Chapter 5: Is Ichigo going insane?

A.N.: If this story had a theme song, it's Cold from RWBY. Seriously, I listened to that while I reread the first two chapters and I could not stop crying. Anyway, on to the show….
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Later….
The Soul Society

Ichigo dashed through the streets of the Soul Society like a madman, trying to avoid people on the street and knocking over those whom he couldn't avoid. He had to get to Urahara's underground chamber. He needed to confirm what he'd seen. Was Orihime really the center for his zanpakuto now? And if so, how had this happened?

"Ichigo! Watch where you're-"

Rukia didn't get to finish because Ichigo barreled into her, knocking them both off their feet and sending Ichigo sprawling onto the ground. Renji, who had been walking next to Rukia, growled angrily at his friend's reckless stampede. "Ichigo! What the hell?! First we don't see you for weeks and now you come barreling through here like a Sinner out of Hell!" He helped Rukia up before turning back to Ichigo, frowning in disapproval at the young man's disheveled appearance. "Ichigo, when's the last time you changed clothes?"

"Or took a shower?" added Rukia, wrinkling her nose when she caught a whiff of Ichigo's body odor. As Ichigo got up and dusted himself off she crossed her arms and frowned. "So what's the matter? Why are you here, Ichigo?"

"Orihime!" Ichigo gasped, trying to get air into his lungs, hunched over and panting. "I…Orihime…Zanpakuto!"

Both Rukia and Renji looked at each other and turned back to Ichigo with confusion. "What about Orihime?" Rukia asked gently, wondering if Ichigo knew that Kisuke and Mayuri were still in possession of Orihime's body. "Ichigo, are you alright?"

Taking a massive gulp of air, Ichigo tried to calm down but his nerves were shot. "Orihime's my zanpakuto!" he panted. He took out his two zanpakutos and held them out. "She's in my inner world! I…I know it sounds unbelievable but she's alive in my zanpakuto! I was fighting a hollow and when I said her name my zanpakutos changed! "

Both lieutenants looked at the swords, each noting the hairpins attached to the ends, and looked at Ichigo worryingly. "Ichigo, you're sure about this?" Renji asked. "You sure you didn't just dream it up?"

Ichigo nodded, not understanding why his friends weren't excited to hear their friend was still alive (somewhat), without realizing that with his battered, unkempt appearance he looked like a madman. He held up his blades. "Here, I'll show you. Watch!" he said. Closing his eyes, he concentrated.

"Orihime."

Opening his eyes, he expected to see his new transformed swords but instead he saw that they hadn't changed. "What the hell?!" Ichigo started to shake the blades and called out to his friend. "Orihime! Orihime! ORIHIME!"

Meanwhile….
Ichigo's Inner World

"Zzzzzzz…." Orihime snored as she slept on top of one of the buildings, oblivious to Ichigo's calling. "Zzzzzzz…."

Back to Ichigo

Ichigo started shaking his swords in frustration. "Dammit! I know what I saw! Why isn't she answering me?!"

He only stopped when Rukia put a hand on his arm, looking at him with fearful eyes. "Ichigo, why don't you come with us? We'll take you to Squad Four for help." Clearly Ichigo was going insane from despair and she needed to help her friend before he did something rash.

"What? Help?" Ichigo backed away, not liking the look of pity in Rukia's eyes. "What do you mean help?"

Renji grabbed his wrist and kept him still. "Ichigo, look at me." When Ichigo turned to look at him, he saw the redhead looking at him with a sad look. "When's the last time you slept? Or for that matter, when's the last time you talked to anybody besides us?" When Ichigo didn't answer him, Renji took that as his answer. "Look, Ichigo…we want to help you. It's obvious to the both of us that you need help. Squad Four's medics are trained for psychological problems. We just want you to talk to them and-"

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" Ichigo screamed, trying to pull away from him but Renji grabbed his other wrist, his zanpakutos clattering to the ground. "LET GO OF ME!"

"Ichigo!" Rukia ran to them and tried to hold him still, prepared to use Kido if she had to. She didn't want to but if Ichigo kept this up she'd have no choice. "Ichigo! Calm down!"

