra revealed something very interesting he observed earlier while in the living world; he has developed a hypothesis, you see, and since I am always open to new ideas, I would like to test that hypothesis out. With an interesting game I came up with."
"What do you say, Kurosaki-san? Are you willing to play?" he asked.
Orihime looked up at him, confused.
"Are you willing to do anything to redeem yourself, to negate your actions in the living world? Failing Inoue-san, not living up to your promise of protecting her, and allowing her to be brought here?" He paused and gave Ichigo a very serious look. "Killing her?"
Ichigo didn't say anything. He tried desperately to meet Orihime's eyes. She, however, stared at Aizen in utter disbelief.
"Considering the situation, one of you is bound to die today, right here," Aizen continued, finally letting go of Orihime and walking toward Ichigo. "Inoue-san came here in the first place so that Ulquiorra wouldn't kill you, and she didn't even care if she was going to die herself." He then turned to Orihime. "In the meantime, Kurosaki-san has risked his own life by coming here to rescue you and make sure you get back to the living world just fine."
"So, technically, you're both ready to die for the other. Am I right?"
Orihime's eyes finally met Ichigo's: they were filled with tears. He swallowed hard and again said nothing.
"I'll take that as a yes," Aizen said, glancing from one to the other.
"The rules of the game apply so that one of you can fulfill that determination and make it worth," he added. With a snap of his fingers, he produced a large hourglass, hovering before him. "You have six hundred seconds to do so, which is the time that it would take Inoue-san to do what I have brought her here to do. In other words, if you can save her in that time, then you will also have saved a million souls in the living world. Simple as that."
Ichigo glared daggers at him. What Aizen wanted Orihime's powers for was to take the Hougyoku to its fully-matured state. He couldn't have changed his mind just like that; Aizen would basically quit his quest to obtain the ou ken if Ichigo managed to win at this game. Something was definitively off.
Aizen, however, was not done explaining. "The rules are as follows: only one of you leaves this place, and it's up to you two to decide who that is before time runs out. And whoever doesn't fulfill the part, I will kill personally. Which means," he looked at Orihime again, "if you let him catch you, he will die."
He regarded Ichigo with mock pity. "But if you don't catch her in time, then she will die." He smirked. "Again."
Behind him, Yammy and Grimmjaw laughed amusedly. Luppi grumbled. "Can't we just go ahead and kill him? I'd do it myself, I don't mind" he said.
Aizen ignored him. "One of you will thus agree to die in order for the other to live. Who's it going to be?" he asked finally.
Ichigo and Orihime looked at each other for what felt like the longest time, weighing Aizen's words. This was worse than any duel.
"That's sick!" Riza exclaimed. The Vizards had remained quiet, listening. They were shocked and dismayed.
"Time is running," Aizen said, and the hourglass flipped over; the sand that was now on top began to spill into the bottom half.
"Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime whispered, voice shaking.
Ichigo clenched his fists angrily. He couldn't believe they were being toyed with like that. But if there was no other way, he knew what he had to do. He knew Aizen, and there was no choice, so at least he was sure of what he must do.
"Then I guess I will die," he said quietly. He couldn't disappoint Orihime again. He had watched her die once, and he wouldn't allow that to happen again.
"Huh?" Orihime mumbled, instinctively taking a few steps back. She sensed what was coming. "Please, no…"
"Orihime," he said, ignoring her pleading voice, "stay where you are."
"No!" she yelled as he started running toward her. She immediately turned and took off, away from him. She didn't even know where she was going, but she had to get as far away from Ichigo as possible. She ran past Aizen, soon followed by Ichigo. Aizen stared after them, an amused smile upon his face.
"Ichigo, stop! You can't follow his rules! There must be another way!" Riza yelled after them.
"This is…" Hachigen began, watching them disappear in the darkness. "This is twisted. They are both going to die."
"He is a psycho," Mashiro sniffed, shaking her head.
