Everything had happened so fast.
One minute Aizen had shoved an amputated eyeball into Ulquiorra's skull and the next moment Ichigo had been cloaked in a blinding, neon light. A heavy burst of pressure had shoved Ichigo Kurosaki down to the ground, paralyzing him under its powerful force. Specks of sand flew into his mouth as his face was shoved down into the dirt beneath him. It almost felt like a giant boulder was crushing his body, refusing to provide him with the opportunity to stand as it pushed against him.
Was that…the power of Ulquiorra's reiatsu?!
The vizard struggled to lift his head to sneak a peek at the scene before him but everything was hazy. His consciousness was fading but he could see the monstrous silhouette of Ulquiorra as he slowly stalked towards Aizen. With his wounds now fully healed from his regenerative powers, Ulquiorra's appearance was far more menacing than it had been only moments before. His claws had grown longer and his teeth became sharper, forming into deadly fangs. He looked like a vicious demon that had just crawled out of the pits of Hell and the black, ominous aura burning around him like flames only further added to his devilish form. His once green eyes were now solid black as his sights were set purely on Aizen.
Ichigo squinted his eyes, fighting against the dizziness that seized control of his mind. Blotches of black began to hinder his vision as he found himself unable to struggle against the massive spiritual pressure any longer. "I…have to get up and fight," Ichigo grumbled but the heavy force crushing him to the ground just wouldn't alleviate. Just before he blacked out, he could hear a deep, sinister rumble emit from Ulquiorra's throat.
"You have made a terrible mistake, Lord Kiragawa," the espada growled.
She sat alone in the corner of a bordered up room in Kisuke Urahara's house. Everyone else had gone off to fight the intruding Espada, determined to finish off the remainder of Aizen's minions once and for all. Orihime had been far too weak to fight and Rukia had insisted she find somewhere safe to hide within the dome of the fake Karakura Town. Urahara's house had been an impeccable choice of a shelter but a deep sense of dread filled Orihime's chest as she was forced to be left behind while everyone else risked their lives to protect Soul Society and the human realm.
She wrapped her arms tightly around herself while nestling into a warm sweater she had found in one of the rooms. She was still stuck in that white, silky nightgown she had been wearing when Ulquiorra had pushed her through the garganta but at least the sweater she found made her feel a little more clothed. Whenever she closed her eyes and meditated quietly, she could sense the clashing of her teammates's swords against the fury of the Arrancar. She could feel the dwindling of their reaitsu whenever someone met with a terrible death. When someone died during the battle, the vanishing of their spirit was like a flickering flame that been blown out on a candle. Sometimes she would feel an Arrancar's spirit flicker out…and sometimes the spirit would belong to a shinigami. Both sides were taking a heavy causalities but it looked like Soul Society had the upper hand.
Everyone was doing their very best…
Orihime bit her lower lip as she vowed to be the best healer Soul Society had ever seen. Once the battle was over, she would be able to tend to the injured and heal those who were incapacitated from battle. Although she wasn't a skilled fighter, she could still play a vital role in this war. Thoughts of being useful were enough to keep her from completely breaking down but it still wasn't quite enough to ease the worry that polluted her fragile mind.
The spiritual pressures of Ulquiorra, Aizen, and Ichigo were nowhere to be found. Even if the Gotei 13 managed to destroy all of the Espada, all of it would be in vain if Aizen still managed to escape with his life. He could always use the Hogyoku to create another army and then all hope would be lost.
Orihime couldn't help but make a foolish grin at herself as she exhaled a heavy sigh. Since when did she become so cynical? Wasn't she the one who always believed that good would overcome evil, no matter how bad the odds were? Ulquiorra would undoubtedly be disappointed in her if he saw what little faith she had in everyone.
"I have to stay positive," the healer instructed herself beneath her breath. She needed to believe that Ulquiorra and Ichigo would stop Aizen once and for all and end this senseless war between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. With their strengths combined, there was no way they could possibly lose against that greasy haired dirt bag!
