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Chapter 13: Admission of Service

September 4th

Orihime woke up feeling old, and not because she had just turned seventeen yesterday. She had been unable to sleep well that night, the weight of her dishonesty toward Ichigo hanging around her neck like an ox yoke.

By the time she arrived at school that morning, she had resolved to tell him the truth, despite Urahara's recommendation. Her decision final and guilt somewhat eased, she was able to greet her classmates in her usual fashion, except Ichigo, who she approached contritely. "Um, good morning, um Kurosaki-kun. Um, if you, uh, have time at lunch, um, could we, uh, talk?" she asked timidly, finally meeting his eyes when he did not immediately answer.

Ichigo studied Orihime with suspicion. Why was she acting so full of regret when he was the one who screwed up yesterday? He couldn't begin to guess, which shook his confidence. Had she decided she couldn't forgive him for forgetting her birthday after all? Had she decided that Uryuu was a better boyfriend material? It was making him anxious. "Do you want to go talk now?"

"No, no, it can wait until lunch," Orihime answered, waving her hands in front of her to convey it was no big deal.

"Alright, I'll meet you outside, then..." he trailed off uncertainly.

"Thanks," Orihime sighed as the bell rang for class.

After stopping at the canteen for a juice box and a sandwich, Ichigo met Orihime just outside the school entrance. She looked up at him with an uneasy expression and led the way toward spot on the field far away enough from the other clusters of students to afford them some privacy.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Inoue?" he asked softly, with an edge of concern in his voice as they sat on the grass.

"Well…" she bit her lip, looking down, and looking very guilty.

Ichigo felt the bitter taste of bile rise up the back of his throat as he prepared for the worst. He swallowed it down and forced himself to speak gently, "Go ahead, Inoue, whatever it is, it'll be alright."

Orihime looked up at him and confirmed his fears. "I lied to you, Kurosaki-kun. I'm sorry."

Ichigo reeled from her admission. Images of her with Uryuu swam through his head, making him feel numb. It wasn't until she had been speaking for a few minutes that a few words got through to him, words like "Urahara-san" and "Soul Society". His mood shattered in an instant, and he refocused on Orihime with laser precision.

"Wait, what did you say, Inoue?"

"I'm so sorry, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime answered, true regret in her eyes.

"No, I meant what did you say about Urahara and Soul Society?"

"Oh," Orihime eyed him dubiously for a second and then repeated herself, "the phone call I took last night was not really a phone call, and I don't have any dead relative's funeral to go to. The message I got last night was from Urahara, asking that I be ready to go to Soul Society tomorrow after school. He said he needs my help, and he hopes to have me back here by Sunday."

Ichigo initially felt relief, until he realized that she would be doing this without him, which did not make him happy. As usual, he spoke before he thought. "No, you can't, Inoue."

"What?"

"I mean, I can't go with you, so it won't be safe…" he said the last couple words quietly, realizing he was being unfair and observing the deflating look on Orihime's face. "I know you can handle yourself, Inoue, it's just…" he stopped, knowing he couldn't win, and looked down at his juice box.

She reached over to touch his forearm. "Just what, Kurosaki-kun?"

He looked up at her. 'Why was it that she is the one always comforting me,' he wondered for a moment, before continuing. "It's just that I'm going to miss you and I won't be able to cope well with you there and me stuck here," he admitted, embarrassed.

"I know, Kurosaki-kun, I'll miss you too," she said, stroking his forearm soothingly. "It's just for a few days, though, it shouldn't be so bad."

"You don't know that. You don't know how bad things are there." He took a deep breath, and then met her worried eyes, "Honestly, it doesn't matter if there was perfect peace there. It's just that there is nothing I can do to protect you if anything happens, and that terrifies me," he admitted quietly.

Orihime looked around quickly to make sure no one was looking, and then briefly got up on her knees and kissed Ichigo's cheek before sitting back down. "Thank you for worrying about me, Kurosaki-kun," she said sweetly as her skin flushed. Then her brows became a bit sterner, and she informed him firmly, "but you don't need to. I'll be with Urahara the whole time."

"Yeah, like I can trust that weirdo," he said barely under his breath. Orihime couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, it's not funny! He is a lunatic. And a pervert," he added, his own cheeks turning pink.

