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Chapter 20: Intervention

December 12th

The night did not go as planned. Ichigo had left over an hour ago, and Orihime sat on her sofa, trying to figure out what had happened.

At first, things went as they usually did, some kissing and fooling around, but when Orihime made a move to reciprocate the experience Ichigo had provided her earlier in the week, his reaction was nothing like what she had anticipated. When she had moved her hand toward his zipper, he stood abruptly, wearing an accusatory expression, as if he had been betrayed by her interest in him.

Orihime had been understandably upset and confused. She had started crying and Ichigo started rambling incoherently and finally left. At first she blamed her emotions for being unable to follow what he had said, but as she sat now trying to recall it, she realized it was Ichigo who wasn't making sense. It was as if he wasn't talking to only her. He had thrown out disconnected phrases like, "If you really cared about me, you would just give me what I need," and "I obviously won't be getting what I came for," and "There's no way in hell I'd let it go that far," and "Queen or not she's useless if she can't deliver." It was contradictory to his reaction and didn't make any sense.

Finally, the pain of rejection eased slightly, and she started to put all the pieces together. Her eyes grew in fear, realizing that even though it was late, she needed help immediately.

Ring

Ring

Ring

Cough. "Hello?"

"Ishida-kun! I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Inoue-san?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to call so late."

"I know you wouldn't unless it was important. What's the problem?"

"Er, it's difficult to explain over the phone. I hate to ask so late at night, but could you come over? I'll explain when you get here."

"Of course, but are you sure you don't want Kurosaki or Arisawa-san?"

"No, I'm sorry, but you are the only one who can help with this."

"Alright, I'll be right there."

When Uryuu arrived, Orihime already had the door open for him. She showed him inside and explained the odd, gradual change in Ichigo's behavior since they had begun the restoration sessions, glossing over the specifics of their romantic activities, and ending with a teary retelling of his episode earlier than evening.

"Inoue-san, I hope it's not the case, but if what I suspect is true, Kurosaki has developed an addiction to these 'restoration sessions'. It sounds to me as if he has been manipulating you for some time now, and to be honest, I think you have been inadvertently enabling his behavior."

Orhime looked at her lap silently as Uryuu confirmed what she had been denying to herself for as long as this had been going on.

He continued. "This really all started after that time his hollow manifested, didn't it?"

Orihime looked up at him with fear in her eyes and nodded.

"As I suspected. I know Kurosaki would never intentionally hurt you, but you and I know better than anyone what his hollow is really capable of."

"I'm so sorry, Ishida-kun, but that is why it had to be you tonight," she whispered through quiet tears.

Uryuu put a hand on Orihime's shoulder and patted it comfortingly. "I'm glad you called me. I'll stay on the couch tonight and tomorrow morning we'll go to Urahara-san's together and try to get everything straightened out, alright?" He smiled at her encouragingly and she nodded and smiled in return as she dried her eyes. In that moment, he reminded her so much of Sora that without thinking she threw her arms around his neck and held on tightly.

"Thank you, Ishida-kun."

He wasn't sure what the hug was about, but he was happy to let her do it. He brought one hand up to the space between her shoulder blades and the other to the back of her head and held her in place for several minutes until she seemed to relax. He released her, saying, "Off to bed, we should get going early.

Orihime nodded and disappeared into her bedroom, reappearing a moment later with blankets and a spare pillow. She handed them to Uryuu and smiled again. "Thank you again, Ishida-kun. Let me know if you need anything else. Goodnight, Ishida-kun."

"Goodnight, Inoue-san."

December 13th

Urahara sat cross-legged in his armchair, pipe in hand, and eyes obstructed by his customary hat. He nodded from time to time as he listened to Orihime and Uryuu explain about the change in Ichigo's behavior. When they finished, he uncrossed his legs and bent over, resting his elbows on his knees and pushing his thumbs into his eye sockets in an effort to stave off an impending headache. Ulquiorra's gigai was nearly complete. He really didn't need Ichigo's problems right now. Finally he exhaled audibly and looked up, knowing that despite his preferences, these kids needed to take priority right now.

"I understand, Inoue-san, Ishida-san. I need to speak to Isshin Kurosaki. Please go home and wait. I expect we'll have to take care of this situation quickly, so don't go too far; we'll need your help as well."

"What do you need our help with, Urahara-san?" Ishida asked.