The slow creaking of an opening door stirred Orihime from her thoughts as she bolted up from her seat.
"O-ri-hi-me-chaaaaaaaaaan!" rang out from the doorway as a figured slipped inside Urahara's house.
The redhead froze for a moment, her heart thumping wildly against her chest as she stood in place. That voice was all too familiar and the chanting of her name was enough to instill a deep fear within her. Her hands instinctively flew up to lightly grace against the blue hairclips tucked within her red locks. A quick cry of, "Santen Kesshun! I reject!" escaped her lips before the figure could even make his way to the back room. A golden veil of light shielded the girl but she knew that not even the strongest of shields could protect her from who it was that intruded into her safe zone.
Gin Ichimaru slowly opened the door to the back room, peeking his head in with a conniving grin. His catlike eyes were as mischievous as ever as his face lit up at the sight of the trembling girl.
"My, my, my, what's with the protection spell? That's no way to greet a guest!" Gin purred out as he leaned his shoulder against the doorway, arms folded over his chest as he watched her with half-lidded eyes.
"Don't come any closer!" Orihime threatened as her hands never wavered from their secured spot against her hair pins. Why was he here?! She hadn't even felt his reaitsu nearby as he snuck into the house! She began to break out into a nervous sweat as she backed herself up against the wall, lips quivering as she attempted to ward him off. "I'm warning you! You better leave right now!"
Amused by her reaction, Gin simply let out a quick chuckle. "Relaaaaax, Hime-chan! If I wanted to hurt ya', I would've done so already," the white haired male declared in a chipper tone. His words were met with a skeptical glare from Orihime which elicited another smirk from Gin. "What? You think I couldn't have easily blown up this little house from a few miles away? I'm hurt by your attempts to underestimate my skill." He threw up a hand against his chest and clutched on tightly to the hem of his robes in a melodramatic motion with feigned hurt upon his face.
She didn't dare underestimate him. He was Aizen's closest friend and played a huge role in his plans for world destruction. Yes, he could have easily blown up this joint with a flick of his wrist but instead he came all the way to her.
"What do you want?" the healer asked, refusing to drop her guard as her protective shield continued to gleam brightly.
"I'm here to talk, Hime-chan," Gin replied while scratching his chin, "and I'm here to take you back to Ulquiorra."
Orihime was like a scared kitten that had been backed into a corner. Her eyes, full of worry and distrust, met with his for a moment and Gin would have almost felt sorry for her if it wasn't for the amusement her reaction was providing him. Orihime and Rangiku were vastly different: Orihime was as gentle and timid as a flower while Rangiku's fiery spirit could melt even an iceberg. And yet, they had such similar eyes. Eyes that reflected such a strong burst of hopefulness but with gray clouds of skepticism swirling at the corners.
"You're…going to take me back to Ulquiorra? But why?" The young woman questioned, apprehension evident in her voice. Gin Ichimaru was one of the bad guys so why would he want to take her to the person that would protect her at all costs?
With a sly smile, Gin took another step towards the cowering female. "Ulqui-san was given direct orders by Aizen-sama to watch over our little princess. It's a serious crime for Espada to go against Aizen-sama's orders." Although that had been originally true when Orihime had first arrived in Hueco Mundo, she knew better than to think that was Ichimaru's reason for retrieving her from the fake Karakura Town. She didn't budge nor lower her defenses as she carefully analyzed his every movement.
Gin blew a sigh from his lips as his hand reached up to scratch the back of his head. "You're not buying that, eh, Hime-chan?" His tone was light and airy but he continued to inch towards her until he was standing directly in front of her. The golden shield of her Santen Kesshun was the only thing separating the two and it prevented him from touching her.
"Listen very carefully, Hime-chan," Gin stated, suddenly dropping his cheerful façade as leaned in as close as he could without touching the shield. "Aizen-sama has already unlocked Ulquiorra's memories. There is no going back now; he'll never be able to forget his horrific human past. It's going to haunt him and cloud his thoughts to the point where he won't even be conscious of his surroundings."
