Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters.
Hollows were the enemy. It was a lesson she had learned, though more from overhearing Ichigo describe his fights to protect Karakura town than from her own experience. Orihime had only faced a hollow twice, and one of those times it had been her own brother. Her brother had seemed more confused than hostile, and had redeemed himself in the end. Her other encounter--well, it had been a standard hollow, from what Ichigo and the others had told her. A creature than enjoyed manipulating humans and causing them pain, before feeding on their souls.
Since then she had also met arrancar, who were hollows at their core but appeared human. She had not been surprised by the few who had mistreated her while she was held prisoner at Las Noches, but she had expected far worse. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow had displayed human feelings--albeit warped--and been capable of showing mercy and understanding. Neliel had fought against her own kind to save her and Ichigo.
The most evil soul she had ever met had not even been a hollow, but a Shinigami, one of those entrusted with protecting the peace of Soul Society. Of course Aizen had since then awakened his hollow, and if he still lived, Orihime could not imagine what he would be like now.
Despite all this, Orihime shuddered at the thought of coming in contact with her own darker half. What if it took over and never let her regain control? It was the one fear Ichigo had voiced to her when he had tried to explain what it was like to be a Vizard. And now, if this succeeded, she would have to deal with that risk herself.
She tightened her grip on the zanpakuto and sent a thought towards it. Yammy-san, can you hear me?
The surrounding desert shimmered like a dissolving mirage, and flowers began growing at her feet. The vegetation stopped sprouting abruptly a few feet away, as if an invisible boundary stood there. Meanwhile, the flowers continued to spread, until the world was divided into both meadow and desert. Ulquiorra and the others had all disappeared, and she realized that had been drawn back into her mind--this time by her zanpakuto's spirit instead of Ulquiorra.
The Tenth Espada waited for her at the boundary. He threw her a bored look and muttered, "About time you called."
"Yammy-san," she bowed awkwardly in greeting. "Thank you for helping me use the sword. I'm very sorry, but I need to ask you another favor-"
The large dark-skinned arrancar cut her off. "My name isn't Yammy. I was his zanpakuto, and now I'm your zanpakuto, at least until you die. I'm not too thrilled with the arrangement, but at least this keeps me alive a little bit longer." He snorted in wry amusement. "At the moment, that isn't looking very long at all."
"Um...what should I call you then?" she asked uncertainly, wondering if the sword's spirit would cooperate. The Yammy look-alike crossed his arms over his wide chest.
"Right now I don't respect you enough to tell you my name. You're weak and pathetic, and until you show me otherwise, there's no way I'm letting you release me."
Orihime tried not to get discouraged, and wondered what she could say to change its mind. If the sword's spirit lived inside her, surely it was already aware that she had lost access to most of her powers. It was not her fault that she was so weak!
"But I need you to fight Ulquiorra-san, or he'll kill Ichigo!" she cried.
The spirit spat at the ground in disgust. "It's not my help you should be asking," he told her. "It's your hollow."
"But..." Orihime was confused. Hadn't Ulquiorra told her that Yammy's zanpakuto was her hollow?
Yammy shook his head and made a sound of annoyance. "No," he answered, reading her thoughts. "I'm just your sword. An arrancar's sword. Your making me a part of you helped awaken your hollow, but it's got nothing to do with me. As things stand, I'm more likely to cooperate with her than with you, but we'll just have to wait and see."
"Orihime!" shouted several voices in unison. Small winged creatures were suddenly hovering around her, and she recognized the three Shun Shun Rikka she had met before. Now she could even remember their names, and greeted them accordingly. "Hinagiku! Lily! Baigon! Thank you for helping me so many times. That new shield is wonderful, but I was worried when I didn't see you making it."
"Now that you're a Shinigami, you don't need us to manifest your powers for you, Orihime," said Baigon seriously.
"But that doesn't mean we won't be in this realm any time you want to come visit!" Lily smiled.