Hiyori and Kensei looked around nervously. "We can take on them, can't we?" Kensei asked, eyeing the Arrancar, who were acting like spectators at a match.
"I think we should help Ichigo," Hirako said. "Or he's going to get killed faster."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Hiyori asked him pointedly.
"By getting rid of those guys instead." He pointed at the darkness. Hollows were suddenly materializing around them, and they started the same way Ichigo had gone, gliding through the darkness like ghosts.
"Good plan," Hiyori said with a gulp, gesturing to the others to follow. This was becoming a greater challenge, even for them.
The Arrancar watched them go, then looked at Aizen.
"Fine. Go," Aizen rolled his eyes and waved them dismissively. Grimmjaw grinned deviously and he and the others rushed after the Vizards.
Great, Hirako thought, looking over his shoulder. As if we didn't have enough. It was becoming a mouse hunt, and they only had ten minutes to win it somehow.
It probably didn't make a difference how much time they had; he had the feeling they would ever get to leave Hueco Mundo. At least not all of them.
---
Visibility became more challenging by the second. The faint glow from the path made by his energy did very little to help him see where he was going. At least he sensed Orihime's reiatsu. She was further ahead. But she was doing a good job at staying ahead. Damn it! He thought. Can't believe this is really happening!
It felt like several minutes went by as he ran blindly, in silence, hoping to gain on her. He knew he was running out of time, but he had to be smart about it. This was the sickest game, proposed by the craziest megalomaniac he'd ever meet, and Ichigo was mad to actually play by the rules. But there was no getting around it now.
He wished he could use shunpo, but without knowing where he was going or being able to see much further ahead, it was no use. He had to maintain a steady path below his feet; it was difficult enough as it was, he wouldn't be able to if he started moving thrice as fast.
How much time did they have left?
Suddenly, he couldn't sense her reiatsu anymore. Something seemed to be blocking it; as if she had disappeared behind a barrier.
"Orihime!" Ichigo yelled desperately.
"Get away from me!"
Her voice sounded so far away, but he followed the direction it came from. "Orihime, please! Stay still! Don't you see? If I don't reach you before time runs out, you're going to die!" he shouted between gasps of air. There was no reply. He feared he had lost her again, and he still couldn't sense her reiatsu.
"Stop!" she yelled.
Ichigo was surprised to hear her voice so close, he instinctively halted, so suddenly that he nearly fell on his face. He looked around slowly, trying to catch a glimpse of her. He could not feel her. "Orihime—"
"Don't… don't call me… that… don't…" she said between gasps. She was breathless from running. No… it sounded more like she was… crying?
He finally saw her just ahead, shoulders slumped. Her body was shaking with sobs, tears streaming down her face.
She met his eyes and glared. "Why did you come here?" she asked, crying angrily.
"What?" asked Ichigo, perplexed. He had never seen her like this, never seen this sort of reaction. He slowly approached. "Orihime, what are you—"
"Stay away from me! Don't call me that!" she yelled, prompting him to freeze. She was truly mad. "You shouldn't have come. It should've been over," she choked.
He stared, nonplussed; Orihime was red-faced, eyes shut tightly. He could see her now through the darkness, and he could feel her faintly, and she felt… sad.
"But it wasn't really over," he stuttered. "I thought you were dead, but it was all an illusion."
"But you thought it was over. You believed that you killed me! You should've left things as they were! You shouldn't have come!"
"I came for Aizen," Ichigo retorted. "He has to be stopped. He's the one who did this to you! He did all this! He brought you here; he made me believe I had to kill you because you were supposed to be an Arrancar! And I did it, and it's all his doing."
"You came here for revenge," she said. It was not a question.
"Yes," he admitted after a pause. "But now I can still save you! I have a chance to protect you!"
"Whoever said I needed you to protect me?!"