"Kurosaki-san's reiatsu level has stabilized, and Inoue-san's restoration no longer has any beneficial effect. I have been monitoring him from a distance for weeks now. Ishida-san, I believe your suspicions are correct, but that both Kurosaki-san and his inner hollow have developed an addiction to Inoue-san's restoration. We are going to have to stage an intervention."

"An intervention?" Orihime asked.

"Yes, I'll need the cooperation from several people, including the two of you, and I'll have to come up with some kind of treatment plan. I'm sorry to tell you, Inoue-san, that this means that the two of you will have to stay away from each other for a while."

Orihime nodded but felt heartbroken. She suspected that a separation would be necessary, and she was afraid of Ichigo at the moment, but she didn't like it. It felt like they were being forced to break up.

Uryuu noticed and put his arm around Orihime's shoulders. "Don't worry, Inoue-san, I'm sure it's just until he is better."

"We'll see how it goes, but for the time being, he can't be trusted around you, Inoue-san. You shouldn't be alone with him for any reason, do you understand?" Urahara warned.

She nodded silently.

It was tentatively planned that the intervention would take place later that night. Urahara asked Ishida to stay with Orihime for the time being so that between now and the intervention she wouldn't be alone, in the event Ichigo decided to do something drastic. Ishida agreed to stay with her for as long as it took, and then Urahara left to see Isshin.

December 14th

The day and night passed, and there was no word from Urahara or Ichigo. Uryuu had stayed with Orihime as promised, and in the morning both of them were feeling more anxious than ever. Finally in the early afternoon, Urahara called to inform them that preparations were complete and that they should come to the shop at 4:00 p.m.

At the appointed time, they arrived, stomachs churning in fear of Ichigo's reaction. Ururu showed them down to the underground where a group of people stood in more or less of a circle. Isshin was already there, as were Yoruichi and Tessai. More surprisingly, Ryuuken Ishida was present, as well as Renji and Rukia. Orihime's eyes grew wide as she took in the gravity of the situation; certainly Urahara anticipated resistance from Ichigo.

Urahara came down shortly thereafter. "May I have your attention everyone? Thank you. As you know, we have gathered to stage an intervention for Ichigo Kurosaki. He has recovered his reiatsu, but not any shinigami abilities. His hollow, however, has manifested in the past and has been showing signs of being able to manifest recently. This is why I have invited you all here. Not only are all of you trusted allies of Kurosaki-san's, but you are also powerful enough to lend assistance if things get out of control."

"Excuse me, Urahara-san," Uryuu interrupted, "But what if things get too far out of control?"

"Well, I have some insurance for that. Ururu, if you please?" The small girl came out with an armful of identical necklaces made of black metal chains and a hexoganal black crystal which connected to the chain with a delicate green wire that seemed to grow around the crystal like veins.

Renji scoffed. "What is this, some kinda magic necklace that is going to protect us from a cero?"

"Not quite, Abarai-san, but you are not too far off. Please everyone, put these necklaces on, and do not remove them for any reason until I tell you."

Everyone did as told, and then Urahara excused himself, taking two more necklaces with him as he went upstairs.

In his office, Urahara put his own necklace on, placing it out of sight under his shirt, while he and Ulquiorra watched the monitors silently waiting for Ichigo to arrive with Chad. As they came into view on the monitors, Urahara put his hand on Ulquiorra's shoulder and nodded, leaving him behind in the office and went to greet the approaching boys. Urahara discreetly passed the extra necklace to Chad, who put it on quietly.

"I'm glad you could make it today! As I said before, I've prepared something for your training that will hopefully have some quick results," Urahara said, leading the way to the underground. When Ichigo finished descending the ladder, he turned around, and he smiled as he caught a glimpse of Renji. His face became more guarded, however, as he recognized the other faces present. When he made eye contact with Orihime, his eyes narrowed, and he battled with feelings of guilt and anger. But when he saw Ryuuken and his father, he knew that Urahara had not been forthright with him.

"What is going on here, Urahara?" he growled.

"We have all gathered here today because we care about you and have your best interests at heart. All of us have concerns about your hollow's influence on your judgment recently, specifically how it relates to your relationship with Inoue-san," Urahara began in a pleasant tone.

Ichigo looked at everyone with a shocked expression.

Urahara continued, "You see, your reiatsu has been stable for weeks."

"Yeah, thanks to Inoue," he interrupted, guarded.

"Actually, son, that's not true. Inoue has told us that she has been using her restoration technique on you almost every day this week, and it has made no difference in your reiatsu."

