A/N: I've got good news! I have two new chapters for you! …Er, uh, I suppose I could've just started with 'hello,' couldn't I? LOL On a serious note, I really don't have anything new to add, so I'll skip all that and get straight to: I hope you enjoy this installment!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. However, I put a lot of effort into naming the OCs you're going to officially meet this chapter (probably), so please don't pilfer them from me.
Soul Mates
Chapter 6: A New Way to Tango
Ichigo was nearly around the final corner that separated him from his targets when an unfamiliar man in a full-length lab-coat went flying by, crashing into the far wall with a breathless grunt of pain. The man's body slumped to the floor, but it was obvious that he was only unconscious as a result of slamming into the wall, and so Ichigo ground his teeth and continued past him.
As soon as Ichigo rounded the corner, putting the unconscious lab technician behind him, he finally caught sight of the four intruders he'd been looking for. And it turned out that the Soul Reapers he'd talked to earlier hadn't been exaggerating.
The woman he'd run into before was there, still covered by her cloak, standing several feet back from the other three. This time she didn't have the bag over her back that had once contained the firebombs, but Ichigo could still see the top of her sword's hilt from his vantage point.
Across from her, and directly in front of Ichigo, were three unfamiliar males. Two of them were easily the size of Chad, and the third was only slightly smaller. All three of them wore long cloaks, but the hoods were down.
The largest of the three – who had short-cropped dark hair and bulging muscles that were visible in his extended arms – was the furthest from Ichigo, his back turned completely to the hallway, as he slowly pried apart the bars separating them from something that had been very deliberately set aside. Ichigo didn't bother trying to see around the man in order to identify the object – it wasn't like he knew what all (or, probably, any) of Kurotsuchi's possessions were.
Still, it wasn't like he could let them get what they were after, either.
Ichigo stepped back, silently re-securing Zangetsu, and held his hands out deliberately. Might as well make use of this crap, he decided as he began murmuring a barely-memorized chant.
The power immediately began building in his palms until he was finally ready to release it, saying, "Hado number thirty-one: Shakkaho."
The crimson fireball erupted from his palm with more force than he'd remembered, arching high before dropping into the center of their gathering and exploding powerfully.
The explosion rocked the hall, shaking the ground and throwing the four intruders in all directions even as the shockwave reverberated back towards him. But Ichigo was prepared for that, having remained fully aware that the hall wasn't technically large enough for that kind of attack.
Bracing his feet firmly, Ichigo pulled Zangetsu forward again and splayed his left palm over the flat side of the blade as he called, "Santen Kesshun."
The golden shield swirled into existence immediately, holding strong against the shockwave from his kidou blast.
In the moment that followed, as the dust settled and before the shield faded, Ichigo's lips twitched when he felt Orihime shift somewhere inside him. The feeling was entirely different than when his hollow tried pushing at his consciousness; this feeling was gentle, observant, and strangely content. Good, he thought fleetingly as the shield receded.
He flash-stepped immediately toward the barred area that the intruders had been breaking into, putting his back to it and adjusting his grip on Zangetsu. The fight would start very soon.
The smoke slowly settled as the intruders gathered themselves, two of the men still coughing faintly. The woman was the first to her feet, her hood down now and her anger shining brightly in her glare.
She had long, dark hair that hung freely around her face and past her shoulders. The darkness of her hair emphasized the lightness of her skin-tone and accentuated her sharp, refined features.
But none of this mattered to Ichigo as he returned her angry glare with one of his own. "Remember me?" he asked pointedly.
"Seeing as how we only met this morning," she began with a clipped tone, "yes, I do remember you, Substitute. And apparently you haven't learned your lesson yet."
"'Fraid you don't have anything to teach me," Ichigo returned as he watched the men push to their feet and gather around her.
The woman took a deep breath, reined in her anger, and declared, "I want the item behind you. Leave, and I will let you live."
Undaunted by her threat, Ichigo replied, "I don't much care if you want it. It's not yours. So how 'bout you leave, and maybe you won't have to worry about being here when Captain Kurotsuchi gets back."
"Enough talking, King!" the hollow interrupted impatiently, pushing at the barriers between them again to get Ichigo's attention. "Just cut 'em down already."