"Even if it is getting rather crowded in here these days," muttered Hinagiku.
Suddenly three more winged creatures materialized around her. Orihime couldn't believe her eyes. ...Could it be-?
"Ayame! Shun'ou! Tsubaki! You're back! You're alive!" she cried in amazement, reaching out for them. Here was proof that her powers were fully restored, and more importantly, her friends had returned! She hadn't fully realized before now how much she had missed them. Yet why did she still not feel whole?
She hadn't noticed that the first three fairies had shied away from the newcomers in fear.
"No, Orihime, stay away from them. They work with her now," cautioned Hinagiku.
"Hey, we're still the old us!" protested Shun'ou, punching Hinagiku in the shoulder. "It's not our fault we got resurrected with that nasty hollow."
"Unfortunately, because of that, we can't help you unless you're accessing your hollow powers, Orihime," said Ayame sadly.
"At least the hollow likes to fight," grinned Tsubaki. "Now I'll be a lot more useful!"
"Assuming Orihime even lets that creature loose," snorted Hinagiku in disapproval. "I would highly recommend against it."
Baigon shook his head. "If she doesn't, Ulquiorra will kill Ichigo, and likely her next."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked a deep voice that Orihime recognized as a distorted version of her own. Behind the boundary, another image shimmered in the desert, forming a vaguely human-shaped silhouette. The shadows merged and took solid shape, until at last Orihime could see that the figure looked just like her, wearing her old arrancar robes. Its skin was much paler, however, and the eyes were sunken with golden irises.
"I still haven't said yes," the hollow grinned.
Hinagiku guffawed loudly. "As if you'd turn down the chance to take over Orihime and all her powers."
"It's not worth the risk, Orihime," said Ayame in her usual soft voice. "Think of all the people the hollow might hurt. Even if it means that you and Ichigo might die, imagine how much worse you'd feel if what you did destroyed innocent lives."
Baigon cried out in protest at the suggestion of Orihime dying, but before he could say anything, the hollow spoke.
"How much worse she'd feel? You forget, at the moment she can't feel anything. Not while I have control of you." So saying, the hollow swept her arm through the air, and suddenly the three newly resurrected Shun Shun Rikka reappeared in the desert beside her.
"It doesn't matter if I can feel or not," declared Orihime, finally speaking out. "I still know what's right and wrong. I won't put our lives above those of innocents. I'll just have to think of another way to save Ichigo."
The hollow rolled her yellow eyes. "Stop being so dramatic. I never said I wouldn't help you."
"Don't trust her," Hinagiku hissed in Orihime's ear. "Don't agree to any deal she offers."
The zanpakuto's spirit--which had been lounging on the grass and seemingly paying no attention to the entire conversation, suddenly glanced up at Orihime. "Actually, any deal the hollow makes with you is binding. Just make sure you say exactly how much control you're willing to give it, and for how long."
Orihime's pale twin grimaced. "You didn't have to remind her about all that, but I guess if it makes her trust me..."
"Fine," said Orihime, jumping on the opportunity. She knew that she didn't have much time before Ulquiorra's patience ran out. "I'll let you take over to fight Ulquiorra, but only if you agree not to attack anyone else, and to give me back full control any time I want it."
"Done," smiled the hollow. She glanced down at the zanpakuto's spirit. "I assume you're going to cooperate."
The Yammy look-alike heaved a loud sigh. "As if I had any choice."
Once again she was in Hueco Mundo. Orihime was almost getting used to these odd transitions. Ulquiorra waited expectantly nearby, his sword still aimed at an unconscious Ichigo's neck.
"Are you ready?" he asked her.