Ichigo winced at those words. Those were the exact same words the Arrancar Orihime had said just earlier. She was yelling them now, furious and crying, but the effect was the same. She had never been like this, never displayed any sort of anger toward him. It scared him, but not because that anger was directed at him. She seemed to be coming undone; he simply had never seen her so broken.
"I can't be like this… not anymore… you can't do this to me… you can't die because of me," she sobbed.
"Are you saying that you would've preferred to stay here and be used by him?" he asked softly; he couldn't understand why she was being like this.
"You shouldn't have come," she repeated, but she could barely speak. "I came because I didn't want you to die. But now one of us is going to die anyway."
Ichigo thought of a million things to say, but he remained silent.
She wiped her tears. "I guess there's no helping it now," she said. "If one of us has to die, I'd much rather have it be me."
"You can't be serious..." Ichigo said shaking his head.
"If he kills me he can't use me, can he?" Orihime said with a shrug.
"You can't mean that."
"I honestly don't care."
"Orihime, you don't understand! You—"
"I don't care that you thought you killed me! I came here because I wanted to protect you! For once, I wasn't going to be a burden! And I was going to do something to save my friends, to save you! Even if it meant that I would die! Because I don't care anymore! I—DON'T—CARE!"
There was a long silence, and Orihime was breathing heavily, with Ichigo staring at her in disbelief. He was starting to get angry too. At her, but especially at Aizen who had put them in this situation, who had taken her away in the first place.
"So what are you saying? Should I have just forgotten about you and left you to die? Take for granted that I would never see you again? Was I supposed to move on with my life and just completely forget that I f—"
He stopped. This was neither the place nor the moment that he would've chosen to tell her how he felt; not if he could help it. But maybe there was no choice.
"What?" she seethed, frowning at him. "That you what?"
Ichigo swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling insecure and discouraged, and not caring at all. He needed her to know. No matter what that would do.
"That I fell in love with you," he replied quietly, nervously.
For a moment it looked like she was going to faint, but her expression turned to horror, tears welling up in her wide eyes.
"What?" she asked breathlessly.
It was not the reaction he had expected. He didn't really know what to expect. All he wanted was for her to understand that he couldn't let her die. Even if it meant he would have to die instead. He was going to say something else, heart beating in his throat, but he suddenly felt a strange presence, and he stopped.
"LOOK OUT!" Orihime yelled, pointing a shaking finger above him.
A Hollow. No, three. They popped up behind him, towering over him, heavy arms swatting toward him. Ichigo jumped away in time and turned to face them.
"Oh no! Not now!" he shouted, and grabbed Zangetsu from his back. Two more Hollows appeared, flanking him, and the five closed in on him.
"Kurosaki-kun!"
He eliminated one with one swing of Zangetsu, but an enormous hand closed around his body and squeezed. "Shit!"
"KYA!" Hiyori yelled, leaping into the air and slicing the heads off of two of them as she came down.
"Sorry we took so long. They really don't want us to help you," Hirako said, appearing behind one of the remaining Hollows. He drew his zanpakutou and chopped off the hand that was threatening to squash Ichigo. The Hollow gave a tremendous roar, but with another stab Hirako eradicated him. "Plus, there was a whole bunch chasing after you, and we had to get rid of those first. While fighting them off," he added. By 'them', Ichigo knew he meant the Arrancar.
"You okay, baldy?" Hiyori asked as she finished off the last one. The rest of the Vizards caught up to them. Ichigo got up, but he didn't get a chance to speak.
"It won't be so easy!" Yammy exclaimed, dropping in front of them. The Arrancar materialized around them, as well as more Hollows, twice as many.
Aizen walked casually toward them, and regarded Ichigo and Orihime with a wide, cynical smile.
"Such a moment! Confessions of love between two young hearts," he exclaimed in mock excitement. "It's so beautiful, so romantic. Oh, the emotions, the excitement! It's all so distracting. I'm sorry if the Hollows interrupted you, but," he reappeared the hourglass. "Have you forgotten that we're playing a game?"