"Shut up and sit down," Ichigo growled back reflexively. "I know what I'm doing."
"I've no patience for this," the woman across from him stated, unknowingly interrupting the budding argument. She lifted her left hand, palm forward, and added, "Hyouta; Shigeo."
Immediately the two slightly-smaller men surged forward, clearly aiming to attack him.
Ichigo saw her wave her hand forward, obviously gesturing for the largest man to resume his efforts on the bars as soon as Ichigo was out of his way. And now he had to admit that he kind of did want to know what the hell was on the other side of the barricade.
Maybe later, he told himself as he brought Zangetsu up to block their initial attacks.
The larger of the two had tugged a portable axe from his cloak, and one of the dual-sided blades slammed heavily into Zangetsu's. He was obviously strong, but Ichigo had anticipated as much just from his size and so he was prepared for it.
The other man, the smallest, landed in a crouch and tugged a dagger from his waistband.
The man with the axe continued to push as best he could against Ichigo's sword, grunting, "You made a mistake challenging us by yourself, Substitute."
"Funny," Ichigo retorted, "I was thinking it was you who made the mistake."
The dagger-wielder leapt to his feet, angling around the edge of Zangetsu's blade and obviously intending to get in close enough to properly use his weapon.
Ichigo removed one hand from the hilt of his sword, pointed it out, towards the other man, and said darkly, "Hado number four: Byakurai!" The resulting beam of electrical energy pierced the man's shoulder, slamming him backwards painfully.
"You bastard!" the larger one growled angrily as his friend rolled backwards. He pulled his arm – and the axe – back, obviously intending to swing forward again in hopes of shattering Ichigo's blade.
Ichigo cocked a brow at him and smirked. "Feeling left out?" he taunted as he shifted Zangetsu just slightly. The axe was descending when he added, "Getsuga Tenshou."
"Shigeo!" the dagger-wielder hollered as the other man flew backwards.
Lowering Zangetsu back to his side, Ichigo glanced back to the dagger-wielding man and noted that he was on his knees, one hand over the hole in his shoulder and watching with wide eyes as Shigeo struggled to find his feet again. But he turned his attention back to the other man after a moment, instinctively knowing that the guy with the dual-bladed axe was the bigger threat.
"Give up yet, 'Shigeo'?" Ichigo asked almost casually as he rested Zangetsu over his shoulders.
The third man, the one who was still waiting for Ichigo to move out of his way, took a half-step forward and called, "Shigeo…?"
"Stay out of this!" Shigeo cried as he managed to push to his feet. He reached for his axe, pausing when he realized that one of the blades had been obliterated. But he wrapped his hand around the hilt of his weapon anyway and leveled a dark glare at Ichigo.
"I am Shigeo Takemori," he declared firmly. "But you don't need to worry about remembering that, because I'm going to kill you."
Lifting his sword from his shoulders and letting it hang at his side, Ichigo narrowed his eyes at his opponent and said, "Is that so? Well, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. And better than you have tried."
Shigeo roared with anger at Ichigo's blatant confidence and surged forward, swinging heavily with the one remaining blade on his weapon.
Smirking just slightly, Ichigo remained motionless as he called, "Shiten Koushun."
Ichigo's aura flared gold for a heartbeat before the energy broke free of him altogether and spiraled together, forming the solid barrier of the shield he'd summoned. And then Shigeo's axe slammed into it, holding for just a moment before blasting him backwards and slamming him again into the weakened wall.
As Ichigo had anticipated, the wall finally gave way when Shigeo connected, and the large man crashed outside in a tumble of debris.
Before heading off to finish the fight, Ichigo paused and glanced back over at the unknown woman. "If you still want what's in there," he began, jerking his free thumb over his shoulder at the bars behind him, "have at it."
He turned, then, and ran toward the new hole in the wall. But as he ran he silently re-directed the shimmering shield, placing it against the bars. He couldn't defend Kurotsuchi's things and defeat the intruders, but he didn't need to. Orihime's shield was the perfect solution.
And then he was through the hole, flash-stepping past the rubble and spinning around so that he could face his enemy as Shigeo groaned and rolled onto his knees.
"Damn…you!" Shigeo spat as he coughed, trying to clear the dust and tiny particles of wall that had found their way into his lungs. He lifted his head to glare at Ichigo, revealing a steady stream of thick, red blood that was running down the side of his face and matting his dark brown hair to his head.