Orihime really laughed then, clutching her stomach and falling to her side. Ichigo's grumpy expression didn't help her attempts to be serious. Soon there were tears streaming down her cheeks as the laughter, fueled by Ichigo's reaction, continued relentlessly. After several attempts, she was finally able to rein it in and sat upright, smoothing out her skirt and apologizing sincerely while wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun, I didn't want to lie to you. Urahara said that I should tell you the dead relative story. I guess I was so preoccupied with his request to go to Soul Society that I didn't even think about whether I should lie to you or not. I felt so guilty all night, I could barely sleep."

"I know you couldn't do something like that on purpose, Inoue. There is nothing to forgive, since you told me the truth, anyway," he said affectionately, and was rewarded with a blinding smile. He took her hand and added, "And I know I can trust you in Soul Society, it's just everyone else and the unknown that makes me worried. I mean, the last time you went through a Senkaimon you were kidnapped by Ulquiorra-" he stopped himself there, knowing it was no use. He knew that no matter what he said, if Orihime was needed by her friends, on earth or in Soul Society, she would not refuse them. It wasn't that she felt pressured and couldn't refuse them, either. She would not refuse them on principle. It was something about her that he greatly admired. To ask her to do otherwise would be to ask her to stop being herself, he mused in a rare moment of maturity.

"Anyway, thank you for telling me. Of course, I'll worry about you. But I know you are capable. Just promise me to be extra cautious and let me know what is going on there when you come back. And say hi to anyone we know for me, OK?"

"I will!" she answered, probably happier than she had ever felt in her entire life after hearing his affirming sentiments, then threw her arms around him.

September 5th

After school on Friday, Ichigo walked Orihime to Urahara's. The pair decided not to tell Uryuu and Chad about Orihime's trip, knowing Uryuu would object and if they told Chad then Uryuu would be odd man out. Tatsuki had been told the truth, and had not taken it well. Orihime was glad she was busy with karate and unable to see her off; she didn't want a scene at Urahara's.

When the couple arrived they were greeted by Urahara near the door, who raised an eyebrow at Ichigo for a moment, before quickly regaining his poker face. He wasn't sure, but he had thought he had caught a faint sensation of Ichigo's reiatsu. The scientist made a mental note to dig deeper into that possibility another day, and greeted the two warmly.

"Well well, what is this I hear about the two of you being a couple? I haven't been back in Karakura for more than ten minutes and already I've been made quite aware of the situation. Congratulations, then," he said before snapping his fan shut and turning toward the house. "Right this way, Inoue-san."

"Just a minute, hat-n-clogs," Ichigo said sternly, "I want some assurances first that she is going to be kept safe."

"There is nothing to worry about, Kurosaki-san. Inoue-san will be escorted by myself at all times. She will be perfectly safe."

"Ok, but why do you need to bring her to Soul Society in the first place? And before you say anything, be aware that Rukia and Renji already told us all about the 'incident' and Yoruichi-san told us how long you have been in Soul Society, so I want the truth. How does Inoue fit into all of that?"

"Oh, I see. So I don't need to explain as much. The truth is I merely require Inoue-san's presence as part of an experiment, in which she will be expected to do nothing but some very simple work with her Shun Shun Rikka. She won't be interacting with anyone or anything during the duration of the experiment except for myself and any company she may request, or in the case of Matsumoto-san and Rukia-san, any friends who may request her company. She will be carefully monitored for the entirety of the experiment. If the experiment is a success, she may be home sooner than Sunday. If the results are not immediate, I plan to run the experiment for 48 hours before I consider it a failure and send her home."

"Really? That's it?" Orihime asked with a slight smile. She was starting to look forward to what really sounded more like a slumber party than an experiment.

Ichigo still had some doubts. "Where will she be staying?"

"In the laboratory of the twelfth division, of course," Ichigo raised an alarmed brow before Urahara explained further, "I will be there to maintain her safety and Kurotsuchi-taicho won't even know she is there. And you can stop giving me that look; when it is time for Inoue-san to sleep she will be accompanied by Rukia-san."

Ichigo was relieved that Rukia would be there for Orihime. He trusted her completely to keep his girlfriend's best interests at heart. He turned to Orihime and took her hands, "Be careful, then."

Orihime smiled at him, eyes sparkling with excitement, but a brow twisted in concern for him. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Of course. Rukia won't let anything happen to you, and like I said the other day, I know you can take care of yourself. I'm just going to miss you." He started to lean into her before he turned his attention back to Urahara, glaring at the shopkeeper to back off.

"Oh, yes, I'll give you two a moment," he said before shuffling away to the next room.