There was barely any sand left in the upper half. Time was running out. "You have 60 seconds," Aizen announced.
Ichigo didn't move. He sneered at Aizen murderously, and his mind started racing. This was his chance to kill him. Would he make it?
"You can try to kill me right now, Kurosaki-san, and get it over with, but we all know you won't be able to," Aizen said, just as if he had been reading Ichigo's mind. He gave a contemptuous sniff. "And it won't stop me from killing her if you don't catch her before time is up," he added, nodding in Orihime's direction.
Gripping Zangetsu tightly, Ichigo tried to contain himself with great difficulty, but he knew it was true. He was no match for Aizen.
"You twisted fuck!" he hissed through gritted teeth. He prepared to get it over with once and for all by making a dash and landing a steadfast grip on Orihime before she could run away from him again. But she was already gone.
"ORIHIME!"
"Ichigo, you go! We'll handle these guys!" Ravu said, and he charged at Yammy with his zanpakutou. As another battle ensued between the Vizards and the Arrancar, Ichigo worried that this time they wouldn't be so lucky. But he had gotten them all into this mess, and he was getting them out of it.
"Wait! Who's going to handle the Hollows?" Hirako shouted, looking at the surrounding shadows with the eerie white masks. They were closing in on Ichigo again.
Ichigo ran as fast as he could, swinging his zanpakutou at any Hollow nearby as he went. They didn't hold him off too long. He kept a steady pace, and took care of any Hollows in the meantime. It seemed he was having no trouble doing so, though it did slow him down a bit.
"Oh, I guess he'll do that himself, then," Hirako said to himself, shrugging.
Ichigo was really worried. He had less than a minute now. And there were Hollows everywhere. They kept blocking his path, and he could see far ahead, as Hollows appeared around Orihime too, but she just kept running. She jumped out of their way over and over, narrowly escaping their clutches as they all dived for her. She was not as afraid of them as she was of Ichigo finally catching up to her. They were in a real maze now.
Hollows were keeping her from getting away from him. And Hollows kept him from getting to her.
"This isn't helping at all!" he heard Kensei shout. The Vizards were still fighting the Arrancar all on their own, plus the Hollows.
"Orihime, just stay still! Just stop! Please!" Ichigo pleaded, panting.
"I can't!" she shouted. She kept ducking and sneaking around Hollows, desperately trying to put as much distance between her and Ichigo as she could manage. But she was having more and more trouble getting away. The moment she got past one, another appeared ahead, blocking her way again.
A Hollow popped up right in front of her. She had to stop dead in her tracks or she would've crashed right into it. Her voice caught in her throat when she tried to scream. The Hollow roared and started coming down upon her.
Ichigo leapt over Orihime, and caught the Hollow in midair, Zangetsu slicing the beast from its head down to the hole in its chest. It vanished instantly. Ichigo landed in front of Orihime and seized her by both arms.
"GOTCHA!"
"KUROSAKI-KUN!" she yelled.
Aizen appeared behind him instantly. Ichigo only saw him briefly over his shoulder, and braced himself for whatever would happen to him now. He was surely dead. He won the game, but now he was going to die. It didn't matter anymore, though.
"Time is up," Aizen said flatly.
There was a blast; a deafening booming noise, followed by a blinding flash of light. Ichigo shut his eyes tightly in anticipation. He felt Orihime embracing him, and with a great wave of relief, he wrapped his arms around her too. If this is how he was going to die, then it was okay. Because she would be okay.
Nothing happened. There was no pain, no loss of breath or of consciousness. Orihime buried her face in his shoulder, crying, her hair tickling his chin.
"Interesting," Aizen muttered.
Ichigo opened his eyes, and Orihime lifted her head. They gasped.
The Santen Kesshun, the impenetrable shield of the Shun Shun Rikka, surrounded them, not in its usual triangular shape, but enveloping them and taking their shape, protecting them all around; just like with Orihime's Arrancar. Only this time it was clearly visible, shining a bright yellow color.