Orihime's eyes widened for a moment as her shield suddenly vanished into thin air. Her arms dropped to her sides as she stared up at Gin, scanning his expression for any signs of mockery and yet there was no hints of humor to be found.
"Ulquiorra has always had the strength to destroy Aizen-sama but his true power had been sealed away along with his memories. Aizen-sama removed that seal and now there is nothing holding Ulquiorra back. He will not only destroy Aizen-sama but everything in his path as well," the white haired man continued as he peered down at the girl before him. "Do you understand what that means, Hime-chan? Ulquiorra will destroy Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, and the human world. He'll destroy everything."
Her body froze as Gins' words stirred an unwelcoming sensation in her soul. She trembled with doubt, unable to find the words to say as she listened carefully to Gin's voice. After a long moment of silence, she finally managed to find the composure to speak. "I don't understand!" Orihime managed to blurt out, "I don't get why Aizen-sama unleashed his memory in the first place! Why would he do such a thing if he knew Ulquiorra wouldn't be able to control himself?! What does Aizen hope to accomplish by having Ulquiorra destroy everything?!" Tears began to well up in her sterling eyes, threatening to fall at any moment.
Gin shook his head before drawing back from Orihime just a bit, not wanting to completely invade her personal space as much as had done so earlier. "Aizen-sama is an arrogant man. He probably believes he can control Ulquiorra. He's the type to always believe he will win and overcome any obstacle in his path. This time, his arrogance just might be his downfall."
"So what do we do? We can't just sit back and let Ulquiorra annihilate the universe!" she cried. In an act of desperation, her hands flung out to grab a hold of the cloth of Gin's robes. "There's got to be something we can do! Maybe there's a way to snap Ulquiorra out of his rampage!"
Gin stared down at her, his empty expression contrasting with her panicky state, before he gently grabbed a hold of her trembling hands to remove them from his cloak. "Calm down, Hime-chan," he instructed her quietly, "Do you really think I came all the way here just to proclaim defeat for both teams? Have a little bit of faith in me, please." Orihime opened her mouth to protest but Gin silenced her by placing a slender finger upon her lips. "I have a plan," he declared as that sneaky grin found its way upon his face once again.
Before she could say anything else, Gin continued on. "Look, I don't think hope is completely lost. You were able to reach into Ulquiorra's soul even when Aizen-sama had it completely sealed shut. You were able to break through the doors of his heart and got him to fall in love with you. Granted, you did have a little help from the other Espada and yours truly but that isn't the point here."
"You…helped Ulquiorra and I fall in love?" she asked, suddenly confused by everything.
Her words caused a deep chuckle to erupt from the man as he shook his head. "Think of it like a play! You and Ulquiorra played the leading roles in your own theatrical romance but I helped set the stage. Who do ya' think instructed Nnoitra to barge into your room that night? And how did Ulquiorra manage to arrive in such a promptly manner? And what about that book you found in your room? You know, the one about the prince and the princess? Oh, and let's not forget that time you used that incredibly intoxicating bath soap that Szayel created…"
Orihime could feel her cheeks darken with the most vibrant of blushes. Gin Ichimaru and the other Espada were all behind those events?! But why would they want the two of them to fall in love?! The whole purpose of her being there was to restore the Hogyoku to its original state to help Aizen-sama become stronger, wasn't it? It wasn't until much later that Orihime found out that she was to provide Aizen-sama with a powerful child with the DNA mixture of both a human and an Arrancar but it wasn't as if she and Ulquiorra needed to fall in love to accomplish those tasks…So why did they go through all that trouble?
As if reading her mind, crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke. "I was the one to propose the idea that you two needed to form a special bond. Aizen-sama believed it would help with his plans of having a successful heir and that it would force Ulquiorra to surrender his entire strength to Aizen-sama. But I? I had alternative reasons for you to fall in love." He paused for a moment as he looked away from her, his grin widening ever so slightly as he did so. "Y'see, Hime-chan, I want to see Aizen-sama lose."
He wanted to see Aizen fail?!