Ichigo leaned in to kiss her as soon as he was gone. "Don't miss me too much," he said as they separated, giving her a little smirk. "I was planning on taking you out for a belated birthday celebration this weekend, but since than might not work out, look forward to it as soon as you get back."

"Oh, you don't have to do anything special for me, but I'm really excited now!" she said cheerily. "I'll miss you though, you know," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and tucking her head into his chest.

Ichigo planted a kiss on her head and stroked her hair from the top of her head down her back, returning her hug as he reached the middle. "Alright, get going before I change my mind," he said, backing away so she could go through the door Urahara previously exited. Orihime nodded and went through it without looking back.

The trip through the Senkaimon was unremarkable. Urahara had requested that she conceal her reiatsu to the best of her ability when they exited into Soul Society. When they did, they were already inside of the Twelfth Division. Urahara led her down a hallway that was similar to a hospital's, complete with beeps and boops of various monitoring equipment, but the color scheme was decidedly darker. They passed a room with a windowed wall that appeared to be a server room being monitored by a few technicians. Then they entered into a room at the end of the hall that looked much like an operation theater, with the exception of the continuing dark walls and furniture more suited to a sitting room. To Orihime, it was reminiscent of her room in Las Noches, with an inverted color scheme and no moonlit window.

"Would you like a drink or anything to eat, Inoue-san?" Urahara asked hospitably as he set about turning on monitoring equipment.

"Actually a drink would be very nice. I'm not used to concealing my reiatsu – it's hard work!" she answered cheerfully.

"Alright. I will be right back with some tea. I've got to turn on some monitors in the other room and I believe Rukia-san is on her way over with Matsumoto-san as we speak. I'll get some for all of us. You have a seat, or wander around the room, whatever you'd like." He said as pleasant as can be while gesturing around the room. "I just ask that you please not touch the monitoring equipment, it is quite sensitive. And also, do not leave this room, I can't guarantee your safety if you leave; Mayuri is always on the lookout for a new experiment," he added darkly.

Orihime gulped and nodded, and Urahara left the room. She walked around it, examining the various monitors and sensors. They were undecipherable to her, so they didn't hold her interest for very long. She took a seat on a sofa upholstered in fake leather that was the same color as an eggplant. It was comfortable enough, but not anything special. She picked at a loose spot in the cushion stitching as she waited for Urahara's return. She noted that from inside the room, she was unable to sense anyone's reiatsu. She correctly concluded that the room was constructed out of a reiatsu blocking material.

After several more minutes, Urahara returned. As he opened the door, the room was briefly flooded with reiatsu, and she was able to pick out those of her two visitors close by, causing a smile to erupt across Orihime's face. Urahara set down the tea and started to pour as a knocking began at the door. "Would you mind opening that, Inoue-san? I believe it's for you anyway," Urahara asked while picking up a third cup to pour. "Just pull the lever upright."

Orihime did as instructed and was immediately lifted off of her feet in a fierce hug, her face pressed snugly into Rangiku's breasts. "Orihime-chan! I've missed you so much!" the exuberant blonde cried while squeezing her human friend as tightly as she could. Rukia caught Orihime's free eye and said, "Long time no see, Orihime!" and broke into a chuckle. "Alright, that's enough, Matsumoto. You'll suffocate her," Rukia said through her laughter.

"Right this way, ladies. Tea is served," Urahara welcomed the trio into the room toward the furniture. "I believe you all will have lots to talk about, however, I must warn you, I will be monitoring what goes on in here and as a result I'll be able to hear anything you say. That being said, I will also be rather busy with my experiment so I won't be hanging on your every word. In other words, I'm not trying to snoop but your privacy is not guaranteed. Also, you will be locked inside. In the event something goes wrong, Inoue-san knows how to open the door from the inside. From time to time I'll be opening various vents to this room, so you may hear some fans whirring or external noises, so do not be alarmed. I will also sometimes ask Inoue-san to perform some simple spiritual tasks related to the experiment over the loudspeakers just there, so don't be surprised by that either. I'll leave you ladies to it for now, and I'll be back to check in in a few hours. You may release your reiatsu as soon as this door is shut, Inoue-san. Ta-ta." Urahara picked up the cup of tea he had poured for himself and left the room with it.

"So, tell me all about you and Ichigo!" Rangiku squealed as soon as the door was shut.