Hinagiku, Lily and Baigon fluttered up to Orihime, smiling. They no longer needed to maintain formation; the shield held up on its own accord.
"Hey, long time no see!" Lily greeted her with a big smile.
"H-how… how did I—" Orihime stuttered, staring wide-eyed at them, "How did I call you out? I… don't think I called you out…?"
"Well, you did," Lily replied matter-of-factly. Orihime was shaking her head slowly.
"No… I didn't. I didn't say anything," she answered. "How did you—? I don't even have both my hairpins! It shouldn't work!"
"It seems you were right, Ulquiorra," Aizen said to the Espada, who walked up beside him. "You've done well."
"Thank you, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra said with a respectful nod of his head.
"Right about what?" Ichigo demanded. He stood in front of Orihime, shielding her with his body, in spite of the Santen Kesshun; he would not let her go again.
"About the fact that now, thanks to you, we don't need that hairpin anymore," Aizen said.
"How is that possible? I thought the Shun Shun Rikka didn't work unless she has the hairpins," Ichigo asked.
"Well, isn't this proof enough that they can?" Aizen replied, gesturing to them, to the shield covering them.
Ichigo looked at Orihime, who looked just as confused as him. "What's that got to do with me?" he asked.
"Well," Aizen sighed tiredly. "It's not easy to explain if you don't know the true magnitude of Inoue-san's powers. And I'm thinking you really don't. After all, you are precisely one of those who have underestimated her true potential all this time."
Neither one said anything. Aizen took a deep breath.
"For too long, the Six Flowers of the Hibiscus Shield lay dormant inside of her. Until one day, she awakened them, by her desire of protecting those whom had protected her all her life. In the face of a great threat, she suddenly discovered these powers, and she was able to use them to save the life of her best friend."
He smiled at Orihime. "Isn't that right, Inoue-san?"
Orihime didn't respond, but Aizen smiled knowingly. It was clear to Ichigo that this was not the first time Aizen and Orihime had this conversation; sometime during her stay in Hueco Mundo, certainly Aizen had questioned her about her powers, how she obtained them, how they worked. Ichigo realized this was actually the first time he was hearing how Orihime had obtained her powers. Why hadn't he ever asked her before?
"It was the day Ishida-kun used the Hollow bait," Orihime said quietly, as if responding to Ichigo's thoughts. "A Hollow attacked Tatsuki-chan and Chizuru-san."
"She decided that she wanted to control these powers and use them to help you, now that she knew you were a shinigami. When Kuchiki-san was taken back to Soul Society, and you wanted to go rescue her, Inoue-san took the determination to train, to get stronger and go with you."
"Don't you see? You made her capable of using these powers within her. You awakened them, and you gave her the determination to learn to use them. She can do these amazing things because of you. And the only reason she wanted to use them was to protect you."
"So, if you awakened these powers in her, who's to say you wouldn't be able to make them greater still?"
Ichigo still couldn't understand everything. "But how? I haven't done anything! I mean— what did you need me for? Why did you make us play this sick game?"
"Isn't it obvious? The powers are within her, whether or not she has the hairpins. They only work as a channel, a medium. Like a zanpakutou. But she should still be able to call out the Shun Shun Rikka without them. All she needed to do was to grow stronger." Aizen chuckled. "And what's a better trigger for the growth of her powers than the knowledge that her affection is no longer unrequited?"
Orihime trembled behind Ichigo, looking over his shoulder. Ichigo shook his head. "You cannot possibly have known all this," he said.
"But it's so clear. Unless you're too dense to realize how her feelings for you grew from a mere schoolgirl infatuation to full-fledged heart-wrenching agony of love."