"What do you want with that thing, anyway?" Ichigo asked bluntly.
"That's none…of your…business!" Shigeo coughed, grunting as he forced himself to his feet once again.
Ichigo felt the slight fluctuation of power as the intruders inside clearly attempted to get past the shield, but even without the resulting explosion he would have known that their efforts were wasted. The shield was still holding strong, so he kept his attention on his current opponent.
Shigeo had discarded his axe, as the one remaining blade had been mostly demolished, and his hand was buried inside the interior pocket of his partially-shredded cloak. He withdrew his hand a moment later, and though he kept his fist clenched, Ichigo caught a glimpse of multiple small objects.
This should be interesting, Ichigo thought, recalling their fondness for firebombs. But then Shigeo began chanting, jiggling the objects around a little in his palm for a second, and Ichigo realized that this was something else. Some kind of kidou?
Shigeo threw them forward before he could contemplate it further, but Ichigo knew enough to know not to stand still for them.
Leaping backwards, Ichigo swung Zangetsu forward and called, "Getsuga Tenshou!"
The getsuga crashed into the small projectiles mid-flight, and the resulting explosion confirmed in his mind that he'd made the right decision.
Ichigo landed several feet back, lifting his left arm over his forehead to block some of the smoke as everything settled. But before he could properly see again, the familiar – though unexpected – sounds of someone being beaten into submission reached his ears. And by the time the smoke had dissipated, he was staring, wide-eyed, at the unconscious-but-groaning form of his opponent.
Standing partially over him, one foot still balanced on the back of Shigeo's head and both hands fisted on her hips, was Yoruichi Shihouin.
"Y-Yoruichi!" Ichigo stammered, his surprise evident as he blinked across at her. "What're you doing here?"
Releasing a sigh, Yoruichi's arms dropped to her sides and she rolled her foot slightly before stepping away from her victim and toward Ichigo. Despite her latest victory, her expression was somber. "I've been looking for you," she declared pointedly.
Collecting himself, Ichigo asked, "Why?" It felt like a stupid question. She could have been looking for him for at least two different reasons that he already knew about. But I shouldn't assume there isn't a third problem, he reflected bitterly.
She was holding his gaze firmly, and the expression on her face almost made him nervous. Whatever she was going to say, she clearly expected him to be upset about it. "I know you probably want to continue helping out here," she began carefully, "but I think you should come home. Something's very wrong with Orihime."
For a half-second, Ichigo actually felt relieved. At least it's not anything I don't already know about. But Yoruichi was right and he knew it – something was wrong with Orihime. And that was nothing to be relieved over.
Yoruichi took his silence as a sort of self-gathering, and so she continued on without waiting. "We haven't figured it out yet, but Kisuke thinks her soul has gone missing. Unfortunately…there is the possibility that, for whatever reason, her heart simply gave out on her. At this stage, it's hard to tell."
She was saying it as carefully as she could, obviously attempting to keep him calm and listening as long as possible, and Ichigo was grateful despite the twinge of guilt in his gut. But he knew why she said it that way. If she had come up to him with that message and he hadn't known Orihime was still alive, he would have panicked.
"How are you feeling, by the way?" Ichigo asked quickly, directing his focus briefly to the woman in question. "I know I kind of drained on you for a minute."
He could practically feel her shaking her head as she immediately replied, "Oh, no, I feel fine, I promise!"
Satisfied, Ichigo pulled his focus forward again and said, "She's not exactly missing."
Both of Yoruichi's eyebrows shot up her forehead, and she lifted her arms, crossing them over her chest as she asked, "Are you saying she's here somewhere?"
"Let's just say she's…keeping Zangetsu company right now," Ichigo replied carefully.
"Ahem," his hollow inserted pointedly.
"Get over it," Ichigo retorted.
Yoruichi's eyes were the widest he'd ever seen them (which wasn't saying much), and it was a long minute before she said, "Let me get this straight. Orihime's soul has somehow made its way into your inner world?"
"Yeah," Ichigo replied as he strapped Zangetsu over his back. He began walking, shifting to move around her, and added, "Follow me."