Orihime launched into the tale of how they got together, tastefully leaving out the part about the mountaintop make-out session, although Rukia filled Rangiku in on clothes-hiding incident. Rukia and Rangiku asked a lot of questions, trying to get the shy healer to open up a bit more. After about an hour, and just as Rangiku started to really press for more details, Urahara's voice crackled over the loadspeaker, "Inoue-san, please suppress your reiatsu again for a moment."

Orihime nodded and did as asked. As soon as it was nearly undetectable, the creak of a vent, followed by the hum of a fan was heard, followed by some distortion from the loudspeaker. "Alright, now, Matsumoto-san, are you finished with your tea?" Urahara asked over the loudspeaker.

"Yes…" Rangiku answered carefully.

"Good," Urahara replied happily over the loudspeaker, "please throw your cup to the floor to break it."

"What?!" Rukia asked incredulously.

Rangiku was not at all bothered by the request. "Okay," she said merrily, while lifting the cup overhead and dashing it down to the tiled floor where it broke into seemingly a million pieces.

"Very good, thank you, Matsumoto-san," Urahara spoke through the loudspeaker politely as Rangiku sat back up, looking pleased with herself. "Now, Inoue-san, please use your rejection technique to restore the cup. You may release as much reiatsu as necessary; don't worry about holding back."

"Okay!" Orihime answered in a chipper voice, and set about piecing the cup back together with her Shun Shun Rikka.

Not ten seconds after she began, the room began to vibrate and the open vents overhead slammed shut. Suddenly, the monitoring equipment in the room shut off along with the lights. Orihime shrieked quietly, and, abandoning the half-repaired cup, cast a shield over herself and her two friends. After a moment, violet emergency lights lit up and an unknown, polite, voice came over the loudspeaker. "Do not be alarmed, the experiment has been a success. Please wait inside until Urahara-san is able to return. He should be back shortly."

"Well, that was quick," Rangiku said glibly.

Rukia rolled her eyes at the voluptuous shinigami and turned to Orihime. "You alright, Orihime?"

"Yes, that just surprised me!"

"You and me both! I wonder what this experiment was about", Rangiku agreed as the regular lights went back on.

The three women sat and waited making sporadic small talk, anxious for Urahara's return. After about a half hour, their anxiety was starting to be replaced with boredom. "You girls wanna plays cards or something?" Rangiku asked, finding all the waiting too tedious to bear.

The other two agreed and they started to play. After another two hours, the loudspeakers came back to life and Urahara's tired, somewhat breathless voice came over. "Apologies, ladies, cleaning up after this experiment took longer than I expected. You can come out of the room now, but please brace yourselves, there is a lot of residual reiatsu in the air and I don't want you to be taken off guard.

The women passed around suspicious looks at one another before Orihime went to the door and pulled the lever latch upright. A quiet hiss was heard as the pressure between the room and the hallway equalized. As Orihime opened the door, they were immediately engulfed in a thick cloud of heavy reiatsu. Orihime felt it was familiar immediately, but she was unable to place it. It had a desperate sort of quality, but it wasn't dark. It actually had a bit of a hopeful flavor to it. The three friends heard Urahara's geta clopping down the hall before they could see him, and walked forward toward it.

As he came into view, Rukia asked first, "What is this reiatsu? It reminds me of the one we felt during 'the incident', but it is so incredibly different now," she trailed off, hoping he would fill in the blanks.

"I'm sorry I can't be specific at this time, Rukia-san; Commander Yamamoto has ordered this experiment classified top secret. Not even the other captains, including Kurotsuchi-taicho, know. All I can say is your instincts are usually right," he said the last sentence from behind his fan and added a wink for emphasis before turning his attention to Orihime. "Thank you for your cooperation and participation in this experiment, Inoue-san. I'm prepared to escort you back to the world of the living now."

Rangiku protested immediately. "But, she just got here! You can't take her back so soon!"

"I'm sorry, Matsumoto-san, but I'm sure Kurosaki-kun will be waiting on her," he countered.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I stay a little longer, Urahara-san," Orihime said gently.

"Unfortunately, that is not an option at this time, and I can't explain why. All I can say is that it is imperative that you leave Soul Society as soon as possible. If you would like, Matsumoto-san and Rukia-san could accompany us through the Senkaimon, I'll make your excuses to your captains if necessary," he added looking at the other two, before looking back to Orihime, "but we must leave at once."

Orihime knew he was quite serious and didn't contradict him again. The quartet went back down the hall toward the room with the Senkaimon and wasted no time getting in.