Ichigo looked at his feet. Of course he had known she liked him; that much she had demonstrated. But all this time, he had no idea…
"I guess you are that dense," Aizen said with a wry smile. "But I'm glad everything worked out in the end. She loves you, you love her; she doesn't need the hairpins anymore, and now she can come with me and do me a little favor," he added with a wink. Ichigo sneered and gripped Zangetsu with both hands.
"Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime whimpered.
"You'll have to kill me first," Ichigo said, regarding Aizen and Ulquiorra with a dangerous look.
"Well, that is precisely what I was going to do," Aizen said, taking a step toward him. "After all, you played by the rules. You have to die."
"You and your twisted rules."
"You surprise me, Kurosaki," Aizen continued. "Do you really think I would've killed her if you hadn't caught her in time? Why would I do that? I need her. That's why I brought her here. If anything, I would've still killed you."
"Son of a bitch!"
The shield was gone. At some point during Aizen's explanation it had vanished. Ichigo charged at Aizen with all his might. He needed to end this right now.
The truth was, Ichigo should've known, but he was blinded by fear. He feared another mistake, a fatal mistake. He feared failing her again. So he made up his mind that he would rather die than lose her like this.
It didn't matter anymore. He felt the rage surge in him, and he started feeling different. Suddenly he didn't feel like himself.
I'll handle this guy…
"NO!" Ichigo shouted.
"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked quietly. She had seen him like this before.
Kurosaki… Ichigo…
"NO! NOT NOW!"
He nearly dropped the zanpakutou. He wanted to hold his head, because it suddenly felt like it was about to split in half.
My turn…
Leave me alone!
Let me out!
NO! NO! "NO!"
"This isn't a good time to lose control, Ichigo! Get it together!" Hiyori yelled, coming from the right. One of Trepadora's vines shot out in her direction, and she was caught in it before she could lash at it with her zanpakutou.
Just like he had done once before, Aizen stopped the blade with one finger. Ichigo felt his chest tearing open, but he leapt away before there could be much damage. Blood gushed out of the wound, and he coughed up some of it too. He was just too powerful. He didn't even need to draw his zanpakutou.
"Kurosaki-kun!"
"Orihime, stay back!"
But he was quickly losing control. At once he felt the anger invading his mind, and suddenly his wound was not so painful anymore. The Hollow was healing him.
At least he had that in his advantage.
"Well, that's very interesting too," Aizen murmured. "But will it be enough?"
"Just watch me!" Ichigo said in an unnaturally booming voice. That was the Hollow speaking. Ichigo tried to regain control of his mind and body, but it became increasingly difficult; the Hollow was fed by his rage, by his desire for revenge.
It was Aizen's move this time. Ichigo could still feel the pain, the agony of the multiple wounds he received at once. He only saw a whirlwind around him; Aizen moved so fast, swirling around him, and it felt like a thousand blades were cutting him. The Hollow healed him over and over again, and swung Zangetsu about, stabbing and hacking at Aizen. He moved fast too, using shunpo to dodge attacks and landing a few blows. Ichigo had no idea he could move like this.
But Aizen was still too fast, and it seemed the Hollow's attacks were doing him no harm at all. Eventually the Hollow was writhing in pain too. Aizen stabbed him one last time, and knocked him to the ground. The energy path was fluctuating, threatening to disappear altogether. Ichigo was wincing and grimacing in pain, gasping for air. He spat out blood, his shihakushou stained with red oozing liquid.
"This time, you really lose," Aizen said. He wrenched Zangetsu from Ichigo's hands, and spun it in his grip, ready to impale Ichigo. But as he dealt what would've been the final blow, the blade bounced fantastically just inches away from Ichigo. Aizen looked momentarily perplexed.
"My patience has a limit, Inoue-san," he said in a dangerously calm voice.
Orihime's Santen Kesshun displayed again, just in time to shield Ichigo. She stared at it, wide-eyed and confused.
"I don't even know how I'm doing it," she muttered.
"Well, you better figure it out," Aizen replied, and straightened up. He tossed the zanpakutou aside.