Gin Ichimaru, one of Aizen's most trusted comrades, was plotting against him?!
"I don't understand, Ichimaru-san! I thought you were one of the bad guys? Why would you want Aizen-sama to lose?" Orihime demanded to know but instead of being answered, the young man simply snatched up her wrist and dragged her away from the wall.
"I'm afraid we don't have any more time for chit-chat, Hime-chan. We need to get ya' to Ulquiorra!" Gin replied with a short laugh as a garganta opened up behind him. He stepped inside the dark portal, dragging Orihime along with him. "If you could melt Ulquiorra's heart once, I'm fairly certain you can do it again! I'm taking you to him so you can try to talk some sense into him and snap him out of this craziness!"
The portal closed behind them as the darkness of the garganta swallowed them up. At least he didn't just toss her in and hope for the best as Ulquiorra had once done but being dragged by the wrist wasn't too much better. "Ichimaru-san, why do you think I'll be able to get through to him? He probably won't even recognize me if I call out to him!"
"Have a little faith, won'tcha?" Gin teased as he marched through the dark maze of the garganta as if he knew his way around it perfectly. "I believe that if anyone can reach him, it'd be you. I'm pretty sure he and Aizen-sama are engaging in battle right now so if we can interrupt em' then I'll hold Aizen-sama off while you try to reason with Ulquiorra." It wasn't the greatest of plans but it was all he could come up with for the time being. If luck was on their side then maybe Ulquiorra had already gotten in a few good hits on Aizen-sama. Gin smirked at the thought as he hoped that was the case. Maybe he could even finish off Aizen himself while Orihime distracted Ulquiorra?
"Do you really think this will work, Ichimaru-san?" Orihime asked as she blinked through the darkness, unable to see the man that was pulling her along through the pitch black abyss of the garganta.
He didn't reply at first and Orihime almost wondered if he had even heard her but after a long, silent moment, Gin abruptly came to a stop. "Y'know what? I don't really know if it will work, Hime-chan. I shouldn't lie to you and fill your head with false hope. I did that to a young woman once and all I brought her was sorrow…" For a split second, images of Rangiku crept up into his mind, from her smile to the fiery red waves of her hair. He had hurt the woman he loved most and it was a sin he could never receive redemption from… until now. He wanted to atone for his nasty deeds and even though he had planned on murdering Aizen Sousuke from the start, he had done so many atrocious things to get to that point.
"Ichimaru-san…" Orihime whispered his name as she felt him release his grip on her wrist. Gin Ichimaru was a mysterious man and there was no way she would ever truly understand him or his motives. Her expression softened as she tried to decipher who the young woman he had referred to was. Noticing the gentleness in her voice, Gin let out another chuckle while shaking his head. "But hey, even if it doesn't work, there's no harm in trying it, right? After all, we're all going to die by Ulquiorra's hands anyways so it's worth taking a chance!"
Orihime's chest immediately sank at his words before the garganta began to peel open to reveal the midnight sky of Hueco Mundo. The crescent moon greeted them as Gin took a slow step out of the portal and onto a tall mountain of sand. As Orihime followed suit, she was suddenly hit with a thick cloud of smoke. There was an increase of air pressure and the turbid atmosphere made it nearly impossible to breathe.
The healer quickly found herself gasping for air as an immense pressure forced her to fall on her knees. "W-what kind of spiritual pressure is this?!" she hissed through gritted teeth as her hand gripped tightly to her chest. She struggled to steady her breathing as she weakly looked up at Gin.
Gin looked out on the horizon and saw a battle unfolding beneath the hill he stood on, roughly 200 feet away from them. A short gasp escaped his mouth as his typically narrow eyes began to widen in astonishment. Before him was a very injured Aizen-sama who's disheveled form was sprawled out onto the sand. His clothes were tattered to shreds and his face was beaten to a bloody pulp to the point he wasn't recognizable. He laid in a pool of his own blood that had stained the sands around him. His defeat was as clear as the night sky and the victor belonged to none other than the beast he had tried to tame.
