A/N: Hey guys! We're almost done! Next chapter should be the final chapter in the story, so I'm going to have to find a new project to work on. Let me know what you guys think, and if you've got an idea or suggestion for a story, don't be shy! I'd love to hear from you and see what you guys want to read next! That said...
WARNING: Violence and blood, but mostly just an extreme emotional roller coaster ride.
~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Uryuu's POV)
He had forgotten... but how had he forgotten? Ichigo... Ichigo had never been his tormentor...! It had been Ichigo's Hollow... the Hollow that had raped him. The Hollow that had almost killed him. The Hollow that terrorized him and followed him through his dreams and waking nightmares. It was all the Hollow!
His body was moving before he could stop himself, forming the bow and arrow despite the instant agony in his arms and body, but the images before him were too blurry to aim true. Gasping for air, trying to think despite the rapid fall of thoughts and memories around him, he strained his eyes to see through the blanket of rain, only to see a flash of red and white again, seconds before orange filled his field of vision. He felt the collar of his shirt grabbed hold of, and with a violent yank, he was thrown away from the edge of the building, his bow disappearing into the air as he was slammed down on the roof, skidding backward toward the middle.
His body twitched and twisted, trying to regain his footing and composure, but the Hollow was on top of him before he could manage it. He felt the scream bubbling up in the back of his throat even as pressure was applied to his Adam's apple, making breathing difficult. His entire body contorted, pushing and shoving at the unmovable force above him to no avail, and even as his nails bit into the flesh of the hands around his throat, he was struck by the thought that he would die here. Even though that same thought was what led him up to the roof... even though that same thought had plagued him since he had woken up in the hospital... he didn't want to die.
Neither did his body.
With a strangled gasp for air, he tried his best to ignore the pounding in his head as his hands came away from the fists around his neck, balling into a bunch of white knuckles as he thrashed out, putting all his strength behind every hit. Between being blinded by the rain and not having his glasses, he had to rely on hearing the frustrated and menacing grunts above him to know he was even doing any damage. It seemed like it took forever before the grip around his neck loosened, just as the edges of his blurred vision was beginning to fade from view, and with a gasping breath, he was finally able to suck in much needed air.
His head was spinning and he felt dizzy and lightheaded, but he knew he couldn't relent; with a violent shove, he pushed at the body above him, managing to dislodge the Hollow enough he could get his legs underneath the body for a stronger push: and push he did. He pushed hard enough to grind his back into the concrete where he lay, his entire lower half rising off the roof as he kicked out, rolling the Hollow off him. His own hiss of pain was drowned out by the dark growl from where the Hollow had landed, and frantically Uryuu tried to clamber to his feet, slipping occasionally before he finally stood.
Breathing heavily, he swung his gaze wildly about, looking for any indication of where the Hollow was seconds before he was tackled from the side, and slammed back into the concrete. He gasped in pain as his head hit first, only to feel a sudden hand in his hair yank his head back up. The hollow mask filled his vision, framed with that bright, overpowering orange, and for a second Uryuu's breath caught in his throat even as he heard the voice he had feared for so long now, grounding out heated words,
"Okay. Ya wanna play rough? Let's play."
His scream had almost made it past his tongue this time before he watched the world spin, the hand in his hair all but slamming his head down in front of them both, onto the concrete. Stars exploded in his vision as a white hot agony filled his left temple. He barely heard the dazed groan slip past his lips even as his body twitched, his strength failing him in that moment. Darkness tinged with red swirled violently in his vision, and he could barely feel even the ever persistent rain on his flesh. It took him precious seconds to find the will to move, and when he did he found both his arms trapped beneath his body with a weight placed on the middle of his spine, making it nearly impossible to get his arms back out.
It wasn't until the feeling of hands around his waist, trying to undo the clasp of his battle costume's pants that he realized the Hollow was sitting on him. It took several more seconds for his foggy mind to register why there were hands clawing at his pants, and when he finally did, his entire body was moving as much as he could, trying to throw the Hollow off. He kicked up and out, trying to catch anything, but no matter which way he twisted or kicked, the Hollow never budged. It was one of the first times he was glad he had made his battle costume so tight fitting; with the rain wetting the fabric, it clung to his flesh like a second skin, and the Hollow was having a hard time peeling the material off his hips.