"What about the others?" Ulquiorra asked. The Arrancar emerged one by one from the darkness, looking tired. The Vizards were nowhere in sight.
"They're not going anywhere," Aizen confirmed. He looked down at Ichigo. The Hollow was still latent in his mind, complaining about his defeat, while Ichigo just felt he was about to pass out, and the energy he had gathered into a platform to stand on was gone, and he lingered mid-air, unable to move.
"I'll deal with you later," Aizen sneered.
Before Ichigo could do anything, a sort of explosion went off somewhere around him, and he and Orihime were each hurled in opposite directions. He tried to reach out to her, but she was gone. The shield was gone. Aizen and the Arrancar were gone. All he could see now was the darkness surrounding him, as he felt himself drifting once again; he was alone once again. That was the last thing he was certain of, before he slipped out of consciousness.
---
Orihime felt like she was being reeled back into the great palace of Las Noches, into the grand room where Aizen sat on his great chair. She landed in the center of the room, lifting her arms in front of her face just in time to avoid smashing it into the polished marble floor.
"Oof!" she exclaimed, the wind knocked out of her body.
"Game over," Ichimaru laughed. He was right beside her and graciously held out his hand to help her stand up. She didn't take it, only looked at him with a mixture of terror and disgust. Angry tears filled her eyes as she realized what was going on. She saw the Arrancar lined up against the walls, watching her expectantly.
"Why, Inoue-san?" Aizen asked from his chair, sitting in his broad chair. He regarded Orihime with a pitiful gaze. "Why put up a fight? Why continue to fight the situation? It's like you want to make things more difficult, instead of just get it over with."
"Why do you do all this?" Orihime asked, her voice torn with spite and sadness. "Why go through all this trouble if you could've simply forced me to do what you brought me here to do?"
"Would you have done it?" Ichimaru asked with his cynical smile. Orihime didn't answer, and instead just glared at him. His face was not pleasant; he made her uncharacteristically uncomfortable, watching her through those severely narrowed eyes.
"Precisely," Aizen said. "Now you have an incentive. You have a reason to become more powerful."
He was below with her now. She sat on the ground, head bowed, and even when he stood right in front of her, she still didn't look at him.
"Why do you cling to him?" Aizen asked in a strangely fatherly tone. "He intended to kill you, you know, to save himself. When he thought you were an Arrancar. It doesn't matter that it was just an illusion in the end, because it could've been real. He killed you."
The tears spilled from her eyes. Aizen pulled the Hougyoku from his robes, the tiny orb glowing faintly in the palm of his hand, as he extended it toward her.
"I'll tell you what: if you do this for me," he smiled amicably, leaning toward her, "you can go heal Kurosaki-san and both of you can leave. Your other friends too."
"All you have to do is use your Souten Kisshun."
Orihime lifted her eyes at the Hougyoku. This orb of distortion had once been inside Rukia; this was the cause of this battle, the reason why all her friends, including herself, were in danger. Because of this object that Urahara had created, for God knows what purpose. How could something so small cause so much trouble?
"Do we have a deal?" Aizen asked.
Orihime sighed. She almost didn't know how it happened, but somehow she made it happen; Shun'ou and Ayame appeared, fluttering beside her with their tiny wings. Aizen smiled with satisfaction.
But then Hinagiku, Lily, Baigon and Tsubaki appeared too. She didn't even have to call them out loud anymore.
"Why do you trust that I will do exactly what you want me to do?" she asked.
Aizen realized a second too late what she was going to do. Before he could even touch her, the Santen Kesshun protected her. Orihime sneered at him. Lucky for him, he withdrew his hand just in time, the Hougyoku still in his power. He knew what she had planned to do.
"You don't get to tell me what to do," she spat, tears staining her face. "Nobody tells me what to do. Not anymore."
She gave him a condescending look. "I'm not scared anymore."
Aizen glared back at her, and Ichimaru looked disconcerted. Nobody else moved. There was nothing they could do anyway. She was untouchable.