Ulquiorra, still in his upgraded Resurrección form, appeared to be even more animalistic than usual. Gin had never seen him fully transformed but he looked like a feral demon thirsting for blood. His eyes were as black as the garganta and his claws were soaked in blood.
"You…don't want to see this, Hime-chan," Gin grumbled quietly as he watched yet another challenger approach Ulquiorra…
…Ichigo Kurosaki.
What a fool, Gin thought to himself. How stupid could be he?! Aizen-sama was no match for Ulquiorra and yet this Kurosaki fellow thought that he would be able to take on the beast?! A powerful aura emanated from Ulquiorra's body and each time he let out a roar, the ground shook beneath him. If he were to leave Hueco Mundo, the devastation would be outrageous.
"W-what is it, Ichimaru-san?" Orihime asked nimbly as she attempted to stand on her feet. Wind whipped all around her, threatening to knock her over once again. She had felt strong spiritual pressure from Aizen before but it was never as overpowering as this. What was going on?!
"WAKE UP, ULQUIORRA! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE DOING?!" Ichigo Kurosaki shouted. His body, although covered with cuts and burns of all sizes, was still in one piece as he continued to grip on tightly to his sword. Remnants of his Vizard mask crumbled around his face as he pointed the blade of his Zanpakutou at Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra paid no mind to the boy's words as he charged at him once again, engulfing him in a power blast of cero.
Gin Ichimaru cringed as he watched the battle from a safe distance, muttering a quick, "That's gotta' hurt," as he watched Ichigo get pelted with energy blasts. At the sound of Ichigo's voice, Orihime had managed to stagger over to Gin's side. Her eyes filled with horror as she watched Ichigo get tossed around like a useless rag. Sounds of snapping bones filled the night air as Ichigo hollered out in pain.
"I-Is that…Uqluiorra?!" she muttered in disbelief, nearly fainting at the monstrous sight of her beloved. The way he crouched over like a tiger, the way he bared his fangs at Ichigo, the way he growled like an wild demon…
This could not possibly be her Ulquiorra.
"Change of plans, Hime-chan. We're going to get out of here and inform the Espada and the Gotei 13 that Aizen is dead. The others don't need to be fighting each other at a time like this while this creature is roaming around free," Gin snapped as he reached out to seize her wrist once more as another garganta opened instantaneously.
Orihime stood still for a moment, ignoring Ichimaru's words as she looked out onto the battle field. She pulled her wrist from him, shaking her head as she refused to comply with his orders. Aizen was not dead yet—the stubborn man was still struggling to stand as Ulquiorra's claws slashed at Ichigo's chest, creating multiple gaping wounds. There was so much blood splattered across the white sand that it was almost hard to believe that this was not simply a scene in a horror film. Orihime couldn't find the strength to move her legs as a lump formed in the back of her throat.
Not only was Ulquiorra a full-fledged demon but she was about to witness the death of her first love.
"K-Kurosaki-kun…" She breathed out as she watched Ulquiorra flash his fangs once more only this time his face was threateningly close to Ichigo's throat. If she didn't act fast then Ulquiorra was going to rip out his esophagus with his teeth.
Luckily for her, she didn't even have to act. Within seconds, Aizen had mustered up as much strength as he could to use his sonido to quickly manifest directly behind Ulquiorra. With his sword hung high over his head, Aizen slashed down in attempts to behead the blood-crazed monster.
With his senses highly acute, Ulquiorra whipped his head around to catch the sword in mid-air. The blade sliced through his palm but he paid no mind to the pain as he dove his other hand into the other male's chest. Aizen's face began to twist in agony as Ulquiorra's claws drilled through his chest. That kind of attack would have killed any ordinary person and even Aizen himself did not look he would survive after a direct hit to his heart.
"P-Please…Uqluiorra….stop…" Orihime mumbled through quivering lips.
Aizen slumped over as Ulquiorra swung his mangled body over his shoulder. It was hard to see if Aizen survived the attack but Orihime was far more concerned about Ichigo. Ulquiorra turned his empty eyes towards the orange haired boy, a deep growl rumbling from the back of his throat.