He was about to rape him. Again. He was about to be nothing more than a fuck toy. A worthless abomination who submitted to a Hollow. Uryuu's breathing became quickly erratic, the pounding in his skull rivaled by the pounding of his heart, and while he struggled, he did the only thing he could think of.
"ICHIGO!"
His voice wavered with fear, and the Hollow must have caught it, because that blood chilling laughter began to echo around him again, but he wouldn't let it ruin his resolve. Sucking in another breath, he cried out,
"I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME, DAMMIT! FIGHT BACK!"
It was a long shot: a hope, a prayer, and a shot in the dark. If he didn't do something, he would be raped and killed, and the entirety of his body was protesting that outcome. He was about to try again, hoping beyond hope to get through to the real Ichigo when he heard the cackling cut off midway, the hands around his waist stilling. His breath hitched, knowing something must have happened, and with a renewed vigor, he thrashed to the side, finally managing to dislodge the Hollow. Gasping for air and struggling to get onto his feet, he backed up several steps, turning to see a heap of Shinigami robes curled on the roof, the Hollow mask hidden.
Unsure whether Ichigo had gained his control back or not, Uryuu forced himself to form his bow again, wincing at the blinding pain that shot through his arm. Still, in spite of the pain, the bow felt lighter this time around, and he slowly came to the realization that in his panicked state, the reason the new bow was being so difficult to handle was he was putting too much Reishi into actually forming it. Swallowing, using the moment of calm to gather himself, he tried to limit the flow, finding as he did so, the pain in his arm lessened. Maybe... maybe now he could fight...!
Hesitantly pulling an arrow back, he aimed it best as he could toward the heap that still hadn't moved, and through the pitter patter of rain around them, he called out,
"Ichigo...?"
Startled when a loud, careening shriek echoed around him, he jumped back even as the heap jolted up and toward him with a glint of silver. If he had never heard what a demon sounded like before, he was sure he knew the sound now. He loosed his arrow, his aim faltering, but still managing to pierce into the Hollow's shoulder as he leaped for Uryuu. Desperately, Uryuu knocked back another arrow while still backing up, but his motions weren't fast enough. From somewhere, the Hollow had pulled Ichigo's Zanpakto; the sword that now bit into Uryuu's right shoulder, causing him to gasp in pain. Struggling for breath, Uryuu jumped back again, his arrow still knocked as he tried to ignore the burning agony in his shoulder, and loosed the arrow, point blank into the Hollow's face.
He had the satisfaction of watching the Hollow mask shatter into pieces at Ichigo's feet seconds before his body jolted with the feeling that something was wrong.
He hadn't hit the ground yet.
With a startled gasp, his bow faded as he thrashed out, barely managing to grasp the side of the building, his body slamming against the wall as he felt that searing agony in his shoulder tear through his body again. With his lower half dangling six stories above the hard asphalt, his heart jumped into his throat as he clung to the edge of the roof with numb fingers and an injured shoulder, trying to get some kind of a foothold to push himself up, but he could find none. Worse than that, he could feel what little grip he had slipping on the slick concrete. He didn't really have time enough to be afraid of the fall before his fingers completely slipped off the edge of the roof.
He swallowed, trying to resign himself to death when his entire body jolted again, his left arm almost being pulled out of socket by the hand around his wrist, the grip tight enough to bruise him. For a split second, every fear he'd ever had came rocketing back; that the Hollow would only allow him to the brink of death and back, without ever actually killing him. Pain and agony and shame was to be his life from now on, and there was nothing he could do to change that fate. Tears misting up his eyes, Uryuu chanced a glance upward to see his attacker, but no where in his vision did he find the red and white of the Hollow mask.
Instead, all he saw was that same orange that had driven him to madness, but this time with the memory they were two separate entities. This... this was Ichigo. This was the man that battled Hollows daily: who put his life on the line to save innocent people, and who was saving him now.
~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Ichigo's POV)
He had never experienced a fight like this, a struggle both inside his mind and outside at the same time, but he couldn't take the time to wonder about what was happening, much less even think about what to do. He was locking swords with his Hollow, desperately fighting him off even as he was watching the world play out like a movie behind his eyes, the rain falling in sheets around him and Uryuu on the roof of the hospital. He couldn't get distracted, but every time he lunged forward to strike at his Hollow, something would happen.