Feeling detached from her body, Orihime watched as her hand lifted of its own accord and swept across her face. As her field of vision was obstructed by a writhing white fluid, she heard her hollow's distorted voice call out a challenge. In seconds, the white substance solidified into a mask, and Orihime was peering through skull-like sockets at her opponent. He continued to hold onto Ichigo, until Orihime felt the world shift in a burst a speed, and suddenly her zanpakuto was drawn and clashing against Ulquiorra's blade. He had dropped Ichigo to the ground, and though Orihime wanted to look down and make sure he was all right, her eyes were forcibly drawn to the battle at hand.
As their blades danced, Orihime was surprised to find herself filled with excitement and determination--a sensation she hadn't experienced since her death. At last she had a purpose again, which made her feel like an incredible burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Her spirit was once again filled with joy and hope for the future, and she sent out thoughts of warmth and love to Ichigo and the rest of her friends who had stood by her all this time.
Stop that, the hollow projected to her irritably. Your gushy emotions are making me sick!
Rather than risk distracting the hollow and cause her to lose the fight, Orihime withdrew slightly from her body's consciousness. She was vaguely aware when the hollow had released her zanpakuto, somehow calling it without allowing Orihime to overhear its name. The blade was now made up of interlocking V's, resembling the shape of her Shun Shun Rikka's wings. She watched as her hollow shot off several at once, which streaked through the air and tore through Ulquiorra's body just as Tsubaki would have done. New V's then appeared at the base of her sword, replacing the ones that were spent.
Despite these injuries, Ulquiorra only seemed to grow stronger, now firing green ceros with every swipe of his sword. Orihime's shield flickered in and out of existence in time to block each one. The Espada showed neither sign of concern nor confidence about his chances as he silently absorbed her attacks. He continued to refuse using his bankai to trap her mind, despite many opportunities of doing so.
This did not stop her hollow from calling out her own bankai. Orihime was surprised to find that the sword's transformation also changed her clothes back into white arrancar robes. This seemed to boost her hollow's power, and she could feel it gathering reiatsu for the next attack.
"Are you prepared to die, Espada?" she heard herself ask him.
Ulquiorra looked up at her with his golden eyes, his expression hidden beneath the mask, yet the streaks running down his face seemed to glisten. "Always," he replied, sounding both tired and resigned.
"Santen Kis-" she heard herself begin to say, and in horror, Orihime recognized the incantation. This was the ultimate form of her rejection power--the one she had tried to use to utterly erase the hougyoku from the pages of history. If she used this on Ulquiorra, it would make it as if he had never existed.
STOP! she shouted to her hollow, struggling to regain control. Her darker half resisted, now bloodthirsty for the kill. Yet the agreement had been to give Orihime control when she wanted it, and slowly, the hollow gave in. Not, however, before finishing the incantation:
"SANTEN KISSHUN, I REJECT!"
The ball of golden energy roared like an inferno as it blasted through the air, heading straight for Ulquiorra. Part of Orihime's mind stayed frozen in shock, mesmerized by the way the fiery sphere melted the sand beneath it into a trail of steaming glass. Yet it also suddenly registered to her that despite her being in control, the hollow mask still clung to her face. She then heard the hollow's voice in her head tauntingly suggest that she try stopping the fireball--if she could.
Orihime burst into motion. If she had the hollow's powers, she should also have its speed. She didn't waste time thinking about what she was doing; she simply willed her body to move fast enough to intercept the ball of energy. She could feel it when she started moving at superhuman speeds--the world around her blurred and a lightheaded feeling came over her. She held the zanpakuto in front of her, planning to use it to knock the energy ball aside or somehow disperse it. Since the attack had shot out of her sword, it stood to reason that the weapon was immune to its effects.
She should have known that she would be too late.
If there had been time for her to stop it, Ulquiorra would also have had the time to dodge. Her hollow must have known this. She could hear it snickering in the back of her head.
When the energy impacted against the Espada's body, the shockwave knocked Orihime back, causing her to break out of the sonido. The bright light from the explosion had blinded her hollow eyes, and she searched for him now by the feel of his fading reiatsu rather than by sight. As she stumbled forward, she wondered if there would be anything left of him to find.