"Never again…will Lord Kiragawa…terrorize the land again!"
His voice, dark and infernal, was loud enough to reach Orihime's delicate ears. What on Earth was he talking about? Who was Lord Kiragawa? Did Ulquiorra truly have no idea what was happening around him? Could he really not establish what was reality and what was his imagination?
"Hime-chan, we need to go! We need to warn the others! Kurosaki is a lost cause so just forget about him and let's beat it!" Ichimaru snapped as he grabbed Orihime roughly by the arm once again. Orihime yanked her arm free from his grasp once more as she turned to glare at him over her shoulder. "I couldn't possibly just leave him! You brought me here to try to reach out to him, right?! So that's what I need to do!"
Her words completely caught Ichimaru off guard as he watched the woman quickly head towards the battlefield below the sandy hills. "W-wait, Hime-chan! That's suicide! Are ya' stupid or something?!"
Orihime didn't bother casting the former Shinigami captain a second glance as her feet padded through the sand to where the three men fought. Never in her life did she expect to see Kurosaki-kun and Aizen-sama fighting the same enemy and such a notion worried her greatly. Neither of them could compare to Ulquiorra in strength; Ulquiorra obviously had the upper hand since every attack they dealt on him seemed to be no more than a mere tickle. He was regenerating any wound at the speed of light and his movements were always one step ahead of theirs.
This was bad! If she didn't interject soon then Ulquiorra would surely kill them both and not even realize it.
"Ulquiorra! Please! Stop what you're doing!" the frightened girl screamed as she watched Ulquiorra wrap his claws tightly around Ichigo's neck. The Espada gave her a quick, disinterested glance from where he stood, ignoring her orders as he simply squeezed Ichigo's neck tighter. The weakened Ichigo could barely struggle against the tightness of Ulquiorra's grip on him as his legs weakly aimed to kick at the opposing male.
"I'm begging you, Ulquiorra! Please stop all this! Ichigo isn't an enemy! He's your ally! Wake up!" she continued crying out as her feet carried her closer towards him.
He wasn't listening. Ichigo's fragile neck was moments away from snapping in two if he didn't die from suffocation first. If Ulquiorra wasn't going to willingly leave Ichigo alone, she was just going to have to make him.
"I said stop! SANTEN KESSHUN!" Orihime shouted as her fairies burst out of their confinement in her hairclips to form into that radiating, triangular shield of hers. The shield emerged right between Ulquiorra and Ichigo, forcing the Espada to release his grasp on Ichigo's throat and fling him away from his hands. The vizard's body fell to the ground with a thud as he choked back some air into his lungs. Although grateful for Orihime's intervention, Ichigo turned his gaze to her slowly as his stomach began to churn with fear.
"I-Inoue! Get outta' here!" Ichigo coughed out as he reached his hand out towards her. What was Orihime doing here?! Wasn't Rukia supposed to be watching her?! Ulquiorra was running rampant in an uncontrollable, hypnotized state. None of his words had been able to get through to Ulquiorra and even Aizen-sama had suffered a great defeat against him. Orihime was going to get herself killed if she didn't run!
In response to Ichigo's demands, Orihime simply shook her head while offering him a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun. Everything is going to be fine," she reassured him in a soft tone as she continued to approach Ulquiorra.
The Cuatro Espada stared blankly at the golden screen of light dividing him from his prey before shifting his gaze towards the girl that dared to interrupt him. "Lord Kiragawa…must pay…for his crimes…" Ulquiorra growled as he crouched down low, ready to pounce on Orihime at any given moment.
He was not himself and he was blinded by his gruesome memories. He couldn't see past the dark and twisted images that continuously reeled over and over in his mind. Before him did not stand a very worried Orihime but instead he saw the image of Lord Kiragawa with that taunting smirk on his face.