The first time was when he watched his Hollow grab hold of Uryuu, and he felt his own muscles bunch up in his arms, poised to throw Uryuu off the roof. With a startled cry, it took everything Ichigo had to turn his body, just in time for the Hollow to throw Uryuu; with a short lived surge of satisfaction, Ichigo watched as Uryuu went flying back toward the middle of the roof even as he felt the sharp bite of metal in his side. Frantically returning his gaze to the Hollow before him, he felt his legs bunch as he slid into the attack rather than away from it, furiously driving himself forward and catching the Hollow off guard. The pain in his side was just a nuisance as he felt his own sword drive home into his Hollow's abdomen, seconds before he leaped away, out of range.
Sweat covering his brow, Ichigo stood there huffing, trying to catch his breath the moment he felt his physical body drop. Startled, his mind returned to Uryuu, and all he could see was his own hands circling around Uryuu's throat as the male thrashed and tried to beat the Hollow off him.
"NO!"
The cry was ripped from his throat as he lunged for the Hollow again, hacking and slashing through air while his counter part's cackle filled the cracked and broken inner world around them. He couldn't move his hands, couldn't un-wrap them from Uryuu's throat, and with every slash he used all his strength trying to manipulate the shared body to release its grip. It wasn't until he caught the Hollow with a back swing meant to slice him in half, but only managed to slice open his front robes and a portion of flesh, that he felt his physical body finally give way to Uryuu's thrashing. He watched with a brief moment of relief as his body rolled off the male's, and before the Hollow could do anything more, he closed what little distance remained between him and his Hollow, finally abandoning his sword as a distraction; throwing it directly at his face.
It gave him that moment of surprise that he needed as he slammed his fist into the Hollow's face, a satisfying crunch preceding the Hollow's thud onto the cracked and cratered building beneath. He could hear groans and growls of pain before him, but he couldn't allow himself to care. He did his best to move his physical body, but it moved against his will, leaping up and lunging at Uryuu, knocking him back to the ground. He felt his physical lips part, and it was like he himself was speaking the words in spite of every effort he gave not to. The words themselves were like ice water being poured down his back.
"Okay. Ya wanna play rough? Let's play."
With a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, he watched helplessly in spite of his best efforts as the Hollow's hand, his hand, fisted into Uryuu's hair and slammed his head against the hard concrete. The dazed look Uryuu wore shredded what was left of Ichigo's shattered heart almost as much as the blood welling up at the top of his forehead, coloring his raven hair with a frighteningly chilling sheen of red that even the rain couldn't get rid of fast enough, even as the Hollow then jumped on top of the boy, holding him down.
Ichigo screamed, the sound of desperation and pure fury making it an almost unrecognizable sound even to his own ears, and he lunged again at his Hollow with the intent to kill. He didn't know how, he wasn't even sure it was possible; but he hoped beyond hope that it was. He couldn't watch this. He couldn't. He could feel his own hands fumbling with Uryuu's wet trousers, trying to unfasten them and drag them down his legs, and just that feeling alone made him sick. It wasn't supposed to be like this!
He landed on top of his Hollow only for the world to spin before his eyes, and within seconds the Hollow was on top of him instead, his Zanpakto clattering to the ground next to them, forgotten as well. The first punch landed square on his nose, cracking it painfully, before his body could respond. The sharp yelp of agony crossed his lips unbidden as he tried to fend off the Hollow, but with every punch that landed on his face, the cackling around him increased as his will began to die.
He could still feel the groping attempts of his hands trying to loosen Uryuu's trousers, and he tried not to focus on the fact he could see Uryuu fighting beneath the Hollow to no avail. Nothing he was doing mattered...! Nothing either of them could do would matter...! This entire fight was useless, and the Hollow inside him was just going to run rampant and-
"ICHIGO!"
He started violently at Uryuu's fearful cry, seconds before another of the Hollow's fists slipped past what little guard he had left, catching him on his left eye and making stars explode in his vision. He could hear his Hollow's cackling increase in pitch, both in front of him and in his physical ears, even as the Hollow leaned close to Ichigo's ear to whisper smugly,
"Ya hear that? He calls me Ichigo!"
The name was more of a hiss than any other kind of vocalization, but before Ichigo could do or say anything in return, he heard Uryuu's cry once more, echoing over and over in his own mind.
"I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME, DAMMIT! FIGHT BACK!"
Fight back!