He led the way around the still-unconscious Shigeo – who was now being secured by several members of Squad Twelve – and climbed over the jagged hole in the wall, back into the hallway. He wasn't surprised to see that the other three were gone, as it had been several minutes since he'd felt any fluctuations with the shield.
Ichigo stopped when he was only a couple of feet in, gesturing to the golden shield that remained where he'd left it.
Yoruichi came to a stop beside him, easily recognizing the figure despite its change in spiritual pressure. "You have access to her powers?"
"Yeah," Ichigo repeated with a slight nod of his head.
"And how is she?" Yoruichi asked, turning her attention from the shield.
"Other than trapped – and confused – she's fine," Ichigo replied. "So far it doesn't seem to be draining on her when I borrow her powers, and she doesn't feel sick or anything, either. Unohana already asked."
Nodding in thought, Yoruichi said, "Good, so you've already talked to Captain Unohana about this. I assume she didn't have a lot of insight for you?"
"None," Ichigo confirmed, scowling again. He glanced toward the deserted hall, fully aware of where he was, and added, "She did say something about involving Kurotsuchi, but…if you could talk to Urahara for me? I don't know how much I want to involve the clown."
Grinning now, Yoruichi said, "Don't worry, I'll tell him everything I know. Now why don't you tell me what's going on around here? And why you haven't already come back to Karakura?"
Orihime was immensely relieved to hear that Isshin had gotten her out of work for a full week, but she was slightly concerned about what it could mean that her body was still lying, unoccupied and essentially dead, in the World of the Living.
"Don't worry, Orihime," Ichigo assured her as he made his way back to Squad One alongside Rukia and Renji. The fight was over for the moment, Captain Kurotsuchi was still cleaning up, and Yoruichi had already departed for Karakura Town, so the trio was headed back to report to the Head Captain.
"Whatever's going on, we'll fix it," Ichigo added after a second. "You'll get to be you again in no time." He only hoped he wasn't lying.
Orihime smiled faintly at the window before her. "You know, Ichigo, that probably works better when I can't feel your emotions so well." She paused before softly adding, "But…thank you. And I know; I know we'll figure it all out, just like we always do."
"You know, King," the hollow interrupted as he dropped to a seated position a few feet from Orihime. "I'm disappointed. That's twice now you've let that bitch and her friends get away without kicking their asses. You keep this up and I'm gonna have to take over again."
"It'll be a cold day in hell before that happens," Ichigo returned, the warning obvious in his voice.
Not wanting to witness an argument between the two, Orihime returned her gaze to the window and blurted the first reasonably-safe thing that popped into her mind. "It looks like your kidou training's been paying off, though!"
The hollow rolled his head to the side, staring at her silently with a strangely bemused expression.
Ichigo offered up a half-chuckle, accepting her change in subject, and finally said, "Thanks, Orihime. But I don't know if I'd go that far; I'm pretty sure I only started really understanding all this stuff about a week ago."
Smiling brightly, Orihime pumped one fist in the air on reflex as she declared, "But that's a good sign! It means that you're learning it real fast now! I mean, I don't think I could ever remember those incantations, and you didn't even need one for that second kidou you used! It was real impressive!"
"You think so?" Ichigo teased, unable to keep the smirk from curving his lips.
Orihime nodded rapidly, gathering her hands in her lap once more before she admitted, "Definitely. In fact, I have kind of a confession…it sort of makes me jealous! I've always wanted to be able to do some of that stuff!" She ended her declaration with a light laugh, feeling strangely self-conscious.
"Jealous?" Ichigo repeated incredulously. "Don't be – I mean unless you like the idea of blowing yourself up regularly. And besides, you don't need kidou."
"Ah, I know that," Orihime assured him even as she tried valiantly not to feel overly flattered by his words, or the warm, reassuring feeling of the soft breeze that swirled around her. "It's just that sometimes it looks kind of cool, you know?"
"Yeah," Ichigo allowed as his pace automatically slowed when the large double-doors of his destination came into sight. "I get it."
Watching the doors grow steadily larger through the reflective window, Orihime regretfully said, "Anyway, I'll keep quiet so you can talk to the Head Captain! But, um…thank you…for asking Miss Yoruichi to keep in touch."