"I got these powers because I wanted to protect the people I love," Orihime said. "I don't understand all of it yet, how I got them and why. Like you said, I may be able to undo events decided by fate, by God himself. And I've gotten more powerful. But I only know that I've always wanted to protect Kurosaki-kun." She stood up, with an air of fierce determination about her. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do."
"KOTEN ZANSHUN!" she shouted.
Aizen realized he was bracing himself to be impacted by the fighter fairie. Her offensive ability was stronger than he had believed; it could even cut through hierro. But Tsubaki was not aimed at him. The fairie took flight and shot straight through the wall. The impact was greater than one would expect, bursting a gap larger than usually, and making the ground shake. Orihime walked toward it. All she needed to do now was find Ichigo. And then they could go home.
"Inoue-san," Aizen called before she could leave. Orihime stopped.
"I still know you can do it," he said, smiling. She lingered on the spot briefly, and then turned to him.
"Of course I can," she replied, and smiled back at him. "But why would I?"
Before Aizen could say further, she left. She knew he wouldn't try to stop her. He just watched her disappear, powerless, as the gap sealed up.
---
"I DID IT!"
Hiyori turned to Riza. "What?"
"I DID IT! I OPENED IT! THE GAP BETWEEN DIMENSIONS! IT OPENED! WE CAN GET OUT NOW!" Riza yelled excitedly.
"Stop yelling! I can hear you!" Hiyori retorted in annoyance. But it was true; somehow Riza had finally managed (after many failed attempts) to open the fabric of time and space, the fabric that separated the living world dimension from the great beyond. All that could be seen through it was swirling darkness.
"What should we do?" Rozu asked Hirako.
"I don't know," Hirako replied. He looked around. The Arrancar had left, even after almost defeating them. Hirako was sore from the long battle. Hollows continued to appear; those were not a challenge, but they could be exhausting, and they were already quite tired.
"Should we go look for them?" Mashiro asked.
"I guess," Hirako answered.
"What if it closes and we can't get it open again?" Ravu asked, gesturing to the gap.
"What if we get attacked again?" Mashiro squealed.
"I don't know, okay?!" Hirako shouted, and sighed. Things had gone worse than he expected. He didn't even know if Ichigo or Orihime were still alive.
"We should try to find them," he said with another sigh. The others nodded.
"No need," Hachigen said.
"What do you mean?" Hiyori asked. The large Vizards held his head high, as if he were sniffing the air.
"They will find their own way out of here," he said. "They'll be okay."
Hirako and Hiyori exchanged puzzled looks. Hacchi often got that reaction from them. He alone seemed to share a connection with Orihime. After all, their powers were very similar. They trusted Hachigen and his senses, and if he somehow knew that Ichigo and Orihime would be okay, then there was no reason to doubt him.
They had done their part, as best as they could. At least no one died. They were ready to return to the living world and get some well-deserved rest.
---
Sure, the Vizards are okay, but where are Ichigo and Orihime? Next chapter will tell.
And I do believe Aizen is a bit of a cynic, with a penchant for seeing others in pain. Why else would he have stabbed Hinamori? That was just sadistic. In any case, it has been demonstrated, as of late, with one single line which, while it is absolutely awesome, it's also very creepy. Very Aizen.
When Ichigo, Ishida and Chad finally arrive at Hueco Mundo, Aizen looks unfazed. He smiles with anticipation. "I was beginning to think they wouldn't show."
He really gives me the creeps. But you've got to love him. That's what makes him a good villain.
This time, the chapter ran too freaking long. Really, much, MUCH longer than I had originally projected. So I'll split this up into two, and instead of ten chapters, it will be eleven in total. So there are still TWO more chapters to go. A lot can happen in that time. So stay alert. More coming soon (this time it's for real, I promise).
Thank you for reading! Have a nice one!!!
-Nariko the Seer a.k.a Deathberry15
