Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters.
A.N.: A big thank you to all my reviewers: Libeku Taganashi, taixishi, moogledaime, Slade2.0, Yaraia, Shinkicer, Artificial Life Creator, Katty008, xNamine, AzuraVerda, VampireCabbit, kades, Eijimi and bib4eto656. As for the rest of my readers, it's still not too late to drop a quick message and let me know how I'm doing. The ending is only one chapter away, so feedback is crucial to me deciding whether or not to bother with a sequel.
Once again, Orihime was transported to another realm. This was not the field of flowers that she had last visited, but a place of rooftops and endless skies. Ichigo crouched nearby, his body rent with bloody gashes similar to ones his real body had sustained. Orihime rushed towards him, tortured by the realization that she could no longer heal him. Not knowing what else to do, she leaned over and hugged him, trying not to press hard on his wounds. She could feel Ichigo's breath ease, and he craned his neck around to give her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Inoue. I'll still get us out of this."
"Kurosa-- Ichigo," she said, finally deciding to use his first name. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. I never wanted to be a burden, but it seems all I do is get people into trouble."
"What are you talking about, Orihime?" he asked her, cocking an eyebrow in surprise. Orihime almost forgot to breathe when she heard him say her own name right back at her. So he had noticed! Had he just been waiting for her to stop calling him by his family name all this time? "You've helped us more times than I can count, and you've never let anyone down. We depend on you, Orihime. That's why I've come to bring you back." He flashed her his trademark charming smile. "The others would have come too, but they're still in recovery. Having hollow regeneration powers does have its advantages."
"It doesn't seem to be doing you much good at the moment," spoke another voice. Ulquiorra materialized beside them, his zanpakuto dripping with blood. "Not that it would make much of a difference. Even whole of body, the outcome would be the same. You will die."
Ichigo grimaced as he shrugged away from Orihime's arms and climbed to his feet. "If I die, I'm planning on taking you with me."
"Yes, of course. Make all the empty threats you wish, if it makes you feel better." Ulquiorra began to advance on them when he suddenly paused, wearing a look of surprise.
"You sure are full of yourself. Too bad for you, there's only room for one cocky son of a bitch in this world."
Ulquiorra vanished. Ichigo and Orihime exchanged looks, then turned to see who had spoken. Orihime couldn't believe her eyes. There was a second Ichigo standing directly behind them, but his skin was as white as a hollow's mask.
"What did you do?" the real Ichigo demanded.
His pale twin smirked. "Sheesh, where are you manners, King? You could say 'thank you for saving my sorry butt yet again'. Or maybe introduce me to your lovely friend here." When Ichigo did nothing but bare his teeth, the other Ichigo sighed. "Have it your way, then. The short of it is that this is your mind, and you--and to some extent, I--have more control over it than that Espada. He couldn't stay as long as either of us didn't want him here. That's the weak point of his bankai. On the other hand, you can't escape your mind until he lets you go, either, and in the meantime, he's doing some hefty damage to our body."
"Dammit," swore Ichigo under his breath. Orihime could see him swaying unsteadily on his feet, and wondered if he really was being beaten by Ulquiorra in the real world while his mind was trapped in this one.
"You know, you could let me out," the copy suggested. "I could get us out of this mess."
"Too...too risky," Ichigo grunted, leaning against his sword for support. "I can't set you free if I'm not there to hold you back. There's no way I'm letting a hollow like you loose in the real world."
Orihime gasped in sudden understanding. "That's...that's your hollow?" she asked him.
"That's right, sweet thing. I've gotta tell you, I've been really looking forward to meeting-"
"I don't want you talking to her, you bastard!" Ichigo quickly interrupted him. The hollow laughed. "Whatever you say, King. But you know, she may be just the solution to our problem. She can still escape this place, after all."
Orihime's eyes widened. Ichigo shook his head, forestalling her questions.
"It's no good; even with all her powers, she'd be no match for Ulquiorra. Besides, if he really is slaughtering us out there, it might be better for her not to see what he's doing."
"Please Ichigo, let me try to help," Orihime pleaded. "I still have my Shun Shun Rikka's shield. And this," she said as an afterthought, pulling out Yammy's broken sword. Ichigo looked down at the weapon in surprise.
"Orihime, is that your zanpakuto?"
The hollow Ichigo eagerly reached out and snatched it, then began examining the sword carefully. "Amazing. This is an arrancar zanpakuto." He looked at Orihime with newfound respect.