"How is that even possible? I know when my reiatsu is starting to plummet. That's why I…" he stopped, knowing he'd just revealed something he shouldn't.

"I know that's your perception, but it is not reality, Kurosaki-san," Urahara said after a beat. "Inoue-san, Ishida-san, your father - we can all attest to your reiatsu's stability. I also have the data graphs, if visual aids will help."

"That won't be necessary. Inoue and I know that every time she does it I get better, right Inoue?"

Orihime closed her eyes and hung her head. It was killing her to see him like this.

"Orihime?" he said quietly as he took a step toward her.

She finally looked up at him with tears running down her face. "That was true at first, Ichigo," she answered softly. "But for a long time now, it has made no difference to your reiatsu. The only difference is that now you are cranky when too much time has passed since the last time I restored you, and you are much happier after I do it. Also, you seem to be willing to do whatever it takes to get me to agree to do it," she added, a faint blush painting her cheeks.

Ichigo closed the distance between him and Orihime, and as he did he noticed everyone else in the room tense up and take a step toward them. He ignored them and took Orihime by the shoulders, bending down to find her eyes. "Hime, please," he whimpered.

His father was the one to intervene. He put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder and said gently, "I'm so sorry son, I wish it hadn't come to this. I should have paid closer attention. But for your sake and Orihime-chan's, it is for the best that the two of you don't see each other anymore. At least until all this is sorted out."

"You can't mean that," he replied in a more assertive tone, now feeling challenged.

"I'm afraid he does, Kurosaki-san," Urahara answered for Isshin. "But, not to worry, I have spoken with your father and Ishida-san, and together we have come up with a training program that we believe will allow you to get your hollow under control. The hope is that once you can control your hollow effectively, your cravings for Orihime's restoration will subside."

"Well, that's great, but you still can't make me and Orihime stop seeing each other!" he nearly pleaded, his voice carrying a heavy dose of desperation, as he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.

Uryuu reached toward her in response, afraid of what Ichigo might do. That one small gesture seemed to flip a switch in Ichigo. His reiatsu flared, his sclera started to flicker black, and his voice started to take on an otherworldly timbre. He was still in control, but he seemed to be on the same page as his hollow. The two seemed to speak as one as he said, "Let's prove it to them then, 'Hime." He pulled Orihime's arm again, snatching her out of Uryuu's reach painfully. "Come on, 'Hime. Show them."

Orihime was frightened and confused. She could feel Ichigo's energy becoming darker. She didn't want to anger him any further, so she tried her best to act like she couldn't see his hollow in his eyes. "What do you want to show them, Ichigo?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT, 'HIME! SHOW THEM HOW IT MAKES ME BETTER!" he screeched in a voice that was more hollow than Ichigo.

Orihime looked around quickly and saw only cautious eyes around her. Urahara seemed to nod in cautious approval. Both he and Orihime seemed to be thinking the same thing: by placating him, perhaps they could prove to him that he was wrong.

"Yes, Inoue-san, go ahead. Use your restoration technique. This wand measures someone's base reiatsu. I've already got a base reading on Kurosaki-san today. Restore him for a while and we'll take another reading. Then he'll see for sure that we are right."

"Or that you're wrong," Ichigo snarked in a shrill voice. "Come on, then, Queen. Let's do this."

Orihime gulped down her fear and rose her hands to call her power. As she focused, she knew something was wrong. Usually she barely had to think about calling her powers and they manifested properly. This time, nothing was happening. She tried her incantation. "Soten Kisshun." There was no response. Orihime began to panic a bit as her hands flew to her hairpins, which she discovered were still in place.

"Come on, Orihime. Do it!" Ichigo demanded.

"I'm trying, Ichigo," she cried back, more afraid of not being able to use her power at the moment than she was of him.

"Ayame! Shun-o! Soten Kisshun, I reject!" Nothing. "Soten Kisshun, I reject!" Still nothing. Orihime began to cry and looked up at Ichigo, "I'm sorry, I am really trying, but they are not coming! Ayame and Shun-o aren't answering me."

Ichigo growled, and his reiatsu flared even more, pushing Orihime back toward Uryuu. He looked at her and his eyes were unrecognizable. "What good are you? Sure, you might have held his attention for a while, Queen, with that sweet little body of yours, but what he really needs is power."

Ichigo shook his head, and his eyes started to flicker back to normal, when Uryuu spoke up.