Just as she spotted Ulquiorra, his hollow mask and sword crumbled into dust. His gaze fixed on his empty hands as he swayed, dropping to his knees to steady himself. As he looked up as her, Orihime could see that his irises had reverted to a calm turquoise green.
"It's...gone," he said flatly, and then turned his face away.
Orihime wasn't exactly sure what he was talking about, but she didn't let that bother her. All she cared about now was that he was still breathing.
I must be crazy, she mused. He's my enemy, but I don't want him to die!
"Ulquiorra-san, I'm sorry that the blast hit you. I tried to stop it, but-"
The Espada hissed as he drew a sharp breath, though whether it was from pain or anger, she couldn't tell.
"Don't regret your actions, woman. You did exactly what I asked you to. One of us had to die."
"But..." Orihime made a quick assessment of his injuries, and couldn't see anything that should be life-threatening, especially not to an arrancar. "But Ulquiorra-san, you don't look that badly hurt."
Ulquiorra chuckled mirthlessly. "You do not realize what you've done. Your attack was perfect. It should have killed me. But as I was in Vizard form, my hollow took the brunt of the blow, and now it has ceased to exist."
"That's...that's great news, Ulquiorra-san!" she cried happily. It must have been his hollow that had taken control of Ulquiorra and made him want to hurt her. Now that it was gone, he would be back to normal. And now that Aizen was gone, she would have nothing left to fear from him. They could be...
Her head turned to stare at the body of Ichigo Kurosaki lying still upon the sand, his chest rising and falling ever so slowly.
What about him? her hollow wondered. Isn't he the one you've always wanted?
"I...I don't know..." she answered softly, still watching Ichigo. They had just started to call each other by their first names. She had seen the inside of his soul, something no one else had ever been privy to. And he had come all this way to rescue her--yet again. She owed him more than she could ever repay.
"Look at me, Orihime. I don't have much time."
Her attention was immediately drawn back to the Espada.
"What do you mean, Ulquiorra-san? Where are you going?" she asked him urgently. Was he really going to leave her?
The man released a painful sigh. "I'm not certain. Remember when I asked you, long ago, what heaven was like? But...I don't think that is where I shall go."
"B-but you said you were okay! You said the hollow was destroyed trying to protect you!"
He narrowed his green eyes at her in slight annoyance. "Have you forgotten where I came from, woman? My soul was born a hollow. The Shinigamis' wretched konso might cleanse my soul by removing its memories and hollow powers, but it cannot replace my core. Without the hollow spirit, I am but an empty shell. Even now, I am beginning to unravel." He motioned at his body, where spirit particles were slowly rising into the air.
"All this time, the Espada and I have felt a yearning to reestablish contact with our hollow selves, just as strongly as you yearned for the missing pieces of your soul. But once I was finally whole, it became impossible to separate my hollow from the rest of me. Now that it is gone, my ties to this world have been severed."
"Then I'll bring it back!" Orihime cried in desperation, trying not to think too hard about the reality of what she was about to do. "With this mask on, I can use all my powers." She called out to her Shin Shun Rikka. "Ayame, Shun'ou!"
The two fairies circled over the Espada, but did not form the healing barrier. Shon'ou hovered in front of Orihime's face, bowing in apology.
"I'm sorry, Orihime. We're a part of your hollow now, ever since you first summoned Santen Kisshun to unmake the hougyoku. Now our powers can no longer be used to restore; only to destroy."
Orihime froze in shock and dismay. Her healing powers were gone forever? That was the price of using Santen Kisshun? But she had only used it against Aizen's weapon in order to help save Ichigo and the others!
Your innocent soul was not meant to desire death and destruction, the hollow laughed at her. The moment you turned from that path, I was born. It was not Aizen who took your Rikka fairies away from you and split your soul in two. It was you.