The girl shook her head. "It belonged to an Espada who was killed. I know it's not much, but I was able to use it a little against Nnoitra."
"It allowed you to draw it," remarked the hollow in disbelief. His golden eyes sparkled with excitement. "This might work after all."
"What might work?" demanded Ichigo. "I don't want you putting Orihime in any danger!"
"Fool, we're already in danger! If we stay here we're as good as dead."
"What do you need me to do?" Orihime asked. She blocked out Ichigo's cries of protest. She had no desire to fight, and felt no courage or rage to lend her strength, but she knew that they had only this one chance to survive. Her protective instincts were one part of her that had remained intact.
"Ichigo has to lend you our powers, the same way that Shinigami girl lent us hers," the hollow carefully explained. "It should awaken your own spirit and restore what was lost."
"THAT'S CRAZY!" Ichigo shouted, startling Orihime. "When Rukia stabbed me, it forced my soul out of my body--I literally died. Orihime's already dead and her soul's been purified. Who knows what this might do to her? It could kill whatever's left of her, and this time she won't be coming back!"
"If this doesn't kill her, the Espada out there will. At least this gives us a chance," reasoned the other Ichigo.
So that's how it happened, Orihime thought to herself. Ichigo had never gone into detail about how Rukia had turned him into a Shinigami. Did that mean that Ichigo would have to use his sword on her, and possibly kill her in the process?
She pushed those dark thoughts aside; it would do her no good to worry about what couldn't be helped. "It's okay, Ichigo," she reassured him. "Do what you have to."
Ichigo shook his head at her angrily. "I don't think you realize what's involved, here, Orihime. Even if this works, do you really think you can kill Ulquiorra? He'd be a challenge even for a skilled Shinigami captain." And you're neither skilled, nor a Shinigami, were the unspoken words that followed, though Orihime knew what he was thinking.
"I think this will help her do the job," said the hollow, handing Orihime back her weapon. "The zanpakuto is still pissed that it failed to protect its old master. It'll be more than happy to spill some blood."
Ichigo shook his head, but no longer sounded so sure of himself. "I still think this is a bad idea," he muttered.
"Just hurry up and do it," said his hollow impatiently. "The longer we stand here, the more our body's getting cut up!"
With a grim expression, the orange-haired boy gripped his zanpakuto with both hands and aimed its point at Orihime's chest. She reflexively shied away from the deadly weapon, but Ichigo's face now looked determined, and without further pause, he thrust the blade through her heart.
Orihime blinked back tears of pain as she looked down, expecting to see Ichigo's sword sticking through her body. Her friend was still leaning forward with his arms outstretched, but to her surprise, his zanpakuto had vanished. Her own hand now clutched Yammy's zanpakuto, its blade restored to full length. Black Shinigami robes flapped in the wind around her, having replaced the white arrancar dress.
She was back in Hueco Mundo. Ulquiorra stood only a few feet away, watching her warily.
"So, that brat succeeded in restoring your soul. I must say, it gratifies me to see you this way. Now you should be able to feel pain, and you just might have the strength to survive long enough for me to torture you, the way you tortured me."
Orihime caught the flicker of movement as he began to sonido, and felt a tug from her sword that raised her own arm up in time to block the attack. As their blades clashed together, his hollow eyes glared back at her. Orihime quickly lowered her gaze.
"Do not trouble yourself; I won't use my bankai on you. I'd prefer you to feel every cut I give you." So saying, he swept back his arm and took aim at her head, but Orihime ducked to get out of the way. The Espada suddenly reversed his momentum and aimed downwards instead, and Orihime was just barely able to leap back and miss being sliced in half. As it was, the blade cut a deep gash in her shoulder. Her whole right arm was paralyzed and numb, and she knew that she would be no longer be able to use Yammy's zanpakuto.
"Will hurting me really make you feel better?" she asked him earnestly, wincing as she pressed down on her shoulder to stop the bleeding.
"It might. If your friend is correct and lord Aizen will not return, I have nothing else to live for. Perhaps if I had you... but it seems that is not an option."
He again raised his blade to strike. At the last second Orihime summoned her shield, surprised to see that it looked different than before. It was now dome-shaped like her healing barrier, protecting her from all sides. The fairy creatures were also absent, and she worried that something might have happened to them. But if that were the case, wouldn't she feel different? Wouldn't she feel...