"How dare you, Kurosaki!" Uryuu pulled Orihime back in an attempt to put himself between her and Ichigo. With that, one of Ichigo's eyes turned black and the other remained normal as Ichigo and his hollow appeared to fuse consciousness.

Ichigo was in no frame of mind to recognize it, but he felt rejected when Orihime was unable to conjure her power for him. He felt betrayed by her and Uryuu now. His hollow's influence on his mind served only to amplify these thoughts in an echo chamber, drowning out all rational thought. Sand began to billow around Ichigo's feet as his reiatsu swirled around him, and then, it seemed, all the hurt Ichigo ever felt in his life, all the heartache, pain, sorrow, and anger, coursed through him, causing his reiatsu to grow darker and malevolent. He had to have an outlet for this inner turmoil. His hollow's influence made it obvious to him to channel his hurt toward Orihime.

"Oh, sure, run to the closest warm body, Inoue," he sneered. "That's all you seemed to want from me anyway. I was just trying to make you happy."

Orihime began to sob. Uryuu glared at Ichigo with revulsion. "How can you say that to her, Kurosaki! You know she would do anything for you. She's only here now to help you."

"Of course you would say that, Ishida. You just want to get into her pants. Well, go ahead. The rest of you: there is no need to worry. Apparently Inoue has already moved on and there is no relationship between us to be concerned about," Ichigo's fused hollow voice snapped. Then he turned his attention toward the rest of the room and stormed toward Urahara, "How about that training, then, Hat n'Clogs?" he shouted maniacally. His spiritual pressure began to destabilize as he approached Urahara, although instead of diminishing, it only increased in a chaotic storm of hollow energy. He didn't notice Ryuuken draw his bow until an arrow whizzed toward him, which he grabbed instinctually and snapped with his bare, still human, hand.

Ichigo turned to face Ryuuken but stopped as a gurgly, reptilian voice hissed from his mouth. Ichigo's skin began to steam and darken as his enraged hollow attempted to take over Ichigo's human form completely. Orihime screamed and tried again to call her powers in an effort to preserve Ichigo's body from the effects, but again was unsuccessful.

Isshin began to panic, observing what was potentially the death of his son, and ran to him. Chad's reaction was similar. Both of them were blasted backward and unconscious as wave upon wave of dark, violent reiatsu emanated from Ichigo. Rukia and Tessai attempted kido spells, which were unable to meet their mark. Renji unleashed Zabimaru, but was quickly stopped by Yoruichi, who was wise enough to recognize that using that attack on Ichigo would either be completely ineffective or kill him, since he was still in a human body.

Urahara knew it was time to play his ace card. He quickly scanned the room, observing that all those present still wore the necklaces he had handed out earlier, and then spoke calmly, "Time for plan B, Cifer-san."

The door of the underground immediately opened and shut, but no one noticed. What everyone did notice was being surrounded by a stifling pressure and the air being stolen from their lungs until the crystal on their necklaces began to glow with an emerald green light, and then as suddenly as it appeared, the sensation was gone, save for their hair still being whipped around their faces.

Ichigo, however, was not so lucky. It was as if his hollow energy was a flame that was just snuffed out, together with his consciousness. It took only two seconds for the previously uncontrollable beast to turn into nothing but a singed pile of teenage boy.

Urahara looked up to Ulquiorra and indicated to him to put his suppression necklace back on, and Tessai and Rukia quickly got to work repairing Ichigo's body. Ulquiorra descended the ladder and approached Urahara, who remarked kindly on Ulquiorra's ability to use his reiatsu with such precision, using only enough to neutralize Ichigo but not cause any additional damage.

Rukia looked up to Ulquiorra with a mix of awe and fear. She was grateful that her friend was still alive, but she was shocked to see the source of that familiar energy in Urahara's training grounds.

Her shock, however, was no match for Orihime's. Her eyes opened incredibly wide as she beheld her former guard. He looked quite a bit different, without his pallor and hollow mask, and wearing what appeared to be Urahara's clothing. Nonetheless, she recognized him instantly. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Ulquiorra looked at her, concerned. He didn't like that she appeared so distraught at seeing him. He took a few steps toward her, ignoring Uryuu's warning to leave her alone, and asked her, "Are you afraid, woman?"

Orihime's knees buckled and she fell unconscious into Uryuu's arms before she could answer.

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Thanks for reading. This chapter is so important to the story and I really wanted to get it right, but it just wasn't coming out well. I rewrote it more than once and finally have something I feel comfortable posting, although I'm not totally loving how it's written. Please let me know what you think with a review.