"It is better for us both that I die," Ulquiorra remarked softly. "It is as I have said; without your love, I have nothing to live for." Before Orihime could argue, he pressed his fingers to her mask to silence her. "It is better this way. You should not associate with hollows, or you risk your own soul being corrupted. Already you speak such blasphemy as wanting to spare my life, or restoring my hollow self, that any Shinigami that overheard would accuse you of treason."
"I don't care what they think," she pouted, looking away, but Ulquiorra grabbed her arms with both hands to get her attention.
"You must!" he insisted, shaking her. "You are dead now, Orihime, and cannot return to your old life. They will not allow you to stay in the human world, especially not if they knew you were a Vizard. You must keep your hollow a secret, Orihime, and never show them your bankai." A pointed nod at her arrancar robes explained the reason why. "Go with them to the Seireitei. Explain to them that Aizen destroyed your powers; they can teach you other ways to heal. Surrounded by so many Shinigami, your hollow will be less eager to reveal itself, and your soul will be safe."
Foolish nonsense, her hollow spat. I already control half of your soul. Without me, your heart will never again feel hope or joy; your confidence will be shattered; and you will never even have the skill or will to lift your sword. The Shinigami will mock you and pity you for thinking you could be one of them. You will-
Orihime had heard enough. She finally wrenched the mask off her face, and listened as the hollow's cries faded into silence. Before her heart had a chance to grow numb, she lowered her face to kiss Ulquiorra gently on the lips. She saw his mouth curl into a grateful smile as he moved into the embrace. Orihime felt one last burst of pure joy before that too faded, and her emotions were once again sealed away by the hollow.
"Goodbye," the Espada whispered, before his body broke apart into sparkling spirit fragments. Orihime watched them scatter in the breeze, mesmerized by the patterns, until she heard Ichigo begin to stir.
"Ugh, that bastard Ulquiorra is gonna pay," he groaned loudly. Orihime suppressed a flicker of anger that she was surprised she could still feel, and quickly dried the tears rolling down her cheeks. She would properly mourn the Espada later, when she had a moment alone. Right now she had to be strong, and not show Ichigo how much her old captor had actually meant to her. She knew he wouldn't understand.
Orihime wandered over to where Ichigo lay, willing for her bankai to disperse, and watched as her robes darkened back into Shinigami black. She did not want her old friend to see the dress and guess at what it might mean. She supposed she would never see that white arrancar dress again, yet at that realization, she suffered another pang of loss. The robes were a sign of her enslavement to Aizen, but they had also been a link between her and the Espada. Since her resurrection, Orihime had thought herself one of them, and she had felt comfort in that sense of belonging to a family again.
"So he's dead then?" the boy asked as he finally sat up, looking around and seeing no sight of Ulquiorra. Orihime nodded wordlessly, not trusting herself to speak just then. Ichigo then gave her an appraising look.
"Seems you beat him after all. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Orihime-chan," he said, scratching his head awkwardly. "I just didn't think you had it in you."
"Neither did I, Kurosaki-kun," she said sadly.
"Hey, what's with the family name? I thought we had finally moved past that," he grinned at her, carefully climbing to his feet. Though his injuries looked extensive, they barely seemed to bother him. Nevertheless, it was difficult for Orihime to look at his wounds, knowing that she could no longer heal them. She idly wondered what her role in their little group of friends was supposed to be now.
Ichigo hobbled over to where Neliel lay, and breathed a sigh of relief when he examined her. Orihime felt a twinge of guilt--again, an emotion she was surprised she could feel--at not having checked on the female Espada earlier. Of course, there had been a lot of things keeping her distracted at the time.
"It's a good thing Grimmjow used the last of the hougyoku's energy to heal that cut on her skull," Ichigo observed, kneeling down to scoop up the green-haired arrancar in his arms. "Otherwise I'm not sure she would have survived this. We should probably take her back to him now and see what he can do for her."
Orihime did a mental double-take. Neliel and Grimmjow? But she remained silent, still stung by the recent news that her healing powers had been stripped away, which now forced Ichigo to seek medical help elsewhere.