Orihime then realized that she actually felt no different than she had since her resurrection. But how could that be? Weren't her powers now restored? She should be able to connect with the parts of her soul that her three lost Shun Shun Rikka represented--Shun'ou's confidence and determination, Tsubaki's strength and will to fight, and Ayame's pure heart and emotions. Why then did she still feel so numb inside?
"Again you cower behind that pathetic shield. I grow tired of your antics, woman. Show me your bankai. Let's end this fight honorably!"
Orihime's jaw dropped in surprise. "My...bankai?" she asked him slowly, needing a moment to remember what that word meant. "B-but Ulquiorra-san, I never learned how to use this sword! I can barely even keep my grip on it!"
The Espada answered her excuses with several angry swipes of his zanpakuto, which clanged uselessly against the energy barrier protecting her. Orihime wondered how long this new improved shield might hold. She realized that it had been a mistake to think she could ever fight Ulquiorra, and that the only help she could give Ichigo now was by stalling the Espada and hopefully give her friend enough time to escape from his mind.
"You are either pretending to be dimwitted to try and throw me off balance, or you are indeed hopelessly naive," Ulquiorra growled. "As a mere human, you had the powers of a god! These last few days, even at only half-strength, you walked among Espada as an equal, because everyone could sense your potential. Now your spirit has been restored and you stand here in Shinigami robes bearing an arrancar zanpakuto. How can you still pretend to be unable to fight me!?"
He slammed both fists against her shield, ignoring the burns as his skin began to smoke and blister on contact.
"Ulquiorra-san, please stop!" she cried, disturbed by the sight of his self-inflicted injuries. "You're hurting yourself!"
"What do you care of my pain, woman?" he barked in reply. "You have taken everything from me! Will you not even let me keep my pride? Must I beg you to fight me?" After several more angry pounds against the shield, he continued, "Why do you insist on insulting me further?"
When Orihime was unable to answer, he suddenly changed tactics. Before she could react, he had grabbed Ichigo and held his sword against the boy's neck.
"Lower your shield and fight me now, or I will saw off his head! That is an injury even his hollow cannot repair."
The barrier vanished instantly at her silent command. Orihime's heart began to pound painfully in her chest. With Ulquiorra holding him so close, she would be unable to throw a new shield over Ichigo. She had just lost her only means of saving him.
"Now, fight me!" he urged, still keeping his grip on her friend. "Show me your rage at having been humiliated! Glory in the powers that are yours, and prove to me how inferior I am! Mock me for daring to love you, and ever thinking you could love me!" he shouted in a shaky voice.
Orihime closed her eyes and shook her head from side to side, denying his words. "I can't!" she protested. "I tried to tell you before, Ulquiorra-san...I can't feel anything. Even now, when you say I should have been restored, I'm still missing a part of my soul. I can't fight you, Ulquiorra-san. Even if I knew how, I don't have the strength. But you're right, I did hurt you, and for that, I am very sorry. If it's what you want, I...I will let you hurt me in return. Just please, let Ichigo go. He was only trying to save me. You wanted to save me too, once..." She let her sentence trail off, hoping those last words would give Ulquiorra pause to reconsider going after Ichigo. It was the only way she could think of to help her friend now.
She knelt down to lower Yammy's sword to the ground in surrender, but Ulquiorra's voice stopped her.
"Do NOT put down your sword, woman. I will not fight an unarmed opponent."
She set her mouth in a grim smile and straightened. "I might as well be unarmed. I told you I don't know how to use this thing."
"You may not, but your other half will. I wish to meet your hollow, woman. You will summon her now, if you wish your friend to live."
Her smile quickly faded. "I'm sorry, but you're wrong. I don't have a hollow."
Now it was his turn to smile. "Do you remember the three methods the Vizard told us a soul could use to become a hollow? One was to have a hollow graft its powers onto you."
"But I never-" she started to say, before Ulquiorra interrupted her with a wave of his hand.
"What did you think would happen when you accepted an arrancar's zanpakuto--the essence of his hollow power--as your own?"
Her heart skipped a beat as she looked down at the deadly weapon in her hand. She could almost hear the Tenth Espada's laughter in her mind.
"If you say that your soul is divided and incomplete, the half of you that is missing must be with your hollow. Therefore, you will summon that hollow and fight me, until one of us lies here dead."