Tone strangely soft and reassuring, Ichigo replied, "Like I wouldn't have anyway. And I've told you before; speak up if you need me."
Ichigo's presence faded once more as he focused his attention on his upcoming conversation, and Orihime swallowed heavily as she watched the doors swing open through the window.
She was nervous for so many reasons that it felt like she'd lost count.
No matter how much she liked being close to Ichigo, and being able to actually help while he was fighting, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried about her own well-being. She was incredibly concerned that she wouldn't be able to return to her own body. Or that, even if she could have had she had the opportunity right away, it would just be too late by the time she tried.
But there was more than that threat weighing on her mind. What if she really was already dead?
The absolute last thing she remembered before waking up in Ichigo's inner world was lying in bed and wishing desperately to see him again. And then she had. But what if her wish coming true had cost her her life? If that were the case, she could certainly never tell him. That revelation would plague him with guilt for the rest of his life.
And then she had to wonder – if she was already dead, would she eventually fade from existence altogether? Or would she stay, exactly as she was, inside Ichigo's inner world for the rest of his life? And once he died (something she didn't want to think about at all), would she be reborn like souls usually were? Or would she then fade away? Or…what if she was reborn as a part of Ichigo's power, like she assumed Zangetsu would be?
And how would Ichigo really feel if she was truly and honestly going to be stuck inside of him for the rest of his life? Surely he didn't particularly want her having an all-access pass to nearly all of his private thoughts. That would make just about anyone uncomfortable – especially since he was a guy and she was a girl. Some day that was bound to become an issue if she remained there.
That thought brought a nearly crimson blush to her cheeks even as her hands tightened in her lap, clenching fistfuls of her dress. She may not like it, but that was a very valid point.
Ichigo was eighteen now. Sooner or later he was going to take an interest in romance and start dating. It was the natural progression.
He would find a girl he liked (and, knowing him, he probably wouldn't even realize he liked her until he really liked her), and then he would, of course, want to be around her more often. He'd probably take her to dinner, movies, the park, maybe the ice-rink in the winter time – and he would definitely be hyper-protective of her.
And most of that Orihime figured she could probably handle. There were only two aspects of his future love-life that Orihime was quickly becoming terrified of.
If she was going to be trapped in his inner world for the foreseeable future, then she would have to hear (possibly even feel) his thoughts and reflections about this mystery woman. When he reflected on all the little things that he loved about her, she would have to hear it. And when their relationship became physical – intimate – she'd have to curl into a ball and squeeze her eyes shut to keep from seeing it. And what was worse was that, god forbid she did see it, she'd be seeing it through his eyes.
Some day, she would have to watch him build a family and a life with another woman. She would have to watch his life through his own eyes. She would have a front-row seat to the life she wouldn't even be allowed to dream of.
A small part of her prayed it never came to that, even if it meant that she faded from existence entirely, never to even be reborn in the next life. She just didn't think she could handle being so close to what she could never have.
She bit her lips heavily to keep the sob in her throat, her fists curled tightly now in her lap as a single tear slipped down her cheek. This was absolutely the wrong time to be dwelling on something that was, largely, inevitable. Then again…if I'm going to be trapped here, when would be the right time?
She had always assumed that the day would eventually come when she had to watch him fall in love with someone else, because she desperately wanted – needed, even – to keep him in her life somehow. But she had always assumed that she would have the chance to cry herself to sleep at night behind closed doors when she needed to – or, at the very least, to pry the fake smile off of her face.
Now she wasn't even sure she'd have that.
And how could she live inside the man she loved and smile – encourage him, even – when he found the woman who meant as much to him as he did to her?
But what kind of person would I be to not want that for him? He deserves that happiness. So she would have to try. She would learn how to be there for him, and perfect her dishonest smile, and she would have to pray he was too distracted by his changing emotions to notice her heartbreak when it happened.
Another tear slipped down her cheek as she dragged in a ragged breath, eyes still squeezed shut. She couldn't risk that he would hear her if she cried out loud.
And she didn't notice the deep frown on the pale face that was watching her just a few feet away.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Oh, I feel mean for making poor Hime suffer so…but it'll make things so much sweeter later, I promise! LOL Anyway, there's chapter six, I do hope you enjoyed it! And if you would, please, drop me a review before rushing over to seven?