Whether it was because he didn't want to risk further injuring Nel with a shunpo, or because he didn't think Orihime would be able to keep up, Ichigo led them back to the fortress of Las Noches at a brisk walk. They spent that time in reflective silence, which gave Orihime a chance to collect herself, so that by the time they saw the broken towers of Aizen's palace, she was relatively calm. She vaguely wondered whether the battle between Grimmjow and the other Espada was still going on. When they finally reached the doorstep of Las Noches, the relative peace and quiet answered her question.
"So you got Nel's message after all," Grimmjow said, materializing before them. When he recognized Nel lying comatose in Ichigo's arms, his eyes hardened.
"Sorry, she insisted on going on ahead, and Ulqiorra got to her before I could stop him," Ichigo explained, lowering Nel gently to the ground. Grimmjow was instantly kneeling beside her, running his hands over her injuries.
"It's okay, she'll make it," the arrancar said after a few moments, sighing in relief.
"What happened here?" Ichigo asked, finally taking in the surrounding destruction. "I don't remember this place looking so trashed when we left it."
"Oh, me and some ex-Espada got in a little bit of an argument, and I had to teach them a lesson," the arrancar grinned. "They all look a hell of a lot worse than Nel here does. I just haven't decided what to do with them yet."
"You sent Nel-chan to tell my friends where I was?" Orihime asked him in surprise. "But if you wanted to help me, why did you first attack me with the others?"
The Espada shrugged, ignoring the glare Ichigo threw in his direction. "I wasn't actually aiming for you, and I knew you could defend yourself. What counted was making the others know I wasn't trying to save you. Otherwise they might have used that against me."
"Whatever you decide to do with them, don't let them escape Hueco Mundo," Ichigo warned him, still scowling.
"Yeah yeah, I remember our agreement." Grimmjow's gaze then settled on Orihime. "What about her, then?"
Orihime froze, holding her breath. Could he actually know about her hollow?
"What about her?" Ichigo repeated, sounding mildly annoyed. "I'm taking her home."
"Oh? Are you sure the Shinigami will like that?"
When Ichigo merely quirked an eyebrow at him in confusion, the Espada laughed. "Fine then, I'll let you figure it out on your own. Stay safe, Ichigo. Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope we never meet again." So saying, Grimmjow slashed through the air with his zanpakuto, ripping a hole in the sky.
Ichigo's zanpakuto, Orihime noticed, was still missing. She was a little surprised he hadn't mentioned it. "As long as you don't give me reason to come back here, that's a promise," the orange-haired boy smiled at him. "Please thank Nel for me."
Before Orihime knew what was happening, Ichigo had grabbed hold of her waist and leapt high into the air, straight into the black maw of the garganta.
Then they were through the portal, and true sunlight draped over Orihime's shoulders like a warm blanket. She looked down at Karakura town fondly, unable to believe that she was finally home to stay. Ulquiorra's words of caution gnawed at her, however. Was she putting everyone in danger by being here?
"Are you all right, Orihime-chan?" Ichigo asked her, feeling her shiver. He was somehow using his powers to slow their descent through the sky.
She faltered for a moment, still unused to hearing him call her by that name. "Yes, thank you, Kuro-...Ichigo-kun. Thank you for saving me."
A.N.: Ah, so much more could be said, but then this story would never end, and I think I'm running out of steam. I hope you each found something enjoyable in this fic, whether it be the UlqxHime or IchixHime bits (and who knows if Ulq will ever return, or if Ichi is actually going to start paying attention to Orihime now) or the actual plot of the story (I'd like to think there's more to Orihime than just whose prize she ends up being). I've been playing with the idea of a sequel not just to this fic, but one that incorporates the plots of my other two Bleach fics. If I don't ever get around to it, I apologize in advance for this sudden ending. Thanks again to those of you who sent me reviews--they were much appreciated.