When they arrived back in Karakura, it was about 9:00 p.m. Urahara informed them that he had some things to take care of at the shop, so if Rukia and Rangiku wanted to walk Orihime home, he would be ready to go back to Soul Society as a group as long as they came straight back; it was important to return quickly.

The group of girlfriends started their walk to Orihime's apartment right away. All three were shaken by the mysterious experiment and residual reiatsu, and as they walked they started to talk about it. "Have either of you ever felt a similar reiatsu? I mean, it was totally different from the one from 'the incident' but something about it was similar. Do you agree, Matsumoto?" Rukia asked.

"Yes, it's as you say, similar but totally different," she answered.

"Yeah, I mean, I wasn't in Soul Society for 'the incident' you keep referring to, but I'm having the same response as you two. That reiatsu is almost the same, and yet totally different, to someone I used to know. But it my case, I know it's just my imagination," Orihime interjected.

"Who are you talking about – why are you so sure it's your imagination?" Rangiku asked, alarmed.

"Because he's dead." Orihime answered solemnly.

"Um, Orihime, it is Soul Society. If he's dead he would be reborn there," Rukia pointed out.

Orihime's face lit up for a second at the possibility then fell. "No, he would not have gone to Soul Society, I think."

"Why do you think that?" Rangiku asked.

"Because he wasn't human in the first place." Orihime said somewhat wistfully. "Anyway, we're here," she said, looking up at her building. "I'm sorry we were only able to spend a few hours together, but I was so glad to see you both again!" she added with a smile.

"Me too. I miss you a lot when we're apart, Hime-chan!" Rangiku said somewhat emotionally, bending down to give the shorter girl a big hug.

"I hope we can meet again soon, Orihime," Rukia said, much more collected than Rangiku, placing a hand on Orihime's shoulder and squeezing affectionately.

With that, the two shinigami flash-stepped back to Urahara's place. When they arrived, they told him about what Orihime had said about recognizing the reiatsu.

"Curious," Urahara responded without giving away anything. In his head, however, he was more convinced than ever that his hypothesis was correct and was anxious to get going. "If you are ready, we'll be off then." He had an arm around Yoruichi's waist and gave her a one-handed hug and a kiss on the head. "Everything should be back online now Yoruichi-san. I'll be in touch soon but I have a lot of work to do so I may not be able to do it right away."

Yoruichi stretched and looked at him like she didn't care, although everyone in the room knew differently. "I'll be out and about too, Kisuke. Don't wait up."

Urahara tipped his hat to her and waved to Tessai and the kids before leading Rangiku and Rukia back through the senkaimon.

9:10 p.m.

From: Orihime Inoue

I'm back! (heart) Apparently the experiment was a success! (big smiley)

9:11 p.m.

From: Ichigo Kurosaki

What?! Wow, that was fast! I'm relieved (heart). Have you eaten?

9:11 p.m.

From: Orihime Inoue

No (sad emoji)

9:12 p.m.

From: Ichigo Kurosaki

I'm hanging out at Chad's place and we just got some pizza. Do you want to come over?

9:12 p.m.

From: Orihme Inoue

YES! (smiley). I'll meet you there in a few minutes!

Chad's place was only a 8 or 9 minute walk from Orihime's place. She started walking before she got a reply from Ichigo.

9:13 p.m.

From: Ichigo Kurosaki

Wait! I'll come pick you up.

Ichigo started walking toward Orihime's apartment. He had made it almost halfway there when he heard a shriek that made his heart fall to his stomach. If he could run any faster than he did toward it, he would be flying.

Orihime had made it about two blocks away from her apartment before she ran into them. It wasn't a particularly seedy area, it was just bad luck, really. The yakuza punk from Tanabata and two of his friends just happened to walk out of a convenience store, presumably to buy more cigarettes, just as Orihime was walking past.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Princess Orihime. Hey guys, this is the chick I was telling you about from that festival," the man from Tanabata leered toward her.

Orihime ignored them and picked up her pace a little, hoping they were busy and would just let it go. She was in no such luck. The three men followed her across the street, catcalling as they went. She was just about to duck into a supermarket when a black van pulled up, and the men grabbed her. Orihime shrieked wildly, unable to summon her shun shun rikka, and reluctant to use them against humans anyway. Instead, she kicked and thrashed at them, slowing their progress, and allowing her shirt sleeve to rip in the process.