"LET GO OF ME, RUKIA! STOP IT!" the distraught Substitute screamed as he tried to pull away from them but days of no sleep or food had sapped much of his strength and he was already at his wits end.

"ICHIGO, STOP!" Rukia pleaded as Ichigo ripped himself from their grasps. Ichigo immediately turned around and headed straight for the Sokyoku Hill. He got about five feet when Renji flashstepped in front of him, Zabimaru already released and ready to attack. "Look, Ichigo! I don't want to do this but I'll use force if I have to!"

"Renji!" Ichigo's eyes flared with rage, scaring both lieutenants. He reached down and picked up his zanpakutos and readied himself. He was going to see Orihime again and Renji was not going to stop him. "GET…OUT…OF…MY-"

"Bakudo #61: Riku Jokoro."

Rukia and Renji were taken aback when pillars of light came out of nowhere and rooted Ichigo to the ground, keeping him restrained. Knowing the source of the spell, Rukia whirled around to see Byakuya calmly walking towards them. "Brother!"

"I've had all I can stand of this. I'll endure it no longer." Byakuya walked over to Ichigo's front, not affected in the slightest by the boy's glare. "Ichigo, why are you acting like this?"

"Rukia and Renji wouldn't let me go! Byakuya, I'm not crazy!"

"And swinging your swords while screaming like a madman is going to convince me otherwise?" Byakuya asked. "I'll ask again: what's gotten into you?"

Taking deep breaths, Ichigo calmly told him the events of the past few days, meeting Orihime in his inner world, spending days talking to her and the battle with the hollow which revealed his new zanpakuto. Finishing his tale, Ichigo struggled in vain to break the Kidô. "Now let me go!"

Byakuya took in the boy's words before crossing his arms. "Ichigo, I believe that you're becoming delusional from your grief. What you just described isn't possible."

"I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH!"

"And yet, why didn't your zanpakutos change when you said Orihime's name? Why can I not feel her spirit energy in your zanpakutos?" Byakuya's expression softened as he looked at the boy with pity in his eyes. "Ichigo, I'm aware of your recent actions. You've become obsessed with trying to hold on to whatever piece of Orihime that she left behind. Her hairpins. Her apartment. Her diary. You're becoming consumed by your guilt and its affected your mind." When Ichigo looked at him stunned, Byakuya elaborated. "Yoruichi was asked to keep an eye on you to make sure you didn't hurt yourself. That's how we know."

Ichigo was on the verge of tears now. Was it all just a dream? Was he so lost that his mind played the worst kind of trick on him? He reached out to Orihime but got no answer, not knowing that the girl was still asleep. His head hurt as the questions and the strain became too much. Finally, he looked up at Byakuya with pleading eyes. "Byakuya…please…I know what I saw…."

Rukia and Renji held their breath as the tension rose, not knowing what Byakuya planned on doing. After staring into Ichigo's eyes deeply for several silent minutes, Byakuya finally spoke. "Ichigo, I will make you a deal." He decided to relent for Ichigo's sake; after all he'd done for them the boy deserved the benefit of the doubt. "We will go together to Urahara's lair and you will use his manifestation device to test your theory."

Ichigo blinked. "You know about that?"

"Yoruichi informed me of how you were able to attain Bankai in less than three days after you bested me. As I was saying, if what you say is true then Rukia, Renji and I will need to confirm it. If, however, we are right and nothing happens, will you promise to come with us without struggling so we may take you to Squad Four? Because if this is just a product of your imagination then you need therapy before you suddenly snap." Ichigo nodded, surprised at the man's willingness to listen to him. "Very well then." He put a hand up and the bars of light restraining Ichigo faded. "Lead the way…" he gestured, "And do not try to think about outrunning us, Ichigo. In your present condition you won't get far."

Slumping his shoulders, Ichigo slowly walked back onto the path he'd started on, Byakuya, Rukia and Renji following. Rukia noticed Byakuya quickly send a Hell Butterfly off towards Squad Twelve and walked up to him. "Brother, what was the Hell Butterfly for?"