With a sudden surge of strength, Ichigo's entire body jolted, heaving the Hollow off him and throwing him clear across the building. His breathing was as unsteady as his legs, but he managed to somehow find his way to his feet with Uryuu's words fueling his actions. Uryuu... he knew. Against all odds, Uryuu still knew that Ichigo was trying to save him. And if he did save him... maybe Uryuu would hate him a little less for everything he'd let happen. All the wrongs... all the beatings... all the rapes. Maybe. It was enough hope to keep him going and give him strength where his own had begun to fail him.
Picking up his Zanpakto in one fluid motion, he gave a bellowing roar and lunged one final time at the Hollow, his sword poised to strike right through the heart, his action quick enough the Hollow barely had any time to defend it. In the end, he still struck home, just slightly to the left of his target, but the feeling of his sword running all the way through his Hollow's chest was enough satisfaction.
Seconds ticked by in what seemed like a sudden pause in time, so the sudden and ear-piercing crack that echoed around his ears made him jump violently. His gaze shot up to the sky, where the cracking sound had originated, only to see the spider-web design falling apart, the entire inner world crumbling around them. Suddenly he couldn't hear or feel or see anything of the outside world, and even his inner world was being thrust into darkness, with only the loud, careening shriek of his Hollow to fill the void. It sounded full of pure, unbridled fury, and shook him to the bone. If he had ever been truly frightened of his Hollow, that time was now.
Had he somehow lost control? He flailed in the void around him, trying to find some kind of purchase on anything at all, but he felt like he was falling into a deep, dark hole with no way out. It couldn't end like this... it couldn't...!
So when his vision finally snapped back into play, he stood there dumbfounded at the fading blue and white Reishi in his vision, barely making out Uryuu's bloody face a few feet away from him. His reflexes kicked in long before his mind connected the dots, and with a grunt he felt the wind knocked out of him as he hit the edge of the building, stretching his arm as far as it would go to grab onto Uryuu, who had jumped backward off the building. Managing to catch Uryuu's hand, he tightened his grip as much as he could, struggling with himself to keep from falling off the roof along with him, his mind finally racing to catch up with his body.
He could hear footsteps quickly approaching, but he was too entranced by the look on Uryuu's face to care. Amidst the blood and the swelling and the bruises... in spite of the lack of glasses and the rain mingling with tears... the look Uryuu was giving him right now was a complete turn around from the look he had given him earlier that night. Where there had been fear, there was awe; where there had been pain and anger, there was relief and forgiveness.
He had battled the monster, he had won, and Uryuu understood that.
Even if he died for his past crimes, he would die a human.
Not a monster.
"Hold on, Uryuu!"
His voice was weak and choked back as he tried to hold off the tears threatening their way past his lashes, as he used what was left of his strength to heave Uryuu back up onto the roof. It startled him when a second pair of hands came into his vision, but when he realized they were helping to pull Uryuu up, it didn't matter who the hands belonged to.
It only mattered when Uryuu was finally safe; Urahara stood before him, and in that moment the weight of the night's events came crashing down on him.
He was to die tonight.
~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Uryuu's POV)
"Hold on, Uryuu!"
The voice, no longer chilling and distorted, called out to him like he was far away, but he was almost beyond hearing. He finally had all the puzzle pieces; he finally was able to see the picture. He had forgotten that Ichigo was the good guy; when he had apologized the first time Uryuu had been hospitalized, he had meant it. The same with earlier today... which had to mean that he had meant...
Vaguely, Uryuu was aware he was being pulled back up onto the roof, and suddenly there was a second pair of hands on his body, startling him out of his thoughts. His eyes flew toward the figure that stood beside him, but the blur of colors through the rain told him nothing. Even through the swimming of his head, feeling light and heavy at the same time, it took hearing the voice to recognize that it was Urahara.
"Ichigo...? Are you feeling well...?"
The voice was apprehensive, if not a bit hesitant, and for a second, Uryuu wondered why. Then the realization hit him; he couldn't feel the Hollow's presence any longer. Not even a faint signature that Ichigo always carried around with him; that strange, nagging pressure that set off warning bells when it became more than just a pin prick in his radar. No... it was gone, and Urahara had been the first to notice. How Urahara had gotten here, Uryuu had absolutely no idea, but he had been the first to notice.
"I... I guess. So... what's going to happen to me now?"
Uryuu's gaze flew to Ichigo, frustrated that he could only see outlines and blurry colors, and not the look on Ichigo's face right now. Never in his life had he heard Ichigo sound so depressed, so... so... devoid of life. It shook him, but not as much as the next set of words coming out of Urahara's mouth.