"Oh, looks like she's real feisty, what do you say, Aniki?" one of the men said to the ringleader, holding Orihime's legs together under one arm, trying to wedge the van's door open with the other.

"Just how we like them, right?" the other man answered as he approached her. The other two men were holding her arms and hair, pulling back so the boss could inspect her. "You'll be a good girl, right? We just want to have a little fun," he said, trailing a finger from her cheek down her neck and continuing down until he had pulled down the neckline of her shirt far enough to begin to tear it.

"No! Please, let me go!" Orihime shrieked again, only to be rewarded by a sharp slap across the cheek.

"That's not the right answer, love," the man said in a voice full of false compassion, before grabbing the inside of her thigh and shoving her and the other men toward the now-open van door. He lit a cigarette and started to turn to go back to the driver's seat when Ichigo appeared out of nowhere, landing a kick into the back of the man's knee. As the man fell forward, he followed up with another kick, this time to the back of the man's skull, launching him face first into the pavement. The man did not get back up.

The man holding Orihime's legs dropped them and was on Ichigo in seconds. Ichigo was able to redirect the man's forward motion toward the side of the van, where he caused a large dent into the passenger door before staggering forward and lunging at Ichigo again.

The man holding Orihime's arms, the same man from Tanabata, held tighter and pulled her farther into the van, while the man who had been holding her hair let go and went out to help the one fighting Ichigo. In a one-on-one fight, Ichigo nearly always had the upper hand. Two-against-one was a little more tricky. The new fighter managed to land a fist on Ichigo's jaw before getting thrown into the car like the previous fighter. Both of them staggered to their feet as Ichigo prepared to take them both on at the same time. The two charged in unison and Ichigo was focused on them until he heard a very distinct ripping sound and a sobbed, "No, I reject!" from Orihime. At that point, he couldn't remember what happened anymore.

September 6th, 2:36 a.m.

When Ichigo came to, he was back in Chad's apartment, surrounded by a warm, healing glow. As he cracked his eyes open, the golden shimmer dissipated until he could see Orihime and Chad clearly.

"Orihime! Are you alright?!" he cried, sitting up quickly and gathering her into his arms. Tears began to quietly fall down his cheeks as he held her as tight as he could without hurting her. "Did that guy… are you..?" he couldn't bring himself to ask.

"Yes, I'm alright!" Orihime answered breathlessly, nodding repeatedly. Ichigo held her out by the shoulders a bit so he could look her over. She seemed unhurt, although she was now wearing what looked like one of Chad's T-shirts, which was long enough to reach below her knees. He pulled her back into him and onto his lap and rocked slightly, just hanging onto her as if letting go would mean letting the men from the van have her back. Orihime clung to him tightly as well, making no sound except poorly controlled, shuddering breaths.

After a several minutes, Ichigo stopped his rocking and relaxed his grip on her, resting his forehead against hers. This time, less frantically, he asked again, "Are you really alright? What happened?"

Orihime answered honestly. She was shaken up, of course. She had decided to leave the house as soon as she was invited, not reading the text asking her to wait for him. It had been bad luck that she ran into those guys. She was sorry she didn't use her Shun Shun Rikka earlier, but she was hesitant to use it against humans. She had healed up her own scrapes and bruises and, thanks to Ichigo, she was safe and sound.

Ichigo listened patiently, nodding along. When Orihime finished, he asked Chad, "How did we get back here? I don't remember much after I had the first guy down."

Chad answered very carefully. "Ichigo, I don't know what happened, exactly, but I left here when I felt Inoue's reiatsu go crazy. By the time I got to you two, all four guys were on the ground. Two were knocked unconscious. One had his arm cut off at the elbow. Another was dead. I don't know how any of that happened."

Ichigo's eyes were filled with dread as he returned his gaze to Orihime. "What did I do?" he asked her finally in a frightened whisper.

Orihime took a deep breath to steady herself and looked Ichigo straight in the eye. "I cut the man's arm off. He was about to… anyway, I panicked and called Tsubaki. I was able to restore the dead man's pulse after you calmed down - after Chad arrived - but then you collapsed again. After that we ran. Chad carried you back here. You were in terrible condition; I have been healing you for hours," she started to cry at the memory of Ichigo's cut and swollen face.

"What do you mean, I calmed down? And how did I kill a guy? I don't remember anything after I heard you screaming in the van."

"That's because you weren't the one who killed him, Ichigo," Chad answered. "Your hollow did."

Sorry not sorry for the angst. Please review or send me a PM to let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!