"It was a message to Kisuke Urahara to meet us at his underground lair. If by chance Ichigo is telling the truth, he'll need to know this. He is still studying the girl's cadaver, isn't he?" he asked. When Rukia paled at the phrase, Byakuya realized he'd said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry. I should have phrased that more softly. In any case, if he is telling the truth, he'll want to know about it."

"And if Ichigo is wrong?"

"That's why I also asked Kisuke Urahara to bring the strongest restraints the Department of Research and Development has to offer with him just in case."

Minutes Later
Kisuke's Underground Lair beneath the Sokyoku Hill

Ichigo found the doll right where he left it when he went to go rescue Rukia. As he asked Renji to set it up, he saw Kisuke climbing down the ladder. "Kisuke? What are you doing here?"

Slinging black ropes over his shoulder, Kisuke calmly waved over to the four as he walked over to them. "Good to see you out and about, Ichigo. What's this I hear about you and Orihime?"

As quick as he could, Ichigo recounted the events that he'd relayed to Byakuya. Stroking his chin, Kisuke took off his hat and set the ropes down onto the ground. "Well, Ichigo, I'll give you my professional opinion…you're out of your mind." When Ichigo bristled in anger, Kisuke held up a hand to stop him. "Let me finish. By all accounts what you just told me is unheard of. However…" his mind shifted back to Orihime's still-existing body and the other startling phenomenon. "Thinking about it more closely, both you and Orihime are exceptionally unique individuals, especially Orihime so it's not impossible that what you've just told me is true. Regardless, go ahead and stab the device and we'll know it for sure."

"Okay but…what's with the ropes?"

Flipping his fan, Kisuke gave Ichigo a rather menacing look. "Insurance, Ichigo. That's all. Now if you please?"

Ichigo drew his swords and closed his eyes, praying that this will work. With all his might, he stabbed both swords into the doll.

…And it was at that precise moment that inside Ichigo's Inner World, Orihime woke up.

The doll disintegrated with a bright flash of light. Standing in its place, much to the complete shock of everyone but Ichigo, was Orihime. "Huh? Where am I?" She realized she was no longer in Ichigo's Inner World and saw to her delight Rukia, Renji, Byakuya and Kisuke standing together with Ichigo. "Rukia! You're all okay!"

The four simply stared in complete shock and confusion. Kisuke was so stunned he dropped his cane. "I…don't believe it…."

Ichigo whirled around. "So you all can see her?"

Rukia nodded, tears running down her face as she stared at her friend. "Yes…I see her…." The girl did the only thing that seemed natural: run up to Orihime and hug her. "Orihime, is this really you?" she asked, sobbing into Orihime's chest as she held her.

"Yeah…." Orihime wrapped her arms around Rukia and hugged her back, glad to be able to touch someone again. "Um…Ichigo? What's happened?"

"I used a doll Kisuke made to externalize a zanpakuto to manifest you here. I figured since you took Zangetsu's place I could do the same to you. But why didn't you answer me when I called you?"

Orihime scratched the back of her head. "Sorry. I was sleeping and I must've not have heard you."

Kisuke observed the touching scene before shaking his head in disbelief. "This is becoming more and more curious…."

Ichigo turned to the shopkeeper. "What'd you mean by that, Kisuke?"

Sighing, Kisuke merely shook his head. "I'll explain later. In the meantime, why don't we all sit down and try to calm down. I think even Byakuya is getting emotional here."

The man glared at the former captain. "I do not get emotional."

"Aw c'mon! This is a happy moment!"

Ichigo noticed Kisuke leaving the black ropes on the ground and cocked his head in confusion. "So what were the ropes for, Kisuke?"

"Oh, those were the best restraints Mayuri developed. If I had been right and you'd gone bonkers I planned on binding you with them and dragging you to Squad Four for psych treatment. Good to see I was wrong for a change."

"You jerk…."

Orihime merely giggled. "I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same!"

Byakuya left the chamber, leaving four with the reunited Orihime, still not sure what to make of all this. One thing was for sure….

…Something big was about to happen. With Ichigo it was always big.

To be continued

A.N.: And now I can't get that song out of my head. Nice going, Teloch…. *Storms off to find box of tissues again….*