Orihime could see he was being tormented by his thoughts. The empty gaze staring back at her did not belong to the lover she knew but to a tortured soul who yearned for revenge. Any sudden movement could launch Ulquiorra into a deadly attack but she couldn't just back down and let him kill her precious nakama!
"Ulquiorra," the feeble girl said in a hushed voice, "it's me. It's Orihime. There is no Lord Kiragawa here. You need to wake up now before you end up doing something you'll regret." She took a tentative step forward, slow and gradual as to not stir him, while keeping her eyes locked on his.
Regret? Regret. Yes, Ulquiorra knew that word all too well. He regretted not being able to protect his village from the Onitentei Clan. He regretted taking the lives of the innocent. He regretted following Lord Kiragawa blindly.
But most of all he regretted killing Tsubaki.
Another roar was freed from Ulquiorra's throat as he charged at Orihime. His claws were ready to slice open her neck but his target didn't budge. Orihime simply stood with both feet planted firmly into the sand and with her arms at her side. She didn't summon her Shun Shun Rikka to create a shield to block his attack nor did she make any attempts to dodge. Ulquiorra skidded to a halt as he reared his claws over his head, snapping his fangs in her direction like a rabid beast hungry for blood.
"I had hoped we could have spent the rest of our days…together…away from here," Orihime whispered quietly as she closed her eyes, awaiting the impact of Ulquiorra's talons. The words just simply escaped her before she had a chance to think about them; almost as if some one in the back of her mind was instructing her to say them.
Right before his sharp talons would have collided with her throat, Ulquiorra hesitated and ceased his rapid movements. The tip of one of his claws lightly graced against her tender throat but it did not pierce the skin nor slash through her.
Those words…I've heard those words before…
Although trembling lightly with fear, Orihime continued to stand her ground as she stared at the Espada while searching his eyes for any traces of sanity. Empty black orbs simply returned her gaze but she could tell he wasn't really looking at her. His mind was far away in some place far out of reach. It was clear by the tone in his voice as he muttered the name, "Tsubaki", softly between his lips.
Who was Tsubaki? Surely he wasn't speaking of the tiny, aggressive fairy that was a part of her Shun Shun Rikka. Was he speaking of a girl?
Once again, more words poured out of her lips before she had time to think about them. "I…I couldn't leave you… I knew you weren't coming back for me," she continued.
Ulquiorra could feel a sharp pain in his chest, almost as if her voice had pierced through him like a poisonous barb. He could feel the venom of sorrow seep through his veins down to his very core, infecting his soul with remembrance of his former love. He quickly drew back his arm as gripped on tightly to both sides of his head while howling in anguish.
"IT'S ALL MY FAULT! Why didn't I listen to you sooner?! Why did all of this have to happen?!" He shouted before falling to his knees, his former vicious demeanor shattering with every moment.
Orihime watched him weep soundly on the floor, her heart aching at the very sight of him. Just what exactly happened to him in his human past to make him like this? And furthermore, why did she feel as if she had been there with him long ago?
"WHY DOES FATE HAVE TO BE SO CRUEL?!" Ulquiorra's voice clamored like thunder and with his resounding echo came a heavy surge of spiritual pressure that engulfed the area. The wave of reiatsu pounded against Orihime, knocking her off her feet as she was flown backwards by an unseen force. All the wind in her lungs escaped her for a moment as she slammed into the ground. Ulquiorra, lost in a frenzy of his thoughts, continued to shout and fill the barren lands of Hueco Mundo with his reiatsu.
The atmosphere, thick with his demonic energy, was too much for the girl to handle and within seconds she was completely unconscious.
Author's Note: I hope that was a speedy enough update! I feel like I took WAYYYY too long to update this story over the years and I think I've lost a lot of my readers…. Although it saddens me, I'm going to continue writing and hopefully finish this soon! I hope this fic was as interesting of a read as it used to be and I just want you to know that I'm grateful for you sticking through with me til the end! There's not too much left to write but hopefully I can wrap this up soon.
Oh, and a special thanks to Vampire Hunter Avi for being my beta reader and for helping me with the last chapter! You've really motivated me to keep writing!